Dimension Hoppers 5: The Runaway

by Prince Izzy X

A mysterious kid comes to Ocean Shores to seek refuge. What is he seeking refuge from and what effect will his presence have on the citizens of the town, especially the group of extreme sports enthusiasts? [Mild slash]

9. Training

Izzy: Hey, I just thought of something.

Me: If you try that Team Rocket stunt again—

Izzy: It's not that! I have a perfectly legit question.

Me: ::Sighs:: Ok. What is it?

Izzy: Why is the sky always yellow? That's kinda odd, don't ya think?

Me: o     O Good point… WHY is the sky always yellow anyways? Does every episode take place near sunset or something? To answer this somewhat interesting question, we turn to Sam Dullard, resident nerdy guy. ::Snaps fingers and Sam appears::

Sam:   Nerdy guy!?!

Me: Shut up. And now RP & slash fans, we present to you the burning answer to the greatest question ever to befall Mankind!

Izzy: The wrestler?

Me: ¬  ¬ Uh-huh… Back in this realm… Sam, can you possibly tell those at home the answer to our question?

Sam: Ok… What's the question?

Izzy & I: Oy! ::Slaps foreheads::

Me: Why, OH WHY, is the sky yellow in every episode!?

Sam: O     O Good question. Uhhh... smog? No, no. Every episode takes place around sunset. No wait! ::Rambles possibilities::

Me: -     - ::Turns to Izzy:: I hate you. You know that, right?

Izzy: Yep! =D

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The Runaway Ch. 9: Training

For the rest of the week, Keoni and Izzy went on dates without interference from ANYBODY (Izzy made sure of that)! They must have made out about a million times. Of course, they went no further than that.

(Izzy: TRAITOR!

Me: =P)

Because of their constant outings, Otto was unable to seek help for his situation with Twister. It was now time for Keoni to go back home (Everybody get your hankies ready!).

"NO! DON'T GO!" Izzy begged at the gate, causing people all around to give the group strange looks.

"Come on! Pull yourself together!" Ray yelled as he tried to pick up Izzy from the floor.

"Izzy, you knew this was going to happen." Reggie offered. The kid just kept up the water works.

";     ; Keoni, how can I possibly live without you!?"

"I don't know, but you'll have to manage. This is hard for me too." Keoni replied. Tears were threatening to fall as well. Izzy immediately got up, knocking Ray to the ground.

"Please don't cry. I wish to remember you exactly like this." They then hugged.

"The 6:30 flight to Hawaii is now boarding." An announcer said. Keoni & Izzy separated.

"Go on. You have to go." Izzy said solemnly.

'He has to go.' He reminded himself. 'You don't want him to get involved.'

"Izzy, thank you for everything." Keoni said as the two shared one last, fleeting kiss. He then walked away, waving at everybody until he was out of sight.

"Will you be alright, cuz?" Tito asked. Izzy was staring at the floor, letting his tears fall. He made no attempt to wipe them.

"Yes. I'll be fine." He replied. Otto gave him a look of understanding. He would feel the same way too if he ever lost his crush. He stole a glance at Twister, who seemed to have the same look as well. He turned back to Izzy.

'Maybe I do have someone to talk to after all.' He thought.

Two days later…

'Time to go.' Izzy thought as he got up. It was early and the sun barely rose over the horizon. He put on his cape & shoes and grabbed most of his magic books. He crept out of the house. He did some quick stretching and ran off to the beach. It seemed as if he had gotten over Keoni's absence and is now concentrated on his training.

'Good. There's no one here.' He thought as he reached the beach. Izzy took off his cape and laid it on the sand. He placed his books on top of it. He walked towards the water. 'I hope that I don't make too much noise.' He raised his left fist and started to concentrate. Like what happened last week, the air around him started to swirl. The main difference is that his fist started to glow orange.

"Power…BEAM!!!" He held his hand out and fired a massive wave of magical energy towards the ocean. It went pretty far, about fifty feet, before the energy exploded and created a huge splash. Izzy gave a smile at the performance.

'Not bad. I'm not even tired yet.' He prepared another attack. This time however, his entire body went cold. It started to snow in the swirl of air.

"Ice…BEAM!!!" He fired the frigid energy and it froze the waves easily. "Pretty good. I better try shielding techniques now." He went to one of the books and thumbed through it until he found the proper spell.

"Ok. Here we go." He made his fist charge up electricity.

"Thunderbolt!" He fired the attack directly above him. He quickly looked back at the book and started to concentrate again.

"Lightning—"

"What are you doing?" The usual interloper interjected. Izzy, in mid spell, turned to face him.

"Otto?! What on Earth are you—" He then looked up at the lightning that was coming back down. "Crap."

::BZZZZZTPT!!!::

"AHHHH!!!" Izzy yelled as he got shocked badly. When the attack ended, he was black all over and fell on the ground, electricity crackling all over his body. He stood up and started walking shakily towards Otto. "Y-You... Wh-what are y-you d-doing h-here? Y-You ssssssshould be ssssssleeping."

"I can say the same thing to you, dude." Otto replied. He crossed his arms and gave Izzy a questioning look. The electricity left the wizard and he looked back with the same expression.

