Zoids-S
Episode 8: Bit's Reunion: Rematch with the Flash Team
Bit Cloud woke up feeling better than he had in years. It was like someone plugged him into an
outlet and he'd been recharging now he was fully charged. Bit dressed and went in search for
the one thing that would make him even happier.
Food.
On the way to the kitchen, he passed by Brad Hunter who was just exiting his room. Unlike Bit,
Brad was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Good morning, Brad," Bit greeted in a melodic tone.
"What're you so cheery about?" Brad asked.
"Do I have a reason not to be cheery?"
"Something's up with you, what?"
"Oh come on, Brad, don't be such a sourpuss."
"It's too early to be as cheerful as you are."
"I know something that'll make Brad happy," Jamie Hemeros said as he walked in from the opposite
direction. "I checked our account and a large sum of money has been deposited into it. I
guess the Zoid Battle Commission wanted to thank us for rescuing Ashley a few days ago."
As Jamie expected, Brad perked up at the mention of money. "Finally, some credit where credit
is due. Now all we have to do is keep Doctor Torros from splurging it all."
"I didn't tell him yet if that helps."
"A lot," Bit and Brad said at the same time.
The three came into the kitchen. There, they saw Leena flipping something in a pan.
"Uh-oh, Leena's cooking," Jamie said.
"This is a bad thing, right?" That was Brad.
"Oh come on, you guys are just being paranoid," Leena said. "Jamie's been teaching me to cook."
"Trying to is more like it," Jamie muttered.
"At this point, I'm so hungry I'll eat anything," Bit said plopping down at the table.
"What are you so excited about?" Leena asked as she unloaded a pancake onto a plate.
"I just feel like this is my lucky day. Nothing can dampen my mood, not even if Harry Champ was
to walk through that door."
"I'm glad to see you're so positive, Bit," Doc. Torros said as he walked in. "And I have some
news that'll excite you even more. We just been challenged to a battle by the Geyser Team."
"Aren't the Geysers that heavily armed Gojula team?" Leena asked.
"Sure is. It's suppose to take place in a few hours."
"OH YEAH!" Bit stood up. "A battle, just what I need to keep my lucky streek going."
"To receive some prize money, sure," Brad agreed.
"Then prepare the Zoids, we're heading out to coordinates L37E14!"
"Hey wait, what about my breakfast!" Leena reminded them.
"When there's a Zoid battle to win, food can wait," Bit said as he headed out to the Hover Cargo.
Leena scowled. "Hmph, and after the nice breakfast I made for them." She then sniffed the air.
"Something's burning." She turned and saw that the pancake she was cooking caught on fire.
Leena screamed and dumped the mess into the sink, turning on the water. Soon, it was out.
"Phew. Hey guys, wait for me!" Leena decided to leave the cooking to Jamie from now on.
A while later, the Blitz Team's Shadow Fox, Gun Sniper, and Liger Zero stood at the coordinates.
Before them were three Gojulas, one was equipped with the normal arsenal, two cannons and
various small beam cannons. Another was armed with a wild weasel unit like Leena and the third
was equipped with a quattro impact cannon and had wrist gataling units like a Gun Sniper.
"Jeez, Bit, save some of that energy for the battle," Leena said noticing Bit squirming in his
seat like a kid sitting in the theater having to go to the bathroom.
"I'm sorry, I just know I'm going to clean house this battle."
"Whatever."
"Hey Bit, are you sure you don't want to convert into Schneider?" Jamie asked.
"Positive. Liger and I will do just fine without converting." Liger roared an agreement.
"Battlefield set up!" The Judge began. "The Blitz Team versus the Geyser Team. Battlemode
S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!"
With a psychotic laugh, Leena fired her gataling rifles. "We'll see whose Wild Weasel Unit is
the best." The Weasel-Gojula fired its cannons. Leena fired her rockets in response.
Meanwhile, Bit rushed forward to meet the Impact Cannon-Gojula. The Liger leaped at the Gojula
which swung its tail to bat Liger Zero away. The Liger landed on his feet and fired its shot
cannon. The blast damaged the wrist gataling units but the Gojula still had its main weapon.
