Mona – ATV
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(Intro)
Diamond City was always a bustling metropolis, and it had become even bigger thanks to the publicity of Wario Ware Inc. This game company, which had literally appeared out of nowhere a number of years ago, had increased the popularity of the already-large city. Since then, the city had doubled in size and new businesses were popping up everywhere. Other game companies wanted to expand on the popularity of Wario Ware, but the owner knew a lot of things about business and had put up a massive copyright law that prevented any imitators from copying his unique style of games.
One of the businesses that had been around almost as long as the city itself was Mona Pizza, a parlor that was easily accessible from anywhere in the city. The owner, a young woman named Mona, had seen business increase amazingly since she had started making games for Wario Ware Inc. Her games were always some of the most-popular ones in the company, which was one of the reasons the owner kept her around the entire time.
Mona wasn't complaining, mind you. She enjoyed making more pizza deliveries, because that meant more business. Currently, the redhead was waiting for her chef, Joe, to make another pizza for delivery. As she was waiting, Mona heard the door open and the bell above it ringing. Turning her head, Mona was expecting to see a customer come in, but saw her boss enter instead.
There was always something about that Wario character that made Mona look at him differently than the other employees of the company for some odd reason. Wario seemed to see the others as acquaintances that could be responsible for bringing in more money for the company. However, Wario seemed to treat Mona (and possibly Jimmy T as well; Wario seemed to be good friends with him) with more respect than the others.
"Heya, Wario! What'll you be having today?" Mona asked cheerfully.
"Double-garlic, Mona. My usual." Wario replied.
"Sure thing. We're testing out some new flavours of garlic if you'd like to try some of that as well." Mona suggested.
Wario gave a toothy grin. "You know I love my garlic, Mona. Pile it on!" He said. As Mona gave the order to Joe, Wario continued. "I take it you haven't buried the hatchet with Pizza Dinosaur yet, have you?"
"Uh…No. They still hate my guts." Mona explained, an eyebrow raised. "Why?"
Wario tossed a few flyers on top of the counter. "I caught some punk putting up ads for Pizza Dinosaur in your store window." He replied. "I gave him a piledriver for his troubles."
Mona winced, then sighed. Pizza Dinosaur was a rival pizza company, and they had opened a location in Diamond City. However, the entire population of Diamond City preferred Mona's pizza to theirs, and the rival company had been trying to steal the business from Mona ever since. Mona always thought the measures Pizza Dinosaur used to get her out of the picture was stupid, but she had always been unable to do anything about it.
"I just wish there was some way to get those creeps off my back." Mona sighed. "It'd be nice to deliver a pizza without having to worry about an airborne assault from them."
Suddenly, Joe poked his head into view. "Hey, Mona! What about that invitation you got?" He asked.
Wario looked confused, then looked at Mona. "Invitation?"
"Ah, I got an invitation to something called Twisted Metal." Mona shrugged. "They SAY that the winner of the contest gets a wish, but I get enough of that spam stuff not to believe it."
"Mona, that stuff is real!" Wario insisted. "I watch that contest every year!"
"Wait…You mean that wish-granting stuff is for real?" Mona asked.
"You just gotta remember to phrase your wish exactly how you want it, though." Wario said. "From what I can tell, that Calypso owner is pretty sadistic."
Mona couldn't believe what she was hearing. If this contest was for real and it was actually possible to get Pizza Dinosaur to leave her alone for good, then Mona just couldn't pass the opportunity up.
"I think I may enter this contest." Mona said with a smile. "Will you be alright handling the place while I'm gone, Joe?"
"You bet, Mona!" Joe nodded. "You go and win that contest! It'll be good to get those creeps off our backs!"
"Hey! Nobody leaves until I get my pizza!" Wario barked.
"Sorry, boss." Mona said with a chuckle.
(Pre-Level One)
Mona didn't really have a lot of choices when it came down to a vehicle, as the best thing she could drive was always her scooter. However, Mona managed to find an ATV and decided to enter with that. When the redhead arrived at the dome where the contest would be taking place, Mona realized what she would be going up against to win the wish. She saw that everyone else in the running for first place looked just as determined as she was, so she made a mental reminder not to take anyone lightly once the contest started.
Currently, Mona was standing in a line in the middle of a packed stadium. In the line were the sixteen contestants, their respective vehicles parked just behind them, several mechanics working on all of them.
Suddenly, a large screen hanging from the ceiling turned on, showing two faces. Mona glanced upwards and lifted an eyebrow. Wario told her that there was only one owner, and these two looked like okay people.
"Greetings, contestants." The male figure said. "I am Carl Roberts and this is my sister Jamie."
"Thank you for agreeing to participate in this tournament." Jamie added. "You are obviously aware of what is at stake, here."
"Currently, some of our men are fixing up the vehicles you all brought with high-powered weapons." Carl said. "Believe me. You need them to survive here."
"The aim of this contest is to be the last vehicle standing. If your vehicle explodes, you're out of the tournament, but don't worry. We have the technology to get you out of your car safely before it blows." Jamie said.
"However, you don't just have yourselves to worry about." Carl pointed out. "We have also invited three individuals to act as bosses that will fight the winner of a specific round."
"The final winner at the end will be the one that will earn the grand prize: A wish. Whatever your heart desires, as long as it doesn't involve us giving up our powers, will be granted."
"Good luck, everyone. May the best driver win!" The two siblings said as one.
Mona turned and walked towards her ATV, which had just been finished getting worked on. Placing her goggles over her eyes, Mona jumped onto the ATV and started the engine. When it came to life, the redhead smirked.
(Pre-Level Three)
The small size of Mona's ATV took everyone by surprise, allowing the redhead to earn two wins easily. As requested earlier, Mona drove onto an old parking lot to await her next battle, but found the place devoid of life.
"Doesn't look like anyone's here." Mona noted. "That's funny. Where are my opponents?"
Suddenly, Mona heard a strange tune being played. Looking to her right, Mona saw a white ice cream truck driving onto the scene, the music coming from the speakers on the roof.
"What is that guy thinking?!" Mona screamed as she drove out of harm's way.
As soon as Mona had driven to the side, the ice cream truck did a spin before coming to a stop right beside the ATV, revealing a man with red and yellow hair.
"You're a complete maniac!" Mona snapped. "If I wasn't so used to things like that happening, you could have killed me!"
"Dude, that's what I was trying to do." The man replied with a sly smirk. "The name's Sypher. I'm the boss of this zone."
"Oh. A boss battle. That explains why there's no one else here." Mona nodded in realization. "But boss or not, it looks like you'll give me no problem."
"Hey, I didn't steal Duck's invitation to get mocked, pal." Sypher said as he drove ahead a bit and turned around to face Mona. "I'm going to beat you and win this thing to get that wish!"
Mona realized that this guy hadn't entered legitimately and narrowed her eyes. The last time she ran into a thief (which was Wario, by the way), she didn't let him off easy. And she definitely wasn't going to give this creep an easy time…
(After Battle)
Mona had just dealt the final blow. An explosion erupted from somewhere in the engine, making the hood of Sweet Tooth, Syper's ice cream truck, fly off and land several feet away.
"N-No! This can't be!!" Sypher cried in disbelief as his truck started to break down. "How could I lose?!"
That was all Sypher could get out before Sweet Tooth exploded in a ball of fire. Mona's ATV sat safely out of range as the redhead watched the ice cream truck burn. She shook her head in hopelessness.
"He calls himself a villain. Wario's a hundred times better than he is." Mona mused as she drove her ATV out of the lot to go to her next battle.
(Pre-Level Five)
Mona was able to secure two more wins after her first boss fight. After her fourth normal fight, Mona drove her ATV onto a construction lot, where she was told her next fight would be. Much like the parking lot earlier, the construction lot was empty.
"Looks like I've got another boss coming up." Mona noted. "I wonder if this next guy will be as easy as that Sypher guy…"
Hearing an engine revving up, Mona found herself looking upwards, towards a dirt ramp leading into the 'arena'. A large vehicle shot off the ramp and soared overtop of the ATV before landing on the ground. When Mona took a better look, it was a dump truck.
"Hmm…You definitely look like you have a tougher vehicle than the last guy." Mona pointed out. "Are you my opponent?"
"Yes." The brown-haired man driving the dump truck nodded. "My name's Flint Marko, but most people know me as 'Sandman'."
"I think I may have heard about you fom 9-Volt and the other kids." Mona said suspiciously. "Did you steal your invitation into this like the last guy?"
"I entered this legitimately, but I need the wish." Sandman replied, revving up his vehicle. "I have to take you down to get to the end and get that wish, and I'm going to see to it that I get it."
"I need that wish, mister. You're not stopping me." Mona warned. "If you think I'm going to let a dump truck beat me, you're highly mistaken."
(After Battle)
Sandman's eyes widened as he looked around at Manslaughter, his dump truck. Parts were starting to fall off and explosions were starting to erupt all around the vehicle.
"No! NO!" Sandman cried. "PENNY!!"
With that, Manslaughter exploded, sending the sand it was carrying scattering all over the construction site.
Mona's ATV was parked just out of range, so she didn't get splattered with sand. Even still, Mona's gaze softened as she watched Manslaughter burn. He clearly had a good reason for entering and he wasn't exactly the monster Mona had heard about from the kids…
Mona sighed, deciding to put that thought aside for now and focus on the fact that she was even closer to winning now. Revving up her ATV, Mona stared at the exit to the lot.
"Just a little more and I'll be able to get that wish." Mona said to herself as she drove straight past Manslaughter's wreckage and out of the lot.
(Pre-Level Seven)
After chalking up two more wins, Mona was told to go to an old castle. Mona drove her ATV onto the courtyard and looked around for an opponent. However, this place was just as empty as the previous two boss arenas.
"Another boss fight?" Mona asked. "How many of these do I have to-"
Mona didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, because the gates on the other side of the courtyard were burst open. A huge vehicle barreled into the courtyard and came to a halt. Mona jumped in slight surprise, but relaxed when she saw the huge vehicle, identified as some sort of oil tanker, come to a stop.
"Why are you driving that thing in something like this?" Mona asked the driver. "Are you suicidal or something?"
A furry, red head leaned out the driver's window. "Animal win contest!" The creature shouted determinedly. "Animal get wish and everything better!"
"I've come too far to lose now. I need to beat that thing if I want to continue." Mona said as she drove her ATV towards the oil tanker.
However, on her way over, Mona started thinking of how she was going to get out of range once she defeated this thing. After all, an oil tanker would definitely create a huge explosion…
(After Battle)
Animal didn't even get to shout in disbelief. Minion, the huge oil tanker he was driving, exploded in a huge ball of fire, sending debris and pieces of the metal monstrosity flying in all directions.
One piece of Minion flew straight towards Mona's ATV. Mona didn't have anything to protect her from the debris and took the blow to the head. Mona fell unconscious as her vehicle was sent flying backwards.
Mona was passed out in the seat of her ATV. The redhead's mind was currently replaying a memory .
"M-Mona! What happened?!"
"N-Nothing, Joe. The goons from Pizza Dinosaur ran me off the road."
"What the? Mona, yer bleeding!"
"Wario, I'm…I'm fine. I just barely managed to get the pizza delivered on time."
"Mona, forget the pizza! You're hurt! Where's the medkit…"
"I can't believe those creeps actually went this far. Maybe I should go over and wreck their restaurant…"
"Wario, please. I don't want to anywhere near that place. It's not worth it."
"…You're too nice for you own good, Mona."
"Heh. I get that a lot."
Mona drifted back to reality as she sat up. She remembered that day. Not just because it was the day Pizza Dinosaur actually managed to bring physical harm to her, but because Wario actually seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being. For once, Mona was able to see Wario's softer side, even if it only lasted a short while. Wario made good on his promise to Mona and left Pizza Dinosaur alone, but the owner of Wario Ware had long been planning a way to get the crooked chain shut down behind the backs of everyone else. Now Mona had the chance to actually do the job for Wario and finally end the stupid rivalry.
"This is my chance to end this war." Mona said to herself. "I'm so close to making it a reality. Just a few more rounds…"
With that, Mona turned around and drove off to her next battle.
(Level Eight)
Mona felt extremely nervous as she drove onto the roof of a skyscraper. She had been told that this would be the final fight, so Mona knew that if she won this next battle, she'd get the wish. She knew that this was the final battle, and thus probably the toughest fight yet, but she knew that she had already come too far to go down now, especially with so much on the line.
"I wonder who the final boss will be..." Mona pondered. "Some of the other bosses were no pushovers and this guy's probably going to be worse..."
Suddenly hearing another car driving onto the scene, Mona turned her head and saw a large, black version of Sweet Tooth driving onto the roof. The driver was a VERY disturbed individual.
"So you're the last one standing, eh?" Needles Kane, the psychotic clown and Twisted Metal mascot when the contest still belonged to Calypso, laughed. "This'll be easy! Those Roberts siblings will rue the day they banished me from the tournament!"
"So you were banned?" Mona asked. "That doesn't make sense. If you're supposed to be banned, then why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I sneaked in and took the place of the final boss those new owners picked." Needles said with an insane grin. "And now, all that's left for me to do is to wipe you out."
"If you think I'm going to lose to a deranged clown, you're quite mistaken." Mona said as she drove towards Dark Tooth. "That wish is as good as mine."
(Ending)
Carl and Jamie Roberts stood on a large, round platform, awaiting the winner of the contest to enter the 'lair', which looked more like a junkyard with all of the broken car parts scattered around.
Suddenly, the large doors at the other side of the lair opened and in rode a car, the winning vehicle.
Jamie noticed the small form of the ATV and smirked. "Isn't that the ATV?" She asked her brother.
"Indeed it is." Carl nodded as the vehicle came to a stop. "And that can only mean that the winner is…"
Mona leapt off the ATV and removed the goggles from her eyes. Seeing the owners up on the platform, Mona went up to join them.
"Mona, a delivery girl and employee for a popular gaming company." Carl greeted. "Congratulations. You've won this year's Twisted Metal contest."
"You needn't worry about the others. They're all fine." Jamie added. "Some of our best mechanics are rebuilding their vehicles so that they can get back home safely."
"You may claim your prize, Mona." Carl pointed out. "One wish, whatever your heart desires, will be granted."
Mona nodded and gave her reply. "I run a popular pizza joint in my city. Everyone likes the pizza I sell and I've become one of the biggest names in the entire city." She explained. "However, there's always been a rival pizza company jealous of my popularity and they've been trying to get me out of the way for as long as I've been open. They've even gone so far as to attempt to kill me, which they've tried to do many times before."
"All this over the popularity of a pizza place? I can't believe it." Jamie sighed. "So what is your wish? We have the ability to alter the timeline, you know."
"Yes. Did you want us to prevent that place from ever attacking you?" Carl added.
"Actually, I have to admit that if it weren't for those attacks, I probably wouldn't be as alert as I am today. However, I DO want to put an end to this stupid rivalry once and for all." Mona explained. "These goons have been on my back for way too long now and I just want to end it. Officers, I wish that Pizza Dinosaur would cease and desist with constantly attacking my business."
"We can do that Mona, but we need you to realize a few things." Jamie pointed out. "In order to keep this timeline going to your liking, Pizza Dinosaur will have to do something different, and it'll probably end up being worse than just a pizza delivery company."
"Indeed. They won't be after your company anymore, but we'll have to send them after someone else." Carl added.
Mona hesitated, then nodded. "That's fine with me." She agreed.
The siblings looked at each other and nodded before turning back to the victor. "Granted." They said as one as they lifted their arms into the air. Strange, blue energy flew from the arms of both siblings before flying into the air, igniting in an orb of light. After a couple of seconds, the light exploded in a bright explosion, blinding Mona.
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Mona drove her ATV back to Diamond City. The redhead girl was wondering what Pizza Dinosaur would be doing if they weren't going to attack her company. When Mona arrived back at her store, she went inside to check up on things.
"Hey, Joe! Things been going okay since I've been gone?" Mona asked.
"Oh! Mona, you're back!" Joe said as he came into view. "How'd everything go?"
"Pretty well, actually." Mona nodded. "Has Pizza Dinosaur tried anything lately?"
"Actually, no. We had a couple of small attacks just after you left, but lately, we haven't heard from them at all." Joe shrugged.
"That's good news. Maybe that means they'll leave us alone." Mona said. "I think I'll go over and see Wario to tell him how things went."
Mona quickly left her store and drove her faithful scooter across the city to Wario Ware Inc. When she arrived, Mona went inside to greet her boss.
"Hey, Wario! You'll never guess what happened!" Mona said.
"You won Twisted Metal and wished for Pizza Dinosaur to leave you alone?" Wario asked, an unamused look on his face.
Mona blinked a couple of times, confused at Wario's expression. "Uh…Yeah." She nodded. "Why do you sound upset?"
Wario pulled out a remote control and pressed a button on it. The roof opened up, revealing a black ship hovering above Wario Ware with Pizza Dinosaur's logo on the side.
"Now that they've left you alone, they've gone into the gaming business." Wario explained. "They call themselves Dinosaur Industries now and they've just started attacking my company, trying to prevent me from putting out my new game."
Mona's eyes widened. "Oh, no! The owners of Twisted Metal said they'd have to attack someone else, but I didn't know it'd be you!" She explained. "But…At least you can fight them off, right? I mean, you HAVE the technology at your disposal."
"Yeah. I'm not mad that those bozos are attacking my company." Wario explained. "I'm just annoyed that I actually have to do something to get rid of them. Hand me that phone over there, will ya?"
"You going to call Crygor?" Mona asked as she handed Wario a cordless phone.
"Yeah. We'll give him the chance to use his surface-to-air-and-back-to-surface-again missile." Wario explained.
Mona couldn't help but smile. Sure, Pizza Dinosaur was going after Wario now, but at least he was more capable of getting rid of them than she was.
To be continued…