Here we go! Chapter 10! A brand-new surprise awaits! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Mario Bravado

Today is a piece of bad news for the Shane Gang. Pronto and Harley are on trial. "Point of order, your Honor. My colleague and I beg the court's indulgence to plead for our not guiltiness." Pronto pleaded to the judge. "It was a simple misunderstanding really."

[Flashback]

You see, the gang was walking through the cavern when Pronto decided to swipe some gum from Trixie's pocket. As Pronto threw the gum into his mouth and started chewing, he felt an unpleasant taste in his mouth and spat it on the sidewalk. At that moment, 2 guards apprehended Pronto's arms. "Spitting on the sidewalk is illegal in this town. Judge Logan has us enforce the law with no exceptions." The one guard explained.

[Flashback end]

"It's just gum!" Pronto continued. "Which of course leads us to the point where my colleague here, decided to join the misunderstanding." He referred over to Harley. "Oh boy." Harley muttered.

[Flashback]

As the guards apprehended Pronto, Harley looked back and noticed. He walked back to them. "Excuse me? Something wrong, officers?" He asked. "Yes. This mole committed an illegal act." The guard on the right said. Harley facepalmed himself. "Oh, Pronto. What'd he do? He rip someone off in this town? An unpaid mecha ticket?" He tried to guess. "Spitting gum on the sidewalk." The guard corrected. Harley went wide-eyed for a minute, then started to laugh out loud. "Spitting gum?! A crime?! Oh, that's rich! I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life!" Harley said, still laughing. The other guard walked up to him and took his arm. "Outbursting laughter is also illegal." The guard said.

[Flashback end]

Harley lowered his head. "In conclusion, WE THROW OURSELVES IN THE MERCY OF THE COURT!" Pronto said in a pleading outburst. "OH PLEASE, YOUR HONOR! PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE! WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE ON IT!" Judge Logan just glared at the pleading molenoid. "I don't think your pleadings are helping, Pronto." Harley whispered to his mole partner. Judge Logan raised his gavel. "Guilty! Both of 'em!" He replied, dropping the hammer. "Yep. I thought so." Harley said.

Eli, Trixie, Kord and Vance were sitting in the court room in defense of their teammates. "Well Pronto did actually spit and Harley's big voice does get the better of him at times. Trust me, I know. So, let's just pay the fine and get out of here." Eli suggested. But the judge had other plans. "Both 50 years hard labor!" He sentenced with an evil chuckle. Pronto and Harley looked at each other wide-eyed as they were being handcuffed. "50 YEARS?!" The team asked in shock. This made Pronto start crying. Even Harley hung his head in shame.

Trixie started groaning. "This is all my fault!" She said. "I mean, I had to do something to stop him from stealing my gum. I thought it would teach him a lesson." Eli put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Trix. Let me try something." He walked up to the judge. "Your Honor. You can't be serious! 50 years both for spitting on the sidewalk and out-loud laughing?" Eli asked. Judge Logan looked on at the Shane boy. "Look, I'm Eli Shane, son of Will Shane, and I wanna see justice done too. But this is-" "A Shane, huh?" Judge Logan asked. "Uh, yes. And that's my brother, Harley." Eli replied, pointing at Harley. "Is that so? Never did care much for the Shanes. Especially your father." Judge Logan explained. Harley could see that this judge was not worthy to be called a judge. "But in your case, I'll make an exception, and NOT PUT YOU AWAY FOR AGGREVATED SASS! Shane or not, your brother and your molenoid is now my prisoners!" That made Eli glare angrily. "LOCK THEM UP!" The judge ordered. The guards dragged Pronto and Harley away. "Wait! This is a travesty of justice!" Pronto protested as he was dragged away. "I've got my eye on you, Shane." Judge Logan muttered to Eli, making him even madder.

The guards locked up Harley and Pronto in a cell together. "Wait! I'm an innocent mole!" Pronto continued to protest from inside the cell.

