(Announcer) 'Back to fighting with Horn. Spinner's hurt.
'He staggers back, and Horn is on him again.
'Horn! Horn! Horn!'
'And it's Horn, the champion! Horn's the next champ!
'It doesn't get better than this.
'Horn, the six-time undefeated champion
'is giving Spinner the beating of his life.
'It's hard to believe the once unbeatable Spinner could look so terrible.'
(Crowd cheering)
(Spinner) Uh-oh!
Uppercut, Spinner, come on!
Move, move! Keep moving!
(Announcer) 'Horn is goading Spinner.
'The once impressive contender is simply no match for the six-time champion, Horn.
'Spinner is just a pathetic shadow of his former self.
'And the crowd doesn't like it.
'Horn is relentless. He won't let up.
'He's already broken a record.'
- Three, five and a seven. - Seven.
Three, five and a seven. Let's go, Rookie!
Coming up, coming up. Hold your thrust.
(Crowd booing)
You'd better get back to the scrap heap, pal!
- A seven, three, five and a seven! - No problem!
Be right with ya! Yes, where's that five?
Hit him in the rib cage. Come on, rib cage, Spinner.
(Cheering)
(Klaxon blaring)
(PA) 'Score point to Horn.
'Score now stands Horn two,
'Spinner zero.'
Horn! Come on!
(Announcer) 'And what about Horn?
A champion, yes. A crowd-pleaser, absolutely.
'But is he a sportsman?
'To that I say no.'
(PA) 'In order to balance strength between species,
'the Arena uses the Seiko 3,000 handicapping system.
'The handicappers decrease a fighter's strength,
'keeping the match competitive with the fighters evenly classed.
'Horn is fighting at a disadvantage rating of .25 cal.'
- 'How's it going, Spinner?' - (Spinner) 'Next round will be fine.'
'What do you think? Can he go another point?'
'He's lost a lot of hydrolene fluid. I mean, I can replace the power...'
- 'Well, if it's the only way, just do it - 'Okay, boss.'
- Weezil? - (Touting goods)
(Laughing)
Weezil, where are you?
- 'Weezil?' - Right here, Mr. Rogor.
'Listen to me.
- 'Do it!' - Right away, sir.
Here you are. Right, may I help you?
Hey, joint man, where's my seven?
I'm going as fast as I can!
Hey, Rookie, where's that seven?
Argh! It exploded!
(Whispering indistinctly)
Right arm!
(Grunting)
(Horn growls)
- (PA) 'Five seconds to round start.' - I'll kill that son of a truculent bitch!
Coming up, coming up, coming up!
- Yeah, here you go. - (Fish kid mutters indistinctly)
Huh?
I've only got four hands!
(Crowd booing)
(Spinner groans)
(Klaxon blaring)
(PA) 'Score point match to Horn.'
Out of my way!
I'll kill you all, man!
Get that animal out of here! What is going on here?
(PA) 'Please remain seated. There is no cause for alarm.
'Crowd Control Unit 105,
'please report to grandstand section 42 immediately.'
Quinn, call security, quick!
Can you believe this! Where's the Commissioner?
(PA) 'Commissioner Dent to the Red Combine, please.'
Quinn!
(Roars)
'Well, let me tell you something, Billie, we did not lose. We were victimised.
'Horn's an animal. He should not be allowed in the ring.'
(Reporter) 'Do you plan to file a formal complaint with the commission?”
'Commission? What commission? 'Where's Commissioner Dent anyway?
'When is he gonna start outlawing this kind of brutality?'
(Fish kid talking indistinctly)
Hey, you wanna eat this food or wear it?
You can't talk to us that way.
We missed that KO because of this freak.
Freak? Listen to me, you little tadpole.
You are a very rude young man.
Hey!
(Shorty) Hey, ho! No, no!
Come on, leave him alone!
Where I come from, we teach our kids manners.
Last time I saw a face like that I had to look at it.
- (Shorty chuckles) - An Earthling, huh?
(Growling)
(Man) Uh-oh! That did it.
(Woman) Yeah!
(Man) Look out now.
(Woman) We're all gonna get in trouble.
Yeah! What a fight.
(PA) 'Attention snack bar 21 personnel.
'You are in violation of your service contracts.
'Employment is terminated.'
Hey! Where are you going?
- I found out one thing, Shorty. - What's that?
Not cut out to be a short order cook.
(Shorty) Who was?
Are you alright? Can you hear us?
- He's out... - Turn him over.
Wait, is this Vang?
(Door beeping)
Sorry about what happened back there.
You didn't punch anybody.
Yeah, but if I hadn't shot my big mouth off...
Look, talking is no crime. Forget about it.
I can't forget about it, I'm a Nebulite.
- So? - What, where you cloned yesterday?
A Nebulite never forgets. Honour demands I repay the favour.
(Steve) No, just forget about it, will ya?
Wait a minute, you don't seem to understand.
You may need my help.
Without a job on the Star Station, you could be deported for vagrancy.
Hey, shut up!
(Indistinct growling)
Shorty, that would suit me just fine.
I don't give a damn about this Star Station, I just wanna go back to Earth.
Then I'll pay you back by helping you get there.
