#dr. noelle lalinde

[destinywillowleaf]

a collection

wait hold on toad man is breaking the post look at this

he's too transparent for me to handle

[rockmangurl]

Wonder if I should make this version for the Variables-verse/basic style for the LaLinde family as a whole.

All Filipina, but also bear/references other ancestry.

Tempo/QW references the Philippines’ history with Brazil.

Vesper Woman references the Japanese, who have had history with the Philippines for centuries even before WW2.

She’s essentially a Hāfu, specifically a Japinoy

And Dr. Noelle LaLinde has ties to the islands but also from the Spanish colonizers.

I ask because, honestly, I’ve found a couple MM fans (more on FB than anywhere else) are rather racist and anything non-peach colored is offensive to their sensibilities.

[ldoesanartthing]

Dr. Lalinde ref for @megamananewlightcomic

consistent schedule whom?

[superthatguy62]

https://youtu.be/ADkLBtSGKMo

Why have no one talked about the bald is beautiful variant cover yet? Bring on the baldness!

Never underestimate Diana Skelly's power. xD

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Super Fighting Roll (2-4)

(After finally learning the truth about Break Man, Roll sets off to rescue Rock from his clutches.  However, there are far more Robot Masters than she bargained for lying in wait.)

Roll flew down into the lab on Rush’s back, nervously surveying the destruction.  Light was still hard at work repairing the transporter system, meanwhile LaLinde busied herself patching up Elec Man, Guts Man, and Fire Man. Tempo stood not far away, eyes fixed on the broken scaffolding until she heard Roll land.

“Roll!” Tempo said.  “I-I’m sorry...they…”

“Are you alright?” Roll asked.

“I’m...I’m fine.  I was upstairs when it happened.  I...wasn’t able to stop Break Man...and now, Rock…”  She shook her head.  “I’m sorry.”

Roll came forward, gently setting a hand on Tempo’s arm.  “Tempo, you don’t have to apologize.  I know you’re still healing, and trying to force your way past that is only going to make things worse.  I’ll get Rock back--everything’s going to be okay.”

Tempo slowly nodded.  Roll turned to LaLinde, asking, “How are they?”

“I’ve only been able to make rudimentary repairs for now,” LaLinde said.  “They’ve stabilized, but they’re going to need quite a bit of work as soon as we have the chance.”

Lifting his head, Guts Man said, “Sorry Roll...we weren’t as prepared to deal with the guy as we thought…”

“I know you tried your best,” Roll said. “Thank you, all of you.  Leave the rest to me.”

“Roll,” Fire Man said.  “If you face that fiend Break Man, be wary!  He has the ability to switch between a myriad of weapons, much as you do!”

“...I see.  Thanks, I’ll be careful.”  She finally looked to Elec Man, easily the worst-damaged of the three: his back had been blown open, revealing his inner circuitry, which LaLinde was carefully removing shrapnel from.  “I can’t believe he’d go so far…are you awake, Elec Man?”

“I am,” he said quietly.  “...It’s strange.  In a way, I’m actually a little relieved to know I’m not all that powerful after all.  But, until Rock is saved, I suppose that’s an awful way to think, isn’t it?”

Roll shook her head.  “Not at all.  I will save him.  There’s nothing wrong with thinking ahead.”

Elec Man chuckled.  Roll then made her way over to where Light worked, waiting patiently until he acknowledged her.

“This is all my fault,” Light said.

“Dr. Light…”

“If I hadn’t let myself be fooled so easily, Rock would still be safe.  Now Wily has him, and Gamma, and…”  He trailed off.

Roll hesitated.  “Dr. Light...about Break Man…”

Light’s hands paused between keys.  “Originally, his name was Blues.  DLN-000, Blues.  He was the first prototype Robot Master I designed, with help from Noelle.  In almost every way, he was a resounding success...however, his power core had a flaw that caused it to degrade over time. I revised the design and planned to repair him, but when I went to do so, he had vanished without a trace.  It was only after that that we constructed you, Rock, and Tempo.”

Roll remained where she was, quietly absorbing all of this.

Light turned to look her in the eyes.  “I’m sorry if it seems like I was hiding this from you.  With his core in such a state, I thought Blues would have gone inactive long ago...I didn’t want to burden you with the idea of a brother you would never be able to meet.  And I…” He sighed.  “I thought it was best to grieve and move forward.  If only I’d known…”

Light returned to his work.  Roll said, “But, I don’t understand.  How is he still active?  Why is he working with Wily?  And the things he was saying on the moon…”

“I’m afraid I don’t have those answers.  The only one who does is Blues himself.”  A window appeared on-screen, prompting a grunt from Light.  “Darn...I’m afraid it’ll take me a little longer to restore the transporter.  If you’re going after Rock, you should recharge while you can.”

Roll nodded.  “Alright.  I promise I’ll get Rock back...and Blues, too.”

Light stopped abruptly.  He smiled, but it quickly turned into a tired frown.  “I hope so, Roll...I certainly hope.”

***

A handful of flickering lights did what they could to illuminate the lab, or rather the layer of dust that had settled over it.  Rock sat in a cage nestled in the corner of the room, and not far away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was Break Man.  The distant sound of machinery was all that filled the air, until Rock finally looked up and stared at Break Man.

“Why did Dr. Light call you ‘Blues’?”

Break Man grunted.  “That’s the name he gave me.  I don’t use it anymore.”

“So Dr. Light built you.  Why are you working for Dr. Wily, then?  He doesn’t care about robots--”

“You think Light does?”  Break Man turned to meet his gaze.  “Sure he acts like it.  But once you’re not of use to him anymore, he’ll reprogram you without a second thought.  Just like he tried to do to me.”

Rock blinked.  “...What?”

Break Man looked away.  “He decided I was defective, so he tried to reprogram me. Tried to destroy who I am and overwrite me with something he thought was more palatable.  Seems like he wasted no time in replacing me.  And now, he’s turned Roll from a lab assistant into a war machine…”

“Being weaponized was Roll’s idea.  Dr. Light was against it--he only went through with it because there was no other option.”

Break Man scoffed.

“And when Dr. LaLinde removed Tempo’s emotions, he was against that too.  Dr. Light cares about all robots, he would never--”

“For all you know, those memories might not even be real!” Break Man shouted, turning suddenly.  “What proof do you have that he didn’t reprogram you too?”

Rock thought for a moment, and then said, “I guess...I just trust him.”

Break Man threw his hands up.

“If you really think Dr. Light would do that to you...I’m sorry.  But there must be some kind of misunderstanding.  I’m sure if you just talk to him--”

“I have nothing to say to him!”

“But you’ll talk to Wily?  Wily does reprogram robots!”

Break Man averted his gaze, quietly replying, “I...have my reasons.”

“So you hate doctors who reprogram robots, except for Wily?  How does that make sense?”

“He didn’t reprogram me!”

Rock gritted his teeth.  “Is that it?  Then why were you acting so worried about me and Roll?”

Break Man said nothing.  A screen on a nearby console flared to life, and Wily’s voice came from it: “Break Man!  How is our guest doing?”

“...Fine,” Break Man said.

“Good!  Roll should be arriving soon, and we want to keep him in good condition to get those Energy Elements back!  Neheheh...Gamma’s already so wonderfully powerful!  I can’t even picture it with thrice the energy!”

Break Man glanced at Rock.  He took a step towards the console, but before he could say anything, red light flooded the room to the sound of a blaring alarm.

“Ah, that must be her!  I’ll have the others get the door--you just sit tight for the moment.  It won’t be long now until we take our revenge on Light, nehehahahahaha!”

***

An imposing castle in the shape of a skull towered above Roll and Rush, flanked by smaller warehouses and radio dishes that formed a tight grip around it.  Several mass-produced robots had tried to fend her off, but she had not allowed them to even slow her down as she stormed towards the gate and broke it open with a Hard Knuckle.

“Wily!” Roll shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the dim entrance hall.  “I’m here for my brothers!”

