Chapter 16: Les Trois Coups

"Slow down, Aimer. Deep breaths. Start from the beginning. What happened?"

Vaude was with some Guardians and Sentries. He had his hand on his ear plate, communicating with the prodigy scientist while the others were apprehending the incapacitated Graver agents.

"There was an explosion somewhere in Luna Town. You've HAD to have seen it, right?" Aimer asked.

"Seen it? No. The trees are too dense from where I'm at." Vaude told her. "But I did hear something. Might've been that explosion you're talking about. I'm on my way to your position."

After that, Vaude went to Aimer, knowing that the Guardian and Sentry members had things covered with the Graver agents.

With a jog, he'd made to her just as her mobile lab was loaded up. He saw Aimer, Dwight, and a couple of other Guardians with a Guardian issued truck. There was also a scarlet clad Chosen One being held up by two Guardians. He was hurt, possibly from his battle with Rokku...

And yet, Vaude did not see him around.

"...Where's the kid?" Vaude asked.

"He witnessed the incident with me, so he went ahead." Aimer told him.

"Hm." Vaude wasn't surprised. He knew that Luna Town was the kid's home.

"I obviously want you to help him but... I gave Rokku my portable Transerver..." Aimer folded her arms. "Vaude, my lab was going to be attacked. And now Rokku's home is being attacked. This is-"

"Is your lab loaded up?" Vaude asked her.

"Y-Yeah?"

Vaude then pointed at the scarlet Mega Man who was being helped into the truck. "Is he going to the Guardian outpost with the other liberated Chosen Ones?"

"That... That is the plan, yeah." Aimer answered.

The Proto Man successor turned around and went to the Guardian vehicle. "Then take me to Luna Town, on the double. I smell a trap..."

The ride to Luna Town was an awkward one. Vaude was in the front seat next to Dwight who was driving, with Aimer in the back seat right behind Vaude. Coupure and the other Guardians were in a seat behind Aimer.

The girl looked at Vaude, still megamerged, but with his arms crossed. However, what caught her interest was his twitching left leg. He was...antsy. At least, that's how Aimer took it. But she wouldn't dare say anything.

She already had work to do on Coupure's Biometal. If Rokku was dealing with another Mega Man, she'd have another Biometal to work on. She knew she had to be quick. If Vaude's suspicion of a "trap" was true, then she just sent Rokku alone into it. The thought terrified her, but she wouldn't allow herself to be dejected like she was last night after the Nero incident. People like Rokku needed her to work hard, so she needed get to work immediately after her lab is relocated by the Guardian outpost.

Vaude would be dropped off after arriving in Luna Town while the truck sped away per his orders. Their lab needed to be relocated and Coupure needed to seek medical attention after his brainwashed situation. Right now, this was all on Vaude.

He approached another Guardian who was at ground zero of the initial explosion.

"Hey, you!" Vaude shouted.

The Guardian turned around to face the taller individual. It was Candice and she looked mildly intimidated. Might've been the armor he wore.

...Or perhaps it was because she witnessed another explosion not that long ago.

"U-Uh... Hey, to you too-"

"Did you see a blue Chosen One?" Vaude interrupted.

"Oh! Yeah!" Candice replied. "I just told him about-"

"Where is he?" Vaude interrupted again.

Candice, sensing the urgency in Vaude's voice despite not understanding why, immediately pointed to the left of her. The moment she did, more explosion noises appeared in the exact direction her finger was pointed. Her eyes just shrunk.

"...T-Try over there..." She repeated, practically wanting to faint.

Vaude immediately took off in a sprint, Proto Shield and Proto Buster at the ready. He ran as fast as he could, wishing he had a form of transportation to help him move faster. But he also had no idea where specifically Rokku ran. He had to follow the sounds of the explosions to get an idea of where he was at.

Reaching the barriers of Luna Town, Vaude found a decrepit building just over them. The explosions were getting louder, and he now knew where to find Rokku. He sounded like he was in a battle once again.

He spent some time going over the barriers. The explosions had stopped. He hadn't heard anything else since then. He reaches the blown open doors of the run-down steel mill and rushes inside. Just in front of him was a yellow clad Mega Man down against the wall... But just up ahead, he saw a feline robot made of shadows with its master. The Jester.

But what caught his eye the most was a captured Mega Man, being held in a containment device.

"ROKKU!" Vaude shouted, rushing past Detona.

The jester smirked. "You are too late, Proto Boy. Mega Man is mine~"

Vaude could not reach him in time. Rokku sunk into a portal of Folly's own making. The portal closed after. Infuriated, Vaude stood in front of Folly and her pet, aiming his Proto Buster at her.

"WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM!?" He shouted.

