Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The year was 200X, advancements in the field of robotics began to skyrocket, with robots becoming an everyday facet in human life. You could find robots everywhere, helping people with groceries, construction, even helping cross the street. And all of this was possible thanks to the brilliant mind of Dr. Thomas Light, the father of modern robotics.

And today, the graduating class of Mega City University were about to be presented their diplomas.

Luz Noceda, an 18 year old Affro Dominican girl, was adorned in her graduation cap and robes, adjusting her glasses on her face, as her eyesight had gotten bad over the years and she needed to get glasses. Luz was a little nervous as she looked around at her older classmates, feeling a little bit of imposter syndrome creeping in. But Luz shook these thoughts away.

“No, no, no. Remember what everyone said. You earned this.” Luz muttered to herself.

She had double applied herself in school always, getting into dual enrollment for all four years of high school. Getting extra credit on assignments to prove that she could do college, and it had all led up to this moment.

Luz looked out at the crowd of parents, family members, friends, and guardians that had gathered to watch the graduation ceremony. Luz spotted her mother, Camila Noceda, in the crowd, who was recording the whole thing. Luz also spotted her girlfriend, Amity Blight, in the crowd as well, in addition to her other friends from the Boiling Isles, all of them using illusion magic to hide their ears of course, along with her adoptive sister, Vee. It had been 4 years since the defeat of Emperor Belos and the Boiling Isles had finally completed reconstruction. Luz had gone off to university in the human realm but she still kept in contact with her friends, especially Amity.

When they had escaped to the human realm during the day of unity, her friends were shocked and amazed at how advanced the human realm truly was. Luz had always been a rather bright and gifted individual, with an affinity for robotics, engineering, and computer programming. Her mother was actually one of the top scientists in robotics, at least in the medical field. When Luz had first arrived in the isles she had wanted to understand everything about it. Luz had a dream, a dream to one day blend together the magic of the demon realm, and the technology of the human realm.

The Dean then stepped up to the podium to begin the graduation ceremony.

“Hello everyone. Thank you for coming. We are here today to celebrate the future of those leaving our Halls today. These dedicated youth will all undoubtedly bring great invitations to whatever field they’ve chosen. But before we begin, I have a special guest to introduce. Please Welcome RIT Alumni, and primary financial backer, Dr. Thomas Light, who has prepared some words of encouragement for our Graduates.” Dean Howard Sharp said.

A man whose appearance could be simply described as Santa Claus in a lab coat, walked on stage. This was Dr. Thomas Light, one of if not the greatest scientists in the world, and one of Luz’s personal idols. Dean Howard passed the microphone to Dr. Light.

“Thank you so much, Howard. Hello everyone. Well, Um, prepared, is subjective. I don’t really have much to say specifically, other than that your Dean is right.” Dr. Light said, getting a chuckle from the audience and a few of the students, minus Luz.

“And I wish all of you bright young people luck in achieving your dreams. Your future is yours to make. I hope to work with those of you in sciences sometime in the future, whether that be as an employee at Light industries, or as a partner at another firm.” Dr. Light said.

The crowd erupted into cheers at Light’s speech and the good Doctor passed the microphone back to the Dean.

“Thank you for those inspiring words, Dr. Light.” Dean Howard said.

“Now, let’s begin properly, with our First graduate. Aaron Brown…” Dean Howard trailed off as the ceremony went under way.

Later…

Luz held her glass of non-Alcoholic Apple Cider to the sky as her family toasted her. A lesser known down side to Graduating at 18 was that Luz was underaged and couldn’t have any of the Alcoholic Beverages that were at the party, but it didn’t bother her much. She wasn’t all that into being intoxicated, unless you counted Amity as an intoxicant, which her friends seemed to think, and if she really wanted to, she could drink when she got home.

“To Luz, may her future be prosperous and bright.” Her mother said.

Luz took a sip of her beverage, smiling at everyone. Dean Howard then came over to talk to Luz.

“Excuse me, Luz.” Dean Howard said.

“Yes Dean…” Luz trailed off as her eyes widened.

Dr. Light was standing right next to the Dean.

“No need to be so formal anymore, I doubt you’ll be coming back to this old place. Call me Howard.” Dean Howard said.

Dr. Light gave a lighthearted chuckle and put his hand on Howard’s shoulder.

“Oh come now Howard, you run a fine institution, and I’m sure this young lady would be glad to stay here if she wishes to continue her official education.” Dr. Light said.

Luz was still too stunned to say anything, so Amity spoke up for her.

“Excuse me, Dr. Light, and I don’t mean to sound rude, but did you want something?” Amity asked.

“Oh, yes. Well, I was catching up with Howard and asked if there were any promising young students. And he was practically choking on his own words to tell about Ms. Noceda’s skill. I wanted to offer you an internship at Light Labs.” Dr. Light answered.

Luz.exe had stopped working in that moment, so Amity gave her a hard reset by elbowing he lightly in the ribs.

“Ow, I need to respond, right, ah, well…Yes. It would be an honor.” Luz said with a smile

Dr. Light gave a good natured laugh.

“Oh, I remember my first internship with someone I respected. I was stumbling over my own words as well. And now look at me. Still stumbling over my words.” Dr. Light said, reminiscing his younger years.

“When do I start?” Luz asked.

“As soon as you can. I hope to see you in my humble halls soon.” Dr. Light said with a warm smile.

Dr. Light reached into his lab coat pocket and handed Luz a business card with an address written on the back. The card read “Light Labs.”

After Dr. Light walked off and out of sight, Luz was in a state of ecstatic glee.

“Amity, this is amazing! Pinch me now so I can see if I’m dreaming!” Luz said excitedly.

“You're not dreaming.” Amity said before she kissed Luz on the cheek.

“Imagine it, me, interning with the father of modern robotics! This is the greatest day of my life!” Luz said excitedly as she picked Amity up and twirled her around before setting her back on her feet.

Amity giggled at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm. Luz was always a technology nerd, with a deep fascination and love for robotics, which was understandable considering her mother was also a scientist in the field of robotics, but mostly in the medical field. When Luz had first come to the Boiling Isles, she was immediately enamored by everything around her, wanting to understand it all. Amity found her scientific curiosity to be a very endearing quality, along with her nerdy love of fantasy. Luz was her nerd, her Sweet Potato.

“Well, Sweet Potato, let’s get to your house, then the celebration can really begin.” Amity said with a smile.

What came to follow that night was a night of celebration. Other people from the demon realm came through the new portal and arrived at the Noceda residence for the party. Eda, King, Raine, Amity’s siblings, and many more. Soon Luz would be working alongside one of the greatest scientists in the world.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Somewhere in the Boiling Isles. Luz and Willow were fighting some Belos loyal terrorists calling themselves the “Sons of the Titan.”

“…and then, he offered me an internship.” Luz said as she pulled up a magic barrier to block a large boulder.

Willow threw up a wall of vines to block a fireball.

“That’s amazing, Luz! And you’re starting tomorrow?” Willow asked as she and Luz stood back-to-back.

“Yep.” Luz answered.

Luz made some hand gestures that, to anyone else, would look completely random. To Luz however, she was “dialing in,” a complex glyph combo, using her special designed gloves. Pillars of ice rose up surrounding the terrorists. It quickly formed a cage, which then closed in on them. One of the men tried to shoot a fireball at it, but with a twist of her hand, Luz transmuted the ice to solid steel.

“I’m really excited. This is the first real step to achieving my dream!” Luz said.

The gloves had hundreds of glyphs carved into the leather, and could even be used at a much lower range in the human realm, thanks to the fact that the gloves were dyed in titan blood. With them, Luz could make glyph combos by making specific hand movements.

The next day…

Luz walked up to the door of Light Labs. She was extremely nervous, and she hesitated just a bit. She took a deep breath and opened the door. There was utter chaos.

“No, Rock, it needs to go there. Roll, I-wait don’t touch that!” The familiar voice of Dr. Light spoke.

“Um…Dr. Light? Do you need help?” Luz asked as she walked into the room to find Dr. Light and what appeared to be two children, a boy and a girl.

“Hmmm, oh, Ms. Noceda. It’s nice to see you again. No, Rock and Roll are more than capable, I just need to be a bit more clear, and keep my corrosives properly contained.” Dr. Light said before he turned his attention to the little girl.

“Roll, are you Okay?” Dr. Light asked.

The girl, now identified as Roll, nodded.

“Yes doctor. The damage is superficial.” Roll answered.

Luz looked at the young girl, and saw her finger bones sticking out.

“That’s superficial?!” Luz asked incredulously.

Roll looked at Luz, then back at her hand.

“Oh, you’re the new intern. Don’t worry, I’m a robot, my skin isn’t real. See.” Roll said as she showed Luz her hand. 

Looking at Roll’s hand, Luz saw what she at first thought was bone, was actually a shinny, metal, and most importantly, undamaged, endoskeleton.

Luz was astounded.

“You’re a robot?” Luz said in awe.

Roll nodded.

“Yes, I’m DLN: 002, but you can call me “Roll.” Roll introduced herself.

Dr. Light then chimed in.

“She’s technically a house cleaning robot, but that’s just what I wrote on the prototype page. She and Rock are more like my own children, and I love to watch them learn and grow.” Dr. Light said with a warm smile.

A young boy waved at Luz, he had brown spiky hair and blue eyes.

“I’m DLN: 001, but you can call me “Rock.” It’s nice to meet you.” Rock introduced himself.

Luz waved back.

“It's nice to meet you too. I’m Luz. So, if Roll is a house cleaning unit, what are you?” Luz asked Rock.

“I’m a lab assistant! I help people.” Rock said with a smile.

“That’s always good. They’re so life-like. It’s like they have free will.” Luz said as she looked at Rock and Roll.

“As close as I can get. They can still think, but ultimately they are limited to their code. It is nice not having to teach them right from wrong, but I do wish they could truly choose that for themself.” Dr. Light said.

“Maybe one day it can happen.” Luz said.

Dr. Light gave a lighthearted chuckle.

“Yes, perhaps one day. How about you help give me a hand with fixing up Roll and then we can give you a tour of the lab.” Dr. Light replied.

“It would be my pleasure, Dr. Light.” Luz said.

The process of fixing up Roll was relatively simple, just replacing the synthetic skin on her hand which had been melted.

After that was done, Dr. Light and his robot children proceeded to show Luz around the lab. Eventually they reached a room of the lab where the lights were off. It was so dark that Luz couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.

“And this is something special.” Dr. Light said before he turned the lights on.

Luz squinted her eyes at the sudden illumination but her eyes quickly adjusted and she gasped in awe at the sight. 6 humanoid robots. One of which was completed, and the others in varying stages of assembly. She noticed that they all seemed to be themed. The only one that was complete was a shorter, mostly orange robot with big scissor blades on its head.

“Argh!” Someone groaned in frustration.

“What? Albert?! What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the day!” Dr. Light asked as he turned around to face who made the sound of frustration.

Luz turned around to see a man in a lab coat with gray hair and mustache, with his hair being massive sideburns and having a bald spot in between. She instantly recognized him.

“Dr. Albert W. Wily?!” Luz exclaimed in shock.

“Yes, yes, don’t wear it out.” Dr. Wily said.

Luz turned to face Dr. Light.

“Dr. Light, what is he doing here? He lost his certification, the judge said he’s not even allowed to pick up a screwdriver.” Luz said.

“That was years ago, he’s changed, and he can’t make up for it if he’s not given a chance.” Dr. Light said.

“But-” Luz protested but Dr. Light cut her off.

“Give him a chance.” Dr. Light said.

Luz eyed Dr. Wily in suspicion before sighing.

“Fine.” Luz relented.

“Thank you. Needless to say, none of this can leave the labs, at least not until the Robot Masters are done.” Dr. Light said.

Luz raised an eyebrow.

“Robot Masters?” Luz asked, looking at the 6 humanoid robots.

“Yes. They’re a little project of ours. A line of fully autonomous Robots that can more efficiently organize and work certain industries. They will be the first step towards a new standard.” Dr. Light said proudly.

“But won’t that make a lot of people lose their jobs?” Luz asked.

Dr. Light chuckled and shook his head.

“Not at all, the Robot Masters will effectively take the place of upper management, while being capable of performing tasks far too dangerous for humans to undertake.” Dr. Light explained.

“The Robot Masters will be extensions of the common worker, not their replacement.” Dr. Light summarized.

“Incredible.” Luz breathed out in awe.

“What will they all do? Like, what kinds of tasks?” Luz asked as she eyed the Robot Masters.

“Well, for now we have six. Cut Man is made for the lumber industry, Guts Man will be in charge of construction, Ice Man for Arctic temperature research, Bomb Man for demolition, Fire Man for organic waste disposal, and Elec Man for the power industry.” Dr. Light explained the functions of the Robot Masters.

“Wow, wait, waste disposal? Isn’t burning trash bad for the environment?” Luz asked.

“That’s why he’s for organic waste disposal. Burning organic material only releases carbon dioxide, and when he’s done, Fire Man will be equipped with a CO2 collection system, and will be able to separate carbon and oxygen to use as fuel.” Dr. Light explained.

“Ooh. Interesting.” Luz said in amazement.

“They all will also be able to guide other robots remotely in their tasks.” Dr. Light added.

“This does sound great, but couldn’t they also be used as weapons? I mean, Cut Man has scissors bolted to his head that can cut down trees. Fire Man will presumably be equipped with flamethrowers, and do I even need to mention Bomb Man?” Luz asked in concern.

“A valid concern, and one I had myself. Which is why all of the new technology being used in them is patented as soon as prototypes are even close to finished. Light Labs will never be a weapons dealer again, and all military contracts are only for technology used in humanitarian efforts, not combat. And since the company controls the patents, our ethics committee has full control over who is granted the rights to use them. Even I can only make suggestions.” Dr. Light explained.

Dr. Wily grumbled quietly at Light’s sentiment.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Luz asked as she turned to Dr. Wily with a raised eyebrow.

“Light is an optimist, but sometimes the only solution to violence is more violence. After all, if we could stop every criminal by talking to them, why would we need the police?” Dr. Wily said in response.

Sensing the tension between Luz and Albert, Dr. Light cleared his throat.

“The Robot Masters, as you can see, are not quite finished yet.” Dr. Light said to Luz.

“I can’t wait to see when they are. I’m sure they’ll do a lot of good.” Luz said with a smile.

Luz didn’t know at the time, but this comment would age poorly. Dr. Light nodded in agreement.

“I certainly hope so. Now how about we finish the tour. I still have to show you your work station.” Dr. Light said as he, Luz, Rock, and Roll left the room.

Dr. Wily glared at them behind their backs as they left the room. A little bit later and the tour arrived at Luz’s workspace.

“And this will be your office space when you’re not in the lab.” Dr. Light said as he gestured to a rather large cubicle, about 2/3s the size of Amity’s personal study in the library.

“It seems rather large.” Luz said.

“Yes, well, I am a believer in the idea that employees should have more space then the bare minimum required to fit themselves and a computer.” Dr. Light said.

“But I'm just an intern. Not that I’m not grateful.” Luz said.

“So? Why should you be treated differently just because you aren’t guaranteed to stay? So you should be treated as a normal employee until you feel the need to move on. Whether that be to another company, or as a full time employee is up to you.” Dr. Light said.

“Thank you, Dr. Light.” Luz said with a soft smile.

“You're welcome my dear. Oh, look at the time. 6:00 pm already. Well I suppose the tour is over, you can go home if you wish.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Light. Goodbye, Rock. Goodbye, Roll.” Luz said as she waved to the two young robots as she left.

“Goodbye Ms. Noceda. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Rock and Roll said as they waved back.

After Luz left, Rock turned to his father.

“She seems rather nice, dad.” Rock said.

“Yes, Ms. Noceda is a rather bright young girl, top of her class when she was in university according to Howard. Graduated with a degree in advanced robotics and engineering, along with programming.” Dr. Light said.

“That's incredible.” Rock said.

“It is. Well it’s getting late, why don’t you both head to bed. I need to check on Albert’s progress.” Dr. Light said. 

“Okay. Goodnight.” Rock said as he and Roll walked off.

Dr. Light walked into the room containing the robot masters. Dr. Wily was looking over some tools, a scowl on his face.

“You showed her the Robot Masters, Thomas.” Dr. Wily growled out when he saw that Light had entered the room

“Is that a problem, Albert?” Dr. Light asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought we had agreed that the Robot Masters would be kept secret until they were completed!” Dr. Wily shouted.

“From the public, Albert. It’d be rather hard to keep it hidden from our own staff.” Dr. Light replied.

“But she’s just an intern. How do you know she’s not spying for our rivals?!” Dr. Wily countered.

“I recruited her at her college graduation. Besides, I recognized her mother. Camila Noceda, top researcher in the use of robotics in the medical field. She’s an independent researcher, we’ve funded some of her research ourselves.” Dr. Light said.

Dr. Wily grumbled before relenting.

“Fine. What are you doing here anyway?” Wily demanded.

“Just checking on your work.” Dr. Light said as he walked over to the Robot Masters.

“That isn’t necessary, I already checked it multiple times.” Dr. Wily insisted.

“I doubt I’d find anything wrong, but it always pays to have an extra set of eyes.” Dr. Light said.

Wily’s eyes narrowed in frustration.

Dr. Light quickly became engrossed in his work, and he spotted something on Guts Man. Light pulled out a small screwdriver. What Light was working on wasn’t something Wily had done wrong, no, it was clearly something he just hadn’t finished. Dr. Light was just trying to lessen the burden on his friend. But Albert didn’t know, or more accurately didn’t care. All he saw was Thomas doing something to his robot.

These robots were the result of HIS genius. Not that flabby cotton-faced second-rater.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

A few months in and Luz was still loving working at Light Labs. The company gave her the freedom to research, well, pretty much whatever she wanted, so long as she could make a case it could be used to improve robotics. Within the time Luz had begun working at Light Labs, the Robot Masters had been completed, and now the time had come for them to be unveiled to the public. Luz was currently in the lab, working on her most recent project.

Her own project had been based on a comment Amity made, about how most witches had to specialize, even Eda, but with the Glyphs, Luz had become a master of all magic. Her mind flashed back to that moment, the one that convinced her to make it a weapon.

An entire city block had been destroyed. Most of Bonesborough was damaged. All cause some stupid terrorist cell. Luz had stopped them, but she had to do it, she had to kill one of them. And not only that, but it took her so long to do it. She had spent nearly the entire fight on defense, but she was able to end it the moment she went on the offensive. Luz shook her head, pushing away the flash back. Dr. Wily’s words to her had echoed in her head, how sometimes the only solution to violence was more violence.

‘Well, maybe not more. Just controlled. A measured response.’ Luz thought to herself as she laid down her tools.

The prototype was done. Now she just needed to test it. But that could wait till later. She had a presentation to watch! Luz gathered up her things and got on her bike, driving all the way to the park where the presentation would be taking place. The park had a bunch of news crew and reporters gathered in front of a stage, where Dr. Light would be making his presentation.

Luz parked her bike and made her way to the back of the stage. Luz saw Dr. Light, along with Rock and Roll. Roll was humming a tune while standing on a stool and working on Dr. Light’s tie and Rock was shining Dr. Light’s shoes. Dr. Light was reviewing some flashcards, rehearsing his speech, and doing it poorly.

“...A new age of…” Should that be a “new era”? I don’t want to sound presumptuous…” Dr. Light said.

“You’ll do fine, Dr. Light.” Rock said with a smile.

Dr. Light continued to rehearse.

“...For the betterment of mankind…and to advance robotics, too...” Dr. Light trailed off.

“Oh, I’m no good at public speaking…” Dr. Light groaned as he went to run his hand through his hair but Roll stopped him.

“Quit it Doctor Light! You’ll mess up your hair!” Roll protested as she pulled Dr. Light’s hand away from his hair.

“All set!” Rock said as he stood up.

Dr. Light sighed and smiled at his robotic children.

“I’m sorry, Roll. You’re right. I would be lost without the two of you.” Dr. Light said.

Luz decided to chime in.

“You can say that again, Dr. Light.” Luz said as she walked over.

Rock and Roll smiled at seeing Luz.

“Luz! You made it!” The two young robots said happily.

Luz smiled at the two of them.

“As if I would miss the day when your siblings are revealed to the world.” Luz said as she looked to see the Robot Masters standing inactive onstage, hidden behind the curtain.

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew the attention of the two humans and the two robots. Dr. Light smiled upon seeing who it was.

“Oh, good! You decided to come! I was afraid you wouldn’t make it, Albert!” Dr. Light said cheerfully as Dr. Wily entered the back of the stage.

“Shine your shoes, Dr. Wily?” Rock offered as he immediately went over to Wily and started shining his shoes, catching him off guard.

“Erm, no, thank-” Wily was saying before he was cut off.

“It’s no trouble at all!” Rock said cheerfully.

“Um…is there anything I can do for you, Doctor Wily?” Roll asked as she stood next to Albert.

“No! Would you get off me?!” Albert said as he moved his foot away from Rock who backed up in surprise.

Dr. Light chuckled and put his hand on Dr. Wily’s shoulder.

“Cut them some slack, Albert! They’re just as excited as us! It’s a big day after all.” Dr. Light said enthusiastically.

“Yes, about that…” Dr. Wily trailed off as he walked over to the Robot Masters with Dr. Light, with Wily giving Luz, Rock, and Roll the stink eye as he did so.

Luz continued to listen in on their conversation.

“I helped design the Robot Master line, didn’t I?” Dr. Wily asked.

“Yes.” Dr. Light said.

“I helped BUILD them, didn’t I?” Dr. Wily asked.

Dr. Light sighed, already having a feeling where his friend was going with this.

“Yes.” Dr. Light said.

“Then I should be on that stage making the unveiling announcement with you!” Dr. Wily said.

“Albert, we’ve been through this… You lost your credentials when you did those unethical robotics experiments. That kind of negativity would undermine everything we’re trying to do with Light Labs.” Dr. Light said.

Dr. Wily turned away from Dr. Light.

“Oh, how silly of me, Thomas. I forgot that “Light” makes “Right.” Dr. Wily said sarcastically.

“Now hold on…” Dr. Light said as he put his hand on Dr. Wily’s shoulder.

“I haven’t forgotten all the work we did in university together. You’ve made your mistakes, but I know you can make up for them.” Dr. Light said.

Dr. Wily simply let a, hmph, in response. Dr. Light however continued speaking.

“You’re an equal partner in Light Labs where it counts. You’ll miss out on today, but history will remember the TWO men who changed the future!” Dr. Light said with a smile as he offered his hand for Wily to shake.

Dr. Wily’s left eye subtly twitched before he turned around and shook Light’s hand.

“Just don’t flub up your lines, Tommy boy!” Dr. Wily said with a grin.

Luz decided to chime in.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t want a repeat of last week’s rehearsal. Rock says it was a master class in how to not give a speech.” Luz said.

Dr. Light and Dr. Wily turned to face Luz, Light having a soft smile on his face, Wily, not so much.

“Ah, Luz. Albert, you remember her.” Dr. Light said.

“Not really, we have a lot of employees, and I don’t get to meet with them as often as you do, Thomas.” Dr. Wily said as he stared at Luz with a look of anger.

“Well, Luz was brought in about half a year ago, and she’s made staggering progress. In fact, she’s working on a project that just might put us out of the job.” Dr. Light said.

“Is she now? Well she’ll just have to wait her turn.” Dr. Wily said sarcastically.

Rock then came up to Dr. Light.

“Dr. Light, it’s time.” Rock said as he gave Dr. Light the stack of flashcards.

“R-Right.” Dr. Light said nervously.

Dr. Light took the flashcards and took a deep breath before walking past the curtains which hid the Robot Masters and walked onstage to be met with the mass gathering of news reporters and citizens who had come to see his presentation. Dr. Light walked up to a podium and tapped the microphone experimentally to see if it was working.

“Good morning, everyone! Thank you for coming out today for Light Labs’ most important product unveiling in the history of…well…ever!” Dr. Light said, met with some laughter from the crowds at his awkward public speaking.

Despite this, he continued.

“Over the last century, advances in robotics have brought us a new era of better services and safer work environments, and Afforded us new luxuries. But that is not enough. I believe the field of robotics can be pushed even further. That WE can be pushed further for the betterment of mankind AND robotkind. By pushing the boundaries of modern robotics, and by working hard alongside them, I believe we can achieve more than a better tomorrow. I believe we can achieve a perfect tomorrow.” Dr. Light said with great motivation.

Rock, Roll, and Luz smiled as Dr. Light spoke so passionately about his vision.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next generation of robots. The Robot Masters!” Dr. Light said as the curtains pulled back to reveal the 6 completed Robot Masters in all their glory.

“Cut Man. Who will oversee forestry management! Guts Man. Who will oversee land reclamation in hazardous conditions! Ice Man. Who will push Arctic and Antarctic exploration to new horizons! Bomb Man. Who will revolutionize demolition and excavation practices! Fire Man. Whose incinerator functions will promote waste reduction! And, Elec Man. Who will rewrite the book on power management!” Dr. Light said, introducing each Robot Master and explaining their primary function.

“These Robot Masters will all have advanced AI systems that will allow them to perform complex tasks, interact with people, and direct other robots in their duties.” Dr. Light finished.

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

“I’ll now be happy to answer your questions. Yes, you, sir?” Dr. Light said, gesturing to a small flying robot reporter.

“Ripot from the B&C Gazette. Earlier in your career you built robots for the military, like your so-called “Sniper Joe” model, are there any plans on using these advanced robots, y’know, for covert war operations?” The robot reporter asked.

“No, I’m through making weapons. I am more interested in pursuing more constructive means of advancing humanity.” Dr. Light replied, sounding a little upset at first before regaining his composure.

Hearing that, Wily stormed away in a huff, while Luz internally cringed. She had pitched her work under the old name of the V.T.S (Variable. Tool. System), and hadn’t told Dr. Light about its weaponization. The rest of the day was incredibly busy, the reporters had caught her on her way back to the lab, and hounded her with questions about the robot masters, even though she kept insisting it wasn’t her department. Then when she finally made it back, she was dragged into one of her group research projects, so she still hadn’t tested the copy chip at the end of the day. She considered leaving it, ultimately deciding to take it and the blue prints home for testing.

Luz had eventually gone back to her house where her mom, sister, and girlfriend were waiting for her. Meanwhile, a certain scientist with massive sideburns and a mustache, was about to hatch an evil scheme.

The next morning…

Luz had gotten out of bed and was walking into the kitchen to make breakfast. Then she got dressed and went off to get to the lab early, hopefully to test out her copy chip project as she brought it with her back to the lab. Luz was dressed in a pair of jeans, black and white converse shoes, a purple polo shirt, and a white lab coat, in addition to her glasses. With her Palisman, Stringbean, being stored in the bag of holding Eda had given her at her graduation party. Eventually she made it to the lab and walked inside.

Then, Roll ran past her.

“Whoah, Roll, what’s the rush?!” Luz called out.

“Luz, you’re early, no matter! The Robot Masters are missing!” Roll responded as she kept running to get Dr. Light.

Luz’s eyes widened and she rushed to the room where the Robot Masters would’ve been, only to find the room completely ransacked, with equipment destroyed, and no trace of the Robot Masters. Roll and Dr. Light soon arrived as well.

“What happened to the Robot Masters?” Dr. Light asked with urgency.

“I don’t know, I came in to clean this morning and…” Roll trailed off.

Rock then came running to them.

“Doctor Light! You need to see the news right away!” Rock said.

Dr. Light and Luz looked at each other and rushed to the nearest TV, what they saw filled them with dread.

“Oh no…No, no, no…” Dr. Light said in horror.

The news showed the Robot Masters, all active and attacking the city. A female news reporter was covering the story.

“...li with Channel 8 News. We continue our coverage of a sudden robot attack downtown. As you can see, the robots are causing massive damage and possess powers unlike anything we’ve ever seen. What’s worse is that nothing seems to be able to subdue them. The police were quickly outmatched this morning, and the army has already been defeated.” The female reporter trailed off as the news displayed footage of Cut Man and Elec Man causing mayhem, with Cut Man throwing his scissor blades at a building and Elec Man causing a massive power surge, before switching to footage of Bomb Man blowing up a police vehicle, and Ice Man using his powers to trip a police officer. Then switching to footage of Fire Man and Guts Man defeating the army, with Guts Man lifting a tank over his head and Fire Man shooting flames everywhere.

Luz and the others looked on in horror at the amount of destruction the Robot Masters were causing. The news lady then continued.

“So far, no one has claimed -zzt-ibility, nor -vvt- demands.” The screen began to glitch as the familiar face of Dr. Wily came on screen.

“Wha-ha-ha-ha! Do not attempt to look away, fools! Dr. Albert W. Wily controls the airwaves now! And soon, the world! No doubt you’ve seen MY Robot Masters at work! Built by MY genius, they are all unstoppable! All of this violence can be avoided. All I demand is complete and immediate surrender from the world’s leaders, and to be recognized as the greatest genius in the history of mankind! Otherwise, this morning will just be a taste of the terror that I’ll unleash! HA HA HA HA!” Dr. Wily cackled evilly.

Dr. Light felt light headed and became shaky, Roll and Luz guided him to sit down in his chair.

“Turn it off, please.” Dr. Light said to Rock.

“You got it.” Rock said as he turned off the TV.

Roll tried to console Dr. Light.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll see. Everybody knows Dr. Wily is behind it now, so they’ll stop him.” Roll said.

But Dr. Light knew better.

“No, no they won't.” Dr. Light said.

“We built the Robot Masters to set the new standard, there is literally NOTHING that can stand up to them! Nobody can stop him now!” Dr. Light said in despair.

Dr. Light then started to break down and Roll hugged him to console him. Luz saw as Rock began to think, coming to a decision.

“I’ll do it.” Rock said, his mind made up.

Dr. Light and Roll looked up at him in surprise, Luz was also surprised by this.

“Wh-what?” Dr. Light asked.

“What Doctor Wily is doing is wrong. You built us just like you built the Robot Masters. So you can make me be able to stop them.” Rock said with unwavering determination.

“Rock…what are you thinking? Aren’t you scared you’ll get hurt?” Roll said, concern clear in her voice.

“Well, sure, I’m scared. And I don’t want to hurt anyone…” Rock trailed off as he turned to his father.

“I know you don’t want to make fighting robots anymore. And if I can get the others to stop being bad, I will. But if I have to fight…then I have to fight. Otherwise, who’d help everyone?” Rock said resolutely.

Dr. Light thought about this before he smiled and put his hands on Rock’s shoulders.

“My boy, you’re absolutely right!” Dr. Light said, his hope restored.

Dr. Light turned to Luz and Roll.

“You two, follow me, we have work to do.” Dr. Light said as he guided Rock to the workshop area.

Dr. Light spoke to Rock as they walked into the workshop.

“I know Albert. If he’s gone this far, he is committed to his scheme. There will be no reasoning with him. You can’t go as you are. I built you to help around the house and lab. But I can make sure you’re prepared so I’ll enhance your solar reactor. Robot hardiness will not be enough, I will give you the best armor I can make. You will be faster, stronger, and you’ve already demonstrated your courage. But that will not be enough. I will arm you. Your new Mega Buster will tap directly from your power cells, so use it wisely. It will be able to hold a charge if you need to pack more of a punch. Although I fear even this may not be enough…” Dr. Light trailed off.

Luz perked up as she got an idea.

“Dr. Light, I have the prototype copy chip with me. We can use that!” Luz said as she brought out the V.W.S prototype.

“Thank you, Luz, but I can’t in my right mind weaponize your-” Dr. Light was saying before Luz cut him off.

“It’s already weaponized.” Luz said.

Dr. Light gave a disapproving look at Luz before he sighed and relented.

“Very well, you will also be able to use Luz’s unique copy chip prototype to adapt the abilities of the other Robot Masters. Perhaps it will give you the edge you need.” Dr. Light said.

Luz and Dr. Light quickly got to work on modifying Rock. As Dr. Light and Luz were working on the Mega Buster, Dr. Light spoke up.

“So, you made your copy chip as a weapon. I thought it was a tool.” Dr. Light said sternly.

Luz carefully placed the chip in place inside.

“It’s both, sir. I made it exactly for a situation like this. Am I fired?” Luz asked nervously.

Dr. Light sighed before he picked up the soldering iron.

“I can’t say I’m too happy you lied about it, but it seems your preparation paid off.” Dr. Light said as he finished soldering the chip in place.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what made you feel the need to create a weapon in the first place?” Dr. Light asked as he set the soldering iron down, tapping it against a moist sponge.

Luz started installing the rest of Rock’s Armor.

“Something happened back at my girlfriend’s home…Something bad…And people got hurt.” Luz said, guilt lacing her voice.

Dr. Light could tell that Luz felt guilty, probably even blaming herself for whatever happened.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for the actions of others. I’m sure there was nothing you could’ve done.” Dr. Light said.

“With all due respect, doctor. I did do something about it. I just waited too long. I still believe in a peaceful future, and that pacifism is the best way to achieve it. But there are just some people that can’t be talked to. People like Wily, like Philip. And that's what this was for. A reactionary weapon. They have to shoot first, or else the V.W.S. is useless.” Luz said as she put the last piece of armor in place.

Dr. Light then put a helmet on Rock’s head.

“I never wanted this for you, but I could not be prouder. I built you as Rock, after my love of music. But you are something very different now.” Dr. Light said with a smile.

“You said my arm cannon is called the Mega Buster, right? Then you can call me, Mega Man!” Rock, now Mega Man, said.

Rock was now clad in blue and cyan colored armor, with his Mega Buster, which he had named himself after, now his right arm.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Rock teleported downtown. Rock looked around and saw the streets demolished.

“The teleporter works, Dr. Light. I’m downtown already.” Rock said through his communicator.

“Good to hear. After reviewing the blueprints of the Robot Masters I have determined the first one you should disable is Bomb Man.” Dr. Light said.

Rock became a little uneasy.

“Bomb Man? You're sure I have to fight him first?” Rock asked nervously.

Luz’s voice then came through his com-link.

“Yes. The Robot Masters were made for civilian purposes, so they aren’t equally as durable. Bomb Man was the only one who was meant to perform his duties from a safe distance, so he has the least armor.” Luz said.

“What about Elec Man?” Rock asked.

“You’d be surprised how durable his insulation is.” Dr. Light said.

“Why couldn’t you have made Origami Man or Pillow Man?” Rock said.

“Firstly, the Robot Masters were meant to work, not fight. Secondly, what would they do?” Luz said, referring to Rock’s suggestions of “Origami Man and Pillow Man.”

Rock sighed.

“Yeah, I get it. Sorry about complaining. I’m just nervous.” Rock apologized.

“We understand, Rock. This will be hard, but we’ll be here for support.” Dr. Light said supportively.

“And maybe try cracking a few jokes, even if they’re just in your head. That always helps me feel better. More in control.” Luz suggested.

“I guess-huh?” Rock’s attention was drawn to some people hiding behind a destroyed van.

“Maybe you heard wrong. Maybe it’s some cunning trap!” A soldier muttered to the other.

Rock walked up and offered his hand, which startled the two soldiers.

“Hello, sorry to startle you, but don’t worry. I’m here to help save everyone. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get going!” Rock said before he turned and ran into the battlefield.

“Good job, Rock. It’s always important to keep people calm in a crisis.” Luz said.

Rock kept running until he came across a massive group of small green hopping robots.

“Wait, please, stop!” Rock said.

The little robots didn’t stop and they kept attacking him.

“You can’t talk them down, Rock. They don’t think. Their AI isn’t advanced enough.” Luz said.

“But what about the Robot Masters?” Rock asked.

“Their AI and memories are stored within their IC chips, and those are heavily reinforced. You’d need to rip it out and hit with twice as much power as a full powered charge shot to break it. So no matter what happens, don’t hold back.” Luz answered.

“R-right.” Rock said as he raised his Mega Buster and started blasting at the small green robots.

Something shot at Rock from above. He looked up at it, but the glare only let him see the silhouette of the robot.

Meanwhile in the lab, Dr. Light’s eyes widened when he saw the silhouette.

“Blues?! Can it be?” Dr. Light shot up from his seat in the lab.

Luz however recognized the finer details of the silhouette

“Sniper Joe! Rock, stay on guard!” Luz warned.

The Sniper Joe blasted at Rock but the helper robot turned super fighting robot dodged and returned fire, but the Sniper Joe blocked it with its shield.

“What do I do?!” Rock asked as he dodged another blast from the Sniper Joe.

“That shield can take anything you can throw at it, but the sniper can’t attack with the shield held up. Hold your shot and wait until it goes for its own shot.” Luz answered.

“Okay!” Rock said before he then started to charge his Mega Buster.

Back at the lab Roll spoke to Dr. Light.

“Doctor Light, you thought you recognized that robot. Who is, Blues?” Roll asked.

“He…that’s not important right now. Rock, I’m picking up Bomb Man’s energy signature. He should be in that excavation site.” Dr. Light said.

Luz noticed that Dr. Light wanted to seem to avoid the subject of this, “Blues.”

Meanwhile, Rock finally managed to destroy the Sniper Joe. Using a well timed Mega Buster shot, he blasted the Sniper Joe before it could raise its shield to defend itself. Then he turned to the excavation site and jumped down a shaft.

Down there he found Bomb Man, sitting on top of a pile of rubble.

“Bomb Man, hey. It’s me, Rock.” Rock said as he walked over to the Robot Master.

“Rock? Let me check my data banks. The little helper bot, right?” Bomb Man asked for confirmation with a grin.

“Right! That's me.” Rock said with a smile.

“I like your look, kid. Not a bad entrance either. But if you want to make an impression. You’ve got to enter with a Bang!” Bomb Man said before he hurled a Hyper Bomb at Rock.

Rock was sent flying by the explosion but he recovered. Bomb man laughed.

“This isn’t a fight, it’s a massacre!” Bomb Man said as he materialized another bomb in his hand and prepared to throw it.

“Rock you need to-” Dr. Light was cut off by Rock.

“I know.” Rock said.

Rock charged up his Mega Buster and blasted Bomb Man, pushing the Robot Master back and disabling him, his chassis was smoking and he fell backward, deactivated. Rock looked down at the fallen Robot Master with sympathy.

