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A sort of tribute to classic video games, from the NES to the PlayStation. |
| [Introduction]
Since the age of five, I've been a big video game fan. My first taste was on the Super Nintendo, with Jurassic Park. Since that day, I have been hooked. I've seen several generations of hardware come and go, but I'll never forget those first memories, whether it was stomping on goombas with Mario, catching my first Pokemon on my Gameboy, or collecting crystal with Crash Bandicoot on my dad's PlayStation. Think of this story as a sort of love letter to those days, as well as a kind of semi-interactive Saturday Morning Cartoon series. In another realm of reality, there exists the world of Arcadia. Here, all your favorite game characters are more than a cluster of pixels on a screen, they are as real as you and me. Sonic, Mario, Link, all your favorite heroes! But of course, where there are heroes, there are villains seeking to destroy them. Arcadia is under constant threat from the most diabolical villains fiction has ever known. Dracula, Mother Brain, Ganon, the list goes on. But as evil as these vile beings are, none of them are as bad as the dreaded Haxus. This former champion of Arcadia betrayed his oath to defend this world, and now seeks to conquer it by any means. Faced with the annihilation of her home and her subjects, Arcadia's ruler, the beloved Queen Peldra orders her court wizard to summon a new champion. In doing so, he brings our hero Andy Barkley, better known to his friends as Arcade Andy, into the greatest adventure of his life. Thus begins our story. Anyone wishing to join in is more than welcome. Simply message the author and you'll get an invite. Enjoy! |
Episode 1: Arcadia Calls For Aid! Queen Peldra sat upon her throne in the Platinum Palace, her heart weighed down with the woes of her kingdom. She had always done her best to serve and protect the people of Arcadia, as she had sworn to the day of her coronation. But lately, it was becoming much harder to fulfill her duties. There had always been threats to the land, even before her reign. But ever since her former champion betrayed her and the kingdom, it seemed as though the world's problems multiplied tenfold. Undead, alien invaders, monsters of all kinds, you name it, it plagued the kingdom. She wished she could deal with these threats herself, but as Queen,. she was far too important to risk her life like that. The people had always looked up to her and admired her, and if she were to perish, she didn't even want to think of what might happen to her beloved kingdom. Just then, her court wizard, Magnus, entered the throne room. "Your majesty! I think I just may have discovered a solution to our problems!" Inside her mind, Peldra rather doubted that, but she kept that thought to herself. At this point, she was willing to try anything. "What is it, Magnus?" "I have been studying the scrolls, and have discovered a spell that will allow me to bring forth someone from another world to ours. Someone to replace our traitorous former champion as protector of the kingdom! With this spell, I shall summon a warrior, one of extraordinary skill and courage, to vanquish the evil threatening us once and for all!" The Queen's hopes raised a little. Perhaps the old man was onto something. "Very well, Magnus. Begin casting this spell immediately." Meanwhile, far across time and space, on the world known as Earth in the year 1998, there was a sort of tournament being held at a local arcade in the midwestern United States. With a grand prize of $200 on the line, the local kids were enthralled as they stood around the cabinet for Mortal Kombat, the two finalists of the competition battling it out for the prize money. Playing as Johnny Cage was a newcomer on the arcade scene, as well as the town, by the name of Billy Boons. His opponent, playing as Scorpion, was the reigning champ, Andy Barkley. Better known as Arcade Andy to his friends. Andy was something of a local celebrity in his hometown among the young crowd, mostly for his incredible skills at video games. Legend has it, he was able to defeat Ghosts N Goblins on a single quarter! At home, he had every major console available at the time, from Atari 2600 to Nintendo 64. No one could explain his impeccable reflexes and coordination, but one thing was for sure, around these parts, Arcade Andy was the King of Games. Andy silently admired his opponent's skills as they fought. He has some good potential, he thought. But there was less than ten seconds left in the final round, and it was time to finish this. |
| However, that was when the controller snapped, and instead of finishing Johnny off, Scorpion missed by a mile. Billy took advantage of this moment, and delivered a combo that sent Andy's character flying upwards by ten miles - well, into a wall of spikes at any rate. "Fatality!" said the game announcer. Andy looked at the controller that had cost him the win. Billy looked at it. "Oof. Not good," he said. "Say, when they get that replaced, do you want to rematch? I don't like winning because of technical issues." Andy looked at Billy. Anyone else would be cheering at their good luck. At the moment, Billy was offering a chance for Redemption. "Sure," he said. Billy offered his hand. Andy accepted it. "Good show of sportsmanship from both of you," said the arcade manager, and ref. "We can have a rematch in a month or so, once this thing gets repaired, and works properly." "Thanks Zack," said Andy. "Glad you understand," said Billy, as he was given an envelope of cash. "Still, I do have a decent second-place prize for you, Andy," said Zack, as he gave Andy a gift certificate. "A Free 2-topping Party Pizza from Jones Pizza, and 2 liter bottle of pop, and 50 wings. Enjoy." "They do have good pizza and wings," said Andy. Jones was a transplant from Buffalo, and he'd brought along the chicken wings New York state was known for. Everyone in town loved them. |
| Andy and Billy made their way back to their respective homes together, chatting about their recent bout and their favorite games. "So, I gotta say, even though you won because my control snapped, I'm still pretty impressed that you managed to reach me in the tournament." Andy said "Thanks. You're pretty good yourself. I just moved here, and from what I've heard, you're something of a legend to the other kids around town" Andy chuckled "Well, I've had a lot of practice. That's the big perk of having a father that works for a game company. I get to test new games and stuff like that." "Really? That's awesome! Wanna hang out sometime?" "Sure. You seem like a pretty cool guy. How about this Saturday?" "Works for me. See at school tomorrow, I guess?" "Sure, we can sit together at lunch." Upon arriving home, Andy was greeted by his parents. "So, how did the tournament go, son?" His father asked. "Well, let's just say there were some technical difficulties in the final round, and it cost me the grand prize. But on the plus side, I got a certificate for a pizza party, and may have even made a new friend." "Oh, that's great, sweetie." His mother said. "Is it that boy who's family just moved in across the street?" "Yeah. How did you know?" "I just met his parents this morning. They seem like nice folks, and it sounds like you and their son have a lot in common." After dinner, Andy spent the rest of the evening in his room, sharpening his gamer skills like he did every night. After perusing his collection, he decided he was in the mood for something classic tonight. After hooking up the old NES, he put in a copy of Donkey Kong and began to play for an hour or so, until something strange began to happen. At first he thought there was a glitch in the game, because the screen began to go all fuzzy before suddenly going bright white, and steadily growing brighter until he thought he would go blind! Then he felt as though something was pulling him towards the television, before suddenly he was falling through an empty void. Crying out in surprise, he came to a sudden stop as there was yet another bright flash, and as he vision slowly returned, he heard two unfamiliar voices talking, that of a young woman and an old man. |
| "Are you sure that this is whom we're counting on to save us?" the woman asked. "They look young." That was when there was some screaming, and something landed next to Andy. Andy took a look. It was Billy. "Okay, I was just playing my Sega, playing Sonic, and then...." Billy looked around. "Where am I?" |
| "That's odd." The old man commented. "I only meant to summon one hero. Oh well, two for one spell, I guess." Andy and Billy got to their feet, and marveled at the beautiful room, before their eyes came to the young woman sitting on the regal throne in front of them. "Greetings, Heroes." She said "My name is Queen Peldra of Arcadia. I apologize for bringing you here so unexpectedly, but this world is in dire need of saviors of your skill and stature." "Wait, you mean we're in another world?" Billy asked astonished "Indeed." The old man said "I am the royal wizard, Magnus. I summoned you here at her majesty's behest, because my spell deemed you to be the bravest and most skilled heroes in your, or any reality, worthy of aiding our kingdom against the forces that seek to destroy us." "Is this a dream?" Andy asked "Because this all seems so...unreal." "I assure you, this is most definitely real." Magnus said. "You have been chosen to be the Champions of Arcadia, sworn to protect it's people from all threats." "I think you've made a mistake." Andy said "We're not warriors or heroes. We're just average kids in our world. We're not even old enough to drive!" "If my spell chose you, then you must be fit to be champions." Magnus said "Magic never lies." "But what about our homes? Billy asked "We have families, school, and all kinds of others in our world that will notice that we're gone!" "Don't worry. Time is a most tricky thing across dimensions. By the time this adventure of yours is over, it will be like you never left your home dimension." Billy and Andy looked at each other. "What do we do?" Billy asked "Let's just see what they want first." Andy said. "Magnus." Peldra said "Bring forth the Gauntlet of Power." The old wizard reached behind his back, pulling out a silver gauntlet seemingly from nowhere. He approached Andy and kneeled, presenting it to him. Andy took the gauntlet and put it on. "So...uh..what do I do?" "Touch the crystal." Andy noticed a shining crystal embedded on top of the gauntlet's hand. Touching it, a sort of holographic screen appeared, showing several different power up items from the video games of their world. "Each item you see can aid you on your journeys." Magnus explained "Wow!" Andy exclaimed. There was the mushroom from Mario, speed shoes from Sonic, Megaman"s buster cannon and many others. "Use them wisely." Magnus warned "You can only use each item a limited number of times per day. "Hey if these power ups are real in this world, does that mean the characters from the games are real here too?" Billy wondered aloud "So, will you aid us?" Peldra asked. "They looked at each other again, this time with grins on their faces. They were going to get to be in a real life video game! This was a dream come true! "Yes! We'll help you." Andy said "Oh, wonderful!"Peldra cried. "Um, your highness?" Magnus said "I just realized...we only have one Gauntlet of Power. We've never had two champions at once before. What should we give the second?" |
| "I'm certain that we have a Helm of Power, or Boots of Power, or something similar," said Princess Peldra. |
| "Come to think of it, I think I do have something for him." Magnus said, pulling out what resembled a Wrestling Championship belt with another crystal in the center. He handed it to Billy, who asked "So, does this do the same thing as the gauntlet?' "Not exactly." Said Magnus "But it does grant the wearer access to certain skills and abilities." "Like what?" "Super strength, stamina, water breathing, stuff like that. The more you use its abilities, the more effective they become as well." "So it's kind of like being a character in an RPG?" "I don't know what that is, but I'm guessing you're correct." "So, just what sort of evil will we be facing?" Andy asked. Peldra frowned "Too many to name, I'm afraid. Fortunately they're not all coming after us at once at the moment. Right now, the biggest threat would be Dracula, and his beasts on the night. But his fortress only appears after dark. Exactly where, I cannot say. Before you go, I have a gift for you." Magnus handed them each a small sack. Opening them, they found they contained golden coins. "Use those at the store in town to buy supplies. I would suggest stocking up on health items and pokeballs." "There's pokemon here too!?" They exclaimed "Oh, you already know of pokemon? Yes, most fascinating aren't they? Useful, too. Also, touch your crystal again, there's something else you should know." Doing so, a display showed a green bar, as well as a X3 counter, and a 0. "That green bar is your health. If you take too much damage, you will lose a Life, of which you each currently have three. The zero in the corner is your score. You gain points by defeating enemies and completing tasks. Earn a thousand total points to get an extra life. Whatever you do, do not run out of lives." "What happens if we do?" Billy asked worriedly. "I think you know already."The boys gulped, but quickly regained their confidence. The two of them were practically gaming prodigies back home. Together, they should be unstoppable! Now, Magnus, escort them to the stables and give them two of my best horses. Good luck, our Champions." |
| "I will say one thing, let's not get killed," said Billy. "Heard of this new game coming out next year or so involving a raccoon that steals stuff. Sounds like fun." |
| "I think I heard of that too. What was it called? Sneaky, or something like that?" Magnus lead them to the royal stables as Peldra commanded, presenting them with two horses. "These are her majesty's favorite thoroughbreds. She's rather fond of them, so make sure you bring them back in one piece and alive." "Just where are we going on this quest, anyway?" Andy asked "You'll have to wait until after dark, I'm afraid. That's when Dracula's castle typically appears. In the meantime, I suggest you get aquainted with your new abilities and build up your lives and scores. Perhaps catch some pokemon while you're at it. I'm sure even with your skills, you'll need all the help you can get." Thanking Magnus, they mounted their steeds and rode into the city in search of the shop to stock up on supplies. |
| Andy nodded in agreement. "Let's agree to just keep this between us when we get home. Otherwise, we'll probably end up in the nut house. " |
| "Can we get going?" the one horse asked, in a distinctly male voice. "We're burning daylight." "I have to agree," said the other, in a female voice. "We need to get there before dark." |
