Chapter 2: The Magic Number

"Throughout both Robot Rebellions and Maverick Uprisings alike, those who have threatened our planet have been strangely fixated on the number eight. With few exceptions, each time a madmen with mechanical armies made designs on the world, he was served by eight generals. This trend held such force that the opposition was even able to use anticipation of it to their advantage on occasion…" -Rebellions & Uprisings: Comparison Of The Past and Present

"Round one, Fight One! Flame Man Versus Time Man! GO!" The smarmy announcer, now wearing a striped referee's garb, screamed from his box overlooking the stage next to Mr. X, opposite from the one containing the presiding UN Council. Down below, the two Robot Masters in question nodded to each other before jumping into action, dashing in opposite directions around the perimeter of the area while firing projectiles at each other-respectively, fireballs and spinning clock hands. The former was red and obviously from the Middle East, due to the turban on his head, while the latter was a light lavender and had alarm-clock bells on his noggin.

"Think they're fighting at full power yet?" Roll wondered.

"Nah." Rock shook his head from his seat next to her. "They both look like fairly intelligent models; they'll save their strongest stuff for a bit-although it looks like those fireballs are more than they let on." Flame Man's shots had apparently missed, landing a few feet ahead of the enemy's path, but a moment later the fireballs had turned into pillars of flame that Time Man crashed headlong into. Yelping, the Robot Master changed his path and dashes straight at Flame Man, who shrugged and fired straight on. Although he took several hits from his opponent's razor-sharp weapons, Time Man's burns were much more numerous.

"He's got him on the ropes." Proto Man noted. "Time Man should be using his secret weapon any time now-sorry for the pun." Roll nodded at Kalinka, who lightly bonked the eldest son of Light on the head. Down below, Time Man had backed off to get some distance and began concentrating. A moment later there was a flash of light, and Flame Man's eyes widened in shock, and his movement slowed… not stopping immediately, but going at a noticeable half speed. Now Time Man dodged his fireballs with ease, and his own clock hands struck home every time.

"Kind of like Flash Man, but instead of a complete freeze for a few seconds, it slows them down over a longer period of time." Rock noted. "Smart, but can it beat whatever Flame Man's holding back?" As if in answer, the fiery Robot Master paused and crouched, then slammed his right arm into the ground. "Wait a moment! I recognize that!" A moment later, Time Man screamed as a much larger pillar of flame burst from beneath the stadium floor, engulfing him. "That's Wave Man's Master Weapon… using fire instead of water, though!" Groaning, Time Man stumbled backwards and collapsed, and a moment later there was a blaring from the UN box. Eight red lights were on the front of it, five of which had turned green.

"The ruling council has declared this fight over!" The announcer declared. "The winner, Flame Man! Next contestants, please step forward!" Officials ran up to carry Time Man away while the victor strode away calmly, and two more Robot Masters approached from the same doors the previous ones had entered by. One was small and black with a cocky smirk, while the other was the opposite; his main body was a huge white sphere, with hand and feet attached by skis and a tiny orange hat. "Round One, Fight Two! Blizzard Man versus Oil Man! BEGIN!"

"Good thing they didn't pair Oil Man up with Flame Man." Dr. Corbun commented.

"That wouldn't exactly have been fair." Dr. Light snorted. "I imagine the council had to take careful planning to insure that the lineup is as fair as possible… hm. That's an interesting ability." Oil Man had started the fight by spraying a blob of the black goop he was named for on the ground and jumping onto it. Before the four snowflakes Blizzard Man had launched could hit him, he then blasted forward, riding the oil like a skateboard around the stadium's perimeter. Blizzard Man watched dully as his opponent outran every snowflake he launched, then began moving slowly after him on skis, obviously ineffectively. Laughing, Oil Man began firing a plasma buster back at him.

