Note: Sorry for such a short chapter last time! While this one probably won't be much longer, it'll hopefully have more happening in it.

I was a little stumped on which direction to go with the Pharaoh Man battle, but think I found a way to tie everything together.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it!

Ending the Pharaoh's Reign

Two bright, flashing waves of pure heat projected from Pharaoh Man's chest, their wide range made it difficult to dodge. Even if it was just by a little, Ring Man's weapon assisted Mega Man in keeping the flaring surges of energy away from possibly melting his circuitry. Then, the waves began to reflect off of the stone walls, to the Blue Bomber's shock, having to continually avoid or beat back the incoming attack until it finally dissipated.

"I think, as you would say, 'sizzling circuits,' yes?" the royalty-dressed Robot Master asked, having lowered himself to the ground to get to Mega's level.

"Decide to finally face me on the ground, or do you want to continue flying around some more?" the azure android questioned with a raised brow.

"Cocky insubordinate," Pharaoh Man snarled, crossing his arms. "I shall teach you your place," he then regained his cool, mellowing out, unlike the solar heat radiating throughout his body. "But first, I should ask, aren't you wondering why my chamber can reflect my attacks?"

Mega Man was quiet for a moment, having been caught without a retort for once. "Well, yeah. It's something I'm kinda curious about," he then looked around. In truth, he began to think back to his battle with Bright Man and how each dimension of the room was filled with bright lights that would react with the Robot Master's weapon. Perhaps something similar to that was taking place here, but if that was the case, then what? From what he could see, there was nothing for the light to reflect on, so maybe whatever allowed the waves to travel elsewhere rested behind the hieroglyphics.

"If you're wondering, no, there is no gimmick or trickery," Pharaoh Man said. "My power is just that great."

"Great, huh?" Mega Man asked. Now was his chance. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow it for a moment!"

Using this moment of distraction, the Blue Bomber drew out some rings and hit the mechanical shape of the protective symbol of the two guardians of the ancient kings, Nemes the Vulture, and Wadjet the Serpent. The impact of the rings proved enough to break off both of the symbols' necks, ruining the regal look that went along with the nemes. True, it didn't serve any function, but Pharaoh Man took pride in how it made him appear. "Gah!" the Robot Master cried out, wincing at how his headpiece was ruined. "How dare you…!"

He was silenced by a blue hand seizing his forearm and, while it wasn't painful, the reprogrammed Cossack bot (despite Mega's still present suspicions) felt his ability being "transferred" from himself to another, the cerulean android smiling as he felt a familiar wave of warmth fill his weapon.

"You thief!" Pharaoh Man bellowed, swinging in the Blue Bomber's direction, but Mega Man leaped back, out of the way of the incoming attack.

"Not this time!" Mega Man said, reminiscing about the previous encounters he had with the Robot Master. "I've been waiting to get you back for that love tap!"

Mine

"Hm?" Kalinka turned her head as the approaching figure turned the corner, making herself visible in the sparse light from the few, barely functioning bulbs lining the ceiling. "You're not one of Wily's bots."

"No way!" the other blonde shook her head. "I'm much more put together than any of those clowns."

The caged human approached the bars of her cell, squinting her peridot eyes to get a better look at who had just entered her "room." "Wait a minute," she said, eyes widening. "You're one of Light's creations, aren't you?" she asked. "No, more than that…" she examined Roll closer, realizing just who had stumbled upon her. "You're the sister of Mega Man, aren't you?"

"You know who my brother is?" Roll asked. This girl seemed to know her, yet she had no idea who this prisoner was. But it didn't take her long to put the pieces together. "You're Dr. Cossack's daughter, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Kalinka exclaimed. "Kalinka Misha Cossack," she answered, placing a hand on her chest as if she were presenting herself. "And you are…" she paused for a moment. "Rolly?"

"Uh…Roll," the other blonde responded. Honestly, "Rolly" sounded like a bad nickname. "Anyway, so you're the one that Wily took."

The Russian (partially Ukranian) human nodded, looking down at the barren rocky ground. "Yes, I am," she gripped the bars, her knuckles whitening. "And his foolish subordinates have kept me here for the entire day! With barely any food or water, and even more, I'm bored!" she threw up her arms in exasperation. "They've practically been abusing me!"

Wasn't that going a little far? Still, Roll couldn't deny that ending up in the hands of Wily's bots was never a good thing, having experienced such a good few times. Something she hoped to not repeat. The least she needed was to get herself thrown in with this girl. "Ok, so…" the jumpsuit-wearing android began to inspect the cell. "How are we going to get you out of here?" She began trying to find any weakness in the bars, yet it seemed that, despite the fact they appeared old and covered in rust, they were sturdy and weren't going to break. Not under her strength.

If Mega was here, then maybe he could…?

"If I may," Kalinka suddenly spoke up. "Just where is your brother now?" she asked. "Is he…still fighting with my Papa?"

Roll's focus was drawn from the task of freeing the prisoner to listen to her words. "Yeah," the other blonde answered. "I don't know how far he's gotten," she admitted. "But my brother's tough. He won't fall to whoever's been set up to fight him."

This bit of reassurance seemed to have the opposite effect, Roll noticing Kalinka's features fall. "So…Papa's robots…" she turned away from Roll, her arms wrapping around her body as if she were being affected by the bitter cold, despite her warm attire. "They're…destroyed?"

"Yeah, Mega's surely trounced them by now," Roll mentioned, momentarily forgetting the human's distress. "But…don't worry. He beats Wily's goons up, yes, but he doesn't outright destroy them."

The curly-haired, hat-wearing human looked back at Roll. "He doesn't?"

"Well, they always come back the next time Wily's got another scheme cooking," Roll answered. "Truth be told, I don't know where some of the Robot Masters are…" she admitted.

Kalinka's green eyes grew in terrible comprehension. "Then…does that mean Wily…?" she then gasped. "If they fail, then surely will…!?"

"Surely will what?" Roll asked.

"Yeah, surely will what?" a familiar, smarmy voice questioned, the low but cocky pitch new, and yet familiar. Roll had to keep reminding herself that the Robot Masters appeared to have more "developed" personalities and quirks.

Turning around, Roll saw that she was no longer alone, her pursuers having finally caught up to her. Surrounding her were Cut, Guts, Elec, and Ice Man, all prepared to take care of the intruding DLN.

Permanently.

Citadel

This was going nowhere.

Despite having copied the Robot Master's already powerful weapon, Mega found he wasn't progressing much in this fight. True, the Blue Bomber was keeping the Egyptian-based machine from taking any shots at him, but the two were essentially locked into an ongoing contest to see who could hit who first.

Neither was winning, as the blasts from either side canceled each other out.

"Enough!" Pharoh Man commanded, Mega Man's attacks also coming to a halt. "Hm," the haughty android crossed his arms. "So, you DO know when to obey a superior such as myself."

"Naw, I'm just getting a little heated," Mega responded. Even if it was more of a sarcastic quip, he wasn't lying. He found that Pharaoh Man's weapon was heavily depleted of energy, and it wouldn't be long until he would run out completely. Pretty soon, he would have to rely on his regular buster to take his enemy out.

"You're wasting your time," Pharaoh Man boasted. "As long as Ra's light shines down on me, my energy reserves will never deplete!"

Ra's light? What did he mean by that? Mega began to think over the other robot's words, peering into what he had known and recorded about Egypt, as, until now, it had been some time since he had traveled abroad. From what he could find, Ra was the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon, the controller and guide of the sun. He would descend into the underworld at night, where he would battle against Apep, who sought to devour the sun for himself. All right, nice history lesson, but how was that going to help him now?

Wait a moment.

Mega glanced up, his blue eyes squinting to adjust to the powerful light. He at first initially believed it to light up the room, yet perhaps it did more than that. "Only one way to test it."

Switching out the copied ability for his regular buster, a shot of golden plasma was released, the fired blast striking the sizable lamp in the ceiling. The surface had cracked, and, judging from the sudden panic on Pharaoh Man's face, the Blue Bomber had guessed correctly.

Mine

"Um…" Roll began, feeling both very cornered and very foolish. She had just gone and walked right into enemy hands.

"I suggest you stay still and take it," Elec Man said, a coy smirk coming to his lips. "It will still be painful, but electricity is a quick worker of inferior hardware."

Roll raised a brow, then furrowed both. "Inferior hardware?!" she yelled, no longer caring about the situation she found herself in. "Can inferior hardware do this?!"

Elec Man prepared himself, yet found that, instead of a fist or leg meeting him, a cloud of dust erupted in his face from the other robot's utility arm. Her hand had slipped into the white compartment and a nozzle took its place. The dust and gathered dirt caught Elec Man off guard and sent him back, coughing and hacking as he tried to get the offending particles out of his throat and systems.

"Huh, looks like I forgot to empty the vacuum before I left the lab," Roll mused aloud. "Oh well, it's served me for now."

"You…cough!" Elec Man wheezed, his voice box acting up somewhat from the debris clogging his vocal components. "Your circuits are going to be microwaved from the inside out!"

"I've got one better!" Cut Man answered, quite literally "cutting" in. "I'll make paper dolls out of you, circuit skirt!"

"I don't even wear a skirt," Roll retorted, crossing her arms. "But fine! I can take you on!"

Cut Man removed his namesake weapon and threw it in Roll's direction, the blonde robot ducking underneath the incoming projectile that was surely aiming for some part of her. Anything it hit would've been slashed off, but just when the sharpened blades were about to return to Cut Man, Roll activated the now-empty vacuum and sucked up the Rolling Cutter, the weapon now resting in the compartment.

"Ha!" the blonde proclaimed. "Looks like I've got your power now!"

"Who do you think you are? That blue dweeb of a brother you've got?" Guts Man scoffed, flexing out his arms and presenting his girth to the smaller robot in an effort to intimidate her.

"Hey! Mega's way less of a dweeb than you!" Roll retorted. Despite the Robot Master's size, she didn't let herself be deterred or shrink under Gut Man's glare. "And besides, even if he was, it's better than being a brainless dolt!"

"Brainless?!" Guts Man roared, but then grew confused. "But we've got CPUs and processors," he then came to a realization. "Hey, that was an insult, wasn't it?!"

"And I thought Dr. Cossack was supposed to have made you smarter." Roll scoffed.

"Why you…!" the black, yellow, red, and partially blue metal giant lunged forward, intending to take the smaller android to the ground. While he had just nearly managed to snatch her, Roll jumped back out of the way, allowing her to realize that she had a straight path to the cell. And she had Cut Man's signature utensil in her grasp. She could just bust Kalinka out here and now!

"Freeze!" Ice Man called out. "That's an order!"

"Sorry, sir!" Roll called out. "I'm not one of your soldiers!"

"Oh, sorry ma'am," the Inuit-based Robot Master said. "But…I still have to attack you!"

Roll made a dash for Kalinka's cell, Ice Man all the while firing blasts of concentrated nitrogen in the other robot's direction. He cut off her path several times, and she was forced to maneuver her way against the walls and over the still-collapsed Guts Man. So close, she was so close…

Citadel

"You fool! Stop!" Pharaoh Man bellowed, thrusting his arm out and pointing an accusing finger at Mega Man.

"Why?" Mega questioned, continuing to unload his weapon onto the light above. "Afraid I'll ruin your tan?

"I command you to cease!" the headressed Robot Master ordered.

"Sorry, your Majesty, your rule has gone on long enough!" Mega Man retorted, aiming for the lamp once again.

This wasn't good, Pharaoh Man realized. He had to do something, if not just to perhaps delay what was coming a little longer! The lamp couldn't break! He couldn't allow that to happen!

"Servants!" he suddenly called out, raising his left arm. "Come to me!"

With a snap of his fingers, the Blue Bomber saw the bricks in the room begin to pull apart and shift, opening to reveal black, empty spaces that he soon learned were occupied. From within the walls emerged several robots that looked as if they were about to fall apart, all wrapped up in what appeared to be some sort of elastic material that resembled bandages.

"What the…?" Mega said aloud, studying the newly arrived fiends with curiosity and caution.

"Behold, my Mummira forces," Pharaoh Man proclaimed proudly. "Provided by Dr. Cossack himself."

"Oh, is that so?" Mega questioned.

"Indeed, it is so," Pharaoh Man responded. "Quip all you want, yet it won't save you now," he said. "These robots were designed specifically to heed my words and commands," he then thrust a digit in his enemy's direction. "And I command them to restrain you so I can finish you off!"

Mine

So close. She was so close.

"Watch out!"

But it wasn't close enough.

Just as Roll was about to slice through the bars of Kalinka's cell, a sudden and agonizing burning sensation assaulted her entire body, everything from her skin to her inner circuitry felt as if it were lit on fire. She didn't need to figure out who had just stopped her attempt to free their prisoner, and with that realization, came the knowledge that the group's most dangerous member had recovered. Falling to the ground after a few moments of spasming, the blonde robot looked up to see her attacker standing above her, arms crossed and with a very displeased expression on his features, despite his mask.

"You and your friend have caused us enough trouble," Elec Man snarled. "But since you're the weakest link, we'll take you out first."

Weakest?! As much as she wished to bite back, Roll accepted that her current reality was that of a loser. Once again, she was reminded she was never as strong as her brother.

"Now," the electricity-wielding robot said, approaching his downed target. "How about we test just how much you can take before your pretty little head explodes?"

Citadel

Mega prepared to fire, but just as he did so, he felt a strong yet flexible material seize him by the arm. Looking to see what had snagged him, the Blue Bomber found that one of the Mummiras had taken the "bandages" from his face and used them as a restraining whip. The robot's head was uncovered, however, leaving a rather unpleasant-looking face underneath. Mega attempted to free his arm but soon found his other arm, legs, and chest restrained by the same bandages, a group of Mummiras surrounding and keeping him in place.

"Even if you manage to free yourself, it will do you little good," Pharaoh Man said. "I have dozens of these peons at my disposal, and I doubt even you have enough energy to take them all out, AND me."

Darn it, he was right. As much as Mega hated to admit it, his foe had a point. Still, there had to be a way out of this, or, at least some sort of distraction so he could buy himself enough time. Blasting his way out of these bandages wouldn't do him any good, the constricting material blocking his cannon. He had to think of a plan, as well as the time to think of one!

But what?

"You have been a nuisance long enough," Pharaoh Man dismissively waved, turning from the scene. "Mummiras, tear him limb from limb."

Mine

"W-Wait!" Kalinka called out, grabbing onto the metal rods that kept her trapped. "Wait, stop! Don't do this!"

Elec Man took a moment to glance at the imprisoned sixteen-year-old. "Consider yourself fortunate that we're not allowed to handle you roughly," he told her with a smirk, generating a considerable amount of energy in the palm of his hand, bringing it close to Roll's face, her blue eyes reflecting the electrical sparks, wide and fearful. "Then again, perhaps an example of what happens when you mess with us is required for you to get the point."

He inched the electrical surge closer and closer, Roll unable to move due to the shocks still paralyzing her body. Any closer, and he would really be able to fry her systems.

Was this truly the end of the line?

Citadel

"Hm?" Pharaoh Man whirled around upon hearing an audible sizzling emitting from behind him.

The Mummiras appeared confused as well, yet when one of the bandages restraining Mega suddenly erupted into flames, it became clear just what was happening. The object blocking his buster was burnt away thanks to the small bit of energy left from Pharaoh Man's weapon, Mega Man gazed at the surrounding robots now that he was free to fire. The Mummiras leaped forward, yet found themselves engulfed in flames, the bandages on their bodies burning away thanks to the heat from the Pharaoh Shot. While the solar energy burnt off a good portion of their outer shell, the pieced-together, walking automatons of scrap metal kept coming, all with the intent to bring down the intruder as their Master ordered.

"Ok, I've got just a few more," Mega said to himself. "Then, I've got to take care of the lamp."

"Get him!" Pharaoh Man shouted, the Mummiras walking forward, despite no longer having much on their bodies anymore. If they weren't machines, the sight would've been rather gruesome.

Mega, to the other android's surprise, didn't fire back. Instead, he seemed to wait for the Mummiras to draw closer to him. Closer and closer to where they could surely restrain him again if they so chose to. And it seemed that would be the direction things would go, but then, a wave of heat blasted forth from Mega Man's buster, consuming the waling pieces of scrap and destroying them with fire. While they didn't turn into goop or burn to ash, their internal circuits were sizzling and smoking.

"Hope Cossack has a refill for me after this." Mega sighed, feeling the last of Pharaoh Man's weapon slip away. He could now only rely on his regular power. "Or should I say, Dr. Wily?"

Pharaoh Man's eyes widened for a moment, then he regained his cool. "You speak nonsense," the Robot Master answered. "There is only Dr. Cossack here."

"I thought you'd say that," Mega responded. He had an answer for that. "Then what about a Kalinka?"

Mine

"Wait!"

Roll and Kalinka, as well as Elec, Cut, and Guts Man all turned their heads to see who had just spoken, Ice Man had stepped forward, momentarily stopping the red and black Robot Master from delivering a devastating blow.

"If I have permission to speak, sir." the blue, large-eyed robot meekly asked.

Elec Man raised a brow. "What could you possibly have to say now?" he asked. "Can't you see we're about to take care of a troublesome pest here?"

"Yeah, we're taking care of a pest!" Guts Man added.

"But…do we have to do something so…drastic?" Ice Man questioned.

"What do you mean?" Cut Man asked, confused.

"Yeah, I want to know too," Roll asked, despite her weakened state. "What DO you mean?"

Ice Man began to fiddle with his thumbs upon realizing Roll had her sights set on him. And wait, Roll thought, was he blushing? "Well," he began. "Considering that she's not exactly a threat," he said. "Not to mention lacking in strength and durability in comparison to Mega Man,"

Roll narrowed her eyes. "Wow, thanks."

"All the more reason to be rid of her now," Elec Man said. "Once she's out of the way, let's see if Mega Man receives any help from a tag-along then."

"But…" Ice Man protested, no one appearing to listen to him. Then, his eyes fell on Kalinka. "How about she serves as a companion for our prisoner?"

