The figure stands up, unsure of what's happening, where he is... Or even who he is.

What is this place, anyways...?

The figure walks around the area, looking around until he suddenly trips on something.

Whoa-!

The figure falls flat on their face as strange sparks emit from his leg and around the machine...

Ow... What even was that...?

The figure turns over to the lump of metal he tripped over... However, instead of a pile of metal, he finds...

SYSTEMS ACTIVATED. OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY.



What the-? I could've sworn I tripped over a pile of broken parts... How did it...?

The figure looks at his own hands, sparking with a strange energy.

...Did I...?

Many questions run through the figure's mind, causing him to ignore the newly-revived E-Series robot.

...MEMORY BANKS DEPLETED. MASTER REGISTRATION HAS BEEN DELETED. NEW MASTER REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Gamma looks over to the figure.

...ARE YOU MY CREATOR?

The figure suddenly looks up from his hands to speak to Gamma.

Huh? Oh, uh... I guess?
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
...I... I'm not too sure... Did I even have a name...?

Silence befalls the two.

A NAME IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE MASTER REGISTRATION. THIS PRESENTS A PROBLEM.
...I guess I should be called something, right? So, how about...

*

...Berserk?



...ACKNOWLEDGED. MASTER REGISTRATION COMPLETE. FOLLOWING QUERY: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
(Sheesh, sudden to ask when I don't even know that for myself...!)

Berserk inspects Gamma...

Let's see... You appear to have an arm cannon on you, but you don't seem to be a bad guy of any sort... Perhaps you are a body guard of sorts?
...UNDERSTOOD. I SHALL SERVE TO PROTECT.

Berserk then looks down at his hands, which once again spark with energy.

(This power... Did I always have it? It seems to be capable of great things...)
(...But I also detect something in it. Something... malicious. It feels as though it is powered completely by negative emotions...)
(But... Maybe I can still use this power for good?)

---

*I was on the road for a good chunk of the day, so most of this character (hell, even most of the mug) was made on mobile. So if you notice any inconsistencies or overall weirdness in the art... That's why.
**This animal; Apparently they are related to Hedgehogs

Before entering the hut, Matt stops, sensing a disturbance in the world's balance.

...Again with this?* Hmph...

Matt focuses his energy, then proceeds to seal up all of the portals created by Agony**...

...but not before something manages to come out from one of them.

---

**** Q17. There's a lot of stuff in your profile, and I mean, a LOT of stuff, but, there's pretty much NOTHING in there about YOU. Could you give us a few sentences about YOU?
Hm... Alright. In the style of a similar question asked by NiceIce, I shall mention 10 things about myself.

---

...10. I actually have a Sonic OC that publicly never saw the light of day, and never will.

A figure emerges from a collapsing portal, a strange energy fluxing around them.

...

It's basically Shadow with his colors swapped and clothes.

Light from the strange energy glows brighter, shrouding the strange character before dissipating, revealing that the character's appearance has changed drastically.

...

And now you see why it will never see the light of day.

...U-urgh... Where...?

---

*Referring to the Dead Zone Portals of the Dead Zone arc.
**If this ends up being retconned, just ignore this section of the post entirely.
***Reference: 20 Questions About..., #27: Beta Man (me)
****This isn't Bright Man; Rather, this is the avatar of user ThatGuyNamedMikey/Mikey76500.
*****Reference: Sonic Adventure; Fell into the ocean during the game's events.

An Anti-Vigilantism Law? Seriously!?
Technically it is a worldwide ban towards vigilantism that is not mandated by the Governmen-
And who's idea was it to DO such a thing!?
Walter, did, actually.
WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT!?!?
...I mean. Technically Worship did? After fixing most of the world's problems like world war and stuff like that?
Alright, Ninja, let's just calm down and-
NO! I refuse to believe that I'm the only one around here who's mad about this! Other me, back me up here!
I mean, sure I'm upset, but it's nothing to get this worked up over.
Well, this certainly saves me the trouble of telling you guys about it later.
You KNEW!?
It's been a thing for, like, 6 months now-
We've been fighting a giant bug for EIGHT! And, what, you're OKAY with this!?
Hey, I just hold a lot of respect towards Walter-
BULL! The only reason you're not against this is because you two are supposedly "friends".
And just what do you mean by "supposedly"?
ENOUGH. Can't we just talk about this like actual reasonable people here!?

The room falls silent.

