Hey guys! I apologize for the next chapter being extremely late. The truth is, I was busy thinking of ways to confess to my crush (I finally did it XD). I was also working on a storyboard for the Club Penguin animation I'm making. And there's one other thing, but it's better if I don't talk about it in detail. I guess all I can say is that someone I know is suffering. Basically, I was busy. The next chapter is currently in the making, so don't worry!
"Why is that dress so important to you?" Jet Pack Guy asked, breaking the silence.
Dot turned to face him. She made a look to make it seem that she was offended. "It's important like all my other dresses. Why're you asking?" She retorted.
"Just sayin'." Jet Pack Guy mumbled as he turned his head away.
Dot spoke, "Why is that jetpack so important to you?"
He made a look to seem that he was offended. "It's important like all my other jetpacks. Why're you asking?" He asked with a small smirk.
Dot lifted her eyebrow. "Just- saying..."
They were still in the Mine, and Gary was still unconscious. The lantern that hung on the wall was flickering. This went unnoticed.
After a silence, Dot spoke again, "My dress, it was one of the first pieces of clothing I've ever made. Back then, I was having a bit of trouble with designing. Ideas weren't coming. Every attempt seemed like trash. But then this girl stepped in and assisted me... What could've been a disaster, ended up being something beautiful. This dress was the beginning of our friendship." She glanced at her dress. "So, now that I've answered your question, answer me this; why is that jetpack so important to you?"
Jet Pack Guy looked back at her and spoke, "It's important like all my other jetpacks." He didn't feel like talking about his past at the moment.
Dot rolled her eyes with a small grin, "Alright, fine."
After a few seconds, all of the lights in the Mine tunnel went off, and the carts began to move slowly towards the levers.
It was pitch black. The only sound that they heard was the carts on the railway. They wondered why the lights went off so suddenly. The carts sped up, but they weren't going at full speed, to ensure safety during the turns.
On the first turn, Dot tightened her grip on the cart's edges. On the second one, Jet Pack Guy's jetpack lightly hit the back of his cart. A minute passed, and a voice spoke suddenly, causing Dot to flinch.
"Guys! I'm sorry about the lights! It just- it, when I pulled the levers they... yeah." Rookie said as the carts came to a stop, then began going forward towards the secret tunnel. He found his cart then hopped in.
"Don't worry about it." Dot grinned, even though she knew he couldn't see her smile.
"Yeah, we'll fix them later." Jet Pack Guy added.
Despite their support, Rookie still felt guilty, "Thanks guys..."
The carts approached the lab, then came to a stop. The three got off. There was a small light coming out of the locked door. The light caused Gary's eyes to flutter, then open. He moved a bit, causing his cart to shake and make a small sound.
Rookie was the first to notice this. "Gary!" He cried. The others shot their heads towards him. "Are you feeling okay?" Rookie added.
It took a while before he responded, "Yes. Thank you..." Gary looked less shaken up than before. He came to his senses, "I apologize, for my claustrophobia."
"Don't apologize! We understand." Dot said as Gary went out of his cart, and approached the keypad on the wall. "I don't know about these two, but I was worried."
"We were worried too." Rookie and Jet Pack Guy added in synch. "Jynx!" Rookie quickly said afterwards.
Gary smiled as he typed the passcode. He was glad that they were so understanding, and welcoming once he woke. "Thank you everyone." Gary said while he finished typing. The door opened, and the carts left to return to the entrance of the tunnel. He didn't say it, but he appreciated their presence.
"Yooouuurrr welcome!" Rookie grinned, then marched into the lab. Everyone else followed.
There was a candle on a table in the corner of the room. Gary hit the lights and the area was illuminated. Gadgets and inventions were hung on walls, stacked in sort of organized piles, and laid on tables and stools. Blueprints covered most of the floor, and notebooks and books covered the table in the middle of the room.
"Sorry for the mess." Gary mumbled. He approached the candle and blew it out. He turned to the others, who were looking around the lab with curious eyes.
"What's this?" Rookie pointed at a small metal rectangular box, that had a microphone sticking out of it, and speakers on the back.
"The Puffle Translator 3000!" Gary answered as he approached him, "It's the same one we've been using for all this time, but after a recent discovery, I've decided to modify it."
"Modify it?" Jet Pack Guy asked, wanting him to elaborate.
"I plan to extend the sensitivity of the microphone, so it can translate the Puffles in a large area, instead of having them speak directly into the microphone." Gary explained. "Anyways, we'll be working here." He pointed to a table with bottles of chemicals, and other science-looking items.
Gary walked towards the table and the others followed. "I don't want to get too confusing, so bear with me." He began typing at a computer, "Making a cure is difficult. Our best option is to continue off of someone else's research they have given up on. However, access to that may cost a few coins." He backed up, showing them the screen of the computer.
On the screen was a paragraph, and the words "10,000 coins." bolded at the end of the paragraph.
"Ten... thousand...?!" Dot read out loud. She sounded doubtful, but then she remembered why they were doing this in the first place. "...Let's brainstorm ideas!" She said confidently.
"I have a few ideas!" Rookie said with no hesitation. After trying many methods of raising coins for paying for the damage he caused from his mistakes and accidents, he knows which ways are the easiest to follow through and get the most coins from. "We could try playing Puffle Roundup and Pizzatron 3000."
