Chapter 14: Cut-Off Point
Folly found herself in a decrepit castle with zero electricity powering the light bulbs that remained on the chandeliers. From where she stood, there was a large hole in the wall that exposed the morning sun beaming through the opening. Judging from the fact that there were still windows on both sides of the hole, she imagined a window used to be where this hole is.
She found herself delighted to find such architecture here on the island, even if it wasn't ancient. Her walk and thoughts were interrupted when she heard something scrapping along the wall. Although cautious, her face did not go behind mild surprise. In due time, she would discover that the cause of the lengthy scrapping noise came from a Galleon. These mass-produced Mavericks were identified as either Reploid or Mechaniloid, but Folly knew that this inconsistency wasn't irregular. Mettaurs also underwent such a dilemma, even if she was certain Tizio, a fellow Met, was a Reploid. Regardless, her face went dull at the appearance of the Galleon for it was a sight for sore eyes. The Galleon was nothing but a torso and it was missing it's right arm where it's Buster would be. It was crawling along the ground with its left hand only.
She found the presence of a Galleon curious given the total lack of these common enemies found on the island. But she did not ponder on it any longer. With a cold look in her eyes, she simply approached the Galleon, making it look up at her and raise its hand. Whether or not it was seeking help or attempting to grab her was irrelevant, for Folly stomped on the Galleon's head, crushing it against the ground and completely disabling the Maverick. Its arm dropped the moment she had caved its head in.
With that out of the way, Folly moved on from the bug she had squashed.
"Is everything alright? I heard something loud."
Folly heard Tizio's voice on via her Comms in her left ear.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Folly simply replied. "I must say, you three found quite the locale... Your road to redemption has paid off. Congratulations~"
"T-Thank you, Miss Folly!"
Folly proceeded to walk down the stairs and go lower below the building. "It could use some tidying up, however. But we'll worry about that in due time. For now, let's just explore~"
"Mistress, if I may," Sempronio's voice entered the call next. "Aren't you the tiniest bit worried about Graver?"
"Pfft. Why should I?" Folly spat.
"They had assisted in completing your other project before your betrayal, thankfully." Sempronio began. "And our enemy has successfully apprehended most of them, but Vulcan is still out there. I think it would've been wise to deal with him directly..."
Folly chuckled to herself, moving her head aside as she went through a door to dodge some cobwebs. "Oh Sempronio. Vulcan is a greedy, foolish man. He is no threat to me. Besides, with him out and about, we may have some fun before things on my end begin~ I always welcome even a little bit of chaos~"
"Still... He's a loose end." Sempronio groaned.
"I understand your struggles," Folly replied sincerely, even with her smug face on display. "If it will put your mind at ease, we will search for him after we examined the castle. Deal?"
"...Understood." Sempronio answered, albeit reluctantly.
"And what about the blue boy?!" Caio shouted into the comms. "He's got a lotta friends now! Don't you think-"
"The 'blue boy', as you put it, is resting." Folly interrupted. "I told Proto Boy that I wouldn't do anything while Mr. Hero is resting. It's no fun if I do something major and he isn't involved. I changed my entire script to accommodate for him, after all. I may be many things, but a deal breaker I am not."
"But you betrayed Vulcan and his crew!" Caio retorted.
"After he betrayed us," Folly countered. She entered a large room. Looked to be a Command Center of sorts, somewhat like the ones found in some airships or a HQ.
"I... don't follow?" Caio sounded confused on the other hand. "When did he, uh, betray us?"
"Don't pretend you didn't notice." Folly scolded as she walked around the old room. The monitors were off, some even cracked, and many chairs were either tossed to the side or outright destroyed. "Vulcan cared very little about the empire's goals. He had his own agenda and... he plotted to remove us from the equation by sabotaging us."
"Wait. He did?" Caio asked.
"Of course he did!" Sempronio shouted in a 'no-duh' tone.
"Caio, I sent you to Warehouse 64 for a reason, remember?" Folly asked. "After the initial attack on that day, we quickly moved out to the new location you scouted for us as intended. But I wanted you to check if anything was left behind. Remember what you found?"
"...Uhhh... That prototype crystal thing of yours?" Caio answered in uncertainty.
"Bingo. I know you three wouldn't leave something like that behind, and I know I wouldn't." Folly explained. "The only other culprit was those Gravers who left it behind to try and ruin us. Ultimately, that crystal means nothing, but it could've. However, there's one other thing I discovered yesterday."
"What?" The three asked.
Folly stared at the chair that proceeded this room. Fitting for a commander. If it weren't dusty, she'd sit on it. A frown on her face worsened as she told her underlings this:
"...That pathetic man, Vulcan, deceived us. Behind our backs, he was hiding two other Biometals..."
"How are you feeling?"
