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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

MegaMan Battle Network Warrior (Season One) Episode 9: Hooked On Time

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver sheen over the city. Chris stood in the shadow of an alleyway, watching as Noah, unaware of his presence, moved swiftly down the dark street. The mission was one that Chris hadn’t planned for, but his instincts told him it was crucial. Dr. Light had sent Noah on an assignment with specific instructions, but Chris wasn’t one to simply trust the circumstances at face value. His suspicion had grown, and tonight, he would find out exactly what Noah was up to.

The soft echo of Noah’s footsteps reverberated off the concrete, his silhouette barely visible in the dim light of the street lamps. Chris adjusted his jacket, keeping a safe distance. He couldn’t afford to make any noise or reveal his presence—not yet. The secrecy of the mission was at the core of Dr. Light’s request, and Chris had no intention of betraying that trust, not until he knew the truth.

Noah turned a corner and disappeared from Chris’s sight. Without hesitation, Chris moved forward, his eyes scanning the area. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but his instincts screamed that something dangerous was afoot.

He kept close to the shadows as Noah led him further into the industrial district, a part of the city that had been abandoned for years. Chris had heard rumors about this place—the old warehouse district that housed more than just rotting machines and empty boxes. He had heard whispers of the VGX. The name alone sent a shiver down his spine. The extremist group had one goal: the eradication of Net Warriors and their gamer who kept the peace in a world increasingly divided by technology.

Chris’s pulse quickened. VGX. If they were involved, it meant things were worse than he thought. But why was Noah here?

Noah slowed his pace as they approached an old, crumbling warehouse at the end of the block. The building looked abandoned at first glance, but Chris could see the faint flicker of light from inside, the quiet hum of activity hidden behind the rusted metal doors. Noah paused briefly before entering the warehouse, casting a quick glance around as though checking for anyone following him. But Chris had already found a position behind a stack of crates, hidden from view. He watched as Noah stepped through the door, disappearing into the shadows beyond.

Chris waited for a moment, then moved silently toward the entrance. The cold steel of the warehouse door felt solid beneath his hand as he gently pushed it open, just enough to squeeze through without making a sound. He slipped inside, his breath held tight in his chest.

The interior of the warehouse was massive—an endless expanse of darkness broken only by the harsh light coming from a few overhead lamps. In the distance, Chris could make out the figures of several people gathered in a tight circle. As his eyes adjusted, he recognized Noah standing among them, talking with a group of individuals cloaked in shadows.

Their voices were low, but Chris could still hear the intensity in their conversation. He edged closer, his footsteps muffled against the concrete floor, careful not to draw attention.

"Do you have the codes?" a rough voice asked, its tone full of menace.

Noah nodded. "They’re encrypted, but I’ve already set the plan in motion. The Net Warriors won’t know what hit them."

The man in front of Noah grinned, his teeth white against the darkness. "Good. It’s time to end this, once and for all."

Chris’s heart raced as the conversation continued. Noah had been working with the VGX, collaborating with the very extremists Dr. Light had warned him about. The codes Noah spoke of—encrypted access to the world’s Net Warriors—meant that the VGX were planning a coordinated attack, one that could destabilize the global defense network.

He had to act, but there was no telling how many more of them were in the warehouse. Moving too quickly could expose him.

As he crouched low behind a pile of crates, a wave of realization hit him. He wasn’t just following Noah anymore. He was caught in a web of lies, and now he had to decide whether to confront Noah and risk everything—or gather the information he needed to expose the truth. But time was running out. The VGX’s plans were already in motion, and Chris needed to figure out how to stop them before it was too late.

The room was dark, lit only by the dim glow of a crystal orb suspended in mid-air, its surface swirling with blue smoke. The chamber, hidden deep within the shadowed corridors of the Enchanted Castle, was quiet except for the hushed whispers of the Disney Villains who stood gathered around the orb. The Council of Villains, notorious for their unyielding thirst for power and their cunning strategies, had long been silent in their dealings, but recent whispers from the shadows had caught their attention.