"Let's not give him a chance to use his weapons, Liger. Double Strike Laser Claw!" The Liger's
front paws glowed and challenged the dexterity of the impact cannons. The claws prevailed but
the Gojula wasn't out of the battle yet. It actually engaged in hand-to-hand (actually more like
tail-to-paw) contact with the Liger Zero. This struggle continued for five minutes before Bit
was able to draw the Gojula in close and fired its shot cannon. The blast took out a piece
of the chest plating. The Gojula fell.
Brad and Leena were fairing just as well. Brad distracted his Gojula opponent with its
smokescrean and launched a Strike Laser Claw attack with its back turned.
"How's it coming on your end, Brad?" Bit asked.
"Got it under wraps."
"So do I. What about Leena?" The two turned their Zoids' heads to see the Gun Sniper standing
over a mangled Gojula. It looked up at them and asked in Leena's voice, "What?"
"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is... The Blitz Team!"
"Oh yeah," Bit shouted sounding a bit like Leena for a moment. "I'm on fire! This day couldn't
get any better!"
"So now that we won the battle, now what?" Brad asked.
Bit's stomach answered that by growling. "Wow, I guess in all the excitement, I forgot to eat
breakfast."
"Serves you right for missing out on the breakfast I made," Leena scolded.
"He's hungry, not suicidal," Brad said.
"Hey, come out of that Shadow Fox and say that to me again!"
"With pleasure!"
"All right, all right, kids, settle down," Doc. Torros said. "Why don't we all go into Vanguard
City and get some lunch!"
"That's fine with me, how about you, Bit?"
"Hey, as long as we eat, I don't care where we go."
"Then to Vanguard City it is!"
The Hover Cargo arrived in Vanguard City. The Blitz Team had no problems finding a place to eat.
Ironically, it was the same place that Bit, Leena, and Jamie ate in when Mary Champ made her
presence known once again.
"Wow, if Bit was any more hyper, he'd be shot right up to space," Leena commented.
"I know," Brad and Jamie agreed.
Their food arrived. Bit just took his first bite when a painfully familiar voice called out.
"AH-HA! I knew you would be here, Bit Clown!"
The Blitz Team rolled their eyes. It was Nicholas Atomson, leader of the Flash Team.
"So we meet again, Bit Clown! Finally, you must be ready to declare me your ultimate rival!"
"Actually, we just came in here for some lunch," Bit admitted.
"Admit it, you're just eager to go face-to-face with..."
"Nicholas, save it for the battlefield." Another boy walked up to them. He looked like Brad
with the shaggy hair and the tall body but the hair was a darker color. His eyes were hidden
behind a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses. He was the same guy who removed Nicholas from the
restaurant on the day when Mary Champ challenged them to a battle. "I'm Rayshawn Nitoro, you can
call me Nitro."
"You were the Rapter pilot during our first battle," Bit said. Nitro nodded.
"That just leaves your Lightning Saix pilot," Brad concluded.
"Oh," Nicholas said as if he was just reminded of something. "Yeah, well she went..."
"She's right here." A new voice joined the mix. The Blitz Team turned around and discovered a
girl standing behind them. Her hair was blonde like Bit's and looked like it was pulled back
permanently in a pony tail. Her eyes were a deep blue. She was dressed in a pink halter top and
jean shorts. "It's been a long time, Bit."
Bit's eyes narrowed and a scowl formed on his face. "Amber."
"None other."
"You were the Lightning Saix pilot at our first Class-S battle, and you were the one who knocked
down that Spinefin that was attacking me at the Battle Royale."
"Guilty as charged."
"Wait, you two know each other?" Leena asked.
"Amber's my sister."
"Older sister," Amber emphasized. "Well, Bit, I see you moved up in the world."
"That's right," Bit said firmly. "I'm part of Class-S."
"Aww, how cute, little brother's trying to catch up to me."
"Hey, I'll have you know I made quite the name for myself too. I won the Western Royal Cup for
my team."
Leena nudged him. "I thought it was your Zoid who won."
"You're not helping," Bit muttered.
To everyone's surprise, Amber just yawned. "So what, I did too. Face it, bro, what you've done
is old news."
"Should we leave you two alone?" Brad asked.
"Look, Amber, I'm not 6 any more, I've manage to succeed without any help, especially yours."
"Oh really, is that why your Liger was knocked down at the Battle Royale?"
"My Zoid is an Ultimate-X!" Bit revealed.
