Press Start To Play?, Ch. 2

"Mega Meetings"

After what seemed like forever, Michael landed with a thud. "Oog," he groaned. "Where the hell....?" He tried to push himself up with one of his hands, but stopped when he heard a small yelp. Then the sensation of something warm against the palm of his hands. "Soft... and squishy? What's... this...?" He looked down to see a mostly-naked blonde below him, holding to the last bits of her dignity with a well-placed towel that barely covered the important areas.

"Ah--AGH! Excuse me!" he exclaimed, as his face immediately turned red. He jumped to his feet and turned, only to slam into the door and fall backward, landing right between the blonde's feet, and looking right up her legs--behind the towel.

The blonde managed to get over her red faced-ness, only to have her face become more crimson. This time, however, it was fury, rather than embarrassment that burned in her eyes.

Michael looked down to what the blonde was looking at, and noticed that there was a magazine that said "Pixelated Beauties Exposed" and had the same blonde girl on the cover. "Oh, crap," he cringed, waiting for the inevitable.

"You..." the blonde girl began to rage. "Y-you PERVERT!"

A resounding slap echoed through the immediate area.

The force of the hit sent Michael back into the door and he fell back down to the floor, facedown, this time. The magazine then fell open to a two-page spread of the blonde without a stitch of clothing on.

The blonde girl stopped when she saw it. "WHAAAT?!" A low growl could be heard, and her eyes were almost red as she approached Michael, who was apparently unconscious.

As she approached, however, a whitish armored suit flickered for a moment around him. "M-Me... No, you're not Megaman." she asked. "Who are you?"

Michael didn't respond, and was bleeding from his nose.

"Uh-oh," the blonde said. "I think I overdid it."

A few minutes later, the blonde, properly dressed and an older man with something similar to a monocle on one eye were looking over Michael as he was lying on the bed.

"Will he be alright?" the blonde asked.

"That depends on how hard you hit him," the older man replied.

"Ah, well," the blonde hesitated, chuckling nervously. "I don't know about that."

Michael then groaned. "Ugh, mom? Is that you?" he asked. "I just had the worst nightmare. "I finally got to see Roll's chest, and then she beat the hell out of me."

There was an almost growling sound again, but the older man's voice interrupted. "Roll! Calm down! You've already hurt the boy!"

"But he's just a pervert!" Roll retorted. "He deserves it!"

Having heard this, Michael sat bolt upright. "Roll?" he asked. "Oh hell. I'm a dead man when Mega Man gets back and finds me trying to sneak a peek on his woman!" He tried to get up and run, but a hand on his collar held him firmly in place.

"Oh no!" Roll declared. "You're not going anywhere, Pervert Boy!"

"The hell I'm not!" Michael shot back. "I'm headed home, and now! I don't want one of the game world's strongest beating me up for something that I didn't do on purpose!"

"The strongest?" Roll asked as her grip on him loosened a little. "Really?"

Michael managed to get loose of her grip and break free, only to slam into the older man. "Gah!" he groaned. "Yes you! Everyone knows that someone who can make Mega Man run and hide from punishment is someone to be feared!"

"Well, thank you!" Roll smiled. "I suppose you're not so bad after all. And if it wasn't on purpose like you said, and if I never catch you trying again, I suppose I could let you slide for now."

"Why do you say that?" Michael said as he helped the older man up. "I did just accidentally see you naked, after all. But I've gotta say, you looks a lot better in person than all of the internet fanart shows you as..."

A cold, wordless, piercing death glare from Roll caused Michael's words to trail off as he realized that he was saying too much. "...Right, I'll just be going to find the Bonne's right now so that I can die a much less painful death now." Michael then turned and started to run out the door.

"No!" Roll commanded as she stuck her head out the door. "You stay right there!"

The forceful tone of Roll's voice caused Michael to slam into the ladder and fall back to the floor--again. "Ow."

"Geez," Roll said as she walked up to him and leaned over him. "You really are the skittish type, aren't you?"

Michael's eyes went flat for a moment. "So, I guess that now's a bad time to tell you that ever since I got this game that I've wanted to see you naked? And against my better judgment, I'd like to see it again?"

Roll's eyes went flat as well, as she assumed a smile that was positively sinister. "Try it, and you'll really have something to fear then, huh?"

"Ah," Michael nodded nervously. "Message received, loud and clear. I will not try any further attempts."

It was now that Michael noticed the armor that had appeared again, and was now finally fading, now that he was no longer shot full of adrenaline. "That's weird, this looks like X's suit."

"Who?" Roll asked.

"He's..." Michael hesitated, as he pondered how to answer. "He's a Digger, I guess you could say. But I don't think you've met him. Or that you'll ever come across him in your travels."

"Oh, okay," Roll nods and then starts to walk off.

Michael sits on the couch next to a little robot monkey. "Not unless you can access the save data on my console's memory card."

"What was that?" Roll asked as she turned back around to look at him.

The monkey nudged Michael slightly and glared at him. "Uh, nothing really, Roll. I guess I'm still a little disoriented from that slap."

"Oh, okay," Roll nodded. "I'm sorry about that." She then turned to the older man who was coming into the room. "Hey Gramps! Has Megaman returned with the fish yet? I'm hungry!"

"Not yet," the old man replied. "And it's odd, he was supposed to be back a half-hour ago. What could be holding him up and making him late?"


******

"Ah, man," Megaman sighed as he sat on the dock with his fishing line in the water. "I've already caught enough fish for dinner, but Gramps said not to come back without completely filling the bucket. Dang that old man."

The sound of someone screaming called him out of his thoughts as he looked around. "Is someone in trouble?"

The screaming got closer as it was now coming from overhead. He looked up, while still holding the fishing rod, and saw something in the sky. "Huh? What's that?"

As it got closer, more and more of the falling object became clear. It was definitely a person, and it was wearing the same kind of blue Digger armor that he himself was wearing.

"Huh?" Megaman scratched his head as he looked at the person. "It looks a lot like... me?"

The person flipped in the air a few more times and then landed in the water, making a large splash.

"Oh geez, Oh geez," Megaman said as he started to panic. "Roll's not here to pilot the boat, and by the time she did, it would be too late. Oh geez, what'll I do?" He then looked at the rod in his hand and then shrugged. He could think of worse ways, but maybe he could try to catch the person somehow.

Something then tugged on the line as Megaman then started reeling it in. "Hope I got the person."

With a final jerk, the line reeled in as there was something white stuck on the hook. "What the heck. What's this?" Megaman said as he inspected it, and pulled it off the hook. "A pair of panties?" He then grinned. "OOH! A present for Roll! Maybe if I give them to her, she'll model them for me." He started to drool as he became lost in his fantasy.

The splashing of water brought his attention out of his fantasy and back to the water. A redheaded girl came up from the surface and looked around.

"HEY PERV!" the girl yelled. "Gimme my panties ba--" She stopped cold when she saw Megaman and then rubbed her eyes.

"Uhh," Megaman hesitated. "Is something wrong?"

"You.." the redhead, Aya, began. "You're Megaman?!"

"Uh, yeah," Megaman nodded. "Although I didn't know that I was that famous as a Digger already, that even girls falling... out of the sky... Would... know who..." He then looked at her. "Hey wait a minute! Were you that Digger I just saw? How did you take your armor off so fast that I could hook your panties?"

"Good question," Aya nodded. "I'd like to know myself, but for now, ahem." She then held her hand up with an open palm.

"Here," Megaman said, seemingly clueless as he placed a 50-zenny coin in her palm. "Since you seem to be broke."

Aya flicked it back into his face, smacking him between the eyes. "Nice try perv," she chuckled. "But I'm not coming out of the water until you give me my panties back."

"Huh?" Megaman blinked, leaning forward slightly to get a closer look at her.

Aya seized the opportunity, and placed both hands on the dock and propelled herself up far enough to snag the panties out of his hand and then sank back into the water.

When she came back up, however, she heard what sounded like wolf-whistles below her. Disturbingly, the only things below her were a bunch of fish. She looked down. "That fish," she hesitated. "Did it just whistle at me?"

She then shook her head, and reached down and caught it with her bare hands. "No, that can't be right. Damned odd little fish." Then the fish seemed to smile at her innocently, while trying to glare at the others below it in the water.

"That's the way it is, huh?" she smirked as she put her panties back on. She took a deep inhale and then dove under water. Shortly thereafter, one by one, all of the fish are tossed up onto the dock. She then surfaced again. "Geez, it gets so that even the fish are freaky anymore. "I'm going to have to find that stupid programmer and smack him a few times."

"Uhm," Megaman asked. "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" Aya replied as she climbed up onto the dock.

"T-that!" Megaman said as he pointed. "Going in the water like that! I've been here for three weeks, and I can't go in because the water's so deep that I'd drown."

"I dunno," Aya shrugged. "Water is meant for swimming in, so I do. What, don't you know how to swim?" She then flipped her wet hair back and put it up into a ponytail.

Megaman didn't hear her because he was eyeing the bucket with the fish in it and grinning. "Gramps said not to return without filling the bucket," he  said and then lowered his voice to very quiet. "...Wonder if she'll fit?"

"Oy," Aya said as she gathered up all the fish. "These fish must be cooked. I don't suppose you have something to carry them all in, do you?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Megaman said as he handed her the bucket. "I should have offered sooner."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Aya smiled as she dumped all the fish in the bucket. "Here you go, I'm sure you can find something to do with all these fish."

"Actually," Megaman said. "I was going to take them back so that Gramps and Roll could make them for dinner."

"Well," Aya began. "If you want, I could carry them for you."

"That would be appreciated, thanks!" Megaman said.

"So where's the Flutter?" Aya asked as she picked up the bucket.

Megaman gave Aya a confused look. "It's... in the clearing south of town where it always is. I mean, it's not like Roll is really that good at parking it anywhere else anyway."

"You mean crash, right?" Aya laughed.

"Didn't think it would have spread so far already," Megaman nodded. "I knew the townspeople knew about it, but I guess bad news really does travel fast."

"It does, trust me," Aya nodded as she began to walk back to the boat shop. "So, are you coming?"

"Well, of course!" Megaman said as he caught up with her. "If I don't bring those fish back soon, Roll will 'accidentally' replace my Active Buster ammo with the Splash Mine ammo, and right before I have to fight those Bonne dorks again."

"Ew, not a pretty picture," Aya winced. "Fighting the Bonnes with Splash Mines is just plain suicide."

"That's just it," Megaman nodded. "I was using the Active Buster. So imagine my surprise when it won't fire at all." He then stopped and looked closely at her. "And how do you know about all these weapons? I've just gotten them recently myself."

"Well, err..." Aya stopped for a moment. She couldn't very well tell him that she's played this game more times than she can count and that she probably knows more about it than even he does. She had to make up a cover story and hope that he would buy it. "It's because I've, uh, read a lot about them."

"Oh, okay then," Megaman smiled and continued to follow Aya as she made her way through Uptown and then straight toward Downtown. He then noticed it. "Hey, how do you know this place so well, anyway? Do you live on the island?"

"Yes. I do," Aya answered as she walked through Downtown and headed for the Arcade entrance area. "I'm... a resident here."

"Really?" Megaman asked. "Where at? Because I've been here for three weeks and I haven't seen you before, and no one said anything about having family members on vacation."

And deeper it goes. God, I'm such a liar. Might as well make something of it then. Aya thought to herself. "Well, I've been off the island." she then pointed to one of the houses. "See that locked up house over there? That's where I live."

"Oh, I see. So that's why I couldn't open... the... door." Megaman replied nervously, as his voice dropped off.  "Sorry, I was just trying to get answers and explore a little bit. But the door was locked, so I couldn't get in."

"It's alright," Aya smirked. "Just don't go trying it again, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Megaman said confidently as they walked through the arcade area.

When they were finally outside the city walls, Aya looked at the ruins entrance. "I should go in there sometime," she mused.

"No, you don't want to," Megaman said. "It's dangerous for civilians to go down there. I had to save the Junk Shop owner once when he went down there and was trapped by some Reaverbots. It's too dangerous. You shouldn't try to go down there. If you really want to go, however, let me take you down there. Then I would be able to protect you if a Reaverbot shows up."

"Sure," Aya chuckled as they continued down the path to where the Flutter was sitting. She still couldn't tell him that if they went down there, that she'd probably be the one ending up protecting him, and not the other way around. "If you say so."


As they approached the Flutter, Aya stopped at the door. "I think it's probably best that you open this door. Who knows what Roll has rigged to it if anyone but you or the others touch it."

"Good idea," Megaman nodded as he jumped up the boxes and opened the door. A cat ran out, nearly tripping him. "Gah!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad to have given this poor cat a home, but how did it manage to let all the others on the island know to come too?"

He then sighed, letting Aya in and then walking in himself, closing the door behind him.