An Unwritten Dress Code Season 1

by leobkenn

Antoine Depardieu has been on the run since getting targeted, for tickling, by Don Karnage (kar-naj). And his friends want him home safe and sound. But Don Karnage makes it his ultimate mission to rid the Disney and Sonic Universes of the pant-less trend, set by Donald Duck. How will he plan to do it? And can anyone convince him otherwise?

Episode 1

The Most Judged Book Cover

Sonic, Tails, and Sally Acorn were roasting chili dogs over a weekend bonfire. And they had several different Disney heroes for company. Monterey Jack, Baloo the Bear, Chip & Dale, Darkwing Duck, and even triplets, Hewey, Dewey, and Louie. "This sure is a nice change of pace," Hewey remarked.

"I'm sure glad Uncle Donald is allowing for it," added Louie.

"Not to mention the ever romantic presence to Sonic," said Sally.

"A fire, like this, is better than the atmosphere of Louie's," remarked Baloo.

"It's as awesome as a birthday party," remarked Dale.

That was when Tails shifted gears. "Sonic, you've been awfully quiet lately. Is there something on your mind?"

"Yes, Tails," answered Sonic. "There is something on my mind. I've been subscribed to Antoine's video diary. And he's been on the run for a year and a half, because Don Karnage wanted to forcefully tickle him."

"Antoine might be clumsy," replied Tails. "but I don't think he deserves to be tickled by force."

"Yeah, Sonic," Sally cut in. "Why would anyone out there want to harm him?"

Sonic got a little nervous. "He said somewhere in his diary that he was wanted for not wearing pants."

"No wonder Don Karnage hates me so badly!" exclaimed Baloo.

"But some of his lackeys haven't always worn pants," Dewey pointed out.

Baloo was still unnerved. "He deliberately went for dumb ones so they'd never realize it was slavery."

"But it hasn't been slavery in three long years," Tails pointed out. "He and his lackeys gave up being pirates to become acrobats."

"Whatever, Tails," remarked Hewey. "We're just not gonna stand for that kind of rejection."

"That's right, Hewey," replied Sonic with enthusiasm. "We're gonna start a campaign to get Antoine home without so much as a scratch. Who's with me?"

Everyone around the fire all raised their hands.

"That's settled then," said Sonic. "We're gonna get started on the campaign first thing tomorrow."

The following morning, on the Mississippi River, in Greenville, on his own yacht, Don Karnage (Kar-naj) woke up and turned on the news. What he saw was his biggest annoyance since Baloo had infiltrated the Iron Vulture. "We begin, this morning, with a totally modern case of discrimination. The underrated Sonic the Hedgehog character, Antoine Depardieu has been on the run for a solid year and a half under the threat of forceful tickling, and now, his friends want him home again. Jill has the latest."

The news coverage switched to a protest, involving Sonic, himself, Tails, Sally, Monterey Jack, Darkwing Duck, the duo of Chip and Dale, Baloo the Bear, Fat Cat, Duck triplets, Hewey, Dewey, and Louie, and even Trader Moe campaigning out loud with clear signs in their hands. "Who do we want home?!" shouted Baloo.

"Antoine Depardieu!" shouted everyone else.

"What's our plan from there?!" shouted Trader Moe.

"Safe and sound!" shouted everyone else.

"I never thought those stupid 'heroes' would take it that far," remarked Don Karnage out loud.

That was when Jill cut in. "A protest the first of its political category. The villains want to punish the victim for following the no pants trend, set by Donald Duck. And the heroes fully resent it."

A shot from Antoine's video diary came right up on screen. "I arrived yesterday from Las Vegas, Nevada, and I'm trying my very hardest to stay out of sight of these tremble-some street fuels."

Jill came on again, voice only. "Antoine, the victim out there, has been keeping a video diary to stay in touch with his friends and unfailingly interacting with them in the comments. But the threat of forceful tickling still looms. The criminal who's launched that threat has been chasing him by both land and air, indicating that he has a pilot's license. And rumors have it that he uses his tickle machine for disciplinary action. If you have any information, please reach out to us on Facebook. Reporting live, I'm Jill on ABC Action News."

Don Karnage immediately picked up his phone and texted his best friend, Megavolt. "Megavolt, I have an important mission to discuss with you. All cartoon improvement depends on it. Meet me for lunch, at noon, at the Downtown Grille."

Megavolt texted right back. "You got it, your daringness."

With that, Karnage got up, brushed his teeth, and made himself some pancakes for breakfast. But while he took it easy at the snack bar, his enemies continued protesting hard. "Who do we want safe and sound?!" shouted Sonic in front of the U.S. Capital Building.

"Antoine Depardieu!" shouted the rest of the protesters.

"What do we want him safe from?!" shouted Baloo.

"Forceful tickling!" shouted his allies.

The riot squad showed up, but Sonic had an idea. "Stand back, everyone. I'm gonna get them." "No, Sonic!" cried Sally. "It's too risky!" But it was too late. He went to full steam ahead and ran circles around the cops, stripping them down to their underwear. Next thing they knew, countless people were stopping left and right to snap photos of them. From there, it only got worse. The Secret Service stepped in, but not even they could capture Sonic. One agent grabbed Trader Moe by the snout, but Sonic tickled him loose. Another agent tackled Sally to the ground, but Trader Moe bit him on the upper arm. And while Secret Service medics rushed to his aid, Baloo, Monterey, Sonic, and the rest of the friends took off running to plot their next move.

While Baloo continued his involvement in the campaign planning, Don Karnage was just heading out the door. He secured his yacht, took off in his chopper, and flew to the Downtown Grille as promised. "Antoine, we're out to get you," he declared out loud. After taking just a few short minutes to enjoy the aerial view of Greenville, he landed safely on the roof, secured his grappling hook, rappelled to the ground, and took the whole rope with him. He then, went inside and took a seat.

Moments later, he was approached by a two-foot-tall raccoon, in mechanic overalls. "Mind if I join you?"

"Be my guest," Don Karnage encouraged.

The raccoon took a seat. "I understand you have a pilot's license."

"I sure do," answered Karnage. "By the way, where do you know me from?"

"That, I can't easily forget," remarked the little raccoon. "You defeated me in an aerobatic tournament ten months ago."

Episode 2

An Initial Meeting

"Now, I remember," remarked Don Karnage. "You're Rocket Raccoon! And I have to admit, you were nothing shy of exceptional. Far better than big, fat Baloo. Come to think of it, where's Groot?"

"Groot's right here in the storage dimension," answered Rocket and pulled him right from the file, making min appear right next to Karnage.

Groot carried out his universal greeting. "I am Groot."

Before the chat went any further, Karnage heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Don Karnage, I see you brought some additional friends along." It was Megavolt.

"My fine friend," said Don Karnage. "Let's all order something and discuss our mission. Rocket, Groot, the two of you reportedly have just the right skills, so this mission is for you, too. And there's just as much in it for you. $10,000 each."

"That sounds like a sizable paycheck," remarked Rocket.

"And it is," Megavolt encouraged.

After all four orders were taken, Don Karnage gave everyone the lowdown. "Okay, guys here's the matter at hand. Protagonists who refuse to wear any pants account for about 35% of American sports mascots, which is just what I have against baseball and 40% of American cartoons. That includes most of the ones that Megavolt and I have always faced off against, and our brand new mission is to do away with that entire trend."

"It sounds like you hate baseball more than I do," remarked Rocket. "so no matter Peter Quill's opinion, Groot and I are in."

"And why didn't I think of such a mission?" added Megavolt. "I'm in, too."

"I am Groot," added Groot.

All four orders arrived at their table at once, and Don Karnage continued the briefing. "And if it's any help, I do already have some intel on them. Antoine Depardieu has been on the run for a solid year and a half and has been keeping a video diary on YouTube. If we can catch him or any others, we can tickle torture them for further information. And the one by the name of Monterey Jack has a tremendous weakness for the smell of cheese." And he showed Rocket and Groot Monterey's photo on his smart phone.

"That little guy looks to have a weight problem," Remarked Rocket.

"I am Groot," laughed Groot.

"You sure got him good," remarked Megavolt. "And we still have more at our disposal. I have an electrical superpower. Groot, you're capable of manipulating vegetation, just like Bushroot. Rocket, you have plenty of mechanic and bounty hunting skills. Furthermore, you and Don Karnage both have a pilot's license. If we put it all together and focus, we should be fully able to handle all this."

"Let's do this," replied Don Karnage. "Our first mission is to show them we really mean business. In order to do that, we're gonna duct tape The Rescue Rangers, them being Chip, Dale, and Monterey Jack inside their tree while they're sleeping and plunk them in the river. Rocket, can you fly a chopper?"

"I sure can," Rocket answered with a smile.

"All in," said Don Karnage, putting his hand in the center of the table.

"I'm with you," added Rocket, putting his hand upon Karnage's.

"I am Groot," added Groot, putting his hand over Rocket's.

"Count me right on in," added Megavolt, putting his hand on top.

That night, the Rescue Rangers all said Goodnight to each other, going right to bed. "Goodnight, Gadget," said Dale.

"Goodnight, Chip," said Gadget.

"Goodnight, Monterey," said Chip.

"Goodnight, Dale," said Monterey and all four of them, plus Zipper, were asleep in minutes.

At precisely 1:30 am, All five members awoke the sound of a chopper overhead. Groot sealed them tightly inside their hollow tree hotel. Megavolt hooked up the tree and cut the roots loose, using a chainsaw. And just as assigned, Rocket was flying the chopper. He wasted no time, touching base on his walkie talkie. "Groot, is the tree hooked up tightly?"

"I am Groot!" Exclaimed Groot with enthusiasm.

"Megavolt," asked Rocket. "you think the tree is loose yet?"

"It sure is," Megavolt answered.

Rocket dropped the rope ladder. "Both of you, climb on up and let's do this."

Groot climbed up with Megavolt on his back and away they flew with the tree. "This is the time of our lives," Remarked Megavolt.

"We just have to keep you safe up here in the chopper," urged Rocket.

