List of oneshots part 4
chapter 76
Sequel to chapter 9
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KO frowned as he paced around as much as he could in the small dog crate. He felt every bump as the flying saucer traveled to an unknown destination as Rad's parents excitedly talked to each other in a strange language in the front seats. 'Can I catch a break just once!'
(He is going to look great! I'm glad the groomers could find a spot for him! Do you have the pictures of the…what was it called again, a puddle?) Rad's father asked excitedly as he flew the ship.
(Right here.) smiled Rad's mother pulling out some pictures from her purse. (Which one do you think we should go with?)
(Hmmm… I was thinking the one with the big fur…wow, they come in more colors too! Which color should we have them make him?)
(Now that's unfair. Choosing just one of them is impossible, they all look so good.) She sighed before brightening up. (Oh! Let's just have them dye him all the colors then! He'll look great!)
"Uh, excuse me? How much longer am I gonna have to stay in here?" KO asked, oblivious to the conversation the two aliens were having. Suddenly the flying saucer screeched to a halt, making him fall down in surprise.
"We're here dog dog!" Rad's mother said with a smile.
KO sighed in relief before feeling the crate get picked up with him moving a little, his body still frozen and unable to move much. His eyes widened as Rad's parents weren't entering their home, nor were they on earth, yet they seemed to be on some sort of strange small planet, going towards a massive strange building with weird writing on the front, and a large cartoonish looking yellow cat face on the front along with a pair of scissors.
"Don't worry dog dog, you'll look perfect." She said as they carried the dog crate inside. "They will make you look good for the show, yes."
"I'm not good in a show." he got out, his voice a little hoarse due to the ray.
"You will be, can't wait!" His father said as they made their way towards what looked like the front counter, manned by what looked like a humanoid pile of tentacles. (Hello, we would like to groom our new dog!)
The tentacles let out a weird suction noise as they moved before one of them pointed down a hallway.
(Thanks! We have pictures to help!) He called as they made their way down the hall with a confused KO.
'I have no idea what that was.' He thought as the aliens brought him towards a large door that had a hatch installed in the middle along with a bell. Rad's father rang the bell and the hatch swung open.
"Yes? Who this?"
"Hello, I am Ofrang, I am here to get dog dog groomed, we have pictures." Ofrang said with a smile as his wife held up KO's crate.
The hatch closed before the door opened up with a sudden jerk with a bright light shining out. "Come in, hand over dog dog and give instructions. Please." The voice said as the two aliens did as instructed.
KO flinched at the light, but it died down as he saw the inside and was set down on a table. The inside of the room was a large office full of tables, a large tub, strange bottles all over and several scissors, razors, and sheers on the walls.
"I'm so excited." whispered Theodosia with a smile. "Do you think we'll get to watch?"
"There are two way mirrors in another room if you want to watch, it is bad if owners stay when grooming happens, pets get restless." The groomer said, a tall figure with long blonde tentacle-like hair who was wearing a stylish block uniform with light pink accents.
"Oh we understand. We won't be far dog dog." smiled Ofrang as he handed a picture to the groomer along with a note before he and his wife moved to the other side and behind a two way mirror in a side room as the groomer held his chin and looked over KO carefully.
"Hmmm….ok, I can work with this… oh, this will be fun, you shall be my masterpiece!" They chuckled, glancing at the picture and the note, then KO, then the picture, then KO again. "Fret not, I know what to do. No moving."
'I don't have a choice!' KO thought as the groomer began to move around the office, grabbing various bottles seemingly at random.
"When I am done, you shall be, fabulous!" They chuckled as KO got a sinking feeling.
'This… isn't going to end well.' He thought as he saw the groomer start to pour the contents of the bottles into a large tub.
"Hold breath now, this won't take long." The groomer said, turning to KO and picking him up. "Also keep your eyes closed… oh, keep them open, we'll make them dazzle~"
'Eeep!'
(Later)
"The grooming is finished." The alien said proudly, gesturing Theodosia and Ofrang into the room, a large tarp over KO. "Are you ready to see your new dog dog?"
"Oh absolutely." smiled Ofrang.
"Excellent, and here you go, your improved Dog Dog~" The groomer cried, ripping the tarp off KO.
The parents gasped, wide eyed and speechless as KO was still frozen, but this time colored in various colors. Several of them did not look like the normal kind with the colors in various patterns, from polka dots to stripes, to even a few stars around the face. To add to the strange look, KO's fur had been shaved in several spots and styled up, making him look like he had fluffy ears, a large coat and strange balls of fur for his paws.
"He…. is perfect!"
"Of course, that's the only thing I do." spoke the groomer matter-of-fact.
'What…what did he do to me?!' KO thought, straining to get a look at himself. 'I can't see anything! How long am I gonna stay like this?!'
"Oh! Let's unfreeze dog dog, he may get sore." Theodosia said as she pulled out the ray gun. She zapped KO with it, making his muscles relax as he let out a gasp and panted.
"Thank you!" He sighed, panting as he looked down and froze as he started to see his new look. "Eh?! Why am I so colorful?!"
"We wanted you to look your best for the 'dog show'."Ofrang said with a smile. "Now come, we got to get there fast, into crate please."
"No way! I'm not going back in there!"
"Why? We need to travel, this is safe." Theodisia said, tilting her head in confusion. "You want to use ray again?"
"No no no! I mean…can't I just sit beside you two in the ship?"
"Hmmm…. Ok, but let's go, we need to hurry to show." Ofrang said, handing the groomer what looked like coins made of styrofoam. "Thank you."
"No thanks, merely win and show my art to the world." He said as the aliens and KO left the office.
'Ok… maybe after this show I can get them to take me back home?' KO thought, looking around for any kind of escape. 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather be back with Cosma at this point, at least she didn't dye my fur.'
