Chapter 47: Upgrade
Another day at the Shane hideout. Or should I say 'night'? The gang was fast asleep. But Eli and Harley were stirring in their sleep. For they were dreaming.
[Eli and Harley's Dream]
Eli woke up, finding himself in a cavern unlike any he ever saw in Slugterra. "Eli?" A voice came. Eli turned and saw Harley. "Harley. Where are we?" Eli asked. "I don't know. I never seen a cavern like this." Harley said. The cavern almost looked identical to Jungle Cavern. Except the mushrooms were bigger, the trees rooted through both the ground and ceiling, and there was colorful fauna everywhere. Just then, there was a whistle in the air. Eli and Harley turned to see a gust of wind, with leaves around it, blowing around them and whistling like a bird. "The Gale." Eli said, recognizing the wind and the whistling. "The what?" Harley asked. "The Gale. The Wind Spirit. I recognize it from my book." Eli said.
Eli then looked at the Wind Spirit and it stared right back at him. Eli reached out to the spirit. The spirit then flew itself around Eli's arm, making him laugh. "Looks like you made a new friend." Harley said. "I should say so." Eli agreed. The spirit stopped flying around Eli and stared at his face. "Would you mind if I give you a name?" Eli asked. The spirit whistled. Eli figured that was a yes. "How about I call you…Auster?" He asked. The spirit whistled in approval. Just then, there was a siren song singing through the air. "That song. I've heard it before." Eli said. "Where?" Harley asked. "It was in that vision I had when I touched Grandma's scarf." Eli said. "But where's that song coming from?" Harley asked. But before Eli could answer, their visions got all blurry. "What's happening?" Harley asked. "Someone must be waking us up!" Eli said just as everything went black.
[Dream End]
Eli and Harley jolted up. There, in their bedroom, stood the Garcia sisters. "You okay, boys?" Aerona asked. "We're okay. We just had a dream." Eli said. "Do tell." Kala asked in curiosity. "Well, we were in an unknown cavern. Then we met one of the spirits from my book, the Wind Spirit. I think we might've forged a bond when I named him." Eli explained. "We then heard a woman singing a siren's song. A song Eli heard in a vision from touching our grandmother's scarf when you gave it to us, Aerona." Harley said. "I see." Aerona said. "Anyway, what'd you wake us up for?" Eli asked. "We got a distress call from Trailer Park Cavern." Fareeda started to explain.
Later outside, Bugby playfully woke up Banger from his sleep. "Come on, guys!" Eli called as he, Harley and the Garcias ran out of the hideout. "We got a distress call! So, hop on your mechs and-" They stopped, seeing the gang outside the garage. Burpy shrugged. "We still have no mecha beasts." Eli guessed. "You guessed right." Vance said. Kord was working on a special upgrade for the mecha beasts for a while. "It's been over 2 weeks. This better be worth the wait." Trixie said. "It'd better be. I'm dying to see these upgrades!" Rune said excitedly.
"Kord!" Eli called, knocking on the door. "Come on, man! You done yet?!" Harley asked. "Alright, alright! I'm finished." Kord said, opening the door. "And now, may I present to you, our new and improved mecha beasts!" He revealed the mechas. But they just looked the same way they always did. The slugs looked at them confused. "Wow. They look…exactly the same." Trixie said. "Yeah. Well, maybe on the outside. But wait 'til I demo what they can do." Kord said. "We're kinda in a hurry here. Can't you just tell us?" Eli asked as they mounted their mechas. "Uh, no. A work of art like this deserves a proper debut. And, man, it's gonna be awesome!" Kord said. "He's a total spoilsport when it comes to surprises." Mario said. "Oh, you know it." Dana said. The gang rode off.
The gang arrived in Trailer Park Cavern, where a man was waiting. "You must be Coop." Eli guessed as he dismounted Lucky. "Dad told us about you." Harley said. "In the old days, I would've called your father. Been a while since then." Coop said as he shook hands with the brothers and Eliza. "But I figured you might know what to do." "What seems to be the problem?" Eli asked. "Wandered into the cavern 2 days ago. Pretty beat up and disoriented when we found him." Coop explained. "Found who?" Trixie asked. Coop led the gang to a jail trailer. He typed in a code, unlocking the door to the trailer. "Him." Coop revealed the prisoner to be none other than "Dr. Blakk!" Eli said in shock. As Harley looked at Blakk, he started to get another vision.
[Harley's Vision]
A brand-new machine started to drive into a tunnel, armed with 4 cannons firing ghouls.
[Vision End]
Harley shook off the effects and glared at Blakk. 'What did you just build, Blakk?' He thought.
(Intro)
"Came in from the desert. No blaster. No mecha. Nothing." Coop explained. Spinner hopped up to Blakk and chittered insultingly. Blakk growled and tried to stomp on her, but she jumped out of the way in time. Banger tried to hop in out of anger, but Burpy and Joules held him back. "That must've been where the Shadow Clan sent him after our battle at the Lightwell." Aerona said. "He's been wandering for over 2 weeks." Eli said. "Must've been rough out there, considering the state of his appearance." Harley said.
