Epilogue: Home is Where The Heart Is
He almost made it, but Ikki caught him in the corner of his eye.
"HEY! Merer, where do you think you're going?" Ikki said, dashing over to the scarred medafighter. Merer sighed. It figures.
"I'm leaving. The battle's over, we won, the bad guy's going to jail, and I'm tired and hurt. So I'm going someplace other then here."
"Maybe you think I have a short memory, but I don't! You made a promise, Mr. Pimon. If I beat you, you go home! And I beat you! I would think in regards to your life, you would be a man who keeps your word."
Merer sighed.
"Life. On that note, let me just say what I should have said. It's not that easy Ikki…"
"Why not?" Metabee said, walking up as he started adding his two cents. "It's not like your parents hated you for failing. They would be happy to have their supposedly dead son back."
"That's just the point Metabee! To the world, I'm dead! To them, I'm gone! You say I'm slowly killing them, by not being there…but how can I be sure being there will be any better? If I go home, go back…there will be questions. How can I explain to them where I've been, why I did what I did…I've been such a bad son…" Merer said, burying his face in one hand.
"Then make it up to them. Any way you can."
"Ikki, this isn't some movie. I can't just swear improvement and expect a screen that says "And they lived happily ever after" to come up. God…eight years…all because of one lost robattle…what a petty spiteful person I've become…maybe it would be better if Merer Pimon just died. Maybe Flute should be my future…for the ultimate greater good…but damn…just one lost robattle…"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot!" Mr. Referee said as he walked up, having seen the Select Corps detained Dr. Meta-Evil off. "I was going to say something, but you two started fighting and then that nutcase showed up and there were all those explosions…anyway, you were right, Merer Pimon. That referee who called your tournament was indeed expelled for corruption and a variety of other charges of bribery and general unfairness. The evidence was from several different robattles, but it was suspected he had his hand in dozens more…including yours."
"Good for you." Merer said, not very nicely. What was the point of this?
"I'm not finished! Apon reviewing such evidence, in collaboration with my own observations that you clearly do not use illegal medabot parts, we came to a quick decision! So, on behalf of the World Medabot Federation, Mr. Referee, officially overturn the results of the 14th Annual Chin Tyu Robattle Tournament and award the victory to the runner up, you, Merer Pimon!"
And before Merer could respond, Mr. Referee produced a small bronze plaque and handed it to him. "It's not a trophy, but it's the best we could do on such short notice, and we will make sure all future histories are properly changed!"
Merer blinked, and then slowly looked at the small plaque and then back to Mr. Referee.
"……………………………Thank you."
"Not a problem! I hate cheaters myself! Well, I think that's everything! See ya all!" Mr. Referee said, and ran off.
Ikki was going to say something, but stopped when he saw Merer looking at his plaque, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Such a small thing…such effort and pain…for such a small thing…and yet I find now that I have it…it doesn't seem to matter all that much any more."
"Does that mean…" Ikki said, and trailed off. Speech would be a detriment to the moment."
" "What other dungeon is so dark as one's own heart! What jailer so inexorable as one's self!" Nathaniel Hawthorne." Merer said, and then slowly put the plaque away in a pocket.
"Master." Starkiller said, walking up and offering Merer the cloak he had tossed off some time ago. "Your garment."
Merer took it, moving his hands along the fabric until he found where the hood was, the hood that had once covered his face, hiding it in shadow, the shadow that lurked in his own being. Threatening to consume him.
Merer sighed.
" "No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true." Hawthorne again." Merer said, and then with a quick jerk he grabbed the hood and ripped it off the cloak.
"RIP Flute. I thought you were my future. But you're not. You're just an echo of the past…a past better left dead and buried." Merer said, and swung the cloak back over his shoulders.
"So...?" Ikki began.
"Aw man, both my medabots trashed! It'll take me forever to save up to get them both fixed!" Spyke said loudly as he joined the group that had gathered in front of Merer.
"It works out for you Spyke! That way, you can't lose any more robattles!" Samantha laughed.
"Aw man, that was low boss…" Spyke moaned. He didn't notice Merer reaching into another pocket and writing something until he passed it to him.
"Here. That should cover your repairs. Your friends as well." Merer said. Spyke looked at the check and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"Our paths part now. Farewell. Ikki, keep going. Us prodigies can only be limited by ourselves. You are proof that it's not the medabot, but what's up here, and in here." Merer said, indicating his head and chest. "A cliché, but it's true."
"What about you?"
"I will walk my path now. Wherever it goes. Triumph or tragedy, victory or defeat. But this time…I will walk in the sun."
And Merer "Flute" Pimon turned, and with a gentle breeze flapping his cloak, began to leave.
"Oh, and Metabee?"
"Yeah?" Metabee said, eager for any advice a genius medafighter could give him.
"Listen to Ikki once in a while. No man, or medabot, is an island."
