Zoids – Dimension Crisis
"The battle has begun!" A ZBC officer in a Raynos shouted as a Raynos flew over the battlefield.
"Right, I know how to start this battle." Randy commented, as the Killer Dome advanced over to the ocean.
"I think the battle had already started before that." Lauren replied, "But, we should actually try to move now." The remaining six Zoids walked or flew along the coast, in search of anything travelling through the water.
"I can't see anything underwater." Randy commented, "Then again, I still doubt that they'd position this battle so close to the ocean just to help one team. There has to be something."
"And on the subject of teams, shouldn't there actually be a Dimetroptera around here?" Lauren asked, "What happened to that thing anyway? I thought it was meant to be in this battle."
"Yes, but you also saw it and two other Zoids in boxes a few minutes ago." Nick stated, "Do you really think I can open a giant box and take a Zoid out of it in a few minutes?"
"I guess not, but it would be useful to actually see that combination." James replied, "Then again, it would be good to actually see the team we're supposed to be working with."
"Maybe, but we won't even know which team that is, since there's supposed to be two more teams." Cheryl pointed out, "Although, one of those teams must have pilots significantly more skilled than the other."
"On the subject of which, entering this battle will probably only result in a huge amount of damage to our Zoids." Ted explained, "We're fighting a team who almost beat the Tyrant Team, presumably without luck or stupidity helping them. We have to try to focus on beating them. But, since we don't know which team they are, that will be difficult in itself."
"Well, if we don't come under attack soon, those two teams would have to be fighting each other." Cheryl stated.
"But if we come under attack soon, then there would still be a third team to attack both sides, and a fourth team to attack them." Ted replied.
"That is a problem." James realised, "Whichever teams begin fighting each other first will be easy targets for a third team, if another team can find them."
"And staying together would not only allow that to happen, but since the other teams presumably split up, staying in one group would make it much harder to locate everyone from the other teams." Ted pointed out.
"We also don't know how many of them there are." Randy stated, "There could be a whole team in the ocean, but that seems unlikely. I don't think a team would dedicate themselves entirely to fighting in the ocean."
"Even if they did, they would be at a huge disadvantage during almost every battle they were involved in." Nick explained, "But I think I can find them faster by flying." The Gildragon flew into the air.
"Incidentally, he was the right idea." Deirdre replied, "But I'll search for people in another direction." The Jet Falcon flew off also; obviously forming Slash Liger Jet this time was highly unlikely.
"The Cannot Fort is too slow to continue travelling with everyone else." Cheryl pointed out, "I'll search for the best location to blast anyone who advances on our position." The Snipe Liger also ran away from the main group… well, as fast as a Snipe Liger can run, anyway.
"The Dark Spiner isn't as fast as the Gojulas Giga or the Slash Liger; I'll search for anyone advancing along the coast." Ted explained, as the Dark Spiner advanced ahead of the others.
"Well I guess the most logical option now is to run through the forest and search for anyone on the other teams." James commented, as the Slash Liger ran into the forest area near the coast.
Elsewhere-
"We probably won't find anyone who can actually beat us, but I heard that that other team would be here." Darren announced from the cockpit of his Death Raser.
"Well, I don't know how we'll know which team they are, but I'll search for possible targets from the air." Claire, the Gunguyarados pilot, announced as the Gunguyarados flew into the air.
"I think my efforts would be best trying to find a decent target from the ground." Ron, a Metalrhimos pilot, replied.
"Well at least that's the right idea. We should split into two groups and search for any sign of the other teams." Louise, a Fire Fox pilot, suggested.
"Good idea. We'll form the Decalto Dragon." John replied, as his Parablade leapt into the air to merge with the Death Raser.
"I guess that means we should be working together." Colin suggested, as his Blade Liger turned towards the Metalrhimos.
"Well, there's no reason not to." Louise replied simply. The Metalrhimos ran off, the Decalto Dragon following closely behind it.
A forest-
"There should be some sign of them by now." Lauren said, as the Gojulas Giga followed directly behind the Slash Liger.
"There doesn't seem to be." James replied, "But if they're using certain Zoids they could avoid being detected."
"Certain Zoids like Command Wolves!" A Command Wolf pilot, Dave, shouted, as two Command Wolves advanced from their position behind the Gojulas Giga.
"And you will deeply regret everything negative you've ever said about Command Wolves!" The pilot of the other Command Wolf shouted.
"I don't actually remember saying anything negative about Command Wolves." James replied.
"I think they're obsessed with Command Wolves." Lauren suggested.
"We're not obsessed!" Dave shouted.
"We're just giving Command Wolves the recognition they deserve!" The other pilot shouted, and both Command Wolves opened fire on the Gojulas Giga's legs. The Gojulas Giga fell to the ground, immobile, and the Command Wolves blasted it until it was out of action.
Ocean part of the battlefield-
The Killer Dome was about to travel through the ocean for several miles without any sign of another ocean-based Zoid. Randy began to think that maybe this ocean part of the battlefield was just here so that the Killer Dome could be used most efficiently, but he still wasn't entirely convinced.
