The Red Bomber's Quest, Part 3: A Rivalry of the Better Kind
Y'all know that the characters mentioned in the story aren't mine. All respective rights reserved for Capcom, blah blah blah…
Blues, now armoured up into Proto Man, has a plan to save Rock! Him and four Robot Masters are on their way to Wily's base to retrieve the parts for Rock's new core, but will their plan succeed, and will they make it in time?
With the team…
"OK, Proto Man. The base is over the oceans, so it might take a day to get there. As soon as you get in, initiate the plan. No hesitation at all, as Rock's life is on the line. Got it?" Roll's voice came over the intercom.
"I've got you, little sis. We're on our way now. Report any changes in his condition to me." he replied as his team sprinted through Mega City.
"Gotcha."
Back at the Lab…
Roll sighed tiredly, slumping into her seat in front of the supercomputer. She looked over at Rock, who was still unaware of his situation. Dr Light was doing everything he could to support his power levels at a steady rate, but both knew that it would only be temporary.
"Dad… why did this happen anyway? Rock was in perfect health for so long, and then… his core just fails. Why?" Roll asked miserably.
Dr Light sighed quietly. "Ever since I took him off the Double Gears System, I've noticed that he's had very minor power spikes and drops, but nothing properly noticeable, so minor that not even he's realised. I thought Rock would stabilise himself again after, but I was so deeply wrong to not keep a close eye on him." he admitted. Roll looked at her father with a sad but kind look on her face. "It's not your fault, Dad. All parents make mistakes sometimes." she consoled her parent quietly, walking over and taking his hand. Just then, a loud bleeping came from the supercomputer. "Someone's teleporting into… our garden?" Roll stated confusedly, before running out to the garden. A beam of yellow and black landed straight in front of her, before transforming and showing himself to be none other than Rock's rival and acquaintance, Bass. He was carrying a large black plastic satchel.
"I got a call from Proto Man that a certain blue brat is sick?" the 16-year old teenbot asked, a slight look of worry on his face (Bass called everyone younger than him brats, but he meant no harm by it).
"Yeah… His core started failing, and he can't regulate his power by himself anymore. He's comatose, too..." Roll sighed sadly, before she started to cry. Bass, despite being the edgiest teenbot, hugged Roll and patted her on the back. "It'll be OK, little brat. I'm actually here to help in a way…" Bass smiled reassuringly. A hint of compassion showed itself in his garnet-coloured eyes. Roll looked up at Bass, before taking his hand and leading him inside.
Back with the five…
"OK, so from the map that Roll sent, we need to travel halfway across the dang ocean to get to the base and we've not much time." Proto Man explained, emphasising dang.
"Please watch your language. Anyway, I can create an ice patch to use as a raft and get us over there!" Ice Man replied. He inhaled deeply, before spitting icy wind at the water. A large chunk of ice formed within a few moments. "Good going, little bro!" Guts Man laughed, slapping the tiny bot on the back and sending him sprawling onto the ground. Wood Man and Shadow Man helped him up while shooting dirty looks at the bigger bot. Everyone boarded the miniature iceberg and each did their best to push off from the shore. Eventually, they made it, and started drifting towards their location.
Back at the Lab again…
"So, Bass… let me get this straight; you want to act as a power regulator for Rock and keep him alive by doing so?" Dr Light asked the robotic teen confusedly. He'd never expected Bass to help, so it was a rather unusual scene.
"Well, yes, because… because…" he stuttered a little, eyes closed, obviously still unused to being kind.
"Because?" Roll asked. Bass looked at her, her tiny smirk was enough to give him courage to admit.
"Because if I lose my rival, I'll have no one to train with, to basically be friends with. No one wants to be my friend, except for Rock." he admitted quietly. Dr Light smiled at Bass, who had a nervous pinkish blush across his face, and said "You're a good bot, and we're here for you. Now, we need to set up the power transformers. What voltage does your core use?"
Bass stated his voltage rate, and Dr Light stopped for a second. "That's the exact same as Rock's voltage rate. We don't need to use any transforming machinery then - just the transfusior. Come over here."
After getting Bass laid down on a workbench and his chest panel opened, he was wired up to a machine, as was Rock.
"Now, if at any point you feel tired, Bass, you can ask anyone to get you an E-Tank. You'll need it, after all." Roll explained.
"No need. I brought a few…" Bass smirked as the transfusior was activated. He opened his satchel, to reveal tonnes of E-Tanks, at least a good thirty, and other energy-replenishment items. "What, I'm prepared." he laughed upon seeing Roll's shocked face.
Now Bass is in the mission to keep Rock alive! Proto Man and his team are on their way to Wily's base, so we'll see how they fair later!