Pre-chapter Conversation
(A/N: Tis a long one, folks!)
We open the scene inside my trailer. It looked fit for a CEO. At one end, there was a king sized bed covered with a velvet comforter. Beside it was a desk that had a plushy gold office chair behind it. On top of it were a gray laptop and several office toys. Several feet away was the kitchen, which had most if not every necessity every author needs to get through his or her day. The living room had several pieces of expensive looking furniture and a beautiful fifty inch plasma screen TV, complete with a purple Gamecube, of course.
Finally, at the far corner of the room was a gorgeous ornate treasure chest. Gold, jewel encrusted fixtures of different video game villains decorated every inch of it. Where there wasn't gold, there was an intricate design of purples and blacks giving the great box a truly evil look. It practically scared away all who came near with its sinister presence.
°Clatter!°
And Izzy was going through it!
"Those two idiots!" The hedgehog cursed as he rummaged through the chest, throwing what appeared to be battle chips over his shoulder. "Now I know why I've been losing so much! The boss gave me sucky chips without letting me see what was inside that pouch!"
He grabbed a handful and stood up. "I mean, look at this! Air Shoes, Quake Three, Dark Aura, Hero Sword! Now these are battle chips! I could've really destroyed them with these babies!"
He put said chips inside his pouch and went back to searching. He continued to mumble about how he got "cheated" as he put more chips into his pouch. He put some into a bag that was lying at his feet when the pouch became too full. He only wanted the strongest and most powerful chips he could find. Anything to overwhelm Iggy and me, not to mention a certain fox.
"Whew…" He said, rubbing his head as he grabbed one last chip for himself and put it into his bag. "This should be enough to beat them once and for all!" He grabbed the lid and started to close it. "Now to—Huh?"
He stopped closing the lid when he noticed a red glow resonate from the chest. Putting on a curious look, Izzy opened the lid and saw that the light was caused by five chips that were on top of the whole pile. These seemed different from average battle chips. Normally, chips would have some kind of picture on them that depicts its use in battle. For example, the Twister chip has—well, a twister pictured on it. This of course meant that it allows the user to summon a tornado to attack his/her opponents similar to how Clio attacks with her hammer.
These chips, however, were completely different. Instead of a picture, there were purple and black ridges all over them. Where a chip's label would normally be, there were red orbs with wires protruding from it. The wires were all over the strange chips. It seemed that the orbs were the chips' core. Of course, the glow the furry noticed earlier was coming from those cores. There was a presence inside them. Izzy could easily see a shadow swimming within the red like a sinister serpent getting ready to attack anything that came into its territory. Its movements were enticing, almost mesmerizing… The horrible blood red reflected in Izzy's eyes as he stood staring at it. He gave a twisted sneer as he scooped up the five chips. The sneer became a smirk as he grabbed his bag and walked out of the trailer.
"I finally have the perfect weapon. Heh, heh, heh…" He snickered wickedly as he made his way towards the main studio.
Meanwhile…
"So then I said to the cow, 'Where's the beef?'!" Iggy joked to me. I and the entire audience roared with laughter at that. Sure, it was a corny joke, but it's all in the delivery. Once I recovered, I turned to the crowd.
"Whew… That was a good one, Iggy." I said, wiping a tear.
"Thanks Daddy!" The little hedgehog said happily.
"Now then, we finally have an update for you at long last, folks!" Everyone shouted their approval at the miraculous news. "Yeah, I know, I know. It's taken forever, but we can now give you a new chapter after months of anticipation! Or at least part of one…"
Despite that last part, the crowd went bananas. Their cheers were shaking the entire building! Iggy and I were trying to remain standing. The tremors were making that quite difficult, however.
"Ok, ok! I get it! You're happy!" I shouted. "Could ya stop trying to bring the place down!.?.!"
"Please!.?.!" Iggy yelled as he finally succumbed to the quakes and fell.
The audience finally stopped after a few moments during which the props on stage collapsed in a huge cloud of dust. Iggy and I sweatdropped and surveyed the damage. I then sighed exasperatedly as the boy got up.
"Can't we get through one chapter without wrecking the place?" I held my forehead as I shook it.
"There's always next time, Daddy." Iggy comforted with a doubtful shrug.
"Oh well." I said getting back into the swing of things. A grin made itself known on my face as I struck a daring pose. "Time to get to the reviews!"
I pulled out my usual piece of paper, which was completely covered with dust (o.O)! I cleaned all the gray crud off and glanced over it. I cleared my throat as I prepared to speak.
"First of all, I appreciate that you've stuck without a single update all summer. It must have been crazy waiting for the next chapter to come! But at least I gave you some clear signals that I'm still alive!"
"Yeah! Those ultra cool slash fics!" Iggy shouted with a toothy grin. I gave him a thumbs-up.
"Right! But now that I've finished writing out the remaining chapters for my latest slash fic, it's time to get back in the driver's seat and finish off this monster! I won't work on anything else until this one is done!"
The crowd roared again. Luckily, it didn't last as long as the previous one.
"Now, time to answer the reviews for the last chapter!" I looked at the paper again before facing the camera. "First to Warior, those dirty guys took over your hangars too!.? Give 'em hell man!
"And to Mythica, glad to know you made it to your new home safely!" I shouted with a grin. "I hope it's working well for ya." I gave the camera a thumbs-up and a wink. "As for Izzy, eh, it's always fun to torture him! I just can't help myself!"
The audience laughed at that display before I retained what little professionalism I had.
"Finally, I'm afraid I haven't gotten to look at the list of Sonic yaoi fics you sent me, but don't despair! All of those fics are right on top of my reading list! I plan to look at and review each and every single one!"
"Yayness! I can't wait to read 'em!" Iggy cheered, jumping up and down excitedly. He seemed to be more energetic than usual. I looked at him suspiciously.
"You haven't been going into your candy stash again, have you? You remember what happened the last time you had a sugar rush?"
°°Flashback°°
"RRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!.!.!" Iggy's voice thundered as he stomped through downtown Ocean Shores. The hedgehog was gargantuan! He was at least fifty feet tall! His eyes were dilated in a sugar coated daze. His lips were coated in a strange mixture of candy and bubblegum. His hands were covered in what looked like the dust from a pixie stick.
Everything was black and white as the hyper furry laid waste to the seaside town. The National Guard was brought in to subdue the beast. Nothing they had could penetrate the monster's thick skin. Bullets bounced off him like spitballs. He caught missiles and merely flicked them away! Some hit buildings, destroying them. Others landed harmlessly in the ocean. He swat away fighter planes King Kong style! It seemed that nothing can stop this menace!
Following a particularly devastating explosion that didn't even scratch the hedgehog, Iggy looked down and saw all the little ants run away while the numerous tanks ganged up on him. He grinned insanely as he bent down towards the closest vehicle. As his giant shadow loomed over the frightened citizens, a Japanese couple stopped in the middle of the crowd and pointed at him.
"Oh no! Godzilla will destroy us all!" A very bad voice over screamed for the man who was clearly speaking Japanese.
"He will eat us!" Another bad voice over, this time female, yelled for the woman who again was speaking Japanese.
"Oooooohhhhhhh…" The monster hedgy made a noise of awe as he reached a hand out.
His hand hovered the couple! It seemed like he was trying to decide if he wanted to grab them or not!
"AHHHHHHHH!.!.!" They both screamed, again with bad voice overs (who needs a voice over for a scream!.?).
To their great misfortune(!.?.!), Iggy's hand went over the couple and grabbed the SUV that was nearby. The couple looked appalled as the hedgehog brought it towards him and started playing with it.
"What, we're not good enough for you!.?" The woman shouted at him, but he didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he just didn't care.
The giant furry spent the rest of that afternoon sitting on the ground and playing with the cars and tanks that littered the streets.
°°End Flashback°°
"Erm… No…" Iggy said innocently, hiding the lollypop he was licking behind his back. I fixed him with a reproachful look.
"Well I do! It took weeks to pay the massive bill after that one!" I threw my hands up in exasperation.
Iggy blinked. "But if you're the author, couldn't you just make millions and millions of dollars appear to pay it off?"
I waved a hand. "No, of course not. I—" I blinked and held my chin. "Hmmm… I wonder…" I snapped my fingers, causing a crisp one dollar bill to materialize into my hand. I put on an irritated look before slapping my head.
