Chapter 7: Worth Fighting For: Part 2

Henry hated his job. The hours were horrid, the customers were rude, and, worst of all, the head manager was a real nag.

"Henry, take out the garbage!"

"Henry, stop flirting with the women customers!"

"Henry, stop falling asleep behind the counter!"

Blah blah blah! It was almost enough to make Henry quit. Unfortunately, given his currently lacking resume, he knew he wouldn't be able to find a job any better than he had now, which meant that he was stuck as a minimum-wage slave for the time being.

The only real saving grace was the hiring of Fuyuki Tenryou. Henry had been a long-term friend of the family, and it was no secret that he respected the Tenryou patriarch immensely. Without question, Fuyuki was one of the most intelligent, most generous souls that Henry had ever met, and that really showed in his work ethic. Within the first few hours of his first day in the little minimart, the man had memorized every detail and aspect of the products they sold, properly organized them, and even wrote up a spreadsheet to be used as a point of reference for the other employees. Call it eccentric, but it didn't stop Fuyuki from giving one hundred percent to his job. He was a man out to provide for his family, and it filled Henry with pride to watch him run about the store, helping customers with that big smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

As for Henry himself, it gave him a bit more breathing room since his boss was no longer breathing down his neck as hard. "Happy customers, happy manager," Henry would often recite. He still hated working at this run down old shack, but he figured that there could be worse places to work. He tossed a look at the clock on the wall, and he noticed that four o'clock had rolled on by.

"Hey, Mr. Tenryou!" he called. "I'm gonna take my break now."

Fuyuki looked up from his work, and he offered the teen a nod.

"Sure thing, Henry. Have fun."

Henry couldn't help but smile, and he welcomed the genuine kindness for a change. He then undid the shop apron that qualified for a uniform, and he made his way out through the back door. He found his scooter where he had left it, parked next to the dumpster with his helmet hanging on one of the handlebars. However, he was surprised to see that the seat was currently occupied by none other than the youngest of the Tenryou family, Ikki. The boy was sitting there with his arms crossed and an expectant look on his face, as though he had been waiting for a long time. There was also a troubled glint shining in his eyes, as though the boy was on his way to shake hands with the grim reaper. It unnerved Henry a little.

"Hey, bucko." he said with a small wave. "You looking for your dad? He's back inside."

Ikki looked up, and he fixed Henry with a very serious expression. One that was far too intense for a ten-year-old.

"Actually," Ikki replied, his voice low and controlled, "I'm here for you, Henry. You're on break right now, right?"

Henry's brow slowly rose.

"Yes. I'm off duty for the next hour. Why do you ask?"

Ikki hopped off of the scooter, and he took a deep breathe before he continued.

"I don't know any easier way of saying this, so I'll just say it. Can you please drive me down to the docks?"

Henry's brows had now gone into a full Spock, and his jaw plopped wide open with surprise. He began to stutter and stammer as he looked for the words to say, though little else than unintelligible blabber made its way past his lips. After a couple more minutes of mumbling, he finally found his voice again.

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!"

Ikki quickly shushed him, his eyes straining towards the minimart's back door. When nobody came out, he looked back to Henry.

"I know I'm asking a lot, but this is really important."

Henry continued to stare at the boy like he had grown a second head, and his own was spinning with confusion and suspicion. He then recalled how he had found the boy last week after a run in with the Screws, and he placed his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"That's kinda a tall order to ask, bud. Forgive me for being curious, but you wouldn't happen to be in any kind of trouble, would you?"

Ikki shriveled up like he had been bitten, and he began to nervously tap the tips of his index fingers together.

"I…can't tell you that."

Now Henry was convinced that something was wrong.

"Ikki, we're bros. You know that, right? If you're in trouble, you can come to me about it. If it's the Screws again, then just tell me and I will…"

"It's not the Screws!" Ikki suddenly exclaimed.

Henry fell silent, and he stared at the boy intently. He was shivering with fright, and his fists were so tightly clenched that his knuckles were turning purple. He could also see small tears forming in the corner of the boy's eyes. Whatever was bothering him was eating him up inside, but the kid seemed content to deal with the pain rather than reveal it to Henry.

"Henry," the boy started again, his tone calmer. "I want to tell you. Believe me, I really, really do. But I can't! This is something I have to deal with on my own, but I can't get there by myself. That's why I need your help. I can't go to my parents, heaven knows they wouldn't let me go through with it, and the police wouldn't be able to help. I promise to be careful, but I really need your help. You're the only one I can turn to."

Henry placed a hand to the bridge of his nose, and he fell silent as he thought it over. He meant it when he had said that he would help Ikki out of any jam, but this wasn't anything like he would have expected. It sounded as though Ikki had gotten involved in something intensely shady, and the idea of leaving a kid as young as he was to deal with it alone sounded like the worst possible thing he could do. Then again, he also knew that Ikki wasn't an idiot. He wasn't a grade A student by any means, but he had enough common sense not to stick his nose where it didn't belong. That could only mean that he really didn't have any choice in the matter, which did little to settle Henry's conscience. At last, he threw his hands up in the air, and he snatched his helmet off of his scooter's handlebars.

"I must be out of my mind." he grumbled aloud.

Ikki grinned from ear to ear, and he was quick to join Henry on the seat of the scooter.

"Thanks so much, Henry. I swear, I'll pay you back for this, someday."

"Just be sure to hang on!" Henry said dryly. "I only have the one helmet, and the last thing I need is you splitting your head open on the concrete."

For some reason, Ikki started laughing. It was more of a reaction rather than the acceptance of humor.

"Believe it or not, Henry," he said as they pulled out onto the road, "I doubt this will be the most dangerous thing I do, today."

…..

"And you're certain you gave the note to the right person? We can't afford to make any errors."

Baron Von Banish sighed.

"Yes, Mr. Seaslug, I gave it to the right guy! For the umpteenth time, I actually know what he looks like."

Seaslug scowled down on him, and he raised his fist.

"Don't you go getting snippy with me, you little punk! Don't forget who's in charge here. After that little fiasco back at the park, you should count yourself lucky we're giving you your medal back when that Ikki kid gets here."

There came the sound of a dry laugh, and Seaslug wheeled about to the small form of Shrimplips, whom was sitting on a crate.

"You shouldn't be so quick to count someone out when it comes to failure, Seaslug." he said chasteningly. "After all, you were beaten by the same boy and medabot, if I might recall."

"They won on a technicality!" Seaslug insisted. "The boss didn't say anything about that compatibility with the medabots thing. So, it doesn't count!"

"Excuse me!"

Both Shrimplips and Seaslug looked to one of the support columns of the warehouse where Erika was bound tightly in ropes. The pint-sized reporter didn't look happy. Not in the least.

"You idiots know you aren't going to get away with this, right?" she snarled through her teeth. "My dad is one of the best reporters this town's newspaper has ever hired. We're talking numerous Peabody awards, here. If you don't let me go, he will find me, and you and all your latex wearing buddies will be spending the rest of your miserable lives in a prison cell."

Seaslug was ultimately unimpressed by the small girl's brave face, and he bent down so that their noses were almost touching.

"Don't be so full of yourself, girly." he hissed menacingly. "You don't have a clue what you're truly up against. We're the Rubber Robbo Gang! If we wanna make somebody disappear, they're gone, and no fancy, shmancy reporter is ever gonna find them. So you better shut it, or else I'll…"

"Oh, give it a rest, Seaslug." Gillgirl grumbled as she walked into the room. She was flanked by Squidguts, as well as all three of the Screws. When Erika spied them, her eyes widened.

"What the?! Samantha, Spyke, and Sloan too? What are you three doing here? More importantly, why are you working with these idiots?"

Samatha shot her a smirk, and she tossed her hair back dramatically.

"Don't take it too personally, Erika. I'm doing that enough for the two of us. You probably thought that I didn't know about you taking pictures of us so you get could us in trouble. Well, this is what you get for messing with the Screws. But don't worry. What's happened to you is gonna be nothing in comparison to what happens to Ikki."

A sudden chill raced down Erika's spine, and all of the sudden she began to piece together why the boy had been so panicked back at school.

"Why? What…what are you going to do to him?"

Samantha's smirk widened, and she reached into her pocket and removed a small, bronze, hexagonal shaped object.

"Let's just say, we're gonna give him a taste of his own medicine, and he's gonna keep tasting it until he needs a hospital."

With that said, Samantha, with Spyke and Sloan in tow, turned and walked away, vanishing into the darker parts of the warehouse and leaving Erika with the Rubber Robbos. Banisher was also watching them go, and it should be noted that he was wearing a deep frown.

"Seriously, this just isn't fair!" he whined. "Why is it you could give Erika and her unworthy crew medals, but I couldn't have used one of them?"

Shrimplips sighed audibly, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Frances, you're really starting to get on my nerves about that. Ok, I'm gonna explain this one last time, you hear? Ccomplain one more time afterward, and I swear you're gonna regret it! Squidguts, the bag and the device, please."

The biggest of the group nodded, and he brought over a large burlap sack. As Shrimplips opened it, everyone could now see that it was stuffed to brim with medabot medals, and the top was a strange looking device that looked like a cross between a tennis racket and a radar gun. Shrimplips picked up the device and one of the various medals.

"Now, pay close attention." Shrimplips instructed Banish. "As I've explained before, numerously, these medabot medals react to certain psychic fields generated by the human brain. As Mr. Seaslug over there proved, if a human and medabot that don't match are joined, then neither side can control the body and they go bonkers."

He shot a smirk a smirk towards Seaslug, whom looked away and snorted.

"With this marvelous doohickey here," he continued, "we can check and see if a medal matches up. Observe."

He inserted the medal, a beetle-type, into the slot on the device, pressed a button, and then he pointed it at Banish. The nose on the end of the device flashed a white light a couple of times, and then it went to a bright red.

"And that," Shrimplips said, "shows that you aren't compatible. If you were, it would've been a green light. Before you say anything about trying any of the others out, let me quickly add that we had already sorted through these when we had hired you. So, no, none of these are compatible with you. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is."

In spite of Shrimplips genuinely heartfelt words, a sudden surge of anger arched throughout Baron Von Banish's body. Without so much as a thought, he lashed out, and, in the process, he knocked the device out of Shrimplips' hand. It sailed through the air before it clacked against the hard, concrete floor until it came to rest at Erika's feet. Shrimplips shot a ferocious look at a now humble looked Banish.

"You idiot!" Shrimplips seethed. "You better hope that thing isn't broken, otherwise you can explain to the boss himself what happened, and trust me when I say that mercy is far from his strong point."

"HEY FELLAS!" Gillgirl suddenly called from the window. "Two guys on a scooter just pulled up around the front. I think the shorter one is that Ikki kid."

All eyes turned to her, and Seaslug rubbed his chin suspiciously.

"Any sign of the cops?"

Gillgirl held a finger for silence, and she studied the outside carefully.

"Don't look like it. I think the taller kid on the scooter was just giving him a ride here."

"He still broke the rules though!" Seaslug said defiantly. "He was supposed to come alone. That's how these things work!"

"Don't be such a baby, Seaslug." Shrimplips chided. "Good grief, how a guy like you became a leader is beyond me. He is a kid, after all, so it's not like he could drive all the way here. I said we should've stayed at the school, but no! We had to meet at a warehouse by the docks!"

"Because it's more dramatic this way!" Seaslug insisted.

"Either way," Gillgirl cut in again. "We should probably get into position. Best not to keep our guest waiting."

Seaslug and Shrimplips recomposed themselves, and the prior even cut loose with a wicked cackle.

"Indeed. Today shall be a day that will go down in infamy. At last, the Rubber Robbo Gang will have our revenge, as well as two shiny rare medals for our collection."

He cut loose with a hearty laugh as he, his fellow Robbos and Baron Von Banish made their way for the warehouse door. However, unbeknownst to them all, the device that Banish had discarded was flashing a green light at a very surprised looking Erika.

…

Ikki hopped off of Henry's Scooter with no small amount of hesitation. An entire swarm of butterflies was doing the two-step in his stomach, and the funny looks he was getting from Henry didn't make it any better.

"Ok, this is the place." he said. "You need to leave, Henry. If you don't hear from me in an hour or so, you should probably call the cops or something."

Henry's face scrunched up uncertainly.

"Ikki, are you really sure about this? I mean, no offense, but this all seems a bit sketchy. It doesn't feel right for me to just abandon you here."

Ikki took a deep breathe, and then he let it out very slowly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll be…fine."

He wished he felt as confident as he was trying to sound, but the way his stomach bubbled only seemed to make his dread even worse. Henry offered him one last look, sighed, and then he kicked his scooter off the stand and took off back towards the road. Ikki watched him go and offered a wave, but Henry was already long gone. He was now alone, and the only sounds he could hear was the ocean waves lapping against the side of the wharf.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of sound, and a column of smoke erupted in front of the boy. Within the cloud, Ikki could barely make out four silhouettes.

"Year upon year, and muscle upon muscle!" the first and largest of the silhouettes declared. The eldest and mightiest of this band of miscreants! I am Squidguts!"

"Endless radiance and irresistible beauty!" chimed the second and slenderer silhouette. "I am the rose whose thorns will pierce your heart! I am Gillgirl!"

"Intelligence and wisdom far beyond my years!" declared the fourth and shortest silhouette. "I am one true shining star of this scene, all though I can't believe we're doing this again. The names Shrimplips!"

The fourth and final silhouette took center stage, and by now the smoke had cleared to reveal four figures in their full, black spandex glory.

"With a demented cackle, I plunge all of the world into chaos! I am the great King of Evil, Seaslug!"

With his comrades striking poses behind him, Seaslug thrust a hand up towards the sky, and he collapsed it into a fist.

"WE ARE THE ELITE ALLIANCE OF EVIL UNITED UNDER ONE BANNER! WE ARE…THE RUBBER ROBBO GANG!"

Gillgirl and Squidguts straightened up, and they lifted Shrimlips high into the air, whom held a banner with the words "Rubber Robbo Gang" printed on it in both hands. Then, the group fell silent, and Ikki noticed that Seaslug was looking at him in particular, like he was waiting for a reaction. Uncomfortable and unsure what to do, Ikki opted to clap his hands together in small applause.

"Uh, nice dance, I guess."

The Rubber Robbos all fell on their faces, and Seaslug was even squeezing up massive crocodile tears.

"I told you it would look stupid!" said Shrimplips scathingly. "Why on earth do you insist on making us do these stupid routines? They never work out, and they make us look like total idiots!"

"And the whole cheerleader routine nearly threw out my back!" Gillgirl added. "Seriously, Shrimplips, you could stand to lose a pound or two. I even had Squidguts helping me with you."

"Both of you just shut up!" Seaslug snapped with tears running down his face. "You just did it wrong, that's all! Shrimlip's speech was longer than usual, and you didn't raise him high enough in the air. Height matters!"

Gillgirl rolled her eyes.

"Good grief, Seaslug. Its guys like you that put drama queens like me out of business. Grow up, already!"

Seaslug turned away from her as a fresh stream of tears made their way down his face. Squidguts moved in behind him, and he began to gently pat him on the back.

"There, there, boss. I thought it was pretty good that time."

Seaslug muttered a pitiful moan.

"Don't patronize me, Squidguts. I appreciate it, but I'm not really in the mood for it."

Just then, Ikki cleared his throat, and the Rubber Robbos turned their attention to him. The boy stood up straight, stretched out his chin, and he did his best to look as brave as possible.

"I came like you asked." he declared boldly. "I know that you have Erika. I demand that you bring her out here, right now!"

Seaslug sized the boy up with a careful eye, and a sneer began to make its way across his lips.

"Them's some really gutsy words, kid." he said. "But I think you got the wrong idea here. You don't make demands; we do!"

He then shifted to a more casual stance.

"But, to show that we aren't completely heartless, we're gonna give you a choice. Three choices, in fact. Are we generous or what?"

It was Ikki's turn to sneer, and he folded his arms across his chest as a show of defiance.

"Could be better, but I guess I don't really have a say in the matter. Ok, let's hear it."

Seaslug broke out into a large smile.

"Option number one is probably the easiest one. We know you have Banisher's medal, as well as that mouthy medabot's medal."

Who are you calling mouthy, Stretch?! erupted Metabee as he appeared on Ikki's medawatch.

Seaslug shot the medabot a quick scowl, and then he cleared his throat to compose himself.

"As I was saying, we know you have those medals. It is the goal of the Rubber Robbo Gang to collect as many of those things as we possibly can, and so those two items are quite valuable to us. Therefore, you just give us those two little trinkets, as well as promise never to reveal our existence to anyone, we'll let you and your little girlfriend be off on your merry way. What do you say?"

Ikki fell silent as he considered it. He looked down at Metabee, and he saw that the medabot was shaking his head and making a slashing motion across his neck. Ikki nodded his consent.

"I think I'll pass on that one. I don't know why you want medabot medals, but I can figure that it isn't so you can help old ladies across the street. What's the next choice?"

Seaslug's smile broadened.

"I was hoping you would say that, bucko, because boy do we have an offer for you. Option number two is to accept our open arms of membership into the Rubber Robbo Gang! You see, even if you gave us your medal, it's possible that we may never find anyone else that would match it. So, to cut our losses, we want you to join our cause. You've already proven that you're pretty tough, what with your pummeling Banisher and getting a technical victory against me."

"Technical" victory? Yeah, right! We floored you, Stretch.

"Would you just shut up!" Seaslug snapped. He coughed once, and then he continued, "You'd be wise to consider this offer, kid. The benefits of working with the Rubber Robbo Gang are grand and plentiful. If you want it, we can get it for you: toys, clothes, the latest tech and gaming consoles, and that's not counting the mountains of money you could earn. Think about it. Neither you or your family would ever have to want for anything ever again. No more counting your pennies, and no more having to look over your shoulder for the tax man. What do you say?"

Ikki was ashamed to admit it, but the offer really did sound tempting. The instant Seaslug mentioned money, Ikki recalled the conversation his parents had had prior to his obtaining the medawatch. Money had become tight for them lately, and any sort of income would be welcome. After all, his father worked so hard at jobs that he genuinely didn't want to do, and his mom deserved some sort of reward for all the hard work she did at home. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, and maybe he could even…

He suddenly gave his head a furious shake. Absolutely not! His father was an honest man, and Ikki knew in his heart that he wouldn't approve of something as terrible as this.

"Pass."

Seaslug's brows jumped.

"Say what?"

"I said pass, as in I'm not interested. There's no way I'm gonna join a bunch of crooks like you! Not for all the money in the world! So bring on option number three."

Seaslug began to grind his teeth together with growing agitation, but his smile never left as he considered the third and final offer.

"Suite yourself kid. It's your funeral. Option number three is a simple robattle. You win, you take your little friend and scat. We win, you hand over both medals, and I may even decide to take you along for the ride as a Rubber Robbo Slave. If you don't like your chances, you've still got the first two options. I'd think it over very carefully if I were you."

Sound advice, Ikki thought, even if it did come from a jerk like Seaslug. He turned his back to him, and he raised his watch up higher so that he and Metabee could talk in hushed conference.

"Well, what do you think?"

Metabee shrugged.

You know me, I'm always up for a Meta-beepopping. Besides, we've had two robattles thus far, and we trounced both of them. What's one more to a couple of veterans like us?

"That's just the thing." Ikki replied. "These rubber robbo jerks are nothing but a band of crooks. There's no way the battle will be fair, and we have no way of knowing what kind of opponent we'll be up against."

It's definitely a game of give or take. Metabee admitted sourly. And I'm not exactly willing to give what they wanna take. However, the two alternatives aren't really any better. Nevertheless, you got the final vote here, kid. Whatever you want to do, I'll back you up one hundred percent.

Ikki lowered the watch, tilted his head back, and he thought it over very carefully. Option two was definitely out of the question, and he didn't really like option one. Granted, Metabee was a pain in the neck, and the sudden craziness he brought was horrid, but he wasn't that bad of a guy. In fact, Ikki could almost call him a friend now, and he never turned his back on his friends. Then again, there was the idea of robattling someone the Rubber Robbos handpicked. There was no way it would be a fair fight, even if that referee guy decided to show up, but it looked like it would be the only preferable option. Ikki couldn't help but feel utterly helpless. No matter what he chose, it was only going to end badly, and he just couldn't see a way out. He took a deep breathe, and then he turned back to the Robbos.

"Ok, I've decided that I'm gonna robattle. So, who's my opponent?"

A chill of dread arced its way down Ikki's spine when Seaslug suddenly tossed his head back and cut loose with a wild cackle.

"Actually, my stupid little friend, it's opponents. Plural. Come on out, you guys!"

The dread became worse when Ikki's ears picked up the faint sounds of gears clicking and servos whirring, and then, out from behind a large stack of crates, there appeared three robotic figures. The first was a solid blue, dog-like medabot with a yellow streak running down the middle of his head and chest. Following him was a white and cherry red cat-like medabot with long, thread-like claws extending from her hands. Finally, the last medabot was a yellow meadbot build like a tank, and he was packing just as much fire power with twin canon arms. Ikki's jaw nearly fell out of his own face at the sight of all three medabots, and all of the sudden he wasn't feeling too confident. Metabee was also quite astounded.

Cyandog? Peppercat? TOTALIZER!? Oh, come on! This is beyond cruel!

The blue medabot, Cyandog, cocked his head at the sound, and he shuddered.

"Eh, did you guys here that, too?"

Totalizer nodded his head, gravely.

"Yep. That's the Sarge, no doubt."

Peppercat hung her head low, and she placed a hand over her face.

"Mrow! This day just keeps getting better and better."

Ikki looked down at Metabee.

"You know them?"

Metabee nodded.

They're my squadmates from the panzer battalion. Totalizer is our heavy artillery, Cyandog our sharpshooter, and Peppercat was the first grappler type to join the group; first female, too. I trained all three of them.

He looked back to the three opposing medabots.

Guys, come on! Fighting Warbandit was bad enough. Don't make me fight you, too.

Peppercat began to tremble, and Metabee could hear small breaks in her voice as she spoke.

"W-we don't have a choice, sarge." she yowled. "If we try to resist, mrow, our hosts can assume con-nya-troll of our bodies."

Ikki was appalled.

"That's…awful. What kind of selfish monster would be willing to do something so horrible?"

Peppercat motioned like she was about to answer, but, suddenly, she froze, and her hands went to the sides of her head.

"NYA-OOOOOO!" she wailed. "NYA-OT AGAIN! PLEASE, NYA-OT AGAIN!"

There was a pop and a hiss, and Ikki watched as his worst possible nightmare came true. Peppercat, Cyandog, and Totalizer's faceplates retracted, and he was now looking into the three faces of the Screws gang. Samantha in particularly was grinning devilishly at the perplexed Ikki, looking not unlike a cat that had cornered her prey.

"Surprised, Ikki?" she tittered with wicked glee. "The look on your face was so worth the wait."

Ikki tried his best to form words, but little more came out of his mouth than inconsistent babbling.

"Are you three nuts?" he finally said. "Why the heck are you working with the Rubber Robbo Gang? They're insane!"

Samantha chuckled.

"A couple of them are certainly lacking in higher functions upstairs," she said while shooting a glance at Seaslug, "but that's fine. They offered us a chance to finally get back at you, and we took it. If all goes well, there's going to be so much more to gain, later."

Ikki could barely believe what he was hearing.

"What about the medabots?" he pleaded further. "I don't think you understand. They're not just suits of armor; they're living things. Can't you see that what you're doing is wrong?"

"Of course, I do." Samantha said matter-of-factly. "But what you don't understand is that I don't care."

She raised up one of Peppercat's claws, and it suddenly sparked to life with electricity.

"You see this? I'm doing that! With power like this, the Screws gang can finally move up in the world. No more shaking down thumb-suckers and bed wetters for measly little scraps. We're gonna be hitting the big time, and there won't be anyone that can stop us."

Ikki felt the venom swirl in his gut. He felt sick, sweaty, and it was hard for him to see straight. In his mind, he recalled all of the hateful things Samantha and the Screws had done to him and all of the other kids back at the school, and theage began to build up inside his chest as he clenched his fists tightly.

"That's what you think." he finally said, his words laced with vice. "Samantha, this time you've gone way too far. There's no way I'm just gonna stand here and let you have your way."

Samantha scoffed, and she beckoned him forward with a claw.

"Then, by all means, Stinky. Come and get me!"

Ikki stood his ground, and he raise his medawatch so that Metabee was at eye level.

"You ready for this?"

Metabee popped his knuckles.

You better believe it, kid. This just got personal on a number of levels. Let's meda-wreck these chumps!

"You got it!"

Taking the dial on the medawatch with his free hand, Ikki turned it counterclockwise, and he proclaimed at the top of his lungs, "Meda-MORPHISIS!"

(Cue Medabots Theme)

"Attack mode: Metabee!"

There was an explosion of light, and Ikki could feel the familiar sensation of his mind being pulled back as Metabee's took control. Around his body the many parts that made up Metabee's armor began to take shape, molding around the boy until they clicked into shape. Legs, left arm revolver, right arm submachinegun, and all coming to an end with the homing missile head part. With the process complete, Metabee thrust a fist into the air and struck a ready pose.

"Oh, yeah! Let's kick some bot!"

(End Theme)

Metabee turned his attention to his former comrades, and he addressed them with an air of sincere regret.

"I'm glad to see you guys made it out, alright." he said evenly. "I don't want to hurt any of you, but I promise I'll find a way to get you out of this, later."

The trio nodded glumly.

"Do what you have to, seargent." Cyandog stated uniformly.

"Just be sure you don't hold back." Totalizer added in warning. "Cause we sure won't be."

Peppercat rolled her shoulders, and then she sighed.

"Alright, then. Let's get this over with."

The three started to move in, but they stopped when Metabee held up a hand. He then crossed his arms across his chest, and he looked up to the sky.

"Ok, we've made it an official robattle. You can come out whenever you want now."

At first, silence. Then, suddenly, there was a loud splash, and a stocky, humanoid shape erupted from the water and onto a nearby dock. Though wrapped tightly in a skintight wetsuit, complete with hood, Metabee could easily see the bushy grey mustache and bright red bow tie that identified the figure as no one other than the mysterious Mr. Referee. With a swift motion, he removed the wetsuit to reveal his usual attire, and he raised one hand high in the air.

"THEN IT IS AGREED!" he declared boldly. "LET IT BE KNOWN THAT AN OFFICIAL, SUBMISSION ROBATTLE HAS BEEN DECLARED BETWEEN THESE TWO…THESE…TWO…"

He trailed off when he got a better look at the combatants, and he mentally noted how lopsided the two sides looked. Frowning, he looked to Metabee for support.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but am I to understand that you will be fighting three opponents at once? It just seems kind of, one sided. No offense."

Metabee shrugged.

"None taken. Trust me, it wasn't my idea, but I don't have any other choice."

Mr. Referee began to stroke his massive mustache thoughtfully, and he spied the Rubber Robbo Gang out of the corner of his eye. He hummed a tune, and then he closed his eyes.

"I see. Well then, I will allow this."

His eyes snapped open.

"BUT ONLY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS! I DECLARE THIS TO BE A TEAM SUBMISSION ROBATTLE! WHEN EITHER SIDE'S MEMBERS HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO FUNCTION CEASE, THE BATTLE WILL BE OVER! HOWEVER, SINCE METABEE IS FIGHTING SOLO, HE WILL BE ALLOWED TO CHANGE METAPARTS AT WILL, PROVIDED THOSE SPECIFIC PARTS OF HIS BODY STILL FUNCTION! WHAT'S MORE, SHOULD TWO MORE MEDABOTS WALK ONTO THE SCENE AND DECIDE TO JOIN THE BATTLE, THEY WILL JOIN METABEE'S TEAM!"

"Now hold on just one second!" Seaslug bellowed from his place behind the Screws. "Just who died and made you the official of this battle? Why don't you just buzz off and butt out!"

Mr. Referee whirled about towards Seaslug, and he froze the thug cold with a chilling glare as a dark aura began to emanate from his body.

"You would do well not to sass your elders, young man. It is my life's mission to oversee all medabot robattles, and it is a role I carry out with pride and distinction. It gives me purpose and great joy, and I will not tolerate anyone who speaks out against my one true calling. Is that clear?!"

Seaslug numbly nodded his head. Satisfied, Mr. Referee turned about to address the coming robattle.

"NOW THEN, WITH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS SET TO PREFERABLE LEVELS, WE ARE NOW READY TO BEGIN! CONTESTANTS READY?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Get on with it already!"

"THEN LET IT BEGIN! MEDABOTS…RO-BATTLE!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth did Peppercat spring towards Metabee with lightning crackling through her claws. Metabee barely had time to backpedal away, and her claws just lightly grazed past his nose. Samursaulting backwards, he snapped back upward and opened fire with his submachinegun, only for the cat medabot to skitter off to safety.

Metabee, behind you!

Following his partner's prompt, the yellow bot whirled about to see Totalizer with one mighty fist raised, and a pulse of red energy was beginning to gather at the knuckle. Optics growing wide, Metabee dropped flat on his stomach just as a powerful burst of energy went sailing overhead, obliterating a nearby crate. Metabee slowly rose back to his feet, and a large sweatdrop formed on his brow.

"Yikes. I forgot how scary these guys could be. Peppercat's speed is second to none, and Totalizer's power definitely lives up to his name. I think we might be in trouble."

You're just noticing that, aren't cha? Ikki muttered cynically. Wait! Where's opponent number three?

Metabee's head shot up with alarm.

"Shoot! How could I forget?! Cyandog's specialty is sniping!"

There was a cock of a rifle, and Metabee looked up to see the blue dog medabot perched atop a stack of crates with his battle rifle trained on him. There was no time to dodge, so Metabee covered his face and braced for impact.

There was a shot!

Then another!

And another!

Then, there was silence.

Metabee chanced a look, and he noticed three holes in the pavement spaced out about him. All three of Cyandog's shots had missed him by a mile! Though greatly perplexed, his confusion didn't amount to half of Cyandog's own.

"Inconceivable!" the blue bot grunted to himself while inspecting his weapons. "I have never missed a shot while in a combat situation. Sure, my vision seems a bit bleary, but even then…"

He trailed off as his own words began to click in his mind.

"Excuse me, um, organic being?"

My name's Spyke.

"Oh, yes, of course. If I may be so bold as to ask, are you required to wear correctional optics?"

Huh?

Cyandog slapped a palm over his face in irritation.

"Do you wear glasses?"

Oh, yeah. Well, technically, I'm supposed to, but the boss said I looked like a dork when I wore them, so I'm not allowed to wear them when we hang out.

Cyandog's only reply to that was a disgruntled groan.

Back on the ground, Metabee noticed that Cyandog was no longer looking at him. Taking advantage, he raised his submachinegun and fired on the crate Cyandog was standing on. He was rewarded with the rather comedic image of the dog medabot screaming, falling backwards, and then landing with a crash.

"Sorry bout that!" he called out. "But you gotta admit that it was pretty hilarious."

Peppercat didn't seem to think so. Quick as a flash, she darted towards Metabee and latched onto his right arm with her claws. Jolts of electricity went surging throughout Metabee's entire body, making him cry out in agony as he slowly lost feeling in his arm. Struggling for control, he slowly raised his left arm, and he opened fire with his revolver. The blast met it's mark, striking Peppercat in the face and sending her flying a few feet away. Now free though somewhat staggered, Metabee clutched his injured limb.

"Ikki, I can't feel my arm!"

Don't panic. Peppercat's electricity just paralyzed the circuits in your arm. My HUD says that it should go back to normal in a minute. Just enough time for me to put our plan into action.

Metabee made a face.

"Plan? Ikki, what're you talking about?"

From within, he could hear the kid giggle.

You'll see. Ok, transport medaparts!

Metabee suddenly stiffened, and then his helmet and left arm disappeared. An instant later, he was once again equipped with Warbandit's Tension-up medapart, as well as an equally familiar knuckle medapart. Metabee studied it for a moment.

"Hey, wait a minute! Isn't this one of Banisher's fists?"

It's called Mugshot. Ikki explained. And you're fixing to put it to good use. Totalizer at three o'clock!

Metabee whirled about, and sure enough he could see the red light of Totalizer's charge beam. The tank bot fired, and Metabee instinctively raised his left arm. There was a loud kaboom from the impact, and Metabee skidded back a short distance. However, he detected no damage, and he noted that his fist was now glowing.

"Oh, that's right!" Metabee exclaimed after a flash of realization. "Banisher's fists absorb energy based projectiles! Ikki, you mad genius!"

He paused for a moment.

"So, now what do I do?"

Here's a novel idea: HIT HIM!

Metabee looked down at his still glowing fist, and a sinister chuckle bubbled within his throat. Without any warning, he rushed the bulky yellow tank and struck him hard with his left hand. There was a massive explosion, and Totalizer was sent flying head over wheels before crashing into the then recovering Cyandog.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Metabee cheered. "That felt incredible! Maybe I should trade in my guns and take up grappling."

Don't get cocky now! Ikki warned. That was just phase one. Kick it into gear with the Tension-up and see if you can lead Peppercat away from the other two. If we can split them up and take them out one by one, we might just win this thing.

"You got it, bucko." Metabee said with a thumbs-up. "Let's crank this up!"

Steam began to start rushing out of Metabee's helmet, and he whistled at Peppercat.

"Hey, ugly human in the cute Peppercat costume! Come and get me!"

He laughed, and then he took off at top speed. Peppercat's faceplate retracted, and the full image of Samantha's furious face became known to the world. She hadn't expected this fight to last for so long. All of the sudden, her rush of power was starting to look like a sugar rush, and she had just run out of chocolate. One thing any kid on her block could tell you, when Samantha runs out of chocolate, you run for your life.

She made chase after Metabee, though even Peppercat's excellent speed couldn't come close to Metabee's new acceleration. Upon Ikki's request, he pulled to a stop at the edge of the pier, right where the water touched the wharf.

"Ok, kid," he said, "I made it. Now what?"

Next part's easy. Switch out with me like what Samantha's doing with Peppercat.

Metabee went rigid.

"Excuse me?"

Just trust me. Ikki pleaded. If my plan is going to work, I need to take the lead.

Metabee couldn't help but grumble as he reluctantly pealed back his faceplate, and Ikki blinked in the late afternoon sunlight. He had to hide his grin at the sound of screeching metal, and he turned about so that he was now facing Samantha. She was the picture of savagery, what with her flared nostrils, wide eyes, and shaking fists, and she was fixing Ikki with a most unpleasant look.

"Oh, there you are." Ikki opened with a nonchalant air. "Sure took your time, Samantha. I thought you would be a lot faster with Peppercat's feet."

Samantha sneered at him.

"I'm plenty fast enough to catch you, Ikki! Look at where you're standing. You're trapped."

Ikki feigned a yawn, which gave Samantha cause to pause.

"I don't even know why you're trying." he said. "I mean, not only have I won two robattles prior to this, but I also managed to shove you on your butt once. Frankly, I'm amazed you were even willing to go along with this. You must be so scared."

The boy had to hide his smile as he watched Samantha's face became as red as the rest of Peppercat's armor.

"Listen up, Tennryou!" she declared while pointing one claw dangerously towards Ikki. "I am NOT afraid of you! That shove was nothing but sheer luck, and you would never get away with it again. All you are is a miserable excuse for a punching bag, and you've been long due for a beating."

"Then prove it!" Ikki taunted with a beckoning gesture. "If you're so tough, then come and get me. But even with me being trapped, I doubt you'll lay one single pinky finger on me."

Steam billowed out of Samantha's nostrils, and she could see nothing but a curtain of red. She didn't honor the boy's disrespectful words with a reply, and instead she charged with both claws sparking with the savage intent to pummel her foe senseless. Ikki stood his ground, seeming like he was going to face his crazed opponent head on. However, just as her claws were mere inches from his face, he quickly sidestepped and grabbed one of her arms, plunging it directly into the icy waters of the bay. The electricity diffused violently, and a surge of feedback went arcing back up Peppercat's arm. Samantha screamed and withdrew her hand from the water. However, by then Metabee's visor had snapped back into place, and he opened fire with his submachinegun, taking out Peppercat's right arm and caused considerable damage to her headpart before she could skitter off a safe distance.

Get after her! Ikki called out. Her electricity no doubt shorted out some of her systems. If we push hard now, we may just pull this off.

"You got it, bucko!" Metabee cheered with delight. "Banzai!"

Meanwhile, the Rubber Robbos were all watching from the sidelines with mounting anxiety. Seaslug himself seemed particularly irritated, rythmatically drumming his against his crossed arms. Squidguts, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself as the battle continued to rage.

"These are better than the fights on TV!" he giggled excitedly. "I wish I had of popped some popcorn before they started."

"Oh, shut up!" Seaslug snapped brusquely. He then looked to Shrimplips. "Ok, runt, what's the deal? You gave me your guarantee that these kids were worthwhile recruit, but they can't even handle that yellow menace three to one!"

Shrimplips addressed his leader's aggravation with a nonchalant air while quietly adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat.

"They definitely have potential." he said in retort. "But it would appear that we underestimated that Ikki kid and his medabot. Unless we come up with some sort of plan, I forsee four tombstones in our future, and each of our names are on 'em."

Seaslug cracked a smile, and a tiny cackle chuffed its way up his throat.

"Fortunately for you, your brilliantly handsome leader already has a brilliant contingency plan in mind. Gillgirl, it's time."

Gillgirl, whom had been been filing her nails, flashed her leader with a confounded look.

"Time? Time for what? My manicure appointment isn't for another two hours."

"That's not what I meant, you idiot! It's time for you to earn your keep for a change, and there's only one thing you can do that the rest of us can't pull off."

It then occurred to Gillgirl that her boss was motioning his head towards the battle absorbed Mr. Referee. She looked between him and Seaslug, and she placed a hand over her face when she finally understood.

"Oh no! You cannot be serious!"

"As a heart attack! Now get to it, or you're walking back to base, and you're wearing high heels."

Gillgirl groaned, but she complied none the less. She removed her sunglasses, and then she pulled back her hood. She then put two fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Mr. Referee perked up, and he whirled about, only to be greeted by a startling sight.

He beheld a beauty without measure. He didn't know where the fourth Robbo had disappeared to, but in their place was a stunning woman with bright red hair in a spiky bob cut, rosy cheeks, and a pair of greens eyes that seemed to suck him in without concern for his surroundings. What's more, she was smiling at him, a great and heavenly smile, and she offered him a wink before blowing him a kiss. Mr. Referee then lost any and all control of himself. His heart began to hammer away at his chest as though it were an anvil, a cold sweat began to trickle down his brown, and even tiny hearts had formed in the centers of his eyes. Deep in the back of his mind, his instincts were screaming that he was in the middle of something important, but he just couldn't be bothered to remember what it was.

With the eccentric official no longer watching the battle like a hawk, Seaslug was now free to carry out the latter part of his plan. Taking a small mirror out, he shined it in the sunlight. A few yards away and carefully concealed by a pair of crates, he could barely make out a shimmering reply. From his hiding spot, Baron Von Banish retrieved a small black ball with a big red R painted on it, and he casually tossed it out. It rolled listlessly across the ground until it came to a stop at Metabee's feet, completely unobserved. It clicked, then it started to beep…and then it exploded!

Before Metabee could even process what had happened, he was sent flying three feet straight into the air before crashing back to earth with a tremendous thud. It was enough to snap Mr. Referee out of his trance, and he whirled about in time to see Metabee's legs and leg arm turn grey as a result of function cease.

"TIME OUT!" he declared loudly, and the Screws retreated away from the prone form of Metabee. "WHAT HAPPENED?! MY FINELY TUNED REFEREE INSTINCTS HAVE DETECTED A DISASTOROUS FORM OF CHEATING!"

He whirled on the Rubber Robbos.

"IS THIS YOUR DOING?!"

Seaslug's face waxed innocent, and he offered Mr. Referee a smile and a shrug.

"Sorry, pal, but we didn't see nothing. More importantly, how can you say that somebody cheated if you, the ref, didn't see anything yourself?"

Steam began to billow out of Mr. Referee's nostrils, and he tugged hard on his bow tie. However, after a moment, he sighed and nodded.

"UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS SO! WHILE I AM CERTAIN SOMETHING OF AN UNSCRUPULOUS NATURE HAS INDEED TAKEN PLACE, MY INABILITY TO OBSERVE WILL ALLOW THE BATTLE TO CONTINUE!"

That was music to Seaslug's ears, and he turned a massive grin towards Gillgirl and flashed her a big thumb's up.

"Nicely done, my dear! You do the entire Rubber Robbo Gang proud!"

Gillgirl replied by turning her back to him, and she appeared to be making gagging sounds.

"You're dead to me." she hacked.

Meanwhile, with Metabee, the yellow medabot had slowly risen back to a standing position, although he was incredibly unsteady on his feet.

"Ikki," he croaked, "you ok in there, kid?"

I'm fine. the boy assured him. But you sure aren't. Your legs are destroyed, you're left arm is a wreck, and your right arm only has ten percent left. The only thing unscathed is your headpart, though that's a cold comfort at this point.

"Dirty rotten cheaters." Metabee groaned. "I knew they were gonna do something, but this takes the whole darn cake. We were so stinking close!"

I'm giving you back your Seeker Missiles. Ikki said. I know it ain't much, but maybe it'll keep your head above water, no pun intended. Transport medapart!

There was a flash of light, and then Metabee was once again wielding his yellow, antlered helmet. By then, the Scews had surrounded him on all sides, forming a sort of triangle. Metabee swiveled his head about for a better look, and he swallowed hard.

"I'm not psychic, but something tells me there's a world of hurt in my future."

He could hear Samantha snickering at his right.

"Alright, boys, time for the big finish. Let's really put the screws to this tinplated weirdo!"

What followed next could only be described as a massacre. The first shot was fired by Totalizer's previously charged laser canon. He missed his initial target, but the force of the shot knocked Metabee a few yards away and straight into Cyandog. Taking advantage of point blank range, he opened fire with his assault rifle, resulting in an explosion of sparks across Metabee's chest. Staggering backwards, Metabee was then set upon by Peppercat, whom began to assault him with several rapid, and electrically charged blows. With one final, supercharged blow, she sent him sprawling backwards, and he crashed down on the cold hard concrete. There he lay in a wrecked heap, his headpart sparking, but still fully operational. The Scews took a moment to relish in their deed, hooting and hollering like a trio of monkeys at a zoo.

"I love it when a plan comes together!" Samantha chortled in her throat. "Hey, ref, ain't there a mercy rule or something? Just throw in the towel already and give us the win."

With sweat visibly rolling down his forehead, Mr. Referee gave his head a defiant shake.

"I AM AFRAID THAT I CANNOT DO THAT! METABEE'S HEADPART STILL FUNCTIONS! ONLY WHEN ALL OF YOUR OPPONENTS PARTS CEASE FUNCTION CAN A RULING BE DECLARED!"

Samantha scoffed, and she turned up her nose before looking to Totalizer.

"Fine! If you wanna be such a strickler, then we'll just end this thing right here. Sloan, give him your worst! Make it big, and make it loud!"

Totalizer's faceplate snapped open, and Sloan nodded. He raised one mighty fist, and it began to glow with an energy charge. Metabee was helpless; he knew it, he hated that he knew it, and he hated being stuck like this. Even if by some miracle he could get up and move, he was down to his headpart, which was only good for two shots at best, and there were still three of them. In his head, he could hear Ikki screaming for him to get up and get out of the way, though he could sense that even he knew it was hopeless.

"Kid," he finally said, "here's what I need you to do. Switch us out and book it! If you leave me and Banisher's medal, maybe they'll let you go."

He could almost see Ikki seizing up with shock.

You want me to…NO WAY! You can't just quit now! We can't give in, especially not now! Besides, what about Erika? They've still got her.

"Maybe they'll let her go when they get my medal. I don't know! The long and short of it is that you're gonna get seriously hurt when Totalizer get's that thing at full power. Switch out NOW!"

Samantha began to wring her hands together with mounting excitement as Totalizer's arm canon began to reach full charge.

"Sayonara, Stinky. It's been real, it's been fun, but now it's all over."

Totalizer's weapon had finally reached max charge. He took careful aim, took a deep breathe, and then…

"Disruptor, engage!"

Suddenly, Totalizer's canon arm exploded, knocking him backwards and into Samantha. After pushing the bigger and much heavier medabot off of herself, Samantha snapped up to her feet in an angry huff.

"Hey, what's the big idea, Sloan? You were supposed blast Ikki! Not me!"

Sloan gave his head a shake to clear it, and then he flashed her an innocent look.

"It's not my fault! The gun blew up in my face. Literally! The Totalizer guy in my head says that something was disrupting the circuits."

Samantha's face welled up into an angry snarl.

"Oh, really? And just what could have done that?"

"Not what, miss, but who!"

Samantha jumped with a start, and she whirled about to see a figure standing over the downed Metabee. He was robed from head to toe in mustard and tan armor, his helmet resembled that of a saber-tooth tiger, and he was armed with a hammer and a three-bladed sword. From his spot on the ground, Metabee had to move his head to a certain angle to get a decent look, and his optics went wide at the sight.

"What the…am I seeing things? Sumilidon, buddy, is that you?"

The saber cat medabot turned about, and he flashed his fallen comrade a thumbs-up.

"It is good to see you again, old friend. Though, I must say, you've certainly looked better."

Metabee offered a weak laugh.

"You should see the other guys." he croaked. "I actually had this fight in the bag a while ago until they started playing dirty. Threw a fragging bomb while the ref wasn't looking. Guess I should've saw it coming."

Sumilidon snorted.

"Despicable." he huffed. "Take a breather. I'm taking over."

He turned back to the Screws, and he pointed an accusing finger their way.

