Select Button Level 5

Hello theorists of the timeless tyrants of tedious takeovers, and welcome to another Select Button. You know who this is and you know the deal. Before I start though, just thought I'd mention that Select Button now has its own Twitter, so you can tag me for questions you want answered or you can follow me to find out when I am answering new questions. Now that that's out of the way, let's go to the question of the week:

WWWA asked: Who would win in a battle: Dr. Wily or Dr. Robotnik?

Well, what kind of battle would it be? A battle of mustaches? Because these two can sweep a whole room with their mustaches. Is a battle of baldness? The ability to reflect light is present in both of these characters...OH I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT WWWA! A battle...FOR SCIENCE! (trope count: 1) Both of these scientists have profound intelligence and a knack for robotics. They can also do some really intense interior decorating with their levels, with a common use of spikes and platforms making a death-defying path towards the boss of the level. But despite what they have alike, they have a very distinct set of differences that make them worth battling...but how shall I have the battle go?

Oh, I know, I'll be fair and balanced. I'll have Dr. Wily prepare a set amount of levels and bosses to have Dr. Robotnik's champion, while Dr. Robotnik sets up a couple of Zones for Wily's champion. To that end, what will be the scientists' champions? Well, that's simple, their greatest creations. For Dr. Wily, we'll have Bass and Treble lead the way through the Zones. For Dr. Robotnik, we'll have Metal Sonic race his way through the Robot Master attacks. After these battles are done with, the two champions will meet up and battle for the right to battle the end scientist they were sent to fight in a boss battle to determine who is the better scientist. For the purposes of better battling, Bass and Metal Sonic will have the ideal set-ups necessary for them to have a fair fight. To that end, Bass has the Super Adapter which allows him to Treble Boost, and Metal Sonic, in his core, has the Chaos Emerald that ran his engines in Sonic Rivals 2. But just one Chaos Emerald, so he can't go Super Metal Sonic and roflstomp his way to victory, though for anyone who watches Super Mario Brothers Z, this Metal Sonic is the Metal Sonic from Sonic Rivals 2 or Sonic Adventure 2 Battle if that'll help you be more familiar, not Mecha Sonic from Sonic and Knuckles.

For the people playing the home game, I'll give a brief intro into Metal Sonic and Bass. Metal Sonic is Dr. Robotnik's final entry into his line of robots made to mimic the powers and look of his hated rival, Sonic the Hedgehog. With Silver Sonic and Mecha Sonic being the prototype phases, Metal Sonic's debut was in Sonic CD, where he and Dr. Robotnik kidnapped Amy Rose and thrust Sonic in a battle through time to save her. In the penultimate battle, Sonic and Metal Sonic raced side by side, with Sonic dodging Robotnik's deathbeam behind him as they rushed to an open gate that would close behind the one behind. In this battle, Metal Sonic showcased that his special engine allows him to keep up with, and in case of being left behind, accelerate faster than Sonic's foot speed. In future games, Metal Sonic would showcase his ability to fly and hover, project a field of lethal energy around him that he cannot project while moving, and project a Black Shield that protects him from damage but kills his acceleration. He can also Homing Attack and spin like Sonic. He can also project a fatal energy ray from his chest, and use a Chaos Emerald's abilities like Sonic and Shadow, but that's probably from his most deadliest ability. Metal Sonic can adapt his body and tactics from those around him, by taking a scan of their life energy. In Sonic Heroes, he successfully adapted the life energy of Chocola and Froggy, as well as the Teams, to gain the powers of both Shadow and Chaos. Using those powers, he then began to overtake other mechanical robots and metals in the area and made himself into a horrific metal monstrosity called Metal Madness, who had a freeze ray_¹ that could stop your team cold. Though that programming might of been erased pending his betrayal of Dr. Robotnik during the process, his ability to adapt to his opponent's powers and use them is still in him.