“I’m sorry.” Rock said sadly.

“Rock, I know it’s hard, but you did it right. You even tried to talk him down.” Luz said in a sympathetic tone.

Rock said nothing. Dr. Light chimed in.

“Luz is right, son. But I promise you, after this is all done we will repair and reprogram them.” Dr. Light said.

“You promise?” Rock asked.

“Promise. Now to copy his weapon data, you just need to touch him.” Luz said.

Rock knelt down and touched Bomb Man’s arm, instantly he felt data surge into him and the colors of his armor changed. The blue parts of his body became forest green, and the cyan parts became white.

“What the?” Rock said as he looked down at his armor, confused by the sudden color change.

“A little bit of extra flavor I threw in, y’know, to make it more interesting, and to indicate which weapon is active.” Luz said.

“So I can throw bombs like him now?” Rock asked.

“Yeah, but you’ll have to turn off the Mega Buster. The system can only support one weapon at a time. It’s an intentional limitation. Oh, you also have limited ammo.” Luz explained.

“One weapon is already more than enough.” Rock said, looking down at his hands uneasily and he switched back to his Mega Buster, his armor colors returning to their original cyan and blue.

“Are you good, Rock?” Luz asked in concern.

Rock shook himself from his thoughts.

“Yeah. Can you send me to the next place?” Rock replied.

“Of course.” Luz said as she activated the teleportation signal.

Rock was then instantly teleported to the next location. Looking around he saw that he was in a massive quarry.

“We’ve tracked Guts Man to this quarry.” Dr. Light said as Rock walked forward.

“How did you manage that?” Rock asked.

“Each Robot Master has a unique control signal which they would’ve used to guide other robots, using that we were able to determine the locations of the others as well.” Luz explained.

“I guess that makes sense.” Rock said in response to Luz’s explanation.

Rock walked towards a hard helmet on the floor.

“I really hope the miner this belonged to just dropped it in a hurry.” Rock said as he knelt down.

The hard hat then jumped up and fired an energy bullet at Rock.

“Rock, it’s an ambush!” Dr. Light warned as more robots showed up.

“Seriously! Who makes a head-in-hat robot?!” Rock asked as he dodged the laser fire from more hard helmet robots, occasionally returning fire with his Mega Buster.

“They’re from a series called “Mets.” Dr. Light said.

“They’re a modular base that are supposed to be attached to different bodies for different uses.” Luz explained.

The sound of buzzing drew Rock’s attention upwards and his eyes widened at the sight of a swarm of medium sized helicopter-like robots zooming towards him. These were a type of robot called “Bladers.”

Rock ran through them, firing his Mega Buster to blast them. Looking up he saw what looked like a person.

“There’s somebody still mining up there!” Rock said in worry.

Rock got to the person, looking behind his back to watch for any dangerous robots.

“Mister, you really shouldn’t be…here…” Rock trailed off as he turned back around to see that the person was not a person, but was in fact a miner robot which shared similarities to the Mets.

“You again?” Rock said in disbelief.

Rock then ducked under a pickaxe swing and fired three laser bullets into the Met Miner.

“Is every robot in the world out to get me?!” Rock asked through the communicator.

“This is no doubt Dr. Wily’s doing. First he secures a location with a Robot Master, then reprograms the robots within the captured area.” Luz replied.

“This is horrible! These robots are innocent!” Rock said.

“This might sound cruel, Rock, and it pains me to say it, but they’re just worker robots. They can be rebuilt.” Luz replied.

“But!-” Rock was about to protest but Luz cut him off.

“Rock, if you don’t defend yourself, there will be nobody left to stop Dr. Wily and the world will be completely at his mercy!” Luz said.

Rock paused for a moment as he processed Luz’s words.

“Alright…I-I can do this. I’m Mega Man.” Rock said before he stepped up to a large mountain.

Rock found the entrance to a large cave and a door closed shut behind him and his communication system started spitting static.

“Dr. Light, Luz? Roll? Can you hear me?” Rock asked, trying to reach someone, anyone.

The ground then rumbled as Guts Man landed a few feet in front of Rock.

“So…you came to take me on yourself. I like that. You’ve got guts little guy, shows you’re manly. But not as manly as me! You won’t beat me ‘cause I’m the strongest.” Guts Man boasted.

“But I’m not strong. I shoot with my Mega Buster. Can you punch lasers?” Rock replied.

Guts Man stumbled over his words.

“I, well, no, but…Shut up!” Guts Man shouted.

Guts Man leaped into the air.

“I don’t need your “logic.” ‘Cause my hugeness is supreme!” Guts Man shouted as he landed in front of Rock and punched the ground, sending Rock flying backward.

“Don’t make me hurt you.” Rock warned as he recovered and aimed at Guts Man with his Mega Buster.

Rock opened fire on Guts Man with his Mega Buster but it did nothing as his laser bullets just bounced off of Guts Man’s armor.

“PAH! With puny lasers like that. Men don’t go “pew-pew-pew.” Men punch-stomp-crush!” Guts Man said before he threw a giant boulder at Rock.

Rock barely dodged getting crushed by the giant boulder.

‘Oh man, oh man, oh man! Even a fully charged shot would probably only tickle him! I need…something like the Hyper Bomb.’ Rock contemplated.

The V.W.S activated and Rock’s armor colors once again became white and green.

“Come on, little boy! Real men don’t hide from a fight!” Guts Man said as he held another giant boulder over his head.

Rock materialized a Hyper Bomb in his right hand and he lobbed it at Guts Man, the bomb exploded, sending Guts Man flying backward, breaking his armor, and blowing a decently sized hole in the mountain. Rock climbed out of the hole and switched back to his Mega Buster, he looked down and saw the still mostly intact, but more importantly disabled, Guts Man, lying on the ground. His com-link then started to work again and he heard Dr. Light’s voice.

“-Do you read me? The mountain was blocking the signal! Are you alright?!” Dr. Light asked in concern.

“I’m not hurt. I’m copying Guts Man’s Super Arm now.” Rock said as he touched Guts Man and downloaded his weapon data.

“Very good, we’ve tracked Cut Man to-” Luz was saying before she was cut off by Rock.

“That’s fine. Let’s go.” Rock said, his tone sounded off to Dr. Light and Luz.

“Are you sure? Do you need to recharge first, or…?” Dr. Light trailed off.

“No, thank you. Let’s get this over with.” Rock said.

Rock was then teleported away, ending up outside of an old lumber mill.

“Be careful, Rock. This is an old facility-” Dr. Light was saying before he was cut off.

“I’m sorry, Doctor Light, but, “Rock,” is a lab assistant. I’m Mega Man. I blow up other robots.” Megaman said as he walked inside.

Meanwhile back at the lab, Roll and everyone else had looks of concern.

“What's wrong with him, Doctor Light? He sounds so sad and cold and-and-and distant! He wasn't like that when he left!” Roll said, worried.

“What if it's the copy chip?! What if it's messing with his I.C. Chip?! If it is, then this is my fault!” Luz panicked.

“No, I don’t think so. The copy chip is not actually integrated into his system, at least not directly. The Mega Buster uses a manual switch to interact with an isolated processor that the copy chip is connected to.” Dr. Light said.

Roll raised an eyebrow at how Dr. Light explained how he integrated the chip into Rock.

“Really, why? It seems a bit inefficient.” Roll asked.

“Well, it was a prototype, and an untested one at that. I didn’t want any potential errors in the coding to interfere with Rock’s main systems.” Dr. Light explained.

“But if it’s not my chip, then what’s going on?” Luz asked as she adjusted her glasses.

“Rock feels like he’s going against everything he stands for. It’s giving him the robot equivalent of cognitive dissonance.” Dr. Light said.

Dr. Light then turned to Roll.

“Your brother is like you; he is a gentle, loving soul. You were both built and programmed with my peaceful ideas in mind. Rock elected to fight to help others, but…He still feels like he’s going against his nature.” Dr. Light said.

“But it’s not his fault. Dr. Wily reprogrammed all these robots to be bad. If he hadn’t done that, Rock wouldn’t have to fight.” Roll said.

“I don’t think that really matters to him right now. It can be hard to reconcile that sometimes you have to hurt people to keep others safe.” Luz said.

“He's reached Cut Man.” Dr. Light said.

Roll snatched the communicator from Dr. Light.

“Rock! Mega Man! Whatever! Listen to me!” Roll called out to her brother.

“Roll?” Rock replied as he entered Cut Man’s chamber.

“You’re not a bad robot. A bad robot would do his job without caring!” Roll said.

Cut Man stood directly in front of Mega Man.

“What, still need advice at the eleventh hour? CUTTING it a bit close, don’t you think?” Cut Man said.

Rock however just kept listening to Roll.

“You’re sacrificing everything for everybody, that makes you the best robot.”Roll said.

“Didn’t get that? Guess you aren’t so SHARP after all.” Cut Man said in response to Rock not replying to him.

Roll: But if you get destroyed, you’ll be a bad brother. So you have to win and come home safe!

“I will. I promise.” Rock said before he jumped in battle against Cut Man, switching his weapon to Hyper Bomb.

Cut Man grinned.

“Finally! But you'll have to do better than that! I'm a CUT above the rest!” Cut Man said.

Rock threw a Hyper Bomb, but Cut Man’s Rolling Cutter went right through it, slicing it in half.

Rock jumped out of the way of the, but the blade bounced off a block of bricks. Cut Man rushed at  Rock, holding his Rolling Cutter in hand.

“No matter how you SLICE it. You just can't make the CUT!” Cut Man said.

Rock changed his weapon to Super Arm, his armor becoming brown and white, and lifted one of the two massive blocks in the chamber over his head. Cut man dives in, holding his rolling cutter and saying another corny joke.

“No DICE, kid, I’m gonna cut you down to…” Rock cut him off by smashing the bricks over Cut Man’s head, burying him under a pile of rubble.

“Sorry to CUT you off. Ha… that was lame.” Rock said with a chuckle.

“You made a joke! Feel any better?” Luz said with a smile.

“A lot actually.” Rock said as he reached down and touched Cut Man, downloading his weapon data. 

“Okay, I’ve got the data for the Rolling Cutter, Dr. Light.” Rock said as he finished the download.

“Very good Mega Man.” Dr. Light replied.

“And, Roll. Thanks, what you said really helped me focus.” Rock said with a small smile.

“You're welcome!” Roll said with a smile.

“3 more Robot Masters to go, and then it's on to take down Dr. WIly!” Rock declared before he teleported away to the next location.

Meanwhile…

Back in Wily’s base, the mad doctor was sitting at a control console, watching Rock’s progress.

“Hmph. It seems my brilliant conquest has hit a bit of a snag. Blader brigade #47! Retrieve Cut Man like the others and bring him here immediately! If you want to stop me so badly, little helper bot, go ahead. If you can make it to my fortress, I’ll give you the honor of being destroyed by me personally! HAHAHA!” Dr. Wily cackled.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Rock had arrived at the electrical power plant that Elec Man had taken over, as he was making his way through the place, the Robot Master himself was watching him on a monitor, while also having a live video chat with Dr. Wily himself.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Wily. I’ve got things covered here! Mega Man won’t get past me.” Elec Man said with confidence.

Wily narrowed his eyes at the Robot Master.

“For your sake, Elec Man, you'd better be right. You've deployed the robots I sent to you?” Dr. Wily said.

Elec Man grinned.

“I did one better. I gave myself access to all the power conduits in this facility!” Elec Man said.

“That's not what I told you to do!” Dr. Wily said in frustration.

“But look! When I do this, I turn the entire power plant into an electrified trap!” Elec Man said as he lowered his hand to the control console and electricity shot from his hand and into the console.

Inside the facility Rock was climbing a ladder when a blast of electricity shot past him.

“Whoa!” Rock exclaimed in shock.

Thankfully the bolt didn't hit him.

“That was close. But I'm too quick!” Mega-Man said.

Another bolt went off, nearly a meter below him.

“Ha! And that proves you're just shooting blindly!” Mega-Man said with a smirk.

He continued to climb until he reached a hatch and opened it before continuing to climb. Mega Man smirked.

“Almost there...You're in trouble now.” Mega-Man said confidently.

Elec Man felt a little nervous as he saw that his attempts at slowing the Blue Bomber down were unsuccessful.

“That's not good.” Elec Man said nervously.

“What's happening? Did you blow a fuse?” Dr. Wily growled.

Elec Man’s gaze hardened and electricity started arcing around his fingers.

“No...but if any of these bolts hit, he'll be slag!” Elec Man said.

Mega-Man then arrived in the chamber, a cocky smirk still on his face.

“That's a big “if.” Mega-Man said.

Elec Man turned around in shock.

“What the-There's no way-It doesn't matter! Dr. Wily commands that I stop you!” Elec Man said as he glared at the blue robot and built up his electricity.

“Oh, you can try.” Mega-Man said.

The two robots then engaged in battle, with Wily eagerly watching.

“That's it! Get him! Zap him!” Dr. Wily said eagerly and maliciously.

Elec Man sent a bolt of lightning with his Thunder Beam at Mega-Man, but the Blue Bomber slid underneath the attack and fired at Elec Man with his Mega Buster, sending the Robot Master flying backward a few inches, but Elec Man was hardly down for the count. Elec Man jumped over and landed behind Mega-Man, preparing to deliver a blast of his Thunder Beam, but Mega-Man jumped away before the blast could hit him and returned fire with his Mega Buster. Elec Man jumped upward and dodged the laser bullets before landing in front of the monitor with Dr. Wily’s face on it.

Mega Man then switched weapons to the Rolling Cutter, his armor changing to gray and white. He then threw a Rolling Cutter at Elec Man.

“No! Watch out, you fool! Don’t let him-” The feed cut out and Wily groaned and facepalmed before typing away at the controls.

“Better put recovery crews on standby for the other two Robot Masters. At this rate, Thomas’s little helper ‘bot is going to be more trouble than I anticipated.” Dr. Wily said to himself.

Meanwhile, back at the electrical power plant.

“Did you see that Dr. Light? I took him down in no time.” Mega-Man said cockily as he reached out and touched Elec Man, downloading his weapon data.

“And now his Thunder Beam is MINE.” Mega-Man said with a smirk.

A teleport beam then immediately brought him to the next location.

“Hey!” Mega-Man exclaimed.

Mega-Man looked around in surprise, the entire place was frozen.

“What happened here?” Mega-Man asked.

Dr. Light’s voice then spoke through the communicator.

“This is Ice Man’s doing. He took over the water treatment facility and MISUSED his powers to freeze the area.” Dr. Light said, putting emphasis on the word, misused.

Mega-Man smirked.

“Well he didn’t count on me coming to stop him! I’ll handle this!” Mega-Man said confidently.

And so the Blue Bomber ran forward, blasting robots left and right. Meanwhile back at the lab, Luz and Roll were watching Rock in concern, while Dr. Light was working on something.

“Um…Dr. Light? Does Rock seem different to you?” Roll asked as she observed her brother on the screen.

“How so?” Dr. Light replied as he screwed in a final component.

“Well, at first he seemed depressed about fighting the Robot Masters. I wanted him to be sure of himself, but he seems…too sure of himself. Like he’s forgotten what he’s really doing.” Roll explained.

Luz turned to Dr. Light.

“Are we POSITIVE that the V.W.S isn’t messing with his I.C. Chip?” Luz asked with a worried expression.

“Completely. I wouldn’t worry about it. Not yet anyway.” Dr. Light said as he tested out what he was working on, it was a type of beam which created solid energy constructs, simple ones.

This was what he dubbed the “Magnet Beam.”

Meanwhile, Mega-Man was blasting away at a group of flying robotic penguins.

“Haha! What are these things supposed to be? And did Dr. Wily really think they could stop me?!” Mega-Man said cockily.

He then quickly found Ice Man. The door to the chamber closed behind him and he aimed his buster at the icy Robot Master.

“Give it up, Ice Man, You can’t beat Mega Man!” Mega-Man said cockily.

Ice Man glared at Mega-Man.

“No, this place is mine! Dr. Wily said I could keep it! And once you’re frozen you’ll be mine, too!” Ice Man retorted.

Ice Man released a breath of his Ice Slasher attack, but Mega-Man dodged by sliding underneath it. 

“Not likely!” Mega-Man retorted.

“I’ve got just the thing for you…” Mega_Man trailed off as he changed to his new weapon.

“Thunder Beam!” Mega-Man shouted.

His armor changed color, the cyan becoming yellow, and the blue a dark gray. He then fired a bolt of lighting from his arm cannon which was super effective against Ice Man, shocking him and making him scream in pain before collapsing backwards with steam and smoke rising from his body.

Mega-Man reached down and touched Ice Man.

“And now your Ice Slasher is mine.” Mega-Man said as he glared down at Ice Man.

He then changed back to his Mega Buster and smirked.

“I’m not sure if I want it though. It certainly didn’t do you any good.” Mega-Man said in a mean, teasing way.

He was then teleported. He found himself in a geothermal power plant. Mega-Man scowled slightly. 

“I get it, Dr. Light. You want me to hurry up and finish this.” Mega-Man said as he raised his buster and started making his way through the facility, blasting robots left and right as he pressed onward.

“Fire can’t touch me! Heat can’t melt me! And no Robot Master can beat me!” He said as he kept running through the facility, blasting robots and dodging obstacles left and right before arriving at Fire Man’s location, switching his weapon to the Ice Slasher as he entered the chamber and the door closed behind him, his armor changing to a darker blue, and white in place of cyan.

Fire Man stood there about to give a speech.

“You may have beaten the others, partner, but you won’t-” Mega-Man cut him off with an Ice Slasher blast, freezing his systems and putting out his flames.

Mega-Man kicked over the frozen Robot Master.

“Stopped you cold!” Mega-Man joked.

Mega-Man smirked down at the disabled Fire Man.

“You call yourself a Robot “Master,” Fire Man? You are nothing compared to me. Nothing!” Mega-Man boasted as he knelt down and downloaded Fire Man’s weapon, the Fire Storm. 

But after that, he immediately found himself back in the lab, stuck in a translucent blue box. Although he didn’t take notice of this at first.

“And when I find Wily, I’ll-wait, what?!” Mega-Man said as took notice of being inside of a box.

Standing outside of the box was Luz, Dr. Light, and Roll, with Dr. Light holding the beam device he had been working on.

“Let me out!” Mega-Man shouted as he punched the walls of the box he was inside of.

“You can’t do this to me. I fought everyone and you treat me like this!” Mega-Man ranted angrily as he switched between his various weapons as he tried to escape, but none of them worked.

“I was the only one left to fight! So I fought! I fought and I won! So let. Me. Out…?” Rock trailed off, his voice getting less angry as he took notice of Roll running out of the room in tears.

Rock’s eyes widened and he fell to his knees, his head hung low, his robotic heart filled with despair.

“Dr. Light. Please, take these weapons away from me! All of them, even the Mega Buster! I’ve become just as dangerous as the others, I’m just as evil as Wily!” Rock wailed, tears leaking from his eyes as he looked up at his father.

Dr. Light looked down at Rock with a sympathetic look on his face. His little boy was going through a lot. Luz had an equally sympathetic look on her face.

“No, you’re not evil. You’re just a child given too much power, while carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.” Dr. Light said.

His words hit Luz as well, she knew what Rock was going through more than anything. Dr. Light then deactivated the barrier and held Rock close to comfort him, wiping the tears from his boy’s eyes.

“I made you in my image. I built your heart and gave you eyes. I gave you hands, a child’s face, even robot hair, but this burden, this burning in your heart, I did not put there.” Dr. Light said with a soft smile.

“I-I don’t understand.” Rock said with a sniffle.

Luz chimed in

“He means that you chose to do something hard, something you wouldn’t be able to do on your own, because you felt it was the right thing to do.” Luz said.

“I knew you would need help, Rock, I’m helping you now…I  will not lose another of my beloved creations…” Dr. Light trailed off as he sat down on the floor with Rock, an arm draped over his boy’s shoulder, his mind flashing back to memories of his first son, the one he had failed.

“So, I’m not evil?” Rock asked as he wiped his tears away.

“Do you think I’m evil? I made your copy chip after all.” Luz chimed in.

Rock looked at Luz and shook his head.

“No.” Rock said.

Luz smiled and knelt down next to Rock, looking him in the eyes.

“Then you’re not evil either. You just having a temper tantrum doesn’t make you evil, even if you have high grade explosives.” Luz said.

Rock cringed just slightly.

“Now, you still want to save everyone, right?” Dr. Light asked his son.

“Of course.” Rock answered.

“Then you will need the weapons you have fought and sacrificed so much for. Here, I even made this new beam for you.” Dr. Light said as he held the Magnet Beam out for Rock.

“As long as it doesn’t blow things up.” Rock said as he reached out and touched the beam.

Dr. Light gave a lighthearted chuckle.

“It couldn’t, even if you tried.” Dr. Light assured.

Rock then copied the Magnet Beam.

“But I believe there’s still someone you need to apologize to. Roll, dear.” Dr. Light called out as he, Rock, and Luz stood back up.

Roll peaked her head out from around the corner. Rock became sheepish and nervous as Roll came closer.

“Roll, I’m sorry I scared you like that.” Rock said.

“You better be! I mean, just look at the floor!” Roll said, pulling Rock into a tight hug before separating and gesturing to a crater in the tile floor.

“Yeah, I don’t think that will buff out.” Luz said as she looked at the crater and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I’ll help! I mean, I did cause the damage.” Rock offered.

“There will be time for that later. Right now we need to go over your download data, and give you a tuneup.” Dr. Light said.

After Rock’s tuneup was completed, Luz and Dr. Light went over the data Rock had downloaded. Luz and Dr. Light’s eyes widened as they looked at the monitor.

“You did more than just copy their weapon data, Rock. You also copied a great deal of their movement records.” Luz said in awe.

“With this we will be able to determine where Dr. Wily is hiding.” Dr. Light said as he and Luz got to work on tracing through the Robot Master’s movement records.

Roll then dropped a new tile into place, making everyone jump in surprise.

“Sorry.” Roll said sheepishly.

“No, I’m sorry you have to do all that work by yourself.” Rock said as he looked back at his sister.

“Anyway, it looks like Wily is holding up in an old Light Labs facility.” Luz said as she adjusted her glasses.

“That’s the factory where we fabricated the parts for you and the Robot Masters before moving them to the main lab for assembly.” Dr. Light said to his robot children.

“Can I just teleport there?” Rock asked.

Luz shook her head.

“No, it appears that Dr. Wily has put up some kind of scrambling field, which blocks the teleport signal.” Luz answered.

“So I’ll just have to go on foot?” Rock asked.

“Yes, but if he’s put up a scramble field, Albert has probably taken the time to fortify the location and turn it into a fortress of sorts.” Dr. Light replied.

“Expect massive amounts of robot forces, and who knows what else Wily has guarding the place.” Luz advised.

“Oh, that could be a problem.” Rock said as he put his helmet back on.

Roll ran up and hugged her brother.

“Be careful, Rock.” Roll said.

“I will, I promise.” Rock said.

“At the very least we can teleport you a few feet away from the scrambling field’s range.” Luz said as she began typing away at the keyboard to input the teleport coordinates.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Rock said with determination.

Dr. Light then pressed a red button and Rock was instantly teleported away.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Rock stepped forward, staring at the massive renovated factory, which now resembled a castle with a big skull on it, a determined look on his face.

‘This is it, Rock. Time to face Dr. Wily!’ Rock thought to himself.

Massive robots which had one single eye and moved by hopping around, got in Rock’s way as they tried to crush him, but Rock dodged.

There was no door, so Rock had used the Super Arm to tear his way in.

The inside of the factory was dark and gloomy. Mega Man tried to call D. Light, but all he got was static.

“Just like the mountain. I’m on my own.” Mega Man said to himself.

Mega Man kept going through the factory, encountering a few turrets and robots like Sniper Joes, Mets, and Bladers. Then he made it to a massive room and a door closed shut behind him.

“Well, this isn’t a good sign.” Rock said nervously.

A bunch of yellow putty-like blobs flew to the center of the room. One of them hit Mega Man. it felt like being by an S.U.V.

“Ow!” Mega Man exclaimed in pain.

Mega Man watched as the blobs merged together and formed into a bulbous humanoid shape with one large red eye.

“What is that thing?” Mega Man muttered.

The large yellow monster fired a laser from its eyeball at Mega Man, but Mega Man avoided the laser.

“You’re tough, but I’ve beaten all six Robot Masters.” Rock said.

Rock returned fire with his Mega Buster, but his shots to the monster’s body didn’t do that much damage, actually no damages whatsoever as the holes from his shots merely just sealed themselves back up.

The Yellow Devil then separated into a swirling cyclone of multiple smaller blobs.

The blobs targeted somewhere behind him, so Mega Man quickly moved. The Yellow Devil reformed and stood up and opened its eye. Mega Man noticed how it seemed to keep its eye covered until it attacked. He tested his theory by firing several laser shots at the eye. One strike hit home, though it covered the eye with putty before the rest could hit.

“So that's your weakness.” Rock said with a smirk.

The Yellow Devil once again separated into a swirling cyclone of smaller blobs. The blobs shot at Rock at great speed, Mega Man dodged some, but a few made contact with him. Rock staggered to his feet and glared at the Yellow Devil which had reformed its body. Rock: That does it. Rock switched to the Thunder Beam and aimed his buster, he was about to take the shot, but he hesitated.

He thought back to when he had used the Thunder Beam on Ice Man, his brother’s scream of pain as he was blasted by the electrical attack echoed through his mind. And he hadn’t given it any thought at the time. But, this time was different.

He switched back to the Mega Buster.

‘I don’t need it. A fully charged buster shot should do it.’ He thought.

He began charging his shot as the Yellow Devil began its attack cycle. He did his best to avoid all the blobs, but several still hit him anyway, knocking him to the ground. Still he held the charge, and when it opened its eye, he fired the blast into the Robot. It reeled back, but was still functioning, in fact the damage was only marginally better than a normal shot.

Rock hesitated once again, but he steeled his resolve and switched to the Thunder Beam. Mega Man took aim with his buster and waited for the Yellow Devil to open its eye again. Rock then blasted its eye with the Thunder Beam. The electric blast fired its circuits. Its body, no longer controlled by the center eye, became just mere fluid and gravity made it splatter to the floor.

Mega Man looked down at his buster, still coated in the colors of thunder beam. It almost felt wrong to use this weapon. It was a weapon, that was bad enough, but also wasn’t his. He stole it. And he fought his brother to do it. But Dr. Light said he would need these weapons. And Luz had asked him if making the copy chip made her evil. He had said no. His resolve hardened. He would use these weapons, if he needed to. But he would avoid any fight he didn’t need to take, and he would save his brothers.

Rock made his way through the factory, soon coming across a teleport chamber.

“A teleport chamber. Maybe this’ll lead me straight to Dr. Wily.” Rock mused to himself.

He stepped in and teleported, only to find himself surrounded by the Robot Masters.

All of the Robot Masters were glaring at Rock with vicious grins.

“Hey, little buddy. Remember us?!” Guts Man shouted as he smashed the teleport chamber Rock arrived in, Rock had barely made it out of the chamber before Guts Man had smashed it to pieces.

“Doctor Wily rebuilt you?!” Rock exclaimed.

He attempted to make a run for it but was blocked by a wall of flames which Fire Man had created.

“There is no escape, partner, and this time we will have a proper duel!” Fire Man shouted.

“How is six against one a proper duel?” Mega Man muttered.

“You made a mockery of us, kid. And I for one, will not tolerate that!” Elec Man said as electricity sparked from his hands.

“Fine! I’ll fight you all again! Only this time I have all your weapons, and I know your weaknesses!” Rock said as he got in a defensive position.

“I could tear apart.” Rock added.

Elec Man dove in for an attack, concentrating his thunder beam in his finger. Mega Man knocked his hand away, causing him to miss.

“But I don’t want to.” Rock added.

“What?” Elec Man asked in confusion.

“Dr. Light built you to help people. He built me to help build and repair you. You’re helping Dr. Wily take over the world, me fighting you like this, it’s not what we’re meant to do. What Dr. Wily is using you for is wrong, and it’s wasting your true potential.” Rock said to his brothers.

He could tell that his words were having somewhat of an effect.

“You’re saying this world conquest is…unjust?” Fire Man asked, sounding a little unsure about himself.

“Would-would Dr. Light really take us back?” Cut Man asked nervously.

Rock smiled.

“Of course he would. Dr. Light and Luz will be able to fix your programming so you can start doing some real good, to help make a world that even Dr. Wily would approve of.” Rock said.

Cut Man smiled and turned to the other Robot Masters.

“Okay, guys, I say we CUT out all of the fighting.” Cut Man said.

Some of the Robot masters however were a little more stubborn.

“No! He beat us and it only made him stronger! Now we must beat him to get stronger ourselves!” Guts Man said, getting in Cut Man’s face.

“How does that work, you big lug?!” Cut Man asked.

“Shut up!” Guts Man shouted back angrily.

“A nice sentiment, kid. But I see my jobs through to the end.” Elec Man said as he built up his electricity for an attack.

But Fire Man tackles him to the ground:

“No! He’s right! The flames of justice will not burn him!” Fire Man said.

“I don’t even use fire!” Elec man said.

“It’s a metaphor!” Fire Man snapped back.

“I don’t care about programming or orders. You robbed me of my dignity, and I’ll-” Ice Man was saying before he was cut off by Bomb Man.

“Save it, short stuff! Infighting party! Woo!” Bomb man cheered as he threw some bombs at Ice Man.

The Robot Masters then began fighting each other.

Mega Man looked at the scene before him with an awkward expression before he shrugged.

“Well, if you’re fighting each other, it means I don’t have to, so I just… go.” Rock said as he saw a hatch open through the corner of his eye.

Rock rushed over and entered the hatch.

The Robot Masters were so busy fighting each other that they didn’t notice that Mega Man was no longer in the chamber.  Rock climbed down a ladder but stopped when he saw that the floor was just a pit of electrically charged spikes.

“That’s not good. Good thing Dr. Light gave me the Magnet Beam.” Rock said as he equipped the Magnet Beam and created a solid energy platform for him to safely walk on to the other side of the spike pit.

Rock then entered what could only be described as a room with a multicolored grid pattern on the walls.

“What in the world is this room even for?” Mega Man muttered.

Then, two devices descended from hatches in the ceiling, one of which hovered over Mega Man and projected an energy beam which immobilized him.

“Wh-what’s going on?!” Rock demanded.

Dr. Wily’s voice then spoke from a speaker.

“Ha-ha-ha! You’ve fallen for my final trap. Thomas thinks he’s so smart, strapping a cannon to his lab bot. Then give you a copy chip made by an intern! Tell me, Rock, if you’re so special, then why can I copy you so easily?!” Dr. Wily said.

Then, to Rock’s shock and surprise, an identical copy of himself appeared under the second device, although this copy had red eyes, and its armor was more muted in color.

“Uh, hello? You’re a copy of me, are you nice?” Rock asked nervously.

The copy just looked at him with a psychotic grin and chuckle. The devices released them and copy bot immediately opened up with a barrage of buster shots.

“No. Of course not.” Rock said to himself.

“Well, I doubt you can copy-” Rock  had switched to Super Arm, but the copy also switched to Super Arm, shocking Rock.

Rock then went on to try his other weapons, the copy emulated those as well. All except for the Magnet Beam that is.

“Few. At least you can’t copy this. I wonder why though.” Rock said as he stood on a magnet beam platform.

Before he could ponder that question any longer, the Robot Masters broke through the wall.

“There he is! Get him! Dr. Wily commands that we destroy a Mega Man. So Attack!” Elec Man shouted.

Every robot master fired off their weapon at the copy robot, excluding Guts Man who lacked the ability to shoot anything, so instead he threw a massive piece of the wall as hard as he could.

Guts Man then picked up the copy robot’s helmet and showed it off to the other Robot Masters.

“Hey boys, I got the helmet!” Guts Man boasted.

Rock was a little confused.

“What’s going on?”

Elec Man looked up at Rock and smiled.

“It’s like you said, kid, you were programmed to help people. We were programmed to destroy one Mega Man. Mission accomplished.” Elec Man said.

“Mission VERY accomplished!” Guts Man said with a flex.

Rock smiled down at his brothers and jumped down from the Magnet Beam platform.

“I understand. Thanks guys. Do you want to come with me the rest of the way?” Rock asked.

“Sorry brother, but our coding prevents us from directly opposing Dr. Wily.” Cut Man said.

“Plus, between our little argument and that attack just now, we’re all out of ammo.” Fire Man added.

“That’s okay. I’ll go stop Dr. Wily. Then Dr. Light and Luz can fix all of you.” Rock said.

Then, a massive explosion happened and a hole was blown in the wall as a massive flying battle machine flew in. Dr. Wily’s voice sounded from a loudspeaker.

“Pathetic! You call yourselves Robot Masters?! If you want a robot scrapped, you’ve got to do it yourself!” Dr. Wily shouted angrily. 

“Get out of here! I’ll handle him!” Rock said to his brothers.

A turret mounted on the front of the flying war machine opened fire on Rock, sending him flying backward. 

“Handle me?! You can’t handle me!” Dr. Wily shouted.

As Mega Man dodged gun fire from the machine, Dr. Wily continued to belittle him.

“You’re a helper robot, Rock! You hand tools to competent people! You’re no great warrior! You’re a janitor! A go-for! A lackey!” Dr. Wily said as Rock returned fire, but his normal buster shots weren’t doing that much damage.

Mega Man then used the Magnet Beam to make platforms to get on top of the machine.

“I could’ve stolen you with the rest of the Robot Masters. But I didn’t, and do you know why? YOU WEREN’T WORTH THE EFFORT!” Dr. Wily continued.

Rock then switched to Super Arm.

“So why don’t you stop hiding so I can vaporize you and save you from any further embarrassment?” Dr. Wily said mockingly.

“I’m not embarrassed, Doctor Wily.” Rock said as he jumped down from the, smashing into the cockpit and denting it.

“I have a creator who cares for me and does all he can to support me. I have a sister who loves me and forgave me for being stupid. I have a friend who gave up her project and risked her job, just to give me the tools I needed to defend myself.” In-between each sentence Rock switched to a new weapon, ending on Fire Storm.

Rock launched a fireball at the cockpit of the machine, destroying it and revealing Dr. Wily.

“No!” Dr. Wily shouted.

Mega Man: In the end, it was you who needed to steal Dr. Light’s robots to get attention. And Even after reprogramming them, you couldn’t beat a “Lackey” like me. So who’s really the one who should be embarrassed, Wily?

Rock was about to finish it off with another shot from Fire Storm, but when he tried, all he got was a clicking sound from his buster. Rock mentally cycled through all of his weapons, and they were all out of Ammo.

‘Well this ‘Wily Machine’ is on its last leg anyway. A fully charged buster shot should finish it.’ Rock thought to himself.

Wily taunted him as he switched to the Mega Buster, apparently forgetting it ran off his power cells so it had ammo consumption. But then he got an Idea. He turned to run at a broken piece of the Wily Machine, one thought running through his head.

‘Luz is a bad influence.’

He kicked off the rubble and backflips into the Wily Machine’s generator, firing off his charge shot point blank.

The Wily Machine’s generator exploded and it fell to the floor, with Dr. Wily being trapped under some of the rubble.

“Well…you’ve won, Thomas. In the end, the brute force of your robots conquered the cunning of my genius. I will at least die with the satisfaction of knowing I was the better man.” Wily muttered to himself angrily.

Rock walked over and lifted the rubble off of Wily and offered his hand to him.

“Come on, Dr. Wily! It’s not safe in there!” Rock said.

When Wily refused his hand, Rock dragged Wily out from the destroyed machine.

“Are you hurt? I’m sure the police will let you get medical attention.” Rock asked.

Wily then caught sight of the Robot Masters.

“There he is, you idiots! Get him!” Dr. Wily shouted.

“Oh come on, I just saved you!” Rock groaned.

“But we did destroy Mega Man.” Elec Man said with a smug grin.

“That was the copy robot!” Dr. Wily shouted.

“If he was a perfect copy, isn't that technically the same thing?” Bomb Man asked smugly.

“Yes! Er, maybe, No!” Dr. Wily stumbled over his own words.

Rock slapped a hand over Wily’s mouth before he could figure out how to word the order in a way that would actually force the Robot Masters to Attack him.

“Let's go home guys.” Rock said.

As soon as they left the scramble field Dr. Light teleported them back to the lab.

As soon as they were in the lab, Albert Wily was met with the scowling faces of Luz and Roll, and the disappointed face of Thomas Light.

“Thank you, Rock, no, Mega Man, for saving the day. You can release him into police custody when they get here.” Dr. Light said.

“Well, I can’t let him speak and risk him giving orders to the Robot Masters.” Rock said, his hand still covering Wily’s mouth.

Luz turned to Roll.

“Roll, sweetheart, could you bring me some dish towels and an orange? Preferably one that could fill a person's mouth.” Luz asked.

“That won’t be necessary, Luz. I can turn off the Robot Masters’ Audio receptors now that they’re in the lab.” Dr. Light said as he went over to a console.

The doors to the lab fly open, and Amity and Camila rush in, along with Luz's sister, Vee.

“Luz! I rushed over as soon as I heard from your mom about the whole robot rampage, what's-” Amity cut herself off when she, along with Camila and Vee caught sight of the Robot Masters, and the restrained Dr. Wily.

“You’re a little too late. Mega Man over there managed to handle it.” Luz said as she gestured to Rock.

Camila, Amity and Vee all looked in Rock's direction, who just waved with a smile. After a bit of an awkward silence, everyone shook themselves from their stupors and Camila walked up to Dr. Wily. 

“So this is the cabrón responsible for all this.” Camila said with a glare.

Dr. Wily glared at Camila.

“Albert W. Wily. Last I'd heard, you were sanctioned from working on advanced robotics.” Camila said as she crossed her arms.

“The Robot Masters can’t hear anything. You can uncover his mouth Rock. Let him say something for himself.” Dr. Light said as he finished deactivating the Robot Masters’ audio receptors.

