Hello and welcome everyone to Chapter 9.
We're getting closer to the end, but we've still got a bit of a ways to go.
For now, Big is here and in today's chapter you see a bit of what he can do following the events of my previous story "The Rider/Sentai Dilemma" while we learn of the side effects of Rocky's "Evolution" ability.
I also decided to add in some last second characters that will lead us into the next chapter, and I have altered the story synopsis to better reflect the change in plot.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter and have some tissues ready: There are character deaths.
Also, apologies for the language and length of this chapter. Turns out it was longer than I had expected it to be.
Chapter 9: Poisoned Evolution
For Big the Bird, he was having one hell of a month.
In between dealing with rips in space and time, battling villains from other dimensions, suffering defeat at the hands of a God of Destruction, watching loved ones be killed by that same god, fighting alongside an old ally against discount Nazis, and now the entire Justice League were basically trapped in an empty void in space and time., it had been a rather difficult month to adjust to.
Unfortunately for him, the same situation was now felt by every person who frequented Disney land parks around the world.
And yet, nothing could prepare him for this.
No amount of physical, mental, or psychological training could prepare anyone for meeting toons.
Yet, here he was, sitting up on the floor inside what he assumed was a tree designed like a living room.
"No seriously, who are you guys?" Big asked them, yet the Warners seemed a bit confused.
"What, you never heard of us?" Wakko asked, yet Big shook his head.
"How about Pinky and the Brain?" Dot would ask him, yet again Big shook his head.
"The Goodfeathers?" Now it was Skippy's turn to ask, yet again Big shook before saying "No, but I have heard of the Godfather films. Does that count?"
"No it doesn't, but at least you're noticing the reference" Slappy would reply before asking "Now don't play dumb, but you obviously know who me and my nephew Skippy are, right?"
Unfortunately for her, Big shook his head once more.
"I said don't play dumb" Slappy stated, yet Big made it clear "I'm not. I honestly don't know who you are, nor any of you for that matter."
Big then attempted to stand up, yet his head hit the ceiling. Holding his head, they realized he was a bit too tall for Slappy's house.
"Ok then…." Slappy sighed, rubbing her temples while Big sat back down before asking "Fair enough, you don't know any of us but you at least know who the Looney Tunes are, right?"
Big shrug his shoulders before replying "Sort of, but then again I didn't grow up watching cartoons."
At that moment, the Warners, Skippy and Minerva looked at Slappy with narrowed eyes as while Skippy muttered "Told you he wasn't a toon." Slappy, however, turned to Skippy and whispered "He's either lying or he doesn't know he's a toon." Minerva, her eyes still narrowed at Slappy, muttered "Or he's not a toon."
Slappy, instead, turned to her and muttered "I know he is."
"I can hear you."
To Slappy's surprise, she turned to see Big, seemingly bored with a hand to his chin as he said "You guys aren't that quiet, and hate to tell you this but your friends are right: I'm not a toon." Taking his hand off his cheek, Big soon asked "Now, could you please tell me why I'm here?"
Before Slappy could answer, a loud scream was heard outside the house as Slappy muttered "Oh right, I forgot about that."
"What was that?" Big asked, yet the Warners simply ran towards the blocked door and attempted to block it as something began to hit against the door. Big narrowed his eyes as he noticed someone's face in front of the window and announcing "Duh-Warners, someone wants a word with you."
"Friend of yours?" Big sarcastically asked, yet Wakko replied "Sort of. He hasn't been himself recently."
Within the next second, Ralph's net hand suddenly broke through the window and made began swinging around as the Warners pressed themselves against the wall while Ralph announced "I'm coming for you Warners. Master Rocky wants to meet all 3 of you."
Turning to Ralph, Yakko stated "Sorry, but unless his last name is Stallone, we're not interested."
Watching this, Big couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. That joke he did get.
Unfortunately for him, he soon noticed Ralph's hand reaching over to grab Skippy. The young toon attempted to back himself away, yet was unsuccessful as Ralph swung the net down onto him. Closing his eyes and shielding himself with his arms, Skippy prepared for the end.
Yet, it never touched him.
Instead, it stopped.
Realizing noting happening, Skippy opened his eyes to see Big's right hand grabbing Ralph's net as Big said "I don't know what's going on completely, but I will not allow innocent people to be harmed."
Keeping his hand on Ralph's wrist, Big crawled to the window and looked Ralph in the eyes as he stated "I think this is for you."
What happened to Ralph next was a bit of a surprise in of itself, as Big's free hand wrapped into a fist and punched Ralph in the face.
Said toon then found himself sent flying a few feet away, his net hand having already been freed less than a second before.
Everyone simply seemed shocked as Big then asked "Could you move that furniture out of the way please?" before cracking his knuckles and stating "It's time for me to go to work."
Meanwhile, listening to the sounds of destruction occurring all over Burbank, Rocky could only smile as he said "Such destruction, yet it will be all worth it in the end."
Sitting in his chair, Plotz could only watch on as he asked "So, after the Warners are locked up forever, what are you going to do?" Rocky scratched his chin before answering "Well, I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll enslave all of humanity, or maybe I'll go and look for my original creator and show him just how grateful I am for my birth."
Swinging his left arm, Mickey's Kingdom Key D Keyblade appeared in his left hand as he pointed it outside and towards a certain direction.
That direction was towards Acme Falls.
The target, in particular, was Acme Looniversity.
The Keyblade, beginning to charge with light, Rocky thrusted it forward as a beam of light flew towards Acme Falls.
Within the next second, the beam of light entered Acme Falls and touched Acme Looniversity.
In the next second after that, the entire school began to disappear into particles of light.
Plotz was simply speechless as Rocky looked emotionless while stating "And when I find him, I'm going to do to him what I just did to that school."
"But…" Plotz quietly muttered "…That was a place for toons to learn how to make people laugh."
"Well, they learned something new then" Rocky countered, stating "They just learned life's rough for all of us."
