Profile[]
Clay is a new member of the Rewind Squad. She is a huge fan of the team's leader, Bay, and applied to join the squad after the other members quit due to bad press. Though she is a little clumsy and is prone to making minor mistakes, Clay is a hard worker and strives to improve herself.
Nikke Backstory[]
A new member of the cheerleading team, Rewind Squad. She admires and idolizes Bay. Despite being rhythmically challenged, her infectious energy allows her to captivate audiences like no one else can.
Personality[]
It's always been my dream to join Rewind. You have no idea how happy I am!
Clay is the upbeat and energetic new recruit for Rewind. She has always wished to join this squad and strives to live up to the lofty expectations set for her. As expected of a cheerleader, she's full of energy and passion and puts it on full display whenever she performs. She is very friendly and personable, allowing her to attract a lot of attention easily. However, she lacks coordination in most physical tasks, leading her to constantly make mistakes and hurting herself. Despite her shortcomings, Clay is a hard worker and trains whenever she has free time to improve little by little, even though she occasionally goes overboard. Because of her fountain of energy, it's hard for her to relax once she gets going.
Story[]
Background[]
Originally, Clay was part of a melee squad (not to be confused with the First Invasion-era squad unofficially known as Melee) made with the intention of testing the viability of close-range combat against Raptures, given records of at least one Nikke capable of dominating the battlefield with her bare hands. The experiment was deemed a failure, and Clay along with some of her squad mates were sold to the Under Arena, an illegal Nikke fighting ring.
Given the alias of "Ruby," Clay struggled to acclimate to the rigors and conditions of the Under Arena, becoming infamous as the weakest, most useless fighter on the roster. Ironically, this same weakness was the key to Clay's survival. Everyone else from her squad was too good at fighting, and kept being sent into the ring. This resulted in excessive injuries requiring countless limb replacements, culminating in them succumbing to Mind Switch.
During what should have been Clay's last fight before being scrapped, something happened that changed her life forever. As she lay defeated on the mat, Bay was cheering for her to get up against the crowd's jeers. Somehow, Clay found the strength to stagger to her feet and keep fighting. At that moment, inspiration struck even harder than her opponent did. She wanted to become someone who could instill hope in others, who could push them to persevere against all odds. Just like Bay did for her that day...[1]
With some help from Mustang, Clay managed to extricate herself from the Under Arena, and went on to apply for the cheer squad Rewind. Due to her clumsiness and inability to keep a beat, Clay was rejected over and over. Eventually she managed to pass auditions and join Rewind...by virtue of being the only one to apply.[2] Scandals wracked the squad and caused everyone else to leave, so by the time Clay actually made it in, the only remaining members were herself and the leader Bay.[3]
Event Story[]
One More Time[]
Shortly after joining Rewind, Clay participates in a cheer competition with Bay, only to end up earning the lowest score in the squad's history. The two seek out the protagonist to figure out the solution to their performance issues.
Clay, More![]
Excessive exertion on Bay's part has left her temporarily hospitalized, leaving Clay to handle all of Rewind's work in her stead. Predictably, it doesn't go well, as Clay lacks Bay's coordination and experience, requiring the protagonist to step in and help.
Bond story[]
Episode 1 - Clay, Retiring?[]
During her visit to the Repair Center after another accident, Clay learns from Mary that her knee joints are very fragile, to the point it's a miracle she's able to stand. Until she recovers, Clay is not allowed to practice, something she's not looking forward to. She wants to replace her broken parts like Mary has done before, but the doctor warns her there would be consequences she would endure if her parts are swapped too often. Clay reluctantly accepts her answer.
Later that night, Clay sneaks into the Sports Stadium to get some training done... but is caught by Bay. Clay assured Bay she was fine and that she was in working condition, but Mary contacted her beforehand. She knew her squad-mate would do something like this, even if she was ordered not to. Until it's clear her condition has improved, Bay is barring Clay from using the stadium. Clay was mortified to hear this, but Bay just wants her to get some rest. Bay knows how much Clay has done for Rewind and how much this means to her, but her health and wellbeing comes first. Since Bay doesn't entirely trust her teammate to follow her orders, she's having Coach look after her in the meantime. After telling her to get some rest again, Bay nudges Clay out of the stadium, effectively banning her from it.
The following day, Clay visits Coach and he can tell she's not her normally cheerful self. He was aware of her situation because of Bay and she has the stadium on lockdown. Clay feels Bay is taking things too far, but he reminds her Bay is doing this for her best interests. Since she can't get practice done, she has no idea of what she should do now. When she's not shaking her pom-poms, Clay can be found normally either watching videos of her squad's past performances, going through some choreography that she's struggling with, or jogging through the stadium to improve her stamina, none of which he would call resting. Since it seems like relaxing is a foreign concept for the cheerleader, the protagonist decides to give her some examples.
