Chapter VI: Finale!

As Metabee approached, KiloRoks slowly awoke, his head and medal throbbing with the pain of both the robattle and the K.V. Clutching his hand over his gash on his waist with his left hand, Metabee pointed his single barrel on the end of his right arm, Laser Fuser, at the helpless KiloRoks.

"Explain everything you know about this virus, or I'll fire," Metabee threatened angrily.

Kam, ignoring Metabee's threat after seeing that KiloRoks's sane side regained control, kneeled down by Blakbeetle as she finally shutoff and ejected her Neo Ex Medal. He picked up the medal.

Meanwhile, Metabee had kneeled down by KiloRoks, keeping his Laser Fuser arm cocked, listening to the explanation.

"First of all, I-I'm sorry for all my attacks. I can't help it. I'll tell you e-everything: I want revenge on Kam because of this virus. It's slowly killing me, and making me attack when I don't want to or can't. He built it into me deliberately, and I want revenge for that," KiloRoks stopped to take a breath, then continued, "He planned the virus, K.V., to spread through every Kuwagata medabot or kilobot, and I'm the one who started it. He let me loose for 'testing' as he calls it, as you and your medafighter probably know from the news, and the virus began. His motivation was to destroy every medabot, and every kilobot that could be destroyed. He believes that a kilobot that can be destroyed does not deserve to be called a 'kilobot'." His eyes suddenly brightened, but he forced them shut, wincing, and his eyes faded to normal.

"KiloRoks! What's the cure?!" Metabee demanded nervously, seeing the signs that he was losing control again.

"The cure is--" his eyes did the same thing, and he began shaking, hydraulics crackling, "--the cure is to des--" he took a deep breath, trying to keep himself in control. He clenched his hands into fists. "--to destroy one infected!" he finally got out.

"What?! Are you saying to destroy you? But--the virus isn't even your fault! You're innocent! I can't destroy you!" Metabee returned, grabbing KiloRoks's clenched fist in his free hand.

"If I lose control again, I'll die immediately! If I die, that won't end the virus, and you'll have to destroy Roks!" KiloRoks shouted back. "Destroy me, Metabee! No-nobody will care, trust me." He closed his eyes as a tear ran down his metal cheek. A moment later, he shouted again, "DESTROY ME, METABEE!"

Tears streaked down Metabee's face. He knew he had to destroy him to save everyone, but he was innocent. What should he do? Destroy him, and feel guilty? Or let him die, and still feel guilty, but have to kill one of his best friends? After a few moments of thought, he decided the decision was unanimous, and hung his head.

"Sorry!" he whaled quietly as he leaned over KiloRoks, chin pulled to his chest. He crossed his arms in front of his face in an attempt to block the explosion-to-come, and lowered his cannons down so they were barely two inches above KiloRoks's chest.

"No. Thank you," KiloRoks whispered soothingly. Metabee fired his missiles from his Ballister Cannons, and a huge explosion followed, almost immediately. Dust, dirt, and smoke filled the air around Metabee.

The forest…

Roks clenched his right hand into a fist, his right arm raised, and his Cutlass opened. His arm shook vigorously, rattling its insides. He had Zuru backed into a tree and sitting, with nowhere to run, if he could even get up fast enough to do so.

"Roks, no!" Zuru shouted to his medabot. Roks swung his arm and Cutlass forward, speeding for a clean cut at Zuru's neck. He didn't show any signs of stopping, and by now, if he did stop, it would be too late. That's when a miracle seemed to take place. Zuru screamed out in pain as Roks's sword cut into his neck, but it suddenly stopped. Roks's eyes faded to normal. He stared blankly at his medafighter as his memories returned. He felt control sweeping over him like a sudden, refreshing gust of wind. Something clicked, and he closed his Cutlass, pulling his arm away and dropping to his knees. He reached up and felt the cut on the side of Zuru's neck, which looked like it would be fine with a few stitches, if that. Zuru winced. Roks pulled his hand away and stared at the blood on his fingers, tears welling up in his eyes. He came too close to killing him this time. The tears streaked down his face. He looked sadly up at his medafighter, who smiled weakly at him.

