- Zoids Battle Story Side Stories
Zi-Report
Zi-Report was a pamphlet given away in some of the model kit boxes during the NJR period. It's one of the most common paper media items from that time period, and contained a story with some delightful custom art, as well as an overview of products and the Zoids Battle Card Game. Though this volume was listed as '01', there was never a second Zi-Report published, which is a shame.
Please note! This page relies on machine translations, which are bound to have mistakes! It's provided as an easier way to read these translations until such a time that better translations become available.
- Side Story File/01
Major Bobby Maxwell, a.k.a. the "Big Storm", who was famous within the military for being caught up in serious situations any time he went out on a mission, was literally in the middle of a 'storm' now.
He was in the middle of a long-distance test run of his prototype Liger Zero, which was equipped with a new armor that'd just been completed, and as if that weren't bad enough when the poor weather had hit, they'd been discovered by the remaining enemy forces hiding in the area. Thinking that they were running reconnaissance or were on the hunt for fallen warriors, they'd been bombarded. To make matters even worse, the Storm Sworder, the machine that was supposed to be monitoring the test run, had lost sight of the Zero due to the unexpectedly bad weather, and had gotten separated from them.
"— What a wonderful day for a test!"
Major Maxwell shouted as he reversed his course at full speed.
"The weather is perfect, the visibility is good — even the lightning is blessing my mission!"
In the distance, large lightning strikes glinted off of his machine. In response, enemy fire rained down — and one of the bullets struck the Zero's foreleg.
"Whoo! And here comes a powerful enemy, perfect for this test! Seriously! This is my lucky day!"
The Zero, despite the heavy armor it wore, continued to dependably dash at a furious pace, swiftly slipping through the lines of enemy fire. However, it was only a matter of time. The enemy had brought out a Lightning Saix Custom, a machine modified for use in pursuit combat.
"I really hate to run away, but Zero has only just been completed. My mission right now is to get Zero back to the base safely. It's my only option."
Major Maxwell mumbled as he struggled to regain his stance.
Thoom... Thoom... Thoom...
At that moment, a roar could be heard from the Core within Zero's body. It was a sad sound, like the wails of a beast. Major Maxwell bit his lip.
"... So you're frustrated too... but just wait. When we get to the base, we'll change gears and hit them right back. Until then, just hang on."
——!
A hot ray hit the Zero's armor. Zero staggered from the shock of the impact.
"Still!"
The shock absorbers reduced the weight, allowing the front legs to recover, and Zero continued its powerful forward run.
"We're not ready to go down just yet!"
However, the damage was done. Part of Zero's armor had been carbonized by the high-powered Pulse Laser and it looked like it was about to fall off. The Lightning Saix glanced across the corner of the rear monitor. Its gun muzzles tracked a direct line to the Liger Zero. Their enemy was skilled.
"This is bad... Huh?"
Suddenly looking at the terrain up ahead, he was struck by the vast expanse of lava that'd been created by volcanic activity 40 years earlier. The lava had cooled and hardened into a rough, uneven rocky terrain that stretched out in every direction.
"Right — Okay!"
The Major didn't hesitate to let the Zero plunge directly into it. In a panic, the Lightning Saix hurried after them. Zero's shadow disappeared behind a rock.
"Let's go, Zero!"
Major Maxwell pried open the 'emergency' panel.
——!
The pilot of the Lightning Saix looked. From within the explosion, a Zoid they'd never seen before bravely jumped forth. It was the heroic figure of the Zero's "bare frame", which had stripped off all of its armor. The Zero quickly changed direction atop the rocky mountain and kicked at the enemy Zoid. The forced separation of the armor had destroyed the surrounding boulders, and the Lightning Saix, disoriented by the struggle to find a foothold, momentarily lost sight of the Zero's movements. The next moment — the Zero was escaping from the battlefield with all of its might, throwing aside the Pulse Laser turret that it'd snapped down on and torn to pieces. He could feel the close arrival of the enemy Zoid's support units. Maxwell mumbled.
"Living creatures shine their brightest when they're fighting in their natural form — Don't you think, Zero?"
Zero's "core" roared happily.
- Character Art
Art of Bobby Maxwell and Emu Rinon, who introduced the BCG.
- Other Pages
The rest of Zi Report deals with product information and an introduction to how the Battle Card Game works. These parts are untranslated for now.
