Fifteen minutes had passed since they had escaped from the Asteroid Ring's explosion, but the heroes failed to find any sign of the Crystal Star. What made things worse for them was that they were now moving at a much slower pace.
"Oh, man... We're going way too slow." Sonic frowned.
"Well, this is nice! Now we're floating here in space for all eternity!" Tamber growled. "This is all your fault, Gumball!"
"MY fault?!" Chopper gaped. "I'd rather be here than in that explosion! We would've been...well, we wouldn't be alive, that's for sure."
"Well I don't want to spend my time floating in space for eternity..." Bombette trailed.
"I don't either..." Berry agreed, slowly inching to Chopper. "But, I wouldn't mind spending eternity with Choppy."
"Errr... Well, being here with you guys isn't so bad. I'd rather be stuck here with people I trust instead of my enemies." Chopper mentioned, making everyone smile.
"Yeah... I wouldn't mind that either." Vivian agreed.
"Hmmmmm... Hold on, perhaps I could see if there's anything nearby." Flyer pulled out his scanning device and scanned the area around them. Everyone looked at him with hopeful expressions, but the Wingel slowly frowned from his results. "There isn't anything around... Sorry, guys."
Mario: Oh, no...
Everyone's faces fell with gloom, any sense of hope finally lost. Perhaps they would be stuck here for eternity or until they died... Vivian, especially, did not like that.
"Hey, Chopper..." Vivian trailed, turning to him. "Maybe I could tell you one last thing if this is how we're supposed to be stuck here."
"Really? What is it?" Chopper wondered, appearing curious.
"Well... I've been having this strange feeling for you ever since we first became friends. It wasn't like that much at first, but it started to grow throughout our adventure. And it's also something I can't stop thinking about..."
"You can't stop thinking about it? Well, I guess it's all right if you want to let it out..."
"OK... Thanks." Vivian said, feeling a bit more confident. "Chopper, I think I'm starting to-"
"Wait a moment!" Flyer exclaimed, cutting Vivian off. "Perhaps...there is an idea! Though, I'm not sure if it'll be so successful."
"Well spill it!" Tamber demanded.
"OK OK! I was thinking about Chopper and Kirby summoning their Warp Stars over here."
"But... Kirby said the Warp Stars can't-"
"I know, but I feel like it's our only option," Flyer interjected. "...My apologies for interrupting you, Chopper."
"Poyo! (But the Warp Stars will get destroyed!)" Kirby noted. "Poyo! (We don't know how far we are, and chances are it'll explode!)"
After Chopper translated what Kirby said, Flyer replied, "It's either that, or we're stuck here forever, Kirby. Personally, I'd choose the former."
"Normally I wouldn't agree to something like this, but I think this is our only bet at getting anywhere," Chopper said.
Kirby eventually let out a sigh and gave Flyer a nod. He made a sharp whistle, along with Chopper, and they began to wait patiently.
After a moment, they noticed a faint light coming from the distance. When they got closer, the light became brighter, and they started to resemble Warp Stars as well.
"Heads up, Contadre! I see the Warp Stars coming this way!" warned Scrub.
"Huh?" Chopper turned to where Scrub was pointing and he saw two Warp Stars heading their way. "OK! Let's get ready!"
When the Warp Stars had finally approached them, Chopper and Kirby managed to grab a hold of them and stop them in their tracks. Everyone else joined the two on their respective star and quickly took off.
"Whew! Finally! Now we're getting somewhere!" Tamber sighed.
As they flew on, they noticed the brightness from the Warp Stars were slowly starting to dim away. Kirby was the first to notice, and he let out a sigh.
"Poyo... (This isn't good...)" Kirby frowned.
"Huh? What's up?" Chopper asked until he looked down at his own Warp Star. "Oh... That's what."
Their Warp Stars had finally become dull enough for them to explode, sending them flying forward in the process.
"What was that all about?!" Tamber asked angrily. "Did they suddenly explode?!"
"Poyo! (That's why bringing these here was a bad idea!)" Kirby explained.
"On the plus side, we're going much faster," Shadower said, brightening the mood a bit. "But hold onto your hats, guys!"
