Episode 5: Tricks of the Trade

"What about this one?"

No.

"This one?"

No!

"How about this one? I've got a good feeling about it."

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! None of those rinky dink excuses for power cells are Medabot medals! They're junk!

On the average, Ikki all but worshipped Saturdays. They were the only reprieve he got from the monotonous, yet stressful, predicaments school tended to provide. However, this particular Saturday was starting to prove very taxing.

Yesterday, Ikki had received a mysterious medawatch with an incredible secret. Its battery was actually the medal of a real life Medabot, and the two of them had merged and bonded into one being. Top that off with mysterious figures in black as well as a real life robattle against Warbandit, and it all made for one of the most incredible moments in Ikki's life. At one point after the battle, Ikki had returned to normal and gone home, looking completely mystified as he tried to figure out what all had happened. Naturally his mother, whom had already been worried sick when learning he had skipped school, was fretting over him from the time he got home to the time he had went to bed. She didn't ground him, a marvelous feat, but the sight of tears in her usually sparklingly kind eyes was enough of a punishment for the boy. Not only that, Metabee was still around. Where his armor went, neither of the two knew, but the medabot could project a 3D image of himself from the medawatch's face and talk through its speaker.

Hence, we return to that very Saturday morning. After getting up and quickly eating breakfast, Ikki returned to his room, shut his door, and locked it. He then gathered up all of his medabot sets and began to scan through the medals that powered them. His suspicions were that these medals, like the one that was powering his medawatch, were also real medabots. Metabee seemed to like the idea at first, but now he was just coming off as annoying.

Seriously, you thought any of these worthless pieces of junk could be medabot medals? You really are an idiot, aren't you?

"Oh, give me a break!" Ikki snapped at Metabee's image. "It was just a thought. I honestly can't tell one from the other, and you thought every bit as much as I did that maybe, just maybe, they were medabots too."

Metebee turned his back to Ikki and huffed.

I don't have to admit anything to you, bucko. If anything, you should count yourself lucky that I give you the time of day. Usually, I don't waste my time with snot-nosed brats like you.

"Will you stop insulting me like that!" Ikki shouted angrily. "I didn't ask for this anymore than you did! You're not the one that has to live with the cuts and bruises from that robattle yesterday. It was the most agonizing night's sleep I've ever had, and it was everything I could do to hide it from my mom. You have any idea how she would have reacted if she saw what I actually felt like?"

Metabee shrugged.

That ain't my problem. Besides, I got way more beat up than you did. Didn't you see the dings and scratches Warbandit's weapons inflicted upon my yellow chassis?

"I didn't have the pleasure." Ikki replied sardonically. "Besides, your armor disappeared after the battle, and it's no doubt being repaired wherever it went. What was up with that, anyway?"

You're asking me? I just got to this miserable planet! I don't have a single clue what's going on, and frankly all I care about is finding my comrades.

"What do you expect me to do? I'm just a kid, like you keep reminding me every five seconds. It's not like I can just waltz up to a police officer and ask 'Hey, officer, have you seen any strange robots walking around lately?'. They'd think I was crazy."

Well, if the leg parts match.

"Cute. Look, if you got any better ideas, I'm all ears."

Metabee fell silent, and his holographic image struck a thoughtful pose. Truthfully, he didn't really have any better ideas, though he would never tell the kid such. He then tried to think like Sumilidon, arguably the smartest medabot Metabee knew; again, he wouldn't say this to the individual's face. Knowing the saber cat's style, he would watch any news report carefully for any sightings of his missing comrades. It was possible that some of the medals would rightly bond with some humans, but there would be several wild ones that were bound to show up and cause trouble. While he and Ikki did defeat Warbandit, there was no denying that Ikki's puny body was lacking seriously in the muscle department. Seeing as how Ikki made up the skeleton of their combined form, Metabee knew there was only one thing they could do for the time being.

Ikki, do you have a place where you can exercise and train?

The boy paused, and he stared down at his watch.

"Uh, I think so. The school is closed today, so I can't use the gym. But there is a park on the other side of town. It's an easy bus ride. Why'd you ask?"

Metabee's image made a motion like he was popping his knuckles. For some reason, it made Ikki feel uncomfortable.

Atten-SHUN!
Ikki was suddenly standing, and his right hand was placed against his brow in a military salute. Metabee couldn't help but chuckle at the effect his drill instructor tone had on him. He had a feeling he would be using it quite a few times.

Alright, maggot! Warm up that bus pass, and let's get going! We've got a whole day's worth of training ahead of us, and we need to get started as soon as possible!

