A/N: Last time, Zeus just caught himself in a worst blackmail in his life! Can he resolve this conflicting situation? Find out as we get online to the last part of the shocking episode yet!
Secrets Amuck!: Part 2
A few hours later, the construction worker NPCs were able to relocate the crane as Zeus informs to his friends that the hacker got away by creating a portal and jumped into it. However, one of the Runners aren't happy about his news.
"THE HACKER GOT AWAY?! He jumped into a portal and escaped?!," Bren asked in shock.
"Yeah, that's the full story," Zeus lied, not wanting to make the other's suspicious. "Sorry if I can't stop them."
"Great! I can't believe we got outran by a hacker!"
"I know! Even geniuses like me can't outrun us!," Kani agreed.
"Remember guys, we're in an online game and we're dealing with a hacker," Jordan reminded them. "He must have altered his stats to outrun us.
"Well, we'll get him next time!," Calla said optimistically.
However, when Jordan sees Zeus, she noticed that he's feeling down about something.
"Hey Z, what's the matter?," she asked.
Zeus, noticing Jordan, said with uneasiness, "Oh, it's nothing. Well, we better look for that hacker tomorrow. It's getting late."
"You're right," Kani agreed. "We better get back before our folks realize that we're missing. See ya at school, guys!
Kani pressed a button on her RunCom and logged out.
"See ya, too. Jordie…I hope...," Calla said with worry as she logged out too.
Before Zeus can even log out, he was stopped by Jordan.
"Hey, Z," she said. "If you got something that's bothering you, you can just tell me-"
"I TOLD YOU IT'S NOTHING! NOW LET ME LOG OUT!," he snapped angrily.
"Zeus..."
Zeus, realizing what he did, somberly said, "I'm... sorry... I'll see you in school."
He then logged out , still shocked at Zeus's outburst asked, "Wha-What did I say?"
Then Itzal pats her shoulder in order to calm her down, which Jordan starts to blush upon this.
"Maybe he'll get his cool back tomorrow," Itzal said. "I better go, too."
"Uh... sure," Jordan said with a blush. "See ya."
"See ya," Itzal said as he logged out.
As Jordan is still blushing as she's about to log out, she was stopped by her grinning cousin.
"Wow, that's really cute, Jordan," Bren taunted. "Too bad you can't even hug him or smooch him good night!"
Annoyed, she punches her cousin on his head.
"Oh, shut up, Bren-less!," she snapped, annoyed. "Now either log out or you'll be my next target on my skill training!"
"Actually, I think I might have a way to teach Lena a lesson about humiliating Calla."
"Hmm, I'm listening."
"Have you watch any cartoons that involves any childish torture?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Like you said, it's time to teach Lena about 'karma'."
The next day at school, Calla depressingly walked through the hallways, still down about her humiliation. As she passed through the halls the students, they started to mock her.
"Look everyone," one student said as they started to sing:
Cally had a little lamb, little lamb.
"Make way everybody it's Mother Coose!," another student teased.
"Hey Bedtime Cally, how about you sing my little sister a nursery rhyme?," a third student said. Calla, now even more hurt, runs away crying. Lena and her posse, seeing this laugh at her humiliation.
"Just seeing her miserable just really makes my day," she said in a cruel tone. "Come on girls, let's hit math class."
Just then, they are somehow approached by some kind of nerdy girl holding some kind of compact.
"What do you want, geek?"
"Just want to show you guys this new high quality mirror I just got," the girl said.
"Ooh I love mirrors. I can see my other self in them," Sierra said with perkish giggle.
"Right…" the girl said as she handed mirror to Lena. "Check it!"
Lena takes the mirror and sees that it's really is high quality.
"Wow this really is–," she a smelly gas sprayed out of the mirror and in the girls. Lena and the other girls coughed and gagged, and finally, fell asleep. The nerdy girl stood over them and grinned.
Lena groaned as she opened her eyes.
"Ugh, where am I?," she groaned. She scanned the room to see that not only she's in a darkened middle school lounge, but also got tied up on a chair. "And why am I tied up by a chair?!"
"Hi, Lena," a familiar voice said.
She then turns around to see Kani, Bren, and Jordan, who is revealed to be the disguised nerdy girl, glaring at her.
"You!"
"Even side-story Pokemon episodes like Pokemon Chronicles have some episodes to our advantage," Jordan said as she showed off her rigged mirror.
"What do you want, Waters?"
"You to publicly apologize to Calla for humiliating her in front of the whole school!"
"Apologize to her? Like, never!"
"Playing hardball, huh?," Bren asked.
"Well we can play that too," Kani finished. "So either you apologize to my cousin, or you stay tied up there and listen to Andre play the bagpipes."
As if on cue, Andre appeared with bagpipes in hand.
"And I'm a terrible bagpipe player," Andre said in creepy-like voice.
"Not gonna happen!," Lena snapped.
"Okay. Andre?," Jordan said as she motioned to Andre
Andre then started playing the bagpipes way off-key. Lena and her posse could barely wiggle their arms out of the ropes to cover their ears.
"Ready to apologize now?," Jordan asked with a devious smile.
"Drop dead!," Lena yelled. Unknown to anyone, she secretly reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and pressed later, Andre was still playing his bagpipes, when all of a sudden, Chuck Foley and several members of the football team burst through the , faking distress, said dramatically, "Oh Chuck, thank God! Renald and his friends are trying to kill me with these bagpipes!"