(PA) 'Invalid entry. Check with the crib tender.'
- What now? - What's wrong?
- 'I said, invalid entry.' - I don't know.
Excuse me. The key, it doesn't seem to be working.
Your crib has been folded.
For what? Folded for what?
You lost your job and we never got the rest of your deposit.
- Now, wait a minute... - Sorry.
(Chuckling)
Where in hell am I supposed to sleep now, huh?
I got a place.
Come on!
(Spinner grunting)
Try bypassing the E-D system completely.
Alright. Hand me the spot weld.
Try it now.
Nah, it ain't gonna work.
Well, what do you guys think?
(Spinner) Can't you... fix me?
(Wayne) The O-3 arm is totally shot.
The interrossiter unit and the magna thruster's...
It's completely burned out.
Sorry, kid, but I'm afraid your fighting days are over.
Hey, come on. All he needs is a micro-relay.
Yeah, do you have any idea how much that costs.
Don't retire me.
Don't worry about it, Spinner. We're not gonna give up on you yet, okay?
Right?
Okay. Maybe when Vang takes the quarter finals, we'll have the money.
(Vang) Quinn?
(Spinner) What the...?
Vang, what happened?
An Earthling, that's what happened.
(Sighs)
Look, why should you sleep on the floor? I've got a perfectly good place.
Don't be crazy.
(PA) 'We'll be departing from outer platform, spacelog B.
'Due to repairs on spacelog A.
'All freighters will depart from outer platform spacelog M
'until further notice.'
Okay, here we are.
- What, in there? - Uh-huh.
I wouldn't wanna put you out, Shorty.
Hey, after what you did for me... apres vous.
(Sighs) Okay...
There.
- (Steve) Nice basement. - (Shorty laughs)
Yeah... it's dark in here, Shorty.
(Shorty muttering indistinctly)
Ha! Oh, sorry about that. Missing rungs.
(Steve) You mean there are more?
Yeah, well, the maintenance crews don't get in here much.
- You first, come on. - I'm coming.
(Shorty muttering indistinctly)
Shorty, do me a favour, would you?
Anything, kid. I owe you, remember?
Let's consider this your way of repaying me... in full.
No, no. I'm not gonna let you get away with letting me off that easy.
(Sighs)
- That's what I was afraid of. - Let's go, Rookie.
Welcome to my world.
- What is this place? - The Tubes.
I heard about this place, but I didn't think that...
That it existed? I'll tell you something, young man.
Many people don't have any place else to go.
Hey, Marcus!
Ah, you're wearing Wendell's robe, my friend.
Wendell went under this morning.
- Oh... - His lungs.
It's always the good ones, eh?
He was the greatest, damn it.
He was that.
Courage, my friend.
- Hey, Shorty, was that Marcus Diablo? - The same.
He was the last human champion. That was what? Fifty years ago?
All those guys were contenders.
That was when the game meant something.
- Now it means nothing. - Oh...
I wish I could have been a part of the team.
What makes you such an expert, Rook?
Are you kiddin'? I've seen every single one of Marcus's fights on re-transmission.
It was still a sport when he fought.
Mmm. There's a lot of difference between lookin' and fightin', Rookie.
Oh, no, no, no. Wait a second.
There's something you don't know about me, Shorty.
- I am a fighter. - Ah?
I fought on the human circuit, I was ranked. I won a lot of fights.
- Mmm. - I had this dream.
One day, I could come up here and fight in the Arena.
There's just no room for real fighters up here anymore.
At least not for humans, that's for sure.
This way.
What I don't understand is, Shorty, you've got a job.
- Why do you live down here? - (Shorty chuckles)
I had a job.
And I send all my money home to my family on Nebular.
- So, you're family man from Nebular? - Exactly.
- How many kids you got? - Twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven?
Hey, hold it. I locked this.
Wait. I'll go.
(Door creaking)
(Shrieks)
Let me go! Come on! Shorty, it's just me.
Me and the Skull.
Hey, Steve, it's alright. Alright, let him up. It's alright.
Who's your muscle? He could have hurt the Skull, then what?
How'd you get in here?
Ah, the Skull knows all.
Got a new scam now, Shorty, the biggest.
You in? He can be in, too.
Somethin' funny, laughin' boy?
Get this. The fix is on already.
Number 12 freezer cable, I pulled it. Skull and I got big plans, Shorty, big plans.
- For what? - What?
What, he says. The fights, man. Fix the fights.
Fortune's ours, Shorty.
Go home, Skull.
Big mistake, Shorty.
Big mistake.
When I'm rich, you'll be or yin'.
Man, yeah. Sure, Skull.
That's the trouble with livin' in the Tubes. There's too many weirdos.
It's really not that bad, though.
Now, you bunk here.
And what about you?
Look, you're the guest. I'll be alright.
Okay.
But this definitely puts us even on the favours.
Not on your life. Not even close. Night.
♪ Twelve moons
♪ Shining right
♪ Twelve moons...
(♪ Continues humming song)
You know, Shorty, it's not bad down here.
It's the best I've slept in a week.
How do you like your eggs?
Shorty, eggs are expensive. We're outta work.
