Chapter 11: Surprise Attack
"How goes the plan?"
Folly stood before her loyal underling, Sempronio. Aside from her Inverse, Sempronio was the one person she could depend on. Even if he, like his fellow brothers, get on her bad side. Regardless, of the three, Sempronio was the easiest to speak to.
They were in a brand-new locale with other members of the Gravers. After leaving their hideout in the Port Town and being forced to escape their short-lived hideout in a cavern network at the rocky shores, the Gravers had to make haste with a new location. Folly was able to help them with a temporary hideout by the mountains, but this one had to be very temporary.
Whatever plan Vulcan had, it needed to be done soon. Day by day, the Raider group's number diminishes greatly. No thanks to the Guardians, Sentries, and most of all, that Mega Man.
"The island is bigger than we thought." Sempronio told her. "All the better for your scheme, Mistress."
"It isn't my scheme, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same." Folly corrected with a smile.
"Still, I've went ahead and marked specific spots on the map we've drawn up on the computer." Sempronio continued. "I figured these locales would be most ideal for the plan."
"Nicely done." Folly congratulated. "I'll take a look at them shortly."
Sempronio gave a salute and walked away to join his brothers elsewhere in this unknown location. While Tizio and Caio were failing in their tasks, Sempronio ensured that the plan went off successfully. He would not allow the modern incarnation of the Blue Bomber to stand in the way of that.
The jester watched her underling walk through the crowd of Gravers. A gleeful smirk crept on her face. In her heart, she felt overwhelming excitement. So much to be done and she couldn't wait for all their hard work to be unleashed. Even if the modern Blue Bomber was a factor that was trying to stop them, Folly did not mind. Not one bit. In fact, she welcomed the challenge.
As she learned from her master, life is no fun without obstacles to challenge you.
She took those words to heart, and she'd welcome any and all challenges. Especially from him. If the plan went perfectly well, then that wouldn't be too satisfying of a victory.
It was then that Folly shook her head. She was blissfully lost in her thoughts once again. The excitement in her heart truly was overwhelming. Still, there was another individual she needed to converse with...
Folly's smirk quickly turned into a frown as she walked through the hideout in search of the group's leader. She found the big man of the Gravers, yelling at a woman; specifically the woman who had spoken with Tizio prior before they were attacked at the rocky shores.
"What do you mean we're low on materials!?" Vulcan shouted out to the woman. "I gave you damn near a quarter of what we already had!"
"I'm sorry." The woman apologized calmly despite his leader's anger. She may be calm now, but her heart was secretly pounding. "I don't know what happened. I took inventory when we arrived and when we left the cave. I'd assume that we left some behind at the scene, but everyone I spoke to assured me that they didn't miss anything..."
Vulcan growled. He almost looked like he was throwing a tantrum, wanting to punch or smash something. And Folly couldn't help but giggle as she approached him.
"You appear to be in a bad mood~"
Vulcan turned around to face the small jester. The female subordinate took this opportunity to slither away since Folly had his attention. Vulcan simply growled, but Folly continued.
"You've already lost so many of your people, Mr. Vulcan," Folly teased, marching towards him in a playful manner. "And now you've got low inventory? You and your crew are starting to become more and more incompetent by the day~"
Vulcan cursed under his breath. In two days, he lost half of the crew he brought here to this quaint island. Right now, they were in police custody and the remaining crewmembers were wanted. To Vulcan, the police or Sentry wouldn't be an issue... But the Guardians have a Mega Man.
He hated that Mega Man.
"Someone must've leaked our hideout..." Vulcan thought aloud. "We were found out too fast...!"
"Orrr, you're just incompetent~?" Folly teasingly suggested, earning a glare from Vulcan. "Honestly, at this rate, your crewmates might as well be fodder for our blue hero~"
"SHUT IT!" Vulcan shouted, earning stares from everyone else in the hideout.
Everyone was quick to get back to work following that yell. However, Folly's teasing demeanor quickly soured.
"I don't appreciate your tone." Folly spat as she glared at him.
"And I don't appreciate your tone." Vulcan retorted. "You and that old bird haven't been helpin' us whatsoever...! This deal of ours is BOGUS!"
Folly, although annoyed with the man thinking he's the boss of her, folded her arms across her chest, simply staring at him with uncaring eyes.
"Is that so?" Folly replied. "Well then. I'm sorry you feel that way."
The jester turned around and closed her eyes. "You are preparing for another attack in the city. Yet, you're missing half your squad. I could've liberated your crewmates from their cells during your little commotion, but since me and my master haven't been helping you..."
