Robotic Hand-Gladiators

This was it. The last round of the tournament. Melvin gritted his teeth and slipped the glove over his hand.

The glove fit snugly. It was lined with motion-sensors, which could detect the hand's every move. Melvin made a fist, and extended his index finger and middle finger. He placed the tips of these two fingers on the ground.

Through the plexiglass windows above the 10-foot circular arena, he saw his competitors do the same.

"Hands in position? READY, SET, GO!" Cried the announcer, as five tiny robots jumped into the ring.

Each robot was about eight inches tall, and humanoid. They were styled (perhaps immaturely, thought Melvin) in the form of the large battle-mechs of cartoons such as Gundam or Transformers. As each competitor's hands ran in place, their robot's legs followed, propelling the remotely controlled automatons around the arena.

Some robots were outfitted with jump jets or wings, for propelled flight. One of them soared down towards Melvin's robot, KJ-47. Melvin waited for the right moment, then flicked his pinkie, and at the exact same moment, KJ-47 executed a swift uppercut with his right arm, intercepting the dive-bombing enemy.

Then, another tiny mecha tackled KJ from behind. Melvin twiddled his fingers desperately, trying in vain to escape from the other robot's crushing grapple. Noticeable but painless electrical shocks in his glove told him that if he didn't do something, fast, KJ-47 would be history.

"All right," Melvin muttered to himself grimly, then tapped his ring finger and thumb together twice. A giant fireball enveloped both KJ- 47 and his attacker as the robot self-destructed. Maybe next time Melvin would win... as soon as he installed those little machine guns.