Nick' sweating eyes darted to Judy's who awaited for an answer.

Do you like Judy Hopps?

_Yes

_Definitely!

_Absolutely!

That message tore apart his brain digging for an answer, but came up blank. Out of all the jams he's been in, this has to be the most difficult to smooth talk his way out. Especially since he's only got three answers.

And who could've set this diabolical trap for him? Sure, there was a lot of animals out there in the whole wide world who'd like to get revenge for some of the things he's done to them, but whoever planned this must've been his worst hater!

"I… uh…" he stammered.

Judy smirked at the hopelessness that surrounded the fox. 'C'mon, Nick," she edged him. "We're partners. No matter what you say, we'll still be the best duo the ZPD have. Nothing can break us apart. And besides…" An amused chuckle broke through her sly-fox grin. "I'm pretty much dying to hear your answer. Also, don't bother whispering. You know how good these ears of mine are."

That's when hope shined light. The perfect get-out-of-jail free card!

"I have to use the bathroom!" Nick declared loudly and rushed himself inside.

Genius.

Once the glass doors closed behind him, Nick slammed his back against it and placed a paw over his heaving chest. He looked down at the crumpled paper in his paw… then straight up shoved it into mouth. A single tear fell as he chewed it without mercy. It tasted like paper and pen and regret! But he managed to swallow it down whole with a single gulp.

His thoughts went back to the main question that ran around in his mind.

Who wrote it?

Then his eyes caught the human walking towards him wearing an oh-so-innocent grin he himself wore many times. Nick's eyes became green daggers pointing dangerously at the human who simply raised a hand and said, "Sup."

"I know you wrote that," Nick seethed through growling fangs.

"Wrote what?" Andrea asked and pointed the fake-innocence in her eyes towards the ceiling.

"The note."

"What note?"

"The piece of paper that I'm currently digesting in my stomach."

Wide eyed, she responded, "Whoa man, you actually ate it? Didn't think you'd go that far."

"So you did write it!" he shouted, both fur and tail up at ends.

Andrea raised both hands to defend against his radiating rage. "Yo, chill. Just trying help you get together with Judy."

Nick hardened his gaze. "And what makes you think I wanna get together with Carrots over there?"

She knelt to his level and gave him a friendly elbow to the shoulder. "Oh, come on, dude. I've seen how you look at her…" she teased playfully. "And I don't blame you. I guess bunnies are always naturally cute."

Nick shoved his paws into his pockets, staring at the ground. Him loving Judy just because she looks cute? "You're wrong. I don't care if she's the hottest bunny alive," he explained solemnly. He shifted back to Andrea's curious eyes. There was a fierceness in those green eyes of his that burned truth. If his feelings were so obvious to this human, he might as well be honest. "Judy Hopps is an annoying, dumb bunny who just doesn't know when to give up. We fight over the smallest things you wouldn't believe how little. It's basically hell for me to deal with her since she's so different from me… but I like it… it makes me happy."

"Dang," Andrea said in a near breathless tone. "That's deep."

"Glad you understand cuz the only reason why I told you any of this is so that you could butt off and let me handle this myself," he declared almost angrily.

Andrea gave him a good-old thumbs up. "I gotcha, dude. I won't mess up your plans anymore."

"Good. Now let's go eat before the food gets cold."

They headed back to the table where Judy greeted Nick with questioning eyes. "So, have you decided on your answer?" she asked.

"What answer?" Nick asked with full innocence as he chowed down a fry.

"An answer for the note," she pressed with a hint of rage behind her voice.

"Note? There's a note?" Nick responded while sipping on his soda.

Judy's gaze became suspicion laced with anger. "Hmmmmmm…" she grumbled. This isn't the first time they've done this sort of thing. Nick's casual, endless, witty quotes doing battle with Judy's unyielding determination led to an endless war of arguments, but luckily the desire for food her stomach begged for convinced to hold off for now.

Andrea stared at the burger in her hands. It was your average, everyday burger with crispy onions, fresh lettuce, cleanly-sliced tomatoes, and melting cheese. But the patty seemed a little different. It was shaped like your standard krabby patty, but the color was definitely not the same. Pink painted with a little gray. Is this really mashed up bugs? She glanced towards Nick and found his burger that was being chowed down alive was basically the same. Just a double version of hers.

Eating bugs really wasn't a daily thing for her, but hey, if predators can enjoy eating insects like Simba, then what's stopping her? A potential vomit, maybe, but after summing up her courage from the depths of a closet, she took a small nibble.

And immediately devoured the rest.

It's like Amazing and Delicious had a baby and named it Amazingly Delicious! It tasted like beef, but that's only a hint of the flavor that gave new life to her taste buds. There was also a hit of sweetness the patty had. Not sugary-candy sweet, but a sweetness that persuaded to try another. And the potato-chippy crunchiness of hard-shelled bugs that crunched with every bite definitely help add to the taste.

Along the way, the three conversed a couple of topics. One being…

"Hey Nick, what's the score between you and I? Including the match Judy and I rekt you in. There's so many that I can't keep count," Andrea asked while wearing a smug of triumph,

Nick's claws angrily dug into his burger. "65 to 0…" he growled in a vengeful tone. Then, nearly shooting up from his chair, he continued, "But I wasn't going serious on someone as bad as you! Honestly, if I WAS trying, you'd be crying so hard-"

"Nick…" Judy said, giving him a pitied stare.

Andrea waved off the bunny's concern. "Nah, fam, it's cool. Nick's salt is gonna go great with my fries."

The fox mumbled his swearing vengeance as he sat back down.

"So guys, did you get the friend request I sent," she asked. Then quickly added, "Not tryin to sound desperate or anything…"

The duo checked their phones and discovered one notification in their Furbook account.

"Oh, yeah. We got one," Judy answered. Her finger loomed over the accept button. "And there we go! Official friends. You know, back home all it took for animals to be friends was some talk and a little hanging out."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Nick said while placing all his focus into his phone.