"If that's all Blizzard Man has, this is over… it might be even if he has more, considering how slow he is." Dr. Cossack frowned. "Design flaw, especially against somebody like Oil Man-wait, what's this?" Blizzard Man had jumped into the air, and when he had landed he was spinning in place, a massive, rolling sphere. Oil Man's jaw dropped as the metal snowball tore after him at a much higher velocity than the oil was carrying him. Plasma shots no longer had any effect, and after a few seconds of the chase Blizzard Man slammed into his opponent with a brutal crunch and continued on over him, leaving Oil Man face down and motionless. After a moment, he rose and created another sliding oil slick, but it was obvious that the attack had taken a hefty toll on him. Stopping, Blizzard Man turned and looked back, then repeated his rolling maneuver, and Oil Man was flattened a second time. This time, he was unable to get back up, and the council once again declared the fight over.

"What's with those lights?" Kalinka wondered.

"There are eight members in the box, miss Kalinka, and each has a button that they press when they believe the fight to be over." Pharaoh Man explained. "When a majority of five have all done so, the fight ends." Blizzard Man and Oil Man departed as their predecessors had, and two new ones took their place. The first was squat and stocky, orange with twin fans on his shoulders and a propeller on his head. The other was wearing what looked like blast armor with a black-masked face.

"Round One, Fight Three! Wind Man Versus Dyna Man! GO!" The announcer cried jubilantly.

"He's really getting into this." Roll noted.

"Hey, it's obvious the guy likes to yell. He's good at what he does." Rock shrugged. "Check out that fella… maybe I'm just being cynical, but it doesn't look like he's much different from Bomb Man."

"There are bound to be some ripoffs." Roll shrugged. "With any luck, they'll all get taken out in the first few rounds. Wonder what Wind Man's got." The two Robot Masters were facing off, neither moving. Finally, Wind Man shrugged the twin fans on his shoulders and hurled a shuriken propeller blade. "Hey, isn't that what Gyro Man used?"

"Looks like he doesn't have the same control over it Gyro Man did, though." Rock noted. Dyna Man had dodged it easily by leaping into the air, and at the apex of his jump, had hurled a stick of dynamite that exploded in Wind Man's face. "Ouch, that one had to hurt." Stepping back a step, Wind Man shrugged again and repeated his attack to hit Dyna Man as he landed. "Smart guy… doesn't loose his head when he gets hit. Still, Dyna Man's attacks have more power. He can't just keep trading blows." Wind Man seemed to reach the same conclusion; the next time Dyna Man jumped and attacked, he chose a different attack pattern and launched himself into the air, propeller atop his head somehow lifting his squat bulk with the aid of jets on his feet. He wasted no time in showboating, but adjusted his aim and crashed back down to earth, straight on top of the defenseless Dyna Man with a sickening crunch. Pulling another propeller blade out, he began stabbing downwards.

"Dyna Man's toast." Blues guessed. "Unless he tries for a draw-looks like he is!" The fallen Robot Master had set off all his dynamite stores, and Wind Man was blasted away, trailing smoke and landing outside of the ring. Dyna Man was obviously finished, but it was yet to be seen if his final attack had removed his opponent as well… and then, slowly, Wind Man stood. The match was declared over, and both contestants left.

"Round One, Fight Four!" The announcer cheered. "Volt Man VS. Plant Man! GO!" The two Robot Masters smirked at each, and then they both raised their hands and formed force fields around themselves, shimmering spheres of energy. One was shaped like a red V with arms and legs, while the other was green with a head surrounded by a mane-like metal flower. Neither design was particularly intimidating.

"Yeesh… a fight of shield-users." Blues groaned. "I'll bet neither of them could hold a candle to Skull Man."

"An accurate judgment cannot be made until the battle is concluded." Pharaoh Man smiled. "Though my brother's skill with his weapon is great." It looked like a stalemate down below, both of the Robot Masters were circling, neither willing to drop their shields. "This round may stall for some time."

"Nah… they're antsy." Kalinka guessed. "Skull Man knows how to stand his ground and let the shield work for him, but one of these guys will crack soon."

"And the first one to do so will be the loser." Rock predicted. As he did so, one of the shield dissipated; Volt Man's, who fired a pair of plasma bullets and instantly jumped away.

"He's fast." Dr. Corbun observed as the bullets dissipated harmlessly against Plant Man's shield. The Robot Master simply smirked and made an insulting gesture at his opponent, who growled and brought his own shield back up. "Hm… Plant Man didn't even try to attack while his enemy was defenseless."

