"Robbie! Hello!"

Robbie suppressed a flinch of surprise, turning around. Shaking his head in disbelief, Robbie watched Sportacus cartwheel towards him. Once the hero was upright and still enough to notice, Robbie rolled his eyes at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Robbie complained. "You're not supposed to do things like that here."

"Why not?" Sportacus argued, grinning. "The aisles are plenty wide enough and there was no one in my path."

"One Stop Shop is a store, not a gymnasium."

"Obeying rules again? You'll lose your villain cred," Sportacus teased.

"HA! It'll take more than that to knock me down from villain number ONE!" Robbie crowed, crossing his arms over his chest in pride. After a moment, he shoulders sank down and a puzzled frown took over his entire face. "What are you doing shopping in a store, anyways?"

"I don't just eat raw sportscandy. I need to buy things like bread, eggs, meat, milk..."

"Okay, okay, I don't need your entire shopping list, Sportadork!"

Sportacus laughed, shrugging, and said, "Okay, what are you buying?"

"Nothing that won't make you cringe," Robbie promised, smirking. "Where's your shopping basket?"

Sportacus removed the cloth shopping bag that hung diagonally across his shoulder and chest. He waved it at Robbie, sternly.

"This is much better for the environment, than plastic bags."

"You'd be surprised what you can do with a plastic bag."

"True, but I wouldn't be surprised by what you can do with one," Sportacus countered, with a fond grin.

"Very smooth," Robbie praised, dryly. "Well come on then."

"All right!" Sportacus agreed far more cheerfully than necessary, in Robbie's opinion. "Where to first?"

"Dairy, since we both need milk and eggs," Robbie said, pushing his shopping cart towards the cold section.

"I'm not cringing," Sportacus teased, grinning.

Robbie stopped and looked him dead in the eye, smiling maliciously.

"Only because you don't know what I'm going to do with them, Sporta-oblivious."

"Make a cake?" Sportacus asked, mischievously.

"Sure, good guess, Sporta-obvious, but there's cake and then there's cake," Robbie assured him. "I'm going to make a fudgy coffee chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream filling and caramel toffee crunch frosting."

Sportacus looked at him with awed dismay.

"I hope that tastes wonderful, because that has no nutrition at all."

"Nonsense. There's plenty of calcium and those anti-oxidant thingies," Robbie offered, playfully. "Y'know. In all that yummy chocolate."

Sportacus started to nod, still staring, then shook his head.

"Y'know," he tried, "zucchini and carrots can add a very nice moisture to cakes, I've heard."

"Zuch? Zuchni?" Robbie said, trying to sound out the strange word.

"Zu-cchi-ni, Robbie!" Sportacus said, mildly scolding. "It's a type of squash!"

"It's squashed? Gross," Robbie said dismissively, watching in amusement, as Sportacus began juggling eggs.

"Sir, could you please not do that? I'm sure you're a good juggler, but if one drops, you'll create a huge mess that someone could slip in," a friendly voice asked.

Sportacus caught the eggs and turned to see a young man in a dark slacks and a bright, white shirt, his expression friendly, but firm. Smiling warmly, Sportacus nodded. A name badge on his chest said both manager and Larry.

"I'm sorry, Larry. I promise I won't make a mess or let anyone get hurt," Sportacus assured him.

Larry nodded, heading back to his work. Robbie laughed, clutching his sides.

"Right, continuing on," he told Sportacus. "Come on. Put your stuff in the cart."

Sportacus set his eggs down, grabbing a couple of gallons of the milk Robbie seemed to have forgotten. He got them in the cart, just before Robbie grabbed his wrist and began trying to drag him down the aisle, struggling to control the cart with his other hand. Sportacus gently pulled his wrist free.

"I'm coming," Sportacus said, laughing. "Just be careful with the cart."

"What are you talking about?! I'm always careful!" Robbie boasted, turning the cart sharply into the next aisle and nearly ramming it into a display, handing on the side of the shelves. Sportacus winced a bit, but chose not to argue. He sighed, though, at the aisle's contents. Chips and other salty snacks were prominently displayed.