"Speaking of hats..." Scrub started, turning to Vivian. "You never showed us what's under your hat."
"My hat? N-No! It's not a good idea!" Vivian stammered.
"What? Come on! I just want to see!"
"Only Chopper knows what I look like under my hat..."
"Really?" Scrub turned his attention to Chopper. "Hey, Contadre! You know what she looks like without her hat?"
"Honestly... I don't remember." Chopper frowned.
"Oh... Well that stinks." Scrub crossed his arms and let out a huff. "Man, I'd do anything to get to that Crystal Star!"
"Crystal Star, you say?"
Everyone was at a sudden halt when they were surrounded by a purple, bubble-like barrier. They were then taken up to a blue and purple orb covered in white stars.
"What's going on here?" Chopper gawked. "And who are you?"
"Relax! Relax…" the orb assured. "I don't mean any harm! But, I overheard someone said that they wanted to get to a Crystal Star, correct?"
"Yup! That's me!" Scrub stepped in. "I really want to get to that Crystal Star! ...And maybe I'd like to see what's under Vivian's hat, too!"
"Wh-What?!" Vivian shrieked.
"Really? You so you would like to find its location?" the orb asked.
"Poyo... (I don't trust this thing...)" Kirby trailed, giving the orb a suspicious look. "Poyo... (It looks kinda familiar to me...)"
"Yeah, I agree with Kirby," Chopper nodded. "Scrub, I wouldn't trust this…thing. We JUST met this thing, and you want help from it?"
"Relax, small one, for I am not your enemy," the orb assured. "My name is Dreamstar. I am a roaming star that has the power to grant wishes. Since you were lucky to find me, I shall grant any wish you desire!"
"Well, we were told of many dangerous foes out here. I don't see any reason to trust you."
"Hey! He said we could probably get to that Crystal Star!" Tamber yelled. "Why not just listen to this thing this once?"
"Oh ho ho ho! Yes, your friend is right. I can take you to the Crystal Star."
"Hmmmmm…" Chopper pondered for a little while. "All right... I guess you can take us to the Crystal Star."
"Then you must want to go to Rainbow Road then," the orb said. "Coincidentally, I had planned on going there myself. I shall bring you there first, since you are in a bit of a hurry."
"Wait, what do you-" Before Chopper could finish, he and his friends had flung toward another direction.
"Enjoy the ride..." the orb grinned.
Eight minutes later-
At this point, Chopper found himself tumbling in midair as the group were sent flying at incredible speeds. But, they did manage to get a glimpse of a floating road not too far ahead. As they got closer, it appeared to resemble a road with the colors of the rainbow.
"Is that Rainbow Road?" Chopper asked.
Mario: It sure looks like it!
"I still would've liked to see what was under Vivian's hat..." Scrub pouted.
"I'm sure there are much more important things than seeing what's under her hat," Flyer mentioned.
"...Yeah, I guess you're right."
"For now, we should prepare ourselves to…" Flyer ended up hitting the rainbow ground before he could finish his sentence. "…land."
"Well, that was nice…" moaned Chopper, slowly getting himself up. Looking at the road itself, it was massive. There were also railings in the shape of stars as well. "Wow! This place is huge!"
"And here I thought I'd seen bigger roads than this," Tamber gawked.
"All righty…" Chopper took a deep breath and looked at the two ways to go. "I'm not so sure where to go?"
Mario: What about the map?
Chopper suddenly realized that, and he took out the Magical Map with a hopeful look.
"Let's see here… The Crystal Star is…" Chopper paused and looked baffled by his results. "The Crystal Star doesn't give a specific location..."
"What? Let me take a look." Flyer took the Magical Map from Chopper and studied it. "Well, from the looks of this, I think the Dark Star didn't move because Starlite Galaxy is just too big. Finding something on a small portion of a map is not easy."
"Wait, so what you're saying is that…"
"Yes, the Crystal Star could still be here!" Flyer pressed a black button on his scanner. "Luckily, I happen to have something that can detect dark objects. The Crystal Star – or in the correct term, the Dark Star, is most likely something I can detect within the vicinity."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea! Give it a try!"
"All right, here it goes!" Flyer turned moved the scanner around, and he seemed to be getting a signal coming from the left. "I'm picking something up from the left!"
