Okay, before I begin this episode, I just wanted to take the time to address the reviews you
guys have been sending me. Thank you. I put a lot of hard work into each episode and it's good
to know that it's not in vain. However, I would also like to know why you guys like it. Some
of you say that it's remarkably similar to the series. But what you guys think of the general
plot, the characters, the new Zoids I've been bringing in. Also, if any of you guys know
something I can do to make it even better, feel free to e-mail me and I'll pay attention to them.
With that said, on with the next episode of Zoids-S.
Zoids-S
Episode 6: Kayla's Reckoning: Showdown at the Battle Royale.
The Blitz Team sat in one of the many diners at Vanguard City. They were all taking a small
hiatus from Zoid battling. After battling the Mary Team and the Sirens Team, they certainly
deserved it. Everybody was in high spirits. Even Bit was, as Leena noticed. Lately, he seemed
much more calm about going into Vanguard City. True, he still tensed up whenever they entered
the city but at least he didn't whine about it.
"You know, we've been in Zoid battles for so long, I almost forgot what it was like to just sit
on the sidelines and watch," Leena mused.
"I know, it's like going backpacking and taking the heavy backpack off after about five hours,"
Bit agreed.
"I'd rather be out there earning some prize money," Bit said putting his legs on the table and
leaning back on his back two chair legs.
"Oh can it with the mocho crap," Leena said kicking the legs out causing the former mercenary to
crash to the floor. "You like taking a break as much as the next warrior."
"So what if I do," Brad countered bringing his chair up on all four legs.
"I'd have to agree with Leena on that," Jamie said. "Besides, watching an enemy during battle
can lead to effective strategies when you have to go up with them."
"Coming up next on ZBTV," a faceless announcer said. "A live Zoid battle between the Nuke team
and their arch rivals, the Raider Team."
"Nuke team," Bit repeated. "Hey, isn't that the team that Scott and Kayla Fernand are on?"
"Hey, that's right," Leena confirmed remembering their introductions.
~ "My name's Kayla Fernand," the girl introduced. "I'm part of the Nuke Team."
"I'm Scott Fernand, leader of the Nuke Team." ~
"The Nuke Team and the Raider Team have been rivals since they both entered Class-S, with the
Nuke team winning the Southern Royal Cup and the Raider Team the Eastern Royal Cup," the
announcer continued. "The Raider Team is highly expected to win this battle but hopes are still
high for the Nuke Team."
"Do you guys think Kayla's as good a warrior as she wants us to believe?" Jamie asked.
"I don't think even she believes she is," Brad replied.
"As far as Zoids are concerned, the Nuke Team will be using primarily Rev Rapters while the Nuke
Team's Zoids consist of Dark Horns."
"Well there you go," Brad said. "Dark Horns are much more powerful than Rev Rapters."
"True, but you also got to take into account the warriors' strength and experience," Jamie
argued. "Since we don't know what either team is like in battle, there's really no way to tell
who will have the advantage."
"Guys, it's starting," Bit interrupted.
On the TV, the Judge Capsule just touched down. "Battlefield setup, the Nuke Team versus the
Raider Team. Battlemode S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!" All six Zoids charged towards each other.
"Guys, look." Leena pointed to the bottom of the screen where six pictures were, three on the
left side and three of the right side. Two of the pictures on the right side looked like Scott
and Kayla.
"I guess those are to tell the audience who's been knocked out of the battle," Brad figured.
On the battlefield, Scott was trying to take charge of the situation, not giving the Raider Team
the chance to back them into a corner.
"Kayla, Harvey, don't stand so close to me, we can't give them a chance to get us all in one
shot."
"Right, brother."
"Right, Scott."
The Rev Rapters on either side of Scott's peeled off and spred around to the side of the Dark
Horns.
"Good plan," the Raider leader commented. "Since our guns can't pivot, you think you have the
adventage. Too bad it won't work." The Dark Horn that was Kayla's target backed up allowing
the bullets from the hip-mounted mini gataling guns to fly across its front. The Dark Horn
then worked its way around and rushed at Kayla's Rev Rapter from the side.
"Kayla, watch out!" Scott shouted a warning. Kayla screamed. The Dark Horn rammed the side of
Kayla's Rev Rapter. The Rev Raptor fell over onto its side, a hole punctured where the guns
were.
"Nuke Team registration number 58714 out of the battle," the Judge announced.
On the screen, a red slash mark appeared on Kayla's picture.
"You mean that Rev Rapter that got rammed was Kayla?" Leena gasped. Jamie winced, remembering
all the times he was taken out of the battle at the beginning.
"Talk about poor piloting," Brad commented. "I could've dodged that."
Bit looked at his watch. "Wow, it hasn't even been a minute and already Kayla's out of the
battle."
"And from the way Scott and that other guy are still battling, it seems like its a natural
occurence," Jamie added.
"Harvey, finish off that Dark Horn fast then deal with the one that shot Kayla," Scott ordered.
"You got it, Chief," Harvey said. He extended his blades and sliced the gun on the Dark Horn's
back off. He then fired his guns again.
"Harvey, use the Rev Rapter's jaw chomp," Scott instructed. The Rev Rapter bit down on the Dark
Horn's back. Even though the Dark Horn's back was too big to fully fit in the Rev Raptor's
mouth, it served the purpose of disabeling it.