Citadel

Pharaoh Man went silent.

"Well?" Mega asked.

Despite trying to suppress it, the Robot Master couldn't entirely keep his shock inside. "I…I don't know who you're talking about."

"Are you sure?" Mega questioned. "No one you know? No one Cossack knows?"

"No, I know no one by that name."

Mega Man crossed his arms. "Even if you clearly can, you're terrible at lying," the Blue Bomber scoffed. "I think Proto Man is a better liar than you."

"The truth is that there IS no Kalinka!" Pharaoh Man answered. "She…"

"She?"

"She…" the Egyptian-based android appeared to be struggling as if his circuitry was fighting him. "She's…" he stammered. "She's…not…his…"

His bravado began to simmer down, the cerulean robot approaching the other, all the while keeping his buster at the ready to fire. So far, so good. "Is she someone Dr. Cossack knows?" he questioned. His voice became softer. "Is there someone he knows that's in trouble?"

Pharaoh Man's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"Is Kalinka in trouble?" Mega Man asked, being direct.

"She…" Pharaoh Man said, standing still until he began to clutch at his forehead. "She's…" he then began to hold it as if he were in intense pain. "She's…trapped."

Mega's blue eyes widened. "Trapped?"

"Down…somewhere…" the other robot said, spaces of silence in between words. "But…but she…"

"Yeah? Who is she?" Mega questioned. "Is she someone related to him?" he asked. Then, a particular relation came to mind. "Is she his daughter?"

Everything froze. At that moment, Pharaoh Man's processor went into overdrive, his systems navigating and searching for information that he knew once, he knew about the one Mega spoke of. Yet…it was inaccessible. He couldn't reach it. He knew the name and face…he knew HER…but from where? And why?

"Now!" Mega shouted, finally seizing his chance.

"What?!" the Robot Master realized that he had fallen into his foe's trap, his sudden onset of conflict and confusion allowing the blue menace enough time to fire at the light above until, finally, the glass splintered and intense heat radiated from above, filling the entire room.

"Oooh!" Mega winced, his vision momentarily blinded. "Did Bright Man set an extra bulb up in here?"

"Y-You fool!" Pharaoh Man roared, yet it wasn't out of anger. Not entirely. "Do you realize what you've just done?!"

Mine

"What?" Elec Man asked, almost unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Yes, sir," Ice Man replied. "I propose that she be thrown in with Cossack's child."

Cut and Guts Man didn't understand, sharing in Elec Man's befuddlement. "But…why?" the larger of the two questioned.

"Well, haven't you been complaining about her making noise?" Ice Man inquired. "How she's incredibly obnoxious and annoying?"

"I'm RIGHT here," Kalinka growled.

"See?" Ice Man said. "Even now, she won't stop talking."

"Hey!"

"So, what better way to relieve ourselves of the task of listening to her when we have someone that can do it for us?"

Elec Man gazed down at the recovering housekeeper, then at the human. "As much pleasure as I would've gotten out of frying you to a crisp, you'd at least serve a purpose," he then directed his attention to the largest of them all. "Guts Man," the other Robot Master said. "Open the door."

Citadel

"What?" Mega Man asked, finally reveling in the fact that he had the upper hand. "Your power source able to be damaged now?"

"No, you fool!" Pharaoh Man bellowed, beginning to clutch at his chest. "Cossack put a limit on how much solar energy I can absorb!"

The Blue Bomber raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"It means that you…" the other android began to speak, but he faltered, falling to his knees. "You must…escape."

"Escape?" Mega Man couldn't entirely believe what he was hearing. One of his enemies was… concerned about him?

"Find…the Doctor," Pharaoh Man said. "Find him…and…tell him…" the Robot Master knelt over, clutching at his chest still.

"Pharaoh Man?!" And, to his surprise, Mega found himself growing concerned over his own enemy. "And what? What do I do?"

"Find…her…" he stammered. "Find her…before…it's too…late…"

His body then became enveloped in light, and Mega wasted no time rushing to the portal. Not but mere seconds after stepping on, Pharaoh Man's core gave out, and his entire body exploded, bathing the room in the bright, hot light of the sun.

Note: Pharaoh Man fight is finally done! Don't worry, he'll be back. I actually plan to make this series a little more lighthearted than the Variables one, although there will be serious moments. But compared to that one, this one is much more cheery.

Plus, there's a Christmas special of sorts coming after this arc. Not too many chapters, but a transitional period between this arc and the next. Which I look forward to starting.

Anyhow, we shall be checking in with Roll and Kalinka next chapter, as well as learning of her connection with the Robot Masters. And maybe see who one of her mysterious captors is.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!