Chapter 5: Metabee vs Starkiller

In the last chapter, Flute and Starkiller proved their incredible skills by beating seemingly every medafighter in Japan, even Space Medafighter X! But now Ikki and Metabee have finally caught up to the pair, and have engaged them in their own Robattle! Can they succeed where so many have failed? Let's find out! Here we go!

"YAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Starkiller yelled as she leapt at Metabee, sword at the ready. But Metabee was ready with something of his own.

"I'd like you to meet a friend who's very close to my heart! Just a little to the right if you want to be specific! LASER CANNON!" Metabee yelled as he raised his arm and opened fire.

Starkiller flipped the sword around, and as Metabee's eyes widened, she twirled her sword and deflected all the shots away from her, before twirling the sword back and lancing straight at him.

"I have a sharp answer for those clumsy shots! NOVA SWORD!"

Metabee dodged to the right, and barely avoided getting impaled on Starkiller's twin laser blades. Starkiller recovered immediately, flipping over and slashing out. Metabee yelped as the tip of the sword caught him across the chest, doing very little damage but still some.

"Now THIS is a Cannon!" Starkiller said, as she flipped her sword into her arm as the cannon armed.

"Doesn't this girl ever slow down!?!?!?!?" Metabee yelped as she aimed. She fired, but Metabee was already moving, dodging to the side and leaping forward.

"BOO-YAH!" he yelled, as he caught Starkiller with a cracking jab across her face. She yelled, and he knew it was a good blow. Then she twisted, grabbed him in mid-air, and using his own momentum against him, hurled him over her, and it suddenly didn't seem like such a good blow. He landed on his right shoulder, and the shock wave of pain was so great if he had been human he probably would have passed out. But his body didn't afford him that luxury, so all he did was grit his teeth (metaphorically speaking, he has no mouth, it seems) and leapt to his feet.

"Nice one! But these are nicer! MISSILE LAUNCH!" Metabee yelled as his horns fired off the heat seeking missiles.

"Starkiller, Armour Mode!" Flute ordered, and Starkiller switched and raised her new shields. The missiles exploded against them, and to Flute's surprise, they actually pushed her back. He looked at the dropping meters. Looks like exhausting his ammo is out of the question.

"Metabee, do it again!"

"Starkiller, don't let him!" Flute ordered. Starkiller switched out the armour as she activated her rocket blades and blasted at Metabee.

"Whoa, shades of Stingray! And speaking of stinging, feel MY STING!" Metabee said as he fired his laser cannon again. Starkiller took a few hits but kept going, and before Metabee could dodge she leapt and kicked him in the face with a perfect double-thrust kick before spinning in mid-air and smashing her heel across his face. He flew and hit the ground again. At least this time he didn't land on his shoulder.

Metabee leapt to his feet as Starkiller charged him again.

"You're a bee, huh? THEN CALL ME A WINDSHIELD!" Starkiller yelled as she suddenly leapt and went to armour mode in mid-air. Metabee's green eyes went wide and then she smashed into him, a crushing blow.

"Metabee!" Ikki yelled. "COUNTER!"

Metabee shook his head as he flew backwards.

"MISSILE LAUNCH!" he yelled, as he fired off another round. This time, luck was with him. The use of the armour as a sudden ramming weapon had left Starkiller in an awkward position, and Metabee's missiles soared in and caught one of the shields at the arm joints. Starkiller yelled in surprise and pain and then one of the shields broke off as she landed, overbalanced.

"HA HA! LASER CANNON!" Metabee yelled, firing. More shots hit Starkiller before she managed to get her remaining shield in front of her. She growled.

"I just had that FIXED!" she yelled, and then she suddenly snapped off the other shield and hurled it at Metabee like a discuss.

"WHOA!" Metabee yelped, and ducked under the flung piece of armour. Starkiller withdrew her other armoured parts and snapped out her sword, leaping at Metabee. Metabee flipped backwards to avoid one slash and then grabbed up the discarded shield and yanked it in front of him. Starkiller's Nova Sword cleaved it in half a second later.

" WHOA! AGAIN! LASER CANNON!" Metabee yelled, leaping backwards and firing like Antonio Banderas in Desperado. Lacking her shields, Starkiller took a few more shots before she deflected the rest with her sword. ParTs of her were smoking, and she wasn't happy.

"MISSILE LAUNCH!" Metabee yelled, as he fired off two more.

"Starkiller, outrun them!" Flute ordered, irked by Metabee's successful disabling of his shield design. Starkiller activated her blades and blasted away, the missiles doggedly following her.

"Ok Metabee, listen up! You're doing good, but your normal cannon will take too long to wear Starkiller out! So here's what I want you to do! I want you to fire both your cannons at FULL POWER!"

"WHAT? Ikki, if I fire both my arms at full power the recoil will knock me on my Metabutt!"

"We're in a forest, you medamoron! Lean against a tree!"

"What? Oh yeah! Why didn't I think of that?" Metabee said. He heard the missiles explode and knew Starkiller would be at his throat any second now. He leapt backwards and leaned against a tree as ordered, as his left arm's second cannon emerged.

"Here we go! DUAL CANNONS!" Metabee yelled, and raised both his arms and opened fire as Starkiller ran at him. The recoil ran up his arm, and his right shoulder began to complain immediately. In the back of his head, Metabee began to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with him.

The shots tore at Starkiller, as she tried her best to deflect as many as she could. But she didn't falter, running at Metabee with her sword out and bad intentions on her face.

"YEE-IP!" Metabee squawked, as he finally quit firing and ducked. Just in time, as Starkiller's sword slashed over him and cut through the entire tree. Metabee felt the tree starting to fall and skedaddled away from it.

Right into Starkiller's kicking leg, as she swept his feet out from under him. He hit the ground face-first, and then Starkiller reached down and clamped her hand onto the back of his head, holding it down onto the ground.

"EAT DIRT!"

And she leaned down and activated her rocket blades. Ikki, Erika, Brass, and Rintaro all gasped in alarm as Starkiller dragged Metabee along the ground face-first.

"MMMMMMFFFF! GKKKMMMAAAA! GIYIYYIGIYIYIGGI!" Metabee gasped and mumbled-yelled as he was dragged along. It finally ended as Starkiller suddenly yanked her arm up, and Metabee with it, and in a display of great strength, hurled him forward towards a rock.

Metabee's eyes flashed with rage, and he flipped over so he hit the rock with his feet instead of his spine, and ricocheted off it and back towards Starkiller.

"You wanna eat? How about a knuckle sandwich!" Metabee cursed, and let Starkiller have it right between the eyes. The blow was so fierce Starkiller was flung head over heels backwards…only to flip completely and ram her feet into Metabee's chest and face.

"How about a barbeque?" Starkiller countered, and fired her rockets in a brief burst, sending both her and Metabee backwards with the latter being burned. He hit the rock behind him and pain shot from his right shoulder again. Dammit!

"MISSILE LAUNCH!" Metabee yelled, firing more rockets. But Starkiller didn't run this time. Instead she whipped out her Nova Cannon and shot the two missiles out of the air, before turning the cannon on Metabee and firing. Metabee rolled aside and countered with his laser cannon, and the two ran, jumped, dodged and fired, turning the landscape between them into a mess. Finally Metabee landed a good spread of shots just before the Nova Cannon glanced him, and both went down.

Ikki glanced at his watch (just so you know, the two have been giving orders the whole time, but too many orders disrupts the Robattle, methinks). Metabee's body was at 55 percent, and his left arm at 80. His head and right arm weren't too bad though. It was clear that Starkiller had taken some damage as well, although how much only her cloaked medafighter knew.

But he clearly wasn't happy about it, as Flute thought strategy. This was turning out to be considerably more difficult then he thought. Ikki was good, and Metabee and him were clearly quite a team.

Fine then. Divide and conquer.

"STARKILLER…" he called, and then instead of giving his order he pulled out his flute and played a short tune. Ikki blinked and turned his head at it. It was a snippet of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

And Ikki didn't realize it was meant to distract him until too late.

"What the…GIYIYYIYIYIIYGIYI!!!!!" Metabee gasped as Starkiller charged and leapt at him, her sword slashing out…

And Metabee ducked under her, grabbed her, and threw her over him.

"Did I mention I learn fast? And you'll quickly learn this hurts! MISSILE LAUNCH!" Metabee yelled, firing. Ikki grinned. There would be no way Starkiller could switch to her cannon fast enough to…

"Wait…" Flute said as Starkiller got to her feet and the missiles closed in. "Wait…"

"Kiss your bot good bye!" Metabee yelled.

"Wait…NOW!"