"I can't believe it. We got him." Kord said. "Well, technically, we didn't." Trixie corrected. "Bah. This is no time for technicalities. Epic poems will be written about the day Pronto had the most feared scoundrel in all of Slugterra at his mercy." Pronto boasted, until Blakk grabbed him by his scarf and pulled him up to the bars. Eli and Harley drew their blasters out of retaliation. "You have no authority to hold me." Blakk said. "We're the Shanes. And you're gonna pay for your crimes!" Eli said. "Every last one. Not just to the caverns and the slugs. But also, to all our friends!" Harley added, his eyes going crimson red with anger. Blakk just scoffed. "I'll give you one more chance to release me or suffer the consequences!" He warned, dropping Pronto. "I think you're forgetting who's got the upper hand here." Eli said. Blakk chuckled as Pronto crawled away. "Am I?" He asked, looking to the side. Eli and Harley looked to where Blakk was looking. A Blakk guard was peeking through the window. "Floppers!" Eli groaned.
The gang rushed outside, only to see the guard ride off on his mecha. "Should we go after him?" Kord asked. "It won't matter, Kord. He's probably already called for backup." Eli said. "Then what do we do now, kid?" Vance asked. "Coop?" Eli asked, turning to Coop. "I got no love for Dr. Blakk. Guy gives me the creeps." Coop said. "Yeah, he does have that effect on people." Harley said. "But I do love this cavern. If more of his men are on their way, it'll be war here." Coop said. "You've done your share, Coop. If a fight's coming, it's ours." Eli said. "Dr. Blakk can't stay here, babe. We're gonna need to move him somewhere more secure." Trixie said. "Yes, but how exactly? Surely, we would all prefer he remain in there. Behind those bars." Pronto said fearfully as Blakk glared at them. "Despite the fear in his voice, I agree with Pronto. The second we let Blakk outside of those bars, he might make a run for it." Dana said. "Then maybe we'll take the bars too." Eli said, coming up with a plan.
The gang hooked the trailer onto Fernando and set off. "Yes. Now this is good. Dr. Blakk, safely back there, and Pronto the conqueror, safely up here, begin the journey to- Uh- Wait. Where are we taking him?!" Pronto asked, not knowing the whole plan. "Good question. Locking Blakk up could change everything. If he stays captured." Eli said. "Well, we can't bring him to any holding cell. Some of the guards are still under Blakk's payroll." Harley said. "Geez. Then where else can we take him?" Kala asked. "What about Stalagmite 17? I heard that it's been reinforced since we took it back from Mr. Saturday." Trixie suggested. "That prison should hold Blakk. If we can get him there." Kord said. "Then that's where we go." Eli said. "Hopefully we'll get there before that Blakk guard can alert any-"
Suddenly, ghouls started hitting the ground around them. The gang looked back to see a squad of Blakk guards riding after them on jackal mechas. "Word travels fast." Eli said. "Indeed." Blakk agreed. The guards slung more ghouls, one of them, a Greneater. Trixie, Kord, Vance and Mario dodged the ghouls left and right. Pronto, out of fear, tried his best to speed up Fernando. The gang leapt their mechas off a ledge, causing Blakk to fall around in his cell.
A Thrasher was slung past Eli's head. Eli slung Rammer, knocking down another Thrasher and a Hop Jack, and finally knocking one of the guards and his mecha down. Blakk continued to get thrown around due to the rocky terrain Pronto was riding on. The 3 guards fired 3 Hop Jacks, nearly hitting Pronto. Trixie fired Rocks at a land bridge over them. Vance and Kala aided her with Hardcase and Aries. The bridge shattered and blocked the path, but the guards managed to ride around the roadblock. Eli and Harley slung Chiller and Frostbite, creating an ice wall with Deepfreeze. But the guards shattered it with a Grimmstone and a Harmashelt. Pronto did his best to steer around the turns in a tight canyon, but the trailer kept hitting the walls, tossing Blakk back and forth in his cell.
"Kord, what about those mods you made to the mechas?" Eli asked. "They're awesome. Just wait 'til you see them." Kord said. "Are you kidding me?!" Lash asked. "Not to hurry up the big debut, but we're kinda getting hammered here." Trixie said as a Hop Jack flew past her head. "It'll be worth the wait! Trust me!" Kord said. Another ghoul hit another land bridge over the gang. Kord slung Flycatcher, catching the falling rubble in his web. The gang passed through just in time before the rubble burst through the web, blocking the guards. "Pronto enjoys being overly dramatic as much as anyone, but COME ON ALREADY, KORD!" Pronto called. "Not yet." Kord said as they entered a cave. "We need more room." "What?! More room?!" Pronto asked in confusion. "More room for what?" Paulina asked.
