The rest of the day was unusual for Iris. Where before she would pay attention in class and make written observations of class material, feeling confident in her note taking to spend the rest of her time making possible plans for Student Council meetings or for budgeting support from their classmates. Instead, she kept on thinking about Ikki and the rusty medal that had a home somewhere she did not know of. Did it belong to the Tinpet Mr. Principal was working on? Would the owner of the medal want the Medabot back when Iris transported the medal's Tinpet body to her?
Then she thought about Ikki and Erika, both of which shared the same classes with her. Ikki kept on smiling and waving at her when he caught her glancing at his direction. It made her so embarrassed looking back at him like that. But she couldn't help herself. She was so curious about him. So interested to learn more about him and his way with Medabots! There were a few times she noticed that he was looking at the clock on the wall and wondered what had him so excited to leave for the day.
Erika, Iris noticed, kept on writing in two notebooks. A standard, black three ring notebook used for classwork over an equally sized composition notebook with no rings. What made the school reporter write in two notebooks made no sense to her. From time to time Erika would fold the hidden notebook closed to write something in the cover notebook. Was she that good at her studies to multitask in such a way?
When classes finally ended for the day, Iris took a deep breath and calmly placed her books in her bag for the day. She knew she would have to go to her locker before going home, and left the classroom making a turn towards her locker when she realized that Ikki and Erika stood in front of her with excited looks on their faces.
"Oh, hi Ikki. Hi Erika. Is something wrong?" The grin on Ikki's face somehow grew even larger.
"Aren't you excited at who your new Medabot will be? We should go pick it up right away before Mr. Principal leaves for the day!"
"But I have schoolwork I need to finish. Plus I'm sure that Mr. Principal was too busy to accomplish his task. He is a very important person after all."
"But Iris," Erika began, "aren't you curious to see what kind of Medabot Mr. Principal has for you? Maybe it is brand new because the parts were too old? Oh, or maybe the Medaparts are actually ones representing the worst offenders of school history, making you a status symbol even more important than the Student Council? Oh, oh, OH! Maybe-"
"Lets take it down a notch Erika." Ikki coughed into his right hand, making the reported blush and hide her face in front of her brown no-ring notebook. "But I am excited to see your new friend Iris. A Medabot is more than a bot to look cool or to fight. Its a friend that will stay by your side and help you grow!"
"Maybe grow an ego with the way you are talking." Erika remarked with a wave of her left hand and a roll of her eyes. She suddenly poked her hips to the left and waved her notebook like a fan over her face. "Metabee is so self-centered and destructive. Bull in a Fine China Store ring any bells?"
"Well, as true as that might be-"
"Plus you JUST BOUGHT Metabee, what, two days ago? Hardly any time to say Metabee is a friend."
"I see him as a friend okay!" Despite the upset tone in Ikki's voice, his smile was nice to see. So happy and carefree with his passion for Medabots. Would that passion become something Iris could obtain? A fire within her chest seemed to ignite, making her nod and grab the bag strap over her shoulder.
"L-Lets go see if Mr. Principal is available now."
"ALRIGHT!" Seeing her two classmates so happy and excited brought a small, nervous smile on her face. Like earlier in the day, Iris followed behind the two friends and took in their conversations. Unlike before, where the conversations were about The Screws, Metabee, and other topics, now the conversation was about her possible Medabot. Would it hover? Would it be really big and protective? Would it be vintage like Metabee or Mr. Principal's Samurai? Would it actually be a female Tinpet stylized Samurai since, hypothetically, Mr. Principal would have the most spare parts for his own Medabot.
The way they talked to each other. Carefree and interruptions overflowing their excitement made Iris think back to the Student Council meetings. So cold and distant. Only one person talking at one time. Mostly to give updates about detentions, funding, or school projects that needed to be done. Never anything this lively. This organic, healthy function between people.
It honestly scared her with how out of touch she was about something that seemed so simple between these two.
When they were near Mr. Principal's office Iris noticed that Ikki and Erika had stopped walking. A small gasp made her realize that something was wrong. She stepped around Erika's right and immediately saw two people that made her panic.
The President and Vice President.
