The next day dawned.

Today, the weather had decided to show a beautiful sunshine in the sky, which was accompanied only by a few individual clouds. The two lombaxes still lay together on their cuddly mattress. Ratchet had ordered a bigger bed since Rivet moved in, so there was room for everyone, and of course he bought the most comfortable mattress in town. The orange one slowly got up. It seemed that the sun had woken him up, but something else had tickled his nose.

Rivet's fluffy tail.

It was not intentional on her part this time, but it always happened that the rebel tickled his nose on purpose. Ratchet always found it secretly funny and besides, this piece of fur was so soft and cuddly that he could literally snuggle up to it. And that's what he was doing now. Through the petting, however, Rivet herself began to awaken from the land of dreams as she felt someone nuzzle through her tail and looking back, she saw the culprit. "Hey...stop that," the white Lombax lady gave out with a laugh. It tickled quite a bit.

"So...fluffy..." was the only thing you could hear from Ratchet, whose face was covered in all that fur. In one move, Rivet's tail pulled up and playfully smacked it against the hero's head.

"Haha, it's like a cloud is attacking me," he straightened up with Rivet, giving her a good morning kiss before then both strode towards the bathroom to get ready. First there was a shower, then the teeth were brushed and finally they put on their respective bathrobes for the moment. Both lovers strode to the kitchen, which was already filled by the little robots Clank and Kit.

"Good morning, you two. Are you well," the silver one filled two cups with coffee, which Ratchet and Rivet gratefully accepted and joined their best friends, "Yes, we slept well." "I certainly hope so," Kit approached and gently placed her hands on the respective shoulders of the two lombaxes. Surprised by this gesture, they thought nothing more of it, as both found it very nice of Kit to approach.

The little yellow robot made real progress when it came to interacting with others.

"Kit...it's okay, you can stop petting me now," Rivet stated with a laugh, which also gave the little one a giggle.

"So what are we doing today," Clank sat down in his chair and read through a newspaper. It had the usual stuff written on it, but also about the situation with the extremists, which also worried the silver robot, "Ratchet, those crazed machines are starting to worry me." "Saw something on the news again yesterday," the hero finished his cup before returning to a cheeky grin, "What, you want to join them, pal?"

"Hmhm...maybe," they both laughed in response before Clank then broke into that old familiar laugh again, "Let's hope it doesn't get worse. We'd have to go shopping, by the way. A few products are on super sale."

"All right, let's go all four of us then," the lombaxes and robots got up to get ready in their respective rooms, "Hey, Clank! Of course I was kidding about you joining them. Besides I'm not sure if they would let you in as an old chosen one of the Zoni."

"Chosen one," Rivet raised her eyebrow questioningly, causing both heroes to laugh again, "Oh, that's a loooong story."

The morning was slowly coming to an end. The four heroes of the dimensions stepped out of a store, where they had bought their groceries. Ratchet and Rivet lugged the bulk of the bags, while the little bots each carried only a small bag. "Hey, why do we have to be the ones lifting!"

"I got the coriander," Kit said innocently, which gave the silver one a big grin. Not because of Kit's statement, but that she had used that very thing as an argument, "Oh come on you two. Just a few more stores and we'll be done. Rivet I thought you still needed some new pant..."

"Not so loud in public, though, Bolts!"

Rivet hissed out this sentence before both her face and Ratchet's turned red in embarrassment and now both robots had to laugh again. "Then we'll get that done next. I know a store that has great deals," the orange one led the three. The heroes strode a few meters further through downtown Megalopolis. Some other aliens were also out in formal crowds, but it had fortunately not been much of an obstacle for the lombaxes. They came upon a park where there was a row of memorial statues. These were old heroes from Megaploolis' past who defended the planet back in the day, and Rivet also surveyed the old works well.

