When I finally lose control…I like it. Bruce Banner, Hulk
Chapter 13: Feral
"Guys, just get ready." Ratchet said as he pulled out his Plasma Storm.
"Why?" TL asked. An idea then occurred to him, "PLEASE don't tell me there's more."
"Unfortunately, there is." Clank replied in an apologetic voice.
"Oh, SCHNITZELS!" TL swore.
"Schnitzels?" Ratchet asked.
"Don't ask." Sylar deadpanned.
"So…what's the next round?" Hanabi asked.
"It usually involves a giant robot." Ratchet replied, "But…I don't really see one."
Suddenly, a giant green robot sprung out of nowhere. It had a long tail, like a scorpion's, had conveyer belts for legs (to help it go through all kinds of terrain), a pair of blasters for hands, and heavy armor.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have said that." Clank suggested.
"Ratchet?" TL asked, nervously, "What the heck is that thing?"
"The guys here call it Scoprio." Ratchet replied, "Just watch out for his weapons. They're…"
Whatever the weapons were, the others never found out. A bladed disk flew over to Ratchet and caught him in the chest. Ratchet's armor did its work, it prevented him from being ripped in half, but he was still sent to the ground, out like a light.
"SCRAP!" Rattrap swore as he shifted back into his beast mode.
Xem let out a snarl as he held the trigger of the Shock Cannon, causing energy to build up. He released the trigger and the gun fired a long blast of pure energy. The burst of energy met Scorpio, head on, but did absolutely nothing. Scorpio wheeled over to the Roswellian and began to shoot fire from its arms. Xem backed away from them and, inadvertently, walked off the ledge.
"XEM!" TL yelled as he looked over to see his friend fall off.
Xem let out a scream as he expected to meet boiling-hot lava, but slowed down as he realized that he wasn't falling. He then saw Sylar holding him up with telekinesis.
"Uh…thanks, Sy." Xem thanked, somewhat shakily.
TL took off after Scorpio and jumped up. He thrust out his arm as his Aura Arm sprung out. It caught Scorpio in the face.
"Heh. Let's see how well you fight with a hand in your face?" TL asked as he held his grip. Hanabi then jumped over TL and began running across the trail left by the Aura Arm.
"GENTLE FIST!" she shouted as she thrust out her palm into Scorpio.
The blow simply glanced off as Scorpio broke free from the Aura Arm's grip. It then brought its tail down on Hanabi, causing her to smash into the floor and creating a large crater.
Ratchet and Hanabi were out. Sylar brought Xem back up as he looked over to TL.
"No, guys." TL ordered, in a darker voice than usual, "I think now's a good time to test it."
"Soul, are ya crazy?" Rattrap asked.
"You haven't gotten complete control over that. You could go Demon Ultima and will probably try to kill everyone." Xem explained.
"Well…" TL said with a shaky smile, "It's still worth a short."
"On your head…" Sylar murmured, "Be it."
TL closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. A red aura began to dance around him. He scrunched his eyes as if he were trying to contain something. The aura then vanished. TL opened his eyes to show that they were now fiery red.
"Let's make this fun." The hedgehog smirked, showing off a fang. He got in a battle-ready position before vanishing. He reappeared right next to Scorpio and delivered a fast kick to the robot's head. He then grabbed his tail and slid down it before driving his fist into its head, "What's the matter? Am I too fast for ya?"
Electricity began to pulse from Scorpio. TL snarled as the electricity was coursing through him, causing immense pain. Scorpio then lashed out with its tail, knocking TL off of the head and flying through the air. The hedgehog regained his composure before getting a grip on a pipe on the wall. He then sprung over before balling his right hand into a fist. Electricity began to pulse from it.
"Nice shock. Lemme show ya MINE." TL snarled as he brought his fist into Scorpio's face, knocking the robot back about a yard.
"Nice right hook." Sylar said to himself.
"Uh…I'm checkin' the scanner to show how much o' that psycho's power he's usin'." Rattrap said, holding some hand-held device that resembled a DS. He showed it to Sylar, "It's about thirty-five percent…but rising."
"He'll be hitting forty percent any second now." Sylar said, "Then part two begins…"
"Crap." Xem swore.
TL let out a scream as a red aura began to surround him. He bared his teeth in a feral smirk.
"Let's get this party STARTED!" he roared before getting on all fours and running at lightning-fast speed. He jumped up at Scorpio's face. The robot pulled back one of its arms and thrust it forward as TL did so, too. The metallic arm crumpled like tinfoil.
"Wh-what happened?" Hanabi asked as she rubbed her head and sat up. She then saw TL and Scorpio fighting, the former laughing, "What's happening?"
"THAT is the Feral Mode." Sylar replied, grimly, "A mode TL has been trying with mixed success to perfect."
TL then thrust his foot into Scorpio's tail, knocking it free.
"TL has…something inside of him." Sylar explained, "Whenever he gets angry in his Ultima form, he becomes…well, he should be the one to explain this. If he exposes himself to its energy for too long, he'll become that creature and try to kill anyone in his way."
A look of shock came over Hanabi. TL had something inside that would cause him to kill anyone?
"Surprised?" Sylar asked with a grim smirk, "That's expected. It's not something he likes to talk about. He tried leaving the AF after he entered that stage." Sylar then shrugged before continuing, "The Feral Mode has four stages—the first one is relatively weak, considering he's only using about twenty percent of the monster's power. THIS is the second stage, which is slightly more vicious, using up to forty percent. The third stage is far more bloodthirsty, which uses seventy percent…and we're approaching it fast."
"A-and the fourth stage?" Hanabi asked.
"Monster." Sylar simply replied.
TL let out another roar as red electricity began to crackle around him. His pupils turned into cat-like slits as an animalistic snarl appeared on his face. The hedgehog jumped up and drove his foot into Scorpio's face, crunching it and causing the robot to roll backwards until it fell into the lava.
"Time to snap 'im out of it." Sylar said. TL let out a roar before being lifted up and being bounced around the arena like a pinball.
"OW! SYLAR!" TL shouted as the aura and electricity vanished and his red eyes changed back to blue, "OW! STOP IT! OW! I'M BACK-OW!-TO-OW!-NORMAL!"
"You're doin' that just fer kicks, aren't ya?" Rattrap asked.
"Yes." Sylar replied.
"Sy, you're sadistic, y'know?" Xem asked.
Ratchet groaned as he staggered up, "What happened?"
"Too much." Xem replied.
Sylar then made a small flick with his fingers. TL screamed as he spun through the air and landed in a heap.
"WHY ME?" TL shouted.
Announcer: AND, IN A STUNNING VICTORY, OUR CHAMPIONS HAVE CLEARED THE DEATH COURSE! HERE IS THE PRIZE OF THE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE!
A small device was lowered into the arena. TL stood up and grabbed it. He held it over his head.
"WINNERS!" he shouted before doing some sort of dance.
"He's not a show-boater at all, is he?" Hanabi asked with a kind of playful sarcasm.
TL then jumped over to Ratchet and Clank, startling the Lombax and robot.
"Hey, how would you two like to come with us?" TL asked, "We could use a sharp-shooter like you."
"One second, please." Ratchet said as he walked a few yards away before talking to Clank in a low voice. The two then waltzed over.
"We would be honored to travel with you." Clank said, "Ratchet is also a handy mechanic."
"We could use that on the Junkpot." Xem grinned.
"Y'know, the name 'Junkpot' doesn't give me high hopes for your ship." Ratchet said.
"WOULD PEOPLE JUST STOP MOCKING THE NAME?" TL shouted.
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
"What could this ship be?" asked a large, green crocodile with a pair of headphones.
"I dunno. I've never seen anything like it before." Replied a lithe, purple chameleon.
"I BET IT LOOKS COOL ON THIS INSIDE!" a bee with a pilot helmet said, excitedly. He then flew inside the cargo hold.
"CHARMY! GET BACK HERE!" the green crocodile shouted.
The crocodile and chameleon ran inside after the bee and tackled it. The chameleon and bee both ended up crushed under the crocodile.
"Vector…get off…can't breathe…" the chameleon moaned.
"Oh, sorry Espio." The crocodile apologized as he stood up.
"Who're you three?" Rukia asked as she stood up from behind a large crate.
"IT WAS HIM!" the crocodile and chameleon shouted, pointing at the bee.