Zoids X (Remastered)
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, Zoids New Century Zero, Zoids: Chaotic Century, Zoids: Guardian Force, or any characters related to those series. But I do own the characters and Zoids created in this fic.
Author's Note: To all my past readers I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I wanted to revive this story from the ashes but with a much better story plot. During the years of neglect of this fic I've reworked the plot, characters and given it much more continuity as well as bettered my writing skills. This is a revamped form of my original Zoids X series taking place years after Zoids Zero and the Blitz Team's battles in Class S. To old fans (if you're still active) enjoy and love the series even more and new fans enjoy and love the series! I'd like to say it's digitally remastered with surround sound and all that jazz but that can't apply to fics lol! Thanks!
EP1: The Ace and the Cloud
BLAIR! Sounded the Judge's alarm. "The battle is over! The battle is over!" the Judge stretched out his arms. With a raise of his left hand he continued. "The winner is… the Jet team!"
On the far side of the battle field laid three fallen Zoids. On the opposite end stands a black Saber Tiger equipped with a double-barreled back laser rifle, two shoulder mounted guns, boosters mounted on the hind legs, and a tail blaster. A fallen Cannon Tortoise that lay a few feet from the Saber Tiger. Next to the Cannon Tortoise lays a Hel Digunner.
A Gustav pulls into a small hanger toting the trashed Cannon Tortoise and Hel Digunner. The busted Zoids are followed by the Saber Tiger. The four Zoids stop in the middle of the hanger as the Gustav's cockpit opens up. Out jumps an 18 year-old with red hair tied back into a pony tail and wearing a full black jump suit. A second guy follows the first. He is 17 with dark green hair that falls to one side, and wears the same jump suit.
"Freak'n…" the red head began. "Our Zoids are trashed."
"But we did finally win a match," replied the green head. "SOMEONE is finally pulling their own weight on this team."
The Saber Tiger stops right next to the Gustav and the cockpit opens to reveal a black, spike haired youth, about 17, wearing a white long sleeve shirt covered by a crimson vest.
"Well I would have won all the battles in the past if I had an account filled with my share of the prize money," the Saber Tiger pilot sighed, "which would probably be most of it. I am the one who wins the battles now anyway while you two are taken out in the first five minutes." The pilot put his hand on his chin. "I have saved, what little I did get, to buy new components and weapons. Yet on the other hand you two use your share on useless crap!"
"WHAT! Ace, you accus'n us of steal'n!" the red head pointed up.
"Come on, Hax," began Ace, "you guys are smart enough to break into someone's personal account. You figure it out!"
"Why you…" growled the green haired guy. "Come down here and say that!"
"Shash," Hax grabbed his partner. "Shut up! Fine, Ace. If you're gonna be like that then after tomorrow's match you're off the team! And fix up our Zoids!"
With that Hack and Shash exited the hanger. "Off the team? Psh, what team?" Ace frowned as he began to move his Zoid. "If only I had a team that knew what the word meant; a team who don't just use their teammates for financial gain." Ace sighed as he parked his Saber Tiger at the far side of the hanger. He then shut off his Zoid and fell asleep.
The next day was sunny and warm. The battlefield spanned a massive desert like plane. Lined up on one side of the field were a black Stealth Viper, white Command Wolf, and blue Pteras. Across the field were Ace, Hax, and Shash.
"ACE! Why are our Zoids in the same shape as yesterday!" cried a frustrated Hax.
"I don't know. They're YOUR Zoids," Ace shrugged. "You should keep an eye on YOUR things."
"Why you dirty…" Shash clinched his teeth. Shash's Hel Digunner turned toward Ace's Saber Tiger.
"SHASH!" hollered Hax. "Wait…"
"WHAT! Hax are you gonna…" interrupted Shash.
"Not yet!" Hax sneered.
Suddenly the judge capsule fell. Slowly the judge rose. "The area within a 20 mile radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger all others must leave the area at once!"
All the Zoids crouched in preparation. Shash set his sights on Ace.
"Area scanned. Battlefield set up!" began the Judge. "The Jet team vs. the Power team. Ready…"
A smile suddenly appears across Ace's face. "FIGHT!"
Just as Shash fired Ace bolted out of the way. "DAMN!" shouts Shash. Suddenly his zoid is pummeled by a two shots.
"Forget about my engines?" Ace laughs over Shash's intercom. Shash throws his fist into the control panel it flashes "Command System Freeze."
"YOU DIRTY LITTLE…" Shash cursed!