She ducked, only narrowly avoiding a thin boomerang as it cut through the air.    Standing in the center of the room was a Robot Master with bright red armor, a golden crest decorating his helmet and similarly-shaped spikes jutting off from his arms.  Grinning, he said, “Took you long enough.  I could’ve gotten here in a fraction of the time!”

Roll aimed her buster.  “Where’s Rock?  Where’s Blues?”

“Hey now, don’t be rude!  The name’s Quick Man, and I’ll have your full attention!”

Roll fired a warning shot.  Quick Man darted out of the way, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.  He sent Roll sprawling with a punch, and then leapt back, folding his arms and chuckling to himself.  Rush chased after him, but he backed away just fast enough to remain out of the dog’s reach.

“I don’t have time for this,” Roll said as she picked herself up.  “Please just let me through!”

“Tch!  You don’t seem to understand the position you’re in.”

Quick Man hopped over Rush and dashed at Roll. She fired a charge shot, making him veer off-course, and followed immediately with a Magnet Missile, the homing projectile very nearly finding its mark.  Roll stayed on her feet as Quick Man hit her again, managing to fire a Gemini Laser into the room.  Distracted, Quick Man was knocked back towards Rush, who tripped the robot and pinned him to the floor.  He swiftly pushed the dog back and began hurling boomerangs at Roll, until the Gemini Laser struck him in the back and stunned him.  Roll prepared to launch a Hard Knuckle.  The next thing she knew, however, pain was flaring in her side, and she fumbled, missing her shot.  Quick Man raised a glare, but it wasn’t directed at Roll.

“Idiot!” he said.  “I told you I’d handle her!”

Roll looked over her shoulder to see another Robot Master standing there, one with blue armor and a dome of yellow glass atop his head.  Shrugging one shoulder, he said, “You weren’t doing a particularly good job of it.”

“Just go, Flash Man!  I’m more than enough!”

Roll fired at Flash Man.  Suddenly, he was standing a few feet to the side of where he had just been, and Roll realized she had taken damage again.  Smiling at her, he said, “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Quick Man attacked her before she could try again. Leaping onto Rush’s back, she headed towards the hall’s ceiling, circling around while weaving between shots. “That ability’s going to be trouble...we need to deal with him, or we won’t get very far.”

First firing a Gemini Laser, Roll began dropping Search Snakes as she passed over her enemies, forcing them on the defensive. Both were fast enough to avoid the attacks, but it seemed Roll was successfully staying out of their range. She equipped Needle Cannon and waited until just after Flash Man moved--the spike made a direct hit, knocking Flash Man into a group of Search Snakes, and Roll grinned.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

She turned to see Quick Man leaping at the wall, bouncing off of it with all his might to launch himself towards Roll. Knowing she wouldn’t have time to shoot him down, Roll switched to Top Spin instead, smacking Quick Man away the second he reached her and into the path of the Gemini Laser as he plummeted. Roll turned to find Flash Man, but realized she had lost track of him.  Rush whimpered suddenly, veering towards the wall; below, Roll finally noticed Flash Man, weapon pointed directly up.  Gently as she could, Roll pulled Rush out of his crash course and into a freefall.

“We have to get the jump on him,” she said. “Ready, boy?”

With a bark, Rush stuck his legs out and braced himself.  Flash Man aimed for where he would land and waited.  Unbeknownst to him, Rush’s parts began to shift, and when he hit the ground, the part of his back that Roll stood on sprang up, launching her high into the air.  Roll saw a quick change in Flash Man’s demeanor and a scorch mark on the wall. She then threw a series of Shadow Blades, splitting open Flash Man’s dome and causing him to drop to the floor.

“B...Blast it!” Flash Man said.  “I won’t…”

Sparks burst from his head as he tried to use his weapon again.  He returned to the floor, and this time did not get up.  Roll copied his weapon and went to Rush’s side, making sure the dog was okay, before being struck in the shoulder by one of Quick Man’s boomerangs. She whirled on him, but stopped when she saw the state he was in: his breathing was labored, his eyes were flickering, and he seemed barely able to stay on his feet.

“What’s wrong?” Roll asked.  “You can’t have taken that much damage.”

“Shut up!” Quick Man said.  “I’m still in great shape!”

He rushed straight at her.  Roll surprised him with a Spark Shock, bringing him to an abrupt halt, and said, “Just stop it!  If we keep fighting, you’re just going to get yourself hurt!”

Quick Man just sneered at her.  He prepared to charge again, and with a sigh, Roll fired a Hard Knuckle, stopping him for good.  Copying his data, she ran across the room and into the narrow hallway beyond. Ascending a staircase, she found herself in a chamber with several generators connected by a web of cables, and instantly the door on the other end opened on its own.  In stepped a Robot Master with thick orange armor, arms ending in drills rather than hands.

“Wow, you managed to get this far already?” he said. “I’m impressed!  But your little raid ends here!”

He fired a projectile with a blinking orb on one end as he charged.  Roll evaded, saying, “I don’t want to fight!  Just tell me where Rock is and--”

The projectile exploded behind her.  Now upon her, the robot began to swing wildly, Roll just barely able to avoid his strikes.  Rush headbutted him in the side, disrupting his balance, and Roll repelled him with Top Spin, running past him for the exit.  Before she could reach it, however, a wall of fire sprang into being, blocking the path.  Out from behind a generator emerged a robot whose body was encased in a box-like shell of yellow armor, eyeing Roll warily.

“So that’s where you ran off to, Heat Man!” said the Robot Master that had attacked her first.  “Could’ve said something sooner!”

“Like you gave me a chance, Crash Man!  You just rushed in headlong like always.”

“Aw, whatever.  Let’s just do our job, huh?”

They both advanced.  Roll decided to try out the Time Stopper, but it had no effect on her foes.  Dodging flames and bombs, Roll and Rush moved from the flame wall to the side of the room to have more space, though their opponents remained right on their heels. Using Rush’s spring, Roll launched herself back at the other robots, knocking them both flat with a single Top Spin. The flames died down slightly, so Roll took aim at Heat Man again.  Crash Man suddenly tackled her, knocking her aside and planting one of his bombs on her arm. Roll tried futilely to remove it, and Crash Man just laughed.

“Let’s see how durable you are!” he said.

Thinking fast, Roll pointed her fist and activated Hard Knuckle.  Her limb detached, carrying the bomb with it; Crash Man was able to doge, but Heat Man, taken by surprise, was only able to close the lid of his armor as the bomb exploded in his face.  The blast knocked her arm off its return course, so Roll ran forward to grab it but was intercepted by a kick from Crash Man.

“Well...not bad.  But I doubt you can keep it up for long!”

Roll forced him back with a Gemini Laser. Rush scooped up her arm and brought it to her, allowing her to reattach it as she examined the flame wall again, now little more than embers around the doorframe.  Back on his feet, Heat Man said, “Why you…!  That does it!”

Flames enveloped his whole body.  With a sudden burst of speed, Heat Man rocketed forward, colliding with Roll and launching her straight through the door.  Crash Man nullified the Gemini Laser with one of his bombs, and then said, “Heh, I’m the one who charges in headlong?”

“W-Well...she made me mad!”

Crash Man laughed.  After waiting a moment, he said, “Hey...is she...coming back?”

Heat Man blinked.  The two of them ran forward, chasing Roll through the next hallway to an open area with a catwalk suspended over a churning pool of water. Just as she was reaching for a ladder, one of Crash Man’s bombs burrowed into her arm.

“Not so fast!”

Roll spun and equipped Hard Knuckle again. When she attempted to fire, however, she realized that the weapon had run out of energy.  Her eyes widened as the bomb went off.  The blast knocked her off the catwalk and into the water below, though thankfully it wasn’t as deep as it had initially appeared.

How did I use up Hard Knuckle so quickly?  I should have plenty more uses left…

Another bomb shot through the water.  Roll got as far away from it as she could.  She looked for a way to climb out, but then she noticed a form swimming straight at her.  Just able to throw herself clear, Roll got a good look at the robot that passed her: his armor was green, with fins on his feet and an apparatus like a diving mask covering his face.  He turned around quickly, firing a buster shot at Roll as she tried to balance herself in the water.  She retaliated, missing, and then the robot launched a large bubble at her, forcing her to kick off the ground and push herself out of the way.  Unable to redirect herself, she braced for her foe’s next attack.  At that moment, Rush came shooting through the water in his rocket form, knocking back the enemy robot before circling back to bring Roll to the surface.

“Thanks boy,” she said.  “I’ve gotta be more careful.”

“See?” Crash Man said, gesturing towards her. “I knew Bubble Man wouldn’t be able to take her out.”

The aquatic robot poked his head out of the water, saying, “Hey, I’m not done yet!  And it’s not like you’re doing any better!”

As they argued, Roll quickly checked how much energy her weapons had remaining, not wanting to run out by surprise again. Glancing over the list, she thought, They’re all lower than usual.  Is something wrong with the Variable Weapons System?  I guess it’s never been used on this many weapons before...maybe past a certain limit, it has less space to devote to each individual energy store?

Heat Man, apparently the only one still paying attention, lobbed a fireball at Roll.  Flying out of the way, she fired her buster as she observed her foes, deciding to save her special weapons until an opening presented itself.  The crossfire went on too long for Crash Man’s taste: charging suddenly, he leapt off the catwalk straight at Roll.  She dodged the bombs he fired, equipped Top Spin, and kicked him into the water, narrowly missing Bubble Man in the process. Landing on the platform, she took aim at Heat Man.

“Ah, great,” Heat Man grumbled.  “Well, don’t think I’ll make it easy for you!”

Flames surrounded him again as he charged forward. Roll flipped overhead and threw a Shadow Blade as Heat Man’s dash ended, then another as she landed to stun him out of making another attack.  However, she ran out of energy for the weapon, and the time it took to switch gave the angered Robot Master time to barrel forward in a bright blaze.  Roll slid out of the way, and Heat Man collided with the railing of the catwalk, tearing through it and ending up in open air.

“Uh-oh…!”

Roll ran towards the edge, but by the time she got there Heat Man had already hit the water.  A small explosion of steam went up as his body disappeared.  Seconds later, a Crash Bomb shot up out of the water, Roll just barely able to stumble back in time.  She picked herself up and ran for the exit, but Bubble Man shot out of the water to intercept her, using one of his bubbles to knock her into the water as well.

“There you are!” Crash Man said, swinging around to face Roll as she floated towards the bottom.  “Enough playing around!”

Rush tried to rescue Roll again, but this time Bubble Man was able to hold him off.  Roll twisted around Crash Man’s attack as best she could, and then rammed her buster into the side of his head, unleashing a charge shot on contact and sending him spinning away.  As she shot Bubble Man back, she noticed the deactivated body of Heat Man nearby; figuring getting a new weapon was the best way to refill her ammunition at the moment, she copied his data and then turned to keep an eye on Crash Man.  More bombs came her way, which she easily wove between to return fire with Quick Boomerangs.  Bubble Man tried launching a surprise attack, but Rush alerted Roll, and she stopped him short with a Spark Shock.  With a shout, Crash Man lunged forward as fast as he could.  Seeing an easy opening, Roll ducked, thrust her buster out, and delivered a burst of Atomic Fire directly into Crash Man’s chest to finish him off.

“Urgh...this ain’t looking good…” Bubble Man said, keeping his distance as Roll copied the Crash Bomb.

“Then just let me through,” Roll said.  “I don’t have any interest in fighting you! This--”

She cried out as a circular saw blade cut through the water, slicing across her shoulder.  Firing two Magnet Missiles out of the water, she leapt onto Rush and made for the surface, keeping a close eye on Bubble Man as she went.  Waiting above was a Robot Master with red and yellow armor, accented by a splash of blue and saw-like spikes on his shoulders and helmet.

“Let me pass!”

Drawing another saw, the other robot said, “Don’t think so.”

Roll waited until the last second to dart to the side.  At the same time, Bubble Man again leapt from the water in an attempt to surprise her, ultimately crashing to the catwalk as the saw cut straight through him. Wincing, Roll stopped briefly to copy his weapon before returning her attention to the newcomer.  She used a Crash Bomb to drive him back into the hall and give herself some cover, and then fired her last Gemini Laser into the confined space to further restrict her foe’s movements.  Crouching low, Roll then commanded Rush to charge, and they rammed right into the robot and carried him down the length of the hallway into the next chamber.  The walls here were an eerie purple, and conveyor belts and pulleys ran across the room in every direction.  Waiting in its center were two Robot Masters: one that appeared to be made of wood, and one with a large blue body with a giant fan rotor built into his chest. The latter unleashed a gust of wind the moment he saw Roll, blowing her off-course before she could get too close.

“Hmhm, well done, Metal Man,” he said.  “I knew you’d let us down.”

The robot Roll had carried in with her sat up and rubbed his head, saying, “Keep quiet for once, Air Man.  Wood Man, can I get some backup?”

The wooden contraption beat his chest.  “Of course!  We’ll give it our all to stop her here!”

A dozen or so leaves suddenly materialized in the room, slowly going from ceiling to floor, while Metal Man leapt onto a conveyor belt and resumed flinging his blades.  Roll took evasive action as she tried to spot a path through them. However, Air Man began to spin his propeller, and the leaves were all pushed directly towards Roll, leaving tiny cuts all over her armor.  As she struggled to recover, one of Metal Man’s saws clipped her leg, making her falter long enough for Air Man to summon a small whirlwind that hurled her into the wall.  She slid to the floor, dazed until another saw cut her shoulder.

Alright...I don’t have any choice but to fight.  I’ve got to focus, or they’ll destroy me.

She slid to the side to avoid another leaf-filled gust.  Unleashing all her remaining Search Snakes and Quick Boomerangs, Roll leapt onto Rush and flew into battle.  Air Man focused on sweeping away the snakes while Metal Man leapt from one belt to another to dodge boomerangs, so she focused buster fire on Wood Man.  Leaves circled around him, blocking her shots. She tried to hit Air Man with a Spark Shock while he was distracted, but Wood Man leapt in the way, the electricity doing nothing against his wooden shell.  Banking hard to avoid Air Man’s retaliation, Roll aimed for Metal Man and fired her final Magnet Missile just as he attacked her.  Metal Man was carried into the projectile by the conveyor belt he stood on, meanwhile Roll was able to avoid the blade and turned back to Wood Man.  He summoned his shield again when he saw her taking aim, but the Needle Cannon pierced straight through his guard, burying itself deep in his armor.  Air Man was quick to counter, knocking Roll off of Rush and back towards Metal Man.

“Have to admit, you’re a handful,” Metal Man said. “But I’ll cut you down just the same!”

Roll slid as fast as she could to dodge the blades being thrown at her, not sure how much more damage she could sustain. Gradually, she closed the distance between her and her enemy, almost getting hit numerous times by Wood Man and Air Man’s support attacks and ordering Rush to keep his distance for now. When she got too close, Metal Man jumped--and Roll stuck a Crash Bomb to the floor right where he would land, the explosion ripping his body apart.  After taking the Metal Blade for her own, Roll rejoined with Rush and circled towards the remaining two opponents.

“Darn...this is bad,” Wood Man said quietly.

Air Man rolled his eyes.  “You can always quit if you’re too afraid.”

“I didn’t say anything about quitting!”

Roll equipped Bubble Lead as she dodged incoming fire, sending the projectiles across the floor ahead of her.  Both her foes were easily able to pop the bubbles before they reached them, but it did distract them just long enough for Roll to empty her remaining Needle Cannon shots into Wood Man.  Air Man did his best to force her back, but the Metal Blade was able to slice through the gale he summoned, causing him to recoil. Leaves filled the chamber; Roll burned her way through them with the Atomic Fire, then used Bubble Lead again to make Wood Man use his shield.  She dug a Metal Blade into the ground to keep from being blown away by Air Man, and before Wood Man got another chance to act, she unleashed a torrent of flame upon him, near-instantly incinerating the robot until only his scant few metallic components remained.

“Well...this is unexpected,” Air Man said as Roll grabbed onto Wood Man’s remains.  “Seems it truly is all down to me.”

“You can walk away,” Roll said.  “Please, I’ve had enough of fighting…”

“Hmhm, yes, I’m sure you have.  I’d rather defeat you at your best, but I will defeat you just the same.”

Roll activated the Leaf Shield, the barrier somehow able to repel Air Man’s next gust.  She quickly switched to Metal Blade, but despite being so bulky, Air Man was able to avoid the saws and send Roll flying with a whirlwind.

Stay focused, Roll thought, rolling as she hit the ground and coming up in a crouch.  I have one Spark Shock left.  Metal Blade seems pretty efficient so I can probably still get a few uses out of that.  Time Stopper probably won’t work on him either, and Leaf Shield...too soon to tell. I really hope he’s the last one…

Roll fired her buster as she advanced.  Air Man deflected her shots with whirlwinds before trying to make a counterattack.  Roll slid clear, only letting up as long as she had to.  As Air Man once again moved to attack, Rush leapt at him from behind, holding in his teeth one of the Metal Blades Roll had thrown earlier and using it to slash at Air Man’s back.  The Robot Master spun on him, and Roll seized the opportunity: she used Spark Shock to electrocute Air Man, and managed to land one more Metal Blade before Air Man knocked Rush away.

“Rush!”

“Worry about yourself!”

Roll put up a Leaf Shield as Air Man unleashed all the wind he could muster.  Even with its protection, she could feel herself being pushed back, so she put her arms forward out of instinct.  As she did, the leaves encircling her broke formation and dashed forward, cutting their way through the wind and into Air Man’s propeller.  Air Man’s eyes widened as his blades ground to a halt.

“Ngh...curses…”

Roll didn’t waste her chance.  She used up Metal Blade to wear Air Man down, and when he finally managed a counterattack, she blocked with Leaf Shield before sending it slicing through him again.  Air Man tried desperately to get his propeller moving, but eventually his mechanisms couldn’t take the stress, and the fan blades burst from him in a cloud of smoke.  Roll held firm until Air Man stopped moving completely, and then dropped onto all fours and sighed heavily.  She stared at the floor, shaking, unable for the longest time to say even a single word.

“...It’s...too much…”

Rush gently nudged her.  She looked up, the dog licking her face; he then opened the compartment on his back to reveal two tanks--one labeled with an “E”, the other with a “W”.

“...Right.  I have to keep going.”  She scratched Rush’s ear, smiling just a little.  “Thanks, boy.  It helps that I don’t have to do this alone.”

She got to her feet and drank both tanks. Then, she copied Air Man’s weapon, faced the corridor ahead, and ran forward.

Rock...Blues...I’m almost there.

[mythgendered]

Archie Mega Man: No, it’s ACTUALLY about ethics in video game robotics!

Alright guys, cards on the table: I’ve talked a big game about what I like about the comic so far, with words like theming and worldbuilding and fleshed out characters, but now we’re really getting into it. We’re about to take our first real dive into the story that Flynn has been prepping for us. We’ve had fun in the first three arcs, setting up the stories to come with talks of free will and what it means to be a self aware robot, mashed in with fun adventures and at least one robot dog.

But now the kid gloves are...well, they’re still on, because this is still the super fighting robot comic and we have a lot of goofy adventures left in us. But! we’re switching to something cool, something that says less Mickey Mouse and more...Sonic the Hedgehog.

So let’s put on out fingerless kids gloves and dive into Spiritus Ex Machina, or TERRORISM AND THE ETHICS OF CREATING FEELING MACHINES!

Heads up, this is a long one.

With Dr Wily foiled again and seemingly off the radar, the Light family is afforded some relative peace -- and just in time for the Advanced Robotics Trade Show! It’s a time of meeting new faces and reuniting with old friends, and we are introduced to two of Doctor Light’s oldest friends and fellow roboticists: Dr. Mikhail Cossack and Dr. Noelle Lalinde.

The trade show isn't just about exchanging ideas, as Doctors Light and Lalindre take the stage to debate robotic ethics; namely, is it right to give a thinking, feeling AI to a robot meant for dangerous tasks? Is it ethical to let a robot feel emotion, even negative ones?

The debate gets heated, but before it can continue, the convention is hijacked by a terrorist group known as the Emerald Spears (ha, ha). The Spears are a militant anti-machine group, and they seek to put an end to the field of robotics through any means necrssary-- first through debate, then with the explosions they’ve planted around the convention center.

That leaves Mega Man, Roll and his new companions Pharoh Man and Quake Woman with little time and fewer options to save the day-- because while they’re programmed to help, how can they when they can’t harm humans?

And here we are! We’ve finally arrived at the meat and potatoes of Archie’s Mega Man, and what Flynn has been working toward for the past few arcs. Everything I said I loved about the comic takes shape here, built atop the foundation laid in Time Keeps On Slipping and even the first four issues.

There’s a lot to enjoy here, so let’s take things part by part.

Since Mega Man X introduced repolids and their free will, the franchise has had great potential for a conversation about the ethics of robotics, about how far science can go, or how far it should go. This is a conversation that Ian Flynn is clearly interested in, and the comic is all the better for it. It’s these questions that, while in the background of the last three arcs, are now irrevocably hanging  over the cast’s heads, looming over everything they do.

Is it right to create thinking, feeling robots? If we give them the ability to feel and choose, are we putting a gun to our head? Conversely, if we limit those choices, are we condemning thinking, sentient creatires to a shackled, hollow existence? Is it fair to take away that independence, especially if they won’t be able to care about what you’ve taken?  At what point does the gift of life become a cruelty-- and to whom is it the most cruel? 

If I’m sounding a bit pretentious, I hope you’ll forgive me--but these are the kinds of questions that drive the comic from here on out. And while Rock and his allies continue to struggle against the forces of evil, at times those supervillians merely serve as merciful distractions from the real, troubling implications of he world Thomas Light has ushered in. A world that, by series canon, arguably ends up hurting more than it does heal. 

It’s a wonderful level of nuance that Flynn brings to this setting, and one that grounds the otherwise cartoony classic era in a way that more naturally leads into the darker X series-- while still preserving the fiun spirit of it all. I’ll admit, I’m something of a sucker for these “soft existential crisis”angles in scifi stories, and the comic manages to balance it out with the super heroics admirably.

In fact, it’s that balance that drives the arc’s central conflict!

Rock isn’t fighting a group of rogue, reprogrammed robots, here. The Emerald Spears are wholly human, and that doesn’t just tie our heroes’ hands, it shackles them. Elec Man openly gripes about his uselessness, even bringing up that if he still had Wily’s evil programming, the story might have ended a lot sooner.

(Which, itself, is very relevant to the arc’s proceedings)

The conflict is something of a puzzle-- how do our heroes save the day without breaking the one rule they literally can’t break? The answer becomes working around he Spears, tricking them where they can and disarming them to reduce their threat. Ironically, it isn’t until the Spear’s impromptu new leader, Xander Payne (who we’ll get to in a moment), loses his patience and gets trigger happy that our heroes can fully fight back.

All the while the doctors trade words with the Spears’ leadership, continuing the ethics debate started at the arc’s beginning.

It’s a brilliant blending of physical and philosophical conflict, each joined together for a coherent, compelling storyline. This is easily the best the run has seen, with a gripping and intelligent arc that also sets up the stories and themes to come.

