Real Steel: Remnant League
Chap 3
"So, you're a Real Steel handler?" Miltiades, more commonly called Miltia, asked with a mischievous smirk.
"More specifically, the Real Steel Champion?" Melanie, the twin sister of Miltia, asked with a glint in her eye. Fulling telling me that they were going to take full advantage of the situation.
"Yes. I am the handler of the Real Steel Champion bots." I answered with a sigh of annoyance. Looking back at them, I saw Neo signing to Miltia. "I do know sign language and can read lips."
'This will be fun.' Neo signed with a mischievous smirk.
"What bots do you own?" Miltia asked.
"Zeus, Atom, Noisy Boy, and Ambush." I answered, which caused the eyes of the twins and Neo to widen exponentially.
"Don't mess with us. Those are our favorite bots." Melanie warned with a snarl.
"I'm not. I'm their handler. They are my bots." I told them. However, I instantly regretted this when their mischievous smirks returned.
"Then let's make a deal." Miltia said with the others nodding.
"What kind of deal?" I asked, knowing full well that they had in mind.
"As we overheard, you want to keep this a secret from others. Whomever they might be. Right?" She asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"And we want to meet our favorite bots and see them fight in person." Melanie added.
'And in return, we keep this whole thing a secret.' Neo finished.
"That's doable. However, that won't be easy because, and I'm sure Neo already knows this, but I am a student at Beacon. And while I can get out of Beacon without much trouble, it will be more difficult to lose them if they spot me or decide to follow me." I told them.
"That's wouldn't be too much trouble then. Just tell us the location and time, and we can find alternative routes that no one typically uses." Miltia told me.
"Well, in that case. Sure. It's a deal." I said before extending my hand. They smiled before each taking a turn to shake my hand and seal the deal.
'Now that's out of the way, can we see the bots? And when is the next fight?' Neo signed.
"Later today. About three hours at the abandoned train station. As for the bots, I only have Atom with me. But after the fight, if you all want, I can take you all to Tallet's gym where I keep the other bots." I answered.
'Can we see Atom now then?' Neo signed excitedly.
"Sure, but are you all still working?" I asked.
"We just finished our shift, and Neo doesn't work here. She's just visiting." Melanie answered with Neo nodding in confirmation.
"Alright then. Let me pay, and we can head to where I am keeping Atom." I told them while taking out my wallet.
They nodded, and after taking the money to the register, we exited the bar before heading to the garage. Arriving there, I showed the guy my I.D., who then proceeded to lift the gate. Though, I had to assure him that the Twins and Neo were with me. He still seemed hesitant but allowed us to enter. Heading to the back of the garage, we made our way to my truck. Going around back, I opened the truck and got in before helping the others up.
"Wow. I expected it to be a lot messier here." Melanie said, surprised at seeing how well kept the truck was.
"I always make sure to keep it clean. A habit my mother instilled into me at a very young age." I explained while folding the bed and moving the desk to create space. With that done, I moved towards where Atom was sleeping. Going around, I unplugged him from his charging station before turning him back on. After a second, he stood up and looked around before staring at me.
"Wow." The others gasped at seeing Atom up close and personal for the first time.
"Hey, Atom. How did you sleep?" I asked as I grabbed his controller and headset.
"Damn. Can we take a picture?" Miltia asked, still in awe at seeing Atom.
"Of course." I answered.
They smiled before handing me their scrolls. Chuckling, I moved past them to take a good picture of them in various posed with Atom. Picking up the controller, I input the command to have Atom place his hands on Miltia and Melanie. Smiling, I put down the controller before checking the time. Only to see that an hour had passed already and it would take about an hour to get to the train station.
"Are you sure you three want to come to the train station? If so, we need to leave now." I asked them.
"Definitely." Miltia answered.
"Junior doesn't mind if we stay out late as long as we don't cause too much trouble." Melanie added.
"How about you, Neo?" I asked, turning to her. She just raised an eyebrow at me, which was enough of an answer. "Alright then. Head on to the front of the truck, and I'll lock up. Then, we can get going."
"Right." Miltia and Melanie creepily said at the same time before exiting the truck.
