Chapter 1: The World Beneath Our Feet Part 1
Deep below the surface of the Earth, there lie caverns filled with magical energy. The source of this energy; the slugs that inhabit them. These are many different types of slugs, each with their own powers and purpose. The people that live in the caverns are ignorant of the world above, and live peacefully with the slugs as well as the other creatures of the caverns. Trolls, molenoids, and elves live throughout, but the most feared inhabitants are the Shadow Clan.
These mysterious beings were the first creatures in Slugterra. They have the ability to talk to slugs and walk in the shadows. Due to their frightening appearance and their screeching language, the Shadow Clan are avoided and seen as a plague upon the 99 caverns. Only a handful of people have dealt with the Shadow Clan and survived. These individuals are the Shanes. The protectors of the 99 caverns. They keep the peace and ensure that the inhabitants are safe and happy. The current Shane is a middle-aged man by the name of Will. But he won't be the Shane for much longer.
Explosions echoed across the caverns as slugs were thrown in an attempt by each slinger to hit the other. Will Shane looks around in the quiet, trying to spot his opponent, and dodges the sudden Thresher slug slung his way, and fires a Hop Rock at the cliff where his opponent, Dr. Thaddius Blakk, was hiding. As Blakk moved out of the way he slung a Rammstone slug and Will responded in kind. As both slugs reached velocity, the larger slug belonging to Will easily overpowered his smaller brethren. Both slugs land, Will's Rammstone smiling in victory, while Blakk's looks dazed and falls over.
"You worthless slug!" Blakk yelled. He looked displeased at the outcome of the collision. "Not that I don't enjoy bringing you to justice time and again, Dr. Blakk, but aren't you tired of getting beat?" Will asked as he knelt down to retrieve his slug. "Extremely. Which is why I lured you here." Blakk replied ominously. "Think you're finally gonna beat me in a duel?" Will was unconvinced. Blakk only glared and replied, "I know I am." The infurnus slug on Will's shoulder chittered angrily. "Settle down, Burpy. You'll get your chance." Will calmed his slug.
Will turned to face his opponent. "So, are you gonna tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to guess?" Blakk glared at his rival. "I'll do you one better, Will Shane. I'll show you." With that comment, Blakk lifted a red slug barrel and revealed and ghouled Tormato. "Is that a slug? Blakk, what have you done to it?" Will was furious, and Burpy was looking angry on his shoulder. Blakk replied with a laugh, "I fixed it. Made it better. Good enough to finally beat you."
With his last sentence, Blakk loaded the corrupted slug and fired. As the slug reached velocity, it transformed and used Skyclone, forming a portal in the space between Will and Blakk. Will struggled against the portal's pull, while Blakk looked on in delight. "The power! I could never imagine!" Blakk grabbed a nearby tree as the pull grew stronger. "You have no idea what you're doing!" Will yelled to Blakk, holding Burpy in one hand. "Corrupting slugs! You could destroy all of Slugterra!"
Blakk used his strength to push himself from the tree and escape, leaving Will to his fate. "Blakk! Stop this! You have to stop this! Blakk! BLAKK!" As the pull grew Will flipped and landed on the ground. Grabbing Burpy from his shoulder, he put the slug in a barrel. "Find my son. Find Eli. Give him the letter." Will loaded his most trusted slug and fired as the pull of the portal finally overcame him "Go!" Burpy transformed and began to fly away. The slug turned his head in time to watch his friend and slinger thrown into the vortex and disappear, leaving only a scorched mark on the ground. The infurnus turned away in shock and dismay.
As he neared his destination, Burpy spread his wings and began the journey to the surface. Burpy navigated the twists and turns with ease, coming to an abrupt stop under a manhole and flew up and into the night sky. He looked around and spotted the house he was looking for. Burpy reverted back to his protoform as he landed at the window, causing a flash to wake the 10 year old sleeping in his bed.
This boy was Eli, the son of Will Shane. "Burpy! What are you doing here?" The little slug chirped sadly. "It's dad, isn't it?" Burpy wilted in sadness, but hopped across the room to complete his mission. Eli followed the slug and watched as he slid under the rug in his room. He moved the carpet to reveal a small compartment. He opened it to reveal a container bearing the Shane mark, a star with the letter S in it.
Upon opening the box, Eli saw only a letter. He opened it and began to read it. "Dear Eli, if you're reading this, it means that I've fallen protecting Slugterra." Eli's face falls at the news. "It's one of the many risks of being the Shane. A risk you'll someday face yourself, if you decide to follow in my footsteps. A long line of Shanes have made the trip down to Slugterra. If you do choose to go, remember our deal." Eli got up at this and remembered. "Not until I'm 15."
Five Years Later
Eli shoulders his pack and takes one last look at his home. He turned to the man beside him to say goodbye. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? Slugterra could use a Shane that knows what they're doing. And I could use the training and advice you could give me." Jimmo Shane looked at his great nephew with sorrow. "No, Eli. While I may be a Shane, I gave my post to your father for a reason. I'm too old to be slugging it out with the troublemakers that litter the caverns. That's why you're going down there. To restore the peace. To find out the truth about what happened to Will. I've taught you all you need to know about the slugs and even a little about the caverns. All you need to do is trust your slugs and they will never let you down."
Eli looked saddened, but determined. "Thanks Uncle Jimmo. I'll miss you. Maybe one day I'll be back and we can go down together and revel in the peace that has returned." Eli gave one last hug before moving to the manhole and beginning the journey down. Eli recalled his father's words from the letter as he climbed down. "I've told you all about my adventures in Slugterra and you'll have plenty of your own." As Eli reached the bottom, he held a hand out for Burpy, who jumped onto it and lit his head on fire. "Getting down there is going to be the easy part. Getting back up, that'll be a lot harder for you. If you choose to go, it'll be a one way trip until you learn the secret of how to get back home."
Eli came up to a wall with an indention of the Shane mark. Eli pushed the button to reveal a carriage, with one seat. "I know we've always talked about making your first journey underground together, but you will have to do this one on your own. I've told you so much about Slugterra, but it only scratches the surface of what you'll see." Eli climbed in and looked into the darkness of the tunnel that leads to Slugterra. "You will be traveling over 100 miles beneath the surface of the Earth, to a place that only a handful of top-siders have ever seen. You'll be safe inside the carriage. Just hold on tight." Burpy jumped onto a button that strapped Eli in and lowered the bar. Eli looked at Burpy as his hand hovered over the release button. "Ready Burpy?" Burpy nodded excitedly. Eli took a deep breath and pushed the button. He tensed and waited for the sensation of falling. He looked around for a moment and then started screaming as he dropped unexpectedly and began the journey down.
The carriage moved down the tunnel, following the rail it was attached to, twisting and turning. Eli was ecstatic. "This. Is. AWESOME!" They reached the end of the tunnel and saw the rail ending. The carriage went over and Eli began falling into open air. Eli was beginning to panic when the carriage released a parachute that slowed their descent. He looked around the cavern in awe. "Wow! Slugterra! The world beneath our feet. I'm finally here." The carriage finally reached the ground and the straps released. "When you reach Slugterra, there'll be a Shane hideout within a few hundred yards of the drop." Eli turned to Burpy on his shoulder. "Ready to check out our new home, Burpy?"
As Eli approached the hideout, he noticed the building, a set of white marble structures built into a mushroom tree with the cap lying beautifully above it. Eli opened the door to a cluttered and overgrown inside. "Kind of a mess." Burpy chirped and pointed at a nearby locker. "Inside, you'll find all the gear you're going to need to keep the peace." Eli opened the locker to reveal a change of clothes. "Time to ditch the surface clothes, Burpy." Eli now wore padded blue jeans, dark black boots, and an armoured black shirt with patches of white and orange with a Shane symbol located on his chest.
Eli headed to the service garage. "Your own mecha beast will be waiting for you in the service bay. Happy Birthday, son." The door opened to reveal an old and dirty donkey mecha and a figure under a tarp. "Thanks, dad." Eli was disappointed. "Though, I was expecting something a little cooler." Burpy chirped and pointed to the tarp. Eli walked over to remove it and revealed a shiny white wolf mecha. "Ah, nice! LK-E model? How about we call you Lucky?" Eli opened another locker to reveal slug barrels and a blaster. "I usually keep a few extra blasters around, but you'll have to find your own slugs. That's going to be your most important task, Eli. The slugs are the key to everything down here. You're going to learn that they're much more than ammo."
