Test of Relationships
by Martial Arts Master
Mega Man and all related characters are copyrighted by Capcom, and whoever else assisted in the making of the Mega Man Legends game. Except for the mysterious being in this story, I made him up. This fic takes place after Mega Man Legends but before Mega Man Legends 2 (because frankly I never played Mega Man Legends 2). Also, if you don't know how Mega Man Legends ends, read at your own discretion because there are some spoilers. Finally, at the end of this story, there's one of those challenges for fics authors like to set. Ok, on with the story!
***
It was nighttime, and Mega Man Volnutt was sitting on top of the Flutter, deep in thought. Ending only days earlier, he had undergone an AMAZING adventure, and he had come pretty close to losing his life many times. For instance, he didn't want to admit it to anyone, but during the battle that took place on the way to the ruins that had the red refractor, Mega Man had been terrified that the ship he was on at the time might be blown up. Luckily, thanks to Roll's skilled navigation and Mega Man's weapons, they had managed to defeat the Bonnes. But there had been other time, too, when Mega Man had been terrified without admitting it. He didn't want to think about those times, though.
He absently swatted a fly and continued with his thoughts. At the time when he thought he discovered the Mother Lode, he had been somewhat disappointed in finding Mega Man Juno instead. And Mega Man Juno had been so CONCEITED, too! He actually thought that it was up to him to decide to just exterminate all the "carbons," or people, on the island. Mega Man Volnutt had tought him a lesson, but if it hadn't been for Data, the people on the island would have been killed anyway.
And it really fried him that Data wouldn't tell him his whole history! Obviously Data knew everything, so why wouldn't he just TELL HIM?!
That last thought upset Mega Man, and he kicked the roof of the Flutter in frustration.
"What's the matter?" asked a worried voice behind him.
Mega Man spun around, and then relaxed when he realized it was Roll.
"Oh, nothing really," Mega Man said vaguely, and sat down.
Roll sat down next to him. "'Nothing' made you kick the roof of the Flutter?" she asked.
Mega Man smiled a little.
"Well, I was thinking," he replied.
"About what happened with Juno?" Roll guessed.
"You know me too well," Mega Man said, but there was nothing negative in his tone.
"Well, we've known each other a while," Roll replied. "C'mon, why don't you tell me everything?"
Mega Man sighed.
"All right," he said. "I was wondering whether I might in some way be related to that jerk Mega Man Juno."
"Why does that matter?" Roll asked. "I mean, even if you were related to him, it doesn't mean you're anything like him."
"But I think I am like him!" Mega Man exclaimed. "He seemed to recognize me when I first discovered him! He seemed to think I was like him at first!"
"Mega Man, if you think for one second you are ANYTHING like that creepo, you're outta your mind!" Roll said. "You're a lot nicer, for one thing, and you view the people on this island as people rather than carbons, like Juno did from what you told me about your encounters with him."
"Yeah..." Mega Man said doubtfully.
"So stop worrying, come back in the Flutter, and go to sleep!" Roll said. "You're gonna worry yourself sick if you keep thinking about Juno."
"Well, it's not just Juno that's the problem," Mega Man said.
Roll was confused, and said, "Well then who else is the problem?"
"Well, Data still refuses to tell me my history," Mega Man said.
"Data probably has his own reasons, and who cares anyway?" Roll asked. "Who cares about your past? It's who you are now that counts. Don't forget that."
Mega Man smiled. Roll could always cheer him up when he was sad.
"Thanks Roll," Mega Man said. "I feel better now."
"Don't mention it," Roll said, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Now go to SLEEP! It's a whole new day tomorrow." With that, Roll stood up and went back inside the Flutter. After a minute Mega Man followed her inside, went in to his room, and went to sleep.
Meanwhile...
After the whole Mega Man Juno incident, the Bonne family had taken up residence in some caves underground. Those caves, the doors that connected them all, and the tunnels that connected each cave to the surface had been made by Bomb Bonne's amazing strength (Author's Note: Some call him Bon Bonne or Baby Bonne, but the instruction manual calls him Bomb Bonne, so that's what I'm going to call him) under Teasel's direction. In fact, in her cave, Tron Bonne was reflecting on how, even though Bomb talked like a baby, he was capable of following orders to the letter. Bomb Bonne had even, under Teasel's direction, made pipes into air tubes that brought air from the surface into the caves. But Tron had other things to think about.
Like Mega Man, for instance. Mega Man had gotten the better of her family and her about 4 or 5 times. So why the HECK was she not still angry at him? In fact, the last few times she hadn't been angry at him at all. Whenever she saw or thought about him she got this really funny feeling inside of her. After having a lot of time to think about it, she STILL couldn't explain that feeling.
