CHAPTER 32: THE CHALKSHANK REDEMPTION

The Chalk Troopers are the loyal and lethal subordinates of the Chalk King; vast in numbers but low in intelligence. With their cognitive skills as low as they are, there is no chance for revolution or revolt against the Chalk King, securing his hold on the areas conquered.

Dressed in all olive drab outfits and gas masks, the Chalk Troopers all share a uniform look, none looking different from one another, aside from a handful of high-ranking soldiers. Sharing all one look and one mind, none had any sort of individuality; no independent thought outside of following the orders assigned to them by their creator and leader: The Chalk King.

Now, following a selection of Chalk Troopers within the Chalk King's prison complex, these Chalk Troopers have been given the task of capturing Rudy Tabootie and Toe Fu, the former helping the latter to escape. Having cornered the two within a select room, capturing the two seemed to be a relatively easy task.

What they did not realize soon enough, however, was that this particular room was the control room to the entire prison, capable of controlling everything within the facility, except for the cells. In most cases, this would not be a large problem, and no one could possibly do any real damage this way.

This case, however, was not within said majority. In this case, their target possessed a tool to allow him to change the entire world around him as he saw fit. As such, he could use this tool to change the control panel to release all the prisoners. After drawing said button upon the control panel, Rudy Tabootie released all prisoners in the facility at once. As the cell doors to the cells of the prisoners all began to open, the Chalk Troopers knew that their fate would come for them soon enough.

While the Chalk Troopers had no choice but to follow their orders, else they would be erased, they had all began to consider their life choices leading up to this moment.

"Oh, for chalk's sake." One Chalk Trooper said.

As the cell doors opened all at once, a large swarm of Zoners all converged upon the Chalk Troopers, all escaped prisoners heading straight for the group of Zoners outside the control center. Comprising the attacking group were the Yadda Yadda Yeti, Lars the Polar Bear, Sally the Sea Monster, Generic Man, Major Brand, Bully Nerd, the Giant Baby, and the Thor Throat chalk-clone; some of the most powerful Zoners in ChalkZone.

Where the group varied in numbers, what also greatly varied was the methods of sheer brutality inflicted upon the Chalk Troopers. The acts inflicted upon them were beyond description or explanation; leaving nothing left of the Chalk Troopers but scraps and shreds. Although every second of the carnage was captured perfectly on the monitors in the control center, neither Rudy nor Toe Fu could bear to watch it, leaving both to turn their heads and try to avert their eyes from the fight.

"Ooh, I don't think he's gonna get up after that." Rudy said.

"It is indeed times like this that I remember why I am a pacifist." Toe Fu said.

Where the fight seemed to last several long minutes to the unwitting observers Rudy and Toe Fu, it all ended in mere seconds. As the fighting and destruction all came to an end, a dead silence sat throughout the area, resonating a sense of anxiety and discomfort within Rudy and Toe Fu.

The door to the control room opened up, causing Rudy and Toe Fu to jump back in fear. However, upon seeing that the one opening the door was Generic Man, greeting them with a friendly smile and a welcoming demeanor, the two gave out sighs of relief, remembering that these once-prisoners were their allies.

"Greetings, citizens. Care to take a step out?" Generic Man asked.

With the Chalk Troopers displaced and no longer a threat, Rudy and Toe Fu stepped out from the control room, meeting with the various Zoners that saved their lives. As the two began to fully realize the damage that the fight had left behind, the various escaped Zoners all shouted with delight, all seeing Rudy finally return from his disappearance.

"Rudy Tabootie! You've returned!" The Zoners shouted.

"Yeah, I did. Wow, I forgot how much damage you guys could do on your own." Rudy said.

"You should expect no less from Thor Throat!" The Thor Throat clone said.

"Just helping to save the day." Generic Man said.

Bully Nerd said nothing, but only let out a growl.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are having fun, because I need your help. King Mumbo Jumbo is dead, and the Chalk King has Penny." Rudy Tabootie said.

Upon hearing what became of the king of ChalkZone and leader of Calcite, a collective gasp came out of the Zoners, followed by a heavy silence. Not knowing what to do on their own, several swarms of panic and uncertainty began to sink into the Zoners, never even considering that King Mumbo Jumbo could be killed during their lifetimes.

"King Mumbo Jumbo dead?!" Sally the Sea Monster said.

"Yadda-Yadda-You've got to be kidding! Who'll help us against the Chalk King?!" Yadda Yadda Yeti asked.

"I will. Rudy Tabootie has fought hard to find me, and he has convinced me to aide you in your hour of need. I cannot defeat the Chalk Troopers here on my own, but I can lead us all out with your assistance. Do you promise to do what I say?" Toe Fu asked.

The group of Zoners all gave consenting nods, all wanting to escape the prison safely and together. Most importantly, all wanted to gain a chance to fight back against their captors and oppressors after so many years of imprisonment, and were all eager at a chance to fight back.

"Very good. Bully Nerd, you will take point. Your charging attacks will clear a path for us. Sally and Yadda will come next, breaking up any crowd attacks who come towards us. Thor Throat, Lars, and Giant Baby will brawl and fight off those on each of their sides. Generic Man and Major Brand shall fend off any stragglers. Let us move." Toe Fu said.

With their team organized and their strategies set in place, the group began moving out, ready to at last finally be free of the prison and be free Zoners once again. As they began their escape plan, however, the remains of their previous fight continued to lay on the floor, serving as a reminder of the short but furious battle that took place not a few minutes ago.

Continuing to suffer through the intense but well-deserved beating that the group had endured, the Chalk Troopers lounged on the floor, barely able to remain conscious or thinking after their assault. Where they were once organized in a large posse, more than ready to take down Rudy Tabootie and Toe Fu, they were now reduced to pathetic, groaning weaklings barely able to stand.

Despite this, there was still at least one Chalk Trooper who retained his optimism.

"Ugh... You know something? I'm honestly just really thankful to be around you guys. Having you here really makes me feel better about losing." One Chalk Trooper said.

"Will... you... please... shut... up?" Another Chalk Trooper said.


[Soundtrack Cue: Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos; Starting from 0:28]

Now, under the leadership of Toe Fu, some of the most powerful Zoners kept within the prison began making their way through, as if the obstacles around them never existed. As each member of the group began their rush through the prison, each one put to use their talents to make their exit as swift and as effective as they could, and all following Toe Fu's plan to lead the group out.

Bully Nerd, being a half-bull Zoner, inherited the strength of a real bull, as well as all of its aggression. While continuing to run as frontrunner, a small group of Chalk Troopers rushed in front of the escaping Zoners, seeking to put an end to their run for freedom. Taking advantage of the physical power he held, Bully Nerd rushed straight into the Chalk Troopers, charging through the bulk and knocking the armed soldiers down with all his force.

While the forceful attack of Bully Nerd was a strong one, it was not enough to put the Chalk Troopers down for good. Within seconds, the vast majority of the Chalk Troopers began rising from the ground yet again, ready to retaliate upon the escapees. The escaping Zoners, not ready to surrender to the Chalk Troopers yet, put their next attack plan into effect.

Next, with the Chalk Troopers broken up from their core, the next wave of attack from the Zoners was in effect. Sally the Sea Monster and Yadda Yadda Yeti, two of the largest and physically strongest Zoners in ChalkZone, moved in for their attack. Using their brawn and their might to their advantage, the large monster Zoners began busting their way through the Chalk Troopers, knocking them all aside as if they were toys.

As the group kept progressing through the prison, the escapees crossed over a small bridge spanning over a cell block. While their primary focus was moving their way through to get out of the prison, the group all took a moment to observe the action that was occurring below them. Although they were causing some carnage of their own, nothing they could do would compare to what was occurring below.

As the prisoners kept within the complex were all released from their cells at once, riots began to unfold all throughout the facility. With hundreds if not thousands of Zoners trapped within this hell for years, unable to live their lives in peace, the rage building within this facility has unleashed itself in one strong motion.

Where this prison seemed to be calm within the outside, these moments of serenity were a facade; beneath it tensions and anger building up within those being held in this horrible place. Now, as Rudy Tabootie has set the prisoners free, all this tension has been let out in one maelstrom of revenge, a revolution the Chalk Troopers had never believed they would see in their simple lives.

In one cell block, a spoon, having carved itself into a shiv, began skewering through multiple Chalk Troopers, collecting the enemy soldiers on its body like a shish kabob. In another block, a pair of pretzel rods tied their bedsheet to their heads, turning themselves into a pair of nunchucks. With their combined strength, the pretzel-chucks began knocking down every Chalk Trooper in their path. Within yet another cell block, a staple gun combined itself with various other mechanical pieces and turned their collective into a zip gun, firing whatever objects they could back at the Chalk Troopers.

Continuing to move forward, the group encountered another cluster of Chalk Troopers, all armed with riot gear and ready to face off against the escaped prisoners. While they were more than ready to put up a fight, the Zoners were also ready for a fight, all ready under the guidance of Toe Fu.

Thor Throat was drawn after the world-famous wrestler turned burglar of the same name, and inherited all of his physical strength and fighting ability. Lars is a polar bear, and, like real polar bears, can kill most of anything with single swipe of his paw, as well as hold a bite force of 1200 PSI. As for the Giant Baby, well... Babies aren't inherently very strong, but, you wouldn't seriously consider going toe-to-toe with one 20 times your size, would you?

Now, with the combined efforts of Thor Throat, Lars the Polar Bear, and the Giant Baby, the riot-geared Chalk Troopers were all suddenly met with a force of might that not even the most strongest of riot gear was prepared for. Using their combined strength as one force, Thor Throat, Lars, and the giant baby all began pushing the Chalk Troopers back, physically moving the collective of Chalk Troopers backwards as they themselves moved forward.

Realizing that they could not keep the escape group back with the efforts they were spending now, some of the Chalk Troopers began breaking off from their formation, seeking to lay in some attacks to weaken their enemies' combined might and find a way to win. Under the leadership of Toe Fu, however, this would not come to pass.

In their time, Generic Man and Major Brand were the greatest of enemies in ChalkZone, always battling with one another. With the tyrannical rule of the Chalk King, however, both became captured under the forces of the evil human turned Zoner, and united their forces under a common enemy.

Now, in this time, both fight as one, seeking out an equally beneficial goal: Freedom. Combining their strength as a team, the superhero and supervillain work together to fight back the stray Chalk Troopers, pushing them back within their previous formation. Having been pushed back into formation by Generic Man and Major Brand, the Chalk Troopers were once again being forced back by the three strength-oriented Zoners, having no place to go.

Finally, with the Chalk Troopers pushed back against the wall, no longer able to move any farther, the enemy soldiers were trapped and without any place to go. At least, not as far as any of them could think to go. With someone like Rudy Tabootie within the fighting force, there existed a way not only to move the Chalk Troopers further, but also break open their exit.

Taking the magic chalk in his hand, Rudy drew a giant bowling ball, making it nearly 50 feet tall. While he was not physically strong enough to move the bowling ball on his own, there was one who had the ability to move it as far as needed: Toe Fu. Tapping into all the power in his body, Toe Fu prepared himself for the next move in this battle for freedom.

While rushing towards the bowling ball, Toe Fu channeled all the chi in his body to concentrate at his fist, preparing a punch more than powerful enough to move the bowling ball. Taking a tall leap into the air, Toe Fu threw his arm straight towards the bowling ball; his fist clenched tight and holding an untold amount of power in the punch.

As the punch connected, the bowling ball began its roll towards the Chalk Troopers, still pinned against the wall. While the Chalk Troopers were well aware of the threat that was approaching both them and the Zoners holding them, those holding them back would not move, despite how much they pleaded and protested them to do so.

For all the events that were unfolding before their eyes, the Zoners seemed to have no fear of the attack. Perhaps they trusted in the leadership and choices of Rudy Tabootie and Toe Fu, and knew no harm would befall them if they followed their leadership. Or maybe they knew this attack was coming and welcomed it; perhaps after being held prisoner for so many years they welcomed this, seeking it as some sort of escape.

Of course, anyone with common sense would know that no way would any of the Zoners would accept such a fate when victory was in their grasp. But the Chalk Troopers, as foolish and unintelligent as they were, did not. As such, none of them expected the Zoners to simple move out of the way in time, leaving them to face the blunt of the bowling ball on their own.

As the bowling ball connected with the wall of Chalk Troopers, the force and energy that it carried broke straight through the wall, taking the Chalk Troopers with it. With the wall to the prison being turned to nothing but rubble and crumbling rock, the prisoners were finally free, and they would finally know a life outside the walls of this prison once again.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Now, with their forces significantly lowered and the perimeter to the prison destroyed and breached, the Chalk Troopers began to surrender to the prisoners, as they knew would stand no chance any longer. Dropping to their knees and placing their rifles down, the Chalk Troopers that had the imprisoned Zoners at their mercy for so long now placed themselves at the mercy of those they had no mercy for.

However, not every Chalk Trooper surrendered. The ones that were hit by the bowling ball were all still crushed and pasted to it, and the ball continued its course somewhere off in Nightzone. One of these stray troopers began to grow nauseous from the ride, not able to tolerate such extreme speeds and rotations.

"Help! Somebody stop this thing! I'm getting dizzy! I think I'm gonna... Oh, no..." The Chalk Trooper said.


As the nauseated Chalk Trooper began expunging the contents within his stomach, his dinner of Chalko Bell and Chalk Yum Goong, spreading these contents on his fellow Troopers; the revolution within the prison came to an end, with the favoritism of the fight landing on the side of the Zoners. After placing the defeated Chalk Troopers into the cells that they one were held inside, the Zoners inside began leaving the prison, going off to join the forces of Calcite to stop the tyrannical rule of the Chalk King once and for all.

Rudy Tabootie, looking upon the work that he had accomplished by aiding this revolution, found a sense of pride come over him. Not only had he helped free so many Zoners that were wrongly imprisoned by the Chalk King, but he had also gained many allies in his next mission: To raid Castle Chalkenstein and save Penelope.

After giving the Zoners the directions to the remaining forces of Carbonate, Rudy bid his temporary farewells to the freed prisoners, knowing that the next time they would meet would be on the battlefield. The first to go was Toe Fu, as he was the primary objective of the mission.

"Thank you for agreeing to help us, Toe Fu. I really can't tell you how glad I am that you'll help us end this." Rudy said.

"Your love shared with Penny was a sacred one, Rudy Tabootie. While I am a Zoner of peace, I refuse to stand by and see another lose that which matters most to him. You honor me by allowing me to help you." Toe Fu said.

Toe Fu put his fist within his open hand, giving a bow to Rudy. Rudy, reciprocating the gesture of respect, bowed in the same manner towards Toe Fu. As Toe Fu began to step out from the prison, the many other Zoners began moving out in droves, all thanking Rudy as they left, but a few more stopped to thank him personally.

One of these few was Crainiac 7, greeting Rudy Tabootie again after their past encounter in Futurezone. Having only known him during his period of losing his creativity, Crainiac 7 was astounded to see Rudy back to his old self.

"Rudy Tabootie. While I do not consider myself a very emotional Zoner, but I am certainly surprised to see you drawing yet again after you shared your inability to do so. I take it you have found your talent yet again?" Crainiac 7 asked.

"I have. I didn't think I'd get it back, or if I even wanted it back, but, either way, I couldn't be better to have it again." Rudy said.

"Well, then, I must congratulate you on your rediscovery of yourself. However, you did share that it was my predecessors who disclosed the location and purpose of this prison. Do you believe that they will serve a problem?"

"I don't know. They say they're in it because they never wanted to see King Mumbo Jumbo die, so I guess they're trustworthy for now. If you want them frozen again when this is all over, you'll have to have a long talk with them about that to make it happen."

"Yes, of course, but, as you said, this issue has been overridden by our affair with the Chalk King. Now, I shall join with Calcite and offer my services."

"How about this time, you reconsider that 'no weapons' thing?"

"I've not only decided that, but I've also contemplated several new prototypes to help you. Know, however, that this is a means to an end, and I will destroy these tools when their usage is through."

"Gotcha. See you again soon."

"Yes, of course. Best of luck, Rudy Tabootie."

As Crainiac 7 left the prison, joining with the many other Zoners making their way out, the half-bull half-human Zoner known as Bully Nerd stopped to greet Rudy as well. As Bully Nerd could not speak, the beastly Zoner let out a light grunt, effectively communicating a message of thankfulness.

"Heh. Don't you bring back some memories? I think you're probably the first Zoner I've ever had to fight, aren't you? Funny how things go after all this time." Rudy said.

Bully Nerd let out a stuttering kind of grunt, resembling that of a laugh.

"Here, how about I give you something to make up for that little misunderstanding? It'll be a good-luck charm when you're helping us against the Chalk King." Rudy said.

Rudy took out his chalk and drew a nose ring on Bully Nerd's nose, giving the half-bull Zoner a gift for giving him a fond memory. Bully Nerd, liking his new piece of jewelry, gave an enthusiastic snort, expressing his enjoyment of his gift. With his new piece of jewelry to give him good luck into the coming battle, Bully Nerd joined the exodus of Zoners, heading to regroup with Calcite.

Before leaving the prison and rejoining the other in the real world, Rudy caught eye of two more Zoners giving him a fond memory. These were Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny, the unintelligent clones of himself and Penelope. Seeing the two Doofi walk by him, giving each other many loving remarks and gestures, Rudy began thinking about how he would share such moments with Penelope once he had rescued her.

"Aw, shucks, did I tell you how much I love you, Penny?" Doofus Rudy asked.

"Probably, but I don't remember." Doofus Penny said.

"Well, I sure love you a whole lot. I missed you for a long time."

"But weren't we in the same cell all that time? We did spend a lot of time together."

"Oh, yeah. I was wondering where all those kids came from."

As Doofus Rudy finished his sentence, a massive horde of Doofi offspring began following Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny, making sure to keep up with their parents. Taking strongly after their parents, the Doofi offspring all were various mixes of traits of the two original Doofi, showcasing the sheer variety that existed within their genes.

Looking upon the mass amount of children that the Doofi had, and remembering Snap's joke regarding the Doofi's frequent reproductive habits, Rudy began to contemplate such things between him and Penelope. While definitely not interested in having that many children, and not willing to dismiss Carol or Carlos, the idea of a child of their own sounded interesting to him.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Kids! Make sure you bring the grandkids, too!" Doofus Penny said.

As the mother of the clan made her call, a horde of Doofi grandchildren began following the horde of Doofi children. For a brief moment, Rudy began contemplating how grandchildren were possible in an isolated place like this prison. Upon seeing the characteristics of the grandchildren, consisting of deformed heads, missing teeth, malformed limbs, short statures, and other such repulsive traits, Rudy quickly understood the origins of these creatures.

And he sincerely, desperately, dearly hopes that this would never occur between him and Penelope.

While trying to remove the disgusting thoughts from his head, Rudy pulled out his radio, contacting with Carol and Carlos to share that his mission was completed.

"Carol, Carlos, Snap, I've helped free the prisoners. I'll be up shortly." Rudy said.

"Wait, freed 'the prisoners'? I thought you were just getting Toe Fu?" Carol asked.

"Change of plans, I broke everybody out of the prison. But I've got Toe Fu out and on our side."

"Well, I guess the more the merrier with this fight. Anything you need us to do?"

"Just start that winch when I get to the roof, I'll be right there."


"Got it, we're ready when you are." Carol said.

Above the prison complex and in the real world, the children Carol and Carlos, accompanied by Snap, wait for the signal for Rudy to give so that they could bring him back to the real world and prepare them for the final battle against the Chalk King. After placing the radio back away, Carol laid across the hood of the car, continuing her streak of laziness that she was taking advantage of in this moment, not having to fight in any sort of battle.

Finally having a moment to himself, Carlos continued his work on his drawing he had started after reading Wizards of War, creating something based on what he had last read. As he was previously occupied with the trials within Chalklantis and the Battle of Barney's Impenetrable Forest, he hadn't even touched his pencil and paper for hours; a situation he sought to swiftly solve with scratching streaks of solid black soot across his sheet of specially synthesized softwood.

Snap, watching the young practitioner of the arts passionately continue his penciling upon his piece of paper, peered over to perhaps gain a gnomish glimpse at whatever graphics of graphite that the great but growing guru of comic books. Not ready to have his creation be contemplated by the curious chalk drawing, Carlos cowered the crude cartoon from Snap's chiseling look, as he had more contours and curves to collect before he could complete and contribute the craft to any corroborators.

"Mmm-mmm." Carlos grunted.

Disappointed with his disposition of dullness not discharged by Carlos' display of his drawing dexterity, Snap dozed on the door, deeming Carlos' dismissal of his demand for descrying his duly-anticipated drawing a deed of discourteousness and dissonance. Turning his thirst for thwarting his tenacious tedium to the other tyke in the troop of two, Snap triggered a tête-à-tête with the tender Carol, wanting to talk to travel through the time, the transient temporal totality that through and through tarried in their terse and terminable things they termed their lives.

"So, he doesn't like other people seein' his drawings?" Snap asked.

"Not if they're not finished. He always likes to make sure they're just right." Carol said.

"Guess that makes sense, don't want to have somethin' half-finished. That's how we got Skrawl, and we all know what happened after that."

"I don't get it. Even after Rudy had talked with Skrawl during that fight, it seemed like he was so close to being on our side. Why did he still go with the Chalk King?"

"Beats me. Even so, I can't say I woulda been too comfortable with him being with us. All the tricks that he pulled on us during the old days, and what he did to Rudy all them years ago, just thinkin' about it makes me sick."

"Yeah, but what if someone as bad as him could find his way to good? Maybe things would be a lot different."

"Wouldya extend that sorta kindness to the Chalk King, too?"

"Well... I don't know. Maybe not. I don't understand the Chalk King, or why he's doing what he's doing. Who knows why he does what he does?"

"Doesn't matta. The important part is that he's erased way too many Zoners, a lot of which were my friends, and I ain't gonna stop 'til he's erased just like all the others were."

"And once we get Rudy up again, we'll have our chance at that. Although Rudy is taking a long time, what's the deal?"

"Well, hey, what's the rush? Ain't like we'll have ourselves any problems up here. Who's seriously gonna run into us this time a' night?"

Just as Snap finished his sentence, the sound of a shrill siren shrieked through the construction site, carrying with it a pair of blue and red flashing lights. Recognizing the new issue that laid on their hands, Carol, Carlos and Snap all turned to see the unexpected visitor that had joined them: the Plainville Police.

After giving off their singular blare of their siren, the two policemen occupying the patrol car stepped out, beginning to approach the children and Zoner. Having found a group of children and a car out in the middle of the night in private property, an investigation was more than in order for the two officers.

"Alright, kids, you three wanna tell me just what the hell you're doin' here, this time of night? Ain't this a school night?" One officer asked.