Dimension Hoppers 7: Rocket Heroes

by Prince Izzy X

Using the power of their air skates, their special skills, and teamwork, Otto the Hedgehog, Twister the Echidna, and Sam the two-tailed Fox—as well as three other teams—must save all skate parks—and the world—from the evil Dr. Coconutman.

24. Team Tussle Two, Part 2, 3

Mid-chapter Conversation

Part Six

The scene opened in the studio commissary. Everyone present was eating ice cream after a rather huge lunch. Tux and Edo were sitting next to Izzy as they licked their own cones. Between licks, they would nuzzle against their "mother," causing him to turn red in the face. Those watching the scene found it hard to contain their laughter, something that annoyed the hedgehog to no end. He growled at the crowd, who flinched and scooted away. He sighed and went back to licking his ice cream while putting an elbow on the table. The babies continued their exercise of affection unaffected by their "mom's" usual mood. He faced Iggy and me. We were pausing between licks to whisper our plan to each other. He glowered at us before clearing his throat.

"How much longer?" He asked.

"Hmmm?" I hummed, turning to him. I blinked in realization. "Oh! I almost forgot about continuing from the last update!"

"Figures." The hedgehog gave an exasperated sigh before finishing off his ice cream in one gulp…and getting a massive brain freeze in the process. "ACK!.!.! The pain!"

The rest of us at the table sweatdropped as he held his head to try to get rid of the pain. Imitating him, Tux and Edo inhaled their frozen treats too. Strangely though, they didn't suffer the same fate as Izzy… When the hedgehog recovered, he looked at the chicks strangely. He then turned to me with an irritated look.

"Dare I ask why?"

I shrugged. "Maybe they're not affected because they're so used to living in a cold environment?"

Izzy groaned. "Whatever. Moving on—and continuing this thing…—why are they here anyway?"

"Well…" I started, opening the briefcase and pulling out some papers. "I've been thinking that it's about time we have some new blood join our crew and who better than our very own Tux and Edo?"

"Cheep, cheep!" The babies squawked, clapping their flippers in agreement.

"Of course, in order to add to our cast, we must downsize a bit first. 'Trim the fat,' one might say." I continued, drumming my fingers. I then gave Izzy, who was beyond stressed, a grim look. "Sorry to say, we'll have to get rid of you."

"Me!.?.!" The hedgehog yelled in shock. "You're replacing me with them!.?" He pointed at the penguins on either side of him. They winked at him in response. "How dare you!.?.!"

"Pretty simple reason." I replied, not even blinking at his display of rage. "Remember two updates ago when Iggy told you about that rule?"

Izzy blanched. "Erm… The one where you can banish me to a prison in the Pokémon Dimension for the rest of your life for repeatedly disobeying you?"

"Yep!" Iggy cheered.

The older hedgehog gulped. "Y-y-y-you wouldn't…"

"Oh I wouldn't, huh?" I smirked evilly. "It just so happens that I had the Wheel of Plotlines repaired since your little power surge. And I've been itching to test it out. In other words…" I pointed dramatically at him. "I officially disown you as my partner!"

The crowd gasped in horror. Izzy gaped at those words. The color drained from his face as the words echoed in his mind. He huddled against a corner and spun his finger on the ground while I laid two sheets of paper in front of Tux and Edo. The babies tilted their heads questioningly as I placed an ink pad in-between them.

"Now then, you little bundles of joy, these are full lifetime contracts to join Iggy and I here in the studio. You'll make good pay in ice cream, fish, shrimp, sushi, and other assorted seafood. Of course, we also offer full benefits. Health, dental, life, accidental, the works! Whaddya say?"

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!.!.!" The chicks gleefully agreed. They both placed a flipper in the ink pad and "signed" on the dotted line of their respectable contracts.

"Yayness! I'm so glad you joined us, babies!" Iggy shouted, jumping from his seat. He ran around to the other side of the table and hugged them. Tux and Edo cheeped in joy as they returned the hug, effectively getting ink all over them. The little tykes didn't care though. They were having too much fun to worry about how dirty they were getting. I chuckled as I got off my seat.

"Well, I know a certain trio that's gonna need a bath later." I walked around to the corner. "And as for you—" I pointed to Izzy, who was curled up in a fetal position. "—It's time for you to go bye-bye! This way!"

The strangely saddened hedgehog stood up and slouched after me. Iggy, the chicks, Rod, and everyone else present followed us as we left the cafeteria. As we marched through the backlot, Izzy became nervous as he thought about all he was leaving behind.

'Crap! I can't believe he's really gonna go through with it!' He lamented, shaking with fright. 'After all the years we've been doing this, he's really going to send me up the river. I just can't imagine it. Me in jail… This has gotta be a bad dream or something. Maybe I'll wake up in bed and everything will be normal. Just another day of chasing that insufferable fox! …And running from Keoni…

He sighed. 'Man, am I gonna miss him… I mean, he's the closest thing I've had to a friend, despite him trying to marry me. And the babies… What's gonna happen to them?' He looked back at the dirty chicks, who were cuddling against an equally dirty Iggy. Izzy turned to me.

"What are ya gonna do with the chicks?" He asked emotionlessly. I blinked at his concern for them. Normally, he wouldn't show them any love whatsoever. He always avoids them whenever he can.

"Hmph, don't worry." I answered, crossing my arms. "Iggy will take care of them. At least he shows them the love all children deserve. Almost makes me wish he hatched their eggs instead."

"…" The words hit the hedgehog like a knife to the heart. He bowed his head as they closed in on the main set. "…I…cared for them…" He spoke under his breath before stepping inside.

A huge crowd was assembled in the stands, watching with somber looks as if they were inside a courthouse awaiting the sentencing of a guilty criminal. It was completely dark aside from center stage, where the fully repaired Wheel of Plotlines stood under a spotlight. Waiting in front of it were Otto, Twister, Sam, and Reggie. The fox was directly in front of it, looking anxious as we approached. As expected, Izzy snarled upon seeing the bespectacled furry.

"You!.!.!" He roared, sprinting forward. "Figures you'd show your face the day I get carted off!.!.!"

Wide eyed, Sammy screamed and cowered in fright. Sighing in boredom, I snapped my fingers. Quite possibly risking their very lives, the other three members of the Ozone Street Regulars stepped in and held the enraged hedgehog back. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Izzy moved his feet lightning fast, slowly pushing back the other three furries! Giving another bored sigh, I pulled out my mallet and casually walked up to him. The violet hedgehog took no notice as I raised my weapon above my head. He was positively foaming at the mouth as he concentrated all of his energy into bringing harm to the Squid!

°WHAM!.!.!°

Izzy babbled incoherent words as he stumbled around, stars flying around his head. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped his sweaty head.

"Now then, it's time to begin!" I announced, leaning against my weapon. Izzy shook his head and shivered when I pointed a finger at him. "You will now pay for your past indiscretions, my former partner. If you'll turn to the Wheel of Plotlines, you'll see your fate."

The hedgehog gulped and turned towards the stage. On the wheel, all of the panels were set so that they had poké balls on them. He gulped at the sight. No matter what panel the wheel landed on, he'll be whisked away to some prison inside his home dimension. He sweatdropped and turned to me.

"Kinda one-sided, huh?"

I shrugged. "Well, you are being punished. In any case, step forward and prepare to spin the wheel for the final time."

Izzy took a step towards the stage when he stopped, bowed his head, and turned around.

"I have one request first."

"Hmmmm… I guess I could grant you a last wish before ya go to Sing-Sing." I replied, stroking my chin. "What is it?"

That was when he turned towards Tux and Edo, who were now paying attention to the situation. "Let me say good-bye."

I blinked then sighed. "Ya picked a really good time to be noble, ya know? Go ahead and say your last good-byes."

As Izzy walked towards the penguins, I couldn't help but smirk at him. This was going much better than I had anticipated! I didn't expect him to care so much about being forced to leave. Considering how he normally acts, you'd think he'd be happy to leave! Hmmm… Guess the threat of being incarcerated outweighed his general dislike of us… I couldn't help but snicker as he bent down and wiped the ink off them with his vest. The babies chirped in gratitude, to which he pet both of them. A shaky smile appeared on his face as he prepared to speak.

"Listen, you two…" He started. "I'm going on a little trip."

"Cheep?" They tilted their heads.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone." He continued. "But I should be back soon. Listen to your uncle, get to bed early, take plenty of baths, and most importantly…"

By now, the crowd, the golden quartet (yes, including Otto!), and even little Rod were reduced to tears by the heartwarming scene. I sweatdropped at everyone. Weren't they aware that this was all an elaborate prank?

Izzy raised his head, revealing his bloodshot eyes. Tears fell down his cheeks like two tiny waterfalls. I gaped in pure amazement. I never knew my very own partner was this emotional! I quickly pulled out a pad and pen to write this down for future use.

"Don't forget that I love you!.!.!" He shouted before grabbing the penguins in a hearty embrace. He bawled as Tux and Edo, confused, but still glad to be held, returned the hug happily, despite being soaked to the bone by the salty cascade.

I snapped my fingers in annoyance when I noticed that Iggy was too busy crying to take a picture of this moment with one of his many cameras. This would've made some excellent blackmail material. I sighed and cleared my throat in an attempt to bring order to this sappy scene.

"Ahem! As much as I hate to interrupt this, it's time to go, Izzy."

After kissing the chicks good-bye, which made me really wish Iggy was able to use his camera, the grieving hedgehog stepped onto the stage and stood under the ? block floating by the Wheel of Plotlines.

