Rudy stammered, "H-How did you..."
Skrawl smirked at him. "Does that really matter? Are you...surprised, chalk boy?"
Although he still in a state of shock, Rudy managed to nod his head. "You never attempted to leave ChalkZone before..."
"Well perhaps now was a good time to change that, eh?" Skrawl said as he took a step towards Rudy.
The 15 year old wasn't sure what he was going to do. He did still have the magic chalk, but it was useless outside of ChalkZone. He could try pushing Skrawl, but that would bring him within close contact. In ChalkZone, he wouldn't think twice about this since he had protection. He was a creator there. Anything and everything he could need to help was at his disposal. But here...when it came to brute strength, Skrawl beat him hands down here.
If he tried to push Skrawl, that would open up a window of opportunity for the jellybean thing to grab him. Skrawl's arms might be skinny, but they were much stronger than they looked. Not to mention his fingers were quite sharp despite not looking like typical claws. Skrawl could do a number on him if allowed to get close enough.
Rudy thought back to what happened seconds ago. Though his mind didn't register it before, he realized he heard sounds as he fell through. Something with Skrawl and Snap...Oh no, Snap, what happened to him? Rudy remembered Snap's cry of pain. Had he been attacked by the beast? Skrawl's placement in front of the portal made it impossible to see if Snap was there or not.
But it was a safe assumption that he wasn't there. If Rudy knew Snap, and he did quite well, the blue superhero would have jumped through the portal to attack Skrawl. He wouldn't just abandon Rudy during a time like this. Seeing Snap wasn't coming out, not hearing his voice calling out his name, Rudy knew something was very wrong. The only thing that came to his mind is that the beast attacked Snap. He needed to see if he was okay.
He couldn't get that close to the portal without Skrawl trying to lash out at him. The jellybean didn't move too far from his spot. It was like he was confident in his abilities that he could keep Rudy out of ChalkZone. Skrawl was intelligent and could figure these things out quite fast. Unable to get to ChalkZone, Rudy had to think of another way to deal with the situation.
Rudy took a step back, looking around for some kind of weapon to use. His eyes soon spotted the eraser. He looked over at Skrawl to keep an eye on him as he reached for the eraser. He didn't have time to grab it when Skrawl suddenly seized him by the arm.
"Going somewhere?" Skrawl asked calmly as he lifted Rudy off the ground. "Where are your manners, Master Tabootie? Don't tell me you're too high and mighty to show some hospitality towards me. After all, I am visiting your world, your home!"
Rudy struggled to yank his arm free. "You don't belong here, Skrawl! Go back to ChalkZone!"
Skrawl chuckled. "Oh that is right. That's my home..." He moved his face closer. In a low voice, he continued, "..not yours..." He watched as Rudy continued to struggle in his grasp. "You are such a hypocrite, Master Tabootie. You act like I'm trespassing on your home, but you frolic all over my beautiful future kingdom like you run the joint!"
When Skrawl finally dropped Rudy, the boy backed up, his body tense as he prepared for a fight. One he knew he didn't have much of a chance of winning. But he wasn't about to back down from Skrawl.
"I don't know what your deal is, Skrawl! You know for a fact that I don't parade around trying to rule ChalkZone! It is you! You're the one who does that! And I'm sick of it!" Rudy made a sharp motion with his arm like he was cutting through something in front of him. "Don't you have anything better to do?!"
Skrawl thought about this for all of one second before replying. "Nope." He bared his pale yellow teeth in a broad grin. "You never gave me a purpose, chalk boy. So I made one for myself..." He shoved a finger against Rudy's shoulder. "And I'm not about to let you take that away from me!"
With that, he swatted Rudy to the side. The boy lifted himself up onto his knees. He shook his head and looked up at Skrawl.
"I've always bested you Skrawl..." Rudy hissed. "What makes you think this will be any different?"
"You've only ever beaten me because of luck! That, and your wretched magic chalk! Of course you can win against me if you can draw whatever you want in midair! Of course you'll always be one step ahead of me if you can instant materialize a counter attack!" Skrawl ranted, his hand clutched into a fist. "That's what made my hatred for you intensify all these years, Rudy Tabootie... It's because you've only won with a cheat code. Whereas I had to build everything myself!"
"I thought Craniac 4 was..." Rudy shut his mouth when Skrawl's eyes blazed in anger, turning into swirls.
"Craniac?! Don't you dare mention that name in my presence!" Skrawl reached his heand in the air, the fingers flexing. "He keeps ruining my beautiful plans and then he had the gall to turn against me! That ungrateful ingrate!"
Rudy winced as Skrawl's voice got louder. He was worried that someone was going to hear him. Even with the door shut, even with the walls being a little thick, Skrawl's voice was getting so loud that someone walking down the halls could hear him. Rudy had a terrible thought. What if Mr. Cosmo heard his screaming?
He decided to do something he never did before, not since the first time he encountered Skrawl. He tried to calm him down.
"Shh be quiet, Skrawl!" Rudy took a couple steps towards him, motioning downward with hs hands. "Do you want someone to hear you?"
But Skrawl was having none of it. He swatted at Rudy, who managed to get out of the way this time. "I will talk however I want to talk, chalk boy! What are you going to do about it? Draw something to hit me with? Oh wait, that's right!" He began to stalk towards Rudy. "You don't have any magic chalk...not here in the real world, do you? Yes, the magic chalk only works in ChalkZone. Here...you are powerless..."
Rudy winced, not liking the way Skrawl said 'powerless'. As Skrawl moved towards him menacingly, Rudy frantically looked around, trying to find some way to defend himself. Seeing his large text book Mr. Cosmo gave him earlier, Rudy flung it at Skrawl, hitting him in the face.
This did little to slow down Skrawl. Instead, it enraged him. He took a moment to rub the sore spot on his face where the book hit him before he screeched Rudy's name and lunged for him.
sss
Mr. Cosmo watched as he leaned back in his chair. He stared in the classroom through his one way mirror. When he had seen Skrawl fall through with Rudy, he kept calm. His eyes did widen a little, but for the most part, he was pleased. The plan was going through nicely, better than he had expected.
Of course, he was not expecting a confrontation between the two to happen like this. It was clear the jellybean thing, whom the kid called Skrawl, didn't like the boy very much. And how interesting the thing had called Rudy 'master'. Was he his creator? Skrawl seemed to confirm that when he said Rudy never gave him a purpose.
He was also intrigued with how there was talk about ruling this chalk world. So this creature wants to be the boss of all of ChalkZone? How interesting. It seemed he may have found the right creature after all. He had a feeling he would prove useful later on. He couldn't do anything now, not yet. No, he had to wait for the right time.
Mr. Cosmo didn't dwell on this too long. He needed to prepare for the next phase of the plan. This phase was almost complete. He informed Ms. Saffron of what to do. He expected her to fulfill her part, and he knew she would.
He could tell she didn't agree with what he was doing. At least, not totally. But it was clear that she was afraid of this chalk world. She didn't understand its full potential. All she could see was a dangerous world with unknown threats. And he could easily use that against her. He had easily convinced her that, by helping him, she is ensuring the safety of town. And he promised her, so long as she did what he told her to do, none of these chalk abominations could harm her.
Indeed, these chalk creatures had some advantages over flesh and bone beings. He watched as Rudy fought with Skrawl, studying their behaviors, motions, and reactions. Cosmo guessed that, being made of chalk, Skrawl was much less likely to be affected by something like a knife in the chest. With blood, mortally injuring him in the real would would be harder. He could see why Rudy was clearly at the disadvantage.
But then...a thought crossed the man's mind. If this being were made of chalk, and it was quite obvious he was, with that chalky outline and all, would that mean he was also vulnerable to things that could destroy or alter chalk? Would he display the same symptoms? Could he possibly be killed?
A wicked smile appeared on the man's face. Things just got a lot more interesting.
sss
Rudy kept trying to get to the portal. He wasn't able to get that close. Skrawl kept swatting him away, keeping him away from the portal. It was clear that he didn't want him back in ChalkZone. Rudy knew he had to find some way to get Skrawl to want to go back to ChalkZone. But how?
His mind went to the eraser, but he couldn't see it now. In the dodging, he accidentally kicked it somewhere. Until he could see it, he'd had to put up with keeping away from Skrawl and trying to go around him.
Skrawl moved faster and with more agility for someone with just three limbs, and especially of someone of his...generous weight. ChalkZone had a slightly different set of rules of gravity, resulting in Skrawl being easily picked up by him when he was 10 years old. Here in the real world, however, well that was a different story. Skrawl, like Snap when he visited the real world, was subject to the same laws of physics this world had. In other words, he didn't just look heavy; he felt heavy.
Skrawl had the advantage in this fight. He was stronger than Rudy, able to lift up the chairs with ease and toss them at him. He frequently was able to get close enough to take another swipe at Rudy in a matter of seconds, thanks to his limbs which still retained their strength.
"Why don't you fight back, Rudy Tabootie?" Skrawl taunted, lifting up another chair to toss. It was clear he didn't care about causing any noise, so long as he was able to defeat Rudy. "Oh! I know why! It's because you cannot use your precious chalk! Well too bad! You're playing with the big boys now Rudy! Let us see how you can manage to beat me without cheating!"
By this point, Rudy was desperate to stop the fight. His eyes kept warily looking towards the door, half expecting Mr. Cosmo to burst through any second and who knows what or who else. If he didn't end the fight soon...
"Please Skrawl! We have to stop this!" Rudy begged him. "If Mr. Cosmo comes in and sees you..."
"Let him see me!" Skrawl waved a dismissing hand at Rudy. "Do you think I fear any of you humans? I am not afraid of this Mr. Cosmo! He can try to capture me and put me in a giant jar for all I care! Because it will not work!" He struck out at Rudy again, barely missing him. "Hold still!"
"You don't know anything about Mr. Cosmo! Well..." Rudy paused. "..neither do I..." He glared at Skrawl. "I do know he could be a threat to both of us. You gotta listen to me for once, Skrawl! Go back to ChalkZone! There's still time left!"
