Mid-chapter Conversation
Part Two
"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" My voice echoed throughout the peak of the mountain that overlooked Ocean Shores and the RP fan village.
The camera zoomed in towards the mountain, which had gigantic statues of Otto, Reggie, Twister, and Sam built into the sides. The camera then showed the top of the mountain. Standing there was a building that looked remarkably similar to the temples of ancient Greece. It was at least three stories tall and as wide as a city block. It was made entirely from marble and concrete. The camera focused on the double doors in front. They were at least twenty feet tall. They were made from gold and jewels. The Rocket Power emblem was in the center of the doors. Of course, it was golden too.
"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" I let out another evil laugh as the doors creaked open.
Inside, the temple was exactly like the interior of the Poshley Sanctum. For those who've never played Paper Mario 2 or got that far in the game, the Poshley Sanctum is a cavernous building. It's just one big room! Beautiful green banners adored its ceiling. The floor had a red carpet extending from the entrance to the wall at the far end. Sunlight poured into the windows, illuminating the room.
The Rocket Power temple looked just about the same. Royal violet banners were strewn about the ceiling. The RP emblem was embroidered on each and every one of them. A velvet carpet stretched over the marble floor from the entrance to the end of the room. Various statues, portraits, and plaques were placed between every window. The portraits featured scenes from most of the fics that have been posted on this site. Needless to say, none of the pictures featured any romantic scenes. This was done as a precaution by the administrators of the temple to avoid offending anyone (namely yours truly). The statues mainly featured different fan characters in various poses. They were made from either stone or bronze. Finally, the silver and gold plaques had the addresses of the most popular and successful Rocket Power fan sites engraved into them.
"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" My voice reverberated off the walls.
°WHAM!°
"Shaddap already!" Izzy's voice roared. "I'm getting a headache!"
"Owwwww…" I moaned.
The camera sped through the hall to the end. Standing against the wall were four statues, each depicting a member of the RP cast. The statues of Otto and Reggie, which had their arms crossed, were standing in the center. The statue of Sam was standing next to the statue of Reggie while the one of Twister was standing next to Otto. Beneath the statues of the Rocket siblings were three thrones. Two of them were placed next to each other while the third was placed higher. The seat on the bottom right was bronze while the one on the left was silver. The lone chair was made of gold.
I was sitting in the bronze throne while the other two were empty. Izzy and Iggy were standing on either side of me. The older hedgehog was on my left while his brother was on my right. The darker hedgehog had his mallet out and was glaring at me, I was rubbing the lump on my head, and Iggy was just standing there, looking pretty. The Chaos Emeralds from You-know-where were sitting in a case by my throne. I hissed in pain as I adjusted my crown. Noticing the camera, I cleared my throat and gave it a wave.
"Hey there readers! We're filming live from, well, here! The RP dimension's temple! As you know, last chapter, I ascended to the throne for most words in a fic when I broke a hundred thousand words!" I gave a toothy grin.
"Yeah, yeah…" Izzy grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Wow! This place is really spacious!" Iggy exclaimed, looking around. "It's a lot nicer than the old studio!"
"Hmmmm…yeah…" I sighed. "I can't believe a hurricane of all things destroyed it!" I moaned and held my head.
"Whatever, Boss." My partner sneered. "It's getting rebuilt as we speak."
"I know, I know… But still… What about all the memories we had in there?"
Izzy gave me a weirded out look.
"What memories!.?.!"
"Don't be silly, bro!" Iggy started, waving a dismissive hand. "Lot's of cool stuff happened in the old studio!"
The elder brother crossed his arms, expecting something stupid.
"Such as…?"
"Let's see…" The lighter hedgehog started, holding his chin. "Well, there's when I was born."
"Blech!" Izzy grimaced. "Everything went downhill after that!" Iggy and I gave him a curious look. "…Ok, everything was going downhill long before you came along."
Iggy and I rolled our eyes before turning to the camera.
"Anyway, it's time to answer the reviews for the last chapter." I started, taking out a piece of paper. "Thanks a lot, Mike, Warior, and Mythica, for the congratulations. I truly appreciate it!"
'Yeah right…' Izzy thought, looking the other way.
Meanwhile, I looked at the paper in my hands before facing the camera.
"First, to Mike, thanks for the compliments. I try to keep everybody's personalities in check to the best of my ability while at the same time not making them too powerful due to their skates. And that's great that you're able to visualize the scenes and what's going on. Going into this fic, that was probably my main concern: Nobody understanding what's happening. Of course, nothing beats actually playing the game for yourself!
"And yeah, Twister was actually right. I couldn't believe it either."
"Same here. I always thought he was a complete idiot who just happened to be able to use a video camera." Izzy remarked, snickering. Iggy and I glared at him.
°SQUEAK!°
"Yeow!.!.!" The hedgehog yelped, holding his head.
"That's what you get for dissing Twister!" Iggy shouted. He was leaning against his mallet, which was basically a plastic version of Izzy's weapon.
"That new… I've never seen Iggy whomp Izzy with his mallet before. At least not since when he first pulled it out." I commented. I shrugged before going back to Mike's review. "Anyway, yeah, Sam had a hard time with that last stage."
"If ya ask me, he shoulda fell off!" Izzy yelled. I rolled my eyes and sweatdropped.
"Whatever… Anywho, thanks for the condolences and the use of your studio." I held my chin as I leaned back into the throne. "Hmmmm… Hey, Iggy."
"Yeah, Daddy?" The younger brother asked, turning to me.
"I want you to go to Mike's studio and tell me what the Airstream trailers he mentioned look like. Tell me how cozy they are, ok?"
"Ok! Be right back!" The energetic furry screamed, skating off towards the temple's exit. When he was gone, Izzy turned to me with a curious look.
"'Airstream trailer?'"
"Don't ask me." I shrugged, waving the paper. "It was mentioned in the review. Me, you, and Iggy each get one to stay in while we're waiting for our studio to get repaired."
"Heh, pretty cool." My partner said, nodding his approval.
"Anyway…" I started, looking over the review sheet again. "To Warior…" I glared at the camera. "I hope those aliens got what they deserved!"
"I still say they shoulda been rewarded…" Izzy muttered.
°WHAM!°
"Ow!" He cried, holding his head.
"You know, it feels good to whack ya with my mallet again!" I cheered, sitting back down. I set my weapon down by the throne. "Anyway, thanks for the comments, Warior." I took another look at the paper. "And finally, to Mythica, it'd be pretty cool to have a salad or something with those vegetables ya grew." I licked my lips. "How much are they? Oh, and yeah, you're off the hook since they were Warior's aliens. Thanks for the concern though." I gave the camera a thumbs-up.
"So can we get started already?" The hedgehog asked impatiently.
"Fine, fine." I sighed, rolling my eyes again. I looked at the camera. "Now then, for this part of the chapter, Team Rocket is continuing their trip through the Grand Canyon as they enter the dangerous Bullet Station. Can the trio (especially Sam) survive the trip?"
"I hope not…" Izzy said in a sing-song voice. I glowered at him before turning to the camera.
"Anyway, enjoy the chapter!" I waved as the camera backed away from us, giving a lovely view of the temple interior before whiting out.
Rocket Heroes
Chapter Nine
Sam's Worst Nightmare
Part Two
Stage Eight: Bullet Station
Mission: Destroy Coconutman's base!
"Hurry up, Squid!" Otto said to Sam, who was laying on the ground in a fetal position. The leader and Twister were standing by a set of rails, waiting for their flying member to recompose himself.
"Rails…bad…" The fox mumbled, rocking back and forth. His eyes were wide and unblinking. "Loops…bad… Roller coaster speeds…bad…"
The others sweatdropped.
(Izzy: Hey! Get up, fatso! I wanna see some more torment!