Then Andrea went on, "Oh, and did you guys see the group chat I made for us?"

Nick checked his notifications once again and discovered that he'd been put in a group chat called…

"The OG Squids?" Nick asked both in a curious and amused tone.

Andrea rubbed the back of her head as she wore a slightly embarrassed grin. "Yeah… I was thinking about naming us the OG Squad… but it sounded too mainstream and squids sounded more fun."

"Well, I like it," Judy said after a small laugh.

"Thanks! I also gave you guys nicknames on the chat."

"Nicknames?" Nick stared down at his phone to find that he was no longer known as the Great Nick Wilde. Instead, became known as… "Wild McWilde?" he said, raising a questioning brow on the human. It didn't sound bad, actually.

Judy had no idea what to think about hers. "And I'm… IHopps?" She heard that's actually another business owned by another huge family of bunnies.

"Yeah, sorry bout that. Kinda grew lazy and gave you one from the top of my head."

"And what's your nickname?" Nick asked.

"Easy. MLG Pro."

Nick chuckled. "Makes sense."

Once not a single crumb survived, they headed for the pool.

Zootopia's public was just your average, chlorine filled, swimming pool. Just a little bit 4x the average size. Maybe more? With stuffed bleachers planted on the grass under the tree's cool shades, glistening blue waters that gleamed under the bright sun as they splashed into the sky, and roaring laughter filling the fresh air. Pools had to be this impressive size if it wanted to fit the many animals the city gives home to. Like the elephants creating tidal waves with each cannonball, or like the small mice jumping off the said elephant's trunks like diving boards

"So Carrots, what do ya think of me now?" Nick teased, flexing a bicep.

Judy had to rub the imaginary dust off her eyes. Standing in front of her in all its glory was a shirtless fox wearing nothing but blue swimming trunks.

This was probably the first time Judy has seen Nick this way despite being a duo for months now. As the obvious explained, he has a slim build, but under that red coat of his were the lean muscles of a powerful predator. Heck, she could even make a six pack hidden under his creamy fur. His athletic body sent her mind into a mesmerized trance.

And the same can go for Nick himself. He nearly choked on his words and barely managed to keep his act when he finally got see Judy in her swimsuit. As he had speculated carrots were scattered all over her bright-orange suit. And the way how it clung tightly to her body combined with those nibbly, big ears blended both sexy and cute perfectly.

Her paw resisted the urge to reach out and touch. "You look… uh… very nice…" she muttered, bringing her paw's attention into rubbing her arm instead.

From her, even a weak comment like that can cause Nick to create a deeper shade of red on his cheeks.

Andrea soon came up to them in a similar swimsuit to Judy's yet more a dress than an actual swimsuit, barely showing any skin except for the arms and legs.

Nick wore a mask of fake disappointment, observing the human. "Hmm…" he said. "You know, I thought your species' chest would be bigger."

Silence struck Judy. Andrea's expression was speechless shock. Nick continued where he left off with an amused chuckled. "Then again, I should've noticed how unnoticeable your boobs were the first time we met. Right?" he finished, chuckling to himself.

Anger swelled within Judy's clenched fist and blazed with fury! But before she could unleash it on the still-smiling fox, a furless hand shot out and completely crushed around Nick's paw! Nick struggled to break free. He pulled and pulled, pulling for his life! However, the life was drained out of him when Nick's panicking eyes met a black, merciless glare freezing his very soul.

The next instant, Nick was thrown into the pool headfirst with a heavy splash.

"The heck was that for?" Nick spat out as he threw himself to the surface. The sudden invasion of cold seeped through his warm coat and stung every part of his body. He felt lucky enough to have been thrown all the way to the five foot part of the pool.

"My boobs are not small!" Andrea fired back. "They're still developing here!" Then she looked away, aiming her blush at the ground. "At least… I think…" she whispered, embarrassed

"Hey, at least you're used to the waters by now!" Judy called as she tiptoed inch by inch across the deepening waters. Seeing Nick shiver and suffer in the cold waters even for a few seconds was enough to ease her rage. She kept moving forward while carefully avoiding oncoming animals, only shivering on the three foot mark where she had to swim, until finally came inches close from the fox. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah. Guess so…" he muttered. Nick checked his surroundings. Seems like they had a little open space. A couple of pups dogpaddled around them as kittens were stranded on top of them, arching their backs at the slightest contact of water. Hippos floated lazily on their backs, sun tanning their bellies as they slept under warm light.

Andrea came towards them, the water only reaching her shoulder once she reached the two. "Sup, guys! Wanna play tag?"

"Tag?"/ Nick asked as if the word itself left a bad taste in his mouth. "Isn't that little kid stuff?"

It's not because Nick hates kids' stuff. The fox had plenty of competitive tickle fights with Judy. It's just that all those fights took place in their apartment. You know, a place where an animal needs the key they probably don't have to open the locked door to see a fox and a bunny laughing on top of the other. Here, this is a public pool. Where everything's PUBLIC.

Judy decided to urge him. "C'mon, Nick. I've been playing tag with my family even after I turned 16. It's pretty fun! Especially In the waters."

Nick's gaze grew hesitant and awkward. "I dunno. I haven't played tag since… since…" His head ached trying to stretch for a memory. "Actually, I don't think I've ever played tag at all," he explained in a near disappointed tone.

"Then it's a good time to start now, dude!" Andrea encouraged wearing a cheerful grin.

Nick's tone became bored and unconvinced. "Yeah, sure! A mature fox like me playing kid's games in the pool. How old do you think I am?"

Andrea gave him a simple answer: shoving his head into the water. "Tag, you're it, BIAAAAAAAAATCH!" she yelled full of laughter and scattered together with Judy deeper into the waters.

The fox's head shot for the surface as he spewed out water that arched in the air. Soaked fur bristling with rage, he shouted, "Hey, who said I'm playing?" But they were too far for his yell to break through the other animals' laughs they passed by. A predator's growl was released through clenched fangs. "Get back here!"

