Chapter 18: Clash at Onion Stadium
The tension in the Hell apartment's living room was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Kitty and Ma-San just looked at Lammy, who was dragging her fingers against the arm of the couch as she focused on the floor. They were told by Teriyaki to try and make sure she was at least calm before she uses the transporter, but ever since she came back with that weird mirror, she has not snapped out of this foul mood she was in. She was playing a bit more aggressively when performing with the band at Club Bummer, and each passing day, the patrons and Carol could feel the anger in her riffs. Somehow, her sound was getting more aggressive than Rammy's could ever be. She was full on tilted, and nothing could get her to relax. She was on a mission now, and she was going to see it to the end.
Day in, and day out, she would practice. Practice, practice, practice. Even when she felt exhausted, hungry, or the digits of her hands got sore, she wouldn't stop playing for anything. She'd just wrap her hands up and keep going. Her eyes felt heavy, and her stomach growled, but she refused to put the guitar down. Kitty and Sa-Man looked at each other before looking back at the lamb.
"…I think you've had enough practice for today." Kitty said, stepping forward.
"No. I'm fine, Kitty, I need to keep practicing." She waved the cat off, focusing more on playing before the guitar was ripped out of her grasp. "Hey!"
"I said, you. Are. Done." The hell cat huffs. "This past week, you haven't been sleeping, or eating like you should be. I get your pissed, Hell, I'm pissed my bitch of a girlfriend decided to up and switch bands on us just so she could get to the top faster! But you are destroying yourself by doing this! Your hands and mental health are going to be pure mush before we ever get you back to TopSide! I'm going to hold on to this, and you are going to go out, to the club, and fucking, eat...then, come back here, and sleep. Do you get me?"
Lammy said nothing, glaring at the monotoned feline before storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Kitty sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"This is going to end poorly…I can feel it." She shook her head before putting Lammy's guitar in her room.
Lammy leaned against the wall of the elevator, arms crossed as she waited for it to finish. She was used to this faulty machine and how it worked, so it didn't catch her off guard anymore. It did leave her a little staggering here and there, though, and with the lack of sleep and eating, it didn't help her in the slightest once she got out as she nearly falls over. Still, she kept on till she reached Club Bummer. She makes an instant B line for the bar and sat down.
"…The usual?" The bartender asks, seeing her nod. After a few moments, a pizza and a bottle of adult strawberry milk was put in front of her, and she quietly started eating. After a few moments, Carol would step out from the back.
"Hey, hon…feeling better?" She asks, resting her arms against the counter, watching the lamb munch on her food.
"…Not really…" Lammy mumbles, taking another bite.
"Still angry, huh?" She pulls the bottle back and starts preparing a different drink. A basic scotch and soda and pours a few shots of it, sitting them down. "Drink these, they might help a bit." Lammy looked at the glasses before picking one up, and throws her head back, chugging the drink down. She cringed a bit at the taste as the liquid went down her throat. It felt warm going down, and she felt a few strands of wool stand up on ends. Once it subsided, she did feel a little more at ease, so she grabbed the second shot, and chugged it down, tapping the glass against the table as her wool stood up again.
"Just take it easy, hon…" Carol said. "I know you're upset, and honestly, you have every right to be. But-"
"I'm putting myself in danger and hurting myself…I know, Miss Carol…" She said before going back to eating. The meerkat sighed before going over the counter and sits next to the lamb, putting her hand on her back. Lammy tensed up a bit, feeling her touch.
"It probably doesn't mean much, but…I care about you, kid. I just don't like the idea of you returning to the surface all gun ho, and possibly run into a trap that ram girl might have planned for you. I just want you to be safe is all."
"…I know, Miss Carol…" She sighed, ears folding slightly. The meerkat looked at her, concerned before throwing her arms around the lamb in a hug, which caught her a little off guard.
"If ya ever come back here, you're free to stay with me." She says, gently rubbing Lammy's back. The lamb looked down for a moment before hugging back.
"…Thank you, Miss Carol." She smiled softly.
"You're welcome, hon." Carol pulled away. "Now, you take it easy…but when you get back home, you teach that girl a lesson she won't forget!"
"…Gladly!" Lammy nods before returning her attention to the food. She finished it and her drinks before leaving the club. She did feel a little better at least. A little less angry than she has been for the last few weeks. She was still a little on edge, and while she was going to take a break from playing, she was still going to squeeze in as much practice as she could before the big day.
