Episode 9: Rocking the Schoolhouse

Koji stood outside the main gate in anxious anticipation. He was dressed quite formerly in his private school's uniform, and he nervously tugged at his tie as he waited for Karen to come out. Since that last Saturday in the park, his friend had been very distant with him, ignoring his phone calls and refusing to look at him whenever they were in the same room. He couldn't for the life of him understand why. If anything, he had saved her from that scoundrel, Ikki Tennryou. No doubt his so-called friendship was some sort of convoluted plot to trick the poor girl out of her uncle's money. It was what his father had done, and, like his own father had said, it was the duty of the next generation to continue the previous generation's work. Karen should have been thanking him, so why was she being so bitter?

At last, there was movement up at the house. However, much to Koji's shock, it was family limo that was rolling down the drive. Karen had never been one to flaunt her lavish heritage, so the two of them had always taken the bus to their private school. He took a step back as the main gate opened, and the limousine pulled to a stop next to him. The backdoor stopped, and Karen stepped out. She was dressed very casually with no signs of her school uniform anywhere. Now Koji was really confused.

"What's up?" he asked.

Karen tossed her hair back and casually moved her pigtails behind her ears, and it seemed like she hadn't heard him. It was making Koji nervous.

"Where's your uniform? Mrs. Ikusaba is very strict about the dress code, you know? I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

Karen continued her aloof mannerisms: fixing her purse around her shoulder, checking her face in her compact, and doing pretty much anything she could do to make the boy sweat. With the exception of his father, Karen was the only one that knew how to make him do it. Finally, she spoke.

"Neither Mrs. Ikusaba or you will need to worry about me from now on. I'm changing schools."

Koji's heart stopped beating for a moment. He gasped and gawked her, looking as though she had just told him that her foot tasted like peanut butter. It sounded like utter nonsense.

"You…you wha?" he stammered in exasperation. "Since when?"

"Just this morning." Karen replied nonchalantly. "I just spoke with my uncle. He set everything up already. I'm on my way to my new school, so you'll be taking the bus alone. I'm sorry."

Koji couldn't stand it. This was just coming completely out of nowhere, and it left him utterly stunned. Karen had been mad at him before, but this absolutely topped every other form of retaliation she had ever used against him. The Mikusaki Private School of Gifted Minds was one of the most prestigious private schools in all of Japan, so why on earth was she doing this?

"Wait a minute! This wouldn't have to do with what happened at the park, would it?"

Karen tossed her hair back, and she continued to stay out of direct eye contact.

"It might, or it might not. Either way, it is none of your concern."

"Like heck it isn't!" Koji snapped angrily. "Karen, this is your future we're talking about, here. You'll someday be expected to take over your uncle's company. All eyes will be on you, and you'll need all the backings you can possibly get. You're seriously going to throw it all away for that Tennryou brat?"

Karen whirled on him, suddenly, and her green eyes burned with a thunderous rage.

"Ikki! His name is Ikki, and my other friend's name is Erika! You humiliated me in front of them, and you insulted Ikki's father after he had risked his neck to protect me."

"He's a criminal!" Koji retorted. "My dad even said so."

"Oh, then that changes everything."

Koji drew back. Karen was a lot of things, but sarcastic had never been a word he could associate with her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Karen sighed, and she turned about and made her way back into the limousine.

"Nevermind, it doesn't even matter. This isn't a matter up for debate, and, if I'm honest, it's the kind of change I've been needing. I was starting to feel suffocated at that school, Koji. I need to get out, break the mold, make some friends."

She started to close the car door, but Koji jumped in and stopped it.

"But I'm your friend."

He didn't mean to whine. He didn't mean for his voice to crack. It just came out that way, and he didn't like the idea of Karen going off without him. The girl sighed, and she gently took his hand off of the door before shutting it and rolling down the window.

"Yes, Koji, you are my friend. You're my best friend. But you don't have to be my only one. You've been really clingy as of late, and I need some space. I'm doing this just as much for you as I am for myself. I'll see you after school."

With that, she rolled up her window, and the limousine went rolling down the road and slowly disappeared down the street. Koji was left alone standing on the sidewalk. He just stared after it for a little while, like a puppy would when it's master would leave home. After a while, he finally started down the way towards the bus stop. He was going to be late for school, and he didn't want to upset his father.

…

Erika was already waiting for Ikki when he stepped out of the house. He was tailed by Salty, the little dog having followed the boy home following the incident. Ikki's parents had taken to the little mutt as quickly as Ikki had, and the two of them, having noticed Ikki's heightened anxiety, felt that the dog would be a good influence on him. Unfortunately, not even Salty's kind heart and sloppy tongue could do much to soften the boy's mood.

Koji's words from the other day had stung him deeply. Though Fuyuki put up a brave and warm smile for his wife and son, even Ikki could see that the man was miserable. What right did that kid have to say all of those mean things about his dad? He hadn't even met him until that day. Acting all smart like that, and then just yanking poor Karen around like a ragdoll? It just made Ikki's blood boil, and he almost hoped that he would see him again.