"Every time I go through them, they're always so clean," the Rebel admitted. Next to her, other aliens were staring at the souvenirs, where her beloved now also turned to the white lombax, "Yes. Each one of them defended the planet back then." The four friends stood in front of the statues for a while, until Ratchet decided to move on so that they could finish today. Clank and the others followed the lombax before the silver robot heard something ringing in his hearing aids.

"Is that...a beeping?"

Then a huge explosion sounded. The lombaxes just managed to cover their friends while the citizens ran away in panic. The statues were blown to pieces and unfortunately some in the area were injured by it. "What the hell was that," came shooting out of the rebel when she saw the chaos. But worst of all was the sight of the injured civilians, which made Rivet clench her fist, "Whoever is responsible for this will pay!"

"You can tell him that right now," Ratchet turned her head to a hill where a robot with a remote detonator was standing. The red bot pocketed the remote again and then caught sight of the four heroes standing back up.

"Ratchet...this is the leader of the terrorists!"

"I prefer freedom fighters," Kettil looked in with menacing eyes at the small robots still standing next to the lombaxes, "You really betray your kind! These meatbags were a sign of oppression for all the robots who died at the hands of their blasters!"

"...One of those heroes was a robot too, you moron," Rivet admitted with her cheeky grin, which made Ratchet chuckle as well.

"That meeting fits right now," the red one crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I was looking for you anyway!" "Sir, there must be a peaceful way for your demands to be met. No one has to get hurt," Clank tried desperately to reason with the extremist, who just shrugged it off with a laugh, "There's only one way, and that's to get the meatbags on their knees. And now lookl..." Kettil made some room for someone to land next to Him, and the heroes already saw a second robot flying towards them.

"There's an old friend who would like to meet you again!"

The second one landed next to Kettil. It was much wider than the red one and white in color. The red optics were now staring in at the two heroes of this dimension, but Ratchet and Rivet couldn't recognize anything, "Hm...he doesn't tell me anything, you Rivet?" "I don't know him either," the two furry aliens continued to wonder who that robot was, until then Clank took a close look at the bot. The more he scanned the machine with his eyes, the more info there was on Him. Suddenly, the silver one's eyes snapped open in shock until it came to him like a prophecy.

"Ratchet, this is Victor von Ion!"

"W..WHAT," now the lombax also recognized some features to the older look of the general. The latter, however, stared at the hero's little companion with a hateful glare, before his deep voice behind the mask rang out again, "...Malfunction!" Then his chest plates opened up, housing missiles, all of which shot in at the four of them. "OH SHIT," Rivet reacted quickly, dropping the bags and throwing herself to the side along with Ratchet, Clank, and Kit until the hail of missiles ended. Victor jumped down from the hill and ran at the four like a raging bull. With a force, he swept both lombaxes into his upper arms and threw them against the nearest van. The rebuilt general turned around where Clank and Kit were still standing and now slowly approached the two, "Your girlfriend here won't protect you from me!" And so Victor pulled out his familiar energy blades, but instead of blue they were now red.

"No doubt anymore...it's really Victor," the silver one stood protectively in front of Kit, who was still gathering herself.

"HEY," a scream drew his attention before a cold splash of water hit his face. Ratchet had to destroy a water dispenser, but now he and Rivet directed the liquid in the direction of the large robot, "That should knock him out. He's vulnerable to water!" But nothing happened. Ratchet and Clank became more nervous as Victor still didn't start rusting and even raised his claws in front of his face in boredom, "Hehe, that's no good now, furball!"

"But...", another punch followed, but this one luckily missed and both lombaxes ran past the big warbot. They grabbed their little friends and took cover again. The civilians began to run away in panic at the sight of Victor slowly approaching the lombaxes, who were still going over a battle plan. "He's immune to water now! What on earth did those terrorists do to make him alive again?" the duo of this dimension didn't understand anything anymore, but not as little as your two counterparts, "Who the heck is this guy?"