Nicholas and Nitro were surprised. "Whoa, how did you get your hands on an Ultimate X?"
"Actually, it sort-of got its claws on me."
Amber just ignored the revelation although she was surprised as well. "So in other words, you
have a Zoid who does all the work and all you have to do is sit back and watch the action?"
"That's sibling rivalry for you," Jamie cracked.
"Sometimes it's best to stay away from something like this," Torros said drinking his coffee.
"Liger Zero and I work as a team, Amber. The credit is given to both of us."
"So now you rely on a Zoid to pick you up, huh?"
"Looks like the only way I can show you is in a Zoid battle. So I challenge you to a Class-S
battle and show you how much I've matured and how much I contribute to Zoid battles."
"Hey, hold on, shouldn't you ask us if we want to go through with it?" Leena spoke up.
"Well I don't think its fair putting a Zoid and pilot against just a Zoid, but sure, all right."
"There he goes again," Jamie sighed. "Accepting Zoid battles blindly."
"Only now he's dragging us along for the ride," Brad added.
"At last!" Nicholas cried. "Another chance to prove to Bit Clown that I am his once and true
rival!" That received weird looks from everybody.
"Your leader's weird," Bit simply said.
"That's an understatement," Amber agreed.
Bit was the first one to exit the Hover Cargo when they got back to the Torros base. Leena was
not far behind him. "Hold on a moment, buddy." The boy turned around. "What makes you think
you can just throw out Zoid battle requests just because somebody's goading you?"
Bit turned around and gave her the most serious look Leena has ever seen. "When I was a kid,
Amber always used to bail me out of tight situations, even if I felt I could handle them.
Whenever I found myself in a jam, no matter how big, there she was, saving me."
"And that's a reason to challenge her to a Class-S battle? Honestly, Bit, I thought I knew you
better."
"There's more. Eventually, she started holding that over my head like a noose, showing off
how superior she was and giving off the impression that I was as helpless as a baby Organoid.
Everybody was talking about how lucky I was to have a sister who was always catching me
when I fell and how I couldn't do anything without her help. I just want to show her that I can
pick myself up and I don't need any help."
"So let me get this straight, you want to challenge your older sister to a Zoid battle simply to
show her you're grownup when you're acting like a child by doing this? Come on, Bit, I know
thinking's not your style but try it just this once. Maybe the reason she's treating you like a
child is because you're acting like one."
"This is the only way to make her understand, Leena, the only way she'll recognize that
I'm not as weak as she thinks. You saw what happened today, she refuses to believe I'm an
accomplished warrior by my words. I have to make her see the truth." And then Bit turned and
went inside.
"Oh Bit," Leena sighed. This was eating him up inside, she could tell. "So much for your good
day."
The battle was scheduled for two days later. Bit easily had his request approved by the Zoid
Battle Commission, partly because Amber put in her request on the same day. The Hover Cargo
pulled up to the battle site, a 30 square smile radius in the desert. The three Zoids were
ejected onto the battlefield.
"I'd like to go after Nitro this time around if you guys don't mind," Brad said.
"That's okay," Leena said. "I guess I'll take on Amber."
"No," Bit said. "I'll take on Amber, you try to keep Nicholas from butting in.
"Are you sure, Bit?" Leena asked.
"Never been more sure in my life.
It was then that the Flash Team arrived. Their three Zoids leaped from the Reptire carrier to
the ground.
The Judge Capsule touched down and the Judge emerged. "The area within a 30 mile radius is a
designated Zoid battlefield. Only competitors and personnel have authorization. Danger! All
other must leave the area at once! Area scanned, battlefield set up! The Blitz Team versus the
Flash Team. Battlemode S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!"
Bit immediately fired the Liger's ion boosters, hoping to take Amber by surprise. The Lightning
Saix dodged but Liger back-handed the cheetah Zoid.
Amber grunted. {Man, Bit's gone crazy! I guess he's just as reckless as he was years ago.}
Leena thought the same thing. There was a lull in the battle with Nicholas' Hellrunner. Leena
watched it for a while before turning back to Nicholas.
"You will not stop me from having my battle with my rival," Nicholas declared.
"Oh shut up," Leena said. "Weasel Unit Super Assault!" The Hellrunner dodged but the shockwave
caused from the explosions behind him forced him down. "Gotcha," Leena smirked. Then grunted
as the Rapter pummeled her with machine gun fire.
"You may have defeated our leader," Nitro said to her. "But you won't defeat the entire team
like last time." The Rapter charged forward and sliced the top two missile pods off the Gun
Sniper.
Brad did his best to try to come to Leena's aid, but the Gun Sniper was getting sliced up by the
Rapter. Eventually, the Rapter struck a vulnerable area and the Zoid went down.
Three words flashed on Leena's status screen: COMMAND SYSTEM FROZEN. "Beaten by a Rapter, how
humiliating!"
"Aww man." Brad tackled the Rapter from behind. "Strike Laser Claw!" The Shadow Fox sliced the
Rapter's tail off. The Rapter turned around but Brad fired his laser vulcan gun. The Rapter
went down.
Amber quickly abandoned her fight with Bit to go after Brad. The Lightning Saix was too fast for
the Shadow Fox and Brad went down.
Brad's screen also showed the command system frozen warning. "Looks like it's up to you, Bit.
Get her for us!" Inside, Brad couldn't help but worry that it seemed like he was cheering for
Bit's seemingly feral attitude.
The Lightning Saix renewed this assault on the Liger Zero. Bit was fighting blindly, even
Nicholas could see that now. The Liger Zero activated its Strike Laser Claw but the Lightning
Saix dodged and used its own claws to launch an attack of its own. The Saix damaged the Liger
Zero's shot cannon.
"Liger, can you still fight?" Bit asked. The Liger roared and flipped over, causing the
Lightning Saix to be on the bottom. The long-range cannon that the Lightning Saix usually wore
was damaged.
"Both the Liger and Lightning Saix's weapons are damaged," Jamie reported. "But Bit still has
the Strike Laser Claw."
"The Lightning Saix is great when it comes to high speed battle," Doc. Torros said to Jamie.
"But in close range combat, there's almost no Zoid that can match the Liger Zero."
Meanwhile, the Liger stomped on the Lightning Saix's stomach.
"I've been up against Lightning Saixs before, Amber," Bit told her. "Once your speed's out of
the way, there's nothing you can do."
Amber sighed. "All right, Bit, go ahead and finish me."
"Huh?" Bit asked. This wasn't something he expected from her. Amber would keep on fighting
until she wins or loses.
"What are you waiting for, Bit, finish her off!" Leena instructed.
"Do it!" Encouraged Brad.
"It's obvious that you have advanced as a Zoid Warrior. So go ahead and finish me off if you
wish."
Bit just stared down at his sister. Suddenly he realized the truth, she wanted to hold this over
his head as well. They both knew she could get out easily, but she wanted to show to everyone
that she was willing to let her psychopathic brother win a battle to prove something that she
probably doesn't really care about. Yeah, that did sound like the Amber that Bit knew. Bit
didn't want to be in debt to her any more so he decided to do something that was completely out
of character for him.
To everyone's surprise, Liger backed off the Lightning Saix. Bit opened a communication
screen to the Judge. "Judge, this is Bit Cloud of the Blitz Team. I'm forfeiting the match."
Everyone, including Nicholas, gasped.
Brad: "Forfeit?"
Leena: "Is he out of his mind?"
Nitro: "What's going on here?"
Nicholas: "No way."
Jamie: "Doc, what's going on?"
Doc. Torros: "I'm not sure, this isn't like Bit at all."
"Why won't you finish me off?" Amber asked.
"Because that's exactly what you want me to do, so you'll have something else to use against me.
You, making the noble sacrifice so that your reckless brother can prove a point. No way, Amber.
I've grown past that. Judge?"
"Deliberating... Deliberating... Forfeit accepted. The winner, by forfeit, the Flash Team!"
There were no cheers from either side as Liger Zero turned around and walked away from the
battlefield.
"Hey wait, Bit, where are you going? Come back to the Hover Cargo."
"Let him go, Jamie," Doctor Torros said.
"But why?"
"Because at a time like this, it's best to leave him alone."
Brad: What was Bit thinking, forfeiting the battle like that? Not only did we not win any prize
money, but now Leena's putting Bit down like there's no tomorrow. I don't know, calling him such
harsh names like a brooding skunk and organoid fodder seems a little harsh. Next time on Zoids:
"A Dark Cloud in the Blitz Team." Ready... FIGHT!