Rokku was sitting on the bed in the Guardian outpost's medic room. He was with Vaude, Aimer, and Commander Markos; the latter having asked the question. It's been a day since the city incursion by the Raider group, Graver, and the surprise introduction of another Chosen One.
"I'm alright..." Rokku told his uncle. "I'm really glad I healed as quick as I did. Guess that's the power of Biometal, hehe..."
"Speaking of which," Aimer pulled Model M out of her shorts' pocket and allowed him to float towards his Biomatch. "He's made as quick of a recovery as you did, buddy~"
Vaude had his arms folded as his own Biometal companion floated out of his coat pocket. The young man could tell Model PM was looking directly at Model M and the latter returned the stare.
"...It's been awhile, Rock." Model PM greeted.
"Y-Yeah. Same here, Blues." Model M agreed.
Rokku noticed the slight awkward tone of discomfort in his Biometal's voice. This same tone applied to Model PM, but he hid it a little better. Only a little, however.
"Model M's name is...Rock...?" Rokku thought about... And he called himself "Rokku"... With his legal name technically being "Rocky"... He wondered if his meeting with Model M was a coincidence... It had to be, right? There truly was very little he knew about his own partner. He thought about how Nero's Biometal, Model B, chastised him for his ignorance.
Maybe that's why he lost against Nero...
"You also got some proper sleep, kid." Vaude grinned, bringing Rokku back into reality. "From what I hear, you've been fighting these bad guys for days. That's a lotta work for a newbie like you."
Rokku looked a little uncomfortable, shifting a bit in his seat as he briefly avoided eye contact with Vaude. Aimer raised a curious brow but never questioned this. Not verbally anyway.
"I-I... Uh... I didn't do it alone. Aimer and Model M helped..." Rokku spoke, almost in a whisper. He gulped. "I... never did thank you for helping me, Mr. Vaude"
"...Don't call me that again, please. "Vaude" alone is fine." Vaude had a nervous smile on his face. Being called "Mister" didn't quite sit right with him... "In any case, it's all good."
His smile disappeared as he continued. "But I'm more interested in what brought Nero here in the first place. He didn't seem to be associated with Graver... And Folly herself told me that she doesn't even know who Nero is. The only thing she knew was the Biometal he had."
"Model B, better known as "Bass" back in our prime." Model PM explained. "He was a powerful robot who proclaimed himself to be the strongest robot in the world. Perhaps there was some truth to that, but his petty ambitions made it difficult to overcome Rock's more...selfless ambitions."
"This Nero guy has a troublesome sounding Biometal..." Aimer sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The both of them just sound like bullies. They wanted to beat the stuffing out of Rokku and Model M!"
"That sounds like Bass..." Model M agreed, though he didn't sound all too thrilled to agree with Aimer.
Markos rubbed his chin. "I spoke with Vaude about this, as well as the Guardians on the outpost. Rokku, your fight with Alphonse was put on the news. And although Selena Island is a small nation that tends to keep to itself, it appears that the news of your heroics that day was leaked onto the internet for a brief time."
"Wait, so... Hold on..." Aimer stammered, rubbing her temples. "You guys think Nero came here because he saw the news through that leak!?"
"It's highly possible." Markos replied. "But this is where things get...interesting."
Rokku's face drooped hearing his uncle say that. He does a good deed, and he attracts a big jerk and his even bigger jerk of a Biometal to his home. What can be more interesting than that?
"All traces of this leak have been...wiped out." Markos continued.
"Wiped out?" Rokku and Aimer parroted.
"Yeah, sounds crazy, I know." Vaude shrugged with his arms still crossed. "We spoke with Mayor Radman- Funny name, by the way- about the leak and hoped to get some kind of retraction so we can avoid MORE trouble on the island. Selena Island's news station is relatively low-key and is really meant to be viewed only by Selena Island's eyes. After all, it took a mere photograph of you to get Nero here... Or at least, that's our assumption. So, if we could possibly trace the source of the leak and remove it, we'd at least stop things before it gets worse. But the photo's gone from the news' servers. And the leaked photo? Also gone."
"It's common knowledge that what goes on the internet stays on the internet." Markos continued. "But... I find it troubling that someone or something was able to completely erase it from existence like that."
"That's... Good right?" Rokku asked.
"...I sure hope so." Markos sighed.
"You guys probably heard about the incident in Cinq Ville right? This incident, more or less, exposed the existence of Mega Men in some capacity." Vaude explained. "The president of Slither Inc., Serpent, turned out to be a real scumbag but was stopped by a heroic Mega Man in red armor; kinda like my own. Ever since this incident, the Guardians who were deep in the conflict, expanded their mission to their fellow operatives as well as Sentry, especially since there's more Biometals out there than we're aware of."
"What do you mean?" Rokku squinted suspiciously.
"From what we know," Markos took over. "There was only one Biometal; Model W. A malevolent entity which Serpent used for his grand scheme. We learned that the Guardians' original commander, albeit reluctantly, used data on Model W to create six other Biometals to counter Model W. However, it looks like there are more Biometals than Model W and the six the first commander created."
"That's why I was on this island." Aimer looked at Rokku. "I search for Biometal to keep out of the hands of potential enemies like Graver. I hope to one day figure out the creator or creators of these extra Biometals..."
Rokku tapped his chin. "Model M? Do you know who made you?"
Model M turned to look at Rokku. "Sorry, I don't. If I do know, then I'm having a tough time remembering..."
Markos looked at Rokku. "Did he...say anything?"
Rokku looked up at his uncle. "Uhh... You can't hear him?" He said it clear as day.
"The research data the Guardians gave to Sentry, and by extension me, shows that only Chosen Ones could hear the voices of Biometals." Vaude explained.
"O-Oh. Right." Both Model M and Aimer explained something like this before, when he first megamerged and fought against the Trouble Trio's mechaniloid... He has to wonder if his parents think he's crazy talking to Model M like an imaginary friend of sorts... "He said that if he does know, he's having trouble remembering it."
"It's possible that your creator either erased or sealed your memories for confidentiality." Markos theorized. "This isn't unheard of. According to Commander Prairie, she told me that the six Biometals they have don't know what even happened to the first commander. She told me that a Biometal that was blue like you said, and I quote, "All of their memories of the moments after their creation were erased"."
"For now, we should be thankful for whoever got rid of the leak of your fight with Alphonse." Vaude shrugged. "It's not your fault, kid. It happens. But if we want to avoid any more surprises, we're going to have to see if the news can... Y'know, stop covering Mega Men."
"We're going to need a lot of luck for that..." Markos groaned.
Rokku got off the bed. "By the way, Uncl- Er, Commander. You... Didn't tell my Mom or Dad about my recovery, right?"
"I did." Markos said, almost reluctantly. "My sister- your mother- wanted to see you, but your father and I kept her home. You know how your mother gets when it comes to those she cares about."
"Absolutely!" Rokku agreed with a smile.
Aimer approached him. "Are you sure you're alright? You took a nasty beating..."
"I'll admit, I feel like something's bruised..." Rokku confessed. "Not physically... It's like... I don't know, my dignity...?"
"Your pride. Nero kicked your tuchus and now your pride's bruised." Vaude corrected, earning Rokku's attention. The boy looked a little hurt, but he knew Vaude was right. The young man shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright. Happens to even the best of us. Let's face it, no one really likes to be wrong on things, y'know?"
"Right..." Rokku reluctantly agreed. "B-But I'll be fine. I have to be."
Markos looked like he had something to say, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the medic doors swinging open.
"Commander Markos!"
Everyone turned to a Guardian woman standing at the door, breathing heavily as she looked like she ran quite the distance to get here. She had her left hand on her knee while holding a tablet device in her right. It was Candice, the Guardian Aimer and Rokku had met before
"What is it?" Markos folded his arms.
"We just picked up some crazy Maverick readings in the Lysander Woods!" Candice shouted, holding up her tablet that displayed a live map reading of the entirety of Lysander Woods. Red dots beeped across the map, and it was slowly moving southeast.
"W-What!?" Aimer shouted.
"Aimer's lab is there!" Rokku clenched his fist.
"M-My equipment! My projects!" Aimer trembled. She reached into her vest's pocket and pulled out a device.
"Aimer! DON'T!"
Markos' orders fell on deaf ears. Before their very eyes, Aimer disappeared in a bright light. She had just used a portable Transerver, immediately teleporting her to her mobile lab.
"We gotta move." Vaude told Markos sternly. "It's possible the enemy just found out that Aimer's lab is there and are probably aiming to destroy it or even steal from it."
"Agreed." Markos groaned. "Vaude! Rokku! Hurry over there as fast as you can! I'll deploy a truck to move her lab but keep her lab AND Aimer safe!"
"Roger!" Rokku agreed.
"C'mon kid!" Vaude practically grabbed Rokku's wrist and dragged him along as he hurried to his motorbike parked right outside.
Both Rokku and Vaude megamerged with their respective Biometals Model M and Model PM. With Rokku sitting right behind him, Vaude revved up his bike and took off. Rokku pointed Vaude right to where he needed to go, hoping that Aimer wasn't getting hurt by the incoming Maverick swarm.
Aimer frantically shut off all her computers and electronics as she began packing as much as she could into her backpack. Even in her panic, she knew she wouldn't be able to fit everything in her bag. Given the size of her equipment it was impossible. And although the trailer containing her lab had wheels, she could not drive this thing. It was designed to be carried by other vehicles. The young girl began to hyperventilate, grabbing her head and crouching on the floor, trembling with dread and uncertainty in her eyes.