Scott backed up and looked at Harvey. He was looking a little warn. And Kayla isn't much help.
Looks like he would have to go on this alone. Unless...
Scott's Rev Rapter broke into a run. The Dark Horn began chasing it. The Rev Rapter charged
towards the Dark Horn that Kayla was fighting. The other Dark Horn turned towards Scott and
aimed his back-mounted cannon.
"Yes," Scott called silently to himself. The Rev Rapter leaped into the air just as the pilot
pulled the trigger. The bullets struck the other Dark Horn and it was disabeled.
"Two down, one to go," Scott said. "Time for a kamikaze!" Scott's Rev Rapter extended its
blades and it fell head first onto the last Dark Horn. Both Zoids were disabeled, but Harvey's
was still standing and that meant victory.
"The battle is over!" The Judge cried out. "The battle is over. The winner is... the Nuke
Team!"
"Well I admit, that was a pretty interesting battle," Brad reviewed as they finished their lunch.
"Taking a nosedive like that."
"I kind of feel sorry for Kayla," Bit said.
"I know what you mean," Leena told them. "Being taken out of the battle so early, it's a real
insult."
Jamie looked back at the screen. "Maybe there's something we can do to help."
The Fernand's house was located about ten miles north of Vanguard City. It was a lot smaller
than the Blitz Team's base because that was mostly what it was, a house. The Zoid bay and
maintenance center was located in a storage warehouse in Vanguard City. Normally, Harvey would
take the Rev Rapters back there to work on, but they didn't have a battle for a while so he came
back with Scott and Kayla.
"Wow, if I had to describe that battle in one word, it would be bloody," Harvey commented.
"I admit, that battle was a lot more intense than some of our other battles," Scott agreed.
"Sorry about staggering at the last minute out there."
"Don't worry about it, it all worked..." Scott then noticed that Kayla was still standing in the
doorway, staring at the floor like it was more interesting than her teammates. "Kayla, you know
if you keep standing there, the birds will eventually think you're a statue," he joked.
"I don't deserve to," she said.
"You don't deserve to stand in a doorway?"
"I don't deserve to be a Zoid warrior."
"That's just a load of bull," Scott said. "Everybody's worthy to be a warrior."
Kayla entered and sat next to Harvey. "Except me. This happens every battle, I get taken out
without even firing one shot. I'm worthless."
"Boy, for somebody who's very knowledgeable about Zoid battles, you sure don't know about how to
act as a Zoid warrior." It was Bit. He along with Leena and Brad were standing where Kayla was
standing a second ago.
"Hi, guys," Scott greeted. Introductions between Harvey and the Blitz Team were made. "So from
the sound of your voices, I'd say you saw the battle."
"Yup, all of it," Brad confirmed. Kayla lowered her head.
"Normally, Kayla doesn't act this depressed after a battle," Scott explained. "But today she's
really down, and we're participating in the Battle Royale next week."
"What a coincidence," Leena said. "So are we."
"Yeah, a lot of Class S teams are participating," Bit added.
"Obviously it's the prize money, ten times the normal Class-S amount."
"So anyway, we saw what happened on the battle and we were thinking maybe we could help."
"Bit was thinking that," Brad ammended.
"We could give Kayla a few pointers, just enough so she can last in a battle for longer than a
minute."
"There he goes with that we stuff," Brad said.
"In times like these, it's best to humor him," Leena whispered to him.
"Could you really help me?" Kayla asked looking at him with hopeful eyes. But then she lowered
her head again. "But if you help me, then I have to go up against you at the Battle Royale..."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Brad said. "With any luck, you'll get up against Leena, and we all
know how her fighting style is like."
"Why don't you try saying that to my face, buddy boy," Leena said.
Bit, ignoring his teammates, turned to Kayla. "So you're interested?"
"Yes!" She practically shouted.
Bit winked at the girl. "All right, then meet me at 11 o'clock tomorrow and we'll get started."
"This oughta be a riot," Leena said.
The next day, Bit and Kayla stood in an open field not far from the Blitz Team's base in their
Zoids.
"All right, Kayla, we're going to start with simple moving and dodging abilities first, that'll
get us ready from what's to come, all right?"
"Fine by me."
"Okay. I'm going to fire a blast from Liger's shot cannon on your left flank. All you have to
do is dodge to your right."
"But if I already know where you're going to hit me, what's the point of dodging."
"I did say we were going to go with simple."
"All right."
"Okay, Liger, just fire a shot on her left side, that's our right."
The Liger's roars sounded annoyed. "I know, I know, just making it clear for you, Liger."
{I can do this,} Kayla tried to psyche herself up. {All I have to do is dodge to the right.
Dodge to the right, dodge to the right, dodge to the right.}
The Liger fired.
Kayla jerked her controls to the left, the Rev Rapter fell over.
"Kayla, I said I was going to hit you on your left."
"Sorry, I freaked out."
"All right, let's try it again. Same thing."
The Liger fired again.
Kayla pulled back on the controls. The Rev Rapter backed up but the blast struck its legs. It
still fell down.
"This is going to take a while," Bit said to himself.
