A/N: I am pleased to present the latest installment of the All Worlds Alliance Chronicles: Assorted Stories. I would like to express my appreciation for the favorable reception of the preceding chapter.
Number01BlazblueFan - Hmm? What Arc are you referring to? If you're gonna ask some questions, please do make it specific.
And with that done, let's get this chapter on the go!
Disclaimer: I do not possess any characters featured in this story, unless they are my original characters who seldomly appear.
-EARTH 699-
-New Salem, Oregon-
The students of New Salem were in for quite the shock when they found their track and field completely covered in smashed pumpkins. And that wasn't all - the front of the school was also a mess, with eggs splattered all over the windows and toilet paper wrapped around the main entrance arch.
Chad Staley, Clair Fitzgerald and Lilith Van Hellscream stepped out of the school's front door. Chad and Clair had looks of surprise on their faces while Lilith couldn't help but grin with amusement at the chaotic sight before them.
As if the scene wasn't bizarre enough, police officers were already on the scene. A reporter and their cameraperson made their way towards Sheriff Audu Paden, who was probably dealing with the aftermath of some serious Halloween pranks.
"Sheriff." the reported called out, "The people are impatient." she shared, "Some say that if you don't catch this monster criminal, they'll take things into their own hands." she informed.
The Sheriff shook his head, "No comment." he replied when he clumsily steps on a pumpkin, he then looks at the cameraman nervously, "Hey, you didn't shoot that, did you?" he shyly asked.
-BREAK-
Meanwhile, word about the raid at New Salem High is traveling through Monster High like crazy, with some folks getting really excited and others starting to worry.
Amongst the people gathered in the main entrance hall are Andy Beast, Cesaro Oohori, Chapatsu Doi, Clawd Wolf, Draculaura, Eyera, Ghoulia Yelps, Gillington "Gil" Webber, Gory Fangtell, Heath Burns, Herbert East, Hoodude Voodoo, Howleen Wolf, Keiichi Maebara, Ken Taiga, Kieran Valentine, Kipling, Kurumu Kurono, Lester Unlikely, Lloyd Irving, Manny Taur, Masami Iwasawa, Meowlody, Mizore Shirayuki, Moka Akashiya, Nobuhiko Mitsuo, Operetta, Polly Geist, Purrsephone, Robecca Steam, Rochelle Goyle, Scott Howl, Sloman "Slo Mo" Mortavitch, Spectra Vondergeist, Toralei Stripes, Venus McFlytrap, Vicky Schmidt and Yuuki Asaba.
"I can't believe it happened again!" Draculaura exclaimed in exasperation while holding her phone.
Operetta approaches the vegan vampire, "It says in the ghostly gossip that the normies think Holt is behind this one too." the female phantom shared with a look of disbelief.
"Holt is so hard-core!" Gill cheered.
"Jolly exciting!" Robecca exclaimed in glee.
"He's a total monster hero." Venus commented, "He's treating normies like they treat the ozone layer!" she described.
"I simply can't wait for the next post!" Robecca said in excitement.
As the buzz about Holt's rumored pranking escapades at New Salem High fills the air, Cleo de Nile can't help but furrow her brow in a frown. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a miniature, imaginary version of her sister Nefera de Nile appearing right beside her, adding to her concerns.
"Imaginary Nefera here." 'Nefera' announced herself, "Look how excited everyone is." she pointed out, "You know, a real de Nile would figure out a way to make it all about her." she prod before disappearing.
Cleo grinned when an idea came to mind, she then turns her attention towards her fellow students, "Attention, everyone!" she called out which got everyone's attention, "I just received an email from Holt!" she shared while holding up her phone, "He wants us all to know that he is behind all these pranks on the normies." she furthered, "And that he's got even bigger and better ones planned." she added.
Almost everyone, excluding a couple of monsters and some AWA members, erupted into cheers.
"Yeah!" Clawd exclaimed in glee.
"He's awesome!" Venus added.
"And that he will be communicating through me, his spokesprincess." Cleo shared, "His words, not mine." she clarified, "Because I was his inspiration for standing up to the normies." she claimed, "He'll be updating his Critter account to keep you up on his exploits." she detailed.
Everyone once again erupted into cheers,
"Cleo, you rock!" Heath cheered, "You tell Holt that we're all behind him." he exclaimed.