This made her mad. She was Tron Bonne! In her opinion, she deserved to know everything involving her! She calmed herself down by punching the wall a few times. Then she calmed down. She knew she couldn't tell Teasel about her this funny feeling. Teasel would probably get mad at the mention of the "blue boy." So who could she talk to about the funny feeling? She couldn't talk to the Servebots, because they might tell Teasel about it. Technically, the Servebots belonged to Tron, but she didn't know whether they could keep a secret from Teasel or not.
Then inspiration hit her. There was someone she could talk to! Bomb Bonne! She knew that Bomb Bonne wouldn't be able to say anything, but at least he could keep a secret due to his inability to speak anything other than baby talk. Plus, maybe Bomb Bonne could comfort her. Bomb Bonne had learned a lot more than expect. In fact, the only things he had left to learn were human speech and negative emotions.
She opened the door that led from her cave into Bomb's cave and walked in.
There was Bomb Bonne, dressed in orange armor as usual. He was awake.
"Bomb, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tron asked.
Bomb Bonne nodded.
"Ok, in a nutshell, whenever I think about or see Mega Man, I get this really weird feeling," Tron summarized.
Bomb Bonne stood still, obviously waiting for her to say something else.
"Oh, I get it, you want to know why I'm speaking to you, right?" Tron asked.
Bomb Bonne nodded again.
"Well, I can't tell Teasel 'cause he'll get mad, and I can't tell the Servebots 'cause they might tell Teasel," Tron said.
Bomb Bonne made a sympathetic face.
"It's nice to know you care," Tron said. She was glad at that moment that she wasn't one of those people whose had annoying siblings.
"Well anyway," Tron continued, "I was wondering if you had any idea what I should do."
Bomb Bonne shrugged.
"Oh. You don't know," Tron said, disappointed. Obviously Tron's disappointment showed up on her face, because suddenly Bomb Bonne hugged her. Normally she would have gotten mad at such a display of emotion, but she wasn't in a position to argue at that time since emotions were her problem.
Instead Tron felt better from the hug.
"Thanks Bomb!" Tron said, and she went back to her cave. Honestly, at times she didn't know what she'd do without Bomb Bonne.
At the Flutter, the next morning...
"Mega Man! Mega Man, wake up!" Barrel Casket shouted from outside the Flutter..
Mega Man, who was still in his own room, woke up with a start. He put on his armor and went outside the Flutter.
"What's wrong, Gramps?" Mega Man asked.
Barrel had a worried look on his face.
"Mega Man, have you seen Roll?" he asked.
"No, no I haven't," Mega Man said. "Isn't she in this ship?"
"No, she isn't!" Barrel said. "I've looked everywhere! I've looked in the ship, I've looked outside the ship; she's just nowhere to be found!"
"Don't panic," Mega Man said, although he felt close to panicking himself. Roll was not the type to run away. Did that mean foul play?
NO! he forced himself not to think of that possibility.
"Maybe Data can help," Mega Man said.
"I already sent him to search the forest," Barrel replied. "He should be back any minute now."
At that moment, Data came running up to them. He held something in his hands.
"I think you should have this," Data said, giving it to Mega Man. As usual, only Mega Man could understand what he said, for it sounded like gibberish according to everyone else. (Author's Note: This is according to the instruction manual.) "It's a note!" Mega Man said.
"A note? Let me see!" Barrel said, looking over Mega Man's shoulder.
Mega Man read the note aloud:
"I have your friend Roll safely tucked away in my abode. If you think your relationship to her is worth enough to risk your life, go to the Yass Plains. You will know what to do when you get there. Come alone, Mega Man. Bring no one else, or Roll's life is forfeit.
Mega Man crumpled the note up into a ball and threw it through an open window of the Flutter into a trash can inside the Flutter. Mega Man got an angry look on his face. So did Barrel.
"Ooh, this makes me mad!" Barrel said. "Why, back in my day I would have single-handedly defeated her kidnapper!"
"Leave that to me," Mega Man said hastily. "I'll check it out." Mega Man rushed off towards the Yass Plains.
Back at the caves inhabited by the Bonnes...
Tron was woken up by someone shouting, "Bomb! Bomb, where are you?"
She recognized the voice as Teasel's, and it sounded like he was up on the surface. Tron rushed up to the surface.
"Teasel, what's wrong?" Tron asked.
"I can't find Bomb Bonne anywhere!" Teasel said. "He's not in his cave, he's not in any of the other caves, I can't even find him on the surface!"
Tron remembered how Bomb had comforted her the night before and grew worried.
"Oh no! This is awful!" she said. "Bomb's not the type to run away!"
