The sun hung high over シリコンベイ (Shirikon-Bei)Silicon Bay, refracting through the colossal holographic advertisements that floated like ghosts above the city skyline. It was a metropolis of glass, sea, and data—the beating heart of the メカバース (Mekabāsu) Mecha-verse phenomenon. Here, the line between the physical world and the digital frontier was razor-thin.
Down on the boardwalk, the air smelled of salt spray and ozone. A massive crowd of teenagers had gathered around a public arena, their cheers drowning out the sound of the crashing waves.
"Get him! Finish it!"
In the center of the crowd, two armored figures were blurred in motion. One was clad in jagged, neon-green plating, resembling a beetle; the other was a sleek, violet samurai. The world around them seemed to stutter, a visual glitch that only the players could feel.
Watching from the back, bouncing on the balls of his high-top sneakers, was ダッシュ風原 (Dasshu Kazehara)Dash Kazehara.
He adjusted the aviator goggles hanging around his neck, his dark eyes wide with unadulterated awe. He was thirteen, with messy black hair that defied gravity and a single streak of red running through his bangs—a visual promise of the energy he could barely contain.
"Whoa! Did you see that parry?" Dashu shouted to no one in particular, mimicking a punch in the air. "That was a Frame-Perfect block!"
He looked down at his left wrist. It was bare. No メカモルフ ガントレット (Mekamorufu-Gantoretto)Mechamorph Gauntlet. No flashing lights.
He shoved his hand into the deep pocket of his cargo shorts and wrapped his fingers around a cold, rough object. It was a sphere, heavy and dense, about the size of a baseball. But unlike the sleek, glowing Cores the other kids carried, this one was pitted with rust, dull gray, and lifeless. It looked less like high-tech alien technology and more like a cannonball dredged up from a shipwreck.
"One day," Dash whispered, squeezing the rusty sphere. "One day, you're gonna wake up, right? Grandpa didn't leave me a paperweight."
The crowd erupted again as the violet samurai delivered a finishing blow, shattering the green beetle's digital shield into a shower of pixels.
"Winner!" the announcer drone buzzed overhead.
Dash checked the time on a public screen. "Crap! Late for the assembly!"
He took off running, his unzipped red hoodie flapping behind him like a cape, the rusty sphere clanking heavily against his thigh with every step.
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シリコンベイ中学校 (Shirikon-Bei Chūgakkō)Silicon Bay Middle School was less of a school and more of a training ground. The hallways were lined with trophy cases displaying past メトロシティカップ (Metoro-Shiti Kappu)Metro City Cup victories.
Dash skidded around a corner, panting, and nearly collided with a wall of students. They weren't moving. They were parted like the Red Sea, making way for someone.
Walking down the center of the hall was カジ・クリストファー(Kaji Kurisutofā)Kaji Christopher.
If Dash was a scruffy stray dog, Kaji was a purebred show pony. He was fourteen, tall, with perfectly styled blonde hair and a uniform that looked tailor-made. He didn't walk; he glided. Flanking him were two lackeys, both wearing high-end マチャモルフ・デバイス (Machamorufu Debaisu) Mechamorph Device, shortened to メカバイス (Meka Baisu)Mecha-vice.
Christ stopped. He didn't look at the crowd. He looked directly at Dash, who was trying to squeeze past.
"Well, if it isn't the Mascot," Christ said, his voice smooth and dripping with boredom.
The hallway went silent.
"I have a name, Christ," Dash snapped, straightening up. "It's Dash."
"I know," Christ replied, checking his fingernails. "But 'Mascot' fits better. You're always watching the battles, cheering the loudest, yet you never play. It's cute."
One of Christ's lackeys snickered. "Hey, show us ロックハード (Rokku-hādo) Rockhard, Dash-yuu! Let's see the 'Legendary Mechamon'! Or shall I say -Mechamoron- Hah!"
Dash's hand instinctively went to his pocket. "It's not a rock."
"Let me see it," Christ commanded, extending a hand.
"No."