"Ace, what are you do…!" Hax cries. But before Hax can finish Ace leaps upon his zoid and fires a round into the center of the Cannon Tortoise's shell. Ace hopped off his teammate's zoid and turns to face his real opponents who are now shelling him.
"Hey it's just like any of our past Zoid battles," grins Ace. "I'll do all the work!"
Swiftly Ace rushes the Stealth Viper. A beeping sounds notifying Ace of a lock on. Quickly the Tiger leaps to the right. Doing a sliding spin, Ace unloads rounds from his back mounted rifle upon the Command Wolf opposite from him. Suddenly the Saber Tiger is hit from the side. "Oh, forgot about the viper," snorts Ace as he pulls back on the controls. The Tiger bounces back and unloads from its shoulder mounted guns. The snake type is pummeled and falls to the ground.
"That's two down and…" Ace smiles. Just then he's barraged from above. "Ah! Don't worry I remember you!"
The Pteras swoops down to deliver another volley. Ace doesn't stick around for the second wave. The Tiger bolts to the left and fires off its shoulder guns. Pteras nearly dodges the attack with jerky maneuvering. Ace then follows up with his back rifle. The attack manages to damage the left wing of the Pteras. Losing altitude the blue zoid quickly loops around and gets behind Ace, ready to fire off a final volley. "Nice try," grins the Tiger pilot. Swiftly the tail mounted laser is raised. And in moments the Pteras crashes to the ground.
"The Battle is over! The battle is over!" announced the Judge. "The winner is… the Jet team!"
"Power team," Ace began typing numbers into his consol. "Please send the prize money to this new account."
"Wha! HEY, WHAT ARE YOU…" cried Hax in a panic.
"Oh, and Judge," Ace ignored his teammate. "I wish to be expelled from the Jet team."
"Deliberating, deliberating," replied the Judge as digital symbols flashed across his black monitor.
"ACEEEEEE! That's OUR dough!" Shash roared as he popped out of his Zoid. Swiftly he charged over toward Ace.
The Saber Tiger turned with its back laser pointing at Shash. "Correction, MINE. I won the battle, I get the prize money," Ace snarled.
"Confirmed," the Judge chimed in. "Ace Striker and Saber Tiger are now officially expelled from the Jet team. If you wish to join another team or wish to fight solo, please decide."
Ace sat back with his hand on his chin. "Can I tell you later," he answered. "I'd prefer to be on a team. So I'll register once I find a new one. Is that cool?"
"So be it." The Judge points his arm at Ace. "But you are hereby restricted from Zoid Battles until you decide on a team." And with that the Judge capsule closed and flew off as Ace left his old team with a smile.
Four days later a warrior with black spiked hair, a crimson vest, and black pants enters a restaurant. Spotting an empty seat at the bar, next to a man wearing a red and white long sleeve shirt, Ace takes it. "Can I get an orange juice?" Ace asked the bar tender. The man nods and walks away. Soon the bar tender brings back a glass of orange juice and Ace takes a sip.
"Awe, man that looks rough," says a voice from behind.
"Yeah, whoo! They've got some moves," another responds.
Overhearing the two, Ace turns to find a screen in the center of the restaurant displaying a Zoid battle. Many people at tables watch the screen. On screen a Raynos flies past a Sea Striker stingray type. The Sea Striker is thrown back because of the sonic boom. Cheers erupt from a few tables as well as applause. "Ah the joy of being a team," Ace sighed as he puts his chin on his hand. "Sure wish I had a one."
"Oh?" a voice asks from Ace's right. Ace turns around to find a golden haired man roughly thirty-seven. "Did you say you wanted a team?"
"Y… yeah," Ace replied caught off guard.
"Sorry, thought I over heard you say you wanted a good team," replied the man.
"Oh, yeah… yeah I did," Ace replied. "I left my old team and have been search'n for a good team. But I didn't know it was this hard."
"Why'd you leave your old one?" inquired the man.
"Well, where do I start?" Ace sighed. "They were stealing my money, conned me into getting a low grade Zoid that took me a year and a half to restore to a working condition, and made me fight all their battles for them," Ace named off on his fingers. "Not to mention made me repair all three of our Zoids all the time."
The man fell silent for second. "Wow," he began to laugh, "sounds pretty rough." Ace nodded in reply. The man soon followed up, "Well, first of all let's see this Zoid you got stuck with."