"Miss Tron?" asked a voice behind her. Tron felt someone tapping her on the legs. She spun around angrily.
"What IS it?" Tron asked the Servebot behind her.
"I found a note that I think you should take a look at," the Servebot said. He gave Miss Tron a note, which Miss Tron began to read aloud:
"I have your friend Bomb safely tucked away in my abode. If you think your relationship to him is worth enough to risk your life, go to the Yass Plains. You will know what to do when you get there. Come alone, Tron Bonne. Bring no one else, or Bomb's life is forfeit.
"I don't believe this!" Tron shouted angrily. "Bomb's been kidnapped by some NUTCASE calling himself a relationship tester! I bet it's just some fugitive from an asylum! I'm gonna go to the Yass Plains and give him a piece of my mind!"
With that, Tron rushed off in the direction of the Yass Plains.
"Wait, Tron! You don't know what you might get yourself into!" Teasel called after her. Then he sighed. When Tron's mind was made up, she was so stubborn it was almost impossible to reason with her. Teasel hoped nothing would happen to his sister like it did to his brother.
At the Yass Plains...
Mega Man arrived at the Yass Plains, out of breath from a lot of running. Then he looked around. The note said Mega Man would know what to do when he got there, but so far Mega Man hadn't seen anything even remotely hinting at what he should do.
He began to worry about Roll. Roll had been his friend ever since she and her grandfather had found him. Mega Man didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her.
Suddenly Mega Man heard someone else rush up behind him. He spun around, and saw a face he recognized.
"Tron!" Mega Man shouted.
"What are YOU doing here?!" Tron asked him in astonishment.
"You're not gonna believe this," Mega Man said, and then he told her why he was there.
"The same thing happened to me," Tron replied, "only my brother Bomb Bonne got kidnapped."
"That's weird," Mega Man said.
Before he got any further, though, there was a large ripping sound, and it was like a hole was being cut out of the air. In fact, that's exactly what appeared in front of Mega Man and Tron: a hole.
"I guess that would qualify as something unusual," Mega Man said. "I'm going in there!"
And before Tron could object, Mega Man dived into the hole in the air. Tron immediately charged after him.
Through the hole...
Mega Man and Tron ended up standing on a large black wrestling-style ring. That was not unusual. What was unusual is that the ring appeared to be floating in space, only that space had air and the sky was pink.
"Black and pink," observed Tron. "I guess whoever designed this place had excellent fashion taste."
"I couldn't care less about fashion," Mega Man said. "All I wanna know is what happened to Roll."
Suddenly a voice started laughing. The voice had a weird echo to it, as if it was coming from all directions.
"Stop laughing, wherever you are!" Tron shouted out! "I assume you're that Relationship Tester mentioned in the note."
Gradually a form began to take shape on the same black wrestling-style ring as Mega Man and Tron were on. The form was a combination of handsome and hideous, if that were even possible. The top half of this mysterious being looked like a human dressed in the torso portion of a waiter's suit. The bottom half looked like the eight legs of a spider-like Reaverbot.
"Greetings," the mysterious being said. "You are correct. I am the Relationship Tester."
"So what do you want?" Mega Man asked.
"Let me explain by first telling you how I came to be here," the mysterious being said. He cleared his throat.
"I used to live on a planet where everyone was shaped like I am," he began, "only with the top halves looking like different humans from being to being. I had a friend, and I used to think we were inseparable, always looking out for each other. At the time our planet was ruled by a tyrannical goverment. My friend and I led a resistance movement to overthrow that government, and we succeeded in overthrowing the government and creating a democracy. I thought that my friend and I would always be famous for our accomplishments."
Then the being got an angry look on his face.
"But my so-called friend double-crossed me," he continued. "He took all the credit and made everyone believe that he had done all of the work, while I just got in the way. I tried to convince them that this wasn't so, that we each had an equal part in overthrowing the tyrannical government, but alas, my friend was too eloquent of a speaker, and I was seen as jealous, merely trying to take the credit. On my planet, jealousy is absolutely the worst emotion there is, and I was banished to this dimension."
"So why do you call yourself the Relationship Tester now?" Mega Man asked.
"I was so mad about my friend's betrayal," the mysterious being explained, "that I lost all trust in relationships, believing that they never work. However, last night I began to have doubts in my beliefs. So I decided to do a little test: I'd use my powers to reach beyond this dimension and kidnap Roll and Bomb Bonne, to see if you two would even come here. And you did. You passed the first part of my test."
"A test?!" Tron exclaimed angrily. "I want my brother back, you bully! What did you do to him?!"
