Mega Man and Bass: Frenemy Mine

Not So Cheesy Victory: VS. Cheese Man!

Cheese Factory - 11:00 am

Vast mountains of cheese and mechanization greeted the duo as they touched down on location. As was the case last time, the finned robot took off immediately, obliterating many of the mouse-like enemies that lined the installation left and right.

"Bass! What are you doing?! Come back!"

Of course, the hero's calls fell on deaf ears. Realizing that he was on his own, he took off in the same general direction as his rival.

***

After dodging a couple rounds of white cheddar spikes (which he assumed would be about as deadly to him here as would be the normal metallic variety that Wily filled his obstacle courses with), Bass double-jumped over a series of bottomless pits before coming to an indoor area shaped, appropriately enough, like a cheese wheel.

"Really?" He asked flatly as he looked around the structure. "Let's get this over with."

As if in answer to his challenge, a hulking mouse bot carrying a hammer made of swiss cheese popped out of the ceiling.

It roared about as loudly as could be expected from a mouse (which wasn't much) and swung its hammer at Bass. Missing, it came around again, lunging at him. The evil robot rewarded its effort with some purple pellets to the face.

"Come on, Jerry! I'm just getting warmed up!"

Enraged, the mouse swiped its relatively small tail at Bass, but it was in vain. Then it inhaled deeply.

This caused the anti-hero to hesitate, and he would pay dearly for it. The mech spat out a gooey, cheese-like substance that effectively glued him to the floor.

After letting out a chittering sound that might have been its attempt at a snicker or laugh, the mouse got to work pummeling its adversary.

***

The commotion of the fight as well as Bass' agonized screams ricocheted around his inorganic brain like a rogue pinball as he approached the cheese wheel room himself.

"Bass! Hold on! I'm coming!"

Walking in, he found the sad scene before him. Though rage and pain now colored the features of the downed robot, he was not about to hold out his hand to receive the Blue Bomber's help.

"Don't you dare interfere, Blue Brat!"

"Are you sure? You look like you really need help!"

The villain's answer was through gritted teeth as he was locking hands with the creature in a test of strength... and losing badly. "Shut up. I can...take care of...myself!"

Just before the black and purple bot could (unwillingly) pass out, Mega Man fired a charge shot at the mouse, distracting and angering it.

"Pathetic!" Bass spat, fighting off the darkness for a few more moments. "When did I get so..."

With that, he was a lifeless hunk of metal.

Seeing this, Mega Man fought off the creature, all the while being sure to draw the battle away from his comrade's body. The creature was finally blown to pieces on the gray door that also happened to be the exit.

After a long period of time spent ripping Bass' body free from its cheesy restraints, he picked it up and had it teleported back to his father's lab.

He hardly even took notice that the gray door he'd went through had the iconic logo of his archenemy on it.

***

"If it isn't the beloved Bleu Bomber!"

A robot that was the spitting image of string cheese appeared from under the ground.

Mega Man scratched the back of his helmet reflexively. "Um... Hi."

"Seems like you're provolone... All provolone..."

"I don't get..." the hero’s eyes widened in realization. "Oh, so you're making cheese puns... Great gimmick." His tone was dead and dry as his current sense of humor.

The enemy bot rolled his eyes. "Bree that as it may, I hear that fish bot is down for the count. Not surprising, seeing as Chuck was a very sharp opponent."

"Hey! You leave Bass out of this. Do us both a favor and surrender peacefully..."

Understanding that the question was left hanging, the Robot Master supplied, "Cheese Man."

"Anyway, surrender. Make it easier on all of us."

Cheese Man leered at him. "I don't think so. I think that I'm going to make you mozza-relish my puns by FORCE!"

Before he could react to that, Mega Man found a stream of a gooey substance coming right towards him.

"You're going to love my Cheese Whiz!"

Mega Man found his Buster arm trussed up, glued to his side.

"Haha!" The enemy sent another volley of the goo at him, hitting one of his legs and gluing him to the ground. He tripped and fell on his face.

Cheese man laughed uproariously. "So THIS is the :Super Fighting Robot' known as Mega Man?! Ha! You couldn't cut it in real combat! Here I am, having sliced and diced you!"

Even facedown and partly muffled, the hero had a response. "You know, it's not wise to underestimate me..."

"Underestimate? You're the one on the ground before me, ready to get served with a final glimpse of your cheesy doom!" Cheese Man now stood over the fallen hero, readying his arm cannon to fill him full of processed cheese food.

"Before you do that, can I say one last thing?" Mega Man asked, not really listening to his enemy now. He was too busy carrying out his own plan.

"What?" Cheese Man glared at him before hearing a strange beeping sound. He looked at the underside of his cannon, only to find a Soldier C4 bomb on it.

"Your puns are terrible."

A thunderous blast echoed through the room, with the cheesy robot being blown off of his feet. The blast also hardened the cheese restraining Mega Man, allowing him to free himself. After doing so, he walked over to the Robot Master.

"You know how I like my cheese, Cheese Man?"

The evil bot's eyes went wide with terror, but he said nothing.

"Melted!" Mega Man filled him with plasma before finishing the job with one final charge shot.

As he was exploding, Cheese Man HAD to get in one final dig. "I admit it... You're... You're... You're pretty GOUDA!"

"Glad that's over..." the hero mumbled as he took the piece of the Robot Master that he needed to acquire his weapon before leaving. "Note to self: have Dr. Light erase all memories of cheese puns from mind..."