Today's lazy day had been interrupted thanks to some uproar from a worksite on the other side of town.

His sister had taken Rush out for a walk and his dad had a busy day with the Good Guild patching up a bunch of laundry-bots that malfunctioned due to a new soap brand that got them nearly shredding everyone's clothes at the dry-cleaner's.

That should've meant a day of Deli Dodger-ing, but of course, it wasn't like bad guys ever took a lazy day, given how they're always on the run no matter how many times he has to stop them.

Mini directed him towards a construction site with the Skyraisers Inc. trademark on the barricades and warning signs, cluing them both in on who was responsible. Who else than Drill Man?

The quicker they'd get it done, the quicker they could go home and go back to doing nothing. Of course, it would've been a smarter move to transform while he was still at the Lighthouse, instead of rushing there without any plan or care.

"Okay, Mini, let's get this over with! Megani-"

"What are you doing here?"

Because even if he knew who was responsible, he didn't know where Drill Man was until the bot in question showed up right behind him.

"Um…"


The drilling robot looked down at the child. He was certain he'd seen him somewhere, but where exactly? On TV? At his secondary job in the Multrix with the other Robot Masters?

"You're that Light kid, aren't you? Why are you here, to get the Good Guild and Mega Man on my back?"

"What? No, no, no! It's not like that at all…" said Aki, shaking his hands. "I'm doing a… report! For school, about… the dangers of building creation?"

Drill Man stared at the robot kid.

"In the middle of the summer?"

"...yeah! It's a summer school project! Uh, I gotta hand it back after the end of the holidays!"

"Where's your paper and pen then? I don't see any."

"It's, uh, in my head! Dad added a virtual notepad function in my brain. I can now type it out instead of harming trees for those." he awkwardly explained. "Um, add note: it's always very sandy on construction sites."

"Reaaaally convincing, chief." teased Mini, rolling over his eyes in amusement.

"And why are you here then?" asked Aki, trying to buy himself time.

"Ah, uh…" Drill Man hesitated. The kid could be trouble but he could likely get rid of him without much effort. "Isn't it obvious? I'm working here, this site is off-limits to the public."

'Liar.'

The warning signs outside said all the work was temporarily interrupted in wait for new directives, no builder should be here before next week. Not to mention the doors were obviously busted open.

"Really? In that case, can I ask you questions directly? Since you're the only one I see around here and you were clearly busy working, you would know a lot about safety measures around here."

Either he went along with it and humored him or he went so low as to attack a clearly harmless and powerless child.

"Um, sure! What do you want to know, kid?"

"Uh…" He tried to think of a question. "How often do you have to get your drills checked after a long day of work?"

That was a question he could answer without lying.

"Twice over for every long use, once after exiting the workplace, one time before going to sleep and another checkup every morning. You have to notify your…" He paused, frowning for a few seconds as his hand drills began spinning. "...employers and associates in case of malfunctions."

"Interesting…" said Aki, not bothering to pretend he was noting down anything. "Uh, any advice your employers give you about your work?"

Drill Man tried to think of an answer.

"You're all two-bit pieces of junk! Mega Man is getting more and more appreciation from Silicon City every day!"

"You call that a plan? He didn't even have a scratch before using your own schematics against you!"

"If this keeps up, I'm considering replacing you all with toothpick machines, I believe those would have a better chance at beating that brat than any of you have at not being failures."

…well that was out of the question. Perhaps when he…

"I'd… really rather not talk about it."

"Oh, corporate secrets? My bad."

Aki interrupted himself when he saw the Robot Master drop the threatening look and seemed rather upset.

"Uh, did I say anything wrong?"

"No, kid. You're just, erm…" He stared at the robot boy, unaware his everyday opponent was right in front of him. "Say, that notepad function of yours sounds really helpful to get stuff done. Wish I had something like that."

Aki hesitated. He wanted to say Drill Man already had drills, but it was no mystery that's not what he actually wanted.

