Disclaimer
The chapter you are about to read is almost completely different from the chapter I was initially going to write. After the first chapter, I started worrying that the story was too mundane. Yes, it's about fat Pokemon, which isn't exactly something you see every day. ...Outside fetish-driven communities anyway. But other then that, the story just has a "Been There, Done That" feel. Boy down on his luck? Wants to make the big time? Has to fight badguys to prove himself? Yawn. And I promised "lightheartedness" but I feel that's not done well enough. So for these later chapters, I wish to add more whimsy to the franchise to get it on the direction I want it to go. Ricky and the gang are still going to be big and tough, capable of taking blows and stabs and being able to send them back, just that there's going to be less emphasis on action and more emphasis on making this stand out as a story. So here is chapter four, I hope you enjoy it.
Oh and by the way, I may in the future bring back my initial chapter. For now, however, I want to change things up a bit. Be sure to give me criticism if you read this story, and who knows. Maybe if you like this, it might urge you to buy a book of mine in the future. I have one written up that I wish to publish one day, and I'm hoping it becomes popular. Wish me luck. :)
Episode 4: The Meteor Effect: The Hobby of Heroes
Several days after Aster was initiated into the group, the Mightyfats had been getting their reputation increased slowly but surely. Currently all six of the Mightyfats were meeting with Officer Grandbull near the Evolution Stone area where Granbull makes his office. Granbull was the one in charge of confirming the missions for all Pokemon who were trying to complete missions.
"So, I see you have two mission reports for me today," Granbull asked.
"Yes, team A comprised of Ricky, Fang and Aster went to search for a missing Warp Orb," Tuumba mentioned.
"It wasn't easy," Ricky said. "We were ambushed by a group of Primeapes mixed with several Excadrills among the group."
"Oh, not to mention that big Bronzong," Fang added. "Boy was that a toughie."
"We got the orb though," Aster said. "We saw one of the Primeapes had something shiny. Here's the orb as proof."
Aster handed the orb to Granbull as proof of their victory. Granbull took a large piece of glass and looked at the orb carefully.
"With the original owners fingerprints intact," Granbull confirmed. "Good job guys, but what of team B?"
"Sunflora is all safe and sound," Toasty said. "We found the subject on a ledge in the ravine."
"I just smashed the Ravine and the cliff came down, Tuumba caught her right away," Doshin mentioned.
"Yes, however, I would refrain from such thick-skulled moves such as the one you made just there," Tuumba mentioned. "Would you like to meet the Sunflora? She is with us right now."
Sure enough, there was a Sunflora right behind the group. The Sunflora seemed to be about as happy as, well, a Sunflora.
"Ohmygoshtheseguysaresostrong!" the Sunflora shouted, speaking really quickly. "ThepangoroguywaslikeBANGandPOWandthebiggestonewaslikeTHUMPandsuchandhesavedmefromthefall! !"
"Woah, I see someone's been getting their sunlight," Granbull mentioned. "Good job both teams. You're moving up, that's for sure."
"You mean we are finally a Bronze Rank team!?" Ricky exclaimed.
"Ehh no. Not yet you aren't," Granbull stated. "While your recent track record has been quite impressive, your past track record has not fared as well. Your latest missions have helped to patch things up, however... you might need to do one more good mission before I can consider you for Bronze rank."
"One good mission?" Doshin asked. "Ha! We can do that!"
"Yeah, we're very strong!" Toasty said.
"I can see that," Granbull stated. "And miraculously, I can see you're intent to fix the damage to the doorway of my office that you caused when you tried to cram yourselves in."
"...Maybe we should have conducted this meeting outside," Fang stated.
"I suppose I will have to be the one to help fix the doorway," Aster decided.
"Still, for a bunch of outrageously massive Pokemon, you have shown quite a bit of promise as of late," Grandbull said. "One more good mission from you guys, and I'll see what I can do about your rank."
"One more big mission," Ricky said. "No sweat off my tail. We will have that mission done before you know it."
The Mightyfats were eager to get that mission done. They went back to base, did their usual routine, sleep, eat breakfast, and then return to the message board. There they found... something unusual. There were some want adds where the missions were supposed to be as well as missions.
"Ugh, people are advertising on the board?" Tuumba asked. "This board is for rescue missions, not... "Come to Michael the Feraligatr's Pool Party."
"A pool party? Who would want to go there?" Toasty asked.
"And what is going on, why are their job listings and invitations where the missions are?" Fang asked.
"Perhaps I could answer that." That was when they saw a figure emerge. A friendly looking Peliper stepped outside of the post office right behind the mission board, and he seemed to know the answer. "You see, lately there have been complaints about Pokemon having to go to the inn just to post a want add for their job, or for advertisement of their business. As it turns out, not everyone stays at the inn. It's mostly travelers who do, as most rescue mission teams have their own base with their own bed. As a result, a lot of potential businesses close down, and other things do not work either. So... we have their listings put here in a high-traffic area."
"Well I suppose it makes sense, but..." Ricky started.
"It's dumb!" Aster shouted. "It's blocking out the missions! That's why people come here is for the missions! People are not going to give two cents about these stupid fliers! Seriously? Who's even going to pay attention to them past seeing them as an eyesore?"
"Guys! Look!" Toasty cried. "Help wanted: substitute preschool teacher! I wonder if I'll get to see the Snover again."
"Oh brother," Aster muttered before palming his face.
"Apparently the pig does," Doshin stated.
"Toasty, I know you like children," Ricky stated. "But do you know how many points that will add to our rescue score? None. It's not a rescue mission, so it won't count to our rescue score."
"No way! This is just what I need!" Fang cried. "Fashion Mogul's are going out and capturing wild Flaafy for their wool, and there's a protest group planning to fight against them And as you know, I've always been an enemy of the fashion industry."