"Scouting out tactics." Blues guessed. "Now he knows what Volt Man can do. He'll have him next time." After another minute or so, Volt Man growled and dropped his barrier again, and the moment he did, Plant Man acted. The flowery Robot Master's force field left him, shooting out as a projectile that slammed into Volt Man. Grunting, the Robot Master faltered, then stared as Plant Man jumped across the ring, forming another force field as he did and smashing into him. The landing punched a crater into the floor and embedded Volt Man in it, and a moment later the fight was declared to be over.

"How many more of these are there again?" Roll wondered.

"First round… sixty. This'll be a while." Rock shrugged. "The following ones will get shorter and shorter, though."

"Yeah, but the fights themselves will be longer, once the pikers are all taken out and only the real contenders are left to fight each other." Blues reminded him.

"You make a good point." Dr. Light stood. "I think I'll go grab some popcorn and a soda… the ones we really want to see aren't coming up for a while, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, I suppose not. I'll come with you." Dr. Corbun stood as well. "Save our seats, fellas."

"Yeah, yeah…" Rock nodded as he directed his attention back to the ring.

"Round One, Fight Five! Sonic Man Vs. Wash Man! BEGIN!"

-----------------------------

"You aren't going out partying with the guys again?" Roll teased her father as the Light family walked into their home on the eve of the second day. Dr. Light groaned.

"No, we got that out of our systems on the night Sergei came in. Temporarily, anyways." He amended. "None of us are getting any younger, anyways."

"And yet you still insist on a gallon of coffee every morning, I notice." Blues smirked. "And you didn't take it easy on the tournament dogs, either."

"Enough, already. Save it for Father's Day or something." Dr. Light slumped into an armchair. "Two days and I'm already tired of this. A Robot Master tournament sounds all well and good, but there's only so much amateurs can do. At least the next two days will be significantly shorter, and then with luck the trap shall be sprung."

"Yeah… I just hope it works." Rock sighed. "This has been interesting, but we can't forget the real reason we're doing it. On the fifth day, all signs point to Wily showing up at any time, so we'll have to be careful to remain on the alert. Even with all the planning Mr. X has been doing, there's always the chance that something will go wrong."

"Stop, or you'll jinx it." Roll advised him. "I think this time we might actually be able to pull it off and turn the tables on the old maniac. If he shows up-and he won't be able to resist doing so-we'll have him. In the meantime, let's just try to enjoy as much of it as we can, hm? It's not ALL bad."

"Yeah… I liked seeing both Doc Corbun's and Mr. X's guys in action." Blues admitted. "Seems the spectators did too. Both of those guys are shoe-ins for the final eight." He glanced over at his younger brother. "So, what do you think, Rock? Who're your calls for the survivors?"

"Didn't we talk to a newsie about this already?" Rock complained.

"That was public. We're your family. Entirely different stories." Roll threw a sofa cushion at him. "Spill, bro."

"All right, all right." The younger son of Light gave in. "First off, as Blues said, both Mr. X and Dr. Corbun's are definitely going all the way. They've been mowing down their opponents completely. Doc Corbun's isn't surprising, but for a first Robot Master, Mr. X's is pretty damn good." He thought for a moment. "Let's go ahead and add Dr. Suzuna Gen's to the list… he seemed to be doing quite well. Go Japan."

"Suzuna Gen is highly respected in the robotics field, though this is the first Robot Master I've seen from her." Dr. Light agreed. "I was going to suggest that if you didn't. Who else?"

"Well…" Rock frowned. "Don't tell Doc Corbun this, but… that guy US Robotics sent looks like he's a pretty heavy hitter. If he doesn't go up against one of those three, he'll probably last out the others."

"Yeah, Doc Corbun wouldn't be too happy to hear that." Roll winced.

"Am I missing something here?" Blues frowned. "I thought he worked for US."

"Trent retired a year ago and moved back to Britain." Dr. Light explained. "His parting of ways with US was quite explosive, it seems, and they haven't been on good terms ever since."

"Aha." Blues nodded. "Yeah, that would do it. That leaves four left from fellas we don't know."

