Pre-chapter Conversation

We open this conversation in Izzy's room, which was across the hall from the studio. The walls were painted red. The shag carpet was beige. A bed that wasn't made was standing on the left side. Across from it was a dresser that had a TV on it. On the wall by the door was a dart board that had a picture of Sam's human form tacked on it. Several darts were stuck in the middle of it. On the nightstand was a lamp, as well as pictures of Keoni? A computer was stationed on a desk near the far wall by the bed.

::SLAM!::

"That stupid nerd!" The hedgehog cursed as he kicked the door open and stepped inside. "I can't believe I lost to him, AGAIN!!!" He slammed the door and stomped back and forth.

"How the hell does that fat ass beat me every time!?!" He ranted as he paced around. "First he beats me in a pokémon battle, then at Double Dash! Now he beats me again!?! This has to end!" He walked towards the dart board and pulled out the darts.

"There has to be something I can beat him at!"

He tossed the first dart, which connected with the blond's nose. A bull's eye.

"But what!?"

He threw the next one. That one hit Sam's left eye.

"What the hell do you challenge a nerd to!?!"

He lobbed the third dart, which hit his rival's chest.

"It can't be something that requires mental prowess. That has been made all too clear already."

He pitched the fourth one, hitting the bull's eye again.

"Then something physical. But I can't skate on normal blades to save my life, so that's out."

Dart number five hit Sam's left eye.

"And surfing's out since the boss hasn't made me do that yet." He turned to the camera. "And no, surfing with Keoni doesn't count." He turned back to the board and tossed the next one.

Number six got the bull's eye.

"Same goes for snowboarding."

The seventh one hit blond hair.

"Maybe I can race him." He got ready to toss his last dart when he gasped. "Or maybe…" He paused in mid-throw and grinned.

"I can fight him!" Izzy laughed evilly as the dart landed square between the eyes. "That's it! I can duel him! Fists at dawn! He won't know what hit him, especially since the boss let me keep the powers I had when we were in the Sonic dimension."

Red energy glowed within his fists as he floated a few inches off the ground.

"All I gotta do now is write the letter and then mail it! Muahahahahaha!!!"

"Izzy!" My voice called over the P.A. system.

"What?!" The hedgehog shouted, ending the display of power.

"I'm a little busy, so I need you to tell the readers what the next chapter is about."

"Ugh! Fine!" Izzy groaned, crossing his arms as he turned to the camera. "For the first part of this chapter, we're gonna follow Team Rodriguez, who's entered a city that's technologically advanced compared to Ocean Shores. Lucky for you guys, this chapter is gonna be short, or at least as short as that idiot can make a chapter.

"Can Clio, Keoni, Mackenzie, and Cheese find Otto, Froggy, and Chocola? Most likely not, but enjoy the chapter anyway. Oh yeah! Don't forget, sometimes the characters will talk about things they did in previous stages. Just pretend they went through the last area, which in a sense, they did. The boss just didn't do commentary for them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be plotting my vengeance against a certain geek."

The camera faded to black as he walked over to his desk and grabbed a pen and pencil.

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

Rocket Heroes

Chapter Six

A Trek through the City

Part One

Stage Three: Grand Metropolis

Mission: Get through the slightly futuristic city!

"Are you sure that dork is here, lame-o?!" Mackenzie demanded.

She, Cheese, Clio, and Keoni were standing (floating in Cheese's case) on a roof top in a huge city that was just outside Los Angeles. Flying cars soared through the air. Ahead, across a wide expanse, was a path made of a sort of turquoise energy. Among the tall buildings were huge smokestacks and energy tanks as well as logos that displayed the name of a company called "HEXAeco."

The furries were wearing their skating gear. Mackenzie's ears poked out of the top of her navy blue helmet. Her knee and elbow pads were a lighter shade of blue. Clio was wearing a pink helmet that had a flower pictured on the front. Her elbow pads were red. According to her, it was a homage to Otto. Her knee pads were covered by her pants. Keoni's sky blue helmet was tied tight, as was his black knee and elbow pads.

"Of course I'm sure!" Clio replied. She held her hands together and sighed lovingly. "My heart has never failed me before, so Otto has to be here!"

