~ 3 ~
Aftermath of an Accident
How could I have been so stupid!? I was no better than my pit crew! Devo wanted to re-check the Heat Wind, thinking there was a problem, and I just told him I can handle it! Not only did my brakes fail to work, but the stirring wheel suddenly popped out right before I crossed the finish line!
Here I am, toppled over in a burning car that had just crashed into a nearby wall, covered from head to toe in third degree burns and boy does it hurt. I was in so much pain, I could barely remember what was going on around me. My sight was blurry and the smoke from the burning car was choking me to death.
I don't know what happened next, nor do I know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I felt like I wasn't hurting at all (Aside from the pounding in my head). At first I thought it was all just a bad nightmare, but when I opened my eyes, I realized I wasn't staring at the roof of my house. Not only that, but I couldn't see anything out of my right eye. I ran my hand through my head and felt something rough covering my hair. It was a bandage.
The doctor told me that I was in no condition to race anymore. What am I suppose to do now that my racing career was over!? Well...at least I'm well enough to leave, and good riddens! The food here was terrible!
As I was walking home, I began to remember what had happened before I passed out. While I was trapped in the car, I saw members of my pit crew pushing Devo around as if they were forcing him to take the rap. I should've told them it was my fault. But what good will it do? They'd still bully Devo until he turns into a nervous wreck.
I've known Devo for five monthes since the day he was hired on my team. Aside from what the pit crew had to say, we both became best friends. I'll bet Devo's locked himself in his house, thinking the whole insident was his fault. I had to see him and get him to calm down if he's freaking out.
I knocked on Devo's door but there was no answer. I noticed Ryo-Chan looking out the window. She had a worried look on her face which told me something was wrong.
Devo was a big fan of imported video games, so I figured he might've gone out to buy some at a game store. I've pratically checked all the game stores in Tokyo, but I couldn't find Devo anywhere. I asked Comet if she had seen Devo and she said he got word that I was out of the hospital and left to find me. It was already past noon and Devo hasn't been back since.
I headed back to his house and knocked on the door again. Still no answer. I was starting to get worried. The last place I haven't checked yet was Burger Dog.
Frida was sitting on the counter when I came in. She had her face buried in her hands and I could hear her sobbing. Hamm was wiping the counters on either side of her. When ever I see Frida and Hamm together, I usually hear them arguing over junk food and dieting plans. Now I know there was was a problem.
I walked over to Frida and placed my hand on her shoulder. She responded by screaming and nearly whacking me with her paint brush.
"Whoa! H-hey! Take it easy! It's just me!" I panicked, sarcastically bracing myself for impact, "Geez! You looked like you've seen a ghost."
I then laughed, which wasn't the best move when I suddely felt a slap across my face. It was so loud, the whole resturant looked up to see where it was coming from. Touching the mark on my cheek, I looked at Frida to see tears streaming down her face.
"Bastard!" she screamed, "how could you do this to him!?"
"Him!? You mean Devo!? But..." I didn't have a chance to finish when Frida shoved me out of the way and darted out of the resturant, "F- Frida!"
I stood there for the next five minutes, staring at the door Frida ran out of. What did I do to Devo that got her upset?
"The poor kid," Hamm mumbled, "for the past week, he's been nothing but a worry wart. He couldn't sleep, he barely ate the pickles off his food and he's been blaming himself for the accident. We keep telling him that it wasn't pratically his fault, that anyone from your pit crew might've caused it, but he wouldn't listen."
"But...but that's not like him," I said, flopping down on one of the stools in front of the counter, "I know my pit crew's been bullying him because they're bigger than he is, but he'd never let anything they said get to him. Devo is a strong person for someone who looks like a nervous wreck."
"He is. But when you crashed, his attitude changed completely. Personally, I think that little sarcasim you pulled when Devo wanted to check the engine was utterly stupid and uncalled for!"
"W-What!? He told you he wanted to re-check the Heat Wind!?"
"Oh yes. He tried to tell the pit crew that you didn't want him to re-check the car, but they wouldn't even listen to him. All they did was point fingers at him and said the whole accident was his fault and that he never should've been hired in the first place."
My god, what've I done!? I know my pit crew were big shots, but I didn't think they were THAT stubborn. I'll bet the only thing they care about are themselves. And they were hand-picked by my own father who almost went bolistic when I said I was going to enter a Formula 1 race. Was this his way of telling me how stupid I was to even consider killing myself on a race track?
I have to calm down before I lose MY cool. Luckily, today was Saturday so I could go to Funky Fred's just to get my mind off the whole thing. They were also holding their annual, month long dance contest that I wouldn't mind joining since dancing was my second biggest hobby. I just hope they have some prize money when I win 'cause I'm going to need it 'til I find a part-time job.
That night, I stepped up to the doors of Funky Fred's, reading the banner they had put up sometime this afternoon when I was looking for Devo. Something about that banner suddenly got my attention. There was something painted on the very bottom of the banner saying "enter at your own risk". I've never seen it there before. Did someone have a heart attack during the last contest?
I walked up to the table where contestents signed up at and asked the man that was sitting behind it, handing out sign-up forms why there was a warning sign painted at the bottom of the banner. The guy looked at me like I was stupid.
"When did you come in, this morning?" he said, as if to annoy me, "Last week when we ran the annual 'Funky Fred's Dance Contest', a contestent was sent to the hospital after having more than his noggins crushed by a human-size hamburger."
"A human-size hamburger!?" I blurted, "Who would make a hamburger that big!?"
"No one, it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. That wasn't the end of it. Another contestent fainted after being pinned by an autographed picture of an Italian dancer, and another was nearly shot to death by a machine gun that just appeared in his opponent's hands when he turned around. I swear, we must be holding a dance contest for demons."
I gulped slightly. Maybe signing up for this dancing contest wasn't such a good idea, but I got this sudden urge to join. I finally gave in and signed up, praying that I would get a desent opponent that wouldn't mysteriously give me more injuries than the ones I already have.
Before I went in, a 12-year-old girl in a redish striped, oversize sweater and overalls with a toy mouse sticking out of her front pocket ran up to the sign-up stand.
"My guardian let me sign up for a dance contest." she said cheerfully. The man just laughed and handed her a sign-up sheet. I just stared at him and the girl.
"Hey, no one said there was an age limit," the guy said, shrugging, "even a baby can join this. And I wasn't commenting on that woman that just went in earlier wearing a baby suit and holding a rattle."
I shook my head and walked into the dance club. At the enterance, I saw these two strange people in silver alien costumes (Not the ones from the horror movie, more like the big head and eyes kind...only their eyes are yellow instead of black). They were so identical, I couldn't tell them apart.
The two just looked at me as I continued onward. I don't know why, but I could've sworn they looked like real aliens. I must be losing my mind or something.
I had to wait until they called me. Until then, I sat at the counter and ordered something to snack on. While I was sitting at the counter, fiddling with a bowl of nachos, I saw the 12-year-old kid jump onto another stool five feet away from me.
"I want two chillidogs with extra chili on it." she called.
She really must be hungery, I thought to myself while nibbling on the nacho that was sticking out of my mouth. I watched as the girl pulled her toy mouse out of her pocket and lay it on the table. The bartender soon returned with their order. I chuckled slightly and went back to eatting when I heard her laughing.
"Columbo! You weren't supposed to stuff that down in one gulp! You're too small!" she said between laughes. I turned to see what was going on and the nacho that was in my mouth fell right out. That toy mouse was trying to cram a whole chilidog into its mouth. Was it some kind of mechanical toy with a life of its own?
Well, it was finally my turn. I walked towards the dance stage, praying for a normal dancer. When I got onto the dance stage, who else would be on there waiting for me than that annoying rival of mine, Zack.
"I thought you hate dancing." I growled.
"No one said that I'd join for the prize," Zack said with a smirk, "and seeing that you're my opponent, this match will end easily."
"You don't know me very well, do you. I can easily clobber you to death with my break dancing skills."
"We'll see about that, Candlestick!"
Halfway through one of the songs, Zack tried to trip me with his lousey dance steps. What kind of dance style is that, anyway? He isn't keeping up with the beat, his moves are way beyond "god awfully stupid" and he keeps trying to trip me everytime I get the best of him. And no one's making any comments about it. I was so angery, I felt like my fists were on fire.
Wait a minute...THEY ARE ON FIRE! I began to panic, trying to put out the fire on my hands when one of Zack's clumzey moves knocked me off my feet. I fell flat on my back, causing the fire to jump out of my hands and high into the air. The fire did a U-turn in the air and landed right on top of Zack, burning his clothes right off his body. After that, the whole bar was dead silent.
I just sat there, bug eyed and mouth quivering as the whole audience saw Zack butt-naked on the dance floor. Girls were covering their eyes, some cringing, others giggling. Zack covered his crotch and gave me a look that would make Superman tremble with fear.
"Any last words, Candlestick?" He growled. I was completely covered with sweat and I was shaking everywhere.
"Uh...um...Gee...is that a tattoo on your..." I didn't have a chance to finish when Zack jumped towards me. I yelped and jumped off stage screaming, "HELP! I'M BEIN' ATTACKED BY A NUDE FREAK!"
I callapsed near the counter, panting. What the hell just happened? First I survive a car crash, now I start fires!?
I was then yanked off the ground and dropped onto a stool by one of the alien dressed twins. One of them was standing behind the counter, the one that grabbed me was sitting on the counter.
"See, Lala. I told you he was one of them." the one on the counter said.
"S-scuse me?" I stuttered.
"You are one of the many dancers who can use the groove-tron." the one behind the counter said.
"G-Groove-tron?"
"An intergalactic jive power that gives a dancer anything he or she desires. This power was the one that saved you from dying, thus giving you the ability to wield fire at will."
"Right..." I said, slipping off the stool, "Thank you very much for the advice. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and take a shower." I tried to walk off when the alien twins grabbed me and dropped me back on the stool.
"You earthlings are so redundent." one of them said.
"You have a lot to learn before we can send you on your way." said the other.
"Give me a break," I said, "Okay, so my fists were on fire. I might've spontainiously combusted or something."
"That might be true, but ask yourself this, earthling. If you were going to 'spontainously combust', why would the fire just leap right out of your hands when you fell?"
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The aliens sighed and turned me to the dance floor. There was that girl with the mouse standing next to some 15-year-old kid in a bio-suit and gas mask.
"Watch closely, earthling, and then ask yourself if what you just did was just a coinsidence." they said in a unison.
Yeah, like I had much of a choice, I thought to myself as they had a pretty strong grip on me. During the song, the bio-suited kid pulls out a remote and presses several buttons, causing a human-size canister to drop towards the kid with the mouse. The girl just jumped back, her long pigtails almost standing like spikes.
I looked up at the roof where the canister fell from, but I couldn't find any kind of machine that would drop something that big.
"That's not all, earthling." they said. One of them pointed to the girl who had just gotten up. I almost thought they were refering to the mouse in her pocket.
"Big deal, it's just a mechanical toy...right?" I said. The two gave me the "have you been paying attention" look.
"That 'toy' of hers is 100% cotton." one of them said.
"Not a circuit in its body." said the other. I just gulped and looked at the girl as she and the bio kid continued their dance. By the end of the song, the girl ran around in circles and the kid was nearly buried in a pile of large gumballs.
The manager was ripping out clumps of his hair as if he was afraid the government was going to destroy his contest because of what we were doing. This probably meant he wasn't going to let me enter the final stage of the contest since he saw me burn Zack's clothes off.
Walking home later that night, I began to think maybe having the ability to control fire wasn't such a bad idea. I would've told Devo about this, but then again, he'd probably be jealous. Speaking of Devo, I should check to see if he was home yet. I know I've been out all day at the dance club witnessing what might've been the most bazzarre thing to happen in dancing history and I have yet to see if he was home yet.
But when I got back to the neighborhood, Devo's car still wasn't there. I began to wonder if Ryo-Chan had anything to eat all day, but then again, if she can learn how to dance like a human, I would think she'd also know how to get her own food.
Instead, when I came through the door, I found her curled up on the sofa with Jester who was in the same position, both were asleep. If cats could talk, Ryo-Chan would've told me why she was here and what had happened to Devo.
How could I have been so stupid!? I was no better than my pit crew! Devo wanted to re-check the Heat Wind, thinking there was a problem, and I just told him I can handle it! Not only did my brakes fail to work, but the stirring wheel suddenly popped out right before I crossed the finish line!
Here I am, toppled over in a burning car that had just crashed into a nearby wall, covered from head to toe in third degree burns and boy does it hurt. I was in so much pain, I could barely remember what was going on around me. My sight was blurry and the smoke from the burning car was choking me to death.
I don't know what happened next, nor do I know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I felt like I wasn't hurting at all (Aside from the pounding in my head). At first I thought it was all just a bad nightmare, but when I opened my eyes, I realized I wasn't staring at the roof of my house. Not only that, but I couldn't see anything out of my right eye. I ran my hand through my head and felt something rough covering my hair. It was a bandage.
The doctor told me that I was in no condition to race anymore. What am I suppose to do now that my racing career was over!? Well...at least I'm well enough to leave, and good riddens! The food here was terrible!
As I was walking home, I began to remember what had happened before I passed out. While I was trapped in the car, I saw members of my pit crew pushing Devo around as if they were forcing him to take the rap. I should've told them it was my fault. But what good will it do? They'd still bully Devo until he turns into a nervous wreck.
I've known Devo for five monthes since the day he was hired on my team. Aside from what the pit crew had to say, we both became best friends. I'll bet Devo's locked himself in his house, thinking the whole insident was his fault. I had to see him and get him to calm down if he's freaking out.
I knocked on Devo's door but there was no answer. I noticed Ryo-Chan looking out the window. She had a worried look on her face which told me something was wrong.
Devo was a big fan of imported video games, so I figured he might've gone out to buy some at a game store. I've pratically checked all the game stores in Tokyo, but I couldn't find Devo anywhere. I asked Comet if she had seen Devo and she said he got word that I was out of the hospital and left to find me. It was already past noon and Devo hasn't been back since.
I headed back to his house and knocked on the door again. Still no answer. I was starting to get worried. The last place I haven't checked yet was Burger Dog.
Frida was sitting on the counter when I came in. She had her face buried in her hands and I could hear her sobbing. Hamm was wiping the counters on either side of her. When ever I see Frida and Hamm together, I usually hear them arguing over junk food and dieting plans. Now I know there was was a problem.
I walked over to Frida and placed my hand on her shoulder. She responded by screaming and nearly whacking me with her paint brush.
"Whoa! H-hey! Take it easy! It's just me!" I panicked, sarcastically bracing myself for impact, "Geez! You looked like you've seen a ghost."
I then laughed, which wasn't the best move when I suddely felt a slap across my face. It was so loud, the whole resturant looked up to see where it was coming from. Touching the mark on my cheek, I looked at Frida to see tears streaming down her face.
"Bastard!" she screamed, "how could you do this to him!?"
"Him!? You mean Devo!? But..." I didn't have a chance to finish when Frida shoved me out of the way and darted out of the resturant, "F- Frida!"
I stood there for the next five minutes, staring at the door Frida ran out of. What did I do to Devo that got her upset?
"The poor kid," Hamm mumbled, "for the past week, he's been nothing but a worry wart. He couldn't sleep, he barely ate the pickles off his food and he's been blaming himself for the accident. We keep telling him that it wasn't pratically his fault, that anyone from your pit crew might've caused it, but he wouldn't listen."
"But...but that's not like him," I said, flopping down on one of the stools in front of the counter, "I know my pit crew's been bullying him because they're bigger than he is, but he'd never let anything they said get to him. Devo is a strong person for someone who looks like a nervous wreck."
"He is. But when you crashed, his attitude changed completely. Personally, I think that little sarcasim you pulled when Devo wanted to check the engine was utterly stupid and uncalled for!"
"W-What!? He told you he wanted to re-check the Heat Wind!?"
"Oh yes. He tried to tell the pit crew that you didn't want him to re-check the car, but they wouldn't even listen to him. All they did was point fingers at him and said the whole accident was his fault and that he never should've been hired in the first place."
My god, what've I done!? I know my pit crew were big shots, but I didn't think they were THAT stubborn. I'll bet the only thing they care about are themselves. And they were hand-picked by my own father who almost went bolistic when I said I was going to enter a Formula 1 race. Was this his way of telling me how stupid I was to even consider killing myself on a race track?
I have to calm down before I lose MY cool. Luckily, today was Saturday so I could go to Funky Fred's just to get my mind off the whole thing. They were also holding their annual, month long dance contest that I wouldn't mind joining since dancing was my second biggest hobby. I just hope they have some prize money when I win 'cause I'm going to need it 'til I find a part-time job.
That night, I stepped up to the doors of Funky Fred's, reading the banner they had put up sometime this afternoon when I was looking for Devo. Something about that banner suddenly got my attention. There was something painted on the very bottom of the banner saying "enter at your own risk". I've never seen it there before. Did someone have a heart attack during the last contest?
I walked up to the table where contestents signed up at and asked the man that was sitting behind it, handing out sign-up forms why there was a warning sign painted at the bottom of the banner. The guy looked at me like I was stupid.
"When did you come in, this morning?" he said, as if to annoy me, "Last week when we ran the annual 'Funky Fred's Dance Contest', a contestent was sent to the hospital after having more than his noggins crushed by a human-size hamburger."
"A human-size hamburger!?" I blurted, "Who would make a hamburger that big!?"
"No one, it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. That wasn't the end of it. Another contestent fainted after being pinned by an autographed picture of an Italian dancer, and another was nearly shot to death by a machine gun that just appeared in his opponent's hands when he turned around. I swear, we must be holding a dance contest for demons."
I gulped slightly. Maybe signing up for this dancing contest wasn't such a good idea, but I got this sudden urge to join. I finally gave in and signed up, praying that I would get a desent opponent that wouldn't mysteriously give me more injuries than the ones I already have.
Before I went in, a 12-year-old girl in a redish striped, oversize sweater and overalls with a toy mouse sticking out of her front pocket ran up to the sign-up stand.
"My guardian let me sign up for a dance contest." she said cheerfully. The man just laughed and handed her a sign-up sheet. I just stared at him and the girl.
"Hey, no one said there was an age limit," the guy said, shrugging, "even a baby can join this. And I wasn't commenting on that woman that just went in earlier wearing a baby suit and holding a rattle."
I shook my head and walked into the dance club. At the enterance, I saw these two strange people in silver alien costumes (Not the ones from the horror movie, more like the big head and eyes kind...only their eyes are yellow instead of black). They were so identical, I couldn't tell them apart.
The two just looked at me as I continued onward. I don't know why, but I could've sworn they looked like real aliens. I must be losing my mind or something.
I had to wait until they called me. Until then, I sat at the counter and ordered something to snack on. While I was sitting at the counter, fiddling with a bowl of nachos, I saw the 12-year-old kid jump onto another stool five feet away from me.
"I want two chillidogs with extra chili on it." she called.
She really must be hungery, I thought to myself while nibbling on the nacho that was sticking out of my mouth. I watched as the girl pulled her toy mouse out of her pocket and lay it on the table. The bartender soon returned with their order. I chuckled slightly and went back to eatting when I heard her laughing.
"Columbo! You weren't supposed to stuff that down in one gulp! You're too small!" she said between laughes. I turned to see what was going on and the nacho that was in my mouth fell right out. That toy mouse was trying to cram a whole chilidog into its mouth. Was it some kind of mechanical toy with a life of its own?
Well, it was finally my turn. I walked towards the dance stage, praying for a normal dancer. When I got onto the dance stage, who else would be on there waiting for me than that annoying rival of mine, Zack.
"I thought you hate dancing." I growled.
"No one said that I'd join for the prize," Zack said with a smirk, "and seeing that you're my opponent, this match will end easily."
"You don't know me very well, do you. I can easily clobber you to death with my break dancing skills."
"We'll see about that, Candlestick!"
Halfway through one of the songs, Zack tried to trip me with his lousey dance steps. What kind of dance style is that, anyway? He isn't keeping up with the beat, his moves are way beyond "god awfully stupid" and he keeps trying to trip me everytime I get the best of him. And no one's making any comments about it. I was so angery, I felt like my fists were on fire.
Wait a minute...THEY ARE ON FIRE! I began to panic, trying to put out the fire on my hands when one of Zack's clumzey moves knocked me off my feet. I fell flat on my back, causing the fire to jump out of my hands and high into the air. The fire did a U-turn in the air and landed right on top of Zack, burning his clothes right off his body. After that, the whole bar was dead silent.
I just sat there, bug eyed and mouth quivering as the whole audience saw Zack butt-naked on the dance floor. Girls were covering their eyes, some cringing, others giggling. Zack covered his crotch and gave me a look that would make Superman tremble with fear.
"Any last words, Candlestick?" He growled. I was completely covered with sweat and I was shaking everywhere.
"Uh...um...Gee...is that a tattoo on your..." I didn't have a chance to finish when Zack jumped towards me. I yelped and jumped off stage screaming, "HELP! I'M BEIN' ATTACKED BY A NUDE FREAK!"
I callapsed near the counter, panting. What the hell just happened? First I survive a car crash, now I start fires!?
I was then yanked off the ground and dropped onto a stool by one of the alien dressed twins. One of them was standing behind the counter, the one that grabbed me was sitting on the counter.
"See, Lala. I told you he was one of them." the one on the counter said.
"S-scuse me?" I stuttered.
"You are one of the many dancers who can use the groove-tron." the one behind the counter said.
"G-Groove-tron?"
"An intergalactic jive power that gives a dancer anything he or she desires. This power was the one that saved you from dying, thus giving you the ability to wield fire at will."
"Right..." I said, slipping off the stool, "Thank you very much for the advice. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and take a shower." I tried to walk off when the alien twins grabbed me and dropped me back on the stool.
"You earthlings are so redundent." one of them said.
"You have a lot to learn before we can send you on your way." said the other.
"Give me a break," I said, "Okay, so my fists were on fire. I might've spontainiously combusted or something."
"That might be true, but ask yourself this, earthling. If you were going to 'spontainously combust', why would the fire just leap right out of your hands when you fell?"
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The aliens sighed and turned me to the dance floor. There was that girl with the mouse standing next to some 15-year-old kid in a bio-suit and gas mask.
"Watch closely, earthling, and then ask yourself if what you just did was just a coinsidence." they said in a unison.
Yeah, like I had much of a choice, I thought to myself as they had a pretty strong grip on me. During the song, the bio-suited kid pulls out a remote and presses several buttons, causing a human-size canister to drop towards the kid with the mouse. The girl just jumped back, her long pigtails almost standing like spikes.
I looked up at the roof where the canister fell from, but I couldn't find any kind of machine that would drop something that big.
"That's not all, earthling." they said. One of them pointed to the girl who had just gotten up. I almost thought they were refering to the mouse in her pocket.
"Big deal, it's just a mechanical toy...right?" I said. The two gave me the "have you been paying attention" look.
"That 'toy' of hers is 100% cotton." one of them said.
"Not a circuit in its body." said the other. I just gulped and looked at the girl as she and the bio kid continued their dance. By the end of the song, the girl ran around in circles and the kid was nearly buried in a pile of large gumballs.
The manager was ripping out clumps of his hair as if he was afraid the government was going to destroy his contest because of what we were doing. This probably meant he wasn't going to let me enter the final stage of the contest since he saw me burn Zack's clothes off.
Walking home later that night, I began to think maybe having the ability to control fire wasn't such a bad idea. I would've told Devo about this, but then again, he'd probably be jealous. Speaking of Devo, I should check to see if he was home yet. I know I've been out all day at the dance club witnessing what might've been the most bazzarre thing to happen in dancing history and I have yet to see if he was home yet.
But when I got back to the neighborhood, Devo's car still wasn't there. I began to wonder if Ryo-Chan had anything to eat all day, but then again, if she can learn how to dance like a human, I would think she'd also know how to get her own food.
Instead, when I came through the door, I found her curled up on the sofa with Jester who was in the same position, both were asleep. If cats could talk, Ryo-Chan would've told me why she was here and what had happened to Devo.