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TWISTER ROCKETS!
By Zace Epos
Disclaimer:
The following is a non-profit, fan-based production.
Rocket Power and all interrelated characters, settings, events, and notions from the series are the property of Nickelodeon, Klasky Csupo, Inc., unmentioned parties, and the original production team.
Please support the official release.
Plot Overview:
The following series of tales chronicle the lives of Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Oswald "Otto" Rocket, and Sam "Squid" Dullard as they move on into the future, past the timeline of the original Rocket Power series. These tales primarily focus on the relationship between lifelong friends, Twister Rodriguez and Reggie Rocket, and take place during notable points in their lives ("Seasons"), with each account ("Episode") consisting of three chapters.
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TWISTER ROCKETS!
We are fighters, with our own rule
Best friends, forever, we will always be cool
Twister Rockets!
Twister Rockets!
We are fighters, with our own rule
Break the limits, with unlimited fuel
Twister Rockets!
TWISTER ROCKETS!
Season 1: High School
Episode 1: Twisted Dance Moves (Part 1)
Chapter 1: A Play to Call
TWISTER ROCKETS!
Episode 1: Twisted Dance Moves (Part 1)
Chapter 1: A Play to Call
"Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! This is totally wacked! It's insane!" the young man spoke, boring circles into the grass with his ever-increasing pace. The day had started so normally, so plainly, that any chance of foresight hinting at the near arrival of his current dilemma appeared to be simply out of the question. Groaning, the athlete could feel his veins pump, full and alive with life, fueled by a racing heart muscle that threatened to launch him skyward. His skin was cold, but his hands felt sweaty, and his stomach churned with what had to be battery acid. Treading fast around the base of a tree, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief and awe. "And to think, I was originally just upset that it was Monday!"
(Flashback)
"Twist! Wake up!" a voice echoed.
"Huh!?" the amber-haired skater uttered, jolting into consciousness. His back snapped straight as both eyes flew open, knuckles white as he gripped the edges of the wooden desk.
"...And for lunch today, we'll be serving up a happy, healthy, warm helping of Friday's left-over 'Meatloaf Surprise'...topped off with mashed potatoes, gravy, and-" the male voice on the loudspeaker rambled.
"Shh!" someone else hissed.
Twister's pupils slid left towards his gray-haired English teacher, Mrs. Hadburn. Pearl teeth grew in a sheepish grin as he nodded to her, arms crossed, right foot tapping briskly upon the floor. The young athlete swallowed as he noticed several heads out in front swivel away, obviously finished staring. Gazing down to his right, he spied his best bro, Oswald "Otto" Rocket, looking back at him. Otto still wore his trademark black sunglasses and brown dreadlocks over an olive-colored headband, though his hair now dropped down his crown a bit, held in place by a white loop that left him with a ponytail. As for his attire, only a little had changed since their younger years. He wore a charcoal-toned t-shirt and blue jeans, capped off with a brushed-nickel belt buckle and a pair of night-colored skating sneakers. "Dude! What'd you wake me up for!? It's not the end of class yet! They're still running the announcements!" Twister spat, sharply, yet softly, as he gave his friend the stink-eye. Homeroom had always been his chance to catch an extra half hour of sleep.
"Ph! Duh, you genius!" Otta glared back, lightly smacking his own forehead, "I didn't want you to miss today's announcement! They're gonna' totally recognize Reg for yesterday's volleyball win, remember?"
Twister blinked wide as his best bro cocked his head to the side. Stroking his chin with his right index finger, the ball cap-wearing athlete looked briefly to the neon lights of the ceiling and thought. In a white flash, clips of "Rocket Girl" diving into the sand for saves, leaping up for spikes, and coiling back for serves danced inside his mind. Her violet-colored hair bounced upon her back as she moved about in a blue and white tank top and shorts. Standing there, panting, her toned and tanned body flexed effortlessly, coffee-colored eyes shining as she turned to the stands to glance at him cheering and winked. "Oh, yeah," the young surfer sighed, slinking down into his chair, "I totally remember now."
"Earth to Twister!" Otto called, waving his right hand in front of his face.
"Huh!? What!?" the red-haired skater coughed, coming back to world at large.
"Dude!" Otto said, folding both arms as he sat back down, "It wasn't that great." Otto scowled and stared at the cream-tiled floor, blinking suddenly as a voice rang out.