"Fang, not you too!" Ricky cried.
"You two are NOT going to pursue these missions," Tuumba stated.
"Come on, we've done missions all week," Toasty said. "It's not like our chances of getting bronze rank are going to be any worse tomorrow than they are today. We still get the same points."
"Yeah, Tuumba, Toasty actually has a good argument," Fang said.
"I said no!" Tuumba shouted. "We are a rescue mission. That is what we do. We cannot just do whatever we please, we are a SERIOUS team."
"It's not an every day thing," Toasty said.
"Besides, in a way it kind of advertises the Mightyfats to branch out," Fang added.
"Hmmmm, when you put it that way..." Tuumba started.
Suddenly, Doshin went to look at the board. He saw a flier with a bunch of tags on them. Doshin looked back at the group and then, casually, snagged one of the tags and hid it in his fur. Aster noticed him doing this.
"What was that?" Aster asked.
"Bah, nothing," Doshin stuttered.
"Now you are joining in with Fang and Toasty's shenanigans?" Aster asked.
"What? No way, not me!" Doshin cried.
"Whatever," Tuumba started. "You three can do whatever for this day, but tomorrow you will RESUME your duties as Mightyfats. Now, would anyone else like to join them in their, as Aster put it, "shenanigans?"
"Hmmm, no, I'm good," Ricky said. "I actually quite like being on a rescue team, and I quite enjoy the action that comes with it. Plus, any time I get to show off the strength of my belly is a good time."
"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Ricky and you," Aster said. "We are a serious rescue mission, and I have not the time to be wasting on the small stuff."
"Uhhhh... sorry, I got plans," Doshin stuttered
"Very well," Tuumba said. "Toasty, Fang and Doshin can have the day off. ...But would Ricky and Aster like to accompany me in a mission?"
"You bet, Master Tuumba," Ricky said with a smile.
"Thus shall it be," Tuumba said. "We will achieve Bronze rank WITHOUT these three hooligans."
"Good luck on your job offerings guys," Ricky said as he went to the board to find a good mission.
Fang, Toasty and Doshin decided to walk away from the others. Doshin was intent to pursue what he apparently pulled a tag for.
"I'll catch you guys later," Doshin said. "The big fat panda has... other things he would like to do."
As Doshin was walking away, Fang couldn't help but shake her head. He was hiding something, and while she figured it was something innocuous, she still wanted to know. ...But she wanted to find her protest group more.
"I'm going to let the "big fat panda" do his thing for now," Fang mentioned. "I'm going to go look for the protest group. Good luck at preschool Toasty."
"You too, Fang!" Toasty called out as she was leaving.
The three eventually found their destination, where they decided to embrace their hobbies. Toasty eventually found his way to the preschool, which was run by a rather tall Xatu. The owner of the school was introducing a bunch of children inside a colorful classroom to their substitute teacher. Much to Toasty's delight, the Snover was there too.
"Yes, yes, calm down children," Xatu said. "Today's substitute teacher is, errr, the one who burnt down the forest last week. He is a member of some random low-ranked rescue group that only accepts lazy, morbidly obese stupid-heads who do nothing but sleep all day and..."
"Daddy!" the Snover cried.
"Ho ho ho ho, that never gets tiring," Toasty said. "You may call me Mr. Toasty. I will be happy to learn you today."
"I can't believe you are the only applicant today," Xatu said. "If you don't end up eating one of the children, it will be a miracle."
"Oh, when we finally rise in rank, maybe that's when the ridicule will finally stop," Toasty mumbled.
"Whatever, just teach them today's subject and don't embarrass yourself," Xatu said before walking away. It's obvious Xatu didn't have a positive opinion on Toasty.
"Daddy!" the Snover cried again.
"Ho ho-kay class," Toasty started. Toasty walked over to the other side of the building and tried to sit down on a stool. "Today we will be learning about..."
But the moment he plunked himself onto the chair, it broke unsurprisingly. Toasty was too heavy.
"Ummm, subtraction," Toasty whimpered before trying to get up from the wreckage to teach the kids.
"You stink, big guy!" one of the children said.
"Don't say that to daddy!" the Snover shouted.
"He's not dad, you idiot!" another one of the kids called out.
"Okay class, can anyone tell me what subtraction is?" Toasty asked.
"He doesn't even know how to subtract!?" another kid whined.
"Go home, big guy!" a fourth kid cried.
"Okay, are we here to mock or are we hear to learn?" Toasty asked. "Now now little ones: subtraction is..."
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the kids in the group, a Psyduck, just blew a raspberry in Toasty's direction. The kids didn't seem to want to learn from the great Emboar, Toasty.
"Okay, that was... a bit rude of you to do that," Toasty stated kindly. "What's your name little one?"
"I don't have one," he said. "I'm just Psyduck."
"Okay Psyduck, do you think that was a very..." Toasty started.
The Psyduck blew another raspberry when Toasty was talking. Toasty kept trying to open his mouth to speak, but the Psyduck continued to blow raspberries every time he did.
"Okay, we are making great progress," Toasty said before returning to the back of the room again. "Now, let us start the lesson, shall we? If we take four and subtract three from it, what do we get?"
"The Pokemon you wish you were!" another one of the kids snarked.
"...Amazing, kids these days learn sarcasm and rudeness before they learn how to subtract numbers," Toasty said to himself.
"Be nice to daddy!" the Snover cried. "He saved me from the Scythers that one day."
"That must have been lunch," one of the kids snarked.
"NO! He's a very strong Emboar!" the Snover cried.
"You'd have to have a strong stomach to eat bugs," another kid snarked.
"SHUT UP!" the Snover cried.
"Woah, language there little guy," Toasty blurted out before walking up to Snover and ruffling the top of his head. "Thanks for sticking up for me, but saying "shut up" is not a very polite thing to say."
"Neither are the things they are saying about you, daddy," the Snover whined.
"You're right, they are unkind," Toasty said. "However there is not much I can do about it. I will just have to..."
"NO! You can't just stand there and let them pick on you daddy," the Snover cried.
"I am in no authority to do anything about it," Toasty stated.
The Snover hated hearing them say such mean things about Toasty. Snover stood up from the group and ran out of the school. He seemed upset. In turn, it made Toasty feel upset.
"This is going to be less enjoyable than I thought it would be," Toasty said to himself.
Meanwhile, Doshin was looking for the place mentioned in the parchment he found on the board. Eventually, he came across an old stone building painted black. He went inside and it was pretty dark, and there were a few Pokemon there, but the one that stood out was a large Exploud. He seemed to be in charge of whatever Doshin had his eyes on.
"Uhhh, hey there," Doshin said. "I saw your flier, and I pulled a tag for it, and now..."
"Yeah yeah, what's your name kid," the Exploud asked.
"Doshin! Call me Doshin," he said.
"What kind of name is that?" the Exploud asked. "If you're not going to be serious here, you shouldn't have came."
"Oh, I see," Doshin said. "You want a nickname. In that case, just call me..."
Doshin thrust his arms downward and stuck his pointer and pinky claw out on both paws. He then gave off a confident, yet cheesy smile.
"...Heavy D!" Doshin stated. "Heavy D in da house, man!"
"..."In da house, man?"" the Exploud questioned. "That's not even half creative. Look, if yo all came here to rap and rhyme, you need to step up yo game, buddy."
That was what Doshin was hiding. One of Doshin's hobbies was that he loved to rap.
"So you want me to get serious, huh?" Doshin asked. "Fine. Uhhh... huh? Now that I think of it, I usually just rap about battling and being myself."
"What ever, just give us something to work with," the Exploud said.
"Fine, let's see if I can remember this one," Doshin started. Doshin started to get into a groove, bending his knees and thrusting his arms out with the same sign he was giving off before.
"My name is Heavy D,
I'm level 43,
I came to stomp and smash like a Diggersby.
But when my paw comes down like thunder on the ground,
it's when they all back down! Never come around,
cause when I stomp... ha! Bodies starts to tremble in the romp... ha!
Nobody wants to see themselves,
in the mirror, they ask "what happened here,"
They should have known by now,
and yet they wonder how.
They think that I'm just thick,
Intelligence like a brick,
until they get up close,
they get the daily dose,
of what it's like to face me,
the big, fat, Heavy D!
Cause when I stomp..."
"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," the Exploud interrupted. "Listen, I do not think you know the difference between rap and hip-hop. Rap is poetry! Rap is topical! Rap is MEANINGFUL! Hip-hop? That's about money, explicates and the loser who's singing that stupid song."
"Well sorry for having a hobby!" Doshin shouted. "And besides that, I was rapping about fighting, not myself."
"You were singing hip-hop about others facing yourself," the Loudred mentioned.
"Look, I'm a fighter first and a rapper second," Doshin stated. "And if you haven't noticed, I still have my blackbelt from school."
"If you're not going to be serious, then leave," the Exploud stated.
"Now come on man, I didn't..." Doshin started.
"LEEEEEEEAVE!" the Exploud erupted. He was so loud that Doshin almost fell over.
"Alright, fine," Doshin said. "You want poetry? You want topical? You got it! You think you know what it's like to be me? To be big and fat and no one wants you around but other big and fat Pokemon? They say I'm just a Pangoro with problems, but you know what? I'm more than that! I am big, fat, and I won a legitimate blackbelt in karate! Yet people still put me down, even with my success. You think it's fun having so few people take you seriously as a Pokemon just because..."
"Ooh, a song about living in a harsh community, now we're getting somewhere," the Exploud said.
"Oh, so now you want my life story, is that it?" Doshin asked.
"If it will make for good rap, I would like to hear it," the Exploud said.
"Alright, well... I don't have a song made up about my life though," Doshin admitted.
"Then get cracking, because the show's only hours from now," the Exploud stated.
Doshin went outside to think about his hobby. He had to think of a new song to rap, and it had to fit the Exploud's criteria, or else... wait, why was Doshin doing this again? Doshin didn't care, he just wanted to pursue his hobby.
"I have to think of a new song or else," Doshin said to himself. "The flier says a rap show would take place later today, and that anyone confident in their rapping abilities would be able to apply. ...Ugh, I'm a fighter, I haven't done this kind of stuff for a while."
Meanwhile, Fang had gotten a more warming welcome. Fang had found her protest group outside a large building with a wooden sign in the shape of a Mareep. The sign also said "Maura's Fashion Plus." Also there was a very cute Ursaring in a blue jacket. Fang went up to her first to talk about the protest.
"Morning Valarie," Fang greeted.
Fang seemed to know the Ursaring. When the Ursaring turned around to greet Fang, it's obvious she knew who she was too. Valarie then proceeded to give Fang her best bear hug.
"Aww man, not you!" Valarie jested. "My, you're a sight for sore eyes."
"Well I heard about your protest and I just had to come down here to fight for what's right myself," Fang said.
"Huh, you think you'll make a difference?" Among the group was a large Seismitoad who didn't seem to have high spirits. "We've been here for an hour and the people inside have not budged."
"They haven't even acknowledged our existance," another Pokemon, this one being a Watchog mentioned. "Maybe we're not being loud enough."
"Maybe they just don't care," another Pokemon said, this one being a Sceptile. "Maybe they only care about the money."
"Then let's make them care, girls," Fang encouraged.
Fang charged up to the building and knocked really hard on it. Eventually, someone's tentacle appeared through the doorway and tried to shoo Fang away.
