Oh God, has a year and a half gone by already? :D Yeah, sorry about the delay, but I did say everyone that I am busy. I've been juggling school and family life more than I planned to this past year so I didn't have as much time to write as I wish I did, which also lead to a small lack of motivation. But I've got it done now!
And before I continue, I would just like to say: Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fic, especially May Writer 16 who really helped me with some contributions and BlueBelle Author 1600 for giving me the motivation I needed to continue the story. I thank both of you for your support through PM messaging! Anyways, enjoy!
Common sense never really was Manny and Frida's strongest suit, especially not with the latter. When Manny felt like they have been overstaying their welcome and still could not shake the bad feeling he had about the old lady, Frida merely shrugged off any concerns he voiced with her own justifications and the duo continued to enjoy themselves, with the old lady waiting on them hand and foot.
"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" she asked them every time she came to them, with that same permanent smile glued onto her, which the more Manny looked at, the more creepy and familiar it was getting.
"Yes, ma'am!" Manny kept his polite persona. But decided that he decided to finally act on his suggestions to leave. "You've been so nice to us, but unfortunately we gotta go!"
"Are you sure? I've got more goods coming in."
Frida opened her mouth to respond only for it to be clamped shut by Manny. "I'm very sure. Thank you for your hospitality, but we really need to leave now!"
"Oh nonsense!" the old woman protested, her constant insistence getting more suspicious than the last round. "You simply must stay!" suddenly, all the doors and windows clamped shut, and the lady began melting.
"Are you okay?" asked Frida reluctantly.
"Don't worry children…" the old woman grinned. "I'll be very fine… SOON!" she then shed her own form to reveal her true form. "Dun, dun, DAH!"
"The Titanium Titan?!" Manny and Frida screamed.
"Yes, Manny Rivera! I have come to get revenge on you and your obnoxious blue hair friend for foiling my previous revenge scheme!"
"Hey!" exclaimed an offended Frida.
"Well, whatever it is you're gonna do, you can forget it!" proclaimed Manny. "When my dad finds out about you kidnapping us, he's gonna go White Pantera on your sorry metal butt!"
"I don't think so," the Titanium Titan shook his "Since you two so willingly approached my new hideout. I sensed your presence, so I built my churro house to lure you two in, and it worked! And now you are at my mercy!"
"I don't think so!" boasted Manny, grabbing and holding Frida besides him. He pointed his hand up in the air, getting impatient with his claws not coming out until he took a look at his bare hand. "Dang."
"Not so macho without your belt, huh?" taunted the Titan, cackling at the end, "My dreams are finally coming true, and I will be rid of you two once and for all!"
Manny and Frida groaned at their helplessness of the situation. "So, whatcha gonna do to us?" asked Frida completely deadpan.
The Titan, with his malicious grin, held up a remote. At the push of the one red button, the walls came down, revealing the aquarium that harbored the giant squid.
"Huh?" Manny and Frida eyed each other, a bit underwhelmed by the reveal. "What's the giant squid gonna do?"
"You children are mistaken," the Titan flashed his signature slasher smile,"This is no ordinary squid, this is a genetically enhanced carnivorous squid, that I 'borrowed' from an undisclosed mad scientist. Anyway, this monster particularly prefers to feast on young blood." Manny and Frida gulped.
"But unfortunately, you two are far too skinny to make a satisfying meal for him," the Titan tutted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "How do I make this work?" he scratched his chin ponderously for a few minutes until he snapped his fingers, "Got it!"
…
It was settled. Manny would be the first victim fed to the squid while Frida would be the servant, and once the squid was done with Manny, she would be next.
"Well, that's just peachy." Frida leaned dejectedly against the cell bars, throwing the rag that she was using to clean the floors.
"Is it just me or is he just getting crazier each time we keep seeing him?"
"Certifiably."
"Oh man, being without my powers is killing me!" Manny sulked against the wall of his cell. As if fate had taken pity on the two kids, Frida saw something shiny from the ceiling. "Manny, look!" Frida slipped her arm through the bars of the cell and grabbed Manny by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to look up.