For the next two hours they did simple dodging drills. Towards the end, it looked like Kayla
was getting the hang of it. So Bit tried to surprise her. Unfortunately, he hit the side of
the Rev Rapter and it fell over.
"Let's go onto something else," Bit decided.
A half hour later, they were standing in a narrow passageway between two cliffs. There were
several targets set up along both sides.
"This is target practice," Bit explained. The object should be simple."
"This I know I can do," Kayla assured him.
"All right, let's see what you can do." Liger Zero moved off to the side. Kayla took aim and
fired the gataling guns.
The gataling guns hit the rock wall.
"Oops, guess my aim was high. Here we go." Kayla fired again and knocked the target off its
hinges.
"Well it's progress," Bit declared.
Leena and Brad watched this escapade through the courtesy of buinoculars.
"Talk about the blind leading the blind," Leena said as she handed the buinoculars to Brad.
"The only reason Bit's so good is because Liger Zero's an Ultimate X, not because of his piloting
skills," Brad said.
"I know, what's Bit trying to prove?"
The training continued on into the afternoon. Kayla wasn't getting better but she wasn't getting
worse. By the time night fell, Kayla was so worn out from the training that she fell asleep in
her Zoid. Bit and Doc. Torros brought both Kayla and her Rev Rapter back in the Hovercargo.
"Thanks for bringing her back," Scott said quietly as he took his sleeping sister from Bit's
arms.
"No problem," Bit replied.
"I can imagine training her wasn't easy."
"I admit, it was a lot more difficult than I realized."
Scott put Kayla down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. "Believe me, I know the
feeling. When we first became a Zoid team, I did my best to train her in the ways of Zoid
battling. But she just couldn't get the moves down. I'm sorry if she's just wasting your time."
"Not at all," Bit said leaning on the threshold. "I volunteered the time, she just accepted it."
"Bit, why did you choose to train her?"
Bit had to think about that one. "Well... in a lot of ways, she reminds me of me. I admit I
wasn't the most supreme Zoid warrior. Wow, if Leena heard me say that, I'd never hear the end
of it. Anyway, I had to work too, and not all of our battles were winning ones. But once I
learned to actually put some effort into the skills that I needed for Zoid piloting, everything
came as a breeze. At the end, I felt so proud of myself, that I went from being a nobody junk
dealer living out of his truck to one of the best Zoid pilots in my class, right up there with
Jack Sisqo and Naomi Fluegel. I just want Kayla to feel the same accomplishment that I have."
"That's very noble of you, Bit. Believe me, I want Kayla to feel that way just like you do. I
have a feeling that sooner or later, Kayla will be a great Zoid warrior."
"Yeah, I'm even hoping to go one-on-one with her."
"Hey, who knows, you might get that wish."
"Maybe, well I gotta go. Tell her I'll see her tomorrow."
As Bit left, neither him or Scott realized that Kayla's eyes were open and that she heard every
bit of their conversation.
The training continued. Slowly but surely, Kayla began to get better. She was still a little
weak in the dodging department but as for targeting and fast-thinking decision, she was just as
good as other Zoid warriors.
Finally, the day of the Battle Royale arrived. The Hovercargo pulled up to the 50 mile area
where the Battle Royale was scheduled to be held. All along the perimeter of the field were
judge capsules, one to monitor the progress of each team participating.
Bit was transforming Liger Zero into Liger Zero-Schneider when he contacted Jamie in the
cockpit. "Hey Jamie, any sign of the Nuke Team yet?"
"Nope, not yet. What kind of transport are they suppose to be using."
"I think a Molga equipped with loading platform," Bit said.
"Well let's see, I see lots of Gustavs, Whale Kings, Reptires and even a Bigasauru, but no
Molga."
"All right." Bit, Leena, and Brad were ejected onto the battlefield.
"Battlefield set up," the judges spoke in unison. "Battlemode S-1122. Competition: Battle
Ryale. Rules: All teams will fight at the same time. A Zoid is disqualified if their command
system freezes, if they are disabeled, or if they withdraw from the competition. Once all the
team's Zoids are disabeled or withdrawn, that team's Zoids are asked to leave the arena at once
and return to its transport unit. All teams insert S-Zoid gear as registration."
"Razor Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Midnight Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Flash Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Raider Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Skull Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Blitz Team, S-Zoid gear set."
As the teams reported their readiness, Bit couldn't help but felt sad, perhaps Scott felt that
Kayla wasn't ready and withdrew from the Battle Royale.
"All Zoid teams confirmed except for Nuke Team."
"Wait!" A Molga appeared in the horizon. It quickly landed. And there were three Rev Rapters
with it. Bit saw Scott, Harvey, and Kayla leave the Heligunner and get into
their Rev Raptors.
"Nuke Team, S-Zoid gear set," Scott stated.
"Glad you guys could make it," Bit said opening a communication channel to Kayla's Rev Rapter.
"Hey, if you thought I was letting you train me for nothing..."
"What was I thinking?" Bit mocked asked himself.
"Battlemode S-1122," the Judges announced again. "Ready... FIGHT!" All the Zoids rushed into
the arena and started battling.
Bit was about to go after a very tempting Command Wolf when a familiar-looking Hellrunner
charged at him.
"You're mine, Bit Clown!" Yup, that gravel and chalk dust voice could only belong to one person:
Nicholas Atomson. Zero-Schneider extended one of its side blades and ran at the Hellrunner,
slicing its legs off. Nicholas Atomson was taken out faster than Kayla was during last week's
Zoid battle.
Meanwhile, Kayla looked around for some opponent. Pretty much anybody not on her team was fair
game. An alarm told her there was a Zoid approaching her way. She looked up to see a Dark Horn.
From the markings on its side, it was one of the Raider Team's.
"Okay, stand firm," she told herself. She took aim with her gataling guns and opened fire. The
bullets struck the Dark Horn's front. Realizing that her shots weren't working, Kayla
immediately put the training she learned from Bit into action, dodging to the left. The Dark
Horn ran by her. When the pilot saw that he missed he swung around for another pass. This time,
Kayla dodged to the right, but her elbow accidentally landed on the button that extended the Rev
Raptor's blades. As the blades extended, they struck the side of the 150 milimeter cannon on the
Dark Horn's back. Kayla backed up as the Dark Horn got ready to fire its cannon. But sparks
began erupting from the cannon and the entire weapon exploded disabeling the Dark Horn with it.
"I did it," she realized. "I did it!"
Bit was plowing through the competition with the Zero-Schneider's blades. He saw Kayla take down
the Dark Horn.
"Good job, Kayla!" He congratulated just as the Liger buckled under assault from one of the
Razor Team's Spinefins. Bit tried to maneuver Liger for a Buster Slash attack but the Spinefin
wasn't giving him much time.
Suddenly a brown blurr raced by the Spinefin. Next thing anybody knew, the Spinefin's tail
exploded and it fell. Bit looked up to see a Lightning Saix staring at him. Bit couldn't
believe it. It was the same Lightning Saix that was at their first Class-S battle, he was sure
of it, that could only mean...
The Lightning Saix turned and walked away. Just then it was blasted on its blind side by the
dual beam cannons from a Shield Liger.
"No!" Bit extended all five of Zero-Schneider's blades and fired its ion thrusters. The Shield
Liger activated its energy shield but the thrust from the Schenider's thrusters rammed the
blades through the shield and knocked one of the beam cannons off. Before Bit could turn around,
Brad took advantage to earn some target points by nailing the Shield Liger.
"I could've handled it," Bit told him.
"Nobody said you couldn't, but something like this was just too good to pass up."
"Boys," Leena muttered. Suddenly she was hit from behind by a Dark Horn.
"Leena!" Both Bit and Brad cried just before they were hailed with ammo. The Dark Horn that
attacked them was remarkably similar to Harry Champ's in that it had the same attachments: a
gataling rifle and heavy beam launcher. The Blitz Team was out of the battle.
"Only two teams left," one of the Judges announced. "Nuke Team and Raider Team." The two teams
approached each other. For a moment, nobody moved.
"Wow, it's like a wild west showdown," Jamie commented from the Hovercargo.
"Three Rev Rapters, two Dark Horns," Kayla smirked. "Looks like we have you outnumbered and
outmatched."
"You got the outnumbered part right," the Raider leader replied. "But you'll never be a match
for us." One of the Dark Horns turned and plowed towards Harvey's Rev Rapter. Harvey went
flying and landed on his side. Both Zoid and pilot were down.
"No!" Kayla cried.
"Kayla, move in for close-range combat, just like you did with the first Dark Horn," Scott
instructed.
"Right, bro." The two Rev Rapters extended their blades and charged the Raider. The Raiders did
likewise.
"Kayla, don't let up even for a second," Scott told her.
"I don't plan on giving up," Kayla responded. The four Zoids met, horn versus blade.
For a moment, time stood still. Everybody from the Blitz Team to the Judges watched to see what
happened. Finally, the Zoids separated. The Rev Rapters' blades were broken, but a crack formed
in the side of the Dark Horns. The Dark Horns fell.
"The battle is over!" The Judge watching the Nuke Team cried out. "The battle is over! The
winner is... the Nuke Team!"
All of the other Zoid teams (except for the Flash Team who were trying to get their crying leader
to calm down) burst into applause. It took a moment for it to register in Kayla's brain that
they won. In fact, not only did they win, but she played a hand in that victory. Kayla Rev
Rapter lowered its head and Kayla jumped out. She ran over to her brother's Rev Rapter and
jumped into his arms as soon as he climbed out.
"We did it! We did it!" Kayla cried.
"We couldn't have done it without you, sis," Scott said. Kayla beamed.
Brad's attitude was a little less jubilant. "So much for the prize money."
"Yeah," Leena agreed. "This was a total waste."
"I don't know," Bit said watching the Nuke Team celebrate their victory. "I thought it was a
pretty eventful day. After all, Kayla not only survived a big battle, but helped win it."
"You know, he does have a point," Leena commented.
"Yeah, I guess, I mean it's not like we needed the prize money.
When Bit opened his cockpit hatch, Kayla saw him. Bit smiled and held out his fist. Kayla
smiled and mimiced his movement.
