Bionis Kneecap - The Trio

The three exit the cave, onto the kneecap of the Bionis. From their location, a titan is directly in view. "There it is," Reyn growls. "The Mechonis. Our enemy."

"Yes. Our… Enemy," Shulk replies as Mega Man looks to the titan in front of them. "What is that thing…?"

"That's the Mechonis, where the Mechon are coming from. The enemy of the Bionis." Reyn fills in Mega Man on the history of the Bionis and Mechonis, through the war, and the Battle of Sword Valley. "But that was a year ago. Too many died in that war, and some were permanently wounded. Dunban can't use his right arm anymore."

Mega Man thinks of that as the group goes on. After Shulk and Reyn buy some new clothes for the region, some food, and get Reyn a new Driver, they go on, until…

"I'm detecting smoke…" Mega Man looks around. "Northwest, not too far from here." He starts down the path, coming across a buggy. "Here's the source. Shulk, Reyn, over here!"

"A buggy?" Reyn asks. "Who'd leave a buggy lyin' around? Shulk, you know?"

Shulk doesn't respond for a good minute. When he does, he looks to the other two. "There's a boy being chased by monsters."

"A boy? Where?" Mega Man looks around, trying to find them.

"Somewhere close to water. We need to get there quick!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Reyn starts running off, trying to find anywhere with water. He eventually finds a waterfall pouring into a small pond, and a boy surrounded by Leg Tokilos. The trio get in front of the boy, blocking the enemies from attacking him. "W-Who are you?!" He cries, scared for his life.
"That can wait!" Reyn replies. "Go! Get outta here! We'll take care of this!"
The child nods silently, and runs off toward the buggy. Mega Man charges up the Mega Arm and fires at one of the monsters, while Shulk and Reyn take care of the other two, allowing the battle to end rather quickly. "Let's get back to the buggy, that kid must be confused as all get out," Reyn starts for the buggy again, but Mega Man stops him. "I've got a quicker way. Hold still." He grabs both Shulk and Reyn's shoulders, and teleports to the buggy. As soon as The trio beam in, they head right to the child. "Are you okay? No injuries or anything?" Mega Man asks, switching his buster out for a hand.

"No, I'm alright," he replied. "I'm Juju."

"Pleasure to meet ya, kid." Reyn smiles to the kid to avoid intimidating him. "I'm Reyn, that's Shulk, and this is Rock. Where are ya from, Juju?"

"I live in a camp, not too far from here. I can take you there, if you want, you'll need a place to rest."

"That sounds good to me," Shulk replies. "Where is it?"

"Just follow me,it's not too far from here."

? - The Trio

The quartet reach a small pathway through a cluster of trees, leading to a lake. "Here's the camp," Juju starts. "Most of us had to come here after the attack. My sister Sharla's the medic, she'd love to meet you!"

"Juju!" A woman's voice called.

"Sharla!" He turns around and runs to her, giving her a hug. But she's not too happy with the boy. "I thought I told you not to drive off alone, you could have gotten killed!"

"Sharla, it's okay!" He beckons the trio closer. "This is Reyn, Shulk, and Rock. They saved me from some monsters."

The robot waves to Sharla, who waves back. "Well thank you, then."

"I told them they could rest here for the night," Juju says, his voice starting to go quiet.

"Did you now… Alright, come inside, we can talk there."

The trio follows her into a small cave.

"Are you three from Colony 6? Is it alright? What happened to Gadolt?"

"No, we're from Colony 9," Shulk replies. "What happened in Colony 6?"

"The Mechon returned… The first time for a year… They attacked the colony. The colonel, Otharon, sent me and Juju to get as many colonyfolk to safety as we could. Gadolt stayed behind, helped the Defence Force hold them off. We haven't heard back in a week…"

"The same thing happened to Colony 9. Something odd happened there, too. A Mechon the Monado couldn't cut."

"That's impossible, the Monado was made specifically to kill Mechon. How could it fail?"

Shulk looks a bit miffed at this statement, what with all of his research, but he doesn't say anything.

"We don't know yet, but we'll find out as soon as possible." Mega Man sighs. "In the meantime, though, I've been outfitted with something that, if successful, should be able to take them down. It's untested, though, so I can't say for sure."