Forgetting this was even a game, Nick hunted for the two of them, swimming across the blue waters with ferocious speed. He came close to cornering one of them from time to time, but they always find a floating hippo to hide from his sight. And by the time he maneuvered around the convenient hippo, they were long gone.

Then he finally trapped Andrea against the corner of the pool's edge. He swam closer with eyes locked onto its prey and prepared to pounce.

"Splash attack!" the human shouted and sent an onslaught of water at him, temporarily blinding him.

By the time his vision returned, the human had already hopped off the pool and speed-walking her way towards the shore.

"Cheater!" Nick yelled.

"No I'm not!" Andrea yelled back and continued on her merry way.

His luck finally turned when he gained distance on the swift bunny who stroked elegantly through the water. Adrenaline from the hunt pumped his boiling blood as his eyes suddenly shifted to predatory, narrowing on Judy. She checked behind her and was hit with a look of terror which only edged Nick into swimming faster. They reached a point where Nick stood high enough to walk and he used that chance to pounce on the unsuspecting rabbit.

They crashed into the water together.

Blue haziness swam around Judy. She tried to move but a pair of two strong arms around her restricted any movement. Her breathing hitched as her lungs desperately begged for sweet sir. Then her wish was granted when those strong arms lifted her into the surface. She coughed out any clinging water. Her eyes opened and met a green pair staring intensely into her own, paralyzing her in the process.

Sharp fangs nibbled her ears. "Tag, your it," Nick whispered huskily before wading off, leaving a frozen bunny to wonder.


"Dude, hurry up! There's an open space right there!" Andrea yelled to Nick's ear, leaning in from her seat without a seatbelt. Her finger pointed to a parking space nearly masked by a huge van big enough to host an entire elephant herd.

"Right! Got it!" Nick yelled back, hardening his gaze on the spot. He sped down pass the van and fully prepared to make the turn. However, a car the size of a fist had already parked at the spot.

Nick and Andrea groaned in pain for the 60th time.

Judy rolled her eyes before focusing them through the window, staring into endless blue space. For a good hour they've been stranded in the overstuffed parking lot driving at a snail's pace through a hallway of cars searching for a spot to park. Honestly, if they don't find any parking soon, her impatient foot is gonna start tapping on someone's bloodied head.

"Yo, there's another spot all the way at the end over there!" Andrea yelled again, pointing towards the near-end of the car corridor.

Nick readied to floor the pedal, but another car in his sight stopped him in his tracks. Through his sharp vision, the driver appears to a small lamb, an old one at that. She had a sweet, old, granny face coupled with a pair of aged eyes barely kept open on the road and extremely poofy, gray hair. The old lamb also had a kind smile that can melt the hearts of anyone into helping her cross a busy street with one look.

"What's the hold up?" Judy mumbled, annoyed.

"There's an old lady who's gonna take our spot."

"Really? Then hurry and go get it before she does," Judy stated simply.

"But she's closer to it than we are. We won't make it in time."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Have you tried speeding up?"

"I don't think we'll make even if I sped up a little. Plus, I really don't feel comfortable stealing a parking spot from an old lady."

Judy's paws went for the wheel. "Let me drive," she demanded with pure authority. Driving aimlessly here for an hour had spent many of her patience. And she wasn't about to spend another because of some damn old woman!

Nick reeled his head back in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"That wasn't a request. Now, let go!"

As if the wheel was burning lava, Nick swiftly removed his paws.

"Floor it."

Huh?

"I need a little repeat on that."

The last of the bunny's patience burned out and replace with roaring, pissed-off rage. "Nick, I swear! If I wait any longer for some damn parking space, I'm gonna wear your coat of fur for Christmas! Now, DRIVE!"

Fear had stolen whatever voice Nick had left. He pushed down the pedal as hard as he possibly can, and they became a rocket burning rubber towards the old woman who was oblivious to the world around her. Andrea was thrown back into her seat, feeling completely crushed by immense pressure. Not even a single finger could fight against it. Nick was glued to his seat, but pressed on the pedal with all his might as his scared claws raked against the chair's fabric. Judy kept her eyes on the road, and the fire in them blazed brighter when they caught the last open parking space on Earth approaching with speed. The old continued driving forwards with an oblivious smile.

"Nick, hit the brakes!"

He didn't need to be told twice this time. His foot slammed the brakes, creating a sound as if a bird was screeching in pain. Judy swerved the wheel to the right. The car gradually slowed, but began leaning on two wheels heading for the old lamb's car. Instinct took over once the lamb noticed the car standing on two wheels inches away from crashing into hers so a worn hoof stepped on the brakes.

Nick's car froze for a split second, then crash back down. In front of them, the open parking space free for them to use.

"See, it wasn't that hard, was it?" Judy asked Nick, giving a smirking gaze to the fox.

Both Nick and Andrea were paralyzed to say anything else.

The old lamb leaned in and opened her blurry eyes to see the object in front of her. When she finally realized another car had taken the space, she shrugged, made her way around it, and continued her search for a free space.

They parked and the three made their way out.

Andrea took time to awe at the huge stadium that centered the parking lot. It was 3x bigger than an entire football stadium. Black windows stood on each floor, gleaming off any sunlight that tried to penetrate it. From this distance, she could make out the entrance where serpentine line awaited entry. It was like the one back at restaurant with different animals all of different sizes, but a MILLION times bigger.

"Uh, Nick…" she asked in a worried tone. "Hate to tell you this, but I think the line's pretty long."

Nick waved off her concern. "Hey, don't worry about it. I have a guy I know working security guard at the front entrance. I'll just talk to him and he'll let us in without any trouble."

"How do you know him?" Judy said, unconvinced. "And more importantly, how do you know he's gonna let us in without kicking us out?"

The fox gave the bunny a reassuring pat on the head. "Because I know," was all he said and led the group towards the stadium.

