Mortal Combat! Twenty Thousand Meters in the Sky
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| "Mortal Combat! Twenty Thousand Meters in the Sky" 死闘! 上空2万メートル
(Shitō! Jōkū 2 Man Meter) | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Kodansha | ||||||||||||
| Published in | Comic Bom Bom | ||||||||||||
| First published | June 1999 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | July 1999 | ||||||||||||
| Script | Shōji Imaki | ||||||||||||
| Artist | Shōji Imaki | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Beast Wars | ||||||||||||
Stampy is thrust to the forefront when an Angolmois capsule is found on a frozen planet.
Synopsis
When an Angolmois capsule is detected on Greengard, Longrack relates the legend of the Yggdrasill, which provides for eternal greenery on the planet. Break is elated at the description of Greengard, having tired of hot planets like Luxor. However, his illusions are shattered when the Gung Ho reaches Greengard and reveals it to be a icy planet. Break is furious at this revelation, to the bemusement of Big Convoy, who would have considered it ideal for a penguin like Break.
In the mission to find the capsule, Big Convoy chooses Stampy to be the field leader, to the surprise of the Maximals. Break and Longrack fume over not being chosen for leadership, but Cohrada offers support to Stampy. The Maximals set out, but Big Convoy elects to stay on the Gung Ho, where he is expecting the Predacons, who warp to the planet on the Dinosaur. There, they are surprised to come right to Big Convoy's face. The Maximal pulls out the Big Cannon and takes a shot at the Dinosaur, barely missing. The Predacons are elated at Big's apparent bad aim till the ship is soon enveloped by an avalanche. Magmatron is unfettered and leaps out of the Dinosaur, cutting up the Gung Ho and beginning a battle with Big Convoy on the ship's hull.
The Maximal team has found the location of the Angolmois—on top of the tallest peak on the planet. They begin climbing, an exercise they are not enjoying. Stampy, however, is finding the task easy, as he can hop up the mountain of ice and is used to the climate from living on his snowy homeworld. The Maximals are soon attacked by Archadis, a Predacon mercenary who uses his ability of flight to its fullest extent to attack the land-bound Maximals.
Elsewhere, Big Convoy and Magmatron are battling, with Magmatron taking every opportunity to prevent Big Convoy from drawing his Big Cannon. He pulls out a multitude of tricks, such as using his Seasaur head to strike at Big Convoy and separating his Skysaur component from his body. The Predacon makes vague allusions to Big Convoy's birth that confuses the Maximal.
On the ice mountain, all of the Maximals transform. However, Stampy refuses to, being scared out of his wits. Even still, he warns the others to not use their firepower, as the resulting shocks could cause an avalanche. Archadis revels in his flight and notes that Stampy is the leader of the rope that connects all of the Maximals—take him down and the rest follow. Stampy, in his despair, recalls his mother's words, that rabbits were not given fangs or strength, but received strong hind legs to jumper higher than everything else. Using his legs, Stampy performs the "Moon-Surface Somersault" on Archadis, blasting him off. The Maximals reach the peak and find the capsule surrounded by ice. Breaking through the block causes something!
Magmatron mocks Big Convoy, telling him he has nothing and nobody to fight for. Big Convoy disagrees—he has his Big Cannon and, with it, shoots Magmatron off into the horizon. The Gung Ho speeds to the other Maximals, where it is revealed that Greengard has reverted to being an paradise—the tall mountain was Yggdrasill itself!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons |
|---|---|
|
Quotes
"Look at you, a bird that CAN'T fly!!"
- —Archadis mocks Break, who is a penguin.
Notes
- Judging by its action near the end of the issue, Big Cannon seems to be a part of Big Convoy rather just a weapon. It might be like the relationship between Optimus Prime's components — Brain Center, Roller and Combat Deck.
Real-word references
- The issue features some references from Norse mythology. For example, Yggdrasill takes its name from Yggdrasill, the World Tree, while the planet Greengard is named in a manner similar to "Asgard" and "Midgard".
Trivia
- Archadis mock Break that penguins are birds that can't fly. However, it's still debatable whether an Archaeopteryx can fly or simply glide, not to mention if it is a bird or a reptile between the dinosaur and the bird.