"Calm yourself," the mysterious being said. "Bomb Bonne and Roll are unharmed, but I've placed them in a state of suspended animation. Should you pass the second part of my test, I will send them back to your dimension with no memory of ever being here."
"So what's the second part of this 'test?'" asked Mega Man.
The mysterious being made a hand motion, and suddenly clones of Mega Man and Tron materialized on the black wrestling-style ring.
"The second part of this test is to kill these doubles," the mysterious being explained. "But be warned, they will try to kill you too. Of course, I will teleport you outside this dimension, but..."
"But what?" Tron pressed.
"But if you leave this dimension rather than risk your life battling your clones, I will vaporize Roll and Bomb Bonne instantly."
"Then I'm staying here!" Mega Man shouted.
"Me too!" Tron said emphatically.
The mysterious being seemed surprised.
"I didn't actually expect you to stay here, but since you are, you may now commence with the second part of the test. Mega Man, you first," the mysterious being said. He waved a hand, and Tron's clone disappeared, leaving only Tron, Mega Man, and Mega Man's clone.
The mysterious being turned to Tron and said, "You had better hide in a corner. You're not allowed to interfere in this part of the test."
"Hmph!" Tron said, and went and stood in a corner of the black wrestling-style ring.
"Clone, you may commence the battle," the mysterious being said.
Mega Man's clone suddenly started firing rapid Buster shots at Mega Man. Mega Man leapt over them and started firing shots of his own. However, the clone cartwheeled aside. Then, the clone just stood there.
Mega Man thought it was weird that the clone was just standing there, not doing anything. However, he couldn't think about that now as long as Roll was in danger. He rushed at his clone.
Suddenly, the clone reached out and grabbed Mega Man around the throat. The clone started choking Mega Man. Mega Man was gasping for air, but the determined look in his eyes never faded.
"You know, you can just ask me to teleport you out of this dimension," the mysterious being said.
"And leave Roll behind so you can vaporize her? No way!" Mega Man managed to gasp out. He managed to loosen the clone's grip just enough to allow him to breathe, but he still couldn't break free.
The mysterious being seemed surprised.
"You mean you are willing to risk dying as long as you save Roll's life?" the mysterious being asked.
"In a heartbeat!" Mega Man said.
The look on the mysterious being's face was one of shock.
"I never thought I would see the day when one valued a relationship so closely," he said. He made an abrupt decision.
The mysterious being waved a hand, and the clone disappeared.
"Hey, what gives?" Mega Man asked.
"You've shown me what relationships, be they friend or sibling relationships, are REALLY like," the mysterious being replied. "So I've decided to teleport Roll and Bomb Bonne back to your dimension without a problem. You've passed the test as far as I'm concerned."
"All right!!!" shouted both Mega Man and Tron at the same time.
Much later, in the afternoon, at the Flutter...
Roll was doing a routine check-up on the engine of the Flutter. She didn't remember anything about the kidnap ordeal.
She heard Mega Man call out to her from the roof, "Roll, could you come up on the roof? I gotta talk to you about something."
"Just a minute!" Roll called back. After she finished the check-up, she went out onto the roof and sat down next to Mega Man.
"So, what's up?" Roll asked.
"Well, have I ever told you about how good a friend you've been to me?" asked Mega Man. Mega Man didn't want to frighten her by reminding her of the ordeal.
If it was possible to look both pleased and confused, that was how Roll looked.
"No, but thanks. Why are you telling me this now? What's the occasion?"
"Oh, I just remembered that I've never told you before, which meant I was overdue. And I'm always one to catch up on anything I'm overdue in."
Roll shrugged, thinking that Mega Man probably had too much sun today, and went back in the Flutter.
In the caves...
All of the Bonnes and the Servebots were up on the surface.
Teasel, after having been told by Tron not to mention the kidnap ordeal to Bomb Bonne, said, "All right everyone, we need to develop a plan to get rid of the blue boy once and for all!"
"Here, here!" everyone shouted. But Tron's shout was only half-hearted. Number one, she still had that funny feeling whenever she thought about Mega Man. Number two, she felt guilty that Bomb Bonne had been kidnapped the night before metaphorically right under her nose. She resolved to work harder to protect her family next time, especially Bomb Bonne, with whom she could share her feelings without any negative feedback.