The three made it back to the ship with the two getting it started up as KO sat near them, bracing himself as it slowly began to rise. When it got high enough it flew off the planet with KO bracing himself against the sudden force. Suddenly the ship took off, with him going faster and faster, with him pressed against the seat. 'I should have been in the cage, I should have been in the cage!'
"How are you holding up dog dog?" Theodosia asked as KO just groaned. (I think he regrets not using his crate.)
(Well to be fair it was more comfy than out of it. I hope the poor thing doesn't get space sick.)
(I'm sure he'll be fine, he probably will be right as the rain on mars when we get to the show.)
KO used his claws to help brace, feeling like he was gonna go through the seat at this rate. 'T-This is the end!'
(Later)
"We're here dog dog~"
"Ugh…." KO let out, stumbling off the ship as his eyes were spinning.
"Now come, we have to get you to show, be sure to do well!" Theodosia said as she led him towards a large stadium.
"Oh I'm so nervous." spoke her husband as they entered and saw numerous people going inside with various dog breeds. Some looked normal, some looked like someone described what a dog is to an alien and they drew it by hand, some were bright blue, some had multiple heads, it was a strange mix of normal and the fantastical. "Look at how many there are? I think I'm starting to get hot toe."
"Cold…feet." KO got out while rubbing his head.
"Yes, that, you ready dog dog? We have to win to get prize, it'll be fun!"
'Fun for who?' he thought sarcastically.
"After this we take you home, if we win first we can go home soon…you ok staying there while we travel? Earth is where you're from, yes?"
His eyes lit up before nodding quickly. "Uh huh, uh huh!"
"Great! Can't wait!"
'Ok, maybe this won't be so bad, if I win I can go home!' he smiled as they reached the registration counter.
"Hello, we'd like to enter dog dog to compete."
"It is 100 Zobucks to enter, what is its breed?"
"Earth dog breed!"
"That one is rather popular this year." the alien went ahead and jotted this down and handed them a number. "Just put that on them and wait until the number is called."
"Yes ma'am, thank you." They smiled as they began to tape the number to KO. With that they followed some of the other contestants and saw the place was pack full of audience members who were eager to watch with KO gulping.
"There sure are a lot of folks here."
"Yes, this is an intergalactic tournament." Ofrang said with a smile. "Just be nice, do the obstacles, and we'll be good."
"No problem." He gave a thumbs up before they lined up with the others as things slowly went quiet, the lights dimming as a white robed figure with a golden mask walked out and looked around.
"Welcome to the 102nd Intergalactic Dog Show! Where the best and brightest canines come to show which is the greatest of them all! The winner comes out victorious and with honor!"
That got the audience to cheer and clap.
"And the losers? DEATH!" they let out, making people gasp and look in horror, KO especially, before the figure clears their throat and coughs. "Sorry, sore throat. I meant they shall suffer the shame of defeat that will last until the end of their generation."
'Oh thank goodness!' KO thought, sighing in relief. 'I thought I was gonna die!'
"Now then, let the show begin!" he proclaimed before the open field began to shift and transform, various objects rising up. "The first task is the obstacle course. To test agility and speed, the first breed to reach the end will win round one!"
"You got this Dog Dog, just run as fast as you can!"
"Yes, you can do it, nice bone if you win!"
He gave a smile and moved over with the other dogs at the starting line before a light began to count down. As soon as it hit green, all of them took off running, some of them outright running over others with a couple outright swallowing a few.
(Later)
"Winner!" proclaimed the robed man as KO panted, looking a bit roughed up with a small flame on his fur as he laid over the finish line. "Dog Dog!"
"Yes! I knew you could do it Dog Dog!" Cheered Ofrang.
"Now for the second portion of the contest, the judgment!" He called as KO found himself being picked up and placed on a cold metal table. "The remaining breeds who survived shall be examined and judged on if they are worthy enough!"
'Worthy enough?' KO thought nervously. 'What if they can tell I'm not a real dog technically, will they shoot me into space or something?!'
"Those who fail shall be banished, never to return!"
'Banished?! Wait… he probably misspoke like last time, right?' KO thought, waiting for the man to correct himself.
"Wait, did I say banished? That's on me again, I mean banned."
'Oh thank god, ok, I can do this.' He thought, sighing in relief. He watched as the man began making his way around the other breeds, trying to keep his nerves calm. 'I-It'll be over soon, right?' He thought before it was his turn, the intimidating man looming over him.
"Interesting colors, very vibrant…" he muttered, turning KO's head and looking around him closely. "Unusual pattern, quite rare…"
'Does… does he not know it's just dye?' KO thought as the man opened his mouth, looking in and looking him over.
"Good teeth, no extra fat, he's in good health." he admitted before touching the arms. "Good muscles, has room to grow."
'At least that's good to hear?' KO thought, trying to think positively. He watched the man walk away, making him sigh in relief and waited as he judged the other breeds after him. After a few more minutes the man stepped away, seemingly thinking over his options.
"I….know who is the winner!"
Everyone waited with bated breath as they stared at him, no one daring to make a sound or even breathe.
"It is…. DOG DOG!" he declared, all lights turning onto KO who perked up and smiled as the audience all clapped together.
'I won? I WON!' He thought, his tail wagging in excitement.
"He won!" cheered Rad's parents, hugging each other and jumping up and down in excitement and joy. "HE WON!"
"Yes, this is the best dog in the galaxy! Let's hear it for Dog Dog!"
KO blushed at all the praise, rubbing the back of his head as he gave a few bows.
(Later)
"That was really fun." He sighed, sitting in the crate in the space ship, a large flower wreath around his neck.
"I know, I got goosebumps from that." Theodosia said with a smile, holding a large trophy. "I can't wait to show everyone on planet X!"
"We might do it again next year."
"Maybe… you're leaving me on earth though, right?"
"Of course, that was what we agreed on." Ofrang said with a nod, the blue and green planet getting closer.
"Great!" KO smiled, a bit surprised. 'They… kept their word? That's a first.'
The ship descended down near a road, the ramp extending out as they lead KO to it.
"Do be careful Dog Dog, it could be dangerous out there on your own."
"You sure you don't want to stay with us? We have a home and a son you could stay with." Theodosia offered.
"I'm sure, I'm pretty tough for my size." KO said as he got off the ship, only to pause as the words registered in his mind. 'Wait, their son is Rad! He can get me back to mom!'
"If you insist, take care Dog Dog!" Theodosia called as the ramp began to extend back into the ship. "We'll see if we can find you again in a year!"
"Wait! About your son! I need to find him!"
"Radicles? He works at the Bodega, it is…thirty miles away, have fun!"
"Wait!" he called out right as the door closed and the ship began to lift off. "Noooooo!" He cried as the ship took off, leaving him alone in the middle of nowhere. "Ok… ok, I can do this, I guess it could be worse." He said, sighing as he shook his head. He looked around, trying to regain his bearings. 'Ok…. I think I'm near that place, that crazy blonde lady… blight? Yeah, Dr. Blight, where she tried to feed me that goo!'
He looked left and right before going the direction he felt his gut leading him to. As he moved onward, he tried to ignore the fact that he was still sporting his new…unique colors and fur coat, courtesy of Rad's parents. He was hoping it could be washed out with a nice long bath. As he made his way to what he hoped was the Bodega, he glanced around nervously. He knew he needed to stay hidden, out of sight, blend in, he couldn't afford to be 'adopted' or 'saved' again, who knows where he would end up, and for how long! Unfortunately, looking like a walking rainbow didn't exactly help him stay 'stealthy'.
"How much longer will this go on? My luck feels like it's all tapped out." He groaned, slowing down as he kept moving. 'Should I throw in the towel and just….no, no! How could I think that?!' he thought, shaking his head as if he was trying to dislodge that disobedient thought. 'I will make it home, I will!'
With that, he sped up his pace, determined to get home, get cleaned, and NOT quit. He WOULD get home, he WOULD be treated like a real person, he WOULD kick that dog catcher's rear if he saw him again, and he WOULD do it soon!
Sadly though, he was so determined, he didn't take into account his stamina as he kept going and going and going, slowing down and getting tired. "I…I can't stop….it'll…end bad…" He panted, looking around nervously as he began to feel like his limbs would fall off if he didn't stop. "If I stop…it'll…happen…again…" he groaned, looking desperately for anything, a hollow log, a small cave, and then he saw it, practically mocking him….an old dog house. "...no….no not that…"
He glared at it, gritting his teeth before blowing a raspberry at it. "No, no way, I'm not gonna go into the-"
CRACK!
Suddenly a loud thunder was heard, and KO began to notice that the sky was growing dark and heavy with clouds.
"No way!" he crossed his arms and turned away with a huff. "I'm not going in there." He kept his back turned even when he felt the first raindrop hit his head. "No way!"
Soon more raindrops came down, quickly turning into a downpour as he felt his fur get soaked. "N-No way!" He shivered, his voice starting to waver. "I'm just fine out here!"
(Later)
'It's just for tonight… just because it began to hail…' KO thought, sitting in the dog house with a pout. He rubbed his arms and was thankful the roof was holding up, but it was still humiliating for his self esteem. 'A least there's no one out here who wants to adopt me, and in the morning I can just leave, no one ever has to know.' he thought, looking down. 'At least my fur's brown again..' he thought with a small smile, looking at his wet fur, the rain having washed off the colors.
He stared at the rain, grumbling as he laid down on his side and huffed. 'I just hope the rain stops soon, I don't wanna stay here all day.'
(Later)
'The dog house is going to flood at this rate!' KO thought in annoyance, staring at the rain. 'Should I just run for it?' he pondered, looking out at the water covered ground before a thought bubble popped up to show him trying it, only to get swept out with his arms flailing around. "No… that won't work.." He mused, scratching his head. "Maybe… no, I can't fly…" He muttered in frustration before the doghouse began to groan and shift.
The small home slowly began to rise up due to the water, causing it to start to sway a little as it began to float away, making him hold on and try to balance himself. "Huh? Where…where am I going?!" He cried out in confusion. He watched as the scene passed him by, trying to keep it steady or else the inside would get flooded. 'I hope this is taking me to the Bodega!' he thought nervously.
He kept watch outside for any landmark that seemed familiar, keeping the dog house nice and steady, and trying not to fall asleep due to the soothing sound of the rain. "Must…stay….awake…" He groaned, his eyes beginning to feel heavy.
The more the house rocked though was making him remember the times his mom would hold him, making him feel more relaxed. 'Maybe… if I just close my eyes for a few seconds…get some rest then I can sleep later…'
With that he closed his eyes and wound up passing out, thankfully the water not getting inside as the house floated away without tipping over.
(Later)
KO let out a yawn as he began to regain consciousness, feeling well rested, but he also quickly realized the dog house was no longer rocking back and forth. "Oh no, I feel asleep!" He cried, shooting his eyes open and looking around frantically. 'Please don't let me be outside the animal shelter, not now, not when I was so close to getting home!'
He poked his head out and looked around, thankfully seeing no shelter, and instead spotted the bodega nearby. 'YES! Finally my luck is turning around!' he thought, eagerly getting out of the dog house. "I'm finally back! Oh thank you rain!" He cried out, running forward, only to hear a loud honking coming from behind him. He froze and turned around, seeing a large truck blaring towards him. It was only then he realized that the dog house wasn't just on stale ground, it was on the side of the road that he had inadvertently run onto. He quickly covered his face and braced himself for the pain.
He heard a loud screech and felt air brush past his face, but he never felt the impact of the truck he thought would be inevitable. He took a peek and saw the van had swerved around him and came to a complete stop, giving him the chance to let out a breath of relief.
Suddenly the door to the van slammed open and a figure jumped out, and marched towards him. "Well now, this is certainly the surprise."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't see the road…" KO said nervously. He looked up and saw it was Dynamite Watkins looking down at him with a curious and intrigued eye.
"That's fine, but what I mean is you're exactly the person…or animal should I say, that I've been looking for." She said, grinning smugly as he blinked in confusion.
"Uh…I am?" He said as she grinned and pulled a microphone from behind her back and shoved it in his face.
"Yes, you are the mysterious dog that was last sighted with the evil villain and criminal Dr. Blight!" She announced, making his eyes widen.
"I-I wasn't trying to help her I swear!" He said nervously as he backed up a bit.
"So you say, but I'm here to get the whole scoop, and seeing how you can talk, this is an amazing opportunity!" She grinned. "That and you just confirmed that you were in fact that dog makes it all the better!"
He paled and covered his mouth.
"Tell me, why were you with her? Are you her pet? Some new accomplice she hired? Does she have any plans on trying the same thing again? Or is she going to try it somewhere else?"
"W-What?" KO said, tring to process all the questions. "No, I-I just ran into her, and uh…I don't think I was her pet, but I don't know what she thinks, she was making some kind of goo that smelled good, but looked bad to turn the whole town into a toxic swamp? Then Captain Planet came, stopped her, she ran off, and forgot me I think?" He said nervously as Dynamite Watkins nodded along, a massive grin on her face.
"And where have you been since then? A hideout? Did you make a run for it? Or were you secretly in league with someone else on the side?"
"I…I…I'm not a bad guy if that's what you think!" He cried out nervously, holding up his hands. "I got lost, and then I ended up with Cosma-"
"The evil space dragon, the CEO of evil?!" Dynamite Watkins cried out, her eyes widening. "So not only were you part of Dr. Blight's plans, you upgraded from one evil master to another!"
"No no no! It's not like that I swear!" he cried out nervously, shaking his head. "S-She wasn't that bad, but I'm not evil, I swear! She was taking care of me, like Professor Venomous and Fi-"
"Professor Venomous?! My god, you have your finger in nearly every evil plan, don't you?"
"No!" he shook his head as she held the microphone near his face before his eyes darted left and right. "I…I…um…"
"This is a huge story, and you heard it here first folks, we'll be right back after this commercial break!" Dynamite Watkins said, making KO look around nervously.
'This is bad, I sound like a villain!' He thought nervously before pausing, and thinking about what had happened to him. 'I….technically I did cheat at that dog show…I was taken prisoner…..ok technically owned I think? It's weird, but several villains did look after me….am I a villain now?!' he paled and held his head. 'Oh no! If I tell her my name, everyone really will think I'm a bad guy! I need to get away before I end up saying something even worse!' he thought before he suddenly found himself being picked up, too distracted with his own thoughts to have noticed Dynamite Watkins reaching for him.
"I have to say, when I went looking for you I honestly thought I was just gonna get a fluff piece out of you, just some random story about a lost villainess's dog before returning him to the pound, not the story of the century!" she beamed. "This is the kind of story they'll talk about for generations to come! It might even lead to a global conspiracy!"
"T-This is a big mistake, I don't wanna be a villain, I gotta go!" KO said, attempting to squirm out of her grasp, but she held on tightly.
"Hey, hey, it's ok, everything's gonna be fine!" She said, marching back to the van that KO could now identify as a news truck. "Once I'm done interviewing you, I'll make sure you find a way better place where you won't have to worry about being some no named henchmen forced to help villains with their nefarious deeds."
"N-No, not that, not the animal shelter again!" He cried out in fear. "That's how I got into this mess!" He cried out, making her pause.
"Really? Well, that sounds like another story too!" She said as an idea came to her. "Y'know… you seem to have quite a few stories in you, don't you?"
"No no, I don't have any more. I'm actually pretty boring." he quickly fibbed.
"Nice try, but you can't unveil all that juicy info and claim you're boring~" She chuckled. "I think I know exactly what to do, I could use a sidekick to help me get more stories…. Yeah, yeah, it's perfect!"
"Sidekick?" he let out in a squeak.
"Yes, a furry little companion by my side, helping with the news, and someone I can send in undercover to help me get the scoop, from the sound of it you've already had plenty of experience infiltrating three organizations…" She started only to pause. "Wait, have you been into more than just those three?"
He quickly zipped his lips and didn't give a vocal response.
"Hmm, questions for later I suppose. Say, do you have a name? One those villains didn't give you? My sidekick is going to need one." She said as she began to climb into the news van.
"Uh…" he quickly wracked his brain for something before a lightbulb went off in his head. He let out a gasp and pointed out. "Look! Dr. Venomous!"
"Really? Where?!" She cried, looking around excitedly, leaning out of the news van.
KO took the moment to quickly slip out from her grip and immediately bolted for the bodega as soon as he hit the ground, going on all fours.
"Wha- hey! Get back here!" She cried out, running after him. "Damn it, get back here, we still need to do our story…Dynamo! C'mon, I just came up with a great name for you!"
'I gotta lose her quickly! I can't reveal myself to the others or else she'll know my real name and then her story will make me look like I'm a villain's sidekick!' He thought, getting closer and closer to the bodega. 'Ok, I can just hide in the store in the storage room, she'll never find me in there!'
"You can't escape from an ace reporter like Dynamite Watkins!" She called, starting to catch up on him. "You can't escape the news, the truth will be revealed!"
He let out a yelp and wound up darting around the side when he turned his head, making him look and quickly realize his mistake. 'Oh no! Back up plan!' with that, he pushed himself to go faster, and when the corner came up, quickly ducked to the side, right behind the building, and held his breath as the reporter ran right past him. 'Why is she so fast?! She's wearing heels, and she just met me! She's crazy!'
"I will find you DYNAMO!"
'But at least her choice in names is a little bit better.' He thought, looking around nervously. 'Ok, I gotta hide, she isn't an idiot, she'll realize I lost her and come back to find me, so I need to hide until she leaves!' with that in mind he noted how barren the back of the bodega was, minus a few crates and pallets, one of which had a glass bottle on it. 'Ok, I'll just hide in the crate, and then wait for her to leave!' He thought as he scrambled over to the crate. He climbed inside, sighing in relief while over at the bottle, a small orange genie rose up from it and let out a yawn.
'Wow, it feels like I've been asleep for months….ok, let's see what chump decided to rub against my bottle.' She thought as she opened her eyes, staring at KO who had his back to the bottle.
'Alright, maybe I can make it if I run back to the entrance.' KO thought, going over plans in his head, unaware of the being behind him, staring at him in awe. 'Hopefully Enid or Rad are working today at the front desk.'
"Puppy!" She cried out, her eyes wide with joy as she flew down and hugged KO, who froze as he felt her, and recognized her voice. "Oh you're so cute~!"
He turned his head and kept himself from speaking. 'Citrus Twisty? What's she doing back here?'
"Oh aren't you a cutie, yes you are, yes you are~" She cooed as she petted his fur. "Did you rub my bottle? Oh yes you did, yes you did~"
'I definitely can't let her know I can talk, which means…' he gulped and knew this was gonna be embarrassing. "Woof?"
"Aw, you're just the cutest!" She giggled happily. "You're so much better than the other idiot's who've rubbed my bottle, like this trio of fools in this bodega!"
'Oh no, she remembers me! Wait….she doesn't recognize me, yes!' he thought as she rubbed her cheek against his own.
"I've never seen a puppy your size, which makes this even better!" She cooed happily. "There's just more of you to love! Plus you're not trying to drink me or eat me, which is even better!"
'I don't think that's sanitary.'He thought nervously. 'Ok, so eventually she has to get bored, then I can continue to hide from-"
"Dynamo, where are you?"
He covered his mouth quickly while Twisty looked up and spotted Dynamite walking around. "Dynamo, huh? Hmmm…. If you're hiding in here, she must be a bad owner, huh?" She frowned, glancing at him.
'Not an owner!'
"Which means I better do the polite thing and take you in myself!"
'Take me in?! She's going to hand me over to Dynamite Watkins?!' he thought, feeling a bolt of fear go through him.
"Hold on, I haven't done this before with someone else." Twisty started floating around him, soda bubbles floating down and clouding his form before he started feeling a suction. He gasped in shock as he felt his body almost seemingly break up into bubbles and get sucked inside the orange soda bottle.
"Ahhhh!" He tried to scream, forgetting to be silent, but no words could come out for he had no mouth. As soon as it started, it was over, and he gasped as he felt himself reform, no worse for wear except perhaps a tad bit stickier than before.
"Tada! Your new home." smiled Twisty, KO looking around to see a compact area with various items all around. Everything seemed to be tinted orange, with the walls curving upward, making him realize he was inside the bottle. "You're gonna love it here!"
"Uh….arf." he let out. He walked around nervously, remembering to stay on all fours as he explored his new 'home'. 'Is this really happening?'
"Here I'll take care of you no matter what. Are you hungry?" she raised an arm and suddenly a bag of dog food popped up in front of him. "You can eat as much as you want!"
'That can't be healthy.' He thought, pawing at the large bag. 'Ok… ok, it's fine, you're only trapped inside a magical soda bottle with an all powerful genie, no biggie, right? RIGHT?' he thought, gulping nervously as he tried not to panic. 'At least Dynamite Watkins can't get me in here.'
"Are you thirsty?" she made a huge water bottle pop up and land next to the food. "Can't have you getting thirsty, plus it'll help all that food go down easy."
'She… doesn't know how to take care of a dog, does she?' he thought, getting a bad feeling. 'I can't open either of these on my own or she'll know I'm not normal!'
"Oh oh! Or do you wanna play?" she perked up before several dog toys popped and landed near him. "We can play anytime and all the time! Anything for my…my…oh right! I need to give you a name." She said, tapping her chin. "What to call you…'
'Ugh, I hate this part, please choose a normal name for once, Dynamo was the most normal one I've gotten in ages!'
"I know! My little Creampuff!" She giggled, making KO groan.
'Creampuff?! Oh come on!' he thought as she floated over and hugged him happily.
"You're gonna be my best friend forever and ever~" She sighed happily. "Me and my Creampuff~"
'Why can't people use normal names for their pets?' He thought, lamenting over his new name. 'Ok… ok, I can deal with this, I can escape from this place…somehow, right? At least it can't get worse, sure I have to pretend to be a dog, sure my name is now Creampuff… but at least I'm close to the bodega?'
"And now that I have a new pet, I never have to leave my bottle ever again." She happily cheered. "All the entertainment I could ever want is right in here with you Creampuff!"
His eyes widened, letting out a small yelp of fear hearing that. 'S-She can't be serious, right?!'
"There there, don't worry Creampuff, I'll take care of everything in here for you, I promise." She said, hearing his yelp. She gave a wide grin before moving her arms across his belly, making him jump and tense up at the sensation. "Who wants a belly rub~?"
'Oh no!' he thought, his back leg tapping the ground as he fell on his back, making it easier on her. 'One of my many weaknesses!'
"That's right, you do! You do!" She cheered as she rubbed away. "And then we can play all sorts of great games!"
'H-How many games could she think of?' He thought, his mind a bit blurry as he panted away at the belly rub.
"We can play fetch, hide and seek, magic ball, all kinds of games!'
KO zoned out the rest of what she said the more she rubbed, his tail wagging like a blur as she scratched faster. 'Maybe… maybe this…ok for….bit.'
(Later)
"Here you go Creampuff, another tasty treat for my bestest puppy~!" Twisty cheered, making another piece of cake appear in her hands.
'No more….so full…' KO thought with a small whine. His belly looked a little bloated with frosting around his mouth. 'I can't eat another bite.'
"Oh… are you full?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion. "That's ok, we can just play another game of magic ball!" She said, winking as the piece of cake changed, turning into a multicolored orb of energy, shifting in her hands. "I hope it makes you orange again~"
'Oh no, not again.' He thought, scrambling to his feet and turning to run away. 'Why does she keep choosing to play this one?!' He thought. 'It's been weeks, can't she find another game?!'
"Oh! You wanna race? Ok!" she smiled, tossing the orb aside before flying after him. "I'm gonna beat you this time!'
'No, I'm running from you!' he thought, running around the various items lying around the floor. Over the time KO had been stuck with the soda genie, he'd learned two important lessons, she never ran out of energy, and that she was easily distracted. Thus the impromptu chase, an attempt to get her to put off changing him for her own amusement for another day or so.
"I'm gonna get ya~!" She cackled with glee when suddenly the entire bottle shuddered and shook. "Huh? Hey! Whose shaking up my home?"
Suddenly the entire bottle was turned upside down and KO began to feel a sucking feeling once more. He let out a cry as he went falling down, finding himself falling back into the crate with a crash. He groaned as everything began to go black, not seeing that it was Mr. Gar holding the bottle with a frown.
"What in the world is this doing here?" he questioned before looking down and spotted KO's form, making his eyebrows raise. "And what's a…dog doing inside?"
"Hey! That's my home you stupid muscle bound mustached idiot!" Twisty shouted, coming out of the bottle with fury. "Go shake someone else's house and buzz off!"
"We do not allow mobile homes of any sort to set up on Bodega property, that includes bottles." Mr. Gar frowned. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Ask me to leave? Ha! That's a laugh!" she laughed before floating up in his face. "I'm an all powerful genie pal, which means I can do anything I want."
"Is that so? Well then, BEGONE!" Mr. Gar shouted, hefting the bottle and throwing it away, making her scream out in fear.
"MY HOME!" She cried, chasing after the bottle.
"Hmph, we don't tolerate freeloaders." he huffed crossing his arms before looking back down at KO who was still out of it. "Hmmm… this little guy looks kind of familiar…and it looks like that genie wasn't taking care of him." He muttered, picking up KO and seeing the frosting on his mouth. 'I should send him to the pound….but I think I have a better idea.' he thought, walking back into the Bodega.
Over at the dojo, Carol was in the middle of punching at the punching bag, but each hit to it was like a light tap given her lack of enthusiasm. Ever since KO went missing, it had felt like part of her had disappeared with him. She had been looking all over for him without rest, barely taking any time to rest since she was too scared for her baby boy. She had heard that Wilhamena had briefly seen him, but then he'd disappeared again. She was nearing the end of her rope, she didn't know what else she could do.
She gave the bag a kick before stopping and let out a heavy sigh, looking at the floor with tears in her eyes. "KO….sweetie, where are you? Will I ever see you again?"
"Um…Carol? Can I uh…talk to you?" Mr. Gar called from the front door, his hands behind his back.
She turned to the door and walked over, wiping the tears away. "Hey there Gar."
"Uh, did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked nervously.
"No, no, I… I guess it's just been bad times since KO went missing, but I'm good to talk." She sighed, shaking her head. "What's up?"
The man blushed and tried to keep it together. "Uh, well ya see…I found something that I thought might help. Something to try and make you happy, b-but if you don't like it I can take it back no problem!" he quickly said, trying not to sound like a jerk. He then held out a large present box, and she cocked an eye at it in confusion.
"Ok?" She said, cautiously taking it. She noted it was a bit heavy and slowly opened it up. She gasped as she saw the brown furred puppy inside with a bow around his neck.
KO groaned, slowly coming to as he shook his head, rubbed his eyes. "Ugh…how long have I been asleep?"
"K-KO? Is that you?" Carol let out, gasping as the puppy's head shot up.
"M-Mommy?!" He gasped, seeing his mom smile before he jumped out and hugged her. "Mommy!"
"KO!" She cried out, tears streaming down from her cheeks as she reached in and pulled her son out of the box.
'That was KO?!' thought Gar with wide eyes behind his shades as the mother and son held each other tight.
"Mommy! I missed you!"
"Oh I have too kiddo! I'm so glad you're back!" She cried, holding him tighter. "I was so…so scared. I thought I'd never see you again…"
"Same, it was crazy out there!" He cried out, shaking his head. "Everyone thought I was a dog!"
"Where were you? Did you get hurt? Did anyone hurt you?"
"I was all over the place! I was there, there, across the street, I couldn't get back no matter how much I tried!" He cried out. "I even went to space, it was crazy! I was even in a dog show!"
"A dog show?!"
"Uh huh uh huh, and I won." He said, perking up a bit. "It was kinda fun… but I'm glad to be back, and I can't wait to be treated like a real person again!"
She wanted to know more, but smiled and just hugged him again. "That's right KO, all that matters is you're back safe and sound."
"Yeah, it's finally over." He sighed happily.
(1 week later)
'Man it feels good to be back at work~' KO thought happily, standing behind the counter, looking very human once more. He was dusting off around the counter, giving a little twirl as he did. 'Things are back to normal, I'm me again, and I can focus on my actual life instead of getting pampered like a dog.'
As he smiled he heard the door slide open, and he looked over happily only to pause in confusion as he saw Shannon walking in, a large stack of papers under one arm. 'Huh? What is she doing here, doesn't she wait outside to fight?'
She put them down and immediately got to work on stapling them across the wall and doors, not bothering to look at him. KO was about to speak up to ask her to stop when he realized the papers featured a crudely drawn picture of a very familiar were-puppy, with the worlds 'Lost: Gizmo. If found, return to Boxmore, cash reward.' on them.
'Oh man, I was hoping she got over me.' He thought nervously, immediately glad he had his disguise/clothes on. 'Who knows what she would do! At least she doesn't recognize me…'
"Oh Gizmo, where did you go?" muttered Shannon sadly as she put more posters over the doors, right before they slid open and fell down with Fink walking in holding her own stack.
"Hey! Move it bucket of bolts, this is my territory, I don't need your shitty posters blocking mine!" She cried out, spotting Shannon and her fliers.
"You watch it ratface! I need the space way more than you! My sweet little Gizmo is gone and I need to get him back."
"Well I need this place for my posters, I WILL get my Scruffy back, he's probably all alone and scared right now!" Fink let out before she started putting up posters around the windows and some of the items, KO lowering his head and not wanting to get noticed. "Poor Scruffy… those nasty hero's stealing him from me…. Who would steal a puppy?"
'Technically Professor Venomous stole me from the councilwoman…' KO thought as Fink sniffed, her eyes tearing up.
"He's probably all alone somewhere, hungry and cold, or worse! I'll find you Scruffy!" she cried out to the sky while shaking her fists.
"I'll find you too Gizmo!" Shannon cried out, oil beginning to leak from her eyes.
KO felt a little bad seeing them torn up like this, but didn't DARE say something or get their attention. 'It's all for the best, I know that I'm safe and sound now, so it's ok…right? I mean, I just got back home.' He thought as he gulped nervously.
"Oi, not you two again!" Called Enid, coming out from the store room and seeing the mess the robot and rat were making. "Quit covering the walls with those fliers!"
Unfortunately her demands went unheeded as the two were a sobbing mess, clinging to their posters like safety blankets.
"Gizmooo!"
"Scruffyyy!"
Enid groaned and facepalmed, shaking her head. "I hate when they don't listen."
"Eh, they'll stop eventually." Rad shrugged, following Enid to the front counter. "Not like they'll stop just because we said so anyway."
"SCRUFFFFFYYYYYY!"
"They will if we just kick their butts out of here." Enid muttered in annoyance before a strange beeping sound began to come from Rad's pocket.
"Hold up." he pulled it out and groaned holding his phone before he answered it. "Mom, dad, I'm at work."
"Hi son, we just wanted to see if you've seen dog dog recently, we think we'll enter him in another contest soon." Ofrang's voice called.
"Oh, tell him about the yellow dragon lady!"
"What dragon lady?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "And no I haven't seen that weird dog you two had. If you're that worried about him, why'd you let him go anyway?"
"We didn't, he said he wanted to go to earth and see you, so we knew we'd see him again. Anyway, this nice dragon lady saw him on TV and asked if we knew where he was, and we told her to ask you."
'Dragon lady? Oh no! Cosma!' thought KO who gulped, overhearing what Rad said from his spot. 'M-Maybe she won't get here anytime soon? Space is really bi-'
BOOM!
Suddenly the front door slammed open, with Cosma rapidly entering, and looking everywhere.
"Where is he?!" She shouted, pulling out a disk that showed a hologram of KO in his were-puppy form. "I know he's here, give me back my son….I mean dog…. Just give me my Yippers back!"
"Uh…Yippers?" questioned Enid with her arms crossed as Rad had to stifle himself from laughing.
"S-Sorry, never heard of him." He snickered, trying to keep from laughing as KO did his best to hide.
"Oh come on! How could you have not seen a precious thing like this?" she held up the disk with a smile. "He's practically impossible to ignore."
"Wait… Gizmo?!"
"Is that Scruffy?!"
Shannon and Fink rushed over to look at the hologram before their jaws dropped.
"IT IS!"
"What are you two talking about? His name is Yippers." Cosma huffed, shaking her head. "His name isn't something stupid like Gizmo or Scruffy, and he belongs to me!"
"He so does not! He's MY dog!" spoke Shannon before Fink shoved her aside.
"In your dreams! Scruffy belongs to me!"
"No, he was mine until he went missing one day. I swear I will find him and bring him back home! Wait…. Did you two steal him?!"
"I don't need to steal what's already mine lizard lips!" Fink snapped in frustration. "Scruffy is mine and I'll bring him home, just you wait and see!"
"Wow, this dog sure is popular, huh?" Enid said casually, glancing down at KO.
"Yeah, sure sounds like it." he looked away with a sweat. 'At least it's just those three, it could be worse I guess?' He thought, trying to reassure himself.
That's when the doors slid open with Elodie walking in with a flier in hand. "Ah Enid, glad I found you, I need to know if you've seen someone."
"Huh? Sure…. Who?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well, it's silly really but… Enid." She said, showing the poster to the purple haired ninja/witch. "I just… I want to make sure they're ok. I can't keep them but… I was still hoping I could find them, and ensure that they got a good home."
"Wait, let me guess." Enid looked at the flier and let out a sigh. "Yup, the same dog. I swear it's like everyone wants this pooch." She muttered, shaking her head, making Elodie blink in confusion. She just gave a quick point to the other three with Cosma starting to grow.
"Who would give my dog a name like Scruffy?! I made sure he was nice and clean with his fur neatly brushed everytime!" Cosma roared in fury.
"W-Wait… a Boxmore robot, Professor Venomous' minion and Cosma, the evil space dragon?! How do they know Enid?!"
"Apparently they all owned this dog at some point or another, and boy are they eager to find him." She shrugged as Elodie's eye twitched in disbelief.
"I…I…I can't let THESE things get them! They're a pure, innocent puppy, villains can't own him, they can't!" She cried out as Enid shrugged.
"Eh, apparently he's missing, so what are you gonna do?"
"Simple. I'll not only find him, but personally make sure he has a proper home where he doesn't have to worry about all manner of villainous atrocities endangering his life."
'How did you manage to make this worse, Enid?!' KO thought in confusion.
That's when Wilhamena walked in, smiling as she spotted Enid. "Enid! Good news, I wanted to drop by and see if your little friend was around."
"Counter." She pointed her thumb while Rad and her were watching the bickering getting real good and started recording it on her phone.
"Ah, I see." Wilhamena smiled, moving over until she could see KO. "Hi there, remember me? I have some good news~"
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"Well, it took some time, but I think I finally got things set in motion to fix that 'you know what' issue I told you about." she whispered.
"Really?" He asked, perking up a bit.
"Yep, if everything goes well you should be reclassified without issue….however, there is one snag." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "If anyone, and I do mean anyone, hero, villain, civilian, it doesn't matter. If anyone can provide evidence that they have any claim to you…well it will get difficult."
"What?!"He cried out, eyes wide in shock.
"Yes, but luckily I filed the case under your real name, so as long as none of them know that they won't protest the decision or show evidence, so as long as you can keep your….other side a secret for a bit longer, you'll be fine."
KO sighed in relief and smiled. "Ok, I can do that easily. I've stayed hidden for a week, so I'm sure I can keep it going."
"Good to hear, I hope it goes well." She smiled, patting his head before walking deeper into the store. 'Let's see if I can grab something for dinner while I'm here.'
'Just need to ignore them arguing about my name and I should be home free.' KO thought, poking his head out to see the fight nervously. 'I can do that, right?' He thought as the front door slid open once more.
"You're sure your story is a big one?"
"Of course it is!"
'Oh come on!' he thought, seeing Dynamite and Twisty enter with said soda genie looking around. 'Why are they here?!'
"Alright if you say so, you're just lucky I needed to come back here to look for Dynamo…" Dynamite Watkins muttered.
"Gar! Where are you?!" Twisty called out as she zipped around the place. "GAR! I know you're here, you have to answer for your crime!"
"What crime?"
"He took my Creampuff!" Twisty declared. "He stole him after throwing my house away!" She cried, turning the corner only to fly face first into said man, who only looked down at her in annoyance. "Ah ha! There you are crook!"
"What's all the ruckus out here?" he asked with his fists on his hips as he saw Cosma outright wrestling with Fink and Shannon who were fighting back with vigor. Meanwhile Elodie was attempting to lecture the villains about why they couldn't own 'Enid', and Dynamite Watkins was just staring at the posters on the wall, while Wilhamena was browsing the shelves.
"You stole my puppy!" She accused with her small arm before covering her face and brought out the fake tears. "He was my everything and you cruelly snatched him from me when I had nothing else!"
"Wait, that dog that came out of your bottle?" He asked with a frown. "He wasn't yours to begin with."
"Liar! I found him fair and square!"
"Wait, you found him? You told me that you adopted him legally." Hissed Dynamite Watkins in annoyance.
"Plus you were living illegally on Bodega property, so I evicted you." Mr. Gar added.
'Wait…if she found the dog at the Bodega…did she steal Dynamo from me?!' Thought Watkins furiously. "Sounds to me like the only story here is how you're a liar." frowned the reporter.
"No, no, he was mine, I swear! He was my little puppy!"
"Wrong!" roared out Gar with a frown. "That was no puppy, that was my employee!"
"Your…what? Wait, you have him?" Dynamite Watkins asked as her eyes widened, along with Twisty's and KO's.
'No! Stop talking!'
"It was KO." he remarked bluntly, making Twisty's jaw hit the floor as Dynamite gasped.
'NOOO! No no no no no!' KO thought with dread, turning to the others to see if they had heard Mr. Gar's declaration as well. 'M-Maybe I can fix this?!'
The other four girls all went still in their positions, eyes slowly turning to him as he froze and tried smiling bashfully.
"Man, Mr. Gar's hilarious! I mean, me a puppy? That's crazy! He he he…" He started nervously, getting a bad feeling.
"Eeeeek! Garlic!" Wilhamena suddenly cried, hitting a strange orange glowing vegetable, which seemed to sail through the air in slow motion, an item that KO knew from experience was NOT garlic.
"Eeep!" He cried out, trying to move to dodge, only to be too slow and get hit in the face by the orange glowing vegetable, with him barely remembering the name, the wonder onion. In a flash of orange energy, he was suddenly standing on the counter, his human suit in tatters at his feet. 'Oh no….'
Everyone, mostly the former owners, all gaped in shock with their jaws ALL hitting the floor as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Uh…boy! That stuff sure is great, I mean, just look at this costume." He said nervously, trying his best to keep the situation contained.
"Y...Yippers?" Cosma let out, reflexively letting go of Fink and Shannon.
"Gizmo?!" Shannon cried out in surprise, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.
"Scruffy?!" gasped Fink, her eyes twinkling with hope.
"Enid?!" Elodie cried out, her mind seeming to short out. 'He…he was my puppy?!'
"Dynamo?" Watkins cried out in surprise.
"Creampuff?!" Twisty cried out, her eye twitching in shock. 'He….He talks?!'
"Oh no." Wilhamena said, holding her hand up to her mouth in shock.
"Uh…bye!" he let out before quickly running out the store.
The audience was silent and frozen for a moment, before the moment was suddenly broken by Fink racing after him.
"DIBS! I call dibs, Scruffy is mine, and he can talk now!"
"HEY! He was my dog first!" yelled Shannon before following. 'I can probably keep him now that he's not just a dog!'
"Wha-hey! He's mine damn it, get back here Yippers, your mother- I mean Luka and I were very worried!" Called Cosma who took off after them, busting the top part of the door as she headed out.
"Stop, you villains get away from him!" Elodie called, chasing after the villains, shaking her head. 'He's a human….but a dog? Maybe I can get him into the academy?'
"My story! Come back here Dynamo!" called Dynamite joining the chase.
"Wha- no! You get back here and take your punishment for lying to me Creampuff!" yelled Citrus Twisty who flew out the doors, leaving Gar with Enid and her mom with said vampire looking at him in annoyance.
"Way to go." She huffed, shaking her head. "Revealing him like that in front of them."
"Wha- you used that power up on him! Also, you have to pay for that!"
"I thought it was garlic! That stuff is bad for vampires!" She protested, blushing a bit.
"Then why would you hit it?!" he groaned. "I just hope he can outrun them, Carol will kill us if he goes missing again."
"Is it too late to go on break?" asked Enid.
"Yes!"