Yeah, I'm serious. I kept trying to come up with one, but I couldn't, so I'm just gonna roll with it. Have fun.

---

Michael was really tired of walking places. He had figured out that he could travel ridiculously fast with all the powers he got from Omega-Xis, but he constantly found himself having to go somewhere with people who didn't have the same capabilities. 

The worst part was, Sonia probably was capable of it. She just didn't feel comfortable with it.

Michael was very hesitant to let her come. He had already suited up earlier for the purpose of protecting her (even though she arguably saved his butt more in the battle), and now bringing her along just seemed really counter intuitive. Regardless, as they made their way to the origin of the signal, he felt a little reassured knowing she was there. It was better someone have his back than be completely alone.

Sonia tried to make casual conversation. "So how long have you known Rock?"

"Seven years or so." Michael answered.

She nodded. "And the...Mega Man thing?"

"Just over a year ago."

She frowned. "So was he always a robot?"

Michael looked over at her and gave her a shrug. "No, he just magically woke up one day as a super fighting piece of machinery."

She smiled a little. "I'm just genuinely curious."

"Yeah, well I can't really tell you much more than that. I can't claim to understand the science of this stuff."

Omega-Xis chuckled. "Trust me kid. No one thought you could."

Sonia barely covered her mouth as she tried to prevent her laughter from slipping out.

A small grunt came from Sonia's suit. "You all are surprisingly chatty going into a battle over one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy." Lyra noted.

Michael shrugged. "I gotta do something to keep my mind off of things. Like how we'll very likely die. Or about how they've got my best friend."

Sonia moved a little closer and rested a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get him back. Somehow."

Upon finally arriving, the place turned out to be an old lot next to a warehouse. "This is it." Michael announced.

None of them said anything as they approached the door. As they stood in front of it, the wind whistled through the area, gently blowing Michael and Sonia's hair. Michael ran a hand along the wall. "Let's do this."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he was suddenly snatched off the ground and quickly taken into the air. Michael couldn't even let out a yelp, as the sudden rush of air instantly drowned all the sound he made. He twisted around in the grip to see his captor. Their body was long and thin, covered in turquoise armor, save for a white helmet over his head that resembled a swan. Large white wings extended out from his body. An emotionless human face stared down at him.

Michael grunted, straining his body against the grip. He could feel that this new opponent wasn't very physically strong, so he pushed against the arms that were wrapped around him, barely managing to free up his cannon arm. 

Omega-Xis was alarmed. "Kid, don't do it!"

Michael was distracted and filled with adrenaline. He raised the weapon and fired at his target's chest. They were definitely affected, recoiling and letting Michael go.

The only problem with this was that they were now several stories in the air.

"IDIOT!!" Omega-Xis screamed into his ear. Michael couldn't really argue, seeing as he couldn't speak with all the wind.

The fear within Michael only barely had time to set in. He braced himself for a painful and likely fatal landing. Before that happened however, a brief guitar chord rung out through the area, and Michael suddenly felt something pushing back on his descent, greatly slowing him. He opened his eyes, which he had instinctively closed, and saw Sonia playing her new instrument, which emitted a series of sonic waves that performed the pushing back.

She stopped playing just a brief second later, and Michael's fall resumed, this time from more like ten feet. The result was only some aches and bruises as opposed to death.

Michael lay on the ground for a few seconds, still breathing heavily from his brush with death. He slowly lifted himself to one knee, where he paused for a little longer. 

Omega-Xis finally tried to bring him back to reality. "Next time, think about whether or not what you're about to do will result in certain death. Trust me."

Michael laughed a little, and managed to get to his feet. He was quickly met with Sonia rushing to his side, frantically asking him, "Are you okay? I did the best I could to help you, but I'm still not really familiar with this thing, and-"

Michael held up a hand as he watched his winged captor land in the distance behind her. "We've got bigger problems.

She turned around as well, and both teens found themselves watching the attacker be joined by a number of allies. They recognized Taurus Fire easily, but there were a few more that were new to them.

One was a large creature seemingly made out of bronze. It floated in the air slightly, and resembled a balance, as if it were holding each side in one hand. On one balance, a small whirlpool flowed intensely on the spot, not spilling a single drop off of the balance. On the other side, a raging fire kept the scales perfectly balanced, despite the fact that high school science had taught Michael that this was wrong in a number of ways.

Another was very bizarre, a creature in a large green metal coat. Its only significant features were its skull-shaped head and the very large red crown that rested on top of it. It didn't seem very intimidating, but under the circumstances you never really knew.

Finally, there was an ordinary man who was carried in by Taurus Fire. He was dressed in working clothes, with a few dirt stains here and there. He was clearly terrified, but was bound and gagged.

As the aliens briefly directed their attention to the man, Omega-Xis gave them a brief introduction to each respective member of their enemies. "You've got Libra Scales there. The next one's Crown Thunder. Our flying friend is Cygnus Wing. And that-" He was interrupted by a terrifying howl.

They quickly looked to see deep blue armor cover the man's body, extending at his fingers into long, deadly-looking white blades. Silver spikes emerged at several joints, and a head resembling a wolf. 

Omega-Xis patiently waited for the unsettling howl to conclude. "...That is Wolf Woods."

"Hello again, Omega-Xis." The familiar confidence revealed already who was speaking. Michael and Sonia turned to face him. Gemini Black was standing patiently with his hands behind his back. "I do hope you'll make this quick. These humans can be so...frustratingly stubborn."

Michael swallowed and planted a foot forward. "Let my friend go."

Black shook his head. "I can see you're going to be difficult. Very well. I had intended to let you select your cause of death, but I suppose that option is gone."

Michael felt something slam him from behind, sending him flying forward over the dirt for several yards before stopping abruptly in midair. He felt himself be yanked back to the ground, his back smacking against the dirt. Briefly startled and confused by pain, he looked up to see Gemini White standing over him, one arm still in position from catching and throwing him to the ground.

He tried to push himself up, but was quickly snagged by Cygnus Wing again, who carried him at low height around the battlefield before tossing him at high speed. Michael barely composed himself enough to fire another shot at Cygnus, which found its mark. Before he could celebrate at all, he was snatched out of the air and once again slammed into the ground.

This time, Wolf Woods began ferociously swinging at him, snarling all the while. Michael received a few slashes across his chest, then managed to fire a panic shot. Wolf was barely even stunned, and before anything could be done, the beast lunged at Michael with both claws ready to kill.

A loud strum rung through the air, and Woods was suddenly launched slightly off course of Michael. He quickly turned his shoulder, the large monster flying just inches away from his body. 

Michael gave Sonia a brief thumbs up. She smiled in response, but was quickly blasted with an electrical beam, which knocked her a few feet away. Crown Thunder walked towards her, his crown crackling with energy. "Heroism is very overrated. All it really does is leave you vulnerable." He cackled in a rather high pitched voice.

 Michael started to move towards her, but was interrupted by a shout from Omega-Xis: "Behind you!" He quickly stopped and dropped flat to the ground, and Wolf Woods' body began to soar over his head. He quickly stood up while underneath, and thrust his opponent in the direction of Crown Thunder. Once Woods was in the air, Michael quickly fired a shot to keep the wolf inactive. Wolf collided with Thunder in a spectacular manner.

"Yes." Michael whispered quietly to himself. He didn't have much of a break though. Something hit him from behind, knocking him down to the dirt before him. He shook himself off a little and tried to get a look. 

Gemini Black was holding out his golden arm, and the appendage could be seen flying through the air briefly before attaching itself to his body once again. "It seems you're more resilient than we anticipated. A shame—We might have considered having a bargain."

Taurus Fire rushed Michael from the side, and he was unable to move. He was grabbed in the large alien's arms, and smashed into the ground multiple consecutive times. Each hit filled his body with fresh pain that he hadn't experienced before. His nose took a particularly bad blow, and he noticed some blood in a few places on the dirt.

Once he was finally left on the ground, he was dragged up again by Cygnus Wing. Michael couldn't get his legs under him well. He shuffled about on weak knees, desperately trying to keep his body up with all the pain he was experiencing. Omega-Xis tried to reassure him. "I'm sorry. You weren't ready for this. You did your best."

Michael stared forward silently. Gemini White stood stared back, his eyes not conveying anything. But somehow Michael could still imagine his friend was fighting in there. He just needed a push.

"No. I didn't." He muttered. 

Omega-Xis was confused and concerned. "You did. Really. I appreciate everything you tried to for me."

Michael lifted his head. "No. I didn't do my best. Not yet." He lowered his voice to as quiet a whisper as he could manage. "We need to split."

This completely and totally confused Omega-Xis, but when Michael repeated the command, he obliged. In a sudden flash of light, They were separated. Michael took the opportunity to break free of Cygnus, who was startled by his action. Michael rushed toward the Geminis, running across the dirt. He heard Sonia play a few chords, and one of the aliens was knocked away just before they could catch him.

Gemini Black grunted. "Give us some space."

White was still silent, but raised both hands. His body began to glow with faint white light.

Black, meanwhile, turned to Michael and launched his arm at him directly in his path. Michael performed a sliding bend to avoid the attack, and when the arm stopped and began its return flight, he saw his chance. He leaped towards it, taking hold and being thrown off of his feet as it quickly returned to its owner.

Gemini Black was startled by the move, and made no effort to counter when Michael arrived with a high speed kick to his midsection. The alien was sent sprawling backward, trying to shake off the attack. Michael turned around to White, who was almost ready to stop time. With a desperate lunge, he placed a hand on his shoulder before the flash of light indicated he had stopped time.

Michael breathed for a moment. He looked to the side, and saw Black frozen in the process of getting up. Behind him, Sonia was stopped in a desperate battle against multiple enemies.

He faced forward, and White suddenly grabbed him by the arm. He was held up above the ground by one arm, which, in a very familiar move, he gave a painful squeeze.

Michael grunted but didn't let himself be fazed. "I know you're in there."

White stared at him.

He looked into his eyes. "My friend is in there, and I want him to know I'm not giving up on him."

He paused. "Look. A lot of crazy stuff has been happening lately. It's been difficult for me to wrap my head around it all. I'm sure you're experiencing that too. I've tried to treat this like it's normal. Like it's just one more day in our lives, but it isn't. This is probably gonna change everything, and we both need to accept that. I'm sorry for not considering how this was gonna affect you."

"But now I need you to fight too. We're not done here. No matter what happens later, we're never gonna face it if we don't stop this here and now. Let's do this together. I'm not talking to Rock right now, because this isn't just a problem among friends. I'm talking to Mega Man. Because you're a hero. And I need you to do what you do."

Gemini White dropped him, but Michael managed to hold on to him and avoid being caught in the stopping of time. Michael, with a hand already on his shoulder, extended a hand. "Come on, Mega Man. I believe in you."

Gemini White was vibrating slightly. His body had a very faint glow, and after a moment, its image began to flicker, and Mega Man could be seen standing inside. Michael's eyes widened and he re-emphasized extending his hand.

With slow, pained movements, the blue bomber lifted one arm. At first all he could do was bring it up to about his shoulder level, and it remained there for a few seconds, shaking with effort. Finally, Michael saw Rock blink, and the robot thrust his hand into his friend's. With a large pull, two things happened. First, Mega Man was released, and flung on top of Michael, where they both rolled onto the dirt beside each other. Second, time was unfrozen, and the sounds of the world restarted.

Gemini Black, still very close to them, started to flicker much like his counterpart. Mega Man saw this as he lay on the ground, and stood as the alien stumbled in their general direction. "No. You can't...break my hold. I bonded with you. You were the only one worthy of my power."

Mega Man stared at him for a few seconds. Watched him hobbling over, struggling. Finally, he raised his buster. "You just lost to two kids and an incapacitated robot. I don't think you have much cause to brag about power."

Black lunged forward, and Rock fired a lightly charged shot, which hit and caused his body to completely dissipate.

---

I closed my eyes for a moment, and just stood silently. I felt a hand on my shoulder almost immediately, and turned around. Michael stood before me, gently pointing to another part of the lot.

"Glad you're back, but we need some help."

I turned my head and noticed a number of the other Aliens surrounding Sonia. I only nodded in response, and walked over behind a few of them.

"Hey guys?"

The two, Wolf Woods and Taurus Fire, turned around. I gave a little wave. "I'm back."

Woods lunged first, which I easily jumped over. I began a charged shot in the air, and fired it at Taurus Fire as he prepared to catch me on the landing. Wolf Woods attacked once again, and I fired a few shots at him to push him back. The beast was infuriated, and got down on all fours to charge. I responded by running straight towards him.

As he came in close, he predictably dove at me. I went into a slide, but along the way realized I didn't have enough momentum to avoid his tackle. I felt something shift in my legs, and I was propelled briefly past him, creating a cloud of dust as I stopped. Woods had missed completely, and I took advantage by hitting him with another charge shot.

I climbed to my feet, panting slightly. I thought about the slide I had just done. "That was new. Rocket slide, huh?" I turned to the two who remained, Crown Thunder and Cygnus Wing. "You want to keep trying this? I'm fine either way."

Cygnus flapped his wings and floated into the air, looking ready for battle. Crown Thunder looked up at him, took a step back into a fighting position—and promptly turned around and ran off in a hurry. As he went, he called back, "Afraid not, thank you very much!"

Cygnus and I watched him waddle away on his odd little legs. After a moment, it seemed we were ready to do battle, but a hand on my shoulder redirected my attention. I glanced back, seeing Michael standing behind me, his face very concerned. "We've got a problem. A big problem."

I was hesitant, given the situation. I faced front to deal with Cygnus, but the alien had strangely disappeared. I looked around in the sky, but didn't catch any sign of him. With a frustrated sigh, I disabled my buster, and turned around to see what Michael was concerned about.

"What's up?" I asked.

Omega-Xis appeared in my visor (much to my surprise and annoyance), and answered the question very promptly. "The Andromeda Key. It's gone."

-A little later-

The sun was setting rather beautifully over the city. The skyline had a unique appearance when viewed from the tall tower that is Light Labs.

Michael shook his head. "This is all my fault."

I looked at him. "How?"

"If I hadn't been so focused on rescuing you, the key wouldn't have been so vulnerable. I should have kept my priorities straight."

Dr. Light walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't guilt yourself too much. You made the heroic choice. You chose to save a friend, and you couldn't possibly have known what that would lead to. Rock is back because of you."

Omega-Xis grunted on the computer screen. "Whatever the case, we don't have time to waste. You can be sure they'll try to use the Andromeda Key as soon as possible. We should leave tonight."

The statement confused me. "What?"

Michael hung his head. Omega-Xis responded, saying, "We agreed that in the event the key were no longer safe here, we would have to flee the planet to keep it safe. This falls under that distinction."

I stood up and looked over to Michael. "So you're going...into space?"

He looked over at me, barely meeting my eyes. "I have to. Omega-Xis can't do this without me."

I shook my head. "That's crazy. This is crazy, there's no way you can do that. I'm sorry, but you can't just fight in space alone, even with Omega-Xis."

"He won't." The voice drew me to the doorway, where Sonia stood, decked out in her new alien-boosted outfit. 

Now Dr. Light spoke up. "Young lady, I don't believe you should—"

"Look, Tubby." The room completely froze. Everyone looked between each other awkwardly. Michael and Sonia had a brief mouthed conversation.

Tubby?

I don't know! Ask her!

Lyra continued. "If you truly recognized the gravity of the situation, I think you'd be more than willing to accept the help you're getting. Unless you think you could do a better job yourself."

The silence returned. This time, the awkwardness had been replaced with tension. Dr. Light drummed his fingers against his lab coat. 

Finally, he surrendered. "Very well. If you truly want to do this...I don't have any reason to stop you."

"Relax, Doc." Omega-Xis assured. "We'll keep the kids safe."

I walked over to Michael. "This is what you want to do?"

He only nodded. "You always got to be the hero here. Maybe my heroics are meant to be done out there."

I looked at my friend. He had grown a lot since the days we used to just think about new video games and how to avoid typical jerks. Those days, we were just two guys. Now, we were a robot, and a guy bonded with an alien. 

"If you ever thought you weren't good enough to be a hero," I told him, "then you should know that what you're doing is as courageous as any Mega Man I've ever seen."

He gave me a confused look. "But you're the real Mega Man." 

I shrugged. "Maybe you could be the Mega Man...of space."

We looked at each other before letting out some chuckles. "That's the worst name I've heard in years."

"Worse than Copy Robot?" I contested.

Now we laughed a lot harder.

After we settled ourselves, I found myself looking at my friend a little differently than I had in a long time. He was just my friend. It didn't matter what the circumstances were, in times like these, we were still just those two guys, goofing off about whatever.

I held out my hand to him. "Good luck, Mega Man."

He took it. "Same to you, Mega Man."

We shook.

---

Break Man wouldn't have admitted it, but he was very glad he wasn't human.

The punishing sun, the never-ending swarm of insects, the mud—all of them were things that would drive living thing crazy. He was beginning to wonder if Wily would have even made it to his destination.

For a robot such as himself, it was nothing. The only thing that could get to him was the irksome buzzing of the swarms, and that could be resolved as easily as disabling his inward audio receptors.

He finally found a break in the trees ahead, visible from a good distance back due to the increased amount of light coming from it. He walked up to the clearing and stepped forward into the light.

His helmet visor kept him from having to adjust his light tolerance, because he surely would have had to. The Amazon sun was strikingly harsh now, making leaving a tree grove seem like night and day. The trees opened up due to a large descent in the terrain. The area was like a large valley, the trees sloping down into the bottom, and only from up here could you see it. A densely covered structure, with only a small portion revealed on the top. 

It was a strange temple of some sort. Very little could be seen through the trees, so there was no way to judge the size of it. But Break Man was certain this was it.

He saw a very small clearing in the trees near the entrance. Through the hole, he could spy a strange cart sitting there. Wily had made it after all.

He looked back at the general shape of the temple that he could make out. It didn't seem like much at all.

He could only hope that were really the case.

---

I'm glad I just sucked it up and finished this. I think it turned out okay all things considered.

The Star Force arc is now over. In case you didn't notice, I did this primarily as an excuse to remove Michael from the story. I thought his character would be more important in the future, but in the end I found myself omitting him time and time again. I think this gets us back into the action while allowing the story to move on.

Anyway, keep reading as I struggle to output chapters on a timely basis! :)

Also, if you come up with a good name for this chapter, let me know in the comments.