"Okay. So, before you check out my super-duper upgrades, you're gonna wanna wear one of these." Kord said, tossing new helmets to Eli, Harley, Trixie, Vance, Mario, Lash, Shimei, Eliza, Watts, Dana, Aerona, Fareeda, Kala, Paulina and Rune. "Nice." Eli said as he put his on. "It's just my color." Dana said. "Alright! Everyone! Press your green buttons!" Kord called. "Oh! We have green buttons?" Pronto asked with excitement. "We have green buttons!" Eli said. He pushed his green button and Lucky transformed into a motorcycle. "AWESOME!" Eli cheered. Boomer transformed into a dune buggy. "INSANE!" Trixie cried. Delta transformed into a 3-wheeler motorcycle. "AMAZING!" Harley cheered. Champ and Jasper transformed into motorcycles. "YEE-HAW!" Vance cheered. Lazu transformed into an ATV 4-wheeler. "Well, shiver me TIMBERS!" Watts yelled. Jack transformed into a dune buggy. "So cool!" Lash said. Koa transformed into a motorcycle. "Like the jellyfish who finds out it has no organs, this is AMAZING!" Shimei cheered. Reggie transformed into a dune buggy. "Whoa! I haven't driven one of these since my teen years!" Eliza cheered. Tygra transformed into a dune buggy. "Oh, this is gonna be my new favorite thing!" Dana said. Wyatt transformed into a motorcycle. "Eh? Pretty haunted rides if I do say so myself." Kord said. Luna, Runner, Wisp and Laughter transformed into motorcycles. "I'll say. This is pretty cool!" Aerona said. Walker transformed into a dune buggy. "Wow! I never thought mecha beasts could get any better." Rune said. But Fernando was giving Pronto trouble as usual. "Come on! Transform, you hunk of junk!" Pronto exclaimed, hitting Fernando with a wrench. Finally, Fernando transformed into a hybrid mix of a mini-motorbike and a snowmobile, costing Pronto's pants.
The gang started to speed ahead. "Sorry we couldn't do that sooner. But we had to wait until we got to open ground." Kord said. Eli looked back, seeing that Blakk's guards weren't following them anymore. "Are you kidding? We smoked them! Kord, you're a genius!" He said, speeding up ahead. The gang started to speed up too, testing out the new tricks they could do with their new mods. "Ha-ha! Yes!" Trixie said as she drove in between a couple of rocks. "Watch this magnificent display of skill!" Pronto said, skidding around a corner and causing Blakk to crash around in the trailer. "Take it easy, Pronto. We wanna get him there in one piece." Eli said. "Oh, do we have to?" Harley asked. "If you think that will buy you my mercy, you are mistaken!" Blakk said, but the last part was blocked out by Eli revving his engine. "What?" Eli asked. "I said, you are mistaken if you think-" Blakk started to repeat, but Eli cut him off again. "What?" Eli asked. "YOU ARE MISTAKEN, IF-" Blakk shouted, but Eli cut him off again. "I said we'd get you there in one piece. I didn't say we'd have to listen to you on the way." Eli said. "Though if it was up to me, I'd shut you up here and now." Harley said.
After the brothers sped away from him, Blakk looked back and smiled. Eli and his slugs turned and saw something coming towards them. "Someone's catching up!" He called. The gang turned to see. "Uh oh." Kord said. "You know what that is?" Eli asked. "No. But the reason I worked overtime on these upgrades is because I heard that Blakk had been recruiting top tech talent for some kind of super vehicle!" Kord said. "So, if I had to guess, that's-" Blakk chuckled. "It's called Titan! And you're about to find out what it can do!" He said. "Eli? I actually saw that thing in a vision back at Trailer Park Cavern!" Harley said. "You did?!" Eli asked. "Yeah. I wasn't sure what it was at first. But now I know." Harley said.
"We'll be taking Dr. Blakk now." A familiar voice said over an intercom. "That voice!" Lash said. "Quintin!" Trixie said. "After all, a man like that deserves to ride in style!" Quintin said. "Quintin? Isn't he that crazy evil robot scientist you faced in Futuria Cavern?" Dana asked. "Yes! Last thing he invented almost crushed us!" Trixie said. Quintin activated the Titan's weaponry. "Looks like he's picking up where he left off!" Eli said. Just then, the hatch on the roof opened, revealing a gattler. "Look out! That thing's got a gattler too!" Mario called. "And look who's operating it!" Kord said. The Club Slug scam artist, Sgt. Slug, cackled loudly as he took aim at the gang. "Sgt. Slug!" Eli exclaimed. "Miss me, Shane Gang?! Well, I sure missed you!" Sgt. Slug said. "I was afraid we'd run into him again someday! I'm just sorry it was today of all days!" Harley said. Quintin and Sgt. Slug started firing ghouls at the gang, from Briardrills, Grimmstones, Tempestos and Hop Jacks to Thrashers.
A Harmashelt slashed at Trixie, nearly knocking her off balance. Eli skidded as he dodged a Hop Jack, hiding behind some pillars. Trixie slung Rocks, but got intercepted by a Thrasher. Kord slung Pincer and Rune slung his Sand Angler, Gebo. Both slugs hit the Titan, but it was unharmed. Quintin smiled at his work. Eli came out from the pillars. "You know what they say, Burpy. The bigger they are…" He slung Burpy, attacking the Titan with Flashfire. But it didn't even get a scratch. "…the harder it is to hurt them!" Eli said with worry and shock. Quintin sped up the Titan, preparing to turn Eli into roadkill. "Oh, this is bad." Eli said. He skidded Lucky, passing under the Titan to avoid being crushed. But Quintin fired one of the cannons, knocking Eli off Lucky. Lucky transformed back into a wolf before he landed.
Burpy changed into his human form and ran to help Eli. "Eli, you okay?" Burpy asked. "Yeah. I'm okay, Burpy." Eli said. Lucky locked his optics onto Eli and Burpy and ran over to them. Eli and Burpy hopped onto Lucky and transformed him into a motorcycle again. "Nice." Eli said. "Eli, I think I might be able to stop this machine. But in order for it to work, I need you to believe in me as I believed in you, your brother and your father." Burpy said. "But why? What's that gonna do?" Eli asked. "You'll see. So, do you believe in me?" Burpy asked, holding out his hand. "You know I do, Burpy. I always did." Eli said, taking the hand.
Just then, Burpy started to glow in an orange aura and started to change. His human ears changed into his velocimorph antennae and relocated to the top of his head. His hair became long and tied into a ponytail. And a pair of wings, like his velocimorph, grew out of his back. The gang all saw this from afar. "Whoa!" Eli said in awe. "You like it? It's my new power. It can be obtained when our friendship has increased to the highest level." Burpy said. "Well, I'd say we should call this form your Slug-Up form." Eli said. "Slug-Up form. I like it." Burpy said.
Sgt. Slug saw this and was shocked. He turned his gattler on Burpy and started firing. Burpy leapt off Lucky, using his new abilities and started fighting back with Flashfire. His attack knocked down all the ghouls. Then he started to try and burn the Titan. But he didn't even leave a scorch mark. "Ha! You can turn up the heat as much as you want, Infurnus! But it won't help against this thing. We built it to be as tough as me!" Sgt. Slug boasted. "Why'd I have to get this maniac to be my co-pilot? He really needs to get his brain as pumped as his muscles." Quintin mumbled.
Harley, Trixie, Kord, Dana and Aerona turned towards the Titan and fired Sizzle, Blizzard, Bludgeon, Rosie and Bomb. But the slugs just bounced off the Titan, leaving them dizzy. "We didn't even dent it!" Trixie said. "Leave it to Sgt. Slug to help make things tough." Harley said. "Is this Sgt. Slug really that big a threat?" Aerona asked. "Really. You should've seen what he did to Webs." Harley said. Webs chittered from her barrel, remembering the madman's harsh training machine did to her.
Eli rode up, regrouping with the others. "Babe, if we wanna take this thing down, we need the double-barrel blaster!" Trixie said. "She's right. A fusion shot could be the key to scrapping this thing." Aerona said. "No problem." Eli said, holding up 2 barrels. One of them was loaded with Banger. "I've got the perfect pair of slugs for-" But as Eli talked, Banger noticed something. Quintin bashed into Lucky, causing Banger to fall out of his barrel. "Banger!" Eli called. Banger was hanging on near the front tire cupping. "He's okay! But I can't do the fusion move I need without him!" Eli said. Burpy flew alongside his slinger. "I'll help him out." He said, changing back into a slug and hopping onto Lucky.
Meanwhile, Quintin and Sgt. Slug continued to fire ghouls at Pronto. "I would prefer to be rescued ALIVE!" Blakk shouted. "Sorry, sir." Quintin said sarcastically, speeding up the Titan. The others circled around the Titan. "We gotta give Pronto some better cover!" Vance called. Just then, Harley got an idea. "Hestia, can you do that Slug-Up thing Burpy just did a while ago?" He asked as Hestia changed into her human form. "I can try. But I really need our friendship to be at the high level. Can you help me do that?" Hestia asked. "You know I will. I believe in you." Harley said. Hestia smiled and started to glow in a scarlet aura. Like Burpy, her ears changed into antennae, her hair grew long into a ponytail and wings grew from out her back. Blakk saw this from the trailer. 'Interesting. The other Infurnus changed into a female human and then changed form. If only there was a way to do the same to my ghouls.' He thought.
Quintin and Sgt. Slug started firing more ghouls. Hestia started firing her fire attacks, intercepting every single one. Meanwhile, Burpy carefully slid down to help Banger. But the shaking from the motorcycle moving was making it difficult. The gang leapt off a slope, but Burpy kept going. Banger cried for his help.
Kord rode up beside the Titan and drew his blaster. "So, where did you pick up those hunks of junk?" Quintin asked insultingly, trying to bash Kord as he fired another slug. "Hey, watch your mouth! Don't listen to him, Wyatt." Kord said. Hestia continued to blast down every ghoul Sgt. Slug fired from his gattler. But then, he blasted her down with a Jollyfist, sealing her wings with Oogi, causing her to fall. Harley managed to pull back and catch her on Delta's back. "You okay?" Harley asked. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I should be able to burn through this slop in a few minutes." Hestia said, lighting herself up to melt the Oogi.
