Worlds of Power - Mega Man 2

Back in the 1990s, someone thought it was a good idea to make novelizations of popular NES games. Published as the series "Worlds of Power", it was a collection of ten books. None of these were backed by the actual game companies. The books contained a number of drastic changes from the source material - because they were meant for kids, there couldn't be any violence against human beings. As such, in the Metal Gear novelization, Snake never uses his gun for anything else than shooting locks. In the Bionic Commando novelization, only tranquilizer guns are used. More information can be found on, of course, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_Power

Recently, I got the Mega Man 2 novelization sent to me by Finnish fellow Cremator. It's the first book in this series I actually read myself, and it's a total farce. Descriptions of things that have little to nothing to do with how they actually look ingame, "fights" that take two paragraphs, and a number of other things that will make any fan of the game want the pain to stop.

So to share this with the world, I decided to transcribe it.

And so, you're in for one hell of a ride, here. This is the actual published book that someone thought was a good idea to actually sell, not a copy of a fanfic written by some 12-year-old who couldn't even defeat Air Man.

This is mainly for my fellow geeks in #sda. And also for you, Flex, Sofie, Tommy and Peter.

That said, let's roll.

/KennyMan666

(by the way, at the end of some chapters, there are "Game Hints" printed upside down. These will be included in [] brackets.)

Chapter one
    "Welcome, welcome," said Dr. Light, smiling as he opened the door for Mega Man.
    The lab looked pretty much the same as it always had. Beakers bubbled over as they boiled away on flaming burners. Bubbles rose through clear pipes, pushing red, yellow, and green liquids through a network of crazy plumbing. Huge machines covered with lights pulsed and beeped as information sped through their circuits. Reams of paper were being spewed out, each page covered with numbers, letters, graphs, and formulas. Dr. Light was always working on a hundred different things at once.
    "Mega Man," said Dr. Light. "I hate to have to tell you this news, but -"
    "I know, I know," said Mega Man. "I saw it on the news-beam. Doctor Wily is back. I thought we had destroyed him, but I guess he's even stronger than we had imagined."
    Dr. Light nodded. "And this time he's created eight of the most terrible robots ever built. Anyone who wants to capture Doctor Wiley has to get past each of these robots first." He looked at Mega Man. "You have fought many battles, Mega Man, and you have won them all. You may be invincible. You are the finest superrobot I have ever built."
    Mega Man would have blushed if his circuits had been programmed for that activity.
    "But I don't know if you would be able to fight your way to Doctor Wily alone," continued the doctor. "From what I understand, these robots are capable of the highest level of fighting ever imagined. And even if you do make it past them, you still have to fight your way into Doctor Wily's castle, and who knows what creatures he's created to protect him there!"
    Mega Man nodded. He didn't look afraid. As he waited to hear what Dr. Light would say next, he thought about the past.
    A few hours earlier he had been back in his comfortable little home sweet home, in the tiny village nestled high in a mountain valley. He had been watching the news-beam when his permanently attached proton beeper had gone off.
    Its red light flashed as it beeped. That meant that Dr. Light was trying to reach him! Mega Man had tuned in the doctor on his video screen.
    "Mega Man, please report at once to my laboratory!" Dr. Light had said urgently.
    Mega Man had looked around at his comfortable hime and paused for a moment. There was no choice. He was a robot. He had to obey his creator.
    Dr. Light was just as smart as Dr. Wily, but he used his genius for good, not for evil. He had vowed long ago to do everything in his power to protect the universe from destruction. Dr. Wily had become his main enemy.
    When Dr. Light first created Mega Man, he hadn't intended to make a superhero. Mega Man was originally created as a tool-using robot. He was small, but he was the best tool-using robot ever made.
    He would be able to fix anything, using any kind of tool ever invented. He was programmed so that any tool put into his hands would automatically be used in the most effective and efficient way possible.
    But soon after Mega Man was built, Dr. Light began to fear for the universe. Much evil was at work, all stemming from the mind of the fiendish Dr. Wily. Quickly, Dr. Light made some changes in his robot.
    First, he programmed him to think of nothing but pure good, to seek out evildoers and to always fight on the side of truth and justice. Next, he upgraded Mega Man's tool-using capabilities to include all existing - and all imaginable - weapons.
    Mega Man, the superrobot, had been created.
    And what a robot he was. He'd fought every villain he'd come up against, fought them all to the finish. Or so he'd thought.
    Now it looked like Dr. Wily had come back to life, and this time he was more evil than ever.
    Mega Man turned his attention back to Dr. Light.
    "And so, Mega Man," said the doctor, "I have decided to clone you. To copy your circuits and create another Mega Man. Two of you ought to be able to get the job done."
    Mega Man nodded. He wasn't sure if this idea would work, but he was a robot. He had to obey his creator. "Okay, Doctor Light," he said. "How do we do it?"
    Dr. Light gestured toward the back of the laboratory. Mega man saw a huge, freestanding box with open doors. A control panel on its side was blinking madly, flashing red and yellow lights.
    "My latest invention," he said proudly. "The Robo-Transometer XZ-4000, with Cloning Capability." He led Mega Man to the door. "Please step inside," he said. "This won't hurt a bit. And when I open the door, there'll be two of you."
    Mega Man walked into the box, and Dr. Light shut the door behind him. It was dark in there. And then the box began to shake. Mega Man reached out and tried to hold onto the walls as the quaking increased.
    Then there was a series of loud booming sounds, followed by a crash of metal on metal. Something screeched, and a bell rang. Sirens sounded, whooping wildly in the total darkness. Mega Man fell to the shaking floor and was still.