"Oh, that," remembered Megavolt. "My big weakness."

Just as Rocket was heading out over the river, he spotted a motor home fire and got a crazy idea. "I just came up with a better plan. We can dip the tree in that fire." And he headed straight for it.

"Excellent idea, Rocket," encouraged Megavolt with his brightest smile and turned static. So Rocket rolled up the windows and hovered steadily over the fire. The tree trunk was on fire within 80 seconds, but then, Rocket saw the flashing lights from the fire department. So he took away the burning tree to the other side of the river, but it burned loose from the winch and landed on an occupied kayak.

The following afternoon, the rescue rangers were in the hospital, on respirators. And Sonic, Sally, Baloo, and all the ducks paid them a visit. "What in the world happened to you guys?" Baloo asked anxiously.

Chip spoke through his oxygen mask. "As crazy as it may sound, a helicopter came along, uprooted our tree, and took it to be set on fire."

That was when Trader Moe walked in. "I never thought I'd say this, even, as your new ally, but this traumatizes me."

"You and me, both," Confided Baloo.

"It's affecting all of us," said Sonic, joining in on the group hug.

"I just hope you can all get better," said Hewey.

"Our Uncle Donald will be furious at Mr. Karnage if he ever hears about all this," added Louie.

"More like traumatized," said Sally with dread.

"More likely," said Dale. "the two will go hand in hand."

"We'll recover," said Monterey. "little by little."

When the gang got home to Sonic's place Sally called an urgent meeting. "This is it, everyone. We're gonna have to hire a private detective to track down Antoine and get a hold of him, so we can convince him to come home."

"Just how do you expect to finance a private detective?" asked Darkwing.

"I knew you'd ask that," said Sally. "So I have two of those guys right here." And out stepped two familiar faces, Vector and Espio.

"Vector?" asked Sonic.

"Espio?" gasped Tails.

"That's us," said Vector and Espio together.

"But where's Charmy?" asked Tails.

"Charmy's grounded for setting our neighbors' cars on fire," answered Vector. "but we understand you need our help, tracking down Antoine."

"That's right," replied Sonic. "And we've missed him ever since Don Karnage chased him away."

"And if we get him home safe and sound," Espio continued. "it'll be $3,500."

"How will we ever afford that?" questioned Tails.

"It sounds like we'll need an installment plan," answered Darkwing Duck.

"I'm afraid we can't settle on that," replied Vector. "but there is still a way. Shadow the Hedgehog is hosting a blasting contest, to demolish North Branch Correctional Institution, with a cash prize of $800,000"

"And Vector and I need three additional teammates for our team in it," added Espio.

"If you successfully help us win," declared Vector. "we'll track down Antoine free of charge. If we fail to do so, whichever three of you joined our demolition team get to keep our share of the cash prize. How's that for a bargain?"

Episode 3

Demolition Day Act I

"I'll do it with you," answered Tails.

"Count me in, too," added Darkwing.

"I'll be in it third," said Baloo.

"And we have our team," declared Vector. "Tails, you'll be operating our mobile crane to lift all charges of dynamite, not only over the fence, but to the roof and high walls. Darkwing, Baloo, you'll both be drilling and loading the holes. Espio, you'll need to be Tails' second set of eyes. And I'll be the one to coordinate our whole operation. Now, get your bags packed and meet me at the local airstrip."

While Tails, Darkwing, and Baloo were packing for the flight, Don Karnage was already on his way in his chopper. "Well, Megavolt. Are you looking forward to finally destroying something?"

"You bet I am," Megavolt answered with confidence.

Rocket was sitting in the back, with Groot. "I've been behind bars, myself, so destroying such a place sounds like an absolute dream come true even if we lose."

"I am Groot," added Groot.

"Better yet," added Karnage. "I've sent one of my many gas trucks there to keep us fueled, and Shadow promised to provide us, as a team, two truck loads of wireless dynamite."

When Karnage and his allies landed, they were welcomed by a fireworks display and a sinister smile on Shadow's face. "Welcome! Welcome, Team Karnage! I've been expecting you. Loded Diper is already here and can't wait to take you on. And Team Chaotix should be here any minute now. So just go to the station with your team name on it and just make yourselves at home. In fact, I moved your gas trailer over there."

Just as Don Karnage and his allies were about to fly over to their station, a mobile crane pulled up. Open came the door. Out stepped Vector. He opened up the cargo compartment. And out tumbled Tails, Espio, Darkwing, and Baloo. "Man, that was a cramped ride," Baloo remarked.

"Not to mention sweaty," added Darkwing.

That was when Shadow used the intercom. "All contestants, please report to Shadow the Hedgehog. All contestants, please report to Shadow the Hedgehog."

Team Chaotix made their way over, and Darkwing Duck was relieved, but Vector was still tired from the long drive. "Espio, do you think you can coordinate the first couple hours of this while I take a nap?"

"I'll give it a shot," Espio answered.

Once everyone was gathered around, Shadow filled them in on the contest. "Here's the lowdown, everyone. The idea of this whole contest is to plant as much wireless dynamite as possible where you believe it'll do the very most destruction. I've sealed off all eight lookout towers, so none of you face an attack from any of the guards. I'll be detonating every pinch of dynamite at the precise end of this contest, whether you have it in place or not. You can choose to drill holes for it or not. Each team has been assigned a very equal section of the prison to demolish. And after I've detonated it all, the team who did the very most damage to their section wins an $800,000 cash prize. Any questions?"

Baloo raised his hand.

"Yes, Baloo," said Shadow.

"How big is the second prize?" Baloo asked.

"Second prize is precisely $120,000," answered Shadow. "But there won't be a third prize. Everyone, your 24 hours starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Don Karnage started his chopper right up. "Rocket, Groot, Megavolt, get in and I'll take you to our station to load up."

All three teammates did so, and all four members flew to their station in a flash. "Let's get it popping," encouraged Megavolt.

Don Karnage hovered just in front of his team's station and gave further instructions in a hurry. "Rocket, Groot, load 80 rounds into the chopper's back seat and take a break until it's your stint. Megavolt, grab the drill."

Megavolt plugged the drill into the chopper's electrical outlet, attached the oversize drill bit, and tested it to see of it was working properly. Happily, it was, so he clipped four sticks of dynamite onto his tool belt, grabbed his equipped drill, and climbed down the chopper's rope ladder. "Megavolt plunging for duty!" And while Karnage hovered in place, he began drilling the holes and loading the charges. Once he had the first four sticks of dynamite in place, he climbed up again, clipped four more onto his belt, and climbed down again.

While Don Karnage and Megavolt were hard at work, Rocket and Groot were watching Antoine's video diary with amusement. "Sonic, Tails, Sally," said Antoine. "If any of you are watching this, please message me privately to arrange an escape plan. I'm telling you, if a bounty hunter catches me out here, I'm doomed. Doomed, I tell you!"

"Did you hear that, Groot?" laughed Rocket. "Antoine's not afraid to go without pants, but he's paranoid of bounty hunters like you and me!"

"I am Groot," laughed Groot.

"I agree, Groot," confided Rocket. "90% of his diary pages are hilarious the way he's petrified." Then, he used his walkie talkie. "Hey Megavolt," he said. "Have you seen any of Antoine's video diary? It's hilarious."

Megavolt came in quickly. "Have I seen it? I've actually been subscribed to it incognito to help track him down and tickle him as Don Karnage and I have been planning for a year and a half. And like he told you in our first meeting, that's only the beginning." And with that, he went right on to his next four drills and fills.

While Team Karnage was well in focus, Baloo was in pain. "Vector," he said over his walkie talkie. "Both my arms are aching from drilling all these holes."

Vector didn't show Baloo much mercy. "Baloo, do you have a better bargain, in mind, for the detective work you want me and Espio to do?"

"Maybe I can haul cargo for you," Baloo suggested.

Vector got annoyed. "Hauling cargo is a B2B service like industrial construction! Espio and I are not the target market. Now, carry on with the dynamite placement!"

"Vector has a point," said Darkwing. "It's like I've always told Gosalyn. If it weren't for work ethic, we'd have no bargain with Vector or Espio at all." And he moved right on to his next drill and fill.

Espio got on the walkie talkie, himself. "Tails, move the bucket a little to the right."

"Yes, Espio," said Tails and did so.

The fussing continued. "Please, Vector. The more I drill, the more my arms hurt."

"You have a job to do anyway," Vector insisted and loaded more sticks of dynamite into the bucket on the end of the crane.

"Come on, Vector," nagged Baloo. "I just need one little break."

That was when Darkwing stepped in. "Baloo, if we lose time, we lose a huge battle. Now put your back into it!"

"If I put too much of my back into it," whined Baloo. "I'll have decades of back pain."

"That's just a chance we have to take," replied Espio. "and fighting about it is gonna cost us time."

"But Espio," nagged Baloo. "I'm already feeling the effects."

"The effects will be 50 times worse if we lose this contest," replied Darkwing, more annoyed than before.

The more Baloo made a fuss, the more Rocket was amused. "Team Chaotix just doesn't know how to manage any diligent endurance like we do."

"I am Groot," laughed Groot.

"Too bad they can't electrify Baloo to make him more alert," remarked Megavolt over his walkie talkie.

"Don't forget, though," added Don Karnage. "We can't mess around with explosives."

While Karnage continued flying the chopper, Megavolt dangled below on the cable, drilling and filling one hole after another, after another. "All we have to do is focus and persist, and we totally got this."

20 minutes later, Don Karnage landed right outside of his team's station. "Groot, load up the next bushel of dynamite and get on the end of the cable. Megavolt, take a break. Rocket, fill it up and take the stick for your first stint."

Episode 4

Demolition Day Act II

"You got it, Captain," said Rocket and immediately stuck the nozzle in. 45 seconds later, he had it all filled up, put the cap back on, grabbed the controls, and took off with Groot dangling on the end with the drill. In fact, that was who he addressed on his two way radio. "Groot, are you ready to plant some bombs?"

"I am Groot!" replied Groot, firing up the drill.

