Bubble Man found it very convenient that there was a pond a short distance away from the battlefield. It was an excellent place to get away from the action.

No, he thought to himself, that's not it. He wasn't getting away...he was...making some distance...strategizing. Yes, that was it. He wasn't a coward.

He watched the other robots as they began clashing in combat. To an unobservant eye, it seemed to be chaos, but Bubble Man could tell there was quite a bit of order to it. Robots had mostly split up into individual showdowns, with only occasionally stopping to deal with stray small robots that interrupted. He could see Ice Man engaged in a battle with a robot he didn't recognize, but seemed to be some sort of...frog? It was hard to tell with everything going on.

He looked around wondering where (and sometimes if) he should get involved. He really wanted to help out his friends, but...this was just too much.

As he watched quietly, he heard something in the water around him. He turned around, expecting a scrap of metal to have been blasted and landed in the pond. It was then that he noticed all the jellyfish robots.

"...Uh oh." He muttered.

"Uh oh is right." A stern, deep voice emitted through the water. "Now DIE, YOU LAND-LOGGED SAD SACK!" A blue robot resembling a submarine charged at him from amidst the group of robots. Bubble Man barely popped out of the water in time to avoid his charge. He landed back in and swam a short distance away. The jellyfish began to drop toward him.

At the same time, the blue robot turned around crossed his arms. He opened the panel on his chest, and two torpedoes launched at Bubble Man.

"...Meep."

---

Amidst the battle, it was difficult for most robots to change focus. This occasionally left gaps where robots could interact without really being disturbed. In one such gap, the tainted Pharaoh Man approached one of his fellow fighters from behind. "Will you not join your brothers in this fight?"

The red robot stood with its arms crossed, simply watching. "Don't get me wrong...I'd love to." He turned and looked at Cossack's robot. He winked, his eyes the only thing visible under the horseshoe magnet on his forehead and mask plate that covered most of his face. "But that would take all the fun away from you guys."

(Author Note: I may over-exaggerate Magnet Man's abilities in this story. He's one of my personal favorites.)

Pharaoh Man watched the robot in silence. Despite being united under Ra Moon, he felt some resentment to this robot. He wasn't quite sure why.

---

If Dr. Wily had learned one thing from all his time getting kicked around, it was always to have a contingency plan.

And to have an escape when those contingencies fail.

Granted, this one had to be a bit more rushed than he would have preferred. He had to make his way as stealthily as he could through the airport. He had everything necessary: a wig, a large coat that concealed most of his body, a wide-brimmed hat, and of course, a fake ID.

Despite how recognizable he was, he was excellent at concealing it, and he was almost to the airplane gate when he heard someone scream.

Dr. Wily turned around and looked as the rest of the airport crowd also turned their heads in that direction. Suddenly, something jumped from the midst of the crowd far away, soaring through the air, and landing in front of Wily.

He nervously stepped back, while a black robot adorned with many designs similar to those of Ra Moon raised its head and pointed its buster cannon at him. 

The voice of Ra Moon boomed out from within. Did you believe you could escape my judgment?

"Oh...you." Wily chuckled and tried to back away as casually as possible. The robot took a step forward, and he swallowed.

In a moment, he was suddenly hurled to the ground as the buster fired. He hit the floor painfully, and quickly pushed the man on top of him off to the side. "What on earth do you think you're-" He looked at him and was taken aback. "Thomas?"

Dr. Light winced as he got to his knees. "It's been a while. You're welcome by the way, Albert."

Wily frowned. "Well, hopefully, you have Mega Man or Blues on the way, because you certainly didn't accomplish anything there."

"Unfortunately, no." Light responded, offering a hand (which Wily promptly rejected). "I couldn't spare them from the battle with Ra Moon. So I called in a favor."

"Please..." Wily muttered, rejecting the hand and standing up by himself, "...you don't really think that you can stop this thing with just any old robot, do you?"

As the robot charged another shot at the doctors, Light responded with a small smile, "Who said anything about a robot?"

Right before it fired, a loud grunt could be heard as the robot suddenly jerked forward, landing on its face with a loud CLANG. Standing behind it was a rather tall, muscular man, dressed in a black suit and bow tie, with a pair of black shoes. He had bright blonde hair, which had been combed back, but seemed to be trying to break free from the shape, and some of it flowed out behind him.

He looked at the two doctors and smiled widely. "When you said you knew Ryu, I assumed things were gonna be weird. But I'll admit, this surprised me." He reached up to his collar and undid the bow tie around his neck, tossing it aside as he took a fighting stance. 

The robot began to climb to its feet. It turned around and looked at the man for a few moments, and Wily and Light took the opportunity to get to a safer distance.

Human records obtained. Interference identified as Ken Masters. A wealthy businessman who also has participated multiple times in the Street Fighter tournament.

Ken chuckled. "So you've heard of me, huh? Well then, why don't I show you just what I'm known for?"

As the robot prepared to attack, Ken launched himself forward, breaking into a midair spin with one leg extended.

"Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!" He yelled, seemingly needlessly, as he struck the robot multiple times with the technique before spinning to a stop. 

"Come on, you piece of junk! I hope that's not all you're bringing to the table!"

With some quiet whirring, the robot slowly got to its feet. Your effort is futile, human. Your species will be destroyed, along with all life that threatens robot existence. You shall be the first to be eliminated.

"Yeah, yeah," Ken answered with a smile. "I'm sure you say that all the time."

---

I narrowly ducked under a flying fist. "This is ridiculous!"

"I told you to stay behind me." Proto Man said rather matter-of-factly. He moved his shield around his body repeatedly, positioning it to block any projectiles sent our way.

I grabbed said flying fist and smashed it into a scorpion robot that attempted to jump me. "I can handle it, it's just...we're wasting a lot of time!"

He glanced over at me. "Then let's make a move."

We turned and were met with an unsettling sight. A robot, dressed fully in white armor, walked slowly, but intentionally, through the battlefield. I recognized him as the strange robot Cossack had seemed hesitant to mention at the convention. I hadn't been told a name for him, so I wasn't sure how to begin with him.

But, in a way that I believe was surprising to us both, he spoke first, in a slow, grave voice that seemed to silence everything around us. "Mega Man. Your day of reckoning has come. Your crimes against our kind will be judged."

Proto Man stepped forward. "Well, it's gonna have to wait a while. We've got somewhere to be."

The robot raised its buster. "Take one more step, and I will obliterate those pitiful shells. I am Skull Man: enforcer of the will of death. I am designed for the purpose of destruction. You and your 'friends'...shall not stand in the way of what must be done."

We both readied our busters as Skull Man took a few slow steps towards us, his eyes seeming to be on both of us at the same time, unflinching.

"You...you gave us that...nightmare, didn't you?" I asked.

"It was not my intended function." He replied. "Merely an effort to snuff you out...or at the least keep you busy until the time was right." Despite the fact that he moved forward the whole time, his aim never faltered from aiming at my chest. "A program designed to subject your processing systems to stimuli that would force it to over-compensate. Visions so intense, your bodies would destroy themselves from the inside out."

"Seems like a lot of effort to go to for us. Are you sure Ra Moon's not a little scared?" Proto Man challenged.

"My master fears nothing. It is not limited by feeble emotions. Nor do you intimidate me, Mega Man. If you wish to approach Ra Moon, it will be after you walk over my dismantled body."

I looked back at him as hard as I could. "Then that's what I'll do. I won't let life be destroyed."

Skull Man gave no reply. He turned his buster to me and fired. I would have been ready to dodge, but Proto Man very quickly swooped in front and blocked with his shield.

He extended a hand back to me. "Let's take this guy down."

I nodded. "Gladly."

--- 

Ring Man ignored most of the fighting. He had a specific task to attend to, and he would not abandon his duties.

That being said, it wasn't exactly easy for him to sit by as his brothers engaged in an intense battle. He stepped over the destroyed remains of some small robots and silently wished he could do something.

Nevertheless, he patiently found the robot he was looking for. Metal Man was currently busy dealing with swarms of small robots, both from the air and ground. Though he dispatched them fairly easily, and he didn't openly express frustration, Ring Man could tell in his technique the anger he wielded in every blow.

"Metal Man." He began.

The robot turned to look at him, having used a blade held in his hand to split a bee-shaped robot in two. He didn't give a reply.

"You have been reduced to battling the less significant forces. Your great combat ability is being used on a simple task."

Metal Man pulled one of his weapons from the remains of another robot and dragged it across the blade he held in his other hand. "...Oh really...?"

Ring Man took a step forward. "Your supposed allies do not trust you. They would rather keep you apart from the battle then let you do what you enjoy. In fact...was it even much of a choice to be their ally?"

Metal Man looked up at him with an eye raised.

"You have great power and skill, Metal Man. Were you to join Ra Moon, we could allow you to fulfill your true purpose. We would let you destroy any creation of this foolish human world you desire."

Metal Man huffed and jammed a Metal Blade into the body of a small robot that still twitched. "Alright. Let me tell you something."

(Language Warning! Metal Man is the only character I allowed to curse, but it's still censored)

"You're not wrong about me. I'm not like the rest of them. I'm a monster. I was made to destroy robots. It takes all the restraint I have not to bust someone open. Especially Mega Man."

"But that's just it. Mega's not like anyone. He doesn't let anyone else define him. His choices are his own. He's a fighter for life because he wants to be. He's so in touch with everyone that he'd rather die than let this planet of things that aren't like him be destroyed by your master."

Metal snorted. "It seems stupid to me. Maybe I'm not meant to work like that. Think like that. But I never would have considered, more than anything, that he'd give me a chance. Me, another robot that tried to kill him, a robot so up his own a** he can't accept that anyone truly gives a d*** about him. He wants to give me a chance. As crazy as it seems, he's willing to let me make my own choice."