"We need to distract them another way!" Trixie said. "Leave that to us. It's time Quintin got a taste of the old Garcia sisters' charm." Aerona said. "Right. Go do your thing." Eli said. The sisters pulled back and circled both sides of the Titan. Quintin noticed them from both sides. "Hi there. What's a cute little genius like you doing in a machine like this?" Fareeda asked, using her charm. "We heard that you're smart. We like smart men." Paulina said. Quintin started to become flustered. "Hey! Pay attention down there, will you!" Sgt. Slug shouted. But then, Eli slung Goober, covering the windshield with Loogi. As the Garcias pulled away, Quintin came to his senses, saw the windshield and started to speed up. As they exited the cave, the gang turned as the Titan kept going forward, blinded by the Loogi. "Hey! Look out!" Sgt. Slug yelled. Quintin didn't realize until it was too late. They drove into a canyon wall. "Bye, Quintin." Trixie said tauntingly. "Don't let the rock wall hit you on the way out, Sarge!" Harley called. Quintin growled until the airbag went off. "I really hate that Shane Gang." Sgt. Slug groaned.
"Alright, guys! This way!" Eli called. He led the gang towards a canyon. "Eli, no! No one has ever tried to jump Cobra Canyon and lived!" Pronto protested. "He's right. I doubt even I could make that jump." Vance said. "Nobody's ever had these kind of mechas before." Eli assured, drawing his blaster and slinging Chiller, creating an ice ramp with Deepfreeze. As the gang rode towards the ramp, Banger nearly slipped off Lucky. But Burpy managed to grab his antennae. "Hold on to your helmets!" Eli called as he and the others rode up and off the ramp. "This is madness!" Pronto cried as he rode off the ramp, screaming. "I REGRET NOTHING!" Blakk shouted. Burpy managed to pull Banger back up. Banger chittered that it was nothing, making Burpy shake his head. But then, as they saw where they were about to land, they held each other and screamed.
Eli landed first, followed by the others. But as Pronto landed, the trailer tipped over the ledge, pulling Fernando back. As Blakk fell to the back, he gasped at the fall. "Get us out of this mess, mole!" He ordered. "Sir, yes sir!" Pronto said out of fear. While trying to think, Pronto transformed Fernando back into a donkey. Fernando dug his hoofs in to try and keep from falling, but the trailer was way too heavy. As Pronto was about to fall, the gang quickly attached their mechas' grappling hooks onto Fernando and the trailer and used their combined strength to pull them back up.
"See? Nothing to worry about." Eli said. But then, there was the sound of a motor. Everyone looked up to see the Titan coming down towards them. Pronto managed to get Fernando to scurry out of the way before the Titan landed. "Face it! You're outclassed by superior science!" Quintin said as he and Sgt. Slug fired more ghouls. "Yes! Even without my machine, our ghouls are pumped!" Sgt. Slug cackled.
The gang rode ahead to avoid the ghouls as the Titan chased after them. "I knew the scribes write about this day. But I did not think it would be because Pronto the great met his end!" Pronto said as Fernando transformed again. The rest of the gang transformed their mechas back into vehicles. Eli just kept Lucky as a wolf as Burpy and Banger hopped up. "Nice work, Burpy." He said, stopping Lucky to turn and face the Titan. He loaded Burpy and Banger and equipped the double-barrel. He took aim and fired his 2 slugs. Quintin and Sgt. Slug were confused. But then, Burpy and Banger started spinning back-to-back, creating a huge flaming boulder in front of them and firing it at the Titan. This was their fusion move called Magmastrike. Quintin gasped. "What in San Hill?!" Sgt. Slug asked in shock. The move hit the Titan, knocking it on its back. The gang cheered as the 2 slugs landed. Quintin growled before the airbag went off again. Sgt. Slug, having been knocked off the Titan, lay on the ground in a dizzy state.
Blakk watched this and glared at the gang. "Awesome fusion blast! Rock on, Eli!" Kord said as Eli caught up. "Rock on? Well, it was your mods that got us over the canyon. So, rock on, Kord." Eli said. "And a rock on to the molenoid who out-foxed the Titan. As they would write one day." Pronto said. "Oh boy." Harley muttered as he shook his head with a grin. Blakk started laughing. "Amusing story. But Quintin and Slug had no intention of catching you. They were corralling you! Like cattle!" He revealed.
Just then, Pronto saw something ahead that made him cringe with gas. "Hit the brakes!" Kord called. The gang all stopped at what was in their way. There was at least a dozen Titans blocking their way. "Quintin and Sgt. Slug led us into an ambush!" Trixie said. "Wow! Talk about going into mass production!" Harley said. "There's too many of them! We'll never get through!" Mario said. Just then, Eli heard a familiar whistling noise. "Well then, it's a good thing we got some backup." He said. "What backup?" Pronto asked. "Wait for it." Eli said. And then, a big gust of wind blew in front of the gang. "Is that-?" Shimei asked. "It can't be!" Rune said. "But it is." Harley said. The Wind Spirit turned to the gang and whistled. "Hiya, Auster. Glad you could come." Eli said. 'The Shane knows the Wind Spirit?! But how?!' Blakk thought as he stared in shock.
Auster turned to the Titans and started to blow around them. The gang and the Titan drivers were confused at what was going on. But then, the air around the Titans started to build up and lift them off the ground. Auster had created a tornado, sending the Titans spinning around in the air and crashing to the ground. The gang cheered in amazement. "They're down. But they won't stay down for long." Harley guessed. "Right. We'll keep them busy while Pronto makes it through with Blakk." Eli said.