"The three of you have a lot of nerve." he roared indignantly. "You stole the bodies of three of my comrades, and then you brutally maimed another through trickery and dirty tactics. I cannot forgive these atrocious actions, and now I shall teach you the error of your ways. With my flexor sword!"

To further emphasize his point, he raised the aforementioned weapon and extended all three blades to their fullest lengths. Both Spyke and Sloan took weary steps back, but Samantha replied with a defiant step forward.

"You sure talk big." she said with a haughty grin. "But don't think you're gonna win just become you come in here acting all cool. Even with the stupid ref's rules in effect, it's still three to one, and we're the majority."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, followed promptly by a loud thud. Samantha looked back to see a very dazed and confused looking Spyke, no longer in his armor and his medal resting next to his head.

"You are right in your deductions." stated an analytical tone. "But I fear you have certain things backwards."

Stepping into view was yet another medabot, this one violet and white with a bright pink bow based beneath her neck. Her left arm was raised, and the rifle built into it was still smoking.

"The ones in the majority," she continued while cocking her weapon, "are us."

Samantha's jaw plopped open quite unceremoniously. It had happened so quickly that she couldn't even process just what exactly was going on. Sumilidon and Metabee, however, responded much more positively.

"I'd know that brainy way of talking anywhere." Metabee wheezed excitedly. "Hey, Cap, is that Brass?"

"Sure is!" the saber cat exclaimed. "Over here, soldier!"

Brass' head shot up, and she finally locked eyes with her wayward commander. Without a word, she raced past the remaining two Scews, and she didn't stop until she was standing in front of Sumilidon with her hand raised in a salute.

"Chief field analyst and strategist, Brass, reporting for duty, Captain Sumilidon, sir!"

Sumilidon returned the gesture. "You can say that again, old friend. I'm glad that you too have made it out of that mess. Are you functioning properly?"

Brass nodded.

"In a sort, sir. I'm still in the process of properly bonding with my new host. I estimate that I still have another hour until the process is complete. Side effects should be limited to slower than average reaction time, though."

"Not too bad." Sumilidon surmised. "I'll just have to take point while you zone our opponents from a distance."

From his spot on the ground, Metabee moved with newfound vigor so that he was now lying on his side with his head propped up on one hand. Satisfied, he whistled up at Brass to get her attention.

"Sup, babe!" he said with as much charm as he could muster. "You come to this battlefield often?"

Brass studied him carefully, and her optics widened.

"Good grief, Metabee, you look terrible? How did you get into such a sorry state?"

Metabee, feeling snubbed, didn't honor her query with a reply, and he shot a scathing look at Sumilidon when he heard snickering.

"HEY!"

The three looked up towards the Screws, and it was becoming quite clear that Samantha's patience had long since dissipated. The color of her face was no longer discernable from Peppercat's armor, and they could hear her teeth grinding all the way from where they were standing.

"Don't think you two can get away with ignoring me! I've got more important things to do than stand around and listen to you gab! So, either fight, or get out of my way so I can finally waste that tin-plated twit!"

Sumilidon snorted at that while squaring his shoulders as he and Brass stood side by side.

"Try to keep a fair distance." he instructed her. "Do your best to distract Peppercat but don't put yourself into a difficult spot while you're in your condition. It won't take me long to deal with Totalizer. Acknowledged?"

Brass shook her head. "The thought is appreciated, sir, but I'll be fine. I can handle it."

Sumilidon hummed thoughtfully. "If that's what you think, then let's get to it! Attack!"

The two went charging into the fray, Brass opening up with a rapid-fire assault that forced their two foes apart. With Peppercat distracted, Sumilidon set his icy blue glare onto Totalizer. The big yellow tank was quick to remember what the saber cat had done to his arm only moments ago, and the panic was quickly setting in. He went full reverse on his treads in a madcap attempt to escape, but Sumilidon never missed a step. In the darker part of the medabot captain's mind, he couldn't help but feel a wicked sliver of glee. There was a certain level of thrill whenever he enacted a hunt, and it was only more satisfying when he thought about how it wasn't Totalizer he was facing but a no-good thief. Bounding over the next couple of feet, he delivered a powerful left hook with is straw hammer to Totalizer's forehead. Momentarily stunned, Totalizer lifted his remaining arm and began to charge up for a mad bid defense. Sumilidon couldn't help but grin as he activated his hunter headpart, and an instant later Totalizer's second gun imploded, leaving the large bot without a single defense.

"Hey, no fair!" Sloan wailed as his face appeared. "How can I fight back if you just blow up my weapons?"

Sumilidon leveled his claws with their points aimed directly for Totalizer's head.

"That's just the thing." he said cooly.

Suddenly, there was a flash of tan, followed by the sound of ringing metal, and a moment later Sumilidon was standing behind Totalizer.

"You can't."

There was a flash of light, and then Sloan collapsed to the ground with Totalizer's medal clinking against the ground next to his head. Sumilidon leered down on him, and it could be said that he was smirking.

"You require further training." he chided. "Feel free to try again when you have learned more."

As for Brass, she was having a far more difficult time. Coupled with her slower reaction time and more clumsy movement, he was having a trouble keeping track of the lightning quick Peppercat. Even with her variablehair headpart, which was specifically designed to hone her weapons on fast moving targets, she was lucky to graze the cherry red cat with her machinegun once. Sliding through another volley of shots, Peppercat lashed out and struck Brass' legs. The sudden shock made her yelp, and she was forced to retreat a step. But Peppercat continued to ruthlessly pummel the violet medabot. Using her left arm as a makeshift shield, Brass took advantage of the close range to get a better analysis of her target. The circuits in her head whirred to life, and a detailed readout of Peppercat's condition appeared. According to her scans, her left arm was in function cease, her right arm was at fifty percent capacity, her legs were at nominal levels, and her headpart barely had five percent left of integrity. Even without a higher functioning processor, Brass could see that only one final hit to the head was needed, and she quietly thanked Metabee for his contribution. However, even if she managed to get out of this power struggle, there was no way that she could match Peppercat's speed. If only there some way to lessen her speed.

Suddenly, she bumped into something and fell backwards, sending Peppercat flying overhead. Now free, Brass sat up to see one of the many docking hitches that lined the dock of the bay. An idea began to form, as did a plan.

"Ding!" she exclaimed before snapping back to her feet and opened fire. Peppercat immediately skittered away, but this time Brass' shots were wilder and irrational. It was like she wasn't even trying to hit Peppercat this time around, which only confused Samantha. When Brass stopped, Samantha popped open the medabot's faceplate, and she stared at Brass curiously.

"Are you even trying anymore? You ain't gonna hit a thing with wimpy shots like that."

Brass folded her arms across her chest, and she tilted her head back in a taunting motion.

"Then by all means, come and get me. If you're brave enough, that is."

Samantha scoffed at that, and she popped her knuckles.

"I'm gonna take a moment to savor this moment." she chuckled deviously. "You and your sword buddy got in the way of a revenge long in the making, and I'm gonna make sure you both pay for interrupting."

With that, she took off running with her sights aimed directly for Brass. The purple medabot remained stark still with her gaze matching Samantha's as she waited for the right moment. Samantha added an extra burst of speed; she wanted to end this as quickly as she possibly could. She had been kept from her revenge long enough, and she wasn't going to let some stupid, girly, purple robot with horrible aim stand in her way.

But then, it happened. Had Samantha been paying closer attention to Brass' earlier actions, she would have seen that Brass' stray shots had actually been used to leave small holes in the pavement. Her foot had caught in one of these holes, and she fell flat on her face. Stunned and confused, Samantha looked up to see the barrel of Brass' gun. Samantha's eyes went wide when hard reality suddenly came crashing down on her, and it was made worse when she realized that there was nowhere left to run.

"N-no, wait!" she started to plead, but Brass had already pulled the trigger. There was a resounding KABOOM, followed by a thick cloud of smoke. When the dust settled, there lay Samantha, completely exposed, with Peppercat's medal laying next to her head. All was quiet for a long moment, and even the staunch and authoritative was without words. However, after a quick head count and a brief calculation, he deigned that there was only one thing he could say.

"FUNCTION CEASE!" he proclaimed for all to hear. "TEAM PEPPERCAT HAS CEASED FUNCTION! THE WINNER IS BATTLE IS TEAM METABEE!"

Seaslug was struck deaf and dumb as Sumilidon and Brass rushed over to their downed companion and helped him to his feet. From within his head, he could hear Ikki cheering and sobbing all at once, and he managed to throw in a couple of chuckles himself.

"Dude." he croaked. "We rock!"

"Indeed." Sumilidon agreed.

"Affirmative." Brass added.

Metabee then angled his head towards the rubber robbos, and he couldn't resist a smug smirk as he took in their shock and awe. Oh, how he loved it!

"Deal's a deal, you latex wearing bozos. Let the girl go, and hand over any and all medabot medals you're hiding."

Seaslug stared at him for a long, hard moment with a blank expression. Then, he started to grin, and then smile, and then he tossed his head back with a mad fit of demented cackling. Metabee was slowly starting to lose his confidence, and he waited for Seaslug to settle down. After what felt like an hour, the head robbo finally regained control of himself, and he set his sights back on Metabee.

"You wanna know what the fun thing about being a villain is?" he asked.

Metabee shook his head, though he had an idea what the answer was.

"We don't have to keep our promises! You want the girl back? Too bad!"

Utter rage surged through Metabee's core, and his faceplate split open to reveal Ikki's angry expression.

"We had a deal!" the boy exclaimed.

Seaslug wagged a mischievous finger in the boy's face.

"Ah-ah-ah. What did I just say? What's more, you've just made our imminent victory all the more sweeter. All three of you will toss us your medals, or you have my word that you'll never see that poor little girl again."

Metabee quaked with rage, and Sumilidon groaned grimly.

"So this is a hostage situation." he hissed. "Now I can see why you were so reckless, Metabee."

Just then, Sumilidon's ears picked up the sound of snickering, and he looked towards Brass, whom then bent over and started laughing hard. Both male medabots stared in stunned silence, neither side recalling the logical female to giggle let alone commit to full on laughter. When she finally regained composure, she straightened, and then she addressed her comrades.

"My apologies, captain. Humor, what a concept. I had never realized that emotions transferred between partners."

"You're point?" Ikki asked tiredly.

Brass tilted her head to one side, and then her faceplate split open, resulting in Ikki's eyes growing bright and wide.

"Surprise!" Erika cheered with a grin stretching from one side of her face to the other. Ikki gawked at her, completely flabbergasted, but that didn't even come close to sheer, unadulterated outrage that Seaslug was experiencing.

"Squidgutts, what the heck?! You said you were in the boy scouts when you were a kid!"

"Well, I never got the knot tying merit badge, boss."

"Then why didn't you tell me that?!"

"You never asked."

Seaslug felt a chill run down his spine, and he slowly turned about to look at Metabee. His faceplate had snapped back into place, and his green eyes burned with a great intensity. Seaslug could feel the blood freeze within his veins, and he tugged at the neck of his suit as he tried to come up with some words.

"N-now let's be c-calm, r-rational p-people about this. You know, no harm no foul?"

Metabee squared his shoulders, and he did his best to stand straight.

"Sumilidon, brace me."

The saber cat nodded, and he moved behind Metabee, keeping one hand on his shoulder and placing a hand in the mind of his back. As Metabee angled his head, the rubber robbos began to scramble about in a mad attempt to run away, but they only succeeded in stumbling over one another and falling over. Metabee took one last brief moment to enjoy the spectacle, and then he cleared his throat.

"Rubber Robbos, it's time to kiss your bot goodbye! Missile launch!"

Two red nosed missiles erupted from the antenna launchers on his head, and they flew straight and true towards their targets. They hit their targets, and the last of the Rubber Robbo Gang were four soaring projectiles sailing high into the wild blue yonder, all screaming their final words on the subject.

Seaslug- "This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"

Shrimplips- "Uncle, forgive me!"

Gillgirl- "I hate you, Seaslug!"

Squidgutts- "I want a cheeseburger!"

With that, they were gone, and the three medabots were alone. Metabee chuckled to himself, and he brushed a finger over the bridge of his nose.

"Yep, that felt as good as I thought it would."

Erika was staring at the spot where the Rubber Robbos had been, and she shot an uneasy grin towards Metabee.

"Wow, you're crazy. I can't wait to get the full story from you. In the meantime, we should probably grab those medals they've got in the warehouse."

Sumilidon perked up at this.

"Medals?"

Erika nodded.

"That's how I found Brass' medal. They've got them all in this big burlap sack along with those funky, bootleg medawatches."

"Eh, you mean that bag?" Metabee suddenly asked while pointing.

Erika and Sumilidon looked up with a start, and they saw a lanky figure dressed in black with a long-brimmed hat and a mask stepping out of the warehouse with a massive burlap sack over his shoulder. He tossed a look their way, and then he cut loose with a wicked cackle.

"Don't mind me, lady and gentlemen. I am merely taking what is mine."

Sumilidon snarled, and he released Metabee, dropping him onto the ground, while aiming his claw at the man.

"I beg to differ there, sir. Unhand those medals, or I will be forced to take them from you."

The figure studied him, and then he cut loose with another cackle.

"Is that so? Then catch me if you can, my pointy eared friend."

With that, he reached behind his back and retrieved a grappling gun, which he promptly fired towards the roof of the warehouse and propelled himself upwards.

"STOP!" Sumilidon declared as he gave chase, easily scaling the wall of the warehouse with his flexor sword.

And then there were two. Brass was feeling an odd mixture of confusion and irritation for her commander's sudden departure, but it was being cancelled out by Erika's spark of excitement. A strange masked man dressed in black with a penchant for thieving? Her reporter bones were starting to ache, and she couldn't wait to start investigating. Metabee, on the other hand, was just tired and ready to call it quits. In a flash of light, he was gone, and Ikki was lying flat on his face. With a groan, he slowly rose up to a sitting position, grunting and groaning as his muscles squealed in protest. When he was in a comfortable enough position, he looked up to Erika and scowled.

"I hope you appreciate all of this. Rescue missions aren't exactly my forte."

Erika looked down on him and snorted.

"You got that right." she said. "Heck, that was almost embarrassing. I mean, if that Sumilidon guy and I hadn't jumped in when we did, you probably would have been…"

Ikki coughed heavily, and he shot the girl an angry look. Erika caught herself, and she chuckled nervously.

"That is to say, thank you…for coming to save me. I guess you were right about the whole thing."

It was Ikki's turn to snort.

"Ya think?"

He lowered his gaze and scanned the local area, and he noticed that there were three missing from their number.

"Screws are gone." he reported glumly. "And just when I was thinking my problems were finally over."

Samantha looked down on him once more, and she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, don't worry 'cause you're not alone anymore. Brass and I are gonna be sticking like glue with you from now on. Whatever the Rubber Robbo Gang and the Scews are up to, we'll have your back from now on."

Ikki gave her a sideways glance. "And?"

Erika sighed and rolled her eyes to the sky. "And I will keep my mouth shut about all this. No stories out of me."

Ikki gave a satisfied nod, and he finally got to his feet. He stretched a kink out of his back, and he sighed.

"I hope it won't be long before Henry shows up again." he mumbled. "I just hope my parents aren't freaking out by now."

Erika placed her hands on her hips.

"What about me? Brass says we're stuck like this for like another two hours. How am I supposed to get home?"

Ikki looked at her for a moment, and then a mischievous grin spread across his lips.

"One thing at a time, Erika. One thing at a time."