Vulcan's eyes widened a bit. He was too hasty in talking down to her. Sure, he hated that he was taking orders from a bratty teenager, but she was a Mega Man just like the boy. She had powers. Unique powers that could be useful. Despite his feelings towards this girl and her master, he had to suck up his pride and accept that he needed her help.
"Now, hold on a second!" Vulcan stammered. His desperate voice earned a smirk from Folly which the big man could not see. "You just came up with a great idea there! Me and my crew start our attack and you can use that as distraction to free my other crewmates!
Vulcan raised his right brow. "That is what you're suggesting, right?"
Folly turned around, her smirk on full display as she replied with a simple, "Quite so~"
She snapped her fingers and a portal appeared beside her. Coming out of that portal was a scarecrow-looking robot: A Hallow Jack.
"And since you're presently low on cannon fodder, I will allow you further use of the Hallow Jacks~" Folly said. "You can even have them pilot your brand-new mechaniloids~"
Vulcan stared at the Hallow Jack. It looked...eerie, but also comical at the same time.
"What's the deal with these scarecrow bots anyway...?" Vulcan asked, hands on his side.
"These robots were a parting gift from someone we've grown acquainted with in the past." Folly explained. "The scarecrow design is the basis design we were initially given, but I've extensively used their design to create variants. Ultimately, the Hallow Jacks are more themed after puppets or dolls. And just like any doll, I can dress them up however I please~"
She took off the hat of the Hallow Jack. It didn't look like the hat came off easily. Rather, it appeared to be magnetically attached to the head. But with enough force, Folly was able to pry it off. True to her words, she could indeed "dress them up however she pleases".
Vulcan watched her put the hat back on the robot's head. "Uh-huh..."
Folly noted Vulcan's unenthusiastic tone. "...In short, the Hallow Jacks have advanced AI. Much like the Galleons or the Pantheons of the distant past."
"...Pantheons?"
Folly frowned once again. "...Right. That kind of knowledge isn't very public..."
"What are you talking about?" Vulcan spat, sounding impatient.
Centuries ago, there existed foot soldier robots known as Pantheons that served Neo Arcadia. These Pantheons had the appearance similar to that of Master X, the fallen leader of that nation. Following his demise, these Pantheons were ultimately scrapped in favor of newer foot soldiers. In the end, those newer lines would fall too.
And then Galleons would appear out of nowhere. Their origins are unknown, but they are the most common Mavericks found, mostly in a controlled environment.
"Worry not about that." Folly retorted. "The point is they are intelligent. So if I were you, I would let them drive ALL the manned mechaniloids you plan on deploying. Our enemies have more Mega Men and if they are in tip-top condition, they might not be like our blue hero and hesitate on attacking. They could very well kill your crewmates."
Vulcan grumbled a bit. She had a point. It wasn't even the other Mega Men he had to worry about. The Sentries could also possibly kill if they were ordered to given how the Gravers have been lately.
"Good point." Vulcan agreed.
Folly then clapped her hands cheerfully before playfully pushing the Hallow Jack back into the portal which vanished. Vulcan witnessed the Hallow Jack have a visible look of shock and fear as Folly nonchalantly shoved him back from whence it came. Far more expressive than any Galleon...
"Then it's settled~" Folly cheered. "You prepare for your little battles with the city while I prepare to rescue your crying teammates~"
Vulcan nodded. "Got it."
With a taunting, "Good luuuck~" Folly would then march away from Vulcan's sight. Once she was gone, Vulcan scowled. He was starting to hate her as much as the modern Blue Bomber, but for his plan to work, he had to obey...for now.
"AWWWRIGHT!" Vulcan shouted to his crew, earning everyone's attention whether they liked it or not. "GET READY TO COMMENCE THE ATTACK! WE MOVE OUT IN 10 MINUTES! GOT IT!?"
His crewmates let out a loud, "YES SIR!" and quickly got back to work. Vulcan smirked in response. This hideout by the mountains would be very temporary. Thanks to Folly and her powers, they could have hideouts like these.
But after today, if things go as planned, the Raiders at Graver won't have to hide out any further...
Rokku grabbed Model M upon meeting up with him at the Guardian outpost. Aimer had given him a bit of a briefing as they were heading there. Whatever was going down, Rokku needed to be prepared. Thankfully, Model M was healed up completely. With the Sub-Tanks he's been taking, Rokku was alright too.
But he was also very, very nervous.
When he entered the Ground Base, he was surprised by the heavy Sentry influence. If there was one thing he knew about the Guardians, it's that they weren't an army. Not like Sentry. The Guardians' main purpose is to investigate Maverick outbreaks and help people in need. Sentry, on the other hand, were far more powerful and focused primarily on fighting.