...Look, I never said I support the idea. I'm just abiding by it- Before it is even being ENFORCED, mind you- because I don't want to cause any further trouble than I've already had. Whether or not you do the same- be it now or when the law actually DOES come to pass- is your OWN decisions to make. But like it or not, there isn't much- if anything- we can do.
You are free to do whatever you wish before the law is passed, then figure out what to do from there. But for NOW, it isn't anything to worry about.
...Fine.
...Well, with all that awkwardness out of the way... What now?

Jazz turns back to the screen.

Well, you guys can stay here for as long as you'd wish, at least until something else happens. But for now... Nothing, I guess.

Beta Devil puts his hood on.

Well, this has been progressive. I'm going to go somewhere and meditate or whatever.
Before you go, I actually almost forgot. I noticed you guys were here because the base's silent alarm went off- Something that I can only describe as magic happened to our security measures and let in some Team Rocket Grunt to look for Missingno.* And while the problem with the Grunt's been easily resolved, I'm still waiting on Techno and Orchestra to return with the parts needed to repair it, as well as some other things Missingno. asked for.
I say this, because YOU, Beta Devil, are the reason it went off. Because while Beta Shadow may be keen on keeping you around, it does NOT mean you are welcomed ANYWHERE within my base. So the NEXT time you decide to waltz in, know that you will be IMMEDIATELY escorted OUT. Are we clear?
Aye aye, captain.

Beta Devil exits the scene.

---

*Page 14, Post #7

...Which leads us to today.
...So, you're Pseudoreaper again, huh?
Mhm. And due to what I believe is called a "Reaper Lock", it's permanent this time... I think.
So, what's with the map back there? Are you trying to find something?
...It's a tracking device for Proto MKII. It helps me to keep track of whether or not he's in Chaos Zone or not, and if so, where his current location is.
Are there supposed to be two dots...?
Due to an error in my data, this thing tracks down Proteus, as well. (Gonna be real confusing if one of them kills the other.)
Well, you certainly know where MKII is now, if the map's accurate. So what's the next step?
...

Jazz shakes his head.

I'm not so sure. Chasing after MKII would more than likely cause me to cross paths with a good number of people I've wronged that I'm personally not too keen on seeing again.
...But a lot has been helping me to slowly start getting over all of that that. So only two things are stopping me from assaulting the Wily Omega...
For one, even with the entirety of the Armada to back me- hell, perhaps even if you guys decided to join in on the fight- I'm not too entirely sure if it'll be enough to take MKII down, the ever-evolving powerhouse that he is.
...But the main thing that's stopping me... Is that I'm still unsure whether or not it's my battle to fight to begin with.

---

---

...So needless to say, I am still on the ropes about it.
Great story and all, but I think we're overlooking something vitally important.
And wh-

Suddenly, Jazz is dragged extremely close into Ninja Man Z's eye level.

THE KIND OF LAW DID YOU JUST TALK ABOUT!?

---

*Originally, it was due to residue Anti-Omni energy leftover in A. Rock's scar... which has since been retconned to no longer be the case, thus retconning the reason behind Jazz's resurrection, as well.

...

Jazz stares in silence at a global map. His focused appears to be on a red dot that has recently materialized, knowing fully well what this means.

...If there are any particular reason for this sudden visitation... the distraction would be greatly appreciated.

Entering the room behind Jazz is Beta and the others.

We're just dropping by to visit. A certain someone wanted to know what you've been up to.

Lydian walks up to Jazz.

...It's been some time... brother.
...
Sure has, sis.
...Hang on. I thought Lydian was Ninja Ghost's creation while Jazz wasn't. How are you two...?
Subjective opinions on whether or not robots could have familiar relationships aside, we're technically more like step-siblings, on account of Ninja Ghost upgrading me to my MKII state back in the day. But by all means, we consider each other family... or we did.
Yeah, I've been meaning to ask... What exactly happened to you since... You know?
...In summary, I've been on a rather unknowing- for most of it, anyways- journey of self-discovery.

---

(They are at the house of Beta Man and his friends)

---

...If it reassures you any further, though, it has been decided to keep a close eye on him at all times. So if you're worried he'll be doing one of his "grand evil schemes to destroy the Omniverse", don't; He is banned from doing evil schemes.

