Burnout: Summer Rush
By RichieD.
(Author's Note and Disclaimer: YOSH! Hey out there in computer land, I'll make this short and sweet. This story is based off an RPG me and some friends over at PPGWorld. Com did during the summer season in 05'. What started as another thread that seemed on the verge of being closed actually turned into one of the few RPGs on that site that managed to make it to the finish (not to mention had a loyal group of players who didn't abandon it). So, with permission to use those players' original characters, heres the fanfiction version of that RPG. All cartoon characters used belong to their respected creators and as we get further and more original characters show up, I shall name who belongs to whom. As in this chapter, the character of Shorty belongs to Exclamation comics and me.
Also this story is dedicated to MHZ, LemGambino, and DJ Dan. I know you guys heard me say it before but thank you for your creativity and sticking in there through the RPG.)
"The city of Townsville" The all too familiar narrator sprouts out. "One of the most troubled places on this side of the planet. Second ranked only by New York. Plagued by crime and constant monster attacks not to mention the overwhelming threat of UTTER ANNILATION! –Ahem- But enough about that, it summertime and the citizens, namely the kids, are gearing up of three months of the ultimate recess. No work, no papers, no worries. Just fun, fun, fun! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"…Though why does it feel as though something weird is waiting in the midst this time out. I know I've lived in this city long enough and shouldn't be too surprised if there is trouble headed our way. Yet I get the feeling this time it might be TOO big. Possibly even something the Powerpuff Girls might not be able to handle alone. Hmm, ah am probably just being paranoid, sometimes I even creep myself out. Besides what could possibly be different from that of any other summers here in Townsville? Oh wait hold the phone, what this?"
His cause for attention is a purple tent parked outside a corner by the Townsville park. A sign on one of the poles reads "S-Stop Caricatures: Silly pics for simple prices." And true to it namesake there are pictures of people in ridiculous attires as most caricatures stand are prone to show. Inside the tent sits a teenage girl roughly around the age of 13 dressed in all red overalls, a red cap and red sneakers with a yellow strip design running down the middle (seeing a pattern there:P). Currently she has her feet propped up on her drawing board, the cap covering her face and a rough snoring sound emitting from under it.
While she sawing lumber, somebody enters the tent and notices that the only employer is sleeping on the job. After shaking their heads from the lack of work ethic, that person reaches to grab her cap to wake her. However one of the girl's hands to spring to life, grabbing that person arm as it was inches from reaching the hat, surprising the reacher greatly.
The girl lazily yawns and scratches her head. "Ugh, I must've dozed off." She says as she takes her feet off her drawing board "How unprofessional of me." The girl then notices her customer's arm in her hand "Hehehe, sorry about that. Natural reflex." She lets the arm go then get to work getting the workstation set, not yet facing her customers. "Anyway welcome to S-Stop, silly pics for silly…meh you saw the sign outside, otherwise you wouldn't have come in here now, would ya? Am Shorty Cakea, your artist and/or mutilator of your façade for today." Shorty finishes cleaning up then turns her cap backward and finally faces the customers. "So what'll ya have?"
Chapter 1: IntroductionsShorty's eyes widen when she gets a look at her customers and then, after a quick rubbing of her eyes, her jaw drops to the floor. For right in front of her are two girls, one with a cherry exterior wearing a bright pink and yellow outfit and white go go boots, her pink hair (with a flower on top) completes the ensemble. Her friend is the exact opposite with a indifferent attitude about her, a almost Goth purple with a skull dominating her shirt, black pants and boots on her feet, purple markings under her eyes and purple colored hair finished her style. "Um you can pick your jaw up off the floor now." The girl clad in purple tells Shorty.
Shorty was brought back to reality with those words, stammering "But y-y-y-your, your,
your, your, your." The girl in yellow bonked her on the head much like the same way you hit a record when it starts skipping. "YOUR PUFFY AMIYUMI!"
"That we are, the one and only." Yumi says with her usual flair "I see our reputation precedes us…even if we just blew into town. Hehe."
"Konichiwa." Ami says in a friendly tone "Always nice to meet a fan."
"Are you kidding, after I heard the K2B song on a DDR machine, I was hooked and been following you guys ever since. First time I've ever heard J-Pop too." Shorty gushes, "Oh look at me going on like a crazed fangirl."
"Eh were used to it." Yumi tell her. "Gush all you like."
"And when we get done with that, I was wondering if you could draw a caricature of me." Ami says. "If its not to much to ask."
"Huh, oh of course." Shorty says, "Don't wanna keep famous rock stars like you busy." She grabs a piece of paper then looks around her workstation. "Now where did I…oh right." She hits a board with caricatures examples behind her, which then folds out into a three-door locker filled to the brim with every art supply possible.
"Whoa." The J-pop duo says clearly amazed "The colors."
"Oh this? Meh, the standard for an artist such as myself." Shorty says, grabbing some utensils from it.
"Are you kidding, its practically Di Vinci's workshop in there." Ami says "I've never seen so many versions of pink in my life."
Shorty looks at them with surprise then smiles "What do ya know, they don't act like big shots. All the more reason I like em." She thinks before saying "Okay, so back to my earlier question: what'll have?"
"Well, I'd like a picture of myself with a big field full of flowers, and cute bunnies and unicorns and cupcake trees! And there could be a big, pretty rainbow in the background!" Ami says. Yumi rolls her eyes at this "-Sigh- Typical, always with the cute stuff."
"And fortunately for her, that what exactly what I excel at." Shorty says, twirling pencils in her hand before putting it to paper. "Let's jam!" And she soon begins to get to work drawing Ami's dream picture. "So tell me girls, what brings you two to the likes of our fair city?"
"Passing through really." said Yumi "Our idiot of a manager, Kaz, misbooked our last event and we ended up a day late. So were mostly just moseying around trying to find a gig. We would play here, but we don't know much of the layout of the city since we came through last time. Which was what? The Christmas season last year, remember Ami?"
"Oh yeah." Ami says "Didn't aliens attack during that time, stopping our concert and destroying the stadium with their stupid feud. What were their names? Zim and Tak was it?" Shorty pauses her pencil "Aliens? This town, aliens?" The duo look at her with blank stares for a moment. "What? You didn't know about that?" Yumi asks.
"Um, well no. See am new here, just recently moved from Orchid Bay a couple of weeks ago." Shorty confesses, "I've heard stories about this city, but I never thought they were true." Both the rock stars look at each other then chuckle nervously "Well then you are in for a BIG surprise, sister." Yumi tells her. A rumbling sound suddenly interrupted the three conversation.
(-Eyecatch- (For those out of the know, in anime, eyecatches are quick images that appear before the show goes to a commercial. Sort of like a bumper here in the U.S. One example is the Cowboy Bebop images such as a road sign or a piece of paper with the show's title on it. Sometimes animated, sometimes not. Am going to be using these in the story as a halfway marks as well as some useless flair. ; D): Shorty leaning up against a light pole with her back turned to camera, looking at the city of Townsville in the distance as the PPG fly across the skyline leaving their usual rainbow trail.)
"Eh? What was that?" Shorty asks before the rumbling suddenly got louder. The three rush out the tent and find that it is coming from the woods due to birds and small animals flocking from the trees.
"Sounds like it's coming from the nearby lake." Shorty tells the two girls "Am gonna go check it out. You guys coming?" The duo nod with Yumi responding "Was Hendrix a guitar god?" The three make their way through the woods, avoiding the wildlife that passing through. Trying to get away from whatever scaring them. "What do you think causing all the ruckus?" Ami says "A monster?"
"Nah my money on a super villain, probably that crazy monkey with the exposed brain." Said Yumi "Or maybe that effeminate dude in all red or…"
"A construction company." Shorty says interrupting her as they came upon their destination. Indeed, there were many equipment suited for the purpose of building surrounding the lake as well as some for leveling landscapes, which is what really got the girls' eyes. "What the heck going on?"
"Why, business my dear." A voice answers behind them, the three turn to find a slender looking man in a cheap and cheesy looking plaid suit with hair that certainly looked fake. In fact his whole appearance screamed, "Get money whichever way you can and screw everybody else."
"YOU!" Ami and Yumi said same time recognizing the man. Your that jerk developer...who...who...well we never learned your name. But you're that guy that tried to take over Happy Acres and almost knocked down that squirrel's home."
"Heheh, its Blair, my dear rock stars and what a…coincidence to run into you two again." The man says, giving a faux smile on the word "coincidence".
"You know this grease ball?" Shorty asks in monotone. Ami nods "We've had a few run ins. Blair always up to no good each time we met. We stopped his first scheme to take over a favorite visiting place of ours." "But he manage to turn the tables on us in our last encounter." Yumi says picking up after her friend, the remembrance of it putting more anger in her glare.
"Now, now ladies. You remember I left that squirrel's home alone as agreed, you should be happy."
"Yeah but you destroyed the rest of the forest for one of your stupid parking lots " Ami shot back. Blair shrugged at this accusation "Tomato, tamato. It was nothing personal. Just business as always, now as much as I love to keeping talking about the past with you girls. I've got a useless lake to dry up and filled in for any potential customers who seek a potential landscape for their overpopulating franchises."
It was then Shorty came to a realization. "Wait, wait, wait. Your saying...your destroying a lake just so you can sell the spot to the highest bidder?" Shorty asks stonely.
"Well give the tomboy looking cutie a cupid doll." Blair says with mock flair "She hit it right on the head. But am afraid time is money and I can't waste anymore wasting my breath on you kiddies. Iggy! Axel!"
Two very brutish looking men made themselves known once called and didn't look none too friendly either. "Since my last two encounters with you two "pop stars". I've taken the liberty of hiring security to protect my profits and keep any nosy meddlers out of my hair, if you get my drift."
"What people thinking that thing on your head alive now." Yumi jokes, "Oh you don't need bodyguards for that. Just a can of bug spray should do wonders."
"For the meddlers or for the hair?" Shorty adds resulting in all three girls to bust out laughing. Even Iggy and Axel joining in until Blair glares at them.
"Nice to see your charming wit hasn't changed ladies." Blair says coyly then snaps his fingers to the two men. "Boys, please be so kind as to introduce yourself to the ladies."
His security grins evilly as they advance on the three girls; the sound of their knuckles cracking made it very apparent they wanted to get REAL friendly.
"Oh my, things aren't looking too good right now for Ami, Yumi, and Shorty. How exactly will they get out of this one?"
The words T.B.C flashed on the screen then separates to form "To Be Continued."
"What that's it? Nobody saves the day?" The narrator says dumbfounded "Well this is awkward. Never been involved in continued storyline before. Hmm but on the upside, I get to go home early. Whoa hey, fine by me. Night everybody!"
There a sound of footsteps, a light switch turning off, a door slamming shut and finally a car peeling off to who knows where.
-Put outro here. See first page-
Next Chapter:
Shorty: Who does that Blair think he is? Drying up a lake for his own stupid uses. Well okay, its not really any of my business and I've only been in Townville for a couple of weeks. But I know when something not to be tampered with. Puffy certainly agrees with me and were not gonna let him get away with this. But what exactly can we do?
Next Chapter: Lake Aid
Shorty: You want a fight Blair? You got one!