Pre-chapter Conversation
The scene opened in the studio, which was back to normal. Party favors no longer littered the floor and walls. It looked just like the set of a talk show again. A desk was sitting at the right end of the stage. Next to it were some comfortable chairs. Behind them was a huge screen. Izzy, Iggy, and I entered from the right. I was wearing my normal outfit, which was a purple and black jester's outfit, a cape that was black on the outside and red on the inside, and my crown.
"Welcome to the first update of the New Year, everybody!" I started cheerfully.
"Oh joy, another year of stupidity." Izzy grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Yeah! Another year of fun and hopefully tons of slashiness!" Iggy cheered, jumping up and down. His older brother gave him a weirded out look before turning to me.
"You're not seriously gonna write anymore slash fics, are ya!?" He asked nervously.
"Eh." I shrugged. "I haven't got any new ideas yet, but ya never know." I grinned. He groaned.
"I wonder how long I can last before I go insane this year…" He mumbled.
"Oh come on, bro! You know you love it!" The younger hedgehog shouted. Izzy's face went red in response. Of course, it was hard to tell if he was blushing or just mad. He glared and clenched a fist.
"Why you…" He hissed as a vein in his head popped. Iggy sweatdropped as he walked backwards.
"Uhhh… Izzy… Why are ya looking at me like that?" He gulped when the older hedgehog pulled out his mallet.
"Just hold still for a minute…"
"YIKES!!!" Iggy screamed as he ran away. Izzy gave a war cry as he gave chase.
"In any case…" I started, watching Izzy chase Iggy around. "I guess I'll handle the reviewer responses for this week."
"Aw come on! I was joking!" Iggy was heard pleading.
"I'll show ya!" Izzy roared as he took a swing.
"Woah!!!" Iggy yelled as he dodged the attack.
I rolled my eyes before taking a piece of paper out of my pocket.
"Anyway, to Warior, heh it's nothing." I rubbed the back of my head. "To tell the truth, a lot of my previous stories were already written. In fact, The Runaway was written WHILE The Substitute was being worked on. I also worked on Rocketmon and Izzy the Hedgehog at the same time."
"Somebody say my name?" Izzy asked, pausing in mid-swing. He had cornered Iggy.
"Nope." I answered.
"Ha! Thanks a lot, Dad!" Iggy shouted, running away.
"Hey! Get back here!" The older brother yelled, resuming the chase.
"Anyway, that's why I was able to get the chapters for those and my slash fics posted up so fast." I continued. "Unfortunately, I got a little slow when it came to this fic. So far, I got up to chapter ten written and I'm not even close to done yet! But yeah, I guess I am a little fast when it comes to writing. Of course, my speed's always different, depending on my current mood and other circumstances.
"And to Mythica, nice to know I can call ya that." I grinned as I pulled out her review. "That level's not so bad. It's a lot faster than Team Chaotix's version of Grand Metropolis at least. That was a headache and a half trying to find all those robots.
"I've never played Tales of Symphonia before. Is that game hard? Here's hoping you'll beat it!" I gave the camera a thumbs-up before looking at the review again. "I don't really pay too much attention to the romance fics at the Sonic section of the site. I mainly read the humor fics there. I wonder how the slash authors there make the Shadow/Knuckles and other cross species pairings work."
"Who cares!? As long as ya never do it, I'll be happy!" Izzy shouted as he tried to hit Iggy with little success.
"Come on Dad! Can ya please do it someday?" Iggy yelled, dodging his brother's attacks. "That'd be so cool if ya can write a Sonic slash fic!"
"Shaddap!" The darker hedgehog roared, taking another swing.
I blinked before turning to the camera again.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, writing a Sonic slash fic…" I shrugged. "Eh. We'll see, I guess. Anyway…" I read over the review again before raising an eyebrow. "Iggy's hyper? I've always looked at him as a complete opposite to Izzy, but ok, I'll go with that…" I snapped my fingers.
Meanwhile, Izzy had his little brother boxed in.
"Now you'll pay for that little remark." He said, getting ready to strike him down.
Suddenly, a bag of sugar appeared by Iggy. The hedgehog gasped and felt his eyes go wide as he grabbed the bag of snowy white goodness.
"YAY!!! SUGAR!!!"
He ripped open the bag and emptied the contents into his mouth. Izzy went blue in the face as the hedgehog underwent a startling transformation.
"ROAR!!!" Iggy, well, roared as he grew twenty feet tall. His eyes became two red swirls of insanity as he flexed his muscles.
His little-big brother gulped and dropped the mallet, which looked like a tiny nutcracker from Iggy's height. The sugar crazed furry grinned toothily as he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his own mallet. Unlike Izzy's, it looked more like a child's toy than a weapon. The body was yellow and it had two red squeaky looking pieces of plastic serving as the head (For better reference, look at Luigi's hammer when he uses his offensive power shot in Mario Power Tennis). Of course, it was still dangerous due to its monstrous size. The hyperactive giant stomped towards Izzy, causing the ground to shake.
"N-n-now Iggy…" The older hedgehog tried as he backed up nervously. "L-l-let's t-talk about th-th-th-this… I'm s-s-s-sure we can w-w-work out an agreement…"
The bigger hedgehog raised his mallet above his head.
"YAOI RULES!!!" He bellowed, taking a swing.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Izzy screamed, barely diving out of the way. The mallet crashed into the floor, causing the studio to shake and tremble. The darker hedgehog panicked as he ran for his life, followed by the colossal beast known as Iggy.
"Well… That was unexpected…" I said, scratching my head. I turned to the camera. "Anyway, I guess we'll get to business. This chapter will present a series of fights between the four teams. I know it's a little strange making them fight when all, or at least most of them, are friends, but I gotta follow the game's script. Who's gonna fight who and who'll come out on top? Read on, dear readers!"
I waved as Izzy ran past me. Iggy trampled over the camera, causing static to overtake the screen.
--------------------------------
Rocket Heroes
Chapter Seven
Team Tussle
"Man! I almost thought we weren't gonna make it for a second there!" Otto laughed to his friends. They looked slightly charred as they skated along a rooftop in the city. "Almost."
"It sucks that I didn't take my camera with me. That woulda been the best footage ever!" Twister yelled. "Nothing can top what we just went through!"
"Ugh… I think I need a new air sickness bag…" Sam groaned. He looked green in the face and was extremely sweaty. "And all that heat in the energy storage tank didn't help one bit!" He wiped his dripping forehead.
"Squid, are you just gonna complain the whole way?" The hedgehog asked irritably as he skated backwards.
"Yeah, Sammy! Just enjoy the trip!" The echidna agreed, looking back at the fox.
"I'll enjoy it when I stop having to worry about going upside down at impossible speeds, worrying about murderous robots, and having to run from all sorts of things!" The kitsune screamed.
"Come on, Squid! This road trip's been the best one I've ever been on!" Twister said.
"Yeah! You don't see Twist or me complaining, do you?" Otto added. Sam glared at both of them.
"Just you wait. You'll both find something to complain about sooner or later. Count on it!"
To that, the two best bros laughed.
"Yeah right! Except for Mr. Stimpleton going crazy, this has been a blast!" Twister said. Otto growled at the mention of the mad doctor.
"Just wait until I see him again…" He hissed, clutching a fist. He turned to his friends. "Anyway, aside from him, this has been fun! Just think what would happen if we were back in Ocean Shores."
"We'd be running from Little Scottie and Clio would be trying to marry you." Sam pointed out. Otto shuddered at the mention of the red-violet hedgehog.
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about her." He said, sighing with relief.
"Yeah." He friends agreed.
Unfortunately, fate has that nasty little habit of screwing you over in the worst way possible.
"EEEEEEEEEEE!!! OTTO!!!" The trio skidded to a stop after hearing that voice.
"Please tell me I wasn't the only one who heard that." The hedgehog said fearfully. The others gulped and nodded. Otto looked around nervously.
"It's impossible. It can't be her! How could she have gotten here?!" He rambled as he paced around stressfully.
"Chill bro. I'm sure it was only…" Twister trailed off, trying to think of some way to calm his frantic friend.
"The wind?" Sam supplied. The fox and echidna turned to each other.
"Yeah! That's it! It was the wind, Otto-bro."
"Besides, how could she have gotten here all by herself?" Sam rationalized. Otto stopped pacing and gave them a relieved glance.
"Yeah, that's right! There's no way she coulda gotten through all those robots!" He shouted happily. "That must've been my imagination or something!" He threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"Otto! Up here!" The voice yelled again.
The trio looked up.
Otto's eyes went as wide as saucers when he saw Clio, Keoni, Mackenzie, and Cheese floating down. The girls and the chao were hanging onto Keoni's belt. The cat was holding up his umbrella, which was allowing them to drift down safely. When they landed, Clio ran up to the other hedgehog and blew a kiss.
"Gotcha, my darling Otto!" She said, holding her hips.
"AHHHH!!! The demon!" Otto yelped as he hid behind Sam for protection. The fox sweatdropped.
"Why is everybody always hiding behind me?"
"Because you provide a lot of protection with your big—"
Twister couldn't get the next word out for Sam whipped him hard with his tails. The fox lunged and a cloud of dust appeared. While the two fought, Otto was left alone to protect himself from the older girl. He gulped as she slowly advanced towards him.
"Uhhh… Guys… Little help!?" He said. He was sweating bullets under Clio's loving stare.
"Call me fat, will you!?!" Sam roared as he kneed Twister in the gut.
"Well, why don't you stop eating all those Shack burgers!?!" Twister retorted, getting ready to punch Sam's stomach.
"Dude! My condition!"
The echidna withdrew his fist before he made contact.
"Oh, sorry." He said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He then sweep kicked him. "Like I said, when are ya gonna stop eating those burgers!?"
"Me!?! What about you, Mr. Chili Bacon Cheeseburgers!?!" Sam got up and whipped him again.
"You should talk! Drinking just the syrup out of that cup!" Twister head-butted him.
Meanwhile, Otto was backing up from the crazed girl.
"Otto…" Clio started sweetly. Otto gulped again. "This time, you're going to marry me."
"Marry you!?" The ruby hedgehog demanded, getting back his nerve. "News flash: I'm only eleven!"
"Oh Otto." Clio said, waving a dismissive hand. "You'd be surprised how many chapels would perform the ceremony regardless of our ages." Otto sweatdropped.
"Believe me, I don't think I wanna know." He muttered. "How'd you get here, anyway!?"
"My heart led me to you, my sweet." Clio said lovingly. Otto gagged at that. "I may have had to take care of a few of those pesky robots, but as long as I get to see you, it was worth it."
"You actually came across Mr. Stimpleton's robots?" The male slapped his forehead. "Of course you did. This place got taken over by him." Clio stopped her advance and gasped.
"You mean he's Dr. Coconutman!?" Otto nodded in response.
"Yeah. Me, Sam, and Twist fought him." Clio gave him a weirded out look.
"Maurice is here?"
"My name's Twister! Ow! That was my tail, Squid!" Twister yelled. The two hedgehogs turned towards the fight. The fox had just bitten the echidna's tail.
"You think I care!? Now apologize!" Sam roared, punching the orange one in the face. Otto and Clio sweatdropped before turning to each other.
"What are you guys doing out here, anyway?" The red-violet hedgehog asked.
"We're going after Merv because he wants to destroy all the skate parks in the world." The red hedgehog replied. Clio gasped.
"Oh my! That's terrible!" She said before blinking. "You must be hurt from fighting all those robots. Let me kiss and make it all better." She smirked evilly as she started her advance again.
"Oh God!" Otto groaned, backing up again. Keoni and Mackenzie sweatdropped at the exchanges going on.
"What a reunion this has turned out to be, huh cuz?" The cat asked. The rabbit only crossed her arms in response.
"This stinks on ice!" She shouted. She then took a deep breath.
"HEY!!! I WANT MY CHAO!!!" She roared, causing everybody else to look at her.
"Woah! Keoni?! What are you doing here, dude!?" Twister asked excitedly, walking up to the cat.
"Hey Keoni!" Sam said, forgetting the fight and walking up as well. "What are you doing—Ahhhh!!! Mackenzie!?!" The fox jumped away as soon as he laid eyes on the irate rabbit and her chao.
"Woah!" Twister exclaimed, jumping back as well. "What the heck's going on!?"
"Help! Get her away from me!" Otto was heard screaming. He was skating away from Clio, who only skated after him longingly. Everybody else sweatdropped at the sight.