Chapter two
    The door of the Robo-Transometer swung open, letting in a stream of light. Mega Man stirred. His head hurt.
    "My head hurts," he said.
    "What?" shouted Dr. Light. "You're a robot! You're impervious to pain." Dr. Light charged past Mega Man and searched the interior of the box. "And why is there still only one of you?"
    "I don't know," answered Mega Man. "But my head really does hurt."
    Dr. Light approached Mega Man and examined his forehead. "No wonder it hurts," he said. "You've got a nasty bruise."
    Then his mouth fell open. "A bruise?" Dr. Light looked puzzled. "Robots don't bruise! What have I done?" He thought for a moment and then pinched Mega Man on the arm, hard.
    "Ouch!" yelled Mega Man. "Why did you do that?"
    "I was checking something and I think I've found the answer," said Dr. Light. "Come with me." He led Mega Man to another machine and hooked him up to it by attaching electrodes to Mega Man's neck. He watched the monitor closely as it blinkedand flashed, showing formula after formula on the screen.
    Then the monitor went blank for a moment. When it came back on, spelled out across the face of the screen were the words POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED. SUBJECT IS HUMAN.
    Mega Man blinked and looked again. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't a robot anymore. He was alive. Dr. Light turned to him and smiled. "How does it feel, Mega Man?" he asked.
    Mega Man couldn't answer. He was still in shock.
    "It was a mistake, I admit it. I must have just pushed the wrong sequence of buttons. But I think it will work out anyway," said Dr. Light. "According to the printout here, you have retained your full robot memory and will be able to function just as well as you always have in battle."
    "B... but..." Mega Man stumbled over the words. "Am I still invincible?"
    Dr. Light paused. His smile faded. "I don't know. I certainly hope so, but there's no way to be sure." He put his hand on Mega Man's shoulder. "You'll just have to be extra careful."
    Mega Man felt something he'd never felt before. It was a strange feeling and it made him jumpy. The feeling was fear. It was a feeling he'd have to put behind him if he hoped to destroy Dr. Wily.
    He gathered himself together and faced Dr. Light straight on. "I'm ready for my mission," he said. "Do you have a briefing for me on my robot enemies?"
    Dr. Light looked down at Mega Man. He paused.
    "I know what you're thinking," said Mega Man. "You think now that I'm human my size might work against me. You think I'm too small to do the job!" Dr. Light shook his head. "I might have thought that for a moment, but I have confidence in you," he said. "You may be small, but you're tough and you're determined. Step into my office and I'll tell you everything I know about Doctor Wily's robots."
    Mega Man followed Dr. Light into his office and listened intently while the man explained how to fight each of the robots.
    "Mega Man, in order to reach Doctor Wily, you'll have to destroy his eight robot guardians: Metal Man, Flash Man, Bubble Man, Air Man, Crash Man, Heat Man, Wood Man, and Quick Man. Each robot lives in a different weird world - and some of the robots have henchmen to do their dirty work. You'll have to battle them as well."
    "I'll still be in contact with you through your proton-beeper," finished Dr. Light. "I'll be following all your activities. And when you're ready to leave one robot's empire and enter another, I'll give you the password."
    "Okay, then Doctor Light," said Mega Man. "I'm off. It sounds as if I should start with Metal Man." He shook the doctor's hand. "Wish me luck!"

