I expected at the very least that we'd make it back to Light Labs before everything hit the fan.

As it was, we were still making our way as subtly as a trio of brightly colored combat robots can when my comms suddenly buzzed to life. "...Rock...Rock!"

I quickly raised my hand to my helmet. "I'm here, Dr. Light. What's up?"

He sighed. "Good. I'm going to teleport you home. There's something going on, I need you back here."

"Okay...but...Break Man's here, too."

There was a pause, before Dr. Light replied, "Alright then."

A flash of light surrounded me, and before I knew it, I was standing in Light Labs. I looked to my sides and saw Break Man there with me, and Metal Man just teleporting in to my right.

Break Man frowned. "You reactivated my teleport code?"

Dr. Light, who walked over from his computer somewhat anxiously, replied, "I never deactivated it. I knew you wanted to leave, and I respected it. But if you called for help, I wanted to be able to bring you home in a moment's notice."

The robot remained silent for a few seconds. "Huh." Was his final response.

"So," I asked, "What's going on?

Dr. Light's face grew more grim. "Yes...Only a short while ago, we began receiving word that an attack has begun in Tokyo. The details are unclear, but there are at least two robots with highly destructive powers on a rampage. They've been able to cause untold damage in a short time, so we need to send you now."

"Hmmph." Metal Man grunted. "Sounds good."

Dr. Light sighed. "Actually...I had already gathered a few specific robots that would be better equipped to handle the threat and rescue." He turned and pressed a button on the computer dashboard, and spoke into a microphone, "Guys, it's time to go."

After a few minutes, the main door opened in front of us, and I saw Guts Man, Air Man, Cut Man, and Quick Man walk into the room. I winced a little when I saw Quick Man.

"Don't act too thrilled, Mega twerp. This is as fun for me as it is for anyone else." He muttered in reply.

Meanwhile, Metal Man, his expression unchanged, walked silently out of the room.

Dr. Light nodded. "I've also been...collecting the others. I have a feeling we'll soon encounter a situation where we'll want everyone we can get. There are only a few more on their way."

I nodded. "Good. Let's get going, then."

As we gathered together in an organized stance, Dr. Light gave a few final directions. "Your priority is civilian safety. When there has been successful evacuation of the threatened areas, that's your best chance to take on the robots."

I gave him a thumbs up as he entered a few commands into the computer, and suddenly the world around us became a flash of light.

When the light was gone, I found myself standing in a ruined city. When I looked at the buildings in front of me, there were fires in windows, large pieces of debris embedded in walls, and even some buildings that had completely collapsed. Looking behind us, I found that the city was only partially in ruins, and we seemed to stand on the line between the intact and the destroyed.

"Hey, look over there!" Cut Man announced, and we followed his hand to see a robot walk out of a building in the distance. I could see that it was covered in armor of mostly navy blue. Off-white highlights marked his knees, forearms, shoulders, and the toes of his boots. I could see something gleaming brightly around his head area.

"Wanna bet that's one o' our perps?" Guts Man asked.

I nodded. "Remember the plan. Safety first." I looked back at them to affirm this, and noticed Quick Man was gone.

"Great..." I shook my head. "Well, since they'll probably know we're here pretty soon, change of plans."

"Watch out!" Air Man shouted suddenly, dragging me to the ground. A large metal weapon spun over my head, embedding in a wall behind me.

I looked over, and saw the robot from just a moment ago, standing much closer to us. He watched us silently, with the palms of his hands together, much like a meditation pose.

"Crap." I muttered.

Suddenly, Quick Man rushed from nearby, approaching the new opponent with blistering speed. Right before he arrived, however, the robot seemed to drop into the ground and disappear.

Quick Man stumbled to a startled stop. He looked around swiftly, but as he did, the robot rose from the ground behind him. It launched into a roundhouse kick that knocked Quick Man onto his face.

"Oh boy..." I muttered.

Seeming satisfied with its easy takedown, it turned to us. A low, mysterious voice came from his face,  which was partially covered by a dark blue scarf. "Mega Man. Our master has been very much awaiting this moment."

"Yeah? Can't say the same." I replied.

"Allow me to clear up the confusion. I am Shadow Man. You are all witnesses to a great moment of change in the history of robots. Soon, we will all unite in harmony on this Earth, free of the pesky life which has plagued it for centuries."

I frowned, forming a fist with one hand. "Not a chance. They're good people."

Shadow Man shook his head. "How unfortunate. But, if necessary, you will watch the destruction of countless civilizations until you have realized the future that robots must achieve. We are superior. That you will soon see."

I was prepared to retort when Cut Man shouted, "Everyone look out!" As soon as I heard the words, he got behind me and dragged me to the ground. I was kind of getting tired of that.

I looked just behind where we were, and saw an orange blur rush behind us. I couldn't quite tell what it was, and it swerved a bit before moving over to Shadow Man, stopping beside him. Once there, it began to become clear that it was actually something spinning with incredible speed. As it slowed to a stop, it took the shape of a robot, roughly the same size as Shadow Man. When finally stopped, it struck an elegant pose on the spot, before straightening up. I noticed it had wheels on the bottoms of its boots.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He announced with a bow, "Introducing the one and only Top Man!  The great Sultan of Spin!"

I blinked. "What...the heck?"

It got weirder. He cupped his hands over his mouth and began cheering with a hissing sound in his voice, like he was trying to imitate a crowd. "Yeaaaaaaaaah! Top Man! You're the best! We love you!" 

If Shadow Man was uncomfortable (which I find it hard to imagine anyone wouldn't be), he did an excellent job at not showing it.

Top Man stopped after a moment, and cleared his throat. "Anyway..." He smiled. "...let's get these festivities started, shall we?"

Guts Man grunted. "Can I pulverize that guy? Please?"

I turned the others to me. "Alright, this isn't going as planned. I'm going to improvise a bit. They clearly are concerned about us, so we want to keep their focus there. Split yourselves up, take two of you to a robot. Keep them to one general area if you can, and under any circumstances, save civilians first."

Quick Man muttered something, but didn't directly object.

Air Man gave a curious glance. "And what will you do?"

I pointed my thumb back at the rubble behind us. "I'm going to look for civilians, and do whatever I can to help the rescue. You guys have got this."

Cut Man nodded. "You can count on us, Rock."

I smiled and turned around, running towards a building to look for any signs of life.

---

Top Man began his attack quickly after Mega Man left. He broke into a spin again, turning into a veritable mini-tornado as he approached them. Guts Man growled, winding up his arm before thrusting it into the ground in front of the robot. Top Man barely managed to cease spinning in time to stop before the blow.

"Whoa! Someone's not having a good time."

Guts Man lifted his fist and smashed it into his other palm. "I hate little pipsqueaks like you!" His eyes widened. "No offense though, Cut Man."

Said robot, who was busy watching Shadow Man carefully, replied, "None t-" before a large throwing star traveled towards him, and he jumped to avoid losing his legs. Upon landing, he repeated, "None taken."

Air Man stepped in between Guts and Top. "Allow me to handle this." He planted himself, and his fan began to spin intensely, creating a powerful gust of wind. Several actual mini-tornadoes formed, turning the air in front of the robot into something of a minefield.

Top Man nodded. "Impressive!" He broke into a spin, and began to make forward motion. The wind heavily resisted him, but he slowly and surely made his way through the wind. When he arrived at a tornado, the damaging winds dissipated against the whirling fortress of his body.

Air Man's eyes widened, and his fan briefly stalled. "That's...not possible..."

"Move it, weather head!" Guts Man pushed past the blue robot, shoving his fist in a low arc into Top Man, who suddenly stopped with the considerable force.

"Oh shooooooooooot!!!" He screamed as he flew off far into the distant line of ruined buildings. 

Air Man settled a bit. "...Thank you...friend."

"Don't mention it." Guts Man replied. "Now, let's go make sure this pipsqueak stays down."

---

The job of rescuing civilians may not have entailed fighting robots, but it was no picnic either. A few large buildings which had taken some damage needed quick evacuation for a number of people.

I had been cooperating with the emergency services, due to an automatic feature in my helmet that seemed to translate everything I heard and said. They had used me to get in several damaged areas, and so far, we had managed to rescue a large number of civilians.

Only the final person confirmed to still be in the building was left. It turned out to be a small boy, and he recognized me and was eager to follow me to safety. As we made our way through, the ceiling suddenly cracked.

"Watch out!" I told him, activating the Super Arm and barely catching a chunk of floor before it crashed onto our heads. I held it up with ease and gave him a thumbs up.

He looked back at me in amazement. "Kimi wa totemo tsuyoi." He told me. "You are very strong."

"Thanks." I replied. "It's all about those green vegetables."

"Shikashi, anata wa robottodesu." "But, you're a robot."

I shrugged. "You know what I'm trying to say." I said before tossing the piece aside.

(Author Note: I deeply apologize if that Japanese was butchered, I google translated it. If it's wrong, please let me know.)

We made our way down to the bottom, and the officers took the boy into their hands. I walked among some of the people I had rescued. Kids and parents gave me smiles, and for a second, it didn't feel like we were defending the city from an incredible threat.

A young man called my attention, and pointed down the street to a parking garage.

I pointed as well. "Is someone in there?"

He nodded.

I gave him a thumbs up and ran along the roadside to the structure. There was considerable amount of damage, and the main entrance was blocked off by fallen concrete. Thankfully, I worked my way in through an open side, with only a bit of climbing. 

Once inside, I could barely see, since the overhead lights were all out. My helmet responded, changing my display from normal vision to something like night-vision sight. All around were bits of rubble, and in a few stray spots there were even some cars, covered in a thin layer of concrete dust.

I turned slowly, but nothing entered my vision. My module indicated a life sign, but I couldn't visually confirm anything.

"Hello?" I asked into the darkness. No one replied.

Right before I took a blow to my back that knocked me down hard.

I pushed myself off of the ground, spinning to find my opponent. To my surprise, my visor showed life signs coming off of what appeared to be a human man. He was dressed in a white karate gi, though there were no sleeves on it. He stood silently, and placed gloved hands together, seeming to take a deep breath. He suddenly stepped back, taking a sideways fighting stance.

I was incredibly confused. "Wait a minute..."

"Are you one of those machines?" He boomed in a stern masculine voice.

I lifted myself to my feet. "If you mean a...robot...then yeah."

"Hmmph." He responded, before reaching his hands back and thrusting them forward again, and before my eyes, shouted "HADOUKEN!" as a large blue energy ball burst to life, flying towards me. 

I stumbled back, barely moving myself out of the way. "What the..."

Before I could finish, a foot slammed into my side, knocking me to the ground again. I lifted myself, looking up just in time to jump out of the way of his fist slamming into the ground where I had just been.

"Holy..." I muttered as he stood up. He was extremely well built, and didn't seem the least bit stunned or hurt from striking my armor.

"Just...just who is this guy..."

---

While Guts Man and Air Man had some nice bonding time in their fight, the same can't be said for Quick and Cut. Shadow Man was deceptively fast, deceptively strong, and clever. Most of their attacks were swiftly dodged, and almost immediately punished.

Sometimes, Shadow Man just used their own attacks against them. With a simple grab and throw, he flung a vulnerable Quick Man into Cut Man, as he approached with a weapon drawn.

"Eep!" Cut Man squealed right before the red robot slammed into him, sending them both to the ground.

Quick Man scrambled to his feet growling. "Dang it, Cut! Stay out of the way!"

His partner frowned. "Me? You were the one who got chucked."

Shadow Man stopped a short distance away. A very faint chuckle could be heard.

