(Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait! But now, almost a year since posting Chapter 1, I'm back with Chapter... 4...

And I have the audacity to have 40 chapters for this thing...

Anyway, get ready for a long one!)

Outside Colony 6 - Shulk

Shulk readies the Monado, and Reyn switches his Driver to its attack position. The lift clicks to a stop at the exit of the mine, and Metal Face cackles, surrounded by a legion of Faced Mechons. "Pathetic! After all that talk, Xord was crushed by worthless maggots like you!"

"This one can talk 'n' all!" Reyn calls out.

"I can talk alright. And I've got a good memory! Fiooora, Fiora get out! Her screams were music to my ears as my claws slid right through her soft flesh! Like a hot knife through butter!"
The Monado crackles to life, and Shulk bolts toward the Mechon. "Talk all you want! For those words will be your last!"

He swings the Monado at the Mechon, but it blocks the blow with its claws. "The Monado, eh? It's been a while! But you should know by now. The Monado can't stop me!" He strikes Shulk, who's sent flying backwards. Reyn gives him a hand up as Metal Face continues. "Anyway you slice it, boy, the Monado ain't gonna work! Didn't work then, won't work now!" He flicks one of his claws toward the duo. "Now, time to cut you down to size!" He swings toward the two, but a red bolt lands right in front of his feet, barely missing. "What!?" He looks in the direction it came from. A man in a red bandanna, holding a rather large rifle, is standing. "Now, let 'em have it, beast!" Another man in a black cloak rushes down the hillside, striking down Mechon after Mechon. He turns to the duo, smiling. "Sorry I kept you waiting," he says.

"Dunban!"

"Looks like we were just in time. Dickson!"

"Let's give 'em a warm Homs welcome," the man in the bandanna grins as he fires another shot. The quartet scraps even more, but as soon as one dies, another takes its place.

""There's no end to them! Where are they all coming from?" Reyn remarks. Shulk growls. "If only the Monado would work on these things!"

"Look at you all!" Metal Face laughs.

"Look at this, Metalbrain!" Dickson fires another shot, but the Mechon simply blocks it. "That all you got, grandpa?"

"Running out of ideas, here!"

Dunban charges him. "You may be able to block a projectile, but let's see if you can block this!" He leaps up, swinging his glaive down, but it meets the same result. "Tell me. How does it feel to be such a pathetic hero?" The Mechon throws him back. Shulk calls over to him. "You alright, Dunban?"

"Does it hurt? I bet it does!" The Mechon continues. "It hurts because the Monado won't work for a bunch of losers like you!" He brings his claws down on Dunban, who rolls out of the way.

"What are you!?"

"Save it, I ain't interested. You maggots need to learn when you've been stepped on!" He charges up a ball of energy from the spike on his back.

"Everyone! Fall back!" Dunban calls.

"Won't change a thing, I'm gonna wipe you out once and for all!" He points the spike directly at the group. He prepares to fire, but a bolt of green lightning strikes one of the Faced Mechons. Shulk looks to the sky, and sees a dragon-like creature firing at the Mechon. Metal Face sounds absolutely furious. "A Telethia!?"

It makes another run, taking out his entire army. Shulk leaps onto Metal Face's leg, and strikes. It slowly starts breaking through. All of a sudden, the world goes blue.

The group stands in front of a grassy spire. "We must be outside the tower."

Next, they stand in front of the same giant from his last vision. "Welcome, true heir to the Monado."

Then, a girl runs to an old man. "Father!" she cries, and embraces him.

Dunban crouches protectively over the woman as Metal Face cackles in that same, grating tone. "Weak. Weak and pathetic!"

Then, Shulk wields the Monado in the face of the machine. "You will pay for what you've done!" Shulk cries. The Monado's blade grows twice as long, and he strikes down. "You will know the pain and suffering you caused the emperor and Fiora!"

`"Another one…"
"Enough of this!" Metal Face throws him off, but he's in no condition to continue the battle. "You got lucky this time, brat. But next time, your head is mine!"

"You're not getting away!" Shulk chases after him, but the Mechon has already taken to the skies. Reyn joins in the chase, but Dunban calls them back. "You've gotta be kidding," Reyn exclaims. "He's the one who killed Fiora!"