Folly sneered at him. "Believe me, you'll know~ "

The Jester would sink into her own portal, with her pet following right after. Vaude shot a Proto Strike blast, but he missed them both.

"Dammit... The kid should've told me from the get-go...!" Vaude panted heavily.

He knew not to blame the kid on this. Given the situation, it was only fair that he went ahead of him. Vaude cursed his inability to do his job. Help Mega Men like Rokku, that was what Markos hired him for. And he couldn't even do that much.

"...Don't be too hard on yourself." Model PM told his host. "What's done is done. We just have to hope for the best. My brother is with him after all. For now, we need to focus on getting answers and soon."

Vaude turned and glared the fallen Chosen One Rokku had defeated. His Biometal was right. He needed answers. Now.

Storming towards the bomber Mega Man, Vaude would ask the following,

"Hey! Where did that garbage girl go!? What is she after!?"

Inside of a brightly lit room, Rokku found himself behind bars made of energy. A prison cell split in two where he was on the left side while his Biometal companion was on the right side, separated by the energy bars. They would not kill either of them when touching the bars, but it wouldn't be a pleasant experience either.

Rokku has, unfortunately, found out the hard way how much these containment beams hurt as he was violently shocked from the touch. He couldn't megamerge with Model M. He needed to be physically touching the Biometal for that to work and with the containment field keeping them apart, then the idea of megamerging in this scenario was but a pipe dream.

The room wasn't dirty. In fact, it was clean. Cold and... very white. But clean all the same.

The brunet sat on the ground, exhausted from his prior attempts to escape to no avail.

Soon, the doors in front of them slid open and four individuals entered inside. Folly and the Trouble Trio. No Inverse in sight, though Rokku himself focused solely on the jester.

"T-There you are!" Rokku shouted. "Where are we!? And what was that scream I heard a while ago!?"

Folly just kept walking with a smile. She somehow found it humorous that her prisoner was able to hear the scream of that pathetic man...

"Slow down, Mr. Hero." She told her. "You're panicking~ An understandable reaction, of course, but you won't get anyway panicking like that~ Before I answer any questions of yours, I'd like to ask a question of my own..."

She leans forward towards the both of them behind their cells.

"Comfortable~?" Folly asked.

Neither Rokku nor Model M said anything. Model M just floated in the air and with an expressionless 'face' like his, it was nearly impossible to tell how he was feeling from a glance. Rokku, however, looked irritated and humiliated, but mostly irritated. He held his tongue, opting to not give her the satisfaction. Possibly out of annoyance that his own question was being ignored, but also because of her taunting behavior.

Folly held out her hand close to her ear. No response.

"How rude." Folly sighed before lowering her hand. "I offer you two hospitality, and this is the thanks I get?"

"...And yet, we're behind bars." Model M replied.

"Yes. Yes, you are." The girl confirmed. She smirked and giggled a little. "You two have gotten better after all this time. Despite being hit with battle after battle with hardly any time to rest, you've performed very well. Because of you excelling expectations and due to some outside factors, I had to move things along quickly before I no longer had control of the situation."

"What do you mean?" Model M queried.

"Hmph~" Folly's smirk grew devilish. "Given where we are at this point in time, and since I have your undivided attention, I suppose I can drop some necessary exposition."

She placed her hands behind her back, and formed a cheery smile, almost excited to be able to tell yet another story. And in the presence of "Mr. Hero" and his Biometal too, no less~

"When I came to this quaint little island, I had a small and very simple task to do... But then my "Trouble Trio", their group name they suddenly started calling themselves as of late, discovered a girl, a Biometal, and then a boy. The boy and Biometal would perform the miraculous megamerge. It's intriguing enough to know that the island housed a Mega Man, but my interest was piqued when the Mega Man was the original Mega Man. The hero from so many centuries ago; the champion; the legend whose name caused many conflicts throughout history, including this very century~"

Rokku's face grew more confused, and he immediately looked to Model M. Even with an expressionless face, Rokku could detect Model M's discomfort, likely due to his bond with him.

"W-What...?" Model M gasped.

"You are aware, aren't you?" Folly asked. "When a Chosen One and a Biometal megamerge, they create an entity known as a 'Mega Man', with the gender not changing the title in any way, shape, or form. I will admit that I'm not entirely sure what the game plan is with the existence of multiple Mega Men, but I do know that people tend to have a massive ego just because they can become sentai heroes and villains~ But even before this, the Mega Man title was a significant piece of knowledge that persisted long after your inevitable demise, Model M~"

She began laughing a bit to herself. "Like I said, the Mega Man legend has caused many conflicts to form, and our very conflict is not so different~ The sole difference is you, Model M, are the true Mega Man. The original. Your Biomatch should be lucky to be able to use that power. It's because of you two why I've changed my script; To accommodate for you both."