Aimer had told him that the majority of the Guardians on Selena Isle have left to help the citizens of Kairos City, keeping them safe from whatever was happening. Although Rokku was a Guardian, he was also a Mega Man.
"Good, you came." A stern-faced Dwight said to both Rokku and Aimer upon arrival. The two's never seen Dwight so serious. The senior Guardian stood in front of the door leading to the hangar where supplies and materials would be found. But in this situation, this was the briefing room. Dwight stood aside and allowed him entry. "That Sentry Commander is waiting."
The young teens gave a nod as they entered inside. Many soldiers of Sentry were standing by, speaking with a superior of their organization. Watching this little briefing was a tall and burly man dressed in a white, blue and black military uniform. He had black hair underneath his military cap and a broad chin.
Aimer immediately straightened her stance and saluted. "Commander Markos! Sir!"
Aimer's sudden behavior caught Rokku off guard. He's never seen her act like this.
The Commander turned around upon hearing the voice of his young subordinate. Rokku got a good look at him since he was now facing them, and he...certainly looked scary. His eyes were ultra-serious and stone-cold, and his chin was chiseled with small stubbles of hair.
Unexpectedly, the Commander's stern face quickly turned into a look of utter and complete shock. And Rokku shared this expression to a T.
"YOU!?"
Aimer's eyes widened when they both said that. They even pointed at each other dramatically. She's never seen her commander like this either.
"U-Uhhh... I'm s-sorry, do you... know each other? Sir?" Aimer stammered, her eyes darting back and forth between her friend and her superior.
"T-T-That's Markos! He's my Uncle!" Rokku cried.
Markos, still as surprised as everyone else here, placed his index finger over his lips. "Shhh! There's a briefing going on...!"
For all her brilliance, it took Aimer a bit to process all the information she's just been fed. But when everything clicked, her mouth fell wide open. "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh...?!"
Once again, Markos hushed his subordinate. His shocked expression eventually softened to a calm yet professional one. He calmly placed his hands behind his back and sighed.
"Who would've thought..." Markos began softly. "My own nephew, fighting Raiders and Mavericks... With the power of a Biometal."
"I wish Mom would've told me that my uncle was the commander of Sentry." Rokku replied, almost with a pouting tone.
Aimer still had her mouth agape as she listened to the uncle and nephew converse so casually. She's never heard or seen her commander like this.
Markos gently laughed. "Well, you might've been too young to recall that I once visited in my uniform. You had to have been... What, 4? 5?"
"Iunno, probably." Rokku shrugged. When he last saw Markos, which was last year during his mother's birthday, he definitely wasn't in uniform like he was now. And he certainly didn't recall his mother or father telling him his uncle was a military commander of some sort.
"Personally, I'd prefer if you stayed with your mother," Markos told him, sounding more serious this time. "But since you have a Biometal, you're needed now more than ever. I even heard about your accomplishments over the past two days. Not bad for a newbie."
"It's all thanks to Model M~" Rokku grinned. "I wouldn't be doing nearly as well without him. Oh, and Aimer too~!"
Aimer finally closed her mouth at the mention of her name. She was listening even while the shock that her commander was Rokku's uncle was still fresh on her mind. Still, she smiled a little at the compliment. Given recent events, she needed to hear that.
"Model M?" Markos raised a brow. "Ah, you must be referring to your Biometal. These contraptions have an unusual naming convention..."
Model M shifted in Rokku's pocket. He didn't appreciate being called a 'contraption'.
"Uhh... Yeah, I guess." Rokku rubbed the back of his head.
Aimer decided to clear her throat. "Um, excuse me, sir. I think we should commence with the briefing on what's happening?"
Markos turned to her and nodded. "Of course." He then turned to Rokku. "If you would, I'd like you to transform. You do have a secret identity to uphold, right?"
Rokku raised a brow at his words. Did he...not know the term 'Megamerge'? Then again, it was an odd term anyway. But Rokku knew his uncle was right. Grabbing Model M from his pocket, he proceeded to Megamerge, briefly being filled with a bright light as the armor quickly materialized around his body.
Thankfully, Rokku didn't...exactly have to shout Megamerge out loud all the time. That's one catchphrase he didn't want to repeat very often...
Markos watched as his nephew was now armored up. "Hmmm... Very reminiscent of another Mega Man... I believe they called him "X"."
"X?" Rokku asked.
"Yes... But that's a story for another time." Markos then turned to head towards the crowd of Sentries. "Follow. We have a briefing to commence."