Don't worry, I got friends topside. We'll get jobs.
(Knocking on door)
- Ah, that must be the Skull. - I'll get it.
Hey, take it easy on the kid. He's a nice kid.
You're Steve Armstrong?
Yeah.
Hey, take it easy.
Hey, stop!
Wait a minute! Hey, hold it!
Come on, hotshot!
Hey! Hey!
Oh, come on!
Hey, you guys, take it outside, will ya?
Don't wreck the place. It took me a long time to put it together.
Oh, come on!
Come on, you guys. Please!
No, no, no, no, no. It's my turn.
- Just wait. - (Troy) Take him.
(Man) Hey, watch out! What are you doin'?
That was for Vang.
Who the hell is Vang?
Get him! Get him!
Watch your back, kid!
(Crowd cheering)
So...
...you are the guy who fed Vang a window.
Who in the hell is Vang?
He must be the tuna-head from the stand.
Yeah, well, I was kind of counting on him.
For what? Being stupid?
(Shorty chuckles)
(Quinn) He's one of my fighters.
As a matter of fact, he was one of my best fighters.
Hey, you know I heard about you, but I find it very difficult to believe.
I mean, an Earthling who can fight.
You ever thought about the Arena, Steve?
Oh, come on, boss. It ain't gonna work, this guy is a human.
- He kicked your butts. - (Shorty chuckles)
And in case you forgot, Vang happened to be a hell of a fighter, too.
You're talking about Arena fighting. It's not for me.
I wanted it once. I trained for it my whole life,
but after I got here a year ago, I couldn't even get in the door.
And I'll tell you somethin'.
Now that I've seen it, it stinks!
So why don't you just take your two boneheads here
and slide back upstairs where you came from?
Wait, wait... Now hold on, kid. Wait, wait, wait, wait, calm down.
Just calm down. Calm down.
Miss Quinn, am I given to believe that you are, er... offering this prospect?
A contract?
I don't know. I mean, I might be.
(Shorty) Mmm...
Humanoid fighter.
- Who could believe it? - (Shorty) Mm-hmm.
Shorty, come on. The eggs, they're getting cold.
- Alright. - (Wayne) Hey, kid, you know something?
Those eggs aren't the only thing that's yellow.
A temporary. Ten days with an option for a year.
How about it?
Deal.
But wait a minute, Shorty.
I might want a ticket off this barge,
but I don't have to earn it in their crooked game.
That's not the way I run my fights, Mr. Armstrong.
Look, fine! Run it any way you want, but without me.
Come on, Wayne.
Why don't you just tell me where you're taking me?
Look, don't worry about it. You got any money?
Yeah, but not very much. Why?
Yeah, right, but it will have to do.
Hold on, what are you gonna do?
Look, you lost your job and you blew a shot with Quinn.
And this won't even get you out of the Quasar nebula,
let alone back to Earth.
So you've run out of options, kid.
Trust me.
Come on.
- (Doorman) Password. - Swordfish.
Okay.
(Both speaking indistinct language)
(I Dance music playing)
(Shorty) Oh, isn't it great?
I feel lucky tonight.
Shorty, this is all the money I've got left.
Yeah, and it's peanuts, too.
In a few minutes, it's gonna be important dough.
Now, wait here, I'll be right back.
May I take a turn, please?
Help yourself.
Winner! Roll again?
Mm-hmm.
Where I come from, it's bad luck to play the same game of chess twice.
Will you roll for me?
Sure.
Winner!
Well, you're my lucky charm.
Come on, let's go to the Bilox tables.
Not now, Shorty, I'm right in the middle of something.
Ah-ha. Listen, first we take care of business, then we see the sights, okay?
Excuse me. Are you gonna be here for a while?
As long as I'm on a winning streak.
I gotta go, I'll be back.
Did you see her?
Look, do you wanna meet a girl or win a ticket home?
You should have asked me five minutes ago.
- Now, I... - Watch this.
This is my game.
Bets in.
Right you are.
Shorty, come on. At least only bet half of it.
Alright, but it'll take twice as long.
Turn your cards.
Read 'em and weep.
Sorry, house wins.
How did that happen?
- (Dealer) Another hand? - Yeah, yeah.
Maybe you should ask for a couple new cards.
I'll play these.
The house raises you ten kruger chips.
Pull out.
No way. I got him.
- Call. - Turn your cards.
(Shorty chuckles)
Sorry, house wins again.
(Knocking on door)
(Man) Swordfish.
Raid!
Let's get outta here.
You're all under arrest!
- Who the hell is that? - Commissioner Dent. Let's get outta here!
(Guard) If you resist arrest, there will be trouble.
You are under arrest. Stay where you are.
You are under arrest.
Do not try to escape.
Repeat, do not try to escape.
Come on, kid!
Forget the girl, let's go!
(Shorty chuckles)
- What do you think of that, huh? - Where did you get that?
I'll meet you at the Guzzle Bar in an hour.
Just go straight down that vent. See ya.
Why do I have to get mixed up with a Nebulite?
(&' Soft jazz music playing)
Hey, kid, how you doin'?
I'm on my fourth tankard, Shorty.