'You know, most would be jealous of you.' Neo signed.
"How so?" I asked, confused. Initially, I thought that she must be referring to the fact that I am the Real Steel champion. However, that was quickly proven wrong by what she said next.
'That you're taking three hot girls on a date at the same time.' She answered with a devious smirk. Hearing this caused me to blush heavily.
"Uh, uh..." I stuttered, trying to say anything but couldn't from how badly I was blushing. Luckily, it went away when I saw Neo silently laughing at my expense which told me she was joking.
'I can tell you're going to be so much fun to tease. Play your cards right, and we can consider this a date after all.' Neo signed before exiting the truck.
"This is going to be a long week. Right Atom?" I asked as I had him sit back down. Powering him off, I hook him up to the charging station. Once everything was secured, I exited the truck before locking it up. With that done, I went around to the front and got it.
"Come on. Let's get going. I want to see some carnage." Miltia said impatiently.
"Alright then. Let's get this show on the road." I said before turning on the truck and pulling out of the garage.
Fifty Minutes Later
"Hey. Wake up, everyone." I said while gently nudging to wake up Neo. She and the twins had fallen asleep on the trip.
'Are we there yet?' Neo mouthed while fighting through a yawn before waking up the twins.
"Take a look." I answered while pointing to the entrance area, which consisted of destroyed subway cars to act as a make-shift entrance.
"About time." Melanie said while stretching a bit. I just rolled my eyes before turning to pull up into the driveway where the guard was waiting for me.
"I.D." She asked while extending her hand. Taking out my wallet, I pulled my I.D. out before handing it to her. "Alright. Have a good fight."
"Thanks." I said while taking my I.D. back.
Putting it back in my wallet, we waited for the gates to open before driving in. Going a few laps around the place, we reached the parking area, where it took another couple of minutes to find a parking spot. Once parked, we got out of the truck before going round back. Opening up the back, I got in and went to reactivate Atom again.
"Can we pilot him?" Melanie asked.
"Sorry. But I don't trust anyone to control Atom." I answered, which caused her to pout.
"Damn. I really would like to have our robot." Miltia added with Neo nodding as well.
"I'll tell you what. I'll try and pull a few strings. And maybe, just maybe, I could get you three a bot. It won't be a top-of-the-line one, though." I offered.
"That will work." Miltia answered with a smile.
'How are you going to pilot Atom? Control or the other function?' Neo signed.
"You mean shadow function?" I asked to which she nodded in answer. "How about you all decide?"
"Shadow function." They answered at once before adding. "Without your shirt on."
"Shadow function. All right. As for the other part, not happening." I told them, which caused them to pout a bit before laughing.
Chuckling at the moment, I set down the remote before switching Atom to the shadow function. Testing to make sure it was working; we then exited the truck before locking it up. Once done, we proceeded to head to the area that showed the fights that were scheduled to happen. Luckily, we did not need to push through the crowd as they all split up when they saw Atom.
"Hey, Jaune. Didn't expect to see you here tonight." A new voice called out. Turning, we saw a badly burnt man covered in oil and grease walk up to us.
"Hey, Archie. Good to see you." I greeted as we shook hands. "Wasn't initially planning on coming but after a bit of persuasion, decided to come."
"That's great, man. Always nice to have more fights to watch. Tell you what. You can have any undercard fight you want." Archie told me before pointing to the cards. Looking them over, I noticed the name of two familiar bots Atom and I faced before.
"Two fights. Blacktop and Six Shooter." I told him, which quickly caused the crowd to get riled up.
"All right. Those two have been itching for a rematch. I'll tell their handlers. Your match will be in about ten minutes. Best get ready." Archie told me before leaving.
"Who was that?" Miltia asked.
"That was Archie. He's in charge of the place, the fights, and all the bets that go on here." I answered.
"Why was he covered in grease and oil?" Melanie asked.
"Oh. Aside from just being the owner, he's also the engineer and helps the handlers fix their bots." I answered.
'Is that how he got badly burnt?' Neo signed, curious.
"It was more of an experiment gone wrong that left him badly burnt." I answered. "Well, we better head over to the ring as Archie did say the match will begin in ten minutes."
