Chapter 10

Big Trouble at the Medarot Tournament

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[Nighttime, Tenryo Residence]

A few weeks have passed since the battle with the Crushers and not long after Yuzu's family moved into the neighborhood, in the 2nd week in September...

Naruto and Metabee decided to call a truce because Mama Chidori told them not to fuss over the flat-screen TV in the front room as they tuned in the Medarot Streaming Channel which is showing the final round in the World Robattle Tournament shot live in Gear Stadium, Los Angeles, USA as about 300,000 lucky fans were watching from their seats while the rest of the thousands of people were watching, streaming in live-cast. The match is scheduled for one fall in a 6-sided open ring. (Naruto and Metabee are doing some image training to face off against other Medafighters who probably may have the same kinds of Medarots.)

"Now then fans, who will be the one to be crowned the Singles Tournament World Champion? Would it be the Representative from Spain, Rolando de la Flamenco¹ with his COW-type Medarot [Red Matador] or will it be the Representative from Kenya, Victor Simba² with his KLN-Type [Warbonnet]?"

-Meda Vital Stats-

Red Matador

Owner: Rolando (Team Spain)

Medal: M - Knight

Specialty: Defensive Tactics

·

Warbonnet

Owner: Victor (Team Kenya)

Medal: B - Horned Beetle

Specialty: Shooting

Team Spain's Red Matador looks like a torero bullfighter in regalia crossed with a Mino-Centaur (its 4-legged parts more like an ox than a horse) featured with a blood-red Cape Shield on his Left Arm and a Saber on his Right Arm. His handler is a Caucasian male dressed like a matador, including a proper hat.

Team Kenya's Warbonnet looks like a lion crossed with a typical Native American war-chief and his war bonnet (hence the name), said to be Sumilodonad's counterpart, says Naruto. The handler is a light-complexioned negroid man with a shaved head, wearing a purple sleeveless shirt and collar, white motorcycle pants with a belt and sports a pair of rectangular sunglasses with red lenses.

"And approaching the ring is our referee, Referee Ron Ruddy³ to decide who will be the winner of the match."

"What? I thought that Mr. Uruchi would appear in this Robattle!" Metabee wondered.

"He can't be in every place all at once, Metabee," Naruto explained, "I've read that there are different Medarot Licensed Referees stationed in every known town and region in the world. I've also heard that they're coming up with a newer way to supervise and referee Robattles via videocast so that there will be fewer casualties towards the ref, most likely after the World Tournament. Shh! He's about to start."

"Robattle, FIGHT!"

(Dong!)

The match begins as Warbonnet goes on the offensive as uses his shooting parts against the charging Red Matador - - - the shots glanced off of Red Matador due to his Cape Shield.

"Warbonnet's Range Shooter doesn't let Red Matador get on the offensive!"

"It doesn't matter how much firepower you have, Red Matador has the Cape Shield part as well as the Body Blow head part for solid defense," Naruto commented.

"So this means that Red Matador is invincible, right?" Metabee asked.

"Not necessarily so. Warbonnet's handler must have a plan to get past Red Matador's defense."

"Warbonnet, adjust your aim 1 degree lower and 2 degrees to the right," Victor ordered with a secretive smirk on his face.

Warbonnet aims for Red Matador's horn and uses his Range Shooter - - - it connects as Red Matador's horn on his head part was shot off, reducing his Body Blow's battery clip considerably as well as taking damage.

"Incredible! Red Matador's indestructible defense has been pierced! This is all thanks to Victor's accurate instructions. They leave little room for error!"

"There! Right where it counts!" Naruto noticed.

"I could do anything that show-off can do," Metabee wasn't that impressed.

"Tell that to Warbonnet when you'll meet him and Victor in the upcoming tournament, Metabee," Naruto said as they watched Victor Simba defeat Rolando de la Flamenco in a stunning upset, "Mom, I'm going to meet Arika-chan tomorrow for another summer assignment, if that's alright."

"Okay, son," Chidori replied as she peeked from the kitchen, "Oh, and your father and I wanted to show you something after the regional Robattle Tournament on Saturday. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Naruto almost forgot about the upcoming Regionals tournament as he told Metabee that his special Shingata Horned Beetle parts are ready, to be fully tested out for the matches. They're slightly different from the Metal Beetle or the Bayonet KBT parts, but they can pack quite a punch in shooting terms. Metabee can't wait until the big event soon to try them out, but he has a nagging problem of not being in the big ring like the one on TV.

