Chapter 11: Visions Of The Past
"Hey, Roll." Mega Man yawned. "Repair job went good, right? I didn't get too banged up that time, to my knowledge…"
"No, it went fine." Roll smiled. Mega looked at her directly; something was twitching around the corners of her mouth.
"All right, sis. What happened? Rush's jet mode is ready, right?"
"Yeah, but that's not all. Just come with me." She told him, turning. "You have GOT to see this." Shrugging, Mega did so, following her into the Cossacks' living room, where Sergei, Kalinka and Pharaoh Man were all watching the television raptly. Mega started to interrupt, then stopped as he saw what was on the screen.
"…created by Dr. Trenton Corbun of US Robotics and the billionaire who wishes to be known only as 'Mr. X' in a remarkably short amount of time." The announcer standing in front of the building reported cheerfully. "The Robot Museum stands three stories tall, each and every inch dedicated to mankind's mechanical brethren, as the flyers put it. Despite the recent Rebellion, there's no question about how these two men view the Robot Masters. And when walking through this remarkable edifice, one cannot help but feel the same way." Now shots of the inside were being shown… primitive, twentieth-century robotic arms… a silent clip from a video about the Second Rainbow… a cluster of defanged Metools, watching passersby curiously… and one that even took Rock's breath away, a grand hall lined with remarkably lifelike imitations of Robot Master after Robot Master, standing side by side like medieval suits of armor. "This Robot Museum is a worthy tribute to all those Robot Masters, and indeed, all robots period remaining who have not turned against us. If you're anywhere in Japan, or near it, we strongly advice that you consider stopping by here." A final clip was shown of the entrance again… with animatronics of Rock, Roll and Dr. Light all waving in welcome.
"…Wow." Mega Man found himself grinning. "Who would have thought it. Dr. Corbun and Mr. X… so that's what they've been doing. Those two sneaks… and they pulled it off."
"That's not all." Kalinka told him gleefully. "Earlier on, they were out front… with Mr. Vinkus, and he was saying that the U.N. supported the entire thing!"
"Ha… more likely, they were caught with their pants down and need to save face." Roll snorted. "But they won't shut it down, and that's what's important. And Vinkus… well, who knows. But this is definitely a step back in the right direction for the robotics movement."
"Indeed." Dr. Cossack looked thoughtful. "And yet, we must wonder. Even if the United Nations does not interfere with this Robot Museum, they may yet retaliate against robots in a supposedly unrelated fashion… some new laws, more restrictions, and the like."
"Not right at first, they won't." Roll shook her head. "This is big news… the mob is a fickle thing, and popular support is behind this for a moment. The UN'll wait for it to die down before moving against robots again."
"And that's why I need to move fast." Mega finished, standing up. "Two more to go, then the big men." Out of respect for Kalinka, he decided not to mention Proto Man's name directly. "Once they're all gone, the Rebellion will die, and so will a great deal of anti-robot feelings, with luck. If I can take the ones left out fast enough, than that will solve the UN problem as well."
"Speaking of the UN, guess who's calling." Bright Man yelled from the lab. Mega nodded.
"Perfect timing. Let's go get my next marching orders." All of them save Kalinka got up and walked into the lab.
"Mega Man… hello. Wave Man gave you no trouble, I assume?" Martel inquired politely. Despite his collected appearance, he could not hide the many annoyed or even openly hostile faces in the collective behind them. Mega forced himself to hide a smirk, and around him he guessed family and friends were doing the same. Dr. Corbun's and Mr. X's surprise had had its effect.
"I remain as of yet not dead." Mega shrugged. "And the reservoir is recovered. Have I atoned for my gaffe in Casablanca yet?" Martel smirked.
"Hm… well, perhaps. I think I can safely say that in a majority vote, you have nothing to worry about… and we DO run on majority vote here." The tightness around the word "do" seemed directed more at several of the people behind him than at those in front of him. Mega nodded, politely ignoring that.
"Well, that's good. So then, councilors. Two left. I think I can make a guess as to which one you want me to head to today."
"That would be something I would not be inclined to put money on, yes." Martel agreed wryly. "But, just for the sake of formula-something else we are big on here… ahem. In light of the continued lack of Napalm Man's success in actually posing a threat to his conquered territory, we have decided that your next recovery should be of the Energen Crystal Mine in New Guinea. This is the mine in which the blue variant is located. I assume you are familiar with the general area."