"I-I don't care about your wacky, messed up, evil scheme...!" Rokku finally spoke, gritting his teeth and fighting back the tears. "Just let us out!"

"I can do that, Mr. Hero~" Folly replied, tapping her chin. "But that all depends on you."

"Me?"

"Yes sir~" Folly grinned. "You are the Chosen One for the original Mega Man. I can't help but respect his achievements, even if his name has been deluded and corrupted by morons behind-the-scenes. Although you two are separated by my containment field, I kept you two close to show you that I can be kind~"

"Yeah, right..." Rokku scoffed, standing up and pointing at her angrily. "Why would we believe a liar like you!?"

Folly was taken aback. Sempronio noticed her demeanor shift for but a moment. His words stung her in a way the Joe bot thought impossible. But her smile returned after a brief pause. It wasn't a undermining smile, but it was a smile all the same.

"I... You'll have to elaborate..." Folly played coy.

"I know that you know what I'm talking about!" Rokku growled in frustration.

"When we went against Raiden, you told us that he was your final...Mega Man..." Model M added, his pained voice persisting despite it all. "...You told us that. And yet we just went up against two more Mega Men... Two of them holding Biometals with the souls of my friends and family... All of them being the original six Robot Masters that my dad made! How can we trust anything you say after that!?"

Folly frowned again, looking away briefly, almost as if she were pondering her next words carefully.

"Yes, well... Given that I am the so-called 'villain' here, I suppose you two would immediately believe that I am the liar. You both are not wrong to think that. Your logic is sound. Contrary to popular belief, however, the two individuals who you've just fought were not under my control... In fact, I only held two Biometals in my possession."

Rokku just stared daggers into her. Her teasing demeaner had washed away just from his glare alone. She could tell he was fighting back tears. He was certainly younger than her, at maximum by a year, but given the quaint nature of the island, she had to remind herself that he was still relatively new. His face, however, also conveyed to her that he wasn't believing a word of what she was saying.

Regardless, she would continue.

"Models Fi and Ic, previously known as "Fire Man" and "Ice Man". They were the two Biometals in my possession... Initially." Folly stated. "Models Gu, Ct, and Bb; "Guts Man", "Cut Man", and "Bomb Man"; were in the possession of my irresponsible partners, Graver. The latter two Biometals were kept secret from me. Model El, or "Elec Man", was actually found inside of the pseudoroid, Wingwave. It would explain his usage of Thunder Beam-like weaponry..."

Model M pondered her words. He and his partner had little reason to trust her, but if what she said was true, then it would explain why she boldly claimed that Model El was her final Biometal. She also told Vaude about giving the heroes a break. Why would she send a Chosen One after Aimer's lab and then send a Chosen One after Merrie Jane?

Despite Folly's claim that she would give them a "break" of some kind, she ended up capturing him and Rokku barely a day after she made that declaration. But so far, everything she said had plausibility...

Not to mention that hearing Folly's words aloud caused him to recall Wingwave. He was certainly a random situation he and Rokku dealt with. And yet, he had some familiarity with his power usage. And yet, he didn't immediately notice at the time.

"...Let's say you're telling the truth," Model M began. "How did you and Graver get ahold of six Biometals? Six very specific Biometals?"

"Well... I have my theories..." Folly admitted. "But that's not important for you to know."

"Not important...? Those are my friends!" Model M shouted.

"Like I told Mr. Hero, I can let you go, and I'll even answer any questions you'd like, but that all depends on him~" She grinned and looked at Rokku. "With that said, because you and your Biometal hold so much potential, I'd like to present you with an opportunity of a lifetime~"

Rokku squinted at her, confusion across his face. "...What are you talking about...?"

She spread her arms apart before extending her hand out to the boy. "That's right. I am extending my hand to you with the offer to join the ever-growing Nocturne Empire~"

Rokku stared at her hand. Never mind the fact that he can't hold her hand even if he wanted to due to the containment field, he found her gesture to be...offensive.

"My original intent was to have you battle a couple of Mega Man, namely the beefcake the Graver had and the three Chosen Ones I quickly yet carefully scouted out. Your potential as a fighter, not to mention your compassion, all spoke to me. You have what it takes to be in the Nocturne Empire where we can mold you to reshape the world; one which can be unified under a glorious nation, replacing the tyrants at Legion~"

Model M looked at Rokku, wondering what his answer would be. He had expectations and yet he had hoped that his partner would make the right choice...

"...A unified world..." Rokku whispered, closing his eyes.

