Chapter 93: Strike Two And A Half?
Rad checked his surroundings and he made his way into the cat shelter. "I'm back" he announced and immediately a swarm of cats jumped into his awaiting arms. "Oh! One at a time guys" he laughed as the cats crawled on him happily. A small kitten meowed and Rad gasped happily. 'Teacup! You're back!" he said happily as he hugged the kitten from his picture.
"Yeah, her new home didn't work out so she'll be staying here at the shelter for a little longer" A woman with glasses, tan skin, and a lion's tail explained as she exited a nearby room. "Awh, but Dr. Sphinxsen, how could anyone say no to somebody this cute?" Rad asked and the small kitten meowed. "Well, sometimes it's just hard to fit in" she explained. "You're telling me" Rad said with a sigh.
"You know, for all the years you've been helping out here, I've always wondered why you never took home a friend of your own" Dr. Sphinxsen said. "My parents are allergic. Spending time with the cats here, that's probably the closest I'm ever gonna get" he explained. "Well, all of us are lucky to have you Radicles. Oh! We got a new arrival today!" she announced happily. "I'm sure you two will get along splendidly!" she then took out a familiar yellow cat-like robot.
"Mikayla!" she snarled and all of the cats surrounding Rad ran away. "Wait, what?! That is not some cute homeless cat! That's Mikayla, an evil robot from Boxmore!" Rad explained. "Evil robot? Radicles, it's our job as volunteers to take care of all animals" Dr. Sphinxsen explained as she set Mikayla onto the floor. "Just because one is made out of metal instead of fur, doesn't mean we can't show it love" she said as Mikayla glared at Rad. "Anyway, it's about time for my break, so take good care of the little angel for me, won't you? Thanks" she then left the room.
"Alright, maybe it's fine" Rad said as he knelt down to Mikayla's level and held out a hand to her. Mikayla growled and Rad withdrew his hand. "Okay, too soon for petting" he said as he stood up. "Come on Rad think, what does Nebula do with her that gets her to like her?" Rad pondered.
"This is probably one of those things where you need to like, get used to my smell first right?" he then removed one of his antennas and held it out to Mikayla. Rad waited with baited breath as she sniffed it. "Right… So none of that… That's fine" he said when she zapped his antenna that he held out to her and stared at him. "Maybe… you wanna play instead?" he asked as he held out a pink mouse toy that had yellow ears. "There you go! Look at you having fun!" he praised as he sat on the ground and Mikayla swatted at the toy. "Okay, now, for this next one-jump!" he then threw the toy into the air. "Oh! Woah!" he said as Mikayla jumped for the toy.
She caught his arm in her mouth and Rad tried to shake her off. He managed to throw her against the wall and he ran into the backroom. "Dr. Sphinxsen, I need some help with the new cat!" he called. He saw her sarcophagus and he heard her muffled snores. "Huh? Why now?" he asked in a panic. He rushed back into the front and he saw that the robot was gone. "Ah! Where'd Mikayla go?!" he panicked. He heard her snarling and he saw her intimidating a frightened Teacup.
Mikayla held up a paw and her claws appeared as she was about to attack the small kitten. Rad jumped to the cat's rescue and he took her away from the robot. "No scratching the other cats!" he scolded and Mikayla snarled. She then launched herself onto him and ran into one of the back rooms where the cats were eating. She began to knock over the toys and food and she even zapped one of the cats. Rad ran after her and he collected all of the cats into his arms. He blew the ash off of the cat that Mikayla zapped and he chased after the robot. "No lasering the other cats!" he scolded as Mikayla shot lasers from her eyes as chased after a group of cats. She snarled when the cats climbed up one of the scratching posts. She blasted the cats with a sound wave and the scratching post broke.
"Oh no you don't!" Rad said as he raced to catch the falling cats. Once he caught them all, Mikayla pulled at his boot with her razor sharp teeth. "Hey! Stop that!" he scolded as she attacked his boot. "I can't even use my finger beam" he pointed out and a small black cat with white on its tail was holding onto his finger. "I gotta get out of here" he then ran out of the shelter with Mikayla chasing after him.