"Whateva, cuz. As long as we find Froggy, I don't care." Keoni said.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese chirped. Mackenzie rolled her eyes.

"And we'll find your stupid brother." She muttered.

"Ya know, this city seems familiar somehow…" The cat commented.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Clio agreed. "It's like I saw it on TV or something…" She shook her head. "Come on! Let's get started!"

"It's about time!" Mackenzie shouted.

The trio started off the stage by skating down a steep decline. Clio was first, Mackenzie and Cheese were flying right behind her, and Keoni was covering the rear. The hedgehog gasped as a sudden realization came to her.

"Now I remember where I saw this city! It's the same one Dr. Coconutman attacked a few days ago!"

"No way!" Keoni said with shock.

"Yeah. It was mentioned on the news." Clio confirmed.

"We better get ready to fight then."

"Well I'm ready!" Mackenzie shouted. "If any of that dork's robots come near me, I whomp 'em til they run home crying to their mommies!"

"Chao!" Cheese added.

"That's the spirit guys!" Clio cheered.

The team reached the end of the decline and hit a jump pad. They were sent high in the air towards the energy path. They landed and skated straight ahead. Due to the flowing energy, their speed increased. Soon, the path dipped and went into a loop. The trio went through the loop with no trouble and found themselves on solid ground again.

"Man! It felt weird skating over that path!" Keoni said, looking back.

"It was like floating on a bed of feathers…" Clio said, sighing. The others sweatdropped.

"That wasn't what I had in mind, but thanks for providing me with a weird mental image." The hedgehog glared at the cat.

"Shut up and move!" Mackenzie yelled. Shaking her head, Clio continued on.

They skated across a small energy bridge to another solid platform before going up an incline made out of energy. At the end of the energy path was a red flapper. Clio took care of it with her homing attack. Ahead of them was a gap that had an air ring in the middle of it. Floating by the edge were two fly signals.

"Ok Mackenzie. You're up." The hedgehog said. The rabbit growled, but nodded.

"Hang on or else!" She shrieked, flapping her ears. Everybody else covered their own ears as she took flight. Clio grabbed her hands while Keoni grabbed the hedgehog's feet. The strength intensifier the rabbit received allowed her to lift her teammates with ease. Cheese flew alongside the trio as they traversed the gap.

They flew through the air ring, propelling them towards another roof top. A power formation gate was in their way. They landed and went into power formation. Keoni stood in the center. Clio was on his left and Mackenzie and Cheese were on his right. Patrolling the area was a green robot that looked like a turtle. Ahead of it was an energy path that was blocked off by an energy barrier. Generating the barrier were two red machines that flashed with Coconutman's insignia. The path was turned off.

"We better take care of that robot, cuzzes!" Keoni said, taking out his fishing rod. He gave a war cry as he ran up to the bot and swung the rod like a sword. The rod connected, making the robot blow up instantly. The machines generating the barrier were also destroyed, causing red liquid to flow through the pipes on either side of the bridge. The result was a red beam of light appearing in the middle of the gap. Shortly after, the path was restored, allowing them to stand on it.

"Great job, Keoni!" Clio shouted, clapping. Cheese clapped as well, but Mackenzie only crossed her arms.

"Can we get moving TODAY!?!" She roared. The other three cringed at her mighty scream.

"Man… Whose idea was it to bring her along, anyway?" Keoni asked.

(Me: Yo.)

"Shoulda guessed…" Keoni and Clio sighed.

"Oh well… At least I'm getting a bigger part than the last time I acted for him." The hedgehog said with a shrug. They started moving again.

"At least you get breaks." The cat said. "I'm stuck with him every time he writes something."

(Me: Not true! I wrote two fics that didn't have you in 'em!)

"Yeah and that was it; only two times!" Keoni retorted.

"Shut up already!" Mackenzie screamed.

Anyway, they skated/flew across the small bridge. When they reached the other end, they were in front of another energy bridge that was turned off. However, there wasn't a robot in sight. Across the gap, the trio saw the first checkpoint.

"Now what?" Clio asked herself.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese squeaked. The trio turned and saw the chao floating near some sort of switch. It had to be pushed into the wall.