"That's right~" Folly confirmed.

"...I'd like that..." Rokku answered. "I know I have a lot to learn, but I know that this world is beautiful, and living is a wonderful thing... There are ups and downs... But the people can always come together even in the worst of times..."

He then opened his eyes, full of contempt. Folly looked taken aback by this glare, even retracting her hand slightly.

"...You didn't think I'd just say "Yes", did you?" Rokku asked. "You've attacked innocent people, acted really creepy and weird and EVIL around me and my friends, you brainwashed and kidnapped other Chosen Ones with their Biometals, not to mention kidnapped me and Model M! You creeps did all of this as some messed up "TEST"!? If this is your idea of a joke, then I ain't laughing! No WAY would I EVER join you!"

Folly sighed and retracted her hand completely. She even whispered under her breath, "Technically, I didn't do it..."

She then placed her hands on her hips as her smirk returned.

"Very well." Folly replied. She then began giggling again, creeping Rokku out further which only amplified his distain towards her offer. "I'm not at all surprised by your response. You are a fitting Chosen One for Mega Man after all~"

She then clapped her hands together, causing a small burst of pink energy to spread out like a tiny shockwave. She then pulled her hands apart with two small portals having been materialized at the palm of her hands. As she held her hands out, something was being formed. The portal in her right hand disappeared and her hand then closed on something. The portal in her left hand disappeared as well and she had her hand on her hip. In her right hand was a staff or cane like object. The bottom having a white tip with the rest of the cane being black. The holding part of the cane had a purple gemstone attached to it.

Slamming her cane on the ground, she grinned.

"However, I am a patient girl." She continued. "So, you two ponder on my offer now. The residents of Kairos City are about to experience and chaotic party by yours truly~"

"Party? What party?" Model M asked.

"Oh? Didn't I tell you~?" Folly thought aloud with a sneaky sneer. "Mr. Hero, you once asked me about your current whereabouts? Well, allow me to elaborate. Gentlemen, you are presently sitting inside of a castle~"

"A-A...castle...!?" Rokku exclaimed. His eyes widened. "H-Hold up! That amusement park in Kairos City has a castle!"

"Bingo~ But we found out that it was 'abandoned' so to speak. The residents of Selena Island sure like having abandoned facilities, don't they~? Granted, unlike the past ones I've been to, this castle was under remodeling, yes?"

Not expecting an answer, she continued. She knew she was right. She researched this after all~

"I decided to save the construction crew the time of day. With the combined forces of those idiot Gravers and my Jack series mechaniloids, we took the opportunity to turn this wonderful castle attraction into a mobile fortress~"

"WHAT!?" Rokku and Model M shouted.

"Hee Hee Hee~ " Folly laughed. "Win or lose, it doesn't matter to me~ You all must be aware of this by now, but I am a fan of theatrics, and since I'm constantly deemed to be the 'villain', then I'll have some fun playing the role like the actress I am~"

She started twirling her cane around before resting it on her shoulder. "As much as I enjoy talking to you two, I have a party to attend to~"

Rokku growled at her, sarcastically replying, "If there's a 'party' going on, then how come me and Model M aren't invited?"

"Third time's the charm, as they say. What happens next depends on you~" Folly sneered. "If I offer you the job again, all I need to hear from you is 'I do' and we'll pack up. Hmhm~ Let's try it out: Mr. Hero, will you and your Biometal join me as members of the Nocturne Empire~?"

She held out her hand by her ear expectantly.

Rokku said nothing.

Model M said nothing.

She would get no response from either.

Expectantly, she'd just scoff and lower her hand. "I'm not hearing those words~ So-"

"Why are you doing this?"

She looked over at Rokku who had asked the question. She found it questionable that he was now staring at the ground with his bangs covering his eyes.

"There are innocent people... They don't need to be scared and messed with by your craziness..." Rokku raises his head, glaring at her. "...So why are you doing this!?"

She'd stare at him. She wasn't smirking. She wasn't necessarily frowning. She was just...staring at him. It was as if all emotions in her was sapped away...

After some awkward silence, she'd turn around.

"...I will not tell you a fourth time. You know what I expect to hear." Folly stated coldly. "...Besides, I couldn't stop this even if I wanted to."

Rokku's brow tensed up, both in annoyance and confusion. But she started to walk away, dismissing his own thoughts.

"Au revoir, gentlemen. Trouble Trio?"

Folly marched out of the room with the Trouble Trio following right behind. Sempronio, however, stayed behind to look at Rokku and Model M. After a brief stare down, he'd join his mistress with his single eye remaining on them until his back was turned completely.

The doors would close shut, leaving Rokku and Model M alone. They would exchange glances, but Rokku looked very worried about their predicament...