Me: T.T °Grabs my mallet°
°WHAM!°)
Sam blinked and stood up after hearing the voice of his rival. He looked up and gave the sky a glare.
"Why don't you come down here and say that?" He yelled, shaking a fist.
(Izzy: With pleasure!
Me: Oh no ya don't! °Grabs him°
Izzy: °Struggles° Hey! No fair!
Me: (To Sam and the others) Now hurry up and start the stage!)
"Fine." Twister said, walking towards the kitsune, who was still yelling at his rival's unseen voice. "Come on Squid, we better get moving…" He grabbed one of Sam's tails and pulled him towards Otto.
"Ya dork! You can never hope to beat me!" The fox continued his verbal assault, not noticing that he was moving.
(Izzy: Ya got some nerve, ya nerd! I can beat you anytime anywhere with both arms tied behind my back!)
"That's funny, 'cause ya haven't beaten me once yet!" Sam spat before smirking. "It's too bad you're just a disembodied voice right now! Otherwise, I'd gladly prove you wrong, again!"
(Izzy: Yeah right! Why don't you go and have a bacon chili cheeseburger or something!
Me: °Sighs° Again…
°WHAM!°)
"Why don't you go and take a long walk off a short pier!" Sam retorted.
(Izzy: °Rubs his head as steam comes out his ears° Grrr… Why you little—!)
"QUIET!.!.!" Otto roared, silencing both rivals. He turned to Sam. "Let's go already! Did you forget we're on a tight schedule!"
"Oh yeah!" The fox gasped, remembering their situation.
"The Mervinator's going to launch that weapon soon!" Twister mentioned.
"We gotta get moving!" Otto ordered. The others nodded and all three of them hopped on the rails. Like in the previous stage, Otto was on the center one with Sam and Twister on the left and right rails respectfully.
(Izzy: °Waves° Bye Sammy. Hope your inhaler doesn't run out! PAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!)
"At least I don't need air skates to shred!" The fox snapped.
(Izzy: °Growls and shakes his fist°
Me: Quit agitating him already! I gotta do commentary!
Izzy: °Crosses his arms° Hmph! Sure, take his side.
Me: °Rolls my eyes° Ugh…)
Anyway, the trio crouched as they grinded the rails. They were heading towards a narrow gorge. Near the top of the walls, the group saw a couple of gun turrets. They weren't firing, however. To the left, everybody saw a large dome-shaped building.
"It's getting kinda creepy around here, Ottoman…" Twister said frightfully.
"It's because we're getting closer to the center, bro." Otto told him as the rails dipped downwards.
"I guess that means we're going in the right direction…" Sam added thoughtfully. It was then that he looked up.
The sky was getting steadily darker. Now, dark blues and purples were beginning to overshadow the reds and oranges. More stars were appearing. The moon was even starting to show itself. The fox gasped and looked at his teammates.
"We're running out of time!" He exclaimed. Otto switched his stance so he was facing him. He then gave the slightly shorter furry a glare.
"Well, maybe if ya weren't fighting with that kook—"
(Izzy: Hey!)
"—we wouldn't be so pressed for time!"
"Don't blame me!" Sam denied, pointing up. "It was his fault!"
(Izzy: What?.! It's your fault!
Me: Shaddap already!)
"Forget about it, you guys!" Twister added, switching his own stance so that he was facing his teammates. "We're almost at the end of the rails!"
That was true, for in the next few seconds, the echidna and fox each passed through a booster, propelling them towards the end of the line. The hedgehog had to dance to catch up to them. Just before the rails ended, everybody jumped. While in the air, Otto and Twister took the opportunity to perform a misty flip. Sam, on the other hand, spun his tails and took flight. He followed the others to the ground in front of the gorge. Stationed there were a jellyfish robot and two coconut pawns. The pawns were each armed with a shield and machine gun.
"Twist! Take the lead!" Otto ordered.
"Got it, bro!" Twister replied as they all landed.
Otto and Sam jumped into his hands and started rolling. The jellyfish bot floated towards them in an attempt to trap them all, but the echidna was too fast. He skated around it and charged towards the coconut pawns. The robots saw Twister approaching and opened fire.
"Hee-yah!" Twister exclaimed as he jumped over the bullets and reared back his left fist. He targeted the right pawn and launched Otto at it. The hedgehog was engulfed in fire as soon as he left his best friend's hands. He collided with the pawn, causing it to lose its shield. Before it can fire again, Otto slammed both fists into the robot's head, destroying it.
Meanwhile, Twister launched Sam at the remaining coconut pawn. The fox-turned-fireball crashed into the robot, knocking off its shield in the process. It ignored its loss and targeted him. The kitsune covered his eyes and ducked, expecting the end. He looked up when he heard a clang and a small explosion. Twister had driven his fist into the robot's head.
"Thanks, Twist." Sam said with a grin.
"Heh. No prob, Squid." The echidna replied with a thumbs-up.
That was when the jellyfish robot hovered towards them. Sam's eyes widened as he gasped.
"Look out!"
Without thinking, he stood up and kicked Twister towards the robot. Electricity crackled around him.
"Woah!" He yelped in surprise as he flew. He quickly rolled into a ball and hit the robot, paralyzing it. Otto made the final blow with a homing attack.
"Whew…" He said as he wiped his forehead. "That was some fight!" He helped his best bro up.
"No kidding…" Twister said before turning to Sam with a scowl. "And what was that about?.!"
"Sorry about that." Sam started, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "That robot came out of nowhere." The echidna sighed and dropped his stare.
"Whatever. Forget about it. Let's go."
The trio skated up to the beginning of the gorge. There was a path going down towards a trio of rails that led to a new platform. Above the path were three small platforms that were bolted into the walls. They were moving in a set pattern. They would be lying horizontally one moment and laying vertically the next.
"We better go down that path…" Sam said.
"Forget it, Squid!" Otto told him. "We're in a hurry! Follow me!"
The hedgehog took the lead and skated forward. He jumped just before the path dipped down and used his homing attack to cling to the wall. Twister and Sam followed suit. Using Triangle Jump, they were able to cut across to the other side of the gorge in a few seconds. They all landed on the new platform.
"See, what'd I tell ya?" Otto bragged, blowing on his fist. "Got here in nothing flat."
"Whatever." Sam sighed, rolling his eyes. The hedgehog scowled at him before looking ahead. Their path was blocked by three capsules that looked more like spaceships than anything else.
"Whatever those things are, they're weird." He muttered before turning to Twister. "Bust those things, bro!"
"Got it, dude!" Twister acknowledged as he clenched his spiked fists. He ran head on and barreled through the capsules, providing a passage for him and his teammates.
The path winded to the left. On either side were three capsules. Two coconut pawns were standing guard. One had a lance while the other had a shield and energy gun. The former ran towards the trio with its lance drawn while the latter charged its gun.
"Woah!" Sam cried as they jumped out of the way. "Twist, take care of them!"
"Ok! Jump into my hands, you guys!" The echidna replied. The others did as they were told as the robot with the gun fired a small ball of energy. Twister dodged the attack and used Fire Dunk on both robots, destroying them. A red power core appeared.
"Yes! Level-up!" Otto shouted as he grabbed it and felt its energy surging within him. "Let's get moving!"
They continued to the edge of the platform they were on. A rail was nearby. It was going in a circle. A rhino bot was traveling along it. The leader took care of it with a quick homing attack before jumping on the rail. The others followed and danced along the circular track before reaching a cliff. Three rails were embedded into it.
The trio jumped on the new rails and grinded them. The rails curved to the left as they danced. Soon, a couple of rhino bots were rolling along the left and right rails. Sam and Twister narrowly avoided them by jumping over them. They sighed with relief as they wiped their sweaty heads.
"Woah! End of the line, guys!" Otto announced.
"Huh?" Sam and Twister asked, looking ahead. The rails ended at the door to a small building. Above it was a yellow fly formation signal. "Ahhhhhh!.!.!"