A sudden ripple disrupted the stillness in the orb, and Maleficent, standing at the head of the council table, narrowed her eyes. The swirling mist inside the crystal shifted as the faces of the Villains who had gathered to hear the news turned to watch in quiet anticipation. A looming presence appeared within the orb—a dark figure, a shadow who had heard the call from the Enchanted Castle.

“It seems... there’s trouble,” said The Queen of Hearts, her voice dripping with venom. "An uprising of sorts, but it’s not in our realm. Not in our world."

“I thought we had all the chaos we needed here,” said Jafar, his fiery eyes glinting as he leaned back in his seat. "What do you think, Maleficent? Should we let them destroy themselves?"

Maleficent’s sharp, calculating gaze moved over the figures in the orb, her lips curling into a faint smile. "This is no ordinary conflict," she said. "The VGX extremists... they are a threat to the very balance of this world. A group that seeks to rid the world of those we have used, and may still use, for our own ends. They must be stopped."

A murmur of agreement swept through the council. But it wasn’t until a voice, familiar to many, echoed through the room that the air seemed to shift.

“If the VGX want to play with fire, then I’ll make sure they feel the burn.”

The voice belonged to none other than Captain Hook. Colin O’Donoghue’s portrayal of the infamous pirate rang out clearly, the words filled with the bitterness of revenge and the thrill of the hunt. His face appeared in the orb, his gaze fierce, and his signature hook glimmering in the dim light. The pirate captain had heard the call, and he was eager to make his mark on this new world.

"You wish to send me, then?" Captain Hook asked, his voice thick with the promise of a challenge. “I have no qualms about dealing with these insects in your name, Maleficent. But I’ll do it on my terms."

Maleficent smirked, her voice filled with calculated amusement. "Of course, Captain. You are the perfect candidate. You’re no stranger to pursuing your enemies with ruthless precision."

A shadow passed over Hook’s face, his gaze darkening. He had known enemies who had underestimated him in the past, and the result had always been the same—his revenge was swift and unforgiving. “They will regret underestimating me. I will make sure they do.”

His fingers flexed around the hilt of his sword, the glint of metal sharp and dangerous. "I’ll take care of the VGX. But in return, I expect... my own terms to be met when the time comes."

Maleficent nodded, her dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Your request will be granted, Captain. Do not fail us."

The orb flickered again, and Captain Hook’s figure faded from view, the swirling mists of the crystal clearing.

"He's the one we need," said Jafar, his lips curling into a grin. "The world won’t know what hit it once he sets foot there."

Ursula let out a low chuckle. "Let’s see how the VGX reacts to an old pirate with a vendetta."

Maleficent, with a final sweep of her cloak, turned to face the council once more. "The VGX may be dangerous, but they are nothing compared to the wrath of Captain Hook. Let him loose, and the tides will shift in our favor."

Back in the real world, beneath a dark sky littered with stars, Captain Hook stepped through the portal, his boots hitting the cold concrete with a resounding thud. The wind whistled around him, the streets eerily quiet in the late hours of the night. He surveyed the urban landscape, taking in the unfamiliarity of it all. The air here was thick with tension, the city alive in ways that felt strange, yet invigorating.

He adjusted his coat, the swish of fabric barely noticeable over the soft hum of the city. His eyes gleamed with a dangerous excitement. This world was far different from Neverland, but it was filled with challenges—challenges he could make his own.

“They don’t know who they’re dealing with,” Hook muttered to himself as he drew his hook and twirled it expertly in his hand. "Let’s see if the VGX are ready for the Captain."

With one last glance toward the skyline, Hook set off, determined to track down the VGX and deal with them the only way he knew how—with a deadly mix of charm, cunning, and violence. He would stop them, but he would make sure they remembered him.

The game was on, and Captain Hook was in it to win.

