A/N: Hey everyone. This chapter of the fight with Chill Penguin will be different than the one you're familiar with from the original MegaMan X IS, but it will still have the same battle with Chill Penguin and our heroes acquiring the first part of the Light Armor from Dr. Light's Light Capsules. So here is Chapter 8.
Terms for this chapter:
RepArmor: A high tech armor with the same strength as the IS to help human Maverick Hunters in battle. In a sense, the RepArmor may be the successor to the IS.
Project Uni: A device created for dimensional travel or bring people from other worlds into the world of MegaMan X. Sigma has stolen it to begin his diabolical omniverse domination campaign.
Excalibur: The same sword used by the legendary King Arthur of Camelot. From Dancho and her friends' world, there are a million Excaliburs for some strange reason and before coming to X's world, Dancho and her friends' mission is to destroy all 1 million Excaliburs, excluding their own Excaliburs.
Light Capsules: Capsules left by the late Dr. Thomas Light that contains armor upgrades for X to help him get stronger.
Variable Weapons System: A powerful weapons system that allows X to copy the weapons of his enemies and use them against them. It is the more powerful version of the same Variable Weapons System from X's predecessor, MegaMan. If a certain Maverick General is returned to a Reploid, the former Maverick General will give X his powers by holding out his hand for X to touch.
Chapter 8: Chill Penguin: Discovering the Light Capsule! A Way To Get Stronger!
(X-Estate: Time: 8:00 AM. Theme: Giga City Memories from Command Mission)
The next day after the first attack on Central Highway, X, Jerry, Sophie, Jessie, Marino, the Arthurs and the IS girls were all back at X-Estate to discuss their next move in fighting the 8 Maverick Generals while Dr. Cain and Zero were locating Sigma's fortress. Of course, there's also the task of explaining to the Arthurs about what's going on and how their world is now in danger of being invaded by Sigma's forces.
"So, let's see if we're hearing this correctly." Brigitte said as she looked at our heroes. "You're saying that we're in a world where humans and these robots called Reploids live together in this city called Neo Tokyo. And that the blue guy, the ninja girl and you five were sealed away for more than half a century and have been awaken in this time. And now this Sigma guy has started a war against humanity to create a world for these Reploids."
"That's about the gist of it, but there's a lot more to it than you realize." Jerry said with a nod. "If what Vile said is true, then it isn't just this world but the entire omniverse in danger of being invaded by Sigma's forces."
"But how is that even possible? There's no way that this Sigma guy could invade our world and several others, can he?" Titania asked with a gulp.
"Actually, with what he stole when he first declared war on humanity, he can." Sophie answered her seriously. "He stole a device from Dr. Cain's lab that was originally meant for peaceful purposes to bridge our world with several others. We called it Project Uni, a machine that's used to travel to other worlds and interact with the inhabitants of those other worlds. Dr. Cain wanted to use it to bridge the gap between our world and several others to offer a hand in peace."
"But because that Sigma has stolen it from his lab, he's planning to use it for his insane plan of creating a Reploid utopia." Jerry added as he crossed his arms. "There's no telling what kind of damage he can do now that he has Project Uni in his clutches." He then looks over to the Arthurs and their fairies as he then realized something. "Although…"
"What? Why are you looking at us like that?" Bodach asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I doubt that he anticipated it, but there could be a reason why you guys were on Central Highway yesterday." Jerry answered her.
"And what kind of reason is that?" Kakka raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's a hunch, but it's possible that Project Uni could've opened a portal to their world and brought them to our world to help us in stopping Sigma." Jerry theorized. "And if that's the case, then it could be the same for every other world that are targeted by Sigma's forces where the inhabitants are sent here to help us."
"And you believe that Project Uni brought them to our world is to help us stop Sigma?" Cecilia asked with a gasp.
"It's possible, but like I said, it's just a hunch. We don't really know for sure if it's really bringing them to our world when it was stolen or if his tampering has caused it to malfunction and open portals to other worlds." Jerry answered her with a frown.
"Well, whatever the reason, it's a good thing that we were able to save them when those Mad Joeys had them surrounded." X said with a smile. "We may not know the reason why Project Uni brought them here yet, but I believe that they were brought here to help us in stopping Sigma." He then turns to the Arthurs and the fairies. "That is, if you're still willing to help us. I know it's a lot to ask of you after just learning about what happened, but we could still use your help in stopping Sigma from using Project Uni to make his dream for a Reploid utopia a reality."
"X, you don't need to ask us anything. We've already made our decision to help you since you guys saved us and all." Dancho told him with a brave smile. "If Sigma is planning to take over our world for his Reploid utopia, then he needs to be stopped before our world is under his control."
"Plus, it's also a perfect chance for us to get some payback on that Vile jerk when he curb-stomped us yesterday." Tekken agrees with an angry frown. "Using that Ride Armor thing was just so not cool, so I can't wait to have a rematch with him. And next time, I'll be the one on top!"
"Well, he's definitely enthusiastic, I guess. But you do realize that Vile isn't just some random guy you find on the street, right?" Jessie asked with a sweat drop "He's the second in command of Sigma's army and a former Maverick Hunter. He's not just some pushover, he's incredibly dangerous and won't hesitate to use every trick in the book to gain the upper-hand."
"Don't mind Tekken, he's always been the kind of idiot who just rushes in without a plan." Yamaneko said snobbishly "He's always seen doing some kind of training whenever we're not fighting any other Arthur and just has no awareness of everything around him."
"I can say the same for the antisocial girl who is always wanting to be by herself." Kakka shot back with a glare towards Yamaneko. "If Tekken is an idiot for always training for a fight, then you're in the same boat for always trying to do things on your own."
"What was that, you little know-it-all!?" Yamaneko growled as she and Kakka stared each other down fiercely.
"You heard me!" Kakka shouted until Marino separated them.
"That's enough, both of you! There's no need for you two to fight amongst each other!" Marino shouted. "It doesn't matter if one of you is always training for another fight or is antisocial. What matters is that each of you have your own strengths and weaknesses, but you work together to compliment for each other's shortcomings. You may butt heads every now and then, but that's what makes you human. So, try to at least tolerate each other while we're fighting a war against Sigma and his forces."
"Fine..." Kakka said with a huff.
"Whatever..." Yamaneko said while closing her eyes and looking away.
The tension was high between both Arthurs as it wasn't much of a surprise for Dancho's group since they're always together under the same roof and tend to get on each other's nerves in their shenanigans, but this was the first time that anyone called out two of their friends for their attitudes and weren't sure how to respond to Marino's words. Until there was a beeping sound on their comlinks as X answered it.
"Yes? This is X." X said through the commlink.
"X, this is Zero. Zero responded "We need you and your squad to head for Hunter HQ. We've just found the location of the first Maverick General. Also, we've got some RepArmors for your new friends that you saved yesterday. They'll be needing it for your first mission."
"Roger. We'll head over to Hunter HQ." X cuts the transmission and turns to everyone else. "Guys, it's time for our first mission. Zero was able to locate the first of the Maverick Generals and he's even have some RepArmors for Dancho's group. So, let's head over there and see who we'll be facing first." Everyone nodded in agreement as they headed for the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor before heading off to Maverick Hunter HQ.
Later, Maverick Hunter HQ: 8:10 AM
(Theme: Stage Select from Maverick Hunter X)
The X-Squad arrived at the Maverick Hunter HQ's command center where Zero was waiting for them. Zero turned to face them as the X-Squad saluted at him while Jerry and Sophie took their positions and Zero saluted back at them. The Arthurs and the fairies were confused by the gestures until Houki motions them to do the same, which they did.
"At ease, everyone. And thank you for arriving as soon as you can." Zero greeted with a smile. "I'm assuming that our unexpected guests are adjusting to their new temporary home for the time being?"
"Yeah, they've been slowly adjusting to living at our home, so they'll be comfortable until their world is safe." Houki answered him as she added "But we did had an argument before with Yamaneko and Kakka when you contacted us. It was thanks to Marino that she was able to stop them before it got ugly, but now there's this feeling of unease with them." Everyone turned to see said people as they had their backs turned towards each other with their arms crossed and their heads held up.
"I see. That explains why there was some tension when you guys arrived." Zero nodded in understanding. "Still, I hope that it doesn't hinder you on your first mission because you're gonna have to work together to take down this first Maverick General."
"So, you found the first Maverick General? Who is our first target and where is he hiding?" Ling asked him as she got ready to begin the mission.
"You guys might already know him. Your first target is Chill Penguin." Zero responded as he brought up a map of a snowy mountain. "He's located up in the snowy mountains, so be prepared for some colder weather. He's also specialized in ice attacks, so be sure to keep on your toes, provided they don't freeze off first."
"So, we're dealing with a penguin as our first Maverick General?" Dancho asked with raised eyebrows and arms crossed in confusion. "I didn't really think that our first battle would be against one of those cute little guys."
"Don't be so sure, he's not like the actual penguins you'd see in zoos." Zero told her seriously. "He was once a Reploid designed for weather control before Sigma infected him with his virus. Now he serves as one of the 8 Maverick Generals and has taken control over one of the world's energy resources. So, we must reclaim it from him at any cost before it'll be too late. X, you and your squad will assault Chill Penguin's base and take him down. Destroy him at any costs to secure the snow mountain base. Jerry and Sophie will guide you through the base, good luck out there."
"This should be easy enough for us. We'll go there and take out Chill Penguin, sir." Cecilia smirked "And we'll be in your and Sophie's capable hands, Jerry. We're counting on you two to guide us through Sigma's forces." Both Jerry and Sophie nodded as everyone stepped on the transporter.
"Alright. We're ready to go. Send us to Chill Penguin's location and we'll take it from there." X nodded as he and everyone got into position.
"Ok, then here we go. Starting the transfer now." Jerry said with a smile as an alarm was blaring just as the X-Squad warped to the snow mountain base.
"Transfer complete." Sophie reported as Zero watches from the monitor.
Maverick General Number 1: Chill Penguin
(Theme: Chill Penguin's Stage Remix from Maverick Hunter X)
On the outskirts of the snow mountain base, the X-Squad appeared at their destination for their first mission. However, because of the colder temperatures of the mountain as the snow was falling from the grey clouds in the sky, all of the humans in the squad started shivering from the more freezing climate. The only ones that weren't affected by the colder weather were both X and Marino as they're Reploids and didn't feel the same way as their human friends. Except for Jessie as she was used to being in colder climates during some of her missions, so she's gotten used to it overtime.
"Holy cow! I didn't think that it'd be this freezing as heck out here!" Ling shivered "I knew that it was going to be cold, but I didn't really think that it'd be this freezing even with our RepArmor's on! I just hope we can get this done fast before we become popsicles!"
"Too late, I'm already becoming one! I can't even feel my toes!" Dancho whined while she shivered as well. "Why did we have to come here to find this Chill Penguin guy? Couldn't he have picked someplace more warmer?"
"I doubt that he really cares what you want, he's now working for Sigma and is just as corrupted as him." Marino answered her sternly. "He's planning to use the energy that is gathered here to fuel Sigma's ambitions and we can't let him continue his operations at the base. You'll just have to bear with it for now until we deal with Chill Penguin."
"Hey, how come you two are the only ones not freezing like the rest of us?" Renkin asked in confusion as she looked at X and Marino. "We're out here freezing our butts off, but you guys don't even feel a thing! Didn't you say that Reploids are supposed to be like humans?" She then turned to Jessie who was also not shivering from the cold. "And how come she's not feeling cold either? Isn't she also a human like the rest of us?"
"Yeah, I am human like everyone else, but I've also gotten used to cold since some of our missions required us to travel to places that are more colder than others." Jessie answered her as she responded to Renkin's question about X and Marino. "As for your other question, we said that Reploids are meant to have emotions like humans. We didn't say anything about them having the same feeling as humans, such as feeling cold. And like Marino said, you'll just have to endure it until we take out Chill Penguin." Everyone else all sighed in aggravation while X looked at his human friends with confusion on his face.
"Wait, am I missing something here? You're saying that you guys get cold in areas like this?" X asked with a confused look.
"U-Unfortunately, y-y-yes… W-We r-r-really can't stand the c-c-cold very much..." Charlotte answered as she sneezed and mucus dripped from her nose with a disgusted look on her face. "Whenever we go to colder weather, w-w-we always change into warmer clothes for t-t-these kinds of weather."
"Well, hang in there until the mission is done. I really don't want you girls or everyone else catching the flu." X reassured them as the IS girls looked at him with surprised looks and made him curious at why they're looking at him like that. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, you didn't say anything wrong. It's just that you're really kind and nice like Ichika…" Houki told him as she blushed while slightly turning away from his gaze.
"R-Really? A-Am I really that nice?" X rubbed the back of his head nervously when she told him that.
"But also pretty dense like Ichika as well…" Laura told him sourly as she walked past him towards the first section of the snow base.
"Wait, dense? What do you mean by that?" X wondered in confusion on what Laura meant as an question mark appears above his head.
"Don't worry, X… It's nothing important. Just don't mind her." Cecilia closed her eyes and gave him a fake smile. 'Yep… He's definitely dense like Ichika-san. But that's what makes him just as charming as him.' She then figured that her friends were thinking the same way as her and Laura as they walked past him, leaving X just confused and wondering what they meant. Even Jessie and Marino can see just how dense he is but decided not to say anything as they figured that it's better if he doesn't know at the moment.
"…Am I really that dense? Or was it something I said?" X murmured to himself as he follows his squad to the next section.
Unknown to them, the same people from Madam Y's group were watching the X-Squad enter the snow base through a pair of binoculars. The male X Foundation solider turned to his female companion and both nodded as they called in to their leaders about what they've just witnessed. They've even called their fellow members inside of the base to finish what they could before making their escape while Chill Penguin deals with the X-Squad.
Later
Several Maverick soldiers were uploading some cargo onto snow sleds for them to be transported for Sigma's plan of a Reploid utopia. The X-Squad hid behind some of the cargo to keep out of sight while watching the Mavericks loading up the last of the cargo. The group peeks over the cargo to get a better look at the operation while trying not to be spotted by the Maverick Soldiers that were patrolling the area to make sure no one interferes.
"So how come that we're hiding from those guys? They don't look that tough." Tekken said impatiently "Weren't we told by that red blonde guy to stop these guys from taking the energy that's stored here for this Chill Penguin guy, right? So why don't we just charge in and take them out in a full-frontal attack?"
"Not until we learn more about what they're doing. We can't just change in with all of the Mavericks guarding the area." Houki told him sternly. "If we let them know that we're here, they'll send in reinforcements to overwhelm us. So try to keep that pent up energy in check until we figure out what they're shipping out." Tekken just sighs and nodded as everyone turns their eyes back to the Mavericks as more cargo was being loaded up onto the sleds.
"What do you think these guys are shipping out? Do you think that it's something important to them?" Dancho asked with a serious frown.
"It's possible, but it doesn't look like we can open them without getting spotted. Chill Penguin must be having his Maverick soldiers working hard to make sure that everything is shipped out in a hurry." Laura answered her as she paused to think "But how are we going to find out what they're shipping without giving away our presence?"
"I believe that I can handle that. I'm equipped with a special vision that allows me to see through objects with ease." X answered her as he explained "That way, we won't be spotted by the Mavericks and we can see exactly what loading up." Everyone nodded in agreement as X turns his attention to the Mavericks and used his vision to view inside of the cargo. He sees that the Mavericks were shipping out some dangerous weaponry to be use in the war against humanity.
"So what do you see, X? Something really important that they're uploading?" Ling asked seriously.
"No doubt about it, it's something very important. They're shipping out dangerous weapons that could turn the tide of war in their favor." X answered her with a serious frown "If we're going to stop them, we'll have to do it now before they can ship out any more weapons." He then turns to Cecilia who looked back at him. "Cecilia, think you can take out those boxes from here?"
"Who do you think you're talking to, X? Of course I can take them out from here." Cecilia smirked "Just be ready when they realize we're here. We'll have to fight our way to Chill Penguin." Everyone nodded as she takes out her sniper rifle and aims at the boxes. Once she's got a clear shot, she fires at the boxes, destroying them and the weapons inside.
"What the heck?! Who destroyed all the weapons?!" A Maverick soldier gawked as he turned around to see X and his squad jumping out of their hiding place and took battle stances. "It's that traitorous human lover, X and those five fossils from 2035! Don't let them get near General Chill Penguin!" He ordered as the Mavericks aimed their weapons and open fired at them.
"Oh yeah! Now I can really let loose here!" Tekken pounded his gauntlets together as he charges in and smashes some Mavericks.
"Time for us to get some payback for attacking our home!" Dancho shouted as she draws her sword and slashes at the Maverick soldiers.
"Let's get this over with." Yamaneko frowned as she got out her rocket launcher and fired it at two more Maverick soldiers. Renkin got out her mallet and jumps up and slams it down on the snow, resulting in snowy shockwaves that hit the Maverick soldiers. Laura and Runo combined their attacks to destroy five more Maverick soldiers. Ling and Charlotte teamed up to destroy 3 more Maverick soldiers. Marino slashed some Maverick soldiers with her beam daggers. Jessie and Cecilia fired their guns at two more Maverick soldiers. Kakka launched spells from his book which destroyed 10 more Mavericks.
"Time to take out the trash!" Houki snarled as she draws her twin katanas and dashes at super speed, slicing the Maverick soldiers in half in a quick and deadly attack form. X charged up his X-Buster before firing a large blast at the last remaining Maverick solider, destroying him in the process.
"Heh! Not even a challenge! If these small fry are that easy to take down, then Chill Penguin shouldn't be too hard to crush! He'll probably be just a walk in the park!" Ling boasted while chortling at her own words. She then noticed that X was feeling a bit down. "What's up, X? Why are you feeling down?" Everyone else also took notice of this and turned to face their leader.
"It's just that… You girls are so fast and agile… I can't even do that like the way you do…" X stated out of jealousy for his friends' amazing speed. "If only I could dash like that… But my armor wasn't built with a dash function or anything like that… I don't know if I could lead you guys with the way I am now…" Everyone all looked at each other as they can see that X wasn't feeling like a leader if everyone else could out speed him.
"Don't say that, X-kun. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Charlotte smiled softly as she walked over to him and nuzzled his shoulder, making the other four IS girls seething with rage and making X blush slightly. "I'm sure that you'll find a way to be fast. I just know it. So don't take it too hard on yourself." Suddenly, she noticed X's gem lighting up. "Nani?"
"What the heck?! X, your gem! It's glowing!" Jessie gasped as everyone was just as confused when they all saw X's helmet gem light up. X looked up at his helmet and was wondering what it meant as the gem extended a beam of light towards the first base in the snowy mountains.
"W-What just happened? Why was your helmet gem lighting up like that?" Cecilia blinked as she was wondering what that light from X was. The rest of the squad were wondering about that as well.
"I don't know, but it felt like that it was showing us the way to something. Whatever it was pointing to must be there in that base. If we could trace that light from my gem to the base, we may be able to find out what it is." X theorized.
"But what if it's a trap? Someone could be using your gem as a lure to lead us away from our target. So, what makes you think that we can trust that light from your helmet?" Kakka asked with a frown.
"I just know that we can trust it. I don't think that it's going to lead us to a trap." X answered him with confidence. "It's a feeling I have that I know that it'll lead us in the right direction. Just trust me on this, please." Kakka let out a sigh as he nodded and puts his faith in X's decision.
"Then let's give it a shot. Let's go find out where that light is leading us to." Laura said with a smile as everyone else nodded in agreement and headed for the first base of the snowy mountains.
Upon entering the base, small bat robots called Bat-Bones were hanging from the ceiling, waiting for anyone that comes their path in order to reach Chill Penguin. As the X-Squad enters the base, the Bat-Bones swoops and more laughing purple mini-copter Mavericks swooped down at our heroes. X and Marino used their wall scaling abilities to reach the top while Jessie and the IS girls used their RepArmors' super abilities to catch up with them while the Arthurs and their fairies hold onto them.
As the X-Squad walked down the hallway, they were discussing the light from X's helmet gem that pointed them to a specific location. While Kakka was concerned about the light being a trap, X was able to convince him to trust it as he seems positive that it won't lead them to a trap.
"So where do you think that light from X's gem thingie is leading us to?" Renkin asked curiously. "I know that he said that we can trust it, but how can we be sure that it'll lead us to wherever it was pointing to?"
"I have to agree with Renkin on this. We don't really know where that light is leading us." Runo agrees with a frown. "Don't get us wrong, we're not saying that we don't trust you guys but can we really trust that light from his helmet?"
"I know it sounds strange that we're following a light that only just appeared out of nowhere, but X feels like it can be trusted." Houki answered them, vouching for X. "But whatever that light was, it must've brought us here for a reason if it's related to X in some way… So, if X thinks that we can trust it, then we'll need to trust him as well."
"I'd say that this is a massive waste of time… We're here to stop this Chill Penguin from shipping out those weapons we just destroyed, not looking for something that a light just so happens to point us off our intended path." Yamaneko said snobbishly. "Besides, what makes you think that this…thing is going to help us in stopping Sigma's forces? For all we know, it's not going to be that useful in the long run." Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to face her.
"Oh, so you think that whatever we're trying to find isn't that useful, eh?" Jessie glared at her while Yamaneko glared back with gritted teeth. "Well, let me tell you here, little miss edge lady, I'm really starting to get sick of that attitude of yours. Ever since we saved you guys from the first Maverick attack, everyone else has been very grateful for us helping them except you. Not even a hint of gratitude and this is all we get? I'm actually starting to agree with Kakka about how you're just some antisocial idiot."
"Whatever…" Yameneko just scoffed and looked away while crossing her arms.
"Has she always been like this? Acting like she doesn't need anyone helping her?" Ling asked with a sweat drop.
"Unfortunately, yes. She's always been the kind of person who tends to keep to herself." Coupy answered her with a sigh before smiling slightly. "But she does also have a kinder side once you get to know her more. She just doesn't like to show it very much, mostly because of Dancho's perverted antics that tends to get under everyone's skins." Everyone turned to Dancho who was whistling, trying to act like she has no idea what they're talking about. Just then, X noticed something. It was an advance blue capsule with the top display showing some legs.
"A capsule? This is what the light from my helmet was leading us to?" X wondered as he moved in for a closer look. "Wait… There's something familiar about this capsule… Like I have seen it somewhere before…" As he and his squad moved in closer, the capsule hisses as the glass lowers down to reveal a blue hologram of an old man whose beard made everyone think about Santa Clause, wearing a white lab coat, red pants and blue dress shirt with a tie.
(Dr. Light's Capsule Theme from Maverick Hunter X)
"Ah… my son. I see that you have come at last…" The old scientist smiled softly despite also being serious. X gasped in shock as he recognized the man.
"What is it, X? Do you know this man?" Marino asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I think I do know him… He's my creator, Dr. Thomas Light!" X revealed to them.
"What?!" The rest of the squad all looked at him with wide eyes and mouths agape.
"That old guy's your dad? The one who created you?" Ling blinked twice to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her.
"So, he's the one who created you, X… Your beloved father…" Laura muttered as she and the others looked at the hologram of Dr. Light.
"X, I see that you've awaken in the future. I am so happy to see that you're doing well, but if you have found this capsule, then I fear that something horrible has happened." Dr. Light sighed in a slightly despondently tone. "X, I gave you the ability to choose your own path in life, and I had hoped that the world would allow you to have a peaceful one… But now, it seems the world once again needs MegaMan. Perhaps more than ever before and it needs a stronger and powerful version of him like you. If the world didn't need him, then you wouldn't have stumbled upon this capsule and it seems that your helmet gem has lead you here for that very reason. Just after my death, I have hidden these capsules like this one all around the world when I sealed you away. If you could find them and use them, your true potential will be unlocked, giving you a fighting chance against the forces of evil." He explained to them.
"I get it now. So, Dr. Light hid these capsules like the one we're seeing after his death in the case there are threats to our world like the Maverick War and they've been hidden all over the world. It's exactly as Zero said before!" Cecilia snapped her fingers in excitement.
"That also means if we can find the other capsules, then we'll have a chance against Sigma's forces!" Jessie agrees with a grin.
"X-kun, we did it!" Charlotte beamed "We found one of your father's capsules! If we can find the rest of them and you use them, you might be able to beat Vile the next time we encounter him and you'll be able to defeat Sigma and end the Maverick War!" She then urged him.
"Yeah, I know. Dr. Light knew this would happen just before he passed away that the world would be in imminent danger along with the omniverse." X nodded with a small smile "He also knew that this'll be our chance to even the odds in our favor to finally ending this war." He then looked over to the hologram of his creator and whispered "Thanks, Dr. Light. For creating me."
"X, step into the capsule to receive your first upgrade. You'll be able to use the acceleration boost for your speed." Dr. Light smiled as the hologram disappears. X turned to his squad who all nodded with determined smiles. X nodded back at them just before entering the capsule. Light glowed around him and in a few seconds, his metal boots changed from blue to white, gold and blue. Everyone gasped in awe as X received a new pair of legs upon entering the Light Capsule. Wanting to test them out, X dashed forward as he and his squad were amazed by his newly increased speed he's gotten.
"This is so cool! This acceleration boost is really fast!" X grinned "Now we can really keep up the pace with Sigma's forces. They won't know what hit them."
"Alright, now let's go searching for Chill Penguin. Time for him to pay for his crimes when he joined Sigma." Ling smirked as the X-Squad pressed on to their destination. X was pleased to have received an upgrade from Dr. Light's capsule. Maybe Zero, Jerry, Sophie and the IS girls were right… If he acquires all the upgrades from Dr. Light's capsules, then he might stand a chance against Sigma after all. He will win and he will preserve peace for both the human and Reploid race.
As the X-Squad proceeded to destroy more robotic enemies, including some lumberjack robots and Maverick soldiers piloting Ride Armors, but the X-Squad learned from their previous battle with Vile and managed to destroy them, so the next time they face Vile, X will be charged up to destroy him.
Upon reaching the end of their path, they've made it to the central snow base and discovered a slide door of some kind. It has a logo that's Sigma's name in its roman numeral form with a head of a purple wolf outlining it. Not knowing what to do next, Charlotte opened a channel to contact Zero. "Um… Commander Zero? We've managed to make it to the base, but we've also discovered some sort of door in it. It also has Sigma's logo on it."
"No doubt about it, that must be where Chill Penguin is stationed." Zero told her with a serious frown as he looked at the screen. "You and your squad will have to enter through the door and confront Chill Penguin on the other side. Good luck and be careful, he's a real slippery one. Jerry and Sophie will be ready to bring you guys back once you've dealt with Chill Penguin."
"Roger that. We'll be done in no time flat." Cecilia nodded as Char cuts the channel and the gang entered through the door. Once the door slides open, they went inside to enter the room of Chill Penguin just as the door closes behind them.
"So this is where that Chill Penguin guy is hiding out? Somewhere inside of this room?" Titania asked confusedly.
"No doubt about it, he's definitely here. We've just got to find him and put a stop to his operations." Houki answered her with a tensed frown.
"Hey, what's that thing up on the ceiling? It looks like some kind of lever." Runo points up to a pull-lever on the ceiling.
"It looks like some kind of pull-lever for a snow making machine." Laura deduced as she explained "If I have to guess, it can create powerful snow that's similar to a blizzard. We'll have to be mindful of that because I'm sure that Chill Penguin will probably use it when he gets desperate."
"But where exactly is this guy hiding? Are you really sure that he's in this room?" Dancho asked as she looked around, but just before anyone could answer her, the lights flashed on to reveal ice sculptures of penguins. Sitting on them of them is a fat robotic humanoid penguin with the Sigma logo on his body.
(Maverick Confrontation Theme from Maverick Hunter X)
"Welcome, X and IS pilots… So nice for you to pay me a visit…" The penguin smirked in a sinister tone. "I knew that you'd be coming here… Now I can destroy all of you so that no one would stand up against Lord Sigma again!"
X transformed his arm into his X-Buster and aimed at Chill Penguin while issuing "Chill Penguin, please power down and come along peacefully with us. If you do, then maybe the UN will go easy on you for siding with Sigma's rebellion."
"Or do we have to reduce you into scrap metal if you don't comply?" Houki frowned as she got her twin katanas ready.
"Just look at you, X… You act so high and mighty like you're some kind of golden boy… I just can't stand it!" Chill Penguin said with an angry frown. "Lord Sigma has paid for the use of my power because he can see the potential we Reploids have. Working for him is a million times better than piddling around in the South Pole with nothing to do. It's enough to drive someone up the wall!"
"But why Chill Penguin…?! Why would you side with Sigma?" X asked with a growl.