"I'm sure you know how this works," I started to the crowd. "But for those new or those who forgot how the wheel works—after all, it's been over a year since we last used it…—here's our resident chipmunk, Roderick Vandenack, to explain it all! Take it away, Rod!"

The audience cheered and applauded as a spotlight turned on over the furry in the blue Hawaiian shirt. Rod cleared his throat and pulled out his microphone.

"Ok, when Prince Izzy gives the signal, Izzy will start spinning the wheel!" He began. "Then once he's ready, he'll punch the block floating over his head. The wheel will stop and land on one of the panels, which will send him away."

At this, Izzy started trembling again.

"But there's a twist. One of the panels is a dummy panel! If the wheel lands on that one, then Izzy gets to stay here and won't be forced to stay at a prison in the Pokémon world!"

The crowd cheered at this turn of events while Izzy's frightful tremble turned into a nervous, desperate one. He cast a glance at the wheel behind him.

'One fake panel… If I manage to hit that one, I'll be able to stay with the boss, Iggy, the babies, and everyone else.' He blinked then put on a disgusted look. 'Ugh… Did I just think I wanna stay with the boss and Iggy?.?.?' He shuddered at the thought.

"Of course, none of us have any idea which one is the phony panel, so good luck, Izzy! Hope you'll be able to stay with us!" The chipmunk finished before moving offstage. I then stepped up with a cunning smirk on my face.

"Well, ya heard Rod. I'm giving ya one chance to stick around with us. Don't blow it." I warned.

Izzy gulped. "R-r-right… I just have one question though."

"What?"

"Why do I have to spin it? It usually starts spinning as soon as you snap your fingers."

"For good luck." I answered casually. "If ya spin it, there will be a better chance of you hitting the dummy panel."

"Fine, whatever." Izzy sighed, walking over to the wheel. He grabbed one of the many pegs situated at the ends of the panels. 'If I just spin it lightly, there's a good chance it'll stop on the dummy.'

"Well, here goes!" The hedgehog shouted, pulling the peg upwards then putting a light amount of strength into his swing.

He wound up spinning around at while still hanging on to the wheel! He was just a purple blur hanging on to the multicolored swirl that was the Wheel of Plotlines! The rest of us sweatdropped at the sight.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" He screamed dizzily. "What the—I spun it lightly!.!.!"

"Heh, well that's the thing." Rod started, pulling out a wrench. "I was working on repairing the wheel when I noticed it was rusty from not being used in so long. You'd hear this screeching sound whenever you spun it! So I had to take it apart and replace the rusty axel. It was completely silent after that! With a little oil, its speed even increased!" He grinned proudly as he moved the tool around his gloved fingers. "I also made the wheel able to stop instantly as soon as you hit that block! Just another helpful adjustment to help out our guests at No Worries Studios!"

The crowd applauded the chipmunk as the dizzy hedgehog was finally tossed from the wheel. He flew towards the ceiling, yelling, until he crashed into it. He then fell to the ground with a thud. As he got up and birds flew around his head, Tux and Edo held up two signs. Tux's read "8.5" and Edo's read "7.0." I cringed at the scores.

"Ouch… You'd think they'd be more supportive considering he's their mother…"

"Daddy! You know the babies are impartial no matter who they're judging!" Iggy shouted. "They're professionals, after all."

"Heh, heh… Good point…" I conceded, rubbing the back of my head.

Meanwhile, Izzy shook his head and stumbled over to the ? block. He trembled in utter disbelief as he looked at the wheel, which was still spinning at top speed!

'Oh GOD!.!.! There's no way I can hit the dummy panel at this rate!' He sighed in defeat as he raised his arm. 'I guess I deserve this… After everything I've said and done in this dimension, I deserve to get tossed in some jail, never to see the light of day or anyone that actually cares for me again… It's over… My life as I know it is over…'

With that final thought lingering on his mind, he gave the block a little love tap. A screeching sound was heard mere seconds later. The wheel instantly stopped on its current poké ball panel, one that had a blue background. Shortly after, the wheel flashed brightly and hissed as smoke engulfed Izzy. The hedgehog let his tears of regret fall freely as he awaited his fate. The light grew brighter, the hissing became louder, and the smoke cloud got denser as the crowd eagerly watched to see what would happen next.

The wheel continued processing the programming inside the panel for several minutes before it suddenly stopped. The silence that ensued shortly after was very tense. Everyone waited with bated breath to learn the evil boy's fate. But nothing happened… Slowly, Izzy opened one eye and looked around. He was still in the Rocket Power dimension. Everybody gave him a cautious look. He carefully opened the other eye, confirming that he indeed was still here with us.

"Huh…?" was the first word out of his mouth as he kneeled. "D-d-did I…hit the dummy panel…?.?.?"

No one said anything, leaving him to figure out the answer for himself. A slow smile appeared on his lips as he stood again.

"I-I'm still here…" He grinned. "I'm still here!"

The audience applauded him to congratulate him. Tears of joy fell down his face as he pumped his arms in triumph.

"I get to stay! I get to stay! I get to—"

Suddenly, he heard a swishing sound, like a door had been opened. All the joy went out of his face as he looked down with wide eyes.

There was nothing but air and darkness under his feet!.!.!

With a sorrowful expression, Izzy looked back up and waved good-bye. He fell shortly after.

"AIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!.!.!"

His terrified screams became fainter and fainter until nothing more was heard, except for a very low splash and a call for help. All of us ran over to the platform to see where the trapdoor led, if anywhere. We barely saw the beginning of a long slide.

"Woah…" Twister was the first to speak. "Is it bottomless?"

"Duh! Of course not!" Reggie shouted. "Didn't you hear the splash!.?"

"Then where did he go?" Otto asked.

The trio turned to Sam and Rod, who were grinning as they high fived each other.

"I can't believe that worked!" The chipmunk yelled with an enthusiastic laugh.

"Oh, it was worth everything we had to do to prepare!" The kitsune supplied, laughing.

"Erm… Explanation please?" The crimson hedgehog inquired, turning to me. I had my own grin as I prepared to answer.

"You see, young Roderick here built an elaborate water slide under the studio, which will lead Izzy on a high speed, wet trip down to the catacombs deep underground." I explained. The chipmunk held up the hand holding the wrench and gave a thumbs-up. "There, he'll receive his surprise. Hopefully, he'll act a little more civilized after this."

Twister blinked. "So the panels were…"

"All fake." Sam answered with a nod.

"We just said all but one was real to make Izzy sweat!" Rod added, keeping that grin on him.

Iggy blinked as he turned to me. "Is all this true, daddy?" I chuckled as I nodded.

"Yep! Most of the credit should go to Sammy and Rod, of course. We couldn't have done it without their computer and mechanical skills!" The furries in question took a bow.

"And the part about Tux and Edo joining us? Was it an act too?"

The babies looked up at me hopefully. I bent down and pet them lovingly.

"Nah, that part of the plan was real. I've been meaning to get the chicks sighed into the studio for a while now. This was the perfect opportunity to do it. So they're gonna stay with us a long, long time."

"Coolies!.!.!" The little hedgehog cheered, punching the air. He too bent down and hugged the penguins. Tux and Edo cooed as they returned the embrace. I smiled at the trio as I stood up.

"So how long will it take Izzy to arrive at the catacombs?" Reggie asked.

"Hmmm… If I remember how we set the water flow and all the jumps, turns, and loops Rod built into the slide, it should take him roughly thirty minutes to an hour for him to reach the bottom." Sam explained.

"Or in other words, til the end of the chapter." I clarified.

"We better get down there before he does guys!" Otto cut in. Everyone else nodded.

"Alright, let's get—"

"Hey, Tux! Edo!" Iggy cut me off. "Don't get too close!"

The rest of us turned to see the baby penguins looking over the edge of the trapdoor their "mother" fell down. They chirped and squawked at one another for a few seconds before nodding and jumping in! Their laughter and clapping could be heard getting fainter until two tiny splashes were heard. All of us looked down the hole again. We just barely saw the chicks sliding down the chute on their bellies. I scratched my head as we all stood straight up.

"Heh, guess they decided to take the more fun ride down…"

"Ya think?" Otto remarked.

"C'mon! Let's get downstairs already!" Twister shouted impatiently.

"Alright, alright!" I said, walking over to a nearby elevator. "This express lift should get us down there in half the time it'll take Izzy and the babies to get there."

Everyone else nodded and filed in. It was a tight squeeze, but we were all able to fit inside.

"Ugh!" I grunted as Sam's tails tickled my nose. "Quit it! You're gonna make me-me-ACHOO!.!.!"

"Ewwwwww!.!.!" Everyone else but Rod and Iggy (being the smallest, they didn't get soaked) shouted.

"Sneeze?" The former offered.

"Yeah…" I sniffled.

"Bless you, daddy!" Iggy offered.

"Thanks…" I said, rubbing my nose.

"Maybe we better do the chapter description." Rod kindly suggested. I merely nodded, feeling another sneeze coming on. Both of the tiny furries faced the camera with toothy grins. "In this chapter, we're finally going to see the end of the fight between Team Lars and Team Rocket!"

"Yeah! Who's gonna win, Lars' team of grunts or Otto, Sammy-Sam and Twisty-Twist!.?" Iggy added. Reggie sneered at the grunt comment while Sam and Twister giggled at the nicknames they were unceremoniously given.