Ikki was moving on his own. He didn't really know what was happening, but he felt powerless to resist. You know, if he really, really tried, Metabee could be very scary.

…..

Samantha was in a very foul mood. She had gotten up that morning at the smell of cinnamon raisin toast, which she hated, bumped into Herb, her stepfather, whom she hated, and then tripped over her cat, who hated her. By the time she left the house, she was in an utter storm of a fury, and heaven help any that got in her path. Unfortunately, that was one disaster Sloan and Spyke were incapable of avoiding. At their junkyard hideout, they watched their seething leader pace up and down the lines of junk around them, neither one speaking out of fear of retaliation from their angry boss. Samantha continued her tirade for majority of the morning with little more to say than a few angry growls, but she finally drew to a close when she kicked a stack of garbage, knocking it over with a loud crash.

"Darn that Ikki Tenryou!" she bellowed with rage. "How dare he shove me like that? Me, Samantha, leader of the Screws and queen of the school! Just thinking about it makes me furious!"

Sloan and Spyke exchanged glances, and then they did a quick game of rock, paper, scissors. Spyke lost.

"Y'know, boss," Spyke began in an attempt to calm her down, "Ikki never did show up again after that little fiasco. Maybe he's fled the country, and you'll never have to see him again."

Samantha suddenly whirled on him with a blazing look while snatching him up by the front of his shirt. Spyke immediately shriveled up with terror.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, Spyke?" she asked scathingly. "Because, frankly, it's having the opposite effect! Think about it! If a lowly little worm like Ikki got away with that, even if it was by running away, what's to stop the other snot nosed brats back at the school from refusing to show me the proper respect, huh? I will not be degraded just because that twerp decided to play hero. I want him found, now!"

She tossed Spyke back into the dirt, and he scrambled to get onto his knees to beg.

"Fear not, boss! Maybe he left his passport at home and had to go get it. If we hurry, we can rush over to his house and get the jump on. No need to worry."

Samantha's angry scowl seemed to deepen, and she leered down on poor Spyke with a renewed fury.

"Let me get one thing straight with you, Spyke. I am not afraid of that little creep!"

Spyke began to madly wave his hands defensively.

"No, no, no, of course not, boss! I-I was just saying…"

"Let me tell you something, Spyke." Samantha cut in. "I am not afraid of anything. You hear me? Nothing! Notta! NOTH-ING!"

"SAMANTHA!"

Suddenly, the junkyard fell silent. Spyke chanced a glance at Samantha, and what he saw stunned him. She was trembling, and her skin had become unusually pale as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Spyke then jumped to his feet and looked to gate of the junkyard. Walking through the threshold was a thuggish looking fellow dressed from head to toe in black. It was the clothing like what one would wear if they were in a gang; the kind that actually made people disappear if they didn't like the person's looks. He had his face covered by the brim of his hat, and his fists were buried inside of his pockets. He strode into the junkyard with a heavy air of confidence, and he had no qualms waltzing straight up to Samantha, nudging Spyke aside in the process. Spyke took his place next to Sloan, and he elbowed his friend for a quiet conference.

"Hey, Sloan, who's the new guy? He's kind of scarry."

Sloan grumbled in his throat, and he removed his red baseball hat as a sign of respect.

"That's Baron Von Banish." he hissed. "He's no older than Samantha, but don't let his age fool you. He's got connections all over this city. He's also been shaking down the boss the last few weeks for a cut of the lunch money and allowances we've been ripping off the local kids. But the boss isn't scared of him; Oh, no! She's terrified!"

Indeed, she was. Samantha cursed her skin for becoming so clammy and sweaty, and she just wished her hands would stop quivering. As the newcomer came to a stop, he gave Samantha a moment to observe him. He was clearly a head taller than her, and through the bulk of his overcoat she could see that there was plenty of muscle to back up his intimidation. She was left deaf and dumb within his presence, and it made him smile.

"Well, Samantha," he said, his voice smooth like a satin clothe wound around a knife. "Here I am. Where's my cut?"

Samantha's mind began to race, and it soon dawned on her that she didn't have the money. As she went over the morning's events, she recalled that she had set the piggyback with all of her ill-gotten spoils on her nightstand. Apparently, in his rushing rage, she had left it behind at home.

"I'm waiting." the baron growled impatiently.

He removed his hands from his coat pockets, and he began to pop the knuckles on his left hand, one by one.

POP!

POP!

POP!

POP!