The End
***
Remember how, in the beginning of this story, I mentioned a challenge I was gonna set? Well, I'm gonna set a challenge for other authors right now. Here's the challenge: Write a romance fic involving Mega Man and Roll as a couple, and the fic has to take place in the Mega Man Legends universe. If any of you respond to my challenge, please do me one favor: Put my name in your summary of the story so that I may easily find it by the Fanfiction.net search feature. Thank you in advance. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com.
by Martial Arts Master
Mega Man and all related characters are copyrighted by Capcom, and whoever else assisted in the making of the Mega Man Legends game. Except for the mysterious being in this story, I made him up. This fic takes place after Mega Man Legends but before Mega Man Legends 2 (because frankly I never played Mega Man Legends 2). Also, if you don't know how Mega Man Legends ends, read at your own discretion because there are some spoilers. Finally, at the end of this story, there's one of those challenges for fics authors like to set. Ok, on with the story!
***
It was nighttime, and Mega Man Volnutt was sitting on top of the Flutter, deep in thought. Ending only days earlier, he had undergone an AMAZING adventure, and he had come pretty close to losing his life many times. For instance, he didn't want to admit it to anyone, but during the battle that took place on the way to the ruins that had the red refractor, Mega Man had been terrified that the ship he was on at the time might be blown up. Luckily, thanks to Roll's skilled navigation and Mega Man's weapons, they had managed to defeat the Bonnes. But there had been other time, too, when Mega Man had been terrified without admitting it. He didn't want to think about those times, though.
He absently swatted a fly and continued with his thoughts. At the time when he thought he discovered the Mother Lode, he had been somewhat disappointed in finding Mega Man Juno instead. And Mega Man Juno had been so CONCEITED, too! He actually thought that it was up to him to decide to just exterminate all the "carbons," or people, on the island. Mega Man Volnutt had tought him a lesson, but if it hadn't been for Data, the people on the island would have been killed anyway.
And it really fried him that Data wouldn't tell him his whole history! Obviously Data knew everything, so why wouldn't he just TELL HIM?!
That last thought upset Mega Man, and he kicked the roof of the Flutter in frustration.
"What's the matter?" asked a worried voice behind him.
Mega Man spun around, and then relaxed when he realized it was Roll.
"Oh, nothing really," Mega Man said vaguely, and sat down.
Roll sat down next to him. "'Nothing' made you kick the roof of the Flutter?" she asked.
Mega Man smiled a little.
"Well, I was thinking," he replied.
"About what happened with Juno?" Roll guessed.
"You know me too well," Mega Man said, but there was nothing negative in his tone.
"Well, we've known each other a while," Roll replied. "C'mon, why don't you tell me everything?"
Mega Man sighed.
"All right," he said. "I was wondering whether I might in some way be related to that jerk Mega Man Juno."
"Why does that matter?" Roll asked. "I mean, even if you were related to him, it doesn't mean you're anything like him."
"But I think I am like him!" Mega Man exclaimed. "He seemed to recognize me when I first discovered him! He seemed to think I was like him at first!"
"Mega Man, if you think for one second you are ANYTHING like that creepo, you're outta your mind!" Roll said. "You're a lot nicer, for one thing, and you view the people on this island as people rather than carbons, like Juno did from what you told me about your encounters with him."
"Yeah..." Mega Man said doubtfully.
"So stop worrying, come back in the Flutter, and go to sleep!" Roll said. "You're gonna worry yourself sick if you keep thinking about Juno."
"Well, it's not just Juno that's the problem," Mega Man said.
Roll was confused, and said, "Well then who else is the problem?"
"Well, Data still refuses to tell me my history," Mega Man said.
"Data probably has his own reasons, and who cares anyway?" Roll asked. "Who cares about your past? It's who you are now that counts. Don't forget that."
Mega Man smiled. Roll could always cheer him up when he was sad.
"Thanks Roll," Mega Man said. "I feel better now."
"Don't mention it," Roll said, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Now go to SLEEP! It's a whole new day tomorrow." With that, Roll stood up and went back inside the Flutter. After a minute Mega Man followed her inside, went in to his room, and went to sleep.
Meanwhile...
After the whole Mega Man Juno incident, the Bonne family had taken up residence in some caves underground. Those caves, the doors that connected them all, and the tunnels that connected each cave to the surface had been made by Bomb Bonne's amazing strength (Author's Note: Some call him Bon Bonne or Baby Bonne, but the instruction manual calls him Bomb Bonne, so that's what I'm going to call him) under Teasel's direction. In fact, in her cave, Tron Bonne was reflecting on how, even though Bomb talked like a baby, he was capable of following orders to the letter. Bomb Bonne had even, under Teasel's direction, made pipes into air tubes that brought air from the surface into the caves. But Tron had other things to think about.
Like Mega Man, for instance. Mega Man had gotten the better of her family and her about 4 or 5 times. So why the HECK was she not still angry at him? In fact, the last few times she hadn't been angry at him at all. Whenever she saw or thought about him she got this really funny feeling inside of her. After having a lot of time to think about it, she STILL couldn't explain that feeling.
