//------------------------------// // Not Even Close // Story: Champion of the Sun // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// "EM WAVE CHANGE! TRANSCODE: MEGAMAN!" Geo bellowed at the top of his lungs as a sphere of light wrapped itself around both him and Mega. A moment later he was transformed into the blue bomber, just in time to take a punch to the face the sent him hurtling backwards across the ground. Megaman shot back up to his feet and unloaded with his Mega Buster. Yet even thought the projectiles move at a speed even he had a hard time tracking, the Maestro was able to weave in and out of the shots with ease. "I have plans for this world, Megaman. And since I know that you will oppose me every step of the way, it benefits me to wipe your off the face of the earth here and now," the Maestro snarled as he wrapped his fingers around Megaman's face and drove the back of his skull into the ground. He lifted a metal leg and tried to slam it onto Megaman's chest, but Megaman flickered and the attack passed through his body without a scratch. "Sorry, but I've grown really fond of this rock and don't plan on letting ya destroy it!" Mega roared as he materialized next to the Maestro, slashing him across the chest with claws that had brought down kings. "BEAST SLAP!" But even with his incredible strength, Mega's claws failed to so much as scratch the surface of the Maestros body. Maestro turned and fired a concentrated shot of shattered magic into the chest of Mega, destabilizing him and returning him to Megaman's buster. Megaman leapt back as he fired multiple shots at the Maestro, but the villain simply held out a hand and let the shots disintegrate against his armor. "This isn't working kid, he's just as tough as Celestia said," Mega reminded Megaman as the busters eyes lit up. "We need to start hitting him with some stuff that will cut through his armor!" "On it! Battle Card! BREAK SABER!" Megaman bellowed as he slid the card across the top of his buster, transforming the cannon into a spiraling sword with a purple light surrounding it. Megaman transformed his body into its EM form, vanishing from Maestros sight and causing the villain to glance around with some confusion. A moment later Megaman reappeared behind Maestro, swinging the Break Saber towards him with a cry of victory. Yet with reactions that were beyond even that of Megaman, Maestro spun around and caught the blade with one hand. Sparks flew from Megaman's weapon as it tried to cut through the Maestros body, while the Maestro simply shook his head at Megaman's efforts. He then clenched his fist and shattered the Break Saber, forcing Megaman to leap back while a look of bafflement spread across his face. "Come on Megaman, you can do this!" Luna cheered him on from the sidelines, turning both Megaman and the Maestro's attention towards the three spectators that were watching the fight. "Stay back! All of you!" Megaman bellowed at them before a wicked right cracked the side of his head and sent him hurtling into the side of a building. Megaman hit the building with such force that the real waves that made up the structure flickered slightly, causing the Maestro to look up with some interest. "How curious. If I hit this building hard enough, it will destabilize. Perhaps I can gain something useful from this encounter after all," the Maestro said as he lifted a fist and began to walk towards the structure that he had hurled Megaman into. "And think of all the people that will suddenly find themselves in the air, only to plummet to their deaths. How many do you think will survive?" "All of them, because I'm taking you down right now!" Megaman roared as he whipped out two battle cards. "Battle card! Sword! Sword!" Both of Megaman's hands turned into blades and he lunged at Maestro at full speed. Right when it looked like he would collide with the Maestro, he vanished once again into his EM form. Maestro clacked his metallic tongue as he began to look around for the hero. A blade materialized behind him and he swung around to intercept, only to find that it was only the blade there. "Got you," Megaman said as he came down from above, slicing down with all of his might. Yet in the blink of the eye Maestro stepped to the side and allowed Megaman to impale the ground. Megaman's eyes widened in shock before the Maestro lashed out with a foot and slammed his metal foot right into the side of Megaman's elbow, where the sickening sound of bones snapping could be heard. Megaman roared in agony as he clutched at his right arm, which was dangling at an awkward angle. Pain flooded his sense, so by the time he remembered that he was in a fight the Maestros fist caught him in the side of the ribs. Megaman was fairly certain that some of those cracked as well, but when he hit the ground a few seconds later he was unable to tell. "Now then, where was I?" the Maestro asked as he turned back towards the building, channeling his shattered magic into his fist. But then he heard a noise and barely moved his head to the side to avoid an arrow. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Megaman's left hand was a bow and he was clutching a card in his teeth. "I swear that you care harder to kill than most of those other heroes. Of course, you are the first Starforce Megaman that I've ever had to kill myself. So I'm grateful to you for providing me this opportunity." "And you are everything that Celestia said you were," Megaman spat back as his bow returned to the original buster, which he shakily aimed at the Maestro. "Impossible to damage. Ungodly powerful. But guess what? So was every other psycho that I brought down. You're nothing special." "Oh that's where you're wrong, Megaman. In all of the realities, they're is only one of me," the Maestro promised Megaman as he allowed the buster shots Megaman fired to bounce off of his armor. "And do you know why? Because I hunted down and killed all the others. That took a few billion years. But it was worth it. Because even with multiverse theory, I am still one of a kind." "So that means when we rip you apart, that will be the end of ya. Way to make it easy for us," Mega snarked back. "So how about we give you one chance to surrender and if you take it, we promise that we can put ya on the endangered species list and find a nice little zoo to display you in. I'm thinking with the parakeets." "That's funny. Actually, birds are tolerable. But do you know what animals I can't stand?" the Maestro asked, before he spun around and swung his fist into the massive gut of Taurus Fire, who had been sneaking up behind the Maestro and had just lifted both of his hands over his head. With a blast of shattered magic he hurled the bison across the city center and through the real wave building, destroying it's form and leaving everything within floating in the air...including the people within. "NO!" Megaman roared as he launched himself towards the falling people, but before he could go anywhere Maestro grabbed him by the ankle and slammed him onto his back. Megaman coughed up blood before a blast of shattered magic punched him through the ground and onto the level below them. Megaman came to a crashing halt with pain welling in his body, but the pain he felt was nothing compared to the screaming of those falling to their doom. "Seems three of them will live. That's less than I thought. But then again, you humans are easily broken," the Maestro said as he slammed into the ground next to Megaman, slamming a foot onto his chest and breaking Megaman's ribs to make his point. Megaman weakly gasped out in pain, barely able to lift his buster and aim it at Maestro's face. "And what do you plan to do with that. You have already shown that you cannot harm me with it." "B-b-battle card...heal!" Megaman yelled as he fired a blast of light behind Maestro, who turned just in time to see Taurus Fire leaping down towards him. Maestro lifted an arm perfectly to deflect a huge right hook from the blazing bull. While the impact did nothing to his armor, the blow was still enough to knock him back and off of Megaman. The ball of light that Megaman had fired into the air came down and landed upon him, repairing the damage to his arm and ribs somewhat. "You okay?" Taurus asked Megaman as he helped the blue bomber to his feet. "No, but that doesn't matter now," Megaman stated as he moved his arm back and forth, finding that it was no longer broken. "We need a two pronged attack! Keep him still, I'll-" Whatever Megaman was going to do Taurus would never know, for a moment later the Maestro kicked him in the chest and sent him flying back up through the level above them. Taurus bellowed with rage as flames erupted from the his elbows, giving the punch that he hurled at the Maestro even more destructive power. Yet even with the added power, the punch came to a dead stop as it slammed into the Maestro's skull. The Maestro then lifted his metal skull, one that looked like an owl, and glared up at Taurus, who took a step back with disbelief. "Bud Bison. You are an interesting one," the Maestro began before he grabbed one of Taurus horns and flipped the bull over his head, driving him head first into the cement. "You can change this world. In some realities you save it, in others you are the hero of the world and Megaman the villain. In some you give your life to save the world, but in others all your death manages to do is buy a little more time for your friends. In fact, in one you die saving Megaman from an attack that would have killed him. Without being Taurus Fire." "But I've found that in nearly all of your deaths, provided you don't die of a heart attack, are noble. A fat, idiotic kid that always feels left behind like you is constantly heroic across the multiverse, almost always giving his life to save his friends. That is rare. And for being so rare, I will spare you this once," the Maestro stated as he stood up and began to walk towards where Megaman had been kicked. "Y-you're pretty good," Taurus stated as he pushed himself back up, getting the Maestro to turn his head towards the bull. "Because you're right. I would gladly give my life...to save all of them! TAURUS FLAME!" Taurus bellowed with fury as he unleashed a hellfire upon the Maestro, a fire so intense that the concrete under his hooves began to melt. "GO TO HE-!" A fist of metal then shot through the flames and shattered the face of Taurus, who screamed in pain before he split in half, both Bud and Taurus hitting the ground at the same time. The Maestro looked down the both of them before he leapt through the hole, landing on the level above to find Megaman still trying to get up...and that a small boy with glasses was standing there with his arms extended. "Zack Temple. Ah yes, the resident genius," the Maestro stated when he found that the shrimp was the one that obstructed his path to Megaman, while Luna was at Megaman's side. "While not as interesting as Bud, you posses a number of paths that I have taken an interest in." "W-whatever you do to try to get me to move, it won't work!" Zack stammered out, though his body trembled with fear and he was doing everything in his power to keep from wetting himself. "I'll...I'll fight you if I have to." "No you won't, Zack. You're a thinker, not a fighter," the Maestro corrected for him. "And that thinking will either make you one that solves this worlds problems or makes you the greatest supervillain that this world has ever seen. Though if you're still friends with Geo at this point, I assume this you will be the former." "Stay back!" Zack roared as he lunged at the Maestro, failing his arms wildly. The Maestro sidestepped the kid while sticking out a foot, tripping Zack and causing him to fall on his face. Zack groaned and tried to get back up, but a kick from the Maestro sent him flying across the city center and into the side of a wall, where he fell to the ground motionless. The Maestro continued walking towards Megaman, who was shaking with pain as he tried to get up...and leaving Luna as the only person left between the Maestro and Megaman. "I won't let you hurt him," Luna promised as she stood up to the Maestro, who stopped in his tracks as he analyzed the girl. "You think just because you've got this power that means you can just do whatever you want?! Well let me tell you something, you-" "Feh. Luna Platz. A waste of life," Maestro spat with actual disgust in his voice. His words silenced Luna and she looked at him with both confusion and anger. "Unlike the other two, you have little effect on the outcome of this world in any reality. All you are good for is being used as a hostage so that Megaman will save you." "W-what?! That's not-" "For example," Maestro continued as he aimed a bolt of shattered magic at Luna. But right as he fired Megaman threw himself in front of the blast, screaming in pain as he took it in the back. "My point is proven." "I am not just a hostage! I also-!" "In other realities, that is all you are. If you live, Megaman uses the power of friendship to get the power that will save the day. If you die, then his despair and rage will give him the power," Maestro cut her off, annoyance ringing in every word. "If Joker kills you, it distracts the heroes from saving the world for a little while as they go save you. If he doesn't kill you, then they move on with their plans for King like nothing happened. You mean nothing in anyway." "In fact, whether you live or die makes so little difference that I will not bother killing you. It would only be a waste of my time, which actually has value," Maestro snarled with contempt before he pushed by Luna, flicking her with a finger and sending her flying away from Megaman. "You are of no significance to this world. None of the yous are." "But the same cannot be said for you, Megaman," the Maestro said as he grabbed Megaman by the back of the head and hoisted him off of the ground. "You make so much of a difference. Be it good or evil, saving the world or damning it; everything you do has an impact in some way. But isn't that the fate of most heroes? Changing the world with every decision. You are so alike every other version of you I have met." "You...what are you?" Megaman asked weakly as he tried to push the Maestro off of him, but the grip was stronger than the metal that made Maestro's body. "Celestia warned me of you, what you could do...but I never imagined...anyone could be so strong." "I am beyond reality. I am beyond good and evil. I simply want to see what happens. What happens when a world dies. What happens when it's heroes can't save it, when it's villains aren't the ones that end it. What a person will become when everything they love and cherish is torn away right in front of them," the Maestro said to Megaman as the metal shifted on his face to create a smile. "What would happen if Megaman had to watch his world die?" "But I have already gone down that path and I hate to see repeat results. So instead of making you watch everything you care about die, I will kill you instead," Maestro said before he hurled Megaman into the air, channeling his power into his hand. The shattered magic caused the very fabric of realty to be warped around the Maestro, before he fired the ball of shattered power into Megaman. All Megaman saw was the sphere coming towards him, before a flash of white consumed him. A moment later the sphere detonated and shook the planet with its power, turning the sky white as the power tore apart Megaman. Then Maestro snapped his fingers and the devastation ended, allowing Megaman's visor, all the was left, to fall to the ground next to the Maestro's foot. "M-Megaman," Luna whispered with tears in her eyes as she stared at the headpiece, which Maestro then crushed under his foot. "Oh don't cry. People like you should just die and allow the story to progress without any interruption," the Maestro snarled before he looked up at the sky. "And speaking of no more interruption, seems that I will also have to deal with that silver bastard before I can continue my plans. Let's see if he can actually touch me this time." With those last words the Maestro vanished into nothingness, leaving Luna kneeling in the middle of a decimated downtown. Her two best friends were both broken and bleeding, while a collapsed building was the graveyard of hundreds of people. But despite all that, all she could do was stare at the spot where Megaman had been blasted into oblivion, unable to register that her hero was gone.