"Oh, cheer up," Robbie told him, grabbing a large bag of cheese puffs. "This is a fun aisle."

"Those look like packing peanuts," Sportacus said, with a bit of disdain.

"WHAT?! They do no...okay, they do. So what? They taste great! These are white cheddar flavored," Robbie said, holding the bag out to give Sportacus a good look. "What could you possibly have against cheese and a bit of cornmeal, huh? And they're puffed, so I think they're baked and not fried. What more can you ask for?"

"Vitamins," Sportacus retorted, with a sigh, looking around for anything that might be remotely nutritious, his concern for the residents of Lazy Town increasing by the moment.

"Sounds fake. Gotta watch out for those additives," Robbie lamented mockingly.

"Funny, Robbie," Sportacus said dryly.

"Ooo, here's something for you!" Robbie announced, grabbing a white bag off a shelf. "Vegetopia!"

Sportacus walked closer to Robbie, peering down at the bag. A tomato, a carrot, a beet, and a green blob, spinach maybe, danced on the front. A bright purple scrawl announced Vegetopia above them. Sportacus laughed, holding his hand out.

"I don't think so!"

"Aw, give them a chance!" Robbie teased, turning the bag over. "Let's see now. These have potato flour, potato starch. Huh, stuff I like, not you. Ah, here's the yucky stuff: spinach powder, beetroot powder, tomato paste, dehydrated carrots...good news, Sporty! There's no sugar in here, at all!"

"That sounds terrible, Robbie!"

"We're buying them," Robbie decided, throwing them in the basket, while Sportacus looked on in disbelief.

"What? Why?"

"One of us is bound to like them. They'll either taste like potato chips, in which case I'll eat them. OR, they'll taste like your sportscandy and you can eat them."

"Robbie, sportscandy is not a powder!"

"Sportanerd...if they left the moisture in the chips, they wouldn't be crunchy and would have a short shelf life!"

"What if neither of us likes them?"

"Then, we'll give them to the kids."

Sportacus sighed, shaking his head, but not arguing further. He followed Robbie through the aisle, listening to him whistle "You are a Pirate." The baking aisle was next. He couldn't watch. Sportacus turned away, as Robbie began loading the cart with things to make his cake. He wasn't sure if Robbie didn't know how damaging those foods could be or if he just didn't care. Worrying wasn't going to help, so Sportacus distracted himself by walking up and down the aisle on his hands. He did a triple flip at each end of the aisle. He had just landed back on his hands, when he heard someone harshly clearing their throat. Sportacus flipped onto his feet, turning to see who it was.

Larry stood just outside the aisle, his hands on his hips and a stern expression on his face.

"Hello, again, Larry!" Sportacus said, giving a charming smile, but Henry sighed.

"Look, Mr. Sportacus, I know you're a great athlete, but you can not do that in here! You could fall. It's potentially dangerous, no matter how skilled you are. This just is not the place."

Sportacus frowned, shuffling his feet. He couldn't argue. Rules were in place for a reason and, as a hero, he knew that. He stared away for a moment, then nodded, smiling contritely.

"I am very sorry, Larry. You're right. I'll be more careful and follow all the rules!" Sportacus promised.

"Thank you," Larry said, relieved, before turning and walking away.

Sportacus turned back to Robbie, expecting to find the villain laughing. Instead, Robbie had his arms crossed over his chest and was scowling after Larry.

"Mehmeh memuh mehmuh meh," Robbie mutterd, mockingly. "Stuck up prig!"

"Robbie, he was doing his job," Sportacus corrected gently. "You said yourself I shouldn't do that here."

"You're listening to me again. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or frightened," Robbie said, with a dramatic sigh, his nose twitching in agitation. "You've been in Lazy Town for years now. You've never been in an accident that I didn't cause."

"I'm not perfect. I'm just as capable of making a mistake as anyone else," Sportacus insisted, ignoring Robbie's derisive bark of laughter. "Where to next? I still need bread and tea."