"What?!," Chuck snarled as he glared at Andre. "No one messes with my girl!"
He then grabbed Andre, while his friends untie Lena and her posse.
"It's wedgie time guys!," he said. The jocks dragged Andre away, kicking and screaming as Lena and her posse stood and smiled in triumph with Jordan, Bren, and Kani staring in shock.
"It always pays to have connections," she sneered with a laugh. "And by the way, I'm never apologizing…ever!"
"Oh, this isn't over," Jordan scolded.
"We'll just see about that," Lena laughed as she and her posse left the lounge.
After that, Calla is tending to Andre in order to recover from his wedgie.
"I appreciate the help, guys," she said. "But I don't think this won't able to turn out well."
"I swear, Calla, I will not give up until Lena says "Uncle" and "I'm sorry" to you!," Jordan said in determination.
"Jordan...," Calla said as she started to cry.
"Anyways, Andre, are you almost done with tracking down the hacker?," Kani said as she stoped her cousin from crying.
"Even with a simple wedgie, that won't stop me from getting that hacker," Andre said. "Now let's see here..."
As Andre works on his laptop, Zeus is still disturbed about what Davey Hacker wants him to do. Is he going to stop their investigation to protect his identity? He shakes it off, knowing he won't betray his friends. However, those words starts to haunt him.
Davey: I was looking over the information I stole from the admin station and I came across your file here. Very interesting. And I take it none of your friends know your little secret?
Davey: Well, imagine what they'll say once they find out…
Zeus: You wouldn't dare!
Davey: Oh yes I would. Unless you'd be willing to stay out of my way and throw your friends off my trail?
Davey: So that's my proposition: get your friends off my case or have your secret revealed.
As Zeus is still thinking about those words, he hears Andre's laptop beeping.
"Yes! In a few seconds, we'll able to find the hacker and shut him down!," the boy said.
Zeus then panicked. As much as he didn't want to hurt his friends he couldn't allow Davey to find that they were on his trail. What could he do?
Just then he saw the power cord to Andre's computer. Andre had a habit of unintentionally leaving his computer on battery power and exhausting the battery. So if he did and he was charging…
Quickly, Zeus "accidentally" stepped on the cord, disconnecting it and causing the computer the shut down, much to everyone's dismay.
"What happened?!," Andre gasped. He then saw the power cord was disconnected and Zeus's foot on it. "ZEUS!"
"Wha?," Zeus said, acting startled as he looks at the cord. "Oh-no! I'm so sorry!"
"Dude! I was this close to getting the hacker! Now I've lost all the data I gathered!"
"Way to go, Z!," Bren said angrily.
"Yeah, thank you so much!," Calla also snapped angrily
"I SAID I WAS SORRY, NOW GET OFF MY BACK, DARN IT!," Zeus screamed furiously. The Runners jumped back looking startled, as Zeus calmed down. "I'm going home."
As Zeus left the lounge, the Runners except Jordan are very angry at what he did.
"Great, thanks to him, we have to go back to step one! We got to go back to Schwarz and-," Kani said before Jordan ran after Zeus.
"Zeus, wait!," Jordan said with worry as she caught up to Zeus. "Come on, Z! I know you have a reason you did that."
"I do… but it's not your concern…," he said somewhat coldly.
"Yes it is. I'm your friend."
"No it's not. And I don't want to hear another word about it."
"But, Zeus, I..."
"NOT ANOTHER WORD! Just please... Leave me alone... I just... get away from me, Jordan, please!," Zeus said remorsefully as he ran out the front entrance of the school.
"Zeus, ZEUS!," Jordan said as she ran out after him, only to find him gone. She realizes he probably used his portal creation ability to leave the school. "Zeus..."
Itzal, Bren, and Layla then came outside to see what was up.
"What's going on?," Itzal asked.
"Zeus…he… he left...," Jordan replied upset.
"Well, Andre says we need to get back to Schwarz and…," Bren said before Jordan cut him off.
"I don't want to log in right now."
"Huh? What are you-," Itzal asked.
"If you need back-up, just take Andre and Layla with you."
"But Jordan, we-," Layla started to say.
"Just please, leave me alone!," Jordan said as she started to cry. She then also left the school in sadness as the Runners watched her in shock, which Itzal, Layla, and Bren can't do anything but to watch Jordan cry.
Meanwhile, in a hidden underground location, Davey Hacker was plotting his next move.
"Excellent. Looks like Zeus is impeding those annoying Runners," he said as he thought. "Maybe it's time to turn this info about his secret over to those Black Tundra guys. Or I could use it to force him to do my own nefarious purposes. But those other Runners. Eventually they may catch on to my plan, and then catch on to me! Unless I catch them first…
Davey smiled evilly as a new scheme came to his mind.
At Jordan's bedroom, she is lying down on her bed in depression upon the turn of events earlier. Then, Ricky enters her room in worry.
"Jordan? I just came to tell you I've narrowed your tutoring candidates to four people," he said before seeing his daughter upset. "What's wrong?"
"I don't care about the tutoring right now," Jordan replied, still upset. "I think I'm losing one of my friends."
"Who?"