Rocky soon began to feel something weird occurring in Burbank.
Almost as if something unwelcoming had arrived.
No, not something. Someone.
"Looks like the kids found someone to play with" Rocky quietly told himself, deciding to close his eyes to watch and listen in.
The 'children' of Rocky, as he liked to call them, began to awaken not long after their evolution was complete.
For the most part, a majority of them were now covered in black slime and with yellow eyes as they looked around and began to sniff the entire area, apparently smelling the presence of toons nearby.
Watching on, Hello Nurse and Baloney began to notice the mutated toons heading towards a tree.
A specific tree that Ralph had punched his hand into what looked like a window.
"It seems Ralph found some more toons" Hello Nurse noted, as she turned to Baloney and said "Prepare yourself Baloney. If it's the Warners, our master will reward us."
Baloney grunted, yet took a sniff and suddenly began to growl.
"What has you so worked up Baloney?" Hello Nurse asked, yet she wouldn't have to wait long.
In the very next moment, Ralph was sent flying right through some of the mutated toons and right into an abandoned vendor booth, crashing right through it. "What happened to him?" Hello Nurse thought out loud, as Ralph just as quickly began to sat up yet with a rather noticeable lump on his forehead. "What happened to you?" she asked, yet Ralph was apparently seeing stars as he replied "Duh-giant bird."
Raising an eyebrow, she only asked "Giant bird? Chicken Boo hasn't even appeared in this story."
A new sound was soon heard, that of something forcing itself out of Slappy's home as the mutated toons stepped back while Big began to squeeze through the door frame while damaging it in the process.
"You're paying for that" he heard her say, as Big replied "I'll send you a check."
Once out, and finally able to stand completely, Big stretched his back until he heard it crack while muttering "Finally! I'm able to stand again. What a relief."
Turning to his right, Big began to notice the mutated toons, as well as Hello Nurse, Baloney, and Ralph who just as quickly shook off the apparent concussion and began to stand up.
"Let me guess, you're Rocky's kids, right?" Big asked, as he began to notice Baloney growl while stating "I think I know you. You're that toon that fought against my dad and sister. In fact, you tried to break my sister's ribs then tried to eat them." Cracking his fists, Big simply smiled and said "You're going first."
Big was soon interrupted by the sound of a woman clearing her throat, as he turned his attention to Hello Nurse.
"Well, well, well" Hello Nurse said, taking quick note of their new guest as she stated "I've never met you before, and you don't seem to be a local here in Burbank, so how did you get here?"
Big snorted before replying "Believe it or not, I was kidnapped by toons over the phone. Turns out this town's in trouble and it seems you and your friends are the problem, as is this Rocky." Big then began to take note Hello Nurse's hands, as they began to change. Her left hand becoming an injector and her right hand a paddle, Hello Nurse soon told Big "Well then, why don't you come here for a checkup?"
Big opened his mouth to speak, but another voice spoke instead "HELLO PADDLING NURSE" as he saw Wakko starting to run towards Hello Nurse, yet managed to grab him by the back of his collar and held him up.
"What is wrong with you?" Big asked, as Wakko cupped his hands before replying "I've been a bad boy and I need a spanking."
Exiting the house, Yakko turned to the reader and proclaimed "Goodnight everybody."
At the same time, Slappy and Minerva joined Dot in a facepalm while she turned to the reader and said "Boys, you'd think they would ever mature."
Big, however, was just confused before asking "Um, what was that?" Turning to Wakko, he replied "That was just us breaking the fourth wall." Big could only roll his eyes before muttering "So these toons operate under the Deadpool movies' logic" before putting Wakko down and lightly shoving him towards his siblings while stating "Just stay with your friends, ok?"
Turning his attention back towards Hello Nurse, Big finally replied "As for you lady, no thanks on the checkup. My doctor says I'm good." Taking a step back with his left foot and entering a fighting stance, Big thought to himself "Then again, the doctor also said I was long overdue for therapy and checkups on the scars, but this is more important. The fate of the world is at stake and…"
"Ooooo, you have scars?" Dot suddenly asked, as she jumped on top of Big's back and attempted to rip his shirt off while stating "Oh, let me see. Let me see." In turn, Big managed to grab her by her back while asking her "How did you even know that?" Dot only smiled as she replied "Again, we break the fourth wall. We just read the last paragraph on top."
Big looked up, but only saw the sky above. Narrowing his eyes, Big realized "Oh right, they're toons" as he narrowed his eyes before Dot asked "Now will you take your shirt off?" Big replied "No, now stop it." Putting her on the floor, Big lightly shoved her towards Wakko and told her "Stay there, got it?"
They nodded, yet in the corner of his eye Big noticed their fingers crossed.
"Good god" Big thought to himself, as he returned his attention to the mutated toons and took a deep breathe before adding "Casey and Falco were never this bad. Then again, they were actual kids. I don't even know how old any of them are, to be honest." Refocusing on the enemies in front of him, Big decided "I'll deal with everything one step at a time, but first things first."
Staring at Hello Nurse, Ralph, and Baloney with the eyes of murderous intent, Big simply said "So let's go."
As if roaring a challenge, Baloney began to step up as Big smiled before muttering "Good, I've got personal business with you."
Rushing forward, Baloney opened his mouth and closed his eyes as he began to outstretch his mouth in an attempt to bite Big.
Once he bit down, however, Baloney felt nothing but air and his own teeth. Opening his eyes, he realized two things.
One, he missed.
And two, Big was literally above him as he slammed his right foot down on Baloney's head, crashing him head first into the ground and threw it, while the floor itself collapsed of the combination of weight times force. Stomping down harder, Big forced Baloney's head further into the hole while shouting "NOW KNOW YOUR PLACE!"
Baloney could only slump his body, both in defeat and frustration while Big turned to Hello Nurse and Ralph, the anger clear in his eyes.