Outside the prison, Eli, Trixie, Kord and Vance looked on at the prison. "Guys? We need to poke around this jail to see what it's made of." Eli said. "Why?" Trixie asked. "Because we're gonna bust Pronto and Harley out." Eli explained.


(Intro)


Inside their cell, Pronto was completely miffed. "Locked up like a common criminal. This is an outrage! There is nothing common about Pronto." He ranted, shaking the bars. Harley just shook his head as he leaned against the wall. The other 3 prisoners in the same cell stared at them. "What are you 2 supposed to be? Some kind of criminal masterminds?" One of them asked. Pronto and Harley looked at them. Harley brought Pronto close for a personal conference. "Pronto, you know those exaggerated fibs you always come up with from time to time?" Harley asked. "Yes. Kind of." Pronto answered. "Well, I've got one that could get us on these guys' good sides." Harley whispered the plan to Pronto, who nodded as he listened. "Okay, you got it?" Harley asked. Pronto nodded. "Good. Now let's work our magic."

They turned to their cellmates. "Uh, yes we are." Pronto started. "In fact, my colleague and I are the leaders of a vast organization. Infamous for it's villainy and sharp attire." Harley looked at him funny. "Sharp attire?" He asked. "Well, sometimes it's the clothes that make the villain." Pronto explained. "Good point." Harley admitted.

One of the prisoners just looked at them. "I thought you 2 got pinched for spitting gum and outbursted laughing." He said. "Yes, well, that was just a taste of our crimes." Pronto explained. "So, who're you 3 and what're you in for?" Harley asked. "I'm Darwin. In for public speaking. Morty here's in for breathing too loud. And Gary's in for aggravated smiling." Darwin explained as Morty started breathing loudly and Gary gave a smile. "Yeah. That Judge Logan has a real racket going." Morty explained. "He locks you up for breaking ridiculous laws and then sells you off for hard labor." "Not just any hard labor. I heard he sends you to work for Dr. Blakk." Darwin revealed. Pronto gasped in horror, while Harley glared in anger. 'I knew this judge was bad, but he's just another pawn on Blakk's payroll.' He thought.


Back at the Shane Hideout, Kord explained the same thing. "Dr. Blakk?!" Eli asked in shock. "That's what my source tells me." Kord explained. "Judge Logan cleans out his jails and Blakk gets free workers for his smelters." Wormy whimpered from outside the door, getting worried about her owner. "How long do we have?" Eli asked. "Few days maybe." Kord guessed. "Then we need to move fast. Let's go over the plan." Eli said. Kord pointed over to a cart hooked onto Wyatt. "This delivers supplies to the jail every day. Paid the driver to take his place." He explained. "If we pull this off, we'll cart away everyone undetected." "Good." Eli said. "Remember guys, Pronto and Harley aren't the only ones who have been unjustly locked up. There are other prisoners in there that need our help. Then we can put a stop to Logan." He explained before turning back to Kord. "Now, tell me about the shot I've gotta make." "It's pretty much close to impossible. So, I got you this." Kord handed Eli a scope. "Pretty awesome." Eli said, testing the scope. "Yeah. That SPX 5000 scope gives you every angle, every reading, every trajectory. You'll make amazing shots." Kord explained as Eli pointed the scope at Trixie, then at Vance and at Burpy. Kord then held up a slug barrel. It contained a slug wearing goggles. "And I mail ordered this Speedstinger slug to go with the scope." He said, handing the barrel to Eli. "His name's Stunts. He's pretty much the only slug who can make it work, cause all of the scope's data and angles are put right into his little high-tech goggles." "Hi Stunts. Welcome to the team." Eli said, welcoming the new slug. Stunts chittered happily. "Now, let's go over the plan."

The gang walked up to a paper mâché version of the jail and began acting out the plan. "First, Kord will drive up to the jail and act casual like they're delivering supplies. Vance will hide in the wagon so he can give Pronto the all clear to get in. Trixie will make sure the guard is distracted and give me the sign. Then it's all up to me and Stunts. And if everything goes according to plan, we hit velocity, ricochet off the wagon, rebound off the flagpole and make his way up to the cooling tower, make a series of bank shots to the jail room, go in through the air vent with a bank shot, a quick roll, spring the lock, into the cage, open the cuffs and when the coast is clear, get everyone to safety without anyone being the wiser." Eli reviewed. "Seems risky, but I'm all in." Vance said. "Me too." Kord added. "So am I." Trixie added. "Alright then guys. Let's go spring Pronto." Eli said with confidence.


