Mid-chapter Conversation
Part Two
We open this conversation in the No Worries Pictures Studios…or what's left of it, anyway… The majority of the place was in shambles following Izzy's little power surge. Many of the buildings that were still standing were in terrible disrepair. It seemed as if they may collapse at any moment. Debris, upturned earth, and the occasional cow(!.?.!) were everywhere. The entire backlot was full of trailers that housed the various film crews, actors, and of course, the two brothers and me. It was a real shame looking at the place. It looked as if it was a war zone or at the very least like a tornado smashed it, trampled it, crushed it, and just for kicks, took the watertower and dumped it in some faraway land with witches, flying monkeys, midgets, roads made out of yellow blocks, and one cowardly lion! Oh my!
But with the occasional disaster comes an opportunity to start over, rebuild, start from scratch, save the game before the huge and super hard boss battle and hit the Reset button when ya lose, and of course erase the mistakes of the past! (Not games mind you! MISTAKES!.!.! There's a difference between erasing games and erasing the past, people!.!.!) Already, the seeds of revival have been planted. All over the studio, reconstruction has begun. The Glorft, our alien servants sent oh so thoughtfully to us by our pal, Warior, have been, in addition to cleaning up the mess, working on the frames of the new buildings and reinforcing them. Luckily, by using their advanced technology, they managed to fix it so that all of the studio's facilities will be strong enough to withstand a nuclear bomb—and judging by how often Izzy blows his top, I'm sure we'll need it!
Oh, and speaking of the irritable hedgehog, he was grunting and groaning as he lifted wood, steel, and other materials to the workers. He was covered in sweat, tears, dirt, grime, and strangely, nacho cheese (it was just a little past lunchtime). Instead of his usual attire, he was wearing a black fez, a black and white striped vest, and a huge ball and chain on his right ankle as well as an average pair of sneakers. Needless to say, the large piece of jewelry on his leg was making it difficult to transport materials to everyone. He got a lot of slack from the construction crew because he was taking too long getting everybody what they needed.
The new footwear wasn't making things much easier. After all, Iggy was the one that got the shoes for him to replace the air skates. Izzy wasn't allowed to use the coveted shoes to zip from one point to the next as punishment for his latest indiscretion. He cringed every time he took a step forward. This was mainly because of the fact that not only did he have to adjust to his new kicks, but Iggy got him shoes that were a size smaller than his older brother's feet! According to the little boy, it would make Izzy look thinner—and, again according to him, the older furry was beginning to look a little rounder, an offense that Izzy would've been more than happy to rectify if only he had his mallet and battle chips. But alas, I took both away from him after catching him.
"Aw Boss, have mercy!" He begged as he walked by Iggy and me yet again. He was pushing a rather large cart filled with wet cement. "At least let me have my air skates back! This is torture!"
I took a long sip from my cherry soda and sat up from my beach chair. I gave the boy a look over and tipped my sunglasses forward. After a brief moment, I put them back on and leaned back against the chair.
"Sorry Izzy." I replied casually. "Ya know the penalty for not only disobeying your creator, but destroying a studio that doesn't even belong to us."
As expected, the boy growled and muttered some curses. I only gave him a look of irritated impatience. Noticing the look, he sighed reluctantly and put on a look of forced calm, and even that was putting it lightly for someone like Izzy.
"Hmph! That's better." I said, dropping my glower and relaxing again. I took another sip from my drink and sighed. "Ya know, you should really consider yourself lucky this is all I'm making you do."
"Oh?" Izzy started sarcastically. "And why, pray tell, should I?"
"Well…" Iggy cut in, taking a break from licking his ice cream. He pulled out my copy of Dimension Hopper Rules, Tenth Edition (Don't ask why he had it). He flipped a few pages before yelling out "FOUND IT!.!.!" He cleared his throat and prepared to read as I, Izzy, and everyone else in a ten mile radius tried to recover their hearing. "'Rule Five Hundred Eighty-Seven: An author's partner may never attack, kill, disembowel,—whatever that means—or otherwise bring harm to said author.'"
"…" If he had eyebrows, Izzy would raise them. "And…?.?.?"
"I'm getting to it!" Iggy snapped before looking back in the book. "'If the partner in question'—that's you by the way—" Izzy growled at him in response, causing him to yelp and get back to reading. "'—attacks the author or for that matter, disobeys any order given, the author may exercise his right to not only punish said partner in any way he chooses, but also, in the case of subsequent violations, may be assigned a new partner and have the old one incarcerated in the proper detainment facility'—that's jail—'in the partner's original dimension for as long as said author shall live.'"
I gave my younger fan character a curious look before shrugging.
"Heh, I didn't know you could pronounce words like 'subsequent,' Iggy." I gave the little hedgehog a thumbs-up. "Good job."
"Thanks Daddy!" Iggy shouted with a huge grin. He then puffed out his chest proudly. "I've been paying attention in school!"
"And it shows too! Keep up the good work, kiddo!" I said, ruffling his quills playfully. The boy giggled in response.
Izzy, meanwhile, was pale and shaking after hearing that rule. That only lasted for a few seconds before he went red in anger.
"Incarcerated!.?.! They can't do that!" He roared as he stomped around…and then cursed me and Iggy out due to the pain caused by the ball & chain and the uncomfortable sneakers. "What on earth was the reasoning behind that rule!.?.!"
I shrugged. "Probably because violators of the rule are menaces to society, so the only possible place they can go is straight to jail."
"Or in your case," Iggy added, chuckling. "A crazy house."
"BUST!.!.!" He and I shouted before rolling around in laughter. Izzy sweatdropped and put on his usual "charming" look. He turned to the camera and pulled out a sign that read, "What'd I do to deserve this!.?.!" before turning back to us.
"…So I take it I couldn't use my mallet right this moment?"
"Weren't you listening?" I asked, taking a couple of deep breaths to get my laughs out of my system. "I could put you in jail for the rest of my life."
"Yeah!" Iggy agreed. "You don't wanna go there!"