To the toon themselves, though, only Slappy spoke as she turned to the reader and sarcastically said "Tense, isn't it?" Turning towards Slappy, Minerva just had to ask "Slappy, did you know he could do that?" In turn, Slappy simply replied "Oh trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet."
Meanwhile, in a hidden location somewhere in Acme Falls, there was a room filled with every Looney Tune possible as they all argued with their current predicament.
The invading toon known as Rocky had revealed the secret agreement of Warner Brothers and Disney, then displaced humans and other non-toons somewhere Rocky called 'an empty space' so even he probably didn't know, but to make matters even worse: not only had he unknowingly revealed the existence of toons to the world, but made them an enemy to humans in the process.
That left them with very little time possible, and even less idea with what to do.
"So, any-I say, any suggestions?" Foghorn Leghorn asked.
"Yea" Daffy replied, before adding "We get out of town as quickly as possible."
"Not possible boy" Foghorn stated, as he added "The Disney-I say the Disney toons are already sending help to Burbank, but until then-I say until then, we're sitting chickens."
"There's also the safety of those varmits, Bugs and Mickey" Yosemite Sam pointed out, as he crossed his arms and added "Rocky's got both of them prisoner."
"Agreed" Granny stated before adding "Before we can consider how to deal with that young hooligan, we must consider how to rescue them."
"But what about the humans?" From the back of the room, Elmer Fudd piped up before asking "After what Rocky did, they'll soon come for all of us. So, what do we do?"
"First things first, me lads."
They all soon turned towards the door, noticing it was open before a new character, a duck wearing a red shirt with black collars, a black hat and cape walked through before adding "First, we deal with the non-toon that's in Burbank."
They all began to mutter amongst themselves as Daffy spoke up and stated "Scrooge Mcduck, I should have known you'd come to Burbank. And speaking of which, what non-toon are you talking about?"
Scrooge took a moment to clear his throat before banging his cane on the floor as he stated "The moment we all feared was coming has finally arrived. According to my sources, Big the Bird is in Burbank."
At that moment, all the noise in the room stopped. No one spoke a single sound as Scrooge spoke.
"You all recall back in Chapter 4…" Scrooge stopped, before turning to the reader and stating "Yes, I know my character doesn't normally break the fourth wall, but this is a special circumstance." He then turned back to the other Looney Tunes and continued "…Rocky escaped our secret Toon Prison, along with Thaddeus Plotz and Baloney. The purpose of said prison was to make sure any dangerous toon deemed a threat to our existence was to be locked up and forgotten, yet somehow all 3 escaped."
Holding up 3 fingers, Scrooge continued "Baloney was captured as he was a threat to the people of Burbank, despite his own stupidity and being completely naive. Plotz was locked away as he was a threat not to us, but for the safety of the Warner Siblings. Finally, Rocky because he was deemed not only a threat to toons but to humans as well."
Bringing his hand together on the cane, Scrooge continued onward "Bugs and Mickey tried to clean things up and hide our existence, yet in the end they were captured by Rocky and Big's family learned of our secret. The secret is now out, ladies and gentlemen, and soon enough humans will turn against us, not because we tried to stay hidden but because Rocky threatened their families and other individuals in this world with slavery and death. Big's appearance here in Burbank is no laughing matter, and the time has come to act."
The Looney Tunes began to stand up one by one, as 2 other toons hiding behind the door nodded on.
"Geez, your uncle sure knows how to make a speech seem important, Donald."
"You got that right Goofy."
Back in the room, Scrooge made it clear "We are all aware of not just how dangerous the situation has become, but now we also face a being who has battled monsters the likes of which we have never seen before, but we must remember this: No matter how powerful Big is, he is not a toon. This is a toon problem and to save the world and our kind from extinction, the solution is clear. We must capture and lobotomize Big, as well as lock up Rocky and any toons he might have allied alongside. We will take back control of the studio, rescue Bugs and Mickey, and save the world."
Everyone in the room cheered, as Scrooge pointed to the door and announced "Now follow me to victory" as the toons began to leave one by one.
As the room emptied, however, there was still one that no one had noticed: a strange being hidden in a brown trench coat and hat, yet his body and claws was all black with red stripes and large orange eyes.
The being, known as Belial, quietly chuckled as he muttered "It seems these insignificant fools are going to do my job for me. With Big out of the way, my plans can finally come to fruition."
Belial then growled, as he muttered "That damn hero has stopped my plans to destroy this world and steal the power of the Riders and Sentai, yet he cannot stop me from gaining the power of toons and becoming neigh invincible…"
As Belial began to back away into the shadows, he soon added "…and I know exactly where to get it."
Belial soon disappeared altogether, leaving the room as quiet and empty as it was before.
Back at the park, Big began to notice the hoard of mutated toons beginning to surround him. Looking around, he turned his attention back to Hello Nurse and told her "You get one chance: Stop this now, or I put you down."
Crossing her arms, Hello Nurse soon replied "I have a better option: Stay out of our way, or become one of us."
To her surprise, Big's arms began to change into swords, his right arm covered in fire and his left with electricity, as Big stated "Here's my answer, so what's yours?"
Her response was, simply put "Get him."
It was the first mistake she would make that day, as the hoard of mutated toons quickly began to charge towards him. "You should have brought more" Big stated, as he swung his left arm forward, creating a force of wind covered in electricity that struck half of the mutated toons and caused them to scream in intense pain before they all collapsed.
The other half quickly stopped and begun to back away, yet Big turned his eyes to them and swung his other arm only once, striking them all with a fiery slash nearly invincible to the human eyes, as the other half just as quickly collapsed onto the ground.
Watching all of this, Slappy's jaw nearly dropped as she muttered "I thought those news reporters were full of it, but this guy's no joke."
"Impressive" Hello Nurse stated, as Big turned his attention back to her before he said "You're next" before a yellow flag was thrown in front of him, a whistle accompanying it. In the very next second, Yakko ran right in front of him and announced "Flag on the play for unnecessary roughness. That's a penalty on you, kid."