This made her mad. She was Tron Bonne! In her opinion, she deserved to know everything involving her! She calmed herself down by punching the wall a few times. Then she calmed down. She knew she couldn't tell Teasel about her this funny feeling. Teasel would probably get mad at the mention of the "blue boy." So who could she talk to about the funny feeling? She couldn't talk to the Servebots, because they might tell Teasel about it. Technically, the Servebots belonged to Tron, but she didn't know whether they could keep a secret from Teasel or not.
Then inspiration hit her. There was someone she could talk to! Bomb Bonne! She knew that Bomb Bonne wouldn't be able to say anything, but at least he could keep a secret due to his inability to speak anything other than baby talk. Plus, maybe Bomb Bonne could comfort her. Bomb Bonne had learned a lot more than expect. In fact, the only things he had left to learn were human speech and negative emotions.
She opened the door that led from her cave into Bomb's cave and walked in.
There was Bomb Bonne, dressed in orange armor as usual. He was awake.
"Bomb, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tron asked.
Bomb Bonne nodded.
"Ok, in a nutshell, whenever I think about or see Mega Man, I get this really weird feeling," Tron summarized.
Bomb Bonne stood still, obviously waiting for her to say something else.
"Oh, I get it, you want to know why I'm speaking to you, right?" Tron asked.
Bomb Bonne nodded again.
"Well, I can't tell Teasel 'cause he'll get mad, and I can't tell the Servebots 'cause they might tell Teasel," Tron said.
Bomb Bonne made a sympathetic face.
"It's nice to know you care," Tron said. She was glad at that moment that she wasn't one of those people whose had annoying siblings.
"Well anyway," Tron continued, "I was wondering if you had any idea what I should do."
Bomb Bonne shrugged.
"Oh. You don't know," Tron said, disappointed. Obviously Tron's disappointment showed up on her face, because suddenly Bomb Bonne hugged her. Normally she would have gotten mad at such a display of emotion, but she wasn't in a position to argue at that time since emotions were her problem.
Instead Tron felt better from the hug.
"Thanks Bomb!" Tron said, and she went back to her cave. Honestly, at times she didn't know what she'd do without Bomb Bonne.
At the Flutter, the next morning...
"Mega Man! Mega Man, wake up!" Barrel Casket shouted from outside the Flutter..
Mega Man, who was still in his own room, woke up with a start. He put on his armor and went outside the Flutter.
"What's wrong, Gramps?" Mega Man asked.
Barrel had a worried look on his face.
"Mega Man, have you seen Roll?" he asked.
"No, no I haven't," Mega Man said. "Isn't she in this ship?"
"No, she isn't!" Barrel said. "I've looked everywhere! I've looked in the ship, I've looked outside the ship; she's just nowhere to be found!"
"Don't panic," Mega Man said, although he felt close to panicking himself. Roll was not the type to run away. Did that mean foul play?
NO! he forced himself not to think of that possibility.
"Maybe Data can help," Mega Man said.
"I already sent him to search the forest," Barrel replied. "He should be back any minute now."
At that moment, Data came running up to them. He held something in his hands.
"I think you should have this," Data said, giving it to Mega Man. As usual, only Mega Man could understand what he said, for it sounded like gibberish according to everyone else. (Author's Note: This is according to the instruction manual.) "It's a note!" Mega Man said.
"A note? Let me see!" Barrel said, looking over Mega Man's shoulder.
Mega Man read the note aloud:
"I have your friend Roll safely tucked away in my abode. If you think your relationship to her is worth enough to risk your life, go to the Yass Plains. You will know what to do when you get there. Come alone, Mega Man. Bring no one else, or Roll's life is forfeit.
Signed, the Relationship Tester"
Mega Man crumpled the note up into a ball and threw it through an open window of the Flutter into a trash can inside the Flutter. Mega Man got an angry look on his face. So did Barrel.
"Ooh, this makes me mad!" Barrel said. "Why, back in my day I would have single-handedly defeated her kidnapper!"
"Leave that to me," Mega Man said hastily. "I'll check it out." Mega Man rushed off towards the Yass Plains.
Back at the caves inhabited by the Bonnes...
Tron was woken up by someone shouting, "Bomb! Bomb, where are you?"
She recognized the voice as Teasel's, and it sounded like he was up on the surface. Tron rushed up to the surface.
"Teasel, what's wrong?" Tron asked.
"I can't find Bomb Bonne anywhere!" Teasel said. "He's not in his cave, he's not in any of the other caves, I can't even find him on the surface!"
Tron remembered how Bomb had comforted her the night before and grew worried.
"Oh no! This is awful!" she said. "Bomb's not the type to run away!"