Next up, Bass and Treble, or Forte and Gospel in the land of the rising sun (yes, it's being kind of an elitist fan of the original, but a man's gotta do₂ what a man's gotta do in this business of answering questions). Bass was created after 6 failures Dr. Wily had suffered at the hands of Mega Man. Using a power source he dubbed Bassinium, Bass is the strongest Robot Master Wily would ever create, with the same adaptive power Mega Man would be host to. In his first appearance, he seemed to be fighting on the same side as Mega Man, winning him over after being damaged in a fight he had with one of Wily's robots. This allowed him to gain access into Dr. Light's lab for recovery. That's when Bass found Dr. Light's plans for the Super Adapter. Finding his goal of becoming the strongest robot (a driving goal of Bass) on the rise₃ of being complete, Bass stole the plans and had them adapted to himself with the help of Wily. This allowed him to fuse with Treble, his faithful dog companion (a foil of Mega Man's dog Rush), through a method called Treble Boost. This allowed him to gain flight via wings on his back and his blaster was able to fight in 3 directions at the same time, while adding to his already prominent agility. Unfortunately, time and time again he would find victory slipping₄ from his grip when Mega Man got the same upgrade. He would return in the next game in control of the evil energy that plagued 8, using it to increase his power and dramatically change his Treble Boost upgrade with more defensive-based wings and eliminating his weakness that Mega Man would take advantage of. He would return as a playable character to counter Wily's plots to make more Robot Masters or resurrect the older ones, in an effort to prove he is the strongest robot ever to exist. And for all intents and purposes, he could be. His buster is constantly shown to fire rapid shots without pause, and he can fire in all eight directions while stationary. He can also take defeated opponents' powers and use them just as well as Mega Man. His aforementioned agility allows him to double jump in the air as well as air dash, which was rare in the Classic series but a staple in the X series (Zero would soon have the same agility as Bass, which just harkens to Wily actually creating Zero before putting him in stasis until the timeline of X). With Treble Boost, Bass can fly at high speed with the wings on his back, and his blast is modified to fire in 3 directions with every shot. Though he could not double jump in Mega Man 10, his blaster was modified so it can shoot the shield off of a Sniper Joe, known as one of the most resistant shields Wily has ever created. Treble has a blaster cannon he can fire to assist Bass, and can also enrapture himself in energy and charge into opponents. Bass is also very handy with his legs, known for vicious kick attacks as well as a somersault kick like Guile. Though Bass isn't one to work by the side of Wily unless it benefits him in his goal to prove he is the strongest robot in existence, Wily would try to bend Bass's aspiration into the goal and have him destroy Metal Sonic to prove he is the strongest robot of all, and then stall Robotnik's attempts to make a stronger robot by destroying his base (Everyone's a hero₅, right?).

This battle to finally affirm which scientist deserves to usher in a brand new day₆ of villainy begins with Robotnik sending Metal Sonic out. Metal Sonic begins his rampage through Wily's bases and would soon realize that the area is based not on speed but on platforming. Since they are usually themed around the boss of which Mega Man would be facing, getting acclimated to the traps you might experience is very easy. Not only that, but Metal Sonic is a lot faster than Mega Man and Bass, and a lot more resourceful with his technology, so going through these stages would be quick and easy for him. When he gets to the Robot Masters though, he would have a hard time because usually bosses go down in eight hits in his world, but in this case the Robot Masters have their own weaknesses and lifebar totals that differ from bot to bot. So the fight would last longer, but Metal Sonic's vast array of techniques he could imploy, as well as the Black Shield that can repel all projectile damage, Metal Sonic would only need to get used to the patterns that all Robot Masters apply, and react accordingly. After defeating a Robot Master, Metal Sonic does have the choice of adapting their technology to his own via his copycat ability, which would serve useful in the future.