The gang charged towards the recovering Titans. They managed to slip past them, causing the drivers to turn around and chase them. "Make way!" Pronto said as he drove up on a canyon wall, causing to Blakk to fall around inside his cell. The Titans then started firing ghouls. "Pronto, whatever you do, don't stop until you get to Stalagmite 17." Eli said. Pronto started shouting as he sped ahead. "The rest of us will keep them off you."
Kord noticed one of the Titans closing in on his tail. He slowed Wyatt down and transformed him back into a boar, then he hopped onto the Titan. "Hi." He said through the windshield as he climbed up to the roof. He ripped the hatch off. "Knock-knock!" The driver drew his blaster and slung a ghoul past Kord's head. "Whoa! Easy there, buddy!" Kord said, grabbing the driver and pulling him out, along with the steering wheel. "Time to hit the road!" Kord tossed the driver into the road. The driver was relieved at first, until the airbag went off, sending him flying. Kord hopped back onto Wyatt just as the Titan crashed.
Dana looked back at another Titan closing in on her. She smiled as it got close enough. She transformed Tygra back into a tiger, held out her Shadow Walker and disappeared. The driver was shocked. "Hi." Dana said, reappearing in the Titan. The driver screamed as Dana took the wheel. The Titan started to skid until it began to topple and crash. "Later." Dana said, disappearing again. She reappeared back on Tygra, transformed her back into a dune buggy and sped away as the Titan crashed, causing 2 other Titans to crash into it.
Vance and Mario came into contact with another Titan. "So, how do you want to take this one down?" Mario asked. "Don't know. I hardly have anything in my arsenal that can match up to this thing." Vance said. Just then, Auster came between Vance and Mario, whistling something to them. "What's he saying?" Mario asked. "I think he has an idea for a combo with Crust here." Vance said, gesturing to his Lavalynx. "Well, better now then never to try it out." Mario said. Vance loaded Crust into his blaster and slung him towards the Titan. Auster then surrounded Crust and started to gather up the hot air around him. Then he blew the hot air at the Titan and surrounded it. "Hey! What's going on?" The driver asked. Just then, the controls started to overheat. "Oh, that's not good!" The driver pressed a button and ejected out of the Titan before everything shorted out, causing the Titan to crash into the canyon wall. Vance and Mario were in shock and awe at what happened. "Oh-ho-ho! Nice one!" Mario said. "You said it! That was a pretty good combo!" Vance said. Auster whistled as he blew Crust back to his slinger.
2 other Titans surrounded Pronto in a small canyon. "2 against Pronto? That is not good odds. For YOU!" Pronto boasted. The Titans started firing ghouls at him, scaring him. Eli and Trixie caught up with them. Eli slung Goober at the Titan on the right, covering the windshield with Loogi and causing the driver to stop. The Titan on the left was about to run over a Phosphoro. But Trixie slung Balloon to save the slug. Balloon inflated herself under the Titan and flipped it onto its back. "Great shot, Trixie!" Eli called.
"Ha-ha! Pronto cannot wait to read the epic tales the scribes will write about that heroic move." Pronto boasted. But then, he saw that he was about to drive into an incoming wall. He managed to turn just in time. But then, the trailer began to creak as it shook. Seeing his chance, Blakk began to shove himself into the wall of his cell, trying to knock the trailer off its wheels and knock Pronto off balance. And it worked. The trailer broke off Fernando's hitch, causing Pronto to crash and lose his blaster.
Blakk tumbled out of the trailer. Pronto recovered and found his blaster. But Blakk got to it first and picked it up. The gang skidded to a stop. "End of story, molenoid." Blakk said, taking aim at Pronto.
"End of the line for you, mole." Blakk said. "NO!" Eli yelled. But before Blakk could pull the trigger, Auster came in and pushed him back. Blakk was shocked by this, knowing that it was impossible to fight a living wind. Then he noticed Eli with his blaster, slinging Stunts. But Blakk used Pronto's blaster like a bat, knocking Stunts away. The Speedstinger bounced and ricocheted off the canyon walls, the mechas and Kord's helmet. Just then, Quintin and Sgt. Slug came in with their Titan and Blakk ran over to them as they fired more ghouls. "RUN!" Kord called, driving over to help Pronto. "Need a lift?" He asked, grabbing Pronto by his underwear.
Blakk pulled Quintin from the driver's seat and grabbed Sgt. Slug's belt. "It looks like I'm going to have to take care of the Shane Gang myself!" He shouted, tossing the 2 off the Titan. He then got into the driver's seat, cackled like a madman and drove after the gang. "Oh, no. It's fine! Don't feel like you have to thank us or anything!" Quintin said with rude sarcasm. "Talk about such crude gratitude." Sgt. Slug mumbled.