"Get into fly formation!" The hedgehog ordered.
"Uhhh… right!" Sam said weirdly. How does he expect to get into formation while grinding?.!
Before the rail ended, the fox wound up his tails and spun them, taking flight. Otto jumped up and grabbed his hands. Before they can get out of reach, Twister grabbed onto his best bro's feet. The extra addition of his weight weighed them down. The echidna's feet remained planted on the middle rail.
"Twist! Jump off it!" Otto commanded desperately. Twister hopped up before they could crash into the door. Sam spun his tails faster as he lifted his friends over the building. He panted as he landed on the roof.
"That was…close…" He breathed.
"No kidding…" Twister said, fanning himself.
"C'mon! We don't have any time left!" Otto panicked, skating ahead. The others got up and followed.
They went to the end of the roof, where a hole was present. It was protected by a grating. Floating above it was an orange power formation monitor. The dome they saw earlier loomed ahead of them.
"What's with that thing?" The echidna asked.
"Beats me." Otto answered with a shrug.
"It looks like we have to get inside to continue on." Sam commented, holding his chin. "But how?"
"Hmmmm…" Twister looked around until he noticed the grating. "Maybe we can bust inside."
"And just how do you expect us to do that?" The fox asked, crossing his arms indignantly. The echidna thought for a moment before smirking evilly.
"I'm glad you asked, Squid." He said, creeping up on him. Without warning, he grabbed Sam and rolled him up into a ball. Ignoring his protests, Twister jumped up and launched him at the grating.
"YEOW!.!.!" Sam yelled as he crashed into it. The grating was knocked loose by the attack and fell down a deep shaft. After he rubbed his nose, which was most likely bleeding, he turned and cursed out the echidna. Smirking defiantly, Twister waved him off.
"Chill Squid. We had to find a way inside, didn't we?"
"Yeah, but ya didn't have to toss me into that thing!" The fox ranted. "Ya probably broke my nose with that little stunt!"
"Oops?" Twister shrugged, causing Sam to fall over.
"Oops?.!" He shouted as he stood up. "Just you wait til this nightmare is over!" He shook his fist to prove his point. Twister sweatdropped and held his hands in defense.
"Like a freaking married couple…" Otto groaned, slapping his head. "If you two are done, let's go!" He moved towards the newly-made hole. Sam and Twister turned from their argument and faced the leader.
"We're not going down there, are we?.!" Sam gasped.
"Yes we are!" The hedgehog snapped.
"Oh no I'm not!" The fox yelled, crossing his arms. Otto responded by snapping his fingers. Twister snuck up behind Sam and grabbed his tails. "What the—? Let go!" He struggled as the echidna dragged him towards the hole.
"Quit fighting or I'll toss you in." The one in the winged helmet threatened, tightening his grip.
"You wouldn't." The one in the shark helmet challenged with a glare.
"I tossed you at that grating, didn't I?" Twister smirked as Sam put on a look of resignation.
"True…" He sighed as he stood straight up and walked over to the edge of the hole. "Let's just go." Otto gave them both an impatient look.
"If you guys keep fighting like that, we'll never reach Merv in time!"
"I wonder how much time we have left." Twister said.
"Not a whole lot, that's for sure!" The hedgehog got ready to jump. "Let's move!" And he jumped in.
"See ya, Squid!" Twister shouted as he followed his best bro. Sam smirked as he tip-toed away.
"Uhhh…yeah… I think I'll just take the scenic route and meet up with you guys later!"
He was about to start skating when Twister's outstretched arm reached out and grabbed him. Before Sam could protest, he was pulled right in.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!"
The fox plummeted for quite some time before he landed beside his teammates. The first thing he noticed was that whatever they were on was moving fast. He stood up groggily. There were capsules and boxes all around, not to mention a few guard robots.
"Ugh… Where are we?"
"It looks like we're in some kind of tunnel." Otto answered.
"And we're on a train." Twister added.
"Merv must be using this tunnel to transport materials for robots." Sam hypothesized.
"Oh yeah?" Otto asked with a smirk as devilish as the trains from the last stage.
"Uh-oh…" The fox said, recognizing that look. "What are you planning?"
"Oh nothing…" The hedgehog started, never losing his smirk. "Except for maybe messing up Merv's plans here."
"Oh! You mean destroy the train?.!" Twister asked, understanding what his best bro meant.
"Not just the train, the whole tunnel!" Otto gave him a thumbs-up. "You with me?.!"
"You know it!" The echidna punched the air. Sam sighed, seeing no other choice.
"But how do we do it?" He asked.
"I bet if we trash the engine car, we'll destroy the tunnel." Otto answered, skating ahead. "Come on!" The others followed.
A checkpoint was nearby. This didn't go unnoticed by the hedgehog who, despite his teammates' protests, activated it. He received his second level-up as they took care of a lone coconut pawn. The robot was guarding some wooden boxes that were stacked on top of one another. His curiosity getting the better of him, Twister destroyed the boxes with several punches. To his great fortune, an item bubble containing an orange power core was revealed.
"This seems a lot easier than I thought." Sam commented as the echidna got his first level-up.
"Yeah. I know what you mean." Twister agreed.
"Quit talking and get moving!" Otto ordered. The others skated after him and make it to the engine car. A single jellyfish robot was guarding the core of the engine. The energy source was a bluish white orb.
"Alright Twist!" The leader started. "Sam and me will take care of that robot so you can destroy that engine core!"
"What?.!" Sam yelled.
"Got it!" Twister said, ignoring the fox. He ran ahead past the robot to the core. Needless to say, the robot floated towards him.
"Hey ugly! Over here!" Otto shouted, trying to get the robot's attention. Apparently, it worked as the bot turned and went towards the hedgehog and kitsune. "Now Sammy!"
"Right!" Sam acknowledged as he reached into the satchel he grabbed at his garage. He pulled out a fake ring and tossed it at the jellyfish robot. As soon as it hit the bot, it crackled with electricity, paralyzing the robot. Before it can recover, Otto used his homing attack and destroyed it.
"C'mon Twist! Bust that thing!" He said as he brushed himself off. Twister nodded at him before turning back to the task at hand.
"Ok!" He raised his right fist. "Here goes nothing!"
He let his fist fly into the engine core, shattering it. What followed was a great explosion that caused the train to go flying off the tracks.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!.!.!" The group screamed.
The train crashed into the wall, causing them to go flying outside. They flew for several feet before landing on a set of rails. They sighed with relief as they grinded.
"That was not fun, Otto!.!.!" Sam roared at his leader.
"You're right…" Otto started, bowing his head. The fox smirked defiantly. To his surprise, the hedgehog brought his head up with a toothy grin. "That was totally awesome!"
"Yeah!.!.!" Twister agreed, punching the air.
"Ugh!" Sam groaned, falling over. He screamed before quickly flying back up to his rail with a scowl on his face. He muttered curses to himself as the rails went into a steep decline.
"Aw yeah! Now this is speed!" Otto exclaimed, crouching as the rails went ever lower. Not wanting to get left behind, Twister and Sam followed suit. Soon, the rails evened out, allowing the trio to dance along them. However, that soon came to an end when Sam gasped.
"Otto! You're gonna crash!"
"Wha?" Otto looked ahead. His eyes widened when he noticed that his rail ended with a huge spiked ball! "Oh crap!"
"Ottoman, jump on my rail!" Twister called.
Before he could collide with the black sphere, the hedgehog hopped on the right rail and hit a booster, sending him into a loop-de-loop. Twister also got a speed boost as he entered the loop.
"Oh no! Here we go again!" Sam yelped as he hit the booster on the left rail. That rail also went into a loop-de-loop. He shut his eyes as he went upside down.
After the loop, both rails spiraled downwards. Otto and Twister's curved to the left while Sam's went to the right. All three of them danced for a few seconds before their rails ended with a couple of springs. Lucky for them, another rail was nearby. The trio was propelled into the air. Otto and Twister grabbed their legs and spun in the air while Sam did a mid-air breaststroke to get to the next rail. All three of them landed on the rail safely, much to the fox's relief.
"Oh man… That was close…" He panted as he grinded.
"Well, that was fun!" Otto cheered. "I wonder what's next."
"It looks like we're heading for a station." Twister said.
Up ahead, the rail spiraled down and to the right. It ended at the bottom of a tower. On its roof, the group noticed half of a set of blue light rails. They were going up and to the left towards a set of normal rails.
"Hmmmm… I wonder how we get up there…" Sam said, holding a hand to his chin.
"Let's worry about getting over there first, Squid!" Otto told him as the rails started to curve. All of them started dancing as they got closer to the bottom part of the tower. Their speed increased as kept it up.
"What a ride." Twister commented.
"Ugh… Getting dizzy again…" Sam groaned, getting green in the face. The others rolled their eyes in exasperation.
Before the rail ended, the group jumped off and landed near the base of the tower. They then surveyed their surroundings. In the center of the base was a cannon. Floating near it were three monitors, each standing for a different formation. The power formation monitor was pointing straight ahead towards an out-of-the-way platform. The speed formation monitor was pointing towards an almost cave-like cliff that only had three springs placed. Two were on the bottom and one was on the ceiling. The ones on the bottom were lined up one behind the other. The fly formation monitor was across from the speed one, but didn't seem to be facing anything in particular.
"So, which way do we go?" Twister asked.
"We'll take the speed route, duh!" Otto answered, skating towards the cannon. Sam and Twister rolled their eyes before following. They hopped into the cannon and let it move towards the cliff.
°BOOM!°
They were fired as balls towards the springs. They hit the rear spring on the bottom first. They were then sent to the spring on the ceiling and then into the bottom front one. The trio was propelled to a small, slanted, floating platform. They grinded the rails planted there until they each hit a booster that sent them to another platform. This one was lying horizontally and had an item bubble containing a red power core on it. Before leaping off the platform, Otto grabbed it, giving him his final level-up.
"Alright!" He shouted as they all landed on the top of the tower.
Across from them were two coconut pawns. Like the last couple of pawns the trio dealt with, they were armed with a shield and machine gun. There were guarding a couple of cages. Floating above each case was a sign. The one on the left displayed an arrow pointing northeast while the one on the right pointed in the opposite direction.
The trio was able to take care of the robots with no trouble at all. Defeating them caused the two cages to lower, revealing switches identical to the circular ones they found in the previous area of the canyon. Another result was the appearance of the other half of the light rails. Now they made a full rotation around the tower.
"So how do we get up to those rails?" Twister asked, looking up at the far off rails.
"It should be obvious what we have to do." Sam scoffed, adjusting his glasses.
"Well, Einstein?" Otto asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.
"We hit just the right switch." The kitsune answered. The hedgehog and echidna looked at each and shrugged.
"Worth a shot, I guess." The former said.
"Yeah…" The latter added, nodding as he moved towards the right switch. Twister spun it around. Doing so caused the right half of the light rails to turn red and connect the blue rails to the normal ones. Awestruck, Otto and Twister turned to Sam, who smirked at them.
"H-how did you know?" Otto asked.
"Just a lucky guess." Sam replied with a shrug. The others slapped their heads before moving to the left side of the tower's roof, where the blue light rails began. They each hit a boost pad and got on their usual rails.
They danced up the sapphire and ruby rails until they reached the normal one, which curved to the right. They hit a couple of boosters, which sent them up a ninety degree angle until they reached the next platform. A checkpoint was in front of them. On either side of them, a rhino bot rode a rail and fired cannonballs at them.
"Woah!" Otto yelped, dodging a projectile. "Take the lead, Squid!"
"Yikes!" Sam shouted, barely avoiding a cannonball. "Right!"
He grabbed the checkpoint and got his first level-up. The trio then switched to fly formation and attacked the robots with Thunder Shoot. Before they can recover from their paralysis, Otto destroyed them with his homing attack.
"Man that was crazy!" Twister yelled when it was all over.
"Come on! Let's move!" Otto ordered, jumping onto the right rail the robot was using. His teammates followed suit.
By grinding the rail, the trio was able to cut some seconds off their time. The rail curved to the left as they danced. As they moved, they noticed more gun turrets placed on the canyon walls. Fortunately for our heroes, they didn't fire at them. The rail dipped downwards past a fan before ascending and ending in front of a pole. The team jumped off the rail.
"Whew. Some ride, huh?" Twister said, wiping his forehead.
"No…kidding…" Sam panted.
"We're not done yet!" Otto said, walking towards the pole. He turned to his teammates. "Hang on!"
The hedgehog jumped up and used Rocket Twister. He generated a red funnel of wind as he spun around the pole. Before his attack ended, he grabbed on and started swinging up it. Sam and Twister grabbed on to his legs and were taken for the ride. They all spun around and around until they reached the top. Otto let go, causing them to go flying over a chasm to another pole that was floating there. They all grabbed on and swung up that one before going flying towards the other side of the chasm. There were rails planted into the floor of the next ledge.
Before they landed, Otto and Twister performed a 180° spin. Sam just positioned himself so that he can land on the left rail. All of them got on their respectable rails with no problem and danced along them. The rails curved to the right as they kept moving. They were nearing the end of the rails when a rhino bot rolled on Otto's rail in an attempt to ram him.
"Oh no ya don't!" The hedgehog exclaimed. He jumped off the rail gave the robot a hard kick, derailing it. He got back on his rail and followed his friends to the end.
When they reached the end of the line, the team hopped off and landed on the platform. Ahead was a closed door. On the floor in front of it were three switches that were arranged in a triangular position. Above the door was a power formation monitor.
"Guess you'll have to take the lead for this part, Twist." Sam said to the echidna.
"Alright." Twister said with a nod.
The trio switched to power formation. Twister stood in the middle, Otto stood on his left, and Sam stood on his right. They stepped towards the switches and flicked them at the same time. With a ding, the door opened, revealing a hallway.
Staying in power formation, the trio skated through the hall until they were outside again. They were at a dead-end that was fenced. On the other side of the fence, they could see one of the handgun-shaped turrets strewn throughout the area. There was a metal grating in the middle of the floor.
"Maybe we can get outta here if you pound the floor, bro." Otto said to the one in the winged helmet. Twister nodded.
"Got it, dude!"
He jumped at the grating with his right fist held out. He crashed it into the panel, causing it to fall down a shaft. He hissed slightly at the pain in his hand as he stood up. It seemed that he's gotten used to punching hard objects since that painful experience back at Seaside Hill. After nursing his hand, he and Otto moved over to the newly-created hole.
"Let's go guys!" The leader said, jumping in.
"Wahoo!" Twister shouted, following him. Sam sweatdropped and sighed.
"Here we go again." He moved over to the hole and jumped in. Screaming all the way, he fell the surprisingly short distance to the bottom. "Ow!.!.!" He yelped when he landed. He shot up and rubbed his sore butt. "I wonder if we have to go through anymore twenty foot drops on this journey…" He hissed in pain.
"Look alive, Squid!" Otto shouted, getting into a fighting pose.
"Yeah, we got company!" Twister added, putting up his fists. Sam looked over their shoulders and gasped. A gold jellyfish robot and two coconut pawns were heading right towards them.
"Tell me when it's over!" The fox yelled, cowering behind his friends, who struggled to avoid falling over.
"Squid! This is a fight! Don't wimp out on us!" Otto scolded. Sam only shuddered in response. Rolling their eyes, the hedgehog and echidna left to take care of the robots. They punched, kicked, and homing attacked the automatons.
When the battle ended, Sam looked up at all the scattered robot parts. A yellow power core was lying nearby. The two best bros were giving each other a high five. After grabbing the core and getting his second level-up, the fox walked up to them.
"Glad that's over…" He murmured. Otto and Twister turned to him with a scowl.
"No thanks to you." The former said.
"Yeah, how about you lend us a hand next time?" The latter added. Sam rubbed the back of his head.
"Heh, heh… Sorry about that…" He apologized sheepishly.
"Forget about it." Otto said before skating onward. The others followed.
The trio went up a nearby flight of stairs. When they reached the top, they found themselves at another dead-end. This time, a huge chasm separated them from the mountain containing the gun tower. Seemingly, the only way across was a cannon that was ahead. The furries looked at each other and nodded before climbing into the weapon. It targeted the other side of the chasm and fired. Sam screamed as they flew the relatively short distance to the other side. They landed safely and skidded to a halt.
"Man, you'd think ya woulda gotten used to getting blasted by now, Squid." Twister commented to a panting Sam. The kitsune in question glared at him as he stood up.
"I'm telling you," He started with a growl. "If we ever make it through this whole thing alive, the only extreme thing I'll be doing for the next few months will be lifting the remote and consuming mass quantities of junk food!" Otto and Twister snickered in response, causing Sam to glower at them dangerously.
"One word and you'll live to regret it." He threatened as he walked forward. The others' sniggering continued for a few seconds before they finally broke down and rolled around laughing. Sam gritted his teeth at their taunting laughter. His fists shook at his sides as the ever annoying sound continued to eat at him and eat at him. His face slowly started turning redder and redder in rage.
The fox turned and got ready to give the other two boys the tongue-lashing of a lifetime when he felt something warm.
"Huh?"
Curious, he reached behind him and pulled out the red Chaos Emerald they found after battling Dr. Coconutman at the beach. It was glowing brightly.
"Hey guys! Take a look at this!" He called over to Otto and Twister. The two finally stopped laughing and turned towards Sam. They immediately shot up and ran over when they noticed the jewel.
"Woah…" Twister said in awe. He looked at Sam curiously. "Why is it glowing?"
"Beats me." Sam answered with a shrug.
"Hmmmm…" Otto held a hand to his chin as he looked at the emerald. He held his hand out. "Let me see something."
"Alright…" The fox said, handing him the emerald. As soon as it landed in the hedgehog's palm, the glowing dimmed slightly.
"Did you see that?.!" Twister whispered to the others.
"I wonder…" Otto muttered, walking forward. He moved towards a locked door that seemed to lead into the gun tower. As he got closer and closer to the door, the emerald glowed brighter and brighter. The light was near blinding as the leader reached the door. Of course, he wasn't affected due to his sunglasses. Sam and Twister walked up behind him, being careful not to get too close to the light.
"It must be reacting to something on the other side." Sam observed. Twister walked up to the door and felt around for some way inside. No such luck.
"It's locked tight. We can't get inside."
"There has to be a way inside." The fox said.
"C'mon." Otto said, putting the emerald away. "Another door has to be around here somewhere."
"Right." The others agreed, nodding.
They skated to the right, where there seemed to be a new path. A gold jellyfish bot was in the way, but it was taken care of instantly. Beyond the robot was a narrow path that went to the left over a great drop.
"It's really steep here." The one in the winged helmet said.
"Better be careful." The one in the shark helmet added.
"Come on, you bunch of Squids." The one in the dome helmet jeered. "This is nothing!"
They continued by slowing walking across the bridge. They held their arms on either side of themselves for balance. When they were halfway through, a stray wind blew.
"Woah!" Everybody yelped, starting to lose their balance.
"Just keep going guys!" Otto said.
"Ahhh, ahhh, ohhhh…" Sam sputtered, waving his arms madly.
Everybody continued, putting one shaky foot in front of the other. They soon made it to the other side and sighed with heavy relief.
"Whew… I never wanna go through that ever again…" Twister panted.
"You said it, bro…" Otto agreed, panting as well.
"You know what's funny?" Sam started, chuckling. "We could've just skipped that whole ordeal by flying to the other side."
°DOUBLE WHAM!°
"For my next trick…!" The fox said dizzily before falling over. His eyes were two swirls following Otto and Twister's attack. They had knocked him upside the head.
"Ugh… And he's supposed to be the nerd?" Otto asked, crossing his arms.
"Ya think he woulda said something sooner." Twister added, also crossing his arms. They both closed their eyes while nodding. They both opened them and shrunk back with fear in their expressions.
Two coconut pawns were staring them down! They pointed their guns at the trio. Otto and Twister smirked as the robots got ready to fire.
"They don't really think they could take us, do they?" The former started.
"Sure looks like it, dude." The latter replied. They both looked at each other mischievously before giving the robots an evil grin.
°POW!°
Both bots were punched backwards by the two boys. Before they can retaliate, Twister took Otto in his hands and used Fire Dunk. As soon as the robots were destroyed, a beeping sound filled the air.
"Our Team Blast meter's full." Sam said, walking up to his teammates. He pressed a button on his watch, stopping the alarm.
"Finally! We must be halfway through this stage!" Twister said, throwing his hands up.
"Only halfway?.! I thought we'd be close to the end by now!" Otto groaned. It was clear he was still worried about time.
Without another word, he skated ahead. The others followed until they reached another door. Like the last one they found, it was locked. To their right was a fenced off alcove. A switch was there, as well as two capsules identical to the ones they've been seeing ever since they entered this area.
"Guess we gotta flick that switch." Twister said.
"Duh!" Otto remarked, turning to Sam. "Let's go."
"Got it." Sam said, nodding. They switched to fly formation and flew over the fence.
As soon as they landed, Otto flipped the switch. However, nothing happened.
"Oh great! Don't tell me there are other switches too!" He shouted impatiently.
"Chill, bro. I bet the other ones are around here somewhere." Twister comforted.
"Oh yeah? Where?.! It's not like they're under those weird capsule things!"
"I bet they are." Sam spoke up.
"Yeah right, Squid!" Otto argued. "There's nothing under there!"
"If you're so sure…" The fox trailed off, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he turned to the echidna. "Twist, punch out those capsules."
"Alright, Sammy…" Twister said with a hint of confusion. He turned towards the capsules and reared back his right fist. He punched both of them to scrap metal, revealing two more switches. Sam smirked defiantly at his leader who sneered at him.
"Shut up and flick the damn switches."
"Flicking…" Sam said in a sing-song voice as he and Twister flipped the two switches. The nearby door opened, granting access to the gun tower. They switched to fly formation, flew back over the fence, and entered.
They walked through a small hall and entered a large room. It consisted of an immense mechanism that took up the entire center of the chamber. There were several holes in it. A metal pillar was sticking out of the middle of the machine. The room was also patrolled by four armed coconut pawns.
"What is that thing, Sam?" Otto asked as they engaged the robots.
"I think…that's the drive for the cannons…!" Sam panted as he avoided the robots' shots.
"I wonder what'll happen if we load it with something!" Twister mentioned as he punched out a couple of the pawns.
"Who knows?.!" Otto shouted as he attacked the other two robots.
"And besides, what are we supposed to load it with?.!" Sam asked, tossing some fake rings. They paralyzed the pawns as soon as they hit.
"Beats me!" Twister replied as he destroyed the remaining bots. A yellow power core appeared, allowing the fox to fully level-up.
"What the…?" Otto said in surprise. He had felt something warm. He pulled out the Chaos Emerald, which bathed the room in a crimson glow.
"It's reacting again." Sam said.
"But to what?" The hedgehog asked. The smaller boy shrugged in response.
Rolling his eyes, Otto walked around the room, seemingly trying to find something. With each step, the emerald glowed brighter. It soon glowed with the energy of a small star. The leader wasn't affected by the light so much as the heat coming from the jewel. He hissed as it started to burn his hand. He kept his fist clenched as he looked up. He was in front of a chamber that was blocked off by a stack of metal boxes. Otto turned to his teammates, who were looking at him curiously.
"What is it, Ottoman?" Twister asked.
"Whatever's causing this thing to glow is on the other side of these crates." The hedgehog answered.
"Leave it to me!" The echidna punched his fists as he moved towards the boxes. With a battle cry, he pounded the boxes. As soon as they fell, a silver glow filled the room, merging with the light emitting from the red emerald. The trio looked inside the newly opened chamber and gasped.
Inside was the gray Chaos Emerald.
"It's another emerald!" Sam exclaimed, walking inside and grabbing it.
"I wonder if they're really as powerful as you say." Otto said idly as the fox handed him the jewel. He put away both emeralds, causing the glowing to cease.
"Well, if we can get the other five, we'll find out."
"Guess so."
"Hey, I just thought of something!" Twister yelled frightfully.
"What?" Otto and Sam asked worriedly.
"We left the Master Emerald at home!" The echidna panicked, holding his face. "What if Reggie steals it?.!"
"I thought you guys woogied so that she would leave it alone." Sam commented. Twister blinked at that before relaxing.
"Oh yeah…" He said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I almost forgot that. I guess it's safe then."
"C'mon! We gotta get moving!" Otto told them. The others gave him a nod.
Meanwhile…
There was a bright flash of gray light in Twister's bedroom. It took a few moments for the light to die down, revealing Izzy the Hedgehog. He had a mischievous look on him as he pocketed the gray Chaos Emerald from the Sonic Dimension.
"Heh, heh. Looks like the coast is clear." He snickered, turning towards the bed, where the Master Emerald lied. "No one's around. Once I grab this beauty, I'll be the richest hedgehog in the world! I could see it all now."
He envisioned himself being surrounded by piles upon piles of money. He imagined himself being on the cover of every magazine. He daydreamed of being at every single gala event, including mall openings. He'd be able to rub elbows with all the important people. His mouth overflowed with drool at the thought. He laughed greedily when he returned to the world of the living.
"Yes! All of my dreams will come true!"
He reached out towards the massive jewel, ready to live out his wildest fantasies. As soon as he grabs the emerald and calls out his teleportation technique, he'll be able to rake in the cash. People would pay millions just to see the shining rock. And not just that. He could use the power of the emerald to get revenge on a certain two-tailed fox.
"MUAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.! It's mine, all mine!" He laughed madly as he finally grabbed it. He then embraced it.
"Oh baby," He started, rubbing it. "It was worth all the torment I had to go through. It was all worth it for you!" He puckered his lips and moved closer to the emerald.
(Me: Ok, drop it.)
"What the…?" Izzy said, moving his face away. He then looked up. "Whaddya what?.! I'm kinda busy!"
(Me: You heard me. Drop it!)
"Make me." The hedgehog stuck out his tongue at the ceiling.
(Me: °Sighs as I snap my fingers°)
°ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!°
A bolt of lightning had entered the window and struck Izzy. He screamed in pain as the electricity charred his insides. His shrieks continued as his bones were revealed within the light. When the attack ended, he was black all over. His eyes were wide and blinking as he continued to hold the Master Emerald. He coughed out a cloud of smoke as he dropped the jewel on the bed. The piece of furniture creaked under its weight.
"Ouch…" He coughed again. He shook the soot out of his head quills and dusted himself off.
(Me: Now stop fooling around and get back to the temple!)
Izzy growled as he pulled out the gray Chaos Emerald with a sneer.
"Chaos Control!"
And he disappeared the same way he entered; in a flash of gray light.
Back at Bullet Station…
"So what do we load this thing with?" Twister asked. He and his teammates were examining the cannon's drive.
"Well, we need to use it to move on, so…" Otto trailed off, a smirk playing on his lips. Sam gasped in horror.
"You're not suggesting we jump in this thing, are you?.!"
"Actually, I was going to say we could wait near the guns for a bullet to shoot and we ride it, but I like your idea better."
The fox fell over after that one.
"I don't know about this, Otto…" Twister spoke up.
"C'mon bro. It'll be fun!" Otto reassured, hopping into one of the drive's holes. The echidna tilted his head in thought before nodding.
"Well… If you say so…" He jumped into another hole.
"Ohhhhh no! There's no way you're getting me to do this one!" Sam yelled, crossing his arms. "I may have allowed myself to get blasted out of those smaller cannons before, but I'm NOT getting blasted out of this gigantic one! You hear me!.?.!"
"Fine." Otto started, popping his head out. He smirked at his twin-tailed companion before adding casually, "Either do it or get left behind." His smirk turned into a toothy grin when he saw Sam's gaping expression. The fox glared at him before sighing in resignation.
"You win…" He said, climbing into an empty hole.
As soon as Sam entered, the mechanism raised out of the floor. To anyone watching, it looked like the chamber of a gun, and the trio was the bullets!
"Alright! Here we go!" Otto cheered, ready for some action.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Sam groaned at the hedgehog's eagerness.
"Hmmmm… Which way is the cannon facing, you guys?" Twister asked.
Just then, they felt the cannons' barrels moving until the one the team was inside pointed towards a narrow canyon full of mining equipment.
"Get ready, you guys!" Otto said as they heard a loud clicking sound from within the cannon. Sam gulped nervously as the clicking got louder and louder until…
°BOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!°
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" Sam wailed uncontrollably as he, Otto, and Twister were fired out of the cannon as balls. The "bullets" entered the canyon as the fox continued his screaming. Up ahead, they noticed that they were approaching several balloons that were floating near the walls.
"Hey Otto!" Twister called. "I think we could move around!"
"Alright!" Otto responded. "Let's see if we can grab those balloons up ahead!"
"Got it!"
Ignoring Sam's screeching, the two boys moved left and right as they reached the balloons. They managed to pop quite a few as they soared through the air. They were able to grab a ton of rings, not to mention a power core or two. By the time they reached the end of their flight, their nonexistent pockets were filled to the brim with the golden doughnuts. Twister had also fully leveled-up. They popped a couple more balloons when they noticed they were approaching some rails.
"Guys! Move to the left!" Otto commanded. Even Sam stopped screaming as all three of them moved to the left. They unrolled as they flew over the rail. They allowed themselves to fall and land on it.
"Phew! What a trip!" Twister said as they grinded.
"You said it!" Otto cheered, punching the air.
"I think my…heart stopped…" Sam panted, reaching for his asthma medicine. After several, by which I mean about a hundred, deep breaths, he was all set to go.
Being careful not to crash into each other, the team danced down the rail. They hit a couple of boosters before being sent through a loop-de-loop. As soon as they got through it, two new rails started to the right of the one they were on. Otto and Twister got on them while Sam stayed on the left rail. About a second passed before they were sent through light rails and up a wall. They each hit a switch, changing the color and position of the rails. The red light rails now pointed down towards a new set of normal rails.
"Oh man… I'm getting hungry…" Sam groaned, holding his stomach as they landed on the rails.
"You're hungry?" Otto asked, giving him a confused look. Sam nodded in response.
"After all that vomiting and grinding, I'm ready for a double cheeseburger."
"Heh. You sure you haven't thrown up enough yet?" Twister teased. Sam growled at him.
"After being forced through all this, I think I deserve a little break!" He shouted.
"We're not gonna have a break if we don't beat Merv!" Otto yelled. "Let's go!"
The trio danced as the rails curved to the right. It spiraled downwards as they grinded. Because the rails tilted upwards and to the left, everybody had to stop dancing and fight for balance. Soon, the rails straightened out. Just before the rails ended, the team's position switched. Twister was on the middle rail, Otto was on the left, and Sam was on the right.
"What the—? How'd that happen?.!" Twister asked as they hit a set of boosters and was launched off the rails.
"I guess there was a formation gate back there!" Sam answered as they soared towards a new platform.
"Hmph! I don't care! Let's get back to speed formation!" Otto ordered as they landed.
"Uhhh… I think we better stay in power formation, bro." The echidna said.
"Why?.!" The hedgehog demanded. Twister only pointed ahead. The only way to get up to the next level was through a fan. Otto sweatdropped. "Oh…"
"We better hurry." Sam started, looking at the sky. "It'll be dark soon."
"Right!" Otto nodded, turning to his best friend. "Let's go, Twist!"
"Alright!" Twister replied. The team moved towards the fan.
Using Triangle Dive, everybody soared above the fan to the next section of the platform. This part also had a fan, so the trio rode the air current coming from that one until they reached the third level, where a jellyfish bot was waiting. Before landing, Twister took it out with Fire Dunk. When Sam and Twister (the echidna had tossed Otto) landed on the platform, the whole team noticed a weight trap. It was just a floating weight that would drop every few seconds.
"Puh-lease! Does he really think that'll stop me?" Otto scoffed.
Using the speed granted by their air skates, the trio blasted past the trap with no problem. Up ahead was a path of rings that went up and to the left towards a ledge. Using Otto's light speed dash, they grabbed the rings and sped towards the ledge. They landed on a rail and grinded it until they reached a hook that was in front of a small building like the one they saw at the beginning of the stage. Otto grabbed it first. Sam grabbed his feet and Twister grabbed Sam's. They were lifted up until they were level with the roof. They jumped onto the roof and skated until they reached a grating that was in front of a dome-shaped building.
"Heh. Looks like another transport tunnel." Otto said, smirking.
"Oh no…" Sam said, his eyes widening as he remembered what happened earlier. "Don't tell me we're going to destroy another train! After what happened last time?.!"
"Yep!" The hedgehog grinned as he turned to Twister. "Bust that grating open and let's go!"
"Got it, Ottoman!" Twister saluted as he grabbed an unwilling Sam.
"Aw man! Not again!" He groaned as he was rolled into a ball. Twister jumped up and tossed Sam at the grating. The fireball crashed into it, causing it to fall down a deep shaft.
"Ow…" Sam groaned, standing up. The tip of one of his tails was still on fire. Ignoring the snickering of his friends, he licked his thumb and snuffed out the flame. "Let's just move on before I get even madder than I already am."
"Heh, heh, heh… Alright…Sammy…" Otto said, trying to stifle his laughter. As he hopped in the hole, he let it all out in one mighty roar. Sam slumped forwards as he turned to Twister, who had controlled his laughter. His arms were crossed.
"Well, aren't you going in after him?" Sam asked.
"Nope." Twister answered. "I'm not letting you try to get away this time." The fox stood straight up and glared at him.
"Now you listen." He started, walking around the echidna. "I have been blasted out of massive cannons, forced to go over massive loops, came close to dying from repeated asthma attacks, and tossed my cookies more times than I can remember!" He was right in front of the hole as he ranted. Twister smirked as he stepped towards the kitsune.
"And if you think I'm going in that hole, you've got another thing—AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" Sam screamed as Twister pushed him in. The orange one grinned as he turned to the camera.
"How many of you folks at home didn't see that one coming?" He then jumped in. He fell down the shaft and landed right beside his teammates, who were on a train. A couple other trains sped past them.
"Took you long enough!" Otto yelled over the noise. "Let's go!" He skated ahead, followed by Sam and Twister.
The car the trio was on soon ended with a rail connecting it to another car. They grinded it and destroyed the jellyfish bot that was guarding it.
"Ok! We'll jump to the cars ahead as we destroy the bots!" Otto told them.
"Alright!" Sam answered.
"Got it!" Twister said.
Since they were at a dead-end, they switched to fly formation and flew over to a new train that was on their left. When they landed, Otto took the lead and skated towards a lone coconut pawn that was guarding some capsules. Twister destroyed it with a few well-placed punches, allowing the team to move on. They soon reached the end of the train, which had a pole.
Using Rocket Twister, the group was able to swing up the pole and to a new train that was adjacent to the one they were on. It was protected by a trio of coconut pawns. Dodging their gunfire, they were able to destroy the robots in seconds flat. Up ahead, there was no floor for the team to stand on; just walls that made a narrow passage. Across the chasm, they could see the train's engine.
"We're almost there!" Otto said to his team.
"Alright!" Twister exclaimed, punching his fists.
"Uh-oh…" Sam gulped, tightening his helmet.
The trio used Triangle Jump to cross the gap to the other side. Using the same strategy they used the first time, they were able to derail the train and make it crash into the tunnel wall. They landed on a set of rails and grinded it until they hit some springs, sending them towards a bobsled. It looked exactly the same as the one they found at the beach. It was red and had four wheels. It only had one seat, which was in the front. There was a small drill on the front as well. The sled also had a horizontal bar at the top and in the back near the ground.
"Alright! Looks like I get to drive again!" Twister cheered as they descended.
"Awesome!" Otto shouted.
"Just be careful!" Sam added.
They only had seconds to get into their proper place. Twister landed in the driver's seat, Sam grabbed on to the bar on the roof and started spinning his tails, and Otto grabbed on to the bar near the ground. The one in the domed helmet started spinning, sending the sled forward. As they traveled through this highway in the sky, Twister noticed an incoming hint ring.
"Oh great! Here comes another one of those hints!" He yelled.
"What!.?.!" Otto asked.
"I can't read a comic now!" Sam protested. "I gotta hold this thing with both hands!"
"Here it comes!" Twister told him as they passed through it. Nothing happened, however. "Huh?"
(Izzy: Lucky for you geeks, this is an audio clue.)
"What'd you call me!.?.!" Sam demanded as the path dipped downwards.
(Izzy: °Smirks° You heard me, dork. Anyway, if the sled takes any damage, one of you will get thrown off.)
"WHAT!.?.!" To everyone's surprise, it was Otto who said that.
(Izzy: o.O Yeah… Anyway, if Fox Brat gets tossed off, the sled can't jump, and if Rocket Dork gets knocked off, the speed will decrease.)
"Hey! Only Lars can call me that!.!.!" Otto roared, causing everything to pause and everybody to give him a funny look. The hedgehog unrolled and gave them an indignant look as he crossed his arms. "You heard me."
(Izzy: °Turns to me° Hey! I thought this wasn't a slash fic!
Me: °Shrugs° It's not, but that doesn't mean I can't make a gay joke or two.
Izzy: °Falls over°
Me: (To Team Rocket) Continue.)
Otto grabbed the bar and started rolling again as everything unpaused. The bobsled started moving again as Twister took the wheel. He guided it through a straightaway. The echidna panicked and tried to stop when he noticed that the path ended! Before it did, however, the bobsled hit a switch, causing a bridge of light to appear. The sled rolled along it as it started to curve to the right.
"Whew! That was close!" Twister said, wiping his forehead as the sled reached solid ground again. The path went down again when Sam gasped.
"Look out!"
"Huh?" Twister said, looking ahead. His eyes widened when he saw lasers on the path! "We gotta jump!"
"Hey! What's going on?.!" Otto shouted.
"How are we supposed to do that?.!" Sam asked, ignoring the hedgehog.
"Well, you're responsible for jumping! Think of something!" Twister replied. "And make it fast!"
"Hey! I asked a question!" Otto yelled. Again, he was ignored.
"Oh, ohhhh!" Sam wailed, looking around. He blinked when he thought of a solution. "Here goes!" He tightened his grip on the bar as he spun his tails faster. He grunted as the sled reached the lasers. He screamed in agony as he lifted the sled high enough for it to clear the obstacle. He dropped it as soon as they passed the trap.
"Ohhh… My arms are killing me!" He groaned.
"Look alive, Sammy!" Twister yelled. Sam looked up and muttered curses when he noticed two more sets of lasers. Grunting, he lifted the sled two more times, avoiding the traps. As the sled entered a straightaway, he slumped against it and took deep breaths.
Meanwhile, Twister drove the bobsled through several capsules before the path curved sharply to the right. The path went downwards towards a set of lasers.
"Get ready, Sam!" He called. Sam looked up and screamed upon seeing the trap. He spun his tails and took flight to get ready to jump. Like earlier, he lifted the bobsled over the trap and dropped it when they cleared the lasers.
"Ugh…" He moaned as he lay on the sled again. "If it wasn't for my strength enhancer, I'd be dead right now…" He looked up and shrieked when he saw that the sled was heading towards a train!.!.! "TWISTER!.!.!"
"Hang on, guys!" The echidna shouted, griping the wheel. He swerved around the train as the path widened out.
"Woah!" Otto yelled, trying to hang on to the bar. He kept spinning as the sled moved through the section. Sam almost got knocked off when Twister made a sharp right turn to avoid a train. To the fox's great horror, the path ended with a couple of trains.
"We're gonna crash!.!.!"
"WHAT!.?.!" Otto shouted. Twister grunted, trying to think of something.
Luckily for the trio, the part of the path before the trains exploded, allowing them to escape by riding on a light bridge. The bridge curved to the right as it dipped deeper and deeper into the canyon. Soon, it straightened out and the bobsled entered a small tunnel. As soon as they exited, Twister and Sam saw an obstacle course littered with boxes, coconut pawns, capsules, and laser traps.
"Oh COME on!.!.!" The fox groaned.
"Just what we need! More robots!" Twister added.
They crashed through the boxes and capsules, ran over the robots, and miraculously, dodged the lasers. They soon got through the dangerous course and crashed into a fence marking the end of the road. The impact caused everybody to get knocked from the bobsled and towards a set of rails. The left and right rails were level with the furries, but the center one was placed much, much lower in the canyon.
"That's cool!" Otto said, performing a 540° spin. Twister and Sam got on the right and left rails while the hedgehog landed on the center rail.
The trio danced across the rails until they met up again. They soon hit some boosters, sending them up an incline in the rails. The rails curved to the left before ending at a platform that contained another gun tower. To their right was a door that had a small switch lying nearby. To the left was a cage. Far ahead under a ledge was a jellyfish bot. Ignoring the robot, Otto skated to the switch and flicked it. To his utter annoyance, nothing happened.
"Oh great! Another stupid switch puzzle!.?" He ranted.
"Me and Squid'll go ahead and see if we can find the other switches." Twister said as he and Sam skated past their leader. They went up to where the robot was stationed and destroyed it with a quick Fire Dunk.
"Hmmmmm…" Sam hummed, looking at the high up ledge. "Maybe one of the other switches is up there."
"Let's take a look."
Sam wound up his tails and took flight. He lifted Twister up to the ledge. Sure enough, there was a switch just waiting to be flicked. The echidna was dropped on it.
"Hey! I can see the last one over there!" Twister pointed at the cage, which had lowered. It seemed that the last switch was contained inside.
"I'll go activate it." Sam said, jumping down. He landed clumsily, but he didn't let it bother him as he skated towards the switch, which was across from Otto. As soon as he pressed it, the door opened. Without waiting for his teammates, the hedgehog skated inside. Sam and Twister followed.
Inside, the tower looked exactly the same as the first one the trio blasted out of. The main difference was that it was guarded by three jellyfish robots, one of which had captured Otto! The other two floated around it. The fox and echidna gave the hedgehog a smirk as they crossed his arms.
"Well, well… Whadda we have here, Squid?" Twister started.
"Looks like another case of Otto's brashness getting the better of him." Sam answered.
"Bust!.!.!" They both yelled before doubling over in laughter.
"Oh ha ha." Otto retorted sarcastically. "That was so funny I forgot to laugh. Now get me outta here!"
"I don't know…" Twister trailed off, grinning.
"Maybe we should leave him here and get the credit for beating Mr. Stimpleton." Sam added with his own grin. They both started walking towards the cannon's internal mechanism.
"WHAT!.?.!" Otto roared, pounding against the barrier generated by the robot. "Get back here!"
To his fortune, the fox and echidna stopped and turned towards the robots. Sam tossed some fake rings at them, paralyzing them. Twister skated over and punched them all into submission. The hedgehog was covered in the remains. He reached into the pile of robot parts and pulled out Otto, who was covered with oil.
"Blech…" He groaned, trying to get the black goop off him. He turned to his friends. "Were you guys really going to leave me there?"
"Of course not." Sam answered.
"We were only funning." Twister added.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Otto said, walking past them with his nose held high. "I knew you guys would never be able to beat Merv. You need someone who's really fast to beat him."
"Yeah, have you seen him?" Sam remarked, causing Twister to snicker. Otto turned to them with a sneer.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Now let's go!" He jumped into the cannon's drive, followed by Twister.
"Oh man, here we go again!" Sam groaned, climbing inside.
Like earlier, the mechanism rose out of the floor and loaded the trio into one of the cannons. The gun-shaped weapon moved around until it was ready to fire.
"Hey! I think that's the base up ahead!" Twister commented.
Up ahead, past another narrow canyon, was a building that was shaped like Dr. Coconutman's head, hat and all.
"Alright! Here we come Merv!" Otto shouted confidently.
"At last, this nightmare can end." Sam said gratefully.
A few seconds passed before they were fired out of the cannon. Unlike the first trip, this one was short and uneventful. Sam was even able to stomach the ride. As soon as they passed the canyon, they saw the base, which was surrounded by gun turrets that were built into the sides of the nearby cliffs.
The animals crashed into the base. Because of the speed they were going at due to the cannon, it was destroyed as soon as they smashed into it. All that remained was a large circular platform that had capsules in the middle of it.
Hitting a spring bar, the trio got on the platform and skated up to the capsules. Twister punched them out, revealing the goal ring in all its splendor. Before Otto and Twister could do anything, Sam, crying tears of joy, grabbed it, ending the stage.
"Finally! Sweet freedom!" He cheered. "No more grinding at impossible heights! No more going up immense loop-de-loops! No more murderous robots! All we have to do is defeat Merv and we can go home!"
His celebration was brought to a halt when a familiar laughter was heard echoing in the canyon.
"That was Mr. Stimpleton!" Twister shouted.
"We're almost there!" Otto said. He skated away followed by the others.
Post-chapter Conversation
"Hey! What gives?.!" Izzy roared. "Why wasn't there a boss battle!.?"
"Believe me," I started with a shrug. "The chapter would've been way too long if I did commentary for the battle, so I'm saving it for next chapter." I faced the camera. "Anyway, Otto, Twister, and Sam are nearly at the end of their journey!"
"WHAT!.?.!" He protested. "What about—"
°WHAM!°
"Twinkle, twinkle little star…" The hedgehog groaned dizzily before fainting.
"Freaking big mouth…" I muttered before looking at the camera. "As I was saying, can the trio defeat Dr. Coconutman once and for all? Tune in next time!"
"Daddy, Daddy!"
"Huh?"
I looked up to see Iggy skating towards me. Before I can do anything to stop him, he glomped me, knocking me far back into my throne.
"I missed you so much!" The hedgehog yelled as he nuzzled against me.
"Ack!" I sputtered, getting choked by him. The display of affection continued for a few moments before Iggy got off me. "So, did ya check out those trailers?"
"Uh-huh!" The hedgehog nodded eagerly. "They were awesome!"
"For real?" I asked, brushing myself off.
"Yep!" Iggy grinned. "They were really cozy and comfortable! They had sofas and beds and TVs and fully stocked fridges! Not to mention all kinds of other cool stuff!"
"Sweet! I can't wait to take a look at 'em!" I said before waving to the camera. "Like I said, we'll see ya next week!"