Rokku and Aimer followed Commander Markos. In the Commander's mind, he was a little impatient. He knew what was happening, but he didn't expect it so soon.
"Vaude, you need to get here soon..." He thought with a stern face as he faced his soldiers and a couple of Guardians.
Shortly after Markos took center stage, he got everyone's attention as he prepared for the briefing.
"Good day, everyone." Markos greeted. "I won't beat around the bush here. We're dealing with a threat today. A threat that's both familiar to us at Sentry and new to us all. Not only do we have our enemies, Graver, but we have an unknown faction that they've reportedly allied themselves with. I never expected conflict of this kind to happen here of all places but... Here we are."
Markos sighed as he said that last part. A select few knew that Selena Island was Markos' home, so the fact that trouble of this scale has been brought to his home pains him, but he remained calm and professional despite that. He had no choice.
"Just yesterday, we were given intel from a helpful individual that has helped us yesterday." Markos stated. "Today, that individual has given us further intel. And given how accurate the information yesterday was, I think we can all agree that this intel is very likely accurate as well. Via delivery to a Guardian, this individual has delivered a message. A warning for us."
Hearing the Commander's words, Rokku immediately knew that this individual had to have been Merrie Jane. Yesterday, she had used a Guardian request to summon him to her at Iota Park. He wondered why she didn't do the same thing today.
Markos would walk over to the member of Sentry that was previously speaking with everyone and that person gave Markos a tablet that contained the message. After tapping the screen a few times, Markos had opened the audio file.
And Rokku immediately recognized the voice as Merrie Jane.
"I-I hope this stupid thing is on... T-This is Merrie. I-I-I've found out where the Gravers had run off to...! I-I was chased by this weird bat bot just an hour ago, but then I fell in this weird portal! I t-t-think th-that Folly person kidnapped me and held me in a cage! She's the portal maker, ri-right? But I broke out! S-Some weird hard hat robot, I think it's called a Mettaur? A Metool? Whatever! That robot didn't lock the cage even though it closed it in on me! So I left! I-It turns out I was held inside the Gravers' latest hideout...! I overheard what their boss was saying! He's planning another attack at the city today! A-A-And he has these big scary mechaniloids that are being piloted! I-I tried to take some photos, but one of the Gravers spotted me a-and I ran! I managed to escape! Their hideout was somewhere in the mountains, I don't really remember! But I just HAD to get this message out! Please, stop this attack! I-I-I'm afraid that their mechaniloids might be more powerful than what we've seen yet...!"
That's where the audio file ended.
The crowd murmured regarding the message, including Rokku and Aimer.
"That was Merrie Jane..." Rokku muttered. "Folly kidnapped her...?"
"But she got out..." Aimer added, placed her hand on her chin. "I guess she's laying low right now after that. It'd make the most sense..."
The crowd immediately stopped talking when Markos placed the tablet down on a nearby container.
"I've already listened to this message and requested that a Guardian scout team investigate the mountains for the Gravers' hideout." Markos explained. "But now, you all have listened to the message. Many Guardians have already been dispatched to the city to ensure the people's safety and my fellow Sentries are readying themselves for battle there. It's time you all do the same. Our mission is to apprehend these Raiders for questioning but be prepared for whatever tactics they employ. Do not hesitate to do what you must to protect the innocents and each other if you're pushed in that situation."
Markos' brows furrowed. "Am I understood?"
A collective "YES SIR!" was followed by all except Rokku and Aimer.
With a confident smile, Markos nodded his head. "Very good. Now move out!"
The Sentries and Guardians were given their tasks, so they all went out to do just that. Although Markos was the commander of the Sentries, he was able to have these orders extend to the Guardians as well.
Sure, Sentry and the Guardians were close organizations, and Markos certainly knew the commander of the latter very well, but Markos knew what he could and couldn't order these people. The Guardians' commander would very much want her fellow Guardians to do their part and keep the people safe. The Guardians may mostly prioritize in investigating Maverick outbreaks but getting out there and helping people were in equal parts important. That's what made them very beloved with the populace.
While the Sentries and Guardians moved out, Markos went to approach the young teens. With a serious frown, he looked at Rokku first.
"...This isn't an easy thing for me to request, but I ask you to do the same as my fellow Sentries." Markos told him.
"I'm gonna do my part." Rokku replied quickly. "With Sentry and my Guardian pals, we'll handle this in no time!"
After saying that, Rokku ran to join his allies in the upcoming battle. Markos' face was unchanging, even despite Rokku's optimism. That very optimism is what had Markos concerned.
He then turned to Aimer. "Keep tabs on him."
Aimer looked up at him, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You told me you two have worked together before, right?" Markos reminded her. "You know him best. So, I want you to be his navigator."
"A-A-A navigator!?" Aimer exclaimed. "I-I've hardly done that kind of work before! W-With all due and respect!"
"It's a simple task, especially since you know him." Markos stated calmly. "We have the equipment already prepared."
Aimer was silent for a while. She has helped Rokku before, most notably during the initial Kairos City attack and against Wingwave...both in the same day, but she still felt uncertain.
She wanted to help Rokku and Model M, but this wasn't quite what she had in mind.
Still, any help is better than no help at all. So Aimer sighed and complied.
"...Yes, sir!"
The city was on high alert. Thanks to the warning from a young girl, the defense forces were able to properly prepare for an enemy attack and avoid a repeat of a surprise attack like a few days ago. Many Guardians worked closely with the Selena Isle police to get the people to safety and ready themselves for a battle with Graver.
Many of the citizens took the train to Luna Town to hide out, but until this conflict was resolved, that train would not be coming back. Many took their cars and left for Luna Town as well, but the increasing traffic would make leaving far more difficult due to the panic. This forced the Guardians and police to step in and evacuate the remaining people into safe zones in Kairos City. This courtesy extended to the residence of the neighboring K2 City, as well. Thus far, Graver has been targeting Kairos City, theoretically because he's targeting Mayor Radman for whatever reason, but K2 City was very close by, connected via a bridge. There was no telling if K2 City would be caught in whatever attack Graver had in mind.
Despite some hiccups, the evacuation efforts have been progressing smoothly.
Elsewhere, on the rooftop of a large building by the edge of the city, three Guardians were stationed there, getting a good view of the Angelica Plains. As the lookouts, they had to keep an eye out for the enemy.
"This is getting tiresome..." One male Guardian grumbled. "Why are Raiders even attacking an island like this anyway?"
"Does it matter?" Another male Guardian asked with slight annoyance. "They're here and they're causing trouble. We just need to do our jobs..."
With these two Guardians was Candice. Frankly, she didn't want to be up here... Mostly because of the two Guardians bickering constantly. But she had to be here. It was her duty as a Guardian.
"Yeah, but what if they're in the city?" The first Guardian stated. "Isn't that what happened last time?"
"That's why we have a bunch of Guardians out here looking out, genius." The second Guardian spat. "You think we're the only ones on lookout?!"
Candice just pinched the bridge of her nose. These two were more experienced than her and yet they were behaving like they were the newbies.
However, she dropped her hand as a thought suddenly came to her.
"...Wait." Candice started, stopping the two Guardians from arguing further. "Weren't there weird portals that appeared in the city that dropped off Mavericks...?"
The two Guardians glanced at one another, slowly but surely recalling precisely that there were indeed portals that appeared during the first attack.
A collective look of dread fell upon the three of them as they turned around to see a large pink portal materializing in the city, specifically on the empty freeway. Coming out of the portal were many Mavericks and Mechaniloids with Gravers right alongside them. The mass majority of the Mavericks were the scarecrow looking robots that were reported to be seen during the last attack, but even inside the tank-like Mechaniloids, these robots were piloting them, not the Gravers.
"...Aw crap." The first Guardian muttered.
Candice wasted no more time and reached for her communicator on her left ear. Opening her Comm Link, she'd contact a superior. "This is Candice! The Gravers have arrived! They're already in the city! They're coming out of those weird portals!"
On the other line, an annoyed voice followed; said voice belonging to Dwight. "Yeah, we got it. There's another portal blocking the bridge to K2 City. Looks like they're covering all sides of the city."
"What do we do!?" Candice asked.
"For starters, stop freaking out." Dwight replied. "Sentry's gonna handle this one. Oh, and the Mega Man. Keep your distance and keep an eye on the enemy. Relay their locations so they aren't met with any surprises."
"R-Right." Candice sighed. "Right..."
Candice would relay the orders with the other two Guardians. They weren't soldiers and they weren't equipped to fight like Sentry could. But they still had their roles.
Coming from the freeway, the numerous Hallow Jacks ran around, cackling eerily as they prepared to attack on sight. They seem to take on a great pleasure fulfilling their roles, and their role included taking on opposition. Violently.
Although most of the manned Mechaniloids, which were mostly tank-like with custom giant cannons or even winged much like the King Flyer, were piloted by the Hallow Jacks, there was one manned Mechaniloid, modeled after a tank, that wasn't being piloted by a Hallow Jack.
Rather, it was piloted by a woman; specifically the woman that Vulcan barked at earlier... And right behind the woman was indeed the boss that barked at her.
He sat right behind his female subordinate, arms folded across his chest and baring a big toothy grin.
"Heh heh heh... Those punks won't know what hit 'em!" Vulcan cheered.
"No they won't, sir." The woman replied with a deadpan tone, but with a hint of excitement that was shared with her boss.
"Stay right behind the others, Octavia." Vulcan ordered his subordinate. His grin remained, but his face took on a more villainous look. "I saw more Sentry ships arrive earlier and I recognized one of 'em. I'm hoping that the good Commander is there... I can't wait for the rematch."
"Of course." The subordinate, known as Octavia, replied.
While Octavia followed right behind the other Mechaniloids, Vulcan reached for his ear plate. "Hey. Girlie. We're in the city. Now do your thing and get my buds out of their cells!"
On the other side, Folly spoke back. With a taunting tone and an imitation of a basic robot voice, she says, "Roger, Roger~"
"The fireworks are gonna start...!" Vulcan shouted. "And I want my boys and girls to join in on the fun!"
"Worry not." Folly replied. "Once my task is done, I will be providing further support if need be~"
Vulcan grinned. "Glad to hear it!"
Vulcan cut the call and resumed folding his arms again.
Deeper in the city, the police mechaniloids were front and center while the cops hid behind barricades to fire missiles and energy cannons right back at the enemy. Anything to stop them. It was enough to put down the Hallow Jacks that were on the ground, but the mechaniloids were tougher to take down.
The Hallow Jacks in the mechaniloids cackled as they fired their cannons, shooting plasma sphere blasts right at them. It utterly destroyed the police's mechaniloids and sent many cops flying back when the barricade was destroyed by the blast radius.
More police mechaniloids were quickly deployed, descending from the sky to fire back and defend the police officers as they rushed to a new place to hide as they continued to fight. Joining the police mechaniloids with Sentries with their specialized guns. Even still, the battle was right down the middle. No side was really losing yet...
...Though the police knew that they were getting pushed back even when they haven't been defeated, while the Gravers kept pushing forward.
These kinds of battles were all over the city, with Graver going up against the police and Sentry.
Vulcan, however, was confident. His new mechaniloids and the usage of Hallow Jacks gave him an edge. The Hallow Jacks were surprisingly versatile and intelligent, much like the Galleons. A single Hallow Jack wouldn't be too much of an issue to deal with, but the sheer number of them were their strength as each Hallow Jack would never truly be the same. One could do one thing while the other could do something entirely different. This was what gave Vulcan's opposition trouble, and he was reveling in that.
He was thankful for Folly's aid thus far.
Even his crew was able to take out a couple of cops and go toe-to-toe with some Sentries.
"Ha Ha Haaa!" Vulcan laughed. "I can feel it already! Sentry's comin' to an end on this stupid island!"
Octavia was annoyed by his laughter. He's been laughing for minutes now. She understood he was excited, and he had every reason to be given how they, more or less, had the high ground in this conflict, but his constant laughter was bothering her. It was a good thing all she was doing was following behind, barely shooting. Otherwise she would've lost all focus.
Vulcan would receive a call on his communicator. He answered it, and the Jester's voice followed.
"I am happy to report that your crew is out and about~" Folly spoke. "The police stood no chance in stopping us~"
"YEESSS!" Vulcan fist pumps, which Octavia rolled her eyes to. She didn't even have to see him fist-pump. She just knew he did it evident by his childish cheers. "Nice work, girlie!"
Elsewhere, on top of another rooftop, Folly stood at the edge, watching the battle commence. A couple of blocks away from the Guardian outpost, a certain Mega Man was tearing through the forces, including a flying manned Mechaniloid, with Charge Shots. Folly smirked as she had her eye on that blue Mega Man. Her eyes squinted lovingly at the direction of the Mega Man giving it his all.
"I prefer "Folly" or "Jester", but very well." Folly sarcastically replied with her usual cheery tone. "Happy fighting~"
With that, Folly cut the link. She turned around to face her own subordinates, the Trouble Trio. "The plan is going well~"
Tizio and Caio had sinister smiles and although Sempronio lacked a mouth, his posture was enough to know that he shares his brothers' feelings on the matter.
Folly walked past them and stood on another edge of the same rooftop, watching another battle from another viewpoint. Her expression hadn't changed a bit.
