November 14th, 2010

The stage was set as the cat and mouse team of Rona and Philippa progressed through that year's robot combat events in North Triston, having started as the seventh seed after reaching the Semi Finals the previous year. It had come at quite a cost, for they'd eventually lost in its second round to the eventual Grand Champion, a full body spinner by the name of Cuttersaurus, and despite their heavily armoured machine withstanding many of the blows, it was soon rendered unable to move when the wheels were buckled within their guards.

However, it wasn't to be their final appearance, and the hearts of both contenders were pounding as they made the finishing touches to their trusty robot Rabiata, whose formidable flipper was capable of throwing opposing machines high into the air. They'd easily ploughed their way through to the Semi Finals, having won a judge's decision in their Heat Final despite their flipper having jammed open partway through, and easily defeated Cuttersaurus in the first of the Semi Final's battles by throwing it out of the arena before it could get to its full rotational speed - a move that had shocked the audience to the core. The winning run didn't stop there - the same tactic against a powerful ramming machine that was the fourth seed, Whiplash, secured them a place in the Grand Final, where they met the ninth seed Barracuda, a robot with a powerful vertical spinner. Nonetheless, all it took to beat them, sustaining serious damage in the process, was to flip it over, and unable to self right, Philippa and Rona found themselves face to face with the final battle. And as the two repaired their robot for the battle against the number two seed and reigning World Champion, Hawksbeak, an articulate machine with an immensely powerful crushing arm as its weaponry and self righter, images of the upcoming fight raced through their minds. This was the ultimate fight - if they won this, they would be crowned the new Grand Champion.

"What a run this has been, Phil." said Rona as she screwed in the gas bottle for their flipper, the sun beginning to set outside of the workshop and the light reflecting from Philippa's metal pegleg.

"I know!" beamed Philippa, looking up at her as she tightened the bolt of the circular saw at the rear. "I never thought we'd get this far at all; I honestly thought we'd be coming home in a bin bag when we met Cuttersaurus again."

"So did I." replied Rona. "They'll know to put a self righter on next time, huh?"

"Yep, and so will Barracuda." replied Philippa.

"Wouldn't it be something," smiled Rona, "if we could defeat the World Champion and become the Grand Champion?"

"I know it would." chuckled Philippa. "Wouldn't it be just beautiful?"

Philippa and Rona, as drawn by DT-Fox, work on their robot as they prepare for the very last fight of the robot combat series for that year, in a chance they never thought they would ever make in their lifetimes. We see them making the finishing touches on Rabiata after their previous bout, in a cuteness that DT has never failed to deliver! I wonder where their next battle may take them?

Both characters belong to me.