"Ah, good," Zero's mother said after her son woke from the chamber. "You're up. I have a new mission for you, son."
Zero sighed. "I just woke up after fighting Elec Man. What more is there?"
His mother sighed. "I know. Being what we are, sometimes it feels like there's no rest. Which is why these tablets I take," she held out some pink and blue pills. "Makes my micro-sleep feel like a full eight hours. But that's not why I called you. It seems the former science teacher, Mr. NRT..."
"You mean, Chemistry Man?" Zero interrupted.
His mother made a face. "Yes. Chemistry Man. Anyway, he's been spotted, and heading for the art museum."
"Why would he go there?" Zero asked as he put on his armor.
"Because, a new Mega Man art exhibition is taking place there."
"Sounds like that slow bot wants to hurt the Blue Bomber's ego."
"Exactly. And he's going to hurt people in the process. I need you to go there and stop him before he turns the museum into a...a...a who knows what."
"Very well."
(!)
"Uh, excuse me, I need to see your ticket ple-eAAAASE!" The guy at the ticket booth screamed as Zero tossed him aside and entered the museum and entered the gallery containing Mega Man artwork. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary...other than the fact that he was surrounded by Mega Man.
"Well, other than the fact that there's enough ego in here to give Sigmund Freud a run for his money," Zero said as he ignored the looks of shock and admiration from the art patrons. "There's nothing wrong here."
"Keep looking," his mother said in his communicator. "I saw security footage of Chemistry Man entering the building."
"On it."
"Hey," he heard a familiar voice say. It was Aki Light, accompanied with a teenage girl with green hair and wearing a red shirt with a pair of red framed glasses, a yellow star on it, green fingerless gloves, black pants and black shoes. "What do you think you're doing here? This is a Mega Man exhibit. And you're not invited."
"Stove it, kid. I'm not here to admire the...artwork." He glanced at some of the...over-exaggerated features of some of the paintings. "I'm here because Chemistry Man was spotted coming in here."
"Chemistry Man? Impossible. I would...I mean, Mega Man would know if he did."
"Obviously, you're not using your brain," the girl said. "If Zero is here, then clearly something is wrong. But," she pointed at Zero. "I also know you don't use your brain."
"Excuse me? Oh, please don't tell me you're one of those who thinks Mega Man is right."
"It's more than that. You think all your problems can be solved with a sword and a gun."
"I strategize," Zero argued. "I have a brain."
"Oh, please, Ashley," Aki Light said to the girl. "This guy never learns anything. He's stuck on his 'death to criminals' schtick."
"If I have to repeat myself one more time..."
"Listen," Ashley said. "You do have brains and you do plan, but not all your problems can be solved with weapons. Have you considered using logic to solve your problems?"
"Logic won't put down my enemies permanently."
"I'm not asking you to do that! I'm asking you to at least think before you start slicing up people."
Suddenly, there was a loud yell and everyone in the room started bouncing around. "Must be some kind of immersive postmodern work of social relevancy," Aki observed.
"You aren't just making noises to sound smart now," Ashley snaked.
Suddenly, the floors and walls turned purple and Ashley, Aki and Zero found themselves bouncing up and down like they were on a trampoline. "Oh, no," Ashley exclaimed. "It's some sort of self-replicating super bouncy nano chemical!"
"Misguided attendees of the first annual Silicon City Pop Art-A-Palooza," a familiar voice droned through the speakers placed around the room. "Now that I have your attention, allow to introduce. Myself." A hologram of a familiar former science teacher appeared.
"Chemistry Man," exclaimed Aki.
"Chemistry. Man," the hologram finished.
"Told you," said Zero.
"Today," Chemistry Man said. "I rise. To prove my mental might over the. Lead heads of Silicon City."
"Mom," Zero said to his communicator. "Can you find this guy?"
"Sensors jammed," she said. "I can't find him."
"Look out!" Ashley called out. Zero and Aki looked to see a robot bouncing helplessly right at them. They both bounced out of the way just in time. "Let the Good Guild know we're under attack, Aki!"
"Yeah! Good idea!" Aki bounced away to find the Good Guild.