"Know your limits, we'll get another chance."
Shulk simply lowers his head, and deactivates the Monado. "... Fine. That thing saved us, whatever it was."

Dickson approaches Otharon. "It's been a while, grandpa. One year, if my memory serves. Good to see you haven't kicked the bucket."
"Put a sock in it," he says with a smirk. Shulk puts the Monado in its sheath. "Thanks for helping out back there, you two."

"I don't think we did anything," Dunban replies.

"He's right. Save your thanks for that giant bird." Dickson adds.

"What was that thing?"

"A Telethia. A mystical beast that protects the sleeping Bionis. Though I've never heard of one ever venturing down to where us Homs live. Strange…"

"A Telethia. So that's what it's called." Dunban puts his hand to his chin.

"A mystical beast that protects the Bionis." Shulk mimics his movements.
Dunban decides to change the topic. "So what's your plan from here? Go after that metal faced machine, I presume?"

Reyn punches his palm. "What else? He's gonna pay for what he did to Fiora."

"Well, there's only one place he'd go. Galahad Fortress in Sword Valley. A year ago, those things were building a huge fortress, right in the valley. Tactically, it's an excellent location to launch attacks from. I feel there's a strong chance that they've finished building it. That would explain why both colonies were attacked so recently."

"Sword Valley," Otharon recalls. "The very place we made our last stand."

"So it's settled," Reyn enthusiastically calls. "Bash down a fortress and smash some metal brains!"

"Easy, Reyn." Shulk stops him.

"Shulk?" He tilts his head, confused. Shouldn't he want to go immediately as well?
"There's one more place I need to go."
"But what could be more important than… Wait. You saw another one."

"Another what? What's this all about?" Dickson asks. "Did you find something out about the Monado while you've been away?"

Shulk and Reyn explain to Dickson about the Monado's gift of giving Shulk a future sight, recalling their time in Tephra Cave, as well as with Xord.

"These visions sound pretty handy. Well, out with it, what'd you see?"

"I was somewhere… very high up. Fighting at the peak of a huge tower, fighting Metal Face. I heard a voice, and the Monado's power was instantly unleashed, and his armor gave way. The Monado doesn't work against Metal Face at the moment, but if that vision comes true…"

"A Tower?" Dickson asks. "Doesn't give us much to go on. Can you remember anything else?"

"... I remember a huge horn. That's it! As I fought Metal Face, I could see the Bionis' head."

"... Prison Island. I've never been, but I've heard of a black tower on the head of the Bionis. They say it was built by the High Entia."

"The High Entia are real?" Shulk sounds almost ecstatic. "I thought they were a myth!"

"I wouldn't blame ya, son. An ancient race living at the top of the Bionis? Sounds far fetched to me. But Bionis is home to all sorts of people, not just us. That includes the High Entia."

"Have you ever met one?" Shulk asks.

"Well yeah."

"Awesome! Man, Dickson, you're just full of surprises!" Reyn laughs.

"What can I say? I'm well travelled." He pulls a mock-heroic pose. "And it's all for your future! Day and night I've searched new lands, met new cultures and gained knowledge for our people. The life of a wandering old fool. A lonely one at that."

"Oh, stop your whining." Dunban retorts. "You do it because you enjoy it. And you make a tidy profit."
"Who asked you, Dunban?"

Dunban simply smiles, and turns back to Shulk. "So what's it to be?"

"We'll head there. To Prison Island."

"There are alternatives. We could abandon the Colonies, find somewhere the Mechon cannot find us, and live in secret."

"I realized something while we were fighting Metal Face. Wherever we go, they'll follow. We can't run from these things. We must fight on."

"I see. Then, I am obliged to join you."

"You want to come with us?" Shulk sounds shocked.

"What? Scared I'll get hurt?"

"No way! We know you're stronger than anything! Right, Reyn?"

"You bet! Man, Rock'll be happy to hear you're coming."

"Rock? Who is that? Someone from Colony 6?"

There's a flash of blue light from the lift, and Mega Man runs back to the group, along with a Homs woman. Instinctively, Dickson fires a blast at the robot, who dodges out of the way. "Wait, I'm a friend!" He calls back, hands raised. Shulk puts his face into his hand. "That would be Rock. He's been travelling with us since Tephra Cave, he took down Xord by himself."