Vaude stormed through the Guardian outpost and waited for the mechanical doors to slide open. He'd then storm inside and go straight to Detona on the bed.

"Alright! Break time's over! Start talkin'!" Vaude shouted.

Detona was sharing a room with the other five liberated Mega Men; Jack, Alphonse, Keegan, Raiden, and Coupure. All six looked relatively alright physically despite the fights; especially in the case of the two newcomers.

Detona had brown eyes and light skin. His bright orange-yellow hair stuck out clearly, but his hair was stylized like a mohawk or pompadour. Vaude couldn't quite make out the hairdo right now, but his hair was mildly shaven and wild looking as if Detona either was irresponsible with his hair or it was an intentional style. He also had white circular ear plates. Interestingly, the bottom of his ear plates had "holes" which allowed for two gray cuff or ring shaped "ear piercings" to be attached on both of his ear plates.

He appeared to be wearing an open orange varsity jacket with white sleeves and a black bodysuit underneath his clothes. He wore gray camouflage-styled pants and orange military looking boots.

He had bandages wrapped around his forehead as that's where he suffered the most damage from his battle with Rokku less than an hour ago.

Detona would get his jacket grabbed as Vaude would pull him close to his face.

"Where did your cronies take the kid!?" Vaude demanded.

"You can keep askin', but I'm just gonna keep telling you I DON'T KNOW!" Detona barked back, sounding just as agitated as Vaude was.

Coupure looked on, sharing the confusion the other Chosen Ones had. Coupure had moderately dark skin complexion. His scarlet eyes matched his scarlet hair which was a curtained and undercut combo, almost resembling a bowl haircut but with mildly shaven hair. It was almost like Detona's shaven hair except Coupure very much had more hair shown on his head. He wore a closed red and gray colored long-sleeved jacket. There was a yellow "C" on the center of the jacket, likely standing for his own name.

He wore tight scarlet pants with red shoes. The shoes had gray colored tips akin to converse shoes.

"Wait, what "kid"?" Coupure asked, rubbing his head. "Are you talking about that guy who kicked my butt?"

That caught the rest of the Chosen Ones' attention, all looking alarmed. Vaude didn't keep his eyes off Detona though.

"That's enough, Vaude...!" Markos shouted, entering the room. "We aren't going to get anywhere like this!"

"Sir, what happened?" Raiden asked.

Markos looked at his subordinate with hesitancy. His eyes then turned to the other Chosen Ones in the room before he let out a heavy sigh.

"Regrettably, the Mega Man who has saved you all has been abducted by the enemy." Markos announced.

"W-What does that mean...?" The young Jack asked.

"It means that kid was kidnapped...!" Keegan growled.

Alphonse, however, looked the most affected by the news. He started at the sheets beneath him, speechless and stunned.

"Yeah, and Co-Pure and Daytona here were involved in the incidents that resulted in the kid's capture." Vaude added, still staring daggers at Detona.

"Hey! I told you my side of the story!" Coupure shouted in offense. "I was actually kidnapped by those Graver creeps! Last I remember, I saw a big guy with a metal arm pulling me out of my cell! I was trying to stop them on my own, but that obviously didn't work out! I'm THANKFUL that Mega Man guy saved me! Do you know what it's like to have literally zero control of your actions, watching yourself and hearing yourself say some wacky evil stuff?"

"Ditto on all that!" Detona added.

"Not buying it!" Vaude barked. "So you better give me something or else!"

"Vaude, stand down!" Markos ordered again, prying Vaude's arms away from Detona's jacket with his superior (non-megamerged) strength. "We aren't going to get anywhere like this!"

"The commander is right."

Everyone looked at the doorway to see the young prodigy, Aimer, holding two Biometals. A scarlet colored Biometal with a silver scissor-like plate on the "forehead" and a yellow and orange colored Biometal that looked like it had a mohawk. She walked over to Coupure first, giving him the scarlet Biometal, then she walked to Detona, giving him the other Biometal.

"Arguing with each other isn't going to help Rokku or Model M." Aimer said as she gave the Biometals to their partners. Vaude was taken aback by her surprisingly calm tone, but she continued. "Model Ct and Model Bb were easier for me to fix up because of the sloppy nature of their brainwashing program."

"Thanks again, by the way." Model Ct stated. "You're a real life saver!"

"Yeah, thanks! But when are going to save Mega and his partner!?" Model Bb asked.

Model Gu floated from his spot next to Alphonse. "It's the 21st Century all over again! Those two saved us, just like Mega Man did way back then! Now WE gotta return the favor!"

"They're right, Vaude. Remain calm." Model PM advised his partner. "My brother and his partner will be fine for the time being."

