In this entry, we finish up the first half of the game, then find out who the mysterious robot is.
Grenade Man
The purple cylinders are really dynamite. Shoot one down to start a chain reaction that will destroy it and all nearby purple cylinders.
The hockey puck with the yellow-and-black caution lines, red flashing light and the spikes is the game's "Hi, I'm the thing that's low to the ground, speeds up when you're at my level and can only be destroyed with a certain weapon" enemy. The certain weapon, by the way, is the Ice Wave.
The black and orange flying enemy with the cannon is just a flying turret. It's extremely easy to kill.
The bats from Wood Man's stage in the second game are back, and they still turn into black spikes by hiding into their wings, dropping down like a rock and stabbing the ground once they've hit the floor. When they unfurl themselves, you can shoot at them again.
There are also purple squares that act like the purple squares, but blue ones that do the same thing. If you have two different colored sets near each other, one set won't blow up the other. You'll have to blow them both up directly.
If you open up the pits, there will be small green spiked robots that will shoot up right out of the pits and then quickly come down. This isn't an enemy movement pattern we haven't seen before, but at least you can keep them from coming out of the pits by not opening them up where there are dynamite blocks.
The second section has green destroyable blocks and blue indestructible ones. You'll want to destroy these things so that the blue blocks don't come down, either to destroy you or hinder your progress. If you can destroy the green blocks in the right order, you'll be able to get the Bolt in the upper-right corner of this block maze.
The blue drums with the "3" on them are the timed bomb platforms. They count down to zero when you stand on them. When they hit zero, they'll explode. Yet another series mainstay. If a drum is yellow, it will grow legs when you stand on it.
The part with the bomb and regular platforms not only brings in a new enemy (a big spinning cylinder that drops bombs and miniature clones of itself) but also another Bolt. Thankfully, it's extremely easy to get. Just be nimble when you jump on the timed bomb platforms and don't get hit by the spiked green robots that come up from the bottomless pit.
Next up is the mini-boss: a purple eye robot with junk floating around it like a shield. You'll want to shoot down all the junk so that you can get a clear shot on the robot, which can only be damaged when the eye is open.
The mini-boss will fly around in a circle to hit you with its shield and also try to rain junk down on you. If you're paying attention, you can easily dodge both attacks. It will also teleport through the floor and reappear on the other side of the screen. When it does this, a piece of junk will bounce around the room. Slide under it to avoid it, and watch out for where a bunch of gears and debris come out of the ground, as that is where the mini-boss will reappear.
Beating this mini-boss will reward you with Rush Cycle, which turns Rush into a motorcycle. He's pretty fast, though turning around takes a second and leaves you vulnerable. You have plenty of firepower with it, though. Sadly, you can't ride around on it forever, as it has a 40-second timer before Rush returns.
In the next section, avoid the hammers. Thankfully, you can walk past them when they swing towards the background.
There is a Bolt shortly after the beginning, but you'll need a Robot Master weapon in order to light the fuse, cause the dynamite platform to explode and be able to get it.
The Flame Mettaurs have flames on their heads. They just walk towards you. If they walk towards the fuse on the previously mentioned dynamite platforms, they'll light them up, causing them to explode. This is especially true in the dynamite platform maze, where you'll have to get away from them and keep them from touching the fuses to get two Bolts: one in the middle of the maze and one at the very end. The one at the end is tough, as you have to get to what seems like a dead end at the right, wait for the fuse to light, then head right as soon as the dynamite platforms explode to get the second Bolt.
After the dynamite platform maze, you'll have to deal with the hammers again, and this time they're all situated right above bottomless pits. Deal with the enemies, then wait for the hammers to swing towards the background and right out of your way. Once you get the timing of the hammer swings down, this part is pretty easy to get past.
This is the last part of the level before you finally face Grenade Man.
Grenade Man has two kinds of attacks. Besides rushing at you to get to the other side of the room, he'll quickly shoot a couple of grenades at the other side room as well as his own Flash Bomb, which is a bomb with a skull on it. If you hit this bomb with the Thunder Claw, you'll send it back at him. When his own Flash Bomb hits him, Grenade Man will take some serious damage. You can also use it directly on him to deal the most damage of all the weapons, as well.