"Well...", that's as far as Clank got. Victor had found them and threw away the hover car, behind which the four took cover, forming a fiery explosion and potentially hurting more people. "Shit," the lombaxes dodged the blade swing before scattering again. The pair each pulled out their blasters and fired in at the larger one, who was able to block the bullet thanks to his new armor. "He got a whole new upgrade to go with it," Ratchet and Rivet now went into close combat. The omniwrench and Hammer swung loose, but their opponent was able to block them and then pinned the rebel to the ground with his iron foot. "RIVET," Ratchet but now felt the iron grip around his neck before his eyes were brought up to the General's eye level. "Say, Lombax! Do you recognize me NOW?" the air was squeezed out of the hero as he tried to free himself from the grip.

"No one cared who I was. To everyone I was just Drek's goon, but now that the mask has been put on me you will realize who Victor von Ion REALLY is," his grip tightened, and the orange one almost couldn't breathe, "But first I must destroy you. Otherwise I will not find a peaceful sleep!" And then, at the moment when it already looked almost dark for Ratchet, Victor suddenly let go of the hero. His foot felt something else made of iron give a scrape, which made the warbot stagger backwards. Rivet had used her prosthetic and then finally helped Ratchet back up, who gasped for air. "I never thought I'd see a second lombax in this galaxy," Victor stood before the lovers again, under which the white one began to grin again, "And I never thought I'd see such an ugly robot as you!"

"Let's see how you look...when I pop your skull out," like a bull he ran again, but this time the heroes dodged and fired away with their blasters. The general turned wildly and now also activated a blaster on his right bracer, which returned fire. The lombaxes dodged and took cover again, but Kit jumped off Rivet's back, "What are you doing?"

"Teaching him a lesson," the furry ones were targeted again. Victor stood in front of them again and activated both energy blades from his arms and held them to the lombaxes' necks, "Come on! Make a move! I dare you!"

"HEY," and a huge fist hit the white robot.

Victor was thrown with full force a few meters away and against a large vehicle. When he opened his optics and some sparks escaped his body, he looked at the yellow robot, which was now not so small. Kit had transformed into her warbot form and was pointing all weapons at the white robot, which despite being outnumbered was currently getting ready to fight. However, the loud roar of a machine could be heard in the sky. The Manowar flew past the heroes, fired a few lasers as a warning, and hovered near the general. Kettil could be seen on the hatch, yelling after his new partner, "Quick! We'll fight them another day!" And so the big one gave in. Victor activated his boots and flew toward the ship, picking up the renewed robot.

His last glance, however, met the two lombaxes and a new plan hatched in his skull.

At full speed, the Manowar pulled into orbit around the planet, gathering her power again. "That was a close one, but well fought brother," Kettil shook hands with the white one, which he accepted, "They seem like a strong team though...and I think they got something going on, hehe." "And that's why I have a plan," Victor sat down on one of the cockpits before the other bots stared at him curiously.

"I'm sure you know that any heart can be broken apart!"

The Heavy Vikings understood immediately. "That's your plan? Sounds simple enough," Pluto crossed his arms as he watched the white one stand up again, "But for that, I need Ratchet's data...and lots of money!"

"Why don't you send me for the money," Gunar stepped forward, only to have his boss Kettil cut him off, "No...you know EXACTLY why I don't send you on missions like that!"

"Okay, dad," gave the robot with the green hair sarcastic out, before the red one spoke up again, "Widar! Land on Megalopolis and get a bunch of bolts. If the lombaxes get in your way, fight them off!"

"YES, I WANNA PLAY," the blue colossus with the different sized arms hopped around wildly before heading for the pod. Kettil just grinned. While the blue one had the IQ of a toddler, he was also very powerful in terms of strength, which would make this one a dangerous opponent for the Lombaxes. Widar got into the capsule before Marit activated the ignition and stared at the cyclops again, smiling.

"Okay, Widar! Go play and come back with lots of bolts!"