Real Steel: Remnant League
Chap 7
"Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Melanie asked with a smirk.
"Um-" I began, unsure how to answer and whether or not I should answer.
"Here." Blake suddenly said, passing earplugs to Neo, Miltia, and Melanie. "You're going to need it."
'Why?' Neo asked, curious, yet they each put them in all the same.
"You'll see in a moment." Blake said with a smirk before turning back to me. "Well, Jaune. Aren't you going to answer it?"
"Fine." I said with a sigh as I swiped on my scroll to answer the call from my teammates. "Hello?"
"JAUNE!" All our teammates shouted at once.
"Yes?" I asked, nervous while also ignoring the snickering coming from the others.
"DON'T YES US JAUNE! WE HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU WHEN WE COULDN'T FIND YOU!" Pyrrha shouted, taking the screen so I would only see her.
"Calm down, cereal girl. I bet Jaune can explain everything." Yang said as she took the scroll from Pyrrha. For a brief moment, I felt some relief fill me. However, that was quickly replaced with fear when I noticed that Yang's eyes were now blood red. "LIKE WHEN HE WAS GOING TO TELL US THAT WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS WITH THE REAL STEEL CHAMPION ALL ALONG!?"
"I was going-" I began but was cut off by Weiss.
"Don't even try to lie, Arc. We all know for a fact that had this sport not become the official sport of Remnant, you would have gone through all four years of Beacon and NOT tell us." She stated, pissed.
"Um-" I stuttered as I knew that was true.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ruby asked with puppy dog eyes. "I thought we were your friends? You could have at least told me!"
"Well-" I began, but Nora cut me off.
"Yeah, fearless leader." She added, pouting. "Or should we call you our selfish leader?"
"Nora." Ren chided before turning to me. "You being the Real Steel champion does explain how you could pilot the bots with ease. But is it true about what you told us about your sister?"
"Yes. For the most part." I answered.
"For the most part?" Weiss asked through narrow eyes.
"The only part I lied about was that she changed to an accountant due to her hating her job. She loved it but had to change due to her needing to move to another part of Vale." I explained.
"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Pyrrha shouted, snapping the others back to focus as she took the scroll back. "JAUNE! WHAT YOU DID WAS DANGEROUS! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT OR WORSE!"
'I doubt that.' I thought with a shiver going down my spine.
While I never told my team or friends, I was attacked twice in the past month. The first time was by some common thugs, while the second time was by some Shade Academy students. Even though Pyrrha and occasionally Nora had been training me to fight better, I knew I was outmatched. However, I didn't need to pull out Crocea Mors as the Twins and Neo took care of the problem. Although, I did feel slightly sorry for the students and thugs as the Twins and Neo struck fear deep into their hearts. And ever since then, they have also begun to train me to fight better.
"I know. I'm-" I began but was cut off.
"Oh no, mister. That's not going to work this time." Pyrrha scolded.
"She's quite protective of him, isn't she?" Miltia asked Blake.
"You have no idea. Plus, she also has a crush on Jaune. So, best not do anything in front of her with Jaune." Blake answered. "Unless you want to cause a lot of drama."
"Don't worry. We won't." The Twins and Neo simultaneously said with a smirk that promised the exact opposite.
"Does he know?" Miltia asked.
"Nope. He's clueless in the relationship department. I'm surprised you three even managed to clue him in." Blake answered.
"It certainly took a lot. Thankfully, Neo's forwardness helped a lot." Melanie explained while Neo did a cute wink.
"Pyrrha, please calm down!" I nearly shouted, finally managing to stop her rambling and catching everyone's attention. "How about this? Now that you all know my secret, I come out with everything about being the Real Steel Champion."
"That could work." Some of them said after a moment.
"But you still need to make it up to us." Yang added.
"Fine. How about this? Since I'm going to head to someone to help repair one of my bots, I'll bring you all with us so he can upgrade the team's bots as well." I offered.
