Medabots: Open Ring
Chapter VI : Mistrust
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"Trust is never given...
It is always earned."
- Verse IX of XII
=====
"I've never seen so many people in one place! Even the HEX Corp. building was small deals compared to this..."
"Shut your faceplate, Helixbeetle... We need to keep our cover."
Kaito and Helixbeetle were scoping out the scenery at the open-air Medabot Expo, besides looking for Ikki and the others. Sonicstag had been left behind to watch over NAVI and keep an eye on things in general. But, despite Helixbeetle's apparent lack of stealth in the operation, Kaito had to admit that there was a massive amount of people gathering at the expo. Long ranks of booths had been set up, each displaying some new or unknown medapart or medal; or discussing new tactics and developments in the medabot industry.
One thing that caught Kaito's particular interest was the large podium at the middle of the expo grounds, which was covered by a large white tabard that enveloped some sort of rectangular-shaped object.
"I see that the young pupil still has his prodigious amount of curiosity."
Kaito spun around in alarm, and then stopped dead in shock as he found himself staring into a pair of familiar careworn eyes. Tarou smiled as his eyes sparked with barely contained joy from recognizing his student. Grayfang still stood next to him, battered as ever.
Kaito stepped back in a daze, then slowly began to recollect himself as he managed to give a formal bow and greeting. "Greetings, Tarou, sir. It's been a long time. Have you heard from Nitane lately?"
Tarou's smile broadened. "Hah! Nitane is all right... Still in school, and learning topics in advanced radiology. Still disrespectful of the elderly, as always. You needn't give that sort of greeting to me. I've outlived such trivial matters." He turned his attention to the rows of booths as he continued. "Where have you been, young one? When I heard about the unfortunate incident regarding your parents, I came as soon as possible to check up on you... And you simply disappeared."
Kaito looked at the ground in an embarrassed manner. "I... It has a lot to do with this medabot here next to me," he managed to stutter, indicating Helixbeetle.
Tarou bent down and gave Helixbeetle a friendly grin. "Ah... So our young medafighter has been off pursuing his own dreams. This is quite a find you have here, young Kaito. I sense a lot of power in this model."
Kaito wasn't sure, but it seemed as if there was a gleam of pride in Helixbeetle's visual sensors.
Kaito nodded as he spoke up. "By the way, sir... Is it possible to pick up from where we left off? I still have much that I didn't get down..."
Tarou gave a deprecating wave of his hand as he replied. "In good time, in good time, young one. Currently, we've got bigger matters on our hands. The orphanage administration is having fits looking for you. Do you know how much worry you're giving them by your disappearance?"
"I..."
"You're still quite impulsive, although I must say not as much as when I first met you. Next time, try and use a more discreet approach to a problem."
"Yes sir."
Tarou smiled again. "Now, buck up, young one. You've still got a long life ahead of you, so keep good cheer. Now, where were we? Ahh, yes. It seems that you're being quite the datamonger at this expo... Am I not correct?"
Kaito reluctantly nodded. "Yes... Did you hear about the attack on Medabot Corp.?"
Tarou nodded gravely. "I did... Quite sad. It is said that a medabot becomes a rogue when it has lost its sense of purpose, or meaning as to its existence."
"So... you're saying that Luminoustag is puzzling over his own reason for being existent?"
"Is that what the medabot's name was? Yes, that's what I'm saying. It appears that this rogue is acting out of confusion, due to his doubts as to his place in this world. All medabots need a reason for existing, even if it's mundane. That's true for all medabots."
"I see... I've got to go now, though. Goodbye, sir... I'll call you sometime..." said Kaito, waving as he began walking away.
"It's Tarou. There's no
need to 'sir' me," chortled Tarou with a barking laugh, as he returned
the farewell.
=====
"Gotten anything yet?" asked Samantha. Peppercat sat nearby, checking out the nearby robattles.