"The people at the Camp got the message, they're coming back to rebuild the colony. They'll certainly need help, though," he informs Otharon, before looking directly to Dunban. "... Should I even ask?"

"Rock, this is Dunban, he's joining us on our journey." Shulk decides that, considering they never officially met, he'd introduce the two.

"Wait, you're the guy from Colony 9, the one Shulk got the Monado from, right?"

Dunban simply smiles. "I see my reputation precedes me. Where were you while we were fighting? We could have used your help."

"Sharla and I were acting under orders from Otharon, getting the people from Colony 6 back into their homes. Juju is handling reconstruction of the colony now, though they don't have everything they need. Most of them can't be found in the entirety of Gaur Plains, much less around the Colony. Now, where are we heading next?"

"Prison Island, close to the Bionis' Head."

"Sounds like a plan to me. This should be quick." He nods, getting his buster ready.

"Not so fast, Blue boy. In order to get to Prison Island," Dickson begins, "we have to get through Makna Forest. And before we get there we have to go through Satorl Marsh. I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous that is."

"Couldn't Rock simply teleport us to Makna Forest?" Reyn asks. "He did it earlier when we saved Juju from those monsters earlier."

Rock shakes his head. "I can't get a good reading on the coordinates, we have to walk through it. That may be a problem for you guys, if it's anything like marshes at home."

"Couldn't we just use Rush?" Shulk asks, a bit hesitant. "Not only would we get past Makna, we could get to Prison Island without going through Eryth Sea."
Rock shoots this idea down, too. "There's seven of us right now, Rush wouldn't have enough space or energy to get all of us to our destination. The closest I could think is just have me go through it myself, and teleport you guys once I make it to the end. Sound good?"

Shulk and Dunban nod, as does Sharla. Reyn, however, is not having this. "You ain't goin' in there alone. Didn't you tell us that you have this thing about not harming living things? You'll need one of us to fight them off."

Dickson laughs a bit. "Thanks for volunteering, Reyn. We'll be waiting here for you. Don't get yourself killed, alright?"

"You got it, old man. Don't worry, we'll get ya there." Reyn nods, and the two set off into the swamp.

Satorl Marsh - Mega Man

"Rather unlike you, Reyn," Mega Man begins. "I thought you'd want to wait with the rest of them."

"Nah. I'm part of the Colony 9 Defence Force. It'd be a disgrace to the Force if I turned this down. Not every day you get to go past Tephra Cave, much less this place!' Reyn chuckles, though he does stop for a brief bit. "By the way, why didn't you just fly out to Makna Forest, get the coordinates, and teleport us there once you got them?"

"Rush is low on energy, he needs to rest for a while. He's not a mindless machine, like these Mechon. He's like a normal dog."

Reyn simply acknowledges this, and the two continue in silence, until a few odd creatures come into view. Rock instinctively readies his buster, but Reyn holds him off. "They're just Nopon, they're no harm to us. We're not the only race here, ya know?"

"I knew that, it's just every other race has tried to kill us so far. This is a relief, at least."

The two Nopon turn out to be Merchants, traveling through the Marsh from Makna Forest. The duo decides to buy some more armor and weapons for the party before continuing on.

"Hom Hom need good luck getting through here," one of the Nopon says. Mega Man tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

"Gateway to Makna has been locked. Hom Homs must go through ancient Bird People test! Find the Sororal Statues, you will know then."

"Sororal Statues… Which way might that be?" Mega Man asks, but Reyn taps his shoulder, pointing to a set of gigantic statues not too far from them. "I think those are it."

"Yes, yes! Hom Hom very smart! Above Sororal Statues is gateway to Makna Forest, home of Nopon!"

"Well, let's check out these Sororal Statues, and get out of here, the air here is getting into my systems. Have a pleasant day, you two." Mega Man smiles. Reyn nods to the two Nopon, and continues on his way.

Light Labs - Dr Light

Dr Light calls Mega Man from the Terminal. "Mega Man, can you read me?"

"... Yeah, I can read you, but it's a bit fuzzy."

"Rock? Where are you right now?" Roll steps through the door, putting down the broom. "You're safe, right?"