"Read on to find out!.!.!" Both boys shouted, pounding each other's fists and waving at the camera as the elevator doors closed. Another sneeze and several noises of discomfort were made as the camera faded to black.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rocket Heroes

Chapter Twelve

Team Tussle Two

Part Two-Three

"Dark Twister!.!.!" Lars' voice echoed throughout the forest. A tree fell with a tremendous crash shortly after.

"Woah!.!.!" Otto yelped, narrowly avoiding the huge piece of wood and running for it.

"Get back here twerp!" Lars shouted after him. He bounded from tree to tree after his rival.

"Crap! He's gone off the deep end!" The scarlet hedgehog shouted, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw him spinning around in the air again.

"Dark Twister!"

He conjured up another purple tornado and directed it right at Otto! It got dangerously close, but the younger furry was able to avoid it with no problem. He jumped towards the nearest tree and kicked off it before Lars' attack struck the ground. The violet hedgehog smirked as he pulled out one of his Chaos Emeralds.

"Gotcha. Chaos Control!"

In a blue flash of light, he disappeared, then reappeared right below Otto. Just as fast as he appeared, he jumped up with intent to kick him good and hard! The red hedgehog looked down and groaned, having noticed Lars.

"How does he do that!.?" He asked himself before rolling into a ball.

In seconds flat, Lars made like a football player and punted him skywards. Poor Otto grunted in pain as he bounced off the trees like a pinball until he eventually cleared the canopy and was high above the forest. He unrolled and moaned, trying to get his bearings back. His eyes were two swirls and his lips were curled dizzily.

"Ugh… Now I think I know how Squid felt back in the Grand Canyon…" He groaned, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Quickly remembering he was a hedgehog and therefore can't fly, he reached out for something to grab onto as he fell towards the woods. Luckily, he was able to grab onto a branch, just as he tossed his cookies.

Thankfully, his lunch was not wasted!

As the multicolored mess of digested food fell, an egg in a nest down below was hatching. It shook and shook in Nature's basket for several seconds before finally cracking as the baby within fought to escape. A tiny beak poked a hole through the roof of its former home. It retreated back inside the egg then repeatedly jabbed at it before breaking through, leaving only the bottom half intact. The chick chirped hungrily, begging to be given its first of many feedings by the life-form it would soon regard as its mother.

Just as it was about to let out another loud cry, the regurgitated mess landed right inside its mouth! The stream of vomit kept falling, filling the little bird up to nearly the breaking point! When it finally finished, the no longer famished chick, having broken out of the eggshell's lower half, reclined into the nest, pulled out a twig, and moved it around its beak like a toothpick while patting its huge belly with the other wing. It then winked at the camera before burping. It covered its mouth as it blushed.

"'Scuse me!" It squeaked and giggled.

Back up at the top of the tree, Otto regained his strength and pulled himself up. He looked around and noticed that he was able to see the entire forest from up there. In the distance, he saw a great valley. In the middle of it was a huge lake that was surrounded on nearly all sides by various rock formations. He then noticed some tiny objects moving around on the largest cliff. A red and orange line was seen shooting from there every few seconds.

The hedgehog blinked and tried to figure out what it was when he heard a low, evil laugh. He turned and found Lars standing on a nearby treetop with his arms crossed. The violet one smirked as the crimson one gaped in disbelief.

"B-b-but I—a-and you…! And then I…you!.?.!" Otto babbled, switching between pointing down, up, at himself, and Lars. The taller leader rolled his eyes as his rival carried on like this for some time before finally shouting, "How'd you get up here so fast!.?.!"

Lars snickered, enjoying his enemy's confusion. "That's for me to know and you to never find out! Now if ya don't mind, I was just about to finish your whomping!"

"Oh yeah!.?" The other hedgehog challenged, putting up both fists. "Come and get some, Lars!"

"With pleasure, Rocket Dork!" Lars replied, disappearing again.

"Uh-oh!" Otto yelped, looking around frantically in an attempt to find his opponent. Lars was nowhere to be found though. That was when the younger hedgehog snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

With that, he jumped towards the gap between trees and spun around, stirring up the wind. Soon, there was a red swirl of air that threatened to blow the trees in the area off their roots! Fortunately, the sudden gust didn't last long. Only a few seconds after Otto initiated his attack, Lars reappeared and was blown away.

"Augh!.!.!" He grunted, trying to right himself. Otto wasn't going to give him the opportunity!

The scarlet furry shot out of the tornado as a ball and rammed right into Lars, throwing him down to the forest below. The violet hedgehog fought to grab on to something, anything, to stop falling! He bounced off the trees like a rag doll during his drop before finally grabbing onto a vine. The winded boy gasped for air and blinked to regain his vision. When everything came back into focus and he was given time to think, Lars slapped his head and gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"He did NOT just do that!.!.!" He hissed. "When I get back up there, I'm gonna—"

He couldn't finish for he looked up and noticed that Otto was falling towards him like a cannonball! Eyes bulging and his mouth dropping, the older leader looked down and noticed that the vine stretched all the way to the ground. Following the only logical choice of action, he allowed himself to slide all the way down the green rope as if his very life depended on it, and it kinda did! The friction caused by the vine rubbing against his gloves burned his hands slightly, but he was able to manage.

When he reached the ground, he again looked up at Otto, who was now dangerously close to him. He studied the other hedgehog for a few moments before simply stepping to the left. In an instant, the red hedgehog/cannonball crashed through the ground, creating a round, very deep hole. Lars gave the camera a cheeky grin and a peace sign before peering into the crater.

"'s alright?"

"Ugh…" Came the pained groan.

Again, Lars smiled at the camera as he gave it a thumbs-up. "'s alright."

There was another groan as a trembling hand rose out of the hole and grabbed the edge, followed by another shaking hand. The dizzy Rocket emerged a moment later. Grinning and clearly enjoying the current turn of events, the purple one once again turned to the camera as he got ready to run.

"Well folks, here we go again!" He winked before blasting off down the path.

"What the!.?" Otto blinked as he stood straight up again. Steam shot out of his helmet as his face seemed to go much more red than normal. "Get back here, Lars! We still have a fight to finish!.!.!"

He started off after his nemesis. A great gust followed him as he skated as fast as his clearly battered legs would allow. The battle was definitely starting to take its toll on him. He could barely manage to catch his breath, let alone skate and fight. But for some strange, unknown reason, Lars seemed to have plenty of stamina. In fact, it hardly looked like he even broke a sweat!

Ignoring his urgent need to rest, Otto caught up to Lars and continued the fight. They rammed into each other, kicked off trees, and exchanged blow after painful blow while blazing through the dirt path. Soon, they broke through the sea of green and found themselves in the valley Otto saw a few moments ago. They dashed towards the nearest rock formations and split up, Lars going to the left, Otto to the right.

As they climbed up the cliffs, they often jumped towards each other, meeting in the middle and landing a quick hit before returning to their rocks. They were two blurs of purple and red as they clashed back and forth. Their grunts echoed throughout the valley as they ascended higher and higher, fighting harder and tougher in the process.

They soon reached their respective peaks and stared the other down. They were both on opposite sides of the lake. Lars sneered at his opponent before jumping down the side of the cliff. Before he hit the rock face, he arched his back and rolled into a ball. Glaring at the other hedgehog, Otto imitated the action. They both barreled down the side of the cliffs, gaining speed as they neared what seemed to be ramps made of stone.

Both furries rolled up and off the ramps. Their torques sent them flying high above the lake towards each other. They soared through the air before meeting each other directly over the lake. They rammed into each other at full speed. Sparks shot up between them due to the intense friction. A few seconds passed before they pushed away from each other and fell towards the water. Lars was the first to unroll as he grabbed an emerald.

"Chaos Control!" He shouted as the jewel glimmered. He glowed a bright green and teleported so that he was above Otto, who had also unrolled. He interlocked both fists and bashed the younger hedgehog, sending him careening towards the water. But for some strange reason, Otto was smirking, despite his injuries.

"So that's how he's warping all over the place…" He said with a snicker. "All ya need is a Chaos Emerald."

With that, he reached behind him and pulled out the red emerald he and his team found back at the beginning of their quest. Holding the jewel close to him, he took a deep breath and prepared himself.

"Chaos Control!"

"WHAT!.?.!" Lars bellowed, having heard the command.

Otto glowed a bright red and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The other hedgehog looked around franticly for his foe, but didn't see anything. In desperation, he held up his own emerald to avoid a potential strike.

"Chaos—"

°POW!.!.!°

Otto reappeared and gave him a powerful kick across the face! He again phased out of sight as Lars was sent spinning towards a nearby cliff. Before the violet one could hit it though, Otto appeared from below and punted him skywards like Lars did earlier. The taller hedgehog growled as he righted himself. His teeth were clenched in utter rage! He was pushed well past the boiling point!

"That's it!.!.! This ends now!.!.!" He roared as he gripped his emerald so hard, he would crush it had it been an ordinary jewel. "CHAOS CONTROL!.!.!"

Glaring at where his opponent was, Otto also used Chaos Control, disappearing from sight. Not even two seconds later, flashes of light were seen in the air as the two hedgehogs went back and forth using their emeralds. They both fought fiercely as they kicked, punched, bashed, and crashed all over the valley. Every time they connected, they were seen for half a second before warping at least a mile away. They took the battle to the ground, then to the sky, then to the different rock formations before gliding along the surface of the lake, ramming each other. They dematerialized again but never reappeared. One could only watch the battle by studying the environment.