Look, be careful. Go slow on that, it's Melovian brew.
- It's very powerful. - I know.
Surprise.
One way to Earth?
Shorty...
A simple "thank you" will do.
Thank you.
We're even.
Alright. Finally, huh?
(Toasting in indistinct language)
Now, I've been thinking about this Quinn proposition.
Look, I don't wanna hear anything else about Quinn.
Look, you try it for a little while, if you don't like it, you can quit.
You've got your ticket home.
No. No way.
Kid, you're a natural.
I never seen a faster human in a long time.
You've got speed, you've got muscle.
Shorty, no.
Alright. Look, we'll have a couple of drinks.
Listen to some music in honour of your last night on the Star Station.
Hey, thanks for this, though, huh?
Say no more.
(Crowd cheering)
♪ Everything is clear
♪ I never really knew about fears
♪ I can't see through cosmic matter
♪ Colour has got my tears
♪ Baby, you're such a thrill
♪ Looks like the moon is down
♪ The streets of galaxy
♪ Leads me to the stars...
It's that girl. Shorty, who is this girl?
I don't know. They pipe this stuff in from Hub Nine.
Just keep watching and don't move.
You better be prepared to use that thing.
Wait a minute.
Try me.
Now, we're gonna get up and move slowly, okay?
- Yeah. - Now, up.
- Yeah. - Come on, up.
- (Jade) Everything is clear... - Come on, move it.
♪ I never really knew about fears... ♪
Alright. Hold right here, hold right here.
Get 'em up. All of them, Nebulite.
Alright, you packing anything, big guy, huh?
Alright, let's go. Let's go.
Move down, move down!
Smile, have a good time, yeah.
Yeah, move it, huh? This way.
- Hello, how are you? - Hi.
(Weezil) Come on, get in. Move! Move, come on.
These are the guys, Mr. Rogor.
Do you know who I am?
No. Why, don't you?
He's only kidding, Mr. Rogor.
He's drunk!
Still puts me in better shape than anyone here.
That's enough outta you.
Which one of them pinched my stack?
You?
I-I don't know what he means, Mr. Rogor, I...
Weezil has no patience for liars.
Who are you callin' a liar?
Come on. Come on, I'll blow you away if I have to.
(Rogor) Weezil.
A little restraint, please.
Gentlemen, let me make my position perfectly clear.
I want my money back.
18,000 kruger.
- Here. - Slow!
Real slow.
Take it. We'll call it even, okay?
This is non-refundable and it's only worth 13,000.
I had to send a little dough back to Nebular.
Look, I'll get the money. Just give me a day.
I like you.
Twelve hours.
If you're not back by then... pfft!
(Weezil laughing)
(Rogor) You understand?
I'll get the money.
- Don't worry, I'll be back. - I'm not worried... yet.
Weezil.
Come on.
After 12 hours...
...start cutting off his fingers, one every hour.
Don't worry, Mr. Rogor... I know just what you want.
(Doorbell rings)
(Computer) 'Male Earth visitor.'
Who is it?
(Steve) 'Steve Armstrong.'
It's three o'clock in the morning. What do you want?
Are you still looking for a fighter?
Yak!
I'll see your five and call ya.
You're gonna have to pay to see 'em. Raise ya 50.
Read 'em and weep. Four Nova.
Oh! Grand scuffle.
A couple more hands like this, we won't have to wait for the kid to come back.
I'm just kiddin', just kiddin'.
(Computer beeps)
Mr. Rogor?
- (Woman) 'He's busy.' - Tell him the kid's back.
Well?
(Steve) It's all there.
Well, me and my friend have some urgent business,
so if you don't mind, we'll just, you know, go.
18,000 kruger in less than an hour.
You should be working for me.
Thanks, but I've already got a job.
(Announcer) 'Ladies and gentlemen, never have I felt the excitement
'as explosive as in this Arena tonight.
'For the first time in 50 years, not since Marcus was the king,
'will a human do battle in the Arena.'
(Sloth) That feels good.
Mr. Rogor, look.
It's the Earth guy.
(PA) 'Arena fans, coming up next on the card will be a two-point match...'
So that's how he got all that kruger. The lad's a fighter.
'The combatants will be Steve Armstrong, an Earthling,
'against the Sloth from...'
- You all set? - Yeah.
Look, don't worry about his size.
The handicapper is gonna put him at a .6, okay?
Look, don't worry. You'll get your money's worth, alright?
(PA) 'Five seconds to round start.
'Fighters to centre ring.
'Steve Armstrong will fight at full strength.
'Sloth will have a .6 count handicap.'
(Klaxon blaring)
Kill that son of a toad!
(Sloth laughs)
(Klaxon blaring)
(PA) 'Score point to Sloth.'
(Shorty) Get up there!
'It is obvious that no human being can compete.
'That's what's being proven here tonight.'
I had no idea the kid was a fighter.
You're right, boss. He ain't.
Okay, clear your head, kid.
Look, you know where you are?
Why don't you give me a hint?
Not funny, okay? Look, if you lose this one,
there won't be another human champion for 50 years.
What the...? That's really encouraging, Quinn.
Look, just go out there and take control, okay?