"It's Zeus. Lately he's been acting secretive and withdrawn and whenever I tried to talk about it with him, he just shouted at me, and stormed off."
"I should have known that boy was trouble! Nobody hurts my little girl. When I get my hands on–"
"WILL YOU STOP YOUR PARANOIA FOR ONE SECOND, DAD!," Jordan shouted at her father who stopped. "It's never been like that with us! When I first came to school here, he was the first friend I ever made, the one who showed me around. And now I think I'm about to lose him forever!
With that, Jordan completely broke down and cried. Ricky seeing how upset his daughter was, took her in his arms, and cradled her.
"Aww, sugar plum, I'm so sorry," Ricky said. "I didn't know. I never meant to be so hard on you or him."
Jordan, still crying, said, "I know, Daddy. But right now, I need to be alone."
"Are you sure?," he asked. Jordan nodded 'yes.' "Okay, honey."
Ricky slowly got up and left Jordan's room, leaving her to cry in peace. Then, remembering the earlier events, she starts to cry on her pillow.
"Zeus..."
As she continues to cry, she remembers some memories with Zeus, like the first time she meets him, the first time she became a Runner and fought alongside with him, and also the happy memories with him hanging out together with their friends.
Seeing that she can't cry any longer, she went to her laptop and decided to watch one of Pokemon episodes, which is a Johto episode where Team Rocket impersonates Professor Oak and DJ Mary.
"One of my favorites," Jordan said. "Professor Oak getting impersonated by those Team Rocket jerks."
She watched the episode from beginning to end, and during that time she started not only feeling better, but also getting a strange feeling of déjà vu as well.
"Just can't get enough of Oak out smarting James," Jordan said as she laughed a little bit. "Plus, of all the Pokemon Professors I saw in the episodes and games, I pick Professor Oak as my favorite. Besides, while he can be clueless at times, his vast knowledge of Pokémon is intriguing. And also, his poems also make me smile..."
Then, upon saying that sentence, she realizes something.
"Wait a minute. His poems? Knowledge about Pokemon?"
Upon realizing this, she remembers some memories with Zeus.
Zeus: You like it? I am a whiz a poetry!
Before Zeus can say anything, he realized that his bag is missing.
Zeus: What the?! My bag is gone!
Calla: Don't tell me you forgot your bag back at the bumper cars?!
Zeus: (embarrassed) Uh, sort of. (sheepishly chuckles)
Bren: Wow, you may be a whiz at remembering Pokémon information, but you're too clueless at remembering where your belongings are.
Jordan: YES! I CAUGHT TORNADUS!
Zeus: Wow, congratulations!
Jordan: Hey, it's because of your hints back there that helped me stop Heath and solve my catching problems. You should get my share of the credit.
Zeus: Uh, thanks.
Itzal: Huh? You must have play Jordan's game for about, 8 or more times before you got here.
Zeus: Actually, I didn't play that game.
Jordan and Itzal are surprised about what he said.
Jordan: Not even one previous game?
Zeus: Nope.
Jordan: Well do you watch the show, or read the manga, or play the trading card game?
Zeus: A little bit, no, and no.
Jordan: That's peculiar.
As she piece those memories together, she then quickly gasped in shock as she finally solved the puzzle.
"No... way...," she said in realization. "AAGGHHH! Why am I so stupid?! I can't believe I was with him all this time!"
She noticed her alarm clock, which it says 3:30 PM, and said."Oh no, I got to get to Zeus quickly!"
Without a hesitation, Jordan grabbed her RunCom and heads out from her bedroom.
Meanwhile in Schwarz, the Runners, along with Aries and Mako, were tracking the trail of viral data from their chase with Davey.
"Okay, I'm picking up a large amount of that viral data around here?," Aries said.
"From the hacker?," Bren asked.
"No, from the President," Calla said sarcastically.
"Well keep tracking it," Mako instructed him. "Maybe we can get a lead off of it."
The group continued tracking it to the same alley that Davey had escaped from Zeus in.
"This must be where Zeus chased him," Kani said. The Runners entered the alley to look around. As they did, however, a firewall suddenly formed behind them.
"It's a trap!," Itzal said in realization. Davey then emerges from the shadows.
"That's right, freaks," he cackled. "Because Davey Hacker's in the house."
He then pulled out a bazooka and shot a red net at the group trapping them all. They struggled as he walked over and stood over them, chuckling evily.
Back in the real world, Jordan is using her skateboard to get to CodeX United and when she get there, she went to the receptionist.
"Excuse me, have you seen Zeus Starr?," she asked.
"Yes, he's at the 10th-," she said but before she could finish, Jordan quickly heads over to the elevator, much to her shock. "Floor?"
On the 10th floor, Jordan exited the elevator and looked around. She saw Zeus standing near a window just staring out of it. She came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, startling him.
"Jordan?," he said in shock. "You startled me. What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," she replied. "You see, this whole thing has got me thinking about Professor Oak. You know, the Pokémon professor?"
"Yeah? Why?"
"I've just been thinking about all the traits that make him one of the show's greatest characters: his vast knowledge of Pokémon, his love of poetry and his kind but often-forgetful nature... all of which you seems to have."
Zeus got nervous as he said, "I–I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Then during the convention, after we got captured and learned about the Pokemon world getting seized by the Tundra, why were you so upset about it?"