"Yes! Finally!" Scrub exclaimed, doing a fist pump. "It took us long enough! ...But there's one thing that Dreamstar didn't do."
"What?"
"It never let me see what was under Vivian's hat!"
"Scrub, please..." Vivian trailed. "Can we just get to the Crystal Star already?"
"Yeah, I'd definitely like to do that," Bombette said. "That's a lot more important than a hat... No offense, Vivian."
"But come on! I bet she looks cool underneath it!" Scrub exclaimed.
"But... I can't show my face to people of the opposite gender." Vivian mentioned. "It might cause...horrible things."
"Is it because you're ugly?" Tamber asked.
"Come on, let's just stop, all right?" Chopper sighed. "You're making Vivian feel uncomfortable, and that's not something I want everyone to feel. Let's go look for that star!"
He quickly took off to the left, along with Flyer, Kirby, Mario, and Sonic. Eventually the others had followed behind, with Vivian being last. The two other girls had noticed her trailing behind and brought their attention to her.
"So, you said that only people of the opposite gender can't see what you look like under that hat, right?" Bombette inquired.
"Yeah..." Vivian nodded.
"I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, but you wouldn't mind showing us what's under your hat, right?"
"We won't tell anyone," Berry promised.
"Well... I suppose I could..." Vivian trailed, grabbing a hold of her hat. "OK... Here it goes."
She lifted her hat off her head, revealing her beautiful eyes from underneath. Well, at least one of her eyes anyway. Bombette and Berry gazed at them in awe.
"Whoa..." Bombette commented.
"I don't see anything wrong with them," Berry remarked. "Why do you hide them when they're not a big issue?"
"Because if someone of the opposite gender had stared into them, they would be caught in a trance," Vivian explained. "It's some sort of paralysis spell or something... And keeping my eyes revealed wouldn't be good for the team."
"I can understand what you mean," Bombette assured. "If anyone tries to take off your hat, I'll take care of them!"
"I'd rather you not," Vivian objected as she put her hat back on. "I don't like the idea of hurting people for that... The only people who I think deserve to pay are those who've been doing such terrible things."
"Like the Shadow King and Queen?" Berry mentioned.
"Mmmmm-hmmmmm," the Shadow Siren nodded. "Anyway, we should go back to the others."
Agreeing, the three made their way back to the group.
Up ahead-
Thankfully, the others had not been too far, and the three had managed to catch up to them without them noticing their disappearance.
"How long do we need to walk through this mess anyway?" Scrub asked.
"I don't know. Whenever we find the Crystal Star, maybe" Chopper sighed. "It's probably going to take us a while to find the Crystal Star here."
"Yeah… Most likely." agreed Flyer, pulling out his darkness detector, but he noticed something different about it. "What the… Guys, something weird is going on here."
Mario: What is it?
"I'm picking something up ahead. ...Wait, is it moving? Uh oh... I think it's coming this way!" Flyer started to hear the sound of a motor running. "…GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
"Huh?" Up ahead, Chopper saw a vehicle resembling a motorcycle coming their way. "Guys! Move!"
He and the others jumped out of the way before the vehicle could hit them. After it passed them, it came to a sudden halt and faced the group.
"Ah! Finally! We meet again, Contadre! It's been a while, hasn't it, kid?"
Looking ahead, Chopper saw a familiar red chicken on his Hovercycle. "Moe Hawk? What are you doing here?! In fact… HOW did you even get here?"
"Well, after what happened back on that aquarium planet, I decided to go back to that repair store and get this bad boy upgraded!" Moe Hawk explained, revving his Hovercycle. "Now she can fly through space with no problem! Not to mention I overheard you were goin' into space, so I tried followin' you here!"
"…Stalker," Berry mumbled.
"Hey! I heard that! Well, anyway… I know what you're lookin' for, so I decided to snatch it on this road. Don't believe me? Well, then check this out!"
Moe Hawk pulled out a black Crystal Star from his pocket, making everyone gasp.
Mario: The Crystal Star!
"Har har har har! This is the last one ya need, right?"
"Poyo! (Yeah!)" Kirby nodded.