A noise startled them, and Eli turned to get Burpy in a barrel and loaded his blaster. He walked slowly and ripped the door open to reveal a molenoid chasing after some slugs. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" The intruder cowered at the end of the blaster. "Who are you?" Eli asked. "Who am I? The question is, who are you?" The molenoid tried to be brave. "I asked you first. And I'm the one holding the blaster." The molenoid was impressed. "I see you are as clever as I, young man. Pronto, at your service. Tracker. Explorer. Molenoid of many talents." Eli snorted in disbelief. "Funny. Dad never mentioned you." Pronto was confused. "Dad? Your father is Will Shane!" Pronto's expression was one of surprise. "Of course, I have a perfectly good explanation for this, you see." Eli held up his blaster threateningly. "Alright! I never actually met Will Shane. But, if I had, there would be no doubt he would have begged me to be on his team. As should you. What good is a Shane without a tracker to lead him on his adventures?" Eli pulled out his father's letter. "Yeah well, dad didn't mention anything about needing a tracker, either." Pronto sighed in disappointment. "And so, a dream dies." Pronto begins to walk to his mecha. "Perhaps we will meet again, if ever you pass through the Low Rock Caves. By way of the Northern Cavern or Scorched Sparks?"
Eli came to the sudden realization that his knowledge of how to get around was severely lacking. "You know, a tracker might actually come in handy." Pronto was so excited he jumped off his mecha to shake Eli's hand. "You have made a wise choice, young Shane." "My name is Eli." Eli introduced himself, letting go of Pronto's hand. "Hmm. A good name. Easy to pronounce. You, young Eli, will not be disappointed."
"Good, because if I'm going to fight evil, our first order of business is to catch me some slugs." Pronto replied, "Well, as a Shane, you must have an impressive arsenal of slugs. Show them to me." Burpy jumped off Eli's shoulder to be shown off. "Yes, yes, you are very nice. But where are the rest?" Eli moved Burpy back to his shoulder. "There is no rest. But Burpy is awesome. And I do have a personal list of some I'd like to catch." Pronto was surprised and dismayed. "You only have one slug! You need to win some experienced slugs in a battle. And I know just the place."
Pronto got on his mecha and began to leave the service bay. "It is a small, local tournament. The competition should be no problem for a Shane. What's the holdup? We have slugs to win!" Pronto noticed Eli hadn't gotten on his mecha. "Just one thing I need to do before we go. Been waiting my whole life to do this." Eli held up this blaster and a barrel for Burpy. "Waiting to do what? Shoot a slug out of a blaster?" Eli loaded Burpy in the blaster. "Yep. Ready Burpy?" Burpy transformed and used Flamespire. Pronto was in awe. "An Infurnus slug." Eli was ecstatic. "Whoa. Way to go, Burpy!" Burpy finished and landed on Eli's shoulder. Eli turned to mount his mecha beast. "Now, how do you start one of these things?"
Eli screamed with joy as he rode his mecha. They passed a group of slugs. "A flock of Flaringos. Check it out, Burpy." Burpy waved at his fellow slugs. "Wait! You give your slugs names?" Pronto asked. "Don't you?" Pronto's Flatulorhinkus slug chose that moment to pass gas. "Stop that! Scurrilous beast!" Pronto said, upset. "I guess that's a name."
"You know, my skills in observation are highly refined." Pronto said. "It seems as if many common things are unfamiliar to you." Eli became wide-eyed. "I, uh, grew up in a Shane's most secret hideout. It was really out of the way. Only the Shanes know about it." Eli lied. "Yes. Of course." Pronto said, believing his lie.
"The Shanes have a lot of secrets, but none of them are as important as the one about where you come from. No one can know about The Surface, Eli. There are too many dangers on both sides. These two worlds must be kept separate."
Along the way, Eli noticed a bit of a scuffle. A big man was robbing a smaller man's slug cart. "What's going on, Pronto?" Eli asked. "Avert your eyes and keep moving." Pronto said, pretending not to care, but sneaking a peek. " That guy looks like he could use some help." Eli said. "Without a Shane around to keep the peace, the caverns in Slugterra have gotten, how should we say, a little rough around the edges." Pronto explained. "Well there's a Shane around now." Eli said, heading over. "This is none of our concern. I am sure you'll agree that a wise hero must choose his battles." Pronto said, not noticing he was gone.
"This all you got?!" Said the man, looking in the cart. "Nothing but Floppers in here!" Eli readied his blaster, loaded with Burpy, behind the man. "You need to go!" he said to the cart owner. The cart owner ran off. "I've got the claim to this trail. Unless you're Will Shane, you better keep on moving." The man threatened. "That would be my dad. I'm picking up where he left off." Eli replied. The man just laughed. "Oh, is that a fact? Will Shane was someone to be afraid of. You're just a kid." The man said insultingly. "And I'm the kid who's holding the blaster. You willing to try me?" Eli asked with confidence. The man rammed into him, knocking Eli down with his blaster dropping out of his hands. "Guess that's a yes." Eli said, now uncertain. The man loaded a Hop Rock into his own blaster and aimed it at the young Shane.
Suddenly, an Arachnet slug was shot from somewhere and it fired a web at the man, knocking him down. "Thanks Pronto!" Eli said, picking up his blaster. "Who's Pronto? And you're welcome." A female voice came. Eli turned his head and saw a young girl riding a tiger mecha beast. She held a blaster in her hand, and Eli realized that she fired the Arachnet slug. "You know, this road is filled with guys like that. You should be more careful." She warned them as she rode away. "Wait! Who are you?" Eli called out.
"There you are!" Pronto said, riding up and readying his own blaster. "Already dispensing the justice, I see." The man came to, seeing Eli and Pronto aiming their blasters at him. "Stay off this trail." Eli warned. The man got up and pulled the web off. "Gonna take a whole lot more than a blaster and a molenoid to be a Shane, kid." He walked away, chuckling. Eli glared at what the man said.
The two were back on the road. "I thought being a Shane was supposed to mean something. That guy thought I was a joke." Eli complained. "If respect is what you want, you must earn it on the field of battle, like Pronto the Brave." Pronto explained, exaggerating.
They arrived at the destination of the tournament, where dozens of slingers were training for their upcoming battles. "If you win this tournament, people will know that a Shane has returned to fight for justice and protect the innocent." Pronto explained. "And if I don't win?" Eli asked in concern. "Chaos will continue to rule and you will be forever branded as a hopeless fool!" Pronto said, being brutally honest. "Of course, this will never happen. You have this competition in the bag."
The duo made their way to the signup booth. Eli signed his name in. The booth director looked at the name. "Shane?" He asked in disbelief. "Hey, check this out! Kid thinks he's a Shane!" The other competitors started laughing, getting the attention of the girl who saved the young man earlier. "Alright! You got the last spot in the qualifier. Good luck. You're gonna need it." The host teased. "Qualifier?" Eli asked, confused. "Just one little duel to get you into the tournament." Pronto explained. "Nothing to worry about." He assured the young Shane. "Okay, cool. It'll be fun to finally get to duel someone." Eli said.
Pronto flinched at what he heard. "WHAT?! You've never-" He covered his mouth, making sure no one was listening, then pulled Eli close to him. "You've never been in a duel? But you're a Shane!" He whispered. "It's kind of a long story. And I don't think we wanna share it with the other duelers, do we?" Eli asked, being strict. "No, of course not." Pronto agreed. "I need to find you a sparring partner right away! I'll be back." Pronto took off to find a sparring partner for Eli.
Eli was just about to look around some more until someone called to them. "Excuse me, you're in my shot." It was the girl, and she was holding a video camera. "Oh. Hey, it's you!" Eli said, recognizing her. He walked over to her. "Hey, thanks again for, um, you know." She looked at Eli. "What? Saving your butt? It'll be our little secret." She said. Eli looked away in embarrassment. "Well, I owe you." He said. "I'm Eli." Eli introduced. "Trixie. You told that guy you were a Shane. Is it true?" Trixie asked. "Yep. I'm just here to win a few slugs before I go off and fight crime and stuff." Eli explained, trying to sound cool. "What's with the camera?" Eli asked. "I'm filming my competition, looking for anything that might give me an edge." Trixie explained.
Suddenly, there was an interruption. Two other guys were sparring. The guy on the left fired a Tormato slug, trapping his sparring partner with its Slyphoon, sending him flying. The guy started to dance in victory. "Who's that guy?" Eli asked. "John Bull. He's the one to beat if you plan on winning this thing." Trixie explained, focusing her camera on the guy, who was still dancing like an idiot. "Haven't found a weakness yet. Except for the fact that he's a total jerk." Trixie looked to Eli. "Uh, shouldn't you be in there practicing?" She asked. "Yeah! Uh, my friend is getting me someone easy to spar with." Eli said. "Unless, you're interested."Trixie scoffed. "And give away all my tricks? No thanks. I'd rather film you and learn yours." Trixie said. "Besides, I think your friend already found someone." She said, backing away slowly.
Pronto came back with Eli's sparring partner: a cave troll. Burpy hid in his barrel. "Eli Shane, meet Kord Zane." Pronto introduced Eli's opponent, who clenched his fists, ready to duel. "Well, what do you think?" Pronto asked his friend. "I think…this could be extremely painful." Eli responded, afraid of getting hurt.
Kord took a look at the young teen. "You told me I'd be dueling a Shane! That's just a kid." He said to Pronto. "And you're a cave troll!" Eli said in excitement. "Let me guess: you don't wanna spar with me either." Kord said, upset. "Are you kidding? I've always wanted to meet a cave troll." Eli corrected Kord. "You'll never find anyone more loyal, honest and brave than a cave troll. That's what my dad always used to say." Eli added. Pronto felt insulted. "Hmph. Well clearly, he spent little time around molenoids." He said. "Will Shane, said that?!" Kord asked. "Aww! Come here you!" Kord grabbed the young Shane and pulled him into a bear hug. "So, I take it this means we're gonna duel?" Eli asked, struggling to breath.
Kord opened a slug canister, releasing Flopper slugs. "Take your pick." Kord offered. Eli looked at them. "Floppers huh? Great." He said. Pronto got shocked from what he heard. "What?! Not great! Floppers are useless." He said cruelly. "Every slug is useful." Eli said, picking up three Floppers.
Eli and Kord got into position. "So, what do you know about dueling?" Kord asked, preparing his blaster. "What's to know?" Eli said, loading his Floppers into his extra slug barrels. "First you choose your slug and then you sling it. When it reaches 100 miles an hour, it transforms. Keep at it until your opponent gives up. My dad must've explained that to me like 100 times." Kord seemed impressed. "Yeah, well explaining's not dueling." Kord explained. "In this competition, you win, you get to pick a slug from your opponent. That means if you lose any match, even the qualifier-" "I could lose Burpy." Eli finished, concerned. "Are you really willing to put it all on the line?" Kord asked in concern. "I really don't have a choice, do I?" "Nope. Duel!"
Kord fired a Phosphoro slug. It transformed and scared Eli with its Arcalyte attack. Pronto facepalmed himself, while Trixie laughed a bit. "Not fair! I wasn't ready!" Eli complained as he got up. "That's the point! You always gotta be-DUEL!" Kord fired a Tormato, which took Eli for a little spin with its Slyphoon. "Stand sideways! You're harder to hit that way." Trixie said, giving Eli advice. "You do realize you're helping the competition." Eli pointed out, fixing his hair. "Heh. That's cute. He thinks he's competition." Trixie said. "DUEL!" Kord fired another slug.
Eli fired one of his Floppers at Kord, who dodged and fired a Bubbaleone. It knocked Eli into the air and he started bouncing on it. Kord started laughing at this. "Not bad, bro." The Bubbaleone popped back to its protoform and made Eli land on his butt. Pronto lowered his head in disappointment. Eli fired another Flopper, while Kord fired a Jellyish slug. Both dodged the incoming slugs. "Don't target your opponent every time. Try moves that mess things up around them." Kord said. "Ah. You mean like this?" Eli fired a Flopper at Kord's feet, creating a small cloud. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Kord said, until he noticed Eli disappeared. Eli tapped Kord on his right shoulder, surprising him. "Yes! Now that is the Eli Shane that I know." Pronto said, earning a look from Trixie. "Or, you know, just recently met." Trixie looked on, impressed with Eli's move. "Clever move." Kord said before moving aside. Eli noticed a Flatulorhinkus at his feet, setting off a stink bomb. "And so is my time delayed Flatulorhinkus."
During a break, Pronto was airing Eli out while he rested on a crate. "How is it that you have never been in a duel?" Trixie asked. "I made my dad a promise. I wouldn't take up slinging until I turned 15." Eli explained. "Let me guess: Happy Birthday?" "Yesterday." Eli said with a smile. "I got a good feeling about you, Eli." Kord said. "I mean, you may not have lots of skill right now, but you've got plenty of heart." "So, you think I'm ready?" Eli asked, getting up. "Definitely." "Maybe." "Hmm, no." Eli seemed unsure with all the answers he got. Kord put his arm around Eli's shoulder. "You're gonna do fine." The troll assured his new friend. "In fact, I almost feel sorry for whatever noob you're up against."
By then, another slinger, dressed in an electric suit, was practicing on the targets. He fired a Tazerling slug at a target, completely demolishing it. The four looked at him. "Remember what I said before about feeling sorry for the other guy? I totally take that back." Kord said in regret, knowing who this slinger was. "You're going up against Shockwire." Eli looked on in worry.
Shockwire pulled up his electric themed blaster, loaded another Tazerling and started to move around and swing his blaster around in his hand, like a ninja. The tournament host walked past the gang. "Still not too late to quit while you're alive, Shane!" He teased. "He's gonna demolish you!" Kord said in worry. "Come on guys. He doesn't look that tough." Eli said as Shockwire fired more Tazerlings back-to-back. "What do you think, Burpy?" Eli asked his slug. Burpy just blew a raspberry. Trixie focused her camera on Shockwire. "All he uses are Tazerlings. And from what I can tell, he's sort of a one-trick pony." She said as Shockwire fired another Tazerling, destroying four targets at once with its Tazerbolt attack. "Some trick!" Kord said with fear. Eli slid in front of them. "I have a few tricks of my own, you know." He said. "You do?!" His friends asked. "Sure. You know some tricks, right?" Eli asked Burpy in a mutter. Burpy just widened his eyes. "Look, I'll be fine. I'm sure I-" Shockwire destroyed more targets. "Man, he is really tearing those targets to pieces!" Eli said, impressed. "You know, Tazerlings are tough little slugs, but sometimes they'll misfire if they get overworked." Trixie said. "You don't say." Eli said as he thought of a plan.
Eli and Shockwire stepped forward to meet each other. "They tell me you're a Shane." Shockwire said. "That's right." Eli answered. "And all you got is a Flaringo and a bunch of Floppers?" Shockwire asked. Burpy got angry for being mistaken for a Flaringo. "Yep." Eli said, smiling at his slugs. "You crazy, dumb, or both?" Shockwire asked, getting in Eli's face. "Um, are there any other choices?" Eli asked, unable to come up with a better response. Shockwire just smiled.
Eli and Shockwire prepared to duel on a series of cliffs and land bridges overlooking a lake of lava. Eli looked to his friends before looking back to Shockwire, ready to draw. "DUEL!" The host cried. Eli drew first and fired a Flopper directly at Shockwire, but it didn't do anything. Eli smiled innocently and Shockwire fired his Tazerling. Eli jumped off his cliff so he wouldn't get shocked. Shockwire jumped after him, firing another Tazerling. Eli jumped to a lower bridge and loaded another Flopper. Burpy chittered, wanting his chance. "Not yet, Burpy. You'll get your chance." He assured his best slug. When Shockwire came to view, Eli fired the Flopper past his head as a distraction before Shockwire fired another Tazerling. Shockwire jumped down and fired another Tazerling. Eli rolled out the way and almost off the edge of the bridge. Shockwire re-barreled his tiring slug and reloaded it. "Do it." Eli muttered, knowing what was coming. Shockwire fired the slug and Eli dropped down to another bridge. Shockwire fired two more Tazerlings, while Eli fired another Flopper.
"Hey, why isn't he using his Infurnus?" Kord asked in confusion as they watched. "Eli, you're never gonna win using Floppers!" Trixie interjected. "No wait, I think I know what he's doing."
Eli then jumped down to some pointy rocks in the lava river, dodging two more Tazerlings. When Shockwire thought he had him cornered, he loaded one more Tazerling and aimed at Eli. "You're in for a shock kid!" Shockwire said, feeling victorious. "Just a little longer." Eli muttered with Burpy loaded into his blaster. Before Shockwire could pull the trigger, the loaded Tazerling misfired and shocked Shockkwire's whole body. "He was waiting for one of the Tazerlings to misfire." Trixie said, figuring out Eli's plan.
Burpy nodded. "Ok, Burpy. Now!" Eli said, slinging Burpy into action. Burpy transformed and flew towards Shockwire, trapping him in a Flamespire. Shockwire was getting scared from the heat. "Call it off!" He yelled, surprising Trixie, Kord, Pronto and the host. "Call it off! I quit! You win!" Burpy stopped his attack and dropped back to Eli. The crowd cheered as the host declared Eli the winner.
Eli climbed back up to the top ridge. "Burpy, we did it!" Eli said, until he was then pulled into a noogie by Kord, while Trixe and Pronto applauded around him. Even the host cheered. "I guess you really are a Shane." The host turned to Shockwire. "Shockwire! Get over here and pay up." "Yeah, yeah." Shockwire understood, annoyed that he lost to a kid. He walked over to Eli and held up his three Tazerlings. "Take your pick."
The four looked at his selection. "Ooh! He's got some good ones, Eli." Kord said in excitement. Eli was just about to walk over, but Kord stopped him for a second. "Hey, hey. Let's think about this." He suggested. "No, Kord. I've got a better idea." Kord looked confused.
Eli kneeled down to the Tazerlings. "Which one of you guys wants to come with me?" He asked the slugs. "I'm a Shane, you know. So, after this competition is over, you've gotta be up for a life of adventure." Pronto popped up behind Eli, shocked. "What? You're asking the slugs? Nobody asks the slugs." Pronto stated. The middle Tazerling, inspired by Eli's request, jumped out of his barrel and hopped into Eli's hand. "Welcome to the team, little guy." Eli said, rubbing the slug's head with his thumb. "How do you like the name Joules?" Joules hopped, clapped and lit a little spark on his head, liking the name. Eli held up Burpy and his other Flopper. "These are Burpy and Noodle." Burpy and Noodle touched arms with Joules, getting shocked in the process.
Kord and Trixie looked on. "You're a natural." Kord complimented. "But, now that you're in the competition-" "Don't think we're doing you any favors." Trixie finished. "We're all in this to win." "Then you better get a move on." The host said, getting their attention. "Round one starts tonight at Scorched Sparks Cavern. And you'll be fighting them." He pointed to four slingers: John Bull and three others, ready for battle. The gang looked at each other nervously.
At a factory deep in some dark cavern, Dr. Blakk was approached by his henchman, Maurice. "Dr. Blakk. You need to see this." Maurice informed his boss, holding up a data pad. "It's footage from a slug slinging match way out in Herringbone Cavern." Blakk turned to Maurice. "Why would something like that be of any interest to me?" He asked with little interest. "Because this one says his name is Eli Shane." Maurice answered, showing Eli in the footage. "Think he's any relation?" Blakk looked at the footage. "Well if he is, we have ways of dealing with Shanes." He said with a smirk. "Quite a few of them, actually." He and Maurice looked on at hundreds of slug canisters. One tube containing a ghouled Greneater.
A/N: This is my first fanfic. I own nothing! Please be nice in the comments. Hope you like my addition of Jimmo Shane. I plan to have him take a supporting role later in the series. Just want to warn you now that the first few chapters won't have too much of a difference from the original, but I plan to change more later. One more thing. I'll list the type of slugs the Shane Gang has, but unless they already have a nickname, I won't be giving them one. Except for Eli's unnamed ones. If you have any ideas for one, leave a suggestion in the comments. Thanks!
Shane Gang Slugs:
Eli: Burpy (Infurnus), Noodle (Flopper), Joules (Tazerling)
Trixie: Arachnet
Kord: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Phosphoro, Tormato, Bubbaleone, Flatulorhinkus
Pronto: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus)