Note: One thing I should've mentioned in the first story is that not every story will be over a few paragraphs. Some might be only three or four paragraphs long, even if most are much longer than that. As I said before, they will either be a crossover story or set within the continuity of a single universe. It also gives an opportunity to write stories for franchises I haven't written for before (though I'm highly unlikely to turn certain ones into actual stories you'll see in my gallery). In case you're wondering why nothing M-rated has happened despite the rating, it all depends on what happens during each story. After all, the rating is there just to be safe.
In order to prevent myself from rambling, let's hurry up and get on with the story. Here's the third story of the collection.
Story 3: Another Paintball Game
It had been months since the Loonatics had participated in a paintball game, so they were intent on doing it again. Using Tech's teleportation device (which they had used to travel to the previous game), the team went to the Cornerian Paintball Center. Once they got there, Ace went up to the receptionist's desk to ask for a playing field. The receptionist was a chihuahua with blue eyes and a scar on her face. She didn't seem to be fazed by the fact that a group of six had suddenly arrived through a portal, nor was she curious as to why they were wearing matching uniforms. Given the recent events in the Lylat System, however, the receptionist had seen weirder things.
"A paintball game between two teams, please." Ace spoke.
"Sure." The Receptionist said. "Who all will be in this game?"
"First off, there's the Loonatics, which is our team." The rabbit said. "Second of all, we hope to face off against the Star Fox team. We had a game with them last time, so we hope to face off with them again."
"Sorry, dear, but the Star Fox team isn't here today." The chihuahua said.
"Well, where are they?" Duck asked, approaching the desk.
"They're mercenaries, Duck." Ace said. "They're probably out on a mission so that they can get a paycheck."
"It's their job." Lexi said, having come up to the desk as well.
"In that case, are there any other teams we can face off against?" Duck asked the Receptionist.
"Well, there is one team that's currently in the building, apart from your team." The Receptionist said. "But they're said to be absolute professionals when it comes to paintball."
"Who are they, exactly?" Ace asked.
"I forgot who's in the team or what their names are, but I can tell you that they have a serious winning streak." The chihuahua said. "They're undefeated, to the point where even other teams are afraid to face them."
"Who-are-these-paintball-savages?!" Rev spoke. "Are-they-pirates? Vikings? Brutal-murderers? A-team-consisting-of-the-most-dangerous-villains-in-the-universe?!"
"Calm down, Rev, I'm sure that they're none of those." Lexi said.
"We won't find out unless we challenge them to a game." Tech said.
"That team might be undefeated, but they're not unstoppable." Ace said. "Ma'am, we'd like to challenge them to a game. Can we please have a playing field?"
The Receptionist let out a sigh, knowing that no one had ever defeated the team the Loonatics were about to challenge. She reluctantly gave the team a playing field, which happened to be the same location the other team was on. With the location on their radar, the superheroes went down the hallway, looking for the field. Once they got there, they agreed to keep their eyes open and to not let their guard down. Even if they lost, the Loonatics weren't willing to go down so easily. Their paintball game was about to begin and they were about to face a new opponent.
Standing in the playing field they were assigned, the Loonatics took a look at their surroundings. Like the game they had against Star Fox, it was a forest with many trees and bushes. Anyone could hide in them, unless they were too big to hide, like how Slam was. The Loonatics knew that letting their guard down was not an option, as the other team could snipe them or lead them into an ambush. Considering how they were undefeated, it was easy to assume that the unknown rival team had used these tactics before. With that in mind, Ace knew that splitting up would be a bad idea until he and his teammates knew what they were up against.
"Alright, everyone, we need to stay together for the time being." Ace said. "If we split up without knowing what we're up against, we'll be at a considerable disadvantage."
"So, which way do we go, chief?" Tech asked.
"Let's go forward to start with." The rabbit said. "If there's a noise in the distance, Lexi will have to use her Sonic Hearing to find out which direction it's coming from. From there, we'll be able to find the other team and take them by surprise."
"We better, because I am NOT looking forward to being splattered with paint like last time!" Duck said.
Forming a circle, the Loonatics carefully walked through the forest area, keeping an eye out for any movement. However, there was no movement around them as they went through the area. Trees remained still and the bushes were unshaken. It was as if nothing lived in the area at all, though it was rare to see wildlife in a playing ground for a paintball game. Despite that, the Loonatics did not let their guard down. Holding their paintball guns out, the team kept searching their surroundings for their opponents, intent on defeating them.
Without warning, Rev was hit in the chest with a paintball, sending him falling to the ground. Once that happened, the Loonatics immediately looked for whoever had shot their teammate. It was a fruitless search, as there was no movement in the trees or even the bushes. The member of the other team had to have been faster than lightning to take down Rev without anyone noticing until it was too late.