"Indeed I am, councilors." Mega nodded. "I've been there twice… once when I fought Needle Man, during the Third… and again, later on in the Third, when I fought Doc Man… possibly the most dangerous of all Wily's creations." He did not mention that the deranged Robot Master had not been doing his creator's bidding then; that was something that the world outside from the Lights and Cossacks had no need to know about, especially at this time. "I wonder if the statue of him in the new Robot Museum will be accurate?" That provoked a few angry mutterings from the councilors behind Martel, who turned around wearily.
"I believe we agreed upon SILENCE DURING THESE CALLS!" He bellowed in a voice that would have been audible five miles away. The murmurs died instantly, and Martel turned back to Mega Man. "Apologies for that… we are, sadly, not as unified as we theoretically should be in this time of crisis."
"Quite all right, Councilor." Mega smiled. "Might I inquire as to what your profession was before you took up your current career path, if you had one earlier in your life?"
"American military." Martel admitted. "I've forgotten most of what I learned in those days-probably for the best-but I do still remember a few important things from my years as a drill sergeant. At any rate, your next target is the Energen Crystal mind. Depart when ready."
"Now is good." Mega smiled. "See you soon, councilors." He teleported away, and Martel killed the connection.
"Well, that's that." Dr. Cossack shrugged. At that moment, Kalinka burst into the lab, wide-eyed. "Eh?"
"Father, Roll, Pharaoh, come quick!" The Russian girl told them. "You have to see this!" They ran to the television and looked at what was now playing on the news, and Roll covered her face.
"Oh, HELL…"
"Six down, then." Proto Man noted, glancing up at the main screen. The ever-present Rebellion Master's map was still shining brightly, though six of the ten portraits around it were black and empty. "Six generals killed, six locations reclaimed."
"Yeah." Dark Man agreed. "Star Man, shot to hell by plasma… that one was obvious, though. Looking back, we should have placed another one in charge there… he wasn't good enough."
"There's a distinct chance that none of them are." Proto Man reminded him. "And besides, we'd look like idiots if we DIDN'T place Star Man on the space station. Image is everything, Dark. Nobody's going to take your Rebellion seriously if you put Volcano Man in the Antarctic."
"I thought we got them to take us seriously by slaughtering untold numbers of their sorry monkey hides." Dark Man recalled. Proto shrugged.
"Well, to a degree, yes. But there's still a right way to do things."
"If you say so." Dark Man sighed. "After him, then, came Gravity Man, splattered against the Star Crash… again, no surprise. That one wasn't so much of a loss; we lost whatever was in that lab, yes, but we had no idea what was there anyways and there was no telling if we would even have been able to use anything from there."
"Yeah. Next was Stone Man, worn down bit by bit into rubble…" Proto Man snorted. "Which YOU went to a great deal of trouble to appear showy in, I might add. And you're chewing ME out for such things."
"Well, I had to do SOMETHING to save our face after… well, we've already had that argument." Dark Man shrugged. "I think Stone Man was the first one to actually stand a chance, but in the end he couldn't match up. Then came Charge Man, who ended up pounded into scrap… once again, no great loss. We didn't really need the train system any more; he had delivered enough stuff to us already, so by that point he was mainly just being a terrorist. Even when Mega Man killed him, the point had been made."
"Same with Gyro Man, though I was kind of hoping he would have won." Proto Man noted. "No such luck, though… crashed by that most pesky enemy of the flyboy, gravity. Always gets 'em in the end… shame, though. He always was an apt pupil."
"And that brings us to our latest loss, Wave Man." Dark Man nodded. "Ripped in half by a slide kick, of all things… ouch. He had no real chance, but still… hell of a way to go. No real loss territory-wise, though… hell, we can always just grab some water from the nearest ocean if we need it that badly. No, it's only when you lump it together with the other six that it becomes apparent what we've lost; most of our footholds into human society. Most of our taken spots. Most of our threat potential."