Juju hears their conversation, and comes into the room. "So Colony 6 is still under attack?"

"It won't be for long, we'll head over there first thing in the morning."

"Let me come with you!"

"Kid, you're too young to fight." Reyn sighs. "Listen to Sharla, stay here."

"But you're the same age as I am!" He points to Mega Man.

"I am a robot that was built with the ability to take abilities from my foes, I don't age. Please, let us handle this. I don't want another civilian to be hurt by these things."

Juju, seemingly realizing his defeat, nods in silence before heading back to his bedroll.

"I'm going to shut down for now," Mega Man tells the trio. "Give me a knock when it's daylight."

Shulk nods. "I may join you there. G'night, Reyn. Night, Sharla." He waves to the other two before picking a place to sleep, leaving Reyn alone with Sharla.

"Reyn, you really remind me of Gadolt when you get angry." She smiles a bit at the thought of the man.

"I do?"

"Gadolt's taken care of us ever since we were young. I always saw him as a big brother really, but he was more of a father to Juju… He'd call him 'kid' whenever he told him off, just like you did."

"I don't think I'm ready to be someone's old man." He chuckles a bit.

Refugee Camp - Mega Man

"You know, Shulk," Mega Man begins. "I almost didn't notice the vision you had while Juju was trying to convince us to bring him with us. What was it?"

Shulk shudders a bit. "It wasn't good… Juju was attacked by an M71. Sharla was there, too. Both of them were killed… And then that faced Mechon appeared. The same one who killed Fiora." He shudders at the thought of facing that… thing.

A sound is heard from outside the cave. A buggy is driving away. Mega Man halts his shutdown program. "Shulk, did you hear that?"

"The buggy! He's going to Colony 6, the madman! I'll get Sharla and Reyn!"
"Got it, I'll go after Juju!" Mega Man dons his armor once again, summoning Rush to follow his trail. Meanwhile, Shulk goes into the main chamber to inform Sharla.

Mega Man comes across Juju's buggy mid-trip. "Juju! Get back to the colony, you're not safe out here!"

"Don't try to stop me, Rock! I'm going to save Colony 6, no matter what!"
"Juju, you didn't even come with a weapon! Not even mentioning the Mechon are impervious to your method of attack!"
Juju simply brushes him off. "I'll find Otharon. He and Gadolt must still be alive, they wouldn't let themselves get killed by the Mechon!"

The boy increases the buggy's speed, leaving Mega Man in the dust. He curses silently. How is he supposed to keep him alive if he charges right through enemy lines unarmed!?

Refugee Camp - Shulk

"Sharla, Reyn!" Shulk bursts out of the cave. "Juju's gone to Colony 6!"

"We heard the buggy!" Reyn replies, more than a bit miffed at the child's actions. "Stupid kid!"

"We have to get there soon. Something bad's going to happen!"

"What did you see?"

"A deep valley. Everything's engulfed in flames. A dark shadow comes, it.. It kills Juju!"

"The Metal Faced Mechon?"

"Yeah."

"Where does it happen? Is it near Colony 6?"

"I don't know. I think so."

"Let's get after him, Shulk!"

The two begin to leave, but Sharla is simply too confused. "Hold on a second! What was that all about?!"

Reyn stops, and turns around. "I know you won't believe this, but Shulk can see the future."

"The future? That's not possible!"

"That's what I thought as well," Shulk replies. "I still can't quite explain it. But that vision will come true unless we stop it."

"So you're saying Juju's in danger?"

"Believe it or not, that's your choice. But I wouldn't be standing here today if not for his visions."

"Juju…. Okay. I can't say I believe you, but there's no time to waste. He's in a buggy, meaning he's probably taking Raguel Bridge."

"Alright, let's go find Juju!"

Sharla snickers. "You sound like Gadolt, that's how I know it's not worth arguing."

"What am I, some kind of Gadolt substitute?"

The trio continue onward, where they find Rush. "Mega Man's been here. Rush, do you know where he is?"

The robotic dog barks, and starts running to a large bridge, with a crashed buggy. Mega Man is standing in front of it, crouched down. "What happened?" Shulk asks, approaching the vehicle.

"It's kind of obvious. He crashed the buggy, and continued on foot. He can't have gone too far. We'll find him soon. Let's get going, I'm picking up Machines."