"YAKKO, ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Minerva shouted before adding "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS!" Yakko could only rub the back of his head, yet said nothing as Minerva scolded while crossing her arms.
"Oh, that's gotta hurt the newcomer's chances" Dot announced over a conveniently placed microphone, as she and Wakko were now wearing yellow jackets with a table set up for them, the microphone set on the table. Adding to it, Wakko stated "That penalty was rough given the odds against him, but if the referee is anything, it's fair."
"What are you three doing?" Big suddenly asked, a bit annoyed, as Yakko replied "Oh, we're just adding comedy. After all, this is a comedy show." Big could only give out a tired sigh, unable to facepalm or rub his temples as he simply pointed his left arm towards Wakko and Dot before stating "I'm trying very hard not to want to kill all three of you with the bad guys, so please go over there with them, ok?" Yakko thought about it for a moment before blowing his whistle again and stating "Penalty for threatening the referee. That's your second. One more and…"
Yakko didn't notice an injector heading straight for his back, as Hello Nurse had become annoyed at the lack of attention.
Unfortunately for her, Big had as he managed to get in front of the injector before swinging his right arm down, trapping Hello Nurse's mutated hand as she hissed in pain, yet for some reason was unable to cut it. Turning back to Yakko, Big gave him a glare that said "Shut Up" before turning back to Hello Nurse and stating "Like I said, you're next."
"The newbie has more points being deducted, yet saving the referee might have gotten a few back" Dot stated over the microphone, all the while Wakko had conveniently gotten a bucket of popcorn and began to eat.
"God, these toons are gonna give me a headache" Big thought to himself, adding "They're almost as bad as the Griffin Family, and that was a nightmare."
Releasing her, Big began to fly towards her while Hello Nurse retracted her injector arm when he suddenly heard it: a growling sound.
"Not him again" Big thought out loud, as he saw Baloney, having freed himself, began to rush towards him. Big skidded to a half only to find a net trapping his body and forcing his arms to point down.
A net that belonged to Ralph, as he announced "Duh-I got him."
Big quickly began to struggle, only to find Baloney's teeth biting through Ralph's net into his left arm and shoulder as he growled in intense pain. Hello Nurse smiled as she slowly began to walk forward, the injector pointing at Big as she said "Well, it seems you were all talk after all, Mr. Hero" Hello Nursed spat that last word out, almost as if insulting him before asking "Ready for your evolution, dear?"
"Duh-nurse?" Ralph suddenly said, noticing something wrong as she turned to him, a frown and raised eyebrow present, as she asked "What is it, you ninny?" Ralph, it seemed was struggling as he replied "The net won't hold, and it's not covering him completely."
As if to illustrate, Ralph's net began to break, each snap audible.
"Oh, you must be joking me. No toon should be able to break that unless…." Hello Nurse trailed off, beginning to realize it while the net finally broke, as Big swung his arms upward and the shockwave from it sent Hello Nurse and Ralph flying back a few feet. What that also did was force Big to turn his right arm back to normal, grabbing Baloney's mouth and forcing it open before throwing him over his shoulder and into Hello Nurse and Ralph, crushing them in an instant.
Holding his left shoulder, Big checked for any blood yet aside from bite marks, it seemed the teeth weren't fully able to pierce through as he turned it back to normal. "That" he announced before hissing "…was your last mistake." Using his right hand to grab a small pirate-like figure in the color of magenta from his pocket, Big announced "I don't care what you are or who your master is, but I know magic can hurt you. So let's see what happens when I add the power of a destroyer of worlds to it."
Pressing the small buttons on the sides of the figure, its legs flipped up to reveal a key as it also covered Big in a red and magenta-like aura.
Sentai Rider!
"GET OFF US" Hello Nurse shouted, as she and Ralph managed to push Baloney off before noticing Big being covered in the red and magenta aura. In the next second, his appearance changed into that of what appeared to be a suit from Power Rangers Super Megaforce, yet magenta. His shoulder pads had words written on them, the left saying "Sentai" and the right saying "Rider" in kanji. His chest had a single tarp that read "2018." Finally, in his right hand, was a large grey broadsword with a keyhole set on the handle. In Big's place, he was now in his Sentai Rider form.
However, because Big didn't know about adaptations, the reactions from Wakko and Dot were not positive.
"BOO" Dot proclaimed, cupping her hands around her mouth as she shouted "BOO, I LOVE THE COLOR BUT THAT SEASON WAS AWFUL, BOO!" Wakko joined her as he added "BOO, GET A DESIGNER TO CHANGE IT, BOO!"
"SHUT UP" Big shouted towards them, before turning back towards the last 3 mutated toons as Big stated "I'm ending this." With the figure reappearing in his hand, Big reset it back into a key and inserted it into the broadsword.
"No, you don't" Hello Nurse stated, but as all 3 of them began to rise, Big was preparing to swing, the sword now covered in red and magenta-like aura. Hoping for one last attack, they began to run towards him.
Final Attack RISING STRIKE!
For Hello Nurse, Ralph, and Baloney, they realized it too late as Big used a vertical swing to hit all three of them at once, releasing a wave of red and magenta-like energy that caused all three of them to scream before sending them flying back and falling on the floor. Pointing the broadsword down, Big began to notice all three of them moan before sparking.
"What the hell?" Big muttered to himself, as they began to leak something out of their bodies.
Something that looked like black ink.
Within seconds, as the ink came off their bodies, they began to change back.
No longer appeared as their evil selves, Hello Nurse and Ralph returned to their original clothes while Baloney returned to his previous appearance while moaning "Oh, golly gee golly gumdrops, my head hurts."
"Well I'll be damned" Big thought to himself, as he added "Whatever that ink was, my last attack must have damaged it on a molecular scale and released it's hold on them. Without it infecting their bodies anymore, they're turning back to normal." As if almost chuckling, Big told himself "That's all folks" before he was covered in the red and magenta aura once more, turning back to normal while his sword disappeared.