They may as well of been the hammers on a firing squad's rifles. Samantha could only guess what the baron would do if she didn't ante up his cut of her earnings. She thought hard and quick, looking for something, anything, to turn the baron's attention away from her. Then, it struck her. It was a long shot, and highly unlikely to work, but it was the only play Samantha had had left in her book, and this was sudden death.

"I'm really sorry, Big Cheese." she said, making sure to annunciate the title with immense respect. "The truth is, I don't have any of the money."

The baron's eyes became dark, and a sneer started to spread across his lips.

"Now, hold on! There's more!" Samantha quickly added. "You see, we had a huge haul yesterday. Way more than me and the boys over there are used to carrying. We were taking to my house yesterday, but we had to stop short to take a break. And then, from out of nowhere, a kid rushes up and swipes it right from under our noses. By the time we started to give chase, he was already gone with the loot."

She studied the baron carefully. Whether or not he was buying the story, she couldn't tell. He still had that sneer, but Samantha figured that it was the baron's default look. The baron then moved closer to her, and he looked her directly in the eye.

"You had better have a name to go along with this supposed thief, Samantha. Otherwise…"

"I do! I do! I really, really do! His name is Ikki Tenryou! Black hair with a crow's tail on one side, red shirt, blue shorts: you can easily spot him in a crowd! He's the one that took your money, or my name isn't Samantha."

The baron sized Samantha up carefully, and then he straightened up and started to walk away.

"This Ikki guy better have my money." he called over his shoulder. "Or the next time we meet, your name will be mud. I'll be expecting twice the regular cut next time, regardless."

After that, he was gone. Samantha seemed to deflate as the stress left her body, and both Sloan and Spyke had to catch her before she hit the ground.

"That was some smooth talking, boss." Spyke chirped happily. "But don't you think it was a little rotten to send that monster after Ikki? I know you're a little mad at him, but that may as well be a death sentence."

Samantha didn't have the energy within her to swat him like she usually would, so she instead opted to glare at him.

"The jerk deserves it."

That's all she said. Spyke and Sloan exchanged uneasy glances between one another, and it was clear that they shared the same opinion. Ikki Tenryou was on borrowed time.

However, unbeknownst to the trio, there was a witness watching their every move, as well as snapping pictures. After a couple more snaps of the shutters, Erika put away her camera. For the past week or so, Erika had been tailing the Screws and making notes of their goings outs. It was her intention to finally prove to the grownups at school, whom always seemed oblivious about the three's actions, just what kind of rotten apples they were. But even she hadn't been expecting for such a turn of events.

"I've gotta find Ikki, fast!" she mused to herself. "Otherwise, the front page of the school newspapers gonna be shots from his funeral."

…..

Ikki felt like his legs were about to fall off. After scaring his mom half to death by marching military style out of the house, he had hopped on a bus and made his way for the park. Upon arrival, Metabee went full on drill sergeant and forced Ikki into a series of tough exercises: twenty-five crunches unassisted, fifteen sit-ups, ten pull-ups at the monkey bars, and all coming to a head after five laps around the entire park. Ikki all but collapsed at the water fountain, and he leaned against it as he sat down and gasped for air. From the medawatch on the boy's wrist, Metabee hummed thoughtfully.

I gotta say, kid. While I hate to admit it, you're doing pretty well. I always thought you fleshy organics were wimpy, especially while you're at this pipsqueak stage.

For some reason, Ikki actually started laughing.

"Yeah, well," he wheezed, his throat burning, "this actually isn't the worst workout I've been forced to go through. I mean, sure it's probably number two on the list, but you still don't have anything on Coach Mountain."

Ikki could almost feel Metabee's rise in interest.

Ki-Ki! Coach Mountain? Who the bot is that?

"He's the coach at my school." Ikki explained. "He's also the school disciplinarian. If kids start slacking in their grades, they're sent to him for correctional tutoring. However, instead of going over math problems or teaching us the difference between who's and whose, he makes us run laps until our sweat glands run dry. He seems to think that the only way to get smarter is to do overly excessive workouts. To this day, I still haven't gotten an A in science."

Metabee chuckled.

Kinda reminds me of my days training under General Samurai. The old coot hadn't been much of a fighter since the ancient wars, but he still knew how to kick out butts and whup us into shape.

There was a brief pause. Ikki looked down at his watch, and he noted that the image of Metabee looked somewhat sullen. Depressed, even. Ikki hadn't been expecting such a swift change in personality.

"Hey, you alright?"

Metabee snapped to attention, and he looked to Ikki.

Sorry 'bout that. I guess I'm just worried is all. I just want to find my friends as quickly as possible. Unfotunately, that's kinda hard when I barely even know where I am.

He took a deep breath, and then he sighed before shooting Ikki with a hard look.

Alright, soldier, break time is over. I want you back on your feet and doing fifty push-ups.

Ikki groaned mournfully, and he placed a hand over his face. So much for the sympathetic medabot.

"Alright, alright. At least let me get a drink first. Even Coach Mountain was that merciful."

Metabee huffed.

Fine, but make it quick. I want to get this chapter over with as soon as possible.

"Huh?"

Nevermind.

Ikki rolled his eyes, and then he pushed himself up and spun around towards the spigot.

He turned the knob, and he started to lean down to take a sip. Unfortunately for him, the water didn't come out quite like he had expected. Rather than soak his parched lips, it instead sprayed into his face, stinging his eyes and forcing him to backpedal away. He ended up falling onto his rump, and he gave his head a shake to clear his thoughts. As he wiped the excess water from his face, it slowly occurred to Ikki that he was being leered at. Very slowly, he looked up…and up…and up! Standing next to the water fountain with their finger still planted inside the spigot was one of the tallest kids Ikki had ever seen. He was a thug of some sort if his attire was to be trusted, but Ikki couldn't for the life of him imagine what the large brute could want.

Baron Banish continued to leer down on the boy, studying him carefully. Red shirt, blue shorts, and black hair with a crow's tail sticking out on one side. Yep, that was him. No doubt about it.

"You're not an easy person to track down, Ikki Tenryou." he rumbled with menace. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

Ikki seemed to shrivel up. Big, scary, and he knew his name: that was a bad combination. He forced a gulp, his dry throat burning in protest, and he offered the larger fellow an innocent smile as he slowly started to inch away from him.

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

He was just about to jump up and make a break for it, but the baron was a lot quicker than his bulk would lead one to believe. He easily closed the gap between them, and he snatched Ikki by the front of his shirt and raised him into the air.

"Not so fast, pipsqueak! I'm gonna give you this one chance, and, if you're smarter than you look, you'll take it. I want my money back, and I want it NOW!"

Ikki struggled against the larger boy's fist, and he scratched and scraped with his fingers in an attempt to loosen his grip. But the big brute's fingers were too thick and too strong to pry loose.

"I swear! I don't know what you're talking about! I don't have any money! Just a bus pass!"

The baron tossed him back onto the ground, and he studied Ikki carefully. He was a fairly scrawny little runt, and the idea of him actually stealing something from someone like Samantha was genuinely laughable. Then again, he knew the old saying: big things come in small packages.

"I can see you ain't too willing to talk." he finally said. "That's fine. I know a way that always makes 'em talk."

He raised up one fist, and Ikki braced himself for a coming blow. But it never came. Instead, the big brute left his fist raise, and he allowed his sleeve to slide down, revealing a white, watch-like device with a hexagonal indentation in the face's place. Ikki's eyes widened; it was the same exact design as the watch the rubber robbos had used yesterday to become Warbandit. Where had he gotten such a thing, and did that mean he had a medal too? His answer came too quickly as the baron pulled out a medal and proceeded to move it towards the watch.

"Wait, stop!"

Ikki leapt to his feet, and he grabbed the baron's arm in an attempt to take the medal.

"You have no idea what you're doing! I don't know where you got that watch, but you can't put that medal in it!"

The baron scoffed, and he effortlessly tossed Ikki aside.

"I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you? Now, Ikki Tenryou, you're about to learn one of life's most painful lessons: NEVER cross Baron Von Banish."

With that, he placed the medal into the watch, locking it in with a click. The watch exploded with bright light, completely eclipsing the baron, and Ikki was forced to shield his eyes from the glare. When his sight, Ikki could no longer see the baron. No, what he saw was so much worse. In his place was an even more menacing, yet equally thuggish, medabot. This one had armor reminiscent to a gangster from an old movie, and at the ends of its fists were spiked knuckles, and Ikki didn't have to be a genius to know what they would be used for. The medabot looked about and scanned his surroundings. When he spied Ikki, he gave a dissatisfied huff.

"This is it? This is what the kid brought me out to face? Bah, what a waste!"

Ikki quirked a brow.

"Wait! You…You can talk?"

The medabot chuckled.

"Surprised, aren'cha? I was, too, at first. Frances here didn't look like much, but he and I have made quite a pair since I woke up on this miserable little mudball."

He paused, and he looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, quit you're bellyaching! So I said your name; it's not like this kid is gonna be around long enough to repeat it."

It took a second for Ikki to realize that the medabot was communicating with the human inside. After taking a moment to wonder if this was what it looked like when he and Metabee talked, he slowly rose to his feet and began to tiptoe away. He figured that the two had gotten onto a sore subject, and if he could just stay as quiet as a mouse, then maybe he could…

CRACK!

Ikki's heart stopped. He looked down to take note of the two pieces of the freshly stepped on twig, and he then looked back. The medabot was looking right at him, and he didn't appear to be happy.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't you know it's rude to walk off when a person is talking?"

Ikki didn't even think to honor his rhetorical question with a reply. He immediately took off in a mad sprint, making his way for the denser part of the park with the medabot chasing closely behind. One of the good things about this part was that it had a particularly dense group of trees in its center, fondly referred to as the Fortress of Wooditude by the local children. Ikki had never been crazy about the name, but right now he could use a fortress of some sort to hide in. As soon as he reached the thicket, he made his way for the nearest, most accessible tree he could find and clambered up it like a monkey. There he remained in one of the upper branches, daring only the smallest of breathes to pass through his lips. The medabot was below him now, casually strolling about while looking for his prey.

"C'mon, kid, don't make this any harder than it has to be!" he called. "Frances and I have other things to do today."

He paused for a moment.

"Oh, will you just get over it! Your name IS Frances. It's a good name! Why are you so embarrassed by it?"

He carried on and went off deeper into the fortress, and Ikki finally allowed himself to breath more freely. He was safe, for now, but he had to wonder how long he could stay up in this tree. His mom was probably this close to a total meltdown after what happened both last night and this morning, so he knew he couldn't stay up here for too long. If only he had a way to fight back.

Huh? Hey, what's going on?

Ikki could have jumped out of his skin, and he then remembered Metabee. He angled his arm upwards so that Metabee could see his face, and he glared at the medabot.

"You sure took your sweet time, you worthless piece of junk! Where have you been?!"

Metabee made a face.

One, watch it! Two, not that it's any of your business, I was catching a couple of Zs. All this working out made me kinda listless.

Ikki decided to be angry about that later. The rusty hypocrite.

"Well, while you've been napping, I've been chased around a monster. Look!"

He angled his watch's face forward, and Metabee now had a clear view of Ikki's pursuer as he looked around the nearby tree trunks. Metabee's optics grew wide.

Woah! You weren't kidding! That's Banisher. I've never met him before, but I've heard of him. He's a big-time crime boss from back home.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ikki muttered rhetorically. "He isn't wild like Warbandit was. He and his medafighter, Baron Von Banish, seem made for one another. They think I've stolen money from them, but I've never even heard of either of them."

Well that's not good. Metabee grumbled. From what I heard, Banisher never allows a target to get away from him, misunderstanding or not. I hate to say it, kid, but your best bet may be to tap out and let me deal with this. I've kinda always wanted to take out a crime lord anyway.

"I'd love to switch out." Ikki said. "But I don't even know how we did it the first time. I haven't had a chance to really look this watch over."

Metabee looked down.

Well, I hope you figure it out. The big jerk is right under us.

Ikki followed his gaze, and he squealed with fright. Banisher was down on the ground looking back up at them. He could almost see his human half smiling from within. Banisher reared back one fist, and he smashed it against the side of the tree trunk. The entire tree shook madly, and Ikki seized a hold of his branch as he tried to hang on for dear life. However, fortune seemed to favor Ikki in that moment, for as he shook his fingers brushed against the ring surrounding his watch's face, turning it counterclockwise. The next thing he knew, there was an explosion of bright light.

….

Erika sprinted through the park like a man possessed. Ikki hadn't been home, but Chidori had said something about the park. She also seemed a bit upset, which was a bad sign. The young reporter couldn't wrap her head around why Ikki would come to the park alone, but she hoped dearly that it had nothing to do with that Baron Von Banish character. She stopped short to catch her breath, and she swept her gaze around her surroundings. She had already checked around the jungle gym, the bike trail, and even the softball fields, but her search had come up with nothing. The only place left to check, she deduced, would be the Fortress of Wooditude in the park's center. With some semblance of a plan, she made a beeline for the heart of the park.

…

Banisher had to take a step back when he heard something fall from the tree, but he was surprised to find that it wasn't that kid Ikki that had fallen out. Instead he came face to face with a yellow, beetle themed medabot that was packing serious heat. Metabee stretched his arms and rotated his shoulders, warding off any stiffness caused by the transformation.

"Yeah yeah! Metabee is back, baby, and I'm ready to meda-wreck some punks."

He looked up towards Banisher, and he raised one submachinegun as a sign of intimidation.

"So, you're that big, bad Banisher, eh? You seem to like picking on small kids. Why don't you try me on for size?"

Banisher wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He had suspected that he would meet another of his medabot brethren at some point, but he hadn't expected a scrawny weakling that that Ikki Tennryou kid to be bonded with one. However, he quickly regained his composure.

"You're a mouthy little tin can, ain't 'cha?" he said, once again resuming his air of menace. "So, what! If it's a brawl you're looking for, I'm more than willing to oblige!"

Metabee scoffed as he squared his shoulders.

"If that's what you want, then bring it! Let's robattle!"

"THEN IT IS AGREED!"

Metabee seized up, and a he started to look about. He spotted the tree he and Ikki had been hiding in, and he couldn't believe his optics when he saw it spin about to reveal Mr. Referee's face inside a knothole. A moment later, a secret door opened, and the battle official stepped cleanly into view. Metabee gaped at him.

"SERIOUSLY?! How long were you in there?"

"THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT!" Mr. Referee declared boldly. "LET IT BE KNOWN THAT A SUBMISSION ROBATTLE HAS BEEN DECLARED! THE BATTLE WILL BE DECIDED WHEN ONE MEDABOT CEASES FUNCTION! I, MR. REFEREE, SHALL REFEREE THIS ROBATTLE TO ENSURE NO ONE GETS HURT! MEDABOTS READY? RO-BATTLE!"

And thus, the battle was on. Metabee and Bansisher squared off against one another, slowly circling one another as they waited for one another to make the first move. Banisher eventually came to a stop, and he waved his hands as a taunt towards Metabee.

"Come, tough guy! Where was all that big talk from earlier? Show me what you got!"

Ikki sensed a rise in Metabee's tension, and he could tell that Banisher's words were working on him.

Be careful, Metabee. he warned. I've never seen a Banisher model medabot. I don't even know what its parts do.

"Don't tell me what to do, Ikki!" Metabee snapped. "I admit I've never fought Banisher before, but I'm not about to let this chump bad mouth me. Watch this!"

With a hearty shout, Metabee opened fire with his submachinegun. Banisher merely stood his ground and he raised his fists defensively. The blasts met their mark with pinpoint accuracy, and Banisher soon vanished in a cloud of smoke. Metabee lowered his weapon, threw back his head, and laughed.

"Ah, yeah! That's what you get! So much for big, bad Banisher."

Ikki groaned.

Eh, Metabee! You might want to look again.

The yellow medabot scowled, but he did look back, just to set the kids worries at ease. His victory soon wore away when he saw that the smoke had cleared, and Banisher was still standing. What's more, he didn't look even the slightest bit damaged, and, what's more, his knuckles were now glowing. Bansisher slowly moved his fists away from his face, and his optics started to shine brightly. Before Metabee could even understand what was going on, Banisher was suddenly upon him, striking Metabee hard in the chest with his glowing fists. The blow resulted in a near deafening explosion, and it sent Metabee sailing backwards into a tree. Ikki cried out in pain, and several alarms went off on his HUD.

*WARNING: Critical Damage Sustained!*

Head: Fifty percent damaged

Left arm: Fifty percent damaged

Right arm: Fifty percent damaged

Legs: Fifty percent damaged

Metabee groaned as he slowly got back to his feet, clutching his chest. Ikki was having a hard time catching his breath. He wasn't sure if anything was broken, but he was certain it was going to hurt in the morning…and perhaps for the rest of the week. Banisher was laughing, and he pointed a fist at Metabee.

"Didn't see that coming, didja punk? My knuckle guards can absorb energy based projectiles, like what you use in your flimsy little guns. Not only can I take what you dish out, but I can send it right back at you twice as hard. What's more, my head medapart expends a little of my own energy into my knuckles, giving me the added chance to land a critical hit. I would further explain the results, but I think you've already witnessed what I can do, first hand."

Metabee steadied himself against the side of the tree, and he shot off a glare at Banisher.

"I guess that explains why you were so big back home. I don't know many bots that still use physical ammunition."

He chuckled.

"Fortunately, I'm one of the exceptions from the rule. Missile launch!"

The seeker missiles fired from Metabee's head, and they went screaming through the air towards Banisher. Metabee looked on with smug confidence as he waited for certain victory. Banisher once again remained stalwart and still with his fists remaining at his sides. The missiles quickly closed in, and it looked like they were meet their mark.