"Why, you asked? I wouldn't expect you to understand, X." Chill Penguin answered him with a dark smirk. "You may be the father of us Reploids, but that doesn't mean that you're more superior to us! You're nothing but an old and outdated model that has long been forgotten by the world. The same goes for those IS brats, their time in the spotlight has passed and the IS are no more. So now it's our time to rise and for humans to fall!"
"How could you do this?! What Sigma's doing is treacherous!" X shouted.
"What's treacherous is you, X! For siding with the humans and protecting them!" Chill Penguin shouted back "You could've have ultimate power and all of the omniverse at your fingertips, but you decided to throw it all away just to protect those filthy apes! Well, if you're going to protect them, then you'll have to die with them!"
"Then it looks like the time for talk is over. We'll have to destroy you and stop your operation for Sigma." Marino said with a frown.
"Hah! I'd like to see you fools try!" Chill Penguin snorted as he jumps down from his perch. "There's no way I would surrender to punks like you! Lord Sigma's ideal omniverse is absolute! Once he gets Project Uni running and bring all of the people from other dimensions so that their homes would be defenseless without them, it'll be a matter of time before our Reploid utopia becomes a reality! Now to reward you for coming this far, I will freeze you to your doom!" He fires ice shards from his beak, forcing the gang to leap out of the way.
MegaMan X and the X-Squad vs Chill Penguin: Theme: Maverick Boss Fight from Maverick Hunter X
"The time for talk has pass, Chill Penguin!" Ling yelled as she charged towards Chill Penguin who smirked as he fired ice shards at her, freezing her. But he gawked as Ling quickly breaks free. "Augh! That is cold!" Ling snarled as she charged towards Chill Penguin and punched and kicked him three times.
"Why you! Take this!" Chill Penguin snarled as he slid on his belly in an attempt to ram into the gang, but they leaped out of the way. X pelted Chill Penguin with Bister shots with Cecilia adding in shots with her assault rifle.
"Take this!" Yamaneko yelled as she fired her rocket launcher at Chill Penguin who panicked as he slide away from the shots. "Augh! Hold still you stupid penguin!"
"Let me try!" Tekken yelled as he charged towards Chill Penguin and punched and kicked him five times.
"Not bad! But it ain't over yet! Take this!" Chill Penguin snarled as he leaped up and grabbed the lever in the ceiling, causing a mini-blizzard to appear, causing most of our heroes to shiver.
"B-Brrrrr! It's c-cold!" Renkin shivered. X struggled his X-Buster up and fired it at Chill Penguin, knocking him away from the lever and causing the blizzard to stop.
"Whew! Thanks, X-kun! I thought we were gonna become popsicles!" Char smiled at our blue hero before turning her attention to Chill Penguin. With a yell, she charged towards Chill Penguin and jabbed her spear at him three times, giving him medium damage.
"Darn it!" Chill Penguin snarled as he fired more ice shards from his beak at our heroes, but like before, they dodged it. Marino and Jessie double teamed on him, giving him triple damage.
"Take this, you naughty penguin!" Dancho smirked as she swooped in and slashed Chill Penguin three times. Houki swooped in as well and slashed Chill Penguin five times.
"Ugh! You're pretty good for being the baby sister of the disgraced IS creator, Tabane Shinonono…" Chill Penguin muttered, Houki remained silent as she readies her katanas. "But playtime is over! Time for me to get serious!" Chill Penguin yelled as he fired multiple ice shards from his beak. The gang had a hard time dodging them, but they managed.
X used his new boots to dash towards Chill Penguin who tried to hit him with an ice shard, but he leaped up above him. "What?!" Chill Penguin gawked as X landed behind him and fired five Buster shots at him, giving him medium damage.
"Nice one, X! My turn!" Jessie grinned as she fired her dual rifles at Chill Penguin, giving him medium damage as well.
Chill Penguin tried to grab onto the lever again. "Oh no you don't, you bad penguin!" Renkin shouted as she leaped up and bashed him in the head, knocking him to the ground.
"Ouch!" Chill Penguin groaned as he rubbed his head and glared at Renkin who has her mallet ready. "To think a little girl shares the same name as the legendary king of Camelot… But it doesn't matter!" Chill Penguin snarled as he slid on his belly in a attempt to ram her. But Tekken got in front of his friend and knocked Chill Penguin into a wall. Chill Penguin growled as he fired more ice shards from his beak.
"Take this!" Laura snarled as she charged towards Chill Penguin and slashed him three times with her claymore. Renkin and Runo combined their attacks to give Chill Penguin more damage.
"Hmph!" Kakka smirked as he launched ice spells from his book, forcing Chill Penguin to slide away from the spells.
However, that was part of Kakka's plan as he nodded to X who nodded back as he charged up his X-Buster. Chill Penguin was in X's line of sight and the Maverick General panicked. "Oh no! Please have mercy!"
"Charged shot!" With a heroic yell, X fired the charged shot at Chill Penguin which hit him, Chill Penguin squawked in agony as he was destroyed.
"Whew… So glad that's over and done with. Zero was right, he really was a slippery one." Dancho said with a sigh before smiling happily. "But now that we've stopped Chill Penguin, does that mean we were able to stop this new weapons from being used in the war?"
"Yeah, it sure does. Now Sigma's forces won't be able to gain an advantage against us." Jessie answered her with a grin. "Since we've already managed to destroy them on our way here before they could be shipped out, that's one less thing to worry about. So shall we head back and report to Zero?"
"Not yet, there's something else I need to do." X answered her as he walked over to Chill Penguin's remains. "Zero said that if we're going to stand a chance of defeating Sigma, then we'll need to find all of the Light Capsules and I need to copy their weapons. So far we've already found one of the capsules that Dr. Light left, that just leaves this. If what he said is true, then this could be our best bet to turn the war in our favor."
"Allow me to join you, X. I feel like that something in my systems is saying to do the same." Marino said with a smile. "I'm not sure if I'll receive the same abilities as you, but I'm willing to take the chance if it means of ending this war."
"Right, then let's do this, Marino. Time to see if Zero's theory is correct or not." X nodded as they both touched Chill Penguin's body. Blue energy surges through them as they can feel all of Chill Penguin's data was stored into their memory banks. As they pulled away, they could feel all of Chill Penguin's ice abilities now under their command.
"Well? Did it work? Was the red guy right about you copying that penguin's powers?" Titania asked curiously.
"Only one way to find out." X answered her as he activated Chill Penguin's power and his armor changed into an icy blue. He then aims his X-Buster at the wall and shouted "Shotgun Ice!" And fired a large chunk of ice at the wall and it shattered upon impact.
"Awesome! That was amazing, X! You really copied Chill Penguin's powers!" Ling cheered. "So what about you, Marino? What kind of abilities did you receive from Chill Penguin?"
"I'm not sure, but there's no time like the present, I suppose." Marino answered her as she draws her Beam Knife from her little Mechaniloid friend. Just then, the blade turned blue as she can feel Chill Penguin's coursing through it. Want to test it out, she raises her hand in front of her face with only two fingers out and closed her eyes. A second later, she opened her eyes and shouted "Shinobi Art: Icicle Dance!" And does a series of flips and spins before finishing off with a downward slash.
"That was awesome, Marino! You just received a new ability!" Jessie said, grinning happily. "I don't know how that happened, but you just gained a new power like X! I didn't know that you could even do that."
"Neither did I, but it somehow came to me. Like I knew what to do and I just did it." Marino said with a smile. "It feels like I was gifted with a similar ability to copy weapon data like X, but instead of the Maverick's actual weapon, my blade has gained a new skill. This'll definitely be useful for whatever enemy that comes our way."
"Well, one thing's for sure, Zero was right." X smirked heroically to himself. "I can copy the powers of our enemies and your blades can gain some elemental properties. I can feel like your creator wanted you to be able to protect the Earth much like mine." Marino nodded in agreement as she stores her new blades in Hayohn's sheathe in his mouth while X turned to his friends and asked in concern "Hey, are you guys okay?"
"Yeah… We're j-just fine…" Houki shivered as she sneezed. "Thank you for helping us with that Maverick, X. You too, Marino. I thought we were going to freeze to death if Chill Penguin continued with that mini-blizzard!"
"I-I-I-I'm freezing like crazy here!" Ling sneezed again.
"S-Same h-h-ere!" Renkin sneezed as well.
"I'm… also cold…" Laura muttered in shame as both Reploids chuckled slightly.
"I believe it's time for us to head back, X. The more we stay here, the more they'll freeze. So I believe that we should return to base now." Marino suggested with a playful grin.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, it's time for us to head home and warm up." X agrees "After we rest up, then we'll go after the remaining 7 Maverick Generals and finding more of the Light Capsules." He stated with a smile.
"Okay!" Everyone smiled in response as X opens a channel to the base.
"Jerry, Sophie, we've completed the mission. Warp us back to the base." X said.
"Roger that, we're bringing you guys home." Jerry said with a smile as he activates the transporter to send them back to Hunter HQ as several other Hunters arrived on the scene to secure the base.
Just as the X-Squad warped out from Chill Penguin's base, the X Foundation soldiers were hauling out the remains of Sigma's destroyed weapons onto airships while making sure the Maverick Hunters didn't noticed them. After loading up the last of the cargo, the X Foundation airship departs from the Snow Mountain Base and disappeared into the blizzard.
To be continued…
Next chapter: Flame Mammoth: His Hidden Power: The Dark Alliance Between Mr. X and Sigma!
A/N: Next up, our heroes take on Flame Mammoth and we witness a bit of X's true power. Then Sigma and Mr. X of the X-Foundation sinisterly joined forces and we learned more about the sinister leader of the X Foundation. Stay tune.