"Guess we push it and see what happens." Keoni commented.

"Duh!" Mackenzie yelled. Clio rolled her eyes and walked up to the switch. She grabbed the handle and pushed. Energy flowed into a door on the opposite wall. It opened, revealing a flapper.

"I got this!" Keoni said. He jumped over the robot and jammed his "sword" into its body. It was destroyed, causing the nearby path to get restored.

The trio got back into speed formation and went across the bridge. Clio passed the checkpoint, giving her her first level-up. They then skated/flew down a slope made of energy. About halfway down, Clio noticed an air ring that led to the next ledge.

"Hey guys, when I jump, hold on to my legs, ok?"

"What are you doing, cuz?" Keoni asked. Clio looked back and winked.

"Just trust me." She said, bringing out her Pika Pika Hammer. She got closer and jumped up. She righted himself and swung her hammer like a helicopter's blades. Doing so caused her to float in the air towards the air ring.

As she neared the machine, Keoni and Mackenzie jumped. He grabbed Clio's legs, while Mackenzie grabbed his. They all spun around for a bit before hitting the air ring, sending them forward. They landed in front of five coconut pawns. The middle three were unarmed while the other two were carrying shields. They were deactivated at the moment. To the trio's right was a door. A switch was right next to it.

"Uh-oh…" Keoni said at the sight of the robots.

"Chao…" Cheese added frightfully.

"What a bunch of crybabies." Mackenzie said, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry about it, guys! I'll take care of them!" Clio shouted, waking the pawns. They charged towards the trio. The hedgehog grinned as she jumped up.

She attacked the three unarmed robots with her homing attack. They were still standing even after getting hit. She hit them again, delivering the final blow. Remembering the team's encounter with shield robots back at the beach, she swung her hammer sideways, generating a small tornado. It got both of them and knocked off their shields.

"Ha! I knew my Hammer Twister would do it!" She bragged. "Ok Keoni! Take care of those last two while I open this door." The cat blinked as she walked over to the switch and got ready to push.

"Uhhhh… Right." He said. He skated towards the coconut pawns and used his fishing rod to take them out. He sighed before going towards the door, which Clio just opened. Inside was an item bubble.

The hedgehog popped it, causing a low ringing to fill the air. Clio reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone that had an Otto sticker on it. She flipped it open and looked at the tiny screen. Displayed was the Team Blast symbol. She grinned and put her phone away.

"Our Team Blast is set up!" She said cheerfully to her friends, who groaned.

"Oh God… Not that again." Keoni shuddered. They had used their Team Blast on the beach.

"Do we really have to do that again?" Mackenzie growled.

"If we need to, yes!" Clio shouted. "Now come on!" The other three sweatdropped as they skated/flew out of the room and up a sloping energy path.

At the top of the slope was a flapper, which they took care of quickly. Ahead was a jump pad that went past three rainbow rings towards another energy path. The rings were floating side by side.

"I'll take the lead so we can go through those loops." Keoni said.

"Ok." Clio replied. They switched to power formation and hit the jump pad, taking them to the rings. They passed them and did an Ollie in the air.

"This is kinda fun." Mackenzie said gruffly as they soared through the air. They landed on the energy path. Clio took the lead again as they went down the path.

"Aaaaahhh!!!" Cheese screamed as they went through a loop-de-loop. The group traveled upside down a couple more times before they straightened out and hit another jump pad. They were sent inside a building. They landed in front of a checkpoint. Beyond it were two coconut pawns that noticed them immediately.

"Keoni! Take the level-up and take out those robots!" Clio ordered.

"Right!" Keoni nodded, taking the lead again. He grabbed the checkpoint, giving him his first level-up. He then took out his fishing rod. "Roll into balls you guys!"

"Aright!" Clio said, doing so. Mackenzie reluctantly did so as well.

The cat brought back his rod and slammed it into the hedgehog like she was a hockey puck. Due to Keoni's flame ring, she became a ball of fire as she sailed towards the left robot. She crashed into it, destroying it. Keoni did the same thing to Mackenzie and got rid of the right bot. To the rabbit's pleasure, a yellow power core fell out of it. She quickly grabbed it, giving her her first level-up.

"Took long enough." She grumbled. Clio looked around and noticed two doors on either side of them. The path ahead was inaccessible. It was just a huge chasm.

"Guess we better see what's behind those doors." She said, moving towards the left door. The others followed as she pushed the nearby switch, opening the door.

Waiting on the other side was a flapper, which the leader quickly destroyed. Doing so caused the opposite door to open, revealing another flapper. The team skated over to it and got rid of it. Energy flowed into the wall on the other side of the hole, forcing it to drop down and serve as a bridge for our heroes.

"Alright! Let's go!" Clio said, skating forward. Keoni, Mackenzie, and Cheese followed.

When they got across the bridge, three coconut pawns were waiting. The leader took care of them with her homing attack. Keoni got his second level-up from an orange power core that appeared. Ahead of them was a boost pad that led to a spring bar. Floating in the air across from some rainbow rings were three flappers.

"Looks like we can take a shortcut, cuz." Keoni commented, pointing at the obstacle. Clio grinned.

"Sounds good to me!"

They skated up to the boost pad, which sent them to the spring bar. They were sent up into the air as balls until they were level with the first robot. Using their homing attack, the group bounced across the flappers like they were stepping stones. When they destroyed the last one, they shot towards one of the rings. Doing so caused them to get propelled across the floor until they landed in front of a spring. Above were three air rings that went over a gorge to a platform. The group gulped.

"O-ok… Mackenzie, is it?" Keoni broke the silence.

"Y-yeah?" The rabbit asked.

"Why don't you take the lead?" Mackenzie blinked and crossed her arms.

"Hmph! Fine."

They switched to fly formation and hit the spring. They were again sent up into the air. At the apex of their jump, the rabbit moved forward and hit the first air ring, which sent them to the left. They then hit the other two and landed on the platform. A green flapper that was patrolling shot at them. Mackenzie quickly ascended out of the way and used Thunder Shoot. She kicked Clio at the robot, destroying it and giving the hedgehog her second level-up.

"Whew! Thanks Mackenzie!" She said, griping the rabbit's hands again.

"Whatever." The rabbit huffed. She moved the team over to an energy path that was going up. At the top was a power formation gate. A turtle robot was standing guard in front of a locked door.

"It's my turn now!" Keoni said as they passed through the gate. He took the lead and skated towards the robot, which noticed them. A cannon appeared out of the top of its shell and started charging energy. One swing of his rod ended the robot before it even fired.

"You ready over there, Mackenzie?" Clio asked. She and the rabbit were standing in front of a switch that was on either side of the door. Clio was on the left and Mackenzie was on the right.

"Yeah, yeah." The irate rabbit replied. They both pushed the switches, opening the door. A hall with a couple of energy bridges was revealed.

"Ok! Let's get going!" Clio said, skating forward on the first bridge. The others followed.

They reached the end of the first bridge, where a flapper was floating. Using their homing attack, they got through and reached the second bridge. They skated up to a jump pad and were sent towards a third bridge. They reached the end and jumped down to a lower floor. Ahead of them was another turtle bot that was guarding a cage. Keoni took the lead and destroyed it. The cage lowered, revealing a switch. Unlike the ones that were near the doors they passed, this one had to be walked into to activate.

Keoni jumped into the base of the cage and hit the switch. Energy poured into the wall in front of them and opened up, revealing another hall that had a couple of flappers and a turtle bot at the end. Clio took the lead and smashed all three of them with her homing attack. The trio then hit a nearby spring bar, sending them up to a hall that had energy covering the floor. They were propelled forward into another hall, where a coconut pawn holding a shield appeared. It was guarding a door that had two switches nearby.

"You better use that tornado move of yours." Mackenzie suggested.

"Right!" Clio replied, pulling out her hammer.

While she took care of the robot, the rabbit, chao, and cat snuck ahead and pushed the two switches, opening the door. Ahead was a jump pad that led outside. The group skated up to the pad and were sent towards a platform that had a pole on it. They skidded to a stop.

"What's with the flagpole?" Keoni asked. A hint ring was nearby. Shrugging, he walked over and grabbed it. The ring disappeared out of his hands and was replaced with a piece of paper. He then proceeded to read it.

The first panel in this hint's comic had the group in speed formation. The stick figure drawings of Clio, Keoni, and Cheese had smiles on their faces while Mackenzie had a murderous scowl. They were all standing near a pole. The second panel had Clio in the air. She just used her Hammer Twister on the pole. The last panel had them hanging on to each other as they swung up the pole.

"Ok guys." He started when he was done. "You have to use your Hammer Twister, Clio, to get us up that pole." The hedgehog gave him a weirded out look before shrugging.

"Ok…" She said, pulling out the hammer again. She walked up to the pole, jumped, and used her tornado attack. Instantly, she was drawn to the pole. She hung on as she started swinging.

"Hey! Wait for us, ya lame-o!" Mackenzie yelled as she, Cheese, and Keoni jumped towards her. The rabbit grabbed onto Clio's feet while Keoni grabbed onto hers. Cheese followed as they all swung around and up the pole. They reached the top and let go. They flew over a gaping hole and landed on an energy path.

"Good call, Keoni!" Clio thanked as they skated forward.

"No prob! Just doing my bit of the work!" Keoni replied.

They skated up to the end of the path, where two flappers were floating in front of an air ring. They used Clio's homing attack to get past the robots and through the air ring. The group was sent towards another energy path that went upwards. When they reached the top, they saw a fly formation gate at the end of the hall. Beyond that, a green flapper with a gun was floating in front of an air ring.

"Get ready, Mackenzie!" Clio said, looking back.

"Got it!" The rabbit sneered.

They passed through the gate and switched to fly formation. Mackenzie kicked Clio at the robot and flew through the air ring. They were sent up to another hall that had three more flappers standing guard over a case and door. Mackenzie kicked both Clio and Keoni at the bots. They were destroyed and a red power core appeared. The trio got out of fly formation and Clio grabbed it, allowing her to level-up one last time. The cage lowered, revealing a switch, which Keoni hit. The door opened.

On the other side was a sleeping coconut pawn that was guarding a spring that was in a cage. The cat put it out of its misery, forcing the cage to lower. Clio took the lead again as they hit the spring, sending them up to an air ring that propelled them to another ledge. This one had a red flapper floating over a gap. The hedgehog used her homing attack to destroy the robot. The team fell down the gap and hit a boost pad that sent them up a hill and towards a cannon.

The cannon fired them upwards over a hole and onto a rail. Before they landed, the trio made themselves face sideways. They landed on the rail and started grinding. They were too close too each other though.

"Hey! Move it or else we'll crash!" Mackenzie barked.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.

"I know, I know!" Clio groaned. "How am I supposed to go faster?" She blinked. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Keoni asked.

"Well, I've been practicing a new move that'll help me move faster while grinding, but I don't know if it'll work because of how the air skates are made." Clio explained.

"I don't care if ya gotta fly, just get moving!" Mackenzie shouted.

"Alright!" Clio yelled. She then gulped. "Here goes."

She jumped lightly off the rail and twirled around. She landed on the rail again and accelerated.

"Finally!" Mackenzie said, glad that she had room to grind.

"Hey! What about me?!" Keoni yelled. The rabbit sweatdropped as she turned to him.

"Oops?" She said with a shrug. The cat nearly fell over at the response. He regained his balance and glared at her.

"Move it!"

"And how do you expect me to do that!?"

"Just dance!" Clio yelled back.

"Ohhhh no! I wouldn't be caught dead dancing like some ballerina!" The rabbit retorted, crossing her arms.

"Then get left behind!" Clio replied. Mackenzie growled. She had a point.

"Fine! But none of you better say anything to anybody about this!"

"Fine! Whatever! Just get out of the way!" Keoni said. The rabbit snarled at him before jumping off the rail and spinning. Along with Clio, she danced down the rail. Keoni sweatdropped and sighed.

"Guess I gotta do it too…" He muttered. He then followed their movements. They danced down the rail for a few seconds before they hit a spring that was at the end. They were propelled into the air.

Before they landed on another rail, they each did a 360 spin in the air. They got on the next rail and continued grinding. They soon reached another rail that had a spring on it. Floating nearby were three rainbow rings that were ahead of each other. Thinking fast, Clio jumped on the rail, followed by the others. They hit the spring and moved towards the rings. They passed through them and did an impressive trick in the air. They landed on another rail and grinded down it.

"Hey! I can see the goal ring!" Clio cheered.

Ahead of them was a gorge that had several small blimps floating over it. On top of each of them was a platform. On the one in the middle was the giant ring.

"We made it!" Keoni added.

"And we didn't have to use that stupid Team Blast of ours!" Mackenzie shouted happily (there's a first, huh?). Clio glared at her.

"Just for that, we're gonna do it." The others groaned at that.

"Thanks a lot." Keoni said, crossing his arms.

"Chao, chao." Cheese huffed, glaring at the rabbit.

"Oh shut up!" Mackenzie yelled.

They hit a spring at the end of the rail and landed on the blimp that had the goal ring on it. The cat, rabbit, and chao made a dash for it.

"Uh, uh, uhhhh…" Clio admonished, wiggling her finger in a condoling manner. "Didn't I just say we were going to do our Team Blast?" The other three sweatdropped and sulked at each other.

"Oh alright! Let's just get it over with!" Keoni said, walking back to her with his fishing rod held up. He opened the umbrella attachment. "Hop on…" Clio grinned as she and Mackenzie hopped on as balls.

"Team Blast: Flower Fiesta!" The hedgehog cried happily.

The background turned pink as Keoni, flushing from embarrassment, twirled his umbrella. Clio and Mackenzie spun around for a few seconds before the cat pushed up on the umbrella. The rabbit and hedgehog bounced up and landed on one foot, holding each other's hand. Keoni also balanced himself on one foot as many flowers appeared.

"Level-up…" Mackenzie and Keoni droned as they felt stronger. They became invincible as shields surrounded them. Like the protective auras provided by their invincibility, the barriers were rainbow colored.

The rabbit and cat turned to the hedgehog, who was dancing around happily. If looks could kill, Clio would be dead a million times before she even hit the floor.

"End this please." Keoni said, looking up.

(Me: ::Shrugs:: If ya wanna end it, touch the goal ring.)

"Oh yeah!" The cat skated over and touched the ring, causing it to disappear. He then held his head. "I've never felt more embarrassed…"

"I feel so dirty." Mackenzie agreed.

She felt her entire reputation collapsing from that one little move. Her parents giving her two chao, the cutest creatures on the planet, she can handle. The dancing while grinding she could deal with too. But that!? That just ruined her for life.

And as for Clio, she was still dancing like a loon.

To be continued…

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

Mid-chapter Conversation

Part One

"Finally! Done!" Izzy shouted triumphantly as he put down his pen. He then read over his work.

Hey, ya dork!

It's time we settled things once and for all!
I challenge you to a duel of strength!
Meet me at the beach at dawn on the 26th.
Bring only one witness. I'll do the same.

We'll finally see which one of us is the best.
Of course, I'm the best, but I would rather
beat you up to make that point clear.
You better show up, or else!

Hatefully yours,
Izzy

"Brilliant! Pure genius!" The hedgehog cheered. "Now to send it out."

He grabbed an envelope and stamp from a drawer. He licked the flap and stuck the letter inside. He then put the stamp on the envelope and wrote the return address on the top right corner. He then wrote Sam's name in the middle.

"Now for that fool's address…"

Izzy applied the pen to the spot beneath the fox's name. He was about to start writing when a sudden thought came to him.

"Hey, wait a minute! What the hell's his address!?!" He held his right hand to his mouth (his left was holding the pen) as he tried to think. About two minutes passed before he groaned.

"Ugh! You gotta be kidding me!" He snatched the envelope and left the room.

Meanwhile…

The Christmas lights were hung in the studio. Gold garland was strewn about the walls. The Christmas tree was standing in the corner, decorated with tons of ornaments and lights. Wreaths and poinsettias were also abound, giving the otherwise empty room a warm atmosphere. Mistletoe was hung over Sonic's Chaos Emeralds, and Keoni was standing guard, so Izzy couldn't try anything.

And I was standing in the middle of it all, wearing a Santa suit, minus the beard. I was laughing heartily as I read over a magazine.

"Oh my precious," I swooned. "In less than twenty-four hours, you'll be mine, all mine. I'll finally be able to caress you. I'll be able to touch you because touching is good, oh so very good." I drooled as the camera panned around me to reveal the magazine I was reading, which was entitled 'Nintendo Power.'

"Oh my sweet, sweet DS, you'll be mine at long last. The greatest gaming system to date. Two beautiful screens, wireless gaming, and rechargeable battery. Oh how I long to hold you. I want you so badly.

"Oh why must I wait!?!" I wailed. "I must have you! My pet, my beautiful siren of gaming goodness, my—"

"BOSS!!!" Izzy roared as he stomped inside. I looked up from my magazine and groaned.

"I wonder what crawled up his ass this time." I muttered. Izzy walked up to me. "What can I do for ya?"

"Just answer one simple question." He started. "What's Sam's address!?!" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ummmm… Why do you need to know?"

"I wanna send that nerd a challenge to a duel, but I got no idea what his address is!"

"Ya know, there's a little thing called 'e-mail.' Perhaps you've heard of it." I remarked.

::WHAM!::

"I know I can just send the little dork an e-mail!" He roared, brandishing his mallet. "But I'd rather do it this way, so fess up!"

"Ow…" I moaned, rubbing the lump on my head. "And what makes you think I know Sam's address? It was never mentioned on the show."

"Duh! I know that! Make up a theory or something!" Again, I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought you hated it when I make up a theory." To that, the hedgehog readied his weapon again.

"Just start talking."

"Alright, alright!" I huffed, getting into a thinking pose. "Let's see…" I snapped my fingers as I turned to the camera. "Ok. As we all know, the stars of the show live on Ozone Street."

"Tell me something I don't know." Izzy muttered. I sneered at him.

"Do you want me to tell you his address or not?" My partner growled in response. I rolled my eyes at him before turning to the camera. "Anyway, as far as everybody's address goes, we only have Twister's address, Seventy-nine Ozone Street, to go by if we want to figure out the addresses for the other characters.

"Now then, there are two ways to do this. Either you could go counter-clockwise or clockwise from Twister's house. Depending on which way you go, the numbers are different."

"Well!?"

"Oy…" I rolled my eyes. "If you want to go clockwise, Sam's address would be Seventy-eight, the Stimpletons' would be Eighty, and the Rockets' would be Eighty-one. If you go counter-clockwise, the Rockets' address would be Seventy-seven, the Stimpletons' would be Seventy-eight, and Sam's would be Eighty. Of course, the way the addresses are set up depends on the author's preference."

"Good. Now all I need to know is which way you go by and I can send this thing out." Izzy said, getting his pen ready.

"Hmmmm…" I started. "I guess I'll go clockwise when it comes to their addresses."

"Alright, that means that Sam's address is Seventy-eight Ozone Street." My partner muttered, writing the address on his envelope. "I hate to say it, but thanks." He then wrote the city, state, and zip code.

"Hey, how do you know Ocean Shores' zip code, anyway?"

"I just looked at the light bill that was sent to you." Izzy answered. I raised an eyebrow.

"I get bills?"

::CLICK!::

Everything shut off, bathing the room in darkness. Only our eyes were visible.

"Izzy…" I growled, glaring at him. "Have you been hiding my mail from me?"

"Heh, heh…" Izzy chuckled nervously. His eyes had an expression of fear on them.

"You're gonna pay for this, ya know."

"But I don't have any money!" He defended.

"Who said anything about the bill?" I asked, my eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Wh-what are you gonna do?" He gulped. I snapped my fingers in response. "NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!" Izzy's eyes disappeared shortly after.

"Ahhhhh… I feel cleansed." I sighed. My eyes faced the camera. "Anyway, Team Rodriguez has gotten through their stage! What other events will befall our heroes as they continue through the city? Find out next time! But for now, Merry Christmas! I hope that I can get some presents, namely reviews."