Izzy: Hey Boss, what's with the Sonic themes you've been giving everybody?
Me: Well, it's like this: As mentioned in our last adventure, I identify some of the Rocket Power cast with the Sonic cast.
Izzy: o O Wha? How could you possibly identify the RP crew with the Sonic crew?
Me: That's easy. I'm doing it by personalities. As you know, I identify Otto with Sonic the hedgehog, Twister with Knuckles the echidna, Sam with Tails the two-tailed fox, and, after this chapter, Reggie with Rouge the bat.
Izzy: Wouldn't it make more sense to identify Otto with Knuckles because of the dreadlocks?
Me: ¬ ¬ Didn't I just say I'm doing it by personalities? Anyway, I identify Otto with Sonic because they're both the leader. They're overconfident, brash, and cocky as well.
Izzy. Ok. And what about Sam? It makes much more sense to identify him with Dr. Robotnik. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
::WHAM!::
Me: ::Puts down fist:: Sam may not be one of my favorite characters, but I won't let you make any fat jokes. Anyway, I identify Sam with Tails because they're both geniuses.
Izzy: ::Rubs head:: ¬ ¬ So is Robotnik.
Me: ::Shrugs:: But Ivo's evil. Also, Sam and Tails are both blond.
Izzy: I thought you weren't doing this based on physical appearance.
Me: Oh well. Now for Reggie—
Izzy: Yeah… It makes more sense to identify her with Amy Rose.
Me: o O Why Amy?
Izzy: Because Amy loves Sonic, who is blue, and Twister wears blue, so—
::WHAM!::
Izzy: ::Dizzily:: I would like my previous statement stricken from the record…
Me: ::Puts down a mallet:: I told you I hated that coupling. Anyway, I didn't really have much choice because the only other girl I could've identified her with was Cream, but she's way too young and naïve. So I decided to pick Rouge because she wears purple and Reggie's hair is purple.
Izzy: Speaking of your favorite color, what about the great Lars and what's your reason for identifying Twister with Knuckles?
Me: Later. We gotta start.
-----------------------------
Last time on The Runaway…
(To the tune of "Fly in the Freedom" [Rouge's theme in Sonic Adventure 2])
Reggie: Hey! Reggie Rocket here to tell ya what happened last time. It was a whacked out couple of days! First off, Keoni left for Hawaii, but not before getting a sad good bye from Izzy. Then two days later, it seemed like the caped guy went back to his training. I think Otto went after him. Why? I don't know. He's hard enough to figure out as it is!
Later that day, Otto & Izzy were going around town looking for ingredients for some kind of potion. Again, don't ask me about all that. Whatever they were making needed honey from a beehive! Otto got a real 'buzz' from that! Ok, bad pun. Anyway, the next day, Twister drank some weird stuff that made him totally crazy for me! Yeah right! As if I could go for him! Of course he didn't seem to care about that. He chased me all over town until Izzy snapped him out of it.
A few days later, Izzy finally learned how to fly, thanks to his supposed best friend Adrian. They did some hard training, but it was worth it. Finally, Otto went to Twister's house for something and ran into Lars. He was saved though when Izzy stopped by to make a delivery. I wonder… Why was he training so hard for anyway?
-----------------------------
The Runaway Ch. 10: Final Preparations
Later that night…
"And now the final two ingredients, the hair strands of two potential lovers." Izzy said as thunder boomed. Looking around the kitchen, he saw no one else around.
"I said, 'And now the final two ingredients, the hair strands of two potential lovers!'" Thunder boomed again and still no one else was around.
"Otto! Get in here already!" Otto was up in the bathroom, carefully applying a pair of scissors to one of his dreadlocks.
"I'm coming! Hold on!" He yelled. He looked back at the mirror. "Ok now. Carefully cut it off." Otto snipped off a little more than he needed. He cringed at his reflection.
"I look ugly without a full lock. Oh well. It'll grow back." He separated the bit of hair in his hand until he got just one strand of red. He then took out one of Twister's hair stands before leaving the room. He made his way to the kitchen carefully. He didn't need to lose his or his best bro's hair strands. He went inside the kitchen where Izzy was waiting by the pot.
"Took your sweet time. Now let's have that hair." He said as he held out his hand. Otto gave him the two strands of red and orange. Izzy gave a strange look as he inspected them. Otto got a nervous look.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"I sense an odd familiarity coming from these two strands." Izzy replied with suspicion in his voice. He shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. I don't even know who these strands belong to."
"Right." Otto said with guilt in his voice. Izzy dropped both strands into the potion. A puff of smoke rose up from the pot. He picked it up.
"So what spell do ya have to use this time?" Otto asked.
"Nothing. Just stick it in the microwave for a few." Izzy replied, ignoring Otto's gaping expression. He stuck the pot in the microwave. In a few minutes, the potion was warm and the pink liquid was now a deep crimson. Izzy poured the entire potion into a thermos.
"Finally, it's completed." He said as he handed the potion to Otto. "Now that it's done, all you have to do is give it to your friend and he'll give it to his crush." He paused. "I don't get it. You could've used that potion for yourself, but you chose to help a friend with it. Why?"
"I just wanted to help. I don't really have a crush on anybody." Otto replied, grimacing at his lie.
"Well anyway, I'm going to sleep. See ya in the morning." Izzy yawned as he left the kitchen.
The next day at the Shack…
"Izzy, this just came in for you." Ray said as he handed the wizard a package in the back room. He then left.
"What'd you order?" Otto asked. Izzy opened the package.
"That's just it. I didn't order anything." He replied. While taking out the packing foam, a piece of paper fell out.
"Maybe this'll explain it." Otto said as he handed the paper to Izzy. He started to read the letter.
Dearest Izzy,
This package contains a brand new pair of air skates. They're all the rage in the wizarding world! Here's how they work: You get a running start and the rockets at the bottom of the skates will activate, allowing you to skate around. This should make delivering a little easier. Also, the metal plates in the middle of the skates' bottom will allow you to grind rails. Hopefully, they'll fit you fine. If they don't, you can always use a shoe fitting spell in one of your books!
Seriously though, I have some advice for you. If you really are planning on fighting the king, then I suggest trying your hand at making some potions. A good idea would be to try making explosive potions to make exploring the king's castle a little quicker. You know the king won't be in the first room you walk in. You can also try transformation potions to get past the guards. Most importantly, make healing potions, lots and lots of them. You'll need 'em. Well, that's all I have to offer you. Hope you make it through in one piece and that we don't have to fight each other.
Love,
Adrian
"'Dearest Izzy?' 'Love?' What's that all about?" Izzy asked after he read the letter. Otto couldn't believe how naïve the wizard was.
"¬ ¬ Beats me, but open the skates. I wanna see them!" He said. Izzy took out a shoe box and opened it. Inside were two shoes.
They were white on the front and black on the back. There was a gold ring around a black & red flap where the feet go. The shoes had a red rim around the back & front halves. The bottom of each shoe had four mini rockets and the middle of both shoes was raised up to contain the metal plates for grinding.
"I think I'm gonna like this reference." Izzy said with a grin as he kicked off his dirty white shoes and put on the skates. They fit snuggly.
"Let's test them out." Otto said as he left the Shack followed by Izzy. The pier was cleared for the wizard, who was at where it began. Otto was by the Shack.
"Ok Izzy! Go!" He yelled. Izzy did a light jog to make the skates activate. Unfortunately, nothing happened.
"What happened? Why didn't the skates start up?" He asked as he reached the Shack. Otto went inside and came back with a booklet.
"It says here in the instruction book that you have to flick the switches on the heels in order for the rockets to turn on." Izzy took off his skates and inspected the heels. There was a tiny red switch on each of them. He flicked the switches, put the shoes back on, and jogged. Almost instantly, the rockets activated and Izzy started to hover a few inches off the ground. He then moved his body as if he were on roller blades.
"Woah. This is much smoother than running!" He said as he skated back to Otto. He jumped on the rail and grinded down it. Sparks flashed from the skates. He landed, skated past the movies, turned around, and went back up the ramp.
"Not bad." Otto said with a nod.
"Izzy! Delivery!" Ray yelled.
"Well, see ya later." Izzy said as he went inside, got the food, and skated off.
'I wonder why Adrian sent me these shoes for.' He thought. 'I mean they're cool and all, but that was completely unexpected.' He made a left. 'He mentioned the king's castle in his letter. I guess that means the king will use magic to transport his castle here. I wonder how much time I have left.' Izzy looked at his watch and pressed a button. The date was displayed as "8-18."
'It's almost the end of summer. I better take Adrian's advice and try making some potions.' He reached the house he was supposed to go to and rang the bell. Izzy gasped when he saw the blue haired teenager who answered the door.
"Hey Izzy, long time no see." The teenager said.
"It's only been about a month. I wouldn't consider that a real long time." The caped boy replied. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Cameo. Why are you wearing that faker's shoes? I thought you had to give up the ones you had when we finished that last fic."
"Yeah, I did. These skates were a gift." Izzy replied as he handed the other boy the food.
"Oh. Anyway, have you seen You-know-who?"
"You mean Ivo? He lives a few houses down. He orders this stuff like ten times a day!" At said house, Otto is seen giving the villain a few bags full of burgers. Izzy got his payment and a tip.
"See ya around, Izzy." The boy said as he went back inside his house.
"See ya!" Izzy yelled back as he skated off.
(A/N: In case ya didn't figure it out, that boy was a human version of Sonic the Hedgehog.)
The next morning…
"Mornin' Izzy. Aren't we going out to train?" Otto asked as he came down the stairs.
"Nah. I thought I'd take a break today. I'll make breakfast." Izzy replied as he went to the kitchen. He had a vial full of some red powder in his hands. He cooked some eggs and made toast for the Rockets and himself. When it was done, he put the powder on Otto's eggs.
'I hope this works.' He thought. He placed the plates on the table just as Reggie & Ray joined them in the kitchen.
"Uhhh Izzy, what's this on my eggs?" Otto asked after everybody exchanged good mornings.
"Just a little spice. Tell me if ya like it." Izzy replied. Otto brought a fork to the eggs and put a piece in his mouth.
"Pretty good. Next time, tell me when you're gonna put stuff in my food." He said after swallowing the piece.
"Noted. Another thing, could you do me a favor?"
"What?" Otto asked.
"I need to try making some potions. Could you possibly be my test subject?"
"You mean guinea pig?" Reggie asked suspiciously. Izzy nervously chuckled.
"I guess you can say that. I can't possibly do it myself. If anything goes wrong, I'll make sure to heal ya immediately." Otto seemed to be contemplating his response as he finished off the rest of his eggs.
"Ok. I'll test out your potions. Just don't poison me." He said. Izzy put on a grin.
"Not to worry! In fact, you can start right now." With that, he snapped his fingers and Otto's normally red dreadlocks flared up and became flames. Everybody else gasped.
"WHAT'D YOU DO!?!" They yelled.
"Chill. I just put a fire potion in his eggs. He's perfectly fine. Go ahead. Run a hand through your new do." Otto nervously put his hand on the flames. Miraculously, his hand didn't catch fire.
"It feels like my hair." He said with astonishment.
"So how does this work?" Ray asked.
"Because of the potion, Otto should have the power of a fire element wizard, meaning he can breathe fire and stuff." Izzy replied.
"You mean like this?" Otto asked as he took a deep breath. Being cautious, Izzy encased the surfer in a Fire Shield. Otto then exhaled, tossing flames from his mouth. Because of the barrier, the fire filled the entire shield. When Otto's attack ended, he was black all over. Everybody grimaced at the sight.
"Ouch…" Otto groaned. He coughed up a cloud of smoke.
"I guess the potion must be too strong. Oh well." Izzy said. He snapped his fingers and the fire on Otto's head turned back to normal hair. He then recited a healing spell. Otto was no longer charred and his clothes were also repaired. "Sorry about that. I'm sure the next potion will work a little better."
"Right… The next potion." Otto said with a nervous chuckle. He left to get ready for work. Izzy set out to make another potion.
A little later…
"Ok. Here's the next one." Izzy said to Otto, who just came down the stairs. He handed the skater a cup that was full of a grayish concoction.
"What's this supposed to do?" Otto asked as he took the glass.
"The recipe didn't specify. It said something about stone and snakes though." Izzy replied as he looked in his potion book. Otto's expression turned to one of fear.
"Bottoms up, I guess…" He said as he drank the potion. A puff of smoke appeared and surrounded him. When it dissipated, he was normal. There was just one thing.
"I guess that potion was a dud. It didn't do anything." He said.
"Oh?" Izzy asked. "I guess I must've done something—" He put down the book and looked at Otto. His dreadlocks were replaced by snakes! Izzy quickly turned around. "Never mind. The potion worked. Just do me one favor."
"What?" Otto asked, unaware of the snakes.
"Don't look anybody in the eye. At least not until I make an antidote."
"o O Ok…" Otto left the kitchen just as Reggie was coming down the stairs.
"Hey Rocket Boy—AHHHH!!!!" Izzy cursed and sighed after hearing the girl scream.
"Damn Medusa potion." He muttered. "Guess I'll have to make a restoring potion as well." He then looked in his book for the antidote to Reggie's petrification.
The next morning at the pier…
"Ok. Let's try this thunder potion." Izzy said as he handed Otto a vial containing a lavender liquid. Otto drank it and cringed at the taste.
"Ugh… Ok. Now what?" He asked.
"Now you skate along and destroy these targets." Izzy snapped his fingers and three cardboard cut outs of Crew Cut the Clown appeared.
"I wonder if anybody'll guess this reference!" Otto yelled with sarcasm as he started skating on his board. He reached the first target and held out a hand. A bolt of lightning shot out and the cut out turned to ashes. He then skated into another one while his body was crackling with electricity. The cut out didn't even make it through the attack. Otto shot a bolt at the last cut out and fried it.
"Good job. I guess my potion works after all." Izzy said while clapping. Otto took off his helmet and bowed.
"Yeah. And nothing went wrong this time." Just then, it started to rain hard. As the rain drenched Otto, his body started to crackle with electricity.
"W-What are you doing?" Izzy asked with a trembling voice.
"Nothing. I'm not doing it!" Otto replied. Lightning then shot out of his body and traveled along the wet concrete.
::BZZZZZZZTPT!!!!!::
The two boys got zapped with electricity.
"I guess water short circuits you…" Izzy said. His body was shaking.
"Yeah…" Otto agreed. His dreadlocks were sticking straight up. They fainted.
Later that afternoon…
The rain cleared up and Otto, fully healed, was skating around town in his blades. He seemed to be looking for someone and he had a thermos in his hand.
'Where can Twist be?' He thought. 'I finally got this potion and he's nowhere to be found!' He checked Mad Town, the amusement park, his best bro's house (dealing with Lars in the process), everywhere! The boy just disappeared off the face of the earth! Otto's eyes widened at a thought.
'What if… What if he fell into a crevice and is probably screaming for help right about now? Oh God! Twister! I'm coming!' He jetted over to the mountain boarding courses. After checking them and finding nothing (and wiping out about twenty times on Bruised Man's Curve), Otto limped back to town. His eyes widened again.
'What if he drowned while surfing? Oh crap!' He skated to his house, changed into some swimming trunks, grabbed his surfboard, and ran down to the beach at a speed Izzy can't possibly run at! When he got there, he paddled out as far as he can go without the current taking him. Otto took a deep breath and dived under. He looked as much as possible before coming back up for air. He didn't find Twister or his board. He sighed with relief.
'Whew. At least he didn't drown.' His eyes widened yet again. 'What if because I wasn't around to test any of his potions, Izzy grabbed Twister?' He then imagined a possible scenario.
"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Izzy laughed at the cowering Twister. "Now it's time to meet your fate."
"No!" Twister yelled as he tried to get away. "I don't wanna test out your potion!" He ran a little further before running into Izzy. He ran again, but the caped teen proved much too fast for the aspiring cameraman. The wizard soon cornered Twister against a wall and grew twenty feet tall.
"Now you'll test it." He snarled as he poured a green liquid on Twister. In a cloud of smoke, the skater transformed into a frog wearing a striped hat.
"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!" Izzy laughed again as the daydream ended.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Otto yelled as he swam back to shore. He ran to the Shack. The whole place was empty except for Izzy, who was sleeping at a table. There was something by his head. And what was beside his head, you ask? Well, it was a cage. And now—::Drum roll::—the cage contained a—
"Frog?!" Otto gasped. He stormed up to Izzy and grabbed him by the shirt, instantly waking him up.
"Uh? Wha?" He sputtered. Otto's hands went to his throat.
"What did you do to Twister!?!" He yelled.
"Ack! Twister?" Izzy croaked. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Otto didn't remove his hands.
"Liar! You got a frog in that cage!"
"I know that!" Izzy struggled to say. Otto only squeezed harder.
"You turned Twister into a frog! And after I saved your life?!"
"What?!" Izzy got out of Otto's grip. "Are you nuts!? I didn't turn him into a frog!" Otto seemed to be calming down as Izzy took in some air.
"So you didn't see Twister?"
"No. Nobody came in since the Shack opened today." Izzy replied. "And what was that all about!?"
"Nothing. Sorry." Otto said. The other boy grunted and crossed his arms in response.
"And another thing, where have you been? I had a transformation potion to test, but you were nowhere to be found."
"So what's with the frog?" Otto asked, ignoring Izzy's question.
"I used the potion on a rock. That's what it became."
"You didn't use it on anybody else, did you?" Otto asked with suspicion. Izzy looked away.
"Well…" Just then, a white rabbit wearing a green bucket hat hopped in from the back room, followed by a big brown one. Otto looked at them and gave Izzy a hard look.
"Ok, ok! I'll change them back!" The caped kid yelled as he clapped his hands. In a puff of smoke, Ray & Tito turned back to their normal forms. They turned to Izzy with a cold glare. The boy gulped and turned to Otto.
"'Twister's missing,' you say? Well, I'm willing to forego my duties as delivery boy to help you look for him."
"But…" Otto started. Ray & Tito started to advance.
"No buts! Now!" Izzy dragged him out before the two adults can attack.
-----------------------------
"So, where do we start?" Izzy asked. They were far away from the pier. Otto was in his regular clothes again. He was also wearing his blades.
"I don't know." He sighed. "I've already looked at a few places. How about flying up and see if you can spot him?"
"Alright." Izzy jumped and floated up until he was a couple hundred feet in the air. He looked as far as his eyes can see. After a few minutes, he floated back down and shook his head at the hopeful Otto.
"I didn't see him anywhere."
"Come on. Let's try the arcade." Otto said. The duo skated off.
At the arcade…
"I can't believe there are still arcades around." Izzy said in astonishment as he & Otto walked inside.
"It makes sense. Remember, the animators are VERY old fashioned." Otto replied.
"Animators? I thought this dimension was brought to life by the boss."
(Me: o O What on Earth makes you think that? This is FANFICTION, remember? I got nothing to do with these dimensions except little things I add.)
"Oh. Well, why would Twister be here? I thought the only one into games was Sam."
"What?! Dude, of course the rest of us play games!" Otto replied, referring to himself, Reggie, and Twister.
"Oops. Sorry." They were silent after that as they started to look for Twister. They looked in every possible area. By the Dance Dance Revolution game, the huge racing games, the Star Wars games, even the—ick!—horror shooter games. Not a trace of Twister was seen. Discouraged, they left the arcade.
"Maybe he got hungry." Izzy said thoughtfully. Otto shrugged.
"Worth a shot, I guess." They then went into every restaurant in Ocean Shores (except for the Shack). They didn't see hide or hair of Twister. He wasn't even enjoying any ice cream. Otto was clearly getting more and more upset by the minute.
"Ugh! Let's try interrogating everybody in town!" He yelled as he skated in one direction. Izzy gave the camera a confused glance.
"What's his deal?" With a shrug, he went to question possible suspects as well. He walked up to someone in a red cape. "Excuse me. Have you seen a kid about this high, wearing a striped hat, possibly with a camera?" The person turned around. He was about five feet tall, had brown hair and pretty pale skin. He gave a wicked grin as he saw Izzy.
"No, but I've found you!" The boy said as he pulled out a dark blue wand that was as curvy as a snake. Izzy groaned.
"Not again." The wizard shot energy at him.
-----------------------------
"Have you seen Twister?" Otto asked Eddie, who shook his head in response. Sighing, he skated up to a girl who was about four feet tall with red pigtails.
"Mackenzie, have you seen Twist?" He asked the eleven year-old.
(A/N: She had to grow up too, ya know.)
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." She replied as she crossed her arms. "What's in it for me?"
'Still the same way. Little spoiled—' Otto thought. "What if I said you'd be helping a great cause?"
"I'd say get lost! Hippie." Mackenzie replied as she started to storm off. Otto quickly got in her way.
"Do you know where Twister is or not!?" He yelled. Mackenzie balled up a fist and punched Otto in his not-nice place. He collapsed, holding his pills.
"Ok… Maybe she doesn't know where he is after all." He muttered in a high voice. "I wonder if Izzy's doing any better."
-----------------------------
"Aww come on! What'd I do to you!?" Izzy yelled as he dodged a stream of water.
"Nothing. I just want the reward for turning you in!" The other wizard replied as he shot another stream of water. Izzy blocked it with a Water Shield.
"Oh great! Now there's a price on my head!? When I deal with that idiotic king, he's gonna hear it from me!" He started to charge energy with a smirk. "But in the mean time… Thunderbolt!" He shot electric energy at the other boy, who was blasted off towards the beach. Izzy dusted off his hands.
"That'll show ya. Now to find Twister." He turned around, only to be confronted by about twenty or so wizards and witches. They all seemed to be out for blood. He turned his back on them.
"I can never catch a break, huh?" He then skated off, followed by the mob.
Later…
"There you are!" Izzy yelled as he ran up to Otto at the cul-de-sac. He looked banged up. He immediately lunged at the smaller boy and started to throttle him. "Do you have any idea what I've just been through!?"
"No, but I think you'll tell me anyway." Otto struggled to reply. Izzy let him go.
"I've been chased, blasted, and trampled by a bunch of stupid, greedy wizards & witches! And for what, huh? Your friend who we haven't even found!?" He started moving towards the Rocket house. "Well you know what? I could care less! I'm gonna go heal and then go back to the Shack to salvage what's left of my work day! I just hope Ray & Tito got over that whole rabbit thing."
At the Shack…
"You see him?" Tito asked. He was holding a frying pan.
"No, but he'd better come back soon if he knows what's good for him." Ray replied. He had a meat tenderizer in his hand.
Back at the cul-de-sac…
"Come on, Izzy. Just one more sweep of the city?" Otto begged. Izzy turned and walked back to him. The skater put on a grin.
"No. Way." Izzy replied as he turned around.
"Come on! Help a buddy here!" Otto jumped and clung to Izzy's cape. It was then that Sam & Reggie chose to walk in on this scene.
"Are you crazy!? Let go! I'm NOT going back to that nuthouse!" Izzy yelled as he pulled on his cape.
"o O Uhhh… What's going on here?" Reggie asked. Otto & Izzy faced the other two teenagers.
"Reg, Sam! Help!" Otto yelled as he let go of Izzy, causing him to tumble backwards. Otto ran up to the other two. "I've been looking for Twist all day and he's nowhere!"
"That's because he's at the hospital." Sam said.
"The hospital!?!" Otto and Izzy asked.
"o O Wait. You've been looking for Twister ALL day? Why?" Reggie asked, giving her brother a suspicious look.
"What? Can't a guy want to hang out with his best friend?" Otto defended. Sam's words sunk in. "He's in the hospital!? Oh God! I'm coming, Twister!!!" He bolted for the hospital, leaving everybody else in the dust.
"What IS his deal!?" Sam asked with a bewildered expression.
"I've been wondering that since I arrived." Izzy said, shaking his head as walked up to them. "In any case, why's Twister in the hospital?"
At the ER…
"Twister?" Otto whispered as he walked in the hospital room. His best bud was lying in bed, sleeping. Otto immediately ran to his bro's bedside. "Oh man… What happened to you?" Twister started to stir. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards Otto.
"O-Otto? Is that you?" He asked with a raspy voice. Otto shushed him.
"What could possibly have happened to put you in this situation? Just moments from death?" He asked, getting teary-eyed. Twister's eyes widened.
"But—"
"Not to worry, Twister. I'll be with you to the very end. That's what best bros are for." Otto interrupted. Twister shrugged and put on a small smile. "If there's anything you need before the end comes, just tell me."
"Anything?" Twister asked with that raspy voice.
"Sure. You know, stuff like last-minute confessions, last meals, that sorta thing."
"Well, there is one thing…"
"Sure. What do you need?" Otto asked, he moved closer to Twister.
"I would like…" Twister started as he moved towards Otto.
"Yes?" By now, their lips were almost touching. Otto could feel Twister's hot breath on his lips. He closed his eyes in sweet anticipation.
"A cup of ice cream." Twister finished.
"What?!" Otto asked as he stood up.
"He gets as much ice cream as he wants." Otto turned around at the sound of Izzy's voice. The wizard was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
"What do you mean?" Otto asked. Izzy started to move menacingly towards the skater.
"Twister is here for his tonsillectomy. His life isn't in any danger." He replied as he made a cup of ice cream appear. He handed it to Twister, who dug in.
"You mean we did all that searching when he was just here to get his tonsils taken out?!" Otto yelled. Twister looked up from his ice cream to give his trademark chuckle.
"Yep. Guess so. Speaking of our little hunt…" Izzy said as he snatched one of Otto's dreads. "We gotta talk." He forcefully dragged Otto out of the room.
"Wow. Otto really cares for me." Twister said with a grin as the sounds of much kicking and punching can be heard in the background. "I wonder… Nah!" Outside, Otto was screaming for help. He tried to get back in the room, but Izzy pulled him right back out. "He's just a really good friend. Kinda nuts, but a good friend."
-----------------------------
"Ya know this gives me a great opportunity to test out this healing potion." Izzy said to the now bruised-and-battered Otto. They were in the Rockets' kitchen again. He handed Otto a cup filled with a purple liquid. The skater chugged it and the wounds inflicted by the wizard healed. There was just one problem.
"Izzy, I'm going to ask you this one time." Otto said. Izzy looked at him with a horrified expression. "Why do I look like a frog!?!" His normally tanned skin was replaced by scaly, warty skin.
"Err… I guess I used too many frogs' eyes. Look on the bright side. You can work for the circus! I can see it all now. 'Come see the amazing Rocket Frog!'" Izzy replied with a laugh.
::CLANG!::
"Change me back!" Otto yelled.
"Right… On it." Izzy said, rubbing the lump caused by the frying pan Otto whomped him with.
Later…
"Alright. This should hopefully cure you." Izzy handed Otto the new potion. The frog quickly drank it. In a puff of smoke, he became a very irate rabbit. "Ehh… What's up doc?" Izzy rolled over laughing.
"Not funny!" Otto yelled.
::CLANG!::
-----------------------------
"This had better work." Otto growled as Izzy handed him another potion.
"Yeah. I think I'm starting to lose my short term memory." He replied as Otto drank the potion. In a puff of smoke, he became human again.
"Finally! Now, I'm going to sleep." Otto started leaving the kitchen when Izzy noticed he had a shark's fin growing out of his back. He shrugged.
"Heh. Close enough."
The next day…
'Now that Twister's out of the hospital, I can FINALLY give him this potion! And since Izzy's little rabbit stunt, he's stuck at the Shack while I'm free! This is perfect!' Otto thought. He was skating towards the pier, love potion in hand and ready to get the boy of his dreams. He got to Mad Town where he saw Twister, Reggie, and Sam skating around on the half pipe.
"Hey guys!" He yelled as he gave them a wave. The others gave him a hello as well.
"Don't you have work to do?" Sam asked.
"Didn't you hear?" Reggie started. "Izzy turned Raymundo & Tito into rabbits yesterday, so he got busted and is doing the deliveries all by himself." Nearby, a blur passed by, grumbling about spoiled sports.
"How long is he stuck for?"
"Well, they weren't rabbits for long, so he's only alone in there for today." Otto answered.
"Come on! Let's shred!" Twister brought the conversation to an end as he went down the half pipe on his board. Otto gaped in amazement as his best bro nailed a 360 with absolutely no trouble at all.
'Wow. I had no idea he got so much better.' He thought with admiration. He watched Twister go at it a few more times. His mouth was nearly touching the floor.
"Otto! It's your turn!" Reggie yelled, bringing him out of his stupor.
"Uhh…right." He replied. He put down the thermos containing the potion and dropped in, doing a few spins and mcTwists. The others took their turns. After about an hour, they stopped to rest. Twister was looking especially tired.
'Now's my chance.' Otto thought as he grabbed the thermos and walked over to Twister. "Hey, you alright Twist?"
"Yeah. Just a little thirsty." Twister replied.
"Here. You can have this." Otto handed him the thermos.
"What's in it?" Twister asked as he eyed the bottle. Otto started sweating.
"Uhhh it's fruit punch Gatorade."
"Oh cool. You sure I can have this?"
"Yeah. It's no problem." Otto replied. 'Come on. Drink!'
"Well, cheers." Twister opened the thermos and took a generous swig of the potion. He then wiped his mouth and gave the thermos back to his pal. "Thanks man. That's some good Gatorade."
Otto paled.
"Uhhh… Don't you feel any different?"
"Hmmm…nope. Except that I'm not thirsty anymore, I feel the same. Why?" Twister answered. Otto's pupils shrunk to the size of a crumb. His face turned dark red in anger. He balled up his fists and delivered the loudest scream ever recorded.
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'Why do I suddenly have a feeling of foreboding?' Izzy thought as he flew back to the Shack after making a delivery.
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"Otto! What happened?!" Reggie asked as she & Sam ran up to Otto & Twister. The former just started stomping off towards the Shack, leaving the others confused and scared.
Otto was seething, furious that his plan backfired. He went through all that—getting stung by bees and looking all over for Twister—and the potion didn't even work! He waited inside the Shack as Izzy flew overhead. The caped guy allowed gravity to affect him. Just before he landed, he did a flip and landed on his left foot. A little out of breath, he walked inside.
"Whew. How much longer before the day's done?" He asked himself as he started walking towards the back room. He almost got inside when a gloved hand grabbed his throat.
"Ack! Well, at least that explains the feeling I got earlier." Izzy was spun around and brought face to face with a glaring Otto. He gulped. "Uhh…hi?"
"You…" Otto growled. Izzy groaned.
"What'd I do now?! I didn't use any potions!"
"You didn't use any, but one of them sure messed up."
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.
"Your love potion didn't affect Twi—my friend's crush!" Otto replied. The other boy raised an eyebrow.
"It didn't work? How can that be?"
"I don't know, but you're gonna find out and fix it!"
"Fine. I'll deal with it after work." Izzy said as he started going to the back room. Otto grabbed him again.
"Not later. NOW!!!" And with that, he dragged Izzy, kicking and screaming, back to his house.
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"Ok. I found a little note about the potion." Izzy said with his nose buried in his potion book. He & Otto were in the living room.
"What's it say?" Otto asked.
"'The potion will NOT work if both people are in love with each other.'" Izzy read. "Hmmm… Does that mean that your friend's crush likes your friend? Of course! That's why it didn't work! I guess that means we wasted all that time getting the ingredients for the potion." He nodded to himself.
"What do you think, Otto? Otto?" Izzy heard a thud behind him. He looked over the back of the sofa. Otto was laying there, eyes closed, with a VERY toothy grin on his face. Izzy turned to the camera.
"Did I miss something?"
The next day…
"Izzy, I hope you're ready." Adrian said to himself. He was standing on top of a building. The sky was starting to darken. He flew down to the beach, where some other wizards & witches were waiting anxiously for something.
"So, he's finally coming?" A young wizard asked his mother.
"Yes dear. He's finally coming to destroy these humans." The woman replied rather cheerfully. Adrian gave her a look of disgust and turned back towards the ocean.
'I really hope you can handle yourself.' He thought.
Elsewhere…
"Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!" Izzy yelled as he stabbed the air with his sword. He & Otto were at the forest training. Izzy started to fly through the air, slashing at any trees that got in his way. When he got back to Otto, the trees started falling.
"Rocket Accel!" He created the illusion that he passed through the fallen trees real fast. The logs became fire wood. He then slashed the wood until they were just splinters. Izzy dug the sword into the ground and leaned on it, panting heavily.
"Man that was awesome!" Otto said.
"Thanks. I better continue." Izzy replied as he got back up. He started to charge energy into the sword when the ground started shaking. "What the—!?"
"It's an earthquake!" Otto yelled as he grabbed onto a tree.
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Back in town, things were a lot worse. The quake the citizens were experiencing was far worse than what Otto & Izzy were dealing with. In the ocean a couple of miles away from the amusement park, the water was bubbling. Something was rising out of it. It looked like the top of a tower. The wizards & witches at the beach bowed in respect, despite the tremors growing worse.
"Ahhh! What's going on! Earthquakes aren't this bad!" Sam yelled over the noise.
"And where's Otto?!" Twister asked.
"I think he went with Izzy into the woods!" Reggie replied.
"What's that thing?!" Sam asked while pointing towards the beach. They gasped as they saw part of a castle rising out of the sea.
"I think we're in trouble." Reggie said.
-----------------------------
"Something's wrong. No earthquake lasts this long." Otto said with concern. Izzy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah." He put on a thinking pose. "I wonder…" He started to fly into the air. He flew over the trees and gasped when he saw that the castle had fully risen. A bright light was flickering on the top. Izzy's eyes widened.
"Oh crap!" He quickly flew back down to Otto and encased the both of them in the strongest Power Shield he could muster. A white light surrounded the entire shield. When the light faded, Izzy's shield shattered and he slumped to the ground.
"Izzy, you ok?!" Otto asked.
"Yeah…" Izzy groaned as he stood up. He then stomped the ground in anger. "I don't believe this!"
"What happened?"
"The earthquake… It was caused by the Wizard King." Izzy replied. "And that bright light…" His eyes widened. "Come on! We gotta go back to town!" He grabbed Otto's hand and ran off.
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A/N:
Izzy: ::Crosses arms:: You tortured Otto too much in that chapter.
Me: ::Grins:: Wait until next chapter. Anyway, what will happen now? Tune in next time!
Izzy: Now who do you identify the great Lars with?
Me: ::Gets in a thinking pose:: Let's see now… The great Lars challenges Otto to different things on a daily basis. They're both rivals. They also fight almost all the time. It's like a battle of the titans whenever they butt heads. Plus, I consider Lars to be the master of darkness, evil, and all that is ultimate in this dimension.
Izzy: You don't mean…
Me: Yes! I identify the great Lars with the great Shadow the hedgehog! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Izzy: ::Shrugs and rolls his eyes:: Shoulda seen it coming. Now why do you identify Twister with Knuckles?
Me: It's pretty obvious if you think about it. Both the guardian of the Master Emerald and our lovely cameraman share one important personality trait.
Izzy: Well…?
Me: They're both…
Izzy: Yes?
Me: They're both…
Izzy: Yes?!
Me: They're both…!
Izzy: YES!?
Me: ::Grins:: Gullible.
Izzy: ::Gapes:: WHAT!?!
Me: See ya next time, folks!