Metal twisted his grip on the blade in his hand. "And here you are, trying to condemn me to be a destroyer. Writing me off right away as being the one who's too different. A red glow overtook his blue eyes.

"For that, you can go to hell."

He pounced ruthlessly on Ring Man, who barely managed to fall back in time to avoid being split open. He had begun to significantly regret not being assigned to simple combat.

---

Dr. Wily grunted as Dr. Light pulled him behind a wall with a jerk. "Ow...you could be more gentle, you know."

Light was slightly out of breath and took a moment to reply. "Just...be glad you're being rescued. Especially after what you just pulled."

Wily put his hands up. "How was I supposed to know that the alien supercomputer would betray me? I'm just a humble scientist, Thomas."

"You certainly seemed prepared to get out of there quickly...and you recognized that robot. How long were you working with Ra Moon?"

Wily grumbled. "It was only...since Mega Man last defeated me."

Dr. Light sight. "Why must we do this, Albert? We used to be friends. Partners, even. What happened to us?"

Wily's expression darkened. "You know very well what happened. Don't try to deny your part in it, and act like you're some total saint."

He opened his mouth to argue, but paused and looked away. "...I'm not. Okay? Are you happy?"

"Not really. I won't be until I can live in peace, knowing that robots will help me do what I need to, and I'll be allowed to do what I want without someone looking over my shoulder."

Dr. Light nodded. "Okay, Albert. I get it. You're a scientist too. I won't criticize you for being curious."

"Well, I'm glad that's settled."

The two doctors stood there for a few moments. Neither said anything, and off in the distance sounds of people running and yelling could be heard.

"This is madness."

Wily responded with a snort. "You could say that again."

Dr. Light pretty much ignored him. "I certainly hope that man's aware of what he's getting into."

"If the rest of Ra's forces are anything like him, it's not too hopeful."

Dr. Light sort of nodded while whispering, "Be safe, Rock."

"What was that?" Dr. Wily said quickly. "Are you referring to your Mega Man? You mean he's gone out to fight Ra Moon?"

"Not just him...everything I have. They're all there to try to stop it."

Suddenly Dr. Light was pulled around by the shoulder. "Are you out of your mind, Thomas? They don't stand a chance! I've seen Ra's armies...they'll destroy everything! You can't hope to stop it, certainly not with those...pitiful first-generation Robot Masters."

At first Light was concerned, but his expression slowly changed to a bit of a smile. "Perhaps with all the time you've spent around robots, Albert, you've forgotten one important thing we humans do."

"Oh really?" Wily crossed his arms. "What's that?"

"We have faith."

With that, Wily rolled his eyes. "Of course. Well, I certainly hope your 'faith' comes with a backup plan."

"With you involved, it always does." Dr. Light pulled out his cell phone. "Roll, get us ready to leave. We don't have much time." He hung up and turned back to Wily. "We're not the only ones to ever build a robot, Albert. And I'm willing to bet we're not alone in wanting to stop Ra Moon."

"We? What makes you believe I'm about to help?"

"Because I already know you planned for this." Dr. Light held up a roll of blueprints to Wily's face. Flustered, the mad doctor reached around in his lab coat pocket, but found nothing.

"Well played. Well played..."

---

Flash Man grunted as he pulled himself up from the small crater he found himself in. "One of these days...I'm gonna pull the surprise Time Stopper...and it's gonna FREAKING WORK!!"

---

Quick Man was doing his best to stay focused, but he had one goal in his mind. He calmly dispatched several robots as they approached, hardly giving them conscious thought. A swarm of bee robots flew towards him, and without stopping he tossed a Quick Boomerang that took out several, grabbed a Sniper Joe laying on the ground, and hurled it at the rest of the swarm. His hand shot up to catch the weapon again.

He stopped when he had a clear shot at the robot he was looking for. Shadow Man stood, watching one of his allies battle with Bomb Man. Without hesitating, Quick Man hurled a boomerang at him. The weapon approached quickly, until right before it hit, when the robot subtly moved his head, causing the weapon to slice past harmlessly.

Quick Man smirked as he grabbed the boomerang out of the air. "Have I got your attention now? Good. We've got unfinished business."

"I must serve my master. There is nothing personal meant by any of it."

"Oh yeah? Well, one thing you should know about me then..." Quick rushed up to him, grabbing him by the neck and slamming his body against the wall of the temple. "I take it very personally."

Shadow Man's expression didn't change, but Quick Man could almost swear he was smiling inside. "If that's the case..." He said softly as his body passed into the shadow he made against the wall. He remerged on the side of the temple. "...we shall settle this properly."

---

Well...sorry that took forever. I'm still trying, but...honestly, I'm busier than I thought I'd be this year. On top of that, though, my actual life is in a better place than I think it ever has been. I'm really happy with where I am right now. I appreciate all the people who read my stories, but I may have to make some changes soon. I don't think I can totally keep all this up as time moves on here.

But I'll figure that stuff out in time. Just be patient, and I'll work towards getting stuff done. Thanks.