The chirping of the birds signal dawn at Inkopolis. The light, growing brighter and brighter with every hour, burned through the shadowed houses. The early bird inklings rose from their abodes to greet the day and each other. When all of a sudden, a large, missile-shaped object tore through the clouds. In 30 seconds, the object was a mere 20 feet from the ground when it ceased its acceleration towards Inkopolis. It instead hovered and gently lowered itself to the ground. The object's protruding lids gave an exit for robotic arms and legs. The main dark teal bulk of the object twisted and shift until a body, head, and face appeared. The face looked to be that of the average human. Even the head hair, though metallic, is present on the being. Extending to its full height at 6ft tall, its gaping mouth created a loud, screeching noise similar to a bullhorn.
"Take me to the human! Take me to the human! Take me to the human!" It repeated in a singular, feminine, monotone voice.
The inklings covered their ears and ran from the robot. Inklings, blocks away, stood in shock. Lee and the squid sisters jump up from their beds and get decent before heading out to investigate the noise. The fleeing inklings provided a perfect view of the mysterious robot. The gang sprinted down to the plaza. The robot focused its eyes on Lee and ceased its demand. Lee, tensed, had been the first to speak.
"So...Who are you and what do you want? What do you think you're doing here?"
"You...You are Lee Commons, adopted son of Mr. Commons and brother to Xavier, Lilac, and Kovanna Commons. Savior of Inkopolis. User of Rami Salyer's Darkness. Lover of Vee-"
"Can you get on with it?" Lee asked, looking at his watch.
"...God of Impatience. My name is Brawn-Bot #00001 zn482HxIO0m2 Serial #194620492 Tag BB00001Vin. You may address me as 'Brawn' for short." said Brawn.
"Ok...So why are you here?"
"Starting ' '...40%...70%...99%...Startup of has failed. Download the latest version of Adobe-"
"Just fucking tell me why you're here!" Lee shouted, losing his temper.
"...Initiating subroutine 'Gestures.' Searching...Searching...Running '.'" Brawn-Bot said, flipping Lee off.
"Oh, real cute."
"' ' ' has loaded...I am a recently activated robot that handled the testing of all battle-related objectives for entity known as Mr. Commons, A.K.A Creator. I was entrusted with the responsibilities of managing the World Guard Army previously led by Creator. Our purpose: Save the planet from natural disasters, as well as detain criminals of any variety. Through Commons's funding, leadership, superior intellect, charming personality, devilish good looks...ahem...and rigorous training, we were successfully protecting our beloved planet from harm of any kind. Until...Myriad. Myriad, the demon who rose through the cracks of hell, was bent on Earth's destruction. He sought nothing but pure chaos and built numerous devices to achieve said chaos. His endgame, however, was the worst of them all: Flood planet Earth. Our final objective: Stop Myriad from flooding planet Earth. Needless to say, our final objective was not completed." Brawn explained.
Lee almost couldn't believe it. More of Mr. Commons's creations rising from the ashes? It couldn't be.
"After Earth's flooding, I was shutdown and placed in an underground facility. It wasn't until approximately 12 thousand years until I was conscious. When I booted up on an unknown island, I was given a new objective. Creator has given me a new purpose: Save entity Lee Commons before it is too late. I intend to follow his last orders to the end of all time itself and will allow nothing to stand in my way."
"This all sounds like a stretch. This...This couldn't be true. Who activated you?" Lee asked.
"That, I am not at will to reveal. This person merely wants to protect you. The reasons of such a request is unknown to me."
"So, what? You think you can just shown up in our city, disrupt the public, and explain your half-assed story, expecting to tag along with Lee?" Callie asked.
"Even if we believed you, why do you think we'd let you live here?" Marie added.
"Creator created his creations with purpose; I am no exception. I believe I hold purpose in this world."
"What can you even do, Brawn?" Callie asked.
"As implied in my name, I can achieve staggering feats that require strength, agility, speed, etc. With these built-in abilities, it is logical to assume that I can help any and all entities requiring my expertise."
"Well, if you can truly help us," said Lee, who raised his fists and told Brawn, "How about you show us your power?"
"This is unwise entity Lee. I am much stronger and capable than you in this form. My scanners read your current attributes as underwhelming. Do you perhaps have something obcsure and potentially malicious form that would tempt me into battle?" Brawn asked.
Lee flinched and clenched his teeth. Had this been around 3 years ago, he would've had his Dark Powers.
"I've got all you need." He said, reluctantly.
