It was a normally quiet day in Silicone City, well, normal if you count another robot rampage. Fire Man was on the rampage, again. He was burning the support structures of a large skyscraper, ignoring all the countless screams of innocent humans and robots inside. He was about to blast a huge wall of flames into the building when a certain small robot with blue armor and a buster cannon stopped him. "Yo, hot head! Can we do this 'attack humans' thing when it's not a holiday?"

Fire Man glared at Mega Man. "You again, traitor?!"

"I'm not a traitor, Fire Man," he said, dodging the balls of flame the large red robot fired from his furnace-like hands. "I'm just protecting people in danger."

"You mean, you're a slave!" Fire Man shouted, blasting more fire balls at him. "You're just a mindless drone, perfectly obedient to human cause!" He charged at the Blue Bomber, only to have him leap over his head and blast energy shots at him.

"Yo, Chief," the small, Brooklyn accented voice in the humanoid's head said. "Don't you think there's something you're forgetting?"

"Huh, what was that Mega Mini?" Mega Man looked to the right and gasped in horror as the support structures of the skyscraper began to melt from the intense heat. "Activate Wave Man schematics!" His color changed to a darker blue and yellow and his buster cannon turned into a harpoon. The harpoon changed into a water cannon and aimed at the glowing hot metal, but before he could fire, Fire Man tackled him to the ground and pinned him down.

"No!" he shouted. "Let it melt! They all must perish! No more humans! No more traitors! Any last words, slave to humans?"

Mega Man growled at him before he sniffed the air. "Do you smell gas?"

Flame Man was aghast. "A fart joke?!" he and Mega Mini said at the same time. "Did you seriously just make a fart joke?!"

"No, not that kind gas!"

Flame Man sniffed the air too, and his optics widened. "Oh, no!" Before he had a chance to escape, Flame Man was engulfed in a ball of flame. "What are you waiting for?" a stranger said. Both robots looked up and saw another android standing before them. He looked like a teenager with blue eyes and wore armor similar to what Mega Man was wearing, only it was red and black and the helmet he wore was red with white hornlike extensions. But the most striking thing of all was his hair sticking out from under the helmet: long and blonde. "Stop that building from melting," he said to Mega Man. "And I'll take care of the walking furnace."

"Uh, negative, citizen, I have to get you to safe-" He was interrupted when the red android pulled out a sword with a laser blade. "-ty."

"I can take care of myself. Now, go!" Mega Man hesitated for a moment, then rushed over to the burning building. The red humanoid turned to Fire Man. "Now then, what am I going to do with you?"

"You think you're so tough just because you got a fancy sword?!" shouted Flame Man as he fired balls of fire at him. "I can take you on any time!"

The red android just dodged all the attacks before doing something neither he nor Mega Man anticipated: he sliced one of Fire Man's arms clean off. Shocked, Fire Man grabbed the stub of his arm and backed away slowly from his new opponent. "Why? I thought you were just like that little blue slave? You were supposed to fight for peace among robots and humans!"

"Oh, I am," the red android as he advanced toward Fire Man. "The thing is, there are some exceptions."

"What?! No, stay back!"

Before the red android could stab the cowering Robot Master, he suddenly got blasted by a jet of water. He turned around and saw Mega Man aiming his water cannon at him. "Dude, not cool!"

The red android heard stomping footsteps retreat and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Fire Man retreating. "Oh, no, you don't!" He pulled out a gun and fired lasers at him, making him fall onto his stomach. Suddenly, the red android was tackled to the ground by Mega Man. "I said, not cool!"

"Get off me!" He punched Mega Man in the face, sending him flying into a light post. "I'm just doing what you do, Mega Man."

"No, you're not! You were about to turn that guy into scrap metal!"

The red android sheathed his sword, but he didn't holster his pistol. "I am fighting for peace and unity between robots and humans. The thing is, Mega Man, there are some robots who cannot be reasoned with. And those exceptions must be eliminated."

"No. You're wrong."

The red android sighed. "It seems we're not going to agree on how co-existence should be. Very well." He aimed his pistol at Mega Man. "I cannot destroy you, but I cannot let you get in my way."

"All right, that's not going to happen! Replication Activation!" He turned back into his base form and aimed his Buster Cannon at him, waiting to download the red android's schematics...but nothing happened. "Uh, Replication Activation!" Nothing. "Mini? What's wrong?"