"You!" The President pointed his finger at her. She felt herself stiffen. Her skin wanted to jump away from her body and lay flat on the floor beneath her feet. "What did you tell Mr. Principal!"
"I-I only told the truth. The truth about what has been happening since you lost the bet with The Screws." The Vice President glared at her as tears poured down his face. Was he always such a quick crier?
"Well because of whatever you told Mr. Principal we both have detention. Detention! Us, high members of the Student Council!"
"Not much of a Student Council with only two members now is it?" Erika commented as she took a picture of the two members. The President, glaring at Erika, shot his right hand out to grab the camera. Iris, much to her own surprise, smacked the hand away before it could grab the device.
"Y-You know that as the School Reporter Erika is allowed to take any pictures within school parameters in association with school topics, school safety, or within the school rules as long as she submits a rough draft within 24 hours of taking the picture. On top of that, that is her personal property instead of school property, which means you were about to steal personal property. A school violation!"
"Our reputation as the Student Council is a school violation!" Both President and Vice President shouted.
"Actually," Ikki commented from the side, "YOUR reputation. Iris resigned remember? I'm starting to see why with how you two are acting. Wasn't she your friend?" Something about Ikki's words made her heart flutter. A flutter that quickly died when she saw the anger on the people in front of them.
"She is no friend of ours!" The President shouted. "As far as I'm concerned, she is a troublesome nobody like you are Ikki!" Tears began to form on her eyes. Iris tried to look tough. To be as confident as she imagined Ikki felt in his Robattles, but kept on fighting the tears and the pain in her chest. An arm suddenly went across her shoulders, pulling her in. She looked up, through her tears, and saw Ikki holding her while glaring back at the President and Vice President.
"You two are really low." Erika took several pictures within seconds. A few pointed at Iris, which she did not appreciate, but the dreadful looks on the Council member's faces spelled doom. "How dare you make her cry for your mistakes!"
"If being a nobody stops me from acting like you two, then I'm glad that you lied to me about a position on the Student Council. I'm much happier being a friend to Iris and I'm sure she feels the same!"
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Everyone turned to see the tall, muscular, imposing shadowy figure that stomped towards them from the opposite side of the hallway. Upon getting closer to them, the shadowy figure turned out to be Coach Mountain, whose eyes were looking straight at her and Ikki. When she looked back at the Student Council members, a scoff was heard from behind. "You two to my office now!"
"What! We did nothing wrong!" The Vice President shouted as the President looked furious. The sounds of a door opening made Iris look past the two members and saw that Mr. Principal had opened his office door. Samurai, his Medabot, walked past his friend and grabbed the two members by the back of their collars.
"HEY!" Both boys shouted. Their exclamations went unanswered as the Medabot lifted both boys above its body, walked over to Coach Mountain, and allowed the man to take the boys into his possession.
"Thank you for coming so quickly to our call Coach Mountain." Mr. Principal spoke in a sad tone. The old man shook his head. "I had hoped that talking with these two a few moments ago would have allowed them to see the error of their ways, but I had forgotten about my meeting with Iris at the end of the day."
"You've always been bad with scheduling appointments. Remember when you had a meeting with the Board of Directors and a Dentist appointment on the same day merely hours apart. No one could understand you!" Mr. Principal shook his head with a small smile.
"Well I thought that I sounded like Elvis, uh huh. Anyway." Mr. Principal focused back on Coach Mountain. "Clearly these two are still needing to process their emotions. Please give them a talk about their improper conduct before you make them sweat Coach Mountain."
"With pleasure sir." The sweet, dark glee that came from Coach Mountain made Iris feel sorry for the two boys as the man walked away with them. Even if they said hurtful words about her and her friends, they did not deserve so much against them. It took a few seconds, but she realized that she considered Ikki and Erika her friends.
She considered them her friends while being held close to Ikki's chest.
The chest of someone she looked up to.
The blush that eclipsed her face made Iris feel like a volcano exploding and nearly lost her footing. The shift in weight must have alerted Ikki of something being wrong. He immediately stiffened and turned to her.
"Iris!" Ikki shouted. "Are you alright!"
"Oh look at you. Sir Ikki, Iris' Knight!" Erika took a picture with a playful on her face. A chuckle from Mr. Principal and Samurai made Iris stiffen and look at the two.
