The sounds of blaster fire echoed throughout the cavern as Will Shane ducked, weaved and rolled behind cover. The noise suddenly stopped, allowing the 99's protector and his Infurnus a momentary glance at their surroundings. Hearing a shot go off behind him, Will fell to his knees and arched his back to avoid an incoming slug. As the Thresher spun overhead Will's eyes focused on the path it had come from and he fired a Hop Rock which transformed the instant that it left the barrel. The slug soared into the cliffside and the man standing atop it let out a grunt as he jumped down.
Falling, the man smirked as he fired a Rammstone, Will immediately countering with one of his own. As both transformed, the disparity in the strength was made known. The Shane's velocimorph was both larger and healthier and with one heavy swing of its fist, smacked its opponent into the cavern floor.
"You worthless slug!" The man snarled and the defeated Rammstone hopped away in fear.
"Not that I don't enjoy bringing you to justice time and again, Dr Blakk," Will smirked. "But aren't you tired of getting beat?"
"Extremely," the pale-skinned man smirked. "Which is why I lured you here."
"Think you're going to finally beat me in a duel?" Will asked and the other man laughed.
"I know I am," Dr Blakk said, making the Infurnus chitter angrily.
"Settle down, Burpy. You'll get your chance" the Shane reassured and faced his opponent once more. "So, are you going to tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to guess."
"I'll do you one better, I'll show you," Blakk sneered and held up a tube. The slug inside snarled hideously, barling its long sharp teeth.
"Is that a slug?" Will's eyes widened and Burpy growled. "Blakk, what have you done to it!?"
"I fixed it, made it better," Blakk smirked as a chuckle escaped his lips as he loaded it. "Good enough to finally beat you," he pulled the trigger.
The corrupted slug flew out of the barrel and velocimorphed into something that could only be described as twisted and demonic. In less than the blink of an eye it spun, creating a violent black hole which began sucking in loose branches and debris.
"This power! I could never imagine!" Thaddeus laughed in delight as he grabbed onto a nearby trunk.
"You have no idea what you're doing!" Will yelled, running for cover.. "Corrupting slugs! You could destroy all of Slugterra!"
"Blakk!" Will yelled as Thaddeus fought against the void's pull. "Stop this! You have to stop it!"
"Blakk!" Will yelled as the doctor made his escape.
The pull of the hole began to overpower Will and the man felt himself losing his grip on the stalagmites he clung to. He did not have time to think, only to act.
"Find, Eli! Find Olivia!" He loaded Burpy into his blaster as his body began to feel weightless. "Give them the letter! Go!" He pulled the trigger.
Burpy flew out of the barrel and into the air, transforming and flying high and out of the void's pull. The velocimorph's head turned back just in time to see their slinger be swallowed up by the hole which closed as suddenly as it had appeared leaving the nearby area in ruin. Turning his head forward, Burpy flew towards the cavern's ceiling and into a narrow cave. The flame of his wings burned brightly within the darkness as he maneuvered through the tunnel, flying higher and higher until the ground opened up to a dark sky, the glow of the moon allowing him to make out the houses below. Fixated on a particular house he dove towards it, transforming back to protoform when his fall slowed.
"B-Burpy?" a young boy's eyes opened just as the slug came to a stop. "What are you doing here?"
The Infurnus chittered, flapping their arms in distress.
"It's dad, isn't it?" he asked to which the slug nodded solemnly and made their way to the floor, diving under a rug.
Lifting up the carpet, the boy found a hidden compartment in the floor and opening it he came face to face with a chest engraved with a slanted orange five-point star. Opening it, the boy found a folded up letter and took it out to read.
Dear Eli and Olivia,
If you're reading this, it means that I've fallen in protecting Slugterra.
The boy's eyes widened as Burpy pet his knee.
It's one of the many risks of being a Shane. A risk that you will one day face yourself if you decide to follow in my footsteps. A long line of Shanes has made the trip down to Slugterra. If you do choose to go, remember our deal.
"Not until we're fifteen," Eli sniffled as he stood and moved towards his door. "Mom! Sis!"
5 Years Later…
"Are you sure we're going the right way, Eli?" Olivia asked as the pair made their way through the sewers.
"Certain of it. Right, Burpy?" Eli smiled and the Infurnus chittered in agreement whilst acting as their torch.
"Good, because if this really is a one way trip, I would like to actually see Slugterra before I die," she said when they stopped at a seemingly dead end.
"Have I ever let you down?" Eli reached forward, pressing a loose brick with their family's emblem into place.
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Olivia retorted and Burpy snickered as the wall opened up, revealing a hidden chamber.
"Ladies first," Eli said, avoiding the question as the pair stepped inside and towards a two-seater carriage suspended in place above a carved out hole in the floor.
"100 miles down," Olivia gulped nervously, looking back at her brother.
"Over 100 miles," Eli corrected a sad frown lining his lips as he looked at the chairs. "I wish dad was here."
"Me too," Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder. "He would be proud. I know he would."
"Yeah, you're right," he smiled, tucking away the letter he'd been reading. "So, should we get going?"
"Yeah, let's," Olivia said, turning her head back just in time to see the wall close up again. She exhaled as the pair took their seats and strapped in.
"I don't think you're meant to hold on that tightly," Eli chuckled as his twin gripped the guardrail. Flipping up a cap, Eli's hand dangled over the button for a couple of seconds before he pressed it.