"That's enough, you two! Otto, Tw- Maurice, if I hear one more word out of either of you while the announcements are on, I'll have you both here in detention this afternoon! Do I make myself clear?" Mrs. Hadburn roared.
"Yes, Mrs. Hadburn," Twister uttered, replying in perfect unison with his best bro. "Awe, man. She used my real name!" he thought, sinking a bit further down into his chair. His lips curled to the ground in waves. The athlete's back snapped straight again as a tingling sensation raced across his body, reacting to a sudden nudge of his left gut. Looking over, he saw her laugh.
"Nice going there, 'Mooore-eese'!" a girl giggled, smiling slyly beneath both hands.
Twister felt his face ignite. She wore a maroon-colored t-shirt, as usual, as well as camo-patterned cargo pants, red sneakers, and matching, red-rimmed sunglasses atop her head. Her violet hair was longer now, held tame by a scarlet scrunchie that gave her locks a ponytail like Otto's, but she was worlds apart from Otto. Regina "Reggie" Rocket was taller, like Twister, her hair rolled on in waves, like the ocean, and her body did too, components adjoining in perfect harmony, from her delicate shoulders, to her tight, slender waist, revealing a midsection that just barely shown out from beneath the bottom rim of her t-shirt. That really drove him mad, along with the rest of her more "womanly" features, which were now beginning to blossom. "So fragile, so beautiful, and yet so deadly awesome at the same time!" he thought. Sharing a homeroom with her grade almost made him want to skip the extra sleep altogether, though that rarely ever happened thanks to the school's normally-monotone announcements. Her brown eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight.
"You alright, Twist?" she smirked, curling up her smooth, tender, dark-cherry lips.
"Oh!" he said, clearing his throat. Wow, his cheeks were warm. "I am now," he mumbled, sighing through his nose as both eyelids fell low.
The face of Sammy "The Squid" Dullard appeared from behind Reggie's, eyebrow raised.
Reggie mirrored Sam's expression and opened her mouth, halted by what came next.
"Middleburg Heights' seemingly-endless winning streak was put to an abrupt close yesterday, when they were defeated in a staggering, final-match volleyball victory by our own Ocean Shores Stingrays! Team Captain, Regina Rocket, lead the team to the championships with her outstanding performance!" the loudspeaker proclaimed.
Closing both eyes, Reggie put her right palm over her face. "Ugh! They used my real name..."
With narrow orbs and a wide grin, Twister leaned over and returned her earlier nudge. "Now you know how I felt! Nice going, 'Reg!'" he said. It had been there, but something within had stopped him just then from uttering her true, full name.
She grimaced with heavy eyes at him, blinking as Sam tapped her left shoulder. "Good going, Reg," he said.
"Thanks, Sammy," she smiled.
That hurt a bit, and Twister felt the urge to put his right hand to his gut, as if he'd been sucker-punched. His eyes shot briefly to the ground, then came back to her. "You know I really do think you're awesome," he whispered.
"Yeah, Reg! Woo-hoo! Way to go, Rocket Girl!" Otto cut in, jumping up on his chair and leaning over Twister to high-five his older sis.
Reggie looked up and politely raised her hand to his, displaying a clever, little smirk.
"Otto Rocket!" Mrs. Hadburn growled, "That's enough!"
"Awe-oh," Otto uttered, sliding back into his seat.
"You're going to stay after school today and write for me, on paper, 150 times, that you are not allowed to talk out during class!" the teacher said.
"But-" Otto began.
"No 'but's,' young man! You are hereby sentenced to detention and that's final!" Mrs. Hadburn interrupted.
Sammy, Reggie, and Twister all gazed with wide eyes over to Otto as he frowned and slipped further into his chair until his chin came to rest upon the top of his desk.
"As a final reminder, the Ocean Shores Homecoming Dance will be held this Friday in the gymnasium from 8pm to 11pm. Proceeds will benefit our high school sports programs, and the event will be personally sponsored and run in part by our own, victorious, Ocean Shores Stingrays! This includes Team Captain, Reggie Rocket, and she still needs a date guuuys, so be aware!" a female voice declared.
The four friends blinked wide.
"Oh, god, Sherry! Why?" Reggie uttered, cupping her right palm over her face.