If he raises his arms, keep looking at the top of the screen and avoid the steel beams that drop down.
When his health is down to 50%, he blows the floor up, leading the both of you to drop down to another chamber underneath. (Thankfully, these bombs don't damage you.) Here, he'll jump around in addition to using his Flash Bomb attack. If you've used the Thunder Claw to deflect every single one of his Flash Bombs back at him, he'll be nearly dead.
Beating Grenade Man gives you the Flash Bomb. It's like the one he uses, and it has a rather satisfying series of explosions.
Things Grenade Man says during the battle:
Flash Bomb: If he says that, either avoid the bomb or send it back at him with the Thunder Claw to damage him with his own weapon. Also, holy cow, Grenade Man is a masochist, if the voice acting for him is any indication.
Crush: If he says this, he will charge at you. Jump over him and try to hit him as he moves.
Raging Destroyer: His health is at less than 50%, and he'll destroy the floor and start the second phase, where he also jumps from one part of the room to the other in addition to the rest of his attacks.
When you beat the first four Robot Masters, you'll get a cutscene. The robot that you discovered is nearly repaired, and you'll find out that the four canisters you picked up from the four Robot Masters you just fought are some time of evil, ominous energy. Dr. Light instructs Mega Man to recover all the energy immediately. When Dr. Light and Mega Man leave the lab, the robot revives...and destroys the energy canisters! He knows the other robot still lives, and flies right through the roof and out of the laboratory! Mega Man gives chase!
Interim Stage
Use either Tornado Hold or the Mega Ball double jump to reach the ladder as soon as you enter the building. There are two Bolts up there. Fight off the enemies to get the one on the left, and use the Thunder Claw on the trapeze to get the one on the right.
If you're playing the Sega Saturn version, there will be a ladder near the left bolt. Climb up it and go right, and you'll face Cut Man.
Anyway, the path here is pretty short, and you'll end up facing the robot that escaped. Avoid him as he bounces off the walls at 45-degree angles, Slide under him if he jumps, and stay away from him when he punches the floor to avoid the shockwave his punches produce.
After doing enough damage, this guy will wonder who you are and Protoman will show up. The robot escapes, and Mega Man wonders why the robot held back. Protoman tells you Wily Tower is up ahead, and says that the robot may be tied to Dr. Wily in some way.
When Mega Man finds Wily Castle in the following anime cutscene, he goes for it only for him and Rush to nearly be obliterated by a giant robot. Suddenly, the robot from the interim stage saves Mega Man. He introduces himself as Duo, and he is trying to eradicate the "Evil Energy" that you found off the four Robot Masters, which apparently has come from the other robot he fought at the beginning of the game. He then mows through the robot and grabs the Evil Energy from it, before eventually destroying it.
Duo then says the Evil Energy is under the complete control of Dr. Wily, and that under his command (or that of someone completely evil), the Energy will multiply within a matter of days. He'll also tell you that there is a barrier surrounding Wily Tower. It's Mega Man's job now to remove the power sources for the barrier as Duo goes after the rest of the Evil Energy.
The last four Robot Masters are available to you now. If you want to go back to the first four in case you want more abilities, just move to the icon with the globe on it at the bottom of the stage select screen.
The abilities from this point forward are only available at Dr. Light's Lab when you've beaten the interim stage.
Energy Saver: This gives you more ammo for all the special weapons.
Cost: 6 Bolts
Super Recover: Recover more energy when you pick up health and weapons pick-ups.
Cost: 6 Bolts
Spare Charger: If you have less than three lives (or four, if you have Spare Extra), this brings you back to the starting number of lives when you leave a stage.
Cost: 4 Bolts
Hyper Slider: Slide faster.
Cost: 5 Bolts
H. Speed Charge: This shortens the amount of time needed to charge the Mega Buster, making full charges much faster.
Cost: 7 Bolts
Rapid Part: Fire three Mega Buster shots at once when you press the Fire Button. Unfortunately, you can't charge the Mega Buster with this.
Cost: 6 Bolts
Boost Part: Increases the speed of your Mega Buster shots.
Cost: 5 Bolts
Exchanger: Converts health pick-ups into weapon energy if you're at full health.
Cost: 4 Bolts
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