Chapter 1: Night on Selena Island
A youthful teenager let out a big yawn as he walked along the sidewalk under the night sky. Filled with lights from the street poles, the cluster of buildings, and the many vehicles, the city, Kairos City, was well illuminated tonight. As with many cities in the world, it was always lively 24/7. There were always people, humans and reploids, doing something, even at night.
This human teen didn't often visit the city at this time, let alone by his lonesome, but he had business tonight that was taken care of.
"Pheeew," the teen said just as he finished yawning. "I'm a little tired..."
At 13 years old, Rokku Akihiro was one of many people out in the city tonight. He had brown spiky hair, blue eyes, light skin, and two white robotic ear-plates replacing what would have been his regular human ears. He also wore a sleeveless light blue hoodie with a scarf of the same color around his neck, a short-sleeved black shirt underneath, and a unique belt attached to his dark blue shorts. In addition, he wore short red and white boots and big black fingerless gloves. Unlike most people, he didn't wear a bodysuit of any sort, which was a common fashion choice.
"Being out in the big city after staying awake for almost 20 hours will do that to you, Rokku," A voice told him. Despite having the voice of a young child, likely around 10 years old, he sounded stern like a parent or elder. That voice belonged to an entity called 'Model M'. And although Rokku was talking out loud, even with other citizens walking by him, the voice was not heard aloud.
"Seriously, I think it's about time you head back to Luna Town and rest up. You and your parents have to go to your Guardian Certification Test in the morning..."
The young teen known as Rokku wagged his index finger, "Correction: MOM and I are going to get my Guardian Certification Test in the morning~"
"Uhhh... More reason to get home ASAP." Model M replied sternly. Rokku's pockets in his shorts shuffled a bit, almost as if something in there was vibrating wildly. "I'm honestly surprised she hasn't called you yet. You DO have a curfew, right?"
"10 PM. I got about 30 minutes left." Rokku told him, placing his hands into his shorts' pockets. "My parents trust me not to stay out long. Besides, I didn't start hanging out here at this time until 2 days ago when I met you, buddy."
"So, you're saying it's my fault?" Model M asked challengingly.
"Not at all, Model M!" He replied frantically. Model M was teasing, not that Rokku picked up on that at all. Rokku didn't wish to blame the entity at all for what he was choosing to do. "Its only been 2 days but... I don't regret any of this."
"I know, I know, I was kidding~" Model M revealed. "I probably should've said this before, but if you're really out here doing lookout, don't you think you'd do a better job on the rooftops?"
"Uhhh, M? I don't know if you noticed, but those buildings are preeetty high," Rokku murmured. "Me and heights don't mix. Besides, that doesn't matter anyway. You're right. I should get home ASAP."
He then chuckled. "Besides, if Mom calls me now, she's gonna freak out~"
"Glad to hear you're talking sense, now," Model M replied with a chuckle of his own. "Tonight's quiet anyway."
Rokku clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. "Peh. Yeah. Selena Island's always been so quiet for as long as I can remember." He explained. "Some small-time crimes here and there, but nothing major like what we went through before..."
This was Selena Island, a somewhat quaint, quiet but big island located on European waters with a population of 200,000. Selena Isle was a nation of itself, having Kairos City as its capital with a proud and well-loved Mayor at the helm. Kairos City mostly resembled the numerous technologically futuristic cities around the world, but with European culture still maintained. Even the sidewalks looked like cobblestone.
Awkwardly, the island had a significantly smaller island right next to it, attached via a well-enforced bridge which was where K2 City was located at. As many have guessed, the "K2" stands for "Kairos 2".
Humorous yet awkward.
The spiky hair brunet let out a somewhat dejected sigh over the lack of action, scratching the back of his head, "With a night as boring as this, I'll call a ride and..."
Rokku's voice trailed off as he slowed down until he finally stopped. He faintly heard police sirens rapidly approaching his direction. "...Get us...home...Huh. Uhh, what's up?"
His eyes widened over what he saw. Zooming past him were four police cars speeding past civilian cars and screeching as it made a sharp turn a couple of blocks from where Rokku was standing.
"...So much for boring." Model M sarcastically stated.
He wore that bewildered face for a little while until it slowly turned into an overly eager grin. "You could say that again, M!"
"I don't want to say it again." Model M replied. "Follow those cars and check out the situation. We should have Aimer on standby too just in case."
"Now that's something you don't gotta tell me twice on~" Rokku eagerly replied, breaking into a run towards the direction, much to the shock of some civilians that were standing in the area and watching the same thing Rokku watched. Some other civilians were also heading towards that direction to get some idea of what was happening to have a bunch of cop cars speeding by. "Let's check it out!"
