Rioni Riishu: More detail? How? Do explain. Emotional effect? Oh, no. That wasn't the idea. It was supposed to be something to encourage Zero to fight on. Accel... He'll return. Well, duh, he will!

- Chapter 9: Target -

- GLOCKOPOLIS, NORWAY, 0720 HRS -

A blue warp laser shot into the outskirts of the Norwegian mining subterreanean city of Glockopolis, where the members of Units 6 and 17 were engaged in combat with yet another army of Diablos' Yin Reploids. Calling the Fusion Armour, X Opening the energy intake vents and charging energy for the X-Buster, X observed from his vantage point the fighting. Little bubbles of energy surrounded him as he did so, giving him a visible glow It was undeniable that the Yin Reploids had a speed advantage over the standard Maverick, but Diablos had clearly gone for quantity over quality where his armies were concerned. The Hunters had killed far more of the Yin Reploids than the other had managed them. As the orbs surrounding him turned dark pink, as did the glow, signifying the full charge of both X-busters, X leapt into the air. Utilising the double air dash, which caused a yellowish-white burst of energy to shoot out behind him, he hurtled towards the buildings, ready to join the battle.

On the roof of the tallest of the buildings in Glockopolis, a dark shape took in the battle from his prime viewing location. He observed X's arrival and said, "So, you arrive at last..." Fiddling with what appeared to be some sort of gun, he got into a proning position and stuck the barrel out slightly from a slit in the wall, waiting.

One of the 17th recoiled in fear as a Yin soldier lunged at him... and had its jump terminated by a colourful cross-charge shot. The large centre shot, accompanied by a few orbs around it, smashed into the Yin soldier and exploded, destroying the cretin. Turning around, he saw the black and red-striped figure of X glide briefly to the ground, kicking up dust as he did so, and shouted, "Commander X!"
"No time to talk now. Where's Drill?"
"Commander Drill? He went that- Commander X, behind you!"
X whirled around to spot a Yin soldier leaping at him, ready to slash. Thinking quickly, he brought out the Gaia Shield and watched as the Yin soldier smashed into the Shield and bounced off, his movement deflected away. Bringing the other ready charged shot to bear, X launched the pink-cored shot with the blue energy swirling around it and fried the Yin soldier with its power. Turning back to the Hunter in his unit, he said, "Go find the rest of our unit... Wait a second." With this, he brought to bear the Frost Shield. Charging it up, he released the charge. Instantly, an expulsion of mist occured. Focusing, X shaped the mist using the Frost Shield's power. Slowly, a long, transparent rod formed, and a matching pointed blade formed after that. X had formed a lance with it. "Take this with you." With this, X gave the icy lance to the 17th member and departed.

After a short bout of dashing, X came upon the location of Scourge Drill and observed as the 6th was engaged in a fierce battle with a large group of Yin soldiers. "Time to even the score," he said. Charging up the Metal Anchor, he utilised the charge. As he did so, there was a flash of light high in the sky. From the opening portal dove a large flock of silver Storm Eagles. They fell upon the group of Yin soldiers, easily annihilating a large number. What was left was easily wiped out by the 6th. Turning back, Drill said, "Glad you could make it, X."
To that, X replied, "Looks like I still have to do my part to preserve peace..."

A sound of shooting was suddenly heard from above. X rolled to the side and barely managed to avoid the shot, which dug into the ground where he had been standing. Looking upwards in the general direction of the shooter and shouted, "Come down here!" As he did so, he observed a figure moving towards the parapet of a building.

The figure leapt off the building and headed for the ground footfirst. As he did so, a pair of repulsors kicked in, slowing his descent. Air emitted from the repulsors, creating the effect of a jetboot system. X looked up and looked over the assailant.

The foe boasted camouflage-green armour in the style of late 20th-century human armies. It had a semicircle-shaped helmet. Over its left eye was a transculent blue square piece of plastic which doubtlessly served as a reticule. It boasted brown hair. The end of the right arm boasted a rifle-like projectile weapon with a slender barrel and a red warhead-like object where the trigger ought to have been. On the forearms were purple crystals like those on the Yin soldiers. These crystals were also mounted on the shinguards. Two more existed, one on the chest and one on the helmet.

As he reached the ground, X asked, "You must be the general of Diablos' assigned to this area! Who are you? Speak!"
The foe laughed. "Mega Man X... We meet at last," he said between chuckles.
Within him, X shuddered, feeling a chill. "How does whoever this is know that I am a Mega Man?" he thought. "You know me, then."
"Why, of course! You are... the youngest brother of the one who beat me in the past."
This was stunning news to the Hunter. "Youngest brother? He knows about Blues and Rock?! Speak! Who are you in actuality?"
The opponent chuckled once more. "Mega Man X... I once fought against your elder brother. I am one of Zero's myriad elder brothers."
"Enough games!" X snapped. "Tell me who you are, or me and my unit will cut you down!"
"You sound confident of that..." the foe said. "Fair enough... They call me Search Man."
"Search... Man?!" X said. Running a scan through his internal database, X came upon the information of Search Man. After running through the data, he looked up, incredulous. "You can't be. You're too... lean."
"You forget one of the oldest lessons, Mega Man X? Don't judge a book by its cover. After your elder brother destroyed me for the second time, my plans were kept away... until master Diablos resurrected me in this new body. Laugh not at my smaller buster, for I assure you, it is at least twice as powerful as the one I wielded against your elder brother."
"Is that so... Prove it," X said.
"You'll regret ever challenging me, Mega Man X," Search Man said.