Zeus could only look down sadly.
"Z?"
"Okay, I admit it…" Zeus said as he takes deep breath. "I-I…I…"
"What?"
"I-I…I am Professor Oak."
Jordan gasped at this. Then a little excited, she shouted, "I knew it!"
"You see Tina, or Lilith, rescued me from the Black Tundra before they took my world. I was the only one of the world to escape them. Afterward she recruited me as a Runner and here I am today. I didn't want to tell anyone cause I was afraid they wouldn't accept me. I mean, would you accept a 50-year old man into your circle of friends? I'm so sorry, Jordan."
Zeus looked down in shame, as Jordan put his hand over his shoulder.
"I accept you," she said causing Zeus to look up." You were the first friend I ever made when I first moved here.
Zeus smiled at these words as Jordan continued, "But um, if you really are Oak, how can you make those portals?"
"Don't know. Somehow, I gained that ability during the takeover and my escape and it's came in real handy ever since."
Back at Schwarz, the Runners are still trapped in the net behind the firewall that Davey created.
"Davey Hacker, I should have known!," Itzal said angrily. "Why are you here in Unitas? Black Tundra's orders, I presume?"
"Wow, you're catching on real quick, Itzal. Or should I say Tony Clark!," Davey cackled.
"Oh, please. Nice try, Davey, but my friends already know who I am."
Bren angrily shouted, "Yeah, now first off, why are you stealing both the data from the admin building AND my title as the best Fire ULO player and Runner around?!"
"Well some certain members of the Black Tundra, want the identities data of all the users and admins of all the players in ULO…especially you Runners," Davey informed them. "They promised me a reward beyond many most insane dreams and fantasies if I deliver these things to them. And now that I have you all, I'll think I give you to them as a bonus."
"You'll never get away with this, Hacker!," Kani declared.
"Who's gonna stop me? You?" he said as he evilly laughs.
As Davey laughed evilly, Bren, enraged by this, tried to throw one of his throwing daggers but they were somehow deflected, giving him a little damage.
"Whoa!," Calla said at this. "At least you didn't use your exploding ones."
"Yeah, and although I'm so hating those two right now for ditching us, we need Jordan and that show off Zeus right now!," Bren said. He then secretly used his Com Holo-Link to put out a distress signal to the mentioned Runners.
Back at CodeX United, Jordan is still asking Zeus about his world.
"What happened when you found yourself here?," she asked.
"Well, Tina told me about who the Black Tundra and what they had done to the Pokémon World," he replied. "I hoped there was more survivors, but sadly she told me there were none."
"So you're the only one left?"
"I'm afraid so. Everyone else was taken by the Black Tundra. I really wish I could get them back."
As he says that, Jordan stares at the window for a few seconds, until her expression turned into determination.
"If that's the case, I'm going to help you!"
"Huh?"
"You forget, didn't you? They messed with the Pokemon world, they messed with me! Nobody, but nobody invaded my favorite world of all!"
"Wow, your cousin is right. You really are determined when it comes to Pokemon."
Jordan, at that moment, suddenly got an idea.
"And to prove that I'm going to save your world and keep your secret, you have to do one favor from me."
"What is it?"
"I have to see your real-life form in person!"
"Well…okay," Zeus said as he pressed several buttons on his RunCom. In a glow of white light, he transforms into his real-life form of Professor Oak.
Jordan, astonished at this, said, "Wow…it's really you."
"I see that your little secret is out to the Water Runner," Tina's voice her superior's voice, Jordan got startled and unknowingly jumped on Oak's arms.
"M-Ms. Reyheart! What the heck are you doing here?!"
"I was working on the new items and dungeons for the next update when I got a call from the downstairs secretary saying you were up here. Looks like your knowledge on the Pokémon games and anime just unraveled the mystery behind Zeus."
"I didn't realize it until now," Jordan said as she blushed.
"Well, I knew I made the right choice in choosing you as a Runner."
"That you did, Ms. Reyheart. That you did," Oak said.
However, this happy moment got interrupted when they heard their RunCom beeping. When the two Runners checked, they became shocked at what they saw.
"Oh no! It's Bren's distress signal!," Jordan said in shock of what she saw on her RunCom. "The others are in trouble!"
At the same time, Tina's RunCom is beeping at the different tone and when she checks it's screen, she was more shocked as the others.
"Worst, the hacker is back inside Schwarz!," she informed them.
"Davey Hacker, I've should have known," Oak said in realization
Hearing this, Jordan remembers what happened back at school, where he sabotages Andre's laptop, disrupting their data tracking to the hacker.
"I'm guessing sabotaging Andre's tracking means you got blackmailed by Davey about your secret, am I right?," she asked.
"How did you guess?"
"Sometimes, the shows and animes I'm watching sometimes involves blackmailing. And don't worry, I think it's time to teach Davey about "karma" and messing with my friends!"
"The basement internet cafe's PCs are ready for your departure," Tina told them, "but in this circumstances, I suggest you two will only normal log-in to get to Schwarz. If we're dealing with an expert hacker, there's no telling what would happen to your real bodies."
"Yeah, and knowing Davey, he'll probably find the most sadistic way of torturing us."
Oak transformed back to Zeus, as he said, "Well then let's go! We got to hurry."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Z!"