Episode 8: Bit's Reunion: Rematch with the Flash Team
Bit Cloud woke up feeling better than he had in years. It was like someone plugged him into an
outlet and he'd been recharging now he was fully charged. Bit dressed and went in search for
the one thing that would make him even happier.
Food.
On the way to the kitchen, he passed by Brad Hunter who was just exiting his room. Unlike Bit,
Brad was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Good morning, Brad," Bit greeted in a melodic tone.
"What're you so cheery about?" Brad asked.
"Do I have a reason not to be cheery?"
"Something's up with you, what?"
"Oh come on, Brad, don't be such a sourpuss."
"It's too early to be as cheerful as you are."
"I know something that'll make Brad happy," Jamie Hemeros said as he walked in from the opposite
direction. "I checked our account and a large sum of money has been deposited into it. I
guess the Zoid Battle Commission wanted to thank us for rescuing Ashley a few days ago."
As Jamie expected, Brad perked up at the mention of money. "Finally, some credit where credit
is due. Now all we have to do is keep Doctor Torros from splurging it all."
"I didn't tell him yet if that helps."
"A lot," Bit and Brad said at the same time.
The three came into the kitchen. There, they saw Leena flipping something in a pan.
"Uh-oh, Leena's cooking," Jamie said.
"This is a bad thing, right?" That was Brad.
"Oh come on, you guys are just being paranoid," Leena said. "Jamie's been teaching me to cook."
"Trying to is more like it," Jamie muttered.
"At this point, I'm so hungry I'll eat anything," Bit said plopping down at the table.
"What are you so excited about?" Leena asked as she unloaded a pancake onto a plate.
"I just feel like this is my lucky day. Nothing can dampen my mood, not even if Harry Champ was
to walk through that door."
"I'm glad to see you're so positive, Bit," Doc. Torros said as he walked in. "And I have some
news that'll excite you even more. We just been challenged to a battle by the Geyser Team."
"Aren't the Geysers that heavily armed Gojula team?" Leena asked.
"Sure is. It's suppose to take place in a few hours."
"OH YEAH!" Bit stood up. "A battle, just what I need to keep my lucky streek going."
"To receive some prize money, sure," Brad agreed.
"Then prepare the Zoids, we're heading out to coordinates L37E14!"
"Hey wait, what about my breakfast!" Leena reminded them.
"When there's a Zoid battle to win, food can wait," Bit said as he headed out to the Hover Cargo.
Leena scowled. "Hmph, and after the nice breakfast I made for them." She then sniffed the air.
"Something's burning." She turned and saw that the pancake she was cooking caught on fire.
Leena screamed and dumped the mess into the sink, turning on the water. Soon, it was out.
"Phew. Hey guys, wait for me!" Leena decided to leave the cooking to Jamie from now on.
A while later, the Blitz Team's Shadow Fox, Gun Sniper, and Liger Zero stood at the coordinates.
Before them were three Gojulas, one was equipped with the normal arsenal, two cannons and
various small beam cannons. Another was armed with a wild weasel unit like Leena and the third
was equipped with a quattro impact cannon and had wrist gataling units like a Gun Sniper.
"Jeez, Bit, save some of that energy for the battle," Leena said noticing Bit squirming in his
seat like a kid sitting in the theater having to go to the bathroom.
"I'm sorry, I just know I'm going to clean house this battle."
"Whatever."
"Hey Bit, are you sure you don't want to convert into Schneider?" Jamie asked.
"Positive. Liger and I will do just fine without converting." Liger roared an agreement.
"Battlefield set up!" The Judge began. "The Blitz Team versus the Geyser Team. Battlemode
S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!"
With a psychotic laugh, Leena fired her gataling rifles. "We'll see whose Wild Weasel Unit is
the best." The Weasel-Gojula fired its cannons. Leena fired her rockets in response.
Meanwhile, Bit rushed forward to meet the Impact Cannon-Gojula. The Liger leaped at the Gojula
which swung its tail to bat Liger Zero away. The Liger landed on his feet and fired its shot
cannon. The blast damaged the wrist gataling units but the Gojula still had its main weapon.