At the jail, Kord rode up with the wagon. Trixie gave the thumbs up signal to Eli, who was feeling a little worried about this shot. "Just trust the high-tech stuff, right? This is a little confusing. I hope you're getting all this, Stunts." He said. He shot Stunts towards the wagon and bounced off the flagpole but headed for Kord's head instead. Stunts then bounced off into the distance. Eli winced as Stunts ricocheted off distant objects. "Uh-oh. Aw man! Ooh. Not good!" He said as he took his sniper and ran off.


Back at the hideout, Eli felt down on screwing up the mission. "That was a complete and total disaster." He said with his head in his hands. Even Stunts was feeling bad for messing up. Burpy patted his back to cheer his new teammate up. "Sorry, but we told you Eli: the weak spot in your plan is that nobody can make that shot." Trixie said. "Yeah, nobody! Well, except maybe Mario Bravado." Kord said. "Mario who?" Eli asked. "What?! Oh, come on! Mario Bravado?" Trixie said walking to her computer. "He's only the greatest trick-shot slinger ever!" Kord said, sounding like a fanboy. "He's almost as famous as me and your dad." Vance added. "Here. Check it out." Trixie said, putting up a video of Mario Bravado.

Mario Bravado rode in on a blue horse mecha beast blindfolded with an apple on his head. His own Speedstinger hopped into his blaster as he walked up to a series of targets. He slung his slug from behind his back and it hit every target, twirled down to the bottom target and ricocheted to the apple, taking most of the top off. The crowd cheered as the video ended.

"He could make any shot." Trixie said. "Yeah. Had his own show and everything." Kord added. "What happened to him?" Eli asked. "Apparently, he dropped out of the spotlight and now owns a pizza restaurant out in the middle of nowhere." Trixie explained. "Well, I think it's time Mario Bravado made a comeback and fast." Eli said. "I can take you there." Vance offered. "I've eaten at his restaurant dozens of times." "Thanks Vance. Let's go." Eli said.


Eli and Vance made their way into a small-town cavern. "This can't be the right place." Eli said in doubt. "Oh, this is the right place, alright. Look." Vance said, pointing to the building with the neon pizza on it. Eli looked on. "Why would a trick-shot legend live here?" He asked. "I don't know. Nobody knows why he dropped out." Vance said. "Well, I'm going in. Wait out here." Eli said as he walked into the place.

A few minutes went by. Vance was getting a little worried. Suddenly, Eli came flying out of the building. Mario Bravado walked out, holding some pizza dough. "What you really need help with is your hearing! I said no!" He said, throwing the dough in Eli's face. "That went well." Eli said to Stunts. Vance ran over to help. "What did you say to him?" He asked in concern. "I told him that I needed his help, but he thought I was there to order a pizza. So, I told him the truth, probably said some things that offended him and here I am." Eli explained. "This is gonna be a problem."


Back at the jail, Pronto and Harley were telling made-up stories of their gang as Judge Logan and one of his guards walk in. "So, we were surrounded by fire scorpions, but then realize that me and my partner here were the toughest slingers they've ever seen." Pronto explained as the others chowed on their lunch. "So, then what happened?" Morty asked. "I slung a Hoverbug slug, which grabbed my wrists and swooped me down at the entire pack. I then started kicking them right in the face and just like that, they scurried away in fear." Harley said, neither him or Pronto noticing that Judge Logan was at the cell door. "And that is why our organization will bust us out of this place." Pronto added. "You see, it's about fear and respect. Kind of a fearful respect." He started munching on his food as Judge Logan and his guard walked away. Harley took notice out from the bars. "The Shane kid and his molenoid friend are trouble. Especially with the Shane's brother in their corner." Logan said in concern. "The sooner we have them out of here, the better. See what you can do!" He ordered his guard. "Yes Judge." The guard said.

As soon as Judge Logan was out of the building, the guard sighed. "I really don't like that guy." He said. "Then why work for him?" Harley's voice asked from the cell. The guard looked back and walked to the cell. "Because if I don't, I end up like you guys. At least that's what happened to the last guard who defied his laws." He said. "How did that guy even become a judge anyway?" Harley asked. "No one knows. Probably had Blakk rig the election. But I do know this: he's been obsessed with keeping order in this town." The guard explained. "That's why he created these ridiculous laws. Anything he sees in this town is a violation of those laws. He even deemed your father an outlaw in this town." That made Harley more angry than he was before. "You really think your brother's gonna bust you out before Blakk's train shows up." The guard asked. "I know so. And when he does, we'll give that judge what's coming to him." Harley assured.


Back at the restaurant, Eli went back in. "Listen, I-" Eli tried to say. "I said no! Now scram!" Mario warned. "We're not here to talk, Mario. We're here to eat." Vance said walking in. "Vance Volt? You know this kid?" Mario asked. "Yes, I do. He's my guest." Vance said. A while later, the both of them went through 3 trays of pizza and they were looking green in the face. "Uh. I can't believe we ate that much pizza." Eli said sick-like. "Yeah. This was more than-(hurp)-my usual order." Vance added, about to throw up. Even Burpy and Stunts were sick to their stomachs. Mario dropped another pizza at their table and walked back to the counter. "Look, my brother and my friend are in real trouble." Eli said. "This isn't for me. It's for them! They tell me you're the only one who can make the shot I need." Mario looked back at Eli. "That's all?" He asked as his Speedstinger, Ricochet, who had a scar on his head, hopped onto his shoulder. Mario then looked at his old suit and blaster displayed on the wall. "Well-" He thought. "Well?" Eli asked. "Sounds like more trouble than it's worth kid. Forget it. I'm done slinging! Forever!" Mario rejected.

"What happened to you?!" Eli asked getting up from his seat. "Excuse me?!" Mario shot back at Eli's question. "You were some big hero and then you just disappeared." Eli refreshed what he was told. Mario scoffed. "I'm no hero! I was a kid with a TV show. That's all!" He said. "I know a little bit about being famous you know. My dad was Will Shane." Eli revealed. "What? Really?! You and your brother are Will Shane's kids?!" Mario asked in shock. "Well, you could've mentioned that." "Would it have changed your mind?" Eli asked. "Nope." Mario answered. "Alright then. Sorry I wasted your time. And mine!" Eli said as he turned to walk out. "Wait!" Mario called. "I'm not gonna take the shot. But if rescuing your brother and your friend is that important, I'll teach you how to do it. Should be no problem for a Shane." He offered. "Oh, you're right it shouldn't. Because this kid came close to beating me in the Slug Run a few months back." Vance said. "Really?" Mario asked. "Yep. So, let's hope you're a good teacher, because we don't have a lot of time." Eli said, twirling his blaster.

"Okay, that's 3 large no onion. Thanks for calling Ricochet's." Mario said on the phone. After he hung up, he turned to Eli. "Okay. Remember, 90% of trick-shooting is half mental." He explained. Eli raised his eyebrow. "So, first things first: we make the pizza." He tossed some dough at Eli's face. "What?" Eli asked as he pulled off the dough. Mario just stared. Eli just slammed the dough down on the counter. "Ugh. If it helps my friend and Harley, I'll try anything." He said as he took a rolling pin and started rolling out the dough. "Uh, what do you think you're doing?" Mario asked. "Making pizza?" Eli guessed. "Relax! We'll get to that!" Mario assured. "First things first: figure out the order. The layers. Plan it out in your head." He explained. "Can you guess what I'm looking at right now?" Eli looked to where Mario was looking: a bowl of veggies and some spice bottles. "The ingredients." He guessed. "Buzzer sound'! Wrong! I'm looking at the finished pizza in my head." Mario corrected. Eli grinned. "When you start something, always know what it is you're wanting to finish." Mario explained, taking a ladle from the back counter. "In this case, we're making what?" He asked. "3 large pizzas. The works." Eli said. "It's about lining up all the ingredients together." Mario explained as Ricochet jumped from his shoulder to his hand and into the ladle. "You wanna see why this place is called Ricochet Pizza?" He asked. Eli nodded.

Mario took position and brought the ladle back. He took a deep breath and slung Ricochet. The slug bounced off a frying pan down to a pot full of tomato sauce. He hit the ladle in the bowl, landing a blob of sauce on the dough. He zipped back and ricocheted off the pan rack, off a spice bottle, knocking it onto a bowl of sliced pepperoni, mushroom and onion, which flew out of the bowl and onto the dough. Ricochet zipped past Eli to a cutting board with sliced sausage, which landed on the dough, same time as the others. He then bounced off a light, into a plate with a pineapple, sending it into the ceiling fan, slicing it up. The 2 slices landed on the dough. The slug then ricocheted into a cheese grater, sending it upwards at a cake of cheese, slicing of some strings on to the dough. Ricochet zipped back into Mario's hand.

Eli and Vance were very impressed at what they saw. "Wow! That was great! But they said no onion." Eli said, recalling the order. "Good. You're paying attention." Mario said. "Now, make 3 large pizzas. The works. No onion." He tossed the ladle to Eli. Stunts hopped from his slinger's shoulder to his hand and into the ladle. Stunts took note from the angles and trajectories as Eli pulled back and slung him at the sauce pot, knocking the ladle full on to the dough and back to Eli's hand. "We need to make the whole pizza in one shot." Mario explained. "Ricochet Pizza. Remember?" "Right." Eli said putting Stunts back into the ladle. Eli and Stunts planned their move out. Eli pulled back, took a deep breath and slung Stunts. Stunts did the move almost exactly the same way Ricochet did, but all they made was some messy pizza. "Okay. Let's do that again." Mario said.

While Stunts and Ricochet were playing with the cash register, Mario looked at Eli's SPX 5000 scope. "High-tech stuff just doesn't get it done like finely honed instincts. You got 'em. You just have to trust 'em." Mario said, tossing the scope away. Vance caught it just before it hit the trash bin. 'Boy, that would have made Kord so mad.' Vance thought. "Okay. So, now do we do some slinging?" Eli asked. Mario held up a blindfold. "If you mean slinging more pizzas, yes." He said, putting the blindfold on Eli.

Eli, blindfolded, took a stance holding pepperoni. "Hit this with pepperoni without looking." Mario said, tossing some pizza dough in the air. Eli got ready and threw the pepperoni at the dough. "How was that?" Eli asked, only to see Mario covered in pepperoni. "Uh, I think you need a little more honing." Mario said.

A while of practice later, Eli loaded up 6 boxes of pizzas he made. "You're improving, Eli. But you've gotta relax." Mario said. "Okay. When do I learn to shoot?" Eli asked. "That's what you've been doing. You just don't know it yet." Mario explained. Eli seemed confused but decided to take Mario's word for it. "You've got a trick-shooter's heart, Eli. And I've never seen anyone so connected with their slugs. Let alone give them names." Mario said as Eli picked up Stunts. "Other than me at least." He added as Ricochet hopped to his shoulder. "So, why'd you quit?" Eli asked. Mario sighed. "I've never told anyone this, you know." Mario began to explain his reason for retirement. "I was at the top of my game, felt like nothing could go wrong. I guess I was a little too cocky. One day, I was offered a job and I refused. Probably said a few things I shouldn't have. I got called out. If I lost, I'd have to quit forever. I thought I couldn't be beat. I was wrong. I got hit by a slug I've never seen before. Never want to see it again."

Eli put the pieces (or ingredients) together. "It was a ghoul, wasn't it? You dueled Dr. Blakk!" He guessed. "It doesn't matter now. I'm a man of my word. And I told you I'd train you." Mario said. "So, have you and Stunts figured it out?" Eli looked at Stunts, who nodded and hopped into his barrel. Eli loaded Stunts into his blaster and took aim. Eli planned everything out and slung Stunts. Stunts hit velocity and did the same move and Ricochet, plus sending the pizza into the oven and back to Eli. "Pretty good kid. And even though you forgot to add extra cheese, I think you're ready." Mario said. "You know Dr. Blakk is a cheat. He'd never hold up his end of the bargain. You don't owe him anything." Eli said. "He's right. Blakk used to sponsor me during the Slug Run before I realized his intensions. Look at me now: big time member of the Shane Gang, thanks to good friends I can trust." Vance explained, looking at Eli. Mario looked at his display. "This world needs you. So do I." Eli said. Mario looked at Ricochet, who nodded. "Alright. We're in." Mario said. "Really? Great!" Eli said, finally getting Mario back in the game. "But you're making the shot." Mario bargained. Eli nodded.


Back at the jail, Trixie and Kord were keeping watch as Blakk's train had arrived. "Good news!" Eli's voice called to them as he and Vance showed up. "I got trained up and we brought Mario Bravado to back me up." He said as Mario showed up on his mecha. "Oh, man! Look at you! Wow! You're really Mario Bravado!" Kord said geeking out. Mario shook his head in amusement. "Do you remember the episode from your show, number 56, when you shot that slug-" "Kord! We don't have time for this." Trixie interrupted. "Nice to meet you, Mario. Love the jacket!" She said. 'Keep it together, Trix! You're Eli's girlfriend!' She thought to herself.

Suddenly, the train whistle blew. "Uh, we got some bad news, Eli. They're leaving. Now!" Kord said as the train started leaving. Eli gasped as the train carried a car loaded with a cage containing Pronto, Harley and the other prisoners.


On the car, Pronto and Harley were getting really worried as the gang looked on from the cliff. "Guys, I didn't plan for this! I planned for a trick-shot to break them out of jail!" Eli said worried. "You can do it, kid. Put all of your ingredients together. It's just as easy as making a pizza." Mario reminded his pupil. "What have they been doing?" Trixie asked as Kord scratched his head. "Trick-shooting while making pizza." Vance said. "Guys. We need to get a move on." Eli said. Mario held up Ricochet in a slug barrel. "It's been a while. Hasn't it, old friend?" He asked. The Speedstinger nodded as Mario loaded the barrel into his blaster. "You're gonna sling?" Eli asked getting off Lucky. "You're not afraid of Blakk. I don't have to be either. It's time to come out of retirement." Mario said as he got off his mecha and walked to the wagon. "But you're still making the shot." "Right. Kord? Catch that train!" Eli called.

The gang rode to catch up to the train. A couple of goons saw them coming. "The Shane Gang?" One asked in disbelief. "Step on it!" The other called. "There they are! They've come for us!" Pronto yelled for joy, until he saw Mario with them. "Hey. Who's that other guy?" "We've been in jail for 2 whole days and already my brother got a new teammate?" Harley asked. "Hey, Boss Pronto and Boss Harley are the real deal! They got Mario Bravado in their gang!" Gary said, impressed. "Well, of course. We taught Mario Bravado everything he knows." Pronto lied. "Mario who?" He asked. "Don't know. Never heard of him." Harley muttered.

"Hey Eli. We've got trouble up ahead!" Kord said. There was a tunnel up ahead of the tracks. "Once the train goes into that tunnel, we won't be able to follow!" Trixie explained. "We'll be too late!" Kord swerved around some rocks on the path, almost knocking Eli and Mario off the wagon. "Talk about a trick-shot! Take out the guards, free the prisoners and try to stay on this wagon!" Eli pointed out. "Kord! You focus on driving! Trixie! We'll need you as a spotter!" Trixie hopped onto Wyatt as the goons started firing their ghouls at them. "2 guards! On top of the train!" Trixie called as to more goons climbed onto the roof and fired 2 Hop Jacks and a Greneater. Kord slung his Bubbaleone, now named Floatie, to deflect the ghouls. Trixie slung Blizzard and put the 2 others in a Deepfreeze attack. Eli and Mario fired Stunts and Ricochet opposite from each other, rebounded from some cliff walls and into the goons' heads and back again, knocking them out. The slugs rebounded back to their slingers. "Did you see that shot?!" Eli asked in over excitement. "Don't get cocky kid!" Mario said.