The two of them got onto the bus together, and Salty saw them off with a yip and a tail wag as the door shut. The two made their way to the back of the bus where they took their seat. It was fairly vacant, so the two could speak freely without any eavesdroppers.

"How ya doing?" Erika asked while giving Ikki a friendly nudge.

"Ok, I guess." Ikki sighed. "I know you told me to let it go, but it just bothers me, ya know. Just who does that jerk think he is?"

"I'm guessing his dad must have worked with yours back in the day." Erika deduced. "Try and think back. Did your dad ever have trouble getting along with people back then? Any disgruntled employees or anything like that?"

Ikki shook his head.

"It was so long ago. Besides, this is my dad we're talking about. He will flank down a police car just to confess for running a stoplight. If anyone was upset, he would've moved heaven and earth to make things right again."

The two fell into silence. Ikki leaned his head back and stared up at the roof of the bus. He was thinking of Karen. He missed her, and he wished he could have gotten to know her better. It surprised him that she was actually Dr. Aki's niece, and it stirred up more questions. Dr. Aki was the father of modern robotics and it was he that popularized medabots in the first place. Now his niece and her best friend could become medabots themselves. Did that mean he knew something about this? Then there was the man that had given Ikki the medal and medawatch in the first place. He had been dressed in a way to hide his identity from both Ikki and random onlookers. Perhaps…

No! No that was simply outrageous! It would be too much of a coincidence. He decided to just put it all out of his mind and focus on the day as it came and made his way towards class. He probably wouldn't ever see Karen again, so he would just have to get over it.

However, as he and Erika took their seats, the teacher cleared her throat to get all of her students' attentions.

"Good morning students. If I could have your attention, please. I would like to introduce you to our new student, Karen Junmai. Please make her feel welcome."

Both Ikki and Erika bolted upright in their seats, and sure enough there was the friendly red head, wearing her usual, friendly smile as she gave her new classmates a wave and a bow.

"Good morning." she greeted politely. "It is good to meet you all. Let's get along, please."

…..

Meanwhile, outside of the school, agent Salamander of the Rubber Robbo Gang, was quietly skulking around and hiding about in the shadows. He never pegged himself as a religious sort, but someone up there must have been cutting him some slack when he saw his target redhead driving down the road and into a public school. This was his chance! Public schools have minimal security, and he could easily find that brat with nary an incident. However, there was one hitch. There was the possibility that the brat with the yellow medabot was here as well, and without Multikolor he was defenseless. Fortunately, he was still a high-ranking member of the Rubber Robbo Gang, and that meant he had access to drones. He brought his communicator up to his lips, and he opened a direct channel.

"This is agent Salamander breaking radio silence. Target has been located, and further assistance is required. Send in Bokchoy."

….

A few hours later, Ikki and the rest of his classmates had spilled out onto the playground. Without saying a single word to one another, Ikki and Erika rushed outside to find Karen and get answers. However, they quickly discovered that they would have to stand in line. Currently, a string of boys was taking turns pushing her in the swing and doing every little thing they could to make her happy. Unfortunately for them, Karen spotted Ikki and Erika, and she immediately abandoned her throng of fans and came rushing up to them and seized them in a hug.

"Ikki, Erika, it's so good to see you again!"

Ikki and Erika were momentarily without words, though more out of diminished lung capacity than anything else. When she finally released them, they retreated to the jungle gym where they could talk privately. The red head was pleased enough to pop now that they were together again, and, suffice to say, the same was said for the other two.

"This certainly beats the crummy prize I got in my cereal box this morning." Erika laughed as the three of them sat in a circle. "I can't believe that you're even here!"

"I hope that it was a pleasant surprise." Karen said. "It was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction, honestly. I didn't even realize that you guys even went to this school. I'm so happy. Imagine going to a new school and being absolutely alone."

Ikki peaked around his shoulder, and he noted that several boys were looking his way and glaring daggers into his back. He wasn't looking forward to dodgeball later on at P.E.

"So you're ok being here?" Ikki asked. "Being here with…me?"

Karen shifted her attention to him, and she flashed him a curious stare. After a few moments of staring, it clicked in her brain, and her smile faltered.

"I'm really sorry about what Koji said. He can be…well…"

She paused, and she sighed.

"There really isn't a nice way to put it, is there? He can be a real jerk, especially when he thinks he's protecting me from something. He really is a nice guy when you get to know him, though. He's just got issues."

"Oh?" Erika said, and her gossip sense kicked in. "How so?"

Karen fidgeted with a button on the front of her shirt, and she didn't look at Erika directly. She wasn't sure if she should speak any more on the topic given the sensitive nature thereof. But, then again, these two deserved it after how Koji treated them. Yes, they deserved to know the full story.

"It's like this," she began, her tone soft, "Koji's mom died when he was really young, and he has very few memories of her. As for his dad, he can be a bit hard on Koji. He really is the vice president of my uncle's company, and he expects Koji to be just as successful of a businessman as he is. That doesn't leave much room for social interaction with people his age, and I'm truthfully his only friend. I guess that's why he's so clingy, but it doesn't excuse what he said to you, Ikki."

She looked up to the boy.

"So, no. I don't have a problem hanging out with you, Ikki. I don't know much about the incident all those years ago, but that was then and this is now. You're my friend, Ikki, and I don't care what anyone says about it."

Ikki was utterly speechless. He wasn't sure what to say about any of this. Admittedly, he didn't hate Koji anymore. In fact, he felt kind of sorry for him, and he hoped that, at the very least, the two of them would learn to get along. At the least, he hoped so for Karen's sake. He offered the girl a smile, and he nodded.

"Yeah, you're my friend, too."

"And mine!" Erika added excitedly while wrapping her arms around their shoulders. "We'll be the three amigos from now on. Sticking together through thick and thin."

Karen giggled, and she hugged her new friends as tightly as she could. It felt good, and she was happy to have such close friends in this new environment.

iOk, ok, enough with the mush already. /i

Ikki scowled, and he broke off from the hug to glare at Metabee.

"Hey, we were having a moment, ya jerk!"

Metabee glared at him and tapped his foot.

iDon't get me wrong, I'm crying on the inside, but are we not going to address the even bigger Megaphant in the room. Namely the fact that that Dr. Aki guy, the person that introduced Medabots to the earth long before we even showed up, has a niece that also has a medabot. I don't mean to be rude, for once, but are we seriously going to ignore this? /i

iSergeant Metabee does bring up a good point. /i said Brass from Erika's wrist. iI have been trying to ascertain how it is we were brought here, but I lack the sufficient data to get an accurate detailing. Karen, does your uncle have something to do with all of this? /i

Karen blinked at the two medabot holograms curiously, looking from one to the other, and she searched for the words she felt would best explain. But, before she could think of anything, the bell began to ring, and the children began to line back up for class.

"Oh, dear. Please hold that thought, for now. I'll explain after school, I promise."

With that, the three children and their medabots made their way back into the school.

…

Salamander watched the three of them making their way into school, and he chuckled viciously as he eyed Karen. She was like the apple you would leave on a teacher's desk, and that just made the situation all the more amusing to him.

"That there is your target." he whispered to his companion. "Capture her and let nothing stop you. Never let her out of your sight."

At his side, the medabot whirred to life, and it raced away out of their hiding place and towards the school. Slamander chuckled, and he settled down into his hiding place. All that was left was for Bockchoy to do the hard work, and, in the meantime, he would catch up on the sleep he had been missing.

….

The trio made their way down the hallway, having fallen behind the rush. Ikki was naturally in a rush, the familiar ache in his legs telling him that Coach Mountain was close by with his coaching clenched tightly in his teeth. Ikki's anxiety seemed funny to Karen, and she inquired into who Coach Mountain was.

"He's the school physical education instructor." Erika explained. "He's also in charge of discipline. If a student is failing in their classes or is just a bit too rowdy, then he makes them run the track a few hundred times to set them straight."

Karen cocked her head at that.

"I could understand that for unruly students, but how does that help with students that are failing in their grades?"

"It doesn't." Ikki moaned as he moved into a faster pace. "Coach Mountain is as thick headed as his name implies, and he doesn't now a rhombus from a rumpus. I swear, if I have to run his course again just because I'm a couple of minutes late for class, I'm just going to…"

Ikki didn't get the chance to finish his thought. As he rounded another bend, his classroom just a short distance away now, he found himself bumping into a large, solid object. An object by the name of Coach Mountain. Ikki actually screamed, but Coach Mountain muffled the shout by placing his hand over the boy's mouth.

"There will be no yelling in these halls!" Coach Mountain yelled. "Skipping class again, eh Ikki Tennryou? That's bad enough, but now you're dragging Erika and the new student into your goldbricking. That crosses the line, mister, and you better believe I'm going to make you work until you sweat out every trace of this troublemaking habit of yours."

Ikki suddenly became very pale, and he could already feel the pre-existing blisters on the souls of his feet beginning to fester. He was literally on the verge of tears, a fact that Karen took note of.

"Excuse me." she piped in.

Coach Mountain shifted his steely gaze towards her.

"There's no use in begging, little missy. You may be new, but this is how things are done in this school. As the school disciplinarian, it is my job to ensure that naughty kids receive the proper punishment."

"I wholly agree." Karen replied innocently as she looked up at him. "But you're punishing the wrong kid. Like you said, I'm new here, and I don't know my way around real well."

She looked down bashfully at the floor.

"I…needed to powder nose really badly before class started, and I asked Ikki and Erika to show me where the bathroom was. I'm the one that is in the wrong, not them. So punish me."