A brown bear stood near the entrance with buff arms crossed over his broad chest. His stature was big, even among his own kind. A shadow was casted to anyone who stood near him. To add his to his itimidatingness, his unblinking glare of murderous intent could rip apart the bravest of souls' courage, not really needing his black claws that could tear troublemakers with ease. He wore standard clothing: black shirt and black pants. The only way anybody could tell he was security was thanks to the word itself etched across his shirt.

From time to time, an oblivious idiot would try get in without suffering in the line. So, doing his job, he lifted the idiot by the shirt, snarl at them with terrifying fangs, and then throw them off into the nearby garbage can. Next, he cleaned his paws of dirt and went straight back to guarding.

And then there's THIS GUY without a care in the world trotting towards him with a nervous bunny and strange animal as tall as wolf walking behind him.

The fox stopped at the bear's feet. The small thing can hardly reach to his waist! His murderous glare was returned with a sly grin and eyes. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeey, Jeeeeeeeeerrry!" the fox greeted happily, fisting bumping his knees.

Jerry's deadly frown stayed for a moment, but soon broke into a cheerful grin. "Nick! Long time no see!" Jerry said, kneeling down yet still towering over the fox. He placed a hefty paw over Nick's shoulder. "What brings you to a place like this?"

Nick laughed and set a paw on his buddy's arm. "Well, I heard from a VERY reliable source that one of my old buddies is working here. So thought I'd drop by and visit. Though, one of the better questions is, what are YOU doing here?"

"Working security here, obviously," Jerry chuckled. Then his eyes grew deadly serious glaring into Nick. "You're not causing trouble here, right?"

"No, course not! Remember that guy you kicked out of that bar we came in together? He didn't stand a chance! I know who I'm talking to."

Jerry gave a hearty laugh at the memory. "Good. Hate to kick out a friend."

"By the way, Jerry, since your working here, I was expecting you to dress up!"

"Yeah… well…" Jerry chuckled, looking away clearly embarrassed. "I was hoping they would let me do some cosplay on the job…"

Nick raised a curious brow, smirking. "And why not?"

The bear scratched the back of his head. "I guess it's because a big bear like me in a girly sailor suit wearing a blonde wig with two ponytails isn't cut out for security work…"

"Riiiiiiiiight," Nick answered. He was unsure what the bear meant, but Andrea sure as hell does. "Anyways, mind doing me a solid and let my friends and me in?"

Jerry's gaze became observant. Knowing Nick, he's probably trying to con him at this moment. "You know, there's thing called a line…"

"Yeah yeah, I know. How about we consider this a favor repaid for that time I saved your butt from-"

Jerry's paws danced nervously for him to stop. "Ok! Ok! I get it. But first I gotta know if your friends there are gonna cause any trouble or not. You wouldn't believe the kind of fights we have in here. Goku vs Superman? Obviously, Superman takes the belt. " The bear's eyes went to the small bunny who stood tall and vigilant, as if awaiting for an order. He went over to the furless animal. When she caught his gaze on her, she simply raised a hand and said, "Sup."

"To be real, I don't know" Nick admitted, checking on the two behind him.

A sigh left Jerry. "Good enough. All right, head on in." The bear stepped to the side. He used his arms to introduce them to the glass doors. Nick thanked him and went on in together with the group.

As Andrea had expected, the stadium was teeming with awesome cosplayers! Being on top of some stairs gave her some good sight. With huge Buster Swords on their backs, shiny PokeBalls under their belts, cool ninja headbands on their foreheads, blue guns for heels, round vibranium shields on their arms, and a crap ton of other stuff! Not wearing a costume made Andrea feel like a weird outsider. If she had predicted she there would be a cosplay convention in this strange world, she would've brought her own costume.

To Judy, this was like an annual farm festival back home. Only this time, everyone was a ninja, or a clown, or a robot, or a superhero, or even a supervillain! Everything was a question in her mind.

Nick had just finished paying and returned, handing the two badges. "All right, got you guys' badges for proof we paid. Don't lose these or else you might get kicked out."

They swiftly put them on.

"So, what do we do now? Judy asked. She aimed her vision out towards the shifting crowd. Among the sea of costumes, there were tons of stands selling either comic books or delicious food that wafted into her nose.

With a hand under chin Andrea began to think. There was a lot of things to do in places like this. Like taking pictures with some animals wearing costumes or catch a teaser trailer for an upcoming movie. Stuff like that. "What we should do…" Andrea began, but something in the corner of her eye stopped her words.

Just down the steps… were the friggin Power Rangers! Five members dressed in shiny, colorful armor posing for the numerous, flashing cameras. Their helmets were shaped to fit the animal posing as them. Like the lion as the leader of the Rangers, the fearsome Red Ranger!

"Where you going?" Judy shouted after Andrea as the human walked off down the steps.

"Dude, it's the Power Rangers! I've been a fan since I was like three so I gotta take a picture!" she shouted back and went off running, disappearing into the mass.

Judy sighed and turned to Nick. "Ok, so what do you wanna-"

But the thing is, Nick wasn't there. He was already walking off into the crowd below.

"Nick, wait! Where the heck do you think you're going?" the bunny shouted after him.

As if her voice was blocked by a thousand others, Nick trudged on until the ocean of cosplayers swept him away from her sight.

A content smile stuck on Nick, almost skipping the entire way as he read the latest DC comic book he bought from the stand earlier.

Oh, how he loved DC comic books. He's been a huge fan since his mother managed to find him the very first Superman issue for his fourth birthday. He fell in love the very moment he opened the first page! The action! The adventures! The story! And ever since then, he's been digging his paws searching for every other issue DC could possibly make. A collection still in MINT CONDITION, he might brag. The new comic books were nice, but to him, nothing can beat the classics. Just selling one would make a small fortune for him. Heck, if he sold the entire secret stash he's hiding in his closet, he would have never needed to live the con life! But they were important pieces to his past so selling even one of them was like selling away a piece of his soul.

The moment Nick prepared to turn the page, he felt a small bump bump into him. It wasn't strong enough to knock him down, but it did manage to knock the other animal down to his/her butt.