"Come on, Otto-wotto! Let me kiss your boo-boos away!" Clio yelled.
"Get away from me!" Otto shouted in response. That only fueled the girl's desire further. The chase continued as both Mackenzie and Keoni glared at him.
"Hey! Give back my little Froggy, brah!" Keoni demanded, skating after them.
"Yeah! And give back this thing's brother!" Mackenzie roared, pointing at Cheese. She joined the chase.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese squeaked, flying after them. Sam and Twister looked at each other and shrugged.
"When in Rome…" The fox said, going after them.
"Hey! Wait up!" Twister yelled, following them.
The chase continued for a little longer before they reached an "island" in the middle of the city. It was the roof of a lone building. The roof was shaped like a hexagon. Boxes and item bubbles containing power cores were present. One containing a red power core was floating in the middle. Otto had enough. He skidded to a stop, turned, and used his homing attack.
"Woah!" Clio said, jumping out of the way. The other hedgehog bounced off the ground, making a small crater. He unrolled and faced Clio with a glare and both fists clenched. The girl gave him a shocked look.
"Otto…?"
"I've had enough of you chasing after me!" The red one yelled. "I have no interest in you, so stop it!"
"But Otto, don't you see?" Clio started, clasping her hands together. "I love you."
"Well I don't!" He jumped up and spun around in the air. "Rocket Twister!" He shot a funnel of red energy towards her. Clio smirked as she took out her Pika Pika Hammer.
"If you wanna pay hard to get… Hammer Twister!" She swung her hammer, causing a tornado of her own to be launched towards Otto's. Both attacks collided and went back and forth for a few moments before they both disappeared.
"Oh man! Not you too!" Twister groaned. He and Sam joined Otto while Keoni, Mackenzie, and Cheese joined Clio. "Does anybody else have my name in their attack?!"
(Me: Ask me again in a few minutes.)
The echidna sweatdropped at that.
"Hey! Give me back my chao, lame-o!" Mackenzie yelled at Otto.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese supplied.
"Yeah! Give back my Froggy too!" Keoni added.
"What are you guys talking about?!" Sam asked.
"If you don't give me back that chao right now, I'm gonna whomp you so hard, you'll never forget it!!!" The rabbit snarled. The all-male trio blinked.
"Chao? Froggy? We don't have any of those." Twister reasoned.
"Well it looks like we got a fight on our hands, players!" Keoni said, punching his hand.
"Fight!?" Twister and Sam exclaimed.
"Yeah. So how about it, Otto?" Clio started, smirking evilly at the other leader. "If, and when, my team wins, you'll marry me and give back Chocola and Froggy."
"What!? I have no clue what you guys are talking about!" Otto shouted. He then lowered his head. "But it looks like we don't have any other choice…" He glared at his fan girl. "Fine! If me and my crew win, you gotta stop trying to date me, got it!?"
"Fine." Clio sighed. "If we lose, I'll stop trying to date you." What the other team didn't notice though was that she had her fingers crossed behind her back.
"So let's do this then!" The red hedgehog yelled. Everybody but Sam and Twister got into fighting poses.
"Hey! Don't we have a say in this!?" The fox and echidna yelled.
TEAM BATTLE #1
TEAM ROCKET VS. TEAM RODRIGUEZ
Both teams backed up until they were standing on opposite ends of the battlefield.
"Give up, Otto!" Clio shouted. "This time, you won't get away."
"Yeah right!" Otto shot back. "Let's just get this over with. I still got Mr. Stimpleton to worry about."
"I'll start us off!" Keoni said, taking the lead. His group bolted towards Otto's.
"Follow my lead, guys!" The male hedgehog said, skating forward. Twister and Sam gave each other unsure looks before following.
Mackenzie jumped and made to crash into Otto. Before she could connect, the hedgehog jumped and used his homing attack to drive her back. He was still in the air as the rabbit got knocked to the ground.
"Hey! That's no way to treat a lady!" Clio protested.
"Too bad! This is a fight, remember!?" Otto replied. He used his homing attack again and hit the bubble containing the red power core. He glowed brightly as he got his first level-up.
"Alright! I got it!" He cheered. Unfortunately for him, Keoni swung his fishing rod into Clio, launching her as a fireball. She regretfully crashed into the other hedgehog, burning him.
"Yeow!" He yelped, holding his now-burnt chest.
"There's more where that came from! Now give back Froggy!" Keoni barked.
"You have to catch me first!" Otto yelled, smirking. He sped up and became a blur of red. Clio, Keoni, and Mackenzie sped up and continued the fight. Cheese, Twister, and Sam were having a hard time moving around due to the purple, red-violet, and red blurs bouncing around the arena.
"Man, can you see him?!" Twister asked, looking at the streaks of light.
"I can't see anyone!" Sam replied.
Just then, the echidna was punched from behind. He groaned as he got up.
"What happened…?"
He then got kicked. He growled as he stood up.
"That does it! Let's go, Squid!" He grabbed the fox's hand.
"But I—"
That was all Sam got out before he was dragged into the fray. The orange and yellow blurs bounced alongside the other four blurs.
"Chao, chao." Cheese squeaked before it got pulled into the fight.
A few seconds passed before all six of the blurs bounced high above the arena. First, the purple and orange blurs crashed into each other, revealing Keoni and Twister. Their right fists collided into each other. They fell towards the battlefield. Next, one of the red blurs crashed into the yellow blur, revealing Mackenzie, Cheese, and Sam. The chao was scratching (or trying to, anyway) at the fox while the rabbit kicked at him. Sam had his arms in front of his face. They too fell towards the ground. Finally, the other red blur bumped into the red-violet one, revealing Otto and Clio. The female swung her hammer at the male, but he blocked it with his foot. They also fell. The speed fighters landed and the fight continued.
"I'm taking the lead!" Mackenzie told her teammates. The others nodded and went into fly formation.
"Ottoman, let me lead for a bit!" Twister said to his best bro, who nodded.
"Go for it, bro!"
The trio went into power formation. Sam and Otto rolled into balls and went into Twister's hands. The echidna charged forward, getting ready to strike the opposing team. Mackenzie used Thunder Shoot, kicking Clio towards them. Twister skated out of the way of his older cousin and kept moving. The rabbit's eyes widened.
"Quick, cuz! Kick me!" Keoni yelled at her.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added. Mackenzie shook her head and nodded.
"Right!"
She brought her foot back and kicked Keoni, sending him towards Twister. She was now standing on the ground. To the cat's amazement and the rabbit's fright, the echidna jumped over him and got ready to use Fire Dunk. He brought back the fist that had Sam clinging and tossed him towards the girl. With nobody to protect her, she did the only thing she could think of. She put her arms in front of her.
"Chao!"
Seeing its master in danger, Cheese sprung to action. It crashed into Sam in hopes of stopping the attack. Unfortunately for the chao, the fox was much too big for it to stop. It only succeeded in throwing Sam off track. The yellow one landed on the ground in front of Mackenzie. She got singed due to the heat of the fireball. She was also pushed back because of the force of the attack. She went flying over the edge!
"Mackenzie!" Clio and Keoni yelled.
"This stinks on iceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" She screamed.
"Chaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooo!!!" Cheese shouted, going after her.
"Alright! One down, two to go!" Otto cheered as Twister let him go. The trio turned to the other team, which was now short one member. Clio and Keoni growled at them.
"Take the lead, Keoni." Clio said. The cat nodded at her.
"Gotcha!" He skated towards the trio with Clio on his left.
"I'm up dudes!" Otto said, skating towards them. Sam and Twister followed.
When they were close to each other, Keoni grabbed his fishing rod and made the wind up. Seeing the maneuver, Clio rolled into a ball. The cat then launched her towards the other group. They all got out of the way of the flaming girl. Before they can retaliate, Clio unrolled and grabbed her hammer. She then used her Hammer Twister. Otto and Twister were able to get out of the way, but Sam wasn't so lucky.
"Woooooooooaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!" The fox cried as he got swept into the vortex.
"Sammy!!!" His teammates exclaimed, fearing for their friend. There was nothing they can do. If they tried to help, they would get pulled in as well. Soon, Sam was spit out of the tornado and fell towards the city streets below.
"Yes! It worked!" Clio said gleefully, giving Keoni a high five.
"Yeah! Now we're even!" The cat added. The two remaining members of Team Rocket looked over the edge, trying to find their friend. They didn't see any part of him. Mad at their current loss, they turned to the two members of Team Rodriguez.
"That does it! This ends now!" Otto proclaimed, skating forwards with Twister right behind. Clio and Keoni skated towards them as well.
They both closed the distance and head-butted each other, causing them to get pushed back a few feet. They charged at each other again, getting pushed back that time as well. This pattern continued for about two minutes before they stopped and panted. Both teams stared intensely at the other.
There was a lot riding on this battle, at least as far as Otto, Clio, and Keoni were concerned. If the crazed fan girl and her partner win, she'll have the boy of her dreams while the cat will get his precious pet frog back. Not to mention that Mackenzie would have Chocola back as well. If the scarlet hedgehog and the echidna win, the former would never have to worry about Clio chasing after him again. As for Twister, he didn't really have anything riding on this. If anything, he wanted to get this battle over with as fast as possible so that they can search for Sam and continue their self-appointed mission to find Dr. Coconutman.
Otto and Twister skated towards Team Rodriguez, who again skated towards them. They head-butted each other again. Twister and Keoni were pushed to the ends of the field while Clio and Otto remained in the center, struggling to avoid getting brought back to their ends of the field.
As they kept trying to push the other back, Otto noticed Keoni stumbling around dizzily and grinned evilly. Clio also gave a malicious grin when she noticed Twister reeling as well. Both hedgehogs looked each other straight in the eye, trying to calculate the other's move. They had to make sure they caught the other off guard so that they can't stop them from helping their cause.
Without warning, they separated and went after their intended targets.
"Rocket Twister!" Otto roared, spinning in the air.
"Wha?" Keoni sputtered, turning towards him. He sweatdropped when a red tornado came towards him.
Meanwhile, Clio jumped into the air and brought her hammer out.
"Hammer Twister!" She called, swinging the hammer horizontally.
"Huh?" Twister said, looking up. He sweatdropped when a tornado headed towards him.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Both the echidna and cat screamed. Clio and Otto turned towards their teammates.
"Twister/Keoni!" They said at the same time. Both Keoni and Twister were sucked up in the tornados and tossed out of the field. Both hedgehogs gaped at their partners, who fell towards the streets. They then turned to each other.
"Well, Otto-wotto, it's just you and me." Clio said with a wide grin. Otto sweatdropped when he noticed the spark in her eyes.
"Y-yeah… Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Clio asked innocently, walking towards him. Otto gulped as he backed up.
"Like you're trying to undress me if I had clothes on."
The other hedgehog giggled at that.
"How'd you guess?" She winked. The male turned redder than usual as he cleared his throat. He glared at her.
"Hey! What're ya doin', acting all lovey-dovey for?! We're in the middle of a fight!"
"Oh silly Otto, I don't want to fight. Can't we just let bygones be bygones and go on a romantic walk under the moon?" Clio batted her eyelashes at him. "It'll be perfect. You, me, the stars, together at the beach. It'll be like magic. Whaddya say?"
Otto looked ready to crack at his self-appointed girlfriend's swooning. He was sweating so much; he could be the next Niagara Falls. He stuttered, trying to speak.
"I-I say… I-I say…"
"Yes?" Clio asked airily.
"I say forget the fight!" He yelled, skating away. "Chase after me all you want! There's no way that's ever happening!"
And with that, he jumped off the building.
"Otto!" Clio ran over to the edge. She sighed with relief when she saw the younger hedgehog being carried away by Sam. Twister was hanging on to the fox's legs and Otto was holding on to the echidna's. The female stomped on the ground.
"Hey! Come back here!"
"Sorry! We got a tight schedule to keep! Bust!" Otto yelled, sticking his tongue out at her. The trio laughed as they flew away.
"Hey! You jumped so that means I win!" Clio shouted. "Come back here so we can make plans for our wedding!"
"No way!"
"Grrrrr!" Clio clenched her fists at her sides.
"Clio!" The hedgehog turned and grinned when she saw Keoni being lifted by Mackenzie. Cheese was flying nearby. The cat held his hand out. "Grab on!"
"Alright!" Clio cheered as she took his hand. With her free hand, she pointed at the fleeing Team Rocket. "After them!"
"What am I, your servant?" Mackenzie muttered. She flapped her ears faster and chased after the other trio.
Meanwhile…
"Man! I almost became the Ultimate Barbecue back there!" Lars complained, fanning his smoking tail. He was standing on top of a building with Pi and Reggie. The bat was panting after that experience in the power plant.
"You said it." She agreed, fanning herself. "It was hot in that storage tank and lifting you two didn't help at all!" Lars glared at her.
"Applying coolant." Pi droned. "Emergency alert has been cancelled."
"We better hurry up and get out of here." Reggie said.
"Hmph. I guess there's nothing more to do here." Lars agreed, crossing his arms. "We haven't found Coconutman, Rocket Dork, or a Chaos Emerald! It feels like we're just wasting time!" Reggie gave him a strange look.
"Why would you want another Chaos Emerald? You already got one so you could use Chaos Control." Lars gave her a scowl.
"Duh! If I get all seven of those beauties, nothing could stop me! I'll rule all the skate parks in the world and nobody, not even your dork brother, could stop me! Pahahahahahahahaha!!!" The bat sweatdropped at that proclamation.
"Why did I decide to go along with this?" She muttered, holding her head. "I don't even like you two!"
"Pity?" The robot suggested. Reggie scoffed.
"Not a chance."
"Hey, nobody's asking ya to stay with us. You can go ahead and fly back home. Me and Pi will take care of that old crank and get all the credit before Rocket Dork does."
"Nah." Reggie sighed. "I'll stick around a little longer. Who knows, I might find some cool treasure along the way." She shrugged.
"Suit yourself." The hedgehog said, turning away. "So how do we get out of here?"
"Beats me." Reggie said, looking around at all the flying cars soaring by. "We must be far from the edge of the city." Lars held a hand to his chin.
"Maybe—"
"Intruder alert!" Pi exclaimed. "Unidentified life forms approaching!" Lars and Reggie got into fighting poses, thinking that some of Dr. Coconutman's robots have come to attack them.
"Where are they?!" The hedgehog shouted.
"Life forms are within striking distance." Pi announced, bringing out his guns. The two animals looked around some more.
"From which direction?" Reggie asked.
"Above." The robot answered. The trio looked up and saw Little Scottie, Trent, and Eddie. The bee was carrying his teammates to the very building Lars and his partners were standing on. They landed a few feet from the other trio. Their backs were turned away from the hedgehog, robot, and bat.
"Are you sure this is where the tour bus is supposed to come?" Trent asked as they started walking.
"Of course!" Eddie replied, pulling back his mask. "I must've asked the lady at the information booth a million times!"
"Yay! We're finally going to go on the tour!" Scottie exclaimed. "This'll be fun!" The crocodile and chameleon sweatdropped and followed the dancing bee.
Meanwhile, Lars, Pi, and Reggie got out of their fighting poses and tried to get a better look at the other trio.
"Man, who are they!?" Reggie said, holding her hand over her eyes.
"Is it me or does that little kid flying around look familiar?" Lars asked, holding a hand to his chin.
"Now that you mention it, he does." The bat replied. "I think I've seen that other kid in the cape before too."
"The bigger life form seems to strike something in my human memory." Pi added.
"Yeah…" The bat and hedgehog said. A few seconds passed before their eyes widened. They turned to each other. "You don't think…!?"
The trio walked towards the detectives. They were about a few feet away when Eddie stopped his comrades. The chameleon got into a defensive pose and pulled down his mask. Trent and Scottie looked at him weirdly.
"What's the matter, Mr. Ninja?" The bee asked. Eddie sweatdropped, but didn't lose his fighting stance.
"And you would be…?" He said, turning around. Trent and Scottie looked and gasped at the other trio standing there. It was silent as the five furries and one robot looked at each other.
"…Reggie?" Trent was the first to speak.
"With Lars?!" Eddie yelled, pulling back his mask. The hedgehog laughed evilly.
"Well, well, if it isn't Eddie, prince of the Dork World! Pahahahahaha!!!" The ninja growled at him.
"That's Netherworld!"
"Whatever!" Lars shot back. Reggie rolled her eyes and gave Trent a curious look.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"The real question is what're you doing here and with him?" The crocodile retorted, pointing at Lars. The bat crossed her arms.
"It's none of your business! Besides, I asked you first."
"That's on a need-to-know basis." Trent said, sticking his nose in the air.
"And you don't need to know, interlopers." Eddie said in his creepy manner.
"You better tell us or else, dorks!" Lars shouted. He then blinked when he noticed the third member of the other trio. He was looking over Trent's shoulder. "Little Scottie!? What are you doing here with these shoobies?"
"Hey!" Trent and Eddie yelled. Scottie flew from behind the crocodile.
"Hello, Cousin Lars…" He said in a polite tone laced with mild hate. He then grinned. "I'm playing Detective with my new friends!" He pointed at his partners, who sweatdropped.
"Detectives? Those two?" The hedgehog pointed at the two reptiles. "Tchhahahahahahaha!!!" He rolled along the ground as he laughed.
"Initiating laughter…" Pi added. A recording of canned laughter was heard shortly after. Even Reggie was stifling some chuckles.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" Trent demanded. Lars took a deep breath as he stood. He wiped a tear from his left eye.
"Whew…" He smirked at the other team and gave them a sly look. "Don't you think you're a little too old to be playing Detective?" The croc glared at him.
"We're professionals. We're getting paid for being out here."
"In what, baby toys? Pahahahahahaha!!!" Trent growled at him as his face turned dark red in anger. He was about to stalk towards Lars when Scottie flew ahead of him with an amazed look on his face.
"Wow! What a cool toy!" He flew over to Pi and turned to his cousin. "Is this yours?" The hedgehog gave him an odd look before smirking evilly.
"Yep. It's all mine." Reggie gave him a suspicious look.
"What are you up to?" She asked. Lars held a finger to his lips.
"Quiet. I'm gonna enjoy this." He turned back to the bee, who was flying around the robot curiously.
"Ooooooohhhh…" He faced the hedgehog. "Does it have any cool weapons?" Lars chuckled mischievously as he rubbed his hands.
"Why of course it does. It's even got a cool flamethrower. Wanna see?" Reggie's eyes widened.
"WHAT!?! MMPH!!!" Lars grinned as he covered her mouth.
"Uh-huh!!!" Scottie nodded happily. Reggie struggled to get out of Lars' grip, but he was too strong.
"Ya heard 'im, Pi. Show 'im your flamethrower." He said.
"Affirmative." The robot complied, raising his left arm. His hand sunk into the wrist and a low light appeared within the hole. It started to grow brighter. Little Scottie oohed at the sight. Trent and Eddie's eyes widened as they realized what was happening.
"Save him before he becomes a shrimp on the barbie, mate!" The one in the bucket hat said, shoving the ninja forward.
"Right!" Eddie replied, skating towards the robot with the great speed all ninjas are born with.
The light in Pi's arm grew larger as the fire fought to be released. Scottie looked on with growing anticipation.
Reggie continued to struggle against Lars' grasp. He hanged on tight as he watched the scene unfold with great relish.
Eddie sped forward and closed the distance as he tried to save the child from becoming a fried bee.
The tiny insect covered his face as he finally noticed the growing heat. He still stayed where he was, waiting for the "toy's" flamethrower to launch. Pi was a few seconds away from firing. The flames were only moments away from spewing.
Just before Scottie could experience the robot's attack first hand, Eddie jumped and grabbed onto him! He landed and skated away before Pi let loose a stream of fire.
"Damn it!" Lars cursed, letting go of Reggie. He stomped the ground.
"Whew!" The bat sighed as she wiped her forehead.
"Attack failed…" Pi added.
"Duh!" The hedgehog shouted at the metallic one.
"Awwww! I missed it!" Scottie wailed as Eddie brought him back to Trent.
"Yo! What's your problem, mate!?" The leader roared at the other leader.
"Yeah! He's your cousin!" Reggie agreed, pointing at the bee in question. Lars didn't pay any attention though.
"Man… I was so close!" He groaned.
"Man, you're beyond lame." She said, crossing her arms. The hedgehog paid her no mind as he turned back to the detectives.
"You have some nerve trying to attack a fellow family member of yours!" Eddie said, getting into a fighting pose.
"Yeah! We'll teach ya a lesson before we get back to looking for Coconutman!" Trent added, punching his hand. Lars and Reggie gasped at that. Pi just simply said "Gasp."
"HEY! We're going after him too!" Lars yelled, glaring at them.
"Affirmative." Pi added, shaking a fist. "Total destruction for anyone who gets in our way."
"Yeah! We're gonna be the first ones to find him!" Reggie supplied, getting into a fighting stance. Trent blinked at her.
"You wanna fight?" He chucked. "Sorry, Sheila, I don't want to fight you. Why don't you let the big boys play?" The bat's mouth hung open at that.
"Wh-what…did you…say!?!" She stared daggers at the croc. Her eyes flared with great fury. "You think that just because I'm a girl I can't fight!?!" Trent shrugged, unnerved by her extreme anger.
"Sure, if you wanna put it that way." Reggie gasped at the arrogance present in his voice. She retained her icy glare.
"That does it!" She turned to her comrades. Lars jumped into Pi's arms at the flames in her eyes. "You two ready!?!"
"Y-yes ma'am…" Lars nodded frightfully.
"Initiating battle mode…" Pi added, putting down his leader. The hedgehog sighed with relief when Reggie turned away.
"You're going down!" The bat roared at the crocodile.
"Hey, do I have to fight too?" Little Scottie asked Eddie, who turned to him.
"Of course you do." The chameleon replied. Scottie gave a fearful look at the thought of actually fighting his big cousin, as well as the bat and the "cool toy." The ninja in training sensed his worry.
"Don't you want to get vengeance on that robot over there?" He flicked a thumb at Pi. The bee tilted his head in confusion.
"Ven…geance…?" Eddie sweatdropped.
"It means getting back at him." He said in his normal voice. "Don't you want to get back at him for almost frying you?" The bee put on an unsure look.
"I don't know…" The bigger kid slapped his head.
"Come on." He groaned. He grinned when he thought of something. He then said in his creepy voice. "Producer of honey, we have to fight them."
"Why?" Scottie asked.
"Because they are our client's adversaries." The bee gasped.
"You mean Cousin Lars and Regina are the BAD GUYS!?" Eddie almost laughed at the proper form of the bat's name, but nodded grimly. Scottie shook his fist and saluted.
"Count me in! I don't like bad guys, no matter who they are!" He shouted, getting ready to battle.
"Scanning for suitable location for battle…" Pi started. "Location found… Suitable battlefield twenty-five miles due west."
He activated the rockets on his back and hovered westward. The others followed after him. They soon wound up at the same place Team Rocket and Team Rodriguez fought earlier. Needless to say, it was still damaged from the other two teams' confrontation.
"What a crummy place for a fight." Lars commented, looking around at all the damage. The debris from the destroyed crates; the upturned concrete. It seemed like a dangerous place for a battle.
"Who cares!?" Reggie shouted before turning to the other trio. "Let's get this started! I'm gonna whomp you so hard for doubting me!!!"
"Fine Sheila!" Trent replied, smirking. "But you better not cry when you get hurt." The bat returned the smirk.
"Oh, I think you better be the one worrying about crying." The crocodile growled at that.
"Tchahahahahaha! You better get ready for the whomping of a lifetime!" Lars said to Eddie, who quivered slightly. "You'll be lucky if I even let you leave this city in one piece!"
"We'll see about that, overlord of pain and despair." Eddie retorted in his otherworldly voice.
"Must defeat all opposition." Pi droned.
"I-I ha-have to be b-brave for the t-team…" Scottie stuttered nervously. He put on a determined look. "Yeah. Remember, they're the bad guys and the good guys always win, no matter what!"
TEAM BATTLE #2
TEAM LARS VS. TEAM SHERLOCK
Like in the previous team battle, both trios backed up until they were on opposite ends of the field.
"Come on! Let's do this!" Scottie yelled bravely, surprising everybody, including himself.
"Hmph!" Lars grunted, crossing his arms. "I like the enthusiasm, but we're gonna win this thing!"
"Let's go!" Reggie said, taking the lead. The hedgehog scowled at the bat as they went into fly formation. He hung on to her feet while Pi grabbed on to Lars'. They flew towards the other team.
"I'll lead us off, mates!" Trent said, skating forward. Eddie and Scottie followed on either side of him. The bat gasped at them.
"Hey! Where'd you guys get those air skates from!?"
"None of your beeswax, you bad guys!" Scottie shouted, sticking his tongue out at them. Reggie glowered at him.
"Don't tell me they stole from Dad's shop, too!"
"Forget about that! We gotta fight 'em, remember!?" Lars yelled at her. She glared at him, causing him to shrink back.
"Watch it or I'll drop you." She growled. Lars returned the glare, but didn't say anything.
Trent reared back a fist as he got within striking distance of the bat and her group. He jumped and made to punch them. Reggie ascended out of the way in time and used Thunder Shoot on the crocodile by kicking Lars. The reptile dodged the electrified hedgehog with no problem. Unfortunately for him, Lars unrolled and landed a hard punch, driving him back a few feet.
"Take this, you villain!" Eddie said, reaching into his cape. He pulled out five ninja stars and launched them at the other team's leader.
Smirking, Lars skated forward, darting left and right to dodge the projectiles. He reached back a fist when he dodged the last star. Seeing that his attack failed, Eddie crossed his arms in front of himself. Mere seconds before Lars can strike, the ninja was wrapped in a pillar of wind and dead leaves. The hedgehog skidded to a stop, but it didn't help.
"Woah!" He yelled as he was blown away by the attack. He was thrown across the field towards the edge. He dragged his feet along the ground to stop himself from going over. When he got his footing back, he looked around. The others have stopped fighting and were on the sidelines, cheering their respective speed member on.
"Great! Where is he!?" He growled to himself. He turned to his power representative. "Hey Pi! Make yourself useful and do a heat scan or something!" The robot nodded.
"Beginning heat scan of entire field…" His eyes became a brighter red as he looked around. A few seconds passed before he turned to the hedgehog. "No life forms detected."
"What!?" Lars said.
::POW!::
The hedgehog grunted as he skidded into the middle of the field. He had just gotten kicked by Eddie. He got up and put up his fists as he looked around.
"Try it again, Pi! And don't screw up!"
"Affirmative. Beginning heat scan…" Again, Pi looked around the perimeter. "No life forms detected."
"Is your radar busted or something?! I can clearly see my cousin, Rocket Dork's sister, and that lame-o in the weird helmet!"
"Hey!" Trent protested.
::WHAM!::
"Ugh!" Lars muttered curses to himself as he held his stomach. "Pi…!"
"Hey Lars." Reggie interjected. She had her head propped up on an arm. She seemed to have a look of boredom.
The hedgehog was kicked halfway across the field.
"What!?" He picked himself up, only to come crashing down to the floor again.
"Just a quick question. What species is Eddie?"
Lars was flung across the field again.
"Ugh… Isn't he a lizard or something?"
His arm was grabbed and he was tossed left and right, kissing the floor every few seconds before getting tossed again.
"He's a chameleon, but that's beside the point. Now what have you learned about lizards?" The bat asked. Lars groaned as he sat up. He gave her an exasperated look.
"What are you, my science teacher?" He was kneed in the gut. "Ugh… Aren't they cold-blooded or something like that?"
"Yep." Reggie answered with a yawn.
"Are you going somewhere with this or what?!"
His face met the floor after getting hit by a sweep kick. The girl was just about fed up with her leader's incompetence.
"Duh! Eddie's cold-blooded, so a heat scan won't do squat!"
"Ya coulda said that sooner!" Lars shouted before he was spun around and bought to the ground again. The hedgehog got his second wind as he skated around to avoid Eddie. "So what do I do to get 'im off my back!?" Reggie shrugged.
"Beats me. I just wanted you to stop wasting your time getting Pi to use his heat scan." He fell over.
"Do me a favor and let me fight my way, ok!?" He yelled. The bat crossed her arms.
"Suit yourself."
"Good." Lars smirked. "And I know just the thing to stop him." He pulled out his Chaos Emerald. Trent's eyes widened at the sight of the purple jewel.
"That looks just like the diamond we found in the energy plant." He commented, pulling out the yellow jewel.
"Wow. It's pretty." Scottie said. Lars held up the emerald.
"Chaos Control!"
The emerald flashed brightly, causing time to freeze around the hedgehog. He looked around and jumped back when he noticed Eddie. The chameleon was practically on top of him with his fist held out. Lars smirked at the ninja. He then held a hand to his chin.
"Now what do I do with this perfect opportunity? I could just force him over the edge and be done with it, but nah. I wanna have some fun first."
He put away the emerald and backed up until he was nearly at the edge of the arena. When he was at a suitable distance, he skated head-on towards his opponent. When he was within range, he jumped and smashed his foot into the ninja's mask. Time unfroze and Eddie was thrown back far. His invisibility also expired. Trent's jaw dropped.
"No way! How did he do that!? I didn't even see him!"
"Ugh… How…?" Eddie grunted as he stood up. He took his mask off and inspected it. He sighed with relief. "Good. Still intact." He put it back on and glared coldly at Lars.
"I don't know how you found me, but it won't happen again!" He declared, jumping up. "Leaf Whirl!"
The wind around him swirled, followed by some dead leaves. He was once again invisible to everyone. Lars looked around his surroundings, keeping a stern look. He smirked inwardly as he got ready to grab his emerald again. Out of nowhere, many shurikens flew. The hedgehog skated towards the lethal projectiles and rolled under them. The ninja stars flew over his head and fell towards the city below. The teen then heard the low hum of air skates. He didn't hesitate to pull out the emerald.
"Chaos Control!" He called.
Again, time froze, revealing Eddie. The so-called "prince" was about to pull out a shuriken at close range. The hedgehog grinned at the ninja's helplessness.
"Enough playing around. I better end this quick so that I can get to Stimpleton before Rocket Dork does."
He walked up to Eddie and grabbed his cape. With a grunt, he dragged the poor chameleon towards the edge of the battlefield. Once his task was completed, Lars took off his helmet and hat and wiped his sweaty head.
"Man, that kid's fat! Almost as much as the Squid, I bet." He put his hat back on and got ready to attack. He jumped up.
"Dark Twister!" He called, spinning around Eddie. Time unfroze as a purple funnel engulfed the caped ninja.
"Oh noooooooooooooo!!!" Eddie screamed as he got thrown far from the arena. "I failed!"
"No!!!" Trent and Little Scottie yelled, looking over the edge. They couldn't see their companion. With a low growl, the crocodile turned towards Lars, who was snickering at his victory.
"You'll pay for that."
And with that, he charged towards the hedgehog. Reggie gasped upon seeing her teammate in trouble. She turned to her other ally.
"Quick Pi! Launch me!"
"Affirmative." Pi responded, making his right hand go into his arm. The bat jumped into it as a ball. The robot targeted Trent, who was a few feet away from Lars, and fired.
As a fireball, Reggie sailed through the air. Trent was about to land a devastating punch when she crashed into him, sending him flying over the edge!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
"I'll save you!" Scottie yelled, going after his leader. He went into a dive as he reached out for Trent. The reptile also reached out his hand. The bee soon grabbed him and started pulling him up with a grunt. When they got back on the battlefield, he panted as he slumped to the ground.
"Whew! Thanks a lot mate!" Trent said to the kid, who grinned tiredly.
"Wow… That was a good save." Reggie said to Lars. "I hope Little Scottie will be ok." The older one glared at her.
"Whose side are you on!? Get 'em!"
"I shall lead. Initiate power formation." Pi said, hovering towards Trent. Lars skated on his left while Reggie skated on his right. When Pi got close enough to the croc, he retracted his left hand and fired a barrage of bullets.
"Woah!" The other leader yelped, dodging the spray. The bullets went towards Scottie! When the bee saw the incoming attack, he scrambled to get away.
"Pi!" Lars shouted, shoving the robot. "Don't shoot him! He's my cousin!"
"Funny. You're the one who wanted him to fry Scottie a few minutes ago." Reggie commented, giving him a sly look. Lars stuttered as he tried to think of an excuse.
"Hey! I was just playing before. My mom would kill me if he doesn't come back home alive!"
"Yeah right." The bat scoffed.
"I'm serious! I'd never—" The hedgehog was unable to finish for Trent landed a massive uppercut, driving him over the edge!
"That cheap little…!" Lars muttered curses as he took out his emerald. "Chaos Control!" He flashed a bright purple and disappeared. He shocked the remaining members of Team Sherlock when he reappeared on the field. He fixed the leader with a glare as he crossed his arms.
"Ha! Thought you could get rid of me easily, huh!?" Trent gaped at him.
"I…I don't believe it… That was my best punch and he just got back up here…"
"So, mate," Reggie mocked. "You ready to surrender or what?" Trent shook off his shock and scowled at her.
"I'm not through yet, Sheila!" He turned to Scottie, who was airborne again. "Let's go!" The bee clenched both of his fists.
"Right!"
The pair switched to fly formation and flew towards the trio. When they got close enough, Scottie used Thunder Shoot, surprising Reggie.
"What the—!?" She shouted as she flew to dodge Trent. "How did you do that move, Scottie!?" The bee blinked.
"I just kicked him." He simply said, pointing at his feet. The bat gasped when she noticed the attachments. She slapped her head as Trent came back to Scottie.
"Oh man. Squid is gonna kill me when he finds out that some of his inventions were stolen."
"Ha! Defenseless!" Lars shouted as he skated up to Scottie and Trent. Without warning, he used Dark Twister. The insect and reptile were spun around by the vortex and tossed out of the arena.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" They both screamed. Trent fell to the city below, but Scottie righted himself and flew back to the other team. He looked terrified as they glowered at him with their cold eyes.
"Oh no… I'm all alone… What am I going to do…?" He blinked. "Hey wait! I'm a bee! I'll just sting them!"
With his plan set, he blasted towards Pi with his stinger sticking out.
"Hee-yah!!!" He yelled just before making contact. Unfortunately, he only bounced off the robot's steel-plated body. That didn't stop him though. He continued trying to sting Pi. His attacks had no effect though. He stopped and panted.
"Why isn't he screaming in pain?" He muttered to himself. With an exasperated look etched on his face, Lars snapped his fingers. Pi retracted his left hand and targeted the bee with his flamethrower. Scottie sweatdropped.
"I suggest you get out of here." Lars said, crossing his arms. He looked the other way. "Go back to those other guys and STICK with them! You better come home unharmed, got it?" The bee turned to him and nodded.
"Ok…" He then flew away, mentally wondering how the good guys could actually lose.
"That was a nice thing you did, Lars." Reggie commented, smiling at him.
"Hmph! Whatever." The hedgehog grunted with a slight flush of embarrassment. He started walking. "Let's go! We still gotta find Mr. Stimpleton before they do!"
"Heh. Whatever you say." The bat said with a knowing smirk as she ascended into the air. The trio went into fly formation and soared out of the city.
-------------------
Post-chapter Conversation
Static appeared onscreen for a few seconds before the studio was seen. Everything was wrecked. The screen was cracked and smoking, the furniture was destroyed, and numerous holes littered the floor. Izzy and I were lying on the stage while Iggy, back to his normal size, stumbled around dizzily. All of our eyes were two swirls as our tongues stuck out.
"Ooooohhhh…" Iggy groaned, holding his head. "My head hurts…" He blinked and looked all around at the damage. "Woah… What happened here?"
"Note to self:" I said, getting up. "Never give Iggy sugar again…"
"Is it over?" Izzy asked, getting up as well.
"Daddy… Why does my head hurt so much?" Iggy moaned as he walked up to me and Izzy.
"I guess you got a hangover from all that sugar." I replied with a shrug. Izzy then grabbed me by the shirt.
"Don't you ever do that again!" He shouted. "I almost became a pancake because of that stunt you pulled!"
"Ack! Not so loud!" Iggy yelled, covering his ears. He started walking out of the room. "I need some aspirin…"
The door slammed and we sweatdropped as we heard the hedgehog groaning in pain. A few moments passed before I glowered at Izzy.
"Ok, you can let me go now." I told him. The furry released me from his grip, causing me to fall on my butt. "Ow!"
"Ugh… I knew he was crazy, but damn! He's nuts!"
"Just don't give him any sugar and we'll be fine." I said, rolling my eyes as I turned to the camera. "Anyway, that's all for now. The only team we haven't done commentary for is Team Lars. Will they get through the next stage? Tune in next time!"