Brad: Ashley's Iron Konger is attacked. The culprits are this radical faction calling
themselves the WARLords. They claim we've been using Zoids for all the wrong purposes. I
don't know what they mean, but I do know that if somebody doesn't do something soon, Ashley is a
gonner. Next time on Zoids: "The Arrival of the WARLords." Ready... fight!
guys have been sending me. Thank you. I put a lot of hard work into each episode and it's good
to know that it's not in vain. However, I would also like to know why you guys like it. Some
of you say that it's remarkably similar to the series. But what you guys think of the general
plot, the characters, the new Zoids I've been bringing in. Also, if any of you guys know
something I can do to make it even better, feel free to e-mail me and I'll pay attention to them.
With that said, on with the next episode of Zoids-S.
Zoids-S
Episode 6: Kayla's Reckoning: Showdown at the Battle Royale.
The Blitz Team sat in one of the many diners at Vanguard City. They were all taking a small
hiatus from Zoid battling. After battling the Mary Team and the Sirens Team, they certainly
deserved it. Everybody was in high spirits. Even Bit was, as Leena noticed. Lately, he seemed
much more calm about going into Vanguard City. True, he still tensed up whenever they entered
the city but at least he didn't whine about it.
"You know, we've been in Zoid battles for so long, I almost forgot what it was like to just sit
on the sidelines and watch," Leena mused.
"I know, it's like going backpacking and taking the heavy backpack off after about five hours,"
Bit agreed.
"I'd rather be out there earning some prize money," Bit said putting his legs on the table and
leaning back on his back two chair legs.
"Oh can it with the mocho crap," Leena said kicking the legs out causing the former mercenary to
crash to the floor. "You like taking a break as much as the next warrior."
"So what if I do," Brad countered bringing his chair up on all four legs.
"I'd have to agree with Leena on that," Jamie said. "Besides, watching an enemy during battle
can lead to effective strategies when you have to go up with them."
"Coming up next on ZBTV," a faceless announcer said. "A live Zoid battle between the Nuke team
and their arch rivals, the Raider Team."
"Nuke team," Bit repeated. "Hey, isn't that the team that Scott and Kayla Fernand are on?"
"Hey, that's right," Leena confirmed remembering their introductions.
~ "My name's Kayla Fernand," the girl introduced. "I'm part of the Nuke Team."
"I'm Scott Fernand, leader of the Nuke Team." ~
"The Nuke Team and the Raider Team have been rivals since they both entered Class-S, with the
Nuke team winning the Southern Royal Cup and the Raider Team the Eastern Royal Cup," the
announcer continued. "The Raider Team is highly expected to win this battle but hopes are still
high for the Nuke Team."
"Do you guys think Kayla's as good a warrior as she wants us to believe?" Jamie asked.
"I don't think even she believes she is," Brad replied.
"As far as Zoids are concerned, the Nuke Team will be using primarily Rev Rapters while the Nuke
Team's Zoids consist of Dark Horns."
"Well there you go," Brad said. "Dark Horns are much more powerful than Rev Rapters."
"True, but you also got to take into account the warriors' strength and experience," Jamie
argued. "Since we don't know what either team is like in battle, there's really no way to tell
who will have the advantage."
"Guys, it's starting," Bit interrupted.
On the TV, the Judge Capsule just touched down. "Battlefield setup, the Nuke Team versus the
Raider Team. Battlemode S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!" All six Zoids charged towards each other.
"Guys, look." Leena pointed to the bottom of the screen where six pictures were, three on the
left side and three of the right side. Two of the pictures on the right side looked like Scott
and Kayla.
"I guess those are to tell the audience who's been knocked out of the battle," Brad figured.
On the battlefield, Scott was trying to take charge of the situation, not giving the Raider Team
the chance to back them into a corner.
"Kayla, Harvey, don't stand so close to me, we can't give them a chance to get us all in one
shot."
"Right, brother."
"Right, Scott."
The Rev Rapters on either side of Scott's peeled off and spred around to the side of the Dark
Horns.
"Good plan," the Raider leader commented. "Since our guns can't pivot, you think you have the
adventage. Too bad it won't work." The Dark Horn that was Kayla's target backed up allowing
the bullets from the hip-mounted mini gataling guns to fly across its front. The Dark Horn
then worked its way around and rushed at Kayla's Rev Rapter from the side.
"Kayla, watch out!" Scott shouted a warning. Kayla screamed. The Dark Horn rammed the side of
Kayla's Rev Rapter. The Rev Raptor fell over onto its side, a hole punctured where the guns
were.
"Nuke Team registration number 58714 out of the battle," the Judge announced.
On the screen, a red slash mark appeared on Kayla's picture.
"You mean that Rev Rapter that got rammed was Kayla?" Leena gasped. Jamie winced, remembering
all the times he was taken out of the battle at the beginning.
"Talk about poor piloting," Brad commented. "I could've dodged that."
Bit looked at his watch. "Wow, it hasn't even been a minute and already Kayla's out of the
battle."
"And from the way Scott and that other guy are still battling, it seems like its a natural
occurence," Jamie added.
"Harvey, finish off that Dark Horn fast then deal with the one that shot Kayla," Scott ordered.
"You got it, Chief," Harvey said. He extended his blades and sliced the gun on the Dark Horn's
back off. He then fired his guns again.
"Harvey, use the Rev Rapter's jaw chomp," Scott instructed. The Rev Rapter bit down on the Dark
Horn's back. Even though the Dark Horn's back was too big to fully fit in the Rev Raptor's
mouth, it served the purpose of disabeling it.