As the crowd goes wild for Holt, Cleo couldn't help but smile with contentment. Meanwhile, on the second story, Abbey Bominable, Deuce Gorgon, Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue, Megumi Aino and Seigi Sagara are all leaning on the balcony railing, looking down at the festivities with a hint of skepticism in their eyes.
"Man, I can't believe Cleo." Deuce uttered out loud, "First she convinces everybody to go attack the normies, then she breaks up with me, and now she's Holt's spokesprincess." he listed off in disbelief.
"Matt can be pretty full of himself but Cleo takes it to a whole new level." Megumi commented.
"Hey, come on, that's just part of what makes Matt, well, Matt." Seiji defended with a chuckle.
Megumi looked at him with one eyebrow shooting up, "You can't be serious?" she questioned while genuinely surprised by his take on the situation.
Frankie then spoke up, "You guys, this is bad." she said in panic, "We can't sit around any longer!" she complained, "We've gotta stop Holt!" she beckoned, "He's created a monster!" she declared with a look of concern.
Deuce sighed, "Man, I really wish Chizuru and Kenji were here." he said out loud, "They've got to have a ton of ideas to get us out of this mess." he stated.
"You know who else would be helpful right now?" Megumi chimed in, "Madoka." she revealed, "Just the sight of her could make the whole New Salem High quiver in their boots." she stated.
"Are you kidding me?" Seiji's voice shot up in alarm, "That would just make everything way more complicated!" he exclaimed.
Later on, in a cozy classroom, Abbey, Deuce, Frankie, Lagoona, Megumi and Seiji are all huddled around Ghoulia. She was deeply engrossed in her laptop with her fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Whoa." Abbey uttered in awe, "Never seen zombie move so fast." she commented.
"And that's the reason Ghoulia was named the coolest zombie in the latest AWA polls!" Megumi exclaimed with a grin which immediately caused Ghoulia to blush from the praise.
"Alright, so what's Ghoulia up to?" Seiji inquired.
"She's putting a program on her computer to pinpoint where Holt is, using the signal from his phone." Frankie clarified while looking a bit anxious, "Did I nail it?" she questioned while seeking confirmation.
Ghoulia let out a small, understanding groan, indicating she'd grasped the basic idea.
Once Ghoulia has cracked some additional codes, she takes out her phone with a map displayed on it and there's a solitary red dot blinking on and off, which seems to be pretty important.
"There!" Frankie confirmed before realizing the situation, "Oh, no." she uttered in dread, "He's in their school." she pointed out, "We gotta get over there and stop him before it's too late." she beckoned in concern.
"How on earth did Holt end up at New Salem High?" Seiji wondered, "The last time we caught a glimpse of him, he was being hauled off by the cops." he reminisced.
Deuce pondered for a moment, "You're right, buddy." he said in agreement, "It's weird how we all just accepted it without asking." he admitted, "I can't believe it didn't cross my mind sooner." he added.
"Could he have slipped away when we weren't looking?" Lagoona proposed.
"Abbey doesn't think so." Abbey corrected, "Abbey saw the cops really lay into Holt." she recalled, "No way he could have gotten out of their grip." she declared.
Ghoulia sighed heavily while hinting at her own idea.
"I reckon Ghoulia's got a point." Frankie chimed in, "Maybe Holt transformed back into Jackson, and since Jackson's a regular human, the cops assumed he was just a lost student and took him to school." she suggested.
"You know, that's likely the main reason why Jackson ended up at New Salem High." Megumi accepted.
-BREAK-
That evening at New Salem High School, Bud Singerman was caught on camera, donning a spooky monster mask. He was busy spray-painting a mural, adding a touch of mischief to the school's walls while Spud Singerman had a microphone in hand, probably providing some sort of commentary or encouragement. Lilith is filming the whole escapade with a video camera and is capturing every moment of their creative shenanigans.
"I am an evil monster." Bud said rather lazily, "You will never stop me, and my..." he trailed.
"Cut!" Lilith shouted, "Cut!" she repeated, "Ugh!" she groaned in disbelief, "That was dreadful!" she exclaimed, "You, hold the microphone higher." she told Spud, "You, that is the worst acting I've ever seen in my life." she exclaimed at Bud.
"The camera makes me nervous!" Bud whined.