-Medarots-

[The next day]

Naruto, Arika, a sulking Metabee, and an anxious Brass were walking down the street as they were talking about last night's World Tournament battle. It was a bit of a downer for the match was clearly one-sided because of Victor and Warbonnet's ruthlessness. They soon see a poster for the upcoming Regional Robattle Tournament with last year's Medarot champion, Kirara and her LadyJet. This year is going to be Naruto's first time crashing the party over there.

But then, who would show up but the Screws Trio.

"Hmhmhm," Kikuhimé lightly chuckled, "Even if you enter this contest, Tenryo, it'll be pointless."

"Kiku-chan," Naruto casually said, "Still think that the times at the arcade are not enough? Although their menu choices are quite delicious..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Naruto-kun," Kikuhimé said, "For I, Kikuhimé will be the victor this year. I lost against the previous champion by a hair's breadth, but this time I have a plan that'll assure my victory."

"Yeah, it's a new part that'll bring a whole new level of firepower!" Iwanoi yapped before Kikuhimé and Kagamiyama slapped and covered the looselip's mouth.

"You moron," Kikuhimé yelled at Iwanoi, "Stop blabbering about our secrets! Dummy up, you dummy!"

"Funny, 'cause I have parts that bring a whole new level of firepower of their own," Naruto said, "I'm not saying what." (Only Arika and Kikuhimé know of Naruto's dumpster diving for Medaparts and repairing them with his parts generator.)

"Whatever," Kikuhimé said as she brushed her long bangs aside, "If you don't want to get hurt, you better think twice before entering the tournament, for I will…" She whispers a wager that is a little too explicit for anybody else's ears, except for Arika's, who blushes madly, so she takes Naruto and Kikuhimé into a huddle and she wagers a bet of her own. But to Naruto, it was a「DARN if he doesn't, DANG if he does」situation, hoping that little Yuzu doesn't get any funny ideas. However, Naruto says that his mother also has a surprise of her own, but he and Metabee don't know what it is. The girls hope it doesn't conflict with what they have in mind as they also plan to invite a few more "friends" over.

"I'll see you at the tournament then, Kiku-chan, boys," Naruto said as the Screws (including Iwanoi with his face full of slap marks) left.

"What the hey?" Metabee exclaimed, "That girl hasn't defeated me once."

"Metabee...," Brass sighed about her friend's overconfidence and foolish pride.

"You'll never know what will happen in the tournament, Metabee," Naruto said.

-Medarots-

[Later, at the 24-hour Hop Mart]

Naruto and Arika bought a few cold drinks while Metabee is instructed by Mama Chidori to walk Salty, with Brass accompanying him, trying to talk things over. (Chidori and Jozō had to make a quick visit to the hospital for an important check-up.)

"I see," Hikaru said to Naruto, "Don't consider agreeing just yet. Have you performed regular maintenance on your Medarot?"

"I haven't, considering how Metabee is a bit... stubborn," Naruto replied, "The Parts I can handle, but Metabee's Tinpet is another thing. I haven't quite fully read the instructions about maintaining it and that the Tinpet is a different model than the current ones. I can't be careless about screwing, polishing, and cutting in the wrong areas with them, y'know."

"When the tournament kicks off, your Medarot will be pushed to its limits. You should disassemble Metabee's parts and do some maintenance."

"But you know Metabee doesn't like having his Medal removed. You know the last time you tried that…"

They remembered the time Metabee went bananas and tried to shoot them down, but he couldn't, thanks to the safety locks.

"Don't remind me," Hikaru dismally said, "After all, he can't move freely when you remove the Medal." After giving some thought, he has an idea, "How about you put Metabee in a secondary Body? That should do the trick." He brought out a male Tinpet and said, "They finally arrived in our shop, this and the female Tinpets. What should I do? Should I sell you one? Maybe I shouldn't."

"Hikaru-nii," Naruto said with a sense of doubt, "I seem to remember that you tried to steal my Medal that day and the time your friend, the Phantom, tried to steal the stolen Medals that the Rubberobos took in the old district?"

Hikaru wanted to deny it, but Naruto knew of his little game, and said, "He may disguise himself, but he didn't hide his fingerprints, hide his scent, or even change his hairstyle, let alone put on a wig. Tell Phantom Renegade to be smarter on figuring out his own mistakes and maybe then, he'll be a better gentleman thief."

