[New Mobotropolis]

When asked about his master, Chi simply replied, "I cannot tell you that." Sonic wasn't buying it, though. "Oh yes you can, or your gonna get a one-way ticket to the moon!" he said, but Chi immediately stopped him. "No, I literally cannot disclose my master's name or location," he said sincerely, "Even attempting to mention it will result in my memory being erased, and my body being rigged to detonate." Sonic still didn't believe this, but waited to hear what Sally thought.

[New Mobotropolis]

(OOC: As noted in the Character Vault, I'm now taking control of Sonic for the time being. With that said...)

 

Sonic turned to Knux and said, "Sure thing. Catch ya later, Knuckles." He then looked straight back at Chi. Sonic was surprised with Chi's supposed willingness to be questioned, but was also very cautious incase it was a trick. "What do ya think, Sal? Should we listen to him?" he said to Sally, not exactly comfortable with the idea.

[Mega City]

When Fire Man and Guts Man reached the scene, Fire Man asked, "Cut Man! What happened here?" He looked at Elec Man, noticing that he'd gone into standby.

[Casino Night Club]

As they signed the forms, Xenon asked the attendant, "Do you know if we're able to meet our competition before the tournament starts?" But Darkspine seemed overly confident, saying to Xenon, "Bah! I don't need to see what I'm up against. I know I'm gonna win!" Xenon just shook his head at this.

[Dr. Light's Lab]

Dr. Light said to Roll, "I see... well, he certainly doesn't look harmful." He then sat down on his chair. Rock replied to Skye, "Nice to meet you too, Skye." Thomas then asked Roll, "So, you said it was a new Robot Master?" but Rock interrupted. "Actually, that can't be right. My bio-scanners say that he's... organic," he said to Dr. Light, who actually didn't seem too surprised. "Is something wrong, dad?" Rock asked, and Thomas replied, "No, but... I feel like I've seen him before..."

[Dr. Light's Lab]

Rock and Dr. Light returned home after their day out. "Ah, it's good to be home, dad." Rock said, and Dr. Light replied, "Indeed. I could use a good rest after today." As the approached the door, Rock asked Dr. Light, "Do you think the others got back yet? I can't wait to show them what I got." Light was glad to see Rock so happy again after recent events, and replied, "Probably, but some of them might have left. We did get back a bit later than usual." The two entered the lab, and spotted Roll in the kitchen. "Hey Roll, how was your... day?" Rock asked, before noticing Skye in the room. Both Rock and Dr. Light seemed puzzled at the fox. "Hmm, that's perculiar," Dr. Light said, "What exactly have you been up to, Roll?" Rock approached the fox and said, "Hi, I'm Rock. What's your name?"

[Sonic & Mega Man: WORLDS UNITE?!]

I come with a little bit of sad news: If you're a fan of Blaze, then I'm afraid you won't be seeing her in this crossover. (Maybe the Sol Zone is just Genesis-proof?) Anyway, this honestly doesn't disappoint me too much, as it allows for more focus on the other franchises outside of Sonic (namely Mega Man & X).

[Mega City]

The goon couldn't move the gun in time, and it was damaged by the Rolling Cutter. "Oh, come on! When we get this thing fixed, you're next!" he said, running off into the distance. Soon after, screeching tires were heard as the two goons escaped in their getaway vehicle. Elec Man, still heavily damaged from the attack, said to Cut Man, "...T-thank...y-you..." before going into standby... Thankfully, Fire Man (and Guts Man) was nearby, and spotted the two Robot Masters. "What in tarnation... quick, Guts Man! We gotta help 'em!" he said to Guts Man, before shouting to Cut Man and Elec Man, "Hang in there, pardners! We're comin' over!"

[WC Character Vault]

Okay, so recently I'd been looking at info about the MS-DOS Mega Man games (short version: they're laughably bad) but I thought about 'adapting' some of the Robot Masters from them into their own line. Three of them won't be adapted (due to having names already taken by official Capcom RMs) but the other six should be fine. These Robot Masters will be made by Dr. Stephen Rozner (replacing the character of 'Dr. Bishop' I made earlier) at Rozner Labs, as part of a new 'Hi-Tech' Robot Master line. They are Bit Man, Shark Man, Sonic Man, Volt Man, Dyna Man and Torch Man. With that said, here are the bios for each character: (Brace yourselves...)

 

Name: Doctor Stephen Rozner

Birthday: September 19XX

Age: 33

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Mega City

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 200

Occupation: Building the next generation of Hi-Tech Robot Masters.

Gender: Male

Personality: He is a kind individual who looks up to Dr. Light, whilst also wishing to become his successor.

Name: Bit Man (DRN-001)

Birthday: February 200X

Age: 3 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Maintainance/Repair Robot

Gender: Male

Element: Electricity/Technology

Power(s): When weaponised, Bit Man uses computer-based electrical weapons

Weapon(s): The Bit Cannon fires an electrified drill-bit at the opponent

Personality: A generally nice guy, usually deep in thought when working

Fighting Style: Prefers long-range attacks over melee combat

Name: Shark Man (DRN-002)

Birthday: April 200X

Age: 3 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Underwater Hazard Robot

Gender: Male

Element: Water

Power(s): Isn't affected by water or ice-based attacks

Weapon(s): The Shark Boomerang fires a razor-sharp boomerang that can pierce heavy armour

Personality: He is egotistical and short-tempered, seeing himself as the best at what he does

Fighting Style: Can fight at long- or short-range, though he prefers the latter

Name: Sonic Man (DRN-003)

Birthday: June 200X

Age: 3 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Sonar Detection Robot

Gender: Male

Element: Sound

Power(s): Can detect things from far away, especially when underwater

Weapon(s): The Sonic Wave fires a sound wave straight ahead, that also bounces off walls

Personality: Seems pretty chilled out, but prefers to be left alone

Fighting Style: Tends to stay at a long-range distance, using the element of surprise

Name: Volt Man (DRN-004)

Birthday: August 200X

Age: 2 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Electrical Anomalies Robot

Gender: Male

Element: Electricity

Power(s): Has the power of Elec Man, and the speed of Quick Man

Weapon(s): The Volt Tackle (heh) shrouds the user in electricity as they charge forward at high speed

Personality: Loves to make friends and discover new things

Fighting Style: He can only fight close-range, but is very skilled at melee combat

Name: Dyna Man (DRN-005)

Birthday: October 200X

Age: 2 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Timed Explosives Robot

Gender: Male

Weapon(s): The Dynamite Bomb is a stronger, time-operated variation on Bomb Man's Hyper Bomb

Personality: Enjoys blowing things up, sometimes a little bit... too much

Fighting Style: He is rather strong and doesn't mind melee combat, but prefers to throw bombs

Name: Torch Man (DRN-006)

Birthday: December 200X

Age: 2 years since activation

Planet: Earth 20XX

Birthplace: Rozner Labs

Residence: Monstropolis

IQ: 100

Occupation: Torch-Welding Robot

Gender: Male

Element: Fire

Power(s): He is fully heat-proof, and has tough armour

Weapon(s): The Torch Arm can be used as either a flamethrower, cutter or buster

Personality: Usually stays quiet, keeping to himself a lot of the time

Fighting Style: Can fight at almost any range, thanks to his multi-purpose weapon

 

(As of this post, any previous posts of mine involving the characters of 'Dr. Bishop' or 'Blitz Man' have been edited.)

While I'm here, I'd also like to claim a couple more Robot Masters, namely Wood Man and Gemini Man. And just to help push some stories along, I'd also like to temporarily use Dr. Light, Mega Man and Break Man (since we probably haven't reached his transition point yet). If anyone else wants those three later, feel free.

 

EDIT: Also, as of right now I'm taking over temporary control of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Mobius story. Things should get interesting...

[Casino Night Club]

Not too far from the casino, Xenon and Darkspine stopped to take a break. During this time, Darkspine said to Xenon, "You know they're gonna get info from him, right?" But Xenon wasn't concerned at all. "They won't get anything that'll stop the boss from fulfilling his plans," he replied, "Now we need to focus on finding a way back, with or without the anomaly." Darkspine thought for a moment, wondering how they could get back to the Sol Zone. "Wouldn't we need some kind of power source for the boss to find us?" he asked Xenon, who replied, "Most likely... wait, what's going on down there?" The two of them looked at the casino, and noticed a bright neon sign advertising a 'Chaos Emerald Tournament' happening soon. Darkspine looked at Xenon and said, "Hey, that's it! A tournament! We can enter that tournament!" Xenon replied, "Hmm... a Chaos Emerald, huh? That could be our ticket out of here, and an alternate gift to the boss."

 

He thought a bit more, then said to Darkspine, "Alright, here's the plan: We both enter the tournament, but if one of us goes, we initiate a plan to grab the Emerald, hopefully without anyone noticing. Then the boss can re-open the portal and get us out." Darkspine agreed with the plan, but asked, "So, what about Chi? Are we just gonna leave him here?" Without hesitation, Xenon replied, "Most likely. He can act as our scout for Mobius, while the boss figure's out a way to open the other world." As they entered the casino, they noticed that entry into the tournament required a fee. "I'm on it!" said Darkspine, who leaped away for a bit. He soon came back, money in hand, and said, "Man, you wouldn't believe how much money these people leave on the side." They both walked up to the counter, and Xenon said, "Two entries into the tournament, please." They presented the money to the counter, making sure they had enough to enter.

[New Mobotropolis]

Chi watched his two allies escape the marketplace, leaving New Mobotropolis. He then looked back at Omega, saying, "I'm surprised you've agreed, but... thank you, brother." However, he noticed Sonic, Sally and the others approaching. "There's just one thing I need to do before I go," Chi said. He slowly moved towards the Freedom Fighters, not raising his (now-uncharged) weapons even once. "You'll want to interrogate me, I presume. In that case, I'll tell you what I can..."

[New Mobotropolis]

"In that case..." Chi said to Omega, debating on using his charged Ice Beam. But before he could raise the weapon, something inside him... prevented him from doing so. Chi started wondering, 'Friends? How can a killing machine have... friends?' He had never really considered Xenon and Darkspine to be his 'friends', only allies at most. Before he could ponder any more, though, Chi noticed that Coda had disappeared. "Wait, where did the anomaly go?!" he said, incredibly distraught with the fact he'd lost sight of Coda. He contacted the others to let them know: "This is Chi. Target... has escaped my sight. I recommend a full retreat." But despite saying this, Chi didn't move. Instead, he asked Omega, "You said you have made 'friends' here? If it is alright with you, then I... would like to meet them."

 

Meanwhile, both Xenon and Darkspine recieved Chi's message, but not before getting knocked down by Sonic and Knuckles' attacks, respectively. Although damaged, Xenon quickly got back up, and said to Sally, "Aw, that's cute. Thinking we work for Eggman... how pathetic do you think we are?" He then said to both heroes, "As much fun as this has been, we've gotta bolt. Ciao!" before shooting a couple more lightning shots at them, and dashing towards Darkspine's location. Darkspine soon got up himself, and was furious at Knuckles. "CIRCUS FREAK?! Oh, that's IT!" he said, delivering a full-power flaming gut-punch towards Knuckles. He then noticed Xenon retreating, and reluctantly followed suit. "This isn't over!" he said to Knuckles, as the two attempted to leave New Mobotropolis. On the way, they passed Chi. Darkspine looked at him and asked Xenon, "Wait, why's HE not coming?" But Xenon took no notice, replying, "We failed the mission, and have no simple way back home. Splitting up could make things easier." Darkspine seemed somewhat confused by this, but decided to go along with it anyway.

[New Mobotropolis]

Chi couldn't help but be surprised at Omega's use of the word 'brother'. He said to Omega, "...Yes, I do indeed. Unlike Eggman, my master sees actual value in our skills. We are not just tools to him. We have purpose, and it is never put to waste." Chi now seemed eager to recruit Omega to his side, if only temporary. "Tell me, where have heroics gotten you so far, brother?" he asked. Nearby, Darkspine was hit by Knuckles' flaming attack, but didn't seem too harmed this time, the shield absorbing some of the damage. "Heh, you're WAY better at fighting than I fought! Maybe 'playmate' IS the wrong word for you!" he said to Knuckles, truly admiring his skills. He then said, "How 'bout 'sparring rival'? That sound better?" while aiming a flaming hammerfist straight down on the echidna. Meanwhile, Xenon narrowly dodged Sonic's spin dash. "Only a few minutes, and you've already become predictable." he said, mocking the Blue Blur. He then briefly looked back at Sally, saying "You know, our master could supply you with blades that actually function." Xenon smirked as he looked at both his opponents. "I thought you were supposed to be better than this." he said, before shooting lightning from both hands, aiming in two directions; one shot at Sonic, the other toward Sally.

[New Mobotropolis]

(Plus when I read, you said you fired a charged shot. Here you now say it's a beam.)

 

(OOC: Yeah, sorry about that. Although I call it an Ice Beam a few times, mostly as a 'Metroid' reference, it's really more like a 'Mega Man'-esque Charge Shot with ice effects. Again, sorry for any confusion that may have been caused. Anyway, I might as well make sure this post isn't just an apology, so...)

 

When Darkspine saw Knuckles charging a Chaos Spear, he was surprised. "Chaos powers, huh? Guess you're more than just a punching bag!" he said, preparing to block it with a flame shield. Meanwhile, Chi walked over to the tripped-up Omega, and drew his weapon ready. "And you think that I wasn't?" he replied to Omega. "You're not the only E-Series robot to betray Eggman, nor the only one who resents him!" Chi's tone of voice then changed, seeming more sympathetic towards his 'brother'. "I only came back to this world to collect the anomaly, so that my master could use its unique technology to stop Dr. Eggman once and for all." He then lowered his weapon, saying "We may not see the same path, but if you help me to take this anomaly to my master, then I assure you that we will allow YOU to deal with Eggman... personally." He awaited Omega's response, but was secretly charging up another Ice Beam just incase his speech had failed...

[New Mobotropolis]

(OOC: Wait, Omega can handle a fully-charged Ice Beam with seemingly little problems? ...Okay then...)

 

Chi was shocked to see Omega take the shot, and didn't expect to be tackled by him. As he fell to the ground, he muttered, "ILLOGICAL ERROR... How could you survive that?!" As Chi attempted to get back on his feet, he scanned Omega for any weak points (also noting his power capacity at seemingly over 200%). He had little luck, seeing very few chances to strike hard. Chi would have to think more strategically to survive this battle. He said to Omega, "You certainly are one of Eggman's finest creations... but your power is wasted with these heroes," while also charging his buster once more. But this time, Chi aimed the shot at Omega's legs.

 

Chi wasn't the only one suffering a huge blow, though; Darkspine was having difficulties of his own. Not only did Sonic's easy dodge throw him off-guard, but Knux's jab seemed to knock him down hard. "Wha--ARGH!" he shouted, feeling a lot of pain from the jab. But as Darkspine got up, he didn't roar. Or growl. Or even look disappointed. He didn't even try to stop Sonic from leaving. Instead, he had a sadistic grin on his face, staring coldly at Knuckles. Darkspine said to the echidna, "Well, well, well... I think I've found a new playmate! HAHAHA!" laughing maniacally as he went to slash Knuckles with his fiery claws. Meanwhile, Xenon was unfazed by NICOLE's disappearance, and blocked Sally's strike with his own wrist-blades. As the blades clashed, he said to Sally, "Didn't think I'd see someone else have these." Xenon then ended the clash, pushing himself back a bit. "As much as we've appreciated your... 'hospitality', we're in a rush here!" he said, and he quickly began to release an EMP surge no bigger than a standard Chaos Blast. 'There, that sound buy us a little more time...' he thought, but he soon noticed Sonic approaching...

 

(OOC: Don't worry, this EMP blast shouldn't have any noticable effects, unlike last time. As Xenon put it, he's just buying a bit more time for his comrades.)

[Sonic Boom (Comic Series)]

But I thought there was another reason why Eggman Nega wasn't allowed...

 

From what I remember, Nega couldn't be used due to SEGA... having issues with him? Actually I don't think they ever gave us a proper reason as to why, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say it might be due to the doctor having two different backstories; 'Sonic Rush' says he's Blaze's arch-enemy and Eggman's Sol Zone counterpart, while 'Sonic Rivals' says he's Silver's arch-enemy and Eggman's descendant from the future. (Granted, Takashi Iizuka stated not too long ago that his official backstory is the one from 'Rivals', but it still leaves a few plot-holes.) So SEGA probably just decided to not/barely use him in the comic to avoid any confusion from the readers.

 

(...And I just realised that I'm talking about Dr. Nega in the Sonic Boom thread. Welp, guess that fills my 'random tangent' quota for today.)

[Sonic & Mega Man: WORLDS UNITE?!]

How exactly would Mega-Man get roboticized? He's already a robot. Unless I'm missing something here...

Well he can still be re-programmed by Wily and Eggman to serve evil? Guess that's sort of it? Also getting one heckuva power boost. and new "eeeeeeeevil" look.

Yeah, that makes more sense.

 

I've never really counted M'egga Man as a Roboticized Master myself, seeing as he's more just reprogrammed than actually roboticized. If anything, he's almost like a complete opposite to the Roboticized Masters since, while they are/were organic beings (currently only from Sonic's world) transformed into robots based on Mega Man's world, the reprogramming of M'egga Man is taking a robot from Mega Man's world and 'transforming' them into something more resembling an Egg Boss from Sonic's world. But again, I don't count him as a Roboticized Master. Though now I wonder if Sigma's involvement could mean that Sonic Man and M'egga Man are technically stronger than the previous Roboticized Masters. It would certainly give X and the Maverick Hunters more of a reason to join the heroes in their mission.

 

So, are you guys going to upload the Battle Books when they come out?

 

I'd imagine that someone might upload them when they're released (probably in the 'Specials' section), but since they're optional I'm not too fussy.

[New Mobotropolis]

"I've already 'died' once before, brother!" said Chi, still firing at Omega, "I'm not wasting any more chances!" He then fired a charged shot at the robot. Nearby, Darkspine was more confused than angry at Sonic's remark. "Creepy...fiery...ugly? THAT'S the best insult you could come up with for me?!" he said to Sonic, throwing a long-range fire-punch towards him. He remarked back to Sonic, "Guess I'll have to make you part of the FAST FOOD menu! HA!" Meanwhile, Xenon continued to approach Sally and NICOLE's location, and noticed the recharge station appear. 'Huh, these nanite constructs seem rather... practical,' he thought to himself, 'perhaps Dr. Nega could find some use for them...' Xenon couldn't think about this for long, however. He soon reached the Freedom Fighters, and said to NICOLE, "So you're the one controlling the nanites. I'm afraid we can't have you doing that any longer." Xenon then fired a spark of electricity towards her.

[Sonic & Mega Man: WORLDS UNITE?!]

Alright, there are the bonus issues, but their solicits don't seem to mention a lot of 'Hero vs. Hero' fights. Looking at them again, they only mention:

 

- Mega Man vs. Deadly Six

- Maverick Hunters vs. Vile

- Dr. Light's Robot Masters vs. Sonic Man

- Sonic vs. Deadly Six

- Knuckles vs. Break Man

- Sticks vs. Roll

- Something to do with Silver (mentioned in SU #75)

 

Only 2-3 of those fights seem to be 'Hero vs. Hero', and they likely all have valid reasons for happening; the Robot Masters vs. Sonic Man fight (if you really want to count it) is because they have to stop him in his roboticized state; Knuckles vs. Break Man, depending on when it's set, could be due to both of them lacking trust in others (especially in Break Man's case) or it's during the Deadly Six's possible 'overriding' of the MM/X characters; Sticks vs. Roll is also likely set at this time... but knowing Sticks' paranoia of 'the robot apocalypse', she could easily just be reacting to Roll. I'm going with the former option, seeing as Sticks is facing Roll on STH #274's main cover. I'll wait and see what other fights will be in those issues before fully judging my point. (Again, Silver is involved in at least one on Sonic's side.)

 

Believe me, you're not the only one who can be quite cynical. But as much as I may want to slam this crossover to the ground sometimes, I just can't do it yet.

[Sonic & Mega Man: WORLDS UNITE?!]

Well, in fairness this is only one of a few things that are similar to 'Worlds Collide':

 

- Roboticized Masters: Last time, we had the whole second Act dedicated to saving Sonic's friends. This time it's just Sonic (and Mega Man, if you really want to count him), so it's less of a focus this time around (probably only taking up around two issues). Plus, it's to gather our heroes together for the bigger fight.

- Heroes fighting each other: This isn't happening until the second Act and, once again, is much less of a focus this time. Like the issue above, WC had the majority of Act 1 being 'Sonic vs. Mega Man' and not much else, while WU only has one issue of this in Act 2, and it's more than JUST Sonic fighting Mega Man.

- Act 3 Showdown: Again, less of a priority this time. While WC had Sonic's friends fight the Robot Masters throughout the whole of Act 3, WU is spending half of its third Act just recruiting (and introducing to newcomers) the various SEGA and Capcom worlds, then kicking off the big showdown later.

- Super Finale: Okay, THIS one admittedly looks to be more of the same (especially with Super MM), so I'll give you that.

 

Still, three out of four ain't bad. I'm still excited for this crossover, but that doesn't mean I'll ignore its possible faults. And it's funny you should mention money, Skye. You see, it turns out that, if the original 'Worlds Collide' didn't happen or failed to sell, then Capcom were gonna axe off the Mega Man comic due to low sales.

[Mega Man (Comic Series)]

So after reading Issue #49 today...

...I'm sad to see some of my personal favourite Robot Masters (like Metal Man) shut down. However, I can understand why some of them chose to do it. I'm sure they'll have moments where they return, but for now it's a bit disappointing. Still, at least Shadow Man is sticking around. (Gee, I wonder why...) As for the whole Mr. X deal, I know a lot of people have already guessed as to who he may be, but I'll wait until it's officially confirmed. And the connection to Worlds Unite... seems very similar to the one in Sonic Boom #7 (only happens in the last page, silhouette of a MMX-related character) only we clearly see it's Sigma because this IS the Mega Man comic, after all, not a SEGA comic. With all that said, this was an enjoyable, if saddening issue, and I'm at least happy that most Wily-bots haven't left yet.

Now to bring on 'WORLDS UNITE'! I'll see you all in that thread for Sonic Universe #76.

[Sonic Boom (Comic Series)]

While is not an original idea, it is a fun one.  And it was too much an important part of the race fro it to be ignored/done off screen.  Heck, maybe it's the origin of a Boom Metal series.

 

Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see whether this actually goes somewhere or not. As for the Metal Series idea... I dunno. It most likely depends on SEGA being okay with the idea, since last I heard Ian was only allowed to use existing characters from the show (and maybe create some new ones, like Kyle the Gorilla?) but not from the games. If that's still true, then Lyric is likely unavailable, along with the Boom versions of Shadow and, of course, Metal Sonic. So, as cool an idea as it sounds, I sadly don't see a 'Metal Series' coming from this, especially since it's possible that Ian might still be using that idea (or at least, Metal Knuckles) for the main series.

[Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Series)]

Keep in mind that, in Rotor's origin story, his dad was an extremely anti-machinery/technology type of guy, so him being Tundra seems... unlikely to me.

Though I suppose things might have changed since then, especially with Eggman presumably taking over that region. Maybe he was... whatever the equivalent of 'Legionising' is in the new continuity, but I'm personally not buying the idea. However, it might be someone related to Rotor's family. Maybe an uncle or something?

[Sonic Universe (Comic Series)]

And if Genesis Portal are around I wonder if this might be a way to introduce Alternate Worlds back into continuity. 

 

Maybe, after all we do have at least one alternate Sonic world (the 'Boom Zone'). But at the same time, it might just be reduced to alternate worlds seen in the games, Ifrit's Dimension and the Sol Zone being the prime examples. Personally, I hope that it involves a certain future-egghead making his proper debut... but that's just me.

[Sonic Boom (Comic Series)]

Wasn't there a buildup to some kinda robot with all of the Boom's Team skills?  Has that been forgotten?  Or did they drop it cause they did the exact same plot in a Sonic X issue?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the Spider-Bot at the end of Issue 7 was supposed to be, but it didn't seem that way. Heck, for all we know, it could just be a red herring: Maybe Eggman does use a new robot against Sonic and Co... but it all happens while Sticks is away with Mega Man, X and the other Sonic. I doubt it, though.