Ten Minutes Later
"ARE YOU READY FOR CARNAGE?!" Archie shouted as he began to rile up the crowd for the fight.
'Are you sure you won't do it topless? Even for us?' Neo mouthed while doing a puppy dog expression. Miltia and Melanie were mirroring Neo as well.
"Again. Not happening." I said as I gave Atom one last look over before the match. "All right. Since I am using Shadow mode, stay in our corner and try not to get in the way as I will be moving all around the ring."
"Fine. We'll be careful." Miltia said with a smirk as that told me that they were too excited for the match to listen to my warning. Rolling my eyes, I loosened my shoulders a bit as Archie was about to announce us.
"SCRAPPERS! PUT YOUR GREASED-UP HANDS TOGETHER AND GIVE A MOLTEN WELCOME TO THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION. ATOM!" Archie shouted as a make-shift spotlight moved over us as some music began to play.
"Let's go, Atom." I said softly as the music kicked in, allowing everyone to hear it easier.
'Til the roof comes off, 'til the lights go out
'Til my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
'Til the smoke clears out, am I high? Perhaps
I'ma rip this shit 'til my bone collapse
'Til the roof comes off, 'til the lights go out
'Til my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
'Til the smoke clears out, am I high? Perhaps
I'ma rip this shit 'til my bone collapse.
Throwing two punches before raising my right arm to the sky, I began to dance to the stage with Atom, mimicking my every move. As we made our way to the ring, the crowd started clapping and cheering at us. Deciding to get them even more involved, I changed my pace so that the crowd's clapping would be in sync with our dancing. Reaching the stage, we allowed the lift to bring us level to the stage. Entering the ring, we went to our corner as Archie announced our challenger.
"Now. You may all know this bot as he fought in the underworld countless times. Now, he's back here and ready for revenge. Get your greased-up hands ready for BLACKTOP!" Archie announced as the spotlight came over a bot that looked vaguely like a motorcyclist. Blacktop turned on as the spotlight came over him while two handlers on motorcycles came up beside him. They then proceeded to walk towards the ring while the sound of engines roared all around them. Soon, Blacktop and his handler reached the ring and waited for the lift to bring them level before entering and heading to their corner.
"ALRIGHT! LET THE SCRAP METAL FLY!" Archie shouted before quickly leaving the ring as the bell rang.
"Let's do this." I said while getting into a fighting stance.
Atom mimicking my every movement as the match began. Walking to the side, I had Atom move forward to engage Blacktop. But I immediately leaned back to have Atom avoid a surprise attack from Blacktop. Not wasting a moment, I quickly countered with a hook followed by an uppercut which sent Blacktop stumbling back. Enraged, Blacktop ran up to Atom and tried to clothesline him. Yet he missed as I managed to have Atom duck under in time and fade back to avoid the follow-up attack Blacktop sent our way.
Stepping back away from Blacktop, I had raised my arm to have Atom taunt Blacktop. Enraged, Blacktop charged at us and tried to hit us with a few overhead strikes. Unfortunately, I only managed to avoid the first strike, with the second strike hitting Atom's head. This was enough to daze Atom, which gave Blacktop a chance to land more hits on Atom. Yet, as a testament to whoever built Atom, he stayed upright and almost undamaged.
Quickly dodging the next attack, I began to circle the ring, making Atom circle around Blacktop. His handler got irritated and made Blacktop try and backhand us. Yet, he missed as I had Atom dodge in time and used this opening to land four jabs to Blacktop's stomach before landing two jabs at his head. Not letting up, I ran to the other side of the ring to continue the assault by having Atom land three crosses against Blacktops face.
Annoyed, Blacktop grabbed Atom before throwing him to the ground near a corner. Knowing what Blacktop was planning on doing, I quickly got Atom back to his feet and waited calmly. Blacktop soon charged at Atom, hoping to trap it. Yet, that did not happen. As soon as Blacktop closed the distance, I had Atom duck under his attack before jumping and landing a striking cross at Blacktop's face. This dazed him enough and gave me a chance to finish the fight. Running to the other side of the ring, I started throwing uppercuts into the air, which caused Atom to start landing uppercuts into Blacktop's stomach. Not giving him any chance to escape, I had Atom start to throw hooks against Blacktop's face. After five hooks to the head, I had Atom land two jabs to the stomach before landing a massive uppercut to Blacktop's face, which caused him to go over the ropes and out of the ring.
