5:46 P.M. – Somewhere in Another Dimension
Making sure she had a firm grip on the Negotiator, Ashley stepped out of the Quantum Rift into a strange world full of ancient temples and ruins.
She wasn't interested in any of those buried mysteries, however, given that what she was looking for...
...was currently under attack by a myriad number of robotic soldiers.
"Un-frickin'-believable," Ashley groaned. "I just can't go anywhere without running into numbnuts like these."
As she approached the pathway into the abandoned village, though, Ashley did notice that these robot soldiers didn't look like the ones constantly wielded by Emperor Terrence.
Maybe they were just native to this dimension?
Regardless, Ashley knew she had to jump in, as the Transdimensional Archives that she'd found her way to was her only chance of learning how to rebuild the Dimensionator.
Or if it was even possible to begin with.
She'd only heard stories about the inventors of the Dimensionator, and how they were incredibly brilliant inventors.
But she'd ponder that later, when the Archives weren't in danger of being obliterated.
Ashley raised the Negotiator and fired a rocket off from it, the rocket soaring through the air and blowing up one of the robots instantly. This turned the remaining robots' attention onto her.
"Yeah, that's right, you bastards! If you want to take the Archives, you'll have to take them over my cold, dead freakin' hands!" Ashley screamed as she charged into the fray.
(The pages constantly turn, no matter how long the reader takes. When one story ends, another story will inevitably start. In the end, there is only a new beginning.)
Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger are proud to present:
Totally Spies: The New Adventures
Episode 80: Lightning Round
Story Rated: T for Teen
Story Created: May 1st, 2023
Story Summary: The one-hundred and eleventh co-op project between Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger, and episode eighty of our mission-based series Totally Spies: The New Adventures. Everyone's 'favorite' slow-but-not-actually-slow baddie Willard has reared his ugly mug once again, and he's yet again out to prove that speed is not needed in the world. To that end, he captures a good chunk of Malibu University's track team, but he unknowingly made it personal when those hostages includes Bridget's own friends in the track team. It's gonna be a literal race to take down Willard, but when some of the spies start getting captured, Bridget will have to give the performance of her lifetime if she wants to save them. Will Bridget's lightning speed be enough this time around?
Author's Notes from Mat49324: Well, let's start #111 together. We hope you enjoyed our last project, Sink or Swim, and you'll enjoy Lightning Round as well. Now, we're heading into a project with a one-time villain from the TV series – Willard – and heading into a project that'll highlight Bridget as a track star. When you add in the fact that she, May, and Haruka made the water polo team at Mali-U, Bridget certainly has her hands full at times, doesn't she? Anyway, I have nothing more to say, so here's The Blue Time Ranger for anything he'd like to say.
Author's Notes from The Blue Time Ranger: I feel like we've kinda given Willard the short end of the stick so far in The New Adventures. He's only really made cameo roles in Track Thunder and A.W.O.C. (Absent Without Clover), a mere distraction in Come Undone, and just an alternate version in A Crack in Time. So, I figured it was time to elevate Willard to main villain status, and who better to pair him off against than the spies' own speedy superstar Bridget? Get your running shoes ready, because it's time to ROLL IT!
And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters or locations created by us truly for the story. Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we did own Totally Spies, which we don't, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?
Act 1: Bottled Lightning
6:45 A.M. – The Spies' Beach House
Nick's eyes fluttered open slowly as he readjusted to the world of the awake people, wondering what the heck had woke him up this early.
He was never this much of an early bird in the summertime, often preferring to sleep in as late as he wanted unless the rest of the spies had some kind of early activity planned.
And they didn't today, so...
After adjusting himself, Nick looked out the window of the room he shared with Alex and saw Bridget down there, running laps around the house.
Immediately, the gears started turning when he remembered that Bridget's track team had a scrimmage coming up soon, to get ready for the big track meet at the start of Mali-U's next school year.
And considering how many people on that track team were convinced that Bridget was their star player (even though the team had won their fair share of meets without having to rely on her), Bridget had most likely been practicing so she'd be ready for anything that might happen.
Deciding to go see how she was doing, Nick made his way downstairs and outside just as Bridget came skidding to a stop right in front of the entrance to the house.
"Okay, that was pretty good," Bridget stated, checking the time she'd recorded on that run. "Looks like I shaved off another half-second on that run."