With the fourth member of their little team found once again, they continue on until they reach the outskirts of Colony 6. Juju is standing there, facing a large, tentacled Mechon. "An M71!" Shulk exclaims. Mega Man has pieced this together. "Just like the vision! Stay back, I'll take care of this!" (Time to test out my Mega Arm on a Mechon!) He charges up, firing his fist toward the large machine. The fist is about to hit it's outer shell, but one of the tentacles bats it away without so much of a scratch. "Right… Well, this isn't good. Get ready, guys! I'll get Juju out of the way!" Mega Man bursts onto the battlefield, grabbing Juju. One of the tentacles starts coming his way, almost as fast as Nitro Man.

The Monado glows a Cobalt blue, and Shulk swipes. The same cobalt blue glows around Juju, but Mega Man is, once again, unaffected. Mega Man, with no time to react, suddenly changes his color scheme. His light blue becomes white, and his dark blue becomes almost one with the sky. (Another weapon!) "SKULL BARRIER!" Mega Man is all too happy to have this weapon return to his arsenal. He fires, and is suddenly surrounded by ethereal skulls. The tentacle bounces off the barrier, into a cliff. "Well, it seems to have gotten stronger since last I used it." He brings Juju back. "Shulk, ready?! We're gonna need that new function, whatever it is!"

Shulk simply nods. "Let's get to it!"

Outside Colony 6 - Shulk

Shulk opens up with a Backslash, now that the Mechon is facing toward Mega Man. That can't be good for too long, though. Mega Man barely survived the last blow, he'll need Shield soon. He tries to send one his way, but the Monado outright refuses. What is going on with that? Could it be that the Monado only grants protection to Homs? He has little time to think. He's drawn the aggravation from the Mechon. "Shadow Eye!" He pulls his weapon back, and the Mechon turns away, facing Reyn this time. He knows he can give a Shield to him, though he waits just a bit. Mega Man, now that he's able to get a clear shot, fires his Mega Arm at the Mechon once again. It tears through the robot like paper. Astounding! If Mega Man will allow it, he simply has to study that arm cannon.

The M71 falls to the ground, and the group all takes a collective breath. "Juju, are you alright?" Sharla crouches down to his level. The boy nods, and is then met with a slap in the face, followed by a warm embrace. Reyn smiles. "Well, looks like we changed the future! Right, Shulk?"

"No.. That couldn't have been the Mechon from the vision."

"What about it? We changed more than we expected is all!"
"No, something isn't right."
An engine is heard, and a large Mechon comes crashing down. Sharla holds Juju close, trying to be sure she doesn't lose him a third time. Shulk gazes upon the Mechon. "This isn't the same one!"
"But it's got a face 'n' all!"

"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, MONADO BOY!"

"What?! It spoke!"

"THE WAY METAL FACE SCARPERED, I EXPECTED YOU TO BE SOME BIG, SCARY MONSTER! BUT YOU'RE JUST SOME PATHETIC LITTLE KID!"

Shulk holds his sword up once again, prepared for battle as the Mechon brings his hammer to the ready. It slams it against the ground, knocking everyone, save for Mega Man, off their feet. The Mechon then grabs Juju from Sharla's hands. Reyn pushes himself up, getting his Driver at the ready. "You piece of junk! Let 'im go!" he calls out. Shulk gets off the ground as well, just as the faced Mechon summons some extra troops to face these children. Reyn stays back to deal with them, allowing Mega Man and Shulk to, once again, focus on the main target. The large Mechon scoffs. "Why you little…"
Shulk strikes, but the Mechon's armor deflects the attack flawlessly.

"Why can't I use the Monado!? It seems to be just against the Faces!"

He ducks out of the way as the large Mechon's hammer comes swinging at him. "But I can still see his movements…"

Needless to say, the Face isn't happy with that. "Well look at you! Darting all over the place. Is that the Monado's power? No matter, you're just flesh and blood! And I reckon you're nearly done!" He swings once again, before saying in a singsong voice, "Behind you!"

Mega Man fires a charged shot behind him, taking out three Mechon that were approaching him. Shulk takes the opportunity to attack relentlessly, but nothing works. The Mechon rises into the air. "Well, this was fun, but now I'm bored! I'll keep a hold of this brat! If you want 'im, come to Colony 6! But you best make it quick, I'm getting hungry!"

Reyn spits curses at the machine. "You! You're gonna pay!"

"I can't wait to grind you all into dust!" He cackles as he rides off. Mega Man's armor changes once again. His sky blue turns a cream pink. As soon as the transformation is complete, he dashes off, chasing the Mechon.

Colony 6 - Mega Man

Mega Man reaches the gates of Colony 6. "This isn't going to hold me back." He growls, charging up to blow down the entrance gate. Once it's in splinters, he runs through. "Where are you!?" He continues running until he sees the large Mechon go down into a cavern. "The mine," he whispered to himself. "Sharla said that's where the survivors of the attack are!" With no hesitation, he follows him down.

The Ether Mine, to Mega Man at least, was very reminiscent to his brother Brick Man's room. Very dark and earthy. "Note to self. Tell Brick about this," He says aloud, notifying a Mechon that an intruder has arrived. Mega Man turns to the foe, charges up the Mega Arm, and fires, tearing through its armor before returning to Mega Man. "Great! It works! Now to find that Faced Mechon!"

After tearing his way through enemy after enemy, he comes across a storage room, with a single human fending off a crowd of Mechon with a rifle. It doesn't look like he could finish them off on his own, so Mega Man jumps in to help, destroying every last one. "You alright, sir?" He asks, going to check on him.

"I'm fine, son," He replies, much to Mega Man's relief. "Who are you? You don't look like one of the Colonyfolk."

"My name is Mega Man. I was chasing after a Faced Mechon that had kidnapped a kid named Juju. He came down here."

"Juju was captured by a Mechon!?" Otharon gasps quietly.

"Yes, I'm going to find him now. If my instincts are correct, he's at the bottom of the mine. Now where is the path down?"

"Keep following this path. Need any help?"

"No thanks, you're not equipped to take out Mechon. I've got my Mega Arm, I can rip right through them. Stay safe, stay away from the Mechon, and wait for Shulk, Sharla and Reyn."

Before the man can speak again, Mega Man goes down the path, tearing down more Mechon before reaching the Central Pit. He looks down, and sees the Faced Mechon at the very bottom. Without bothering with the puzzles above, he jumps down to the lowest floor. "Mechon!" He calls to him. "Give the kid back! This doesn't need to get violent."

The large, black Mechon simply laughs. "Hell-bent on diplomacy, eh? Too bad. Those Colony 6 people were hardly filling! Hope you're better than them! And if not I can have the kid for dessert!"

"What?!" Mega Man hardly believes the enemy's words.

"Welcome to the dinner party! I'm your host, Xord, and tonight's meal - You!"

Xord Battle - Mega Man Solo

Mega Man starts off by charging up his Mega Arm. "If a fight's what you want, a fight is what you'll get!" He cries as his fist flies toward the Face, punching a hole through his booster. "Agh! You're gonna pay for that!"

"Xord, we don't need t-" Before Mega Man can finish, Xord slams his hammer down, blowing Mega Man away. "I beg to differ! This is a war, Homs!" He laughs at the supposed feeble attempt of trying for peace, but Mega Man pushes himself up, Sparks flying off his arms. "You've forgotten the First Law. Time for a crash course!" He charges up, and fires again, the arm heading for Xord's face. Before he can react, the arm bashes his face in, causing a scream of pain as he falls to the ground. Mega Man runs over to the Mechon, grabbing hold of his arm. Mega Man's armor changes to a black and white color scheme, with his Buster being replaced by a hammer.

"What.. What are you doing…?" Xord tries to speak, but he finds it difficult.

Mega Man simply doesn't respond, giving the hammer a few swings. Seeing his opponent's form change shape like this, Xord has pieced one thing together. "You're no Homs, are ya?"

At first, Mega Man doesn't respond, but he relents, answering "No, I'm not a Homs."

"Why do you fight against your own brothers, then…"

"I fight to protect mankind. It doesn't matter where I am, or who I have to fight. I won't let the Mechon kill any more innocent Homs."

Xord just laughs weakly. "You don't know, do you…"

"Know what?" Mega Man looks to the Mechon's face. "What don't I know?"

"104o, 67', 34" North… 12o, 5', 23" West… Egil…"

"Egil? Who's Egil? What are those coordinates?"