Almost guilty, Nick set his attention to the fallen animal. His cunning mind had already figured out way to place all the blame on his bumper. However… "Hold on, Carrots?" Nick said in a surprised gasp, quickly helping the bunny to her feet. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Judy replied, rubbing her sore head. "Just glad I've finally found you. Where have you been?"

He smiled. "Sorry for ditching earlier. I just needed to buy myself a few comics." Then his eyes caught a lone comic book sprawled to the floor. "And you seemed have got yourself a comic book too…"

"Yeah, I guess I kinda did," Judy admitted, chuckling at the coincidence. Her paw went for her comic book, but Nick's gently held it in place.

"No, let me. I gotcha." He assured her with a trusty wink and knelt for the comic. Nick scooped it up and felt curiosity's urge to see what kind of comic the bunny had. He turned it over… and discovered a dark truth.

It was a MARVEL COMIC! THE BANE OF DC!

The hideous comic became burning poison to his paws and it slapped to the floor. Nick's breathing became haggard breaths as he immediately began wiping the poison stuck on his paws to his shirt with fearful abandon.

Concerned, Judy asked, "Hey, you ok?" trying to settle a comforting paw on his heavy shoulders, but Nick slapped it away. Who knows how long she's been touching that garbage?

"You… you like Marvel?" Nick finally managed to say through heavy breaths.

Judy gave him a what-the-heck-does-that-have-to-do-with-anything kind of look. "Yeah. So what? Have been since I was four."

Nick calmed his breathing and pieced himself back together. "It's just that Marvel is… trash…"

A bomb set off in Judy. "Excuse me?" she said, pissed with paws on her hips.

Nick sent her a glare. "You heard what I said. Marvel! IS! TRASH!" he shouted for the whole convention to hear, with clenching claws and red fur standing on end.

Judy readied to slap the crap out of him, but then she saw the DC comic being crushed in his paw. "Oh, you're a DC fanboy, aren't you?" she said with sly smile almost as sly his.

Nick fumbled with his words. "F-fanboy? Whaddya mean, fanboy?"

Judy playfully flailed her comic book. "Hmm, nothing, I guess living the con life means you gotta have some PRETTY low standards if you like DC."

Her words struck his pride. "What the hell makes you say that?"

"It's just that Marvel destroys DC with no problem at all."

"No way, Cottontail! Just what exactly does Marvel have that beats DC?"

"Ok, let's see," Judy said, starting to count each hero with a finger. "We've got a lion super soldier who carries a nearly indestructible shield, a dolphin super genius who can create the most powerful armors, a bear god of thunder who wields a magic hammer, a nerdy bunny who becomes a hulking mass of destruction when he gets angry, a hawk archer who can shoot you in the eye right now in this crowd, and a secret spy trained since birth to be one of the best agents there is. And these are just from the top of my head. What does DC have?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "You know, I could go on and make a long list to why DC tops Marvel, but I'm gonna save us both some time and say that we have Batman."

Then Judy did the unthinkable. She laughed. "REALLY? Batman?"

"Yeah, Batman!" Nick roared at the top of his lungs. "What's so funny about the Goddamn Batman?"

Laughing tears fell and Judy wiped them away. "Don't get me wrong! I like how a small bat like him trains his very best to fight crime. I respect that. It's just that there's no way he can beat anybody from Marvel."

"Of course he can!"

Judy shook her head. "He doesn't even have any superpowers."

"Defeating villains and heroes without any superpowers IS his superpower! He can win against your so-called heroes ALL at the same time ALL by himself! Heck, he can beat the entire Marvel universe all by himself if he wanted to!" Nick declared fiercely.

"Is that right?" Judy said, doubt in her look. "Then explain to me how Batman, a guy with no powers at all, can defeat a lion super soldier who carries a nearly indestructible shield, a dolphin super genius who can create the most powerful armors, a bear god of thunder who wields a magic hammer, a nerdy bunny who becomes a hulking mass of destruction when he gets angry, a hawk archer who can shoot you in the eye right now in this crowd, and a secret spy trained since birth to be one of the best agents there is?"

Nick folded his arms. The answer is simple. "It's because he's Batman…"

The bunny's anger reached its peak. She took a firm step forward. "Marvel!" she shouted.

"DC!" Nick shouted back, leaning down to tackle her anger head on.

"MARVEL!"

"DC!"

"MARVEL!"

"DC!"

"AMALGAM!"

"Huh?" both Judy and Nick said in perfect unison, turning their head towards the source.

"Sup, guys, thought we were just shouting random stuff," Andrea said with a greeting hand and cheerful grin.

"Andrea!" Nick said in a relieved gasp. "You should be an expert about this stuff! Tell Cottontail here that DC eats Marvel any day!"

"No!" Judy said. She shoved Nick from Andrea and stepped up to the human. "Tell this stinking fox Marvel steps on DC!"

"Uh…" was all that left Andrea's unsure mouth. She didn't really hate any of them. In fact, she loved both universes of awesome superheroes and villains. Even though DC had Batman, she still believed they're equally great universes. And she really didn't want to see a fanboy and fangirl fight over who's superior, especially when it's between her two friends.

"Well?" the duo said together, eyeing her for an answer.

"How about I tell you guys how to start a riot in a convention instead?" By the look of the confusion written on their faces, she successfully steered the subject. Andrea checked her surroundings and found that they were in the more-anime side of the convention. A big hint was the huge, colorful wigs everyone was wearing, whose style was just too impossible to exist in the natural world, screamed main character.

"SAITAMA CAN KICK GOKU'S BUTT WITH ONE PUNCH!"

And just like that, the entire anime community froze on the spot.

They all directed their heads towards the human.

Those who stared at her just thought she was weird. Others thought she was just crazy. And others thought she was CRAZY for declaring a sinful sentence.