Quick Man lost it. "What's so funny, pointy head!?" He rushed at him, diving at the robot's legs this time. Shadow Man easily sidestepped, and after raising a leg high, slammed it into his opponent's back with considerable force.

"I am amused at your lack of discipline. Combat is an honorable and great test of skill, and you two bicker and trip each other up."

"That's what I'm saying!" Cut Man complained.

Quick Man managed to get up, his body trembling with anger. "You want us to work together? Fine." He sped to Cut Man, grabbing him and spinning him around like a large weapon.

"HEY!!! WAAAAAIT!"

Quick Man continued regardless, tossing him at Shadow Man as the robot performed a dodge. He seemed surprised, and the robot collided with him in midair, sending them both sprawling to the ground again.

Cut Man stared at the sky. He finally nodded his head, and screamed, "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?"

Their opponent quickly got to his feet and distanced himself. Quick Man watched him in anger. "You happy? Maybe now it's clear you aren't invincible!"

"Alright." Came the reply. "Fair enough. But you're going to need more than improvised, impractical plans to defeat me." His eyes suddenly widened, and he looked down at his foot, where a Rolling Cutter had been forcefully jabbed in.

From the ground, Cut Man smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Then how about that?"

Shadow Man grumbled softly, and sunk into the shadows. As he went, the Cutter fell out of his foot, remaining in the spot as he went.

Quick and Cut looked at each other briefly. They then turned away to express a dismissal of the other's presence.

---

I was incredibly confused.

The number one robot law was not to harm humans, or any living creature. My sensors all indicated lots of life signs from this guy, so by all means, that should mean I leave him alone.

But things got complicated when he was beating the ever-loving crap out of me. I could barely rest before he would come at me with a flying kick or another weird glowing fireball.

Seeing so much of what he could do, I was conflicted. Could my sensors be wrong? What if this was a cleverly designed robot? It was unlikely, but so was everything this guy was doing. Humans, last time I checked, couldn't summon balls of energy to chuck around.

After I avoided another ball, a support pillar was struck, and shook dangerously.

At that point I decided I had to do something. I couldn't let myself be battered to a pulp when there was still a potentially world-conquering threat. Technically, robots were allowed to preserve their own existence.

When a lunging kick shot towards me, I grabbed the leg and lightly tossed it aside. He spun along with the motion in order to land cleanly on his feet.

"Now listen..." I told him as my buster formed on my right arm. "I don't want to hurt you."

He scoffed. "You don't need to worry about that."

He shouted, "Hadouken!" once again, and I fired a lightly charged shot that collided with it, causing both to vanish. He responded by running forward, but right before he arrived, he performed a spin with his leg extended, and shouting a series of sounds that probably meant something, but happened way too fast for me to decipher.

I hurriedly jumped out of the way, and trained my weapon on him, but I reconsidered. That would be a little too much. I'd have to do this as much hand to hand as I could.

Which would definitely be easy against a guy wearing a gi.

---

Guts Man and Air Man walked into an evacuated building. There was minimal damage to it, apart from a suspicious hole in the side that was more than likely from their target. It had been left in a hurry, and appeared to be some sort of office building. Cubicles were laid out in rows, and things were largely still in order.

Air Man was surprised when his foot stepped on something slick. He glanced down and found a small, light brown puddle of coffee spilled on the floor.

Guts Man suddenly shouted, "Look out!"

Air looked up just as Guts Man grabbed him and gently (as gently as a hulking robot can) tossed him aside. Top Man, already spinning toward them at high speed, crashed into Guts Man. Astonishingly, the robot's attack seemed to impact Guts Man. He was pushed back by each blow, and visible scuffing could be seen on his body.

Air Man began to feel anxious. His attacks were nearly useless, and Top Man had enough power to damage Guts Man. Would they be able to stop him?

---

Alright I kept reworking where I wanted to end this chapter, we're going to settle for there. I liked writing this, it was something I was really looking forward to.

As for our *ahem* "new arrival", I will answer most questions after next chapter.

Thanks guys, I'll see you next time.