Chapter 31: A Gigantroper Catastrophe
UnderWorld City was under heavy security. 2 guards had passed by the road to Ulmar's Castle. "I know they went this way." Guard 1 said. "We'll find them. And when we do, it'll be roast human for dinner." Guard 2 said, lighting his Pyroblaster as they continued.
When they were gone, Minnie, Gisele and Nika peeked out from behind a statue. "Minnie, you said nobody would be here tonight!" Gisele said accusingly. "The city was supposed to be deserted. Can I help it if no one told the UnderWorlders?" Minnie asked. "I don't know. It seems too risky. Maybe we should port back to Chaotic." Nika said. "No way. What's life without a little risk?" Minnie asked, heading towards the castle. Gisele and Nika shrugged at each other and followed. Little did they know, Khybon followed close behind, preparing to ambush them.
As soon as they reached the door, Minnie pulled out a paper. Written on it were 4 numbers written in Perim language. These numbers were the deactivation code to Ulmar's security. Minnie started to punch in the numbers. "The Gigantroper better be inside there." Nika said. "It will be. The info came to me from my secret source." Minnie said, punching in the final number. Just then, gears started moving in the door. Minnie pulled Gisele and Nika back as a huge bear trap came out and nearly munched them. "Thanks!" The 2 girls said angrily. "No problem." Minnie said.
The 3 pulled the door open and they walked right in. "What did I tell you guys? This is where Ulmar creates all his new and improved experimental BattleGear for the Tribal Alliance." Minnie said, showing them Ulmar's lab. "You didn't tell us about that bear trap in the door!" Gisele said. "Yeah. Any other surprises you want to tell us?" Nika asked. "Don't worry. We're totally safe." Minnie said. Just then, the door shut. The girls turned and saw Khybon walking towards them.
(Intro)
Khybon approached the girls, readying his cannon. "Minnie, Nika, get back! I got you covered!" Gisele said, grabbing a trident-like BattleGear, but failed to see that she was holding it backwards. "Uh, Gisele?" Minnie said. "You're holding that backwards." Khybon said. Gisele saw this and nervously juggled it in her hands, trying to flip it over. "Heal, girl." Nika said, taking the trident.
"It's okay, girls. Khybon's my secret source here in the UnderWorld." Minnie explained, making Khybon feel proud. "The guy who told me UnderWorld City would be empty tonight!" She said accusingly. "That's what I was told. I think Takinom set this up as a trap." Khybon said. "Why would Takinom want to trap a trio of Chaotic players? She knows we're Sidney's friends." Nika scoffed. "You're not the ones I'm after." A voice said. Everyone looked up to see Takinom floating down to greet them. "Takinom!" Nika said. "Good to see you 3 again." Takinom said. "Khybon said you set up a trap. Who were you after if not us?" Gisele asked. "The Alliance council received intelligence that Chaor's gonna try and attack UnderWorld City tonight. So, I ordered the city to be evacuated in order to lead Chaor into a false sense of security and bring his spies out of hiding." Takinom explained. "We were lucky we caught you when we did. But if Ulmar catches you looting his lab-" Khybon said. "Hey! I told you before, Khybon, we're not looting anything." Minnie said. "Gisele, Nika and I just want to each get a scan of the Gigantroper like the one Sid has. Ulmar will never know we're even here. Just lock us in and we'll port out as soon as we get our scans." Khybon began to think about it. "Best to do so, Khybon. I'll stay with them in case the spies show up." Takinom said. "Yeah, alright. I don't know how I get into these situations." Khybon grumbled as he locked the 4 inside.
"Okay. Let's get looking." Nika said. "But where exactly is the Gigantroper kept?" Gisele asked. "Well, Ulmar's Castle is pretty big. It could be anywhere." Minnie said. "No doubt. Ulmar built this lab to be as big as his brain." Takinom said. "Well, we gotta start somewhere." Minnie said, heading off to look for the giant robot.
