Note: Hello! I'm trying to lengthen my chapters, although I'm trying to not burn out by the time I reach the end, as I think my quality of writing can get a little bad if I go on for too long.

Also, no reveals yet, but there's a discussion of Blues as this universe takes notes from the Archie Comics (of which got canceled when it was getting awesome), but also the Ariga Megamix series. I don't plan to do a prequel series, but the events follow the Archie Comics closely with some small differences. I don't know when it'll be, but I'm curious about doing some drabbles from those days.

And Roll will evolve beyond being a Navigator, but she'll have to wait a little before she can pursue that route.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

Talk of Evolution

The impact, despite his mental preparation, couldn't have been harder blows, for it sent the blue Reploid off his feet and into the wall, yet that wasn't the end. Before he could land, his opponent launched himself upward at an astounding speed for someone their size and proceeded to deliver blow after blow upon his smaller body. Then, when gravity decided to take them both, one landed on their feet while the other landed face down in the dirt.

"Is this it?" Armored Armadillo questioned. "Is THIS the pinnacle of Dr. Light's scientific expertise?"

X staggered to his feet, finding his footing to stand tall. "Why…" he breathed out. "Why is everyone so obsessed with the fact Dr. Light made me?" he questioned. "He made plenty of other creations that contributed in some form to society."

"To human society, not to theirs," Armadillo said. "In fact, we have been able to get a hold of some information regarding what occurred before the time of Reploids. Even that of mechaniloids," he then closed his eyes, as if he were sorrowful over a sudden thought. "It is the reason that there are no robots today. Well, save for you."

X was shocked upon hearing this. True, he was aware of the ban advanced AI had received prior to his awakening, but he had never truly learned why. But something Armadillo said caught his attention. "Wait, robot?"

"Yes," Armadillo nodded. "An autonomous machine built from the hands of man," he clarified. "Robot and Reploid are only words used to differentiate those who came before and after you. Another way that the humans have greatly wronged us."

X bit his lip. "Look, whether it's robot or Reploid, both are obligated to the Three Laws!" he argued. "You, of all Reploids, of all people, should know that, Armadillo!"

"That is also a key difference," Armadillo stated. "Unlike robots, we can break those Laws."

X paused, then he remembered a crucial detail. "You could've broken it by working those trapped here to exhaustion or death. But you didn't."

"We CAN break those Laws. Whether we do or not is up to the individual," the banded robotic mammal told the smaller mechanical being. "It is the same with man, and it is the same with us," he then shut his eyes again. "We just have the ability to go through with it."

"But it clearly isn't worth it in your eyes," X told him. "So why continue following Sigma's ambitions for the possible deaths of everyone on this island?"

"I am not finished," Armadillo answered. "And the terms are set. You accepted my challenge, and you shall go through with it," he then narrowed his optics. "Unless you wish for me to go back on those terms and alert my troops of Zero's presence in the Worker's Area…"

X's green eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"You are an enemy now, X," the violet, silver, and golden Reploid told his former comrade. "Unfortunately, neither of us has a say in the matter."

"But-"

"But as I was saying," Armadillo interrupted. "A century ago, when Dr. Light was still alive, robots were programmed to adhere to the Three Laws of Robotics set forth by the World Robot Association," he explained. "The first of these being that a robot or any form of artificial life must not harm a human being," he continued. "Dr. Light's creations were programmed with these restrictions, and even Wily's despite the damage his machines caused, did not kill any humans…directly. Dr. Wily at least took that into precaution when he was constructing living weapons."

That's right, X thought. While Wily's Robot Masters were more willing and prone to violence, any casualties weren't caused by the machines directly. Still, what was Armadillo getting at?

"Yet, despite Dr. Light's idealistic vision of a world of harmony, it would not be possible, for Wily would continue threatening the world and its inhabitants, both man and machine."

X was about to remark on how he thought Armadillo wished to fight him, but he didn't dare interrupt. If anything, perhaps he could use this in his favor. Assuming he could perhaps get his challenger to see reason.

"But, there are two machines that perhaps defied this, or, at least, challenged the boundaries of their programming. Ironically enough, both creations of Light."

X grew curious. "What do you mean?"

Armadillo grinned. "The first of his machines, for reasons that have ranged from fear of being altered to the possibility of Light reprogramming him-"

"Light would never do such a thing." X interrupted, jumping to his creator's defense.

"That's not what he believed," Armadillo countered. "He still ran, all the same. Not long after that, a new machine was created. And he-"

"Two."

"Pardon?"

"Two machines were created," X corrected. "DLN-001 and 002."

"Technically yes, but the other was nothing more than a companion for the former. She served no purpose outside of that."

"You're wrong about that."

"Regardless, she is not involved, nor is she important," the other Reploid said, getting back on track. "The second of Light's machines, compared to the first, was more limited in regards to programming. He lacked the true independence the first possessed. And, in turn, this is why he maintained his sense of justice and adherence to the law, both for robots and humans," he then paused. "At least…save for one incident."

X was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Armadillo went on. True, he had believed it was a waste of time talking, and X was trying to stall as much as possible, yet his opponent had to know the reason. Why X, of everyone else, had to understand. "Not long after the appearance of a mysterious robot, Dr. Wily escaped from prison and went about creating another plan for world domination."

"And?"

"And, in the moments before the destruction of his fortress…it was said that something occurred between Wily and Mega Man."

X grew even more confused, yet he sensed that this was about to take a dark turn. "What happened?"

Armadillo crossed his arms, lowering his head as if contemplating the scene he had heard of, what had been revealed to him. Indeed, even now, it was difficult to believe, but the source that had relayed such details to him was no liar.

"In a split moment, Mega Man had taken the action to kill Wily."

"He's here."

"All right, you know what to do."

"Shh! He's coming!"

A short distance away, a red Reploid with long, flowing hair was approaching the Worker Village situated deep within the mine, seeing that there was no evidence of a soul being present in this place. Of course, such an assumption would be had, if not for the fact that Zero had gotten quite used to traps by now.

And a place such as this immediately set off alarm bells in his processor.

Suddenly, he detected movement from a nearby barrel, the action swift and barely noticeable, but his sharp eyes managed to catch it just in time. Approaching the wooden container, the blonde Hunter drew his buster, ready to fire at the ready. Although, that soon proved to be unnecessary as the barrel's occupant had risen up with their hands presenting a surrender.

"Please don't!" the female Reploid that had been hiding pleaded. "I don't have any weapons! I won't resist!"

"Calm down," Zero told her, the violet-haired worker trying to ease up and lower the surges of electricity alerting her of danger that coursed through her metallic form. "State your name."

"S-Samantha," the other Reploid answered. "I'm an employee here, and…well, currently, I'm being held here against my will."

"Clearly," Zero scanned the area. This place had several tight spaces where enemy forces could hide, yet it was too soon to act. He had to wait for them to make the first move, thus alerting him of their location. Still, one key factor got his attention almost immediately. "Where is everyone else?"

"A Maverick named Goldminder took them deeper into the tunnels," Samantha explained. "Apparently, there's been a new source of minerals recently discovered, and everyone was led down and forced to dig, otherwise Vile would serve as his enforcer."

So, Vile was here as well, Zero thought. Excellent. "And how did you get here?"

"I slipped in here when everyone else was being rounded up," Samantha confessed. "I…I hid, like some others, but it seems I was the only one that wasn't caught."

"Do you know where they were taken?" Zero questioned her.

"Yes," the other android answered. "I don't know the exact way, but we've managed to map a way to the designated site. I have it downloaded in my processor."

Zero was about to ask more questions, but stopped himself, sharply turning, his hair following his movements in a wave.

"What is it?" Samantha questioned.

"Shh," Zero told her, blue eyes surveying the near-empty environment. No, someone else was here. "Huh?!"

And it was then that they decided to strike.

X couldn't believe what he had just heard. "K-Killed?" Armadillo nodded, to which X responded by shaking his own. "N-No, that's impossible," he stammered. "He…he couldn't have. The Laws forbid it!"

"Indeed," the other Reploid answered. "It's not a well-known fact, it's actually heavily guarded information, but Fujiwara's research required that a few strings be pulled. And, surprisingly enough, this is perhaps one of the more crucial finds we discovered.

"What?"

"The notes were written by Dr. Light himself," the banded Reploid replied. "He never meant for it to be public knowledge, yet when the 'incident' occurred, all of his documents, personal or otherwise, were seized."

"Incident?"

"The catalyst for what became the eventual ban on advanced AI, and the age of near mindless machines that were inferior to even that of mechaniloids."

X bit his lip. "It's not as if mechaniloids are inferior…"

Regardless, despite the Three Laws, Mega Man wished to execute Wily. And, at that moment, he decided to. But his programming stopped his buster from producing any energy. What Wily received was an empty click and a newfound fear of the blue robot," he said. "Wily was saved at the last moment by one of his newer creations, which then declared to be the Blue Bomber's rival."

Mega Man, Rock, his…brother…almost killed Wily? No, he WOULD'VE killed Wily. Still, there was one thing X didn't understand above all else. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Because those two robots challenged the limitations of their programming," Armadillo answered. "The first declared its own independence, while the one that came later made a decision based on what he deemed to be best for the world and humanity at large, even if that meant breaking the First Law," he then gestured a hand out toward X. "And you…you were born with no such limits. No unstable core, no pre-programmed restrictions…you were born truly free."

"And what does that have to do with anything Sigma wishes to accomplish?"

"No," Armadillo shook his head. "Not Sigma, but our kind as a whole," he said. "Yet this is getting us nowhere."

"Armadillo!"

"Defeat me, and I shall provide you with more information as a bonus," the mechanical mammal promised. "Is that motivation enough for you?"

X remained silent for a short time before readying himself and preparing to fire.

"Good," Armadillo said. "Now," he prepared to strike, his mechanical spine compressing and getting into position to allow his bulky form to transform with ease. "Fight me as a Hunter should," he ordered. "I DON'T want your mercy."

X didn't respond, only standing still with his buster aimed.

Armadillo needed no more. His body curled inward and rolled into a silver sphere, which gained speed and came barreling toward his mostly-blue opponent. Finally, at long last, it seemed that he would receive the duel he had been craving.

"Watch out!"

Zero saw an incoming object in the corner of his eye and ducked to the side. A pickaxe flew in his direction, barely missing him and Samantha. From behind the corners and in between the various buildings, several Dig Labors emerged, all with their weapons raised and prepared to release on the Hunter and Worker.

Grabbing ahold of Samantha, Zero dragged her to the ground out of the line of fire and began to unload his buster, sending shots at enemy forces. Some of the Mavericks fell to the power of his weapon while others only managed to scrape by or be missed by pure luck. Regardless, even if Zero had no trouble taking a few of them out, more and more of them were beginning to surround him and the civilian.

"Which way is the tunnel?" He questioned Samantha.

"Just ahead, you can't miss it." the Worker informed the Hunter.

"All right," Zero said. "Stay close, and watch yourself."

He then took off, dragging Samantha off her feet as they sped forward, the Dig Labors chasing after and throwing their weapons, which then swerved around and came back to them in an arching loop. The assault didn't let up, even when Zero and Samantha reached the tunnel. In fact, the tightness of the corridor allowed for the pickaxes to bounce off the walls and gain distance quicker than before.

"AH!" Samantha cried out, the sound of her shout causing Zero to pull the Worker into a darkened corner, the Dig Labors rushing past them, falsely believing they had gone straight ahead.

"Where'd you get hit?" Zero questioned her.

"Oh, actually," Samantha said, brushing some purple fibers from her shoulder. "I think they clipped some of my hair," she admitted. "Sorry, I thought it was more serious."

Zero was quiet for a moment or two but finally decided to just say it. Might as well, seeing as they were the only two here. "Don't be ashamed of that. Hair is serious business."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, let's go," Zero took Samantha and continued down the tunnel, audio receptors primed to listen for any incoming enemies that could be tagging behind, or perhaps waiting for them on the other side. Either way, there was only one direction to go, and that was straight ahead.

He was fighting back, he was defending himself. Yet still, it seemed to not be enough. X fired at Armadillo's rolling form, yet his shots reflected off of the silver sphere traveling at high speeds. Seeing that standing in place would only result in being sent against the wall again, the Hunter jumped to the side, dodging the incoming Maverick as their spinning form then dove into the wall, traveling through the rock, unseen and hidden from X's sight. The Reploid's green eyes watched the surface of the walls and floor, as well as the ceiling, searching for any sense of disturbance or movement.

Suddenly, a small rumble a few feet away. Moving a short distance just in time, Armored Armadillo sprung forth from the ground, X immediately showering him with a barrage of fire. The multiple shots, even those that were charged, merely reflected off of the ex-Hunter's armor, the Reploid's forearms and legs covered in protective silvery material.

"Hm," Armadillo hummed. "No, this won't do," he said.

"What won't?" X questioned. "I thought you wanted to fight me."

"Yet you can make this battle less of a burden for you," Armadillo said. "While we Reploids have a greater capacity for independence than our robot predecessors, that does not seem to resonate with the humans who made us," he continued. "Not all, but several Reploids under the eye of Fujiwara received built-in weaknesses and disadvantages," he said. "All with you in mind."

"Is that so?" X asked. True, he had heard such from Chiyo before, but it was still a discomforting topic. The fact Fujiwara had gone and done such things, all with the assumption that X would somehow follow through with following Sigma.

"It is the same as with Mega Man," Armadillo said. "Or rather, the one that came before him."

"How is that?"

"Dr. Light may have developed the first Robot Master, yet Wily used that design, as well as that of the eight original DLNs that were abducted, to craft specialized weapon chips for his machines," Armadillo said. "Although, I'm sure you know all of this."

"It's well-known history by now," X answered. "Yet I thought you weren't interested in talking."

"This is part of your training, and it could very well save your life in the future," the ex-Hunter retorted. "Dr. Light reverse-engineered his own technology to allow his creation to use the weapons Wily had given his machines. But for us, these chips were designed with your use in mind. Therefore, you must use them. They are made for your use."

X was silent for a few moments. "How many Reploids were constructed like this?"

"...many," Armadillo confessed. "Many that worked alongside you, and others that were sent elsewhere. They exist everywhere, all with a component made just for your use."

The mostly blue Hunter felt sick having to acknowledge such a thing. It was honestly repulsive in his eyes. Disgusting, really.

"My body contains built-in thermal sensors that allow me to track your every movement, even when I am underground," Armadillo explained. "Yet, from what I have been told, you have a weapon that can work against me and disable that feature," he told X. "Along with relieving me of my main source of defense."

"And why are you telling me this?" X asked.

"Because it is you that must challenge Sigma," the ex-Hunter responded. "And to reach him, you must go through me."

X didn't respond, yet his green eyes silently pleaded that there would be another way.

"I suggest contemplating a strategy now," Armadillo warned X. "For I intend to not guide you any further. From now on, you are on your own!" he then dove underground again, the same cycle of rolling at high velocity in, through, and off the walls, all the while X spent his energy trying to either dodge the incoming attacks or defend himself.

He was right, X needed a strategy, personal reservations wouldn't keep him alive. But how would he combat Armadillo's thermal sensors?

Abel City Outskirts

His aged, worn-down, leather shoes hit the ground as he jumped off a small ledge, his destination a short distance away. "I've made it." he alerted the one currently guiding him. Even now, it was strange to hear her voice. It was different, yet similar to hers.

But was she really…?

He shooks such thoughts aside as he contacted his recently-appointed guide. "I'm a short distance from the site of interest," he told Roll from his current position. "I'm going to proceed."

"Ok, be careful," Roll told him. Ray B. began to move, but then his Navigator's voice rang again. "By the way," she asked. "This may sound out of place, but, I'll admit, since I've heard you, I can't help but think you remind me a lot of him."

Ray B. raised a brow from underneath his thick glasses. "Dr. Light's first robot?" he asked.

Roll didn't answer. "How did you guess?"

"My question is why he's suddenly come up," Ray B. asked. "Wouldn't you assume he's been dead for years?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"But what?" the other was quiet for a moment, listening to his Navigator's words. If anything, perhaps she would provide him with some answers too. "What do you know about him? What do you remember?"

"... truthfully, not much," Roll admitted. "I remember that he didn't have the best relationship with us at first," she said.

"That's an understatement," Ray B. whispered. "But go on."

"But, with time, he seemed to really be sincere about fighting for what was good for the sake of everyone," Roll answered. "But…from all that I remember, he was thought to have died during the conflict with the Stardroids," she said. "After the battle and when everyone returned from space, Dr. Wily sent Dr. Light Blues' battered helmet, saying that was all he was able to salvage," she grew silent for a moment. "Dr. Light and Mega Man were heartbroken. A friend he had made, Tempo, or Quake Woman, was utterly devastated."

"...do you…remember anything after that?" Ray B. asked. "Any further information on him?"

"I'm sorry, but, even after all this time, my memory banks still have chunks of information missing that I doubt will ever return," Roll confessed. "But…I suppose I just wanted to ask because…well…if I'm still around…then maybe…"

Ray B. was quiet. "And…how are you here?"

"I was found in the same lab X was," she told him. "Although, I'm not sure how I got there. Last I remember…" she paused. "Well…I'm not sure what I remember. But…I don't think I see him in anything past the incident with the Stardroids."

"So, by that deduction, he's dead," Ray B. said. "Going by that logic."

"Well, it's reasonable to assume, but…"

"Right now is not the time to worry about such things," Ray B. told her. "Right now, there's a mission to accomplish."

"R-Right, yes. Sorry, I was just…wondering…" she then sighed. "I may not remember everything…but I miss him," she said. "I miss everyone."

The coat-wearing machine looked down at the ground, barren and dry with little vegetation. "I'm going to take a closer look."

"Ok, be careful," Roll told him, allowing the mission to commence.

Still, when the link died, Ray B. muttered softly to himself"...you're not the only one."

Zalts Mine

He quickly learned Shotgun Ice wasn't the answer as Armored Armadillo flexed his limbs, breaking the ice off his body, shattering the crystal from clinging to his outer shell. "That won't do you any good!" the mechanical mammal warned his opponent. "You must pierce my systems entirely!"

He gave X no time to respond as he once again dove into the ground, disappearing from view. Indeed, X knew he needed to come up with a different strategy. Armadillo's thermals sensors… couldn't be frozen over…so what else could he use? It was then that he remembered the secondary weapons chip he had in his possession. The one he had received from Spark Mandrill.

He wasn't certain just how he could utilize the ability against Armadillo, yet it was the only method he had tried yet.

From above, to the upper right, Armadillo sprung forth from the rock and was rolling toward X in a compact ball, ready for impact.

ZAP!

He was met with something, yet it wasn't an opposing physical force. Rather, this force merely touched him, but then spread throughout his body, delivering surging electrical charges, shocking his systems and rendering him temporarily paralyzed. His mouth hung open in a silent scream of agony, light pouring out from his form as the sparks continued to assault him. Then, finally, at long last, the bright onslaught ceased, leaving an electrified Armadillo in the aftermath.

Yet there was a noticeable difference.

The silver armor that once clung to his limbs had been dislodged from their places, clanging to the ground with smoke rising from the metal plating. Armadillo gasped and panted, relieved to be free from the constant stings and flares of hot light. He then directed his attention to X. "Well done," he breathed out. "It took you some time, but you eventually managed to figure it out."

X said nothing, but his eyes spoke of a hesitance to continue any further. It still seemed so unnecessary. "Armadillo…"

"But you haven't beaten me yet," the former Hutner and ally told the mostly-blue Reploid. "You must sharpen your skills against even greater stones if you stand a chance against Sigma," he then readied himself to attack, despite now being rendered near defenseless compared to before. "Now, come! Prove to me that my faith isn't misplaced!"

Note: Thank you so much to both English and Spanish-speaking audiences for reading both this and the Spanish translation! I hope to continue to please you all with further updates!