"Looks-like-I'm-out-of-the-game." Rev sighed. "I'm-heading-back-to-the-lobby. Good-luck-trying-to-beat-the-other-team-because-they-have-to-be-utter-monsters-if-they-can-take-me-down-within-a-minute-of-us-arriving-here!"
"The receptionist did say this mysterious team is said to consist of professionals, after all." Lexi said.
"Let's move on." Ace said. "Rev, go ahead and go to the lobby. If anyone else gets taken down by the other team, they'll join you there, okay?"
"Okay!" Rev said, then zipped out of the playing field.
With one member down, the Loonatics continued walking through the forested area. Their circle was smaller, which meant that the other team had a member over them. However, that also meant that they could slip up as they tried to fill the superheroes full of paint. If that happened, then the team would be able to take down this undefeated team of professionals. Ammunition was limited in paintball, so one team could run out of paintballs while the other still had some. Knowing this, the Loonatics decided not to shoot unless someone shot at them first.
After some more walking, the Loonatics found themselves in a part of the forested area with few trees, but with plenty of bushes. While not having trees surrounding them was an advantage, being surrounded by bushes meant that the other team could use them to hide. Hiding places also allowed those on either team to take their opponents by surprise. Knowing that, Lexi activated her Sonic Hearing, so that she could see if anyone was hiding. So far, there was no sound from any of the bushes, making it seem like the Loonatics had entered an area no one would use during a game. Despite it looking that way, the team knew they couldn't rest until they found where their opponents were at.
The sound of a paintball gun being fired was heard, causing the Loonatics to jump out of the way. No one was hit, as the paintball hit a tree behind them. However, that gave the team an advantage, as they saw one of the bushes moving, complete with a rustling sound. Seeing their opportunity, they pointed their paintball guns at it.
"Fire!" Ace spoke.
With their guns pointed at the bush, the Loonatics fired, hitting whoever, or whatever, was hiding in it. The person who was hiding let out a pained scream, followed by a moan. Being cautious, the Loonatics approached the bush with their guns still in their hands. Lexi began to look through it with her free hand, not wanting to let go of her gun. After looking through it, she gasped, which alarmed her teammates. They approached her, though they still wanted to be careful.
"Did we get one of them?" Duck asked.
"Yes, but he's not what I was expecting." Lexi said, pulling some of the greenery aside.
Looking into the bush, the Loonatics saw a dummy with a tape recorder attached to it. It was covered with paint, meaning that it was meant to go off whenever someone shot at it. Upon seeing this, the team was dumbfounded. They didn't know whether this was a training dummy or a trap set up by the other team. However, there was no time to surmise, as a paintball gun being fired was heard again. As the sound came from Duck's direction, Lexi pulled him out of the way and fired hers towards whoever was shooting at her teammates. In the process, she was able to take someone down, as she heard someone fall over.
"I got one!" Lexi said.
"That's great, Lexi, but how do we know if they're a member of the other team?" Ace asked.
"They have to be." She said. "Rev went back to the lobby."
Suddenly, Duck was knocked over on his back, having received a chest full of paint. He let out a pained groan, the stinging of the paintballs setting in. Tech was quick to help him up, all while keeping his eyes opened for anyone from the other team. Whoever they were, they were fast, but not fast enough to avoid a paintball shot from a distance.
"Well, great, I'm out." Duck groaned.
"At least we got a member of the other team this time." Lexi said.
"Your sacrifice wasn't in vain, Duck." Tech said. "Though, you were more of a sacrificial lamb."
"Very funny." Duck said grumpily. "If anyone needs me, I'm heading back to the lobby."
"If you run into the person I shot, tell us what he or she looks like when the game is over." Lexi said.
Duck nodded his head, then walked back to the entrance. With two of their teammates out of the game, the Loonatics continued to walk through the forest, intent on shooting down the other team as quickly as possible. It was a rather fruitless endeavor, as they couldn't tell who they were or where they were at. However, as Lexi managed to take one of their members down, the superheroes managed to obtain a small victory. As that team had five members left, they still outnumbered them. However, the Loonatics weren't willing to go down without a fight, even if it was a paintball game.
The Loonatics soon found themselves surrounded by trees again, albeit in an area where grass seemed scarce. As such, they knew that they would be in a vulnerable position. However, so would the other team, as there were no bushes for them to hide in. Of course, this mysterious team could use the trees to snipe from, but they wouldn't get past Lexi's Sonic Hearing. To do that, one would have to be quieter than a mouse. Granted, she wasn't using it, but that didn't change the fact that she and her teammates could hear movement.
"Boy, does this place look familiar." Tech said.
"It's the part of the forest where Duck and I got taken down during the last game." Lexi said.
"At least you'll be able to dodge this time." Ace said.
"It was kinda my fault I was taken down last time." She said. "I fell for compliments from that girl from Star Fox, not knowing I was being led into a trap."
Slam put a hand on her shoulder, then his ears picked up a noise from within the trees. It was right above him, so he aimed his gun towards the branches. Firing with reckless abandon, the Tasmanian Devil only heard the branches snap and fall to the ground. However, he heard the noise from before, albeit much louder. As such, the marsupial shoot his gun again, managing to hit someone. Whoever it was, they hit the ground and let out a groan of pain, meaning that they were jumping around before being shot with a paintball.
"You got one, Slam!" Lexi said.
"Two down, four to go." Tech said. "Now we're even."
Another noise was heard from within the forest. This time, however, it sounded like someone running around. None of the Loonatics could tell where this person was at, until Lexi turned on her Sonic Hearing. It scanned the perimeter for the source of the sound, even though the sound wasn't far from the team. Once it was done, however, she gasped, then looked for the correct direction the sound was coming from. If Lexi couldn't find it, then she and her teammates would be taken down almost immediately.
"Ace, there's one right in front of you!" She cried.
Heeding her warning, Ace fired his paintball gun forward, managing to hit whoever was running towards him. They fell to the ground, but didn't make another sound. It was as if being shot knocked out the member of this mysterious team. While the Loonatics were happy Ace took them down before they could shoot him, they hoped that the opponent wasn't dead.
"Should we call a paramedic?" Lexi asked.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Ace said. "They might recover in a minute."
"Hopefully, they do recover." Tech said. "We should move on before any of the others have the chance to take us down."
With three members of the other team down, the Loonatics who were still in the game continued walking through the forest. They hoped that there were only six members in the other team. If there were more, then the superheroes were not only underestimating their opponents, but they would be outnumbered again. Nonetheless, they decided to stay together until the end of the game. Even if they couldn't see the other team, they weren't going to be defeated so easily.
The remaining Loonatics reached a hill in the forest that went down, which would gain some extra distance from the other team (assuming they weren't waiting at the bottom). As such, the team went down it, being as careful as they could. Once they reached the bottom, they heard rustling all around them. Like the previous area, there were no bushes, only trees surrounding them. With that in mind, the four pointed their guns in different directions, knowing that the undefeated team could be anywhere. If they could find this mysterious group, the Loonatics would be able to defeat them.
Without warning, Tech was hit in the chest with several paintballs. This caused the others to aim in his direction and fire where they assumed whoever shot him was hiding. As such, they heard someone fall to the ground, being hit with Ace, Lexi and Slam's combined attack. However, that didn't mean the game was over. There were three of them left and two members of the other team left. With that in mind, the remaining Loonatics needed to take down the rest of their opponents.
As Tech got up, Ace, Lexi and Slam watched as he went back to the lobby to join Duck and Rev. The three agreed to keep their eyes open for the remainder of the game, knowing that the rest of the mysterious team was still lurking around. While there were only two members of that team left, the Loonatics had only taken them down due to either guessing or pure dumb luck. Hopefully, they would be able to get close enough for a direct attack this time. Even if the other team was undefeated, that didn't mean that they were unstoppable. The Loonatics were intent on giving them a run for their money, even if they were to lose the game.
By moving out of the previous area, Ace, Lexi and Slam found themselves near a fort that was up in the trees. Having been through the forest in the previous game they participated in, the remaining Loonatics knew that anyone could hide in it or use it to snipe their opponents. With that in mind, they wanted to use it to gain an advantage over the other team. Ace had Slam go up the ladder first, knowing that he would be able to overpower anyone if they tried to attack him. Lexi decided to wait until the marsupial was up there, knowing that her Sonic Hearing would detect for someone who was near her and her teammates.
Before Lexi and Ace could go up, they heard a paintball gun firing, followed by Slam letting out a grunt. He climbed down the ladder, revealing that he was covered in paintballs. Knowing that the Tasmanian Devil was out of the game, Ace and Lexi let him head back to the lobby. However, the two rabbits also knew that since the marsupial had been shot the moment he entered the fort, that meant the other team was close by. The moment Slam was out of sight, they knew that they had to keep their eyes open and their guard up. Now, the two teams were tied by having two members in each.
Suddenly, several paintballs hit the ground, causing Ace and Lexi to point their guns ahead of them. However, several more came from the opposite direction, nearly hitting them. Using her Sonic Hearing, Lexi could hear more raining down towards her and her brother. Intent on getting out of there before either of them could be taken down, she took his hand and ran in the opposite direction of where the paintballs were coming from. However, the remaining Loonatics kept their guns out, knowing that they would have to shoot again. The other team was on their tail, meaning that they couldn't run forever.
While running with Ace, Lexi tripped and fell, landing on her face. She was quick to pull herself up, but she then felt a terrible pain in her ankle. It felt as though the pink rabbit had been hit with a sledgehammer, the pain being that level of excruciating. Once she felt it, the doe grabbed her leg, groaning in pain and doing her hardest to shut it out. Ace looked down in concern, knowing that his sister was hurt. He knelt down beside Lexi, trying to comfort her as she nursed her injury.
"How bad is it?" Ace asked.
"I think I broke it, Ace." Lexi said. "I'm sorry if I couldn't-!"
"Don't apologize for a broken ankle, okay?" The yellow rabbit spoke. "I'll get you to a doctor once the game's over."
Hearing a paintball gun click, Ace turned his head and saw two silhouettes approaching. These were the last two members of the mysterious team, though it was hard to make out what they looked like. Knowing that they were in his sight, Ace pointed his gun forward, intent on firing before they did. Even if they shot him first, he wasn't going to let them shoot Lexi. She had a broken ankle, so being shot by paintballs was the last thing she needed.
"Listen to me!" Ace addressed the two silhouettes. "My teammate here is injured! She broke her ankle while we were running through the forest, so don't shoot at her! Even if you do, don't go crazy on her, alright?"
The two silhouettes stopped moving, apparently heeding Ace's words. Knowing that they had stopped, the yellow rabbit saw the opportunity to take them down. However, before he could fire, he was met with several paintballs to his chest. The force of this attack was enough to leave the buck dazed. He then collapsed to the ground, unable to recover from his daze. Even if he had been taken down, Ace hoped that the other team would go easy on Lexi, assuming that she hadn't shot them shortly after.
Moments later, Ace woke up in the lobby, surrounded by his teammates. They were all alright, barring the paint that was staining their uniforms. Lexi even had a cast to cover up her broken ankle, meaning that a paramedic had tended to her. But as glad as he was to see them, Ace couldn't help but wonder who had brought him and Lexi back to the lobby. Was it the paramedic who helped Lexi or was it someone else? For that matter, who WAS the other team and where were they at.
"Well, looks like our fearless leader woke up from his nap." Duck said.
"How did I get here?" Ace asked. "Who tended to Lexi's ankle?"
"It was the other team." Lexi said. "Once you told them that I had a broken ankle, they put a cast around it after shooting you down. They shot me too, of course."
"Then-they-carried-the-two-of-you-all-the-way-here." Rev said. "Not-only-was-that-nice-of-them-it-was-also-super-duper-heroic!"
"Did anyone get to see what they looked like?" Ace asked.
"We couldn't tell." Tech said. "They were wearing so much gear, it looked like they were wearing suits of armor."
"They did leave this note, though." Duck said, handing Ace a piece of paper.
Upon being given the paper, Ace unfolded it and saw that it was a letter. It said the following:
Thank you for the game. I admit, you're the first team to give mine a run for their money. However, we must apologize for remaining hidden. Maybe next time (if there is a next time) we can play in an area where you can see us. It would make the battle more fair. After all, it isn't fair to hide and lure our opponents into traps, knowing that they'll be at a disadvantage.
Good game,
B.B.
PS: We hope your teammate gets well soon!
"B.B.? Who's that?" Duck asked.
"They must be the leader of the other team." Tech spoke.
"Should we challenge them again?" Lexi asked.
"I-hope-we-can-because-I-really-REALLY-want-to-beat-them-during-the-next-game-and-end-their-winning-streak!" Rev said.
"That all depends on what happens." Ace said. "We still don't know anything about the other team, aside from who leads it. I would like to speak to them, primarily to thank them for helping out Lexi."
Moments later, the Loonatics decided to head home, with Slam carrying Lexi on his shoulder. As they left, a figure dressed in gear watched them. This was the leader of the other team, as his teammates were waiting outside. Once the Loonatics were gone, he removed the gear on his head, revealing himself to be a certain gray hare. This was none other than the world-famous Bugs Bunny, who had gathered his friends to form a team. He smiled, knowing that the other team got his note.
"Ain't I a stinker?" He asked himself.
Note: Might not be a great conclusion to this story, but that was because I had trouble deciding on who the other team would consist of. You're probably wondering who the other members are. Given how Bugs is the leader, it's safe to assume that the rest of the team consists of the other Looney Tunes. Considering his note, it's safe to say that his team and the Loonatics will encounter each other again. But will it be a paintball game or will it be something different? Will there even be a story featuring all of them in this collection? Only time will tell.
Until next time, this is ElectricWizard99, signing off. Peace!