Vaude just raised his hands and walked away from Detona and Markos. Standing against the wall, he folds his arms.

"Alright, alright." Vaude resigned. "Still though, we also shouldn't waste too much time planning either."

"You're right on that." Aimer agreed with a determined smile.

"It sounds like you have a plan, young lady." Alphonse smirked and slowly crawled out of his bed. "Whatever it is, I want in. That kid and his Biometal saved me and everyone else here when they didn't have to. My Biometal already said it, but I think we need to return the favor...!"

"Yeah! I want in!" Jack agreed.

"My flame of righteousness is lit once again! Let the rescue mission commence!" Both Keegan and his Biometal shouted simultaneously.

"I've known him for barely an hour, but I want in too! Gotta pay him back, after all!" Detona agreed with a grin.

"...He left me by myself in the woods after kicking my tuchus, but yeah, I'll risk my neck for him too." Coupure added with a snarky smirk.

Raiden stood up from his bed, looking at Aimer. "I think it's safe to say that we all want to return the favor to them both. So, do you have a plan, Miss?"

Aimer smirked and looked at everyone in the room.

"Why yes, I do~"

In the newly reconstructed control room, Folly twirled her cane several times before slamming it down, causing a small pink shockwave to happen at the tip of her cane. In front of her was a large monitor, displaying numerous camera feeds showcasing the building's surrounding area. An empty amusement park with people walking around the vicinity of the park, carrying about their day.

"The stage is set!" Folly shouted, her back in front of the Trouble Trio. "It is time for me to play the 'villain' of this lovely show~"

She turned her head to face Sempronio. "I trust everyone is ready to go?"

"Yes, mistress." Sempronio stated. "At your command."

"Perfect~ Then let the party commence..." Her eyes glow as does the crystal on her cane.

With her cane in hand, she taps the floor once. On the camera feed outside the newly established castle fortress, a portal appears at the ground level and several Jack series bots, Hallow and Marionette varieties, drop down with other Mavericks such as Crickaleaps, Remettaurs, and Sphenalaunchers. The Jack bots were cackling as per usual, laughing amongst themselves before they started to terrorize the citizens. After that portal vanishes, Folly taps the floor again. Another portal appears on the feed, deploying more Mavericks. Then that portal closes, she taps one more time and the last portal appears.

One, Two, Three.

With those three blows, the curtain rises. The show begins.

Folly herself began laughing villainously, watching her minions get to work. Soon, the entire building began to rumble as various machinery and engines began roaring to life throughout the facility. As if it were made of magic, the castle attraction was now hovering above the ground and began to slowly accelerate forward as if it were a tank. A few buildings were unfortunate to get in the way of the castle's path and were easily grazed despite being much smaller than the castle, causing structural damage, but not too much as to cause the buildings to collapse...yet.

The Jester's laughter continued as her newly formed fortress mobilized, and the Trouble Trio behind her joined in on the laughter. Or at least, two of the Trio were laughing. One of which just stared at his mistress work her magic. He was...calculating, arms behind his back as he pondered how familiar the act of villainy was to him. It was somehow...nostalgic to him despite being born this very century.

"Tizio. Caio." Sempronio stated with a cold sneer in his single eye. "Follow."

The Joe series bot turned around, his cape swaying with his movements as he turned to leave the room.

"Hey, what? Where're we goin'?" Caio asked, flapping his wings after Sempronio.

"I wanted to watch some more..." Tizio whined.

"And we can do that and more in due time." Sempronio told them. "We just have one loose end to tie up..."

Rokku was curled up in a corner, burying his face into his knees. His room shook a bit, but the boy was a statue, unmoving.

"...It looks like Folly is on the move." Model M noted out loud. Their prison was very boring. Nothing but the clean design of this simple, cube-shaped room and the containment field that would deliver a shock if any of them attempted to breach the field.

"...Why did you choose me, Model M?" Rokku squeaked.

"Huh?" Model M looked at his partner from behind the field. He saw how he was balled up in the corner.

"...Why did you choose me?" He repeated, slowly raising his head to reveal his teary, crestfallen eyes, with his shorts soaked by his tears. "I couldn't save Alphonse without Sentry coming in, I couldn't beat Wingwave until Aimer stepped in, I couldn't beat Keegan and Jack until Raiden stepped in, and that jerk, Nero, beat me and woulda killed me if Vaude hadn't saved me..."

Model M floated there silently, listening to his partner's concerns.

"I knew this wasn't going to be easy..." Rokku continued. "...Actually, I thought I knew this wasn't going to be easy... But that didn't really set in until Nero totally whooped me... All of my wins, even after Nero... They were a fluke. Luck. And here I am. Captured. And Folly's going to terrorize everyone on Selena Island all because of me. Aimer, Vaude, Uncle, Mom, and Dad. All of them because of me... And I'm captured and I can't do anything about it."

Rokku buried himself into his knees again.

"I'm useless. Why did you choose someone like me...?"

Model M floated over towards the containment field, then he descended towards the ground until he just...'sat' there. He would ponder those words strongly, sitting there in silence as neither he nor Rokku said a thing after that.

He thought back to the past. Just before their fight with Raiden, Aimer had voiced her concerns with him and Rokku just shoved them off. Rokku even asked Model M about Aimer's inquiries. Model M initially took that as Rokku innocently being unaware, but with all that's happened, he isn't so sure.

He knew that they've been fighting so much in such a short, limited amount of time and yet Rokku was happy. But at the end of the day, he was a kid who just turned 13. A kid who's fighting battles he probably shouldn't even be fighting.

But Model M knew that Rokku chose to fight too. He never got the impression that Rokku was forced to do it. He joined the Guardians to help people, after all. Regardless, there was plenty of baggage unleashed all at once, and the guy wasn't even shouting. His voice cracked. He was just...upset.

"...I think this was a long time coming but... I think it's about time I tell you who I am." Model M said.

Rokku raised his head slightly, looking at Model M with one eye. 'Who I am', he parroted in his head. He knew who he was. But as Model M continued, the meaning behind his declaration became clear.

"Did you know that before Reploids, there were just...robots?" Model M asked. "Autonomous thinking robots, sure, but they were leagues behind Reploids in terms of what they could do. In the 21st Century, I was one such robot. A helper robot to be exact and a son to a wonderful scientist who just wanted to unite humans and robots together. Heh, well, I guess by this century, I guess dad really got his wish in a way."

Rokku listened, curious on what his partner was telling him.

"I wasn't really anything special." Model M continued. "Like I said, I was a helper robot; a helper robot named Rock Light. But then, there was this one scientist... He stole my dad's creations and used them for world domination. I volunteered to upgrade myself from a helper robot to a super fighting robot to fight when no one else would. What that man was doing was wrong, so I volunteered to right those wrongs. I became Mega Man. It was scary, but I managed to do it. I saved my friends, I stopped the one responsible, and I saved the day. Story over, right? Well, no. I would continue to fight that doctor and even other threats over and over. From my understanding, history once considered my battles against the doctor to be a "war" and... In hindsight, that's not too far off, sad to say... I don't remember much, but I do know that this "war" did eventually end... How it ended, I'm not sure."

Rokku frowned and looked at his knees again, but Model M kept going.

"...Rokku, my first going wasn't easy. And it was scary like I said. I don't even really like fighting. I do it to protect people." He said. "When I first met Aimer, I was so confused, barely having an idea of where I was. But she was willing to help me from what were obviously bad people. Then you showed up. You didn't know me, you didn't know her, you just knew that those Trouble Trio guys were doing wrong things and all you had was a giant wrench, haha~ But I saw how you were brave enough to risk your life for people who you didn't even know. So, I lent you my power because of your bravery. And you've proven through our battles that I made the right choice. You kept helping people, determined to save them from their mind-controlled state even though you barely knew them. You're a courageous person. I don't regret choosing you one bit."

Rokku sniffled and wiped his tears, raising his head to look at the Biometal in silence.

"The battles won't get easy, I'll be honest with you." Model M confessed. "But if you have your mind on the future for everyone and accept that you'll have friends and allies that are willing to lend a hand, then the battles won't be nearly as hard. Having help isn't a bad thing, after all, and I'm certainly not expecting you to be a "pro" or whatever right this second. I've known you for about a week, and I trust you. That's what it all boils down to: I trust you. That's why I chose you to inherit my power."

Rokku smiled a little to himself and uncurled his legs, allowing them to lay in front of him with his hands firmly on the ground.

"...Thank you, Model M. I...think I needed to hear all of that." He said. "But I'm scared. I don't wanna lose again."

"Well, you can't go through life being perfect, can you?" Model M asks. "You make mistakes and you learn from them."

"...So I just have to do the best I can." Rokku stated. "Mom and Dad like telling me that. It won't be easy like you said, but I can't give up either. Grandpa wouldn't be happy if I did..."

Rokku stood up and punched his fist into his open hand.

"So, I gotta have my hero moment, just like you Model M...! But..." He lowered his hands. "How are we going to get out of here...?"

As if to answer that, the doors swung open. Sempronio and his brothers walked in with a sole Hallow Jack joining them. The Joe series bot had an aura of authority as he stormed towards the containment field.

"A nice speech you gave, Mega Man." Sempronio stated. "But that's precisely why we're here. Hands up."

He holds out a remote control with a big red button. Pressing it, the containment field vanishes. But before either Rokku or Model M could process this, Sempronio materializes a double-barreled Buster arm and aims it at Rokku who immediately raises his hands, now realizing what the bot meant by "hands up".

With the field gone, Tizio and Caio approached Model M, with the latter snatching the Biometal with his talons. Sempronio approached Rokku, still pointing his very dangerous looking Buster at him and the Hallow Jack walking right beside Sempronio.

"Apprehend him." Sempronio ordered. The Hallow Jack did as it was told and reached behind Rokku, grabbing his arms, and forcing them behind the kid.

"Owowowow! Easy!" Rokku shouted. "W-What's going on here?!"

"Folly has begun her 'party', as you can tell as the castle has begun to move." Sempronio explained. "However, we can't have any surprises from you two... So, you'll be moving to new prison cells."

"Folly lied again!" Rokku shouted. "She said she kept us in the same room to be kind!"

"Folly isn't here, is she~?!" Caio cackled as he held Model M in his talons, finding some strange catharsis holding the Biometal.

"Enough." Sempronio spat. He looked at the Hallow Jack. "Take him to his new holding place."

The Hallow Jack nodded and dragged Rokku away. Although fruitless, he tried to break free from the Jack and glared at the Trio.

"Why are you doing this!?" Model M shouted.

"Simply put? To separate a Biometal from his user." Sempronio explained. "Mistress may have shown kindness by keeping you both in the same room, but I will not allow for you two to megamerge and ruin her scheme. The 'party' cannot be undone!"

Rokku was dragged throughout the facility, going downstairs, going through various hallways, and even going through a massive ballroom which was meant for the castle attraction. He would go lower and lower, but with the reconstruction of the castle, a 'basement' was no longer applicable.

The boy was instead dragged into an empty, decrepit room, not touched by the Graver group or Folly's group. A room with a single barely lit light above the ceiling and, most curiously, a giant jack-in-the-box contraption. The box itself was open. There should be a 'jack' in the box, right? And he was being dragged by a Jack bot. And yet nothing was inside...

That is until the Hallow Jack effortlessly lifted Rokku in the air and tossed him into the box with the lid closing shut!

"OW! HEY!" Rokku felt trapped inside this cube. He was barely fitting in here. He began breathing heavily as he attempted to readjust his position into a more comfortable one. He grunted and squirmed as tried to get comfortable and although he was just barely did so, he began pounding and kicking the surrounding area. "L-LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"

It felt like the walls around him were closing. His discomfort grew. His panic grew. His breathing intensified. And the Hallow Jack's cackles, almost as if to mock him, did him no favors.

But he thought about the speech his friend gave him. After that, some other new incident happens. He couldn't give up. Model M needed him. He needed to get out. Now.

So, Rokku began pounding and kicking away faster and harsher. He wanted out and he'd do whatever he could. He'd even kick the lid hard to try and pop it open forcefully.

"Let...me...OUT!"

Rokku would give one mighty kick towards the lid. Immediately, he would suddenly bounce forward. The box would fly towards the Jack, crushing it completely. The sudden jolt would force the lid open and Rokku would fly out of it, rolling a bit before stopping as he sat on his bottom in silence, confusion, and shock. He blinked a couple of times, looking behind him to find the popped open jack-in-the-box with the Hallow Jack crushed to death.

Rokku...managed to free himself. He didn't think he could do it, but the fact gave him great joy in his heart. He was free.

Standing up, he dusts himself off and breathed a sigh of relief. He was free, absolutely, but he needed a plan of action. If he messed up, then he's back at where he started. Or worse.

He examined the room, looking for something he could use. A firearm. A pipe. A giant wrench. He wished he had the last one, but his personal one wasn't on his person. But something caught the corner of his eye as he observed. Floating above the jack-in-the-box was a strange bright red sphere of light. It was small, but he could see it. But it appeared to be phasing in and out, almost like a computer glitch. He could hardly see it in a stable form as it was violently "glitching". Then, it just disappeared. Right then and there.

"What was that...?" He asked himself, blinking. Was what he just saw real? He couldn't tell. His heart was in his throat given the situation right now.

But as he pondered this, he saw a broken off steel pipe on the ground. He had his weapon. Grabbing it, he stood at the door, swallowing that heart in his throat. It was now or never. He opened the door and peeked out. The halls were empty. Perhaps not for long. He decides to slither out and move quickly out in enemy territory with nothing but a pipe.

That light, however, materialized back in briefly before it vanished again. This time, for good...