"It's "Phantom Retort", baka...," Hikaru grumbled.

After some convincing, Naruto got both the spare Male and Female Tinpets at a discount and also bought some Medarot cleaning supplies. He still hasn't considered which Medals wouldn't be useful for the female Tinpet, however. All in due time…

-Medarots-

[Tenryo Residence]

Naruto already assembled the parts for a Male Medarot - the Pseudo Metabee look-alike, with his "Massive" bipedal Leg Parts, the "Ambergul" Gatling for his Left Arm, the "Phange" Rifle for his Right Arm, and finally, the "Mashut" missile Head Part that always look angry. It may look strange at first, but it's better than nothing. So he puts up a sign saying, [Spare Male Body, reserved for Metabee.] And he writes a message to Metabee in case he comes back from taking Salty for a walk and sticks it to the Medarot's hand, as if he was passing out the message to a certain somebody. So he goes to the bathroom to take a quick shower to cool off and get the grime off.

Not even a minute later, Metabee returned from his walk with Salty. The man and the lady of the house aren't home, and he didn't see Naruto as he helps leave Salty in his den outside in the shade of the tree.

He checks the bedroom he shares with Naruto and finds his look-alike just standing there, absolutely empty as it is without a Medal.

Metabee thought that Naruto was playing a trick on him as he said, "Why, that no-good… huh? A message?

He finds the letter on the empty Medarot's hand and reads it as it says,

Metabee,

I just bought us some Spare Tinpets and supplies for such an occasion to give your parts a proper tune-up, including your Tinpet. If we're going to win a good place at the tournament, we have to make sure that every part is spic and span and that means taking you apart. The spare body equipped with a prototype parts of the KBT-series is what it's called a future-retro model, codenamed,『Beet』that I remembered from one of my strangest dreams. They work slightly differently than your current KBT parts. You know that you don't like being cooped up in my watch, so this extra body will be useful until you get back into your original Tinpet. When I get back, I'll have to eject your Medal, otherwise we won't be able to catch up with Kōji's caliber or even other strong Medafighters. The tournament also would give us a chance to experiment with the other parts, as long as they're compatible with your Medal, in order to expand your capabilities. They should be ready by the time the Regional Tournament begins this Saturday.

-Naruto

P.S.: I cannot tune you up while you're still "inside", so the part is non-negotiable. It's a must.

Maybe Naruto was right, Metabee thought, his parts are starting to feel a little stiffer than they ought to be. "Man, I hope he knows what he's doing."

But then, Naruto has just moved his dirty laundry over in the basket and removed his contents into a separate bin. He was wearing just a towel around his waist after finishing his shower as he was about to put on some fresh clothes when he notices Metabee who is sitting on his desk chair as he notices that his handler is expecting to be as wimpy as the average 10 year old boy, but Naruto is slightly muscular as he finds his spare clothing and undergarments (boxers and boxer briefs). Metabee said, "Naruto, you have my consent to transfer my medal to the spare body. By the way, why did you call these parts "Beet"? He looks so seriously angry all the time."

Naruto sat down on his bed and said, "I remember a strangest dream about being in a different Medarot world where the people, animals, and Medarots were strangely drawn from a Manga book. They almost look like Hikaru-nii, Kirara-nee, Nae-senpai, and their Medarots. These Medaparts you're using are but a few examples from my plans and small models." But then Naruto's towel's knot came loose and Metabee saw Naruto's manhood that is slightly covered with hair and a little more prominent than the other boys in their locker/shower rooms that he and the other Medarots were busy spying. They had experienced the life of people going through human adolescence.

"Seriously‽" Naruto covered himself with his clothes as he ejected the Medal, "Metabee, can't a guy have some privacy, away from prying eyes?"

After he got dressed soon found the instructions of the newer Tinpets and compared it to the other Male Tinpet.

-Medarots-

[Saturday, the Day of the Tournament; the local Supermarket Lot]

The 10th Annual Regional Tournament is underway as the Supermarket lot is blocked off for the Robattles, its ringsides, the Medafighters' tents, and the commentary booths. The skies are slightly cloudy as the weather girl said that rain would likely show up later in the day.

Arika is busy with her journalism while Brass and Laserbeak (borrowed from Naruto) are running their cameras, picking up the action.

