Chapter 11: Dynamic Duo
"AWK??! What is that in the sky??!", Storm Eagle said.
Split Mushroom yelled, "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's......". Wheel Gator interrupted, "Who asked you, Moldybreath! SHADDUP!".
Mushroom yelled out again, in sheer anger, "For the last time, DON'T CALL ME........."
"Hold it, you guyzzzzzzzzz!", Blast Hornet interrupted, "Let me check it out!" The bee Maverick then took air and looked to see the light that is coming closer to the HQ. The light showed itself to be a giant ball covered in a bright blue aura. Blast Hornet looked at this in fright and screamed out:
"IT'ZZZZZZZZZZ A METEOR!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
With that outburst, all of the Psycho-Mavericks suddenly ran around the square in complete frantic fear, screaming and yelling phrases like, "I'M TOO YOUNG AND HANDSOME TO DIE!!!". Frost Walrus was even seen yelling, "I NEVER GOT TO SEE PARIS!!!". The only ones that weren't shown in fear were the Maverick Hunters, who were tending to their wounds.
Slash said, "What in the name of Mario is going on here?!"
Buzzsaw replied, "They said something about.......a meteor?"
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Meanwhile, outside at the training arena, Dark Phantom looked up in the sky at the "meteor" while Scorch and Royaltie still lay on the ground, paralyzed. He studied it and declared, "This is too energy-based to be a meteor. Whatever this ball of energy is, it is alive." The ball of energy then suddenly changed course in mid-air and moved towards Dark Phantom. The dark robot stood back as the blue ball suddenly stopped upon reaching the ground and then landed safely. The ball then took shape and morphed its form into that of a robot. A VERY familiar robot.
Duo.
"I knew that it was still here!", Duo said.
Looking at him with bright red eyes, Dark Phantom said, "You are obviously not an ordinary robot! Who are you and where do you come from?!"
"My name is Duo.", the robot replied. "I travel the farthest reaches of the universe for only one task: to find and eliminate all of the Evil Energy from this universe. I can sense that you have the crystal that creates and harbors it! Therefore, for the sake of the galaxy, you must be destroyed!"
Phantom merely laughed at Duo's introduction and replied, "You're all talk, aren't you, Space Boy? No one can ever destroy the mighty Dark Phantom! Your destruction is your future, and THE FUTURE IS INEVITABLE!" He then charged purple energy into his hands and fired two energy blasts at Duo. Duo then transformed into blue energy and jumped out of harm's way before they hit. Dark Phantom sees Duo hovering in mid-air and soon follows suit. He again charges energy in his hands and performed his Street Fighter-esque Fireball maneuver. As he threw the powerful projectile, Duo had fired a stream of blue light from his hands towards Dark Phantom, nullifying the deadly fireball and striking the dark robot in the chest. This caused him to fall back to Earth and moan in pain.
As he got up and clutched his chest, Phantom vehemently yelled, "Unnnnnnngh! How.....can this be?! How could he overpower......ME??!!" He then turned his back and disappeared in a swirl of smoke and light.
"He only used a fraction of its power. That means he only has part of the crystal.", said Duo as he floated in mid-air. He flew back down to the ground and declared, "I've got to stop him!" He then noticed Scorch and Royaltie still paralyzed on the ground by Phantom's magic. Sensing the magic still coarsing through their bodies, Duo said, "But first, I'd better help them. I can't leave them like this." He then walked to the two hapless Maverick Hunters and tended to them.
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"Are you okay, Zero?", asked Mega Man X in a concerned voice.
Wiping the tears from his face within the walls of the ruined training arena, Zero softly answered back, "How......wha-......w-why.....did you tell me this.......why.....did Iris have to die!"
"Because she had a choice, Zero." Mega Man said as he walked towards his (former?) best friend. "Just like all Reploids have a choice when they are first created. We are all created with a free will and the choice of how to live our lives. Dr. Wily may have never realized the full extent of what he was doing when he converted you. He probably wanted Reploids with power, but instead he got Reploids with power AND a choice! Don't you see?! You don't have to do this! You don't have to live up to your "father's" expectations! You may have been evil in the past, but deep down inside I know you were destined for so much more! I can forgive you for the past, and we can be friends again! Together we can win this war for all time!" He then moved his hand towards Zero, only to have it pushed back.
"STOP IT!! You're confusing me!", yelled Zero. He turned away from X for about a moment, and then turned back to face him, saying, "Dark Phantom is my brother! He's the only family that I have left! But then again, you were my best friend, and somehow, I think I agree with you."
At that moment, with a swirl of smoke, Dark Phantom had appeared in the arena, and had moved towards the two Hunters as he said to Zero:
"Brother! It is time to go! A strange robot had attacked me and.........what is going on here?!" Dark Phantom looked at his "brother" and yelled out, "Why is HE still alive?! Why didn't you finish him?!"
"Phantom.......I.....", stammered Zero. He couldn't say much since he didn't know what to feel at that point. Phantom had turned to look at X, who stood there motionless looking at the dark robot, and then turned to look at Zero and he said with dimmed red eyes, "You disappoint me!" With that, Phantom then threw his arms out and he, along with Zero, had disappeared.
"ZERO!! DON'T LEAVE ME!", yelled out X as he reached for his friend. However it was too late. They were already gone.
"He's in here!", yelled out a voice from outside. It was Scorch. Seconds later, the door to the arena was blasted open, and Scorch and Royaltie ran in to tend to their brother.
"Are you OK, Mega?! Where's Zero?!", said Royaltie in a concerned tone.
"He's gone. And so is Dark Phantom.", said X. "How did you find me?"
Scorch replied, "We sensed that you were in here. We could've been here sooner, but Dark Phantom had ambushed us. Fortunately, we were saved by an old friend."
X held a questioning look on his face as he said, "An old friend? Who?" Scorch smiled, and had pointed towards a tall shadow standing in the doorway. The shadow moved closer towards X and it was revealed to be Duo.
"Mega Man. It has been such a long time since we last met.", said Duo.
X's face changed over from a questioning look to a surprised look as he said, "I.....I remember you! DUO!" He ran to and stood in front of the towering robot.
The two robots looked at each other as Duo said back, "I wish we could reminisce about old times, but right now I need you and your friends' help in saving the universe."
Scorch suddenly yelled out, "Oh no! OUR FRIENDS!! We forgot all about them back at the square!!"
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"You know, guys, they're really funny when they are fearing for their lives." said Ice Blue X.
"Yeah! It looks like they couldn't find their butts anywhere! Ha ha ha!", giggled Auroran Flash.
"I'd start laughing like a hyena if all my muscles weren't sore.", said Buzzsaw.
"That is SO true, Buzz! Ooooooohhhhh.", said Slash, rubbing his sore shoulder.
The Maverick Hunters all leaned on a nearby wall at the MHHQ square and were watching the Psycho-Mavericks kneeling down in the assumed position as if they were preparing for Armageddon itself. Some of them were just being quiet while Flame Mammoth kept saying, out loud:
"Ourfatherwhoartinheavenhallowedbethynamethykingdomcome......"
"WILL YOU STOP THAT, DUMBO!", yelled out a quite-annoyed Frost Walrus, "I've been hearing that, in my ear, OUT LOUD, for ten minutes already! It's really bugging me! And it's obvious that nothing is happening! Get up, you guys!" With that, all of the Mavericks got up and turned to look at the sky to find the so-called "meteor".
"Hey! It looks like we aren't doomed after all!", exclaimed Wire Sponge.
"Yeah! And that's bad news for them!", said Volt Catfish, pointing his finger towards the Maverick Hunters. They soon turned towards our hapless heroes and advanced towards them with weapons charged.
"Oh great! I guess this is it! It was nice fighting with you guys!", said Buzzsaw, standing ready to fight, and feeling the end is now here for him and his friends.
At that moment, a blast of flaming blue energy came in between the fighters. The Mavericks stopped and gaped in awe at the blue flame, which transformed into Duo almost immediately. The Maverick Hunters themselves stood speechless as Duo stood clear in front of the Psycho-Mavericks and said to them:
"Leave them alone! Any enemies of Mega Man's friends are enemies of mine!" He then raised his gigantic, metallic hand and yelled out with an otherworldly tone, transforming his hand into pure energy. Immediately sensing danger, Split Mushroom yelled out "RUUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!"
It was too late, though. Duo made a mighty, Herculean chop right into the group, slicing Wire Sponge and Volt Catfish in their middles and exploding them thereafter. With that surprise, all of the Mavericks made a mad dash to escape the square. Storm Eagle and Blast Hornet tried to fly out, only to be stopped by a flying Mega Man X, and pushed back by his Level 6 X-Buster Blast right into Duo's Energy Charge attack. With final "AWKs" and "ZZZZs", they were both instantly destroyed. As for Wheel Gator and Split Mushroom, they were stopped by Scorch and Royaltie, and were kept busy long enough for Duo to come back down to Earth and blast them with a streak of light from his hand. The blast had actually, like magic, removed the Psycho-design from their bodies along with their invincibility. This allowed X, Duo, Scorch, and Royaltie to strike back with their strongest attacks and destroy them both completely, all this while the other Hunters still looked on in awestruck abandon.
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, most of the Psycho-Mavericks (sans two well-known fat Mavericks) have all been destroyed.
"Is that the last of them?", queried X.
"All except Flame Mammoth and Frost Walrus.", said Scorch. "When the battle started, they ran out of here faster than a cat with flaming kerosene up its @$$!" Everyone laughed at that remark, calling them "yellow fat-bellied freaks" all the while.
Buzzsaw ran to the group, "WOW! You guys were RIGHTEOUS! You beat the Psycho-Mavericks!" The other Hunters also ran to their comrades and were congratulating them in more ways than one.
Aurie ran to hug X and said, "I'm so glad you're OK, Meggy!" After a tender moment, she let go of him and looked at Duo, who just stood there like a statue. She said to X, "So who's your friend?"
X ran to Duo's side and said, "Everyone! This is Duo! He's from outer space and a good friend from my past! Duo, these are my good friends Aurie, Buzzsaw, Slash, and Icey!"
All of the Hunters answered back, "HI!!".
"It is so nice to meet you all!", said Duo as he smiled. "And I know there must be questions that need to be answered, and I can give them. Is there some place where we can heal ourselves and talk??"
At that moment, a voice crackled out of a nearby loudspeaker and was barely clerical. The voice yelled out, "This....snnkkkt......octor Cain......snnnnkt.......any Hunters alive.........sshhhhhkkkkktttt........repor.......shhhhhh.......Command Center...........shhhhhhhhhhh.
"Dr. Cain!", yelled X, "We'd better get over to the Command Center, pronto!" All of the Hunters and Duo ran towards the Command Center, which was surprisingly still standing, despite the other buildings in the HQ that were destroyed.
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"It was a good thing I had tested out my new barrier on the Command Center and it worked.", said Dr. Cain as he stood in the control room with Duo and the Maverick Hunters, "The Psycho-Mavericks weren't able to touch it, but I wish I could've made more for the other buildings. The entire HQ was crippled because I wasn't fast enough. I am very sorry, everyone."
X moved towards Dr. Cain and put a consoling arm on him as he said, "It's okay, Doc. It's not your fault that Dark Phantom had nearly destroyed this place. I just wish I knew how he did all this and how he got control of Zero!"
Scorch immediately stepped forward and showed Dr. Cain a broken syringe as he said, "Dr. Cain. I found this on the ground outside of the Training Arena after Duo rescued us. I think, maybe, Dark Phantom dropped it. Could you examine it?"
After Dr. Cain took the syringe from Scorch's hand, he examined it and said to Duo, "Duo, tell the Maverick Hunters everything that they need to know while I study this syringe." Duo simply nodded his head in agreement, and had pulled out a small CD from within his body. He motioned the Hunters to gather around the central computer while he placed the disk in the main drive. After a few seconds, the image of a medium-sized, cylindrical-spire shaped blue crystal appeared before the group. Everyone listened as Duo explained the origin of this mysterious object:
"It is called the Orion Crystal. This crystal was once a power source for an ancient civilization. Where there was once darkness, it brought light. Where there was once chaos, it brought order. Where there was once death, it brought life. It held the power of an entire galaxy in its glow, and it remained untouched over the centuries, until it became the target of an evil, sentinent race of androids. They had attacked our planet with power unforseen, and we were left defenseless, since we never had the need for an army. Therefore, the Orion Crystal had created me, an independent being made of pure, good energy, to combat the evil robots and save the world. Although I fought valiantly, I was still a novice, and the androids stole the Orion Crystal and used it to lay waste to the world I was supposed to protect. They then moved on to the next planet in my galaxy and had done the same. Because of the rage and hatred that they spread, the Orion Crystal was soon corrupted, and had become an instrument that dispensed only Evil Energy, and they had taken millions of lives within my own galaxy. I had failed them. My people."
"Oh, Duo!", said Royaltie as she put a consoling hand on Duo's arm, "It's so sad. Your home galaxy is gone?! I'm so sorry." Duo looked down at Royaltie and said to her, "Thank you, Roll." He smiled at her and then once again turned his attention to the hologram of the Crystal, which had turned from blue to purple, signifying its conversion from good to evil, and had continued the story.
"Anyway, after the destruction of my homeworld, I had honed my skills and became a better fighter, so that I could defeat the evil army, retrieve the Orion Crystal, and rid it of all of the Evil Energy. One by one, I hunted down each of the androids until only their leader was left. He held the Orion Crystal within his circuits, and I managed to corner him in the Solar System. I had eventually defeated him, but the defeat came at a high price, as I was nearly destroyed. We both fell to Earth, and while Dr. Wily stole the Orion Crystal from the dead leader's corpse, Mega Man had rescued me and Dr. Light had tended to me. It was the first time I had ever met Mega Man, and it was the first time I had faced his enemy, Dr. Wily, who had used the Evil Energy to power his robotic warriors. Mega Man had eventually defeated him, but some of the Evil Energy had escaped after the battle and had nearly killed him, but I had come and cleansed him of all the Evil Energy. Since I could no longer detect anymore Evil Energy on the planet, I had thought that the Orion Crystal was destroyed and I had left the planet, satisfied that all was well."
"I remember that!", exclaimed X, "I still owe you greatly for all that you did for me!"
"What exactly made you come back today, Duo?", questioned Buzzsaw.
Duo looked down at the Hunters and said, "I was traveling a nearby galaxy seeking a place that I would call home, when suddenly I had detected the Crystal's energy signature coming from Earth. Though it was weak, it was clear that the Crystal had not been destroyed after all! I can feel that it was once again being used for evil! I had raced back to Earth as fast as I could, and when I got there, I had met the Reploid called Dark Phantom. He has part of the Orion Crystal, and is using it to fuel his armies! We must stop him! If he finds the other part of the Crystal, he will have enough power to destroy this entire planet!"
"Are you sure.....??", said Slash. At that moment, Crossfire, the Rookie Hunter, had burst into the control room with a busted-up camcorder and had yelled out, "Hey guys! I was searching the area around the base for survivors when I found a Reploid all chopped up, and this!"
"What is it, Crossfire?", questioned Aurie.
"It's definitely something you want to see.", replied Crossfire. He had plugged in the camcorder in the central computer and the image of the Orion Crystal had been replaced with a scene between Sigma and Serges. Sigma had sliced up Serges completely and had left him for dead. Upon looking at the body, he proclaimed, "This is a message to all who stand against Sigma! DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS!! They will all feel my vengenance once Dark Phantom's power is MINE!!" He then left the forest, with the camcorder still running.
"This is too horrible!", said Ice, covering her eyes in disgust.
"Looks like Sigma's after the Orion Crystal, too!", added Buzzsaw, "This war is just gettin' better and better!"
Suddenly, Dr. Cain walked into the room and yelled out, "X! SCORCH! Come here, quickly!" The two siblings walked towards the frail doctor and had listened as he revealed, "I have examined the syringe you found, Scorch, and I found out that it contained a Bisodium isotope laced with hyperactive hormones. It is custom made only for Reploids and is used to awaken and excite a select part of a Reploid's brain. Particularly the part that hadn't been used for a long period of time. Meaning......"
"Meaning that's why Zero's turned on us!", exclaimed Scorch, "Dark Phantom must've injected it in him! I guess he didn't deliberately turn on us after all! I really misjudged him.......badly." Scorch then lowered his head down in shame.
X consoled Scorch and said, "It's okay, Scorch. We as Reploids tend to misjudge everybody sometimes, but in the end we see them for who they really are. Which makes me think..........what if Phantom........." He then trailed off in his thoughts, with Scorch saying, "What, X? What is it?"
X wore a look of pure determination as he thought about what he had to do, what he had to face, and the overwhemling odds that he had to overcome. After a moment, he turned to all of his friends and had said to them:
"Ice! Slash! Stay with Crossfire and Dr. Cain and help rebuild the HQ. The rest of us will go find Dark Phantom, get the Orion Crystal, and destroy Sigma once and for all! And I swear we will turn Zero good again and we will bring him home alive!" They all cheered "YES!!" at that remark.
Without question, Slash and Ice Blue X ran with Crossfire to the elevator. Before the door closed, they all said to their comrades:
"We'll clean everything up for your victory party!", said Crossfire.
"Good luck, guys!", said Slash.
"We're all counting on you!", said Ice Blue X. After saying their goodbyes, the elevator door closes.
Aurie points out, "So, where DO we find Dark Phantom?"
After a moment of silence, Scorch stepped forward and had said, "I think I know where to find him.......and Zero."
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After climbing a series of hills, Sigma stands on a summit and finally peers at a dark castle in the distance overlooking a vast, barren valley. The castle itself looked massive, yet old and unused since decades, and the outside is adorned with various turrets, satellite dishes, and skulls. This became very familiar to Sigma:
Skull Castle. The place which had once been Dr. Wily's base of operations.
"At last. I have finally reached the climax!", said Sigma to himself, "Dark Phantom thinks he is invincible, but he will soon realize that he can destroy a robot, but he cannot destroy a GOD! All of my enemies will tremble before me! With this new body, his power will soon be MINE!! HE HE HE HE HE HE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
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