"On your left!" Lazuli exclaimed. Rhythm whirled around just in time to keep a Met from firing on her. With one quick blast of the Rhythm Buster, that Met was toast. Lazuli gave Rhythm a thumbs-up.

"Nice going, now let's hope there aren't any more." she said, running ahead. Rhythm nodded, racing to catch up. The industrial side of town normally wasn't this crazy, even during rush hour. Mets and other little robots everywhere! Rhythm wished she had contact with her dad so he would be able to tell her what they were all called, but no such luck. Only the name of the little head-in-a-helmet bots was known.

"Lazuli?" Rhythm called. Lazuli glanced back.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Why do think someone would think up something like Met in the first place?"

"Easily accessible helmets?"

"I don't think so."

"Just a thought." Rhythm frowned, noticing another group of Mets.

"Here come some more!" she exclaimed, switching to the Caution Burst. The electrically charged cones zapped most of the little irritating robots. Lazuli rushed in and finished the stragglers. She gave a look of annoyance.

"Now I know why they were built." Lazuli said frustrated. Rhythm caught her breath.

"What?" she asked. Lazuli pointed to the broken bots.

"Irritations." she said. Rhythm laughed. Lazuli simply rolled her eyes.

After another couple of rounds of Mets, Lazuli was convinced they were getting closer to the next Robot Master. Rhythm sure hoped so. She had been saving weapon energy for the Dusk Sky. She sure hoped it would do what it was supposed to. What was Dr. Regis thinking when he built his robots anyways? Why would he make them weak to the other's weapons? Was it to prevent in-fighting maybe? Rhythm shook her head, she had to stop asking herself questions. She looked at Lazuli, she was walking with a confident stride, always ready for anything. Rhythm wondered why.

She looked her over more closely now that they were in the sunlight. She had no paint job whatsoever, not even primer, just steel. Her helmet seemed to be incredibly old, because its paint was chipped and its metal rusted. It looked like it might of had a visor at some point, but it had been broken out. A small brown satchel was swung over her shoulder, its contents unknown. She also wore a threadbare scarf, it looked well loved. Everything seemed to point to that Lazuli was one of the older Robot Masters, except for one thing. She looked, how did Caution Man put it? 'Hot off the furnace', right. She had absolutely no dents, or rust anywhere else than her helmet, and her armour gleamed with newness. Dark brown hair was done up neatly in a tight braid trailing out from underneath her helmet. Lazuli suddenly looked up.

"More of them?" she exclaimed. Rhythm groaned, not another Met hoard. She charged into the battle, trying to stick to her Rhythm Buster. More and more Mets just kept coming. Rhythm clenched her teeth, she had no choice. She let loose the Mic Effect. The Mets quickly toppled over. Rhythm switched back to the Rhythm Buster and caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Lazuli asked. Rhythm nodded, then shook her head.

"I'm all right, but I'm all out of weapon energy." she explained. Lazuli gave her a sympathetic smile. She reached into her bag, pulled out a blue can, and tossed it at Rhythm. Rhythm caught it and looked it over. It was the same stuff her dad had given Rush.

"That should recharge your weapon energy." Lazuli explained. Rhythm hesitantly opened it, wasn't that stuff oil? She took a small sip. It was a little bitter, but she could feel her weapon energy recharging. Rhythm managed to finish that stuff. Lazuli smiled once she finished. "Better?" she asked. Rhythm forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah." An unknown voice suddenly spoke.

"Well I'm glad you are because I was getting incredibly bored waiting for you to show up and honestly I didn't think you'd be this slow." Rhythm whiled around, a neon coloured Robot Master stood behind them. He seemed irritated and impatient. Lazuli groaned.

"Us? Slow? Make that Mets. They were the things slowing us down." she exclaimed, readying her weapon. Rhythm gave her a look, but made sure her weapon was ready just in case. If only one of the Robot Masters was open to diplomacy...

"I'm Rhythm, and that's Lazuli, what's your name?" Rhythm asked. The Robot Master groaned.

"It's Rare Man, and I'm tired of waiting!" he exclaimed, firing a ton of small balls. Lazuli shook her head.

"Do you really think balls will do anything?" she asked. Rare Man smirked. Rhythm immediately slid under the balls, whipping her head back to Lazuli.

"Get out of the way!" she exclaimed. Robot Masters had some pretty nasty surprises. Lazuli backed up a moment too late. The colorful balls burst into gas, coating Lazuli with it. She cried out in pain. Rhythm's eyes went wide.

"Lazuli!" she exclaimed, racing over. Lazuli was propping herself up, but she seemed really disoriented. She kept blinking her eyes and shaking her head.

"So, dizzy." she mumbled. Rhythm whirled around, quickly switching to the Dusk Sky. It hit its mark. Rare Man tumbled, shorting out.

"I was too hasty, no, he made me too hasty." he whispered before coming off-line. Rhythm looked at the ground, she didn't even have time to reason with him. She bent down and copied Rare Man's weapon. The Rare Reaction.

"Just one more." Lazuli whispered behind her. Rhythm looked back, and nodded.