Next up would be Bass's conquest of select Robotnik bases. Bass would face an immediate problem as soon as he starts: Wow, this is quite vast. Arguably, any Zone in Mobius would be at least 10x the size of any base Wily could ever create. They are made to counter a high-speed hedgehog going at speeds rivaling sound, so you can imagine that a robot running at the speed of feets-don't-fail-me-now would have an immediate problem traveling through them. He could use Treble to traverse the levels, but Treble has a set amount of energy within him, and to use him to try and traverse just one level alone would task it significantly. Luckily, he could find a convenient spring to assist him in gaining thrust for Treble Boost's wings, so he wouldn't need to force himself to exert too much energy. Also luckily for him, Robotnik usually tries to take out his opponents himself with Egg-based machinery. For the purposes of this battle though, Dr. Robotnik would be using Egg Robo to do his dirty work for him. Though Bass can take out the machinery very easily with his buster, he would be hard-pressed to find a way to copy powers like he is used to, since he is not trying to copy Robot Master data, which would require manipulating chips.

Now the two cybernetic champions meet in the center to battle for the right to win for their master. Bass and Metal Sonic, tried (as in not tired) through their ordeals, face one another on a solid ground. Both robots have adjusted to the other worlds' means of health-gaining (rings and Power Orbs) through their own means, so they are raring to go. Metal Sonic still works on the eight-hit rule of Sonic bosses but has adjusted his powers to the Robot Masters he has defeated, while Bass is running at full health but only has his buster and his dog due to his inability to adapt his abilities to the Egg Robo Vehicles. Though Bass doesn't have to worry about the lack of diverse ammo, since any boss can be defeated by just the buster, he'd have to shoot as best he can against Metal Sonic's defenses and agilty. Metal Sonic's approach would require him to adjust his movements to move while blocking with the Black Shield, and when close enough can use his spines and his speed to damage Bass. He can also try to find the weakness of Bass through special weapon use he has gained. Bass would have the advantage of keeping things long-range, evading Metal Sonic's physical approaches. It would be until Metal Sonic uses the special weapons he has gained that gives him a slight advantage until Bass uses Treble Boost. That would force Metal Sonic to use his boosters to fly along with Bass, and the agility is balanced in the sky because of the lateral movement. Unfortunately, Metal Sonic would find the right weapon to take advantage of Bass's weakness, and that would paralyze his flight and Metal Sonic's agility would allow him to avoid damage long enough to defeat Bass. Winner: Metal Sonic

If Metal Sonic could not adapt to his opponent, his speed and defense would of made the match a stalemate at the most, since Bass can avoid Metal Sonic's attacks with his jumps and dashes, though Metal Sonic can still defend against Bass while he is using the Super Adapter. If Bass were to fight Robotnik, Bass would not have a problem against Robotnik's final mechs since they aren't fast, and are enormous. Robotnik's mechs all try to damage a moving target that can't use projectiles, so the weakness is in the use of projectiles. But the difference between Wily and Robotnik is how well their creation defends them. The sharp difference between Metal Sonic and a Egg Vehicle is what makes fighting Metal Sonic so different for Sonic. You weren't fighting a mirror of yourself prior to this, so you have to adjust and conquer. The difference between a Robot Master and Bass is just tenacity and the Super Adapter. Mega Man is basically fighting his own Dark Link, and the way to defeat Dark Link as Link is to outwit and outfight him.

Now Metal Sonic earns the right to defeat Wily on behalf of Robotnik. Having probably adapted and included Bass's buster tech to his laser, he can now definitely take advantage of the long-range, which he will need because Wily defends himself in two to three ways, usually with a way to dodge steady attacks. So Metal Sonic trying to melee attack it would only work during one half of the battle. At least when it comes to Wily's slip-away tactics, Metal Sonic has a shield he can use to defend from the varying rays Wily has used in the past until Metal Sonic can get the hit in. So Wily can't defend himself from an opponent like Metal Sonic that is basically Sonic minus the fighting spirit (Spiral Power? Just kidding), which lets him doing everything you ever ₇ imagine a speedster can do against the robot-based combat Mega Man is known for. So Dr. Robotnik, in his ever-evolving repertoire of technology, would win this battle of science.