The sterile hum of machines filled the lab, the only sound that seemed to break the silence as Roberto adjusted a series of monitors on one of the workstations. The lab was a maze of technology—wires snaking across countertops, blinking lights illuminating a jungle of high-tech equipment. It was a place of constant motion and innovation, a world driven by calculations and logic. But today, the usual rhythm of the lab seemed… off.

Roberto glanced over at Dr. Light, who stood across the room, his back slightly hunched. The older man had been silent for some time, an unusual quiet that Roberto couldn’t ignore. His brow furrowed in concentration as he observed Dr. Light’s movements. Something was wrong—he could feel it in the air. The doctor had always been meticulous, always in control, but now, for the first time, he seemed almost fragile.

Dr. Light, normally a pillar of energy and precision, suddenly froze. His hand shot up to his chest, a pained expression crossing his face. Roberto’s heart skipped a beat.

"Dr. Light?" Roberto called, hurrying toward the doctor, his voice laced with concern.

The doctor’s face paled, and he staggered slightly before catching himself on the edge of a nearby table. His breathing had become shallow, ragged, and his eyes were wide, searching for something to hold on to. Roberto's mind raced. Was it a heart attack? He had no idea that the doctor had any history of heart problems, but the symptoms were unmistakable.

"Dr. Light… what’s happening?" Roberto's voice was urgent now, his hands hovering over the doctor, unsure whether to offer assistance or not.

Dr. Light’s lips trembled as he tried to respond, but the words caught in his throat. He grimaced, his hand gripping the fabric of his lab coat as though trying to steady himself.

"I… I’m fine," Dr. Light managed to say, but his voice was shaky, weak. The words didn’t sound convincing, and Roberto didn’t buy them for a second.

The older man took a step back, but his legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to his knees. Roberto lunged forward, catching Dr. Light by the shoulder to steady him. His pulse raced as he assessed the situation, his mind a blur. Was this some side effect of his experiments? Had the serum or the pressure of the recent events taken its toll?

"Dr. Light, please," Roberto urged, panic creeping into his tone as he knelt beside him. "Let me help you."

The doctor’s face was drawn, a deep flush of red spreading across his features despite the pallor. His chest heaved with each labored breath, and his eyes were starting to lose their focus. The strength in his grip began to fade, and Roberto could feel the weight of the doctor’s frailty settle over him.

"I—" Dr. Light began, his voice barely a whisper now. "I’ve been feeling it for some time, Roberto… the strain… but I didn’t think it would happen this soon."

Roberto’s heart sank. He had always seen Dr. Light as a genius, an indomitable force of intellect and willpower. The doctor’s brilliance had shaped the very foundation of their work, and to see him in such a weakened state was a blow to everything Roberto had known. He had never once considered that the very man who had created Project X, who had stood as the cornerstone of their research, could be on the brink of collapse.

The doctor’s hands trembled as he tried to push himself up, but his body betrayed him. Roberto could feel the weight of his mentor’s body, the shaking and the sense of panic that had begun to seep into his own chest.

"Please, Dr. Light, talk to me," Roberto said, his voice breaking as he helped the doctor back into a chair. "What’s happening? We need to get you help."

Dr. Light closed his eyes, his breath slowing slightly, but his body still trembled. "It’s... it’s nothing new, Roberto. Just the strain of years of work... the constant pressure. It takes its toll on the body, even if the mind can keep up." He paused, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, though it lacked any real humor. "I always thought I’d be the one to collapse from the weight of this project, but I never imagined it would come to this…"

Roberto’s mind whirled as the gravity of the situation settled in. Could the doctor’s deteriorating health have something to do with his work on new armor, on Project X? Had the serum they had developed, the experiments they’d run, somehow contributed to this?

"We need to get you checked," Roberto insisted, placing a hand on the doctor’s arm. "This could be serious."

Dr. Light’s eyes fluttered open, and he gave a weak shake of his head. "No. Not yet. I need to finish this, Roberto. I need to finish it all... before it’s too late."

