May the Best Bot Win!
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| "May the Best Bot Win!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster | ||||||||||||
| First published | December 12, 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Ryder Windham | ||||||||||||
| Illustrator | Patrick Spaziante | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | EarthSpark continuity | ||||||||||||
| ISBN | ISBN 1665946970 ISBN 978-1665946971 | ||||||||||||
| Price | $5.99 | ||||||||||||
Hashtag, Nightshade, and Jawbreaker have a friendly competition and learn a little something about themselves in the process.
Synopsis
[edit]One day, Twitch and the other Terrans greet their human siblings Robby and Mo Malto as they return home from their school's science fair. Robby shows off his third-place trophy to an unamused Mo, who challenges her brother to a race around the woods. While Bumblebee, Twitch, and Hashtag observe the competition, Nightshade asks Alex why their siblings can be so competitive, which prompts an explanation from Alex about the concept of sibling rivalry. Although Mo wins the race, Dot soon arrives with a message from Optimus Prime, who's requested Bumblebee's assistance on an emergency mission; in his place, Wheeljack will watch the Terrans.
The next day, while Robby and Mo are at school, the five Terrans, inspired by the idea of "sibling rivalry" ask Wheeljack if he can help them organize a competition that will test their athleticism, intelligence, and creativity. Wheeljack agrees; as the eldest of the five Terrans, Twitch and Thrash decide to act as judges for each of the three triathlon events. Wheeljack tells the other three Terrans that their first challenge is to present a science demonstration on the changing states of matter in the space of one hour. With the resources available in the Dugout, each of the three Terrans sets to work. Jawbreaker creates a cardboard stand, while Hashtag uses her Internet connection to create a digital presentation; however, Nightshade feels that the challenge is too easy, and instead comes up with a demonstration regarding the constant speed of light. Nightshade initially protests this decision, but Wheeljack explains that their presentation didn't adhere to the preset guidelines.
Twenty minutes later, Wheeljack invites the three Terrans to the back of the barn, where they see Robby and Mo trapped in a cage! Wheeljack explains that he's used odds and ends from around the barn to construct an improvised obstacle course that will test their strength and agility as they attempt to reach the two pretend captives. Jawbreaker is confident that he'll come out on top, but when he and Nightshade rush in without thinking, they wind up tripping a pair of booby traps that takes them out of commission; the race instead goes to Nightshade, who carefully analyzes the situation and ultimately uses their winged beast mode to bypass the track entirely and "rescue" the humans. Hashtag points out that Nightshade's flight powers aren't fair, but Wheeljack reminds her that they could've won if they'd taken the time to survey the obstacle course beforehand.
For the final challenge, all three contestants return to the Dugout, where Wheeljack informs them that their last task will challenge their creativity by writing a haiku. Nightshade and Hashtag write their haikus in a matter of seconds, but it takes Jawbreaker much longer to get his thoughts together. However, when the time comes to recite their compositions, Nightshade's overly literal poem and Hashtag's impromptu dance don't win many points. However, Jawbreaker's thoughtful poem impresses everyone, and Wheeljack promptly declares him the winner.
When Bumblebee, Dot, and Alex return home, they hear the kids celebrating in the nearby barn. The Terrans tell their parents about their day, and Alex comments on how each contestant has broadened their horizons: Nightshade won the athletics challenge, Hashtag excelled at a science presentation, and Jawbreaker got in touch with his inner poet for the creativity test. When Wheeljack proposes a tiebreaker, however, Dot reminds them all that while competitions can be fun, it's also important to remember that everyone in a family is on the same team. In the end, Hashtag proposes a Malto family dance party contest, and everyone has a good time dancing.
Featured characters
[edit](Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Humans | Terrans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
[edit]"Five syllables plus
Seven syllables plus five
Make a haiku"
- —Nightshade's haiku is technically correct (the best kind of correct)
Notes
[edit]Other trivia
[edit]- Nightshade can juggle!
