Chapter Text
June 11, 20XX 1
"You're-" Sariel was confused. "I'm not going to judge you for forgiving him, that's your prerogative, but you're asking to work with him? While we're still in the process of rehabilitation?"
"I'm not asking to do public showcases with him or anything," Dr. Light explained, "But he has technology that can revolutionize the world if it were to be used for good. He deserves a share of recognition and the fruits of his labor. Perhaps it will keep him from lashing out against me from the lack of such again."
"Still, working with him…?" Sariel repeated, "The man despises you, no?"
"If he truly hated me," Light lowered his voice, "I'd have died a year ago."
Sariel paused, trying to formulate a counterargument, but failing.
"If you're worried," Light continued, "I'm not asking this to be effective immediately. Dr. Wily does have a lot of issues to navigate, but I trust in the quality of the therapist he's been mandated, and I hope he'll be cooperative with her, enough to at least warrant him being under house arrest rather than in a federal prison."
"And what of Blues?" Sariel asked, "Where is he right now? I hope he knows about what you're asking of us."
"He's been standing out of the camera's view this whole time. He knows." Dr. Light looked to his side. Blues had been leaning up against a wall, silent the whole time. "In fact, he'll be the one to say when he thinks Wily would be fit to work with me."
"What do you think then, Blues?" Sariel asked.
Blues walked into the view of the camera, dragging a chair with him and sitting down next to Dr. Light. "I don't forgive Wily yet, and I won't trust him for a long, long time. But that doesn't mean I don't want to see him get better either. I've already seen how his attitude changes around me, like he's trying to get back into my good graces. He's basically like my divorced mom-"
"Blues…!" Dr. Light tried to scold him, but was on the verge of laughing, not helped by Sariel not even stopping from laughing up a storm himself.
"Sorry, sorry," Blues snickered, "But you get what I'm saying, right? He wants to get on my good side, and he's gonna have to make some big changes to himself to do that."
"I-" Dr. Light reached for a bottle of water and took a drink out of it to keep from laughing at Blues's earlier comment. "I think Blues and I see eye-to-eye on this issue. We think Wily really does want a second chance this time. And we want to help him reintegrate into society, and hopefully we can all look forward to better days together."
Sariel nodded. "Alright, I understand. We'll bring up this potential partnership with Wily and see if he accepts this course of action. By the way, Blues?"
"Yeah?" Blues answered.
"See you in court," Sariel smiled. It wouldn't be long before the court hearings for Blues would begin, as a step towards his coding being exempt from needing to be altered.
"Thank you, sir," Blues responded.
"Welp…" Auto looked around at everyone in the backyard. "Everyone's here! We can start the party now!" He lifted a glass full of oil, mixed with Oil Man's diesel blend. "Mighty Woman fought Wily for the first time and kicked absolute butt! So let's hear it for Roll!"
"YEAH!" Mega Man and the other Robot Masters cheered and tossed Roll into the air, catching her in their arms when she came down.
"Ahhh! Hahahaha!!" Roll screamed as she went up and laughed when she came down.
"And let's hear it for Mega Man for a job well done too!" Auto raised his glass again.
"Oh, uh, me too-?" Mega Man felt Roll grab him as she shifted into her armor as well.
"No escape now!" Mighty laughed as the other Robot Masters joined in. "Ready!"
"GO!" Everyone shouted as they threw Mega Man into the air too.
"Whoaaaa!" Mega Man cried before he landed in their arms. "It's nothing, really!"
"And let's give one last cheer for our family being complete again, thanks to the return of Blues!"
"Welp." Blues simply opened his arms as Mega Man and Mighty Woman stood beside him, with all the other Robot Masters joining in.
"WOO!" The Robot Masters cheered before they all launched Blues into the air, though he was quiet when they did so, perhaps to make it funny.
"You guys all did a great job too," Blues said once he was back on his feet.
"I dunno if juggling everyone is feasible, though!" Mega Man laughed.
"Well, you can toss me up and I can do the juggling!" Guts Man grinned and patted Mega Man on the back. "Buuut I dunno if Pops would approve of us doing dangerous stunts."
"Speaking of!" Cut Man climbed on Guts Man's back before sitting on his shoulders. "Doc! How's the brisket looking?"
"It should be done real soon!" Dr. Light was wearing an apron and oven mitts, a 10-quart slow cooker on a table.
Elec Man leaned against the patio stair's handrails. "You didn't have to make so much just for all of us, you know! We can make do without human food."
"I know, but you've all got the programming for taste, and I felt you all deserve to partake in one of the simpler pleasures in life." Light opened the lid of the slow cooker. "Oh, that's gorgeous."
"You spoil us, Doctor. Not that we're complaining!" Ice Man was less militant and more lax on this occasion.
"You all deserve to be spoiled after the past two days!" Dr. Light laughed.
Mega Man didn't feel overwhelmingly dispirited this time unlike his past mood swings. But still, his mind was starting to fill up thinking about what his siblings have gone through.
Blues stretched out. "I'm gonna go visit Lalinde for a moment, tell them what they're missing here. I'll be back in a jiffy."
"Go ahead, it'll still be warm when you get back!" Dr. Light took the lid off the slow cooker, taking two serving forks and shredding up the brisket.
"Epic." Blues flashed a peace sign and teleported away. That teleporter in him really made things easy.
"Is it alright if I go for a stroll for a bit, Dad?" Mega Man spoke up, eyeing a gate attached to the backmost fence of the backyard.
"If you wish, but not too far now." Dr. Light looked over at Mega Man.
"Gotcha." Mega Man jogged over to the gate, slowing down as he got closer.
"Actually!" Auto shouted back at him, "I'll have a surprise ready when you get back!"
"Sounds good," Mega Man answered. As he unlocked the gate, he took a moment to mentally berate himself for having his mood change so easily. It was all over, why be down about it? That and other such questions filled his head as he closed the gate behind himself.
"…I'm gonna follow him," Mighty Woman said with concern, striding over to the gate herself
"You're sure? Perhaps he simply needs alone time." Dr. Light looked over, also beginning to worry.
"Maybe. But, he's my brother." Mighty Woman shifted out of her armor.
"Well…" Light put his hand to his chin, his own expression growing glum. "If you're going to follow him, can you say something to him on my behalf?"
"What is it?" Roll turned around to listen…
Dr. Lalinde opened the door, a warm smile on her face as Blues approached. "Good to see you again."
"Same here," Blues held his hand out, which Lalinde shook. "I know I already said I was sorry yesterday, but-"
"You don't have to be," Lalinde responded curtly, "You're safe now. That's the important thing."
"You're right." As Blues entered, he was greeted by a familiar cat running up to him, trilling and meowing as it rubbed up against his legs. "Aww, heya, Lucky."
"Blues!" Another familiar voice followed soon after. Shoegaze lifted Lucky into his arms, holding the cat like a baby.
"Yo, Joshua." Blues looked up to face the big guy before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Well… I guess you fulfilled Kamino's orders then?"
"Yeah, but I'm gonna stick around just to make your life worse," Shoegaze laughed.
"Wow, thanks." Blues smiled nonetheless as he saw the last two residents of the house approach him.
"There he is!" Cadenza pushed Tempo closer to Blues. "Come on, greet him properly!"
"H-Hey!" Tempo cried out as she nearly tripped into Blues, but caught her footing. "I- I missed you…"
"C'mon, it's only been a day," Blues joked.
"I know, but…" Tempo wiped her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again…"
Blues couldn't help but frown, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Hey now. I've made it this far, haven't I? My luck works in… really weird ways."
"I've never seen Tempo care this much about someone as much as she has with you." Dr. Lalinde walked up to the two robots.
"Really now?" Blues asked.
"M-Mom…" Tempo looked away.
"I based a lot of Tempo's personality on how I was as a child, actually," Lalinde explained, "I'd barely show a lot of emotion or let people touch me unless it was with family or someone I trusted deeply."
"Huh…" Blues looked back at Tempo, who buried her face in her cardigan. "Were you embarrassed about that as a kid?"
"Mm, not really…" Lalinde answered, "Perhaps Tempo's still not completely ready to be open about her feelings." Lalinde gave a grin and patted Tempo's head.
"Everyone can see it, Tempo~" Cadenza teased her, causing Tempo to bury her face further.
"Well, I'm glad she trusts me regardless." Blues rubbed the back of his head.
Tempo mumbled something under her cardigan.
"Hm?" Blues didn't quite make it out.
"…Because you trusted me enough to tell me your real name…" Tempo spoke louder, "But I betrayed your trust, didn't I?"
"No. You just wanted everything to get better for me." Blues gave Tempo a gentle smile. "It was a huge mess of miscommunication. But everything is okay now. We shouldn't be playing the blame game."
"Mm." Tempo lowered her cardigan so she could look at Blues, a few tears leaking.
"You gonna be okay?" Blues asked.
"Yeah." Tempo lowered her cardigan further, revealing a smile. "So, how long are you staying?"
"Ten minutes. Don't wanna miss too much of the party back home." Blues can't remember if he's ever seen Tempo smile until now, but… He was happy for her in turn.
Mega Man took his helmet off, letting the summer breeze blow through his hair. Looking down at his helmet… he's been doing this a lot, hasn't he? But Mega Man wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was to remind himself that he was still himself.
"Mega!" A voice called out.
"O-Oh, Roll-" Mega Man looked away from his helmet to see Roll standing a few steps away.
"Talk to me," said Roll, cutting straight to the point. "Please. We're all concerned."
"I was just lost in my own head. Honest. I'm not feeling as… not 'bad' per se, but I'm feeling better than a few minutes ago."
"Well, good, but still, if there's anything you need to get out, I'm here." Roll walked up to him. Her eyes seemed a little damp.
"Are you crying…?" Mega Man asked.
"I- I guess a little." Roll rubbed her eyes with her finger. "You know I worry about you… I mean, you're my twin, how could I not?"
"Sorry about that." Mega Man gave a tiny smile. "You can let anything out to me too."
Roll hugged her brother, face resting on his shoulder as the tears flowed. "D-Dad wanted me to ask if you're okay with this… Do you still want to be Mega Man? We don't want you to keep going on being someone you don't want to be, none of us do, especially not dad! Y-You can get your upgrades removed any time and we can all just live normally again as a family! Y-You can-" She hiccuped, "You can just leave fighting behind and- and…!"
Mega Man wrapped his arms around his sister, holding onto her tight. "Heh… Honestly, I was asking myself stuff like that while I was out here. But, I want to stay as Mega Man."
"You do…?" Roll looked Mega Man in the eye before he reached up and started wiping away her tears.
"I don't like hurting others," Mega Man explained, "But I don't fight for the sake of fighting. I fight people who want to hurt the world because I love the world, humans and robots alike. Even when I feel bad about doing it, even when I start questioning myself, I come back to that conclusion. If it means the world is safe and people are happier, I'll bear that weight for their sake."
"O-Oh, Mega…" Roll smiled even though she kept crying.
"What about you? Are you happy with your choice to be Mighty Woman?" Mega Man asked.
"Yeah…" Roll nodded. "I think I am, anyway."
"What's wrong?" Mega Man frowned.
"Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm only making myself do it to prove something. When dad said he couldn't upgrade me at the same time as you because of the time it'd take, I hated myself for not thinking of it first. I didn't want to just sit there and look pretty. I wanted to help you-"
"But you didn't just sit there and look pretty, right? You did help me, even without the upgrades!"
"Y-Yeah, but…!" Roll swallowed. "I'm scared, okay?! I'm scared of everyone else seeing me as a joke compared to you! I got upgraded second, I'm the younger twin, and I- I feel like everyone will only see me as a sidekick! A second-rate version of you!"
"Roll…" Mega Man hugged his sister tighter. "You're nothing like that. You're the younger twin, but you're still my twin, aren't you? We were even built from the same mold, that means we're equal! If anyone thinks you're less than me, I'll… I'll kick their butts!"
Roll stood silent for a moment.
"You have nothing to prove," Mega Man continued. "You can get rid of your upgrades too if you only feel like you're doing this to be just as good as me. Because no matter what, you'll always be just as good."
"…No. I… I'll keep them." Roll's tears finally dried up.
"Is it 'cause I said I'll kick people's butts over it?" Mega Man chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess so," Roll also giggled. "It's silly of me to think about what others think of me to begin with. I can't be a hero if I only use my powers for approval. So instead of being scared of what the world thinks, I'm going to help it no matter what!"
"Yeah!" Mega Man cheered.
"Alright, I think we should get back now, shouldn't we?" Roll turned around to look at the direction of their house, shifting into Mighty Woman. "Race ya!"
"Come on, you got rocket dashes, it won't be fair!" Mega Man laughed.
"Haha, alright, I won't use them, pinky promise!" Mighty Woman stuck her pinky out.
"Better not!" Mega Man hooked his pinky with Mighty Woman's. "Ready?"
"Set…" Mighty Woman leaned forward.
"GO!" Both of them shouted in unison and took off like bullets.
Bomb Man, Fire Man, Time Man, and Oil Man had been standing by the fence. Time Man was using his communication line with Roll to listen in on their conversation and make sure she and Rock were safe.
"They coming back now?" Bomb Man asked Time Man.
"Yes, they're having a race." Time Man couldn't help but smile.
"Glad they're both feeling better then!" Oil Man beamed.
"Guess we oughta tell the Doc!" Fire Man turned around to call out, but he immediately saw someone teleport into the backyard. "Blues! Yer back!"
"Lalinde is totally jealous of our dinner party right now," Blues joked before he looked around. "Hey, where's Rock and Roll?"
"They're on their way, they both just went for a walk out back." Time Man pointed beyond the gate.
"They like hiking too? They really are kinda like me," Blues said with a smile. "Was that intentional, dad?"
"Well, they aren't like you one-to-one," Dr. Light explained.
"I'd be disappointed if they were, I'm a bad influence," Blues chuckled.
Light continued, "But they did end up with some similarities in what they like. Rock enjoys skateboarding and hoverboarding for instance, and Roll has your love of all kinds of music. Even the kinds that I don't think a girl her age should be listening to…" Light side-eyed Bomb Man.
"I dunno what you're talking about, Green Day is important for all ages to know!" Bomb Man said semi-jokingly.
"I better indoctrinate her into Dead Kennedys too then," Blues joined Bomb Man's ribbing.
"Blues…" Dr. Light sighed, exasperated.
"Joking, joking!" Blues looked to the patio door, seeing Auto trying to hide something behind him. "What's up, dude?"
"I got Rock and Roll's surprise right here! Go to the fence and call out to them if you see them!" Auto grunted as he was pushed forward by whatever was behind him. "But don't spoil the surprise!"
"Oookay." Blues walked over to the fence, looking over and spotting the two running over. "Here they come!"
"Blues!!" Mega Man shouted, briefly getting the lead on Mighty Woman, but just as quickly having her neck-and-neck with him.
"Hey Blues!" Mighty Woman called back, getting slightly ahead of Mega Man. "Open the gate, we're coming through!"
"It's a close race, let's see who makes it!" Blues unlocked the gate and swung it open, taking his scarf off and hanging it on the fences as a finish line.
"Rolling Stone is ahead of Rock 'The Dwayne' Johnson," Cut Man shouted like he was announcing a horse race. "Oh but what's this?! Rock 'The Dwayne' Johnson closed the gap!"
One by one, the other Robot Masters joined in on cheering for the race. It was hard to predict how it'd go. Mega Man would get in front of Mighty Woman, only for her to get ahead, and then they were side-by-side again!
Mega Man and Mighty Woman both leaned forward as they ran uphill. Mighty Woman got ahead once more, but Mega Man threw his helmet forward and it landed next to a few wildflowers up the hill, lightening his load and letting him get closer…
And in the end, both of them ran into Blues's scarf at the same time, tumbling to the ground.
"It's a tie!" Blues called out as he picked his scarf back up, everyone else cheering with him.
"Hah… hooh…" Mega Man panted and rolled over to face the sky. "I told you that you were just like me, Roll…"
"Heh… yeah… I guess I really am." Mighty Woman also laid on the ground.
Suddenly, a wet nose stuck itself in their vision and started sniffing them both.
"Huh?" Mega Man sat up.
"Whazzat?" Mighty Woman also got up.
As they both stood up and turned around, they both saw a new robot. A robotic dog, to be precise. Clad in red armor with short, light peach-colored fur and piercing blue eyes. The dog sat down, tail wagging and a smile on his face.
"A DOG?!" Mega Man and Mighty Woman both shouted with glee.
"Surprise!" Auto shouted as he stood beside Rush, with Dr. Light joining him.
"Kids, say hello to Rush, robot's best friend!" Dr. Light pet Rush on the head. "He was mine and Auto's idea! He's not only your new pet, but he's also here to assist you both on your travels."
"He's gonna replace your Items!" Auto stood tall. "He can be a hoverboard, he can launch you both high with a coil platform, he can turn into a submarine, a full-on aircraft, a motorcycle, a drill tank… He does it all!"
"He's so precious!" Mighty Woman went up and embraced Rush.
"Can he talk…?!" Mega Man looked expectantly at Dr. Light with a bright smile on his face.
"Can he-?" Dr. Light looked at Auto.
"Woof!" Rush barked, "It's nice to meet you both, Mega Man, Mighty Woman!"
"He absolutely can, courtesy of me!" Auto patted his chest. "I know what you like, Mega!"
"This is the best day of my life ever…!" Mega Man squeaked and hugged Rush as well. "I'm so glad to have you with me, Rush!!"
"I'm glad to be here too! Woof!!" Rush's tail wagged faster.
"Oh, I almost forgot…" Dr. Light knelt down next to Mega Man. "I'm assuming Mighty asked you what I wanted to?"
"Yeah…" Mega Man hugged Dr. Light now. "I still wanna be Mega Man, no matter what!"
"That's good…" Dr. Light hugged Mega Man as tight as he could. "But, no matter what the answer, just know, I will always be proud of you, son."
"Thanks, Dad…" Mega Man looked past the gate, looking at his helmet resting where he threw it on the hill.
Peace isn't achieved in a single day. But, the road there is well worth it.