Chapter three
    Crash! Boom! BangbangbangBANG! The noise was so loud that Mega Man could barely hear himself think. He looked around.
    So this was Metal Man's world. Everywhere he looked, Mega Man saw machinery working. And all the machinery was loud.
    Pistons pumped, coils uncoiled and springs sprung. Cogs turned and wheels revolved. And then there were the gears. Hundreds of them - no, thousands, as far as Mega Man could see.
    Giant gears with teeth the size of refrigerators. The gears gnashed their teeth together, grinding with a noise louder than the loudest chain saw.
    Mega Man winced. His ears hurt terribly, which was a new feeling for him. He wanted to put his hands over them to protect them from the noise, but he knew he had to be ready to protect himself. And how could he fire his Mega Gun with his hands over his ears?
    Mega Man shook his head and tried to ignore the noise. He must move on - he must seek out and destroy Metal Man. That was his mission. That was why he was here.
    He started to walk, balancing along the top of a huge machine that pumped out steel parts. Crash! Crash! Mega Man wasn't doing very well at tuning out the noise.
    Then me looked up and saw something that made him forget the din completely.
    There was a huge iron weight dropping down onto him, fast! It looked like it weighed at least three tons. And the bottom, the part that Mega Man was looking up at, was covered with giant spikes.
    Mega Man jumped and ran ahead as fast as he could. The weight crashed down behind him. He sighed with relief.
    And then he heard another crash, right next to him. Another weight! And then another, and another. They were coming down all around him.
    "This must be Dr. Wily's doing," said Mega Man, as he dodged the weights. "Well, he won't get me so easily!" He ran even faster, turning almost invisible as he zipped between the weights.
    Then he spied a conveyor belt, rolling along between the clamorous machines. He jumped onto it. He needed a rest.
    The belt carried him along, past huge machines that set off sparks as they pounded metal into new shapes.
    The noise was overwhelming. As soon as he felt refreshed, Mega Man jumped off the conveyor belt and started to run through the maze of machinery. The belt just wasn't fast enough. He wanted to find Metal Man.
    Mega Man ran fast, his head down. Suddenly, he crashed into a pile of barrels. He leapt over them and kept on running. Another pile of barrels tripped him up. Picking himself up, he realized the he'd better watch where he was going.
    He kept moving quickly, but he kept an eye out for more barrels. He found that he could dodge most of them, and the rest he destroyed with his Mega Gun.
    The noise was getting louder. It was thunderous. It was deafening. Then Mega Man saw a huge tower with a big W on it. Dr. Light had told him to watch for the tower. The W stood for Wily. Mega Man knew he must be getting closer to Metal Man's secret lair, in the center of his empire.
    Sure enough, Mega Man soon came up against a huge iron door. He just knew that Metal Man must be behind it. He pounded on it with his fists, but it wouldn't budge. He kicked it as hard as he could, but it just stayed shut. Finally, he pulled out his Mega gun and took aim at the lock.
    He fired, and the door swung open. Mega Man entered, and the door slammed shut behind him with a huge crash. He walked a few feet only to find himself in front of a nother huge door. This time he didn't even pause. He fired away at the lock, ran in, and let the door slam behind him.
    He looked to his right and to his left. This must be Metal Man's lair. But where was the evil robot? He heard a noise behind him and whirled around.
    "Eat steel, 'Mini' Man,'" sneered the crafty robot. Metal Man was about as tall as Mega Man, but he was wrapped in shiny stainless steel. Every corner of his armor gleamed. Wrapped around his head was a garland of sharp steel spikes.
    Mega Man ducked as Metal Man fired whirling steel blades at him. The blades cut through the air with the sound of cold metal. Mega Man aimed his Mega Gun and fired back. The shots just grazed the awesome metal-plated body of the evil robot.
    Metal Man hurled more blades, but this time Mega Man jumped to avoid them, and fired back while he was still hovering in the air. Pow! A hit! Metal Man staggered, then regained his balance.
    But before the robot could shoot more blades, Mega Man fired again, jumped over him, and fired once more. Pow! Blam! Metal Man exploded into a million gears, cogs, and flywheels.
    Mega Man just stood there and grinned. "I always knew you were nothing but a heap of junk, Metal Man!" he said with a smile. He grabbed the Metal Blade, Metal Man's weapon, from where it lay on the ground.
    Then he beeped Dr. Light. He was ready to move on to the next robot empire.

Chapter four
    Mega Man heard Dr. Light over the radio that was built into his helmet. Dr. Light was cheering. "All right, Mega Man! Good work," he said. "I watched the whole thing on my monitor."
    "And now you've got the Metal Blade," he went on. "Terrific! That's a precious weapon: It's the only one that will have any effect on some of Doctor Wily's robots."
    "Where to next, Doctor Light?" asked Mega Man.
    "There's no question about it," said the doctor. "I'm going to key in the password for Flash Man's empire. Ready? "
    Mega Man nodded.
    "Good luck, then - here you go!" The doctor's voice faded out.

    Mega Man looked around. Flash Man's empire was not a pleasant place. It was cold - a damp kind of cold - and gloomy. A dim blue light washed over his surroundings.
    Mega Man saw that he was in the midst of a group of old, ruined buildings. He would have to find his way through them, but the going would be treacherous. Loose bricks lay every which way, and tall towers looked like they were about to topple.
    Mega Man checked his energy level. Dr. Light had supplied him with energy pellets, the same kind he'd taken when he was a robot. Dr. Light had told him to be sure to keep his energy high.
    He took two pellets, since his reading was a little low. Then he checked his weapons and started out.
    It was a relief to be out of the banging, clashing world of Metal Man. But Flash Man's world was just a little too quiet. Mega Man listened hard. He couldn't hear a thing. There was total silence.
    Suddenly, a loud stomping noise shattered the quiet. Mega Man looked around wildly. Where was the noice coming from? He couldn't see a thing.
    Then he looked up, just in time to see a giant foot about to smash down on top of him.
    Mega Man put a burst of speed and ran out from under the robot's foot. When he'd gone a safe distance, he turned to look back.
    This was the most gigantic robot Mega Man had ever seen! It was ten times his size, towering high above him ohn massive legs. Its feet were the size of a small car, and its legs were like silos. "That must be Mr. Big," said MEga Man. "Doctor Light warned me about him. He's one of Flash Man's helpers."
    Stomp! Stomp! Mr. Big kept on coming straight at Mega Man.
    "Prepare to be flattened!" he roared.
    Mega Man looked around desperately. The robot was coming toward him so fast that he didn't even have a chance to fire.
    Then he spotted a tiny crack in the broken-down brick wall behind him. "Aha!" he said. "This is one time I'm happy to be as little as I am." The huge robot reached out to grab him, but Mega Man jumped into the crack just in time.
    Mr. Big stopped and looked around. The giant robot was confused. Mega Man figured he must have looked as tiny as a mouse to the robot. And now he was just like a little mouse who had disappeared into his hole.
    Mr. Big shrugged and stomped off in the other direction. Mega Man took a moment to check his weapons' energy levels and gear them up. Then he took off after the robot, leaping from brick to brick between the big buildings.
    Mega Man moved quietly, sneaking up on the stomping robot from behind. When he had a clear shot, he fired the Metal Blade.
    A hit! Mr. Big roared.
    Mega Man fired again. The robot tried to turn and come after Mega Man, but his main circuits had been damaged.
    Mega Man fired one more time, and this time Mr. Big fell down and didn't move again. The blades fired from the Metal Blade had cut through the robot's giant legs as if they were butter.
    Mega Man looked at the fallen robot. "You may be big," he said. "But you know what they say! The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
    Mega Man knew he had to keep moving. He had to find Flash Man.
    He ran past the robot's fallen body and spotted an elevator moving up the wall of one of the tallest buildings. "This'll make my trip much faster," he said, hopping on.
    He rode the elevator to the very top, hopped off, and ran through the building. At the end of a hallway he spotted an Energy Barrel. It was marked with a big E on its side.
    Dr. Light had told him that he would see these along the way. Each barrel contained nutrients and vitamins - the same kind of quick energy that was in his energy pellets. As long as he kept finding barrels, he could keep his energy level up. Mega Man grabbed the barrel and powered up. Then he kept on running.
    Suddenly, the air in front of him was filled with flying Boomeroids, little boomerang shaped robots that Dr. Light had told him to watch out for. They seemed to be self-propelled! Mega Man ducked and dodged, firing back with the Metal Blade.
    What a great weapon! The Boomeroids blew into tiny pieces as the Metal Blade's flying blades cut them down.
    Mega Man looked up ahead. There was a giant tower with the big W. He knew he was almost there.
    Mega Man came to an iron gate. He used his superstrength to lift it, and it rolled up and then slammed back down once he was through. Another gate blocked his patch, but it didn't even slow Mega Man down.
    Suddenly, Flash Man appeared in front of him, dashing around and firing rapidly. Mega Man had never seen anything move so fast! And each time Flash Man fired, something strange happened. As each shot left Flash Man's weapon, Mega Man, Mega Man found that he was momentarily frozen in his tracks.
    But Mega Man activated the autofire mechanism in the Metal Blade to fire again and again at his enemy.
    And then it was over. Flash Man was destroyed. "You've got to be more than just a flash in the pan to beat me!" said Mega Man, smiling.

[GAME HINT To kill Air Man, carefully jump the tornadoes to get close to him.]

Chapter five
    "Two down, six to go!" said Mega Man into his radio.
    "That's right, Mega Man," answered Dr. Light. "But please be more careful. I thought you were done for when Mr. Big attacked."
    "He just talks big. And Flash Man was no problem. These superrobots of Doctor Wily's aren't so tough if you know how to fight them," said Mega Man, boasting a little.
    "Did you get Flash Man's Time Stopper?" asked Dr. Light. "What a weapon! It just freezes your enemies in place."
    "Got it!" answered Mega Man, holding it up so that Dr. Light could see it over his monitor.
    "Good!" said Dr. Light. "You'll need it." He paused for a moment, checking over his notes. "It looks like your next battle will be with Bubble Man. Get equipped with all your weapons. Ready for the password?"
    "Ready!" Mega Man answered. And then Dr. Light's voice was gone. Static was all Mega Man could hear over his radio.
    Mega Man looked down. He was hovering over water! There was water everywhere, as far as he could see. Frantic, he kicked with his feet and waved his arms, moving through the air until he was over a wooden pier.
    He landed running. He was going to have to keep his wis about him in Bubble Man's world!
    The water lapped against the pier he was running on. Mega Man wasn't ready to start swimming, not yet. But suddenly, he ran out of pier!
    Mega Man leapt off the end of that pier and jumped onto the next one. He kept on running. Then, up ahead, he saw a giant frog! It was huge, and green, and very mean looking. That must be Croaker. Doctor Light had warned him about the robot henchmen he'd find. This was one of Bubble Man's fiendish helpers. Mega Man tried to run past Croaker.
    Just then, Croaker opened his mouth. "Ribbit! Ribbit!" he croaked.
    "That's the loudest frog I ever heard," said Mega Man. Then he noticed something. Every time Croaker said ribbit, five little Croakers jumped out of his mouth. And the little Croakers headed straight for Mega Man.
    He was surrounded!
    Mega Man grabbed his Mega Gun and fired away. It had no effect! Neither did the Time Stopper. These Croakers must be immune.
    "Try ignoring this!" Mega Man said, firing the Metal Blade. Blades flew in every direction. Each shot destroyed at least three of the miniature Croakers. Mega Man kept firing until he had gotten past Croaker safely.
    Finally, he was out of range. Mega Man was running hard, looking back over his shoulder to make sure that Croaker wasn't following him.
    Suddenly, he tripped off the end of the pier he was running on and fell, head over heels, right into the water.