"There's still no sign of someone trying to use this part of the ocean to their advantage." Randy reported, "It's actually getting really boring here. I was expecting actual competition."
"Everyone else is searching for any sign of the other teams in the forest, except for Cheryl." Ted reported, "She's trying to find a vantage point to fire the Snipe Liger's arsenal from."
"Actually, I guess I should try to get closer to the coast." Randy stated, "Anyone approaching from that direction wouldn't notice the Killer Dome."
"Good idea. At least some of them have to be on the coast." Ted replied.
"I'm closer to the coast now." Randy replied after a few seconds, "Fortunately the Killer Dome is fast underwater."
The Killer Dome sped towards the coastline; it was suddenly blasted and fell to the seabed.
"I've just taken damage from something, but there's nothing in sight!" Randy shouted as he searched for whoever had fired.
"I think someone else is advancing down the coastline." Ted explained, "I should be there soon, and then they'll have no chance."
"This battle isn't even difficult!" Randy heard a voice coming from a Sea Panther shouting. The Sea Panther's torpedo launcher fired several torpedoes that hit the Killer Dome repeatedly.
"I haven't lost yet." Randy replied, before seeing that his Zoid had already taken a Combat System Freeze, "Okay, maybe I have been beaten."
"There are two Zoids advancing on up the coastline." Ted reported, "Although I don't know what they are yet."
"Well, I'm out of this battle." Randy replied through communications to his entire team, "There's a Sea Panther approaching the coastline, possibly more than one. It, or they, should be there soon. I still haven't heard from anyone else on our team."
Above the battlefield-
"I can't find anything." Deirdre stated as her Jet Falcon flew over the trees, "There's no sign of any of the other team members."
"This is James." James reported over the communications system, "One of the teams is the Warriors of Command team. They either use Command Wolves exclusively, or their team mostly consists of Command Wolves."
"Understood, I'll search for Command Wolves." Deirdre replied. Suddenly her Jet Falcon was hit hard from behind and began to fall.
Elsewhere on the battlefield-
"I think I've found some of them, there's a Metalrhimos and a Decalto Dragon." Nick reported as his Gildragon flew over the trees, firing several shots.
"Nick, I don't think you should be engaging those two Zoids alone!" Cheryl replied, "Where exactly are they?"
"Since I don't know where you are, I wouldn't know how to explain where they are in relation to your position." Nick replied, "But I think something else is going on. They must suspect that someone's watching them."
Across the radio, Cheryl could hear Nick taking heavy fire, presumably from the Metalrhimos and Decalto Dragon. However, that kind of firepower caused large explosions, which were clearly visible.
"I hope this works." Cheryl commented, pressing the button to fire the cannons. Hopefully it could take out one or both of the opposing Zoids. However, as soon as she fired, Cheryl was hit from behind by something, and the Snipe Liger collapsed, defeated.
The Dark Spiner continued to advance down the coastline. Suddenly, he came under fire from the Blade Liger and Fire Fox. The Blade Liger shot forwards, preparing to strike from another direction. Ted fired on the Fire Fox repeatedly, and it was very quickly taken out of action. The Dark Spiner began to turn, but several shots from the Blade Liger knocked it to the ground.
However, the Dark Spiner was turning as it fell, and somehow ended up with the top of itself facing the Blade Liger. The spines again rose upwards, and the cannons attached to them fired on the Liger. As Colin struggled to get the controls to respond, the cannons fired again and again, the spines slowly retracting in the process. Then the Dark Spiner began to stand. By the time it was standing and facing the Blade Liger, the Blade Liger had almost fully recovered, and was backing away.
'Now I have to find a way to break through the Liger's shield.' Ted thought. The Dark Spiner's frontal weaponry fired, but the Blade Liger brought up its shield. The energy shield was getting weakened by the shots, but not enough.
'The shield only has to sustain this for a bit longer.' Colin though. The Blade Liger's blades extended and he charged. Energy surged through the blades as he prepared to cut through the Dark Spiner.
'Maybe this isn't working.' Ted thought. Yet again, the spines began to rise, and the cannons attached to them swung around to fire on the Liger's shield while the Dark Spiner's other guns also pounded it.
'It's not going to work. That firepower will never get through my shield." Colin thought. The shield was dropping to eighty per cent, but Colin knew that it shouldn't matter.
'Okay, he's left me with only one option.' Ted thought. The Dark Spiner began to charge the Charged Particle Gun. The Dark Spiner kept firing at the Blade Liger as the powerful cannon charged up.
Suddenly, the Dark Spiner's secondary guns stopped firing, as the Charged Particle anon launched its stream of destructive energy. Realising that it was uncontrolled and that he was going to get hit hard, Colin attempted to turn. The Blade Liger's shield collapsed. The Blade Liger was thrown to one side by the Charged Particle Cannon tearing through it, but even though it was taking heavy damage, it spun to the side and shot forward.