Every so often, small craters would appear in the earth and cliff sides. Towers of water shot out of the lake and parted. Even the clouds themselves were reduced to Swiss cheese! And then they finally rematerialized, both glowing the colors of the Chaos Emeralds they were using; Lars a brilliant blue hue and Otto even redder than before. Both were panting as they stood on opposite rocks, regarding the other.

Fire blazed in their eyes as they gritted their teeth and shook violently. Lars looked positively livid! He mentally cursed the boy standing before him. The same thought buzzed in his mind like a swarm of African killer bees: How dare Otto have a Chaos Emerald!.?.! Only he was supposed to have all the power of the seven jewels, NO ONE ELSE!.!.! Lars had to get whatever emeralds he could if he had any hope of ruling as the best! That dreadlocked punk wasn't going to take this away from him! Not after how far he's traveled with his group!

"Alright Rocket Dork!" He shouted after five minutes of the staring contest passed. He held out his free hand. "Give me all the emeralds ya got and I might let you live!"

"All my emeralds?" Otto blinked and scoffed. "You can forget it lame-o! They're staying with me! I found 'em fair and square!"

"I ain't playing this time!.!.!" Lars bellowed, his veins pulsing. "I'll crush ya if ya don't hand 'em over! Now gimme!"

"Dream on, Lars!"

"You're toast, Rocket Dork! Ya hear me!.? TOAST!.!.!"

"I'd like to see you try!.!.!"

"With pleasure!.!.!" The older one bent his legs and lunged. Otto also bounded towards him.

They were about to meet head-on in a grand display of power when suddenly, a stream of fire shot in-between them!

"Huh?.?.?" Both combatants gasped and looked towards where the shot came from.

They saw Pi and Twister fighting on a nearby cliff. The robot was shooting flames from his hands at the poor echidna, who looked scorched from head to toe. Despite this, he was weaving around the attacks valiantly. After dodging the metal one's latest attack, he punched the ground hard, creating strong tremors that left the robot temporarily immobilized. Taking advantage of this, he ran forward and repeatedly slammed his flame-engulfed fists into Pi's metal hide. The bot was quickly weakening due to the extreme heat!

"Hey Pi, fight back already ya tin dork!" Lars ordered.

"Hey!.!.!" Otto snapped, rolling into a ball. He completely caught the other boy off guard with his homing attack. Lars was pushed back towards the muscles of the groups. The hedgehog smirked as he thought of a plan to wrap this up.

"Pi! Get up here!" He told the robot. Pi looked up and made his eyes flash in understanding.

"Acknowledged." He punched Twister out of the way and activated his rockets, allowing him to hover towards his leader. Twister looked up and gulped when he realized what was coming.

"Oh man… What am I gonna do!.?"

"Twist!" The echidna looked to the left and saw Otto falling towards him. "Catch me and get ready to finish this!" He rolled into a ball as Twister nodded.

"Got it, dude!"

Both power members caught their respective leader and targeted each other. Pi's systems locked onto Twister almost instantly while the echidna sized up the robot. Both of them seemed intent on hitting their opponent, as did Otto and Lars. The hedgehogs sorely wanted to end this battle. The whole thing had to have been going on for at least an hour. The older leader was starting to feel the effects of the fight at last. Using Chaos Control so much in one time can really take it out of you, especially if you're new to the technique. Case in point, Otto was panting heavily as he waited for his best bro to launch him.

Both of the boys were trying desperately to catch their breath. Sweat fell in sheets not only from the energy they've used up til now, but because of the heat and humidity of the Everglades. They had to finish this as fast as possible before they pass out from heat exhaustion! The worst part of it all was that this wasn't even the main conflict. They groaned miserably when they realized they still had to continue their hunt for Dr. Coconutman after this was all over with. Both grinned however when they figured that they ought to thank the crazy old coot. After all, had it not been for all the chaos he's caused, Ocean Shores' two biggest rivals wouldn't be going head to head. All the insults, challenges, and past conflicts had led up to this decisive showdown. Once and for all, they were going to find out just who is the best!

"Preparing to fire." Pi told his leader.

"It's about time!" Lars snapped. "We didn't have to go through those last two paragraphs ya know!"

"Get ready, Ottoman!" Twister shouted as he reared back the arm holding his friend.

"Let's do this already!" Otto commanded impatiently.

"Ready…" Pi started as he charged energy into his right arm. Lars felt a great heat behind him as he waited to be launched.

"Aim…" Twister continued as his flame ring glowed an angry red. Otto began to sweat even more as he felt the flames encircle his body, turning him to a weapon capable of great damage. Both echidna and robot narrowed their eyes as they made their final preparations. They only had one shot and they couldn't afford to mess it up!

"FIRE!.!.!" They both roared.

Pi shot his leader towards Twister, who then flung Otto at him. The two hedgehogs became two intense fireballs as they sailed towards each other. To the immense surprise of Twister and Pi, the two leaders flew past each other and headed towards them! The powerhouses of the teams tried to dodge the attacks, but they were moving too slow. Before they knew it, Otto rammed into Pi while Lars tackled Twister! Both the robot and echidna were singed and thrown backwards as a result. Twister skidded along the edge of the cliff while Pi crashed into the ground. The two hedgehogs landed on the ground and skated off back into the forest, leaving their teammates behind.

"Ugh… What a rush…" The echidna moaned, sitting up. He blinked and looked around for his best bro, but he was gone. He put on a strange look as he scratched the back of his head. "What was that all about?"

He didn't have much time to think about it for a large shadow loomed overhead. He looked up and just barely saw Pi's metallic fists before he was knocked out.

"Mission accomplished." The automaton droned as he picked up Twister's limp body and carried him off.

Meanwhile, two purple and red streaks of light were bouncing through the forest at near mach speeds. The hedgehogs rammed and crashed into each other and, more than often, the various trees and rocks strewn all around them. Both furries were giving it their all! They knew perfectly well that this fight was about to end. A victor would soon be decided. The question was who will it be?

Otto skated as quickly as possible to put some distance between him and Lars, but the older hedgehog had other plans. He smirked evilly as he pulled out one of his emeralds.

"Chaos Control!" He shouted just before disappearing in a flash.

What he didn't notice though was that the crimson one had his own smirk on his face.

'Heh fell for it.' He thought as he continued moving.

A few moments later, Lars reappeared just meters from Otto! The courageous boy didn't look the least bit frightened though and he proved this by running head on towards Lars instead of stopping like the purple hedgehog intended. The mischievous boy's eyes widened just before he gave a rather girly scream and ducked. Otto grinned at this opportunity and grabbed one of his Chaos Emeralds.

"Chaos Control!" He roared, disappearing just inches away from Lars' face. Surprised at having heard the command, Lars put his hands down and looked around frantically for his rival.

"Oh great! Where'd that little shrimp go now!.?" He looked around his surroundings again, only to turn up empty handed. He clenched his fists and threw his hands up in anger. "Come out you little scaredy baby!"

"Ok, if you insist!" Otto's voice snickered as the sound of rustling leaves was heard.

"What the!.?" Lars looked up as he noticed a shadow looming above him. He gasped when he saw Otto coming towards him in a speedy homing attack! There wasn't enough time for the violet one to move.

°WHAM!.!.!°

Otto collided into his face at top speed! The red skater dumped salt into Lars' wound by spinning rapidly while still on his face! Lars screamed in pain as the attack continued for a bit before Otto bounced off, then kicked him as hard as he possibly could. Due to his speed, the older boy was sent flying right into a nearby tree! A cloud of dust rose up as the oak was knocked over.

Otto landed and got into a defensive stance as he waited for the dust to settle. He didn't have to wait long though for all of the dust was blown away. And standing in the middle of the debris was Lars, who looked completely livid, not to mention totally different. For one thing, his entire body was glowing a deep, blood-like red. His eyes, which transfixed Otto with a dark, deathly glare, were also aglow. His teeth were gritted as he growled dangerously. His right hand was clutching the blue Chaos Emerald so tight, his veins could be seen pulsing. Small sparks of energy seemed to be emanating from both the jewel and his hand.

The already humid air was getting steadily hotter and drier the longer Lars seethed. His body glowed brighter and brighter as his breathing grew faster and more ragged with each passing second. Otto's eyes widened behind his sunglasses as his face paled. Sweat fell down his now fear-filled face. It seemed as if the bravado and unnerving confidence he had were being washed away as the terrible creature in front of him continued to get madder and madder. The air grew even hotter and more suffocating the longer Otto stood there. He was finding it hard to breathe due to Lars' terrible anger.

"Ugh!" He grunted as he wiped sweat off his face. He then said through his own gritted teeth, "He must be using the emerald's power to charge up some kinda attack! I gotta get outta here!"

He took a single step back when the enraged hedgehog shot his head up. His piercing red gaze stopped Otto dead cold.

"No…" Lars said with a low, sinister demonic voice. "You will not retreat…"

"Ugh… Uhhh!" The shorter leader made noises of urgency as he tried to escape the paralyzing glare his opponent had him in. There was nothing he could do, however. It was over. By now, Lars' body was covered in an almost blinding aura.

"Now you will pay, fool!" He shouted, his voice dripping venom. If Otto could move, he'd be trembling from all the power his rival seemed to suddenly obtain. The older hedgehog scrunched up his body as the aura grew just a bit brighter and warmer.

'It's over!' The young hero screamed in his mind.

Lightning shot out of Lars' body as he prepared to finally unleash all of his pent-up rage and energy on the boy standing in front of him, paralyzed with fear.

"Chaos…" He began, targeting Otto. "BLAST!.!.!"

Lars jumped up and released the sphere of energy surrounding his body in one massive shockwave that went in all directions! The attack leveled the forest around him, not to mention throw Otto for a loop. The younger hedgehog screamed in pain as the burning light engulfed him. He tried to resist it for as long as possible, but due to his injuries, he didn't last long. Scorched and still screaming, he was blasted clear across the forest! When Lars regained his breath, he smirked evilly and skated after his rival.

"Time to get my emeralds."

Meanwhile…

"Ugh! Sammy's cute, but he really needs to lay off the hula burgers!" Reggie grunted as she continued to carry her unconscious crush through the forest. The fox was happily snoring in the bat's arms, spouting some hard to understand gibberish as he snuggled in closer. Reggie found herself blushing profusely as she walked through the peaceful woods. She suppressed a grin as she looked around.

Soon, her efforts to protect her best friend paid off when she spotted a large rock several feet ahead. It was covered in moss and stood against a tree, providing some excellent shade. Letting her grin show, she walked towards the rock. When she arrived, she knelt down and prepared to set Sam against it when the kitsune started to stir.

"Uhhh… Wha…?" He sputtered as his eyes fluttered open. When his eyes focused and got used to the light, he cringed at the sight of the girl. "Reggie!.? Uh-oh!"

He tried to get away, but the bat was faster. She grabbed Sam's face with both hands and leaned forward with her lips puckered. For the second time that day, the two furries' lips connected in a fleeting kiss. When they broke away, the poor over-stimulated fox blushed darkly and bubbled in satisfaction.

"Garsh... I like to kiss the pretty ladies… Heh, heh…" He chuckled goofily before again losing consciousness.

Biting her lips to avoid giggling at that, Reggie gently laid him beside the rock. She smiled warmly at him as she put down his ruffled fur motherly. She was about to give him one last kiss when she heard her brother screaming at the top of his lungs. The bat immediately backed away and looked around in alarm.

"They must be close. I better hide!"

She stood up, took one last longing look at Sam, and jumped into the nearby bushes. And not too soon for Otto crashed right into the rock seconds later! When the dust settled, the crimson hedgehog slumped against it and wound up right next to Sam. His eyes were spinning as he groaned dizzily. Reggie gasped at the sight. She was about to run over to see if her sibling was alright when heavy stomping was heard. The bat shrunk back into the bushes in time to see Pi walk into the area, carrying Twister over his shoulder. The echidna was out cold as the robot slammed him right next to his leader.

"Waiting for orders…" He droned as he stood guard over the trio. Soon, Lars joined him and snickered.

"Heh, heh, heh…" He rubbed his hands evilly. "We won! Not that I thought we'd lose."

"Yes."

"Woah…" Lars whistled a tone of surprise. "Rocket Dork's sister whomped the Squid big time." He looked around. "Hey, where is she?"

"The loudmouth bat's location is unknown…" Pi answered. Reggie popped a vein and went red as she shook in anger.

"Hmph!" The hedgehog crossed his arms. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. C'mon Pi!" He walked forward, punching his hand. "Let's get my prize."

"Understood." The robot nodded, following his leader.

'His prize? What's he talking about?' Reggie wondered. She had no idea Otto was carrying a couple of Chaos Emeralds. Her eyes widened as a thought came to her. 'He's not thinking about attacking them, is he!.? Not when they're already beaten!' She clenched a fist at this. 'There's no way I'm letting him lay a hand on my Sammy!' She smirked mischievously as she stuck her foot out of the bush. A moment later, Lars bumped right into it, causing him to trip and get mud in his face!

"Argh!" He shouted, spitting out the horrible tasting substance. "Ok, what tripped me!.? Grrr…!"

Reggie put both hands in front of her mouth to avoid getting caught. When she got over the moment, she looked up and noticed that Pi was still moving. An evil sneer crossed her features as she again stuck her foot out. The robot wound up hitting it and he too began to fall.

"Ugh! Now I gotta go take a shower!" The hedgehog moaned in dismay. "Just as soon as I get those—Huh?.?.?" He stopped when he noticed a large shadow above him.

"Danger!" The electronic voice was heard. Pupils shrinking and teeth clenched in fear, Lars turned just in time to see Pi falling towards him! The boy yelped and scrambled to get away! But alas, it was too late…

°CRASH!.!.!°

The Everglades shook and trembled from the great force. Birds that were perched in however few trees that were left flew away in fright. As the ground rumbled, Team Rocket came to and looked at the two opposing team members. Their eyes were wide in surprise. When the shaking ceased, Pi stood up, revealing Lars, who was as flat as a piece of paper. The poor hedgehog had swirls for eyes as he groaned in misery.

"Ok, ok…!" He croaked, his lungs crushed along with the rest of his body. "I give! Run away!"

"Acknowledged." The automaton saluted before picking up the incapacitated leader. He then rolled up Lars like he was a life sized poster and held him under his right arm. He turned, activated his rear-end rockets, and hovered off, calling for Reggie. The trio sweatdropped and blinked after them.

"…Well, that was weird…" Otto spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"No kidding." Sam added, nodding.

"Ugh… My head hurts…" Twister groaned, holding his forehead in pain. The other two boys sighed exasperatedly.

Then Reggie walked out of the bush. Sam's eyes widened as his face turned bright red. He ducked behind Otto, who glared at his sister. Both he and Twister got into fighting poses. The bat rolled her eyes and put her hands up.

"Look, I don't wanna fight you guys. I never wanted to in the first place." She was looking at the fox when she said that last part. Sammy looked to the side as his blush got darker. Otto kept his guard up for a moment before relaxing and crossing his arms.

"Well, what're ya doing with Lars?"

"Like I said, it's a long story. Sammy should fill ya in." She answered with a wink before turning. "I'll see you guys later. Just be careful out there, ok? Ya never know what Merv will do next. Later!" She bent her legs and took off into the sky after her teammates. Otto and Twister looked at each other with perplexed looks before turning to Sam.

"Sammy, what did she mean?" The former asked. The fox began to sweat profusely as he turned towards his leader.

"We-we-well you see…" He stuttered. He looked around for any sort of alibi when he found something truly great! "Guys! I found the way out of here! Look!"

He pointed ahead towards what looked like a stretch of road. Dozens of cars were traveling back and forth.

"Alright Squid!" Twister cheered. "Let's go! I'm so hungry!" He happily skated towards civilization, followed by Sam, who was clearly anxious to get away from Otto as fast as possible. He was almost out when…

"Sam…" Otto growled out. "What did she tell you?"

Sam gulped frightfully. He didn't need to turn around to know that the hedgehog was boring holes into his skull with his eyes. His knees shook as he thought about what Otto would do if he found out Reggie kissed him!

"It was nothing Otto! Quit asking! Ahhhhhh!.!.!" He screamed, running off.

"Hey! Get back here, Squid!" Otto ordered, chasing after him.

And so, our heroes continued onward. Who knows what other surprises await them!.? Find out next time!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-chapter Conversation

The scene opened in a near pitch black abyss. The darkness seemed to go on for miles, engulfing nearly everything. The only light in the area came from the many lampposts illuminating the gigantic water slide. Three figures were seen zooming by at amazing speeds. The camera zoomed in to show a screaming Izzy. His arms and legs were flailing wildly for something to hang on as he continued sliding on his butt. Meanwhile, Tux and Edo slid close behind him on their bellies like torpedoes. They kept completely serious looks on their faces the whole time. It was almost as if to them, belly sliding was not just great fun, but an art that required great concentration.

During their descent into darkness, the hedgehog and penguins faced many obstacles. Tight turns, which Izzy crashed into the majority of time while the babies took them with ease; giant loops, in which the "mother" screamed as he went up, through a couple of speed boosts, and over while the chicks merely laughed due to being tickled by the machines; steep free falls, in which Izzy shrieked in terror while Tux and Edo performed cute flips and twirls—and even flapped their flippers like wings!—before landing on a new piece of slide.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!.!.! How much longer before this ends!.?.! YEOW!.!.!" He cried, grabbing his left arm after hitting the wall during a turn. The babies simply adjusted the angle of their flippers to get around the curve. They moved with such grace and machine-like perfection, you'd think they were members of an Olympic bobsledding team in a past life!

The cavernous hole filled with more of the boy's screams as the time passed.

"WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!.!.!" was heard when he was sent through a dangerous forward spiral.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" was heard when he was thrown up into the air onto a new part of slide, hit a speed boost, and sent up a steep incline that went into a loop and dipped sharply.

"OFFF!.!.! OWWW!.!.! ACK!.!.!" He grunted as his body bounced off numerous curves like a pinball.

"OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!" He shouted as he fought to stay on the slide when it spiraled into a high speed corkscrew. Naturally, the babies moved their bodies inwards effortlessly and without a squawk of complaint. Soon, the corkscrew ended and the slide straightened out again. Unfortunately, the ride wasn't over yet.

"Aw man… YA GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!.!.!" was Izzy's latest protest when he saw the complicated-looking obstacle ahead.

It was another loop, but this one was much, much bigger. Also, it consisted of a combination of everything he, Tux, and Edo faced already. It started off with a jump up to a small loop then went into an upwards corkscrew, then up a ninety degree angle to the top of the loop, a horizontal corkscrew. It would've been the end for the trio if it wasn't for the speed boosts that were strategically placed all over the obstacle. Poor Izzy screamed his head off as he was sent careening upside down, then right side up, then upside down again. The babies, meanwhile, offered joyful chirps as they slid through that part and went downwards again.

