Chapter 137: A Deal at the Fair
On the tense fairground, Ambush, having gained an early advantage, performed an excited celebratory shimmy.
It was remarkable that a robot could execute movements so fluid and human-like—even managing a bit of showboating!
"We've got plenty more where that came from, big guy! We're just getting warmed up!" Charlie said confidently, gripping the controller tightly.
That first collision had knocked down a 2,000-pound bull, giving him tremendous confidence.
On the other side, Black Thunder—subdued and slammed to the ground in the opening exchange—was clearly not pleased.
The bull stamped its hooves, hot breath from its nostrils kicking up small clouds of dust.
MOOOOO!
With a bellowing roar, Black Thunder gathered all its strength and charged straight at the blue metal giant!
The speed was incredible—in that instant, it truly lived up to its name, moving like black lightning!
"Jump!" Charlie worked the controller, and as the bull charged toward his robot, he suddenly jerked the control stick upward.
The blue robot in the distance compressed its hydraulic legs and then launched itself skyward!
That bulky frame surprisingly cleared nearly six feet off the ground!
It easily dodged the bull's charge!
THUD—!
A pair of massive steel feet slammed back into the dirt, kicking up a dust cloud.
Although the robot had no visual sensors of its own, Charlie—controlling it remotely—saw everything clearly through the built-in cameras.
After its first attack was dodged, Black Thunder quickly stopped, wheeled around, and charged again with renewed fury!
This time the run-up distance was too short and the timing rushed, so Black Thunder's momentum wasn't at full force.
Ambush's feet had barely touched down when it pivoted to face the oncoming bull and threw a devastating punch!
The steel fist connected with the bull's skull—hard as iron itself!
"Ambush knocks Black Thunder down with one hit!" The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers again!
However, the commentator—being Charlie's former rival Ricky—couldn't stand seeing the guy look so smug.
He quickly added a warning: "But when you mess with a bull, you'd better watch out for those horns."
Charlie, still celebrating and playing to the crowd, completely failed to notice that the enraged Black Thunder had recovered and was charging forward again!
The next moment, Black Thunder's silver-white horns—propelled by explosive force—transformed into deadly spears, stabbing viciously into Ambush's midsection!
CRASH!
Ambush toppled to the ground.
Sparks began erupting from beneath the robot's blue metal plating—clearly something had short-circuited.
Ambush braced itself with both hands, attempting to stand, but damaged internal components and severed wiring made it impossible to rise successfully.
Knowing his robot's condition, Charlie immediately waved frantically at Ricky, shouting, "Ricky! Ricky! That's enough—we surrender!" Continuing would definitely result in the robot being completely destroyed, and he'd lose everything.
However, Ricky—who'd been waiting for exactly this moment—wasn't about to agree. He raised his index finger and wagged it mockingly at Charlie, a gesture dripping with provocation.
The crowd loved it. When the bull finally backed away, everyone noticed it had torn off one of the robot's legs—still impaled on its horn!
The black bull, like a conquering warrior, paraded around the arena's edge before preparing to attack again.
Charlie's request to forfeit was refused. This wasn't an official match—everything depended on crowd excitement, and these pumped-up spectators weren't about to let it end.
They wanted to see the bull tear the robot to scrap metal.
"We have to keep fighting!" Charlie shouted nervously, working the controls frantically. "Jump! Jump!"
The robot, now missing a leg, had no choice but to hop on its remaining limb.
Ambush's mobility was reduced by more than ninety percent!
Black Thunder backed up several steps, then charged!
Ambush, caught mid-hop, didn't even have time to react before being knocked away again!
The robot flew fifteen feet through the air, crashing heavily right in front of Charlie.
Seeing his prized robot lying there sparking and dying, Charlie roared in fury, "Ricky, that's enough! We surrender! We surrender!" His arms spread wide, fully expressing his rage and desperation.
Ricky, however, pretended not to hear. "The sound of your robot getting destroyed drowns out your voice! Hahaha!"
The farmers in attendance did the same, raising their hands and chanting in unison: "Finish it! Finish it! Finish it!"
As if receiving some primal signal, Black Thunder charged again, both horns driving straight into Ambush's chest cavity!
The bull's head pulled back slightly, then—
WHAM!
—slammed forward again! It retreated two steps, then hammered in once more!
This repeated endlessly. Charlie frantically mashed buttons on the controller, but nothing responded.
Ambush twitched uncontrollably, electrical sparks crackling and spitting from beneath its blue metal shell.
Black Thunder finally hoisted the metal robot from the ground onto its horns, completely unbothered by the thousand-pound weight. It ran victory laps around the arena like a champion displaying its conquered trophy!
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our warrior!"
"Today, right here at the Travis County Fair, thank you all for coming! I promise next time will be even more spectacular!"
The battle had been swift, and its conclusion even more abrupt. Charlie could only hurriedly drag his wrecked robot back to his truck.
Suddenly, he spotted someone approaching—probably one of Ricky's crew. That bastard had made a bet with him, and he'd lost badly.
He had absolutely no intention of paying. Of course, he wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.
"Come on, come on, come on..." Charlie frantically pressed buttons, hoping the truck's cargo door would close faster. The rear hydraulic lift that usually took a minute to retract now felt like it took an eternity!
"Hey—" Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder.
Charlie jumped in surprise and instinctively threw a punch.
He was a former world-ranked boxer—this punch, though thrown on reflex, still carried enough power to drop ninety-nine percent of men.
SMACK
The reality proved quite different—the punch was caught firmly in the newcomer's hand.
"Whoa there, that's not very friendly," the man said, lowering his hand. Charlie then saw clearly that it was a young guy in his twenties, wearing dark clothes and looking completely out of place at a county fair.
"Who are you?" Charlie noticed the man didn't match any of Ricky's usual thugs, so he relaxed slightly—but was still surprised someone had caught his punch so easily.
"Me?" the man asked, pointing to himself.
Charlie nodded warily.
The stranger smiled. "I'm a robot enthusiast, and also someone who's a bit lost. I'm hoping you can help me out."
"Sorry, I don't have time," Charlie said, turning to leave. He could see Ricky's people approaching in the distance, and he really didn't want to waste any more time here.
"Five hundred dollars," the stranger said calmly. "Also, those two guys behind you aren't debt collectors."
[A/N: The stranger is Jake, arriving in the Real Steel universe. Charlie Kenton is played by Hugh Jackman in the 2011 film—the same actor famous for playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, which is likely why Jake made that "Uncle Wolf" reference in the original text (now removed as per instructions).]
[500 PS unlocks 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews unlock 1 Extra Chapter]
Thanks for reading—reviews are appreciated.
P1treon Soulforger has 20+advance chapters