Roberto clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the fear rising in his chest. He knew what this meant—the doctor was not just suffering from a physical ailment, but also from the pressure of his own obsession. The weight of their mission, of everything they had sacrificed, had taken its toll. But could they afford to stop now? The project, the serum, the armor—they were all interconnected. Stopping wasn’t an option, not now.

"Just hold on, Dr. Light," Roberto said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside. "We’ll figure this out. You don’t have to carry it all alone."

But even as he said the words, Roberto couldn’t shake the feeling that something more insidious was at play. What if Dr. Light wasn’t just dealing with physical exhaustion? What if this—this moment of weakness—was something far worse, something that could unravel everything they had worked for?

As Roberto helped the doctor recline in the chair, the soft beeping of a nearby monitor seemed to pulse in sync with his racing heart. Whatever lay ahead, Roberto knew one thing: time was running out.

The air inside the warehouse was thick with tension, the faint glow of overhead lights casting long, eerie shadows across the worn concrete floor. Chris crouched behind a stack of crates, his breath shallow as he scanned the room. The heavy footsteps of a VGX soldier echoed through the space, getting closer and closer. Chris tensed, gripping his gear tightly, his senses heightened as his mind raced.

This is it, he thought, a grim determination setting in. He had to find out what was really going on in here—and if it meant risking his life, so be it. But first, he had to stay undetected.

Just as he began to move, a figure appeared from behind the crates, the VGX soldier’s cold, calculating eyes locking onto Chris. A grin spread across the man’s face, recognizing Chris as the intruder. Before Chris could react, the soldier lunged, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him into the open.

“Gotcha,” the soldier sneered, pulling a stun baton from his belt. “You shouldn’t have been snooping around, kid.”

Chris, caught off guard, quickly sized up his opponent. With his free arm, he slammed an elbow into the soldier’s side, forcing the man to loosen his grip. Using his momentum, Chris twisted free, landing a quick punch to the soldier’s jaw. The soldier staggered back, but before he could recover, Chris grabbed the stun baton, spinning it out of his grasp and sweeping his legs out from under him.

“Nice try,” Chris muttered, his eyes flashing with defiance. The soldier collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold, and Chris stepped over him, adjusting his stance. “One down, a hundred more to go.”

Before he could catch his breath, a loud crash sounded from the far side of the warehouse, followed by a voice that sent a chill down his spine.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Captain Hook’s voice echoed through the cavernous room, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he stepped into view. The pirate captain’s coat billowed behind him as he twirled his hook menacingly. “Another meddling hero, I presume. You’re in the wrong place, my friend.”

Chris froze for a moment, taking in the sight of Captain Hook. The villainous pirate was larger than life, every step an expression of pure confidence, and it was clear that Hook wasn’t here to negotiate. He wasn’t here to talk. He was here for blood.

"Looks like I’ve got a date with destiny,” Chris said, grinning, his voice light despite the rising tension. “Too bad for you, Hook, I don’t plan on going down without a fight."

Captain Hook gave a dramatic, mocking laugh, his hook raised high as he prepared for the attack. "You think you can defeat me? I am Captain Hook, and you are merely a fly caught in my web!"

Chris smirked, activating his fusion gear. His body briefly shimmered with energy as he cross-fused with Megaman, his form morphing, the sleek blue armor covering his body and transforming him into a powerful warrior. The air around him crackled with energy as he aimed his arm forward, the iconic blue buster gun materializing in place of his hand.

"Say hello to my little friend," Chris quipped as he took aim at Hook.

But before he could fire, a loud crash interrupted the tension—a VGX soldier charged at Noah from the opposite side of the room, catching him off guard. Noah stumbled back, but his reflexes kicked in. With a well-placed strike, he countered the soldier's attack, sending the VGX member crashing into a stack of metal barrels. As the soldier lay stunned, Noah rose to his feet and wiped his brow.

"Focus, Noah!" Chris called, his voice cutting through the chaos. He was about to face down a pirate captain who wasn’t going to pull punches.