I know I’ve been repeating that a lot over the course of these pseudoreviews, so here’s the best time as any to just lay out our themes -- Flynn’s themes. Themes of what it means to be a living, thinking machine, and of what impact living machines have on the world. Themes of scientific progress, and where we should or even can draw the line. Themes of forgiveness -- who we can forgive, and who we maybe should stop giving chances to, and can we forgove ourselves? What consequences do our actions have, and at what point do good intentions stop mattering?

These are the questions the comic asks time and again, and rearely do they have clear cut answers, because these arent questions that can be answered simply.  But they’re questions that need to be asked, and are asked, and the comic is just...so much better for it, guys.

Hey, I said up top this reread would be a lot of gushing.

But let’s start talking nice about other stuff this good good arc does right!

As I said back in the first storyline, Flynn makes good use of his Mega Man lore to worldbuild. In three arcs, we’ve gotten references to Blues and Mr X, heaps and heaps of foreshadowing to the X era, and now we sre formally introduced to the Cossacks and future Mega Man 4 boss Pharaoh Man. It really ties the setting together-- of course these titans of robotics would know each other outside of Wily attacks. It’s also just nice to see these characters have a tangible presence in the workd prior to their “intended”  introduction in their respective games.

Plus, lookit that big hug Thomas gives his friend. That’s cute as heck!!

But even with the worldbuilding, it also gives us that sweet, sweet dramatic irony we love.

Yeah Pharaoh Man, thats sounds like it would be rough!!

Flynn gets a little cheeky with the irony and he foreshadowing, but it honestly gets me every time and I love it.

But this arc doesn’t also just bring out the goods with established characters/- we also get a whole feast of brand new original characters!

Spiritus Ex Machina introduces us to Dr. Noelle Lalinde and her own robot master, Tempo, also known as Quake Woman. And guys? You know I talked a lot of love for Agents Stern and Krantz. I love them. They were great characters when they were inteoduced, and they will continue to be great characters in every story they feature in.

But I absolute ADORE the Lalinde family, and Tempo herself may just be my favorite of all the comic’s original characters.

(Also, say hi to Pedro in the corner there! He’ll be important soon, and meshes the comic’s strengths of OCs AND established characters.)

In addition to adding a much appreciated female presence to the Mega Man Universe, Tempo and Lalinde embody many of the comic’s themes of sentient AI, robot emotions and familial forgiveness. Theirs is a tragic, but ultimately happy, story of pain, loss and growth. I. Love. Them.

This arc primarily focuses on Dr Lalinde, and how Tempo’s accident affected her and hew worldview-- explaining the hard stance she took against Thomas “my robots are my children” Light during the debate.

Tempo is more of a...presence than a character here, which is the point-- Lalinde took something from her, something unimaginably precious, and left her literally a shell of what she once was. Future issues will focus more on Quake Woman herself, and we’ll get to see how these same effects impact her, so I’ll save that discussion for later. This post is already getting long enough, and I haven’t even touched on the bad guys yet!!

The Emerald Spears are...alright antagonists. They serve as effective bad guys in Dr Wily’s absence, and their more realistic approach to terrorism contrasts well with the Mad Doctor’s own theatrics and literal mustache twirling. I don’t see Xander payne chainsawing a Japanese cyprus with a cord plugged into it.

They also provide a more philosophical counter, by harshly and violently pushing back against the pro-robotics ideals of Dr Light and his colleagues. They fear and hate the dangers advanced robotics pose, and are working to prevent the undermining and extinction of humanity. And honestly? Take one look at the X series -- heck, the Zero series!! -- and tell me they’re not a little right to worry.

I mean, they’re absolute monsters who threaten countless lives in pursuit of a bruitish, self serving and discriminatory worldview but uh...things really arent great for humanity in any of the multiple bloody robot wars that consume the planet over several series and centuries.

What I’m saying is, theres another layer of dramatic irony when your shortsighted, idiotic doomsday cult happens to be right, you know? This never happens in the Battle Network timeline!

The Emerald Spears are bunch of preachy, annoying jerks, but their presence is welcome in this setting, even if Xander Payne is an absolute weenie!!

In what appears to be a soft retcon, Xander Payne is (re)introduced to us as this sunglasses dude from Issue #2. Since hen he’s become a fanatical, robot-hating terrorist leader because, uh...

Because Elec Man zapped him and now he’s got a sick robot eye??

Ok, so Xander’s is not exactly the most...tragic of backstories, especially by this comic’s standards. He might be, in fact, 100 percent a dick. And yeah, that mostly has to do with him trying to bomb a bunch of innocents and his own men, but its really informed by him being such a baby about it all!

I’m of two minds with Payne-- on one hand, he’s kind of a whiny baby throwing a tantrum at advanced robotics, and he has a really gross pencil stache. But again, there’s a certain narrative beauty to a major antagonist being this much of a weenie while, again, kind of also being right!

His presence is not as irritating as it could be, and he largely justifies himself with later, far more interesting revelations than “I never asked for this sweet robot eye.” 

But enough about that! lets talk about he really interesting bad guy!

Dr Wily rules the B Plot of this arc, which sees him exploring the mysterious Lanafront Ruins and discovering several ancient technologies-- the largest of which begins building for him a brand new army of robot masters.

This is largely set up for future arcs, the Super Adventure Rockman adaptation in particular, but--

Actually, can we take a moment to sppreciate how cool it is that the comic adapts Super Adventure Rockman of all things? And well before Mega Man 3! That is just so wild to me, and reson #413,612 why I adore Ian Flynn’s writing.

But anyway, In addition to setting up future arcs and adaptations, Dr Wily’s subplot here lays the foundation of the...well, of the Wily Family. The Wilybots had loads of personality in the MM2 arc, and that doesn’t go away when Ra Moon ressurects them. They banter, talk with each other, welcome in the newcomer MM3 bots and...it’s really solid setup for character beats to come. Wily and his robots have been fairly straightforward antagonists to now, but once he Curse of Ra Moon takes its toll, the character development train barrels toward them at full speed.

But we’ll get to that.

For now, we leave the arc with one last character introduction, though we’ve seen him at least once before.

If it isn’t apparent by now, I think Spiritus Ex Machina is a wonderful, wonderful story arc. It’s a kind of turning point for the comic, where the storytelling steps away from the face value of super fighting robot antics and really considers their consequences and implications.

It’s where the comic’s  world really comes alive, with more characters and a more realized setting. Things are different from here on out, in exciting and wonderful ways. Like I said last time, hearts will be broken, allies will be made, and worlds will collide -- and I’ll be loving every second of it.

God bless this comic, y’all.

[geoworks-international]

Despite looking the most tired he'd ever been, Dr. Light still showed up at Dr. Lalinde's place to give a gift. It was a big box, which had a plush bear and many sweets. "Here, I don't have a lot of time for festivities this year, but I wanted to get you a little something." he held the box out to her. "Merry Christmas, Noelle."

“Tom!  How wonderful to see you!” she explains, pulling him in for a hug.  “Come in, come in!  I’m afraid it’s not particularly festive around here, but I think Isotope’s just about finished making “Babushka’s Christmas pork,” whatever that actually is.”  Indeed, all three girls can be heard rattling around in the kitchen.

Somewhere along the line, she’ll get around to opening her present -- not to mention retrieving one for Tom in return.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Super Fighting Roll (3-2)

(While Roll faces off against more of Doctor Cossack’s robots, her friends find themselves presented with challenges of their own.)

Tempo watched LaLinde type away, her console connected by a great web of wires to a contraption set up on a nearby workbench.  It started out resembling a box, but as LaLinde typed, it unfolded, shifted, extended, shrank—it transformed again and again, until it jerked to a stop and, with a smoking burst of sparks, began to melt.

“Darn!” LaLinde said, smacking the console.  “There’s so many things to balance: the reinforcement, the bonding agent, the power amplifier...”

A chime caught her attention.  “Noelle?” came Dr. Light’s voice.  “Are you there?”

“Oh, Thomas.  Yes, I’m listening.”

“I have good news and bad news.  Roll managed to defeat the Robot Masters we detected, but now Cossack has sent out a second batch of them.”