"Don't think I'm goin' to give it to ya so easily! This is Moe Hawk you're talkin' to!" Moe Hawk had a grin that looked very suspicious. "Well... On one condition."
"And that condition is...?" Flyer started, raising an eyebrow.
"Well…" Moe Hawk began while balancing the Dark Star on his finger. "I was thinkin' we could have one last race, Contadre! I'm sick of you always beatin' me in the previous races due to stupid luck, an' I feel that this place has nothin' standin' in our way! No stupid trees to hit me, no battleships, an' no water! Just a racetrack! So, here's the deal: if you beat me by going around Rainbow Road three times, I'll give you the Crystal Star. What do ya say?"
"So…" Chopper trailed. "If I lose, do I still get the Crystal Star?"
Moe Hawk gave him a blank look. "No. I'll just throw you outta here. Also, you gotta admit that I'm faster an' better than you."
"Wait... Really? So you just care about being better than me rather than have the universe be saved? You should see my home planet! It's a nightmare!"
"Why should I care? I just want to make sure you get MOOOOOOE'D!
"If anyone's going to be getting MOE'D, it's you!" Chopper challenged, pointing a finger at him.
Moe Hawk began to snicker. "Really? You really think that yer gonna beat ME?! HA! I'd like to see you try, kid!"
"Well, considering that I beat you before, I think I'll have no problem," Chopper whistled for his Warp Star and jumped on it when it arrived. "Wait... This thing could explode like before."
"Let me look at the Warp Star real quick." Flyer inspected the Warp Star to see if it would explode or not. He then scanned it and came with positive results. "It looks like the Warp Star is compatible with this place. You should be fine on that thing. ...At least, for now."
"Good! That's all I needed to know!"
"Who really cares what it does," Moe Hawk retorted. "All I wanna do right now is race race RACE!"
"All right! Calm down! Sheesh!" Chopper groaned, staring at the racetrack. "You know… Now that I think about it, this place reminds me of Rainbow Path back in Star Haven. Only this place is a racetrack... And that place is huge. I wonder if this place is any bigger."
"If I was there, I'd be able to give you an answer," Shadower said.
"Oh... Right.
"Hey! Are you done talkin', or are ya gonna just stand there an' watch me win the race?!" Moe Hawk exclaimed, getting the young hero's attention.
"Oh. Right! I'll get back to business…" Chopper nodded as he readied his Warp Star to the left. "I suppose we'll be going this direction, will we not?"
"Yeah, sure... You can decide on that. It ain't gonna help ya win, that's for sure!"
"Yeesh, this guy has a bigger ego than me," Sonic scoffed aside.
"Good! Now that we have that taken care of…" Moe Hawk revved his Hovercycle and went beside Chopper. "Get ready… Get set... Hey, Contadre, what's that over there?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Chopper questioned, turning to the direction Moe Hawk was pointing. Snickering, the red chicken took off, leaving Chopper in the dust.
"Chopper! He already took off!" Flyer exclaimed.
"What?" Chopper looked back where Moe Hawk was and was baffled. "Hey! No fair!"
Wasting no time, he took off after Moe Hawk.
"That cheater!" Berry grumbled, clenching her fists. "Who does he think he is, trying to cheat like that?"
"You know, I'll admit, that was a pretty dirty move," Tamber agreed.
"Huh... That's surprising to hear that come from you." Shadower remarked.
"Well... Errr... It's only 'cause I'm the only one who can pull off dirty moves on that stupid gumball!"
"Sure..."
While Tamber was having another fit, Flyer had watched the two racers move further from them. "Let's hope Chopper wins this... If not, then this is going to be a problem for us. We might not get much done because of Moe Hawk."
"Poyo, (I have hope in him,)" Kirby assured.
Over by the two racers-
Thankfully, Chopper had managed to catch up to Moe Hawk on his Warp Star. What made things even better for him was when he passed him, leaving Moe Hawk surprised.
"What? He's caught up already?" Moe Hawk thought with a surprised look.
Chopper looked back at the angry bird and couldn't help but make a face at him. "Ha ha! You thought you could could beat me by cheating, but I'm already beating you!"