Chapter six
    Mega Man fell through the water, drifting deeper and deeper. This was awful! He didn't even know if he'd be able to swim. As a robot he'd been a terrific swimmer, but would he still know how, now that he was human?
    He tried a few underwater strokes and he discovered that he could swim as well as he ever had. His helmet kept the water out. "Phew!" he said. "Lucky for me!"
    And then, up ahead, Mega Man saw three Crabbots. These tiny robots looked like ugly crabs. They rode along on little wheels, their shells protecting them as they fired at the superhero.
    Mega Man fired back with the Metal Blade. It was the only weapon he had that seemed to work underwater.
    The shell flew off the Crabbot, revealing the wheels below. Mega Man fired again until even the wheels were destroyed.
    Then he aimed and fired, again and again, until he had taken care of all the other Crabbots.
    Mega Man was swimming backward as he fired, so he didn't see the huge funneluntil he'd fallen into it. He was sucked down into a pipe so fast that he could barely catch his breath.
    Mega Man took a wild ride through a whole network of pipes. First he was upside down, then he was downside up. He was whirled around so much that soom he didn't know where he was.
    Then the pipe spit him out as suddenly as it had sucked him in. Mega Man was very dizzy. He looked around, trying to get his bearings.
    Which was was bubble man? Mega Man coulsn't wait to get out of this superrobot's wet, wet world.
    He started to swim again, hoping he was going in the right direction. Then he saw a huge tower ahead, with a big initial W. Below the tower were the gates to Bubble Man's laie.
    Mega Man swam through the gates. Bubble Man was waiting for him. "Mega blorble man!" he cried. "How gurgle dare you enter my king-burrrble-dom!" Bubble Man's armor was green, and he had webbed hands and fett, just like a frog. He wore a special helmet that looked like a scuba mask.
    He fired his Bubble Lead straight at Mega Man. A huge bubble of molten lead rolled at him. Mega Man jumped and dodged. It was hard to move quickly underwater.
    Mega Man aimed his Metal Blade and fired. Bubble Man slid to the left and dodged the flying blade.
    Bubble Man laughed. "You'll never blurble get me, Mega Man!" he said. He fired his Bubble Lead again. A tiny bubble flew out, growing as it moved through the water. It got bigger and bigger as it came toward Mega Man.
    This time Mega Man couldn't move quickly enough to dodge it. The now huge, heavy bubble rolled right over him, squashing him flat and knocking all the air out of him.
    Mega Man lay still.
    Bubble Man gloated. "Got you, Mega Man!" he laughed. "Doctor Wily blorble will be proud of me!"
    Then there was a faint beeping inside Mega Man's helmet. Dr. Light's voice came through.
    "Mega Man! Mega Man!" the doctor yelled. "Come in, Mega Man!" Dr. Light sounded frantic.
    Mega Man blinked.
    "I knew you weren't dead!" said Dr. Light. But he didn't sound so sure. "Now! Take an energy pellet and get your Metal Blade ready!"
    The energy pellet took effect at once. Mega Man burst into action. He aimed the Metal Blade straight at Bubble Man and fired over and over.
    Bubble Man tried to get out of range, climbing the giant net that decorated his lair, but it was too late.
    Mega Man couldn't be stopped. Within seconds, Bubble Man had been destroyed.
    Mega Man picked up the Bubble Lead. He beeped for Dr. Light. "Doctor Light!" he said, when his radio lit up. "Thanks! I thought it was all over for me."
    "Oh, you would have been fine," said Dr. Light. "But I'm glad I could help out. Now, are you ready to take on your next villain?"
    Mega Man felt full of energy. Finishing off Bubble Man had made him feel invincible. "Sure!" he said.
    "All right," said Dr. Light. "It's time to meet Air Man."

[GAME HINT Use the Jet-Ski to get over the lava]