Meanwhile, in Chaotic, Sidney and Robbie waited outside the Imthor Drome. "Looks like you got stood up, Rob." Sidney said. "Ugh! I can't believe this! That coward weaseled out on me! I spent all day preparing for this match!" Robbie complained. "You know, I was gonna call Lia for a pickup match at the Beta Drome, but maybe we could battle instead." Sidney offered. "You and me in a match? I don't think so." Robbie said, feeling unsure. "Why not?" Sidney asked. "As much as I want to test you myself, I don't like battling my best friends. You know how things get in Drome Matches. Once everything goes intense, you wound up not talking to your friends anymore." Robbie said. "Oh, come on. We can keep it fun and friendly. My parents did the same when they were our age." Sidney said. "Okay. You got a deal." Robbie said. The 2 walked into the Drome.
Minnie, Gisele, Nika and Takinom were still looking for the Gigantroper, searching every room in the entire castle. "You sure it's this room?" Gisele asked. "I think so. I mean this is a big castle." Minnie said. "For a giant piece of BattleGear, it sure isn't easy to find." Nika said. "Do you know where Ulmar keeps the Gigantroper, Takinom?" Gisele asked. "I'm afraid not. Ulmar might be smart, but he never could keep track of every piece of BattleGear he makes. Heck, he can't even keep track of his own socks." Takinom joked. That made the girls laugh.
"GET THEM!" Khybon shouted as he and the guards blasted at some intruders. Zaryna and 2 other UnderWorlders broke into the city. Zaryna fired Torrent of Flame at a building, knocking it down and blocking Khybon and the guards. "Takinom set us up! We gotta get out of here!" The coyote UnderWorlder, Sonnur, said. "We're not leaving until we get what we came for!" Zaryna said. "Okay, okay. But where are we exactly gonna find what we came for?" The troll humanoid UnderWorlder, Zalmog, asked. "Ulmar's Castle. It should be that way! Let's go!" Zaryna said as the 3 continued their way to the castle.
Back in the Drome, Sidney and Robbie had finished assembling their decks. "Now I know we want this to be a friendly match, but don't take it easy on me. Okay?" Sidney asked. "Okay." Robbie said. "Players, lock your decks." The Drome Master instructed. Sidney and Robbie tapped the top button on their scanners, locking their decks and revealed their teams. Sidney had Verlina, Frafdo, Eremia, Ikkatosh, Neffa and Blazier. Robbie had Zhade, Qwun, Melke, Bivike, Tianne and Prince Mudeenu. "OverWorlders vs Mipedians. I love the classics." Sidney said. "Should be fun." Robbie said. "Let's hope so." Sidney said.
"Majorina, you will attack first. Activate the Location Randomizer." The Drome Master instructed. Sidney spun her randomizer, landing on the first Location. "Castle Bodhran. Choose your attacking Creature and target Creature." "Let's see." Sidney said, looking through her selection. "Frafdo attacks Zhade!" She declared. She then transformed into the big white bird. "Okay, let's have fun." She said. Robbie transformed into the big frilled lizard. "That's what friends are for." He said as everything went white.
Zhade walked carefully through the stairways in Castle Bodhran. 'I can't let Sid beat me. She'll never let me live it down.' Robbie thought. Zhade went invisible, preparing a surprise attack. Just then, he was blasted back down the stairs with Cyclone Slam. "Sorry, Robbie! Better luck next match!" Frafdo called, flying into view. Zhade growled. "Coil Crush!" He wrapped his tail tightly around Frafdo and tossed him into the wall. Both Creatures recovered and glared at each other. Frafdo fired Hail Storm. Zhade fired Inferno Gust. Both attacks collided.
Back at Ulmar's Castle, Gisele and Nika were about ready to give up. "Face it, girls. We're never gonna find it." Nika said. "Not with that attitude." Takinom said. Just then, the entire place started to shake. Gisele stumbled back from the shaking and accidently pressed a button. It opened a door, revealing the Gigantroper. "Whoa!" The 3 human girls all said in shock. But before they could pull out their scanners, a noise came from behind the door. The 4 girls took cover just as the door started to heat up and melt. Then Zaryna, Sonnur and Zalmog burst through.
Minnie peeked out, seeing what was happening. "Oh no! That's Owis and Lyssta's daughter, Zaryna! But who are the other 2?" She asked. "The coyote Creature is Sonnur. And the big troll with the tattoos is Zalmog. I recognize them from when Chaor attacked UnderWorld City last time." Takinom said. "Great job, Minnie. You brought us into Ulmar's Castle just as Chaor's forces were raiding it!" Gisele exclaimed. "Hehe. Right. Sorry about that." Minnie said.
Zaryna, Sonnur and Zalmog pushed a big iron block in the way of the door just as Khybon and the 2 guards came up to the castle. Zaryna attacked with Ember Swarm as the 3 fired back. "Those traitors are trying to trap us in here! What're we going to do?" Zalmog asked. "We stick to the plan. Grab all the gear you 2 can, then we'll figure out how to escape!" Zaryna said.
"Okay. New plan. While Khybon handles these 3 trespassers, you 3 get your scans of the Gigantroper and port back to Chaotic!" Takinom said. "Great plan! If we can get to it before we get blasted!" Gisele said. "I think that was the point." Nika said. Gisele just glared at her.
Meanwhile, having lost sight of Zhade, Frafdo flew throughout Castle Bodhran to try and find him. "Come on out, Robbie! This won't be much of a fun battle if you just keep hiding like a Mipedian!" Frafdo called. Zhade dropped his invisibility for a second as he climbed up a nearby wall. Frafdo sensed movement behind him, but Zhade changed back to invisible as he checked behind him. Knowing about the Mipedians' type, he just continued on. Just then, Zhade appeared in front of him and attacked with Hail Storm. But Frafdo managed to redirect it with Cyclone Slam back at Zhade, making him shiver from the coldness of the attack. "Oops. Sorry. Let me warm you up. Inferno Gust!" Frafdo fired Inferno Gust, knocking Zhade into a wall. Zhade got up, summoned his Pyroblaster and shrouded the entire room with Smoke Surge. Frafdo coughed up from the smoke. "Not falling for that trick. Windslash!" He fired Windslash, cutting through the smoke and knocking Zhade down the stairs.
"Need help getting up, Robbie?" Frafdo asked. "I was about to ask if you needed help coming down!" Zhade said, firing Ember Swarm from his Pyroblaster. Frafdo deflected the embers with Windslash. "I'll admit, Sid, you're incredible. The Chaotic player they said you are." Zhade said. "You are too, Robbie. But flattery will get you nowhere." Frafdo said. "Oh, I know." Zhade said, firing Torrent of Flame from his Pyroblaster. But Frafdo, having very high speed, dodged every blast. Zhade then fired a Lavalanche from the Pyroblaster. But Frafdo leapt off the wall and flew down a hallway. "You'll have to come and get me, Robbie!" He called. 'She knows the castle way too well. She wants me to chase her so she can ambush me. So, I have to try and ambush her instead.' Robbie thought.
Meanwhile, back in Ulmar's Castle, Khybon and the guards continued to press fire on the intruders. Zaryna continued to fire her fire attacks. Sonnur armed himself with a Cyclance. And Zalmog was armed with a Liquilizer. Ulmar came up to Khybon and the guards, armed with his Bionic Steam Arms. "What's taking so long to drive 3 intruding UnderWorlders out of my castle?! We need to crush them now!" He said. "We can try, but Takinom and the kids are in there too." Khybon said. "The kids? Well, that complicates things. But I have a plan. Follow me, Khybon." Ulmar said. "You got it, Ulmar." Khybon said, following the genius.
The 2 UnderWorlders charged towards the door. Zalmog fired Ice Shard from the Liquilizer and an Earth Pulse from his hand. But Ulmar and Khybon dodged the attacks and fired back. "We can't hold out much longer. How will we get away?" Sonnur asked. As Ulmar and Khybon's attacks hit their cover. "Girls, I'm at the Gigantroper!" Minnie called. Zaryna, Sonnur and Zalmog grinned from hearing this, getting an idea.