The hallway suddenly became very quiet. For years, Coach Mountain had become quite acquainted with delinquents making excuses and some even outright calling him out on his disciplinary actions. So what if he made kids run laps until they fainted? The experience strengthened their bodies, cleared their minds, and knocked the delinquency straight out of them. They should've been building him a statue at the front of the school to commemorate his hard work.

But this young lady challenged everything he had ever believed in less than two sentences. Not only was she accepting her punishment, but she was insisting that she alone was deserving when it would usually devolve into a blame game between the accused. It left him completely disarmed, and he could feel his fangs receding. Whatever heat that had formed in his belly was completely quenched.

He leaned backwards, and he rubbed the back of his head while looking at the ceiling. He took a few moments to think before looking back into Karin's green, innocent gaze.

"Well, you are new here, after all. I mean, it would be kind of heartless of me to punish you on your first day without so much as giving you a warning. Promise me that you won't do it again, and we can just forget that this all happened."

Ikki's jaw dropped squarely to the floor. In just her first encounter, Karin had conquered the Mountain. It was mind boggling, and it made him wish that Karin had been in his life a long time ago.

Coach Moutain stepped to the side, and he motioned for the trio to walk past. Karin gave him a respectful curtsey, and they began to move forward. But, before they could get much further, they heard Coach Mountain speak again.

"However, I am going to have to confiscate that toy of yours. We've still got rules you know."

Ikki was the first to turn around with a confused stare.

"Toy?"

The others turned about, and there they saw a strange sight. It appeared to be some sort of robot that traveled about on four wheels. It seemed to be modeled like a scholar or college teacher complete with a graduation cap and eyes that resembled wide rimmed glasses. However, it had yellow, crab like hands. Ikki could only stare at the thing, completely confused.

"Uh, Coach Mountain, that isn't ours. I'm not even sure that it is a toy."

Coach Mountain frowned.

"What do you mean? Just what the heck is it supposed to be?"

"Dr. Bokchoy!"

All eyes turned to Karin, who's own had become wide and mystified.

"Aha, so it is a toy."

"No! It's a prototype."

The robot's head began to swivel about, and eventually its gaze landed on a very stunned looking Karin. Its eyes blazed red, and it raised its arms.

"Target identified! Initiating capture!"

Its tires began to spin wildly, and then it rocketed forward towards her.

"Look out!" Mountain declared.

He shoved the kids to one side, and he received the full brunt of the robot's tackle. It sent him flying through the air before crashing into a wall, where he slumped down into an unconscious slumber. Karin and Erika scrambled to their feet, both eyeing the robot with obvious horror.

"Karin, what is that thing?"

"Dr. Bokchoy! He's something my uncle had been working on while experimenting with medabot technology. He was meant to be a teaching assistant. I don't understand why he's doing this."

The robot wheeled around, and once again it set its sights on Karin. Ikki quickly filled the gap between them, and he raised his medawatch.

"Sit tight, girls. Metabee and I will handle this."

iYeah, yeah! Finally! /i

"Medamorphisis! Attack mode, Metabee!"

With a twist of the watch dial and a flash of light, the yellow medabot warrior stood in all his glory with guns at the ready.

"Ah, yeah! Look out, cause Metabee is here to school you in the academy of hard knocks."

"How cheesy." Erika muttered to herself.

"My hero!" Karin gushed with sparkling eyes.

Metabee chuckled.

"Yeah, you know it! Sit tight, ladies, and let old Metabee take care of this Oxford rejected…"

Dr. Bokchoy charged. He crashed headlong into Metabee, and, like Coach Mountain before him, he was sent flying through the air before crashing into a locker. A moment later, the door slammed behind him. There came a rummaging sound from within for a moment, and then it went silent.

"I…I'm stuck! Whoever heard of getting stuck in a locker?"

iHappens more often than you think. /i

Back on the outside, Dr. Bokchoy had righted itself, and once again its sights were set on Karin. Without wasting a moment, Erika seized the redhead by the hand, and the two girls went racing down the hall with the medabot in hot pursuit. If it was one benefit Erika received from Coach Mountains masochist teaching methods, it was how to run away from a pursuer. She led Karin this way and that, up the stairs and down to the boiler room, and into every nook and cranny that they could find to hide in. However, no matter where they went, the robot was right there behind them. The two eventually had to hole themselves up in the girl's bathroom with the door bolted with a bench that usually sat next to the sinks. Erika collapsed against the side of the wall, and she fanned her face while gasping for breath.

"Good grief, that thing is persistent!" she coughed. "Also, I think its obsessed with you."

"I think it has to do with its programming." Karin said. "Like I said, it was designed to help teachers. Specifically, its sensors were meant to lock onto children having particularly hard times with their studies and offer them one on one tutoring as it was needed. Someone has perverted my uncle's meticulous planning and hard work."

"The rubber robbo gang, no doubt." Erika growled in her throat. "They're the only ones I know of that also have medabots. They must've stolen the designs from your uncle and used them to make some kind of hunter drone."

"But how?" Karin asked. "My uncle is so careful. He'd never let something as important as this slip through his fingers."

