Chapter 12: The Black Berserker
"No no no no no...!" Aimer shouted to herself. She had witnessed a new arrival appear before Rokku via the Comm Link that was connected to Rokku. She left the Guardian outpost and grabbed her motorcycle. She didn't know what to do, but the energy readings she got from this arrival were too big for her liking. She had to do SOMETHING.
Taking off on her motorcycle, she headed towards Rokku, calling for support to help him if they could. The Gravers were giving the Sentry troops trouble and Rokku had moved on ahead to take on a group of them single-handedly. The hope was that the threat would be dealt with so that they could assist Rokku.
But dread came across her face as she drove off. She needed to get to him. Quickly.
"...I'm sorry. Can you run that by me again?"
The question was asked by a bewildered Rokku. He thought he was just going to fight some Mavericks and some Raider jerks, but he's come face to face with yet another Mega Man. He could've sworn that Folly told him that Raiden was the last Mega Man she's had so... Who was this guy? The possibility of Folly telling lies was something to consider, but Rokku had a feeling that this was no trick.
Something about this felt off. And he could sense that his Biometal companion shared his unease...
Still, Rokku decided to play it cool, refusing to let it be known completely just how nervous he truly was.
"I just beat up a bunch of guys from Gravers, blew up a buncha Mavericks and mechas, and... I won't lie, it's gotten a little mindless." Rokku chuckled...nervously.
"I was pretty clear on my intent, wasn't I?" The other Mega Man replied, with a tinge of annoyance in his tone.
To Rokku's surprise, another voice joined in on the conversation. A voice that was coming from the black armored individual.
"Well, well, well!" The eager voice began. "It's about time my eternal rival's come back from the dead! What took you!?"
Rokku raised a brow at the other voice. He was about to respond to the voice as he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but Model M took over in Rokku's stead.
"I'm... not sure." He replied. In contrast to his partner, Model M was rather calm, but he still shared his partner's confusion. "I just suddenly appeared in a new body. But I'm happy to see you again, Bass."
Rokku's confusion was still visible on his face as he thought about the name Model M just called out. "Bass...?" He thought.
"I'm 'happy' to see you too." The other voice replied with a eager tone. "And it's Model B now."
"Model M for me."
"Though I wish we had met again under better circumstances..." Model B responded.
The new individual placed his hands on his hips and snorted. He spat out an offended, "Hey." towards his Biometal companion.
"Relax, kid." Model B told the boy. He knew his partner was aware of what he meant by "better circumstances": Model B having a proper body again. But it couldn't be helped.
Rokku frowned. He was in the middle of a battle with Raiders and Mavericks for who knows what, and all of a sudden, this guy shows up and their Biometals start chatting it up. He had no idea who Bass, or rather Model B, was, but he couldn't help but remain uneasy. He could've easily perceived this guy as a friend of Model M's...
...If it weren't for the fact that he's APPARENTLY a target by the guy right in front of him.
"Okay, okay," Rokku waved his hands with slight irritation before pointing both of his hands towards the individual in front of him. "What's your deal, guy? You look pretty cool, but you calling me your 'target' isn't cool at all."
"The name's Nero. Remember it." He responded before folding his arms. His slight annoyance towards his Biometal aside, he's been studying his 'target' and his own partner. Before the inevitable comes, he wanted to get to know his foe. "Tell me. Do you know about Mega Man's past achievements? And by Mega Man, I obviously mean your Biometal, Model M."
Rokku's brow twitched. Something about this guy annoyed him as he's talking. Some kind of holier than thou shtick...
But he responded anyway. "...Can't say that I know a whole lot about Model M's past. All I know is that his name is probably what inspired the 'Mega Man' name for people like you and I."
Nero's brows furrowed. "Don't group me with the likes of you. I'm no Mega Man-"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"
The boy's rant was quickly overpowered by Model B shouting. His outburst was enough to make both Rokku and Nero visibly wince. Model M was far too familiar with this tone.
"YOU HAVE THE GUY WHO'S LEGEND STARTED THIS WHOLE MESS AND YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT ABOUT HIM!?" Model B boomed.
"W-Well, to be fair!" Model M began defending his partner. "With all that has been going on, we just haven't had the time to really talk about each other!"
"You've got to be kidding me..." Nero groaned. "Model B, if that really is your 'eternal rival', then he picked a real winner..."
Rokku growled at the other individual's sarcasm.