"You're really getting into it, I take it?" Nick quipped.
"Kinda have to," Bridget answered. "Gotta keep up the exercises, because the last thing you want before an important track meet is to feel like you're getting stale."
"I know how that feels," Nick responded. "Why do you think I like experimenting with new ways to use my psychic powers?"
"No kidding," Bridget noted. "Hey, you can go back to bed if you want, I'm sorry if I woke you up."
"Nah, it's fine," Nick quipped. "You know how I deal, I probably wouldn't be able to go right back to sleep anyways. Besides, it's really nice out today."
"Why do you think I picked today to practice and not later in the week when they said it's supposed to rain?" Bridget chuckled.
"Okay, point," Nick stated.
"Hey, did you wanna run with me on this next one?" Bridget asked.
"...yeah, I think I'll take you up on that one," Nick answered.
Before they could get started, however, they both heard a beep, and one of the cement blocks that made up the nearby sidewalk opened up to allow a large metal pipe to extend outwards from it towards them.
"Welp, so much for that," Bridget sighed as Nick projected a psychic barrier in front of them until the pipe's suction stopped.
"We've got time," Nick quipped. "The scrimmage isn't for another week, and the actual big event isn't 'til late September, so we've got plenty of time."
Nick and Bridget nodded to each other before jumping into the pipe, sliding down it until they reached Jerry's office, where the rest of the spies were already waiting.
"At least I got my required beauty sleep..." Clover sighed as she picked herself up.
"Sorry to yank you all out of bed so early, but we do have a problem on our hands," RiCO proclaimed after materializing in the office. "A bunch of people from Malibu University's track team have gone missing recently, and we have reason to believe that mister slow here is the one behind it."
RiCO waved her hands to change the office viewscreen to a mugshot of Willard before showing some pictures of some of the kidnapped students.
Bridget tensed up when she noticed one of those pictures was of Zoey, Corina, Kikki, and Renee, her old high school friends. They had all stayed with Bridget in joining Mali-U's track team after graduating high school.
"Uh-oh, I think Bridget's mad," Nozomi quipped.
"Where was Willard last seen, RiCO?" Bridget asked. "His keester has an appointment with my foot."
"I caught him recently skulking around Mali-U, most likely still looking for more students to abduct," RiCO answered.
"All right, then let's head there and stomp some faces," Nick proclaimed.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Mat replied.
"Never thought we'd be heading back to Mali-U this early," Clover commented.
"Well, it's just the way it goes sometimes, Clover," Sam quipped.
"No doubt it is," Bridget stated.
With that, after everyone got their gadgets courtesy of Jerry and RiCO, they were all headed to Mali-U.
9:08 A.M. – Malibu University
Sports Complex
"Well, here we are," Alex remarked.
"Hopefully we beat Willard to any punch at all," Mat stated to the group.
"Hope so, too," Nick remarked.
"I'm just hoping Zoey and the others are okay," Bridget told the others.
"It's one thing to slow down as you age, but Willard honestly takes it way too far," Britney quipped.
"Not gonna argue there," Alex commented.
"Looks like everything's all hunky-dory for now," May stated when they got to the track area.
"Lucky us," Melissa quipped.
The spies all investigated the track area, and it seemed like they would come up bust until Sam spotted a runner's bib with the number on it.
"Bridget, any idea whose number this is?" Sam wondered as she showed it to Bridget.
"That... that's Corina's number," Bridget gasped.
"I'm picking up some action around the entire campus, too," Nick added, using his psychic radar.
"Any idea where?" Dawn asked Nick.
"Near West Coast Hall," Nick replied.
"Why would Willard be there?" Haruka wondered.
"Beats me," Bridget replied. "But one thing's for sure: Kikki and Renee and Zoey aren't in West Coast Hall."
9:14 A.M. – Malibu University
West Coast Hall
"He better not have trespassed into our dorm yet," Clover growled.
Fortunately, W.O.O.H.P. had transferred the spies' belongings to their beach house for the summer.
When the spies checked out West Coast Hall, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Was it a false alarm, Nick?" Blaine asked.
"No, my psychic radar has not let me down once," Nick answered. "I KNOW I picked up something here."
The spies still moved forward with what Nick may have picked up.
"Oh, I'm picking something else up near one of the libraries, too," Mat replied as he checked his DS.
