Pre-chapter Conversation
The scene opened with an aerial view of the No Worries Pictures studios, located at the outskirts of the Rocket Power fan village. Several buildings, a water tower, and some workshops were surrounded by a tall wall that guaranteed the privacy of the compound. The majority of the buildings and the water tower had a red M on them. Soon, the camera zoomed in on the largest building of them all—Studio A. From outside, you can hear the deafening roars of a crowd.
The camera then panned to a view of the interior. The audience was sitting in easy chairs that were arranged as if it was a stadium for a sporting event. Several cameras were seen installed in strategic locations. Some light rigs and background curtains painted to resemble hillside Ocean Shores were seen.
Onstage, the setting was just like a talk show. A desk was at the left corner, along with a sofa and some armchairs. At the right corner was a band that was currently playing a rendition of the Sonic Adventure 1 version of "It Doesn't Matter," Sonic's theme. Just as the band was wrapping up, Izzy, Iggy, and I entered from stage right. The audience went crazy as we waved at them. The band played a few quick riffs as we sat in our designated places. I sat at the desk while the Yaoi Brothers sat on the couch. Iggy was the closest to me while Izzy sat on the far end.
"Hey everybody!" I addressed the crowd, who finally calmed down. "We're filming live from mike2000's studios while he's filming his latest fic in Hawaii!"
The audience applauded for a few moments before quieting down.
"Wow! I can't believe how nice everybody's been to us!" Iggy yelled cheerfully.
"Hmph, I'll admit, things have been pretty cool since we got here." Izzy added with a nod.
"Yeah, the workers here have been very kind to us." I agreed. "They even said that it was an honor to work with us. It's like we've been getting the royal treatment or something! Not to mention, the facilities here are great! There are tons of stuff here that we don't have back home." I sighed as I reclined in my plush office chair. "It's so much better than at our studios."
"Yeah! How about it, Boss!.?" Izzy shouted at me. "Order some new staff members and all the stuff we've been getting for our new studios!"
"Yeah!" Iggy agreed. "We still have time to get some new stuff since the studios are still being repaired!"
"Well, we'll see…" I said with a shrug. "But where are we gonna get some new staff members?"
°CRASH!.!.!°
"HUH!.?.!" All three of us yelled with shocked voices as we turned to the right wall of the studio, which has just crumbled. There was a massive dust cloud.
"Aw man!" I slapped my head. "Everywhere we go there's trouble."
"No kidding." The dark purple hedgehog grumbled.
"Woah! What's that!.?" The lighter one exclaimed, pointing at the cloud, which had just dissipated.
A strange-looking spaceship was revealed. It was small and blue. It seemed to be a shuttle of some sort. The crowd looked with a hushed breath as my associates and I walked towards the strange craft.
"Hey, Iggy. Is it me or does that thing look familiar?" I asked.
Iggy gulped. "Y-y-yeah… It sorta looks like one of those pods we saw on that a-a-alien spaceship…"
I blinked in confusion. "But I thought Warior already dealt with them…"
"Alright!" Izzy cheered. "That means you two are gonna get probed again! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!"
°WHAM!.!.!°
°SQUEAK!.!.!°
"Yeow!.!.!" The older brother yelped, rubbing the two lumps on his head, courtesy of Iggy and my mallets. "What'd I do!.?.!"
"Shaddap and go check out that shuttle!" I roared, getting into a defensive position. Iggy mimicked my movement. Izzy sighed exasperatedly.
"Alright, alright." He grumbled, pulling out his own mallet.
Cautiously, the hedgehog in the red vest made his way towards the space shuttle. He mumbled curses to himself as he stepped closer and closer to the craft. The audience watched with frightful anticipation as Izzy got nearer to the vehicle.
Just as he stepped onto the rubble that was once the right wall, a door at the side of the ship opened with a whoosh! Izzy, Iggy, the audience, and I gasped as several beings stepped out of the shuttle. They were really buff-looking, green skinned things. If you've ever seen that one show, Megas XLR, they totally resembled the Glorft. For those who've never watched the show in question, the Glorft are about twice the size of an average person. They have robot-like bodies (or that may just be armor °Shrugs°). Finally, their green faces have tentacles where their mouths are!