"Let's go then." Jet Pack Guy said. Dot nodded and Gary opened the door for them so they could exit through the EPF HQ. Before they could exit the lab, an agent approached them.
"Gary!" The agent said, "I'd like to inform you that the device that abled teleportation through the Spy Phones was broken in an accident." Rookie looked a bit saddened by this. "We're about to begin fixing it using your blueprints and spare parts from your lab, so I kindly ask you to take what you need and leave so you don't disturb our work."
Everyone knew that the EPF funded Gary's lab and everything in it, so they had the rights to use it whenever they wanted, even if Gary needed to use it too.
"I understand." Gary said. He'd offer to help, but making a cure was their top priority right now. He turned to the others, "We could use the lab at the School, but it's Saturday and the building is closed. I have a second lab at my igloo, but it is under renovation. Is it possible for us to work at one of your igloos?"
"Not mine. It's a total mess. Fabric and design sketches are everywhere." Dot said.
"Not mine either, it's always messy! There's random stuff lying everywhere." Rookie added.
Everyone looked at Jet Pack Guy expectedly. He spoke, "Alright, my igloo it is."
••• Later... •••
"Did we really have to bring all this stuff?" Dot asked as she struggled to carry heavy boxes.
"Yes. It's all imperative." Gary answered as they reached the igloo.
Jet Pack Guy carefully set his boxes on the snow, then unlocked the door. Everyone waited in anticipation. They have never been to his igloo before, and they didn't know what to expect.
He opened the door, and everyone entered. Jet Pack Guy picked up his boxes, then followed. The igloo was big and spacious. There was modern furniture and wooden flooring. They were impressed by how clean everything was.
Rookie was the first to talk, "This place is awesome!"
"Thanks." JPG said. He put the boxes on a nearby table, and everyone else did the same.
Gary spoke, "So, how about we split into two teams? One team plays Puffle Roundup and the other plays Pizzatron 3000."
"Sounds like a plan!" Dot smiled, "Who wants to pick the teams?"
"I do! I'll do it the fair way." Rookie grinned, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," He began and pointed to each penguin in a rhythmic matter. "Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." He stopped at Gary. "You're on my team!" Rookie declared.
"Then which team is gonna play which game?" Jet Pack Guy asked.
Rookie continued to grin. "I have something for that too!" He took out a coin.
'The various ways he decides on things are definitely interesting.' Gary thought to himself.
"If it's heads then you two play Pizzatron 3000 and Gary and I play Puffle Roundup. If it's tails then it's the other way around." Rookie tossed the coin in the air, and it landed on his flipper. The side on the top was tails.
"It's settled then," Gary spoke, "Jet Pack Guy, Dot, you two raise 5,000, and Rookie and I will do the same. We'll meet back here at 6:00pm."
Dot nodded, then smirked, "I bet we'll get 5,000 first!"
••• Later... •••
Gary smiled. He remembered back when he built the Pizzatron 3000. After reminiscing, he turned to Rookie, "Well, shall we begin?"
Rookie grinned as he picked up the two sauce bottles, then spun them in the air. He caught them swiftly, and nodded.
Gary powered on the machine, and the first pizza and order appeared. They began to work together to successfully make pizzas.
Rookie worked quickly. He had fast reflexes that competed with Gary. They were both having a moderately good time.
"I've been meaning to ask you," Gary began, "Why were the lights out back in the Mine?"
"Oh, um, well, when I pulled the levers, they kinda went out." Rookie responded.
"The lights went out because of you?"
"Yep."
"That's not true."
Rookie glanced at him, "What do you mean?"
"Two days ago, the Elite Puffles and I were testing one of my prototypes in the Mine. That was when we discovered unique sound waves that Puffles respond to, which inspired me to upgrade the Puffle Translator 3000. However, while we were testing, the frequency wasn't enough for the lights to handle, since the sound waves were interrupting the electricity. The lights would go off for ten minutes every three hours. It was only a coincidence that you switched the lever at the exact time the lights were supposed to go out." Gary explained, "You think it's your fault, but it's not."
Rookie paused to stare at him, "It's not?"
Gary looked at him, and made a friendly smile, "It's not."
He smiled thankfully, and paused before speaking, "Thank you." There was something about Rookie's smile that seemed off, like he had something to say, but he was trying not to say it.
Before Gary could respond, they heard the sound of a cash register. The two of them collected the coins they earned. Rookie spoke, "So, I was thinking,"
••• Meanwhile... •••
"Tell me more about your friend. The one who helped you make that dress." Jet Pack Guy said as he was walking behind a red Puffle.
Dot was walking beside him, behind a black Puffle. She hesitated before speaking, "She's nice."
"You hesitated." JPG pointed out, then spoke again, "Did something happen to her?"
"No no, she's fine. I just don't see her that much anymore."
"Oh. Why?"
"We decided to take different paths."
"You two were in a fight?"
"No... heh, it's a long story."
Jet Pack Guy got a message on his Spy Phone. He heard the ringtone, then brought out the phone. He read the message, typed back, then looked back at Dot. "Gary and Rookie just asked me if you and them can sleep over at my place to work on the cure. I'm fine with it. Are you-'
"Yes, I can make it!" Dot smiled excitedly as the black Puffle entered the pen.
"Cool." JPG said with a grin. The red Puffle entered the pen as well. He typed a message back, then put his Spy Phone away. He spoke, "Anyways, can you tell me the story?"
"I'll tell you at the sleepover."