The first to break from the frozen crowd was a puny gerbil stomping his way towards Andrea. He wore an orange gi that looked perfect for either intense training or epic fighting. Blue wristbands covered his tiny wrists and his spiky, black wig nearly hid his face in shadow.

"Hey! You!" he yelled, knocking on Andrea's shoes.

"Who? Me?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah you! Just who the hell do you think you are saying that some stupid bald guy can beat an alien GOD like Goku?"

Now, an argument like this would last an eternity inside the wonders of the internet. An argument like this in a convention with a bunch of weeaboos in one spot could lead to interesting results.

Then that's when a hamster broke through the crowd. He looked exactly like the first gerbil, same yellow fur and beady eyes, yet wearing an entirely different costume. And kinda lame actually. A yellow jumpsuit, a black belt with a golden center, and his red, shiny gloves and boots made it looking like some weird plumber's uniform. If it weren't for the plain, white cape draped around his neck, nobody would be able to tell he's even supposed to be a hero. But the most mind-boggling thing was his head. Either he's wearing one of those things that makes you look bald, or he's a hardcore fan who completely shaved the fur off his head and left it a shiny pink.

Most likely the second option.

"Hey, bro! I dare you to say that again!" the hamster spat into the gerbil's face.

His eyes sharpened. "Well, if it isn't another stupid One Punch Man fan," the gerbil said in a mocking tone.

That hit the hamster right in the pride. "Stupid? The only stupid here are animals like you who think Goku can beat the strongest hero in the entire animeverse who can defeat ANYBODY with one punch!"

"With one punch?" the gerbil laughed, lungs burning. "I don't know where you've been, but Goku can blow up planets."

"There you go! Start off every Goku vs. argument with Goku can blow up planets. Yeah, sure! He probably can. But first he's gotta charge up a giant blue ball of bull's crap that wastes about 5 whole episodes of our lives then ends up missing! All Saitama's gotta do is punch the Earth and it'll crack in two!"

The gerbil waved off that comment. "Oh, wow. Saitama may be able to crack the Earth in two, but Goku can pretty much survive a blast powerful enough to blow up the entire galaxy."

"Really? Then explain how a small, friggin laser gun took down Goku with one shot?"

The gerbil's confidence fell over and he stuttered his next few words. "A writer's mistake! Happens every time."

"And you know what else a mistake is? Dragon Ball Super."

The hatred in the gerbil's eyes was set ablaze. "What did you say?"

"Don't get me wrong. I used to like Dragon Ball, but Super ruined it. Gohan and Piccolo are on the exact opposite side of useful and the animation is TERRIBLE. Nothing like it used to be back in the old days. AND NOTHING compared to One Punch Man!"

"OK, that is it!" the gerbil roared and took a step forward, dangerously cracking his puny fists.

The hamster made the same advance. "Oh, you wanna go? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a whole lot bigger and stronger than you!"

"Then it's a good thing I have a couple of friends nearby." At that instant, the gerbil snapped its finger and a swarm of scurrying fluff balls came beckoning to his call. The army stood vigilant and ready behind their leader, all the while wearing black spiky fur on the top of their heads and orange gi with a Japanese character etched onto the back.

But the hamster merely scoffed at the imposing, gerbil army. Making the same move, he snapped his fingers and an array of different colored balls of fur clad in yellow jumpsuits and white capes flowing as they scurried out from the crowd.

Judy's ears twitched as they caught the strained tension within the thick silence. Any moment, a single word was enough to ignite the great battle of supremacy that will rage for eons until the end of anime (which will never happen). Every animal stayed to the spot, silent as the two armies of fluff returning glare for glare.

Somebody in the crowd coughed.

Both hamsters and gerbils roared their squeaky, battle cries and charged head on. Each slammed their fists against the other, knocking out the other out in the process.

Amidst the chaos, Nick worriedly tugged Andrea's hand and Judy's paw. "Not sure if this is obvious or not, but I think it's time we get out of here."

Judy was ready to agree, but Andrea felt ready to head into battle.

And she wasn't the only one. The crowd had drawn their styrofoam swords and toy guns and fought whoever dared to challenge their ultimate hero. Pretty soon about ¼ of the convention became a battleground roaring with battle cries.

Andrea once again attempted storm into battle, but Nick strengthened his hold and dragged the two through the chaos searching for a safe haven. Then a familiar brown bear that loomed over the chaotic crowd came into vision. "Jerry?" Nick said in relief. "Finally, someone who can stop this mess!

But this wasn't the Jerry he once knew. Over the bear's head was a blonde, girly wig with two ponytails swinging violently behind him as rushed towards the battle. And his armor was a very revealing girl's sailor suit.

He had already rushed past Nick before he could ask what the heck he's wearing, shouting, "FOR SAITAMA-CHAN!" and vanished into the larger crowd.

The three retreated to the nearest open doors and promptly shut them behind. The cries and shouts of war became muffled whispers.

It seems they have taken shelter inside a dark theater. The lights hanging on the walls provided enough sight to allow them to walk through the hallway. At the end was a right turn that revealed grands rows of seats in front of a large black screen. Situated at the bottom rows were mostly the small animals and the huge one high on top.

"Hey, I think I know what this is!" Andrea piped up.

"A movie theater?" Nick said, rolling eyes.

"No dude, more than that! This is one of those things where you get to see a sneak peak of an upcoming movie."

"I think I'd rather waste my time seeing a trailer on my phone."

"Come one Nick," Judy edged. "We bunnies are curious."

The fox shot her a look. "No your not."

Her tall ears flicked that comment off and she dragged Nick up the dark stairs with Andrea following. Finding a seat is usually a hassle, especially when it's a little overcrowded. Every few seconds they'd encounter a "Hey, watch out!" or a "Move! Can't see!" as they searched for a seat that's close to the screen but not too close. The blank screen came to life by the time they finally found a decent spot.

Both the fox and bunny sighed in relief as they relaxed into their seats close to the other. But an obnoxious crunching noise broke their concentration and they looked right to see the human munching on a handful of popcorn. Instead of question where she obtained the snack, the two simply reached to grab a pawful.

