The All-Star Academy Chapter Eleven
Bad-End-Night
It was early evening. The interior of the building changed dramatically; from blue to black, the academy no longer felt like an academy. Student Council was setting up everything to complete the theme. Radec was walking around the academy with a clipboard, checking if everything was in place. Radec, through the consent of Polygon-Man, also called in some Helghast troops to help with the decorations and to stand guard for any "intruders."
"No! No! NO!" Radec exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing?! The streamers are supposed to hang on the arms of the statue! You can't just throw them anywhere! I'll have you executed for that!"
He was talking to two Helghast troops who were throwing the streamers on the head of the statue, not on the arms. One of them looked down in shame. Radec grunted then smacked himself with the clipboard.
Sly and PaRappa were checking and testing the sound from the DJ system. Sly invited Dimitri and PaRappa invited Lammy to be the heads behind the music, but PaRappa wanted to be the DJ; that was a must.
Kratos and Sweet Tooth were unpacking the food. When they went back for more boxes however, the boxes they've unpacked would be found opened and the contents would be eaten. The obvious culprit was Fat Princess, what with all the food bits on her face.
"MORTAL CHILD!" Kratos roared, "You filthy swine! You have eaten all the food! Prepare to DIE!"
He pulled out the Blade of Olympus and charged towards Fat Princess. She ran away, but Kratos caught up with her (no surprise here). Little did he know that Sweet Tooth had a hand in the consumption as well…
Back in the dorms, Sackboy was sitting on the couch, waiting for Drake and Cole to get ready. He was swaying back and forth, kicking his feet. He was smiling as usual, excited for the party no doubt.
"Hey, Sackboy," Drake called from their room, "you still there?"
Sackboy tapped the side table.
"OK, you're still here."
The door opened and Drake stepped out. He was wearing a dark-grey tuxedo with a brown rose corsage on his left chest. He also was wearing an eyepatch on his right eye and his hair was a bit glossier and unkempt than usual.
Sackboy jumped from the couch and floated up until they were face to face, Sackboy floating above ground (Drake was used to this). His smile was wide opened and pointed at his eyepatch, implying that he liked it.
"Thanks," Drake replied.
He looked back at the bathroom door. Cole was taking an awfully long time to get ready.
"Cole? Look, I know you want to look beautiful—"
"Shut up, Nate," Cole interrupted.
Drake put his hands up, "Well excuse me!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Cole replied opening the door.
He was wearing a dark-blue tuxedo with a blue rose on the left side of his chest. He was holding a fedora.
"What's with the fedora? Going clubbing or something? Emmett must have rubbed off on you, Cole," Drake said, laughing.
"Ha ha… very funny," Cole said, "That was as funny as the gum off my damn shoe. And what's with the eye patch, Nate? Already got sniped?"
Sackboy came in between the two before they fought and pointed to the door. He wanted to leave now. Drake and Cole looked at Sackboy, Drake nudged Cole's arm and Cole nudged his. They turned off the lights to their room and left.
While walking down the stairs Drake noticed something different in Cole. He seemed down, almost empty. Drake couldn't ignore this anymore.
"Hey Cole. You alright?"
For a moment Cole was unresponsive, but he wasn't ignoring Drake. He was just wandering off, squinting his eyes, a sign of a sad gesture. But now he was fully aware about the world around him.
"Huh…? Oh!" He replied, turning to Drake. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Heh, it's all good. Thanks for asking."
I'm not stupid, Cole, Drake thought, I know you're upset.
Drake sighed, "Look Cole, what's eating you? I've never seen you look so down before. What's up?"
Sackboy stopped and tugged Cole's hand, he too was concerned. He's never seen Cole so down since when they first met— this was very rare of him.
Cole took a deep breath, "There was a time where I was dating—"
"Oh-ho-ho!" Drake exclaimed, "You had a love in your life? Who was the lucky lady?"
Cole glared at Drake. Sackboy punched Drake's leg; this was not a casual conversation anymore.
"Trish." Cole said, "Her name was Trish."
Drake turned his head the other way and Sackboy looked down. They knew this was a sore subject to talk about. The silence was uncomfortable as well as awkward. Cole just sighed then smiled and continued walking.
"C'mon. Let's just forget about it."
"Cole," Drake said. Cole turned his head to him. Drake stared down, "I'm sorry. Sorry for whatever happened between you and… Trish."
Cole began to walk again, "It's alright. It's not your fault…"
Sackboy caught up with him and held his hand. Cole smiled and gripped it. Drake showed concern for Cole, but he shrugged it off and followed behind.
"Well, Radec," Polygon-Man said, "You always seem to amaze me, but this must be your best work yet!"
Radec adjusted his bowtie and reviewed his notes, "Was there any doubt?"
Everyone was finally here. Polygon stepped up to the stage.
"Hello, everyone!" He exclaimed, "And welcome to the Never After party! Enjoy the food, music, and dancing! Enjoy!"
And so it began. Everyone was dancing, eating, or playing the games available. It was all just random partying.
"OK, everyone!" Dimitri said, "It time for the slooooowwww daaaaaannnncccee…."
He changed the record to a slow, romantic song. It was time for everyone to find a partner.
PaRappa was dancing with Sunny Funny, but Spike was dancing with Little Sister. This was unusual to Emmett, but he just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on the wall until Dimitri put his hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, man," he said, "I've heard from a friend you got a nice deep voice. 'Mind if you sing the next song?"
Emmett stared at him with disbelief, How did you… then he stared at Spike and PaRappa who winked at him. Emmett was enraged, but he had to stay calm.
He sighed, "Fine."
Sackboy was dancing with Sackgirl. They were possibly the most energetic couple among the dancers. Drake, Cole, Raiden, and Dante were sitting at a table; Drake stared at Sackboy and waved to him. Sackboy and Sackgirl waved back.
"They make a nice pair," Drake said.
"Yeah, I guess they do," Cole continued.
Dante scoffed and looked the other way.
"Meh." Raiden said, drinking.
Dante got up, when he noticed Nariko, sitting alone. She was annoyed as Zeus commanded her to dance with him.
"Watch and learn, guys," Dante said. He left the table.
"Bet you five dollars he's gonna fail," Drake said.
"Why bet? He's going to fail anyways," Raiden said.
Seven minutes later, Dante returned with a red face mark on his left cheek.
"Ohhh…! What a shiner!" Drake exclaimed.
"So Nariko rejected you, huh?" Cole asked.
"Oh, shut up guys!" Dante said, "I'm gonna go get some bandages."
When he left, Nariko got up from her table and approached theirs. Drake and Cole were talking among themselves, making Raiden the only one to notice. Nariko's head was down, trying to hide her blush.
"Hey… Nariko," Raiden said.
"Good evening…" Nariko replied.
It was a moment of awkward silence then Nariko continued.
"So… I was wondering—"
"You want me to dance with you?" Raiden interrupted. He could see right through her, but it beats sitting here watching everyone else dance, "Sure. Why not?"
He took her hand and walked to the dance floor. Drake and Cole were surprised; they would never expect Raiden to dance with Nariko, of all people.
Ratchet was sitting at a table alone, debating on the time was right to dance with Kat. Jak and Sly came and sat with him.
"Whew! That Keira can dance!" Jak said.
Sly only smiled. His dance with Carmelita was fun.
"Yeah, that's great guys…" Ratchet said, though he wasn't paying attention.
"Why haven't you danced with Kat, Ratchet?" Sly asked.
"Yeah, Ratchet? Go on, bust a move!" Jak said pushing Ratchet.
"I really want to, but I'm not sure if I'm ready yet," Ratchet said.
Sly put his hand on Ratchet's shoulder, "Look Ratchet. You'll know unless you try. It's now or never."
"I agree," Clank continued.
Ratchet sighed then he took a cup of apple cider and chugged it down quickly. He took a deep breath, "Let's do this."
He came up to Kat and asked if he could dance with her. Of course she said yes and the both got down on the dance floor.
Dimitri was on the stage, "Our next song is a very special one sung by our very own. I am glad to present Emmett Graves singing You Are So Beautiful. Enjoy!"
The kids were clapping and screaming frantically. Radec ordered a Helghast soldier to set the spotlight. It was now on Emmett. A piano was playing as he was singing. Drake and Cole felt a little left out until Polygon-Man spotted them.
"Not that this is important to you or anything, but I believe there are two beautiful young women who would like to dance with you," He explained passing by.
Drake and Cole could not believe who they were. It was Elena Fisher, Drake's wife, and even more surprising, Trish. Drake was surprised but Cole was breaking down in tears. How could this be? It didn't matter; they just wanted to dance with them.
Dante returned with an ice bag on his cheek. "Hey guys. I'm back."
His table was empty then he tried to look for his friends. He found Drake and Cole dancing, making him feel bad, but what really struck him were Raiden and Nariko—dancing—together.
"Raiden," Nariko said, "There's something I always wanted to tell you…"
Raiden was about to say something, until Dante stormed in.
"RAIDEN!" Dante roared.
Everything stopped. Everyone stopped dancing only to stare at Dante, whose face was red with anger.
"WHAT THE F—K ING HELL YOU DOING?!" Dante bellowed.
"Look, Dante, whatever you think this is it's really not what you think." Raiden knew where this was going.
"Oh, I think I understand!" Dante exclaimed, "All this time you had a think for Riko. DO NOT DENY IT!" He then pointed at Nariko, "And you… you whore-hag!"
Dante then pulled out his pistols and started shooting. "DIE!"
Raiden pushed Nariko to some cover. He was dodging all the shots. Drake and Cole ducked to the floor, covering their heads. Emmett gathered the little ones and led them out the room. During the crossfire, Ratchet got shot in the chest.
"GAHHH!" He screamed in agony.
"Ratchet!" Kat, Jak and Sly exclaimed.
Jak and Sly carried Ratchet out the room with Kat following them, fearing for their lives. Sir Daniel got behind Dante and held him tight but Dante resisted and pushed Dan back, reducing him to a pile of bones. Fat Princess also got shot (Evil Cole pushed her out of his way) and so did Sweet Tooth. Isaac was freaking the crap out under a table. Big Daddy charged at Dante but he was ultimately stopped by Dante's rampant shooting. Radec cloaked himself. Was he escaping? Kratos screamed in agony and anger as he was shot in the leg and Zeus managed to escape. Helghast troopers shot at the enraged Dante, but to their dismay, his wrath was more devastating than they thought. Several troopers died. Polygon-Man was shot in the eye.
Raiden was tired of dodging, "I have no choice… do I?"
He was lunging at Dante with great speed. His agenda was simple: kill him. He's obviously a threat to the school. He charged with his sword in hand and Dante countered with his own sword. Their strengths were equally matched.
"Dante, don't make me do this…" Raiden pleaded.
Dante pushed forward. Raiden had to do it. He had to stab Dante. Before he could carry out his plan, Dante screamed off the top of his lungs. He kneeled on the floor and Raiden was startled when he saw Radec right behind him, knife in hand. Radec put away the knife and pulled out his pistol. He aimed for Dante's head.
"I've been waiting for a long time to do this," Radec exclaimed, "You've been a pain in my side for a long time, Dante. You not only ruined the party, but killed my men as well. I could care less of what Headmaster Polygon has to say about what I am doing." A pause, then he continued, "Death to you, Dante."
He shot Dante in the back of his head. Dante fell to the floor, dead. Raiden could not believe what just happened. He just backed away.
"Death to you… scum," these were Radec's last words. He saluted Dante's corpse then walked away. Radec doesn't hold grudges, but he doesn't let them fly or get even, he gets the full victory.
Raiden stared at Dante then walked out the door. Before he did, Nariko was running towards him, thanking him for saving his life. Raiden only put up his sword to her throat, "Stay the f—k away from me… we never had anything and we never will."
He rudely pushed her as he made his way out. Drake, Cole, and the others surrounded Dante. Some spitted in his direction or made derogatory comments. Polygon-Man rushed to reach Radec, enraged that he killed a fellow student. Emmett made sure that the kids were okay, but he knew for sure that they were scared for life. Kat was screaming and crying, Jak was calling for a medic and Sly was telling Ratchet to keep breathing. Ratchet looked as if he wasn't going to make it.
PaRappa crossed his arms, "Worst. Party. Ever."
"You said it," Spike replied.
Preview!
Polygon: Hello, all! Now since we gotten all the blood, violence and death out of the way, let's hear about a new cheerful chapter!
Nate: Sackboy's getting pissed of at me...
Cole: What makes you say that?
Nate: He's been at me for something, but I can't remember what...
Sackboy: ~Shows the Indie Park brochure~
Nate: Oh yeah! I forgot! Sorry...
Sackboy: ~Stamps his foot~
Cole: So Nate, what kind of crazy stupid idea you have in mind?
Nate: C'mon, Cole! Are you really that pessimistic?
Cole: No. Just logical. And I have a feeling that bad things are going to happen in the next chapter...
Nate: Don't worry! I have a plan!
Cole: ~Sigh~ That's what I'm worried the most.
Nate: Next time on the All-Star Academy: The Great Escape Plan!
Sackboy: !
Chapter 11 is done!(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))
This is a fairly long chapter... longest I've ever wrote.＿〆(。。)
The characters have been decided! They'll be featured in later chapters!＼（Ｔ∇Ｔ）／
So things ended horribly for the party... What happens next? Will the academy be the same?｡:ﾟ*+;(●´･д･`●);+*ﾟ:｡
Dante died! Will Polygon bring him back? What kind of trouble will he have to face?（ｏ。ｏ；）
Stay tuned for the next chapter!(✌ﾟ∀ﾟ)