Captain Hook sneered, twirling his hook in a deadly arc before lunging toward Chris. With a flash of his buster gun, Chris fired a charged shot, narrowly missing Hook as the pirate captain leapt to the side, his hook slicing through the air. The ground cracked where the buster shot hit, sending chunks of concrete flying.

"Is that all you've got?" Hook taunted, his grin never faltering. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Chris darted forward, dodging the pirate’s swipes and taking careful aim with his buster gun again. Hook's agility and ferocity were overwhelming, but Chris wasn’t about to back down.

“Yeah, this is fun and all, but do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in, Hook?” Chris taunted, firing off another blast, which Hook narrowly avoided. “You’re way out of your league—this is a little more dangerous than swiping gold, don’t you think?”

Captain Hook’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, but before he could retaliate, Noah appeared beside Chris, having dispatched the VGX soldier with a swift punch.

“Need some help?” Noah asked, cracking his knuckles with a grin.

“Could use a hand,” Chris replied, shifting his stance as Hook prepared to attack again. Together, they made a synchronized move to corner the pirate, but Hook wasn’t done yet.

With a guttural roar, Captain Hook swung his hook wide, catching both Chris and Noah off guard as he sent them sprawling backward. The ground beneath them trembled as Hook landed a brutal strike with his hook, forcing Chris to roll out of the way just in time.

“That all you’ve got, pirate?” Chris growled, barely managing to dodge the deadly swing.

“I could say the same about you!” Hook retorted, spinning around for another attack.

In the chaos, Chris saw his opening. He quickly recalibrated his buster gun, charging up a devastating shot. Hook, too consumed with his own attack, was too slow to react.

"Ready for your ticket to Davy Jones' locker, Hook?" Chris quipped with a grin.

Just as Chris aimed his charged shot at Hook, the unexpected happened—a sudden burst of energy shot from the shadows, striking Captain Hook directly in the back. The blast sent the pirate captain tumbling to the ground, his hook clanging on the concrete. Hook’s body flickered, his form glitching and distorting as the energy took hold.

“What the—” Chris exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

From the shadows emerged another VGX soldier, much larger and more menacing than the rest. He stepped forward, his cold eyes fixed on Chris and Noah.

"Don’t think you can end this so easily," the VGX soldier growled. “You’ll both pay for meddling in our affairs."

Before Chris could react, Hook’s body continued to glitch and flicker, his once imposing presence vanishing as he was deleted by the energy surge. The pirate’s form dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the echoes of his menace behind.

"Well, that was unexpected," Chris muttered, lowering his buster gun.

Noah, still catching his breath, eyed the new VGX soldier with suspicion. "We don’t have time for this. Let’s go, now!"

Chris glanced at Noah, then back at the towering soldier. He could feel the danger, but there was no time to waste. Hook was down, but the real fight was far from over.

With one final glance at the now-vacant spot where Captain Hook had fallen, Chris turned and, with Noah by his side, bolted toward the exit. The VGX soldier growled, stepping forward, but before he could make a move, Chris and Noah vanished into the shadows of the warehouse, escaping just in time.

As the VGX soldier reached the door, he could only watch in frustration as the two heroes disappeared into the night.

"Next time," he muttered under his breath, "next time, you won’t get away."

The Aftermath of the Battle

The sounds of their footsteps echoed through the darkened streets as Chris and Noah made their way down the narrow alley, their backs still pressed against the cold concrete walls of the warehouse. The air was thick with the residue of their chaotic battle—crackling energy, the remnants of explosions, and the echo of Hook's defeat still hanging heavy in the air. But despite their narrow escape, a strange unease settled over Chris. He could feel the adrenaline fading, leaving behind only a lingering confusion that gnawed at him.

He glanced over at Noah, his mind still racing.

“What… just happened?” Chris finally asked, his voice laced with disbelief. His eyes narrowed as he studied Noah for any hint of an answer. “Did that just happen? Did we—did we just take down Captain Hook?”

