The familiar building belonging to Pedro Astil came closer as the Wily plane containing everyone passed the town. Metalman gave a command and they got into place, only checking Rock every couple minutes as they descended. He was too enveloped with his thoughts to notice them staring and the plane lurched forward, hovering feet above the grass. The ground was turned from multiple fights, and the exposed rocks made it hard for landing. They managed to find a safe patch to land, and each Wily bot stepped out and faced the flora covered building with uncertainty. On cue, the vines and thorns retreated and Plantman walked out. Rock gasped at his appearance. It had only been a day, and the plant based robot master looked worse than before with glazed eyes and his joints locking randomly.

"Come on...it's not safe...outside..." He droned on. Rock quickly grabbed him and pulled him inside with the others following. Dr. Light and Astil, who were watching over Roll's capsule, turned only to be shocked by the sudden party.

"Doctor Light, how are you holding up?" Rock said.

"We are fine Megaman." Doctor Light coughed and steadied himself. "Though the electromagnetic field is getting so strong, it's becoming toxic to living beings. Y-You have to get to the temple and stop whatever's causing this."

"I promise I will. And the Wily bots are here to help us."

"We're helping save Doctor Wily." Metal corrected.

"Right."

Doctor Light stared at all of Wily's robots before stopping the gaze on Time and Oil. The oil robot master did a shy wave, giving the doctor a somewhat warm greeting in the confrontation. Timeman only stared and gave a small nod of consideration.

"In that case, let my apply all of you with the coating before you head out." Light said. As each of the Wily bots were given the coating, Rock stepped toward the capsule protecting his sister. He took off the helmet and placed his hand close to her own.

"Hang on Roll, I'll find out what is going on around here and stop whoever's causing the wave. Dr. Light and Astil will watch over you, and I hope you'll be repaired when I get back. I'll save the world and bring everything back the way it was. I love you sis." Rock put the helmet back on and went to his creator, hugging him tightly to persuade him he was going to be fine.

And to persuade himself it was going to be fine.

The Wily bots were waiting for him to join them as he made the final preparations. Most of the Wily bots entered the plane and took to the sky, while Rock was left with Time, Oil, and Enker's group. The plane hovered slowly past the top of the canopy, and they marched their way toward the temple.

Rock followed the faded tracks leading to the temple, remembering any possible clues that could show their target. Enker was close behind watching his every movement with his staff on hand, the rest of the group not far behind.

"How did you guys survive the EMP wave? Most of the robot masters around the world were heavily affected including me, but you're perfectly fine." Rock asked Enker.

"I don't know, but knowing Wily, he made our components differently than the typical robot master. Most of us are built for destroying you, so he probably brought something like this to consideration. One of the few things he did right in his mess of a plan." Enker replied.

"I guess. So what does your staff do?"

"Nice try, but I'm not giving away secrets to just anyone." The golden robot glared.

"But Enker, you know me." Rock stared.

"I didn't know you were a robot killer, and you didn't know I was one of Wily's robots. We are blind to who we really are." Without another word, Enker left Rock to fall back to the rest of the group. The stress was building in his circuits and he felt he was going to blow. The tall purple robot in Enker's group walked up to him with a proud smirk.

"Don't mind Enker, he doesn't know that his words can hurt. I'm Ballade, and it's an honor to meet the powerful Megaman." He said.

"Oh. T-Thank you." Rock said. He didn't know whether to be flattered by the compliment, or wary that it was a Wily bot he doesn't know giving him the compliment.

"Everyone always talks about your fighting skills and how you copied their powers to defeat them. Is that true?" Ballade carried the conversation.

"Yes, I did. Though I didn't enjoy it at all. Anyways, we have to be prepared for the others, because I have a feeling they're not going to be the same."

"About that. You mentioned that you have eight new brothers that were captured. It would help if you told me what powers they have." Ballade hinted, and Rock slowed down unsure whether to tell him. "Look, I'm not Enker. Everything is in danger of collapsing, and we are going to die if this thing isn't destroyed. You said it yourself that your brothers will be putting up a dangerous fight, so do you really think I would waste my life turning on you during a battle?"

