Zoids-S

Episode 4: The Princess becomes a Queen: Mary Champ's Return

A green humvee pulled up to the gates of Vanguard City. The occupants inside were Bit Cloud,
Leena Toros, and Jamie Hemeros of the Blitz Team. Although he was driving, Leena could tell
that Bit wasn't all that enthusiastic about coming here.

"What's up with you, Bit?" Leena asked, then snuggled up to him. "Did you lose your teddy
bear?"

"Knock it off," Bit shrugged her off and left the humvee.

"Well someone's in a grouchy mood?" Leena scowled.

"Leena's right, Bit, what's going on? You were the one who suggested we go out to lunch."

"I did, I just didn't want to do it here."

"Well what's the point in receiving credit from Zoid battles if we're not going to use them?"
Jamie countered.

"You've been in a grouchy mood ever since we entered Class-S," Leena accused. "If something's
wrong, tell us."

"Nothing's wrong," Bit said. "Let's just find a place to eat."

Leena was about to go after him when Jamie stopped her. "Let him go, Leena, if he wants to tell
us, he will."

The three found a restaurant and entered. As the waitress was taking Bit's order, a voice
cried out, "AH-HA! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" Everybody (including the waitress) looked up to see a
boy run up to them. He had long scraggly black hair that hid his brown eyes. He was dressed in
a Zoid-pilot jumpsuit. "Bit Cloud, so we meet face-to-face at last!"

"Do... I know you?" Bit asked.

The pilot gave him the evil eye. "Surely you recognize the voice of your most fierce rival."

"Fierce rival?" Jamie asked.

"Why'd you call him Shirley?" Leena asked.

Bit suddenly snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, you're that psychopathic leader of the Flash Team."
Some of the other patrons chuckled at that comment.

"GRRRRRRRRRRR! I've been waiting for a rematch with you, Bit Cloud. Another chance to prove
that I am the only warrior you must contend with and nobody else."

Bit looked at Leena and Jamie. Jamie shrugged and Leena rolled her eyes. "Uh... yeah...
Nicholas was your name, right?"

"That's right, I am Nicholas Atomson, leader of the Flash Team and your rival!"

"And... basically you want me all to yourself? Sorry, Nick, but I don't go into that
battlemode." Again laughter from the other patrons. Nicholas looked like he was going to
explode 200 times over.

"Nick, there you are." Another guy came up. "Come on, we're leaving."

"No! I am not going until Bit Cloud apologizes for his insult and admits that I am his once and
only arch nemesis!"

"Bit, do you have any arch nemeses?" Jamie asked.

"None that I know of," Bit replied. Nicholas screamed loud enough for everyone to hear him.
His friend got him in a full nelson and with an apology to Bit, Jamie, and Leena, left.

"I thought it was you guys," a new voice perked up. A young woman stepped forward. She was
dressed in a white sunday dress. Her blonde hair hung below her shoulders, her voice has a hint
of an accent in it. "Fancy seeing you all here again."

"Mary Champ?" The three Blitz Team members said.

"Glad you remember me, it's been such a long time. So tell me, how's my little snowflake?" She
directed the question at Bit.

"I'm... uh... fine," Bit stuttered.

Mary laughed and traced a pattern down Bit's shirt. "Silly man, I was talking about your Zoid,
the Liger Zero."

Jamie had a confused face until he remembered something. {That's right, the reason Mary battled
us along with her brother Harry was so she could get the Liger Zero. She was so awestruck by
it that she was willing to pay any price for it, not that it would matter to her, the Champs
definitely have enough money to throw around.}

"Uh... the Liger Zero's fine," Bit said not knowing what else to say.

"Wait a minute, how did you get in here? Only Class-S teams are allowed in Vanguard City,"
Leena said. Mary turned towards her and scowled.

"I remember you now, your that tramp girlfriend of Harry's."

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A TRAMP, AT LEAST I DON'T USE UP MONEY LIKE TOILET PAPER!" Leena was ready
to turn Mary's head completely around but Bit stopped her.

"Leena, do you want me to take you out the same way that other kid took out Nicholas?" Leena
grumbled a negative and sat back down.

Jamie decided to take up the conversation. "So why are you here, Mary? I thought you went home
after our battle."

Mary took an empty chair. "Don't you know?" She asked. "I'm part of the Class-S too."

"WHAT?!" Bit, Leena, and Jamie all stereoed. Leena added, "You can't be serious."

Mary nodded. "It's true."

"How did she do that?" Bit whispered to Leena.

"She probably brought her way in," Leena whispered back.

"So you're still interested in purchasing the Liger Zero?" Bit spoke to Mary.