"Ko! I need your help!" he called and he stopped when he saw Ko walking around without a shirt and laughing. "Ko?" he questioned and Ko began to point to certain things and call them lame. "Oh no! That's not my Ko! Where's my Ko?" Rad cried and Ko pointed to the POW cards machine. "And these POW cards are definitely lame!" he said and Rad gasped. "Not POW cards! He loves those!" he gasped. He then went into the bodega's doorway and he got Ko's attention
"Psst, Ko, over here" Rad whispered and Ko walked over to him. "Hey Rad, Why do you have so many kittens in your arms?" Ko asked and a white with grey kitten meowed. "Mikayla infiltrated the cat shelter and started attacking all the kittens! We got to stop her!" Rad explained. "Kittens? But you guys said that kittens were lame. I mean, la-a-a-ame!" Ko said and Rad groaned.
"Listen Ko, seeing you act like me, makes me feel terrible" Rad said. "Wait, why? You're the coolest!" Ko praised. "It's great that you look up to me and stuff, but there's things about me you shouldn't look up to. Ever since I met Bell Beefer and Megafootball Baby, they've been defining what is and isn't cool for me and I've just been going along with it. I just can't stand the idea of those guys, or me, doing that to you too. I don't want you to go around making fun of things people like. It might cost you a relationship that you might never get back, just like it did for me" he explained.
"Oh, I thought we were still playing that game. I like kittens too. Now let's stop Mikayla!" Ko responded and Rad smiled as Ko put on his shirt and vest that appeared out of nowhere. "Ready?" Ko asked. "Ready! Let's go save some kittens!" Rad responded.
"Mikayla!" Mikayla hissed and she sat in front of Rad and Ko. "Awwh, she's so cute! Here kitty kitty" Ko cooed. "Careful Ko, don't underestimate her. She may be cute, but she's dangerous" Rad warned and Mikayla lunged at him. "Get her off me!" Rad cried as he tried to protect the cats in his arms from the robot. He then felt Mikayla being lifted off of him.
Rad looked up to see Nebula levitating Mikayla into her arms and then Mikayla calmed down when she started to pet her. "Serves you right you know" Nebula commented coldly as Mikayla began to purr in her arms. "How come she's letting you pet her?" Ko asked. "I'm not sure, but it's like she and I have a bond. Maybe all I ever needed was a cat instead of a boyfriend" Nebula responded and she glared at Rad. "At least the kittens are all safe now" Ko commented.
"Rad?" they heard Bell Beefer call. They then saw Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer approaching them. "What does on here?" they asked. "Oh! Uh, what are you guys doing back from practice?" Rad asked nervously. "We remembered we didn't make the team, so we left" Bell Beefer explained. "Are you snuggling with kittens?" Mega Football Baby asked in disgust. "Lame!" Bell Beefer commented. Nebula's grip on Mikayla tightened and Mikayla hissed at Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer as the two males laughed. "And what's wrong with snuggling with kittens? And mind your answer" Nebula threatened and Mikayla shot a laser at their feet. "You stay in the bodega for now" Rad said to the cats as he released and then ushered them into the bodega. "I call for a power battle!" Rad declared.
"This should be good" Nebula commented as the sky got dark."You guys don't know anything!" Rad then took out his phone and showed the picture of him and Witchy Simone from earlier.
"This isn't my babe! She is!" Rad then motioned to Nebula. "Nebula is who I really love and I wouldn't trade her for the world. This girl is my cool, platonic friend from another dimension! We're just friends and that's good enough for us!" Rad then turned to Nebula.
"Babe, I'm sorry about earlier. I should have never lied about us breaking up just so I could seem cool. I know I'm on my last strike but you mean the world, no galaxy to me and I would do anything to get you to forgive me" Rad pleaded. Nebula stroked Mikayla in thought and after a moment, she smiled softly.
He then pulled up the picture of Teacup. "And this picture of an adorable kitten? Her name's Teacup and just like Nebula, I love her!" Nebula felt her heart melt a bit at his words. "Cause kittens aren't lame! I think they're cool!" Rad yelled. A large sound wave hit Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer and they were sent flying into the ground.
"Man, we were just kidding" Bell Beefer retorted. "Yeah, why do you gotta be so sensitive weenie boy?" Mega Football Baby asked and a small sound wave hit Rad. "You're the sensitive weenies! If something doesn't fit into your little box of 'cool', you guys feel threatened and make fun of it! If you ask me, that's the lamest thing of all" Ko retorted. "Oooh! Burn!" Nebula cheered and a large sound wave hit Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer.
"What? Ha ha! We're not sensitive!" Mega Football Baby responded. "Yeah, we're just telling it like it is! You're the sensitive ones" Bell Beefer said. "You're the lame ones for thinking we're lame!" Mega Football Baby said. "Why'd you have to get all offended, huh?" Bell Beefer asked and Nebula walked up to Rad and Ko. "What do you think would happen if we ignored them?" she asked. Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer then began to have a one-sided argument with them until they blew up like balloons. The sky returned to normal when they exploded and were sent back to the ground.
Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer then argued with each other and Nebula pet Mikayla. "You wanna do the honors?" she asked and Mikayla shot a laser at the males and they were sent flying away from the bodega.
"That Rad Squad is blasting off again!" they cried as their figures disappeared into the distance. The trio then began to laugh and the cats scurried back out to Rad. "Awh, kitty" Ko cooed as Teacup rubbed against his legs while she purred. "Mikayla!" they heard Lord Boxman call. Nebula and Mikayla looked at each other and Nebula hesitantly put her down. "I hope I'll see you soon" she said and Mikayla rubbed herself against Nebula. "Mikayla!" Lord Boxman called louder and Mikayla scurried back to the Voxmore building. The swarm of kittens meowed happily as they ran out of the bodega and into Rad's arms. "Hey Nebula" Rad called and she turned to look at him. Rad got down onto his knees and he took a deep breath.
"Nebula, I kneel before you, with arms full of kittens, a broken man that begs for your forgiveness" Rad began. Nebula took out her phone and took a picture of him kneeling with his arms full of cats. "Tell me Radicles, are you ashamed of me? Are you really that unhappy being with me that you lied about us even being together?" She asked "Of course not! I love being with you!" Rad responded. "Then why would you say that Simone was your girlfriend and that you dumped me? Do you know how much that hurt me to hear you say that?!" she asked. "Is there anyway that after this we could talk things out later?" he asked and she nodded. He stood up from the ground and Teacup meowed.
"Hey Nebs, do you wanna hold her?" Rad asked as he held out Teacup to her. "Sure" she responded and Rad handed her the kitten. "She's so cute" she cooed and she heard the familiar sound of a picture being taken. She looked over to see Rad holding his phone and smiling. Nebula went to his side and looked at his phone to see a picture of her holding Teacup and smiling lovingly at her. Teacup began to purr and nestle herself in Nebula's arms. "Looks like she likes you already" Rad said softly. He then pet Teacup's head and the kitten turned onto her back in Nebula's arms. "Awh" Nebula and Rad cooed.
"Hey, do you two want to come visit the shelter with me? I could like, show you all the other cats and stuff" he asked. "Sure Rad, but shouldn't we wait till work is over?" Ko responded. "Dude, it's always a good time for kittens" Rad said and he looked over to Nebula. "Are you coming Nebs?" Rad asked carefully. "That sounds nice" she said sweetly and Rad blushed when she smiled.
That night, Rad and Nebula were sitting at Cafe. "Listen, I technically didn't cheat on you, and I never will. I know what I did was wrong, so maybe instead of me being at three strikes,I could be at two and a half strikes?" he asked. "You really shouldn't let others make decisions for you. Only you can deem something cool and uncool" Nebula chided as she leaned in. "I know and from now on, I won't let Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer decide what's cool and what's not cool for me anymore" he said as he leaned in and took Nebula's hand in his. "So, are we back together?" he asked. "You tell me, you were the one who said that we were broken up" she said with a smirk. "Then yes, yes we are!" he said happily. "What do you say we seal the deal?" she suggested. Rad put his free hand on her cheek and they shared a passionate kiss. "Radula?" Barista Pup called and Rad got up to get their drinks. Nebula raised an eyebrow at him and Rad rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He left and came back a moment later with two drinks. He sat down and handed Nebula one of the drinks. "Radula?" she questioned. "Yeah, it's our ship name" he responded and Nebula smirked. "Cheers, to us" Rad said as he held out his drink. "To us" she said happily and they clinked their drinks together.