Noah, still breathing heavily, shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes betrayed the intensity of what had just gone down. “I guess so,” he said, his voice sounding as calm as ever despite the absurdity of their situation. “We handled him, didn’t we?”

Chris shook his head in confusion, trying to process the whirlwind of events. “Yeah, but… you saw it, right? That new guy—he came out of nowhere. And Hook... He was just deleted like that? What’s going on, Noah? Who was that guy?”

Noah stopped in his tracks for a moment, turning to face Chris. His brow furrowed as he thought it over. “I don’t know, man,” he admitted, rubbing his temples. “We’ve been fighting these VGX guys for a while, but this… this feels different. That soldier—he wasn’t just a normal VGX member. And Hook? The way he went down… it was like some kind of… digital erasure. Something we’ve never seen before.”

Chris’s frown deepened as he tried to make sense of it all. The battle with Hook had been chaotic enough, but this new twist felt like a whole new level of danger. “Yeah… I’m not sure what we’re dealing with anymore.” His eyes flicked back toward the warehouse, as though expecting the shadows to hold some new threat. “That soldier didn’t just fight like any normal enemy. He wasn’t acting like a regular VGX agent. I don’t like it.”

Noah exhaled, a long, slow breath that suggested more uncertainty than he cared to admit. “It’s like… they’ve got some new tech. Something even worse than what we’ve faced before. And I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of that soldier. Whoever he is, he’s going to want us dead.”

Chris rubbed his face with his hand, trying to shake off the feeling of dread settling in. “And Hook… we didn’t even get a chance to finish him off. He was so close to being out of the picture. But that… whatever that energy blast was, it wiped him out in a blink.” He paused, a thought forming in his mind. “What if that soldier was a backup? What if Hook was just a distraction all along?”

Noah’s eyes met his with a heavy silence, the weight of Chris’s words sinking in. He couldn’t deny it—there had been something off about that whole situation. It hadn’t felt like a typical mission. There was something else happening here. Something much bigger.

“We’re not done yet,” Noah said, his voice hardening with resolve. “That soldier, whoever he is, is connected to all of this. We need to find out more. We need to understand what the VGX are really up to. And we need to stop them before this goes any further.”

Chris nodded, his expression tightening with determination. “Right. We can’t let this go. We need answers, Noah. And we’re going to get them—no matter what.”

As the two of them moved deeper into the city’s maze of alleys and hidden paths, the reality of what they had just faced seemed to sink in. Hook, the infamous pirate, had been defeated—but not in the way they had expected. That new soldier, the one who had deleted him with the flick of a switch, was still a looming threat. And the question still lingered in the air: what was happening with the VGX? What were they really after?

Chris’s mind churned with possibilities, his thoughts racing through every connection, every battle they’d faced with the extremists. But something about this felt different. Bigger. As if the stakes had suddenly been raised beyond their comprehension.

As they turned a corner and disappeared into the shadows, the faint hum of the city’s lights felt distant, almost otherworldly. The quiet was deceptive—there was more to come, and Chris knew they would have to face it head-on.

But right now, they had only one thing on their minds: survival.

And answers.

The sterile walls of the lab seemed colder than usual, the once comforting hum of machines now felt like an oppressive reminder of the weight of the day. Dr. Light sat at his desk, his hands trembling as he reached for a small bottle of painkillers. His movements were slow, deliberate, as though each motion required far more effort than it should have. The bottle cap twisted off with a soft click, and he poured the pills into his palm, his brow furrowing as he stared at them for a long moment.

From the far corner of the room, Roberto watched silently. He had been there, observing for the past few minutes, though he knew Dr. Light hadn’t noticed him. The doctor was too lost in his own thoughts, consumed by a pain that no amount of medication seemed to be able to ease completely. Roberto’s hands were clenched at his sides, unsure of how to approach the situation. He could feel the weight of his mentor’s suffering, an invisible barrier that had come to define the atmosphere of the lab.