"Miss Tron?" asked a voice behind her. Tron felt someone tapping her on the legs. She spun around angrily.
"What IS it?" Tron asked the Servebot behind her.
"I found a note that I think you should take a look at," the Servebot said. He gave Miss Tron a note, which Miss Tron began to read aloud:
"I have your friend Bomb safely tucked away in my abode. If you think your relationship to him is worth enough to risk your life, go to the Yass Plains. You will know what to do when you get there. Come alone, Tron Bonne. Bring no one else, or Bomb's life is forfeit.
Signed, the Relationship Tester"
"I don't believe this!" Tron shouted angrily. "Bomb's been kidnapped by some NUTCASE calling himself a relationship tester! I bet it's just some fugitive from an asylum! I'm gonna go to the Yass Plains and give him a piece of my mind!"
With that, Tron rushed off in the direction of the Yass Plains.
"Wait, Tron! You don't know what you might get yourself into!" Teasel called after her. Then he sighed. When Tron's mind was made up, she was so stubborn it was almost impossible to reason with her. Teasel hoped nothing would happen to his sister like it did to his brother.
At the Yass Plains...
Mega Man arrived at the Yass Plains, out of breath from a lot of running. Then he looked around. The note said Mega Man would know what to do when he got there, but so far Mega Man hadn't seen anything even remotely hinting at what he should do.
He began to worry about Roll. Roll had been his friend ever since she and her grandfather had found him. Mega Man didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her.
Suddenly Mega Man heard someone else rush up behind him. He spun around, and saw a face he recognized.
"Tron!" Mega Man shouted.
"What are YOU doing here?!" Tron asked him in astonishment.
"You're not gonna believe this," Mega Man said, and then he told her why he was there.
"The same thing happened to me," Tron replied, "only my brother Bomb Bonne got kidnapped."
"That's weird," Mega Man said.
Before he got any further, though, there was a large ripping sound, and it was like a hole was being cut out of the air. In fact, that's exactly what appeared in front of Mega Man and Tron: a hole.
"I guess that would qualify as something unusual," Mega Man said. "I'm going in there!"
And before Tron could object, Mega Man dived into the hole in the air. Tron immediately charged after him.
Through the hole...
Mega Man and Tron ended up standing on a large black wrestling-style ring. That was not unusual. What was unusual is that the ring appeared to be floating in space, only that space had air and the sky was pink.
"Black and pink," observed Tron. "I guess whoever designed this place had excellent fashion taste."
"I couldn't care less about fashion," Mega Man said. "All I wanna know is what happened to Roll."
Suddenly a voice started laughing. The voice had a weird echo to it, as if it was coming from all directions.
"Stop laughing, wherever you are!" Tron shouted out! "I assume you're that Relationship Tester mentioned in the note."
Gradually a form began to take shape on the same black wrestling-style ring as Mega Man and Tron were on. The form was a combination of handsome and hideous, if that were even possible. The top half of this mysterious being looked like a human dressed in the torso portion of a waiter's suit. The bottom half looked like the eight legs of a spider-like Reaverbot.
"Greetings," the mysterious being said. "You are correct. I am the Relationship Tester."
"So what do you want?" Mega Man asked.
"Let me explain by first telling you how I came to be here," the mysterious being said. He cleared his throat.
"I used to live on a planet where everyone was shaped like I am," he began, "only with the top halves looking like different humans from being to being. I had a friend, and I used to think we were inseparable, always looking out for each other. At the time our planet was ruled by a tyrannical goverment. My friend and I led a resistance movement to overthrow that government, and we succeeded in overthrowing the government and creating a democracy. I thought that my friend and I would always be famous for our accomplishments."
Then the being got an angry look on his face.
"But my so-called friend double-crossed me," he continued. "He took all the credit and made everyone believe that he had done all of the work, while I just got in the way. I tried to convince them that this wasn't so, that we each had an equal part in overthrowing the tyrannical government, but alas, my friend was too eloquent of a speaker, and I was seen as jealous, merely trying to take the credit. On my planet, jealousy is absolutely the worst emotion there is, and I was banished to this dimension."
"So why do you call yourself the Relationship Tester now?" Mega Man asked.
"I was so mad about my friend's betrayal," the mysterious being explained, "that I lost all trust in relationships, believing that they never work. However, last night I began to have doubts in my beliefs. So I decided to do a little test: I'd use my powers to reach beyond this dimension and kidnap Roll and Bomb Bonne, to see if you two would even come here. And you did. You passed the first part of my test."
"A test?!" Tron exclaimed angrily. "I want my brother back, you bully! What did you do to him?!"