| "You can talk?!" Both boys exclaimed. "Of course we can." Said the male. "Do you have names?" Billy asked "I'm Silver." Said the male. "Daisy." Said the Female "Anyway, as I said, we should get a move on before sundown." Silver said. "Alright. But first, we should head to the shop for supplies." Said Andy. The two horses lead them through the streets, passing many NPCs along the way. The boys couldn't help but marvel at the sight of characters from their favorite games in the flesh. Finally reaching the shop, they entered the store to find the shopkeeper behind the counter. "Hi there! What can I get you today?" They were in awe at the variety of items and gadgets.Then they both looked down at the pouch of coins they each had received, realizing they probably wouldn't be able to afford most of the stuff for sale. "You'd think if our quest was so important, the Queen would have given us more money for supplies." Billy said with a slightly annoyed tone. "Wait, you work for Queen Peldra?" The shopkeeper asked. That was when he noticed the Power Gauntlet and Belt. "Why didn't you say so? Agents of the queen get a special discount!" Browsing the shop's stocks, they stacked up on food for health recovery, and 25 pokeballs each. Exiting the shop, they mounted their steeds and rode out of the city. The horses stopped after reaching a clearing in a forest to the east. "We have a few hours until sundown." Said Silver. "You should probably get some practice in before Dracula's castle shows up. You're going to need it." |
| "So, just how do we practice with these things?" Billy asked. Silver chuckled. "We'll help you with that," the stallion said. "Get off us, and we'll set a few things up." At this, Billy and Andy got off the horses. That was when a bright light appeared, and the stallion became an armored knight in shining armor. As for the mare, she became an archer sort of person wearing a brown outfit. "Never heard of a game with your sort of characters," said Billy. "It hasn't been written yet," said Daisy. |
| "So even characters from future games are here too?" The knight and archer nodded. "So, just what did you have in mind for practicing our abilities?" Asked Andy. "In your case, you should refrain from using your power ups for now, since you have limited use of them." Silver said "As for your friend, let's see how his reflexes hold up. Daisy will fire an arrow at him, and he can try to dodge it. Or, more impressively, catch it." Drawing her bow and stepping back several yards, Daisy called out "Ready?" "Ready!" Said Billy, trying not to sound nervous. |
| That was when Daisy looked at the arrow. "Boxing Glove." The arrow change into a brown boxing glove. Silver chuckled. "No damage, but you won't want to get hit by it." "What would it do?" Billy asked. "Knock you out," said Silver. "Useful for taking foes alive." "What sort of game is yours?" Andy asked. "Science-Fantasy," said Silver. "Idea is that a large number of genetically modified animals get exposed to magic. Some became Heroes, others became Villains. It's about what do do with humans following a WW3 type of situation - Help them rebuild, and have a joined civilization, or enslave them to use to build our own, or something in the middle. Different paths for the characters, even for me and Daisy. I could be a Hero, a Villain, or something in the middle. Same with everyone else, even the supposed Villains might actually be Heroes in the right situation." |
| "If you're from a future game," Andy asked. "How come you already exist?" "The scientist made us," Silver said. "She creates the content for future games." "Cool," said Billy. "When can we meet her?" "Right now," a female voice said out of nowhere. The boys saw what was coming: a cat with eagle feathers on its arms and eagle legs dressed in a tank top, and cargo shorts with a belt came flying onto the scene before landing on the ground. "Wait a minute," said Andy. "That's the scientist?" "Sammy van Catsing, creator of future game content, at your service!" the creature said in the female voice. "So you created Silver and Daisy," Andy said. "And other characters from future video games," Sammy added. She held up a device that resembled a Game Boy Advance in front of the boys. A blue beam hit Andy, and a red beam hit Billy. Neither of them were hurt, but the screen flashed on Sammy's device. "According to my data scanner," she said. "You're Andy, and you're Billy." "You invent stuff, too?" Billy asked. "I also invent powerups," Sammy said. "I can show you my lab, and you can continue your training there." She picked up a remote control and zapped it at the boys. Sure enough, there they were in Sammy's lab among a chain of treehouses linked together by solar panel bridges. |
| "Nice place." Andy said, admiring her lab setup. "Thank you! I built it all myself! Now then, I believe you were about to test your friend's reflexes. Follow me, I have just the place to do it." Sammy led them to a part of her lab with a sort of target practice area. "I usually use this spot to test new weapons and such, but it should do for this little test as well." Billy stood at the end of the range, and Daisy readied her boxing glove arrow."Here it comes!" She said, releasing her shot. |
| "Purr-fect dodging," Sammy said when Billy dodged the arrow. "If I do say so myself." Andy's stomach growled, but not too loud. He needed to eat something. A hot dog would hit the spot. If there was one thing he enjoyed as much as video games, he loved eating. He walked up to the experiment table and grabbed a vial of yellow substance. To him, it looked like mustard. "Careful!" Sammy warned as she flew over and grabbed it from him. "That's Gigantium! I use it to create bosses that could appear in video games in the future." "Any possibility there could be a video game with a jack-in-the-box as a boss?" Andy asked. "I've created one," Sammy said, showing the boys a video of said boss. "Brlieve me, if Giganium were to fall into the wrong hands, it would lead to chaos." " |
| "By the way, have either of you caught any pokemon yet?" Sammy asked. The two boys shook their heads. "I think you'll find them incredibly useful on your journeys. As a matter of fact, I happen to have some starters around here somewhere you can have! Even ones you've never seen before that won't be released in your world for years! If I can find them..." She began to dig through a pile of various inventions, tossing them to the side. "Hmm...Let's see, I know they were here before. Aha! Here we go!" She tossed a pair of pokeballs to them. Eager to see what they got, they released the pokemon inside. "Alright, a Pikachu!" "What's this one?" Billy said, looking down at his pokemon, which was one he'd never seen before. "It's a Fennekin, a fire fox." Sammy said. "I'm sorry they're so weak now, but they're the only ones I could find. But take care of them and train them well, and I'm sure they'll become real powerhouses! Oh, and you'll be needing these!" She handed them each a pokedex device. "Use those when you encounter new pokemon, and it will identify them and their abilities." "Thanks!" Andy and Billy said, unable to believe this was really happening. |
| While Sammy was explaining Pokémon and moves that won't exist for years, Andy was chasing his Pikachu toward a strange looking computer that looked like a slot machine from a casino in Las Vegas It jumped onto the keyboard, starting up the computer. "What kind of computer is this?" Billy asked when he heard the commotion. "Surely, you've heard of the Mario Kart franchise?" Sammy inquired. "Sure," Andy and Billy responded simultaneously. "Whenever you choose a racer, you usually have the same kart every race. This has been something I've been working on to change the game in the future. You can customize your own kart with this. Want to give it a try?" "This may come as a surprise to you," Billy said. "We're too young to drive." "In Arcadia," Sammy said. "You don't need a license to drive a kart." Andy stepped forward to give it a try. He slid the dial to see the different kart options. "It has bikes, too?" He asked excitedly. "That and ATVs," Sammy said. "The second slot contains tires, and the last one is for gliders. Once you two finish your karts, come to the training track, and I'll explain." Andy chose the coolest kart he could choose and added monster tires and a flower glider. "Now step on that pressure plate over there," Sammy instructed. "And the kart will accommodate your weight class." Andy obediently stepped on the pressure plate, and since he was heavier than Billy, his kart was the right size for his weight size. Billy had selected the coolest bike he could choose and added roller tires and a super glider. After it was finished, Billy climbed aboard his bike, and he and Andy met at Sammy's practice course. |
| "Since you've never driven before, we'll practice on a simple track. Ready..set...GO!" Sammy said. |
| Andy stepped on the pedal on the left side of his cart, and it took off like a rocket. "Never mind," Billy said. As Andy drove down the track, he was coming up to a strange panel bearing a circle pattern. He drove over it, and his tires turned sideways. Before he knew it, he was driving upside-down. "Zero gravity!" He said. "Cool!" Meanwhile, Billy was getting used to his bike as he drove off after his opponent. Further down the track, Andy was headed for a ramp. As he took off of it, his glider opened up, and his tires went back to their original position. He was flying through the air. "To infinity and beyond!" He exclaimed, his arms spread out like wings. "Andy, you let go of the wheel!" Sammy warned as she flew up to his side. "You're going off the track!" But it was too late. Andy was already on the ground in his kart. He began to drive through various terrains, crashing through bushes. "I'm coming, Andy," Sammy said. She started using the kart customization computer to create her own kart. "I'm getting in on this," Silver said, taking control of the computer and creating his own kart. "Me too," said Daisy when it was her turn. Finally, Sammy had her chance to create her own kart. |
| The three of them raced after Andy. "Andy, hit the breaks!" Sammy called out. "I'm trying!" He replied "They're jammed!" Sammy activated her turbo boost, catching up with him. "Hop on!" Andy jumped from his kart to Sammy's moments before his went slamming into a barrier. Coming to a stop, Sammy turned to face Andy with a look of concern. "Are you alright?" "Yeah. Thanks. I would have lost a life for sure if not for you." "Number one rule of racing, always keep your hands on the wheel." Billy was able to catch up along with Silver and Daisy. "I think that's enough excitement for now." Billy said "We have a mission to get to." "Right." Said Sammy. "I'll be sending you back now. I'll be in touch. Good luck to all of you!" Pulling out the device from before, she zapped the party back to Arcadia. When they arrived, it was dark and the moon was full. In the sky was a huge, menacing castle. "I take it that's Dracula's fortress?" Billy asked. Daisy and Silver nodded. "Castlevania. At least Sammy saved us the trouble of having to find it." That was when they noticed they were standing in the center of a graveyard. Billy and Andy couldn't help but chuckle. "How much more cliche can you get?" Suddenly, the ground began to quake as hundreds of skeletons and rotting zombies began to rise up from the graves. "Arm yourselves!" Shouted Silver as he and Daisy readied their weapons. |
| "Where's a mace or a club at?" Billy asked. "That's what they recommend in that D&D game thing." |
| As they fought off the monsters, Andy and Billy's Pokémon had sent the zombies packing. "I hope we don't see any werewolves," Billy said. "I don't want to get bitten by one of those," Andy added. The group heard howling in the distance. "Spoke too soon," Daisy said. The group noticed a pack of werewolves in the distance, heading in their direction. "Get ready for more!" Silver warned. Before they knew it, they were battling monsters again. "There's too many of them!" Andy exclaimed. Billy and Fennekin managed to drive off half of the werewolves. Andy and Pikachu stepped forward with Silver and Daisy backing them up. "That's all of them!" Billy said as the last of the werewolves were driven off. The party began to proceed through the graveyard when they heard someone crying for help nearby. They turned to see a werewolf with his arm caught under a fallen statue. He was fat, wore torn pants, a necklace, and had a goatee and slightly shaggy fur. "I know he's a monster," Andy said. "But we've got to help him!" They rushed up to him and tried lifting the statue, but it was too heavy. "I've got this," Daisy said. "My exploding arrow should do the trick." She pulled out a black arrow with an explosive on the tip, inserted it into her bow, pulled the string, and let go. ZIP! The arrow landed in the statue. "Better stand back," Daisy warned. The group ran for cover and waited until KA-BOOM! The bomb exploded, shattering the statue. The werewolf was free, but his arm and eye weren't. "All right, werewolf," Silver said. "I'm not a werewolf," the wolf said. "I just want to help you!" "Are you lying?" Silver said. "No," the wolf said. "You think I'm the big bad wolf? I'm the villain of every story?" "Why would we think that?" Andy said. "I don't want to be seen as a monster," the wolf said. "I just want to be a hero in my own game." Andy, Daisy, Silver, and Billy huddled together for a minute. Then they came to a decision. "Okay, wolf," Billy said. "We'll make you a deal: you help us defeat Dracula, and we'll see if we can have you be in your own game." "I don't really have a name," the wolf said. "Who would want to play a game where the hero is a wolf with one arm and one eye?" "How about we call you Wolfclops?" Andy said. "I don't mind that," the wolf said. "From now on, my name is Wolfclops. Now, how can I help you if I have one arm and one eye?" "Perhaps Sammy can help," Andy said. "She creates content for future video games. She might be able to build you a new arm and eye." |
| "Just how do we contact her, anyway?" Asked Andy. Daisy pulled out a device that resembled a Gameboy. Pushing a button, a video of Sammy appeared on screen. "Yes? Don't tell me you need my help again already? I thought you were more capable champions than that." Explaining the situation, Sammy pondered for a bit. "Hmmm. I don't really have anything like that at the moment. But I can build it! It will take some time though. Just tell your wolf friend to stay put and I'll have it ready as soon as possible. " "There you have it." Said Silver " You wouldn't know a way to actually get to Dracula's castle, would you?" Wolfclops shrugged. "Not really." "Look through your power ups." Billy said to Andy "See if there's anything that let's you fly." |