Whatever you did to Vang, go do it to Sloth, okay?
Right. When you got inside on him, he got real defensive,
but if you can get to his sensor nerve you can win this fight.
That's right!
I'll try and remember that the next time he clobbers me.
- Look, you wanna win or what? - Listen, I'm doing...
- Get up there and fight! - (Klaxon blaring)
Kill the little grasshopper, go ahead.
You got him, you got him, you got him!
Get away from him, kid! Get away!
(Quinn) Don't let him clobber you. Come on, get outta there, Steve!
- Right, right! Break his knees! - Come on.
(Klaxon blaring)
(PA) 'Score point to Armstrong.
'Match even, one to one.'
Good boy, Steve!
The kid's just not that good. The kid is lucky.
'This is incredible, sport fans. It's actually unbelievable.
'No one figured that Steve Armstrong would last as long and be this close.'
Okay, now keep moving in on him, okay?
He's not used to fighting somebody as fast as you are, so just get on him.
- (Klaxon blaring) - (PA) 'Fighters to centre ring.'
(Sloth) Come on.
Come on, you're much better than that.
Come on! Don't stop.
- Come on! - The old sensor nerve, yes!
Annihilate him!
Hey, we gotta stop it. He's breaking his neck.
Are you crazy? This is an Arena match. He's still got a chance.
- I'm gonna call the fight. - Yeah.
(Sloth) You can do better than that.
- Yeah! Get him, kid. Get him! - Come on, come on!
(Klaxon blaring)
'Ladies and gentlemen, never in my long and brilliant career,
'have I seen such an astonishing debut.
'Such a display of guts, poise and talent.
'Not only a rookie, but an Earth man.
'Now, could this be the contender
'that the humanoid races have awaited all these years?'
How do I look?
(Chuckles) You oughta see the other guy.
You looked good out there tonight, kid.
You know, I felt fantastic, Shorty.
- It was a little bit awkward at first. - Yeah.
But after the first couple of blows, the adrenalin takes over.
The excitement of the Arena it's like nothin' I ever felt before.
Well, now you wanna give it all up and go back to Earth, right?
Shorty, I did that to get you out of the jam with the ticket money.
Yeah, I know, but you've had a...
You, out.
He stays.
So, Armstrong...
You're full of surprises, aren't you?
What are you talking about, Rogor?
You didn't tell me you were a fighter.
I didn't know I had to tell you I was a fighter.
It's a good idea. Right, Mr. Rogor?
Left shoulder, Shorty.
- Mm-hmm. - It's a little stiff.
You were very impressive out there tonight.
You could go right to the top with the right management.
I signed with Quinn.
(Scoffs) I said with the right management. Ask around.
Nobody gets to the championship circuit without Rogor.
Then I guess I won't be champion.
Armstrong...
...whether you like it or not, you're going to work for me.
Nobody tells me what to do.
Hold it. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Maybe you guys better leave before the Shadow Police come, okay?
Ask around.
Come on, Rook. Sit down, I'll give you a rub.
Come on, sit down.
Don't worry about those cheap hustlers.
So, how come you didn't tell him you were going back to Earth?
- Maybe I'm not. - What do you mean?
I don't know. I felt something in there tonight, Shorty.
Yeah.
I mean, I can actually fight in the Arena, I can win.
Right.
Jim Rogor might fix things around here, but he does not control me.
- Right. - They've been saying for years
that no human has got the guts to fight in the Arena.
I'm telling you, Shorty, I can do it.
- Right. - I can go all the way.
Right.
- Are you with me? - Yeah.
So the Thrakian says to the algae harvester,
'If that's your daughter, where's her Corollian nastulator?'
(Crowd laughing and applauding)
How about that horn? That horn is so dumb, he's using a Norvax for a tutor.
(Laughing and applauding)
I love this guy. He kills me.
I didn't get it.
Ah, you don't want to.
Oh, I could stay all night, folks, but I gotta go.
A hand for the boys in the band, and remember, I hate your guts.
(I Dance music playing)
Listen, I'm gonna go talk to that sportswriter over there.
A little publicity never hurts. Watch the champ for me.
You got a long way to go before that.
Now, how do you mean that?
I just mean that I want you to go along slowly.
I mean, you're gonna get your shot, but I want you to do it my way.
Understand?
Quinn, how can someone who looks as good as you do be so tough?
How did you get started in the fight game anyway?
My dad used to run a stable full of fighters.
Really? When?
A long time ago.
He handled quite a few human contenders.
As a matter of fact, Marcus was his last champ.
He loved the Arena.
Then Rogor came along and turned the sport into a business.
A dirty one at that.
Broke my dad's heart.
My dad died and left me Spinner
and a couple of spare parts and that's about it.
I'm just trying to keep my dad's dream alive.
Steve Armstrong!
You are the new human fighter.
We saw you beat Sloth in the Arena.
You were great, wasn't he, Gar? Well, wasn't he?
Come on, people, come on!
Celebrity hounds.
(Horns growling)
Ah, look who's here.
(Muttering indistinctly)
Not a bad fight. This lad shows promise.
Promise? He knocked him outta the ring!
You know, Rogor, if I were you I'd be careful.