"I'd say that makes it up." Yang said with wide eyes. The others seemed excited as well at the prospect of getting their bots upgraded. However, Pyrrha remained quiet.
"You okay, Pyr?" I asked, worried.
"You said us yet were not referring to me and the others. Who else is coming?" She asked, curious.
'Right.' I thought, realizing my mistake. But before I could correct or explain myself, Neo popped up next to me, flashed an evil smile, and kissed me on the cheek.
"JAUNE! WHO'S-" Pyrrha began, furious but was cut off when Neo ended the call.
"I'm dead. Thanks Neo." I said with a sigh as she got off me.
'You're welcome.' She signed while sticking her tongue out at me.
"Who's you're going to meet?" Blake asked, curious.
"The one who created Atom and invented the Shadow Mode function." I answered.
"I'm fairly curious about the story behind that. Anyway, what now?" Blake asked.
"Well, since it's late, I would say head home." I answered. "How about you?"
"Head back to Beacon. But, do you think you can give me a lift as I'm not sure how to get there on foot as I used up all my lien on some snacks and food." She answered with a light blush of embarrassment.
"Sure. The rest of the bots are already heading back to the gym, and I just finished repairing Atom the best I could. Just need to load him into the truck, and we can get going." I answered.
"What gym?" Blake asked, confused.
"Right. I never told you. I own a gym called Tallet's Gym. It's where I keep all my bots and also allow some other handlers to train theirs. But it also acts as my home away from Beacon." I explained.
"In that case, think I can sleep there tonight as the bullheads are closed now?" Blake asked.
"Sure." I answered while ignoring the warning glares the Twins and Neo sent Blake.
Nodding her thanks, she went over to sit down in one of the nearby chairs and read her book. Turning around, I checked over Atom one last time before putting away all my tools and making sure I had all of them with me. Once done, I flipped Atom into controller mode before grabbing the remote. Usually, I would use Shadow Function, but I didn't want to risk anything. Seeing that I was finished, the Twins and Neo smiled before rushing over to me and grabbing my arms. Well, twins grabbed my arms while Neo jumped onto my back. But Blake and I did chuckle a bit when they glared at her.
Exiting the room, we closed the door and made our way through the stadium to the parking lot. However, we did get stopped every now and then by fans wanting my autograph or to take a photo with Atom. After signing the last one, we resumed our way and made it to the parking lot after about twenty minutes. Although, it did take a bit longer than it would have, as we did stop by a store to buy some snacks. Getting to the truck, I stored Atom in the back and hooked him up to the charging station. But as I did so, I noticed that the gentle glow and hum that came from Atom's core was unnervingly quiet and dull.
"Don't worry, Atom. We'll get you fixed up soon." I said while patting him on the chest piece.
"You really care for your bots, don't you?" Blake asked, startling me.
"I do. Atom and the others are part of the family." I answered. She seemed a bit unsettled by this but smiled before nodding and exiting the truck. Turning to Atom one last time, I tapped on his chest before moving him back and exiting the truck. Locking it up, I then went around and got into the driver's seat.
"How long before we get back to your place, Jaune?" Blake asked.
"About two hours. Less now as it's past midnight." I answered.
Turning the truck on, I pulled out, drove through the parking lot, and soon got onto the road. Despite the Twins and Neo falling asleep soon after and Blake reading her book, the trip back home was anything but silent. Mainly because my mind constantly drifted back to both Atom and my teammates. I knew that things would be tense for the next couple of weeks, if not months, for my team and me. Especially Pyrrha since she saw Neo kissing me and was cut off before I could try and explain myself. Yet, for some reason, I didn't know why, but when I saw Pyrrha about to break down in anger, I wanted to just be there and hug her.
However, there was something else on my mind, and that was Atom. While I told the Twins and Neo that it wasn't anything serious, it actually was severe. I only managed to patch it so that it can handle a few more hits. But if anything big or powerful hits Atom, then his core will rupture and become useless. And that gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach as I'm not sure if he would even survive or if I could even repair/salvage him if that does happen.