As for the Warners, Yakko blew his whistle before announcing "IT'S A TOUCHDOWN!"
Within seconds, the previously mutated toons became to turn back to normal as the ink that once changed them began to come off.
Yet, somehow, Big had a terrible feeling run down his spine as the Warners ran up to Ralph and Hello Nurse.
Meanwhile, as this happened, Plotz could only back away into a corner as Rocky screamed in rage before grabbing Plotz table and, easily lifting it over his head, throwing it out the window.
"NO" Rocky screamed, enraged beyond belief yet stunned and confused at the same time.
He saw, through the eyes of his 'kids' what had happened.
He saw how this interloper suddenly defeated them all, including his version of Baloney, thus reversing their transformations.
He also saw his eyes, and for the very first time, he felt one emotion flow through his body: Fear.
Yet, within that moment, Rocky began to smirk as Plotz took note of it and asked "Why the sudden change of expression?"
Turning to Plotz, Rocky gave off a wicked smile as he replied "Finally, I found an equal to my power." Plotz didn't know what to say or do at all, as Rocky turned to the now broken window and told himself "Big, is it? Well then, come to me. Fight me. Give me a show to prove to the world that the era of humans has come to its end."
A dark, ominous, voice said otherwise.
"You pitiful fool."
Rocky and Plotz, now confused, began to look around the room, yet found nothing. Rocky, however, was not so fooled as he announced "Whoever's there, come on out. There's no point in hiding unless you want me to turn you into my next subject."
"You think your idle threat scares me? You have no idea just how much the world has changed, or who I am."
Rocky continued to look around the room, yet couldn't find the direction of just where the voice came from.
Let alone who it belonged to.
Plotz, terrified, retreated further into his corner when he felt something that didn't feel like a wall.
It almost felt like skin.
Almost.
Slowly looking up, Plotz could see the face of the being known as Belial looking at him as he screamed, catching Rocky's attention as Plotz ran and hid behind him. Belial only cranked his neck as Rocky drew Mickey's Kingdom D Keyblade from his toon space and pointed it at Belial before asking him "Now who, or what, are you exactly?"
If Belial could smile, he probably would have done something similar to an evil grin.
Instead, he simply chuckled before replying "For now, you may call me Belial, and I have a proposition for you."
Rocky, for a moment, simply raised an eyebrow.
In the next moment, lowering his Keyblade, Rocky stated "I'm listening."
Waving a hand over the groaning Hello Nurse and Ralph, Big took out a pair of glasses with a skinny gray frame from his pocket and put them on muttered "They seem fine, but something seems off…"
Turning towards Baloney, Big took his glasses off and pocketed them before he began to walk over to him when Dot suddenly ran in front of him and brought her right hand up, stating "Oh don't worry about him. He's just fine." Big prepared to say something when he noticed Baloney getting up and saying "Oh gee golly gee, I'm back in Burbank with all my super duper special friends." Turning back towards Dot, she gave a face that said "Told ya so." Dot soon looked up and cupped her hands, shouting to someone off screen "OK, DROP IT!"
In the very next second, as Baloney began to frolic away, he was crushed by a safe and fell to the ground once more.
"Was that even necessary?" Big asked, yet Dot only smiled and replied "Yes, yes it was. That being said…" Dot stopped, yet began to circle around Big as he asked her "What are you doing?" Dot took a moment to scratch her chin and look at Big's entire figure before replying "Quiet sweetie, I'm evaluating you."
Big raised an eyebrow before realizing Dot's reasoning, as he thought to himself "Oh god, no."
As for Dot, she finally stated "So let me see if I understand you: tall, super powers, you can change your appearance despite your bad taste in TV, bit of a tough guy so I'm willing to bet you have a tragic past, scars on your body, and judging by your glasses, which look as though you need to switch to contact lenses, you're clearly smart to some degree. With that being said, I just have one question."
Rubbing his temples, Big asked her "Somehow, I can guess but what is it?"
In the very next second, with sparkling eyes and cupping her hands, Dot asked "Are you single?"
Before he could reply, Skippy pushed Dot away as he told her "Come on Dot, let's leave him be." Big could only cross his arms as he heard Dot yell to him "CALL ME!"
"Don't bother" he could hear Slappy tell him, turning to face her as she stated "She may look young, but she's much older than you." Big barely contained a chuckle before saying "Trust me, I'm not interested. That being said…." Big stopped before he asked "I never got an answer for earlier, so just who are all of you?"
Slappy sighed, yet decided to ask "Something tells me you've never seen Animaniacs, have you?"
Big simply shook his head.
"Ok then" Slappy stated, having to sigh once more before saying "We'll do this your way. I'm Slappy, and the little guy you just saw push Dot away is my nephew Skippy."
Big nodded while noticing Skippy waiving from afar, still having to restrain Dot while she yelled "ON SECOND THOUGHT, I'LL GET YOUR NUMBER FROM SLAPPY." Skippy, in turn, basically turned to the reader and muttered "Girls, go figure."
Feeling a tap on his right arm, Big turned to the direction of it and found Minerva extending a hand, as she said "I'm Minerva Mink. I think you've already met my boyfriend…." before pointing over to Yakko, as he and Wakko were checking up on Ralph, a box of donuts in Wakko's hands as he told the guard "Thought you might like some." Ralph, sitting up, smiled before saying "Duh-thanks guys" before taking the box from Wakko and opening it.
Noticing Big staring at them, Yakko carefully jabbed Wakko's left arm and quietly told him "That's our cue."
Wakko gave him a thumbs up before turning to the reader and stating "Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for."
Quickly running up to him, Yakko and Wakko announced "And we're the Warner Brothers!"
To Skippy's surprise, Dot finally managed to get herself free from him as she joined her brothers while stating "And I'm the Warner Sister!"
"I'm Yakko…"
"I'm Wakko…"
"And I'm Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the 3rd."
Suddenly appearing on Big's right shoulder, he was a bit shocked as Dot stated "But call me Dot. Call me Dottie and you'll die, sweetheart."
To Dot's lack of surprise, Big carefully grabbed Dot by her back and put her down before stating "Well, I guess I might as well introduce…."
Big soon stopped when he noticed two things.
One, he noticed Baloney had removed the safe that had previously fallen on him and had gotten up.
Two, Baloney wasn't acting cheery anymore. In fact, he seemed….sick.
"Can one of my friendly friend friends call me a doctor?" Baloney asked, yet he came to a complete stop as he said "I don't feel so cheery and full of yummy yum…."
Those were Baloney's last words before he slowly turned to ash and disappeared into the wind.
For the toons, they began to celebrate as Minerva hugged Yakko while Wakko and Dot exclaimed "HOORAY! NO MORE BALONEY!"
For Big, however, he was in horror.
It was very clear to him that the toons didn't like Baloney, but he also remembered that Baloney wasn't the only toon who was mutated.
Big's eyes quickly turned blue as he faced Hello Nurse and Ralph, then all of the toons that were previously mutated before a horrible thought came to mind.
Upon seeing them with his magic eyes, Big's face became that of dread as he muttered "Oh no…"
The words that came from Ralph's mouth soon silenced the Warners as he suddenly dropped the box of donuts on the ground and muttered "I don't feel so good anymore" before suddenly falling to the ground himself.
The Warners, in shock and concern, turned to face Ralph as Hello Nurse felt just as ill, sitting back down while stating "Neither do I, Ralph. What's happening?"
Yakko let Minerva go, as he and his siblings quickly ran up to two of their favorite human toons. As this happened, Minerva turned to Big and asked "What's going on? I thought when the ink was removed, they would turn back to normal. Why is this happening?"
Big, not wanting to answer, just looked down as he muttered "I swear I didn't know this was going to happen."
"What was going to happen?" Slappy asked, yet Big didn't answer. She then asked in a more assertive tone "What's about to happen?"
Big took a long sigh before he finally replied "When I launched my attack, I held back so I didn't kill them. However, while the attack damaged the ink itself, it seems the ink Rocky infected them with completely destroyed their bodies down to a cellular level."
"You don't mean…" Minerva began to ask, yet couldn't bring herself to finish that question.
Slappy, however, stated "In simple terms!"
Narrowing his eyes, yet still sad, Big stated "They're dying."
"Duh-Warners?" Ralph would ask them, as Yakko and Wakko fell to their knees and held his hands while Dot helped Hello Nurse sit up.
"Yea Ralph?" Yakko asked him, as he and Wakko began to notice Ralph's legs starting to turn to dust. In Dot's perspective, the same was beginning to happen to Hello Nurse.
"Am I going to die?" Ralph asked, yet Yakko couldn't answer him. Wakko, beginning to cry, couldn't bring himself to answer either.
"I see" Ralph said, quietly, as he then added "We had some good time, Warners." Holding his hands tight, Yakko and Wakko gave a sad smile as Yakko stated "Yea, we did."
At the same time, Hello Nurse asked Dot "I guess this is the end of us, huh?"
Dot, sad herself, simply closed her eyes and replied "Yea, it is."
"You be good, ok Dot?" Hello Nurse asked her, adding "Take care of each other and promise me one thing."
"Anything" Dot said, as Hello Nurse pleaded "Give Skippy a chance, for all our sakes."
Instead of agreeing, however, Dot simply said "…Anything other than that."
Hello Nurse gave her a stink eye, yet Dot stated "There's already enough people on the internet who ship us. Can't I have him instead?" Dot pointed over to Big, who overheard her and said "It's not happening!"
Turning back to Hello Nurse, Dot told her "He's just playing hard to get." Hello Nurse, getting Dot's attention back to the matter at hand, simply said "For once, just give Skippy a chance, ok?" Dot groaned before muttering "Fine."
"Thank y…" Hello Nurse never finished, as her time was up and turned to dust, disappearing into nothingness.
Dot simply stayed there, down on her knees yet frowned.
Meanwhile, back with Ralph, he asked Yakko and Wakko "Promise me you guys will tell my wife I loved her?" The brothers nodded before Ralph then looked to Yakko and told him "And you gotta promise me something too." Yakko, beginning to tear up, nodded as he brought an ear close to Ralph who whispered "Promise me you'll marry Minerva. You both deserve it."
At that moment, Yakko's tears fully began to fall as Dot quickly joined them before Ralph told the Warners his last words "Thanks you guys for the memo…"
He never finished, the last of Ralph's body turning to dust and disappearing.
No longer able to hold their emotions, the Warners held each other in a tight hug and began to cry.
Watching the Warners grieve for Ralph and Hello Nurse, Slappy could only bring her head down while Skippy cried and Minerva sniffed, covering her face of the incoming tears.
While none of them were as close to Ralph and Hello Nurse as the Warners, even they knew they didn't deserve this. No one deserved to die like this.
As for Big, like Slappy he had his head down as tears began to fall from his eyes. His mind, however, was now that of a raging storm preparing to strike, as he thought to himself "Damn you Rocky. You did this to them, rather it was intentional or not, so you've left me with no choice."
Big soon heard moaning, as his head shot up and he looked in horror as the previously mutated toons began to fall onto the ground and turned to dust, one by one.
"You'll pay for this Rocky" Big muttered, as the toons stopped their grieving to look at him while Big shouted into the heavens "Rocky YOU'LL PAY!"
"No, you will."
Big suddenly turned around only to be trapped in row upon row of chains. "Urg" Big groaned before asking "What the hell is this?"
"Insurance, me lad."
Looking forward, Big began to snarl as several different toons began to throw onto him layers of toon ropes and chains, each one either grabbing his arms, chest, or neck. Each one forcing Big to struggle more as the Warners suddenly noticed Yosemite Sam throw a toon rope around Big's body, trapping his arms completely while shouting "YEE-HAW, WE GOT THE VARMIT!"
Taking a moment to look forward, Big noticed the unfamiliar sight of Scrooge Mcduck as Scrooge announced "Restrain him so he can be dealt with, me lads. We have to lobotomize and lock away this interloper before he can make the situation worse."
"Like hell you will" Big countered as he began to fly up, each of the toons such as Yosemite, Foghorn, Sylvester, and even Daffy tried to force him back down but to no avail, each one losing their grip before falling to the ground as Daffy muttered "This guy is despicable" after landing on his head.
"Now what gives?" Slappy suddenly asked, yet they ignored her and she shouted "LEAVE HIM ALONE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
"I'm afraid not, madam" Scrooge countered, turning to face him before narrowing his eyes as he muttered "Slappy Squirrel, why am I not surprised to see you here?"
"Wasn't expecting to see you either" Slappy muttered before crossing her arms and stating "Now leave the guy alone. He might be the only one who can help up with Rocky."
"No, he can't" Scrooge stated, adding "Big is too dangerous to trust. His power alone makes him a threat to the humans, let alone us toons. Thus, we'll have to reign him in."
Snapping his fingers, Scrooge announced "Donald, if you will…."
Meanwhile, up in the air, Big began to discard the random chains and ropes on his body as he thought to himself "What the hell? I thought we were on the same side, but now I have to deal with these guys?" Attempting to remove the rope tied around his body, however, Big failed to notice the dark cloud forming over him.
"GRAVITY!"
Suddenly looking up, Big was struck down by what seemed like a dark sphere and struck onto the ground hard.
"Seriously, knock this off already" Dot announced towards Scrooge, crossing her arms before exclaiming "I still haven't gotten his number yet." Scrooge, however, crossed his eyes before muttering "No."
"This is insane" Minerva suddenly stated, walking past the Warners and walked directly towards Scrooge, as she said "If it wasn't for him, we would have been mutated into Rocky's slaves. As far as we know, Slappy's right about Big…or whatever his name is…he's the only one that can…" Scrooge, however, looks Minerva dead in the eye, silencing her while stating "Young lady, you are in more than enough trouble as in. You…." He stops, points at Yakko, and adds "…and him both."
Wakko and Dot, confused, as they turned to Yakko yet all he did was shrug his shoulders, just as confused.
Hearing something shift, however, Scrooge turned to find Big beginning to stand up, a look of anger on his face while his shirt and the bottom left of his jeans were ripped.
"Donald" Scrooge announced, adding "Hit him again!"
Slowly walking towards Scrooge, Big announced "You will NOT lay a hand on them you…" yet was cut off as, from a distance, Donald rose his staff and shouted "THUNDER!"
Stopping, Big looked up only to be struck by a barrage of lightning bolts. Still unable to release his arms from Yosemite's rope, Big grunted with each lightning bolt as the toons began to throw chains and ropes on him once more in an attempt to subdue him. "PUT YOUR BACKS TO IT" Daffy could be heard shouting as all the Looney Tunes and Goofy attempted to restrain him.
"We got him-Aw Yuck" Goofy announced.
Yet instead, they once more felt a tug. Big refused to stop, continuing to go forward, a look of rage as his eyes began to turn red. The toons themselves continued to pull, yet even to Scrooge it was pointless.
Instead, Scrooge sighed, as he muttered "Fine lad, have it your way." He then announced "Donald, put him down!"
"GRAVITY!"
Once more, Big was struck with the dark sphere, yet this time the ground gave out and caved in on itself, Big falling into the hole. Before the toons could do anything else, the hole closed itself off as the toons backed away. Scrooge sighed as Slappy could only look on, her mouth open but deep in shock.
"That's that then" Scrooge muttered, adding "Big is, hopefully, dead."
The Warners, Slappy, Skippy, and Minerva were all in shock as Skippy turned to his aunt and asked "Aunt Slappy, it's not true right?" Slappy could see him tear up as Skippy asked "Big isn't dead, is he?" Slappy could only pet his head, yet with a frown she replied "Honestly, I don't know."
To Minerva's horror, she suddenly found herself cuffed by Scrooge as Foghorn and Daffy grabbed her arms. "Hey, what is this?" Scrooge, turning around to face her, announced "Nothing personal missy, but now it's your turn. Take them to the medical offices inside the studio and prepare her for surgery."
As the Warners, Slappy and Skippy were dragged along by the toons, Scrooge muttered "Ms. Mink, it's time for you to face toon justice. You and your unborn child."
Following along, Scrooge failed to notice something beginning to dig out of the ground.
Something that looked similar to one of Big's hands.
To Be Continued!
Extra Scene
"He's coming for you, the one known as Big" Belial stated, as Rocky smiled.
"Oh, that I can kind of tell" Rocky said, turning to the window as he continued "The power he possesses, the way he doesn't fear death….heck, the fact he actually put the fear of death in me without me even having to be there." Stretching his arms out, Rocky announced "It's invigorating. To me, he might be the strongest opposition I will have to face, but he'll fall like the rest."
"You will lose" Belial stated, as Rocky turned to him and said "I have seen Big's true power for myself, and if you think you can stop him, let alone make him bow before you, then you have already lost."
"Oh please" Rocky countered, as he crossed his arms and stated "Not only am I a toon, but with the power of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny coursing through me, I'm literally unbeatable. By comparison, if the pink one I met before is similar, then he's not a toon. Thus, he's not capable of hurting me."
"Then you are more foolish than you appear" Belial exclaimed, as Rocky narrowed his eyes while Belial stated "Your foolishness will be your downfall, but I can give you the power to defeat him."
"Oh really?" Rocky asked, yet seemed skeptical as Plotz simply said nothing, still in surprise out of the appearance of their 'guest.'
"Yes. My power, combined with that of yours, will bring him to his knees" Belial stated this, as his right hand closed up in order to illustrate his point. He soon said "Of course, I will give you this power as long as you are willing to serve me in my goal of ruling…"
"Nope, no deal" Rocky suddenly said, cutting Belial off as he asked in an offended tone "What?"
"Sorry bub, but I'm no one's servant" Rocky replied, as he once more turned to the window and stated "See, this world and these pathetic humans? They are MINE to rule and this world will bow to MY toon empire." Turning back to Belial, Rocky made it clear "I don't play second fiddle to anyone. Not even to something that looks like a reject of the Twilight Zone."
"You dare mock me and my offer?" Belial asked, enraged, as Rocky replied "If it'll make me look like something out of an outdated alien film, then no thanks. Now beat it."
"You cur" Belial cursed out, as Rocky and Plotz noted a purple crack appear out of nowhere behind Belial and open up while Belial said "I give you the opportunity to join me in my goal to rule the multiverse, yet you choose to mock me. Very well then, I do not need you for my plans. After all, the multiverse is vast and infinite, let alone space. I will find another, more willing, subject to bend to my will but be forewarned."
Turning around to enter the crack, Belial refused to look at Rocky as he stated "When the hero comes to get you, and he will, you will be alone."
Walking into the crack, Belial could be heard laughing as the crack closed and disappeared before their eyes.
"What was that all about?" Plotz finally asked, yet Rocky rolled his eyes as he replied "An idiot who wanted my spotlight. Besides, we're not alone."
Rocky whistled to the other side of the room, as Dr. Scratchansniff finally walked towards them.
"Doctor, prepare the studio grounds" Rocky commanded, as he smiled before adding "We're going to have some company."
Author's Notes
Chapter 9 is officially in the bag as we get closer to the showdown (and soon enough, the end of the story), but there's still one last part to take care of.
First and foremost, however, there were some references from either certain media or from previous stories I've done for the site I added into the story that I hope some of you caught. If you didn't, here they are (fair warning, some of it will be deeply detailed):
Big previously mentioned battling villains from other dimensions (Gendo Ikari in The Merciless Hybrid and NGE vs Doctor Who: Rise of the EVA Form; both are M-Rated so consider it as a warning. Then, there was Naraku in Swords of the Dog Demon General, which served as a sequel to a previous story I made over 10 years back, Ben 10 vs Inuyasha) facing lost in terms of death and defeat by the hands of a God of Destruction (which happened in The Hero, The God, and The Tearful Farewell by the hands of Beerus, a character from Dragon Ball Super), fighting with an old ally against 'discount' Nazis (which was my previously finished story, The Rider Sentai Dilemma, which I'll get back to in a bit), and previously meeting the Griffin Family (which occurred in NGE vs Family Guy: The Dangerous Power of Cutaways, which is also M-Rated). In short, after this story is done, I will have to update the reading list (the most up to date one is on the Rider/Sentai story).
When Yakko mentioned he wasn't interested in meeting Rocky unless his last name was 'Stallone': that was a reference to Sylvester Stallone, who portrayed 'Rocky Balboa' in all 6 Rocky films plus the 2 (at this time) Creed films.
I'm skipping Big's reference to the Godfather films after hearing of the Goodfeathers. The reference is pretty obvious.
The reference Big makes to the Deadpool films fits how the Warners and Slappy occasionally break the fourth wall, as Deadpool basically does the same in both films as well as in the comics, his video game, and in other appearances.
Not gonna lie, the words Big shouts at Baloney "Know Your Place" were from the anime 'Rosario Vampire' whenever Inner Moka defeats an opponent.
The appearance of the 'Sentai Rider Form' is gonna be a doozy as it pertains to both American and Japanese television (Tokusatsu, in particular) so prepare yourselves: The form was first introduced in The Rider Sentai Dilemma, yet I placed it in this story for two reasons. 1) When Animaniacs first aired, it was on Fox Kids alongside Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which were American Adaptations of several Super Sentai shows like Zyuranger, Dairanger, and Kakuranger (which were adapted into the first 3 seasons plus Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers). To bring this explanation up to date, while the design is mostly based on Gokaiger (the 35th official series), it was adapted into Power Ranger Super Megaforce which brought up why Dot and Wakko booed it (though personally I didn't like it either, but that's just my opinion). 2) The Rider part is a little trickier, as the other half of that form is based off Kamen Rider Decade (who was known in the series as the "Destroyer of Worlds"), which aired in 2009 and, just like Gokaiger, was more of an anniversary series. In this case, the Rider part is more of a reference of the Masked Rider, which was a spinoff to Power Rangers and was an adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX (mostly, but any farther into this and I'd have to get more technical).
For anyone asking just who or what Belial is, I'll try and keep it simple: Belial is an Ultraman who was first introduced in Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy as a villain who was banished from his home due to his need for more power. He has made a few appearances since then, most recently appearing in Ultraman Geed in 2017. Technically speaking, he and Big have something in common, but that'll be explained in a future story as he won't be appearing again until we get to the epilogue. As for now, he'll be the villain for Big to face starting in the next story (as in after this story is finished).
Finally, as for the Warners trying to add Football humor into a fight scene, that one's on me. I just thought it would be funny.
So I hope you guys liked the chapter. If you didn't, I am sorry.
Well, we're getting closer to the showdown and to the end, but next time 4 things will happen:
Back in Chapter 1, Dot admitted she knew something Minerva was keeping hidden. We learn exactly what that is.
The Looney Tunes and some of the Disney Toons will face Rocky in hopes of fixing his mess, only to find Rocky has some surprises in store for them.
Big attempts a rescue mission to protect Minerva's unborn child from whatever it is Scrooge has planned for them both.
And finally, Big's family arrives in Burbank.
Until next time…
Oh, and one last thing: I'll be taking a short break after this chapter as my birthday is coming up and I'm going on vacation. When I come back I'll start working on the next chapter.