"Heh heh heh… Oh, not for long, kid!" Moe Hawk grinned as he began to switch gears. The back of his Hovercycle had rockets that allowed him to move incredibly fast. With them, he immediately flew past Chopper in a blink of an eye. Chopper was left spinning around like crazy as a result.
"Eep! What the heck was that?!" Chopper gaped, finally stopping himself from spinning. "Well, I can't let Moe Hawk beat me like this! I gotta make this thing go a lot faster!"
Chopper activated the booster on his Warp Star, and he was already speeding up like crazy. Although it wasn't fast enough to catch up to Moe Hawk, it allowed him to fly through a loop and a corkscrew that were in the way.
"Don't think you're going to be winning this, Moe!" Chopper declared, narrowing his eyes upon seeing Moe Hawk up ahead. He decided to look behind him, but upon seeing Chopper, he was surprised at first. However, he noticed him get further behind, changing his look to a grin.
"Har har har! Looks like ya can't catch up to me!" Moe Hawk cackled.
"If only there was something that could make this thing go a bit faster..." Chopper sighed, realizing that if he kept this up, he wouldn't get anywhere. To his luck, however, Moe Hawk happened to accidentally drop something that not only looked delicious, but familiar to Chopper. "Is that…an Invincibility Candy?"
Without hesitation, he inhaled the delicious lollipop, and before he knew it, his Warp Star was going already catching up Moe Hawk's Hovercycle.
"What the…!" Moe Hawk spun around like crazy when Chopper passed him. "Grrrrr! That little...! How did he… Wait a second..." Checking his bag, he noticed something missing. "Oh, crud! Don't tell me that I dropped that lollipop! Grrrrrr!"
"Woo hoo! Now I'm back in the lead!" Chopper cheered, feeling a huge burst of energy in himself as well.
"Argh! There's no way I'm goin' to let Contadre get ahead of me! I still have a little something that'll give me a hand!" Moe Hawk smirked, pulling out a can of beans. "These 'Beans in a Can' will surely give me what I need to propel myself ahead of Contadre! …I just need to adjust my position in order to use them properly.
He opened the can with one of the spikes on his wrist and dumped all of the beans in his mouth. After swallowing them, bent down and made sure his behind was pointing in the opposite direction he was facing.
"Bombs away!" Moe Hawk yelled, gaining a boost of speed from the flames bursting out from his...behind. "WOO HOO! MAN! I never knew these beans would make me speed up so easily! Plus, it's making my belly feel much better!"
"Huh?" Chopper saw Moe Hawk speed past him with through his strange propelling ability he had recently gained. Thankfully, he got a grip on his Warp Star and proceeded, but seeing the incredible speed he was going surprised him. "Whoa! What the heck was that? ...And were there flames shooting out from his butt?"
The group watched Moe Hawk and Chopper pass them. Most of them were annoyed with the chicken being in the lead, obviouely.
"C'mon, Choppy! You can beat that chicken!" Berry cheered.
"Show him who's..." Scrub paused and sniffed the air. "Hey... What is that smell?"
"Looks like someone's been eating beans…" Bombette groaned.
"Beans? ...Whew! It really does stink here!" Sonic remarked, wafting the air around him before turning his attention back to the race. "C'mon, Chop! Don't let this guy beat you so easily! You can beat him!"
"I'm trying as best as I can! Sheesh!" Chopper put some more juice in his Warp Star by kicking it twice before moving faster.
As for Moe Hawk, things had been going well for him, but the flames had slowly wore out, causing him to slow down. Instead of the sound of flames, there were now small squeaks.
"Great... Well, looks like I'm all out of that." Moe Hawk pouted. "Then again, my belly hasn't felt any better! But I ain't done with that kid just yet!"
He pulled out a rocket launcher and he turned around to face Chopper. "Yo, Contadre! Taste missiles!"
He shot missiles at the Warp Star, but Chopper managed to avoid them with ease.
"Hey! Why are you using missiles against me?! That's not fair!" Chopper yelled as he kicked in some more juice. Once he got to Moe Hawk, he bumped into him at his side.
"Oi! Oh, now you're gonna pay!" Moe Hawk bumped into Chopper again, nearly making his Warp Star go spinning again. "Next time, don't try to do somethin' like that! 'Cause I'll make sure you get hurt!"