A rise of music that sounded like a giant blow horn gifted with a deep voice boomed as the narrator began:

THIS SUMMER

PREPARE YOUR TAILS FOR THE GREATEST MOVIE OF THE CENTURY

FEATURING THE GREATEST MOVIE STARS OF ALL TIME

An old wolf that sat on a wooden chair appeared on screen. He greeted the audience with a gentle paw. "Hello, and I am Morgan Freeman," Morgan Freeman spoke in his Morgan Freeman voice.

MORGAN FREEMAN AS MORGAN FREEMAN

The screen switched to a bison in a dangerous, black suit, pointing a gun at the audience. "Say WHAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU! I DOUBLE DARE YOU, MOTHERFU-"

AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON AS SAMUEL L. JACKSON.

ALREADY REAL CRITICS ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE FILM

MICHAEL BAY "AMAZING MOVIE. COULD USE MORE EXPLOSIONS, THOUGH!"

M. NIGHT SHYMALAN "LOVED THE PLOT TWIST WHERE SAMUEL L. JACKSON IS ACTUALLY MORGAN FREEMAN AND MORGAN FREEMAN SAMUEL L. JACKSON!"

CHAD FROM ACCOUNTING "WHAT? WHO ARE YOU? HOW'D YOU GET INSIDE MY HOUSE?"

CAPTAIN AMERICA "TEAM EDWARD!"

TONY STARK IRON MAN "TEAM JACOB!"

MORGAN FREEMAN AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON MOVIE THE MOVIE:

ORIGINS: RESURRECTION: REVELATIONS: CIVIL INFINITY WAR: DAWN OF JUSTICE: DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 AND 2: THE DANK KNIGHT RISES: THE LAST STAND: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST:

THE MOVIE…

RATING NOT YET RATED…


"I'm totally gonna see that movie," Andrea proclaimed as she walked down the park trail. The dark, blue sky above signaled the lamp posts to awaken and shed some light over the trail a fox and bunny walked side-by-side.

"I dunno if that's a good idea…" Nick said, suspicion in his voice. "It kinda sounds a little… uh… weird…"

"But Nick, it has Morgan Freeman and Samuel L. Jackson in it!" Judy said, almost in a dream.

"Saying a movie has some famous stars is one way they fool you into thinking it's a good movie, Carrots. I would know."

"Well, I still think it's going to be a good movie," Judy declared firmly, prompting Nick to huff at her obliviousness. If their first romantic movie together is going to be that movie, then…

"Hey, so how far is the soccer game?" Andrea asked, disrupting his thoughts. They've been walking for a good 5 minutes now, and her patience was wearing thin.

"No worries, Andrea," Nick assured. "I've been to these games longer than anybody has in the city. I have a pretty good idea what I'm doing."

"You know, I've never placed you as a soccer fan until today, Nick," Judy said. "And why is today the only day I'm seeing one with you?"

"A lot of reasons, actually, Carrots. One: I have a real job now so that kinda messes up my regular schedule. And two: the soccer season's back on and I can finally enjoy life again!" he finished with cheerful joy. A bout of laughter seemed to share his idea. Not far off, a couple of soccer fans had stripped off their shirts. One by one they dumped their paws into a nearby can of blue paint and mask their fur in it, either making their home team's symbol or making one huge letter on their bellies, or even just dumping the entire paint can on them. "You two go on ahead. The game's just a few more feet from here." There was a mischievous grin on his muzzle, and he had already run off before Judy could take him into questioning.

"So… uh… Andrea… how you hanging up?" Judy asked lamely. Nick's presence had set an ease between her and the human thanks to his talkative and social attitude. His absence though felt as if a bridge had disappeared and left a rift of uneasiness.

"It's been really cool so far," Andrea answered, honest in her smile. "Great food, great pools, and great fights in conventions!"

Judy released her relief through her sigh. "That's good." In the beginning, she saw the human as another job to be dealt with. Now, she's starting to see the human as a great friend. "Hey, I think I see some bleachers close by. Let's go!" In an instant, the bunny zoomed over to the bleachers faster than a predator could unsheathe its claws.

The human struggled to keep up. It only got worse when she had to run up the bleacher's stairs, torturing her legs as she climbed past various animals. It was nearly impossible to spot, but she managed to pick out the small bunny sitting between two way larger animals. On one side, a hippo stuffing its mouth with a veggie hotdog splattering ketchup and mustard each bite. And the other, a giraffe with a mouse casually relaxing on the best seat there is, its head.

"Where's Nick gonna sit?" Andrea asked. Unless someone's sitting on someone's lap, there's no way three small animals could sit between two large ones.

The realization kicked her head in surprise. "Oops, didn't really think about that too much. The bleachers looked so crowded I felt like I had to rush to find us some seats."

Andrea mentally agreed and took a seat next to her. She took a glance around and figured it was probably a good thing Judy found themselves seats as quick as she can. There were hordes of either small or giant animals taking a huge amount of space on the bleachers. The bleachers must've been made from some pretty solid stuff to be able to endure this much weight.

"What? No seat for me?" Nick said, a smile on his lips

"Oh, what's up, Nick!" Andrea happily greeted. "Where have you… been?" Her words tripped at the end.

"Forget where you've been, Nick!" Judy exclaimed. "Exactly what have you been doing?"

The red velvet fur that once coated his body was now drenched in absolute blue from head to tail, leaving the only patch of fur spared of paint was his creamy, belly fur. And how did they know? Well, he's shirtless.

A blue, shirtless Nick.

His smile broadened when he caught Judy blushing directly at his chest. "Like seeing me show off my stuff, eh Carrots?" he teased.

"Oh, put a carrot in it, Nick," she fought back. "What the heck do you think you're doing anyways?"

"Supporting my team of course! Blue is their national color!"

"You really are a die-hard soccer fan, aren't you?"

"You bet! Now, do you mind moving off of my seat?"