...Well, now that that's out of the way, we can finally talk about how a certain SOMEONE abandoned me in a dying universe.
You're seriously still on that? Come on, Jazz wasn't like this when I did the same to him.
Ugh, you're honestly unbelievable. I know Jazz wasn't actually your creation, but I WAS. Don't you care in any sort of way? Aren't I like a daughter to you or something?
Not particularly.
...You know what? FINE. Whatever. It's blatantly obvious that you're never going to care about ANY of your robots, so I'm done trying. I'm out.

Lydian heads for the door.

...
You know what? No. I'm putting my foot down on this, right here, right now.

Lydian stops, looking back at Ninja Ghost.

...Look. There's no "maybe" about it. I never truly cared about you or Jazz in the past; To me, you were both a means to an end. So yes, I was evil. I was selfish. I was a jerk. I've done a lot of bad things, and harmed ALL of you in some way for another.
But I am TRYING to be a better person now. Whether you can trust me or not, I'm one of you now. And I might not have cared before, but I am trying to do so NOW. But CONSTANTLY JUDGING ME ON MY PAST ACTIONS is absolutely NOT helping on that front.
So if ALL OF YOU can just cut me some ing slack, that would be GREATLY appreciated.

...
...So, uh... What happened to Jazz, anyways?

---

Unlocking sounds are heard as the door opens for L.









As the skeleton brothers continue to rant and banter, Moto leads L (and potentially others) into the backrooms of the pizzeria to provide space for working on Rockman Shadow.

---

HighTower recieves a text back.

(I will respond to NP after the exposition)

---

...So you've gotten a stronger form, and what, we're supposed to consider that a good thing!?
Well, technically, the form isn't stronger than Diablo, or even as strong. And even then, it also strains my body; As it currently stand, I could only hold the form for one hour.
Which leads us to why I've let Devil live to begin with. You see, something I've struggled with was figuring out whether or not I've actually reached my limit... My mind kept going back to how I was told I've "reached my potential", when Beta Devil has proven that he could go further beyond what I thought was my limit.

---

---

...Unfortunately, there aren't many that can really push my limits, so my options are limited. MB's been missing for some time now, Walter is a busy individual, and Rotom is... Well, Rotom. So outside of the literal gods, I didn't quite have anyone to train with.
...But when I first found out Beta Devil was alive, I realized... He's essentially a representation that I can still grow stronger. So, I figured that perhaps I could use him as a means to get stronger myself.
...That, and he proved that no matter how many times we kill him, he's just gonna keep coming back. So, why not have it benefit us? Even if he's... Well...
Evil?
Psychotic?
An absolute menace?
I was going to say "an hole".

---

*Referring to ZeroDXZ- now SarahDXZ/SarahlinDMG- who played the role of Zero in older MMRPG roleplays.

Outread Mutant

Shadow Expert boosts the power of Dark Skull Man’s attack!
Dark Skull Man uses Shadow Shot on Cut Man!Dark Skull Man earns 15 EXP!
Skull Man earns 8 EXP!
The held Fortune Module has been dropped!

Skull Man moves 2 spaces right.

@Jazz Plus :

Piplup moves 3 spaces up.

Shadow Expert boosts the power of Darkrai’s attack!
Darkrai uses Shadow Shot on Roll 1!2 Damage dealt!
The second attack missed...
2 Damage dealt!
2 Damage dealt!
The second attack missed...
The third attack missed...

---

A Tamed Turnout

Aqua Fishtot moves 2 spaces right and 2 spaces down.

Swift Expert boosts the power of Aqua Fishtot’s attack!
Aqua Fishtot uses Swift Buster on Disco 2!Aqua Fishtot earns 12 EXP!
Triton Bubble earns 6 EXP!
Ambience earns 6 EXP!
Pierrobot earns 6 EXP!

Triton Bubble and Ambience move 3 spaces down. Pierrobot moves 2 spaces down.

After a few hours, Beta Shadow warps into the front yard with a hooded figure.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Here's the key to your new home!

Beta Shadow hands Beta Man their house key.

(I fail to see the point of wearing this.)
(Shut up. Do you want the public to see you and freak out?)
(I dunno, maybe?)
(Well, too bad. And if you EVER take that hood off in public, or go ANYWHERE without that hood, I will kick your sorry into next week.)
...Ok, I'll bite. Who's this guy you're hanging around with?
Well, I already learned that being transparent with you guys will only cause me trouble down the line. I'll tell you guys about it inside...

---

...
...