"That's the spirit, Groot," encouraged Rocket and flew over to the opposite end of his team's section from where Don Karnage had already been planting dynamite. "This it it, Mr Karnage. If the middle of our section gets blasted from both sides, there will be less of it left after the big, huge blast."

"I like your thinking," replied Karnage. "Just keep an eye on the big clock, so you and Groot don't get blasted from the sky."

"Good point, buddy," said Rocket.

While Rocket hovered more or less in place, Groot drilled and filled hole after hole, after hole. "I am Groot," he encouraged.

Rocket used his walkie talkie again. "Glad you're motivated, Groot. We're gonna win this easy peasy Thanos sneezy."

While two of North Branch's sections were being laced with explosives by rival gangs, Loded Diper was hard at work, planting dynamite on the third. "Nice going, boys," encouraged Rodrick Heffley. "Just keep it all moving."

While Rodrick did the filling, his second in command, Bill Walter, carried out the drilling. "I'm still 16 holes ahead of you, so let's boogie."

"Right you are, Bill," said Rodrick. "because the prize money is gonna be divided evenly."

"Too bad we can't afford hefty machinery like the opposition can," remarked Bill.

Tails maneuvered the crane into place above the next unlaced section, but at this point, we was getting drowsy. So he used his talkie talkie. "Vector, who gets the next shift on the crane?"

Vector continued giving his orders. "Just let the bucket hang in place and take a snooze while Baloo and Darkwing continue drilling holes and lacing sticks. You got that?"

"I got it, Vector," said Tails with a yawn.

That was when Darkwing Duck got annoyed. "Vector, we've been out here for three hours, and only Tails has had a break! How much longer before Baloo and I can take ours?!"

"We can't lose any precious time out here," Vector insisted. "By any means legal, we have to maximize our explosion. If our explosion is the smallest, we came all the way out here for nothing!"

"Technically," Darkwing pointed out. "All three explosions are gonna be the same size."

"What Vector's trying to say," Espio informed Darkwing. "Is that we want to flatten more of our section than Team Karnage or Loded Diper do to theirs."

Baloo finished up drilling the next hole and called Espio into question. "Now back up there, Espio. Are you telling us that Karny is the one flying that helicopter way over there?"

"He is!" shouted Vector. "But if you keep asking questions, they'll beat us badly!"

"And they'll beat us on our own broken backs if we don't get a break," fussed Darkwing.

"We have to push for it anyway!" insisted Espio, drilling the next hole, himself.

While Baloo and Darkwing had their heads in the clouds, Rocket and Groot had their heads in the game. "All we have to do is keep this up," Rocket encouraged. "And we have all this in the bag."

"I am Groot," encouraged Groot, drilling the next hole.

Besties, Don Karnage and Megavolt saw a new upload arriving in Antoine's video diary, and Antoine was trembling once again. "Sonic, Sally, I just arrived from Portland, Oregon and had two jelly bagels for breakfast. I'm having a tough time, thinking straight, and oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Here comes a helicopter! I have to make a run for it!" and he took off running, only to smack face first into a lamp post.

"Did you see that?" Megavolt asked hysterically. "Antoine slammed straight into a lamp post!"

"I sure did," laughed Karnage. "It just keeps getting funnier!"

"That was quite a trick you played on the Sonic Heroes!" exclaimed Megavolt. "More than Dr. Eggman ever could have managed!"

Don Karnage shared his biggest secret. "And I originally meant to get away with tickling him, but you and I, combined, have made it far more rewarding by keeping him on the run for a solid year and a half."

"Not to mention your whole, new objective," added Megavolt.

"And he might be a coyote," Karnage encouraged. "but very, very unlike that of the Arizona Coyotes, he's far from smart."

While Don Karnage and Megavolt continued confiding out loud at base, Rocket was unfailingly doing the same from the chopper. "Groot, I have an idea for right after this blasting contest. Any idea what it might be?"

"I am Groot," encouraged Groot.

"Here's the further plan," answered Rocket. "When Shadow the Hedgehog concluded this competition and sets off all the rounds, I'll need you to video record it from this chopper while either I or Don Karnage flies at a safe but effective distance. You think you can handle that?"

"I am Groot," said Groot with enthusiasm, drilling and filling the next hole.

"That's the spirit, Groot," said Rocket. "After that, we'll be blasting prisons across the nation, not just for the freedom of it, but also to build on our blast video collection. How's that sound?"

"I am Groot!" exclaimed Groot, now positively excited and quickly drilled the next hole.

"That's just what I like to hear," encouraged Rocket, maneuvering the chopper to the next portion. "I just love your loyalty."

While Rocket was looking forward to his further plan, Baloo was dreading the plan that Shadow was having him carry out. "Vector! Tails! Darkwing! If we forget to scatter before Shadow sets off the bombs, we're done for."

"That's why we have to act on our toes," Espio reminded him.

"That's right," said Vector. "but don't forget about the fun part."

"What could possibly be fun about this big of a death risk?!" questioned Darkwing.

Espio came in promptly. "The fun part is when we get to stand back and watch the blast first hand. Not that I'd ever do it to Sonic, Sally, or even Dr. Eggman. But when Shadow gives the word, in comes the tide."

"What if the tide destroys us alive?!" questioned Darkwing.

Tails immediately came in. "I'm plenty confident that Vector will watch out for us out here. Now, we need your focus on the dynamite lacing."

While Team Chaotix was getting nervous, Loded Diper was gaining confidence. "It looks like we have 40% of the roof laced," encouraged Rodrick.

"And it might be a good idea to get started on the walls now," added Bill.

"Excellent idea, Bill," said Rodrick with a smile. "That way, we can totally flatten the place."

Meanwhile, Team Karnage was plotting their next move. "Rocket, Groot," declared Don Karnage. "time for your break."

"We're flying in hot," replied Rocket and moments later, landed the chopper right next to the team canopy. Groot loaded the next batch of dynamite into the chopper's back seat and sprawled out on the recliner, right next to Rocket. And finally, Don Karnage took off with Megavolt on the end of the cable.

Once over the razor wire fence, Karnage made his next big decision. "Time to shift gears. At this point, we're gonna be drilling and filling holes in the prison wall. Are you ready?"

"You bet I am," answered Megavolt with a smile.

"Let's get it started immediately," declared Karnage. "I'll land the chopper on the roof and drop sticks of dynamite down to you while you drill the holes and stick them right in. Got it?"

"You got it, my fine friend," said Megavolt and drew his weapon as before. For the initial move, Don Karnage landed where he'd have Megavolt at the lower mid section of the wall and give him a minute to drill and fill three holes there, but he didn't shut down his chopper. "I have this point laced," stated Megavolt from down below.

"And up you go," declared Karnage, pulling him up manually so as not to get him hurt. That was where Megavolt drilled and filled three more holes. After that, Don Karnage grabbed his chopper, flew Megavolt to the next desired section of wall, where he once again tackled the upper middle and lower middle sections. And they repeated the process over and over and over again.

While Team Karnage was managing unfailing productivity, Team Chaotix was dealing with worsening interference from within. "When oh, when can we just take a break?" groaned Darkwing.

"Yeah, Vector," added Baloo. "When can we take a break?"

Episode 5

Demolition Day Act III

That was when Vector finally cracked. "Okay, I admit it. We've been out here for hours. Darkwing, you and Baloo might as well take a break now. Tails, dump the rest of that crane load to the side of our section."

Tails dumped the rest of his crane load and got out of the crane for a much needed snooze with the rest of him team. "I just hope we can soon catch up with Team Karange."

"Or at least, win second prize," gasped Darkwing.

"I don't know about you, Vector," added Baloo. "but I'm totally beat."

"And I'm totally beat, too," replied Vector, already exhausted.

Hour after hour, all three teams continued with the drilling and filling. The chopper, the crane, and several separate drills were all in full use. And Don Karnage switched pilots with Rocket Raccoon over and over again. Yet, on Rocket Raccoon's last stint as the pilot, he was in a mood of laughter. "You know what would be hysterical?" he asked over his walkie talkie.

"I'd be quite interested to hear it," said Megavolt with a smile.

Rocket answered with enthusiasm. "It would be funny if one of these sticks of dynamite was in the warden's office without his knowledge! That way, he'd get a well deserved taste of his own medicine."

"That's an awesome idea!" shrieked Don Karnage.

"And we only have 30 more minutes until Shadow sets off the dynamite," Megavolt encouraged.

"Nice to know, my friend," praised Karnage and used his walkie talkie again. "Rocket, Status report."

Rocket came in immediately. "The good news is we're ahead by 47 drills and fills."

"I am Groot," added Groot.

"That's excellent to know," Karnage encouraged. "Any bad news?"

Rocket told it like it was. "The only bad news is we still have 154 sticks of dynamite up here in the chopper."

"You've still served us quite well," replied Don Karnage. "Just dump the rest of the dynamite where we've drilled and filled the fewest holes on our assigned section and bring me the chopper."

"But be sure to save some for the warden," added Megavolt.

"Right, you are," Rocket encouraged and dumped most of the remaining rounds where the fewest holes had been drilled and filled. Then, he brought the chopper right back to base. "Yes, Captain. Here's your chopper, still flying like a dream." And he moved right over to the passenger side. Groot climbed right into the back.

"Excellent idea, Rocket," said Don Karnage, climbing right back onto the stick.

Megavolt climbed into the back seat with Groot. "And we still have five rounds with us," he said, waving them in the air.

Karnage wasted no time, taking off. "And it's off to destroy the warden's office!" So after a short flight, he hovered above the office and gave one last order. "Megavolt, let down the last five rounds on that little roof."

"Aye, aye, Captain," replied Megavolt with a grin and dropped the rounds ot the office, where they landed safely out of sight of the warden and all guards.

"And I'm not done, yet," declared Don Karnage. "I'm gonna fly the four of us to a safe distance to watch the big blast first hand." And he immediately took the turn for it.

"That's a better time than Peter Quill has ever shown me!" exclaimed Rocket.

Judging a safe distance, Don Karnage rotated the chopper into clear view of the blasting zone and steadily landed. "Now, all we have to do is wait."

Minutes later, Groot whipped out his PSP to play Ratchet and Clank, but he was just about to fight the next enemies when he and his team heard the final announcement from Shadow. "Attention contestants. Attention contestants. Get rid of all rounds you haven't planted, yet. The countdown to detonation is now commencing. 20… 19… 18…"

"I don't know about you," said Rocket. "but I'm stoked about this! Stoked, I tell you!"

"I am Groot!" exclaimed Groot, excitedly.

Shadow was continuing the countdown. "14… 13… 12…"

"I have to say," added Don Karnage. "My life of crime has never been half this awesome!"

"Neither has mine!" exclaimed Megavolt, excitedly.

"This is even better than successful bounty hunting," added Rocket.

"Not to mention looting," added Karnage. "Good thing I've since worked further on my flying skills."

Shadow counted down further. "4… 3… 2… 1…" And at that very moment, he set off all rounds of dynamite, so rubble went flying all around within the razor wire fence.

Vector, Espio, and the rest of their team was rather emotional. But Team Karnage was laughing their heads off. And Rocket was remarking. "If this works on my resume, I'll be changing careers promptly!"

Shadow announced further. "It was a very close contest for second place, but the $120,000 and silver medals go to… Loded Diper!"

Rodrick and his band mates cheered as they received their medals and giant check. "Our biggest paycheck, yet!" exclaimed Rodrick. "We're finally thriving!"

Shadow continued his announcements. "For first place, it was no contest. The gold medals and $800,000 cash prize go to… Team Karnage!"

Team Karnage immediately got out of their chopper and stepped forward. "We did it! We did it! We did it!" cried Megavolt with joy.

Once the team had received their medals and cash prize, Rocket Raccoon made his next declaration. "I say this calls for a celebration."

"Excellent idea," Don Karnage encouraged. "Where do you guys think would be a good place to do so?"

Megavolt had the first big suggestion. "A good place to travel would be Hawaii."

"I agree," said Rocket.

"I am Groot," agreed Groot.

"Hawaii, it is," declared Karnage. "I'm gonna go ahead and book it for us."

Five days later, Don Karnage and his winning team took a Lyft ride to the airport and got through security in about 45 minutes. Afterwards, they took the time to stretch their legs, and boarded the plane in a totally relaxed mood. Next, came the safety demonstration from the A flight attendant. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We would like to welcome you on board Southwest Airlines flight Boeing 787 jet service to Honolulu. Our flying time is seven hours and 34 minutes. Smoking is now prohibited on board this aircraft, including the lavatories."

Megavolt noticed a yellow flag, just a few rows up and whispered to Don Karnage about it. "Look, Don Karnage. Baloo, Darkwing, Sonic, Sally, Tails, the Rescue Rangers, and the Duck Triplets are all following us on this trip."

"If they get in our way," Karnage whispered back. "We'll be throwing them into an active volcano."

The safety demonstration continued. "Check to make sure that your seat belt is securely fastened and that all carry-on items are placed in the overhead compartment or underneath the seat in front of you. In the event of a water evacuation, your seat cushion is designed for flotation. Your cushion can be easily removed. Your flight attendants, today, will be James, Harriet, and my name is Heather. Thank you for your attention and enjoy your flight." With that, down sat Heather, and into the wild, blue yonder, went the whole plane.

Don Karnage and Rocket Raccoon were leaned back, napping when they awoke to the fright of their lives. "Dewey, how dare you spill Coke on my sweater!" shouted Hewey.

Megavolt was filming the drama on his smartphone while it continued. "Louie started it!" shouted Dewey.

Episode 6

Crashes and Burns

"Dewey was the one not being careful!" shouted Louie. And from there, the triplets exchanged punches.

Heather came up to them and tried to deescalate the commotion. "Boys, you're scaring the daylights out of the rest of our passengers. I need you to break it up at least until we land."

"Dewey was the one who started it!" exclaimed Hewey and Louie simultaneously.

"No, I wasn't!" shouted Dewey.

Heather pulled out a roll of duct tape to restrain the boys, but that only got her targeted. Harriet stepped in to block the triplets from the cockpit. And the pilot came on the plane's intercom to carry out the vital update. "Passengers, don't panic. This is your captain speaking. We have all three unruly passengers subdued, but we're gonna have to make an emergency landing in Danville. We apologize for any inconvenience, and full refunds and hotel vouchers are in order for all passengers. Thank you in advance for your understanding." And when he landed the plane two minutes later, the recently fighting triplets were exhausted.

Don Karnage, Megavolt, Rocket, and Groot all disembarked, grabbed their luggage, and caught the shuttle to their hotel. "Thank goodness I hadn't booked our Hawaiian hotel, yet," Karnage remarked.

"Not to mention our leverage against Hewey Dewey, and Louie," confided Megavolt.

"You mean that hysterical video of them?" laughed Rocket. "The whole galaxy will be laughing when they see it. And those boys will be cursed with negative fame. Cursed, I tell you."

"I am Groot," laughed Groot.

Sonic, Sally, and Tails were on the shuttle with them but waited until they were in the hotel lobby, before confronting them, to be on the safe side, in front of witnesses. "Megavolt, you'd better delete that video before I tell Shadow about all this."

"And what will Shadow really do?" laughed Rocket. "Invade our privacy on it?"

That was where Sally stepped in. "Even if Shadow doesn't care about all this, Sonic and I do. And if we ever find out that video hit the internet…"

Right there, everyone heard a familiar voice. "Hold it! Hold everything." It was mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz.

"Mr. Mayor," asked Tails. "Is your brother launching another threat?"

"He's not," answered the mayor. "It's Tri-State Middle School. They need our help with a fundraiser."

"How do we know they deserve it?" questioned Don Karnage.

"It's a monster truck rodeo," urged the mayor. "They couldn't decide between a monster truck race and a rodeo, so they decided to combine the two. Each monster truck is equipped with a high saddle. You can only hang on with one hand and your legs. And the longer you stay astride the saddle on the opposing team's monster truck, the more points you score for your team. It'll be two teams of five. And the winning team gets a $50,000 Visa gift card for each of their members."

"Now, you've convinced us," said Rocket, excitedly.

"Sally and I are all in," added Sonic.

"Just don't get your hopes up too high," said Mayor Doofenshmirtz. "You'll be one of at least 55 individuals, trying out for this contest, but it's only for ten of them."

"We'll make sure at least one of us makes it in," declared Don Karnage. "Right, Megavolt?"

"Without a doubt, my friend," Megavolt agreed. "Without a doubt."

"That's settled then," said the mayor. "The limousine will be here at 9:00, tomorrow morning, to pick you up for tryouts. When you arrive there, I'll give you the further orientation. You got that."

"You got it, Mr. Mayor," said Tails. "We'll waste no time, getting ready."

"That's the spirit," encouraged the mayor. "Just get some good rest tonight."

The fierce rivals all went to bed and got a good night's sleep. The next morning, when Don Karnage's smartphone alarm went off, he was alert in seconds. "Rocket, Groot, Megavolt, rise and shine!"

"We're on it, Mr Karnage," yawned Rocket.

"I could really use some coffee," yawned Megavolt.

Groot was equally groggy. "I am Groot."

Sonic and Tails were both wide awake, but Sally was still drowsy. "It'll take me another hour or so to gain alertness."

"But you don't want to miss the bus," urged Sonic.

"And we need you at your best," added Tails.

When Sonic, Tails, Baloo, Darkwing Duck, and Sally made it into the limousine, with Don Karnage and his friends, the atmosphere was totally elegant and made them want to enjoy it rather than fight further. In fact, they were all thinking the same thing – to settle their huge dispute at tryouts if not in the real rodeo. When they made it there, they were met with Rouge, Shadow, Knuckles, Steelbeak, more than 50 additional Disney characters, including Perry the Platypus, Donald Duck, Mushu, and Munchy Beaver. And Rocket was speculating with Megavolt. "How do you think they'll do these tryouts?"

"I have a feeling they might use dirt cheap horses for it," answered Megavolt.

Before the speculation could go any further, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz emerged with a microphone in hand and was heard loud and clear. "Okay everyone. Who's ready for Monster Jam Rodeo Edition?"

All contestants immediately raised their hands.

"That's the spirit," Vanessa encouraged. "You see this quad bike right here?"

Everyone else gave her a big thumbs up to indicate a yes.

"This is for all of your tryouts. You each get to race the quad in and out of the cones to the end of the line and back, setting a time, and the two winners get to be the team captains, effectively determining their whole teams. Don Karnage, I've been amazed with how well you can carry out aerobatic flying, so you're first."

Don Karnage immediately got on the quad, pulled up to the line, and fired it up. "Five figure gift card, here I come!"

Vanessa held out the green flag with both hands and counted down. "3… 2… 1… Go!" And she waved the flag.

Episode 7

Qualifying Times

Karnage gunned the quad's engine as if he was taking off for an aerobatic performance with up to 25,000 first hand spectators and the global media. He made the first seconds of maneuvering in and out of the cones with what was similar to his signature flying precision, but somewhere in the middle, he realized he wasn't half as good at biking as he was at flying. The quad was quickly losing control, and he had a tough time, maintaining traction in the dirt. But if he or any of his friends could help it, none of his enemies would be either of the team captains. He reached the end of the cones, only to tip over and land in the dirt, but he knew he had to beat Sonic the Hedgehog or at least, stop him on his quest for Antoine. He got right back on, took aim for his return run, and put the hammer down. On his way, he got just a little better at maintaining off road traction and set his time for Vanessa to announce. "Our qualifying time for Don Karnage is precisely 39.7 seconds!"

Karnage got off the quad, rather annoyed. "I'm gonna need to swing by the hotel and change my clothes."

"Not to worry," encouraged Vanessa. "For those of you who make the cut, we'll be handing out fire resistant racing suits. Sonic, you're next, but you won't be permitted to do this on foot."

