The scandal continues: see the beginning for all disclaimers.
~ * Part Seven: Distraction by Robattle (In More Ways than One) * ~
The tiny bell mounted on the inside of the Hop Mart's entrance jingled merrily as Samantha shoved the door violently open and stormed outside. Her thick chestnut bangs swayed from side to side, briefly obscuring part of her face. Considering the fact that if looks could kill, Samantha would have become a mass murderer at that instant, it could be considered a small mercy that only part of her enraged expression was visible.
For once the rest of the Screws gang was not right at her heels. Samantha figured that meant the boys' survival instincts were fully functional. Still, she had little doubt that they'd be along shortly – after giving her a few minutes to cool down.
Considering she had needed to leave the store before she killed somebody, Samantha could not fault their precaution.
Actually, she appreciated the fact that they weren't right there, for the last thing she needed right then was anybody, even somebody she considered a friend slash lackey, hovering around her asking questions.
With an aggravated sigh, Samantha closed her burning aquamarine eyes and massaged her forehead with two fingertips in an attempt to alleviate the pounding headache she had acquired.
(I really need to pound something. Especially Koji's pretty boy face in.)
It was one of the rich boy's remarks, in fact, that had caused Samantha to seek refuge outside the Hop Mart – though she'd much have preferred the alternative option of punching his lights out.
(He may look nice, but jeez! He's worse than the creeps at school!)
Then again, the jerks that had teased her with suggestive comments at school were constrained by the ever-present threat of punishment from the teachers – especially Coach Mountain, always looking for more troublemakers to enroll in his hardcore workouts. Koji, on the other hand, was limited only by the ever-oblivious Karin's presence, causing all of his comments to be a bit more sly and subtle though clear enough to Samantha.
(I really need to break something, or someone…)
Samantha briefly contemplated the wisdom of going back into the Hop Mart and force-feeding Koji a knuckle sandwich or two. However, she recognized that Henry would probably not take very kindly to a fistfight inside the store during his shift. Since having the young adult as a friend could be useful at times (not to mention the fact that he was kind of cute), it seemed unwise to risk his wrath.
Abruptly her turquoise eyes snapped open and focused upon the figure of a complete stranger standing several feet away from her. While the girl wasn't doing anything to bother Samantha, and hadn't even moved from her spot at the corner since the leader of the Screws had come storming outside, Samantha gave her an appraising glare anyway.
The girl appeared to be roughly the same age, perhaps a year or two older at most, as Samantha and the rest of the gang. She was clad rather plainly: the front of her gray jacket was unzipped, revealing the ivory blouse underneath with a glittering silver snowflake. Faded blue jeans and white and blue sneakers helped further cause the girl to fade into the background. The only thing really remarkable about her was the locks of white-blonde hair that framed her face, cut in a simple style that just brushed her shoulders.
None of this, however, caught Samantha's attention. That was reserved primarily for the blue and white device strapped to the stranger's wrist.
(Perfect.)
"Hey, you!" called Samantha, straightening up and pointing at the stranger.
A pair of half-lidded blue eyes slowly raised to regard the auburn-haired girl. The challenged blinked once, then pointed at herself, planting one slim finger right on the center of the silvery snowflake design.
"…Me?" was the soft, simple reply.
"Yeah, you! Are you a medafighter?" and turquoise eyes fixed meaningfully on the watch on the stranger's wrist.
"…I am," the girl with white-blonde hair answered.
"Then I challenge you to a robattle!"
Pale blue eyes met blazing aquamarine eyes for a few heartbeats, quietly reading the challenge in those flaming orbs. Then the frost-haired girl's head bobbed once, twice in a short nod of acknowledgement. She pushed away from the brick wall and raised her meda-watch in front of her.
"Then so be it."
Samantha smirked.
"Transport Peppercat!" she shouted.
With a burst of blue electricity the body of her medabot partner was instantly summoned to stand in front of her. Quickly inserting the Queen medal into its proper position, Samantha stepped back and watched her opponent expectantly, the familiar rush of adrenaline that accompanied any robattle already surging through her veins.