"Let's not give him a chance to use his weapons, Liger. Double Strike Laser Claw!" The Liger's
front paws glowed and challenged the dexterity of the impact cannons. The claws prevailed but
the Gojula wasn't out of the battle yet. It actually engaged in hand-to-hand (actually more like
tail-to-paw) contact with the Liger Zero. This struggle continued for five minutes before Bit
was able to draw the Gojula in close and fired its shot cannon. The blast took out a piece
of the chest plating. The Gojula fell.
Brad and Leena were fairing just as well. Brad distracted his Gojula opponent with its
smokescrean and launched a Strike Laser Claw attack with its back turned.
"How's it coming on your end, Brad?" Bit asked.
"Got it under wraps."
"So do I. What about Leena?" The two turned their Zoids' heads to see the Gun Sniper standing
over a mangled Gojula. It looked up at them and asked in Leena's voice, "What?"
"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is... The Blitz Team!"
"Oh yeah," Bit shouted sounding a bit like Leena for a moment. "I'm on fire! This day couldn't
get any better!"
"So now that we won the battle, now what?" Brad asked.
Bit's stomach answered that by growling. "Wow, I guess in all the excitement, I forgot to eat
breakfast."
"Serves you right for missing out on the breakfast I made," Leena scolded.
"He's hungry, not suicidal," Brad said.
"Hey, come out of that Shadow Fox and say that to me again!"
"With pleasure!"
"All right, all right, kids, settle down," Doc. Torros said. "Why don't we all go into Vanguard
City and get some lunch!"
"That's fine with me, how about you, Bit?"
"Hey, as long as we eat, I don't care where we go."
"Then to Vanguard City it is!"
The Hover Cargo arrived in Vanguard City. The Blitz Team had no problems finding a place to eat.
Ironically, it was the same place that Bit, Leena, and Jamie ate in when Mary Champ made her
presence known once again.
"Wow, if Bit was any more hyper, he'd be shot right up to space," Leena commented.
"I know," Brad and Jamie agreed.
Their food arrived. Bit just took his first bite when a painfully familiar voice called out.
"AH-HA! I knew you would be here, Bit Clown!"
The Blitz Team rolled their eyes. It was Nicholas Atomson, leader of the Flash Team.
"So we meet again, Bit Clown! Finally, you must be ready to declare me your ultimate rival!"
"Actually, we just came in here for some lunch," Bit admitted.
"Admit it, you're just eager to go face-to-face with..."
"Nicholas, save it for the battlefield." Another boy walked up to them. He looked like Brad
with the shaggy hair and the tall body but the hair was a darker color. His eyes were hidden
behind a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses. He was the same guy who removed Nicholas from the
restaurant on the day when Mary Champ challenged them to a battle. "I'm Rayshawn Nitoro, you can
call me Nitro."
"You were the Rapter pilot during our first battle," Bit said. Nitro nodded.
"That just leaves your Lightning Saix pilot," Brad concluded.
"Oh," Nicholas said as if he was just reminded of something. "Yeah, well she went..."
"She's right here." A new voice joined the mix. The Blitz Team turned around and discovered a
girl standing behind them. Her hair was blonde like Bit's and looked like it was pulled back
permanently in a pony tail. Her eyes were a deep blue. She was dressed in a pink halter top and
jean shorts. "It's been a long time, Bit."
Bit's eyes narrowed and a scowl formed on his face. "Amber."
"None other."
"You were the Lightning Saix pilot at our first Class-S battle, and you were the one who knocked
down that Spinefin that was attacking me at the Battle Royale."
"Guilty as charged."
"Wait, you two know each other?" Leena asked.
"Amber's my sister."
"Older sister," Amber emphasized. "Well, Bit, I see you moved up in the world."
"That's right," Bit said firmly. "I'm part of Class-S."
"Aww, how cute, little brother's trying to catch up to me."
"Hey, I'll have you know I made quite the name for myself too. I won the Western Royal Cup for
my team."
Leena nudged him. "I thought it was your Zoid who won."
"You're not helping," Bit muttered.
To everyone's surprise, Amber just yawned. "So what, I did too. Face it, bro, what you've done
is old news."
"Should we leave you two alone?" Brad asked.
"Look, Amber, I'm not 6 any more, I've manage to succeed without any help, especially yours."
"Oh really, is that why your Liger was knocked down at the Battle Royale?"
"My Zoid is an Ultimate-X!" Bit revealed.
Nicholas and Nitro were surprised. "Whoa, how did you get your hands on an Ultimate X?"
"Actually, it sort-of got its claws on me."
Amber just ignored the revelation although she was surprised as well. "So in other words, you
have a Zoid who does all the work and all you have to do is sit back and watch the action?"
"That's sibling rivalry for you," Jamie cracked.
"Sometimes it's best to stay away from something like this," Torros said drinking his coffee.
"Liger Zero and I work as a team, Amber. The credit is given to both of us."
"So now you rely on a Zoid to pick you up, huh?"
"Looks like the only way I can show you is in a Zoid battle. So I challenge you to a Class-S
battle and show you how much I've matured and how much I contribute to Zoid battles."
"Hey, hold on, shouldn't you ask us if we want to go through with it?" Leena spoke up.
"Well I don't think its fair putting a Zoid and pilot against just a Zoid, but sure, all right."
"There he goes again," Jamie sighed. "Accepting Zoid battles blindly."
"Only now he's dragging us along for the ride," Brad added.
"At last!" Nicholas cried. "Another chance to prove to Bit Clown that I am his once and true
rival!" That received weird looks from everybody.
"Your leader's weird," Bit simply said.
"That's an understatement," Amber agreed.
Bit was the first one to exit the Hover Cargo when they got back to the Torros base. Leena was
not far behind him. "Hold on a moment, buddy." The boy turned around. "What makes you think
you can just throw out Zoid battle requests just because somebody's goading you?"
Bit turned around and gave her the most serious look Leena has ever seen. "When I was a kid,
Amber always used to bail me out of tight situations, even if I felt I could handle them.
Whenever I found myself in a jam, no matter how big, there she was, saving me."
"And that's a reason to challenge her to a Class-S battle? Honestly, Bit, I thought I knew you
better."
"There's more. Eventually, she started holding that over my head like a noose, showing off
how superior she was and giving off the impression that I was as helpless as a baby Organoid.
Everybody was talking about how lucky I was to have a sister who was always catching me
when I fell and how I couldn't do anything without her help. I just want to show her that I can
pick myself up and I don't need any help."
"So let me get this straight, you want to challenge your older sister to a Zoid battle simply to
show her you're grownup when you're acting like a child by doing this? Come on, Bit, I know
thinking's not your style but try it just this once. Maybe the reason she's treating you like a
child is because you're acting like one."
"This is the only way to make her understand, Leena, the only way she'll recognize that
I'm not as weak as she thinks. You saw what happened today, she refuses to believe I'm an
accomplished warrior by my words. I have to make her see the truth." And then Bit turned and
went inside.
"Oh Bit," Leena sighed. This was eating him up inside, she could tell. "So much for your good
day."
The battle was scheduled for two days later. Bit easily had his request approved by the Zoid
Battle Commission, partly because Amber put in her request on the same day. The Hover Cargo
pulled up to the battle site, a 30 square smile radius in the desert. The three Zoids were
ejected onto the battlefield.
"I'd like to go after Nitro this time around if you guys don't mind," Brad said.
"That's okay," Leena said. "I guess I'll take on Amber."
"No," Bit said. "I'll take on Amber, you try to keep Nicholas from butting in.
"Are you sure, Bit?" Leena asked.
"Never been more sure in my life.
It was then that the Flash Team arrived. Their three Zoids leaped from the Reptire carrier to
the ground.
The Judge Capsule touched down and the Judge emerged. "The area within a 30 mile radius is a
designated Zoid battlefield. Only competitors and personnel have authorization. Danger! All
other must leave the area at once! Area scanned, battlefield set up! The Blitz Team versus the
Flash Team. Battlemode S-0982. Ready... FIGHT!"
Bit immediately fired the Liger's ion boosters, hoping to take Amber by surprise. The Lightning
Saix dodged but Liger back-handed the cheetah Zoid.
Amber grunted. {Man, Bit's gone crazy! I guess he's just as reckless as he was years ago.}
Leena thought the same thing. There was a lull in the battle with Nicholas' Hellrunner. Leena
watched it for a while before turning back to Nicholas.
"You will not stop me from having my battle with my rival," Nicholas declared.
"Oh shut up," Leena said. "Weasel Unit Super Assault!" The Hellrunner dodged but the shockwave
caused from the explosions behind him forced him down. "Gotcha," Leena smirked. Then grunted
as the Rapter pummeled her with machine gun fire.