They two Runners both rushed to the elevators with Tina following behind them.
Back in Schwarz, the heroes are still trying to break free from the net as Davey is doing something on the holographic computer.
"After a few tweaks, my creation will get rid of you Runners once and for all!," he said with an evil laugh.
"You do realize that there some missing Runners in our team right now and they will log back in here to save us?," Kani pointed out
"I'm aware of that! I don't know about that boyish Water prodigy that the cult is talking about, but I doubt you're "Light Runner in Shining Armor" Zeus won't save you! Heck, he doesn't want you losers to be saved!"
"That's a lie!"
"Is it now? You've noticed him acting hostile and weird, right? And him sabotaging your attempts to track me?"
The group looked at each other uneasily. What what Davey saying, true?
"Just as I thought. Don't you see? He doesn't care about you anymore! He's nothing but a rotten apple!"
"Try again, you blackmailing brat!," Zeus's voice turned to see Zeus standing there surprisingly. "You?!"
"Zeus!," the others cried out.
"I knew you'd come back for us!," Aries said.
"We'll see about that," Davey growled under his breath, as he said to Zeus, " Now, now Zeus, it would be a shame for them to find out your little secret. So I suggest you back of or…"
"Or you'll tell them that I'm really Professor Oak from the Pokemon World?," Zeus rest of the Runners gasped at this revelation.
"He's Professor Oak?," Bren asked, shocked. "The old guy in Jordan's Pokemon games and anime?!"
"But he's so…young looking!," Calla pointed out.
"What?! You can't just tell your secret aloud! That's my job!," Davey protested, shocked and upset.
"Unfortunately for you, someone did find out," Zeus said with a smirk. "And someone is already angry upon what you did to me."
Then, Jordan appeared on Zeus's side, now angry at Davey's actions to Zeus.
"Your blackmail tactics won't work. He's not scared of you anymore!," she told Davey, "Plus, he's got new friends in this world and in the real world! Someone who can trust his secrets and always got his back.
Davey then glared at the duo as Jordan continued, "And one more thing, Hacker! When you messed with my friend who is my favorite Pokemon Professor, you messed with me! And since you just messed him with your blackmailing, you've made me really, REALLY ANGRY!"
Seeing her now fiery anger, Bren realized what this means as he saw Davey, who is somehow scared of his cousin.
"Good job, Davey," he laughed. "Looks like you really ticked off my cousin. And trust me, it's not gonna be very pretty!"
Although scared at first, Davey recovered his composure when his computer starts to beep.
"Oh, let's see about that," he secretly grinned.
"Ready, Zeus?," Jordan said, determined.
"Yeah. Time to teach Davey a lesson in payback," Zeus said.
"Right! Let's get online!"
Jordan and Zeus drew their swords and charged at Davey. Davey drew his own dual swords and charged as well. The three collided and began clashing blades with each other. Apparently, Davey was just as good of a swordsman as Jordan and Zeus were combined. Eventually they locked blades and pushed each other away with full force. They then charged in again.
During the battle, the rest of the avatars are still trying to struggle free from the net when they saw Lilith appeared in front of them.
"Need some help?," she asked casually.
"Yeah, help on getting us out of this net and the firewall!," Calla replied.
"Not a problem," Lilith said as she took out a card from her inventory's deck box form. "Activate, -Crystal Sprinkler-!"
The card transformed into a blue watery crystal as Lilith used it to extinguish the firewall. Then she used her rapier to free the avatars from the net.
"And I thought firewalls were more annoying on my laptop!," Aries said as he sighed in , Jordan and Zeus continued to clash swords with Davey. Davey eventually got an opening and kicked Zeus in the gut, sending him flying. Unfortunately, he left himself open to Jordan who knocked his swords out of his hands, used a sweeping kick to take him down, and held her sword to his neck.
"Give up, Davey!," she said. "It's game over for your hacking actions!"
"Au contrair, you're the one who will get a game over!," Davey the holographic computer, he quickly summoned a giant beast covered in corrupted data, which it roars at the Runners.
"Y-You created and modified a monster?!," Jordan gasped in shock.
"Yes, my little secret weapon in eliminating you Runners once and for all! -Run Crusher-, meet the Runners. Runners, meet your doom!"
As the avatars get to the battlefield, they saw the hacked monster roaring at Jordan and Zeus, which they became scared (Aries got scared the most as he hugs Kani in fear in a chibified manner and screams in terror) at it.
"This is bad," Jordan said as she turned to Zeus. "Zeus, do you still remember about the Mirage Pokemon?"
"The ones Dr. Yung used on me, Ash, and his friends?," Zeus answered. "Yes."
"Then I'm afraid to tell you it's got a counterpart along with the Pokemon games' hacked Pokemon! And if I remember correctly about hacked Pokemon, it will have the chances on corrupting the save data."
"Meaning..."
"When my pet touches you Runners, not only your avatar data will be deleted bit by bit, but your minds and hopefully, your bodies with it!," Davey laugh is shocked upon this.
"Cease and desist this monster at once!," Lilith snapped angrily.
"Sorry, you have to talk to -Run Crusher- about that. He hates being kicked out."
Seeing that they are in a tight pinch, Lilith has no choice but to back away from the monster, knowing that it might corrupt her avatar.
"What do we do?," Zeus asked in worry.
Jordan thought for a moment, before she said, "Got it! You keep it busy, I'll try and take it from behind."
"Are you sure about that?"
"No…but it's all I can think of right now."
Zeus then went about with the plan, getting -Run Crusher's- attention. It attacked him with swipes and punches, but Zeus managed to parry each then tried to sneak attack from the monster's behind, but sensing her presence, it quickly grabbed her by the neck.
"Jordan!"
"Stay back!"
Stopping after she shouted at him, Zeus notices her avatar starts to corrode into corrupted data.
"Tell that thing to put her down."
"Not a chance!," Davey sneered. She shouldn't have tried to interfere with my plans, now she must pay! And if any you decide to be stupid and save her, my creation will corrupt your avatar, and then your mind, leaving you a brainless meat puppet. Just like she's gonna become!"
Zeus stood helpless, as he thought, "No, if I try to save her, that hacked monster might go after Lilith and my friends. If I don't, Jordan might be gone forever! I can't! I just..can't!"
"You see, Professor! I always win, and not only you and your friends lose, you're about to lose everything all over again!"
"Jordan, no!" Bren he tries to step in, Kani and Lilith stops him from getting to the monster. "Let me go, I can't just stand and watch, I'm gonna do something!"
"Bren, don't be an idiot!," Kani scolded him.
"Kani's right! We can't lose you, too!,"
"We can't lose Jordan either," Bren protested.
As everyone is trying to stop Bren while Davey laughs and Jordan getting crushed by the -Run Crusher-, everything goes dark as Zeus starts to feel defeat.
"Who am I kidding? Even though it's the Black Tundra's fault my world's invaded, I'm the one who failed to protect those I care about. I'm no Runner, I'm no protector either, I'm just a big phony," Zeus thought.
"Don't listen to him, Z!," Jordan called out weakly. Zeus looks at her. "You are one of the bravest, most selfless people that I know. Don't let this insane jerk make you believe otherwise. Just believe in yourself."
"Silence, you!," Davey sanpped. "Quit wasting breath and you strength! They don't matter. In fact, in a few more seconds you won't even be matter!"
"I'll never give up! Jordan Glacies Waters doesn't surrender to anyone, especially not creeps like you!"
Seeing how courageous Jordan was in the face of her situation, something stirred inside Zeus as he thought, "Wow, even when facing certain death, she's determined to go out trying. Almost like…Ash always was. And if they can stare peril in the eye and keep fighting…then so can I!"
With his -Light Katana- in hand, Zeus stood up, rushed at the -Run Crusher- and with a downward slash he slice it's left arm, tearing it off and freeing Jordan from the corruption, which slowly began to reverse.
Davey, seeing Jordan, who is now free of the corrupted data, shouted, "No, NOOOO!"
"You okay?," Zeus asked as he checked on Jordan.
"Yeah, thanks to you!," she replied.
"No prob. Now let's finish this."
"Took the words right outta my mouth."
Jordan gladly picked up her sword and she and Zeus rapidly sped at the monster and slashed rapidly at it never giving it even a chance to block or counterattack.
"Aqua Freeze Blast!," Jordan cried as she used her sword and staff, to shoot an ice beam at the -Run Crusher- while using both of her weapon to continually slash at it.
"Heaven's Rage!," Zeus shouted as he used his Katana to stab at the sky, which white thunder boomed into the sky as lightning strikes the enemies. When that ended, Zeus charged in with a powerful magic-infused katana, creating a white beam as a result.
The -Run Crusher- was first pushed back by both attacks, but then started to push against the beams.
"Oh-no, they're not powerful enough to completely bring down that monster!," Kani said in realization.
Davey, seeing this, cackled insanely, "You fools! You're nowhere near strong enough to beat my pet."
"Not without a boost, they're not," Layla said as she drew her sword. "Remix Aid!"
She used her Star power to create a music-themed dice that she rolls and lands on a double cleft note she then shoots a beam at Jordan and Zeus. As the beam hit them it suddenly strengthens their attacks by 50% and pushed the monster back again.
Davey, stunned at this, gasped, "What?!"
"Thanks for the boost, Layla!," Jordan thanked her friend.
"Happy to do it!," Layla replied as the Runners kept up the attack driving the -Run Crusher- a few moments, the -Run Crusher- suddenly became destabilized, started to crack and then exploded in a huge shower of corrupted data.
"NOOO! My plan, my creation, ruined!," Davey cried as the data erupted all around them.
Then, Davey is now surrounded by Jordan and Zeus, now angry about his actions.
"How?," he asked Zeus. "How could you, an old man, befriended a bunch of kids after your world you know was seized by the Black Tundra? You were supposed to get guilty or just go into eternal exile."
"You still don't understand, Davey," Jordan said to the hacker. "Like Ash getting new friends whenever he's travelling a new region, Zeus was able to find his own in our world. Someone to not only to trust him and got his back, but who he could trust and have their back in return."
"And my friends and family are not truly gone, they are waiting for me to save them," Zeus pointed out. "And I'm not alone this time. I've got Jordan and all of the others here to help me save them."
Lilith then approached Davey, with handcuffs in hand as she said, "And unfortunately for you, since you got all of the identities of every Runner, I'm afraid I won't let you get away so easily."
