The Will Of The Medafighter
Chapter Five: A dangerous gamble.
"Come on, stop squirming!"
"Let me go. I swear that if I get out of here, I will…" A slap echoed through the empty cell, and Erika was thrown inside on the cold stone floor.
"You'll what? You'd better hope your boyfriend coughs up his medal, or you'll never see the end of tonight." The door slammed shut and a key turned in the lock. Erika sat shivering in the corner, pulling her knees to her chin.
"Ikki, Brass, Larry…Where are you?" Silent tears poured down her cheeks as she watched the sun set through the window.
Larry and Brass marched to the field where Larry was going to meet the leader of the RubberRobos. As he got there, he found not only Sheena, but also Space Medafighter X and Arcbeetle, Ikki and Metabee, Karin and Neutronurse, Koji and Sumillidon, Samantha and Peppercat, Sloan and Terminator, Spike and Proctordog, Rintaro and Kantaroth, and standing near a tree was Rokusho and Baton. Sheena looked at him with what could be called anticipation or fear in her eyes.
"Well Larry, I brought the cavalry if we need them."
"Sheena, they didn't need to get involved. If there's no other way, I'll have to give them your medal."
"Hey, I don't know you! If this was the Larry I knew, he would be thinking of a plan, not thinking of defeat."
"Look, there's no way I can change the stakes. He's holding all the cards."
"Not all of them. Larry, I have the perfect plan worked out." Space Medafighter X stepped forward.
"Rokusho, me and Ikki have rare medals. Even though the melded medal will be chief in his mind, he won't be able to resist the temptation to get ours as well. All of us will robattle him. If he wins, he will get all of our medals. If we win, we get Erika back and you get to keep your medal."
"But what about them?" Larry pointed his thumb at The Screws, Rintaro, Karin and Koji.
"They are here only for the show. Your reputation proceeds you." Rintaro made himself heard from the back.
"Yeah, you're awesome dude! If it wasn't for that one match, you'd be number one!"
"You know about that match?"
"Sure dude. I know everything about just about every single thing that has happened in the world of robattling." The Screws mostly were silent, but Samantha spoke for all three.
"You'd better make this a good one. I won't be happy if two-thirds of our World Cup team lose their medals." Koji and Sumillidon stood up and gave their support as well.
"You can't lose your medal. You owe me a rematch at the world championship." Karin, much to the amazement of everyone, gave Larry a quick peck on the lips.
"That's for good luck. Erika is my best friend, get her out."
"Okay X. Who's battling?"
You, Ikki, Rokusho and myself."
"Rokusho, are you willing to give up your medal?"
"No I'm not. But I'm confident that we will win." The small group made their way towards the open field.
"My my, what rabble is this?" The leader of the RubberRobos was there in person. Doctor Medaevil sat in a chair next to Erika. Erika was tied to her chair, and several sharp knives stuck out at several intervals along her arms. Space Medafighter X looked down on the short man, his eyes burning behind his mask.
"I have a proposition for you."
"Oh, you think you have the power to bargain?"
"How about getting the melded medal, plus three rare medals thrown in?"
"Hmm, tempting. Just what do I have to do to get them?"
"You shall robattle Ikki, Larry, Rokusho and myself. If you win, the medals are yours. If we win, you let Erika go." Doctor Medaevil let out a grating laugh that scared the non-fighters back a few steps.
"Very well. It shall give me the opportunity to test out my new Medabot. However, I have one more rule to add. You will notice the knives located near her arms. Well, for every Medabot you lose…a knife will cut into her skin. When the last Medabot falls and I don't get my medals, the final knife cuts right through her wrist. She will bleed to death within minutes." Larry shook visibly with rage, but tried to keep his voice calm and level.
"Alright. Bring out your Medabots. And you'd better keep your part of the deal."
"Oh, I'll need only one. Prepare to meet your end at the hands of my finest creation yet!"
From the sky, the whirl of helicopter blades became audible. As it flew over the field, a large object was dropped, and it hurtled closer to the ground. It landed with a crash that made the entire field shake. The group looked up in horror at the thirty foot Medabot before them. Two huge Gatling cannons protruded from its arms, while two missile packs on both its thighs and shoulders glinted in the evening light. No eyes were visible, only a thin red line near its helmet.
Omega Emperor
Weapon Type Medabot
Medafighter: Doctor Medaevil
Speciality: Annihilation
Sheena and Metabee, though daunted, stood ready.
"This guy's huge!"
"Don't bail on me now Sheena. Remember what they say about big bots."
"Yeah. The bigger they are, the harder they punch."
"That's not it!"
"But it is true. Well Bee boy, it's crunch time. Either we beat this tank, or we lose our medals trying."
"Too true. This is the kinda fight I like. No rules…"
"No turning back. It's all or nothing!" Rokusho took off his cloak and told Baton to wait for him with the others. Space Medafighter X told the others to stay back before him and Arcbeetle got ready as well. Larry turned to doctor Medaevil, his face set with grim determination.
"Whenever you're ready."
"Very well. Omega Emperor…Destroy them!" The huge Medabot gave two strides forward, before sweeping the ground before him with Gatling fire. The four Medabots scarcely got out of the way, before four volleys of missiles were sent at them. Sheena, Metabee and Rokusho dodged, but Arcbeetle got caught in one of the blasts.