Suddenly, Banisher raised both arms, and he grabbed the two missiles without fail.

"Wha-WHAT?!" Metabee exclaimed, his optics sparking wildly.

Banisher snickered deviously as the missiles' thrusters burned out. He then tossed the two projectiles aside where they landed harmlessly. Metabee was utterly stunned.

"Uh, Ikki. I think we're in trouble."

Are you familiar with the Earth term of "DUH"? Ikki shot back irritably. I told you not to just jump into this, but no! You don't want to listen me!

"Well I'm listening to you now, aren't I?" Metabee roared. "Look, I am completely out of ideas here. My guns are useless, and he stopped my missiles cold. Don't you got something that can back me up?"

Ikki hummed thoughtfully. Metabee sounded genuinely desperate. He couldn't help but feel like it was that karma thing the man that gave him the medawatch was talking about, but he would celebrate it later. As best as he could tell, attacking Banisher head on would be fruitless with those knuckles. Thus, that meant that his backside would be his weakspot. Unfortunately, as a grappling type medabot, Banisher was no doubt well aware of this fact. What they needed was some kind of unexpected strategy. Something Banisher couldn't see coming.

It's too bad we don't have Warbandit's Tension-Up medapart. If we did, we could just outflank him with speed rather than brute force.

Just then, Ikki's HUD whirred to life, and an image of the said medapart appeared.

_Medapart detected! _ chimed a voice. _Would you like to switch? _

Ikki blinked. Switch medaparts? What was it talking about?

Uh, yes?

_Acknowledged! _ the voice declared. _Initializing! _

Bansisher was slowly moving in to finally finish off Metabee, but he stopped short when the yellow medabot's head suddenly began to glow brightly. The beetle helm vanished, and for a brief moment Bnaisher was treated to the silly image of Ikki's head on Metabee's body. A quick instant later, Metabee was now outfitted with a lion's mane themed helmet. With control returned to him, he screamed.

"Gaaaah! What the bot just happened? Ikki! What! Did! You! Do?! My face, my beautiful face!"

Ikki was equally stunned and confused, but a new set of parameters revealed that Metabee was, indeed, newly outfitted with Warbandit's head. Slowly, a smile began to creep along his mouth.

Don't worry. he assured him. This is just part of my special strategy.

Metabee took a moment to consider this, and he began to piece together what Ikki had planned.

"Yeah-yeah! Now this is what I'm talking about."

Banisher took a step back, and he shot a pleading look towards Mr. Referee.

"Hey, Ref, where's the red flag? There's no way that was a legal move."

"On the contrary!" Mr. Referee proclaimed. "Neither side declared any specific rules for this battle, and thus I have deemed it as a free-for-all robattle! Both sides are free to switch out any medaparts that they choose!"

Banisher began to feel a headache forming, as well as a rising tide of dread.

"B-b-but…I don't HAVE any other medaparts!"

Mr. Referee turned his back to him.

"That…is not my problem! The battle will now continue!"

Banisher could hear Metabee chuckling, and he looked back to see steam rushing out of his head as the Tension-Up medapart started to do its thing.

"It's time!" Metabee said coolly as he took a runner's starting position. "To kiss your bot goodbye!"

He took off, and he vanished in a blur. Bansiher began to whirl about madly trying to guard off any attacks, but Metabee was moving far too quickly. Banisher couldn't even track his movements. Suddenly, he felt a stinging shock at his back, and he heard Frances freaking out about his head part being damaged. He spun around, but he was struck again in the back. Everywhere he turned, Metabee was already one step ahead and ready to fire. After another successful volley of shots, Banisher cut loose with a mad cry.

"Coward! Come out and face me!"

"Wish granted."

Banisher looked up, and there he was. Metabee was leaning against a tree trunk, looking all smug and snarky. Banisher visibly shook with obvious rage. He had all but forgotten about the money, and right now he didn't care. This bright yellow jerk had disrespected him in a way no one should have been able to, and he was about to make sure he would never disrespect him again.

"I'm gonna smash you into paperclips!"

He charged at Metabee with both fists raised and ready to strike. Metabee couldn't help but smirk, and he pulled something out from behind his back.

"Think fast!"

He tossed the thing at Banisher, whom caught it and screeched to a stop. His optics widened when he realized that it was one of the discarded missiles Metabee had shot at him a little while ago, and he shuddered at the sound of Metabee cocking his submachinegun.

"Buh-bye now!" Metabee crowed, and he opened fire.

KABOOM!