"Are you cured?" Zuru asked painfully, the cut stinging. Roks whaled and threw his arms around Zuru's neck, inadvertently wiping the blood on his fingers off onto Zuru's brown backpack and green-shirted back. Zuru winced again as Roks's arm touched his cut, blood covering it immediately, and then slowly returned the hug, eventually squeezing his crying medabot close and tight, also crying.

Tyrelbeetle's eyes faded to normal, and he slowly released Brass from the grapple in his Grappling Horns, blinking. Rokusho's eyes faded to normal, also, and he pulled his Chanbara Sword away from Brass's neck. Brass fell forward, wincing and whimpering, and landed on her knees. As she fell over sideways, Erika ran up to her and caught her before she hit the ground.

"So? Are you cured?" Erika prompted, cradling her sailor-type medabot in her arms.

"I sure hope so," Rokusho replied. He dropped to his knees, his silk, beige cape inflating. He laid a hand on Brass's shoulder, apologizing, "I'm so sorry."

Tyrelbeetle sighed, staring as Rokusho stroked Brass's metal arm soothingly, tears streaking down his face from saddened red eyes. As tears welled up in Tyrelbeetle's eyes, he ran over to his medafighter and brother--err--partner, and kneeled down beside them. They broke from their hug, stared at Tyrelbeetle for a moment, before pulling him into a group hug.

Back on Hushi's space station…

Hushi, standing straight with a huge smile from ear to ear, zoomed up on Rokusho's face, watching everything from the screen.

"I promised you, Rokusho, and there you have it!" Hushi silently cheered, watching apologetic and joyful tears roll down his Kuwagata medabot's face.

"Yay!" cheered a girl from behind Hushi with a giggle. Hushi looked sideways behind him, surprised, and saw Miss Nae and her helper medabot, Honey, watching the screen from behind. Miss Nae was covered in oil and dirt, and she held a wrench that she forgot to put down before she left the workshop in one hand. She looked tired and haggard, though she wore her constant smile, and cheered the heroes on. Her beige work uniform was unzipped down to her waist, showing her blue shirt, and her collar stood straight.

"Miss Nae? How long have you been there?" Hushi asked.

"Well, more than long enough to hear your promise to Rokusho, and here I am now, so…I guess about an hour to an hour and a half," Miss Nae replied calmly. "It's nice to see you care so much for Rokusho. He needs it."

"Yes, I very well know that. He wandered for over thirteen years after that fire and…well, I'm sure he's told you the story," Hushi agreed.

"No, he hasn't, actually. Please, go on," Miss Nae pleaded.

"Ok." Hushi then explained everything about Rokusho and himself, Honey listening in.

Back in the forest…

Ikki stared as the virus's control broke and the medafighters and medabots were united. He stared down at the damage ratios on his medawatch; all parts between ninety and ninety-eight percent damaged. He frowned, worried about Metabee, and then turned and headed for the clearing.

He weaved through the trees and patches of taller grass until he reached the edge of the clearing, and gasped at what he saw; a large patch of uprooted grass, beat-up pieces of a medabot or kilobot, and smoke, dust, and dirt rising into the air. In the middle of all this was Metabee, sitting on his knees with his head hung sadly. Ikki looked around for Kam and Blakbeetle, and spotted them on the right side of the battle-scarred clearing.

Kam inserted Blakbeetle's Neo Ex Medal into her body, kneeling by the oily, black, Kabuto-type kilobot corpse. Blakbeetle's one exposed yellow eye lit up, and Blakbeetle gasped for air. Kam slipped one arm around her knees, and the other around her shoulders, lifting her up. She rattled as she rose off the ground in her uncaring medafighter's arms. Kam turned, about to leave, when a white flash swept by in front of him, and Blakbeetle was gone when the flash disappeared. Kam gasped as he looked around, but never saw anything until he turned around and looked to the left side of the clearing. He saw Ikki, staring angrily at him, his friends gathering behind him. The white flash appeared next to Zuru, who now had a bloody, beige bandanna tied around his neck, and it was Roks, with Blakbeetle in his arms. Tyrelbeetle stood next to Zuru on his other side, holding his medafighter's hand. Erika walked up on the other side of Ikki, Brass in her arms, out like a light, and Rokusho stood next to her. They all glared at Kam, who smirked, turned, and walked calmly off. Once he was out of sight, everyone stuck their tongues out after him, and the conscious medabots copied this as much as they could without a tongue. After a moment, Ikki looked back to Metabee, who was still sitting on his knees, head hung, but now he was clutching his gash on his waist with both hands, wincing slightly. Ikki smiled weakly and ran up to him, kneeling down next to him.

