Why did this happen?

Toby... can he even call himself that? Is suddenly thrown away by his own father, Tenma, after revealing he was just a robot meant to replace the real Toby. Tenma was unsatisfied, and he was just a reminder that his son was dead. Toby was kicked out of the only home he knew.

Then, not long after, he got chased and blasted around by President Stone and his men.

Which is why when he woke up, the first thing his eyes focused on was the rusted head of a robot. "Welcome to your new home, kid!" it greeted him.

Freaked out, Toby staggers back before falling back down on his back to another robot. "Hello~"

"Ack!" Toby shrieked.

"Batteries..."

"He's got new batteries..."

The other remaining active, but weakened, robots utter.

Toby looks around warily. Turning around when he heard creaking from an old robot, "Spare a few bolts..."

"Batteries?"

A cowboy robot staggers towards him, "Help me, son, I'm fading faaaa..." His voice trailed off as he collapsed.

"I'm smoking!" A robot on fire passes by. "I'm definitely smoking!"

"You're one of us now, happy to meet you," the headless robot that greeted him said.

"Oh, oh no," Toby quickly denies. "I'm not one of you guys." The robots close in on him.

"You're a robot, ain't cha?"

"Um..." Toby's brows furrowed. "Yes, but..."

"Well! Welcome to the Scrappy!" The headless robot said. "This is where we all end up, sooner or later!"

"No–wait! I'm not ready yet." A hand lands on his shoulder, and Toby quickly moves away, now noticing the robots that were surrounding him. "Hey! Get off me! What are you doing?!" A hand grabs his wrist, and when he tries to pull away, the hand tears from the body, freaking him out.

"In coming!!!" the headless robot exclaimed.

And before he knew it, scraps of metal rain fell on them. Toby rolls down the hill of old robots, escaping those that were trying to leech off him, but alone once again. He stands up, holding his arm. "What do I do...?" He sits on some scrap.

He looks around the mountains of mountains of scrap around him, exhaling. Until a squeak causes him to jump.

Turning his head, he sees two beady eyes watching him in the shadow of some old metal; a panel covers the thing watching him. Toby stands in alarm. "W- Who's there?"

He hears a light growl until the thing finally pops its head out to reveal a robot dog that resembles a trash can. Seeing the adorable little fella, Toby laughs in relief.

The dog barks and comes towards him. Toby kneels and gives it a few scratches when it lunges at him, causing him to fall on his back, "Whoa! You like me, huh?" He sits up. "Trash Can," he reads on the dog. "So, are you lost, Trash Can?" The dog barks as if agreeing.

Toby sighs, "I know I sure am..."

The dog continues to bark, now sounding worried. "What is it, boy?" Toby asked worriedly. A few more barks. "Someone is in trouble?" It barks some more before leading him ‌somewhere, "Oh no!" Toby rushes after him.

Trash Can moves faster, barking. "Trash Can, wait up!"

Trash Can stops and barks as they reach the destination. "Over here?" Toby quickly stops himself from seeing a deep hole. "Whoa!" He looks at the hole warily. "I-Is this it? Hello!" His voice echoes.

"It could be miles down, the whole looks," Toby turns around, and his eyes widen when Trash Can leaps onto his chest. "DEE-eeep!!" He yelled as he fell.

Thinking he would fall longer, he was shocked when he was instead wrapped in some old cloth and suddenly flung back to the surface.

—--

Seeing that Trash Can led something into the hole, the people waiting around the area rushed over once the trap was activated.

"Quick! Get the restraints on it!" A girl in a hood orders, followed by two little kids, a tall boy, and another girl covered by a hooded cloak that reached her knee.

"Hurry!" The little boy rushed.

The tall boy turned to the happy robot dog, "Good work, boy!" He threw a wrench as a reward, which Trash-Can happily enjoyed.

The cloaked girl kneels, rope ready. She looked at the other girl and nodded.

"H-Hey!" Toby yelled, feeling someone closing in. "Knock it off!" The trap was finally removed, and the first thing that greeted him was a girl covered by a cloak with a rope ready in her gloved hand, her eyes covered by some goggles. Toby leaned back from the sight.

The girl's eyes widened, and she backed away as well.

The others were also shocked to see him in the trap. "That's not a robot..." the hooded girl observed.

"It's a kid!" The little boy smiled and, what he assumed was his twin sister, stared at him.

"Uh..." Toby stutters. "That's... that's right. I'm a kid, like you!"

"What?!" The tall boy frowned and quickly tried to retrieve the wrench he had given to the robot dog. "We want robots, not kids, you garbage eater!" They both have a tug-of-war with the wrench.

"So, where are you from, non-robot?" The hooded girl asked.

"I'm from... Metro City," Toby answered nervously.

The girl suddenly stood up and started acting exaggeratedly. "Metro City?! Can you believe it, guys? He's from Metro City, and he's actually talking to me!" She shook the cloaked girl's shoulder, who watched on without a care.

"Are you feeling okay?" Toby asked, looking at her strangely.

"Oh my god, he talked to me twice!" She exclaimed. "This is definitely going into my diary as the greatest day of my life." Her tone drops to sarcasm, giving him a dirty look.

"Cora, you're pushing it," the other girl commented.

"Okay, I get it!" Toby stands up with an annoyed look. "You don't like people from Metro City."

"Metro City..." the tall guy sighs, "robots waiting for you in hand and foot. I'd love to visit it, just for one day."

"Hah!" Cora' laughs scornfully. "They wouldn't let you in! They have a strict "No losers from the Surface" policy." She scorned. "Besides," her tone dropped. "Why would you wanna go someplace where people think you're garbage?"

Her words struck Toby, who looked down. And the cloaked girl as well, from her sorrowful look. To which he noticed, but upon their eyes meeting, she glanced away.

"I mean," Cora grabbed something from the ground. "Look at this? Can you believe someone just threw it away?" She presented an old, busted phone. Seeing the tall guy make grabby-hands, Cora quickly dodged his attack. "Nuh-uh! Finders keepers!" She walks away with the phone.

The guy then turns to Toby, "So, what are you doing down here?"

"I don't know, yet..." Toby answered. "Looking for something, I guess? Somewhere?"

The boy-twin comes forward, "Did you run away?"

"Not exactly," Toby denied. "They sort of suggested I find a new place... whatever that means."

"Dude, it means they kicked you out." The little girl specified, her brother nodding. 

"Well, I...I..."

Hearing their conversation, Cora turns around with a pitying look. The other girl looked back at him as well.

"I'm Zane!" The tall guy introduced himself.

"I'm Widget!" The little girl said. The little boy bumps his sister's shoulder; "Hi, I'm Sludge! I'm older than her." Widget pushes him, "By 90 seconds."

Cora steps forward, "As you've heard from her," she points to the one who kept quiet. "I'm Cora, and she," Quickly, she grabs the other girl's shoulder before she can run away and pulls the hood of her cloak down, revealing her H/C hair, a bit messy from the hood. "Is Y/n. She's more of the silent type, so excuse her manners." Cora joked.

Y/n grumbles and moves away. Her eyes meet with the newcomer, and she sighs, "Hello, I'm Y/n, as Cora said." She introduced stoically. And you are?"

Toby smiles and reaches his hand out, "Oh! I'm-AH!!" Before he could answer, strange individuals whisked him away.

The group stands with a bewildered look.

"What just happened?" Cora asked the group. They shrugged.