Blackwolfen: After a long time of no posting we finally continue with the story and are now facing the Ultimate Game to decide if the Toons are free or being captured by the Jerk called Swackhammer and his minions. Of course the Devil and his lackys shouldn't be missed as well.
Gemwing2012: Yet another chapter that had been benched for a bit due to writer's block and with Lex and Nat being caught up with work but still worth the write. Having Baymax tending to any injured Toons in later chapters was my suggestion and I hope to help out with any antics on scenes concerning him later. And it doesn't hurt for each of the Toon Squad members and ourselves to put on a bit of a show in each introduction before kickstarting the Big Game.
LexieLuthor98: And let the games begin! I love how Remy and Emile stepped in to be the announcers! And I gotta say... our intro is snazzy! Now all that's left is to actually win the game! Least, I hope so.
Nataliepthatsme; alright! Game on! Time for the biggest game to start! I know it's not going to be easy but with a team of great heroes and toons with us, I'm sure we'll come out on top! And that intro! Love it! Time to send these monstars packing!
"We should be there before the others arrive." Alicia said as she flew ahead and saw the Townsquare not far away from her. Granny was sitting on her back while Tweety sat on Alicia's snout.
"Sure hope the Toons are well-rested." Natty spoke. "We still have a lot of work to do if we need to keep them in proper shape and condition to play."
Alicia nodded before she started to dive down in front of the Gym.
"Whoa! Wait up!" Lexie called out as she, Katie and Natty followed after Alicia.
"Huh?" Alicia looked up and spread her wings out to decelerate.
Down below, the boys were over at the front door leading into the gym.
John opens the door and notices a large shadow engulfing him and the others.
"Oh hey! It's the girls!" Liam exclaimed as they all turned around.
"It is." said John waving with his hands while Alicia landed in front of the gym.
Lowering down her head to the ground, Alicia allowed Granny down as the elderly woman dusted her skirt.
Tweety followed her and landed on Granny's shoulder.
Matt saw Alicia and was surprised to see her in her wyvern form and how big she was compared to Lexie, Katie and Natty as the three landed next to Alicia.
"Whoaaa, that big dragon is sooo cool!" Matt beamed.
John and the others looked to Matt in confusion before Liam corrected his brother.
"She's actually a wyvern, Matt." He gently corrected him. "It's kinda a dragon but different."
"Ohh, okay." Matt nodded.
Alicia smiled after she let Granny and Tweety down and turned back into her human form.
Just then the door to the gym opens and Cuphead walks out of it with a smile on his face as he greets the gang.
"Hey guys!" he beamed "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Rather well, actually." Vale replied..
"Like a baby!" Andy grinned.
"You can say that." Alicia smiled nervously.
Lexie rubbed Alicia's shoulder a bit in sympathy as she turned to Cuphead.
"Everyone bout ready for training?"
He nods and grabs Alicia's hand and guides her into the gym where the Toons are waiting for her to start the morning sport by doing some yoga.
"Uh guys?" she asked, quite nervous.
"What is it, Ali?" Katie asked, not understanding.
"Al? You okay?" Lexie asked.
Every Toon is staring at Alicia, waiting for her to do some moves while typical yoga music is playing from the speakers.
Alicia gulps and looks at Katie, Lexie and Natty. "Can you guys help me?"
It was clear that Alicia didn't know anything about yoga.
"I'm afraid I'm not really an expert at yoga either." Katie shrugged apologetically. "I really have no idea what we're supposed to be doing either."
John thought about it and had an idea.
"Hey, do you remember that scene from Kung Fu Panda?" he asked his sister.
Alicia looked at him in confusion until she knew what he meant. "You mean the training scene?"
John nods.
"Oh! I get it!" Katie exclaimed. "Like how Shifu helped Po to improve on learning Kung Fu by using food as a motivation!"
Alicia's eyes lit up.
"In that case I'm ready." She said. She was ready and turned into her wolf form.
The toons sitting on their yoga matts stood up and followed Alicia's moves.
Well as best as they could.
"D'oh!" Homer grunted as he flopped onto his belly when attempting the Downward Dog position.
John chuckled a bit before he noticed that he and the others were still in their normal clothes.
"Think we should get change into something more suitable to train in?" Liam suggested.
"I was going to ask the same question." John said.
It felt weird wearing normal shoes in a gym instead of sports shoes.
"Leave that to me!" Lexie winked as she got out her paintbrush. With a couple of brush strokes, John, Liam and Andy's shoes turned into sports sneakers. "Voilà!"
"Thanks, Lex." Liam smiled.
John's eyes widened in enjoyment.
"Oh my, are those Air Jordans?" he asked.
"Looks like it." Andy observed.
Lexie smiled.
"Alright and now follow my moves and be careful!" Alicia said while she is doing the stork position.
As the Toons worked on copying Alicia's movements and poses, the Dreamstones and the guys watched on.
Blood, Misterie and Muru entered the gym as well and watched the work out scene.
"Never knew Alicia could do yoga." Muru mumbles.
Blood however watched Alicia closely and saw that she had some trouble standing still on one leg.
"If barely." Misterie noted.
"Wanna help her out?" Blood asked.
Misterie nodded. "Of course."
Blood grabs his wand and the crystal on top glows. The Dreamstones, the guys and animal companions curiously looked over, wondering what the Timberwolf was about to do.
"Whoa, what is going on?" asked Alicia as she had a glowing outline of her body.
"What the heck?" Lexie exclaimed.
Just then Alicia couldn't control her body as she did another yoga pose.
"Okay, someone had put something into my coffee this morning." Alicia said with a scared face.
The Toons looked confused and stared at Wile E Coyote. He simply shrugged in reply that screams, "Don't look at me. I didn't do anything".
But the one who caused this soon stopped as Alicia could control her body on her own again.
"What just happened?" Natty asked.
Alicia shrugged her shoulders in reply. "I don't know."
"When you asked about helping out, I don't think that was exactly what I had in mind." Misterie said, giving Blood a mildly disapproving look while Aren cawed in agreement.
She uses her own staff to help Alicia while Blood smiles nervously.
"Are you, Al?" Lexie asked in concern. "That just now was kinda crazy."
Alicia wasn't sure what to say and just shrugged her shoulders.
"Perhaps you could allow me to take it from here?" Misterie suggested. "I dabble a bit in yoga myself."
"You do?" asked John.
Misterie nodded. "Of course, I do some in my spare time. I find it most relaxing."
John tilts his head in confusion like Duke did. His eyes followed Misterie as she walks up to Alicia.
"Uh… Misterie is something wrong?" asked Alicia.
"Nothing really." Misterie answered. "Why don't you let me handle this one? You and the others have done so much. I can handle the yoga session if you wish."
The Toons didn't say anything about it. In fact some even try to do the poses Alicia did while Blood uses his magic while on the other hand a few Toons ended up as a literal ball of yarn.
"Okay good luck with that Misterie." Alicia said.
Misterie nodded and got into position. While she was teaching the Toons with zero problems, Lexie used her paintbrush to create a large cooler and opened it to reveal cans and bottles of chilled cola, flavored sodas, still and sparkling water and juice boxes.
Meanwhile Natty casted a spell with her wand to conjure some bowls of water for Ash, Aya, Duke and Daisy to drink out from.
"Anybody thirsty?" Lexie asked.
"Who can say no to soda?" Katie giggled, helping herself to a bottle of Cherry Pepsi Max.
"Yay! Soda!" Matt cheered.
"Whoa, take it easy, big guy. Leave some for the rest of us." Liam joked as he went over to the cooler and picked out some of his and Matt's favorite drinks.
Alicia and John looked through the cooler to find their favorite sodas: Sprite and .
"I really needed that." Alicia sighed as she cracked open her soda and gulped it down while her brother does the same but has to let out a loud burp in the process.
"My bad!" He apologized.
"Hey, no worries." Andy replied.
"These kinds of things happen." Liam added.
Katie nodded as she said, "Sodas taste delicious but the bubbles do often come back on ya."
"Agreed." Natty chimed in.
Alicia giggles and smiles but the smile soon turns into a sad one.
She might be with her friends, her brother and the people who care for her but she still feels empty inside.
It's not only her husband that filled the emptiness inside of her but the characters from the Cuphead book too.
Both Cup Brothers, Elder Kettle, her godmothers and the rest of the former debtors. She missed them a lot and wanted nothing else but to meet them again.
"I miss you guys…"
After a bit of (a slightly improved) session of yoga, the Toons each grabbed some water, sodas and sports drinks themselves to take a breather.
Donald Duck gurgling his drink like he had found an oasis after hours of crossing a scorching desert while some other Toons literally let the bottles of water fall on them like they're going to shower.
The younger Toons like the two Cups, Kit, Molly, Webby, Donald's nephews, and Russell from the movie Up drank juice.
"That's so good and refreshing!" Cuphead said as he finished drinking his juice.
"You can say that again." Kit sighed.
Alicia smiled. "You can thank Lexie for that."
Lexie blushes a bit before she replies, "No worries. Everybody deserved it."
"It is always wise to allow your team to take breaks in between training." Misterie said sagely. "Plenty of decent rest is just as important. A well-rested basketball team can have its great advantage."
With everyone satisfied, the real training begins.
Ball dribbling was heard from outside the gym as more and more Toons entered the gym to see what was going on.
Alicia, her brother, the Dreamstones and their partners and companions trained the Toons to be better at basketball.
"I got it!" yelled Cuphead, dribbling the ball as he ran past Popeye and Roronoa Zoro to dunk the ball into the net, getting a point for his team.
"Good shot." Vale commented.
"Yeah, really good Cups!" John added.
"Looks like everybody's improving well." Andy observed.
Alicia nods in agreement. The Toons improved a lot during the training montage. They could win the game.
But still Alicia has a bad feeling about the Monstars. She still wondered how they could be so big. Cuphead and Mugman explained to her and the others that the Monstars were really small first.
Smaller than the two cup brothers themselves.
"And when we decided to let 'em use the court to train, they suddenly weren't so little just as we were leaving." Bugs explained as his ears drooped down in fright.
"They're HUGE!" SpongeBob cried.
"With really big shoes almost as bad as Bigger Boot!" Patrick exclaimed, frantically throwing his arms up.
Alicia gulped when she heard that.
"How should we defeat them?" She asked herself.
They're not only bigger than her and the others but also have more muscles and seem to be professionals in basketball like NBA players.
"Could they… No I don't think they had stolen the talent of the NBA Players."
"Al? You okay?" Lexie asked in concern.
Alicia snapped back in reality as she heard Lexie's voice. "I just thought about something Lexie."
"What is it?" Katie inquired.
"It's about the Monstars." Alicia answered.
"What about them?" Natty asked.
Alicia gulps before she continues, "I mean, how could they grow so big if the Toons told us they were small before? It doesn't make any sense to me."
"They must have some ability or power that allows them to grow so big." Andy piped up. "From what Bugs told me when they first saw them, they were puny."
"And that's worrying me guys…" Alicia lows her head down as she thinks the worst thing that could happen during the game.
Lexie placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, don't think about what could happen. The team is ready and despite them being bigger, we know we can take them on. Size isn't everything you know."
John agrees with her and cheers up his sister, "Lexie is right, sis. Just because those dorks are bigger and muscular doesn't mean we can't beat them."
"Yeah. And besides, we have a ton of strong players too." Natty chimed in. "They may be big and strong, but they're not that smart."
"And as long as we rely on our wits and careful thinking, we have the bigger advantage." Katie added.
Alicia smiles as her friends told her that. "You're right and let's be honest we will kick their butt no matter what!" She cracks her knuckles.
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.
"No one is messing with us!" Cuphead said, cracking his knuckles as well.
"Let's beat some baddies!" Sonic cheered, fist-bumping the teammates.
The Toons cheered and started to pack their things. After all, the Ultimate Game is played not in the Gym, but in a large stadium outside the Town.
It was going to be the biggest game the world had ever seen.
Every Toon from different Movie Studios, Anime Studios and even Animation Studios are waiting in a very long line to enter the Stadion. Be it on foot, plane or by car. The lines didn't become shorter but rather larger with every second that passed.
Alicia and John were shocked to see the line as they and the others walked by the huge line of Toons waiting to enter the Stadion. "Okay that's something you don't see every day."
"Haven't seen a line this long since the time we went to a movie premier." John chuckled.
Alicia chuckled too. "Yeah I remember we were lucky to get our seats next to each other unlike the family of five behind us.".
"I was lucky that the snacks were still there." John added as he opened the door leading to the locker rooms.
Of course, the locker rooms are splitted up into the two teams. One for the Toon Squad and one for the Monstars.
Rubbing was heard in the second room as the Monstars prepared themselves or just dork around or whatever. Alicia rolled her eyes and went into their own locker room while the others followed her inside.
"See? They think they're going to win this hands down, but we are not going to let them." Andy assured her.
John nodded in agreement as he put his gym bag with his and Alicia's sports gear on a bench.
Meanwhile, the Toons had just put on their gear, adding some finishing touches.
Lola was wrapping some tape around her gloved hand and smirked in satisfaction once she finished. Ms. Chalice had dusted her skort before she happily tap danced for a bit, striking a pose.
Cuphead and Mugman pulled up their shorts as they spit in their hands.
Darkwing Duck readjusted his fedora before he pulled his cape around himself (which he insisted on having his basketball uniform over his signature suit).
"Let's get dangerous!" He announced.
Sylvester and Tweety Bird were warming up with jump rope (as Tweety was simply floating), and Sonic did a leg stretch after getting his uniform on.
Both Mario Brothers fist bumped themselves before they did their Signature Jump.
"Let's a-go!" Mario exclaimed.
Goku readjusted one of his wristbands while Elmer Fodd tied a blue bandana around his head.
Nearby, Roger, for some reason added some bizarre gear over his uniform as well as a medieval-style over his head, which the visor comically closed over his eyes.
"Jeepers! It's dark in here!" Roger yelped.
Meanwhile, the Dreamstones had just finished gearing up with Lexie tying up her hair with her signature red bow scrunchie while Katie placed on her arm sleeve and Natty secured the shoelace of her sneaker.
As Alicia dressed up in her tunic she looked at the Dreamstones and their outfits.
"You ready?" Katie asked, determined.
Alicia nodded. "Sure. Are you?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" Lexie cheered.
"Ready for anything!" Natty cheered.
"That's the spirit!" John exclaimed. The toons agreed to and we're ready to challenge the Monstars no matter what.
Then, Alicia stretched out her hand "Alright team, let's have a quick talk before we go through these doors."
Out on the stadium, all of the Toons — heroes and even villains alike — have taken their seats in the audience stand. Down at the Toons' bench area, Blood, Misterie and Muru were with Baymax from Big Hero 6, who had been assigned to tend to any players if they end up getting injured during the match.
Among the audience, Pete was walking along the stand, carrying a box of snacks while shouting out to any patrons if they wanted any snacks or drinks during the game.
Alex from Madagascar lifts his hands up wanting sushi while Marty orders some carrots.
Meanwhile, Swackhammer had taken up his seat in the V.I.P stand. Over at the villain section, the Devil was in his own V.I.P stand (hey, he's the Devil, he's pretty much very important). King Dice and Anubis were also with him.
"Urgh, what is he doing here?" asked the Devil in disgust as he pointed to Swackhammer and his Nerdlucks.
"So much for wanting to enjoy the game…" Dice grumbled, gently swirling around a glass of wine in his hand.
Anubis wasn't happy about that either and scoffs and rolls his eyes in annoyance before he takes a sip of his whisky.
The Terrible Trio wasn't amused to see the boss of the Monstars sitting in the same V.I.P. stand as themselves. The Devil only took these seats because he could watch his two brides more closely before he could think of a plan to kidnap both of them.
"Well, he is the boss of the Monstars." An imp pointed out as he held out a tray of snacks out to the Terrible Trio. "So… I think he's pretty much entitled to watch 'em play as you all are watching the Toon Squad."
The Devil glared at the Imp with an angry expression before he focused himself on the game as the timer on the big screen in the middle was slowly running down to zero.
"Despite his presence, I'm sure to enjoy the game and see the outcome." The Devil claimed. "Once the time is right, we make our move and steal our brides."
He smiled devilishly before he clasped his hands together like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
Over at the stand where the announcer announces the team, the announcer himself was sleeping and didn't notice the mike slowly moving away from him by two rats, Remy and Emile from Ratatouille.
"You think you've got this, Remy?" Emile asked. "I mean, you're more of a chef than an announcer for a basketball game."
But Remy was ready for it.
"There's a first time for everything, Emile." He stated. "Besides, what's the point of having this guy over there do it when he's literally sleeping on the job?"
For emphasis, he pointed at the guy who was supposed to be the announcer snoozing away as he snored.
"Point taken." Emile noted.
Remy took a big breath as he prepared to announce the game. He cleared his throat as he approached the mike and then spoke in a deeper voice best suited for announcing basketball games, much to the surprise and awe of his brother.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Remy announced. "Please direct your attention to the center stage and give it up for… THE TOON SQUAD!"
Every Toon stopped talking as they heard the announcement. They all turned to the entrance as spotlights shone on the center of the stadium. The Devil leaned forward while his tail wagged. He knew who was going to be making an entrance and he couldn't wait to see them.
An instrumental of a certain theme song for a certain terror that flaps in the night plays in the background as blue smoke explodes and streams across the stadium.
"First up, we have the terror who flaps in the night. He is the team player who'll toss the ball of villainy through the hoops of justice!" Remy declared. "He is… DARKWING DUCK!"
The audience gasped before a few grabbed a bandana behind their backs and put them over their eyes as they yelled in synch, "Darkwing! Darkwing!"
"Go Dad!" Gosalyn cheered as she, Webby, Molly, Granny and the other female toons acting out as the cheerleaders waved their pom-poms
Darkwing emerged from the smoke, flaring his cape dramatically, basking in the praises of his fans, much to his satisfaction.
"My fans, they can't seem to get enough of me." He commented, breaking the fourth wall.
Everyone is cheering for Darkwing except for Swackhammer and well the Devil of course.
"Ugh, terrific. Looks like we have yet another show-off." The Devil muttered in annoyance. "A duck in a tacky suit and fedora no less. And he wears a cape beneath his gear? Unbelievable!"
"Sí. Talk about a fashion disaster." Anubis agreed.
Dice was the only one not saying anything about the duck's outfit. Instead he drinks from his glass.
Then, a certain upbeat tune plays as a certain chalice girl tap dances onto the stage.
"Next up, we have a player who knows how to turn up the charm and will charm the team to victory!" Remy announced. "Please give a round applause for… MS. CHALICE!"
Not a second later, Chalice tap danced into the court, getting cheers from every Toon. Even from Darkwing. The Devil rolled his eyes in annoyance. He didn't care about the little showoff, especially with her dancing.
"You gotta admit, that gal's got some pep in her step." Dice commented as he chortled, impressed by Chalice's dance moves.
Of course, Dice wasn't entertained for long when the Devil shot him a glare. A burning glare indeed.
"Errr… but not as good as your dance moves, Big D." Dice chuckled nervously as he sweated a bit.
The Devil ignored it and focused himself on the next player to approach.
The spotlight focuses on a figure stepping out into the court.
"And now, here we have another charmer out on the fields." Remy announced. "Here she is, folks! The heartthrob of the hoops: LOLA BUNNY!"
The crowd yelled in excitement as Lola rolled a basketball across her shoulders and arms before she coyly spun the ball on her finger.
"And when they're not out saving the Mushroom Kingdom, they're out doing your indoor plumbing! And they're now here to unclog our predicament! Please give a huge shout out to… THE SUPER MARIO BROTHERS!" Remy declared.
Suddenly the Title Melody of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show was playing as the two brothers entered the court.
"Basketball playing plumbers? Really?" Swackhammer scoffed in disbelief. His Nerdlucks agreed with him and booed at the two brothers.
The instrumental of The Fastest Thing Alive from Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM cartoon series plays as the audience jammed to the beat.
"Hold onto your seats, folks because here he comes, speeding in!" Remy declared. "He's the blue blur streaking by who's too fast for the naked eye! The speedy blue wonder who is way past cool! Let's all give a big hand to the fastest thing alive: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"
Sonic speeds in, running circles around the stadium, leaving a streak of blue light until he stops in the center, a hand on his hip while giving a thumbs-up while winking at the audience who cheered.
"And, presenting for all of you anime characters here tonight, he is a Saiyan with a big heart and a big appetite but an even bigger appetite for a good fight!" Remy declared. "Ready or not, here he comes! SON GOKU!"
Every Anime character sitting in the crowd is cheering for Goku who had appeared in the center of the stadium by using his Instant Transmission technique before he beamed with his trademark goofy grin.
Then, an instrumental for the ending credits of The Cuphead Show plays as two certain cups began to take center stage.
"And now we have another brother team joining on the field!" Remy announced. "Two plucky young cups who are both brewing for a swell battle! Two brothers and the best of pals always out for lots of fun with a dash of heebie jeebies! Ladies and gentlemen — CUPHEAD and MUGMAN!"
The Devil growls in anger when the announcer mentions both cups and was burning in rage. Meanwhile, Cuphead was basking in all the cheers and praises from the crowd.
"THANK YOU!" Cuphead called out.
Mugman smiled nervously and tried his best not to freeze in terror. He simply waves with his Fingers like he did in Sweater off Dead.
"And now! Please turn your direct attention to our four star players!" Remy announced. "First up, they're three young creative young individuals who are the heart, soul and mind of their many stories! They are the Illustrator, the Scriptor an Binder of their amazing imaginations and the heroes of the multiverse! The dazzling… DREAMSTONES!"
Alicia nodded to Katie, Lexie and Natty wishing them good luck while she herself was nervous as heck.
Just to put on a bit of a show, Katie transformed into her dragon form to fly around while Lexie summoned her angelic butterfly-like wings and used her magic to create a light show and Natty casted a spell with her wand to create fireworks. Katie used her ice breath to collide with the spell, casting a snow of glittering ice specks to rain down among the crowd as they gazed up in awe.
Katie landed on the ground as she, Lexie and Natty posed with Lexie spinning a basketball on her finger, winking as the crowd cheered.
The cheer was heard from outside the court. Every Toon was shouting the Dreamstones names.
"KATIE! NATTY! LEXIE!"
Even the Devil, Anubis and Dice shouted as they looked seductive to see their lovely brides.
"Aww, my sweet little Katie." The Devil crooned, wagging his tail.
"And my darling Lexie." Dice sighed.
"And mi amor Natalie." Anubis smirked.
Everyone was here from the Toon Squad. Well, almost everyone. Two very important team members are still missing. The members of the Toon Squad as well as the Devil noticed it too and asked himself the following:
"Where's my lovely Alicia?"
Katie gently gestured with her arm as she mouthed, "C'mon, Ali. You're needed."
Lexie and Natty looked worried towards the entrance they walked out of. But Alicia and John were nowhere to be seen.
"Where Are they?" Lexie asked in concern.
Alicia was still standing in front of the entrance to the court. She sweated nervously and didn't want to go outside. Not because of her stage fright but more because of her fear of losing or not being good enough for the team she has trained.
She felt alone even though her brother was by her side encouraging her.
"I'm not going out there." she stated, shaking in fear.
"But Alicia… the team is counting on you." Vale pointed out carefully. "It's understandable you're afraid but you can't let it take hold of your better judgment. You have worked very hard and everyone have improved all thanks to you."
"Vale's right." Liam agreed. "You're stronger than this. And you have everyone who cares about you with you every step of the way."
Alicia shakes her head. "But what if they are starting to boo at me? Or throw stuff at me like back in Highschool?" she asked in frustration, close to tears as her brother stroked her cheek.
"I won't let that happen, Sis." John promised her "Not again."
"No one won't do that." Andy said in reassurance. "Everyone is rooting for you. The Toons wanted you to be here for a reason. You're a good person, Alicia. We, the girls and the Toons know it."
"That's right! You totally got this!" Kaichi cheered as Aya mewed, Ash barked and Daisy squealed in agreement.
"We believe in you." Duke spoke.
The encouragement helped Alicia to gain courage to enter the court together with her brother as the announcer's voice was heard while the light in the court was in darkness.