"Go away, hun," the tentacle'd fiend said. "We're not interested in your silly politics."
"Your act against wild Mareep is very cruel," Fang said. "We demand you cease this stupid practice."
"Sure, sure," the Pokemon said. "We will consider your complaints. In the meantime, we ask that you remove yourselves from our premises."
"...She's not going to consider it at all," Valarie said.
"You think I don't know that?" Fang asked. "This practice of yours ends now. And stop waving that stupid tentacle around my head or I'll pull it out of the building, you stupid slug!"
"Please direct all of your complaints to the front desk," the Pokemon said. "Unfortunately, we are closed right now, so..."
"YyyyyOINK!" Fang cried.
The Pokemon was really testing her patience, so Fang did exactly what she said she would. She quickly pulled the tentacle toward her and out popped a Malamar. The Malamar was dressed in hot pink business attire, and had a beautiful necklace on her. She seemed particularly attractive for her species, but she didn't look threatening at all to Fang. She assumed this was "Maura."
"Ha! Wasn't expecting your adversary to be this big, were you?" Fang asked before clutching her belly. She seemed a bit proud of herself. "I'm mean, huh? Har har har har!"
"Ack! What kind of ghastly behemoth are you?" Maura asked. "I will NOT have this, no maam! And what is with your stupid outfit? It's repulsive!"
"Your act is a crime, and now you will atone for your sins!" Valarie shouted.
"Yeah!" the Seismitoad, Watchog and Sceptile shouted in unison.
"Never!" Maura cried. "You have no idea how much Mareep wool goes for in other countries. It will drive our business to new heights!"
"Well, maybe you'd like to wrastle with ol' Fang, huh?" she asked.
"What you are doing right now is more illegal than what I am doing," Maura stated.
"When word gets around of what you are doing, officer Granbul won't care either which way," Valarie said.
"Yeah!" the other three shouted again.
"I would number your options right about now," Fang said. "I'm afraid you'd rather not deal with me."
"I won't, but maybe my friends would," Maura said. "Uhhh, assistance please!"
Suddenly, a large group of Machokes started to pour outside of the building. Each of them had these black suits on that concealed their bodies except for their faces, and had a big blue M pasted on the torso. Each one also had strange gauntlets on them.
"How cute, you're not woman enough to fight me, so you get your cronies to do so," Fang said.
"If you think we're intimidated by a bunch of cronies, you'll get the backhand of justice!" Valarie cried.
"Ummm, well... yeah?" the other three said hesitantly.
"Don't talk like that!" Fang shouted. "We can't lose as long as they assume they can overcome me."
"Why do the fat ones always think they're these unstoppable forces of nature?" Maura asked.
"Hello!? Have you ever seen her in action!?" Valarie asked. "She once stopped a raging Tauros all by herself!"
"But can she deal with my latest?" Maura asked. "I'll be watching you clowns from the darkness. Now... farewell."
The Malamar slinked back into the building as the Machoke gathered around to confront Fang. Fang still felt confident in herself to be able to beat them.
"Aww, what cute little fists," Fang said. "They won't help you against me, little ones. I'll show you that you've been messing with the wrong Krookodile. Because there's not a detail to waste when accounting for taste." As usual, Fang licked her chops after saying that.
The first Machoke went to confront Fang himself. Fang loomed over him at almost twice the height. As usual, Fang decided to let the Machoke take the first shot just to let him know what she was dealing with. ...But the Machoke hit her straight in the belly, and Fang recoiled in shock. She couldn't believe what she felt, but the punch she took actually hurt.
"What the heck are those things!?" Fang cried. "It felt like a huge blast of ice cold water shot right through me!"
"Charming, are they not?" Maura asked. "They are high-pressure water gauntlets. With every punch, they exude a strong, cold force of water strong enough to erode rock. Your dry skin will not serve you well against my henchmen."
"Ugh! Fine then, I'll have to get feisty!" Fang exclaimed. "I am still plenty powerful enough to destroy you. And with a little help from my friends, ha! I'm afraid you stand no chance. Right girls?"
Fang looked back, but saw no one behind her. It had looked like the protest group had ran away. Fang could just hear the dust blowing in the background, and she swore she saw a tumbleweed pass by.
"Uhhh, girls? A little help please?" Fang pleaded.
"Awww, too bad, it looks like your little protest was a bust," Maura said.
"Argh! Then I'll have to fight you myself!" Fang shouted.
"It's your funeral, Fang," Maura taunted.
Fang used her claws and her jaw and earthquakes and body slams to fight her opponents, but alone she was overwhelmed. Her fighting spirit shined on, but with every punch she felt slightly weaker. Fang was having a hard time keeping up.
"Impossible," Fang said before a Machoke knocked her into the ground. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this, but I can't even fight a bunch of goons? No! I can't give up! I'm a mean crock! I can take all of you!"
At this point, Fang's persistence might get her killed. And with her group abandoning her, it didn't look like she had much chance of a miracle.
Meanwhile, Toasty was still dealing with naughty children. He had to sit through screaming children, gummie-gum bubbles popping, kids chucking paper airplanes at his head, throwing books and tools around... Toasty figured it was about time to whip out the ace in the hole.
"Recreation time, kids!" Toasty blurted out. ...All the kids froze. "Listen: school can be such a drag. Sometimes we have to go there out of choice. But sometimes it can be fun. Now, back home we had a game we liked to call "musical logs" where we set a bunch of logs in a circle..."
"Yeah yeah yeah, play the music, we all walk around, stop the music, everyone has to sit down until there's only one Pokemon left, and that Pokemon is out," one of the kids said.
"Ah, you know the game," Toasty said. "Well, maybe we could play it a little differently. Like for example, maybe we hide the logs around the room."
"Booooo!" the kids shouted.