These aliens seemed to be wearing differently colored armor. One of them was wearing gold armor while the others were in red. There also seemed to be a strange collar of some sort around their necks. There were several prongs sticking out of them. Also, there was a flashing red light on their centers. Me, Iggy, and Izzy looked a little green as we took in the horrid sight. Several members of the audience, on the other hand, vomited into bags, purses, and anything they can find.
Me and the siblings shuddered in fright as the aliens approached us. Izzy ran back to me and Iggy and huddled along with us. We could hear their metal feet clanging on the ground as they walked. To our horror, it was getting louder and louder. The three of us gulped and whimpered as the aliens stomped closer, ready to end it all. They kept coming and coming and coming and then…stopped?
"Huh?" We said in confusion. We looked up at the aliens. The one in the gold armor, presumably the leader, was standing in front of us. The ones in the red armor were lined up side by side behind him.
"Ship Master Zallamee and the crew of the star cruiser Evil's Bane at your command!" The gold alien barked, saluting us. The red ones followed suit.
Meanwhile, we gave them a freaked out look.
"Buh?.?.?"
Zallamee rolled his eyes, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a slip of paper, which he then handed to me.
"Hmmm… Let's see…" I mumbled, reading over the paper. "'Dear Prince Izzy, These are the crew members that probed and tortured you and Iggy. I have ordered them to follow any and all orders you give them. See those collars on their necks?'"
I put down the letter and looked closely at the aliens. Sure enough, I noticed the collars in question. I looked back at the paper.
"'If they disobey the tiniest order, the collars will send twenty thousand volts of electricity through their bodies. Have fun. Warior.'"
Me and Iggy smirked evilly at Zallamee and his crew, who gulped. Izzy, of course, looked uninterested.
"So let me get this straight." I started, tossing away the letter. "You have to do everything we say?"
The aliens nodded.
"And if ya disobey us, you'll get zapped with twenty thousand volts of electricity?" Iggy asked.
Again, they nodded.
"Good." I said, rubbing my hands deviously. "For my first order, you—" I pointed at Zallamee, who stood at attention. "—Get me and the boys some pineapple soda! And they better have those little umbrella things in them!"
"Yes sir!" The alien shouted, running off.
"And you!" I shouted at the remaining aliens. "Fix that wall you so clumsily crashed that ship of yours into!"
"Yes sir!.!.!" They replied, getting to work.
"Heh, I could get to enjoy this." I said before turning to the camera. "Anyway, for this chapter, we're changing things up a bit as far as the rotation is concerned. Instead of Team Rodriguez going through the next stage, Team Sherlock will have a shot at the Frog Forest. As anybody that's played Sonic Heroes would know, the mission that the detectives would have to go through is one of the toughest in the entire game! Will they survive? Find out now!"
The crowd cheered as Izzy, Iggy, and I waved at them.
(A/N: Sorry if the aliens aren't described the way you imagined them, Warior. I didn't exactly know what they looked like. Heh, heh, heh…)
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Rocket Heroes
Chapter Eleven
Frogs, Frogs, and more Frogs!
Part One-One
Stage Nine: Frog Forest
Mission: Get through the forest without letting the frogs see ya!
"Wow! Look at all the trees!" Little Scottie exclaimed excitedly. "I've never seen so many before!"
He, Eddie, and Trent were now miles away from the Grand Canyon. They spent the night at a motel and skated all morning until they reached their destination. They were looking over a lush forest that was teeming with life. The blue skies above were a welcome change from the yellow they were used to back home. The sky provided the perfect backdrop for this part of the country. There were trees as far as the eye can see. Strangely, there were also giant mushrooms and other varieties of vegetation. Nearby were three vines that connected the cliff the trio was standing on to the beginning of the stage. The vines looked sturdy and thick enough for the detectives to stand on.
"You don't get out much, do you?" Eddie asked the bee.
"Nope!" Scottie replied with a toothy grin, causing the chameleon to fall over.
"I gotta admit. This place is gorgeous." Trent agreed, nodding as the other reptile stood up.
"Bah! It could use a little darkness." Eddie criticized, wrapping his cape around himself. The others gave him a strange look.
"What? Like that motel we stayed in last night?" The crocodile asked, shaking slightly.
"That place was weird." Scottie said.
"Ha! It was the perfect temporary dwelling for the Prince of the Netherworld!" The chameleon let out an evil laugh. The others sweatdropped.
"You're crazy!" Trent shouted.