| "Really?" Billy said. "I know you're heavier than me, but can you lift us all up there?" "I can try," Andy said. As he selected Icarus's Wings, they began to grow out of his back. He flew a few feet off the ground and picked up his party. Soon, he was flying them all the way to Dracula's fortress. Upon entry, he could hear something coming down the hallway. "Get ready to fight," Silver said. As they moved in, they could see the shadow of the figure getting larger. They moved in for the fight. But what they saw was a little purple cat-like Pokémon. "I wonder if this is in Castlevania," Billy said, fetching his Pokedex to scan it. "Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon and a Dark-type Pokémon," it said. "Purrloin's cute act is a ruse. It steals its victim's items once they're distracted." "There's another Pokémon," Andy said. The Pokémon looked like a shadow with a golden mask in an arm-like appendage. Andy retrieved his Pokedex as well. "Yamask, the Spirit Pokémon and a Ghost-type," it said. "The mask Yamask carries has the face from when it was human. Sometimes, it will look at it and cry." "Two more Pokémon that haven't been introduced yet," Billy said. "And we're the first people to see them!" This is incredible!" He and Andy grabbed the Poke Balls containing their respective Pokémon and brought the two out. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Yamask!" Andy commanded. "Fennekin, Flame Charge on Purrloin!" Billy commanded. Both Pokémon followed their respective trainers' orders, and Yamask and Purrloin were shaking when the attacks hit. "Here goes nothing," Andy said, throwing a Poke Ball at Yamask. "I hope this works," said Billy, tossing one at Purrloin. The two Poke Balls started shaking. After three shakes, they locked themselves shut. Andy picked Yamask's Poke Ball, and Billy picked up Purrloin's. "Wait until Sammy sees we caught our first Pokémon," Andy said, patting his stomach. "When Purrloin is introduced," Billy said. "I want to use it as my primary battler." "You can talk about your futures later," Daisy said. "Right now, you have to defeat Dracula." "Ooh, sorry," Andy said. "Wolfclops, where do we get a map of this place?" "There should one around here somewhere," Wolfclops said, checking the perimeter with his remaining eye. |
| They spotted a chest in a dusty corner of the room. "Could be a map in there. "Billy went up to open it. "Wait! Don't open-!" Silver cried out, but it was too late. The instant Billy touched the chest, it sprung open, revealing a wicked looking maw lined with razor sharp teeth inside. Before Billy could respond, it chomped down on his upper half, slamming its lid repeatedly as though it was chewing on him. "Damn mimics." Silver sighed "This is why you should always be wary around random chests." "Help...me...!" Billy gasped between chomps. His health bar was being depleted with each slam of the lid. Andy grabbed Billy's ankles and tried to pull him free, but the mimic started to swallow Billy down, dragging Andy along with him. Silver and Daisy looked at each other. "Shall we help them?" Daisy asked. "Not just yet." Said Silver "I think this could be a good learning opportunity for them." |
| Billy managed to press something on his belt, and suddenly, he was coated in metal. The mimic's teeth soon busted. |
| Before they knew it, the two boys began to burst out of the mimic with Billy's metal powerup. Andy utilized the Master Sword from the Gauntlet of Power and slashed at the mimic, killing it. "Sorry about that," Billy apologized to Silver and Daisy. "I hope Sammy built something to identify mimics." "As a matter of fact," Silver said, pulling out a device resembling a Nintendo DS. "She gave this to me before we left for the mission." He pressed a button to turn it on. Suddenly, the screen started showing what looked like a radar. "This is so cool!" Andy said. Silver handed it to him. As they were walking down the hall, they could hear someone approaching them. The boys' Pokémon prepared to attack. Soon, the figure emerged from the shadows. It was a human with blonde hair and was dressed like a warrior. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "The minute I saw you get attacked by that mimic, I thought you'd be done for, but you managed to get out of that one, no problem." "Hey! I know you!" Andy exclaimed. "You're Simon Belmont!" "The one and only." Upon noticing the Gauntlet of Power and Billy's belt, Simon was surprised. "So, you've been chosen by the queen to take down the evil within Arcadia," he said. "Magnus brought them to Arcadia," Daisy said. "Well, it looks like you seem to have lost some health," Simon said. He handed Billy a vial of liquid. Then he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Drink it," he said. "You can regain that health you lost from fighting that mimic." "Thanks," Billy said before drinking the potion. "We were looking for a map," Andy said. "Do you know where we can find one?" |
| "I just happen to have one right here." Simon showed them a map of the castle. Except none of the rooms were labeled and the whole place seemed to be a jumble of randomly generated rooms. "Looks like this will be harder than we thought." Andy said "In games like this, the final boss is always on the top floor." Billy said "So we just need to find a way to reach the top." Just then, there was as hideous screeching sound that echoed through the halls. They looked to see dozens of disembodied heads with snakes for hair come flying towards them. "Medusa heads!" Silver said "Don't let them touch you!" Simon cracked his whip, Silver swung his sword, Daisy fired her bow and the boys used their abilities but the heads just kept coming. For everyone they destroyed, three more seemed to appear. |
| Wolfclops scanned every perimeter of the room as much as he could with his only eye. "Up there!" He exclaimed, pointing to a crystal, hanging from the ceiling. "That must be the power source!" "I've got this!" Daisy said, aiming her bow at the ceiling. She fired a bomb arrow at the crystal, and it was wedged in tight. KA-BOOM! The crystal burst into pieces, some of them impaling the Medusa heads. "I hope more don't show up," Andy said. "I don't want to turn to stone." The group waited for a few seconds, but no more Medusa heads showed up. "Phew!" Billy said. "I guess that takes care of them." "We're not out of the woods yet," Simon said. "We still have to get to the top floor." Andy stepped forward to find the staircase to the next floor. "I hope we don't run into any other monsters while we're here," Billy said. "I wouldn't want to see a mummy." |
| They found a staircase leading up to the next floor. They stepped through the door at the top, to find themselves in a large room. But what surprised them was standing in the center of said room was a group of adventurers like them. In fact, it WAS them! Exact duplicates of all six of them plus their pokemon, preparing to attack! "Doppelgangers!" Said Simon "They have all the same abilities as us. Prepare yourselves!" They charged forward to meet their doubles in battle. But it wasn't long before things got confusing. "Hey! Will you stop that? I'm the real me!" "Watch where you're swinging that thing! I'm not a double!" "Everybody just focus on your own duplicate! They want us to fight each other!" |
| "Where's the thing that Prevents Friendly Fire at?" Billy asked, as he went through his belt. |
| Billy pressed the button on his belt, and a wave of blue energy began to sweep the doppelgangers away. "I think it's working," Wolfclops said. The doppelgangers' ugly blob-like forms were beginning to be revealed. Andy pressed the jewel on the Gauntlet of Power, and he had summoned the X-Buster. "I haven't seen this since the last Mega Man X game!" He exclaimed. He put it on his arm and fired a Homing Torpedo. They were locked onto the doppelgangers. One hit, and they were history. "Phew!" He said. "I'm sure Sammy could invent something that can identify a doppelganger." "You might want to take it up with her," Simon said. Andy and Billy looked at each other. This was going to be a huge challenge. Before anyone could say anything, the communicator started vibrating. Andy whipped it out and pressed the power button. Sammy appeared on the screen. "Good news," she said. "I've finished that arm for this Wolfclops, and it should be ready when you return from your journey." "Wait," Billy said. "Simon came along, and we battled Medusa heads and doppelgangers. Do you think you can prepare something that can identify the doppelgangers?" "That will be a challenge," Sammy said. "But I think I can manage it. In the meantime, if you come across any more monsters, you know what to do." "Yes," Andy said. "Battle them." He hung up and put the communicator away. "Wait!" Daisy said as he was about to step on a tile on the floor. |
| Too late. Andy stepped on the tile, which activated a trap door directly beneath his feet. Next thing Andy knew, he was heading down a long chute that twisted and turned like a sliding board. It would have been fun, had he been expecting it and he knew where he was going to end up. When he finally reached the bottom, it was pitch black with only a pair of glowing yellow eyes visible in the darkness. Scratch that, make it three pairs of eyes. And a deep, menacing growl. |
| As soon as the shield and light were activated, Andy could see what he was up against. "Cerebrus!" He exclaimed. It wasn't long before Pikachu, Billy, Fennekin, and Wolfclops came down the chute and landed where he did. "We had to come down," Billy said. "You and I champions and champions stick together, right?" Andy held out his hand, and Billy helped him to his feet. Cerebrus lowered one of its heads and prepared to headbutt the group. Wolfclops jumped in front of the boys and thrust his belly at it really hard, giving it a headache. "Wolfclops," Andy said. "You saved our lives." "You saved mine," Wolfclops said. "It's the least I can do." "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Andy commanded. "Fennekin, Flame Charge!" Billy commanded. The two Pokémon heeded their respective trainers' commands and hit the two remaining heads. As soon as Cerebrus regained consciousness, it came charging at the group. "I think the attacks made it angrier," Billy said. Just then, a young man appeared out of nowhere and drew his whip to attack the monster. The group ran for the nearest exit to the next floor as the man drove Cerebrus and ran to catch up with them. As soon as everyone was reunited with Simon, Daisy, and Silver, the young man came up to them. "He saved us from Cerebrus," Andy said. "My name's Richter Belmont," the man said. Belmont, thought Andy. "How are you related to Simon Belmont?" Billy asked. "He's my ancestor," Richter said. "It's so amazing that we get to meet each from across time!" He and Simon shook hands, and the group was surprised at this, except for Billy. "Where's Fennekin?" He asked. "Looking for something?" A voice said. The party turned around and saw a pale-skinned man holding Fennekin by the neck. "Dracula!" They all exclaimed. "Give Fennekin back!" Billy demanded. "I don't think so," Dracula said. "If you want this, you'll have to come to the top floor. Don't keep me waiting!" And with that, he turned into bats and flew Fennekin to the top floor. "You're going to pay for this, Dracula!" Billy angrily said. |
| Racing up another nearby staircase, they came to a room that looked like the inside of a giant clock, with dozens of spinning gears and swinging pendulums."A platforming section?" Andy said "Shouldn't be too bad. But just to be sure..." He cycled through his power ups until he came to a device that looked like an old fashioned stopwatch. "This should do the trick." He pressed a button on the watch and everything around them began to slow dramatically before coming to a halt. "There we go. Should make this part much easier. Come on, we only have thirty seconds!" |
| As they came to the last platform, Billy came to the staircase with Purrloin's Poke Ball in hand. "Wait!" Andy said, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Didn't we weaken Yamask and Purrloin before we caught them?" "Yeah," Billy said. "That means they could be defeated, no problem! We need a Pokémon Center!" Billy looked around the room as time began to return to normal. He saw a machine in the corner. "Do you suppose that's what's used at a Pokémon Center?" He asked. Andy approached the machine and placed Yamask's Poke Ball in the slot. Within minutes, it began to flash. "Yamask should be as good as new," he said. Billy placed Purrloin's Poke Ball in the machine, and it flashed after a while. "Purrloin, if you're not healed," he said. "I'm proud to be your trainer. Hang on, Fennekin. We're coming to save you." He raced to the staircase and let Purrloin out of its Poke Ball. The two climbed the stairs, and sure enough, there was Dracula, still holding Fennekin by the neck. "I came to the top floor," Billy said. "Now let Fennekin go!" "I'd return that Pokémon if I were you," Dracula warned, holding Fennekin over the edge. Fennekin started getting angry. Then, it started to glow. It started to change forms. Its front legs became arms, and it began to get bigger. When the glowing stopped, it looked different. "It evolved!" Billy exclaimed. The Pokémon that was once Fennekin turned around and shot a Flamethrower at Dracula's face, causing him to let go. Billy raced to the cliff and grabbed its hand. Then he pulled it up to safety. The rest of the party rushed into the room. "Let's see what you've become," he said, pulling out his Pokedex. "Braixen, the Fox Pokémon, and Fire-type," it said. "Using friction from its tail fur, Braixen sets the twig in its tail on fire for battle. The flame can also signal allies." "Incredible!" Andy said. "Fennekin has an evolution!" The group prepared for battle as Dracula got back up for another round. |
| Dracula transformed into a swarm of bats, encircling the group. "Come on." Andy said "Is that all you can do?" He immediately regretted saying that, as the swarm redacted and Dracula took on his final form of a hulking gargoyle-like monster. Billy just looked at Andy with an incredulous glare. "You and your big mouth." |
| "There's got to be a mega flashlight on this thing," Billy said, working his belt. |
| As Billy got out the mega flashlight, Andy brought Yamask and Pikachu to battle. "Watch the ground!" Daisy shouted. Andy tried to watch his feet, but of course, someone of his size wouldn't be able to see his feet. "Braixen, Flame Charge!" Billy commanded. "Purrloin, Night Slash!" "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Andy commanded. "Yamask, Shadow Ball!" The boys' Pokémon prepared to attack Dracula, but he shot a blast of dark energy towards them. At that moment, Billy activated the mega flashlight and shined it on the dark energy, which started to disintegrate before their eyes. Dracula caught wind of this and got ready to strike Billy. "Pick on someone your own size!" Andy said, consuming the mushroom from Mario. With that, he started to grow in size. He was the exact same size as Dracula. The two began to stare each other down. It began to turn into a sumo match between the two titans. "I'd better be careful," Andy told himself. "One hit from him, and I return to normal." Dracula was ready to knock him off his feet when Billy tried to start up the mega flashlight. |
| Suddenly, Dracula found himself blinded by a sudden, intense light. Mega or not, it was still just an ordinary flashlight and couldn't actually harm him. But still, it gave Andy an opening, allowing him to deliver a sucker punch upside the vampire's head. "Belmonts!" "Andy called out "Now! Finish him!" Simon and Richter charged forward, raising their Vampire Killer whips for the final blow. Dazed from Andy's punch, Dracula barely even registered what was going on. |
| Andy managed to help Dracula to his feet. "You're going to need a dentist," he said, getting ready to punch the vampire. Dracula grabbed his fist before the punch landed. Wolfclops came forward to the fight. "Fat one!" Dracula commanded. "Take him down!" "I don't take orders from you anymore!" Wolfclops said. "And you mustn't call me fat!" With that, he grabbed Dracula's arm and pulled him away from Andy. Simon and Richter unleashed their vampire killer whips on the vampire, ending him for good. "Thanks for helping," Andy said to Wolfclops as he returned to his normal size. The two shook hands while Braixen walked up to where Dracula stood and picked up a scrap of paper. It walked up to Billy and handed it to him. Before he could read it, the group found themselves being whisked away to Peldra's castle. "Congratulations," the queen said as they approached the throne room. "Dracula has been defeated, and you have proven you've got what it takes to be champions. Also, the scientist has some news for you." Magnus and Sammy came forward, and Sammy pulled out the transporter again. "I believe what Sammy has in store for you will be useful in the future," Magnus said. Sammy aimed the transporter at the group, and they were all transported to her lab. "You, sir," she said to Wolfclops. "I've finished your new arm. Plus, I've found an eyepatch for you." She handed him an eyepatch and presented him with a robotic arm. She fitted it to his body and strapped it around his chest like a bandolier. Then, she began to strap the buckle around his stomach. She had to loosen it so it would prevent discomfort. "Sorry," he said. "I like to eat all the time." Andy winked at him, letting him know they had something in common. "All done," Sammy said. "By the way, I've fixed your kart, Andy." "Oh, and we've caught new Pokémon," Andy told her as he and Billy showed her their Pokémon teams. |
| "Excellent!" Sammy said "Be sure to treat them well. That way, they'll do even better in battle. Now, before you go back to your world, Peldra wants to speak with you." Sending them back to Peldra's throne room, they wished Sammy farewell until their next adventure. "Now then, take a look at your stats." Peldra said. Andy and Billy did so, and were surprised to see their scores ha gone up quite a good amount, as did their levels. "Only your first mission, and already you've improved." Peldra smiled "Seems Magnus's spell chose right after all." Suddenly, the room grew dark as a black vortex appeared, with two glowing red eyes in its center. "I hear you have some new champions, your highness." Said a menacing voice. "Matthew! You traitor! How dare you show yourself in my palace after what you've done!" The princess said angrily. "I am no longer Matthew. Nor am I your puppet anymore. I am Haxus, and I shall conquer this world and its denizens. Once I do, I shall parade you and your champion's bodies from every corner of the realm as the fallen figures of a pathetic ideal that you are!" "Begone!" Said Magnus, dissipating the vortex with a wave of his hand. "What was that?" Andy asked "That was our former champion." Peldra said "Before he betrayed me and the kingdom he swore to protect. Now he's the greatest threat we've ever seen. But you are far from ready to face him. In the meantime, return to your world and rest, both of you. You've earned it." Waving farewell to their new friends, Andy and Billy returned to Earth through another portal. Until their next adventure. Episode 2: Let The Games Begin! It's been about two weeks since Billy and Andy defeated Dracula with the help of their allies. Currently they were in school, gym class to be exact.They were currently playing dodge ball, and so far nobody had managed to hit them. Years of honing their reflexes at the arcade and on gaming systems had their advantages. But there was one other student, Trent, that was determined to knock them out of the game. He was deliberately trying to him them with ball after ball, and they dodged every shot, which only made Trent more frustrated. |
| "He needs to learn a few tricks," said Billy. "Such as fake outs and leading the target." |
| "You two better shut up!" Trent shouted. "I've knocked out everyone except you two, Laurel & Hardy!" As he was about to throw the last ball, the coach blew his whistle and declared Andy and Billy's team the winners. "You'll pay for this, pig and twig," Trent snarled through clenched teeth. Meanwhile, in Arcadia, Wolfclops was given the job as Sammy's partner in the lab until she got him his own game. "I see that you have eagle legs," he said. "Are there any other eaglecats?" Sammy frowned. "You're looking at the last of her kind," she said sadly. "I came from a thriving village of eagleccats. I was the daughter of the village leader and his wife. I was just a baby when a megatsunami was headed for our village. My parents put me in a canoe, and before I knew it, the megatsunami carried the canoe and me away. I drifted for days until I came to the shores of Arcadia. Peldra was being crowned queen at the time. She heard me crying and sent her guards to investigate. The captain called the queen and Magnus to see. I opened my eyes, and Magnus was the first thing I saw. Peldra appointed him as my guardian, and he made me his apprentice. I didn't fly until I was 5 years old. When I was working with potions, I created my first video game character: Mr. Game & Watch. Magnus saw something in me that could be useful. So, I started creating more video game content and powerups over the years, and I'm still doing it to this day. Now, tell me about yourself. Where did you come from?" |
| "Pretty much what you would expect." Wolfclops said "I was banished from my pack after getting sick and tired of serving one dark lord after another. So I wondered from place to place as an outcast, then I met the Champions and their friends. You know the rest." "Well, until I can get around to making your game, you're welcome to stay here." Sammy replied. "Thank you. That means a lot. When do you think you will get to my game, anyway?" Sammy shrugged "Honestly, who knows? As you can see, I am often very busy with one project or another. Might be next week, might be years from now. I can't make any promises." Wolfclops nodded understandingly. "It's okay. Take as long as you need." Back in the throne room, Peldra had just received a message sealed with a dragon insignia. Oh no, she thought. She recognized that seal immediately. "Magnus!" She called "What is it, your highness?" "Summon the Champions. It's time for the tournament again." "You don't mean..?" "Yes. I do." "But my lady, they're not ready for such a task!" "Which is no doubt why we've been challenged. Shao Kahn thinks he can score an easy victory. But there is no refusing a challenge to Mortal Kombat. Summon them immediately." "As you command, your Majesty." |
| It could be said that school bullies had to be big and strong, and dumb. That last part was wrong. At least, in this case. Trent was playing some new game. It had a werewolf with a bionic arm, and a cyborg eye. It looked different, that was for sure. Pre-release, actually. The dumb thing was, instead of being the usual monster that destroyed things, they were trying to be the Hero. That was when something strange happened. His television changed, and somehow, became a whirlpool, and like something out of that Jumanji movie, sucked him into it. Next thing Trent knew, he was face-to-face with the very werewolf he had tried to play as. The werewolf looked at someone dressed as a wizard. "That ain't Andy or Billy." |
| "Sorry we're late," Andy said as he and Billy entered the throne room. "Trent, what are you doing here?!?" "That's what I want to know," Trent snapped back. "If you two had something to do with this, you'll be needing stitches, Abbott and Costello!" The guards held him at spear point to keep him still. "Silence!" The queen ordered. "You do not speak to our champions that way." "They have been summoned here to save Arcadia," Magnus explained. He produced a ring with his magic, and it slid onto Trent's finger. "I guess three champions could work together," Queen Peldra said. "Anyway, your next journey involves the Mortal Kombat tournament. Shao Khan would like to challenge you." "We'd better get to the lab," Wolfclops said. Silver and Daisy approached the group, and they all headed for Sammy's lab. "We should be at the tree with the elevator," Daisy said. She pressed a button on the trunk of the tree, and a door opened up, revealing an elevator. They all entered, and up they went. Once at the top, Sammy greeted them and handed Andy and Billy their Pokémon. When she saw Trent, she pulled out her scanner and scanned him. "Your name is Trent," she said. "And a cat like you is going to be mincemeat," Trent said. He reached out and picked her up by the neck. She grabbed his wrist with one of her talons and grabbed his tongue. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Cat got your tongue?" They both let go of each other, and Trent looked at her. "How come they get Pokémon and I don't?" He asked. Wolfclops heard a noise coming from a corner of the treehouse and picked up a lizard-looking Pokémon. "Sobble!" Sammy exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you!" Andy got out his Pokedex and scanned it. "Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokémon, and a Water type," it said. "Sobble cries when it's scared. Attackers won't resist weeping because its tears pack the chemical punch of 100 onions. " "There is no way I'm catching that thing," Trent protested. Sammy whipped out Sobble's Poke Ball and pressed the button. Sobble entered its Poke Ball just like that. "It's the only one we have," Sammy said. "It looks like you have no choice." With that, she handed Sobble's Poke Ball to him. "Did you hear about the Mortal Kombat tournament?" Billy asked Sammy. "Exactly," she responded. "That's why I've contacted your teachers." Oh, brother, Trent thought. The teachers are here, too. At first glance, the teachers didn't look like their teachers at school. "I know them," Andy said. "They're from Street Fighter. That's Ryu, E. Honda, Blanka, Guile, Ken, Chun-Li, Zangief, and Dhalsim." "Or as I like to call them, the Elite Eight," Sammy said. "They can teach you their moves so you can compete in the tournament." "Will I stretch like Dhalsim?" Billy asked. "You can learn a lot from them. Given Andy's circumference, I'm sure E. Honda can teach him his moves." |
| "Okay, let me get this straight," said Trent. "We have to save this world, or we might end up risking ours?" "Something like that," said Billy. |
| "In that case," Trent said. "You have no choice," Sammy said. "Besides, you'll need this." She handed him a Pokedex and glared at him. "This is a bad idea," he said. "If you want my help, then you're dreaming." Without warning, a Pokémon that looked like a caterpillar with a leaf for a hood swung down on a rope made of silk and kicked him in the face. Of course, Trent was afraid of bugs, so it was no doubt his first reaction was to jump in fear. "Now would be a good time to use that Pokedex," Sammy said. Reluctantly, Trent pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon. "Sewaddle, the Sewing Pokémon and a Bug/Grass type," it said. "Sewaddle hides in its hood while it sleeps. Since it makes its clothes out of leaves, Sewaddle is a popular mascot for fashion designers." "I don't care what it's called," Trent said, putting away his Pokedex. "I just want it to leave me alone. " He tried throwing things at it, but that made it angrier. The last thing he threw at it was a Poke Ball. When it stopped shaking when Sewaddle was inside, it clicked shut. "Not bad for your first capture, eh, Trent?" Sammy said. "That was just a coincidence," Trent said. "I wonder why the tournament was postponed the first time," Andy said. "I believe this was the work of a glitch called the Black Rose," Sammy said. "Never identified, never caught, and never misses." "I hope he doesn't do it again," Billy said. "We've got work to do." "Wait!" Sammy called. "This time, Wolfclops and I will be accompanying you guys and Silver and Daisy. The Elite 8 is here to help you as well. The more moves you master, the more Street Fighter characters you will be taught by. Even those who haven't been introduced in your world's games yet." |
| "One more thing..." Said Sammy "Remember you still have a limited amount of lives, so if you lose a round during the tournament, there's a possibility your opponent may finish you and you lose a life. You know what happens if you lose all of them." "WHAT!?" Trent shouted "You mean we can actually die permanently in this crazy place?!" Ignoring his outburst, Sammy continued "But given your skills at games, and your recent training, I'm sure it shouldn't be too much of a concern. I have every confidence you'll win the tournament anyway." "What happens if we lose?" Andy asked "Then Shao Kahn has the right to absorb Arcadia into his own realm. But like I said, don't worry about it too much. You'll do fine, I know it. Alright now, let's get going. We have a tournament to win!" |
| "Oh, and you'll need to leave your Pokémon with us when you're fighting in the tournament," Sammy added. "Bringing a Pokémon into the ring during the tournament will result in disqualification." "Do you suppose we'll be sabotaged by this Black Rose?" Trent said sarcastically. Sammy flew up to him and covered his mouth with one of her talons. "Ssshhh," she said. "Saying the Black Rose's name is forbidden in these parts." As soon as they got to the tournament, they were escorted to a hotel room by a butler named Mr. Benson. "I thought we were going to be staying in a locker room," Andy said. "The locker rooms are all full," Mr. Benson implied. "If you need anything, I left a code in the dresser drawer. Just punch it in to that monitor on the wall next to the door. By the way, some fighters have been disappearing for some apparent reason." "You mean some I've created?" Sammy asked. "I'm afraid so," said Mr. Benson. With that, he left the room, and the gang was getting settled in. "I don't understand," Sammy said. "I've created characters for fighting games for years, and now they're disappearing." "How do you do that?" Billy asked. "I've created a machine that creates characters," Sammy said. "It uses mannequins and computers to give the fighter a fighting style." "My instincts tell me that Mr. Benson could be behind the disappearances," Trent said. "In every mystery novel I've read, the butler always commits the crime. He's got to be you-know-who." Wolfclops chuckled while clutching his belly. "Nonsense," he said. "He seems too polite." "Don't get too distracted," Sammy said. "We can't be late for the opening ceremony." Silver and Daisy were handed the boys' Pokémon as the rest of the group rushed off to the opening ceremony in the hotel lobby. |
| At the opening ceremony, dozens of various characters were gathered as the tournament officially commenced. Peldra and Shao Khan faced each other and reluctantly shook hands, symbolizing their acceptance of each other's terms. But everyone could tell by the look on their faces that neither of them trusted the other. Afterwards, the tournament began in earnest in a huge arena like in Rome on Earth. The stands were filled to the brim with spectators, while representatives from both sides had their own private boxes. First up was Andy against Scorpion. Shouldn't be too hard, Andy thought. He would usually play as Scorpion whenever he played the arcade game, ergo, he knew all his moves. All around the arena were various death traps like spike pits, acid pools, etc."Be careful out, Andy." Sammy said as he stepped into the Arena. "Don't worry, guys." Andy said confidently "I can handle this." Little did he realize it was going to be a much more difficult fight than he thought. |
| Trent was looking around. The fight wasn't important - it was dealing with whomever was behind this mess. |
| Trent got up to leave. Why am I even here? He thought. He went to a busy street where cars were passing by. He had to pull off some of the moves he learned from his training. At least, he thought he knew those moves. One attempt at a yoga fire didn't work, and trying to execute a successful Hadoken didn't work as planned. "Only one shot to pull off a Sumo Headbutt," Trent told himself. He turned to face an oncoming vehicle. As he prepared to attack it, a corsac fox dressed in black robes kicked him out of the way. It had earrings adorning its right ear, and its left eyebrow had a lone piercing. "Hold it!" It said in a female voice. "Are you in a hurry for your game over?" "No," Trent said. "I'm supposed to be at my training." "No need to worry," the fox said. "The name's Penny. I'm here to save you." Trent turned to face her, and a practice match was about to start. Meanwhile, in the arena, Andy was close to being defeated in the ring. "This isn't to end well for him," Sammy said, her face in her palm. Andy faced Scorpion who was about to finish him off. As his opponent got close enough to him, Andy flipped him upside-down and leaped into the air while spinning. Then he slammed Scorpion into the ground. He had pulled off a Screw Piledriver! "I guess the training didn't fall on deaf ears," Sammy told herself. Andy got to his feet. He was to finish Scorpion to win the match. Despite his size, he jumped into the air while shouting, "Shoryuken!" As the dust cleared, Scorpion was an inch near the acid pit, and Andy was still standing. "Andy is the winner!" Peldra announced. The audience cheered. Andy had overcame all odds in a real Mortal Kombat match! He is heart began pounding with excitement. Meanwhile, Trent and Penny had been continuing their private match when Trent knocked his out with Electric Thunder. "Now to take her out," he told himself, cracking his knuckles. As he drew nearer to her, she opened her eyes and delivered a swift kick to his face. "No fair!" Trent cried. "You cheated!" "It's not cheating," Penny said. "It's called method." |
| "Just who are you, anyway?" Trent asked, rubbing the spot where she'd kicked him. "I mean, Where did you come from? Why are we fighting here in the streets?" |
| "There's always a game that gets no recognition - seen as a clone, a knockoff, or maybe they were the real deal, but some big company made their version, and became famous instead," the vixen said. |
| "Freeze!" A male voice called behind them. Two rabbit police officers came up to the pair. A chubby one grabbed Penny's right arm, and a skinny one grabbed her left. Trent watched as they were getting ready to cuff her when he heard a voice in his head saying, "You need to confess to the police you were the one who started the fight, not her." A penguin appeared on his shoulder dressed in an angelic robe and carrying a harp. Floating over his head was a halo. It didn't take long for Trent to realize it was a shoulder angel. "Don't listen to that guy," he heard another voice say. A weasel with an eyepatch dressed as a devil and carrying a devil's trident appeared on his other shoulder. It was definitely a shoulder devil. "He's trying to lead you down the path of righteousness," the devil continued. "I'm going to lead you down the path that rocks!" "Oh, come off it!" "You come off it!" "You!" "You!" "You!" "You infinity!" The angel was irritated. "Okay, here's the deal," the devil told Trent. "I've got three good reasons why she deserves to go to jail for what you did. Number one: You see that guy over there? He's got that sissy, stringy music thing." "I told you before," the angel said. "This is called a harp, remember?" "Don't worry, I remember," the devil said. "That's called a harp, and that's called a dress." "Robe!" "Reason number two: you want to see something stupid?" The devil began to pucker his cheeks and make a sound with his mouth. "What does that have to do with anything?" Trent asked. "No, no," the angel said. "He's got a point." "And this is the most important reason of all," the devil said before taking a long pause. He was about to say the third reason when he heard a ring coming out of nowhere. He pulled out a cellphone that looked like a Game Boy Advance SP and answered it. He started talking into it like a real phone. "Not to be rude," Trent said. "But you're sort of confusing me. So, begone or however I will get rid of you guys." The angel disappeared, leaving only the devil who was putting his hand over the speaker so the called wouldn't hear him. "That'll work," he said before disappearing. |
| "Wait! Trent called out "She didn't start the fight. It was me. We were just sparing, that's all." |
| With Trent locked up in the wagon, the two bunny cops drove off to the police station. On the way, the chubby bunny cop who was driving pulled over to a donut shop for donuts. "That's the seventh time we've stopped here today for donuts, Bernie," the skinny bunny cop said upon entering. Bernie walked up to the counter and told him, "The prisoner's not going anywhere, Ert, as long as we have the keys." As they turned to the cashier, Penny burst into the shop with Trent. "Oh, no!" She said. "Looks like he's escaped!" Ert and Bernie grabbed Trent and rushed him back to the wagon. Upon entering it, they saw |
| a cloud of noxious gas spewing from the back of the police wagon the instant they opened the door. The vapors put the two cops and Trent to sleep in seconds, all three of them collapsing to the ground. Penny, wearing a gas mask, retrieved Trent and dragged him to a nearby alley. When he came to, he looked around to see he was on a sofa in what looked to be an underground hideout. "Sleep well?" Penny asked as she saw him awaken. "What happened? Where am I?" Trent asked, slurring his words a bit, his head still foggy from the gas. "You're in my home, deep below the city. I planted a knockout gas bomb in the back of the truck and waited for those two cops to trigger it. Didn't really plan for you to get caught in the middle, but you made for a good distraction." As his mind cleared, Trent said "You said you were from a game that was considered a rip off. What game is that, anyway?" "My game was actually something that never really came to be. It was greenlit and began production, but was ultimately cancelled before it was finished, when the creators found out another studio was doing a similar game, and didn't want to get sued." "What would this game have been like?" "Basically it would be about me and my crew, travelling the world and stealing valuable objects from criminals." At these words, as though on cue, a female anthro elephant and cat entered the room. "Penny! You're back!" Said the elephant, nearly breaking the fox in half with a powerful hug. "Yes, Gerty...good to see you too..."Penny gasped between breaths until Gerty released her. "Did you finish scoping out our latest target?" Asked the cat, who wore glasses and a bandanna on her head. "Trent, meet the Pincher gang." Penny introduced her friends. "Pincher gang? What kind of name is that?" Trent asked confusedly. "It's what the title of our game would have been. Penny Pincher, named after me. Might have been a series of games with us, if we hadn't been canceled." |
| "Seeing the Ring of Heroism on his finger," the cat said. "This must be a champion." "Well spotted, Candle," Penny said. "Have you got the you-know-what?" Candle rushed off and came back with a cake with candles and pink frosting. "It's not my birthday," Trent said sternly. "Actually, it's his," Penny said. The three strolled to a kitchen corner of the hideout where an anthropomorphic male giant panda that was ten times larger in shape in size than a real panda was taking a meatloaf out of the oven He wore only blue pants under an apron. "Hey, Cookie," Penny said. "Down here!" Because Cookie was so big, he had to look down at her and Trent. "Happy birthday!" The two girls said. "O-M-Goodness!" Cookie exclaimed. "You remembered my birthday! Who's your little friend?" "Cookie, this is Trent," Candle explained. "He wears the Ring of Heroism, which makes him a champion." "What's your role in the gang?" Trent asked the large panda. "Nothing special," Cookie said. "I'm the team chef." "What if you used your food as weapons in combat?" Trent asked. Cookie gasped. "A food fight? I love it!" "So is Gerty the muscle of the team?" Trent asked. "She almost killed Penny." "Nah, the getaway driver," Cookie said. "He is the muscle." He pointed his pudgy finger across the room to a male shark who walked on legs, lifting a heavy barbell with one fin. His other arm was covered in tattoos, and he wore boots, brown pants, and a gray tank top. "Tank!" Penny exclaimed. "Give me five!" "Penny, you little rascal!" Tank said, tossing the barbell aside to give her a high-five. "Let's see, one, two, three, four, five -" Penny counted. "We're missing Ferdinand!" "Who's Ferdinand?" Trent demanded. Before anyone could answer, an explosion was heard in another room in the hideout. "Our demolitions expert," Gerty said. Just then, a really skinny otter flew in the middle of the group, having emerged from the explosion. He wore bicycle shorts and a white tank top that was too small to fit his lanky torso. "I flew through that bang! Did you see that?" He exclaimed. "Ferdinand, did you remember the present?" Penny asked. "Of course, I remembered," Ferdinand said. A foul stench filled the air. "I thought skunks used stink spray, not otters," Trent said. "It's not stink spray," Gerty said. "He farts when he lies." "No, I fart when I'm nervous," Ferdinand said. "About lying," Candle said. Ferdinand couldn't hold in his fart for so long, then PBBBBBFFFFFTTTTT! A cloud of fart gas filled the hideout. Everyone rushed out to get some air. Trent was huffing and puffing from that running, but he saw Andy, Billy, Sammy, and Wolfclops standing in front of him, looking cross. "Where were you?" Sammy said. "The audience is getting impatient, and if you don't show up, you'll have to forfeit the tournament." "Well, well, well," Penny said. "Long time no see, Sammy." "Hello, Penny," Sammy said unhappily. "We'd better get going," Billy said. Trent went with the group to the arena. On the way, they heard a police siren behind them. The cops who arrived were the last two faces Trent expected to see: Ert and Bernie. "Sorry we're late," Ert said. "Bernie had to stop for another donut break of the day. Anyway, we have to place your friend under arrest." "Officers," Sammy said. "I believe you've overlooked one detail." She pointed at the Ring of Heroism. "Is that what I think it is, Ert?" Bernie said. "It's the Ring of Heroism!" Ert said. "We apologize." "The last time we had to arrest a champion," Bernie said. "It was because our last champion, Matthew, had betrayed the code." Trent froze. He knew he had heard the name Matthew before. It was all coming back to him, that fateful day he and his best friend Matthew had called off their friendship. |
| "Did you say Matthew?" Trent asked. "Yeah. Why?" "I think I might have known him. He used to be my friend in the real world, until we had a falling out. Then he just vanished. Not a trace of where he went." |
| "So, what happened?" "It was a hockey video game, and there was a fight between two of the players - one of my guys, one of his - not that it mattered," said Trent. "His guy won the fight, but my team won the game. He said that something wasn't right." |
| "And after that?" Wolfclops asked. "We got into a huge argument, ending with us saying we'd never speak to each other again," Trent said. "A few weeks later, I passed by his house, only it belonged to a different family. It seemed that Matthew moved away and never told me." "Because you two would never speak to each other again?" Sammy asked. Trent nodded sadly. Ert sighed heavily, but Bernie, being the more emotional of the two rabbit cops, was brushing away tears as he tried to wipe away snot before it could get into his walrus mustache. Ert produced his family's monogrammed handkerchief and handed it to his portly partner. Bernie blew into it a lot of boogies and tried to hand it back to Ert. "You might want to hang onto it," Ert said. "Until you wash it at the station." "We really should be going," Andy said. "We're going to be late for the Mortal Kombat tournament." "We can escort you there," Bernie said. The two rabbit cops walked the group down the street back to the hotel. "You'd better hurry," Ert warned them. "The fighting tournament commissioner, Mr. Nosneb, is not a patient man." The group rushed off to the second floor of the hotel to reach the path that connected the building to the arena. On their way, a man in a dark blue coat. He had a large, black mustache obscuring his face. "If you weren't late," he snorted. "Then I, Mr. Nosneb, would have to disqualify you!" Mr. Nosneb grabbed Trent by the wrist and dragged him to the arena with the others close behind. In the arena, a chorus line of penguins were dancing to 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready For This" as a halftime show. Trent made his way into the arena for the next fight. Little did he and the gang know that the Pincher Gang would be watching the tournament in disguise. |
| As the Pincher Gang took their seats, Penny felt something pressing against her back, and the click of a pistol cocking. "Penny Pincher, you and your friends are all under arrest." came a familiar voice. It was officer Carlos Montana, a male anthro cat who had been after Penny and her gang for years. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir." Said Penny in a strange accent. "I'm not..." "Oh, drop it!" Carlos said irritably "That phony voice and disguise doesn't fool me! Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" He pressed his gun harder into Penny's back to emphasize his point. Penny tried to remain calm, but inside she was getting increasingly nervous. Carlos finally managed to get the drop on them. Just then... |
| "But, you don't understand," Carlos said. "The Pincher Gang is right-" As he turned to show the security guard, the Pincher Gang was gone. "Drat!" He exclaimed. "They gave me the slip again!" At that moment, Ert and Bernie arrived at the scene. "Sorry we're late," Ert apologized. "But Bernie had to stop for another donut break." Carlos shot Bernie an icy glare that could curdle milk. "I'm going to let you off with a warning," he told the plump rabbit. "But if you stop for another donut break, I'm putting you on a strict diet. Understand?" Watching from the shadows, Penny and her band of thieves headed to the concession stand. "That was close," she said, shedding her disguise. "But we'll need more subtle disguises. If we're going to-" She didn't get to finish her sentence because at that moment, Cookie was already changing into a different disguise. "Voila!" He exclaimed, showing off his disguise: bicycle shorts and a poorly-fitting sleeveless shirt. "Maybe next time," Penny. "Wait until we're alone." "Oops, sorry," Cookie said. He handed Penny her disguise: a pair of stilts that looked like a stork's legs, a green coat, a hat with a wilted flower, and a fake stork beak. "I'm sure Tank's lady disguise will fit better than your disguise," she said. Meanwhile, in the arena, Trent came out into the ring. It was too late to turn back as he was about to face his first opponent in the tournament. |
| Trent's face turned pale as paper as he felt the ground shake with each step his opponent took as they entered the arena. A familiar face stepped out from the shadows. One with an eight foot tall, musclebound body and four arms. "Goro?!" Andrew exclaimed "I thought he's not supposed to be fought until the semi final round!" "I hope Trent paid attention during training." Billy said. "Otherwise, he's toast." Trent looked like he was on the verge of soiling himself. He tried to make himself look calm, but it did very little good. Just then, Shao Khan called out "FIGHT!" And the battle was on. |
| "Get your fresh hot nuts here!" a vender called out. "Get your hot dogs!" another called out. "Get your doughnuts!" called out a third. |
| Of course, Wolfclops, being a gluttonous wolf, wasn't one to turn down a tasty morsel. "Goro's supposed to be saved for the semifinals," Sammy told the boys. "Something's amiss." Wolfclops took off for the vendors, his stomach growling louder than a steam engine. "Wolfclops! Come back!" Sammy shouted. "We've got more important things to worry about right now!" But Wolfclops didn't listen. He was so focused on eating he didn't realize what would happen next. Sammy took off after him while Andy and Billy stepped into the arena, executing moves like Hunder-Hand Slap, Sonic Boom, Spinning Bird Kick, Yoga Flame, even Hadoken on Goro. "Phew," Trent said. "You guys saved me. Time for me to fight my own battle!" He stood tall as Andy and Billy retreated to let him do it on his own. Goro rose up to take on his opponent. Instead of being afraid, Trent unleashed his full power on them. Sparks began to fly asTrent came at him, fearlessly executing Electric Thunder, Sumo Headbutt, Rolling Attack, and every other move he picked up from training until his opponent fell down for the count. "Trent has won!" Queen Pelda announced. Meanwhile, Andy and Billy joined Sammy in helping her stop Wolfclops from pigging out on the vendors' food or he'd blow up like a balloon. |
| As they finally managed to restrain Wolfclops, Shao Kahn signaled for a time out. "It seems there's been a penalty called." The announcer said over the loudspeakers. "In the meantime, please welcome our special guest and halftime show performer, Miku Hatsune!" The crowd cheered as an anime style girl stepped out on stage and began to sing and dance. Billy, in particular, was enthralled by her performance. "Who is she?" He asked "I've never heard of her." "Must be another future game character." Andy said. Billy couldn't take his eyes off the show. "She's so...beautiful..."After Miku's show came to a close, the announcer said "After conferring with the referee, who has concluded that the two champions from the home team violated the rules by interfering in a one on one match, it has been decided that said champions will have to participate in a penalty round." Andy and Billy looked at each other somewhat nervously. "It shouldn't be too bad." Andy said, trying to reassure the both of them. "Whatever it is, we can handle it." Just then, the arena began to shift and transform into a huge maze. Stepping into the labyrinth, Billy and Andy realized what was going on. "I think we just have to find our way out of here." Billy said "Shouldn't be all that difficult." That's when they heard a familiar "Gob gob gob gob" sound approaching them from behind. They turned to see Pac-Man heading straight for them! As they ran from the chomping yellow sphere, the announcer said "If they can manage to avoid Pac-man for two minutes, they continue with the tournament. Otherwise, they're out!" |
| As the two boys scrambled through the maze for safety, Sammy managed to get Wolfclops under control so he wouldn't pig out. Trent began to notice the vendors were a panda, a shark, and an otter, respectively. "Hey, Sammy," he said. "I think I know who these vendors are." A minute passed for Andy and Billy as they were racing to lose Pac-Man in the maze. "I never was good at track," Andy said. "That's saying something," Billy said. "No offense." "None taken," Andy responded. Meanwhile, Trent and Sammy snuck to the stands to find those mysterious vendors. They began to follow them when office Carlos Montana stepped in front of them. "What are you doing out here?" He said, pointing at Trent. "Haven't you snuck out of here during tournament hours enough times today?" "It's not what you think," Trent said. "I-" "He just came here for a snack," a voice said. Trent and Officer Montana turned to see a spindle-legged stork standing in front of them. "Officer, I believe this champion is here to get concessions." Upon squinting his eyes, Trent noticed the stork had an eyebrow ring on the exact same eyebrow as Penny. Meanwhile, back in the maze, two minutes had passed and Andy and Billy had survived the wrath of Pac-Man. "Congratulations!" The referee shouted to them. "You two survived the onslaught and haven't ended up as dinner for Pac-Man. You're still in the tournament!" Meanwhile, Sammy had to get Trent away from the stork and to get him to focus on finding those vendors. "Trent!" She whispered fiercely. But she heard an explosion coming from the men's bathroom. Ferdinand had ditched his disguise and took off running through the people. "Stop!" She called as she took off after him. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty," Ferdinand taunted as he tossed a cherry bomb at her. Sammy tried to grab it and throw it aside, but Ert and Bernie grabbed her and pulled her away as they threw it out the doors. |
| The bomb detonated, but thankfully nobody was in the blast radius. "Everybody, please remain calm." The announcer said "We seem to be having a bit of disruption in the arena foyer." |
| Sammy picked up where she had left off: chasing Ferdinand. "You can run, but you can't hide!" She called out. Ferdinand turned his back on her and shouted, "Fire in the hole!" Then he let out the biggest fart in his life. Arena goers scattered in all directions. Even Sammy had to hold her breath. Just as Ferdinand was about to escape when suddenly- "Speed and Weight!" A rotund blonde-haired man wearing a red shirt and pants with suspenders appeared out of nowhere and belly flopped on Ferdinand. Trent and Sammy approached the scene and there laid Ferdinand, battered bruised. "Trent, I'd like you to meet Bob. I created him for the Tekken franchise," Sammy said, introducing Trent to the man. "That's a coincidence," Trent said. "I have an uncle named Bob." "Does he possess the perfect body?" Bob asked. "I don't know if I'd say that," Trent said as he and Bob shook hands. Meanwhile, Billy was preparing to fight his next opponent in the tournament. "Break a leg," Andy told him. "I hope we don't have to do another penalty round," Billy said. |
| As Billy entered the arena, he was stunned to see his opponent. An old man with long white hair and a stooped posture. "Oh no!" Andy said from the audience. "Not Shang Tsung!" Trent, however, was confused. "What's the big deal? It's just an old man. This should be easy." "You don't understand!" Andy said "Shang Tsung can copy the abilities of any other fighter! He's a lot more dangerous than he looks! This can't be right! We're only a few rounds into the tournament, and we're going up against the heavy hitters!" Billy gulped. He really hoped his street fighter techniques would be enough to beat basically every other Mortal Kombat fighter at once. |
| Billy got ready for his battle right away. Shang Tsung shouldn't be so hard, he thought. But he was proven wrong when the old man began throwing punches at him. "Holey moley!" Trent exclaimed. "For an old man, he's pretty dangerous!" He rushed off to help Billy, but he didn't want to end up in a penalty round as well. "Billy, over here!" He called as he reached the barred door to the arena. "I've got an idea!" Billy came up to him and Trent whispered his plan. When Shang Tsung delivered a kick to Billy, the latter fell unconscious. "Shang Tsung is the winner!" The announcer exclaimed. However, Billy rose up and began wailing on Shang Tsung who tried everything he could throw at his opponent, but Billy was pulling off rapid fire moves at him. Shang Tsung then fell with a thud. "The champion has defeated Shang Tsung when the latter had won!" The announcer cried. "That's cheating!" "It's not cheating," Trent called out. "It's method." Penny, who was still watching from the stands in her stork disguise, was watching it all. The referee then consulted the rules and came to the conclusion that method is not cheating. Delighted to hear this, the three boys jumped for joy. "I am impressed," Peldra said when she approached them. "To celebrate your victories in round 1, I'd like to treat you all to dinner in the hotel restaurant." And that's what they did. Peldra, Magnus, Sammy, Wolfclops, Silver, Daisy, the Elite Eight, Andy, Billy, and Trent, and their Pokémon all had a celebratory dinner at the hotel restaurant (which was Pokémon friendly, by the way). "I'm proud of you all," said the queen. "I know you will all make me prouder tomorrow in the next round." "But what about-" Trent said. "Don't worry," Andy said. "Time is faster here than it is in our world." "Anyway," Queen Peldra said. "I talked with Mr. Nosneb, the commissioner, and he told me your real opponents couldn't make it." Billy was about to say something until a mother rabbit, a father rabbit, and a kid rabbit came up to their table. "Excuse me," the kid rabbit said. "My name's Leon, and I was wondering if my friends and I could get the champions' autographs and their teachers', too?" |
| Billy and Andy smiled. "Of course! Got a pen?" The champions and their trainers each passed some pieces of paper around and signed them. "Here you go." Said Andy, handing the paper to the small rabbit. "Thanks a lot!" Leon said happily. "You guys are awesome! I was just wondering, what game are you from? It must be a fighting type, right?" Andy and Billy hesitated. Were they supposed to tell others they were from another world? "Let's just say we're from a very advanced, realistic game, far beyond any you've seen before." Andy said, thinking quickly. Technically, he wasn't lying. "Wow!" Said Leon "Must be pretty cool!" |
| As soon as they were done giving out autographs, the group went back to looking at what to order. "I'm thinking about getting a giant sandwich," Wolfclops said. "That sounds like a tall order," Sammy said. "My stomach can handle anything," Wolfclops said. "That's nothing," Andy said. "I once entered and won a hot dog eating contest. I may be the biggest in my class, but I can eat anything in record time." "That sounds like a challenge," Wolfclops said coyly. The two began to face each other down. They knew it was all for fun. "Calm down, you two," Queen Peldra said calmly. "Remember, we're here to eat, not fight." Without warning, a waiter had been slid up to their table on his back. Some of the queen's guards came to help him up. "Tell that to them," he said, pointing at something. What he was pointing at looked like three small children. "Those kids need a time out," Billy said. "They're not kids," Silver corrected him. "They're Pokémon!" "Tyrogue, to be exact," Sammy added. Andy got out his Pokedex to check them. "Tyrogue, the Scuffle Pokémon and a Fighting-type," it said. "It will slug any handy target without warning, so its small size should never be underestimated." Trent took out a Poke Ball and threw it at one. Andy and Billy followed suit. When all three were in the Poke Balls, they all shook until they clicked. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Andy cried, patting his stomach. "Wait a minute," Trent said. "If they evolve, won't we all get the same Pokemon?" "Not necessarily," Sammy said. "What do you mean?" Billy asked. |
| "Tyrogue can evolve into three different pokemon, depending on it's stats when it reaches a certain point." Sammy explained. |
| "The Hitmons?" Sammy said. "Of course. Tyrogue evolves into Hitmonlee if its Attack is higher than its Defense or Hitmonchan if its Defense is higher than its Attack or Hitmontop if its Attack and Defense are equal." At the entrance of the restaurant, Penny, still in her stork disguise, entered with the rest of the Pincher Gang in their respective disguises following. Candle and Ferdinand were disguised as a waitress and a waiter while Gerty and Cookie were disguised as newlyweds on their honeymoon (given Cookie was bigger in shape and size than a real panda, his shirt barely covered his stomach), and Tank was disguised as a gentleman in a white suit. "We've got work to do," Penny said. Candle and Ferdinand approached the group's table and took their orders. However, Candle slipped something into their drinks before serving them. Sammy took an eye dropper and used it to get a sample of her drink for examination. "Our drinks have been drugged," she told the group." Everyone had put aside their drinks. That is, except Wolfclops who had already taken a drink from his beverage. |
| Almost immediately, Wolfclops dropped like a rock, comatose. They tried to wake him, but nothing worked. Shouting, shaking, tickling, you name it. He was completely out cold. Not even waving food in front of his nose worked. |
| However, Wolfclops began groggily waking up. "Has a rather nice punch to it, doesn't it?" He drunkenly slurred. "Stay calm, Wolfclops," Sammy said. "You've just swallowed a drugged drink and-" Before she could finish her sentence, Wolfclops began stumbling around in a drunken state. He was making his way to the stage where a live band would be performing. "Wolfclops, don't do it!" Andy shouted. But it was too late. Wolfclops had gotten onto the stage with beautiful dancing girls at his side. He began dancing with them like there was no tomorrow. The audience was thinking Wolfclops was part of the act. The dancers gave him a kiss and he rushed to the edge to do a stage dive. "Oh no!" Billy exclaimed. "He's a really big guy. He could squash that crowd like pancakes!" "Wolfclops, don't jump!" Sammy cried. |
| Too late. Wolfclops leapt from the stage. But before he could land, we was suddenly halted in mid air as a red aura surrounded him, gently moving him away from the crowd and setting him down on the ground. "That was a close one!" Came a voice. The group turned to see a short, furry creature like a sort of cat holding a strange device, and a small robot. "Ratchet! Clank!" Good to see you!" Said Sammy "Thanks for that. Good thing I made that tractor beam device for you, or that could have been messy." "Who are they?" Billy asked. "They're from another game series that hasn't been released yet." Sammy said. "Nice to meet you." Said Ratchet, shaking the groups hands. "Likewise." Said Clank. "That's a really neat gadget you've got." Andy said "What other devices do you have?" "All kinds!" Ratchet said "I have many different weapons and gadgets, for just about every situation. I even have one that turns enemies into chickens." "Really?" Billy said "Could we borrow that for the tournament?" "I'm afraid not." Sammy cut in. "That would be cheating. You wouldn't want to do another penalty round, would you?" Just then the announcer came over the loudspeakers. "Attention everyone! Tomorrow will commence the final round of the tournament! Shao Kahn himself has chosen to exercise his right to challenge the defending champions! It's sure to be quite the spectacle." At this, Billy and Andy's faces turned pale. They both looked at each other. "I've never actually beaten Shao Kahn in the arcade game. Have you?" Billy asked. Andy shook his head.Tomorrow was definitely going to be one hell of a fight. |
| Wolfclops then raised his hand and placed it on his head. "What just happened?" He said. "You were just-" Sammy started to say. "Never mind. You wouldn't remember anything that just happened." "I'd say that was amazing," a voice said. Trent turned to see Bob having walked up to the group's table. "Nice seeing you again," Trent told him. He and Bob shook hands and Bob turned his attention to Andy. "Looks like I've found a kindred spirit," he said. "You must truly understand the perfect body." "What's the perfect body anyway?" Andy asked. |
| "Essentially, not too skinny, but not too big either." That night, as Billy and Andy slept in their hotel rooms, they had terrible nightmares of fighting Shao Khan. The next day, it was the final round of the tournament, and the two of them were extremely nervous to say the least. "To make this more interesting, The three champions of Arcadia will be allowed to tag team against their opponent." Said the announcer. This relieved their nerves slightly, as it meant Shao Khan would have to defeat all three of them. Stepping into the arena, Billy agreed to fight first. He tried not to let it show, but inside her was quaking in fear as he saw his opponent, who was at least five times his size. "FIGHT!" Summoning all his courage, Billy ran towards Shao Kahn. As he got closer, he had a sudden idea to gain an advantage. The instant he was directly in front of his opponent, he pulled a Johnny Cage, doing a split and punching his Shao Khan directly below the belt. But to his shock, Shao Khan merely laughed at his feeble attempt at an attack. Billy could kick himself! That attack didn't work on Khan in the arcade game, so why did he expect it to work here!?Summoning his Wrath Hammer, Shao Khan raised it over his head, preparing to bring it crashing down on top of Billy. Andy and Trent covered their eyes. This was not going to be pretty. |
| However, instead of smashing Billy to a pulp, Shao Khan halted his hammer, and grabbed Billy by the legs. He then spun around, and threw him out of the ring, onto a cushion. "Well, that's a Ring Out!" the announcer called out. "Guess he wants to take it easy with these three." |
| Andy and Trent watch Ed Shao Khan marched towards them. "Look out!" Andy shouted, pulling Trent out of the way. Shao Khan swung his hammer at the two, but missed and hit himself in the face, stunning himself. "That's it!" Trent exclaimed. "We might be able to attack him if he's stunned!" Andy stepped forward and unleashed a Hundred Hand Slap on Shao Khan. When the latter came to, Andy backed away. "We'll need to have him beat himself up," Trent said. So, the two would taunt Shao Khan to attack, but they'd move out of the way for him to deliver a blow to his own face. Timing it just right, they delivered a Hadoken and a Shoryuken, respectively, to him. Shao Khan fell to the ground, battered and bruised. "The champions are the winner!" Queen Peldra announced. "We shall present them at the closing ceremony in the hotel lobby tonight!" At their hotel room, the three boys were reminiscing everything about the tournament. Trent, however, was quiet the whole time. "What's wrong?" Billy asked him. "I just don't want this to get around at school," Trent said. "I'm actually a child of divorce." "We're not laughing," Andy said. "Yeah," Billy said. "I'm a child of divorce, too. My dad got remarried and I had to move." "Let's hope he wasn't abusive to your mother," Trent said. "My dad was very abusive. When my mom divorced him, she had him sent to rehabilitation." "Your father may have made some bad choices," Sammy said. "But that doesn't mean you have to. You are who you choose to be." "I want to apologize to you both," Trent said to Andy and Billy. "And you, Sammy, when we first met, you asked if the cat had my tongue. You weren't going to steal my tongue, weren't you?" "Of course not," Sammy said. "What would I want with your tongue? I'm only half-cat, half-eagle." "So there are other eaglecats around here?" Trent asked. A metallic hand placed itself on his shoulder. He turned to see Wolfclops behind him. "Sammy's the last of her kind," Wolfclops told him. "A megatsunami wiped out her people." "Wolfclops was banished from his pack because he couldn't stand serving a different dark lord," Sammy said. "Is that why you want to be a hero?" Trent said. "Yes," Wolfclops said. "Wolves were put in Arcadia to serve the darkest villain in gaming history. I believed that we could be the good guys, but that was an unpopular opinion. Then, the alpha, who was my father, had me cast out of the pack for life." "Our stories may not have had a happy beginning," Sammy said. "But we choose who we are to become." A knock at the door broke the silence. Silver and Daisy went to answer it. It was a security guard. "The queen has invited you to the closing ceremony," he said. Andy, Billy, Trent, Silver, Daisy, Wolfclops, Sammy, and the Elite Eight followed him out of the room. As they reached the lobby, they turned away. "We're supposed to be in the lobby! Hello?" Trent said. He tried to break free, but more security guards surrounded the group, preventing them from wandering away. "Shao Khan has changed his mind," the head security guard said. "He has moved the ceremony to the arena. You are not to stray from-" Before he could finish his sentence- WHAM! Without warning, a folding chair came flying out of nowhere and hit him in the face, knocking him out. "Is he okay?" Daisy asked. "Uh, guys?" Trent said. "What?" Sammy said. Trent pointed at something a distance in front of the group. The something was a diminutive ninja-looking figure running straight toward them. The figure started attacking some of the security guards. More of them showed up, but an elephant trunk wrapped itself around his neck and the owner of the trunk swung him around and tossed him down the hall. "Gerty?!?" A security guard was headed for her when a beaker of green substance went flying in his face. The thrower stepped forward. "Candle?!?" A security guard grabbed her, but someone hit him in the back of his head with a frying pan. The attacker stepped forward. "Cookie?!?" Cookie was grabbed by the wrist by a security guard, only for the guard to be hit by a barbell thrown at him. Trent saw who it was that threw it. "Tank?!?" A green gas began to fill the room as more guards showed up. "Hold your breath, everyone!" Chun-Li ordered. "Wait a minute," Billy said. "It's not poison." PBFFFFFFT! The gassy person leapt onto the scene. "Ferdinand?!?" When the last guard was defeated, Trent did a headcount of the Pincher Gang. When he got to five, the ninja walked toward the group and unmasked themself. "Penny?!?" "You're the Black Rose?!?" Silver said. "I also bribed Goro and Shang Tsung to be your opponents in the tournament when your real opponents went missing," she explained. "It wasn't funny!" Andy protested. "Trent and Billy almost got killed!" "Hold your horses, Baby Huey," Penny said. "The truth is, the tournament's a trap!" "Penny was in Mr. Nosneb's office," Candle said. "And found this." "She stole a poster?" Daisy said, seeing what Candle had. Trent took it from Candle and unrolled it. "It's not a poster," he said. "It's a blueprint." Sammy perched on his shoulder and studied the blueprint. "It's for a machine," she said. "Which drains fighters of their fighting styles and turns them to stone. That's how fighters have been disappearing!" "Very well done," said a voice. The group turned to see Mr. Nosneb standing in their way. "I'll take that blueprint off you hands," he said. But the boys' Pokémon attacked him with everything they had. He jumped out of his burning coat, revealing- "Mr. Benson?" Billy asked. "I told you the butler did it," Trent said. "I get it now," Andy said. "Nosneb is Benson spelled backwards." "Why are you doing this to fighters?" Sammy demanded. "We want answers!" Mr. Benson just stood there in silence. Then he opened his mouth to say something, but instead of getting the words out, he fled down the hall. "We can't let him get away!" Andy said. They chased him to the arena where they had him surrounded. "There's no use trying to run this time!" Sammy said. "Actually," said Mr. Benson. "I have you now!" He dropped into a trapdoor and the machine rose into the center. He reached out and took one of Penny's earrings. "I'm impressed that you'd hide the Kantonian Ruby as an earring," he said, placing it in a slot in the machine. The machine sparked to life and a blue aura began to surround the Elite Eight. After a while, they had turned to stone. "Success!" Mr. Benson cried. "I have learned some new fighting styles!" "You didn't learn them!" Trent protested. "You stole them!" Mr. Benson stepped into the machine and began to transform into a giant hybrid of different fighters present and future! |
| "This sounds like something out of a silly movie based off of a crazy game, or something," said Trent. |
| "Why are you doing this?" Sammy demanded. "Let me see," Mr. Benson said. "Back when I was the royal butler, on the day you showed up, Magnus had taken you in. As you grew up, you began creating video game content for the future. I began to feel threatened. The more you created, the closer I was to a pink slip. Then came that fateful day. When Mario was created, I was fired by Peldra and then I began plotting my revenge." "By working on this machine in secret at a hotel?" Sammy asked aghast. Mr. Benson grabbed her by the throat and held her up to his face. "You took everything from me when you began your scientific work," he snarled. "Now I'm taking everything from you. You're going to watch everything you created be destroyed. Then it's your turn!" "Not on our watch!" Andy shouted. He, Billy, and Trent took out the Poke Balls containing their Pokémon while the others got ready to fight. The boys sent out their Pokémon to attack. "I know the tournament's over," Sammy told them. "Now would be the time to use your Pokémon!" |
| The boys sent out every pokemon they had caught up to then. (Which, granted, wasn't very many, but they needed all the help they could get.) But since most of them were still in their unevolved stages and low level, they didn't last very long against the now superpowered Mr. Benson. "Well, anybody else got any better ideas?"Trent asked after the last pokemon had been knocked out. "Hey! Catch!" Came a voice from the arena stands. It was Ratchet and Clank, who tossed something towards the three champions. It was a strange looking sort of ray gun. Andy didn't know what it did, but he grabbed it and aimed towards Benson. "Ha! You expect to stop me with that little piece of junk?" Benson laughed "I'm invincible! Whatever that thing does it will be useless against - Bagawk!" Benson never got to finish his sentence. As Andy pulled the trigger, where once stood Benson was now....a harmless chicken! Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Benson throwing a tantrum as he flapped his wings and clucked angrily in vain. "Well, that was... kind of anticlimactic." Wolfclops said "Not that I'm complaining." "So, what should we do with him?" Billy said, as he grabbed the now chickified Mr. Benson, who could only struggle indignantly in response. They all looked at Peldra. Since she was the ruler of the land, it was only right she decide Benson's punishment. |
| While Mr. Benson was being led away, Penny ran to Trent with tears in her eyes. She hugged his leg and wept. "I'm sorry I got you guys involved in this," she cried. "What are you talking about?" Billy asked. "Before he founded the Pincher Gang-" Penny sobbed. "Mr. Benson?" Andy said. "Before he founded the Pincher Gang," Penny repeated. "My big brother Kit was the only family I ever had. Our parents died when we were living in property, so we did what we could to survive. Our luck changed when he founded the Pincher Gang. One night, we planned a heist to steal the championship awards from a fighting tournament. We had a foolproof plan and escape route. We waited for him to return, but he never came out. When I heard about how you defeated Dracula, I thought we could use your help." "So you forged that message from Shao Khan?" Trent asked. "It's true," Penny said. "I suspected Mr. Benson was responsible for his disappearance. So, I need answers from him." "Let me take care of that," Ratchet said, unchickifying Mr. Benson. The butler was back to his regular form. "Mr. Benson, I have one question for you," Penny said. "Do you remember my brother Kit? What did you do with him?" "I remember him," Mr. Benson said. "He discovered the secret of my machine that night. I had no choice but to remove him from the picture." "Perhaps we can get your machine running in reverse," Sammy said. She and Wolfclops got to work on reprogramming the machine, using some tools Sammy brought and the tools from Wolfclops's robotic arm. "Bon appetit, fighters!" She exclaimed. Tank and Cookie carried Mr. Benson into the machine and Sammy pulled the lever. All of the fighting skills he stole from countless fighters began to return to their rightful owners. Even the Elite Eight had been returned to normal. "That was some dream," Ryu said. "That takes care of that," Candle said. However, a small ball of light emerged from the Kantonian Ruby and came to the ground. Suddenly, it turned into a corsac fox that looked older than Penny. It wore a green robe and a scar was on its snout. Its body lying there, breathlessly still. "Kit!" Penny exclaimed. Gerty reached down with her trunk placed the end on his chest. "He's alive," he said. "But he's unconscious." Penny threw her arms around Kit's body, crying. "Don't leave us," she wept. Kit slowly raised his arm and stroked her face. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. Penny began to smile and hugged him, grabbing his tail. "You're going to want to refrain from blowing your nose in my tail," Kit said. Ert and Bernie approached the machine the power source. "This must be the Kantonian Ruby," Ert said. "But it was stolen by-" Bernie said. "The Black Rose!" Both rabbit cops exclaimed. "Officers, we have identified the Black Rose!" Penny said. "Please don't say it's you," Trent repeatedly prayed. "It was Mr. Benson!" Penny announced pointing at the butler. "He was using it to power this machine which drains fighting skills from fighters and turns them into stone!" With that, Ert and Bernie clapped the cuffs on Mr. Benson. "I'm not the Black Rose!" Mr. Benson protested. "She's the Black Rose!" "Silence!" Peldra barked. "I shan't hear any more of your lies, Black Rose!" "She's the Rose!" Mr. Benson repeated. But the cops didn't believe him. They locked him in the police wagon. "Before you go, officers," Penny said, handing them the Kantonian Ruby. "I'd like you to return it so that nothing like this will ever happen again." With that, Ert and Bernie drove off with Mr. Benson to prison. "Now what are you going to do?" Andy asked Penny. The vixen looked at her brother and gang. "It looks like I'll be working at a restaurant," Cookie said. "Wait!" Trent shouted. "Maybe Sammy and Wolfclops can use some help around the lab." "The more the merrier," Sammy said. The rest of the Pincher Gang agreed. "And I believe we can teach Penny the arts of our training," Ken said as he and the rest of the Elite Eight stepped forward. "I guess it's time I stopped living in the past," Trent said. "I should be thinking of my future. I always was a fan of redemption arcs myself." He reached into his pocket and took out a purple yo-yo. He tossed it to Penny who caught it. "Consider it a gift from me to you," he told her. |
| Just then, the same black vortex from before appeared, two glowing red eyes in its center. "It seems once again you accursed champions have triumphed." Andy and Billy instinctively assumed a battle stance. "Haxus!" Andy sneered "Show yourself and fight, coward!" Trent, however, just looked confused. "Who's this guy?" "Long story." Peldra said "I'll explain later." "Haxus scoffed at Andy's insult "Oh please. I've done the whole champion thing a lot longer than you and your friends. I'd crush all three of you in an instant. But where would the fun in that be? No, I'll fight you lot when I think you can put up some semblance of a challenge. Until then." The vortex disappeared. Peldra sighed "Well, now that this whole tournament business is behind us, how about I send our three champions home? I'm sure they could use some rest." Trent, Billy and Andy agreed. Returning to their home dimension, our heroes resumed their daily lives. Until their next adventure. Episode 3: To Catch A Thief It's been about a month since the whole Mortal Kombat fiasco. Penny and the Pincher Gang are doing well in their new positions as Sammy's assistants. One day, as Penny was attending one of Sammy's latest experiments, suddenly the entire lab went pitch black. "What the?" After several minutes of stumbling through the dark trying to find a switch, she was blinded by a sudden light coming from Sammy's flashlight. "What's going on?" Penny said, rubbing he eyes. "Looks like the power blew." Sammy said. "Come with me. We'll go check the power source." As they wandered through the darkness to the very heart of the lab, Penny asked "What is the power source for this place anyway?" "The chaos emeralds." Sammy replied. "I guess I should have expected that answer." Penny said. She had heard of the chaos emeralds, but never actually seen them. She figured only they could produce enough energy to power such a massive laboratory. When they reached the chamber where the emeralds were stored however, they saw all seven of them were gone! "Oh no!" Sammy cried "Without the emeralds, my lab has no power! I can't create any more without them!" "But who could have taken them?" Penny wondered out loud. "Don't you have a security system or something?" "Of course! The best in Arcadia! I thought it would be impossible to get past my defenses. Clearly I was wrong! But who could-" That's when she spotted something that had been left in the emerald's place. Sammy growled as she picked it up. It was a small card, shaped like a raccoon's face. "Cooper." |
| "I hope that he's just having fun, and will simply return it," said Penny. "He has rules that he tends to follow." |
| Meanwhile, in the real world, Trent was true to his word about moving forward and not letting his past define who he was. In fact, he became close friends with Andy and Billy. That very morning, the three were headed for school. "You know, I think I should call Matthew and apologize for that incident," Trent said, spotting a payphone on their way. "I think he lives in Washington, DC now." He inserted the right amount of quarters into the payphone's slot. Then he dialed 0 for the operator. "Operator, I'd like to speak to Matthew Garrett," he said when the operator responded. After a while, he was able to communicate with Matthew. But then, he hung up on Trent. "Did he forgive you?" Billy asked. "No," Trent said. "He shouted a bunch of mean things in my ear." Billy looked at his watch and gasped. "We're going to be late for school!" He exclaimed. The three began to race to school as fast as they could. Once they arrived, the hallways were empty. "Everyone must be in class," Trent said. "We'll have to sneak in without being caught," Andy said. As they were waiting for the right time, Billy could hear the sound of high heels clopping down the hallway. He looked down and could see a young woman with a prosthetic leg walking in their direction. He knew who it was: Lindsay! She was the school's no-nonsense, tough-as-nails principal. "Principal's coming!" He whispered to the others. "Leave her to me," Trent said. "I'll Clooney her." As Lindsay approached, Trent stood up and gave her a suave smile. "Hello, principal," he said. "The Clooney doesn't work on this principal, Trent," Lindsay said. "What are you three doing out of class?" Andy and Trent tried to remain silent, but Billy couldn't hold it in. "We're late for school," he said, his voice a squeak. "Late, eh?" Lindsay said. "Follow me to detention." She escorted them to the detention room, which was the most unsanitary room in the school. Inside, the boys found four other boys and a girl who had already gotten detention as well. "Andy, Billy, Trent," Lindsay said. "These are Daniel, Michael, Colin, Reggie, and Aaliah. They are all in detention like you." "How many times must we tell you?" Daniel, a boy about 16 with a scraggly beard just budding on his face, said. "I go by my last name Reinhart." "I prefer Walk," Colin, a boy larger in size than Andy, said. "You are to refer to me as Gel," Reggie, a skinny 15-year-old boy with glasses, said. "And it's not Michael," said Michael, a 14-year-old boy with an eyepatch, said. "It's Mars to you." "Sure, they have their nicknames," Lindsay said to Andy, Billy, and Trent. "But I prefer to use the names their parents gave them. Anyway, you three will write the following sentence: I will not be late for school." on the chalkboard until it covers every inch of it. Owen, watch them like a hawk." Owen, the school's janitor, put down his newspaper and looked up. "Don't worry, Lindsay," he said. "They're not going anywhere." So, the three were forced to write the sentence on the chalkboard. "Look at them," Walk smiled. "They get to write on the board while we get to lay back and play Game Boy." Aaliah took out her Game Boy and turned it on. "Wait until Owen hears it full blast," she chuckled. As she was about to adjust the volume, the screen went black. Then, a strange force began to pull them into a portal. "Guys, you're going to want to see this," Trent told Andy and Billy. The three saw what was going on and rushed up. "What are you doing?!?" Owen demanded when they dashed past him. Upon seeing the eight teenagers getting pulled in, Owen ran out of the detention room, screaming at the top of his lungs. The group landed safely in the queen's throneroom. "I see you champions have brought more," Peldra said. "Magnus, I believe they could use their own tools." Magnus approached and waved his staff in the air. Five crests circled around the room before each one would be magically placed around the necks of Mars, Walk, Gel, Reinhart, and Aaliah. "Welcome aboard," Magnus said. Then he began to point at each if the five newcomers and referred to them by their name. "Reinhart, Gel, Walk, Mars, and Aaliah." "Thanks, sir," Aaliah said. "Wait a minute," Mars demanded. "How does he know our names?" "The scanner never lies," a female voice said. The group turned around and saw Sammy, Wolfclops, Penny, Kit, Candle, Ferdinand, Gerty, Cookie, and Tank who had entered the throneroom. "Long time no see," Andy, Billy, and Trent told the team. "As long as the new recruits are here," Kit said. "Look what Cookie and Candle found while cleaning the lab." Cookie laid out a large amount of Poke Balls on a nearby table. "These are all starter Pokémon," Sammy told them. "Just ones that haven't been introduced in your world yet. These were the ones I had trouble finding before. We'll let them all out and each of you can choose which one you want." |
| Meanwhile, in the Cooper Gang Hideout, the notorious Sly Cooper and his lifelong friends, Bentley and Murray, received a message on Bentley's computer screen. "Alright, Robotnik, we got these emeralds of yours. Now yell us where you're hiding Carmelita!" Sly demanded. "Not so fast." Replied Robtnik, AKA Dr. Eggman. "First you deliver the goods to me, then I'll tell you where your pretty little fox is! I will contact you again in 48 hours to give you the drop off location." The screen cut off from there. "Sly, can we even trust this crazy scientist?" Bentley asked "I've heard a lot of stuff about him, and none of it is good. I think he wants these emeralds for nefarious purposes." Murray nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Sly. We usually only steal from criminals. Don't you think this is kind of crossing a line?" "I completely agree with you both. But what choice do we have? He's got Carmelita locked up somewhere, and I'm not gonna just let her rot! Not after all we've been through!" "Did she ever forgive you for that whole faking having amnesia thing?" Bentley asked. "Now's really not the time for that. Let's just wait for the doctor to tell us where to drop off the emeralds." "And what if this is all a trick, and he doesn't have Carmelita at all?" "Then we'll improvise. I know you, Bentley. You've always got a plan." Bentley sighed. "I just hope it doesn't come to that this time." |
| "I think that we need help," said Murray. "I mean, I know that I'm usually just the muscle and driver, but I will say this - we need some back-up. Getting the rest of the Gang and the Ancestors would be a good start, plus even a few of our usual foes that might chip in, due to how Eggman has been messing things up for them, but also a few more, like other Heroes, or even those Champion fellas." Bentley looked at Sly. "He has a point. I know that you want to keep things close, and quiet, but we do need help." Sly looked at his friends, and sighed. "You're right. We need help." |
| Back at the palace, Sammy had unleashed all the starter Pokémon the lab had to offer. "Look at this one," Walk said, pointing at one of them. "It looks like a little turtle." "Turtwig?" Sammy said. "Excellent choice!" She tossed its Poke Ball to him and continued on. "I don't why he didn't choose this one," Andy said, playing with a Pokémon that looked like a cat. "You mean Litten?" Penny said. Litten tried to motion for him to pick it up. "I think it wants to be with you!" Sammy said. She tossed him its Poke Ball, but before he could catch it, Litten took a leap into the air and pressed the button, allowing itself to be captured. "Looks like you made a friend for life," Trent said, patting him on the shoulder. "You said it," Andy said, patting his stomach. "This one looks cute," Aaliah said, playing with a Pokémon. "That's Oshawott," Kit said. He then handed her its Poke Ball. "This one is a little kitty," Gel said as a green catlike Pokémon approached him. "That's Sprigatito," Candle said, giving him its Poke Ball. "What's this little bird thing?" Reinhart asked when he approached a Pokémon that started brushing up against his leg. "That's Torchic," Gerty said, using her trunk to hand him its Poke Ball. "What about this one?" Mars said about another Pokémon that was looking at him. "That's Totodile," Wolfclops said when he handed him its Poke Ball. "Andy, on your first time here, I gave you Pikachu as a starter," Sammy said. "But I think we can make an exception." As soon as the new champions eachreceived their Pokedex, Sammy's communicator went off. "Sly Cooper," she grumbled upon seeing who it was. "I know that we have the Chaos Emeralds," