=|=|=| Episode 5: An H2-Overloaded Day |=|=|=

Do you people know about water? The very thing that can hydrate, clean and do all sorts of other things if used right? Water is a very valuable thing to have in our planet Earth. So we should not waste it and try our best to conserve it as much as possible. Now without further ado, let's get into the story.

It was a fine morning. Tim and his father were waiting while Tim's mother was cooking breakfast. Today, the food was scrambled egg sandwiches. It wasn't much, but for Tim and his family they were enough. They didn't mind as long as they got to eat breakfast.

Tim's mother was humming softly while she was cooking, "Ahh, that always smells good in the morning." said Tim as he smelled the scrambled eggs frying in the pan. "Yes, it does." replied Tim's father.

When Tim's mother finished cooking, she got a plate. Then, she started making the scrambled egg sandwiches. Once she was done, she went over to the table and set the plate down. "Mmm." said Tim as he could smell the scrambled eggs even more.

"That looks delicious." said his father as he took one of the sandwiches and started eating. Tim and his mom took their sandwiches and ate too.

"So Tim, how's work been so far? I hope you're alright there." said Tim's father, "Eh, I'm fine. Just workin' 'round the railway. I love it." Tim replied. "Good to know." said Tim's father.

After Tim and his family finished eating, he went to the small wooden cabinet and put his work clothes on. Then, as he headed out he said goodbye to his parents before going past the door and shutting it behind him.

When Tim got to The Leafy Line, he saw his engine Riptide talking to the other engines who were still in the engine shed.

"LBSCR E2 eh? Say, didn't that class of locomotive have water problems or something?"

"Yeah, I think they did. But when the workshop built me, they gave me some improvements so that I'd be able to work more efficiently."

"How does it feel being the basis of a famous engine?"

"It feels wonderful. Knowing that you're the basis for a famous engine, that's kinda like an honor if you ask me."

"Y'know, some of the other people and engines say that you're trying to imitate Thomas."

"Tim told me all about him. And when I saw him in the books and the TV show I began to like him too. He's a nice engine. He gets into trouble at times, but he always pulls through in the end."

"So... Thomas is basically your idol now?"

"Yes."

"Since your sorta look like Thomas, you can be our railway's Thomas. Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahahaha! Yes, then all I'll need is some modification, new parts, new face and a new shade of blue and I'm good to go."

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Hahaha! Just imagine, Riptide the number 1 blue tank engine of The Leafy Line."

"Lightningstreak will be Gordon."

"Lightningstreak the flashy blue engine."

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Condor will be Henry."

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"Rainwater will be Edward."

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Riptide can pull two brown coaches, then it'll be like he's pulling Annie and Clarabel."

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"Mr. Fred will be the fat controller."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

As Riptide was talking to the other engines, he heard a voice say "Hey Riptide!". "Oh, hey Tim." Riptide replied. "Hey, Mr. Fred will give us our first job soon." said Tim. "Yeah, I know." Riptide replied back.

Just as Riptide said that, Mr. Fred came walking right to where he, Tim and the other engines were.

"Oh, hello Mr. Fred." said Riptide, "Hi." Mr. Fred replied. Then, the man added "Anyway, here are all of your jobs for today. Rose, you will pick up a goodstrain from the docks. Sunshine, you will pull a passenger train. Johnny, you will shunt the rolling stock. And Tim and Riptide, the both of you will collect water tankers from the docks.".

Tim and the other engines agreed, before starting to do their jobs. Johnny went to the yard to get ready to shunt what needs to be shunted and to get Sunshine's train ready. While Tim, Riptide and Rose went to Aquaria Docks to collect the trains that have been given to them.

A little bit of information about Rose. She's a red Peckett W4 locomotive with yellow linings. She had the letter on her side tanks in yellow as well and was numbered 9. She had roses and rose vines painted almost all over her. Her running board was red with white on top, and her buffers were black.

Tim and Riptide had already knew about Rose before this very moment. So they and Rose talked for a long time while travelling to the docks.

By the time Tim, Riptide and Rose reached the docks, their trains were waiting for them. Soon, they buffered up in the front of their trains. After the shunters fastened the couplings, Riptide and Rose blew their whistles before setting off.

When Tim, Riptide and Rose came to a part of the track that would make them part ways, Riptide said "Goodbye Rose!" before Tim made him whistle. "Bye Riptide!" Rose replied back before her driver made her whistle back as well.

Soon, Tim and Riptide were cruising down the line by themselves along with the water tankers. "Y'know Riptide, it's kinda funny. Your name is related to water, and you got a job that's related to water." said Tim chuckling a bit, "Hahahahahaha! Yeah!" replied Riptide laughing.

After a while, Tim and Riptide reached the station where they were supposed to deliver the water tankers. When Riptide stopped, he whistled. Soon, a shunter came and uncoupled Riptide from the tankers. Then, Tim and Riptide used some points to run around the tankers and go back to the engine sheds.

When Tim and Riptide got back to the sheds, they found Mr. Fred waiting for them. "Ah, Tim and Riptide. There you both are." Mr. Fred said, "We're here sir. What's our next job?" Riptide asked. "I want the both of you to take over on the shunting duty. Rainwater's supposed to collect water tankers later, they were left on the yard because the one who sent them was in a hurry. C'mon Tim and Riptide, get to it." Mr. Fred added. "Alright sir." replied Riptide as Tim made him move towards the yard.

Tim and Riptide shunted the water tankers into each other. As the shunter fastened their couplings, Tim and Riptide pushed them towards platform 3 where Rainwater was waiting.

Rainwater looked back as Tim and Riptide shunted the water tankers onto the back of him. "Alright Rainwater, your tankers are ready!" said Tim, "Thank you." Rainwater replied. Then, the shunter fastened the couplings of Rainwater and the water tanker behind him before Tim and Riptide helped push the train to give Rainwater a bit of a boost.

Rainwater whistled as he started to set off, Riptide whistled back as he and Tim saw Rainwater puff away.

"Y'know Tim, Rainwater's name is related to water too. And he got a job that's related to water!" said Riptide, "You're right!" said Tim as he and Ripide both laughed.

Meanwhile, Rainwater was already puffing down the line. He was cruising smoothly. He knew that this run was just like any other. But he felt better since he was in a bit of a good mood today. Rainwater smiled as he went faster.

However, Rainwater's good mood was about to come to an end. The skies were starting to turn gray. Rainwater knew what that meant. Rain.

Now, I know Rainwater's name is related to both rain and water. But no one wants slippery rails. They could cause accidents.

"Uh oh, it might rain soon." said Rainwater, "Then let's pick up the pace." replied his driver and made him go faster.

As Rainwater went faster, the skies turned into a darker shade of gray. The rain started to get a bit stronger, it lightly showered Rainwater. "I hope it dosen't rain. The tracks might get slippery." Rainwater thought as he kept on puffing along the line.

But Rainwater's hopes were dashed when the rain only grew stronger and the skies turned darker. Soon, Rainwater, his tender, his water tankers and everything else in the surroundings were being drenched. "Uh oh." Rainwater muttered. "Let's slow down a bit." said his driver, and so that's what he made Rainwater do.

Rainwater continued to chug along the line as the rain continued pouring down. For a while, they were doing fine. Until they had to go up the Loop-de-loop mountain. Rainwater got worried, he didn't know if he'd be able to cross the mountain without struggling. But he had no choice, he had to go anyway.

Rainwater's driver decided to slow him down so that he'd be able to get a good grip on the rails before crossing the steeper parts of the mountain. Rainwater's wheels struggled and slipped a bit, but he kept going on anyway.

"Driver! A bit of sand please?" asked Rainwater, the driver then made him drop some sand on the rails. Letting him get an even better grip on the rails. "Thanks." said Rainwater as he was starting to cross the mountain better.

But... even though Rainwater was doing better now, the rain decided to give him a bad time by pouring down even harder! "Driver! More sand!" Rainwater yelled as his driver made him drop sand again on the rails. Rainwater's wheels slipped on the wet tracks, they kept on slipping until he couldn't properly get a good grip on them anymore.

"I... need... to... move!" groaned Rainwater as he struggled and struggled! Then, there was worse to come! The rain poured even harder! "Oh no!" cried Rainwater as he and his crew desperately tried to keep the train moving. But eventually, the tracks got so wet that not even sand would help them. Rainwater was forced to stop in the middle of the Loop-de-loop mountain.

"Bother." said Rainwater, "I'll try to call for help." said the driver. But he had no need to, back down the line there was Chestnut pulling a passenger train. "Huh? What's that?" he said when he saw the back of Rainwater's train. Chestnut's driver made him stop.

"Hey! Who's blocking the way? I've got a passenger train here y'know." said Chestnut, "Oh, Chestnut? Is that you?" came a voice. Chestnut knew who it was and said "Rainwater?", "Yes." the blue engine replied. "What're you doing here?" asked Chestnut, "Well, me and my crew were trying to cross this mountain. But the tracks got too slippery and we ended up getting stuck." Rainwater answered. "Can't you just use your sandbox?" Chestnut asked again, "Me and my crew have tried, it didn't work." Rainwater answered again.

Rainwater's driver spoke to Chestnut's crew. "Can you plese help us?" the driver asked, "Sure." said Chestnut's fireman as he and Chestnut's driver got back in Chestnut's cab.

After Chestnut, Rainwater and their crews got ready, Chestnut buffered up behind Rainwater's train. He dropped some sand on the rails and began to push. Rainwater started off as well and began trying to help Chestnut by pulling the train. "C'mon! C'mon!" groaned Rainwater as his wheels slipped, Chestnut groaned as well. Slowly but surely, the brown engine started to move the train. "We're moving!" said Rainwater, "Finally!" said Rainwater's fireman.

Rainwater and Chestnut pulled and pushed with all their might, it was difficult to get up because of the weight of both their trains. But they kept on going anyway.

Both Rainwater and Chestnut's crews tried adding more coal and sand as they went along. Little by little, Chestnut and Rainwater's trains started to go faster and faster. "We're moving! We're really moving!" said Rainwater, "C'moooonnnnn..." Chestnut groaned as he and Rainwater were almost reaching the top of the mountain. Wheel turn by wheel turn, Rainwater and Chestnut were dragging themselves up to the top of the mountain. Then...

"We're at the top! We made it! Thank you Chestnut!"

"No problem."

Both engines managed to reach the top, Rainwater said thank you to Chestnut before speeding off. Chestnut smiled as he continued to pull his passenger train.

The rest of the journey was smooth for Rainwater, and he had no more trouble after that. Both he and Chestnut ended up running a bit late on their jobs. But it was understandable. When they told Mr. Fred what had happened, he understood them and let them get back to work.

As Rainwater buffered up to another goodstrain he was supposed to collect, Tim and Riptide were with him beside the platforms. "Well well well, I heard about what happened. Now you can really live up to your name Rainwater. It's ironic though, getting stuck on a mountain and getting a bit late because of the thing you were named after." Riptide chuckled, "Ah, oh the irony." said Rainwater as he, Riptide and Tim laughed about it.

Then, it was time for Rainwater to leave. The guard blew his whistle, and when he did Rainwater whistled back and set off. "Bye Riptide, bye Tim." he said, "Bye." Tim and Riptide both replied as they saw Rainwater puff away.

Later that day, Tim and Riptide were sent to help Cremini, Sunshine and a bunch of other non living engines at the mine railway. Sometimes, they would talk to a little mine cart that worked there.

The mine cart's name was Armadillo, he had no paintjob. And had the word Armadillo on the nameplates on his sides. Armadillo could work on his own, but that would mean cranking the crank inside him to make him move. Armadillo couldn't move fast on his own, but with some help he could get the job done.

Right now, it was Tim and Riptide's turn to push Armadillo into the mines. Tim made Riptide buffer up to the back of Armadillo before making the engine whistle and move forward.

The mines were dark, luckily Riptide has lights to help him see. So he and Tim continued on with their journey into the mines.

After a while, Tim and Riptide stopped. Then, some miners got out of Armadillo and grabbed their pickaxes before mining. Tim and Riptide then left and did more work outside. Someone would just tell them when Armadillo needed to be pulled out.

A little while later, Tim and Riptide got back from pulling a goodstrain. When they did, they saw another one waiting for them. Tim made Riptide buffer up to the train. After he did, he and Riptide could see Cremini puffing from the distance. Cremini whistled as he was chugging along.

One moment, Cremini was fine. His wheels could grip the rails ok and he could still puff through. But then, something happened! Cremini's wheels started to slip a bit! When Cremini and his crew noticed this, they tried to slow down. But it was too late! Cremini's front wheels suddenly came off the rails! Followed by the middle wheels and then the back wheels! Some of Cremini's trucks ended up derailing too!

Tim and Riptide were shocked! And so was Sunshine and a bunch of other people too. "Oh no." said Cremini, "Cremini! Are you ok?" asked Riptide. "Yeah, I just derailed." Cremini replied. "I'll get a crane, don't worry." said Tim as he and Riptide went to go get one.

When Tim and Riptide came back, they stopped beside Cremini. Then, the cranes were readied and the chains were attacked to Cremini. The cranes started to lift Cremini up. Tim and Riptide looked above then down as Cremini was put back on to the rails. Then, the cranes took care of the trucks too.

After Cremini and the trucks were put back on the rails, Riptide asked "What happened Cremini?". "I... I don't know... I think the rails were slippery." Cremini replied. "Well, it is raining." said Tim. After a little while, Tim, Riptide, Cremini and the others went back to work. They made sure to be extra careful to make sure nothing bad happens again.

[Meanwhile...]

A certain blue engine was speeding down the line! It was Thunderstrike. He was speeding because he needed to go fast. He wanted to go slow, but he couldn't as his goodstrain was really important and couldn't be too late.

Thunderstrike was worried something bad would happen along the way in the rainy weather, but he knew he had to keep going fast. So he maintained his speed. The rain then poured harder than ever before. "Oh no." thought Thunderstrike. Thunderstrike's driver and fireman were worried as well, so they made Thunderstrike slow down a bit.

Then, Thunderstrike and his crew saw that they were coming across a tight bend. So they made him go slow altogether. Everything seemed fine for a while. Then, Thunderstrike's front wheels came off the rails! Followed by his driving wheels!

"Oh bother!" said Thunderstrike, His driver sighed and said "I'll try and get help..." before running off in the distance.

Thunderstrike and his fireman waited for a while. The fireman stayed inside Thunderstrike's cab as it was raining hard. "I guess we'll just have to wait here Thunderstrike." the fireman said, "Oh man..." Thunderstrike sighed as the rain continued to pour on him.

It took a long time, but eventually someone was coming for Thunderstrike and his fireman. Thunderstrike and the fireman looked back, and they saw that it was Tim and Riptide pulling the breakdown train behind them. "Fireman! Look! Someone's come to help us!" said Thunderstrike, "Well thank goodness." the fireman replied.

When Tim and Riptide got near Thunderstrike ad his fireman, Tim made Riptide blow his whistle. Tim and Riptide were shocked to see Thunderstrike off the rails. Of all the engines they'd think that would go off the rails next, they didn't think it would be Thunderstrike. Thunderstrike along with his brother Lightningstreak were pretty famous, especially in The Leafy Line. So one would expect them to be all perfect and stuff like that. Well, no one's perfect. Not even famous engines.

Tim and Riptide had to stop themselves from laughing, but they couldn't do so and ended up hooting in a fit of laughter. "What?! Even engines like me get into accidents y'know!" Thunderstrike replied angrily, but Tim and Riptide couldn't stop themselves from laughing. Then, Tim said "Holy cow! What happened Thunderstrike? Hahahahahahaha!". "It was raining so hard and I ended up slipping and derailing from the tracks. There. Now can you and Riptide PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE?!" Thunderstrike added. Tim and Riptide just giggled and set the cranes into the right position to be able to put Thunderstrike back on the rails.

The chains were attached to Thunderstrike. Once they were, the cranes started lifting him back onto the rails. When Thunderstrike was finally put down, he looked back with an angry embarrassed expression. Tim and Riptide were laughing all over again. "Wh-what happened Thunderstrike? Of all the engines I'd thought would probably get into an accident next, I'd never thought it'd be you!" said Tim hooting out loud in more laughter. Thunderstrike said nothing. Then, Tim stopped laughing and said "Hey, cheer up. At least you're back onto the rails now.". Thunderstrike looked down and said "I suppose.", "Hey, why don't you let me and Riptide help you to wherever you're going?" Tim then asked. "Sure. That would be nice." Thunderstrike answered.

So Tim and Riptide got behind Thunderstrike's goodstrain, then they pushed and they and Thunderstrike set off.

It took a long time, but eventually Tim, Riptide and Thunderstrike stopped by a field where many dump trucks were waiting. Then, Thunderstrike's trucks were uncovered. Turns out, they were loaded with stone. The stones were transported to the dump trucks using front loaders. Then, the dump trucks went away.

After the stones were transported into the dump trucks, Tim, Riptide and Thunderstrike went for home. But when they got to platform 2, Mr. Fred stopped them. "Tim, Riptide and Thunderstrike, I heard about what happened." Mr. Fred said. Tim, Riptide and Thunderstrike looked at each other a bit nervously. Then, Mr. Fred added "Tim and Riptide, you two have done a very good job today. Helping an engine when he was derailed and had an accident.". "Thank you sir." both Tim and Riptide said smiling. "As for you Thunderstrike, don't worry. I know what happened was an accident. And I know you couldn't afford to slow down too much. So it's alright." Mr. Fred continued, "Thank you sir." Thunderstrike replied as he smiled as well. Then, Mr. Fred gave Tim, Riptide and Thunderstrike their next jobs before he went away.

Thunderstrike was sent to pull a passenger train, while Tim and Riptide were now helping Rose, Almond and some non living engines sort out rolling stock in the yard.

"No way! Really?! Thunderstrike?! Derailed?!"

"Yes! I'd never thought I'd see it too! Hahaha!"

"Well, I thought I'd never hear of it. Especially with Thunderstrike's really good record on his services."

"Well, everyone does get into some accidents every once in a while."

"I guess so. But... Thunderstrike?! Derailed?! I find that hard to believe."

"Well ya better believe it! 'Cuz I saw it with my own eyes! Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Riptide and Rose were talking about what happened to Thunderstrike. Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing from Riptide right now. And even though Mr. Fred had told her that what happened to Thunderstrike was real, she still couldn't believe it. But she had to, because even Tim and Riptide were saying it. And they were also saying that they saw the whole thing with their own eyes.

Almond couldn't believe what he was hearing as well, but he had to believe it too. Because Mr. Fred told him about what happened as well.

"R-Really? Thunderstrike? Derailed?! No, you two must be pulling my piston."

"It's true! Me and Riptide saw it with our own eyes! -Literally!"

"Er... wow. Er... I still can't believe it. But I guess I have to now."

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"Heeheeheeheehee!"

After that conversation, Tim, Riptide, Rose and Almond went back to work. But when they did...

*SPLASH!*

"-HEY!"

Water came out of nowhere and splashed on Riptide! It almost made Tim wet too. "Who did that?!" said Tim angrily as he looked around to find out who. Then

*SPLASH! SPLASH!*

"AHH!"

"HEY!"

Rose and Almond were splashed as well! "OI! WHO'S DOING THAT?!" their crews yelled. Their questions were answered when they saw and heard a couple of young boys laughing holding cups in their hands and had buckets of water near them.

"Hey! It's not nice to splash someone else!" said Riptide, but the boys ignored him and threw more water all over!

*SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!*

Tim, Riptide, Rose and Almond got as far away from the boys as soon as possible. They managed to escape and hide somewhere else. Then, Tim said "I'm gonna go look for Mr. Fred." before getting out of Riptide's cab and running outside to do so.

It took a while, but eventually Tim found Mr. Fred talking to someone near the tracks. Tim made Riptide stop beside Mr. Fred. "Oh, Tim and Riptide. Aren't you two supposed to be in the yard?" Mr. Fred asked. "Mr. Fred, we have a problem." said Tim, "What?" Mr. Fred asked again. "There's some boys who are splashing me, Riptide, Rose and Almond with water." Tim answered. "Right, where are they?" said Mr. Fred, "Get in and I'll show you." said Tim. Then, Mr. Fred climbed aboard Riptide's cab before Tim made Riptide reverse and go back where they came from.

A little while later, Tim made Riptide stop. He saw Almond running away from some boys that were splashing him. "Over there sir!" said Tim as he pointed towards the boys. Mr. Fred then pulled out his whistle, and blew it loudly!

This made Almond and the boys stop what they were doing. Mr. Fred looked at the boys and said "Hey! What are you kids doing?! Why are all of you splashing things with water?! Leave my engines and their crews alone! If you boys do this again, I will have to tell your parents about this!".

The boys got scared and ran away. "Phew. Finally." said Almond as he saw them run. "There, it's taken care of now. you, Riptide, Rose and Almond can get back to work now." Mr. Fred said to Tim. "Yes sir." Tim replied, before he, Riptide, Rose and Almond went back to work.

[Some Time Later...]

Some time later, the boys who splashed water everywhere decided to take their game elsewhere. Now they were splashing other kids! Not just with water, but with mud as well!

*SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!*

"HEY!"

"STOP!"

*SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!*

"-WHAT THE-"

"-EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"GROSS!"

"YUCK!"

The kids who were splashed with water and mud ran to tell their parents about what happened. But I don't think that's gonna do much now since the boys who splashed everyone with water and mud ran away. By the time the kids' parents arrived with them, the boys were gone.

The boys decided to find every place they could splash everywhere. They splashed on people, they splashed on engines, they splashed on vehicles, they splashed on the tracks, they splashed everywhere!

A few hours later, Tim, Riptide, Rose, Almond and the ones who worked with them were allowed to have their breaks already. Tim suggested to Riptide that they go for a stroll along the line. Riptide agreed, and the two set off.

Even though it was still raining, Tim and Riptide didn't mind that much. They continued cruising along the line. "What a really nice weather to be strolling eh?" Riptide joked before chuckling, Tim was a bit confused and didn't know that what Riptide said was a joke. "Wait, you like the rain?" Tim asked, "I was only joking. I don't really like rain." replied Riptide. "O-oh." said Tim, before Riptide chuckled. Tim then started chuckling as well, but he didn't get Riptide's joke. But he just stopped thinking about it.

Soon, Tim and Riptide got to Aquaria Docks. It was busy there, engines were pushing and pulling trucks. Ships and other water vehicles were coming to and from the ocean.

As Tim and Riptide looked around, they could hear someone saying "Hey! Hey!". Tim and Riptide looked in the direction of the voice. When they did, they saw a small sailboat that was colored in light blue. He had a square face and a light blue and white sail. And he had the word Splashy on his nameplates. This was Splashy the sailboat. He wasn't built by The Leafy Line, but I don't know who or where he was built. But I do know this. Even though his name is related to nature, he's not really part of the TLL. I don't know who built him though.

When Tim and Riptide saw Splashy, Riptide said "Uh, hello. Who are you?'. "I'm Splashy the sailboat. Who are you two?" Splashy replied, "I'm Riptide, and this is my driver and friend Tim." Riptide replied. "Hey." Tim said waving, "Hello!" Splashy greeted back.

"I see you've got new friends." said Splashy's driver, "Oh, hello. Who are you?" asked Tim. "Name's Danny. I'm Splashy's driver." Splashy's driver replied. "Nice to meet you Danny, I think you've already heard that I'm Tim and this is Riptide." Tim replied back.

Danny chuckled, before asking "So, what're you two doin' here? I don't see anything coupled up to Riptide. And you two are just resting on this siding?". "Actually, we just moved to this siding since Splashy called us. We were about to continue our stroll along the line since it's our breaktime." said Tim. "Oh, well ok then. You two can continue your stroll if you two want." Danny replied, "Yeah, we better. Anyway, have a nice day. Goodbye." said Tim as he made Riptide whistle before going forward. Danny waved as Tim and Riptide went away.

As Tim and Riptide continued going along the line, they saw some kids in the distance. When they got a closer look at them, they found out that they were the kids who splashed them, Rose, Almond and the other workers and engines earlier!

Tim made Riptide go faster so that they wouldn't have to get splashed by the kids. However, the kids saw them. One of them said "Look! It's that train from earlier! Let's throw some mud at it!". "Yeah come on let's go!" another kid added. The kids then proceeded to grab a handful of mud and make mudballs with them.

As Tim and Riptide were about to get past the kids, another one of them said "One, two, three, GO!". Then, the kids all threw their mudballs! They flew high into the air and landed right onto Riptide!

"GROSS!" Riptide yelled as Tim made him stop. "HEY! WHAT DID YOU KIDS DO THAT FOR?!" Tim yelled. But the kids just ignored him, one of them said "Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!" while sticking their tongue out.

Tim and Riptide were angry. Those kids were jerks! Then, Tim had an idea. He fiddled with Riptide's controls, then...

*FWOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

Steam came out of him! It went all over the kids and covered them making them cough! Tim and Riptide laughed as the kids struggled to clear the steam. When the steam was one, the kids were angry! "Have a taste of your own medicine!" said Tim still laughing. "GET HIM!" yelled a kid as he and all the other kids threw mudballs at Tim and Riptide!

"GROSS!" said Riptide, "EW!" yelled Tim. As the kids threw more mudballs, Tim hid behind Riptide's cab. Then, Tim tried to think of a way to get back at the kids. When he saw that there a was big puddle of muddy water, he had an idea. He made Riptide reverse, before making him go as fast as he could towards the puddle! Then...

*SPLASH!*

As Tim and Riptide got past the puddle, muddy water flew high into the air! It splashed all over the kids making them drop the mudballs they had in their hands! "EW!" they all yelled. "HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!" laughed Tim and Riptide, "NOT SO FUNNY NOW IS IT?!" Tim said before he and Riptide disappeared into the distance.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" that was amazing! said Riptide still laughing, "Yeah." agreed Tim laughing as well.

[Some Time Later...]

When Tim and Riptide returned to the engine sheds, they were still laughing. "What's so funny?" asked Condor, "Some kids threw mudballs at us, but we got them back by blowing lots of steam at them and splashing them with muddy water!" Tim said laughing. Condor ended up laughing as well, along with some of the other engines.

"Hahahahahaha! Serves them right! Those kids are nothing but trouble!"

"Yeah, why do they throw water and mudballs at engines, people and other things?!"

"I've heard about those kids, they like to splash stuff."

"They won't be splashin' for a while. -I hope..."

"Eh, they'll probably just splash elsewhere. But I think they've learned not to mess with Tim and Riptide."

"Yeah, hahaha!"

[A few hours later...]

A few hours later, Tim, Riptide and many of the engines were in the sheds. It rained harder than ever before! "Oh no, the weather's REALLY BAD today!" one of the engines said.

That engine was right, the rain soaked everything. Even the ground! Some parts of it even made puddles.

Just then, Mr. Fred came. He cleared his throat before saying "Tim and Riptide, the both of you will take a goodstrain.". "Yes sir." said Tim and Riptide. After Mr. Fred told Tim and Riptide where they needed to go, the driver and his engine set off.

When Tim and Riptide finished shunting their train beside platform 1, they ran around it, reversed and buffered up to it. The shunter fastened the coupling, and when the signal dropped the guard blew his whistle. Riptide whistled twice before he and Tim set off.

The rain continued to pour heavily, but Tim and Riptide kept going anyway. It was just rain after all. However, the tracks became a bit slippery. So Tim and Riptide had to be extra careful. "Careful Riptide." said Tim, "Ok." Riptide replied.

Soon, Tim and Riptide came across the Loop-de-loop mountain. "Here we go again." said Riptide, "We know what to do." said Tim. "Mmmhmm." Riptide agreed.

Tim and Riptide started to cross the mountain. Since it was raining harder than usual, the tracks were more slippery. As Tim and Riptide got to the steeper parts of the mountain, Riptide's wheels started slipping a bit. But he and Tim knew what to do. Tim made Riptide drop some sand on the rails. "C'mon Riptide! Let's go!" Tim said, "Alright." replied Riptide as he kept on puffing up the mountain.

Slowly but surely Riptide beagn to climb the mountain faster and faster. Unfortunately, his wheels kept slipping on the wet tracks. So Tim sometimes had to make Riptide drop more sand.

But as Tim and Riptide got to the even steeper parts of the mountain, Riptide's wheels began slipping more! Tim then made Riptide drop some sand again, however it wasn't enough as Riptide's wheels were still slipping!

Riptide puffed and puffed and pulled and pulled with all his might, but the train was heavy. So Tim made Riptide drop sand again, and that seemed to do the trick. It wasn't long before Tim and Riptide reached the top. Once they did, they sped up. "Woohoo!" yelled Riptide as he sped along, "We made it." said Tim.

For a while, Tim and Riptide thought that everything was going to be fine from that point on. -Until...

"Tim, STOP!"

*CLUNK!*

"Hey Riptide, why'd you make me stop you?! We've got a train to deliver."

"Look!"

When Tim looked at what Riptide was talking about, he was shocked! A landslide had blocked the rails! And there was no way for them to go forward. "Oh no, now we won't be able to deliver this goodstrain." said Tim, "What do we do now?" asked Riptide.

Tim thought for a moment, then something popped in his head. "I know! I can use my shovel to clear the dirt off the rails!" he said. "But would take HOURS! And by the time you're done we'll be REALLY LATE!" Riptide replied. Riptide was right, there was NO WAY Tim would be able to clear the landslide with his shovel only. And there was especially no way for Tim to be able to clear the landslide and not be late. "Bother. C'mon Riptide, let's go back and tell Mr. Fred and the other about this." said Tim. But as he made Riptide reverse, the ground that was behind, beside and above them started moving. It moved until it formed a landslide and blocked Tim and Riptide's way back!

"Oh bother!" said Tim, "What do we do now?" said Riptide. "Hmm, the landslide that blocked our way back isn't too big. So I can just use my shovel to clear it so we can get outta here." replied Tim as he grabbed his shovel. But as Tim was about to get to work, he and Riptide heard a whistle!

"Wait, I know that whistle! It's Sunshine!" Riptide said, "Sunshine? Sunshine!" said Tim. Then, the whistling happened again. "SUNSHINE! IS THAT YOU?!" Tim yelled, "YES! IT'S ME! I THOUGHT NO ONE WOULD FIND ME HERE!" Sunshine yelled back. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" asked Tim, "I'M STUCK INSIDE THIS LANDSLIDE! AND THE WATER'S ALMOST GOING TO REACH MY FACE! PLEASE HELP ME!" Sunshine answered. "DON'T WORRY, I'LL HELP YOU OUT!" yelled Tim before adding "OH AND WHERE'S YOUR DRIVER AND FIREMAN?!". "THEY WENT AWAY FOR HELP." said Sunshine. "Ok." said Tim as he shovelled the part of the landslide that was covering Sunshine as quickly as he could!

By the way, if you're wondering how Sunshine was able to whistle without a driver or a fireman it's because some of the living engines in The Leafy Line have the ability to control some things about them. In Sunshine's case she can control her whistle. Tim and Riptide knew about these facts when Mr. Fred told them on their first day at work.

The rain poured on Tim, soaking him. But he didn't care and continued to shovel the dirt away. It took a long time, but eventually Tim removed enough dirt so that the part of the landslide that was covering Sunshine's view would be gone. The water that was with Sunshine went away and spilled on the ground.

*Splash!*

"Oh, thank you!" said Sunshine relieved, "No problem. Now I just gotta clear this landslide that blocked our way back so we can get outta here!" replied Tim. But before he could, he heard two voices!

"Look! It looks like help has arrived!"

"That's a relief."

When Tim and Riptide looked at where the voices came from, he saw that it came from Sunshine's driver and fireman. They've been trying to get help but were unsuccessful. "Oh, you two must be Sunshine's driver and fireman." said Tim, "Yeah. We tried getting help, but we couldn't. Thank goodness you saved Sunshine." said Sunshine's driver. "No problem. Lemme just clear this landslide that's blocking our way back so all of us can get back to the engine sheds." Tim replied as he started clearing the other landslide. "Let me help." said Sunshine's fireman as he rushed over to where Sunshine was, climbed on her cab, grabbed his shovel, got out, ran to where Tim was and started helping him.

It took a while, but eventually Tim and Sunshine's fireman finally managed to clear the landslide that blocked their way back. Once they did, Tim said "Alright! Get ready everyone! We're going back!". Tim got inside Riptide, and Sunshine's driver and fireman went in her. Tim then made Riptide buffer up to Sunshine and coupled him up. Then, Tim made Riptide reverse and pull Sunshine.

"We're saved!" said Sunshine to her crew as Tim and Riptide continued to pull her and them back to the engine sheds.

When Tim, Riptide, Sunshine and her crew got back, they couldn't fully go inside the engine sheds because of the train Riptide was coupled to. Plus, Riptide was coupled to Sunshine at the front. Then, Mr. Fred came along holding an umbrella.

Mr. Fred cleared his throat before asking "Riptide, why is Sunshine in front of you? And why haven't you delivered your goodstrain?". "There was a landslide sir. A VERY BIG ONE! It blocked the line so we couldn't get through. Then, me and Tim heard a whistle from inside the front of the landslide. It was Sunshine. Tim helped her out by digging dirt out of the part of the landslide that covered Sunshine's front. Then, Sunshine's driver and fireman came along. Soon, me and Tim pulled Sunshine and took her and her crew back here." Riptide replied. "Oh. Well, I've have that landslide cleared. I don't know if I'll be able to make that happen now or tomorrow. Tim and Riptide, put those trucks back in the sheds in the yard for the meantime please." Mr. Fred continued, "Yes sir." answered Tim and Riptide.

Sunshine was uncoupled from Tim and Riptide, while the blue engine and his driver put the trucks in the yard sheds before going back into the engine sheds along with Sunshine and her crew. It was still raining hard.

"Oh man, when will the rain stop?" said Tim, "I don't know. But I hope it stops soon. And I hope there won't be any more landslides today." replied Sunshine's driver. "If someone gets into an accident because of a landslide, that'd be terrible!" said Sunshine.

Well, you know what Sunshine's right. Meanwhile somewhere else a red non living LNWR (London & North Western Railway) A class with the number 29 on it was chugging down the line. For a while, the driver and fireman thought that everything would be fine. But they were wrong. Up ahead was the other side of the big landslide that trapped Sunshine and blocked Tim and Riptide's path.

There was a guard near the landslide, when he saw the LNWR A coming through he blew his whistle and waved his red flag. "-OH NO!" the driver yelled, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled the fireman. The driver put on the brakes as quickly as he could! -But it was too late! The LNWR A crashed onto the landslide! It's front got buried in dirt and it got stuck!

The driver and fireman were thrown forwards! Luckily, they weren't seriously hurt. But the fireman now had a bump on his head. "Owww..." said the fireman as he touched it. The driver helped the fireman up and said "A-are you okay?!". "Y-yeah... just got a bump on the head now..." replied the fireman still touching it.

The guard was shocked at what happened and quickly ran over to the engine's cab! "Are you two alright?!" the guard asked. "Yeah, we're fine. My friend here just now has a bump on the head. But other than that we're fine." the driver replied. The guard sighed in relief before looking at the engine. "Can you two move the engine backwards?" the guard asked again, "We'll try." replied the driver.

So the fireman shovelled more coal into the engine's firebox, while the driver made it go backwards. The driver tried making the engine go backwards as fast as it could, but it couldn't get out of the landslide. The engine spun and spun and spun it's wheels as fast as it could, but it still couldn't get out. "It's no use, the engine won't get out." said the driver, "I'll use my shovel to dig it's front out." said the fireman. Then, the fireman grabbed his shovel, went outside and started to dig at the dirt that was trapping the engine.

When the fireman was done, he said "It's clear now!". "Ok." replied the driver as he made the engine reverse out of the landslide. "Well, we got the engine out." said the driver, "Yeah, but now how are we gonna go on with this landslide blocking the way?" the fireman asked. "Mr. Fred said he'll get some people or something to help with that. I don't know if he'll be able to make that happen now or tomorrow. In the meantime, I think you two should just put your engine on a siding or something."
said the guard. "Ok." replied the driver. After the fireman got in the engine, the driver made it go backwards to find a siding.

Meanwhile on the rest of the railway, work continued as usual. But now the engines had to take alternate routes since the landslide blocked some parts of the track. There was water almost everywhere, in fact it covered a little bit of the engine's wheels.

"Whoa, that's a lotta water." said Tim as he and Riptide were pulling water tankers. "Yeah..." said Riptide as he looked at the ground.

Everyone worked as usual, the only difference being that they took alternate routes to where they were supposed to go since there was a big landslide blocking a part of the track.

Eventually, the rain stopped. And soon, everyone was done with their jobs. It was time for everyone to rest now.

"Well, today was very rainy."

"Yeah."

"Today's crazy too! First it rains so hard, then some accidents come. And now we got a big landslide blocking a part of the tracks. It's crazy!"

"Y'know guys, I just noticed something."

"What is it Snowflake?"

"Most of the things that happened today had at least something to do with water."

"Oh yeah! Hahahahahahahahaha! I think the water's mad at Mr. Fred for using them to fill our tanks and tenders. Hahaha!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Hohohohoho!

"Hahahahahaha!"

[Meanwhile...]

"Today was just... weird. Everything that's happened today seems to have something to do with water. I think water has something against me. This is a weird day."

Those were the words that Mr. Fred said while drinking water inside the yard sheds.

As the engines in the shed chatted with each other for the night, Tim started to go home. But not before saying goodbye to Riptide. Then, he left.

By the time Tim got home it was darker than before. When he opened the door to the house, his father greeted him "Oh, hello Tim.". "Hi dad." Tim replied. "How was work dear?" Tim's mother asked, "Ah, you know. Riding trains, doing work on the railway. Same old same old." Tim answered. Tim's mother chuckled before saying "Dinner's ready." before setting down a plate of scrambled egg sandwiches. Yep, egg sandwiches again. Not like Tim and his family had a choice anyway if eggs were what were available to them.

After Tim and his family ate their dinner, they spent a bit of family time together before heading off to bed. Once a few hours had passed, Tim did what he usually did during these times. He snuck out of bed and out his house to meet Riptide.

At the engine sheds, Riptide was pretending to be asleep. But he could hardly wait to be at the underground locomotive hangout again. He wouldn't have to wait no more as Tim finally came.

"Finally! You're here!"

"Yeah! Ya ready Riptide?"

"Oh yeah!"

Tim quickly prepared Riptide for running, before he made him go to where he and him found the portal to the underground locomotive hangout.

When Tim and Riptide got to where the portal was, Tim said "Ya ready dude?". "Sure am." replied Riptide. Then, Tim and Riptide went inside the portal.

When Tim and Riptide got inside the portal, they found people just chilling and hanging out. "Looks like people are chillin' 'ere today." said Tim as he looked around.
"Yeah." replied Riptide.

While Tim and Riptide werelooking around, they didn't notice two familiar faces looking at them from the distance. It was Jack and Maddison. "Hey, ain't that Tim?" Maddison said, "Yeah." replied Jack. "C'mon let's go hang out with him." Maddison added, "Sure?" said Jack as he and Maddison walked over to Tim.

"Looks like Mr. Patterson isn't here yet."

"C'mon, let's go do somethin' else while we wait."

"Heya Tim!"

"Huh? Oh, Maddison? Jack? Hi."

"Heya!"

"Hey."

"So, what's up you two?"

"Oh nothin', just chillin' while waitin' for the next game ta start."

"Oh, cool."

After Tim and Riptide decided to wait, Maddison and Jack went over to them. Maddison started the conversation by talking to Tim. Tim talked back. And soon, Tim and Maddison were chatting with each other.

"So Tim, how's the hangout for ya? Good?" asked Maddison with her tequila in hand. "Uhhh... yeah it's great it's great..." Tim replied looking at Maddison's drink.

Just then, Mr. Patterson went up to the stage. He turned on the microphone and tapped it to make it echo. Then, he cleared his throat.

"Attention everyone, the next game will start soon. Whoever wants to join, please get yourselves ready. I'll be back soon."

After Mr. Patterson said those words, he left. "Welp, next game's starting soon." said Tim, "Yeah." said Riptide. "I wonder what it'll be this time." Tim added, "I dunno." said Riptide.

[Some Time Later...]

After a while, Mr. Patterson came back on stage. He turned on the mic and tapped it again to get everyone's attention.

"Alright. Attention everyone, the next game is about to start. The ones who will be able to participate in the game will be decided by this slot machine right here. I will spin this thing, and the 75 people who'll be lucky enough to get chosen will be the ones to join the game. Aaaannnd wah-lah-lah!"

Mr. Patterson pulled the lever on the slot machine, it spun so fast. "I hope me and Riptide get picked." Tim thought. The machine continued to spin for a very long time. Finally, as it slowed down it soon came to a complete stop.

"Alriiiiggghhtttt! It looks like these racers will be the ones participating in the race!"

"-OH YEAH! -WE'RE IN IT RIPTIDE!"

"-WOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!-"

When the slot machine had stopped, Tim and Riptide were one of the lucky ones to get picked by it. They yelled in excitement. "To all the people who were picked by the slot machine, please head to the modification room." said Mr. Patterson as the people who were picked by the slot machine did just that.

After the engines were modified for the next game, they and their drivers went to the other side of the room to find a beach like place.

"It's a beach Tim!"

"Well that's different."

Tim and Riptide were a bit surprised. They didn't expect to be taken to a beach. -Just then... -a flash of yellow light suddenly glowed! It continued to glow brighter and brighter until it stopped revealing A GIANT CRAB-LIKE ROBOT!

Tim, Riptide and the other engines and their drivers were shocked! They didn't expect to see a giant crab-like robot!

"-Wh...-WHAT IS THAT?!"

"-I...-IT'S A GIANT CRAB ROBOT THING!"

"RIPTIDE LOOK!"

"...what the..."

"Uh oh..."

"We're in trouble..."

Tim, Riptide and everyone else looked anxiously at the giant crab robot. It was well armored and looked really fearsome! It's claws looked like they could instantly snap you in half! Just then, Mr. Patterson started announcing.

"Attention everyone, the rules of this next game are simple. Drivers and their engines can either run away or fight the giant crab robot in any way they want. This is sort of like a fight or flight game. Drivers and engines can either fight the crab or run and stay away from it for as long as they can. If drivers and engines choose to run away from the crab, they have to try their best not to get got by it until the timer runs out. All of the drivers have been provided with fishing hooks and spears. Use the jump button to jump over something or other. Boost meters have been installed in your engines. These meters will tell you if your boost is full or if it's recharging. You can use the boost to ram into the giant crab robot. The boost temporarily makes you invincible and strong. If you manage to hit the crab using your boost, you could take off more health off it's health bar than usual. Remember everyone, this is a fight or flight game! Alright drivers and engines, get ready!"

When Mr. Patterson finished announcing, the drivers and some of the engines got ready. Tim made Riptide do a burnout on the magical track they were on.

"3! 2! 1! GO!"

As soon as Mr. Patterson finished the countdown, Tim, Riptide, the other drivers and their engines started off! The giant crab robot clanked it's claws and it started firing light blue lasers from them! Some of the engines were sent flying across!

"Oh ho ho! It's been only a few seconds into the match and some engines have already been sent flying! Let's see if the other drivers and engines have any luck!"

Tim and Riptide were SCREAMING! There was NO WAY they could fight THAT THING. They kept escaping from the crab as more lasers were flying in the air!

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

The giant crab robot grabbed some engines and SNAPPED THEM IN HALF with it's claws! Luckily, those were non living engines. However, this now meant that the drivers of those engines now had nothing to drive. So they were eliminated and teleported away.

"Ooooohhhhhh! Looks like no one can take the power of the mighty crab! I don't think anyone's gonna win tonight!"

The crab then opened it's claws and sprayed a lot of water! The fast flowing jets sent some more engines flying! Tim and Riptide were near the crab's legs by chance. "-NOW'S OUR CHANCE! -GET IT! FULL STEAM AHEAD!" yelled Tim as he made Riptide go fast and used his boost to smash straight into the crab's legs!

*SMASH!*

Tim and Riptide's attack made the crab nearly fall! But it didn't. Before the crab could even turn around to see who smashed into it, Tim and Riptide were already speeding off into the distance out of sight.

Most of the people and engines were screaming, some of them tried to fight back but they couldn't and ended up getting their butts kicked!

Some familiar faces were at the game too. Like Kenneth and Elly. Both of them managed to get close to the crab's legs as well. They both used their engines' boost before stabbing the crab's legs with their spears!

*SMASH! SMASH! -CHIINK-CHIINK!-*

The crab's legs got damaged, but it wasn't enough to weaken the crab! Both Kenneth and Elly tried escaping, but the crab managed to catch Kenneth's engine! "-OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kenneth yelled as he and his engine were lifted up into the air by the crab's claws! Elly looked back to see Kenneth and his engine helpless and unable to free themselves from the crab's grip. This made her make her engine go faster.

"-OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH! VERY EARLY INTO THE MATCH AND THERE'S A LOTTA DESTRUCTION GOIN' ON! THIS IS GONNA BE ONE ACTION PACKED GAME FOLKS!"

*-PEOPLE CHEERING!-*

Tim and Riptide were trying to get as far away from the crab as much as they could. "-WE'RE GONNA GET OUR BUTTS KIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDD!"
yelled Riptide as he and Tim went faster.

The crab then eyed Tim and Riptide, before opening it's left claw and sparying water at them! Luckily, Tim and Riptide were able to avoid the jet of water. But some other engines were hit and sent flying!

One of the drivers managed to get close to the crabs legs, he grabbed his spear and stabbed it there! The crab then looked down and saw him. "Uh oh..." the driver said before getting him and his engine swatted away by the crab!

Elly then grabbed her fishing hook and managed to hook it into one of the crab's eyes! The crab let out a VERY LOUD ROAR before trying to cut off the rope of Elly's fishing hook. But the fishing hooks that were given to all the drivers were special. They were strong. As Elly reeled the fishing hook in, the crab's eye started to go along wih it too! The crab tried cutting the fishing hook's rope again, but Elly managed to BREAK OFF IT'S EYE FIRST! The crab ROARED SO LOUD it could be heard for MILES AWAY! On the spot were it's eye used to be, wires were now exposed. And sparks were now coming out of it!

"-OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE DRIVERS HAS MANAGED TO TAKE AN EYE OFF OF THE CRAB! MAGNIFICENT! Looks like that crab's not the only thing that's biting folks!"

Tim and Riptide were surprised when they saw what Elly did. "-I...-Is that who I think it is...?" asked Riptide, "Yeah! It's Elly! And she managed to take one of the crab's eyes off! -B...-But how did she do that?!" Tim replied. "I guess these fishing hooks aren't normal ones..." Riptide replied back. "You think?" said Tim, "Only one way to find out." said Riptide.

So Tim and Riptide decided to get a bit closer to the crab. They found it a little bit hard to do so because of all the chaos the crab was causing. But eventually, they managed to get closer to it.

"Alright Riptide, you ready?" said Tim, "Ready!" replied Riptide. Then, as Tim raised his fishing rod he spun it around so fast before making the rope part fly towards the crab!

Tim was aiming for the crab's other eye, but instead he got it's right claw! "Wait what-" said Tim, he was about to complain when he quickly realized that removing one of the crab's claws would be good too.

"Oh! It looks like another driver's tryna go for the claws! Looks like someone's gettin' a bit gutsy over here!"

"Hold on a second, this is good too." Tim thought. "You got it's claw!" said Riptide. "Yeah! This is good too! Now pull!" Tim yelled before he and Riptide started trying to pull the crab's claw off.

Riptide's wheels spun on the magical track as he tried to reverse as much as he could. The crab then looked at him and Tim. The crab then gave a loud ROAR and used it's claw to SEND TIM AND RIPTIDE FLYING!

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

Tim and Riptide SCREAMED before landing on some coconut trees! And because they landed on some coconut trees, they weren't too hurt. However, they were now stuck on them!

"...oooohhhhhh... -H-Huh? Wh-wha... -OH-OH NO!"

"-W-WAIT WHAT IS IT- -AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

"-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It looks like that driver and his engine has just been sent flying right on top of some coconut trees! I wonder how they'll get down now!"

*RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!*

The crab roared again as it sprayed water everywhere! Washing some of the engines and their drivers away! Some of them even got eliminated from the competition!

Riptide was teetering and tottering on the coconut tree, Tim got in his cab and made him balance as much as possible. However, he was having a hard time doing so. "-WE'RE GONNA FALL!" yelled Riptide, "Hold on! I'm tryna get you balanced!" said Tim as he made Riptide reverse fast to balance him! Riptide's wheels kept spinning on the magical track, but neither he nor Tim didn't know how long they'd be able to prevent themselves from falling. -Suddenly...

*FRUSH!*

"Uh oh..." said Tim as he saw one of the leaves about to break off! "-DON'T LET ME FALL TIM!" yelled Riptide, "-I'M TRYING!" Tim yelled back. -Then...

*FRUSH!*

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

*POOMF!*

"-OOF!"

"-ACK-"

The leaf finally broke away! Tim and Riptide ended up falling straight onto the sand! They groaned for a while before Tim said "You ok Riptide?", "Yeah I'm fine." Riptide replied. Then, Tim tried making Riptide reverse. But he couldn't. The fall made Riptide get stuck in the sand!

*Chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff-*

Tim made Riptide keep on reversing. Riptide tried his hardest to get out of the sand, but it was no use. He was REALLY STUCK in there! "Oh man! How am I supposed to get out of here now?!" Riptide asked. Then, Tim had an idea. "I know! We can use the boost!" he said. "Oh yeah! That's a great idea!" Riptide replied. So Tim got in Riptide's cab and used the boost.

Immediately, Riptide was launched out of the sand! "Finally!" he said, "Great, now let's get as far away as we can... -AWAY FROM THAT CRAB!" said Tim. "Yeah!" said Riptide as he and Tim did just that.

Meanwhile, Kenneth was doing the same thing that Tim and Riptide were doing. He was lucky he even managed to get out of the crab's grip, and did not want to risk getting caught again. Elly on the other hand, continued fighting the crab. Since she managed to take one of it's eyes out, she thought she'd take more chances at it. Elly speared the crab's legs, when she removed the spear some of the wires on the crab's leg became exposed and started sparking!

The crab roared and tried spraying water at Elly! But luckily, she managed to avoid it! Then, Elly speared the crab again multiple times! At this point, the crab's basically PISSED now! So it opened one of it's claws and sprayed water again at Elly! This time, it managed to hit her! Sending her flying across and crashing into the sand!

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-OOMPH!"

When she and her engine hit the sand, Elly groaned. She tried getting up, but she felt a bit weak right now and couldn't do so. Elly laid there on the sand as the crab went elsewhere to cause more chaos.

*-ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!*

The crab grabbed some non living engines and snapped them in half! Just then, someone rammed into it and managed to take out a leg! -It was Rodger! He had used the boost he had to smash into the crab's leg! The crab almost fell down, but it was still able to stand even if it now had a leg missing.

"TAKE THAT YOU BIG UGLY CREATURE! -AND THIS TOO!" Rodger yelled as he speared another one of the crab's legs before using his fishing rod to hook it's left claw. "Gotcha!" said Rodger as he made his engine reverse so that he'd be able to pull the crab's claw off. Since Rodger's engine was a bit stronger than the other ones, the crab struggled to get the fishing rod's hook off of it. For a moment, it looked like neither Rodger nor the crab would be able to move away from each other. -Then...

*-CRAKKKKKKK!*

*-RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!*

Rodger finally managed to tear the crab's claw off of it's arm! When he did, wires were exposed. And sparks began to come out of them!

*-CRCKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-KZZT-KZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!*

"-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE HAS MANAGED TO TEAR A CLAW OFF THAT CRAB! THAT DRIVER'S GOT GUTS! Oh, but the time still isn't up. And the crab is still going! It's not over yet!"

Tim and Riptide decided to hide behind a big rock that was so far away from where the crab was. "We'll be safe here." said Tim, "I hope so..." muttered Riptide. But he was still a bit scared. And Tim was as well. But not as much as Riptide. Because he knew that they were so far away from the crab.

Rodger continued to fight with the crab, he destroyed as much parts of it as he could. Eventually, the crab sustained so much damage that it began to weaken. It began clanking, and more sparks came out of it too. It was also having a hard time standing up now. Whenever it tried to walk, it would shake.

*Clank-clank-clank-clank-clank-clank-clank-clank-clank-*

At last, the crab finally had enough of Rodger. Using it's other claw, it shot a big blast of water at his engine! Rodger and his engine were sent FLYING high into the air before landing on the sand. Now Rodger was the one who was stuck, and he had to wait for the boost to recharge since he used it to smash into one of the crab's legs.

Rodger tried making his engine go backwards, but it was no use since it's wheels were REALLY stuck in the sand. "Ugghhhh..." groaned Rodger.

Meanwhile, Elly was back up again. When she saw Rodger and his engine, she said "Looks like ya could use a wheel!" before using her fishing rod to hook it into the crab's other eye.

The crab then looked at Elly. When it did, it ROARED and tried cutting the fishing rod's rope again. But this time, Elly made her engine reverse faster. Which helped her pull harder and take out the crab's other eye!

*-KLANK! -RRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!*

"-OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Looks like one of the drivers had managed to take out the crab's other eye! And what do you know! It's the same driver that took out the crab's other other eye a while back! Now it's a free for all! The crab can't see anymore!"

*-PEOPLE CHEERING-*

As soon as most of the drivers and living engines heard that, they began attacking the crab from all sides! They speared, hooked and rammed into it. The crab roared as it tried to get away, but to no avail.

"-C'MON EVERYONE! -GET THAT STUPID CRAB!"

"-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

"-RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT!"

Tim and Riptide had heard Mr. Patterson. "Is it true? The crab can't see anymore?" asked Riptide, "Lemme see." said Tim as he peeped out from the rock where he and Riptide were hiding. The crab really couldn't see without it's eyes. Tim turned to Riptide again and said "Yeah, that crab can't see anymore. It's eyes are gone now.". "-Alright! Then what're we waitin' for?! Let's get out there and take down that crab along with the rest of the engines and drivers!" Ripide replied. "Yeah! Let's do it!" said Tim as he made Riptide do a burnout before making him rush over to where the crab was.

While rushing, Tim and Riptide used the boost to go even faster. They managed to ram right into one of the crab's legs!

*SMASH! -KZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT-KZZT-KZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!*

They managed to make a big dent on it, wires were now exposed from the hole that Tim and Riptide left. And sparks started coming out of them! The crab roared as it tried to get away from it's attackers. But no matter how much it tried, it couldn't. And soon, the crab was torn to bits and destroyed to pieces!

*-SMASH-SMASH-SMASH-CRASH-SMASH-CRAKK-BAM-KLANK-KLANK-CRRRAAAAKKKKKKKK-CRASH-SMASH-CRASH-SMASH-CRRRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

At last, after countless attacks the crab finally fell apart! It's pieces scattered on the ground, and there were sparks coming out of them as well!

*CRASH! -KZZT-KZZT-KZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! -CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-*

"-OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -IT LOOKS LIKE ALMOST EVERYONE HAS MANAGED TO TAKE DOWN THE CRAB! Looks like many people will walk home with some prize money!"

*-PEOPLE CHEERING-*

After Mr. Patterson finished speaking, the people cheered. "Well... we did it." Riptide mumbled to Tim, "Yeah..." Tim agreed. Then, Tim suddenly shouted "-OH YEAH!". Riptide then looked at him, but didn't really mind as he knew why Tim was so happy. They managed to beat the crab along with a bunch of other people and engines. And they were one of the participants of the game who would take home prize money.

[Some Time Later...]

That night, Tim and Riptide chatted with each other. Tim talked about how he got extra money. Turns out, being one of the winners of the game that happened back at the hangout would give you extra money. Tim had got $50 for being one of the winners. And Riptide got some free upgrades for a certain game mode in the hangout. But I'll have to tell what that mode is in another story, as I don't want to spoil it.

"Well Tim, we just won a very big game!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it! -And I got 50 bucks! This is gonna be a big help to me and my family even though it's not much."

"Well Tim, I think the both of us should go home."

"Yeah."

Tim made Riptide sneak back into the sheds, he said goodbye to him before heading back home.

That night, after Tim managed to sneak back into the house and into his room... he thought of the money he got from Mr. Patterson after being one of the winners of the game. "This'll be a BIG help to me and my family even though it's not much." Tim thought. Then he added "Someday... I'll be able to earn enough money so that I can give me and my family the life I want to give us." in his mind.

Tim thought about everything that happened today, before drifting off to sleep. He was happy he got extra money this time. Some weird things have been happening to Tim and Riptide lately, and I know more of those weird things will happen along the way. What do all of you think will happen next to Tim and Riptide? I guess we'll just have to find out in the next story.