Christ nodded to the lackey on his left—a burly kid named Gordy. Gordy stepped forward, shoved Dash hard against the lockers, and snatched the rusty sphere from his pocket.
"Hey! Give it back!" Dash lunged, but the second lackey held him back.
Gordy tossed the sphere to Christ. The golden boy caught it with one hand, grimacing as the rust flaked off onto his pristine white glove.
"Look at this," Christ sneered, holding it up for the hallway to see. "This is an insult to the game. It's dead, Dash! Just like your chances of ever entering the League."
"It was my Grandfather's!" Dash shouted, struggling against the grip holding him. "He said it was special! He knewドクター・ゼノン (Dokutā Zenon) Dr. Xenon."
Laughter rippled through the hallway. Even the teachers looked away, pretending not to notice.
"Dr. Xenon is a myth," Christ said coldly. "And this? This is scrap metal."
Christ raised his arm and threw the sphere. He didn't throw it back to Dash. He threw it hard, aiming for the open window at the end of the hall that led to the trash incinerator drop-off.
"NO!" Dash broke free.
He didn't think. He didn't calculate. He just moved. Dash threw himself across the linoleum floor, diving like a goalkeeper. He stretched his arm out, his fingertips grazing the rough metal surface just inches before it flew out the window.
He crashed onto the floor, sliding into the wall, but he curled his body around the sphere, protecting it.
"Pathetic," Christ muttered, turning away. "Come on. We have practice."
Dash lay there for a moment, his chest heaving. He looked down at the rusty ball in his hands.
"I know you're in there," Dash whispered, his voice trembling with frustration and a strange, burning heat rising in his chest. "I don't care what they say. I know you're not junk. So please... Awake! マッドボット (Maddo-botto)Madbot!"
A spark.
It was so small Dash thought he imagined it. A tiny red vein of light pulsed beneath the layer of rust.
Then, the heat spiked. The sphere became hot—scaldingly hot. Dash yelped but didn't let go.
CRACK.
A sound like a gunshot echoed through the hallway. Christ stopped and turned around.
The rust on the sphere shattered. It didn't fall off; it exploded outward, vaporized by an intense internal pressure. Blinding crimson light flooded the corridor, forcing students to shield their eyes.
When the light faded, the rusty ball was gone. Hovering in the air in front of Dash was a sleek, metallic sphere. It was obsidian black with jagged, glowing red fissures that pulsed like cooling magma.
Mechanical whirring sounds filled the silence. The sphere shifted. Plates slid back, gears locked into place, and limbs unfolded.
Two reptilian legs. A long, bladed tail. A sleek head with glowing green optical sensors.
It was a dragon. A small, robotic dragon, no bigger than a bulldog, hovering on thrusters that emitted a low, menacing growl.
The dragon blinked, its optical sensors focusing on Dash. Then, it turned its head to look at Christ. It opened its mechanical jaw, and a puff of black smoke drifted out.
"Who..." the robot growled, its voice sounding like grinding gears and burning coal. "Who threw me?"
Dash scrambled back, eyes wide. "You... you can talk?"
The dragon-bot ignored him, staring daggers at Christ. "I sensed the disrespect. My sensors are detecting a high concentration of arrogance." The bot turned back to Dash. "You. The messy-haired human. You caught me."
"I... yeah," Dashu stammered.
"Acceptable reflex speed," the bot grunted. "I am Unit ID: イグニス・ドラコ001 (Igunisu-Dorako Zero-Zero-Ichi) Ignis-Draco 001. The one who created me called me エックス・カリダス (Ekkusu Karidasu) X-calidus. But you can call me...."
"Madbot," Dash blurted out. "You look mad. Like, really mad."
The bot's green eyes narrowed. "Madbot... Acceptable."
Christ stepped forward, his face pale but his expression hardening. "An Ignis-Draco? That's a Class-A rare chassis. Where did a loser like you get that?"
"He didn't get me," Madbot snarled, hovering closer to Dash's shoulder. "I chose him. His thermal signature indicates a compatible 'Burning Spirit.'"
