(1) Puns XD

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"Dad…" she snuggled over the covers. "Mom says that being a hero is dangerous. She says I should be a scientist."

The man laughed, ruffling her hair. "Don't listen to what your mom says, spark. She's just worried 'bout you, that's all. I love her, but… she can be so anxious. She needs to take a chill pill sometimes." He sighed. "Don't let her or anyone stop you, spark. Follow your own ways."

"But what if I do fail?" she asked, fear prickling her voice.

"Okay, now you really sound like your mom," the man chuckled. "Sometimes things go wrong, spark, and we can't do anything about them. So we just carry on, and try again. Success isn't easy, y'know."

"Okay," she replied, with a small grin. "I understand, Dad."

Seraphim has always been the tribe I've liked most. Those majestic wings and that shining glory- it speaks to me. Fierce Fox was already part of that tribe, so I joined up, receiving a black and yellow striped jersey. Then the two of us got to gaze at the island.

It's like Mythology Island, Reality TV Island and Twisted Thicket have been mashed together. There are old, ruined temples with golden roofs, covered in algae and beautiful pink flowers. The pillars are cracked stone held together, and stone faces are submerged in the muddy ground. Grass is spread around, as well as various rocks and tree roots. Some plants are dripping water, as Poptropolis Games had just risen from the sea.

"Ah, our representative from Seraphim," a man- the host of the games- scolded Fierce Fox. "You're late!"

"What about me?" I asked, raising my brow.

"I'll get to you in a sec," the man replied. He stared at Fierce Fox. "Off you go. To the games."

"The games?" Fierce Fox asked. I winked and waved her off. She dashed off, still perplexed. The man, twirling his microphone in his fingers, turned to me.

"I'm afraid we already have a representative for Seraphim," he said. "So you can't play in the games. But you can stand in the crowd and be moral support!"

"Oh," I replied, chewing my lip. "Can I at least help my friend?"

"Sorry," the man answered, shaking his head. "Moral support only." I sighed and brushed a lock of blonde hair behind my ear, breathing in the fresh air. It really is fresh; like it's come straight from the sea (which it has, really).

The colosseum's splendid. Although it's in ruins, it's a sight for sore eyes. Plants grow over the crumbled mess, and a large torch is in the middle. Standing on the ruins are cheering poptropicans, who are going a little crazy. Grumpily, I waddled over and joined them, while briefly touching the white, algae-covered ruins. I eyed Fierce Fox a level below me, who was standing with a bunch of rivals. I sighed. Well, it was like I would do well in the Poptropolis games. My energy from 24 Carrot Island only surfaced when I felt truly determined, and I didn't feel that way right then.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" a voice said nearby me. I jumped. The voice's owner chuckled. "Calm down there, girl!" It belonged to a dark-skinned boy with dark brown hair and eyes. His hair's neatly styled, like Director D's, expect there's a bit more hair and curls. And it's real hair. He was wearing a green and black striped jersey, representing the tribe Flying Squid. "I'm Mighty Penguin. What's your name?"

"Uh… Alice," I answered, fingering my scarf. "Nice to meet you."

Mighty Penguin nodded. "Ditto." His eyes widened. "Your face looks… familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?"

I held back a groan. "Maybe."

Mighty Penguin shrugged. "Whatever. Lots of people look familiar." He shook his head. "Anyway, it sucks, doesn't it? I could've smashed the games, but no, all I got to do was sit on my butt and be stupid moral support." He sighed irritably. "Small Bubbles isn't a bad competitor, but she isn't the best. They should've picked me."

"Well, lucky they didn't pick me," I commented, with a grin. "I'm the worst competitor; my friend's way better. Though she can't do anything without my help."

Mighty Penguin raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

I chewed my lip. I sat down on the cracked marble, the sun shining through the blue sky. "It's a long story. Let's just say we have a connection."

"Err… alright then," Mighty Penguin said awkwardly. He perked up. "Hey, the first event's starting!"

"It is?" I asked, standing up. "Oh crap… which one?"

"Pole vault," Mighty Penguin answered. He rolled his eyes. "Great, Small Bubbles stinks at this one. Flying Squid is not gonna have a good start."

I flashed him a sympathetic glance, then leaped down to Fierce Fox. I quickly explained what to do; she nodded.