The gang drove as fast as they could, with Kord tossing Pronto back on Fernando. Blakk fired more ghouls from the Titan. "Whatever you do, keep the peddle to the meddle!" Eli called. "Shouldn't be a problem!" Kala called. But then, Eli saw that they were driving towards a cliff. The gang managed to turn to the right, but Blakk kept up his pursuit. "Eli! Up ahead!" Harley called, pointing up ahead. "Aw man!" Eli groaned, seeing that Harley was pointing to a rockslide roadblock. "Time to blaze a new trail, Burpy! Clear out those rocks!" He loaded Burpy into his blaster and aimed at the rocks. "Hestia, help him out!" Harley said, loading Hestia, who had just returned to her slug form, to help Burpy. But little did the brothers notice, when their speed gages reached up to 100, Burpy and Hestia started to glow from inside their barrels. That got the attention of their other slugs. As Eli and Harley slung them, as they transformed, Burpy and Hestia underwent a secondary transformation. "Whoa!" Eli said. "What's happening?" Harley asked. The 2 Infurnus slugs flew towards the rocks, destroying them with twice their usual power. The gang was shocked by this. "AWSOME!" Eli yelled with awe. "I'll say." Harley said. But then, the ground cracked and split open from where the rocks were. The gang managed to leap over them. And so did Blakk.
When Burpy and Hestia flew back to the brothers, their protoforms were now covered with new markings. "Whoa, Burpy! Look at you!" Eli said as Burpy checked out his new look. "Hestia too! She looks just as amazing!" Harley said. "But how?" Eli asked. "Maybe going so fast added some kind of speed boost to your blasters! That could've triggered a change to Burpy and Hestia's velocimorphs!" Kord guessed as he slung a slug at the Titan. "Well, I'd say they're now…Megamorphs." Eli said. "Megamorphs. Good name. Very fitting." Harley said.
"Can we save the science lesson for later? We're trapped!" Trixie said. The gang was heading for an even bigger gap of Cobra Canyon. "No, we're not!" Eli said, loading and slinging Chiller, creating another ice jump. "This is madness! We barely made it across Cobra Canyon last time! And this crossing is even longer!" Pronto objected. "Trust me!" Eli said. The gang looked at each other, knowing that there was no other choice. Eli made the jump first, followed by the rest of the gang. Blakk cackled as he prepared to make the jump himself. "Now, Kord!" Eli called. "Buh-bye, Titan." Kord said, slinging Bludgeon back towards the ice jump. Blakk gasped as Bludgeon destroyed it with a single punch. Blakk screamed as he fell down the chasm. "Take it to Glider Mode, gang!" Eli called. The gang activated their mechas' gliders and gently floated down the chasm.
The gang landed in front of where the Titan landed. "Good riddance is what I say." Pronto said. "Don't count your blessings yet, Mole-face." Watts said. Just then, the Titan moved, startling the gang. "Did you see that?" Trixie asked. "Unfortunately, yes." Fareeda said. The Titan had gotten back up, despite suffering heavy damage. "You should've run when you had the chance!" Blakk shouted. Burpy and Hestia hopped forth and changed into humans. "We will never run when it comes to dealing with men like you." Burpy said. "This is the last time you will ever do harm to our kind, Dr. Blakk!" Hestia said. Auster whistled, taking place between the 2.
Blakk just cackled and charged the Titan forward. Burpy and Hestia activated their Slug-Up mode. Except their form was now upgraded with their new Megamorph looks and powers. They then flew towards the Titan with Auster. "Uh, guys? You're playing Chicken with a Titan!" Kord said. "True! But we'll take your mods over what Quintin and Sgt. Slug created any day!" Burpy said. He and Hestia created a huge amount of fire and Auster took control of it. Blakk was shocked by this. Then the 3 of them fired their attack at the Titan. Blakk braced himself as the attack hit and destroyed the Titan. Blakk flew out of the Titan and tumbled to the ground. He tried to get up, but the airbag knocked him on his back.
"And so, it shall be written that Pronto the conqueror did the impossible, not once, but twice the day he leapt across Cobra Canyon and delivered the mighty Dr. Blakk to justice." Pronto boasted as they finally locked Blakk up in Stalagmite 17.
"It feels weird. We got Blakk. It's over." Trixie said. "I hope." Eli said. "I don't know." Harley said, feeling unsure. "What do you mean, Harley?" Lash asked. "I'm not sure. But it feels like a gut feeling deep in my Darkbane half." Harley said. "Dude, what else could happen? I mean, come on. None of his goons are gonna break him out of Stalagmite 17." Kord said. Blakk suddenly chuckled. "What's so funny?" Dana asked. "You have beaten those who serve me today. But trust me. You have no idea what's coming." Blakk said.
Outside, Eli and Harley were saying goodbye to Auster. "Thanks for your help, Auster." Harley said. Auster whistled to the brothers. "Hopefully we'll meet again someday." Eli said. Auster gave one last whistle to say goodbye and flew off. Eli looked and saw Harley thinking. "Still thinking about what Blakk said?" Eli asked. "Yeah. I think I know what he said might be coming." Harley said. "The Darkbane?" Eli guessed. "Possibly." Harley said. "Well, no matter what's coming, we'll be there to stop it. No matter what." Eli said. Harley nodded. As did Burpy and Hestia.
Whoa-ho-ho-ho, whoa! It's finally ready! The Shane Gang have finally apprehended Dr. Blakk, managed to stand against his newest war machines and delivered him to Stalagmite 17. Along the way, the gang managed to meet the ancient Wind Spirit, and Burpy and Hestia have gained a new power, not to mention evolved into Megamorph Slugs. But what could possibly be coming that the Shanes have no idea about? Leave a review if you'd like.