"One more time from the top." Lilith beckoned, "And remember, we need to make this look believable!" she urged.
Suddenly, they heard voices from the distance, "Come on, guys!" it said and they spotted Abbey, Deuce, Frankie, Lagoona, Megumi and Seiji running across a corner.
Lilith grinned in amusement, "Well, well, well." she mused, "What do we have here?" she uttered out loud.
Meanwhile inside the school, the current group moves through the shadowy corridors with Frankie taking the lead, holding a phone and doing their best to figure out where Holt is hiding.
"You see anything?" Deuce asked.
"No, mate." Lagoona replied, "Nothing." she added.
"I don't get it." Frankie uttered out loud, "He should be right here." she insisted.
"Maybe he up to dirty business." Abbey suggested.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Frankie groaned in response.
Abbey shook her head, "No." she uttered, "Mean literally." she clarified, "Look." she beckoned with a finger pointed at the door of the janitor's closet.
"The janitor's closet!" Frankie exclaimed.
Seiji nodded in acknowledgement, "It's totally believable that Jackson would choose to hide out there." he stated, "Since he's in his human form, he can blend right in without drawing attention." he stated, "But the second music starts playing, he'll morph into Holt and the jig will be up for everyone to see." he concluded.
"Honestly, I can't even begin to picture being in his shoes." Megumi confessed.
Without hesitation, everyone rushed to the janitor's closet, flung the door open, and dashed in. They began to frantically search the small space, their eyes darting around as they called out for their missing friend.
"Holt, whatever it is you're doing, stop!" Frankie shouted.
Everyone's eyes darted around the janitor's closet when suddenly, they caught a glimpse of Jackson Jekyll huddled in the corner. His hands were up over his head, like he was trying to shield himself from something. As they approached and their footsteps grew louder, he spun around in a flash of fear.
"Jackson!" they all exclaimed.
"Hey, um, what are you guys doing here?" Jackson asked nervously.
"We came to tell you, Holt, to knock it off!" Frankie declared, "Your pranks are making everyone crazy." she chastised.
Jackson raised his hands up, "Hey, hey, hey, slow down." he ushered, "I didn't do it!" he claimed.
"Come on, it's all over Holt's Critter page, mate." Lagoona shared.
"And let's not forget you're Cleo's spokesprincess." Seiji added.
"Seriously, did you have to mention that?" Megumi questioned.
"I didn't make that!" Jackson argued, "Look, someone is framing me." he claimed.
Frankie raised an eyebrow, "And you haven't turned into Holt at all?" she questioned, "You're sure?" she added.
Jackson rubs the back of his head, "Well, there have been a couple of times." he confessed, "I couldn't help it." he reasoned.
All of a sudden, footsteps echoed through the room and when people looked around, they couldn't believe their eyes. There, by the door, stood Lilith along with the Sheriff and a bunch of cops. They all took a deep breath and let out a collective gasp at the unexpected sight.
"Oh, fuck." Seiji cursed out loud.
"Now I've got you!" the Sheriff declared.
Lilith grinned evilly, "My Monster Watch Committee saw them when we were out on patrol." she explained while holding up a boombox, "Behold!" she beckoned, "Your monster!" she declared and then pressing a button.
The moment the boombox starts blasting music, poor Jackson gets really anxious as he bursts into flames, turning into Holt Hyde right before everyone's eyes and now, Holt looks absolutely terrified.
The Sheriff then confidently walked towards Holt, "You've been hiding here all along." the deputy mused before handcuffing the music-filled monster, "You're coming with me!" he declared with a grin.
"I didn't do it!" Holt cried out in panic.
"Ha!" the Sheriff scoffed in response, "You'll be needing these!" he said before putting Holt's headphones back on, "Come on, let's go." he beckoned.
Frankie and the rest of the group stand there, their hearts racing with fear and concern, as they witness the unfolding nightmare. They're all torn apart, thinking about their friend Holt, who's in a world of trouble for something he swears he didn't do. They're desperately trying to figure out what they can possibly do to help him out of this mess.
-BREAK-
The following day at Monster High, Abbey, Deuce, Frankie, Lagoona, Megumi, and Seiji all ended up in Headless Headmistress Bloodgood's office yet again. Once again, she had a stern look on her face, obviously not too pleased with the shenanigans they'd gotten into the night before.