She cursed herself for acting so rashly. She had no feasible plan and any plan she did have ended up being fruitless. She knew very well that she wouldn't be able to take everything out of here by herself. The only thing she'd be able to salvage is her laptop and her equipment used for Biometals. Her prized project which she had been working on for a year- the project she recently got to resume- was impossible to move inside of its large container. She looked at that container, trembling.
BANG BANG BANG
Aimer screamed loudly and covered her face. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and into her throat. She didn't even think to grab her buster-pistol to defend herself. But the sounds of two male voices slowly but surely calmed her mind.
"Aimer! Are you in there!? Please say something!"
After calming herself, the voice she was able to hear was Rokku.
BANG BANG BANG
That was the sound of Rokku banging on her door. Without her, he had no way of getting inside.
"R-Rokku?" Aimer scurried off the floor and ran to the door. "I-I-I'm here! I'm here!"
She immediately went and opened the door. But when she did, she saw Rokku's fist hurling right towards her head, and she screamed loudly with tears in her eyes. Or at least... She almost screamed.
"O-Oh!" Rokku's fist stopped before he slammed it on his friend's pink hair. He looked embarrassed, but he looked to Vaude who had immediately slammed the palm of his hand on Aimer's mouth, cutting her off before she screamed.
"You're here. Good." Vaude said sternly. He slowly removed his hand from Aimer's mouth, though she looked quite annoyed from that given just how hard he slammed his hand on her. "Before you recklessly stormed off, the Commander wanted you to stay behind. But since you're here, I need you to stay inside and not to come out until either we tell you or the help that arrives tells you."
"G-Guys. I'm scared." Aimer confessed. "I-I can't lose anything in here! I-I need it all..."
"Yeah, I got that." Vaude replied. "And we're going to do whatever we can until help arrives and gets your lab out of Lysander Woods. But in the worst-case scenario, you're gonna have to bring what you can."
"W-We won't let the worst-case scenario, happen!" Rokku told her. "Don't worry, Aimer, I won't let those Mavericks get anywhere near your lab!"
"...Thanks. Both of you." Aimer smiled. "Alright, I'll stay here. Be careful you two."
Vaude looked at Rokku and responded, "Same to you."
With that, Aimer closed the door and the boys walked away from the lab.
"You shouldn't have told her that." Vaude bluntly said.
"Told her what?" Rokku raised a brow. "That we weren't going to let the worst-case scenario happen? Well, we're not!"
"I'm just saying you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, alright kid?" Vaude materialized his Proto Buster and Proto Shield.
Rokku frowned at his elder. "Yeah, I hear that from Dad a lot... But I'm going to keep my promise... I have to."
Vaude looked down at him when he said that. He knew that Rokku became a Mega Man because of he wished to help Aimer. And with that power, he's heard that he's fought other Mega Men to help them as well, freeing them and their Biometals from the brainwashing program that affected them.
The Red Striker began laughing quietly, earning an offended look from Rokku who just placed his left fist on his hip, confused at why he was laughing. Given his reasons for making such a promise, he didn't appreciate the laughter.
"You're still a little green, kid." Vaude chuckled.
"...What are you talking about?" Rokku tilted his head, still looking annoyed. "I'm wearing blue..."
"It's a saying, Rokku. Or would you prefer I go back to newbie?" Vaude smirked. Rokku's irritation reminded the Red Striker of Aimer's irritation, even though they were irritated with him for different reasons. "But Model PM seems to think you got what it takes. I'm seeing firsthand what he means by that."
"Eh?" Rokku's look of irritation instantly changed to an innocent look of confusion.
"Uh... Blues- Er, Model PM? What did you tell Vaude?" Model M asks with a bit of nervousness.
"...Let's focus on the task at hand." Model PM countered.
Vaude walked ahead of Rokku and sighed. "He's right. For now, we're on our own and we have no idea if we're getting backup. You and I saw the map Candice showed us. There were a lot of dots on the screen. But seeing that on a map is nothing compared to seeing it in person. So, I'm going to scout ahead. If I'm lucky, I'll even use myself as bait to get them to stray off the path."
"That sounds really risky, Mister- Uh, Vaude." Rokku replied. "Shouldn't I-"
"Nope." Vaude immediately retorted. "I may be helping you guys out, but I'm still a bit of a lone wolf. I'm the kind of guy who does a team project at school but does most of the work by myself."
Rokku tilted his head again. Given that he's homeschooled, he... can't exactly go along with his analogy since he's never experienced anything like that. But he understood the gist of his saying, as odd as it was.
"Besides, one of us has to watch the lab." Vaude continued. "We linked up our comms during the ride, so we can relay new events as time goes on."
"You're right." Rokku agreed. "Be careful, okay?"