And then… nothing.
"Do you think it's bro- Ahhhhhhh!" The twins let out a scream when they suddenly dropped.
"This is awesome!" Eli screamed, hands raised as if they were on a rollercoaster.
"Make it stop!" She cried, eyes shut tight.
"No, make it go faster!" her brother cheered.
"Eli!" She yelled at him as the track twisted and turned and eventually spat them out somewhere much brighter.
"Ouch!" They yelled, bouncing against the guards as a parachute deployed from the carraige.
"Wow, Slugterra, the world beneath our feet," Eli breathed out as he looked around. "Are you seeing this, Liv?"
"No," came her quick reply. "I'm not opening my eyes until we're on the ground."
"You're missing out," Eli smiled and Burpy moved from his shoulder to hers and began to chitter. "See, Burpy thinks so."
"Ugh… Fine, I'll look," Olivia's eyes slowly opened and she exhaled upon seeing the landscape.
The landscape before them was, in a word, breathtaking. Numerous different biomes were visible in the distance, illuminated by the cavern's light. Tall mountainous peaks towered over lush jungles and for a moment Olivia had sworn she saw a waterfall before they descended below the mushroom treetops.
"You come from quite a beautiful place," she smiled at the Infurnus who chittered proudly as the carriage landed and the rails lifted. "Dad's old hideout shouldn't be too far from here, which way?"
"A bit to the South," Eli said, rereading their father's letter for at least the hundredth time that day.
"Then, what do you say we drop our stuff there and go slug hunting? You've had Burpy since forever. Now, I can get a slug of my own," she said. "Offer to join me is always open, Burpy," the Infurnus blew a raspberry and Eli laughed as the slug returned to him.
Then, another chitter came from nearby, gaining their trio's attention. Atop a mushroom sat a pink slug with large eyes and a blue belly. It looked up at them, a curious expression on its face as it smiled with its three large teeth.
"Ask and you shall receive, Liv," Eli chuckled as his sister bent down.
"Hello there, little guy," Olivia greeted to which the slug chittered in reply. "Would you be interested in coming along with my brother and me? We've got a lot of work ahead of us and could definitely use your help."
The slug looked up at her and then towards Eli and saw Burpy giving them a nod. Eagerly the slug let out a cheer before jumping into Olivia's palm.
"Then, welcome aboard," The Shane girl smiled. "You're a Bubbalone, right? Would it be okay if I called you Fizz?" The slug chirped in reply, giving a nod.
"Nice to meet you, Fizz," Eli greeted along with Burpy before he turned around. "Alright, what do you say we move out?"
"Sounds good."
A short trek through the jungle and marveling at the landscape later, the twins and their slugs found the old hideout and made their way inside. It was dark, dusty and judging by the smell, was in need of a clean up.
"Talk about a mess," the twins agreed. Neither of them were looking forward to cleaning all this.
Burpy chittered, pointing towards a large compartment on the wall. Opening it up the pair came face to face with a set of bandoliers and several loose clear blue cylinders; slug tubes. Underneath them were a couple sets of slugterran-styled clothing. The shirts appeared to be lightly armored and were black with a white and orange down the sides.
"I think this one is yours," Olivia said, holding out a shirt that was definitely too large for her.
"Yeah, looks like it," he chuckled and handed over a smaller shirt.
"Dad really thought to have this stuff ready way ahead of time didn't he?" Olivia smiled at the thought. "Meet at the service bay?" she asked and the pair shared a nod before separating to change.
A few minutes later, the pair opened the garage and came face to face with a single mechanical donkey.
"Uh, thanks dad," Eli said, stepping forward to inspect it. "But we were expecting something cooler."
"Is it bad that I was expecting there to be more than one?" Olivia said to which Burpy scanned the bay and then chirped, drawing their attention towards a large tarp which they quickly removed.
"Nice!" Eli beamed. "LKE Model, how about we call you, Lucky?"
"Okay, that's decided," Olivia said to which her brother winced.
"Whoops, sorry," he aplogised.
"Nah, he's all yours, E," Olivia turned back to the donkey mecha as her brother made his way towards another compartment and retrieved a pair of blasters.
"Well, what do you say we-" Eli was cut off when they heard something crashing and several groans from the next room.
Handing one to his sister, the pair cautiously made their way to the door, each giving the other a nod before it was opened. A short creature with purple skin fell to the floor as they scrambled to grab their slugs which scattered in all directions. Seeing the weapons aimed at them, the creature's eyes widened.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" they backed up.
"Who are you?" Eli demanded.
"Who am I?" the creature replied, pulling themselves up. "The question is, who are yous?"
"My brother asked you first," Olivia replied. "And we're the ones holding blasters," Burpy growled from inside Eli's.
"Ah, I see you both are as clever as I, young Sir and Miss," they bowed. "Pronto, at your service; tracker explorer, Molenoid of many talents."
"Funny, Dad never mentioned you. Did he?" Eli asked and Olivia gave her brother a shrug.
"Dad?" Pronto's eyes widened. "Both your father's is Will Shane!?" They darted to the side. "Of course, I have a perfectly good explanation."
"Really now?" Olivia raised an eyebrow and Eli held up his blaster, showing off Burpy whose head was now on fire.
"Alright! I never actually met Will Shane," Pronto confessed. "But if I had, ohohoho, there would be no doubt he would have begged me to be on his team. As should you both," he gestured towards them as the siblings exchanged a look.