...Now, I know what all of you are thinking. And if you'd just give me a moment to explain-
What the ing HELL!?
Yeah, that's the kind of response I was expec-
Why the hell is he ALIVE again!?
I mean, with the kind of roleplay this is-
I am NOT dealing with this Anti-Omni again!
And that's fair, but-
I'm kinda lost, who's this guy and why is everyone mad at him?
Well, he's-
I'll try to contact the Brash Crew. Hopefully they can get here before he can go Diablo-
He can't go Diablo, alright!? If you all can just calm down, I'll explain everything. But if you keep shouting at me, I'm not even going to get a word in, so PLEASE save all questions until the end, ok?

The group falls silent.

Thank you. Now, allow me to explain...

Mutated Outran

Bootleg Fire Man moves 3 spaces left.
Bootleg Fire Man has reached the stairs!



There are no more missions in this dungeon.

Would you like to leave the dungeon?

---

@Pokeepoo :

Moved.

@Jazz Plus :

Assist in fighting Cut Man, you say...
I’ll pass. Dark Skull Man seems perfectly capable of handling things on his own... Or, rather, this particular Cut Man seems INcapable of being an actual threat.
Although... I’ll deal with Roll here while my assistant here picks up that pellet over there.
...Of course. I shall do so at once.

Piplup moves a space right.
Piplup picks up the Life Pellet!

Darkrai moves up 4 spaces.

YOU FOOL! YOU FELL STRAIGHT INTO OUR TRAP!
Dark Skull Man’s DEF is lowered by -6!

YES! With your defense lowered to 1, my Rolling Cutter, which previously dealt only 1 damage, now deals...!
1 Damage dealt!

...



(Special thanks to Exee/XE Olive for allowing me to use her Frog/Rainy Day Roll in RMMD. Perhaps you may see her Frog and Knight Rhythm, too, wherever Rhythms may spawn...)

---

Rotated Autumn

Water Expert boosts the power of Triton Bubble’s attack!
Triton Bubble uses Water Buster on Disco 1!Triton Bubble earns 12 EXP!
Aqua Fishtot earns 6 EXP!
Disco earns 6 EXP!
The held Prosper Drive was dropped!
Water Buster boosts Triton Bubble’s DEF by +2!

Ambience moves 1 space up and 2 spaces right. Aqua Fishtot moves 3 spaces down.

Swift Expert boosts the power of Aqua Fishtot’s attack!
Aqua Fishtot uses Swift Shot on Pierrobot!Aqua Fishtot earns 7 EXP!
Triton Bubble earns 4 EXP!
Ambience earns 4 EXP!

...Oh? It appears Pierrobot wishes to join Team Bubble! Accept?
1 Damage dealt!
1 Damage dealt!
The third attack missed...

Shouldn't we be trying to stop Trio or something?
How do we do that with no leads on where he is? His Genesis Unit guys seem to be gone, too, so we don't exactly have any way of finding him.
I'm sure if any of us find out anything about Trio, we'll contact each other and regroup. For now, lets take this moment of calm to sort out our other issue...

Beta and his group turns to leave, though Beta Man looks back at L and the others.

Hope to stay in touch!

The entire group warps off elsewhere.

---

...Ok, so if the coordinates are correct, then...
...Ah, here we go! This should be the place Beta Shadow promised to get us back in Part 1*...



The house appears to be nothing to brag about; It is an average, 2-floor brick house with a garage, backyard, and wooden fence around the perimeter of the house. However, the roof of the house is painted roughly the same purple as Beta Man.

...You know, it just dawned on me that we're only now visiting our home. How the hell have the bills even been payed around here...?
To be fair, we haven't exactly been given any time to wind down. (Fighting a giant bug-creature for roughly 8 months** certainly didn't help, either.)

Beta Man approaches the door, then stops.

...Beta Shadow never gave us the key, did he?

The group sighs. Bt Ghost attempts to contact Beta Shadow...

---

*More specifically, Page 262, Post #18
**Referring to the time since the fight started (July 31st 2021) to now.

Ending:
...It’s been so long since I’ve last entered one of these... I forgot how fun it was to fight for fun rather than to save the world...
...I cannot rest now. I need to help my past self...
...I heard that Ninja Ghost of all people were gathering us all together... Something about a “Beta Devil” in an “Absurd Roleplay”? ...Regardless, I should head over there to-

Suddenly, Epsilon is hit by a Charged Shot to the back, taking him by surprise.