"We can regain them." Proto Man shrugged. "As I keep telling you, Dark, Mega Man is the thing. He's the key. He's what we're focusing on, he's what's important. Claiming to be after the world right now is just to keep him from figuring out how MUCH we're concentrating on him; not that that's not our ultimate goal. It is. But this isn't a serious attempt; we can do that AFTER little brother's out of the picture, for one way or another." Dark Man's eyes flashed in surprise.
"It… that's been your plan from the beginning, boss! None of it… the space station, the nukes… were ever meant to succeed? They were all just ploys?"
"Of course." Proto Man smiled darkly. "THINK, Dark Man. Either of those would have killed a planetload of humans, yes. But they'd ALSO wipe out most of our brethren, along with the facilities needed to construct more of them… and this planet we will be masters of, once the human filth have been cleansed. It hasn't been THAT long since the Third World War… damage from meteors or nukes could push the planet back over the edge. No, only an idiot would use either of those seriously, no matter what the situation… and I am far from that. Granted, those nukes would have been nice to have for bluffing purposes, but they're not worth getting severely worked up about." He glanced sidelong at his subordinate. "Admit it, Dark… you feel the same way I do, after fighting him once. You can't WAIT to try out the rest of your abilities… including your newest one… on him, can you?"
"Well… maybe." Dark Man grudgingly admitted. "I'll still feel better if one of the remaining two manages to take him down first, though."
"Maybe." Proto Man returned. "Two left, eh… well, there's your boy. Crystal Man. He's got a chance, hasn't he?"
"I'd say so." Dark Man nodded. "He's as good as Gyro Man was, at the least… and his terrain's one that can be used to his advantage against Mega Man."
"Yeah." Proto Man grinned over at the imprisoned doctors. "Thanks for that, dad."
"Hm?" Dr. Light blinked. "What did I do?"
"You told me about Doc Man." Proto explained. "After that, I looked up some… info… on him. Apparently, one of the place dear brother fought him in was the very same mine Crystal Man now controls. Of course, years later it won't look anything like it used to, but it's still the same place… and Crystal Man knows how to operate off of that in every way." Dr. Light frowned, but did not reply. "Yeah, there's Crystal Man. And then, of course, there's the other one left."
"Napalm Man." Dark Man groaned. "Our own personal migraine. So, which one are we hoping he goes after first?" They both paused for a moment in thought, then spoke simultaneously. "Napalm Man."
"Napalm Man." Proto Man chuckled. "Evil minds think alike, I see."
"It serves a double purpose." Dark Man explained. "First, despite his lack of a brain he is still the most formidable fighter among those eight. His chances of winning will be better if Mega does not have Crystal Man's weapon, though if he DOES beat Napalm then we can take it as a sign that Crystal won't have a prayer. And second…"
"Second, we hate his guts and want him to die, and would probably kill him ourselves if he wasn't so useful to us." Proto Man finished.
"True enough." Dark Man chuckled. He turned to look at the map then, and stopped laughing. "Damn. Never mind… Mega Man just left, and Murphy's Law just kicked us in the arse once more."
"He's gone for Crystal Man?" Proto Man groaned. "Oh well. Should have figured. No point in dwelling on it, though…" He glanced at his father. "Care for another game of chess, pops? I need something to take my mind off that."
"Sure." Dr. Light agreed amicably. "It's better than just sitting here."
"Good." Proto Man began walking towards the cabinet where he kept the set.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dark Man's eyes lit up as he stared at the screens. "Hold the phone, boss. There may be some good news at the moment after all… come here and check THIS out."
"Hm… looks like Crystal Man set up the shield in almost the exact same place Needle Man had it. Wonder if that was intentional." Mega Man gazed out over the Energen Crystal mine, observing the changes. The extensive mining operation had not been kind to this area of New Guinea in recent years… though it had hardly been before. Before, it had been an industrial playground, all metal and machinery. Now all that was gone, along with any semblance of nature; everything was stripped away to lay open the abundant deposits of precious blue crystal that lay beneath the earth. Mega was not quite sure if he approved of the change or not. The only thing to break the fields of slightly glowing mineral were tall glass tubes containing mining equipment, rising in line like telephone poles around the perimeter of the mine's entrance, where the earth had not yet been completely cleared away. Even the sky above seemed touched by the Energen crystals' glow to Mega Man's optics, off-colored a strange turquoise.
"Too much time here could do something to a guy's head." The Blue Bomber muttered, wasting the first few security robots; they were all of a type previously encountered in Gravity Man's lab. He did not remain above ground for long; the path led into an open tunnel, and from there downward into the depths of the Earth. Here, the crystal surface was even more present, covering walls and ceiling as well as beneath Mega's feet. Had he been human, the effects on the vision and mind would have been highly confusing. However, in some places the crystal walls were missing, gaps in their places extending back until dirt and rock once again formed boundaries, with the strange mining equipment's lower portions visible once more. Mechanical pipes in the ceiling dropped chunks of lesser, imperfect stone into disposal pits. Mega dodged the first and jumped the second simultaneously.
"Just like old times, eh, Mega Man?" An intercom commented. "As I recall, my predecessor in controlling these mines had a needle press setup here… which, like this, would require excellent timing to get past."
"Crystal Man." Mega replied, not pausing for a second in his acrobatics. "Yeah, he did. I made it past them. I'll make it past this."
"Really? I'd also heard you sustained a hand injury there on your second trip through… your left one, I believe." THAT gave Mega pause, but fortunately he had already made it past the last one.
"Now how the hell did you know THAT?"
"My Crystal Eye sees everything… past, present and future." Crystal Man's voice was confident, mocking. "You can't hide anything from me, Mega Man… I know it all. Keep that in mind as you trek onward towards your doom." The intercom clicked off, and Mega shook his head as he climbed a ladder.
"Now I've got the personality simulation of a charlatan fortune teller to deal with… as if the charlatan magician wasn't bad enough. Well, why not? I've run into worse personality simulations in my enemies… at least he's not another Top Man. Oy."
"Beep!" Eddie seemed to agree as Mega met him in the next room, though the little suitcase 'bot had never actually encountered the demented Robot Master that Mega spoke of. Flipping his lid, he presented Mega with a valuable prize; an E-Tank.
"Whoa! Found one of THESE somewhere? Way to go, Ed!" Mega congratulated him, taking it. Eddie beeped again happily before departing. Climbing up another level, Mega blinked. This floor of the cavern was backlit strangely in blood-red light. The effect, reflecting and refracting off the blue crystals, made trekking through truly strange… and the Crystal Joe sentries, firing off spearheads of silica they created on the spot, didn't help things either. Mega frowned as he eliminated them, one by one; the area seemed familiar, particularly the end of the corridor. "What is it about this one…?"
"Can't remember?" Crystal Man taunted from another intercom. "My, how frustrating to be so short-minded… very well, I'll inform you. This… was where you first fought your enemy Doc Man in this mine." Again, Mega was struck motionless for a moment as the memories flooded in. Again, he saw the dreadful fight between them… the fifth one in the seemingly endless chain…
He emulated Air Man here… although his mind was so messed up by this point the accidentally used Quick Man's image again, or was that just his twisted sense of humor… it was a deadly attack pattern, and without my Wood Shield to neutralize it I couldn't find a way around… until I used the Magnet Missile…
"The past is dead." Mega Man growled, shaking off the train of thought. "Doc Man is dead. You, Crystal Man… you are dead."
"Scary." Crystal Man chuckled. "Big words for somebody who stood motionless for almost five minutes. Good thing you took out all the Crystal Joes in the area first." Mega blinked. Had he really been sidetracked by his own thoughts that long? "Somebody who can't control his own past has no hope of destroying me. Admit it, Mega Man… you still haven't put it behind you. And this time… your big brother won't be here to help you. Just the opposite, in fact… ha ha ha." Again the intercom shut off, and again Mega moved on.
"I don't believe this… he's even got the janitorial robots after me." The Blue Bomber wisecracked halfheartedly, destroying a floor buffer 'bot whose top now contained a three-way shrapnel launcher. "But he's right… I still haven't forgotten that." Even now, he still had nightmares about the mad Robot Master who had started the Third Robot Rebellion for the sole purpose of revenge against him and Dr. Wily. The Robot Master he had finally killed, after eight fights in a row. But while he had banished the physical self of Doc Man to the afterlife at last, he could not similarly rid his mind of the horrible, fixed grin or the peals of laughter that accompanied him everywhere.
"Why?" He muttered to himself as he emerged above ground once more. "It's not that he was Advanced… Dark Man is too, and fighting him isn't lingering on my mind that much. No… it was because he was insane. He was a Robot Master, and he killed humans… he was going to kill Wily. He freed himself of the three laws, in exchange for his mind… almost like…" He froze. "No… Blues… is that what… could have happened to him? He's definitely not mentally stable… but he's not running around gibbering like a loon either. No, it's not that… or if it is, the damage isn't as extensive as it was with Doc Man. But still…" He looked down into the large hole that led back underground and frowned; it was too deep and dark for his liking. Fortunately, he now had a way to make it more traversable accessible again. "Rush!"
"Woof!" The robotic dog came to him, glanced at the hole and went into Jet Mode. Stepping on his back, Mega flew down into the depths of the mine.
"So… Blues might be as nuts as he is. Or approaching that, anyways… but that's only part of it. Another part is Doc Man himself… he was a seriously freaky guy, even for somebody who's seen as much action as I have. But there's still something left…" He thought logically. "Hm… I think I've exhausted all the external possibilities… so what about internal ones?" His eyes widened. "That's it… it's ME. If Blues could snap like that… couldn't I too? THAT'S what's been eating at me all this time." He shook his head. "I'm not a psychologist… I can't perform an analysis on myself. I do have to remember to try and see somebody who DOES know more about this, though, once all this is settled. Pity Doc Froid was killed. At the least, though, now I know the problem… and since I do, I know what I have to put aside for the fight. No more uncertainty for me, thanks… Crystal Man is going down. Hey!" His eyes shot to a wall. There, on a tiny ledge, nearly invisible against the glowing blue walls… was another E-Tank. Steering Rush over to it, Mega picked it up happily.
"Now I have two of… huh? What… what the heck?" Mega stared at the canister. In shape and color, it was absolutely identical to all before it… but it was humming with a power easily twice as potent as an E-Tank's. On its side, instead of the usual E, a large black M was engraved. "An… M-Tank…?" He carefully pocketed it. "This definitely needs to go to Cossack. And to do that, I need to finish up here. Hi-ho, Rush!" Back down the vertical shaft they continued, seemingly endlessly. Every so often, a bed of spikes would stick out from the sheer walls, and Mega knew he had made the right choice. He almost missed the circuit plate, duct-taped to a wall, but he spotted it in time and grabbed it as well.
"Wonder how far down this goes, anyways… well, no matter. It'll end some time… and when it does, Crystal Man will be there. And he's not playing mind games with me again."
"Kalinka, is something wrong?" Dr. Cossack inquired, concerned. "You're not eating your dinner." The doctor and his daughter were sitting together in the castle's dining room; like the rest of it, it was much larger than was actually needed. Ring Man was leaning nonchalantly near the door, on guard duty. Kalinka jabbed at her steak with a fork and grunted.
"Everything is wrong, father. You know that."
"Well, I meant besides that." Cossack shrugged, taking a bite of his own. "Yes, we have another Robot Rebellion going on, Thomas is kidnapped and there's… the whole issue with Blues." He chose his phrasing on THAT rather carefully; Kalinka still reacted strongly to anybody who suggested that it was truly the eldest son of Light around her. "But you seem to have grown somewhat used to that recently. Tonight, you are depressed again."
"Well, there's Napalm Man." Kalinka shook her head. "THAT's new. And the instant the UN sends Rock to Crystal Man's, even… they will not be happy when they call next, father. It seems despite Dr. Corbun's guesses, nothing is perfect."
"Apparently so." Dr. Cossack sighed. "But at least this way he nearly has a full arsenal before taking on that lunatic. I think he will come up on top."
"Yes… and then he goes to find and take out that imposter." Kalinka sighed. "You know who I believe it to be."
"Yes… we must always consider that it is simply another of Dr. Wily's tricks." Cossack admitted. "You and I know, more than anybody else, how cunning and convoluted that madman's schemes can be. And yet… like my Rebellion, and the Third before it… the style, the technique of these acts do not match the first and second Rebellions, leading to the conclusion that it is another agent behind this."
"But not Blues." Kalinka maintained adamantly. "He would never do this… no matter what SOME people believe." She glanced at the empty seat across the table meaningfully.
"Please, Kalinka." Cossack smiled tolerantly. "For all our sakes, do not start arguing with Roll again. My eardrums have still not recovered from the last time. I do wonder where she is, though."
"She's a robot." Kalinka shrugged. "She doesn't need to… heck, she CAN'T eat dinner with us."
"True, but she normally chooses to join us in conversation here, out of courtesy." Dr. Cossack turned to Ring Man. "Ring? Do you happen to know Roll Light's current location?"
"Roll Light is currently in the guest bedroom-or should I say, capsule room-designated for her use." Ring Man replied. "She has requested privacy for the time being."
"Privacy? Hm… strange for a robot." Kalinka chewed her steak thoughtfully. After finishing her dinner, she left her father to his workshop, installing the latest recovered circuit plates for his robot. Checking to make sure Ring Man was not watching her too closely, she nonchalantly strolled into the castle's control center and began examining security camera footage. It did not take her long to find Roll's room. The camera was in one corner of the ceiling, and it showed that the robot girl was sitting on the edge of her stasis capsule, motionless. She appeared to be holding a picture frame; to Kalinka's irritation, the camera was not positioned to be able to see it. Roll was staring at the picture with a strange, hopelessly sad expression on her features. "Hm… what is she thinking about?"
"Spying on others is not an admirable pastime, mistress Kalinka." Ring Man reproved from right behind her. Kalinka jumped; she had not hear the Robot Master approach.
"Ah heh…" She chuckled. "You always were the sharpest one except for Pharaoh Man, Ring."
"I do not believe this is the occasion for jokes involving my weaponry." Ring Man chided. "It may not be my place to make observations about your conduct, but I must wonder why you are so flagrantly violating Miss Roll's request."
"I just wanted to know what she was doing." Kalinka protested. "But I can't see that picture she's holding, so there's no luck."
"May I…? Ah." Ring Man glanced at the screen. "I believe I recognize that frame… I have seen it in her room while cleaning it. It contains a family photograph… Miss Roll, her father and both her brothers. I believe it was taken in the winter preceding the Fourth Robot Rebellion, when Blues Light was still living at home."
"So that's why she's looking at it…" Kalinka realized. "But why is she simply staring at it-" The answer struck her like a thunderbolt, as she remembered her conversation with Pharaoh Man days before.
"I will never be able to perfectly match humanity's capacity for emotion, any more than they can… no matter how much grief a robot feels, he cannot cry… tear ducts were deemed unnecessary in the first Robot Master designs by the Doctors Light and Wily… others, I would suggest you examine more closely…"
"That is because that is all she can do, Miss Kalinka." Ring Man confirmed it. "She is a robot… despite her appearance, she is a machine of metal and circuitry. Were she human, she would be sobbing… but she possesses no tear ducts."
"Robots cannot cry." Kalinka whispered. "I had forgotten… was Pharaoh Man thinking of this when he told me… yes, he had to be…"
"Robots are better at reading other robots." Ring Man explained. "Even the most advanced Robot Masters such as Miss Roll are not as suited to showing emotion as humans are… but we can tell. We have known of Miss Roll's suffering ever since she arrived at the castle."
"But…" Kalinka shook her head. "She's so cold… so cynical. She believes that really IS Blues… she was the first to do so…"
"Exactly." Ring Man nodded. "You have been grieving for him though you believe him to be innocent, Miss Kalinka… imagine the grief of one who truly DOES believe that her own brother has become such an evil being, and ripped her family apart." Kalinka froze. "She DOES believe that is Blues… and that is WHY she grieves. And she thinks that her other brother, Rock, has no recourse but to kill him."
"I… I need to think about this." Kalinka lowered her head. "I… I'm going to my room, Ring Man. I know about my father's rule that one of you must guard me at all times… but please, do it from the door outside. I need privacy now too." Ring Man nodded.
"Of course, miss Kalinka."
"Idiot." Mega Man growled, stepping past the smoking remains of the giant purple humanoid robot Crystal Man had set as his bodyguard. The metal shutters opened as they always did.
"You have arrived, then." Crystal Man greeted him respectfully. Mega Man nodded.
"I have."
"And have you discovered your weakness?" The green Robot Master demanded.
"I have." Mega repeated. "There are things I still fear… barriers I have yet to overcome. But for now… I am ready to destroy you."
"Is that so." Crystal Man wondered, raising a metallic eyebrow. "Brave words sometimes hide inner weakness. Are you truly prepared, or are you simply fooling yourself? If it is the latter, then you are doomed."
"It is not." The Blue Bomber smiled slightly. "If you cannot see this, then it is as I thought… your Crystal Eye is as big a fraud as Dark Man's 'magic.' And I know how you saw what happened here in the past. Old security camera footage. After Needle Man and Doc Man were killed, the humans who reclaimed this mine never got rid of it… and it was left for you to find and use in your act."
"…Keenly spotted." Crystal Man approved. "Then there is no further point in delaying the inevitable. Put your life on the line here once more, Mega Man!" He struck a battle pose, then leapt at least ten feet vertically into the air. "My Crystal Eye may not see all, but it will still strike you down!" The crystal orbs on his forehead and chest flew out and separated like water, splitting into two smaller spheres each. Four Crystal Eyes flew around like superballs, bouncing off walls, ceiling and floor. Ignoring them, Mega Man stood his ground and blasted his enemy with a charged shot. The shot hit, but one of the Eyes struck the Blue Bomber in the back, knocking him flat for the three others to slam into.
"You still lack wisdom. When has charging in like a bull ever served you?" Crystal Man observed. Now regenerated, his chest crystal glowed and fired an energy blast. Before it hit, however, Mega Man rolled away from it and jumped back to his feet.
"Point… let's try an indirect assault, then!" As his colors shifted to blue and white and he rammed his Buster into the ground, a long hose with a drill at its end extended into the ground. Burrowing under Crystal Man in a matter of seconds, the drill retracted and matter synthesizers propelled a surge of water through the hose at high pressure.
"What the-?" Crystal Man blurted as the Water Wave struck him. "Argh… not bad, not bad! But one surprise attack isn't enough to finish me off!" He leapt and fired the Crystal Eye once again. This time, Mega Man jumped and dodge the four projectiles, but in doing so, he took his eyes off the green Robot Master and was punished by an energy bolt. "Not good enough. You say you know your weaknesses, and that may be so. But you must also know your strengths, in order to succeed."
"My strengths, huh…" Mega smiled. "Experience… and variability. Don't count me down because you've got an early lead… try it again, and I'll bet things go differently."
"Only one way to find out…" Crystal Man released the Crystal Eyes once more, and for the second time Mega Man stood his ground… surrounded by a bright orange force field. All four projectiles shattered against it, and before Crystal Man could recover, the Blue Bomber had changed weapons again.
"Now it's green versus green." The first Gyro Blade slammed into Crystal Man's chest… and was deflected by the orb there.
"Ha! Nice try!" Gyro Man smirked. "Almost had me there, but no dice!" He fired another plasma burst, which Mega dodged again. "HA! Now I have you!" As Mega slid, he leaped up and released his Crystal Eye once more… then froze, realizing what he had done too late.
"Gotcha." Mega Man flung out another Gyro Blade, between the newly created projectiles, and into the chest cavity before a new orb could be regenerated. Crystal Man screamed as the blade lodged in the systems and fell to the ground. Mega Man did not stop there; he hurled two more razor-sharp propellers, and Crystal Man's arms fell off with another scream. "That should do it, then… you lost."
"I… did." Crystal Man seemed to smile through his pain. "You… win. You are… strong."
"That I am." Mega Man moved forward to deliver the killing blow, then paused. "Why did you tell me all those things? Didn't you know they would only make me stronger?"
"Indeed… I did." Crystal Man admitted. "If I could not beat you when your mind was strong, I did not deserve to do so when it was weak. The one who… reprogrammed me… made a mistake. He made me loyal to… my master, not him. That loyalty is absolute… and with my knowledge, I discovered what even my master does not know… about himself. My master… needs you. You and your father… are the only ones… that can help him. And to do that… your mind must be strong. Go… Mega Man. Go to… my master. One more… and then he shall await you." And then he fell forward, the final blow not even needed; he had perished from energy and fluid loss from his grievous injuries.
"His master, huh…" Mega wondered. "Different from the one who reprogrammed him? That makes no sense… unless Dark Man did that. A little rift between the enemy, perhaps? Does he… still think Proto Man can be talked out of it?" Bending over, he took the Crystal Eye and departed, the question still weighing heavily on his mind.