**DISCLAIMER: I do neither own any Mega Man X characters (including Flame Stag from X2), nor their settings nohow. They all belong to Capcom, and besides, I solely create these stories just for the purpose of entertainment.**
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: [First published on 2/12/2018, and now republished as of 1/06/2019 due to lack of reviews, otherwise just for updates] Please pardon my lack of coherence. I tend to get pretty slow in ideas and writing, so please bear with me. I will constantly review and, if needed, edit and update the chapters until you and I are satisfied. Also, provide a review so hopefully, I will do better.*
PREAMBLE
From yours truly, Flame Stag, the Heat Knuckle Champion and ex-Maverick:
"There's little to know pretty much about my official backstory as with many other reploids beside X and Zero, but unfortunately, they yet seemed to remain as lesser-known in spite of such for some unknown reasons.
On the other hand, in the fan's (which is the author stated above, and who admired me as an idol reploid of all the ages) creative representation, what I'm about to bring you now is something pretty more exciting, and I do hope you folks will enjoy. For this preface, I'm going to bring you up first of my exclusive biosketch and a short write-up of what this whole anthology will be about.
As you know, the name's Flame Stag (originally from Capcom's Mega Man X2), the deer reploid, and my combat specialties in which I was built for are fire and speed based unarmed combat (close to being an expert in mixed martial arts!). In case if you don't know what I was at, I was actually a service member of the military-police corps, the Maverick Hunters, founded by a human . Here, it comprises of mostly reploids whose mission is to protect humans and earth against threats involving enemy reploids and mechaniloids alike, the Mavericks. Since I was built as a high-performance reploid, I was placed in the 17th Elite Unit in which I used to serve along with X, Zero, and my friend, Boomer Kuwanger.
Sigma, Dr. Cain's first reploid, used to be our commander of the Hunters in the past. However, by the time he defeated the maverick Zero (before he switched sides with X and the Hunters), he was infected with a virus, and he officially became a maverick as of that time. As a result, Sigma, then and now a commander of the mavericks, had become nothing more of a major problem nowadays… During the First Maverick War where he began his first rebellion, Boomer Kuwanger asked me to join, but I strongly declined the offer initially because I just did not want to go along with his harmful deeds. But, when Sigma then gave it a shot however, he had given me something that I could not deny, and thus I reluctantly accept the offer… When X defeated him in his palace though, I immediately went into hiding and was not being seen for a long time.
The reason of my decision of joining Sigma's revolt was that he had just offered me a second chance to fight X one-on-one in battle, just out of my curiosity to brush up my fighting skills. So when the latter had showed up in the volcano where my task was to set up an eruption which the X-Hunters claimed to start a new Ice Age, I fought him until my defeat, but luckily, he had spared my life.
I feel so unhappy...
…and guilty as well.
Looking back over these years...I can plainly see that I just didn't do too well. Pride has always been my id that has got in my way thru my judgement. Being a fire-based reploid, I was claimed to be one of the most powerful built to last, and I like to show off most of the time, but... I would find them rather counterproductive as I was claimed to be too powerful to be that way. So, I would try as hard to the best of my ability to not to lean back to that side anymore now.
Loyalty to maverick Sigma served me no purpose but to make more of someone who's in the wrong side. Well, here's the problem: I was always being too confident on myself as this had just got in my way with my judgement and of course, made a fool out of me. Well too bad Kuwanger whose misplaced 'logic' had made him pledging himself to Sigma. I feel heartily sorry for him. I mean...There were things that I shouldn't have done...Those things I could've done for the sake of humanity that were yet left undone. Well, there just things of the past, and here is when I'm about to go thru changes now...
Here, back at the Maverick Hunter base right after my second encounter with X at the volcano, he, Boomer, and approached us, and I finally had a chance to make amends for all my past wrongs. Then several moments later, I finally turned back to the good side by reuniting with X and from that time on, I'm now officially back on my job as a Maverick Hunter Elite.
That is pretty enough of my backstory already, and let's have some fun in which I'm about to bring you something in particular, in which most fans would hopefully be intrigued.
The title, "Tales from the Hot Side" is an anthology series which I'm the main character, and it comprised of stories, both within and maybe outside of the Mega Man X verse. It's a mix of one-shots and miniseries, mostly 'what ifs,' others maybe crossovers, all of which based on my very own adventures as an 'ex-maverick.' Those who are fans of me and even Mega Man and X, will hopefully be so thrilled to check this out.
So, what're you waiting for? Come on in and let's dish out the hot stuff together!"
- Flame Stag, the Heat Knuckle Champion
Next: A Stag, the Fires of Courage (a poem)