Chapter 10: The Blue Knight

"I hold no personal grudge against you, believe me. We are simply at cross purposes. If neither of us will back down, then we must battle to the death, and the stronger of us shall prevail. Let's see what you've got, kid… I've been waiting for this." -NetNavi Protoman.exe

"Hmph… Flame Man has fallen as well, then." Mr. X grumbled, looking at the box of static where the Arabian Robot Master's mug shot had once occupied a portion of his master computer screen, side by side with five others. "Only Centaur Man and Knight Man remain… it seems this Rebellion, like all the others before it, begins to go south." The billionaire sighed bitterly. "It never fails. Oh well… at least I've planned ahead. Computer, what is the status of this Fortress?"

"Fortress currently running at 100 efficiency." The computer reported. "There are no issues with the security robots, nor are they are any intrusion attempts recorded." Mr. X nodded.

"Good, good. And…?"

"There is nothing of note to report there either." The computer replied after a moment. "Shall I activate-"

"No, no, not yet." Mr. X shook his head. "That will be all." Sighing, the old man left his office and walked down to his workshop, returning to his current project, as he always did when bored. "Hm… still should be a ways to go before you're active. Oh well, I've got time." Settling down in front of him, Mr. X began poking around with the wires. "At least I've got your power source fully installed… that was a pain, let me tell you. Should be worth it in the long run, though… to be honest, I created it by complete accident. I was just clowning around with some unstable materials one day, and poof, I had an energy source even more powerful than those Energen Crystals. Pity I only made enough for one or two robots… if I could only remember how it was exactly I created it…" The old man shuddered at the explosions that had been caused by his attempts to repeat the accidental stroke of genius. "Some of it is better than none, though. Be proud of yourself, my boy… of all my creations, you are the one chosen to receive this boon. This power source, this…" He paused. "Hm. A name. I need a name for the stuff… something fitting, something with panache… bah, I can't think of it at the moment. I'll do that later, after I've calmed my nerves here for an hour or two." He continued to work on the wiring. "Ah well, the name isn't THAT important… what's important is the power. Power you shall have in spades… and skill as well, in time. Yes, my boy… you WILL be strong…" As he connected one wire, something glinted in the robot's eyes. "Yes indeed… strong. Stronger than any before you… stronger even than that damned Mega Man… heh heh heh heh heh…"

"Heh heh heh heh heh…"

"Heh ha ha ha ha!"

"Heh ha ha ha ha!"

"AHA HA HA HA-EH!" Mr. X suddenly recognized the echo of his cackling, and jumped so hard that his sunglasses flew off of his face. The robot… the Robot Master that should still be incomplete… was laughing along with him, echoing the frenzied grin that had adorned his face perfectly. At least, it had until his reaction… now, its face twisted in concern.

"Is something… wrong?"

"Yes-I mean, no, no. Nothing's wrong." Mr. X corrected himself hastily, wiping some sweat from his brow. "I just… didn't expect you to be up so soon, that's all. No, don't try to move around yet… your skin still isn't completely on, you'll fall all to pieces if you try to stand up."

"I… see." The Robot Master frowned. "My awakening, then… it was an accident?" Mr. X winced.

"No, of course not, foo-uh, lad. I spent far too much time on you for just an accident… no, I was just hoping to have you in a more stable condition for your awakening. You're incredibly valuable to me, and I want you to be in the best condition possible." Slowly, the Robot Master smiled.

"Then… you are my creator."

"Indeed." Mr. X nodded proudly. "Logic capabilities are completely functional… excellent."

"My… father?" The robot wondered. For a moment, the smile on Mr. X's face grew strained.

"If you… wish to refer to me as such, I suppose so, yes." He shrugged. "Terms are unimportant. What's important is facts. Let's get that established right off." He straightened up and stared straight into the robot's eyes. "What is the First Law?"

"I must never harm you, or through inaction cause harm to come to you." The robot replied firmly.

"Beautiful." Mr. X smiled again. "And the Second Law?"

"I must obey all of your commands unless doing so comes into conflict with the First Law." The robot stated again.

"Good, good…" Mr. X patted him on his still-open head. "You're a good boy… now, the Third Law?"

"I must act to preserve my existence unless doing so comes into conflict with the First or… the Second Law." The robot finished. Mr. X frowned; had he detected a bit of hesitation there? No, he was just imagining it.

"Excellent… you got them all right." He nodded. "Well then, my boy… you'll want to sleep now. No, don't worry, it'll be fine; I just want to finish patching you up. You'll be as right as rain in no time."
"As you wish… father." The robot nodded. He started to close his eyes, then paused. "Father… what is my name?"

"Your name, eh?" Mr. X thought about that. "Yes, I suppose I do owe you that much before you go back to sleep. A name… it should be something that goes with your special energy source, so I might as well think of that now too…"

"Energy source?" The robot frowned.

"Yes… something unique to you, and perhaps a friend or two, that no other robot in the world has. Something that makes you more powerful than any other." Mr. X smiled. "Never forget that… no matter what happens, never forget. You are POWERFUL. Now, as to your name…" He thought for a few moments more. "Aha! I've got it! Fits the theme, too. You shall be called…"

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Mega Man was in a foul mood as he teleported onto the roof of the ancient castle that Knight Man had taken for his own. As soon as he had dropped through a hole into the interior of the fortress, he whistled for Rush. "Right… let's see what this other upgrade can do. Rush, Power Armor mode!" Barking happily, Rush transformed into a suit of torso armor like with the previous upgrade; this time, though, instead of a box on the back, most of the armor was adding mass to his shoulders and fists. "I must look like a linebacker. Might as well try it out…" As an enemy robot blasted towards him, the Blue Bomber struck with his fist, and an energy bolt flew out, completely obliterating the hapless robot. "Hm… well enough, I suppose… wait, it looks like this can be charged, too. Might as well…" The charged attack turned out to engulf his fist in blazing energy; when he actually struck his next enemy with it, it erupted in a blast that not only disintegrated the robot but left a crater in the floor as well. "NOW we're talking. Even if I can't slide in these thing, it should be perfect for letting off some stress."

The Blue Bomber's excitement upon discovering his newest Rush Armor had been short-lived. Inspecting of the circuit plate he had brought back from Flame Man, Dr. Light had pronounced it identical to one they had replicated, like Wind Man's. With three Circuit Plates left, it seemed doubtful that Beat would be repaired in time for the assault on Mr. X's fortress, let alone before then. Muttering curses upon the madman for disabling his flying friend in the first place, Mega Man rampaged through the fortress like a natural disaster. Even armored foes like the Metools were smashed to bits by the Power Armor's massive fists. Unfortunately, Mega Man proved to be a bit too caught up in his rampage; entering a long hall, he didn't notice the spikes on the ceiling until it was too late and the door behind him had already slammed shut. "Damn, a trap…" Inspecting the floor as he ran, he noticed several low dents that had been carved into it. "Will it stop at those? It better… I'll barely even be able to make it to the first…" Regretfully, he took a half a second to disable the Power Armor, then slid the last few feet into the first trench. Lying flat on his back, he watched the spikes edge close to his face, then at the last moment, shoot back up to the top only to begin the descent again. "Phew… lucked out again. That could have gotten me."

Crossing from one trench to another, Mega Man made it to the opposite side of the hall and continued on, bringing his Power Armor back once the need to slide was past. In particular, it proved useful for destroying an annoying type of robot that hid in an armored barrel while lobbing plasma. Several of these were positioned in another long hall, on a series of narrow platforms stretching over the spike-lined floor (thankfully, that didn't move like the ceiling in the previous hall). Normally, Mega would have had to wait for the robots to peek over the edge of the barrel before firing at their vulnerable heads, but with the Power Armor, he could just demolish them entirely. Feeling a little better with his rage played out, the Blue Bomber climbed up onto the other side of the roof. Unlike the side he had entered on, this area crawled with enemies; however, there was one friendly face.

"Hey, Eddie!" Mega greeted the little brown robot, who was approaching a little hesitantly. "It's okay, I worked my stress out."

"Beep." Looking relieved, Eddie presented him with an E-Tank, which the Blue Bomber gladly pocketed.

"Awesome… I needed another one of these. Either the bad guys have stopped keeping these around altogether, or they're just hiding them better." Nodding in agreement, Eddie departed, and Mega continued onward beneath the clouds of a gathering storm. Disposing of some pesky robots that even his mighty fists needed more than one hit to wreck, Mega dropped down into a third long hall. "This place really is full of these things… well, it IS a castle, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised." As he landed, he stumbled a bit and slammed one fist into the wall, causing the room around him to shake. "Whoops… OW!" Something had been dislodged from far above, falling onto his head. Mega's irritation only lasted a moment as he saw what it was. Another E-Tank. "How did… oh well, I'm not complaining!" Pocketing it, he looked at the hall ahead of him. This one was rigged with rubber spheres on both floor and ceiling; despite his efforts, one step sent Mega Man bouncing crazily down between them, totally out of control. This would not have been a problem save for the spiky Gabyool robots that crawled across both surfaces further down the hall. When he reached the other side, Mega was wounded in several spots. "Damnation. Aha, here's the split… at least I think so. Hope it's not just the architecture." The door led to the center of another hall, devoid of anything but the metal shutters at either end. "Nope, those are the shutters… well, might as well pick one. Chances are it won't matter at this rate, anyways…" Disengaging his Power Armor-it was useful against normal enemies, but against a Robot Master the bulk would be suicide-Mega Man walked through the door on the left.

"Welcome." Knight Man bowed courteously to his enemy as the Blue Bomber walked in. "You made good time getting here… my minions were no match for you, it seems."

"Yeah, well, they never are." Mega Man shrugged and bowed back, figuring it didn't hurt. "The rubber hall gave me a few bruises, though. Nasty trick there with the Gabyools."

"I had hoped that one would proved effective." Knight Man admitted. "Not really my style, but my mission IS to destroy you, so when I had the idea I forced aside my feelings."

"You're a smarter robot than some of the others, then, putting the mission first." Mega Man smiled. "Unlucky for me… with that and how well you did in the tournament, I might be in for some trouble here."

"My reputation is nowhere near as impressive as yours, the hero of Five Rebellions." Knight Man's eyes flashed. "Nevertheless, I fully intend to defeat you here and now! Have at you!" The heavy iron mace on his right arm flew out on its chain with surprising speed, and Mega Man was barely able to jump it.

"Whoa… not bad! My turn!" As Knight Man pulled in his mace, the Blue Bomber fired a charged shot. Before it could hit, though, the enemy robot raised the shield on his other arm, deflecting it. "Hm… just like Flame Man did."

"With all respect, his barrier was not as strong as mine." Knight Man pronounced calmly. "Not only is this mighty shield plasma-deflective, it shall withstand your Master Weapons as well. Fire shall not penetrate it, nor frost or wind. Nothing you can do shall be able to bring it down!"

"We'll see." Mega shrugged.

"Confident… good. But futile." Holding his shield out in front of him, Knight Man charged, forcing the Blue Bomber to jump away to the side. As soon as he did, the mace ball flew out again, and he only dodged it by sliding. This time, though, he didn't return fire, and after a moment, Knight Man attacked again, emboldened by his enemy's seeming reticence. The moment he did, though, was the moment in which Mega Man released the charged shot he had been holding. With his right arm extended, Knight Man was unable to raise his shield, and the shot hit him square in the chest.