"That place was scary," Scottie agreed. "But kinda fun."
°Flashback°
It was the night before. The trio was skating (flying in Scottie's case) along a highway in the desert. Considering how late it must've been, the road was empty, save for the occasional eighteen-wheeler. It was the same all around them. Cacti, mountains, sand, the road, the inky black sky. It was also very foggy. It was almost as dense as being in a pot of boiling hot soup. If it wasn't for Eddie's keen ninja instincts, they'd be completely lost. The full moon gave an ominous glow in the starry night. It felt very peaceful, but also very quiet, like something could jump out and attack at any moment.
Suddenly, a low growl pierced the calm night air. Trent and Eddie skidded to a stop. Scottie, too busy looking around at his surroundings, crashed into the chameleon. Eddie growled as the bee fell to the ground.
"Any idea what that was, mates?" The leader asked as Scottie flapped his wings and again took flight.
"I don't know," Eddie replied, taking out a shuriken. "But it sounded dangerously close."
"Uh… Guys?" Scottie said.
"Quiet. We have to be silent or it's over." Trent whispered.
The growling was heard again. It was louder than the last one.
"There it is again!" The croc hissed.
"It's much closer now." Eddie told them as he readied his weapon.
"It must be a coyote."
"Guys…" The bee tried.
"Silence, eater of pollen." The ninja said. "I have to concentrate; otherwise I won't get a clean shot."
The growling was once again heard. It sounded very similar to a lion just before it pounces on its target!
"There it is! Kill it, kill it!" Trent screamed, pointing ahead.
"Tonight, we eat fresh meat!" Eddie declared as he launched the ninja star…only to slice through air. He sweatdropped. "What…? I didn't get it? But I thought…"
There was the growling again.
"Quick! On your left!" Trent yelled.
"Guys… It's not…"
"Hee-yah!" The chameleon ignored Scottie as he fired another shuriken, hitting air again. "What the—?.! I missed again!.?"
"Keep firing! You gotta hit it eventually!" Trent encouraged. Eddie looked back and nodded.
"Right!"
And so, the next five minutes were spent with the smaller reptile throwing ninja stars in every possible direction while Scottie tried to get their attention. The growling grew louder and louder with each passing second. Soon it was loud enough that it seemed like a whole pack of wolves was breathing down their necks. Screaming frantically, Trent made Eddie fire shuriken after shuriken. The chameleon threw his weapons all around in a faint effort to hit whatever was stalking them. Soon, the ninja ran out of ammo…and the growling was at its loudest!
"Don't you have ANYTHING left to throw!.?" The oldest member of the group shouted. Eddie turned to him, sweat dripping down his face. His eyes were wide with fear as he slowly shook his head.
"Guys, guys, guys!.!.!" Scottie yelled, shuffling his arms and legs wildly. "I have something to tell ya!.!.!"
"Well, since we're about to become a midnight snack for whatever that thing is, you might as well tell us." The croc said, crossing his arms. The bee stopped flailing and held his stomach.
"That growling was me…" He said weakly. "I'm hungry…"
Trent and Eddie blinked.
"Y-you mean that was…" The latter started.
"…Your stomach?" The former finished.
"Uh-huh…" Scottie replied, nodding.
The older kids fell over.
"Well that was a waste of time!" Eddie shouted, throwing his hands up as he stood. "Now I have to find my shuriken!" He pulled his mask up as he yawned. "In the morning…"
"And I could use a warm shower." Trent groaned as he got to his feet. "But there's no place we can stay for the night."
"Hmmm…?" The youngest member of the trio looked to the right and gasped. "Look!" The others looked at him and followed his finger to the opposite side of the road they were on.
The mist rolled away, revealing what seemed to be a motel. Several cars were parked in its parking lot. A diner was next to the office. All but one of the rooms had lights on. Behind the lodging was a tall hill. At the top stood a house. The only light was coming from a window in which the detectives were able to see the silhouette of an elderly human woman. The moon was seen behind it, giving the building an eerie look. The animals then looked up at the neon sign marking the name of the establishment.
"'Bates Motel.'" Eddie read.
A clap of thunder was heard as lightning struck. Everybody looked up at the skies above.
"That's strange. It doesn't look like rain." Trent commented, holding a hand out. Everybody shrugged at each other before turning back to the sign.
"This place is s-s-spooky…" Scottie shivered. His eyes lit up when he read the sign. "Yay! This place has a pool!" He instantly forgot his fear, and supposedly his hunger, as he performed a couple of back-flips.
"And it's got cable and pay-per-view." Trent added.
"Hey, ever see that one movie, Psycho?" Eddie asked the leader with a smirk.
"No." The croc shook his head.
"Great. Neither did I. Wanna watch it?"
Trent grinned.
"Sure mate, but let's wait until he goes to sleep." He pointed a thumb at the bee. "I don't want him to get nightmares." The ninja nodded in response.
The trio then made their way across the street towards the Bates Motel.
Thunder was heard as lightning struck again.
"What's up with the weather tonight?" Trent asked. The others shrugged before they all continued towards the office.
"Can we get some food first?" Little Scottie whined, clutching his growling stomach again. "I'm starving."
"We have to book a room first." Eddie answered, causing Trent to blink in realization.
"Hey! How are we supposed to book a room and get dinner? We don't have any money!"
"Huh!.?.!" The bee exclaimed, flying in front of his face with a look of anger Trent didn't know he was even capable of. "Whaddya mean ya got no money!.? Ya dragged us out to the middle of nowhere and ya didn't think to bring any money!.?.!"
The other two gave him a weirded out look. Scottie sweatdropped and backed away.
"Sorry… That was my stomach talking…" He apologized, blushing slightly.
"Heh, think nothing of it, mate." Trent said, rubbing his snout. "But still, what are we gonna do? I can't make it another day without anything to eat…" His own stomach rumbled to prove his point.
Eddie, however, was chuckling to himself.
"Huh?" The leader turned to him when the sound reached his non-existent ears. He then glared at the chameleon. "What a fine time to be laughing! We don't have anything to eat and I'm dead tired!"
"Yeah!" Scottie shouted. "Why are ya laughing for!.?"
"Simple. The client said that any expenses we accumulate will be paid for by him." Eddie answered. "All we have to do is mention the name M.J.S. and they'll take care of us."
"HUH!.?.!" The other two detectives said in surprise.
"When did you talk to the client? I've had the radio the whole time!" Trent yelled.
"Look again." Eddie told him with a snicker.
"Wha? What're you—" The leader pulled out an empty box of cracker jacks and glared at the other lizard. "How the he—"
"Ahem!" The ninja pointed at Scottie, whose eyes widened. Trent rolled his eyes.
"—heeeeck…did you grab it?.!"
"I'm a ninja." Eddie started, producing the radio with a smirk. He tossed it back to the older boy and pulled down his mask. "I have my ways. In any case, I contacted him asking about expenses. Like I said, he made the arrangements, though he sounded most upset when I asked him."
"Whatever, mate. As long as he's paying for us, I don't care." Trent said, continuing towards the office with the others. "It better not affect what we're getting paid for doing this job though."
"If he knows what's good for him, he'll pay the full amount."
"Can we PLEASE get some food!.?" Scottie wailed, walking alongside them. He had gotten too tired to fly.
"Alright already!" The other two yelled at him. They sweatdropped as the bee cheered and started shouting various names of food.
Later…
After booking their room, the team walked into the diner and got some food. When it was time to pay, Eddie just simply told the waitress to put it on M.J.S.'s tab. They gave her a questioning look when she stuttered in fear and ran off. Come to think of it, the motel's clerk seemed quite nervous when the chameleon mentioned the name. The client must someone very powerful…
Anyway, after getting some food in their bellies, the trio retired to their room.
It was lit with a single dim lamp. Yellow wallpaper that had a floral pattern on it decorated the walls well, despite the fact it was peeling in certain areas. The furniture were so dusty, they were a gloomy, grayish color. There was a single armchair by two beds. A nightstand was between the beds. A TV was across from the beds. At the end of the room was the door to the bathroom.
The trio wasn't wearing their helmets. Trent's (which was blue and had New Zealand's flag on it), Scottie's (which was red and had happy face stickers on it), and Eddie's (which was black, of course) were hung up on the coat rack near the door along with the rest of their skating gear.
"Ahhhh… That was the best meal I've ever had in awhile." Trent sighed, lying on the left bed.
"For a rundown motel in the middle of the desert, that was delicious." Eddie agreed, sitting on the right bed.