“Okay, dad.” Rock said as he removed his hand from Wily's mouth.

“Camila, always a displeasure to see you too.” Wily said with a growl.

“Likewise.” Camila growled back.

Amity walked over to Luz and embraced her girlfriend.

“Luz, can you please fully explain what is going on?” Amity asked as she looked down at Rock who was firmly holding Dr. Wily’s arm to keep him from running off.

Luz took a few minutes to explain what was happening to her girlfriend while Rock tried to shove Wily into a police cruiser that had arrived on scene to take Dr. Wily away.

“You can’t do this to me. I am a genius without rival! You saw it, Rock. I copied you down to every minute detail!” Dr. Wily said.

Luz walked over with her hands on her hips.

“Are you sure? Because I reviewed Rocks memories, and it seems like you forgot to give it my so-called “pathetic” copy chip.” Luz asked snarkily.

“Of course it had a copy chip!” Dr. Wily retorted with a glare.

“Really? Well there is one way to know for sure. I could send a Robot Master to dig it out. I’m sure Guts Man would love a trophy.” Luz said smugly.

Luz could see Wily sweating a little.

“Well, um, that is unnecessary! I am your superior!” Dr. Wily shouted.

Luz got in his face and glared.

“You’re a petty, selfish, greedy old man…Goodbye!” Luz said before she pushed Wily fully into the back of the police cruiser and slammed the door.

“Man, did that feel good!” Luz said as she turned away with a smirk.

The cruiser then drove away with Dr. Wily glaring at Luz through the window. He would get back at her, he would get back at them all!

Roll walked up to Rock and took in her brother’s current state.

“Look at you, you need refueling and repairs. Oh, so do the Robot Masters, I’ll go get them for you!” Roll said as she took off into the lab 

“Wait, Roll, let me help you!” Rock said as he took off after his sister.

Luz, who was watching the whole scene with Amity, laughed at the two young robot’s antics. Meanwhile, outside the lab, hidden in the bushes, two Robot Masters were watching through the window. One of them was purple with clock features, and the other was rather shiny and slick, with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, and a siphon for a left arm.

“Aww, now ain’t she just so cute and perky.” The one with the scarf, Oil Man, said.

The clock theme one, Time Man, spoke up in response to Oil Man.

“Quite. Dr. Wily activated us for a reason. We must move quickly, time is of the essence.” Time Man said as he and Oil Man walked away, ready to move forward with their master’s plan.

To be Continued...

Chapter Text

Rock, Roll, and the Robot Masters were down in a big crater. A giant boulder came hurtling toward Rock, he used his Mega Buster and released a charged shot, destroying the boulder. Bomb Man clapped at Rock's actions.

“Yeah, that’s the way to do it! Nice and flashy.” Bomb Man said.

Roll, who was pushing a cart full of debris and rubble, spoke up.

“If you boys are done playing, maybe you could give me a hand? We're meant to be cleaning up, not making a bigger mess.” Roll said.

Rock sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh, uh, we’re making the rubble a more manageable size.” Rock said.

They then heard a familiar voice call out to them.

“Hey guys!” Luz called down to the robots from the top of the hole, causing the robots to look up at her..

Meanwhile, Dr. Light spoke with a reporter on the other side of the crater.

“Light Labs has elected to clean up the damage free of charge, not just to make amends, but also to show the World what the robot masters were truly built to do!” Dr. Light said with a smile to a familiar robot reporter.

“And what is that, Dr. Light?” Ripot asked.

“To help people, Ripot. To help make the world a better place.” Dr. Light said.

A gruff voice then spoke.

“Pretty words there, Doc. But I'll be seeking a second opinion.” A large man in a green trench coat said as he walked up to Dr. Light, accompanied by a woman with a darker complexion than Luz, a dark magenta hair.

“Can I Help you, mister…?” Dr. Light asked.

“Federal Agent Gilbert D. Stern.” Agent Stern said as he pulled out his badge while his partner, Agent Rosie Krantz, ushered the reporters away so she and her partner could speak with Dr. Light.

“Of course! I've been as helpful as possible with all of the authorities since the incident.” Dr. Light said.

Agent Stern’s eyes narrowed as he observed the doctor’s mannerisms.

“Yeah, you've been real cuddly with the local brass. Almost like you got a guilty conscience or somethin'. I think it's kinda funny how your old buddy Wily just happens to steal the robots he helped you build right after you show 'em off...And you just happen to have one robot who can stop him.” Agent Stern said.

“But I... didn't. Rock had to be modified.” Dr. Light replied.

“And you just happened to know how? Lots of Razzle-Dazzle and coincidences if you ask me.” Agent Stern said accusingly.

Dr. Light’s gaze hardened.

“I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, even Albert. I am not responsible for his actions, he is his own person.” Dr. Light said.

Meanwhile, Luz was talking with Rock, who had exited the hole and was standing next to Luz.

“So, Rock, how’s the upgrade working?” Luz asked.

“The copy chip is much more responsive now that it's been fully integrated. But I thought it was going to be removed with the rest of my weapons. Why did it need an upgrade?” Rock replied.

Luz smiled down at the young robot.

“Well, it wasn't meant to be just a weapon, and once the Mega Buster is removed, you'll be able to use it to copy the functions of tools around the lab.” Luz explained.

“I guess that makes sense.” Rock said as he looked at his right hand.

“Right, now let's go find Doctor Light.” Luz said as she and Rock walked up while Agent Stern was talking to Dr. Light.

“You talk like robots are people, ‘you sure you're comfortable with your little creations getting 'used'?” Agent Stern said.

Luz decided to chime in.

“They may be bound by the perimeters of their programming, but they are still autonomous.” Luz said.

Agent Stern then turned his gaze to Luz and pointed at her.

“And then there’s you. Who was supposedly able to make a weapon that was stronger than all of the Robot Masters combined, behind the good Doctor’s back no less! I don’t buy it.” Agent Stern said,

“Wow, back up.” Luz said as she put her hands up and backed up slightly.

The other agent stepped in.

“Gil, back down.” Agent Krantz said to her partner as she put a hand on his shoulder and gave him an equally stern look.

Luz put her hands down and smiled slightly at Agent Krantz.

“Thank you. Now what are you accusing me of? It better not be helping Dr. Wily. As if I would ever help that petty madman.” Luz said as she turned to look at Agent Stern.

“Well excuse me if I find that hard to believe.” Agent Stern said.

“Please excuse my partner. He’s an excellent detective, but he does have a habit of confronting people when he has a gut feeling. He won’t actually do anything unless he has evidence.” Agent Krantz said.

“I see. Well, I can assure you, my V.W.S project was originally simply just meant to be a tool. But, personal experiences I’d rather not go into detail about, made me change it into a weapon.

“That remains to be seen. Word of advice: if you are innocent, stay out of the investigation.” Agent Stern said.

An explosion goes off behind Luz and Rock. The sound of Roll shouting could then be heard.

“Dr. Light! The Robot Masters are playing too rough!” Roll shouted.

“I’m sorry, Roll! I didn’t mean ta light your hair on fire!” Fire Man said nervously.

“Here, let me take care of that.” Ice Man said as he blew cold air at Roll’s hair, putting out the flames.

Everyone stood there in silence and stared for an awkward minute. Dr. Light then cleared his throat to break the silence.

“I think it’s time to join the police escort, Rock. Luz, could you take Roll to pick up some groceries before going back to the Lab?” Dr. Light said.

“Of course.” Luz said before she started to walk off to collect Roll.

But, something Agent Krantz then said made her stop.

“Dr. Light, before you go, you said in your police report that you recovered models DLN: 003 through DLN: 008. Mega Man is DLN: 001, and Roll is DLN: 002, and were never stolen, but it says on your inventory that DLN’s: 00A and 00B are still missing?” Agent Krantz.

Luz turned to Dr. Light.

“Aren’t those, Time Man and Oil Man?” Luz asked.

Dr. Light nodded in response to Luz.

“Yes, they were experimental, and started a bit later, so they weren’t ready by the time of unveiling. Unfortunately, they were being stored in a warehouse overseen by Albert, and I doubt he’s being cooperative.” Dr. Light said.

Meanwhile, at prison…

A Blader flew through the halls of the prison and stopped in front of Wily’s cell. Dr. Wily, who was now outfitted in an orange prison jumpsuit, turned to the Blader and smirked.

“Good. Your being here means everything is going according to plan. Tell him I’m being moved at 2:00 precisely, and that I’m making one small adjustment to the plan. We’ll need a diversion.” Dr. Wily said to the Blader before it beeped and flew off.

Dr. Wily grinned, his plan was falling into place.

Meanwhile…

Rock and Dr. Light were waiting inside a police cruiser, en route to the prison to pick up Dr. Wily with the rest of the police. They had made it about halfway through the route and nothing had really happened yet so Rock decided to start up a conversation with his dad.

“So after we help move Dr. Wily from this prison to the federal facility, I can go back to being Rock?” Rock asked.

“That's right. You’ve done more than enough as Mega Man.” Dr. Light answered.

“So… why are we taking Dr. Wily to a new prison? What’ll happen to him?” Rock asked.

Dr. Light put a hand on Rock’s shoulder.

“Like the parameters of your coding, humans have rules to help make their society function. When you break the big rules, you are put in prison. In Albert’s case, he’ll be held there for a long time.” Dr. Light answered.

“Oh! So it’s a place for localized errors!” Rock said, making sense of it in his own robotic way.

Dr. Light gave a small smile to his son’s way of summarizing prison. Although he was still a little upset that Albert was going to prison, but, Albert had his chance at redemption, and he had squandered it, but he was also his oldest friend.

“Well…something like that, yes.” Dr. Light said.

“Do the people in prison get reprogrammed so they’re safe again?” Rock asked.

“Some can be rehabilitated, but you can’t simply reprogram people.” Dr. Light explained.

Rock looked won with a sad look.

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Rock said.

“Quite the opposite, our free will allows us to dream, to innovate, and to aspire to create things greater than our individual selves. It’s a freedom unlike anything else in the world.” Dr. Light said with a warm smile.

Rock looked up.

“I… and the Robot Masters… can make choices. Does that mean we have free will like humans?” Rock asked.

“I’m afraid not, my boy.” Dr. Light said sadly as he ruffled Rock’s hair.

“Oh…” Rock said.

Dr. Light looked out the window of the car.

“You’re all autonomous and capable of a wide range of human-like emotions and decision-making abilities, but you’re all still ruled by your coding. But one day, though, I hope to capture that X-Factor and build a robot with a true free will of its own…” Dr. Light said with a smile as his mind wandered at the possibilities.

The car pulled up to the prison Wily was at.

“We’re here.” Dr. Light said as he and Rock got out of the cruiser to see Albert Wily being escorted in handcuffs.

They walked over to see that Agent Krantz was there and she had already begun reading Wily his rights.

“..You will be transferred to a Federal Penal Facility where you will await trial for your crimes.” they heard Agent Krantz finished.

“Fine. Whatever.” Wily grumbled.

Wily then spotted Dr. Light and grinned.

“Ah! Thomas! And your little helper robot. They’re really putting on quite the show today.” Dr. Wily said as he was being escorted to a police transport vehicle.

“Please, Albert, make this easier on yourself and cooperate with the authorities.” Dr. Light said.

Dr. Wily glared at Dr. Light.

“The only authority I care about is my own!” Dr. Wily shouted as Agent Krantz shoved him into the transport vehicle.

“And I’ll demonstrate how to put on a real show.” Wily muttered with a grin.

Later, while en route to the federal prison…

A single Sniper Joe stood on top of an overpass. It took aim, and fired.cSome cars exploded and everyone piled out, with the police taking out their guns. Dr. Light and Mega Man took cover behind one of the cars.

“A Sniper Joe? How many did Albert confiscate?” Dr. Light mused aloud as he peeked to look at the Sniper Joe before returning to cover.

“Don’t worry! I’ll handle it!” Rock said as he primed his Mega Buster.

Rock then jumped on top of the police cruiser he and Dr. Light had been using as cover.

“Hey, pick on someone your own fire power size!” Rock called out, baiting the Sniper Joe.

Rock and the Sniper Joe jumped at each other, their busters aimed at each other. But, unknown to anyone’s perception, time had been slowed down to a crawl.

Time Man walked casually through the chaos. He threw a purple energy construct, shaped like a clock hand, dubbed the Clock Blade, at the doors of the vehicle holding Wily and dragged him out. Then, when he and the mad doctor were far enough away, he deactivated his Time Slow ability and the world began moving at normal speed again.

Rock began to move again, punching the sniper Joe, breaking its arm when it hit the ground. He stood over it, his Mega Buster ready.

“I’m sorry.” Rock muttered before he fired a shot, destroying its head.

Agent Krantz came over and congratulated Rock.

“Nice work, Mega Man!” Agent Krantz said with a smile.

The angry voice of Agent Stern then grabbed everyone’s attention.

“He's gone!” Agent Stern said.

Everyone looked to see the prisoner transport vehicle open, and Dr. Wily was nowhere to be found.

“Did he pass by you?” Agent Krantz asked Dr. Light.

Dr. Light shook his head.

“No, I didn’t see anyone pass me.” Dr. Light replied.

Agent Stern then chuckled.

“I get it! Well played Doc!” Agent Stern said.

“Gil?” Agent Krantz asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Sending off your little intern and the housekeeper ‘bot on a supposed grocery run, providing an alibi while they were really helping you with your little plan to spring your buddy, Wily!” Agent Stern said accusingly as he turned around to look at Dr. Light in the face.

“What?!” Dr. Light exclaimed, a mix of shock at the accusation towards him, and anger at the accusation towards Luz and Roll.

Meanwhile, back at the lab…

Luz and Roll were carrying bags full of groceries.

“It was nice of you to help me Luz. I never get any help bringing them back.” Roll said as she reached down to turn the door handle, but it was covered in oil.

“That’s weird, did I rupture a joint?” Roll mused to herself as she brought her hand to her face to see the oil.

She then heard a thud behind her. She turned around to a Robot Master standing over an unconscious Luz.

“Luz!” Roll exclaimed in concern as she looked down at the unconscious human before nervously looking up at the Robot Master.

“Sorry about this, cutie.” Oil Man said as he pointed his oil siphon at Roll.

Meanwhile, back with Rock, Dr. Light and the agents…

“What makes you think Luz would have anything to do with this?!” Dr. Light demanded with a hard glare as he locked glares with Agent Stern.

Agent Krantz got in between the two men.

“That's enough, there isn’t enough evidence to verify your innocence, or determine guilt.” Agent Krantz said.

Both Dr. Light and Agent Stern backed down.

“What matters is that Dr. Wily is on the loose again, we need to catch him before he causes trouble.” Agent Krantz said.

Rock raised his hand.

“I’ll help! I’ll make it up for not stopping him!

“Leave this to the actual authorities.” Agent Stern said.

Dr. Light spoke up.

“Agents, if it helps, I will surrender to your custody.” Dr. Light said.

Rock gasped and looked up at his father.

“What?! But, you didn’t do anything wrong!” Rock protested.

“I know that I am innocent. And I trust justice will run its course.” Dr. Light said.

“Looks like you’ve got some harder stuff under all that fluff, Doc. I can respect that.” Agent Stern said.

Agent Stern pulled out a pair of handcuffs and Dr. Light just held his arms out as he was cuffed before being escorted away by the two agents.

“No! You didn’t do anything wrong! Isn’t there something else that you can do?!” Rock protested.

“Don’t worry, Rock, it will be alright. The Agents will just be keeping an eye on me. I want you to go home and take care of your sister, okay?” Dr. Light said.

“O-Okay, dad.” Rock said.

The Agents bring Dr. Light to their car. Rock watched as they drove off.

Meanwhile… on the other side of town, at an abandoned factory.

Dr. Wily was standing next to Time Man on a catwalk. Dr. Wily was looking around at the state of the factory.

“I suppose this will serve my purposes. I see you gathered the tools, parts and equipment.” Dr. Wily said.

“Your clothes, Doctor.” Time Man said as he knelt down and presented clothes for Dr. Wily.

“Ah, finally some clothes befitting my genius. This will do, but the facility is a mess.” Dr. Wily said as he put on a neck tie and lab coat.

Time Man stood up.

“I apologize, sir. If I had been able to keep to my schedule, everything would have been completed to your specifications. I was delayed by-” Time Man was cut off when Oil Man came in.

“Waddup?! Oil Man in the house with his mission accomplished.” Oil Man said with Roll slung over his shoulder.

“-Oil Man.” Time man finished with frustration in his voice.

“Check it.” Oil Man said as he threw Roll in front of Dr. Wily.

“Ah, Oil Man! You’ve-” Dr. Wily was saying before Time Man spoke up.

“Arrived late, as usual.” Time Man said with a glare at the other Robot Master.

“But I succeeded, didn’t I? And you did, too, ‘cause big man Wily’s here! So it’s all good, baby!” Oil Man said.

“I’ve had to revise my meticulously planned schedule multiple times to account for the margin of error created by your-” Time Man was cut off by Oil Man flicking one of the gold bells on his head, causing a ring noise.

“Man, you’re wound too tight. Relax before you blow a circuit.” Oil Man said snarkily.

Time Man’s eye twitched and he grabbed Oil Man by the scarf and summoned a Clock Blade.

“You arrogant, irresponsible!” Time Man trailed off angrily.

“You want me to clean your clock? Let’s go, baby!” Oil Man said with a glare of his own as he raised his siphon.

“Enough!” Dr. Wily shouted angrily as he bashed Oil Man and Time Man’s heads together to get them to stop fighting.

Roll glared up at Dr. Wily.

“You made a mistake kidnapping me and knocking out Luz. When Dr. Light and Rock find out you’ll be in big trouble!” Roll said.

Wily chuckled and turned to look at Roll.

“Those two are probably still being grilled by the police over the mysterious nature of my escape. And when they do find my note, they’ll know better than to oppose me… Or else!” Dr. Wily said.

“S-so, I’m a hostage?” Roll asked nervously.

Dr. Wily nodded in confirmation before turning to Time Man and Oil Man.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Get to work on my escape shuttle!” Dr. Wily ordered.

“At once!” TIme Man said with a salute.

“Word.” Oil Man said with a thumbs up.

Roll watched as Oil Man and Time Man jumped down from the catwalk and got to work.

“I don’t understand. Doctor Light built only six Robot Masters. Where did these two come from?” Roll asked.

“Time Man and Oil Man hold highly experimental machinery and advanced A.I. algorithms. They were rather powered up compared to the other six, and Thomas felt they weren’t quite ready for presentation. So I worked on them behind his back. Now they’re complete, and completely loyal to me!” Dr. Wily answered as he leaned against the catwalk railing as he watched his minions get to work.

Meanwhile…

Rock was walking up to Light Labs, sad and dejected over recent events, when he saw Luz lying unconscious on the ground.

“Luz!” Rock called out as he ran over to Luz to check on her.

Rock checked her for injuries and found a large welt on the back of her head. Rock then took notice of large amounts of oil around the place, and saw a note attached to the door via oil.

Rock took the note and read it. “Thomas, I’ve taken your precious little robot, Roll! If you ever want to see her again in one piece, you won’t contact the authorities and you won’t send that lab robot you strapped a cannon to after me! Once I’ve escaped, I’ll contact you. This is your only warning! A. W. W.”

Mega Man growled in anger and crushed the note in his hand as he prepared to walk off and save his sister. But, Wily’s threat in the letter echoed through his mind, not to mention that Luz was hurt, unconscious, and needed help.

Later, downtown…

The Robot Masters were still in the crater. Guts Man was using a metal girder as a baseball bat, and Bomb Man was about to use some explosives to launch a large boulder.

“Batter up!” Bomb Man said.

A charged buster shot shattered the boulder before it made it to Guts Man, the Robot Masters looked up to see the source of the buster shot was Rock, who was standing at the edge of the hole.

“Guys, we’ve got a problem.” Rock said before he jumped down into the hole and proceeded to explain the situation to the Robot Masters.

“What did you do with Aunt Luz?” Elec Man asked in concern when he and the others learned about how Luz was unconscious when Rock found her.

Luz was practically part of the Light Family at this point, she helped Dr. Light return the Robot Masters to their original programming, so she was considered an aunt by the Robot Masters.

“Well, I called her mother…” Rock trailed off as he had a flashback to the call.

Ten Minutes ago…

“Come on, pick up.” Rock said nervously as he held Luz’s phone up to his ears.

The ringing stop and the voice of Luz’s girlfriend, Amity Blight, came through the phone.

“Hola batata. Camila can’t come to the phone right now, did you need something?” Amity asked.

“Ms. Amity, I need you and Ms. Camila to come to the lab, Luz is hurt!” Rock said.

“Rock? Why do you have Luz’s phone? Wait, Luz is Hurt?! What happened?!” Amity asked in concern.

“Doctor Wily escaped. He kidnapped Roll and knocked out Luz. I need someone to look over her. “ Rock explained.

The line went silent for an entire minute straight.

“Where's Wily?” Amity asked.

“What?” Rock said, not quite hearing her.

“I SAID, WHERE HE?!” Amity shouted.

Rock flinched at the anger in Amity’s voice. Amity would make Wily pay for what he did to Luz when she got her hands on him.

“I-I don’t know.” Rock said nervously.

Flashback end…

Rock shook the flashback away.

“Ms. Amity is scary sometimes.” Rock said.

“Wait, isn't her Mom, Ms. Camila?” Cut Man asked.

Rock didn’t actually explain, from the Robot Masters’ perspective, he just stared off into space for a full minute.

“She is.” Rock answered.

“Back to the issue at hand, I think Dr. Wily is bluffing, Roll is too important a hostage for him to just destroy, he’d have nothing to bargain with. They need to be found…” Elec Man trailed off.

“Yeah, we’ll crush the tiny Wily man!” Guts Man said, crushing a boulder in his hand to sell his point.

“And you’re right in that you shouldn’t do this alone, but we can’t just abandon the clean up effort.” Elec Man continued.

Fire Man nodded.

“Agreed, we are bound by our duty.” Fire Man said.

“Then let’s split into teams so we can do both.” Rock suggested.

“I’ll go with Rock and help search.” Cut Man said as he stood next to Rock.

“Me, too! I won’t let Wily get away with kidnapping poor Roll! And with hurting Aunt Luz!” Ice Man said.

Rock smiled at his brothers.

“Thanks, guys!” Rock said.

Meanwhile, back at Light Labs…

Luz groaned as her eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying down on a couch in the lab, with her mother and Amity in front of her.

“Luz! I’m so glad you’re okay.” Amity said with a smile.

Luz tried to get up, but she almost fell. Camila caught her daughter before she fell.

“Carefully, Mija, you have a concussion.” Camila said as she laid Luz back on the couch.

“Doctor Wily. He sent Oil Man.” Luz groaned out.

“Who’s Oil Man?” Amity asked.

“He was part of a pair of experimental Robot Masters. They weren’t quite ready for presentation yet. Dr. Wily must’ve finished him and Time Man behind our backs.” Luz answered.

“We’ll tell Mega Man.” Camila said.

“Wait, where’s Roll?” Luz asked.

Amity and Camila glanced at each other.

“Here.” Amity said as she passed the note Rock had found to Luz.

Luz’s eyes widened as she read the note.

“No…W-we can’t let him hurt Roll!” Luz said as she tried to get up but pain coursed through her head and she laid back down.

“Luz, please try not to move.” Amity said as she drew a spell circle, using healing magic to help Luz recover.

“Wily is loose, he’s taken Roll hostage, and I’m stuck here with a concussion. I should’ve been out there with Rock when he went to fight the Robot Masters.” Luz said.

Amity shook her head.

“No, Luz, I saw the recordings. Cut Man alone did more damage to this city than the entirety of the Emperor’s Hand did to Bonesborough. And that was under attack from your world’s advanced human Military. There was nothing more you could have done.” Amity said.

“She’s right, Mija. The Robot Masters effectively had the entire city under Wily’s control in less than an hour.” Camila chimed in.

Luz sighed.

“I still feel like I could have done more. I could have provided Rock with support, instead of just sitting safe in the Lab while he risked his life.” Luz said with a somber expression.

“You equipped him with your prototype copy chip, you gave him the edge he needed to defeat the Robot Masters and Wily.” Amity said in response to her girlfriend’s mood.

“Maybe, maybe I could do more. Give him some help-” Luz cut herself off when she winced in pain again.

“Not right now you can’t.” Camila said.

“Even healing magic takes time when it comes to concussions.” Amity said as she kept her spell up.

Luz sighed in defeat.

“Okay. You win. I’ll rest.” Luz said as she laid down as Amity continued to heal her concussion.

Back with Rock…

He had just made it to Wily’s castle with Cut Man and Ice Man.

“Fire Man says criminals return to the scene of the crime, so I guess we should start looking here.” Rock said as he and the others looked upon Wily’s former base.

Ice Man and Cut Man shuddered.

“This place gives me the chills. And that’s with antifreeze in my system.” Ice Man said.

“Yeah. This place is a whole lot creepier when you’re not programmed to defend it.” Cut Man said nervously.

Rock looked back and smiled reassuringly at his brothers.

“It’ll be alright. Most of the enemy robots should be gone now. And besides I got through here all on my own! With the three of us, searching this place will be easy!” Rock said.

And so the three robots entered the castle, inside they encountered a few robots, but they were easily taken care of. They came across some rubble blocking their way but Cut Man took care of it with his Rolling Cutter attack.

They Quickly made their way to the Copy Robot’s room, where the Robot Masters reminisced.

“Hey! The Copy Robot’s room!” Cut Man said with a smirk.

“Yeah! We had a lot of fun in here.” ice Man said with an identical smirk.

“Speak for yourselves! The Copy Robot was creepy. It did everything like I would, and matched me shot-for-shot.” Rock said as he had flashbacks to his battle against the copy robot.

“Yeah and then we trashed it! Look! I found the Helmet.” Ice Man said as he held up the cracked helmet of the Copy Robot.

“Oh man, we totally tore it apart!” Cut Man said confidently

Cut Man and Ice Man then started arguing about who would wear the helmet, playing tug-of-war with it.

Rock stood off to the side, looking anywhere but at them. He spotted a small opening.

“Hey…” Rock called out to his brothers, but they were a little distracted with their argument.

“Besides, your stupid cutter would get in the way.” Ice Man said as he tugged at the helmet.

“Hey! Guys where does this go?” Rock asked the Robot Masters, stopping their argument lookee over at what Rock was referring to.

The three robots walked over to a hole in the wall.

“So there’s a secret passage leading under the factory. That sounds suspicious enough to me.” Cut Man said as he looked down the hole.

“Lead the way, sir!” Ice Man said before all three of them jumped down the hole.

They landed and walked down a hallway with a bunch of robots on the wall.

“Dr. Wily has got to be hiding something down here.” Rock said as he and the others continued to walk down the hallway.

Cut Man stopped to look at one of the robots on the wall.

“Maybe it’s not too important. The guard robots are all-” Cut Man cut himself off when the robot’s eyes all opened.

“-in sleep mode. Uh-oh.” Cut Man finished his sentence nervously.

The hallway then became a storm of bullets as they ran through. reaching the other end, they dropped down another shaft, though landing with a lot less grace.

And by that they slammed into the floor.

“Ow!” They all groaned as they got to their feet.

“Maybe…we could go back the way we came?” Cut Man suggested as he looked up to where they fell from.

Ice Man raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah? How? Fly?! I can’t get a clear teleporter signal in here, can you?” Ice Man snarked.

“Hey, Cut me some slack!” Cut Man retorted with a pun.

“Cutting is your thing!” Ice Man said as he got in Cut Man’s face.

“Well, you don’t have to be so Cold!” Cut Man responded with another pun.

“Guys! Guys! Shhh! Do you hear that?” Rock asked as he heard a rumbling noise.

The 3 robots prepared for a fight, but their eyes widened when they saw a lot of rushing water heading towards them.

The water swept them up but then, Ice Man got an idea.

“Get me to the front! I have a plan!” Ice Man said.

Cut Man and Rock helped Ice Man get to the front and he shot his Ice Slasher at the source of the water, creating a wall of ice. But this ice barrier didn’t hold and the water busted through, sweeping the 3 robots away. The water currents brought them into a room filled to the top with water. Thankfully they were robots, so they didn’t need to breathe.

“What was that?!” Cut Man demanded.

“I was trying to seal off the water!” Ice Man explained.

“Well, you failed miserably!” Cut Man said.

“Well, maybe you should’ve tried to cut the water! I’m sure that would’ve worked!” Ice Man retorted.

Rock then spotted something in the room with them.

“Hey, uh, either of you know what that is? Because it sure doesn’t look friendly!” Rock asked nervously as he pointed to something.

What Rock was referring to, was a big spherical robot inside of a bubble.

“Ice Man! Cut Man! Above us!” Rock warned as the spherical robot began its assault.

The robot rammed into Rock, electrocuting him. Rock recovered and fired his Mega Buster, but the bullets bounced off the bubble.

“What is that bubble made of?!” Rock exclaimed.

It swam into a hole.

“Who cares, you chased it off.” Cut Man said.

Only for the bubble robot to exit from another hole and rush at Cut Man from behind and electrocute him.

“Cut Man!” Rock exclaimed as he saw his brother get electrocuted.

The bubble robot then began ejecting what looked like smaller versions of itself. Rock and the others looked up at the smaller robots in confusion as Cut Man recovered.

“Is the robot…um…having babies?” Ice Man asked as he scratched his head.

“I don’t think that’s possible. Be careful, they may be cute, but watch out for-” Rock was cut off as one of the miniature robots exploded.

“Are they “cute” now?!” Ice Man groaned from the explosion.

“Not anymore. Get ready for when it comes out again, I’ve got an idea!” Rock said as the large robot retreated into a hole.

The robot came back, releasing more bombs.

“Ice Man! Freeze the mini bombs!” Rock ordered.

Ice Man did as told and fired his Ice Slasher at the mini bombs, freezing them. Cut Man then jumped into action, throwing his Rolling Cutter at the robot.

“Hey, robot! It was “slice” to meet you!” Cut Man said as his Rolling Cutter sliced through the bubble barrier around the robot, exposing it and making it vulnerable.

Rock then fired a charge shot at the same time destroying the robot. Rock knelt down and touched the remains of the robot. Part of the modifications Luz had added was being able to analyze a robot’s schematics.

“Its model number was CWU-01P. It used to purify the water here until Dr. Wily weaponized it.” Rock said.

“Until we trashed it! That’s why we’re the robot masters!” Cut Man said with a grin as he and Ice Man high fived.

“I think it was the terrible pun that destroyed it.” Ice Man said.

Rock then spotted a glowing circle on the floor.

“Hey, guys, I think I found the way out of here.” Rock said.

They then walked over to the glowing circle, which was a rising platform, which they then rode back to the top, ending up back inside the Copy Robot’s room.

“We’re back where we started?!” Rock exclaimed.

“Good. I didn’t want to climb all the way out.” Ice Man said.

“No! This Terrible! Roll is still kidnapped! Dr. Wily is still on the loose! Dr. Light’s in custody because they think he’s involved somehow, and Luz got hurt! And we haven’t learned anything!” Rock shouted.

Ice Man patted Rock on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Hey, we will find and rescue Roll!…And bring Wily to justice and all that other stuff!” Ice Man said.

“At least we know wily isn’t here. Let’s regroup with the other Robot masters.” Cut Man said.

“Okay.” Rock replied.

They then teleported out of the castle, unaware that they were being watched by a Teli model robot hiding in the darkness.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily, now fully out of his prison jumpsuit, was watching Rock and the Robot Masters through the eyes of the Teli model robot.

“Finally, you were supposed to figure out my hiding place from the note you little metal moron. Then again, I didn’t expect Thomas to be arrested.” Wily said as he rubbed his chin but then disregarded the topic of Dr. Light.

“No matter. He’s still gathering the Robot Masters to his side, just as I planned…And they’ll all come to rescue my little “hostage.” And with my minions finishing my double-blind, I’m sure to…What are those idiots doing?!” Dr. Wily said as he spotted Time Man and Oil Man squabbling on the security feed…again.

Meanwhile…

Back down town at the hole, Elec Man fired some electricity at a generator.

“I’m going to set up the work lights for the evening. I’ll be back to help with the cleanup-” Elec Man was saying before Guts Man cut him off.

“Hey, they’re back!” Guts Man said as Rock, Cut Man and Ice Man arrived via teleportation.

Fire Man walked over.

“Has justice been served? Was the scoundrel caught?” Fire Man asked.

“No. All we did was get lost and fight a water filter with delusions of grandeur.” Ice Man said as he crossed his arms and pouted.

“Unacceptable, we need to find Wily, rescue Roll, and clear Dr. Light’s name.” Elec Man said.

“But we don’t know where to look or how to start. I wish Dr. Light was here…” Rock trailed off.

Then, a familiar voice called out from the top of the hole.

“I’m no Doctor…but I’m sure I can help.” The voice said.

Rock and the Robot Masters looked up to see Agent Krantz waving down at them. Luz and Amity were also standing next to her.

“Hey, boys.” Luz said.

“Luz! You're okay!” Rock said with a smile, happy to see that she was alright.

Luz smiled down at Rock, Amity had finished up with healing her concussion a while ago.

“Can't get rid of me that easily. Doctor Light called the labs because he was worried. We explained everything and he asked Agent Krantz to come over.” Luz said as she and Amity slid down the side of the hole and walked over to Rock and the Robot Masters.

Agent Krantz however, in an incredible display of agility and acrobatics, did some parkour to get down.

“Luz showed me the kidnapper's note. I came here to see if the Robot Masters knew anything.” Agent Krantz said.

“Are you sure you're human?” Cut Man said, referring to how Agent Krantz had rather acrobatically made her way down to them.

“"Knew anything..." ? Or do you mean, "we're at fault..." ?” Elec Man asked quizzically.

“I think it’s apparent Dr. Wily is acting on his own. Mega Man, can you patch into my cell’s signal? I want you to tell both me and my partner what you found.” Agent Krantz asked.

“Sure! Let me just adjust this here.” Rock said as he messed with the side of his helmet.

Meanwhile, down at the Federal Bureau HQ…

Dr. Light and Agent Stern were in his and Agent Krantz’ office when the phone rang.

“Office of Stern and Krantz. Stern speaking.” Agent Stern said.

“It's me, Gil. I’ve got Mega Man with me, put us on speaker. Dr. Light needs to be a part of this.” Agent Krantz said to her partner.

Dr. Light, hearing the mention of Rock, perked up.

“Rock! I’ve been worried! Are you alright? Have you found Roll?” Dr. Light asked as he approached the desk, but Agent Stern pushed him back slightly.

“What’d I say ‘bout approachin’ the desk?! You could be in a cell right now, y’know!” Agent Stern said.

Rock’s voice then came through the phone.

“I'm fine, but Dr. Wily still has Roll. I already checked his old hideout, but he wasn’t there.” Rock answered his father.

“Your intern, Luz, showed me the note Wily left. Along with her own testimony, there were indeed signs of a struggle, along with a lot of oil over the scene too.” Agent Krantz said.

Luz then chimed in.

“That would be the work of DLN: 00B, Oil Man. One of the two missing Robot Masters. He was originally designed for oil spill management.” Luz said.

“And the other?” Agent Stern asked, looking at Dr. Light for the answer..

“Time Manipulation. Wily’s disappearance would make more sense if those two were finished.” Dr. Light said as he stroked his beard.

Agent Stern raised an eyebrow. 

“Time Manipulation?” I miss when things made sense.” Agent Stern said.

“Could we return to the topic of rescuing my daughter, please?!” Dr. Light retorted.

“Daughter? Good grief.” Agent Stern grumbled.

“The robots were last tested in a workshop that’s been retired. If Albert has gone to the trouble of stealing them and completing them, he’s likely hiding out there.” Dr. Light said.

Agent Stern then started typing away at a computer.

“Sit tight, Rosie. I’ll get the address and pick you up.” Agent Stern said.

“Give me the address now. I’ve got all the back-up I’ll ever need.” Agent Kratz said, referring to Rock, Luz, Amity, and the Robot Masters.

Later…

Rock and the Robot Masters had all been stuffed into a transport vehicle, and Guts Man wasn’t really small enough for that.

“Grrrk. Should’ve just teleported like we did to Wily’s old base!” Ice Man said as he was being crushed by Guts Man.

“No, Agent Krantz said he would be anticipating that. This provides the element of surprise, and allows the agent to come with us, and Luz and her girlfriend.” Fire Man said.

Elec Man turned to look at Rock.

“Mega Man…we don’t know what we’ll have waiting for us, so we should give you all our powers again.” Elec man said.

Rock’s eyes widened.

“What?! No! I don’t want that kind of power again!” Rock said worriedly.

Elec Man gained a sympathetic look.

“I understand, but we can’t take any chances. Do it for Roll and Dr. Light.” Elec Man said.

Rock thought about that before relenting and stuck his hand out.

“Okay. Ready, everyone?” Mega Man asked the other Robot Masters.

The Robot Masters all put their hands out and laid them on top of Rock’s, and Rock copied all their weapons once again.

They then soon felt the transport vehicle stop moving, indicating they had arrived. As they piled out of the vehicle the robot masters started arguing about who’s weapon Rock would use first.

“So, whose power are you gonna use first, sir?” Cut Man asked.

“He’ll use mine, of course!” Guts Man said with a flex.

“This isn’t a competition!” Elec Man said to his brothers as he and Rock exited the transport vehicle.

Luz, Amity, and Agent Krantz exited and walked alongside Rock and the Robot Masters up to the factory Wily was held up in.

“We’re here. Let’s stick together and take this slowly and quietly.” Agent Krantz said as she held her police issue gun up.

Rock then took notice of something on the outside of the factory.

“That’s…a big skull painting.” Rock said as he and the others looked to see that there was indeed a large crude painting of a skull on the factory, done in oil.

“The man is as subtle as a blown transformer.” Elec Man said with his hands on his hips as they all reached the closed door to the factory.

Guts Man then used his strength to open the door to the factory.

“This isn’t exactly subtle either.” Luz whispered, referring to the noise Gut’s Man’s entrance made.

“Don't shoot ‘till I give the okay. Watch our backs.” Agent Krantz whispered.

“Okay.” Rock replied.

Fire Man stood in the back, watching for a possible ambush. Everything slowed to a crawl and Time Man grabbed him. Ice Man, no longer feeling the heat of Fire Man’s flames, spoke up.

“You can have your flames on, Fire Man. I can still function in the heat, you know…Fire Man?” Ice Man said as he saw no trace of his flame-headed brother.

Cut Man: What the fuc-? Cut Man said as he looked down at the floor and saw a bunch of oil, but was cut off when Oil Man jumped out of the darkness and knocked him and Ice Man to ground.

Guts Man turned around to see no trace of Cut Man, Fire Man, and Ice Man.

“The He-” Time Man struck again and slowed down time, dragging Guts Man off.

Rock, Agent Krantz, Luz, Amity, Bomb Man and Elec Man turned a corner.

“All clear.” Agent Krantz whispered as she checked around another corner.

“Me too.” Rock whispered as he checked around another corner.

“Okay, we’ll divide into teams of…Where are the others?” Agent Krantz said as she turned around to face Bomb Man, expecting to see the other Robot Masters as well, but aside from Bomb Man and Elec Man, they were nowhere to be seen.

“They’re not right behind me?” Bomb Man asked nervously as he pointed behind him with his thumb.

Elec man turned to the others.

“I’ll go one way with Bomb Man. Mega Man, you protect the humans.” Elec Man said.

Agent Krantz raised an eyebrow.

“Right.” Mega Man said.

‘I don’t think they really need me though.’ Rock thought to himself..

Bomb Man held a Hyper Bomb in his hand as he looked around nervously.

“I didn’t even HEAR the others go down.” Bomb Man whispered.

“Then stop talking and listen for-” Elec Man was cut off when Time Man activated his Time Slow ability, stopping Bomb Man from moving, but Elec Man turned to see the clock-themed Robot Master standing in front of him with his arms crossed.

Elec Man stumbled forward, power coursing through him.

“Hmph. It seems your charged body disrupts my "Time Slow" ability.” Time Man said.

Elec Man glared at the purple robot and continued to stumble forward before falling to a knee.

“I... won't... let... you-” Elec Man was cut off when Oil Man dropped down onto his back, knocking him out.

“How’s that for perfect timing?” Oil Man said smugly as he held up Elec Man.

“Decent enough, now let’s apply the last two chips.” Time Man said with a smirk.

Time Man looked at Mega Man and the humans, one catching his eye. Luz. She was frozen facing one direction, but looking directly at him. Walking up, he waved his hand in front of her face. He watched her eyes, and they twitched. Time Man’s eyes widened.

“She can see us?!” Time Man exclaimed in shock.

He and Oil Man then ran off, carrying Elec Man and Bomb Man before Time Slow stopped.

“Time Man and Oil Man are bagging the Robot Masters.” Luz said.

Agent Krantz turned to Luz with a raised eyebrow.

“How do you know?” Agent Krantz asked.

Luz pointed to the spots where Bomb Man and Elec Man once were. Rock’s eyes widened.

“Where did they go?!” Rock said as he looked around to try to spot them.

Luz leaned over and whispered to Amity.

“Keep your magic usage to a minimum.” Luz said.

“Why? This is a life or death situation, possibly.” Amity replied.

“This is Wily. The Robot Masters are dangerous, but he's about as threatening as an evil kitten raised by Belos. And besides, Rock can handle two rogue robots.” Luz whispered back.

Luz and Amity then heard Rock shout out loud.

“Roll!” Rock called out as he ran forward.

Amity and Luz turned to see Roll chained up to some metal supports which were holding up a large pod which was yellow on the bottom, and blue on the top. And standing on top of the pod, was Dr. Wily himself.

“Rock! It’s a trap!” Roll warned her brother.

“It's too late to warn him now!” Dr. Wily said with a cackle.

Agent Krantz ran up to catch up with Mega Man.

“Doctor Wily! You’re under arrest! Put your hands behind your head!” Agent Krantz ordered.

“I'd Listen to her, Wily. Robots might be tough, but you're not exactly bullet proof.” Luz said as she and Amity caught up with Agent Krantz and Rock.

Dr. Wily rubbed his chin.

“No, I don’t think I will…Attack!” Wily said.

Time Man and Oil Man leaped at the group from their hiding places, ready to attack.

“The Robot Masters that were missing!” Agent Krantz exclaimed as she watched Time Man and Oil Man land in front of them.

“Indeed! Now completed, improved by my genius, and totally under my control.” Dr. Wily boasted.

“What's so “Mega Man “about you?” Oil Man mocked as he slid on his oil, punching Rock in the face as he did so.

Time Man went after Krantz. Before he could attack her, Amity rammed him, using healing and abomination magic to secretly reinforce her muscles.

Time Man glared at Amity and prepared to launch a Clock Blade at her. Amity nearly counters with a blade of her own, simply out of habit, but decides to dodge instead.

“Stand still!” Time Man shouted in anger before activating his Time Slow ability, focusing it specifically on Amity.

Krantz shot Time Man while his guard was down, setting Rock up for a shot of his own. Rock fired at Time Man, knocking him backward and into a stack of crates. He turned to Oil Man, knocking him over with a buster shot, causing him to flip in the air and crash down next to Time Man.

“Oh, man! He turned my own attack against me without even copying it!” Oil Man groaned.

“YOU IDIOT!” Time Man roared.

Rock approached the two Robot Masters.

“Don’t worry, you two. Doctor Light and Luz were able to save the other Robot Masters. I’m sure they can fix you too.” Rock said with a smile.

Suddenly, Rock was struck from behind by a Rolling Cutter.

“They don’t need fixing. They are programmed to serve me, like all Robot Masters.” Dr. Wily said smugly.

Rock turned around to see that standing next to Dr. Wily were the other Robot Masters, all of them grinning evilly.

“It looks like the Robot Masters aren’t our friends anymore, Mega Man.” Agent Krantz said as held her gun at the ready.

“The Robot Masters are fine. If they’re doing this they have a plan. Play along.” Luz whispered.

After the last time, she and Dr. Light made sure that the Robot Masters were tamper proof. Unfortunately Rock didn’t hear her.

“I’ve copied the weapons of the first six.” Rock said as he held his buster up at the ready.

“So you could stop them.” Agent Krantz said.

Rock then remembered what the combined power of the Robot Masters did to the Copy Robot.

“Um, no, but I’m the only one that can even begin to fight them.” Rock said.

Rock then switched to Ice Slasher and fired at The feet of Guts Man and Elec Man.

“Go, save my sister.” Rock said before he ran to go hold off his own allies that didn’t even realize he had.

Agent Krantz then processed what Luz had whispered earlier and reached out to stop Rock.

“Mega Man, wait-” Agent Krantz was cut off when Luz put a hand on her shoulder.

“Just let him go, he’ll figure it out. We need to save Roll.” Luz said.

As Luz, Amity, and Agent Krantz run past the frozen Robot Masters, Fire Man approached to melt his siblings' feet.

“Hang on, Roll.” Luz muttered.

“Pretty slick trick, but Ain’t nobody as slick as me, baby!” Oil Man said before he fired a glob of oil at Rock. 

The glob of oil knocked him over, but Rock recovered, and as he rose to his feet he switched to Fire Storm.

“We’ll see how slick you are after I burn away all your-” Rock was suddenly affected by Time Man.

Oil Man, who had been cowering away from Mega Man, in fear of being set on fire, looked up to see him frozen in place and sighed in relief as he saw Time Man.

“Phew! Nice save! We ought to call you “Dramatic Timing Man.” Oil Man said as he got to his feet.

“Hmph. I can only recharge my Time Stop power so fast. Time’s up, Mega Man.” Time Man said as he approached Rock with a Clock Blade at the ready, but suddenly, Rock rolled out of the way just in time. 

“Impossible!” Time Man exclaimed in disbelief.

Elec Man then spoke up.

“Forgot what my static field does to your powers already? And I’ll continue to do so for the rest of the fight. Now then…Guts Man?” Elec Man said with a smirk.

Guts Man then ran forward and threw a hard right hook into Time Man, knocking him back.

“Yeah! That’s what I call “Punching the Clock!” Guts Man said with a grin.

Rock gained a confused look.

“What?” Rock exclaimed.

Cut Man came over and helped Rock to his feet.

“It’s an old expression meaning-” Cut Man was explaining before Rock cut him off.

“No, I mean, I thought Dr. Wily had reprogrammed you again?” Rock said in confusion

“He tried. We went along with it to set up this ambush.” Cut Man said.

“After last time, Luz and Dr. Light made us tamper proof.” Elec Man explained.

Dr. Wily, who heard the Robot masters, glared.

“Clever, Thomas. And that little intern too.” Dr. Wily growled in anger.

Guts Man glared down at Time Man and jumped at him.

“You little coward! You can’t face your foe without making them prone first! I’ll crush y-” Time Man froze Guts Man mid jump.

“It’s called being pragmatic, oaf! I can still freeze you at short range.” Time Man said as he glared back at Guts Man and prepared to launch a Clock Blade at him, but a Rolling Cutter blade struck him in the back of the head.

“Sorry, I’m going to have to cut you short!” Cut Man said with a smirk.

“You’re not funny!” TIme Man roared back at Cut Man.

“Word. This ain’t funny at all!” Oil Man said, sliding away from Bomb Man and Ice Man who were attacking him.

At the pod, Luz, Amity, and Agent Krantz were trying to free Roll. Luz and Amity were looking for a lock to pick or break, but Krantz just shot the chains. Somehow, the bullet split the nearly three inch thick steel chain in half.

“What straight out Hell caliber round does that thing fire?” Luz whispered to herself.

“Roll! I’m Agent Krantz! Are you hurt? Or, er, damaged.” Agent Krantz asked as she removed the broken chains from Roll.

“No, I’m-” Roll was saying before the angry voice of Dr. Wily shouted.

“Get away from my hostage!” Dr. Wily roared.

A turret dropped down from the pod and started firing, but Amity just ripped it off. Roll and Agent Krantz’s eyes widened at this.

“How did you do that?” Agent Krantz asked.

“Um…poor design?” Amity said, trying to cover up her use of magic.

“No!” Dr. Wily shouted in frustration.

Back with the Robot Masters, they were currently running metaphorical circles around Oil man and Time Man. Time Man had Cut Man frozen.

“Let’s see you make your stupid jokes now!” Time Man said with a smirk, but Elec Man hit him from behind with a Thunder Beam.

“Like your one to talk. I told you I would keep you in check!” Elec Man said.

“Let’s see you surf on this!” Ice Man said as he shot his Ice Slasher attack at the floor, coating it in ice.

“Sure.” Oil Man said smugly as he jumped in the air and kicked Bomb Man to the ground, but was hit in the back by a blast of Fire Storm from Fire Man.

“That’ll be enough of that, partner!” Fire Man said.

Rock, seeing that his brothers had things under control, ran over to Luz and the others.

“Roll! Are you going okay?” Rock asked his sister as he rushed over and they shared a hug.

“I’m fine! The Agent, Luz, and her girlfriend saved me.” Roll said.

“What happened to using all your copied powers?” Agent Krantz asked Rock.

Rock smiled and pointed behind him to the Robot masters taking on Time Man and Oil Man.

“I don’t need them! The Robot Masters are doing great on their own!” Rock said.

“Then maybe…” Roll trailed off as the sounds of battle played behind them.

“...You should stop Dr. Wily while they’re busy?!” Roll suggested as she banged Rock on the head to emphasize her point.

“Oh! Right! Him! Stay back where it’s safe, Roll! It looks like I’ll need these powers after all.” Rock said as he primed his Mega Buster.

“Lead the way, I’ve got you covered.” Agent Krantz said as she held her gun up.

She and Rock then ran towards the pod.

“Hold it right there, Dr. Wily!” Rock shouted.

Rock blasted the pod, causing it to explode, but oddly enough. Dr. Wily was still standing on it, despite it being tilted over.

“Surrender!” Rock ordered.

Time Man and Oil Man, who had been defeated by the Robot Masters and were on their knees with their hands behind their heads, smirked.

Rock and Agent Krantz climbed on top of the pod.

“I must say, I’m impressed by the performance of the Robot Masters. Even with Thomas and that little intern’s meddling, they’re remarkable. Some of you are especially remarkable.” Dr. Wily said as he twirled his mustache.

“That’s nice, but you’re still under arrest.” Rock said as he aimed his buster at Wily.

“It’s no use, Mega Man…” Agent Krantz trailed off as she waved her hand through Dr. Wily, revealing him to be a hologram.

“It’s a decoy.” Agent Krantz finished.

Dr. Wily cackled.

“Don’t look so glum, Agent. You never would’ve figured it out. I am a genius after all.” Dr. Wily said smugly.

Oil Man busted out laughing.

“You got them good, boss! That saucer is just a hologram projector with a turret! There ain’t even an engine in it!” Oil Man revealed.

Roll looked at Luz and Amity.

“I-I never even saw him make the switch…” Roll said.

“It’s not your fault, Roll.” Luz said in response.

Dr. Wily cackled again.

“I was long gone before you even got here! The re-captured Robot Masters would’ve been summoned to me once you were destroyed. I may have lost my robots, but at least I get to see you all frustrated by my genius.” Dr. Wily boasted.

Rock felt anger surge within his systems and he switched to Super Arm and punched the hologram projector.

“Whoa! Hold it! We need that as evidence to clear Dr. Light!” Agent Krantz said as she grabbed Rock to prevent him from destroying the evidence further.

“Right, I’m sorry.” Rock said as he calmed down and deactivated the Super Arm.

“Bah! Let Wily run away like the coward he is! We won the fight!” Guts Man said with a smirk.

“Yeah. Thanks for all the help by the way.” Elec man said sarcastically as he walked over to Rock.

“You guys had it under control! You looked really cool!” Rock said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Well, of course I did!” Elec Man said.

“Whatever. I’m just glad you’re safe, Roll.” Ice Man said with a small blush.

“Um…Thanks, Ice Man. It was nice of all of you to come rescue me.” Roll said, a little confused by Ice Man’s behavior.

Agent Krantz then pulled out her phone and called her partner.

“Hey, Gil. Yeah, it’s over. The hostage is safe, but we missed the big fish. Bring a big cleanup crew with you and some inhibitor collars.” Agent Krantz said.

They were soon waiting outside as the police collected evidence.

“Don’t worry guys, once the Federal Agents are done with their investigation, Dr. Light will be able to reprogram you to be good.” Rock said to Time Man and Oil Man who were wearing inhibitor collars and handcuffed and were being escorted into a police transport vehicle.

Agent Stern, who was standing beside Rock, spoke up.

“Actually, this van is heading straight for Light Labs. The Doc’s been cleared. ‘Sides, I doubt our tech boys could do much with these two anyway.” Agent Stern said.

“Really? So, Doctor Light is free to come home?” Rock asked.

“Sure.” Agent Stern replied.

Dr. Light then came running over with a big smile on his face.

“Rock! Roll!” Dr. Light said happily as he embraced his robotic children.

Luz walked up to Agent Stern.

“So, what did you say earlier, about not helping?” Luz said with a small smirk.

“Unique circumstances. Still, if this lab stuff doesn’t work out, you might have a bright future as an agent.” Agent Stern said.

Luz smiled at Agent Stern.

“Thank you, but my place is in the lab. But I’m not above stepping into the field.” Luz replied.

Rock then walked.

“What about us, Agent Stern? You can trust Dr. Light and me now, right?” Rock asked.

There was silence for a second before Agent Stern spoke.

“No. But I don’t trust anyone. You did good, kid.” Agent Stern said as he put his hat on, a small smile on his face as he walked into the factory, past some yellow police tape.

“I don’t understand.” Rock said in confusion.

Agent Krantz came over and patted Rock on the shoulder.

“Trust me, you just got high praise from that old fogey. You proved yourself to be a true hero tonight, Mega Man. Thanks for your help.” Agent Krantz said before she walked off to join her partner.

Later on, at Light Labs…

Luz was helping Dr. Light with Time Man, while Amity was standing next to her girlfriend and watching her work. Roll was getting Oil Man ready for Luz and Dr. Light to work on, and Rock was putting some boxes away.

“This is more like it. I like repairing robots more than fighting them!” Rock said with a smile.

“It’s reassuring to hear you say that, but…unfortunately… Albert is still at large. You may have to don your blue armor again one day.” Dr. Light said as Rock passed him a screwdriver.

“I know, and I’ll fight to help everyone. I hate leaving you short-handed at the lab though.” Rock said as he looked off to the side.

“We can always build more helper robots. And I’m sure Auto wouldn’t mind splitting his time between here and the shop.” Luz said as she reviewed Time Man’s programming on a monitor, her fingers gliding across a keyboard as she went about deleting Wily’s programming.

“In fact, we might need the extra help. I have a number of design ideas for devices and support units to help you, should Albert ever rear his ugly ambitions again.” Dr. Light said as he removed his goggles.

Roll walked over.

“You're not gonna make us obsolete, are you?” Roll asked nervously.

Dr. Light smiled.

“Never. You two are my children, and no other creation could ever be more precious to me.” Dr. LIght said as he brought Rock and Roll into a hug.

Luz looked away from the monitor and looked upon the heartwarming scene with a smile. Then she saw something in the corner of her eye and looked up and noticed someone looking in through the window on the roof. The person backed away and disappeared from the window.

Luz bolted from her station and ran outside, getting a glance from everyone else. When Luz was outside she started looking around and she caught sight of the person walking away.

“Wait.” Luz called out.

The person stopped. Luz walked up to them, standing a few feet away. Luz took notice that this person was most likely a robot, his armor was gray and red, he had a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck, and long brown hair which stuck up in a point.

Luz…had a sneaking suspicion of who this was. She had combed through the Light Labs files after Wily had been arrested, she had done this because she was curious as to Dr. Light’s reaction when he saw the silhouette of a Sniper Joe when Rock went to track down Bomb Man. She searched in the database for the name he had said, and found quite the amount of information.

“Are you... Blues?” Luz asked.

The boy stiffened, but otherwise didn't move an inch. This gave Luz all the confirmation she needed. This was DLN: 000, aka Blues. Dr. Light’s first advanced robot. His first son.

“He never gave up on you…He nearly went bankrupt looking for you…” Luz said softly.

She had gone through Light Lab’s company records. After DLN: 000 was declared missing, Light Lab’s money had decreased dramatically before the invention of the Sniper Joe. Luz could’ve asked Dr. Light himself, but from what she had seen of his connection with Rock and Roll, she could already tell what the decrease in money had probably meant.

The boy’s fists clenched and he turned back around to look at Luz, his eyes were hidden behind a pair of large black sunglasses, but Luz could tell he was glaring.

“Then why did he replace me?” Blues demanded before he ran off into the nearby forest.

Luz watched silently as Blues stormed off. Before not too terribly long, Blues was out of sight. Luz sighed. Perhaps she should ask Dr. Light, some time. There was obviously tension. Something had caused Blues to run away in the first place. Amity then walked outside and over to Luz.

“Luz, what’s wrong?” Amity asked.

Luz snapped from her thoughts and turned to Amity.

“It’s nothing, I, uh, thought I saw something.” Luz said before she and Amity started walking back into the lab, with Luz looking behind at the direction Blues had run off in one more time before closing the door to the lab behind her.

Next to a tree in the forest, Blues was sitting down, hunched over as he held his head in his hands and sobbed quietly to himself…Alone.

Meanwhile, miles away... 

Dr. Wily's saucer landed in front of his new castle which was well under construction, robots such as Mets and Bladers zipped about, performing construction work.

“Grrr...Well played, Thomas. You've yet again robbed me of my glory.” Wily growled as he exited his pod, which he had dubbed the “Wily Capsule.”

“I should've been top of our class. I should've been on that stage, unveiling MY Robot Masters. I should have the world in the palm of my hand... And I should be ruling the world from this castle, not using it as a hideout!” Wily ranted as he walked into a lab which had been completed.

“Keep your Robot Masters. They were flawed by your input, anyway. I will build better ones! The powers you invented, I will perfect! I will push the limitations of robots beyond what you could ever dream! And I'll be sure to account for your precious Mega Man this time!” Dr. Wily declared.

And so, Dr. Wily began tinkering away in his lab. Building his new Robot Masters. They would be better, faster, stronger, superior in general to Thomas's inferior line of robots. It took many long hours, but they were finally ready. His 8 glorious Robot Masters. When you're a vengeful genius, you can get things done quickly. Not to mention secretly embezzling funds from Light Lab's bank accounts.

Wily grinned at his handy work and dabbed a rag to his forehead to collect the sweat.

“It's time to see who the real genius is, Thomas... And put our Robot Masters to the test!” Dr. Wily said evilly as his Robot Masters activated.

To be Continued...

Chapter Text

2 Weeks Later…

It had been a while since Dr. Wily had last shown his face. Because of this, it was decided that Rock would no longer be Mega Man. At Light Labs, a party was being held in celebration of Rock and his heroic actions. Luz, her mother, sister, and girlfriend were in attendance as well. A banner was hung up, saying, “Goodbye Mega Man.”

Everyone held their drinks high, in the case of the biological guests it was soda, and Energy Tanks for the robots.

“To Mega Man! For his selfless service to mankind! May his days of fighting finally be over!” Dr. Light said with a smile.

“To Mega Man!” Everyone said before they took a sip from their respective drinks.

Auto, Rock’s fill-in at the lab, a primarily green robot with a power tool for a hand, rolled his E-Tank in his hands.

“Are you sure about this Rock? I mean, you being Mega man was so cool.” Auto asked.

Rock gave a lighthearted chuckle.

“Thanks, Auto, but I'm sure. I was built to help Dr. Light build robots, not to blast them.” Rock said.

“But you looked so awesome doing it! With a "pyew-pyew" here and a "blamo" there!” Auto said as he did finger guns.

Roll came up and hugged Rock's arm.

“Nuh uh. He was brave and strong, but now he gets to stay home, where it's safe.” Roll said with a smile.

“It’ll be nice to have things quiet around here for a change.” Rock said before he took a sip from his E-Tank.

Auto turned to Dr. Light.

“Program so sense into the kid, Doc! He’s giving up a glorious future as a superhero!” Auto said.

Dr. Light chuckled.

“I'm sorry, Auto, but I'm in complete agreement with Rock. I'm proud of all of Rock's heroism, but I'm quite ready to have my boy safe at home.” Dr. Light replied.

“Fine, when Wily shows up in his skull plane shooting skull missiles and takes over the world from his skull castle, I can say, “I told you so.” Auto said.

“Actually, Dr. Light doesn't think Dr. Wily is a threat anymore!” Rock said.

“To no one but himself, at least. All of his villainy came from the Robot Masters he had built with my help and resources. Without the backing of Light Labs, Albert won't have any way of threatening anyone.” Dr. Light said in a serious tone.

“And if he did come out of hiding and try something, the police would get him!” Roll said with a smile which cheered up Dr. Light a little.

“Exactly, I’m sure we’ve seen the last of my old… friend.” Dr. Light said.

Luz then walked over and put a hand on Auto’s shoulder.

“Cheer up, Auto. We aren’t going to completely scrap Mega Man. The Mega Buster is going into storage, and Rock’s armor is being donated to a museum, stripped of its weapons of course.” Luz said with a smile.

“Well...then what about me?! I just came back to the lab! If Rock is the doc's assistant, what am I supposed to do?” Auto asked.

“You still have your shop, don’t you? Besides, even when I’m back full time you’re still welcome here.” Rock answered.

Roll chuckled.

“Give up trying to convince him. Auto's just being a fan-bot.” Roll said.

They all have a good Laugh. But then, an unfamiliar voice started laughing along with them.

“Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, what a laugh…” The voice said.

Suddenly an unknown red and yellow Robot Master with a boomerang on his helmet and detailed on his chest appeared in a blur behind Rock.

“To think you could stop Dr. Wily at all!” The Robot Master said with a cocky smirk with his arms crossed.

He then punched Rock at supersonic speed, sending him flying.

Auto: Hey! You-

In a burst of speed, the Robot Master raced to intercept Rock, and kicked him into a wall, throwing two Quick Boomerangs to pin Rock to the wall by the arms.

Auto: can’t do-

After years of defending the Boiling Isles, Luz and Amity were able to track him, but that did little to help, as the Robot Master tripped them and Roll. He then shoved Roll into Dr. Light then turned around and slung the Witches by their arms into Camila and Vee.

Auto: That To—

“Mega-ktch!” Auto was punched in the face by the Robot Master, sending him to the floor.

“Quiet.” The Robot Master said.

He surveyed his work with a smirk.

“Now that I have your attention...I'm here to announce that my creator... Dr. Wily...has returned. You and this city, to say nothing of the world, will pay for his past embarrassments.” The Robot Master said before he then walked over to Rock and looked him in the eyes.

“My seven brothers stand ready to turn this city into rubble in six hours. Unless the bwave wittle Mega Man can stop us.” Quick Man said, pinching Rock's cheek mockingly.

“And just Mega Man. Call the authorities, try an evacuation, and we start early. I’ll give you an hour to find me in Titanium Park. That should be plenty of time, even for you!” Quick Man said as he walked away from Rock.

Quick Man then ran out of the lab in a burst of incredible speed. Auto went to pull the pouting Mega Man down.

“Just a second, Rock! I'll get you down!” Auto said as he pulled at the Quick Boomerangs that were pining Rock to the wall.

“Thanks, Auto.” Rock said as Auto got him down.

“Are you damaged, Roll?” Dr. Light asked as he looked her over for any damage before helping her to her feet.

“I’m fine-” Roll cut herself off when Luz suddenly screamed in pain.

Everyone turned to look at Luz. Her arm hung limp from its socket.

“He dislocated my arm!” Luz shouted as she groaned in pain.

Camila immediately began to examine her daughter's arm.

“Try to hold still, Mija. This is going to hurt.” Camila said as she took her daughter’s dislocated arm out of sleeve of her lab coat.

Amity handed Luz a leather glove to bite down on as Camila reset her arm.

“I thought you said Dr. Wily couldn’t make more Robot Masters!” Roll said as she frantically ran over to help Luz.

“I...I don't know where he's gotten the resources. He shouldn't be able to build more Robot Masters...let alone 8 of them...this quickly…” Dr. Light said as he rubbed the back of his neck, just as perplexed as everyone.

Rock looked at Luz as her mother finished resetting her arm, with Roll helping put it in a sling. He then gained a determined look.

“I've beaten Dr. Wily before, and I'll do it again! I won't let him get away with hurting my family!” Rock declared.

“Woo! Looks like Mega Man is needed to kick some butt again after all!” Auto cheered.

Dr. Light knelt down and put his hand on Rock's shoulder.

“This time is different, Rock. The Robot Masters he stole last time were meant to work, not fight. I have no doubt this new line will be designed with combat, and combating you, at their core. Why else would he call you out like this? This announcement is too brazen. Even for him. It's too much like how he baited you in that trap…” Dr. Light trailed off.

“It probably is a trap-” Rock was saying before he was cut off.

“It’s definitely a trap!” Luz shouted.

“But you heard that robot master, the people of the city are in danger. I have to help.” Rock said as he put a hand on his father’s shoulder.

“Also true!” Luz shouted.

Luz was just shouting her opinion to distract herself from the pain.

Dr. Light smiled.

“My brave little boy. Albert could never hope to build a robot like you.” Dr. Light said proudly.

Roll finished with Luz's sling and walked over to her brother.

“Rock, are you damaged?” Roll asked.

Rock smiled and rolled his shoulder joint.

“Just a few dents. Don’t worry sis, I’ll be okay!” Rock answered.

“Your helmet, sir!” Auto said as he knelt down before Rock with the Blue Bomber’s helmet in hand.

“We'll monitor you from here as before, and I'll set Roll and Auto to finish some of the support equipment I had designed.” Dr. Light said as he put a microphone headset on and walked over to the teleporter console to begin inputting the coordinates.

“Amity, pass me a headset, please.” Luz said as she got to her feet.

Amity walked over to the monitor and came back with the headset Luz asked for.

“Thanks.” Rock said as he looked to his support crew, his family, with a smile.

“My arm may not be so hot right now, but I can still help.” Luz said as she accepted the headset from Amity and put it on with her remaining good arm, adjusting the microphone.

“I’ve uploaded the park’s coordinates. Are you ready to teleport?” Dr. Light asked.

Rock gave a thumbs up.

“Ready. Let's do this!” Rock said.

Rock was then teleported away downtown.

Rock ended up in a clearing in Titanium Park, where all the trees were a mix between biology and technology. Little did he know, Quick Man was high in the trees, watching him.

“You really are a child, this will be-” Quick Man was musing to himself but the sound of his commlink, and the voice of Dr. Wily drew his attention.

“Quick Man!” Dr. Wily shouted.

“Rrrrgh...Here, sir.” Quick Man growled in response.

“Your job was to lure Mega Man to Wood Man’s sector.” Dr. Wily said.

“I did!” Quick Man responded as he jumped from tree to tree, watching as Rock fired at small black and red bat robots called, Battons.

“And then return to your sector and finish securing the area!” Dr. Wily added.

“But...But I can finish this here and now! What if he manages to beat Wood Man?” Quick Man asked.

“Either way will work in my favor. I have my plans, and you have your orders! Now get to your post!” Dr. Wily ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Quick Man said with frustration as he watched Mega Man enter the north gardens of the park.

When Rock entered, the door closed shut behind him, he saw a Robot Master in here, but a different one. 

“Wait...You're not the Robot Master who attacked us…” Rock said.

The Robot Master in question was sitting in a makeshift throne of tree roots, with various robotic animals sitting by him. The Robot Master himself had armor that was seemingly made of wood.

“No, that would've been Quick Man. Sounds like he was too fast and got ahead of himself. You're meant to fight, and be destroyed by…me.” Wood Man said.

“What?! Why?!” Rock exclaimed.

“Because that is my function.” Wood Man replied.

Rock didn’t want to have to fight, so he tried to persuade the Robot Master.

“Wait a minute! We don't have to fight! Dr. Light can reprogram you, and you can have a new purpose!”

“And what other function could an all wood robot have? No, I have my purpose. And I am content with that. Out of the way, my friends.” Wood Man said as he shooed away the robot animals.

Seeing that he would have to fight, Rock readied his Mega Buster.

“I'm warning you, I've beaten a lot of Robot Masters already.” Rock said.

“They were tools and experiments. I...AM A WEAPON!” Wood Man shouted as he adopted a sumo pose.

“Fine! I won’t let you or the others hurt my friends and family again!” Rock declared as he jumped into battle.

Rock fired multiple shots from his Mega Buster at the Robot Master, but Wood Man smirked as a tornado of large leaves swirled around him, Rock’s buster shots were deflected by the Leaf Shield barrier.

Thrusting his arms forward, Wood Man launched the leaves at Rock. They cut into Rock’s Armor, leaving deep gashes. Luz’s voice then came over his comm-link.

“Razor Leaves, really? What, he ran out of stuff to steal from us so now Wily’s stealing from video games?” Luz said.

Rock dived away from another shot, finding refuge behind a tree.

“Now’s really not the best time for a rant, Luz. I could use some help.” Rock said nervously.

“Right, sorry. The leaves, according to analysis, are coated in an electromagnetic force field. The edges are only a few molecules thick, so they can cut through almost anything, and easily stop most projectiles.” Luz said.

“Is there any way through it?” Rock asked.

“Not unless you can raise your temperature to the surface of the sun. But Wood Man wasn’t kidding, he’s almost entirely made of wood. In fact, every part that could be wood, is wood, so if you can get past the shield, even a normal buster shot would do a lot of damage.” Luz replied.

“You mean destroy him?! I want to disable him like I’ve done before! I want to save him!” Rock said as he dodged another barrage of leaves.

“That’s commendable, Rock, but you don’t have much of a choice. There isn’t any inner conflict with this series. They’re built and programmed to destroy you!” Dr. Light said.

Rock looked down at his buster and sighed.

“Why do you make me do this, Wily? I’m sorry, Wood Man.” Rock said sadly before he started charging up his buster.

“Look out!” Luz shouted.

Leaves dropped down from above him. Rock rolled out the way and turned to Wood Man.

“You cannot hide!” Wood Man shouted.

“Who's hiding?” Rock retorted as he jumped out and fired the charge shot, but Wood Man made another shield.

The shield bounced the charged blast back at Rock, who once again had to dodge. Rock jumped around, firing buster shots as he avoided leaves. Taking a gamble, he baited another shield toss, firing a buster shot through the empty center. For his efforts, Rock came away with a fresh gash on his face. Wood Man, however, received far worse. The shot hit him dead in the chest, exposing his circuitry and causing a spider web of cracks to spread from the point of impact. Wood Man stumbled a bit, but still stood. He tried to form a new shield, but half of the Leaves shredded themselves. Seeing his chance, Rock started charging another shot. He bounced from tree to tree until he was right in front of Wood Man. Rock fired the blast directly into Wood Man’s chest, basting a whole clean through him.

Wood Man collapsed to the floor, smoke rising and electricity sparking from the hole in his chest before dying out.

“It…It’s done.” Rock said as he looked down at the remains of Wood Man with a sad expression.

“Good, see what you can copy from Wood Man. If the rest of these Robot Masters are as dangerous, you’ll need every weapon at your disposal.” Luz replied.

“Right.” Rock said before he knelt down and touched Wood Man, downloading his weapon data but flinched as he felt something surge through his systems.

“Rock! Are you okay? There was a strange energy spike just now.” Luz asked in a worried tone.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. Do…do you think you can rebuild him? And the others if…if I have to…” Rock trailed off. 

“I can’t make any promises, son, but I will try.” Dr. Light said.

“Not sure where to send you next though. These new Robot Masters are keeping a low profile.” Luz said.

Rock then started to wander and look around.

“Well, Quick Man said they were in position to attack the city. The park is a central location. And there’s a lane that leads right to the hydroelectric plant. Should I investigate there?” Rock said as he found a rushing stream of water.

“Hmmm, that sounds like a logical target. Be mindful of the currents, and the waterfall.” Dr. Light said before Rock jumped into the rushing water.

Eventually, after being dragged by the currents, Rock stepped out from behind a waterfall and saw several platforms with some frog robots on them, unaware that he was being watched by a Robot Master through a jellyfish mine robot. The Robot Master in question was mostly green, with a scuba diver look to him.

“That’s it, Blue Bomber, you’re entering MY domain. The domain of Bubble Man! You just keep showing off Mr. My Legs Work On Land! Well, we’ll see who’s laughing when you have to swim facing ME! It certainly won’t be master Wily, and it certainly won’t be at me! Not anymore, at least! It’ll be at you!” Bubble Man said confidently as he watched Rock progress through his sector.

Meanwhile, Rock had gotten past the platforms with the frog robots and entered the main water vein and saw a bunch of spike-tipped mines.

“Do hydroelectric plants usually have spike-tipped mines built into their facilities?” Rock asked through his comm-link.

“Not at all.” Dr. Light replied.

“Then I’m pretty sure there’s a Robot Master here.” Rock said.

He then ran into some trouble, a big angler fish based robot which ejected shrimp-like robots from its mouth. It wasn’t too much trouble though as he easily took care of it by destroying the lure of the angler fish robot, and then picking off the shrimp robots. Bubble Man however was not pleased as he watched.

“Oh, come on! Those robots were waste management! Do you have any idea how hard it was to weaponize them?! No, don’t destroy-gah! You’re making a mockery of me! And I’m tired of being mocked!” Bubble Man shouted as he pushed the jellyfish mine robot away from him.

“Go ahead! Fight your way through every robot I’ve stationed here! Avoid every trap I so carefully laid out! I’ll be waiting for you! I’ll be here preparing your watery grave, and I’ll say “Welcome to Davy Jones’ Locker!” Bubble Man monologue, unaware that Rock had just entered his chamber.

“Hello? Did you say you’re “Davy Jones Man?” I’m looking for a dangerous Robot Master.” Rock asked.

Bubble Man’s eye twitched in response and he turned to glare at Rock.

“Oh, yeah? How’s a concentrated bubble of sulfuric acid, dangerous enough for you?!” Bubble Man shouted as he shot a bubble at Rock from a shooter on top of his head.

“Whoa!” Rock exclaimed as he swapped to Leaf Shield, blocking the Bubble.

He then launched the shield at Bubble Man, but Bubble Man moved out the way.

“Nice try, blue boy, but water is my domain!” Bubble Man said before he returned fire with standard buster shots from his arm cannon.

Rock tried one more Leaf Shield, but while it did block the buster shots, Bubble Man effortlessly evaded again.

“Couldn’t have at least given me something useful.” Rock muttered.

Bubble Man then launched three bubbles, which actually bounced off of the floor. Rock looked up to track them and saw that the ceiling was covered in spike-tipped mines.

“Okay…” Rock trailed off as he swapped to the Mega Buster and popped the bubbles before turning to Bubble Man.

Rock then opened fire on Bubble Man.

The buster shots hit Bubble Man, not doing too much damage, but they really hurt.

“Ow! Cut that out.” Bubble Man said before he fired another bubble directly at Rock.

Rock fired a small charged shot, pushing Bubble Man back. Rock then slid under him while he was recovering and aimed another charged buster shot at the tank on Bubble Man’s back and opened fire. Bubble Man then exploded, his parts flying everywhere, and the acid which was used in his Bubble Lead attack also mixing in with the water, Rock winced as he felt a stinging sensation all around him.

He spotted Bubble Man’s buster and began wadding over. Luz’s voice then came over the comm-link.

“Rock! Are you okay?! We’re reading high levels of corrosive acid around you!” Luz asked.

“I-I’m fine. I can feel it on the armor, but I’ll be out of here in a second. I’ll see if he had weapon data to copy-gkk!” Rock winced in pain as he picked up Bubble Man’s buster and copied his weapon data, once again feeling an odd stinging sensation in his internal systems.

“Rock?! Are you okay?! That’s the second time we’ve received a virus warning when you used your copy chip!” Luz asked.

“I’m fine, I’m moving on to find the other Robot Masters.” Rock said in a serious and dark tone as he proceeded to exit the hydroelectric plant.

“You’re starting to sound like you did when all the power started going to your head. You’ve already endured two fights. Come home.” Dr. Light said sternly.

“This is completely different. We know we’re short on time, and I’m not that damaged. Where’s the nearest important facility?” Rock said this as he poured water out of his buster.

Rock then suddenly was hit in the back by a Quick Boomerang, knocking him to the floor. He was about to get up but was pinned down by a familiar red and yellow Robot Master.

“Hey there. Remember me?” Quick Man said with a smirk.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Quick Man smirked down at the pinned Blue Bomber. Rock swung his buster back, trying to shoot Quick Man.

“You bet I do! You attacked everyone in Light Labs! You broke Luz’s arm!” Rock shouted angrily as he fired at Quick Man, but the speedy Robot Master effortlessly dodged every shot.

“Sure did! And you couldn’t do a thing to stop me!” Quick Man said with a smirk.

Rock continued to fire, but Quick Man continued to dodge each shot.

“And here we are seeing it all play out again. Sequels are rarely as entertaining as the originals. But then again, sometimes they’re superior! Like how my line of Robot Masters makes Dr. Light’s look like junk.” Quick Man said as he stopped behind Rock and delivered an elbow strike to Rock’s head, knocking him down and disorienting him.

Quick Man then picked Rock up by the neck and held his buster arm away from him so Rock couldn’t shoot him.

“I’d love to end this farce here, but I have my orders. I’m not supposed to fight you now. But I’m tired of waiting so that teleportation signal should be here any second now.” Quick Man said.

A teleport beam comes down on top of them, bringing them to the same geothermal power plant that Fire Man used, though far deeper into the center.

“Perfect! That should speed things up. Assuming you can survive fighting Heat Man!” Quick Man said as he tossed Rock to the floor.

“Try not to get melted before I can finish you off, okay? Ciao!” Quick Man said with a mock salute before he sped off.

Rock pushed himself to his feet and started running. The coms came in so fuzzy rock could barely make out every other word.

“-Read me? Come in.----- “ Dr. Light was saying.

“I’m here, Dr. Light. Quick Man…beat me…again. I’m in some really hot place.” Rock replied.

“It’s a geothermal plant that—— loosing this plant would be catastrophic.” Dr. Light was saying, but radio interference was happening, causing the coms to glitch.

“Makes sense why he’d send a Robot Master to attack.” Rock said.

“Wily’s probably reprogrammed the security robots, so be careful.” Luz warned.

Several blue cylinder shaped robots then teleported in and started to fly towards Rock.

Rock kept firing as he ran until he made it to the Robot Master room.

Heat Man, a robot with a yellow lighter-shaped body, was leaning against the wall and fanning himself. 

“Oh, hey, you made it. Listen, before we do this, you gotta tell me something. Does Fire Man ever complain about how hot he is? Because I’m supposed to be a direct upgrade on his design, and you’d think heat resistance would be a part of that. I don’t even wanna move.” Heat Man said.

“Well, then maybe we could skip the fight and you could just surrender?” Rock asked hopefully.

Heat Man chuckled.

“Nah. Nice of you to offer, though.” Heat Man said.

Heat Man was then engulfed in fire and he launched himself like a rocket at Mega Man.

“Yow!” Rock shouted as he jumped over the flaming Robot Master.

Rock returned fire with his Mega Buster, but Heat Man closed the top of his lighter body, causing the bullets to bounce off. The top opened back up and Heat Man fired multiple shots of his Atomic Fire at Rock. Rock jumped out of the way, but was grazed by one of the fiery bullets. Heat man charged at him again, and Rock tried to counter with the Leaf shield, but the leaves caught fire.

“Wait, I just copied a water based weapon! Duh! My processor must be running slow!” Rock muttered to himself as he switched to Bubble Lead.

Rock fired a bubble at Heat Man. He roared in pain and frustration, then turned back at rock. It hadn’t beaten him, but it clearly had an effect. So Rock hit him again. And again. And again. With each strike, Heat Man screamed, and with each scream more of his frustration changed to desperation. Finally, Heat Man laid at Rock's feet, beaten.

Rock walked toward the downed Heat Man and touched him, copying his weapon data, but once again feeling a stinging sensation throughout his internal systems.

“Okay, I see how this goes. You copy my power and move on, Right? Cooled me off, at least. The rest of my brothers are ready for you kid. Crash Man’s in the command center above us. Tell him I said “hi” before he blows you to bits.” Heat Man said.

“I’ll do that.” Rock said as he pointed his Mega Buster at Heat Man’s head.

Heat Man’s eyes widened.

“Wait!- “ He was cut off as Rock fired with a cruel smile.

Meanwhile, back at the lab.

“Yeah, Mega Man…you, you blow up that guy, who was already beaten!” Auto said, his voice filled with uncertainty.

As soon as she got over her shock Luz practically screamed into the mic.

“Rock, you need to come back to the lab right now! Doctor Wily’s—!”

Rock's smile fell as soon as he heard Luz’s voice. Cutting her off, he clenched his fist.

“I already told you… I'M NOT DONE YET!” Rock shouted before he slammed his fist into the side of his helmet as hard as he could.

The hit shattered his helmet’s audio receiver, leaving the lab with no way to talk to him.

“Sis, w-what’s going on? Why is Rock acting like this?!” Vee asked her sister.

“Wily’s built a trojan virus into his Robot Masters’ weapon data. Every time Rock takes a weapon it changes more of his programming. And it’s progressed too far for us to reach him!” Luz said as she slammed her good fist onto a console.

“Curse you, Albert. Look at what you’ve done to my boy.” Dr. Light said as he glared at the screen.

“Th-there has to be something we can do!” Roll said.

Dr. Light gained a determined look and stood up from his seat.

“There is. Auto, I’m going to need you to make some calls. Luz, you, Roll and the others stay here and continue to monitor Rock. I’ve got some coding to do.” Dr. Light said.

Luz nodded as Dr. Light walked off to get to work. Luz sat down in the chair and rubbed her forehead.

“Vee, take a note for me, please.” Luz asked.

Vee picked up a notepad and pencil.

“Remember to work on adding better software protection to all future copy chips, to safeguard against any and all malware programs. So that nothing like this EVER happens again.” Luz said.

Vee nodded and wrote down Luz’s note.

Meanwhile, Rock had made it to the top of the command center and entered Crash Man’s chamber. Crash Man was a reddish orange Robot Master with drills for hands.

“Oh, cool, you’re here. Welcome to the top of the world, Mega Man.” Crash Man said.

“Thanks. Heat Man said “hi.” Rock said with a glare.

“You destroyed him, didn’t you?! BLEW HIM UP LIKE THE OTHERS?! Hey, I can respect that, blowing things up is what I do.” Crash Man said with a burst of rage before calming down and shrugging.

“Heat Man said he was an upgraded version of Fire Man. Which Robot Master designs did Dr. Wily steal to make you?” Rock asked.

Crash Man rushed at Rock in anger.

“You think I’m some knock off, is that it?! I’m all the power of Guts Man and Bomb Man combined, you little punk!” Crash Man shouted as he jabbed at Rock with his drill hands, but the Blue Bomber dodged,

“If you’re advanced, where are your hands?” Rock taunted.

“Where are my- why would I need…” Crash Man trailed off as he looked down at his drills.

“Huh, a pretty astute question, to be honest.” Crash Man mused to himself.

He then screamed in rage, launching a drill at Rock.

Rock dodged and laughed.

“Is that why you’re called “Crash Man?” You just rage and crash around like-” Rock was cut off when the drill suddenly exploded, launching him forward and forcing him to his knees.

“Wait, I didn’t mean…” Rock mumbled.

“CAN’T TAKE IT BACK NOW!!!” Crash Man shouted as he jumped into the air and fired 3 more Crash Bombs at Rock.

Rock barely rolled out of the way in time, turning around and firing about a dozen buster shots at Crash Man.

“Cut it out, you’ll bring this whole place down!” Rock shouted.

Crash man charged through the bullets, only taking damage when one hit his polycarbonate visor.

“And what?! Risk losing my precious hands?! Real funny, Mega Man! Ha! Ha! Ha!” Crash Man shouted as he launched Crash Bombs all around the place, Rock switched to Leaf Shield and summoned a barrier. 

“I sure hope this works.” Rock said nervously.

The entire building exploded. Rock pulled himself from the rubble, thankfully the Leaf Shield had tanked most of the blast so he only got a few minor dents and burns. He then heard the strained chuckling of Crash Man, turning to see the Robot Master badly damaged and pinned under rubble.

“I win…” Crash Man said.

Rock scaled the debris to copy Crash Man’s weapon.

“Meant to blow this up anyway, way to go hero. And the clock’s ticking. I’m what, your fourth?” Crash Man taunted.

Crash Man then took notice of Rock’s color change.

“Hey, is that my power? Not gonna lie, looks good on you, man. Good look to die in.” Crash Man said.

Rock pointed to the other floating platforms.

“Those platforms monitor the city’s weather. They’d make a great place to attack from. Is there a Robot Master there?” Rock asked with a hard gaze.

Crash Man grinned.

“Yeah. Air Man’s out there. I got three more brothers, all waiting to tear you and this city apart after him.” Crash Man answered.

Rock then launched a Crash Bomb, the explosive landing a few inches away from Crash Man’s head. 

“Not a foot away, and you can’t hit me? Can’t even beat me, when I’m barely functioning?! You can’t beat all of us! Dr. Wily will have his revenge on you! This city is doomed!” Crash Man shouted as Rock began walking away, a cold expression on his face as he left a trail of Crash Bombs.

Rock jumped off the platform before setting them all off.

“I stopped another robot master. Had to set off a controlled explosion to minimize damage.” Rock said into his com.

After a minute of no response, he remembered he broke his com.

“Oh, right… kinda regretting that now.” Rock muttered.

Back at the lab everyone was looking on in grim determination. Dr. Light then walked in holding a CD.

“It's done. Bring him home.” Dr. Light said.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Luz typed in the teleport command, only to receive an error message.

“The lab’s location data is blocked. He shouldn’t even be able to do that.” Luz said as she looked at the screen in shock.

“It's the virus. I’ll have to upload the software from here.” Dr. Light said as he walked over to a computer terminal and began typing away at the console.

“I just hope it can be installed before the virus progresses any further.” Luz muttered.

Meanwhile, Rock had made it to Air Man’s chamber.

Air Man was a yellow and blue Robot Master, with a fan built into his torso, and his face was also embedded in his torso, rather than having a defined head.

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if we’d have to make good on our threat and attack the city without you present. I take it my brothers have given you some trouble? After all, look at you. You’re barely holding together. Granted we gave you a time limit. But are you really that desperate to save the humans that you’re sacrificing your own wellbeing?” Air Man said in a posh condescending tone.

Rock glared at Air Man and switched his weapon to Atomic Fire, launching a large fireball at Air Man from his buster. The fan in Air Man’s chest began spinning and produced a powerful tornado, shielding him from the flames.

“What? No banter? No witty come-back? Fine, I’ll simply destroy you then.” Air Man said in a bored tone with his hands behind his back.

Air Man then brought his arm cannon up and fired his Air Shooter weapon at Rock, producing 6 miniature tornados which flew at him.

Rock groaned and winced in pain as the mini tornados hit him, scratching his armor.

Rock then switched to Leaf Shield.

“Let’s see how you like this.” Rock said before he launched the leaves at Air Man, who fired more tornadoes.

The leaves were swept up in the winds.

“It does not matter what weapons you use. It shall never meet its-” one of the Leafs embeds itself in Air Man’s arm, Air Man groaned in pain and tore the leaf out from his arm before glaring at Rock.

Rock smirked, he had found his weakness, but he only had the ammo for one more shot.

Air Man fired another six tornadoes at Rock. He jumped around, but wasn’t faster than the wind. The tornadoes bounce him around, and he ends up on his knees.

Air Man walked toward him and aimed his arm cannon at Rock, preparing to end him. When Air Man was but a few inches away, Rock used his last shot of Leaf Shield and launched it at Air Man at point blank range.

The leaves embedded themselves in Air Man’s body, some of them getting inside the internal mechanisms of his fan, causing his motor to explode.

“No! Impossible! You can’t beat me-” Air Man was cut off when another explosion from his fan happened and he fell backward, smoke rising from his deactivated body.

Rock groaned as he got to his feet. He then walked over to Air Man’s body and copied his weapon data, once again feeling a stinging sensation in his internal systems. He also went about draining energy from Air Man’s power cells, considering that Rock himself was running low on fuel.

“Luz, Dr. Light, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’ve taken down another Robot Master.” Rock said into his communicator.

Rock then heard the voice of Luz, but glitched and garbled by radio static.

“That’s—news, Rock.” Luz said.

“News?! That’s all you have to say?! Why are you so mad?! I’m doing this to keep you safe!” Rock shouted back angrily.

“No— Wily— Data— don’-” Luz’s voice still came in garbled.

“Just direct me to the next Robot Master so this can be over with!” Rock groaned.

Meanwhile, at the lab.

“No, Rock. Dr. Wily has installed a Trojan virus into his Robot Master’s weapon data, which is rewriting your programming! Don’t copy anymore weapons! Hello?! Rock?! Rock!” Luz shouted into the mic but got no reply from Rock.

Luz angrily slammed a fist onto the console.

“Damnit! Fine Wily. Have your way. We’ll still save him.” Luz said with a glare as she pressed the teleport button, sending Rock to the next location.

Rock found himself inside of a factory of some kind. Luz’s voice came in through the communicator.

“—been—contact—agents—Robot Master activity—this industrial plant and adjoining gem mine.” Luz said.

“That’s more like it. I’ll take care of the last few Robot Masters.” Rock said before he ran off.

The industrial plant was pitifully easy to traverse, even compared to Bubble Man’s base.

When Rock entered the Robot Master’s chamber, he was met with a buzzsaw blade embedding itself in the door frame. He looked up to see a red and yellow Robot Master with a buzzsaw blade on his helmet.

“Sorry, were you expecting some kind of formal introduction first? I’m Metal Man. The robot Cut Man should’ve been!” Metal Man said before he threw multiple saw blades at Rock.

Rock dodge but a buzz saw embedded itself in his foot. Rock winced and groaned in pain as he fell to the floor and started trying to pull the saw blade out of his foot.

Metal man threw another blade.

“Come on kid! At least put up some kind of fight.” Metal Man said.

Rick dodged and switched to Crash Bomb and fired one into a giant gear.

The Crash Bomb detonated and sent the massive gear flying at Meta Man, who threw a buzzsaw to cut it in half. Rock took advantage of the Robot Master being distracted to come up behind him and copy his weapon data, once again feeling a stinging sensation as he copied the Metal Blade.

Rock laid down some additional Crash Bombs which detonated, sending him and Metal Man flying in opposite directions, they both recovered and glared at each other.

“I’m not going down that easily!” Metal Man shouted as he threw 3 Metal Blades at Rock.

“Yeah…” Rock trailed off as he switched to the Metal Blade himself and threw a single blade, which cut through the ones Metal Man had thrown like a hot knife through butter. Metal Man’s eyes widened and he let out a scream of fear and agonizing pain as the Metal Blade flew right at his head, splitting his head apart, disabling him instantly. Rock gave a wicked grin as Metal Man’s lifeless body slumped to the floor.

“You are.” Rock finished.

Meanwhile back at the lab, Luz, Amity, Vee, and Camila’s mouths were agape in horror at the utter brutality they had just witnessed. Dr. Light looked furious. He was angry at what Wily had done. But he remained silent. Auto and Roll came in from another room.

“We just finished up the last of your designs, Doc, and the others are on their way. How’s old blue and cyan with a gun for a hand?” Auto asked.

“Things are bad, Auto. We can’t even delay him anymore. His teleport signal is completely offline. I just hope the upload finishes on time.” Dr. Light said as he looked at a progress bar with some text above it reading “Anti Virus Upload.”

Meanwhile, Rock made his way down a mine shaft.

The entire mine was filled with blue crystals of some kind, which he had seen being processed in the industrial facility. And the whole place was crawling with robots.

‘My energy levels are really low. I can’t fight every robot I see if I want to stop Wily.’ Rock thought to himself.

Rock then proceeded to sneak around the entire mine, which was a little difficult as the crystals were actually kinda slippery, but regardless he snuck past every robot and made his way to the Robot Master’s chamber. In the chamber he saw a yellow and blue Robot Master with a white arm cannon. This was Flash Man.

“What the-how’d you get in here?! I didn’t hear a single shot fired!” Flash Man demanded.

“Sorry to disappoint.” Rock said as he leveled his buster at the Robot Master.

Flash man seemed to disappear, though his movement wasn’t quite the same as Quick Man. It was more like motion blur.

“No way, he’s faster than Quick Man!” Rock exclaimed.

“Speed has nothing to do with it! That’s just how you lesser robots perceive my Time Stopper!” Flash Man said as he appeared a few inches in front of Rock and delivered a back hand which sent him flying backward.

He pointed his arm cannon at Rock.

“My troops worked really hard to set up those defenses. I was proud of them. You couldn’t have the decency to at least face them?!” Flash Man demanded angrily.

Flash Man opened fire with his arm cannon and Rock’s helmet had been knocked off by the blast. Flash Man froze in place as he looked at Rock’s hair.

‘So…Much…Hair…Why didn’t Wily give me any-’ Flash Man was cut off from his envious thoughts when he was suddenly stabbed in the back by a Quick Boomerang.

Flash Man’s lifeless body fell to the floor, standing above him was Quick Man who was holding Rock’s helmet and an E-Tank.

“Pathetic. You could barely handle six of the others on your own. But I will have my duel with you.” Quick Man said.

Rock reached over and copied Flash Man’s weapon as Quick Man forced the E-tank into the robot's mouth. Quick Man then tossed Rock his helmet and Rock caught it, looking down at Flash Man’s body in shock.

“Y-You destroyed your own brother…just to fight me?! Why?!” Rock demanded.

Quick Man shrugged.

“Dr. Wily never said I couldn’t. Doesn’t matter. I’ll take out Dr. Light, your cute little sister, that intern and her family, this whole city, if it means you’ll finally man up and face me.” Quick Man said with a grin.

Rock put on his helmet.

“You’re the one who keeps running away. If you wanna fight…THEN WE’LL FIGHT!!!” Rock shouted as he fired shots from his buster at Quick Man, but the red and yellow Robot Master dodged.

“That’s more like it! But first, I helped you get this far. I’m not gonna waste my time further if you’re not quick enough to catch me. Don’t Keep Me waiting, kid!” Quick Man shouted before he ran and jumped down a mine shaft.

“You’ll wish you’d never been built!” Rock shouted angrily down the mine shaft

Rock jumped down the mine shaft Quick Man had gone down. Quick Man was waiting for him at the bottom with a smirk.

“That’s it, catch me if you can! Because there’s a penalty for being slow.” Quick Man said before he sped off.

“Let’s see how you like this speed, you lesser Robot Master.” Rock said as he switched to Time Stopper. 

He then proceeded to run right after Quick Man, dodging lasers which shot out of the walls at alarming speeds. Their race ended when they both dropped down into Quick Man’s chamber.

“Not bad! If you’d shown that kind of initiative before, your family wouldn’t have gotten such a beating!” Quick Man said as he clapped his hands.

“Take it from Me quick man, you shouldn’t be over confident with all your power. It can…It can ruin you…” Rock trailed off as he looked off to the side.

Meanwhile at the lab, the progress bar on the anti virus download had reached 70%

“Anyway, you’re going down! And so is Dr. Wily!” Rock said as he leveled his buster at Quick Man.

Quick Man threw a Quick Boomerang at Rock.

“Ha! Not likely! I’ve been waiting a long time for-” Quick Man cut himself off when saw that Rock had moved, without moving. Or at least that’s how it looked to Quick Man.

“What the-How did you dodge those?! I didn’t even see you move!” Quick Man shouted.

“Then pay attention.” Rock said with a smirk.

“You pay attention, you little-” Quick Man ran up behind Rock to punch him from behind, but Rock vanished again.

Quick Man looked around and saw Rock standing a few feet away from him.

“Little what? Come on, Quick Man. I thought you were fast.” Rock taunted.

“What’s going on?! You couldn’t move that fast before!” Quick Man shouted in rage and confusion.

“Fine! Let’s see you hit me!” Quick Man said as he ran around Rock in a circle.

He ran in circles, occasionally stopping and making a taunting gesture. He ran up and punched Rock’s helmet.

“C’mon, take your shot! Not that it’ll come close! Fire, air, bubbles, solar bullets, doesn’t matter! Nothing you have can move as fast as me!” Quick Man said cockily.

“Then I’ll stop you from moving at all!” Rock shouted.

Rock activated Time Stopper and Quick Man froze in place.

Rock grinned.

“Game over, Quick Man. You can’t hurt or threaten my family again. You can’t threaten the city again. And you’ll never beat me again!” Rock said,

Rock switched to his Mega Buster and built up a charged shot as quickly as possible, and shot Quick Man dead center in the chest, blowing a hole through him while he was still frozen. Rock smirked as he walked towards the remains of Quick Man.

“And now your power is-AGGHHH!!!” Rock screamed in pain as after he copied the weapon data, electricity started to arc around his body and in his internal systems. Rewriting him entirely.

A teleporter signal then came in and Rock was teleported away.

Several miles away, Dr. Wily, sitting comfortably in his completed fortress, chuckled as the sound of Rock teleporting in behind him was heard.

“And there he is. The troublesome little helper ‘bot. I’m so happy to see you.” Dr. Wily said as he turned around to look at Rock who stood at attention, his eyes red and an emotionless expression on his face.

“I would have been content to conquer the world with my new superior line of robot masters. But I knew you’d try to get in my way. I noted your loss of control when you fought Thomas’s Robot Masters, so I applied that to the same ploy I used with Time Man and Oil Man. With each bit of weapons data you downloaded, you also received a piece of my sophisticated malware program. By beating all 8 of my Robot Masters, you altered your coding to serve me. And now instead of 8 robots, I have one all powerful destroyer! How do you like me now, Thomas?!” Wily cackled.

Back at the Labs, Dr. Light comforted a crying Roll as the screen they were using to watch Rock was filled with static and displayed only one message. “Signal Lost.”

“Hush now. It’ll all be alright in the end…” Dr. Light said soothingly as he ran his hand through Roll’s hair and held her close.

Luz clenched her good fist in anger as she glared at the screen.

“Wily is gonna pay for this, I swear.” Luz muttered angrily.

Auto then came rushing in. Auto: Doc! They’re here!

Everyone turned to see who Auto was referring to. There, standing in the doorway, were the first 8 Robot Masters.

“We are at your command, Dr. Light.” Elec Man said with determination.

“Mega Man saved us, it’s time we return the favor!” Guts Man said, punching his fist into his open palm.

A grin creeped its way onto Luz’s face and she chuckled.

“The tables have turned, Dr. Wily.” Luz said.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

At Dr. Wily’s castle, the mad scientist was humming to himself as he was just now finishing with polishing Rock’s armor after giving him a tune up and fixing all the battle damage from fighting his glorious 8 Robot Masters, he had also wrapped a purple scarf around Rock’s neck.

“There, all done. I want you looking your best when you conquer the world for me.” Wily said with a smile as he observed his handiwork.

Then an alarm went off, drawing Dr. Wily’s attention.

“Why is my proximity alarm going off? No one is supposed to know where I am…” Wily trailed off as he walked to a security monitor.

“Maybe the calibration is off. Maybe it was a bird, or a squirrel, or…or…” Wily trailed off as his eyes widened at what he saw on screen.

“Sweet merciful skulls! It’s an invasion!” WIly exclaimed in shock.

Outside, all of the original Robot Masters, including Time Man and Oil Man, were teleporting in and rushing towards the castle, their weapon abilities at the ready.

“Strike hard, strike fast! For Mega Man!” Elec Man ordered.

“For Mega Man!” Every Robot Master shouted as they charged forward.

Luz’s voice came over their com-links.

“Good luck, boys.” Luz said before the audio cut out due to the scrambling field.

Guts Man made it to the castle doors.

“Knock Knock! Is the doc In!” Guts Man said before he punched down the door.

Sniper Joes in watch towers fired at the Robot Masters but they were easily taken care of. More Sniper Joes then came in and Elec Man and Time Man took cover behind some oil drums.

“Blast! We can’t go any further pinned down like this!” Elec Man said.

Time Man then came up with a plan.

“I’ll handle their fire, you get everyone else into position!” Time Man said.

Elec Man nodded.

“Guts Man, Cut Man, cover him! Everyone else, on the line!” Elec Man said as he and Time Man jumped out from behind, with Time Man drawing the fire of the Sniper Joes.

Fighting through the hail of bullets, Time Man activated his power.

“Time Slow is up! Hit them!” Time Man shouted to his brothers.

“Alright, Robot Masters! Light ‘em up!” Elec Man shouted as he and the other Robot Masters started using their abilities to destroy the Sniper Joes.

Cut Man ran behind Guts Man and he struggled with a set of secondary doors.

“I’ve got you covered, big man. Let’s see Wily’s robots try to cut out this middle.” Cut Man said.

“Your… puns… are… Awful!” Guts Man, in a burst of rage, forced the door open completely.

“But the anger gave me the boost I needed, so thanks.” Guts Man said as he wiped his hands.

“S-sure, don’t mention it.” Cut Man said nervously.

“Chat later, let’s move!” Elec Man said as he ran past Cut Man and Guts Man, followed by the other Robot Masters.

They encountered more robot resistance but they were taken care of easily.

“And Dr. Light was worried! We’re tearing through Wily’s defenses!” Elec Man said with a grin as Fire Man ran alongside him.

“But there are 8 of us this time. Remember, Dr. Wily’s had much more time to plan for an assault. There’s no tell what surprises he might-” Fire Man was cut off when, suddenly, a massive green and blue mechanical dragon broke out from the ground and flew in front of them.

“See? This is the kind of thing I was talking about.” Fire Man said, gesturing to the Mecha Dragon.

“My apologies.” Elec Man said nervously.

The Mecha Dragon then spit fire at the Robot Masters, prompting them all to duck for cover.

Ice Man and Oil Man were both hiding behind Guts Man, while also arguing over who got to hide there.

“I was hiding here first!” Ice Man said.

“I’m full of oil, man! It ain’t like you’re gonna melt!” Oil Man retorted.

“I’m sensitive to extreme heat!” Ice Man said.

“Ain’t Fire Man weak to your power?!” Oil Man countered.

Wily laughed at the Robot Masters as he watched the action unfold on the security monitor.

“Foolish, Thomas. Very foolish. What my Mecha Dragon doesn’t destroy, I’ll rebuild for myself! Or use as parts for my own robots, either will suit my needs! But just to be on the safe side, go, Mega Man! Help the Mecha Dragon destroy your brothers!” Dr. Wily said as he turned to Rock.

“Yes, sir.” Mega Man said before he teleported into the battlefield.

“Uh oh! Heads up guys, Rock’s here!” Cut Man said as he spotted Rock teleporting in.

Rock grinned evilly and shifted to Metal Mlade and threw two saw blades at Cut Man, then switched to Atomic Fire and shot at Fire Man.

“Quickly! Subdue him and upload the last of the anti virus! Yow!” Fire Man exclaimed as he dodged the blast of Atomic Fire.

“Yeah, let’s subdue the guy that tore through us back when he was still nice!” Cut Man snapped back as he did a move similar to Neo from The Matrix to dodge the Metal Blades, which whizzed past him and embedded themselves in the wall.

Elec man: We can’t fight both of them at once. Time Man, try and slow one of them down.

“Got it.” Time Man said as he turned to face Rock, but Rock switched to Time Stopper.

Everything around them stopped as time came to a halt as Rock lined up his buster with Time Man’s head. But then, a Thunder Beam struck him from behind. Rock turned around to glare in shock at Elec Man, who was still moving, with electricity arcing around his body.

As time moved forward Elec Man thought back to right before they left.

Flashback…

Elec Man was making sure he was fully topped out on ammo when Luz’s girlfriend, Amity, walked up.

“Miss Amity. Is something wrong?” Elec Man asked.

Amity shook her head.

“No, but Luz wanted me to give you something.” Amity said as she handed Elec Man a small blue crystal.

“Luz said it’s a prototype power cell. If you crush it in your hands, it should give your Thunder Beam a massive boost.” Amity explained.

Flashback End…

“Look out!” Fire Man shouted to Elec Man, but it was too late as a beam of fire hit Elec Man from behind.

Elec Man collapsed to the floor and Rock walked up to him, switching back to his Mega Buster and aiming it at Elec Man’s face.

“Rock… don’t… we came to save you…” Elec Man groaned out in pain.

Rock’s buster arm started to twitch.

“I…must…” Rock said, his voice strained.

Then, Guts Man came rushing in and tackled Rock to the ground, pinning him down. Guts Man: I got him! Hurry up with that installer before he changes weapons!

Oil man slammed the installer onto Rocks head. It light up as it installed the last bit of the anti virus.

Rocks eyes changed back to blue. Guts Man: Did it work? Rock stood up and he removed his scarf and tossed it away, pointing his buster at the Mecha Dragon. Rock: That dragon damaged Elec Man! Let’s take it down!

Oil Man: Woo! Yeah! He’s back! Wily watches in anger. Wily: What! How! Why! NO!!

He watched in anger as the Mecha Dragon was destroyed. Wily was seething in anger.

Wily: Grrr. No matter. This place is a fortress.

And I still have one trick up my sleeve.

Meanwhile back with Rock and the Robot Masters.

Rock: Can someone tell what’s going on? Where are we?

Time man: We’re in Dr. Wily’s Castle. Luz and Dr. light deduced his plans to corrupt your programming. But he couldn’t upload the tracking program and the antivirus in time. So he asked us to come rescue you.

Rock: Wait, really?! Ugh, and I was just next to Wily! This could’ve been over already!

Cut Man: don’t sweat it. Here this has a lot of support item data. Dr. Light said you’d find it useful.

Cut Man passed the installer to Rock and Rock downloaded the data for the support items, there being a total of three.

Rock: yeah… they should help us navigate the castle and get back to Wily in no time

“I’ll make us some Item 2 riders. We’ll have to double down, I only have so much ammo for these.” Rock said as he summoned some Item 2 rocket platforms and he and the Robot Masters rode them off into th castle.

“Any chance that dragon was Wily’s only line of defense?” Bomb Man asked.

“Actually…” Rock trailed off.

Suddenly a massive version of Guts Man, but with the lower body of a tank, showed up.

“No. I don’t think Wily will ever stop making bad things.” Rock said nervously.

Guts Man’s left eye twitched.

“He ripped off my design again?! TO MAKE THAT?! LET ME AT ‘IM!!!” Guts Man roared in anger as her rocketed forward, dragging Time Man and Oil Man with him as they hung onto his arms to not be sent flying backward. Guts Man then jumped upward and punched the Guts Tank square in the jaw.

“I guess they’ve got it handled.” Rock said as he watched Guts Man wailing on the Guts Tank.

“They’ll be fine. Let’s keep moving!” Bomb Man said

They landed and walked through a door. Said door then slammed behind them.

“Uh-oh. Still glad you came?” Rock asked his brother.

“No regrets Mega— Yow! We’ve got turrets!” Bomb Man exclaimed as he dodged a laser bolt.

“And it looks like this place is a maze. There’s no way to navigate it safely.” Rock said as he observed the surrounding room and dodged a turret blast.

Bomb Man grinned and held a Hyper Bomb in his hand.

“Then we won’t be safe about it. You picked up some kind of explodey weapon, right?” Bomb Man asked.

Rock, catching on to what Bomb Man was saying, switched to Crash Bomb.

“Yeah.” Rock said with a grin of his own.

“Then let’s rock.” Bomb Man replied.

The two of them then started throwing Hyper Bombs and Crash Bombs, decimating everything in the room and destroying all of the turrets, and also destroying the maze entirely. Rock and Bomb Man were panting from all the action. 

“After all of that, I think I’m out of ammo.” Rock said, winded.

“Ditto, but at least you’ve got other weapons to fall back on. You go on ahead, I’ll try to direct the others to you.” Bomb Man replied.

Rock runs into the last room and called Wily out. 

“It’s over Wily! You don’t have me to hide behind anymore! You don’t have any more robots you can needlessly sacrifice! Give yourself up!” Rock shouted, demanding the mad genius show himself.

Then, a brand new Wily Machine fired at Rock.

“It’s far from over, Mega Brat!” Wily’s voice said from a speaker on the machine.

Rock dodged the first blast.

“You and your Earthly weaponry cannot stop Me! I will conquer this primitive world with power from beyond the stars!” Wily shouted as the Wily Machine fired more blasts at Rock

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Rock shouted with a confused look of his face as he returned fire with his Mega Buster, but then switched to Metal Blade.

“But hey, since you were so kind to give me all these weapons, it’s only polite that I give them back.” Rock said before he threw four metal blades at the wily machine.

“No!” Wily shouted as the Metal Blades destroyed the magenta shielding to the cockpit.

Rock had a look of surprise on his face at the effectiveness of the Metal Blade.

“Huh, I was gonna try everything, but, never mind!” Rockmused to himself before he threw more blades at the Wily Machine, completely destroying it.

Rock looked down at his hand in amazement.

“Wow! I wish I’d copied Metal Man’s power first! Would’ve made everything a lot easier.” Rock mused to himself.

Rock walked over to the remains of the machine pulled the intact wily capsule open.

“It’s like I said, It’s over Wily.” Rock said as he glared at Wily.

“And I told you, feeble earth robot…” Wily’s voice started to get more high pitched and watery as he began mutating.

“You can’t beat me! I will conquer this world with power from beyond the stars!” Wily shouted as he turned into a green alien which floated.

Rock’s eyes widened in fear.

“Y-you’re a space alien?!” Rock exclaimed in shock.

“The feeble earth creature, Thomas Light, never knew! But that is of little consequence. Flee now and warn the earth of my coming. Warn it of its doom!” The Wily Alien shouted.

Wily fired a laser from his hand at Rock and Rock avoided the shot.

“An alien invasion! I can’t believe it! Should I fight it?! Can I fight it?! Maybe I should-“ Rock cut off his thoughts when he noticed something.

His hand had gone through the galaxy filter, showing that it was just a hologram.

“Another hologram decoy? Really?” Rock muttered in annoyance.

Rock aimed upward and fired his Mega Buster, destroying the hologram projector.

“Noooo!” The Wily Alien shouted.

The hologram started to flicker and Rock could see the real, human, Dr. Wily sitting at a control console looking nervous.

“Pay no attention to that, to that man, behind…er. Behind the hologram.” Wily said with a nervous chuckle.

Rock gave a deadpan look as he walked towards Wily and pulled him away from the console by the collar of his lab coat.

“Evil invaders from space?! How ridiculous can you get?!” Rock demanded.

“You still fell for it, I saw it, you were scared!” Wily retorted.

Wily the  kicked a button which opened a trap door. He then slipped out his lab coat to drop in.

“You should’ve stayed on my side, fool! At least you would’ve gotten out of here alive!” Wily cackled as he fell down the hole.

The trap door closed and an alarm started to blare throughout the entire castle as the self destruct activated.

Rock ran out.

“I’ve got to get everybody out of here. For your sake Wily, I hope you can escape too.” Rock muttered to himself as he ran.

Rock then ran throughout the castle, gathering up the rest of the Robot Masters, with all of them getting on a single Item 2 rider and flying away from the castle in time before it exploded.

Eventually they made their way back to Light Labs.

Later, everyone was busy at work, with Dr. Light and Roll giving tune ups to the Robot Masters and Rock. Guts Man was entertaining some of the other Robot Masters with his karaoke. After that, Luz was using her good hand with a pencil in it, with a set of blueprints in front of her. Dr. Light and her mother were standing next to her, advising her about certain things. Rock walked over.

“Hey, Luz, what are you doing?” Rock asked.

“Well, I’ve been inspired.” Luz said as she continued drawing plans.

Rock looked down at the blueprints Luz was making. It showed the plans for an obviously humanoid robot, Rock’s eyes widened when he read the specifications of the robot.

“You’re building a medical Robot Master?! That’s so cool!” Rock said with childish wonder.

Luz smiled at Rock’s enthusiasm.

“Yep. In fact, I hope to present her at the A.R.T.S festival this year.” Luz said with pride.

“The Advanced Robotics Trade Show?” Amity asked as she walked over and stood next to Luz.

“Yes. I’ll even be part of the debates.” Luz replied with a nod.

“So, what’s her name gonna be?” Rock asked

“Medi Woman.” Luz relied.

Dr. Light came over and briefly inspected Luz’s blueprints.

“I am more than happy to finance the creation of such a Robot Master. Medi Woman will certainly be very helpful, I can tell. Oh, Rock, I have a surprise for you.” Dr. Light said.

“A surprise?” Rock inquired.

“I’ve just completed one of the new support unit designs. Rush, come here, boy!” Dr. Light called out and whistled.

A bark then rang throughout the lab and a red and white robot dog ran into the lab and playfully tackled Rock to the floor and started licking his face.

“You built me a dog?!” Rock exclaimed cheerfully as he started giggling from the tickling sensation of Rush licking him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily was flying inside of the Wily Capsule.

“Stupid, blasted, Mega Man.” Wily muttered angrily.

Wily looked at his control console, his current destination. The Amazon jungle. The Lanfront Ruins.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Luz attached one last piece to her robot, she had been working on Medi Woman for the last month and a half. Medi Woman was the same size as Ice Man, and she had fair Caucasian artificial skin. Her armor was mostly white and pink, she had a nurse hat with a pink cross on it, a skirt, and rose pink hair tied into two pigtails.

“And…done!” Luz said as she put the hat on Medi Woman’s head. Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll came walking into the lab and saw the completed Medi Woman.

https://www.deviantart.com/inkmaster42/art/Medi-Woman-1144569102

“Aww! She’s so adorable!” Roll cooed at the sight of the inactive Medi Woman.

“Yep.” Luz said with a chuckle.

Dr. Light smiled and put a hand on Luz’s shoulder.

“Excellent work, Luz.” Dr. Light said proudly.

Luz smiled at the praise from her idol.

“Thank you, Dr. Light. But now is the moment of truth.” Luz said as she knelt down and opened a panel on Medi Woman’s chest and flipped a switch and pressed a sequence of buttons before closing the panel.

The Robot Master opened her amber colored eyes.

“Hello, Luz.” Medi Woman greeted her creator. Her voice was rather cheerful and bubbly. Which just added to her adorableness.

Luz smiled.

“Hello, Medi Woman, welcome to the world. How are you feeling? Your Self-Diagnostics should’ve kicked in first thing upon activation.” Luz asked as she examined the Robot Master from several angles.

Medi Woman smiled at her creator’s concern.

“All systems report nominal and A-Okay!” Medi Woman said.

Medi Woman then looked over to Dr. Light and his children.

“Greetings, Dr. Light. Hello, Rock. Hello, Roll.” Medi Woman greeted.

Her eyes then turned an incandescent blue as she looked at Luz.

“Luz, it appears you have had damage to your shoulder in the last half a year. Is there any lingering pain?” Medi Woman asked her creator.

“Yeah, on occasion.” Luz answered.

Luz then turned to the others who had looks of intrigue.

“I designed Medi Woman with an MRI based X-ray vision.” Luz explained.

“That’s really cool! If I copied her data, would I be able to see injuries?” Rock asked.

Luz nodded.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t get the medical knowledge to diagnose them.” Luz explained.

“I am programmed with a vast library of knowledge regarding injuries, diseases, cures, remedies, treatments, and therapies of all kinds be they for human or animal.” Medi Woman chimed in.

“That’s still really cool! So is she coming with us to the A.R.T.S. festival?” Rock asked.

“Actually, I’ll have my own stand separate from the Light Labs one. But we’ll be able to see you there.” Luz explained.

“Okay!” Rock replied with a smile.

“My mami will also be at the festival with a booth of her own.” Luz added.

“Ah yes, presenting her next generation prosthetics if I’m not mistaken. Remarkable project.” Dr. Light said with a smile as he stroked his beard.

Later, they arrived at the building where one of the greatest events in the world would take place. Upon walking in, Luz, Dr, Light, Rock, Roll, Medi Woman, and Elec Man who had come along as well, were greeted by the sight of hundreds of booths, and lots of people and robots all around the place.

“Welcome, children. To the Advanced Robotics Trade Show!” Dr. Light said with pride.

Rock and Roll looked around in wonder, and Rush, Rock’s new robot dog, barked happily, his tail wagging.

“Oh my gosh, look at all the different robots!” Roll said with stars in her optics.

“This. Is. The. Coolest. Place. Ever!” Rock said with glee.

“Here, the greatest minds in advanced robotics gather to-” Dr. Light began, but Elec Man cut him off.

“I hate to burst your bubble, doctor, but they’re already gone.” Elec Man said as he pointed out Rock, Roll, and Rush running off into the crowd.

“Ah. Well, I did program them as children, after all. Why don’t you find our booth, and we’ll join you shortly?” Dr. Light suggested.

“Of course sir. When you find them, maybe remind Rock he’s supposed to be on display with Rush. That whole ‘Advanced Support Robotics’ thing.” Elec Man replied.

Dr. Light chuckled.

“Yes, yes. After the lecture…and after I find some old friends!” Dr. Light said.

“Well me and Medi Woman are gonna follow Rock and Roll, make sure they don’t get into any trouble, then we’re gonna find our booth and set up.” Luz said before she walked after the two robotic siblings with Medi Woman following suit.

Luz and Medi Woman watched Rock and Roll look at various booths, checking out their wares and talking about them. Roll however didn’t look where she was going and bumped into and accidentally tripped a blond haired girl.

“Oops! I’m so sorry!” Roll apologized.

A humanoid robot clearly based on an Egyptian Pharaoh then came over and helped the girl to her feet, glaring at Roll.

“Watch where you’re going, little robot, or else.” Pharaoh Man said threateningly.

“I’m really really sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Roll apologetically said with a hint of fear.

“Hey! Back off from my sister!” Rock shouted at the robot and Rush growled as well, coming to his sister’s aid.

The blond girl then tried to diffuse the situation.

“I’m fine. Really, she just… poppa!” The girl spoke in a Russian accent as a man in a lab coat with light brown hair, a beard, and glasses walked over and put his hand on the shoulder of the Pharaoh based robot.

“Take it easy, Pharaoh Man. It was an accident.” The man said in a Russian accent.

The now identified Pharaoh Man stood down.

“Besides, I know these robots. They’re some of the finest ever built, and their creator would never intend for them to cause any harm.” The man said, gesturing to Rock and Roll who gained looks of surprise.

“You know us?” Rock asked.

The man nodded.

“Indeed. I am-”

“Dr. Cossack?” Dr. Light asked as he suddenly came over and hugged Dr. Cossack.

“Mikhail! It is you! I haven’t seen you in ages! How are you, you old dog?” Dr. Light said joyfully.

Dr. Light ended the hug and Dr. Cossack adjusted his glasses.

“Ahem! You haven’t changed a bit, Thomas. I am fine. You remember my daughter, yes? Kalinka, this is Dr. Light!” Dr. Cossack said as he readjusted his lab coat.

The blond girl, now identified as Kalinka, walked over to Dr. Light and shook his hand.

“Pleased to meet you.” Kalinka said with a smile.

“This is Kalinka?! My, how you’ve grown!” Dr. Light said with a grandfatherly smile.

“I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been able to see the guest list. Is anyone else from the old group here?” Light asked Dr. Cossack.

“As a matter of fact…” Dr. Cossack trailed off as a woman with graying purple hair in a lab coat walked over.

“Dr. Lalinde has been looking for you since the doors opened.” Cossack finished.

“Oh, stop it, Mikhail. I have not.” Dr. Lalinde said modestly.

Dr. Lalinde walked over and shook hands with Dr. Light.

“Hello, Tom. You look good.” Lalinde greeted.

A dusting of blush appeared on Light’s face as he shook her hand.

“H-hello, Noele. I, heh, thank you! You’re as stunning as ever.” Light stuttered.

“Charmer…” Lalinde replied.

Luz’s shipping senses were going off instantly as she watched the two doctors interact with each other.

“So…do all doctors of robotics know each other?” Rock asked Kalinka.

“Nope! That’s what this show is for. But poppa says he studied with these two when they were younger.” Kalinka replied with a smile.

Rock turned to look at Dr. Cossack.

“Really?! You knew Dr. Light before he was a doctor?” Rock asked in surprise.

“Yes. We met when I first came to this country to do my thesis work.” Dr. Cossack said with a nod.

“What was he like back then?” Rock asked curiously.

“Oh, very much like he is now. A little less beard…a little less belly.” Dr. Cossack answered.

“Oh, come on, he looks fine!” Dr. Lalinde said with a giggle.

Dr. Light chuckled.

“Now, now, he’s right. Roll keeps nagging me to exercise.” Dr. Light said.

Luz and Medi Woman walked over.

“I would suggest listening to Roll, Dr. Light. Exercise can help improve your life expectancy, along with helping to improve other facets of your life such as mental health.” Medi Woman suggested.

“And who are these two?” Dr. Lalinde asked as she glanced at Luz and Medi Woman.

“Ah, yes. Noele, Mikhail, meet Luz Noceda, my latest intern, and her creation, Medi Woman.” Dr. Light introduced the two with a smile.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” Luz said as she shook the hands of Dr. Lalinde and Dr. Cossack.

“Greetings.” Medi Woman said with a curtsy.

“Speaking of robot girls, did you finish yours? It’s been a while since we last talked.” Dr. Light asked Dr. Lalinde.

Dr. Lalinde looked off to the side, Luz could see a slightly pained expression on her face. One of regret. 

“Oh…of course…” Dr. Lalinde trailed off.

Dr. Lalinde pulled over a girl who appeared to be only slightly younger than Luz herself, dressed in green clothes, with long brown hair.

“Quake Woman, I’d like you to meet Drs. Light and Cossack and their creations. Along with Dr. Light’s intern and her creation, Medi Woman.” Dr. Lalinde said to the female robot.

Quake Woman had an emotionless expression on her face as she waved at everyone.

“Hello.” She said in a monotone voice.

Rock came over with Roll and Rush and shook Quake Woman’s hand.

“Hi! I’m Rock! But I also go by Mega Man. And this is the new dog that Dr. Light built for me…Rush!” Rock said with child-like glee as Rush just barked.

“What do you do?” Rock asked Quake Woman.

“Geological surveying.” She said plainly.

Luz was a little put off by Quake Woman’s emotionless expression and tone.

Dr. Light was in the same boat as her.

“She’s…not as I expected. I thought the project name was “Tempo,” and that she was to be more…personable?” Dr. Light asked Dr. Lalinde.

“She…required some alterations, that’s all.” Dr. Lalinde replied, looking off to the side uncomfortably.

Luz observed Tempo, it was as if she had no personality whatsoever.

“Anyway, come on! We don’t have much time before the debate, and there’s still a lot of people you need to catch up with!” Dr. Lalinde said, quickly changing the subject.

“True, although I don’t know who I’m debating ag-Pedro! It’s been what? Three years since that business in the Amazon? Nobody’s been back there since you left, right?” Dr. Light said as he spotted a man in a yellow shirt with black hair and a beard.

Meanwhile, in the Amazon Jungle…

An orange jeep was driving down an unstable dirt road, its engine sparking with electricity before dying completely. Dr. Wily, now dressed in a cream colored button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and khakis shorts and hiking boots, along with a pith helmet on his head, stepped out of the driver side of the car and slammed his fist on the engine.

“Hmph. I thought it’d make it a little farther. But it shows that the mysterious EMP field is still active after so many years.” Dr. Wily grumbled.

“Between the local superstitions and the U.N. Sanction of this place, I should have the area all to myself!” Dr. Wily chuckled as he retrieved his backpack from the back seat of the jeep.

And so, Dr. Wily set off into the jungle, brandishing a machete as he sliced at vines that were in his way. He had been walking for a few hours at this point, and given his age, was a little out of breath.

“Keep at it, Albert…It’ll be worth it…Not only, will you get to show up Thomas…But you’ll be able to…show up the entire world by…solving the…mystery…of the…Lanfront…Ruins. Stupid EMP field…can’t use robots….Gonna have a heart attack.” Dr. Wily panted as he finally arrived at his destination.

Dr. Wily was now in the Lanfront Ruins. Climbing down to the ancient streets, he walked to the entrance of the main temple, wiping the sweat off his brow.

“Whew! At least it’s less humid in here…” Wily said in relief.

Dr. Wily then began feeling the walls, examining every detail.

“What could be causing the electromagnetic field? The Lanfront people had some advanced architectural and stonework skills, but nothing that could…” Dr. Wily trailed off as he touched a portion of the wall which was a button.

The floor beneath him then turned into a slide and he yelled as he slid down and fell down a hole, tumbling into a cave system beneath the temple. Dr. Wily hit the ground with a thud. Wily groaned as he picked himself up.

“Of all the…Wh-what…is that?” Dr. Wily trailed off as he spotted something unusual in front of him.

It looked like a giant black metal sphere with a red eye detailed on it. With cables on it suspending it from the ceiling, and others plugging into a base on the floor.

Dr. Wily began looking at the strange object from several angles.

“Remarkable! I’ve never seen anything like this! But what is such a bizarre device doing in the belly of these ancient ruins?” Dr. Wily mused to himself.

Dr. Wily then went to retrieve his laptop from his backpack, thankfully it did not seem to be damaged from all his tumbling.

“Perhaps I can find a way to analyze it…Hopefully without the strange electromagnetic field frying my equipment!” Dr. Wily muttered.

Wily then heard a noise and looked around to see some of the cables connecting the machine to the base unplugged themselves and moved like snakes towards him.

“Ahhh! Spare me!” Wily pleaded as he held up his laptop to shield himself.

The cables then grabbed his laptop.

“Gah! Be careful with that! It has all my personal files and blueprints on there!” Wily shouted as he attempted to take back his laptop.

The cables then opened the laptop and plunged their tips into the screen, but not damaging it, instead they went through the screen as if it were liquid. The sphere then started to light up with a blinding blue energy. It was so bright that Dr. Wily had to look away. The bottom of the sphere opened and from it, dropped down a familiar red and yellow Robot Master with a boomerang on his helmet who landed on his feet.

Dr. Wily’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Quick Man?! You’ve been restored?!” Wily exclaimed in shock as he rushed over to examine the seemingly reborn Robot Master.

Quick Man groaned and rubbed his head.

“Doc…Doctor Wily…? The last thing I remember was fighting Mega Man, and…Did I go offline?” Quick Man asked as he gathered his bearings.

“More than that, you were defeated! But that was part of my plan, so it’s forgivable.” Wily said as he examined Quick Man, who was in perfect condition, as if he has just come off the assembly line.

“He…beat me? Then how am I here? Where is “here”…?” Quick Man said as he looked down at his hands in disbelief before looking around the room.

“Your last memory back-up was beamed to me the instant your primary functions went offline. “Here” is the heart of the forbidden Lanfront ruins. As for “how”…” Dr. Wily trailed off as he looked at the sphere with an evil grin. 

Meanwhile, back at the A.R.T.S…

Luz and Medi Woman were setting up their own booth and had just now finished.

Luz then spotted a familiar group of people and called out to them.

“Guys, over here!”

Luz’s friends, Willow, Gus, Hunter, along with her girlfriend, Amity, all rushed over to her booth.

“Luz! You would not believe how long it took to find your booth. This place is bigger than the convention center back home.” Gus said.

“Not to mention with all the robots and people, it can be easy to be misdirected.” Willow added.

Luz chuckled.

“Don’t I know it. I remember my first A.R.T.S festival. My mom and I actually got separated in the crowd and it took hours to find each other.” Luz said fondly.

Hunter then spotted Medi Woman.

“Uh, who is that?” Hunter asked, pointing at Medi Woman.

The small Robot Master gave a curtsy.

“Greetings, I am NMN: 001, but you may call me, Medi Woman.” Medi Woman greeted.

“Guys, allow me to introduce Medi Woman. My very first Robot Master.” Luz said with a smile.

The Hexsquad’s eyes widened as they looked at the culmination of Luz’s hard work.

“You…built a Robot Master?!” Gus exclaimed in shock.

Luz nodded.

“Yup. Medi Woman here is designed to be the ideal nurse, programmed with a vast library of medical knowledge and equipped with an MRI X-ray vision mode which allows her to check for any kind of injury.” Luz replied.

“That’s pretty useful. But how did you make her?” Willow asked as she shook herself from her stupor.

“Dr. Light fully funded her creation. But I went about building her completely by myself. But during the design process I did ask to borrow the blueprints for Ice Man to use as a base. Actually, come to think of it, I might need to borrow those again later for another Robot Master I have in mind.” Luz said as she rubbed her chin and jotted down a note.

“Wait, you plan on making more?” Hunter asked.

Luz gave him a playful smirk.

“Yeah. You really think I’m gonna stop at just one? There’s lots of stuff in the world that needs to be done. I just need to wait for the next big thing to trigger my creativity, and I’ll make a new Robot Master.” Luz said as she crossed her arms.

“Isn’t the debate coming up soon?” Amity asked as she glanced at a clock.

Luz glanced at the clock and her eyes widened.

“Shit, you’re right! I gotta go, I’ll catch up with you guys later!” Luz said as she grabbed a script of questions, then she ran in the direction of the debate hall with Medi Woman following her creator close behind.

Once Luz and the small Robot Master got to the debate hall, onstage Luz saw Dr. Light and Dr. Lalinde.

“Oh, hello Luz. I didn’t realize you would be a part of this debate. I assume this means Dr. Lalinde will have a student with her as well.” Dr. Light assumed.

“Actually, Doctor. I’m participating from my own point in the debate.” Luz clarified.

Dr. Light was slightly surprised, assuming that Luz would be participating in the debate with him, and because of her recently designed Robot Master, would be arguing from his point of view. 

“How so?” Dr. Light asked in curiosity.

“I’m-” Luz was about to reply, but Dr. Cossack then chimed in for her.

“She will be my co proctor. Together we will mediate the debate.” Dr. Cossack explained.

Luz nodded in confirmation and smiled softly at the Russian scientist.

“Thank you, Dr. Cossack.” Luz said.

“Let us begin.” Dr. Cossack said to Luz.

Luz and Dr. Cossack both stepped onto the stage.

“Good evening. If everyone would please take their seats, we will begin. Tonight’s debate will be on the topic of the use of Advanced Artificial Intelligence in next generation robotics. I am Dr. Mikhail Cossack, and joining me today as my co proctor is Luz Noceda, whose own recent advancement in the field have qualified her for this, despite her lack of a doctorate.” Dr. Cossack said into his microphone.

“Thank you, Dr. Cossack. Tonight we will be asking a series of questions about this topic, ranging from industrial applications, to ethics. Arguing for the benefits of advanced A.I. Research is Dr. Thomas Light of Light Labs.” Luz said into her microphone.

“And arguing against A.I. Research, is Dr. Noele Lalinde of Geoworks International.” Dr. Cossack added.

“Without further ado, let the debate begin.” Luz announced.

And so, the debate began with Dr. Light speaking first.

“To put it simply, advanced robotics improve human life. The machines of today can perform tasks with better efficiency, and remove a significant degree of danger from our lives.”

“Yes. Humans have been creating TOOLS to make their lives easier for thousands of years. Why, then, do we need them to think and feel on their own?” Dr. Lalinde countered.

“The more complicated the duties, the more robust the A.I. NEEDS to be to manage them. The future of advanced A.I. will allow them to make complex decisions on their own, maximizing their efficiency.” Dr. Light said.

“Emotional responses are something that we as humans struggle with. Why should we complicate the matter of robotics further?” Dr. Lalinde countered.

“Furthermore, why should we form personal attachments to our tools, which are ultimately disposable. How can we send these Robots into dangerous scenarios when we grow to appreciate their company. Isn’t it self-destructive to form bonds with robots that can easily be destroyed?” Dr. Lalinde added.

“If we follow that line of thought then why should we interact with anyone at all?!” Dr. Light exclaimed.

Dr. Lalinde’s eyes widened in surprise at Light’s sudden outburst.

“What makes you say that?” She asked.

“If we should not form relationships with robots because they could be destroyed, then we shouldn’t form relationships with humans, who will die. Humans are even more fragile than robots, and we cannot simply replace parts to keep going.” Dr. Light elaborated.

Dr. Light then took a calming breath.

“I have constructed two Advanced AI robots. You would call them DLN:001 and DLN:002 but I call them my children. I may have built them by hand, typed their code myself, but as my children they have enriched my life and helped me grow as a person.” Dr. Light said with a smile.

“What about the Robot Masters?” Dr. Lalinde asked.

“What about them?” Light asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You gave them just as much personality, but that didn’t stop Dr. Wily from using them against the city. Losing your creations would be hard enough, but you would consider them your friends? And what about your ‘son’ Rock? The one you weaponized to confront Dr. Wily. Twice.” Dr. Lalinde countered.

“Now wait just a minute…” Dr. Light trailed off.

“Can you honestly say it was better that you sent your “son” against these violent Robot Masters instead of “some robot?” Could your heart handle it?” Dr. Lalinde added.

Dr. Light narrowed his eyes at Dr. Lalinde.

“I must ask, Does your current view on AI have anything to do with Quake Woman? Wasn’t she…”

“Enough!” Luz exclaimed, cutting off Dr. Light and making both him and Dr. Lalinde silent.

Luz then took a small calming breath.

“Dr. Light, the reason behind Dr. Lalinde’s views are irrelevant to this debate unless she deems them so. Dr. Lalinde, you have failed to even attempt to refute Dr. Light’s earlier counter argument. This specific argument will be continued later in the ethics portion of the debate. When it does, I expect for both of you to act like Adult scientists and avoid personal attacks.” Luz said in a professional manner.

“Thank you, Miss Noceda.” Dr. Cossack said.

The intercom then turned on and an unknown male voice spoke through it.

“Actually I’m with Miss Doctor on this one.”

Everyone looked at the large screen behind Dr. Light and Dr. Lalinde, and saw a blond man with spiky hair and a smug look on his face.

“All your robots need to be destroyed!” The man proclaimed.

“Who are you?!” Luz demanded.

“Names aren’t important, but if you must know, it’s Harvey Greenleaf. Emerald Spears, lance out!” Harvey said.

Several people in army green jumpsuits and berets pulled out guns. They ran out forcing all the humans to leave. They knock a human over and they don’t get up. Medi Woman ran over to try and see what’s wrong, but was struck in the head by one of the Emerald Spear grunts.

Luz’s eyes widened in horror.

“Medi Woman!” Luz exclaimed before she ran over to the downed Robot Master.

Several of the soldiers pointed guns at her.

“Get back on the stage.” One of the soldiers said.

“She was just trying to help! She’s a medical robot!” Luz countered as she attempted to move past them, but was stopped when she heard the sound of their guns being cocked.

“Get back on the stage, or we’ll shoot you.” The soldier threatened.

Luz glared at the soldiers.

“I don’t know who the hell you people think you are-” Luz was cut off by one of the green jump suited men.

“We are the Emerald Spears! And we-” The Emerald Spear grunt was saying before their leader, Harvey, cut him off over the screen.

“Hey, hey, lay off the violence, man, I have business with her, and her ‘bot.” Harvey said, defusing the situation before it escalated.

The soldiers lowered their guns, allowing Luz to reach Medi Woman.

Luz knelt down to inspect her Robot Master.

“Medi Woman, please, talk to me.” Luz said as she helped the female Robot Master to her feet.

“Do not worry. I am undamaged, but my diagnosis was interrupted.” Medi Woman said as she rubbed her head.

“Get back on stage, now. And take your ‘bot with you.” An Emerald Spear said.

Luz scowled at the terrorist grunt, but complied and brought Medi Woman back to the stage with her.

Luz stared up at the screen, along with the doctors.

“We’re all here. Now, what do you people want?” Luz asked.

Harvey grinned.

“You nerds are gonna help put an end to the age of advanced robotics!”

Outside of the debate hall, Elec Man and Pharaoh Man tried their best to help everyone, but were constantly being attacked by people. And due to their programming, they couldn’t retaliate against the Emerald Spear soldiers, as it would violate the first law of robotics: a robot must never harm a human being.

“Grr, I never thought I would ever want Wily’s coding back in my systems! One override and I could…” Elec Man grumbled.

“Don’t say that. I don’t know what I’d do if Wily reprogrammed me. Just cool your circuits for now.” Pharaoh Man said, attempting to calm the electric Robot Master.

Meanwhile, with the rest of the Hexsquad. Amity and the others were being held at gunpoint by Emerald Spear grunts and being told to leave the building.

“Okay, all humans out of the building! All robots, stay put!” An Emerald Spear shouted.

Amity leaned over to Willow.

“We need to do something.” Amity whispered.

“I know, but how do we help without revealing ourselves?” Willow whispered back.

“We be as subtle as possible.” Gus whispered.

Gus then made a small spell circle behind his back and made an illusion of a humanoid robot who walked in front of the soldier and flipped him off, pissing the soldier off and making him run after it, giving the Hexsquad time to slip away from the sight of the Emerald Spears, or any humans and robots.

“That should keep him distracted for a while. First thing we have to do is save Luz and the Doctors.” Amity said.

“We need to be methodical. We can’t beat them all at the same time without revealing our magic, and even if we could they might decide to execute Luz and the Doctors. We need to take them down, one at a time.” Hunter chimed in.

“This place is crawling with them.” Willow said as she peeked out from behind a corner.

“Then we split up. Take out as many as you can without being seen, and close in on the conference hall.” Hunter suggested.

Meanwhile, back on stage…

Rock had stepped up and had summoned his armor, and was aiming his Mega Buster at one of the Emerald Spears, but his arm was shaky.

“What’s wrong, kid? Aren’t you gonna shoot? Come on.” The Emerald Spear said in a condescending and mocking tone.

“First law of robotics. A robot can’t harm a human being.” Rock muttered.

The Emerald Spear smirked.

“That’s right. Now get out of here.” He punctuated it with a punch to Rock’s head.

Luz watched this happen with a hard glare directed at the Emerald Spear.

“If only…If only…” Luz muttered.

‘If only robots weren’t bound by the laws of their programming…’ Luz continued in her head.

“Rock, you should go. Find your brother and sister.” Dr. Light suggested as he helped Rock to his feet.

“R-right.” Rock said, hesitant to leave his father and aunt figure behind.

Rock then took off, followed by Rush.

Rock ran through the building and quickly found Elec Man.

“Elec Man! Have you seen Roll?!” Rock shouted out to his brother.

“No. I’m sorry. With all these soldiers around, I haven’t been able to look.” Elec Man answered.

Rock gained a worried look, worried for his sister.

Meanwhile, at the Lanfront Ruins…

Dr. Wily was walking alongside Quick Man, and a restored Heat Man, with Heat Man using his fire to illuminate the dark halls of the ruins.

“Could we go any slower, doctor?” Quick Man complained.

“Patience, Quick man, this area is dark and like a maze. I wouldn’t want you smashing against the wall after I just got you and your brothers back.” Wily replied to the Robot Master.

Heat Man then spoke up.

“About that. I know you were in a hurry, and that we were all meant to be destroyed anyway, but would it have killed you to tell me I had a heat regulator on my back?” Heat Man said as he narrowed his eyes at Dr. Wily.

Dr. Wily rolled his eyes.

“Everyone’s a critic.” Wily grumbled.

“If you wanted this place quickly searched I could’ve done it for you in a minute! Two tops.” Quick Man whined.

“Yes, but you don’t have a keen eye to identify ancient technology like I do. If there are more goodies to find only I-” Wily was then cut off by Heat Man.

“Is that something, boss?” Heat Man asked as he lifted up some rubble.

Quick Man and Dr. Wily looked to see what Heat Man was referring to. It was a blue, black, and white humanoid robot with a 4 pointed star shape on his helmet. Dr. Wily grinned and knelt down to inspect the robot who was clearly deactivated, and slightly buried under rubble.

“My, my, my. It looks like some kind of ancient Robot Master! Will wonders never cease?!” Wily said excitedly.

Later after they dug it out, Quick Man, Heat Man, and Dr. Wily returned to the chamber with the sphere, where the other restored Robot Masters made by Wily were at work renovating the place into a makeshift laboratory of sorts. Quick Man was carrying the deactivated robot in his arms.

“I’ll complete it, once my Lab is finished that is. Has it finished with the second set of blueprints I directed it to use? I need more parts to build my lab!” Dr. Wily said, referring to the inactive robot, and the sphere.

“Hey, look, I found you a date, Flash Man.” Quick Man teased Flash Man, pointing at the robot he was carrying over his shoulder.

Flash Man glared at Quick Man.

“I’m still not talking to you.” Flash Man growled angrily, still not over being literally stabbed in the back.

The large sphere then produced a beam of light and from it dropped down another Robot Master. This one was primarily red, black, and white, with a horseshoe magnet on his helmet.

“DWN-018, Magnet Man, complete, sir. My builder, Ra Moon, sends a message through me. “You will have your lab, and your army soon.” Magnet Man said.

Wily grinned.

“Ra Moon, eh? Good…” Wily said evilly.

Meanwhile…

Back at the A.R.T.S, Willow ran up to an Emerald Spear soldier. 

“My friend needs help! She’s being attacked by an evil robot!” Willow shouted, pretending to be scared.

Willow turned around and started running. As expected the soldier followed without question. 

“She’s down there!” Willow said as she pointed down a hallway.

Amity was cornered by a Sniper Joe, this Sniper Joe was of course just an illusion set up by Gus.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.” The Soldier said as he raised his weapon.

Amity was pretending to be terrified for her life. 

“Help! Somebody help me!” Amity screamed.

The Soldier pulls the trigger, but only hears a click.

“What the…?” Willow punched the soldier in the back of the head with a gauntlet made of vines.

The soldier fell to the floor, out cold.

“Nice acting, Amity.” Willow said with a smile towards her friend.

“Thanks. I’ve been taking some classes.” Amity said as she walked through the Sniper Joe illusion.

Gus then came out from his cover behind a booth and dropped the illusion of the Sniper Joe. 

“But there’s still loads more of these guys here. Luz and the Doctor’s are being held hostage, and who knows where Camila and Vee are.” Gus said.

Hunter then emerged from behind another booth. 

“Me and Gus will go find Camila and Vee, and take out any soldiers we come across. You two try to find some way to save Luz.” Hunter instructed.

Amity turned to Willow and they both nodded, the group then went in separate directions.

Meanwhile, back on stage…

“Why are you people doing this?!” Luz demanded as she scowled at Harvey onscreen.

“Because, all of your robots need to be prevented!” Harvey answered.

“You’ve already said that!” Luz retorted.

Luz could see Dr. Cossack was on the phone, whispering, she could just about make out what he was saying.

“Good. Stay out of sight and do as Roll says. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine and find you when this is all over.” Dr. Cossack said.

“You’re putting real people in danger! And for what?! Because you want to break all our robots?!” Luz shouted at Harvey onscreen.

Harvey ignored Luz and raised an eyebrow as his gaze shifted to Dr. Cossack.

“Are we, like, interrupting something important, Doctor Cossack?” Harvey asked quizzingly.

Dr. Cossack hung up and turned to look at the screen.

“Yes. Far more important than anything you stand for.” Dr. Cossack replied as he put his hands in his pockets after pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Look, we are about protecting the future of humanity! Once I’ve convinced you guys to stop building these things we’ll blow up all the robots and call it a night.” Harvey said.

“You’re insane! That would prove nothing!” Dr. Lalinde exclaimed.

“It would prove everything!” Harvey snapped back.

“How?! Seriously, have you ever listened to an opinion you didn’t already agree with?!” Luz snapped back at Harvey.

Harvey paused on that but then someone came up behind him and tapped his shoulder. A man with brown spiky hair, stubble on his lip, and an eyepatch with a red spear on it.

“Harvey, a word, please.” The man said.

“Be right back, Docs! Think about what I said so far!” Harvey said.

The feed then cut out.

Meanwhile in a control room, Harvey and the man were talking.

“Why are you harshing my vibe, man? I was starting to get through to them.” Harvey asked.

“No you weren’t. You can’t! Not with people like this.” The man, Xander Paine, said.

“Their creation did this to me, and they claimed it wasn’t the robot’s fault. You told me we would eliminate their top thinkers, set their movement back by years.” Xander said, gesturing to his eyepatch.

“The Emerald Spears aren’t about hurting ANY people. We’ll “eliminate” them by re-educating them, m’kay? We change minds to change the world.” Harvey replied as he turned around in his chair.

“Now let me get back to work, man. I want to wrap this up in, like, the next hour, m’kay?” Harvey said as Xavier grumbled in frustration as he left the room.

When he was out of the room he pulled out a walkie talkie.

“Theo! Simone! Meet me at the entrance to the security hall, now!” Xander said into his walkie talkie as he walked down the hallway.

He then met up with two other members of the Emerald Spears, a man and a woman. The man being his brother, Theo. Theo took notice of his brother’s displeasure.

“Is something wrong, Xander?” Theo asked.

“It’s just like I suspected…Harvey doesn’t have the backbone required to see this through properly. We’re going to have to take matters into our own hands.” Xander grumbled angrily.

“Don’t worry, bro! With your smarts, and us behind you, we’ll get this done!” Theo said as he put a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Theo.” Xander replied.

Theo then continued.

“You’ll see! The Robots will be destroyed and-”

“Theo…stop.” Xander said with a flat look at his brother, who took his hand off his shoulder awkwardly.

“What do you want us to do?” Simone asked.

“Proceed as planned for now. Get the “sheeple” out, then have as many of our people escape to the safe point as possible without losing control of the building. Then fall back to me. The security officer is built like a bunker. I’ll have dealt with Harvey by then.” Xander answered.

Meanwhile…

Rush comes over to Rock and Elec Man, dragging Quake woman behind him.

Elec Man: Who’s this?

Rock: That’s Quake Woman, Dr. Lalinde’s own Robot Master.

Pharaoh Man: If she’s here does that mean the doctors are safe?

“I don’t think so. Other than Medi Woman, they seemed to want all of the robots to leave.” Rock answered.

“Strange…” Elec Man muttered.

“I have an idea though. Rush and I will take care of emerald spears. I look the most human out of all of us.” Rock said.

“What do you have in mind?” Elec Man asked Rock.

Later…

Rock, now out of his armor and in his civilian form, was pretending to be running scared from Rush who was acting like a rabid robot dog.

Rock: Ahh! Help! Evil robot dog!

Two nearby Emerald Spears saw Rock running and one of them drew his gun, but his colleague stopped him.

“Hold it, man! You might hit the kid!”

Rock ran towards a closet calling for help.

The emerald spears ran after him, but when they got close enough Rock shoved them in the closet, using his Mega Buster to weld the door shut.

Rock then held his fingers to his ear and activated his communicator.

“Mega Man to the Robot Masters, how is it coming along with the bombs?” Rock asked.

Pharaoh Man then radioed in.

“I’ve disarmed my bomb.” Pharaoh Man said.

Elec Man: Same here.

Quake Woman: The explosive I was assigned is disarmed.

Rock smiled at the progress that was being made.

“Keep up the great work, be as quick as you can, though. There’s no telling when these guys will snap.” Rock said.

Meanwhile, back on the conference stage…

Harvey was having no luck in changing the minds of Luz and the others regarding advanced robotics. Harvey sighed.

“No, look, you guys NEED to understand that what you’re doing is a threat to humanity’s identity, man! Inputting personality in robots is just this…crude ARROGANT mimicry of nature!” Harvey said.

“It’s not arrogance. It’s an expression of mankind’s very nature, we explore, we learn, and we attempt to surpass all limitations; such as to create life from nothing.” Dr. Light said.

“Making life” is “making life,” man! Some of the limits made by nature shouldn’t be overcome by artificial means…y’know?” Harvey countered.

“No? Then we would not be where we’re at now. We live longer…better…produce and learn more than even a generation ago. Look at us now, communicating through artificially manipulated light and sound. Advanced robotics have helped, and will help, further improve life for humanity.” Dr. Lalinde countered.

“Yeah, well, how much “help” did we get when those six Robot Masters tore up the city, huh? Answer me that?” Harvey said skeptically.

“That wasn’t their fault! It was Dr. Wily’s, he stole them and reprogrammed them!” Luz protested.

“Luz is right. Violence was NOT their intended purpose. They were corrupted by the hands of a HUMAN, he brought all of that misery and pain of his own free will. It was HIS choice.” Dr. Cossack said, backing up Luz.

Harvey laughed.

“Hahahaha! Gotcha, man! Yes! It was totally Dr. Wily’s choice to turn evil. But now YOU want to give that SAME freedom of choice to a bunch of robots.” Harvey replied.

“Yes. And within the limits of his programming, Mega Man chose to fight for everyone. Just as his brothers chose to answer the call for help when he needed them most. Rogue humans or maverick robots, both can be corrected. The rest will ADD to our society, and enrich our lives.” Dr. Light said as he stared at the screen, Dr. Lalinde glancing at him.

Harvey then cut the feed and sighed in exasperation as he leaned back in his chair and Xander walked up next to him.

“Oh man…these debates usually go a lot faster at our activist meetings.” Harvey said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“That’s because we’re all in agreement at those meetings. They’re arguing you in circles and stalling for time. Call the retreat, blow them all up, and be done with it!” Xander insisted.

“No. We don’t. Hurt. People. If we blow them up, they become martyrs. We have to change their minds. Gimme another hour or two, I think they’re starting to crack.” Harvey replied.

Xander sneered and raised his gun over his head.

“No. they’re not.” Xander said before he swung the handle into the top of Harvey’s head, knocking him out cold.

Xander then grabbed the microphone and activated the feed.

“Listen up, doctors, my name is Xander Payne. I’ve just promoted myself to the head of the Emerald Spears. I’ll give you this second to make peace with yourselves, then it’s all over for you…and your precious robots.” Xander said with rage and hatred.

Luz and the doctor’s eyes widened slightly at the much more violent man on screen.

“N-Now hold on, Mr. Payne. We can talk this over.” Dr. Light said, trying to placate the man.

“I’m not interested in talking! Least of all to you! It was your robots that left me maimed after they went amok!” Xander shouted angrily as he pointed to his eyepatch.

Dr. Light gained a look of sympathy.

“I-I’m truly sorry. They were never meant to hurt anyone.” Dr. Light said apologetically.

Dr. Lalinde then stepped up to Dr. Light’s defense.

“It’s not Thomas’s fault! The robots were sabotaged by Dr. Wily!”

“Different name, same inherent problem! I’m surprised at YOU though. You were debating against the idea of making these automatons too human.” Xander said as he pointed to Dr. Lalinde.

Luz could see small tears welling up in Dr. Lalinde’s eyes.

“I was voicing caution over making it so that we have deep emotional connections to our creations. So that when we design a robot to do the jobs too dangerous for humans, and when those dangers take their toll, we lose tools and not our sons and DAUGHTERS…” Dr. Lalinde trailed off.

Luz and Dr. Light’s eyes widened in realization and Dr. Light went over to comfort Dr. Lalinde.

“That’s why Tempo…why Quake Woman was so distant. You took away her personality.” Dr. Light said softly.

Dr. Lalinde was doing her best to maintain her composure as she sniffled and her tears flowed.

“I thought it would ease the pain. But she’s still “Tempo” to me, still my little girl, and she’s in danger!” Dr. Lalinde sobbed.

Luz watched Dr. Lalinde crying and then glanced at Medi Woman. Xander Payne scowled at the crying woman.

“Disgusting, they’re MACHINES! Their “personalities” are manufactured!” He sneered.

Luz scowled at Xander.

“You're a monster.” Luz snarled.

Xander then turned his scowl at Luz.

“And then there’s YOU!” Xander snapped.

Luz reeled back slightly.

“Me?” Luz said, pointing to herself with wide eyes.

“Yes, you! The only other person besides these “geniuses” here, and Dr. Wily, to build a Robot Master!” Xander said, saying the word “geniuses” in a sarcastic tone as he glared at Medi Woman, who winced and retreated behind Luz.