You might just be looking at the new champ.
Excuse me.
I want to introduce you to Jade.
Jade, this is Steve Armstrong.
I believe I've mentioned his name.
We've met.
Yes, my lucky charm.
It's a pleasure to meet you all, but if you'll excuse me, I'm about to go on.
Lucky charm?
So, you're Quinn's new boy?
The human contender.
Well, Sloth was all washed up.
Don't think for a minute you can get in the Arena with me.
I am Horn. I am champion!
Soon the be ex-champion.
If you wanna go with somebody you can go with me right now.
Horn, save it for the fans.
No point in giving away what the public will pay for.
(♪ Soft electronic music playing)
♪ I love the Barbarian...
(♪ Jade continues singing)
Look, we gotta go.
Shorty, I wanna see this.
I know, but I told them we'd be there and we'd be on time.
Now let's go.
Excuse us, Miss Quinn, we... we have some business to attend to.
We'll see you tomorrow. Come on.
Good night.
I'll see you in the gym tomorrow morning.
- Okay. - Early.
Here you are, everybody. For free.
There you go.
There you are.
Come and get it.
That's right.
- Hey, Shorty. - Hey, champ.
How am I gonna pay for all this stuff?
I guess you're gonna have to keep on fighting.
Woo-hoo!
Attention, everybody. Attention!
On behalf of everybody here, I'd like to give you my champion medal
as a token of our appreciation.
(Shorty) Gee, that's great, Marcus! What an honour, Steve.
Look, I...
First of all, thank you.
But I can't accept this.
I didn't do anything to deserve it. One fight?
You fought 50 fights for this.
You were the greatest.
You gave us hope again, boy.
And you got a lot of fights coming up, so knock 'em dead.
Armstrong!
(All chanting) Armstrong! Armstrong! Armstrong! Armstrong! Armstrong!
Looks like they're having fun... for now.
I appreciate the job working for Mr. Rogor.
You're going to be my insurance policy.
(Announcer) 'The crowd's up. They're excited, they're chanting,
'they're angry, they want something.
'A kick in the mouth, a right cross! He's toe to toe with Valcan.
'He's got him in a flying astro spin.'
(Klaxon blaring)
'Armstrong has done it again.
(Announcer) 'Hey, this kid's definitely for real.
(Klaxon blaring)
(Announcer) 'Five fights, five victories.
'A right hook. A bollo shot. What a combination!
'He's down. He's flatter than a galactic pancake.
'What a shot! It's a knockout.'
(Rogor) Yes, Commissioner.
'I trust you'll agree. I've got a lot of pressure on me.'
Yes, I understand.
'And there's a lot of kruger at stake.
'I've got to give the people what they want. You do understand?”
Yes, Commissioner.
'So you'll set the date, then?'
If you think he's ready, sir.
'Frankly, we don't have a choice. It'll be a good match.'
Yes, it's going to be a great fight.
'Alright then.'
The Commissioner is forcing me to give Armstrong a title shot.
Well, we gotta do somethin', right?
I mean, if-if, er... if Armstrong beats Horn
you lose control of the championship fights.
He won't beat Horn.
But what if he does?
Look, Mr. Rogor, I got this plan I've been working on with Skull here
and-and you're gonna love it. You're really gonna love it.
You might even give me control of the East Hub betting slats
when you hear this.
What plan? What are you talking about?
Skull?
I figured out a phase three entry to the Seiko 3,000
with a 50,000 rad overload, through the number twelve freezer cable...
That's enough, Skull, that's enough!
Look, er... Mr. Rogor, what Skull is saying is... is that we can fool with the handicapper.
And no one's ever figured out how to do that before.
(Laughs)
You know why?
Because it can't be done.
No one has ever been able to get into that infernal computer!
Mr. Rogor, if you lose control of the championship fights,
you lose control of everything.
I have a plan of my own.
Now you and your skeletal side-kick leave me alone.
- Mr. Rogor... - Get out!
(Man #1) Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
- (Man #2) Come on. - (Man #1) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- (Quinn) Steve, keep on the inside. - (Wayne) Work around him, let's go.
(Quinn) Good work!
(Wayne) Watch it, though.
Get in there! Work him inside! Come on, Steve.
(Man #3) Watch that left. Watch his left.
Keep 'em up, keep 'em up, Stitches. Oh! Block him, block him!
There you go, kid.
Come on, Stitches, give him something!
(Klaxon blaring)
(Quinn) Okay, that's enough, you guys.
- (Wayne) Alright. Good job, Stitches. - (Stitches) Oh, thanks.
Another round?
Just one more. We don't wanna disappoint the crowd, huh?
Okay, Stitches, one more round.
Do I have to keep imitating Horn? You guys...
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. One more word outta you... smack him.
Get movin'. Come on, lizard lips.
- Go on, big fella, you're doing fine. - Okay.
Look, I don't want you burning yourself out in the gym, okay?
Don't worry, this is for the title. Come on. Huh?
- Go. - (Stitches) Come on, Steve.
Alright, let's go.
(Quinn) Alright, Steve. Keep hitting with that left.
Keep on his body, Steve.
Keep on his body! In and out.