"I've gotten hurt many, MANY times! I'm sure I can take anything you throw at me!" Chopper challenged, glaring at Moe Hawk.
"Oh, all right! See if you can take care of this!" Moe Hawk pulled out a pellet gun and shot a ton of pellets at his face. Chopper closed his eyes tightly, trying to take on all of the pellets. Moe Hawk could see some tears starting to form up, but Chopper tried his best to hold them off.
"You're not going to stop me!" the antennae hero declared, wiping the tears away and smashing his Warp Star into Moe Hawk's Hovercycle, making it go out of control.
"Whoa!" Moe Hawk gaped as he was losing control. He tried to maintain control, but unfortunately, the Hovercycle ended up crashing into one of the railings. "Dang it! Not again!"
"Does this mean I win?" Chopper asked.
"Heck no! My Hovercycle ain't destroyed! It can endure a lot more than before, that's for sure!"
"Oh... Well, I don't know what to say about that."
"Well why don't you just hold still!" Moe Hawk suggested, getting his club out. "I've got a Warp Star to take care of!"
Chopper managed to take off immediately before Moe Hawk could swipe at him and his Warp Star. Luckily, for Chopper, he managed to reach the finish line and was now on his final lap.
"Excellent work, Chopper!" Flyer shouted. "Keep at it, and victory should be ours!"
"You're almost there, Choppy!" Berry also shouted. To give him luck, she blew a kiss in his direction.
"Eek! Don't do that!" Chopper cried, being left distracted by the blown kiss. This ended up leading him to crash into the railing, giving Moe Hawk an advantage by passing him.
"Har har har! See you at the finish line!" Moe Hawk chortled.
"Ha ha ha! Nice one, pinky!" Tamber laughed.
"Hey, I didn't intend on making that happen!" Berry frowned.
"Well, it was pretty funny."
"Come on, Chopper!" Flyer yelled, seeing Chopper not getting a move on. "Don't just stand there! You can still win this!"
"Ugh... I don't know..." Chopper mumbled. "I mean, did you see what he was doing?"
"Hey! Don't give up like that!" Tamber yelled. "I know taking advice from me is bad, but listen! Don't. Give. UP! You need to get that feeling back in your heart! What MADE you beat that punk before?"
Chopper looked at Tamber in silence. "…All right, Tamber. I think I understand now." Feeling more motivate, he immediately flew off, following Moe Hawk. He kicked in some more juice to make the Warp Star go much faster.
"Har har har! I can't believe I'm winnin' this!" Moe Hawk cackled. "Gettin' this thing upgraded was the best choice I've ever made in a while! I bet Grubba's gonna be proud of me!"
"Not so fast!" Chopper came rushing in and bumped into Moe Hawk's Hovercycle, causing the chicken to lose control briefly and look back.
"AAARGH! What the heck are ya doin', kid?! Are ya tryin' to destroy my awesome ride?"
"Awesome? It looks dumber to me!" Chopper taunted.
"Your vehicle looks a lot dumber than mine! Take this!" Moe Hawk moved to the side to crash into Chopper, but he got out of the way and struck the Hovercycle with a fireball.
"Oh, crud! The thing's overheatin'!" Moe Hawk cried as he began to hop on his Hovercycle to prevent his bottom from getting too hot.
"Here, let me cool it down for you," Chopper shot an ice ball at the Hovercycle, freezing it. When Moe Hawk had finally sat down, he quickly rocketed upward, feeling the intense, freezing temperatures. When he finally landed on his vehicle, he gave a glare.
"Grrrrrrr! Yer gonna pay fer that!" the chicken growled, only to have himself get electrocuted due to the electric ball that hit his Hovercycle.
"And now… One more thing!" Chopper charged up some light energy as they got closer to the finish line. When it was finally charged, he hurled it at Moe Hawk's Hovercycle, causing it to blow into many pieces. Moe Hawk had been sent flying upward in the process as well.
And with just that, Chopper had crossed the finish line.
"Yes! Contadre did it!" Scrub cheered as Chopper leaped off the Warp Star.