The month of April went by, tension and stress was still building up over time, not just for Lammy, but for her friends, in Hell, and at home. Rammy wasn't making things easier, throwing criticisms at her temporary bandmates or straight up insults or thrown punches at the others. Knocking the wind out of Joe a few times, blinding PaRappa numerous times by forcing his beanie down over his face, threatening to beat Matt into a pulp for trying to stand up for Katy and Ma-San whenever she deemed they've made a 'mistake', or punting PJ to the other side of the room for being in her way. Everyone was getting on edge because of her, but until the concert, they couldn't do anything about it other than let her run her mouth. They were sure, once Lammy gets back, she'd teach her a lesson.
Posters around town to promote the concert had been updated, just so Rammy was on them instead of Lammy, and including the time it starts. Seven O Clock in the evening of course, and this didn't go unnoticed by the red headed lamb, who used the mirror she snagged from Scratch, and she felt a spike in her blood pressure. She only ever caught them with the mirror whenever they were doing something revolving the event, so she never got a chance to see what she was doing to the others. Everyone was on edge, and only hoped things would improve after the SNOG concert. At least, they could hope things wouldn't get any worse.
The alarm blared in Lammy's ear, and she quickly answered by slamming down a hammer on it. She was glad she was getting out of Hell today. If she had to listen to another one of these damn things go off, she was going to lose her mind. She had to be ready though, because the transporter wouldn't be ready until later that night, and it was going to be cutting it really close from showtime, if Teriyaki were serious about it being ready by six fifty PM. Her nerves were on ends, and all she could do today, aside from not getting nagged by Kitty to eat, was squeeze in a little more time to practice.
Katy and Ma-San were doing much of the same, taking whatever time they could to practice, trying to get to whatever perfect sound Rammy was looking for. Tension and stress was growing amongst the group, but thankfully, tonight was the night they could go back to their normal lives. At least, that's what they'd like to hope for.
Six forty-nine rolled around, Lammy, Kitty, Sa-Man and RaParra were sitting around Teriyaki's living room, waiting for the transporter to be finished. The red-haired lamb tapped her foot, trying to ease her nerves. She then felt a hand placed on hers and looked down, seeing it was Kitty's.
"Hey, it'll be alright. You're going to kick ass on that stage, and hopefully, Rammy won't try some shit like this again."
"Fuckin' A!" RaParra nods. "Bitch ain't gonna know what hit her!" As he says this, Kitty felt her phone go off, and pulling it out, she saw it was a text from Sa-Man, which was a thumbs up emoji.
"Sa-Man believes in you too." She smirks before putting the phone away again. After a moment, the floor opens up, and a new transporter rose upwards on a pedestal, Teriyaki and Paul Chuck stepped out from the other room.
"And it's ready…" The slug demon said, turning the device on, letting Lammy prepare herself, getting on the transporter and adjusts it. Teriyaki then looks to the other three, nodding. "You three should go with her. It could turn ugly the second Rammy sees her." The trio nods as Lammy slides in through the printer like device. One by one, the three would follow her, disappearing into the machine as they are warped out of Hell. The slug demon crossed her arms, sighing.
"…What's wrong, dear?" Paul questioned.
"…I have a bad feeling about this…she still has the Phoenix pick, and with how hard of a time she's had trying to calm down from finding out about Rammy replacing her…we should probably go too." Teriyaki got on the transporter, trying to use it, but after putting in the coordinates, the machine gave off a loud beep. With a raised brow, she does it again, only to receive another loud beep. She got up and checked the device closely. "…Out of toner?! It only used four transports!"
"It's okay, Teri…we can go the long way and go to my shop! We might be cuttin' it closer than Lammy is, but we should be able to make it before somethin' bad happens! Now come on!" He takes the slugs hand and opens the portal to his shop, allowing the two to jump into the living world.
Lammy shot up from the spot she was laying in, finding she was in her room in MilkCan's apartment. Not wasting anytime, she made a mad dash out of the room and for the garage, stopping when she saw the poster for the concert, hanging on the door to the garage. A huff escapes her nose as she pulls it off and pockets it before going into the garage, approached her motorcycle, detached the side car and opened the door up, seeing Kitty, RaParra and Sa-Man standing next to a jet-black motorcycle.
"Nice ride…!" Kitty and Lammy said in unison. Realizing it, the two chuckled nervously.
"Heh, thanks. I built it myself, mostly." Kitty said.
"Got mine after a music video shoot." Lammy smiled.
"Yeah yeah, that's great, can we get a fuckin' move on?" RaParra huffs. The two looked at each other and nodded.