"So," Zero asked Ashley. "What's your relationship with him?"
"I'm his chemistry tutor. What's it to you?"
"Curious."
Suddenly, Mega Man appeared just as Chemistry Man let out an announcement, "And so, I have come to this. Den of delusion with a dose of reality."
"Mr. NRT," Zero called out. "It's clear to me you haven't learned your lesson. And you call yourself a scientist."
"Mega Man and Zero," Chemistry Man with a glint of hate. "You metallic misanthropes. Derive answers to three clues and the city will be saved."
The red cyborg was confused. "Wait. Are you challenging me to a riddle game?"
"No," Mega Man shouted, pushing him out the way. "He's challenging me!"
"Hidden in this locale is. My nano chemical transmutator. Find it, reverse the rubberization process." The hologram turned off.
"We didn't even get the first clue," Zero said. "Hey, where are you going?" He saw that Mega Man was bouncing away down a hall. Zero followed him. Mega Man came to a stop when another hologram of Chemistry Man appeared along with a chemical blueprint. "Tall and small, played and displayed," he said. "Both heroes and villains all. Are made."
Zero tilted his head. "I'm not good at riddle games. Mom?"
"Pfft," she said through the communicator. "The answer is-" All that came next was static.
"Mom?"
"No cheating, Zero," Chemistry Man said. "I have. Cut off all communication signals. You'll get no outside. Help."
Zero growled. "Darn it."
"Great," Mega Man said. "Even you cannot help us."
"Forget about it, kid," Mega Mini's voice said. "We need to solve this riddle."
"'We'? Can't you just do some computer wamma jamma?"
Mega Mini made a face. "'Wamma jamma'? Is that what you think I do?" He got serious, "Look, I only got what you put in here, your head. You don't study, I don't wamma jamma!"
Suddenly, Ashley came out of nowhere. "Aki? Where are you?" Then she saw the blueprint. "Hey! That's polyvinyl chloride!"
Chemistry Man made a growl. "Great Caesium's ghost! Someone got lucky! My next one will stump your remedial positronic brain, Mega Man!" He disappeared.
"Well, well," Zero said. "Looks like a citizen here can be of some use here."
"Actually, Zero, I'm looking for my wayward student. Boy robot, about Mega Man's height, dazed look on his face."
"Didn't you send him to the Good Guild for help."
Ashley face palmed. "Right."
"Look, Chemistry Man is dangerous," Mega Man said. "And we don't need you," he pointed to Zero. "stabbing another chemistry teacher! Just go and let me do my thing, both of you!" The Blue Bomber bounced away to find another hologram of the mad former science teacher who said sarcastically, "Holy hydrogen, the the boy bot got further than I thought. This should stop you." He displayed a new chemical blueprint. "What is the unseen protector of which no one sees. I battle whining and bumbling. Things."
Oh, boy. He was right. Mega Man was stumped. "Uh...chlorine mano...no-thanks-athine?"
Mega Mini said in his head, "Hey, you gotta take this seriously! Try. The clue is in the details."
"Polyethylene terephthalate," Ashley called out, having caught up with Mega Man.
Chemistry Man let out a yell of anger and disappeared. Mega Man glared at ashley. "How'd you get here?"
"Brains. And someone has to keep an eye on him," Ashley pointed to Zero.
Suddenly, the whole building turned rubber. Which meant the columns were too! They began to wobble under the weight of the roof.
"Mega Man, turn into ice mode," Zero shouted. "It will freeze the rubber!"
"I knew that! I was gonna do that!"
"No you weren't," Mega Mini said.
"Shut up. Activate Ice Man schematics!" Mega Man turned into Ice Man's colors and his buster cannon turned into an ice gun. He fired at the columns and the floor, finally giving himself, Zero and Ashley stable ground. "Finally," Zero said. "I was beginning to think they were going to have to turn this place into a trampoline park."
"Unfortunately," Ashley said. "They're super brittle now and will collapse if we don't solve the last clue quickly."
"We?" asked Mega Man. "There's no 'we'. There's me telling you to leave and let me handle it! OOF!" A punch from Zero knocked him out cold.