"I'm so sorry to make you worry sir!"
"Oh don't worry about it young Iris. Why, I'm sure how quickly I sprang to action made me gain a few years back to my life!"
"Or took a few away with how pale he looked when he heard the commotion." Samurai added. The two friends looked at each other for a moment before a chuckle escaped them.
"Are they always like this?" Erika whispered to her and Ikki. Iris nodded as she watched the friendly interaction between owner and Medabot. She looked at Ikki, noticed how happy he looked at the interaction, and smiled at him. A loud clap caught everyone's attention.
"Alright, now then young lady, am I to assume that you brought your friends here to witness your gift?"
"Y-Yes sir." Iris replied with a soft nod of her head. A smile appeared on Mr. Principal's face as he walked back to his door and placed a hand on the doorknob. Samurai stood parallel to him with his hands pressed together.
"Then may I introduce you to your new Medabot!" Mr. Principal opened the door, sliding to the opposing wall with his hands up in the air. Samurai mimicked his actions as the door fully opened.
The first thing Iris noticed about the Medabot was that, yes, the Medabot was made of different Medaparts. Most of them looked lightly used but well maintained. The head and torso, the newest parts, seemed to belong to the same Medapart series. The metallic skin was gunmetal gray with violet eyes and matching colored 'hair' that were shaped like triangles. The top of its head had a metal hat with a clear teal gem on its center. Its torso had a yellow collar around its neck, met by a pink tie and a teal 'top' around its breastplate. The area under this top was gunmetal gray.
Its right arm was made up of mostly two colors. Green around its right shoulder, save for the white screw from the Tinpet. The remainder of its shoulder, arm, and hand was of the same light gray. In its hand was a gold and white broadsword with green trim around the guard of the sword. The sight of the sword made Iris wonder where the mighty weapon would go when not in battle.
Its left arm, similarly to the right, was mostly of a light gray save for a bit of white around its rectangular sleeve and its white hand. Its left shoulder, much to her confusion, was rather large and pointed outwards in a rectangular way.
The 'skirt' of the legs parts were violet, similar to the hair and eyes of the Medabot, with matching trim around its pink feet. The legs were beige with gray knee joints. These parts, if Iris knew correctly, were parts from a Sailor-Multi. A Medabot type that Erika used.
Iris didn't know what to think when she noticed the Medabot. It was certainly unusual. VERY unusual. Was Mr. Principal trying to teach her something about clashing parts or combat specifications? She was sure that colors could not have meant so much to him to try making it color accurate. Colors could always be changed with some paint. Not to mention she was not even sure she wanted to participate in Robattles as seriously as Ikki did! Speaking of Ikki, Iris turned to him to see what his expression was.
Only to not see him beside her.
"Is this head part from a Twinkle! Their Conceal action are top notch and can quickly blind Medabots before counterattacking! Oh and the arms! Heal Angel's left arm can Revive can accelerate the nano machines to regenerate parts in exchange for less health on the regenerated limb. The Pretty Prime is SUPER RARE, an overseas model that uses its right arm, Don't Move, to freeze Medabots upon contact. Oh, Oh, OH! Combined with Sailor-Multi's legs and you have a hit and run mid-range Medabot! Blind the opponent, freeze them, and revive a Medapart!" The stars in Ikki's eyes were amazing. The flashing of Erika's camera made his happiness more apparent as Iris smiled at the sight. A chuckle from Mr. Principal brought Iris out of her gaze.
"I'm happy to see that you like the Medabot me and Samurai put together for you. I was hoping to make it a bit more pretty though."
"You wanted it to be nothing but pink and cheery. If Iris wanted to have a colorful Medabot, she could buy a Bunnygirl or a Fossilkat. What she needs is a practical Medabot, which we now have thank you. Plus, if anything, you have the fact that you have mostly male Tinpet parts that aren't functionally compatible with the female Tinpet we are using. Thankfully we had a medal that works at least." Medal. Medal. Iris widened her eyes as she remembered about the Medawatch Mr. Principal gave her.