"We should?"
"Yes, you should, Miss," Pronto replied. "What good is a couple of Shanes without a tracker to lead them on their adventures."
"But, Dad didn't mention needing a tracker," Perplexed Eli rechecked the letter as the molenoid deflated.
"And so a dream dies," Pronto sighed a bit too dramatically as he made his way to the donkey-shaped mecha. "Perhaps we will meet again if ever you pass through the Low Rock caves," the twins let out a gasp, "by way of the northern caverns or uh," Pronto pulled himself up and the pair exchanged another look, "Scorched Sparks?"
"Y'know," Eli began quickly. A tracker might actually come in handy."
"Y-Yes," Olivia smiled nervously. "W-We could use your help."
"Yes!" Pronto squealed in delight and jumped down, racing towards them and shaking their hands. "You young Shanes have made a wise choice."
"My name is Eli and this is my sister, Olivia," Eli introduced as his sister smiled.
"Hmm… good names, easy to pronounce," Pronto smiled. "You young Eli and young Olivia will not be disappointed."
"Good, because if we're going to fight evil, then our first order of business is to catch us some slugs," Eli held up an empty tube.
"Well as Shanes, you must have an impressive arsenal of slugs. Show them to me!" At Pronto's request, the twins held his arm up and Burpy and Fizz jumped on. "Yes, yes, you are very nice," Pronto's eyes darted between the two and their noticeably empty tubes. "Where are the rest?"
"There is no rest," Olivia said. "But Fizz is awesome," the slug chittered, seemingly embarrassed at the praise.
"Burpy's awesome too," Eli smiled and the Infurnus stood proudly.
"You only have one slug each!?" Pronto exclaimed in shock. "Gyaa, you need to win some experienced slugs in a battle and I know just the place. Follow me!" Pronto said, jumping back onto the donkey mecha and began to walk it outside.
Olivia exhaled, dismissing a small frown as the pair followed. "So, where are we going?"
"A small local tournament. It should be no problem for a couple of Shanes" Pronto answered, turning back to them. "What's the hold up? We have slugs to win."
"Just one thing we need to do before we go," Eli smiled, holding his blaster up. "Been waiting our whole lives to do this."
"Waiting to do what? Shoot a slug out of a blaster?"
"Yup. Ready Burpy?" Eli asked, loading the slug who gave a cheerful nod before he pulled the trigger.
The instant that Burpy left the barrel the Infurnus slug transformed into his velocimorph, flames trailing behind him as he flew into the air and looped around whilst Eli cheered at the sight.
"An Infurnus slug," Pronto's eyes widened, then he let out a squeal and ducked when Burpy flew back to Eli.
"Ready, Fizz?" Olivia asked excitedly holding up her own blaster, the Bubbaleone chittering in affirmation.
When Olivia pulled the trigger, Fizz flew out of the blaster and transformed, inflating like a balloon. Hitting a nearby tree, Fizz bounced off of it and flew back towards the group where Olivia caught them.
"That was incredible, Fizz," Olivia congratulated the slug and rubbed their head before she took a seat on the back of Lucky. "Alright, let's move."
"Uh... Sis, how do you start this thing?"
"Something's strange about these two," the molenoid thought as he watched Olivia suggest for her brother to look under the handlebars.
"Woahhhh!" A few moments later the twins screamed in excitement as they rode through the cavern.
Lucky was a bit faster than they both thought the mecha beast would be. For Olivia, it reminded her of her great uncle's motorcycle although the man did say that he preferred Slugterra's mode of transportation. Sitting on the back of the machine whilst Eli drove she allowed her eyes to wander their surroundings, making a note to come back later when they were not in a hurry.
"Check it out guys; a flock of Flaringos!" she pointed at the slugs as they passed by. "What do you think, Fizz?" the slug chittered, blinking as they held onto the slinger.
"Wait... You give your slugs names?"
"Yeah, don't you?" Eli asked and a farting sound came from the molenoid along with a purple cloud from his behind.
"Stop that, scurrilous beast!" Pronto looked down at the laughing slug in his own tubes.
"I guess that counts as a name," Olivia surpressed a laugh.
"You know, my skills in observation are highly refined. It seems as if many common things are unfamiliar to you both."
"We- Uh," Eli looked at his sister. "We grew up in the Shane's most secret hideout. It was really out of the way"
"Only the Shanes know about it," Olivia was quick to add.
"Ahh yes, of course," Pronto returned to focusing on the road allowing the twins and Burpy to breathe a sigh of relief whilst Fizz chittered confusedly.
Soon enough, the greenery of the mushroom jungle began to open up into a dusty brown landscape and the trail they rode on turned into a beaten and rundown road. A bit later, something caught their eye.
"Huh?" Eli blinked, his eyes being drawn to a trailer on the side of the trail. "What's going on there, Pronto?"
"Avert your eyes and keep moving," the molenoid masked his face with his hand.
"But that guy looks like he could use some help."
"Without a Shane to keep the peace the caverns have gotten a little … err… rough around the edges," Pronto explained.
"Well, there's a couple of Shanes here now," Olivia said as she and Eli shared a nod.
"This is none of our concern," Pronto said, continuing onwards oblivious to the fact they had begun to move towards the conflict. "I'm sure you'll both agree that wise heroes choose their battles."