"That tunnel's getting closer!" Trixie called. "Yeah! And I think they just picked up speed!" Kord added. "I've got 4 more guards and we still have to get the prisoners loose." Trixie said as 4 more goons climbed to the top of the train. "Here we go kid! Sling it like you mean it!" Mario said as Eli got ready to fire another slug, slightly dodging another ghoul. Kord swerved out of the way of more ghouls but got caught on a small rock ramp. A goon fired another Hop Jack. Eli fired Spinner from mid-air. Spinner launched her web at the ghoul, stopping it in mid-air. As they landed, Eli loaded and fired Rocky at the goons, knocking them off the train. Pronto cheered at the success of his team. Another goon fired another ghoul, nearly grazing Trixie and Kord. Kord slung Bludgeon and knocked him down with a single punch. Kord gasped at an unfortunate sight. "They're almost at the tunnel!" He called. "No!" Trixie yelled. Eli and Mario gasped. "How are we gonna get them off the train one by one?! We don't have time!" Kord said losing hope as 3 more goons emerged on top of the train, slinging more ghouls. Trixie eyed something. "The pin that locks Pronto and Harley's car to the train! That's our only hope!" She said.

Eli felt unsure. "I can't take out the pin and the switch in one shot! It's impossible!" He said. "No, it's not!" Mario said. "Just remember what I taught you: Find the ingredients! The layers! Plan it out." As one of the goons fired another Hop Jack, Kord swerved out of the way and Trixie fired Twirl at the guy's legs, causing him to lose his balance and topple on his comrades. Eli held up his blaster, loaded with Stunts. "Okay, Stunts, let's do this!" He said. Stunts chirped and got ready. Eli got ready and took a deep breath, putting all of his ingredients together and planning out his move. Eli then pointed to the sky and slung Stunts. Everybody looked up at his shot. "What was that?" Harley asked from in the cage. Stunts then came back down and ricocheted off the track, pushing the pin out and unlinking the car from the train. As the train reached the tunnel, Stunts bounced off the water tower and hit the switch, back to Eli. The tracks switched, leading the car off the current track.

Everyone gave a cheer at their victory. "You see? Big Bosses Harley and Pronto make it happen." Pronto boasted. "Got that right!" Harley agreed, giving the mole a fist bump. But their victory was short lived. Trixie saw a sign with a skull and crossbones mark, then looked ahead with her camera to see that the tracks go off a cliff. "We've got a major problem!" She called to the others. Everyone looked at the problem. "CLIFF!" Harley shouted. Pronto screamed, Gary actually dropped his smile and Darwin and Morty gasped. "Kord, get in close!" Eli said. Kord rode in close to the car. "Mario, this one's all you, buddy." Mario nodded. "Stand back, everyone!" He called. The prisoners huddled together away from the cage door. Mario slung Ricochet, who bounced off the lock and ricocheted from the cuffs, setting everyone free. "Great shot!" Eli said to Mario before turning to the prisoners. "Everyone! Get out of there!" He called, but everyone was hesitating as they neared the cliff. "Come on! I'm running out of land!" Kord called as Morty jumped first. Kord caught him and threw him on top of the wagon. Gary followed next. Harley, Darwin and Pronto gasped as the cliff got closer. Darwin jumped off and Kord got him by the leg, but they skidded to a stop as the car was right at the cliff. "Oh no." Pronto muttered as he and Harley went off the cliff, screaming for their lives. Eli loaded and fired Suds, who bounced off a spike on the cavern roof and zoomed down towards Harley and Pronto. Everyone got worried. But then, Suds floated up with Pronto and Harley in her stomach, making everyone sigh in relief. "Now that's slinging some pizza." Eli said. "You said it kid." Mario agreed. "All this talk of pizza has given Pronto the hunger for the extra cheese." Pronto said from inside Suds' stomach.