Footwork, footwork.
That's good fighting.
The foot, the foot!
(Man #1) That's why he's using his strength. That's a way.
(Man #2) What happened to your footwork? Come on, now.
(Klaxon blaring)
(Man #3) Let's go, let's go.
Good match, good match. Are you alright? You alright?
- Thanks for the workout, huh? - (Stitches) Good kick, kid.
- (Man #2) Great goin', Steve. - (Shorty) Yeah, good kick, kid.
Looking good out there, Steve. You're ready.
I want you to keep an eye on that right, okay?
Slow down a little bit.
I'm starved, let's go eat.
- Yeah, the kid's good. - (Wayne) Good fight.
Help me get out of this gear, Shorty.
Look, I want you to work on your combinations
and you keep that lateral movement tight, alright?
- Are you listening to me? - Yes, yes. Okay, sure.
- (Quinn) Do you hear me? - No problem. I'll take care of it.
Go take an ion bath so your muscles don't tighten up.
I said I'd take care of it.
Let's get back to work now. Come on, let's train.
What's he in such a hurry for?
It looks like love to me.
Jade?
Why don't we get together later?
And take my mind off things?
We can, er... you know, relax.
If I'm not relaxed, I can't throw my best punches.
Ah. And I'm supposed to help you relax?
Why not?
Meet me at my place. Tonight.
(Water splashing)
Hello. Come in.
Your place is incredible.
Thank you. I'm glad you like it.
I'm sorry, but I haven't had a chance to finish getting ready.
I think you're beautiful just the way you are.
That's very sweet. Would you like a drink while you wait?
Sure.
The bar is over there. Help yourself.
How are you feeling about the fight, Steve?
It's like you said.
By this time tomorrow night, I should be champion.
Can you help me with this?
Sure.
Here, let me stand up.
It's easier this way.
If you say so.
What about the fight? Wait...
Let me worry about the fight.
What is this?
A toast to the next champion.
You know I'm not supposed to drink.
Steve, it's for luck.
What happened?
(Chuckles) Horn won't have to work up much of a sweat tonight.
You're not falling for him, are you?
Armstrong?
No.
Jade?
(Crowd cheering)
Horn! Horn! Horn! Horn!
Horn! Horn!
Horn! Horn! Horn!
Yeah, come on!
Horn, the champion! Yeah!
(Crowd chanting) Horn! Horn!
'It's just incredible.
'And Horn has broken with the tradition that the champion enters the ring last.'
(Chanting continues) Horn! Horn!
Horn! Horn! Horn! Horn!
(Booing)
I don't believe this.
If he doesn't show up soon, they're gonna call the fight.
Rogor's got something to do with this.
No, he doesn't.
- Get him on the table. - Okay... Why?
Where the hell have you been?
It doesn't matter... just help me get ready.
Give me light. His pulse is slow.
This boy is not feeling any pain.
I'm alright. I'm alright!
Be still.
- He's been drugged. - I'll get a doctor.
Oh, kid.
He can't fight like this.
- Can I fight like this? - Ah, come on, kid.
This is the championship, Steve. It's everything that we've worked for.
So help me get ready.
Everybody, stand away, please.
(Crowd booing)
Looks as though Armstrong Is going to disappoint the crowd tonight.
(Chanting) We want Armstrong! We want Armstrong! We want Armstrong!
'But this crowd is growing restless. Now, where is the challenger?'
How's he doing?
We'll know better when the test results come in.
- What's the problem? - Blood infection, Commissioner.
Horn's been out there for ten minutes. That crowd is ready to tear the Arena apart.
We want Armstrong! We want Armstrong! We want Armstrong! We want Armstrong!
(Booing)
'...half a century, Steve Armstrong represents the hopes,
'the dreams, the desires of every Earthling.'
(Chanting) Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve!
Tri-metazine 25. He's loaded with it.
Fifty CCs of crystalflex immediately.
(Computer) 'Vital signs critical.
'Approaching terminal.'
How serious is it?
Another two hours, he would have been dead.
- Someone tried to poison him. - Will he be alright?
(Doctor) We've given him a powerful anti-infector.
He should be coming out of it in... 15 minutes.
(Commissioner) Will he be able to fight?
He won't be 100%, but yes, he can fight.
But I won't take responsibility.
Well... it's up to you, Quinn.
Do you wanna withdraw?
Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve!
So, what's the matter? We got a fight or what?
Get movin' or else!
I wonder how long they're going to wait.
What's the matter?
Is Armstrong too yellow to come down and fight tonight?
Horn is champion!
Ladies and gentlemen. Please!
Please, listen...
Alright, kid. Easy, easy.
Let's go. Let's go.
- Are you okay? - Yeah, I'm okay.
You guys mind giving me a minute alone with Steve?
(Steve) What for?
You too, Shorty. Thank you.
- Alright. - Why?
What's going on?
- Just tell me one thing. - What?
Who were you with last night?
What are you talkin' about?
It was the girl who visited you at the gym, wasn't it?
(Sighs) Look, that's my business.
You're my fighter, you're under contract.
I said my private life is my business.
She's Rogor's girl, Steve.
- Where is she? - Look, Steve, it's not...