In the Blue Bomber's head, Mega Mini was pressing a few buttons in his circuitry. "Uh, I can't get a reading on his schematics. In fact, this guy doesn't have any schematics!"

"What?! That's not possible! The only reason he could have no schematics is if he's..." A blast from the red android's pistol shot him in the chest, sending him on his back.

"Activate Flame Man schematics," Mega Man shouted, turning from blue to red and turning his buster cannon into a flamethrower. "Time to turn up the heat!"

"Bring it on, Blue Bomber."

Mega Man charged and shot fire balls at the red android, but he just dodged the attacks while shooting lasers at him with the pistol. "I couldn't help but notice something," the red android said as he dodged more fire balls. "You prefer to attack at a ranged distance rather than up close. So..." He put the gun away and charged at Mega Man, who was still shooting more fire balls at him, then he unsheathed his sword and proceeded to slash at him.

"Whoa! Gotta." He dodged a slash from the sword. "Get." And another. "Away." And another. "From." Before he could finish his sentence, he received a kick between the legs followed by a punch to the head.

"Now, for the legs," the red android said, raising his sword.

"Stop!" The red android turned to see the Good Guild, the police squadron of Silicone City surrounding him. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Mega Man cannot see the bigger picture. There are some robots who cannot be reasoned with. They must be destroyed for the greater good for both humans and robots. There must be exceptions."

Suddenly, Mega Man's anger intensified thanks to Fire Man's powers and he blasted a wall of fire at him. The red android let out a yell of pain as the fire scorched his right shoulder. While he patted himself off, Mega Man let out a yell of anger and pinned him to the ground. He pointed his Buster Cannon at him and growled, "You're right, there must be exceptions. Like you!"

"Chief, cool your jets," Mega Mini shouted in his head. "Fire Man's schematics are overheating your circuits, and making you act like a hot head again!"

Mega Man banged his helmet "Shut up, Mini!" SHUNK! "Ugh!" Mega Man let out a groan of pain as he felt something penetrate his body and return to his base form. He looked down to see the laser sword stabbing him through the stomach. The red android pushed him off him and got up. "It's all right," he said. "It's a nonfatal wound. You'll recover."

While Mega Man clutched his stomach, he saw a trickle of red fluid run down the side of the android's face. "Mini? Is that oil?"

Mega Mini scanned the substance and let out a gasp. "That's not oil! That's blood!"

"Blood?" He glanced up at his opponent. "You're a human?"

"Darn it," the fighter said. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice so soon."

"A human fighter?" Mega Man groaned when he heard that annoying voice. A voice belonging to a man with a handlebar mustache and goatee and wearing black armor and a cybernetic prosthetic right arm. "Well, it's about time someone got some common sense and fight the robot scourge!"

"Breaker Night," Mega Man said with annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to see another robot fight resulting in even more destruction to human property, but now I see a true protector of Silicone City." He gestured to the young man in red armor. "You, my friend, are exactly what this city needs: a human who knows what's best for us humans. And what this city needs is robots that obey humans. GAH!" He suddenly let out a yell of pain as he felt his right prosthetic get sliced off by the red fighter's laser sword. "What are you-"

"I stand by what I said," the stranger said. "There must be co-existence between humans and robots, but there must be exceptions. And when I said that, I wasn't just talking about robots." He pointed the sword at the war veteran's head and readied to slice the sword into his chest.

"ENOUGH!"

The stranger turned to see someone he was not expecting, Dr. Thomas Light. "You've caused enough damage!"

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Damage? I'm just promoting existence between-" He didn't get to finish his sentence; Breaker Night punched him in the face and made him stagger back.

"Co-existence my butt," he shouted. "You're now guilty of multiple charges! Destruction of property, attempted murder!"

"No one will miss you," the stranger said as he charged at him, ready to stab him in the gut. Everyone gasped and looked away...but nothing happened. Everyone looked to see Dr. Light standing between Breaker Night and the stranger's laser sword. "Get out of my way, Thomas."

"No, stranger," Dr. Light said. "Violence does not beget co-existence." He turned to face Breaker Night. "Even if we disagree."

"He will just keep spouting anti-robot propaganda," countered the stranger. "In time, he will gather a following, and that following will become an army of robot-hating humans. The second Hard Times will begin."

"That will not happen."