“Beta Devil”, you say...?
Sorry, but we cannot let you or those OTHER fools get to him. But thanks for the warning... We’ll make this quick.
R-Mega Man!? What are... Why are you-
(...No... This isn’t you. It couldn’t possibly be. Something’s controlling you... Could it be that “Beta Devil” Ninja Ghost was talking about...?)
You cannot stop me, Mega. I have to help my past self, for the sake of the future!

A laugh comes from behind Epsilon. Two more figures emerge, resembling Proto Man and Bass.

Future? Don’t be so foolish. Our master has informed us that this world HAS no future! And once we’re done with you, you won’t have one, either. Nor will those pathetic worms you desire to protect!
(No future...? Does that mean that this world is doomed for expiration?)
...Even if that’s the case... Then I will not break the promise I made for myself. I will help carve out a better future for my other self, and stop you from reaching the others...

...Even if it means I must go down with you.



UNLOCKED: New skin for Beta Man:

Dark Future Beta Man


(See Beta Man's information- Page 1, first post- for quotes and ending. There may be some other things I've added along the way. ;) )

Basic Info


Name: Epsilon
Fighting Style: Skill
Classification: Futuristic All-Star Robot

Punches
Normal Punch: Straight Punch
Heavy Punch: Overhead
Low Punch: Jab
Midair Punch: Spinning Back Fist

Kicks
Normal Kick: Straight Knee
Heavy Kick: Hook Kick
Low Kick: Push Kick
Midair Kick: Drop Kick

Special
Normal Special: Epsilon Blast
Heavy Special: Epsilon Rush (combined with a Straight Lunge)
Low Special: Epsilon Sweep - A low-sweeping punch shrouded in energy. While weak, it is capable of canceling any opposing attack.

Power Gauge
Hyper Attack: Epsilon Barrage - A barrage of Epsilon Blasts that surrounds the opponent. Similar to Beta Barrage, but the blasts are better at homing in on the opponent.
Ultra Attack: Epsilon Rush EX - A larger, multi-hitting Epsilon Rush.
Omega Attack: Epsilon Burst - A large beam of Epsilon Blast energy. More controlled than the Beta Blast.

Taunts
Taunt Animation: Adjusts the shades on his helmet.
Taunt Quote 1: Let's go.
Taunt Quote 2: For the future!
Taunt Quote 3: Ha!

Intro Quotes
Intro Quote 1: “For the sake of the future, I must prevail!”
Intro Quote 2: “Time is of the essence. I need to make this quick!”
Intro Quote 3: “The time has come to take action!”

Victory Quotes
Victory Quote 1: “The future is set in stone... But that stone can be changed with the right tools.”
Victory Quote 2: “We write our own destinies!”
Victory Quote 3: “Sorry, but your time's run out.”

Additional Quotes Here

Intro/Victory Animations
Intro Animation 1: Walks in through a time portal before getting into a fighting stance.
Intro Animation 2: Teleports in and poses, similarly to this:
Intro Animation 3: Lands onto the stage, then gets up.
Victory Animation 1: Holds Time Starforce in his hands before releasing it.
Victory Animation 2: Stares off to the sunset, back turned to the camera as his scarf flows through the air.
Victory Animation 3: Holds a torn white scarf in his hand, before tucking it away.

Miscellaneous
Bio: After MegaBoy’s death by the hands of Yveltal, Beta Man was determined to protect those he cared about at all costs... Even if it means bypassing his programmed Laws of Robotics. However, the upgrade including such an ability was turned down by Dr. Light, so he turned to the one person he thought he never would: Rotom. In exchange for upgrades, Rotom wanted Beta Man to work under him, which Beta reluctantly agreed to, as long as Rotom never uses him to cause trouble, or fight what would become his former friends and family. As a result, Beta Man became more of an assistant for Rotom, and has disappeared off the map for several years. However, when Rotom disappears, Beta Man returns to the world he thought he once knew, only to find ravaged in an ongoing war, mongored by a robot revolutionist using his own name. Determined to stop this, Beta Man took up the mantle “Epsilon”, and was eventually recruited by a dimension-hopping Xerneas to travel to the past to stop an alternate Rockman Shadow, known as Symphony, from taking over the world... With the cost of never being able to return to the future of which Epsilon resides. Epsilon agrees, determined to not only discover the identity of the imposter, but also to help create a better future for his past counterpart.

(Ending in next post)