"You may have defeated our leader," Nitro said to her. "But you won't defeat the entire team
like last time." The Rapter charged forward and sliced the top two missile pods off the Gun
Sniper.
Brad did his best to try to come to Leena's aid, but the Gun Sniper was getting sliced up by the
Rapter. Eventually, the Rapter struck a vulnerable area and the Zoid went down.
Three words flashed on Leena's status screen: COMMAND SYSTEM FROZEN. "Beaten by a Rapter, how
humiliating!"
"Aww man." Brad tackled the Rapter from behind. "Strike Laser Claw!" The Shadow Fox sliced the
Rapter's tail off. The Rapter turned around but Brad fired his laser vulcan gun. The Rapter
went down.
Amber quickly abandoned her fight with Bit to go after Brad. The Lightning Saix was too fast for
the Shadow Fox and Brad went down.
Brad's screen also showed the command system frozen warning. "Looks like it's up to you, Bit.
Get her for us!" Inside, Brad couldn't help but worry that it seemed like he was cheering for
Bit's seemingly feral attitude.
The Lightning Saix renewed this assault on the Liger Zero. Bit was fighting blindly, even
Nicholas could see that now. The Liger Zero activated its Strike Laser Claw but the Lightning
Saix dodged and used its own claws to launch an attack of its own. The Saix damaged the Liger
Zero's shot cannon.
"Liger, can you still fight?" Bit asked. The Liger roared and flipped over, causing the
Lightning Saix to be on the bottom. The long-range cannon that the Lightning Saix usually wore
was damaged.
"Both the Liger and Lightning Saix's weapons are damaged," Jamie reported. "But Bit still has
the Strike Laser Claw."
"The Lightning Saix is great when it comes to high speed battle," Doc. Torros said to Jamie.
"But in close range combat, there's almost no Zoid that can match the Liger Zero."
Meanwhile, the Liger stomped on the Lightning Saix's stomach.
"I've been up against Lightning Saixs before, Amber," Bit told her. "Once your speed's out of
the way, there's nothing you can do."
Amber sighed. "All right, Bit, go ahead and finish me."
"Huh?" Bit asked. This wasn't something he expected from her. Amber would keep on fighting
until she wins or loses.
"What are you waiting for, Bit, finish her off!" Leena instructed.
"Do it!" Encouraged Brad.
"It's obvious that you have advanced as a Zoid Warrior. So go ahead and finish me off if you
wish."
Bit just stared down at his sister. Suddenly he realized the truth, she wanted to hold this over
his head as well. They both knew she could get out easily, but she wanted to show to everyone
that she was willing to let her psychopathic brother win a battle to prove something that she
probably doesn't really care about. Yeah, that did sound like the Amber that Bit knew. Bit
didn't want to be in debt to her any more so he decided to do something that was completely out
of character for him.
To everyone's surprise, Liger backed off the Lightning Saix. Bit opened a communication
screen to the Judge. "Judge, this is Bit Cloud of the Blitz Team. I'm forfeiting the match."
Everyone, including Nicholas, gasped.
Brad: "Forfeit?"
Leena: "Is he out of his mind?"
Nitro: "What's going on here?"
Nicholas: "No way."
Jamie: "Doc, what's going on?"
Doc. Torros: "I'm not sure, this isn't like Bit at all."
"Why won't you finish me off?" Amber asked.
"Because that's exactly what you want me to do, so you'll have something else to use against me.
You, making the noble sacrifice so that your reckless brother can prove a point. No way, Amber.
I've grown past that. Judge?"
"Deliberating... Deliberating... Forfeit accepted. The winner, by forfeit, the Flash Team!"
There were no cheers from either side as Liger Zero turned around and walked away from the
battlefield.
"Hey wait, Bit, where are you going? Come back to the Hover Cargo."
"Let him go, Jamie," Doctor Torros said.
"But why?"
"Because at a time like this, it's best to leave him alone."
Brad: What was Bit thinking, forfeiting the battle like that? Not only did we not win any prize
money, but now Leena's putting Bit down like there's no tomorrow. I don't know, calling him such
harsh names like a brooding skunk and organoid fodder seems a little harsh. Next time on Zoids:
"A Dark Cloud in the Blitz Team." Ready... FIGHT!