"Okay, then I could hide numbers under the stools, and whoever gets the lowest number is out," Toasty said. "That's pretty easy to figure out."
"Booooo!" the kids shouted.
"Okay, what about the promise of a prize?" Toasty asked. Once again, the kids froze. "Free gummies for the winner."
"I already have all the gummies I want!" one of the Pokemon pouted.
"Yeah, me too!" another one shouted.
"Alright, alright," Toasty surrendered. "We will do what you want to do."
Suddenly, the class was silent. ...Until a sudden eruption of more arguing between kids, book throwing, bubble popping and paper airplanes ensued. Toasty felt positively defeated at this moment. He had no idea what to do.
...Until suddenly things got very cold. Through the roof of the building, through triangular holes, sharp snow started to rain in. Suddenly, a large Abomasnow stomped inside, and guess who else was there. Toasty knew right away who it was: it was Snover's mom, who Snover went off to fetch.
"Those kids are being mean to daddy!" the Snover cried.
"Humph! Is that so?" the mother asked. The mother stomped forward slowly and angrily. The ground shook with each of her steps. "Kids these days! They have no respect for their peers."
"Hey, stomping and shaking the ground is my job," Toasty complained playfully.
"Do you kids have any idea who he is?" the Abomasnow asked. "He is a true hero and a powerful Pokemon. He may look big and fluffy, but he could set the whole lot of you straight with the stomp of his hoof. But as you can see he doesn't. Do you know why?"
"Because I have too much respect for children," Toasty said. "I really could beat any one of you, but I won't do that because that is not who I am. I smush badguys, not little children. Heck, I came here because I wanted to spend time here and to help you kids out. I wanted to help you learn and expand your minds, but instead you would rather pick on the big fat pig. Tell me, how many teachers have you had who truly cared about you students?"
The class started to feel sorry for themselves. They were scratching their heads and turning away from Toasty in shame.
"Aww, see what you did?" the mother Abomasnow asked. "You made him spill his guts out to you poor sods. Is that what you came to school to do was to make his job hard and to make him feel bad? Yeah, you SHOULD be ashamed of yourselves."
"Daddy... I don't want daddy to go," the Snover said. "I want him to stay and teach us math."
"Awww, that's all I wanted to do," Toasty said. "So what do you kids say? Are we ready to learn subtraction?"
In a few short seconds, the class had straightened up and sat around Toasty in a neat matter. This relieved Toasty greatly as it said he was now free to teach the classroom some math.
"Now, that's much better," Toasty complimented.
"Thanks for the help mommy," the Snover said before sitting with the rest of the class.
"You be good now dearie," the Abomasnow mother said.
As the mother left the classroom, Toasty decided to resume his duties as a teacher. His subtraction lesson finally began with the first question: four minus one.
Meanwhile, Fang's friends were running away from Maura's building. The cowards lost all hope when they saw Fang was getting beaten up. They didn't notice, however, that Fang was not following them.
"Yikes, Maura wasn't fooling around," Valarie said.
"Maybe we should come up with another plan," the Seismitoad suggested.
"Maybe we should bring more guys," the Watchog stated.
"Maybe we should get Granbul," the Sceptile suggested.
"NO!" Valarie shouted. "You heard Maura: we're not exactly entitled to trashing her place legally, so we can't let him get involved until Maura is exposed."
Not far away from their running path, Doshin was taking a walk outside. He was thinking to himself about the rappers group he joined.
"It aint easy being big," he started. "Its... ummm... no no no, too plain. Hmmm... They always look at me, what kind of type do they see, they see a... no no no, that's uncreative too. Man, rapping is harder than I thought it would be."
As he was walking, Doshin barely noticed the group running towards him. Suddenly, Valarie and her friends crashed right into Doshin's belly, and Doshin barely felt a thing at the moment it happened. All he knew was that there was a group of Pokemon blocking his way.
"Hmph, is that how people react to someone of my stature," Doshin asked before flexing his huge arms. "You got quite a nerve bumping into me."
"We're sorry, we weren't paying attention," Valarie mentioned.
"Bah, it's alright, I didn't feel a thing anyway," Doshin stated. Doshin then looked at the four and noticed they were carrying signs. "Hey, aren't you guys part of a protest group or something?"
"Uhhh, yes," Valarie responded. "We're trying to fight the corporation for using real Mareep wool and cruel practices."
"I hear they are using rusty knives to cut the wool off," the Seismitoad mentioned.
"SEARING HOT rusty knives to be exact," the Watchog added.
"And they're strapped down with strong ropes that painfully stretch their legs so they cannot run," the Sceptile added.
"My friend Fang said she was going to join a group like yours," Doshin mentioned. "Have you seen here?"
"What do you mean, she's right..." Valarie started. Valarie looked back and noticed Fang was not there. "ACK! She's still at Maura's building!?"
"We can't go back there with those awful gloved creeps," the Seismitoad whined.
"Wait, what's going on? Where's Fang!?" Doshin shouted.
"Oh no, she's still not fighting those Machoke, is she?" the Sceptile asked worriedly.
"Who knows what they're doing to her now," the Watchog added.
"You left her for DEAD!?" Doshin shouted.
"Nothing we can do about it now," the Seismitoad whined.
"We can't take those guys!" the Sceptile added.
"I wanna go home," the Watchog complained.
"...No, we have to go back there," Valarie said.
"What!?" the other three whined.
"Fang has had my back several times before," Valarie mentioned. "Right now, I am betraying our friendship by leaving her there. We have to go back even if we can't beat them."
"But we can't!" the Watchog cried.
"You saw them! Even Fang's belly is no match of their gauntlets," the Seismitoad cried.
"But we can't leave her there," Valarie said. "Wait..."
Valarie turned around and looked at Doshin. She had to back away a bit to get a good look at him from afar.