Back at Ricochet Pizza, everybody was settling down to a nice hot pizza victory dinner. "Oh, it was hard on the inside, let me tell you. And the food was atrocious!" Pronto said. "Pronto, you and Harley were barely in jail 2 days." Trixie reminded her molenoid friend. "And yet, we survived." Pronto boasted. "He's right. Even 1 day in jail can lead to the end of someone's sanity." Harley agreed. "So, wait! Mario Bravado retired because of Blakk?!" Kord asked Vance. "That's what he said." Vance answered. Meanwhile, Mario was looking at his blaster when Eli came over. "You can still make the best trick-shots. If you're ready to make a comeback for real, you got a spot on our team." Eli offered. "You know, I actually gave some thought on that. After today, I think it is time to make a comeback. I'm in." Mario accepted, giving Eli a fist bump. Even Stunts and Ricochet high-fived their tails. "But, I'm still gonna keep the pizza place open. Because to me, slinging pizzas and slinging slugs are the same thing." Mario explained. "Plus, my girlfriend co-owns the place, so she helps out from time to time." "Good enough for me." Eli accepted.

Eli then turned to Harley. "Isn't this great, Harley? We got a new teammate." He said. "Shh! I'm trying to teach my slugs to make pizza." Harley said, showing chopped ingredients to Matchstick, Webs, Zipper and Shredder, his new Thresher. "Why?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mario gave me a job here." Harley announced. Eli went wide-eyed and turned to Mario. "He told me he makes a good pizza same as me, so I gave him a job here." Mario explained. "Cool." Eli said.

"Uh, not to interrupt or anything. It's great we got Pronto and Harley out, but what are we gonna do about Judge Logan?" Kord asked. "Give him a taste of his own medicine." Trixie said, pulling out a box. Harley walked over and took the box. "I'll deliver it to him personally." He said. "Besides, me and his guards have a score to settle with him."


At the courthouse, Judge Logan took a seat in his chair and noticed the box. He opened it and inside was a pack of gum. He was a little confused but smiled, took a stick, put it in his mouth and started chewing. Suddenly, he started to get a fowl taste in his mouth and spat the gum onto his desk. His guards walked up and took his arms. Logan looked at his guards. "Sorry, your honor. Spitting's illegal in these parts." One guard said with a sly grin. They started dragging Logan away. "No! Wait! I was framed! That gum was awful! It tasted like hot sauce and rotten fish!" Logan tried to protest. "We enforce the law with no exceptions. Your orders, sir. Your former orders." The other guard said. "What?! Wait! Hold on! This is ridiculous!" Logan ranted. "Good! Glad you see it that way!" Harley's voice came from the door. They stopped to see Harley walking up to them. "You!" Logan said in shock. "That's right. Now, you're about to go right where Blakk's employers belong: behind bars." Harley stated. "And by then, we'll have a new judge to help us reinforce the law in this town." The one guard said. "And we can guarantee you won't be walking out of your jail cell today or any day, former judge." They continued to drag the former judge to jail. "Oh, I will get out! And when I do, I'll make you and your brother pay, Shane! You Shanes will PAY!" Logan shouted. "Promises, promises." Harley muttered in amusement.

To be continued…

Finally finished with writing this thing. I've been busy with a lot of things while out in Alberta for the past month. So, how'd you like that? Mario Bravado joins the Shane Gang and gave Harley a job at his pizza place. More surprises will be on the way. I know I left out the scene where Eli actually meets Mario, but I found that scene a little embarrassing. So, sorry! Leave a review if you want.

Author's Note: New chapters are gonna be on hold for a while. I'm getting a new laptop in a couple of weeks. I've been having issues with my old one. But don't worry. I'll be back!

Slug Arsenal:

Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger)

Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher)

Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist)

Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone)

Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone)

Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger)