Round 1: Neighborhood Nightmares

"CHARGE!"

With sugar and adrenaline rushing through their veins, the boys rushed into the storm. The herd of monsters quickly took notice and advanced on the two, fangs, claws, and talons barred.

With pinpoint accuracy, Lincoln and Clyde opened fire.

Gumballs petted a flock of vampires, chocolate bars pounded a pack of werewolves, and malt balls besieged a cackling caravan of witches. With a poof, they all vanished into nothing.

"On your left!" Clyde yelled.

Lincoln spun and caught a sneaky goblin as it was about to pounce, bombing him with bonbons. With a shriek, he was gone.

"Watch your head!"

Clyde ducked, just in time to avoid a blow from a haunted tree. He lobbed a sugar grenade into its open mouth and it was no more.

An ear-piercing screech came from above.

"Hit the deck!"

They dove for the ground, huge bat talons and fangs snapping just above their heads. Unsheathing their licorice swords, the boys sprang up and slashed the beasts, turning them back into birds.

"Back to back!"

Fighting back to back, the boys mowed down an entire congregation of monsters, leaving the street littered with plastic skeletons, bed sheet ghosts, and tacky lawn gnomes. Sugar Bomb Grenades went flying as fiery hellhounds turned back into docile pet dogs and killer robots morphed into compact cars and vans. Licorice swords sliced through an entire zombie horde like hot knives through butter.

"Look out!"

They jumped aside as a massive spiked club smashed the ground, it's owner a 20-foot-tall hairy giant. It started to pull the weapon out of the ground for a second attack, but the boys were too quick. Jumping onto the club, they ran up the giant's arms, leaped over its head, and drove their swords down its back. Howling in pain, the giant collapsed and poofed away.

"HEEEEEEELP!" Up the block, Lori's friends Whitney and Becky were being dragged away by bloodthirsty ghouls.

"Hang on girls!" The boys fired on their captors, turning them to dust and freeing the captive princesses. "Thank you!" They blew kisses, causing the boys to blush.

"MOMMY! MAKE THEM GO AWAY!" Poor little Darcy cried into her parents' arms as a crowd of evil clowns circled them.

"Cover your eyes!" The clowns honked and squealed as they were pelted with sweets, vanishing forever. Wiping her tears, the giraffe girl waved to her saviors. "Thank you Misters!"

"God bless you!" her mom added.

"AWWWWWOOOOOOO!" A werewolf howled as it raced down the street, a goth bride in its arms. "I'm actually okay with this," Haiku sighed, looking dreamily into the fierce, golden eyes of her captor. "Get your paws off her!" One shot from Clyde's gun and the beast was gone.

"Sigh," Haiku walked off, gloomy as ever. "I knew I should've stuck to vampires."

"Lincoln, this… is… amazing!" Clyde squealed with excitement. "We really are heroes!" "The real Ace and Jack would be proud," his friend agreed. "Hey, look who it is!"

"WE'RE NEVER CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN AGAIN!" High school bullies Hank and Hawk were running around, being chased by a giant-

"Blarney?"

"Moo goes the cow, oink goes the pig/Watch me do me Irish jig," the giant children's dinosaur sang, it's arms outstretched for a hug.

The boys stopped in their tracks and burst out laughing.

"You're-you're afraid… of BLARNEY?!" Clyde wheezed.

"HE RUINED OUR FIFTH BIRTHDAY!" The bullies wailed. "STAY BACK, WE DON'T WANT TO HUG YOU!"

Clyde nudged Lincoln, "Should we save them?"

"As long as we promise never to let them forget this."

"Deal."

They fired on the dinosaur and it poofed into… a guy in a Blarney costume.

"AHHHHHH!" The bullies shrieked and ran off. "HE'S REAL!"

"Thanks!" the Blarney guy waved to the boys before walking away.

"Okay, fun's over." Lincoln pointed forward. The dirt path to the festival was up ahead. In the distance, they could see the lit-up fairgrounds.

"Time to save my family."