"Now he tells me…" I grumbled. I turned to the crowd. "Moving on! I think it's about time we got to business! For this chapter—"
"Hold it right there!" Izzy's voice yelled. I sighed.
"What now?" Iggy and I turned towards the stage entrance to see the evil hedgehog stomp inside. "Izzy, so…nice…of you to join us."
"Hi bro!" The younger hedgy waved cheerfully…with the hand that was holding the lollypop. He looked up, gasped, and quickly hid it again.
"This time, I'm gonna destroy the both of you!" Izzy declared, readying his mallet. Iggy and I rolled our eyes before bringing out our own weapons.
"You still haven't given it up?" I asked.
"Yeah! You're never gonna beat us, bro!" The shorter brother supplied. The older one only snickered in response.
"Well, that's where you're wrong. Ya see, I knew that the boss cheated me when he gave me those wussy chips."
"Ya know, I've been meaning to address that…" I commented.
"What?" Both siblings asked. I turned to Izzy.
"When I first gave you guys your battle chips, you accidentally took Iggy's pouch. I tried to tell you but ever since you got those chips, you've been hell-bent on beating us with them, so I eventually forgot."
My partner blinked. "So that means that the reason I've been losing all this time was because of a mistake you made…?"
I shrugged. "Looks that way."
Izzy fell over.
"Oh that tears it!" He roared as he stood up. "You're done now!.!.!"
"Yeah right!" Iggy laughed. "And what are ya gonna do with your weak chips!.?.!"
The taller hedgehog smirked at us. "That's just it. I got myself better chips. Ones that are way stronger than yours!"
I gasped and glared at him. "You went into my battle chip chest!.?.!"
"Damn straight!" He said with defiant grin. "And I now I'll destroy you with—" He reached into his pouch and drew out one of the black and purple chips he grabbed earlier. "—This!"
"Woah! I've never seen that chip before!" Iggy exclaimed.
"Good. Then it'll be the last chip you'll ever see!" The elder brother shouted. He held the chip above his head. "And now to—"
"Don't you dare use that chip!" I suddenly ordered, glaring at Izzy. He froze. "Don't you know what that is!.?"
The evil hedgehog blinked. "Uhhh… A really rare and powerful battle chip?"
"A cool and scary looking battle chip?" Iggy added, looking just as confused.
"Yeah, but there's more. That's a…" I paused for effect. "Dark Chip!.!.!"
The crowd gasped as the lights dimmed. Spotlights turned on over Izzy, Iggy, and I. Again, the brothers blinked confusedly at me.
"Dark…" Izzy started.
"Chip?" Iggy finished.
Ominous music began to play as fog rolled onto the stage.
"Yeah, a Dark Chip is dangerous to use." I explained.
"Oh please!" The older brother shouted, getting over his fear. "What's so bad about it!.?"
"For one thing, that chip's pure, unadulterated evil!"
Izzy crossed his arms. "I fail to see the threat."
"I'm serious!"
"So am I."
"Oy…" I slapped my head. "Look, when a net navi uses a Dark Chip, they are instantly filled with the most horrible things. Darkness, evil, greed, jealousy, a hatred for all things pure and good, and worst of all, pure unimaginable power!"
"…" Izzy gave me a strange look. "You just listed all of my best qualities plus the one thing I crave above all else aside from Blondie's untimely demise."
"Like that's gonna happen anytime soon." Iggy muttered, rolling his eyes. I snickered in response, causing the taller hedgehog to scowl. I then put on my serious face again, getting back into the mood.
"That chip's cursed I tell ya! It's made from everything people hate about the Internet! Popups, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, chain e-mails—"
"Spam." Izzy interrupted impatiently.
"Especially spam! If you use that chip, all of that goes right into your body and pierces your very soul, corrupting you and draining your life energy!"
"Uhhh hello? I'm already corrupted from being around you all these years!"
"…" I shrugged. "Point taken, but that still leaves your energy."
"Pfft! A small price to pay for ultimate power. Besides, I can't die as long as you're alive. Now if we're done!" The hedgehog held the Dark Chip above his head. "Dark Chip in! Download!"
Grinning insanely, he inserted the chip into his hammer. Seconds later, it crackled with black energy. The power that was emanating from the mallet caused a brutal wind to billow around its user. Iggy and I shielded our faces while keeping one eye open to watch the startling transformation.
A strange cloud of darkness emerged from the hammer. There were crimson lights on it, symbolizing a face. Above the sinister eyes and twisted grin of a mouth was a diamond. We didn't get a chance to look at it for long for in the very next second, it was absorbed into Izzy's body! The furry screwed his eyes shut, threw his head back, and screamed as that very same darkness enveloped him. A column of black rose up from under his feet.
Within the cloud, we saw his body morph. Instead of purple, he became as black as night, blending in with the darkness all around him. Two horrible wings spread out of the cloud. They looked as wicked as bat wings, only they were narrower and much bigger. Iggy and I gulped as we noticed Izzy's quills become longer and sharper due to the Dark Chip's awesome power.
Soon, the cloud disappeared, revealing Izzy. The now-ebony hedgehog floated before us and opened his eyes as he brought his head towards us. We shrank back at the sight. His eyes were two glowing red orbs. The highlights in his quills turned from black to purple. A slightly lighter black and purple aura was surrounding him like a deadly haze. The entire room grew twenty degrees colder as the house lights turned back on.
"Now you will suffer my wrath!" A frigid voice unlike Izzy's warm but threatening one came out of him.
Iggy and I shuddered as he brought his hammer around his front. He gave it a sharp whip, causing it to flash a sinister pink. When the light vanished, it was a totally new weapon. It became a sword made of pure dark energy. A grayish aura was around the blade while a black (boy we seem to be using that color a lot, huh?.!) hilt served as the base.
"Dark Slash!" He exclaimed before flapping his wings. He charged straight at me. He glided over the floor like a jet! Getting over the fear his transformation instilled in me, I quickly grabbed a battle chip.
"Hero Sword battle chip—"
I was about to insert it when I realized that there was no way I can withstand the attack with a mere chip. I put my mallet away and held up my hands, hoping that my power as an author can stop him!
"Ultra Shield!"
A violet barrier encircled me just as Izzy raised his sword to attack. Seconds later, he smashed it into my shield, shattering it like it was just a simple piece of glass! The force of the attack threw me into the wall. My back hit it hard before I bounced off. Iggy and the audience gasped in horror as I fell towards the ground. But I never touched it though.
"Prince Izzy logging out." A male computer voice said as my body was replaced by the words "Log out" before disappearing.
"Daddy no!" Iggy shouted.
"You!.!.!" Izzy bellowed, turning towards his brother's voice. The smaller hedgehog was gone however. The dark one grinned sadistically. "So you wanna play Hide and Seek, huh? Ok. You hide and I'll seek!"
With that last word, he swung his sword towards one of the fallen props. A great blade of darkness was launched at it, causing an explosion. Izzy sneered when he didn't hear the voice announce his brother's defeat. The sneer quickly turned into a devilish grin when he realized that the game can continue.
"Come out come out wherever you are! Muahahahahaha!.!.!" He laughed as he continued destroying random stage props.
Meanwhile, Iggy was huddled behind the desk, fearing for his life. Tears were falling from his eyes.
"Oh man…" He sobbed. "What am I gonna do? I don't know how to protect myself from big brother's attacks…" He blinked and snapped his fingers. "Wait! Daddy told me what to do at times like this!"
He quickly brought his hammer in front of him and pulled out two chips.
"Holy Panel and Life Aura battle chips in! Download!" He called as he inserted the chips.
Immediately after, a warm serene feeling went through his body. It went all the way down to his feet, where the floor changed into a beautiful, golden panel. A bluish light came out of the middle, engulfing Iggy. Then the purple Life Aura surrounded him, protecting him from any of Izzy's attacks. Or so he hoped.
"Whew… Good thing I remembered this trick. Now Izzy can't get me. I guess I better tell what the chapter's about." He turned to the camera. "For the first part of this chapter, Team Rodriguez is gonna fight Team Sherlock. Who's going to win? Read on to find out!" He covered his mouth and whispered, "Oops! I can't be too loud or else he'll find me. See ya later…"
He waved as the camera faded to black.
(A/N: Yes, you still have to read the chapter! ;-P But before you get to that, I need to apologize for something. Ever since the beginning of the fic, I've been misspelling Little Scotty's name as "Little Scottie." It took looking at the end credits for the episode he was in before I realized my mistake. So from now on, his name will be spelled with a Y. Thanks and enjoy the chapter!)
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Rocket Heroes
Chapter Twelve
Team Tussle Two
Part One
"Ugh… When are gonna get outta here…?" Trent groaned.
"If the Prince of the Netherworld does get any food in him soon," Eddie announced creepily. He pulled up his mask and added in his normal voice, "I'm gonna keel over!.!.!"
"Aw man…" Little Scotty moaned, dragging a net along the ground. It was simply too heavy for him to carry it around while flying. "Why do I have to carry this?"
"Because I'm the leader." The crocodile answered with a shrug.
"And I'm a ninja, not some delivery boy!" The chameleon returned from behind his mask. He pulled it up. "So deal with it!" He said in his normal tone.
"Awwwwwwww!.!.!" The bee cried.
The trio of detectives were dragging themselves along. They were still inside the swamp. All three of them were dripping wet, no doubt from dealing with torrential downpours at the hands of the giant frogs inhabiting the area. Eddie was now completely brown. He had given up on maintaining his dark demeanor, at least for the moment. Trent was tired of seeing all the greenery and longed for the city again. Scotty was groaning in pain from the load he was carrying. Strangely, the bee was also dripping a thick substance in addition to the water.
Both of the older boys were simply irritated at the whole journey they've had to endure. If their youngest partner wasn't enough to worry about, there were also the added problems of their client giving them one complicated and downright crazy mission after another (they just had to round up ten chao that were living in the swamp), the headaches they were getting from the squeaks and protests of said chao (which Scotty was dragging across the forest), and the slight fevers they were developing from the frogs' rain. In short, they needed a good meal, a warm bed, and possibly a doctor.
"How much longer?.?.?" Scotty shouted from the back of the group.
They all stopped and faced each other.
"Erm… Good question…" The leader said. "We should've been out of here by now…" The others fixed him with a wide-eyed stared.
"Don't tell me we're—"
"Lost." Trent finished for Eddie.
A long silence followed before they all looked towards the sky.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!"
The trio started skating/flying at top speed.
"We gotta get outta here!.!.!" Trent screamed.
"I'm gonna go nuts if we don't get out of this crazy forest!.!.!" Eddie shouted, forgoing his chilling voice for a frightened one.
"But how do we get out!.?.!" Scotty yelled, barely keeping up with the others, the bag weighing him down. "We need to ask someone for directions!.!.!"
The older kids skidded to a stop. Not being able to slow down fast enough, the bee crashed into Trent. Apologizing to his leader, he hovered over the ground again. Eddie glared at him.
"Ask for directions!.?" He asked, crossing his arms. Scotty nodded. "And just who are we supposed to ask!.? The trees? The rocks? I'm sure the frogs around here would be more than willing to help. That is, if ya don't mind being their lunch!"
Little Scotty yelped, dropped the net holding the chao, and hid behind Trent's back. He shuddered at the reminder of an experience he had shortly after they completed their latest mission.
°°Flashback°°
"Come here you little—Ha! Got it!" Trent called to the others.
He was standing on top of a cliff overlooking a path in the swamp. He was holding a squirming mass of blue in his hands. Down below, Eddie and Scotty were standing, watching their leader catch their final chao. A net filled with nine other unfortunate chao was lying behind them. The chameleon glowered at the croc.
"Hurry up and get down here! I wanna get out of this forest already!"
"Alright, alright! I'm coming down!" Trent shouted back.
He jumped off the cliff, clutching the chao close to him. Using the speed granted to him by his air skates, he jumped off the jutting rocks until he reached the ground. He walked past his subordinates and stuffed the chao into the net along with its brethren. Almost as soon as it was secured, the radio crackled.
"Good work, boys." The client complimented when Trent answered. "When you leave the forest, I'll give you your next mission."
The radio crackled once more after that and went dead. The trio sweatdropped and looked at each other.
"How are we supposed to leave anyway!.?" Eddie exclaimed. "We don't know how to get out of here!"
"Yeah!" Scotty added. Trent shrugged.
"Guess we keep going until we find the exit." He started walking. "C'mon, and don't forget to take our load with ya!"
"You heard our 'honorable' leader." The ninja said, following after the older reptile. He turned to the bee and added, "Carry those chao!"
"Awwwww…" Scotty groaned. He picked up the net and flew after them, barely hovering a few inches above the ground.
For a while, things were silent. Well, except for the protests of the chao and Little Scotty's grunting. Eventually, a chorus of croaking was heard as the group walked under a bunch of trees. Sunlight broke through the blanket of green in skinny rays. They were about midway through the patch of trees when they looked up, curious about the sounds. Many frogs were perched in the branches above, making their noise as if they were one big black and green orchestra.
"Woah…" The bee said in awe. "I wonder how they all got up there."
"Jumped up. How else?" Trent said, glancing at him before looking up again.
"Hmph!" Eddie crossed his arms. "I wouldn't mind having strong legs like that. Fighting would be so much easier."
"You said it, mate." The croc agreed. "Come on. We're wasting time."
As they moved on, several frogs watched Scotty from the canopy of branches with interest. They've never seen a bigger bug in the forest before. He looked almost as big as a Thanksgiving turkey to them! And just as juicy and delectable too. The bee looked tasty and fit for a king! Licking their chops in hunger, those that saw Scotty leapt from the trees and followed him slowly, as if they were lions getting ready to pounce on their prey.
The detectives were almost out of the patch when Eddie stopped, having sensed something. The others stopped and looked at him in confusion. They were about to ask what was up when he held a finger up to the mouth of his mask, silencing them. He took out a shuriken as the frogs drew closer. When the amphibians were at least five feet away, the chameleon turned to attack. He raised his weapon, preparing to throw it, when he stopped. He pulled up his mask and blinked in confusion at the sight of the frogs.
"Huh?"
But then, they trampled all over him and surrounded Scotty! The bee looked around fearfully. Those frogs looked mighty hungry… Their tongues were hanging off their mouths, which were drooling like waterfalls. Their pupils were dilated in delirious glee. They were panting like dogs would when presented with a slab of meat. In other words, it was mealtime, and Little Scotty was on the menu!.!.! The poor insect sweatdropped and went blue in the face.
"Uhhh… N-n-n-nice f-f-froggies…" He said with a shudder. He had dropped the net and was hovering around. He gulped loudly as he continued to watch each of the famished frogs. This of course obtained the same effect as dangling the previously mentioned slab of meat over a pack of hungry dogs. The frogs were hopping in place, driven mad by the bee's unintentional teasing.
"Scotty, get away from them!" Trent called frantically. "They're gonna eat ya, mate!"
"WHAT!.?.!" The boy screamed.
"Ya heard him!" Eddie yelled. "Fly away quickly, little one!"
"Ok!" Scotty nodded.
He was about to make his escape when the unthinkable happened. One of the frogs lashed out its tongue and ensnared him!.!.! The poor bee struggled to get free, but it was useless. The reptile retreated its tongue, taking Scotty with it!.!.! The unfortunate child was taken into its mouth and eaten alive! Trent and Eddie gaped in disbelief at the whole thing. Little Scotty, the sweet, slightly annoying boy they've knew for nearly a week, was taken away from them in an instant. They sniffled at the loss of their friend and partner.
Smiling happily, the frog that just ate Scotty began to hop away while the other frogs sulked in jealousy. Just then, there was a rumbling in the lucky one's mouth. It looked at the camera with a wide-eyed look. Its mouth was shaking greatly, like something wanted to get out. Its eyes watered in pain as he struggled to keep its mouth shut. Soon, it wasn't able to take it anymore. With a croak of pain, it reared back and spat out Little Scotty!.!.!
"Ewwwwwww… Froggy drool…" He groaned, trying to rid himself of the sticky fluid he was dripping. Trent and Eddie shook their heads and grinned.
"Scotty! You're alright!" The former exclaimed.
"Hmph!" The latter crossed his arms. "I knew he'd be ok."
"Yeah right." Trent scoffed. "You were ready to go beat up that frog."