Mary put her hands together. "More than ever. At first I tried to buy my own Liger Zero, but
those Zoids are extremely rare as you well know. Then I thought of painting a Shield Liger white
but it just wasn't the same. Let's face it, you just can't replicate pure beauty. Say, I have
an idea, why don't we have a Zoid battle."

Again, all three said out loud, "HUH?"

"Yeah, an official Class-S Zoid battle. With the winner getting Liger Zero."

"Hold on, you can't put my Liger Zero up like a trophy," Bit protested.

"Yeah, and besides, as Brad would say, there's nothing in it for the rest of us," Leena said
putting her legs up on the table in an almost perfect imitation of him.

"All right, then, how about this, if you win, I'll pay you five times the normal prize money."

"Five times." You could practically see dollar signs flashing in Leena's eyes.

{Just like her father,} Jamie thought. "We'll have to talk it over with the rest of our team."

"That's fine. In the mean time, I'll see you in battle." And Mary got up from her seat and
departed.

"We sure meet the weirdest people," Leena commented. The rest of lunch was uneventful. Jamie
and Leena stopped by a store to pick up some groceries. As they were heading out, the Hovercargo
stopped by.

"Hop in, guys," came Doc. Torros' voice. "We have our next battle."

"All right," Bit cried. "Let's head 'em up and move 'em out." In no time at all, Bit, Leena,
and Brad Hunter, the final member of their team, were in their Zoids.

"The battlemode is S-0993, tag team," Jamie explained. "Zoids take turns battling each other.
Each time a Zoid tags a member of its own team, that member takes the place of the first Zoid
and the team with three frozen Zoids loses."

"This'll be a snap," Bit said. "Me and Liger are going to clean house. Of course you guys are
going to help too."

"Gee, thanks for including us in too," Brad said in his usual and normal sarcastic manner.

{Wow,} Leena thought. {Bit's personality did a complete turn-around. Before, he was grumpy and
depressed, but now he's his normal annoyingly cheerful self. Maybe it was... nah, it couldn't
be Mary, she's trying to take Liger Zero away from him, Bit would soon as give his own life than
let someone else take Liger Zero.} Leena then remembered back when they were first introduced to
Mary. Bit commented how 'you don't see classy ladies like that any more.' Was Bit really
developing a crush on Mary Champ? Leena shook her head, Bit is 110% ignorant when it comes to
romance, he wouldn't know a girl with a crush from a hole in the head.

Her pondering was interrupted as Leena catapulted out of the Hovercargo behind the Liger Zero.


After they got home from the battle (which they won), the members of the Blitz Team put their
feet up to relax. Suddenly a text message came up on the view screen.

"It looks like someone's challenging us to a Zoid battle," Jamie said. It's... The Mary Team?"

"Must be Mary Champ's team," Leena figured.

"Mary Champ?" Brad asked. "You mean that prippy upstart sister of Harry Champ?"

"Same one," Bit confirmed. "She approached us while we were eating lunch and said she wanted to
challenge us to a Zoid battle."

"I wonder how she got into Class-S," Doc. Torros thought out loud. "I guess she bought her way
in."

"Go for it, as long as we get prize money," Brad said.

"She said she would give us five times the prize money if we won," Jamie explained.

"Well now you got my interest. You should definitely go for it."

"Hold on," Bit said. "You two might have nothing to lose but I lose my Liger if we lose the
battle."

"We won't lose," Leena assured him. "Not with you and Liger Zero."

"So I guess we accept," Jamie concluded.

Bit sighed. If he lost Liger Zero, he would lose his valuability as a Blitz Team member. He
would be back to scrap metal dealing.


The next day was the Zoid battle. The coordinates were in the same dirt field where the Blitz
Team last battled Mary Champ. The Blitz Team's Zoids were already on the field and were
waiting for Mary Champ.

"Hey, who is Mary going to use as teammates?" Bit asked.

"If she's anything like her brother, she'll probably use robots," Brad figured.

"Maybe her Zoids will be automated," Leena guessed.

"We're about to find out," Jamie interrupted.

Mary Champ's D-Bison powered wagon pulled up. A hatch on the rear lowered. Mary came out in
her Iron Kong. With her was a Red Horn and a Rev Raptor.

"Mary, is that your team?" Leena asked.

"Sure is. Say hello to Martha and Cindy."

"Hi," the two said people said.

"Oh God," Jamie moaned. "It's like Mary in stereo."

"Battlefield set up," The Judge announced. They haven't even heard it touch down. "The Blitz
Team vs. The Mary Team. Battlemode S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!" The Blitz Team sprinted towards
their opponents. Mary's Iron Kong scrunched down to reveal the Red Horn with a giant missile
strapped on its back. The missile fired and impacted, blowing the Blitz Team back.

