THE pod crashed in a dark alley. Stepping out, Garfield took a glance at the scenery.

"What a dump." The cat remarked.

"Is every place a dump to you?" Wolverine commented, glancing at him. The cat shrugged.

"That's really not our problem right now. Our problem is that we're on the run from a galactic tyrant and we're flat out broke. We need money- fast."

Garfield pointed to a wall in the alley and said, "Well how about that?"

Looking at the wall, Wolverine found a flyer. Ripping it off, he read it out loud. It said:

TODAY

COME DOWN AND SEE IF YOU CAN GO

TOE-TO-TOE IN THE RING AGAINST ONE

OF OUR ATHLETIC SUPERSTARS

WINNERS GET $300!

"Fights, huh?" Wolverine said, "The more we win the more money we make. Not a bad idea."

"If I'm correct, you regenerate right?"

"…It takes some time depending what the wound is from."

"Punches and kicks?"

"Probably a few seconds, tops."

"Then we can win this, right?"

"Depends on who we're up against."

"Doesn't hurt to try."

"Then let's go."

Garfield slumped down on the ground. Looking up at the warrior, he said, "Carry me."

Groaning, Wolverine picked up the fat orange cat and began the walk to the arena. After several minutes of walking Wolverine finally made it to the arena where the fights were being held. The building was a small wooden temple, probably with seventy-five to maybe a hundred people inside. Walking in, Wolverine got down to business.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU IS THE MANAGER?" he yelled, looking around. A short, thin man in an expensive business suit came up to him.

"That'd be me." He said, pulling out a business card, "I'm Jonas B. Wagner, booker extraordinaire. Now, what can I do for ya?"

"I want in." the mutant replied. Looking him over Jonas deemed him able to fight. Then he looked at Garfield, who was still sleeping in Wolverine's outstretched arms.

"And him?" he asked, pointing to the cat.

"That's my manager." Wolverine calmly replied in his gruff voice.

"Alright, just fill out this application and you can be fighting tonight."

"Fine."

Garfield woke up in a plastic chair. Looking around, he noted that Wolverine was nowhere to be seen. Then the door opened fast, and both Wolverine and a short man walked out. They shook hands and the short man shut the door.

"We're in." Wolverine said.

"Fine." Garfield said.

"Listen, cat: I need you stay up throughout all my fights. You need to be in my corner if we're gonna make it through this."

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright. Fights begin in ten minutes."

"Good."

In the locker room the duo were stared at from all around. Sitting down on a bench, the two had begun to plan a strategy when one of the guys near them spoke up.

"Hey! Pointy mask!" the man called. Wolverine and Garfield turned to see a very tall man. He was African-American, and he wore a basketball outfit. He extended his arm.

"Name's Shaq." He introduced himself, "Shaquille O'Neal."

"Uh…" Wolverine stuttered, reaching his arm out to meet Shaq's, "Logan."

Shaq looked at Garfield. "Who's your friend?"

"Him? He's my manager. His name's Garfield- Garfield Arbuckle."

"Hey!" Garfield intervened, "I never said that was my last name!"

"Well, you're Jon's cat aren't ya?" Shaq asked.

"Y-yeah. I am his cat."

"So, Arbuckle's your last name, since Jon adopted you."

Garfield gave the basketball player a snarl and asked, "How do you know this?"

"Garfield, where I'm from you're a cartoon character. Same goes for Logan over here. He's part of the X-Men."

"Well then." Logan replied, "You were displaced too?"

"Yeah, it was pretty weird. Big flash overtook us and then all of a sudden- POOF! Here I am."

Finishing his sentence, Shaq turned to his locker and took something out of it. Turning back around, he handed Wolverine a big bottle. On it were the words 'Gold Bond'.

"What's this?" Logan grunted.

"It's lotion. Put it on. You're gonna need it."

As the mutant anti-hero applied the cream to his forearms Jonas B. Wagner entered the room. Looking around, he rang a brass bell on the wall. The loud clangs drew everyone's attention to him.

"Alright." Wagner began, "Tonight we begin another show of bravery and action. First two up are… Wolverine and Aang!"

As Wolverine walked out of the locker room he saw his opponent. He was short, probably no younger than 13 or 14, but he had blue arrow tattoos all over him from head to toe. The boy looked confident, but Wolverine was more focused on the fact that he needed to beat this guy to a pulp in order to make some dough. Walking into the room of wood and bamboo the two got on opposite sides of each other. Wagner rang his bell again, commencing the fight.

Wolverine walked up to the kid, but before he could do anything he took a punch to the jaw. Quickly, however, Wolverine overtook the airbender. Soon Aang had finally begun dodging with his magnificent airbending skills, dodging the adamantium claws. Wolverine could feel his healing factor kick in, but then the young boy flung him across the room. After they had each thrown countless blows at each other the bald yet mighty boy fell down, unable to continue against the mutant vigilante. The bell rang, and Wolverine was declared the winner by total knockout.

Wagner walked forward, microphone in one hand, and a piece of paper in the other.

"Wolverine's next opponent is… Perry the Platypus!"

Swiftly a small teal-colored platypus jumped in the fight zone, with the faint sound of backup singers chanting "Perry!" in unison. No one ever questioned where it came from.

Wolverine scanned his new opponent. He thought it was somewhat ridiculous seeing a platypus in a fedora, especially on its hind legs. Wolverine didn't think about this too long, however, because Perry delivered a kick straight to the mutant's scarred face. It stung because of the barbs naturally found in the platypus's anatomy. Wolverine, however, had dealt with poison before, so this was nothing new. Wolverine returned with a tackle, slamming them into the wall. Perry managed to squirm out of a headlock right before the claws sliced him; he had dealt with the fighting styles of Dr. Doofenshmirtz before, and he had even teamed up with the Avengers and Spider-Man once, but Wolverine was a different type of fight. It wasn't whether he won; it was whether he could last long enough to win. And soon, with enough determination, Perry began to outpower the mutant vigilante. Cornered, Logan was lost on what he should do.

Use the Gold Bond, Shaq's voice somehow resonated in his head. Taking the bottle out of his pocket, Wolverine opened it and splashed the lotion in Perry's eyes. With his opponent blinded, Wolverine took advantage and knocked him down. The bell rang.

"The winner is Wolverine!" Wagner announced. Soon after the crowds began to head home (wherever that may be) and Wolverine walked back into the locker room, where he was immediately greeted by Garfield.

"I saw the whole thing!" he said, "That was crazy!"

"Yeah," Logan grunted, "never underestimating semi-aquatic mammals again."

Noticing Shaq in a corner of the room, Wolverine walked up to him.

"Thanks, Shaq. That lotion really came in handy."

"No problem, man," Shaq said, "but you look a bit beat up. Here, use this."

Shaq handed Wolverine an IcyHot pad. Putting it on his back, Logan felt immediate relief.

"So, uh, any clue where I am?" he asked.

"What?" Wolverine looked at him, a puzzled look on his face.

"All I remember is the big white flash, and then poof! I was here."

"That's the same thing that happened to us!" Garfield said, "We're trying to find our way back!"

"Oh… mind if I join you?" Shaq asked.

"You got any more of those pads and that lotion?" Logan asked.

"Enough to supply an army."

"Fine. You're in."

And so, Shaq joined our band of unlikely heroes on their quest to get to their respective places.