"Did you say you were Fang's friend?" Valarie asked.
"Does it look like I'm not?" Doshin asked. "You need help? Then I'm the panda you want on your side. They might be able to beat up Fang, but they can't take my special blackbelt Pangoro style. We'll make them submit to us faster than a Slurpuff on a Sitrus Berry sugar rush."
"Yeah! Right girls?" Valarie asked.
The other three stood silent. They were still nervous.
"Listen all of you! We're going down there and we are helping my friend! Got it!?" Doshin commanded.
"Uh-huh," the three stuttered, shooting straight up in fear of Doshin.
"That makes a difference," Doshin said. "Now let's go."
Fang was still dealing with the Machoke guards. Fang was still fighting, but she was clearly overwhelmed.
"Not so big and mean now, are you?" Maura taunted. "Let us know when you're ready to give up."
"Never, you spindly clump of conspiracies and malpractices!" Fang shouted.
"If you haven't noticed, your friends abandoned you," Maura said. "Some friends they are, huh?"
"Argh! You... where are they?" Fang whined. "Why did they just leave me here?"
"That's right, get angry because YOU are going to be locked up when this is through," Maura taunted.
"NOOOO!" Fang cried.
That is when Fang got furious. She overpowered a group of Machokes who were trying to pin her down, then grabbed two of them and swung them about. She kept a third one at bay with her jaw. The Machoke smacked her on the snout, but she then whipped two of the Machoke at the one who smacked her.
Finally, Valarie, Doshin and the others arrived to help Fang. Valarie and Doshin were the first to run in.
"Fang, we came back to help," Valarie said.
"Help!?" Fang shouted. "Took you long enough! Thought you'd let me do ALL the work and run away like a bunch of sissies while Fang was being pulverized by water powered jet gloves!"
"We... we really shouldn't have," Valarie responded. "We... we had a moment of cowardice."
"In more than one way, really," the Watchog mentioned.
"You think I showed cowardice!?" Fang shouted. "You think I ever show cowardice!? I never back down from a fight, no matter how slim my odds of coming out alive are! But I ESPECIALLY never allow my friends to fight to their deaths alone. And if I were you, I would have fought with you regardless of whether I thought I could win or not. Most challengers underestimate a creature of my size."
"...You're right," Valarie started. "In all the times I've known you, you were always there for me. Even when we first met, you always stood beside me. You were just a Krokorok then. ...You were probably half your current weight."
"Uhh, weren't we going to help Fang?" the Sceptile asked.
"I felt terrible leaving you behind. I had to come back and help," Valarie said. "I'm sorry for turning tail in the first place. I... I hope you can forgive me when this is all said and through."
"Valarie..." Fang started. "Get in here and fight! I'll forgive you when we're done!"
"Right, let's go!" Valarie cried.
"Oh ho boy, this is gonna be a scream," Doshin said. "Wait till they get a loud of me: the big fat panda Heavy D."
"Wait, you didn't mention he was here," Fang said, paying absolutely no gaze to the others till just now.
Doshin proudly and slowly stomped forward, his arms raised to give the best illusion of size. Suddenly, three of the guards surrounding Fang went toward Doshin. One charged ahead and punched him right in the belly, just like what was done to Fang. Only this time it didn't appear to have to same effect against Doshin. Doshin just clutched his gut and started laughing at them.
"Nice try, but those won't work on me," he said. "See, the only reason they even work on Fang is because of her dry skin. My skin is very thick and covered in fur. Those punches are useless against me."
"Wait a minute... he has a point," Valarie mentioned. "Those gloves were designed to fight someone like Fang! They're unneeded for the rest of us, but for Fang they are actually quite threatening."
"Now I understand why we ran," the Seismitoad said.
"We put too much reliance in Fang," the Watchog added.
"But when she got hurt, that was when we fled," the Sceptile added.
"Wait, WHAT!?" Fang shouted.
"Fang, take that as a compliment," Valarie said. "They basically said they valued you as the strongest Pokemon in our group. They thought if you couldn't beat them, then neither could we. But that was wrong of us to do, as we should have tried anyway. Now... LET'S KICK SOME BUTT!"
With everyone's help, the tides of battle had changed. While everyone else was fighting on their own, Valarie went in to help Fang in tag-team fashion. Valarie punched one silly, then picked him up and threw him at Fang, who proceeded to catch the Machoke in her jaw. Fang then swiped her tail at another one, sending him stumbling into Valarie who proceeded to thrust her claw into his gut. Another one came in and tried to attack Valarie from behind. But Valarie caught him, threw him over her shoulders and picked him up again while restraining his arms.
"Like old times, ay Fang?" Valarie asked before kicking the Machoke into Fang's belly. After the Machoke crashed into Fang, she fell forward and decided to crush the Machoke in a typical manner: belly first.
"Yep, just like old times," Fang said happily and softly. Fang then put one claw on her cheek, with her elbow set as low as she could get it, while the other claw jut out to give Valarie a thumbs up.
After a few good minutes, all the Machoke were defeated and tossed aside in a pile. Valarie and Fang were hugging each other, trying to make up after Valarie ran away. Then Valarie turned to Doshin to thank him for his help.
"Thanks for reminding us to fight for our friends," Valarie said.
"Don't mention it," Doshin said. "Any chance I can get to beat up thugs is one I'll always take."
"Say, what are you doing here anyway?" Fang asked.
"Oh... I am just, well, you know, thinking to myself," Doshin mentioned. "Just, uhhh, taking a breather to help me think about my entry for the rap concert later to... Oops!" Doshin covered his mouth with his paws upon blurting that out.
"Wait, you're into rap?" Fang asked. "Who's into rap anymore!?"
"I like rap," Valarie said. "I think rap is cool."
"You do?" Fang asked.
