Megaman is standing at the front door to Dr. Light's Lab. He has a backpack on, and is visibly upset.
Megaman: Okay, so why do I have to do this again?
Dr. Light: It's an experiment to see how well your AI will integrate with normal teenagers. You are fifteen, after all...
Megaman: I gotta go in as a freshman?! Aw, crap...
Light: Just go with it, Rock. You'll have fun, I promise.
Megaman: I can't even drive there?
Light: It wouldn't be consistent with the role you're trying to play. The bus is your only way to school.
Megaman: Yeah, I guess you're right.
Light: I can drive you...
Megaman: It's okay. You don't have to do that, Doc. You'd probably just end up embarassing me, anyway.
Light: I loved high school, myself.
Megaman: Yeah, I still can't believe you had that beard back then, Doc.
(Shows yearbook pic of Doc)
Light: Heh...I used to sneak food into class with this thing. (Feels at his chin hair again.) Hey, lookee here! (He pulls out a wad of some grey, nondescript meatlike substance. It smells a bit like hardboiled eggs.) It's some of my old cafeteria's salisbury steak! (He sniffs it, gagging slightly.) I think I'll get Roll to dispose of this...you should go ahead, Rock, or you'll miss your bus...
Megaman: Right.
>
At the bus stop, he sees Zero standing there, dressed in plain clothes, trying as best he can to get his huge blonde locks into some semblance of kemptness. X is sitting on the bench nearby, dressed simlilarly, and coughing, it seems.) Hey...Zero? What are you doing here at the bus stop? And a hundred years in the past, for that matter?
Zero: Ah, the writer wanted to put us both in here 'cause he likes us...something about omnipotence over whatever happens to us in his stories or something...some kind of union thing, I guess...
Megaman: Right. Anyway...having a bad hair day?
Zero: (glares) Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep this mane smooth and flowin'? If I were workin' today, I'd just call in sick or something...I'm just not me without my cool hair...
Megaman: (sighs) Anyway...X, you okay? That cough sounds pretty bad.
X: (still coughing violently) Hey...*cough*...hey Rock...*cough*...
Megaman: What the heck's the matter? You got a weird computer-virus stomach flu or somethin'?
X: My...*cough*...my voice...
Megaman: Your voice?
X: Yeah...It's been acting up again...
Megaman: Hey, it'll be okay. High-schoolers half-expect freshmen to still
have their squeaky voices, anyway.
X: (loudly, shrieking) I DO NOT HAVE A SQUEAKY VOICE!!!!!!
Megaman: (Eyes are wide after X finishes. A window nearby is broken, and Tango now lies dead on the sidewalk) O' course not, X...they all make fun of you for no reason...
X: You're doing it again!
Zero: Shut up over there for a minute, will ya? I can't hear myself think over your blabbing! Why don't you take a few shots of WD-40 for that voice of yours, X? Geeez...
X is infuriated and rushes over, clawing at Zero. Thankfully, Megaman holds him back from the neck of the turtleneck X is wearing. Throwing X finally back onto the bench, Megaman uses Time-Stopper to freeze X in place.
Megaman: Time-Stopper!!
Zero: Funny...I thought you lost all your special weapons after each game. What gives?
Megaman: Ah well, the writer needed some quick way to keep X out of the conversation for awhile. That was the best he could do.
Zero: Oh. Well, anyway, the bus ought to be here any minute... Oh, Lord, does my hair look okay?
Megaman just stares.
Megaman: And you WONDER why people think you and X are gay...
Zero: Alia, I am SO going to kill you for using up all of my quadruple-strength hair gel...
Megaman: Shut up and act natural. Here comes our ticket to a day of hell.
The bus pulls up. Megaman steps on board. Zero follows him closely.
Driver: You gentlemen got fare?
Zero: Great. Exact change, I suppose?
Driver: Yep.
Zero (sighs): Perfect. (Digs in his pockets.) I've got a five-dollar bill, a battery, and a wad of lint. Will that do?
Driver: Where you boys goin'?
Megaman: Ryutaro's High School, ma'am. Other side of town.
Driver: Well, this ain't exact change to get there, but...I'll be willing to let it slide if Red Boy here gives me a smoochie...
Megaman: It can't be worse than having to walk, I guess. Go ahead, Zero. We've got no other way of getting across town.
Zero: Ever heard of a taxi, genius?
Megaman: They're all down this week. Something about Wily's robots having a field day with them all downtown. I should probably be checking that out, but...I guess this is more important to the Doc.
Zero: How 'bout teleportation?
Megaman: We can only go places where we've already been...and I haven't been to the high school, and I'm pretty sure you haven't...
Zero: (grumble)
Driver: So what's it gonna be, boys?
Zero: Um, Rock, can I see you...over HERE...just a second?
Megaman walks over. Zero chokes him around the neck.
Now THIS is for your bright ideas! I AM NOT kissing that woman! She's absolutely hideous! She looks like she could be Frankenstein's grandmother!
Driver: Well?
Megaman: I...have a plan.
Zero: Huh?
Megaman: I know how we can get this bus.
Megaman whispers to Zero. Moments later...
Zero: All right, Ms. Driver. Here. (He stands up, walks up to the driver's
seat. Sighs loudly and crosses himself.) Kiss your red boy.
Driver (lunges forward): Hot dang!! I got me a man!
Zero dodges her and pulls the door handle quickly. She falls out of her seat
and through the open doors, then continues tumbling out. She rolls until she
hits the bench that Megaman froze X on.
Zero: Yee-hah! (Shuts the doors.) We got us a bus!
He drives off, squealing the bus tires.
Time-Stopper finally wears off of X.
Driver: Yahoo! C'mere, handsome!
X: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAIGH!!!!!!!!!!!! (Runs away, the driver chasing him off.)
End Chapter 1.