The battle against Duo was not going as well as could be hoped for Mega Man and his allies. At first, it seemed like their strategy worked quite well, as Astro Man and Tengu Man focused on keeping him pinned - Astro Man with gravity manipulation when he was in his physical form, Tengu Man with his windstorms when he was in his energy state - and the others focused on doing as much damage as they could to him in whatever ways they could from long range.
At first, it seemed to be working well as they were able to inflict a lot of damage, but every time Duo shifted back out of his energy state, it was like he hadn't taken any damage at all. While they were able to hold him back, it was quickly becoming apparent that they would not be able to stop him like this. However, the plan was actually two fold. First, attempt to hold him back long enough that he ran out of energy. Second, failing that, hold him long enough to get him talking again. The parts of him that were recognizable as from his original chassis couldn't be properly analyzed by Earth science, and were indestructible by their methods. Even those parts that weren't from his original body but had survived re-entry were incredibly durable. As such, it quickly became apparent that the third possibility, 'do enough damage to shut him down', was not going to happen.
"How?" Bass demanded angrily as he fired shot after shot. "How are you still moving?"
Duo turned to him as his injuries once more healed. "Justice Energy is a bio-lectric energy source, self propagating. I will not run out." Turning, he blocked a massive ice block hurled at him by Frost Man, catching it and using it to block Search Man's sniper fire.
"Da da da da!" Aqua Man proclaimed loudly as he leapt out of the water behind Duo. "Wooosh!"
Duo, for his part, ignored the water that washed over him and backhanded Aqua Man into the pillars behind him. He then shifted to energy form and shot to the side to avoid Mega Man's Skull Blast.
"Dodge this!" Bass screamed out as Duo landed right in front of him, firing off his Bass Cannon. The massive sonic blast erupted, seeming to consume Duo's entire body. "Booyah!" Bass screamed out, convinced of victory.
The blast faded...revealing Duo completely in energy state before he solidified again. "Not bad," Duo murmured, backhanding Bass into a tree. "But that only works on physical matter."
"...not fair..." Bass grumbled from within the tree. "I actually hit him this time..."
"Well, you've managed a couple small fry!" Tengu Man proclaimed smugly. "Let's see how you handle me!" With that, he charged in, Tengu Blade raised.
"Tengu Man, no!" Protoman called out...too late.
Seeing the attack coming, Duo lifted his hand and caught Tengu Man's head. Bringing it down fast, he crushed the Robot Master's head between his hand and his knee, dropping the broken body when he was finished. "One down."
Protoman stared in shock, then shook himself and opened the comms. "Tengu Man is down! I repeat, Tengu Man is down! Astro Man, try and hold him!"
"Beep!" Astro Man replied, focusing gravity upon Duo as much as he could...only to blink at the hand driven through his chest when Duo dashed in in energy form. "B...Beep?"
"Beep," Duo confirmed before pulling back and unleashing a blue fireball, making Astro Man explode.
"Verily thou art impressive!" Clown Man proclaimed angrily. "However, your slaughter stops here! You shan't escape my grasp! Thunder Claw!" Plunging his long arms into the ground, he gripped Duo around the ankles and sent massive amounts of electricity into him.
Duo flinched as the energy raced through his systems, only to plunge his fist into the ground. Gripping Clown Man's arms around the wrists, he yanked him through the ground before swinging him around his head and hurling him into the sea.
"Any more bright ideas?" Bass demanded of Protoman. "This big plan of yours isn't working, and we're dropping like flies!"
Protoman frowned. "I...have one. But...it's risky. There's no guarantee it will work..."
"We don't have any better options!" Mega Man shouted out as he watched Duo pick Freeze Man up and throw him at Search Man, rendering them both inactive.
"Alright," Protoman agreed, watching as Sword Man lunged in.
"Allo!" Sword Man proclaimed as he slashed at Duo with his sword arm. "My name is Sword Man! You killed my brothers! Prepare to die!"
Growling, Duo blocked the sword swipe and threw a straight punch at Sword Man...only to stare as the Robot Master's top half detached and flew upward before coming back down and linking up with the bottom half.
"Allo!" Sword Man proclaimed again. "My name is Sword Man! You killed my brothers! Prepare to die!"
Lunging forward, Duo smashed Sword Man's sword...only to stare as Sword Man leapt back, the blade regenerating.
"Allo!" Sword Man screamed as he lunged in with a thrust. "My name is-"
"Stop saying that!" Duo screamed out as he unleashed a shock wave, sending both halves of Sword Man flying...though they landed together, and it was only a matter of time before he got back.
"If I'm going to make this work, I need you two to stall him," Protoman explained.
"I think that's all we can man-"
"For five minutes," Protoman continued, interrupting Bass. "And considering he's mowing through us like chaff and we've already lost most of our heavy hitters...eh, I have every confidence in the both of you."
Mega Man smiled nervously. "And this is where you tell me you're just making an obscure reference joke and it'll actually only take 20 or 30 seconds, right?" he pleaded. "...right?"
Protoman smiled softly. "This might help," he offered, handing Mega Man his shield before teleporting away.
Mega Man swallowed convulsively. "So...what do we do now?" he asked Bass as he turned to see Duo hurling Grenade Man into the sea to land on Aqua Man.
"Only thing we can do," Bass admitted. "Go all out." Standing up, he lifted his hand. "Treble, come!"
Treble promptly beamed in beside him.
Nodding, Mega Man lifted his free hand as he clutched Protoman's shield tightly. "Rush, come!" Rush promptly warped in.
"Treble..."
"Rush..."
"Boost!" they cried out together as they fused.
Duo smiled as he watched them. "...show me your real power..."
Arriving back in the lab, Protoman raced to where the Energy Samples were being kept, taking one of each type and setting them on the table in front of him. The idea he'd had was crazy, possibly suicidal, and had next to no chance of working...but short of risking Duo in the altered space of the Four Guardians Vinyl had recreated in the Fortress when she learned he was coming, it was the only thing he had left to keep Duo from getting to Vinyl.
An he couldn't do it alone. So he did what he had, for the longest time, promised himself he would never do.
Command Prompt: Open the Gates of Hell
Protoman flinched internally as he felt the firewalls in his own mind lowered, and something inside him arose...the other half of his fractured personality core.
And here you said you'd never let me out...now who's a hypocrite, Proto?
...Blues...
...Now what are you planning Protoman?
Oh, now Blues is happening. I will be watching intently.
Protoman's about to wreck Duo.
This won't end well.
7370703 Better Video
Oh boy. When I read the red text, I only thought of two things.
Chara, and Cyborg Jack the Ripper.
Still, I suspect that once he absorbs the two energies, He'll either become Metastable and complete, or he'll end up being destroyed by the two energies mixing.
==> Fellow readers: Make popcorn.
Sword man yet lives, this is good.
I have no idea what Protoman is about to do, but whether it works or not, by my honor as wizard and man.
Duo. will. BURN
I laughed. I loved quoting 'Beep' in deadpan before reading this chapter
We were all waiting for this line.
Oh DBZA reference.
Is that Metal Man?
Question: Didn't Vinyl REPAIR Protomans Fractured core a LONG time ago? I could have sworn she did.
Please have a perfect cell breaking trunks speech reference (DBZA episode 53) in the story, please?
7370851
Power Core, not Personality Core.
7370731
...or, more likely, Blues and Protoman will end up having separate energy states. Having completely separate bodies post-fight is optional.
7370882 Ohhhh
Protoman must be getting really desperate if he's letting Blues out to play.
manamana dududududu manamana dudududu manamana dududududu dududu dududu dududu I'mma chargin my attack
and all i can think of in my head is blue souding like lucifer from supernatural mocking protoman for letting him out
no idea who blue is but by the other comments the next chapter should be awesome. looking forward to it, keep up the good work
I wonder what could he say with the paradox.
"You call yourself Justice but you are killing and destroying innocent robots, you yourself declared Judge, jury and executioner... How can we know that you are not the source of Chaos Energy and not Judge for your acts? You are EVIL"
It's funny, really. Whenever Duo speaks, I keep getting an Android 16 vibe from him.
You know, whenever I hear "Blues" being used in this context, I can't help but think of something the author for the Mega Man Battle Network manga once said; that if Proto Man ever had a girlfriend, she'd be named "Rhythm".
otakusmash.com/read-manga/mangas/Rockman%20EXE%20aka%20Megaman%20NT%20Warrior/007/Rockman-EXE-Megaman-NT-Warrior-manga-chapter-14-99-01.jpg
And thus, I remembered that for quite some time, going so far as to reference it in a comment for some reason. See you later.
Man, this was written straight out of a DBZ battle. I absolutely love it!
... Beep...
7371445 might be a good idea to point out the image you provided is in manga format
OK, in the MM1 arc we only get MENTION of Blues... leading me to assume that he's a big softie... but... this is true Blues.
7371606 Well, considering that it came from a manga, and there probably isn't a better source to get it from (not to mention, the only cropped version I could find was from imgur), wouldn't it be normal to be in "manga format"?
7371610 but it isn't wholly apparent
7371612 Really? Looks pretty clear to me. Besides, you could just do the whole "open image in new tab" thing, like so.
zealots
DUN DUN DUN!!!!
7371617 no, I mean that as someone may not expect it's in manga format as they may not have read manga before. I honestly thought it was someone's own webcomic, not from a manga. I didn't notice the crease in the middle
7371842 ... You mean the right to left schtick? Well for one, I don't think that'll be much of a problem, seeing as how this is the Internet and practically everyone knows everything. Not to mention, it already says that it was the author of the manga who said that, so I'm pretty sure the passing reader would be able to make the inference.
Duo is being something of a hypocrite isnt he? saying that Megaman should be free of his rigid protocols, when Duo has even more rigid protocols then Rock!
7370782
You are a wizard?
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
If Duo was in his completely original form, they wouldn't have lasted nearly that long. Considering he fought alost all of Wily's Robot Masters in the Gigamix Manga.
I love the reference here. The Princess Bride is a wonderful movie.
7371944 yes, yes I am.
7372104 ...I'm so far out of Power Rangers...
I was briefly introduced to the Power Rangers. A little bit of episodes here or there, an anniversary Red Ranger only episode, a whole season of Wild Force, half of a movie, first level of a game, and the (Dyno Thunder?) Christmas Special.
I have an idea of what they are but not an anchor to keep me in the loop.
Please don't have Duo curbstomp Bass and Mega Man in their Super Adaptors. We only got to see them in action through the altered reality, these awesome weapons need to be given the full showing of what they can do.
And Sword Man continues to be my favorite Robot Master from this bunch.
I guess this is what I get for reading a crossover when I have no idea on the subject matter, who is blues? Apart from the Japanese name for protoman (just looked that up)?
Something tells me we need Skullman here, if he's anything like who he's based on he will be able to attack Duo where it hurts...
...His convictions.
...I've got a feeling that won't happen, when you've got this blues thing going, but meh.
Oh well looking forward to more.
Hmm.... History Repeating?
[youtube=oWaKqtXFLPc]
I had a name, my father called me Blues
He tore my heart from my chest to give to you
I'm not broken, I'm not the Breakman
I was the first, I am the Protoman!
They lost me
Forgot me
Made you from parts of me
If you're the one, my father's son,
Then what am I supposed to be?
What am I supposed to be?
7372719 Don't worry, most of that has been said are mostly speculations.
1. yes, Super Sentai has AkaRed. yes he's the enbodiement of the Burning spirit of the Red rangers often considered leaders
2. Aka Red can't only henshin into those he said, in fact, theoretically he can go from Akaranger to Zyuoh Eagle, but the confirmed ones are from Akaranger to Magi Red (Sentai counterpart of the Red Mystic Force Ranger)
7372104 no, he can change in at least 29 (from Akaranger to Magi Red) and up to 40 (From Akaranger to Zyouh Eagle) and counting, considering he was birthed from the collective passions of every Red, and that maybe after his "Death" before gokaiger his new body got the burning sprits of those past Magiranger
7373351 SkullBlast is the only thing that's scratched him so far, so.... we can only hope.
damn i actually finished the current chapters!
Well now i'm out of things to do for a few days...
I thought it would last at least until tomorrow
The story was getting a bit... Bla. But this new arc is awesome. Keep it up.
Evil plus Justice?
Will this be the rise of NEUTRAL Protoman?