Christ scoffed, regaining his composure. He reached into his blazer and pulled out a sleek, gold-plated device—a high-end Mecha-vice.
"It doesn't matter how rare the bot is if the player is trash," Christ said. "If you think you belong in my world, prove it. Right here. Right now."
Christ tapped the screen of his device. A golden sphere materialized from digital particles at his side. It unfolded instantly into a majestic, mechanical tiger with mane-plates made of hard-light energy. ライガRaiga.
"Raiga," Kaji commanded. "バトルモード (Batoru Mōdo)Battle Mode."
"Understood, Master," the tiger replied, its voice robotic and loyal.
Dash stood up, his legs shaking slightly. This was it. The moment he had dreamed of since he was four years old. But he didn't have a Mecha-vice. He didn't have a trigger.
"Hey, Madbot," Dash whispered. "I don't have a device."
"Check your pocket," Madbot growled. "The other one."
Dash checked his left pocket. There, buried under lint, was a rectangular object he hadn't noticed before. It must have materialized from the Core's data storage. He pulled it out.
It was a rugged, red device with black rubber grips. It felt heavy, durable. Ancient but powerful. He strapped it onto his left wrist. The screen flickered to life, displaying a waveform that matched his heartbeat.
SYNC RATE: 100%.
Christ raised his device. "Let's teach them a lesson, Raiga. イッツ・メチャモルフ・タイム (Itsu Mechamorufu Taimu)It's Mechamorph time!"
Christ shouted the phrase, and the world stopped.
The students in the hallway froze in mid-gasp. A fly buzzing near the window hung suspended in the air. The color drained from the world, replaced by a dark purple grid that overlaid the walls, floor, and ceiling.
メカバース・アクティベイテッド(Mekabāsu Akutibeiteddo)MECHA‑VERSE ACTIVATED.
In this frozen second of reality, only the Players could move.
Christ's body dissolved into golden data streams. Raiga, the tiger, roared and shattered into thousands of particles of light. The particles swirled around Christ, forming a skin-tight undersuit, followed by heavy, shining golden armor plates. A helmet with a tiger motif slammed onto his head, the visor flashing blue.
He was no longer a student. He was the Golden King.
"Your turn, rookie," Christ's amplified voice boomed from his helmet.
Dash looked at Madbot. The little dragon nodded.
"Humph," Madbot said. "Time to Burn."
Dash swiped his thumb across the screen of his new device. He felt a surge of adrenaline, hot and overwhelming. He threw his fist into the air.
"Alright! Let's burn it up! It's 'Morphing time!"
Madbot roared, dissolving into a torrent of red and black liquid data—Nano-Fluid.
Dash felt the fluid hit him. It wasn't cold; it was searing hot. It wrapped around his legs, his chest, his arms. He could feel the artificial muscles fusing with his own.
システム・オンライン.イグニスコア:アクティブ.(Shisutemu Onrain. Igunisu Koa: Akutibu.) System Online. Ignis Core: Active.
A black bio-suit formed first, sleek and flexible. Then, jagged crimson armor plates slammed onto his shoulders and shins with the weight of steel. Thrusters locked onto his back. Finally, a helmet shaped like a dragon's maw formed over his head. The visor snapped shut with a green flash.
Dash gasped inside the helmet. The HUD (Heads-Up Display) was going crazy. targeting reticles, heat sensors, velocity gauges. He felt stronger. Faster. He felt... explosive.
"This is..." Dash clenched his fists, looking at the magma-like glow radiating from his gauntlets.
"アームクラッド(Āmu Kuraddo)Arm‑clad!"
"戦闘開始(Sentō Kaishi) Combat Initiated," Christ announced. He moved faster than Dash could track.
A blur of gold. Christ was already in the air, his leg glowing with white-hot light.
"ライトキック (Raito Kikku) Light Kick!"
Dash instinctively crossed his arms. BAM!
The impact sent him skidding backward thirty feet, carving deep gouges into the digital grid of the floor. His shield alarm screamed.