"Why? You're behind on signing papers and stuff?"

"Not exactly." He didn't really have paperwork to deal with anymore after losing his previous hands, all representative agents instead. "Is it okay if I bore you with a little personal anecdote?"

"Suuuure, we got all the time." said Aki. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to sneak away, so he'd have to play along.

"Well, the drills you see here are part of my family business decisions. It's practical for work among other things." He coughed. "But there are so many things in life I wished I did before this became my new life."

"That sounds a little tough, how come?"

Aki knew very well what he meant. After all, Drill Man's true love was music, not drilling. After the last encounter with the guy's father, it was pretty obvious the misery and resentment ran deep. He just wished he'd been able to help back then, but it didn't really work out as he'd hoped it would.

"I wish I could have been a composer, an artist, a musician of fame, but the only sounds I'm capable of making now are these monotonous buzzings."

He drilled a nearby wall, causing a huge crack that'd probably injure anyone who'd dared walk in on them. 'Better add another sign there before I leave, just in case.'

"Well, can't say I never wished I could sound better myself. I wasn't too good at playing the recorder at school."

"At least you have a choice in the instrument, the only sounds I make are abominable whirrings that make people run away."

"Sounds just like you, chief!" piped in Mini, making Aki frown before he remembered Drill Man was talking to him.

"In that case, maybe you could, I don't know, play an instrument with your drills?" suggested Aki.

At that, the drilling robot sent him a glare.

"Please, you're starting to sound like Mega Man."

"I'll, uh, take that as a compliment, I guess."

"It really is not."

Now Aki could frown at ease. He'd just have to be more patient with him, couldn't make the guy angry before he could leave.

"You see, Mega Man gave me the exact same advice, and then he made a mockery of my passions!"

"That… doesn't sound like something Mega Man would do." said Aki, wincing in slight regret at the memory.

"Of course, it wasn't his intention." admitted Drill Man, looking more neutral. "But his short-sightedness cost me a humiliation in front of Silicon City's entire population. I trusted him to handle my ticket out of a life of shame, and he let me down."

Aki remained quiet. It was hard to say otherwise, he did get carried away with Hypno Woman's powers. Maybe with more patience, he'd have gotten Drill Man somewhere other than in jail for once.

Even if he managed to apologize, it didn't seem like he could force Drill Man to forgive him. If it was the other way around, he wasn't sure if he'd forgive himself, but at the same time, he never held a grudge against anyone as Drill Man did. He just couldn't understand him.

"Figuring this out sounds like a complicated mess on its own." said Aki. "Sorry about your fallout."

"Don't mention it, kid. I'm in a better place now. Still wish I could dig myself out of my situation, but my current job is really useful when it comes to taking out my problems one thing at a time." said Drill Man.

The Light kid would probably be better off knowing his father's archnemesis was the older robot's boss.

"Really? In that case…" That was probably his cue. "You probably have more work to do. Sorry I interrupted your lunch break."

"Lunch break? Oh!" realized Drill Man. It was really suspicious he was the only 'employee' on site, now that he was thinking about it. "Yes, of course. Don't get lost on your way out, we could be held liable for letting a civilian on unauthorized grounds."

"Sure thing…"

He could leave right now, he should definitely leave. Go Mega, beat Drill Man and send him running or try to contact the Good Guild while he's at it…

…but it almost felt personal.

"Before I go, can I ask you one last thing?"

The drilling robot raised a brow.

"I know it's really none of my business, but…"

"Don't say it chief, don't say it…" warned Mini.

"...was it really so bad that you don't and won't want to listen to Mega Man's advice ever again?"

"And he said it." said Mega Mini, slouching back on his chair in defeat.

Drill Man stared at the boy, confused. He was a Mega Man fan if he remembered correctly, so he probably wanted to defend his idol, but in that case, how daring was he to talk to his hero's enemy if it was the case? Even if the kid probably thought the Good Guild was done rehabilitating him (they'd have to patch those escape holes in their prison cells first).

