Tawanos: Here I am with Jamie for the newest interview. How dose it feel Jamie to meet your god?

Jamie: *Ignores Tawanos in favor of a computer screen where he is typing and clicking*

Tawanos: Uh, Jamie? Are you in there? *Taps Jamie on the head several times*

Jamie: Could you please leave me alone? I'm trying to come up with a plan to beat our next opponents.

Tawanos: *Sulks away* Even as God I get no respect.

Disclaimer: From now on I pledge to dress up as the owner of Zoids every Halloween.

Chapter 12: Tryouts Part 1

The next day Bit walked into the zoid café with an arm full of fliers. People turned to stare at the most famous zoid pilot on all of Zi. A few new pilots approached him for his autograph, which he gave. He went over to the bulletin board and tacked a copy of the flier up. Even before he had left the room there was a crowd around the board trying to see what he had posted. Just before he walked out something caught his eye. A woman with long dark green hair and sunglasses, it had been several months since he had last seen her but recognized her. Bit walked over and sat down across from her.

"Lady from the Back Draft group. It's been a while." She smiled remembering the battles they once had.

"You might as well know that my name is Pierce. So what are you doing here Bit Cloud?" Both of them ignored the fact that they had once been enemies.

"This," he slid her a copy of the flier she read it.

"So you are looking for new teammates for the S-class. Sounds interesting, maybe I'll come and watch." She folded up the paper and put it in her jacket.

"You might do more than that." Bit said mysteriously as he got up to go.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Come and see." Bit left without another word. Pierce sat puzzled for a moment before getting out the flier and reading it again, then a smile spread across her face.

Bit met up with Leena next to a fountain in the middle of town.

"You're late." She said as she hugged him.

"You wouldn't believe how many autographs people asked me to sign and I ran into an old friend. You'll see her tomorrow, I hope." Leena questioned him as to her name but he wouldn't tell her. Each of them still had a bunch of the fliers left so after lunch they decided to go around to a few of the zoid repair stations and put fliers up. While walking they ran into Leon and Naomi and invited them to watch the tryouts the next day, they agreed to come but just to watch not to enter.

*** Next day around noon ***

The field in front of the zoid hanger of the Blitz team base was packed with pilots and their zoids. There was every type of zoid there, from a Cannon Tortoise to a Storm Sworder. Bit smiled at the Storm Sworder; knowing who must pilot it, Pierce.

"Quiet down everyone." Doc said through a megaphone from the roof of the base. Everyone quieted down. "Okay, well we said it on the fliers, but I'll remind you just incase you overlooked it. We are only allowed to accept people from A-class onto the team, the rest of you are free to watch but please don't interfere." A few people got into their zoids and left. Bit was pleased to see that the Storm Sworder stayed. "The rest of you sign up for the tryouts at the desk where you will present your Zoid battle résumé."

Half an hour later all the names had been collected and Jamie was running them through the computer to verify their claims. After that the computer printed out the names of the top ten pilots and their zoids. Doc took the list and the megaphone and went up to the roof once again.

"Okay everybody here are the names that made the cut. I am going to call your name, Katie Skyler, Luke Moore, Michel Jefferson, Metenor Ferrian, Decker Heran, George Keiths, Peter Grier, David Lucas, Lennard Orion, and finally, uh... Pierce no first name given. The rest of you are free to watch, I'm sure that the rest of the tryouts will be more fun. Everyone who I called get into your zoids and follow the Liger Zero to the obstacle course." Bit climbed into the Liger Zero and headed out to the other side of the hill where the obstacle course was set up. There were three parts to the course, part one was like a race trace with obstacles, and part two was like a shooting range with targets, and part three was a live fire race to the finish line.

Pierce came up to Bit after she had gotten her zoid into place.

"I didn't sign up Bit. I want to know who did and why." She demanded. Bit turned to her calmly.

"I signed you up." She looked at him, flabbergasted. "I checked your record. After you left the Back Draft, you registered as a mercenary. You have an incredible battle score, having been defeated only a few times. Besides we needed another airborne zoid and only one other came besides you. Anyway I saw you approach the table but you turned around as soon as you saw Jamie, may I ask why?" Pierce looked away.

"He was the first person to out fly me, and since I left the Back Draft I have been unable to fly like I used to. I don't know why, but I just didn't want to face him." Pierce finished and walked away back to her zoid. Bit turned back to watch the next step in picking their newest teammate.

"When I call your name step up to the starting line. When you hear the start gun you will try to get though the obstacle course ahead of you, the first part you will make your way through the obstacles without a system freeze, then on to the target range where you will have five shots to hit three targets, be warned as soon as you are done with the target range you become a target and will be shot at until you pass the finish line. Points will be added or subtracted depending on how well you do. If your system freezes then you are automatically out of the competition. If there are no questions then we will begin. Will David Lucas and his Command Wolf please step up to the start line?

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Tawanos: Next time I will try to interview someone who might show me the smallest amount of respect. I can just hear my sister laughing her head off in the background and saying 'Yea. Right. What ever.' And she isn't even here.

Next time: The tryouts begin in earnest to see who will be the next two members of the Blitz Team. Find out who will make it and who won't next time in chapter 13: Tryouts Part 2.