Author's Notes
I recently finished watching the whole Medabots anime for the first time. Like many other viewers, I loved the first series but didn't like the Spirits series, and I suspect that, in spite of how the negative YouTube comments are worded, that it's for similar reasons. The lack of returning characters didn't kill it for me, because though that is disappointing it doesn't necessarily ruin a story. To summarize the reasons I didn't like it: it had bad pacing, bland characterization, boring battle choreography, little humor, and so many potentially good but botched or half-baked plot devices that I lost track.
There are a few things I did like, though, and one of those things is fodder for Roks/Blakbeetle. For this blurb, I took a prompt for a romantic story: both people want the same thing, and there's only one of it. Do they fight over it? What happens? You'll see that I cheated the prompt a bit. ;P
This story requires you to have seen the first Medabots series (season 1 and 2 in the dub) and perhaps some of the second (season 3 in the dub, also known as Medabots Spirits). I didn't want to make people watch the whole of Spirits if they haven't already, so I tried putting some description of new characters and some background information in there in order to help it make sense without that experience. But, still, it'll make more sense if you've seen through the whole thing/taken a dive through the Wikis. Or, at least through episode 84 "Meda-Forced." If you haven't seen the whole Spirits series, here's a rundown of what you need to know *spoilers*: Kam, the villain psychopath kid who gives the orders at the Kilobot-making company, decides to make a Kilobot with emotions in order to see if that would let it use the Medaforce. Blakbeetle is the result. Blakbeetle can't use the Medaforce, though, which puzzles Kam. Roks can use the Medaforce, because his Medal is a closer copy to the Rare medals than most. Kam abducts Roks and hooks up his mind with Blakbeetle's in order to help her learn to use the Medaforce. But, during the mind-link, Blakbeetle starts struggling with her inner demons, instead, which endangers both her and Roks. Roks helps calm her down, breaks the forced link, and brings himself and Blakbeetle out of it safely (with him carrying her bridal-style :3). At the very end of the series, Kam's stubbornness nearly gets himself, Metabee, Blakbeetle, Roks, and Arc-Dash offed, but Blakbeetle saves everyone's hides (sort of). Kam has a change of heart and decides to try to act like a decent human being. He and Blakbeetle show up to hang out with Ikki and the others after Kam recovers, so it's assumed that he becomes part of their friend circle. *end spoilers* This story takes place after all the events of Medabots Spirits.
And with that, let's get on to the actual story! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer
Medabots/Metarot belongs to Kodansha, Bee Train, Nelvana, and Production I.G.
Gratitude
"I want the part!"
"I deserve the part!"
"I asked for it, first!"
"It would be a waste on you!"
Metabee jabbed a finger at the female, black-armored version of him. "I can't believe you, Blakbeetle! If you remember right, I gave up a part for you not too long ago!"
The usual crowd huddled in Ms. Nae's slightly rusted shed shop. Ikki growled at Blakbeetle from beside his Medabot, while short-haired Kam stared at the exchange with a knit in his brow, unsure what appropriate and sensitive reaction he could use. Tomboyish Erika and stocky Ginkai sighed, and Arc-Dash—outfitted with the latest Arcbeetle model—scratched his helmet. Brass raised a hand and then quickly retracted it. Quiet Zuru, arms crossed, watched impassively beneath the cover of his thick black bangs, his bug-inspired, cool-colored Medabots Roks and Tyrelbeetle on either side of him. The grease monkey Ms. Nae herself was deep in another storage room, sifting for the coveted part: a new and more efficient power supply that worked in both Medabots and Kilobots.
"Is it too much to expect a little gratitude?" Metabee demanded.
"Yes! That was then, and this is now. And, I need that part to get stronger," Blakbeetle growled, raising a cannon-bearing arm.
Metabee sputtered irritable clicking noises. Ikki exasperatedly called, "Come on, Blakbeetle! Just let us have it!"
Kam raised a hand and voiced, "Blakbeetle, I can—"
"No, Kam! I'm going to remind this tin can who has the bigger guns!"
Ginkai slapped his forehead. "Who knew that her real personality was so..."
"Stubborn," Erika finished.
"Arrogant," Ginkai corrected.
"Grouchy is more like it," Arc-Dash commented, swiveling his head slightly, just enough to view the humans without swiping them with his, long, vertically-aligned prongs. "She's always irritated with everyone, except Kam. Well, and..."
Lithe, silver-coated Roks uncrossed his arms and stepped away from his support beam. Zuru smirked. Metabee took a step forward, shouting, and Blakbeetle, narrowing her yellow visual sensors, stomped to match him. Roks's red eyes remained on Blakbeetle as he strode towards the fighting pair.
"Are ya askin' for a fight, Kilobot?!" Metabee yelled.
"You'd better hope I'm not, love-bug!" Blakbeetle spat back.
A silver hand clapped the female's shoulder. "Blakbeetle, that's enough."
She jumped and turned her head. "W-What?"
"That part is not absolutely necessary for you, and Metabee did sacrifice an important component before in order to save your life," Roks said. "Why not let him have it?"
"But, for Master Kam..."
"You are still strong without it, are you not?"
"...Metabee is so irritating, though."
"Reacting with anger will not improve his behavior."
Blakbeetle, though reluctantly, lowered her arm. The bystanders gaped.
"What's wrong with my behavior?!" Metabee balked. "It's her who has the problem!"
"Let him have the part, this time," Roks encouraged in his deep, soothing voice.
Blakbeetle sighed. "Very well."
"Yeah!" Metabee cheered. "About time, you ungrateful scrap!"
Roks caught Blakbeetle's arm as she jerked it to eye-level, again. "No, Blakbeetle."
She snorted. "Fine. I'm allowing it. This time." She wheeled and stalked back to Kam in a huff.
Erika blinked and peered closer at Blakbeetle's face. She knew from Ikki and Zuru that the Kilobot had had a soft spot for Roks ever since the time he rescued her consciousness from a cruel mind-linking experiment. But, really, was that a blush?
"Hey, Blakbeetle! I think I see something on your face!"
The group gave a collective gulp as the female robot slowly faced Metabee, absent of any strange tint. "Metabee..." She made a point of squeezing the squeaks out of her knuckles as she said, lowering her already deep voice into a smooth and chilling canyon of icy threat, "I hope you are ready to get something on your pretty face."
Author's Notes
How was it? I challenged myself to extend Blakbeetle's and Kam's characters, since we didn't get to see a lot of their non-psychopath personalities during the show. Can you see them behaving the way they did?
I chose the first computer part that popped into my mind as the object of the fight. I think a power supply makes sense as something that could affect the output, but I know there are a lot of tech-savvier people out there who can tell me if that works or not.
I enjoy Medabots, so expect me to write more for this series in the future. ;)
Please review!
-Penelopi