Scott backed up and looked at Harvey. He was looking a little warn. And Kayla isn't much help.
Looks like he would have to go on this alone. Unless...
Scott's Rev Rapter broke into a run. The Dark Horn began chasing it. The Rev Rapter charged
towards the Dark Horn that Kayla was fighting. The other Dark Horn turned towards Scott and
aimed his back-mounted cannon.
"Yes," Scott called silently to himself. The Rev Rapter leaped into the air just as the pilot
pulled the trigger. The bullets struck the other Dark Horn and it was disabeled.
"Two down, one to go," Scott said. "Time for a kamikaze!" Scott's Rev Rapter extended its
blades and it fell head first onto the last Dark Horn. Both Zoids were disabeled, but Harvey's
was still standing and that meant victory.
"The battle is over!" The Judge cried out. "The battle is over. The winner is... the Nuke
Team!"
"Well I admit, that was a pretty interesting battle," Brad reviewed as they finished their lunch.
"Taking a nosedive like that."
"I kind of feel sorry for Kayla," Bit said.
"I know what you mean," Leena told them. "Being taken out of the battle so early, it's a real
insult."
Jamie looked back at the screen. "Maybe there's something we can do to help."
The Fernand's house was located about ten miles north of Vanguard City. It was a lot smaller
than the Blitz Team's base because that was mostly what it was, a house. The Zoid bay and
maintenance center was located in a storage warehouse in Vanguard City. Normally, Harvey would
take the Rev Rapters back there to work on, but they didn't have a battle for a while so he came
back with Scott and Kayla.
"Wow, if I had to describe that battle in one word, it would be bloody," Harvey commented.
"I admit, that battle was a lot more intense than some of our other battles," Scott agreed.
"Sorry about staggering at the last minute out there."
"Don't worry about it, it all worked..." Scott then noticed that Kayla was still standing in the
doorway, staring at the floor like it was more interesting than her teammates. "Kayla, you know
if you keep standing there, the birds will eventually think you're a statue," he joked.
"I don't deserve to," she said.
"You don't deserve to stand in a doorway?"
"I don't deserve to be a Zoid warrior."
"That's just a load of bull," Scott said. "Everybody's worthy to be a warrior."
Kayla entered and sat next to Harvey. "Except me. This happens every battle, I get taken out
without even firing one shot. I'm worthless."
"Boy, for somebody who's very knowledgeable about Zoid battles, you sure don't know about how to
act as a Zoid warrior." It was Bit. He along with Leena and Brad were standing where Kayla was
standing a second ago.
"Hi, guys," Scott greeted. Introductions between Harvey and the Blitz Team were made. "So from
the sound of your voices, I'd say you saw the battle."
"Yup, all of it," Brad confirmed. Kayla lowered her head.
"Normally, Kayla doesn't act this depressed after a battle," Scott explained. "But today she's
really down, and we're participating in the Battle Royale next week."
"What a coincidence," Leena said. "So are we."
"Yeah, a lot of Class S teams are participating," Bit added.
"Obviously it's the prize money, ten times the normal Class-S amount."
"So anyway, we saw what happened on the battle and we were thinking maybe we could help."
"Bit was thinking that," Brad ammended.
"We could give Kayla a few pointers, just enough so she can last in a battle for longer than a
minute."
"There he goes with that we stuff," Brad said.
"In times like these, it's best to humor him," Leena whispered to him.
"Could you really help me?" Kayla asked looking at him with hopeful eyes. But then she lowered
her head again. "But if you help me, then I have to go up against you at the Battle Royale..."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Brad said. "With any luck, you'll get up against Leena, and we all
know how her fighting style is like."
"Why don't you try saying that to my face, buddy boy," Leena said.
Bit, ignoring his teammates, turned to Kayla. "So you're interested?"
"Yes!" She practically shouted.
Bit winked at the girl. "All right, then meet me at 11 o'clock tomorrow and we'll get started."
"This oughta be a riot," Leena said.
The next day, Bit and Kayla stood in an open field not far from the Blitz Team's base in their
Zoids.
"All right, Kayla, we're going to start with simple moving and dodging abilities first, that'll
get us ready from what's to come, all right?"
"Fine by me."
"Okay. I'm going to fire a blast from Liger's shot cannon on your left flank. All you have to
do is dodge to your right."
"But if I already know where you're going to hit me, what's the point of dodging."
"I did say we were going to go with simple."
"All right."
"Okay, Liger, just fire a shot on her left side, that's our right."
The Liger's roars sounded annoyed. "I know, I know, just making it clear for you, Liger."
{I can do this,} Kayla tried to psyche herself up. {All I have to do is dodge to the right.
Dodge to the right, dodge to the right, dodge to the right.}
The Liger fired.
Kayla jerked her controls to the left, the Rev Rapter fell over.
"Kayla, I said I was going to hit you on your left."
"Sorry, I freaked out."
"All right, let's try it again. Same thing."
The Liger fired again.
Kayla pulled back on the controls. The Rev Rapter backed up but the blast struck its legs. It
still fell down.
"This is going to take a while," Bit said to himself.
For the next two hours they did simple dodging drills. Towards the end, it looked like Kayla
was getting the hang of it. So Bit tried to surprise her. Unfortunately, he hit the side of
the Rev Rapter and it fell over.