Her position grew defensive. "No way! I was here first."

A devious glint gleamed under Nick's eyes.

"I don't think I've ever agreed to this," Judy grumbled.

"Your right," Nick agreed, "I did."

Rather than prolonging the pointless squabble, Judy decided to just enjoy the moment and relax against the solid softness behind her. As soon as she did, a pair of strong, blue arms wrapped her in a tight, protective hug.

The game began with the stadium lights revealing the fresh grass below. Today's game was the Rampaging Rhinos in red vs the Ferocious Felines in blue! And as you can imagine, the Rampaging Rhinos was herd of hulking rhinos and the Ferocious Felines a band of multiple cats going from a tall, imposing tiger to puny house cat.

Despite the power difference, the rhinos were kinda clumsy with the ball and could only charge straight forward, but trying to steal the ball from them was like trying to steal candy inside Area 51. But the felines made up for their lack of power with their impressive skill and speed. Especially the small house cat. Whenever he had the ball, he would disappear for one single second, then the crowd would later find him already at the opponent's goal. Judy felt so impressed, she had the urge to race him one day when the game was over.

Judy expected to have a nice, quiet time watching, but Nick couldn't quite sit still as the game progressed. Whenever his favorite team had a free kick, the tension would silence him with nervousness as he nibbled her ears for comfort. And whenever the rhinos made an obvious flop, he would rise up in anger, yet still gently holding his bunny in his arms, and join the crowd's roar of anger. And when the game ended with the Ferocious Felines' victory, he joined the crowd's victory dance swinging his little bunny without restraint.

Somebody might have some mucked-up carrots straight from a bunny's stomach by the end of this.

"Ha haaaaaaaaaaa! WE WON!" Nick cheered, still swinging Judy around as he merrily walked down the park trail.

"Ok, Nick! I'm happy for you! Can you just put me down now!" Judy pleaded as another acidic feeling in her gut threated to erupt.

"Oh, right! Sorry!" He set her down. She wobbled a bit like a drunken bunny and clung to his blue fur for support. Chuckling, he glanced at Andrea. "So Mr. Human, how was the game for ya?"

The human shrugged. "Meh, it's okay I guess. I'm more of a basketball fan to be honest, though."

That comment felt as though it shot his pride. And he was about to defend his honor until some clueless ferret bumped into him. Judy made a painful fall into the dirt. Nick's predatory eyes sharpened at the asshole who kept on running. Not because he didn't apologize, well mostly that, but because it looked like he was trying to hide some lump in his paws…

"Please, somebody! Stop that man! He has my baby!" a broken, mother's voice cried behind them.

Nick prepare to make chase, but a shift in the wind caused him to take a look at the spot where Judy fell… only to find her gone.

Only one place to look!

"Come on!" Nick shouted, dragging Andrea's hand down the trail. As they rushed through the trees, Nick unveiled a radio in his pocket and shouted desperately into it. "This is Officer Wilde requesting backup! We got a hostage situation here in Central Park! A single ferret but it seems he has a cub at his mercy!"

Clawhauser returned his call. "Got it, Nick! Backup will be there in a few minutes!"

They broke into a clearing where a stone bridge arcing across a river lit by a single lamp post. Just at the entrance of the bridge was Judy padding slowly with a careful paw outstretched. Standing dangerously at the bridge's side was a crazed ferret using an unsheathed claw to hold a lion cub between life and death.

Judy took another step.

"Back off! Or this stupid cub gets it!" the ferret demanded, shoving his claw deeper into the cub's neck. It whimpered from the sharp pain.

Then suddenly, flashing red and blue lights scattered dust as they braked on both sides of the bridge. Uniformed animals rushed outta their cars with their tranquilizer guns loaded in their paws. They made a few feet towards the ferret, but immediately froze when the ferret reminded them the situation by letting a trickle of blood fall from the cub's neck.

"Sir, I am Judy Hopps of the ZPD. May I ask that you put the cub down and come with us quietly?" Judy asked kindly.

The ferret growled at the request.

"As a fellow cop and her partner, I suggest you listen to what she has to say," Nick added, stepping up.

The ferret stared at his blue fur. "You don't look like a cop to me, fox."

"Well… there was a soccer game earlier and I…"

"Shut it!" the ferret shouted. "I'm not giving up this cub no matter how much sweet talk you filthy cops try! And go ahead and tranquilize me if ya want! We'll both fall into the river and I reckon this stupid cat doesn't know how to swim!"

Judy's body wanted to run and tackle the ferret, but her eyes reminded her of the hostage at clawpoint. And the impossibility of the situation froze Nick on the spot. Take another step towards the ferret and he'll slash open the cub's neck. Take a shot at the ferret and he'll drown the cub in the river. Even talking to the ferret, his specialty, might prove ineffective to his insane mind.

Andrea took firm steps towards the ferret. The confusion to what exactly kind of animal Andrea was managed to distract the ferret from remembering to cut open the cub. Now a few feet away, she unsheathed her gun from her pocket.

"Ha! So you cops finally decided to shoot me?"

"Andrea, what're you doing?" Judy whispered.

"Chill fam, I got this," Andrea whispered back, never removing her gaze on the ferret.

"Then go ahead!" the ferret continued. "I'd love to drown with this little cub. Shoot me… SHOOT ME!"

Andrea focused her aim. "K…"

It's as if someone had pressed the slow motion button on the remote.

With a slow pop, the plastic bullet spiraled out from the gun shooting straight for the ferret's black nose. Judy ran for the bullet, screaming the slow mo , "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" but knew she'd never make it in time. The ferret continued to smile his insane smile, ready to accept death with this cub in his-

Stinging agony punctured his nose, destroying his smile, and he dropped the cub to the ground. He used both paws to grasp his nose, as if trying to contain the unbearable pain torturing him. "OW! WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFUU-"

Andrea FALCON PUNCHED the ferret's head before he could finish. "Language!" she shouted.

Sorry for taking so long. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and review to show that you care!