The Blue Thunder Team Chapter 8, a rio fanfic

Chapter 8:

"Okay, so let me get this straight: just a few hours after getting us out of this big plane and escaping this crazy cockatoo guy, you guys got attacked by a ghost?"

"A Ghoul."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Then, Nightfly here present came from another world to slash this Ghoul down with his swords?"

"Yes."

"Once it was done, he proceeded to tell you that you guys are cursed for being the last of your kind and that all the monsters of his own world would be coming for you?"

"Yes."

"After spending a night with an eagle capable of shooting with guns during which crazy knight things attempted to kill you, Blu discovered that he actually possesses magical powers and can make magical shields appear out of thin air?"

"Yes."

"So now, he's teaching Blu how to control this... magical stuff and also how to swing a sword around because these monsters from another world will keep coming after both he and Jewel, that's right?"

"Yup, that pretty much sums it up," Blu confirmed.

"... I just have one question for you guys... WHAT KIND OF FRUIT HAVE YOU BEEN EATIN' TO COME UP WITH CRAZY NONSENSICAL STORIES LIKE THIS?!"

Blu's face twisted into a frown against Pedro's reaction. The others seemed to think the Spix's macaws were crazy too, if he was to judge them by the expressions plastered on their faces. But then again, who could blame them? How would you react if three of your friends would tell you that one of them is from another world, that magic exists, and that monsters like werewolves and ghouls could appear out of nowhere at any time?

After Blu, Nightfly and Tanya managed to take down the werewolf at the Estadio de Maracana, all of their feathered friends - and Luiz - demanded an explanation on the how of the what and the why of the what too. Nightfly insisted that they return to somewhere safe before doing so as the scent of a dead werewolf could sometimes alert other creatures of the same category. It was only once they flew all the way back to the samba club that the trio of blue birds could tell everything that happened in the last few weeks to their friends.

"Guys, I know all of this sounds crazy, but you gotta believe us. It's the truth!" Blu insisted, giving his most sincere look to all of his friends.

"You'll have to forgive us, Blu, but your fantasy story is a bit hard to believe," Kipo excused, rubbing the back of his head with a wing.

"And why's that? You did see everything we told you about happening, didn't you?" Nightfly asked, his wings crossed with a raised eyebrow. To emphasize his claim, the hooded macaw rose a wing and focused his energy to create a ball of wind - the same kind that he used as blasts to train Blu with his Cobalt Shield. "If this is not magic, then how would you call this? Plus, did the werewolf who attacked you at this stadium and the shield Blu summoned look fake to you?"

Pedro exchanged a gaze with Nico while Rafael did so with both Luiz and Kipo upon hearing this statement. They could not deny that their magician friend did make a strong point in the argument. How could they have possibly faked a monster and a shield coming out of nowhere?

"Alright, amigos, if you say so, then I believe you," Rafael announced with a nod of his head. However, in spite of saying this, no smile appeared on his long beak, and he even crossed his black wings with a somewhat disappointed expression. "But could you tell me why you didn't tell us about it sooner?"

"We were afraid you guys would not believe us and thought you'd get worried about us," Jewel explained, rubbing the back of her head with a wing and a sorry expression. "We're sorry, guys, we didn't mean to make you mad."

"No, it's not that, Jewel. I'm just a bit disappointed," the toucan explained. "What if one of those... monsters would have come for us when you came to spend the day with Eva and I? You could have put me and my family in danger! Have you thought about that?"

"We're really, REALLY sorry, Rafael. Jewel and I didn't know how to tell you about our situation. But you're right, by not telling you, we've put all of you in potential harm's way," Blu recognized with the most sorry expression he ever displayed. "If you guys no longer wanna be friends with us, I'd understand."

"What? Why would you say that, buddy? Of course, we're still friends!" Nico exclaimed with wrapping a tiny wing around Blu's neck, looking as if he said the dumbest joke ever. "Remember what we said; any friend of Ralfi is also a friend of us!"

"I agree with him, amigos!" Luiz beamed with Kipo nodding in agreement next to him. "Could you just please tell us about those kinds of crazy stuff in the future? I don't like when my own friends keep secrets from me."

"Promised," Blu and Jewel swore at the same time, smiles of relief on their beaks.

Tanya, who had remained silent up to that point, suddenly wrapped her two wings around the young couple. "Alright, you guys done with the heartbreaking friendship stories? If that's the case, I suggest we stop talking and start celebrating my team's victory - and the fact that I also killed a freakin' werewolf!"

"Now you talkin' girl!" Pedro replied on the same tone, pointing a wing at the football girl and going to get everything ready for a little private party. The samba club was empty today, so the feathered and furred friends would have it all for themselves.

Nico and Pedro went to take out a DJ board which they placed on top of a crate for Kipo to use. The pink flamingo pressed on buttons and ran his large wings over the board to bring a beat into the otherwise silent club. With Kipo taking care of the music and Luiz having turned the lights on, it was time to truly start the party. While Rafael danced on his own and Luiz went to shake his booty around (almost knocking down all the avians around him in the process), Blu and Jewel shared one dance together, enjoying each other's company.

At one point, Rafael came to wrap his wings around the two macaws' shoulders and dragged them away. "Come on, young lovebirds! It's time to get some refreshments!" he announced, leading them to the bar. The toco toucan jumped on the other side where Kenny, the bartender, would usually make serve drinks to the guests of the club. "There! All set up for you!"

Blu and Jewel eyed their cups filled with a clear, bubbly liquid, their faces twisting with confusion. "It doesn't look like fruit juice. What's that?" Jewel asked, pointing at her cup with a feather.

"This, my friends is a special drink called Cachaça! It is one of the most popular drinks in not only Rio de Janeiro, but also in all of Brazil!" Rafael announced with pride. "You're lucky; that was the last bottle that Kenny had in stock."

Blu took his cup with his wing and sniffed its content, the smell causing him to frown. "It smells weird, Rafael. Almost like... alcohol?"

"Because it is alcohol, silly," Rafael mused. "One of the best alcoholic drinks of all time, if you ask me."

If the old toco toucan had expected his blue friends to get excited and immediately enjoy their drinks on the spot, his hopes would have been disappointed. They instead blinked their eyes and exchanged a gaze before looking back at him. "Hum... I don't know, Rafael. It's really cool and generous, but I never drank alcohol before."

"Same here," Jewel backed her mate up. "I mean, I did hear about it before, but never got the chance to drink any. My mom told me that it made humans do all sorts of dumb stuff."

"Come on, amigos, it's a great drink! So what if you never drank alcohol before? There's a first time for everything, and you can't say you don't like it until you've tried it!" the toucan attempted to convince his friends.

Blu stared at his clear cup. Jewel and he exchanged a gaze and also made a silent mutual agreement that it wouldn't cost anything to give it a try. Nodding at their friend, they both brought their respective cup to their beak for a sip... which they immediately spat back.

"My god, what's that thing?!" Jewel exclaimed, trying to rub the awful feeling left by the drink on her tongue.

"It's like drinking water, but my throat's on fire!" Blu emphasized his girlfriend's point, coughing again and again.

Throughout their unpleasant experience, the Spix's macaws saw that the toco toucan behind the counter was chuckling out loud, almost on the border of an all-out fit of laughter, clutching his sides with his wings. "I'm sohohohohorry, guys!" he chuckled, wiping a tear away with a feather. "Looks like alcohol truly isn't for everybody! Let me get you something else."

Meanwhile, after the funny event that just happened, Nightfly sat in a corner of the club, chuckling as his student and his girlfriend drank cups of fruit juice to brush away the horrible feeling left by what Rafael offered them beforehand. He danced a little bit on the dance floor at Kipo's special beat, but not too much as he felt a bit tired after the exciting football game and his brief encounter with the werewolf... And also because a small part of him didn't want to get covered in bulldog drool.

"What's so funny, sword guy?" The hooded macaw turned around to see none other than Tanya herself approaching. "If you saw anything that could make me laugh, tell me right now, I wanna know!"

"Oh, nothing special, just our two blue friends enjoying their first taste of alcohol," he replied, nodding his head toward the bar where Rafael was still chuckling a bit.

"Oh? Is that so?" the hyacinth macaw asked, placing a wing on her hip. "That sounds fun. Why don't we go have a drink ourselves? Let's go!" Not waiting for her friend's answer, she grabbed his wing and dragged him toward the bar.

"W-Wait, Tanya!" the hooded macaw protested. "I don't usually drink alcohol; warriors like me are supposed to keep all of their senses in case monsters would attack or in situations like that!"

"Chillax, man! You won't die if you drink a little every once in a while. Plus, if you really are from another world, then I'm certain you can't wait to discover what MY world has to offer in terms of liquid delicacies!" the football girl insisted before they arrived at the bar. "We'll all take a cup of Cachaça, Ralfi!"

"You got it, girl!" the toucan replied, turning around to go get the command ready.

"As a matter of fact, I got an idea; how about we have a little shooter game?" Tanya then suggested. "We'll all keep drinking until there's only one bird standing. This bird'll be declared the winner!"

"Oh, I like that idea! But I have to warn you that I am the king of drinking, hotwing!" Pedro boasted with a proud grin.

"That's not even true," Nico mumbled to himself.

"Really? We'll see about that, little guy; I always like when there's some competition!" Tanya replied, smirking into the cardinal's face. "Hey, Blu, Jewel, if you're not participating in the game, would you mind serving the drinks?"

"What? So, while you guys are having fun getting drunks, Jewel and I have to play the bartenders?" Blu asked, giving a raised eyebrow with both wings on his hips.

"That's right," Tanya replied with a sweet smile.

"... Okay."

And so began the big drinking competition with Rafael and Kipo even joining in. The two Spix's macaws got to work and stared as their friends gulped one cup of alcohol after the other like it would be the last time ever they would get to drink. Nico decided to drop the game after his fourth cup with Rafael following next at five. Kipo lasted up to seven before getting too drunk and collapsing unconscious on a pile of crates. "I got him!" Luiz called, pulling the flamingo on his back and carrying him out of the club.

Jewel's turquoise eyes opened and closed over and over again, staring at the pile of empty cups that was cumulating on the bar's counter. "Wow, and I thought Roberto had an endless stomach..."

"Maybe you guys should stop there. I may have never drank until today, but I saw on TV all the stupidities that it can cause you to do," Blu worryingly advised his friends.

"D-Don't worry, blue boy *hiccup*," giggled Pedro, his head swinging back and forth in every direction, his eyes half-closed, and his feathers wet with his drinks. "T-There's still m-more place in that c-cardinal for more!" he added, patting his wobbling stomach with his wing.

Shrugging, Blu filled another cup which he offered to the cardinal. This last one started gulping it down, but stopped around mid-way through, lowering the cup and revealing that his two eyes were staring in the same hole. Then, he fell backwards and on the floor with a thud. Nico walked next to him and sighed with shaking his head annoyingly.

"He never knows when to stop... Now, I'll have to take care of him until his hangover goes by." Reaching down, the canary slipped his best friend's wing over his shoulders and carried him away toward their bedroom in the club.

Tanya and Nightfly were now the last ones remaining in the game. While the football girl seemed mildly affected, her cheeks turned into a bright red and her eyes half-closed just like Pedro, the hooded macaw seemed to manage it pretty well. His back was still straight with dignity as always and his facial expression hadn't changed since the start of the game.

"How can you not have collapsed yet, Nightly?! You practically gobbled seven cups of these alcoholic drinks!" Blu stated in disbelief.

"Back in my world, the members of the Order of the Sacred Sword, which I'm a part of, are taught to have strong bodies and strong minds," Nightfly explained. "That's why I have a stronger resistance against alcoholic liquids."

"So you're not affected by all those cups you just drank at all?"

"I wouldn't say that; I do sense something. I sense...," he rose his wing and wiggled it a bit, "... I sense a tingling in my wing."

"Wohohohow! You're a strong, aren't ya?" mused Tanya with a giggle, slamming her wing on the counter. "I don't regret challenging you to this! W-We should do more drinking contests in the future!" Despite being visibly amused, the hyacinth macaw noticed that her opponent's gaze seemed to be fixed on a particular spot. Following it, her gaze landed on her gloved wing. "Hum, is something wrong with my wing, dude?"

"It's just those gloves you have here. I remember that you used them to punch that werewolf and also shot fire to ultimately defeat it," Nightfly remarked with rubbing his chin. "Could you tell me more about these? I don't recall ever seeing similar weapons like this before in your world."

"S-Sure, no probs, dude," Tanya replied, still being under the influence of her drinks. She rose her wings so that everybody could see her gloves. "T-These were given to me by one of my good friends. He calls them the Flame Wings - so that's how I call them too, he, he," she giggled.

"How do they work?"

"I-I'm not sure. He told me that they channel through the fierce will of my spirit or some dumb stuff like that and that it powers them up, allowing me to punch or set anything and anyone on fire! These helped me a lot with all those sore loser teams that attempted to get back at my team for winning or those gangster birds who supposedly lost a lot because of our victories!" the hyacinth macaw half-explained half-mused. "I never went anywhere without them... Now, enough talking; let's finish this game!"

Nightfly rolled his eyes and started drinking another cup. "How can magic still exist in this world without our knowledge? Every history archive record it as having been removed from the Human World generations ago..."