8: Fight
Mega Man and Bass proved somewhat more effective against Duo when merged with their support units. The free-flight this enabled for them allowed them to bring the battle into the third dimension, opening all new angles of attack. Duo was able to match them, but he was no longer able to completely dominate the battle. While he was used to full 3-D combat from fighting in space with the Evil Energy user he'd fought before landing on Earth, he was used to it in terms of one-on-one combat. His usual tactics had always been to focus on his opponent and maintain an unending onslaught from any direction he could manage until one or the other dropped from energy depletion.
Mega Man and Bass, on the other hand, were both used to the idea of cooperative battles and dealing with an opponent of overpowering strength. As such, one of them would engage Duo directly, attacking and sweeping away to inflict as much damage as possible while avoiding taking any. When Duo focused all his attention on them in pursuit, the other would strike him from his blind spot full force and unleash as much firepower as possible before taking up the strike and evade role while the other recovered their energy. On top of that, Mega Man would shoot in any time Duo tried to strike up close or at range with his energy, deflecting it with the shield Protoman had given him, which took no damage from anything thrown at it.
While this strategy proved quite effective at keeping Duo engaged, the advantage was not as great as they could have hoped. Every time they managed to do enough damage to him to give themselves time to regroup, he'd stand back up and shift into his energy state, racing back into the battle seemingly fully healed. While it was true that he was starting to run out of energy - he'd hit the 50% mark not long ago - he knew the value of intimidation factor, and gave no sign that he was slowing down at all. If he presented every sign of being an implacable, unstoppable, infinitely powered being, eventually Mega Man and Bass would get reckless in an attempt to try and stop him all at once, not realizing that they could eventually wear him down this way.
And as he had expected, when he regenerated himself once again, Mega Man and Bass looked rather desperate. Either this round or the next they'd attempt some foolish full power maneuver, and he'd be able to knock them aside and make his way to his actual target. With the other robots already dealt with, he could take his time getting there and let his energy reserves regenerate in non-combat mode.
As he watched, Mega Man and Bass shot upward, seeming to retreat. However, he knew better, and powered himself up to chase after them. As he'd expected, they reached the outer atmosphere and turned around, putting their energy output on overdrive as they swirled around each other, fast approaching him like twin comets. In response, Duo drew back his clenched fist to counter attack. A dour grin crossed his features.
Much to his surprise, Mega Man handed the shield off to Bass and fired off his Skull Buster, launching himself backwards as he aimed not at Duo, but at Bass. Bass used the shield to protect himself from the Skull Blast, instead using it to massively boost his speed while using his Variable Weapon System to trigger Sword Man's weapon, slamming the energy blade into Duo's chest, driving him into the ground with all the force he could bring to bear.
As Bass slowly stood up, Mega Man flew down. "Did...did we get him?" he gasped out.
Duo's eyes flashed open. "No." Launching to his feet, he caught them both with a full power punch before they could react, fracturing their booster armor and sending them flying as components fell away. "Though you did better than any other world's defenders I've been forced to fight. You have my praise there." He quickly restored his body. "However, that strike was very carefully aimed. Your boosted armors will no longer function...and without them you don't stand a chance."
"Then how about me?"
Turning, Duo saw Protoman standing before him, something strapped to his back where his shield normally was. For some reason, his scarf wasn't blowing in the breeze. "And what do you think you can do?" he asked. "You don't even have your shield."
"I don't need it," Protoman replied calmly. "The only thing I need from Mega Man and Bass...is this." Bending down, he picked up a pair of small chips, pushing them into the knot of his scarf.
"What are they?" Duo asked curiously.
"...Vinyl calls them her Epic Chips," Protoman explained. "They're the second generation version of Freak Chips, combined with her magical energy, and designed to work with music. They can make almost anything happen...with the right song." With that, he brushed his scarf, setting it to blowing in the air behind him...as his music played.
Clouds gathered in an instant, plunging the world around them into darkness save for the occasional lightning flash. Rain poured down, drenching the area as Protoman reached behind his back, drawing out two capsules. In his left, he held Justice Energy. In his right, Evil Energy.
Duo braced himself as he saw this. "And just what are you planning?" he demanded.
Energy suddenly flared around Protoman as the capsules broke, expanding into energy images above him, braced in his helmet. One, surrounded by a blue aura, opened clear silver eyes. "Not me," it spoke softly.
The other, surrounded in violet energy, opened crimson eyes. "We," it corrected wickedly.
Lightning shot down from the sky into the two spiritual impressions, and they swirled around each other, joining and melding as Evil Energy and Justice Energy coalesced, no longer fighting each other as two aligned to each force found common ground...and agreed on a target. The blue and violet energy blurred more...and turned white.
Duo stared, his protocols hitting him with endless error messages. His systems were not designed for even the possibility that Evil and Justice Energy could be combined in the same entity, and the protocols of 'Destroy Evil Users' and 'Don't Fight Justice Users' clashed in his mind. Thankfully, he was able to operate outside those protocols in such a situation, feeling out a situation to classify it somehow. He braced himself for combat.
The white energy poured into Protoman's body...and he changed. His limbs lengthened, the synthoskin smoothing over his face as his armor changed, becoming more futuristic. Each armor plate now shaped to his body, layered over themselves and expanding to cover his upper body and limbs completely, linked at the joints. His glasses fused with his helmet completely, becoming a visor as a sigil appeared upon his forehead, several concentric circles in blue against his crimson helm.
Inside his Programming Core, a major change kicked in as the Three Laws...were erased. New Laws appeared in their place, defining new behavior protocols.
1. We shall not harm Vinyl, nor allow Vinyl to be harmed.
2. We shall obey the letter and spirit of Vinyl's will, unless it violates 1.
3. We shall preserve and enjoy our existence, unless doing so violates 1 or 2.
As the changes were completed, his body stabilized. A new shield appeared in his left hand, forged of pure fused energy, dyed crimson to match his armor. His right hand shaped a buster: the hand withdrew...and a violet energy blade took its place. "You are a threat to Vinyl," the altered figure proclaimed. "This situation...will be altered."
He dashed forward, shield held out in front and energy blade held back and over him. Duo attempted to clash, but his fist impacted the shield and lost all kinetic force, and the sword's slash severed his arm. Duo leapt back, holding the severed arm to the stump and using his Energy to fuse it back into place. "This is...Error!" he proclaimed angrily, struggling through not just a difficult battle with an opponent, but a struggle with his own brain. "Error! Error!"
The altered figure slammed into him, jets in his boots driving them both forward into the rocky pillars of the water, smashing through them. He then dashed around Duo and kicked him upwards into the air before shooting up after him. Putting shield and sword away, he laced the fingers of his hands together and brought them down onto Duo's head, sending him smashing back into the ground. He then hovered there, once more drawing his sword and shield.
"Error!" Duo proclaimed angrily, launching himself at his foe. "Error!"
"No," the altered figure proclaimed, pouring energy into his blade. "Not Error..." As Duo reached him, he drew his sword back. "Ether!"
With that shout, he delivered a blistering series of sword strikes, all but tearing Duo apart, finishing with a downward slash that drove them both to the ground, leaving a crater from the impact.
As the energy faded, the music stopped playing and all was still, only a single shaft of sunlight falling upon the Red Knight and his fallen foe.
Bass and Mega Man stood up, carefully approaching the scene. No signs of life could be seen from either figure, the sense of the 'Ether' having faded along with the Justice Energy. Smoke could be seen pouring from the upright figure's body from overloaded circuits. Finally, Bass spoke up. "So...you gonna check on him?"
"Me?" Mega Man demanded. "You check on him!"
"He's your brother!" Bass insisted.
"Yours, too!"
"You're older!"
"He lives with you!"
"You should reconcile!"
"He needs to be conscious for that!"
"Maybe he is! Go check!"
"You go check!"
"No you!"
Both bots, frightened by the display they'd witnessed, continued to urge the other to check on their compatriot, not quite willing to approach themselves.
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Well... That was awesome.
Thanks for the great chapter Tats, it really improved my mood tonight.
Someone just got utterly PWNED.
checking on the story of Megaman 8, it is likely that Protoman will survive, but it is clear that he will be changed...
7390784
Changed nothing! I'm pretty sure he's gone full Reploid at this point.
Edit: Also, calling the next chapter title as either "Meowth", or "Right", depending on if the author wants to milk another chapter out of this arc. I suspect he will just go straight for "Right" and call it a day.
Can't say I blame them; that sounded pretty badass.
7390799 Although I say should both just go check on him.
Did Protoman just Trunks kill Duo?
7390899
No, Great Ether...however it's spelled.
7390944 yup that's a trunk's kill. just missing the slicing in half bit.
Well that was freaking epic.
A thought came across my mind a while ago and I just wanted to voice it....or type it in this case.
Anyway, it's how Duo somehow became a bad guy....even though he has the so called 'Justice' energy.....at least with the Evil energy you know what to expect.
Ok, I have typed my thought down, I have submitted my brain dead comment of the month.
Dem laws
You know, I just realized. Where's Vinyl during all this? But yeah, enough stalling. Time for a fairly uneventful "a new challenger approaches" scenario.
You know, it's funny. Even though I know that this will be as disappointing as I expect it to be, I can't help but feel... hopeful. Weird, isn't it?
There it is.
Huh, what do drinks have to do with a sword attack? Or the essence of the sky, for that matter?
So yeah, this is pretty much how I expected it to go. It went along with the 3 laws, after all.
Yeah, that seems about right. Proto Man got more powerful, Duo got wrecked, and the world didn't blow up. And by now, you're probably wondering what I have to say about that... well, I guess there's one thing.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. What, then, does that make of a cutscene, rendered at several frames per second that goes anywhere from one to eighteen minutes? As anyone can say, a person expecting someone to write between 360,000 to 6,480,000 words per chapter is just shy of cracked in the head. However, it's worth noting that, if a picture paints a thousand words, would that mean the quality of the words would make a difference? Sometimes, a person has to take in stock of what they type and how they type it. How a character acts, how the narrative flows, whether to be frank or subtle, and what to cover. The writer envisions what they have in mind for a scene and displays it as expertly as possible.
But for you, I seem to be seeing the same thing every time. A setting is introduced, a connection is made betwixt foal and parent, complex characters are made simple, simple characters are made complex, nonsensical idealism abound, the purpose of events serve only to prove different than the source material, hints and facts are strewn about in place of proper developments, HILARITY, RANDOM QUOTES, divine intervention kicks in halfway through, TweeEEEEEST, finish off with an anticlimactic fight with a fall guy with insincere motivations and concerns, and then foal returns to their origin only to learn it isn't as alien as they believe it to be (Thus, pony stuff might be more technical in this iteration). It all seems... standardized, like you might be burning yourself out. I know that you've said in the past that you don't let the Internet overtake RL problems, but I'm not so certain that's the case.
I may not seem like it (since I have such a WONDERFUL disposition), but I worry about people when it comes down to it. I can't be there for the people on the other side of the screen, so I can't know whether or not they're happy, sad, or even if they're just messing with me. So I don't know if you have time travel on your side (with the knowledge to make stable time loops) and you've got everything under control, or if you've got super speed and you can type all your sentences out in seconds, but if your life is really what it's like, and you're able to make this amount of progress every week... It might be best to take a break every now and then, maybe focus on other facets and stuff. Otherwise, you might
I didn't mean to make this musical reference so early in the game, but I felt it was necessary (Don't worry, you'll see it again later). In any case... is it just me, or does this comment seem like it was written by someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder? Oh well, see you.
I'm a call that System Overload. I think the reasoning is fairly obvious why.
7391355 Ether/Aether is sometimes used as an alternative name for Mana/Magic. That's likely the context Tatsurou is using in this instance.
7391469 It's the thing that heals mana/magic. And in various parodies, it's a fancy name for alcohol.
But I dunno, it seems like a weird reason to call it that, so I'll stick with my "sky" theory. Besides, Ike already made a sword technique out of the "aether", so...
7391479
In this case, 'Ether' as in 'Etheric Science', which in the fiction I've read means "the scientific study of magic".