"Flame Man looks good… so does Wind Man. Better than the others, anwyays." Rock decided after a moment's thought. "They look like more of the same of old stuff at first, but they've got some interesting programming that should carry them. I'll put Blizzard Man as the seventh… I know he looks weird, but he's powerful."

"Yeah, that much is apparent. So far, you're matching my own mental predictions." Blues informed him, then winced. "So if the eighth one is a match too, I'm guessing you're not too happy about it."

"No… I hate to say it, but the number eight right now is probably Plant Man." Rock made a face. "Unlike Flame and Wind, he IS more of the same… just another force field user, and unlike Star Man before him, he's got nothing new to make him special. But he knows how to use that style enough to get past most of the others. He could get taken out by one of the other contenders, but he's more likely than anybody else for the eighth position."

"So that's the projected lineup. We'll make sure not to tell any bookies." Roll smirked. "Of course, they'll all probably go into collective apoplexy once everything goes down on the fifth day and the remainder of the tourney's called off."

"Not much they'll be able to do if Albert attacks." Dr. Light shrugged, then frowned. "Unless they have connections higher up… that could turn messy. If they have strings to pull, they might make the tournament finish regardless. What will you do if that happens, Rock? You don't seriously intend to fight the victor, do you?"

"Of course not. No way in heck." Rock stated firmly. "Not even CLOSE to my kind of thing. If it looks like it's going that way… well, I'm sure there's some way I can arrange a substitute. Maybe one of Doc Cossack's more battle-loving guys will agree to come down… Ring Man or Drill Man."

"No need for that, bro. I'll do it." Blues volunteered. "I can whip out my old Break Man mask… I've kinda wanted an excuse to use that thing again for a little while now. Might even be kinda fun."

"Hey, thanks." Rock smiled.

"What are big brothers for, eh?" Blues grinned. "Besides, I'll get to show off in front of Kalinka."

"I knew there had to be an ulterior motive." Roll smirked. "Couldn't you just bench press your weight in Metools or something? Yipe!" She ducked a flying book. "Was that Moby Dick? That could have killed me!"

"Correction. That could have killed a human." Blues wagged a finger. "You, it just would have bounced off. And not just because of skull thickness."

"That's it." Roll grabbed a fireplace poker, and with a yelp, Blues dashed towards the back with his sister in hot pursuit.

"Sometimes I think some insanity leaked over from the 'Uncle Al' side of the family after all." Rock sighed. "We should probably try and get to sleep before they take this upstairs."

"Sounds like a good idea." Dr. Light rose, and they walked on up, ignoring the curses and thuds from the backyard. "I just hope they don't disturb the neighbors."

"If they're not used to this kind of thing already with Rush digging up hydrants and burying them, they never will be." Rock chuckled. "Get some sleep, pop… we've still got a few more days ahead of us."

-----------------------------

"Thirty-two left." Roll sighed as they all took their seats on the third day. "At least most of the losers are gone now. Some of those were just painful to watch."

"You refer to Union Man Vs. Joe Man, I take it." Dr. Cossack shuddered. "How those two made it into this tournament, I will never know. At least the 'winner' of that one went up against your boy in the second round, Trent… he did the world a favor by removing that excuse for robotics."

"He aims to please." Dr. Corbun smirked. "I think he's early in this round, so you'll see him again."

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer yelled. "Welcome back to the First Annual World Robotics Tournament! It's the third round, and we've already said goodbye to three quarters of our gridiron gladiators! And that'll be knocked down even more today, as half of the remaining thirty-two are eliminated! Let's see who's got the gears to keep on going! In our first matchup of the day, we've got the axe-slinging ace from the Old West! Built by Stephen Wilcox, head of US Robotics, it's TOMAHAWK MAN! And his opponent, the sharp-slicing star from the friendly fellas of the Snakebite Bikers, welcome back BLADE MAN!"

"Wilcox? Pah. He couldn't build a Metool without somebody holding his hand." Dr. Corbun snorted. "My wallet says he had his best guys build that for him and entered it under his name."

"If we took bets like that, doc, dad would run out of money to build his stuff." Blues chuckled. "Holding a bit of a grudge with US Robotics, are we?"

