Chapter 9: TADA!! The Calvary is Here!
Another powerful explosion had shook the entire Maverick Hunter Headquarters as the wave of terror caused by Dark Phantom and his Psycho-Mavericks continue on. On a nearby hill, a small Reploid could be seen sitting down, capturing the devastation on a camcorder and enjoyously eating a bowl of Tomato Soup.
It was Serges.
"Ooo!! Another complex is falling to the ground!!", said Serges in a frantically happy tone, "I must say I've really outdone myself! That overzealous, hairless loser Sigma could never have done such a great job like Dark Phantom and I did! Those Psycho-Mavericks are my greatest achievement ever!"
"Are they?", said an ominous voice from the shadows.
Serges's happiness turned immediately to fear as he dropped his camcorder and got up. He spilled his soup as he turned around and said nervously, "W-W-W-Who's T-There?!". He looked at someone who was standing in the shadows of a nearby forest.
The shadow came close into the light as he said, "An overzealous, hairless LOSER, am I!". It was Sigma, suited up in a new, blue Battle Body.
"SIGMA!!", Serges yelled as he jumped back and tripped. He fell to the ground on his back and had tried to crawl away from the irate Maverick.
Sigma's face twisted into anger as he said, "The one thing I hate more than Maverick Hunters, humans, and competitors are TRAITORS! You have betrayed me, Serges! And to make things worse, you turned my own army of Mavericks against me! For this treachery you must be....."
"Sigma, wait!", interrupted Serges as he continued to crawl away from Sigma, who was slowly advancing towards the diminuitive Maverick. "I-I-I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! Dark Phantom forced me to create those Mavericks! I-I-I didn't even like it! I acted the way I did just now because his eyes are everywhere! Please spare me, boss! I promise I won't go against you again!"
Sigma didn't say anything. He simply stared down hard at the sniveling Serges. He unsheathed his Beam Sabre and said, "It seems you and Dark Phantom made the perfect team, and soon you two will be the perfect team to be boiled down into axle grease!" He then grabbed Serges by the neck and lifted him in the air. The camcorder continued to run as a helpless Serges screamed in absoulte terror.
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"Leave me alone, you tusk-faced schmuck!"
"Not until I kick your butt and stomp you flat!"
A red titanium-colored rookie Maverick Hunter was being chased down an alley by Frost Walrus, also a Psycho-Maverick. Frost Walrus was incredibly fast despite being larger than life. Having cornered the hapless Maverick Hunter at the end of the alley, Frost Walrus casually said:
"Just hold it right there, real still, so I can have a good aim at your head! I promise to end your life quickly, heh heh!" He then lowered his shoulder towards the unknown Hunter and fired his Frost Tower towards his head.
The rookie Hunter closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. Suddenly, a giant, Level 5 Plasma Blast was fired from the roof above and had shattered the Frost Tower in mid-air. Frost Walrus stood stupefied and the rookie opened his eyes to find that he was still functioning. They both looked up and saw who fired that blast.
It was Auroran Flash. She said to the two Reploids, "How's that for precision firing!" She then charged her blaster again, leapt down from the rooftop in front of the rookie Hunter, and then fired a Level 5 blast at Frost Walrus, causing him to reel back in a daze. Aurie turned to the Hunter and said, "Hey, Crossfire! Are you okay!"
The now-named Crossfire replied, "Yeah! I'm okay! But everyone on the base is not! They're either in hiding or turned to scrap!"
Aurie put her hand on his shoulder and said, "You did great and you did all you can! Now get all the other Rookie Hunters that are left and evacuate as many humans as possible! Me and my friends will handle those Psycho-Hacks!"
Crossfire saluted and said, "You got it, AF!" He then punched a couple of buttons on his wrist and teleported out of the alley. At the same time, Frost Walrus, who was seemingly unharmed and angered by the attack, had gained his bearings and said to Aurie, "Ooohh, that does it! You're going down, girly!" Aurie had fortunately been paying attention and had teleported out of the alley before a barrage of Frost Towers fired by Walrus could hit her, leaving him to pitch a tremor-causing temper tantrum in the area. After a moment, Frost Walrus then stomped out of the alley and into the MHHQ Main Square where an even bigger battle was taking place.
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Scorch fired Level 5 Plasma Blasts and Royaltie fired Level 5 Narrow Beam blasts in the air at Storm Eagle and Blast Hornet. Ice Blue X fired her Freeze Beam and Slash fired his own Plasma Blast at Wheel Gator and Volt Catfish. Auroran Flash fired Level 5 Plasma Blasts and Buzzsaw fired a barrage of Enchanted Blades at Wire Sponge and Flame Mammoth. Split Mushroom and Frost Walrus attacked the Rookies evacuating and guarding the humans while the Rookies themselves returned fire. This incredible battle within the walls of MHHQ seemed like an all-out war between Heaven and Hell.
And it seems the Psycho-Mavericks are winning.
On a nearby rooftop, Dark Phantom watched the entire cataclysmic event. His eyes turned bright blood red with delight as he said, "This indeed will be a day long remembered! We will at last see the end of the Maverick Hunters, and we will soon see to the enslavement of all mankind! When I cast my shadow on this world, all men will kneel before us! Even Sigma will be forced to kneel, before I kill him of course! HAHAHAHAHA!"
The mysterious Maverick put his overshadowed hand on Phantom's shoulder and said, "Agreed, Dark Phantom! But personally, I won't be happy until I destroy Mega Man X once and for all! Where is that coward anyway?? Why could he chicken out on his friends during the battle of the millenium??!"
Dark Phantom moved his shoulder and turned to the Maverick and said, "Mega Man X is too bound by justice and honor to simply become a coward. Haven't you figured out that it is his greatest weakness??" He then turned his attention back to the battlefield and continued, "I can feel that he is preparing for this fight, and he could find a way to stop my Psycho-Maverick army, but don't worry! His weakness will set in when he faces his ultimate challenge, and he will DIE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The mysterious Maverick laughed with Dark Phantom as they watched the ongoing battle unfold.
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Flame Mammoth shot out a streak of oil from his trunk at Buzzsaw and Aurie and had fired a ball of flame from his Arm Cannon at the slick, causing a massive wall of fire to form. The two Hunters jumped back from the towering fire barrier and fired a combined barrage of Plasma Blasts and Enchanted Blades through the inferno at Flame Mammoth. When the flames settled after a moment, Buzzsaw and Aurie peeked over to see Flame Mammoth on his backside screaming "I've fallen and I can't get up!" *HAHA! I love gratuitous jokes!*
Buzzsaw held up his weapon in triumph, saying to Aurie, "Now that's what I call true teamwork!". Aurie also followed suit and said to him, "Yeah, Buzzy! We are unstoppable!"
Suddenly, a sharp feeling of pain hit Aurie's left leg, and she looked down to find the sharp end of Wire Sponge's Strike Chain sticking out of her leg. She screamed as she was being pulled away from Buzz like a fish on a hook into the waiting arms of the veggie-style Maverick.
"AUUUUURRRRRRRIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!", screamed Buzzsaw as he ran toward the two. "LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU ZUCCHINI-FACED @##$%@!!!" He immediately unsheathed his Beam Sabre and sliced off the Strike Chain holding Aurie. He then jump-kicked Wire Sponge in the stomach, knocking him down, and had fired countless rounds of Enchanted Blades in his face. After a moment, Wire Sponge laid still and unconscious. Buzzsaw pointed at him and said, "Mess with my friends again and you'll wish you never got to know Buzzsaw the Righteous!" He then ran to Aurie, who was pulling out the Strike Chain blade from her leg.
"Aurie! Are you okay??!", said Buzzsaw in a concerned tone.
"My leg........HURTS! MMMM.....OOOOWWWWWW!!", screamed Aurie, having pulled it out.
Buzz ran to a nearby "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS" case and had broken it to find a first aid kit. He takes it, runs to Aurie, and tends to her injury.
Aurie looks up to Buzz and says, "Thanks, Buzz. You truly are righteous! I guess this means we're even!"
Buzzsaw smiles, "It doesn't matter if we're even! You'll always be my one, true Mega Goddess!" Aurie giggled at that remark, and was helped up by Buzzsaw, who patched up her leg wound.
The two walked out of the alley with Aurie limping out after Buzz, and were suddenly stopped by a flying Scorch, who had been blasted back severely by Blast Hornet's Parasitic Bomb, and has landed near a pile of rubble. The two Hunters and Royaltie came to Scorch's aid and had found he was dented badly, with a small wound in his shoulder seeping out circulatory fluids. Ice Blue X and Slash also came a second later, also dented and bruised.
"Scorch! Are you okay?!", shouted all of the Hunters in unison.
Looking distressed, Scorch felt his shoulder wound and suddenly yelled out, "They're WINNING, aren't they?!" All of the Hunters frowned at that remark.
Suddenly, as if by a sheer twist of fate, a GIGANTIC blast of energy could be seen in the horizon, and two screaming Mavericks, all of which are Split Mushroom and Frost Walrus, flew from the blast and careened towards a nearby wall, and had taken significant damage. The six Hunters got up and looked towards where the blast originated and saw a familiar face:
Mega Man X. Clad in an all-new Ultimate Armor unlike anything anyone has ever seen before.
The crowd cheered for Mega Man X in more ways than one: "MEGA MAN!!! YO, X!!! MEGGY!!! BROTHER!!! IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!"
At the same time, Dark Phantom sensed his arrival and said to his mysterious friend nearby, "He is here! It is time!" With a swirl of smoke, the two Reploids disappeared from the rooftop.
Auroran Flash and Royaltie both ran to hug X. Buzzsaw said to X, "You sure came to the nick of time, my friend!" Slash butted in and said, "Yeah, X! These Psycho-Mavericks are unstoppable!"
X walked to Scorch, took his hand and said, "I'm here now Scorch! I'm here now for all of you! It's time for ALL of us to show the Mavericks who's boss!" They all shouted "YEAH!" at that remark.
X looked down at Aurie's leg wound and said to her, "Aurie! What happened to your leg?!" Aurie replied, "Oh, I got hurt a little bit, but I'm okay, despite the pain." X smiled and said back, "That's what I love about you, Aurie. You're both tough and sensitive." Aurie smiled as well and thought to herself, "Love.........????"
Suddenly, all of the Hunters turned to find Frost Walrus and Split Mushroom gaining their bearings and looking really p@#!@d off. X motioned all of the Hunters to stand back as he charged his X-Buster to Level 6 (!!!!!!!!!) and unfolded the wings on his back to reveal his Nova Strike. He then said to his comrades, "Let's go!"
He then jumped and hovered in the air, and had leveled his blaster towards the astonished Psycho-Mavericks, letting loose a titanic blast of Plasma energy and sending the two Reploids flying once again.
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All off the Psycho-Mavericks appeared in the square to celebrate their victory. Flame Mammoth came in with the head of a Maverick Hunter, slammed it to the ground, and stomped on it. To them it seems that the war has finally been won.
"I can't believe we actually did it!", Flame Mammoth shouted heartily.
"Yezzzzzzzzzzz! We are truly an unzzzzzztoppable forzzzzzzze to be reckoned with!", Blast Hornet said happily.
Wheel Gator also butted in and said, "Yea! We finally cleaned those Hunters' clocks and gave them what.......". Wheel Gator suddenly stopped and looked up at two objects in the sky, careening towards them. He pointed at them and said, "Uhhhhh, hey guys! What are those?!"
All of the Psycho-Mavericks looked up at the objects and realized they were Split Mushroom and Frost Walrus, all flying towards their position. Before they could react, the two hapless Mavericks landed right in the middle. Flame Mammoth yelled at Frost Walrus, saying:
"Hey, Tuskbreath! What's the idea of raining on our parade!?"
Frost Walrus weakly said, "Shut....up, DUMBO!" After they both got up, Split Mushroom yelled, "We gotta be ready! Here comes....."
At that moment, Mega Man X soared over the square and over the Psycho-Mavericks' heads. His Nova Strike allowed him to fly with the finesse of an eagle. He yelled out to the group of Mavericks, "Hey guys! Remember me?!"
"Aw it's just Mega Man X with some fancy new suit!" Flame Mammoth declared, "We can beat this guy! We did before! After all, it's just one of him and......"
"......and SIX of us!!"
Mammoth stopped and all of the Mavericks turned to see the six Maverick Hunters (Scorch, Royaltie, Auroran Flash, Buzzsaw (the RIGHTEOUS!!!), Ice Blue X, and Slash) standing before them, with their weapons charged and leveled towards their enemies. X had landed near his comrades and charged his weapon as well. Buzzsaw smiled wickedly at the startled group and said heartily, "IT'S PAYBACK TIME!!!"
With that, a combined barrage of Plasma Blasts, Enchanted Blades, and Freeze Beams had hit the Mavericks with incredible force unlike any other. Blast Hornet and Storm Eagle never even had the chance to take flight, let alone retaliate. The Mavericks were definitely no match for the legendary Maverick Hunters' combined might, as they were being pushed back and being damaged severely. It seems the tides of war would finally turn in their favor. When suddenly.........
"ENOUGH!!!"
Everyone stopped. X and the Maverick Hunters stopped firing, and the now-smoking Mavericks regained their senses, as they knew who made that commanding yell. Suddenly, a bright flash of purple light appeared before the two groups and had soon materialized into the familiar shadow of the evil Dark Phantom.
All of the Psycho-Mavericks shouted in unison, "HI BOOOOOSSSSSS!!!"
Phantom raised his hand and said, "Psycho-Mavericks! Fall back and attack until I give the order!" The Mavericks didn't argue with their new master, and had stood to attention like trained soldiers.
X was surprised by the arrival of the Mavericks' new master, and yet feels as if he met him before.
"I always knew it would be him.", said Scorch to himself.
Auroran Flash stepped forward and said, "Sooooooooo, you're their new master! You look kinda familiar! Are you that Maverick Clown we beat up once and made him wear his @$$ on his head?!" All the Hunters laughed at Aurie's joke.
Phantom merely dimmed his eyes and said sarcastically, "Ha ha! Very funny, AURORAN FLASH!"
All the Hunters stopped laughing and wore astonished looks on their faces. He knows Aurie's name???!!
Phantom continued, "I suppose you would best recognize me as my old self!" He then opened his hand and a beat-up, taped-up old helmet appeared in his hand. He placed the helmet on his head and the Hunters astonishment turned to extreme surprise. It was......
"VILE?!!", they all shouted. After that, a moment of silence came, and X stepped forward and said, "I wondered who you were, since I feel like I've seen you before! So who are you really, Vile??!"
Phantom took off the helmet and threw it aside in extreme disgust, shouting, "Vile does not exist anymore! That incompetent persona had long been destroyed! I am the very shadow of evil and destruction!! I am the bane of all that is good and heroic!! I AM DARK PHANTOM!!!"
X and the Hunters reeled back in surprise from Dark Phantom's anger-toned declaration. He then walked towards X and said, "It is time, Mega Man X! Time for you to feel the helplessness of a thousand humans, and taste the true meaning of destruction!"
X looked determined as he faced Phantom and replied, "I am not afraid of you, Vile or not! Give me your best shot, Shadow Boy!"
"Oh, you won't fight me, X!", said Phantom as he stepped back, "You will face someone who is...more or less...your equal in combat! You will face.....my BROTHER!!"
"What??!!", said X.
As Dark Phantom turned away from X, another flash of purple light appeared. This time it materialized into an even more familiar Reploid. He had shouted as he had materialized:
"I have waited a long time to fight and destroy you!!"
X and the other Hunters suddenly screamed in absolute extreme surprise:
"ZERO???!!!"
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