"I can't lose now!" Colin shouted. The shockwaves caused by the destructive power of the Charged Particle Gun hammered the Blade Liger, even though the main energy stream was to its side. As the Blade Liger was hammered again and again, Colin fired two shots, blasting the Dark Spiner's left shoulder cannon off. Immediately afterwards, the Blade Liger cut through the Dark Spiner's leg. Both Zoids fell to the ground.
'I can't believe it, I lost against him.' Ted thought, as the monitor displayed the words 'Combat System Freeze.' Ted waited, knowing that the Blade Liger pilot might not know he was out of the battle and might attack again to be certain.
'I can't believe it, I lost against him.' Colin thought, as the monitor displayed the words 'Combat System Freeze.' Colin waited, knowing that the Dark Spiner pilot might not know he was out of the battle and might attack again to be certain.
Forest part of battlefield-
The Slash Liger was running. With no sign of the Jet Falcon that should have been supporting it, there wasn't much choice. The pilots of the two Command Wolves following it knew how to avoid his attacks.
"Now it's over!" James heard one of them shouting. Then that same pilot screamed, as his Zoid was blasted twice simultaneously. It turned in the direction the shots had come from, only to be hit twice more.
"Can't you see I'm busy crushing someone?" The pilot demanded, furious. The Command Wolf's cannon spun and the pilot made the Command Wolf fire repeatedly.
'That guy has good aim.' James realised, with shock, as the damaged Command Wolf took out all of the opposing shots, intercepting them with its own cannons, before firing into the woods repeatedly. The opposing fire stopped.
"That got him." The pilot said calmly. Two more shots hit his Command Wolf, rocking it. Another two struck, tearing its front left leg off and hitting the torso. As it fell, it was hit twice more and lay silent.
"Combat system freeze?" The pilot demanded, shocked that he had been taken out so quickly and easily. Command Wolves may not have been the most heavily armoured Zoid, but the Warrior of Command had the skill to make them near, invincible.
"Who the heck are you, and what gives you the right to do this to a Command Wolf?" Dave demanded, firing his own Command Wolf's guns again and again into the forest, aiming at whatever had taken out his team-mate.
A Geno Saurer emerged from the woods. A branch proceeded to get caught on its neck. The Geno Saurer broke the branch off the tree accidentally and it fell to the ground.
"Prepare to die, person who doesn't like Command Wolves!" Dave shouted, firing repeatedly. Now that the Geno Saurer was in plain sight, the Command Wolf could blast it easily.
"So, you think you can beat me?" The other pilot demanded. However, the Geno Saurer was helpless. The Command Wolf was constantly running in circles around it, firing.
'Wait, that gives me an idea.' James realised. The side-mounted blades of his Slash Liger fully deployed. The Command Wolf continued to run around the Geno Saurer, firing like there was no tomorrow.
"It doesn't matter. I'll win anyway." The pilot of the Geno Saurer said calmly. The Geno Saurer's foot locks slammed into the ground. The Geno Saurer's Charged Particle Gun began to energise.
'This is the perfect chance.' James thought. The Slash Liger shot forward at exactly the right moment. One blade cut into the Geno Saurer's damaged chest armour while the other severed the Command Wolf's front legs.
The sensors immediately informed James that the damage to the Geno Saurer had been enough to take it out of the battle. The Slash Liger turned, firing only on the Command Wolf until it suffered a Combat System Freeze.
Another part of the battlefield-
'Okay, this isn't the worst chance I've had to take someone out.' Nick thought as the damaged Gildragon walked through the woods. There were less trees in the area in front of the Gildragon, and Nick saw a Metalrhimos and Decalto Dragon.
"This is Cheryl. It's really unfortunate, but Command Wolves took me out of action before I could defeat them." Cheryl reported. Nick immediately realised that the Snipe Liger's positioning might have been its downfall.
"I should have reported this sooner." Lauren announced, "The Gojulas Giga is down. More Command Wolves took it out. I don't know how many of those Warriors of Command there are, but…"
"I managed to defeat a Gunguyarados, but now my Jet Falcon is defeated." Deirdre reported.
"I defeated a Fire Fox and a Blade Liger, but the Blade Liger was able to cause sufficient damage to the Dark Spiner to take it out of action. I can't help anymore either." Ted reported.
"That's really strange." James replied, "Because my Slash Liger and a Liger Zero X just managed to defeat each other simultaneously. The Liger Zero X pilot called out to a Fire Phoenix pilot, but he didn't get there in time."
Nick stared in shock. Randy had already reported in as defeated, which Nick knew left only himself. After checking the team readouts, he read that only two Zoids were down from two other teams, three from another, and every Zoid from the last team.
'I don't believe it. We've taken more than almost every other team. We're getting slaughtered.' Nick thought, watching as the Metalrhimos came closer, the Decalto Dragon following behind it.
The Gildragon leapt out of the woods, firing with everything it had. The Decalto Dragon and Metalrhimos fired various weapons immediately, their pilots acting on instinct, trying to obliterate the Gildragon.
