Pre-chapter Conversation
For once, we open a conversation not in the studio, but deep in the heart of the Rocket Power fan village. The camera focused on what seemed to be one of the many movie theatres in the town. A red carpet stretched from the entrance of the building to the street. On either side of it were velvet ropes, which held back screaming fans and paparazzi. On both sides of the theatre's main entrance, searchlights illuminated the night sky. The song, "Hurray for Hollywood" was heard in the background as the camera focused on a woman.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was wearing a sparkly red gown. Her orange hair was tied in a bun. She was wearing plenty of make-up on her face. Her lips, which were laced with fire engine red lipstick, were pursed as she prepared to speak into the microphone in her right hand.
"Hello, I'm Scarlet Garcia reporting live from the Paragon in the Rocket Power dimension." She started. "It's pandemonium here as everyone awaits the arrival of Prince Izzy, who is kind enough to premiere the latest chapter of his cult classic, Rocket Heroes in this very theatre." She gestured to the rowdy crowd.
"But of course, that's not the only reason why we're here. This chapter will mark the one hundred thousandth word the author has logged in for a story. This means that not only will he have more words written than in any of his fics; he will have written the most words out of any RP fic that has been written! Or at least out of those that have been posted on this site." She added.
"This also means that Prince Izzy will have officially ascended to one of the thrones inside the temple that lies on top of the mountain that overlooks this village. Although, technically, he has already logged in the most words in a RP fic. When asked why he didn't seize the throne for most words in a fic sooner, he said, 'I refuse to take the throne on top of the mountain if I can't go without breaking this record first.'"
Suddenly, a white hummer-limo pulled up to the carpet, causing the crowd to go wild.
"Oh my… That must be the author, Prince Izzy!" Scarlet exclaimed, running over to the limo.
The chauffeur walked around to the back and opened the door. There were many flashes as Izzy, Iggy, and I stepped out. All three of us were dressed in black tuxedoes and dress shoes. I was wearing a purple tie, Izzy was wearing a red one, and Iggy was wearing a blue one. All of the cameras followed us as we walked towards the theatre's entrance, waving to the crowd all the while. Scarlet reached us.
"Prince Izzy, how does it feel to finally reach your goal of one hundred thousand words?" She held her microphone towards me.
"It feels great, Scarlet!" I replied cheerfully. I then looked at the crowd. "Wow! I didn't think so many people would come to see me break a hundred thousand!"
"Well, it's not everyday an author reaches such a milestone." The newswoman said before turning to Izzy. "And Izzy, you were the one that said that your creator would never reach a hundred thousand words. How does it feel to know that you're wrong?"
"No comment." The hedgehog sneered, crossing his arms. Scarlet gave him a curious look.
"But surely you must have an opin—"
"I said no comment!" Izzy roared. The reporter jumped away and turned to Iggy, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"So, Iggy… You weren't around for Prince Izzy's initial announcement of his goal. Now that you know of his accomplishment, do you have any comments?"
"Yeah!" The energetic furry screamed, snatching the mic. "I just wanna say Daddy's the best RP author in the world! He deserves to sit in that temple thingy! He should also get a million reviews for each and every one of his fics!"
I blushed and turned away while both Scarlet and Izzy tried to wrestle the microphone away from Iggy. The little hedgehog wasn't giving it up though. He was trying to say more nice things about me. Soon, a dust cloud appeared where the trio was and a fight broke out. Not taking notice, I turned to the camera.
"Guess I'll give the summary before we head inside. For the first part of this chapter, the rotation starts all over again as Team Rocket takes on the death-defying heights of Rail Canyon! But before that, we're gonna take a look at how everybody's parents/relatives are fairing. Enjoy!" I waved at the camera as the crowd cheered.
(A/N: Reviewer responses will be at the end of the chapter.)
Rocket Heroes
Chapter Nine
Sam's Worst Nightmare
Part One
It has been three days since Otto and the others left Ocean Shores and tensions were high. Not knowing where their children were, the parents/relatives of the twelve kids have searched the entire town for them. Needless to say, they came up empty handed. They were worried sick. Their hair/quills/fur/whatever were practically falling out! They couldn't sleep! They couldn't eat! They couldn't even—
"GET ON WITH IT!" Said adults screamed.
(Me: (Sweatdrops) Oh right, sorry.)
Anyway, if losing their kids/nephews/niece wasn't bad enough, it has also been three days since the evil Dr. Coconutman sent his declaration of world conquest. Apparently, the letter was received by not only the Rocket, Dullard, and Rodriguez families, but the entire town—no, the world! All of the citizens were on edge.
"What if he isn't stopped by the end of the day?"
"What is his ultimate weapon?"
"Will we survive?"
These questions and more were on everybody's mind as they nervously went about their day.
"Any sign of them?" Noelani asked as Ray, Tito, Raoul, and Eddie's and Mackenzie's fathers walked into the Shack. It was nearing sunset. They had just come back from searching the entire town for quite possibly the hundredth time since the kids disappeared.
Mr. Valentine was brown and wore glasses, as well as a cape, like his son. Mr. Benders, like his irate daughter, was red. The hedgehog, cat, echidna, chameleon, and rabbit shook their heads sadly. The females of the group hung their heads low. They were made up of Noelani, Paula, Sandy, Eddie's and Mackenzie's mothers, and Violet Stimpleton.
Like Sam, Paula was a yellow fox. The main difference was that she only had one tail. She was wearing a red dress. Like her son and husband, Mrs. Valentine was a brown chameleon. She was wearing a purple blouse and shorts. Mrs. Benders was also a red rabbit. She was wearing a green blouse and a mini-skirt. Violet was there because she had also lost someone very dear to her: her husband. She thought that if she helped find their children, she'll be reunited with Merv.
"Wait, where are the others?" Paula asked, referring to Pi and Trent's parents.
"They're still out searching." Tito answered.
"Where could my little Mackenzie be?" The girl's mother said, tears coming to her eyes. Her husband immediately walked over and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
"Eddie…" The female chameleon started, sobbing. Her husband joined her.
"My poor little Maurice and Lars!" Sandy outdid both of them, turning on the water works full blast.
"Little Scottie and Clio…" Raoul added. He then added as an afterthought, "My brother and sister are so gonna kill me…"
"Keoni-bruddah…" Tito's ears drooped, thinking of his nephew.
"Otto… Reggie…" Ray was perhaps the most devastated of the adults. He bowed his head as he sat at a table. His wife walked over and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Don't worry; I'm sure they'll all come back safe and sound!" Violet, always cheerful, even in the darkest of times, shouted. She walked over to the counter and grabbed a remote. "Now, how about we watch a little TV to calm our nerves?"
Ignoring the weirded out stares she got from the others, she pressed the on button. A newscaster was displayed. The woman on screen was sitting at a desk.
"In other news this evening, there is only one hour left before the notorious Dr. Coconutman, considered a terrorist by the military, unleashes his weapon on the world." She started. Violet gave a smirk at the announcement. "As for what this weapon is, we have no leads at this time. All that we can assume is that it must be a weapon capable of mass destruction. Military officials have tried to locate the doctor's base, but have not succeeded yet. All that this reporter can say is all is lost."
It was then that she was handed a piece of paper. She read the sheet for a moment or two before giving a small grin.
"It seems that there is a ray of hope in this tragic story. I have just been handed a report from our correspondents on the west coast. A small task force of twelve has risen up to the challenge made by Dr. Coconutman. And here's the kicker, folks: They're all kids!"
The sobbing adults snapped their heads at the screen after hearing that. They murmured amongst themselves in disbelief. She couldn't be talking about who they thought she was talking about! …Could she? The anchorwoman held her right ear, having received a transmission on her ear piece.
"I have just been told that we have some amateur videos of the twelve heroes." She then got another paper. She read it before facing off camera. "Do we have the footage ready?"
A couple of seconds passed before she turned to the camera. She cleared her throat.
"This is a video shot at a coastal area in southern California. Now this is a little odd for me to say, but it may be best to avoid blinking."
The newswoman was replaced by a staticy video. The scene was taking place at Seaside Hill. A brown rat wearing red swimming trunks was displayed. A surfboard was standing next to him. The camera shook a bit.
"Dude! You're on!" A female voice yelled.
"Alright." The rat said before clearing his throat. "Hey there, dudes and dudettes! The name's Maxie and that's my girl, Mimi."
The camera was turned to face another rat that was wearing a pink bow. She waved at it. The camera faced the male again.
"Today, I gonna show ya some of the raddest surf tricks ever! But first—"
Just then, three red, yellow, and orange blurs sped past them, generating a great amount of wind. Maxie held on to his surfboard in an attempt to avoid getting blown away. Mimi was heard panicking as she tried to hang on to the camera, which was shaking rapidly. The wind soon died down, allowing the rat to stand firmly and catch his breath.
"Whew…" He panted. "Are you…alright, doll?"
"Yeah…" Mimi's voice was also heard panting. The camera was steadied again.
"Man… What was that?" Maxie said, facing the direction the blurs traveled.
Seconds later, the head of a coconut pawn fell into his arms.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The female screamed as static was shown, ending the scene.
Ray and the others gaped at the scene. Violet, meanwhile, had a nervous expression on her face. The newswoman reappeared on screen.
"As you can tell by watching that video, whatever caused those blurs was moving at an impossible speed." She faced off camera again. "Can we get that picture up again?"
The adults in the Shack looked on curiously as a picture from the video was brought on screen. It was the part when the blurs appeared.
"Now, we shall go in for a close up." The woman's voice was heard.
The blurs in the image got bigger and sharper as the news channel's computers moved the picture closer. About a minute of hushed anticipation passed before limbs were seen. This was followed by what looked like three helmets; one round, one with wings on the sides, and one shaped like a shark. Finally, what could be distinguished as air skates were on the blurry figures' feet.
"Oh my! It's Maurice!" Sandy exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "I recognize that helmet anywhere!" She turned to her husband and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
"Sammy's safe!" Paula shouted, crying tears of happiness.
"Alright! Otto's ok!" Ray yelled, punching the air.
"But where's Reggie?" Noelani asked. The hedgehog's celebration came to an abrupt halt when he realized she was right. Wasn't the older sibling with them?
On screen, the camera went back to the reporter, who was again handed a report.
"It seems that we have some footage of three of the other kids."
The screen changed to a black and white video of Clio, Keoni, Mackenzie, and Cheese. The quartet was skating/flying through the city that was taken over by Coconutman.
"Mackenzie! She's alright!" The little rabbit's parents cheered, embracing each other. They blinked at the footage. "But where's Chocola?"
Meanwhile, Tito and Noelani breathed a happy sigh.
"Whew! Keoni's safe…" They both said.
"Oh thank goodness Clio is safe!" Sandy cheered, hugging Raoul tighter. The black echidna was starting to turn blue as he sputtered for air.
"We got this footage from a security camera that was posted at the city that was once under the control of Dr. Coconutman."
A few seconds passed before the team was shown taking on some of the doctor's robots. They were taken care of in seconds flat. The adults gave the screen a shocked look.
"D-did our little girl do that?" Mackenzie's father asked with wide eyes. The angriest rabbit in the world just kicked Clio at a flapper, destroying it.
"Y-yes… I believe so, dear." His wife answered with equal shock.
"Ha, ha!" Tito laughed as Keoni was shown whacking a turtle robot with his fishing rod. "Show him what us Hawaiians are made out of! I knew giving him that fishing rod would help!"
His eyes widened when he felt the cold glare of no less than eight eyes on him. Gulping, he turned around nervously. Sandy, Raoul, and Mackenzie's parents were scowling at him. Their eyes glowed an angry red as they stared him down.
"A-aloha…?" He tried, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Let me get this straight." Sandy started with a growl. "You gave our kids those things?" She and the other three turned their gaze to Ray and Noelani, who nodded. Instantly, the two women stalked towards them.
"N-now ladies! We had a good reason for giving them those shoes!" The hedgehog tried, backing up while holding his hands. He turned to the purple cat and said with clenched teeth, "Back me up, Tito!"
"He's right!" Tito said, standing straight up. "Clio was helping Keoni and Mackenzie find their pets."
"Their pets!" Mrs. Benders demanded. "How long does it take to find a chao!" The hedgehog and cats gulped, trying to think of something. Fortunately, they were saved by the TV.
"We also have footage from one of the energy plants in the city. It seems that these children are traveling in groups of three."
On screen, Eddie, Trent, and Little Scottie were shown battling one of the gold turtle robots. Like with Team Rodriguez, the image was in black and white. The ninja reached into his cape and rained shurikens on the bot. The turtle blew up immediately after. As they skated/flew out of the camera's range, the parents turned back to Ray. Eddie's parents were now on the warpath. If looks could kill, the hedgehog would be six feet under. Most notably, Sandy was beyond mad. She looked ready to pounce on him and rip him to shreds.
"WHAT IS LITTLE SCOTTIE DOING IN THOSE SHOES!" She roared. Luckily for the owner of the restaurant, Noelani took up the defense.
"We didn't even see those three that day! We don't know how they got their shoes!"
"We just got some footage of what seems to be fights going on between the teams. I suppose this means they are not working together, after all."
Everybody's head snapped towards the screen after hearing that. Teams Rocket and Rodriguez were shown duking it out. The two trios rammed into each other before eventually tossing out everybody but Otto and Clio. Everybody in the Shack was at each other's throats after seeing that one. They only paused momentarily to watch the battle between Teams Lars and Sherlock. Sandy and Raoul, who had Ray and Tito in a choke hold, dropped them as they all stared at the screen in complete and utter shock.
"L-Lars…" Raoul started.
"Fighting Little Scottie!" Sandy shrieked.
"With Reggie!" Everybody else yelled in surprise.
"What in the world is she doing with him!" Ray roared, the memory of his encounter with the younger hedgehog still fresh in his mind.
"And who's that robot?" Mackenzie's mother asked.
"Wow! We're getting lots of footage featuring those kids!" The anchorwoman exclaimed as another paper was shoved into her hands. The stage hand, who had reached a little too far, was waving at the camera…at least until the woman pushed him out of the way. She cleared her throat.
"As I was saying, we just got this report from our correspondents in Las Vegas." The screen showed clips of Team Lars rolling through Casino Park and BINGO Highway. "It seems that Dr. Coconutman's robots had taken over one of the casinos and the city's only highway. Thankfully, this group was able to stop them before they stole any money. They even fought the doctor in an almost never-ending gauntlet of robots."
Everybody gasped when they saw the trio fighting wave after wave of robots on the circular platform. They had gotten a good look at the evil doctor, who was flying around the scene in his hovercraft. There was no mistaking it. The one flying around was none other than Mervin Jeremiah Stimpleton! The parents turned towards Violet, who was trying to sneak out of the Shack.
"Freeze!" They ordered. The pink-haired woman stopped and nervously turned to them. They all fixed her with the coldest glare yet.
"Did you know he was Coconutman?" Ray asked, breaking the silence. Violet gulped.
"I don't know anything!" She yelled, getting ready to run.
"Stop her!" Noelani ordered as she left the Shack.
"Way ahead of you, cuz!" Tito shouted, running after her. When he was within range, he leaped into the air and body slammed Violet! The overactive woman was immobilized. The others gasped and ran towards the two.
"Tito…" Paula started. "I think you may have gone a tad too far." The cat sweatdropped as he stood up.
"Y-yeah… I guess you're right." He said, blushing as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Look!" Mrs. Valentine said, pointing at where Violet was. They all turned and gasped.
Instead of the wife of the most evil person in Ocean Shores, there lied a shattered coconut pawn. It was crackling with electricity. Smoke was emitting from it.
"What does this mean, Raymundo?" Noelani asked frightfully, clinging to her husband.
"I…I don't know…" Ray replied just as confused.
"Hmph. I always thought she was too cheerful and energetic to be human." Raoul said, nodding while crossing his arms. Everybody else glared at him. "What!" Sandy put on a look of embarrassment as she slapped him upside the head.
"What!" The newswoman was heard yelling. Everybody ran back inside and looked at the TV. The anchor was holding her right ear as she faced the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, I just got word that a Channel Six camera crew is at the Grand Canyon, where one of the four teams is situated. We take you live."
There was static for a few moments before the scene changed. Everybody in the Shack saw the Grand Canyon. The sky was bathed in purples, oranges, and blues. Stars were starting to appear. The group was just barely able to make out the trio standing on a ridge. Ray, Noelani, Tito, Paula, Raoul, and Sandy grinned when they recognized the figures as Otto, Twister, and Sam.
"There they are!" The hedgehog exclaimed.
"Yeah, but why are they standing around, bruddah?" The bigger cat asked.
"I wish the cameraman would move closer so I could see my darling Maurice." Sandy added, holding her hands together. The others sighed exasperatedly at the display of maternal affection.
Meanwhile…
Stage Seven: Rail Canyon
Mission: Get to the terminal station!
"Woah!" Otto exclaimed happily.
"Woah!" Twister exclaimed with a huge grin.
"Woah!" Sam exclaimed fearfully. He was covering his eyes.
Before them was the Grand Canyon in all its splendor. The main difference between the landmark now and when they had their near-death experience was that almost every square inch was coated with rail after rail. They were lined up side to side in groups of three, sometimes more. The majority of the rails looped upside down. Others spiraled downwards. And some even ended with wild jumps. Needless to say, Otto and Twister were in Heaven. Sam, on the other hand…
"Man! ZGZ's got nothing on this place!" The leader shouted.
"This is the greatest skate park in the world!" Twister added. He then held his head. "Oh, if only I had my camera! This woulda been the best footage ever!"
"Oh yeah, baby! I can't wait to tear this place apart!"
"Uh-uh! Noooooo way!" The fox exclaimed, turning away from the sight with his arms crossed. "There is no way I'm grinding that!" The hedgehog and echidna faced him.
"Come on, Squid! It's just a little grinding…" Otto tempted. Sam gave him a dubious look.
"A little! The rail at the pier, that's a little grinding! And I can't even grind that without falling off! How do you expect me to get through that!" He pointed at the course. The others shrugged.
"You can always fly the whole way." Twister offered.
"I can't fly the whole time! I'll be too tired to lift you guys if, and when, we need to get into fly formation!"
They all stood still, trying to think of a solution.
"Well, what if you spun your tails while grinding?" Otto broke the silence. "That way, if you do fall, you can always fly back on the rail and you won't get tired."
Sam crossed his arms and looked down, considering the options. He huffed when he thought of his answer. He was going to regret this. He could feel it already.
"Alright, alright! I'll grind the stupid thing." He said to the leader, who smirked. "But I won't like it! Count on it!"
"Whatever. As long as we don't have to leave ya behind, I don't care." Otto said, moving towards the edge of the cliff. Directly below were three rails, which were sloping downwards.
"C'mon! Let's get this show on the road!" Twister shouted. The hedgehog nodded.
"Right!" And he jumped off the cliff.
"Geronimo!" The echidna yelled, jumping after him. Sam sighed reluctantly as he moved to the cliff.
"If I have to, I have to." He gave another sigh before jumping.
One by one, they fell onto the trio of rails. Otto landed on the center one, Twister landed on the right one, and Sam landed on the left one. Their air skates locked in place as they grinded down the steep slope. The metal plates the midpoint of the skates' undersides slid down the rail perfectly, making the trip smooth. Sparks flashed from their feet as they traveled. They held their arms behind and in front of them in order to balance themselves. Taking the leader's advice, Sam started spinning his tails, allowing him to go slightly faster than the others.
"Hey Squid!" Otto said, facing the fox.
"Yeah?" Sam asked.
"How long has it been since we got that letter, anyway?"
The kitsune put on a thinking look.
"I think this is the third day." He answered. A few seconds passed before his eyes widened. "The third day? We only have until nightfall before Merv unleashes his weapon!"
"Nightfall? That's only a few minutes away!" Twister shouted.
"Looks like we're gonna have to race the clock, guys!" Otto yelled. "We're cutting it close, but if we go as fast as possible, we'll make it! Let's go!"
The trio crouched as they continued grinding down the slope. They were able to fight the wind resistance caused by the air currents in the canyon. Unfortunately, their speed only increased a little. They were still going incredibly slow.
"Crap! There gotta be a faster way to grind!" The hedgehog cursed.
Just then, he passed through a hint ring. A piece of paper was placed into his hand. Without giving it a second thought, he leaned over and handed it to Sam. He almost fell off as he handed the paper to the fox. Otto was able to regain his balance as he concentrated on grinding.
"Let's see…" Sam murmured, switching his view between the rails and the paper. On it, like so many hints before it, was a comic.
The first panel had stick figure drawings of the trio grinding on lines. They had frowns on their faces, presumably because they were moving so slow. On the second panel, the group hopped off the "rails" slightly. The third panel had them spinning a bit in the air. The final panel had some lines behind the grinning trio, a clear indication that they were moving faster. The kitsune had to read the comic a few times before he understood what it meant. He held the paper in one hand as he concentrated on imitating the comic.
"Here goes nothing." He gulped, closing his eyes. To the amazement of Otto and Twister, he jumped lightly off the rail. He then performed a quick spin before landing on the rail again. His speed increased slightly.
"Woah! What was that, Squid!" Twister yelled after him. Sam looked back.
"According to the hint, if we dance along the rails, we'll be able to accelerate!" He replied.
"Dance?" Otto blinked before crossing his arms. "No way! It's bad enough I got one ballerina after me! You expect me to dance like one the whole time!"
"Either do it or get left behind!" The fox yelled, dancing some more. The hedgehog and echidna sweatdropped before turning to each other.
"Come on, Ottoman, it can't be that bad." Twister said before imitating Sam. He soon caught up to the fox. Otto slapped his forehead at the sight of his friends who were quickly getting away from him.
"Alright! I'll do the stupid dance!" He groaned. "Thank God nobody's here to see this." He started dancing as well.
He soon caught up to Sam and Twister as the rails straightened out. On the canyon walls were several objects that looked like boilers. What looked like mining equipment was also stuck on the canyon walls. The trio ignored them though as they watched the rails. They danced for a little longer before reaching some devices. They were on each rail. They consisted of six small wheels. They were lined up three on either side.
"What do you think those do?" Twister asked.
"We're about to find out!" Otto yelled.
Because the device on the middle rail was closest, the hedgehog was the first one to hit it. He was squeezed through it and found himself moving faster. Sam and Twister also went through the devices and were pushed ahead.
"Guess they give us a speed boost!" Sam explained, going back to dancing.
"Guess so!" Otto said with a nod. He and Twister danced to catch up.
They soon hit another trio of boosters and were sent forward. The trio couched as the rails dipped. They danced as the rails curved to the left. The rails went downwards. Twister got some rings that were floating on his rail just before hitting a booster. The others soon sped up. The canyon opened up as they kept up their dance.
"It's a good thing Raymundo gave us these air skates!" Sam yelled over the noise caused by their grinding. "We wouldn't be able to survive this with normal blades!"
"Man! I never thought grinding could be such hard work!" Twister commented, wiping his sweaty head.
"No kidding!" Otto added, fanning himself.
"I wonder… Why would Mr. Stimpleton just put in all these rails?" Sam asked.
"Maybe he's trying to test us or something."
"But why?"
"I don't know, Squid!" Otto yelled. "I'm just guessing!"
"Sorry, sorry! Sheesh!" Sam sighed. The rails curved to the left again.
"He's gotta be using them for something though." Twister spoke up.
"Yeah right! Other than providing us with some excellent transport, what else could he be using these rails for!" Otto asked as they hit some more boosters. Seeing that the rails kept going straight, the group stopped dancing and turned to each other.
"I don't know…" The echidna shrugged. "Maybe he's using them for trains or something."
"Oh please!" Otto slapped his head. "Twist, you use tracks for trains, not rails!"
"He's got a point though, Otto." The fox said. The hedgehog gave him a weirded out look. He rolled his eyes. "Ok, maybe the train thing is a little farfetched, but Merv must be using these rails as transport for something."
"Whatever! All that matters is that we get to him before he brings out this so-called 'ultimate' weapon!" The leader said.
"Hey you guys! I see something up ahead!" Twister called. The others turned from their conversation to look. Below, after the rails dipped a bit, was a platform.
"Alright! Let's get over there!"
The trio went back to dancing. The rails dipped to the right. They soon got within range of the platform. They gave a weirded out glance when they noticed railroad crossing signals before reaching it. Otto and Sam turned to Twister, who only shrugged in response. The hedgehog and fox sweatdropped as they kept going. The rails soon ended with three springs. The team hit them, propelling them up a wall.
When they landed on the ledge, they saw the first checkpoint. Just beyond it were some rails that were made out of a bluish light. They curved to the right, connecting to a new platform. Floating in front of the rails' starting point were two power formation signals. The trio looked at the next platform and noticed some coconut pawns standing alongside barrels that had Dr. Coconutman's insignia on them. They were guarding a small tower. Otto turned to his best bro.
"You better grab the first level-up so we could take care of those guys." He pointed at the robots. Twister nodded.
"Right!" He grabbed the checkpoint, giving him his first level-up. "Ok! I'll take the lead."
"Do you think it's safe to get on those?" Sam asked timidly. He pointed at the rails ahead. Otto and Twister sighed exasperatedly.
"Squid, it's perfectly safe!" The former said.
"Yeah! If you're so scared, why don't you just fly across?" The latter added. "It's not that far." Sam scowled as he took in an irritated breath.
"Fine! I will! Let's go!" He said, spinning his tails. While the hedgehog and echidna grinded the light rails with no trouble, the kitsune flew after them.
As soon as they reached the next platform, the coconut pawns attacked them. At his command, Sam and Otto jumped into Twister's fists and spun into balls. One by one, the echidna used Fire Dunk to take care of the robots. When he didn't have either of his teammates in his hands, he destroyed the robots with his spiked fists. With the robots out of the way, the trio went around to the back of the tower, where they saw a hook leading up.
"Hang on, you guys!" Twister said, jumping up.
As the hook pulled him up, Otto and Sam grabbed on. They were lifted to the top of the tower, which featured a small slope with rails on it. On the middle rail was a blue disc.
"Whaddya think that thing is?" Otto asked Sam.
"Looks like some kind of switch…" The fox replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Let's go then." The others gasped when they saw Twister grind the center rail.
"Twister! What are ya doing!" They exclaimed.
"Chill you guys! It's safe! Watch!"
And he hit the switch, causing it to turn red. The light rails below turned red as they repositioned themselves. Now they turned away from the platform the trio was on and connected to another platform that was to the right. Otto and Sam looked over the edge to see Twister land on the leftmost rail and grind it to the next platform, where a coconut pawn lied in wait.
"Woah!" The echidna exclaimed when the robot activated and charged towards him with its lance drawn. Twister sidestepped and landed a hard punch, knocking it out. He grinned and waved at his partners. "Come on!" The others shook their heads at his antics and followed. They got on the light rails and grinded them to the platform.
"Man, Twist! What were you thinking!" Sam scolded when they arrived.
"Yeah dude!" Otto added. Twister rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"It was kinda a spur of the moment thing?" He tried. The others shook their hands pitifully.
"Whatever! Let's get moving!" Otto ordered.
Ahead of the trio were two rails that lead to a wall. The rails started out as normal ones, but soon became blue light ones before changing back to normal ones. Two switches like the one they found earlier were at the end. The hedgehog took the right rail while the others took the left one. They grinded over to the switches and hit them, causing the light rails to turn red and curve to the left. They then hit some boosters, propelling them through the light rails. The red rails were soon replaced by normal ones as the trio hit a couple of boosters. They crouched as they were sent down a slope and past some more railroad crossing signals.
"Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" Sam groaned as the rails dipped and rose. His face was turning green.
"Not again!" Otto and Twister groaned, slapping their heads.
The rails went up and down for a few more seconds before sloping down towards some springs. Beyond them, the rails fell due to small explosions.
"The rail!" The fox gasped.
"Man! They'll try anything to get rid of us, huh!" Twister commented.
The trio hit the springs and was sent towards the beginning of a new set of rails. Since there were three, everybody claimed their own rail. Like at the beginning of the stage, Otto was in the center, Sam was on the left, and Twister was on the right. They continued on for a few seconds before reaching three rainbow hoops. They all jumped through them and were sent forwards through the air.
"Alright!" Otto exclaimed as he turned while holding his legs up. Twister pulled off a similar stunt while Sam just settled for an Ollie. They straightened out and landed on a new set of rails.
"OH NO!" Sam screamed. Ahead, beyond a pair of boosters, the rails looped! "It's my worst nightmare! I wanna get off!"
"Too bad, Sammy! Just hang on!"
They hit the first set of boosters and traveled along for a few seconds before hitting the next one. Sam closed his eyes shut as they went up the loop. He felt his stomach go into his throat as he went upside down. The trio got through it, only to hit another trio of boosters, sending them to another loop. They all went upside down for a couple of seconds before the loops ended abruptly. Twister landed on a new rail and was sent away from the area while Otto and a screaming Sam were sent one rail to the right. They were forced to go through the loop two more times before joining the echidna on the new rail.
"That's it! I'm gonna puke!" Sam yelled, pulling out his air sickness bag. He immediately buried his face in it. Otto and Twister sighed exasperatedly at the sound of the fox's retching.
Anyway, the rail the trio was on spiraled to the left before straightening and going down. Otto and Sam caught up to Twister as they neared a new platform. This one seemed to have a fence preventing all from entering. Luckily for our heroes, there was a spring bar right in front of it. One by one, the group hit the bar, sending them up over the fence as balls. At the apex of their jump, they saw a balloon floating.
"Twist! Use Triangle Dive to reach that balloon!" Otto ordered.
"Got it, dude!" Twister replied.
They quickly unrolled and grabbed each other's hands. All three of them glided towards the balloon and popped it. The result was a shield surrounding each of them.
"Alright!" Sam exclaimed as they let go of each other.
They all fell towards the ground and landed. Ahead of them were a checkpoint and a pole. Guarding them were two coconut pawns, each with lances.
"Ok Twist, beat up those things while I grab the checkpoint." The hedgehog said, skating towards the circle. He grabbed it and instantly felt stronger.
Following his leader's instructions, Twister ran up to the robots and uppercut both of them. When they exploded, a red power core emerged, much to Otto's fortune.
"Level-up!" He shouted as he powered up again. "Talk about luck!" He chuckled. The others rolled their eyes as they walked up to the pole.
"Hmmm… Looks like we'll have to go up it." Sam commented. Otto rolled his eyes at him.
"Duh! Hang on, you guys!" He said as he jumped up. "Rocket Twister!"
He spun around the pole, generating a red swirl of wind. He grabbed onto the pole and started spinning up it. Not wanting to miss their ride, Sam and Twister skated up to him and grabbed onto his legs. The trio went round and round as they went up. When they reached the top, they let go and landed on a platform. In front of them was an unarmed coconut pawn. It was guarding a normal switch.
Otto took care of it with a single homing attack. Sam flicked the switch, causing a nearby door to open. As they went through a small hall, Sam's watch started beeping. The fox looked at it and grinned when he saw the Team Blast symbol.
"Guys! Our Team Blast meter's charged!" He told his teammates.
"Alright!" Twister cheered, punching the air.
"Cool! We'll save it for now. C'mon!" Otto said, skating out of the hall. The others followed him out.
The trio reached the start of another set of rails. They jumped on them and hit the nearby boosters, sending them out. They crouched, increasing their speed a bit. Soon, they reached two other sets of rails. At that exact moment, two trains sped along said rails.
"What the—!" The hedgehog shouted in surprise.
"Trains?" The fox added. They both turned to Twister in disbelief. The echidna crossed his arms and smirked defiantly at them.
"See? What'd I tell you?" He yelled over the noise. The others looked at each other.
"Well, he had to get one right sooner or later." Sam offered.
"Who'd-a think he'd get it right now?" Otto asked. He then looked at the trains and grimaced. "They look pretty weird though."
The trains were a mixture of red and black. On their front and rear cars, they had faces, which had a cold stare on them. On each car was a pair of horns, making them look very devilish.
"Th-they look s-scary…" Sam said, shivering slightly.
"Never mind them, Squid! Let's keep moving!" Otto yelled, starting to dance. The others followed his movements.
"Hey! Is it me or do the right tracks connect to these rails?" Twister asked. Otto and Sam looked at each other before looking ahead.
It seemed that the tracks did connect to the rails they were on! The fox and hedgehog's eyes widened as they gulped.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Sam asked. The others nodded grimly. They looked ahead again.
The train that was riding the right set of the rails was coming towards them!
"JUMP FOR YOUR LIVES!" The leader screamed.
Everybody jumped from rail to rail on the left. Otto and Sam got to the rails on the left side almost immediately. Twister narrowly made it as the train sped alongside him.
"Woah!" He exclaimed when it passed him. He sighed with relief. "That was close."
"I don't believe it! He actually got two right!" Sam shouted as they got back to dancing.
"Why did you have to get it right now!" Otto ranted, turning to his best friend. "I mean, you coulda gotten something right when we were in a safe place, but nnnnnoooo! You had to be right when we were about to get run over by a demonic train!"
"Whaddya want me to say?" Twister retorted, shaking his fists. "You know I can't control my brain!"
"Just forget about it!" The fox spoke up. "After all, if you didn't say anything, Twist, we would've been goners." He gave the orange one a thumbs-up.
"Yeah…" Otto agreed, looking down. "Thanks Twist." The echidna rubbed the back of his head while chuckling.
"Oh it was nothing, you guys!"
Nothing more was said as they went back to dancing down the rails.
The rails soon dipped downwards. They hit a few boosters as the rails curved to the right. To Sam's grave misfortune, the path flipped upside down quite a few times. The trio crouched as they hit a booster, propelling them through the difficult section. They soon grinded over light rails before coming to a station. They jumped off the rails and landed safely.
"My legs are so tired…" Sam groaned, rubbing his sore limbs.
"No time for breaks, Squid!" Otto said. "We don't have that much time left, remember?"
"Ugh… Right." Sam said, standing straight up and following the leader and Twister.
The trio circled the tower that was at the station for a few seconds before finding a way in. There was a pole present. It was much bigger than the one they used earlier. Using Rocket Twister, they were able to go up with no problem. When they reached the top, they let go and landed on a platform was occupied by a flapper. It was shooting electricity at the floor, but that didn't matter to the team at the moment. Because of the sheer length of the pole, they stumbled around dizzily.
"So dizzy…" Sam groaned. His eyes were just swirls. His teammates were in the same position as they tried to get out of their dazed state. A few seconds passed before they shook their heads and stared ahead.
"Hey Sammy, I think we're gonna need ya for this." Twister said, pointing at the robot. The fox nodded.
"Alright, here goes!"
He spun his tails and took flight, allowing him and his friends to get into fly formation. He brought his right foot back and kicked Otto. The hedgehog was surrounded by electricity as he rolled into a ball. He crashed into the flapper, knocking it down. While the leader was coming back to Sam, Twister let go and punched out the robot. The trio discovered that it was guarding a trail of rings that led to a sloping platform that had rails embedded in it.
"Ok Otto, use your light speed dash!" Sam said. The hedgehog turned to him and nodded.
"Right! Let's go, dudes!"
The others got behind him as he used his magnetic attachments to speed along the path. The kitsune and echidna were pulled along his slipstream.
When Otto grabbed the last ring, he landed on the center rail of the platform while Sam and Twister got on the left and right rails respectively. They all crouched, letting their speed carry them up the rails. They soon landed on a new platform. On it were the next checkpoint and the beginning of another set of rails.
"Squid, you better grab that checkpoint." Otto said to the fox in question. Sam nodded and grabbed it, giving him his first level-up.
They then skated over to the rails. They fanned out before hitting some boost pads, carrying them onto the rails. They were on the same rails as last time. While Sam and Twister's rails were complete, Otto's was sloping up a bit. It ended almost immediately. The hedgehog smirked as reached the end of his rail. He jumped and performed a 360° spin. He sailed through the air for a couple of seconds before landing on a new rail and started dancing like the others. The rails sloped down as they kept moving.
"Man, I wonder how much further we have to go." Twister spoke up.
They hit a couple of boosters, propelling them forward.
"I don't have a clue, bro." Otto said, shrugging. "But we gotta be close to the Mervinator's base! I can feel it!"
The rails started to tilt upwards and to the right.
"Woah!" Sam yelped, trying to regain his balance. He sighed with relief when he got his footing back. "It's too bad I didn't take my GPS with me. It really would've come in handy."
"Let me get this straight." The leader started, turning to him. "You brought all these weird weapons with us and you didn't think to bring a GPS!"
"What! You think I knew we'd be going all over the country when we started this thing?" The fox retorted.
They stopped dancing as the rails looped upside down.
"No, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared!" Otto answered when they were right side up again.
They hit some boosters.
"Oh look who's talking!"
"QUIET!" Twister yelled, ending the fight. "Let's just concentrate on beating Merv!"
The left and right rails went up an incline before dipping again. Otto's, on the other hand, ended abruptly with a trio of rainbow hoops. They were lined up, one behind the other. Grinning, the hedgehog went through the hoops and spun through the air before landing on a new rail. The group danced as the rails curved to the right and then left before straightening out again. They then went though what seemed to be a small checkout station. Coconut pawns were standing at it. They ignored the robots as the rails sloped upwards.
The trio hit a couple of boosters, driving them up the steep slope and over the top. As they went down a steep slope, they noticed some small robots speeding alongside them on rails that were going in the same direction. They were shaped like rhinos and had guns on their roofs.
"Man, what's up with these things?" Twister asked as he and his friends continued to dance.
"They must be armored trains." Sam commented as the rails they were on straightened out. The ones the robots were traveling along lined up perfectly with their rails.
"Heh. Looks like they wanna race." Otto said, smirking. "Let's do it, guys!"
The robots shot cannonballs at them as they danced along the rails. The trio was able to avoid them with no problem as they hit booster after booster, allowing them to blaze ahead. The bots quickly caught up to them. The rails curved to the left as the race continued. Otto laughed heartily as he and the others kept moving. Soon, however, the hedgehog's eyes widened when he noticed that the rails were starting to separate. All the rails, including the ones Sam and Twister were on, went into a complex jumble of dips and inclines.
"Guys! Jump on my rail, quick!" He ordered urgently.
The fox and echidna yelped frightfully when they noticed why their leader was so jumpy. Without any question, they hopped on Otto's rail and followed, being careful not to crash into him. The rail dipped and raised and few times before finally ending with a drop.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell, waving his arms wildly. Otto and Twister, meanwhile, were performing as many tricks as possible.
They soon landed on a new rail that was deep in the canyon. As they started grinding again, they hit a couple of boosters. Sam was gasping for air when he realized he was safe, at least for the moment. He quickly grabbed his sports inhaler and released his asthma medicine into his body.
"Whew…" He sighed.
"Hey, you alright, Squid?" Twister asked, looking back. Sam nodded.
"Yeah. Just a little overwhelmed."
"Ya know," Otto started, looking back at his teammates. "I'm beginning to think Mr. Stimpleton is a major hypocrite!" The others gave him a weirded out look.
"Whaddya mean, Ottoman?" Twister asked.
"The guy wants to destroy every skate park in the world, yet he's got something like this! I mean, can't he make up his mind or what!" The others nodded in agreement.
"You got a point." Sam said.
"If ya ask me, that guy's got a screw loose or something!" Twister added.
"Come on! Let's move!" Otto said.
The rails from earlier rejoined the one they were on. Happy at the addition of space, Sam and Twister jumped on the left and right rails. Unfortunately, the rails a few feet ahead collapsed!
"Aw crap!" Sam exclaimed.
"Not again!" Twister groaned.
"Just jump, you guys!" Otto yelled at them.
The trio jumped onto a new section of rails. They jumped again when it ended. They grinded for a few extra seconds before jumping again. They landed on some light rails. They grinded for a bit before the rails looped. Like a few minutes earlier, each of the rails ended suddenly. Unlike last time, Sam was the first to land on a new rail while Otto and Twister still had to go through the same loop two more times. They caught up to the fox as the rail curved to the left. They soon reached a trio of blue light rails.
"Ok you guys! Get on your own rail!" Otto ordered. The others jumped on their usual rails as they were sent up a wall.
Just before hitting some boosters, they hit a switch, causing the light rails to turn red and reposition themselves. Now they pointed down towards a new set of rails. The trio grinded down the wall and fell a few feet before landing on the new rails.
"Woah!" Twister shouted as they each hit a booster and was sent forward. Sam screamed in extreme fright as the rails looped around a few times.
"Ugh… My head's spinning…" He groaned when they passed the last loop. Otto and Twister turned away from him as he vomited.
"Dude! That's gotta be the most you've ever barfed!" The echidna yelled in awe.
"Ugh! Sick bro!" Otto said with disgust.
"Blech… I've felt better…" Sam said, wiping his mouth with one hand while holding his stomach with the other.
The rails they were on spiraled down and to the right before going into a tunnel. As they got closer, the wall at the end opened, revealing the horrible face of a train!
"Look out!" The fox shouted.
"Jump!" Twister yelled. They all jumped to the left. They landed on a platform that was occupied by a flapper. Before it can shoot at them, the trio went into fly formation and brought it down with Thunder Shoot. The echidna made the final blow.
"Whew…" Otto sighed, wiping his head. "Good job, you guys."
"Thanks…Ottoman…" Twister panted.
"When will this nightmarish roller coaster ride end!" Sam suddenly screamed, kneeling as he held his head. The others sweatdropped and rolled their eyes.
'What a drama queen.' They both thought.
"Come on, Squid. We gotta keep moving." Otto said.
The fox cried for about a minute or two before finally getting up. The trio walked over to a switch that was nearby. Next to it was a fence. On the other side were two more switches and a case containing a spring. Twister flicked the switch closest to them, but nothing happened.
"What do you think, Otto?" He said to the leader, who stroked his chin.
"Hmmmm… Maybe all of us have to activate the switches in order to lower that case." Sam spoke up.
"Makes sense to me." Otto said. "Ok. Twister, you stay here and wait while Sam flies us over that fence. We'll come back for you."
"Alright, bro." The echidna nodded. The hedgehog turned to the fox.
"Let's go, Sammy!"
"Right!" Sam replied, flying up. Otto hung on to his hands as they ascended. "Wow! It feels good to not have to lift both of you at the same time for a change!"
"Whatever, Squid. Just get over that fence."
Sam flew over the fence and landed on the other side. Otto walked over to the switch by Twister and flicked it. The kitsune went over to the last switch and activated it. The case around the spring lowered. Sam, cheering over being able to fly without carrying anybody, went back and got Twister. When all three of them were together again, they hit the spring and were sent up to a platform. To their left was a bridge that had a checkpoint in the middle of it.
"Twist, you get the next level-up." Otto told his best bro.
"Got it!" The echidna replied, skating towards it. He activated the checkpoint and got his second power up for the stage.
Otto and Sam caught up as Twister went ahead and attacked three coconut pawns that were standing guard on the other side. After the skirmish ended, Sam got his second level-up from a yellow power core. In front of them was a giant fan.
"Time to use the Triangle Dive, Twist." Sam said.
"Alright, Squid." Twister replied, giving him a thumbs-up. "Hang on!"
They all jumped over the fan and linked hands. The trio was blown upwards towards some rails. When they were level with them, they landed and started grinding again. The rails seemed to lead to a tunnel, but the group noticed something wrong.
The new set of rails was incomplete! It ended with some blue light rails that had boosters facing their direction.
"Great! How do we get through this?" Otto complained.
"Hmmmm…" Sam stroked his chin when he looked up. He grinned when he noticed a small sloping platform ahead. "Hey, I'll bet anything the switch for those rails is up there."
"Alright! Let's get to it then!"
The trio jumped off their current rails and onto the platform. They grinded the rails on that one until they came to the switch. They hit it, causing the light rails to turn red and complete the path. The group jumped off the platform and landed on the red rails and go into the tunnel. As soon as they entered, they noticed four trains on surrounding tracks. The giant vehicles took off instantly. Most notably were the two trains closest to the group. Because their tracks spiraled around the trio's rails, they created a tunnel of black and red.
"Cool…" Twister said in awe.
The rails sloped downwards. The trains soon passed them and went into separate tunnels.
"I gotta say. For being evil devil trains, that was rad." Otto commented.
"Yeah." The others agreed.
The rails they were on soon ended. The group landed on some new rails that were in front of the central tunnel. As soon as the rails descended, everybody gasped in horror.
"Oh great! From rad, kaleidoscopic design to evil death trap!" Sam yelled.
Ahead, a couple of trains stopped right in their way.
"No worries, Squid! Just keep jumping!" Otto said.
When the trio was within striking distance of the first train, they jumped to the set of rails on the right. A few seconds passed before they cleared the first train and jumped back on the rails to avoid another train. When they passed the second one, they jumped back on the right rails. They danced to increase their speed. They soon hit boosters before some switches.
The light rails that were in front of them changed color and position. The red rails, instead of going left into a train, ran straight towards another tunnel. They got on normal rails as the door opened, revealing even more rails.
"You know, grinding does get boring after awhile!" Twister yelled, looking up.
(Me: Don't blame me, blame Yuji Naka or whoever designed this stage! Besides, you're almost at the end, so quit complaining!)
"Finally!" Sam sighed, throwing his hands in the air.
Anyway, as they traveled down the rails, Otto noticed something up ahead.
"Yo! Get behind me and get ready for some major air!" He said to his teammates.
"Alright!" The others replied, jumping onto his rail.
One by one, they reached the end and jumped onto a sloping platform. They then grinded up it, only to hit a spring. They were sent soaring over a checkpoint and onto a lone rail. They grabbed some rings as they danced down this one.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Otto!" Sam said. "We just passed a checkpoint!"
"Don't worry! We probably just knocked a few seconds off our time!" The hedgehog replied.
That wasn't all they did. As they grinded down the rail, some rhino robots sped along the rails below and blasted the rails underneath the trio. Sam and Twister sweatdropped after witnessing the attack.
"Oh man! Good call, Ottoman!" Twister said.
"Yeah! You just saved our skins!" Sam agreed. Otto smirked at the comments.
"Now you know not to doubt me again, Squid!"
"Yeah right…" Sam muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What was that?" The hedgehog asked, glaring coldly at him. The fox sweatdropped and laughed nervously.
"Nothing…" He said.
"That's what I thought." Sam sighed with relief when Otto turned away from him.
They soon reached a narrow canyon where the rail ended. Ahead was a lone rail that looked out of the way.
"We can make it up there! C'mon!" Otto said.
When they reached the end of their current rail, they used Triangle Jump to bounce from wall to wall until they got to the next rail. They just barely made it.
"Whew! That was a close one!" Twister said, wiping their head.
"No kidding!" Sam screamed at him as they danced again.
"Squid, you need to learn to enjoy life a little more!" Otto said with a laugh. The fox fixed him with a cold glare.
"One of these days, Otto Rocket…" He started, shaking a fist. "One of these days, your little stunts are gonna cost you big time! Count on it!" The hedgehog only roared with laughter in response.
"Oh man! That's a good one, Squid!" He yelled, wiping a tear.
Sam cursed up a storm while they rode the rail. It looped, spiraled, and curved in all kinds of directions before ending at another tunnel. When the door to it opened, the trio saw the goal ring at the end of the tracks. Just beyond it was a part of the canyon that had gun turrets on its peak. No, seriously! At the peak were three mechanisms shaped like handguns!
"It's official: Mr. Stimpleton is crazy!" Twister screamed when he laid eyes on the structure.
"And you realize this now?" Sam asked, giving him a strange look.
"Forget about it, you guys! Let's just finish this stage!" Otto said.
They danced past a couple of rhino robots before reaching the end of the line, where the giant ring laid. Without a second thought, they all grabbed it, ending the stage.
"Thank goodness this is over!" Sam yelled in triumph. "My legs are killing me! Let's just find Merv now and teach him a lesson!"
"Hang on, Squid! We still have to go through one more stage." Otto reminded.
"Yeah, and it'll probably have a lot more rails." Twister added. Sam's pupils shrank to the size of pebbles as he looked up.
(Me: (Sighs) He's right, again.)
Cut to a faraway view of the Grand Canyon.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
To be continued…
Mid-chapter Conversation
Part One
The scene opened inside one of the theatres inside the Paragon. It was a full house. The words "To be continued…" were still onscreen for a few moments before the credits started rolling. The audience went crazy as they clapped, cheered, and even whistled. They kept cheering for a few minutes before an emcee stood on stage with a microphone in his hand.
"Ahem! Will Prince Izzy please come up here?" He said.
I stood up from my seat in the middle of the theatre. Izzy and Iggy, who looked bruised and slightly battered, stood on my left and right respectfully. We all moved out of the isle and made our way to the stage. All eyes were on us as we stood next to the emcee, who produced an envelope.
"And the final word count is…" He told the crowd as he opened the envelope.
Everybody was tense and nervous as they awaited the decision. Especially anxious were Iggy and I. Our fingers were crossed as the man read over the paper. Izzy, of course, was standing with his arms crossed. The emcee soon looked up. It was a hushed silence as everyone waited for the answer. Everyone was sweating
He grinned and gave the announcement. Everybody roared cheerfully at the number. Everybody, that is, except for Izzy, who only kicked the ground in pure annoyance. Balloons and confetti fell from the ceiling as "We are the Champions" started playing through the speakers. I was jumping for joy and punching the air as pure jubilation enveloped my soul. Iggy ran around the stage crazily.
"Congratulations, Prince Izzy!" The emcee started, shaking my hand. "You have just broken one hundred thousand words! What are you going to do now?"
"I'm gonna party!" I screamed happily. "After party at the Shore Shack!"
"Hmph! I'm going back to the studio." Izzy grunted, pushing his way out of the theatre. I shrugged nonchalantly and went back to celebrating.
The purple hedgehog looked downcast as he walked past all the screaming fans and their characters. He found their happiness horrifying to say the least. He couldn't stand their cheers and claps. But most of all, he hated my own cheerfulness. He couldn't stand for my screams and shouts. He found my pleasure in the situation disgusting. He hated seeing me happy and full of joy.
'Now he'll be conceited…'
While he hated me and everything I stand for, deep down, he actually may have liked me and my antics. The truth was he was only trying to keep me from committing mistakes. He knew that everyone would consider me a fool, completely insane, out of my gourd. He knew that people would hate me using him in stories. He knew that people would hate the slash fics, the conversations, the insanity. But now that I have broken this record, he now knew that he had a new thing to hate.
'He'll never be the same ever again…'
When he finally reached the exit, he looked back at the stage, where everyone was seen congratulating me. Iggy was still running around cheering. He sighed sadly, knowing that I'll probably get big headed after this one.
"Congratulations Boss…" He sighed again, reaching into his tuxedo. A single tear rolled down his right cheek as he pulled out the gray Chaos Emerald. He held it above his head and used Chaos Control, disappearing in a gray flash.
He soon rematerialized in front of the studio, which overlooked Ocean Shores. He looked at the town and gave a small smile. The lighted Ferris wheel. The calm blue ocean sparkling. It always looked the best at night to him.
"Hmmmm… I'm in the mood for a good rest." He said, closing his eyes as he turned around. "It's gonna be hell when the boss and Iggy get back." He opened his eyes and gasped in horror.
The studio was reduced to ruins! Smoke was coming out of it in small wisps. Steel beams and wooden rafters stuck out of the wreckage. The six remaining Chaos Emeralds of Sonic's dimension were lying nearby. Izzy's mouth hung open as he walked around surveying the damage.
"What in the world happened?" He yelled to no one in particular as he gathered up the other emeralds. "The boss is so gonna kill me when he gets back, and I didn't even do anything!"
Just then, a gust of wind blew a piece of paper out of the wreckage. It landed by Izzy's feet.
"Huh? What's this?" He said, picking it up. He looked over it briefly. "Hmmmm… Looks like this is latest reviews." He looked around and shrugged. "Guess I better answer 'em." He turned to the camera.
"To Warior, that Zallammee guy should be given a medal for torturing the boss and Iggy!" He laughed. "And pretty nice fleet of ships ya got there. And I wonder how bad the pit is. It'll be fun to toss Sam in there. Heh, heh, heh…"
He looked over the paper again before looking up.
"To Mythica, the casino stages are fun, but yeah I agree, the pinball parts of the stages kinda sucked in Sonic Heroes. You're hardly able to steer yourself! And yeah, it's a major insult for the bouncers at casinos to ask for ID when I'm clearly old enough to go inside while I'm in this body!" Tears came to his eyes. "And yeah! Poor me!" He blinked and looked at it again. "A farm? Is the plant life any different on Mobius?"
Izzy cleared his throat and looked at the reviews again.
"And to Mike…" He gave the camera a somewhat irritated look. "Yeah, I got mine alright! You wouldn't BELIEVE what the boss did to me! Ugh!" He read over the paper again. "Anyway, thanks for the compliment ya gave the boss. I'll make sure he gets it. I just hope he doesn't get an even bigger head than he probably has now." He groaned before looking at the paper. He sweatdropped as his eyes widened. He cleared his throat and looked at the camera.
"Ummm… Errrr… Yeah… It does seem like Lars is trying to impress Reggie, doesn't it?" He gulped and put a hand to his chin. "Now, how can I answer this without the boss killing me?" He snapped his fingers. "Ok, it's like this: As mentioned about a million times, the boss would never write a Lars/Reggie fic, let alone read one. He'd rather jump off a cliff into shark infested water. The best way to explain it is that Lars is trying to get Reggie to obey him seeing as he's the leader of the team. Of course, it ain't working. Reggie hates him and Pi too much.
"And believe me, it'll be a blast when all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected! Emphasis on blast." He grinned. "I'd love to show you what happens when you get all seven with the emeralds I got right here, but I don't wanna spoil things. …Scratch that. I would love to spoil the fic for you, but I just don't wanna hear the boss's mouth."
He looked at the paper again. A few moments passed before his eyes widened.
"A hurricane!" He yelled, looking up. "That's what happened?" He then put on a scowl. "Ok! Can we please quit this gag already?" He sighed and relaxed. "Oh well… I've been meaning to tell the boss we needed a new studio anyway… Well, I guess that's it! We'll see ya next chapter!"
Izzy waved at the camera as it whited out. The words "Please review!" appeared onscreen.