Rock realized that he was right and tried to remember each of his brother's abilities. "There's Needleman and he fires sharp needles from his arm and head. They can easily penetrate our armor if he gets enough hits on us. Magnetman can draw metallic objects close to him as well as fire magnetic missiles. Gemini can shoot lasers that bounce off of surfaces, but I also think he can clone himself too."

"Cloning? How do you clone a robot?" Ballade interrupted.

"I don't know. I assume it's not actual cloning, because that would be impossible to conjure all the materials in thin air." Rock shrugged.

"Alright! So they're the long range fighters. What about the rest?"

"Hardman is really strong, almost as strong as my brother Gutsman. He can shoot his fists out like rockets, but he rather fights fairly. Topman is speedy, but he components are a little sensitive so if we get a good hit, he should be out quickly."

"What did you do that made him so soft?"

"He's not soft, just-!" Rock stopped himself before resuming. "Anyways, Snakeman is a trickster. He never plays fair, so he'll likely try to do something out of field. Plus he's based on an animal, so he might get close and personal if you keep your eyes off him. And Sparkman can discharge massive amounts of electricity from his arms, so if we take out the arms, we take him out completely."

Ballade had a wide grin and loosened his arms. "You got quite an assembly of fighters Megaman. Makes me want to fight just to see them in action! But that's seven of them. What about the eighth one?"

Rock reached for his back, feeling the welded spot from where the blade of the strange ninja stabbed him. "I don't know anything about Shadow."

"Hahaha! A mysterious fighter! This is going to be so much fun!" Ballade laughed, pulling a bomb from his hand.

"Don't kill any of them please. I don't want anyone dead." Rock pleaded. To his surprise, Ballade nodded and put the bomb down.

"I know we're going to die and we're saving Doctor Wily, but if I do die, I want to die fighting such powerful foes. Don't disappoint me 'super fighting robot'."

Rock felt Ballade was odd for a Wily robot. While he was most likely built to destroy him by Doctor Wily, the purple robot was more polite compared to some of the others. He even took his plead to not kill anyone into consideration, compared to Wily's first line who refused to back down at all. But to have someone who lightened the mood, even for a moment, made him feel better.

A rustle from the trees alerted everyone to activate their weapons. Two figures were running atop the branches, but he couldn't catch who they were. The shadows circled them twice before one ran in the opposite direction. Rock yelled as something pierced his leg and looked. To his horror, dozens of small robotic snakes were crawling up his legs. More snakes started attacking the others, some yelling in pain and others desperate to get the pests off. He managed to grab the snake closest to his buster and sling it away.

"GET IT OFF! IT HURTS!" Oil screamed. So many snakes were biting into his arms that the silver parts of his body were black with oil.

"Ballade, fire off your bombs and scare them away!"

"I can't! I could damage the entire area and alert them to us!" Ballade argued, trying to rip off a snake clinging to his neck.

"They already know we are here!"

Rock started firing in different directions, shaking off countless snakes on his body. Suddenly, one of the shadows leapt down and dealt a swift kick. The brainwashed Topman gripped his neck tightly, and Rock called for help. To his dismay, everyone was too preoccupied with the snakes to pay attention. Top was reaching for something in the back of the neck but Rock fired his blaster in the eye. The half-brother screamed and dropped him, only to bounce back with another kick.

Rock felt his leg sweep under and saw the others fade away as Top was quickly dragging him away. Panicking, he reached for his half-brother's hand and copied his special ability. He covered his head from the rocks and branches slamming into his back. He heard an explosion from the sky with the screams of the other Wily bots vanishing into the greenery. Top seemed to have slowed down and tossed Rock in a dark room.

"Top it's me, Rock. You have to be in there somewhere. Snap out of it." He called out, in hope of getting a reaction. To his horror, the orange robot gave a wicked grin and started to close what ever was the door. He attempted to stand and stop him, but he was too wobbly and fell over.

"For the glory of Ra Moon." He giggled and the door shut, enveloping Rock in cold darkness of the temple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plane's control panel slammed into Metalman' s chest, the wind and screams of his brothers filled his receptors, and the whipping of the tree limbs tossed him like a doll before finishing in a uncomfortable landing into the ground. Another slam and a groan from Bubbleman alerted him back to consciousness, and the burning remains of the plan crashed into the forest. He shook off the dirt and tended to the shaken bubble robot master.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"S-Shaken up, but I'll be fine. What the heck was that? They c-came out of nowhere and attacked us!!" Bubble was shaking.

"I don't know. It looks like everyone got separated in the explosion. We need to find them and-"

"Metal, I'm scared. What if we die here?" Bubble rambled. Metal, in desperation to get the situation under control, slapped his head.

"We are NOT going to die here Bubble! Just...Just calm down for me, okay?" Metal sighed and set Bubbleman against a tree. He looked to the sky, mapping out where his enemy's lifted off. "I think I know where everyone is. Come on, we have to-"

"You should leave me here." Bubble said.

"What?" Metal did a double take. Bubble, who was shaking like he was going to break apart, was still and serious. "Quit it with the dramatics Bubble-"

"I'm being serious. Look, you are our leader and everyone out there needs you. You can run to them, you can still fight with your blades. You have to chance to help them. Now look at me. I'm too shaken to move, and if you haven't noticed, I am designed with flippers. I can't walk two feet in this terrain, and I'll never catch up to you. Even if you carry me, I will only slow you down." Bubble was slow with his words, making sure he was getting through to Metal.

"Are you telling me to leave you here completely helpless?"

"I can take care of myself."

Metal was hesitant in his decision. To leave Bubbleman alone would be a death sentence for him. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in his brother's fighting capabilities, but their enemies are unknown. But he was right in that his brothers need help with the fight.

Before he could object any more, chuckling erupted from the shrubs and two robots emerged. Metal summoned his metal blades, and Bubble readied his blaster for the fight.

"Looks like we have two fresh prey to play with." Snake laughed.

"Let us prepare this dance of death." Top replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Son of Asimov that hurt..." Heatman mumbled. He had no idea how he managed to get wrapped in vines and cobwebs, but he was now. At least it was better than being in a plane on fire. He couldn't say the same for his brothers.

A warped voice approached and a hulking blue robot several feet tall stood close. Heatman gulped in fright and attempted to wiggle free before the robot held his box body with one hand. They smiled.

"You shouldn't be here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Let's take this easy. I don't want to hurt a fellow brother." Woodman said cautiously. Airman, who was still stuck under a wing, could only watch as a spiky robot aimed for Woodman.

"Why don't we cut the chit chat and get started already?" Needleman snarled.

He fired, and Woodman leapt to protect his brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why didn't your time stopper work?" Crashman mumbled getting back up. Flashman and Quickman were arguing while pulling each other from the wreckage. From what he could tell, they were the only ones closest to the temple, with the tallest temple visible in the clearing.

"I don't know. It's like that red robot was messing with it. Where is everyone?" Flash said.

"They are probably separated from us. We should find them." Crash suggested. Something in the sky alerted him and he fired a crash bomb toward the two floating figures. The red robot dodged the airborne explosion, and the two landed feet away. The brainwashed Magnetman and Geminiman were smiling unnaturally and it made Crashman shiver.

"Let me deal with this! These guys may be newer, but they can't keep up with me!" Quickman smiled with cocky arrogance. He raced around the temple grounds, his blurry silhouette passing by the robots several times. He shouted incoherent taunts every second, it made Flash want to faint. The brainwashed Gemini shouted and Magnetman extended his hand. Quickman, who was once a blur to the eye, was now immobilized and shocked in Magnet's grip.

"H-How?" He muttered.

"You know nothing about fighting an opponent."

Gemini fired a laser in Quick's chest, propelling him into several structures. Crash and Flash readied their weapons as lasers and missiles were aimed for them, and the battlefield was soon nothing but dust and explosions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rock gripped to the wall for any possible weak spots in the darkness. He was built with night vision, but it didn't mean he could see hidden openings. The sounds of explosions echoed the chamber, and he was starting to feel a little trapped. Pausing at a certain block, he pushed hard and the wall slowly crumbled into dust. The dust had settled and revealed several corridors, strangely lit despite no visible light source.

"Alright. Let's see where you go." Rock looked in every corridor to see the end, but it kept going past his vision. He heard incoming noises from behind and a bright flash revealed the silhouette of a robot behind him. He managed to dodge the volts of electricity aimed for his neck and continued to make tight turns.

"I won't let you interfere with Ra Moon!" Sparkman's voice echoed in the corridor.

"Sparkman, whatever this Ra Moon person is doing to you, you have to fight it! I don't want to fight you!"

"You can't stop what is being done! Humanity will die and we will rise in their place!"

"Are you even listening to me?!" As Rock made more turns, he saw the silhouette of Sparkman quickly grow closer. The electric attacks became more erratic, and his orders were nothing but incoherent pleas and screams. He must be closer to the center if Spark was becoming this dangerous. He dodged another electric attack and bounced off the wall with enough space to touch the arm and copy the special weapon of the robot. Then, he aimed for the ceiling and the bolt of electricity shattered the unstable bricks and crushed Spark's body.

There was no further movement.

"Who else is there?" Rock gasped. His eyes widened in realization that a corridor was illuminated in a blue light. Peeking through, the light was coming from a strange sphere object suspended by living wires. Despite the questions running through his head, he quickly regained composure and readied his blaster.

WHO DARES TO ENTER AND CHALLENGE ME? Ra Moon asked with condescending tone.

"My name is Megaman, and I am a super fighting robot that wishes to protect everything on Earth. I'm giving you one chance to cancel out the E.M field that is endangering humanity and robots. If you refuse to back down, I'll be forced to take you down." Rock said. To his dismay, Ra Moon simply laughed and the wires rose, preparing to attack.

SO THE WEAK HUMANS BRING ME A WEAK MACHINE TO FIGHT FOR THEM? PATHETIC. YOU WILL DIE FOR NOTHING.

Rock charged in and the fight quickly went to chaos. Wires were stabbing from all the cracks and walls, lasers firing from the eye of Ra Moon toward him. However, he dodged each attack effortlessly and countered with his mega buster. The plasma shots only bounced off Ra Moon's body, leaving nothing but a smudge. One wire pierced his armor and through his shoulder. Using Sparkman's ability, his hands were enveloped with electricity and gripped the surrounding wires tightly. They squirmed in pain and Ra Moon withdrew. He continued to switch between weapons, firing buster shots at the body and electrical shocks to the attacking wires.

Suddenly, footsteps came from behind, and Rock recognized Shadow emerging from the tunnel he came out. He didn't hear or see the ninja at all. Was the ninja watching him the whole time? If that was the case, why didn't he attack him at any point in the battle?

Unsheathing the sword, Shadow charged and the blade grazed the arm. Warning signs appeared to Rock of an unknown poison, and his arm started to tingle. He jumped every blade swing and returned with shots of his own. They impacted with the armor but he refused to back down.

"Get away from me!" Rock shouted and fired Sparkman's ability into his chest.

More wires rose and wrapped around his arm and flailed him in the air. He gasped as he collided into walls, four times head on and six into the chest or back. Two wires gripped his other arm and started to pull. Rock screamed as he felt wires being pulled apart. Before his arm could be ripped off, another blast struck Ra Moon and he was released.

From the shadows came out a robot that he didn't recognize, and the man behind it pointed to Ra Moon with a grin.

"Megaman isn't the only one to fight you, you overgrown golf ball!! Prepare to taste the genius of Doctor Albert Wily!"