"I was on the scene, dressed in the most extravagantly and aesthetically unpleasant attire, with my drills screeching through a turntable. Everyone in town could see me, boo me, criticize me and see the downfall of everything I've ever dreamed of, crumbling right in front of me." frowned Drill Man, his tools spinning in frustration again. "I wasn't even aware of what was happening until it was too late, he trapped me in an illusion with one of his power constructs. I actually thought I was doing well, and then…"

Aki looked down in guilt. If he hadn't gotten overzealous with turning Drill Man's life around, maybe they'd have time to practice before the whole show went awry. He himself knew he should've practiced his music lessons that day, and had assumed a better instrument would've fixed the problem without checking first.

He might as well have damaged any chance of that happening, no one could fault the Robot Master for thinking Mega Man was entirely to blame. It wasn't because of him that he went on a rampage against Silicon City, but he pretty much doomed the bot to stay that way.

"Anyone would be angry after that, I guess you're right to stay mad at him." said Aki.

Drill Man paused his spinning. That was quite a surprise.

"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that. But I'm impressed, usually people would rather take his side and excuse what he does." he noted.

"No hero is perfect, and Mega Man isn't an exception." remarked Aki. "It does sound kind of unfair for you, I mean, and it's too bad he couldn't figure it out. But I guess it's fair if you don't want to forgive him after all, it's your choice to make."

The kid was weird, but he was reasonable at least. For him, it was back to work and dealing with the 'Blue Streak' on occasions, and while Sergeant Night had encouraged him to ask for retribution, but this was the first time a mere civilian sided with him.

It actually felt… refreshing to hear for once. Probably shouldn't get too used to it, but it was still stunning to know Dr. Light's robot child of all people agreed with him.

"...thanks, kid." Maybe it was worth a chance listening, not like the boy was in any position to force him to do it. "Out of curiosity…"

"...yes?"

"What instrument were you going to suggest?" Aki blinked.

Was… Drill Man asking for his opinion? Usually it helped when he was Mega Man, but this was certainly unexpected.

"I, uh, didn't really have anything in mind, sorry." apologized Aki. "I was just thinking since DJ-ing apparently didn't work, maybe something else would. Like a harmonica or a trombone, using your drills to push the parts together. Or maybe a drum set you could use your feet to press on… you don't have to take my word for it."

"It's alright." said Drill Man, rolling his eyes. "After all, the only person I'd have to deal with would be the music store mocking my choice of leisure."

"Well…" said Aki, recalling something.

When he and Bert went overboard riding at the lake together, Drill Man was there with an entire crew, set on building a town of his own thanks to external funds, given he likely wouldn't ask his family for help after what happened. But maybe if he couldn't rely on Mega Man, he could still rely on a team of people to help him achieve his dream.

"You could become part of a band, maybe a fanfare where people could help you choose an instrument. Or maybe you could lead it!"

At that, Drill Man actually seemed to consider it. Lead it?...

"You mean I could become a conductor for an orchestra?"

"Yeah, your drills could be used to lead all the musicians, like a conductor's stick!" said Aki, before knocking himself down a peg. Better not set him up for more disappointment. "Or something like that, I don't really know how it works."

"That seems to be a little on the nose to me… but thanks, for the suggestion."

"It's nothing." awkwardly smiled Aki. Now to get out of there and get back in…

"You know what, kid? I'll let you in on a secret."

"Huh?"

"I don't really work here, I'm just there because I have to tear this building down in time for a different Robot Master's plan. Guts Man, you probably know him since he invaded your house, will turn this place into a landfill. So a heads up since I know your creator's coming to oversee the progress soon, you'd be better off not coming along or at least preparing a warm bath in advance."

"Oh…"

At least he was thankful enough to tell him that, even if he wouldn't reveal to him how he knew that. Maybe they teamed up like Fire Man and Wave Man did before?

"...well, thanks for letting me know, I guess. But why did you tell me that? Wouldn't you rather keep it, you know, a secret?"

"You were nice enough to lend a disgraced construction bot a listening ear, I thought you deserved a little thanks for that empathy you showed me today."

"Wow… I guess I'd better get back home quickly and print out my report in that case." said Aki, excusing himself. "Hope you'll be doing alright!"

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you."

Just in case the kid did try to alert the authorities (for good reasons since he doubted the boy's father was as terrible as his own), he'd better get him to safety so that he wouldn't risk being mistaken as having taken him hostage or harmed him. He may have become a criminal, but not a monster.

"The entire area's about to crumble down any minute, and unlike me, you're not equipped for that kind of work. Now hang on."

"Huh?"


In a second, Aki now found himself latching on to the larger robot, hanging for his life as he finally saw light and found himself…

…at home? They were near the garden, how was that possible?

Drill Man dug all the way there. That was pretty risky and time-consuming, he was surprised the Robot Master bothered to do that just to get him away.

"Well, there you go. Next time, don't go to isolated places like that without supervision, it can be dangerous for robot kids without any endurance specialty."

'Good thing I always bring a Mega armor with me then.'

"Stay in school, stay off danger and try not to end up miserable like I did, uh… sorry, I didn't quite catch your name."

At this point, his civilian self was the only part the Robot Master hadn't encountered at all in their previous battles. Not like it'd be any dangerous since he already knew who he was.

"It's Aki. Aki Light."

"Oh. So, Aki, always make sure you know what you're signing up for in the future. As someone who had to constantly change occupations, I would know." he said with amused eyes.

He nearly high-fived the kid, but Aki recoiled.

"Woops, I always keep forgetting that." said Drill Man, giving a friendly wink before aiming his drills down. "Anyways, until we meet again, take care!"

"Bye…" waved Aki as he saw the Robot Master dig his way into the ground.

…what just happened?

As if to mimic his thoughts, Mega Mini exited his head and jumped onto his shoulder.

"That… went amazingly well, boss."

"I know. This afternoon was insane." said Aki, almost wondering if his circuits hadn't gone awry while they were talking. "I guess maybe not all hope's lost for Drill Man, he was very calm today. No fuss, no battle… which reminds me we still have to stop him."

"Too bad ya can't just ask the bad guys to stop doing bad, eh?"

With that, the small robot jumped back into his hero partner's head, ready to resume their mission (even if further away from where they planned to start).

"Meganize me!" said Aki, smirking as he switched into the town's resident robot superhero.


"Hmm… application requirements… experience in instrumental practice and/or conducting…"

He'd picked up a poster for a teaching position taped to Silicon City's virtuoso academy boards on his way back to his demolishing job.

Maybe that kid, Aki, was wrong. He doubted the child really knew all that much about repetitive failure. But then again, it wasn't every day that he dealt with someone who didn't insist he'd stop doing what he loved doing just because they said it'd benefit him.

No strings attached, no shouting, no big setup for disappointment. It wouldn't harm to aim low once in a while, even if he wasn't certain it'd lead him anywhere. At least, he appreciated the youngster's decency to leave it there.

It was quite impressive to see today's robot youth be so intuitive, he'd have expected this kind of talk from a professional or at least a more experienced orator rather than wisdom from a child.

Still, if it did work out, it wouldn't harm to send his thanks to the young Light kid again. Until then, he had another problem to deal with.

His drill was promptly frozen into an ice cube as he was about to pick another foundation to ravage.

"Sorry, didn't mean to cast a chill with you, old buddy."

With an annoyed sigh, Drill Man turned to see a grinning Mega Man, wearing his ice suit, aiming his Mega Buster at him.

"A bit too late for that, Mega Man!"

With a spin, he destroyed the block of ice and dug into the ground, preparing to attack.

Though the heroic robot remained upbeat during the battle that ensued in spite of several strikes, Drill Man just assumed that Mega Man liked to play with danger that much.