Disclaimer:I do not own Medabots, nor any of the characters from the original manga. I own myself and all of MY characters. That includes Foxfire, Foxy, Akura Yukienata and Dr. Yukienata. Horumarin owns Medabots. I tried to win it in a card game. But the rights and plot to this fic were my constellation prize.

Author's Note: Officially lost count of chapters while writing this oO

"I'm right here."

Someone spoke. A voice from an audio transmission spoke out from a corner of the room. It was THE voice. The voice everyone had been hoping to hear again that night. Worried that someone might've silenced it forever. Her voice.

Yet different.

Ikki looked around the dark room. With the pale moonlight flushed over only one part of the room, alot of it was still in shadows. Dr. blinked, his eyes drawn to one corner of the room. One dark corner behind the Rubber Robos. Rokusho and Foxy spotted a flicker of movement there. Something dipped into the light before drawing back.

"Foxfire?"

Something had changed.

Sea Slug's sly and sinister smile was still framed on his face. "You've been called out Foxfire. Don't make our guests wait."

Then it came again.

"Yes, sir."

Foxfire stepped out of the dark corner, her red and white armor paled in the light. Giving her a ghostly look at first, were it not the metal lustre that was heightened. Her tail swept the ground in smooth strokes and her optics glowed heavily.

But something was different.

She was damaged in some areas, they could just make out of the dents and crude repairs done to her mid section and her face. A slash over her left face was more than noticeable in the beams of moon light. Her optics were narrowed to a glare. The pink lights were twisted somehow. Her movements were strong and confident, not like the meek and shy Foxfire Ikki and the others knew.

She was nothing like the Foxfire Ikki and the others knew.

She had changed.

"Foxfire are you okay?" Ikki was the first. He stepped forward with Metabee beside him. Dr. Aki kept looking over her, Rokusho just stared, and Foxy seemed surprised.

More or less because the look the FOX was giving her could've lit her on fire. (AN: expression. not literally)

"Foxfire is very okay." Sea Slug answered. He turned around to walk over to her, giving the group a sight of a gun holster on the back of his belt. Rokusho saw it and his optics widened a good two inches. That was not ANY gun. Metabee noted his shock.

"Rokusho, what's up?" He whispered over. But Rokusho didn't answer. Foxfire's ears twitched at the name. Sea Slug pulled her over to the Rubber Robos, placing her beside White Sword. Her face and expression remained unchanged. The large slash along the left side of her face with the glare

'No... they couldn't have. There's no... Aki no.' Rokusho clenched his fists.

"What have you done to Foxfire?" Dr. Aki came forward from the group. Him being the tallest, he appeared as the leader. This time Gill Girl answered.

"Nothing special." She lifted up her sleeve, revealing a silver and black Medawatch. Everyone's eyes were drawn to that single wrist.

'No way.' Ikki looked from the Medawatch, to Foxfire, then back again. 'They aren't planning to actually ROBATTLE with her... are they?'

Foxfire's glare was set upon Foxy's form. She scowled back.

"What are you looking at?" She barked.

"Nothing much." Came an unfamiliar reply from Foxfire. Her tone was sly and dark.

"What'd you say!" Foxy was about to lunge at the FOX type, were it not for Dr. Aki who grabbed her arm. SeaSlug just laughed. Rokusho and Metabee gave Foxfire an incredulous look. Since when did she talk like THAT to people? Gill Girl patted Foxfire on the shoulder with a smirk.

"Now, now. Save the trash talk for the real fight."

"Ha! Shows what you know!" Blurted Metabee. The sudden outburst of noise broke the tenseness around the room. But his blurting soon turned to a statement. "Foxfire's never Robattled! She told me so!"

The only reply the statement received was a unison of maniacal laughter from all three Rubber Robos. Metabee was slightly taken aback while Ikki and Dr. Aki sweatdropped nervously.

"Yes, maybe the Foxfire YOU knew." Shrimp Lip spoke, walking over to the FOX as he did so. "However..." He finished his sentence by turning Foxfire around, her back facing them. Rokusho stared, Metabee stiffened, Foxy's voice caught in her transmission for once and Ikki took a step back.

On the medal hatch panel of Foxfire's back was a small, silver oval. It made itself obvious with the dents and burn marks around where it had leached onto her. The device from only a few months ago that had infected both Rokusho and Metabee in a way, was now controlling Foxfire.

"You monsters!" Rokusho roared before lunging at the closest Rubber Robo. Gill Girl. Her face flashed with surprise when he drew out his Chanbara sword to swipe down, but soon his view of her was cut off.

Rokusho found himself pinned to the ground just as quick as he had left it. He winced at his neck and shoulder joint being held down, as well as his right wrist. He struggled to move but a weight fell upon his torso. He looked up into his attacker's optics, only to find a pink gaze meeting his red. Foxfire sat upon him with a cold look of loathing and hat boaring into his soul.

This was not Foxfire.

She had changed.

"F-Foxfire?" He choked out, his transmission was fuzzing in and out with her right arm keeping his neck down. She didn't answer him. Not with a cheerful expression, a flush of red cheek panels or a friendly laugh. She merely glared.

Gill Girl smiled wickedly. "Good girl Foxfire."

"You see, the Foxfire you knew is gone." Shrimp Lips said, almost giddily. "And now," The red-head stepped forward, raising her Medwatch to her chest. "It's time for you to be gone!" The FOX type raised her arm, aiming to slash at Rokusho's neck.

A flash of motion and a blur of a color later, Foxfire was taken off guard knocked away of Rokusho. She hit the back wall with a SLAM and and slid to the floor in a heap. Rokusho sat up to find his rescuer standing by him.

Foxy twitched her tail joints into place, glaring with her deep, red optics at her 'sister'.

Gill Girl blinked before sharpening to a scowl. "Little pest." She grumbled. Ikki raised his wrist to his chest to match her, both Foxy's and Metabee's medawatches strapped to it. His instincts kicked in, telling him now was the time for action. Now was the time for fighting.

But a voice inside his head, meeker than Ikki's instinct, more like a worry wart of a voice, spoke up.

'But... it's Foxfire.'