The result was better than Nick could have hoped for. They had reacted as if he'd been on the ground. Explosions below the Gildragon threw it into the air, and it spread its wings, flying away.
As the Gildragon flew away, it fired with everything it had. The Decalto Dragon was struck repeatedly, but it fired back. The Gildragon fell to the ground again, but it was still not defeated, while the Decalto Dragon collapsed, finally defeated. Suddenly, Nick realised that he was the only active pilot in the battle.
'Those other two teams must have wiped each other out.' Nick thought, surprised that he had actually won. But for several minutes, the end of the battle wasn't even announced, so maybe nobody could believe he had won.
Battle arena-type place, much later-
After several battles, the strange battles had finally ended. The various teams involved in these strange battles prepared to leave the battle arena, since they had no reason not to.
"I am Zack, the leader of the Phoenix Team." One of the pilots from another team announced, "Since we're transporting the Tyrant Team and Artillery Team Zoids I thought we should meet at least once."
"Well, it is… basically very random otherwise." Nick said, "But you probably know me. I'm that pilot who won the battle between five teams and nobody actually noticed for several minutes."
"Yes, that was kind of strange." Tim, the pilot of the Salamander of the Phoenix Team said, "Although, now that we're standing here rambling insanely, people might think we're idiots."
"Yes, but since this place is full of idiots anyway, they might not notice." Lauren said, "It's amazing how many people don't notice when there's seven teams standing around one area."
"I'm surprised that barely anyone recognises their own stupidity." Zack said, "Out of everyone here, only… about thirty-seven people realise that they're idiots. Well, we should probably leave."
"I'm still amazed that I lost." Darren announced as he walked over, "The Decalto Team is also being transported by the Phoenix Team's Whale King, so we'll also be involved in that journey… if you could call it a journey."
"We must all live in the same town." Cheryl realised, "I didn't think there were that many teams in our town, but it explains why so many people are being transported by two carriers."
"Well, this definitely makes sense." Carl, a Command Wolf pilot said, "I was forced to leave a division of ZBC maintenance weirdoes that occasionally blow stuff up and had to join the Warriors of Command."
"That's funny, I also joined them." Karl, another command wolf pilot, explained, "I was kicked out after they kept confusing me with some guy named… I think they called him Carl or something, so I joined the warriors of command."
"I don't know why, but there's something very strange about being here." Carl said, "Well, maybe it's just that I don't see the point of this event and, to be completely honest, it seems pointless."
"Yes, this is kind of pointless." Karl said, "But maybe we should return to the Whale King, before any other stupid things happen. Then at least we will be prepared for the stupidity."
"That is a good idea." Carl agreed, as he and Karl turned and walked away, "It's strange that the Sea Panther team is also being transported by the Whale King, but weird things happen."
"Weird things will probably continue to happen." Karl said, "But it's weird that three teams were involved in the same battle and are all being transported by the same team's Whale King."
"That is true." Carl agreed, "Hopefully, that will be the end of the weirdness. The worst thing that could happen now is if someone falls out of a tree and smashes everything."
"Most of the weird people have left." Cheryl said, "Well, by weird people I mean weird by normal standards, which also means normal by our standards. Funny how things work out."
"Yes, that is very strange." Nick said, "But hopefully no harm will come from it. Anyway, now that they all returned to their Whale King, maybe we should also leave, since there's no reason to stay here."
"Well, there is a reason to stay here, I guess." Dennis said, "There's a few other people still standing in random places, staring at everything near them blankly like idiots."
"Yes, there are." Randy said, "I know this is getting stupid, but if we take photos of the people who are standing around in a daze, later we can put photos everywhere in town and everyone will laugh at them."
"Yes, but that won't work because everyone who lived in our town, except us, has already left." Dennis said, "So really, this isn't going to work, even though if it did work it would also be stupid."
"Something that's stupid regardless of if it actually has meaning. That is very strange." Jake realised, "But I guess it doesn't matter how strange it is, we still have to find a way to avoid taking photos of people."
"Well for one thing, there are no cameras in sight." James pointed out, "So it doesn't really matter something happens that I don't even know what it is. We will be sane anyway."
"Yes, but how can we be 'sane' if we're already probably mental?" Nick asked "I know that we're not mental by most people's standards, but that's because they're also mental."
"Yes, but we're less insane than them, if that's supposed to help in some way." Lauren said, "Although technically, everyone involved in these battles can be considered crazy."
"Yes, but that's only because we travelled a long distance to be in one battle with no prize money. In fact we lost six thousand dollars when a small crab stole it and ran away with it." Jake said.
"Why couldn't you prevent a crab running away with six thousand dollars?" Lauren asked. Suddenly a crab ran into the room, picked up a table and ran. People tried to chase it but they fell over.
"I understand." Lauren said, "Apparently nobody on this crazy planet can run without collapsing. I'm almost surprised that people can continue piloting their Zoids without passing out."