As Dr. Light took the pills, the room felt smaller, the air heavier. His face contorted slightly in discomfort as he swallowed them, his shoulders slumping in a way that seemed to indicate more than just physical exhaustion. There was something in his eyes—something deeper—that Roberto couldn’t quite place.

Roberto’s gaze flicked to Sonic, who stood just a few feet behind him, arms crossed, watching Dr. Light from the shadows with an intensity that mirrored Roberto’s own. Sonic’s expression was unreadable, but the sharpness in his posture suggested a shared concern.

“Do you think he’s really okay?” Roberto whispered, his voice barely above a breath. The question had been hanging in his mind since he had seen Dr. Light falter earlier. It had only gotten heavier now, as he watched the doctor’s shoulders sag, the weight of his pain settling visibly over him.

Sonic didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained locked on Dr. Light, observing the man with the same quiet scrutiny. Then, after a long pause, he spoke, his voice low and steady.

“No,” Sonic said bluntly. “He’s not okay. He’s been pushing himself too hard—he’s been holding it all together for far too long. But now… it’s catching up to him.” His words were sharp, cutting through the tension in the air. “And it’s not just his body that’s breaking down. It’s his mind, too.”

Roberto’s eyes narrowed. The frustration he had been feeling all day now found a voice. “What do you mean? Are you saying he’s lost it? He’s still Dr. Light—the genius who built all of this.” He gestured vaguely to the lab, to the workstations, to the very heart of their operations. “

“Who also ignored the toll it would take on him,” Sonic interjected, his voice firm but not unkind. “He’s been pushing for too long, Roberto.

The silence that followed was thick with the unspoken truth of Sonic’s words. Roberto wanted to argue, wanted to hold on to the image of Dr. Light as the untouchable genius. But the truth was undeniable. Dr. Light had always been relentless—pushing forward, no matter the cost. But now, there was a cost, one that could no longer be ignored.

As Dr. Light sat quietly at his desk, the painkillers beginning to take effect, Roberto’s heart sank. He had always admired Dr. Light, had always seen him as a father figure of sorts, someone who had sacrificed everything for the greater good. But now, that sacrifice seemed to be taking its toll in ways he hadn’t fully understood until now.

“I don’t know what to do,” Roberto admitted quietly, his voice tinged with frustration and helplessness. “We need him. We need his genius, his mind. But if he’s falling apart…”

“You’re not the only one who’s worried,” Sonic replied, his tone softer now. He stepped closer to Roberto, his eyes never leaving Dr. Light. “But you can’t save him from himself, Roberto. He’s the only one who can make that choice.”

Roberto let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He wanted to fix this, wanted to find a way to keep Dr. Light from crumbling under the weight of everything he had created. But for now, it seemed there was nothing he could do but watch.

They stood in silence, watching the man who had once seemed invincible slowly succumb to the pressure of his own ambition. Dr. Light’s head dropped forward as he leaned back in his chair, the dull throb of pain starting to recede as the medication took effect. The lab, once a place of innovation and progress, now felt like a tomb of lost potential—a place where the brilliant mind of Dr. Light was slowly being eaten alive by his own creation.

As the shadows in the room stretched longer and longer, Roberto couldn’t shake the feeling that something more sinister was coming—something that neither Dr. Light’s genius nor their combined efforts could stop. The weight of that realization settled on him, heavy and unyielding.

Sonic’s voice broke through the silence, pulling Roberto from his thoughts. “We need to keep moving forward, Roberto. There’s more at stake than just Dr. Light. The world’s depending on us.”

Roberto nodded, his eyes still fixed on Dr. Light, though his mind was already moving on to the next step. The mission, stop the Disney Villains—there was no room for hesitation. But as he turned to leave, a final glance back at Dr. Light was all it took to remind him of the fragility of it all. Even the greatest minds could fall.

And in that moment, Roberto realized just how much was on the line.

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