"Transport Frosiren," her opponent called, her voice oddly lacking the same excitement Samantha felt at the prospect of a good fight.
Peppercat and Samantha both narrowed their eyes slightly as they studied the medabot that was summoned. It was quite obviously female, its body clad in a white bodice with silver and blue trim. Long, shapely white legs were completely bare save for two clear blue bracelets at the ankles, matching the bracelets on her slender arms. Puffy blue sleeves with silver trim cut off at the very top to bare the strange medabot's shoulders.
The girl stepped up behind her medabot to insert her medal. The moment it was in place, the medabot's eyes flared with light – a pale ice blue.
Strangest of all was the white skirt extending straight out from the waist and curving slightly downward. At first, Samantha didn't understand the reasoning behind this odd design, but when the pale medabot leaned forward and bowed to Peppercat, it suddenly became clear.
The 'spikes' of the dress, when viewed from above, fanned out in a lacy design that resembled a multi-pronged snowflake. Looking closer, Samantha realized that the medabot's entire ensemble was based on that same wintry motive.
"A Snow Maiden type, then," she mused aloud, grimacing.
The Snow Maiden type, or SMD, was one of several designs created primarily to appeal to girls more interested in 'pretty' medabots. While they, like all medabots, could fight, and in the right hands with the right medal could possibly even be powerful fighters, they were created more as glorified, expensive dolls. Samantha felt vaguely disappointed: here she was hoping for a real intense robattle to take her mind off her troubles for a bit, and what did she get?
(Ugh, Robo-Barbie. …Well, might as well make the best of it.)
"How pretty," she hissed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's see how nice your cutesy little fairy looks when Peppercat's finished dragging her through the mud!"
"We'll see how it goes," returned her opponent coolly, regarding the Screw leader with icy blue eyes.
"Then it's agreed!"
Samantha winced, resisting the urge to turn and see whatever odd thing the strange little man that served as judge for all the official robattles in the area was doing this time for his entrance. However, that soon became clear when a trash can rolled past her – and kept right on rolling until it struck a lamppost a few feet down the road with a terrific ringing clang. After it finished spinning in place, a very dizzy Mr. Referee shakily climbed out and staggered back to stand between the facing-off medabots.
"I officially declare this a submission robattle!" he began the familiar speech.
~ * ~
Inside the Hop Mart, Henry looked up toward the storefront window and blinked twice in surprise.
"Hmm, and here I thought Samantha went outside just to cool off for a bit," he commented, smiling slightly. "Looks like she found something more interesting than listening to you guys discuss her and Ikki's love life…"
"Huh?" was the collective response of the rest of the kids as all eyes turned toward the front.
For several seconds, the group watched as Mr. Referee continued his spiel, while Samantha and Peppercat faced off with an unfamiliar girl and her medabot. Not surprisingly, Spyke was the first to break the moment.
"Boss!" he shouted, springing from his seat and bolting toward the door.
"Hold it, Spyke!"
Spyke paused, one hand already resting on the door to shove it open, and looked back at Henry with wide, confused eyes.
"Let's just watch from in here for now," the store clerk suggested, waving the boy to a seat closer to the window. "If we all charge out there at once, it'll distract Samantha from her robattle, right?"
(Besides, I think it's probably not best not to remind her about us just yet,) Henry added silently to himself. (If this helps take her mind off her troubles for a bit…)
He joined the rest of the gang as they collectively moved closer to the window for a better view of the action. Koji once again tried to sit next to Karin and drape his arm around her, only to slip off his seat as she leaned forward for a closer look at the unfamiliar medabot. Spyke hesitated, then suddenly pressed the surface of his meda-watch, summoning Krosserdog.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Rintaro inquired.
"I thought Krosserdog might want to watch too," explained Spyke, and indicated Brass with a casual wave of his hand as he added, "After all, she's watching…"
"Good point," and Karin followed suit by calling Neutranurse.
That, of course, made Koji and Rintaro immediately follow their example, summoning Sumilidon and Kantaroth. Sloan shrugged and decided to call Totalizer as well, figuring that if everyone else was doing it, he might as well too. The group of kids and medabots then huddled around the window, watching intently.
