The next day after school ended, Furrball & Fifi were walking through the front campus with Buster, Hamton, Plucky, Calamity, and Cosette.
"Tonight's the night, guys", Buster said.
"Yes it is", Furrball replied.
"What's happeneeng tonight?", Cosette asked.
"The Battle of the Tribute Bands, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
"We don't blame vous", Fifi responded, "especially after seeing you weeth your new boyfriend last night."
Everyone stopped in their tracks as all heads turned to Cosette & Calamity, the two of them feeling nervous.
"Vous saw what happened?", Cosette asked.
"We saw everything", Furrball replied with a smile on his face.
"Wait, what happened last night?", Hamton asked.
"We saw these two lovebirds romancing on the golf course."
"Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo", Plucky chuckled as he turned to Calamity, "you got yourself a girlfriend now."
"You lucky dog", Buster said to the sweating coyote.
"He's not a dog", Cosette said, "he's a coyote."
"I know, it's a figure of speech."
"Oh."
As the group passed the statues of Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck in front of the school, they turned right. However, Plucky split from the group & turned the other way. Buster immediately took notice.
"Where are you going, Plucky?"
The group turned to the green mallard, wondering why he's going the other way.
"What?", Plucky said.
"I thought we were going to rehearse for the contest tonight", Hamton said.
"Oh, that. Well, I'm gonna take the long way around because, you know, I need the exercise."
"Exercise?", Cosette asked. "Vous don't look fat to moi."
"So anyway", Plucky continued as if he hadn't heard Cosette, "I'll catch up with you guys later."
And without another word, Plucky turned from the group & continued walking down the street. Buster spoke up as the group continued walking.
"Why would he be going the long way around?"
"I don't know", Furrball replied, "but I'm feeling pretty suspicious about him right now."
Later that night at the Cool Club, the stage is all set up as different groups from various schools play their one song onstage. There were many groups paying tribute to many great bands, such as Queen, The Who, Nirvana, and so on.
Backstage, Furrball was tuning his guitar, getting ready to jam with his band. Buster, Hamton, and Calamity were with him. Plucky hasn't arrived yet, and they were all waiting for him. Buster spoke up.
"What could Plucky possibly be doing that's taking him so long to get here?"
"Beats the heck out of me", Furrball said, "I'm pretty sure he's up to something, but I don't know what."
After a moment, the sound of a door opening & closing caught their attention.
"Guys?", Plucky's voice called out.
"Over here!", Hamton shouted.
Plucky appeared from around the corner as he said, "Sorry I'm late guys. Are we up yet?"
"Not yet", Furrball replied, "but I wanna know why-"
"When will we be up?", Plucky interrupted.
"Well, well, well", said a raspy voice, "if it isn't the Acme Loo-sers."
The group turned to see Roderick Rat with 4 other people behind him. Roderick is dressed in a leather jacket, black leather pants, and a white undershirt.
"Oh, hello Roderick", Buster said. "Is this your group?"
"Yes it is, and we will beat you losers & win the Battle of the Tribute Bands."
"Who are they?", Furrball asked. "I've never seen them before."
"Well, allow me to introduce them. This is David, our lead guitarist."
David is a red dingo wearing a black t-shirt with a skull in the middle, black jeans, and a spiked collar around his neck.
"Orson, our rhythm guitarist."
Orson is an otter with light blue fur, similar to Buster's fur, wearing a black Slayer hoodie & black jeans.
"Bert, our drummer."
Bert is a brown beaver in blue jeans, an Anthrax sweater, and a baseball cap worn backwards.
"And Ronald, our bassist."
Ronald is a dark yellow rhino with a Megadeth t-shirt & blue jeans.
"We are The Painkillers, with yours truly as the vocalist, and we will bring you all pain!"
"The Painkillers", Furrball said. "Lemme guess, Judas Priest?"
"Yep. Just one song is all it will take to beat you guys."
"Which song?", Buster asked. "Painkiller?"
"Nope."
"Breaking The Law?", Hamton guessed.
"Nope."
"Living After Midnight?", Furrball said.
"Nope. Even better."
"Which song are you guys gonna play?", Buster asked, starting to get a bit impatient.
"You'll see."
And with that, a voice called out, "Painkillers, you're up next!"
"It is time. Prepare to be...what's the word? Oh yeah! Devastated! Let's go, guys."
Roderick & the rest of his group all left to get prepared for their performance. Hamton spoke up.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to feel a little scared."
Calamity pulled out a sign that says, "I don't blame you. I think they're up to something."
A voice from overhead started speaking, "Ladies & gentlemen, our next performance is from a Judas Priest tribute band from Perfecto Prep. Please welcome The Painkillers!"
The crowd cheered as Roderick & his gang stepped onto the stage.
Roderick's voice is heard saying, "Alright! You people want some heavy metal?"
As the crowd cheered, Buster stood.
"I'll be back in a second."
"Where are you going?", Furrball asked.
"I just want to see what's going on."
As Buster approached the side of the stage & saw the Perfecto Prep students, David started playing his guitar intro, with the rest of the group accompanying him.
As Buster heard the rhythm of the guitar notes, he made a face of genuine fear & surprise.
"No...it can't be."
As soon as Roderick started singing, confirmation of fear has finally hit Buster.
Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods amongst the evergreens
"Guys!", Buster shouted. "Come over here!"
Furrball, Hamton, Plucky, and Calamity joined the blue bunny at the side of the stage as Roderick continued singing.
There stood an old cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
The rest of the toons all broke into shock & awe.
"What?! Are you serious?!", Hamton exclaimed.
"They stole our song!", Furrball shouted.
That never ever learned to read and write so well
But he could play a guitar just like ringing a bell
Go go
Go Johnny go go go
Go Johnny go
Go go
Go Johnny go go go
Go Johnny go
In the front row of the audience, Cosette & Fifi both made faces of surprise.
"Wait a second", Cosette said. "Eez zhis...?"
"Oui", Fifi replied, "zhey stole zhat song from us!"
Meanwhile backstage, the toons headed back to their spots as Furrball said, "I don't believe this!"
"I knew something like this would happen!", Hamton said worriedly.
"Now what are we gonna do?", Buster wondered. Right away, Plucky came up with an idea.
"I know what we can do. Buster, can you play guitar?"
"Sure I can. Why?"
"I know just the song we can play."
They all huddled up as Plucky told them the song they could play. They all agreed with Plucky as the green duck said, "Trust me, they'll have no idea what hit them."
"Alright, sounds good to me", Buster said.
As they all set off to get ready, Plucky grabbed Furrball's arm.
"Hey Furrball. You might need this."
Plucky held out a guitar case & a large paper bag to Furrball.
"What's this?", Furrball asked.
"Something to make you look good."
As Furrball took the things from Plucky, the green duck ran off to join the rest of the group.
Furrball opened the guitar case & inside was a black Gibson-SG. He looked into the bag & saw a white button shirt, a necktie with a red & yellow striped pattern, and a black jacket with matching shorts & hat.
As the blue cat saw all these things, a devilish smile appeared on his face.
On stage, while David was doing his guitar solo, Lil Sneezer appeared behind Furrball.
"Hi Furrball."
Furrball quickly turned to the little mouse & said, "Sneezer! Perfect timing."
"What's going on?"
"Listen, we're in a bit of a pickle here. You know that song Perfecto is playing right now?"
"Yeah. It's sounds a lot like the song you were gonna play."
"That's the thing, they stole our song."
"Uh oh. What are you gonna do now?"
"Don't worry about it, we have it under control. But, I want you to do me a favor."
"What's that?"
"Here...", Furrball took out a note, wrote something down, and gave it to the little mouse.
"What's this?", Sneezer asked.
"It's the new name of our group. I want you to give this to the announcer up in the booth. Do you know where it is?"
Sneezer nodded his head in response.
"Okay. Now hurry, we don't have a lot of time."
Sneezer immediately ran off with the note in his hand. Furrball grabbed his bag & new guitar & joined the rest of his group.
As the Painkillers finished with their song, the crowd cheered & applauded as the group made their way backstage, where Buster, Plucky, Hamton, and Calamity were waiting.
Furrball was elsewhere, getting changed into his outfit that Plucky gave him.
Roderick laughed as he said to Buster, "Well, what did you think about THAT, losers?"
"Not bad", Buster replied, "but I think we have a song that can top that performance."
"Oh really? I can't wait to see you guys blow it."
The rest of the Perfecto Prep students snickered behind the black rat.
"We ain't gonna blow it", Hamton said, "we're gonna melt some faces."
"Indeed", said Calamity's sign, "just wait until our guitarist is ready."
"And where is he right now?", Roderick asked.
"I'm right here."
Furrball appeared behind his group, all dressed up in his outfit.
"What the heck!", Roderick exclaimed as he & his friends broke into laughter. However, Furrball kept a straight face.
"Guys", the soundguy said to the toons, "you're up."
"Let's go guys", Buster said as he & the rest of the group made their way to the stage. Furrball stopped & turned to the Painkillers.
"You may have devastated us, but now it's our turn to surprise you."
Roderick chuckled at the blue cat in response.
"So anyway", Furrball continued, "prepare to be...thunderstruck."
Furrball winked upon saying the last word before he ran off.
"We gotta see this", Orson said.
"Yeah, this oughta be good", David said, talking in a thick Australian accent.
The Painkillers ran to the side of the stage. At the other side, the toons were waiting for their cue to step up.
"Ladies & gentlemen", the voice overhead began, "our final performance of tonight is from a tribute band from Acme Looniversity."
Fifi, Cosette, and the rest of the toons in the audience with them all cheered as the announcer continued.
"Please welcome to the stage, the final act of tonight...the T.N.T., the Top-Notch Toons!"
The crowd cheered as Plucky stepped up to grab the microphone, while Buster, Hamton, and Calamity took their places. Furrball, however, remained at his spot.
"Come on, Furrball", Buster said to the blue cat, "what are you doing?"
"Getting ready to make my entrance", Furrball replied.
And at that moment, he cranked up the volume of his guitar, did a running start, and played a ripping guitar solo as he dropped to his knees & did a powerslide to the front of the stage.
The crowd roared with cheers as he stood & raised his right arm, Fifi & Cosette screaming in delight.
Furrball then turned to the band & said, "Let there be rock!"
Calamity tapped the high hats with his stick 4 times, and they all started their song, with Furrball stepping up to the front of the stage, the crowd cheering.
Plucky, now wearing a grey flat cap, joined Furrball as he started singing.
Back in black, I hit the sack
I've been too long I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose from the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I keep looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die
I got nine lives, cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and running wild, cause I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm ba-ha-ha-hack, ba-ha-ha-hack
Back in black
Well I'm back in black
Back in the back of a Cadillac
Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack
Yes, I'm in a bang with a gang
They've got to catch me if they want me to hang
'Cause I'm back on the track & I'm beatin' the flak
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
Don't look at me now, I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way, cause I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm ba-ha-ha-hack, ba-ha-ha-hack
I'm Back in black
Yes I'm back in black
As Plucky stepped aside, Furrball slowly stepped up as he began his guitar solo, his hat shading his eyes.
During the solo, Furrball slowly walked over to one side of the stage, as Buster, Calamity, and Hamton accompanied him, with Plucky playing air guitar next to Buster as they all watched the little blue cat.
As Furrball neared the end of his solo, he faced the other end of the stage & began kicking his left leg as he skipped across, doing a perfect Angus Young duckwalk, which made the crowd roar excitedly with cheers.
Plucky then stepped up as he resumed singing.
Well I'm back, Yes I'm back
Well I'm back, Yes I'm back
Well I'm ba-ha-ha-hack, ba-ha-ha-hack
Well I'm back in black
Yes I'm back in black
Plucky stepped aside again as Furrball, with a swift upward motion of his head, took his hat off as he played his second solo. As the crowd cheered again, Furrball started going crazy.
He began kicking his left leg as he skipped & spun around the stage, shaking his head up & down, rocking his heart out, Fifi & Cosette & the rest of the girls screaming excitedly.
As the blue cat ended his solo, Plucky stepped up one last time, along with Buster & Hamton approaching their own microphones.
(Words in parentheses are sung by Buster & Hamton)
Well I'm ba-ha-ha-hack (I'm back)
Ba-ha-ha-hack (I'm back)
Ba-ha-ha-hack (I'm back)
Ba-ha-ha-hack (I'm back)
Ba-ha-ha-hack (I'm back)
Ba-ha-ha-hack
Back in black
Yes I'm back in black
Furrball strummed his guitar & raised his right arm & smiled.
"Back in black!", Plucky screamed into his microphone one last time as Furrball played his final solo.
Meanwhile, Roderick & his gang, completely dumbfounded by Furrball's guitar-playing performance, turned to each other in complete surprise.
As Furrball reached the end of his final solo, he held his hand up to the crowd, who responded in cheers, before he turned to the rest of the group & jumped in the air.
The crowd cheered very loudly as the toons finished their song. Furrball, Buster, and Hamton removed their guitars as Calamity stepped out from behind his drum set & joined everyone else.
"Give it up for the T.N.T.!", the announcer said as the 5 toons stepped forward & bowed to the audience.
"You rock, Furrball!", Fifi screamed excitedly as Furrball & the rest of the group ran off to the side of the stage.
"Whew!", Furrball said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That was awesome."
"Great job, Furrball", Plucky said, "you were really rocking your butt off."
"Ladies & gentlemen", the announcer started, "the judges have now determined the winner of tonight's Battle of the Tribute Bands."
Everyone waited in anticipation for the results.
"The winner of tonight's contest is..."
Plucky had his fingers crossed, hoping that he & his group would win. Roderick was muttering under his breath, "Not the Acme Loo-sers, not the Acme Loo-sers..."
"Acme Looniversity & the T.N.T.!"
The crowd cheered loudly, as did the toons.
"Yes!", Plucky said.
"We won!", Buster exclaimed.
"Noooo!", Roderick yelled as Bert threw his hat down in frustration, Roderick stomping angrily. "No, no, no, no, NO!"
As Furrball & the others stepped onto the stage to recieve their trophies, Fifi, Cosette, and the rest of Acme Loo's students cheered excitedly for them.
"I can't believe we won", Hamton spoke up. "I thought we were toast after Perfecto stole our song."
"Yeah, about that", Plucky said, "I have a confession to make."
"What is it?", Buster asked as they turned to the green duck.
"I..."
At that moment, Roderick & his gang stepped up to Plucky.
"You can kiss Perfecto Prep goodbye!", Roderick scolded the green duck before walking past him.
"You may have won this time", Ronald said, "but we'll get you next time."
The rest of the Painkillers walked by as Plucky turned to his friends, who looked at him questionably.
"Plucky", Hamton said, "what did Roderick mean when he said 'you can kiss Perfecto Prep goodbye?'"
"Uh, well, the thing is...uh..."
"Oh no, don't tell me", Furrball said in an alarmed voice. "You told them what song we were going to play?!"
"I-I-I-I, well yeah, I did, but-"
"How could you?!", Buster shouted. "Why would you betray us like this?!"
"It was all a trick!"
The toons crossed their arms & stared sternly at the green mallard.
"I'm serious. Look, I thought playing an AC/DC song would be better than playing a Chuck Berry song, and it is, we won, no regrets!"
The toons continued staring at Plucky in anger before Furrball spoke up.
"I don't know whether I should thank you or punch you in the beak."
At that moment, a voice cried out, "FURRBALL!"
The toons looked up & saw Fifi in the air, sailing down toward Furrball.
"VOUS WERE MAGNEEFEECENT!", she screamed as she fell toward her boyfriend.
"Ooohhh sh-!", Furrball started, but Fifi landed right on top of him, both tumbling to the center of the stage, until they came to a complete stop.
And at that moment, Fifi began hugging & kissing Furrball like mad.
The crowd cheered & whooped as they watched Fifi give Furrball all the love she could give him.
"Wow", Buster said as he looked on, "Fifi is loving Furrball...without her smell breaking free."
Calamity pulled out a sign that said, "Indeed. That confirms that my potion is working perfectly."
The coyote then flipped his sign, "I hope Cosette doesn't do the same thing to me."
"CALAMITY!", Cosette shouted from above. The grey coyote made a face of terrified shock.
He pulled out a sign that says, "Uh oh!", as the coyote saw a shadow appearing on top of him.
He quickly pulled out another sign that said, "Next chapter, please!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Furrball was gonna say "Oh shoot!" instead of the other word. You know what the other word is, I'm not gonna explain it!