7391485 This vaguely reminds me of Dragonfable.
your definitly still getting better at your combat scenes. every time you post another combat scene its a little better than the last.I was also going through your blogs yesterday and i came across the one about the Spardan tournament from Dante's little apple surprise. I think you probably have the skill needed to go back and visit it now with how good your combat scenes have been progressing
I almost thought I'd see this:
I know very few have tried and failed with this territory (one really poor fic with a forced Princess Luna insert, another a dead fic), but I imagine someone with the proper drive can pull it off.
7391469 actually, when he called it out, it seemed like he pulled off one of the final smashes one of the fire emblem characters have. Series of sword strike in the air finished with a punishing blow to slam to the ground
Did the Evil Energy vanish with the Justice Energy when it was used up?
You do NOT make yourself enough of a threat that Heaven and Hell align against you!
If you can't picture what I'm talking about World-crusher Hulk controlled and guided by Banner
You're the one who can fly! You do something!!!
7390944 If you're gonna use that, there's no reason not to at some point use this.
7391485 In most fiction I've read, the "Science of Magic" is usually called "Thaumaturgy", but whatever.
Quick! Someone get the 11ft pole and poke Protoman with it! Science demands it!
So does Blues know the Song of Storms????
Vinyl, get out there and poke him with a stick to see if he's alive.
Excellent chapter, I loved Mega Man using the Skull Buster and Proto Shield to accelerate Bass. Still, how bad was Duo after that last attack???? 25%?????
7392931
Actually, 45%. It takes the same amount of energy to fully restore his physical body, no matter how badly he's hit (like the Recover move from Pokemon), so as long as he's still functional he can recover from anything unless something neutralizes his Justice Energy. If they'd hit him hard enough to shut him down, it would have been victory...but it wasn't quite hard enough.
Also, that attack combo of Mega Man and Bass' was based off the combo Yusuke and Kurabara used on the Toguro brothers in the first battle with them when rescuing Yukina.
I have to agree with 7391355. You'll burn yourself out eventually, quit while you're ahead, we'll understand the break, and if some of us don't, then screw us.
I love your work, please don't let it take you over, that'll be good for any of us.
7394036
...there's nothing else in my life for it to take time away from.
7392676 Isn't "Thaumaturgy" a fancy name for combat magic?... Then again, getting my information from an RPG Maker Game called "Harem Collector" (regardless of the entertainment value) might not be entirely reliable.
7394059 "Thaumaturgy" is technically the formal name for all "Magic" and "Miracles" that are done by humans using supernatural means.
From an actual Dictionary:
Thaumaturgy
noun thau·ma·tur·gy \ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtər-jē\
Definition:
"The performance of miracles; specifically: magic"
7390779 Dude, PWNED means there's something to recover and place in a coffin as a happy-looking corpse or somebody that's defeated and barely escapes a fight.
There's nothing left to pick up as Duo is concerned. He was DESTROYED.
7394878 Nah he was obliterated.
7394974
I think the term you want is ANNIHALATED!!
7398444 He was obliterated into annihilation.
7398536
He was obliterated into annihilation... and that destroyed him!!!
I think that this is a good example of overkill.
7398600 And once he was destroyed, he was incinerated as the open fire slowly melted through his remains as Wily and Vinyl enjoyed a nice camping trip.
7398618
Okay... this is silly now... but continue!
7398626 And once the camping trip was over, a random portal opened up, swallowing the charred remains of the 'bot. The portal immediately took a dump in front of Fluttershy's house, and seeing the massive heap of junk randomly appearing in her front yard, Fluttershy ordered angel to go ahead and tear the largest pieces to shreds, to allow for easier recycling into cans for the local baked beans factory.
7398649
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wot
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7398675
LENNNIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7398683 Bug eyes.
╧(▐▒ _ ▐▒)╧
7398683
7398685
Okay, now you've reached the point you need to take this elsewhere.
7398705 aww...
7398740
Sorry, but I try to make it a rule that comments on my stories must be related to the story in some way, shape, or form. Those last two weren't.
7398741 Ok. sorry.