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It had started off like any other day for the Ro-Bros. Wake up, crawl out of bed, polish up, head down for breakfast. The everyday morning routine that thousands of species across the galaxy indulge in to set themselves up for the trials of the day. Some don’t, but they’re often considered backward or wierd by the majority of the universe. And it’s a privilege that, only recently, Zephyrus and Oceanus have been able to enjoy, punctuating it with their trademark banter as they pour the cereal or warm up the pop-tarts in the toaster.
So it comes as a surprise when the routine is interrupted by the ringing of a text message on Zephyrus’ mobile phone. It comes as even more of a surprise when the sender is none other than Dr. Light, and carries only this simple message:
“I have a surprise for you two. My lab, lunch time.
- Dr. Light.”
The robot gave his phone a puzzled look, making sure to balance it in his non-claw hand. “Huh, who’s that?” his brother asked, heading to the other side of the table to try and peek at the message. “I swear, if any friggin telemarketers found your number . . . “
“No need to worry about that, thankfully.” Zephyrus assured his brother. “But I think we’ve got some important business to attend to . . . “ He held the phone over to give to Oceanus, who squinted a little trying to get a peek at it. Flip-phones were so backwards, but a touchscreen wouldn’t last a second when faced with Zeph’s claw.
“Light? If he’s calling its gotta be something good. Let’s get moving!” Oceanus tossed Zephyrus the phone and dashed off, quickly remembering to grab his half-buttered bagel before leaving the house behind. Zephyrus followed, signalling for Mach so the duo wouldn’t be stuck running the whole way there.
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The front door was already open by the time Mach pulled up at the Light residence. Everything seemed to be in order - glass recently cleaned, lawn freshly-mowed and garden fence painted to remove the traces of Oil Man’s last visit. In fact, since Rock’s return back to his very extended family indeed, the whole place had a much sunnier air about it, and seemed much more welcoming and friendly. But if the two Robot Masters were expecting much of a reception, they were to be a little disappointed - Light wasn’t present to welcome them, nor was any of the Light series bots anywhere to be seen.
Except for Roll, who was sweeping the patio. She looked up as Mach descended, and waved cheerfully at them.
“Hey, you guys!” she called out. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”
“You betcha!” Osh called, the two ro-bros waving back as they pulled into a landing.
“Glad to see you!” Zeph added. “How’ve you and the family been?”
“Oh, everything’s been all hustle and bustle over here!” Roll heaved a sigh as she leant on her broom, mopping her brow with one hand. “So much has happened since Rock and Melody got back from that cruise, and there’s been so many preparations and celebrations and things in between - I don’t know wherever I’m coming or going nowadays! It’s a good thing they’ve got me to clean up after them, at least!” she quipped, gesturing towards the freshly groomed lawn around them.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen a lawn that clean-cut. Awesome job!” Zeph remarked, giving the lawn a wide-eyed look. There were celebrations here? Jeez, it looked downright untouched! Roll sure did one hell of a job with it.
“We heard the doc’s got a surprise,” Osh eagerly added. “Any idea where he’s at?” It was clear the anticipation was killing him. Besides, maybe he’d finally have the chance to introduce Zeph and Rock. On better terms than prior battles, of course.
“Dad? Oh, he’ll be in his lab,” was the response, the blonde robot pointing towards the open door. “Just go right in, he’s expecting you.” And with that, she quickly resumed her task of sweeping.
“Awesome! Thanks a ton!” the robot cheered, speeding off and waving farewell. “Have a nice day!” Zeph added, following after with Mach close behind.
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When the ro-bros arrive, it’s to a very unusual sight indeed.
Light, Rock and Melody were overlooking the training room - the plain name for Light’s patented Hostile Encounter Simulator - sitting in chairs and watching the action beneath. On the battlefield, hordes of computer controlled Sniper Joe holograms materialize again and again, filling the air with their usually pin-point accurate laser shots. But many of them don't even manage to get a single shot off before a whirring, spinning something smashes into them and rips them into digital atoms that fade away in a blinking constellation of data. The room is filled with a strange bluish-green glow that zips back and forth like Sarah on a sugar binge, except with deadly consequences.
The trio on the balcony don’t seem to notice the two, at first. They’re busy being enraptured by the thing that’s casually wiping out the Joe’s like so many potato chips.
Such beautiful, beautiful carnage. Seeing those holo-bots getting devastated nearly brought an oily tear to Osh’s eye. He immediately dashed to one of the training room barricades, eager to get as close of a seat to the action as safety regulations would allow. “This . . . is . . . awesome!” he declared, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to follow the green glow of doom.
Zephyrus looked up, noticing the Doctor and his children. “Hello there! How’s the encounter sim going?” he asked, waving. Maybe after catching their attention he’d be able to find out what the Doctor had to show them. Judging by how fast those Sniper Joes were getting deleted, it seemed like a total powerhouse.
Glancing down, Light and his children noticed the two robots just behind the barricades, safely out of the way of the blurring bombardment. A trio of hands waved back down at Zephyrus - an accurate confirmation that they could see him.
“Glad to see you made it, you two!” called the doctor, his voice amplified by a microphone perched on the desk in front of him. “We’re just about to wrap up this performance test, with outstanding marks all round!”
“Hi, Osh!” comes the voice of Rock next. “How goes it?”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” calls down Melody. “And to think he’s only operating at 64% output at the moment, and yet he’s outperforming even Quick Man for speed! Oh, I’m so proud of him~!”
As if to punctuate her sentence, the blurring combatant streaks by Osh’s barricade, using the disembodied leg of a Sniper Joe to clothesline a second unit of it’s feet. For the briefest moment the Robot Master catches a glimpse of something humanoid within the shining aura, something sleek and compact… And then it’s already on the other side of the room, knocking dents in a Guts-Dozer even as it swivels around, arms flailing madly as if trying to beat off an aggressive swarm of wasps.
“Hey Rock!” Osh called. “Things’re going great! Look, I even managed to drag over big bro. Say hi, Zeph!”
“Hey there, Rock! Nice to finally see you!” He hadn’t encountered Rock since the Wily Wars had come to a stop, but judging by how well he and Osh were getting along it seemed like all the hatchets were buried. Of course, before any more introductions could be had Zeph was interrupted by a shout of delight.
“Holy shit, did he just clothesline that Sniper Joe!? We’ve gotta see him at 100% if this is how chaotic 64 gets!” If Oceanus had a seat, he’d be teetering right at the edge of it. Even as he narrated the action he refused to take his eyes off of the training sim, as if afraid to miss a single bit of the makeshift combat.
Of course, Zephyrus was thinking more long-term. This was probably the first Robot Master to be built since the Wily Wars came to an end. Or . . . was it even a Robot Master? Zephyrus had the feeling he was witnessing the next big step in robotics history.
Rock waved down at Zeph, but not as enthusiastically as he did for Osh. It made sense, however - he’d only just met the robot, and was most likely still a little nervous about meeting the reformed Robot Master. Hopefully the resulting encounter wouldn’t be too awkward...
The prospects didn’t seem to faze the good doctor, however. “Oh, of course. I almost forgot - more than one introduction to be made! But let’s get the big one out of the way first, shall we?” And he reached over and tapped a few buttons on the desk, with resounding beeps that were quite audible over the sound of crackling energy and metal being pummeled.
“That’s enough now, kid,” Melody called down the microphone, as if addressing the whatever-it-was. “Come say hello to Osh and Zeph, will you?”
As if on some sort of reflex or command, the blurring figure seemed to stop momentarily, becoming a pinpoint of green light that loomed ominously over the prone and dazed Guts-Dozer. Then, as the lights within the training room flickered on and the barricades began to lower, the glow simmered and died down as though a dimmer switch had been twisted somewhere within, the newcomer slowly approaching the two robot masters. As their optics adjusted to the new light levels, they could see it was a robot, much like them.
Oddly familiar, yet somehow new.
“Oceanus and Zephyrus,” came Dr. Light’s voice over the speakers. “I give you my latest technological breakthrough…”
The figure stepped beyond the edges of the training room. Grey, segmented limbs shifted and clicked back into configuration. Blue armour shone like polished marble. Green eyes regarded the two robots with interest.
“Beck Light, codenamed Mighty No. 9. And, I may add, the son of Rock and Melody.”
Then the robot grinned, and struck a two-fingered salute.
“Hi, Uncles!” he said.
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