"I can still hit you while you're attacking." Mega Man informed him. "But it looks like your armor's plenty tough too… so I'd better switch to a Master Weapon as well, even knowing that."

"Whatever you wish to attempt, cur!" Knight Man snarled. "As I warned you already, none of your weapons will help you!"

"Maybe some… but all? Hardly." Mega Man thought over his options as he dodged the mace strikes. He's probably right about the elemental weapons… I doubt any of them have the power to get through that armor, let alone the shield. The Plant Barrier… He allowed half a second's thought as to the force field's result against the Knight Crush and winced. Definitely out. That just leaves slicing or piercing weapons… let's try the former first. Bringing out the Silver Tomahawk, he lobbed one at the shield and frowned as it only left a tiny dent. No good there, but maybe a direct hit… The next time the mace came out, he fired the tomahawk again and smiled as it cut into Knight Man, causing the enemy to stumble, jerking his arm. Good, but is it enough-"AH!" A searing pain in his right side slammed him to the ground as he realized, too late, that the arm motion on Knight Man's part had been intentional. He had taken his eyes off of the spiked mace ball, and by yanking the chain, the foe had changed its arc, slamming it into hum with brutal force.

"Hmph… you may hit more often than I do, but with my weapon, even one strike leads to severe damage." Knight Man retracted his mace as Mega stood, dripping fluid from the crushed side of his torso. "Had that been your head, victory would be mine instantly… you are strong indeed to be standing at all after that."

"Yeah… I'm tough." Mega Man acknowledged, gritting his teeth from the pain. No good… I have to take him down quicker than the Tomahawk can do, and I REALLY need to do something about that shield. One weapon left… this had better work. The Yamato Spear flew straight and true as Knight Man confidently raised his shield once again.

"I told you, nothing-EH?" The armored Robot Master grunted in shock and pain as the spearhead tore through his shield's upper lip and impaled his left shoulder. "But-HOW?"

"Concentrate all the force on a small point… a piercing attack. Looks like it worked." Mega Man smiled. "And with your shoulder like that, you can't raise that shield all the way any more, can you? Ball's in my court again."

"Well played." Knight Man acknowledged after a moment. "Let's finish this, then." Mega Man nodded, then dodged the Knight Crush before firing again, and again, and again. With the shield unable to rise fully, the Yamato Spears slammed into Knight Man's helmet. Finally, one went into the vision slot, right between his eyes. Sighing, the armored Robot Master slumped forward.

"Right… now to check…" It took Mega Man several moments to pry the enemy Robot Master's shield out of his left hand. There was nothing else there, or anywhere else on the body. "Hmph… it was probably another one we've already got anyways. Might as well head back, then…" He winced. "Man, Roll is NOT going to be happy when she sees this. And Knight Man thought he was deadly…" Shaking his head, the Blue Bomber teleported away.

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"And there we go." Dr. Light mopped his brow cheerfully. "Another day's work successfully completed, and we're one Circuit Plate closer to Beat's reactivation. Two more to go."

"Let's just hope the one Rock brings back this time isn't another repeat." Roll observed. "Still, you seem to be in a better mood than you were earlier on, dad. Feeling up?"

"My grumpy periods never last long." Dr. Light shrugged. "Really, though, it's because now there's only a 50 chance that the one he brings back this time will be another repeat. Those kinds of odds usually tend to fall in our favor, especially during Rebellions."

"Well, the job's done for today, anyways." Dr. Cossack leaned back. "Would you girls mind getting dinner again?" Kalinka smiled.

"Bento?"

"You just can't get enough of that stuff, can you?" Roll smiled as well. "You old men mind?"

"We'll cope." Dr. Light shrugged.

"Right. I'll drive; let's go!" The two girls ran out of the lab together. Dr. Cossack frowned.

"Are you sure they'll be all right by themselves?"