While Don Karnage dusted himself off, Sonic got on the quad and revved it up. He got right on the starting line, and as soon as Vanessa waved the flag, he was off. He had raced small vehicles many times before, but in this case, he realized there was less traction. In a few short seconds, he determined the ideal balance between speed and accuracy. He reached the end of the cones and yanked on the front brake to make the turn quickly, only to fall flat on his face.

Rocket Raccoon laughed hysterically. "Did you see that? Did you see that? The blue blur just fell flat on his face!"

"I just wish it was Antoine who just suffered that face plant," confided Karnage. "He really would have deserved it!"

Sonic tossed the quad upright again and continued in the qualification round, but thanks to all the dust, he still had a tough time balancing stellar speed with stellar cornering. He soon make his way through it, so Vanessa announced his time. "Our qualifying time for Sonic the Hedgehog is 36.5 seconds. Megavolt, you're next."

"Just hang in there, Don Karnage," comforted Megavolt. "I think I got this." And he got on the quad, lined it up with the starting line, and revved the engine.

Don Karnage, Rocket Raccoon, Peanut Otter, and even Munchy Beaver all had ties with Megavolt, so they all began chanting. "Me-ga-volt! Me-ga-volt! Me-ga-volt! Me-ga-volt! Me-ga-volt!"

As soon as Vanessa waved the green flag, Megavolt was well on his way. He badly wanted to make it into the rodeo and take down Sonic, so his mind was strictly on setting the bar as high as he possibly could.

While Megavolt's tryout was underway, Tails had an idea. "Sonic, I know a way we can get Antoine over here."

"You mean it?" questioned Sonic, excitedly.

"That's the easy part," explained Tails. "The hard part is keeping the tormenting at bay."

"So, how do we get him all the way from Hawaii?" asked Sonic.

"We can open a portal with one of my rings," explained Tails.

"Oh, Tails," said Sonic. "Why didn't I think of that? Pull one out for me."

Tails pulled out a ring. Sonic used it to open the portal to the Hawaiian location where he had asked Antoine to meet him. They both went in. And sure enough, they ran right into Antoine who hugged them both to death. "Sonic! Tails! I was so vulnerable I was afraid I'd be on the run for 30 years."

"And we got you an opportunity to defeat Don Karnage," said Tails.

The portal was still open, and the three reunited friends listened while Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our qualifying time for Megavolt is 27.9 seconds. Mushu, you're next."

"Don't thank us, just yet," Sonic told Antoine. "We still have a three hour battle ahead of us."

Sonic, Tails, and Antoine returned through the portal, and Vanessa made her further announcement. "Oh, what do we have here? It looks like a last minute contender just showed up to try out for our rodeo. And he appears to be a friend of Sonic's." But she almost forgot to check up on Mushu. "Just as I say that, our qualifying time for Mushu is 29 seconds flat! Antoine, you're next."

Antoine nervously got onto the quad bike and was still nervous to give it full acceleration, but he still managed reluctantly to maneuver it right onto the starting line. Vanessa waved the green flag, and off went Antoine, but he was still afraid to go too fast. Little by little, he gave the quad more and more acceleration and was encouraged to put the hammer down, but he lost control and hit a cone. "Please don't cost me! Please don't cost me! Please don't cost me!"

Vanessa made her next announcement. "And we don't have a qualifying time for Antoine, so he won't be qualified as a team captain. Baljeet, you're next."

Baljeet got on the quad and revved the engine. Ever as before, Vanessa waved the green flag, and off he sped in and out of the cones. He had ridden a quad bike before, because that was what his friends, Phineas & Ferb had built him one year for his birthday. So he had a tight grip on both the throttle and handlebars. When he got to the end of the cones, he slammed on the brake for just the right turning circle and quickly took aim for his return path in and out of the cones. "Rodeo title, here I come!"

Baljeet finished with style, and Vanessa announced his time. "Our qualifying time for Baljeet is our fastest time, yet at 27.6 seconds."

The qualifying trials continued, but Baljeet was the only one faster than Megavolt. So of course, the two of them became the team captains.

Vanessa made her next announcement. "Baljeet, you were the faster team captain, so the first pick is yours."

Baljeet made his declaration. "My first pick is a strong, confident, young man who will stop at nothing to help or defend his buddies. He's been there through bright and dark, through thick and thin. That young man is Knuckles."

Knuckles stepped forward, cheering for himself while Megavolt made his first declaration. "My first pick is a very, very close friend of mine, who hates Darkwing Duck for the same reasons that I do. He wears pants amid several stupid enemies who don't in addition to sword skills, leadership, and even a pilot's license. That pick is Don Karnage."

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Don Karnage exclaimed, stepping forward.

Baljeet carried on. "My next pick is a very articulate youngster who also has a pilot's license. He knows just when and how to modify all his prized posessions what experiments to conduct, and how to do it all safely. That pick is Tails."

"Yes, oh yes! Oh, yes!" exclaimed Tails, really looking forward to driving a monster truck.

Megavolt carried on. "My next pick is another licensed pilot, this time, who knows how to repair thousands of different vehicles, vessels, and aircraft. He knows just when to be cunning, when to be aggressive, and how to make us all laugh. That pick is Rocket Raccoon."

"I've always wanted to drive such a powerful vehicle as a monster truck," said Rocket, stepping forward.

Baljeet continued. "My next pick is the terror that flaps in the night. He is the WiFi outage that interrupts your Zoom call. He is a superhero who's always there to fight crime at night, even to the extent of getting arrested. That pick is Darkwing Duck."

Darkwing Duck stepped forward. "I never thought I'd be taking on Megavolt in an organized sport."

Megavolt continued. "My next pick is bound to be my oldest teammate. Being immortal sometimes gets him down, but my friends and I have had no trouble, cheering him up. As an ultimate gunman and as the ultimate life form, he has no trouble, getting the girls. That pick is Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow came forward with a wicked smile. "This sounds like my golden opportunity to take down Tails and Knuckles."

Episode 8

Rodeo Jam

Baljeet chose one more teammate. "My fourth and final pick is Cruella De Vil."

And Megavolt declared his fourth. "My fourth and final pick is Wildcat."

Wildcat was overjoyed, coming forward. "I've always wanted to drive a monster truck."

"Before the show begins," said Vanessa. "we have one more matter of business to take care of. Phineas & Ferb have restored four amazing monster trucks from retirement: Wildcat, Offspring, Batman, and last, but not least, Bigfoot 10." And all four of them emerged into the arena, one after the other, at full acceleration. "Baljeet, which of those four do you want for your team?"

"I'm gonna go with Bigfoot 10," Baljeet answered.

"And I'm gonna go with Wildcat," declared Megavolt.

"And there, we have it, ladies and gentlemen," declared Vanessa. "To kick things off, our last two teammates selected will be the first to go head to head. Cruella will be on Wildcat's saddle with Wildcat behind the wheel, and she has to keep one hand high in the air. The longer she stays on, the more points Team Baljeet scores. Wildcat, get in and start your engine!"

Cruella got on the Wildcat Monster Truck's saddle. Wildcat took the wheel, ignited the engine, and was stoked. "I've always wanted to take part in a monster truck rodeo, but having one named after me makes it epic."

Vanessa carried on. "Wildcat, the rodeo is on in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Wildcat hit the gas quite hard, and his team's monster truck raced forward at what, to him, felt like twice the power of the Sea Duck. He slammed on the brakes, and Cruella slammed against the windshield. But that was a reminder of the mission at hand. He took aim at one of the arena's ramps, deliberately at an angle, closed his eyes, and made a dash for it. His two passenger side wheels hit the ramp hard, catapulting him into the air, where he did a roll as if he had been taking aerobatic lessons from his teammate, Don Karnage. When he landed, he opened his eyes to see that he was headed straight for the packed grandstand. This time, he slammed on his brakes and made a hard left simultaneously. But his right, rear wheel slammed hard into the railing. And that gave him an idea. He did donuts, slamming one wheel repeatedly, and it actually worked. Cruella promptly let go of the rope and landed smack in the dirt. "I am not doing that again!"

The crowd cheered as Vanessa made her next announcement. "At Cruella De Vil's hands, Team Baljeet scores 36 points! Now, out comes Bigfoot 10!"

Aside went the Wildcat monster truck. Out came Bigfoot 10 with Baljeet behind the wheel. And out came his order. "Get in, Cruella." And he stepped right out.

Vanessa carried out her next announcement. "Now, comes Team Megavolt's turn to score. This time, Cruella will be at the wheel while Wildcat sits high, on the saddle. Wildcat, Cruella, take your positions!"

Wildcat got on the saddle. Cruella took the wheel of Bigfoot 10. And she was in just the position to fight it out. "Prepare to be slammed, Wildcat!"

Vanessa carried on the announcements. "Cruella, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

As you might imagine, Cruella knew just to do. She put her well oiled road rage skills to work and drove Bigfoot 10 at full acceleration. She came to the very first corner and used left foot braking for just a split second to power slide, kicking up a ton of mud. But that didn't get Wildcat off, so she took aim at the nearest ramp and hit it at full acceleration, just like he had done. But unlike Wildcat, Bigfoot 10 caught at least ten feet of air. Wildcat braced himself for landing, and it worked. But Cruella wasn't giving up so easily. For her next move, she hit another jump, just as big, only this time, once airborne, she held the brake with all her might. And as soon as she landed, it worked. Wildcat was bounced right off the saddle. "Wow! What a woman!"

Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our first score for Team Megavolt is 25 points! In our next round, it's Shadow the Hedgehog V.S. Darkwing Duck! Stand by."

Bigfoot 10 was taken aside for the following round. Shadow took the wheel of Wildcat. Darkwing got on the saddle. And right away, he was dreading it. "I never thought I'd have this much dread about fighting crime."

That was when Shadow turned cunning. "Tell me, Darkwing. What do you remember about Drake Mallard?"

"I've never heard of Drake Mallard," answered Darkwing.

"A likely story," said Shadow with a grin. "He has the same exposed posterior as you."

Darkwing Duck was just about to panic when he and Shadow heard from Vanessa. "Our second round of the year will begin in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Shadow floored the gas and showed no mercy, roaring around the arena as if he was badly drunk. Luckily, for his teammates, he wasn't, so up above, Darkwing was receiving bump after bruise. Needless to say, Megavolt was enjoying it immensely and got Don Karnage and the rest of their team chanting with him. "Sha-dow! Sha-dow! Sha-dow! Sha-dow! Sha-dow!" The chanting made Shadow want to go far bigger, so he deliberately hit the ramp, at full acceleration, shifting at the very last moment, so only his driver side wheels would hit it. He braced for impact, and the truck did a 360 degree roll, just as it had done when Wildcat was behind the wheel. When the passenger side landed, Darkwing was slammed against Wildcat's roof and gashed himself on the head. He held the bleeding with one hand while holding tight to the rope with the other, but Shadow showed zero signs of letting up. So he utilized left foot braking, doing donuts, while keeping Wildcat's rear wheels straight. Tons of mud was kicked up in it. And the mayhem didn't stop there. Shadow hit one of the jumps again, this time, with his passenger side wheels. Wildcat did another 360 degree tumble. And now Darkwing was bleeding so badly that even Megavolt was in horror.

Medics whisked Darkwing away while Wildcat was taken aside. And Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our new, total score for Team Baljeet is 64 points, but they have only three minutes to decide who takes Darkwing's place behind the wheel or their score will go back down to 36. Their time starts immediately."

Cruella stepped in first. "I'm the one who's already outscored Wildcat, so I should totally go out there instead of Darkwing."

"Baljeet chose me for my strength and confidence," argued Knuckles. "I should totally go this time!"

Shadow the Hedgehog quickly whipped out his smartphone and began recording while the fighting continued. "I'm the team captain," remarked Baljeet. "I should totally be the one to take on Shadow!"

"You should have chosen Sonic instead of Darkwing Duck," disputed Tails.

"Haven't you seen my movie?" questioned Cruella. "If I can outmaneuver a small moving van, I can send a car surfer overboard in seconds!"

"It was not outmaneuvering!" insisted Knuckles.

"Only road rage!" remarked Baljeet.

"In a competition like this," argued Cruella "road rage is a major advantage! Stellar maneuvering is another advantage! My only weak point is I can't acquire a pilot's license!"

"And I'm the only one on this team who ever did," said Tails. "There's no telling when it'll come in handy."

"Maybe against Dr. Eggman," Knuckles admitted. "But against Shadow the Hedgehog, we need a very different skill set!"

"Alright then," Baljeet admitted. "I guess you have a point. You're my proudest and strungest teammate, so you might as well do it."

"I think I agree at this point," admitted Tails.

That was when Vanessa came by with the cameraman. "Team Baljeet, you have ten more seconds to tell us who will take Darkwing Duck's place behind the wheel. Which of you will it be?"

Episode 9

Grudge Jam

"It's gonna be Knuckles," Tails told Vanessa.

"Have you agreed on that?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes," answered Baljeet.

"We sure have," added Knuckles.

"This is it," announced Vanessa. "Knuckles will be the one driving twice in Monster Jam Rodeo."

Shadow got on Bigfoot 10's saddle. Knuckles took the wheel and got Bigfoot 10 into position. And Vanessa carried on, announcing. "Knuckles, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Knuckles put the pedal to the metal and thrashed Bigfoot 10 around the arena at breakneck speed. He wasted no time, hitting a jump hard and had no trouble, catching the biggest air, yet. But Shadow held on with all his might. Knuckles tried hitting a jump at an angle, but Shadow still refused to be thrown overboard.

While Knuckles was enjoying himself immensely, Antoine was making a stink. "Sonic, Sally, what attractive attribute do Tails and Knuckles have that I do not?"

"It just wasn't that easy to get chosen," shrugged Sally.

"I'm the fastest thing alive," added Sonic. "and I wasn't selected either."

"The only question," Sally admitted. "is how are we gonna keep Don Karnage and his gang off our backs after this event?"

"I don't know why they hate my style of dress so badly," Antoine said emotionally.

Sally was starting to get nervous. "The rumor is they have the same issue with Fat Cat, Sly Cooper, the Chip & Dale Duo, and eleven different ducks."

"Dear, oh dear! Oh dear!" cried Antoine. "For the longest time, I thought my honor guard uniform made me handsome!"

Knuckles carried on, doing epic stunts. Shadow was eventually thrown overboard. And Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our new total score for Team Megavolt is 48 points. Our next round is Rocket Raccoon V.S. Tails."

Bigfoot 10 was taken aside. Rocket took the wheel of Wildcat. And Tails got high, on the saddle. "I hope I can hang on as tight as Shadow did."

Vanessa carried on, announcing. "Rocket, Tails, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Rocket put the medal to the metal and wasted no time, hitting the arena's biggest jump. "Boy, oh, boy! I never thought an earth vehicle would ever be this amazing!"

Tails held on for dear life, using his helicopter ability to break his fall upon Wildcat's landing. Rocket tried yanking the handbrake to do donuts, but Tails used his hover capabilities to break the centripetal force, so Rocket tried something more advanced. He took aim at another jump, but just as he was about to hit it, he yanked the handbrake to do donuts again. This time, he was utilizing the ramp as a bumping source, and it broke Tails' grip. After Tails landed in the dirt, Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our new score for Team Baljeet is 81 Points. Now for Bigfoot 10 once again."

Wildcat was taken aside. Bigfoot 10 was brought out. Rocket got on the saddle as planned. And also as planned Tails took the wheel. "I've always wanted to drive a monster truck," he remarked.

Right on schedule, Vanessa continued her announcement. "Tails, your time to play your part in minimizing Team Megavolt's score starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Tails put the pedal to the metal and made quite the remark. "A monster truck, like this, feels better than the X-Tornado!" And he tried just what Rocket had done. He did donuts on one of the ramps, hitting the same bump repeatedly, but Rocket saw it coming and braced himself tightly, digging hid heels in. Tails tried building up speed and slamming on the brakes, but Rocket remained steadfast in maintaining his grip. Tails tried a tactic he had seen both team carry out. He hit a jump at full acceleration to break rocket's grip, but it just didn't work. After that, he tried the unexpected. He tried quickly building up speed and slamming on the handbrake, deliberately spinning out into one of the jumps, but Rocket was just too strong on the rope. As a next resort, Tails tried something he had seen in monster jam before. He used one of the arena's jumps for a back flip, but with little body weight to slam against, Rocket still managed to hold on tight. After that, Tails had the sense to tire Rocket out. He steered both his front and rear wheels and did donuts in a tighter circle than before, but as of yet, Rocket still hung on tight.

After witnessing only a few short seconds of Tails doing donuts, Don Karnage was, once again, confiding in his BFF, who was currently serving as team captain. "I don't know about you, but I can't help but feel bad for Rocket out there. I have a bad feeling he's chronically dizzy."

"Now that you mention it," replied Megavolt. "I'm just praying he doesn't join Darkwing Duck in the hospital."

"It's nice to know you care," said Karnage. "I just hope he can…"

Before Don Karnage and Megavolt finished their little chat, Rocket flew off of Bigfoot 10 and landed in Karnage's arms. "I'm okay."

Ever as before, Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our new score for Team Megavolt is a very handsome 82 points. Our next round is Don Karnage V.S. Knuckles."

Tails took Bigfoot 10 back into the pit. Don Karnage took the wheel of Wildcat. Knuckles got high on the saddle with his tightest grip on the rope. And Karnage pulled out, taking aim at one of the arena's jumps. "Prepare to be beaten badly," he told Knuckles.

Seconds later, Vanessa made her next announcement. "Don Karnage, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Like I said, Don Karnage was better at flying than he was at driving and still a little nervous after rolling over on the quad bike. But when he hit the gas, Wildcat proved to be an amazing vehicle. As a first resort, he tried what Shadow and Wildcat had done before him and hit a jump with only his passenger side tires. Once more, Wildcat rolled all the way over in a corkscrew, but Knuckles dug his heels in tightly. "You'll have to do better than that, Karny." As a next course of action, Karnage hit a jump with all four wheels, but mid flight, he hit the brake and held it with all his might. When he landed, he bounced three times, slamming Knuckles all around, but Knuckles still managed to hold on to the rope. Without thinking further, Karnage quickly got into position and did donuts, steering with only his rear wheels, and after only a few more seconds, Knuckles landed in the dirt. "I'll beat you badly for this, Karny!"

Don Karnage took Wildcat aside. Knuckles brought out Bigfoot 10. Karnage got on Bigfoot 10's saddle. And Vanessa carried on with her announcements. "Our new score for Team Baljeet is a remarkable 104 points, and Knuckles just promised us he'd beat Don Karnage badly. Here's his opportunity to do just that. Knuckles, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Once more, Knuckles put the pedal to the metal and was fully determined to slam Don Karnage directly into the dirt, so he did just what Karnage had done. He hit a jump at full acceleration and slammed on the brakes mid flight, holding them down as hard as he possibly could, but Karnage was rightfully prepared for it. He dug his heels in while Bigfoot 10 bounced four times, so Knuckles opted to race dirty. He reversed up the jump and did a special balance on his front wheels, hoping to make Karnage lose balance and tumble. But it only made it easier for him to hang on, so Knuckles resorted to the unexpected. He steered Bigfoot 10's rear wheels to the left and hit the gas for some donuts, but Don Karnage was still able to brace himself without the use of his left arm. For another attempt to get Karnage loose, Knuckles steered his front wheels left and straightened out his rear wheels. After 14 further seconds of donuts, Karnage had no choice but to finally let go.

Knuckles took Bigfoot 10 aside. Megavolt brought out Wildcat one last time. Baljeet got on Wildcat's saddle. And Vanessa made her next announcement. "Our new, updated score for Team Megavolt is a nifty 97 points, and this is it, everyone. This is the round you've all been waiting for. The battle of the team captains. Megavolt V.S. Baljeet. Megavolt, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Episode 10

Shopping Spree

Megavolt put the pedal to the metal and knew just what to do to get Baljeet off in a flash, but he knew he had to be as discreet about it as possible. He took careful aim at the arena's biggest jump, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and applied full acceleration. Once he went off the jump and was totally airborne, he sent an electric shock up, through the saddle, where Baljeet was mounted and just for good measure, slammed on the brakes, like his BFF, Don Karnage, had done previously. Sure enough, overboard went Baljeet, and every member of Team Megavolt was laughing while Vanessa made her next announcement. "Team Baljeet's finishing total is 116 points, and they have two minutes to get Bigfoot 10 ready for the final test."

"How in the world did Baljeet go overboard so quickly?" questioned Knuckles.

"He probably didn't anticipate how tough this contest wound really be," suggested Tails.

Megavolt took Wildcat aside one last time. Baljeet brought out Bigfoot 10 one last time. Megavolt got on the saddle. And Vanessa made one last announcement of anticipation. "Baljeet, your time starts in 3… 2… 1… Go!"

Baljeet put the pedal to the metal and hit a jump, but when he landed, he felt unheard of pain in his forearms. But Megavolt hung on tightly, just as his teammates had done before him. And he was well on point. All he had to do was hang on tight, with only his right hand, for 19 seconds, and his team would be the winners. Baljeet braced himself and tried doing donuts, but his badly burned torso could barely handle eight seconds of it. He tried doing another jump and landing without his hands on the steering wheel, but Bigfoot 10's landing force was still too much for his burned shoulders. He tried holding the wheel lightly and utilizing brute force acceleration and braking, but that didn't work either.

Vanessa made one final announcement. "And the winners are… Team Megavolt!"

Megavolt dashed in for the big group hug with his teammates, Don Karnage, Rocket Raccoon, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Wildcat. "We did it! We did it! We did it! We did it! We did it!" exclaimed Rocket. "And all those face slams in the dirt were hilarious, including mine!"

That was when Vanessa walked up to them. "Excellent work, Team Megavolt. You successfully helped to raise $350,000, in profit, for Tri-State Middle School. Here are your gift cards."

"50,000 dollars sounds awesome," said Rocket with a smile.

"And it is awesome," added Shadow.

"We're gonna need a big rig to carry all our purchases home," remarked Megavolt.

"I have something better than a big rig," said Don Karnage with a wicked smile.

"What could that be?" asked Wildcat. "A train?"

"Even better than that," said Megavolt.

"It's a CH-47 Chinook," Karnage answered. "And I'll have it brought to us at once." And he immediately texted for it.

While Team Megavolt was on a high note, Team Baljeet was so discouraged they were depressed. "I can't believe it!" remarked Knuckles. "This loss is on our very team captain!"

"And Darkwing Duck could have bought a brand new car with that gift card," added Tails.

"Not to mention," said Cruella. "I could have put it toward the ultimate dog trap!"

A few who had not been chosen were really down in the dumps. "Wildcat and I are old friends," Baloo cut in. "but I just can't believe he was chosen over me."

"Not to mention," said Honker Muddlefoot. "He was chosen by a wicked criminal."

"I should point out," said Baljeet.

"There is nothing to point out!" shouted Hewey and Dewey simultaneously.

"I or either of my brothers could have done a much better job than you!" exclaimed Louie.

"So could I!" exclaimed Dale. "Chip and I might be small. And we might have both been hospitalized recently. But no case is too big or too small."

While the disputing continued, the shopping spree was only beginning. Megavolt spent his $50,000 gift card on appliances and electronics, including a robotic lawnmower, a robotic vacuum, a PS5, and 500 different games for it. Don Karnage spent his on removable seats and other upgrades for four of his aircraft. Rocket Raccoon spent his gift card on fertilizer for Groot and his own airplane. Shadow spent his gift card on a few firearms and a lot of ammunition for all of them. And finally, Wildcat spent his on a Chevrolet C10 Hot Rod.

That night, at the hotel, Antoine overheard suspicious conversation between Don Karnage and his teammates from Monster Jam Rodeo. "Tell me, Shadow," said Megavolt. "How would you like to be a totally valued member of our team?"

"You mean it?" asked Shadow.

"We do mean it," answered Don Karnage.

"No one's ever offered me such a rank before," Shadow remarked. "I sure would."

"We thought you might say that," said Karnage. "So we've set up a special surprise for you over at the pool."

Antoine made his way over to the pool to see, ahead of time, what Don Karnage and Megavolt had in store for Shadow. But when he overheard someone chatting only one corner ahead of him, he got paranoid and took cover in a laundry cart. A minute or two later, he heard the elevator door chiming and opening wide. He took a peek out from under a quilt to see if it was Shadow, and sure enough, it was. Shadow was holding hands with Don Karnage and wearing a blindfold. Better yet, Karnage's clothes were now spotless head to toe. But Antoine didn't duck right away. He held still until Shadow and Karnage had walked past him and checked over his shoulder, just to make sure Karnage didn't give him a backward glance.

Once Shadow and Don Karnage were about 35 feet ahead, Antoine tiptoed after them, following them out to the pool, where Karnage steadily guided Shadow over to a neatly organized coat rack. "This is it, Shadow. I need you to go ahead and remove your blindfold."

Shadow removed the blindfold and had mixed emotions. "New outfits in my very size? A set of pajamas? Full workout attire? Two suits? A pair of swimming trunks?"

"All yours," said Don Karnage. "Just be sure to always wear the pants."

"I have to say," remarked Shadow. "No one's ever given me this cool of a surprise before."

Three days later, Darkwing Duck was out of the hospital and ready for a further meeting. "Baloo, Antoine, Honker, everyone, we're gonna have to do something about Don Karnage and Megavolt's terrible, public remarks."

"We'll have to dream up some bad remarks of our own," urged Gosalyn.

"Gosalyn," remarked Darkwing. "I thought your dad always taught you better than that!"

"And it gets worse," Antoine cut in. "Don Karnage and Megavolt got Shadow fitted for five new outfits, just to show us they really mean business."

Episode 11

"Field" Day

"And I thought we were totally handsome," remarked Baloo.

"I just can't believe a whole gang believes otherwise," said Monterey emotionally.

"We'll have to get them to sign an agreement against that tirade of theirs," remarked Bonkers D. Bobcat.

"I don't know how in the world we'll ever do that," said Honker, overcome with emotion.

"Clearly, they love a challenge," Darkwing pointed out. "So let's make it a weekly field day without the fried chicken and soda. If we win, Don Karnage and Megavolt must both sign the agreement. If we lose, our least performing member has to be their unpaid servant for a week. Let's think of a multitude of events for it."

"Sack racing," urged Gosalyn.

"Rock climbing," added Baljeet.

"An obstacle course," added Sonic.

"Air racing," added Baloo.

"Kart racing," added Antoine.

"Excellent choices," encouraged Darkwing. "That way, we'll have our necessary, legal leverage sooner rather than later."

Ten hours later, the Sonic heroes and Disney afternoon heroes followed Don Karnage and his team home to pirate island, got situated in Cape Suzette, and set to work, setting up a special venue for their weekly "Field Day." They set up a rock climbing wall, an obstacle course, a dirt track for their go karts, a short runway for their sack races, and a special air racing course. To top it all off, they took out a $100,000 loan for five go karts, ten sacks, and a single, used plane. But Honker began to get anxious. "I just hope St. Canard's school bullies don't come along and hang me on another flag pole."

"St. Canard is halfway across the ocean," encouraged Gosalyn. "It would be an awfully long flight for them."

"Not to mention expensive," added Hewey.

"But this is the one time I've dreaded field day," Honker said nervously.

"I thought you loved field day," replied Gosalyn.

"I do, normally," said Honker. "but the thought of unpaid servitude causes me an upset stomach."

"Only five of us can take them on at a time," Baloo pointed out. "so why don't you sit it out this week?"

"Alright then," said Honker.

"Nevertheless," said Darkwing. "Five of us still have to do it. Who will volunteer?"

Antoine, Gosalyn, Sally, and Baloo all raised their hands, but Sally noticed something. "Sonic, what's the matter?"

"I just miss the taste of chili dogs," Sonic answered sadly.

"I know," said Baloo. "I know, but we have to be in good shape against Don Karnage."

When the team was ready, Darkwing Duck took the liberty of delivering the news, personally. He knocked on Don Karnage's front door, and as soon as Karnage answered, he delivered the big news. "I am the joy that flaps in the day. I am the game show that comes on at just the right time. I am Darkwing Duck, and I have a special opportunity for you."

"Let's hear all about it, my fine, feathered fellow," replied Karnage with a smile.

Darkwing wasted no time, carrying out the news. "My friends and I, that being Antoine Depardieu, Gosalyn Mallard, Sally Acorn, and Baloo wish to take you on in a weekly field day. For that, you'll need an air racing caliper plane and five go karts, and you have precisely four hours to get ready. If your team wins, the least performing member of my team has to be your unpaid servant for a week from rubbing your feet to serving you breakfast in bed. If my team wins, you have to sign this certified contract to never again give us a hard time about not wearing pants. Agreed?"

"You got it, Darkwing Doof," answered Karnage and gave some orders. "Megavolt, go get five go karts from Happy Backyards, and here's the gift card for them. Shadow, follow Darkwing to his little field day venue and set to security cameras to make sure there's no cheating. I'll be right back with the plane we need." And he immediately took a Lyft ride to the nearest aircraft dealership.

While Team Karnage was still prepping, Team Darkwing was already practicing on their obstacle course, and after a couple runs through, Darkwing was feeling confident. "Just keep it up, everyone. We can still beat Team Karnage." But then, he smelled some fried chicken, only to notice it was in Gosalyn's hands. "Gosalyn, what are you thinking with that?"

"What do you expect on field day?" Gosalyn asked innocently. "Celebration time."

Darkwing got annoyed. "Gosalyn, we can't have any junk food out here! We have to be in winning shape!"

"Why would you call it 'field day,' then?" questioned Honker.

"We're only calling it 'field day' to entice the opposition into it," explained Baloo.

"Otherwise, the tormenting from them is a life sentence!" added Antoine.

"Why not just wear pants, like they do?" questioned Tails.

24 minutes early, Don Karnage, Megavolt, Wildcat, Rocket, Groot, and Shadow showed on up with their brand new plane and go karts. "Let's do this," said Megavolt. "Darkwing, are you ready?"

"You bet I'm ready," said Darkwing. "So we'll start with a 35 yard sack race between ten of us. First place means ten points for your team. Second place means eight. Third means six and so on. We'll all be racing from the blue line to the red line. Antoine, Gosalyn, Sally, Baloo, Team Karnage, get ready."

All ten active teammates quickly got in their sacks, but Baloo could barely squeeze into his. They all got on the starting line. And Honker gave the signal. "3… 2… 1…" and he blew his whistle.

Everyone was off the line in a flash. Megavolt got an early lead. And Sally pulled ahead. But Baloo barely got eight yards before his sack ripped, so he continued on foot. Rocket was really getting ready to make a remark about it, but at the moment, he was more focused on getting a good score for his team. The hopping carried on strong, and Sally was the winner. Second was Megavolt. And third was Don Karnage. But Darkwing had some bad news. "Baloo, I'm afraid you're disqualified from this first round for going outside your sack."

Honker did the math and broke the news. "Sally came in first. Gosalyn was fourth. And the rest of our team finished after fifth, so we only have 14 points on the board. Megavolt came in second. Don Karnage came in third. And Wildcat came in fifth. So they have 16 points."

Megavolt pulled out his phone to take a note of both team's scores. "We'd better keep it up, Karnage."

"I agree," said Don Karnage. "The stakes are high today."

Moments later, Megavolt got a text from Higher for Hire. "Megavolt, I need you to come get the Sea Duck and deliver a load of power lines to Walla-Walla Bing-Bang. I'm having them loaded up right now, and I'm sending you $25 to cover the cost of a Lyft."

"Don Karnage," said Megavolt. "I have some bad news."

"What's happening now?" Karnage asked.

"Rebecca needs me on an urgent mission," answered Megavolt. "I have to go deliver some new power lines to Walla-Walla Bing-Bang."

"Don't worry, Megavolt," Don Karnage assured him. "Shadow and I will handle all this. So will Rocket. And so will Wildcat."

"Thank you in advance, Karnage," said Megavolt with a smile. "I'll be seeing you soon."

Darkwing took the stand again for his next announcement. "Everyone, gather around. Time for our next challenge. This time, it's a rock climbing race to the very top of the wall. And the scoring will work the same as before. Ten points for first. Eight for second. And so on. On your marks… Get set… Go!"

Episode 12

TaleSpin

Everyone took off running and scrambled up the wall. Gosalyn still had some substantial energy to climb, but Shadow used his homing attacks to get to first place super quickly. Everyone climbed the wall with all their strength, but Shadow was the winner, so Honker did the next calculation and broke the news. "Darkwing, Shadow came in first this time. Gosalyn came in second. You came in third. Sally came in fourth. And Wildcat came in fifth, so it looks like our team is now ahead 32 to 28."

Darkwing carried out the credit. "Just keep it up, Gosalyn, because we just might get the signature we need, yet." And he carried out his next announcement. "Okay, everyone. Now comes our time for the obstacle course. The time you set on it will determine your rank on it, and that rank will determine how many points you score for your team. Gosalyn, you've done a good job for once, so you go first. On your mark… Get set… Go!"

One by one, everyone set individual times on the obstacle course. Darkwing took note of everyone's times. And Honker ranked them. "Shadow was fastest to the finish line once again. Gosalyn was second once again. Don Karnage was in third. Sally came in fourth. And Wildcat was fifth again. So now, Team Karnage is ahead of us ahead 46 to 44."

"Now for the part where Baloo becomes vital," declared Darkwing. "Our air race. It works the same as our obstacle course, only color coded. The red signal means you fly past the marker on your left hand side. The green signal means you fly past the marker on your right hand side. And the blue signal means you fly past the marker right side up. Baloo, you're the best pilot on our team, so you're going first."

"You got it, Darkwing," said Baloo with a smile and hopped right into his team's plane.

Darkwing pulled up the stopwatch on his phone and gave the orders via his two way radio. "On your mark… Get set… Go!"

Baloo took to the skies with excitement and flew past the first red signal, on his left hand side, with ease. He wasted no time, leveling out the plane for the first blue signal, but seconds later, he was really feeling the pressure.

While Baloo's air racing stint was underway, Don Karnage was meeting with his minions. "Rocket, I understand you can fly a 700 mile an hour space plane and land it with ease."

"I sure can," said Rocket with a smile.

"Then, you shouldn't have much trouble, navigating the air race," Karnage said confidently. "Wildcat, I understand you've flown the Sea Duck a few times."

"I sure have," Wildcat agreed.

"Shadow," said Karnage. "I don't suppose you've ever flown the X-Tornado."

"I haven't had a whole lot of flying experience," Shadow admitted.

"Not to worry," replied Don Karnage with a smile. "I'll coach you and Wildcat through the first minute of it. That said, before Megavolt had to leave, he chose you for a reason."

"That's right," agreed Shadow. "As the Ultimate Life Form, I can overcome any challenge as long as the stakes are high."

"And the stakes are as high today as ever," agreed Rocket.

Baloo flew through the finish line before landing his team's plane, and Darkwing announced his time. "Baloo, your elapsed time was precisely 3:47.3. Who's next?"

Don Karnage raised his hand.

"Mr. Karnage," said Darkwing. "Excellent choice. Just don't go until I give you the signal."

Karnage made an announcement of his own. "Shadow, Wildcat, watch and learn." And he fired up his P-51 Mustang.

Darkwing got a hold of Karnage on his two way radio. "On your mark… Get set… Go!"

Karnage took off and knew precisely where to aim the plane. He immediately got on his left hand side for the first red signal. And as soon as he was past it, he leveled out the plane for the first blue signal. "Surrender, Baloo," he said out loud to cheer himself on.

Shadow was right on point in the lesson, but Wildcat was overwhelmed. "I don't know how I'll ever fly all that well?"

"It'll just take some bravery," said Shadow.

"We know you can do it," added Rocket. "You've flown the Sea Duck more than once."

"And the Sea Duck is about twice the size," Shadow pointed out. "Plus, we, at least, have the right coach for this."

Don Karnage flew right through the finish line, landed his team's plane with ease, and had his time announced by Darkwing. "I have to say, Karnage. It looks like you've really been practicing. Your elapsed time was 3:19.6. Who's next?"

Antoine raised his hand nervously.

"Antoine," said Darkwing. "Take the controls and show us what you got."

Antoine got in the plane and started it up, still shaking with nervousness. "Sonic, Sally, please don't let me mess this up."

Darkwing used his stopwatch app and two way radio. "On your mark… Get set… Go!"

Antoine reluctantly used the plane's throttle, but once he took off, he had a panic attack, using the plane's two way radio. "Darkwing, how do I land this thing?"

"How should I know?" cried Darkwing "I never had a pilot's license!"

"Just how exactly did Baloo do it?" cried Antoine.

Luckily, Tails had accompanied the gang and used his chopper ability type to fly up there. He grabbed the plane's hatch handle and knocked on the glass. "Antoine, can you hear me in there?"

Antoine took one look up and panicked. "Tails! How do we get down safely?"

Tails wiggled the handle, and wide open flew the hatch. "Antoine, I need to squeeze in there and grab the controls!"

The cockpit had very little room, so Antoine took off his seat belt and was blown right out of the pilot's seat. "Help! Help! I'm falling!"

Tails grabbed the controls as promised, closed the cockpit, and took a dive to save Antoine. Just before the plane took a splash, Antoine grabbed the right wing, and Tails pulled up, still dipping the plane's landing gear in the ever salty ocean.

A minute later, Tails landed the plane, and Darkwing Duck made his saddest announcement, yet. "Antoine, I hate to admit this, but your elapsed time was DNF, Did not finish. Does anyone still want to continue on in this?"

"I'll continue on in it," volunteered Wildcat.

"I like your bravery," encouraged Darkwing, hoping he could still keep Sally and Gosalyn encouraged.

That was when Wildcat received a pep talk from Coach Karnage. "Remember Wildcat, this will be just like flying the Sea Duck, only capable of much better stunts. In this case, you'll be doing knife flights on both sides and changing direction much more quickly than the Sea Duck is capable of. Got it?"

"What if the giant knife punctures someone?" asked Wildcat nervously.

"He doesn't literally mean giant knife," answered Darkwing.

"I only mean flying on your side," said Don Karnage.

"You got it, coach," said Wildcat with a smile and hopped right into Karnage's P-51.

While Wildcat fired up the plane, Darkwing got his two way radio and stopwatch app ready. "On your mark… Get set… Go!"

Wildcat took to the sky with his rarely seen game face on and flew steadily through each checkpoint after another. He was still a little nervous about flying such a capable aircraft, but he took some deep breaths and carried on in favor of the very team who had chosen him. One stunt at a time, he made his way through to the finish line and landed.

Once the P-51 mustang was on the runway, and the hatch was open, Darkwing struggled to make his next announcement. "Wildcat, your elapsed time was 3:26.1, putting you in second place."

"3:26.1?" questioned Baloo. "Dang! I never knew Karny could be such a good flight instructor."

"Not to mention a loyal teammate," added Wildcat.

Baloo was now disgruntled. "Wildcat! He's anything but loyal!"

"Enough with the condemnation, everyone," insisted Darkwing. "Who wants to go next?"

The "Field" Day went on, and despite having one more member than Team Karnage, Team Darkwing was not able to fill the deficit from the air race.

"Antoine," said Darkwing. "you were our least performing member this week, so you have to be Team Karnage's unpaid servant and not take part next week."

"Thank goodness I got out of it," remarked Gosalyn.

"Gosalyn," said Darkwing. "you're not off the hook either. I need you in winning shape ahead of next week's Field Day."