Up had finally decided that he had enough of His weakness, his shame, his constant embarrassment over his own actions. Up decided it was finally time for him to seek meaningful professional help. Today he would ask Taz for help. He knew her ways, and knew that she wouldn't be lenient, like those so called "doctors" at the rehab center. He had made her that way himself! It was all those doctors fault that he was soft now!

Plucking up the courage to ask Taz for help was going to be tough. The perfect way to start, Up supposed. 'Alright Up,' he thought to himself. 'You've done things millions of times harder than this. You already admitted that you're soft to yourself, now you just gotta admit it to her!'

Finally, one morning, in the practice rooms, Up found Taz, on one of the benches, taking a short, well earned water break. He sat down next to her on the bench. Taz slowly turned to face Up.

Taz wasn't sure what Up wanted. They didn't speak very often anymore, none at all until Bug World. It seemed strange that Up would approach her, which made her sad. They used to be so close, and he helped her so much to become the way she was today, but now everything was different, ever since his injury. She just couldn't stand his entire lack of any sign of the old Up! She missed the tough son of a bitch that trained her, showed her the Karate Kid, became her friend, and taught her new things everyday. She wanted the old Up back.

Up, when he saw the confused look in Taz's eyes when he say down also felt depressed. They had drifted so far from where they were before his injury... He needed her friendship back, but, it became clear to him on Bug World that that wasn't going to happen unless he showed some signs of becoming tough again.

With renewed determination, Up took a deep breath: "Taz, I need your help." He sounded so helpless in his own ears that he cringed. This was not a good start on the path to Taz's agreement. When Taz just raised her eyebrows, it confirmed his fears of a rough start. "Look, I know that I'm soft now! I've realized what I've become! I need your help to be tough again!" he quickly amended. "What! You've finally realized that you're soft! I can tell just by looking at you!" Taz shot back. She looked angry.

And she was angry! How could Up just walk in and ask her to 'make him tough again'! She wasn't sure she could handle that, emotionally. Seeing Up at his weakest would be a huge struggle, seeing the strong hero of before at his worst. But Up needed her, and, even though he'd changed after his injury, he was still her best friend. She was very torn.

Up could see that she was torn, and so he gently reminded her; "Remember when you were little, when we first met, and I trained you? I trained you to fight, I taught you to be tough! I passed that part of me on to you! Now though, I've forgotten all that! I need you to help me get that part of me back! I need to be tough again, like you Taz! Please help me?".

Taz, after being reminded of all that Up had given her, couldn't refuse. After all he was the reason for he toughness today...

Up looked into Taz's eyes hopefully, and Taz finally gave in. "Alright Up, I'll help you to get back up. You only need a little reminding. I know the old Up is in there somewhere, buried underneath all that jelly!" Taz said, while getting up from the bench where they'd been sitting for the past few minutes.

Up shot up and quickly hugged Taz, exclaiming "Oh thank you so much Taz, I know you'll do so much better than those rehab doctors!".

"Well of course I'll be more help than them! Those idiotas all have bellies of jelly too! Not me though. I am Taz, and I am tough!"

"you sure are" whispered Up under his breath, the most hopeful he'd been in weeks, now that he had Taz on his side.