"Nothing yet, boss. All they're talking about in my area are how chainguns work and the theories behind trap-type parts," muttered Sloan. Totalizer merely gave a shrug.
"Same thing here," said Spyke forlornly. "Not a single thing that would be of interest. Crosserdog accidentally tripped over a few display stands, but that's about it." As if in answer, Crosserdog appeared around a bend, tangled up in some conduits and circuit boards, and wearing a dazed look on its face.
"Hey!" The Screws gang turned around to see Ikki and Erika running towards them and waving a greeting. Metabee and Brass were following close behind. Samantha waved back in reply.
"Anything of interest?" asked Erika.
The Screws all shook their heads glumly. "We've been looking this place over for hours, but all those stupid street hawkers are talking about is how great their newest products are," grumbled Samantha. "Have you guys seen the others yet?"
"Koji and Karin are busy checking out the east section," replied Ikki. "Kasumi and the others are checking the north area of the expo. As for Kaito... Have you guys seen him yet?"
"Nuh-uh," Spyke answered back. "We haven't seen a sign of him. I wonder if he's late..."
Just then, a distinguished-looking man stepped onto the huge platform in the center of the exposition, where the object being covered continued to sit. Everyone in the expo immediately grew quiet. Spyke looked at the display curiously. "What's going on?" he whispered to Ikki.
"The representatives from Medabot Corp. are about to reveal their newest release model," Ikki whispered back. "There's been a lot of talk concerning this particular one, since this one is a real show-stopper, from what I hear."
The representative from Medabot Corp. walked up to the concealed object, and, eschewing any sort of ceremony, promptly removed the white cloth with a flourish. Everyone gasped and several people started to applaud, as the concealed object showed itself to be a shiny new medabot, standing on a mounting rig.
"Well, I'll be," remarked Totalizer. "It's quite a looker!"
Totalizer's remark wasn't just cheap talk. The new medabot was a Valkyrie, or VAL-type. The Valkyrie line was first developed by Medabot Corp. in answer to growing demands by young female medafighters for XX, or Female-type tinpet medapart sets that packed a powerful punch in combat, and yet looked great on the showroom floor. The Valkyrie-type medabot that stood on the podium was sheathed in full white-and-gold plate armor, and carried with it a large polearm weapon, as well as a massive kite shield. Strange-looking runes adorned the helm, shield, blade, as well as the legs of the medabot.
Erika nodded in approval as well. "Looks awesome! Let's go check it out!" Pulling Ikki by the hand, she dragged the poor boy across the expo grounds and managed to struggle through the crowd that was clustering around the podium. Dusting Ikki off in apology, she then turned her attention to the medabot. A large placard in front of the VAL-type explained its designation.
Ikki read the placard out loud. "It says that the medabot's name is Skyelder... and that its specialty is 'Crystal Halberd'. Hmmm... Wonder what it does," he muttered, as he focused his eyes on the large, shining polearm weapon that was held tightly in the VAL-type's right hand.
Suddenly, Metabee noticed something suspicious near the edge of the crowd. "Hey, Brass," he whispered. "Check out those guys over there..."
"Those gentlemen in the black suits?" Brass asked. Then, she suddenly realized what she'd seen. "Oh no..."
"They're RubberRobos!" cursed
Metabee.
=====
Over on the other side of the podium, Kaito and Helixbeetle appraised the VAL-type in frank admiration. Helixbeetle whistled. "Wow... Skyelder's a cute one..."
"Helixbeetle!" muttered Kaito through clenched teeth as he elbowed his medabot. "Not so loud! They'll hear you!"
"Whoops... Hehe, sorry," Helixbeetle said sheepishly in reply. "Almost forgot where I was. By the way, Kaito, so that was Tarou you were talking to?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. Like I told you back at the HEX Corp. building, he was the guy who taught me the basics of being a medafighter. In any case, we should get going..."