"Don't listen to him," he said. "We clearly need you. Even if a certain Blue Bomber is too stubborn to admit it."
"No," Ashley said. "It's okay. I know when I'm not wanted." She turned to leave but was stopped when Mega Man said, "Wait. I'm sorry." She stopped. "I'm in over my head. I could really use the help if you're willing." She smiled.
(!)
"Last clue guys," Zero said, pointing to the hologram of Chemistry Man. "Get your brain ready, Ashley."
"There's no accounting for taste for what your money buys," the hologram said, making a new chemical blueprint. "But-"
"Polyurethane," Ashley said, smugly.
"Holy helium," Chemistry Man exclaimed. "At least let me finish my rhyme!" Then the hologram disappeared.
"Looks like we found someone as smart as you, Mr. NRT," Zero said.
"Still doesn't give us the location of the transmuter," Ashley said.
"Wait, all these chemicals are all part of one puzzle, right?"
Ashley looked at her phone and listed the chemicals Chemistry Man showed. "Polyvinyl chloride or PVC, polyethylene terephthalate or mylar and polyurethane or spandex."
"Spandex?" asked Zero. "Like in bike shorts?"
"Gross, but yes. But that's not the answer."
"Well, the only similarity is that they're all forms of rubber. What? I take science lessons, too."
"Wait a minute," Mega Man exclaimed. "PVC, mylar and spandex?"
"What about it?" asked Ashley.
"The answer to the first riddle," Mega Man said, putting it all together. "Tall and small, played and display, both heroes and villains all! Action figures! They're PVC!" Then it all fit. "And comic bags are made of mylar! Unseen protectors!"
"Aki has a lot of junk like that in his room!"
"So, we're looking for something that children like," Zero said. "Something that has to do with toys and comics."
"And you were onto something about the bike shorts," Mega Man said. "Heroes were tights made of spandex! The transmutator is molded in PVC, encased in mylar and wearing spandex!"
"Ew."
"That's it," exclaimed Ashley. "Come on!"
(!)
The three approached the statue of Mega Man. "There it is, in plain sight," said Ashley.
"That's messed up," Mega Man said. "Turning Mega Me into a Mega Mess? Seriously? And PS, I do not wear spandex!"
"Could have fooled me," Zero laughed. Then he got serious and jumped into the air, took out his sword and sliced the statue in half. Both halves fell to the ground, exposing Chemistry Man and destroying the transmutator. As the museum returned to normal, Zero charged at Chemistry Man, only to find himself bouncing off a force field and landing on his back.
"A force field," exclaimed Mega Man. "Ideas?"
"Uh...electricity?" Ashely asked sarcastically.
"Right. Activate Elec Man schematics!" Switching to Elec Man's colors and weapon, Mega Man fired a bolt of electricity at the force field, popping it and before he knew it, it was Chemistry Man's turn to bounce. He got back up and said, "You choreographed dim-headed-"
SLICE!
He stopped, his face frozen in shock. Then his eyes dimmed and his lifeline shut down. Zero pulled the sword out of his stomach and tipped him over. "I was getting tired of hearing his banter."
Ashley approached Chemistry Man's body and patted his head. "Poor guy."
"If only he learned a lesson or two."
"Did you?"
Zero turned to her. "What?"
"Did you learn anything?"
"Besides new words for rubber?"
"That you can use your brain instead of your sword?"
Zero sheathed the sword. "Sure. I did help to solve the riddle, didn't I?
Mega Man shouted, "No! You still did it! Stabbed your opponent again like some war machine!"
"I think he is more than that," Ashley said. "You did help us out. No war machine can learn what polyurethane is."
"Yeah, blame my Mom for being a scientist." Suddenly, he remembered something. "Oh, crud!" He turned on the communicator in his ear. "Mom?"
"Hello? Zero?!"
Zero sighed. "Thank goodness."
Mega Man tilted his head. "Mom? I always thought you live in a mad scientist's lab." Zero punched him in the face.
"For what it's worth, I do believe your cause is just, if misguided," Ashley said. "Maybe...if you were given a second chance, maybe you could learn to be more like Mega Man."
Zero scoffed, "It'll take a miracle for that to happen." before leaving the building.