"Uhhh, what's going on out there?" Suddenly, everyone heard Maura's voice and turned their heads to the doorway of the building, which she eventually popped out of. "Why is everything quiet right now?"
Everyone was glaring angrily at Maura right now. Their piercing stare sent Maura packing to the back of her building. Valarie and Fang rushed inside to find her cowering like a Torchic.
"Ack! Uncle! Uncle!" Maura cried. "We will discontinue our cruel, efficient practices on Mareep from here on out."
"For good?" Fang asked.
"Yes! Yes! For good!" Maura cried. "Just don't hurt me please!"
Doshin looked around the room and noticed all the clothing in the building. Included with the clothing was a red cap, a blue jacket and some black pants. Doshin took all of those articles and showed them to Maura.
"And, duh, do you make this in my size?" Doshin asked.
"No one makes ANY clothing in your size," Maura stated.
Fang, Valarie and Doshin all stared her down angrily. Maura had one of those "oh come on!" moments right there.
"I mean yes! Yes, we will make those in your size right away!" Maura cried.
"Very good, so we're all cool now," Fang guessed.
Toasty was still working at the school at the time. He decided to have story time where everyone chose a book to read from the shelves. Psyduck seemed to be stuck on finding a book, so Toasty tried to help him.
"You need help picking a book?" Toasty asked.
"I hate reading!" Psyduck cried.
"Oh, don't speak so soon, I used to hate reading until I found a book that spoke out to me," Toasty said.
"Let me guess, that one about the big fat guy," Psyduck asked. "Dolk the Meteor I think it's called."
"Errr... yes, actually, that is the one," Toasty said. "Sometimes a book can speak out to you by having a hero you can relate to. Dolk the Meteor was a big ol' Emboar like myself. And you, I think you might really like Clash: The Heropus. It stars a Psyduck like you."
"Like... Like me?" Psyduck asked. Psyduck looked through the shelves and eventually found the book Clash: The Heropus.
"Like you, exactly!" Toasty said. "Can you imagine? Armed with your trusty sword, donning a bright red cape, fighting evil Charizards and Tyranitars?"
"Well that... does sound like fun," Psyduck asked before cracking the book open.
"There you go," Toasty said happily. "Have fun with your book."
Toasty started to walk away from the Psyduck when Snover ran up to Toasty and gave him a hug. Toasty never found that to get old.
"Daddy, you're the best!" Snover shouted.
"He he, no I wouldn't say that," Toasty said. "I'm just really good."
"I wish you could teach here every day," Snover said.
"Well... the thing is Master Tuumba would probably not approve of that," Toasty responded.
"But... but..." Snover stuttered.
"...But I'll see if I can sign up for the position any chance I get," Toasty responded with a smile.
"Yaaaay!" Snover cried.
Later that day, Toasty had just gotten off of his job and went for a walk outside. A short ways from him, Fang, Doshin and Valarie were talking with each other. Doshin was currently wearing the outfit he requested in his size: extra, extra, extra, EXTRA large. It actually looked adorable on him.
"So... tell me more about this rap concert," Fang mentioned.
"I have to come up with an influential rap for the concert, and the person running the gig wants me to do a song about growing up in a harsh community," Doshin responded. "But I'm having a hard time thinking of the right words. Could you help?"
"Do I look like I even like rap?" Fang asked. "I thought I said that before."
"Why not? Rapping's kind of fun," Valarie responded.
"It's stupid," Fang mentioned.
"The guy told me the difference between rap and hip-hop is that rap is poetry and hip-hop is dance music," Doshin mentioned.
"Rap is poetry?" Fang asked.
"Sure," Valarie responded. "If you don't like rap, maybe you just don't like hip-hop."
"What's the difference between the two?" Fang asked.
"Didn't I just say what the difference was?" Doshin asked.
"That's just an opinion," Fang added. "What is the REAL difference?"
Doshin and Valarie started to stutter for a bit. They actually had no idea how to truly define the difference between rap and hip-hop.
Eventually, Toasty caught up with the group. Toasty seemed especially happy.
"Why hello there Fang. Doshin. Uhh..." Toasty started.
"My name is Valarie," the Ursaring said. "I've been Fang's friend for a long time."
"Right, right," Toasty stuttered. "Pleased to meet you Valarie."
"This is Toasty, another fellow Mightyfat member," Fang said.
"Tee hee, you seem happy about something," Valarie responded.
"I just got off working as a teacher at preschool," Toasty stated. "I like being around children. Their happy little smiles make me feel happy inside. I even got to help kids out by helping one of the kids read a book. Uhh... by the way, Doshin? What's with the outfit?"
"It's for the rap concert later," Doshin said. "Oh cripes, at this rate I'll be blurting that out to everyone."
"Ooh! A rap concert? And you're partaking in it?" Toasty asked. "Can I be a part of it too?"
"Say, what about me?" Valarie asked. "I actually like rapping too. I'll even help you out with your... *ahem* OUR song."
"...Oh well, if they're doing it, I might as well see what the big deal is," Fang said.
"Hey, thanks a bunch, guys," Doshin complimented. "...But I still don't have my song ready."
"Hmmmmm..." everyone thought for a moment.
Later that day, the moment of truth arrived. For one night only, Heavy D and his gang would appear on stage to sing their one and only hit single. A duo of rappers, one being a Miltank, the other being a Blaziken, had just finished their song and the Expload was escorting them off the stage as the audience was cheering.
"Give another round of applause for Fish Tank and Bawk Choy," the Exploud said. "Alright, this next act comes as a shock. Don't be surprised if it feels like an earthquake is coming your way, it's just..."
Suddenly, Doshin, Fang and Toasty entered the room and walked up to the area they would preform in. Each of them struck a rappers pose when they assumed their position on the stage.
"Heavy D and the Massive Appeal!" Exploud introduced.
Afterward, Valarie ran up and appeared in front of Doshin. Like the others, she struck a pose as a display of showmanship.
"...And their lovely fourth member, Valarie!" Exploud introduced.
"Alright, now listen up!" Doshin shouted. "I came here to tell you all about a way of life: a label I refer to as...
The Meteor Effect!
Spending life treated like a defect!
Through the sheepish ideals I reject!
That's what it's like with the Meteor Effect!"
Fang took the next verse.
"They all sport getup that the media rocks.
Told the way to be by the idiot box.
The social norm set, no, it aint for me.
I break away from the flock like a Mareep set free."
Valarie decided to chime in on the second verse.
"I've been caught alive mingling with the "wrong" crowd.
But all the free wills wish to scream it out loud.
Cause we've made our choices and we don't feel bad,
about our big friends over what we could have had."
Toasty then started to sing the third verse.
"The word on street says compassion is dead.
Well we'll deny indulgences that we are fed.
And when we rise up and we take that stand,
the next generation, together they may band."
Doshin decided to sing the final verse.
"We are unique in look, in style, in mind.
The media will try to sweep us all behind.
To all the young rebels, it is time to connect!
To join our paws together cause we're yelling loud forever with..."
For the chorus, all four started to sing. This is where they would wrap up their song.
"...The Meteor Effect!
Spending life treated like a defect!
Through the sheepish ideals I reject!
That's what it's like with the Meteor Effect!"
Come on, destroy the mold with the Meteor Effect!
Spending life treated like a defect!
Through the sheepish ideals I reject!
That's what it's like with the Meteor Effect!
That's what it's like with the..."
"Meteor Effect," Doshin finished.
Doshin actually did not expect the audience to react the way they did, but they were actually cheering. Doshin and his group had basically rapped a song about how the media wants them to look and act and how they prefer to break free from the media's grasp, and it seemed like their message made it through to the audience.
"Ha ha, that was Heavy D, the Massive Appeals and Valarie," the Exploud outroduced before guiding them off stage. "How about another hand for the big guys?"
As they got off the stage, they went near the entrance of the building where other rappers were gathering. They seemed just as pleased with their work.
"Hey, cool rap, guys," one of the other rappers said, the one Exploud referred to as Fish Tank.
"You guys did good out there," the one referred to as Bawk Choy added.
Although it was true that the other rappers pretty much said the same thing about everyone else who appeared in the show, it still made Doshin and the others feel good about themselves anyway.
"Hmph, maybe this "rap" deal isn't so lame after all," Fang mentioned.
"See? I told ya," Valarie rubbed.
"Maybe we should do this again," Toasty suggested.
"Nah, I don't think we could come up with another one like that," Doshin responded. "Although... do you think Tuumba would let wear this outfit? It looks cool on me I think."
"I'll vouch for you if he doesn't," Fang responded. "Anyway, it's getting kind of late, we should probably return to base."
"Thanks for helping me with the protest Fang," Valarie said. "It's nice to see you again. It's been a while."
"Hey, that's what friends are for," Fang mentioned. "Friends stand up for other friends."
"I should probably go home now," Valarie mentioned. "I hope we meet again some day."
"It was nice meeting you Valarie," Toasty complimented.
Valarie took the time to shake everyone's paws and claws before heading off her own way. With Valarie gone, the other three returned to their base, where the others were waiting. They returned to see three angry fatties. ...Fortunately, they weren't angry at Fang, Doshin or Toasty, but a letter they were reading.
"Ugh, that stupid Hunter!" Tuumba shouted. "I can't believe he did this to us!"
"So you agree," Ricky said. "You think it's no mere coincidence that an item we were sent to find is nowhere to be found anywhere in that cave, and then all of a sudden we hear Hunter and the Range Rangers find the item effortlessly almost an hour after we came back."
"Ugh! Those stupid little stick figures!" Aster cried. "Who do they think they are!?"
"Uhh, is something wrong?" Fang asked.
"The Range Rangers are back, and they're up to their old tricks again," Ricky said. "They tried stealing another mission of ours."
"Only this time they succeeded," Aster added. Ricky had told Aster all about the Range Rangers, which is how he knew they did not succeed the first time.
"This is complete BOLOGNA!" Tuumba roared. "They think just because they have the bodies shaped by today's mass media that they are entitled to steal missions from those they don't agree with!? When I get my claws on that Hunter... ARGH! He's going to pay massively for this!"
"...So... no Bronze rank?" Toasty asked.
"NO!" Ricky, Aster and Tuumba shouted.
"And you! Take that stupid outfit off!" Tuumba shouted at Doshin.
"Hey, woah, woah, there are no wardrobe rules Tuumba," Fang stated. "He can wear whatever he wants."
"Hmmmm, I'm angry, can you blame me for lashing out?" Tuumba asked.
"Tuumba, that's not an excuse," Ricky mentioned.
"SILENCE!" Tuumba roared.
"Told you I'd vouch for you," Fang whispered to Doshin.
Tuumba's anger knew no bounds, but his fury was not entirely unjust. The Range Rangers were back and they want nothing more or less than revenge for being locked up, But what do they plan to do to the Mightyfats? What ever their plan is, can they be stopped? Only time will tell what outcomes will ensue.
Next Episode
The Range Rangers are out of prison and wish to face the Mightyfats again. Only this time, it's war. The Mightyfats face the Range Rangers in a challenge to see who can retrieve a rare Mega Stone before the other team can. Will the Mightyfats power prevail over the Range Ranger's speed and athletics, or will their slowness and large frames prove more of a hindrance than the Range Ranger's frail body and weak muscles. This battle decides whether the Mightyfats achieves bronze rank or not. Keep reading for the next chapter of Mightyfats: The Quest For Bronze Rank: Hunter's Devious Challenge.