Pre-chapter Conversation
The scene opened in the studio. Izzy and I were standing around. I had a paper in my hand. I had a somewhat saddened look on my face. Izzy, meanwhile, had his usual bored look on his face.
"Aw man…" I sighed, taking a look at the paper before facing the camera. "Ya kinda ruined the surprise, Warior. Hard to believe the identity of one of the characters in the fic was revealed so easily."
"Pfft!" Izzy scoffed, crossing his arms. "It shoulda been obvious what the name of that character was gonna be from the start, especially if ya play through Sonic Heroes!" I gave him a tired expression.
"Maybe… But I didn't want anybody to figure it out before he shows up."
"Yeah, in like ten chapters!" He retorted. I sweatdropped and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.
"Heh, heh… Forgot about that part…" I faced the camera again. "Anyway, if you must know, Warior, You-know-who is not going to be played by anyone. Instead, he'll be a fan character of my own creation."
"'You-know-who?'" Izzy started, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell? Why can't you just outright say Met—Mmph!?!" I had slapped my hand over his mouth before he finished that name.
"Because, smart mouth, I don't wanna spoil the story!" I answered, letting go. I turned to the camera. "Hey, speaking of fan characters, I've been thinking about something lately."
"What?"
"You know how I transformed the RP cast into animals?"
"Yeah…" Izzy nodded.
"Well, I've been wondering. If I were to write a Sonic fic that involved Otto and co. in their furry forms, would I be able to fool anyone into thinking they were my own characters, or would they figure out that they're Rocket Power characters?"
"Oh please! Boss, the show may be unpopular, but nobody's stupid enough to actually think they were your own characters!" My partner rationalized. "Besides, if you pulled something like that, wouldn't it count as copyright infringement?"
"Of course not." I answered, causing him to raise a confused eyebrow at me. "Even if people figured out the truth, it wouldn't count because of the disclaimer I always put before the beginning of my fics, specifically this line: 'Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me.'" I stuck my tongue out at him. "Besides, you don't really think I'd be dumb enough to claim them as my own property, do ya?"
"Well, you've done stupid things in the past." Izzy said matter-of-factly.
::WHAM!::
My partner stumbled around dizzily, nursing his newly acquired lump.
"I'm gonna ignore that one." I said, putting my mallet away. I turned to the camera. "Anyway, for this chapter, two of our teams will be complete as all of our heroes will finally be introduced. A few of them will even get their air skates while some of them will have to wait until the next chapter. Who will be the lucky ones? Read on to find out! Also, I'm going to do the best possible thing you could do to Lars and Reggie."
"Pffft! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Izzy rolled along the ground as he laughed. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's so funny?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA—YOU!" He answered, getting up and dusting himself off. "You, writing the best possible thing an author can have Reggie and Lars do? Yeah right!"
"I'm serious." I said, glowering at him. He only snorted in disbelief. "Why is it so impossible for me to do that?"
"Simple." Izzy started, smirking. "Ninety-seven percent of all RP fans consider kissing the best possible thing Lars and Reggie can do, and you would never dream of writing a make-out scene between them, would ya?" He gave me a sarcastic grin, which I countered with a genuine one.
"Right." I said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Then there's one percent of all RP fans, the slash fans. Their idea of the best possible thing to happen between Lars and Reggie would be him slapping her senseless, blowing her up, or anything that can be considered as the author bashing her."
"Huh?" I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I've never written a single slash fic in which Reggie was harmed in any way!" Izzy glowered at me.
"First of all, who said anything about you? Second, you did cause harm to befall her in both a slash and normal fic!"
"When did I do that?" Izzy gaped at my question.
"I can't believe you forgot…"
"Humor me." I said, shrugging. "When did I do it?" Izzy slapped his forehead.
"The Runaway: Chapter ten." He simply said. He then shuddered at the memory of that fic. Meanwhile, I held a hand to my chin, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
"Oh! I get it!" I said, snapping my fingers. "When Otto turned her to stone, right?" Izzy got out of his somewhat disgusted state and nodded.
"Yep."
"Then what was the second fic?" I asked.
"Rocketmon." He simply answered.
"Oh yeah…" I said, nodding in understanding. "Because she kept blasting off due to Sam's pikachu." Izzy growled when I said his rival's name. He then shook his head.
"Right. Anyway, to wrap things up, there's the last one percent of all RP fans." He started before snarling. "You…"
"Hey! Why do I get my own percentage!?" I protested. Izzy gave me a knowing look.
"Because you always do idiotic things. You'd probably do something incredibly stupid with them. So what is it?" I glared at him.
"Ya know, you really need to have a little more confidence in me than that. After all, I did hook you up with a girl."
"Yeah. That was the only thing ya did right." He countered. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever." I turned to the camera. "Anyway, see ya later!"
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Rocket Heroes
Chapter Three
A Robbery and a Kidnapping or Two!
"Oh, where's my dear Otto?" Clio sighed as she skated around; not taking any notice of the red blur that would pass every few seconds. She was close to the beach area.
"I must've looked everywhere and I can't find him." She looked down sadly.
She desperately wanted to find the hot hedgehog and give him a cheerful hello and maybe even sneak a kiss or two. She blushed and giggled at the thought. She also wanted to tell him how much she loved him. You'd think she would've run out of reasons long ago, but nope. She thought up of a whole lot more since she last saw him.
"Chaaaaoooo!!!" A tiny voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Huh? What was that?" Clio asked, looking around.
"Hey! Let go already!" A gruff, female voice yelled.
"Chaaaaoooo!!!" Another small voice squealed.
"Ow! Those are my ears!" The second voice shouted. Clio walked up to a bush and looked over it.
The hedgehog saw a small rabbit that was up in the air. Her fur was red. She was wearing a blue shirt under a green dress that had a flower pictured on it. She was also wearing a pair of green shoes. She was wearing blue ribbons on the bases of her ears. She seemed to be scowling at two creatures that were holding her up by her ears.
"Let go of me!!!" The girl ordered. The two creatures only giggled playfully in response.
One of the creatures was light blue. The ends of its flipper-like limbs were yellow. It had two small pink, butterfly-like wings on its back. It had a ball-shaped tail. It had a round head that was shaped like a tear drop. The very tip of its head was yellow. Floating above it was a ball of the same color. Finally, it was wearing a red bowtie. The other creature looked exactly the same, except it was brown and wearing a blue bowtie. Its wings were also blue.
The girl looked extremely livid.
"I said BACK OFF!!!"
She kicked at the creatures, causing them to let go. Gravity quickly affected her. She fell a few feet before she spread out her ears and flapped them like wings. She floated back up to (what Clio figured were) her pets.
"I don't know why Mom and Dad decided to get me you two for! You both stink on ice!!!" Her pets sulked as they followed her back to the ground.
"Chao…" The light blue one said sadly.
"Chao…" The brown one agreed. The rabbit touched down and dusted herself off.
"How is anybody supposed to be afraid of me if I'm stuck with you two?" The little girl muttered as she crossed her arms.
"Ohhhh! They're so cute!" Clio exclaimed as she jumped out of the bush, startling the rabbit and her pets. The other girl gave her a cautious look as her pets flew behind her. "Your chao are adorable!" She held her hands together while her eyes twinkled in excitement. The rabbit's chao gave the hedgehog a confused look. The balls on their heads turned to question marks.
"You know, I had a chao once. It was red, just like my darling Otto." Clio continued. "We used to play together all the time. We hugged each other everyday, though I think it was usually out of breath when we finished. I always bought it the best toys."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Then one day, I saw a gray cocoon inside the little chao house it lived in. And then…" She sniffled. "And then, it disappeared! My poor baby disappeared!!!" She wailed. The rabbit and her chao sweatdropped at that whole thing. The chao in particular were incredibly nervous.
'This freak must be death for chao.' The rabbit thought. She gave her pets an evil look. 'Maybe I should…' She shook her head. 'Nah. Mommy and Daddy would find out in a heartbeat.'
Clio cried for about a minute longer before she got up and put on a happy face.
"Enough about me! What's your name?"
"The name's Mackenzie, sister." The rabbit grunted, crossing her arms.
"No. I meant your chao." Mackenzie fell over. She got back up and looked ready to kill. She growled before she relaxed.
"That's Cheese." She said, flicking a thumb at the light blue chao, who bowed. "And that's Chocola, its twin brother." She pointed at the brown chao, who also bowed. The hedgehog giggled before bowing herself.
"I'm Clio. Pleased to meet you." She bounced over to the chao. "You both look so cuddly. I could just hug you and squeeze you until you collapse from lack of air!" The chao's eyes widened at that. The balls on their heads turned into exclamation points. They hid behind their owner again.
"At least now we know what happened to her chao." Mackenzie said to herself while rolling her eyes. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the older girl. "Listen dork! You better mind your own business or else!" Clio wasn't paying attention though. She was too busy ogling at the chao. The rabbit fell over again.
"I knew they were bad for my reputation…" She groaned, slapping her head.
Clio grabbed Cheese and started tickling it. The chao struggled to get away before it suddenly smiled.
"Cootchy, cootchy coo!" She laughed as she continued playing with it. The chao, whose ball had turned into a heart, giggled in response. Chocola flew towards the hedgehog with a curious look. Before it knew it, Clio grabbed it too and tickled it.
"So you wanted some too?" She grinned as she tickled both chao. All three of them laughed merrily. Mackenzie, however, balled her fists at her side and growled at the sight. She gritted her teeth at the scene of happiness. Her eyes flared with fury at the display of cuteness. She was about to pounce on the older girl when a low croaking filled the air.
"Ugh! What now!?" She groaned. Even Clio looked up from the chao as the croaking grew louder.
"Chao, chao?" Both chao asked curiously as they floated up. Their balls became question marks.
"Hey, what's that noise?" The hedgehog asked.
"You think I'd know!?" Mackenzie shot back.
Just then, a frog leapt onto her face! It was green and had several yellow stripes along its body. The weird thing about it was that it had a tail.
"Ack! Get it offa me!!!" The rabbit panicked as she moved around, struggling to get the reptile off her. Clio moved towards her and tried to grab the frog, but couldn't get close due to her flailing.
"Stand still so I can grab it!" She ordered. The rabbit stood still, allowing Clio to reach out towards it.
Just before she could grab the amphibian, it hopped off Mackenzie's face and clung to Cheese!
"MMMMMMMMPH!!!" The chao's screams were muffled by the frog. Clio and Chocola grabbed on and tried to pull it off, but the frog held on tight. The girl grunted as she turned to Mackenzie, who was sitting on the ground after the frog kicked her.
"I could use some help here!" The younger girl shook her head and stood up.
"Uhhh… Right!" She said reluctantly as she grabbed onto the frog and pulled. They didn't seem to be making much progress. The frog held on tight. The girls and the chao refused to give up though! They pulled and pulled, but like them, the frog refused to give up.
The struggle continued for quite some time before…
"Froggy! Where are ya, brah!?" A male voice yelled.
"Ugh! Who's that?!" Clio grunted.
"Again, you think I'd know!?" Mackenzie replied.
"Chao, chao, chao!" Chocola squeaked as it pulled. The trio looked over their shoulders and saw a figure approach on skates.
"Froggy! Come out already, cuz!" The figure was looking around, calling out that name. Their eyes widened when they noticed that he was coming towards them at a high speed. They sweatdropped and turned to each other.
"He's not stopping, is he?" Clio asked.
"Nope." Mackenzie replied.
"Chao!" Chocola screamed. They all scrambled to pull the frog off Cheese to avoid a nasty collision. However, it STILL wouldn't let go! The figure got closer and closer until…
::CRASH!::
Everybody was groaning as they lied in a pile. The figure was lying on top.
"Oh bruddah… What happened?" He asked dazedly.
"Ribbit." His eyes widened as he looked up. The frog was lying on his stomach. The figure grabbed it and wrapped his arms around it.
"Froggy! I found ya, brah!" He cheered. Froggy croaked as he wrestled out his owner grip and hopped on his head.
"I'm real happy for you." Clio grunted. "Now, do you think you could—?"
"GET OFFA ME NOW!!!" Mackenzie roared. She was at the bottom of the pile. Everybody else got up and offered their apologies to the irate girl.
After the rabbit, hedgehog, and chao dusted themselves off, they got a good look at who crashed into them.
Froggy's owner was a cat. Like Tito, he was purple and had dark stripes going along his body. Of course, he was smaller than the previously mentioned adult. Also, his tail wasn't as fluffy. The fur on his chest was white. He took off his helmet to reveal his ears, which were a normal size, unlike Tito's. He was wearing a belt around his waist as well as safety gear. He was also wearing a pair of air skates. Froggy jumped on his head. Clio gasped as she recognized him.
"Keoni? Is that you?"
"Huh?" The cat looked the hedgehog over and grinned. "Clio! How goes it, cuz?" They both shook hands. They both started to talk and reminisce about old times. Mackenzie, annoyed that she was ignored, crossed her arms and gave the two an impatient look.
"So, are you still going after Otto?" Keoni asked after a few moments of talking.
"Of course!" Clio replied with a smirk. She pointed a thumb at herself. "You know me. I won't give up until I win his heart!" Keoni shook his head and chuckled.
"Guess you've never changed, huh?"
"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Clio yelled with a glare. She brought out her Pika Pika Hammer. At the sight of the weapon, Cheese and Chocola hid behind Mackenzie, who still looked angry. Keoni sweatdropped and held his hands in defense.
"I didn't mean anything by it! It's just that—"
"HEY!!!" Mackenzie shouted. It was clear she was tired of having the attention taken away from her. The two older furries turned to her. Keoni smiled at her.
"And who's this cute little bunny?" Mackenzie's eyes widened in shock. He did NOT just say what she thought he said!
"CUTE!?!" She roared with a fiery glare. The cat was unaffected, however.
"Uh-huh." He replied sweetly. Mackenzie's stare only intensified. Being all too familiar with her volatile temper, Cheese and Chocola floated away from her.
"Oh I'll show ya cute!"
And with that, she snatched Clio's hammer out of her hands and brought it crashing down on the cat's left foot.
"YEOWCH!!!" Keoni screamed as he hopped up and down on his right foot while holding his other foot. Mackenzie didn't end there though.
She slammed the hammer onto his right foot, causing him to stumble over in pain. The "cute" bunny then whomped him hard over the head. Of course, Froggy jumped away before he became a frog pancake. Keoni screamed for mercy as she continued her assault. Clio, Froggy, and the chao sweatdropped as a cloud of dust appeared where the beating was taking place. They watched Mackenzie continue her relentless thrashing for a few minutes before Clio decided to interject.
"Ok! Come on! Break it up! Break it up!"
She rushed inside the cloud and grabbed the hammer out of Mackenzie's hands. The cloud dissipated, revealing the bunny shaking the cat while choking him. The pets' eyes widened. Clio put the hammer away and grabbed onto the younger girl.
"Let him breathe!" She yelled, trying to pull her away.
"No! He called me cute! Nobody calls me cute and lives to tell about it!" Mackenzie shot back, tightening her grip. Keoni sputtered for air as Clio pulled her off him. She held the little girl back as she tried to get to the cat.
"Are you alright?" She asked when she got Mackenzie under control. Keoni coughed as he stood up and stumbled around.
"Ugh… Yeah…" He said dizzily. "Who knew such a cute girl had such a right hook?"
"You're pushing it, pal!" The rabbit yelled.
"Enough!" Clio shouted. She sighed. "So anyway—" She was interrupted by what sounded like a jet engine. It was a little far off, but it still sounded loud. Everybody looked around themselves.
"What is that?" Keoni asked.
"I have no idea." Clio replied.
"Chao…" Cheese and Chocola said frightfully.
"Ribbit." Froggy croaked in the same tone. They floated/hopped towards their owners.
"Hey look!" Mackenzie yelled, pointing towards the distance. Clio and Keoni turned and gasped.
A red blur was heading towards them, and fast!!!
Seconds later, whatever was causing the blur sped by. Thanks to its slipstream, a great gust followed it, causing Froggy and Chocola to get swept away! The others were knocked to the ground.
"Chao!" Cheese yelled after its brother.
"Chao…!" Chocola yelled back. Its voice was fading fast.
"Chocola's gone!" Clio yelled tearfully.
"Chocola's gone!" Mackenzie cheered.
"Froggy!" Keoni shouted after his pet. It was no use. The frog and chao were gone…
Everybody stood up.
"What was that?" The cat asked.
"Beats me." Mackenzie replied.
"Whoever that was looked just like…" Clio started.
She saw the owner of the blur clearly. There was no mistaking it. The dreadlocks, those sunglasses, and that body. The strange thing was that he looked…different. The figure's quills seemed to be brought back, streamlined, and almost…metallic? Not to mention his eyes… Behind the shades, Clio only saw two red orbs that were staring straight ahead. There wasn't any life in them. Only cold…and death.
"Otto." The cat and the rabbit turned to her.
"That dork? He's the one who took Chocola?" Mackenzie asked.
"He took Froggy? Are you sure?" Keoni added in disbelief.
"I know I saw him." Clio said, nodding at them. "But how did he go that fast?"
"First of all, we don't know if that was him or not." Keoni started. "Unless…" He held his chin.
"Unless what?" The others asked.
"He could have gotten a pair of air skates and turned them all the way up. But how could he possibly control himself?" Mackenzie and Clio gave him a questioning look. Cheese's ball became a question mark.
"Air what?" Clio voiced their collective thoughts. Keoni explained the skates and how they work. When he finished, the older girl gave an excited squeal.
"Wow! They can really do that!?!"
"Yeah, but if you're not careful, you could crash into something and really hurt yourself." Keoni replied. "I still don't get how he could've controlled himself though."
"He's Otto! My love can do anything if he sets his mind to it!" Clio replied holding her hands. The other three members of the group sweatdropped.
"So now we know he did it. We gotta find him!" The cat said, clenching a fist. "I say we team up, go look for him, and get Froggy back!"
"Yeah! Once we find him, I'll get him to marry me!" The hedgehog agreed. She turned to Mackenzie. "And we can get Chocola back." The rabbit crossed her arms in response.
"Yeah right. Who said I wanted it back? He could have it for all I care!" She was about to walk off when Cheese got in her way. "Get outta my way!"
"Chao, chao." Cheese shook its head. "Chao, chao, chaaaaoooo, chao."
"Huh?" The rabbit asked, giving it a confused look.
"It wants to find its brother. That should be pretty obvious." Keoni said, giving her a smirk. Cheese nodded in response. "So what do you say?" The rabbit huffed, not finding any way out of it.
"Alright, alright! I'll come along and get the stinkin' thing back."
They then brought their hands together, sealing the deal.
"Come on. Let's go back to the Shack." Keoni said, strapping on his helmet.
"What for?" Clio asked.
"Well, at the moment, only I'm capable of keeping up with Otto. We gotta get you guys some air skates."
And with that, he skated towards the Shack. Clio, Mackenzie, and Cheese followed. Clio by skating in her blades and Mackenzie and Cheese by flying.
Thus, Team Rodriguez was born.
Meanwhile, at the pier…
"Alright Pi, I'm here." Lars said as he reached his cronies. "Now what was it you—What the hell happened here!?!" He gaped as he looked at the half pipe.
It was completely charred. It was split in two. Smoke was coming out of the pieces in small amounts, but the fire that occurred earlier was under control. It was totally unusable though. Police and firefighters were all over the place.
"In a word, your dork brother and his friends." Pi replied. Lars slapped his forehead.
"That's six—" He shook his head. "Never mind! How did they cause the half pipe to get torched!?" Pi told the hedgehog everything that happened, including the four furries' acquisition of the air skates. When he finished, Lars gaped at his friend.
"H-how the—Ugh! They always get lucky!" He ranted, clenching both fists. "If it's not going on trips to exotic places or meeting freaking celebrities, it's getting cool gear! I want in on this! There's no way Rocket Dork's getting one up on me this time!" He got in a thinking pose. A few seconds passed before he snickered evilly. The other three gave a grin.
"So what's the plan?" Pi asked.
"You'll find out soon enough." Lars answered. "Go to the park and wait for me. I'll make sure we all get some of those air skates. We'll be the best street hockey team in town—no, the world!—once we get them!" He then delivered an evil laugh. His goons laughed in response before walking away.
When they were out of sight, the hedgehog skated up to the rail and grinded down it. When he reached the bottom, he skated around the area. Due to the destruction of the half pipe, no one was allowed to go into Mad Town. Lars put a hand to his chin as he thought about how to do this.
'There's no way I'll be able to get those skates with all these cops around.' He shrugged. 'Guess I gotta wait until they leave.'
And so, he stayed around the area by the rental shop.
Close to forty-five minutes passed before the fire department and most of the police left. Only one officer was still around, asking questions. Lars didn't mind that one bit. If those skates can really make him go as fast as Pi said, he'll be able to get by the cop with no problem. He looked around himself to make sure nobody was looking. When he noticed that the coast was clear, he skated inside the shop. He took off his blades and took a look around.
"Now, if I was a pair of ultra cool, ultra fast air skates, where would I be?" He asked himself as he walked forward. He then noticed the door to the storeroom. It was ajar. The hedgehog smirked as he entered the room.
"Bingo." He said when he saw one of the shelves, which was lined with boxes of air skates. He searched the entire shelf until he found a pair that was his size. He grabbed it and took out the shoes. He gave a grimace when he noticed the design on them.
"Man. Whoever picked the colors really needs to go back to art school or something." He shrugged before he sat down and put on the skates. They felt kind of tight, but he could manage. He stood up gave the shoes a confused look.
"How do you work these things?" He reached into box and pulled out a small booklet. "Must be the instructions." He opened it and started reading.
At the Shack…
"Oh man, that was close." Reggie said as she slumped into a table. Her helmet was lying nearby. She had decided to come back after the police left. Otto, Twister, and Sam were nowhere to be found. "I thought we were done for."
"How did all that happen, little cuz?" Tito asked from the counter.
"Short answer: Sam tried to break the fourth wall and failed." The adults sweatdropped.
"And the long answer?" Ray asked.
"The skates' rockets set the half pipe on fire." Reggie answered.
"Actually, both explanations were the same length." Tito said thoughtfully. The others put a hand to their chins. A few seconds passed before they shrugged and nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, what happened to the others?" Noelani asked.
"I have no idea." The bat shrugged. "We got separated when we ran away." Ray walked over and hugged her.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Reggie asked, giving him a curious look.
"I should've known that the skates wouldn't be able to go over wood without causing it to catch on fire. Please forgive me." The hedgehog replied, hugging her again. The bat patted his back.
"It's no prob, Dad. We're ok."
"That's good to know." Ray said, sighing with relief. He stayed in that same position. Reggie sweatdropped when she realized a few minutes had to have gone by.
"Uhhh Dad?"
"Yes, Rocket Girl?"
"Do you think you could let me go?"
"Oh! Sorry!" Ray said bashfully as he separated. He then walked into the backroom. He came back a few minutes later with a couple of boxes. "I'm just gonna go put these in the rental shop. Be right back." He walked out of the restaurant and down the ramp.
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"So these dials control the speed and the switches turn them on." Lars said. He put down the booklet and bent down. He flicked the switches and turned the dials a little. Both of his new skates hummed. He stood straight up. "Let's see how they move."
Remembering what he just read, he moved his legs as if he was on regular blades. He hovered about an inch over the floor as he moved slowly. It took Lars about a minute to get used to the sensation of floating before he moved around flawlessly. He gave a small grin before he stopped. He lowered back onto the ground.
"Cool, but they're way too slow." He reached down and turned the dials a couple of notches up.
Meanwhile, Ray just walked inside and put the boxes down by one of the shelves in the front area. He was about to leave when he noticed Lars' old skates. His eyes widened.
"What the—?" He stood up and looked at the storeroom door, which was fully open. "Who's there!?"
'Uh-oh! Busted!' Lars thought fearfully. He grabbed a random box off the shelf and stuffed it in his backpack. He heard footsteps approach the door. The hedgehog smirked as he put the backpack on.
'Time to give these babies a road test!'
Ray was about to enter the storeroom when suddenly, a purple blur shot out of the room, knocking him back a few feet. He landed on his stomach.
"Ugh… What hit me?" He grunted as he sat up. He whirled his head towards the entrance when he heard a cruel laugh. He blinked at the purple hedgehog before glaring at him.
"Lars!? What're you—" He gasped when he noticed the boy's new footwear. "Take off those skates!" Lars crossed his arms and snickered.
"You have GOT to be kidding! I'll be unstoppable with these! Rocket Dork won't come close to beating me now!" He gave the older hedgehog a salute. "Later! MUCH!!! Pahahahahahahaha!!!"
And with that, he skated up the ramp and past the Shack. Reggie blinked in surprise when she noticed him skating by, laughing.
"Lars!?! What is he doing on air skates!?" Ray came running up to the restaurant, panting. Reggie, Tito, and Noelani ran over to him.
"Are you alright!?" All three of them asked. Ray nodded before pointing at Lars, who by now left the pier.
"Lars…stole…a pair of…air skates." He answered between breaths. The trio gasped. Reggie shook a fist before she put her helmet on. She then bent down and adjusted her skates. They gave a loud hum. The others turned to her.
"Little cuz, what're you—" Tito started.
"Call the police and tell them what happened! I'm going after him!" The bat interrupted. Before the adults can protest, she blasted out of the Shack.
Everything blurred around her and she found it hard to control herself. She bumped into a few garbage cans and just barely dodged some pedestrians before she finally got the hang of it. She grinned as she turned onto the street. The grin turned into a scowl when she remembered the task at hand. She moved her legs faster. She soon caught up to the hedgehog, who gave her a devilish smirk.
"Well, well! Look who decided to show up!" He yelled over the noise of the skates. Reggie glared at him.
"Stop and give back those skates!" Lars only laughed in response.
"No way! I'll rule every skate park in the world with these bad boys and no one's gonna stop me!"
"Oh yeah!? We'll see about that!" Reggie shot back.
"Hmph! If you think you can catch me, let's go!"
They both accelerated. To the passersby, they were just two blurs identical to the one they saw just a little while ago. The only difference was that they were a different color than the previous one.
As the two sped down the road, they rammed into each other. Due to Lars being bigger and stronger, Reggie was tossed back a bit whenever they made contact. Despite the disadvantage, she always came back to continue the fight.
'Man! She just won't give up!' The hedgehog thought with a grunt. He looked ahead and noticed a wooden plank that was leaning against a couple of garbage cans. It was the left side of the street. He smirked.
'Let's see if she can handle my homing attack.'
He rammed the bat once more for good measure before skating up the plank. He jumped off and spun in the air. At the apex of his jump, he targeted Reggie and arched his back. A purple aura surrounded him as he spun into a ball and shot off towards her.
'Where'd he go!?' The bat thought, looking around.
"Yoo-hoo!" Reggie looked over her shoulders. Her eyes widened when she saw the incoming ball. She put on a smirk when she thought of a counterattack. Just before Lars made contact, she jumped up and delivered a swift kick, knocking him towards a light pole.
'How dare she!?' Lars thought with a growl. He unrolled and grabbed onto the pole.
He swung up it and let go, sending him towards Reggie. The bat jumped and flew up, getting ready to kick him again. Just as she expected, he rolled into a ball and made to do his homing attack again. When Lars was about a foot away, he surprised Reggie by unrolling and grabbing onto her leg! With a grunt, he swung her around and around. He made about ten rotations before he let her go, sending her towards the ground.
"Oh no you don't!" The bat shouted. She righted herself, spread out her wings, and landed firmly on the ground. Lars also landed and took off. Reggie gasped before continuing the chase.
They both skated along each other, ramming into their opponent. They were heading towards a tall building. The hedgehog smirked as he thought of a plan.
'Let's see some mid-air action!' He thought. They skated up to the building and went up the side of it. Lars got ahead of her.
"If this is too much, you better give up, little girl!" He yelled, looking down at her. Reggie smirked at him.
"Hey, didn't you notice the wings?!" She flicked a thumb at her wings. "I'm used to high altitudes!"
"We'll see about that!"
They both jumped from wall to wall, trying to knock the other down. Neither one refused to give up the fight! They both kicked, punched, and head-butted each other as they continued climbing. Lars soon bounced off a canopy and grabbed onto a flagpole. He swung around it, increasing his speed. Before Reggie was able to kick him, he let go and skated down the side of the building. The bat gave chase.
When Lars was a few feet away from the ground, he jumped off and flipped, slowing his descent a little. He landed and started skating again. Reggie landed and followed. Sirens were heard as a bunch of police cars sped along the combatants.
"Stop! Now!" Officer Shirley roared through a megaphone. She was in the lead car.
"Blow it out your ears, coppers!" Lars responded, avoiding a kick from the bat. He turned to her. "So, couldn't do it yourself, huh!?"
"Anything to catch you and get those skates off your feet!" Reggie shouted.
"I got news for you! I'm never taking these babies off! Not for you and certainly not for them!" He flicked a thumb at a nearby police car. He grinned as he sped up alongside the one that had Shirley in it. Before the driver of that car knew it, the hedgehog jumped in front of it and skated backwards, laughing all the while.
"Ram him!!!" Shirley ordered. The driver gave her a nervous look.
"But—"
"DO IT!!!"
"Understood!" The officer jammed his foot on the accelerator. The car sped up, much to Lars' surprise.
"Woah!" He yelled as he increased his speed. He shut his eyes as he concentrated on avoiding becoming street pizza.
He got a foot or two ahead when he opened his eyes and smirked at them. He soon jumped away and landed on the left side of the car, facing forward again. He sped ahead. The engines of the police cars overheated, leaving Reggie and Lars to continue their fight. They crashed into each other as they blazed forward through traffic. The two jumped from car roof to car roof, punching or kicking one another. They soon passed the cars and got back on the street.
Lars saw another plank and skated up it. He jumped off, rolled into a ball, and used his momentum to shoot forward. He then grabbed onto a nearby pole and swung himself down to the street. His opponent caught up to him almost instantly. He backed away from Reggie, who was kicking rapidly.
"Give it up! You can't catch me!" He yelled just before head-butting her. She was pushed back a couple of feet. She dragged her feet along the ground, slowing herself down. She charged forward again.
"Never! Even if I have to follow you to the ends of the earth, I'll get those skates back!" She yelled, kicking at him. Lars dodged every attack before speeding the other way.
"Suit yourself!" He yelled back.
The battle continued past the traffic jam and the downed police cars. No matter how hard Reggie tried, she just couldn't catch him. But she wouldn't give up!
'Man! What's her deal!?' Lars thought. 'She won't give up for nothing!' He grinned as he thought of a solution. 'Let's see if she can get me with the skates turned all the way up!'
He skated up to a parked car and jumped on and off its roof. At the apex of his jump, he turned both dials up to "Supersonic." He landed and peeled out at an incredible speed. The road was literally on fire as he sped off towards the horizon. Reggie stopped and panted when she realized it was over.
"No… I can't believe I messed up like that!" She shook her fist and glared after the hedgehog. "Mark my words; I WILL get you, Lars!"
After she caught her breath, she took to the sky to try to find him.
Elsewhere…
Up in the sky, a star was seen twinkling. It soon disappeared and a small form was seen falling. The figure was revealed as Little Scottie! He screamed as he neared the ground. As he fell, he tried his hardest to fly, but the high speed was making it difficult to move his wings.
"Oh no! Please let me fly!" He shouted. His eyes were closed and his body was scrunched up as he concentrated on getting his tiny wings to work.
He was just ten feet from the street when he finally got his wings moving, though barely. He hovered along the ground clumsily before landing in a bush. He panted heavily, trying to get his bearings back. The bee soon caught his breath and flew out of the bush. He landed on the ground and started walking, looking crestfallen.
"I don't believe it… Nobody wants me around." He started, wiping his tear-filled eyes. "Not Cousin Clio, Cousin Lars, or even Cousin Twister…" He sniffled at the mention of his favorite cousin.
"And I wanted to show him my new instrument too…"
He stopped and reached into his backpack. He pulled out a small drum and a pair of drumsticks. He hung the drum from his neck and placed a drumstick in each hand. He sniffled again as he hovered over the ground, banging softly on his drum.
Thump, thump, thump.
That was the sound of Little Scottie's tear-filled solo. A few of said tears fell as he realized that that's all he'll ever be, a solo act; and in more ways than one. Nobody wanted anything to do with him. His cousins didn't want to spend any time with him. On the bus ride to Ocean Shores, Clio did her best to avoid conversation with the bee. Lars somehow disappeared when they arrived. Lastly, Twister was nowhere to be found, but Scottie was sure he was avoiding him as well.
Thump, thump, thump.
"If only I could find someone, anyone, who will want to be my friend…" He wiped his eyes, which were surely red and puffy right now.
He was practically alone in the world. He had no brothers or sisters, so he had no one to play with at home. He also had no friends that were his age. Nobody wanted him.
Thump, thump, thump.
He dropped the sticks, unable to continue on with his song. He touched down and buried his face in his hands. He bawled silently to himself. A good few minutes passed before he was able to recompose himself. He grabbed his drumsticks and hovered again.
Before he was able to resume playing, a snap was heard. He looked up and around himself. A chilling wind blew, causing the young bee to shiver, not just from cold, but from fright.
"Muahahahahaha!!!" A frightening laugh was heard. Scottie looked around with wide eyes. Someone or something was watching him. He backed up a little, thinking that the shade of the tree he was floating by would provide him some cover. It only succeeded in making the situation worse. A cloud covered the sun, increasing the darkness.
"Muahahahaha!!!" The voice sounded closer. Scottie gulped and put on a look of bravery. His knees were shaking as he prepared to speak.
"I-I'm n-not afraid of y-you…" He said. "Sh-show yourself!"
The wind picked up, causing leaves to fall all around the tree. The bee then heard footsteps approach. They sounded louder with each passing second. He looked around frightfully, trying to find whoever was coming, but he couldn't see anything. Just leaves.
Before he knew what was happening, he was pushed into the tree! He tried to get free, but nothing worked! He was pinned to it! He tried to fly away, but he couldn't move! He struggled for a few seconds before he noticed the reason why he couldn't get free. A shuriken was stuck to the tree. The strap for his drum was caught in it. He was about to free himself when he heard the same creepy laugh. He gulped and looked ahead fearfully.
A tornado of dead leaves blew. Scottie gasped when he saw a figure appear in the vortex. As the leaves fell and the tornado ended, the sun came out, revealing the figure, which was dressed in a black cloak and hood, as well as a pair of gray gloves and a pair of brown boots. His body was also black. A curly tail was seen poking out from under the cloak. The bee almost screamed when he noticed that the figure had an extremely ugly face. It looked kind of like a zombie's, only there was a horn in the middle of it.
"Wh-who are you?" Scottie asked somewhat regretfully. He truly didn't want to know, but given his present situation, he figured he might as well try to talk to the zombie. The figure snickered evilly as he drew closer.
"Who am I?" He started when he was a few feet away. Scottie shuddered at the ice in his voice. "Everyone in Ocean Shores fears my name."
"I-I'm not from around h-here…" The bee said sheepishly. The figure sweatdropped and cleared his throat.
"Uhhh… Right! I knew that! I was just testing you! That's all!" Scottie too sweatdropped before the figure continued. "I am the grand master of fear. I am the embodiment of your worst nightmares. I am one with the shadows. Fear my ultimate ninja power, boy, for I am—"
"Eddie!!!" A new voice entered the conversation. It sounded Australian and very ticked off. The one in black quivered nervously; despite the fact his face didn't show any emotion.
"Y-yes?" He gulped as he turned around. Scottie noticed a change in the pitch of his voice. He no longer sounded scary, but afraid. The bee looked up and saw the reason for the figure's fright.
Standing before them was a crocodile. The scales on his body were brown. The scales going straight down his back were red. He was wearing a necklace that had a spearhead for a charm. He was also wearing a leather wrist guard on his right hand. Plus, he was wearing a turquoise bucket hat and a pair of sneakers. He was currently growling at Scottie's accomplice. His sharp teeth gleamed in the sunlight. His eyes were transfixed in an icy glare.
"What have I told you about scaring little kids?" He asked with a dangerous tone. The figure, or Eddie, as he was addressed, gulped again.
"Don't because it might scare away potential clients?"
"That's right…" The croc started. "SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING THROWING YOUR NINJA STARS AT DEFENSELESS KIDS!?!?!" Scottie and Eddie cringed and held their hands to the sides of their heads. "NOW LET HIM DOWN!!!"
"Y-yes. I was just about to do so." Eddie said, walking up to Scottie. He grabbed onto the shuriken and pulled it off with a grunt. The bee floated away from the tree. Eddie pulled back his mask and hood to reveal the face of a chameleon. He then bowed before Scottie.
"Please forgive me, young maker of honey. I was merely getting in some target practice. I meant you no harm."
"It's alright!" Scottie said happily, doing a flip in the air, which was kind of hard due to the drum. The crocodile walked up to them.
"G'day. The name's Trent." He said, shaking the bee's hand. Scottie gave a curious look when he noticed how big the croc's hand was compared to his own. It must've been at least ten times bigger! It's amazing that his hand didn't get crushed! He shook his head when he remembered that he still didn't introduce himself.
"Hi! I'm Scottie!" He yelled, buzzing around them.
"Energetic, isn't he?" Eddie whispered to Trent. The bigger reptile elbowed him. "What!?" Trent only growled in response before jerking his head in the direction of the bee. The chameleon again bowed before him.
"Greetings. I am Eddie, prince of the Netherworld and a ninja in training."
"Nice to meet you." Scottie said. He then tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought ninjas always wore those funny pajamas. Why are you wearing a cape?" Eddie popped a vein while Trent broke out laughing.
"Ya gotta admit, he's got a point, mate!" The croc yelled, rolling along the ground. Eddie shook his fist before glaring at the bee.
"You know, I can always stick you back on the tree." He threatened, taking out a ninja star from under his cape. Scottie sweatdropped and gulped before flying behind Trent for protection. The reptile in question glared at Eddie. The ninja groaned before putting the weapon away.
"I was joking!" He defended before pulling the mask over his face again. "As for your question, naïve one, I wear this cape to strike fear into my enemies. I refuse to wear the traditional wardrobe of my clan. It does not invoke fear in the hearts of my foes. Not to mention it's hot in those things!" The other two sweatdropped. It was then that Scottie got a closer look at Eddie. He noticed that there were some brown spots along his body, as well as some…chipping?
"Ummm… Did you paint yourself, Mister?"
"Errr… Why do you ask?" The chameleon asked nervously, pulling back the mask.
"Well, it's just that I noticed you have some brown spots here—" He pointed at Eddie's left arm. "—Here—" He pointed at his legs. "—And especially some here." He pointed at his face.
"Hang on!" Trent said, moving in for a closer look. He looked at the places Scottie pointed out. Indeed, each of the indicated areas did have brown spots. He reached out and pulled a chip of black off Eddie's arm. He pulled back and chuckled.
"Well whaddya know, the kid's a first rate detective! I never would've noticed you painted yourself black, mate!" He laughed at the chameleon's embarrassment before he thought over what he just said. A light bulb appeared above his head.
"Hello…" He turned to the bee, who was dancing around at the compliment. "Hey kid, you wanna hang with us?" Scottie stopped dancing and gave the croc a shocked look.
"Wh-what did you s-say?" He stuttered.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to hang around with us. You see, me and Eddie here—" He pointed at the chameleon, who was currently busy with a paintbrush and a bucket of black paint. "—Are thinking about opening our very own detective agency and we need someone to take care of recon missions and fingerprinting. We're also looking for a third member for our band." He pointed at the bee's drum, which had fallen to the ground during his dancing.
"You'd be perfect! Whaddya say?"
Little Scottie was dumbstruck. A couple of bigger kids wanted him to hang around with them! They weren't ignoring him, making up excuses, or trying to get away! The little bee had to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't some sort of dream.
"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his arm. Nope. He was awake. He grinned at the crocodile, who had his hand out. "I'd love to!" He took the other's hand and shook it happily. Trent punched the air.
"Score! We finally have our third member, Eddie!"
"Huh?" The chameleon asked, looking up with a dripping paintbrush in his hand.
"We got our third member." The taller reptile flicked a thumb at Scottie, who was cheering and buzzing around with more energy than a kid on a sugar rush.
"I have friends! I have buddies to talk to, play games with, and share secrets!!!" He screamed happily. He made figure eights as he continued flying. Eddie gave his partner an apprehensive look.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, he's only a kid, and an annoying one at that."
"So he's got a lotta energy!" Trent shrugged. "He'll be a great help to us, you'll see!"
"Hmph." Eddie crossed his arms as they continued watching the little boy. "If you say so. You are the leader, after all."
"That I am." Trent said, nodding. He then started walking. "C'mon kid! Let's go! We'll show ya the office!"
"Yes sir!" Scottie said with a giddy laugh. He landed near his drum and put it away in his backpack. He then followed his new friends.
And so, Team Sherlock, the weirdest bunch of detectives you've ever seen, was created.
"Question," Trent said to Eddie. "Why do you paint yourself black for?" The chameleon glared at him.
"Duh! Have you ever heard of a brown ninja!?" The crocodile slapped his head.
God help us…
Meanwhile, at the Shack…
"Uncle Tito!" Keoni yelled urgently as he skated into the restaurant, followed by Clio, Mackenzie, and Cheese. "We need—Woah! What happened?!"
The trio went over to Ray, Tito, Noelani, and Officer Shirley, who were at a table. The yellow hedgehog had an ice pack on his head. Officer Shirley was standing with a notepad in her hand.
"A pair of air skates was stolen." Noelani replied.
"Actually, according to Ray's story, it was two pairs that were stolen." Officer Shirley corrected.
"Who would do such a thing and hurt you?" Clio asked. Ray gave her a light scowl.
"You should know." The female hedgehog blinked in confusion. "It was your cousin." She slapped her head when she understood who he was talking about.
"Lars. Figures it was him." She said with a groan.
"Lars? Isn't that Twister's brother?" Keoni asked.
"Duh! Even I know that!" Mackenzie huffed.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese agreed. The cat sweatdropped and held up his hands. It was clear that he didn't want to invoke the girl's wrath again. The adults blinked at them before turning to each other.
"Well, I believe I have all I need to file a report. I'll let you know if anything comes up." Officer Shirley said, excusing herself. Everybody was silent for a few moments.
"Man. Everybody's losing something today, huh?" Clio commented, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?" Ray asked.
"Well, there's Lars stealing those skates, me being unable to find sweet, little Otto—" Everybody sweatdropped at that. "—Mackenzie losing her chao, and Keoni losing his frog."
"Huh!?" Tito said, turning to his nephew. "You lost Froggy, a rare, one-of-a-kind tailed frog!? How!?" Keoni chuckled nervously.
"Well yeah. That's kinda why we came here. Otto…"
Cut to a faraway view of the town.
"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Ray bellowed, shattering every window near the Shack and scaring away all the seagulls better than Tice ever could. "HE DID WHAT!?!?!?!"
Back in the Shack, everybody gave the hedgehog a wide berth. His eyes were flaring as he took in sharp breaths. His fists were shaking dangerously at his sides. Keoni gulped as he nodded.
"He turned them all the way up." He then scowled. "And he took my frog!"
"And stole my chao!" Mackenzie added.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese squeaked.
"He also stole my heart." Clio said with a wistful sigh. Everybody gave her a weirded out look. She blinked and smiled. "Oh wait! He already did that!" Everybody else fell over.
"Ok…" Noelani said as she and everybody else got back up. "So why come here?"
"Well, we were thinking we could chase after him." Keoni answered, pointing at his teammates. "They need some air skates too."
"Oh sure! Why don't we just give them all away?!" Ray said sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air. "Everybody who's anybody just HAS to have them!" The others looked at him strangely.
'That's strange. I thought he wanted to endorse them.' Noelani thought. She shrugged and turned to the kids.
"Forgive him. He's had a long day." She turned to her bigger cousin. "Tito, why don't you go help them get their skates?" She then proceeded to calm her husband, who was crying into his arms. Tito, Cheese, and the kids sweatdropped before they walked down the ramp to the rental shop.
They went inside and Tito walked into the storeroom. He found a pair of air skates that were Clio's size and handed it to her. He returned to the storeroom and searched for a pair that was Mackenzie's size.
While the rabbit waited, Keoni and Clio were outside. The cat was teaching the hedgehog how to use the skates. In the first few attempts, she crashed every time she tried to get started. After about twenty failed attempts, she finally got over the feeling of floating and was skating as if she was on normal blades.
Soon, Tito walked out of the storeroom with a box in his hands.
"Well?" Mackenzie asked impatiently. The cat shifted nervously.
"You see…" He gulped, fully knowing how unstable this girl's temper was. "I couldn't find a pair that was your size."
"What!?!" She roared, stomping towards him. Tito backed away.
"Wait! I have something else you could use!" He said nervously, holding the box out. Mackenzie snatched it and took a look. She pulled out two pairs of shoes.
They were red and had a white horizontal strip going down the middle. Like the air skates, the middle of the shoes' bottom was raised to contain metal plates. They also had a dial on each heel, as well as a switch.
The rabbit gave Tito a fiery glare.
"You have ten seconds, lame-o." Tito gulped as he scrambled to think of how to explain the shoes.
"Th-these are SOAP shoes." He started. "They work just like the air skates, except they increase the speed of your body depending on how the dial is set." He wiped his brow when he saw the girl put on the shoes.
She walked around in them to get a feel for them. She then flicked the switches, turned each dial a bit, and ran around the room. It was hard for Tito to follow her movements. She was just a streak of red lightning. She also flew around the room with Cheese cheering. When she was satisfied, she stopped and gave the cat, whose eyes were spinning, a glare.
"They stink on ice!" She shouted. "But I'll take 'em." Tito shook the dizziness out of his head and breathed a sigh of relief. They walked out of the rental shop. When the cat noticed that it was nearing sunset, he closed the shutters for the shop and locked them.
"So, you all set cuz?" Keoni asked the rabbit. Mackenzie sneered and crossed her arms.
"Yeah, I got my shoes." She answered grumpily.
"Ok guys, it's too late to start our search, so we'll get going tomorrow." Clio said. "Get plenty of sleep. We'll meet each other first thing tomorrow morning at Spray Beach, got it?"
"Got it, cuz." Keoni replied, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Yeah, yeah." Mackenzie grumbled.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese said happily.
The quartet disbanded to make preparations.
At the outskirts of town…
"Hey! I thought I told you dorks to wait for me at the park!" Lars shouted at his crew as he skated up to them. They were standing by the entrance to the Bruised Man's Curve mountain board course. The trio of goons shrugged.
"There were too many people around." Pi defended. The hedgehog rolled his eyes and reached into his backpack.
"Whatever! Thanks to Rocket Dork's dad, I was only able to get one extra pair of air skates." He pulled out the box he grabbed earlier. "Knock yourselves out." He tossed it towards them. Instantly, a fight broke out between the three for possession of the skates.
While Lars sat on a nearby rock and watched his gang fight and carry on like babies, Reggie was watching from a nearby tree. She growled when she realized that she was outnumbered.
"Just great!" She hissed to herself. "There's no way I'll be able to get those skates back without getting caught." She sighed and resided herself to watching the quartet.
Soon, the fight ended when Lars' goon squad discovered a very unfortunate detail. Sputz mumbled something, but all Lars was able to catch was, "doesn't fit." Animal snatched the skates and tried to put them on, but they just fell off his small feet. He sulked when he realized that he couldn't wear them. Finally, it was Pi's turn. The skates fit like a glove on his fat feet.
"Tchahahahaha!!! Well, I guess Pi gets the first pair!" Lars announced. The other two gang members voiced their protest. "Chill guys! Now that two of us have air skates, we can get the other two pairs we need easily! There's no way Rocket Dork's sister or Officer Shirley can catch us!" He gave his trademark laugh, causing the others to join right along with him. Reggie shook a fist at him.
"Just you wait, Lars." She said icily.
She stood up and was about to swoop down to attack when the whirl of an engine was heard all around. Everybody looked around in confusion.
"What is that?!" Pi yelled over the noise. Reggie looked around some more before a shadow flew past her. She barely dodged it. It was then that she got a good look at the object.
It was gray, round, and had a single headlight in the front. A mirror much like those on a car was seen on each side of it. The bat gasped as memories of this morning's newscast entered her mind. She was about to warn Lars and his crew when a claw came out of the hovercraft's bottom and grabbed the hedgehog!
"What the—Let me go!" He shouted at the pilot of the craft, who only laughed in response.
"I think not, boy! I need you for my plans! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
And with that, the pilot flew off, Lars struggling to get free all the while. The hovercraft and the hedgehog soon disappeared over the horizon. They seemed to be going towards the desert outside of town. Pi turned to Sputz and Animal.
"We gotta save him!" He said before blinking. "Woah. Never thought I'd say that!" The other two only shook their heads in response.
"N-no way!!!" They both screamed before running off. Pi scowled after them before turning in the direction Lars disappeared. He activated the skates and turned the dials.
"It looks like it's up to me." He gulped before putting on a look of determination. "Here we go!" He sped off clumsily. Reggie sweatdropped as the boy crashed into everything in sight and eventually blazed after his leader. She got up and prepared to fly home.
"What a day! I'm outta here!" She jumped and ascended. She was about to start towards home when she stopped, feeling sorry for the hedgehog and the kid, who'll surely be killed. She muttered a curse before flying in the same direction Pi went.
"Aw man! What am I doing!? That was Dr. Coconutman who took Lars! I can't take him on! He's got those robots!" She said worriedly. She thought about it for a few seconds before smirking.
"Then again… He probably has some kind of treasure in that base. Plus, I could get back the air skates for Dad." Her smirk turned into a grin.
"Here I come, Coconutman!"
------------------------
Post-chapter Conversation
Izzy gaped at me in disbelief.
"Fighting? You think Lars and Reggie fighting is the best thing a RP author can have them do!?!" I grinned as I nodded.
"Of course! It was pure genius if you ask me!" I answered cheerfully. "It's the perfect thing you can have two people who hate each other do! Having them do that is so much better than—Blech!—making them kiss!" I stuck out my tongue in disgust. Izzy fell over in exasperation.
"I swear… Smacking you with my mallet just couldn't do THIS one justice!" He screamed when he got up.
"Man Izzy…" I started pitifully. "Have you ever considered anger management?" He snarled at me for that one.
"Don't tempt me, Boss. And you still haven't said who's playing as Dr. Robotnik!" He yelled. I sighed tiredly.
"I already told you I revealed who he was."
"Some stupid painting on a door isn't gonna tell me who's playing as Ivo!" He countered.
"Well, his identity isn't going to be revealed until at least chapter five." I stated. Izzy groaned at that one. "But I can give a clue as to who's playing as the good doctor."
"Well…?"
"Ok, here goes. Listen carefully." I began. "The one who's playing as Dr. Robotnik is no stranger to kidnapping. In fact, he captured the movers and shakers of Ocean Shores, controlled most of the citizens (and monkeys) with mind control helmets, built many dangerous robots, and nearly took over the town in order to make it into a polka resort! Of course, all this was in Otto's mind."
"Stop speaking in riddles and just say who he is!!!" Izzy demanded.
"Tch, tch, tch…" I shook a condoling finger. "Now Izzy, what kind of author would I be if I told you who was playing as Ivo? It's bad enough He-who-must-not-be-named's identity was already figured out. Let me have my moment of mystery."
"Hmph!" He grunted, turning away with his arms crossed (he seems to be doing that a lot, huh?). "Fine. Do whatever you want."
"Good." I said before turning to the camera. "Anyway, Lars has been kidnapped and Pi and Reggie went after him! Will they survive? Will Team Rodriguez find Otto, Froggy, and Chocola? What will happen to Little Scottie now that he has made a couple of friends? And what about Sam and Twister? Where were they in all of this? Find out next time!"
"It's about time we're done with this chapter." Izzy sighed. "Now I can enjoy some turkey."
"Oh by the way, what would the last percentage of RP fans consider the best thing to happen to Lars and Reggie?"
"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Remember the pre-chapter conversation?" I started. "The stats you made up only account for ninety-nine percent of all RP fans. What about the last percent?"
"Oh yeah!" Izzy said, nodding in understanding. "The last percent is for the Sam/Reggie fans. Their idea is just like the slash fans', except Lars gets bashed instead."
::WHAM!::
"I'm a Sam/Reggie fan, ya dunce!" I roared, putting down my fist. "I would never bash my favorite character!"
"See? That's why I didn't want to say anything…" Izzy groaned dizzily before fainting. I turned to the camera and waved at it.
"Happy Thanksgiving, folks!"