"It's okay, Reggie. She was just trying to help," Sam said, putting his hand on her back.
"I don't need 'help,' Sam!" Rocket Girl growled. Her fists balled up and struck the top of her desk. "All the guys in this school are just stuck-up, ego-headed jerks like Trent was!" she spat. Her lashes flapped rapidly as she glanced to Twister, then Sam, and back towards Twister again. "E-Except for you guys!" she smiled sheepishly. Her eyelids drooped suddenly. "Well, maybe not Otto..."
"Hmph!" Rocket Boy grunted, folding his arms again, "Who wants to go to some lame-o dance, anyway?"
"Yeah, right," she rolled her eyes, "That's not what you sounded like when I lied that Trish might wanna' ask you," Reggie smirked. "It's for a good cause," she began, sighing as she looked at her desk, "I don't really want to go to the dance either, but..." she shrugged with a smile, "I'm on the team!" Coffee-colored eyes swiveled to Otto, who was still glaring at the floor, then at Twister, where they slid down and leapt back up as she blinked suddenly and looked away.
Twister's chest felt like a hollow barrel with a fish caught in it, struggling to breath as it lurched against the walls of its confines. His pores felt open and cold, and his bones locked tight as the rest of the surfer's body began to tremble and shake. "W-W-W-W-What are you going to d-do, though, if somebody a-a-a-asks you to go?" he said.
Rocket Girl looked over to him and raised her eyebrow with a mischievous grin. "Ha, you almost sound like you're concerned about that, Twist!" Her expression quickly dropped. "I have to go anyway, at least for the first part, to staff our team's table for awhile and do my part as a sponsor for the event. I don't really care about the dancing. I'll...probably just go home when I'm done. Happy?" she teased.
"If it means we don't have to buy any tickets, he is!" Otto laughed.
Reggie shot her brother a glare.
"I'll probably buy one...just for the good cause," Sam uttered.
The violet-haired skater looked to him with a warm smile. "Thank you, Sammy. Twist?" she spoke, looking back.
"Y-Yeah. You know I will!" he declared, a little too valiantly.
"That's it! Mr. Rodriguez, you'll be happy to know that I'm pairing you up with Mr. Rocket for detention this afternoon. That's 150 times each for the two of you!" Mrs. Hadburn said.
"Awe...Bummer," Twister frowned, sliding down into his chair.
Reggie and Sam winced at him.
"Haha! Best bro's to the end! Let's woogie on it!" Otto called.
"I'll give you two days if you don't stop now, Mr. Rocket!" their teacher roared.
Otto blinked wide, clearing his throat as he and Twister quietly slid their hands together and woogied. Just then, the bell rang.
"Well, I hope you two are satisfied," Reggie said, grabbing her lime-green backpack as she rose to her feet.
"No," Twister mumbled, looking down.
"Eh, we'll be fiiine," Otto shot back.
"Whatever. Later, guys!" she said, beginning to walk off.
"Hey, way to go, Reg!" somebody called.
Reggie turned right and saw a guy with black hair, a green, button-down top, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes walk up and raise his right hand. "Ha, thanks, Matt," she said, smiling and giving him a high-five.
"Oh, man! Not Matt! Not her desk-neighbor from History Class!" the red-haired skater's mind screamed. Twister yanked his ruby backpack from the floor and leapt over the top of his desk, barreling forward and side-checking the guy out through the door.
"Woah!" Matt blurted.
"Watch it, Twist!" Reggie said, glaring at him.
"Reg, I just realized that I need you to help me with my math homework!" the young athlete let out.
"Uh, it's a little late for that," Rocket Girl replied, raising her right eyebrow, "Isn't your math class, like, Second Period?"
Twister tapped his fingers together and looked to the side. "Oh yeah. Well...Can you at least take a look at my answers then?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.
Reggie's eyelids sank low, then opened as she rolled her coffee-colored orbs with a sigh. "Fiiine. Let's make it quick!"
"Sweet!" the amber-haired surfer declared. Twister grabbed her right hand and yanked her down the hallway.
"Geez, Twister! I didn't mean this quick! Slow down!" she called, sneakers clapping off of the gray and blue-speckled floor as they galloped up to his ocean-colored locker on the side of the hallway. Her hand was soft, smooth, and warm, so warm. It wasn't the first time he'd actually held it, but it was a first to be doing so in the school, in the middle of the hallway, which didn't help at all to lower his adrenaline levels, especially as he felt her squeeze. Wait, did he?