"They have been every time so far, haven't they?" Dr. Light chuckled. "Don't worry, Sergei; Roll knows what she's doing. She keeps a crowbar under the car's seat… one time when some hoods started acting up, she bent the thing in half for them. Scared them off REAL quick. Kalinka will be safe." He glanced out the window as the truck drove off. "Now that they're gone… we can talk about the project I was originally going to ask you to help me with before this Rebellion surfaced." Dr. Cossack raised an eyebrow.

"Oho… a project you don't want the girls knowing about?"

"Or Rock and Blues, either… not just yet, anyways." Dr. Light's smile turned mischievous. "I can't keep up with them most of the time… springing surprises in the lab on them is the only way I can even pretend to break even with all the trouble they cause me. And this one's going to be quite the doozy. I will definitely need your help on it… it's been many years since I've built one of these, but you've done so far more recently." Suspicions began forming in the Russian robotocist's mind at that point about what that could mean.

"Is it… another Robot Master" Cossack asked after a moment.

"Very good, Sergei. Yes, it's going to be a Robot Master." Dr. Light congratulated him. "But not just an ordinary one… oh no. This will be another of the rare breed known as the Advanced Robot Master. To Blues, Rock and Roll… it will be another brother."

"To you… another son." Dr. Cossack followed quietly.

"Yes." The elderly robotocist agreed. "Another son… so you can see how important this is to me. It's been more than ten years now… I believe it's about time for this."

"I'll be glad to help you then, my friend." Dr. Cossack promised. "What did you have in mind for this one?"

"I want him to be different from the others in some ways." Dr. Light explained, sitting down at a workbench. "For one, Blues, Rock and Roll have all, in their base forms, looked perfectly human… but that is hardly necessary for the Advanced breed. Despite his madness, Albert's creation Doc Man was definitely Advanced, but his body was clearly inhuman. I want this one to be like that… visibly a robot at all times. The others look human, so some people might think that only robots who look like that can be intelligent… this one will prove differently."

"I suppose that makes sense." Dr. Cossack agreed after a moment. "How else will he be different?"

"It… has been years since I built any Robot Masters." The older man explained after a moment. "This one will have a few new designs, some systems upgrades, that I hadn't thought of at the time. It will be a slight risk, but I feel confident that it will all work out."

"Testing these new ideas, then." Dr. Cossack translated. "This one will be a test for something?" This time, it was a few long moments before Dr. Light responded, chuckling again.

"You always did see to the heart of the matter, Sergei. Yes… as pleased as I will be to have another son, to bring another Advanced Robot Master into the world… in some ways, he is only the first step in a process I am contemplating. If the systems I test on him are successful… then I will use those systems, and build off of them, for the project I eventually intend to create after him, years and years in the future. Probably my life's last project. At this moment, it's all theoretical… still in the planning stages. It's quite possible that I will reach the limit of my ability and be unable to cross that barrier. But…" He turned around, smiling. "That is what they said me and Al would do all those years ago, when we were first working on Blues… and we proved them wrong. I'm hoping that this time, my own doubts will be the incorrect ones… that I can do this."

"I think you can." Dr. Cossack assured him. "You can do it, Tom… these past years I've spent as your assistant are amazing. You're the one who created Robot Masters in the first place… if anybody can do this, you can. You WILL."

"Then you'll help me?" Dr. Light asked.

"Of course… with anything, and everything, I can do." Dr. Cossack promised. "Tell me what you think I need to know… ask me what you think I can do… show me what you think I can understand. Those things, and anything else… I will pledge myself to aiding you in this. I will uphold it as long as I live."

"Thank you, my friend." Dr. Light clasped his hand. "As soon as this Rebellion is over, then, we shall begin out work."

"And before long, your newest son shall rise." Dr. Cossack looked out the window. "Do you have a name for him?"

"Indeed I do." Dr. Light nodded. "Indeed I do. It doesn't fit the theme, but… for some reason, it feels right. His name will be Auto, Sergei. And as soon as this Rebellion is finished, we can begin."