"Then is what Nick picked up a diversion or something?" Clover wondered.
"Oh, great... now I can't track it anymore!" Nick chastised.
"You think he's trying something to hide himself from Nick?" Bridget wondered. "Given what Willard's built before, I wouldn't be surprised if our rogues' gallery is trying new things."
"Hmmm... now I'm picking something up again," Nick quipped. "I don't know exactly why, but it feels like whatever I just sensed is flickering in and out, like interference on a radio."
"Does that mean we're getting close to something?" Haruka wondered.
"Here's hoping," May replied. "And here's hoping it's a baddie that I can smack around with my anchor."
"Actually, I'd prefer to get first shot on this guy," Bridget proclaimed. "Willard's always proclaimed himself as my 'nemesis', even if I never really paid him any heed. But now, he made it personal by messing with my friends."
"Let's catch him first, then you can wail on him all you want," Nick responded as he continued to follow the thoughts he'd picked up on.
Eventually, they made it to the opposite end of West Coast Hall and saw someone tied up in one of the lounge chairs in the room here, a lady about Bridget's age with navy-blue hair and brown eyes.
"Is that...?" Sam wondered.
"Corina, hold on!" Bridget exclaimed as she dashed forward to free Corina from her bindings.
"Man, am I glad to see you, Bridget," Corina proclaimed once she could move freely again. "It's been kinda weird here, what with that weirdo back on the warpath again."
"Wait, you've dealt with Willard before, Corina?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, he went after my track buddies a couple years ago, right before I met all of you," Bridget explained. "Jerry says I still hold the record for fastest mission completion thanks to that. Literally stomped him less than ten minutes after I got the mission briefing."
"I still remember Kikki jumping on Willard's back like a monkey," Corina giggled. "That will never not make me laugh."
"Speaking of Kikki, did you see the others anywhere around here?" Bridget wondered.
"Sadly, I only saw them before we all got kidnapped by Willard," Corina admitted. "They could be anywhere on campus right now."
"Well, then let's keep on moving before Willard decides to surprise us," Alex quipped.
No sooner had Alex said that than something sped by them.
"...advice for heroes number two, Alex," Alex sighed.
As Willard made his play to jump towards Alex and grab her, Nick surrounded his fiancée with a psychic bubble that Willard simply bounced right off of.
"Nice try, buddy," Nick taunted. "Get a new shtick for once in your life."
"Ah, good, you're all here," Willard laughed. "It's been far too long since I've had to deal with all of you, and I'm looking forward to some good old-fashioned revengeance."
"Keep dreaming, you nut," Bridget taunted.
"Ah, yes, it's the track star," Willard retorted. "I've been waiting to take you down for all the times you've mocked and belittled me."
"Hey, don't knock it if you can't be as fast as an actual track star, buddy," Bridget quipped. "And given that you took my friends in the track team for your little scheme, that means I'm gonna have to pound your face into the cheap plastic linoleum."
"So sorry, but we won't be doing that today," Willard laughed as he beat a hasty retreat down the corridor. Naturally, the spies (and Corina as well) gave chase until they caught up to Willard on the track field.
"Ah, how appropriate," Nozomi taunted.
"Let's see if you've learned any new tricks recently besides just running faster," Willard proclaimed as he prepared himself for a fight.
Bridget simply reached for her brooch, smiling tauntingly the whole way.
"Oh, you'd be surprised what happened since the last time," Bridget quipped. "Sonic Mode, online!"
Bridget's brooch fastened itself to her chest before unleashing an outward spread of electricity that lanced all over body, swiftly forming into her Sonic Mode suit.
Of course, having never seen this before, Corina was quite surprised to see Bridget's transformation.
"Big whoop, so you have a different suit now," Willard laughed.
"Looks can be deceiving, you know," Bridget retorted. "Now make sure you keep your eye on the birdie. Otherwise... you might miss it."
Willard hadn't even taken a step forward before Bridget took off at lightning speed, striking at Willard as she passed by him before swiftly turning around and doing it again and again, emerald-green electricity trailing behind her as she ran.
After a bit of this, Bridget eventually swung her fist out to punch Willard in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards.
However, Willard recovered quickly and aimed his molecular slowdown ray gun towards Corina. "One more step and I will shoot her with this," Willard threatened.
Bridget simply grinned cheekily, her Sonic Mode suit glowing brightly. "Didn't I say to keep your eye on the birdie?" Bridget retorted before lunging forward faster than Willard could react and snapping her fingers in front of him, expelling all of her gathered kinetic energy in the form of a large shockwave that blew Willard backwards and destroyed his ray gun.
"O-Okay, you definitely couldn't do that before!" Willard shouted. "...you know what, screw this, I'll deal with you later!"
And with that, Willard retreated.
"Yeah, you do that," Melissa quipped.
"HOLY CRAPBASKETS, THAT WAS AWESOME!" Corina shouted, excitedly jumping around Bridget, no doubt in awe of Sonic Mode. "Was that all you?"
"Yup," Bridget laughed. "You just watched Sonic Mode in action. It's a thing I like to use on missions when a baddie needs to eat some speed. It used to just multiply my speed by a lot, but I got it upgraded recently so that I could gather kinetic energy while running and use it in a variety of different ways. Willard hasn't seen Sonic Mode 2.0 in action, so I figured, why the heck not?"
"Man, you must have some fun taking these weirdoes down, huh?" Corina quipped.
"Depends on what you consider 'fun'," Sam replied. "Some of our baddies are incredibly annoying and stubborn."
"You could say that about most of our rogues' gallery, really," May chuckled.
"All right-y, then, now that that demonstration's over, let's keep searching this place," Bridget proclaimed. "I'm not leaving the others in the lurch."
"Well said, Bridget," Nick responded. "Let's move, everyone!"
"No doubt we will!" Haruka exclaimed.
"By the way, how do your track friends know about your spy identity, Bridget?" Sam wondered, realizing that only few people knew about them.
"Well, long story short, me and my other besties in the track team got caught up in one of Bridget's capers a while back," Corina explained. "Remember that creep, Bridget?"
"How the heck could I forget that chuckleduck?" Bridget chuckled. "I don't think I've ever seen you actually hit someone before that."
"Hey, he hurt Renee, so he deserved it," Corina quipped.
"Don't worry," Bridget concluded to the spies. "I made it clear that this was not to be shared with anybody."
"To say we swore to secrecy was an understatement," Corina replied. "All four of us, that is me, Zoey, Kikki and Renee, know about Bridget being a spy, but the rest of the track team doesn't... and we're all behind Bridget on the water polo team, too."
"Jerry, we could use a pickup for Bridget's track friend," Sam stated, getting out her X-Powder to contact Jerry.
"Consider it done," Jerry replied from Sam's X-Powder. "I have your coordinates!"
"You'll be safe, Corina," Bridget told Corina.
"Yes, we'll get Kikki and Zoey back faster than you can say '110 meter hurdles'," Mat stated.
"Hey, I'm impressed," Corina giggled at Mat.
"I may not follow track and field, but I just know stuff," Mat quipped.
Before long, Jerry and the W.O.O.H.P. chopper showed up to get Corina to safety.
"At least she's safe," Bridget quipped once Corina had disappeared to the chopper.
"Indeed she is," Jerry replied from Sam's X-Powder.
"Any idea where Willard got to?" Britney wondered.
"Let's see..." Jerry stated as he checked the coordinates of the vicinity.
"What're the odds he's still around here?" Clover asked.
"Well, you never know..." Nick told Clover while they waited.
Nick even used his psychic radar to try to aid in the search, but his psychic radar picked up something else more urgent that Bridget was not going to like to hear.
"I've figured out where Willard is," Jerry proclaimed. "Thankfully he didn't get far, as he's still hanging around Mali-U, specifically in the sports complex."
"I've also got something on my radar," Nick told everyone. "Kikki's somewhere in the pool at the Aquatics Complex!"
"Uh-oh," Alex replied.
"I guess we're going to have to split up then," Sam stated.
Sam, Mat, Bridget, Nick, Haruka, Alex, and Melissa stayed behind to save Kikki while the rest of the spies went after Willard.
Spy Team A dashed back to the aquatics complex to hurry; Bridget did not want to see Kikki gone that way!
"Do you see Kikki anywhere?" Bridget asked once they got to the pool area.
To make matters worse, there wasn't a lifeguard on duty.
"I see her!" Haruka exclaimed as they pointed to the 4th lane of the pool.
"I'll get Kikki," Alex proclaimed as she dove in.
"No way I'm staying behind here," Bridget added as she went in after Alex to save Kikki.
Fortunately, Kikki was still hanging on, but just barely, as she'd been chained to the pool grate by her wrist. Thinking fast, Bridget went up to the surface and motioned to some of the spy team A to help.
"We found her!" Bridget exclaimed. "She's tied to the pool grate, but we don't know how long she's been down there!"
Mat and Haruka were quick to dive in and help, Haruka in particular bringing out a Platinum Credit Card and using its edges to slice the chains apart so Mat could bring Kikki to the surface and out of the water.
"Holy crapbaskets, Kikki, are you all right?" Bridget asked once she was sure Kikki was safe and sound. Kikki was about a year younger than Bridget, with short blonde hair and light brown eyes.
"Yeah, just a little waterlogged, but nothing I'm not used to," Kikki answered. "I'll be okay."
"Let me guess, Willard put you down there?" Alex wondered.
"Wait, Willard? Was that the slow-mo guy we all dogpiled on a few years ago?" Kikki asked. "Because if that's the same guy, then he's got an urgent appointment with my fists."
"I'm sure Corina would have said the same thing," Bridget chuckled. "And don't worry, Corina's safe at W.O.O.H.P. right now."
"And on that note, we'd better find Renee, too, before Corina has a fit," Kikki giggled.
Suddenly, footsteps of many different kinds alerted the spies to something approaching fast.
Suddenly, Willard himself burst through the door to the pool area with the remaining six spies in hot pursuit.
"Get back here, you nut!" May shouted. "Don't make me use my anchor on your face!"
Willard simply scoffed and ran around the pool to avoid that set of spies, only for Kikki to jump forward and lash out with a spinning kick to the chest that sent Willard flying into the pool.
"Now you can get waterlogged and see how it feels, jerk-face!" Kikki shouted.
"H-How did you..." Willard sputtered after resurfacing. "...oh, I should have figured."
"Yeah, those are my friends you nabbed for your sick little plot, buddy," Bridget taunted. "So don't think I'm not gonna take it personally."
"So, are you finally accepting me as your one true nemesis?" Willard laughed, only to get sent flying back when Bridget lunged forward and socked him straight in the chest.
"Get real, you weirdo," Bridget taunted. "Sonic Mode, online!"
Before Willard could recover, Bridget was already on the offensive, dashing around Willard and striking him with multiple speedy hits before finishing with a flying kick that sent Willard right back into the pool.
"Th-this isn't over, you know!" Willard shouted as he decided to retreat for the moment.
"Well, nice to see he hasn't changed all that much," Kikki quipped.
"Our baddies rarely, if ever, do," Clover admitted. "The only thing about them that usually changes is the details of whatever whacked-up scheme they cooked up to deal with us."
"How do all of you deal with stuff like this on what seems like a daily basis?" Kikki wondered.
"Really, it just comes down to experience," Nick admitted. "We've been doing this for so long that we're just used to it by this point."
"Speaking of which," Bridget noted.
"Already on it, Bridget," RiCO answered from Bridget's X-Powder. "The chopper just dropped Corina off at W.O.O.H.P., and it's on its way back so Kikki can take refuge with us, too."
"Trust me, Kikki, W.O.O.H.P. is probably the safest place you can be right now while we clean up this problem," Bridget stated. "And Corina's already there, so..."
"Say no more, Bridget," Kikki replied. "Just do me a favor and sock Willard one for me, 'kay?"
"Oh, I think we're gonna sock him more than that," Dawn chuckled as Kikki turned around to head out of Mali-U and into the waiting chopper.
"That just leaves Zoey and Renee," Bridget noted.
"Did you find any other track team people?" Haruka asked.
"Yeah, we actually freed a whole bunch of them from one of the West Coast Hall broom closets, long story, and then Willard tried to ambush us, which is why we were chasing him down," Blaine explained.
"Man, what exactly is Willard's game this time?" Clover wondered. "It can't just be his hatred of anything fast, can it?"
"I guess we'll have to find out for ourselves, eh?" Nick quipped. "Let's stay on the move, shall we?"
The thirteen spies all exited the aquatics complex to continue their search for the rest of the track team.
Nick activated his psychic radar to scan the area for any signs of trouble, only to hear something rather suspicious-sounding.
"Did you find anything, Nick?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, I'm picking up something in the library," Nick answered. "Let's get going!"
Thankfully, it didn't take the spies too long to reach the library, only for them to find that the door was locked.
"Why am I not surprised?" Melissa sighed.
"I don't think they'll mind this one time," Nick quipped as he stepped forward to kick the doors open, revealing exactly what he'd suspected.
That would be three of Willard's henchmen harassing a woman about Bridget's age with long, dark purple hair and indigo blue eyes, though she was actually fighting back.
"Step off, mook boys," Nick taunted, catching the mooks' attention so he could send them floating with a Zero Gravity. Bridget was over there just as quickly to jump-kick the floating mooks out of the library.
"You doing okay, Renee?" Bridget asked.
"About as well as I could be, really," Renee admitted. "The last thing I remember was texting Zoey so we could all meet up on the track field, and next thing I know, Willard is there, snatching us all up and locking us up in different places."
"Yeah, he chained Kikki up in the pool at the aquatics complex," Bridget stated.
"Please tell me Kikki got to hit him for that," Renee quipped.
"Yup, kicked him right into the same pool," Bridget chuckled.
"Good," Renee responded.
"HEY, WATCH THE HAIR!"
"Oh, dear, I think that was Zoey," Renee sighed. "We'd better go find her before she actually hurts the guy."
Bridget nodded, taking point so the spies could find and rescue Zoey.
"If there's one thing I've learned about Zoey, she thinks she can look out for herself at times," Bridget told the others.
"Giant ego or something?" Mat wondered.
"Best I can think of is that it's just the way she was raised," Bridget answered. "She's had to take care of her younger brother and sister since they were little due to personal family reasons, so that's probably what instilled that mindset into her."
"Something tells me your track friends will be in for time at our beach house at the end of this," May commented.
"Count on that," Bridget replied. "Zoey loves swimming pools... and so does Renee."
"That reminds me... Round 2 from Hangtown is also this coming weekend," Mat added.
"Well, maybe we'll make a weekend out of it then," Nick stated.
"That'd be cool," Melissa quipped. "Makes me wish we kept our pizza debate on the backburner until now."
"Anyway, we better find Zoey right now," Bridget replied.
The spies high-tailed it to wherever they heard Zoey.
"I sure hope we aren't too late to save Zoey!" Sam exclaimed.
"Let's get to one of the libraries quickly!" Mat remarked.
"Actually, I'm picking up some activity back at the track area," Nick told them.
Sam was quick to call on Jerry to pick up Renee and leave her at W.O.O.H.P. where Kikki and Corina were.
"At least only select people know we're spies," Alex commented.
"What about at one of the libraries, Nick?" Dawn wondered.
"I don't know," Nick answered. "I'm not picking up something there anymore..."
10:00 A.M. – Malibu University
Track Field
"GET BACK HERE!" Willard shouted at Zoey.
"No chance, Mr. Turtle Speeder!" Zoey taunted.
The spies managed to make it to the track area to see Zoey being able to look out for herself.
"Wow, I'm surprised," Nozomi commented.
"One of Zoey's better qualities, honestly," Bridget chuckled.
"She wouldn't make for a bad spy after all," Clover quipped. "Even though our spy team is at thirteen."
"No, she wouldn't," Nick remarked.
Before long, Willard had finally cornered Zoey, but Sam, Clover, and Alex immediately rushed to thwart Willard's plan.
"Not so fast, Willard!" Clover shouted.
"Can't you weirdos just leave me alone for once in your lives?!" Willard shouted as he ducked away from Clover's kick, only for Zoey to jump in and kick him towards Clover anyways.
"Well, then maybe don't start kidnapping people for your sick plans and then maybe we'll let you off with just a few face punches!" Zoey shouted.
Willard backflipped over Clover, only to find himself pincered by both Nick and Haruka.
"You know what comes next, Nick, right?" Haruka quipped.
"Oh, hell to the yes," Nick responded.
Both Nick and Haruka charged to hit Willard from both sides with the same strike, followed by three rapid-fire punches and then an upward leg strike to send Willard flying into the air. Nick and Haruka then leaped after Willard and kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing back down to the ground.
Bridget quickly transformed into Sonic Mode before dashing towards Nick.