"Calm yourself," the mysterious being said. "Bomb Bonne and Roll are unharmed, but I've placed them in a state of suspended animation. Should you pass the second part of my test, I will send them back to your dimension with no memory of ever being here."
"So what's the second part of this 'test?'" asked Mega Man.
The mysterious being made a hand motion, and suddenly clones of Mega Man and Tron materialized on the black wrestling-style ring.
"The second part of this test is to kill these doubles," the mysterious being explained. "But be warned, they will try to kill you too. Of course, I will teleport you outside this dimension, but..."
"But what?" Tron pressed.
"But if you leave this dimension rather than risk your life battling your clones, I will vaporize Roll and Bomb Bonne instantly."
"Then I'm staying here!" Mega Man shouted.
"Me too!" Tron said emphatically.
The mysterious being seemed surprised.
"I didn't actually expect you to stay here, but since you are, you may now commence with the second part of the test. Mega Man, you first," the mysterious being said. He waved a hand, and Tron's clone disappeared, leaving only Tron, Mega Man, and Mega Man's clone.
The mysterious being turned to Tron and said, "You had better hide in a corner. You're not allowed to interfere in this part of the test."
"Hmph!" Tron said, and went and stood in a corner of the black wrestling-style ring.
"Clone, you may commence the battle," the mysterious being said.
Mega Man's clone suddenly started firing rapid Buster shots at Mega Man. Mega Man leapt over them and started firing shots of his own. However, the clone cartwheeled aside. Then, the clone just stood there.
Mega Man thought it was weird that the clone was just standing there, not doing anything. However, he couldn't think about that now as long as Roll was in danger. He rushed at his clone.
Suddenly, the clone reached out and grabbed Mega Man around the throat. The clone started choking Mega Man. Mega Man was gasping for air, but the determined look in his eyes never faded.
"You know, you can just ask me to teleport you out of this dimension," the mysterious being said.
"And leave Roll behind so you can vaporize her? No way!" Mega Man managed to gasp out. He managed to loosen the clone's grip just enough to allow him to breathe, but he still couldn't break free.
The mysterious being seemed surprised.
"You mean you are willing to risk dying as long as you save Roll's life?" the mysterious being asked.
"In a heartbeat!" Mega Man said.
The look on the mysterious being's face was one of shock.
"I never thought I would see the day when one valued a relationship so closely," he said. He made an abrupt decision.
The mysterious being waved a hand, and the clone disappeared.
"Hey, what gives?" Mega Man asked.
"You've shown me what relationships, be they friend or sibling relationships, are REALLY like," the mysterious being replied. "So I've decided to teleport Roll and Bomb Bonne back to your dimension without a problem. You've passed the test as far as I'm concerned."
"All right!!!" shouted both Mega Man and Tron at the same time.
Much later, in the afternoon, at the Flutter...
Roll was doing a routine check-up on the engine of the Flutter. She didn't remember anything about the kidnap ordeal.
She heard Mega Man call out to her from the roof, "Roll, could you come up on the roof? I gotta talk to you about something."
"Just a minute!" Roll called back. After she finished the check-up, she went out onto the roof and sat down next to Mega Man.
"So, what's up?" Roll asked.
"Well, have I ever told you about how good a friend you've been to me?" asked Mega Man. Mega Man didn't want to frighten her by reminding her of the ordeal.
If it was possible to look both pleased and confused, that was how Roll looked.
"No, but thanks. Why are you telling me this now? What's the occasion?"
"Oh, I just remembered that I've never told you before, which meant I was overdue. And I'm always one to catch up on anything I'm overdue in."
Roll shrugged, thinking that Mega Man probably had too much sun today, and went back in the Flutter.
In the caves...
All of the Bonnes and the Servebots were up on the surface.
Teasel, after having been told by Tron not to mention the kidnap ordeal to Bomb Bonne, said, "All right everyone, we need to develop a plan to get rid of the blue boy once and for all!"
"Here, here!" everyone shouted. But Tron's shout was only half-hearted. Number one, she still had that funny feeling whenever she thought about Mega Man. Number two, she felt guilty that Bomb Bonne had been kidnapped the night before metaphorically right under her nose. She resolved to work harder to protect her family next time, especially Bomb Bonne, with whom she could share her feelings without any negative feedback.
The End
***
Remember how, in the beginning of this story, I mentioned a challenge I was gonna set? Well, I'm gonna set a challenge for other authors right now. Here's the challenge: Write a romance fic involving Mega Man and Roll as a couple, and the fic has to take place in the Mega Man Legends universe. If any of you respond to my challenge, please do me one favor: Put my name in your summary of the story so that I may easily find it by the Fanfiction.net search feature. Thank you in advance. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com.