"This all you got? Nothing but a bunch of Floppers in here," the stronger-looking of the men scowled only to turn around when he heard the sounds of blasters firing up behind him.
"Get back," Olivia advised the man on the ground who took the chance to flee once the attention was taken away from him.
"Hah, I got the claim to this trail," the thug turned his head back. "Unless you're Will Shane you better keep on moving."
"That would be our dad," Eli grinned. "We're picking up where he left off," the man laughed and turned his body to face them.
"Oh is that a fact?" the man sneered. "Will Shane was someone to be afraid of. You're just a couple of kids."
"We're the kids holding the blasters. Are you willing to try us?" Eli challenged the man who responded by rushing the young Shane, sending him tumbling.
"Guess that's a yes," Eli said as Olivia held up her blaster.
"Bad idea," she warned as the man drew his.
Then a shot rang through the air followed by the sound of a slug transforming before a large web collided with the thug, knocking him down.
"Thanks, Pronto!" Eli called.
"Who's Pronto?" a girl's voice questioned, drawing their attention. "And you're welcome."
The girl in question had red hair tied into buns and bright green eyes. She wore a green shirt with a couple of pads and sat atop a navy blue saber-tooth mecha.
"You know, this road is filled with plenty of guys like that. You two should be more careful." With that she rode off.
"Hey wait! Who are you?" Eli called after her but to no avail.
"Ahh there you are! Already dispensing the justice I see," Pronto said, drawing his own blaster as the twins turned towards the bound man.
"Stay off this trail," Eli said only for the man to laugh as he untangled himself with relative ease.
"Gonna need a whole lot more than a blaster and a Molenoid to be a Shane, kids," he walked off, the trio lowering their weapons when he was far enough away.
"I thought being a Shane was supposed to mean something. That guy thought we were a joke," Eli complained they returned to Lucky and they continued on.
"If respect is what you want, you will have to earn it on the field of battle like Pronto the Brave!" The molenoid puffed out his chest.
It was not too much longer before the trio of slingers and their slugs heard more blaster-fire in the distance. As they got closer, the sounds only got louder and they were soon able to see the site that it would be taking place. Parking their mechas, Pronto led the Shanes through the crowd and the pair's eyes wandered towards the action. Practice targets had been set up at the base of a cliff with slingers lined up at each blasting away at them with new ones moving into place once the former had been destroyed.
"Woah, talk about a big turnout," Olivia smiled, jolting to the side to avoid running into a passer-by. "Are tournaments always this lively, Pronto?"
"Why yes, of course they are," Pronto turned his head back. "If you win, the people will know that the Shanes have returned to fight for justice and protect the innocent."
"And if we lose?" Eli asked nervously, bumping into a man who rolled their eyes at the teen. "Sorry!"
"Then chaos will continue to rule and you'll both be branded as hopeless fools," Pronto answered. "Of course, that will never happen. You both have this competition in the bag," the molenoid said, oblivious to the nervous glance the siblings shared with each other as they reached the sign-up tent.
As they scribbled their names down the attendant made his way over to look and his eyebrows raised at what he saw.
"Shanes?" He looked at the pair and turned to his buddies. "Hey check this out, these kids think they're Shanes," his friends and nearby slingers laughed. "Alright kids, you have the last spots in the qualifier. Good luck," he walked off, muttering under his breath.
"Qualifier?" the twins turned to Pronto.
"Just one little duel to get you into the tournament. Nothing to worry about," he dismissed with a large grin.
"Okay cool," Eli smiled in relief. "It'll be great to finally get to duel someone."
"What what!?, You've-" Pronto's eyes widened as he caught himself and he pulled them both down. "Y-You've never been in a duel? Neither of you?" he whispered in alarm as Olivia shook her head. "But you're Shanes."
"It's… uh, kind of a long story," Eli spoke up nervously. "I don't think we want to share it with the other duellers, do we?"
"Of course not," Pronto agreed, turning around. "Gah, I need to find you both a sparring partner right away. I'll be back."
"Do you think we're a bit in over our heads?" Olivia said as she watched Pronto run off.
"We'll be fine, Liv," Eli smiled reassuringly. "After all, Dad did teach us a couple of things," Burpy chittered in agreement.
"Come on, lets get some practice in," Scratching Fizz's head, Olivia headed for the nearest vacant target.
"Excuse me, you're in my shot," a voice called to them, causing them to stop.
"Oh, Hey, it's you," Eli smiled, recognising the girl as the one who helped them. "Uh, thanks again for, uh, you know…"
"Saving your butts?" she interrupted with a grin, most of her focus on recording with her camera. "It'll be our little secret."
"Well, we owe you," Eli rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Eli, and this is my sister, Olivia."
"Nice to meet you, uhh?"
"Trixie," the girl introduced herself and turned to face them properly. "You told that guy that you're Shanes. Is it true?"
"Yep. We're just here to win a few slugs before we go off and fight crime and stuff."
'Real smooth, bro,' Olivia rolled her eyes slightly as Trixie went back to filming. "What's up with the camera? If you don't mind."
"I'm filming my competition, looking for anything that might give me an edge," Trixie answered, her lens being drawn to a nervous-sounding yelp coming from a nearby spar.
A man with blonde hair fired a Tormato which stopped his opponent in their tracks upon impact. A twister of red wind grew and sucked the slinger in, spitting them out and sending them rocketing into the distance shortly after.
