Biolinked in Remnant
Chapter 6 - Words of Encouragement
Beacon Dormitories
Once Aile and Grey had reached their dorm room, they immediately split off from one another to give each other space to change into their regular clothes.
While the two had gotten comfortable wearing Beacon's uniforms, nothing beat the familiarity of the garb that they usually wore out and about on missions
*RUSTLE *RUSTLE
"Ah, there we go…"
In the middle of the room, Grey had just finished reattaching his wired harness onto his back. He sat on the edge of his bed as he waited for Aile who was currently changing inside the bathroom. The reploid happily swung his legs back and forth to get the blood flowing throughout his systems.
Knowing his senior, she must have been glad that she didn't have to wear a skirt for the rest of the day. Grey still wondered what a "magical girl" was from their conversation earlier in the day, but he was okay waiting until Aile was more comfortable talking about the subject. From what Grey recalled, Halloween didn't seem like a bad holiday to celebrate for the reploid. Who could possibly say no to free candy and wearing costumes for the fun of it?
Perhaps a few more days of classes could help ease Aile's nerves. They were still technically students while stuck on Remnant after all.
Before he forgot, the reploid remembered to neatly fold his uniform since he only had so many on hand before they needed to be washed. He looked towards a nearby desk, where he placed his plasma buster over the weekend, and made a mental note to bring it along with him later once he and Aile were finished getting ready. He was curious how Ruby would react to his gear after he heard that she was a bonafide "weapons nut" as her friends put it.
"Honestly, this feels better than wearing that tie any day." Grey muttered to himself.
[I still can't believe you're more accustomed to wearing that thing than a simple piece of fabric around your neck, Grey.] Model A quipped.
To his side, Grey's partnered Biometal had phased out of his body to keep the reploid company.
"To be fair, I've worn this harness more often while Megamerged with you than that uniform, Model A." Grey countered.
The reploid gave his partner an unamused stare while the Biometal carelessly let out a laugh. The relic happily floated to the opposite side of the room where it was now face to face with Grey.
[Hehehe, you know I'm just messing with you! Glad to see you're motivated as ever.] Model A giggled.
"Yeah, yeah..." Grey sighed.
Seeing as Aile was taking her time getting changed, Grey took the opportunity to chit chat with his partner to pass some time.
"After listening to someone like Professor Port for two periods straight, I'm at least happy to stretch my muscles for a bit." Grey vented.
[Tell me about it. I wouldn't want you to get rusty while enjoying school life that's for sure.] Model A bantered.
"Come on Model A, meeting Ruby and her friends coupled with Aile's pep talk from earlier really helped me relax my nerves a bit." Grey answered.
[I guess you're right. Ruby and her friends were definitely an interesting bunch to be around.] Model A noted while his partner hummed in approval.
[Anyways, are you excited for our "rematch" with Aile today, Grey?] Model A asked.
"I'm not sure if you could even call it that since we had to pause our encounter to chase down that damaged Model W back at the Quarry." Grey pointed out.
Indeed, their first fight could probably be considered a "defensive misunderstanding" if anything. Each of them were sent to search for the Model W and just happened to run across each other.
Now, they had an opportunity to participate in a friendly spar between one another to see how much they've grown. Hopefully, they won't go overboard considering there will also be other people watching them as well.
[Well, we did "technically" beat her since we were able to copy her data after what happened. I'd say that's a win no matter how you look at it.]Model A gloated.
Grey relented to Model A's logic since he couldn't refute the results of that day. Right now, he wanted a proper win against his senior and not worry about any external threats.
"Still, we have to be careful though. Now that Aile has the rest of the Biometals back in her posession, even I'm not sure what to expect from her." Grey voiced his concerns.
The reploid remembered battling his senior as Model ZX was challenging enough on its own. Her weapon being a sword and gun hybrid definitely had him on edge throughout their battle. The excessive damage they caused back at the Quarry was no laughing matter.
No wonder the Model W tried its best to escape the carnage after the ancient relic had sustained heavy damage from his brawl with Aile.
Grey doubted even the Legendary Pickaxe he found during a mission back in the Quarry could have cleared a majority of the rubble still left from the aftermath of their encounter.
Now that his senior was in possession of the other four Biometals, Grey wasn't sure if the odds were in his favor this time around. Who knows what kind of abilities Aile could have mastered with the other Biometals over the years?
Model X's ability to link with her Biometals brought multiple scenarios for Grey and Model A to consider. Heck, the discovery that the stolen Biometals were actually Model X's children surprised him over the weekend. The reploid really hoped that he wouldn't have to go through another resonance if he were somehow able to copy Aile's new forms.
[No kidding, Model L is honestly the one I'm most worried about facing later today. That playful tone she uses terrifies me.] Model A spoke.
"Yeah, I think calling her a "Daddy's Girl" might have towed the line just a bit." Grey mused.
[Ugh, don't remind me. I'm still getting used to the "Bolthead" nickname that she gave me.] Model A grumbled.
"You reap what you sow, partner."
[Good thing we got a few surprises in store for them.] Model A snickered.
"Speaking of surprises, how's your analysis going of Ruby's data from earlier?" Grey curiously asked.
[It's actually been going pretty well. There was a lot of stuff I had to reconfigure since I can't replicate Dust. Aura appears to work similarly to my BM energy reserves, so I think we're good on that front. Overall, I should be finished by the time you and Aile have your little spar.] Model A happily spoke.
"Great! Aile's gonna be so surprised once she sees what we have up our sleeve." Grey smirked.
[For sure! Although, something's been bothering me since you took in Ruby's DNA Core earlier.] Model A worriedly stated.
"Huh? What's wrong, Model A?" Grey questioned.
Grey knew his partner rarely got bothered with analyzing DNA Cores. If something concerned the Biometal, then it must have been very important.
Model A did a quick turn towards the bathroom door to double check if Aile was about to come out before he continued.
[Well, remember when Ozpin told us that every person in this world has the ability to unlock a unique "Semblance" or whatever it's called?] Model A asked.
Grey silently nodded back to his partner's inquiry.
[Turns out I came across this strange string of heavily encrypted data. From what I gathered, it appeared to be some sort of mental block that Ruby isn't even aware of. I tried my best to decode it, but I'm kinda stumped on where to go at the moment.] Model A explained.
"Really? That's a bit concerning. Usually you're able to copy most abilities almost immediately. I don't remember you ever having trouble accessing a new entry before."
[I know, right?! It's so bizarre.] Model A expressed. [I've been able to duplicate our past Pseudoroid and Mega Men transformations just fine till now. This feels like the whole cipher ordeal all over again.]
"Do you have any ideas on how we can access it?" Grey questioned.
[Beats me. All I could figure out is that we need some sort of "trigger" to unlock it. Guess we'll have to figure that out at another time.] Model A sighed.
Grey took a moment to take in everything that Model A told him.
Did everyone in Remnant have a hidden ability besides their Semblances?
Nothing from the texts provided by Ozpin had referred to something like this before. Grey realized that he and Aile had a lot more research to do in the future. He was seriously starting to miss access to the Data Disks back at Hunter's Camp. Model A's analysis had brought about more questions than answers for the reploid to comprehend.
"That's unfortunate. If what you say is true, I doubt even Ruby would-"
*CLICK
"!/!"
Grey and Model A immediately cut their conversation short after they heard the sound of the bathroom opening. As much as he didn't like keeping secrets, Grey wanted to keep the element of surprise in his favor during today's spar.
"Sorry for the wait guys. Kinda lost track of time while talking with the rest of the Biometals while I was getting changed." Aile explained. If one were to look closely, a tinge of pink was present on her cheeks.
"No worries, I was just resting for a bit with Model A while we waited for you." Grey replied back.
[Yeah, we were just going over everything that happened today.] Model A chimed in.
Aile nodded back with a smile as she placed her folded uniform atop her bed. She reached into her bag and grabbed her Scroll in order to check the time.
A slight hum came from the girl's mouth as she glanced at the time on the digital screen.
"Hm, looks like we got about an hour before Glynda's class starts." Aile noted. "Wanna talk for a bit before we head over?"
'Perfect!' Grey thought to himself.