"I don't think getting a medal will be necessary sir." Iris copied Ikki's action from earlier, pressing on the watch in a certain way to get it to open. She showed the rusty, copper red medal to Mr. Principal. "The watch you gave me still has this medal in it. I don't know if it will work great with the Medabot you built for me sir. But I will cherish it!"
"Oh Iris..." Mr. Principal went to his desk and opened a compartment. He pulled out the same Medawatch she gave him this morning and pulled out the medal that belonged to the Dr. Bokchoy. He walked over to the front of the desk, grabbing what she assumed was the medal they intended for the Medabot, and placed it inside. Strangely enough, he did not close the watch. Instead, Mr. Principal walked over to her and placed the standard gray colored watch on her left wrist.
"Sir, what is the meaning of this?"
"I mean, you aren't the first student to own two Medabots Iris." Mr. Principal leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Just between you and me, most students try to keep three at a time for three on three battles. Not that I support them officially of course, but they are fun to watch!" He pulled away, closing the watch and pressed a button. The Medabot in front of them suddenly disappeared, making Ikki and Erika let out a startled scream at the disappearance.
"This doesn't mean that you should come to school with both Medabots however. Study, Medical, and Special Needs related Medabots are always accepted; however, no Robattles without teacher's permission. We don't need you being too rebellious now."
"Why Samurai!" Mr. Principal brought a hand to his face in shock. "You wouldn't think that Iris would BLOOM a rebellion within the student body would you?"
"I mean, she did UPROOT some ROT in the Student Council. Who knows what other WEEDS she might take care of before deciding to move on to another GARDEN." Both Medabot and owner looked at each other for a moment before laughing at each other. The duo wiped a tear from their eyes before turning to the trio.
"Now, normally, I would let Iris introduce herself to her new Medabot right here in the office. But I do need to go run some errands. So please let me know how your new Medabot is soon Iris!"
"Thank you very much sir!" Iris said with a bow. She really felt happy about being given such a thoughtful gift. Even if it didn't look streamlined, symmetrical, or brand new, this was something Iris would cherish for her life. Iris suddenly felt two hands grab her wrists. The sudden action made her let out an 'eep' before she realized that Ikki and Erika were smiling at her.
"LETS GO MEET YOUR MEDABOTS!" The wind flew around her. Excitement pumped in her chest as did her nervousness as she felt herself flying by these two. It was right as she turned away did she realize that she was forgetting something important.
"G-Guys I need my TEXTBOOKS!"
Hello readers, reviewers, and followers! I know this story has been a LONG TIME since I've posted anything for this. I've been struck by a bit of nostalgia and wanted to bring some love back into this story of mine. To everyone who has been waiting for an update, thank you for sticking around! As for the source of nostalgia, Megaman Battle Network is getting a Switch release in 2023. One of my favorite sci-fi related media is finally getting some much needed love! But that reminded me about the Medabot classic collection released in 2020, followed by the Medarot S app game still a Japan exclusive, and that got a fire flowing in me.
I do plan on making a few small stories about a few what-if scenarios I considered during a marathon of the series. So keep an eye out for some added stories for the Medabots category.
Back to the story, I know that the choice of Medaparts that Mr. Principal seems random, but as Ikki noticed, each part works well in theory. Will Iris have to test it out soon? The Student Council are in big trouble and have started drama between Iris and her friends versus the members. Will things stay quiet or will the whole school become involved? I will say one thing though. Expect for original story content to be included rather than it simply being all about Ikki. This flower is going to bloom!
Now, despite it being years late, here are some review replies!
Fallenstreet01: I'm certainly happy that you are enjoying the content so far. I do find Mr. Principal to be an interesting mentor to Iris.
Yugiohfan163: I've always been a big fan of reading popular franchises with unusual pairing combinations. I do hope to add my own additions to that category soon!
Victor John Foxfire: I'm sorry to say that you have to wait a little bit to figure out the kind of medal within Iris' Medawatch. I do hope the wait will be worth it. Thanks for the fav!
James Birdsong: I'm always happy to see returning reviewers. Thank you for your continued support!
To all of the silent readers: Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I do hope you enjoy the story as it grows and eventually drop a review!
So, until next time, stay golden!
Kazikamikaze24