"Warning. Body 50% damage." Suddenly, four different coloured auras lit up the field. Sheena stood framed in blue, next to Metabee in green, Rokusho in purple and Arcbeetle in red. Koji watched in triumph from the other end of the field.
"Yes, this is it! All four have summoned the Medaforce. Nothing will survive that."
All four Medabots stared at Omega Emperor, the energy crackling around them.
"You do not mess with my friends. It's time…to kiss your bot goodbye! Medaforce!" Metabee brought his Laser cannon down and a blast of green energy issued from it.
"Nobody kidnaps my Medafighter's girlfriend. Yippee-ki-yay! Medaforce!" Sheena did the same as Metabee, and a stream of blue energy blasted from her cannon.
"You took away my life, now I will return the favour. Medaforce!" Rokusho swept his Transpara Sword along the ground and a wave of purple energy flew at Omega Emperor.
"This is for those missiles! Medaforce!" A ball of red energy formed between Arcbeetle's horns and he discharged it at Omega Emperor. All four attacks struck at the same time, and an explosion threw up dirt in front of the Medabots. Larry looked on, with hope starting to return.
"Did we do it?" Harsh laughter from behind the dirt made him cringe.
"If you think that was enough to destroy my Omega Emperor, you are sorely mistaken. Now, your Medabots are drained, and you will pay for challenging me. Omega Emperor, annihilate them with extreme prejudice!"
The huge Medabot emerged unscathed from the dust, moving at high speed towards the drained Medabots.
"Annihilate…Destroy." Two mortars launched from its back. Sheena pushed Metabee out of the way, before jumping out of the line of fire herself. But Rokusho and Arcbeetle got the brunt of the blast. Rokusho struggled to get up, but failed.
"Warning. Arcbeetle- Weapons offline, all Medaparts 93% damage."
"Sheena! Get those two out of the firing line. They can't fight anymore."
"But what about Metabee?" Ikki and Metabee were still dodging missiles and Larry made up his mind.
"They're doing fine, get Arcbeetle and Rokusho to safety…" Larry was interrupted by a loud scream rending the air. He slowly turned and stared in distress at Erika. The first two knives had sliced into her upper arm and near her elbow. A small pool of crimson blood was forming on the floor.
"Erika! I'm going to rip you apart Medaevil!" Forgetting the robattle, Larry rushed the old man. However, he was knocked back by a vicious uppercut from the good doctor. Shaking off the dizziness, he saw that Medaevil had a Hammer Claw attached to his arm.
"What the…? That's a boxing medapart, how did you…?"
"Larry…He's a Medabot!" Erika's voice was coming out slightly cracked, and Larry made a fist. His nails started digging into the skin of his palm.
"I will make you regret this."
"How? You've lost two Medabots, and yours is off taking them away. Your friend is about to be crushed." Metabee was starting to wear out. He had caught a few Gatling bullets, and his legs were starting to give in.
"C'mon you big tin can! That all you got?" Rockets pounded the ground behind him, knocking him off balance. Before he could recover, a hail of Gatling fire smashed his leg parts.
"Warning. Leg parts 100% damage. Function ceased." Omega Emperor stopped in front of Metabee.
"Annihilate. Total Destruction Missile!" Two huge cylinders emerged from its hips and two puffs of smoke marked the launch of the missiles. Ikki closed his eyes and waited for the end.
"Larry, I'm back!" Sheena ran back onto the field. One look summed up the situation.
"Sheena…Take the hit!"
"Say what?"
"It's my fault. I got Ikki involved in this. You've got a small chance of surviving, as you've got no damage. If those missiles hit him, he'll be destroyed!" Sheena nodded sadly, and stood in front of Metabee.
"Sheena, this is crazy! The area effect of those missiles will get me, no matter what you do."
"No. Those missiles are meant for destruction. There is no area explosion. They explode in one, concentrated burst."
"But you won't survive." This was the only thing he could say, as the next minute, the missiles met their target. There was a huge explosion, and the light could be seen in the city. When it subsided, Metabee looked around for Sheena. She was lying on the grass, a few feet away. Amazingly, she was still in one piece, though her armour had been scorched black and large sections of it had been blown away.
"Warning. Head- 99.9% damage. All other Medaparts 100% damage. Weapons offline Targeting computer offline. Core overheating. Please shut down." Medaevil stood up in triumph.
"This is useless. Hand over your medals now!" Ikki transferred a spare pair of legs to Metabee and looked defiantly at Medaevil, hoping that Sheena was alright.
"No. We've still got one functioning Medabot."
"Well, give me the medals or she will die. I tire of watching this hopeless battle. No? Well then, I guess there is no other way." With one push of a switch, the final and fatal blade cut through Erika's wrist. She didn't even scream, as she had already lost too much blood, and had fallen into unconsciousness. But the crimson pool beneath the chair immediately started growing. Larry looked up from where he was helping Sheena getting up, and jumped up immediately.
"ERIKA!! You…Murdering scum!" Ikki and Metabee tried to do something, but they were knocked back. Space Medafighter X could see that Medaevil had erected a barrier around himself and Erika.
"Metabee, Seeker missiles!" It was useless. The missiles exploded against the barrier, but didn't break it. Just then, the situation looked bleak. Sheena was all but scrapped, Rokusho and Arcbeetle are out of commission and Metabee is now alone in facing the huge Omega Emperor…
Today's Robattle is still undecided. Will anyone be able to stop the onslaught of Omega Emperor? Can Erika still be saved? And will Ikki and the rest lose their medals?