Later, Ikki still couldn't believe what he had seen Starkiller do, as she cocked back her arm and threw her sword. The laser blade spun in a perfect arc, slicing through one missile and then the next. As the severed parts fell, Starkiller blasted forward on her rocket blades, catching her sword in mid-air. The severed missiles fell past her back as she blasted on. Metabee's eyes went wide, and then her sword slashed out, catching him in a high arc across the chest and shoulders.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled, as he fell backwards.

"Warning! Body 70 percent damage!" Ikki's medawatch said.

Metabee was hurting as he got up, his right arm throbbing from his landing. Then his eyes went wide as Starkiller blasted at him again.

"You ain't using my own move against me THIS TIME!" Starkiller yelled as she stabbed at Metabee. Metabee decided to gamble, and slammed his hands together. They closed on the blade, and it burned, but it screwed up the blow. Yanking the blade backwards, Metabee literally threw himself on his back while at the same time bringing up his leg, hooking it into Starkiller's chest and throwing her over him in his own unique counter.

"Who needs you! I got me…!" Metabee said, as the pain exploded in his right arm again: he had thrown himself on the ground pretty damn hard to get the momentum he needed.

Starkiller landed on her face near Flute.

"Warning! Body 70 percent damage!" Flute's medawatch told him.

"You're pretty damn good Ikki! But it ain't over until the fat lady sings!" Flute said to his competitor.

"Then someone better tell her she's on in five! Metabee, use it!" Ikki replied

"You got it Ikki! I'll…"

Whatever Metabee was going to say was washed away in a sudden tidal wave of pain. Unlike all the previous times, the pain in his arm hadn't gone away. Instead, it had doubled, tripled, and was now shooting through his entire body.

"ARGH!"

"Metabee!" Ikki said in alarm, as smoke suddenly began shooting from Metabee's right shoulder joint.

"What the…?" Flute said, as he put out an arm to indicate Starkiller not to attack. More smoke shot from the joint and Metabee knelt over, in agony and showing it.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Metabee screamed, and then there was a sudden loud popping/snapping noise and Metabee's right arm suddenly broke off the shoulder joint. Ikki suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he saw the arm fall to the ground. This wasn't an armour problem. Metabee's tinpet had literally snapped off.

"METABEE!!!!!!!" he wailed, running to his agonizing medabot. As mentioned, technically Metabee couldn't feel pain, but he had systems to indicate damage and they were going haywire. While it wasn't as bad a feeling as a human might of had if he lost a limb, it was far from a day at the beach.

"MY ARM! MY ARM……!!!!!!!!!!" Metabee wailed, falling to his knees.

Flute looked at Starkiller as she looked at him, and it was clear neither of them had any idea what was going on. Mr. Referee had been watching the spectacle, but now he turned to Flute.

"You didn't…?"

"No! I don't know what's going on!" Flute said as he looked back at Metabee, who was still wailing in pain. Mr. Referee had been around long enough to know when someone was generally confused, and Flute was. He hadn't been the cause of this. At least not intentionally.

Flute looked back at Mr. Referee, and then back to Metabee. Ikki was trying to help him, even as his friends ran to join him, but he didn't seem to have any means of stopping Metabee's pain.

"Declare a tie." Flute said to Mr. Referee.

"What? Oh. Ok. This match is officially declared a draw!" he said. But he didn't run off immediately, which was a first for Flute. But he had other things to occupy his mind.

"Metabee…" Ikki said, greatly worried. In the back of his mind, the thought that maybe he should look into getting his repair kit presented itself, but it was ignored for the fera he felt for his best friend. He and Metabee had been through a lot, and he could almost feel his medabot's pain.

"My arm…my damn arm fell off…" Metabee cursed, as he tried to get his head together, even with the horrid burning (remember, while this isn't REAL pain as we might feel it, for Metabee it's real enough) continuing to race through his body.

"What happened?" Erika said.

"I don't know! He just…" Ikki said helplessly. Behind him, unnoticed, Flute picked up Metabee's lost arm.

Metabee saw it though.

"HEY! THAT'S MY ARM! PUT IT DOWN! YOU DIDN'T WIN THIS! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!" Metabee screamed as a new tidal wave of agony washed over him.

"YOU!" Ikki said, whirling around as his eyes filled with anger. "This is your fault! What the hell have you done to my medabot! I oughtta…!"