"Yes, but apparently the Zoids like being piloted by dumb people." James said, "Anyway, I heard that there's this other planet called Earth where there's also supposed to be many dumb people."
"Yes, but how could there be more dumb people than on this planet? It's possible to travel thousands of miles across open ground without finding any signs of life on this planet." Jake said.
"Yes, but that doesn't really cause people to be insane." Randy said, "Although seriously, there are too many deserts on this planet, and eventually someone will die while crossing one."
"I think many people already have died in the process of crossing a desert." Jake said, "But this insanity has continued for too long. We need to return to the Hover Cargo immediately."
Some place in a desert, later-
The Crusade Team's Hover Cargo sped towards a strange, wooden building. This building appeared to be deserted.
"The Phoenix Team's Whale King is now flying directly above us." Randy reported, "We should reach the town within a few hours."
"Then I guess everyone's going to be bored for several hours." Ted stated, "Although, we could find out if there really is anyone in that building. It's a long distance from civilisation."
"There can't be someone there." Lauren pointed out, "They couldn't survive for very long if they were in a desert without any kind of contact with anyone, even if a lot of people pass by this building."
"Although, nothing else is happening for the next few hours." Jake stated, "And there's at least thirteen bored people in the Hover Cargo right now. There's no reason not to find out."
"I think if we stop now, the other people on the Hover Cargo will just get annoyed." Lauren reasoned, "Although, Nick and Randy can't be bored because they were trying to find out how to use the new Zoids."
"Yes, they're still trying to find out why we have a Matrix Dragon though." Jake replied, "Maybe getting a Matrix Dragon was a bad idea. We never seem to have any use for it."
"We never seem to have the opportunity to use it." Ted stated, "Mainly because nobody here has any intention of piloting it… or if they are, it's not exactly obvious. At this rate it will never be piloted."
"Even if they find a way to pilot that Matrix Dragon, we'll probably end up with someone flying that Matrix Dragon around in circles while still inside the Hover Cargo." Lauren realised.
"At any rate, there's no reason not to investigate this building. There could be anything happening here, and it could even be a hiding place for very small crabs that steal money." Jake said. The Hover Cargo began to get slower.
Outside strange building-
The Crusade Team, with the exceptions of Nick and Randy, who probably hadn't noticed that the Hover Cargo had even stopped, and several members of the other teams disembarked.
"Well, I don't see why anyone would live here." James said, "Anyway, it's obvious that there's nobody in this building. Mainly because there's no sign of movement through the windows."
"That's stupid." Dennis replied, "Even if you can't see anyone through the windows, they're obviously in another part of the building. If someone hides something from you, do you assume it doesn't exist?"
"I think James has the right idea, mainly because the two front windows are so huge." Lauren explained, pointing to the large front windows, "There are other windows, and there's still no sign of anyone moving."
"And light is entering through the windows." Frank realised, "So anyone could see that there's nobody in that building, because if they moved they would be blocking the light to some extent."
"Well, there's no point of standing here." Cheryl realised, "We're still several hours away from the town…. I think. Anyway, the people onboard the Whale King are still headed towards the town."
"I guess that's true." Dennis said, "But despite that, it would still be interesting if we could figure out why this building was built to begin with. This isn't the best place for anyone to live."
"That is true." Jake agreed, "But despite that, even if someone did want to live here, they abandoned this building. Because of that, we'll probably never know why it was built."
Suddenly, a Gorhecks ran to the building. It stopped and somebody leapt out of the cockpit. The pilot immediately ran behind the building and ran into it through a rear door.
"Okay, I guess there is some chance of finding out why this building was made." Jake stated. Jake opened the front door and everyone entered, not noticing that the front door had been open the whole time.
Inside building-
"What is the purpose of this building?" Jake immediately asked the man who had piloted the Gorhecks, before pointlessly asking, "And is there someone nearby who pilots and Arosaurer?"
"Why does everyone immediately assume that where there's a Gorhecks, there's an Arosaurer?" The man in charge of the building demanded, "But in answer to your question, yes."
"But why did you build a building here, when there's barely anyone to benefit from… whatever the purpose of this building actually is?" Jake asked, "What is the purpose of the building?"
"Well, I don't live here, for one thing." The Gorhecks pilot said, "Anyway, it's basically a power plant, but for some strange reason it only requires two people to operate it."
"I guess that's… really strange." Jake said, "I've never been inside a power plant before, mainly because I don't work in one. But at least we finally found someone who had a real job."
"I wouldn't call it a real job. Even though I get money for being here. And even though I rarely have to tolerate any other living human. But there are some bad points." The power plant worker said.
"I don't see why there would be bad parts of this job." Dennis said, "Well, apart from the fact that you're in a huge building entirely by yourself. That must be very strange at times."
"Well, yes, there is that." The power plant worker said, "But there's something else that's very important. It's important that you know this."
"Does anyone else think there's something strange about this place?" Mark asked, "It's almost as if there's something… well actually, I can't quite describe it… it's very weird though."