'I don't think I could handle that if it does happen.' I thought as I turned to back into the alleyway next to the gym.
"How long have you had this gym, Jaune?" Blake asked, curious.
"I've owned the gym for roughly a decade. But I've lived here since I was twelve." I answered, only to become confused when her eyes widened in shock.
"Twelve! Did your parents kick you out, and aren't your seventeen?" She asked, shocked.
"Eighteen, about to be nineteen and no. My grandfather gave me this gym, and with my family's help, I transformed this into a gym for handlers training their bots. I moved into here when I was two years into my career as a handler of Real Steel." I explained as I parked and turned off the car.
"Wow." She gasped as she unfastened her seat belt while I gently shook the Twins and Neo awake.
"Are we here?" Miltia asked while letting out a yawn.
"Yes. Head inside to your rooms and get some sleep." I told them.
'What about you?' Neo asked, stretching a bit.
"I need to check on Atom again and repair a few more things as I have more tools here. Once done, then I'll head to my room." I answered.
"Don't try anything funny." Melanie told Blake with a glare before she, Miltia, and Neo got out of the truck and headed inside.
"I heard from Yang that they were stuck-up bitches that don't care for anyone else. And while I never fully believed Yang when it came to certain things, I was not at all expecting them or Neo to be the protective or jealous types." Blake commented as she followed me to the back of the truck.
"I wasn't expecting that either." I said with a chuckle as I unlocked the door and opened the back of the truck.
"Did they ever attack any other unfortunate girl?" Blake asked as we entered the truck, headed towards Atom, and powered him up. However, what quickly and worriedly caught our attention was that it took much longer for Atom to turn on and become responsive. "I take it that's much longer than normal."
"It is." I answered as I turned on the controller and piloted him out of the truck.
"Do you think you can fix it?" Blake asked as she closed the truck's door and locked it. I shook my head at this as I opened the gym door.
"Unfortunately, not. I don't know anything about his core or Shadow Mode function, and those were the parts that were heavily damaged in this fight." I answered as we headed towards the back where the other boxes were.
"But this guy you said who could upgrade our bots, do you think he can fix Atom?" She asked.
"That's what I'm hoping for, as he did create Atom and Shadow Mode." I answered, doubt trickling in my voice. However, a moment later, my scroll vibrated.
"Could that be the guy?" Blake asked as I took out my scroll.
"It is." I answered, relieved. Reading the message over, I felt my smile grow even wider with a weight being lifted from my shoulders. "And he says he can take a look at Atom next week."
"That's good. Now you all have to deal with is our teammates and possibly, Beacon." Blake said with a smirk.
"Unfortunately." I agreed as I led her to her room before heading to my room to sleep, as it was almost three in the morning.
Two Weeks Later
'Talk about tense.' I thought as the air was so tense that you could feel it weighing you down. Currently, we were in a bullhead traveling to Atlas to where Atom's creator resided. With me were the Twins, Neo, my team, Team Rwby, and Glynda Goodwitch. Glynda came with us at the request of myself and Ozpin to keep the peace. Although, speaking of which, I'm surprised that Yang hasn't attacked Neo yet.
It was two weeks since Atom's fight against Asura and two weeks since my teammates learned that I was the Real Steal champion handler. While initially, we were going to get Atom fixed in the following week, an emergency came up, and we had to push the meeting back by another week. But that was fine by me, as long as Atom gets the help he needs. However, that didn't mean the two weeks flew by or were pleasant; in fact, they were slow as hell and almost unbearable.
As it turned out, not only did my team and friends learn about my secret, but everyone at Beacon now knows that I'm the Real Steel champion handler. And now, everyone wants either my autograph or to become my friend. But, since then, Ozpin has assigned me to teach each team how to handle their bots properly. By the end of the first week, I had nearly emptied an entire bottle of aspirin and ended up in the infirmary three times. At the very least, though, they all had a good understanding of their bots and controls by the middle of the second week.