"Whoa kid! I didn't do this! At least, I didn't mean to. Hey ref, did it look like I was trying to break off his arm?" Flute said defensively.

"Uh…hmmmm…" Mr. Referee said as he mentally reviewed the Robattle. "No! I could see no intention or obvious focusing of attacks that would cause such damage! As far as I can tell by my observations, this is not your fault!"

"Well then, if he didn't do this who did?" Ikki said. Brass and Erika tried to comfort Metabee, who was still moaning.

Flute turned the arm over, looking at it. He found what he suspected.

"This." Flute said, and plucked a shard of dark metal from the arm. It was so small Ikki wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been looking so closely.

"What's that?"

"Shrapnel of some kind. Looks like a bit of armour broken off by a high-impact explosive blow. It went through Metabee's armour and lodged in his tinpet…really deep too, deep enough for a usual repair job to miss…but it's strange…"

"What?"

"The shrapnel might not have been noticeable by human eyes, but the medabot's systems should have eventually read an abnormality. Then it would have been a simple job to have the medafighter program the medabot's nanotechnology to have it removed…unless…"

"Unless the medabot DIDN'T TELL HIS MEDAFIGHTER THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM!" Ikki roared, getting it as he whirled back towards Metabee. Metabee tried to look defensive, but there was a glimmer of guilt in his eyes that Ikki could see. "METABEE! Why didn't you tell me there was something wrong with your arm! Why don't you…"

"Save it for later Ikki. Let me take a look at your medabot."

"NO!" Metabee suddenly yelled, pulling away. "I don't want that cloaked freak anywhere near me!"

"Metabee, by not telling Ikki to have your nanobots remove this obstruction, eventually they decided it was a part of you and ignored it. Even when it started to work itself through the tinpet and cause further damage. What could have been an easily fixed problem is now a very serious problem, and I suggest…"

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Metabee yelled. "I don't let cloaked weirdos check me out! I STILL say this is your fault! You're covering up your own guilt you…!"

With a sudden blur of motion, Flute took a few quick steps forward and grabbed Metabee by his shoulders as he knelt down. Metabee had moved away a bit from the others in his protests, and hence Flute had his back to them. The shock at the sudden movement kept them from moving, and hence only Metabee could see what he saw when Flute reached back and pulled back his hood. Metabee's green eyes went wide.

"OK, NOW LISTEN YOU SUPERCILIOUS CONTRAPTION." Flute hissed. "Let me tell you something. There is a difference between being independent and being condescending of anyone who tries to help you. Accepting aid does not lessen your self-worth by thinking you need someone to keep living. No man is an island, and neither are medabots. But since you're so caught up in your fear of being lesser, I will spell it out to you. By not telling Ikki about your problem, you have caused severe damage to your tinpet. It will require severe repairs, which will be quite expensive, more expensive, then Ikki can most likely afford. And since he clearly cares about you so much, he'll get you those repairs, but it will take awhile. Which means a while without any Robattles. Which means rumors will start to spread that you're afraid, even if the truth is presented. It could even mean your rank being stripped from you because of inactivity. Do you want that Metabee? To have everything you worked for be torn down around your ears? So you have two choices. Swallow your damn pride and let me help you, or have it chipped from you bit by bit until you have nothing left. Two choices Metabee. PICK ONE."

And Flute let go of Metabee's shoulders, leaning back and pulling up his hood a second before Erik and Ikki darted around, just missing his face. Metabee stood there stunned, having never had anyone speak to him that way.

"What did you do?" Ikki said accusingly.

"Just gave your medabot a little kick in his medabutt. He needed one."

"Hey! Just you wait! I was well on my way to kicking…!"

"Metabee…" Flute growled. Metabee sighed and winced. The pain was still bad.

"Ok. I'll let you help me. But if you try any funny stuff…!"

"I'm sure he'd prevent it if such were my intentions." Flute said, gesturing to Mr. Referee. He saluted. " To say nothing of your medafighter."

"You said it. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to fix your medabot. For free, which will save you a lot of trouble." Flute said, kneeling down again. "Transport repair kit."

The repair kit that materialized was considerably fancier and more high-tech then the one Ikki had at home. Flute selected some tools and went to work on Metabee's arm, as Metabee and Ikki watched. Erika looked around, saw Starkiller calmly standing in wait, and pounced on her. Starkiller looked quite exasperated at the whole affair as Erika bombarded her with questions.