"This is why it's a stupid idea to bring alcohol to a place where we have to travel for hours to get to the city." Jake said, wondering if what he had just said actually made sense, "Did anyone actually bring any alcohol?"
"I tried to, but a crab stole it and ran." James said, "But to be honest, we should probably be leaving now."
Some place in a desert-
"I still don't understand what's going on, besides the fact that a long and pointless 'event' is over." James stated, "I still don't know why everyone thinks weird things are happening."
"Because weird things are happening." Nick replied, "There was something strange about that power plant, mainly the fact that everything around it seemed to be distorted."
"I didn't notice that." Lauren said, "Is it possible that you're disorientated and see everything and everyone as being distorted? Did anyone else notice anything strange at the power plant?"
"As far as I know, the power plant wasn't distorted." Randy said, "But then again, I never actually looked at it. So, for all I know, it probably was distorted. Wait… how could Nick know if it was distorted?"
"Because there are these things. At some point, you may even have heard of them. Anyway, they're called 'windows and there are many of them on the Hover Cargo. When used correctly, you can see outside." Nick said sarcastically.
"Something very odd is happening here." Dennis tried to reason, "Nick saw the building from outside, and it seemed distorted. But nobody inside the building noticed any distortion."
"Then it appears that something very strange has happened to the window. Or, possibly, there's something strange happening outside the window." Frank realised, "Or maybe Nick is insane… well, more insane than anyone else."
"If he is insane, that solves everything." James said, "But since he obviously is and doesn't normally see distorted windows, we can only assume that this had some basis in reality."
"Yes, but you're missing the point." Nick tried to explain, "Out of everything I could see from that window, only one thing seemed to be distorted. And that was that power plant."
"So, there must be something strange going on at that power plant." James realised, "But if there's something odd going on there, then it still doesn't matter, since we're getting further away."
"Actually, I have noticed a strange energy signature coming towards us." Jake announced, "The Phoenix Team used their Whale King's equipment to get a visual image of it."
"So why don't we know what's causing this yet?" Dennis asked. Suddenly, a large computer monitor turned on. It showed a Diablo Tiger, Whitz Tiger, Brastle Tiger and Rayse Tiger pulling a large machine across the desert.
"There's something very odd about these four Zoids." Nick realised, "We're detecting a large amount of energy coming from-" Suddenly the Hover Cargo was shaken severely and several people were hurled to the ground.
"They're firing on us?" James asked surprised, "Well, I guess they're giving us no choice. We have to launch our Zoids from the Hover Cargo. Jake, contact the Phoenix Team."
"I've already been contacting them!" Jake shouted, "I don't know what's going to happen if we fight these things, but we outnumber them immensely, so hopefully we can show at least some competence and defeat them."
Some place in a desert, several seconds later-
Almost immediately after the Crusade Team had deployed, many teams had deployed from the Whale King, leaving only the Sea Panther Team onboard the carrier. The teams forced the tiger Zoids away from each other.
The Command Wolves surrounded the Whitz Tiger. They fired on it from various angles, but the Whitz Tiger's armour proved too thick to be penetrated by their firepower.
The Whitz Tiger fired back with two cannons. A Command Wolf, standing almost directly in front of the Whitz Tiger, was blasted off its feet. The Whitz Tiger leapt at another Command Wolf and tore into it with its claws.
The Deadborder fired the cannons on its shoulders. Explosions rocked the Whitz Tiger, and the three standing Command Wolves fired repeatedly on the Whitz Tiger, hoping to defeat it.
However, the Whitz Tiger generated an energy barrier with two wing-like components located above its cannons. The firepower from the Command Wolves had no effect.
The Whitz Tiger charged and slammed into the Deadborder, knocking it onto its back. Carl took this opportunity to fire. The command Wolf's cannon shot the Whitz Tiger's neck, but again, the Whitz Tiger was unharmed.
Despite being in the process of trying to tear the Deadborder apart, the Whitz Tiger fired several shots at Carl's Command Wolf. The Command Wolf was rocked by explosions until it collapsed.
"There's nine of us… and we still can't beat one Whitz Tiger." Mike said as his Green Horn fired on the Whitz Tiger. The Whitz Tiger generated its energy barrier again.
However, the Red Horn and Dark Horn also fired on the Whitz Tiger. The energy barrier finally began to fail and the Whitz Tiger was struck with the firepower of the three Zoids, while the Command Wolves prepared to fire from either side.
The Whitz Tiger charged at a Command Wolf. Karl fired repeatedly but it was no good. The Whitz Tiger slammed into the Command Wolf. The other Zoids were still firing, and as a result, hit both the Command Wolf and Whitz Tiger.
The Whitz Tiger was blown off the Command Wolf. When the Zoids stopped firing, the Command Wolf was barely able to stand, but it was missing most of its armour. Several holes had been blown through the Whitz Tiger's armour.