"Sorry, boy, my time's up…" The Mechon's red eyes fade to black, and he slumps back.

Mega Man just sighs, and goes to retrieve his I.C. Chip, the chip that contains all of a robot's personality, lifting up the faceplate. To his shock, and horror, he finds a thickly bearded man, covered in blood, barely breathing. Without thinking, Mega Man grabs the man, teleporting back to the lab. "Dr Light! Wounded human!"

Ether Mine - Shulk, Reyn, and Sharla

Shulk, Reyn, and Sharla reach the bottom of the Ether Mine Central Pit, Otharon in tow. "The blue boy came running down here not too long ago," he tells the group. "He may still be fighting the machine."

"Not likely," Shulk replies. "He tore through that M71 like it was paper. He wouldn't be fighting it for very long."

Reyn sees Juju, trapped in a crystal like container. "Sharla, there he is! He looks okay!"

"But.. where is everyone? The survivors from the attack…"

"I don't know, Sharla… Maybe Rock will, though." Shulk tries to reassure her, but when they arrive at Xord's armour, there's nothing but what looks to be an empty cockpit. Shulk inspects it closely. "It looks like a Homs could fit in here," he says, calling Reyn over while Otharon and Sharla get Juju. Almost as soon as Juju is safely caught, Mega Man teleports back in, a somber expression hung on his face.

"What is it, Rock?" Shulk asks. "You seem… disheartened."

"The Mechon that kidnapped Juju. He wasn't a Mechon."

Hearing this, Sharla rejoins the group. "What was that?" She asks Rock.

"Xord, the Mechon who kidnapped Juju. He wasn't a Mechon. He's a Homs with machine parts inside him."

"What!?" The entire group is in shock from this.

"I took him back home to keep him alive. He's on life support right now, but he should get through it. He doesn't seem to remember his old self, but… he gave me a set of coordinates."

"Coordinates? Where to?" Shulk, at least, sounds interested.

"The head of the Mechonis. A place called Agniritha." He calls for Rush, who shows them a projection of a map, leading to the head of the Mechonis by way of Sword Valley.

"This takes us right through the battlefield, Rock. No doubt, the Mechon are marching through that area."

"I can go there now, and come back with the information. Either way, I think that may be a clue to find Top Man. He could have been taken to Agniritha by some sort of Faced Mechon, like the one that attacked your colony, or possibly even Xord."

"That's not good… If a Faced Mechon took your friend, he may end up like them." Shulk starts thinking over what their next move should be. "Alright. We'll go to Agniritha as w-"

Shulk's Vision

He stands atop a large, black tower. A purple giant with red eyes stares at him. "LET THE SHACKLES BE RELEASED!" it shouts, and next, he's facing Metal Face. "You will pay for what you've done to the Emperor and Fiora!" He yells as he strikes the Mechon's face, doing a great deal of damage. Another Faced Mechon approaches, and a hatch lifts up, but the vision ends before he can see what's inside.

Back to the Present

"Shulk, what's wrong?" Otharon tilts his head.

"He's having a vision. Don't worry, it's normal," Mega Man replies. "Apparently ever since he got the Monado, that's been happening. What is it, Shulk?"

"I.. i don't know. We were standing on top of a black tower. Something… Something that looked like a Homs, made the Monado change, and it was able to strike Metal Face."

"A black tower… I remember seeing something like that while walking through Eryth Sea. Prison Island, I think it was called. That's what Dickson called it, anyway."

"Well, it seems we have a destination. If going there will let the Monado take down Mechon, we need it," Reyn says. "Let's take Juju and Sharla back to the camp, first."

"No need, I cleared out the area of Mechon while I was going after Xord, the colony is back in our hands. If you need, I can tell the residents of that now."

"Please do," Otharon replies. "They'll be ecstatic, and take Juju and Sharla with you, they'll trust them."

Mega Man needed nothing else said before he beamed out of the mine with his two guests. With no further interruptions, the group exited the mine. But no sooner that they saw the light of day, they felt the ground shake.

"What was that?" Reyn looks around, thinking maybe Xord's armor has latched onto the lift, but it was no such thing. Shulk looks to the top, and sees the top point of a large metal spike. "Not now… Reyn, get ready for a fight," he says. "It's Metal Face."