The stranger growled and gently pushed Dr. Light aside, intending on finishing the job. However, when he saw people, robots and humans alike blocking his path, he was shocked. "What are you doing? You know what I say is true!"

"We don't care," a small robot said. "I don't like that guy, but not even I would want to terminate his life!"

"Neither do I!" shouted a small human boy.

Soon, more people began shouting their words of agreement: the stranger was wrong. He sighed and put the sword away, looking like he was about to surrender to the Good Guild...then he pulled out a small ball and dropped it on the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke into the crowd. As everyone coughed, the stranger hopped onto a street light and shouted, "By the way, my name is Zero! And as of now, you're my rival, Mega Man!" And he took off running.

"First it was robots fighting robots," Breaker Night snarled as he picked up his sliced off prosthetic. "Now, it's humans fighting robots and humans fighting humans! Don't you see now, Thomas Light? The peace you desire can never happen!"

"No, you heard him, Sergeant," the doctor countered. "He wants peace between humans and robots. It's just that his methods are...extreme."

"Pah. You'll see, Light. He was right about one thing. There will be war." And he stormed off to repair his prosthetic.

Meanwhile, Mega Man, injured, but otherwise still standing, walked over to Dr. Light. "Do you think what that guy, Zero was it, said was true?"

Dr. Light sighed. "Part of it. Sometimes there are exceptions when it comes to existence, but that doesn't mean it justifies violence. That poor boy, as much as his heart is in the right place, is just so misguided." He shut his eyes for a brief moment before turning to Mega Man. "Anyway, you should get some repairs done."

"It's okay," Mega Man said, a little too quickly. "I got my own pit crew. See ya!" And he took off running.

(!)

At the Light House, Aki Light, the alter ego of Mega Man, winced as Mega Mini repaired the hole in his stomach. "I thought robots weren't supposed to physically feel anything."

"You aren't like other robots," Suna Light, Dr. Light's daughter and Aki's human sister, said as she watched the repair jobs. "You almost died out there today."

"Don't remind me. That guy was super strong for a human. Do you think that armor might have given him a power boost?"

"Heck if I know," Mega Mini said. "I was too busy trying to keep your systems from shutting down."

"One thing is for sure, you're going to be out of commission for a while," said Suna.

"Which means there will be robots and humans that will be hurt."

(!)

When Zero returned home, he removed his helmet and let loose his long blond hair as he wiped sweat and blood off his forehead. As he put the helmet down, he walked to a kitchen where a woman with matching blonde hair and red clothing was leaning against a wall. "I saw your little stunt on TV, son."

"I didn't think you wouldn't, Mom."

"I have...mixed emotions about the situation."

"Relax, Mom. I didn't get hurt too bad."

"It's not that. What I'm feeling is pride knowing my old armor fits on you."

"Yeah, we're going to have to fix it, though. Sorry about that if that's what you're angry about."

"Oh, that's not what I'm angry about," she said in a sweet voice. Her left eye twitched. Zero felt a tad uncomfortable.

"Uh, then what are you angry about," he asked, afraid of what she might say.

"Why didn't you finish off that walking furnace and Breaker Night when you HAD THE CHANCE?!" she shouted.

"Hey, I was going to when Mega Man arrived and rallied the whole city against me!"

"Enough," his mother shouted. "I trained you to be the perfect fighter, and you held back against those people! You should have-"

"What? Hurt those people in order to get what you want?"

"No. To get what we want." The woman paced around her son as she ranted, "That fool, Thomas Light, he had the right idea, but he simply did not do enough. In order for there to be perfect co-existence between humans and robots, there must be...sacrifices. And that blue bot, Mega Man, must be sacrificed."

What Zero said next stunned her. "No."

"What?"

"Mega Man, like it or not, is a symbol of the people. If I destroy him, they will lose hope. And they will turn on me. You. Us."

The woman sighed. "You have a point. Go send the armor for repairs and get some rest."

"Yes, mom."

His mother watched as he left the room.

(!)

In his lair, Breaker Night growled as he repaired his arm. "Curse that miserable red menace! First he attacks me, then makes a fool of me in front of all those people!"

"So, what?" asked Fire Man, whose repairs were already finished. "Do we go after him, boss?"

"No. I can see that 'Zero' and Mega Man's ideas of co-existence are going to result in a rivalry that will destroy the both of them." He smiled wickedly. "And when they destroy each other, I will step in to pick up the pieces."