Seeing this, the Whitz Tiger pilot decided to run. As he ran, the opposing Zoids blew a few holes in the Whitz Tiger's rear armour. The Whitz Tiger's cannons rotated around able blasted the Red Horn's front legs.
"I won't be able to help anymore in a few seconds." Mark said, "And I'm surprised that we've damaged it this badly. But this is amazing… I thought this would be hard, but he's defeated at least six of us."
The last Command Wolf ran in front of the Whitz tiger, firing as it went. One shot struck the weakened leg armour. The Whitz Tiger collapsed, but it continued to fire at its enemies.
The Dark Horn and Green Horn fired on the Whitz Tiger once again. With their combined firepower, they pounded it until it stopped firing. Mike leapt out of the Dark Horn, hoping to find out why the Whitz Tiger pilot had attacked.
The Rayse Tiger fired repeatedly from its tail cannon at the Blade Liger and Fire Fox that were trying to chase it. The Fire Fox was hit hard and fell behind the Blade Liger, which in turn, shot forwards.
The Blade Liger shot forwards, and its blades rotated to be pointing directly at the Rayse Tiger. The Blade Liger fired the lasers attached to the blades at the Rayse Tiger, but they had no effect.
The Fire Fox unleashed several laser beams from its laser cannon, but they had as much effect as the Blade Liger's lasers. The Rayse Tiger shot the Blade Liger with its tail cannon, throwing it to one side.
As two Zoids followed the Rayse Tiger, the Metalrhimos fired on it from further away. The firepower of the Metalrhimos actually had an effect, throwing the Rayse Tiger aside.
Several shots from the Fire Fox continued to strike the Rayse Tiger. However, they continued to hit without effect and the Rayse Tiger fired a single shot from its tail cannon, blasting the Fire Fox's left front leg.
Before anyone could react, the Rayse Tiger fired two more shots. The Fire Fox's leg was almost completely shattered and it collapsed, defeated. The Rayse Tiger continued to run.
The Blade Liger shot forward. Within seconds it was to the left of the Rayse Tiger and fired several shots from the lasers on the right blade. The Rayse Tiger still didn't react.
The Metalrhimos fired two missiles. They slammed into the Rayse Tiger and exploded. The Rayse Tiger was hit hard and began to stumble. The Blade Liger accidentally shot past it.
Seeing this opportunity, the Rayse Tiger leapt into the air, initiating a Strike Laser Claw attack. It tore through the Blade Liger's armour and the crippled Liger dropped to the ground, defeated.
However, the Gunguyarados and Decalto Dragon began to fly after the Rayse Tiger, bombarding it while in midair. The Rayse Tiger was shaken by the impact of their firepower.
The Gunguyarados landed in front of the Rayse Tiger, lowering the huge cannon on its back to fire, while the Decalto Dragon began to strafe the Rayse Tiger. The Rayse Tiger almost collapsed.
The Rayse Tiger began to transfer its energy to its fangs as it leapt into the air, preparing to attack the Gunguyarados and hopefully leave it crippled, which would leave the Rayse Tiger almost without opposition.
However, the Gunguyarados used its tail drill to cut into the underside of the Rayse Tiger seconds before it struck. An explosion suddenly engulfed the Rayse Tiger's head and it collapsed.
"The Rayse Tiger can't control its own energy?" Darren asked, surprised, "Nobody shot it, but suddenly its head practically exploded as a result of nothing? This is definitely weird."
"I think the energy it was going to use against the Gunguyarados is too much for it to control for long." Colin suggested, "That must be what caused the Rayse Tiger's defeat… wait, is it defeated?"
"It has to be." Darren said, "Right now, that Rayse Tiger's energy signature is fading… I think it's out of commission, and the fading energy is just residual energy from its last attack."
A Fire Phoenix flew into position, and suddenly merged with the Liger Zero of the Phoenix Team. The Liger Zero Phoenix shot towards the Brastle Tiger, hoping to defeat it, or at least find out why it attacked.
"I don't know who they are, but they shouldn't be able to cause us any real problems." Zack announced, as the Liger Zero Phoenix's claws began glowing, and it shot forwards.
However, the Brastle Tiger slammed its own claws into the Liger Zero Phoenix as it prepared to attack. The impact spun the Liger around, and Zack was too surprised to react, so the Liger's head crashed into the ground.
Zack immediately tried to think of a way to recover from the situation, but the Brastle Tiger fired everything it could at the Liger. The Liger Zero Phoenix was sent skidding across the ground, greatly damaged.
The rest of the Phoenix Team were too surprised by what they were seeing to react, and the Brastle Tiger shot forward, biting the Liger Zero Phoenix, piercing its armour with its fangs and lifting it off the ground.
The Brastle Tiger discharged an immense amount of heat through its fangs. The Liger Zero Phoenix stopped even attempting to resist. The damage caused by the heat was too immense for even this fused Zoid to sustain.
The Phoenix Team's Salamander fired several missiles at the Brastle Tiger. The Brastle Tiger was hit hard and thrown several feet away, but it continued to hold onto the Liger Zero with its jaws.