"Yeah, yeah, bread aisle, coming up," Robbie conceded, grumpily.

Sportacus followed, grinning. He picked out a loaf of multi-grain bread, watching as Robbie piled white bread, bagels, and snack cakes into the cart.

"'Obbie! 'Obbie!" a tiny voice piped, eagerly.

Sportacus turned to see a very small child, not even two, running clumsily towards Robbie, his hands out-stretched.

"Well, look who it is," Robbie drawled, crossing his arms over his chest, though his lips quirked in amusement. "Well, what do you want?"

"Candy!" the boy answered, pointing to Robbie and making grabbing motions, with his hands.

"Oh, all right. Come here," Robbie said, picking the boy up.

"Who is this?" Sportacus asked, confused. "I don't think I've seen him before."

"Why would you? He's an only child, too young, and his parents aren't accident prone."

"'Obbie! Caaandy," the boy whined.

"Yes, yes, here!" Robbie said, handing the boy some chewy caramels.

"Robbie! Shouldn't you ask his mother, if he can have that?"

"Certainly not. If I don't ask, she can't say no, which makes the answer YES."

"What's your name?" Sportacus asked the boy, choosing to ignore Robbie's villainous philosophy.

The boy didn't answer, resting his head on Robbie's shoulder.

"He's Danny. He's kind of hit a shy stage."

"Do you know every child in town?"

"By sight and name, at the least," Robbie agreed. "The adults, too."

"Ah, I see you found my grandchild," a cold voice interrupted.

"EEp!" Robbie gulped, starting violently, holding Danny away from the approaching male. "Who is THAT?!"

A tall man with a comb-over strode up to them, frowning, followed swiftly by a woman in her twenties.

"It's all right!" she said, hurriedly. "Robbie, this is my father-in-law. He's visiting from Learnsville."

"Just visiting?" Robbie asked with disdain.

"For a few days!" she agreed.

"I'm feeling a bit lost," Sportacus said with a small laugh.

"This is Nancy Candid, Danny's mother," Robbie introduced. "And that...is a stranger."

Thomas gave Robbie a scathing look.

"Between the candy and being held so much, the boy's going to be spoiled."

"Is he going to cause problems?" Robbie asked Nancy, sharply.

"No!" Nancy said, soothingly. "He's just full of hot air and cranky from the drive."

"What's your interest in my grandson?" Thomas asked sharply.

Robbie drew himself to his full, impressive height, stepping closer so he could loom over Thomas, menacingly. Sportacus tensed. Robbie wasn't a fighter, generally speaking, but he knew some nasty tricks. Thomas wasn't making a good impression, but Sportacus couldn't stand by and let him be harmed.

"I am Robbie ROTTEN, the number one villain in the WORLD. If I want to stuff children full of candy and sweets and make them lazy, you don't look heroic enough to stop me!"

"I am, though," Sportacus reminded him, amused. "Strawberries!"

A few strawberries flew from his backpack into his hand. Sportacus handed them to Danny, who took them eagerly.

"There you are. Something healthy will balance out all that sugar," Sportacus promised, surprised, when Robbie laughed.

"I hate to tell you this, Sportakook, but you're spoiling his dinner, too!" Robbie said, chortling, then frowned at Nancy. "What is for dinner anyways?"

"What does that matter to you?" Thomas demanded.

"Oh, Dad, hush," Nancy said, wearily, then turned back to Robbie with a defiant smile. "Actually, we're having taco salads."

"That sounds delicious!" Sportacus said approvingly.

"Hardly! That is a nasty thing to do to innocent tacos," Robbie growled, making Sportacus laugh.

"Have you ever had one?" Nancy asked pointedly.

"ME?! Eat...lettuce? Don't be revolting."

"Nancy, I think we should go, now," Thomas said, glaring at Robbie.

"Please, stop being a pill," Nancy pleaded. "Why don't you go pick out something for dessert, okay?"

"Fine," Thomas conceded, ignoring Robbie and giving Sportacus a curt nod, before walking off.

"Robbie," Sportacus said, sighing, "you could have been friendlier. I know Thomas seems strict, but I doubt he means any harm!"

"I don't like his attitude and I don't like strange people coming to Lazy Town and doing who-knows-what!"

"I don't think he wants to take your place as town villain," Sportacus said, rolling his eyes.

"Your face will freeze like that," Robbie mocked lightly. "Anyways, he couldn't if he tried. Now, if you'll excuse me, I forgot to grab some cream."

Robbie handed Danny, still munching happily, to Nancy and left the aisle. Sportacus sighed, smiling fondly, while Nancy laughed.

"So, how did the town hero end up shopping with the town villain?"

"I've convinced him to try and be friends. We just happened to be here at the same time, so," Sportacus said, shrugging, "we're shopping. To be honest, I'm glad we found something we both do. I've been trying to think of something we could do that would be fun for both of us."

Nancy considered that, then smiled mischievously, tilting her head.

"You haven't experienced a Lazy Town Halloween, yet, have you?"

"Well, no. I still spend time in Lazy Town, but I spend most of October visiting my family."

"Oh. Well, it's just Robbie loves Halloween. He spends all October doing fun stuff, both for himself and even the older kids. If you're looking for ways to spend time with Robbie, just get into the Halloween spirit! He'll find plenty for you to do."

"I can't really do much, with all that candy."

"There's far more to Halloween than candy, silly!" Nancy chided. "Trust me. Just mention it to him, when you get a chance."

"Okay! I'll do that," Sportacus agreed cheerfully. "You know a lot about him."

"I've known him all my life. He's about twelve years older than me and he babysat me, when he was a teenager. Anyway, I better go. I still have salads to make. Good luck, Sportacus!"

"Thank you, Nancy! It was lovely to meet you!"

"She gone?" Robbie asked, entering the aisle, then placing cream in the cart. "Come on. If you're going to buy that disgusting sportscandy, then let's get it over with."

"Actually, I have enough sportscandy," Sportacus corrected, grinning. I do need to get some more soccer and basketballs, though. The kids still accidentally destroy and lose them, pretty often."

"Well, that isn't as bad as sportcandy," Robbie conceded ungraciously, his shoulders still hunched in annoyance. "Lead the way."

Sportacus did, his eyes brightening at the sight of all the fun toys and games in the sports section of the store. He gazed fondly at all the different balls, the bats, and the other equipment. Robbie just yawned, unimpressed.

"Come on. These things are supposed to be fun, not torture!" Sportacus urged.

"Tell that to middle school gym teachers," Robbie countered, leaning against the cart.

Sportacus just shook his head, trying to stifle his impatience with Robbie's dismissive attitude. Looking in the middle of a path between aisles, Sportacus gave a small cry of joy. A large basketball hoop had been set up, as a display. The orange netting hung above Sportacus' head, just waiting to accept a ball.

"Come on, Robbie! Let's play. I'll show you some simple moves."

"Haven't you annoyed Larry enough today?"

"Why would they set the entire net up, if they didn't want people to try it out?" Sportacus said, innocently.

Robbie just shook his head, as Sportacus grabbed a basketball and began dribbling. He circled the net a couple of times, before jumping up and shoving the ball through the net. Robbie watched, rather fondly amused. Seeing Larry, he cleared his throat, trying to warn Sportacus. Unfortunately, the flipping elf was too busy showing off moves to a gathering crowd to listen.

"Mr. Sportacus," Larry snapped, bringing the hero to a grinding halt.

"What?! Why is it that easy for him?" Robbie whined, aggravated.

"Oh, uh, hello, Larry. I was just testing out your lovely net!"

"That is a display," Larry explained with strained patience. "We set it out, so people can get an idea of its size and what it lookslike."

Sportacus' head hung down, as shame gripped him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disobey any rules or cause trouble."