Kaito's sentence was suddenly interrupted by a massive explosion that rocked the ground and blinded everyone in the area that was looking at the podium. When everyone around the managed to readjust their eyesight, a collective gasp of shock and dismay rolled throughout the crowd as they fixed their eyes onto the center stage.
The VAL-type medabot had vanished from the mounting rig without a trace.
Immediately, the Medabot Corp. representative pulled out his cell phone and began to dial Select Corp., while other people continued to look around in shock.
Amidst the chaos Kaito abruptly spotted Ikki and Erika, who were talking with Metabee and Brass. Kaito yelled a greeting and waved to the quartet while running towards them, followed by Helixbeetle. "Hey, guys! Did you see what happened?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," replied Ikki with a grimace. "Metabee and Brass told us that they saw some RubberRobos standing around near the platform when the show suddenly fell through the floor."
Helixbeetle scratched his head. "RubberRobos?"
"The RubberRobos are a group of medafighters bent on getting their hands on rare medals," explained Brass. "They even went so far as to go after Metabee's medal at one point."
"I don't like this," muttered Metabee. "Did that Valkyrie-type have some sort of fancy medal? I wonder..."
Metabee's train of thought was suddenly derailed as Kasumi and his gang of friends appeared on the scene. Kasumi was the first to speak. "We heard the explosion as we came from the parking lot. What happened?"
"A new medabot that was being unveiled by Medabot Corp. was stolen," explained Erika. "They've already got Select Corp. agents rushing here even now... The expo's probably going to be cancelled because of this."
"Aw, nuts!" snapped Goutetsu. "And I was eager to see some new STN-type parts too!"
"That wasn't why we came here, you moron!" yelled Hiyori. "We came here to find information that might lead us to Siden!"
"Calm down, Hiyori..." Kasumi urged. He turned to Ikki. "Do we have any alternatives?"
"Well, we could go to Medabot Corp. and ask questions there," Ikki replied. "Of course, we might not be able to get in. Medabot Corp. is still closed off to the public due to Luminoustag's attack."
Several sirens abruptly blared into the air, signalling the arrival of Select Corp. gunships and armored vehicles, as Select Corp. agents and medabots began pouring into the expo grounds.
"Whatever we do," muttered Fubuki,
"we'd better leave this place. It's chaotic enough right now as it
is without Select Corp. running in and turning the place upside-down."
=====
The next day found Kaito and Helixbeetle walking walking about town, still wondering about what exactly had happened there at the expo. Ikki and the others were off trying to find information leading to Siden's whereabouts and more information regarding STARLEAF. The only question in Kaito's mind, however, was...
How did the perpetrators manage to sneak off with an entire medabot without being spotted by someone?
Kaito shook his head. Helixbeetle looked at him with a scrutinizing glance. "Something bothering you, Kaito?"
"It's just that... How did the crooks manage to sneak off with a whole medabot without being noticed? I know that a medapart is fairly easy to steal, but an entire medabot? This wasn't just some low-level crime... This was a professional job if they managed to sneak off the Tin-Pet and all."
"HELLPP!!!"
Kaito abruptly turned and heard a scream from a nearby alley. "You hear that, Helixbeetle?"
"Yeah... C'mon!"
The two cautiously looked into the alleyway and found themselves looking at a teenage girl, clothed in strange shiny clothing of some sort, and wearing large black sunglasses. The girl seemed to be cornering a young boy and his medabot, who were trying as hard as possible to run up against the end of the alley.
"Fine with me. Kid! Hand over your medabot and medal!"
"N-no! I took months just to save up to buy him! You can't have Tankshell!"
"Damnit!! I can't take this sort of injustice anymore!" Kaito exclaimed. "I'm going to teach her a lesson!" The medafighter sprang to his feet and ran into the alley.
"Kaito! Wait!" Helixbeetle yelled.
"Got anything better to do than bullying little kids!?" Kaito shouted. The girl turned, and started back in surprise when she saw the young teenager standing behind her.