Suddenly, the Brastle Tiger hurled the Liger Zero at the Salamander. The impact knocked the Salamander to the ground, with the Liger Zero on top of it, and the Brastle Tiger leapt on top of the Liger Zero.
The Salamander had been taken out of commission by that attack, and a Bear Fighter began to fir on the Brastle Tiger. The Brastle Tiger was knocked back, and a Konig Wolf fired six missiles, again throwing the Brastle Tiger into the air.
The Brastle Tiger landed several meters away. Although it was constantly taking damage, it wasn't close to being defeated. The Phoenix Team's Elephander began to fire on the Brastle Tiger.
The Brastle Tiger charged at the Elephander, firing its various weaponry as it charged. The Elephander was hit hard, but it managed to fire back, and the Brastle Tiger's armour began to crack in some places.
Despite this damage, the Brastle Tiger continued to advance. Blades extended from the Elephander's trunk and it grabbed the Brastle Tiger with its trunk, dragging it towards its tusks.
The Brastle Tiger tore into one tusk with it's fangs and attempted to break the Elephander head apart with its front claws. Within seconds, the Elephander was forced to release it, and collapsed.
The Bear Fighter shot the Brastle Tiger's neck. The Brastle Tiger was thrown backwards, a huge hole in its neck. However, the Brastle Tiger began to turn. As it turned, the Bear Fighter blasted the other side of its neck.
Even this damage wasn't enough to stop the Brastle Tiger, and it charged at the Bear Fighter, intent on taking out its fourth target. Before it could reach the Bear Fighter, it collapsed, smoke rising from its neck.
The Konig Wolf approached. Smoke was rising from the Konig Wolf's sniper rifles, which it had used to shoot through one of the holes in the Brastle Tiger's neck. The Phoenix Team was also victorious, despite taking a huge amount of damage.
The Slash Liger fired on the Diablo Tiger, which was dragging the strange machine behind it, failing to harm its armour even remotely. Then the Liger's blades extended and it shot past the Diablo Tiger, cutting into it with the blades.
However, the Liger's blades failed to break through the armour of the Diablo Tiger. The Diablo Tiger tried to strike with its claws, but it only succeeded in knocking the Slash Liger away.
The Diablo Tiger turned towards the Slash Liger, but both the Jet Falcon and Gildragon flew past, firing on the Diablo Tiger. The Diablo Tiger was shaken by their combined firepower.
Before anything else could happen, the Snipe Liger fired several explosives at the Diablo Tiger from launchers on its legs. The Diablo Tiger was shaken further by the resulting explosions.
The Diablo Tiger fired a metal sphere. It slammed into the Snipe Liger, sending it flying. The Snipe Liger crashed to the ground, defeated. The Jet Falcon flew towards the Slash Liger.
As the Slash Liger and Jet Falcon attempted to merge, the Killer dome fired on the Diablo Tiger with cannons located inside its pincers. The Diablo Tiger spun and kicked the Killer Dome, sending it flying away.
The Diablo Tiger fired a metal sphere. It slammed into the Gildragon and sent it flying to the right, spinning around in circles. The Diablo Tiger fired again, knocking the Gildragon out of the air.
Nick was able to keep the Gildragon standing even after it crashed. The Gildragon fired everything it could at the Diablo Tiger as it charged. The chains connecting the Zoid to the strange device were severed and the device tumbled away.
The Diablo Tiger leapt into the air, preparing to strike, when the Slash Liger suddenly slammed into it, knocking it to the ground. The Diablo Tiger recovered quickly and fired three metal spheres, knocking the Slash Liger and Jet Falcon to the ground.
"We've taken too much damage to continue fighting this thing." James reported. Unfortunately, the Diablo Tiger pilot hadn't noticed, and his Zoid continued to tear into the fallen Slash Liger with its claws.
Before it could strike again, the Gojulas Giga slammed into the Diablo Tiger, the impact sending it flying away from the Liger.
Within seconds, the Diablo Tiger had recovered, but the Gildragon slammed its horns into the Diablo Tiger's rear. The Diablo Tiger was forced towards the Gojulas Giga, so with no other choice, it fired another metal sphere.
However, a charged particle beam from the Dark Spiner obliterated this metal sphere, and slammed into the right front leg of the Diablo Tiger, blasting it off. The Diablo Tiger still struggled to stand.
Suddenly, the Diablo Tiger fired on the Gildragon with everything except its metal spheres. The Gildragon was thrown backwards by the immense amount of firepower, but it wasn't heavily damaged.
In retaliation, the Gildragon fired back. A single shot tore through the Diablo Tiger, and it collapsed. The remaining undamaged Zoids approached the four tigers. However, within minutes, everyone found that they couldn't open the tigers' cockpits.
With apparently no chance of finding out what had happened, the Whale King and Hover Cargo left once the damaged Zoids were loaded into them. Nobody noticed that the strange device, damaged by a single stray shot, was now glowing…