"You'll do great," I said. I pointed to where I was standing. "I'll cheer you on. See you!" I raced off, feeling Fierce Fox's eyes burn my back. Mighty Penguin was glaring down at Small Bubbles: tan-skinned, blonde-haired Poptropican.

"MOVE FASTER, SMALL BUBBLES!" he yelled, like a commander. He gave me a wave, before focusing on the Poptropican racing across the grass, holding a pole. She jumped into the air, however falling down and earning herself a foul. Mighty Penguin muttered a swear.

Then it was Fierce Fox's turn. I cheered her on as heartily as I could- naturally, she smashed it, and the crowd went wild. Mighty Penguin folded his arms. Fierce Fox earned first place, and poor Flying Squid came last.

"She did well." I attempted to compliment Mighty Penguin.

"Did not!" he grumbled. "Don't lie! Why couldn't I be the one?"

I patted his shoulder. "If I could do something, I would. But give Small Bubbles hope. This is only the first event."

I felt Mighty Penguin's arm relax. He beamed at me. "Yeah, you're right. I'm getting too worked up. I guess I live up to my name- Mighty Penguin, my big ego, my big expectations. I hate people doing things I'm much better at, and I get jealous of things I can't do… like flying."

"I guess all Poptropicans have their weaknesses," I agreed. "Fierce Fox can be cunning and… well, rash and brutal. But she's loyal. Don't forget your good qualities…"

"...because they can help you prevail." he said to her, with a grin.

Mighty Penguin nodded at me. "You're smart," he acknowledged.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm a clumsy coward. Thanks anyway." The crowd went wild again- it was time for the next event: archery. I clambered down to explain the event to Fierce Fox, while Mighty Penguin shouted at Small Bubbles. She didn't look too comfortable with that.

While archery took place, Mighty Penguin faced me. "So… what were you telling your friend?"

"Stuff to help her," I explained. My skin prickled. "Like I said, she needs me. And not just for this. She needs me for everything."

"Alright…" Mighty Penguin said, absorbing the info. "Like the voice?"

"Yeah," I replied, pursing my lips. "Just like the voice." Mighty Penguin went back to shouting at Small Bubbles, while I cheered Fierce Fox on. Again, she won. She is just too good.

"Lost again!" Mighty Penguin scoffed. "We're not going to win the games with her!"

I felt a stab of guilt. "Just… give her one more try. That was only the second event."

"Easy for you to say," Mighty Penguin said, glaring at me. "When your tribe's winning." He took a deep breath. "Alright, calm yourself, MP. No biggie." His expression turned friendly. I raised my brow. "Next up is diving. Awesome! Something water-related!" He faced Small Bubbles. I leaped down to Fierce Fox and explained what to do.

Mighty Penguin and I stood together again, watching our representatives compete. Unfortunately, Small Bubbles wasn't 'connected' with the water and lost again, much to Mighty Penguin's fury. I think you know what happened with Fierce Fox.

"This is terrible!" Mighty Penguin complained, clenching his fists. "I can't stand watching us lose like this anymore!" As soon as he said that, an idea bloomed in my head, like a flower.

"Then compete for her," I suggested, grinning. "Take her place."

"I tried to," Mighty Penguin retorted. "They wouldn't let me!"

"Get her to forfeit, then sign up," I answered. "Simple."

"Not so simple," Mighty Penguin said, shaking his head. "She can't just forfeit. She's locked in- she can't get out. And we're gonna lose."

Suddenly, the flower in my head bloomed even further. "What if you competed for her… but they wouldn't realize it was you?"

"What?" Mighty Penguin asked.

I smiled. "Come on, Mighty Penguin. We've got a trip to Home Island to make."

"Alice!" Amelia greeted Mighty Penguin and I as we landed on Home Island. "How are you this fine day?"

"Swell, you?" I replied. Amelia gave me a thumbs up and patted my shoulder.

"You're doing well with this hero buisness, Al," she said amiably. "If you need me, I'm here."

"Thanks…" I said, feeling mushy inside.

"'Hero business'?" Mighty Penguin asked, walking across the all-familiar island.

"Never mind that," I said nervously. I faced the salon and took a deep breath. "Alright. In here." But Mighty Penguin didn't move. His eyes were narrowed. He scanned my form.

"You're… you're the prophesied hero!" he gasped. "I knew your face was familiar!"

I pursued my lips. "Yes. That's me. But let's not dwell on that. The host didn't give us much time."

"Oh- alright." Mighty Penguin said, staring at me with awe. I shook my head and led him into the salon. I passed the clothing area, politely shooing away the worker. I took Mighty Penguin to the barber, pointing at the sea-green shower, which is covered with a white curtain.

"I can't believe you're helping me!" Mighty Penguin gaped. "You're not even in Flying Squid! Don't you want your own tribe to win?"

"My friend always wins everything," I answered, gesturing to the open shower. "I think it's time she lost for once. Now, let's give you a makeover, Small Bubbles."

I encouraged the real Small Bubbles to take a shopping spree on Night Watch Island, which she happily obliged to. Then I let her doppelgänger enter. Mighty Penguin- creepily- looked just like Small Bubbles, except for her eyelashes. One of the weird things on Poptropica is guys and ladies look exactly the same, apart from their eyelashes. But now, it played in our favour.

"You rock, hero-head," Mighty Penguin whispered, patting my shoulder. "I'll try and let Seraphim come in second place."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck competing against Fierce Fox- the athletic athlete's athletic athlete." I walked over to said person. She was raking a finger through her long, red hair. She peered up when she saw me.

"Where'd you go?" she asked suspiciously.

I chuckled. "Had to pick something up. Now, I'm gonna tell you how to do hurdles."

I have to admit, I thought sitting on the side would be boring- I had to do it every P.E lesson. It got really old. But Mighty Penguin and Fierce Fox were seriously neck and neck. I wasn't sure who to root for- they were both so good- alright, Fierce Fox was a little better, but Mighty Penguin had more of his heart in it. The members of Flying Squid and Seraphim were going nuts, like it was a football match.

It came down to the last event: shot put. Whoever won this round would be the overall winner of the Poptropolis Games. Then I remembered Fierce Fox had to win. And I realized that I'd made a stupid mistake: by letting someone as talented as Mighty Penguin in, I'd lowered my own chances of winning- and getting home. The worse news?

"Shot put's my best event!" Mighty Penguin said cheerfully to me. "Don't look so solemn, hero-head- you'll still come in second!"

"Have you… been enjoying the games?" I asked, digging my toes into the mud.

"Oh heck yeah!" Mighty Penguin answered with exuberance. "They've been fun as! And I wouldn't be in them if it weren't for you! Even if I have to dress like a girl."

I sighed heavily. "Mighty Penguin… I need to-"

"Begin!" the host shouted. Mighty Penguin winked and patted my shoulder.

"See ya after the event, Al," he said, with a grin. "When Flying Squids win!"

"Yeah," I said, sucking in my breath. "That."

I didn't watch the next event. My guilt wouldn't let me. It felt like I'd failed my tribe- and I hated failing. A little part of me felt good for Mighty Penguin, but I mostly felt guilt. Fierce Fox was going to hate me. My tribe was going to hate me. At least Mighty Penguin wouldn't hate me. And I was right.

"The winner is Flying Squids!" the announcer cried, Mighty Penguin cheering away, while Fierce Fox pouted. The Nightcrawlers' representative- who came in third- cried.

"Well, tops to my buddy Alice," Mighty Penguin cheered, holding up the medallion. "I wouldn't have been able to have done this without her." He pointed at me. I got stared at by everyone in the colosseum, which I don't want to experience again.

"It's the prophesied hero!" the Wildfire representative gasped.

"On this island," the Pathfinder representative agreed, raising her brow. "No way."

"Did you really save people from a sinking ship?" the Nanobots representative asked, with wide eyes.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." the Seraphim representative- aka Fierce Fox- snorted. She was giving me an icy glare- it felt like the octopi from S.O.S island were stinging me all over again.

"Join our tribe!" the Yellowjackets' representative cried. "We'll give you eternal glory!"

"No way!" the Black Flag's representative barked, glaring at the Yellowjackets' member. "Join ours! It's way better!"

"Whoa, guys, let's not fight here," Mighty Penguin urged, leaping up to me. He smiled, his currently blond hair flowing in the wind. "Flying Squid won the tournament. But we wouldn't have won without Alice's help." He placed the medallion over my neck; it shimmered gold in the sunlight. Then he addressed the crowd, "ALL HAIL FLYING SQUID!"

"Boo Flying Squid!" the Nightcrawlers' representative shouted. The others joined her. Mighty Penguin rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, we won, deal with it." he declared smugly. Suddenly, the ground rumbled, like there was an earthquake. I shivered.

"What's that?" the Wildfire representative asked, raising his brow.

"Is it an earthquake?" Fierce Fox asked, glancing at me. I shook my head.

"Is the island sinking back into the sea?" the Yellowjackets' representative asked.

"Is it something I ate?" the Nanobots' representative asked. It was none of those things. A man, who looks like he was originally a statue, walked in. His body is pale, stony, cracked, and covered in barnacles. A large helmet is on his head, covered in rust. He's obviously pretty heavy, since every step he took shook the entire island. We all stared at him in awe.

"Who dares to call themselves the champion of Poptropica?" he boomed, in a rusty voice.

"Well, um… me?" Mighty Penguin questioned, fiddling with his golden hair.

"Fraud!" the statue guy shouted. The Nightcrawlers' girl grinned. "I challenge you to the most ancient of contests: wrestling!"

Mighty Penguin clambered down and stood directly in front of the guy, arms folded. "I accept!" he declared. I gulped. The guy chuckled with laughter and grabbed Mighty Penguin's arm, dragging him off to wrestling. The rest of us came with, either to cheer Mighty Penguin on or boo him. I could tell the Nightcrawlers' girl was going to root for the statue guy.

I noticed Fierce Fox was giving me the death glare, like she did early on. But I knew I deserved it. I betrayed Seraphim to help Mighty Penguin, someone who I'd just met. I knew I'd have to make it up to Fierce Fox. If she would talk to me, that is. She looked like she wanted to beat me up like the statue guy. Speaking of the statue guy, I felt nagging concern for Mighty Penguin.

I realized it would be Fierce Fox wrestling if it wasn't for Mighty Penguin. I'd only known the boy for a day, but I already felt a warm, friendly feeling in his presence. He was a nice guy, and had given me a gift- the medallion. In return, I'd stripped away Fierce Fox's chances of winning for his. I'd helped him follow his dreams. Was that my heroism? Or was it just me being selfish? Was it selfish to help the enemy? I hated failing and losing, but that didn't mean I wanted the same people to win all the time. Is Fierce Fox really that nice to me, after all?

"Everyone will fail once in awhile," he explained. "If they never fail… well, they're just not human. That doesn't exist. If it did, I imagine our would be a lot cruller."

"Hey, bud," Mighty Penguin playfully hit my shoulder. "That loser's gone, thank goodness. And I won! Awesome, right?" He noticed my expression. "Whoa, you alright?"

"It's nothing," I sighed. "My friend is a little upset, that's all."

Mighty Penguin waved his hand. "Ah, don't worry 'bout her. I won, right? Coolio!"

"I was selfish," I grumbled, banging my head on the ancient temple. "I had no real motive for betraying Seraphim. Not that you're bad or anything, but… she probably hates me now." She's always hated you. Is it really that selfish?

"Hey," Mighty Penguin smiled sympathetically at me. "Your motive was you felt bad for me, and wanted to help me. I don't think you noticed the consequences until later on. So, no, you're not selfish. Besides, you helped your friend by... talking to her. Well, I should say friends now, 'cause of me."

I smiled back. "Thanks, Mighty Penguin. You should really go back to yourself. You look weird as a girl." Suddenly, I realized my medallion was glowing, and white was appearing on my screen. "Oh, I've got to go now! Duty calls."

"Wait!" Mighty Penguin grabbed my arm. "If you ever wanna contact me, I live on Time Tangled Island," He handed me a slip. "Address details on here."

"Thanks," I replied, running off as my screen dissolved into whiteness. In my world, I noticed I was still wearing my medallion, which was glowing like the sun, banging against my chest. It probably would've been worth a few good grand. I decided it was for my treasure box. And the other thing I got- the address:

12 Back to Future Avenue, Time Tangled Island (1)

I grinned, making a mental note to visit there sometime.