Reaching into his right pocket, Rokku pulled out a blue-clad blocky artifact... and the light blue eyes of this artifact shone brightly as Rokku's eager eyes... Though maybe this entity wasn't as eager as his partner...
"You...heard what I said about Aimer, right?" Model M asked.
"Totally!" Rokku assured him. "I got it!"
Nearly a dozen cop cars surrounded a big cube-shaped building surrounded by even bigger buildings. This cube-shaped building had a sign on the portico that read "BANK", a sign in plain view for all to see. But the lights on this sign was blinking, there was glass surrounding the front doors as the windows had been broken down.
The uniforms all exited their vehicles, firearms at the ready. Most of the officers had regular uniforms, others wore armor, but they all had dangerous firearms prepared to protect not only themselves but the people they've sworn to protect.
A good portion of the cops tried to get the various bystanders out of the area as it was no longer safe while the other cops aimed their firearms at the front doors of the Bank. One officer had a megaphone held by his right hand.
"EVERYONE! LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY! IT IS NOT SAFE! SEEK IMMEDIATE SHEALTER ELSEWHERE!" He spoke into the megaphone, making his voice louder using a device. He then turned to the front doors. "AS FOR THE THIEVES... WE HAVE THIS PLACE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED! SURRENDER YOURSELVES!"
Aside from the collected voices of the people that were slowly led away by other officers, it was quiet. The Bank was closed for the night. No one should be in there but the ones responsible for breaking into it. The officers had no reason to worry about potential hostages at the moment, but anything can happen, and these officers were prepared.
"I REPEAT! YOU ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED! SURRENDER YOURSELVES!" The officer called out again.
After almost a minute of nothing, two individuals stepped out through the broken front doors, and they were anything but normal. The sight causes a stir in the officers and even some bystanders who were slowly but surely leaving the scene. It was a young teenage girl and...a shadowy big cat of some kind...
The girl had the overall appearance of a Jester or a clown, but she was armored up and clad in pink, purple, red and black colors. Even her Jester hat, which was big, and the two tails of her hat hung low and close to her back like twintail-styled hair, looked more like a helmet than a hat. She had piercing crimson eyes to match her sharp, confident feminine eye-shape. Underneath the helmet was short red hair, with her left eye often being covered by the bangs of her hair. She wore a big frilly neck collar, a skirt-like shirt with black puffy shorts and red and white striped leggings. She also wore armored heeled boots. On her helmet, chest, and belly were red diamond-shaped crystals, and the tail end of her two-tailed skirt had blue diamond shaped crystals as well, likely for decoration purposes.
The strange beast walking beside her like a loyal pet was a creature shrouded in darkness and shadows, the most distinct feature outside of its big cat silhouette was its beady yellow eyes as if it were a predator stalking its prey in the night of the wilderness. It was just...pure yellow glowing eyes, however. No irises, no slit pupils, just...beady glowing yellow eyes. If one were to look closely, this creature appeared to be a mixture between a panther and a lion given the face and "fur", but the tail was distinctly reptilian in nature.
This creature was an enigma...and the unknown is what frightened the officers.
"Wh...What the hell is that!?" One officer cried.
"Is it a Maverick...!?" Another theorized.
"Do we got another one of those Biomatch people here!?" Another cried.
"We came here for Raiders! Where are they!?" Yet another shouted.
The girl, seemingly amused by the officers' confusion, spread her arms out dramatically before placing her hand on her chest to give an equally dramatic bow... Whether or not this bow was genuine was up to anyone's interpretation.
"Good evening, ladies and gents~" The girl said, leaning up after her bow, "You are indeed here because of sightings of Raiders. But I'm afraid you are all too late... 5 minutes too late, in fact~"
The cops tensed up after the girl let out a sinister toothy grin at that last part. But she continued, "The contents of the vault have long been extracted and the Raiders have made their oh-so thrilling escape-" She mocked...but she flinched as she was interrupted by a booming voice from a familiar device.
"LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS!" The officer with the megaphone shouted. "YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE MEGA MEN, AREN'T YOU!?"
The girl frowned, unamused by the fact that she was interrupted. She waved her hands mockingly in front of her face. "There? You see them? Now shut up and listen," She spat viciously. "If you-"
"HANDS IN THE AIR! OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!"
The girl flinched once again from the booming voice but then just stared at the one with the megaphone for quite some time before she spoke again, "...Well, now you're just being rude. Here I am trying to give you dogs some potentially useful information to make the show a little more fun and you won't even give me the chance~..."
The girl sighed and wiped her forehead before placing both hands on her hips. Either the cop with the megaphone was bluffing with his threat or he was listening to what the girl had to say, "Oh well. As I said, the true criminals behind this robbery have long left with the contents. I was simply witnessing the events transpire and I have."