"I know, but I really can't make exceptions. Look, you need to go, okay? Go do some exercises, play a game, whatever you need to. But, you need to settle down, before you come back!"

"Oh," Sportacus said, blushing intensely. He handed Larry the ball, smiling sadly. "Okay. I'll go. Um. Robbie, I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Larry. I'll see you later."

Sportacus walked away, gratefully accepting the sympathetic murmurs of the crowd. Robbie watched in dismay. He hadn't realized Sportacus was able to look that sad! Frowning, the villain turned on Larry.

"Let me make this very clear. I am the town villain. I am allowed to crush Sportacus' feelings. Me, NOT YOU. Got that?"

"I get it," Larry said, sighing. "I tried to be gentle about it, but what else could I do?"

"I couldn't care less," Robbie told him, grabbing back the basketball and tossing a few other types of balls into his basket. "I'm outta here."

"Have a good day," Larry said, tiredly, mostly out of habit.

"Whatever," Robbie responded, turning down an aisle towards the cash registers.

Robbie paid quickly, at the self checkout registers, then made his way outside. He was a little surprised to see Sportacus doing rapid push ups, on a bench, just outside the store. He sat up, when Robbie set a few bags, including ones with the sports equipment, down in front of him.

"Thank you, Robbie!" Sportacus said with a grin. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't make a fuss about it," Robbie grumbled, ignoring the question.

"Um, okay," Sportacus agreed, a bit bewildered.

"Are you going to quit being droopy? It's a bit creepy."

"Well, being in trouble isn't fun."

"Depends on the trouble," Robbie assured him. "I could teach you the fun kind, if you would cooperate."

"I'll think about it," Sportacus said, feeling more cheerful.

Rummaging in a bag, Robbie pulled out the chips they had picked out, a soda, and a bottle of water. He handed the water and Vegetopia chips to Sportacus. Settling on the bench, Robbie opened his cheese curls, then his soda, taking a long gulp of the syrupy liquid.

"Ahhhh," he said, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "That is so good! Come on, Sporty! Give your chips a try!"

With a rueful laugh, Sportacus obeyed, pulling a light purple chip from the bag. He looked dubiously at the strange looking snack, then placed it in his mouth. A salty, sweet flavor assaulted his tongue. He chewed, thoughtfully. Yes, he could taste the beetroot, but it tasted off. Swallowing, Sportacus shook his head.

"Robbie, the vegetable flavor is so weak, it's almost an aftertaste! This is not good!" Sportacus explained.

"Hand them over," Robbie said.

Grabbing the bag, Robbie took a handful of the chips, shoving them into his mouth. He chewed slowly, thinking the flavor over with care.

"Hmmm, plenty of yummy salt, nice crunch, and I can definitely taste potat...EW!" Robbie exclaimed, shaking his head. "You're right. There's definitely an aftertaste. I can taste the vegetables."

"That's not what vegetables taste like!" Sportacus protested.

"Well, these are defective, then. Guess we'll let the kiddos have them."

"I think I'm just not a potato chips sort of person."

"Nonsense. There has to be something you can enjoy!"

"How's the cake experiment going?"

"Not as bad as I thought. I've got the taste right. I just have to get the sponge properly fluffy."

"I wish you luck."

"Yeah," Robbie agreed, standing and throwing his now empty soda bottle into the trash. "Well, time to get my cold foods home. Make sure the kids get to try those!"

Robbie handed the veggie chips back to Sportacus with a stern look.

"I'll make sure they don't go to waste," Sportacus promised, smiling cheerfully. "Thank you. I liked shopping with you."

"It...was fun," Robbie admitted, awkwardly, his fingers fumbling around each other. "Even if you did get thrown out on your ear, for being a Sportajock."

"I hope that didn't embarrass you. I..."

"Oh, please! I mean, who doesn't get kicked out of these places, every so often? It's no big deal. So. Yeah, bye!"

Robbie rushed off, disappearing behind a couple of trees. Sportacus stood, hefting his bags over his shoulder. He would have to ask Stephanie and Pixel about Halloween!