"Just talk to her Starkiller, if it'll keep her happy." Flute called over. He finished working on Metabee's arm and gestured to Metabee.

"What?"

"Your joint had completely crumbled. I have to replace it, and to do that I have to clean out the wreckage in your tinpet. You'd better brace yourself Metabee, this will hurt a bit…" Flute said as he poked into Metabee's body with some tools.

"YEOW! OWOWOWOWOWOOW! GIYIGIGIYYIYI!" Metabee yelped.

"Got it. Done." Flute said as he pulled out some small crumbled bits of metal.

"That hurt!"

"You think that's bad you should have your wisdom teeth taken out. Even with anesthetics it's an incredibly unpleasant experience. My advice Ikki, if you have it done, have them knock you out instead of numb you."

"Uh, thanks…" Ikki said, as he watched Flute go back to Metabee's arm, working it over with various tools for the next twenty minutes.

"Ok, done." Flute said. "Now I just have to carefully…don't move Metabee…" Flute said as he picked up the arm. Metabee stood still, and Flute carefully positioned the arm and snapped it back in. Metabee winced.

"Ok, now just stand still a few more minutes." Flute said as he sent his repair kit back to wherever it had come from. Erika was finished and walked back to Ikki's side, frowning over her notes.

"That Starkiller is a  terrible interview! She's so vague!"

"I have a feeling she meant to be." Ikki said as Starkiller rejoined her medafighter's side. For an awkward moment the group just stood around, as Flute looked at his watch.

"Ok, you can move now. Try it."

Metabee moved his right arm around. It felt, literally, as good as new.

"Ah. That's better! Ok, let's pick up where we left off!" Metabee said, getting into a combat position.

"No."

"NO? What, are you afraid?"

"No Metabee. It's for your sake. I applied a type of heat/corrosive glue just before I reattached your arm. It'll melt the joint a bit and then refuse for additional strength and bonding. But that'll take a bit."

"A bit? How long?'

"About twenty four hours."

"24 hours!?! No way! I bet you're just making this up because you know I can beat you!"

"Fine, don't listen to me. But I warn you Metabee, your arm is resetting itself, and any strenuous activity would be VERY bad for it. Including Robattling. So if we start fighting again, there is a very strong chance your arm will fall off again. And this time, no one will be able to repair it, including me. Which means you can either become the world's first disabled medabot, or Ikki will have to buy a whole new tinpet for you. Which will be even more expensive then the repairs, which leaves you back at your previous state I rescued you from. So I suggest you listen."

"Do what he says Metabee. I don't want you breaking again." Ikki said.

"Hmmpph! Ok, fine! But I still say you're afraid!"

"Hardly. I hate leaving things half-finished as much as you do. So I propose this: I'll meet you in twenty-four hours, and we can have a rematch. And then maybe I'll be able to shut you up." Flute said.

"Good luck." Brass muttered.

"You're on! Twenty-four hours! Where?" Ikki asked.

"I'll let you know." Flute said, as he turned and started to leave.

"HEY! What do you mean, "I'll let you know."?"

"Just like I said. And Ikki, you'd better use this boon well, because I'll be ready. I expect you to be as well. Then again…" Flute said as he turned away and continued walking. "Perhaps it doesn't matter. "For no man born of woman can harm Macbeth."!

And with that odd last sentence, Flute and Starkiller vanished amongst the trees. The group stared after him.

"Dude, what did he just say?" Rintaro said. Ikki jumped. He'd forgotten the short kid was there, he'd been so quiet.

"I think it was Shakespeare. His play Macbeth, I'd assume." Erika said. "But forget what he said! Guys, do you know what this means?"

"What?"
"We have a chance! Tomorrow is Saturday, so no school! We have all day to find out!"

"Find out what?"

"Dummy! This is our chance to find out who this Flute guy really is!"

"How? You think we've met him before?"

"I didn't say that! But we have clues! His voice, his mannerisms, they indicate wealth and culture! The cloak, it represents a tragedy! Now we just have to use those…HEY! METABEE, YOU SAW HIS FACE!"

"What? Oh yeah! You did! Metabee, what did it look like?" Ikki said, as everyone suddenly crowded around Metabee. Metabee sweatdropped.

"Uh, well, the pain was kinda preoccupying me…uh, it looked…well, kinda like yours."

"He looked like us? Ikki, it's your evil older brother!"

"I don't have an older brother, much less an evil one!"

"Then I must have an evil brother! My parents have been keeping secrets from me!"

"NO NO NO!" Metabee yelled. "I mean it just looked, well, human. Look, I'm not good at describing faces! It just looked…human!"

"Then why does he hide his face with that hood?"

"Uhhhhhhh…well there was…"

"What Metabee? What?"

"Well, his face was…wrong."

Silence for a moment.

"Wrong? What do you mean, wrong?"

"I JUST MEAN WRONG! IT HAD SOMETHING THAT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE I'VE SEEN DID NOT HAVE! Wrong! I'm sorry if I can't describe facial deviances either! It wasn't something I ever thought I'd have to do!" Metabee spluttered.

"Oh well. Well, we still have something to go on! Ikki, meet me tomorrow at the Hop Mart! We'll crack this guy's secret yet…hey I just realized he took my camera!"

"No he didn't." Brass said, walking around Erika and handing her the device. "I found it on a nearby rock."

"Good! That'll…HEY! Aw, he took the film!" Erika complained. "That's it! I am so gonna expose this guy!" Erika declared, and took off. Brass sighed and took off after her medafighter.

"Dude, I'll see you tomorrow! You looked pretty good out there. If anyone can beat him, you probably can!" Rintaro said. He gave Ikki and Metabee a thumbs up, and left. Mr Referee was already gone, off to do whatever he did.

"Metabee…"

"Yeah yeah. Sorry."

"Metabee, an apology won't just make this go away! Why didn't you tell me your arm hurt?"

"Well…uh…you see…" Metabee stammered. He took a look at Ikki for the first time since the conversation had started and saw his medafighter didn't look angry, only hurt. He felt pretty rotten.

"It's just that I have this…fear…that one day you're going to…well, take me away from me!" Metabee blurted.

Ikki looked confused. "What?"

"I know how you feel Ikki. The way I act, the way I do things, the way I don't listen when you want me to, I know it aggravates you! I know sometimes you just wish I was just a normal Medabot. But I'm not! I'm me! I'll always be me! I LIKE being me! And somehow I wonder if one day you'll just…get sick of it and try to get rid of me somehow. Oh, maybe you won't up and throw my medal away, but…well…I guess this is my fault. I was so wrapped up in MY concerns I didn't think about you. I'm sorry. I guess Flute was right, I did need a kick in the medabutt."

Ikki was silent. Then he smiled slightly.

"Apology accepted! Now let's get to work! This time we're definitely to beat him!"

"You betcha! I know her moves now! Flute may as well have trained with his grandmother, because his bot is going to be ancient history!"

"History!" Ikki repeated, as he locked hands with his medabot. "We'll show him a whole new tune!"

"Yeah!"

From the shadows of the tree, Rokusho watched as the medabot and his medafighter walked away as they crowed on how they were going to win.

"At least they're confident." Baton said from Rokusho's shoulder.

"Confidence alone does not win a Robattle. But I am sure Ikki will be the key. The question is…will he open the door to heaven…or the gates to hell? Until then, I will watch. I just hope this goes well."

Unknown to Ikki, he was being watched. But not just by Rokusho, but by a dark eye that shone worth from even deeper shadows, an eye through which a black gaze shone, a beacon of hate.

"So, you live to fight another day Mr. Tenryou…" a dark voice said. Everything around him was dancing shadows, a crazy ballet causes by the very little light in the room. "I hope you enjoy it, because it will be the last time!"

The figure turned, his hateful gaze looking down apon the rows and rows of figures below him…and slowly turned his gaze up to the largest and darkest shadow of all, close to him, in proximity and in heart.

"Soon…soon I will have my revenge…and Mr. Tenryou will learn the price is far more then his childish mind could ever conceive of paying! And it will be a price he pays in full!"

The figure reared back his head and roared laughter, a sound no sane man could ever make.

And as if in response, red pools of burning crimson opened in the darkest shadow.

All it did was hiss.

Well, just when you think all the players have been introduced! Who is in the shadows? What is his grudge against Ikki Tenryou? And will Ikki find out about it in time? Will he and Erika finally find out the truth that lurks in the shadows of Flute's cloak? And will the next book Metabee reads be "A Farewell to Arms?" Find out next time in…

Chapter 6: Revelations

More Medabots, More Power!