"If so, then I accept this challenge. Please prepare for defeat and accept the outcomes, Lee Commons."
Brawn emitted steam in 3 short bursts and stood in a basic fighting stance. He remained motionless, tempting Lee to make the first move. Lee leaped towards Brawn with a kick. The kick was deflected, sending Lee back a few feet. Once his back was turned, the robot threw a punch that extended from its arm. Just then, a familiar old man rushed towards Lee from the shadows and tackled him. It was none other than Cuddlefish! Brawn's punch barely missed Lee and instead collided with a cabbage shop, destroying it instantaneously. Brawn retracted its punch and prepared to throw another.
"That's quite enough, Terminator! This young man is ill-prepared for a battle of this caliber." Cuddlefish said.
Inklings all around began to fling questions around, muttering to themselves.
"It is the ass crack of dawn and he has gotten little sleep and no food. Can't expect a man to protect without a proper morning." Cuddlefish said, recovering Lee's image.
"Is this...necessary?" Brawn asked.
"Very, Screwbolts-For-Brains! This match is over."
"Incorrect, unknown entity. This match cannot end till a winner is decided."
Brawn threw another punch towards Cuddlefish. Cuddlefish used his cane to slap the punch away, almost effortlessly.
"This. Match. Is. Over. You can fight him another time." Cuddlefish told Brawn.
Brawn, scanning Cuddlefish, said, "This, under the current conditions of my opponent, will do. A fight for another time shall be enough, so as long as entity Lee allows me to join him."
"He accepts. There are easier ways to get your idol to notice you, son. Fighting him and me, an old man, might not be the best way. Calm down."
The crowd began to laugh and snicker at Cuddlefish's joke, distracting them from the differences in power between Lee and Brawn. The crowd slowly dispersed as this conflict came to a speedy resolution. Brawn walked up to Lee quickly.
"Take me to your home, entity Lee." It said.
"Tch! Fine." Lee complied.
"Really, Lee?! You're bringing some off-brand Steel 'Killer' Robot into our home?!" Marie asked.
"If there is a problem involving my presence within your station of living, I believe my limb extremities and your fleshy head-mask can rectify that...bitch." Brawn told Marie.
"What did you say to me?!"
"Get along, you two. Who knows...maybe this ill-mannered robot can actually help us." Cuddlefish stated.
"How so, Gramps?" Callie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's face the facts: Xavier's most likely going to find his way back to Inkopolis and threaten to kill us again. Besides that, Octavio is still at large and possibly any other evil! We're going to need help...And you, Lee. Why the hell are you picking fights? You know full well that you're not powerful anymore."
"Cuddlefish, I know I don't have my powers anymore, but I'm still worth notice! No one in Inkopolis could beat me." Lee said.
"That arrogance is what would've led to your brutal defeat. Keep in mind, Lee, just because there's no challenge in Inkopolis doesn't mean that there's no challenge at all. This robot here, Xavier, Octavio, potentially even more could stomp you the way you are...and for that reason, you must undergo more training. Our people can't hinge our lives on someone who'd gamble it away with a pair of 2s."
Lee wanted to snap back at Cuddlefish, but ultimately knew he was right. What can he do in this condition? All he has is his suit and his bronze knuckles.
"I suppose you're right..." Lee agreed.
"Do not weep, entity Lee. Not everyone is meant for greatness." Brawn joked.
"Oh, get off me. Our house is this way." Lee gestured up the street.
The group traveled up the road and reached the Squid Sisters' house. Brawn took a quick look around the house.
"This station of living will do for the time being. Although subpar, it is adequate enough." It said.
"So, what exactly are you going to do for us?" Callie asked.
"Entity 'Us' unknown. The one I protect is known as entity Lee Commons. All others are fair game to opposing threats, so as long as it does not physically damage entity Lee Commons."
"What?! So if some octos attacked us right now, you'd let us die and let Lee live?" Marie asked.
"Affirmative." Brawn confirmed.
"...Dick." Marie muttered.
"Lee, it is obvious you won't lay low for a while. You're training resumes tomorrow. I'll come for you when it's time. You're important for a lot of people. Don't throw your life away." Cuddlefish told Lee.
Cuddlefish walked over to the door and opened it slowly. He exited the house and shut the door back softly. Lee was left there with some stranger much stronger and deadlier than him of which he couldn't trust as far as he could throw him and two squids who'd be the first targets of any attack. There wasn't much for him to do but to remain where he is and contemplate his next move, under the watch of an overprotective machine.