Gisele, Nika and Takinom joined Minnie at the Gigantroper. "Great! Let's scan it and port out of here!" Nika said. The girls got their scanners ready. "Not so fast." Zaryna said. The 4 turned to see the 3 UnderWorlders were holding them at attack-point. "Been a while, Takinom." Zaryna said "Zaryna, can't say I'm happy to see you again after all these years." Takinom said. "Zip it, traitor!" Sonnur snapped. "Control yourself, Sonnur. You'll have your chance." Zalmog said. "One chance, Takinom. Let us have the Giagantroper and we'll let your human friends go free." Zaryna said. Takinom looked at the girls. Was she willing to give up the biggest piece of BattleGear the Alliance had to Chaor's forces or risk losing her 3 human friends? The answer was simple. "No." She said. "Then you all will burn." Zaryna said darkly.
Just then, Ulmar and Khybon burst through the door, surprising everyone. "You mess with our boss, you mess with us too!" Ulmar said as he and Khybon joined their friends. The 2 teams of 3 UnderWorlders growled at each other. "You 3 take cover! Quick!" Khybon said. Zalmog fired Hail Storm from his Liquilizer. Minnie, Gisele and Nika took cover before the attack hit. Both teams started to fight. "We gotta scan the Gigantroper and get out of here!" Minnie said. "How? We can't get a lock on it with Takinom and the others moving in front of it like that!" Nika said. "She's right. It's getting more hopeless and more dangerous." Gisele said. "We can't quit, girls! Especially now that Zaryna and her cronies are out to get it!" Minnie said.
Back in the match, Frafdo waited for Zhade to appear. 'Robbie's too stubborn to walk away from a fight. When he gets here, whammo!' Sidney thought. Just then, she heard Mugic playing. 'Mugic! Never heard that one before.' Just then, a white beam hit Frafdo. Then Zhade appeared. Frafdo tried to fire an attack, but nothing came out. "What the?!" Zhade then leapt in and hit Frafdo with Flash Kick. "That Mugic you used." Frafdo said. "The Aegis Airia. It's a Mipedian Mugic. Negates your attacks." Zhade explained. "Nice." Frafdo said. "Not for you, luv." Zhade said, shocking Frafdo with Lightning Burst and coding him.
Sidney glared as Robbie transformed back. "I could've won that battle you know." Sidney said. "Oh, I know. You should have." Robbie said mockingly. He spun his randomizer, landing on the next Location, Al Mipedim. "Haha. You're not gonna like this, luv." He said. "I thought this was supposed to be a nice friendly battle." Sidney said. "I thought you didn't want me to go easy." Robbie said. "I don't! And now that you tricked me out of a win, I'm not gonna go easy either." Sidney said. "You were going easy?" Robbie asked in disbelief. "I was. Not anymore. Let's just play." Sidney said. "Whatevs. Qwun attacks Eremia." Robbie declared. He tapped his Qwun and transformed into the big lizard. Sidney tapped her Eremia and transformed into the beautiful white fox.
Inside Mudeenu's fortress, Eremia searched around for any sign of Qwun. She heard a noise and fired a Power Pulse into a dark hallway, only to hit a statue. Just then, a Cyclone Slam blew Eremia into more statues, causing them to collapse on her. She got hurt, but managed to burst out of the rubble. "Okay, Robbie, that's it! This was supposed to be a nice friendly match, but now the gloves are off! I'm done holding back! You hear me?!" She called. Qwun appeared behind her. "You're not holding back. You're barely holding on. Just remember, lass. This was your idea. And now that I'm in it, I'm in it to win it." He said. "Then bring it on!" Eremia dared. They continued throwing attacks at each other inside the fortress.
Meanwhile, the girls continued to hide as Takinom's team battled Zaryna's team. They quickly dodged some falling rubble. "MINNIE!" Gisele and Nika shouted. "We can't bail now, girls! As soon as there's a break in the action, we'll scan the Gigantroper and bail out!" Minnie assured.
Takinom blasted Fire Stream, sending Zalmog into the wall. "You'll pay for that, Takinom!" Sonnur said vengefully, firing from his Cyclance. Khybon leapt in front of Takinom, taking the blow. "Khybon!" Takinom cried. The girls gasped at this. "Just…doing my…duty, Takinom." Khybon managed to say before passing out. Takinom growled and flew fast towards Sonnur, knocking him down. This cleared a path for the girls to scan the Gigantroper. "Now's our chance!" Gisele said. The girls readied their scanners. But then, Minnie looked back to the battle. Sonnur had just pushed Takinom back with Inferno Gust. And Zaryna wasn't making it easy for Ulmar either. "What are we doing? We have to help them!" Minnie said. "I know. But how?" Gisele asked. "Even without Zalmog, Zaryna and Sonnur are way too strong for even us." Nika said. "Maybe. But I know what we can use to even the odds." Minnie said. The girls all looked up at the Gigantroper.
Takinom and Ulmar were just about out of steam. Zaryna and Sonnur had walked up to them. "Goodbye, Takinom." Zaryna said, preparing to finish off Takinom. Just then, both Zaryna and Sonnur were blasted into the wall next to Zalmog. Takinom and Ulmar looked and saw the Gigantroper. Minnie, Gisele and Nika were controlling it. Minnie had the leg braces, Gisele controlled the left arm, and Nika controlled the right. "We won't allow you to destroy our friends, Zaryna." Minnie said. "Bring it on." Zaryna growled as she, Sonnur and Zalmog recovered.
Back in the match, after throwing so many attacks at each other, Eremia and Qwun were pretty tired. "Is that all you got, Robbie? I thought you weren't gonna hold back." Eremia said mockingly. "I'm just getting started." Qwun said. Eremia picked up an axe. "You can't stop me with that." Qwun said. "Oh, can't I?" Eremia asked, chopping a rope. Qwun looked up in shock as a banister fell on him. He quickly managed to free himself. But then Eremia blasted him with Megaroar, coding him.
Sidney transformed back. "Wow, Rob. That was tough. For you! If you'd like to forfeit the match, I totally understand." She offered tauntingly. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna stick it." Robbie said. "Your attack." Sidney spun her randomizer. "I wonder if the girls are having as much fun as we are." She wondered as the randomizer landed on the next Location, Glacier Plains.
Zaryna, Sonnur and Zalmog continued battling Minnie, Gisele and Nika. Nika flexed her wrist, firing the rockets from the Troper's wrist. Zalmog leapt over the rockets to dodge them and fired Lavalanche. Gisele countered with an Energy Blast. The attacks collided, struggling to push each other back. Nika aided her with a second Energy Blast. Unfortunately, Zalmog was more powerful. His Lavalanche slowly pushed back the Energy Blast. "He's too powerful!" Gisele called. "Then you better be ready, 'cause things are about to get shaky." Minnie said, raising her foot, thus raising the Gigantroper's foot. "Stop her!" Zaryna yelled, seeing what Minnie was doing. "Oh no, you don't!" Sonnur said, grabbing the Gigantroper's foot with Vine Snare. Minnie smiled slyly. Sonnur realized with wide eyes that it was a trick. Minnie gave a big kick. The Gigantroper responded to the kick and sent Sonnur flying into Zalmog and the wall.
Zaryna saw what happened, distracting her long enough for Gisele and Nika to push through her Lavalanche with their Energy Blast. Zaryna was sent into the wall beside Sonnur and Zalmog. But Zaryna wasn't finished yet. With rage in her eyes, she prepared to gather in all of her fire power. "She's gonna use Incinerace!" Nika said. "What do we do?!" Gisele asked. "Girls, spread your arms out! That'll activate a new feature I've been working on!" Ulmar called. Nika and Gisele spread their braced arms and the Gigantroper mimicked their movement. Just then, its faceplate opened up, revealing a magenta power core. Zaryna fired her Incinerace with a blood curdling yell. The robot's core fired a magenta beam, intercepting the attack. But the core's beam was stronger. It pushed through the Incinerace and blasted Zaryna back into Sonnur and Zalmog. The girls were in awe at what they did. "That was…AWESOME!" Minnie cheered.
The 3 UnderWorlders recovered and looked up to see Minnie, Gisele, Nika, Takinom, Khybon, Ulmar and the Gigantroper lording over them. Zaryna growled. "Let's get out of here!" She ordered. Sonnur and Zalmog retreated out the door. "Zaryna!" Takinom called, stopping Zaryna before she could leave too. "Do you have any idea the pain you cause your parents? The pain you'll cause for your little sister?" Zaryna thought about her family. "You don't have anything to prove to your mother." Takinom said. "I'm not proving anything. I'm just cleaning her mess." Zaryna said. Takinom was confused. As were the others. "I don't expect any of you to understand. Nobody ever does." Zaryna said before leaving.
After the 3 left, Minnie, Gisele, Nika, Takinom, Khybon and Ulmar sat down on the floor, relaxing with relief. "See? Good thing we came to Ulmar's Castle after all." Minnie said. "Yep. And good thing we triggered the Gigantroper's new hidden Core Blast before Zaryna hit us with that Incinerace or we would've been toasted like-" Gisele started to say. "Marshmallows?" Nika guessed. "Yeah." Gisele said. Takinom chuckled at the girls' humor. "You girls hungry?" Minnie asked. "Yeah." Gisele said. "I could eat." Nika said. "Wanna port back to Chaotic and grab something?" Minnie asked. "Yep. But first, I wanna get what we came to get." Gisele said, pulling out her scanner. "Oh yeah." Minnie said, getting hers out too. Nika got hers out too, and they all scanned the Gigantroper. "Humans. I'll never understand their scanning needs." Ulmar groaned as he lay on the floor. "Believe me. It's as hard for me as it is for you." Khybon said. Takinom just shook her head with a smile.
Meanwhile, Sidney and Robbie had just made it to the final battle. They were battling at Skeletal Springs. Sidney was battling as Verlina, while Robbie was battling as Prince Mudeenu. Verlina looked around the boneyard for Mudeenu. 'If I can just code Mudeenu, I win the match.' Sidney thought. She heard some bones cracking. She fired Frostblight towards where the noise was. But there was nothing there. "Hey, Sid! Over here!" Mudeenu called. Verlina turned and saw a huge skull coming towards her. She tumbled out of the way. "Iron Balls!" She fired Iron Balls from her eyes, hitting Mudeenu dead in the chest. She then tossed Ice Disks at him. And finally, she blasted him with Fluidmight, sending him crashing into a big ribcage. He struggled to recover and managed to give one of his Mugicians to activate a Mugic. "Song of Geonova!" The Mugic played in key and fired a green beam on Verlina. She screamed in pain until she got coded.
Sidney glared in defeat as Robbie changed back. "Okay, I lost. Go ahead. Gloat." Sidney said. "Sid, this was a friendly match, remember?" Robbie said. "Yeah. It was close." Sidney said. "Yeah. You almost had me there." Robbie said as they walked out of the Drome. "Wanna get a drink at the Port Court?" Sidney asked. "Sure. Loser buys." Robbie joked. "Okay, very funny." Sidney chuckled.
New cards:
Special thanks to Nitro zeus for both these Creatures
Creature 1: Sonnur
UnderWorld Warrior
Courage: 70
Power: 60
Wisdom: 45
Speed: 60
Elements: Fire
Mugic: 1
Energy: 40
Ability: When Sonnur is defeated, you may revive 1 Creature
Creature 2: Zalmog
UnderWorld Warrior
Courage: 50
Power: 70
Wisdom: 70
Speed: 60
Elements: Fire, Earth
Mugic: 3
Energy: 55
Ability: Deals additional 15 damage for each Creature you control that have Fire or Earth attacks
