Chapter Text
The teleportation beams deposited them back in Light Labs with a familiar flash of cyan and crimson light. The moment their boots touched the floor, Dr. Light was already hurrying over, tablet in hand and concern etched across his face.
“Excellent work on Wood Man,” he said, scanning them quickly. “No major damage. But that energy signature I mentioned… it’s stronger now that you’ve absorbed the Leaf Shield data. It's structured like a secondary command layer.”
Rock removed his helmet, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow. “We’ll worry about that after we stop the rest of them. Any updates on Wily?”
“None. He’s gone dark again.” Dr. Light adjusted his goggles. “Be careful. Air Man’s stage is listed as the ‘Sky Dominion Tower.’ High altitude, extreme winds. It’s going to test your mobility more than your armor.”
Roll flexed her fingers, still buzzing from the previous fight. “Good. I could use the stretch.”
Rock gave her a look. “Roll…”
“What? We have Leaf Shield now. It's no problem to us!”
Dr. Light smiled faintly but didn’t comment. He knew better than to dampen Roll’s newfound fire. “I’ve uploaded the latest wind-resistance calibrations to your systems. Good luck, children. Come back safe.”
In a double beam of light, Mega Man and Mega Woman vanished once more.
They materialized on a narrow metal platform suspended thousands of feet above the clouds. The wind hit them immediately — a howling, relentless gale that tugged at their armor and threatened to knock them off balance. Above them loomed the Sky Dominion Tower, a colossal structure of sleek white and silver metal that pierced the sky like a spear. Massive industrial fans and propeller arrays spun along its exterior, generating artificial hurricanes.
“Wow,” Roll breathed, steadying herself against the railing. “Wily really went all out on the aesthetics.”
Rock’s boots magnetically locked to the platform. “Stay low and use the cover. These winds are no joke.”
They began their ascent.
The first stretch was a series of narrow sky-bridges and floating platforms held aloft by powerful up-drafts. Gusts of wind would randomly surge, forcing them to time their jumps or risk being hurled into the abyss. Roll adapted quickly, using short bursts from her Mega Buster as propulsion. Rock was more cautious, sliding under gusts and using precise shots to destroy the turbine drones (Tengu Bots) that patrolled the routes.
“These winds are messing with my aim,” Rock muttered after a shot went wide.
Roll grinned as she wall-jumped between two platforms. “Then stop fighting the wind and use it! Watch this!”
She activated a low-power Leaf Shield. The spinning metallic leaves caught the current and actually stabilized her trajectory, letting her glide across a particularly wide gap. She landed perfectly on the next platform and struck a pose.
“Show-off,” Rock called, but there was a smile in his voice.
As they climbed higher, the enemies grew more aggressive. Large propeller-equipped robots called Air Tikkis drifted through the air, firing smaller propeller blades. Roll switched to Leaf Shield again, letting the enemy projectiles bounce harmlessly off her barrier while she closed the distance and dismantled them with precise buster shots. Rock provided covering fire, picking off distant threats with charged shots.
Halfway up the tower they reached a wide, open-air arena section where the wind suddenly died. The silence was eerie.
“Ambush?” Rock asked, buster raised.
Before Roll could answer, a powerful gust slammed into them from above. A squadron of Batton-like flying machines — these ones with jet engines — dove down in formation. The twins fought back-to-back, their movements synchronized from years of sparring and the recent battles. Roll’s Leaf Shield protected them from the worst of the aerial assault while Rock picked the enemies off with accurate fire.
When the last machine exploded, the wind picked up again, carrying with it a booming, theatrical voice that echoed across the sky.
“Marvelous! Simply marvelous! Such coordination, such effort from two little Light toys!”
A platform descended from the upper levels. Standing atop it, arms dramatically outstretched, was Air Man.
“So you defeated that lumbering oaf Wood Man,” Air Man continued, voice dripping with condescension. “I suppose I should offer congratulations. But really, it was only a matter of time before his outdated leafy defenses failed against superior technology. Mine, of course.”
Roll stepped forward. “You talk a lot for someone who hasn’t even fought us yet.”
Air Man laughed — a long, self-satisfied sound. “My dear Mega Woman, conversation is an art! One I have mastered. Did you know I hold the Sky Dominion record for longest continuous monologue? Three hours and forty-seven minutes! I once regaled an entire battalion of Wily’s drones about the aerodynamic perfection of my propeller design. They were riveted.”
Rock sighed. “Can we skip the speech and get to the part where we beat you and stop Dr. Wily?”
“Impatient, aren’t we?” Air Man flicked his wrist. A powerful tornado erupted from his palm, forcing the twins to dive apart. “Very well. Allow me to demonstrate why I am the pinnacle of aerial robotics!”
The battle began in earnest.
Air Man was fast — faster than they expected. He hovered effortlessly, using powerful jets and his central propeller to maneuver in three dimensions. He unleashed Air Shooter — rings of compressed air that spiraled outward in unpredictable patterns. The twins dodged and weaved, but the wind pressure made every movement exhausting.
“Leaf Shield!” Roll called.
Both twins activated the weapon. The spinning metallic leaves formed protective vortices around them, deflecting the air rings. Air Man’s optics narrowed.
“Using Wood Man’s pathetic technique against me? How droll. How predictable.”
He spun rapidly, generating a massive whirlwind that sucked debris from the platforms and hurled it at them. Rock slid under a chunk of metal while Roll leaped over another, countering with a charged buster shot. The shot grazed Air Man’s shoulder, drawing a hiss of annoyance.
“You actually touched me? Impressive… for a housekeeper model,” he sneered. “Tell me, Mega Woman, do you still bake muffins in that adorable little apron when you’re not playing hero?”
Roll’s eyes flashed. “I’ll show you playing!”
She dropped the Leaf Shield and switched to raw speed, dashing across the platform and launching into a series of acrobatic attacks — punches, kicks, and point-blank buster fire. Air Man blocked most with gusts of wind but was clearly taken aback by her aggression.
“My, my! Such ferocity from the little sister!” He laughed again, though it sounded slightly strained. “You know, I once wind-surfed across the Pacific in under six hours. Set a personal record. Would you like to hear the full story? It’s quite inspiring.”
“Less talking, more fighting!” Rock shouted, firing from the side.
The twins coordinated beautifully. While Roll pressed the close-range assault, Rock used precise shots to disrupt Air Man’s flight path. Whenever Air Man tried to monologue mid-battle, they attacked in tandem, forcing him to defend.
But Air Man was no pushover. He unleashed his strongest technique — a colossal Tornado Blow that filled half the arena. The winds were so intense that even the Leaf Shield struggled to fully negate them. Roll was lifted off her feet and slammed into a pillar. Rock barely held his ground.
“Roll!” he called.
“I’m okay!” she shouted back, though her voice was strained.
Air Man hovered above them, propeller spinning triumphantly. “Poor children… you should’ve known you can’t beat me. I am the wind itself! Untouchable! Superior in every measurable way! Dr. Wily designed me to be perfect. Elegant. Entertaining.”
Rock helped Roll up. “He’s getting cocky,” he whispered. “That’s when they slip up.”
Roll nodded, eyes determined. “Let’s use his ego against him.”
She stepped forward, deactivating her Leaf Shield entirely. “You know what, Air Man? You’re right. You are impressive. That propeller design is… actually kind of beautiful.”
Air Man paused mid-hover. “Well, of course it is! The aerodynamic curvature alone—”
Roll continued, sounding genuinely curious. “How do you keep it from clogging in certain conditions? Like… autumn leaves?”
Air Man’s optics flickered with irritation. “A minor design flaw I have since corrected! I dislike autumn for that very reason, but it is beneath me now!”
Rock caught on immediately. He subtly activated his own Leaf Shield but kept it low-power, hidden behind his back.
“Show us then,” Roll called up. “Prove you’re as perfect as you say. No tricks. Just you and your amazing wind power.”
Air Man’s ego swelled visibly. “Very well! Witness true mastery!”
He began spinning at maximum velocity, generating the most powerful tornado yet — a towering vortex of wind that threatened to tear the entire platform apart. Debris spiraled violently around him.
“Now, Rock!” Roll shouted.
Rock thrust his arm forward. A full-power Leaf Shield erupted — not around himself, but launched directly into the heart of Air Man’s tornado. The metallic leaves, spinning at high speed, acted like thousands of tiny blades inside the vortex. They disrupted the airflow, creating chaotic turbulence.
Air Man’s eyes widened. “What—?!”
The tornado destabilized instantly. Air Man was thrown off balance, his own propeller struggling against the interference. Roll charged through the weakening winds, leaped high, and delivered a devastating charged buster shot directly into his central intake.
“NO—!” Air Man cried as sparks exploded across his frame.
Rock followed up with a second Leaf Shield barrage, the leaves slicing through exposed wiring and clogging the propeller mechanism. Air Man plummeted, crashing hard onto the platform. He tried to rise, propeller sputtering.
“I… am… unparalleled…” he gasped, voice glitching. “I once… won a Menko tournament… against thirty opponents… while wind-surfing…”
His optics dimmed. The proud Robot Master powered down, defeated.
For a moment, silence reigned except for the dying howl of the wind.
Roll stood over him, breathing heavily. “He talked too much.”
Rock approached, looking down at the fallen Air Man with a touch of sadness. “He was arrogant… but he seemed to really believe in himself. Another victim of Wily.”
The core data sphere rose from Air Man’s chassis — bright silver and swirling with wind patterns. The twins touched it together. New data flooded their systems.
Weapon Acquired: Air Shooter
Their armor flashed. When the light faded, both could now generate spiraling rings of compressed air.
Dr. Light’s voice crackled over comms. “Well done! The Air Shooter data is clean, but that anomaly is growing stronger with each absorption. Come back when you can. We need to talk.”
Roll helped Rock up. “One more down. How many left?”
“Six,” Rock replied. He looked out over the clouds. “And something tells me Wily’s saving the worst for last.”
Roll bumped her fist against his. “Then we’ll face them together. Like always.”
As the teleport beams took them away, the winds of the Sky Dominion Tower slowly died down, leaving only the quiet hum of deactivated machinery.