"After everything that happened, everything we've warned you about,you have the raw nerve to go back over there?!" Bloodgood exclaimed in disappointment while everyone looks down in shame, "Two months in-school detention, all of you!" she declared, "And if you pull a stunt like this again, you will be expelled from Monster High!" she threatened which made everyone gasped in shock.
"Does getting kicked out include us too, AWA members?" Megumi whispered in question.
"Yeah, since we're part of the school and all, I guess they could do that to us." Seiji replied.
Bloodgood then received a phone call and she immediately answered it, "Hello?" she greeted, "No, I'm not." she replied when her eyes widen in horror, "What?!" she uttered in shock.
With a worried expression, Bloodgood snatches the remote and switches on the TV. The room goes quiet as everyone's eyes glue to the screen. There's the Sheriff, standing on a makeshift stage set up right outside New Salem High School. Poor Holt is trapped in a cage, looking utterly defeated, while Lilith has that all-too-familiar smug grin plastered on her face as she stands alongside him.
The Sheriff is positioned in front of a podium, ready to say something. You can just feel the tension building up as they wait for the announcement.
"Oh, God, no..." Seiji uttered in dread.
"Monsters think they can just come into our town and do whatever they want!" the Sheriff begun, "Well, I say, No more!" he exclaimed, "It's time we got back to the true meaning of this holiday!" he beckoned, "Putting monsters in their places!" he furthered, "That's why I declare on this Halloween that this criminal here shall be given the worst possible punishment for man or monster!" he declared with a finger pointed at Holt.
"This isn't going to turn out good at all, is it?" Holt murmured in dread.
"At dusk on Halloween night, we shall all join together and haul this creature to the top of the hill, where he will be given the Trick-or-Treatment!" the Sheriff declared and the crowed cheered in response.
"Oh, no!" Bloodgood gasped.
When Lilith heard the news about Holt receiving the "Trick-or-Treatment," she couldn't help the shock and worry that washed over her face. It's true, she's all about nabbing those pesky monsters, but the thought of actually ending their lives? That's some heavy subject she's not down with.
"Yes." the Sheriff confirmed, "The Trick-or-Treatment." he repeated while a large contraption is presented before the crowd, "So horrible it hasn't been used on a monster in years!" he shared, "Well, let this boy serve as a reminder to all of them what Halloween is really about!" he declared with the crowd errupting in cheers.
Holt's eyes are wide with fear as he's trapped inside the metal bars and his heart racing like it's about to burst out of his chest. Meanwhile, Lilith seems torn apart and her emotions a jumble as the flickering blue light from the TV abruptly goes dark.
Still on her phone, Bloodgood listened to the other end of the line, "We have to do..." she tried to say something, "But I don't think..." she furthered before sighing, "Yes, I remember." she replied, "Yes." she uttered, "I understand." she conceded in defeat, "The Monster Elder Council has decided to do nothing." she told her students, "Holt must take his punishment." she said in a regretful tone, much to everyone's horror.
-BREAK-
Later that day, the word about Holt's "Trick-or-Treatment" traveled through the school like wildfire. Students couldn't believe what they were seeing on their phones, and the shock and worry was palpable. Spectra was all over the place, sharing the news with everyone as if she were a contemporary newspaper boy, yelling "extra, extra" to get people's attention.
"Attention, everyone!" Spectra shouted, "The normies are going to give Holt the Trick-or-Treatment!" she shared in panic, "Monster Elder Council okay with normie punishment!" she added.
As soon as Cleo heard that Holt was about to be executed over the vendetta she had sparked, she panicked. Gripping her phone with a tremble in her hands, she couldn't believe the news she was reading.
-BREAK-
Meanwhile, Abbey, Deuce, Frankie, Lagoona, Megumi and Seiji all find themselves back in that dreaded detention room with Mr. Hack keeping a close watch on them, and he seems pretty chuffed to have so many students serving detention today.
"Detention again, Miss Stein?" Hack mused with a grin, "This is becoming quite the nasty habit!" he cheered.
"How is this a habit?" Megumi grumbled in annoyance.
Frankie then spoke, "What are we gonna do about Holt?" she asked.
"What can we do?" Abbey replied, "He is hopeless." she uttered in defeat.