"You're a pretty gutsy fellow to try and take me on," grinned the girl. "Tell you what. If you can beat me in a robattle, I'll let this kid and his medabot go. If you lose..."
"Yeah?" challenged Kaito.
"...You're giving me whatever medals and medaparts you've got on ya," she finished.
"You're on!" yelled Kaito. He turned to Helixbeetle. "C'mon! We've got a robattle!"
Helixbeetle sighed, shook his head, and stepped out from his hiding place. "You're taking an awful risk here, Helixbeetle. I hope you know what you're doing..."
The girl grinned, and then made a slight bow. "I guess it would be proper manners for introductions to occur first. The name's Sharkscout, of the RubberRobo gang!"
"A RubberRobo?!" exclaimed Kaito in some surprise. "Were you part of that theft at the expo yesterday?!"
"That's what you're about to find out!" crowed Sharkscout as she revealed her medawatch. "Transport Skyelder!!"
Before anything else could be said, a blinding flash of blue light shone onto the field, revealing the VAL-type medabot onto the field, holding the massive crystalline polearm and kite shield with all the poise of a veteran warrior.
Skyelder turned and saluted Sharkscout. "Ready and raring to go!"
"How can Skyelder willingly serve a person that stole her!?" muttered Kaito in disbelief to Helixbeetle.
Helixbeetle turned and sighed. "Doofus, don't you remember? Skyelder didn't have a medal at the expo! She was simply an inactive shell! Sharkscout's obviously using a medal that only obeys her!"
"Hey, are you guys going to gab all day? We've got a robattle to start!" taunted Sharkscout.
"I'm ready whenever you are!" retorted Kaito. "Give me your best shot!"
A motorcycle suddenly tore through the alley and came to a screeching crash into a pile of trash cans. Kaito and the others in the alley stared and facefaulted as the motorcycle's helmeted rider scrambled out of the garbage and dusted himself off, unhurt. The motorcyclist promptly tore off the helmet, revealing the face of...
MR. REFEREE!!
The well-known mediator of robattles everywhere brushed off the last of the garbage and turned to the two medafighters. "Then it's agreed! This is a one-on-one conditional robattle! Loser must submit all medaparts and medals to the victor! Medafighters ready!?"
"Ready!" yelled Kaito into his medawatch.
"Anytime now!" replied Sharkscout.
"MEDABOTS, ROOOOBATTTLLEEE!!!"
Kaito wasted no time in giving his command. "Helixbeetle! Start with a Tetracannon volley!"
A multiple volley of energy bolts crackled down the length of the alley as Skyelder barely blocked the attack with her kite shield. Sharkscout grinned smugly, and then gave her own command. "Skyelder! Use Evader!"
The VAL-type medabot, in response, promptly began to vault from one side of the alley to the other, somersaulting off the sides of the buildings.
"Helixbeetle! Railgun!" Kaito ordered.
"You got it!" Helixbeetle affirmed as he aimed and shot a sizzling beam from the huge cannon mounted on his left arm. Skyelder, however, merely dodged with ease and continued to vault around the alley. Kaito began to get nervous.
"Helixbeetle! Try something else! Tetracannon!"
Helixbeetle shot another volley and then cursed as Skyelder dodged every shot. "Damnit! Kaito, I'm not getting anywhere with this! She's too fast!"
Sharkscout smiled smugly again as she gave her next command. "Skyelder! Crystal Halberd!"
The Valkyrie-type abruptly vaulted off the left side of the alley and lunged forward, swinging the polearm in a wide, scything arc. There was a jarring, cracking noise as the polearm's glassy blade cut into Helixbeetle's legs, and the next moment, Skyelder vaulted and flipped backwards, staying out of range before Helixbeetle could fight back.
Helixbeetle tried to move, and then suddenly cursed again as he realized that his legs wouldn't move. "Kaito! My legs..."
"Damnit! They're frozen solid!"