Only Erika stood apart from the group, camera in front of her glassy chocolate eyes, ready to capture every last second of the fight about to erupt outside…
~ * ~
"Medafighters ready, robattle!"
The instant that Mr. Referee finished his speech and brought his hand down in the familiar signal, Peppercat lunged forward with one paw raised high, electricity crackling from the tips of her claws. Frosiren shifted her weight from one delicate leg to the other, preparing to counter the charge.
However, before she could react, the scarlet medabot halted her charge just a few inches away and vaulted backwards out of reach. The SMD-type's ice blue eyes flickered with confusion, and she paused, regarding her feline opponent warily.
Samantha smirked, pleased to see that the tactic had at least some effect. While she had been hoping that the abrupt switch would fool the snowflake-styled medabot into launching her special attack so that she could see what it was, it hadn't quite worked. Still, if she played it unpredictable enough, maybe that would give her more of an edge…
"Frosiren, Diamond Dance," her opponent murmured into her meda-watch, so softly that Samantha could not overhear the quiet command.
The SMD-type's eyes glistened frostily, and she crossed her slender arms, the large silver bracelets adorning her wrists striking each other with a crystal-clear chime. Peppercat hesitated, giving her adversary a wary once-over.
Abruptly the blue jewels decorating the silver bracelets glowed brightly. Frosiren swept her arms out, and a hail of tiny blue diamonds shot towards the startled Peppercat. The feline medabot nimbly leaped up, flipping backwards to avoid the sharp sleet.
Sparing a quick glance up to check her opponent's position, Peppercat noticed several things at once.
Firstly, she saw that the jewels on Frosiren's bracelets had vanished.
Secondly, the tiny jewels were more like sharp little icicles, and were embedded in the concrete where seconds before she had been standing.
Thirdly, similar bracelets also adorned Frosiren's ankles, and a silver headband lined with ice jewels topped her pale blue hair.
The snow maiden gazed calmly at her opponent, frigid blue eyes gleaming like a sheet of ice in the morning sun. Suddenly, Frosiren was also in the air, and streaking directly towards Peppercat. While in midair, she began to spin rapidly, scattering the deadly jewel hail in all directions.
"Peppercat!" shouted Samantha.
The feline medabot dimly heard her medafighter's shout: at that instant, she was more focused on dodging as many of the tiny projectiles as she could. Peppercat twisted about sharply, arcing and arching her body from side to side. It was a true feat of agility that she was able to avoid being completely blanketed by the piercing rain.
Still, even the agile feline could not avoid the wide ranged assault entirely. The CAT-type landed hard on all fours, her armor visibly dented from where the icicle rain had struck her limbs.
'Left arm: 20% damage. Right arm: 15% damage. Legs: 30% damage.'
Samantha grimaced as her meda-watch reported the results she could see clearly enough just by looking at her partner. Peppercat let out a soft yowl, standing back up, electricity already starting to spark around her claws.
Frosiren landed on her feet a short distance away, assuming a graceful dancer's pose, one leg in front of the other, arms stretched outwards, head lowered. She seemed to be bowing mockingly to her opponent, a fact that was not lost on either Peppercat or her medafighter. The CAT-type hissed angrily in reply.
Samantha glared, not just at the SMD-type but at the young woman standing behind the medabot. The frost-haired girl seemed unaffected by her dark expression, her own features oddly neutral. Samantha couldn't read any sort of triumph or smugness on her opponent's face – indeed, there appeared to be no emotion at all.
Yet that somehow disturbing fact was pushed out of mind by a far more pressing issue. Although there was no cocky smirk to wipe off of her adversary's face, that didn't lessen her desire to win.
Turquoise eyes narrowed, studying the Snow Maiden medabot intently. Like Peppercat, Samantha had noticed the origin of the shining hail. The jewels on the silver bracelets glowed again, readying another wave.
"Get ready," she snarled into her meda-watch, and Peppercat nodded slightly to acknowledge the warning.
"Diamond Dance," the blonde girl commanded once more.
Another wave of gemstone missiles streaked forward, this time in a fan pattern directly in front of Frosiren. Peppercat leapt upward to avoid the attack, and Samantha gasped.
The leader of the Screws hadn't stopped her scrutiny of Frosiren for a moment, not even snapping her head up to follow her medabot as she flipped through the air. In that instant, the analysis paid off.
Frosiren brought her arms back to launch another assault, and Samantha got a clear look at her bracelets – specifically, the spaces where the jewels normally rested.
They were completely empty.
Although this soon changed, the tiny holes shimmering as the missiles regenerated, Samantha smirked confidently. Now she had something to work with…
"Peppercat, she's vulnerable immediately after launching those ice bullets," she informed her partner through the direct communication link in her meda-watch. "If you can get her to shoot all of them at once…"
"Myaaaow," Peppercat replied, letting her medafighter know she'd heard without responding in a way that might give away their plan.
(Another advantage of having a CAT-type,) gloated Samantha privately as she watched her partner dart forward.
The white-blonde haired girl arched an eyebrow at the feline medabot's charge.
(It would appear she's as impulsive as the reports have indicated…)
"Frosiren, finish her off," she commanded.
The SMD-type nodded once, then sprang to meet Peppercat's charge. Once again she span about in midair, launching her tiny missiles in every direction.
Several of the icy bullets pelted the CAT-type's armor – yet, instead of attempting to dodge, she kept moving forward. Two pairs of ice blue eyes widened slightly with astonishment.
"Finish it, Peppercat! Electric Shock!"
"Mrrrrrreeeowwww!"
Five claws latched onto Frosiren's right arm, the other five clamping onto the SMD-type's head. Frosiren's frigid blue eyes lit up with shock – then flashed with agony as crackling currents of blue lightning engulfed her slight frame. Delicate snow white limbs convulsed, straining desperately. Silver bracelets gleamed, reflecting the light given off by the electricity, blue jewels glowing as they materialized for another attack…
Then the light dimmed out, and the clear sound of a medal striking the pavement rang out.
"Function ceased!" Mr. Referee announced, raising one of his arms sharply to one side. "The winner is… Peppercat!"
"All right!" the leader of the Screws exulted, pumping one fist into the air. "Another perfect victory for Peppercat!"
The feline medabot purred, tail lashing from side to side, and she stood over her fallen enemy for a little while longer. Catching sight of movement out of the corner of her eye, Peppercat glanced over and felt another rush of pride.
Through the Hop Mart's window, she could clearly see everyone inside. Nearly all of the gathered were cheering for them, the sole exceptions being Koji and Sumilidon. This detail hardly bothered Peppercat: she knew Koji could be a stubborn brat sometimes, and it was hardly the Saber-Tooth Tiger medabot's fault he'd been stuck with such a prissy kid for a medafighter.
Everyone else appeared ecstatic, however. Spyke and Krosserdog were obviously cheering loudly for their boss, as were the somewhat more subdued Sloan and Totalizer, though she couldn't hear them through the glass. Considering the way Rintaro and Kantaroth appeared to be carrying on, she felt that was probably a good thing.
Karin and Neutranurse were clapping, faces lit up with delight. Henry just smiled to himself, pleased. Even Brass looked happy to have seen her friend win a robattle. Erika, however… Well, she couldn't see the journalist's expression, as it was hidden behind her camera.
As nice as their excitement over her victory was, however, it was mere icing on the cake for Peppercat. The real treasure was the pleasure she glimpsed in her medafighter's aquamarine eyes as she turned toward Samantha.
Of course Peppercat knew about the entire scandal already. She'd overheard practically everything that was said to Samantha, as well as the leader of the Screws' angry comments on her situation. After all, there wasn't much she could do in the meda-watch other than listen.
But at least Samantha's mind had been taken off her personal problems for a bit thanks to the thrill of a well-won victory. The CAT-type glanced back to her fallen opponent with satisfaction.
The frost-haired girl, meanwhile, still hadn't shown much emotion. Even her loss failed to elicit a big response. Instead, she merely walked over, knelt behind her fallen medabot, and picked up its medal, placing it back in her meda-watch. She then called back Frosiren's beaten body, teleporting it away.
"Which meda-part do you desire?" she asked Samantha – the first sound she'd made since Frosiren fell to the sidewalk.
"Eh?" Samantha double-blinked, more than a little surprised by how calmly her opponent was taking her defeat.
(Then again, with a medabot like hers, maybe she's used to losing…)
Quickly regaining her composure, Samantha smirked.
"Oh, I don't know," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, hinting that she really didn't feel the need to obtain a part from a weak adversary. "I guess a pair of legs would work…"
The girl with pale blue eyes just nodded, and pressed a few buttons on her meda-watch. A thin beam of light connected her meda-watch with Samantha's for a heartbeat as the requested meda-part was transferred, then tapered away. Samantha's smug smirk widened as she noted she had indeed received a pair of legs exactly like the ones currently on Frosiren's body.
"Well, then, I suppose our business together is completed," the white-blonde haired girl stated, and bowed once toward Samantha before turning and starting to walk off.
"H-hey, wait just a sec!" cried Samantha, completely taken aback by the other's odd behavior.
The girl paused and glanced back at her, face still completely composed save for one thin eyebrow raising slightly.
"I don't even know your name," Samantha pointed out. Regaining her usual smug smirk, she added, "It's hard enough keeping track of all the people I've beaten without having some run off without even bothering to tell me who they are."
The pale girl did not reply immediately, but remained where she was, looking back at Samantha for some time. The Screw leader felt a mild prickling sensation at the base of her neck, but managed to hide her sudden discomfort. She couldn't figure out what was causing it, though – after all, hadn't she just beaten this girl? She was no threat, nameless or not…
"It's… Sairen," she finally replied, icy eyes glittering softly as they reflected the sunlight. "Sairen Shimoha."
"Sairen," repeated Samantha. Grinning nastily, she jerked a thumb at the Hop Mart's window, pointing out Erika standing with her camera in front of her. "I'll be sure to let her know that for her big report on my latest victory, then."
Sairen failed to reply to that, simply turning away and walking down the street, away from the confused Screw leader.
"…Weird girl," Samantha observed, shaking her head. Looking over at her medabot, she smiled and praised, "Nice work, Peppercat. That was another perfect victory."
"Boss, I have a request," Peppercat said abruptly, turning her light blue gaze to her medafighter.
"Huh? What is it?" asked a confused Samantha.
"…I'd like to spend some time alone, if I may," the CAT-type requested carefully, watching her master's expression closely. "I've got a few things I'd like to take care of by myself…"
Samantha considered, and decided to allow her partner to do her own thing. What could it hurt? She trusted Peppercat enough to know the feline medabot wouldn't do anything foolish while she was on her own.
"Sure, go ahead. Just be sure to meet me back home before it gets too dark," she consented, nodding.
"Thanks, Boss," and the nimble CAT-type turned and dashed away.
Samantha gazed after her, then back at the Hop Mart's doors. Suppressing a sigh, she started back inside. While the prospect of facing Koji again wasn't entirely pleasant, she wasn't about to let his crude comments ruin her enjoyment of basking in the glow of everyone else's praises for her victory.
~ * ~
Meanwhile, the girl called Sairen Shimoha had ducked into an alleyway a few blocks down the street from the Hop Mart. Frosiren kneeled in front of her: the SMD-type's damaged parts had been traded out for spares she always kept on hand. Despite being fully functional once more, however, Frosiren's slumped posture and bowed head hinted that she wasn't feeling her best.
"Forgive me, mistress," she pleaded softly, unable to keep a faint tremor out of her sweet voice. "My loss was…"
"Perfectly alright," interjected the frost-haired girl, causing the SMD-type to look up at her in astonishment.
"…Excuse me?"
"It's fine, Frosiren," Sairen repeated, smiling faintly to reassure her medabot. "In fact, it's working out better than I planned... It's best if she and her friends don't see me as a threat. That will make it all the more fun…"