But that wasn't the worst of it. The worst was my teammates and their constant questions and disbelief in me. They wouldn't trust me or let me leave their sights. It got so bad that Ozpin actually had to assign all of us to counseling sessions with Professor Peach. Thankfully though, after two sessions and buying each of them their own large pizza. Although, I did have to also shoe Yang, Ruby, and Nora some of the other bots as well. However, the worst came from Pyrrha. She was incredibly distant from me these two past weeks and would occasionally sand longing glances my way along with a betrayed look. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she put up a pained smile before walking away.
'What could be bothering her? Could it be the kiss from Neo?' I wondered as I looked in her direction. She was seated on the other side of the bullhead between Nora and Yang. The reason for it was that she nearly attacked the Twins and Neo when they flashed me a smile. That's also the reason why I'm seated between Ren and Blake. However, that did not deter Neo from occasionally sitting in my lap. Thankfully, she stopped doing that when Glynda forced her away with her semblance.
"How long have you known the creator of Atom?" Ruby asked.
"Let's see. I had Atom since I was eleven, and I met him three years afterward, so four-five years." I answered before quickly, explaining that I'm older than them.
"Has he created any other bots with Shadow Mode?" Yang asked, keeping her grip on Pyrrha's arm.
"Not sure." I answered.
"But are you sure that's he willing to upgrade the rest of our bots?" Miltia asked.
"Yes. Before I could even ask him about it, he brought it up. Although, I did have to call him again to tell him about your team's bots coming with us." I answered.
"Do you think he will be able to provide/create an emergency power-off switch?" Glynda asked, curious. I was confused for a moment as to why she would need a switch like that, but then I remembered that the students of Beacon now have their own bots.
"Maybe. But I think he will need to see the bots first. And I mean all of them." I answered after a moment of thinking it over.
"Do you think you can get us a fight, fearless leader?" Nora asked excitedly.
"Sorry, Nora. But none of you are ready, as you are all still learning the basic controls and have yet to move onto the more advanced controls and settings. Maybe in the coming months, I could get you guys a low-tier non-underground match." I answered.
"Underground?" Ruby asked, confused.
"What Mr. Arc is saying, Mr. Rose, is that there are two different settings of fights. Above ground, tournament-style fights and underground fights where anything goes, and there are no rules." Glynda explained before turning to me. "How many underground fighting clubs are there, and are they safe?"
"While I cannot give you their addresses, I can say that in Vale, there are around twenty underground fighting arenas." I answered. "Why?"
"So that I, along with the rest of the faculty, will know where to look when one of the teams inevitably tries to get into a fight club before they are ready." She explained while throwing a silent glare to Team Rwby and my team.
"You don't need to worry about that as those fight clubs have strict guidelines on who they let in and will turn anyone away if they don't meet the criteria or recognize them. Either way, I'll give you the locations when we get back to Beacon." I answered with her nodding in understanding. Sitting back down, I closed my eyes and tried to rest as we still had another three hours before we reached our destination. Unfortunately, my motion sickness made that impossible for me.
Three Hours Later
'Thank Oum.' I thought as the bullhead finally landed and opened its doors. However, the cold winds of the Atlas Kingdom reminded everyone to put on their coats before stepping outside.
"So, this guy lives in the Atlas Kingdom?" Pyrrha asked as she looked around, shivering as she was not used to the cold Atlas temperatures.
"Not just that, but he also works for the Atlas Kingdom and has helped Ironwoods on multiple occasions." I answered before having some guys from the Real Steel tournament help unload the bots.
"If that's the case, you could have just told me, and I could have gotten us a much more direct line to him." Weiss commented, annoyed.
"Where is he located anyway?" Ruby asked.
"In the center of this city." I answered.
"And how are we supposed to get there?" The Twins asked, shivering as they were also not used to the cold.
"Don't worry. I called ahead to arrange some rides for us and the bots." I answered with a few trucks.
"How far away is his residence?" Glynda asked as she directed Team Rwby to sit in the first truck while the rest went into the second truck.
"About an hour. Longer since it's snowing and it's close to rush hour." I answered before getting pulled into the truck by the Twins and Neo.
Two Hours Later
"Atlas might be the most advanced Kingdom in Remnant, but even it cannot escape rush hour and heavy traffic." Yang complained as she stretched once she exited the truck.
"I doubt there will ever be a time that heavy traffic and rush hour does not exist." Blake commented as she bookmarked the page of the book she was on.
'So, this is the place.'Neo asked, having used her semblance to disguise herself as an ordinary Beacon student to hide from Atlas soldiers and drones. After all, she was still a criminal wanted by multiple kingdoms.
"Yup." I answered as we gazed upon the towering building.
"What floor do we to go to?" Melanie asked, dreading the possibility of having to climb all these steps.
"The seventh floor. Don't worry. There is an elevator for us and the bots." I answered, causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief.
Nodding to the helpers, we entered the building and headed towards the elevators in the back. Getting in, we pressed the button that would take us to the correct floor, with the doors closing a second later. After a few moments of tense silence, we reached the correct floor with the elevator doors opening a second later. Stepping out, I had to suppress a chuckle when I noticed everyone's awed expression at the technological marvels they were seeing. I know I felt the same when I first came here. Turning around, I was about to motion for the others to follow me but stopped when a voice called out to us.
"Excuse me, what brings you all here?" The voice asked. Turning around, we saw Winter Schnee, the older sister of Weiss, walking towards us with a glare.
"Winter. Good afternoon." Weiss formally greeted with a light bow.
"Good afternoon, Wiess." Winter replied with a bow and a slight smile gracing her features. She then schooled her face before turning back to us. "Why are you all here?"
"Mr. Arc." Glynda said, motioning for me to answer.
"Yes. We're here to see Pietro Polendina." I told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" We heard Ruby ask.
"I find that doubtful." Winter said suspiciously.
"It's true." The Twins said, backing me up. Winter glared at them and was about to pull out her weapon but stopped when another voice called out.
"Salutations Jaune, and company." The cheery voice shouted. Looking around Winter, we saw a cheerful young girl running towards us. Once she reached us, she clumsily and awkwardly hugged me.
"Hey, Penny. Good to see you." I said as she let go of me.
"PENNY!" Ruby shouted, shocked and happy to see one of her best friends.
"Salutations, Ruby." Penny greeted with a smile as she gave a bone-crushing hug to Ruby.
"How do you know them, Ms. Polendina?" Winter asked, curious.
"That's because Ruby and I are best friends." Penny began as she and Ruby hugged each other again.
"Aw. Isn't that sweet?" Yang teased with a smirk.
"As for Mr. Arc?" Winter reminded.
"He used to watch over Penny when no one else was available." A new voice answered. Turning around, we saw an older man wearing a red vest over a cream shirt with a pink bowtie. However, what stood out about him was that he was coming towards us while sitting down in a specially designed chair.
"Hello, father." Penny said as she walked over to stand next to him.
"What is the nature of this visit, Mr. Polendina?" Winter asked, curious.
"Jaune contacted me two weeks ago to see if I could repair and upgrade the bots he owns. And to upgrade the bots, his friends own as well." He explained.
"And I take it those crates contain these bots." Winter said, eyeing the boxes behind us and the helpers who were getting impatient.
"Very well. But I shall stay to help Glynda ensure nothing goes amiss." Winter said, skeptical of the whole thing. However, we had an inkling that she wanted to meet some of the bots in person as Weiss has.
"Can we hurry this up? We got other places to be?" One of the helpers shouted, annoyed.
"Yes. Follow us." Pietro said before motioning us to follow him to his lab.