"Let's ride!" They declare, getting on their bikes, RaParra gets on the seat behind Kitty, and Sa-Man took their sidecar. The two revved their engines and tore through the streets, Lammy taking the lead as she knew where to go while the three Hellians followed close. As they drove, they saw glimpses of the SNOG and MilkCan posters, becoming more prominent as they got closer to their destination, the remodeled Master Onion Stadium, which was now more of a concert hall with an open ceiling.
The stage was set, the seats was packed, and Rammy was scanning the crowd from behind the curtain, her tail wagging. Thousands of people were in their seats, and she noticed a lot of them were wearing suits! They were potential talent searchers and record signers, this was it, her big chance!
"So, why'd we bring our magic instruments again?" PJ questioned, looking at the vinyl's in his hand before looking at the golden mic in PaRappa's.
"Just in case, PJ." PaRappa said before glancing over to Katy, who was pacing back and forth, nervously. They were going on in just a couple of minutes, and it looked like it could be the first concert they play without their friend. It just didn't feel right to him. Sure, it was nice to get the chance to meet SNOG of all bands, but without all of his buddies here to be a part of it, it didn't feel the same. He looked to the owner of the stadium, a man with a dark blue blazer suit and a 90's computer monitor for a head with a green line in the middle of the screen. He was looking at his pocket watch carefully, and once he put it away, it was time to get the show started.
Just outside however, Lammy and the Hellians pulled up into the parking lot of the stadium. Lammy looked down at her watch and let out a shocked gasp.
"One minute left before showtime!" She says before hoping off her motorcycle. The trio did the same before they rushed for the black door, and once Lammy opened it, she saw a long green hall. She gulps a bit before kicking it into gear, and sprints down the hall. She could hear the cheering of the audience getting stronger. The curtains must've been opening.
"Hey, hey, PaRappa Town! Are you all ready to rock?!" The owner of the stadium called out as the audience responds. Red lights appeared throughout the room, indicating TV cameras were currently recording. "I hope so, because tonight, our little quiet city is in for a special treat! But first, we're gonna start off right, with some talent from our home! You know, them, you love, them, give it up for MilkCan!" The crowd goes into an uproar as the curtains opened up, revealing the band.
"No, come on…" Lammy tries to push herself to run faster, pulling out her guitar and threw the strap on her shoulder, trying to run faster.
"Hey, hey, everyone!" She heard Katy's voice. "Hope you're all ready for some fun! We'll be playing a couple of our songs, and then we'll get to the main event, why you're all here tonight!" The crowd cheered upon hearing that. Lammy had made it to the door to the stage, the guard watching it froze when he saw her and the others behind her and didn't stop them, letting them run by.
("One, two, one, two, three!") Ma-San counted down, clicking her drumsticks together, and they got ready to play.
"HOLD IT!" Everyone's attention was turned to see the red headed lamb and the trio of Hellians taking the stage, shocked gasps filled the auditorium as everyone stared at her.
"You've gotta be shitting me…" Rammy huffs aggressively at the sight of the lamb.
"Lammy!" Everyone shouted, running to her side, laughing, hugging her, telling her how much they missed her. Though, with the mindset she's been in, she couldn't help but find it a little hard to believe, but just smiled tiredly at them before their attention was drawn right to Rammy, ranting angrily.
"Goddamn it! Of all the times you had to pop up again, couldn't have you just fuckin' waited till after the show?!" She growled.
"Sorry to rain on your little parade, but this little trick of yours is over." Lammy huffs.
"I…Is this a part of the show?" The owner of the stadium questioned, a question mark appearing on his screen as he looked to PaRappa.
"No, not at all." PaRappa said. "It's a long story…" His ear twitches as the two sheep started to get a little more heated in their argument.
"This was supposed to be my moment…" Rammy snarled, death gripping the neck of her guitar. "I'll be damned if you ruin it now!"
"Babe, come on..." Kitty said. "This has gone on too far."
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" She snaps at the feline, who stepped back in response, ears folding. "You weren't going to help me before, and you sure as shit aren't helping me now!"
"Calm the fuck down, will ya?" RaParra huffs. "You won't be getting anywhere 'fame' wise if ya keep this up."
"Shut it, mutt…" She snarled.
"Stop it!" Lammy stomped her foot, getting everyone's attention. "Let's just settle this here and now, for the last time. You, against me." She offered. After a moment, Rammy would smirk.
"Fine by me…I'm ready for you this time." She smirked, pulling out a black pick from her pocket. Lammy quickly pulled out the one Teriyaki had given her, letting it sparkle in the stage's light, wiping that smirk right off the ram's face. PaRappa, readying the room, turns on Boxy Boy and tosses him upward into the air where he starts to float.
"Well, well! Are we having a rematch, you two?" The boom box laughed, looking at the two ewe's as everyone got behind them. "Well, the rules are the same, three rounds and you win!"
"Nu-uh. We aren't doing three rounds!" Rammy snapped. "we're just doing one! First one to collapse from exhaustion, loses! The better guitarists gets decided here and now!" Boxy Boy just holds his hands up in defense as the ram aimed her guitars neck at him.
"Uhh…alright? In that case…THREE, TWO, ONE!" He counts down before joining the others, the crowd cheering as the guitarist dual commences. Rammy grins and instantly started playing, strumming the pick against her guitars strings, causing a soft gray aura to appear around her instrument. Lammy took a deep breath and started playing herself, a reddish aura appeared around her guitar as she did. Rammy smirks before doing a windmill move, unleashing a ball of energy right at her opponent. Lammy grimaces and jumps to the side as the ball just barely misses her and explodes against the wall.
"W-What was that?!" Lammy looked to her rival as she got back up.
"Don't tell me, Yoko didn't tell you about these things." Rammy smirked a bit, watching Lammy slowly get back to her feet.
"Oh, s-she's told me. She just never mentioned they could do…THAT!"
"Better learn how it works now, because when I kill you, I'll make sure you stay that way!" She snarled and the two went back to playing, powering up their guitars, occasionally shooting an energy ball at each other, dodging each other's attacks, Everyone was cheering Lammy on as the battle continued, the energy that covered their guitars in their own auras started to illuminate and form around themselves.
"What's happening?" Joe rose a brow, looking back and forth between the two.
"I think they're about to super charge…!" Paula's eyes widened and she takes a few steps back. The others followed suit once the two sheep started to float in the air. Without any warning, there was a sudden flash of light, nearly blinding everyone in the auditorium. Once the flash died down, everyone could see they had changed slightly, wearing sets of armor. Lammy had reddish armor, a transparent flame like aura enveloped her, the same skull logo she had on her bike was emblazed on the chest plate a phoenix helmet was on her head, and a pair of wings that matched the helmet helped her hover above the stage. Even her guitar got a touch up, looking like a bolt of lightning made of flames.
Rammy had a similar set of armor, though it was all black and dripping an ink like substance, and a pair of Raven wings, while her guitar was adorned in thorns and more of the strange ink substance dripped off of it. The two even had a slight height adjustment, looking like they had grown a few inches taller than what they normally were. The audience oohed before getting into a cheering roar. The owner of the stadium looked at the screens behind him, showing the angels of the cameras filming this, and the rating totals. At this point, they were skyrocketing.
"Everyone in PaRappa Town is watching…!" His screen changes to show a shocked expression. Then he saw the broadcast was getting into the neighboring towns and cities. He couldn't believe what was happening.
"She's supercharged…!" Katy's eyes widened in shocked.
"They both are…! It's an even playing field!" Matt shook his head, unable to look away from the action as the two super powered sheep's continued their fight, playing their riffs, firing more energy balls, flying around the auditorium, bashing into each other to release a heavy metal like shrill from their guitars.
"This is getting out of control!" Sunny said, feeling a cold sweat running down her face.
"Should we do something?" Sweety questioned, her eyes following the two around.
"I don't know…I think all we can do just watch them and see who burns out first." Joe crossed his arms, having trouble keeping up with the two as they were picking up speed. The two would land back on the stage, still going at it, though they were showing signs of fatigue as their shoulders drooped a bit and their knees start to buckle. The music came to a sudden stop and the two reverted back to their normal forms. They stood silently, everyone watching with bated breath, waiting to see what would happen. Rammy let out a gasp as her legs gave out under her and put her hands on the stage to keep her from falling.
"There ya have it, folks! Tonight's winner, LAMMY!" Boxy boy announced, hovering around the lamb before she too, dropped to her knees, exhausted. The audience cheered as the others rush to Lammy, showering her with praise and gratitude that she was back and safe. She just smiled tiredly, head bobbing slightly as they helped her to her feet, Katy and Paula putting her arms over their shoulders to prop her up.
"No…NO!" Rammy snarled, slamming a fist on the stage, catching everyone's attention as she slowly shambles up to her feet, dropping her guitar and pick to her sides. "I was so close…and once again, you just take my win away from me!"
"Babe, enough!" Kitty ordered as she steps onto the stage, getting between Rammy and the others. "She has won! You lost! She's slightly better than you, but you're still one of the best guitarists in Hell, you'll get your chance! Just…get over it!"
"Yeah, for real!" RaParra huffs at her. "This shit's gone on long enough, it's time for you two to bury this goddamn hatchet of yours."
"Fuck that!" Rammy stomped her foot. "I refuse to lose my chance to some…some…weak…" As she started, Lammy felt something click in her mind. She wasn't going to cite the entire quote from her nightmare, was she? "…spineless, cowardly, unfocused…" Lammy glared at the black and gray sheep, clenching her fist that held the Phoenix Pick, which began pulsating. "ADHD ridden…" The pick began to weld itself to Lammy's hand, reddish cracks forming and spreading outwards and around her hand. "Anxiety petrified, RUNT!" Something cracked in Lammy's mind as her fists started to tremble, the bright red cracks spreading up her arms, noticing this, Paula and Katy took a few steps back, eyes widening, shocked and confused as the lamb grips at her horns, which sparked a deep violet color in the same manner Ma-San's dynamite would spark. Everyone watched as the cracks continued to run up to her face before she drops to her knees again, screaming her lungs out like a lunatic, her eyes glowing pure white.
"Can't this thing go any faster, Paul?" Teriyaki questioned, tapping her finger against her leg.
"It's a Geo, darlin', this thing can only go so fast!" Paul said as he raced through the streets, over taking other cars, trying to get to the stadium as fast as they could. As they rounded the corner and got on the same street as the building, Teriyaki felt her heart sink.
"…We might be too late."
"How do you figure?"
"Over six months in Hell, and Rammy's probably running her mouth…just call it a hutch." Hearing this, Paul nods and keeps up his speed till they finally reached the stadium and rushed their way inside.
Inside, Rammy unshielded her eyes from a sudden bright light and was surprised to see a sudden change in the area around her. Banners for the band, the curtains on the stage and the entire auditorium had a more casino vibe to it, the stage was now a large roulette table, and standing on the wheel, with a sickening grin, was Lammy. Cracks formed all over her face and formed down her neck and most likely the rest of her, and her red hair was moving like the flames of a roaring fire, even glowing like one, her horns still lit up with the violet color, and her eyes were just spinning like a slot machine, she could see numbers and symbols, like cherries, BAR, a Joe Chin statue, and the golden bells, her guitar now resting on her back. Looking down, she saw she was standing on the stage sized roulette table, on the black 35, which became a red 5, in fact, it seemed all the spaces were randomly changing colors and numbers, and Lammy was standing on the zero on the far end, and behind the cracked ewe was a massive roulette wheel, spinning on it's own.
"W…What the hell…?" She took a step back as Lammy pointed at her.
"Shut up…" She says, her voice now sounding like it was being filtered through a broken thrift shop guitar that had been out of tune for months. "For once, shut…up." She started walking towards Rammy, grabbing her guitar, wielding it like a war hammer. Each step she took was in time with the shifting numbers under her.
"…Hey, we can talk about this, right?" Rammy chuckled nervously, taking a few steps back, tripping over her own feet and falling on her back, watching her get closer as she crawls backwards.
"You trap me in Hell…you take my position, my friends, my life…you couldn't handle the idea of me being better…You're going back to Hell…" She raises her guitar over her head. Seeing what was about to happen, PaRappa grabs his golden mic and runs out on stage.
"BLOCK!" PaRappa shouts, jumping between the two and puts his fists over his head in a cross formation as Lammy swings down. When the attack lands, another burst of white light occurs, causing the red-haired lamb to fall back, sliding against the table. When she looked up to get her bearings, she saw the rapping pup in shiny gold armor, even his orange beanie had a shimmer to it now. He was looking over himself, surprised.
"What the…" Her slot machine eyes stopped to show question marks as she got back to her feet. PaRappa cleared his throat, he has already dug himself into this feud, he had to stand his ground.
"Lammy, this ain't like you!" He starts. "Okay, yeah, you're angry, justifiably so! But to kill her in front of all these people? It's not right, she doesn't deserve it! Let's just…calm down and talk about this!" The lamb stares at him silently as her slot machine eyes started spinning again, her head tilting downwards.
"…I see how it is…" Her head tilts up again, nose flashing red and green as her eyes stop on a pair of skulls as she picks her guitar up. Just seeing that, PaRappa felt a chill run up his spine.
"H-Hey, let's just, chill out! W-Why are you so riled up?" PaRappa put his hands up in defense.
"Don't act dumb." She reaches for her pocket, pulling out the poster she ripped from the wall, and flicks her wrist to open it up, showing Katy, Ma-San and Rammy on it. The pup's eyes widened a bit and he winced.
"Ohhh, yeah…that doesn't help at all…how long have you…?"
"I've known for a while, now…" She says before tightening her grip on the poster, setting it a blaze. Teriyaki and Paul enter the auditorium, seeing the chaos that was unfolding before them.
"Holy shit…" Paul could almost feel his toupee fall off. "What are we supposed to do?"
"There's only one thing that can be done…" Teriyaki sighed before clearing her throat and starts to shout. "PaRappa!" Hearing the shout, PaRappa and Lammy looked into the audience to see the two rushing for the stage.
"Paul? Miss Yoko?" The pup cocked his head.
"No time, PaRappa! You have to wear Lammy out! If she doesn't calm down, she could turn this entire stadium, and possibly the rest of PaRappa Town into a smoldering crater!"
"W-WHAT?!" PaRappa had to do a double take in their direction before he heard a loud ding from Lammy. Looking at her, he saw her eyes had become the number 5.
"Five minutes…" She simply says, gripping her guitar as she gets ready to play.
"Wha-wa-wha…what am I supposed to do?!"
"Just do what you always do, PaRappa! RAP!" Paul shouted. "You always fix an issue doin' that!"
"C'mon, PaRappa, you can do it!" Sunny clapped.
"Yeah, man, you're our best hope!" PJ, Matt and Joe said in unison as everyone seemed to start cheering for him, which got under the lambs skin, making her stomp her foot, causing a wall of flame that blocked the others from getting to her, PaRappa and Rammy, getting them to stop.
"…You always did want a match against me." The ewe smirked as the flame wall died down. "Let's see if you can keep up with the best guitarist around…LET'S ROCK!" She jumps onto the large spinning roulette wheel, staring the golden armor wearing dog.
"…Yeah, I know! I gotta, I gotta…!" He paused, gulping nervously as sweat ran down his face. "…I gotta catch a break…"
(Stage 5: The Ballistic Lamb: Rap Vs Rock!)
The backing music started off as samples of sounds you'd hear in a casino; the beeps and boops of the slot machines followed by the dings, cards being folded and shuffled, cash registers, and the jackpot sirens before it all melts into a rock tone, which was going at a tempo PaRappa was having a hard time pinning down. Lesson 1 appeared between him and Lammy, before the angered lamb slams her guitar down on it, crushing it to bits before kicking it into the audience, most of which ducked and jumped out of the way of the debris.
"Ready to give these people a show, PaRappa? You've wanted to battle me for a while, right?" She eyed PaRappa before she started playing her instrument as she sung, taking the lead in the song. PaRappa could see her eyes flickering through odd symbols as she sang, and they were really quick, but he could see a green triangle, a pink square, a blue X and an orange circle. There didn't seem to be any pattern to how they were showing up, and with how fast they were flashing, he could barely keep up with how they were appearing! He was going to have to improvise if he was going to win this fight.
"Ready to give these people a show, Lammy! But this isn't what I had in mind; I don't want to fight!"
"That's what you're askin' for when you got between me and her! Could've finished it here and settled the score!"
"Wasn't looking to get in the middle of the fight between you and her! But it's over now, so what's the pent-up aggression for?!"
"Half a year in Hell, questioning if I'd ever get out, don't stand there and say there's no reason to be pissed about!"
"Alright, guess that's fair, but there's better ways to relieve the rage, other than let it poor out here on the stage!"
"No time for lectures, pup, we're on the clock!"She paused, and her eyes land on 4, the sound of a bell chiming went off…and to PaRappa's surprise, she was getting faster!
"Seeing what happened here while I was gone filled me with nothing but heartache and stress, all this anger, all this rage, all from years of being suppress!"
"In hindsight it was a bad move, but what else could we do? We needed to find someone who plays just as great as you!"
"You could've waited a little longer, don't you get what I'm trying to say? I wouldn't be so pissed if it didn't happen on my birthday!"
PaRappa grimaces, feeling something flick him in the back of her head. Katy and Ma-San felt like they got hit by a truck covered in nothing but guilt.
"I…It was your birthday?" He started to sweat, feeling himself freeze up.
"Uh-oh…" Matt and PJ gulped.
"Yes…" Lammy started to walk towards the now petrified pup. "My birthday, should've been a happy day, but these friggin' horns…" She pauses, nearly dropping her guitar and grips at one of her sparking horns, which had gotten shorter, similar to a fuse. "Itching, just a damn unbearable itch, get a chance to see what's going on, and I see how the town's adorn!"
A stomp of her foot and one of the black number patterns rise up, forming a cylinder, on it was one of the MilkCan posters with Rammy on it. It slams back down, causing a small shake that trips PaRappa up slightly. His ear twitched as the lamb's eyes stopped on the number three, now, smoke was fuming out of the glowing cracks of her skin.