"Sure," Ace shrugged as he and the man stood up. The two left money on the bar and exited the restaurant. They turned the corner to find a Zoid parking area. Waiting first among the Zoids was Ace's dark colored Saber Tiger.
"Whoo," whistled the man. "Not bad. You did a pretty good job. Not to mention the sweet armaments attached."
"Eh, I've worked with what I could get," Ace shrugged again.
"So," the man replied after a few moments of silence. "What kinda team are you looking for?"
"I'm not TOO picky," Ace waved his hand. "I just want one with fun comrades who care about each other and not use each other. But I would like a strong team along with that."
The man smiled and went quiet for a few moments. He looked at the Saber Tiger then at Ace. Then he spoke, "I think I have just the thing. Wait here." Ace leaned against his Zoid with his arms crossed and smiling. Soon the man pulls around in a jeep. "Follow me." Ace jumps to get into his zoid excitedly. "Wait, what's your name, kid?" the man asks.
Ace turns waving his hand, "The name's Ace Striker! And yours?"
"Bit Cloud, but you can call me Bit," the man smiles. "Now hurry." Bit pulls a U-turn then drives ahead.
"Bit Cloud, huh?" Ace echoes as he hops into his Zoid. Just as the hatch begins to close it registers in Ace's head. "AH! BIT CLOUD! THE Bit Cloud!" Swiftly his Zoid jumps to life and he bolts in the direction Bit drove.
After half an hour a small jeep and a Saber Tiger pull up to a large base. "Th… th… the Bit Cloud!" Ace quivers as he jumps out of his Zoid.
"You okay, Ace?" Bit walks over.
"Are you THE Bit Cloud of the Blitz team!" Ace cried getting into Bit's face.
"Y… yeah, that's me," Bit replies startled.
"HOLY CRAP!" Ace jumps back. He stands with feet together and arms tightly by his side like a soldier. "Thank you so much Mr. Cloud for choosing me!" Ace bowed.
"Eh, whatever. Come with me, Ace," sighed the blond as he motioned for the boy to follow. Ace gleefully pranced behind Bit into the base.
Bit and Ace soon entered a circular room containing four people chatting amongst themselves. The room has a cozy feel and a center that sinks deeper into the ground with round couches inside it. Three of the people sit on the couches while the fourth stands. They all four look up as Bit and Ace enter.
"Oh, hey, Bit!" an older man in a lab coat smiles. He seems roughly in his early sixties with graying brown hair. Yet despite his age he carries a flair to himself.
"Bit!" a second replies. This one looks a bit older than Bit with a mushroom shaped hair cut and looks similar to the old man in the lab coat.
"Hey, Doc, Leon," replies Bit.
"And who might this young fellow be?" Doc inquired.
"Oh, this is Ace Striker," responded Bit. "He's looking for a new team and seemed like a good candidate."
"That's what you said about the last one," pointed out Leon.
"Hey, hey, whoa, whoa!" Bit waved his hands. "That was a mistake! I can promise you this guy's the real deal! Oh, sorry Ace," Bit turned to Ace. Bit pointed to the old man. "That is Doctor Taros." Next he moved to the other man. "That's Leon Taros, Doc's son." Moving on Bit pointed to a light brown haired boy roughly Ace's age sitting next to Leon. "That's Leo Taros, Leon's son." Bit ended by pointing out a girl across from Leo. She had jet black hair and looked about sixteen years of age. "That's Jessie Hermanos."
"H… h… hello," Ace waved. Leo stood up. He wore a light blue, sleeveless shirt with white stripes running down the center and blue matching pants. He walked up to Ace with crossed arms.
"So you're the new recruit, eh?" he smiled. "Ace, right?"
"You bet'cha!" Ace gave thumbs up.
"What do ya think son?" Leon smiled. Leo paused for a moment.
"What is the most important part of a Zoid team?" inquired Leo after a few moments.
Ace replied with a tooth filled grin, "Team work by far! I watch someone's back they watch mine and we go in for the kill together!"
Leo deliberated for a moment. Then he cracked a smug smile. Quickly he turned to Doc Taros. "Okay, let's put him through the trial!"
Ace's eyes widened. Suddenly he found Bit's hand upon his left shoulder. Bit winked at Ace who then replied with the same gesture. "Alright, then! Bring it ON!" Ace threw his fist in the air.
NEXT TIME:
Ace here, man I finally found a team! But what is this "trial" thing? Well whatever it is I'm gonna blow 'em away! Next time on Zoids X:
THE MAX TEAM!
Ready… FIGHT!