"Metabee? What happened?" Ikki asked. He saw a tear roll down Metabee's metal cheek, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"They're cured!" Metabee said halfheartedly, forcing enthusiasm.

"Yeah, we kinda' figured that," Ikki agreed. He forced a giggle, trying to cheer Metabee up, whose ounce of forced enthusiasm had faded. Ikki lost his weak smile, staring into his medabot's closed, saddened green eyes.

"I'll tell ya' about it later, 'k, Ik'?" Metabee requested, his voice quivering with held back tears.

"Metabee…ok." Tears rolled down Ikki's face as he wrapped his arms around Metabee's shoulders. "You saved the day!" Ikki congratulated with dampened enthusiasm, matching Metabee's perfectly.

"Ikki, I--" Metabee stopped as Ikki pulled out of the hug and held his shoulders at arms length, smiling and crying all at once.

"No, you saved the world," Ikki corrected himself, "again. And more importantly, all our friends, too. Thank you. You did the right thing." Metabee hung his head, nodding and closing his eyes as more tears escaped them. Ikki stood up, turned, and looked back down at Metabee before he left. "If you don't want to tell the story twice, just tell me, and I'll tell the others." Metabee didn't respond, but Ikki knew he heard him. "Just make sure you come home soon, ok? It always rains after moments like this."

"That's in movies, Ikki," Metabee uttered, but sighed, admitting Ikki was right, as he felt a raindrop on his head. "I'll be home in a little while. Before dinner, I promise."

"Good. I don't want you to rust." Ikki ran off to his group of friends, greeted them, and they all bustled into the forest. Metabee giggled slightly at what Ikki said, his spirits slightly raised from Ikki's kindhearted attempts to do so. But his spirits fell again as he thought some more about what he did.

"…Thank you. You did the right thing." His words repeated several times in Metabee's robotic mind. Then why do I feel so guilty?

After a few moments in silence and deep thought, Metabee slowly got to his feet as the rain picked up. He looked up to the smoke-filled, cloud-covered, rainy skies, letting the water wash off some outer dirt, mud, grass stains, et cetera, especially the oil around his waist. He held his oil-covered hands out, palm-up, and let the rain wash away the oil. It felt good, cool and refreshing. For a split second, it seemed to wash away all of his worries and doubt, leaving him carefree, but, upon remembering standing there too long could cause him to rust, his carefree approach disappeared, and his worry and doubt returned. Maybe, just maybe, there wasn't anything to be worried or doubtful about…just maybe. As he turned to leave, he caught something sparkling out of the corner of his eye. Pure curiosity led him over to the sparkle, clutching his gash with his left hand. He squatted down next to a small pile of scrap metal, and spotted the source of the sparkling. He reached down into the pile and picked up a green, pill-shaped piece of glowing crystal of some sort, with a red mist inside it. Holding it in his palm delicately, he realized what it was: The core to a medabot medal.

"A core? Ex medals, not even Neo Ex medals, have a core. Only medabot medals. So where did this come from?" Metabee asked himself. The only reason possible hit him like a ton of bricks, and his eyes widened. "He was a medabot in a kilobit's body! The virus…K.V. can do so much! Even turn a medabot medal into a kilobot medal." He figured the red mist was the virus. There was no other explanation for it. Metabee smirked cunningly. "Looks like Kam figured it out! Instead of using an Ex medal and modifying it to be a medabot medal so it has both properties, do it the other way around; sheesh, since personalities are hard to build why not just add ex medal properties to a medabot medal? And Kam claims to be a genius!" Suddenly, Metabee frowned again, feeling worse than before. Not physically, though the rain was sinking in and starting to bother him with cold wetness, but his guilt doubled. "Oh, great. Now I feel worse for destroying 'one of my own'. A medabot…"

Metabee stood, clutching the medabot medal core in his right hand, and clutching his other hand over his gash, turned, tears rolling down his face, and ran into the forest, weaving first through the wreckage of not-so-KiloRoks, and then through the trees of the now dark forest.

"…Thank you. You did the right thing." I hope so, Ikki…I sure hope so.