"Is everyone all right?" Bit asked.

"I'm fine," Brad said.

"Where did that come from?" Leena asked.

"She did the same thing at the last battle, remember?" Jamie pointed out. "Looks like they're
going to rely mostly on their weapons and not the Zoids themselves, so if we go in for close-
range combat, they won't have a chance."

"Let's go." The Blitz Team moved forward again. But the Red Horn had another missile waiting
for them. "Man, at this rate, we won't get a chance to move in for close-range combat."

Liger Zero fired its thrusters but the Rev Raptor jumped up and knocked it down. The shot
cannon on its underside fired and knocked the Rev Raptor back.

"I have an idea," Jamie said. "Bit, return to the Hovercargo and get ready to transform into
Liger Zero-Schneider. Brad and Leena, distract them with cover fire."

"My kind of plan," Leena said. "Wild Weasel Total Assault!"

"Just keep on firing, Martha," Mary instructed. "I've been sure to buy plenty of missiles this
time."

Back in the Hovercargo, Bit got the Schneider armor ready. While the Liger Zero was changing,
Bit opened a comm. link with Jamie. "Jamie, why did you ask me to transform into Liger Zero-
Schneider? The Schneider doesn't have good defense capabilities. The Panzer would be better
equipped."

"Bit, I need you to go on the offensive," Jamie explained. "They seem to be relying on their
missile barrage too much. If you can get through the missiles, they won't have time to put up
any decent defense."

"Right, and I know just how to do that. Zero-Schneider's Seven Blade Attack. It worked against
Leon's Blade Liger. It'll plow through those missiles."

"Liger Zero-Schneider, CAS complete!" Doc. Torros announced. "Prepare to mobilize."

"All right, Liger, get ready for the Seven Blade Attack." The Liger roared an affirmative.

Outside, Cindy noticed something. "Hey Mary, where did the Liger Zero disappear to?"

"Oh my, my little snowflake must've gone to change its clothes."

"Change its clothes?" Martha and Cindy repeated at the same time.

The catapult opened and extended. "GOOOOOO, SCHNEIDER!" Bit shouted. Zero-Schneider almost
flew towards its target.

"Martha, fire the missiles!"

"Right." The Red Horn launched another missile.

"Oh no you don't. Now, Liger!" All of Liger's blades extended and pointed forward. The
entire Zoid began glowing an orange color. "SEVEN BLADE ATTACK!" The Schneider itself was a
missile counter-acting Mary's missile. It knocked the missile off course and made it explode
prematurely. Zero-Schneider stabbed the Red Horn making it fall over.

"Martha!" Cindy cried. She opened up her blades and leaped up only to be snared in the Shadow
Fox's electro net.

"Gotcha," Brad smirked.

"Uh-oh," Mary said seeing she was all alone.

Leena laughed in her usual maniacal fashion. She got into position to fire her fusion impact
cannon. "This is for calling me a tramp. WEASEL UNIT SUPER ASSAULT!" The Super Assault was
similar to her Total Assault attack with the exception of the fusion impact cannon firing as
well. Mary took the blasts full force. The Iron Kong fell over.

"The battle is over! The winner is... The Blitz Team!"

"Well, Liger, looks like you remain mine for a little while longer," Bit said. The Liger
relaxed, as if he was afraid he would become the property of Mary Champ and forced to wear a bow
or something.

Mary sighed depressed. "Oh well, another chance lost. Oh well, there's always next time."

"I hope not," Bit muttered and Liger agreed with him. "Well, for now, let's go home."

"Bye, my little snowflake!" Mary called as the Hovercargo loaded up all the Zoids.

Epilogue.

Leena stared at Bit in the Liger Zero. They were still in their Zoids in the Hovercargo.{Just
when it seems that I figure out Bit Cloud, he confuses me even more. It seems like the only
time he's happy is when he's battling with Liger Zero, kind of like me in the Gun Sniper. Yet
when he's at Vanguard City, he acts so... morbid. But why? Wait a minute, during our first
Class-S battle, he kept staring at Nuke Team. I know it has nothign to do with Nicholas Atomson,
but who? What am I thinking, it's not as if I'm jealous or anything... well... maybe a little.
Well whatever the reason, Bit Cloud and Vanguard City have some history together. But what
exactly is that history. I have a feeling that this will come back to haunt us in the future.}


Jamie (in his Wild Eagle persona): We find a Dark Judge that's been dormant for a long time.
It's accidentally activate and sets us up in a battle against the Dark Siren team. They
claim to be the most powerful group in the Backdraft Organization. They haven't seen the Wild
Eagle in action. Next time on Zoids: "Revenge of the Dark Judge: Defeat of the Sirens."
Ready... FIGHT!