"Alright…Alright…look, Lammy, I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but I'll set the record straight!
"It just hurts, it hurts seeing you filled with all this hate!
"I might never know what it's like, feelin' like your friends betrayed ya.
"But ya have to understand we weren't lookin' to hurt ya!
"Bad decision, bad timing, don't know what else I can say!
"There's gotta be something else, something better than going down this rage filled way!
"In fact!...in fact…" He paused a bit, looking down at the mic in his hand, and presses down on the switch, turning it off, and his golden armor fades away.
"…What are you doing?" Lammy questioned, her slot eyes stopping on question mark symbols. "Are you giving up?"
"No way! Just…look, you need to let out that anger, so, since we're in a rap battle…" He pockets his mic, holding his hands out to the side in an attempt to still block Lammy from getting to Rammy. "I want you to just let me have it. Any criticism ya gotta say on me, just say it, hit me with all you got!"
"Dude, are you crazy?" Rammy questioned. "Pick that mic up and kick her ass!"
"It's for the best." He simply says to her before looking at the enraged lamb. "So come on Lammy, pour it out."
"…I'm not going to hold back." She simply says, closing her eyes.
"Don't…give it to me."
"He's going to get himself killed if she gets carried away…!" Paula said.
"…PaRappa, if you perish, I will look after Sunny for you!" Joe declared, as everyone looks at him. "…What?"
"Dude, now's not the time for that." PJ shook his head. A sigh escapes Lammy as she got ready to play, the music slowly ramping up again.
"No holding back then…" She says, strumming her guitar. Her eyes opened up as her slot eyes stop on two. Now she was starting to glow, more smoke emitting from the cracks in her face.
"You fancy yourself a rapper, but I don't think it's appropriate, because you haven't really rapped.
"You only mimic your teachers, copy, imitate, it's such a load of crap!
"Speaking of which, it's a little funny, I know this gets you frustrated.
"Your girlfriend Sunny only thinks you're hot when your constipated!"
Hearing that, Sunny's face goes red, and she hides it with her pedals. PaRappa's face also turns a shade of red but couldn't do anything. He said he'd stand there and let the lamb air out her grievances.
"Hard to believe you two are still together.
"You're better off cutting your loses, man.
"Keep on simping for this flower,
"It's going to end poorly, man.
"Think it over, she undermines you!
"This might sound just a little brutal.
"But she calls you a baby,
"Just for not liking noodles!
"You done so much to impress her,
"How much will you keep going till it all blows up?
"Stopped an entire noodle invasion, shown you could be a man,
"And she says you're already a grown up?!
"Don't get me started on your other achievements.
"Karate, hardly use it.
"got your driver's license, yet you barely drive.
"Armed forces training, you only stopped a crazed barber.
"I gotta believe, how goddamn contrive!"
He watched as she started approaching her again, sweat rolling down his face as he felt the heat emanating off her body. All he could do was back away.
"You're riddled with anxiety,
"And I can relate, I do feel bad,
"But every little unfortunate thing you imagine,
"Makes you sound like a brat, it's kinda sad!
"You made a mistake turning that mic off,
"Should just turn around, and head back home, rover!"
She taps her foot, making the randomized roulette pattern PaRappa was standing on launch him towards her, and she grabbed him by the collar of his sleeveless shirt. He was sweating and could feel a small burning sensation on his chest as lammy tightened her grip.
"And I'll tell you why,
"Because this fight, IS OVER."
She tossed PaRappa to the side, watching him roll towards the other, landing on his stomach, and agitating the burn spot on his chest, the only thing hurting more than the assault on his pride he was subjected to. She looked back to Rammy who was still on the floor, and exhaled, exhaust fumes escaping her nose and she started to approach her again, making her scutter backwards as the lamb raises her guitar once again, planning to finish the job.
"WAIT!" PaRappa shouts, getting back on his feet, rushing back to the main stage. Lammy pauses again, looking over her shoulder at him, seeing him turn the mic back on, and his golden armor forms again. He took a deep breath before jumping onto the roulette wheel itself, staring at Lammy as she turns to face him.
"So, my idea didn't work,
"I'll own up to that,
"But we do need to wrap this up!
"Asap, fast, right now, stat!
"You still have it all long, Lammy,
"We care about you, and that's a fact!
"We were desperate, not sure what to do,
"Backs against the wall, me, Ma-San and Katy signed some contracts!"
"Hold up…a deal?" Rammy rose a brow as she stands up, approaching the dog. "Who? Who did you speak with?"