Hack slammed his hand on the table, "Oi!" he yelled, "Keep it down this is detention not a tea party!" he scolded them and then took a dainty sip of his tea which seemed a bit out of place in the stern environment.
"That is rich coming from you!" Megumi shouted back.
"Cool it, Megumi." Seiji tried to eased.
"You heard Jackson, someone's framing him!" Frankie reminded.
"How are we gonna prove that, love?" Lagoona asked.
"What about Clair and Chad?" Frankie suggested, "Maybe they can help." she said.
Deuece scoffed in response, "Yeah, right, just march right into enemy territory and strike up a conversation?" he stated out loud, "What could possibly go wrong?" he questioned rather sarcastically.
"It's a long shot at best, and Bloodgood will throw us out of school if we did that!" Lagoona added.
Frankie stood up from her seat, "We can't let them do this!" she beckoned, "The cycle has to end!" she declared.
All of a sudden, an ax comes hurtling towards Frankie, barely missing her by a hair's breadth and slams into the wall. Despite the close call, she manages to stand there with a slightly shaky smile plastered on her face.
"Hey, keep the noise down!" Hack exclaimed while rolling his eyes, "C'mon, I can hardly catch the violin solo!" he complained good-naturedly as he was totally engrossed in the classical tune playing on the radio, nodding his head slightly to the rhythm, clearly enjoying every note.
Megumi raised an eyebrow, "Is he really like a cartoon version of a serial killer?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, he's definitely a toned-down, family-friendly edition of one, you could say." Seiji replied.
Frankie took a deep breath, "Look, our only chance of saving him is if we can get some normies on our side." she shared, "I don't care if it's crazy, we have to get back over there and talk to them." she pleaded, "But first we need to get out of here." she beckoned.
Abbey thought about it, "How do we get out of here?" she uttered out loud.
In a dramatic entrance, Heath barged into the room, striking a heroic pose, "Abbey, I've come to bail you out of detention!" he exclaimed but just as he finished speaking, a butcher knife hurtled through the air, grazing past him and embedding itself in the wall with a thud, "Yikes!" he gasped and his bravado momentarily shattered, "On second thought..." he stuttered with his nerves betraying him, "I think it's time for me to make an exit!" he declared and with that, he spun around and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Just to be clear, I did not ask Heath to bail us out." Abbey clarified.
Deuce grinned while adjusting his shades, "Looks like it's up to me to save our skins." he said with a chuckle while pushing himself out of his chair.
"You can't be serious..." Seiji uttered with his voice trailing off in disbelief.
But Hack had noticed Deuce moving, "Oi!" the burly butcher yelled, "You're still in detention, Mr. Gorgon!" he reminded.
Without missing a beat, Deuce kicked Hack right in the gut and before Hack could even react, Deuce hits him with a Stone Cold Stunner, sending him flying backwards. Hack's face then smacked the floor with a sickening thud and he was out cold, probably dreaming of floating through a serene piano concert.
Megumi couldn't help but facepalm, "Figures." she murmured to herself.
Deuce slapped his hand on the table and nodded towards the door, "C'mon, let's go!" he urged, "We've got some loose ends to tie up!" he declared with his voice filled with determination.
They all looked at each other and knew what they had to do. In a flash, they jumped out of their seats and dashed out of the detention room, leaving poor Hack sprawled out on the floor, oblivious to their escape.
A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter, I appreciate your support and I hope you found it enjoyable.
The next chapter will continue the rest of the storyline, so please look forward for it.
Until then paalam!
Scott Pilgrimm and Kyouya Tategami were strolling down the sidewalk, so engrossed in their chat that they completely overlooked the robbery happening right behind their backs.
"Hey, I have this dog." Scott said out loud, "It was a pretty clever fella and very chubby." he went on, "You could ask him anything, like 2 plus 2, and he'd bark out the answer, four times." he shared.
Kyouya nodded slightly while not quite sharing Scott's enthusiasm, "Interesting." he said with a touch of skepticism.
"But the weirdest thing..." Scott continued, "... was when Duncan tried to stump him with 1 million plus 1 million." he shared.
This piqued Kyouya's curiosity, "What did he do?" he asked.
Scott chuckled in response, "The poor dog's been barking ever since." he revealed, "And now he's as skinny as a stick." he added.
Kyouya gave him a look that said 'you've got to be kidding me' without uttering a word.