Arena Hall A is packed out here, with fans expecting a thrilling match between two titans of the sport. Between them they’ve been involved nineteen of the last thirty-two matches, and they’ve met twice before - Trapdoorspyder beat SingularByte way back in Bout 6, and SingularByte levelled up the series in bout 24 - so this is for pride as much as position.

Trapdoorspyder’s bot B.A.D. takes position 4 - still not really changed in an “it ain’t broke” kind of a way - while Hard Hat similarly is in its traditional configuration at position 16. Let’s see how this plays out.

The blue light! And BAD comes straight forward to position 15, getting right in Hard Hat’s face. Hard Hat - WOAH! HARD HAT ejects backwards into the gutter! And SingularByte is loudly protesting to the referee - the crowd is booing, suspecting some kind of collaboration again, but Trapdoorspyder is just laughing has ass off - SingularByte seems to be explaining that his controller isn’t working, he’s demonstrating that the movement stick has been reversed, and Trap is bent over double - is this some kind of grotesque prank by the competitor? Is he trying to humiliate his rival in this way?

The judges have been called down and a heated conference is taking place… I can see now that the judge is slowly walking away back across the arena towards the announcer’s booth.. Now they’re talking…

The Announcer has taken the mic, we’ll now cross over live:

“In Bout 33 if the League Championship, it has been found that the Operator Trapdoorspyder DID tamper with the instruments of his rival SingularByte!”

Oh, wow, listen to those boos.

“BUT!... The rules manual of BlogBot is very clear! That it is the responsibility of EACH OPERATOR to check their equipment before a Bout commences and that the equipment brought into the hall, if otherwise legal, must be that with which they compete!”

The audience are on their feet, they are not happy.

“Therefore, it is the ruling of the judges that this was nevertheless a legal Bout! B.A.D. wins by TKO!”