"Uhh…she was a tall wolf lady. Said her name was…Olivia Scratch?" He responds.
"…She was trying to get me to sign a contract…" Lammy looks down, her eyes slowing down, but her body temperature was still rising.
"Goddamn idiots…" The gray sheep facepalmed. "Have any of you ever seen a movie before? You never make a deal with anybody, especially if they're from Hell!" Before she could berate PaRappa anymore, Lammy let out a pained groan, gripping at her horns as she arches backwards as if she was stricken by a sudden migraine, even taking a few steps away from Rammy. When she stopped moving, her arms drop and she slumps slightly, and everyone could see her eyes, slowly counting down from sixty. She wasn't moving, and a loud ticking could be heard as her left eye keeps rotating upwards to the next number. Panic quickly set in for the group, but the audience didn't move, assuming it was all just for show.
"Uhh, guys, what do we do?!" Paula questions.
("We should probably bail!") Ma-San declares, trying to run off, but ends up running into Joe's hand. It quickly devolved into an argument on what they should do; save themselves, get people out of the auditorium and potentially out of the city if they could, figure out how to disarm the living bomb of a lamb, all the while Katy and PJ were still trying to get their supercharge forms activated. Suddenly, there was a sudden flash of light, and looking towards it, everyone could see Katy had turned into her supercharged winter form.
Looking up, she saw Lammy had reached ten seconds, and she quickly rushed over, wrapping her arms around her. She could feel her arms burning, and while she winced, wanting to let go, she kept Lammy in her embrace. The timer had stopped on 4 before the two were engulfed in a large cloud of smoke. Everyone watched as it slowly faded away, showing the two had changed back, small burn patches were on their fur, Lammy's horns had shortened again, and her legs were shaking before she collapsed, despite Katy's attempt to keep her standing, almost taking the feline with her. Matt would rush over and put the lamb's arm over his shoulder, and seeing this, Katy followed suit, propping her up as they walked her over to the stool Ma-San would use for her drum set.
"Just take it easy, Lammy…" Matt says as they carefully sit her down, keeping his hand on her to make sure she didn't fall off the stool. The lamb coughed and sputtered a bit, small black puffs of smoke escaping her, as she still had some of the stuff in her system.
"M-My lungs…" She whimpered, gripping at her chest.
"Keep coughing it up, hon…" Katy said, patting her back, trying to help her get more of the smoke out.
"…Remind me to never piss you off again." Rammy comments as PaRappa turns his mic off again, the armor vanishing, just as the gray sheep grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. "Now…what the fuck were you guys thinking?!"
"W-We just wanted to make sure Lammy was safe!" PaRappa stuttered as he grabs the sheep's hand. "S-Scratch said she would guarantee she would return!"
"Ah shit…you know she'll probably want something in return, right?!" Suddenly, a wall of flame shoots up behind Rammy, and appearing from it, was Scratch herself. She turned and dropped PaRappa, looking up at the taller wolf.
"Speaking of which, I'm here for my payment." The wolf said, flicking her wrist and making the three contracts appear, PaRappa, Katy and Ma-San's names glowing on their respective papers.
"Okay…you did hold up your end of the bargain. What do you want in return?" Katy asked, watching as the woman picked up Lammy's guitar from the stage, looking it over.
"I want Lammy, to go on a solo career, and work for me." She answers. The red lamb sighed.
"I told you…plenty of times…I'm not interested in doing that…" She says, slowly sitting up.
"I'm afraid, you don't have a choice now…" Scratch takes one of the contracts and holds it out to her, letting her read everything carefully. "Your friends didn't read the fine print."
"This contract will give the signer comfort in knowing their friend, Lammy Lamb, will return to the living world, safe and sound. However,…" She pauses, leaning forward to make sure she was reading it right. "However, upon her return, Lammy Lambert is to go on a solo career under Daemon Records…while her friends, the signer in question, will also work under Daemon Records, but will be unable to perform with her in any occasion or performance…"
"You can't do that!" Joe clenched his fists.
"Yeah, what gives?!" Paula huffs.
"I apologize, but next time, I really suggest you read the contracts, so you know what you're getting into…it is too late to go back now." She snaps her fingers, and a portal opens up underneath Lammy and her seat. She flailed a bit, trying to get out of it, but falls right in, yelping.
"LAMMY!" The group yelled, trying to grab her, but it closed right up, causing them to collide into each other into a pile.
"Now…" Scratch said as the contract hovered over to her hand again, and she pockets it. "If you'll excuse me, it's time to get to work.."