As he said so, the former Robot Master leapt to his feet and began scaling the buildings he had leapt off from. X decided not to waste any time and went after him. As he scaled the walls after his adversary, X switched to the Hyper Cannon. Feeling the energy boost granted by it, X fired off a few bursts at his camouflage-coloured foe. The swirling energy balls hurtled after the rebuilt Robot Master. After a few made it to Search Man, however, the opponent suddenly seemed more agile than before, and was able to evade most of the swirling energy balls.

Deciding to change tactics, X switched out the Hyper Cannon for the Aiming Laser. Raising the weapon to face his foe, X fiddled with the weapon's green reticlue until it locked onto Search Man. With this, X unleashed the shot. The purple laser shot out and struck Search Man firmly. Unfortunately, Search Man managed to get to the parapet of the building's rooftop and avoided falling to a sticky end.

As X finally made it to the rooftop, Search Man was waiting for him, and fired off a shot. Thinking quickly, X activated the Spin Blade and fired. Two red-cored, grey-bordered discus shot out from the X-buster. The shot hit one of the Spin Blades and destroyed it, but the other continued onward and cut the former Robot Master a new one.

Growing desperate, Search Man snapped off a burst of shots at X, who quickly ran for cover, hiding behind a chimney. Recognising that he could not compete at such close quarters, X readied the Speed Burner...

As Search Man approached the chimney behind which X was hiding, X popped out. Making a short hop, he activated the charged Speed Burner and shot for a neighbouring rooftop. Search Man was able to leap out of the way, but he still got singed by the flames surrounding X, who made it to the building before the charged Speed Burner cut out.

Crouching behind a skylight, X ran through his weapons. "Hmm... Homing Torpedo..." With this, he stuck out the X-Buster and fired off a burst.

On his end, Search Man was attempting to target X when he noticed the Homing Torpedoes being launched. As the grey mini-missiles flew into the air, he laughed mockingly and said, "Missing already, Mega Man X?" As he taunted, however, he noticed that the Homing Torpedoes were turning towards him, and muttered a "crap" shortly before they detonated.

As the smoke cleared, X took a glance and found Search Man attempting to rush forward to a better vantage point. Thinking quickly, he fired a Metal Anchor just forward of Search Man's intended destination. It hit and Search Man ran into it. As he recoiled from the deadly edge of the anchor-shaped projectile, he cocked his "eyebrows" as if in thought.

Suddenly, a yellow glow appeared around the Search Scope, as did lines of greyish-yellow energy. As X slowed down to consider this, the Search Scope fired off a shot. Moving too slowly, X was nailed and thrown back.

"See, Mega Man X! My new buster is of power sufficient to knock you around!" With this, Search Man fired off another shot. X tried to hide behind the skylight once more, but to his shock yet another purple charged Search Scope shot sliced through the skylight, knocking him back upon immediately. Now, Search Man abruptly stopped.

"If you think you can beat me, Search Man, then do so!" X said, fully aware now of the rebuilt Robot Master's power. At this point in time he was already greatly hurt by the devastating charged Search Scope shots, and with the power he faced he saw no way to win except through a miracle.

"I would shoot you one more time, if I had the power! Mwahahah! Mega Man X, admit defeat! I am superior!" Search Man crowed.

On the rooftop he was on, X thought to himself, "He's right... I can't... Wha?" His reverie was interrupted by a soft beeping. After a short while, a voice said to him from within, "Giga Crush ready for use." At this, X was revitalised and shouted out, "Search Man, I will not give up!"

"So be it," the remade Robot Master said. As he started aiming, X suddenly ran towards the parapet. Making a mighty dash-jump, he hurtled towards Search Man's building. As his forward momentum came to an end metres away from the wall, X performed an air-dash and latched onto the wall.

Seeing this, Search Man ran to the parapet and aimed the Search Scope downwards. "I have you now, Mega Man X!" he said and was about to fire when a shot hurled itself at him and he had to twist away. Looking down, he observed X firing with one X-Buster as he scaled the wall. Thus, the two traded shots, X firing as he scrambled up the building, while Search Man used his Search Scope in an attempt to knock X off. However, despite Search Man's best efforts, he was unable to prevent X from reaching the parapet. The Hunter set foot on the rooftop as Search Man backed slowly away.

"Time to end this. DARK HOLD!" X shouted. As he did so, he raised his right hand and thrust it out palmfirst. With this, time stopped and the colours were flipped around.

A mocking laugh reached his ears. Search Man said, "It takes more than that to stop me, Mega Man X!" With that, he raised the Search Scope, fingering the trigger... and his eyes went wide as absolutely nothing left the muzzle. "What is this trickery?!" he shouted quizzically.

"It may not stop you directly, but it stops your projectile assaults. Now, take this! Giga..." With this, a set of blue orbs circled X and turned yellow. As the orbs disappeared, a brilliant sand-yellow aura surrounded X. Shouting, Search Man hurled a punch at X... and withdrew the hand with equally deadly speed, looking in shock at the melted hand and the cauterised circuitry. "Crush!" X finished, closing his eyes as he did so. The aura expanded outwards into lines of deadly energy. Whatever unfriendly material they contacted was vapourised instantly, including ex-Robot Masters.

"No!!!" cried Search Man as the energies ripped his body to shreds.

X heaved a short wheeze of relief. Putting two fingers to the right side of his helmet, X sent out a transmission. "X to HQ, Glockopolis has been retaken. Over and out."

Looking once more at the erstwhile brother of Zero, X turned away briefly as he turned into a black warp laser and shot out upwards, disappearing as it contacted the top of the massive cavern.


Please RR!