- Never mind, I'll find her myself. - What about the fight?
The fight is between me and Rogor. He's not gonna get away with this.
Look, if you wanna get to Rogor, then go out there and fight Horn.
And win!
(Crowd chanting) Armstrong! Armstrong!
Listen to them, Steve. They're calling for you.
They believe in you.
I believe in you.
Just forget about Rogor.
Just do it for yourself.
Gentlemen! Ladies!
Due to circumstances...
Well, that's it. They're cancelling the fight.
Where is he?
Where have you been? You're late.
I... am terrible sorry for the delay.
The championship match is about to begin.
(Crowd cheering)
I gave him the poison.
Obviously not enough.
'Well, you head the box fans
'and the human is moving down toward the ring even as we speak.
'After a slight delay, the challenger Is finally stepping into the ring.'
Weezil?
Weezil, get up here now!
Hey, are you okay?
You stay in my corner tonight.
You know I will.
(Klaxon blaring)
Human trash.
Armstrong, you die now.
What is it, Mr. Rogor?
That plan of Skull's... will it work?
You mean about the handicapper?
No problem, Mr. Rogor. No problem.
- Do it. - Right.
Weezil?
Do it all the way.
Then we won't have to worry about Quinn's protégé any more.
Brilliant, Mr. Rogor. Brilliant.
- Yeah! - He's eta yin' with him, huh?
Skull? We're hooked in.
- Skull? - Ah...
'Skull, where are you?'
I'm here, Weezil. You keep your eye on the relay box.
Don't change anything for the first round. We wanna make this look legit.
(Shorty) Get him, Rookie!
- (Klaxon blaring) - (PA) 'Score point to Armstrong.'
Wow! Yeah!
- Alright! - (Wayne) Woo-hoo!
- Get this fight movin'. - I like that kid.
- Looking good, kid. - (Shorty) Yeah.
He never even laid the horn on ya.
You really do feel something for him, don't you?
Nothing.
Second round. Now we humiliate him.
(Quinn) You know, don't let him fool ya.
Now that he's used to his handicap rating, he's gonna come on real strong,
so stay on him, okay?
- Yeah. - Just keep that killer instinct.
(Klaxon blaring)
(PA) 'Fighters to centre ring.'
Come on.
Come on. Come on!
- Go ahead. - What's going on?
Now we're going to have some fun.
Blast off!
(Computer whirring)
Come on! What's the matter? Come on, come on!
Give me your best shot.
Come on, fight! Come on! Fight!
Stay away from him. It's not good.
Come on, Steve! Take him apart!
What's gotten into you? Come on.
Horn! Horn!
Hey, get up, kid. Get up! Come on, Rookie, get up!
(Horn) Come on.
Come on. Yeah!
Horn!
(Crowd booing)
(Quinn) He's playing with him.
I smell a rat or a Weezil.
(Klaxon blaring)
Horn! Champion!
(PA) 'Score point to Horn.
'Match even, one point.'
(Panting)
How's it, kid?
There's something wrong, man. I don't have any strength out there.
He's working ya hard.
Even with the handicapper, you knew this was gonna be a tough fight.
No, no, it's more than that. I don't have any strength out there.
That's it, you're still sick. I'm calling this match.
No, I'm not! I'm gonna finish this fight.
It's okay, boss. He can do it.
Okay.
Give him some water.
I will give him a night he won't forget!
(PA) 'Five seconds to round start.'
Round three, Skull. Now we kill him.
- (Klaxon blaring) - 'Fighters to centre ring.'
Your round.
(Chanting) Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve!
(Crowd booing)
Smash him in the face!
Hey, what are you doin', space rat?
You can't...
Go get him!
(Crowd gasps)
He's gonna kill him!
You've gotta stop it.
Come on!
After coming this far...
(Crowd gasps)
Get up! Come on, Steve, get up!
(PA) 'Knockout.
'Count started.
'One.
'Two.
'Three.
'Four.
'Five.'
Come on, Skull. That's it, Skull.
(Shrieking)
(PA) 'Six.
'Seven.'
Look at the handicapper.
'Eight.'
Nebulite!
(PA) 'Nine.'
He's getting up.
'Count didn't continue. Match resumes.'
(Crowd cheering)
(Weezil) Nebulite!
(Crowd screams)
(Klaxon blaring)
(Crowd) Armstrong! Armstrong!
(PA) 'Knockout. Count started.
'One.
'Two.
'Three.
'Four. Five.'
The handicapper is out! Can't they see that?
(PA) 'Seven.
'Eight.
'Nine.
'Ten.
'Knockout. Match to Armstrong.
'The new undefeated champion of the Universe, Steve Armstrong.'
Jade?
Good fight.
Hey, they tried to fix the handicapper.
(Rogor) Jade!
Jade.
Don't go.
You know, Rogor, there's an old saying, "When it's over, it's over."
And guess what?
It's over.
(Jade) Steve?
Steve.
(Announcer) 'And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.
'The first human title holder in over 50 years.
'Now, what is in store for this young man, no one can say.
'But one thing is certain. As long as there are Steve Armstrongs
'out there on the Universe, there will always be contenders.'