"Tell that to Ikki's dad and the embezzled money." Erika muttered under her breath, but she kept the thought to herself. "It's clear we're not going to be losing the thing anytime soon. Our only chance is to fight it out. If we can get out to the track outside, we'd have more room to work with and perhaps less collateral damage. The fastest way would be out the window."

Just then, the girls could hear something slamming against the door. The two girls jolted to their feet, and a crack formed in the door, giving them just enough of a view to see the robot.

"Welp, that clinches it! You first, Karin!"

The two girls raced to the window, and Erika boosted the other girl upwards and towards the window. By then, Dr. Bokchoy had smashed one fist through the door, and it looked in time to see Erika scrambling to climb out the window. It raised its arm and locked in onto her.

"Textbook punch!"

Its arm extended at a fast rate, and the next thing Erika knew it had latched onto her arm. She was now stuck between the wall and the robot, clinging tightly onto the window with one hand while Bokchoy pulled and yanked on the other. Erika squealed in pain as she fought and kicked against the robot's hand to free herself.

There was a pop, and the next thing Erika knew she was sailing through the window and crashing into a startled Karin. The two girls rolled for a moment, but before long Erika was back on her feet and motioning for Karin to move.

"Come on! That thing is right behind us! We'll make our stand at the race track!"

Karin nodded, and the two girls went racing across the school yard to the track and field area. There, the two stopped, and they took a moment to collect their breaths. Erika wasn't used to this much exercise so early in the day, and she made a mental note to improve her physical abilities when she wasn't on the run from a psycho murder bot.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of ourselves." she said as she straightened. "Much as I hate to admit it, Metabee is our big gun here, and he's probably still trying to break out of that locker. Until he escapes, we're on our own. Hey, Brass, any ideas on what kind of strategies we could use against that thing?"

Erika waited patiently for a response. It never came.

"Uh, Brass?"

Again, no response.

A cold sweat began to trickle down the girl's brow, and she dared to look down. Her right wrist was bare. Her medawatch, complete with her medabot's medal, was gone. Erika's mind began to swim as she feverishly looked about, and then it all clicked. It had been her right arm that the robot's arm had latched onto. In the struggle, her watch must have come loose and completely slipped off. Erika slowly raised her head, and she looked towards Karin with a terrified expression.

"Karin. I think we're in trouble."

"You got that right, kid!"

The two girls spun around, and there was Salamander in all his greasy, rubbery terror. Erika immediately filled the gap between him and Karin.

"What do you want, you slimy excuse for swamp gas?!"

Salamander chortled with glee.

"Flattery will get you nowhere kid. I've got a job to do, and a record to keep. Little miss carrot top is coming with me, and it looks like I may even get a bonus."

At that time, Dr. Bokchoy had arrived, and it wheeled over to its master's side before handing off Erika's medawatch to him. He popped it open, and he plucked the medal from within. The instant Brass' medal kissed sunlight, Erika abandoned all sense and she rushed him. However, Salamander sidestepped, and he grabbed her by the back of her suspenders before hoisting her into the air.

"Ooh, ain't you feisty!" Salamander cackled. "I bet we could use in the sweatshops back at the base."

"Put her down!"

Salamander turned his head, and he saw that Karin had her arms raised with her hands clutching the dial of her medawatch. Salamander blinked, and then he tossed his head back with a roar of laughter.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding! Come on, kid. We both know that your medabot is worthless. It doesn't even have any attack parts."

Karin's eyes suddenly went bloodshot, and a fiery aura seemed to erupt around her body. It actually made Salamander take a step back.

"Don't you…EVER…call Neutranurse worthless! She is my partner and my friend, and I will not standby and let you say rude things about her or any of my pals."

iHe isn't wrong, though. /i

Karin looked down to her watch, and she could seek the meek image of Nuetranurse's hologram flickering over the clock face.

iMiss Karin, not that I do not wish to help in any way I can, I have zero combat proficiency. I am not meant to enter the battlefield directly, but rather hang back in the reserves and offer aid. There is little that I can do but sit here and be useless. /i

Karin stared down at the hologram sympathetically, and she raised her arm up higher so that they could see one another eye to eye.

"Come on. Don't talk like that. I know you don't like to fight, and I'm sorry that I've had to drag you into more than your fair share, but you aren't worthless. You're my extra special friend, and, you know what? You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Besides, you don't even have to win. Metabee is bound to get loose eventually, so all we have to do is hold this guy at bay until he does. You can do that, and I'll help."

Neutranurse still seemed uncertain. She just wanted to crawl back into her medical ward and forget all of the bad things that were happening around her. But she couldn't, and even if she did what would that change? Sergeant Metabee had been incapacitated, Field Analyst Brass was a prisoner of war, and Erika, an innocent civilian, was in the line of fire. There was no one else to step up and take command. Just her.

She looked up towards Karin. The red head was smiling. Not exactly an uncommon feat, but there was something else: confidence. Karin believed in her, and she was proud to be her partner. Neutrnurse gulped, and then she straightened up and did her best to look professional.

iVery well. I am ready to proceed, Karin. Let us, as the sergeant would say, meda-wreck this…uh…creep? /i

"Close enough. Here we go! Medamorphisis!"

Karin turned the dial on her watch, and in a flash of light Neutranurse stood to attention. She trembled furiously, but she managed to maintain an air of courage as she faced down the drone. Salamander dragged Erika off to the side, and he cleared his throat.

"Alrighty then. I guess it falls to me to referee this match. Therefore, I hereby declare this a…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Everyone looked to see a large cloud of dust bursting into view. A moment later, the familiar image of Mr. Referee materialized.

"IF THERE IS TO BE ANY REFEREE IN THIS OFFICIAL ROBATTLE, THEN IT SHALL ME BE, MR. REFEREE!"

Salamander balked at him.

"How does he know when this stuff is going down?"

"WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET US BEGIN!" Mr. Referee declared without missing a step. "MEDABOTS, RO-BATTLE!"

With that, Dr. Bockchoy went rocketing forward while aiming a punch for Neutranurse's headpart.

iEngage neutra-guard!/i Karin ordered.

"Acknowledged." Neutranurse grunted as she brought up a barrier.

Bockchoy's punch collided with the barrier with incredible force, which forced the meek nurse backwards. Fortunately, the impact sent Bockchoy flying backwards, giving Neutranurse enough room to maneuver.

iGood work, Nurse./i Karin complimented. iNow it's time to counter attack!/i

"With what?" Neutranurse asked. "I'm a noncombatant. I don't have anything to counterattack with!"

IThat's ok. We'll improvise. Don't forget, we just need to…Look out!/i

Bockchoy had recovered, and it launched another punch, this time striking Neutranurse squarely in the chest and knocking her to the ground. It then revved its engine and bolted forward with the intent of running her down. With a squeak of shock, Neutranurse rolled out of the way. She stumbled to get to her feet, and she extended her arms to balance herself. Suddenly, something struck her arm, making her spin about, making Karin feel squeamish. When she resettled, Neutranurse was surprised to see that Bockchoy was lying before her flat on its back. Its arms were flailing wildly, and it seemed to be having trouble getting back up. Neutranurse could hear Karin cheering inside of her head.

iAtta girl, Nurse! What a clothesline! I told you that you could do it./i

Neutranurse was genuinely shocked, and she looked down at her arm to acknowledge the large dent it now adorned. She had done that? She had actually…attacked something?

Off to the side, Salamader fumed while hurling insults at Bockchoy.

"You worthless wide-up toy! What's the matter with you?! Stop floundering around like a beached whale and do what you're supposed to! You're making me look bad!"

"GO NEUTRANURSE!" cheered Erika.

Bockchoy finally managed to get itself back upright, and it charged again while swinging its fists wildly. Neutranurse once again brought up her barrier, stopping the drone cold.

iOk, you're doing great./i Karin encouraged. iNow, here's what you do next. As soon as you drop the barrier, step to the left side and hold out your ride foot./i

Neutranurse obeyed, dropping her barrier, sidestepping, and then holding out the selected foot. Bockchoy, moving too fast to right itself, caught its wheel on her leg, and it went somersaulting head over heels until it once again came to a rest in a heap. From the sidelines, Erika whooped and hollered, which made Neutranurse blush.

iThat's it!/i Karin cheered. /iAlright, time for the coup de grace! Rush it before it can get up, lift it over your head, and SUPLEX it!/i

Neutranurse's eyes widened.

"What! That's absolutely absurd! I am not a grappler!"

Her hesitation was more than enough of a distraction to let Bockchoy right itself, and it dealt a sidewinding left hook that clipped Neutranurse under the chin, sending her skyward. As she came down again, Bockchoy followed up with a roundhouse punch that knocked her to the ground. As Neutranurse struggled back to her feet, she discovered that her leg parts had been forced into function cease, which meant her mobility had been cut in half.

"Critical system error." she groaned as she healed her remaining medaparts. "Karin, I don't think I can keep doing this. I'm not a fighter."

Karin sighed.

iI know. I'm sorry I've been pushing you, but we don't have a choice. I know you can do this, Nurse. You're stronger than you give yourself credit. You just got to believe in yourself. So, come on, just a little more./i

Neutranurse began to shake. She wanted to run. No, she wanted to curl up and hide. She shouldn't even be here. She wanted to go home. She wanted to forget that any of this was happening and go back to the world she understood. But, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Erika. Salamander still had a firm grip on her arm and was clinging tightly to Brass' medal. It was the worst possible situation for them, and yet Erika was smiling at her. She believed in her, and, though she did not have a body to convey it, she was almost certain Brass felt the same way. They were counting on her, and that meant that surrender was not an option. Much as she didn't like it, she had to fight.

At the revving of an engine, she turned to see that Bockchoy was getting ready for another charge. There was no way that she could dodge this time, but there was something she could try. Granted, she only knew of it because it was something Metabee would do, and that made this the most crazed and foolhardy idea she could possibly come up. Nevetheless, she didn't have the time to really think of it. Just as Bockchoy was baring down on her, she coiled her legs, and she leapt upwards. Bockchoy sailed underneath her, and she came down she latched her arms around her neck. The next thing Neutranurse knew, the drone was taking her for laps across the school track. Her legs were dangling behind them like a flag at full mast, and it was everything she could do to hang on.

IAlright! Way to go, Nurse!/i Karin congratulated. iI knew you had it in you!/i

"Could you please not talk right now?" Neutranurse pleaded. "I'm trying to hang on."

iNo, no! This is perfect! This is exactly where you need to be?/i

"Excuse me?" Neutranurse blurted.

iListen! My uncle invented this thing, remember? I know where all its weak points are. That's why I wanted you to suplex it. If they followed my uncle's designs to the letter, then they will have used a thinner metal at the top so as to make space for the larger processor stored within. Even you should be able to punch through it./i

Neutranurse's eyes went wide, and now it all clicked into place. She could win this! She could beat this thing and save the day, just like General Sumilidon or Seargeant Metabee. It suddenly was like a spark had ignited within Neutranurse's core, and she felt a renewed vigor coursing through her frame. With a grunt and a strain, she pulled herself tighter to Bockchoy until she could wind her legs around the floundering drone's waste. Then, she raised one fist, and she slammed it down hard against the top of its head. When her hand came out again, she came up with a fist full of sparking wires and crunched metal. Bockchoy spasmed and its speed picked up as it drove wildly around the track and field before it eventually came to a crashing halt back where they had started. It had suddenly become very still, its body spasming and oil shooting out through its joints. Neutranurse released it and fled, and a moment later the little drone's head exploded with flames, catching the oil and eventually becoming nothing more than a burning husk. It was over, and there was only one thing left to say.

"FUNCTION CEASE!" declared Mr. Referee with his usual gusto. "THE WINNER IS NEUTRANURSE!"

The pink clad nurse was still trembling, but her chest swelled with pride. Within her head, she could hear her partner gushing madly as she showered the support bot with praises. It made her feel tingly, but it was a good kind of tingly.

Back on the sidelines, Salamander stood there with his jaw hanging open as he could do nothing but watch a very expensive drone literally crash and burn, just like the rest of his hopes and dreams. His sudden despair was a welcome opportunity for Erika, who delivered a sharp kick to his shin, which in turn made him release her and drop Brass' medal. Erika then made a beeline to Neutranurse's side to offer her congratulations.

"Now that was a robattle." she said as she shook the bot's hand. "Neutranurse, you're amazing. You do your people proud, as well as your friends."

Neutranurse couldn't help but blush as she tried to look away.

"Oh, i-it was n-nothing." she stammered. "It was…all in the line of d-duty."

"Don't be so modest." Erika said with a laugh. "You were fantastic. Don't be afraid to succeed."

Suddenly, there was a loud, ghastly wail. They all looked back to Salamander, whom was looking absolutely beastly with his bloodshot eyes and steam puffing nostrils.

"No way! No way, no way, no way, no way! You little rugrats cheated! There is no way that worthless windup doll should have been able to defeat Bockchoy, even if it was a mindless drone!"

Erika scoffed, and she tugged down on her lower eyelid while sticking out her tongue.

"Don't go home sour, punk! It's not our fault that you stink."

"Oh, I'm not going home yet." Salamander hissed with vice. "Not without that red head. You think all I had at my disposal was Bockchoy? You've got no idea!"

He pulled out his watch, and he pressed a couple of buttons on it. The bushes came alive as several rubber robbo Noctbat drones burst into view, their weapons now trained on them. Erika nearly bit her tongue off as she stuffed back into her face, and Neutranurse immediately took a defensive position in front of her. Slamander stood before his drones like a general leading his troops, his predatory gaze latched upon the two girls.

"Let's not make this any harder than it has to be. Just hand over Aki's little niece, and me and my associates here won't have to level this entire school in the space of a few minutes. This is your final offer going once."

Neutranurse felt trapped, her anxiety returning once again as she tried to put on a brave face.

"You can't have her!" she squeaked with a shout. "I won't let you hurt either of them."

"Well, I'm really sorry to hear that." Salamander hissed with false sympathy.

He lifted a hand, and the Noctbats tightened their formation while opening their missile ports.

"HOLD IT!" Mr. Referee wailed while flailing his arms. "I DECLARE A FOUL! THE ROBATTLE IS OVER! BRINGING IN NEW COMBATANTS IS A CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE RULES AS ORDAINED BY THE MEDABOT ROBATTLE REGULATIONS!"

"Shut up, old man!" Slamander hissed. "I'm the one calling the shots here. Now, my candy-striped pain in the tail bone, prepare yourself for a whole new meaning to the words big bang! Fire missiles!"