"ATOM WINS!" Archie announced after the countdown reached ten.
"That was close." I muttered under my breath as I got into the ring with my toolbox to give a quick fix to Atom.
"Now that was an exciting fight." Miltia said as she and the others got into the ring as well.
'Would have been better if we also had a show of you as well.' Neo teased, causing me to blush.
"Well, either way. We need to get out of the ring as our next match is about to start." I told them as I put away my tools before exiting the ring, followed by the others.
'Who are you facing next?' Neo signed. At this, Archie decided to get back on stage and inadvertently answer her question.
"ALRIGHT! WE GOT A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU ALL TODAY, A DOUBLE FEATURE OF BOTS WANTING THEIR REVENGE. BLACKTOP FAILED HIS CHANCE AND IS NOW A SMOKING PILE OF SCRAP. NOW WELCOME THE NEXT CHALLENGER. SIX SHOOTER!" Archie announced as the spotlight came back to show Six Shooter. A bot modeled after an old western-looking Sherrif.
'At least this won't be a tough match.' I thought as we watched Six Shooter act like a cowboy as he made his way to the ring. Honestly, he may look menacing and formidable, but he is more show than a fighter.
"Let's do this, Atom." I said as the bell rang.
Moving forward, I had Atom engage Six Shooter. First, I had Atom feint an attack which had the result I wanted. Six Shooter moved to the side to avoid the attack but nearly fell when I had Atom deliver a right cross to his face. Not giving him any space to breathe, I moved forward and started landing blows on Six Shooter's stomach. He managed to block one attack, but I quickly reversed it and turned it to having Atom pin Six Shooter's right arm. He tried to escape but failed when I had Atom land blow after blow on Six Shooter's face. After the tenth hit, Six Shooter managed to free himself and deliver a backhand to Atom's head, dazing him temporarily. However, instead of capitalizing on the opportunity, Six Shooter turned to the crowd and taunted us.
Annoyed, I had Atom quickly get back to his feet and land a massive cross into Six Shooter's face as he turned around to face us. The attack sent him into the corner dazed. Running around the ring, I continued the assault by having Atom alternate between attacking Six Shooter in the stomach and the face. Stepping back, I saw Six Shooter was on his last legs. Going back in, I ducked under a wild swing before heaving Atom land a massive right uppercut to Six Shooter. But, instead of the attack sending Six Shooter out of the ring, it instead caused Six Shooter's head to go flying away with the body falling to the ground motionless.
"ATOM WINS! AND SIX-SHOOTER IS SENT TO THE UNDERTAKER!" Archie announced as the crowd went wild while some workers came and took Six Shooter away to repair him.
"Good job, Atom." I said as I went into the ring to bring him out.
'That certainly was an awesome match.' Neo signed as she and the twins walked up to us.
"With lots of carnage. Just the way we like a fight." Miltia added.
"Thanks. Now, how about we head back to the truck. It's getting late." I told them after checking the time on my scroll.
"Oh, pooh. And here I thought we could end this at a love hotel." Melanie teased with a smile which only made me roll my eyes.
"Anyway, before head over to where you keep the other bots, is there any place nearby to grab a bite to eat?" Miltia asked.
"Unfortunately, most places around here are already closed. However, if you want, I can make you all something to eat when we get to where I keep the other bots." I offered.
'Dinner and a show. Maybe we can consider this a date after all.' Neo teased with a wink and smirk. I just rolled my eyes at her.
"Whatever you say. Let's get going." I told them as we headed back to the truck.
Note:
SentinalSlice: Quite honestly, I completely forgot about Salem and Cinder when I wrote the last chapter. And yes, Jaune is the handler of all but one of the champion bots. The one he is not the handler of is Midas. Artie Bakker, the guy with the eyepatch, is the handler of Midas.