Naruto and Metabee have finished their share of image training and analysis on their current parts. Metabee is polished as he feels like a new Medarot, but then Naruto suddenly recalls more of his lost memories as he remembers some more smoke bombs and the infamous ninja move, [the Kagé Bunshin Art (Shadow Double)]. Metabee snaps his handler out of his trance, "Hey! Earth to Naruto, moshi-moshi?"

"Hmm...what? What is it, Metabee?" Naruto said as more of his abilities are starting to awaken.

"Your mind seems to be elsewhere. What was that flashback you remembered?"

"Something about more flashy smoke bombs and… the Kagé Bunshin (shadow doubles)…"

"Sounds like a Ninja thing. I'm not so surprised after all the headaches you've been getting lately."

Chidori, who is with them, patted her son on the shoulder and said to Naruto, "Win or lose, you're still our № 1 son. Papa and I will be watching from here, sweet'ums.💕"

"Mom… you're embarrassing me… y'know," Naruto said while trying not to be coy about his mother's talk as they prepared to register for the tournament.

-Explanation-

The rules of the Regional Tournament are as follows:

The matches are scheduled for one fall in a singles (1-on-1) battle, with a time limit of 90 seconds per match.

The arena will be on a 6-sided open platform ring.

No parts will be wagered unless certain conditions happen.

The battles are arranged in a tournament-style bracket until the champion is decided from the finals.

-Medarots-

Metabee (in his usual set) is battling the Ginjō Student Council's Dr. Study. It appears that they haven't learned their lesson about Medaparts and Medals.

"We're here to regain our lost honor after Kikuhimé and the Screws defeated us last year," the SC President said, "And since you're associated with them, you'll be our first step towards our conquest!"

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Naruto replied, "What Kiku-chan and I do is our own thing, between close friends. You better worry about your Medarot, because Dr. Study is ill-suited for the tournament whatsoever with his current equipment."

"You shut up, Tenryo!" The SC president yelled, "Your Metal Beetle is history once we get through with you!"

Mr. Uruchi, one of the few presiding referees, watches the match as it unfolds.

"Robattle, FIGHT!"

(DING!)

"Go, Doctor Study!" the SC President ordered, but before he hardly knew it, Metabee already charged his Missiles and fired at Dr. Study - - - and they connected, damaging all of Dr. Study's parts, most of the blast hitting the Head Part, causing them to jettison and its Phoenix Medal ejected.

"Winner: Metabee!" Mr. Uruchi decided the match.

"Hardly a warm-up," Metabee said.

"I expected better from them," Naruto said as they left the ring.

The SC council couldn't believe how Naruto has improved since the last robattle with Masaru Daimon AKA the Banchō, still, they shook hands with him as a form of sportsmanship. They retreated back to the other tents to assist with the repairs.

Along the way, Naruto meets Karin with SaintNurse and Yuzu with their Medarots.

"Fancy meeting you here," Naruto said, "What'ya doing here in the tournament?"

"Helping with the Medarot repairs with Karin-neechan, Nii-chan," Yuzu sweetly says.

"Naruto-san, I see you entered the tournament as well," Karin sweetly said.

Metabee is blushing as he hasn't met SaintNurse or Hijiki in a while. He wanted to chat with them, but there has been a disturbance at a different ringside as Kōji and his Sumilodonad facing off against Kirara and her LadyJet, to which she is down for the count.

"Oh, wow!" Arika commented, "We barely started, and we already have a surprisingly upsetting development! Last year's winner, LadyJet, was defeated in a flash! Kōji's Sumilodonad… What a fearsome contender!"

Kirara takes her fallen Medarot's medal and stows her Tinpet and the ejected parts in defeat.

Kōji lets out a smirk that glimmers toward the female members of the audience.

"Show-off…," Naruto muttered and Metabee mutually agreed. (Yuzu doesn't quite understand about male rivalry.)

Kōji sees Karin with Naruto as he smugly says to the former and ignores the latter and Yuzu, "So how was it, Karin? Did you like my elegant fighting style?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yuzu-chan and I were talking to Naruto-san here, so we didn't see anything," Karin apologized.

Kōji was crying tears of disappointment of what appears to be a hollow victory. (Oh, tough luck, Kōji…)

"Oh, dry up," Naruto said to Kōji, "So you're here competing too?"

Kōji regained his composure, "Hm! I'm aiming for one thing and that's the World Tournament. This puny little sport is meaningless."

"You don't say," Metabee said.

"How "fortunate" of you," Naruto said about his rival's ideals.