Davey quickly pulled out and held up a red portal ball as he grinned and said evilly, "Oh, really?"
Without a word, Lilith pulls out her holographic computer and presses some several buttons, causing his balls and his belongings such as his swords to disperse in data, deleting them, much to Davey's shock.
"Really."
"No, nooooooo! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Davey started to whine very insanely as the security AI took him others surrounded and congratulated Jordan and Zeus for taking down Davey Hacker and his monster.
"Wow, that was incredible!," Itzal praised.
"Yeah, that was totally cool!," Calla complemented
"You guys actually beat that viral beast!," Andre declared in admiration.
"Very impressive!," Layla added in.
"Yeah, even though you totally ditched us, before coming out save us," Bren reminded them.
"I still can't believe it but I'm glad you both actually overcame that corruption of that virus," Kani put in.
"Yeah...I'm glad...we did...," Zeus said as he suddenly , everyone rushed to his aid.
"Are you okay?," Jordan asked, worried.
"Yeah...I'm just...logging out for a second..."
"Oh boy," she said as she turned to the others. "We'd better get back to the real world and check on him."
"Right. Let's log out now," Itzal backed her up.
Jordan cradled Zeus in her arms as she told him, "Hang on Z, we'll be right there."
As he fades out, he saw his friends in the vague forms of his loved ones due to his fading vision right before he fell into unconsciousness.
In Zeus's POV, he heard a familiar voice in the darkness.
"Professor? Professor Oak?," a voice said.
As Zeus opened his eyes, he saw a vague resemblance to Ash.
"A..Ash?," he said.
"Professor! Zeus!," the resemblance said. Zeus completely opened his eyes to see Jordan instead.
"Are you okay?," she said.
As he came to, he notices that not only he's back at the basement cafe and saw Tina with Jordan, but he's also in his real-life form of Professor Oak as well.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"For a minute there, I thought I had to call ambulance by now," Tina said.
"Thanks. But I should ask Jordan the same thing," Oak said.
"Don't worry!," Jordan informed. "No hacked monster can corrupt Crystal Aquilla, the -Quest Queen-!"
"You're just the same as Ash," Oak said with a smile before realizing something. "But what about Davey Hacker?"
"Since we can't let him go to prison with your identities exposed, I asked Jerry along with the Crowd Control Runners to erase his memories before sending him to prison," Tina said.
"Besides, we're supposed to keep our identites as Runners a secret to protect our loved ones," Jordan reminded him.
"Good, that's a relief," Oak sighed. He then noticed his current form. "But can you explain why am I in my real form?"
"I asked Tina to switch you back so the others can see the real you," Jordan said then pointed at Itzal, Calla, Kani, Bren, Andre, and Layla who used Convert Log Out to get to the basement internet cafe, now shocked (except Layla) upon seeing Zeus's real form.
"So that's...," Andre said shocked.
"Zeus's real form?!," Kani, also shocked, finished.
"He's just an wrinkled old geezer!," Bren stated.
Jordan, peeved at Bren, kicks him in the knee, causing him to hobble on one foot in pain.
"Ignore my annoying and unrespecting cousin," she quipped.
"Man, and just I was starting to like you more than a friend," Calla, said shocked and a bit disgusted. She brushed it off and said, "Oh well, there's plenty more fish in the sea."
"So this is why I've never been able to keep up with you," Bren said in realization. "I was fighting against an experienced old timer. But you still pretty cool, man."
"Well, I must say I'm surprised we have someone who's really "so old" working with us," Kani stated. "No offense."
"None taken," Oak said.
"Wow, I always knew there was something familiar about you," Itzal said. "I could feel it in my bones."
"Wow, that just…totally…wow," Andre said not knowing what to say about the revelation.
"Hey, with me and everyone on your side, those Black Tundra guys will say "Uncle" before they knew it!," Jordan told Oak.
"Yeah. The World Organization of Human Protections fights to protect innocent lives and I'll intend to do just that," Itzal added.
"And don't worry, we will free you world and your loved ones. That's a promise," Calla said with determination.
Oak, touched by all this, said, "Well thank you. Thank you all."
Bren, sensing the time for jokes, then said, "Now that's settled, why don't we talk about Jordan's middle name, Glacies! Talk about a real girly name!"
Jordan, now angry, snapped, "Bren, it's not girly! It's has a meaning to my water abilities, you know."
"Yeah water, which is a totally girly and appropriate attribute for you, cuz. And it's ironic since you love to act and dress like a bo–"
Jordan then tackles Bren down and begins to beat him up severely. Bren grunts from the blows and pain as everyone watches.
The next day at school, the group (including Zeus in his Runner form) walked through the halls together. Some of the students saw Calla walking with them and started, pointing, laughing and calling her names again. To their shock, Calla didn't seem phased by it at all, as she continued to walk without even paying attention to them.
"Wow, Calla. You're taking this even better than before," Bren said.
"Seeing Zeus yesterday makes me learn one thing, with you guys by my side, no one can stop me," Calla told her friends
"And just in case, we asked Jerry to searched something for us," Itzal said.
"Huh? What is it?," Jordan asked.
"You'll see," he replied with a playful smirk.
"Hopefully, she will later learn of karma," Calla put in.