“She’s a medical robot! She’s designed to help people!” Luz countered as she held the short Robot Master close.

“That doesn’t matter! What does matter is that if it’s not so hard for someone like you to build a Robot Master, then others can too!” Xander retorted.

“You don’t care, do you? This isn’t about stopping advanced robotics.” Luz countered.

“Of course it is! Do you know how many people died when the Robot Masters attacked!? How many were maimed or disfigured!” Xander shouted.

 “Do you care? Because this is the first time you’ve mentioned it.” Luz scowled.

Xander Payne didn’t reply, he just continued to glare at Luz.

“You dislike personality being in robots, but are they any less genuine than our own, crafted through a lifetime of experience? Is our love for our creations any less real, whether they have a pulse or a motor? Even a monster like Dr. Wily cares for his creations.” Dr. Cossack then chimed in.

Meanwhile at the Lanfront Ruins…

Dr. Wily was looking at some blueprints on his laptop while Magnet Man and Flash Man were carrying the robot that Wily, Quick Man and Heat Man discovered.

“Now bring that robot we found in the catacombs over here! Let’s see if Ra Moon can complete it according to my designs!” Wily ordered.

Magnet Man and Flash Man did as told and brought the ancient robot over to the sphere, now identified as “Ra Moon.” A beam of light shot out from Ra Moon and dragged the robot into it. Quick Man then walked up to Dr. Wily.

“Is all of this really necessary? You already have all those other designs by Doctor Light and that intern on your laptop, why spend the time to restore some ancient robot?” Quick Man asked with a raised eyebrow.

“First, those designs were CO-developed by Thomas, with only a LITTLE bit of input from that accursed intern. All the good ideas were MINE. Second, because I can!” Wily snapped back.

Seconds later the ancient robot dropped out of Ra Moon, active and landing in a ninja pose. The four pointed star on its head had now become a shuriken. The robot looked down at his hands. 

“I…function…?” The robot said in surprise as he gathered his bearings.

Dr. Wily grinned and cackled.

“Whahaha! Perfect!”

The robot reacted to Dr. Wily’s voice and entered a defensive position as he summoned a large shuriken.

“Woo! He’s so quick to respond! So cool!” Dr. Wily said with enthusiasm.

“Great, another Quick Man.” Flash Man grumbled.

Then, an alarm started to go off.

“I didn’t touch anything! I swear!” Bubble Man panicked.

“It’s the proximity alarm you had us set up. Something just crossed into our territory.” Heat Man said.

Dr. Wily grinned.

“A perfect chance to test my newest creations! Quick Man, Flash Man, Magnet Man, and Shadow Man…”

The ancient robot looked around confused for a second before pointing at himself.

“Yes, that’s you. Get out there and see who’s so foolish to cross my path!” Dr. Wily ordered.

The Robot Masters saluted and began walking off. Quick Man glanced back at Magnet Man and the newly designated Shadow Man with a grin. 

“Try to keep up, new bots!” Quick Man said cockily.

Flash Man glared at Quick Man.

“Try not to kill one of your own this time, jerk.” Flash Man grumbled.

A few minutes later, Ra Moon completed another new Robot Master. This one had a similar body type to Air Man, except his hands were both cannons, and he had three large spikes on the top of his integrated head. Wily smirked and walked over to the newly made Robot Master with a grin. 

“Welcome to the world, Needle Man.” Wily said with pride.

The newly created Needle Man saluted.

“I live to serve you, Dr. Wily.” Needle Man saluted.

“Glad to hear it! You can start by doing some of the heavy lifting.” Wily said as he walked off, gesturing to some metal beams.

“Err…” Needle Man trailed off as he looked between the beams and his cannons, taking note of his complete and utter lack of hands.

Crash Man walked over to the new Robot Master with a sympathetic look, holding up his own drill arms.

“Welcome to the club, brother.” Crash Man said in a sympathetic tone.

A few seconds later, Quick Man came rushing in, soon followed by Shadow Man and the other two Robot Masters. Magnet Man and Flash Man were carrying a particular gray and red robot with a yellow scarf who was unconscious.

“We’re back! Some Robot Master stumbled into our territory and shut down.” Quick Man said with a grin.

Dr. Wily raised an eyebrow and walked over to Magnet Man and Flash Man to inspect this robot for himself.

“Hmm…Robot Masters aren’t exactly common…” Wily trailed off.

Wily’s eyes widened in recognition upon seeing the robot for himself. 

“EGAD! It’s THE Robot Master! The original! Today just keeps getting better and better!” Wily said with excitement.

Wily then began examining the deactivated robot.

“Hmm…but this doesn’t look like his power core gave out, so why-“ Wily was cut off as a deep, otherworldly voice came from behind him.

“It is my doing.” Ra Moon said.

Wily’s eyes widened and he whipped around to face Ra Moon.

“It…You can talk?!” Wily exclaimed in shock.

Quick Man reflexively drew a Quick Boomerang and Shadow Man drew a Shadow Blade, ready to attack if needed.

“My unique electro magnetic field disables all machines that are not of my making.” Ra Moon replied.

Gathering his composure, Dr. Wily rubbed his chin as he took that information in.

“Intriguing…that defies scientific understanding, but then I realize I’m talking to a giant robot eyeball older than modern civilization…can you extend this field?” Wily asked.

“Yes, with enough time and power, my presence can be felt all over the world.” Ra Moon answered.

Wily grinned.

“Fascinating…But we’ll worry about that after we’ve repaired this poor wayward robot.” Wily said as he turned his gaze to look at the inactive Blues.

Meanwhile, back at the convention center…

Kalinka and Roll were running through the halls of the convention center, being pursued by an Emerald Spear soldier.

“Get back here!” The soldier shouted as he chased them.

He then caught up to them and grabbed Kalinka and Roll by the wrists, lifting Roll slightly.

“Man, you’re heavy.” The Emerald Spear grunt said, referring to Roll.

Roll: Let us go, or else I’ll-

Emerald Spear: You and your sister belong outside.

Kalinka and Roll: Sister?

Playing along, Roll was set down and said. 

Roll: Okay, mister, we’ll go, but can you take us out a different exit?

Kalinka: Y-your friends are really scary.

Emerald Spear: Well…we’re supposed to move everyone out the main exit…but if you two promise to be good…

Roll: We will!

The soldier then escorted them to another exit.

Emerald Spear: Here you go, girls. Go find your parents, and if anyone asks, I didn’t help, you just snuck out on your own, okay?

Roll: Sure thing, mister.

Kalinka: Th-thanks.

Roll and Kalinka then exited the building.

The two of them then hid behind a car in the parking lot.

Roll: Oh man, I can’t believe our luck!

“That was scary, I’m glad we’re outside…But what about poppa? And your family?” Kalinka asked nervously.

“Rock will take care of them for now, but I have an idea. Can I see your phone please?” Roll asked, extending her hand.

Kalinka: O-okay. Kalinka handed her phone to Roll and Roll’s eyes widened at the phone.

Roll: Wow, you weren’t kidding, this is super advanced!

Kalinka: Poppa wanted me to be able to get in touch with him in any situation. What are you doing?

Roll: Remember when you accidentally intercepted the leader’s broadcast?

Kalinka: Yes…?

Roll: Well, I’m gonna share it with a very important friend. Roll said as she dialed up Agent Krantz.

Agent Krantz: Hello? This is Agent Rosalyn Krantz. She said as she showed up on the phone’s screen.

Meanwhile, back in the convention center…

Camila and Vee were being held at gunpoint by a couple of Emerald Spear soldiers, being escorted to the debate hall.

Vee: Why are you doing this?

Emerald Spear: For the safety of the human race. Now keep moving.

While they were walking, a large number of robots seemed to appear from the shadows.

Mets, Sniper Joes, Bladers, and a few of the penguin robots made up the group.

Emerald Spears: Ambush! Open fire!

In the chaos, a yellow flash jumped between the two soldiers. They fell to the ground unconscious.

Gus came out from behind a booth and dispelled the illusion of the robot group, while Hunter worked on restraining the unconscious Emerald Spears.

“Are you both okay?” Gus asked Camila and Vee.

Camila: Yes, thank you.

Vee: They were trying to force us to the debate hall.

“Have either of you seen Luz?” Camila asked, concerned for the safety of her eldest daughter.

Vee was also worried about her sister’s safety.

Gus: I think she’s being held in the hall.

Hunter: Willow and Amity are already on their way there.

Gus: We also saw Rock, Elec Man, and two other Robot Masters running around the convention hall defusing the bombs that these Emerald Spear nutcases planted around the place, but who knows how many bombs there are.

Vee: This is really bad.

Camila: We need to get in contact with the authorities.

*Boom!*

The entire convention was shaken by a large explosion. 

A few minutes ago in the debate room…

Xander Payne glared at Dr. Cossack and the others. Xander: You people will never learn.

Xander then smirked as he held up a detonator.

“Thankfully, I know just the way to fight your brand of madness. Say goodbye to-” Xander Payne’s eye widened when he caught sight of something on the security monitors.

“Wait, what…?” He trailed off in disbelief.

“What’s wrong? Things not going to plan? You think we’re mad, but look at yourself. “If this intern can make a Robot Master, anyone can.” I might not have a doctorate, but I still graduated top of my class, and I've been working at Light Labs for nearly two years. I even helped work on the original Robot Masters project.” Luz said as she crossed her arms.

Xander Payne grew more frustrated at Luz’s words as he watched Rock, Elec Man, Pharaoh Man, and Quake Woman disabling the bombs.

“Shoot the robots, you idiots! They’re disabling the bombs!” Xander Payne shouted to his subordinates through his communicator.

These soldiers all began opening fire with reckless abandon.

Luz, Medi Woman and the others heard the sound of gunfire ring throughout the convention center.

Xander Payne then grew more frustrated as he saw Rock and the others make use of the second law of robotics to combat the Emerald Spears.

“No, no, no! Do you hear the chaos out there?! People are getting hurt AGAIN because of YOUR robots!” Xander shouted in frustration.

“No, It’s because of you! You told your people to shoot, you set the bombs, if anyone gets hurt here, it’s. On. You!” Luz counted with a scowl.

Xander Payne scowled back at Luz before looking at the security monitors. His fist clenched as his own self righteous resolve hardened.

“Whatever it takes.” He muttered.

He pressed the detonator, activating the remaining bombs.

The next thing Luz and the others knew, the ceiling was caving in on top of them as fiery explosions happened through the convention center.

Outside the building, Roll had just finished sending a recording of the Emerald Spear’s broadcast to Agent Krantz when the building exploded.

“Poppa!” Kalinka shouted in fear as her eyes welled up with tears as she saw the flaming rubble of the convention center.

The Robot Masters come out of the rubble.

Rock surveyed the rubble in shock.

“They used the bombs…even with the people still inside?!” Rock breathed out in disbelief and horror as Rush let out a small whimper and his ears flattened against his head.

“Mega Man!” Elec Man called out.

Rock turned to see Elec Man, Quake Woman and Pharaoh Man tending to some injured people and pulling them out from under the rubble.

“Elec Man! We need to find Roll, and Kalinka-” Rock was saying before his electric brother cut him off.

“Luz and the doctors! The last bomb caved in the lecture hall, they were still inside!” Elec Man said.

Rock’s eyes widened at the implication.

“OH NO!!! DAD, LUZ!!!” Rock exclaimed in fear and concern.

Meanwhile, under the rubble…

Doctors Light, Lalinde, and Cossack, along with Medi Woman, were all bracing themselves for the inevitable collapsing rubble to pile on them from the explosion, but strangely it never came. A glow shone above their heads and they opened their eyes to see what could only be described as a purple force field holding back the collapsing ceiling. Dr. Light’s surprised gaze immediately went to Luz, who he saw had both hands raised, which were adorned with gloves with various interconnecting symbols on them, all of which were glowing as well.

Dr. Lalinde and Dr. Cossack took notice of this as well, they were just as mystified by the sight as Dr. Light, all of their mouths hanging agape.

Luz then pointed her left hand at the ground and using a specific hand gesture, used construction magic to make support pillars to hold up the ceiling. With the roof secured she sat down and sighed in relief.

“That was close.” Luz panted as she sat down.

The doctor’s were still stunned silent. Dr. Light was the first to shake himself from this stupor.

“Luz…what…was that?” Dr. Light asked in astonishment.

Luz turned to the astonished doctors with a sheepish grin.

“Uh…Magic…” Luz answered.

Meanwhile outside, Rock rushed over to Quake Woman.

“Quake Woman, you can drill stuff, right?” Rock asked the female Robot Master.

“Yes, I was designed for geological exploration stabilization.” Quake Woman replied.

“Okay, I’m copying your Quake Drill. We’ll dig to Luz and the Doctors.” Rock said as he took her hand in his and began copying her weapon data, his armor becoming mint green, white, and light purple.

“But… our creators, and Dr. Light’s intern, are most likely dead.” Quake Woman said.

“There’s always HOPE. Pharaoh Man, you’re designed to explore dangerous tombs, right? You and Rush can guide our digging and help us get them out.” Rock said, turning to the Egyptian themed Robot Master.

Pharaoh Man nodded.

“Yes! We must hurry to Dr. Cossack, for Kalinka’s sake, if nothing else.” Pharaoh Man said.

Elec Man then spoke up.

“What about me? I’m not just gonna stand here and do nothing.” Elec Man said, pointing at his chest with his thumb.

“You’re a Robot Master! Direct the other robots in the convention hall to get the people to safety!” Rock ordered.

Elec Man reluctantly left his brother and fellow robot masters to dig out Luz and the doctors. Rock then turned to the other two Robot Masters as Elec Man ran off to guide the other robots into acting like lifeguard rails, as well as pick up any injured humans and escort them out.

“Let’s get to work! There’s still time! There has to be!” Rock said as he and Quake Woman began to drill into the rubble.

Meanwhile in the security room,  Xander Payne was furious as he watched Rock and Quake Woman on the monitor.

“No…” He muttered in hatred.

Then, his brother Theo and Simone entered the room, covered in soot.

“What happened?! The bomb went off before our people were out!” Simone demanded.

Theo then spotted the unconscious Harvey.

“Uh…what happened to Harvey?” He asked.

Xander said, “The robots where disarming the bombs, I had to do something.”

Theo said, “but people could’ve died.”

Xander then pulled out his gun. “And more WILL die if the robot revolution isn’t stopped HERE AND NOW! There will always be more people, but ONLY if the robots are stopped! We have to save humanity from itself. Whatever it takes.” Xander proclaimed as he rushed out of the security office with Theo and Simone behind him and took aim at Rock and the rest of the robots before firing his plasma pistol.

Rock and the others dodged as best they could. Rock glared at the terrorist.

“My dad and my friend are down there! I can and WILL stop you! DON’T MAKE ME HURT YOU!” Rock said as he dodged blaster bolt after blaster bolt.

Xander did not back down however.

“You can’t stop humanity, robot! Even if I have to tear you apart by hand, I’ll-“

“Mega Man!” The voice of Elec Man shouted.

“I’ll…” Xander trailed off as his good eye lingered on the electric Robot Master, he instantly had a flashback.

He had been a soldier on the front lines during Dr. Wily’s initial assault on Mega City. He and his army unit had been put in charge of defending a district of the city which Elec Man had been tasked by the mad scientist with conquering. Elec Man had decimated his entire unit. He alone was the only survivor, but he did not leave unscathed.

“YOU!!! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!” Xander Payne shouted in fury, tearing off his eyepatch to reveal a mechanical eye underneath before he began firing at Elec Man.

Elec Man crossed his arm to try to defend himself. Rock then jumped in to try to defend his brother.

“I warned you!” Rock said as he used his Quake Drill to create a miniature earthquake to trip up Xander Payne and his fellow Emerald Spears.

Xander attempted to reach for his gun but Rush came over and chewed it up until it was useless.

“No!” Xander yelled in frustration.

Rock then stepped in, glaring down at him.

“Watch these guys, Rush while we finish rescuing Luz, Medi Woman, and the Doctors.” Rock said.

Rush barked in confirmation as he too was glaring at Xander. Meanwhile down in the small area that Luz had created under the rubble, she was currently briefly explaining the existence of magic to the Doctors.

“Basically, six years ago, before I attended university and began working at Light Labs, I entered what can only be described as a magical realm populated by Witches and Demons. The denizens of the archipelago I ended up on call it the Boiling Isles.” Luz explained as she inspected Medi Woman for any damage, internal or external.

All the while Dr. Light and his fellow scientists listened tentatively.

“There I made some friends, and met my girlfriend. I then proceeded to aid in toppling the active corrupt government on the Isles which, by the way, was run by a witch hunter from the 1600s who had managed to achieve immortality at a rather grotesque cost, and it was all part of his big scheme to wipe out all life on the Isles because of his outdated religious beliefs.” Luz added as she closed a panel on Medi Woman after she finished inspecting her internal systems.

Dr. Light was the first to speak up, clearing his throat.

“I must say, Luz…that is quite a story…One that should be told more in depth though, I feel.” Light said as he ran a hand through his hair.

He honestly didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, Luz’s story, though deeply summarized, was fantastical…But after seeing what she did with those gloves…there was clearly a grain of truth to her words…

Meanwhile Dr. Cossack and Dr. Lalinde were utterly bewildered by this revelation.

“If what you say is true, that magic is indeed real, how come you haven’t shared this with the world?” Dr. Cossack asked.

“This is no doubt one of the biggest discoveries since the creation of the microprocessor!” Dr. Lalinde added.

Luz nodded.

“Yeah. There’s no doubt about that…but that’s also the point…if the existence of magic and the Demon Realm became public knowledge, everyone would want to get their hands on magic. Also, it doesn’t really work in our realm without the aid of a substance called “Titan’s Blood.” Which is also part of why I haven’t told anyone.” Luz replied.

Luz sighed.

“Aside from you three, the only other living human who knows of the Boiling Isles and the existence of magic is my mother.”

“Wait, don’t you have a sister? Vee, yes?” Dr. Light pointed out.

“She’s not really human. She’s actually a Basilisk. A species of shapeshifting serpents native to the Boiling Isles.” Luz corrected.

Dr. Light and the other two scientist’s eyes widened. It was just one revelation after another.

“I trust you all will be able to keep this a secret?” Luz asked the Doctors.

Meanwhile back outside, the police along with Federal Agents Krantz and Stern arrived on the scene. Paramedics were assisting in helping injured people and getting them to the hospital if need be.

Agent Krantz looked at the scene in horror.

“This is madness…” She muttered.

“Keep your head, kid. You’ll see plenty more heartbreaking stuff on this job.” Agent Stern said as he got out of the car.

Then a familiar voice came rushing over.

“Agent Krantz! Agent Krantz!” Roll called out as she and Kalinka ran over to the federal agents.

“Hold on, girls! You can’t-“ An officer attempted to stop them but Agent Krantz called him off.

“It’s alright! We’ll handle this.” Agent Krantz said, putting a hand up to call off the officer.

Roll then spoke urgently to the female agent.

“I have data on the terrorists on Kalinka’s phone! But they set off a bomb and-!”

“Roll? Slow down, sweetie. We’ll get this settled.” Agent Krantz promised, trying to calm down the young robot girl.

Meanwhile Agent Stern was consoling a crying Kalinka, which made Agent Krantz smile softly. Despite his tough exterior, Stern could be a real sweetheart sometimes.

Meanwhile Rock, Quake Woman, and Pharaoh Man were making progress, navigating through the rubble.

“Dr. Light?! Luz?! Dr. Lalinde?! Can anyone hear me?!” Rock called out.

“Over here!” Luz’s voice called out, brightening Rock’s spirits.

Rock and his fellow Robot Masters rushed over to where Luz and the Doctor’s were, Rock embracing Luz and Dr. Light.

“You’re both okay!” Rock rejoiced.

Pharaoh Man rushed over to Dr. Cossack.

“Are you injured, Doctor Cossack?” Pharaoh Man asked in concern for his creator.

“I’m fine, Pharaoh Man. By a…miracle…or…stroke of luck you could say, we weren’t buried much by the rubble.” Dr. Cossack replied, subtly glancing at Luz who smiled in appreciation.

Dr. Cossack then turned back to Pharaoh Man.

“Did Roll get Kalinka out okay safely?” He asked.

Pharaoh Man shook his head.

“I don’t know, sir.” Pharaoh Man answered.

Meanwhile Dr. Lalinde was overjoyed to see Tempo again.

“Oh, Tempo! I was so worried for you!” Dr. Lalinde cried as she embraced the female Robot Master.

“Why? You were the one in peril.” Tempo said in her emotionless tone.

Dr. Light turned to Dr. Lalinde.

“Whether she acts like it or not, she’s still your little girl, Noele.” Dr. Light said.

“I know that now, Thomas. I was selfish to think otherwise. When this is all over, dear, I promise to put back that spark I took away.” Dr. Lalinde said as she cupped Tempo’s face, who just looked at her with a flat look.

Pharaoh Man then spotted something which made his optics widen.

“Uh, Doctors? I’m afraid I have to interrupt…It appears we missed disarming TWO bombs…” Pharaoh Man said, pointing at a bomb partially buried under some rubble.

Luz’s eyes widened and her head snapped to where Pharaoh Man was pointing.

“Oh shit!” Luz exclaimed.

Without thinking she immediately used her tricked out gloves to cast a powerful barrier spell around the bomb, surprising the robots, aside from Tempo who was incapable of showing emotion.

“There…now it’s safe…” Luz sighed in relief.

“Uh…Luz…what was that?” Rock asked in confusion.

Meanwhile outside Elec Man and Rush were watching over Xander Payne, his brother, and Simone.

“I’m sorry I took your eye. I wasn’t myself at the time. That doesn’t fix things, I know. But…for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Elec Man said to Xander with his arms crossed.

“Keep on them, Rush.” Elec Man said before he went to continue guiding robots in assisting the humans.

Rush growled at the three terrorists and Xander glared at the robot dog. Theo asked, “You think you can stare down a robot?”

“No," Xander said, “Just working up the nerve.” he slowed reached down towards his pocket. “See, back on the farm, the family dog got caught by the automated thresher. It didn’t kill her though. So I had to…” Xander pulled out a mini laser pistol from a secret holster. “Put her down my self!’ The blast throw Rush several feet away and the Spears started running.

“Get to the escape tunnel!” Xander shouted.

“Be on guard when we get to the hotel. The police are probably all over the place by now.” Simone said.

“Right. We can’t risk being caught now. The Emerald Spears have to endure to protect humanity…Whatever it takes…” Xander Payne said with gritted teeth as he and his associates escaped into the night.

Meanwhile Luz had finished giving the same explanation to Rock about the existence magic. Then, suddenly a mass of thorny vines broke through some of the rubble and from a decently sized tunnel emerged Camila, Vee, and the rest of the Hexsquad.

“Thank the Titan. It was miles of rubble. Thanks, Willow.” Gus said in relief.

“Don’t mention it.” Willow replied.

Rock and Pharaoh Man were once again floored by this. And so the group eventually made their way out of the rubble where they were met by Agents Krantz, Stern, along with an overjoyed Kalinka and Roll.

“You never have a dull moment, do you, Dr. Light?” Agent Krantz said jokingly.

Dr. Light chuckled.

“Life’s too short to live quietly, Agent Krantz.” Light replied.

“Poppa!” Kalinka rejoiced as she and Dr. Cossack embraced.

Dr. Cossack smiled at Roll.

“Thank you for taking care of my precious Kalinka, Roll.” Dr. Cossack said with gratitude.

Rock disengaged his armor and started petting Rush, whose tail wagged when suddenly a thought entered his processor and he turned to Agent Stern.

“What about the Emerald Spears? Did you catch them all?” Rock asked.

“Thanks to your “Sister” and her friend we for all but three of ‘em. I’ve got cops staking out the hotel they were going to use for a rendezvous, but in all the chaos, it looks like they slipped through the cracks. All-in-all, good work back there, kid.” Agent Stern shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat.

“Still think all of us robots are trouble, Agent Stern?” Rick asked jokingly.

Stern let out a small chuckle and crossed his arms. “Guess they’re the same as people. It all comes down to the choices they make. Just don’t let it go to your head, processor, whatever.”

Elsewhere…

A familiar red and gray robot blinked his eyes open, with the first thing in his field of vision being Dr. Wily.

“That’s it! Wakey-Wakey! Time to rise, shine, and show some gratitude for my timely rescue!” Dr. Wily said with a grin.

Blues rubbed his head, slightly disoriented. “Doctor…Doctor Wily?” It had been a long time since he had last seen the man.

Wily grinned.

“You do remember me! How nice! You had a nasty power failure at the edge of my territory, but my Robot Masters brought you in, and I saved you.” Wily said as he helped Blues off the work table and onto his feet.

“Power failure?” Blues asked.

“Yes! There were a number of…er, factors…But chief among them was the faulted solar core Dr. Light fitted you with initially!” Dr. Wily elaborated.

“You…altered me?” Blues asked, a little uneasy.

“I improved you! I finished what Thomas left incomplete! Your old weapon systems are top of the line! I’ve designed additional defensive armor for you! And now you’re running on a nuclear core of my own brilliant design!” Wily gloated.

But there was still one question gnawing at the red and gray robot’s mind.

“But my core programming…You didn’t change “Me,” did you?” Blues asked.

Wily raised an eyebrow. “What? No, it’s still the same. Why?”

Wily grinned. “Ohohoho! Didn’t that have something to do with why you vanished?”

Blues looked away slightly. “I don’t want to discuss it.”

Blues then shook his hand. “But you saved my life. I owe you a debt of honor, Dr. Wily, if you need anything, I’m yours.”

Wily returned the handshake with a grin. “I knew I could count on you, Blues.” Wily then handed Blues a shield.

“Please, don’t call me that. I am…not that person anymore.” Blues said grimly.

“Oh? Well, I’m not calling you DLN-000. That’s boring. You were the prototype for this generation of Robot Masters, what about “Proto Man?” Wily suggested as he went over to grab a helmet for the red and gray robot.

“Maybe…It still ties me to my past, though…” Blues said in deep though.

“I see, I see. You need a break from your past!” Wily said as he put the helmet on the robot’s head, which completely obscured his face behind a black visor and a face mask.

“Ah! And you will help me BREAK my enemies! BREAK away from your former self and join my glorious vision for the future! You will be my BREAK MAN!” Wily declared as he stepped back to take in the sight of the newt dubbed Break Man.

“That will do.” Break Man said with a nod.

Wily let out a dark chuckle and walked alongside Break Man out of the room. “Break Man, my boy, I’ve got grand plans! There’s still plenty of building to do, but you will make a fine addition…to my growing army!” Dr. Wily said as he and Break Man entered Ra Moon’s chamber, where a total of 16 Robot Masters waited, the ones from Wily’s first line…and the 8 constructed by Ra Moon…

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

The Next Day…

We open on Luz, her mother, Vee, and the Hexsquad at Light Labs. Present in the room with them was Dr. Light, Rock, Roll, Auto, the Robot Masters, along with Doctor Cossack, Kalinka, Pharaoh Man, Dr. Lalinde and Tempo. Luz was wringing her hands together nervously.

Elec Man was currently being analyzed by Medi Woman who was assessing his injuries and mending what she could.

There was an awkward silence which permeated the air. Finally Luz broke it.

“So, I’m certain there are a lot of questions among you all.” Luz said as she adjusted her glasses.

“Darn right there is, partner.” Fire Man said.

Luz ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

“So…Where do I begin…?” Luz muttered.

“It all started when I was 14 years old. I was a bit of a social outcast among my peers at highschool, what with my obsession with fantasy. I had entered the science fair with a small robot gryphon with spider breath as my project…and it might’ve gone a bit out of control.” Luz said as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

“Spider breath?” Rock asked in confusion.

“Shooting spiders out of the mouth.” Luz clarified for the young robot.

That got a few awkward looks from Rock and the others.

“That’s, uh…unique, I guess?” Dr. Lalinde said as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Anyway, eventually I discovered the Boiling Isles where I met a Witch named Edalyn Clawthorne, more commonly known as Eda the Owl Lady…” Luz trailed off.

Timeskip…

It had been a long and arduous process of retelling her entire experience in the demon realm to Dr. Light and the others. Amity and the others stepped in to tell their own two-cents regarding the story. Dr. Light and the others all listened with great interest.

“After the dissolution of Belos’s coven system, the Boiling Isles are now run by a democracy. But sadly there are those who aren’t entirely satisfied, or willing to accept change. Over the years, there have been several terrorist organizations who have popped up and been causing trouble. The Emperor’s Hand, the Sons of the Titan, the Coven Coalition, the list goes on.” Amity said.

“Remember how I said an “incident back at my girlfriend’s home” caused me to make the V.W.S into a weapon? An attack by the Emperor’s Hand decimated a decent amount of Bonesburough, and a lot of innocent witches and demons got hurt as a result.” Luz said as she crossed her arms.

Dr. Light and the others' eyes widened at this.

“So that’s why you weaponized the V.T.S.” Dr. Light muttered, now realizing the full extent of what Luz had told him vaguely beforehand.

Luz nodded in response.

“Precisely.”

Roll then raised her hand.

“You have a question, Roll?” Luz asked.

“I do. Did Medi Woman already know about this all beforehand?” Roll asked, turning to the nurse themed Robot Master.

Medi Woman turned from working on Elec Man and nodded.

“I did in fact know from my point of activation. Luz programmed me with not just knowledge of earth medicine, but also gave me a digital library of all medical knowledge from the demon realm as well. However, being unable to cast magic myself, I cannot perform any complex remedies which require magic.”

“An issue I hope to rectify one day.” Luz chimed in.

That caught the attention of Dr. Light and the other two scientists.

“What exactly do you mean, Luz?” Dr. Lalinde asked.

Luz smiled at the scientists.

“I have a dream. A dream that one day, the lines between science and magic will be completely nonexistent. That magic and technology will be fully compatible. A peaceful, utopian era of arcane technology…and advanced robotics, where man and machine live in harmony, and both are able to cast magic…That is my ultimate goal. My vision.” Luz said with passion and drive.

Luz’s ideas absolutely stunned the three scientists. Magic and Science have always been two of the greatest opposing forces, but Luz wanted to break down the barriers between them. Dr. Light smiled and got to his feet.

“Your vision is grand, Luz. Ambitious, and filled with unlimited potential. I admire that.” Dr. Light said with a warm, grandfatherly smile.

“Under normal circumstances I would say it would be impossible, but after seeing a fraction of what you and your friends here are capable of, I have to admit, I am doubting my own skepticism.” Dr. Cossack said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Elec Man then chimed in.

“Ms. Amity. That experimental power cell that Aunt Luz told you to give me when me and the others infiltrated Wily’s fortress to save Rock, was that…” Elec Man trailed off.

“That was my attempt to create a sort of self-sustaining arcane power cell, utilizing a small drop of Titan’s Blood, and a lightning glyph array. It certainly worked in boosting your Thunder Beam ability, but only temporarily as it used up all of the Titan’s Blood.” Luz answered.

Dr. Light then chimed in, stroking his beard.

“It boosted your Thunder Beam, Elec Man? Interesting, what was the wattage output after you used this prototype arcane energy cell?”

Elec Man thought on that for a second, running calculations through his processor.

“I would say that my energy output tripled after I crushed the power cell and absorbed its energy. However this boost was only temporary. Totaling at about 1428 Gigawatts.”

“I see. Well then, Luz, it looks like you’re already taking your first steps towards achieving your goal.” Dr. Light said with a smile directed towards the latina girl.

Luz nodded.

“Yeah, and I’ve already started drafting designs for a second version of my Arcane Energy Cell. In addition to a few other projects.”

Dr. Lalinde giggled slightly.

“She’s a lot like you when you were younger, Thomas, always so full of big ideas. I mean, you still have big ideas, but you get my point.”

Dr. Light chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yes, I get that.”

Hunter then cleared his throat.

“Okay, if everyone’s questions have been answered, it is getting late.”

Dr. Light and Luz both turned to the clock to see that Hunter was right.

“Ah, yes, you’re right, young man.” Dr. Light said before he turned to his fellow scientists.

“Mikhail, do you and Kalinka have a hotel or something?” Dr. Light asked.

Dr. Cossack sighed.

“Yes, but unfortunately it was also the hotel where the Emerald Spears were using as their meeting place, and it’s now locked down. But we were allowed to move all of our luggage out.”

Dr. Light and Rock furrowed their brows in concern. Rock then perked up as he got an idea.

“Dad, how about Dr. Cossack and Kalinka stay here for a while until they have to go back home?” Rock suggested.

Dr. Light smiled at his robot son’s compassion.

“My boy, that is an excellent idea.”

“Are certain you wouldn’t mind, Thomas? We wouldn’t want to impose.” Dr. Cossack said.

Dr. Light chuckled.

“You wouldn’t be imposing at all, old friend. Besides, it’ll be nice to catch up some more.”

“I also actually have some questions for later, Dr. Cossack. Remarkable construction on Pharaoh Man by the way.” Luz said as she inspected the Egyptian-themed Robot Master.

“Uh, thank you, Ms. Noceda.” Pharaoh Man said awkwardly.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

It was now a week after the events of the A.R.T.S festival and everyone was having a pretty low key day. Medi Woman was finally put to work as Camila’s part-time assistant at her hospital and so far proved to be a very useful robot, kids coming in for appointments especially found her adorable appearance and chipper attitude to be very welcoming. When Medi Woman wasn’t on duty at the hospital she was at Light Labs assisting Luz as her assistant.

Hunter was currently visiting the lab himself with Amity. Today was so far a pretty slow work day, Roll was out going grocery shopping with Kalinka and Dr. Cossack, and Dr. Light was drafting up some new industrial robot designs while Luz was at a workstation getting advice from Amity and Hunter regarding her second Arcane Energy Cell design. Luz was very glad that she didn’t have to keep this all a secret from Dr. Light and the others at the lab, finally able to breathe, so as to say.

Meanwhile, Rock was sitting at a computer terminal, sifting through the Light Labs database list of advanced humanoid robots. His optics then landed on a file he never saw before.

DLN-000: Blues. (Status: Missing.)

“Uh, Dr. Light. I was your first robot, right? DLN-001?” Rock asked in confusion.

“That’s right.” Dr. Light said as he looked over some components.

“Then who is DLN-000: Blues?” Rock asked in confusion.

Dr. Light then stiffened up and set the stuff he was holding down. Medi Woman, Hunter, and Amity noticed Luz stiffen up as well.

Dr. Light unfroze and walked over to Rock.

“See? I was looking through the database. Is it an error?” Rock asked innocently.

Dr. Light sighed.

“That’s…not an error, Rock. Blues…is your older brother.”

Rock’s eyes lit up and a smile grew on his face.

“Really?! I have a big brother?! When do we get to meet him?!” Rock asked excitedly.

Dr. Light winced internally, frowning.

“I’m sorry, Rock, but it’s unlikely you’ll ever get to meet Blues…” Dr. Light said mournfully.

Rock furrowed his brows in confusion.

“I don’t understand. Did something happen to him?” Rock asked in concern, seeing how his father was acting.

Dr. Light sat down and looked at the floor in deep thought.

“It was many years ago…I was younger…more naive…and just beginning my life’s work…Back then, I still counted Dr. Wily as a friend…” Dr. Light spoke.

Flashback…

In Light Labs, years ago, a much younger, and less fat, Dr. Light was putting the finishing touches on what was undoubtedly one of his greatest creations. Dr. Light’s hair and beard were brown with a gray tint to it.

“That’s it, Albert. He’s all done.” Dr. Light said with a big smile to his friend, taking off his goggles and setting his tools to the side.

A younger Dr. Wily, who rather than having his hair as two large sideburns, instead having his graying yellow hair in a spiky ponytail, walked over and inspected the gray and red robot that lay inactive on the work table in front of, stroking his moustache and raising his eyebrow.

“It’s awfully…human. Aside from the hair that is…” Wily muttered that last.

“Jealous, Albert?” Dr. Light smirked playfully, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“N-No! Don’t even start! YOU started going gray before I did!” Wily exclaimed in embarrassment.

“That’s just a sign showing we’re distinguished gentlemen of science.” Dr. Light said with a more genuine smile as he put his hand on Wily’s shoulder.

WIly cleared his throat and regained his composure.

“Yes, well, back to my point. Your military contract was for an advanced fighting robot. You’ve built…a young man.” Wily said, gesturing to the inactive robot.

“And my Robot Master line WILL be capable of advanced warfare, along with various other useful mental processes. Don’t worry, Albert, I’ll give them their weapon. But this prototype. My boy. Will stay with me.” Dr. Light said, looking at the robot with a fatherly smile.

Wily rolled his eyes, chuckling.

“I’d say you were taking your love of robotics too far, but then I’d be a hypocrite. Let’s wake him up.”

“Right. Rise and shine, Blues.” Dr. Light said as he pressed a button on a remote connected to the work table the robot lay on.

The robot then began to groggily stir awake, powering on for the very first time. His eyes were obscured by his long spiky brown hair.

“Ugh…hello?” The newly activated robot said in confusion.

The next thing he knew he was pulled into a warm hug by Dr. Light.

“Welcome to the world, my boy! How do you feel? Your self-diagnostics systems should’ve kicked in first thing upon activation.” Dr. Light asked as he released Blues from the hug and started examining him.

Meanwhile Dr. Wily, off to the side, was writing things down on a notepad, occasionally taking measurements from Blues. Blues then answered Dr. Light’s question.

“I feel…fine. All systems report nominal. But…I’m also…confused…disoriented…I know we’re in the lab, and what a lab is, but…why?”

Dr. Light was ecstatic.

“Do you hear this, Albert? He's self-aware! Not even five minutes online and he’s already thinking metaphysically!” Dr. Light said with excitement.

Dr. Wily however merely continued to take Blues’s measurements and write on his notepad, replying with.

“Mhmm. Don’t mind me. Just taking the measurements he’ll need for the weapon upgrades later.”

Blues looked down at his hands.

“Weapons?” He muttered in confusion.

Why would he need weapons? Dr. Light then stepped in, wrapping his arm around Blues’ shoulder.

“That’s not important right now. What matters is that right now you are taking the first steps to bridging that gap between humans and robotics. You have data, but what you need now is culture.” Dr. Light said with a smile.

Dr. Light then helped Blues off the table and the two of them walked out of the lab. The rest of the day was spent in the city, with Doctor Light showing Blues just about everything there was to see. His optics were unusually sensitive so Light gave the robot a spare pair of shades he had on him. He also bought him a yellow scarf which he had spotted in the window of a store. Out in the forest, Blues fed a deer some food, displaying a kindness which warmed Dr. Light’s heart. They went to the Mega City museum where Dr. Light introduced him to art. And later that night the two of them went to a music concert in the park.

Dr. Light was then working late one night when he heard the sound of whistling coming from the other room. Peering into the room he saw Blues sweeping while whistling to himself.

“Oh, hi, Dr. Light. Is something wrong?” Blues asked as he spotted Dr. Light enter the room.

“Not at all. I was just enjoying the tune you were whistling. What…what is it from?” Dr. Light asked, having never heard that tune anywhere before, and music was one of his passions.

Blues shrugged.

“Nowhere. I made it up myself.” Blues said as he returned to his task.

“Made it up yourself. I see. Very good. C-carry on.” Dr. Light said uneasily before he returned to work in the other room, glancing behind him once.

Flashback End…

Dr. Light stared down at the floor, deep in thought.

“In retrospect, perhaps I pushed too much of the world, of my own ideas, onto Blues all at once, but he seemed to be taking it all so well…” Dr. Light said with melancholy.

Hunter, Amity, Luz, and Medi Woman had gathered around as well to listen to Dr. Light’s story, having pulled up chairs.

“I still don’t understand. What happened to Blues?” Hunter asked softly.

This question was also shared by Rock and the others. Aside from Luz.

Dr. Light sighed.

“At the time a great deal of my funding came from military research. Without them, I never would’ve been able to construct Blues. However, my benefactors wanted something to show for their investments…” Dr. Light trailed off.

Flashback…

Dr. Light and Blues were at a military testing ground with several high ranking military personnel. As the top brass talked amongst themselves, Dr. Light spoke to Blues who was wearing a red helmet with a black visor.

“Remember your programming. Hit-and-run. Don’t be reckless. Pick your targets wisely, and don’t forget to use your cover to your advantage.” Dr. Light said in a serious tone.

The last thing he wanted was for Blues to get badly injured.

“Relax. I got this.” Blues said with a confident smirk, engaging his buster arm cannon before walking to the entrance of the test area.

Dr. Light then cleared his throat and turned to the military personnel to address them.

“Ahem. G-Good afternoon, gentlemen. Today’s demonstration is of Light Labs’ Autonomous Combat Robot, Model DLN-000. Today you will see how a robot can be capable of independent thought. Light Labs hopes to bring the same capabilities to the civilian sector one day, but first we will demonstrate the versatility my s--er, this robot can perform in a…in a live-fire exercise. Future models will allow for military operations with no, um, risk to human life.” Dr. Light said awkwardly.

Soon the live-fire exercise began, Blues immediately took cover behind some strategically placed walls, avoiding the blaster bolts fired by some automated gun robots. Blues then jumped out from behind his cover and shot at them with his buster, destroying one of them. He then had to seek cover again from the others but this time he decided to think outside the box, jumping up to a ledge and pulling himself over it to fire at and destroy two more automated turret robots before jumping down to the ground and, using all his strength, pushed the wall down, crushing the remaining gun robot. Electricity then began sparking from Blue's body.

The military people then began talking amongst themselves.

“V-Very good. We move on to exercise two.” Dr. Light muttered.

The second exercise involved Blues needing to shoot down a swarm of incoming bladers, however, when he raised his buster to aim at the flying robots, he suddenly felt a surge in his systems.

“D-Doctor Light, something is…” Blues trailed off as his buster shot missed the swarm and they flew at him, cutting at his armor and some of his mechanisms with their helicopter blades and making him scream in pain.

“BLUES?! Stop the test! Stop the test!” Dr. Light shouted to the military personnel, concerned for his boy’s safety.

The test was stopped and Dr. Light rushed over to Blues, who had fallen over onto the ground. Dr. Light then opened up a panel on Blues’s chest and plugged his tablet into him to see what had happened. His investors also wanted to know, but not for the same reasons.

“What happened? Everything was going so well.” One of them asked.

Dr. Light looked at his tablet, identifying the problem.

“There seems to be an imbalance in his power generator…He’s never been put under this kind of strain…” Dr. Light trailed off.

One of the military men raised his eyebrow at Dr. Light.

“You didn’t test it first?”

“Of course I did! But everything about him is unique-experimental. A robot this advanced requires a tremendous amount of power, and when the output demand is pushed…” Dr. Light trailed off.

One of the generals crossed his arms.

“It certainly shows promise, but the power failure is a concern.”

Another nodded in agreement.

“Yes…a simpler model would require less power. A simpler battle software would still be sufficient.”

The men then started to walk away, with the general saying.

“Congratulations, Doctor. You’ve won us over. We’ll clear you for further research funding. Get back to us when you have a smaller, simpler model.”

“Y-Yes, sirs…Thank you.” Dr. Light said as he cradled the unconscious Blues in his arms.

Flashback End…

“Heartless pendejos…” Luz muttered through gritted teeth.

Amity put her hand on top of Luz’s to calm her girlfriend down, which worked. Hunter meanwhile was thinking deeply. Honestly…he could see a little bit of himself in Blues…

“But that wasn’t my REAL failure with Blues…” Dr. Light added.

Flashback…

Blues woke up groggily in Light Labs, his chest panel open and his core connected to a plug. He could hear what sounded like Dr. Light and Dr. Wily arguing in the next room. He unplugged himself and closed his chest up before walking over to the door.

“Absolutely not!” Dr. Light shouted.

“Listen to yourself, Thomas! You’re way too attached to him. Let me do the modifications.” Dr. Wily countered.

“I said “no!” Dr. Light affirmed.

Blues walked over where he saw Light and Wily arguing.

“Oh, so you’ll trust me to design his arm cannon, but you won’t trust me to modify his power core?” Wily snapped back.

“You DESIGNED it, but you didn’t install it. I did!” Dr. Light shouted.

“And you obviously did it wrong, hence the imbalance!” Wily shouted back.

Light narrowed his eyes at Wily.

“You were BANNED from directly working on advanced robotics.” Light said, pointing his finger at Albert.

“Oh, nice of you to reopen that wound, Thomas!” Wily shouted back.

“You brought that upon yourself, Albert!” Light snapped back.

He then took a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

“But more importantly, Blues is MY boy, and I’LL handle his redesigns.” Dr. Light affirmed.

“Dr. Light…” Blues called out.

Light’s eyes widened in surprise and he turned around to face Blues.

“Blues! I didn’t know you were already recharged. Are you alright? Do you feel off balance at all?” Dr. Light asked in concern, kneeling and putting his hands on Blues’s shoulders with worry on his face.

Dr. Wily rolled his eyes at the sight. This whole situation was absurd. Thomas should’ve just let him handle the whole thing.

“I’m fine. W-What’s this about redesigning me?” Blues asked in concern.

“Your power generator is flawed. If I don’t fix it, the imbalance will eventually destroy you. I have to redesign your core to save you.” Dr. Light answered, pointing to the spot on Blue's chest where his power core was underneath.

“And what if you bungle it and erase his personal coding?!” Wily shouted.

“I’m sure you’ll retain all of your personality traits!” Doctor Light tried to console Blues while simultaneously glaring at Wily in the corner of his eyes.

Wily scoffed.

“Heh. Just as you were sure his generator would work properly?” Wily said sarcastically.

Light spun around to glare at Albert face to face.

“You’re not helping!”

“I know. You won’t let me.” Wily said as he crossed his arms.

Dr. Light took a breath before turning around back to Blues.

“Blues, go plug yourself back up in the lab so your power remains stable. We’ll begin work tomorrow morning.”

Blues however wanted to protest.

“But-”

“NOW. Please…this is for your own good.” Dr. Light said sternly.

Blues clenched his fists before he walked off.

“What about what I want?” Blues muttered to himself.

Flashback End…

Luz and the others were thinking deeply about all of this. Luz then spoke up.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this…But…maybe you should’ve let Dr. Wily do the modifications to Blues’ power core…” Luz said, leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

Dr. Light sighed.

“Perhaps you’re right, Luz. But regardless, that night…Well, I can’t be certain this is how it played out, but I’ve run the scenario over and over again in my head…”

Flashback…

That night, Doctor Light lay in his bed in his pajamas while on a live video call with Dr. Lalinde to discuss the…issues…he’s been having with Blues.

“I just don’t understand, Noelle. It’s to save his life!” Dr. Light said as he ran a hand through his hair.

“You coded the closest thing to a free will of his own and you didn’t expect him to use it?” Dr. Lalinde replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course, and I want him to! But I want him to make good, logical decisions.” Dr. Light replied.

“From what you’ve told me, he thinks his life is in danger. Do you know anyone who’s logical when faced with their own mortality?” Dr. Lalinde said.

Dr. Light sighed.

“I hate getting into debates with you.”

Dr. Lalinde smirked.

“You call me for my dazzling insight, or was it just to complain about your boy?”

“In part to forewarn you if you’re still planning on building…”Tempo,” was it?” Dr. Light replied.

Light then looked off to the side.

“Honestly, it would be EASIER if I DID rewrite that rebellious streak out of him…”

“You don’t mean that.” Dr. Lalinde snapped.

“No, of course not. I’m just saying…” Dr. Light tailed off with a sigh.

“I don’t know what I’m saying, Noelle. Once he’s repaired, I’ll make it up to him. And in the long run, he’ll see it was for the greater good.” Dr. Light finished with a smile.

However, little did Dr. Light know, Blues had been standing outside the entrance to his room and heard the conversation he was having with Dr. Lalinde…But…he had only stuck around long enough to hear the part about rewriting his personality… Packing a duffel bag with a few E-tanks to last him a while, tears in his eyes, Blues left the lab, leaving only a picture frame holding a family photo of himself and Dr. Light shattered on the floor, vanishing into the night…

Flashback End…

“I never heard of or saw him again… My pride…My arrogance…They robbed me of my first creation…My first son…” Dr. Light trailed off with tears in his eyes.

Seeing Doctor Light like this broke everyone’s hearts. Rock, wanting to cheer up his father, spoke up.

“Well, then, we can go look for him! Me and Rush can start looking right now, dad!” Rock said as he hugged Dr. Light.

Dr. Light smiled sadly at Rock.

“Heh…No, Rock. Blues’s power generator would’ve gone offline by now…It pains me to say it…But he’s gone…”

Luz looked at the ground, her mind filled with guilt. She should’ve said something that night when she saw Blues with her own eyes. She should’ve gone after him, maybe convince him to come back to the lab and patch things up with Dr. Light…but now it was probably too late…

Little did she, or any of them know at the time, that that was hardly the case.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Luz was walking down the streets of Mega City by herself, her destination, a graveyard. After the depressing mood of yesterday, learning about the horrible misunderstanding between Dr. Light and Blues, Luz needed to air out her emotions, and she often did that by visiting her father’s grave and just standing there, talking, as if he were listening. Luz had a lot on her chest she had to get off…

Turning the corner on the street, Luz saw the graveyard ahead of her. After a little more walking she made it to the entrance and pushed back the gate. Once in the graveyard she saw acres of tombstones, mausoleums, and crypts. However…some of these tombstones and other things had graffiti spray-painted onto them, much to Luz’s dislike. To think that some punk, or punks, would defile a person’s resting place like that. Luz shook her head and sighed, making her way to her father’s grave.

However, the closer she got, she heard laughing, and the sound of aerosol spray. Luz’s eyes widened and peered past a tree to see a group of delinquents messing around near her father’s grave. There were 4 of them, 2 boys, and 2 girls. Luz narrowed her eyes and summoned Stringbean from her bag of holding in staff mode. Spinning her staff around, Luz drew a spell circle, creating an illusion over the graveyard and scared the punks off by making them see zombies rising from their graves, and all sorts of creepy ghosts and monsters. The punks ran out of the graveyard screaming. When they were gone, Luz dispelled the illusion and walked towards her father’s tombstone to inspect it. Thankfully those punks hadn’t damaged or vandalized it.

People needed to start treating these things more seriously…Luz’s eyes widened as she got an idea…a BRILLIANT idea…

Later, Dr. Cossack was sitting in Light Labs, drinking coffee from a mug when suddenly Luz slammed the door open, startling him.

“GAH! Luz! You startled me!” Dr. Cossack exclaimed as he got his racing heart under control.

Luz sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

“Sorry about that, Dr. Cossack, but I need a favor.” Luz said.

Dr. Cossack raised an eyebrow.

“A favor? What kind of favor exactly?”

“I need to borrow one of the Robot Master blueprints you showed me a couple days ago.” Luz answered.

“Which one?” Dr. Cossack asked.

“Skull Man.” Luz answered.

Dr. Cossack gave that some thought.

“I suppose. But, what do you want with those blueprints?”

“I want to use them as a base for my next Robot Master, who is going to function as a graveyard security robot, based on the grim reaper, and Skull Man’s design seems like the perfect base to build upon.” Luz answered as she walked over to her own workstation and pulled out some blank blueprints.

Dr. Cossack was slightly confused.

“A graveyard security robot? Tell me, what exactly brought this idea on?”

“I went to visit my father’s grave today and I found a bunch of punks vandalizing the entire cemetery. I scared them off with an illusion but it made me realize that we need better security around graveyards, whether it be from graverobbers, or the average run-of-the-mill punk.” Luz answered as she started writing notes down.

Dr. Cossack sighed and walked over to a table which had a briefcase on it. He then unlocked the case and pulled out a rolled up blueprint and closed the case before walking over to Luz, blueprint in hand.

“Here it is. The blueprints for Skull Man.” Dr. Cossack said as he handed the blueprints to Luz, who accepted them with a nod.

“Thank you, Dr. Cossack.” Luz said as she unrolled the blueprints for the yet to be built skeletal Robot Master.

Timeskip…

The completion of Luz’s second Robot Master actually took less time than Medi Woman did, but that probably had to do with Dr. Light and Dr. Cossack assisting her with the project. During the construction of this new Robot Master, Luz and Dr. Light approached the city council regarding the matter of this new Robot Master and what function it would serve. It was agreed that the cemetery would have better security, and this Robot Master would be in charge of it.

Finally, Reaper Man was completed…

Reaper Man was a mostly black and white robot with a skull-like mask, his armor also had a little bit of orange, and on his head he wore a tattered hood to give him the grim reaper vibe, in addition to a ceratanium scythe. Luz stared at the fruits of her and the two doctor’s labor with pride.

“He’s perfect. Spookier than I could’ve hoped for.” Luz muttered.

She then activated the Robot Master, whose eyes fluttered open. The minute he laid eyes on Luz, Reaper Man knelt before her, much to her slight surprise.

“Mistress. NMN-002: Reaper Man. I live to serve you, and protect the final resting places of those who died, from those who would dare to desecrate them. Those who dare trespass on the hallowed grounds of the cemetery shall know fear.” Reaper Man declared in a raspy, haunting voice which sent chills down Luz’s spine.

Luz smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah, you’ll do just fine. But, uh, don’t ever call me “Mistress,” again. It just feels weird. Just call me, “Luz.” Luz said as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

“But of course, Luz.” Reaper Man said as he got to his feet, holstering his scythe on his back.

The scythe was really only meant for intimidation purposes, but if he actually had to defend himself it was most certainly an effective weapon.

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

Timeskip…

Several weeks have passed since Luz constructed Reaper Man and the Cossack family had already gone back to Russia, but in that time Luz had learned much from Dr. Cossack, and she, along with Roll, became close with Kalinka. In that time, Dr. Light also constructed at least two new Robot Masters. Concrete Man and Splash Woman. Concrete Man was a construction robot similar in body type to Guts Man, at first when the two Robot Masters met they were at each other's throats, but now they were the best of buddies. Splash Woman was a Robot Master designed for aquatic rescue, she was modeled after a mermaid and that gave Luz an idea for another future project. But that would have to wait for later as she had to keep working on her self-sustaining Arcane Energy Cell project. The new year had also passed, it now being 20XX. The Emerald Spears had attempted to attack again during New Years Eve, but Mega Man managed to defeat them. However, Xander Payne and his associates managed to escape again…

Right now, at Light Labs, Auto was shining Rock’s helmet as Roll helped Dr. Light get his tie on. Luz, Camila, Vee, and the Hexsquad were present as well, along with Medi Woman and Reaper Man.

“It’s fine, Auto. If it gets any shinier, you’ll have to call me “Bright Man” or something.” Rock said jokingly as Auto kept polishing his helmet.

Luz chuckled off to the side.

“Actually, Rock, Doctor Cossack is designing a Robot Master with that exact name.” Luz said as she organized some of her blueprints with Amity’s help.

“This is your big day! You. Must. Look. Perfect!” Auto declared as he kept shining Rock’s helmet, much to the amusement of Luz and the Hexsquad.

“I don’t know what you did to your tie, Dr. Light, but I. Will. Fix it!” Roll declared as she adjusted Dr. Light’s tie.

Rock then put his helmet on and looked to his sister.

“I feel a little bad that the city is throwing a birthday party for me, but not for you, Roll.”

Roll finished fixing Dr. Light’s tie, walking over to her brother and smiling.

“Oh, please! You stopped Dr. Wily three times, and the Emerald Spears twice. You’re famous now!”

Rock sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, but you were amazing during that cruise ship disaster!”

Roll had been having a beach day with Kalinka and Tempo, but quickly found themselves in the middle of a natural disaster as a sudden storm caused a cruise ship to almost capsize. Roll stepped up to the plate and helped people evacuate the beach and even helped get people from the ship to safety. Rock, at the time, was out of action as Dr. Light, Dr. Lalinde, and Luz had worked to modify his systems to give his legs a slide function for extra mobility. They had no idea this whole thing was happening at the time. Thankfully, Roll and the others got help from Oil Man, and the newly activated Splash Woman.

Roll, rolled her eyes, in response and pinched Rock’s cheek playfully.

“Yeah, well, when I save four more, then we can get a holiday named after me, deal? Now quit worrying and enjoy the day! I’m proud of you!” Roll said with a smile as everyone walked towards the door, with the residents of the Boiling Isles casting illusions to hide their ears, and shapeshifting into human form in Vee’s case.

Dr. Light carefully moved his hand towards the doorknob as if it would blow up.

“Alright, it’s three meters to the truck, and another two meters to Camila’s van. Stay calm and keep walking forward. We can do this.” Dr. Light said as he slowly opened the door.

As soon as they walked out they were met with a mob of reporters and paparazzi, microphones shoved in their faces and asked to comment as cameras flashed in the air as some asked Rock ridiculous questions like, if he and Dr. Light were secretly hiding Wily in their basement.

Meanwhile, at the Temple of Ra Moon, in the Amazon Jungle…

Dr. Wily was adorned in a magenta bathrobe and fuzzy slippers he had Ra Moon make for him, sipping coffee from his favorite skull mug as he watched the news coverage of outside Light Labs on a large monitor with a scowl.

“This is Plum with Channel 5 News! We are currently outside Light Labs, home of Dr. Light and his most famous creation…Mega Man! We’re just hours away from the big celebration downtown commemorating this world-wide darling robot’s activation! I’ll see if I can get a comment from the birthday bot himself!” The female reporter on screen said.

Wily scoffed. It should’ve been HIM getting the interviews and the notoriety. Plum actually did manage to get Rock’s attention.

“Mega Man! You’ve saved the city from disaster time and again! Any words for your adoring crowd?” Plum asked, putting the mic close to Rock so he could speak into it.

Rock bashfully rubbed the back of his neck.

“Um…ah…Thanks, I guess? Haha. I dunno. I’m just happy to help, and it’s nice everyone is so supportive of me, so…yeah! Thanks!” Rock said with the biggest, most heartwarming smile.

Meanwhile in the background, Auto was trying to help Dr. Light onto the truck as they were getting mobbed by reporters from all sides.

Wily rolled his eyes.

“Mother of Tesla, Thomas, does he run on pure sugar?” Wily grumbled before he took a sip of his coffee.

Plum then caught Luz and the others as they were making their way as sneakily as possible to Camila’s van, but obviously they weren’t sneaky enough.

“Hey, you’re Luz Noceda! The intern who helped Dr. Light build Mega Man! Care to give a comment? Especially in regards to the completion of your first two Robot Masters? Medi Woman and Reaper Man?” Plum asked, pushing the mic in Luz’s face.

Wily’s eyes widened and he did a massive spit take, mouth hanging agape as he saw the two mentioned robots on screen.

“What?! That intern built not just one Robot Master, but two?!” Wily exclaimed in shock.

No…she couldn't have built them both by herself. Thomas most likely helped her. That could be the only explanation. Medi Woman didn’t look all that interesting, but even Wily had to admit that he kinda liked the design of Reaper Man, because of his whole skull motif.

Luz became bashful.

“Um, yes. I am Luz Noceda. I’m the one who designed Rock’s Variable Weapons System, but I would like it to go on record that the VWS is not merely just a weapon. It is also a tool. As for comments or questions regarding my first two Robot Masters…l don’t really have the time right now, but maybe we could establish an interview later?”

Plum smiled.

“We most certainly can, Ms. Noceda. Thank you for your time.”

Plum then walked away from Luz. Dr. Wily scowled at this new development but grinned as he got an idea.

“Break Man! Front and center!” Wily shouted.

The red robot then walked over, standing next to Wily, eyes fixated on the screen through his mask’s visor.

“Something I thought you should see.” Wily said with a subtle smirk.

Plum then continued to speak.

“We’ll be bringing you full coverage of this day-long celebration. Earlier, we had a chance to sit down with Mega Man’s creator, Dr. Thomas Light.” Plum said as footage of her interview with Dr. Light started playing.

“Dr. Light, you’re regarded by many as the “Father of Modern Robotics.” Your theories allowed for advanced robots like me to exist. Out of all your creations, what makes Mega Man special?” Plum asked.

That’s right. The reporter herself was a robot, but not a Robot Master. There was a difference between the two, as Robot Masters had their remote control functionality to guide other, lesser robots in their tasks. On screen, Dr. Light sheepishly chuckled and was sweating, he always got nervous during interviews.

“It’s hard to say, Plum. I wrote Rock’s coding myself, but he’s always had a special spark to him, and it wasn’t a blown fuse! Haha!” Dr. Light laughed at his own joke, his laughter was shared by Plum.

Light then got his laughter under control and continued to speak.

“I love ALL of my creations, so I’d feel bad saying one is any better than the rest. But he truly is special, and all his hard work honors me. He’s the kind of son any man would hope for.” Dr. Light said with a sincere smile.

Break Man clenched his fist angrily.

“I must say, I’m impressed, Break Man. You’ve been recovering and working here so diligently. Meanwhile, that REPLACEMENT gets praise, parties, and ALL of your father’s love. I’d certainly understand if you took a break from your duties here and used the power I gave you to get a little well deserved retribution…” Wily said with a grin.

Blues-Break Man..thought on that for a second before he teleported away. Wily smirked.

“Finally, he’s gone! No more moralistic questions from Break Man, Mega Man’s day is sure to be ruined, AND they’re both too busy to bother me! Perfect! I can’t have anything interrupt me or Ivo right before we launch the next phase of our little plan…” Wily said with a dark chuckle as he walked off to get dressed.

Meanwhile, downtown in Mega City, Guts Man, Cut Man, and Bomb Man were walking through a flea market looking for something to get for Rock’s birthday.

“I know it’s not your function, but THINK! We’ve got to get SOMETHING for his birthday!” Bomb Man said.

“Don’t yell at ME! YOU shot down all of my ideas!” Guts Man retorted.

“Big Rock,” and “Bigger Rock,” are NOT good ideas!” Bomb Man snapped.

“His name is “Rock,” isn’t it?” Guts Man reasoned.

Guts Man and Bomb Man were about to brawl when Cut Man suddenly…CUT in.

“Hey, guys. How’s this for “Over the top?” Eh? Eh? Stylish, right? Gotta love the TRIM!” Cut Man said with a shit-eating grin as he walked over with a green fedora awkwardly positioned on his head blades.

Bomb Man and Guts Man shared a flat look.

“Why did you bring him again?” Bomb Man asked as he and Guts Man started to walk away.

“I tried to get Ice Man to take him off my hands, but he won’t answer or return my calls. He cares more about glaciers than his own brothers.” Guts Man replied.

“Hey, come on, guys! Wait up!” Cut Man whined as he ran after his brothers, dropping the hat on the ground.

The three of them started browsing the shopping district to try to find a present for Rock. Bomb Man suggested fireworks while Cut Man suggested getting a puppy, but Guts Man pointed out how Rock already has Rush, who is already the ultimate good boy. They realized that they only had five minutes until the ceremony started, so the three of them ultimately decided to just get their brother a gift card.

Later, down at town hall, the mayor of Mega City was giving Rock the key to the city. Luz and the others were all on the stage and Auto was wearing an I Love Mega Man shirt. Another thing of note was that the Capcom video game company got permission to use Rock’s likeness and made a video game series adaptation of his previous exploits against Dr. Wily. Luz and the others actually found the second game to be much better than the first, although Luz had more than a few rage quit sessions when navigating Quick Man’s stage.

Rock was being handed the key by the mayor when, suddenly, a bust shot fired at them from the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper. Thankfully the mayor was not harmed. The crowd however was sent into a panic. Rock engaged his Mega Buster and started scanning around for who shot the blast, spotting a figure on top of the skyscraper. Then, a whistle rang through the air…a tune which was hauntingly familiar to Dr. Light, whose eyes widened in shock.

“BLUES?!”

Luz, and the others eyes widened in shock as well.

“Up there! The party-crashing jerk!” Guts Man shouted, pointing up at the building as he and the other two Robot Masters made their way through the crowd.

“Hey, show some respect!” Bomb Man shouted at the sniper.

“Think he’s a Wily-Bot?” Cut Man asked his brothers.

Rush came to Rock’s side and Rock called out to Break Man as the mayor was quickly evacuated.

“Hey! Red Sniper Joe! I don’t know what your problem is, but let’s keep this between us! Nobody else has to get hurt, okay? We might even be able to talk it out.”

Break Man didn’t verbally respond however, raising his buster and firing at a hedge which had been cut in Rock’s image and making the crowd scatter. Luz’s eyes widened in shock. Turning to her friends, she said.

“Guys, start helping people get to safety, now! Reaper Man, go assist Rock and the other Robot Masters. Medi Woman, make sure my mom and Vee get to safety.”

The Hexsquad and her Robot Masters nodded, Medi Woman began escorting Camila and Vee to safety, and Reaper Man jumped into action, unholstering his scythe blade and rushing off to assist his fellow Robot Masters. Luz, Amity and the others then started helping to get people to safety.

“Guts Man, make sure no humans are hurt!” Reaper Man shouted as Rock boarded Rush, the robo dog having transformed to his rocket board configuration or “Rush Jet,” before taking off into the air towards the red sniper.

“I TOLD you to leave the people alone! Now you’re in for it!” Rock shouted at the red robot as he aimed his buster at him.

Break Man however jumped off the building and used a banner to swing toward an alleyway where he started to jump off the walls, making his ascent to the roofs. Rock, following him, built up a charged shot and fired at the red robot, but Blues blocked it with his shield. He then blasted Rush out of the air, sending the robot dog crashing onto the roof.

“Rush! Rush, speak to me, boy!” Rock shouted as he got to his feet and ran over to his dog, who whimpered in pain, indicating he was still functioning.

“Hang in there, buddy. I’ll teleport you back to the lab, and-” Rock was cut off when Break Man blasted him from behind, making him shout in pain.

Looking behind him with a glare, Rock stared at the red robot who had his buster pointed at his face.

“Look, if fighting is what you want, I’ll FIGHT you! Just let me take care of my dog!”

The red robot lowered his buster slightly when he suddenly heard movement behind him and turned around in time to block an attack from Reaper Man’s scythe blade, which was now coated in a black energy. Behind him was also Cut Man, Guts Man, and Bomb Man, all three of them at the ready.

“You take care of Rush, Rock. We’ll cut in for now.” Cut Man said with a grin, two Rolling Cutters in hand.

“Cut Man. Don’t even start.” Bomb Man said as a Hyper Bomb manifested in his right hand, he then threw it at Break Man, but the red robot protected himself with his shield.

Rock then started to get to work on repairing Rush’s transponder so he could teleport back to the lab for repairs, meanwhile Reaper Man and the other Robot Masters were battling the red robot. Guts Man tried to charge at him but Break Man dodged by jumping over him. Cut Man then threw his blades at him, but they bounced off his shield. Reaper Man meanwhile was swiftly dodging Break Man’s buster shots, his agility unlike anything.

“SHADOW SCYTHE!” Reaper Man shouted as he swung his blade, sending a dark energy slash at Break Man.

Although his shield blocked the attack, it pushed him back a few feet. Luz had gone about equipping Reaper Man with one of her early projects, she had been researching what were now known as Negative Photons, and learned how to harness them. She used these Negative Photons as fuel for Reaper Man’s primary weapon ability. Although she would’ve preferred it be fueled via shadow/darkness magic, she still had a long way to go before she could finally crack the mix between science and magic to allow for that.

“Hold still so I can crush you!” Guts Man shouted as he rushed at Break Man, fist ready to strike.

But the red robot dodged in time and Guts Man ended up clobbering Cut Man instead. Grabbing the two Rolling Cutters that Cut Man had dropped, Blues threw them at Bomb Man, cutting his arms off. Reaper Man then tried to attack Break Man again, but he lost track of him and got shot in the back, making him drop his scythe and forcing him to his knees, Guts Man then attempted to rush Break Man again, but the red robot used a pair of discarded Hyper Bombs and threw them at the large construction robot, they exploded, severely damaging Guts Man and forcing him onto his back as his damaged but still active body smoked. Rock then finished fixing Rush’s teleporter transponder and the red robo dog teleported out and back to the lab.

Rock turned around, his mouth hung agape at the state of his brothers, and Reaper Man.

“Guys?! What happened?!” Rock exclaimed.

The red robot turned around to face Rock, radiating an aura of hate.

“I am Break Man. I BROKE them.” Break Man said, glaring at Rock behind his mask.

Bomb Man then spoke up.

“I’m still standing! You focus on shoving that scarf down his throat!”

Rock readied his buster, glaring at Break Man.

“I’ll cover you, Bomb Man. You go call for help.”

Rock then approached Break Man and the two began circling each other, glaring at each other.

“You endangered the people, caused major property damage, and worst of all, you threatened and hurt my FAMILY!” Rock shouted.

Break Man however remained silent. Rock narrowed his eyes more.

“Fine! No sense in holding back! You obviously don’t care about ANYONE!”

Break Man then rushed at Mega Man, jabbing at him with his shield, but Rock dodged and jumped back, unleashing a flurry of Mega Buster shots at Break Man who powered through, blocking all of them with his shield. Jumping over Rock and blasting at him with his own buster. Rock dodged this however and the two of them locked in a grapple.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily, now dressed in his usual lab coat attire, cackled as he watched the battle onscreen, putting on his tie.

“HAHAHAHA! UNhappy birthday to you, Mega Brat! And while you’re busy…” Dr. Wily trailed off as a rectangular portal opened.

“...I’m off to enact my BEST PLAN EVER with the help of my NEW BEST FRIEND, HAHAHA!” Wily cackled as he walked through the portal.

Meanwhile, back in the city, Break Man and Mega Man’s duel was getting more heated. Mega Man rushed towards the red robot, blasting away with his buster, but that shield was even more durable than that of a standard Sniper Joe! Break Man then unleashed a powerful charged shot from his buster which hit Rock, knocking him back.

“So…So that’s what that feels like…” Rock trailed off with a cough of smoke.

Break Man walked towards him, buster primed and ready to take another charged shot. Rock couldn’t move at the moment, still recovering from the blast.

“You win…just don’t hit my I.C. chip. You can break me…just don’t break…my father’s heart, or my aunt’s…” Rock coughed.

Blues stiffened up as he had flashbacks to when HE had been in Rock’s shoes, as Dr. Light’s son. Although the mention of an aunt did confuse him slightly as, last time he remembered, Dr. Light didn’t have any family of his own…part of why he built Blues in the first place…Break Man dropped his buster arm and disengaged it, his buster turning back into his hand as he started to walk away.

Suddenly though, Reaper Man attacked him from behind with a Shadow Scythe attack.

“You cannot vanquish the guardian of the dead so easily!” Reaper Man said in a raspy voice as he limped over to Rock, offering him a hand to help himself up.

Rock smiled and accepted the offered hand of the grim reaper Robot Master, getting to his feet. The two of them then walked over to Break Man who began getting to his feet, turning around just in time to see Rock building a charged shot, and Reaper Man holding his scythe menacingly.

Rock was about to say something when, suddenly, everything, everywhere, and for everyone, went white…

To be Continued…

Chapter Text

One week ago…In the Amazon Jungle, the Temple of Ra Moon, Dr. Wily stood in front of the large orb with a stern look on his face, holding a Met in his hands.

“Don’t talk back to me, Ra Moon! I said I wanted a Met with a rice cooker function, so make it happen!” Wily snapped at the sphere.

Flash Man then walked into the temple, holding something in his hand.

“Dr. Wily. I found something in the jungle while on patrol.”

Dr. Wily turned around to see what it was and his eyes widened and sparkled as he dropped the Met in his hands. What Flash Man held was what looked like a rather large diamond!

“Sweet mother of Eddison! Look at the size of that sapphire!” Wily exclaimed in amazement, grabbing the gem from Flash Man.

The red eye on Ra Moon suddenly lit up.

“Such power…Allow me to process it for you…” Ra Moon said as it extended its cables toward the gem, but Wily slapped them away.

“Forget it. Work on that rice cooker and we’ll talk.” Wily said as he walked over to one of his analysis machines he had constructed.

Hey, even an evil genius has to eat… Flash Man then spoke up.

“Er…a spectral analysis shows that it’s beryl, sir.” Flash Man said, correcting Wily’s mistake of calling the gem a sapphire.

“Fine, so it’s an aquamarine or whatever. I’m a roboticist, not a geologist. Ra Moon said it possesses some sort of power, let’s see just what this is…A new energy element, perhaps? Or maybe a…” Wily trailed off as he plugged the gem into the analysis machine.

The machine began analyzing it, when suddenly the monitor of the device let out a massive flash of light that almost blinded Wily and Flash Man.

Meanwhile…in another universe entirely, a morbidly obese bald man with a large orange mustache, and wearing a red, white, black, and gold jumpsuit was sitting in his control room…This was Dr. Ivo Robotnik, aka, Dr. Eggman…

“Orbot! Cubot! Send out a general holographic signal to my forces throughout my empire!” Eggman demanded.

The two Baddnicks, a red orb-shaped robot and a yellow cube-shaped, both saluted.

“Coming right up, boss!” Cubot said in a goofy voice.

Orbot then started typing away at a console.

“Am I on?” Eggman asked.

“And…action!” Cubot said as the signal began.

Eggman’s whole demeanor changed, being very angry.

“You incompetent ingrates! I gave my empire two simple objectives, and you failed BOTH! One: Conquer each region of the planet so that I have complete control of the world. Two: Find me that blasted, missing…Chaos Emerald…?” Eggman trailed off as the image on his monitor glitched and then showed a livestream of Dr. Wily, with the blue Chaos Emerald in the frame.

“Who are you…and how DARE you pirate my signal?! I’M the only one who gets to pirate signals!” Eggman demanded.

“WHO AM I?! I am Doctor Albert W. Wily! The GREATEST robotics genius on Earth!” Wily shouted indignantly at the screen.

In the background, Flash Man started to back away as it was best not to stay around Wily when he got angry.

“Bah! I’M the greatest robotics genius…on EARTH, you say?...Tell me, doctor, what year is it there?” Eggman asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

Wily raised an eyebrow.

“20XX. Why?”

“Interesting…Please excuse my earlier outburst, doctor. My name is Doctor Eggman, and I am the greatest robotics genius on MY world.” Eggman said, much calmer now, standing up and putting a hand to his chest in pride.

“Your world? You don’t look like a space alien…Not how I’d pictured one, anyway…” Wily muttered that last part.

Eggman chuckled.

“Hahaha! No, this is your first time dealing with alternate realities, isn’t it? Allow me to explain.” Eggman said as he sat down and began typing away at his console.

A display of two different earth’s was then displayed on the screen of Wily’s analysis device, there were subtle differences between the two, such as sizes and shapes of landmasses.

“There are infinite variations of our worlds. Some are very similar, while others are vastly different. Entire universes existing separately from one another.” Eggman explained.

“So we’re from parallel universes? Fascinating…” Wily said in intrigue as he rubbed his chin.

A grin then grew on Wily’s face.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about bringing order and a better way of thinking to the world with your machines, Doctor?”

A matching grin grew on Eggman’s face.

“Oh, I DO. And I don’t suppose you have some young upstart who gets in your way and ruins everything, do you, Doctor?” Eggman said as he twirled his mustache.

“You can’t BEGIN to imagine…Or perhaps you CAN.” Wily replied.

“Quite. We need to meet. And I have an idea as to HOW.” Eggman said.

One week later…

In another place entirely, in what looked like a chaotic amalgamated landscape of technology and organic terrain, two rectangular portals opened up and from them, Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman stepped through, walking towards each other.

“Dr. Wily, I presume?” Eggman asked with a grin as he and Albert shook hands.

“A pleasure, Dr. Eggman! Your theories were BRILLIANT! Imagine, crafting an entire dimension through the use of chaos energy! What did you call it? A ZONE?”

Eggman nodded.

“Indeed! You manipulated the Chaos Emerald expertly! Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

Wily chuckled.

“Haha, oh, stop!”

The two of them then turned to look at the horizon of this new pocket dimension of theirs.

“Ah, it’s thrilling to set foot here in this new “Skull Secret Zone.” Wily said with a grin.

“Heh heh, indeed! Except it’s the “Egg Pocket Zone.” Eggman corrected.

Wily and Eggman turned to each other, narrowing their eyes.