"Slow," Christ mocked, landing gracefully. "You have high specs, but you move like a toddler."
"Shut up!" Dash yelled. He leaned forward, engaging the thrusters on his back. "Madbot, full power!"
"Warning," Madbot's voice echoed inside his helmet. "Sync stability is volatile. Do not overexert."
Dash ignored him. He launched himself forward. He was fast—too fast. He flailed, nearly tripping over his own momentum. He swung a massive, fiery haymaker punch at Christ.
Christ simply stepped to the side. Dash's fist missed by a mile, smashing into a row of digital lockers. The lockers exploded into pixels.
"You have no technique," Christ said, raising his hand. "Raiga, ソーラーキャノン (Sōrā Kyanon)Solar Cannon."
A ball of concentrated light energy formed in Christ's palm. He fired it point-blank into Dash's chest.
BOOM.
Dash was blasted off his feet, tumbling end over end down the hallway until he crashed into the trophy case. Glass (digital glass) rained down on him.
"Get up," Madbot urged. "Armor integrity at 60%."
Dash groaned, shaking his head. "He's too fast."
"He is a Balancer Type," Madbot analyzed. "He has no weaknesses. But he is arrogant. He leaves his left side open when he taunts."
Dash looked up. Christ was walking toward him, charging another blast.
"End of the line, Mascot," Christ said.
Dash gritted his teeth. He remembered the feeling of the rusty ball. The years of waiting. The years of watching from the sidelines.
"I am... NOT... A MASCOT!"
Dash slammed his hand onto the ground. The red veins on his armor flared white.
"マグマ・クロウズ (Maguma Kurōzu)Magma-Claws!"
The gauntlets on Dash's hands elongated, turning into searing blades of superheated energy. The heat was so intense the purple grid beneath him began to warp.
Christ paused, sensing the energy spike. "What?"
Dash didn't run this time. He used the thrusters to slide along the floor, low and fast. He dipped under Christ's aim.
"Now!" Madbot shouted.
Dash unleashed an uppercut. It wasn't graceful. It was messy and desperate, but it was loaded with raw, unfiltered power.
The Magma-Claw connected with Christ's shield.
CRASH!
For a split second, the Golden King looked terrified. The force of the blow lifted Christ off his feet and sent him flying backward. He smashed through the double doors of the cafeteria, tumbling across the tables.
Dash stood panting, steam hissing from his armor vents. "I... I did it?"
"Warning! Overheat!" Madbot beeped urgently. "Forced disengage in 3... 2..."
"Wait, I'm not done!"
"1..."
The armor shattered into light.
Dash fell to his knees, back in his regular clothes, sweating profusely. The Time Freeze ended instantly.
SNAP.
Reality resumed. The students in the hallway gasped, continuing their movements from seconds ago. But then they stopped.
They looked at the smashed lockers. They looked at the broken trophy case. And they looked through the shattered cafeteria doors where Christ—the undefeated ace—was pushing himself up from a pile of lunch trays, his uniform messy and his hair ruined.
Christ looked at Dash. His eyes weren't bored anymore. They were furious.
"You..." Christ wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek.
Madbot, now back in his small dragon ビーストモード (Bīsuto Mōdo) Beast Mode, hovered next to Dash's ear. "We survived. But we are lucky. Next time, he will not hold back."
Dash stood up, his legs trembling, but he forced himself to smile. He adjusted his goggles.
"Let him come," Dash said, loud enough for the whole hallway to hear. "チーム・ブレイズ (Chīmu Bureizu) Team Blaze is just getting started."
High above the school, unnoticed by everyone, a small drone camera zoomed in on Dash's face.
In a dark room miles away, a figure sat in a chair surrounded by screens. ドクター・ヌース (Dokutā Nūsu)Dr. Nous watched the footage, his glasses reflecting the glow of the monitors.
"An Ignis-Draco..." Dr. Nous whispered, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "And a breach in the grid energy readings. Interesting. The key has finally been... located!"
TO BE CONTINUED!!