"Wow… I...actually won it!" Chopper gaped. "It felt...pretty satisfying!"
As they celebrated their victory, Moe Hawk had finally landed right in front of the finish line headfirst. Groaning, he slowly stood up and was left slack-jawed at the sight before him.
"My… My Hovercycle!" Moe Hawk gaped, seeing his Hovercycle parts lying on the ground. He turned to Chopper with a glare, interrupting their victory. "I can't believe it! You destroyed it AGAIN! Thanks to you, I have NO way of gettin' home! DARN IT!"
Like a toddler unable to get what he wants, Moe Hawk began to stomp the ground angrily while gritting his teeth. Everyone slowly backed away from him.
"Hey! It's not my fault you were trying to hurt me!" Chopper defended, pointing to the marks on his face from Moe Hawk's pellet gun. "You were asking for it!"
"And isn't what you did child abuse?" Sonic pointed out.
"Bah! As if I care about child abuse, you worm! But, now I'm wondering what to do to you guys for bustin' my hot ride!" Moe Hawk growled, approaching them with his club ready. Everyone got in their fighting stances, but the chicken didn't get a chance to approach any further when he heard his communicator going off. Taking it out, he discovered Grubba to be on there. "Oh! Grubba! It's been a while since you've contacted me! Say, how're things goin' in prison?"
"Hoo-WEE! Boy, as bad as it was back then, I think this place is becomin' one heck of a place!" Grubba answered. "All of these criminals I'm talkin' to… They know about me an' I get respect from 'em! …So how're things with you, Moe? Didja finally beat Contadre?"
"Nope," Chopper replied, getting Grubba's attention. "He lost the race, and he promised me the Crystal Star. So, give it to me, Moe."
Moe pulled out the Crystal Star. "Ya want this?"
"Of course we do," Shadower nodded. "It's important."
"…Well, how about you find it yourself, then!" With a swing of his arm, Moe Hawk threw the Dark Star out of Rainbow Road and off someplace far from them.
"What did you do that for?" Vivian gaped
"Yeah! You know that the universe will be engulfed in darkness if you didn't give that thing to us!" Tamber growled, shaking a fist at Moe. "So why did you do it, punk?!"
"Well, I'm not gonna let some sissies put me down like that!" Moe Hawk answered. "So, I decided to make you pay for your crimes! Har har har har! Good luck finding that thing!"
"Yeah, you did that and all… But I'm disappointed in you, Moe!" Grubba scolded, getting Moe Hawk's attention. "You let yerself lose once again to Contadre! Now I'm startin' to regret tellin' him that he's got the eye of the tiger, 'cause he sure has it!"
"And I thank you for that," Chopper said proudly, making Grubba glare at him.
"Listen to me, you oval-eyed antennae brain," Grubba started. "Someday I'm gonna be outta this joint, an' when I'm out, I'm gonna take yer energy, an' I'm gonna use it to become unstoppable and reclaim my job! And then I'll take everyone else's energy, too! Hyuck hyuck hyuck!"
"The depends on if you actually succeed in it or not..."
"An' as fer you, Moe Hawk… Yer fired!"
"Fired?" Moe Hawk gawked, as if a mirror had shattered in his mind. Instead of being shameful, however, he grit his teeth and gripped his communicator. "Oh, yeah? Well go ahead! Fire me! You were never that helpful anyway! Why should I listen to a criminal who can't do somethin' himself, huh? Well I shouldn't be! Goodbye, Grubba! I'm through with you!"
"Hey! How dare you-"
Moe Hawk shut the communicator off and threw it off the road's railings.
"Well, that's the last time I ever listen to a criminal," Moe Hawk grumbled. When the communicator was far enough, he sighed and hung his head low. "Now how am I supposed to get out of this place without my Hovercycle?"
"Should we do something to help him?" Bombette whispered.
Mario: Oh, yes!
Chopper and the plumber was the first to approach Moe Hawk.
"Are you all right, Moe Hawk?" Chopper asked.
"Oh, I'm fine…" Moe Hawk answered. "Listen, Contadre… No, not that name. You're name's Chopper, isn't it? Well, listen, Chopper… I apologize for my rude behavior all those times. I'm not really who you think I am."
