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It took a few minutes before Sharkboy and Lavagirl reached Sarox and Max on the bottom. He had already undone his transformation. Max laid down on the ground as though he was still reeling from the frightening experience, his breathing was heavy. Lavagirl looked at Sarox with a wide grin while Sharkboy glared in annoyance.
"Very impressive, Sarox," Lavagirl complimented. "Very nicely done."
Sarox used a second to take in the compliment, then turned serious again. "Come on, we have to get away from here before the Darkness gets to us."
He turned to Max. "Max? Are you okay?"
Max nodded with a heavy breath and muttered. "Yeah, just need a minute to catch my breath."
"You can't, the Darkness will be covering this place soon. We have to get away from here," Lavagirl disagreed.
Max quickly gathered as much strength on his arms as he could manage and pushed himself up. Then, Sharkboy and Lavagirl led the run.
They ran down the mountain, running toward the amusement park. Seconds later, the Darkness covered the bottom of the cliff. Its black clouds were still approaching from behind. If they couldn't find speed up their running, it would catch up to them, and they knew it.
Sharkboy scanned hastily around the area as he ran. Eventually he spotted an active but unused transporter that connected a railway headed straight toward the park: Mount Neverest. "There's transport," he pointed and ran past everyone else, taking the lead. "We can use it to get to Mount Neverest faster."
As soon as they embarked, the transporter began to move down the rail, running twice as fast as they sprang. The clouds were left behind in seconds.
They relaxed after the long escape, except Sharkboy, who refocused on the road up ahead.
"Look," he pointed to the amusement park. "It's Mt. Neverest."
Max looked up to the park. They traveled into the bright lights emitted from there, and then, memories began to refill within him. It was as though the fluorescence contained a certain memory within. But, something was quite right. The machines were moving lively. Too lively. The only noises he could hear were the constant moving sounds from the machines. Something was lacking from the park.
"Where is everybody?" he asked. "There's no one in the park."
"That's because most of them are trapped on Mt. Neverest," Lavagirl answered.
"By Mr. Electric," Sharkboy added.
That didn't make sense to Max.
"But Mt. Neverest is a place for kids to dream and have endless fun."
"It's endless fun, all right. Once you get on, you can't get off."
The transporter traveled to the edge of the park and stopped. Once it reached its destination, the kids disembarked.
By now, they were inside the park. Sarox could hear the distinct sound covered by all the noises, there were cries. He looked up to the long wide roller-coaster trail until a carriage went past his sight at full speed. He finally understood.
"Those kids are trapped on that gigantic rollercoaster," he confirmed.
Lavagirl, Sharkboy and Max looked up as well.
"Yep, Mr. Electric had them taken to the coaster to prevent them from sleeping," Lavagirl said.
"Why would he want that?" Max asked, confused.
"If the kids sleep, they dream and it takes a huge amount of power away from Mr. Electric," Sharkboy explained.
Sarox focused on the kids, not wanting to leave them trapped, summoned his Keyblade. "Well, I'm not gonna stand here and let him have his way with those children," he said and charged.
Sharkboy, Max and Lavagirl gave each other a look for a moment then trailed off after him. The closer they came to the coaster, the larger it became, viewing an endless train track that almost covered the air above them. Sarox looked up, found the coaster... seventy feet in the air. He immediately transformed into Valor Form and jumped agilely in the air, catching and leaping as he leaped for tracks on the way. Lavagirl and Sharkboy jumped after him with the equally strong agility. Max jumped and fell. He looked down on his body, then back to the three jumpers. "Why can't I do that?" he asked rhetorically. Sharkboy jumped back down to Max and forcefully hurled him onto his back, then leaped after Lavagirl and Sarox again.
Sarox hastily reached for the carriage, un-summoned his Keyblades and grabbed a wire attached to the back of the carriage. His shoes sparked as he pulled with all his enhanced strength. The carriage continued to move at full speed. Lavagirl jumped to the front and pushed her hands forcefully on the deck, combining with Sarox's pull, then directed one of her hands to the side and fired lava on the coaster track, melting the metal bars and the carriage slowed to a stop. It did not take long before Sharkboy and Max caught up with them. Sharkboy and Sarox breathed heavily from exhaustion.
"Is everyone okay?" Max asked, still on Sharkboy's back.
He eyed at Max with a hint of anger, then dropped him on the track and helped Sarox free the kids.
Who is stopping my unstoppable coasters?
Sarox and Max looked around for the source of the voice in confusion.
"Go, run, hide," Lavagirl warned the kids.
Sharkboy led them to an emergency ladder nearby and gestured them to climb. After the kids all climbed to safety, probes and mechanic robots appeared out of nowhere.
"Mr. Electric's robots," he said with an angry tone.
Take them to me.
The robots launched at the foursome. Sharkboy kicked one of the robots back, impacting two others behind it. Sarox summoned his Keyblades and jumped with his arms pulled over his shoulders, then struck with full force and cut two robots in halves. Lavagirl focused her hands at two robots coming her way and fired lava, melting their metallic arms and then bodies like liquid. Sarox struck down the last robot and then looked around. At first, only Sharkboy and Lavagirl were visible in his range, then he found one person missing.
"Max," he said in a confused tone.
"Over here," Max responded and emerged from the right side of the roller coaster.
"Those were only Mr. Electric's underlings," Sharkboy forewarned and looked at the high mountain. "We have to get to his lair."
"Who is Mr. Electric?" Max asked. He had been curious since they first mentioned the dude's name.
"He's a robot that's supposed to provide light to Planet Drool," Lavagirl explained with a calm and serious tone. "But all he brings now is Darkness. We have to get to the Dream Lair to restore the planet's core, but first we need to defeat him."
So you wanna unplug me, huh? Well, then come to my lair, and let's have some fun, the voice appeared again.
The roller coaster's engine started roaring again. They knew that this was their cue.
Sarox held his hand out in front of Max.
"Come on," he said. Max obeyed and accepted his hand, then he dragged up on the train's front seat and pulled down the safety bar, and then stood in between the front and second front seats with his hand holding onto one of the seats. Lavagirl jumped agilely upon the deck and knelt in position; and Sharkboy knelt beside Sarox with his hand holding one side of the train. Then engine roared louder, the wheels shook and then ran into the hollow mountain filled with nothing but long train tracks that seemed to go through every hole in the mountain. The forceful wind and velocity blew their colorful hair back, but everyone held in place. The vehicle moved around in circles, missing large stones only by inches, then began to follow the road straight toward the mountain top. Max felt his heart climbing up his throat and his breath caught in between as the force came rushing toward his face. His hands grabbed on the metal bar in front of him with as much force as available. A loud sound of laughing echoed in the hollow dome.
"He's taking us up!" Sharkboy exclaimed.
The train ran faster, faster and faster, until it reached the end of the road and flew off track out of a giant hole pointing at the sky. Max's heart thumped like a jackhammer that would kill him before the train does. The moment they flew out of the hole, the heavy vehicle stopped in midair. Lavagirl saw a giant volcano in front of her.
"My home," said she and added, "at half its normal power."
As gravity pulled them back down, the train's head turned around and fell into an open hole. Sharkboy, Lavagirl and Sarox held in place even harder. The train hit a new section the moment it fell collided with the track, and began to fall downward. Max's heart continued to thump with the speed as they ran in circles again.
"He's taking us down!" Sharkboy confirmed.
The ride turned to one side and began to slow. Lavagirl, Sharkboy and Sarox eased their grips. Max's heart began to calm down and his breathing order began to recover. After a minute, they were traveling at normal speed in a gigantic tunnel with two metal barred gates in front of them. The gates opened up and invited them inside. The train slowed to its ending destination. Sharkboy hopped off the second by it stopped, and Lavagirl followed. Sarox pulled up the metal bar around Max. Then his energy ran out and de-transformed. He looked on his normal clothes.
"Oh, well, I guess I've been in this form for so long the energy ran out," he said with an embarrassed expression.
"Hey, come on," Sharkboy commanded in determination. "Showtime!"
He and Lavagirl walked toward a long metal bridge with nothing but large plugs on the sidelines. Sarox and Max followed quickly as they took in the view. They could tell that it was the core of Mt. Neverest by the sight of the endless upside that viewed no ceiling. As they walked down the bridge, the whole view closed in and revealed a giant hollow base with nothing but what looked to be computers, operators and metal sidewalks attached to the sides with no visible stairs nearby. Fluorescent lights were the only radiance that brightened up the place. Sarox glanced lower down. The downside was a mirrored view, but on the lower levels, there were shadows that grew under each level. The bottom had no light that could reveal what was under. He refocused on his level and saw a giant operator at the end of the bridge. Above the computer was a 3-D television screen that seemed to show a set of kids running around the area in fear. Underneath the screen was a giant round robot that seemed to be operating the computer. It had no arms or legs. Rather it had electric shocks that connected its hands and feet. Lavagirl and Sharkboy were already standing behind it. Sarox and Max caught up with them shortly.
"Keep playing. Never stop. Games and toys and laugh - Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. And fun," said the robot to the kids on the screen.
"Mr. Electric," Lavagirl shouted with a tone of hatred.
The robot stopped his business, turned off the operator and turned around. Its face was covered by a round glass that held the duplicate of Max's teacher back on Radiant Garden.
"Well, well, well, if it ain't Sharkboy and Lavagirl," he said and then spotted Sarox and Max. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Mr. Electric."
"Why are you bringing misery to our planet? You're supposed to be running it," Lavagirl's question trailed off into a confirmation.
"You're supposed to be running it," he imitated and then answered. "I am running it. Right into the ground. Those are my orders. No school, no discipline, no rules. And most importantly - no dreams."
Max felt his heart pumping with blood, pumping with fear.
"Dreams can destroy you, can't they? My instincts tell me that it's so," Sharkboy suspected.
"Oh, really?"
Lavagirl pointed at him as she said her words. "That's why we have to stop you."
Max stared at her in surprise. "We?" he thought.
"You and what army?"
Then, strange sounds came up behind them. It was a combination of metal pulling and electric shocks, and there were many. They looked behind them and saw the giant plugs come to life and face them with a sense of intelligence. They all sparkled electricity that was enough to kill a person. Sarox drew out his Keyblade while Sharkboy held up his fists.
One plug moved toward him, but he jumped out of its way in time for Lavagirl to melt it. He then jumped up to a second level where he met three sets of plugs. Lavagirl went to another side of the platform, but found herself surrounded. She heated up her hands and fired more lava than before. The impact sent her up in the air like a rocket before the plugs reached her.
Sarox hid Max behind him while the aggressive plugs approached. He pointed with his Keyblade and shouted, "Freeze." A crystal of ice appeared in the weapon's tip and flew out toward the coming plugs, knocking them several yards away. A new plug appeared from under. Sarox ran a few feet away from Max, exposing him, then stopped short and turned his head over his shoulder. He knew if Max would be in danger if he wasn't there to protect him. He lifted his Keyblade and said, "Wind". And then, he was surrounded by a strong wind current.
"Don't worry, the wind will shield you from those plugs. I'll be right back."
With that, he turned his attention back to the plug, but it was too late. It reached his face and shocked, the impact sent him flying over Max's head across the bridge. Max looked at fearful at the fallen Sarox and then to the deadly plug that was moving toward him now. The moment it touched the wind, the current bounced off and sent it away, protecting him. He began to feel calmer by the safe magic and ran to help Sarox to his feet.
Sharkboy knocked away the electric monsters before they could touch him. Then, a wire caught his attention as it wrapped around his body. When it pulled up, his feet lost touch to the floor and fell off in circles. Other plugs shocked him the moment he fell down to the lower level, preventing him from getting up on his feet. Sarox and Max saw him then.
"Sharkboy!"
Sarox pointed his Keyblade and blasted a fireball at one of the plugs, melting it. Sharkboy caught the option to reflexively flip himself off the floor and destroy the other plug.
Lavagirl burned away her enemies and turned to Mr. Electric. He held out his electric hands and fired at her, sending her falling off the floor. Sarox, Max and Sharkboy immediately went to her side.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"He's strong, it won't be easy to defeat him," Sharkboy said without a tone of worry.
"I'm not worried. we have our secret weapon, remember? C'mon."
She and Sharkboy ran to Mr. Electric's side again, their fists up and ready. Sarox and Max stopped a few feet away from them.
"Oh, my, my. Kids. Do you really think you could stop me?" he asked.
His electric arms moved, as if he was flexing.
"I know we can't," Lavagirl answered, then pointed behind her. "But he can. - Take it away, Max!"
Sarox looked curiously at Max. He was curious with what he could do.
Max held up his fists hesitantly. Everyone waited. Nothing happened. Sharkboy and Lavagirl turned to him in confusion.
"Show him what you're made of, Max."
"What am I supposed to do?" he whispered loud enough to everybody to hear.
They dropped their hands in disappointment.
"I told you this would happen," Sharkboy said.
"I thought he would just remember," she argued.
"Remember what?" Max asked.
"The dream. Remember the dream."
"I don't remember half my dreams. That's why I write them in my dream journal."
Before anyone could talk more, Mr. Electric took the opportunity to point his hands at Max and fire a bolt of powerful electricity. Sarox reflexively ran into the way, taking the hit into himself. The power nullified his nerves and sent him flying off the bridge and fall toward the dark bottom. Sharkboy, Max and Lavagirl could only watch as he disappeared.
"Sarox!" Max shouted in loudly.
Then, they were captured by Mr. Electric's arms and lifted off the floor. He laughed like the best time of his life.
"Where are you taking us?" Lavagirl asked.
"Where all the useless dreams go. To the Dream Graveyard," he answered as his arms hovered in the air, and then dropped them down the pitch darkness. His voice shrieked with laughter.