"Ditto to you too."
With that, Vaude dashed ahead, following the direction based on his memory of the map. They were coming southeast, so he went northwest and hopefully meet them halfway or over. He hopped onto the trees to get some altitude and scout from ahead.
Rokku sighed with his fist still on his hip. His job was simple: Guard the mobile lab with his good friend inside said lab. No pressure.
Lysander Woods were within the Innerpeace region. Selena Island may be peaceful normally, but it wasn't Maverick-free. That'd be ideal, but Mavericks would still appear on the island; most of them coming from the ocean. The rest...? Presently unknown. The Hunters, who were on the island, did spot some Mavericks in the Quarry, but they were little critters that even a child could take out with enough force and effort.
But now Rokku was in a situation where a swarm of Mavericks were heading towards Aimer's lab. ...Perhaps it was more appropriate to call them an army than a swarm.
He theorized the possibilities. Graver has been MIA for a few days ever since they apprehended a mass majority of them and the Mega Man- or whatever- called Nero appeared and attacked them for seemingly no reason. He heard from Vaude that Folly was giving them a "break" of sorts, all because Rokku was healing from his defeat from Nero. His interactions with her have been less than pleasant, with her being condescending and very teasing towards him; often twisting words around and making him confused very easily. With all that in mind, it wouldn't put it past him that she lied to Vaude and is going after Aimer for strategic reasons.
Or maybe this was just a random swarm of Mavericks that act like they're migrating? He's often heard that the Mavericks in the Outlands behaved like large beasts found in fantasy stories or video games. It made Rokku think of the monster enemies in the RPG video games he tends to fight, and... Well, the analogy wasn't inaccurate when he applied it that way.
Rokku turned and jumped onto the top of her trailer, resulting in a loud metallic clank upon landing.
"EEK!" Aimer shrieked in the lab. Rokku's eyes widened as a result. "R-Rokku! Was that you!?"
"Uhhh, yeah!" Rokku replied, sounding flustered in the process. "T-That was me! J-Just getting, a-"
"Vantage point, I understand!" Aimer sighed in relief.
Rokku's brows furrowed. She correctly guessed what he was trying to say. With that out of the way, he could now focus.
...That is, until he realized that he couldn't look just straight forward. To guard the mobile lab, he had to look all around the mobile lab.
This realization made Rokku clutch the helmet on his head.
"Don't overthink it Rokku." Model M advised, having sense his Biomatch's concerns. "Just... Keep a look out for anything suspicious and we'll be okay."
Rokku groaned and scratched the top of his helmet, shutting his eyes. Thinking about all of this gave him a small headache. He could think about all the what ifs he wants, but Model M's right. This surprisingly simple task may be ultimately kind of difficult due to the uncertainties, but Aimer needed him.
He had to protect her and the lab. Everything in there was valuable to her. And that especially included what he gave to her the other day...
"Rokku?"
"GYAAAH!" Rokku yelped. He started waving his arms wildly as he was sliding off the top of the mobile lab. He fell headfirst before he fell on his front side. "Owww..."
He groaned and immediately went back to the top of the roof.
"Rokku?! Are you alright?"
Rokku heard three voices that time. One belonged to Aimer in the trailer. Another belonged to Model M in his head. And the last belonged to Vaude, the initial voice in his Comms that scared him in the first place.
"I'm alright..." Rokku groaned. "W-What's up, Vaude?"
"I found something interesting." Vaude began. "The Mavericks here are some Hallow Jacks. The ones that look like scarecrows, not the Marionette Jacks. But it looks like there are some Graver agents armed and ready. Must be the remnants of Graver out for revenge or something. These guys are easy pickings."
"Um... That's great?" Rokku wasn't sure how to take the news. On one hand, it sounded like Vaude could easily handle them. But on another, Graver was still a group of humanoids and reploids.
"It is, but keep your eyes peeled." Vaude ordered. "You never know, y'know?"
"I know." Rokku told him with a sigh.
Rokku's right eye suddenly darted to his right side. He heard some noise behind him. Vaude kept talking but his words were just noise to the boy. He definitely heard some movement on the ground. Sounding like someone or something stepped on a fallen branch on the messy ground that was already filled with leaves and dirt and such. But Rokku saw nothing. His eyes squinted in suspicion. Sure, it could've been a rabbit or something. There were a wide variety of animals in Lysander Woods, as expected.
The thought annoyed Rokku a little. Sure, he liked animals, but now he had to second guess himself. How's he supposed to take Model M's advice when his paranoia is setting in like this?
He sighed after not seeing anything. He looked elsewhere, resuming his look out.
"Kid? You there?" Vaude asked.