"Well, safe as I can be when we're being attacked by Mechon."

"Mechon? What are those? Some type of advanced Stardroid?"

"No, they're completely different. The planet is actually really interesting. Most of it is water, as you know, but there's two giant landmasses, shaped like living beings. Local legend says that these two landmasses fought each other in an endless battle. I'll have to tell the whole story once I get home."

"Oi, Rock. Who ya talkin' to?"

"Rock? Who's that?" Roll asks.

"Is that ya girlfriend? Do robots even have girlfriends?"

"That's my sister, Reyn! Roll, this is Reyn. Reyn, Roll."

"Pleasure to meet you, Reyn," Roll says.

"Same to you, Ms. Sorry about that," Reyn calls back from the other end.

"Anyway. The area we're in right now is a marsh, with a lot of high walls. Do you think you could send in Wheel Cutter? It'd make climbing much easier. Rain Flush would be nice as well, it'd help with the Mechon greatly."

"What are these Mechon, Mega Man? You went on a tangent."

"To make a long story short, they're machines from the other titan, the Mechonis. They kill Homs - what the people of Bionis call humans - and apparently eat them. Some of them are gargantuan, and have people inside, like when I brought Xord to the lab to heal him up. No one but Shulk seems to be able to damage them, and that's only with The Monado."

"I see. And what of Top Man? Have you located him?"

"Unfortunately, no. But the Faced Mechon seem to have cockpits large enough to fit him, I believe that whoever is making them has Top Man. Regardless, I feel like I've become part of a larger story. Even if I do find Top Man, I'm staying for the long haul."

"Absolutely not, Mega Man. We have no idea what is going on there, we have no map of their world, for all we know you could end up walking into a trap!"

"Doctor Light. These robots are slaughtering humans. There's only one person who has been able to destroy them, and they can't do a thing against Faced Mechon. I am quite literally their only hope until we reach Prison Island. I am staying here until the fight is over. Doctor Wily hasn't shown his face in years, and if he does, Proto Man can get into the fight. I'm staying."

Doctor Light goes to say something, but he thinks it over. He wants his son to come back alive, but at the same time… he speaks the truth. "Alright. Just return home safely, alright?"

"Don't worry, Doctor. I'll be back, and maybe even bring the group along. You have to meet Dunban sometime. Mega Man signing out. I'll get a report to you once we clear the marsh."

"Understood. I will send the weapon data to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Doctor. Mega Man out."

Roll nods, and heads out of the room. Ever since the Roboenza Epidemic, Protoman had left an earpiece to contact him whenever he was needed. Roll inserts it, and turns it on. "Blues, big brother? Could you come to the Lab? Dr Light wants to speak with you about something."

"Roger that. On my way now."

A whistle echoes through the halls of Light Labs, and Protoman teleports into the main room. "What is it, Light?"

"Protoman, thank you for coming. As you know, Mega Man has been sent to XC-1 to locate Top Man, but he's not going to be able to come home for quite a while. If Wily attacks again, we are counting on you."

"You brought me all this way to tell me something I already know?" He scoffs.

"That's not all. I want to upgrade your Proto Shield. Well, it's more of a replacement, really. It would take some time, but it should allow you to block attacks from behind as well. This Proto Barrier should be able to take the full force of even the most devastating attack. Will you accept?"

The robot thinks it over for a bit. "... Fine. When will it be done?"

"If I start at this moment, 6 hours from now."

"Then let's do it. We've got enough time for now." He holds his Protoshield out for Doctor Light to take, but he pushes it away. "It won't work with that as the base, this will be completely different."

Protoman simply nods, and brings his shield back.

Light Labs - Protoman

Doctor Light returns a few hours later, with a chip in his hand. "It's complete. All we need now is to test it."

"How am I supposed to hold this?" Proto Man asks. "How is this any better than my shield?"

"I am not able to make it a tangible object at all times. This functions as a weapon chip, and therefore will use weapon energy to use. Let's get to testing it. Follow me."

Doctor Light heads out the door, to a mock shooting range. "We'll test it here. Stand at that X, and activate the Proto Barrier. A Metall will shoot, and if all goes well, it should bounce back."

Proto Man nods in acknowledgement, and goes to the X. "Ready. PROTO BARRIER!" He switches to the weapon, and a blue aura surrounds him. "Alright, send in the Hard Hat."

A rather small robot is deployed, wearing a yellow construction helmet. It pops its head into view, and fires 3 shots in different directions. The center shot hits the Proto Barrier, and is knocked back to the Metall, destroying it. Proto Man deactivates the weapon. "Nice. The weapon energy drains a bit quickly, though. You think you can fix that?"

"No, but I can give you the Energy Saver if needed. I just need a few more P-Chips. You wouldn't happen to have any, would you?"

Proto Man simply groans in response. "I thought we phased those out with Bolts."

"We did, but the Energy Saver can only be made with a special kind of bolt, and Mega Man used the last one to make the Balancer. We'll need the P Chips. Mercury's base should still have a plethora of them."

Proto Man sighs, and teleports out.

Satorl Marsh - Mega Man

"Well, it seems we've gotten to the Sororal Statues," Mega Man says. "Now let's see what that Nopon was taking about…"

"Me?" a high pitched voice calls. Rock looks to the ground, finding a lavendar Nopon. "Oh, hello there. You wouldn't know anything about a High Entia coming of age ceremony, would you?"

"Oh yes, I know about that!" The Nopon replies. "Hom Homs must go to four parts of Satorl, and get the four Radiants to summon the Guardian!" The Nopon gives Rock a small sheet with the locations of the four Radiants.

"Let's see… Altar of Fate, Igna Territory, Dark Swamp, and Basin Cave," he reads.

"Do we really have to do all this? Didn't you say your creator would send you a new weapon 'r something?"

Mega Man checks his arsenal once more. "It seems it just came in."

Mega Man switches to his new weapon. "Alright, let's see if this will still work like it used to."

He approaches the wall to the Marsh, and activates the Wheel Cutter. It pops out, and clings to the wall, driving Mega Man upwards. Reyn stares in shock, but as soon as Mega Man reaches the top, he comes crashing down. Reyn knows this fall would kill any Homs, so he prepares to catch him. Instead, Mega Man lands directly behind his friend, perfectly fine. Reyn, on the other hand, is aghast at this. "How are you still alright after that?" He asks, not trying to mask the shock. "That's got to be a 3 kilometer drop!"

"Oh, that? My boots are equipped with a special shock absorber, it takes in the brunt force of the fall. They've saved my life on more than one occasion. I can see if Dr Light can't make you guys some, if you want."

"I think I might take you up on that offer. What was up there?"

"A ceiling, but there was one passage we could get through at the peak."

"Think you could head through, get the coords, and get the rest of the group to Makna Forest?"

"Not at this rate. The humidity in the swamp is interfering with most of my systems. At most I can move, speak, and attack. That's it."

"Damn, that can't be good. Looks like we're going through it the long way."

"I'll take the Altar and Igna Territory. You take the Swamp and Basin Cave. Sound good?"

"Sounds good."

Light Labs- ?

"So… Mega Man has left the planet again, Shadow Man? Now would be a perfect time to strike."

A navy blue robot lies in the shadows, watching the scene unfold.

"I would not recommend that, Master Wily. Blues has been outfitted with a new weapon."

"Drat. I'm going to visit this other world, and see if it can help. Until then, stay out of sight."

"Understood, Master Wily. I will keep watch here, and notify you if things get out of hand."

"Perfect."

The crackling sound emanating from Shadow Man's earpiece cuts out, leaving the robot alone in the darkness. "This plan is insane, Wily. I hope you know what you're doing."

Outside Satorl Marsh - Shulk

Rock stands among a horde of Brogs. He readies his Buster, but by the time he does, he's hit by the largest one. Reyn is nowhere to be seen. A single strike, and Rock hits the floor. The Brogs jump on him all at once…

"Dunban! Sharla! We need to get going!" Shulk exclaims. "Rock's in trouble!"

Dunban and Sharla need no further explanation. The trio rushes into the marsh, leaving Dickson and Otharon to catch up. They don't bother with most of the monsters in their way, before finding Reyn knee deep in swamp water. "What's the matter, guys?" He asks, a bit concerned at Shulk's expression.

"Where's Rock?" Dunban asks. "Shulk's seen something dire, apparently."