The Noctbats took careful aim, and Neutranurse and Erika braced themselves for the coming barrage.

But, suddenly, one of the Noctbats exploded, followed by its twin, and the carnage continued down the chain of flying robots, much to Salamander's horror. Before he knew it, he no longer had any more drones on his side, and he was suddenly outnumbered.

With his barrels still smoking, Metabee made his triumphant arrival upon the battlefield. Salamander balked at him with terror, and he scrambled backwards.

"You! Where did you come from? What did you do to my Noctbats?"

Metabee scoffed.

"Come on, punk, don't insult my intelligence. You don't have to be a demolition's expert, which I am by the way, to know that you shouldn't put that much high-grade explosive all together in a formation. One well placed shot, and you're left with nothing but fireworks and spare parts. And you say you're supposed to be some high-level operative of the rubber robbo gang. You ask me, you're not looking so high and mighty right now."

Salamander had become horribly pale, and he looked around at the circle of angry faces leering down on him. He had lost, and it was time to honor the rubber robbo gang's most honored and cherished strategy.

"Run away!"

He spun about, and he started to sprint for his life. However, he didn't get far. Mr. Referee materialized behind him, and he pinched a section of skin just above Salamander's shoulder blade. Salamander gasped, and then he slumped to the ground, completely unconscious. Mr. Referee gave a triumphant humph, and he straightened his bowtie.

"I HEREBY STRIKE YOU WITH A FOUL!" he proclaimed for all to hear. "YOU SHALL NOW BE SLEIGHTED TO THE PENALTY BOX UNTIL FUTHER NOTICE."

He reached behind his back, and he produced a small box which he proceeded to clip onto Salamander's back. There was a pop, and then a fulton balloon inflated. The last that the children saw of Salamander was his unconscious body being yoinked up into the upper atmosphere. Looking satisfied, Mr. Referee cleared his throat, and he offered Metabee and the others a nod.

"Thank you very much for battling." he said, suddenly calm. "I look forward to your next match. Until then, Mr. Referee out!"

With that, he took his leave, quietly disappearing just as mysteriously as he had appeared. This left the kids and their medabots just as mystified as ever, and it only added to the mountainous pile of questions they had already accumulated.

"Well that happened." Metabee muttered, just to break the silence if anything.

Just then, a sound caught Erika's ear, and she gagged when she spotted the rocky silhouette of Coach Mountain coming their way.

"Guys! Drop the tin tuxedoes! Mountain incoming!"

Metabee and Neutranurse whirled around, and they quickly switched back out with their partners. Mountain came to a stop while huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf, but his breath quickly caught in his throat as he eyed the war zone that had been his track and field. The turf had been shredded, the tarmac was cracked, and there was a burning robot lying next to the soccer goal just asking to set it off. He slowly turned towards the children, and he tried hard to swallow.

"Did you do this?"

Erika made a sour face.

"Are you kidding me? Do you not see the burning psycho bot over there? While you were off catching some Zs, that thing has been chasing us all around the school, and it destroyed everything in sight,"

"Including a locker in the hallway!" Ikki piped in.

"and it was everything we could do just to get away from it. If it weren't for some freak short circuit or whatever making it blow up, who knows what it would have done to us!"

Mountain slunk down, suddenly looking more like a kicked puppy rather than a gym teacher. It suddenly occurred to him just how bad this really looked, and all fingers would be aimed at him if he didn't figure out a way to clean this all up before the principal saw it.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Just…would you all please just get to class? You're late enough as it is. Just let me worry about the cleanup."

"Works for me!" Ikki said quickly, and he grabbed Erika and Karin by an arm and ran off before Coach Mountain could say anything else.

When they were far enough away, all three of them breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"That was way too close." Erika grumbled.

"I'll say." Ikki agreed. "Nice work with the guilt trip. I've never seen Coach Mountain cave like that before."

"Count on grandma to pass on the good stuff." Erika chirped. "Am I right, Karin?"

There was no reply.

Ikki and Erika looked back to see that Karin had stopped walking, her arms limp at her sides and her gaze downcast. Also, it seemed that she was sniffling. Ikki frowned, and he walked over to her.

"Hey, Karin, don't cry. We're all ok, see? It's over."

"I know." Karin hiccupped. "It's just…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that you both had to get dragged into all of this. If I had of known…"

"Hey, now, don't talk like that." Erika said as she put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. It all worked out in the end."

Karin nodded.

"I suppose so. But there could be more where the rubber robbo gang came from. Maybe I shouldn't have…"

She paused, and then she looked up to her friend with a resolute expression.

"Ikki, Erika, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to play hooky for the rest of the day. Meet me at the front gate while I call us a ride. It's time that you knew the true severity of the situation. The whole story about the medabots and what we're truly up against."

Ikki and Erika exchanged nervous glances, and it suddenly like the entire world had been dropped onto their shoulders.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Ikki asked with trepidation.

"To the man behind the curtain." Karin said. "It's time that you two met my uncle Aki."