"Hey, Nick, wanna keep the combo going?" Bridget asked.
"Dang right I do," Nick responded as he extended his hand so that Bridget could take it, the two of them dashing towards Willard. "Let's give mister slow-motion a taste of the Purple Comet Attack!"
Willard attempted to dodge, only for Zoey to literally shove him into the line of fire. This gave Nick and Bridget the chance to bum-rush Willard, using their boosted speed to send Willard into the air with their joined arms, causing him to fly into the air flipping.
Nick and Bridget let go of each other so they could go on the offensive, Nick landing a lifting flying kick to send Willard higher into the air, while Bridget leapfrogged off of Nick's shoulders and snap-kicked Willard back down to the ground.
Before Willard could even bounce, Nick and Bridget were on him again, lashing out to hit him with multiple super-fast strikes before sending Willard back into the air with dual flying kicks.
"Ready, Nick?" Bridget exclaimed.
"Let's stomp 'em!" Nick shouted.
With that, Nick and Bridget charged, attacking Willard nonstop from multiple angles, making it look like Willard was being pinballed around in the air.
For the finale, Nick and Bridget both attacked Willard in perfect sync, resembling a much faster version of Nick and Haruka's Accel Dance maneuver, before charging through Willard and sending him careening into the ground.
"Now are you gonna take the hint before I have to break out the anchor again?" May taunted, spinning her anchor in her hands to prove her point.
"You're just lucky that I have other things to attend to right now, you know," Willard responded before beating a hasty retreat out of Mali-U.
"Why do they always say that?" Zoey wondered once everyone had regrouped. Zoey was about Bridget's age with dark red eyes and red hair tied up into pigtails by red ribbons. "It's like he's just making an excuse to retreat because he knows you're all kicking his booty in."
"That's probably all it really is," Nozomi quipped. "That, or it's an extremely overused version of rules for villains number seven."
"Okay, so, to get things back on track, so to say..." Zoey stated before turning her gaze on Bridget. "That was so freakin' cool what you two just did to him!"
"Yeah, Nick and I are pretty proud of the Purple Comet Attack," Bridget chuckled.
"Man, I was really hoping to not have to see Willard again," Zoey quipped. "He's already annoying enough when we've still gotta practice for the scrimmage. I don't wanna be out of my element when it's time for the big track meet in September!"
"Zoey, I think you'll be fine," Bridget chuckled. "How long have we been practicing for this?"
"I guess you're right," Zoey admitted before she realized something. "Oh, crapbaskets, where are the others?!"
"If you're talking about Corina, Renee and Kikki, they're safe at W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters," Bridget answered, flipping her X-Powder open. "And that's where we're gonna have you go, too, until we get this business with Willard settled. It's the safest place for you to be."
"I've got just one favor to ask, 'kay, Bridget?" Zoey asked. "Make sure you whip this guy into shape for daring to cross our track and field superstar."
"That's basically the game plan," Bridget chuckled. "RiCO? Sorry for the rapid-fire pickup requests, but..."
"Don't worry, Bridget, the chopper's already on its way back," RiCO responded from Bridget's X-Powder. "And on that note, I've tracked Willard down as well. His signal stopped somewhere just outside Beverly Hills."
"Which can only mean he's retreated to his secret lair," Sam quipped. "I guess it's time to head out."
As Zoey raced outside to catch the chopper that had come to pick her up and take her back to W.O.O.H.P., the thirteen spies all left Mali-U, following the signal that RiCO was tracing so they could find Willard and put an end to his schemes.
To be continued...
Next time...
Sam: This place is... about what I expected.
Melissa: Why does it look like a big track field? I thought Willard hated speed.
Bridget: He's trying to mock me, that's what.
Mat: Regardless, I'd stay on guard if I were you, everyone. I have no clue what exactly Willard's up to here.
Alex: Hey, I think I found him!
Nick: All right, Willard, you wanna give it up, for your own sake if nothing else?
Willard: Oh, I don't think so. Why don't you slow down for once in your lives?
Haruka: Hit the deck!
Bridget: Well, readers, things are about to get more and more speedy, so make sure you move with all the haste so you don't miss the next act of Totally Spies: Lightning Round, "Against the Clock"!
May: Why does that chapter title sound extremely ominous? I'm not the only one who thinks that, right? *eyes scriptwriter*