"There's a reason I quit my job from there… well, aside from having enough to retire." Dr. Corbun muttered. "Well, let's see how he does in a battle of slicing projectiles." The two Robot Masters were squaring off down below. As his name suggested, Tomahawk Man was designed like a native American, with a feathery headdress and throwing axes. Blade Man, on the other hand, was an unusual purple and yellow considering his biker builders, who were reflected in his visored helmet. Nodding at each other, they suddenly dashed forward, both forming their weapons and slashing at each other as they ran past. When they stopped at opposite sides of the ring again, Blade Man had a sparking cut on his torso, while Tomahawk Man appeared unscathed. Snarling, Blade Man threw out his weapon, a three-bladed curved star. Tomahawk Man stood his ground and returned fire, ripping out a throwing axe that knocked Blade Man's shot out of the air and continued on to strike him in the head. Even as it hit, he was already moving forward, and as Blade Man stumbled, Tomahawk Man was on him with an even more powerful close-range slash that sent him flying out of the ring, unmoving.

"The winner! Tomahawk Man!" The announcer called as the green lights went on. "All right, folks, you'll love this one! We've got the charging champion, Bit Man, coming up next, and his opponent is one of the tournament's biggest crowd-pleasers! That's right, it's Dr. Trent Corbun's latest creation, KNIGHT MAN!" At the name announcement, the spectators erupted in cheers.

"Hey, check it out. Tomahawk Man doesn't look happy." Blues observed. Indeed, the winner of the previous fight was glaring at the happy crowds. As Knight Man walked out, Tomahawk Man crossed to him and began a conversation, inaudible over the cheering. After a few moments, Knight Man turned and walked past him onto the ring, and Tomahawk Man angrily walked out.

"What was up with that, do you suppose?" Dr. Light wondered.

"At a guess, maybe US programmed him to have it out for Knight Man." Dr. Corbun shrugged. "They weren't too happy with me after I left them. Ah well, I'm sure Knight can take him if they end up going head-to-head. That's for the future, though… he's got a different fight now." Down below, Knight Man was bowing formally to his opponent; as his name suggested, he was a heavily-armored robot in black, with a massive shield on his left arm and a helmet covering his head. The yellow, pointy-armed Bit Man paused, then did so as well, but remained in that position as he fired the electric-charged spikes on his arms forward and followed them with a charging head butt. Knight Man remained stationary, holding his shield out even as he threw his right arm back. The projectiles were deflected, and as Bit Man neared, the shield came down and his right arm flew out, extending Knight Man's weapon-a brutal chain mace, two feet in diameter, with a spiked outer shell of plasma-deflective metals and a core of heavy lead. The sphere slammed into the side of Bit Man's head and plowed through it, dropping the Robot Master.

"There it is again, folks! The Knight Crush! One hell of a one-hit KO!" The announcer screamed jubilantly. "Fight's over, winner Knight Man! Let's give him a hand!" Knight Man bowed to the crowd as they applauded him, then walked off.

"You have outdone yourself with that one, Trent." Dr. Cossack congratulated him. "I would bet he could even topple Napalm Man."

"Maybe." Dr. Corbun chuckled. "I made sure to make him a good one. Who's next?"

"From our own native Japan, we've got YAMATO MAN making another appearance for you, folks!" The announcer answered as a purple samurai robot carrying a long spear walked up. "His opponent is another fiery foe; come on up, TORCH MAN!" A red Robot with an elongated, pointed cannon on his right arm walked on to face him.

"Yamato Man's the one made by Dr. Gen's sister, right?" Roll wondered.

"Yeah. He's pretty good." Rock nodded. "I'd bet he'll make it to the final eight." Down below, Torch Man leveled his arm and began firing fireballs. Yamato Man jumped, spinning his spear, and from it three arrow-shaped energy blasts flew out, striking the enemy. Not caring. Torch Man remained stationary and continued firing, and Yamato Man took a few hits as he landed and repeated his strike. After he landed a second time, however, he threw his spear forward, and the metal point on its end detached, flying out to smash through the stationary Torch Man's head.

"I was wondering when that guy'd be taken out." Kalinka shook her head.

"The winner, Yamato Man!" The announcer informed them unnecessarily as Yamato Man departed. "All right folks, it's time for our most unusual contestant to show his stuff again! The first design by our sponsor, Mr. X! Come on out, CENTAUR MAN!" From the door, a Robot Master unlike any other before him emerged; where all before had been humanoid, this one rested on FOUR legs, as his name indicated. He was green, with a horn on his head and a confident smile. "And his opponent's another robot with ties to the animals! That's right, it's SHARK MAN!" Unlike Centaur Man, this robot only had a shark hood over his head; his body was humanoid and light blue.

"Wonder if we'll be get to see everything Centaur Man can do this time." Rock muttered. "I still say he's holding something back."

"I hope not… he's tough enough as it is." Dr. Light shook his head. "You'd never be able to prove by him that he's the first one X ever made… he's definitely been paying attention all this time he's been around us."

"GO!" The announcer commanded, and the two Robot Masters complied; as Shark Man hurled a spinning blade, Centaur Man reared up on his hind legs and released a flash of light that froze the enemy Robot Master in his tracks. Easily skipping away from the flying blade, he fired a plasma burst that missed his stationary opponent, or so it seemed. Hitting the wall behind him, the single bullet did not dissipate, but exploded outwards into five shots in a spray, three of which slammed into Shark Man's back and knocked him out of the freeze. Growling, Shark Man dashed forward in an attempt to slice him up close; this proved to be a mistake, as the far more massive Centaur Man ran forward as well and trampled him underfoot.

"Not too bright." Roll commented.

"That's why he lost." Pharaoh Man shrugged. "That is the 'official' purpose of this tournament, even if we know better, is it not? To see which of these designs is superior. And it must be convincing."

"Yeah, we know." Rock shook his head. "Well, that's another one down. Twelve more to go, and then it's only one more day until show time."

-----------------------------

"And then, there were eight." Blues and Pharaoh Man intoned solemnly and simultaneously, causing Kalinka to giggle.

"Hey, I thought Jester Man already got taken out." Roll deadpanned.

"What did I tell you?" Blues appealed to Cossack's daughter. "Nobody around here appreciates my sense of humor. And they wonder why I spend so much time abroad. Geeze." He shook his head in mock sadness. "Oh well, there won't be much time for humor tomorrow anyways." The Lights and Cossacks, instead of leaving the stadium like most of the spectators after the fourth day, were heading downwards into the basement, surveying the preparations for the predicted attack of Dr. Wily. As they passed, UN soldiers started to jump, then recognized them and saluted instead. "How many did Vinkus say the UN was posting here?"

"Two hundred, all heavily armed." Rock shrugged. "They would have put more, but this basement does have limits; they wouldn't be much good if they all suffocated from being packed too tight. That's just the humans, though."

"Yeah, we all saw the security-bots up there." Roll agreed. "Not too shabby. Down here, though, is the real secret weapon." Opening a pair of iron double doors, the group walked into the deepest room in the complex, containing eight stasis pods and extensive monitoring equipment, along with even heavier security then the halls outside. At the center of the room, a supercomputer was being operated by the man behind the Tournament; Mr. X himself, with Darwin Vinkus and Trent Corbun already at his side, watching his work.

"Ah, hello, my friends." The billionaire greeted them, smiling. "I was wondering when you would arrive. I'm just checking up on our little sleeping surprises one last time."

"Gotta hand it to you, this last part was a stroke of genius." Dr. Corbun grinned. "Even if, against all odds, Crazy Al manages to reprogram the eight fighters, you've got exact duplicates ready to hold 'em off. That's one heck of a contingency plan."

"Feels kind of good to have the upper hand for once." Rock agreed. "Let's see Wily beat THIS."

"Nothing personal, but I actually hope we don't." Vinkus murmured, causing the others to snicker.

"Not bad, Dar." Dr. Corbun smirked. "Guess you've finally been hanging around me long enough for something to rub off, huh?"

"Yes, like a plague." The Counciler snorted.

"Be nice, both of you." Dr. Light sighed. "I swear, once me and X aren't around any more to keep the peace between you, you'll end up killing each other within a month."

"Oh, come on, Tom… it's not THAT bad…" Dr. Corbun glanced at the Councilor, who picked up on the line instantly.

"It'll take us at LEAST two months."

"Enough, already." Roll slapped her face. "Save it for when you get a standup act in Vegas. Oh wait, it was totaled even BEFORE Spark Man went there."

"Yeah, stay up to date, sis." Blues chuckled. "Anyways. All eight looking good, X?"

"No problems whatsoever." The billionaire nodded. "They should be ready to go at any time, although chances are we can count on the chaos starting before any of the 'scheduled' fights… Wily wouldn't want them to be heavily damaged already if he intends to steal them." He thought for a moment. "About the only thing that concerns me is the box me and the judges will be sitting in… he might decide to attack us to start things off. He always was one for showy gestures. We'll have some security there, but it may not be enough."

"Me and Rock can sit up there with you tomorrow." Blues offered.

"Thank you, but no… Wily, watching the stadium until the right moment, would see that and it might tip him off. However…" Mr. X glanced back. "If you don't mind, that small blue bird of yours…"

"Oh, Beat?" Rock nodded. "There's an idea… he's a pretty powerful weapon. I don't think anybody will mind if he hides up there to protect you and the judges from any attacks."

"Thank you." Mr. X nodded.

"Well then, it looks like everything is under control here." Dr. Light stretched. "We might as well head back… we'll want to be rested up for tomorrow, Blues and Rock especially. And Pharaoh Man."

"Indeed." The Egyptian-themed Robot Master agreed. "I am glad to have come… not only because I will be able to aid tomorrow, but because I was able to see many interesting examples of variation in my 'species', such as it is."

"Glad to have you along, bud." Blues grinned. "See ya tomorrow, fellas." Turning, the Lights and Cossacks departed, returning to the stadium aboveground. "All right, everybody, let's-"

"Excuse me." A polite voice called out to them from a doorway, and they turned to see a familiar face and form from the fights… the green, four-legged Robot Master could not be mistaken. "You are the Light and Cossack families, correct?"

"Yeah, and you're Centaur Man." Roll nodded. "Pretty good out there so far."

"Thank you, miss Roll." Centaur Man nodded politely. "It is somewhat of a shame that I will not actually be able to test myself against the remaining seven, but such is the way of life sometimes."

"Yeah. So, you already know about what's probably going to happen tomorrow?" Rock realized.

"Yes. My creator has informed me." Centaur Man frowned. "It is him I wish to speak with you of. I am recently activated, and am not as well versed in human nature as experienced Robot Masters such as yourself, but… today, my master has seemed somewhat odd. Different, although I cannot place how."

"Odd? Huh… maybe it's just nerves." Blues guessed. "With what's coming up, he's probably a little uncertain, even with all the planning he's done for this."

"Uncertain… nerves…" Centaur Man slowly nodded. "I suppose. Humans cannot simply rationalize such things into logic as easily as robots can, correct? I had forgotten."

"I am afraid we cannot… but we have other methods to deal with it." Dr. Cossack explained. "Despite his age, X is in fit condition… I am confident he will be fine once this is over."

"Thank you… I confess I was worried. I apologize for taking up your time." Centaur Man turned and walked off. Once he was gone, Kalinka made a face.

"He's even more mechanical than you are, Pharaoh."

"He has not been active for as long as I have… and not nearly as long as the Light family." Pharaoh Man shrugged. "Given enough time, he shall have potential to grow as do all Robot Masters." Rock frowned; something about that sounded familiar, but he couldn't place from where. Shrugging, he forgot about it.

"Yeah, he's a pretty good guy. Most of them are… we were dead on with out guesses, bro. Centaur, Knight, Tomahawk, Yamato, Flame, Wind, Blizzard and Plant."

"Yup." Blues shrugged. "Not too surprising, really… and with that much power, it's even more likely old man Wily won't be able to resist. Well, like I was saying a moment ago, let's all go back and rest up, huh?" Agreeing, the families split up and left the stadium, all of their minds on the event of tomorrow… and hopefully, the end of all their nightmares.