They went straight down for a few seconds before freefalling a good twenty feet. Again, Izzy did his best impression of Sam while the babies performed a quick trick before landing on the slide. They went through another corkscrew and small loop before going along straight again. The slide went on uneventfully, giving the "mother" some time to catch his breath and allow his rapidly beating heart to recover. Once his body relaxed, he was able to think clearly.

"Whew!" The hedgehog breathed, wiping his incredibly moist head. "I can't believe I actually got through that…" He looked around himself. There didn't seem to be anymore obstacles ahead. For the first time since he woke up today—or ever if you really think about it…—he put on a calm, peaceful look.

"Hmmm… I'm probably gonna hate myself in a few seconds for saying this, but I think the worst is over." He looked back at the babies and grinned. "I dunno how you two wound up down here, but at least it's smooth sailing from here on out."

"Cheep, cheep!" Tux and Edo chirped happily, although there was a strange tone of boredom and disappointment in their tiny voices.

Suddenly, the slide began to dip! Everything froze as Izzy looked down. There were many dips and rises along the way to the bottom. The hedgehog sweatdropped and faced the camera with a deeply irritated look.

"I just had to open my big mouth."

Then they all fell. While in the air, the chicks flipped and wound up on their backs, allowing them to clap and giggle as the water tickled them. Izzy, meanwhile, screamed his head off as the slide dipped and bobbed. The hedgehog started to turn green in the face after the third or fourth fall.

"Ugh… I shouldn't have had that ice cream…" He moaned, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Then, the whole area lit up in a multitude of colors thanks to the fireworks launchers on both sides of the slide. The rockets flew high into the abyss before exploding in a beautiful burst of lights. Izzy was too scared to enjoy the show, thinking that he was finally transported to the Pokémon dimension. The babies though were squawking in pure joy while clapping with even more enthusiasm.

Shortly after, the slide finally ended in a massive freefall. Forgetting his sickness and fright, he flailed his arms and legs while screaming like a maniac. Tux and Edo cheered and were chirping animatedly to each other about what were their favorite parts of the ride. Soon, Izzy landed in a large pool. After opening his eyes and looking around himself, he swam up to the surface. He took a huge gulp of air and slapped the water out of his ears. The liquid flowed out like two fountains. When he recovered, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Heh, that wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it'd be."

°DOUBLE CRASH!.!.!°

One right after the other, Tux and Edo landed on his head and bounced into the pool. The hedgehog's eyes were replaced by two swirls as he fell backwards.

"Spoke too soon again…" He got out before he wound up underwater.

Luckily, the babies dove down and pulled him to the edge of the pool. Everybody climbed out and shook themselves to get dried. While the penguins adjusted their winter caps, Izzy, walked a few feet forward, studying the environment. There really wasn't much to see. Aside from the lampposts by the pool and the fireworks still going off high above them, it was completely pitch black. After going through that massive water slide, he wasn't sure whether he was inside or outside. That ride really messed with his senses. He looked back at the pool, where Tux and Edo had dove back in and were doing the backstroke. It turned out that it wasn't a pool, but rather a small lake. The hedgehog scratched his head in confusion.

"So I guess I'm in the Pokémon dimension…" He looked down and blinked at his still purple, slightly moist, and bare body. "But why am I still a hedgehog? Shouldn't I have been turned back into a human?" He growled as he clenched his fist. "If I'm still a furry, I wasn't sent to my original dimension… Then what's going on here!.?.!"

He shook in anger and confusion for a few moments before he suddenly heard something. Someone or something was lurking in the shadows. Izzy's ears picked up the unmistakable sound of light footsteps. He was able to discern two other forms in the immediate area. Of course, due to the lack of light, he couldn't figure out what they were. He reached for his mallet and then groaned when he realized he still didn't get it back from me.

"Figures I'd be in grave danger the one time I don't have my hammer with me…" He sighed.

Making sure that the babies were still in the lake, and discovering that they were inside a cave when he noticed the stony ground on the shore, the hedgehog turned and slowly walked away from the light. His heart was beating almost as fast as it was when he was going down the water slide. Sweat fell down his face in sheets as it got steadily darker. He gulped as he tried to figure out what the creatures were. He kept looking in every direction he heard the soft footsteps coming from.

'Maybe they are pokémon…' He contemplated. 'That would mean that I was sent back home, but I wasn't changed back into a human.' He gritted his teeth at the thought. 'Just great… If I make it outta here alive, I'll be the target of every trainer around. They'll try to catch me! After all, who in this dimension has seen a six foot tall anthromorphic hedgehog!.?.!'

Soon, he got so far that he couldn't see the light coming from the lamps by the lake anymore. He was completely covered in darkness. Izzy grew tenser as he continued walking, albeit slower than before. He didn't want to trip over something.

"Man… Where are these things…?" He asked with a hint of fright in his voice. "I can't see an inch in front of my—AHHHH!.!.!" He cried in shock when he felt something furry in front of his face. He instantly froze and kept his breathing low, lest he provoked the monsters stalking him. Thankfully, nothing appeared to attack him. He stood perfectly still for a few moments before relaxing.

"Whew…" He let out the breath he was holding. "That was close…" He then stroked his chin. "Hmmm…" He reached ahead and felt the hairy strip he bumped into before. "It feels like some kinda rope. Too thin to climb up though…"

He continued studying the strange rope. Hmmm… To add a little hint of violence and comedy to this already funny and somewhat violent situation, let's turn on the night vision cameras we set up in advance.

°Click!°

Everything in the area was bathed in a neon green glow. We can see Tux and Edo splashing and chasing each other around the lake in the background and Izzy inspecting the rope, which was strangely shaped like a lightning bolt. It was hanging off a nearby ledge. A closer look showed that it was attached to something, a strange ball of fur. Putting the camera back into normal mode allowed us to see that the bundle of fluff was yellow and had brown strips going along its back. There was also a pair of pointy ears that had black tips. Said ears twitched as it felt the hedgehog playing with its tail.

"Pi…?" The mouse stirred, raising its head sleepily. It opened its tiny eyes and blinked, trying to remember what it was supposed to be doing. It had been waiting for Izzy to arrive all day and apparently dozed off.

"I wonder what's a rope doing in here. Like I said, it's too thin for me to climb…" He kept feeling around, trying to figure out its purpose.

Up above, the mysterious mouse's eyes were wide open, being fully aware of its surroundings. Though, it couldn't help noticing the feeling of someone playing with its tail. It actually felt good… In fact…

"Pi, pi, pi!.!.!" It laughed, causing it to stifle itself as Izzy kept on messing with it. The creature shuffled its hind legs and rolled around its little alcove in pure merriment.

"I got it!" The furry shouted triumphantly after a few minutes of tickling the mouse. "This must be a switch for an overhead lamp to light up the caves. Finally, some light!"

With that uncharacteristic spark of stupidity, he tugged on the tail. The creature above yelped in pain as it was forced to the floor. Izzy scratched his head in confusion when there was no light.

"What the…" He pulled it again.

"Ka!" The mouse cried again, nearly falling off the ledge. The hedgehog looked around for the source of the sound. Not finding anything and shrugging, he continued to pull the poor animal's tail.

"Ugh! What… is taking…so…long…to get this…thing…turned…on!.?.!" He roared, pulling the "rope" hard between words. "I…gotta…reveal those…things that are…stalking…me and my…chicks!.!.!"

Soon, the abused creature above had enough of this. Its red cheeks sparked with electricity as it charged energy into its body.

"PiiikaaaCHUUUUUUUUUUUU!.!.!"

°BZZZZZZZZZZTPT!.!.!°

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!.!.!" Izzy screamed as the electricity flowed through his body, burning every single inch. It felt about ten times worse by the fact that he was still wet from going down the water slide. His body glowed yellow whilst he tried to free himself. His hand was stuck to the pokémon due to its static electricity. The furry's limbs flailed in random directions as the attack continued.

"Cheep?" Tux and Edo chirped, pausing from their game to see what was making their "mother" shout. They were dazzled by the light show in the darkness. "Cheep, cheep!.!.!" They cheered while clapping in sheer enjoyment.

A minute or so passed before the massive attack ended. Izzy, burned, crackling with electricity, and blinking dazedly, coughed up a cloud of black smoke as he let go of the mouse. His legs wobbled a bit before giving out on him. He wound up face first on the floor shortly after. He groaned as he looked up.

"Ugh… Well, at least I got my light…" He blinked. "Wha…?"

In front of him were two pairs of jewels in front of him. Or at least they looked like jewels. The pair on the left was a greenish jade while the one on the right was a yellowish amber. Instantly, the color from the hedgehog's face drained when he noticed the jewels drawing closer.

"Th-those aren't jewels! They're eyes!.!.!"

He tried to get up to make a run for it, but Pikachu's attack left him with temporary paralysis. His entire body was frozen! Soon, the owners of the eyes were nearly on top of him! Izzy closed his own eyes shut and yelped, bracing himself.

But no pain came. Instead, he felt two furry things rub against him. He squeezed his eyes tighter and shuddered in fright.

"Oh man… Th-th-this is it…" He stuttered.

He then felt one of the creatures nuzzle its head against his own before feeling its hairy tongue lick his cheek.

"Meow?" The feminine voice mewed.

"What the…?" Izzy's eyes opened wide when he recognized the voice. He noticed that the area was suddenly bright, revealing the cave walls. He raised his head and saw a meowth sitting in front of him. A bigger cat was standing behind the pokémon. The hedgehog immediately recognized the feline as Keoni. But the pokémon…

"S-Sadie?.?.? I-is that really you?.?.?"

"MEOWTH!.!.!" The cat grinned as she ran and tackled him. She hit him so hard, he round up on his back. He laughed uncontrollably as Sadie licked and tickled him. He regained the use of his limbs, allowing him to embrace the pokémon. Sadie purred and rubbed her head against his lovingly.

"Oh Sadie! I missed you so much!" Izzy shouted gleefully as he pet her. "I never thought I'd see you again!.!.!"

"Meow, meow!.!.!" She cried, nuzzling into his chest. The hedgehog smiled softly as he continued petting her. A quizzical look came over him then.

"…But how did you get here?" He then looked at the other cat, who was also rubbing against him. "What's going on here, Keoni?" He shuddered and turned red when he licked the side of his face. "H-h-hey! Cut it out! I'm confused enough as it is!"

"Reow?" Sadie tilted her head, and then glowered at Keoni as he helped Izzy to his feet. She dropped the resentful gaze as her master put her in a more comfortable position and purred. She did take a pause to stick her tongue out at the anthromorph, making him glare at her.

"Ahem?" Izzy cleared his throat, making the cats turn away from their…erm…competition. They both faced him with huge eyes full of love and complete obedience. He sweatdropped at this. "Erm… Mind telling me what the deal is?"

°Ding!°

Izzy, Sadie, and Keoni turned to the right, where they saw the elevator doors opened. All of us inside tumbled out in a massive dust cloud. All three of them sweatdropped at the sounds of fighting and yelling. It soon cleared up, revealing Iggy, Rod, Otto, Reggie, Sam, Twister, and myself lying in a heap of tangled bodies. While the Ozone Street Regulars and I were groaning and covered in bruises, Iggy and Rod, who were sitting on top of us, were unharmed. I moaned painfully as I looked up at the little hedgehog.

"Ugh… You just had to mention that kissing scene…"

"Well yeah!" Iggy grinned innocently. "It was too quiet in there and I really wanted to know what everybody thought about it!"

"Wait until I get you, Squid…" Otto was heard growling underneath me. Sam whimpered, causing Twister (who was between Otto and Sam) and Reggie (who was on the bottom of the pile) to roll their eyes. I slapped my head in irritation before glowering at Iggy, who chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey look!" Rod called, pointing ahead. All of us followed his finger and snickered at the scene before us.

Izzy was standing frozen in defeat and mild shock. Tears of embarrassment fell down his sullen and red face in cascades. Sadie and Keoni were showing their affection for the hedgehog in an attempt to vie for his attention. The meowth was rubbing against his face while playfully wrapping her tail around his neck like a scarf. The bigger cat, on the other hand, was mewing and purring while rubbing against his legs. Smirking at the apparent "battle," we untangled ourselves and made our way to them.

"What…in…the…world…is…going…on?.?.?" Izzy asked through clenched teeth. It was clear he was trying to avoid losing it…or laugh from being tickled by the cats' fur. One of the two. I cleared my throat to avoid laughing as I prepared to speak.

"I thought ya would've figured it out by now. We noticed how much you missed Sadie."

"Yeah! You were so lonely without your pretty kitty!" Iggy chimed in. "It was so gross to hear ya cry!"

"You…cried?.?.?" Otto questioned, stifling his laughter. Twister openly laughed at the embarrassed, confused, and mad (and getting madder by the second!) furry. Reggie glowered at them and snuck up on them.

°WHAM!.!.!°

"Yeow!" Both boys cried, grabbing their heads. They both turned to the bat. "What'd ya do that for!.?.!"

She simply fixed them with a dark glare, making them grab onto each other in fright. Wide-eyed and blue in the face, Iggy, Rod, and I flinched at the scene.

"Sh-sh-she scares me sometimes…" The hyper hedgehog shuddered.

The chipmunk nodded in agreement. "You never want to make her mad…"

"Y-y-yeah…" I added.

Then Reggie turned to us with a sugary sweet smile before dragging Otto and Twister away. We cautiously followed her with our eyes as she laid them next to a pillar. Of course, she did so with a swift kick… We sighed at the end of that little moment of horror before turning our attention back to Izzy. We gasped at the new sight.

It seemed that during those last few minutes in insanity, Keoni and Sadie had changed tactics. Now they were offering the freaked out hedgehog gifts! First the purple feline offered a modest box of chocolates. Poor Izzy accepted the box with an unblinking stare. That was when Sadie presented him with a huge, heart shaped box! The hedgehog began to struggle as he took the box. Growling, Keoni ran off camera and came back with a white gift box wrapped in a red bow. Hissing, Sadie did the same thing, coming back with a bigger box!

The felines went back and forth, trading blows—erm…presents. The pile around the stressed furry got bigger and bigger! Keoni and Sadie kept trying to buy Izzy's love with jewelry, games upon games, tons of powerful-looking computers, deeds to fantastic houses, and even new expensive skateboards, roller blades, surfboards, snowboards, and other assorted extreme sports gear. Otto and Twister, who had recovered, gaped and drooled at the sight of the amazing gear. Sam was drooling at the electronics.

Meanwhile, the cats resorted to taking advantage of the old saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." They brought Izzy all sorts of gourmet food. From stuffed flounder to spaghetti to sushi, they brought him meals from all over the world! While they were going back and forth, Tux and Edo waddled onto the scene, still dripping slightly from their swim. They took one look at all the tasty seafood dishes, rubbed their eyes, saw that they were real, and jumped for joy. They ran at top speed and began to feast on the goodies. Everyone but the cats sweatdropped at this.

"Heh, heh… Guess growing penguins gotta eat…" I offered.

"Aw! They look so happy!" Iggy shouted, clapping.

"Yeah, but Izzy still looks lost." Rod pointed out. He turned to me. "Think we should help him out?"

"We should." I agreed, nodding. "But I wanna see how far they'll go first."

Keoni and Sadie then started to grab works of art to appease to the dark hedgehog. The Venus De Milo, the Thinker, the Mona Lisa, Washington Crossing the Delaware! Even a piece of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling!.!.! All of us on the side lines stared in disbelief as we watched Keoni bring it in on a fork lift.

"Anything for Izzy!" We heard him shout.

Finally, when the two ran out of ideas on what to give the hedgehog, they both raced back up to the surface, Sadie using the service elevator and Keoni using the nearby stairs. When they got back inside the main set, they both dashed out at lightning speed and raced to opposite ends of the studio. There, they each grabbed a jackhammer and hardhat. Then, they both dug at least twenty feet before leaping out of the holes, both holding a package of some sort. Keoni's was wrapped in red paper with his face pictured all over it. Sadie's looked the same, except it was blue.

Using the same amazing speed, they both returned to the catacombs and ran up to Izzy, who had spent those last few seconds tearing out his quills. The babies were watching him in confusion while wiping their messy beaks to get rid of the scraps from all that food. The two cats kneeled before him and presented their gifts. I gasped in horror when I noticed what they were about to give him.

"Oh crap!.!.!" I shouted, stepped back. Everyone else watching gave me a strange look. "Not those!.!.!"

"What's wrong with those gifts?" Rod asked curiously.

"Don't you know what's in there!.?.!" I exclaimed to the group. Everybody shook their heads, causing me to fall over. I got up and answered, "Those are the most dangerous things in this dimension!"

Everyone gasped. "You don't mean…!.?.!"

We turned nervously towards Izzy who was in the process of opening Keoni's gift. He had just gotten the paper ripped off, revealing a plain white box. He lifted the top off and grinned when he saw…

"Woah! My battlechips! Awesome!" He hung the pouch from his hips and then stroked the underside of Keoni's chin. The violet feline purred contently, making Sadie hiss in pure fury. Her fur was also standing on end. It was clear she took after her master in terms of anger problems. She bumped her head against Izzy's leg to get some attention.

"Hmmm? Oh, don't worry Sadie! I didn't forget about you, my dear! Let's see what ya got!"

"Unfortunately, we already know what she got!" Sam shouted, shuddering as his rival took the package from the meowth. Sadie meowed happily, causing Keoni to do the exact same thing she was doing earlier. Sadie noticed this and hissed right back at him. Both rivals glared at each other, threatening to claw the other, until…

"Alright! You guys found my mallet and battlechips!.!.!" Izzy cheered.

Keoni and Sadie turned from their staring contest to see the hedgehog take a few practice swings, then insert a chip into his weapon. It transformed into a handheld cannon, which he fired at a nearby column, knocking it over almost instantly. Tux and Edo clapped at the performance as everyone on the sidelines, except for Rod, gulped and shuddered. The hedgehog then knelt and hugged both cats with teary eyes.

"Awww! You guys didn't have to get me all this stuff!" He said, rubbing his own face against theirs. Both of them purred and rubbed right back, despite the fact their opponent was getting the same treatment. "All I needed were my toys…" He growled out as he stood, glaring at all of us.

"Heh, no prob, brah! It was my pleasure!" Keoni replied cheerfully.

"Meow, meow!" Sadie added with a toothy grin.

"Now then…" The hedgehog started, lightly pounding his hand as he stepped towards us. "Who's gonna start talking?"

The group, aside from Rod (who didn't seem to be threatened at all!) gulped at the horrible sight. Feeling brave, I stepped forward, clearing my throat.

"It's as we said, we noticed that you missed Sadie, so we decided to bring her back permanently."

"Meow?.?.?" The cat in question asked excitedly. Iggy stepped up and nodded joyfully.

"That's right! You get to stay with us forever!"

"So come 'ere and sign your contract!" I said pulling out a contract and ink pad like the ones I presented to Tux and Edo earlier. I knelt and held the open pad and paper to her.

"Meowth!.!.!" Sadie cried happily.

She ran forward past Izzy and skidded to a stop in front of me. She pressed a paw to the pad and applied it to the bottom of the contract. With a huge grin, she ran back to her trainer and hugged him in joy. Like with Iggy and the babies before, the older hedgehog had paw prints all over him. When she was done with this latest shower of affection, she sat on Izzy's shoulder to watch the scene.

"Who was the one responsible for this?" He demanded. I smirked as I pointed to Sam and Rod. The kitsune stepped up to the chipmunk and put a hand on his shoulder. Both of them gave the surprised hedgehog a thumbs-up.

"Why these two of course!" I answered. "They were more than happy to help me out with this surprise! If it wasn't for them, the Wheel of Plotlines would've never been repaired!"

Izzy gaped in disbelief. Tears came to eyes as he tried to make since of this. "You m-m-mean you actually helped me get my dear Sadie back?.?.?" Sam nodded. "After everything I did to you?"

"Well, I didn't do it for free, you know." The fox replied, crossing his arms.

"Pika!" The voice of Pikachu was heard. The mouse jumped from its hiding place and ran up to Sam. When it reached him, it jumped and climbed up his shoulder.

"I-I don't know what to say…" Izzy said shakily.

"How about thanks!.?" Otto shouted at him. The hedgehog nodded and sniffled as he walked up to Sam and Rod. In a move that shocked all of us, he embraced both of them in pure happiness!

"Thank you, thank you!.!.!" He cried, letting his tears fall. Sweatdropping, Rod patted his back.

"No worries, dude! It was fun to work on it!" He said with a bright smile.

"Ugh! Y-yeah!" Sam added, clearly embarrassed at his rival's sudden change in attitude. "That machine is amazing! …Uhhh, could you let us go now?"

Izzy slowly released them and knelt on the floor, trying to compose himself. He was still crying tears of guilt as Sadie patted his back, trying to console him. He then sniffled as he looked up at the fox.

"From now on, things are gonna change! I'll treat you with the respect you deserve! It'll take a long time to repay you for your kindness, but can you ever forgive me!.?"

Sam blinked. "Uhhh… Sure…"

"Oh thank you!" The other boy shouted, lunging forward and hugging his legs. Now it was Sam's turn to put on a freaked out look. "If only I can do something for ya! Anything to show my gratitude!"

"Erm… You can start by letting me go!" The kitsune yelled, trying to free himself. Izzy released him, causing him to stumble backwards. Rod helped him up as Izzy stood.

"Now I guess we can go back to the surface and start our new life together." He said to Sadie.

"Meow, meow!" The cat mewed, nuzzling against him. The hedgehog chuckled and scratched her behind the ear. He started walking towards his gifts when he suddenly stopped, having realized something, and shook his fists in rage.

"Tell me something…" He growled, turning towards me with a dark look. "Did I honestly hit the fake panel or did you really have no intention of sending me back?"

I gulped at his detective skills. I can't believe he knew the whole time! "W-w-well… You see…"

"Hmph! I shoulda known." He picked Sadie off him and set her on the ground. She walked away from him, knowing full well how mad he was. He then raised his mallet in an attack position. "I can't believe you actually thought you could play me for a fool!" He stomped towards us again. "You were lying to me from the start! There's no rule that says you can banish me, is there!.?.!"

"Well…" I pulled at my shirt collar. "No, or rather not the way I told you. I can banish you, but not to a prison for the rest of my life…"

"I knew it!" He roared.

The cave shook and rumbled as he continued advancing towards us. Small craters appeared in his wake. He raised his mallet above his head as he drew closer to us. Everyone resumed their earlier position of hiding behind me. Rod, being brave, stood with me, waiting for Izzy to make his move. He snickered evilly as he stood a good ten feet from us. His chilling laugh sent shivers down most of our spines.

"I-I won't stand for this!" I challenged. "You will not attack us!"

"Please!" He scoffed. "Give me one good reason why I won't attack you!"

I shook and shudder for a moment or two before I blinked and smirked. "Actually, I can think of four good reasons why you won't attack!"

"Wha?" He gave me a confused look.

"Meowth!" Sadie shouted.

"Cheep!" Tux and Edo chirped.

"C'mon brah! There's no reason to be mad at him!" Keoni called.

Izzy looked around himself and gulped. All four of his friends were surrounding him. Keoni and Tux were behind him while Sadie and Edo were in front. He stepped backwards in fright. Judging by the looks in their eyes, they all looked like they were going to…to…!

"Get 'em!" Keoni ordered.

In seconds, all four animals rushed him. A huge dust cloud appeared as sounds of fighting and screams (all from Izzy) were heard. We sweatdropped as we saw him try to escape, but was pulled right back in by two pairs of flippers, a pair of white arms, and a pair of purple ones. The struggle continued for a couple of minutes before the cloud disappeared, revealing a defeated Izzy. He had a dazed look on him as he lay on the ground, pinned down by everybody he loved. Tux and Edo were hugging his legs while Keoni and Sadie had his arms. They were fighting to nuzzle against his face.

"Whew…" The Ozone Street Regulars, Pikachu, and I sighed in relief.

"That was a close one…" Rod commented, wiping his sweaty head.

"Wow! That looks fun!" Iggy exclaimed, running towards the dog pile.

"Ugh…" Izzy groaned, picking up his head. "Ow…" He closed his eyes and gave a bashful smile as he sweatdropped. "Ya know what they say…"

"Bonsai!" His little brother yelled, jumping. He cannonballed right on Izzy's back in a spectacular crash. When the dust settled, the older hedgehog had two dizzy swirls for eyes.

"Love—Ugh!—hurts… Ohhhh…" He fainted right after saying those words. All of us laughed at the display for a few minutes before turning to each other.

"Wow! That went a lot better than I imagined!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, if almost being bashed is your idea of better…" Reggie commented sarcastically.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded from atop Sam.

"C'mon! Let's go already! I need to get to Mad Town before it closes!" Otto exclaimed, hurriedly making his way towards the elevator.

"Wait up for me, Ottoman!" Twister called after him.

"I'm outta here!" Sam shouted, running after them. "I don't wanna be here when he wakes up!"

"I hear ya Sammy." The bat said, following. She sighed and held her head. "I got a major headache from all this… The downside of being a bat… You get headaches much easier than humans do…"

I too started walking when I stopped and turned to the chipmunk, who was looking at the strange pile before him. "You coming, Rod?"

"But what about them?" He asked.

"Oh don't worry." I waved a dismissive hand. "He'll wake up in a couple of hours. By then, they'll be tired and ready to leave. C'mon. I'm taking the crew out for ice cream and root beer floats. That means you too."

The little furry turned to me with a grin and a thumbs-up. "As Iggy would say, coolies!"

The camera faded to black as we all made our way into the elevator for our ride back to the surface.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Whew! Talk about funny and cute! And I'm not just talking about the mid and post-chapter conversations. ;-) Anyway, we're finally at the end of the team battles (for now) and we can move on to more adventure in a different setting, AT LONG FREAKIN' LAST!.!.! So for those who are bored of the forest setting we've been in for the last few months, never fear! You won't be seeing any more forests or woods for the rest of the fic! (Or at least there won't be any elaborate scenes taking place in forests…I hope…)

Now then, as we saw before Izzy was reunited with his meowth, Team Rocket lucked out and pulled a win out from under Team Lars. What difficult obstacle will our heroes face next? Find out next time!

Time for reviewer responses!

To outtie2009: Heh, heh… Yeah, that last chapter was pretty lengthy. Making long chapters is a kinda weakness of mine… But I'm glad ya like the chapter! And I hope to see more of your slash fic soon!

To Mike2000: Eeeeeee!.!.! Thank you so much! Thanks to you, your son, and your wife, I finally broke fifty reviews! I'm so ecstatic! I can't thank you guys enough for your feedback! I truly appreciate it!

Thanks for the compliment about the cast being in-character. To be honest, I thought for sure that Pi would actually be considered out of character because of his increased intellect due to becoming a robot. And I would've been cool with it even if he was considered OOC, but eh, if he's really in-character, then I'm happy 'cause I don't have to worry about it! XD

And whew… I'm glad I was able to portray Rod well. I guess I was trying to picture a more athletic Iggy when I wrote his parts. Good to know it worked out well! XD

And—°Snickers°—although I wasn't able to have Reggie and Otto battle in this chapter, I'll be considering having them go at it in a future chapter. °Winks° Talk about your sibling rivalries, huh!.?

Thanks again for everything! °Claps° Hope ya enjoyed the chapter!

And last but not least, to Warior: °Whistles° It looks like your action-filled tale is reaching its thrilling conclusion! …Man, I hope I'm wrong! It's exciting and entertaining to read! Can't wait to see the next installment!

Hmmm… I guess that's about it. So I'll see ya next time, folks! I wonder if Izzy will really leave Sammy alone… PFFT!.!.! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!