And just like that, it was over. Banisher collapsed onto his face, and his medal popped out of his back.

"FUNCTION CEASE!" Mr. Referee proclaimed. "THE WINNER IS METABEE!"

Metabee snatched up Banisher's medal, and he raised it high in the air in a victory pose.

"Dude, I rock."

On the inside, Ikki was breathing a long sigh of relief.

That was horrible. If it weren't for the fact that we could change medaparts, we would've lost that battle for sure.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss." Metabee said. "Besides, we got the medal, and we won. Not a bad day's training if I do say so myself."

There came a moan, and Metabee spotted Baron Von Banish slowly rising up from his spot on the ground. He seemed dazed and confused, and he had lost his hat. When he spotted Banisher's medal in Metabee's fingers, his eyes went wide, and he rushed up at the medbot grabbing for the medal.

"Give that back! It's mine! It belongs to me!"

Metabee was momentarily taken aback by the boy's desperation, but then he began to become angry. He grabbed the kid by the front of his shirt, and he yanked him down so that he was looking him in the face.

"You're a bully!" he hissed as he waved a fist in his face. "You think just cause you're bigger than other people, you can just do whatever you want and get whatever you want. Well, let me tell you something. I ain't gonna stand for it. If I ever catch you beating up on somebody else, you better believe that I'm gonna lay a beating on you. This roughing up business of yours, it's over, and you can kiss your medabot goodbye!"

He tossed him down and then turned his back to him.

"Now beat it…Frances."

Baron Von Banish watched him go, unable to do anything in retaliation. He felt small, feeble even, and he could literally see all of his future conquests just walking away. With his lower lip stuck out and the beginnings of tears trailing down his eyes, he got up to his feet and started to run away, openly weeping with each step. Metabee stopped short just long to listen to the sounds of victory, and he continued on his way, flipping Banisher's medal as he went.

"Man, that felt good. Nothing like giving a big crook his just deserts, eh Ikki?"

He waited for a reply, no doubt expecting to be showered in praises for saving the boy's scrawny butt, but nothing ever came. Instead, Ikki remained silent, his mind racing as he considered everything that had happened within the space of this morning.

"Hey, you listening to me? If it weren't for me, they'd be looking for your body at the bottom of a river. A little gratitude would be appreciated."

Huh? Ikki said with a start. Oh, sorry about that, Metabee. I've just got a lot on my mind.

"Oh?" Metabee said, sounding interested. "What's up?"

Well, didn't you find it weird that the guy had a medal and a watch? Particularly a watch like what those rubber robbo guys were using?

Metabee hummed thoughtfully, but he kept quiet as Ikki continued.

Then there's that bit from when we switched medaparts. One of the things people tend to do with the collectible sets is to give away a medapart if they lose a fight. I wasn't expecting that to carry over with actual robattles, but even so that still begs the question of where they actually came from. Who makes them? Why do they just give them away? Why do they let creeps like that Baron Von Banish guy have access to them?

Metabee hummed thoughtfully, coming to a complete stop as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Frankly, Ikki, I ain't got a clue. Nothing has made sense since I came to this planet, but even I can tell that something is going on behind the scenes. Maybe…maybe whatever that light was that brought us all here…maybe…"

He trailed off as his thoughts began to tumble without during. Ikki was beginning to wonder if the medabot was having some sort of major malfunction, when suddenly Ikki was himself again and Metabee was back as a hologram on his watch.

Ikki, he began, his tone carrying a hint of concern, I think from now on we need to be a bit more careful. I know you don't like lying to your mom, but it may be best that she never finds out about me. In fact, the less people that get involved with all this, the better. I don't really know what's going on, but I have a feeling that all of my problems may be connected to whoever is behind all this. Do you understand?

Ikki stared blankly at the hologram, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried. The normally stoic medabot sounded genuinely spooked, and that was more than enough of a sign that he should take his advice.

"Sure thing, Metabee. Whatever you say."

Metabee nodded.

Good man. Come on, let's get you home. I think we might of freaked your mom out a bit when we left, and I think you've done that enough for one lifetime.

Ikki withheld the urge to say that the situation was mostly his fault, and instead he started to make his way towards the bus stop. However, unknown to the two of them, there every action was being watched and photographed. Erika put down her camera, and she excitedly watched Ikki leave. In her hands, within this very camera her dad had given her for her birthday, was no doubt the biggest scoop in the history of journalism, and, what made it all better, was that her best friend was at the center of it all and primed for an interview. She didn't know what was going on, but she couldn't wait to dive in and find it all out for herself.