"Hmmmm… Yummy…" Scottie snored. He was fast asleep on the armchair. He was curled up like a cat, which might be considered cute had he not been a bee. The two older kids smiled at the insect.
"Ya know, he may be a pain when he's awake, but he looks peaceful right now." The croc commented, putting a blanket over him.
"Heh, too bad he can't be like this the whole time we're out here." The chameleon said with a nod as Trent returned to his bed. He then grabbed the remote that was sitting on the nightstand. "So about that movie…"
"In a few." Trent said, getting up again. "I'm gonna take a shower. Make sure the kid doesn't wake up." He disappeared into the bathroom.
"Very well."
A few moments passed before the sound of running water was heard. The chameleon sat there, watching the TV. The ninja gave a disgruntled look at the receptor. It may have had cable, but the picture kept jumping every few seconds. He stood up and was about to stomp up to it when he remembered one of the key rules of being a ninja: "Always remain patient." So he sat back down and changed the channels until he noticed a somewhat odd program. He was now looking at a show that seemed to feature a bunch of human kids rolling around on skateboards.
"Hmmm… This seems interesting…" The chameleon mumbled, setting down the remote.
While watching the program, Eddie couldn't help but make some connections between the characters portrayed and some of his friends back at Ocean Shores. For one thing, one of them had dreadlocks that looked strangely similar to a certain hedgehog's. It also struck him as strange to see that the character had the same exact sunglasses and headband as said hedgehog.
"Weird…" He commented.
He then turned his attention to what seemed to be the best friend of the one in the sunglasses. This person seemed like the echidna Eddie always sees hanging out with the hedgehog. The cowlick and the hat were exactly alike! He was also taller than the first boy, just like the echidna! Also, this character was carrying a video camera. What seemed odd was that the echidna also used a camera.
"This is getting strange…"
The camera onscreen soon switched to a purple haired girl who looked incredibly similar to the bat the chameleon and his partners have faced not too long ago. The clothes were the same! From the camouflage pants to the red rimmed sunglasses in her hair, this human girl looked just like that bat! Eddie shook his head.
"It's just a coincidence." He told himself. "No need to get so worked up."
His eyes widened when he saw the last member of the quartet take a spill. The yellow haired kid was round, just like the fox the trio took those weapons from! He even had the same glasses! And the hairstyle… It was exactly the same as the kitsune's! Eddie started sweating when he saw the quartet meet up with another character. This one was wearing a cape just like the one he was wearing. The boy on the TV was also wearing a mask, just like the one he normally wears. And even worse, that kid was talking with a scary accent!
"AHHHH!.!.! It's like looking in a mirror!" Eddie screamed. Surprisingly, his wail didn't even wake up Little Scottie, who only turned in his makeshift bed. The ninja's uncharacteristic scream didn't reach Trent either. It was drowned out by the noise of the shower. The chameleon panted for quite some time before taking a deep breath.
"Whew… Almost lost my cool for a second there…" He wiped his head. "I must remember the ninja rule: 'NEVER let anything disrupt the mission.'"
He continued to watch the show, although somewhat freaked out. Things went pretty normal after that. That is, until the show was close to ending.
"Man, what's taking Trent so long in there?" Eddie asked himself. "I wonder if he drowned or something."
He was about to get up when the lights started to flicker on and off.
"That's weird… Must be faulty wiring." He said, looking at the lamp, which stopped flickering.
He sat back down when the TV started jumping again.
"Ugh… I know I should probably consider myself lucky that this dwelling even has cable, by enough is enough!"
With an irritated look, the so-called "prince" stood up and walked over to the TV. He then proceeded to bang it in a vain attempt to make the picture stay still. Unfortunately, no amount of physical force can make the evil appliance work. The chameleon gritted his teeth as the lights went on and off again. He just continued to bang the set, cursing whatever force got him into this predicament. Needless to say, things were about to get much worse.
It was at that very moment that Trent decided to practice his singing for their next Team Blast.
"SINGING IN THE RAIN!.!.!" He "sang" with his extremely irritating voice. "LA, LA, LA, LA, LA!.!.!"
"Make it stop…" Eddie quivered, gritting his teeth to the point that they were cracking. "Make it end…" His eyes widened as he continued to bang the TV.
The noise, the flickering, and the picture jumping continued, eating at the ninja. The veins in his optic receptors bulged as his pupils shrank to the size of a dot. He couldn't take the pain, the mind-numbing torture.
"OH, I'M SINGING IN THE RAIN!.!.!"
If Eddie had ears, he'd rip them out to rid himself of his leader's screeching singing voice. He shook violently as he continued banging the unresponsive TV. His eyes continued to bother him as the lights turned on and off, on and off, on and off! He grinded his teeth as Scottie joined in the fun by snoring loudly. The bee sounded so squeaky, it drove the poor ninja mad. He couldn't take it anymore!
"THIS TORTURE MUST END!.!.!" He roared as he pounded the TV with the force of a meteor.
Almost as if obeying him, the picture on the TV returned to normal, the lights no longer flickered, Trent stopped singing, and Little Scottie once again slept silently. The chameleon panted as he continued shaking, albeit much slower than before. He took a deep breath as his eyes relaxed. His pupils returned to their normal size as the veins disappeared. He sighed as his body stopped quivering.
"Whew… Thank the dark spirits that's over…" He said, making his way back to his bed. He lay down and started at the ceiling.
It seemed that the insanity was behind him.
"And now…" An announcer on the TV said. "Time for The Fairly Oddparents!"
"HAKI SAKI!.!.!" Eddie shrieked, sitting up and tossing a shuriken at the appliance. It broke through the screen, causing sparks to shoot out of it for a few seconds before smoke floated out of it. The chameleon blinked and looked at his right hand, which once held the weapon.
"Well, whaddya know! I had one more left the whole time!" He rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled.
That was the most important rule of being a ninja: "Destroy your opponent in the quickest way possible."
Eddie sat there, admiring his work for about a minute before a look of fear appeared on his face.
"Oh no! I broke the TV!" He held his head as he moaned. "I'm really gonna hear it from Trent this time!"
He lied there, trying to think of an excuse he could use when he shot up with a brilliant plan.
"I got it! If I be real nice about it, I can tell him what happened." His eyes shifted as he rubbed his hands. "He must be very relaxed right now, so I can go in there and tell him and he won't get mad. …At least not until he sees the mess…"
He shrugged.
"Oh well. It's worth a shot."
He walked over to the bathroom door and tested the knob. To his good fortune, it was unlocked, so he let himself in. Steam poured over the entire room, giving it a misty look. The mirror was completely fogged up. Trent's air skates, socks, gloves, wrist band, necklace, and hat were lying on the floor, as well as the walkie talkie they received from their client, the flame ring he got at Sam's garage, and the yellow Chaos Emerald they found in the city. The crocodile's silhouette could be seen behind the shower curtain.
'Hmmm…?' Eddie looked to the left, where the faucet was, and grinned before picking up an object. 'This'll be perfect!' He tip-toed over to the curtain.
Everything turned black and white as we began this cliché joke.
Imagine if you will one Trent. He was a fourteen year-old crocodile with brown scales, although…since everything was currently black and white, he was a dull gray at the moment. Anyway, he was contently bathing himself with soap provided by the motel. His eyes were closed in pleasure as the warm water soothed his aching body. The water massaged his legs, which were battered from all the skating he had done. He hissed in slight pain as he rubbed the soap over various cuts given to him by some of the robots he and his team had battled. He cursed to himself as the water ran down the burn on his chest, which he got from Reggie during that impromptu fight.
'Man, what was her problem?' He thought as he lathered his head. 'All I said was that I didn't want her to get hurt, and she went crazy.' He sighed.
'I guess that teaches me an important lesson: NEVER get a Sheila angry.'
He rinsed off the soap and reached towards the controls for the water when he saw a silhouette in the curtain.
'What the? Who's this bloke? I didn't even hear the door open.' He blinked. 'And what happened to Eddie and Scottie? Wouldn't they have seen him come into the room?'
His eyes widened when he saw something in the person's hand. It was skinny and looked very sharp.
'Is that a knife?' He gulped as realization hit. 'He…He must've got to them and gave them the ax.' His eyes narrowed as he clenched a fist. 'Well, he's not getting me!'
The assassin reached the curtain and drew back his weapon as he gripped the plastic barrier with the other hand. Cue the Psycho theme!
'I'll avenge you, mates!'
"YAH!.!.!" He screamed as he pounced on the assailant, ripping the curtain. Trent and the other person were surrounded in a cloud of dust as fists flew. The croc shouted and cursed as he continued his assault.
"AHHHH!.!.! TRENT, WAIT!.!.! IT'S ME! EDDIE!.!.!" The assassin yelled, trying to fend off the furious reptile. Trent got in a couple more punches before the other's words got to him.
"Eddie?" He blinked and took a look. Indeed, he was sitting on top of the chameleon, who now had two black eyes and a swollen cheek. He then glared at him. "What the hell are you doing in here!.? Can't I take a shower in piece!.?.!"
"Well, I wanted to give ya something to help ya get those hard to reach places!" The ninja snapped, holding up what Trent thought was his weapon. Turned out the "weapon" was just a harmless brush.
"Well that was brilliant! I thought you were out to get me!" The croc roared. "Next time, KNOCK!.!.!"
"What's all that screaming about?"
The reptiles' heads snapped towards the bathroom door, where Little Scottie was standing. His left eye was open while his right one was being rubbed by his right hand. His other hand was holding the blanket. His eyes widened when he saw the—erm…compromising position Trent and Eddie were in, not to mention the fact that the former was wearing the shower curtain. The older kids' eyes also widened when they noticed what he was staring at.
Cut to a view of the motel from outside.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"
°End Flashback°
"That was so scary…" Scottie said, trembling.
"That was the worst night of my life." Trent shuddered at the memory.
"Now that I think about it, you're right." Eddie agreed, nodding. "And the owner was very livid in the morning."
"I've never heard so many bad words before." The bee added.
"Good thing we managed to get out of there before he could charge us for that TV." The leader commented, glaring at the chameleon, who narrowed his eyes.
"And we couldn't even go into the pool…"
"I told him to add it to the bill, didn't I!.?.!" Eddie spat, ignoring the insect. He crossed his arms and looked the other way. "I'm just glad I had enough time to find my shuriken before we confronted him."
"I can't believe you missed every shot, mate." Trent started, shaking his head with a solemn smirk. "Maybe you should go back to ninja school."
Eddie narrowed his eyes into two slits and growled at him. He pulled out a shuriken and advanced on the crocodile. He slowly walked towards the older boy, keen on causing bodily harm for that remark. Trent was oblivious to the imminent attack for he was currently trying to shut up Little Scottie, who started on a wild tangent about flowers. The chameleon bent his legs, poised to make his move. He had to make sure the crocodile was caught off-guard. It'd make the attack that much more fun to execute. His eyes twinkled as he tightened his grip on his weapon. Trent was clueless; he was far too busy dealing with the bee, who wondered what smells better, a rose or a daffodil.
'It's now or never.' He told himself, confident that he'll strike.
Without warning, he pounced!
"Detectives!"
He crashed into the ground!
"What's up with you?" Trent asked the downed prince, who only muttered curses in response. Of course, he was muffled by the dirt. The older boy shrugged and pulled out his walkie talkie. "We hear ya, mate. Go ahead."
"Here's your next mission." The client started. "In order to reach your next destination, you must travel through this forest. Inside are frogs that are capable of summoning rain if they see anyone in their territory. Do not let it rain! Understood?"
"Let me get this straight. You want us to go through this forest WITHOUT letting any of these frogs see us!.?" Trent barked with shock at the ludicrous command.
"What kind of mission is that!.?" Eddie shouted as he shot up. When the others gave him a weirded out look, he cleared his throat. "I mean, how can the Prince of the Netherworld and his loyal followers get through this forest without making it rain?" He said in his creepy voice.
"'Loyal followers?'" The leader growled while the insect glared, making the ninja sweatdrop.
"Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled nervously.
The client gave an irritated sigh.
"Anyway, figure it out yourself! GET MOVING!.!.!" He roared. The trio put their hands to the sides of their heads as if to drown out the noise.
"What a grouch." Scottie commented when their hearing returned. "He sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?"
"Never mind that! We got our mission, so let's go!" Trent ordered, skating towards the nearby vines.
"Roger." Eddie complied as he followed.
"Hey! Wait for me, guys!" The bee shouted, flying after them to start the stage.
To be continued…
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Mid-chapter Conversation
Part One
The scene opened in the studio. Zallamee and his crew were passing by me, Izzy, and Iggy, who were sitting at the desk. The aliens were carrying wood, cement, hammers, and other tools. They were busy fixing the studio's right wall. Their working was so loud that the hedgehogs and the audience were covering their ears.
"Nyah nyah!" I blew a raspberry at the camera. "You thought I forgot about doing commentary for the stage, didn't ya?" I yelled over the pounding. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but we gotta have action!"
"Hey!" Izzy shouted over the power drills. "Aren't the chapters normally longer than this!.?"
"Well, thanks to the suggestions of a couple friends of mine, namely mike2000 and Silent Whisper, I've decided that from now on, I'm gonna split the stage chapters into two or three parts, depending on the length of them! The chapters dedicated to boss/team battles will remain the same length, regardless of how long I make 'em!"
"Hmph!" The hedgehog in the red vest crossed his arms. "You're just trying to stall, aren't you!.? Not to mention this is probably a cheap attempt to get more reviews."
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"What!.?" Iggy yelled over the saws.
"I said, 'Maybe!'" But my reply was drowned out by the noise of the aliens' work.
"What!.?" Both hedgehogs shouted.
"I SAID—" I turned towards the right wall. "HEY! KEEP IT DOWN ALREADY!.!.!"
The aliens turned to us nervously.
"Yes sir!"
The noise-level decreased immediately after that.
"Whew!" Everybody else sighed with relief.
"Anyway…" I said, turning back to the Yaoi Brothers. "Maybe I am stalling, maybe I'm not. And more reviews would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath." I turned to the camera. "In any case, next time, Team Sherlock begins their trek through the forest. Can they make it out without making it rain? Tune in next—"
Suddenly, a black blur sped in through the massive hole in the wall. It blazed towards the brothers and me. Everybody looked confused as the blur left a huge box in front of Izzy. The blur left the studio and came back seconds later with another box. This continued for about a minute until twelve boxes were placed in front of the dark violet hedgehog.
"What the—?" Izzy was cut off as the dark blur skidded to a stop, revealing none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. Everyone gasped at him.
"Woah! What a pleasant surprise, ladies and gentlemen!" I started, walking around the desk with a microphone in my hand. "It seems that we have a special guest. From the Sonic dimension, the one, the only Shadow the Hedgehog!"
The crowd cheered and applauded as I approached the ebony mammal.
"So Shadow, what brings ya here?"
"Yeah! And what's with the boxes?" Iggy added.
"Hmph!" The dark one crossed his arms. "I'm here only to deliver these fruits and vegetables to him." He glared at Izzy, who blinked in response.
"Erm… You're not still sore about what happened when we were in the Sonic dimension, are ya?" He shrank back as Shadow growled at him. The original master of darkness relaxed his features and produced a tag.
"Here." He grumbled, handing it to Izzy.
"Hmmm… I wonder who sent these." The purple hedgehog said, grabbing the slip. "'To the poor muse-y Izzy who is constantly tormented by his comedic genius of a boss—'" He scoffed at that one. "Yeah, right!"
"Watch it…" Iggy warned, producing his mallet. Izzy gulped and looked at the tag again.
"'—I hope these fruits and veggies make ya feel better. Love, Mythica. ♥'"
"Heh, so they're from her, huh? Pretty cool." I commented. "Now say 'Thank you' to nice Ultimate Life Form."
Both Shadow and Izzy growled at me for that one.
"Hmph!" The latter crossed his arms. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." The former replied, holding his hand out. "Now for my tip…"
"A TIP!.?.!" Izzy demanded. "Why should I give you a tip!.?.!"
He gulped as Shadow disappeared with a low snarl. A few seconds passed before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew… For a second there, I thought he was gonna—"
°BOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!°
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Izzy screamed as he was blasted through the roof of the studio by Shadow's Chaos Burst.
I sweatdropped as Shadow reappeared.
"Hmph! See ya around." He said before skating off.
"Bye!.!.!" Iggy yelled cheerfully, waving after him.
"Ugh… Here a day and already we're wrecking the place." I moaned. "What am I gonna do?"
"Aw man!" I turned towards Zallamee, who delivered that groan. "Don't tell me we have to repair the roof too!"
"Hmmm…" I started, holding my chin. "Actually, I was thinking about calling in some contractors, but you'll do."
The rest of the aliens glared at their leader, who slapped his head in exasperation.
"In any case…" I turned to the audience. "We'll see ya on Friday (hopefully) with Part One-Two of this chapter!"
Iggy and I waved to the clapping audience as the camera whited out.