Mega Mission 3, Conclusion

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In honor of Mega Man's 22nd birthday tomorrow, I present the final chapter of Mega Mission 3, completed.

Card No. 118	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 17 "Guhh! It seems the time has come to use this!! The other chip I created was based on this... the Sigma Chip!! Containing the very power of Sigma himself, I can use this chip to make myself into the strongest being to ever exist!" Holding the Sigma Chip high above his head, Enemice instantly felt himself being taken over by a foreign consciousness. "What have I done?! My, my mind is... eras... ing..."
This is 'Sigma' Chip!!
Title (Back):
This is the Sigma Chip!!
Notes: Enemice is on the ropes, and is forced to pull out his last resort, the Sigma Chip. Containing a copy of Sigma's data that was thought to have been destroyed for good by Doppler's antivirus, this tiny circuit not only bestows the incredible power of the would-be ruler of all Repliroids, it also infects its user with Sigma's indomitable evil spirit! Enemice has bitten off more than he can chew in applying this to himself, as his will is broken and his mind replaced with Sigma's own. What will be the result of this unholy fusion?
Card No. 119	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	NAME: SIGMA LIMITED SECT: REMEET ORDER BREAKER Remeet Order Breaker DATA: Sigma's data within the Sigma Chip has taken over Enemice's body. Even though he's a copy of Sigma, his strength and conviction are entirely identical to the real Sigma?! WEAPON: His fingers on both hands can each emit a Sabre Nail, Sigma Limited's most powerful unique special weapon!!
Sigma Limited
Title (Back):
Sigma Limited
Notes: It's amazing how long Mega Mission went without an appearance from Sigma, but no X series adventure is complete without a battle with the big guy (Command Mission not withstanding). Sigma Limited's body is an awe inspired mix of Enemice's hard mechanical motif and Sigma's over-the-top stylistic flair. His Sabre Nails certainly make an impression, they're like having little beam sabers attached to your fingertips, that can also fire energy rays from them, Emperor Palpatine style. A worthy form for the epic battle to come!
Card No. 120	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 18 "So, we meet again! X, Zero!! You may see me as nothing more than a copy of Sigma, but I assure you my power, and my will to destroy you, are nothing short of genuine!!" "Fall back, X. I hate Sigma more than anyone." Unleashing his concealed inner wrath, Zero rushes to face off with Sigma Limited, alone.
Nightmare Again
Title (Back):
The nightmare returns, and its name is Sigma?!
Notes: Watching Sigma get reborn before his very eyes, Zero has had enough. Unfurling the tempest within himself that few of his opponents ever get more than a glimpse of, Zero's inner demon lashes out at the monster he despises most. After being relegated to the sidelines for the last 3 games, Zero finally gets the chance to settle the score with Sigma on his own terms. Although Zero is certainly godlike on the battlefield, it may be that he's letting his anger get the best of his good judgment, underestimating the ruthless power of his foe. It's X and Zero's teamwork that's gotten them this far. Is it confidence or arrogance to tackle Sigma by himself? Our combatants are in peak condition like never before, both are filled with fury and the firepower to back it up. Let the ultimate grudge match of the 22nd century begin!
Card No. 121	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 19 Zero engaged in a titanic struggle before the power of Sigma Limited!! But then Sigma Limited switched to target X instead. His Saber Nails were aimed straight for X!! Seeking to protect his friend, Zero blocked the attack with his own body. Zero lost consciousness! Then the iX armor separated from his body, and converged upon X to form...
ZERO Down
Title (Back):
Zero defeated!!
Notes: Zero held his own against Sigma Limited for a while, but once these warriors were proven to be evenly matched, Sigma L switched up his strategy. Trusting Zero's quality of selfless loyalty, the cunning Sigma has manipulated Zero into taking a direct blow of deadly force. This round is won by Sigma's underhanded tricks, and as Zero lays helpless and dying on the floor, we can only imagine the intense feelings welling up inside Rockman X. Return iX's power that was inhabiting Zero begins flowing into him, reformatting his iX Armor to incredible new heights of power. Hey Sigma, are you ready for round 2?
Card No. 122	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	NAME: ROCKMAN X (ALL X ARMOR) SECT: IRREGULAR HUNTER Irregular Hunters DATA: The iX Armor which was split between X and Zero, have fused back into a single form. Now both their power has truly become one! WEAPON: The X Buster is now borrowing all of Return iX's power! Is this awesome power truly unparalleled...?
Rockman X
Title (Back):
Rockman X (All iX Armor)
Notes: The All iX Armor is X's strongest form to appear in Mega Mission, period. It is the full strength of Return iX combined with the limitless potential of Rockman X, the ultimate fusion of two polar enemies working towards a common goal. The collective strength of these two rivals is tempered by X's strong drive for justice and the desire to save his friend Zero, whose sacrifice is the fuel that invigorates X's courageous spirit. The stage is now set for the grand finale, an all-out war between the two most extreme evolutions of Limited to ever exist, with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance. The entire series has been leading towards this, everything comes down to one final explosive battle! This toy version of the All X Armor also uses semi-transparent armor plating.
Card No. 123	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 20 Dodging Sigma Limited's Sabre Nails, X strikes back! Sigma Limited sneered at this impending onslaught! What is this cataclysmic clash brought about by former enemies who're now miraculously working together?! X and iX, when these two very different souls finally came together for a singular purpose, a buster formed at each of X's arms and...
Rockman X vs Sigma Limited
Title (Back):
Rockman X vs Sigma Limited
Notes: A battle of epic proportions between arch-enemies has ensued, and at last we see Rockman X moving at maximum force. He and iX are pulling out all the stops and running on full-synchro power, giving Sigma the fight of his life. Only one of these mighty combatants will survive this earth-shattering conflict. What is the all-out attack our combined heroes have geared up for? Fight, X! Fight, iX! The future depends on you both!
Card No. 124	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 21 His X Buster at his right arm and the Return iX buster at his left, both busters fired simultaneously to form the ultimate attack, the Double X Buster!! However, the Double X Buster consumed even more energy than X had expected. X's energy was completely drained. What now Rockman X!!
Double X Buster
Title (Back):
Double X Buster!!
Notes: The ultimate technique has been unveiled! The force of these two optimally charged busters detonating at the same time is entirely beyond compare. Putting their combined hearts and souls into this attack, X and iX have applied a devastating blow to Sigma Limited. But the whole of their energies was used up to create this devastating blast, leaving nothing left to fight with. Is it all over? Did they succeed, or will the world be engulfed in darkness forever?
Card No. 125	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Story 22 At that moment, Return iX had converted his entire body to energy. The iX Armor had gradually vanished! Return iX's energy was entirely used up, and as X returned to his original form, so too did Sigma Limited disappear from the Earth. "There's no way Return iX died from that. He'll be back again, I'm sure of it..."
Last of Nightmare "Sigma"
Title (Back):
Nightmare's end. The last of Sigma?!
Notes: Sigma Limited is utterly defeated. The battle is yours, X! But at what price? As the Double X Buster was firing, iX was changing himself into energy to supplement the attack. He's essentially fired his own essence as a weapon! Has this former foe sacrificed himself for their victory? X ponders this, concerned even for the welfare of his enemy. iX, dead? No, Rockman X assures himself this isn't the case. iX has survived somehow, he can feel it. But will their reunion be a cause for rejoicing or for destruction? iX is as unpredictable as he is dangerous. What was he fighting for all this time? And when he returns, will X be ready?
Card No. 125	Description (Back):
Title (Front):	Mega Mission 3 Epilogue X was met with a premonition. iX's body which had appeared to be annihilated was reformed, and filled with a new power. From the scarce remains of Sigma Limited, iX had absorbed the abilities of the Sigma Chip. Return iX will bide his time, reviving himself in secret! Return iX's challenge has only just begun!!
Epilogue
Title (Back):
Premonition of revival?! iX lives on
Notes: Our last card of the series shows iX reforming his body, while smiling and holding the Sigma Chip in his hand. Was this what he was after all along? We also have glimpses of X and Zero looking on, it seems they have both made it back alive. And also, an image of a Limited organism? Could it be that Limited also survived somehow? Or is iX it's legacy? The future holds the answers or...