Moments later, every students phone rang or beeped, causing them to take them out and look to see they had a message. They looked at message to see it was a video of a several years' younger Lena walking through the hall of a mall with Sierra and two other girls. Lena was busy texting and talking about her new purse that she wasn't looking where she was going, as she headed towards the fountain. Suddenly, she tripped over the fountain's barrier and fell face first into the seeing this, everybody in the school laughed out loud. The Runners, and Andre and Layla laughed the hardest.
"Looks like Jerry found something."
"I remember this. The most embarrassing moment of her life!" said as she laughed.
Suddenly, they heard a scream. They turned to see Lena with Sierra and her posse. They had all gotten the video of Lena's accident and Lena was humiliated and angry. Upon seeing Lena, the students all pointed and laughed as they did with Calla.
"Hey look, it Ms. Fountain Head!," One student said.
"Hey, Lena! Mind taking a picture with you falling into the nearby fountain?!," shouted another
"Hey Fountain Baker! Where do you want to dunk your head next?," called a , looking at everyone who laughed at her, suddenly realizes who leaked the video
"Calla! When I find her she's so DEAD!" she screamed as she ran off crying.
"So it looks like karma found her after all!," Zeus said.
"See told you it would work out in the end!," Jordan said to Calla.
"Wow, thank you Jordan! Thank you, all of you!," Calla said. The eight kids all then shared a big group hug.
At Jordan's house at night, Jordan is fiddling her RunCom at her bedroom in determination.
"Alright, stay cool, J," she said to herself. "If you fail, you'll never forgive yourself. Well, here goes!"
She presses the -CALL- key, which activates the Com Holo-Link function. After a few seconds of ringing, someone replies.
"Hello? Jordan?," Itzal said on his RunCom
"Uh, h-h-hi Itz!," she said nervously. "I-I'm just wondering if you're free tomorrow?"
"Yeah, there's no spy missions tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"Well, then…uh…I wondering if you'd…like to…"
"Hang out at the arcade? Sure, I was gonna ask you later!
"Really?," she asked in shock.
"I'll meet you there tomorrow afternoon. Bye!"
After Itzal hangs up, Jordan froze for a few seconds, shocked at what he said to her. When she came to, she screams in joy.
"YEEEEEESSSSSSS!," she shouted excitedly as she started to jump on her bed. "I GOT A DATE! I GOT A DATE!"
Suddenly her father's voice from downstairs cut her celebration short.
"Jordan! Could you come down here for a second?"
"What for?"
"Your tutor is here!"
Jordan groaned as she left her room and heading downstairs. Upon reaching the living room, she was stunned to discover that her tutor was…
"Professor Oak?," she said to herself.
"Hello, Ms. Waters."
"This is Mr. Sonny Olens," Ricky said. "He's going to be your tutor for Literature."
"I see," Jordan said. "Can I have a word with my tutor please, Daddy?"
With that she took Oak by the arm and pulls him into the kitchen. Once there, she snapped at Oak, "What are you playing at?"
"I figured that since I'm a poet, I could help your literature problem," Oak said. "But since your father distrusts my avatar form, I figure my real form will be better trusted. Plus, since you want to help me save my world, at least I can help you pass Literature in return."
"Really?"
"Really."
"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me," Jordan said as she hugged Oak. "I so glad you are the first friend I made since I moved here."
Just then, an alarm sounded, and security system activated, sending out two tasers that shocked them both. Ricky hearing the alarm and screams rushed into the kitchen, and quickly entered the shutdown code on the system's keypad.
"Sorry, that was just the security system I installed to keep that Starr kid from becoming Jordan's tutor," he said as he left the room.
"Maybe I should just tell him as Zeus that I have no such interest in you," Oak once again suggested.
"Won't work, remember?," Jordan reminded him. "Like I said before, he's practically paranoid about every boy that comes around me, except for Bren, and my big brother Conway."
"But I can't stay in this form in your house forever. How can we convince your father to like me?"
Suddenly, they heard a woman's scream outside the kitchen and when they entered the living room to see what happened, they saw Vina hanging down from the ceiling thanks to the security system.
"RICKY!," Vina screamed angrily for her husband.
Jordan, seeing this, said with a smile, "Well, we can't change Dad's mind about you, but he can change his mind about the security system once he sees my Mom hanging out."
Ricky then came into the living room and was shocked to see his wife hanging upside down.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, honey!," he apologized over and over as he tried to get her down from the ceiling. "This thing is supposed to only target that Starr kid."
"Listen here, buster!" Vina growled. "Either, this security system is gone by tomorrow, or you'll be going to sleep on the couch every night for the next entire year! Get the picture?!
Ricky, with a nervous sweat, said somberly, "Yes, sweetheart."
"Looks like he's in the Houndour house now," Oak quipped at Jordan.
"Yep, you said it, Professor," Jordan answered back
The two then laughed as they saw Jordan's dad continue to try to get her mom down.
A/N: So readers, the secret is out at last: Zeus is actually Professor Oak from the Pokemon world! And no, this is not a joke! It's a fact for our story. So what do you think of the twist? Are you shocked about it? Surprised? Astonished? What?
Leave your thoughts about it in a review, and stay tuned to this plus the Project Arcanum teasers, because there is a whole lot more Universal Runners to come! Until next time, read and review!