Twister released his grip and put both fists against his locker, leaning into it as he mustered in a vast lungful of air.
"Twister, are you alright?" Rocket Girl asked, placing her left hand onto the lockers and her right fist upon her hips. Her purple locks fell straight as she did so.
The red-haired skater's eyes doubled as he looked over. "Oh, man! She's totally throwing her hips out! I hate/love it when she does that!" he frowned.
"Twister! Hello?" she said, waving her right hand in front of his face.
This was it, all of the planning, all of the years growing up together, in silence. The trips to the gym, the preparation, both mental and physical, were all coming down to one, pinnacle moment. "It's all or nothing," he thought.
"This isn't about math homework, is it?" she said, narrowing her gaze as her fist found its way to her hips again.
"But what if she says 'no'?" he thought. That would be it, the end to a lot of things, for him, for everyone. It might even push them apart.
Reggie's expression fell, and she stood straight as she spotted the glint in his eyes. Were those, tears? "Twist," she frowned, "You can- ...You can tell me...anything," she said, moving in to place her hand upon his right shoulder. To her utter shock, he seemed to shiver.
"Reg," he quivered, sniffling as he looked to her. His eyes were about to spill over.
"Twist, please," she whispered, biting her lower lip. Now her own eyes were wet, damn it! What was going on? Her chest rattled with a shallow, yet sharp, inhale as he wrapped his arms around her.
Twister blinked wide and released her as the first bell rang, alerting all to get to class.
"Yo, Twist! What's up? Where'd you go?" Otto's voice called from around the corner.
"Reg, I-" the red-haired surfer began, "I...I need...I need to talk to you...but I can't! Not here! Not now...Can..." he uttered, glancing to the side through the glaze of moisture in his eyes, "Can you meet me at home, my home, tonight? A-A-After school...we could...go for a walk...or...something."
Lowering her shoulders, Reggie squinted with a frown. "I have a team meeting after school...but...I guess we could meet up after, seeing as you'll be in detention until a little before then."
"Okay!" he replied. His throat clenched and his eyes grew at the sound of his cracking voice. Just then, Otto's hand slapped down upon his left shoulder.
"There you two are!" he huffed, "Man, I-" he began. Thinning his eyes, he looked between the two of them. "Are...Are you guys...crying? What's up!?"
Reggie and Twister both swallowed.
"Ugh," Rocket Girl spoke, pinching her nose with her right hand and waving the other in front, "One of the lunch ladies just walked by with a bin full of fresh-cut onions, and the other had a tray of that 'Meatloaf Surprise'!"
"Yeah," Twister whispered, looking down.
"Man, gross! I don't blame you!" Otto spat, shivering, "Talk about a day not to pack my own lunch!"
"Yeah," Reggie swallowed again, looking down, her hands gripped the straps of her backpack as her gaze narrowed and returned to Twister. "I gotta' go, Twist," she said, placing a hand back on his shoulder, "Just...be strong...for me...okay?"
He returned her small smile. "Okay."
Rocket Girl's lips spread the slightest bit more. "Good. I'll see you after school," she replied. Her delicate hands gave him a light squeeze before she looked down and turned away, moving through the hall.
Twister watched her walk off, violet hair bouncing with each step.
"Dude!" Otto called, elbowing his side, "What's all that about?"
"Huh!?" Twister uttered, shaking his head, "Oh! Uh...She's gonna' tutor me for a math test."
"Ha...Twist, you're hopeless!" Otto laughed, slapping his back.
"I hope not," Twister whispered, looking to the ground.
"Well, come on, man! Time to get to gym class! Last one there's a Squid!" he called, racing away.
The red-haired athlete sighed, hands clenching tight onto the straps of his backpack. There was no way around it, today was going to drag.
Hang in there, Twister! You made the right call! Now bide your time and prepare to put your play into action!
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Please feel free to message me with all of your comments, questions, suggestions, and concerns via PM or my email!
Stay tuned for Episode 1: Twisted Dance Moves (Part 1), Chapter 2: A Teammate to Reach, coming soon! (Progress updates on my profile!)
- Zace Epos
"Zee Ace of Epics"