He was glad that his senior suggested this idea. It gave him an opportunity to not only open up more with Aile but to also get his mind off of Model A's assessment. All he wanted to do was unwind for as much time he could get.
"Sure, I happen to have a couple of things on my mind if you're okay listening." Grey answered.
"I'm always open to talk with you, Grey. No need to be stiff all the time." Aile giggled.
Grey offered an awkward chuckle as he watched his senior plop herself onto her bed.
[I'll give you two some privacy to talk one on one. Let me know once you guys are finished.] Model A announced before phasing back inside Grey.
[The same goes for the rest of us, Aile. Feel free to open up around Grey while we're gone.] Model X teased.
Aile paused for a moment as she felt her eyebrow twitch at Model X's provocation.
She had just gotten out of another teasing session with Z and others back in the bathroom, but it appeared that X wanted to get in the laugh. It wasn't often that the Blue Biometal would dabble into teasing his Chosen One, so she couldn't help but feel perturbed by his response.
"Dammit, X. I told you that me and Grey are just friends.' she mentally muttered.
"Is everything okay, Aile?"
Aile noticed that Grey had a concerned look on his face which only made her cheeks flush again.
"I-it's nothing, Grey. X and the others were just being weird again." she muttered.
"Was it another story where they were messing with you?" Grey asked while tilting his head.
"S-something like that. You don't need to worry too much about it." Aile waved him off as she tried to brush off his concerns.
Grey raised an eyebrow at Aile's current behavior, but didn't want to pry too much into it since he had some lingering thoughts in his mind right now.
"O-okay? I trust you, Aile. Do you wanna talk about our upcoming match later today?" Grey suggested.
Internally, Aile was relieved her friend didn't ask anymore questions about her mood. The two of them already had enough on their plate to deal with already. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves as a cheeky smile formed on her face.
"Sure, Grey. What's on your mind about our match?" she asked.
Grey paused for a moment to make sure he remembered everything he wanted to talk about with his senior before they continued. In fact, this past weekend really gave him some time to consider the circumstances of their current situation.
"Well, how exactly should we go about it? Both of us aren't exactly what could be considered normal in this world." he expressed.
Grey watched his senior hum for a second before she gave him a brief chuckle.
"I haven't really put too much thought into it if I'm being honest." Aile giggled. "Just think of it as a training session between just the two of us."
Grey knew he could trust Aile's judgement, but it didn't alleviate the tinge of doubt that still lingered in his mind. Sure, he felt a lot better from their earlier talk back at Glynda's office, but that didn't quell the scrap elves that were hovering over him since they arrived in Remnant.
"Don't you remember what I can transform into, Aile? I'm not sure if calling it my Semblance would be convincing enough to everyone." Grey countered.
By now, Aile knew something was bothering her friend. He only got this defensive whenever he didn't know what to do.
Aile let out a sigh as she got up from her bed and sat next to Grey. The reploid was confused on why she suddenly shifted positions from her bed to his. Both of them usually gave each other ample space to talk ever since their Biometals teased them about the hug they shared back in Forever Fall.
Grey was about to speak, but his senior's statement caused him to freeze up.
"Why are you such a worry wart all of a sudden? What happened to that mature kid I saw during lunch and our meeting with Glynda, huh?" Aile teased.
Grey immediately turned his body away from Aile as he felt his face start to burn in embarrassment.
"I-I thought I told you that I didn't like being called a kid, Aile." he pouted.
"Hmm, but I am older than you, remember? I have every right to mess with my junior. Besides, both of us never really had a normal childhood." Aile replied.
Grey let out an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. His shoulder's also appeared to relax substantially as he couldn't deny his senior's words. While he still couldn't meet Aile's eyes, the blush on his face had lightened considerably.
"I guess you have a point. I've only been awake for like six months and all I've ever known was survival till now. I'm grateful that I met people like you and the Hunters while on my journey." Grey relented.
"Heh, you're sounding a lot like Z when he used to tell me stories about his past. He told me the first thing he did when he woke up was to protect someone he came to care about during the Neo Arcadia era." Aile joked around. "Sometimes I forget reploids are capable of so many feats when they're born unlike humans."