The officer then handed the megaphone to a nearby officer who ran off, "Whatever the case, keep your hands in the air! And step aside from the monster!"
The girl feigned an offended look, "Oh my, Inverse. They called you a monster~"
The creature, Inverse, growled viciously at the officers. The girl proceeded to place her hand on the big cat to calm him down... "Sad to say, but I won't be coming with you. The police and I don't get along, you see. But you all are going to try and apprehend me, yes? Or given your trigger-happy postures, you're ready to do something. I'll leave you with my kitty to play with~ "
All of a sudden, a big circular pink portal of some kind appeared behind the girl. The light from the portal covered her entire backside too and the portal itself looked like a strange pink-digital swirly pool of...something. It wasn't normal, that's for certain.
"Play nice, Inverse~ " With a quick hop, the girl entered the portal and it disappeared immediately.
With the girl gone, Inverse let out a nasty roar towards the officers, a roar befitting of a predatory big cat like it. Some officers shrieked as the big cat started making a dash towards them, but the officer was quick to take action.
"Target locked! OPEN FIRE!" The officer cried.
With permission granted from the superior officer, the fellow officers proceeded to open fire on the feline shadowy Maverick. Powered by bullets that transformed into lethal beams of light as if they were lasers, the officers fired their varied firearms; Buster-Pistols, Buster-Rifles, whatever they had, they were shooting at the Maverick. Said Maverick hissed and roared out in pain, eventually stumbling to the ground.
The officers eventually stopped shooting, but something horrific caught their eyes. The Maverick was filled with numerous holes and scorch marks from the energy bullets. Through those holes, small bright lights matching its beady eyes briefly beamed out of those holes... But said holes were quickly being refilled by the mass of shadows all over its body. In due time, the beast got back on its feet and roared even louder than before, completely healed up as if it was never shot up at all.
"HOLY CRAP!" One officer cried. "IT DID NOTHING! OUR WEAPONS ARE USELESS!" Another cried.
Inverse snarled and had its eye on the officer who previously was using the megaphone. That officer's blood froze when its beady eyes glared at him. Dashing like a leopard, Inverse prepared to make a giant pounce while the other officers screamed and prepared to shoot at it some more to do SOMETHING to it.
Suddenly, Inverse was howling in pain as it was hit by something even bigger than the energy bullets from the officers' firearms. A big sphere of condensed energy from an angle above hit Inverse and sent it skidding across the ground. Following the shot, a blue armored figure landed on hood of a random cop car.
He wore a blue helmet with a light blue exclamation mark going from the forehead to the back of the helmet. A sleeveless blue armored vest with small shoulder pads attached to the shoulders, blue gauntlets on his arms, blue armored briefs, and blue armored boots. Underneath all that he had a black bodysuit that was definitely a lot more durable than most other bodysuits in the world. His gloves were black with white fingertips, again, much like most other bodysuits.
"Hey, officers!" The young figure cried out with a friendly wave. Interestingly, one of his arms was missing, replaced by a peculiar but recognizable arm cannon. "Don't worry, your friendly neigh-"
"Oh great! It's ANOTHER one of them!" One officer shouted in annoyance, much to the boy's dismay.
"Wha-? Hey!" The boy cried defensively. "What do you mean by that!?"
"Hold on!" The officer who was about to be attacked shouted. "He is a friendly one! He helped the Guardians and Sentry just a few days ago!"
"Come on! He brought these kinds of problems here!" Another cop argued.
"Or maybe these creeps brought these kinds of solutions here~?" The boy teased...before he thought about his comeback. "Um, wait. Hold on. Or... I'm the solution to these problems? Uh... Never mind, I botched it."
"Rokku, just focus on the Maverick," Model M said to the blue armored figure. The voice was not heard by any of the officers on the scene. In fact, Model M couldn't be seen anywhere, but the blue armored figure, Rokku, could hear him loud and clear. The big cat Maverick stood on its legs and snarled at the one who shot something worse than the officers' firearms.
"Alright guys, hang back!" Rokku shouted as he hopped off the hood and landed in front of the officers, standing between them and the Maverick. "I'll handle this one!"
"You heard him!" The lead officer shouted, leading his fellow officers away from the ensuing battle. "Step back! Give him some room!"
Inverse roared and made a mad dash towards Rokku now. Once the Maverick pounced, Rokku swung the arm that was now an Arm Cannon, whacking the Maverick's jaw and sending it flying into the air before falling back on the ground hard.
"What the heck is that...?" Rokku muttered as he held onto his arm cannon, looking confused but ready for when it could attack again. "If it's a Maverick, it's nothing I've ever seen..."