...or the abrupt end of the card series with no explanation given. Why was Mega Mission 3 the final Mega Mission, when it ends on such a cliffhanger?

Some fans have speculated that a fourth chapter was planned but canceled due to lower than expected sales, or because of a change in the nature of Capcom and Bandai's marketing relationship.

Others held the belief that the carddas series ending was to tie into the toy line, and that fans would then purchase the toys of X, Zero and Return iX and create their own adventures.

At the time of the cards' release however, it was commonly guessed that Return iX would be a character in X4, and that the Mega Mission story was a segue into his past, similar to how Dr. Doppler appeared in Mega Mission prior to his appearance in X3. This was "supported" when early X4 screen caps circulated in gaming magazines, showing an "R" logo that many then believed to be proof of "Return iX" as a major boss in X4. Of course, it turned out to be the Repliforce logo, and Return iX made no direct appearance at all in X4.

Despite this, some fans still refused to be dispelled, and offered the theory that in fact, iX was in X4, but as Sigma. It goes a little something like this: Return iX rejuvenated himself, then used the Sigma Chip to attain further power. Like Enemice, Sigma's consciousness swallowed him as well, explaining how Sigma survived X3's anti-virus and came to be in a new body. Proponents of this theory point out that one of Sigma's final forms in X4, the giant "Slime Body" Sigma head, bears a strong resemblance to the half-organic style of Limited. As did the melting Sigma at the very end of X5. Did Sigma absorb iX's Limited cells, enabling him to revive himself without assistance? I guess that's up to every fan's own imagination to decide!

At long last, the main translation is complete. I'll probably go back and touch up some details with them all later on. And of course, I haven't forgotten about getting high-quality scans of the entire set! Attempting to scan holo-cards has been a huge hold up, but I've not given up just yet. It'll just be... awhile. There have been many other Mega Mission card scans circulating the internet, so I don't feel too bad making everyone wait. Hopefully my versions will be worth it. I'll be on vacation for the rest of the year, and after that I hope to start up my next translation project. Happy holidays!