"What?"

"You know what." Otto shot back. "You've been doing this at the Shack last week and now you're back at it. I know you said that you train your powers while staying at a place, but I doubt you get up at six AM to train!"

"Speaking of which, how could you possibly be up at this time? I made sure not to make even the slightest sound." Izzy replied.

"I was already up."

"Doing…?"

"Nothing." Otto said.

'Like I'd tell him I just woke up from another dream with Twist & me.' He thought. Izzy didn't seem to buy it, but he turned back to his books.

"If you'll excuse me, I still have training to do." He looked for a healing spell that didn't make him go to sleep.

"Aren't you going to tell me why you're doing this?" Otto asked. Izzy chuckled in response.

"Now why would I do that?"

"You can't possibly have a bigger secret than that you're gay, so why can't ya just tell me?" Izzy looked thoughtful after hearing that question.

"Because it doesn't concern you."

"How can it not concern me when a friend is probably overdoing it?" Otto asked incredulously.

"It just can't." Izzy responded. He went back into the book and healed his burns after reciting the proper spell. "And another thing, how could you possibly know that homosexuality is the biggest secret a person can have?"

"No reason." Otto quickly answered. Izzy shot him a skeptical look before turning towards the sea.

"In any case, I'm going back to training. You're free to watch me if you want. Just don't bother me." He started to charge energy.

"Come on. Tell me." Izzy stopped, turned, and faced Otto with an exasperated look.

"You won't stop til I tell ya, huh?"

"I've been told that I'm very stubborn." Otto gave a grin.

"Ugh. Fine, but tell NO ONE! I don't want to cause widespread panic." Otto had a slightly scared look on him. Izzy continued. "The day Keoni arrived, I went to that mountain boarding course because I had to see Adrian."

"You mean your best friend?" Otto asked.

"I don't know if I can even consider him my friend after what happened last week." Izzy replied. "Anyway, he told me that the king of all wizards is coming here for me. He'll be here at the end of the summer and I have to be ready to fight."

"How did Adrian even get you to come?"

"He went into my dreams through a spell and told me."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Like I said, I didn't want to cause any panic. This is my fight & I don't want anybody getting hurt." Izzy got into a thinking pose. "I don't know how this will turn out, Otto. You saved my life, allowed me to get a job, and even let me into your home. I have to repay you for all that before this happens."

"You don't have to." Otto said.

"I want to though. You've done too much for me. Just tell me what you want & I'll try to do it." Otto got in a thinking pose and noticed one of Izzy's books, a potion book (Why he had one at the beach, I'll never know). He then got an idea.

"Can you make love potions?" He asked.

"I think I have a recipe for it." Izzy replied.

"Can you make one for gay guys?" Izzy raised an eyebrow at Otto's question.

"Yeah… Why? I didn't know you—"

"It's not for me! It's for a friend." Otto replied while blushing.

"Who? Twister? Sam?"

"No. It's for somebody you don't know."

"Ok… Let me see what I need first." Izzy opened the potion book and turned pages until he found the right recipe. "Here it is." Otto walked up to him and looked at the page. The recipe was as follows:

Super Love Potion

1 cup seaweed

1 teaspoon honey (1)

1 flower (preferably a rose or African violet)

3 cups water

5 grapes

1 orange

1 cup of soda (preferably Pepsi Blue or Cherry Coke)

A dash of salt

"And the absolutely critical ingredient is a strand of hair from both people." Izzy said as he closed the book.

"Why is that so important?" Otto asked.

"It's required because it'll make sure the right person falls in love with your friend. Most love potions only make the drinker fall in love with the first person he or she sees. This potion ensures that the drinker only falls in love with the person whose other strand is inside the potion. Also, only that person can drink the potion and experience its effects." Otto had a confused look. Izzy slapped his head.

"Oy. Example: If I made the potion to make Keoni fall in love with me, I would have to get a strand of hair from him and one from myself. That way, he would drink the potion and fall in love with me and only me. It would be vice versa if I drank it. If anybody else were to drink the potion, it wouldn't have any effect on them. Got it?"

"Yeah… So can ya make it?" Otto asked eagerly.

"I can make it. I just need the right ingredients."

"I think we can get all the ingredients with no problem. The only thing though is getting the strands of hair."

"You know where we can get a rose or African violet for free?" Izzy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. We just get a violet from Mrs. Stimpleton's garden." Otto replied. Izzy looked at his watch.

"It's getting late. We better go back before Reggie & your dad wake up." He picked up his books & cape and started to walk off.

"Izzy, I want to help you train." Otto suddenly said. The other boy stopped.

"Why? You don't have to do that."

"I just want to. It can get lonely training by yourself. Besides, I can make sure you don't tire yourself out." Otto replied. He mainly wanted to make sure the wizard wasn't too tired to make the potion, but he won't tell him that. Izzy sighed.

"Very well. After work, I'll get started on the potion." He grabbed Otto's hand with his free hand and ran off.

A few hours later…

"I need you to get the ingredients. You don't have to worry about getting the hair yet. Just concentrate on everything else." Izzy said. He was in the Rocket household, preparing to make the potion by boiling water in a pot.

"Right." Otto said and he left. Izzy opened his book to the recipe.

Otto went off to the beach in his blades, scooped up an armful of seaweed, and left the area, ignoring the stares of everybody, including Reggie, Twister, and Sam, who were getting ready to surf another set of waves.

"Uhh… Why was Ottoman putting seaweed in his arms?" Twister asked.

"Beats me." Reggie said with a shrug.

---------------------------

"How long does it take to get some seaweed?" Izzy asked as he looked at his watch. "At this rate, it'll take him forever to get everything else." He turned off the fire and left the house. He ran to the beach, where he found Otto skating along.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Otto asked as he stopped.

"You're kinda taking a long time, so I'll get everything else." Izzy replied.

"No way! I'll get everything else!" Otto refused. Izzy got a grin.

"How about we make a game out of this?"

"Ok. We race to get everything before the other?"

"Yep. You in or not?"

"Of course! But don't use that crazy move of yours." Otto warned. Izzy sighed before smirking.

"Very well. Not that it'll make much of a difference anyway." The two then made a starting line out of some chalk that was nearby. They stood behind it.

"On your mark." Otto started.

"Get set." Izzy said.

"GO!" They both yelled and they were off. They raced all over the area, going into stores of every kind. Their little game more than confused everybody in the area. After gathering the items, the duo sped off to the Rocket household and then back out. They went through the beach and up to the hills of the city.

"That was odd." Sam said after witnessing the scene.

"Come on. Let's go see what they're up to." Reggie said as the trio left the beach.

---------------------------

Reggie, Twister, and Sam walked through the woods, trying to find their two friends. They found Otto & Izzy a few moments later, talking in a clearing.

"Ok. We found them. Let's go ask." Twister said as he walked forward. Reggie quickly snatched him back. "What'd you do that for?!" He hissed.

"They probably wouldn't tell us." She whispered. "Just use your camera." Twister grabbed his camera and zoomed in on the wizard & skater.

"Ok now. The final ingredient before the hair is required is some honey." Izzy said.

"If all we need is the honey, why are we here? I got the honey we needed when we raced." Otto complained.

"Honey? Hair? What's this all about?" Sam whispered. Reggie hushed him.

"That's the thing. When I read the recipe again, I noticed a footnote about the honey that we need." Izzy answered.

"And…?" Otto asked.

"It said that only the purest honey can be used."

"Meaning…?" Izzy got a terrified look on him as he prepared to answer.

"We need the honey from a b-b-b-b-BEEHIVE!!!"

(Me: THE HORROR! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!)

Everybody looked up with an exasperated expression.

(Me: Sorry about that. Continue.)

"A beehive? And just who is going to go on this little mission?" Otto asked incredulously. Izzy put on an evil grin.

"One, two, three, NOT IT!!!"

"Not… Damn! Why do I have to go!?" Otto yelled.

"You wanna help your friend, right?" Izzy asked. "Aside from your friend and his crush's hair strands, the honey is extremely important for the potion. Now get going. Remember, the key thing is NOT to make a lotta noise. Better yet, don't make a sound."

"Anything else?" Otto asked as he started to walk.

"Oh yeah. When you grab the hive, run for your life. I heard the bees around here are of the African Killer variety."

"O        O Oh yes! That's REAL reassuring!" Otto yelled with sarcasm before he made his way into the woods. Izzy stood in the clearing and looked at his magic book with a state of urgency.

"I wonder if there's a spell that protects from bugs."

"Oh my God! Otto is gonna get stung badly!" Twister whispered with worry in his voice.

"He's not in too much trouble." Sam reassured. "Killer bees, especially the African kind, aren't indigenous to this part of the world."

"'Not in too much trouble!?' He'll probably go up against an entire swarm!" Reggie hissed.

With Otto…

"I must be the craziest gay skater in the world." Otto said as he made his way through the brush. "I mean, do I really have to go through this when I can just tell Twister how I feel and get it over with?" He shook his head at the ridiculous thought.

"Anyway, this potion will make everything much easier." He went around a few more trees before coming to another clearing. This clearing seemed kinda dark because of the setting sun. At the end of the clearing stood a tree with an oval-shaped thing hanging off a low branch.

"The hive." Otto gulped as he tiptoed his way towards the house of evil.

(A/N: In case you couldn't tell, I HATE bees!)

"Ok. Izzy said not to make a sound." Otto whispered as he inched closer to the hive. "I'm almost there." And he would have made it too, if it wasn't for the following sound effect:

::SNAP!::

Otto had stepped on a twig. Everything froze in time. Shivers went up his spine as he waited for something. Nothing happened and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Whew."

::BUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!::

Otto looked ahead in total fright as a fog of darkness left the hive. His eyes widened as the fog got closer at an alarming speed.

---------------------------

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Everybody heard Otto's voice scream as a yellow blur ran past them, followed by the swarm. Izzy stepped out from behind a tree.

"Damn. He used his own Rocket Accel ability." He said, still unaware of the trio behind a bush. "In any case, the coast is clear and I can grab the hive." He looked at his book real fast and he started to move his left hand around in a strange fashion.

"Insect Shield!" A green barrier surrounded him. He walked off into the woods.

He soon reached the clearing where the hive was and he made the shield smaller. The barrier was now a green outline of Izzy. He made to grab the hive, but the spawn of Satan returned and was now blocking his way. He scoffed at the swarm and walked into it with his nose held high. The black fog started to dissipate as the bees fell to the ground dead.

"Heh. Thanks to the poisonous effects of my new Insect Shield, these bees are of no concern to me. I'll just grab this hive and I'll be on my way." He plucked the hive from its branch and shook it to see if it's empty. More bees flew out and they started to fall as well. "The only problem with this shield is that it doesn't block out the sound of that excessive buzzing!" He ran off, followed by any bees that were still alive.

---------------------------

"Did you see how fast Otto went?!" Twister asked with a grin.

"Yeah. This'll make for some great laughs at the Christmas party!" Reggie chuckled. Just then, Izzy jumped over them and ran to town.

"Wonder what he was running so fast for." Sam said as he scratched his head. Just then, they heard a low buzzing. With a scream, they ran off as well.

---------------------------

"Ok. We got most of what we need. Now to mix it up." Izzy said. He & Otto were in the kitchen. Izzy boiled the water in the pot and added the ingredients.

"A crumpled up African violet, the seaweed, stir a little. Add the orange & grapes together, pour in a cupful of Cherry Coke, and add a dash of salt for flavor." He then brought a spoon into the beehive and scooped out the honey. The potion looked a putrid green as Izzy stirred the honey into the concoction. He looked at the potion book and started muttering the necessary spell. He waved his hands over the pot and the potion took on a pleasant pink color. Satisfied, he closed the book and sat at the table.

"It's done, but we still need that hair."

"Ok. I'll get my ha—err! I mean—my friends' hair tomorrow." Otto replied. Izzy shot him a confused look, but got up and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna chill for awhile. When that pot cools, put it in the fridge." He started to leave before he turned towards Otto. "Before I forget, it's of the utmost importance that you don't let anybody drink that potion before we get the hair."

"Why not?" Otto asked.

"Until the hair is applied, that potion will act as a normal love potion, destroying the senses of whoever drinks it and making that person fall in love with whomever they see first."

"Oh."

"'Oh' is right. Don't let anybody drink that potion!" Izzy then stomped out.

The next day…

It was scorching in Ocean Shores as everybody went about their business. It was now lunch and Izzy went off to get some pizza while Otto went to his place. He seemed to have a suspicious look on him as he walked into the house and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out the pot that contained the love potion.

"This is too easy. Why wait to get a bit of Twister's hair when I can just give him the potion now and he'll be mine?" He said to himself as he poured some of the pink liquid into a cup. "Now, all I gotta do is get me & Twist alone and have him—" Just then, the front door knob was starting to turn.

"Oh crap! That might be Izzy! Gotta hide!" He ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The door opened.

"God, it's hot out there!" Reggie yelled as she walked inside.

"Yeah. I need a drink." Twister replied as he walked in as well.

'Yes! And now he'll go into the kitchen and drink the potion.' Otto thought.

"Hey Sam, you want something?" Reggie called from over her back.

"Sure! I'll wait out here!" Sam's voice yelled back. The previous two walked into the kitchen and Twister saw the glass cup containing the potion.

"What's this stuff, pink lemonade?" He asked as he picked up the cup.

'Yes! Drink it, you sexy fool!' Otto cheered in his mind. 'Hey wait. What did Izzy say about the potion?'

::::Flashback::::

"Until the hair is applied, that potion will act as a normal love potion, destroying the senses of whoever drinks it and making that person fall in love with whomever they see first."

::::End Flashback::::

'And who's in the kitchen with Twister?' A voice in Otto's mind asked.

'Reggie. Why'd you—OH MY GOD!' Otto screamed in his mind as he ran down the stairs. He ran in the kitchen just as Twister downed the potion.

"Ugh. Whatever that is, it doesn't taste like pink lemonade." He grimaced. He was facing Reggie with his eyes closed, so the potion didn't take effect yet.

"Hey guys." Otto said, trying to get Twister's attention. Twister turned around and was about to open his eyes when Reggie got in between them.

"Otto! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm on my break. Now if you don't mind, I was about to talk to Twister." Otto replied, but it was too late. Twister had opened his eyes and was making googly eyes…at Reggie!

"Oh man." Otto groaned as he slapped his forehead.

"Reggie?" Twister said.

"Yeah?" Reggie asked as she turned towards him.

"Did anybody ever tell you that you have the most beautiful eyes?"

"Well, there was my date for the senior prom and—WHAT!?" Reggie clearly looked shocked. "Twister, are you feeling ok?"

"Never better, my sweet." Twister replied as he started to advance on Reggie. She started backing up until she was up against the wall.

"Otto, help!" She yelled as Twister put his arms on either side of her, blocking escape.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" Otto chanted.

"Otto!"

"Don't worry! I'll get some help. Just stay away from Twist!" Otto then ran out. Reggie turned to Twister, who had his lips puckered.

"Easier said than done." She muttered.

---------------------------

Izzy was running along at Speed Two. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"I am the Izzy, that's what I am! I am the Izzy, I got the masta plan!" He sang. He then switched songs.

"Born on an island in the heavens. The blood of my ancestors flows inside me." He switched again.

"Sweet, sweet! I'm so sweet!" He switched one more time while stopping at the pier entrance and going towards the Shack.

"Everybody do da Koopa! Everybody shout it out!"

(A/N: I wonder if anybody can guess where that last one came from. Hint: That song wasn't in a game.)

"Izzy! Wait up!" Otto yelled as he skated alongside Izzy.

"Hey. What's up?"

"We got a problem." They skidded to a stop.

"Oh? What kind of problem?" Izzy asked. Otto shifted uneasily.

"W-well you see. About the potion…" He started. Izzy sighed.

"Who drank it?"

"Twister." Otto replied.

"And he's ga-ga over…?"

"Reggie." Izzy slapped his head.

"I told you not to let anybody drink the potion. Its effects are way too strong before the hair is applied."

"o   O Uhhh… How strong are we talking?" Otto asked.

"It makes the drinker try to jump the first person he sees." Izzy replied. Otto's face turned ten shades of red as he realized what would've happened if Twister saw him instead. Izzy gave a slightly confused look.

"I thought the boss didn't like the Reggie/Twister pairing."

(Me: I don't. I just couldn't pass up on this gag.)

"So, my best bro is trying to get into my sister's pants?" Otto asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Izzy replied. They were silent for a moment.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" They ran/skated back to Otto's house. Halfway there, they noticed Reggie skating away from a love-struck Twister.

"Get him away from me!" She yelled as she sped past them.

"Oh come on, Reggie! It could work out!" Twister yelled as he skated past Otto & Izzy as well. They skidded to a stop. Sam skated up to them.

"What's with them? They went into Reggie's house to get a drink and then she came running out with Twister on her tail." He said breathlessly.

"Never mind that! We gotta follow them!" Otto said. The other two boys nodded and they went down the hill, chasing after the two "lovebirds."

"Get away, you sicko!" Reggie yelled.

"Come on, babe! You don't mean that!" Twister replied. The chase went on for at least an hour. Everybody soon ended up on the top of the California Incline. Reggie tried to reason with Twister, but the kid just wouldn't hear of it! Left with no other option, she went down the dangerous slope.

"Reggie! You'll hurt yourself!" Twister called as he went after her.

"So how do we deal with this?" Sam asked, looking at the downhill chase.

"I have to get close enough to both of them in order to cancel out the spell." Izzy replied.

"Then let's go!" Otto yelled. And with that, they took on the incline as well, steadily increasing speed as they went down.

"Twist! Stop!" Sam yelled when he got close enough.

"No way! I'm in love!" Twister yelled back as he increased his speed. Otto, Sam, and Izzy were barely able to catch up.

"This is nuts! How are we supposed to catch up?!" Izzy asked.

"Duh! Use your move!" Otto yelled.

"Alright! Hang on!" Izzy ran fast enough to become a blur as Otto and Sam grabbed his cape. The chase soon ended at the beach, where Reggie was running in circles with Twister after her.

"Ok. They're together. Now what?" Sam asked.

"Simple." Izzy snapped his fingers and Twister shook his head in confusion.

"Ugh… Where am I? What happened?" He asked in a daze. Reggie then grabbed him by his shirt.

"What happened? You tried to jump me, you little twerp!" She throttled him. Otto, Sam, and Izzy sighed and shook hands at a job well done.

"Glad we got that dealt with." Otto said.

"Yeah." Sam added with a sigh. Izzy nodded in agreement.

"One thing though, how DID Twister get his hands on the potion, anyway?" He turned to Otto, who started laughing nervously while backing up. The others got the hint and started advancing towards him.

"Heh. It was a little joke. You know? Ha ha?" Otto defended.

"Oh I'll show you ha ha!" Reggie yelled as she punched her hand.

"I can't believe you did that!" Twister, Sam, and Izzy yelled.

"Get him!" Reggie yelled.

"Come on! It was all in good fun!" Otto yelled as he ran away from the others.

The next day…

"Come on, Izzy!" Otto cheered. They were at the beach again.

"Oh mana, come to me!" Izzy yelled. That disc thingy from last week appeared and gave him his sword and shield. He pulled out the sword and started doing some drills. He stabbed at the air repeatedly and thrust his sword into the ground a few times.

"Hey Izzy?" Otto said a few minutes later.

"Yeah?" Izzy asked as he stabbed the air around him.

"Did ya ever get the feeling you were being watched?"

"Well you're here." Izzy said as he performed a spin attack. Otto slapped his head.

"I mean besides us." The other boy stopped his drills and looked around.

"Otto, there's no one here besides us. Now can it." Izzy charged energy into his sword and fired his Super Magical Violet Tornado at the sea, causing an impressive-looking funnel to appear. A low growl filled the air and they looked around. Seeing nothing, Izzy shrugged it off and got back into a fighting stance.

"And now for your viewing pleasure, I shall use a new technique I like to call the 'Hurricane Attack.'" He held his sword behind him as it started to charge energy. The tip of his blade burned with a righteous fury as he let loose the energy and spun around like a top out of control. Just as his attack ended, a loud clang was heard. Izzy started moving around dizzily.

"Ugh… That attack…"

"I know I heard that clanging sound." Otto said as Izzy regained his composure.

"Yeah. I heard it too." He replied. Otto then walked up to where the sound was heard.

"Can you use another attack right…here?" He pointed to a spot in the sand. Izzy walked up to that area.

"Ok. Stand back." Otto walked away as Izzy started to charge energy into the sword. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and let go.

"WOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" He yelled as he focused his attack on the area. There was a massive amount of clanging before the sound of glass shattering was heard. It seemed as if Izzy destroyed a dome, revealing Adrian.

"It's you." Otto said. After recovering from the dizziness of the attack, Izzy got his sword ready to strike.

"Wait! I don't want to fight." Adrian said. The wizard in the gray hat still didn't put down his sword.

"What do you want?" He asked with a glare.

"I only want to apologize for last week. I was jealous." To this, Izzy put down his sword and raised an eyebrow.

"Jealous?" Adrian nodded. Izzy continued. "I don't understand why you were jealous. After all, I hardly have anybody to hang out with in this city except for a few humans." He gestured to Otto. "Keoni was a rare example of the quality I like in a human. I don't know why you hate them, but you really shouldn't have done what you did."

"But—" Adrian started, but Izzy interrupted.

"Besides, how can we be seen together? I thought you were on the king's side."

"I am, but you don't understand." Adrian replied.

"Ok. I'm all ears. What was your reason?"

"Izzy, I don't hate humans. I—" Adrian shook his head. "Never mind. I would like you to forgive me."

"After what happened, I don't know if I can."

"How about I teach you how to fly?" Izzy shot Adrian a skeptical look.

"You know I'm a low level. I can't possibly fly without my wand." Adrian walked up to him.

"Listen, anything is possible, with or without the wand. Besides, you can create weapons." He pointed at Izzy's sword & shield. "Only high-leveled wizards & witches can do that. Of course you can fly." Izzy then remembered the words in his father's book.

'"Any spell can be used, regardless of whether the wizard has his wand or not."' He nodded at his thoughts.

"Ok. Let's do it. Otto will be here to make sure ya don't try anything."

"Even if I did try anything, how's he gonna stop me?" Adrian asked. Izzy shrugged.

"Before we get started, what was that spell you used when we found you?"

"Oh, that was a barrier called the 'Sight Shield.' No one can see anything inside it. It's as if you're invisible."

"But you're not invincible to attacks, huh?" Otto asked. Adrian sneered.

"It speaks!" Izzy laughed.

"Very funny." Otto said while crossing his arms.

"Anyway, let's go already. Don't you still have to do your job?" Adrian asked.

"Oh yeah. You're right. Ok. Tell me what to do." Izzy said as he made his shield and sword disappear.

"Ok. First, you have to focus your energy. Think only about floating." Adrian said. Izzy closed his eyes and his body glowed. "Good. Now jump up and try to hold your position." Izzy focused a bit more before jumping up. Gravity quickly affected him and he landed on his feet.

"Try again." Adrian said sternly. Izzy jumped up again. This time, he floated a little before he lost his concentration and fell on his butt.

"Ow…" He groaned.

"Get up! We're gonna keep at it until you get it right!" Adrian yelled. Izzy quickly got up and focused his energy again. He jumped and floated a bit longer before falling. This continued for a few hours before Otto told him that time was up. With a groan, he bid Adrian farewell.

"Remember, I'll be back here tomorrow." Adrian said as he left too. For the next few days, Izzy trained, trying to fly. It was tough, but he was getting better. He would fall a lot, but he'd quickly get up and try again.

---------------------------

"Ugh… Flying is crazy hard." Izzy groaned. He & Otto were sitting on the Shack's balcony, enjoying their lunch break.

"Yeah." Otto agreed. "Don't you think he's going a bit rough about it?"

"Maybe, but he was probably trained to fly like that, so this'll most likely be good for me." Izzy paused. "Do you think I might be too trusting?"

"Maybe a little. Don't feel too bad though." Otto replied as he rested in a chair, eating a banana.

"Hmmm… So how's that hair thing coming along?"

"Heh. I got my friend's hair already." Otto looked up at his dreadlocks. "I still gotta get his friend's hair." Izzy put on a thinking look and looked at the beach.

"Otto! Izzy! Break's over!" Ray yelled from downstairs.

"Well that was short." Otto said as he tossed the banana peel behind him. It landed on the floor.

"Yeah. I guess—" Izzy said before he stepped on the banana peel. "Woah!" He started to slip. He desperately tried to regain balance, but he was edging closer to the balcony's rail.

"Izzy, watch out!" Otto yelled, but it was too late. With a last scream, Izzy went over the edge. Otto ran to the rail and saw him fall. He got closer and closer to the ground and then…stopped?

"I can't believe it's over." Izzy said. He had his eyes closed. "And talk about a weird way to go. Slipping on a banana peel. That's gotta be the oldest cartoon gag."

"Izzy, you're not dead! Open your eyes!" Otto said.

"Wha?" Izzy opened his eyes and saw the concrete. It was coming closer and then backed up, only to come closer again. Confused, he looked to his right and saw the people inside the Shack staring at him in amazement. He then gasped as he realized what happened.

"I'm…floating?" He made himself face up. He looked down and noticed that a few feet of air separated him from the concrete. He rose a bit higher until he was above the Shack. Everybody ran out and looked up as he gave an ecstatic laugh.

"I'm actually flying!" He rose higher and flew forward, doing a few barrel rolls and loop de loops. He flew down along the beach and up again, causing sand to be sprayed everywhere. He then flew along the water, letting his hands slide along it. Izzy flew back to the Shack and landed. He gave a bow as everybody clapped at the performance. At the top of the Shack, Adrian was watching with admiration.

"He learned faster than me, but can he fight while flying?" He muttered before flying off.

The next day…

"Adrian! I can fly!" Izzy yelled as he ran on the beach, followed by Otto. When he got to his friend, he jumped up and floated in the air. "See?" Adrian shook his head at the sight and chuckled.

"You're such a little kid sometimes." He floated up too and was across from Izzy.

";    ; I'm not a little kid!" Izzy pouted. Adrian chuckled and then brought out his wand.

"Now that you're able to fly, you have to learn how to defend yourself while concentrating on staying in the air."

"Ok." Izzy replied as the two floated higher.

"We'll spar for a bit to get you used to battle in the sky. Bring out your sword."

"Alright. Oh mana, come to me!" Izzy called. The disc came down, but as he tried to get his sword, Adrian rammed into him. "What was that for!?"

"Nobody is going to allow you to call your sword." Adrian replied. "You have to defend yourself while calling your weapon or charging up a big attack. Try again."

"Alright." Izzy said as his body started to glow. "Power Shield!" An orange barrier surrounded him. "And now, oh mana, come to me!" The disc came down again and he was able to get his sword & shield despite Adrian launching a stream of fire at him. Unfortunately, Izzy's barrier broke down from the heat of the flames.

"You may have gotten your sword, but your barrier was destroyed as a result. You have to anticipate your opponent's attack." Adrian said. "Now come at me."

"Ahhhhh!!!" Izzy screamed as he charged at Adrian. He prepared to thrust his sword, but Adrian dodged and delivered a punch to his side. Izzy started to lose altitude as he clutched his side.

"Get back up!" Adrian yelled. "Nobody is going to show you any mercy." Izzy flew back up and started to charge energy into his blade. Adrian fired a bolt of energy at him, but he blocked it with his shield. Izzy roared as he performed a Hurricane Attack in the air. Adrian made a barrier, which held up for a little bit against Izzy's attack. It quickly shattered as the one in the black cape started to experience the side effect of his move. Adrian took the opportunity to attack, but Izzy shook off the effects and blocked another strike.

"Not bad, Izzy, but can you defend against this?" Adrian asked as he backed up from the other boy, who was panting. The sky started to darken and the wind picked up. It started to rain as Adrian's wand glowed. Thunder clapped as a few lightning bolts came down and made their way towards Izzy.

"Lightning Shield!" He yelled. A barrier made out of electricity surrounded him and blocked the attack. The sword started to glow again. "Super Magical Violet Tornado!" He tossed the wind funnel at Adrian.

"Wind Shield!" A barrier made of air surrounded Adrian and cancelled out Izzy's attack. He then tossed some fireballs in Izzy's direction. Izzy flew around them with ease. He tried his tornado attack again, but Adrian's shield proved too strong for it.

'Crap! How can I penetrate his shield?' He thought as he flew around more fireballs. He saw one fireball go towards the ground and disappear as soon as it hit the sand. 'That's it!' He focused energy into the sword and aimed at the ground in front of Adrian's position.

"Super Magical Violet Tornado!" The attack shot out, hit the sand, and rose up, causing a tornado of sand to spiral in Adrian's direction. Adrian's shield stood up to the wind part of the attack, but the sand went everywhere, obstructing his view. Izzy flew up and delivered a kick to Adrian, making him fall to the ground. The boy in the gray hat landed and walked up to him as the storm he caused dissipated.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Adrian coughed up some sand and stood up.

"Yeah. I'm cool." He replied as he dusted himself off. He then shook Izzy's hand. "That was impressive. Using our environment to create a sandstorm and mess up my shield. You really have come a long way from the kid I knew."

"Thanks. I hope I'll be strong enough to take on the king and get back my wand."

"Don't worry. You'll make it." Adrian said. Izzy noticed he was looking real tired.

"I guess our sparring session really took it out of you. I'll use a healing spell." He said. He put an arm around Adrian and walked towards Otto, who was watching the fight and Izzy's books. The skater saw Adrian blush at the attention he was getting.

"Ok. Sit here while I find the right spell." Izzy told Adrian as he picked up a book and thumbed through it, looking for the right spell. Adrian sat on the ground and looked at him with a smile. Otto walked up to the blue caped wizard.

"You like him, don't you?" He whispered. Adrian looked at him with a shocked expression before turning away with a blush.

"What makes you say that?" He whispered back.

"For one thing, you're helping him train when he's going up against the guy you're working for."

"So? I'm only giving him a chance against the king." Adrian replied stubbornly.

"Yeah right. You like him."

"You're crazy." Adrian coolly said. "He's my best friend, you know."

"Then why were you so jealous over him and Keoni?" Otto asked with a smirk. Adrian blushed and stuttered to find an excuse.

"I was ordered to go after Izzy. It didn't matter if he was—::Gulp::—dating some human."

"Uh-huh. So if I was to ask Izzy to go out with me?" Otto asked.

"I would rip every single organ out of your human body and devour your soul." Adrian slapped a hand over his mouth as he saw Otto's defiant smirk. He put on a defeated expression.

"Well, I wouldn't go out with Izzy anyway." Otto said. "How about telling him?"

"You really are nuts. I'd never risk losing my friendship." Adrian replied. Otto was about to continue this, but Izzy was walking up to them.

"I found the spell. Hold still." He said as he held a hand up to Adrian. He muttered the spell and Adrian's body glowed. His wounds instantly healed.

"Th-thanks." Adrian said, his face turning the color of an apple. Izzy gave him a confused glance.

"No problem. What were you & Otto talking about?"

"Oh nothing…" Otto said, casting a glance at Adrian.

"Well anyway, we gotta go now. Will you be ok, Adrian?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." Adrian replied as he got up.

"Thank you, Adrian. You're a good best friend." Izzy said as he got Adrian in a tight hug. The smaller wizard struggled against it, but at the same time, he had a huge grin on him. Izzy soon let go.

"See ya around." He then left the beach with Otto.

"Good bye." Adrian said with a distant tone as he flew off very sloppily.

Later that day…

'I'm gonna get that hair today.' Otto thought as he was out making a delivery. 'All I gotta do is sneak into Twister's house, snag his brush, and I'll have the strand.' He went up a ramp, did a 360, and landed safely. He continued on.

'But what if his parents are there? Or even worse, Lars? He would never let me live it down if he knew why I was there.' He reached his destination and got his payment.

'Maybe if I go there now, nobody will be home.' With a shrug, Otto made his way to Twister's house. When he got there, he made sure the coast was clear. Seeing that no one was around, he went up the stairs to the house and tested the door knob. He smiled as he turned the knob and opened the door.

'Whew! Nobody's home.' He thought as he made his way through the house. It seemed that he was home free.

"Hey Rocket Dork!" Otto froze as he heard the voice of the ultimate evil.

'So much for that plan!' He scolded himself as he turned to face his long-time rival, Lars Rodriguez, who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hey Lars."

"Don't 'Hey Lars' me! What are you doing here?" Lars asked.

"Uhhhh well, ya see—" Otto started.

"Where's my food!?" Lars yelled.

"Huh?" Just then, the doorbell rang. Ignoring Otto's confused expression, Lars went to get the door. He opened it and who else but Izzy was standing there holding a bag.

"Here ya go." He said, handing Lars the bag.

"Ya took forever!" Lars yelled as he snatched the bag.

"Don't blame me!" Izzy defended. "Tito was kinda slow about the cooking. You know I could get here in mere seconds. And that's $6.50."

"Talk about robbery." Lars said as he crossed his arms. Izzy shrugged.

"Not my fault. I'm only the delivery boy."

"Speaking of which, why'd they send Rocket Dork if he didn't have any food?" Izzy raised an eyebrow at Lars' question.

"Otto? I don't see him." Lars turned and looked at the living room. Otto was indeed gone. Scratching his head, Lars gave Izzy the money and went to eat. Down the hall, Otto gave a sigh of relief.

'I owe you one, Izzy.' He thought as he walked to Twister's room. He opened the door and was amazed to be in a clean room.

'Woah! This can't be Twist's room! It's too…neat.'

Not a single piece of clothing was on the floor and nothing was out of place or knocked over. Getting over his initial shock, Otto walked over to Twister's dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a blue brush. He grinned when he saw strands of a familiar orange. He carefully pulled some strands and put them in his pocket. He then snuck out of the house without Lars finding him. He skated to the pier.

---------------------------

"Izzy! I got it!" Otto yelled as he ran into the Shack. Izzy and everybody else there gave him a confused look.

"Uhhhh… Got what?" Izzy asked.

"The hair! I got the—" Otto started, but Izzy slapped a hand over his mouth and guided him to the back.

"So you finally got both hair strands?" He asked as he removed his hand. Otto nodded. "Good. After we're done for the day, I'll put the finishing touches on the potion." They then worked for the rest of the day. Otto daydreamed most of the time. He was finally going to get what he wanted.

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A/N:

Izzy: That was loooooong!

Me: Yep.

Izzy: And full of humor.

Me: Yep.

Izzy: Hey, did we ever figure out why the sky's always yellow?

Me: ::Looks at Sam, who's still rambling possible reasons:: Nope.

Izzy: ::Slaps forehead:: Oy!

Me: Well, find out what happens next time!