"Same here," Model M agreed. "But it is a Maverick. Or at least a Mechaniloid or Reploid of some kind."
"How can you tell?" Rokku asked, aiming his arm cannon as the big cat got back on its feet and began running literal circles around Rokku, making Rokku try to focus his aim. "This thing looks like a demon or something..."
"Well, you swung your Mega-Buster at it instead of shooting it again," Model M stated. "You heard that clang, didn't you? No organic creature is going to make a metallic sound like that."
Rokku thought about it and his brows furrowed, "Right. Duh."
Inverse stopped running and dashed towards Rokku, slashing at Rokku's chest, "AGH!" He grunted, looking at the subtle scratch marks all over his vest's chest. If he weren't armored up right now, he would've surely been dead.
"It's quick!" Model M warned.
"I noticed..." Rokku growled, hand on his chest as he began shooting at Inverse with regular energy bullets, much different than the ones the officers shot out before. He shot out three rounds, and only two of them hit the beast. It yelped before dodging the third shot and made another dash around him. Rokku, predicting that the Maverick would try to confuse him again by running circles around him, shot at the beast's feet when it came in his line of sight, making the beast yelp once again.
"You're gonna have to do better than that!" Rokku shouted.
Inverse snarled again, glaring at Rokku with its beady yellow eyes. Before long, its face began morphing, looking like it had a giant and very lethal venus flytrap. The very sight made Rokku's eyes widen quickly, and he dashed backwards as the beast leaped towards Rokku, snapping its giant shadowy jaws, and missing its prey.
"O-Okay, that's better! A lot scarier, but better!" Rokku whimpered.
"This is no ordinary Maverick, Rokku," Model M stated, also sharing Rokku's fears despite him trying to focus on his partner taking it down. "You think... It's a Pseudoroid?"
"I don't know!" Rokku shouted in fear and frustration. "I don't know much about Pseudoroids myself! Aimer would know, let's ask her... If we live past this, that is!"
"Don't talk like we won't live!" Model M chastised. "Just keep on your toes and watch the enemy. Like I said in the past, enemies like this thing have patterns and you can use that to your advantage."
"Well, if this enemy's got patterns, I don't think I'm seeing them all!" Rokku cried, dodging another attempt from Inverse to snap at him with its giant venus fly-trap mouth.
Inverse, failing to catch Rokku, morphed its face back to normal. It then leaped into the air as its entire body morphed into a giant buzzsaw, spinning in place above the ground before it aimed down at Rokku like a homing attack.
Once again, Rokku's eyes widened at the sight. "W-WHAT!?"
"MOVE!" Model M shouted.
Rokku quickly dove to the ground and rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the buzzsaw-morphed Inverse. Once it dove to the ground and missed, the ground briefly shook. Not only did the buzzsaw form look lethal because it was a spinning blade but Inverse certainly had the force to crush him too.
"Okay, I don't think I wanna see this thing turn into a steam roller next," Rokku whimpered, aiming his Mega Buster to shoot at Inverse again. Once more, the beast was hit by these shots, and dashed at Rokku to give him a big scratch, but to no avail as he dashed backwards to avoid the slash.
"We were watching, M," Rokku stated as he fought the Maverick. He and Model M arrived just as the gun show began. "Those officers shot at it a whole bunch, but then it... It just healed itself or something!"
"True, but it was hurt," Model M noted. "It was crying out in pain from those shots, and especially from our Charge Shot. As much as it pains me to hear these realistic cat cries, we have to put this thing down and fast. I recommend using Charge Shots like we started off or at least shooting at it like you are now. Just to keep it staggered."
"R-Right, right..." Rokku agreed, continuously shooting at the Maverick. "It didn't move after they shot a million bullets at this thing. You think it can't move when its healing?"
Model M gave it some thought, evident by an audible humming sound from him. "You might be on to something there. Keep at it!"
"Roger!" Rokku agreed once more.
Inverse turned into a buzzsaw again, this time spinning on the ground as it, like a wheel on a runaway car, sped towards Rokku's direction. Just barely, Rokku narrowly avoided being split in half. But the beast wasn't done. Once it missed, it transformed back to its feline form and stared at Rokku. Its head morphed into a spike, and it shot out towards Rokku. The boy fell to the ground to duck getting his head skewered but noticed that the head that was now a thin sharp needle stretched really far. Instinctively, Rokku grabbed the needle to help himself up quickly...that is, until he noticed something peculiar.
The beast wouldn't move. It was shaking wildly, almost as if trying to retract its now needle-like head. Rokku looked at the needle. It looked thin enough to stand onto, in fact. He was no trapeze performer, but Rokku could probably stay on it long enough if he wanted.