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), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogrif), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmelter), Yang (Negashade), Beeker (AquaBeek), Mimkey (Mimikreas), Jaws (MakoBreaker), Gasser (Flatulorhinkus), Crystal (Geoshard), Foggy (Neotox), Jammer (Xmitter), Bugsy (Hoverbug), Nero (Glowbyss)
Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc), Bubbles (Bubbaleone), Polo (Polero), Skitter (Speedstinger), Flasher (Phosphoro), Gem (Geoshard), Hestia (Infurnus), Drill (Crystalyd), Ashe (Glowbyss)
Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling), Roller (Armashelt), Scorcher (Lavalynx), Nighty (Slyren), Starling (Phosphoro), Roxy (Crystalyd), Quinn (Gazzer)
Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt), Glint (Phosphoro), Throttle (Thresher), Quicksand (Sand Angler), Silv (Slicksilver), Pollen (Vinedrill), Flats (Flatulorhinkus), Cliff (Crystalyd)
Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Frostcrawler), Doozey (Slyren), Zappy (Tazerling), Stripey (Polero), Planty (Vinedrill), Shelly (Armashelt), Sharky (MakoBreaker), Bitey (Thresher), Zippy (Speedstinger), Molty (Firenzar), Spitty (Arachnet), Fissure (Crystalyd)
Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone), Chill (Frostcrawler), Swallow (Bubbaleone), Storm (Tazerling), Tim (Crystalyd)
Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone), Crush (Armashelt), Razz (Thresher), Pinkie (Bubbaleone), Chasm (Crystalyd)
Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper), Melt (Lavalynx), Clash (Armashelt), Shroud (Frightgeist), Oxide (Gazzer), Sprout (Vinedrill), Darcy (Crystalyd)
Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone), Zeng (Vinedrill), Leng (Polero), Kaz (Grenuke), Hindo (Flaringo), Huong (Phosphoro), Hei-Hei (Hoverbug), Yung (Armashelt), Mai (Arachnet), Fong (Bubbaleone), Wang (Tormato), Feng (Dirt Urchin), Ravine (Crystalyd)
Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro), Pimpy (Bubbaleone), Jimbo (Hop Rock), Jason (Frightgeist), Fitz (Tazerling), Flick (Grenuke), Griff (Hypnogrif), Midnight (Slyren), Wilton (Neotox), Oya (Tormato), Canyon (Crystalyd)
Watts: Scourge (MakoBreaker), Polly (Hoverbug), Rush (Rammstone), Sinker (Hop Rock), Maelstrom (Tormato), Tidal Wave (AquaBeek), Preserver (Bubbaleone), Splatter (Jellyish), Gorge (Crystalyd)
Dana Por: Webby (Arachnet), Willy (Frostcrawler), Tailwind (Tormato), Rosie (Vinedrill), Jinx (Hexlet), Nemo (AquaBeek), Poppy (Bubbaleone), Richter (Rammstone), Silvia (Slicksilver), Crevice (Crystalyd), Sprite (Flaringo), Frags (Grenuke), Dupe (Polero)
Aerona Garcia: Goldie (Midas), Hiccup (Flaringo), Cancer (Armashelt), Icestorm (Frostcrawler), Bomb (Hop Rock), Goopy (Lariat), Slabs (Rammstone), Taurus (Crystalyd), Current (AquaBeek), Starry (Glowbyss), Nelly (Arachnet), Kaboom (Grenuke)
Fareeda Garcia: Shiny (Midas), Thunderstorm (Tazerling), X (Xmitter), Aquarius (AquaBeek), Eve (Negashade), Maggie (Slicksilver), Sagittarius (Hoverbug), Jack Hammer (Crystalyd), Little Star (Phosphoro), Lantern (Glowbyss), Leo (Speedstinger)
Kala Garcia: Chrysos (Midas), Cepheus (Firenzar), Snowstorm (Narwhaddle), Cassiopeia (Sand Angler), Chainsaw (Thresher), Virgo (Vinedrill), Capricorn (Tormato), Hardstone (Armashelt), Abyss (Crystalyd), Neon (Glowbyss), Tara (Arachnet)
Paulina Garica: Chrysos (Midas), Cepheus (Firenzar), Snowstorm (Narwhaddle), Cassiopeia (Sand Angler), Chainsaw (Thresher), Virgo (Vinedrill), Capricorn (Tormato), Hardstone (Armashelt), Abyss (Crystalyd), Neon (Glowbyss), Libra (Diggrix)
Rune: Uruz (Negashade), Ansuz (Thresher), Raidho (Armashelt), Kaunaz (Rammstone), Milja (Grenuke), Dikruz (Dirt Urchin)
Infinity the Universal Slug
Pets: Bella (Zesherian), Wormy (Crystal Worm), Rath (Ice Ogre), Kobi, Cole and Amra (Lava Bats), Kibble and Nipper (Dino Rats), Reolin and Dew (Cavern Sharks), Marble (Gargoyle), Hydrus (Fish Monster), Crater (Cavern Worm), Buzzy and Musca (Scorpion Bees), Boötes (Slug Hound puppy)
