Chapter 34- Flashpoint

"I've got it!"

The sudden exclamation from Light in the laboratory made Rock and Roll rush in. "Got what, doctor Light?" Rock asked.

Light stood beside the body of Saturn on the operating table. "Rock, you remember how you used these robot master's own weapons against each other, right?"

"Of course I do," said Rock, "why?"

"I was thinking," said Light, stroking his plentiful white beard, "Now that we're already into the first round, we're more than likely going to have a few very short matches- much too short for people to want to pay to see."

"So, you're going to go ahead with that mini-tournament you were planning?" Roll asked.

"I might as well," said Light, "just as an emergency backup for the very short matches on the brackets."

"But how is it going to work?" Rock asked. "Another tournament on top of another would take a really long time."

"Yes, and I fear that if we drag them out any longer, we'll only be making our paying audience, well, bored."

"So how are we going to use the Stardroids, then?"

Light sighed. "I'll think of a way," he said, "I'll think of a way."

"More robot fights," Roll thought to herself, "Great."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Wreckoning!"

The crowd was as hyped for this next match as they had been for all the rest. "From the north end of the field," Rock continued as a stocky blue robot lumbered into the arena, "He's shown us how he gets to the point, Needle Man!"

"That was painful," Blues whispered into Rock's ear.

"I'm running out of jokes, so sue me," Rock muttered back. "And from the south end of the field, he knows how to brighten up any situation, Flash Man!"

The slimmer blue robot marched onto the field, entering a staring contest with Needle Man. "Where the heck is Auto?" Rock murmured under his breath.

"Who cares?" Blues said, "Less chatting more scrapping! Begin!"

Without hesitation, Needle Man threw up both arm cannons at Flash Man and shot forth a torrent of speeding needles. The top of Flash Man's glass cranium lit up in a brilliant flash, and Flash Man suddenly vanished, leaving Needle Man's needles to impale the arena wall harmlessly. A jolt of energy surged through Needle Man's back, driving a yelp from him as she stumbled forward, whipped around, and fired another stream of needles behind him. Another flash of light left Flash Man nowhere to be found, with more needles littering the arena wall. Before Needle Man could turn to search for Flash Man, Flash Man had already snuck up behind him and lay a teasing slap to the back on Needle Man's head. "Can't you do any better?" Flash Man taunted as Needle Man rubbed the back of his head. Needle Man swung his arms around and fired a stream of needles at Flash Man's chest, with Flash Man simply dodging low to the ground and avoiding the speeding spearheads with ease. Flash Man sprung off of his feet, ramming his head into Needle Man's gut, ramming Needle Man a few feet into the air before coming crashing down on his back. With Needle Man moaning and cradling his sides, Flash Man charged in and aimed his arm cannon between Needle Man's eyes.

Needle Man suddenly rolled himself onto his spike-plate head, and just as Flash Man fired a shot for his head, Needle Man shot the top of his head up, catapulting him into the air and flipping over Flash Man. Flash Man came to a skidding halt, stopping himself just in time for Needle Man to charge and ram his shoulder into the small of Flash Man's back. Flash Man screeched and flopped down, landing hard of his face as Needle Man aimed both cannons for Flash Man's back and fired. A quick flash from Flash Man's dome later, and Flash Man had once again disappeared before Needle Man's eyes, leaving a coating of needles sticking into the ground where Flash Man once was. Catching on to Flash Man's strategy, Needle Man immediately spun around and bent over, launching his spike-top head out blindly. Needle Man felt an impact, and retracted his spike plate quickly to see Flash Man stagger backwards, covering numerous puncture wounds in his chest. At the sight of Flash Man's bloody leaking onto the ground, Needle Man sprung forward and rammed his shoulder into Flash Man's chest, driving Flash Man backwards towards the arena wall. Needle Man bent over again, shooting out his spiked top and plunging it into Flash Man again, crushing Flash Man between the wall and the spikes lodged into his body. With his spike plate firmly embedded into Flash Man's torso, Needle Man retracted his plate, sending him zooming through the air and into Flash Man's chest. A mighty crunch echoed throughout the arena, and the wall nearly crumbled from Needle Man's attack. Flash Man wheezed and heaved as Needle Man wrenched his spike top free, and aimed both cannons at Flash Man's face. "Say bye-bye," Needle Man taunted as he fired.

Flash Man had suddenly vanished again, leaving Needle Man to pummel the wall with a shower of needles, demolishing it completely. Needle Man immediately spun around and fired out a wave of spearheads behind him, almost succeeding in skewering Flash Man as Flash Man hit the ground and sprung back up as soon as the torrent of needles zoomed harmlessly overhead. Needle Man charged as Flash Man's feet touched the ground, lowering his spiked head like a bull charging in for a gore. Flash Man nimbly sidestepped Needle Man, letting Needle Man rush past him and firing a cluster of energy shots after him. The blasts merely annoyed Needle Man more than harmed him, and he immediately turned tail and charged at Flash Man again. Flash Man moaned and cradled his bloody body, standing still and breathing weakly. "Come on, Needle Man, give me your best shot."

Needle Man lunged forward, thrusting his spike top for Flash Man's face. Just as the pole that connected Needle Man's spike plate to his head reached within centimetres of its full extension, Flash Man lit up the air in a brilliant flash, disappearing and reappearing in the same moment, now with his arms firmly wrapped around Needle Man's pole connection. Needle Man gasped and immediately retracted his spike top, sandwiching Flash Man between his head and the bottom of his spike plate. Flash Man winced and kept a tight grip on Needle Man's pole, placing both feet on Needle Man's head and pushing his shoulder against the bottom of Needle Man's spike plate. And with a grunt, Flash Man pulled and pulled upon Needle Man's pole, tugging with all his might. Needle Man screamed in agony as he felt his insides begin to pull apart, and with a loud pop, Flash Man tore the top Needle Man's head out, ripping out the pole from his body, along with an assortment of Needle Man's mechanical entrails. "That… wasn't… fair…" Needle Man whined before he collapsed to the ground.

"And here is your winner," Rock announced to the screaming crowd, "Flash Man!"

(Another page break because of said crappy FFN auto-format)

The Asylum's note:

Well, that's a rather painful way to go….