But the most important thing of note was that its body was now glowing. Something was exposed at its back. A black broken sphere with a yellow light beaming out of these weird cracks.
"Is that... It's... Alright, what is that?" Rokku asked.
"Hang on a second, I noticed that earlier." Model M stated. "When the officers finished shooting at it, some light was pouring out of the holes before they were filled up again. This is all ringing too familiar to me!"
Rokku retracted its hand as Inverse finally had enough strength to retract its needle-head and the light went back into its body, reshaping its head back to normal. Rokku frowned and began shooting at the beast, but it was quick to dodge these shots, before pouncing at Rokku again,
"How is it familiar!?" Rokku asked, yelping from a slash to his left leg, making him stumble. Again, without that armor, his leg would've been in a lot worse shape than it is. He could still fight, something any normal person simply wouldn't be able to do.
"A creature that can morph its body however it wants, a core is hidden inside its body, exposes its core when the body is broken up enough to reveal itself before it refills the missing pieces... It's like we're fighting a Devil series bot all over again!"
Rokku shot into the mouth of Inverse as it pounced at him with its venus fly trap looking mouth again, this time making Inverse push backwards. "We're fighting a what series?"
"A Devil series bot!" Model M explained. "The short version is, they were incredibly tough and persistent robots I fought back then! This is some kind of variation or at least is running off the similar functions as a Devil series bot! If you keep shooting at it, the Maverick will have to remain still and heal up. When that time comes, you have to shoot at the core that's exposed!"
"You're great, M!" Rokku cheered. Maybe Rokku could've figured it out himself, but having an ancient soul like Model M with knowledge like this definitely speeds things up. "Let's wrap this up then!"
Inverse leapt to the air again and turned into that buzzsaw form again. Rokku tried shooting at it, but the 'blades' spun so fast that the energy bullets from his Mega-Buster bounced harmlessly off its body. Rokku dove out of the way again and prepared to shoot at Inverse again, but Inverse did its needle attack again.
Rokku smirked and began charging his Buster, "Bad move, Maverick!"
Once the needle stretched out quickly, Rokku dodged it but this time, he hopped on top of the thin needle, causing the beast to shiver again. This seemed to be a strange oversight, but with the needle outstretched like this, the shadows were missing a good portion of mass that covered up the core, leaving it exposed. With the core exposed, it was time to end this.
"HIYAAAH!" Rokku released his Charge Shot; the same shot that Rokku arrived on the scene with earlier. The shot directly hit the core, causing the beast to completely freak out as it howled in utter pain. The needle even went back to its head, making Rokku drop to the ground.
Some tiny explosions appeared all over Inverse's body, almost as if some circuits were malfunctioning. Inverse struggled to stand on its feet and even tried to walk away but collapsed and whimpered.
Rokku frowned and held his Buster with his free hand, "Crud, it's still online... This is gonna stink, putting it down like this..."
The young boy took a step towards the fallen Inverse, but then a portal appeared in front of Rokku; the same portal that appeared earlier; stopping Rokku in his tracks. The portal disappeared and the girl from before was on the other side, standing beside Inverse. She had a big, sinister smile on her face; a smile from ear to ear as she looked at Rokku.
The boy, alarmed, jumped back to get some distance. "W-Who the heck are you!?"
"Me~?" The girl teased, tilting her head and feigning innocence. She was obviously taunting the hero, but she continued on, pressing her index finger on her cheek. "I guess you missed me earlier when I sent my Inverse after these horrible officers~ "
She took a couple of steps back to examine Inverse, "You did quite a number on my poor Inverse, little man. Inverse isn't an easy foe to defeat, you know?"
"Hey? Didn't you hear me?" Rokku asked. "Hellooo? Who are ya?!"
The girl smirked and looked at Rokku's direction with her piercing crimson eyes, "Very well. I think you deserve to know, especially since you managed to defeat Inverse."
With a polite and respectful bow, similar to the one she gave the officers, she introduced herself, "You may call me Folly, little man~"
"O-Okay... Folly..." Rokku looked at her with one brow raised and the other lowered. "But quit calling me "little man". That's just weird..."
Folly, with a mock look of surprise, placed her hand over her mouth, "Oh? I'm dreadfully sorry. Would you prefer Mr. Hero?"
"...Alright, Folly, would you like to tell us what you're doing here?" Model M spoke up.
Folly's smile turned sinister as her gaze became...almost predator like... And not like Inverse's either. Such a hungry look gave Rokku chills as he took another step back, "Ah, there you are... Mega Man~ "
"W-Wha?" Model M gasped.
Folly placed her hands behind her back, "Our meeting today didn't go according to the script, but I'm always willing to make changes if it means the show is better as a result. I actually expected you to come here while the Bank was being robbed but... You showed up after the cops arrived! I thought superheroes like yourself were supposed to be here quicker than those dogs~?"
"Hey, I just happened to be in the area..." Rokku told her nonchalantly, but he shook his head rapidly. "Wait! Hold on! Did you just admit to robbing the bank!?"
"You weren't here earlier, but as I told the cops, I only witnessed the thievery~" Folly told him.
"You're obviously not good," Rokku retorted. "If that's your Maverick partner or whatever, it was going to attack an officer!"
"Good?" Folly asked. "Good. Bad. I'm not here to use those simplistic terms. I prefer... Protagonist and Antagonist~ Although if you'd like, we can add Deuteragonist and Tritagonist as terms I prefer over Good and Bad~"
Rokku frowned and readied his Buster. "I'm not the smartest guy around, but those just set off some red flags for me! I'm taking you in!"
"But I haven't done anything to warrant you fighting me, Mr. Hero," Folly replied teasingly. "Unless you're the shoot first, ask questions later type~?"
"I asked questions before we got to the fighting part!" Rokku retorted, waving his arms in annoyance.
"Oooh? You're right~ So smart~" Folly teasingly congratulated, much to his annoyance. "In terms of power, you certainly outclass me. My brains would have to overcome your brawn if I were to win a fight. But I'm in no mood to fight. Not my intention tonight~"
"So, what? You're just going to leave?" Model M asked.
"...Well, that's my plan." Folly frowned...mockingly. "But you're free to apprehend me if you'd like Mr. Hero. Really, I won't mind." She held out her hands, expecting to be handcuffed. "Here~ "
Rokku eyed her suspiciously. "...I'm not a cop or anything like that, so I don't have handcuffs. But if you're going to come quietly, then that makes things better for both of-"
As he was talking, Rokku transformed his Buster into his hand and stepped closer to Folly to grab her wrists... But when he took a step, Folly grinned. That portal from earlier appeared again and Rokku walked right into it. But when he came out, Rokku appeared on top of the hood of a car, and not the same one he landed on earlier.
"-us? What the heck!?" Rokku cried, looking at Folly from afar now.
She giggled cutely and sinisterly as she wiggled her fingers in a greeting gesture. "Hehehe~ Such a cute reaction~ " She grinned and placed her hands behind her again. "An ability like that would make traveling so much easier, wouldn't you say?"
Rokku glared at her, feeling upset that he was tricked like this. Model M, however, gasped. "Wait! It was you, wasn't it!? YOU'RE the reason why the actual robbers got away so quick without any of these officers seeing them flee!"
Folly threw her hand at him playfully, "Oh stop~ You make that plan sound so brilliant~"
"And downright dirty!" Rokku shouted.
"Dirty? Hmmm, no..." Folly interjected. "I'd say...unfair... For those that aren't me~"
She let out another giggle as Rokku hopped off the hood and stormed to her. But her laughter ceased when she heard other vehicles approaching the scene. Trucks clad in green, and trucks clad in blue. Her condescending attitude dropped to a more annoyed attitude. "How unfortunate. The Guardians and Sentry have made their appearances. I'm afraid that is my cue to leave."
She turned to Inverse while Rokku shouted, "Hey, Jester! Where're ya going!?"
"I know I've made quite an impression but when its time to exit, an actress like myself must make haste." Folly explained. "I assure you, we will meet again~ But for now, I must bid you adieu, Mega Man~ And I am referring to both the Biometal and the Chosen One here~ "
Yet another portal appeared, this time beneath Folly's feet and Inverse's inactive body and they sunk into the portal. Rokku dashed towards Folly, but all he could see was the girl's smug grin as she fully disappeared into the vortex, the portal disappearing completely once again.
"Shoot!" Rokku shouted, snapping his fingers after missing Folly and Inverse's escape.
"Portal technology..." Model M murmured to himself. "That's scary tech to have. Why use teleportation devices like Transervers when you can use portals to get to one place to another with one step. Makes transporting large amounts of items incredibly easy for them and incredibly more difficult for law enforcement..."
"That's something I wouldn't mind looking into in the future... If I weren't upset right now..." Rokku said.
"Don't be so upset, Rokku," Model M said. "You still did a good job tonight. You stopped the Maverick, Inverse, and all."
"Yeah, I guess." Rokku said, still not feeling too proud of his accomplishments. For all of her jester-ing, Folly was right; He came just AFTER the cops came. He wasn't omniscient, but he sure wished he could've gotten here soon to prevent the robbery.
Rokku placed his hands on his hips and contemplated the situation, but the sounds of motorcycle tires screeching to a halt caught his attention. He looked up ahead, then his arms slumped.
Coming off the motorcycle was a young girl around Rokku's age, clad in light blue, the same shade as some of the trucks. She wore a cap with white goggles attached to it, a sleeveless light blue vest, shorts and military boots with white tips and black soles. She wore a short-sleeved dark vertical striped, black shirt underneath the vest and had very minor armored plating on her shoulders similarly to Rokku's armored form, black biker shorts underneath her bigger shorts, black socks and fingerless gloves. The most distinctive quality about this girl was her long pink hair tied into a ponytail and all tips of her hair was a fading white color.
She ran to Rokku from her bike, calling out to him, "Mega Man! Mega Man!"
Rokku's arms weren't slumped because he wasn't happy to see her, but rather...for something else. "Hey, Aimer. You got here...just after everything was wrapped up."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Aimer annoyingly apologized. Although she appeared to be around Rokku's age, she was shorter than him. Rokku was about 155 centimeters tall, or 5'1. Aimer, on the other hand, was 152 centimeters tall, or 4'12. Her boots did make her appear to be a little taller though. "I tried getting here as fast as I could. I should've used a Transerver in the city. There was one near the Bank..."
"It's okay, Aimer," Model M replied. "Rokku and I dealt with everything here."
"Almost everything," Rokku groaned and looked at the ground as he folded his arms.
Aimer noticed Rokku's attitude and tilted her head. "What do you mean? What happened?"
Rokku remained silent for a bit. Since Rokku didn't say anything, Model M took over. "There was a strange looking Maverick that Rokku and I fought. This Jester looking girl calling herself Folly appeared to be working with the thieves who robbed the bank... But this is...mostly speculation. She's said a lot of things that's confusing my brain... She's definitely involved, though."
"Jester looking girl, huh...?" Aimer asked. "She must be a Chosen One."
"Yup." Model M replied flatly. "Very likely."
"Well, you can explain it to me a little later then," Aimer said, folding her arms too. "I know its getting pretty late out, and I know Rokku has his Guardian Certification Test-"
"OH NOOO!" Rokku suddenly cried, surprising Aimer (and Model M despite not being seen). "What time is it!?"
Aimer blinked a couple of times and looked around at the giant clock on a building nearby. "Uhhh... Looks like it's 9:50?"
"I gotta get home!" Rokku cried. "Mom's gonna kill me if I'm not home in 10 minutes! And Dad won't be able to calm her down either! Aaah, I'm so dead!"
Aimer was surprised, but chuckled. "Okay, I'm getting some Déjà vu here~ Calm down, you weirdo~ I'll give you a ride back to your place. You can talk with me and Sentry tomorrow after your Guardian Certification Test."
Rokku hugged Aimer and lifted her into the air. "Ohhh, Aimer~! You're a life saver~!" He said with cheer.
Aimer, feeling squished under the strength of a Mega Man, chuckled nervously. "Ahahaaa... Haaaaa... A-Alright, alright, you can put me down now..."
After Rokku did so, Aimer led him to the bike. As she said earlier, she'd get his explanations tomorrow. His curfew was about to be up, after all. With Rokku riding behind Aimer, she drove out of Kairos City and drove all the way to Luna Town to get her friend him.
During the ride, Rokku was no longer armored since he had no one but Aimer seeing him. Model M, a floating piece of metal, was back in Rokku's pockets. Aimer was driving just below the speed limits, aiming to get her friend home on time...
...Before his Mother supposedly "kills" him.
Inside of an abandoned warehouse located in Selena Isle's Port Town was well over fifty individuals in uniform, and not the uniforms in blue. These uniforms were intimidating, like scummy Mercenaries. These were Raiders, illegal Hunters that, logically, don't work for the coalition government, Legion. They were more like pirates. Much like the Hunter's Guild, there were numerous Raider factions out in the globe, all with different themes and ideologies, but the shared fact was that they didn't work for Legion.
A couple of these Raiders were manning warehouse vehicles and equipment like forklifts, carrying large broken pieces of machinery and large containers of E-Crystals and the newly incorporated modern-day currency, Zenny.
A familiar pink portal appeared in the middle of the room, surprising one Raider that almost ran right into, or rather through, it. Out came Folly with a weakened Inverse walking beside her. She gave a sinister and eerie smile to the Raider that almost ran into her as the portal vanished and he backed away before running around her.
"Hey! Jester!" A voice called out to her.
Folly's eyes left the fleeing Raider and towards the muscular and very tall Reploid approaching her. He had somewhat tan skin, and his body beneath his neck was navy colored as that was his 'skin' and not a bodysuit. The 6'6 tall Reploid wore a giant and expensive-looking orange and black fur coat that he hung across his neck as it acted like a cape. He wore a black turtleneck sweater and fancy black pants to match his fancy black dress shoes. The most noticeable quality about this tall man was his right arm. It was completely mechanical in silver plating and larger than his left arm. His fingers were even stylized as sharp claws. He kept his black hair slicked back with two big parting bangs and his big, long spiky ponytail being the only parts of his hair not slicked back. His black hair had evidence of white streaks, implying that he was getting older. He also wore a uniquely designed eyepatch over his right eye, a somewhat quaint choice given how the world worked now...
He looked down at the shorter and younger girl, grinning widely. "I gotta say, I was skeptical when I heard about your magic portals, but tonight was the easiest job we've ever had!"
"You never should have doubted me, Vulcan," Folly stated with a serious frown as she walked past him, hands behind her back as her big cat ally walked beside her.
Vulcan, raising a brow at her serious demeanor, paused briefly before following after her. "What the hell's your problem?"
"Nothing." Folly said flatly. "I just don't like you, Vulcan."
"You don't have to like me, girl," Vulcan spat. "But we're still doing business, so you ought to show a little gratitude for-"
Folly stopped and turned to look at him sternly. "Cease your preaching, old man. Do not forget that you are working for me, NOT the other way around. And by working for me, you are also working for my Master."
Vulcan's lip twitched angrily at that last remark. "You just make sure that old bird holds up his end of the bargain... We worked too hard to be screwed over now."
Inverse started growling at Vulcan while Folly placed her hand on his head to put him at ease, "Your ears are failing you it seems. Do we need to remove your other hand, Vulcan?"
"...No." Vulcan reluctantly replied, folding his arms. "All I wanted to do was check up on our progress. Are we a go for tomorrow?"
Folly studied him for a while, her stern face still on display. Speaking articulately, Folly replied, "...Considering that everything went perfectly tonight with the robbery, you are clear to proceed. Your rudeness aside, you and your crew have performed well enough. Just remember that we proceed on schedule. Not a moment before or after."
Vulcan nodded, "We are...grateful for your aid... Milady."
Folly studied him further, but she soon turned around and walked away. Inverse also glared at him for a bit before following its master. With Folly and her cat's backs turned, Vulcan growled as he turned around to walk away.
"Vulcan, sir," A female Raider walked beside him. "I heard your conversation."
"And you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut about her scolding," Vulcan spat coldly.
"N-No, it's not about that," She replied, tensing up at his cold tone. "It's just... That Mega Man on the island. Are we...not going to consider him a threat to our-your-plan?"
Vulcan clicked his tongue, "Tch. That girl thinks she's so clever, but I heard what happened two days ago with those three stooges of hers. Some brat became a Mega Man because those idiots failed to secure the Biometal in the Quarry. He demolished a expensive mechaniloid and then mopped the floor with the Jester's little kitty cat. But that runt's a kid."
"I suppose," The girl replied. "But a Mega Man is a Mega Man. I think we should proceed with caution."
"Under normal circumstances, I'd melt your mouth shut for speaking to me like that," Vulcan said, making the girl tense up even more. "But you are right. Even outside of that Mega Man, there's Guardians, Sentries, and Hunters on the island. So long as the girl and that buzzard supply us with what they owe us, even the Mega Man will be a non-issue."
"Yes, sir," The girl stated. "I believe in you."
Vulcan then stopped and glared at the girl who began sweating buckets, "Awright, get the hell outta here! You're smothering me!"
She shrieked and ran off to join a couple of her comrades. Vulcan watched her run away before he went to the stairs to oversee the present operation from the balconies above. Gripping onto the railing with both his regular hand and his overly mechanical one, he growled to himself,
"Those Sentry punks are on this island..." Vulcan said to himself. "I'll get back at them for screwing me over... I'm sure losing a couple of their people will get their commander to show his face..."
As a toothy sinister grin grew on his face, he continued to observe his crew working on the preparations for his big plan. Folly, on the other hand, kept her eye on the individual from afar. Inverse let out a small growl as it too watched the man on the balcony.
"At ease, Inverse," Folly replied in an assuring tone. "Vulcan will behave. He has no choice. No matter the outcome, the empire will prevail. Vulcan will have to decide whether he's with us or against us in due time. Until then, let him scheme as he pleases."
Inverse let out a... satisfied snort and turned to walk further into the darkness of the warehouse with Folly following right behind him, her own sinister grin on her face. Unlike the man, her eyes and grin practically glowed in the darkness.
"...I can only hope Mr. Hero-Mega Man-proves his usefulness...and exceed that of Vulcan's. Ohhh, Mr. Hero~ Show me the extent of your prowess. Surprise me so~ "