"Listen up, Mega Man and moron!" Model B shouted, causing a vein to start pulsing at Rokku's forehead. "My partner already made our intent clear. We're gonna beat the living crap out of you both!"
Model M sighed. He both could and couldn't believe the other Biometal would be so blunt about his intent given the circumstances. But this is no different than what happened back in the 21st Century. Some things never change.
"I already fought four Mega Men before..." Rokku frowned, getting tense as their intents were made terribly clear by now. "Are you another brainwashed guy I gotta liberate?"
Nero raised a single brow as he stared at Rokku with an uncaring expression. "I have no idea what the heck you're talking about... Peh. Whatever."
He then transformed his right arm into a Buster, just like Rokku could, and aimed it at the blue armored hero. "You may be an idiot, but I'm still going to see for myself if you're a faker like the rest who use the 'Mega Man' title..."
Rokku stomped his feet and pointed at him dramatically. "Who you callin' faker!? Me and Model M are definitely the real deal here!"
"...Yup. He's an idiot." Model B groaned, which just ticked Rokku off even more.
Model M was shocked by his partner's behavior. He's never gotten seriously angry before and this was from some name calling? Before things got crazy, Model M decided to try and defuse the situation... Even if it was pointless.
"Wait! We're dealing with Gravers right now!" Model M shouted. "We shouldn't be fighting right now!"
Nero clicked his tongue and uttered two simple words,
"Shut up."
With that, Nero began releasing a volley of purple shots as if the Buster was a machine gun. Rokku shrieked and backed up a bit before running around Nero. The black armored foe kept going, following Rokku with his Buster and having his blasts hot on his tail. Rokku then decided to aim his own Buster at his opponent, building up energy at the barrel before releasing a Charge Shot.
Nero scoffed and just dashed and hopped right over the blast, heading right towards Rokku. The boy was surprised by his opponent's speed. By the time his Charge Shot hit a building and exploded, Nero was already in front of him and roundhouse kicking him in the cheek.
"AGH!" The kick sent Rokku spinning towards the ground. As he tried to get back up, Nero appeared right in front of him and prepared to stomp on him. Rokku rolled out of the way and aimed his Buster, shooting a single shot at him, but Nero swiped it away, negating any damage he could've had from that single shot. Despite this, Rokku was able to get back on his feet before Nero tried something else.
The two were nearly face-to-face with one another. They were within melee distance, so Rokku got into a fighting stance, gritting his teeth. Though the sight of his stance only caused Nero to smirk.
"What a joke..."
Nero got into his own fighting stance before quickly closing the distance between the two. He gave Rokku a right hook, but he blocked it with his own right arm, but then Nero went for a left. Rokku prepared to block that punch the same way he blocked Nero's first punch, but he was shocked to find that Nero's left hook never connected with his arm. Nero quickly pulled back his left arm before quickly jabbing Rokku in the face with his right fist.
Rokku stumbled back, having failed to catch onto Nero's fake out left hook and this failure would cost him as Nero would proceed to use Rokku's confusion to land a couple more blows to his face and chest with his fists before ending it with a kick that sent Rokku flying back once again. This time, Rokku managed to catch his footing and remain in the game.
He's never fought anyone like this. He was so fast, so powerful, and too clever for his liking. Maybe his dad, even without being a Mega Man, could've had some helpful hints to deal with this, but he's only trained with his old man once... And that was yesterday. He was really starting to hate all this constant conflict that's happened in just less than a week. It ate him up inside and now he was dealing with a guy who didn't look like he much older than him, if only brinh about an inch or two taller.
"Your partner looks like he's already quitting!" Model B taunted.
"Yeah, right...!" Rokku shouted before rushing in for a punch of his own.
But Nero found it predictable. His opponent was frustrated, and it's left him sloppy and made it easy for him to counter. Nero simply slapped the boy's fist away before punching Rokku in the face again, sending him stumbling to the ground. Rokku groaned and rubbed his nose. No blood, but any more punches to the nose like that and he might start seeing some soon.
"Foolishness." Nero said. "Is that all you got, you Mega Man wannabe?"
Rokku rubbed his nose before aiming his Buster at Nero's leg. Suddenly, Nero's leg was snatched by a claw attached by a wire. Nero quickly looked down, but he was then yanked to the ground with a yelp. Rokku smirked as he pulled back his weapon.
"Nope~" Rokku teased. He was annoyed, but he wasn't going to let this guy act all high and mighty.
"Cute." Nero spat with a smirk of his own as he sat down in a relax manner, resting his hand on his right knee.
...And that posture and tone of his got under Rokku's skin again.
The two continued to sit down, neither making a move. Model B was about to say something, but Nero took over.
"You know, before I leave you kneeling in the end, I wanna know the name of Mega Man's Chosen One." Nero spoke up. "I already told you my name, after all."
Rokku stuck his tongue out before replying in a mocking tone and a voice very familiar to Nero... "The name is Rokku. Remember it."
Model B snickered. "Gotta say. Your Chosen One may be an idiot, but he's got some moxie. How interesting."
Model M said nothing to that.
Soon, Rokku would get up and Nero would follow. Their little 'break time' has concluded, it seemed. Rokku began hopping off the ground, shaking his body and even slapping his face with his hands. Nero just stood there, watching this goofball of an opponent hype himself up.
"Alrighty~" Rokku began. "You've gotten some good hits on me, but now it's time for me to get serious~!"
Nero just tilted his head. It's already been said a lot, but this guy was an idiot. Still though, as Nero watched Rokku's eyes legitimately get 'serious', he couldn't help but have a sense of familiarity with that look. He's seen it before, but he couldn't pinpoint how... At least, not now he couldn't.
Still, Nero smirked at Rokku's proclamation and flicked his wrist. "Is that right? Fine then."
Nero then held out his hand and did a 'come and get it' motion with his hand. "...Come on."
Rokku then dashed forward. Nero decided to humor him and did the same. Once the two. were within punching distance, Rokku threw his right fist towards him, but Nero moved his head to the side and prepared to punch the moron in the chest. However, Rokku anticipated that. He quickly reeled back his fist and blocked Nero's fist with his left leg before turning his right arm into a Buster and shooting at Nero during the confusion. Nero was able to dodge the blast, ducking before aiming his Buster from below at Rokku. The hero quickly side-stepped from Nero's single shot, but Nero then reached and grabbed Rokku's face.
"MMPH!?" Rokku cried in Nero's hand... His... weird hand with an eerie purple energy aura around it.
Before Rokku knew it, he was dragged around like he was a doll and slammed into the side of building. Nero would then keep the back of Rokku's head against the wall as he dragged him alongside it, causing property damage and causing Rokku to scream from pain. Nero would run alongside his opponent, grinning sadistically until he finally had his fun and slammed Rokku down to the ground as if he were a football. And just like a football, Rokku bounced off the ground hard.
Rokku groaned and struggled to get up.
"Finished already?" Nero asked.
A twinkle shined in Rokku's eye. He needed an advantage. Suddenly, arrow-shaped ice shards shot from his Buster and charged right at Nero.
"What the he-" Model B's would-be cursing was interrupted by the Ice Slashers hitting Nero dead set, freezing him solid. He didn't know what Rokku hit him with, but his immobile state annoyed.
"Is that how you wanna play?" Nero asked internally, following with a external growl but was interrupted when Rokku's knee went straight into his face, shattering the ice and causing him to externally yell. "AUGH!"
Nero staggered back before Rokku jumped in the air and spun, kicking Nero in the side and having him hit the building, bouncing off it before he was hit in the cheek by Rokku's fist. While he was doing all of this, he was preparing a Charge Shot and once at full charge, he'd release it right at Nero's chest, sending him flying back.
Nero flipped and landed perfectly on his feet. That blast hurt him. Rokku knew that. But it wasn't enough. A single Charge Shot wasn't going to take this guy out.
"Nice shot. Try mine!" Nero shouted.
He too had been charging his own blast and shot his own variant of the Charge Shot. Rokku's eyes widened at the sight of it. A blast that looked like a giant skull in flames heading towards his way? Talk about creepy! But this shock value wasn't enough to keep Rokku standing still without a plan. He'd quickly equip the Fire Storm weapon and counter that blast with his own, forming a brief fire shield to protect him from the explosion caused by the two blasts colliding.
But Nero then dashed towards him. Just like before, Nero's hands were coated with an eerie purple energy aura, almost resembling beastly claws. With Rokku's shield disappearing after Nero got the jump on him, the black berserker would slash at Rokku at speeds he's never seen before. Even Nero's armored boots were coated with a similar aura and he decided to sweep his leg across the floor, sending Rokku tripping. However, Nero quickly grabbed Rokku's leg and spun him around like a doll before sending him flying in the air, far away from where he was at. Although his eyes remained normal, his grin grew wider as the battle raged on. He wasted no time as he dashed after his flying opponent.
Rokku would be sent colliding with a destroyed mechaniloid, bouncing off the 'head' and falling back on the street. He was sent about 40 feet away from where they were previously fighting and while Rokku lied on his back from the flight, all he could mutter was a simple,
"Ow."
But Rokku had no time to rest as Nero burst right through the head he had just bounced off of. Rokku's eyes widened and he quickly scrambled to get back on his feet as Nero landed back on the street. The black berserker dashed forward, aiming his Buster and releasing another volley of blasts. Rokku kept his distance and hopped off the walls to avoid him and the blasts, using his remaining weapon energy on the Ice Slasher special weapon to shoot multiple shards at Nero.
"That won't work again...!" Nero growled and shot at each and every shard before they got near him, avoiding being frozen entirely
Rokku bounced off another wall and dove right towards Nero, summoning his Super Arm. Nero's fist was surrounded by that purple aura again and he countered the Super Arm with his own fist... Or rather, he attempted to. The moment their fists collided, Nero was sent flying into the destroyed mechaniloid. Rokku landed on his feet and materialized his normal arm again. He stood up and prepared for anything.
Rokku knew that this guy wasn't done yet. No way.
And he was right.
Beams of light appeared from the broken mechaniloid before the pieces started flying everywhere as Nero exploded from within. Strange energy flowed from him as he sent the broken mechaniloid flying away in pieces, but the energy quickly died down.
"Well, looks like that weapon isn't as strong as the Super Arm." Model B noted.
"Doesn't matter." Nero spat and walked towards Rokku. Menacingly. A more natural smirk appeared on his face. "Alright Rokku. Now I'm a little motivated!"
Nero then dashed towards Rokku and jumped in the air. To Rokku's surprise, Nero started spinning in the air fast. Very fast. Like a saw blade! The fact that a guy mostly in black was doing a saw blade looking attack was too familiar for his liking. But from the side view, it looked like Nero's spinning was akin to a crescent moon, and this was all more apparently as Nero finally stopped spinning and slammed his foot down. Rokku managed to dodge it by hopping backwards, but the foot slam caused the pavement to shatter.
Nero quickly landed on his feet and then dashed towards him with his fists reeled back. Rokku was too slow to counter this next attack as he didn't see it coming. Rokku expected a fist to come towards him, but instead, Nero decided to do a backflip. His boots were still covered by this purple energy but that felt like the purple energy intensified the incoming blow. Rokku was sent in the air by Nero's 'flash kick', but so was Nero. Not letting up, Nero then decided to dive kick down on Rokku, slamming his foot into his chest and slamming Rokku back onto the ground.
Rokku screamed in agony from the pain. Hitting the pavement was bad enough, but Nero's foot causing this hurt even more. But Rokku wasn't done. He aimed his Buster and shot a Thunder Beam at Nero.
"AAAAGH!"
Nero was left staggered from the intense electric blast and Rokku used this opportunity to get back up and charge towards him. Wrapping his arms around Nero's waist, he tackled him, hoping to get him to the ground, but Nero clasped his hands together and slammed his hands down on Rokku's back, causing him to stumble. The confusion allowed Nero to knee Rokku in the face, sending him reeling back before Nero landed more punches on him.
Rokku then grabbed Nero's fist and repaid the pain with his own fist to Nero's face. But this counterattack was short lived as Nero reeled his arm back which Rokku was holding onto, allowing Nero to headbutt Rokku. While he was open, Nero grabbed his face once more and jumped in the air before slamming Rokku's head into the street, dragging him along the pavement.
All Rokku could think of was, "Not again!" as he was dragged across the street before being sent tossed in the air once again.
However, Rokku wasn't going to take this lying down... Err, figuratively speaking that is. As Nero hopped in the air to attack again, Rokku aimed his Buster to his left and released a single shot that pushed Rokku in a new direction, allowing Rokku to hug a wall and slide down it safely.
Rokku walked to the middle of the street where Nero stood, readying himself for whatever Nero had left.
He hated to admit it, but Rokku couldn't take much more of this. For the past few days, he's taken punishment from Berserk Mega Men and a weirdo Pseudoroid. And today was the same with one single difference: His opponent didn't look like he was going down at this rate.
"Playtime is over...!" Nero shouted, aiming his Buster and charging it up.
"I agree...!" Rokku retorted, aiming his own Buster.
Both shouted as they released their own respective Charge Shots. They collided and exploded from the impact. From the smoke, Nero came out like a lion lunging for his prey, his arms acting like claws and his teeth barring fangs. Rokku grimaced and prepared for more melee combat. Rokku did the best he could to dodge or block Nero's attacks, but he would occasionally take a hit.
"You've got some skill, I'll give you that." Nero praised. "But this battle was decided the moment I arrived, Rokku!"
"Funny! I was gonna say that same thing... To YOU!" Rokku blocked Nero's kick and countered with a kick of his own before shooting at Nero with a couple of shots. Although the blasts hit Nero, Rokku's shots did not shoot as fast as Nero's blasts. If that were the case, he'd be able to get in more shots, but three was all he could release before Nero got back into position.
"That doesn't even make any sense, moron!" Nero shouted, before reeling back his fist.
"Takes one to know one, dummy!" Rokku retorted, before reeling back his fist.
With a shout, the two would throw their fists. Rokku's fist would hit Nero's cheek, and Nero's fist would hit Rokku's cheek.
However, although the two stumbled, Rokku took it the worse. His vision began to darken, and he lost a bit of strength in his feet. Nero noticed this and grinned. With another roundhouse kick, he sent Rokku to the ground face first.
"Hmph!" Nero scoffed as he walked over to Rokku. "Is that your best?"
Rokku struggled to get up once again, his arms visibly wabbling. Nero then kicked Rokku in the chest, sending him in the air briefly before falling on his back.
"Where's your motivation!?" Nero shouted before running and kicking Rokku once again, sending him in the air before falling back on the street. "I want to see the power of the legendary Mega Man! I want to see the power that saved this planet a gazillion times from that buffoon scientist!"
Model B knew Nero was in the heat of battle, but he didn't exactly appreciate the 'buffoon scientist' comment... Then again, he hardly liked the old coot.
Rokku stumbled quite a bit as he got up. He was hunched over, his left eye barely open. He was panting heavily. Nero, on the other hand, stood up straight with his hand on his left hip. He scoffed once again.
"Good grief," Nero began. "You were talking so much crap just before... There's one thing that pisses me off the most. People who are all bark and no bite...!"
Nero walked over and charged his Buster. With a disgusted frown, he aimed it at Rokku and roared at him,
"AWAY WITH YOU!"
Almost a point-blank range, Rokku was sent flying again, this time skidding on and off the streets before rolling along it and stopping as he lied face down. Even despite all the pain and damage he's endured, Rokku and his armor was still intact... Though in the latter case, barely.
His armor was cracked all over. If Rokku was anything else, he would've died then and there. Probably earlier, but that Charge Shot probably would've tore right through him, but his armor wasn't destroyed or melted down or anything. The power of Biometal was amazing and he was thankful for this.
But the pain... Too much to handle.
"A-Ag-Agh... Haha..." Rokku stammered with a nervous chuckle. He had to laugh a little there. He's ended quite a few battles with a Charge Shot, but here he was, crumbling after taking a Charge Shot at almost point-blank range.
He managed to gather the strength to at the very least got on one knee. He kept panting heavily. He was so tired and in so much pain. But his opponent was still up and about.
"Rokku! We can't take much more of this...!" Model M told him.
Nero took his time walking over to catch up with Rokku. This time, he kept his distance, standing about 15 feet away. The conflict between Sentry and Graver continued to rage on in the background. Deep down inside, Nero sort of liked the battleground chosen to fight this supposed 'eternal rival'.
"Pathetic." Nero spat.
But Rokku was quick to raise his Buster. However, he had to use his other hand to support raising the Buster. Even with this support, his arm was visibly shaking. Rokku scowled at Nero with gritted teeth, almost on the verge of tears as any smiles he had quickly vanished like a switch.
"Stop talking down to me like that! I'm not stupid! I'm NOT weak! And I'm NOT done yet!"
Unfortunately, that last part was a bold face lie and Rokku knew it. Model M was doing everything in his power to maintain the Megamerge. Otherwise, Rokku would genuinely be at risk of death after taking a Charge Shot like that.
Rokku tried holding back his tears, but his left eye began pouring down uncontrollably. Nero just watched this sight with his cold, crimson eyes. Surprisingly, he remained silent and watched as Rokku simply aim his Buster. Despite his claims, Rokku hadn't shot at all yet.
"You're stubborn." Nero said with a sigh. "I'll give you that."
But then he raises his arm and turns it into a Buster once again. With a frown, he charges his Buster once again. "...But you're finished."
Rokku kept shaking. He wanted to charge his own Buster, and nothing was really stopping him. Even with his state of being, he could still shoot something at him. He still had weapon energy for some of his other Special Weapons. But... He didn't pull the trigger. Instead, his arm fell to his waist, and he looked at the ground, his eyes shutting tightly.
Nero would release the blast and it went straight for Rokku. The blast would explode upon collision.
...However, it didn't collide with the blue hero.
"What!?" Nero exclaimed.
Standing between Rokku and Nero was a brand-new arrival. An armored individual just like the boys, except he was taller, clad in red, white, and black armor. He had a helmet akin to Rokku's, but he had a black visor that almost completely covered his eyes behind the shades. His armored jacket was purposefully left armor and dangling from his neck was a long, thick yellow scarf that appeared to be made of energy but looked solid enough to appear to be a real scarf. But most notably, this individual was armed with a big shield mostly white with red edges and a window right where the individual's head was.
The Charge Shot had collided not with Rokku, but with the red individual's shield.
"Great. Just great!" Model B shouted. "You were brought back too, huh Proto Man!?"
"Who?" Nero asked.
If Model B had a proper emotive face (or was even visible right now), he'd be fuming. "What the... We JUST talked crap to that idiot about him not knowing Mega Man, but YOU don't know Proto Man!?"
"You never told me about him!" Nero countered.
The red armored individual just chuckled, and he decided to ignore the black berserker, looking behind him to see Rokku who was staring up at him with widened, teary eyes.
"Heh heh... Talk about cutting it a little too close...!" The red individual joked with a cocky grin. His grin would vanish right though. "...Are you okay?
"P-Proto... B-Blues?!" Model M shouted.
"Long time no see, little brother." Model PM greeted. "We'll have to keep our reunion short, though..."
Nero readied his Buster again and aimed it at the new arrival. "I don't know who you are, and I don't really care! Get out of my way! This battle is between me and him!"
The man in red smirked and looked at the black berserker. "The name is Vaude. Remember it!"
Nero's eye twitched in response. But Model B spoke up.
"Don't you dare underestimate him!" Model B shouted, causing Nero to wince a little. "I don't know the user, but I know the Biometal! That's Mega Man's brother, and he's just as good as my rival!"
Nero listened to his words carefully. "...Huh. Alright."
The black berserker smirked to counter Vaude's own smirk. "Then maybe I could try my luck with you, successor of Proto Man."
"You sound like you already forgot my name." Vaude joked.
"I never thought I'd see you again, Bass." Model PM spoke with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "And it looks like you chose someone that's a little too similar to you."
"Just shut up already!" Model B shouted.
Vaude then frowned as he looked directly at Nero. "Like I said, the name's Vaude and I'm here on official business." But then he smirked again. "Fortunately, dealing with punks like you is part of my business."
Nero's brow twitched again.
"...A punk, huh?" He muttered as he rubbed his nose with his thumb as he chuckled a little. "Well... Let's see you keep talking crap when I kick your a-"
Nero stopped speaking. He could hear cars approaching their position right at this second and he turns around to witness a Guardian truck screeching at a corner from several blocks away and rapidly closing in on them.
"Oh yeah. We got Sentries and Guardians arriving too, so there's that, kid." Vaude grinned with a shrug, even with the shield attached to his right wrist. It seemed the shield was 'magnetically' attached to the blue hexagonal crystal on his arm gauntlet. "As much as I'd like to teach you a little lesson, I think I'll have to wrap this up given what's going on around here."
Nero scoffed and mutters, "Yeah right..."
The boy then shouts over at Rokku who was still behind Vaude, pointing at his direction. "Hey! Rokku! I will return! Lick your wounds! Get strong! And stay alive!"
Nero then lowers his arm. "When we cross paths again, I will judge you...!"
With that, Nero suddenly vanishes in a dark light. This catches Vaude off guard as he then rubs the back of his helmet.
"Well crap... I wasn't expecting him to have a portable-transerver on him..." Vaude cursed under his breath. He then sighed and turned around to face the other kid completely. "I didn't hear anything from you last time, so I have to ask again: Are you okay?"
However, another shock comes to Vaude. The moment Nero leaves, Rokku officially collapses on his side, lying there motionless as his eyes struggle to stay awake. Vaude gets down on one knee and starts speaking to him, but to Rokku, his words were incomprehensible.
As his vision slowly darkens, he could faintly hear the sound of a motorcycle arriving on the scene and he could barely see a familiar image of a pink-haired girl hopping of the motorcycle and rushing towards him. But before she gets close to him, his vision vanishes completely.
Darkness was all that he could see.