"Yeah, I'm still here." Rokku told him, looking around the same area where he heard the noise. He even looked up. "I thought I heard-"
His eyes widened with his teeth gritted. Hurling towards him was some strange spinning silver weapon. Acting on fear and reflex, Rokku raised his Mega Buster and shot at it. It was a direct hit, forcing the weapon to hurl off into another direction, stabbing still into a thick tree.
Rokku looked at the weapon. It looked like... Pliers? Shears? Scissors?
"Well how about that! You're not as slow as you look!"
The blue hero immediately looked back at the direction where he heard the noise. The voice was in that same direction. The leaves in the trees above were rustling as something dropped from the tree and landed cleanly on the ground.
It was an individual with armor bearing a surprising resemblance to Rokku's own armor, but there were some notable differences. Rokku's armor was blue and black. This person had scarlet and white armor. The gauntlets on their arms also had additional black attachment that looked as if it could shoot out something.
The most notable difference was the helmet. This individual had a scarlet helmet, and they wore large circular goggles with their eyes being seen. Uniquely, the cartoon-y-looking goggles had gray "eyelids" on the lenses, giving the individual a permanent cunning or mischievous look. The scarlet helmet wrapped around the entire head and nearly covered the entire face, and he had two half-ring gray pieces on the sides of his helmet. The top of the helmet had a large pair of scissors as well, that could open and close on its own if the individual so wished it. Their eyes were yellow...a familiar color. The mouth region was the only thing that was exposed, revealing their moderately brown skin color. They had a big grin on their face too. Add onto the permanent expression shown on their goggles, their glowing yellow eyes, and this individual certainly had the mischievous look down pat.
Rokku scowled. This was yet another Mega Man on the island. His mind swam as he theorized what kind of person this newcomer was. His first thought was that he was like Nero... But another thought occurred to him, making him think he was like the others he helped.
"Cut Man?!" Model M shouted.
...Well, Model M shouting out in familiarity forced Rokku to shoot down the first thought and immediately assume the second one was correct. The glowing yellow eyes should've made Rokku believe the latter in the first place, anyway, but he had to be certain...
"...There's a Mega Man at the trailer, Vaude." Rokku whispered.
Vaude was attacking the Graver group. He had a big grin on his face as he effortlessly took down the agents and obliterated the Hallow Jacks with his Proto Strike blast. His professional use of the Proto Shield kept him the gun fire that was being rained down on him. His grin quickly disappeared after hearing Rokku's status.
"Crap..." Vaude cursed. "Are they alone?"
"I think so." Rokku whispered back. "I don't know what's gonna happen, so I'm go to talk first..."
The blue hero jumped off the roof and landed right behind the trailer where the Mega Man was waiting patiently. Rokku was thankful for this individual's politeness at least...
"Alright, what gives?" Rokku asked, gesturing with his left hand as his right hand was still the Mega-Buster. "Who are you and why'd you attack me?"
"Coupure! Nice to meetcha!" He pointed his thumb at himself with a wide toothy grin. "I've been itching for a fight for a looong time, buddy!"
Rokku's lips wavered. He did not want another Nero-like Chosen One. "Come on, seriously!?"
"Those guys at Graver are pretty peeved!" Coupure explained. "But one of the operatives found out that a Sentry employee was stationed out here and decided to mobilize an attack on it for some vengeance! My job was to scout ahead and take out any bodyguards... But here I find a Mega Man like myself! Fun!"
The blue hero frowned. "Your Biometal is someone my Biometal recognizes... I've fought four people with familiar Biometals and helped them. I don't know what you're going through, but I wanna help you and your Biometal too. So can we please not fight?"
"Cut Man! Please say something!" Model M shouted. "Guts Man, Ice Man, Fire Man, and Elec Man are with us! You can join us too!"
Coupure clicked his tongue. "Tch! You're real wimpy for a Mega Man... I thought Mega Men were supposed to be warriors!?" He then grinned again. "But maybe your Biometal just chose a sorry dweeb like you! Oh well! Let's boogie!"
A scarlet guard mask materialized over Coupure's mouth, hiding his grin. The mask seemed to portray very robotic square mini mouth, but it was just a design, not something that could move.
Coupure grabbed the scissors on his helmet and threw his giant pair of scissors at Rokku again. Rokku growled and materialized his Super Arm weapon. He immediately knocked the scissors aside, sticking onto another tree. Due to the nature of Coupure's goggles, he couldn't emote much... Though his eyelids on his goggles did rise immediately, giving him the wide eye emote.
"...Okay, shooting my Rolling Cutter is one thing, but SMACKING it!?" Coupure shouted as a fresh new pair of scissors materialized on his helmet with a bright white light. It appeared that everytime he used his Rolling Cutter, a new one would materialized to replace the one he previously used.
Before Coupure could finish talking, Rokku dashed to Coupure and gave him a big punch with his Super Arm. Coupure was immediately sent flying into the woods with Rokku giving chase. Although he was surprised by how far he sent him. This worked out to his benefit, he thought. He's away from the trailer with poor Aimer just hiding there, not knowing what's going on. However, he didn't know if it was wise to leave the trailer unattended even if he was dealing with a Mega Man.
He needed to wrap this up fast.
Coupure had broken some trees when he flew. Right now, he was lying into two broken and fallen trees, looking to be dazed. Rokku stood on top of one of the tree trunks caused by the fallen tree. His Super Arm was put away, but his Mega Buster was out. He couldn't use his Fire Storm weapon or he'd risk setting Lysander Woods on fire. His Thunder Beam which had merged with his Electro Wave weapon might also set the woods on fire. So instead, Rokku shot an Ice Slasher at the downed Chosen One, freezing him down with his head exposed.
"I won't let you or Graver have your way!" Rokku shouted. "The sooner we stop fighting, the sooner we can help you and your Biometal!"
Coupure laughed. "That was one heck of a punch! But that isn't enough to stop me!"
Suddenly, two giant blades appeared out of the gauntlets in Coupure's arms. Rokku's eyes widened at the sight as these two large blades shattered the ice!
"O-Oh right." Model M sighed. "Cut Man was immune to the Ice Slasher..."
"W-Well, it froze him a little bit so he's not totally immune..." Rokku countered.
He jumped back as Coupure started slashing at his opponent, laughing, and going wild with his arm movements.
"HA! HA! SLICE AND DICE!" He shouted.
For Rokku, a simple mistake can spell doom for him. Even worse, he was surrounded by trees, and he didn't have eyes in the back of his head. This was a battle arena Rokku did not like fighting in. He was losing his patience as he didn't know when he'd unexpectedly hit a tree because he can't see behind him.
"Cut it out!" Rokku shouted frantically.
"I'm trying to, but you won't sit still!" Coupure taunted.
"Rokku, I remember Guts Man's Super Arm really doing a number on Cut Man in the past." Model M recounted. "He looked really dazed when you hit him before."
The blue hero dropped to the ground, much to Coupure's surprise. He shot Coupure with three solar bullets, pushing Coupure back. Model M had a point. He DID send Coupure flying with his Super Arm. This weapon has always been his strongest melee weapon. His understanding was that the Super Arm had power which could not be adjusted in any way. At least, in the hands of anyone but users of Model G.
This weapon was powerful, but misuse could cause unnecessary destruction. Not to mention it drained a lot of Weapon Energy, forcing him to use this weapon sparingly.
But if his Biometal companion was right, and he usually was, then he can end this fight with one more punch.
Although Coupure was pushed back, he suddenly banged his head forward and threw his Rolling Cutter weapon that way. Rokku barely had time to dodge, but he leapt out of the way, but the blade grazed his left boot, forcing Rokku to collapse on the ground instead of finding his footing.
"AGH!" Rokku hissed, lying on the ground. The Rolling Cutter merely grazed his boot, so it didn't touch his foot within. But that didn't mean he felt no pain.
"Gotcha!" Coupure shouted. "It's about time I cut you up!"
Rokku slowly got up, his leg trembling. Coupure took three hits from his Mega-Buster's solar bullets and yet he looked pretty beat up. Was he weak to that too?
Coupure dashed towards him with his blade arms ready to slice and dice. Rokku on the other hand, aimed his Buster at Coupure's chest, having charged it while he was getting up.
"What!?" Coupure's lids rose again as he was faced with the glowing barrel from his Mega Buster.
Rokku released his charged shot, sending Coupure flying back and skidding off the ground until his head hit the tree. The Rolling Cutter fell off his helmet, but this time, a new blade did not materialize on his helmet.
Coupure's eyelids were closed and he was motionless.
Rokku lowered his Mega Buster. He had a stern face, hoping that Coupure would stay down. Although he was slightly injured, Rokku moved over to the fallen Chosen One.
"A-Are you alright?" Rokku looked down at Coupure. He was very beat up from Rokku's attacks. It reminded him dreadfully of how his fight with Raiden ended the other day.
Coupure started blinking until his eyes opened up normally. He had scarlet colored non-glowing eyes. His guard mask dropped and revealed his mouth.
"Wh-Whuh...?" He groaned and shook his head. "Where am I...?"
Rokku sighed in relief. He was conscious. And he managed to end this conflict quicker than the past ones.
Soon, a scarlet sphere of energy emerged from Coupure and entered Rokku's body. He had just copied his Biometal's special attack, the Rolling Cutter. But that didn't matter to Rokku and Model M at this time, and Coupure just looked plain confused over just about everything right now.
"You're alright." Rokku smiled calmly. "You're in Lysander Woods on Selena Island."
Coupure squinted at Rokku, his gray eyelids making him look comically suspicious. Then again, he wakes up to see a boy his age smiling like that... "Huh..."
"Um, did you lose your memory or...?" Model M began, but Coupure shook his head.
"Nah... I'm just dazed that's all..." Coupure groaned.
"Try not to move too much." Model M told him. "Stay merged with your Biometal as long as you can so your injuries don't worsen."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Coupure chuckled. "Where am I going?"
Rokku leaned up and touched his ear plate to connect to the Comms. "Hopefully, the medic room at the island's Guardian outpost... ... ... ... Vaude, do you read me? I stopped the Chosen One."
"Glad to hear it, because I just dealt with the Graver grunts." Vaude replied. "We got some Guardians helping with moving Aimer's trailer. They should be there any second."
Rokku's eyes widened. The only thing that came to mind was one name: Aimer.
"Uhhhh, hey, Copepire was it?" Rokku asked. "Don't move, I'll be right back! I'm gonna get help!"
Without waiting for his input, Rokku ran off to go back to the trailer. He needed to wrap it up fast and get back to her, but he had briefly forgotten his original mission.
Coupure, who was lying there, just frowned, looking annoyed. "Yeah! That's cool! I'll just sit here! In pain! And agony! Alone!"
Rokku returned to the trailer and say Aimer outside just as a Guardian truck arrived.
"Aimer! Are you okay?" Rokku asked.
The girl turned to look at Rokku. "Am I okay? What about you!?"
"I'm alright..." Rokku waved her off. "Just got into a fight with another brainwashed Chosen One..."
Aimer blinked. "W-Wait, another one? But... I thought Folly told you that Model El was the last one she had!?"
"We thought so too." Model M said. "I hate to think she was lying-"
"Of course she was lying!" Aimer countered angrily, making Model M whimper a tiny bit at her sudden yelling. He knew she wasn't angry with him though. "She's a sketchy Jester who likes to toy around! I knew she was full of it!"
"I...did think about that..." Rokku admits. "But I don't think Folly was lying."
"What makes you so sure?" Aimer challenged.
"It's just... I dunno, she's been pretty straight up with us so far... Okay kinda, b-but this doesn't match with how she's been..."
"Not to mention that the person we just saved? Coupure? He was talking about how Graver sent him." Model M added.
"Graver... Alphonse told us that Graver had him... It's possible that Coupure was another case...!" Aimer thought out loud. "Well, I'm glad you two saved him!"
"He's going to need some help getting back to the medic room though." Rokku chuckled nervously. "I, uh, left him back where I came to check on you."
"Don't worry about that." Aimer waved him off. "I'll get the Guardians to help him out. Then I can help his Biometal too~"
Rokku smiled at her. "I'm glad you're alright though."
"Me too." Aimer smiled back. "I was...really worried at first. You just have no idea how important my work is. Thank you for helping. Vaude too."
"I told you the worst-case scenario wasn't gonna happen~!" Rokku beamed proudly, fists on his hips.
Aimer suddenly hugged him, smiling gently. This caught Rokku off guard, but he'd return the hug after accepting it. This was a... positive feeling. He liked it.
Two Guardians came out of the truck, one of which being Dwight.
"Well, I'm getting a sense of deja vu." Dwight sarcastically replied as he approached Aimer's mobile lab. "Alright, alright, let's get this over with. Break it up, you two. The sooner we hook this thing up to our truck, the sooner we get the heck outta here."
Rokku laughed as Aimer released him from her hug. "I cannot argue with that."
Just after Rokku said that, he and Aimer witnessed a massive explosion from afar. It wasn't atomic bombs levels of massive, but it was large enough for them to see. Almost like a building just outright exploded.
"DANG IT!" Dwight shouted. "WHAT NOW!?"
Rokku looked dazed. He never seen a explosion like that. But it looked like it came from somewhere in...
"Oh no...!" Rokku cried.
"That looks like it came from somewhere in Luna Town!" Aimer stated. She reached into her pocket and held out a device; a portable Transerver. "Rokku, take this! You'll get there faster if you teleport to the warp point by the Guardian Outpost!"
Rokku took it and nodded. "Thank you! Stay safe! All of you! And help Coupure too!"
Without hesitation, Rokku was immediately teleported out of Lysander Woods.
Dwight walked up next to Aimer who witnessed her fist pump as a form of a cheer.
"Yeesh..." Dwight groaned. "This Mega Man craze is gonna make me retire sooner than later... And I'm not even at retirement age!"
Aimer just slapped his wrist, earning an offended look from the adult Guardian. "Shush you! He's got this! More importantly, let's hurry up and get out of here like you said! We gotta get a Chosen One back there too!"
"...Good point." Dwight agreed and worked with the other Guardian to get her mobile lab out of the woods.
Aimer looked to the direction of Luna Town, witnessing yet another explosion. She had to notify Vaude, have him help Rokku.