I am so sorry this update took two weeks to do, but I really did a lot of research before this answer was to be made, and I couldn't decide during the time I spent watching a heck of a lot of TV on Netflix. But to update you guys: I'm on Twitter at SelectButtonRei. So feel free to follow so you'll know when I have my next hub up, which I promise will be within a week. Now onto the short question:

Wolf-Song asks: Sakura from Street Fighter! Explain things to me that aren't on Wikpedia. Anything! Moves, personality, quirks

Though not so much a question as a demand, I don't mind helping you out. So they say₈ that Street Fighter doesn't have much of a story, but I disagree. Sakura Kasugano is a Tamagawa Minami High student hailing from Japan who watches TV entirely too much. While watching the first Street Fighter tournament televised around the world, she fell in love with street fighting and began to emulate the fighting style of the one who would come to win the tournament, Ryu. Having trained a long time, she emulated all of the fighting techniques he would use, even learning how to manipulate ki in her body to do a Hadouken, although it doesn't go as far as Ryu's. But she can do what Ryu couldn't until he learned the Denjin Hadouken. She can charge her Hadouken to make it larger and hit harder, but she sacrifices the weak range she already has. Though she doesn't have the leaping ability of Ryu to do his Shoryuken, she adapted her style to do a running start, somehow dealing damage every step as she does a running jumping uppercut. Though she cannot manipulate her ki to keep her in the air during the spin kick, she manages to keep her balance enough to deal several kicks while keeping her wits about her to deliver a follow-up kick in some games. She has also added her own techniques, like the Haru Ranban, which lets her spin around on the floor with sweep kicks before dealing either a damaging round kick or a launching kick that lets her slam her opponent down with a stomp. She also has a pouncing-like downward punch move that hits overhead (which means it hits crouching opponents who try to block and gets through). She can also do another thing Ryu cannot, angle her Shinku Hadouken to hit upward at an angle to catch jumping opponents.

The story of a girl₉ named Sakura started with her first venture into street fighting, canon-wise, Rival Schools: United by Fate. She was the sole participant of her high school, joining her old childhood friends Hinata and Natsu to find who has been attacking high school students in their area. She entered her first Street Fighter tournament during Street Fighter Alpha 2, where the Alpha series is set before the 2nd world tournament. She sought to meet the person she has been emulating so he could teach her himself, but Ryu didn't feel like a teacher quite yet since he couldn't quell the fires of the Satsui No Hadou (Evil Ryu, for the uninitiated). During Alpha 3, she joined the tournament once again to find Ryu, but ran into her rival Karin Kanzuki, who defeated her. Though Karin admited Sakura was better, winning wasn't everything and let her continue to Shadoloo's base to save Ryu from the Psycho Drive. She joins the 3rd world warrior tournament (Street Fighter IV) seeking Ryu once again, but wasn't able to get him to train her once more. It is heavily impled that this was the end of her fighting career, since she wasn't in the fourth world warrior tournament (Street Fighter III), since that would be around her time of being in college. But Ryu would come to meet her when she was older, though it is unknown what the purpose was for.

Sakura is the only character in Street Fighter with her own vocal theme "I Just Want You to Know", her theme from Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (there wasn't a first). Her theme would find its way remixed into her Street Fighter IV theme. Though not a high tier character, her strengths rely in her mix-up options, since her emulated style only emulated the special moves of Ryu, not her strikes. She has an unique move called the flower kick, which is a quick overhead kick that she can combo from on a counter hit. It also gives pervs something to look for. Her EX spin kick gives her so many options to combo her Ultras in Super Street Fighter IV, and because of that she is never underestimated in tournament play. In the VS. series games (Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 2), she can tap into the Satsui No Hadou while keeping her mind-set, changing her fighting style to emulate Akuma and Ryu. She even can do the Shun Goku Satsu move in the EX and VS series, which she starts with a headlock.

So that's all I know, really, so I have imparted all that I know. Thanks for the questions, WWWA and Wolf Song. Keep asking questions, I answer any and all questions. Feel free to leave comments, fans and faithful, and I'll DEFINITELY see you next week with the next Select Button. And now, Back to Main Menu.

_{Psst...this is a footnote. The subscript numbers? Yes, they were Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog song titles. Ha.}