"My belt!" Manny cried out excitedly when he saw the power source hanging from one of the beams before groaning in despair and banging his head against the bars. "Oh if I could just-" Frida held out a hand to stop Manny's regretful rambling. "Say no more." she took the rag she was holding and chucked it high enough to hit the El Tigre belt which came crashing down.
"What was that?" the sound of metal clanking on the floor alerted the Titan and he towered over his captors.
"Nothing!" the two teens replied in unison grinning nervously, their hands clasped innocently behind their backs with Frida concealing the buckle with her foot. The Titan eyed them suspiciously but did not seem any reason to investigate further. He did not even notice the leather strap of the belt on the floor underneath Frida's foot when he turned his attention to the blue-eyed girl.
"Frida dear!" Frida shuddered at the sick sing-song voice that the Titan was addressing her by. "Can you help me out with something?" Frida obediently but cautiously stepped to the Titan's direction after sliding the belt underneath Manny's cell. He spun the buckle, clasping his mouth to contain his signature transformation roar and got to picking the lock on his cell door while observing Frida keeping her distance from the Titan as he led her to a giant metal contraption. Once Frida stopped he opened the door to show her the flames fanning out through the door, prompting Manny to pick at the lock faster.
"Would you mind climbing in to see if it's hot enough?" the Titan made no effort in hiding the glee of possibly tricking the girl into burning to death. Frida rolled her eyes. She may not have been so bright, but she wasn't stupid enough to be coaxed into stepping into an obvious giant oven. She jumped when she heard the creaking of Manny opening the cell door, as did the Titan, so Frida quickly grabbed the squeaking oven door to throw him off his guard and fiddled with it as she swayed herself back and forth. "Gee, how do you do that?" the girl asked somehow still not tipping the Titan off with the rehearsed way she said it.
"Stupid girl," he muttered under his breath. "Step aside, I'll show you how it's done." As the Titan was distracted with squeezing himself through the reasonably smaller hole, Frida saw Manny walking out of the open cell ready to launch his claws into the air, acting on his friend's thumbs up for clearance.
The Titan was already halfway through the oven door before he stopped alarmingly at the sound of Manny launching his claws. "Hey, wait a minute!" Before he could make any attempt to get out Frida kicked him as hard as she could, but not hard enough to get him tumbling into the oven. Instead, he used his metal arms to propel himself out of the door, acting on the provocation that was elicited from the kick to launch one of his metal arms at Frida, pinning her to the ground with his spiky metal fingers.
"Oh no you don't!" he growled at the helpless Frida before clutching Manny who so closely slipped out of his grip to get to Frida. The Titan switched between glaring at Manny and Frida with the same vengeful expression on his face.
"You two have foiled my revenge plots for the last time." his voice shook furiously. "If you two are going to be this difficult to dispose of then-" an unnatural animalistic roar interrupted the Titan's menacing tirade, and the three of them looked up to see the squid banging the glass of the tank, no doubt furious at not getting its meal yet.
"Patience I said!" the Titan snapped at the monster. "I'm trying to keep your dinner from escaping you ungrateful, slimy glob!" Seeming to understand the insult, the squid jumped out of its habitat, and instead of grabbing and crushing Manny and Frida in its tentacles, it went for the Titan, who vainly tried keeping the squid from eating him. Manny took advantage of the Titan's currently weakened state and with his El Tigre might he managed to kick the villain out of the slimy grip of the beast. Sure it may have placed Manny in the helpless position of the Titan, but getting out of the squid's grip was easy, once he wound up his claws like a power saw and started having it at the beast.
Manny's power kick had the Titan landing deeper in the opening of the oven again. Before he could even get a chance to escape, Frida propped herself on the door, swung herself with it and with the added force kicked the Titan into the oven just as she has intended before, hurriedly slamming and locking the door so that he didn't escape.
"NO!" the Titan banged on the metal door desperately. "I will get you both for this!" Frida leaned against the door waiting until his screams died down. As the girl left her post, she saw that the squid was gone, with her friend standing in its place surrounded by rolls of sushi, tossing one in its mouth.
"At least we got some real food out of all this." Manny grinned, pleased with his work.
"Let's get out of here now." Frida declared after stuffing herself with a mouthful of sushi rolls. The two of them took the food in any containers that they could find and hit the road.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully, the next one will be up soon.