Eddie was at a loss. He simply turned away from the smirking croc with a slight blush on his face. Meanwhile, Scotty was smiling at him.
"Is that true, Mr. Ninja?"
"Uhhh… Erm…" The older one stuttered, making the smallest member grin.
"Aw that's ok! I'm glad you—"
The bee couldn't finish for he was captured and swallowed by another frog. He was ready though. He mercilessly stung the amphibian's mouth until it let him go. Right after he was spat out, however, he was eaten by another frog. He too stung that one until he was set free, only to get eaten again. The pattern continued for a good thirty minutes before Trent and Eddie, bored with the show, stepped in, grabbed the boy and the chao, and ran for it, the frogs in high pursuit.
°°End Flashback°°
"I never wanna see another frog every again…" Scotty commented with another shudder.
"Yeah, same here. I've had my fill of frogs for one trip…" Eddie added with a groan.
"Let's go!" Trent ordered, already walking away. "Did you two forget we're still lost?"
"Ugh! He just had to remind me…" The chameleon said, slapping his head as he followed.
"Why do I have to carry this thing?" The youngest member of the team sighed, dragging the chao again.
The trio traveled along for a few moments before they reached a clearing. Screaming was heard as they approached. It was getting louder with each passing second. The detectives looked at each other and grinned. There was someone else in this forest that can help them! Soon, Team Rodriguez emerged, fighting again. Even Cheese was getting into the action as it squeaked at its teammates.
"I told you we shoulda made that left turn!.!.!" Clio shouted at Keoni.
"Chao!"
"And I told you that left turn woulda had us going in circles, cuz!.!.!" The cat barked back (which is kinda ironic if you think about it…).
"Chao!.!.!"
"Well, we're STILL lost, ya lame-os!.!.!" Mackenzie roared.
"CHAO!.!.!"
"Will you shut that thing up!.?.!" The hedgehog and cat ordered.
"I've been trying to for the last hour!.!.!" The rabbit snapped.
"CHAO!.!.!"
"SHADDAP!.!.!" All three of them roared at the chao, who only squeaked back just as loudly.
The detectives sweatdropped as the trio in front of them continued to argue and bicker. They all looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
"So who's gonna go over there?" Scotty asked. "I don't wanna get too close to them…"
"I'm not going! You can forget it!" Eddie shouted.
"And you call yourself the Prince of the Netherworld…" Trent rolled his eyes. "I'll go. Just cover me." He walked towards the fighting team.
"Very well." The ninja complied, drawing his cape around himself as he followed.
"O-o-o-ok…" The bee trembled, dragging the chao behind him.
When they reached Team Rodriguez, Trent cleared his throat in order to get their attention. The trio stopped their fighting turned towards him.
"Excuse me, Sheila." He said politely to Clio, who was in the middle of her team. It seemed that she was preventing Keoni and Mackenzie from going at it. "I was wondering if I can ask you something."
"If it's about a date, you can forget it." Clio said, turning away from him. "You're not my type. You're not even my species for that matter. Besides, I already got a man."
"Tch, you wish." Keoni muttered.
"A date!.?.!" Trent demanded. The hedgehog turned to him. "Whaddya think is, some kinda joke!.?.! We're trying to get outta here and you're going on about a date!.?.!"
"Now hand over that chao nice and easy!" Eddie suddenly commanded, pointing at Cheese. The chao in question yelped and hid behind Mackenzie, who held her chin in thought.
"Hmmm… I already got rid of the first one… Why not lose this one too…?" She mumbled to herself. Appalled, the chao flew up and slapped her upside the head. Both of them glared and growled at each other before the rabbit turned and protectively held her pet. "Back off lame-o! This chao's staying with me! Get your own!"
"Eddie! What are you doing!.?.!" The croc hissed. "We need them to show us the way outta here!"
"I know that!" The chameleon retorted. "But if we get an extra chao, the client will pay us more!"
Trent and Scotty blinked at that. "I never thought of that…" They both said.
"Duh." Eddie said, holding his nose up high. "That's why I'm the Prince of the Netherworld. Now let's get that chao!"
"Yeah!.!.!" The others pumped their fists and turned to the other trio.
"Alright, you girl!" Scotty shouted in disgust, pointing at Mackenzie. "Hand it over before I have to hurt ya!"
"You and what army, you boy!.?" Mackenzie demanded the same way, letting go of Cheese in the process.
"Chao, chao!" It squeaked, floating back up.
"Me and this army!" The bee retorted, raising up his stinger.
"Ha! That little thing's not gonna stop me!" The rabbit scoffed, shaking her fists. "I'm gonna bash ya to next week!"
"Yeah right. You're a girl so you can't fight for beans. Nyah!" He stuck his tongue out at her. Stomping the ground angrily, the girl gritted her teeth at him. Scotty seemed unnerved by this however.
"And why can't a girl fight!.?.!" She shouted.
"Because girls have cooties, so they can't fight!" The bee answered, crossing his arms in midair. "Besides, boys are better than girls so there." He stuck out his tongue again.
"WHAT!.?.!" Mackenzie roared, her temper flaring. "Come down here and say that to my face!" Scotty only laughed at her.
"What the—?" Clio said, finally recognizing her cousin's voice. She turned and felt her eyes go wide. "Little Scotty!.?.! What in the world are you doing all the way out here!.?.!"
"Huh?.?.?" The little boy turned to her and gasped. "Cousin Clio!.?.! You're after that Coconutman guy too!.?.!"
"Wha!.?.!" Trent and Eddie exclaimed. They looked from their partner to the rival team and then to each other.
"What do you mean 'too?'" Clio asked.
"Cousin Lars is going after that bad man too!" Scotty answered. "He's with Regina and this really cool robot toy!"
"Reggie's with him!.?.!" The hedgehog shouted in surprise. "Oh man! Everybody's after that guy, huh?"
"Woah, hold it! Who else is after him!.?" Trent demanded.
"Otto, Twister, and Sam." Keoni answered.
"Yay!.!.! Cousin Twister is out here too!.?.!" Scotty cheered, doing a little jig in the air. Clio sweatdropped at that..
"…I guess…" She shrugged. "They were at the city Coconutman took over."
"There's way too much competition." Eddie whispered to Trent, who nodded in response. "I say we get rid of them. That way we can have Dr. Coconutman all to ourselves."
"I hear ya, mate." The leader said. "If they catch him first, the client won't pay us."
With that, he reached up, grabbed the still-dancing Scotty, and pulled him down to their level. They then started to plan.
"Clio cuz." Keoni beckoned his leader towards him.
"Yeah?" The hedgehog said, leaning over.
"We gotta put a stop to those guys before they find Coconutman."
"Are you crazy!.?" Clio hissed. "You want me to fight my little cousin!.?"
"If ya won't, I will!" Mackenzie whispered, joining in the conversation. "That little punk's asking for it!"
"But we can't—"
"Think about it, cuz." The cat said. "We gotta beat them or else we won't be able to rescue Froggy and Chocola." Clio was still hesitant until he added with a smirk, "Think about what Otto would say if you beat Coconutman…"
"Otto…" She blushed darkly before shaking her head. "Alright, alright! We'll fight them." She said exasperatedly. She turned to the rabbit. "Just don't hurt my cousin too much, ok?"
"Hmph! Fine." The younger girl grumbled, crossing her arms.
They then turned to the other trio, only to find that they too were ready to do battle. The leaders stared hard at each other as if daring the other to blink. Noticing that neither team was going to back down, Trent and Clio glowered at each other.
"I don't know who you think you are, but we're going to find Coconutman and bring him down!" The latter declared.
"Oh no you're not, Sheila!" The croc retorted. "We're going to find him and take in the reward for him! That's what we're getting paid for!"
"Paid?" Clio gave him a curious look.
"Yep!" Scotty shouted happily. "We're playing Detective and we're gonna get a big reward for turning in the bad guy—"
"Don't tell 'em that!.!.!" Eddie cut off him by slapping his hand over the bee's mouth.
"No way! I'm gonna find that dork first and whomp him!" Mackenzie shouted.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese agreed.
"Yeah, right! Why don't you run home to your mommy?.!" The ninja teased. The rabbit growled at that.
"Hey! Leave my friends alone!" Keoni demanded.
Scotty looked at both his teammates and their opponents. He soon grinned in anticipation and punched the air.
"Yeah! Time to rock and roll!"
TEAM BATTLE #3
TEAM RODRIGUEZ VS. TEAM SHRELOCK
Trent and Clio stared the other down as they sized each other up. A few seconds passed before the hedgehog pulled out her Pika-Pika Hammer. The croc's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon.
"No fair! I don't have anything to fight with!" He protested.
"Ha! Defenseless!" Clio shouted, drawing back the mallet. "Hammer Twister!"
She swung her hammer, conjuring up a small tornado. Trent tried to skate away, but it got him first. The swirl of air threw him around and around before tossing him towards the forest. Activating her skates, Clio took off after him. Seeing this as her opportunity, Mackenzie smirked at Little Scotty.
"Alright, you boy, it's time to take out the trash!"
"Hahahahaha!.!.!" Scotty laughed at her. "And how are ya gonna do that, cootie girl? I'm all the way up here and you can't get me! Ha ha!.!.!" And to prove his point, he ascended higher, holding his sides as he kept laughing at the rabbit.
"That's it! You're toast!" Mackenzie bent down, flapped her ears hard, and jumped up. Her ears caught the air, allowing her to fly up towards Scotty with her fist held out. Cheese followed right behind her. The bee continued to laugh until he opened his eyes and gasped.
"UH-OH!.!.!" He screamed, the sight of the irate rabbit closing in causing his eyes to bulge out in fear.
"Now whaddya got to say!.?"
"I say RUN AWAY!.!.!" Scotty scrambled to move just as Mackenzie was level with him. He finally started flying towards the forest, just barely avoiding getting punched. Growling, the girl and chao chased after him.
Meanwhile, Eddie and Keoni were down on the ground glaring at each other. The ninja smirked as he reached into his cape and pulled out some shuriken. They gleamed dangerously in the sunlight. The cat made a noise of slight approval.
"Not bad. Here's mine." He said, bringing out his fishing rod. He swung it around and jabbed the air around him several times in a great display of swordsmanship. He then stood in a defensive stance, holding his "sword" back an inch or so from his face. The chameleon nodded as he pulled down his mask.
"Interesting choice of weapon." He growled out in his tenebrous voice. "Let's see how your pathetic kendo stick fares against my ninja stars of great fury."
Keoni's glare deepened. "I'll show you pathetic! Yah!.!.!" He charged forward.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
'Ugh!' Trent grunted, just barely dodging another tornado from Clio. He was currently skating through the forest as fast as his battered legs could carry him. He looked back to see the hedgehog still in hot pursuit. 'She doesn't give up, does she!.?.!'
"Hammer Twister!" The girl's voice rang out as she used her hammer to knock down a tree. "There's no way I'm gonna lose my chance to get with that hottie Otto! Get back here and fight!"
"Are you crazy!.?.!" The croc yelled back. He quickly darted to the left, narrowly avoiding the huge tree. He rolled along the ground before stopping, getting up on one knee, and taking a frantic look around. Clio was nowhere to be found…
"Oh great…" He said, looking around some more. "Where is she?"
"Hiiiiiiiiii-YAH!.!.!" Clio shrieked, pouncing from nearby bushes. She was holding her hammer above her head, ready to strike! As she drew closer, Trent gritted his teeth, trying to think of what to do.
'I hate to have to attack a Sheila, but she's giving me no choice!'
Thinking fast, he jumped back, dodging the attack. Clio slammed her mallet into the ground, causing a great earthquake that made the birds in the trees fly away. While she was stunned from that move, Trent stepped forward and swung his mighty tail. The scaly appendage hit the hedgehog dead center, sending her flying.
"Augh!.!.!" She cried as she crashed into a tree. Her body was imprinted into it.
Taking this as his opportunity, the croc skated towards her with his fist held out. Keeping her eyes shut, Clio struggled to get free. She gritted her teeth and forced an eye open. That was when she saw her opponent closing in for another strike! She immediately doubled her efforts to get free. Trent was getting closer and closer when Clio freed her legs. She planted her feet against the tree trunk and kicked off, causing her to be propelled towards the rival leader. She let out a war cry as she drew back her weapon. The feet separating them became smaller and smaller until…
°CRASH!°
Both fist and hammer collided with each other as their owners landed on the ground. It was a stalemate. They both pushed the other back, trying to gain the upper hand in the battle. A couple of minutes passed with neither animal getting the advantage against the other. They narrowed their eyes before giving one final shove. They pushed away from each other and jumped towards each other to attack again.
More stalemates were caused, making them go at it over and over again. They rammed into each other at least six or seven times, shifting direction all the while, before they changed their strategies. Clio swung her hammer horizontally, which Trent skillfully dodged. He quickly brought his tail out and attempted to hit the girl with it. The hedgehog jumped sideways, avoiding it. The appendage crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater in its wake. Staring wide-eyed at the apparent display of power, Clio skated away from her opponent. The croc gave chase, following her deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile…
"Oh no, oh no!.!.!" Scotty wailed as he buzzed through the canopies above. "I gotta get away from them!" He chanced a glance backwards and gasped.
Mackenzie and Cheese were right on his tail! Their eyes were red with murderous rage!
"YIKES!.!.!" The bee screamed, increasing his speed. "I gotta do something!"
That was when he looked down and noticed four huge purple flowers like the one he and his teammates found back in that power plant. They were arranged in a square-like pattern. He remembered seeing similar flowers on the trek through Las Vegas. He grinned as an idea formed in his mind.
'I got it!'
He descended towards the flowers, hoping that his plan would work. When he reached them, he took a quick look skywards to see if Mackenzie had followed him. He wasn't disappointed when he saw the rabbit and chao diving right towards him. Smirking, he turned towards the closest flower and stung it. Immediately, the plant rose and its petals opened, revealing a bluish light. Smiling mischievously, he dove into the light. His body was engulfed by the light and he vanished. The flower closed just as the girl and her pet arrived on the scene. They screeched to a halt and just floated in front of the flower.
"Heh, now you're mine!" Mackenzie declared. "…Just as soon as I open this thing…"
She and Cheese inspected the flower, trying to figure out a way to open it. However, nothing they did could open it. They tried punching it, scratching it, kicking it, biting it, and even shooting it with a laser (o.O)! The flower remained intact and closed. The duo panted for a few moments before Mackenzie stood.
"What's the deal with this thing!.?" She shouted impatiently. "Come out already, lame-o!"
"Chao, chao!" Cheese squeaked as it took its place behind her again.
As they attempted to pry open the flower once again, the plant directly behind them started to rise. They were too busy attacking the flower Scotty went into to notice. When the flower behind them rose to its peak, about level to the rabbit and chao, it opened, revealing Little Scotty. The bee was smiling as he stood in a fighting pose. Without warning, he jumped off the flower and zoomed towards his opponent. When he was a couple of feet away, he positioned his stinger right in front of him. He targeted the bunny's bottom and just let his wings do the work. He flew closer and closer until…
°PHONG!°
"YEOWCH!.!.!" Mackenzie screamed in pain. She flew up, holding her butt in pain. Cheese looked at her in confusion until it heard Scotty's laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!.!.! YES!.!.! I gotcha! Hahahahaha!.!.!" He shouted, holding his sides.
"Ohhhhh…" The rabbit sniffled as the pain finally subsided. She then glared daggers at Scotty as she growled. "Why you…!.!.!"
She dived towards him at top speed hoping to land a surprise attack. Unfortunately for her, the bee looked up and cut his giggling fit short with a gasp.
"Yipe!.!.!" He cried as he flew away. The outraged rabbit attacked with a flurry of punches, which the insect frantically dodged before diving into another flower, disappearing from sight again.
"Oh great! Not again!" The girl roared.
She and Cheese pounded away on the flower to no avail. The plant didn't budge for anything. Because they were distracted, Scotty was able to get the jump on them again by kicking his foe. Of course, to an older person, this wouldn't hurt too much. But since Mackenzie was only a year older than him, the attack hurt pretty badly. The bee narrowly escaped getting hit again before hopping into another flower. The rabbit skidded to a stop and stomped the ground in rage. She then turned to her chao, who flinched at the sight of its master's blood red eyes.
"Go make yourself useful and wait by one of the flowers!.!.!"
"Chao!.!.!" Cheese saluted fearfully and did as it was told. It floated by the left flower in the square. It then put up its flipper arms, ready to attack the bee the second he emerged from the flower. Mackenzie snickered as she turned back to the flower.
"Now see ya get me again." She said with a smirk.
'Ok, if ya say so, cootie girl.' Scotty thought evilly.
He was safe inside that very flower. He used the plant's teleporting properties to warp to the flower directly across from Cheese. The flower to Mackenzie's right slowly rose and opened. When the bee emerged, he looked ahead of himself and to his left. Both the rabbit and chao were preoccupied with waiting for him to pop up. Grinning at his strategy, he took flight and rammed right into Mackenzie. What he didn't count on, however, was that she was ready for him. Before he could fly away again, she grabbed his leg and tossed him skyward.
"Woahhhhhhh!.!.!" He shouted as he spun through the air.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Mackenzie yelled as she flapped her ears and flew towards him.
"Ugh… Gotta hurry…!" Scotty grunted through gritted teeth as he tried to correct himself.
After much struggling against the force of the rabbit's toss, he finally righted himself. …Only to get rammed into by said rabbit again. The bee screamed as he was tossed from the trees and over the clearing where he and his teammates first met Team Rodriguez. He finally got himself flying on his own again, allowing himself to take a breather. Unfortunately, it was short lived for Mackenzie and Cheese emerged from the trees, ready to continue their battle. Scotty was ready for her though. Using the power of their SOAP shoes, they zoomed all over the sky as two blurs.
Meanwhile, down below, Eddie and Keoni were really going at it! They were skating alongside each other as fast as they can go, glaring at the other menacingly. The ninja was throwing more shuriken than he knew he had at the cat! Keoni skillfully batted away the stars with his fishing rod. His rod was like a blur as it went back, forth, and in multiple directions to deflect anything the chameleon tossed at him.
Growling at his enemy's successful blocking, Eddie increased his throwing speed. Now the stars were coming at double the speed! Keoni tried his best to dodge and smack away the lethal stars, but he was soon overwhelmed. The "swordsman" soon resorted to actually moving his body to avoid getting hit. He jumped, slid, and even tried stopping at times to dodge. Nothing worked; the chameleon followed his movements almost perfectly.
Keoni was growing desperate when he remembered one of his weapon's most important features. He waited for a break in Eddie's attack before he grabbed the rod with both hands. He pushed one of them forward, revealing his umbrella! It expanded to full capacity. The ninja blinked before glowering and beginning his assault again. Thinking fast, Keoni spun the umbrella in front of him. The shuriken bounced off the fast moving barrier towards their master.
Gasping in surprise, Eddie skidded to a stop and held his arms in front of himself. Luckily for him, his ninja stars merely struck the ground around him. Unfortunately though, his opponent saw this as a perfect opportunity. He turned towards the chameleon, closed his umbrella, and jumped towards him with his rod held high above his head.
Meanwhile, Eddie put down his arms and surveyed the area. He then looked at his cape for any signs of damage. He breathed a sigh of relief soon after.
"Whew… Not a single hole in it…" He blinked and look around. He then said in his creepy voice, "But where's the interloping feline!.?.!"
"Right here, brah!" The ninja looked up and felt his eyes widen at the sight of Keoni, who was coming in for the attack. "Hiiiiiiiiiii-yaaaaaaaaah!.!.!"
°WHAM!.!.!°
He slammed his fishing rod into the side of Eddie's body, tossing him towards a nearby tree. The Prince of the Netherworld collided into it with a sickening slam that echoed throughout the forest. When he was able to feel again, he glared at the cat and growled in anger. He soon blinked and smirked behind his mask. He kicked off the tree and brought his arms around himself.
"Leaf Whirl!.!.!" He cried.
A tornado of dead leaves encircled him. Keoni, not knowing what to expect, held his rod in defense. He watched the attack closely, waiting for any sign of movement. But there wasn't any. After a moment or two, the tornado faded out of sight, along with Eddie. Eyes widening, the cat looked around himself cautiously as he stepped backwards.
°POW!°
"Augh!" He shouted as he felt a strong punch knock him to the ground. Keoni quickly sprang up and swung his "sword," only to hit air. Evil laughter was heard soon after. The cat looked around again.
"Show yourself!" He shouted to the trees.
He was answered with a sharp kick sending him to the ground again. He hurriedly countered by sweeping his rod in an attempt to trip his invisible foe, but again missed. He climbed to his feet, only to see some ninja stars flying towards him! Thinking fast, Keoni put away his rod and somersaulted backwards to avoid the strike. More shuriken came from every direction! The cat slapped his head.
"This just isn't my day…" He groaned, pulling out his rod again.
He swung his "sword" around in an effort to deflect the projectiles. He managed to bat away many of them, but they were still coming in full force! Soon becoming tired from all the deflecting, he decided to forego his previous strategy in favor of darting around the stars. He pulled off some sweet moves as he dodged them. He darted to his left and right, often swinging the rod when one or two strays were coming towards him. He performed many baseball slides to just barely avoid any shuriken that were too high to jump over.
When the stars began to focus on his back, Keoni ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards a tree. Many times, he had to jump forward and roll along the ground to avoid the lethal weapons as he continued towards the tree. Once he reached it, he darted up it, the stars on his tail. He soon jumped off it and batted away the ninja's weapons with wild swings of the rod.
As soon as he landed, the deadly flurry ended, allowing the tired cat a few precious seconds to regain his breath. He no sooner caught his breath when he heard footsteps. They were slow and light, but they didn't escape Keoni's ears for a second. Grinning at this fact, he closed his eyes and held his fishing rod at arm's length in front of him with both hands. He stood perfectly still, willing himself to breathe silently lest he became too loud to hear his opponent draw nearer. The fight between the two flying members high above was long forgotten as was the other battle taking place in the forest. He closed off all unnecessary distractions as he tried to pinpoint the cloaked ninja's position.
Pit pat…
PIT pat…
PIT PAT…
His footsteps grew steadily louder and louder with each passing second. The wind blew, rippling the trees and grass. Keoni ignored it, trying to pick up the other unmistakable sound.
There! He heard it just now! The sound of fabric dancing in the soft breeze. It was so loud, so deafening that Keoni thought he was going to lose his hearing, but he knew that Eddie was dangerously close. He picked up his head and opened his eyes with a determined glower. He lowered his weapon and then swung it low, connecting with something. He heard a pained gasp followed by a soft thud. Keoni turned and saw the chameleon, no longer invisible, kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach.
"Curse you…" He hissed through gritted teeth as he glared at the smiling cat. "H-h-h-how did you…?"
The Hawaiian grinned as he took off his helmet and pointed at his ears. "I heard ya coming a mile away, cuz."
"Well, you won't win so easily!" Eddie shouted, jumping up and reaching into his cape. He pulled out a shuriken and pitched it at him. Keoni barely dodged it before charging at him with his rod.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Woah!.!.!" Trent shouted, trying his hardest to dodge Clio's hammer as the two skated through the forest. "Will ya chill already, Sheila!.?.!"
"For the last time," Clio yelled, swinging her mallet like a mad woman. "My name's not Sheila! It's Clio!.!.! HA!.!.!"
She conjured up a tornado and tossed it at the croc. It connected, sending the New Zealander rocketing through the trees until he crash landed in the very clearing Keoni and Eddie were battling in.
Meanwhile, in the sky above, Scotty was having a tough time avoiding Mackenzie's punches and kicks as well as Cheese's tackles.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" He screamed as he flew around the attacks.
"Stand still already, ya little brat!" The girl shouted, not letting up her attack.
"Chao!" Cheese supplied.
"No way! You got cooties!" The bee retorted.
He turned and desperately tried to sting the rabbit, but Mackenzie grabbed his leg and swung him downwards. If that wasn't bad enough, she followed up with a strong kick, sending him spiraling towards the ground. Poor Scotty tried to regain control, but it was useless. He crashed into the ground, causing a crater to be formed by where Trent landed.
While that was going on, Keoni and Eddie were zooming all over the field, ramming into each other. It was clear that the latter was still mad at the former for that surprise attack earlier. He was doing everything in his power to get revenge on the cat. It took everything Keoni had to defend himself against the ninja's aggravated assault. He got cut a few times and some of the stars even got themselves stuck to his fishing rod. They fought each other inside the glade's perimeter, striking each other as they bounced from tree to tree. They were purple and black blurs as they fought to bring down the other.
Soon, nearly every tree in the vicinity had at least one shuriken embedded into its bark. Within moments, Eddie finally ran out of ninja stars to throw and thus resorted to hand to hand combat. He managed to land a few punches and kicks into his opponent, but Keoni, who was undoubtedly the stronger of the two, easily overpowered the chameleon. He pushed the ninja back towards the clearing before finally casting him down with a hard downwards kick. Eddie was sent rolling to where his teammates were reeling. Team Rodriguez congregated on the trio, getting into fighting poses.
"You're beaten! Now get outta here!" Clio demanded.
"Yeah! Before I have to mess ya up some more!" Mackenzie added.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese supplied, holding up its flippers like fists.
"Ya heard the lady! Beat it, players!" Keoni yelled, holding up his rod, now free of shuriken.
"No way!" Trent barked as he and the rest of his team stood.
"Yeah! We're not gonna lose to you, ya bad guys!" Scotty shouted, preparing to battle some more.
"You can't defeat us, you meddling kids! And that chao too!" Eddie roared.
Sweatdropping, everyone faced him.
"Ran out of stuff to call 'em, mate?" Trent asked him. The chameleon pulled up his mask and rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look.
"Heh, heh… Yeah, I guess so. Sorry…"
Clio sighed and turned to Keoni. "Could you please do the honors? I'm getting a headache."
"Right, cuz!" The cat replied, causing the hedgehog to glare at him.
"Not helping."
"Heh, sorry." He said, sweatdropping.
He then turned to the opposing team, holding his rod straight up. The jewel on his flame ring lit up, causing fire to surround his fishing rod. He roared as he jumped up and pointed his weapon downwards. He then stabbed the ground, sending a flaming crack towards Team Sherlock, who wasn't even aware of the oncoming attack. When it reached them, the crack spilt in two and encircled the team.
Blinking at the sudden increase in temperature, Trent, Little Scotty, and Eddie looked down. The very ground the reptiles were standing on cracked and collapsed, sending them falling down a deep canyon towards a river of molten lava!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" Trent and Eddie screamed.
"Oh no!.!.!" Scotty shouted. He was unaffected since he was flying. Wasting no time, he dove down towards his teammates. Clio gasped in fright.
"LITTLE SCOTTY!.!.! NO!.!.!"
She ran towards the massive hole, followed by the others. When they reached the edge, they looked over and watched what was happening. The brave bee was descending lower and lower into the huge crater, reaching out a hand towards his comrades. He shouted at Trent, who was closer, to reach out to him. Looking up and following the boy's instructions, the leader held out his hand towards Scotty's. He then looked down at Eddie and told him to grab on. Taking a break from screaming in total fright, the ninja desperately grabbed the croc's tail with both arms and held on tightly.
The flying member of the team increased his speed and quickly caught up to his leader. He grabbed the bigger reptile's huge hand with both of his tiny ones, immediately stopping his teammates from falling any further. Scotty flapped his small wings faster, slowing ascending higher and higher. It seemed that they were safe.
But then, the walls of the hole started to close! Panicking, the bee pushed himself to his limits to fly him and the others out of the rapidly closing crevice. Despite this and the encouraging, if one can call them that, screams of the reptiles, Scotty was too tired to make the trip. The fight against Mackenzie severely drained his energy and the heat was starting to get to him. He gritted his teeth as he fought to hang on for as long as it took.
It seemed that all hope was lost when the bee looked up. To his left, just a few feet away, was a warp flower just like the ones he was using earlier! He grinned at the plant that seemed to reach out to him like an angel's hands reach out to those in dire peril. With renewed strength, he pulled his team over to the flower and pressed his stinger to it. The flower's petals opened and a beautiful light engulfed the trio. Without a moment to spare, they flew deeper into the light just as the hole closed with a mighty slam.
Breathing a deep sigh of relief at what she witnessed, Clio let loose tears of happiness as she sat there on the forest floor. Her youngest cousin was safe! She wasn't sure where the boy and his friends went, but that didn't matter. He was far from danger! Wiping her tears and standing up, she and her teammates continued on their journey through the forest in silence.
Meanwhile…
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" Team Sherlock screamed as they skated/flew for their lives. They were being chased by a bunch of wild crocodiles!
"Whose bright idea was it to put that stupid flower in the middle of a swamp full of huge crocs!.?.!" Trent roared.
"Don't look at me!.!.!" Eddie shouted. "Why don't you go and talk some sense into them!.? They're your species! Maybe they'll listen!"
"Are you nuts, mate!.?.! They'll eat me alive!.!.!"
"AHHHHH!.!.! I want my mommy!.!.!" Little Scotty wailed.
"GET US OUTTA HERE!.!.!" They all cried as they ran off into the horizon.
To be continued…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Mid-chapter Conversation
Part One
The scene opened in my trailer. Explosions and running water could be heard outside. There was also the occasional earthquake, no doubt caused by my fan character's new powers.
"We gotta stop Izzy!" I shouted to Iggy as we walked inside. I had recovered my strength during the chapter and managed to get back to the studio. My clothes were still damaged from the battle earlier, but that wasn't my main concern right now.
"But how are we gonna do that, Daddy?" The hedgehog asked, walking over to a window. "I mean Izzy's so much more powerful because of that Dark Chip!"
Outside, Izzy was flying over the studio blasting random buildings. Many of the facilities were on fire and it took everything the fire department had to put out the flames while fending off the furry at the same time. He was cackling insanely as he displayed his newfound powers while flying like a vulture waiting for its next meal to die.
Shuddering, Iggy walked over to the chest, where I was standing hunched over.
"What are you looking for, Daddy?"
"I'm trying to find the battle chips we need to take Izzy down."
"But what could stop pure darkness?" The furry asked nervously.
"Why light of course." I answered, still rummaging through the chest. "And what better source of light than the sun itself?"
Iggy's eyes widened. "The sun?.?.? We're gonna go to outer space to stop Izzy!.?.!"
"Nope." I said, pulling my head out with a smirk. I was holding a handful of chips in my left hand. "My plan requires us to be a little closer to home." I opened my hand, revealing six battle chips. I put three of them into my pocket and handed the other three to Iggy. "We're going to harness the power of the sun in a grand double program advance."
"A program advance? Which one?"
I chuckled as I clenched a fist. "The Piledriver." Iggy gave me a strange look, but I simply winked, confident that things will work out. "Here's the plan…"
Later…
"Bwahahahahahaha!.!.!" Izzy roared with laughter as fires blazed all around him. He was floating in the middle of the back lot, watching his handiwork from a front row seat. "I finally defeated the boss! There's only one more thing to do before I obtain true happiness and that's to destroy Blondie using the powers of my Dark Chip! Gwahahahahaha—"
"Wave battle chip in!" I shouted, jumping down from a nearby rooftop as I put in the chip. "Download!"
My hammer crashed into the ground, causing a giant wall of water to rise and move towards Izzy. It extinguished all the flames until just the dark hedgehog was the only thing left standing before it. He smirked as he raised his sword.
"Yah!.!.!" He slashed the wave, causing it to part in two. Doing this also caused his weapon to fire a blade of energy at me. Thinking fast, I grabbed a new battle chip.
"Yo-yo battle chip in! Download!" My hammer transformed into a spiked yo-yo, which I tossed at the closest building. Once it stuck to the wall, I had it pull me up, just barely avoiding the counterattack.
"Hmph! So you finally recovered, huh?" The ebony one said.
"Yeah!" I replied as I jumped back onto the ground. My mallet turned back to normal. "And we're gonna finish this once and for all!"
"How right you are!" Izzy yelled, raising his sword again. He was about to strike when…
"Aqua Tower battle chip in! Download!" Iggy's voice cried as he made an entrance much like mine.
He slammed his mallet onto the ground on Izzy's left, making a great geyser erupt and move towards his brother. The water got rid of the fire on his side of the arena, but Izzy easily blocked the attack by holding up his right hand, which contained a battle chip of his own.
"Dark Aura battle chip in! Download!"
He inserted the chip into his sword's hilt. Seconds later, a black barrier encased him, effectively defending him. He then looked at me before facing his younger brother.
"So you're both gonna try a two pronged attack against me, huh?" He snickered, preparing to attack again. "That's just fine. Use whatever tactic you want!"
He was getting ready to swing again.
"Now Iggy!" I ordered, taking out two battle chips. Iggy did the same.
"Sanctuary and Life Aura battle chips in! Double download!" We said at the same time.
Once our chips were inserted, hundreds of Holy Panels coated the entire area as purple barriers surrounded Iggy and me. Due to the angelic power of the panels, Izzy's Dark Aura shattered and white electricity crackled around him. He threw his head back in pain as he was lowered onto the ground. He was forced to kneel to keep himself from falling.
"GAH!.!.! What's this!.? I'm getting weaker!.? YEOW!.!.!" He grunted as he tried to move to no avail. "I'm paralyzed too!.? This is just great! Get me outta here!.!.! OW!.!.!"
"Now's our chance, Iggy!" I shouted, running towards the disabled furry. Iggy followed suit. We stopped a few feet away and took out the three most vital chips to my plan. I looked at the trembling boy. "You ready!.?"
"Y-y-yeah!" Iggy answered with a gulp. "Let's hurry before he gets outta that!"
"Right!" I nodded, holding my left hand above my head. The light hedgehog did the same.
"Gun Del Sol One, Two, and Three battle chips in! Triple download!"
We inserted the chips in the correct order, allowing us to obtain the desired effect. A golden energy covered our mallets immediately after the last chip was put in. It was near blinding so we had to hold our hands over our eyes. At the same time though, the light felt warm, as if the sun's rays were warming up my spirit and driving away the dreadful cold Izzy's soul of darkness caused.
I closed my eyes and embraced the warmth. It felt heavenly and inviting, like nothing can ever harm me if I held on to the light. I soon opened my eyes and turned to find Iggy lost in his own world. It seemed that he too felt safer in the golden light, protected from his evil brother. I frowned at him before shaking my head. We still had a job to finish.
"C'mon Iggy, let's do it!" I shouted. Iggy opened his eyes and put on a determined look as he turned to me.
"Ok Daddy!"
We both held up our golden hammers, letting them gleam in the sunlight.
"Program Advance: Piledriver!"
We slammed our mallets into the ground, allowing the Holy Panels to suck in the gold energy. A huge green rune encircled Izzy soon after. On the perimeter of the circle were four bigger circles that were facing the four cardinal points. Iggy and I then held up our hammers to the great sun above. Again, they began to glow with a golden aura.
"You remember that word I told you to say, right Iggy?" I asked him.
"Yeah!" The hedgehog replied with a nod.
"Scream it out as loud as you can!"
We both took a deep breath before yelling out…
"TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!"
As soon as the word left our lips, four ancient looking columns rose out of the circles in the rune. On top of each of them was what appeared to be satellite dishes. The hammers' glowing grew blinding again, but we never wavered.
"TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!" We repeated.
The stone satellites began to charge up sunlight. Slowly, they glowed with white energy. It was a beautiful sight to see. Soon, the satellites were as bright as a solar eclipse. The sun's light was magnified tenfold! Iggy and I gritted our teeth as we struggled to keep it together.
"T-T-T-T-TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!" Our voices quavered slightly.
The ground shook as the satellites moved into position. They all targeted the middle of the rune, where Izzy was reeling. The dark hedgehog gasped when he realized what was happening. He looked around himself before facing me.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh no?" I challenged, keeping my eyes shut. "TAIYOU!.!.!"
The two satellites in front of and behind Izzy charged even more energy into them! Eyes widening, the winged furry squeezed his fists and concentrated all of his energy into escaping. The white lightning crackling around him soon turned black as did the Holy Panels generating the energy. The hedgehog's eyes glowed a dangerous red as he felt his stamina returning. He stood up and floated above the air again.
"Daddy!" Iggy cried, cracking open an eye. "He's going to get away!"
"Oh no he's not!" I replied. "Now!.!.!"
"TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!"
With that final shout, all four satellites fired the charged up sun energy at Izzy. All of them connected, causing the dark one's body to glow brightly. He threw his head back and screamed in agony. Iggy and I grinned in victory. It seemed that it was finally over.
"Heh, heh, heh! Hahahahahahahahahaha!.!.!" Izzy roared with laughter. We snapped our eyes open and turned to him.
He was blocking the attack!.!.! A slim layer of darkness was standing between him and the sun energy!.!.! Lightning was crackling all around him. He grinned evilly when he noticed our looks of horror.
"You actually thought I was down and out!.?" He snickered. "Clearly you boys underestimate the power of the Dark Chip! YAH!.!.!"
With that, the thin wafer-like layer of dark energy grew into a barrier, drawing back the sun lasers! Immediately, Iggy and I felt a great strain coming from our mallets. They were quickly losing strength! We grabbed our weapons with both hands and concentrated, praying that the Piledriver would overcome Izzy's awesome power. The black started to hit the streams of white when…
°BZZZZZZTPT!.!.!°
"What the—!.?.!" Izzy shouted. "YEOWCH!.!.!"
"Huh?.?.?" Iggy and I opened our eyes to see what was going on.
A single ring was stuck on the winged hedgehog's barrier. It was crackling electricity, which seemed to be shocking him. Izzy's darkness seemed to retreat a bit as a result. The ring soon ran out of juice and fell to the ground with a clang. Glaring and his body smoking, he looked up and around.
"Who threw that!.?.!" He demanded.
"I did!" A familiar voice responded as footsteps approached. As they got louder, Izzy snarled.
"You!.!.! Figures you'd come when I'm unable to touch you!"
Because we were still trying to force back Izzy's power, Iggy and I were unable to see the newcomer, not that we didn't know who he was.
Sam walked in front of Izzy, preparing to grab another fake ring from his satchel.
"What do you think you're doing, fox-brat!.?.!"
"It's pretty obvious, don't you think? I'm going to stop you!" The fox replied, pulling out a ring. He reached back and pitched it at his rival, shocking him again. As the paralyzing electricity crackled around his body, the darkness retreated even more. I looked and blinked when I understood what he was doing.
"Izzy needs to concentrate in order to block the Piledriver." I said under my breath. "So Sam is distracting him to give us a chance. Iggy!" I turned to the boy in question. "Don't give up! We're almost there!"
"O-o-o-ok, Daddy!" Iggy complied through gritted teeth.
"TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!" We shouted, increasing the beams' power. Izzy gasped when he noticed how much harder it got to hold his shield.
"I'm not gonna lose!" He declared, increasing his own power.
"Oh no you don't!" Sam yelled before pelting him with ring after ring.
The shocking effects of the golden bracelets were too much for Izzy to handle. His darkness kept diminishing further and further until just a sliver was remaining like before. Iggy and I smirked at the desperate hedgehog before turning to each other and drawing another deep breath.
"TAIYOUUUUU!.!.!" We shouted one final time.
The solarbeam made one final push, shattering Izzy's last defense! He body glowed a hot white as his screams filled the entire area. After a few moments, there was a black puff of smoke in the crossfire before the beams finally disappeared, having done their job. Izzy, who was no longer black, but purple and wingless, dropped to the ground. His legs were wobbling weakly. There was a dizzy expression on his face. He was stumbling around drunkenly. He was burnt in some areas, but otherwise, he was ok. The Dark Sword transformed back into his mallet before spitting out the cause of all this. The soul of darkness that possessed him left his body and returned to the Dark Chip. As if controlled by that very soul, the chip floated back to Izzy's pouch, where it was safe and sound.
"Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled shakily. "That Dark Chip really packs a wallop! Ohhhh…" He fainted.
"Izzy logging out." The casual computer voice said as his body disappeared. All three of us sighed with relief and before walking over to each other.
"Thanks a lot, Sammy-Sam!" Iggy cheered, hugging the fox boy. He nuzzled his head against Sam's chest in gratitude.
"Uhhh… You're welcome?" Sam said, sweatdropping at the hedgehog's affection.
"Whew… I'm so glad that's over…" I sighed with relief. "I'm beginning to wonder if bringing over these battle chips was such a good idea…" I shook my head before turning to the camera. "Anyway, see ya next time, folks! Here's hoping we have as much action in the next half of the chapter!"
All of us waved goodbye. Well, I did anyway. Iggy was still hugging a freaked out Sam, who couldn't even move his arms.