"Who's that guy?" Eli asked, pointing to the man who remained.
"John Bull," Trixie answered as they watched the man in question dance wildly. "He's the one to beat if you plan on winning this thing. Haven't found a weakness yet, aside from the fact that he's a total jerk."
"He certainly acts the part," Olivia commented.
"Uh, shouldn't you two be practicing?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.
"Our friend is getting us someone easy to spar with… unless you're interested?" Eli offered.
"And give away all my tricks?" Trixie suppressed a laugh. "No thanks. I'd rather film you and learn yours," she teased before her eyes widened slightly and she stepped back. "Besides, I think your friend already found somebody," she pointed, prompting the twins turned around before Burpy and Fizz let out a cry before diving for their tubes.
"Eli and Olivia Shane," the molenoid began, gesturing towards the person with him. "Meet Kord Zane," Kord clenched his fists looking down at the pair who were doing their best to hide the impending sense of danger they felt. "Hah, what do you think?"
"I think this could be extremely painful," Eli whispered and Kord immediately turned on Pronto.
"You told me I'd be dueling Shanes. They're just a couple of kids."
"And you're a cave troll!" Olivia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
"Let me guess, you don't want to spar with me either," Kord hung his head low.
"Are you kidding?" Eli smiled widely. "We've always wanted to meet a cave troll. You'll never find anyone more honest, loyal and brave than a cave troll, that's what our dad used to say."
"Well clearly he spent little time around molenoids," Pronto huffed.
"Will Shane said that? Awww, come here yous!" Suddenly he reached forward and grabbed the twins, pulling them into a large troll hug and Olivia hoped she did not just hear her bones crack.
"I take it, this means we're going to duel?" Eli asked as they were carried away, Trixie and each other shrugging at the scene before following alone.
"Yeah we are," Kord smiled excitedly, setting the twins down and walked towards a boar-shaped mecha. "But first," he came back and set down a rack of tubes which popped open releasing the slugs inside.
"Floppers, Huh?" Eli said as one jumped into his hand. "Great."
"Not great," Pronto commented. "Floppers are useless."
"Every slug is useful," Olivia replied, her eyes locked on the slugs. "And you're all adorable too," she cooed as a few jumped onto her arm.
"So, what do you two know about duelling?" Kord began as he got into place.
"What's to know?" Eli stepped up after Olivia gave him a nod. "First you choose your slug and then you sling it," the slugs he chose jump into vacant tubes.
"When it reaches a hundred miles an hour it transforms," Olivia continued as her brother loaded a Flopper into his blaster. "Keep at it until your opponent gives up, dad must have explained it to us like a hundred times."
"Yeah, well explaining is not dueling," Kord loaded his blaster. "In this competition you win and you get to pick a slug from your opponent. That means if you lose any match, even the qualifier…"
"I could lose, Burpy," Eli finished, looking down in concern.
"Did you know that?" Olivia turned to Pronto in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Yes of course Pronto knew," the Molenoid said in surprise. "How did you not? Oh," he remembered their discussion as Olivia looked at Fizz worriedly. "Sorry."
"Every slinging tournament works this way," Trixie raised an eyebrow at the Shane girl.
"Are you ready to put it all on the line?" Kord interrupted, refocusing their attention.
"We don't have a choice do we?" Eli asked.
"Nope- DUEL!" Kord fired a Phosphoro that transformed and let out a burst of flashing lights as Eli covered his eyes.
"No fair, I wasn't ready!" he called as Trixie laughed, Pronto facepalmed and Olivia tried to not look embarrassed..
"That's the point, you always have to be ready- DUEL!" Kord shot a Tormato and Eli turned to run a bit too late.
The slug hit the ground and a tornado of red wind spun Eli around before spitting him out.
"Stand sideways, you're harder to hit that way!" Trixie called to him from the sidelines.
"You do realise you're helping the competition?" Eli retorted.
"That's cute," Trixie muttered under her breath with a smirk. "He thinks he's competition."
"Did you just call my brother cute?" Olivia raised an eyebrow to which the redhead coughed and held up her camera.
"DUEL!" Kord yelled as he and Eli fired at each other.
Surprisingly nimble for his size, Kord avoided the incoming slug although Eli was not as lucky. The Bubbaleone that the Cave Troll slug did not transform right away, instead doing so just as it was about to land at the opponents feet. Eli let out a small scream as he was suddenly launched upwards and repeatedly bounded atop of the balloon-like velocimorph.
"We have to remember that one," Olivia said to Fizz who chittered in agreement.
"Nice moves, bro," Kord chuckled as the balloon and the slug hopped away, leaving Eli to pick himself up.
The two slingers pulled their triggers once more, Kord raising his arm to avoid the incoming Flopper as Eli rolled to dodge an incoming Jellyish.
"Don't target your opponent every time," Kord advised.." Try moves that mess things about them."
"You mean like this!?" Eli fell to the ground and fired his next Flopper.
Whilst the slug did not transform it did produce a green mist as it flew forwards Kord, obscuring his vision.
"Yeah that's what I'm talking about!" Kord cheered as the mist dissipated and his opponent was gone."Huh?" He scanned the area as the spectators looked on, confused at the sudden disappearance.
Then, Kord felt a hand on his shoulder and let out a small squeal, whipping his head around to see Eli grinning at him.
"Yes!" Pronto and Olivia cheered. "That is the Eli Shane that I know!" The girls looked at him for a second. "Or you know, just recently met!"
"Clever move," Kord patted his shoulder and suddenly he stepped away as a loud chitter came from the ground.
A purple Flatulorhinkus slug twitched, its eyes going wide before it let out a cloud of foul smelling smoke.
"But so is my time-delayed Flatulorhinkus," Kord said proudly as Olivia covered her nose.
A few shots each from Eli and Kord later the pair decided to stop and conserve their energy.
"How is it you've never been in a duel?" Trixie took a seat as Pronto fanned the lingering Flatulorhinkus stink away.
"We made our dad a promise," Eli answered. "We wouldn't take up slinging until we turned fifteen."
"Let me guess, happy birthday?"
"Yesterday," Olivia replied with a smile. "But thanks."
"I got a good feeling about you, Eli. You may not have a lot of skill but you've got plenty of heart."
"So, you think I'm ready?"
"Definitely."
"Maybe."
"Uh, no."
"I think you should practice just a bit more, E," Olvia stood up. "Come on, me and you, right now," she challenged with a grin.
"Sure lets-" the P.A system groaned as the announcer spoke through it.
"Attention, Slingers! The final matches of the preliminary round will begin in fifteen minutes. Remaining competitors should make their way to the arena immediately and prepare for their duels. The matchups will be as follows…"
"Or not," Olivia deflated.
"Hey, we'll be fine," Eli smiled reassuringly.
"If you remember what we taught you," Kord smiled. "You both got this. In fact, I feel sorry for whichever noob you're up against."
"First we have Eli Shane versus Shockwire!" Kord's expression dropped.
"I'm sorry. I totally take that back."
"They tell me you're a Shane," Shockwire grinned, sizing up his opponent.
"That's right," Eli nodded in affirmation.
"And all you got is a Flaringo and a bunch of Floppers?"
"Yep," Eli smiled confidently as Burpy growled from inside their tube.
"Are you crazy, dumb or both?" Shockwire leaned in.
"Um… are there any other choices?" Eli asked which just made Shockwire's widen.
"Do you really think he'll be okay?" Olivia looked at the others, concerned for her brother's safety.
"We can only hope my friend," Pronto replied as the duelists made their way inside.
The arena Eli found himself entering into was not exactly like he had pictured it to be. For starters their battlefield was at the center of a chasm and consisted of multiple jagged paths and outcroppings, all of which showed various degrees of being worn. They still looked stable. What did not look stable however, was the magma pit that lay beneath him.
The young Shane exhaled as he and his opponent stepped into the arena. Looking up, he saw his sister and friends wishing him good luck.
"Let's do this, Burpy," he smiled and the Infurnus chittered in affirmation.
"DUEL!" the announcer yelled, starting the match.
Immediately Eli drew his blaster and fired a Flopper. The slug flew into his opponent's chest and fell to the ground and the crowd jeered. Eli smiled nervously and dove for a lower platform as Shockwire fired a Tazerling which failed to hit its target with an electrical bolt. Gritting his teeth, the experienced slinger jumped down after the Shane and fired once more.
Seeing it coming, Eli ducked to the side as another bolt flew by. "Not now, Burpy you'll get your chance," the Shane loaded another Flopper as Burpy chittered frantically.
A laugh from his opponent made Eli turn around and fire before running to avoid another incoming Tazerling. Landing on the ground, Shockwire wasted no time in firing again. Eli dove to the side, evading the initial bolt but not the wave of energy caused by the impact. He rolled himself over, just catching himself on the edge of the platform.
"Woah," Eli breathed a quick sigh of relief and looked down. "That was close."
Hearing Shockwire grunt, Eli pulled himself up. "Do it," he whispered under his breath, letting go of the platform when his opponent fired again.
Swinging himself down to a lower platform, Eli had less than a second to catch his breath before Shockwire fired once more. Eli continued to run and fired yet another Flopper whilst his friends watched on.
"Hey, why isn't he using his Infurnus?" Kord asked, surprised. "Eli, you're never going to win with just Floppers!" he yelled down.
"Come on Eli, use Burpy already!" Olivia called down.
"No, wait," Trixie interrupted, remembering their earlier conversation. "I think I know what he's doing."
"Shockwire, huh?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Who is this guy?"
"I've heard of him," Kord replied., "He's not someone that you want to duel. Especially with your well… uh, you know," Kord apologetically stated as the group made their way towards the arena. "I'm sorry, but he's going to demolish you."
"He doesn't sound that tough," Eli smiled confidently.
"Then see for yourself. I think that's him there," Trixie pointed towards a man who was jumping around, firing several scattered targets; each one being demolished by electrical bolts.
"Under his leg, … impressive," Olivia commented, looking at her brother.
"What do you think, Burpy?" Eli asked to which the Infurus blew a raspberry.
"All he's firing are Tazerlings," Trixie relayed. "And from what I can tell he's sort of a one trick pony."
"Yeah, some trick," Kord said as they watched him demolish another target.
Eli stepped in front of them. "I have some tricks of my own, you know?"
"You do?" Pronto, Trixie and Kord asked whilst Olivia looked skeptical.
"Uh, sure," Eli looked at Burpy. "You know some tricks right?" The Infurnus squeaked, their eyebrows widening slightly.
"Eli, maybe you should take this a bit more seriously," Olivia said. "He really is tearing those targets apart."
"He is, but you know," Trixie began. "Tazerlings are tough little slugs but sometimes they'll misfire if they're overworked."
"You don't say," Eli smiled, nodding at the information.
"What is he doing!?" Olivia's eyes widened in horror as her brother was now jumping between rocks that were dangerously close to being completely submerged.
The duel continued and Shockwire fired Tazerling after Tazerling, his grin widening as his opponent had run out of land and was now hopping between rocks sticking out from the magma lake. Just one more shot and the so-called Shane would have nowhere left to run.
"Aghhhh!" Shockwire cried out in pain as electricity surged through his body when he pulled the trigger.
"He was waiting for one of the Tazerlings to misfire!" Trixie beamed.
"Okay, Burpy. Now!" Eli yelled as he fired the Infurnus.
Burpy rocketed out of his blaster and flew at Shockwire with a wide smile. Shockwire only had time to cover his face before the fire slug was upon him and he let out a scared cry as the Infurnus circled him repeatedly.
"Call it off!" Shockwire screamed to the surprise of the onlookers and the announcer. "Call it off! You win! I quit! You win!"
With one final circle around, Burpy flew back to Eli who held his hand up to catch the slug when he returned back to protoform.
"WINNER! ELI SHANE'S THE WINNER!" the announcer yelled as the crowd roared in applause.
"Yeah! Eli!" Olivia and the others ran over when he climbed out.
Kord pulled her brother into a cave troll noogie as the group celebrated his victory.
"Ha ha!" The announcer laughed in delight as he made his way over. "Guess you really are a Shane. Shockwire get over here and pay up!"
"Yeah, yeah," Shockwire grumbled, holding out his tubes. "Take your pick."
"Oooo, he's got some good ones, Eli," Kord looked over them, stopping his friend. "Hey, hey. Let's think about this."
"No, Kord, I've got a better idea," Eli smiled and bent down to the slug's level. "Which one of you guys wants to come with me? I'm a Shane, you know. So after this competition, you've gotta be up for a lifetime of adventure."
"What!? You're asking the slugs!?" Pronto yelled in surprise. "Nobody asks the slugs!"
"Just watch," Olivia gave a smile as she pet the molenoid's shoulder.
A few seconds passed before the Tazerling in the middle tube leapt into Eli's hand with a chirp.
"Welcome to the team, little guy," Eli smiled. "How do you like the name, Joules?" The Tazerling jumped, electricity sparking from their antennae. "This is Burpy," Eli held up the Infurnus to the two which ended up with him getting a small jolt from their new friend.
"Good work, Eli," Olivia nudged her brother. "Though, you had me worried there for a second."
"Oh come on, it all worked out, right? Now, you just have to win yours. Easy."
"Easy?" Olivia's jaw dropped to which the announcer chuckled, drawing their attention.
"Well we'll soon see. Your match starts in five minutes, Miss Shane," he informed to which Olivia and her Bubbaleone shared a nervous look.
Olivia's opponent was a girl around her own age named Desdemona. The punkish girl had a patch of purple in her short dark hair and wore dark clothing as well as pointed shoulder pads. Her blaster, from the little Olivia could tell as they prepared, was decorated by spikes. Concerningly, neither Kord, Trixie, nor even Pronto had ever heard of this girl so their information could not help her. It was just her, Fizz and a trio of Floppers.
"You better not be feeling cocky just 'cause you're a Shane," Desdemona rolled her eyes.
"Believe me, I'm not," Olivia looked at the pathways below, a hand near her holstered weapon ready and waiting.
"DUEL!" The announcer started the match.
Immediately, Olivia jumped for the closest path below.
"Nuh uh!" her opponent jumped after her, firing a Hop Rock. "You ain't gettin away that easy!"
'Stand sideways, you'll be easier to hit,' Olivia mentally recited as she rolled upon landing to avoid the incoming explosion. Turning around, she quickly fired her Flopper in retaliation as she dashed towards the other girl.
"Really?" Desdemona was insulted as the slug flew past her. "A Flopper?" She fired an Arachnet.
The spider slug transformed and spun its web, launching it at Olivia who rolled to the side, sending herself off of the platform and into the one below.
"Agh… that was a bad idea."
Up in the stands, Eli and the others winced as they saw her splutter and cough as her opponent took the chance to reload.
"Ouch, that had to have hurt," Kord's expression dropped in sympathy.
"Perhaps, but she didn't really have a choice. If her opponent got her with that shot, Olivia would have lost," Trixie commented as she filmed the match.
"Come on, Sis," Eli prayed, watching her roll again to avoid a gas ball from a Flatulorhinkus.
"You Shanes and running away. If Pronto was down there then he would be on the attack," the molenoid said, drawing the others' eye. "I-I mean… Now, Olivia! Go on the attack!"
Back in the arena Olivia fired another Flopper at her opponent who laughed as it flew by harmlessly.
'I really need to work on my aim,' Olivia slid to avoid an incoming Thresher which flew over her and then down, creating a gap in the bridge behind her and cutting off her escape path towards the far side of the arena.
Out of options, Olivia charged straight ahead.
"Haha, where do you think you're going?" Desdemona landed in front of the Shane and pointed her weapon. "Give it up!"
'Oh Floppers!' Olivia grit her teeth, then her eyes widened as she had an idea. "Floppers…" she muttered and loaded her last of the trio and continued to charge at her smirking opponent.
"You have guts-" Desdemona was cut off by the sound of Olivia's blaster.
As soon as the Flopper left the barrel it began to produce a sickly-looking green smoke which expanded in volume as it rocketed towards Desdemona.
"Nice try," she coughed. "But I still know where you-"
Olivia fired her blaster once more and Fizz flew out of the barrel. Transforming, the Bubbaleone opened its mouth wide and swallowed the punk girl whole as they flew by.
"Hey, let me out!" Desdemona yelled and the slug hit the ground, popping and sending her skimming a couple more feet.
"That's- ugh."
"The end of the duel?" Olivia smiled, standing over her opponent with her blaster pointed.
"Not fair!" Desdemona complained, dropping her blaster. "Since when could Floppers actually do something? They're useless!"
"No slug is useless," Olivia smiled whilst Fizz and the Flopper high-fived atop her shoulder.
"WINNER! OLIVIA SHANE'S THE WINNER!" The crowd burst into applause.
"Here," Holstering her blaster, Olivia extended her hand towards her opponent only for them to swat it away
"Just take what you want and get out of my face," Desdemona shoved her tubes towards the Shane.
"U-Uh, okay?" Bewildered, Olivia turned her attention to the slugs. "Hey there, little guys."
As Olivia looked at the girl's slugs she began to debate over which one would be more helpful for her duties as a Shane. Her opponent's slugs looked to have been well cared for and Olivia did feel a little guilty now that she was about to take one.
"Hurry up," the punk girl tapped her foot impatiently. "I don't have all day."
"Hmm… You look like a reliable slug," she pointed at the Arachnet. "It would be great to have you along when I'm helping people. What do you say, want to come with me?" The slug looked at the others in their bandolier. Chirping excitedly, the purple slug jumped from their tube and onto Olivia's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Olivia greeted and after a moment asked, "May I call you 'Charlotte'?" The Arachnet nodded in response before Olivia moved them to her shoulder and turned back to Desdemona. "Thanks for the duel. Let's do it again sometime," she smiled and extended her hand only for the punk girl to scoff and turn to leave.
"Or not," her gaze lingered on her opponent before she turned to her slugs which were getting acquainted.
After a few moments, Olivia made it back to the others and just like with her brother, Kord pulled her into a bear hug as the others clapped and cheered.
"Real gutsy move, Dudette."
"Nice work, Liv!" Eli smiled, giving his sister a thumbs up along with Burpy.
"The move you did with your Flopper," Trixie noted. "That was the same move Eli during his spar with Kord."
"Pronto never had a doubt," everyone looked at the Molenoid.
"Thanks, guys," Olivia beamed. "And yeah, that's where I got the idea," she admitted to Trixie. "I never would have won if it weren't for seeing that."
"Glad to have helped," Kord replied.
"So, what kind of slug did you get?" Eli asked eagerly.
"See for yourself," she held up her new Arachnet. "Everyone meet, Charlotte."
"Hey there, Charlotte," Eli greeted along with Burpy and the Arachnet chittered back.
"You two and naming your slugs," Pronto said. "It's so strange."
"Is it really?" Olivia asked.
"Kind of," Trixie answered. "Kids really only do it when they have a slug as a pet. Of course a lot of them do get into slinging later on and stop doing it soon after."
"Uh, as interesting as this conversation is," Kord interrupted. "We should be moving on otherwise we'll miss the first round."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Eli nodded with a smile.
"Already?" Olivia blinked. "Where are we going?"
"Scorched Sparks cavern," Trixie replied. "It's not too far from here, but Kord's right. We can't be late."
In a dark cavern a long way from the tournament's qualifier, Dr Blakk tinkered in his citadel. The dark metallic walls reflected an eerie red glow all throughout the building which even the man's employees regarded as unsettling.
"Dr Blakk you need to see this," Maurice spoke as he stepped into the main laboratory. "It's footage from a tournament way out in Herringbone Cavern."
Setting down the device he was tinkering with, Dr Blakk turned around with an annoyed scowl on his face. "And why would something like that be of any interest to me?"
"Because these two say their names are Eli and Olivia Shane," Maurice held his tablet up for the man to see. "Think they're of any relation?" Blakk smirked at the question.
"If they are, we have ways of dealing with Shanes," he smirked gesturing towards the back wall. "Quite a few of them, actually."
Countless racks lined with red tubes lined the walls, each containing its own twisted looking slug and all of which snarling hideously.
Thank you for reading the first chapter of 'The New Shanes.' I ended up struggling on writing this for a while due to having too many OC ideas but after some much needed thought decided that this would be the story I'd want to go with moving forward. Slugterra was not something I discovered until my late teens so its a bit of a fun comfort show to through on when I need some background noise. Naturally this made it the perfect fandom to make a story for and upload whilst working on projects that require more energy and brainpower.
That said, I do not intend to slump on this story and am looking forward to writing additional scenes and perhaps my own chapters for adventures the Shane Gang will have. Of course, time will tell if I actually get around to doing that. I do intend to have a little canon divergence here and there but it will not be anything major for awhile.
Anyway, I'll catch you guys in the next chapter. Please leave a review if you'd like. They're completely optional but very appreciated. Until then, have a good day and may all your slugs hit their mark.