Ch.4: A Second Chance for Skrawl?

Back with Rudy and Snap, they were searching all over the chalk cities for any leads of where Skrawl might have taken Penny. So far, they have found out nothing and have to take a break from searching in a dark alley.

"I can't believe we don't have a lead yet," Rudy groaned. "There must be some sort of clue we could use."

"Yeah," replied Snap, "but what?" Before Rudy could answer, there was a blast above them, and they quickly moved out of the way. Looking at the side, they found Skrawl there with the laser gun in his hand.

"Peek-a-boo!" he cried with a sinister smile. "I see you!"

"I had to ask," groaned Snap as he and Rudy dodged another blast from the gun.

"Skrawl, you better not have hurt Penny!" Rudy threatened.

"Cool your jets, kid," Skrawl shot back. "I didn't do anything to hurt her. Jacko and I just kidnapped her to get to you."

"JACKO?" his two enemies cried in shock.

"Yeah, you know," he stated, "pumpkin head, red suit and cape, top hat…he's not to hard to remember. He makes a swell partner, although he suddenly asked me to be his best man when we just teamed up."

"His best man?" asked Snap.

"Yeah," Skrawl. "He said his bride's kinda like Penny, but I didn't get her name ye—Oh, why am I telling you these things? I should be blasting you two; I'm behind schedule as it is already."

"Skrawl, wait!" Rudy cried as his enemy held up his gun at him again. "Can't you just hear us out first?"

"What makes you think I want to?" Skrawl snapped.

"Because it's the most humane thing to do," Snap answered. Skrawl turned to the blue superhero with an arched eyebrow.

"It is?"

"Yeah, you can't ignore that, can ya?"

"Fine," Skrawl sighed, lowering his gun. "I'll listen. But just as long as it's not another trick."

"Professor?" Snap then said to Rudy, who then walked up to his enemy.

"Skrawl," he said, "can't you see what Jacko's up to?"

"Not really," Skrawl answered with a shrug. "He's at my place right now, so I can't see him from here." Rudy slapped his forehead with a groan.

"It's an expression, Skrawl," Snap explained calmly.

"Oh, sorry," he replied. "Go on."

"You said that Jacko's bride is like Penny," Rudy said. "Isn't she the only girl you know who matches her description from Jacko?"

"Well, yeah," Skrawl answered, "but what makes you think he's interested in her?"

"Skrawl, think," Snap answered. "Did he do anything to Penny that made you uncomfortable?"

"Well, now that you've mentioned it," he answered, "Jacko was winking at her rather strangely."

"And smiling at her seductively?" Snap inquired.

"How did you kno—Aww, chalk dust!" Skrawl cried, slapping his forehead. "He's plannin' to marry Penny?" His two enemies nodded to him in reply.

"What's he thinking?" he replied. "Penny's too young for him, not to mention she already got you, Rudy!"

"He probably wants me to suffer the same pain he suffered when I stole his bride from him," Rudy answered.

"You stole his bride?" Skrawl replied.

"He fell for my 'Jill'-o-Lantern that I was entering for a Halloween contest," Rudy explained. "Either way, if you don't stop him, he's gonna make Penny a vampire like him."

"You're right," Skrawl replied. "I better go help Penny and tell Jacko that I had to resign from his best man offer."

"That was easy," Snap said to Rudy before the monstrous Zoner held his laser at them again.

"After I vaporize you, of course," he then added. Snap then hid behind Rudy before the young Creator moved the laser aside.

"Vaporizing us isn't your only option, Skrawl," he said.

"That's what I told Craniac 4," Skrawl replied, "but he said filleting you would get too messy for the weak stomach."

"What I mean is you could team up with us," Rudy explained. Skrawl lowered his gun in surprise.

"What?" he and Snap replied in unison.

"Skrawl," Rudy said to him, "I know you started out as a villain because everybody was frightened by your appearance. And you also refused to trust Penny and me because we used your own trust against you in order to defeat you. But I believe that when the chips are down, you can earn the chance to be respected and learn to trust us again by proving everybody that deep down, you can be a hero of Chalkzone. So what will it be, Skrawl? Being feared as a villain for the rest of your life, or being seen as a hero in Penny's eyes?"