"Jaune?" Ruby asked, getting my attention as she walked up next to me.
"Yeah." I said, turning to her.
"Is it true that you used to watch over Penny?" She asked, curious. "Like a babysitter?"
"Kind of. He actually needed someone to watch over her as he was needed in a project, and nobody else was free. And this was a few months after I learned he created Atom. So, contacted me to watch over her." I explained as we made it to Pietro's personal lab.
"Where do you want them?" One of the helpers asked.
"Leave them in the center of the room." Pietro answered as he turned on his lab and machines. The helpers nodded before moving the bots to the center before leaving. Luckily, they didn't forget to leave a crowbar and keys to open the boxes.
"Are you the one who created Atom and Shadow Mode?" Miltia asked Pietro.
"Yes, I am. He was one of my breakthroughs. Unfortunately, I lost him a long time ago. Thankfully, he was found, repaired, and given a nice home and family by this young man." He answered with a smile.
"Wouldn't that be going a bit much?" Weiss asked.
"To some. But nearly all the handlers and inventors consider the bots as part of the family." Pietro explained before turning to me. "Now, which one should we start with?"
"Atom. He was heavily damaged in his most recent fight against Tak Mashido's latest bot, Asura." I answered.
"Who?" The other asked, curious.
"Tak Mashido. He's both famous and notorious for his bots. He's considered by many as a top-tier bot builder and designer in the history of Real Steel. However, he only saw them as nothing more than steel and bolts. And as soon as one of his bots nearly loses the fight, he scraps the current one and makes a new one." Pietro explained as I opened the box that contained Atom.
"And he cares more for the fame and money than anything else." I added as I finally managed to open the box and grabbed the controller.
"I take it you want me to check on Atom first?" Pietro asked, turning back to me.
"Yes." I answered as I grabbed the controller before turning Atom on. However, like last time, he took roughly a minute to turn on fully. But what immediately stuck out to everyone was the hissing that was coming from Atom's core.
"Is that normal?" Glynda asked, concerned.
"No, it's not." Pietro said, worried. "Quick, make him sit on the table."
"You can do it, Atom." I said as we all noticed that Atom seemed to be struggling to take a single step. Thankfully, I managed to get him to sit on the reinforced table, where I then had him lie down. "Do you think you can fix him?"
"I need to examine the extent of his damage. But so far, I'd say yes. However, I'm going to need your help. Afterward, I can take a look at the other bots and see what I can do to upgrade them." He answered with an assuring smile. He then turned to the others. "The rest of you can wait outside if you want. But if you choose to stay here, please keep out of the way, so you don't get hurt."
"We'll stay here." The Twins said with Neo nodding her agreement.
"Fine. The rest of you, follow me." Glynda ordered. They seemed a bit hesitant as they wanted to see more about the bots and their inner workings but nodded and followed her to the adjacent room. Turning back to Atom, we opened him and began to work. However, when no one was looking, I placed my hand on his core.
'Hopefully, this will help you, Atom.' I thought as I concentrated and pumped some of my aura into him. But before I could check to see if there was any reaction, Pietro got my attention.
"Alright, Jaune. Let's get to work on repairing Atom." he told me with a smile as he handed me some tools. Nodding, I grabbed the tools, and we began repairing Atom so he could be his old self again. All the while, unaware of the faint white and green glow emanating from Atom's core and eyes.
Notes:
Just a short chapter to get the ball rolling.
Also, should any of the other bots have Shadow Mode function installed into them? Or should Atom be the only one?
Yes, I made Jaune slightly older. But that's only to fit certain aspects of the story such as owning Tallet's gym.
Before going to Beacon, in this story Jaune knew Penny before the others and looked after her on occasion due to him knowing Pietro.
Lastly, since this chapter is going up on December Thirty-First, Happy New Year's Eve. Hope you all had a fantastic day and I hope you all have a blessed New Year.