The commander first offers her some chips and soda, but she avoids junk food so she can stay healthy as well as sugary drinks since they can make her stomach ache while she's jogging. He then offers to give her a massage to help relieve any physical pain, but she takes good care of herself so her body is lean and limber. She even offers to treat him, but he ignores her. He finally suggests that she can take a nap... on his bed, but the cheerleader isn't entirely comfortable being alone and sharing a bed together, though she assures him she had taken a shower beforehand.
Clay apologizes for not following any of his advice and offers to stop bugging him, but he knows if she leaves now, she will try to sneak into the stadium again. Since he won't be of any help, there are some other people they can get some ideas from.
Episode 2 - Resting Tips from a Sleepyhead[]
The two travel to Cafe Sweety to see the squad's leader, Frima. Though she thought the two wanted some Cream Coffee, Coach wants to inform her of Clay's predicament. She refuses at first since she's in charge of running the cafe, but she agrees to hear them out while she works. After getting the jist of Clay's conundrum, Frima is confused about where she falls into this. He shares they came to see her so she can hopefully teach Clay how to take a nap, a plan she can get behind. Though Clay is worried about the cafe, she alerted her squad-mates, Milk and Sugar, of her departure. It's apparent the two have some things to say to her from how much Frima's phone is vibrating. He was now worried about her own well-being, but since she's the squad's leader, Frima is willing to handle the consequences, a response that reminds Clay of Bay.
The three head back to the Nikke Dormitory to help Clay get some sleep, while trying to ignore Frima's constantly buzzing phone.
In just three seconds, Frima demonstrates how easy it is for her to nod off. Clay was very impressed by this and is willing to be quiet so she can continue to nap. Since they are here for her to fall asleep, Coach tries to wake her up, only able to do so after reminding her that Milk is looking for her. The two then allow Clay to use the sofa so she can slumber. She lies down and after three seconds... it's apparent she's still very much awake. She's worried about Bay, but Frima is certain she's managing things fine on her own. After trying again, Clay wants to take a shower since she feels that should help her relax, an idea the two agree with. As time goes on, Clay tries new things to lead her to pass out. These include turning down the lights and drinking some warm Cream Coffee, among other things.
After some time, the three believe they have created the perfect environment for napping. Despite this, Clay doesn't feel tired in the slightest and if anything, feels more tense than before. Though the protagonist assures her there's no need to force her to do so, Frima was so alarmed that she failed, she slumped on the couch in defeat. Clay tries to assure her that she is not at fault, but it was clear to them after a bit that she had just passed out again. Seeing as Frima won't be of any more help, the two go to meet some other Nikkes.
Episode 3 - Resting Tips from a Gamer[]
The commander fibs to informs Exia that he has found a new friend they can play with. She was so proud of Noob for having a disciple of his own and was even more impressed he had found someone who was a support main in Final Quest. Trony was also with her as the engineer is being taught how to play the game, but is reluctantly eager to make a new friend. The two were waiting in anticipation to see the newbie... but when they found out it was Clay, they felt a little uneasy. Exia discovered he was literal in the cheerleader being a supporter and she in question knows who Trony is from her time on T.V. The engineer is also familiar with Clay, though she can't quite put her finger on where she has seen her before. Whatever it was, it had to do with her cheering in the background of a mixed martial arts tournament. To alleviate the gamers' confusion (and to stop Trony from malfunctioning any further), the protagonist shares with the two why they are here.
The two fully understand Clay's predicament and feel gaming is both an excellent way to relax and is a great hobby to get into. Exia wants to start up a game of Final Quest. While she and Trony will be the team's attackers, Noob will be the cleric and Clay will provide support. The cheerleader had no idea what that meant, but she believes she was perfect for the role upon Exia explaining it. Since Clay is new to the game, the group decides exploring easy dungeons will help her gain experience.
Before entering a major challenge, the group decide that Exia and Trony will head into the fray while Noob heals them and Clay provides them buffs. The two gamers manage to deal significant damage to their foe, but when it's time for Clay to activate her Cheer of Encouragement, she takes that literally and starts to perform a cheer routine. Coach reminds her that she's overdoing it while the gamers are confused at what she's doing. Clay's inaction caused the entire party to be wiped out so they tried some other games to see if the cheerleader clicked with any.
Exia proposes that she try a shooter game and after explaining the rules, it seemed like Clay was getting the hang of it... until the commander informed Exia that her character was dying on a bunch of other corpses. Upon seeing her near-lifeless body, Clay wanted to finish her off with the gamer trying to stop her. Trony offers for her to try a rhythm game since the fundamentals are similar to cheerleading. When Clay tries matching the buttons to the beat, she misses every single one and she gets a "GAME OVER". Despite her profession, the gamers had learned Clay lacked any rhythm.
After playing some more games, there wasn't any Clay gravitated towards. Despite her messing up at every turn, both Exia and Trony enjoyed her company. She promises to get better so they can do this again.
Episode 4 - Shoddy Resting Technique[]
Despite not having found the means to get Clay to ease up, she thoroughly enjoyed her time playing with the gamers. If anything, having so many people willing to help her made Clay even more pumped and tense. Since taking things easy is their main goal, Coach offers to take her back to his room so they can unwind.
Once they reach his room however, they find Anis, who is eager to sample the chips and soda he had bought, and Neon, who wanted to show him the new gun grip from Elysion that she got from the Armory. It was at this moment that the commander realized he had found exactly who he was looking for. The two were reintroduced to Clay and while Anis thought the two were about to have a counseling session, Clay shares that the two are here to kick back and relax. The two believed their Commander wanted to use his secret weapon on Clay, but he assured them he had no intentions of doing anything of the sort. Neither of them believed him and thought he intended to... unleash his firepower while they were alone. Seeing as things were getting out of hand, he explains everything that has happened to his comrades.
Upon learning the situation, Anis knew they were the right people for the job, though Neon didn't see it that way. After the two got into a brief spat and Clay shares with them what she normally likes to do when not practicing, Anis now fully grasps why the protagonist wants her to ease up. Neon, on the other hand, believes Clay's ethics are very admirable. In order to begin the relaxation process, Anis wants the cheerleader to lay down. The two get into bed together and Anis can tell how stiff she is and tries to make her more comfortable. After the two have a discussion about Clay worrying about her skirt being lifted and Anis not sharing those sentiments, the latter orders Coach to get them some snacks. Clay is willing to get them herself, but her teacher imparts that she is not allowed to move while she's lying down. Neon is mystified at this lecture to become lazy. Anis also shares there are plenty of ways for food to come to them and again asks her Commander to fetch them for them, but he refuses. Only after Clay does the same thing, but in a cute way, does he relent.
Neon believes Anis will be a bad influence on Clay and offers to serve as a healthy role model for her. Though Anis thought she would mostly teach her about firepower, she instead thought she should focus on cheering or encouragement power. That is until Master reveals to her that Clay can't practice yet. Since she has nothing else to contribute, she joins the other Nikkes on the bed and she and Anis ask for some more food and drinks. Clay decides to get up and help him tend to his companions. The three try to get her to sit back down again (Anis and Neon chow down as they do so), but she feels more comfortable helping them rather than being pampered. She even offers to get him something, but he declines.
Episode 5 - Clay's Way of Resting[]
Clay and Coach both had a fun day today, but the latter is still concerned since they still don't have a means for Clay to take it easy. She feels bad for essentially putting everyone else's help to waste, but she wants to practice relaxing until she can get used to it. She thinks the idea of trying it again repeatedly is the best course of action, similar to cheerleading. Now that she knows numerous ways to do so, she invites him to her room tomorrow so they can try some out, which he accepts. The two are eager to see each other again.
The next day, Clay decides the two should sit back and watch videos of Rewind's past performances to pass the time. She figured that the others were so calm because they were doing things that they enjoy. Since she enjoys cheerleading, but can't actually do it that the moment, she believes watching videos is the next best thing. He agrees with her plan and the two stretch their legs out, with the former noticing the latter is far more content than before. She now feels comfortable enough to lay down thanks to Anis and Frima and again imitates the former so Coach can get her some snacks.
For some time, the two watch videos together and they start to pick up on some obscure details about Rewind's routine. In the current video, Clay points out a part where she made a mistake, but Bay covered for her and the show went on regardless. She then continues to point out other interesting secrets about her team's performance.
After the two get through all of the footage, Clay finally understands what it means to relax. The protagonist is happy for her. She believes that so long as the two are together, they can find more ways to chill out, something he is looking forward to.
A few weeks later, Clay's leg manages to fully recover and Rewind performs once again to massive applause. After their show was over, Bay was impressed by Clay's performance, with the two slightly worried about Coach, who was exhausted from all the cheering he was doing. Bay was also surprised by how few slip ups Clay has made. Because she was able to relax, Clay's body feels much lighter than before. The head cheerleader was glad her concerns about her squad-mate were managed and Clay gives her a hug for all she has done for her, but she's clearly not comfortable with it. She also thanks the commander for his help, but he doesn't believe he did much.
If things get to be too much for Clay, she will always find her coach so they can find more solutions together.
Story appearances[]
Main story[]
Events[]
Bond story[]
Brief encounters[]
References[]