"Let's go onto something else," Bit decided.
A half hour later, they were standing in a narrow passageway between two cliffs. There were
several targets set up along both sides.
"This is target practice," Bit explained. The object should be simple."
"This I know I can do," Kayla assured him.
"All right, let's see what you can do." Liger Zero moved off to the side. Kayla took aim and
fired the gataling guns.
The gataling guns hit the rock wall.
"Oops, guess my aim was high. Here we go." Kayla fired again and knocked the target off its
hinges.
"Well it's progress," Bit declared.
Leena and Brad watched this escapade through the courtesy of buinoculars.
"Talk about the blind leading the blind," Leena said as she handed the buinoculars to Brad.
"The only reason Bit's so good is because Liger Zero's an Ultimate X, not because of his piloting
skills," Brad said.
"I know, what's Bit trying to prove?"
The training continued on into the afternoon. Kayla wasn't getting better but she wasn't getting
worse. By the time night fell, Kayla was so worn out from the training that she fell asleep in
her Zoid. Bit and Doc. Torros brought both Kayla and her Rev Rapter back in the Hovercargo.
"Thanks for bringing her back," Scott said quietly as he took his sleeping sister from Bit's
arms.
"No problem," Bit replied.
"I can imagine training her wasn't easy."
"I admit, it was a lot more difficult than I realized."
Scott put Kayla down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. "Believe me, I know the
feeling. When we first became a Zoid team, I did my best to train her in the ways of Zoid
battling. But she just couldn't get the moves down. I'm sorry if she's just wasting your time."
"Not at all," Bit said leaning on the threshold. "I volunteered the time, she just accepted it."
"Bit, why did you choose to train her?"
Bit had to think about that one. "Well... in a lot of ways, she reminds me of me. I admit I
wasn't the most supreme Zoid warrior. Wow, if Leena heard me say that, I'd never hear the end
of it. Anyway, I had to work too, and not all of our battles were winning ones. But once I
learned to actually put some effort into the skills that I needed for Zoid piloting, everything
came as a breeze. At the end, I felt so proud of myself, that I went from being a nobody junk
dealer living out of his truck to one of the best Zoid pilots in my class, right up there with
Jack Sisqo and Naomi Fluegel. I just want Kayla to feel the same accomplishment that I have."
"That's very noble of you, Bit. Believe me, I want Kayla to feel that way just like you do. I
have a feeling that sooner or later, Kayla will be a great Zoid warrior."
"Yeah, I'm even hoping to go one-on-one with her."
"Hey, who knows, you might get that wish."
"Maybe, well I gotta go. Tell her I'll see her tomorrow."
As Bit left, neither him or Scott realized that Kayla's eyes were open and that she heard every
bit of their conversation.
The training continued. Slowly but surely, Kayla began to get better. She was still a little
weak in the dodging department but as for targeting and fast-thinking decision, she was just as
good as other Zoid warriors.
Finally, the day of the Battle Royale arrived. The Hovercargo pulled up to the 50 mile area
where the Battle Royale was scheduled to be held. All along the perimeter of the field were
judge capsules, one to monitor the progress of each team participating.
Bit was transforming Liger Zero into Liger Zero-Schneider when he contacted Jamie in the
cockpit. "Hey Jamie, any sign of the Nuke Team yet?"
"Nope, not yet. What kind of transport are they suppose to be using."
"I think a Molga equipped with loading platform," Bit said.
"Well let's see, I see lots of Gustavs, Whale Kings, Reptires and even a Bigasauru, but no
Molga."
"All right." Bit, Leena, and Brad were ejected onto the battlefield.
"Battlefield set up," the judges spoke in unison. "Battlemode S-1122. Competition: Battle
Ryale. Rules: All teams will fight at the same time. A Zoid is disqualified if their command
system freezes, if they are disabeled, or if they withdraw from the competition. Once all the
team's Zoids are disabeled or withdrawn, that team's Zoids are asked to leave the arena at once
and return to its transport unit. All teams insert S-Zoid gear as registration."
"Razor Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Midnight Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Flash Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Raider Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Skull Team, S-Zoid gear set."
"Blitz Team, S-Zoid gear set."
As the teams reported their readiness, Bit couldn't help but felt sad, perhaps Scott felt that
Kayla wasn't ready and withdrew from the Battle Royale.
"All Zoid teams confirmed except for Nuke Team."
"Wait!" A Molga appeared in the horizon. It quickly landed. And there were three Rev Rapters
with it. Bit saw Scott, Harvey, and Kayla leave the Heligunner and get into
their Rev Raptors.
"Nuke Team, S-Zoid gear set," Scott stated.
"Glad you guys could make it," Bit said opening a communication channel to Kayla's Rev Rapter.
"Hey, if you thought I was letting you train me for nothing..."
"What was I thinking?" Bit mocked asked himself.
"Battlemode S-1122," the Judges announced again. "Ready... FIGHT!" All the Zoids rushed into
the arena and started battling.
Bit was about to go after a very tempting Command Wolf when a familiar-looking Hellrunner
charged at him.
"You're mine, Bit Clown!" Yup, that gravel and chalk dust voice could only belong to one person:
Nicholas Atomson. Zero-Schneider extended one of its side blades and ran at the Hellrunner,
slicing its legs off. Nicholas Atomson was taken out faster than Kayla was during last week's
Zoid battle.
Meanwhile, Kayla looked around for some opponent. Pretty much anybody not on her team was fair
game. An alarm told her there was a Zoid approaching her way. She looked up to see a Dark Horn.
From the markings on its side, it was one of the Raider Team's.
"Okay, stand firm," she told herself. She took aim with her gataling guns and opened fire. The
bullets struck the Dark Horn's front. Realizing that her shots weren't working, Kayla
immediately put the training she learned from Bit into action, dodging to the left. The Dark
Horn ran by her. When the pilot saw that he missed he swung around for another pass. This time,
Kayla dodged to the right, but her elbow accidentally landed on the button that extended the Rev
Raptor's blades. As the blades extended, they struck the side of the 150 milimeter cannon on the
Dark Horn's back. Kayla backed up as the Dark Horn got ready to fire its cannon. But sparks
began erupting from the cannon and the entire weapon exploded disabeling the Dark Horn with it.
"I did it," she realized. "I did it!"
Bit was plowing through the competition with the Zero-Schneider's blades. He saw Kayla take down
the Dark Horn.
"Good job, Kayla!" He congratulated just as the Liger buckled under assault from one of the
Razor Team's Spinefins. Bit tried to maneuver Liger for a Buster Slash attack but the Spinefin
wasn't giving him much time.
Suddenly a brown blurr raced by the Spinefin. Next thing anybody knew, the Spinefin's tail
exploded and it fell. Bit looked up to see a Lightning Saix staring at him. Bit couldn't
believe it. It was the same Lightning Saix that was at their first Class-S battle, he was sure
of it, that could only mean...
The Lightning Saix turned and walked away. Just then it was blasted on its blind side by the
dual beam cannons from a Shield Liger.
"No!" Bit extended all five of Zero-Schneider's blades and fired its ion thrusters. The Shield
Liger activated its energy shield but the thrust from the Schenider's thrusters rammed the
blades through the shield and knocked one of the beam cannons off. Before Bit could turn around,
Brad took advantage to earn some target points by nailing the Shield Liger.
"I could've handled it," Bit told him.
"Nobody said you couldn't, but something like this was just too good to pass up."
"Boys," Leena muttered. Suddenly she was hit from behind by a Dark Horn.
"Leena!" Both Bit and Brad cried just before they were hailed with ammo. The Dark Horn that
attacked them was remarkably similar to Harry Champ's in that it had the same attachments: a
gataling rifle and heavy beam launcher. The Blitz Team was out of the battle.
"Only two teams left," one of the Judges announced. "Nuke Team and Raider Team." The two teams
approached each other. For a moment, nobody moved.
"Wow, it's like a wild west showdown," Jamie commented from the Hovercargo.
"Three Rev Rapters, two Dark Horns," Kayla smirked. "Looks like we have you outnumbered and
outmatched."
"You got the outnumbered part right," the Raider leader replied. "But you'll never be a match
for us." One of the Dark Horns turned and plowed towards Harvey's Rev Rapter. Harvey went
flying and landed on his side. Both Zoid and pilot were down.
"No!" Kayla cried.
"Kayla, move in for close-range combat, just like you did with the first Dark Horn," Scott
instructed.
"Right, bro." The two Rev Rapters extended their blades and charged the Raider. The Raiders did
likewise.
"Kayla, don't let up even for a second," Scott told her.
"I don't plan on giving up," Kayla responded. The four Zoids met, horn versus blade.
For a moment, time stood still. Everybody from the Blitz Team to the Judges watched to see what
happened. Finally, the Zoids separated. The Rev Rapters' blades were broken, but a crack formed
in the side of the Dark Horns. The Dark Horns fell.
"The battle is over!" The Judge watching the Nuke Team cried out. "The battle is over! The
winner is... the Nuke Team!"
All of the other Zoid teams (except for the Flash Team who were trying to get their crying leader
to calm down) burst into applause. It took a moment for it to register in Kayla's brain that
they won. In fact, not only did they win, but she played a hand in that victory. Kayla Rev
Rapter lowered its head and Kayla jumped out. She ran over to her brother's Rev Rapter and
jumped into his arms as soon as he climbed out.
"We did it! We did it!" Kayla cried.
"We couldn't have done it without you, sis," Scott said. Kayla beamed.
Brad's attitude was a little less jubilant. "So much for the prize money."
"Yeah," Leena agreed. "This was a total waste."
"I don't know," Bit said watching the Nuke Team celebrate their victory. "I thought it was a
pretty eventful day. After all, Kayla not only survived a big battle, but helped win it."
"You know, he does have a point," Leena commented.
"Yeah, I guess, I mean it's not like we needed the prize money.
When Bit opened his cockpit hatch, Kayla saw him. Bit smiled and held out his fist. Kayla
smiled and mimiced his movement.
Brad: Ashley's Iron Konger is attacked. The culprits are this radical faction calling
themselves the WARLords. They claim we've been using Zoids for all the wrong purposes. I
don't know what they mean, but I do know that if somebody doesn't do something soon, Ashley is a
gonner. Next time on Zoids: "The Arrival of the WARLords." Ready... fight!