Kōji then says, "The only reason I participated is to settle my fight with you, but since we're in different brackets, we'll likely be at the finals. I hope I don't hurt your feelings when we meet. Let's go, Karin."

But Karin and Yuzu and their respective Medarots already take Naruto and Metabee away to the overhead tent for a second opinion and to let him volunteer for repairing and inspecting the contenders' Medarots and their Parts before they are called for the next round. They also have a chance to talk to Kirara as well.

Kōji is very bewildered as his "object of affection" is hanging around with a lower class citizen. "Karin… what do you see in that plebeian? What's he got that I haven't got?"

-Medarots-

Later, after being given some moral support, Naruto and Metabee wait for their upcoming match against the same gangsters from the Darkside district and their Megaphant. However, they managed to get a glimpse at Kikuhimé's match with Peppercat facing off against the INT-type Snail Medarot, [Escarloader].

-Meda Vital Stats-

Escarloader

Owner: -Unspecified-

Medal: T - Rabbit

Specialty: Speed Boost

Peppercat was equipped with the Taraba Kuraba Decoy Krab Right Arm Medapart (already bought out of Iwanoi's allowance) and the Robo-Emperor's Death Beam (Kikuhimé bought it at a sale price). However, there seems to be a big glitch in her strategy as both weapons are heavy and are actually compatible to a Male Medarot. And it was too late, as Escarloader gives Peppercat a smirking look and a bit of a nudge and she is being pushed out of the ring, landing on Kikuhimé along with Kagamiyama.

"Oyabi, that was super-duper uncool being cast aside like dirty laundry…," Kagamiyama complained while being weighed down.

"I hate to say "I told them so", but I just did," Naruto facepalmed himself at his friends' disastrous defeat, "After all, a bet's a bet and she lost. I hope it's nothing too fancy or too mature."

"Hey, you little shit!" the weaselly ringleader of the gang cussed and yelled while Karin quickly covered Yuzu's ears with sound-muffling headphones (for goodness sakes), "Thanks to you, you little runt, we lost our territory for a kiddie park and you kicked the other gangs out of their domains!" (He brought another brother into the left-handed party (#2's twin brother), making a total of 3 men.)

"Sorry, was I talking to you?" Naruto pretended not to notice. He changes Metabee's Missile Part with Pururun Jelly's Missile Base Head Part, his Submachinegun Part with Charlie Bear's Splasher Part, and HellPhoenix's Red Tail for Flight capabilities.

"You know it's us, you dirty so-and-so!" The weaselly gangster's brother #1 yelled.

"Yeah, you've done us a big favor," Brother #2 agreed, "Now Aniki's gonna rip ya a new one!"

"Seriously," Naruto said while scratching the back of his head, "Can't you guys just take a hint? Ready, Metabee?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Naruto," Metabee said, "Prepare to kiss your 'bot goodbye again!"

And Mr. Uruchi called for the match to begin and it was the same old story with Megaphant's defense, iron flail, and his tank treads, but this time, Metabee came prepared as his Splasher part fires a gravity beam and rends Megaphant's armor and broke one of his Guard parts (Right Arm), causing it to jettison.

The brothers were cussing up a storm and took it up on the referee. However, Mr. Uruchi calls for Erakado-30 to put a stop to that and he shoots tranquilizing needles from above to shut them up. The gangster brothers won't be standing straight for a while and Megaphant has no choice but to stop.

"Since the brothers-team did not battle with honor and their excessive use of foul language, Metabee wins by default," Mr. Uruchi declared.

The committee dragged the gangsters away, with Megaphant driving his tank-treads off the stage, leaving the disrepaired [Right Guard] Medapart behind. Naruto picked up the part, with Mr. Uruchi's consent.

Metabee was a bit disappointed as he switched back to his usual set, but he gets more options since he can use Protective Parts.

-Medarots-

The tournament numbers are dwindling as Naruto with his Metabee (testing other compatible Medaparts; saving the [Beet] Parts for last) and Kōji with his Sumilodonad were reaching their way to the finals.

And in the Finals, dark clouds are gathering as Naruto checks the weather on his app. Rain is likely going to happen soon as he feels a strange chill.

While Brass is still filming, Arika comments through her microphone, "Okay, it's time for the final round of the tournament! Who will come out on top? Would it be the student of Hanazono Academy, Kōji Karakuchi and his Sumilodonad? Or is it the local finalist of Ginjō City, Naruto Tenryo and his Metabee?" Brass and Laserbeak are keeping their cameras on the ready.

On one side, Kōji is preparing his strategy, waiting for Naruto and his Medarot to show. Sure enough, Naruto and his Metabee(?) are stepping towards the ring. They notice that Metabee looks rather different from his usual set and looks like he comes out from an unpopular art style, and has an often-angry face that is showing that he's ready for a tussle. Sumilodonad is facing off against the KBT-S prototype Medarot, [Beet].

-Meda Vital Stats-

Beet

Owner: Naruto

Medal: B - Horned Beetle

Specialty: Shooting

Kōji smirks as he says, "To think I would actually get to face you in the finals. You have no idea how happy I am, Naruto-kun."

"Likewise, the feeling's mutual, Kōji-kun," Naruto replied.

Both sides are tense. Yuzu and Karin and their Medarots are tense. The crowd is tense. Everybody is tense while the Referee is preparing to arrive.

Naruto breaks the ice as he asks, "Kōji, to set the record straight, just what makes you wild whenever I'm near Karin-san? She's not the kind to be kept hidden away from the world while she and I are just good friends."

"You were seeing her more often, Naruto," Kōji said to the point of accusation, "She visits you and your other girlfriends like you're more than just good friends while I wasn't either invited or when I have to be elsewhere. Karin-chan is a VIP. She should be treated like royalty, like a real princess. Don't you understand? She is my shining star and you're stealing her away… (from me)!"

"Well, excuse me for not having a stick up my butt like a snob," Naruto sarcastically replied before getting serious, "From what I've seen, Karin-san wanted to do something active instead of getting things just handed to her on a silver platter all the time. Why don't you stop being a selfish blockhead and just let Karin-san be herself? Girls have feelings too, y'know."

Kōji notices that lately, he's worried, if not feared, that Karin (who has been friends since Kindergarten) is becoming further and further out of his reach and finds herself in Naruto's arms - doing wild, adult things that he would never think of, including the k… (He was never educated about the facts of life with his parents.)

Naruto interrupted, "Anyway, Kōji, I hope that you brought your A-Game with you because I won't be so merciful."

Kōji shrugs off the uneasiness and replies while hiding behind a smirk, "If it means by me being the winner, then let's have at it."

The chosen referee is none other than Mr. Uruchi enters the topside of the ring as he announces, "Sorry for the wait, everybody! We have a few minutes to make it out before we'll be having a major thunderstorm soon, so let's make it quick. Both participants ready?"

Naruto and Kōji are ready.

"Very well then, for the final round of the city Regional Tournament: Robattle, FIGHT!"

(DING!)

Naruto orders Metabee to keep his distance and fires his Ambergul just as Sumilodonad starts running towards him. (Both sides don't really have the advantage on speed in the arena, so it's anybody's game.)

Sumilodonad took a few hits to his legs, crippling his mobility, but not enough for him to jettison. Metabee took a hit to his leg parts by Sumilodonad.

Then Naruto pulls a Victor Simba with Metabee as he adjusts his aim with his Phange Rifle - - - it connects as Sumilodonad's legs took too much damage and they cease to function, cutting down his agility.

Sumilodonad countered by setting up his Hunter ability to target those with Shooting Parts.

The Medarots fought and they fought and they fought… until they only had their Head Medaparts left - Metabee's Mashut and Sumilodonad's Hunter, both down to one shot. They previously took a cross-counter before their Arm Parts jettisoned from too much damage. Unfortunately, the timer on the clock ran out.

(DING-DING-DING!)

All that's left is the Referee to deliberate who is the winner and he makes his decision. "It's a draw! Both sides have fought well and will share 1st and 2nd Place Prizes." (The rewards are prize money in the 10,000's of Yen for top prizes, coupons for discounts for any Medaparts or sets, and a trophy that will be delivered later, after deliberations. They also gained「notoriety points」 for the upcoming Team Championship.)

Naruto checked on Metabee and said, "Metabee, you did great. The Beet Parts work very nicely as your other parts. It's better than I hoped they would."

"You call this hope?" Metabee yelled as he felt a little stiff, "My new parts all busted and worn down! What were you doing putting things together like I'm a badly drawn beetle?"