He took off the spiked cuffs and fixed his mohawk up a bit. "You see, I was always gettin' picked on by my bro, Rawk Hawk. He'd always give me wedgies or say I wasn't as cool as him."
"Oh, so you're the nerdy brother?" Berry wondered.
"NERDY? Oh, heck no! I was pretty tough back then, too!" Moe Hawk declared. "…Just, not as much as my bro. You see, he'd always get everythin' better than me. He became a champ, he got to hang with the chicks, an' he always got to brag about it! It felt TERRIBLE always havin' to listen to his big ego! …But then you showed up an' beat Rawk Hawk down to a pulp."
"So… Why did you try to challenge me, then?" Chopper asked.
"Well, it was 'cause I wanted to be tougher. I wanted to show Rawk Hawk that I could be better than him, so I decided to try to challenge you to some races, but it only led to me paying a lot of money for fixin' my Hovercycle. I've lost so much coins 'cause of it."
"I don't know what to say about that..." Chopper trailed, his eyes looking down at the floor. "It's hard to accept someone's apology when they throw something very valuable out into the galaxy…"
"Look, I'm sorry for that. I was just so angry from losin'." Moe Hawk apologized. "Listen, I'll tell you where you can find that star. I heard of this place called Nocturnane. It's a giant asteroid with a couple of bases on there. I once stopped by there before comin' here. I think it threw it in that direction. ...Though, I think I also saw some robots and some bases."
"Robots? Do you mean the Phis?" Chopper gasped. "If you threw the Crystal Star there, then Gemerl will get that thing! We can't let them get a hold of it!"
"Poyo, (That'd be pretty bad,)" Kirby added.
"We need to find a way to get over there and fast!" Flyer suggested.
"I know a little way you can take to get outta Rainbow Road," Moe Hawk informed, pointing up ahead. "There's this secret passageway, but it's bein' blocked by some giant, yellow block. If you can break it, then you can find that Crystal Star."
"All right, thanks for telling us, Moe," Chopper nodded.
"Here, maybe I can be of assistance," Flyer said, going over to the broken pieces of the Hovercycle and attempting to fix it up. It didn't take long for him to fix it up, though it didn't look as nice as before. "I managed to fix this thing up, but I don't think it's in perfect condition. But it'll get you through this place, that's for sure!"
"Thanks…" Moe Hawk sniffed loudly. "I didn't know people such as you guys would be this helpful. Maybe one day, I should become a hero."
"Yeah, maybe you should!" Chopper agreed, giving him an encouraging nod. With that, Moe Hawk got on his Hovercycle and began to take off. Everyone started to wave goodbye to him until he was off in the distance.
"I guess that just leaves us, then!" Tamber said, breaking the silence. "So, Gumball… Are we going to find that giant asteroid?"
"Of course. What else are we going to do? In fact, let's go look for it." Chopper moved on ahead, with the rest following him. Flyer got his light detector out that he had installed and began to detect any form of light. Of course, Chopper couldn't use light energy, as it would tamper with the gadget. He seemed to be detecting light energy up ahead to the left of the road.
"This way, guys. Come on!" Flyer announced, running on ahead to a curve on Rainbow Road. Rather than turning, they took the other pathway straight ahead, where a large Light Block was in the way.
"I've got this!" Chopper declared, firing light balls rapidly to created a larger one. He thrust his hand forward, and the giant light ball had struck the Light Block, destroying it.
Mario: That was easy!
"I'll say! Now we're gonna be outta here!" Scrub cheered. "...Wait, getting out of here? But this place is kinda cool!"
"I have to agree with you, Scrub," Vivian nodded.
"Wait... What about what's under your-"
Not wasting any time, Chopper grabbed Scrub and dragged him toward the secret rainbow passageway. The others followed him, amused by Scrub's annoyed expression.
"Hey! C'mon, Contadre! I just want to… Oh, forget it." Scrub groaned, crossing his arms.
And that's it for Moe Hawk. I was actually considering putting him in Chapter 17, but I didn't think it would work out as well, so this was much better. I also thought this was the best of the races, too, and it gave Moe Hawk a little character development too.
Not too much action here in terms of fighting, but we do get back to that next chapter!