Skrawl chuckled at this. Standing on one limb, he spread the others out like he wanted a hug. He flexed the fingers menacingly. A hideous grin spread across his face.
"Why should I? There's still a little time, as you said, Master Tabootie...why don't I make perfect use of that time...by getting rid of you once and more all..."
He began to walk over to Rudy. The boy started to move backwards, trying to get away from him. He soon found himself being backed into a wall.
"Now that you have no special powers...you're just like any average zoner. Here, you're just a kid. One that got in way over his head...I would be foolish not to take this opportunity. You have been a pest, a thorn in my side for far too long, chalk boy!"
Rudy pressed his back against the wall. Skrawl moved in closer, causing Rudy to feel cramped. Skrawl's form, though not as massive to him as it was when he was younger, still seemed to tower over him, casting a shadow on him. The teenager looked around. He needed something, anything, to aid him.
"I am so going to enjoy this. I dreamt of this day for years. The day that I finally won't have you butting in my business! The day I can move forward with my plans of claiming what is rightfully mine!"
Rudy spotted something on the ground that would be helpful. He kept an eye on Skrawl. In his ranting monologue, Skrawl had turned his gaze upwards and moved a limb up into the air, the fist clenched tightly. Using this window of opportunity, Rudy knelt down to grab the object.
"And to think it took five years! Hmm...well I suppose that isn't too long of a wait..." Skrawl rubbed his face thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Oh well..now..." He sneered down towards Rudy. "..where was I...?"
Rudy narrowed his eyes. "You won't be doing anything to me today, Skrawl. Either you get back into ChalkZone..." He took a step forward despite the little room. Surprisngly, Skrawl took a step back, but he still grinned at the boy. "..or I will make you.."
Skrawl laughed at this, throwing his head back and opening his mouth wide. He laughed for a few seconds, wiping his eyes. "Oh that is rich!" He pointed a finger at Rudy. "And just how do you think you will get me to do anything you say?"
"Like this!"
Rudy whipped out the eraser he picked up. He shoved it in Skrawl's direction. The jellybean's smile faltered almost instantly. He didn't look scared, but now he was tense, his odd-eyes widened. He looked more stunned than anything, as if he didn't expect Rudy to do this.
Rudy moved towards Skrawl, raising the eraser as if it were a sword. "Get back into ChalkZone."
Skrawl took a few steps back, his eyes glued on the eraser. He had never been in the real world before, but it was clear he had enough knowledge to know what an eraser was. The marks of chalk were still on it. Skrawl would know full well what this would do to him if it were to touch him. No longer did he talk; he only stared.
Rudy hated using threats. He felt that doing so made him look like a horrible person. He'd rather be persuasive in a less hostile way. But in this case, he didn't think he had much of a choice. Skrawl never listens to him, not unless it benefited him. Skrawl didn't understand the dangers of the real world. He didn't know what Mr. Cosmo could possibly do to him. This was the only way he could keep ChalkZone a secret.
It appeared the threat was working. Skrawl was making his way back towards the portal. Little by little, inch by inch, he got closer. When he was standing in front of the portal, he stared at Rudy in the eyes for a few seconds. Rudy winced at what he saw. There was anger, which didn't surprise him. But underlining that was a look that told him Skrawl still had it in for him, that if he himself stepped into ChalkZone again, he would be there, ready to...
This thoughts were interrupted when he heard a smack against the chalkboard and Skrawl falling to the ground. Rudy could have sworn he felt something too, perhaps the rush of air as Skrawl fell? He dismissed it and ran over to Skrawl.
"What happened?" Rudy asked him. "Why didn't you go through?"
Skrawl rubbed his face. "You tell me, chalk boy!"
Rudy looked over at the portal. His eyes widened slowly. No, it couldn't be, could it? When did this happen? How could they not have seen it? Not have noticed it?
The portal had been sealed...sort of. Something big and heavy now blocked their path. Rudy reached over and touched it. It felt quite solid, but, oddly, it didn't feel like most things he felt in ChalkZone. This thing had a different texture, almost as if it were...from the real world.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, and Mr. Cosmo's voice tore through the room. "Rudy? I'll be coming in shortly! I'll give you some time to finish up what you got done!"
The shout came so unexpectantly that Rudy jerked in surprise. His grip on the eraser came off. The object sailed in the air...and landed on Skrawl's foot. It rubbed up against the very edge of the jellybean's foot. Skrawl cried out in pain as part of his toe, though small and minute, was erased.
Rudy clutched his foot, body tensing up as a sudden feeling of pain swept through him. He sat down on the chair and rubbed his foot through his shoe, gritting his teeth at the pain.
"What's wrong with you?" Skrawl asked. There was only a hint of pain in his voice, managing to hide the agony of having a part of him erased.
"I..." Rudy said, pulling off his shoe slowly. "I felt that..."
Looking at his toe confirmed what Rudy suspected. The front of his toe was bloodied, red and sore at the tip. With a shaking hand, he touched the tip and immediately recoiled in pain. In response, Skrawl hissed, flinching as if Rudy kicked him on his toe.
"How...?" For one of the rare times in his life, Skrawl was speechless.
Rudy didn't have an answer.