The gyros in Helixbeetle's legs had been frozen solid by the arcane blade on the polearm that Skyelder wielded. Sharkscout smiled at the result and turned to Kaito. "It's over. You've lost!" Turning to Skyelder, she gave another command. "Skyelder! Use Evader again, and go for another attack run!!"
"I refuse to accept that! Helixbeetle! Try using Tetracannon!"
Helixbeetle managed to elevate himself to one knee and blasted another volley of energy bolts, but Skyelder proved to be too agile and vaulted over every single shot. Kaito steeled himself to focus, and then noticed something...
Smiling, he then issued a new command. "Helixbeetle! I've got an idea! Use your Hunter-Radar!"
Sharkscout shrugged. "Whatever... Like that's going to do any good!"
Helixbeetle, however, had a gleam in his visual sensors as his radar system began to engage. He then turned to Kaito. "Any time now, buddy!!"
Sharkscout wasn't waiting. "All right, Skyelder! Finish him off! Crystal Halberd!!"
The VAL-type somersaulted off the alley walls, and then lunged forward once more, raising her polearm...
At that critical moment, Kaito yelled his command. "Now, Helixbeetle! Railgun!!"
"IN YOUR FACE!!!!!!" Helixbeetle bellowed, as he raised his Railgun and fired. The beam sizzled forward, and caught Skyelder point-blank in her faceplate as a massive, smoking explosion resulted from the impact. There was an abrupt, loud crashing noise as something heavy and metallic crashed to the ground.
"No!! SKYELDER!!" shrieked Sharkscout. Even before the smoke cleared, the RubberRobo knew that she'd lost.
Skyelder lay on the ground, her faceplate utterly trashed and torn apart from the tremendous energy of Helixbeetle's railgun. A gleaming, golden medal with a picture of a mermaid emblazoned on it lay nearby, almost as if unaware of the battle that had occurred.
Mr. Referee gave the signal, ending the match. "FUNCTION CEASED!! THE WINNER IS KAITO AND HELIXBEETLE!!" He then nodded, and started to walk away. "Chow for now," he muttered, as he looked at the motorcycle he wrecked. "I've got to explain to the bike shop what happened..."
Kaito and Helixbeetle high-fived. "All right!! We've won!!"
"We won our first robattle!"
However, Kaito's elation was short-lived as he noticed the girl still kneeling next to Skyelder, a torn expression of grief and anger on her face as she looked up at Kaito. "You... How could a twerp like you beat me!!?" She shook her head, and her expression softened, as tears started to bead up in her eyes. "It's my loss, anyway... I was too overconfident... Go on, take her... Take Skyelder..."
She picked up the Mermaid-type medal lying on the ground and was about to proffer it to Kaito, but he suddenly shook his head and waved it away. "No... I'll let you keep her. I wasn't in desperate need of those medaparts anyway. I just wanted you to stop bullying that kid," he mumbled, as he watched the small kid and his TOT-type medabot look up at him with gratitude and scramble away.
"But..." She looked at Skyelder's body, which still lay motionless on the ground, and then her face darkened in sudden anger as she turned back to Kaito. "No! I don't need your sympathy! I don't need anyone's!!"
Pressing a button on her medawatch, she recalled Skyelder's wrecked body and began to dash away, before turning back to Kaito. "Next time we meet, don't expect me to go easy on you! We WILL meet again!" She then dashed down the street, leaving Kaito and Helixbeetle staring after her.
"Weird girl..." muttered Helixbeetle. He turned to Kaito. "By the way, why did you let her keep Skyelder? Shouldn't we have taken Skyelder and returned her?"
Kaito shrugged in an embarrassed sort of way. "I dunno. You could say that I was unwilling to do that since Select Corp. can get awfully suspicious of anybody that doesn't look respectable..."
"Are you saying that I'm not respectable!!?"
"No, that's not it, I swear...!!"
The setting sun found the two
walking home, one mockingly accusing, the other jokingly mollifying.
To Be Continued...