"At least they held together as we lasted longer than we thought. It's too bad we didn't use our 「secret weapon」 here. It's too dangerous and the people would get caught in the crossfire, you see, had Sumilodonad dodged it. Anyhow, we managed to get them into a draw game. And don't worry, I'll fix your parts right back up." And he changes Metabee back into his usual set. "The data I've gathered for the Beet parts are a success."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that!"

Kōji is in a fix as his Sumilodonad is worn out. "They fought us in a tie! I thought for sure that we had won… Sumilodonad's Hunter Parts were supposed to set traps to make enemy Medarots with shooting parts take damage and yet, Naruto and his homemade Medarot managed to persevere through them. I can't believe they lasted longer…" He notices Naruto reaching out his hand as he said to him, "I guess the decision isn't really final this time, Kōji. Just you wait until next time and I'll show you a lesson on humility."

Kōji scoffs as he leaves. His damaged Sumilodonad said to Naruto and Metabee, "I don't want to tell you this, but Master Kōji hasn't been very social to anybody in the lower class since his parents were often away on business trips and that the only current family he has is me and his family butler. Master Kōji's not a bad boy, he's just…"

"Sumilodonad, we're leaving," Koji called out and the Medarot had no choice but to obey his handler and he leaves with his damaged Medaparts too.

Arika was disappointed that Kōji didn't get an interview, but she manages to talk to Naruto and congratulates him for tying for 1st Place with Kōji and asks him for anything to say before she finishes. His reply, "Don't let foolish pride get the best of you and keep working hard for what you're aiming for. Believe it."

"And this is Arika Amazaké, signing off," she said as she made a gesture to Brass to stop filming and Naruto puts away Laserbeak. "That was great, Naruto-kun! You've just helped us and the Newspaper Club with enough footage for the after-school special. This'll be great for the papers."

"Me too," Kikuhimé said as she already made her way through the barriers. "I'm surprised that you lasted longer than I thought you were."

"Even though you didn't last the preliminaries?" Arika recalled boisterously.

"And you didn't participate, either," Kikuhimé replies as she sticks out her chest against Arika's busty overall-covered chest, trying to prove who is the better woman.

Then Karin came by with SaintNurse and said, "Naruto-san, Yuzu went home with her father after the tournament was over and she said that she wants to send her love to you."

"I'll tell Yuzu-chan that on the way back to let her know," Naruto blushingly replied.

"And there's something else, Naruto-san." Karin suddenly kissed Naruto on the cheek.

"What do you do that for?" Naruto asked.

"It's a kiss to the winner," she said, "Just don't tell Kōji that. Okay? ❇️" And she and SaintNurse left the parking lot to help with the cleanup.

Arika and Kikuhimé are jealous that Karin kissed him first, but just as they were about to cause another argument with Naruto in the middle, the girls paused as they Mrs. Chidori Tenryo hugged her son from behind and said, "I'm proud of you, son. You didn't give up until the end of the match and now you'll get a handsome trophy to put in your room. Metabee ought to be proud too."

"Aw, Mom…" Naruto blushed as did Metabee.

They wondered about what Naruto's mother is like as a grown woman, reaching at a proper height, having the motherly charm, having the curvatures in the right places, and still even look good wearing an apron. (Chidori has a habit of wearing an apron or a smock most of the time.) They wondered how she even kept her figure, much like their own mothers. They looked at themselves and their eyes gave off the gooey, angsty expression and they mutually cried out, "I'm so envious!" And they decidedly held Naruto's hands side by side (by side), with his arms almost pressing against their growing bosoms.

*thunder rolling*

Uh-oh, there's a sudden downpour coming in the vicinity and they didn't even bring some umbrellas with them. But just as they group and their Medarots try to find shelter at the supermarket to get out of the rain, all of the people had to show up but the Rubberobo Gang. (The gang put up a front, running some stands, to prepare an ambush on Naruto, the girls, and Chidori, for the sake of revenge and stealing their medals while they're at it.)

The original 4 didn't come here alone as they brought reinforcements, more hired Rubberobos with their Medarots (mostly Gaufbullets) surrounding them.

Naruto and Co. are in deep trouble.

To be continued…-›

-Winning Medaparts-

Naruto

Megaphant: Right Guard (Right Arm) - by forfeiture

Omaké 1

Delivery Service?

Hikaru was about to leave his job to see the Tournament near the Supermarket parking lot as he took his helmet and his parked Moped to see if the coast was clear.

"I don't want to miss my little brother in the tournament, so how can I stay at the empty store when no one's around?" he asked himself.