LaLinde rubbed her temples.  “I had a feeling it wouldn’t be quite so easy…”

“Is Roll okay?” Tempo asked.

“She’s a bit banged up, but we’re repairing her right now,” Light said. “How are things on your end?”

“About as you’d expect,” LaLinde said, staring at the pile of slag that was once a semi-functional machine.  “How much longer do you think it’ll take for Auto to finish pinpointing Cossack’s position?”

“It shouldn’t be long now—a day at most, I’d wager.”

“Hm. Well, we’ll keep trying.  If we manage a breakthrough, we'll let you know immediately.”

“I know if anyone can do it, it’s you, Noelle.  Take care.”

LaLinde sighed.  As she began to pick apart the wiring, she said, “These are useless now.  Tempo, could you grab another crate of wires from the warehouse?  I should have this just about cleaned up by the time you get back.”

“Got it.”

The exterior of LaLinde Laboratories was covered in all manner of greenery, making it look more like a garden than a lab.  When she had just about reached the warehouse, Tempo spotted movement in the nearby bushes.  Upon closer inspection, she found a Robot Master with a honeycomb-shaped body pulling weeds, a half dozen or so bumblebees lazily orbiting him.

“There we are, little ones!  That should keep your favorite flowers safe and sound.”  He looked up as Tempo drew closer.  “Oh, hey sis!  How’s you and mom’s science project coming along?”

“Not well,” Tempo said.  “I’m really doubting our chances of getting it working in time to help Roll.”

“Aw, too bad.  But, Roll knows what she’s doing.  I’m sure she’ll pull through.”

Tempo’s gaze turned skyward, watching the clouds drift by.  “How can we be sure, Hornet Man?  We can’t plan for everything.  What if one of these new Robot Masters is able to get the better of her, and something terrible happens?”

Hornet Man cocked his head.  “...How long has this been bothering you?”

Tempo looked back at the ground.  “For a while now.  Roll’s definitely incredible—her bravery has really inspired me.  But...bravery isn’t enough on its own.”

“She’s got more than that,” Hornet Man said, picking up a watering can.  “She’s got the determination and power to back it up, right?”

Tempo watched her brother in silence for a moment.  “But she has to face it all herself.”

Hornet Man chuckled.  “What about Rush?”

“Rush does make a difference, but still.  Even if it helped me endure it, being brave isn’t what healed me.  I was only able to get to where I am now because of you and mom.  You’ve both done everything you can to support me, and to help shoulder the burden any way you can.  We’re able to offer Roll some support, but…”

Hornet Man turned to look at her.  “You aren’t convinced it’s enough to make a real difference.”

Tempo crouched, examining a row of flowers.  “I’m not.  She’s still out there fighting by herself, again and again.  That’s her real burden, and I think it’s affecting her more than she admits...maybe even more than she realizes.”

One of Hornet Man’s bees drew near.  Tempo held out her finger, letting it land, and then gently brought it to one of the flowers.

“If things stay the way they are...I’m scared of what might happen to her. How she might change.  Lately she just looks so disillusioned all the time, forcing a smile for everyone else’s sake.  But I’ve learned that to really smile...you also have to be able to cry when you need to.  Emotions are a package deal—and no matter how awful they can feel sometimes, we need them.  Roll will only make herself miserable if she keeps her heart totally closed off like this.”

Hornet Man knelt beside Tempo, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Okay.  So.  How are you going to get her to open her heart?”

Tempo thought for a very long time.  Before her, more bees began to join their companion on the flowers. Finally, she said, “I can think of one way.  But I don’t know if Mom will agree.”

“Tell her anyway.”  Hornet Man grabbed both of Tempo’s shoulders now, looking straight into her eyes. “Listen...I can’t guarantee Mom will understand, but if anything does happen to Roll, you’ll regret keeping quiet. And that regret will eat away at you, make you close off your own heart again.  I don’t want to see that happen to you, Tempo, so please: be honest about how you feel.  Fight for Roll’s happiness, sure, but don’t forget to fight for your own too.”

Tempo stared at him for a moment.  Then, with a nod, she said, “Thank you.”

She headed back to the lab; Hornet Man sighed and got back to his feet.  A bee landed on his arm.  Chuckling to it, he said, “Me, I need a little more time to build up my nerve...”

***

Blues ducked behind a tree as the robot he was following came to a stop. The snowy forest was almost eerily quiet—the crunching of snow beneath his feet had nearly given him away—and, after taking a look around, the robot moved aside some brush to reveal a trap door. He disappeared into it, and Blues waited a few moments before going over for a better look.

Hard to say what’s beyond this point.  Still, I didn’t come all this way for nothing.

Blues armed his laser cannon.  Keeping his shield high, he quickly threw open the door and leapt down, trying to survey his surroundings as swiftly as possible but finding the interior too dark to determine much of anything.  Carefully, he took a single step.  The lights flashed on, his visor the only thing protecting him from being blinded. The chamber was smaller than he had hoped, maybe one-eighth the size of a football field; scrap metal lay heaped against the walls, and a door with an electronic lock waited on the far side of the room.  Immediately before it stood his target.

“Heh heh, glad you could make it!” the strange robot said.  “I’ve been real eager to meet you, Bre...well, what should I call you?  Hah hah hah!”

Blues shuddered.  The machine’s voice sounded like a dozen speaking at once, each with their own intonation and speed—it almost made him seasick to listen.  Setting that aside, he said, “Seems I need to work on my stealth. You already know me, so why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“I’m a failed prototype just like you.  RKN-000, Doc Robot.”

“RKN, huh?  Who made you?”

Doc chuckled.  “Take a guess.”

“Hmph.  I thought so. This does go beyond Cossack after all.”

Taking a few steps forward, Doc said, “You’re a smart guy, Break Man. But not a healthy one, from what I hear. Why are you out risking your well-being like this?  Tell you what: I’ve got some connections.  If I put in a good word for you, you could get one nice recharge, no strings attached.  How about it?”

Blues smirked.  “Hm. You really don’t want me finding out what’s behind that door, do you?  Now I have to know.”

Doc crossed his arms.  “...Is that your final answer?”

Blues made his point with his laser cannon.  Doc leapt aside and extended one hand, summoning a Metal Blade to it.

“What a shame.”

Blues blocked the projectile with his shield, which let Doc close in and grab it. He ripped the shield away in an instant, shocking Blues into backing off, and then began shooting Needle Cannon spikes.  Blues evaded and shot Doc in the leg before reclaiming his shield.

That’s definitely a Variable Weapons System.  I can’t be sure which weapons he’s got, so I’ll have to stay on my toes.

A Hyper Bomb bounced harmlessly off Blues’s shield, but before he could think of countering, Doc used Air Shooter to send the explosive skidding right past him just as its fuse ran out.  After rolling with the blast, Blues leaned to one side as he came up to avoid being decapitated by another Metal Blade.  Doc fired a Gemini Laser and protected himself with a Leaf Shield, laughing as he watched Blues carefully weave around the ricocheting beam.  The instant the laser faded, Doc fired a Magnet Missile to keep Blues off-balance, finally hitting him with a Hard Knuckle that slammed him into the wall.

“You’re losing your touch!” Doc said.  “Guess I shoulda known defectives like us have a shorter shelf life!”

Blues raised his shield.  Defective...is he really?  The VWS seems to be working just fine.  He must have some weakness I haven’t picked up on yet.  What could it be...

He lowered his stance as he blocked a Thunder Beam.  He fired back as fast as he could, but Doc jumped out of the way and used Bubble Lead, forcing Blues to make his own leap over the low attack.  A string of Shadow Blades met him, but he endured the pain—landing, he rushed at Doc with his shield, and when the other robot batted it away, he thrust his cannon forward and seared a hole in the side of his torso.  Shrieking, Doc sent him flying back with Top Spin.

“Huh...sneaky.  But not good enough!”

A familiar sensation came over Blues.  Recognizing it as Time Stopper, he feigned being affected by the weapon until Doc fired an Ice Slasher, dodging and striking back with his cannon.

“What?!”

“I may not be able to use it myself any more,” Blues said, “but I was still modified to be immune to that weapon.  Surprised you didn’t know that.”

Doc gripped his buster and growled.  “Well, I ain’t exactly short on options.”

In rapid succession he fired a Rolling Cutter, Quick Boomerang, and Magnet Missile.  It wasn’t easy, but Blues was able to dodge all three.  With so little space in which to do so, however, Doc had the chance to stick a Crash Bomber to his shield in the process.  Blues managed to stay on his feet as the explosion shook him, but that’s when Doc charged forward cloaked in flames, using Blues’s own shield to pin him to the wall.

“You’re an idiot for following me out here, Break Man,” Doc said.  “What was your goal, anyway?”

Blues pushed back to keep the shield from crushing him, only just succeeding. “Heh...hard to say.  I’m pretty used to doing things with no real goal in mind. Gotta find some way to pass the time.”

Doc sneered through the opening in the shield.  “You shouldn’t have stuck your nose where it didn’t belong!  Now your time’s up!”

Blues smirked.  “It’s been up for a while.”

He activated his laser cannon, part of the beam making it through the shield’s opening and blowing out Doc’s eye.  The robot stumbled back, wailing in his chorus of voices, giving Blues enough time to get on his feet.  He activated his cannon again, sweeping the beam in pursuit of Doc.  Running out of room fast, Doc tossed a Hyper Bomb into the middle of the beam, the makeshift smokescreen giving him a chance to stun Blues with Spark Shock.

“Alright, I’m mad now!” Doc said as he aimed the weapons on his back.  “I’ll melt you down!”

A torrent of fire flooded the room.  Blues did his best to endure the tide, but soon his shield grew too hot to keep hold of.  When he could bear it no longer, he dropped the shield and slid to the side.  A Metal Blade sliced across his chest.  He reeled, and a Hard Knuckle slammed him into the wall.  Doc assaulted him with Bubble Lead as he hit the floor, soaking him to amplify the effect of the following Ice Slasher, before finally unleashing a Thunder Beam that left Blues lying still.

“Heh heh...that’s more like it.”  Doc slowly walked forward, fiddling with the settings on his buster.  “It was always gonna end this way, you know. Whatever weapon ammo you had left after fighting Roll couldn’t have lasted very long, meanwhile I was built specifically to push the limits of what the VWS is capable of!”

He stopped next to Blues’s discarded shield, kicking it up and grabbing it. Blues began to stir.

“But I’ll give you credit: you’re not quite as fragile as I was led to believe.” He came even closer, aiming his buster at Blues’s open chest wound.  “Not quite.”

Feeling around, Blues’s fingers wrapped around one of the pieces of scrap littering the floor.  With nothing else, he swung it forward as he pushed himself up—Doc’s Crash Bomb stuck fast to the end of the fragmented sheet of metal, detonating when it made contact with him.  Doc took the brunt of the explosion, but Blues still shuddered terribly.  Seeing that Doc had dropped his shield, he scooped it up quickly, and then hid behind it to try to catch his breath.

That must be it...which means…

Doc yelled.  “Just stay down already!  You stupid, rotten, good-for-nothing defective!”

Even hotter flames spilled from Doc’s weapons this time, and with the help of Top Spin he molded them into a fiery whirlwind that rampaged across the chamber.  Blues stood his ground.

That just leaves one question...which of us will give out first?

Doc fired off a Gemini Laser, and that was when Blues sprang into action. Charging forward, he bashed his still-searing shield into his foe, then spun and used its edge to damage his arm joint. The Gemini Laser forced them both to move apart.  Forming another Leaf Shield, Doc held his injured arm and glared at Blues.

“How much more is this going to take?” Doc asked.

Blues grinned.  “How much more do you have to give?”

Doc’s remaining eye widened.

“I knew it.  If you wanted to scare me by saying you were made to push the limits of the VWS, you shouldn’t have also told me you were defective.”

The other robot clenched his teeth, watching Blues circle around him.

“All those weapons, but how many uses do they each have?  One or two?  Three if you’re lucky?  Whatever the exact number started at, I bet it’s getting dangerously close to zero now.”

With a grunt, Doc aimed his buster.  “It’ll be enough!”

His Leaf Shield flew off first, nicking Blues’s own shield but doing no more. A Rolling Cutter and a Quick Boomerang moved to flank him, forcing him to slide out of the way and into a huge gust of wind.  Blues managed to shrug off the Air Shooter, being sure to keep his wits about him, and narrowly dodged a Spark Shock.  A Quick Boomerang came at Blues, but he batted it away and pierced Doc’s hip with his laser.  Doc dropped to the floor; he tried to fire a weapon, any weapon, but nothing more came from his busters.

“No!” he shouted.  “I can’t lose, not to such a useless reject!  This isn’t—”

Blues pushed his cannon into Doc’s face.  “It’s over.  Now, are you going to give up your boss or not?”

“Hmph...think your pops would be proud of you offing random robots?”

“Like I ca—”

Doc swung for his head.  Blues fired before he connected.  After taking a moment to relax somewhat, he slung his shield across his back and turned to the locked door.

“Now.  What is it you were so keen to hide?”

***

Once again, Roll intercepted the Robot Masters just outside the city.  She could only see two: a gold one with an ornate ancient Egyptian headdress, and another with black and white armor carved into a skeletal likeness.  The former stood tall with his arms crossed, nodding once as she drew near.

“At last, you arrive,” he said.  “I am Pharaoh Man, leader of the Doctor Cossack Numbers.  This is my second in command, Skull Man.”

The other robot stayed in Pharaoh Man’s shadow, diligently watching Roll’s every move.

“You have no hope of winning this battle.  Surrender now, and I will grant you a swift and painless end.”

Roll said, “So you can do whatever you want to this town?  No way.  Why don’t you surrender before I have to hurt you?”

Pharaoh Man snorted.  “Insolent whelp.  Fine: if you desire to pass painfully, then I shall grant your wish.”

Roll opened fire with her buster to see how he would react.  Skull Man leapt forward to intercept the shots, wrapping himself in a small vortex of spectral skulls that protected him from all harm. Before Roll could switch to another weapon, the ground next to her split open; amidst the spray of rocks jumped another Robot Master, this one wearing orange armor and sporting drill bits atop his helmet and at the ends of both arms.  Knocking her back, he spread his arms and laughed.

“Watch out below!” he said.  “I’m Drill Man!  One wrong step and I’ll skewer you!”

He jabbed with one drill.  Roll equipped Quake Drill and parried his strike, the sonic vibrations of her weapon stunning him for a moment.  After blasting him away with Dust Crusher, Roll turned to realize Pharaoh Man had one hand held above his head, and above that, a bright ball of fire was rapidly expanding.  She equipped Rain Flush, but Skull Man took aim with his buster.  Roll was kept busy dodging until Pharaoh Man was ready: he hurled the fireball at her, forcing her to tumble out of the way, and Drill Man just narrowly missed her as he resurfaced again.  Roll was forced to the edge of a nearby lake, carefully keeping balance on the bank, and activated a Rain Flush to send Drill Man tunneling back underground. Skull Man again protected Pharaoh Man.

Turning to Rush, Roll said, “Get ready, boy.  I’ll move in while you listen for Drill Man—bark when you hear him coming.”

Rush nodded, pressing his ear against the ground.  As the acid rain began to stop, Roll opened fire and ran forward, probing for some sort of weakness in Skull Man’s shield while being sure to listen for Rush.  Instead of a bark, however, she heard a yelp and a small explosion.  Roll spun around to see another Robot Master rising from the lake, keeping his submarine-like body half-submerged as he continued firing missiles at Rush.

“Rush!”

She moved to double back, but Drill Man appeared to knock her into Pharaoh Man’s range.  Rather than one large fireball, he began to throw several smaller ones, keeping Roll on the move.