"I'll admit, this kind of mayhem isn't my cup of tea. It's far too basic. Far too brutish. At least, in the direction of a brutish man. But my Hallow Jacks is what saves this chaos from being totally mindless~"
Sempronio joined his 'mistress', sharing her gaze as he looked down at the streets where the conflict was happening. "As a Joe, I cannot say I necessarily agree or disagree with you. War is war in my mind."
"That's fine." Folly replied. "You're modeled after a robot series that hasn't existed in well over four centuries. And those robots in that time period were simplistic compared to how robots are now. But that's simply the thing. You're not truly a Joe robot."
She turned her head to face him. "Like I said, you're only modeled after a Joe bot. You're a Reploid."
"Still. I share the pride a Joe robot has." Sempronio replied, his single eye staring at her. "We were weapons of war... And in case you haven't notice, but my appearance is modeled after a military commander."
Folly proceeded to laugh quietly to herself. "Hmhmhm~ Yes... Your creator had fun designing you. All three of you~"
Tizio waddled over to Folly's legs while Caio perched himself onto Sempronio's shoulder.
Suddenly, an explosion happened many blocks away from where they were. It caught the four's attention as they quickly gazed over. There were plenty of explosions happening. Either coming from a mechaniloid's or Hallow Jack's demise or weapon blasts. But... This abnormal explosion was purple. And it came from one of their own manned mechaniloids which slowly fell and collapsed to pieces upon hitting the pavement.
"What the heck was that!?" Caio asked, taking off to the skies and flapping his wings. "Our mechs don't have purple explosions! Do they?!"
As he said this, more explosions came. One by one, more of the manned mechaniloids fell, exploding in purple fire.
Folly would receive a call from the big man himself again.
"Hey! Jester!" Vulcan barked. "I hear some of my guys are getting destroyed out there! I... Wait... There's someone out there taking out my crew!"
Folly was silent. For once, she was...uncertain. There was an unknown factor that she's witnessing. She witnessed a collective series of purple explosions that came in that same way, exploding like gun fire from a machine gun.
"...I will look into this." Folly stated before cutting the call. She didn't care if Vulcan had more to say but look into it she would most certainly do.
She quickly held out her hand and materialized a pink portal and rushed into it. Her subordinates wasted little time and followed right after as she likely expected them to. The portal took them on a rooftop closer to where the destruction was occurring, but she was far enough where neither she nor the Trouble Trio would be harmed.
"Keep your eyes peeled." Folly told her underlings. Her voice was noticeable more serious, but not too serious. The Trouble Trio took notice, but simply did as they were told.
Folly had no idea what was going on, but she'd be prepared for whatever happens. She expected resistance, but this... She didn't think this was resistance like with the Mega Man or Sentry or the Guardians or the police. This was more of a... slaughter.
From the roof, Folly witnessed a big purple fire that covered a downed Mechaniloids and spread to a nearby car that would explode shortly after. Standing about 50 meters away from the fire were some Gravers were stationed beside a manned Mechaniloid, aiming their fire arms towards the target slowly walking out of the fire, completely unscathed by the flames.
"H-Hey! Get the hell back!" One Graver shouted. He attempted to sound tough but... to no avail.
"Forget the warnings! Shoot!" Another Graver shouted, immediately opening fire.
Even the Hallow Jack in the Mechaniloid frantically starting blasting from their cannons towards the individual.
"KILL THAT SON OF A-"
The Graver was caught off by a shot to his chest. It was a small purple shot, but a bigger purple blast akin to a Charge Shot was released right after and went straight towards the tank-like mechaniloid. What made it unique was that the blast had, what appeared to be, a skull-like design inside of it. At least, that's what the other Graver believed he saw. He couldn't tell if he really saw it. But it truly was there, and that flaming skull blast tore right through the mechaniloid, destroying it in a purple blaze just like the rest of the mechaniloid.
The living Graver let out a blood-curdling scream as that exploding mechaniloid collapsed right on top of the poor man.
The attacker dashed quickly and hopped right over the fallen mechaniloid, moving on to his next target.
But the identity of the individual was all too clear to Folly, and her blood froze upon immediately recognizing him.
"No...!" Folly muttered. "It can't be...!"
Rokku had his hands on his hips as he went up against a big manned mechaniloid. It was tall with tank wheels and big chunky arms with three giant spikes for 'hands' or, more accurately, 'fists'. He's fought numerous unique manned mechaniloids like this one earlier, but that was with Sentries and the police. Rokku had decided to push on forward, risking his life to put the attention on him to give everyone else an easier time. The enemy's likely gonna target the 'ultra-powerful' Mega Man, so why act as bait to make things easier.
Rokku was, reasonably, terrified at the idea of being bait, but he kept going anyway. The use of his Mega Buster in addition to careful use of his new Special Weapons, made things for easier. His Super Arm demolished the mechaniloids. His Fire Storm scorched the machines. His Ice Slasher froze the Gravers non-lethally, even if it gave them a good chill. And his new Thunder Beam? Or as he sometimes calls it, the "Elec Beam"? Very powerful.
Even though Raiden's mind was negatively influenced by the Biometal's brainwashing program, Rokku could see why Raiden thought himself powerful. This thing was devastating.
But he had to conserve weapon energy. Presently, he had four special weapons.
Yes, four, not five.
Earlier on while Aimer was driving Rokku to the Guardian outpost for the mission briefing, Aimer and Model M had informed him of something regarding his latest special weapon acquisition...
"The Electro Wave is gone?" Rokku asked.
"Not exactly. More like it's been merged with the Thunder Beam." Model M stated.
"The error you received when you got Model El's weapon data implied that you had already acquired it." Aimer explained, speaking loudly during the ride. "I'm thinking that Model El was used as Wingwave's core, hence the error. The Thunder Beam is now your primary special weapon, but you CAN still utilize the Electro Wave's features at the cost of more of your weapon energy. I managed to do get around that error that way. The Thunder Beam is more powerful than the standard Electro Wave, but the Electro Wave's big attack is more powerful than a Thunder Beam, you know?"
Admittedly, some of that went over Rokku's head at the time due to the strong winds blocking out most of what Aimer was saying, but now in combat, he had an idea what was going on. With the Electro Wave, a move inspired by Model El's data, and the Thunder Beam, Aimer had made the two weapons merge as one in a sense. He could still use the baton-like weapon while still using the Thunder Beam and the Electro Wave's big soundwave attack which took off a chunk of weapon energy.
Regardless, in spite of his increased special weapon arsenal, he had no idea how close he was to the end of the conflict. He hoped him taking out some Gravers and destroying the mechaniloids would put a dent in things, but... He truly had no idea.
At least he had another voice in his head aside from his own voice and Model M's voice though.
"Keep at it, Rokku!" Aimer cheered over the comms in his ear plate. "These guys don't stand a chance!"
"Heh..." Rokku smirked and pointed his Buster, preparing for another Thunder Beam attack while his enemy waited there in front of him. "Thanks for the confidence boost, Aims!"
Rokku's smirk turned to a grin and prepared to pull the trigger just as the mechaniloid was about to launch its arm right at him. However...
"Rokku! Wait!" Aimer cried. "We have a unidentified entity approaching and fast! These readings are crazy!"
"Say what now?"
Rokku's confusion quickly warped to shock as something tore right through the mechaniloid's 'chest'. It wasn't a blast, but an individual. An armored individual.
As if the mechaniloid was made of paper, he tore through like a cannon ball and landed on the ground on one knee. Without turning, this person turned his right arm, aiming his arm cannon and releasing a flaming skull looking Charge Shot at the head where the pilot was, destroying not only the mechaniloid, but the Hallow Jack inside it as well.
The explosions were purple and the mechaniloid fell like a tower collapsing. The individual slowly brought his arm back and slowly stood up on his feet. The explosions made a very clear silhouette. An armored individual with a helmet resembling that of bat ears or a cobra, primarily black armor with gold accents here and there, and two glowing blue gems on the helmet where the forehead would be and the chest.
"No way..." Model M whispered.
"What is this...?" Rokku gasped, lowering his Buster as he stared in disbelief and shock, truly uncertain of just what had just occurred in less than 30 seconds.
Although it might've been Rokku's mind playing tricks on him, he thought he saw this individual's eyes stare directly at him. Crimson eyes that were glowing as brightly as the power gems on his helmet and chest. He had no idea what to expect and any help he could have were many, many blocks away.
"U-Um..." Rokku stammered before awkwardly waving and, albeit weakly, smiling. "T-Thanks for the help...?"
The individual's eyes shut as he let out a small chuckle. Judging from the tone of his voice, he sounded young. Just like him. Maybe it was the helmet design, but he looked taller than he really was... In actuality, he was barely taller than Rokku.
But the chuckle left Rokku...uneasy. But if that didn't unsettle him, the fact that the individual started walking towards him as he placed his hand on his left side of his face as the laughter grew certainly would've done it.
"Hehhehheh... Well..." The person began. "I won't make a habit out of that..."
The boy grinned big and wide, a dangerous look of excitement all over his face. A look that Model M knew all too well...
"...Because you're my next target... Mega Man...!"