Beyond the Battlefield

A New Enemy?

            "Bit! Ami! Wake up you two! This is no time to be sleeping!" Jamie says as he and Leena attempt to wake the two pilots up.

            "What's the big deal? It's just another boring day," Ami says as she covers herself with the blanket.

            "Today is the battle Ami. You and Bit gotta get ready to meet everyone else."  The two friends stare at Bit and Ami and wait for the reaction. Suddenly, Ami pops up in bed.

            "What?! Why didn't you two tell me that earlier? Bit! We gotta get up now!" she says, jumping on Bit.

            "Why? It's too early."

            "The battle is happening in a few hours you idiot!"

            "What? What are you still doing in those clothes Ami? We gotta get going," he says as he gets out of bed and heads towards the bathroom.

            "I think I know that Bit," she says, sighing loudly and getting out of bed as well as Jamie and Leena are still watching in the back.

            "We are so ready for this battle. There's no way we can lose this battle. Those other Zoids are gonna eat our dust." The doc says as he watches the other Zoids go by and the two other members attempt to hide in embarrassment.

            "Hey, have you guys seen Rapidfire?" Ami says as she meets the rest of the group.

            "I can't seem to find Liger anywhere either. You don't think they were stolen, do you?" Bit says also joining the group.

            "They weren't stolen."

            "Ah! Mr. Umi. Where did you come from?" Bit asks, a hand covering his chest.

            "Your Zoids weren't stolen. They're over here. Follow me." Bit and Ami follow Mr. Umi past the other Zoids and finally stop in front of two cat-like Zoids.

            "Those aren't our Zoids," Ami says, looking at them closer.

            "Yes they are. That one's Rapidfire and that one is Liger Zero. They just look different because of the new armor and parts we put on them."

            "How could you just do that without our permission?" Ami says, running over to the new Rapidfire. "By putting on new stuff like that, you just ruined their personalities, who they really are."

            "We've won plenty of battles in the past without armor like this. Now if you want us on your team, you take off all this armor," Bit commands, pointing at the two Zoids.

            "You must be joking. They are just machines," Mr. Umi states.

            "Are you questioning our beliefs? Fine, then you can lose this battle. Maybe we can see if the other team is interested in us just the way we are," Bit says as he starts to walk away, followed by Ami.

            "Wait, no. We'll take off all the stuff," Mr. Umi says, chasing after the two pilots.

            "Good, but we wanna be there."

            "I can't believe that he wanted to keep that junk on them." Rapidfire makes her way outside giving a little shake every now and then.

            "I know. We're just fine the way we are, aren't we boy?" Liger roars in agreement and makes his way outside.

            "But I guess we did get some more powerful guns and stuff. I can deal with that. As long as it feels okay with you Rapidfire?" Rapidfire roars this time and starts a sprint out.

            "Attention all warriors. The battle will start in one minute."

            "Fire Cat. Bit. Are you ready? I'm assigning you as the team leaders," Mr., Umi announces through the intercoms.

            "We sure are."

            "Don't worry Mr. Umi. We won't let you down," Bit states as all the Zoids get into their spots.

            "T-minus 30 seconds."

            "Cats may not be man's best friend, but they sure can be friendly and gentle."

            "But then again, cats can also be fierce some creatures who will fight until the end."

            "They are complex animals and that's why they are the superior animal."

            "And we'll show you just how superior. I'm Bit," he says crossing his arms.

            "And I'm Ami, the Fire Cat," crossing her arms as well.

            "And with Liger Zero and Rapidfire, we are…The Dual Cat Team." Liger and Rapidfire roar in agreement and take a step forward. "And we still have it."

            "And these are the two most powerful Zoids pilots?" Mr. Umi asks Jamie.

            "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

            "Alright. Move out!" Mr. Umi commands.

            "Man. I wish more battles were like this," Mr. Umi says as he sees his team wiping the floor with the other Zoids.

            "Sir, it seems like we're gaining ground quickly.  It looks like this battle will be over relatively soon."

            "I can't wait to see Fuijimori's face after we win another battle."

            "I don't know about this," one of the men state.

            "What are you talking about?" Mr. Umi asks.

            "I have a bad feeling about all of this. Like something really really bad is going to happen real soon."

            "And that ladies and gentlemen is the last one," says the man as the Iron Kong brings down the last Zoid.

            "Good job Matthews. It looks like you lose again Fujimori. What do you have to say?"

            "The battle isn't over yet." Suddenly, a shot is fired and pierces through Mathew's Iron Kong, sending him down.

            "I knew something was going to happen."

            "What's going on out there?" Bit says as he and Ami walk in front of the group of Zoids. They all watch to soon see two more Zoids appear. AS they come into view, they can be seen as relatives of the two powerful cats.

            "They look just like Rapidfire and Liger Zero."

            "What is the meaning of this Fujimori?"

            "I just wanted to show you my two new creations. Say hello to the Black Liger Z7 and DarkFire X8. These two great Zoids are the most powerful Zoids out there. And what makes these machines extra special are the fact that they are controlled by artificial intelligence. Within their memory packs are every move of every battle ever recorded. They are the perfect weapons of battle," he announces, showing the black version of the Ultimate X's.

            "How could you just create Zoids like that though? Zoids are living beings, not just weapons."

            "That's what you think Fire Cat."

            "She's right. You just put some computer in a Zoid and make it a super weapon. IT will never work out."

            "Then why don't you show that to everyone now? I challenge you and Fire Cat to a battle between my two Zoids. Show what you two preach really is true."

            "Fine," Bit says, accepting the offer.

            "You got yourself a battle," Ami states in agreement, getting ready.

            "Are you sure about this guys? I mean, we don't even know much about these Zoids," Jamie says over the intercom.

            "We'll be fine Jamie. Don't worry about it. I mean, we've been through worst. Right?"

            "Alright. Let's get this thing started. Ready Fujimori?" Ami asks.

            "I'm always ready. This battle will be restricted between Liger Zero and Rapidfire and Liger Z7 and DarkFire X8. Ready? Go!"

            "You know what to do, right Ami?"

            "I'm already one step ahead of you Bit." The two start running forward, crossing each others paths as they make their way. The enemy Zoids suddenly split off, firing at Bit and Ami from their sides. "WE better split up it seems. Each one takes their copy."

            "Come on Rapidfire. Let's show this fake what we're made of." Rapidfire starts a mad dash as the copy runs straight towards her, locked in a game of chicken. "Just a little bit closer." As they look like they're about to hit, Rapidfire jumps over the DarkFire, only to be hit from underneath her, knocking her off. "Damn, how did she react so quickly and know what to do?"

            "Alright Liger, let's confuse this robot fake."

            "Liger pattern 617. Course of action, pattern 809." As soon as Liger's paw starts to glow, the Black Liger attacks him, stopping his course of action.

            "How did he know I was planning that?"

            "They're getting creamed out there. Why don't they do something about it?" Toros asks as he watches the battle.

            "They're trying. The problem is the enemy's ability to know all the different moves Bit and Ami have made in the past.  It's kinda hard for people just to make up completely new moves on the spot. Those copies can always know how to defend themselves against Liger and Rapidfire," Jamie responds.

            "Then there's no way they can win," Leena comments, disappointed.

            "Bit, I'm not having any luck over here. It's like they can predict our moves."

            "They most likely have everything programmed into the robot brains or something. I think we should try doing this together."

            "Alright." Ami heads over towards her partner, the DarkFire trailing behind.

            "This is taking too long. Tell Black Liger to stun the Liger Zero and go after Fire Cat. She's the one I want."

            "Yes sir."

            "Did he just stop?" To Bit's surprise, two pairs of wires appear out of the Black Liger and head straight for Liger, capturing it and sending a shock through it's system.

            "Bit! It looks like I'm gonna have to be more careful."

            "Give up Fire Cat. It's two against one. There's no way you can win. You haven't even been able to get a good hit on one of my creatures."

            "I've had worse odds." She starts another sprint, only to have one enemy on each side of her. They each go in and though she slows and speeds up, can't shake them off, only to be thrown between the two several times before landing on the ground with a thud. "This is not looking good." As she attempts to get up, DarkFire gets in front of her and unleashes a huge supply of ammo right onto Rapidfire, covering her in a thick cloud of dust.

            "Now Black Liger. Finish her off with your atomic barrage." The robot does as is told and unleashes a barrage even bigger then that of DarkFire.

            "Ami! Ami! Are you alright? Get out of there now!" Jamie screams over the com system. Ami slowly gets up from her seat shaking her head and opens the hatch.

            "I'm sorry Rapidfire. I'm sorry Kikeru. I should've been a better warrior." She starts her way out, but soon loses consciousness. And before anyone can stop, a huge barrage strike down on the two, creating a giant cloud of smoke three times as big as the one before it. Everyone stays still as they watch the smoke soon clear, revealing a completely mangled and damaged Rapidfire.

            "No. Can you get anything through Jamie?" Toros asks as he watches Jamie frantically typing on his board.

            "Nothing Doc. It's all dead. There's not even a sign of Fire Cat being alive."

            "What are you waiting for? Get some medics out there."

            "Watch your back Bit. Mr. Umi is already sending medics over to Ami," Leena says from the base.

            "You bastards. How could you do that to her? You already knew that she was down."

            "One can never be too careful during battle. She's been down before and somehow has been able to get up every time. The same thing might have happened this time."

            "You're going to pay for that," Bit says, getting angry.

            "Try it Mr. Cloud."

            "Liger, let's show them no mercy for doing that to Ami and Rapidfire." HE starts forward, only to fall back to the ground as the back leg starts to spasm with sparks. They attempt to get back up, but are unsuccessful. The two enemy Zoids take this to their advantage and surround the grounded Zoid, guns pointing at the cat.

            "There's no use in continuing this. Fire Cat was the one I wanted to get rid of. And now it's two against one. IF she couldn't defeat my Zoids, what makes you think you will be able to?"

            "Ami. I'm so sorry." He looks at the fallen cat and falls unconscious.

            "Bit. Bit! Wake up!"