Here's chapter three! I know this looks like I'm writing chapters ridiculously fast, but the others up to chapter seven were already written, just not posted in here. There are up in diviantart, and I plan to use both sites.

Again, don't own the Storm Hawks

Chapter 3: Long Time No See

Finn and Piper were walking through the small woods, still arguing about the scene with the "Storm Hawks". Finn was still making fun of her and she was still trying to win the argument. It was funny, really; over the last year, Finn had been winning more and more of their fights. It was driving Piper crazy.

After a long walk, they managed to come to the edge of the terra. Piper took out a small radio from her belt, and said, "Stork, we're coming down now." After a few moments, a platform rose from under the clouds, the Storm Hawk insignia painted on it. They walked onto it and soon were lowered under the cloud line, the Condor coming into view underneath them.

The Condor look as it had three years ago, but now had a strange air around it. The legendary ship was much than just the carrier; it was a veteran battleship of the Far Side and had a number of upgrades with it.

The platform came through the roof and into the center of the bridge: the pair were still arguing. They didn't stop until Junko interrupted, "So, did you guys find him?" At that, the pair looked slightly disappointed. They have been trying to find Aerrow, but they still couldn't find him. "Well, it IS highly likely he got eaten by viperbats on his way back, run into Cyclonians, Murk Raiders, or one of the Elites, or he could have been infected with some type of Far Side disease, which by the way, I think I might have contracted a rash from there…" Stork rambled on, no one actually paying attention. Radaar whimpered slightly. Piper kneeled down to him and petted him, which he allowed despite his dislike of being treated as a pet.

"Don't worry, Radaar. He'll be back with us soon."

"So what were you guys arguing about this time," Junko asked, changing the subject. Finn burst out laughing while Piper gave him a death glare.

"We ran into the "Storm Hawks", she said, putting quotation marks around Storm Hawks.

"Really?" Junko said, interested, "What are they like?"

"Cocky, stuck-up, losers who think that they are royalty or something," Finn remarked with a disgusted tone.

"Well, Finn, your twin actually could pass for you," Piper commented.

Finn was offended, "I was never that bad!"

"Oh really?" Piper laughed, "Remember the time you were in charge? Or Terra Vapos? You were completely out of hand."

"That guy is a complete jerk!"

"And you weren't?"

"I'm not saying I wasn't. I'm just saying it didn't take long until I realized that power had responsibility."

"So, they're bad people?" Junko asked, saddened at the fact that their copycats weren't acting as they should.

"Well in looks, they could pass for us three years ago, but their personalities are like Finn said. 'Cocky, stuck-up losers'", Piper explained.

"Yeah, and they have that stupid award ceremony for them tomorrow. They're strutted around the terra as if they own Atmos," Finn finished.

There was a silent agreement. None of them were going to the terra tomorrow during the awards ceremony. They couldn't handle watching their imposters in their "crowning achievement".

The next day the ceremony started at noon. The square was filled with people from all over the Atmos, wanting to witness the ceremony. The square was so filled up that all the streets to the square were clogged with people, and many of the roofs were also places people waited to watch.

Around the crowd, guarding, were the Red Eagles. They were asked to patrol the ceremony as so nothing bad happened to the Storm Hawks or the crowd, as the Storm Hawks still had many enemies. Avior, the new Sky Knight of the Red Eagles, watched the ceremony unfold with a disappointed expression. Though he never knew the Storm Hawks personally, he knew enough about them from others to know that the group before him wasn't the real one. He had heard how the group of kids was (for the most part) modest in their achievements and only strove to protect the Atmos, something that many veteran squadrons didn't understand anymore. The group before him was the complete opposite: They were playing the crowd and embracing the cheers and praises from them. It was disrespectful to the real team. He sighed as he watched them. This is going to be a long ceremony, he thought.

With the help of the massive crowds, the Firebirds had snuck into the ceremony without the notice of the Red Eagles (though they hadn't done the greatest job in the first place as they didn't care what happened to the "Storm Hawks"). Gunner was still fuming a bit from the encounter with the strange man at the bar. When he walked back out of the bar to mock the man some more, he saw that he was gone, and the bystanders had said he had simply gotten up and walked away as if nothing happened. He couldn't believe that the guy had been able to stand up after the beating gave him, let alone walk. Also, if he was that strong, he didn't think enough of Gunner to retaliate. Gunner was furious of being taken lightly, and he was planning to take it out on the Storm Hawks.

They snaked their way through the crowd, getting closer and closer to the so-called 'greatest squadron of Atmos'. Gunner's hand rested on his crystal blaster; he had a very good shot and an even better one when he was drunk.

He saw that Aerrow was now giving a speech, something about the many victories that he had over the Dark Ace. Gunner wasn't listening; he was beginning to take out his blaster. This was the guy that was said to be the best pilot in the Atmos, the best fighter, and the great leader of the Sky Knights: if he took him out, there'd be nothing in his way. He began lifting up the blaster when he heard a hard, dark laugh to his left.

"These people honestly think that these fools are the Storm Hawks!"

Gunner turned around and saw a man in a dark cloak, laughing his head off. A man beside him was looking surprised and scared of his companion as he laughed.

"What do you mean, sir?" asked the trembling man.

"These fools aren't the Storm Hawks, lieutenant. These are imposters, trying to gain fame and glory by using the Storm Hawks absence."

"How do you know, sir?"

"As if the Storm Hawks strutted like that! It may be overrated, but the Storm Hawks had honor. They would never strut like this; no they were too noble and humble. It's a shame, really. I had hoped to run into Aerrow again."

The two turned, and soon disappeared into the crowd.

Gunner, shocked at what the man said, was thinking fast. He didn't know if the man was saying the truth, but the way he said the name Aerrow had an obvious tone of familiarity. That man knew Aerrow, and had said that the Aerrow on stage wasn't him.

"Boss, come on, let's get him now," called one of his teammates.

"No, these aren't the real ones," Gunner said, firmly believing in it now. He snaked his way back out of the crowd, his team struggling to follow. Once he was out of the crowd, he looked around wildly. He spotted the two from the crowd and began to follow them. If these two knew where the real Storm Hawks were, he wanted to know where they were.

The Dark Ace was still laughing from the ceremony. It was truly incredible how dim-witted people could be. Anyone with the slightest idea of who the Storm Hawks were would have noticed that those were fakes, but the fact that they didn't made it all the more entertaining. He could just imagine the look on Aerrow's face once he knew that all of his team's hard work was now being dragged in the mud by a few wannabes. He had to admit though; the group did look a lot like the Storm Hawks from three years ago. He had seen changes himself in the Far Side, so made that's why it was so easy for him to see that they were fakes.

As his commander laugh, the lieutenant was uneasy. If those weren't the Storm Hawks, then where were they? He voiced his question to the Dark Ace, who only pushed it aside, "Don't worry, lieutenant. They show up soon enough, they always do. They had a knack for that."

The lieutenant wasn't sure if he liked that idea. He knew that the Storm Hawks were responsible for the destruction of Cyclonia and the failure in the Far Side. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with a squadron that could pull that off, especially one that was so young and had a long time to keep improving.

As he worried with himself, something caught his eye. They were in a fairly crowded square with people chattering all around them. In the middle of the square, walking slightly away from them was a man in a black hat, no shirt, and black shorts. The lieutenant stood rigid at the spot: it was the same man that took out their invasion squadrons solely by flying around them with an air board.

He stopped dead in his tracks, and the Dark Ace asked him harshly why he stopped. The lieutenant shakily raised his arm and pointed at the man, "Th-that's him. Th-that's the one. The one who's been taking out our invasion forces."

The Dark Ace's gaze followed to where the lieutenant was pointing and saw the man. His face curled into an evil grin, Perhaps this trip would be fun after all. The Dark Ace took off his cloak and drew his sword (Gunner was watching from a few feet back, extremely confused and uneasy at the familiar look of the armed man). In one smooth stroke, the Dark Ace took a shot at the man's head.

The blast shot through the crowd, and thanks to a last second reflex, the blast only knocked the strange man's hat off, singeing part of the top. The crowds dispersed in the middle, giving a clear lane between the man and where the Dark Ace and the lieutenant were standing. The man walked over to his hat, bent down and picked it up, "What the heck was that for?! What are you trying to do? Take my head off—" The man stopped as he realized who had just shot at him.

The Dark Ace, too, looked back at the man in shock. He recognized the man's face, his red mop of hair, and the green eyes that always had that daredevil gleam. A cruel smile crept on his face as he howled out in laughter. "I should have known! You were that little troublemaker stopping our squadrons. How nice of you to finally show up… Aerrow." He looked deliberately at the man as he said the name, ignoring the confused gasps around them.

His signature mischievous smile appeared on Aerrow's face. He placed the hat back on his head, "You know, Dark Ace, if you hated my hat that much, you didn't have to try to kill it."

Finally got to the interesting part! Of course, those two run into each and of course they are going to fight. Yeah, I know I haven't given an explanation for Ace's return, but again I'm lazy. I might come up with something that's relatively logically, but no promises, sorry. More awaits, so please give me some feedback. Thanks!