"……..WHAT? You telling me what to do? Why I oughtta…! Hey you! Since we don't know if you're gonna listen, I demand the usual price for a victory: A medapart!"
"All of Starkiller's parts are specifically configured to her. Even if I gave you one, it wouldn't work."
"Well you're the mechanical genius! Build me one!"
"Great. Look me up in the phone book." Merer said as he began to disappear over a hill.
"Ok…HEY WAIT! THE WORLD THINKS YOU'RE DEAD! YOU WON'T BE IN THE PHONE BOOK!"
"Well, I guess that's your problem." Merer said, and with that, he was gone, a slight burst of flute music carrying back like laughter at Metabee's plight.
"GIYIYIYYIYIIYIYYIIYI! I swear, next time I'm gonna medabop that guy so hard he'll…!"
"Enough Metabee. Let's go home. It's been a long day." Ikki said.
And with that, the group left the site that Meta-Evil had desired to be their graveyard, but in the end was only a platform for their own skill and determination.
And one last question.
"Hey dudes, where did the Rubberrobos go?"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh. No wonder this stuff is so expensive!" Seymour said as he sipped the wine from the glass. His companions were expressing similar pleasures.
"Well, the boss might have turned out to be a total nutcase, but he built some nice medals." Shrimpy said.
"Yep! And they're even nicer when you can sell them to a rich collector who totally bought our story! Yeah, they're rare…but with the M-Bots gone, they're also worthless! HA HA! It is so nice to outsmart someone for a change!" Seymour said.
"It ain't so great. I prefer Pepsi." Guido said.
"Well go buy some! For once we have money! Lots of it! HA HA!" Seymour said, enjoying his little victory and the fact he was eating at such a fancy restaurant.
"Yeah, but that begs the question Seymour. What do we do with all the money we now have?" Gilda asked.
"My dear Gillgirl, there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow! But let me say, we can do anything we want! The boss had a few plans I overheard, and if they don't pan out, we can always think of something ourselves! But for now, let us just relax and think that while we didn't beat the kids, we won anyway!"
"I'll drink to that!"
"To us!"
"And our surely profitable future!"
"Well at least I can buy clean socks now."
CLINK!
In the process of trying to get the truck out of the wrecked area that had mostly been devastated by Omni-Emporer, no one saw the small feline figure leap from the nearest tree onto the truck roof.
Ikki's group had dwindled down to himself, Erika, Karen, and Koji, along with their medabots by the time Mr. Referee caught up to them again.
"Hey! Wait!"
"Ahhhh! You again? Man, you must really like us!" Metabee said.
"No. I just have one more thing to do before I quit for the day!"
"Oh? What's that?" Koji asked.
"Due to the actions of the past several days, we have had to made more then a few revisions to the Medafighter ranks. And it is custom to tell the most important person in person."
"What?" Ikki and Koji said at the same time, before Mr. Referee handed Ikki a small chart.
"Congratulations, Ikki Tenryou! You defeated the medabot Starkiller, along with having a big hand in defeating Omni-Emporer, and by virtue of those victories have prove yourself worthy of this position! You are now the No 1 Medafighter in Japan!"
Both Ikki and Koji's jaw hit the ground. A second later Erika's jaw followed suit.
"No way!" Ikki and Koji said, echoing each other again.
"Yes! Well done!" Mr. Referee said, and started to leave.
"YES! YES! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ikki and Metabee yelled, as they jumped into each other's arms and started dancing. Koji grabbed up the dropped chart and saw that he was now No 3, behind the ever-cocky Space Medafighter X.
"I don't believe it. Why? WHY?" Koji said.
"Yeah! I-AM-NUMBER 1! NO MATTER IF YOU LIKE IT! HERE, TAKE IT DOWN AND WRITE IT! I-AM-NO 1! HEY-HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!" Ikki and Metabee sang as they danced around. Koji buried his head in his hands.
"How could that old piece of junk succeed? Where I failed?"
"Don't worry Koji, there's always tomorrow." Sumilidon said.
"What a story! Stop the presses!" Erika said. Karen looked confused.
"Do you even have presses to run?"
Mr. Referee's cell phone trilled. He stopped and answered it.
"What does it take to be No 1? Two is not a winner, and three no one remembers! What…"
"Hold it! Last minute change!" Mr. Referee said as he ran back and grabbed up the chart. Ikki and Metabee stopped.
"Huh?"
"Apparently while you and your friends were dealing with Omni-Emperor, Space Medafighter X beat several new challengers. So he is number 1 again. Sorry, that's just the way it goes." Mr. Referee said. And with that he left Ikki and Metabee standing in shock.
"No 1…we had it…we had it…" Metabee moaned.
"AHHAHAHA! YOU AIN'T NO 1!" Koji sang, and began doing his own dance. "What does it take to be No 1? Two is not a winner, and three no one remembers…" Koji trailed off. "Wait, I think I just insulted myself."
"Well, the fact that we were No 1 for a second means it is obtainable! Come on Ikki! Tomorrow is another day!" Metabee said, and ran for home.
"Yes, and with God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again!" Ikki said.
"WHAT?"
"Sorry, Merer got me in a quoting mood…"
"Ok buddy…" The Select Corps member said as he finished undoing the locks that held their prisoner in the truck. "Don't make a fuss and we won't have to…"
The truck doors swung open to reveal nothing but some discarded restraints.
"……..HEY! HE'S ESCAPED!"
"ESCAPE!"
"SEAL OFF THE PERIMETER!"
"GET AIR UNITS UP!"
"HURRY!"
The Select Corps's efforts were destined to be in vain, as a small figure crawled through a forest a long way from where they were searching. A small cat prowled next to them as they made their way through the woods. For the moment, their destination was unknown, but they would find one. And begin anew.
The rage burned in Meta-Evil. Bubbling over, he raised his head to the sky and screamed.
"JUST YOU WAIT! YOU WILL PAY IN BLOOD, IKKI TENRYOU! AND YOU AS WELL, MERER PIMON! TIME IS ENDLESS! AS IS MY HATRED! AND ONE DAY, WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, META-EVIL WILL RETURN, AND YOU WILL DIE SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The bell rang, which greatly startled Suzanne. Because the bell would only ring if someone was at the door. But to get through the door, you had to come through the gate at the beginning of the driveway, and the only way to open that gate was to be buzzed in, or know the code, which only she and her employers knew. Now, a burglar might not try to come in through the open gate, but they certainly wouldn't ring the bell.
Some childish prank, by some agile little brat who had managed to climb over the gates, probably.
"Who is it Suzanne?"
"No one! Don't get up!" Suzanne said, as she headed for the front door.Well, if they hadn't run off like the cowards they probably were, she was going to give them hell.
"Listen you…!" Suzanne yelled as she opened the front door. And then she went silent as she saw a ghost.
Merer wasn't surprised to see Suzanne. She had always been a great help.
"Really Suzanne. Not changing the code in eight years. I know it's a complicated code but still…not very responsible."
Suzanne let out a small scream and stumbled back.
"No, you're…how. You…"
"It's ok Suzanne. It's me."
"But how…?"
"Suzanne? Are you all right?" came a concerned voice. Suzanne's eyes widened, and she turned, trying to find an explanation before…
And then Serenity and Williard came into the hall, and Suzanne faltered. Too late.
For a moment the three just stared at each other, Serenity and Williard in sheer shock, and Merer as if he was deciding whether to stand or run away.
And then Serenity came forward, slowly, as if expecting Merer to vanish. Slowly, she reached up and touched the terrible burn on the side of his face.
"………..Merer?"
"………………………Hi Mom."
And then Serenity broke down as she fell apon her son, holding him as if she would never let him go and weeping openly.
"It's ok Mother. I'm back."
"….No…MY SON! MY SON!" Williard said as he ran over and joined in the embrace. Merer hugged his father too.
Suzanne just stared, wondered if she was dreaming, barely seeing the black and blue medabot walk in the door behind Merer and stand next to her, holding a pair of sunglasses and looking quite happy.
But she recognized the medabot. Years ago, she had thrown it out…even after it made, at the time, a foolish and hopeless vow…
"….Starlight?"
"Once…and maybe once again…" Starkiller said, as she watched the family reunion.
"You brought him back."
"I said I would." Starkiller said. War is over. Time for peace.
"My son…how…they told us you were dead? What happened? Where have you been?"
"There're time for that later Dad. But I'll tell you. It's a long tale…but in the end it has no real point. Only this does."
Merer wiped away a tear.
"I'm home."
BOOHOOHOOHOOHOO! BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! That is just so….WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Snort) Ok, I'm better now. Well, now that Merer has finished his quest, it's time to tally up the stats!
Starkiller, the ultimate medabot designed by the genius medabot prodigy Merer "Flute" Pimon, defeats Whitesword, Gokudo, Spidar, Landmotor, Sumilidon, Peppercat, Totalizer, Cyandog, Kanteroth, Arcbeatle, and a whole bunch of other medabots, BUT
Ultimately falls to fellow prodigy Ikki and Metabee, courtesy of the Medaforce!
Good thing too, as that snapped Merer out of his funk, and allowed him and Starkiller, along with Metabee, Sumilidon, Kanteroth, Peppercat, Totalizer, Cyandog (and Crosserdog!), Rokusho, Brass, and Neutranurse, to defeat the Rubberrobos M-Bots and Meta-Evil's Omni-Emporer!
So, ultimately, the good guys win! Thanks for reading!
MORE MEDABOTS, MORE POWER!
The End