"Hikaru-kun…" the manager suddenly appeared with a ghastly attitude, "Where do you think you are going while it's still your shift?"

"Ch-chief!" Hikaru exclaimed as he looked into the eyes of the glasses-wearing, frog-faced man, who looked very upset, "Oh, of-of course! It's… it's a delivery! I'm going out for a delivery! I have to bring something over to a customer. Yeah, that's it! I'm off!" He makes a silly excuse as he jets off in his moped.

"Hikaru-kun…," the manager muttered while in the lurch, "We don't do deliveries at our store… We do pickups…"

Omaké 2

Behind the Scenes at the Tournament

The Ginjō student council are in the relief tents, even though they're knocked out of the tournament. They helped gather data and help with the repairs of the damaged Medarots. One group was repairing one Medafighter's [Nantetsu] as if they're in a M*A*S*H-4077 scene with an IV attached to help with a lacerated area in his parts.

Naruto is helping repair Metabee's used parts with tools and a healing iron.

A defeated Iwanoi and his damaged Cyandog, as well as Kagamiyama and his beat-up Keithturtle (both lost in the preliminaries) entered Naruto's tent as he swapped Metabee's Medaparts to maintain them. The boys were making a bet (of sorts) with their extra tubs of pudding, but then Kagamiyama said, "We lost and never had a chance to face you, 1-on-1, Tenryo. We have to go back home. Take care of our boss as she insisted that she stayed here watching the rest of the Tournament. We know that she likes you while she can only be like a sister to us. Take good care of her, or so help us…"

"I get the point, but there are other girls that like me too. Now that I think about it, you're acting like you're trying to give Kiku-chan like I'm - -"

"Like I'm what, Naruto-kun?" Kikuhimé asked as she entered the tent and grabbed the boys by the ears, "You're gambling your extra pudding and you dare sell me out like I'm one of those cabaret cuties that my Mama warned me about? Shame on you two! Go back to fixing your Medarots elsewhere while Naruto-kun and I have a private talk. Go on, scram!"

And Iwanoi and Kagamiyama left the tent with the pain coming from their earlobes.

"What's the matter with her?" Metabee asks Naruto.

"She must have a good reason for coming here," he said as he saw Kikuhimé bringing Peppercat with her incompatible parts stuck to her arms.

"Naruto-san, Kiku-chan couldn't remove those parts off of me-ow.," she complained, "She put them in manually and they're stuck tight. Mrroww! They're heavy!"

Naruto sighed as he carefully removed the Decoy Krab and the Death Beam parts to allow her handler to transport her usual Light Jab and Light Blow parts. He also adjusted Peppercat's armor rating where they're supposed to go and fixed her mobility, much to Kikuhimé's amazement.

"There!" Naruto said, "All done. How you feeling Peppercat?"

Naruto was pounced on as the Cat Medarot rubbed against him and "kissed" him almost differently than Brass. Kikuhimé hugged Naruto as she thanked him for fixing Peppercat, almost tempted to kiss him and go one step further from the soap operas she watched on her downtime.

Metabee couldn't help but look as he tries to stay clean-minded as he takes a peek.

And after a few moments of getting himself back together, Naruto said to Kikuhimé, "Y'know, we could choose a better romantic setting, Kiku-chan. Anyway, make sure that you use the correct parts, that is, with the Female Parts that Peppercat can handle and not the Male Parts. And try to train yourself better with your Medarot, okay?"

"Okay, Naruto-kun, I understand," she complied as she and Peppercat left the tent, "But remember this: your butt will be mine!"

"Did she say 'bot or butt?" Metabee questioned.

Naruto sighs as he resumes repairing Metabee's parts. He's not answering that particular question as he guzzled down a bottle of electrolyte water.

§

¹ - Flamenco, as in a spoof of Don Flamenco from Punch-Out! No relation.

² - Victor doesn't originally have a family name, so with a little help of the fantasy name generator, I've given him the name of "Simba" the abbreviated form of "Lisimba", it's in Swahili (Eastern Africa) for "a strong person" or "lion"

³ - a play on the late game show and TV show announcer - Rod Roddy.

A/N: Again, based off of NewMystery356's version, combined with game elements and animé scenarios and TV shows. It covers the original Episode 10 of the Animé series, with a twist.

There will be a different scenario for the next part of the chapter, so still stick around.

And the heat will be on!

-blukmage19