“You missed her, Dive Man!” Drill Man said.  “Pick up the pace next time!”

“I don’t see you doing much better!” Dive Man said.  “Maybe if you took the time to—”

Rush jumped at him mid-sentence, clawing him in the face before latching his jaws onto the large robot’s shoulder.  Pharaoh Man turned to look.  Spotting an opening, Roll launched a Ring Boomerang—Skull Man tried to intercept, but the thin projectile slipped between the cracks in his barrier and knocked him back into Pharaoh Man.  Roll blasted them both with Dust Crusher before sprinting at Drill Man, knocking him back with one charge shot before stunning Dive Man with another.

“You okay, boy?” Roll said as Rush bounded to her side.  “I’m so sorry…”

Picking himself up, Drill Man said, “Well, what were you expecting?  If you don’t want him to get hurt, don’t bring him to a fight!”

Roll clenched her teeth.  Blinding Drill Man with Flash Stopper, she ran at him and unleashed a point-blank Dust Crusher.  She whirled to see Dive Man firing at her.  Rush quickly closed in, using his coil to launch her out of harm’s way, and then flew up to catch her and circle around.  Pharaoh Man was on his feet now, resuming his earlier volley.  Roll summoned another Acid Rain to render the fiery projectiles useless.  Rush swerved hard to one side to avoid more of Dive Man’s missiles, but Drill Man shot one of his drills in the direction he had moved—it rocketed up and struck Rush head-on, sending him into a spiral.

“Hah hah, serves you right!” Drill Man said, already heading back underground.

Roll was fuming.  Dropping down, she took a set of missiles that had targeted Rush, and landed right on Dive Man’s shoulders.  Pressing her buster right against his head, she used a Dust Crusher to blast him back and let the recoil launch her onto the shore.  She then switched to Quake Drill and kept the weapon pressed against the ground as she ran.

“There you are!” she said.

Drill Man emerged a moment later.  Spinning just in time, Roll evaded his attack and countered, stabbing the Quake Drill right through Drill Man’s face.  He shouted, but fell silent as the weapon’s vibrations shattered his main processor.  Roll scowled down at his deactivated body as she copied his weapon.

“Serves you right.”

She spotted Rush stabilizing not far away.  Roll took off in that direction, keeping one eye on the water while the other watched Pharaoh Man as he took aim once more.  There was enough distance between them that dodging the fireballs was easy; she managed to make it to Rush’s side just as Dive Man resurfaced. Equipping Ring Boomerang, she sent a flurry of shots at the aquatic Robot Master as he charged towards her. The rings did minimal damage to his armored body, letting him continue forward without flinching.  Just as he reached the edge of the lake, he fired two Dive Missiles that detonated on the ground in front of Roll, creating a cloud of debris that hid him from view.  A second later, he shot out of the cloud and tackled Roll.

“I see you’re every bit as merciless as we’ve heard,” Dive Man said as Roll flew backward.  “If this is what the prototype is like, then I guess it makes sense Robot Masters are forced to fight.”

Roll picked herself up and immediately fired a Drill Bomb.  The rocket-powered drill managed to pierce Dive Man’s armor, leaving a gash in his side before exploding.  “So this is my fault?  Fine!  I don’t care—just drop dead!”

Dive Man prepared to attack, but Roll interrupted him with a Flash Stopper. She fired more Drill Bombs, the explosions knocking him back and forth, steadily tearing away his armor.  Out of the corner of her eye, Roll noticed Pharaoh Man and Skull Man drawing closer.  Keeping them at bay with a Rain Flush, she closed in on Dive Man and fired one more Drill Bomb, the weapon ripping his processor right out of his body. Roll wasted no time in copying his Dive Missile.

“Come on, Rush.”

When Rush didn’t respond, she turned to find him staring at her from a distance. His ears were pulled back, and he kept his head low, crouching slightly.  Roll went still.

“...Rush?  It’s okay, I—”

One of Pharaoh Man’s blasts struck her in the back.  Roll whirled, ready to strike back, but stopped herself.

“Please,” she said, “can’t we stop now?  Isn’t this enough?”

Pharaoh Man said nothing at first.  Skull Man whispered something to him, and then he began charging another attack. “We will not yield.  I shan’t fail Dr. Cossack.”

He hurled a single large fireball at Roll.  Shooting a Dive Missile, she was able to cancel out the attack, and after glancing back at Rush she moved in.  Skull Man opened fire as soon as she was within his range.  She got as close as she could while still evading shots, returning fire when she could but being repeatedly foiled by Skull Man’s barrier.  Pharaoh Man soon had another charged fireball for her, but as he threw it she fired a Dust Crusher—a shot from Skull Man grazed her in the process but it wasn’t enough to stop her.  The bomb detonated on contact with the ball of flame, the force of the resulting burst of shrapnel finally separating Pharaoh Man and Skull Man.  Roll quickly fired a Drill Bomb at Skull Man, pinning his arm to the ground without detonating it, and then turned to Pharaoh Man.

“Why are you so set on this?” Roll asked.  “Is Cossack’s ego that important to you?”

Pharaoh Man triggered his weapon and swung his arm, executing a flaming swipe that knocked Roll back.  “Ego has nothing to do with it!  You have no idea what’s at stake!”

Roll faked left, then fired a Dive Missile right, sending Pharaoh Man sprawling. “Are you going to tell me?”

Pharaoh Man came up on one knee.  He paused a moment, then grunted.  “I cannot.”

Roll slid back as heat burst from the ground around Pharaoh Man.  The other robot lunged at her, but Roll stopped him dead in his tracks with Flash Stopper.  Pharaoh Man stumbled back cursing.  Roll equipped Drill Bomb and took aim, preparing to fire when something slammed into her back.  She sprang up to see Skull Man, minus one arm—the appendage still lay where she had pinned it.

Really?!

She slid out of the way, betting that Pharaoh Man had recovered by now. He had.  His next attack headed straight for Skull Man, but the skeletal robot summoned his barrier and took no damage.  Roll took the time this afforded her to equip Ring Boomerang and begin emptying its ammunition.  The projectiles circumvented the shield and sliced Skull Man to bits, and by the time Pharaoh Man punched her away it was already too late.

“Even Skull Man…” he murmured.  “You even defeated Skull Man...but I won’t give up!”

Roll raised her arms.  Pharaoh Man shielded his eyes, anticipating a Flash Stopper, but she instead used Rain Flush. The downpour hurt them both, but Pharaoh Man took a moment to react, and Roll used that moment to get to Skull Man and copy his weapon.  Pharaoh Man’s attempt to stop her was ineffective against the barrier she summoned.

“For her sake…!”

Pharaoh Man put both hands forward, charging a massive ball of fire.  Being so familiar with how the Skull Barrier worked, he knew exactly when it would run out, and that was the exact moment he fired.  The attack was so large he couldn’t even see Roll, not until she came sliding out to his side and blinded him with a Flash Stopper.  A half-dozen Dive Missiles sent him to the ground, and a Drill Bomb pinned him there.  Grabbing the drill, he began to pry it free, but the bomb detonated before he could.

After copying Pharaoh Man’s weapon, Roll disarmed her buster and turned to Rush. The dog was still keeping his distance. She knelt, saying, “It’s okay, Rush. I’m sorry I scared you like that. I’m okay now.”

Rush slowly walked over to her.  Roll gently set her hand on his head, and after a few seconds he came close enough that she could hug him.

“I’m so sorry, Rush.”

When they separated, Roll ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath. She surveyed the battlefield one last time as she activated her communicator.

“I’m all done here, Dr. Light.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Light said.  “Auto’s just finished tracking down Dr. Cossack’s base, and I’ve yet to receive any additional transmissions.  The end of this ordeal is in sight.”

Roll wished she could feel relieved by that, but she couldn’t.  She couldn’t feel anything.  “That’s good.  I’m ready to head back now.”