"Yeah, isn't that great?" Grey awkwardly chuckled.
Indeed, despite efforts to set humans and reploids at an equal playing field, reploids still held certain advantages compared to their human counterparts. While humans are required to undergo cybernetic enhancements at a young age, reploids were equipped with such necessities since their birth. Reploids already had a basic understanding of the world while humans had to work with their developing minds to get a grasp of their surroundings.
"Come on, I know something's been bothering you, Grey. I know we all have our own secrets, but you seem so weary all of a sudden. As your friend, I want to help you if you're okay talking about it." Aile calmly stated.
In a technological world, such worries were considered trivial matters since everyone learned to coexist with what they had. The reconstruction efforts after the Ragnarok Incident demonstrated to the world that unity was possible. There wasn't a large stigma between man and machine because all were considered one in the same.
However, Aile and Grey weren't on Earth right now.
.
.
.
The room was filled with a strange, eerie silence as Aile waited for Grey to speak his mind. The reploid was finally able to face her, but Aile was honestly surprised by what she saw.
"...do you know what it feels like to be lonely, Aile?" Grey muttered.
Aile immediately noticed that Grey had an all too familiar look on his face.
It was the same expression she wore when she was previously scarred by the deaths of her mother and Girou.
"Plenty of times, Grey." Aile cautiously replied. "Why bring this up all of-?! Are you okay? Your body is shaking!"
Grey made an audible gulp as he noticed that his body was indeed shivering. He tried to calm his nerves by tightening his grip on the bed sheets, but that appeared to make things worse.
'Just tell her, Grey. Aile's not gonna hurt you.' he told himself.
Grey took a few deep breaths before the reploid let his emotions known to his senior.
"I'm… I'm scared Aile…"
"Grey?"
Any emotional barriers that Grey tried to hold shattered in front of Aile. Right now, Grey wasn't the enthusiastic, blunt hunter. He was a vulnerable boy looking for comfort like the day he first awoke in that laboratory.
"I… I'm worried that I'm the only reploid in this world... You've seen what kind of tech they have here right?" Grey uttered.
The two Mega Men knew Remnant wasn't as advanced as Earth, most likely due to the constant threat of the Grimm. The prospect of finding someone like Grey seemed improbable. The best they've seen so far are the campus practice drones and the Atlesian Knights that eerily reminded them of the mindless hordes of Galleon Hunters that both of them encountered during various missions.
With all things considered, Grey had every right to be worried if people were to learn he wasn't human. He didn't want to go through another repeat of the near death experience he had back at the laboratory where he first awoke.
Meanwhile, Aile continued to stay silent as she wanted him to vent his concerns. Grey needed as much support as he could need right now. The best thing she could do is listen and help him through his worries.
"I've been holding this in for the past couple of days, Aile. I've had talks with Model A about this, but... it's just not the same when you're talking with a living relic." Grey admitted.
It was getting harder and harder for Grey to properly convey his thoughts. His heartbeat felt heavy as the pressure to speak kept getting worse. His body continued to shake while his hands seemed poised to tear the bedsheets he held for support.
"I've... gotten over the fact that I'm considered... "Defective" to some people, but… *sniff I-I can't help but feel worried about facing another repeat of what happened before!"
Tears began to well from Grey's eyes as his emotions continued to run rampant in front of Aile. Panic was clearly etched in his form for his senior to see. He tried his best to move away from her, but his vision became a blurry mess. It was becoming too much for the reploid to handle.
"!"
Without warning, Aile pulled Grey into a hug, much to the boy's surprise. His face was pressed up against her jacket but still felt the rhythmic beats of her heart. He didn't dare move because he couldn't understand what was happening around him.
"A-Aile?"
"It's okay, Grey. I'm here for you." she softly whispered into his ear. Her arms slowly crept around his back and head but not in any way that may have seemed suggestive. She didn't want to cause any misunderstandings, just acting as support was the best she could do.
"I won't ever know what it's like being a reploid, but I do know when a friend needs me." she reassured him. "You've been through a lot by yourself. The Game of Destiny must have given you a lot of questions on what to do with your life. Just remember, there are people who care about your well being, Grey. If anything were to happen to you, I'll have your back for whatever happens next. I'm pretty sure Ruby and her friends would do the same thing as well."
"Y-you sure?" Grey mumbled.
Aile nodded her head as she lightly rubbed the nervous reploid's back.
Grey's arms slowly inched around Aile's back as his grip began to tighten. Grey truly felt safe around her, someone he could trust and be vulnerable around. Tears began to soak Aile's vest jacket as the reploid's emotional walls crumbled. Neither pulled away from one another as the two held each other for quite some time.
After about half an hour, Grey's quivering body had all but subsided. His breathing was stable much to Aile's relief. Grey released himself from the hug as he wiped his tear stained face, but a small smile was present for her to see.
"T-thanks, Aile. I really needed that." he mumbled.
"It's no big deal, Grey. I was in a similar mood when I lost my mom and Girou too. If you ever get those thoughts again, I'm always here to support you." Aile explained.
Grey leaned on his senior's shoulder as the two Mega Men basked in the silence of their room for a couple more minutes before heading out.
The two of them always preferred the simple things in life whenever they took time off of missions. Moments like these were worth their weight in E-Crystals in Aile and Grey's eyes.
"Thank goodness Model A and the others gave us some space to talk. I bet they would probably tease us if they were to see us right now." Grey mused as he adjusted his position away from Aile's shoulder. The reploid did a quick stretch of his arms before he placed them back on his bed.
"No kidding, I bet L and A would never let us hear the end of it." Aile giggled.
Checking the time on her Scroll, Aile pushed herself off Grey's bed before she turned to offer him a hand.
"We should get going, Grey. Wouldn't want to be late to our match?" Aile smirked.
Still keeping his smile, Grey accepted Aile's hand with new found confidence after her most recent pep talk.
"Yep, I'm looking forward to it. Don't think I'll be holding back just because we're friends, Guardian." Grey quipped without losing sight of Aile.
Aile was initially caught off guard by her junior's snarky remark, but her attitude quickly shifted with eyes brimming with determination.
"Oh? Looks like someone is already in a better mood. I wouldn't want anything less from a Hunter like yourself." Aile grinned. "You're not the only one who has a few surprises later today, Grey. Let's put everything we got into it."
"Well, I do have a great senior that I look up to afterall. Guess you can say that she had a huge impact on my life." he heartily replied back.
"She sounds like a wonderful person. Think you can introduce her to me sometime?" Aile teased.
The two Mega Men shared a laugh as Grey went to grab his plasma buster before both of them left the room. The heart to heart conversation they had earlier clearly left an impact for the humanoid and reploid.
With a short nod, the two made their way towards Glynda's class with a determined mindset to give it their all.
Meanwhile, the Biometals had watched their Chosen Ones' entire interaction without any intervention. The genuine care Aile and Grey had for each other relieved them a lot. It was nice to see them growing closer together after everything those two had faced.
Author's Notes
Hi there!
You're all probably wondering why I posted this short chapter? Well, I kinda wanted to have a little buffer while I have more time outlining the upcoming match. I already know what I want to do [halfway done by the time of posting] but need to adjust the finer details. TLDR; picking which Pseuderoids to showcase and certain abilities to consider [O.I.S. and possible upgrades Aile might have done from the gap of Grey's encounter to Ouroboros chief among them.] Please be patient since I'm still new to writing fight scenes.
This was originally part of the main chapter I had, but I decided to make it a separate section to give Aile and Grey a bit of alone time while bonding. Plus, the pacing didn't feel right to me when most of the chapter was primarily on fighting.
I wanted to explore the emotional side of Grey a bit since he basically jumped into the responsibilities of being a Chosen One early on. I wanted him to have a moment of still holding onto lingering doubts he had and have a chance to air it out with someone who might share the issues as well. The worries only amplified once he and Aile were trapped on Remnant. Assuming he might be the only "reploid" on Remnant, you can bet he has a lot to think about.
Anyhow, hope you enjoyed my little buffer as I continue writing the upcoming match!
~Cristos
Next Time: M.E.G.A. System Online [I promise]