The mention of Shulk getting a vision instantly puts him on edge. "He's on the other half of the Marsh," he replies. "Apparently these 'Bird People' had some sort of rite of passage in this area. Collect something called Radiants, and we decided to spread out. What did you see?"

"No time to explain, come on!"

Reyn simply nods, and puts the two Radiants he had gathered away. "Alright, he'll probably be at the Altar of Fate by now, it's this way!" He readies his driver, and the Quartet start off to change the future once again.

Altar of Fate

Things were not looking good. The humidity of the swamp air had finally gotten to his Buster not too long ago. Charged Shots were impossible, switching to another weapon didn't do anything, and worse still, he's surrounded by frog like creatures, similar to the ones from Tephra Cave. Brogs, he thinks they're called. He remembers them being extremely difficult to kill with two other people, let alone by himself. He readies his Buster, but as soon as he does so, a larger one strikes, knocking him off his feet. The other three soon join their leader in attacking.

"Backslash!"

One of the Brogs turns from Rock as soon as it feels the attack hit. It's struck with two rifle rounds, and a jab from Reyn's Driver. It falls quickly, and the other three stop attacking Rock just long enough for him to get back to his feet. Dunban, meanwhile, attacks the leader with a series of fast, hard strokes.

"Born in a world of strife!"

Another strike.

"Against the odds!"

Yet another.

"We choose to fight!"

A diagonal strike.

"Blossom Dance!"

Three blazing fast strikes, followed by an overhead cut. The leader falls. Sharla fires a Heal Bullet at Rock, even though she's doubtful that it'll help. Astonishingly enough, it works like a charm, and Rock is able to get a shot out at one of the Brogs before his Buster goes completely offline. At this point, he runs in the opposite direction of the battle to recuperate. Reyn finishes off another with a Wild Down, leaving one left. Dunban and Shulk set upon it. With their combined strength, the monster stands no chance. With the threat taken care of, Shulk and Sharla go to look over Rock. Rock seems rather calm, though it doesn't take a genius to see that it's a facade.

"This doesn't look good…" Shulk mutters. "Rock, are you able to get back home?"

Mega Man simply shakes his head. "Nothing is working." His voice sounds… different. More virtual. "Even my voice doesn't have long. You're going to have to fix me, and soon. I don't know how much more moisture my circuits can take."

Shulk nods. "Reyn, do you have the Collectopedia with you?"

"I've got it right here," he replies. Rock seems kind of confused at this. "The… what?"

"The Collectopedia. We've been keeping one of each item with us on our travels. Sometimes more, if we're lucky. Looks like we're going to need it. Just rest for now, I'll see what I can do. You'll be alright."

Rock holds his buster arm out. "If you can't fix me, there's a chip and a button in this. Take out the chip, and then press the button. It'll call Rush over. Give him the Chip."

Shulk looks curious as to why he'd want his dog to keep such an item, but now isn't the time to ask. He takes out every part they've found thus far, and gets to work.

Light Labs - Dr Light

The audio feed goes quiet, as if it's been shut off. Dr Light immediately looks to the screen.

AUDIO FEED INTERRUPTED

Dr Light, both confused and worried, Restarts the call. "Mega Man! Come in, Mega Man!"

"... Dr Light?" A new voice calls.

"Who is this! Where is Mega Man?"

"This is Shulk from The Bionis! Rock is heavily damaged and can't get back home! I'm going to fix him but I need your help!"

"What happened to him?"

"He's sustained heavy damage, his circuits are ruined from the humidity." Reyn calls back.

"That sounds bad… Alright, I'll walk you through the steps, Shulk. Do you have anything sharp with you? Something small."

"... Would a gear shard work?"

"Yes, that will work perfectly. Cut open his chest with the shard. He's incredibly weak to sharp objects, so be careful. It won't take much effort."

"... Got it! It's open."

"Alright. Now find any circuits and use a soft brush to wipe them off."

The response takes far too long for comfort, but it finally comes back.

"... Done. Dried them off, too."

"Perfect! Now is there any lasting battle damage?"

"All over the bottom half of his body."

"What about his feet? The back of the left foot has a board that allows him to slide. It won't work on modes 9 and 10, but as long as it's off those it should be fine."

"It's fine. It's on mode 5, is that okay?"

"That's fine. Now check his Buster. Is the I.C Chip properly inserted?"

"The what?"

"The I.C Chip. It stores a Robot's personality. If his I.C Chip is moved out of place, it could keep him from being able to do anything."

"... Is it next to a red button?"

"Yes, that's the one! It should be partly visible at the moment. Is it?"

"It seems to be pushed in farther than it should."

"Just push down on the chip. It'll pop out, and you can re-insert it."

Another long period of silence. "Alright, got it in."

"Yes, that will be all. He should come back any minute now, but get him back home, I can finish the repairs then."

"Got it, I'll pass on the message."

"Thank you, Shulk. Doctor Light out."

He ends the transmission then. With any luck, Rock will come home instantly.

Satorl Marsh - Shulk

Shulk watches over his fallen comrade, hoping against hope that the meager repairs he was able to make would work. A minute passes.

Two.

Ten.

Thirty.

Reyn simply sighs. "Shulk, I don't think it worked. You probably should go ahead and do as he asked."

Shulk looks prepared to argue, but he knows that Reyn is probably right. He reaches down to Rock's buster to remove the I.C chip.

"Don't touch that," a voice says. Shulk looks to its origin, and sees Mega Man's bright blue eyes flicker to life. "Rock! You're alright?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks for that, Shulk. I would have been a goner. How'd you get here so fast, though?"

"Reyn told us where you were. It wasn't too far from here.

"Rock, you need to get back to Light Labs. You took a lot of damage, that may be what's happening here."

Mega Man simply nods, and teleports home, leaving behind the two Radiants he had collected. Dunban picks them up. "Well, at the very least we can press on."

Shulk simply nods. They can wait for Rock at the end of the Marsh, after all.

Sororal Statues - Dunban

The four Homs had finally made it back to the Sororal Statues. Reyn and Shulk step up to the Adulthood Emblem in the centre of the platform, and place the radiants in their respective slots.

These High Entia must value combat over most else, Dunban thinks to himself. This swamp is full of fierce monsters.

An ear shattering cry calls through the marsh, and a Rhogul swoops down to the emblem.

"This must be the Guardian!" Reyn exclaims. "Alright, let's take this thing down!"

Dunban nods, and immediately begins the attack. "Gale Slash!"

Just as expected, the monster starts to bleed. It turns its attention from Reyn to Dunban, who immediately follows with a Worldly Slash. Now that he knows the monster can't hurt them nearly as much, he can go all out in his attack.

That was his first mistake.

The Guardian immediately pumps itself up, almost completely undoing Dunban's special effect. It focuses entirely on him, and while Dunban is fast, the Guardian is faster.

"Reyn! We need to get its attention from Dunban, he's going to be hit hard if we don't!" Shulk calls out. But Reyn is unable to draw it away, the Guardian is completely locked on to the elder man. Five seconds remain until he's done for.

Four…

Three…

Two…

Light Labs - Mega Man

Rock beams into the lab. "I'm home!" He calls out.

"It's been a while, little brother," a voice responds. Rock turns around to see Protoman leaning on the wall. "Blues!" he exclaims, going to hug his brother. It's been a while since the Roboenza outbreak, and that's the last time he had seen the older robot. Blues accepts the hug - a rare sight - before responding. "Where've you been? Light said you were on a mission."

"I can explain that in a bit," Rock replies. "Right now I need repairing. Where's Dr Light?"

"He and Roll are waiting for you in the repair ward. They've finished that new Robot Master they'd been working on."

"Wait, Meddy's been finished? Great! I can't wait to meet her."

With that, he heads into the Repair Ward. A female robot sits deactivated on a counter. She has rosy pink goggles and violet hair tied in a bow in the back, wearing a nurse's uniform. Dr Light stands next to her. "Ah, Mega Man! Perfect, we were just about to activate Meddy."

Rock smiles, and sits down on the worktable. He doesn't want to miss her activation, but he also needs repairing immediately.

"Just lie back, Mega Man," Dr Light says. "Meddy will help me with the repair work. You'll be back in perfect working order in no time."

Rock nods, and lies back on the table, powering down.

1 Hour Later

Mega Man powers on, sitting up. He runs a self-diagnostic. All systems functional, it seems. He hops off the Table, only to run into an activated Meddy. "Oh! Sorry about that!"

The nurse robot simply shakes it off. "Everything's fine. DLN 089: Meddy, ready for duty!" She makes a bit of a salute, much to Rock's amusement.

"I'm sure you are, Meddy," he replies. "But I need to get back. I'll be back as soon as I can, and we can talk then, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, Rock!" She smiles, and heads off. Rock doesn't make it ten steps, though, until she returns, carrying a blue cooler. "Take these, at least. I don't want my patient getting killed from a careless action." She opens the cooler to reveal 9 full Energy Tanks. "Thanks, Meddy," He says. "I'll be careful, though. don't worry about me."

"I don't need to," she replies. "I'm coming with you."

Rock stops in his tracks. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"You're gonna need someone to repair you, we can't have you dying on us, after all. Roll would kill me."

Rock simply chuckles. "I mean, you're not wrong, but still. You're not fit for a fight!"

Meddy gives a sly smile. "Oh, really?" She grabs his arm, and the two teleport to the shooting range.

"Watch this," she says, and calls in a Metall. She throws a large pill at the enemy, that explodes harmlessly on its helmet. The Metall pops out, and attempts to fire, but the shot refuses to come out. A fearful expression appears on its face before cowering underneath its helmet. "Not only will it hurt something not completely immune to damage, it keeps them from attacking, too!" She smiles. "Now let's go!"

Rock seems rather surprised by this, but, realizing that Meddy isn't going to take no for an answer, accepts the offer, and teleports back to the Bionis.

Satorl Marsh - Shulk.

The situation only got worse.

The Guardian struck Dunban, knocking him to the ground, and the veteran didn't get up. Its attention turned to Reyn, who was taken down before he could even react. Even Sharla, who was supposedly at a safe distance, was lying on the ground. Shulk was feeling weak. Another hit and he'd be done for. Killed by a Rhogul, not even at the Bionis' Head.

He had failed.

A vision overtook him. The Guardian would attack soon, and he'd be a goner. He calls upon the Monado to grant him more agility, but he knew that he was just preventing the inevitable.

Then, something odd happened.

A yellow and white cylinder lands on the Guardian's back, causing a minor explosion that takes it off guard. Shulk wearily turns to the new fighter, only to see Rock standing beside a girl in a white outfit. He smiles, and follows up the explosion with a Backslash. Rock follows it up with a charged shot from his Buster. "Shulk!" he cries out. "A chain attack should finish it, let's go!"

Shulk nods. "Backslash!" he cries. "Mega Man! You're up!"

"You've got it, Shulk!" He replies. "Alright, here we go! Rain Flush!" his armor changes green, and he fires a stormy cloud that rests above the Guardian. Rain comes storming down, melting away at the Guardian and causing it to fall to the ground, its feathers useless. "Meddy! Your turn!"

"Battle Routine, Set!"

She goes through her options. Paralysis, poison, confusion, she has so many fun effects to use against this thing, the thought fills her with excitement!

Then she sees the unconscious bodies of the three Homs, and the thought of fun leaves her. She produces a capsule. "Overload! Capsule Throw!" She tosses the large white pill at the Guardian, and it explodes on impact. Not the meager explosion from the yellow pill, no. This one was much stronger. The Guardian stares the pill in the face, and by the time it hit it, it saw nothing.

Satorl Marsh - Meddy

The first order of business was to help these humans. She drops to one knee to look over the nearest one - a girl with a rifle. "... She's going to be okay. Some superficial damage at best, but she can go on until we make it to the next town. Rock, stay by this one until she wakes up. Blond boy, I'll need you to take care of the red haired one. I'll make sure this one here is alright." She gets up from her kneeling position to check up on the dark haired human. "... same wounds as the girl, paralysis in the right arm, likely due to stroke or spinal cord injury… This isn't good. How is he fighting like this? He can't use one arm, he shouldn't be out here."

Rock laughs a bit at that. "I said the same thing. Believe me, Dunban is more than capable of holding his own in a fight. I wouldn't have made it home if it weren't for him."

The look of defensiveness on the blond human's face quickly recedes as Rock explains, though he does say something, which is good considering the condition he's in.

"Let's rest here for the night."