"I dunno…" Izzy shrugged and rolled his eyes. "At least I'd be back in the Pokémon Dimension."
"But you'd be in jail!"
"Like last time, I fail to see the threat." The older brother retorted with his arms crossed. Iggy and I merely exchanged exasperated looks before turning back to Izzy.
"Well, I think out little chat is done." I started. "Get back to work."
"Aw! I was hoping you'd forget!" Izzy cried out, tears falling like waterfalls.
"Deal with it." I told him sternly. "Didn't you hear how Mike reacted when he returned to the studio nearly three months ago?" Izzy blinked and glared at me and Iggy.
"I was in the hospital resting no thanks to you two and that stupid fox!"
"Tsk, tsk…" Iggy said, wiggling his finger reproachfully. "Excuses, excuses."
"Not to mention it's a pretty pathetic one." I added, crossing my arms. "Anyway, he was pretty upset by the sounds of it. It's a good thing we got talented workers like you and the Glorft to rebuild the studio and make it good as new." I snickered at that one.
"Yeah!" Iggy cheered, getting the joke. "Make the whole place shine!"
"Yeah, whatever…" Izzy grumbled, going back to pushing that cement cart to the busy workers.
"Ahhh…" I sighed guiltily. "I hate being the heavy…"
"Don't worry about it, Daddy." Iggy comforted. "He'll learn to respect Sammy-Sam. …Someday…"
"Heh, I hope so." I then turned to the camera. "Welcome to Part Two of Chapter Twelve, folks! Sorry we left ya hanging for so long. It's so hard to find time to write the scripts for these fics. Hope you can forgive the long wait because we got some real action and comedy for ya this time!
"When we last left ya, our heroes traveled through the dangerous Frog Forest on a cross country trek that led them to the even more treacherous Lost Jungle. Both areas were full of these giant frogs that can summon rain with just one croak. Sometimes the rain was good and helped the many plants grow, therefore allowing the four teams to move onward. But other times, however, the rain killed the plants, hampering progress for everyone.
"Thankfully, everyone was able to survive the horrifying experience, only to meet up with each other. Due to conflicting goals, the four teams had to fight one another. Team Rodriguez had to take on Team Sherlock in a grand battle royale that ended in a rather…sharp way for the detectives. Now, in not one, not two, but THREE parts, we will take a look at the battle between Team Lars and Team Rocket. Who will win this all out brawl between the two strongest sets of furries in Ocean Shores!.?"
"Ugh! My money's on Lars." Izzy grunted as he walked past me and Iggy while dragging a huge plank. We both sweatdropped as we watched him struggle.
"…Anyway…" I started again. "For this first part of the second half of the chapter, we're gonna see just how these two teams got to this point in their journey. Expect to see some misfortune with more giant animals, plenty of screaming, and of course, insult after lovely insult. Enjoy everybody! Oh, and sorry again about the long wait…" I waved at the camera.
"And thanks a lot Mikey-Mike and Mr. Warior for the cool reviews! We'll see ya a bit later!" Iggy added, waving wildly as the screen faded out.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Rocket Heroes
Chapter Twelve
Team Tussle Two
Part Two-One
"Ugh! We've been in this forest for hours!.!.!" Twister complained. "When do we get outta here!.?"
"How should I know, bro!.?" Otto replied, looking back. "Just keep moving! We'll get outta here eventually!"
"Brrrr… I'm so c-c-c-cold and w-w-wet!" Sam shivered. "What on earth made me decide to come out here with the two of you-you—ACHOO!.!.!"
"Gesundheit!" The other furries said to the sniffling fox.
The hedgehog, echidna, and kitsune were skating through the forest, desperate to find a way out and continue their pursuit of Dr. Coconutman. They were cold, hungry, and especially wet because of those darn frogs! Their quills and fur were sticking to their bodies. The muggy Florida weather was also making them smell as bad as a compost heap! Although they were naturally used to hot conditions, they couldn't take the humidity! Their sweat mixed in with the water, making hard for them to breathe, not to mention heavier. It became increasingly harder to maintain a steady pace. Sam started to fall back when he spoke up.
"Otto…" He breathed as they reached a clearing that was next to a lake. "Do you…think we can…take a…break!.?"
"Are you kidding!.? We're making good time!" The leader answered.
"C'mon Ottoman… I'm wiped… Let's stop for a sec…" Twister panted.
"Oh alright, you big babies!" Otto shouted, throwing up his hands. He then skidded to a stop, followed shortly after by the others. "Five minutes! Got it!.?"
"Got it…" The others said with a sigh as they prepared to relax for a few precious minutes. Otto turned away with a huff and walked over to look for some shade.
"I gotta get all this water off of me…" Sam groaned, watching water drip off his right arm. He got on all fours and shook his body like a dog.
"Huh?.?.?" Twister, who was standing right next to the fox, gasped when he saw the torrent of water heading towards him. Putting on an exasperated look, he held his breath and closed his eyes.
°SPLASH!°
"Augh!" The echidna cringed when the abrupt shower ended. He raised his arms and surveyed the "damage" before glaring at Sam. "Squid!"
"Ahhhhh… Much better…" A perfectly dry Sam said as he stood up again. His fur, though dry, was now extremely fuzzy and stuck out everywhere. He blinked and looked at his limbs, belly, and tails. He then sweatdropped and grinned sheepishly at the camera. "Heh, heh… Guess I'm not quite done yet…"
He reached behind him and took out a brush. He took off his still dripping helmet and pads before running the brush through every inch of his fur. He pushed down his unruly coat until it was as good as new. Twister crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as the kitsune brushed the fur between his ears until it went in two separate directions, making him look quite distinguished. He gave the camera a cheesy movie star smile and a wink, causing the others to gag. He put his helmet back on and turned to his teammates.
"Twister," He said, giving the echidna a strange look. "You're all wet!" Said echidna growled dangerously at him.
"Not funny…"
Sam blinked. "What?"
"Heh, forget about it, Squid." Otto said. He was laying on a nearby rock, watching their antics. "Twist's just mad because we couldn't take any of those frogs with us."
"Am not!" The spike fisted one snapped. The hedgehog only smirked coolly at him.
"Yeah right. I saw that look on your face whenever we passed one of them. You wanted to take one home to keep as a pet."
"…" Twister went red in the face as he put on a guilty look. "Ok, ok! I wanted one of those frogs so that I can cool off all the time with that rain it can start up. Ya know how hot it gets back home!"
"Was that your only reason?" Sam asked, putting his pads back on.
"Yes…?" He said uncertainly. The other two gave him a skeptical look. Knowing full well he couldn't keep his true motive from his friends, he sighed and said in a small voice, "I wanted to get one so that it could eat Lars…"
"Figures." The fox rolled his eyes. "Like a frog would want to eat him."
"I dunno…" Otto shrugged, keeping his smirk on. "I'd love to see that actually happen."
"You would." Sam muttered, looking the other way.
"Man, getting one of those giant frogs woulda been all time!" Twister moaned, shaking his head.
"Get real, Twist! Your mom would never let you keep one!"
"Why not? It could help her out in the garden, couldn't it?"
"…" The fox and hedgehog looked at each other and held their chins.
"I guess…" The latter answered.
"Its rain does seem to promote plant growth…" The former added. He grinned. "Those frogs would be perfect for Ocean Shores! We'd never have to worry about another drought ever again!"
"Get real, Einstein. We can't take any of these frogs."
"Awwwwww…" Sam and Twister groaned, lowering their heads.
"You're right Otto…" The fox concurred. "We can't take the frogs out of their natural habitat, no matter how convenient it'd be for us. We'd be damaging this entire ecosystem."
Twister sniffled. "I can't believe I didn't think of that!" He covered his eyes as guilty tears fell.
"I could…" Sam muttered sweatdropping. The hedgehog gave his best bro a weirded out look before shrugging at Sam.
"Actually, we can't take any of them because we couldn't carry one and deal with Merv at the same time." He clarified.
The fox fell over.
"Oh it's so good to know you got your priorities in mind!" He shouted sarcastically as he stood.
"We're out here to stop Merv from destroying every skate park in the world, not take frogs for your little science experiment!"
"Science experiment!.?.!" Sam demanded hotly. "How dare you!.?"
"I saw ya taking notes Squid! Ya wanted to take those frogs back so that you can dissect them!"
"You were what!.?.!" Twister shouted at the fox.
"So what if I was!.?" Sam roared, ignoring the echidna. "If I found out what caused the frogs and every other animal in this crazy forest to grow to immense size, it'd be a scientific breakthrough!"
"What, like that alligator that almost ate us!.?" Otto yelled as he stood on top of the rock.
"Yeah! That woulda been some experiment, huh Squid!.?" Twister supplied. "A lotta good that woulda been inside that thing's stomach!" Sam gulped at the horrible memory.
°°Flashback°°
"Yaaaaaahooooooo!.!.!" Otto shouted as he grinded down a steep vine in the swamp, followed by his teammates.
"Yeaaaaaaahhhhh!.!.!" Twister yelled, crouching to catch up to his best bro.
"AAAAAHHHHH!.!.!" Sam screamed in fear as he struggled to stay balanced.
"This is so awesome!" The hedgehog cheered as the vine twisted around a large tree trunk.
"Yeah! This is so cool!" The echidna agreed.
"This is so…sickening…" The fox groaned, leaning his head over the water as the vine straightened out.
"C'mon Squid, lighten up!" Otto yelled back, dancing along the vine.
"Yeah! Hang loose!" Twister added, following suit. Glowering at them and fighting the urge to vomit again, Sam danced as well to catch up.
"I already told you! I'll lighten up as soon as we're safe and sound at home! Til then, I want out of this!"
The other two boys rolled their eyes at that comment.
"We haven't seen any robots or frogs for a long time, Sammy." Twister started. "Can't you just chill til we get outta here?"
"Yeah!" Otto agreed, looking ahead. There seemed to be a path of swings going over a stream a few yards away. "We're safe. All we gotta do is swing over that bit of swamp and we're done!"
Sam blinked and gave his leader a cautious look. "Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure! Let's hit it!"
"Right behind ya, Ottoman!" Twister called after the hedgehog.
"Oh ok!" The fox said with a sigh. "Wait for me!"
The trio continued grinding down the vine until it eventually ended with a jump pad. They were sent hurdling over a bunch of yellow flowery platforms, one of which had a spring pointing towards the swings. Three black frogs were standing on them. As soon as they saw the team of furries, they began to croak!
"Crap! Jump for it!" Otto ordered.
"Woah!.!.!" Twister yelped as he scrambled for the spring.
"Ahhhh!.!.!" Sam screamed.
Just as the destructive rain fell and destroyed the three flowers, the team jumped and used their homing attack to hit the spring. With three successive boings, they were propelled over the water towards the first swing. Otto reached a hand out and grabbed on. Twister grabbed his legs and Sam grabbed the echidna's. They all breathed a sigh of relief as they swung on that vine.
"Man that was a close one!" The orange one shouted. "What was the deal anyway!.?"
"My guess is they were trying to lead us deeper into the swamp." The yellow one explained. "The question is why?"
"Think they knew where Merv is hiding?" The red one asked.
"I doubt it, Ottoman. They could be leading us into a trap."
"Ugh! Another one!.?" Twister groaned. "How many more do we have to go through!.?"
"Chill dude. We all knew it wasn't gonna be easy. We just gotta keep going." The hedgehog said. "C'mon, let's get outta here. My arms are killing me!"
"Ha! Now you know how I feel whenever I have to carry you!" Sam teased. The one in the sunglasses glared at him.
"Let's just move!"
With that, the trio swung back and forth, gaining momentum, before jumping to the next swing. They soared through the muggy air and caught the second vine. At the arch of their swing, they let go and flew towards the third swing. They almost slipped when they reached the fourth one, but they were able to hang on and continue on their way.
They traveled along peacefully for some time. They saw some exotic-looking birds during their trip. Unlike the frogs the group had to deal with, they were actually a normal size. During a transition between trees, Sam took out his notepad and made a note of this fact. He was so busy taking notes that he didn't notice he was falling! Luckily, Twister caught him, but the sudden grab caused the fox to drop his pad. Sam gaped as it plunged towards the water and glared at his friend.
"Twister! Those were my notes!.!.!" He protested.
"Relax Squid." Twister said coolly as they swung to another vine. "You can get another one."
Needless to say, this caused yet another argument between the two. Otto sighed exasperatedly and shook his head as he continued his Tarzan act.
Down below, a pair of scaly and yellow eyes poked through the surface of the water. Those eyes looked way too big and wide to be considered normal. The sinister reptilian orbs surveyed the area for tasty morsels when a low whistling sound was heard. The owner of the eyes didn't have time to look up before the notepad crashed into its head. The water around the eyes bubbled dangerously as a lump formed on the reptile's head. It turned and looked up towards the swinging trio (two of which were still fighting). It glared at them icily before sinking back into the water. A few seconds passed before…
°SPLASH!.!.!°
"And another thing—!.!.!"
Sam couldn't finish his rant for a loud roar was heard. The beastly sound caused all movement to cease to a halt. The birds that were perched on trees stopped chirping. Others that were flying froze in midair! At a nest, a worm that was about to become lunch for a young chick stopped its decent into the bird's beak.
Team Rocket was affected as well. Their vine froze on the backswing as all the color drained from their bodies, making them transparent to the background as if they were just drawn on the animation cell. They gulped and shuddered as the bellow echoed around them. Their bones creaked as they faced each other.
"Sh-sh-sh-should we l-l-look…?" Twister asked.
"M-m-might as well…" Otto said with a shaky nod.
"Ohhhh man…" Sam trembled in fright. His eyes were closed and tears fell towards the swamp as he squeezed the echidna's legs for safety.
Bones creaking again and the color returning to their bodies, the trio turned around to face…
"It's a GIANT ALLIGATOR!.!.!" Sam screamed at the sight of the looming creature.
It stood at well over fifty feet tall! Its sharp and lethal teeth gleamed in the sunlight, as did its equally dangerous claws! The reptile looked at them with only one thing on its mind: LUNCHTIME!.!.!
"SWING FOR YOUR LIVES!.!.!" Otto cried.
"GET US OUTTA HERE!.!.!" Twister yelled.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!.!.!" The leviathan lunged towards them with its jaw wide open!.!.!
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!.!.!" The trio screamed as time unfroze. They quickly swung over to the next vine just as the gator's mouth snapped shut on the vine they were just using!
"Of all the things to be gigantic in this forest, we have to deal with an alligator!.!.!" Twister started as they narrowly avoided becoming lunch. "Why couldn't it have been a giant bunny rabbit or something!.?.!"
"Because it woulda been too convenient! Duh!.!.!" Otto replied as he let go of the vine and grabbed the next one.
"Those frogs really were leading us to a trap!.!.!" Sam shrieked hysterically. "Go faster! FASTER I SAY!.!.!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying!.!.!" The hedgehog screamed back as they reached another swing, just barely keeping ahead of the carnivore. He then muttered to himself, "Backseat swinger…"
"AHHHHH!.!.! Whadda we do, whadda we do!.?.! We're gonna be gator chow!.!.!" The echidna panicked.
The alligator began to zero in on the frightened trio before it pounced on them again!
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!.!.!" Sam did a double take as he looked into the face of death. "Screw this!.!.! I'm taking over!.!.!"
With that, he frantically spun his twin tails, barely avoiding getting eaten. The appendages were moving with the speed of a hurricane as he crazily pulled Otto and Twister along the river, the gator in hot pursuit. He was dangling Twister by the legs and the echidna was also holding a screaming hedgehog. The sight of its prey moving around at sixty miles per hour drove the alligator crazy. It had to have its snack NOW!.!.!
The hungry lizard doubled its efforts to catch the trio by snapping at them every few seconds! Fortunately, nothing can hit a Squid when he's scared out of his mind. The fox weaved and bobbed and dodged the gator's attacks like a mad person. All four of them were blurs as the chase continued deeper into the swamp.
The chase finally ended when Sam saw the goal ring getting closer and closer. It was floating over a ridge at the end of the swamp. He looked back and saw that the giant alligator was right on their tails. Try as he might to swerve out of the way, the gator would stay right on their backs. It was determined to have its well deserved meal. Thinking fast, the fox flew along the surface of the water towards the ridge. Otto and Twister panicked at the unexpected maneuver and struggled to stay above the water, lest the huge beast ate them.
"Squid! What're ya doing!.?.!" Otto yelled, spitting out water.
"Are ya crazy!.? Pull up!.!.!" Twister added.
"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Sam told them.
He continued towards the ridge as fast as his tails could propel them. The alligator abandoned its lunging strategy to follow the trio underwater. As Sam got closer to the goal, a large black shadow appeared just below the surface. Noticing this, the hedgehog and echidna screamed bloody murder. The kitsune stayed on course however.
'C'mon…' He thought with gritted teeth. 'Just a few more seconds…'
The yards closed in as the giant's snout broke the surface just below Otto's head. The hedgehog's eyes widened as he went blue in the face. He looked up at the concentrating fox.
"Squid, pull up before I become the world's first Cajun hedgehog NOW!.!.!" He ordered.
"Almost there!" The bespectacled furry shouted, nearing the cliff.
Otto and Twister fearfully looked down. The gator's head was now above the water! It loomed over them and opened its jaw, getting ready to end it! The hedgehog and echidna screamed and yelled at Sam to pull up. Drool fell from the beast's mouth as it reared back, preparing for the final strike.
"AHHHHHH!.!.! THIS IS IT!.!.!" Twister yelped.
"NO!.!.! It can't end like this!.!.!" Otto added.
The kitsune blinked as he was within ten yards of the ridge.
"NOW!.!.!" He shouted and ascended as quickly as his tails and the weight of his comrades would permit. The trio barely cleared the monster's jaws before landing safely on the ridge.
As for the alligator, well…
Its eyes widened when it noticed it was heading for the wall! It made a screeching sound as it tried to stop itself, but it was going too fast! Eventually…
°SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!.!.!°
°CRASH!.!.!°
°SHATTER!.!.!°
Eyes spinning and one huge lump growing out of its head, the defeated gator sunk into the swamp, leaving our heroes to grab the goal ring. The trio panted and brought air into their lungs. Once they regained their breath, they walked over and grabbed the ring, ending the stage for them. They all heaved a sigh of relief as they sat on the grassy ground.
"Oh man, that was close…" Twister was the first one to speak.
"Yeah… No kidding…" Otto nodded before turning to Sam. He promptly grabbed his chest fur and pulled him in close. "NEVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN!.!.! WHEN I SAY 'PULL UP,' PULL UP!.!.! GOT IT!.!.!"
Sam gulped and nodded. "G-g-g-got it…"
"Good…" The hedgehog growled before dropping him. "Now let's go!"
Twister stood and walked after him. Once Sam got his breath back, he too stood and followed them. He soon licked his lips and rubbed his sweaty forehead.
"Whew! After that workout, I could sure use a drink."
"It's gonna have to wait, Squid." Otto said, looking back. "There's no clean water anywhere in this swamp."
"Uhhh… I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ottoman…" Twister said nervously. The others gave him a questionable look.
"Whaddya mean, bro?"
The echidna just pointed up in response. The other two followed his gaze and gasped. There was a bunch of frogs on top of the nearby mushrooms!.!.! And they were all croaking!.!.! The leader put on an exasperated look as he turned to the camera.
"I hate frogs…" He moaned as thunder clapped and a great shower fell.
°°End Flashback°°
Sam shuddered after Twister told the story. "I-I-I w-w-wonder if we have to w-w-worry about anymore g-g-giant things that shouldn't be giant!.!.!"
Otto shrugged as he jumped off the rock. He spun in midair, causing his own moisture to leave him…and soak Twister. The echidna growled in annoyance as his leader landed and proceeded to groom himself.
"Well, who knows how much further we have to go, but I hear ya, Squid." He said once his quills were straightened out. "Let's get moving guys. I wanna get outta here before it gets dark."
"Y-Y-Yeah…" The fox agreed, nodding shakily. "Who knows what c-c-comes out at n-n-night…"
"Yeah." Otto snickered, facing Twister. "Maybe giant monkeys live somewhere out here." The echidna's eyes widened as the color left his body the same way as during that encounter with the gator.
"GIANT MONKEYS!.?.! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" He screamed before zooming off into the forest, the splotches of color dripping off after him. Otto and Sam sweatdropped and shrugged at each other before following him.
Elsewhere…
Clouds covered the sun, darkening the world as three figures sped through the forest like shadows. One of the figures bounded from tree to tree. It would occasionally hit the ground for a few seconds before returning to the branches above. It was moving as fast as a jet! The second figure flew around the trees after the leader. It was moving at nearly the same speed. As it reached a clearing, it spread its wings, giving it a sinister appearance as it glided across the glade. The final, bulky figure simply hovered along the ground behind the others. It charged forward, not caring about the trees in its way. As it so happened, any and all trees that stood in its way were unmercifully knocked down.
Soon, the trio reached a high cliff and jumped off. As they fell towards the ground, they all held hands and got into a triangle formation, allowing them to glide over to a moss covered ridge that was nearby. Once they landed safely, the sun peered out from behind the veil of clouds to reveal Lars, Reggie, and Pi. The bat and hedgehog were sweating and panting after all that. They've been speeding through the forest for hours with no clue how to get out. The robot, of course, didn't seem to be affected by the trek at all.
"Alright, you kooks…" Lars started. Reggie glared at him, but he ignored it. "Let's take a break before we move on…"
"Ya know," The bat started as Lars sat down. "It wouldn't kill ya to be a little nicer!"
"Pffft! Of course it would." The leader scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm allergic to nice." He stuck his tongue out to prove his point. The girl rolled her eyes at that.
"We're in this together! Ya know that, right!.?"
"Duh! Of course I know that!" The hedgehog retorted, pointing his thumb at himself. "I got your and Pi's back. That should be good enough for ya. And you better have our backs too!"
"Affirmative." Pi agreed. Reggie crossed her own arms and looked away.
"Yeah, I got ya covered." She said with an air of reluctance. Lars grunted at that.
"Ya better. Now let's eat already! I'm starving!"
"Alright, alright!" Reggie groaned, walking over to Pi.
She reached over and pressed a button on his chest plate. It opened with a whoosh sound. Wisps of chilly air drifted out of the open compartment. The bat stuck a hand in and pulled out what appeared to be a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil. She tossed it over her head at Lars, who barely caught it.
"Tuna on rye." She stated as the boy tore into his lunch like a—well…animal. "Whaddya want to drink?"
"Mmph…orphage…" He barely got out.
Sighing in disgust, Reggie pulled out a can of orange soda and handed it to him. She then got her own sandwich (turkey on wheat) and drink (a bottle of water). She then closed Pi's compartment and sat down across from the hedgehog, who paused from his eating frenzy to face his metallic partner.
"So why do you have a built in fridge anyway?"
The robot shrugged. "The doctor must've had plans to use me as a traveling companion when he turned me into this."
Reggie snickered. "You were fat enough as a human. I bet he really meant to turn you into a fridge, but his machine messed up the process. Bust! Ha ha!.!.!"
Pi glared at her while Lars gave them an indifferent shrug.
"Whatever." He said after chomping into his sandwich. "At least we got some chow." He looked around his surroundings, listening to sound of chirping birds and the faint sounds of frogs croaking. "This whacked out forest is actually kinda peaceful, huh?"
Surprised that he actually said something normal for a change, Reggie jumped in shock. When the others looked at her, she cleared her throat and looked around as well.
"I guess so… When we're not dealing with rain-making frogs and the other freaky animals that live here."
"Like the abnormally large amphibious reptile we faced ten point eight minutes earlier?" Pi asked. Reggie went pale at the thought.
"Oh God… That thing was a nightmare."
"Oh please!" Lars shouted with a laugh. "That thing was nothing, remember?"
°°Flashback°°
"You idiot!" Reggie yelled as the trio grinded down a large vine in the heart of the swamp. Lars muttered some obscenities in Spanish before facing his, for lack of an appropriate term, companion.
"What is it now, ya dumb broad!.?" He roared. The bat gaped at him in disbelief before glaring.
"Broad!.?.! What the hell!.?"
"You heard me!" The hedgehog retorted. "Whaddya want now!.?"
"Oh no ya don't!" The bat returned. "You're not changing the subject this time Lars! When are ya gonna start treating me with respect!.?"
"When pigs fly outta my nose." Lars gave a jeering sneer. "What're ya gonna do about it, dork!.?"
"Approaching spiral…" Pi droned. If his voice box was organic, that statement would've been made in a bored and irritated tone.
Following the robot's advice, the duo danced as the vine veered around that tree trunk. Once the natural rail straightened out again, the bat and hedgehog faced off again.
"What are you doing, not listening to my advice and shrugging me off just because I'm a girl!.?.! You're acting just like that kook Trent!"
"Hey! I don't have to do what you say! I'm the leader of this crew, remember!.? You're just here for the ride! So get used to it toots!"
Reggie's eyes flared at that one. "TOOTS!.?.! I'm gonna ring your little purple neck and kick your—"
"Approaching jump… Black frogs nearby. Prepare to run to the nearby spring and grab onto the oddly shaped vine." Pi advised.
Thankfully, their fight ceased as they prepared to follow their partner's directions. The trio looked ahead and got ready to make a run for it. The vine soon ended, allowing them to skate a small distance to a jump pad. They were sent up into the air over some large flowery pads like the ones Team Rocket was on earlier. As Pi warned, there were a couple of black frogs standing on the nearby rocks. Once they saw the trio, they summoned their horrible rain. The team bolted over to the spring and hit it, sending them flying over the swamp towards the first swing. Lars, being closer, grabbed it first. Reggie grabbed his legs while Pi grabbed hers. The hedgehog grunted and felt his grip slipping once he felt the combined weight of the bat and robot.
"Augh!.!.! Too…heavy!"
"Shaddap and deal with it!" Reggie spat.
"Must swing to move forward." Pi said.
"Ugh!" Lars groaned, moving his body backwards and forwards. The others followed the rhythm and soon, the whole team was swinging.
Grunting and muttering more curses in Spanish, the hedgehog waited until they were at the peak of their swing before letting go. They soared towards the next swing and grabbed onto it and each other. Using their momentum, they were able to go from swing to swing almost instantly. Lars felt like his arms were going to come out of his sockets whenever he reached a new swing. Of course, he'd get some relief when they went through the air, but as soon as they grabbed on to the next swing, the pain would back more real and excruciating than before. Inwardly wishing for the death of the bat and robot, he swung onward.
Meanwhile, the giant alligator that inhabited this area of the swamp was swimming along dejectedly, massively hungry, and with a lump just as huge. Clearly it was still disappointed about missing that delicious three-for-one meal that was swinging on the vines above. It wasn't often that such big and meaty morsels came this far into its territory. And then they just outsmarted it and got away like they were better than it. It was the lord and master of the entire Everglades! It commanded great respect and reverence among the other animals! And if it wanted to eat three bags of meat that stupidly walked (or rather swung) into its home, it was gonna eat them!
Oh well… It didn't matter anymore anyway… They were gone and the gator was back to eating the tiny fish that swam within the stream. So much for having a delicious meal…
"Ah God, my arms are killing me!"
"Quit yer yapping and swing!"
"Approximately fifty meters from goal ring and closing."
What luck! Three more tasty morsels were swinging on the vines above the gator's head, taunting it with their delicious bodies and meaty limbs! There was no way it was going to let this opportunity slip by! It was lunchtime and those three were on the menu!
Licking its lethal chops crazily, the colossal beast swam off after the trio, bent on getting its snack. It left nothing to chance. If these three were the same as the last ones, it wasn't going to give them a chance to flee and eventually outsmart it. It was going to get the jump on them. Failure wasn't an option this time!
"This is torture! Somebody take over!" Lars shouted as they reached another swing.
"But Lars, you're doing such a great job." Reggie teased, clearly loving this. "Why stop now?"
"Oh I don't know…" He started. "How about because MY ARMS ARE BEING TORN APART!.!.!"
"We are twenty meters away from goal ring and closing." Pi told them as they jumped towards the next vine.
"See? We're getting close, so tough it out!" The bat ordered as she grabbed onto the leader's legs again. Waterfalls of tears slid from Lars' eyes as he continued on.
A few moments passed before the hedgehog blinked and put on a thoughtful expression.
"Hmmm…"
"What now?" Reggie asked as they reached the next swing.
"This is almost too easy…"
"So? Easy's good!"
"Odds of this being too easy are point zero, zero, zero, zero one to one." The robot calculated.
"…" The furries blinked. Pi rolled his optic receptors.
"This is too easy." He clarified.
"I rest my case." Lars said as they started towards the vine ahead.
"I'm telling ya, there's nothing to—"
°SPLASH!.!.!°
The giant alligator lunged out of the water and opened its mammoth jaw!.!.!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" The animals screamed in terror.
"Oh crap!.!.!" The bat cried. "Lars, whatever you do, don't let go!.!.!"
"Too late!.!.!" The leader shouted, having released the vine seconds prior to hearing Reggie's command. Now their momentum was sending them right to their doom! The female sweatdropped and put on a look that was a mixture of murderous rage and irritation.
"Why am I letting myself be pushed around by an idiot?"
"Plot convenience." Pi reminded her. The bat slapped her head.
"I hate my life…" She turned to Lars and added, "Get us outta here! Now!.!.!"
"Got it!" Lars shouted, pulling out the blue Chaos Emerald. Instinctively, Pi and Reggie held on to him. "Here goes! Chaos—"
°SNAP!.!.!°
The alligator's jaws slammed shut over them! It licked its scaly lips in satisfaction and rubbed its belly.
"Control!.!.!" The muffled voice came from within the huge reptile. The gator gave the camera a wide-eyed look as a bluish light appeared in its nostrils. Tears built up in its eyes as it screwed them shut.
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!" Its pain-filled voice echoed all around the swamp.
°°End Flashback°°
"Why did you have to tell the story for!.?.!" Reggie shouted at Lars. "I didn't want to relive it! Ugh… I'm gonna smell like crocodile spit for weeks…"
"That was an alligator, actually." Pi corrected. The bat glared at him.
"Croc, gator! What's the difference!.?"
"Searching database…" The robot started. The two organic beings sweatdropped and finished off their lunch while waiting. "Entry found. Alligators have a blackish coloration while Crocodiles are a lighter olive brown. Alligators normally prefer freshwater while crocodiles will only inhabit saltwater. Crocodiles have a long, pointed V-shaped snout while alligators have a shorter, rounder U-shaped snout. Of course, some species break this rule. Examples are—"
"Alright! I get it, I get it! Sheesh!.!.!" Reggie stopped him. She then glared at the sky. "I wanna get outta this pit already!.!.!"
"What's the big rush?" Lars teased as he stood up.
"You're kidding." The bat gaped.
The hedgehog shrugged and smirked. "'Fraid not. Why should we leave when I got this awesome souvenir?"
And with that, he reached behind him and pulled out the GIANT ALLIGATOR'S TEETH!.!.!
"How'd you get that!.?.!"
Lars grinned. "Grabbed onto that thing's jaw before I used Chaos Control. Let's see how that gator likes gumming down food for the rest of his life! Tchahahahahaha!.!.!"
Reggie huffed in frustration and shook her head. "Can we get please get moving already?"
The hedgehog shrugged. "Alright ya big baby." He put away the massive jaw, wondering inwardly how Twister would react to seeing him wear one of those huge teeth around his neck. He snickered as he imagined the look of extreme jealousy his brother would have. "Let's go—"
He stopped himself when he saw the three figures approaching the tree they were perched on. Twister was still screaming as he ran frightfully. Otto and Sam were yelling after him to stop. Lars grinned evilly while Reggie paled at the sight of her friends and brother. She gulped when the leader turned to her with a glower.
"Now we'll see if ya really do have our backs." He said threateningly. Reggie returned the glower.
"Don't worry about that!"
"Hmph!" The hedgehog turned and crossed his arms. The bat began to sweat as she saw the other team stop at long last.
'What are they doing out here!.?' She thought. 'They're supposed to be back in Ocean Shores! I can't fight Sammy and the guys! How am I gonna get outta this!.?'
"Well, well, well! If it isn't Rocket Dork! Pahahaha!.!.!" Lars addressed his rival.
"What the—!.?" Otto shouted, looking up at the other trio. "What are you doing here!.?"
"Whaddya think, shrimp!.? We're tracking down that Stimpleton kook!"
"In your dreams! We're gonna find him first!"
"Woah!" Twister gasped. "Ottoman, look at who's with him!" The red hedgehog and Sam looked behind Lars and saw none other than Reggie standing!
"Reggie!.?.! With Lars!.?.!" They both yelled in disbelief. The bat glared at them.
"Ok, what is everybody's deal!.? Everybody we've seen so far has been freaking out about that! What's so unbelievable about us being on the same team!.?.!"
Twister smirked. "Ya mean besides the fact that you're hinting at—"
He was cut off by a bolt of lightning striking him. Everyone else sweatdropped at the action. The charbroiled echidna stumbled around dizzily.
"I'd like to take back what I said…" He groaned, proceeding to get cleaned up.
"…Anyway, it's a long story and I don't feel like telling it!" Reggie clenched her fist. "All I wanna do is whomp Merv and get my treasure! And nobody's gonna stop me, especially not you three!"
"You traitor! After all these years, you turn on us!.?" Otto exclaimed.
"Say it isn't so, Reggie!" Sam pleaded. The bat gulped and put on a guilty look. She wanted to tell her best friend what she was really thinking, but she couldn't say anything lest she incurred her partners' wrath. Instead, she bowed her head, causing the other trio's eyes to widen.
"Oh it's so twerps!" The violet hedgehog confirmed, enjoying this little turn of events. "She's on my team now! Tchahahahaha!.!.!" The scarlet hedgehog glared at both of them and growled.
"Fine! So she's on your team! Big deal! Me and my crew are gonna beat Merv first, even if we gotta beat all three of ya to do that!"
"WHAT!.?.!" Sam and Twister (who had gotten the soot off) shouted in shock. Their leader turned and fixed them with a cold glare. Paling at him, they both turned to each other, faced him again, and nodded frightfully. Satisfied, Otto turned back to the other team.
"That's better."
"Ha…ha…ha…" Pi…laughed? "You will never defeat us, puny organics. Ha…ha…ha…"
Lars and Reggie glowered at him.
"Watch it."
"Did that overgrown tin can have Pi's voice?" Twister asked strangely.
"I-I-I think so…" Sam nodded.
"Enough small talk! Time to see who's the stronger of the two of us!" Lars declared. He smirked evilly at Otto as he cracked his knuckles. "Rocket Dork, I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm gonna enjoy this."
"Oh yeah!.?" The younger hedgehog challenged. "I'll show ya, Lars! I've gotten a lot stronger since I got these skates! You'll never win!"
"Yeah right! In case ya haven't noticed, I got the same skates too! You're toast!"
"Grrrr…!" Otto shook his fists angrily. "That's it! You're history, dork!"
With that he lunged towards the tree with his fist held out. Giving a twisted sneer, Lars bent his legs and leapt off the tree towards his rival.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Mid-chapter Conversation
Part Three
"Ahhhh finally! Everything's as good as new!" I exclaimed cheerfully.
It was nighttime in the studio. Iggy and I were standing in the complex's center under the water tower, which bared a large smiley face on its middle. It was obviously the studio's logo. The entire place was completely and totally rebuilt. All of the buildings sparkled in the light of the full moon. The fresh concrete was so clean; you can eat off of it. It seemed that the aliens and Izzy did a good job repairing the studio.
"Yay!" Iggy clapped happily. "And since you decided to build Izzy a new training ground, he won't be able to wreck the studio!" He grinned as he pointed towards a large building to the left of us. It was round and covered in a glass dome that reached a good fifty to a hundred feet into the sky. "We can finally get back to work on the fic!"
"Yep!" I nodded. "As long as nothing goes wrong, of course. Now, c'mon Iggy. I'll go tuck you in." I started walking in the direction of the trailers.
"Ok, Daddy!" The young hedgehog shouted, skipping along besides me as he hummed a cheerful song to himself.
The two of us were almost away from the water tower when we both felt water droplets land on our heads. We stopped and gave each other curious looks.
"That's strange…" I commented, holding out my hand. "The weather guy didn't predict rain for today…"
"That's not rain, Daddy! Look!" Iggy said, pointing upwards towards the water tower. I followed his finger and found myself tilting my head in confusion.
Sitting on top of the tower was none other than Izzy. It baffled me how he was able to get up there in the first place because, as I've mentioned before, I confiscated his air skates and he had no access to the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic's world. For the moment though, I ignored that fact when something else came to my attention: He was crying! I never knew he was capable of feelings beyond hate, malice, and contempt for everything that moves (except for Keoni, of course)!
I scratched my head and faced Iggy as if he could give me an answer to this mystery. When the little hedgehog shrugged and gave me the same look, I returned my attention to the bigger furry and strained my ears to listen. Meanwhile, Iggy pulled out a tiny umbrella in order to protect himself from his brother's tears. It was reminiscent of the ones Wile E. Coyote would pull out just before getting rained on with boulders.
"Ohhhhh…" Izzy sobbed. "It's so unfair… I'm always stuck getting beaten or blasted by that idiotic fox! Of course, the boss and Iggy don't make things better in the very least. Then I get chased all over the place by that crazy, though kinda cute, cat, Keoni. And worst of all, I don't even have my best friend with me…"
The distraught hedgehog sniffled as he pulled out what appeared to be a picture from his vest. Fresh tears fell as he inspected the picture.
"My poor Sadie…" He then looked up at the moon. "What are you doing now? Where are you? Are you sleeping comfortably? Are you looking up at the moon too? I miss you so much…" He squeezed his eyes shut as he held the picture to his chest. His tears fell like a torrent of rain as he cried his loudest.
"GAH!.!.!" Iggy yelped as he jumped around to dodge all the "rain." When he finally ran back under the tower, he turned to me confusedly. "Who's Sadie, Daddy?"
I cringed as Izzy let out a huge wail before facing Iggy. "Sadie is the nickname of Izzy's Meowth from the Pokémon Dimension. She's Izzy's, and my, favorite pokémon. She's been with him since he started his pokémon journey a little bit before I recruited him as my partner. He loves her more than anything and anybody."
Now Iggy began to sniffle. "…Even me…?"
I sweatdropped, sighed, and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."
"WHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!.!.!" The little furry let loose the waterworks as he ran away from the area at fast as his tiny legs could carry him. I put on an exasperated look as I slapped my head.
"One crisis at a time, please…?" I muttered before looking up at the still sobbing Izzy. I raised an eyebrow at him. "So he didn't hear us?" I shook my head and got into a thinking pose. "Hmmm… So he misses Sadie, huh? Heh, I must admit, I kinda miss the little bundle of joy too… It'd be cool to see her again, not to mention have Izzy be in a good mood for a change. But how could I bring her to this dimension? The Wheel of Plotlines was destroyed during that fight late update… It'll be impossible to bring her back here or go to any other dimension for that matter."
I stood there thinking for a few moments before my eyes widened in realization.
"Unless…" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed a number and held it to my ears. It rang a couple of times before someone answered. "Hey Sammy, it's me, Prince Izzy. I wanted to ask ya favor. You know that huge wheel I always use at the beginning of my fics? … Yeah! That's the one! Anyway, as you know, Izzy went bananas in the last update. Well, in all the chaos that went on, the Wheel of Plotlines was sort of…well…smashed. I was wondering if you can take a look at it." A pause, then I roll my eyes. "Of course you can test run it and do whatever you need to do on it."
I held the phone away as I heard cheering on the other end. I then shouted, "Just as long as you can get it up and running again! …" I put the phone to my ears to gather what the fox on the other end was asking. "'Why do I need it to be operational?' …Well, I need it so that I can bring back a couple of old friends…"
There was some muffled noise on the other end. I rubbed the back of my head in nervousness.
"I want to bring back Izzy's Meowth from the Pokémon Dimension. That way, he can perhaps be a little more happy instead of a major grouch like always. Besides…" I grinned into the phone. "If everything goes well and you play your cards right, I may bring back a certain little somebody for you too. I'm sure you miss your little furball as much as Izzy misses his. Whaddya say?"
Another bit of muffled noise then I grin.
"Great! I'll get the aliens to salvage the remains of the Wheel of Plotlines in the morning so that you could get started. Oh, and please don't let Izzy find out about this. I want it to be a little surprise from me, Iggy, and you of course. … What will he say when he founds out you had a hand in this? Hmmm… Good question. I guess we'll find out once we present him his gift! Well, I better let you get some sleep. G'night!" I hung up the phone and turned to the camera.
"Well, it seems like the stage is set not only for Izzy's little surprise, but for the grand battle between Teams Rocket and Lars! What will happen? Who will win? Will Izzy wind up being a little nicer? Tune in next time!"
I waved at the camera as it zoomed away from me to show Izzy still crying and bawling!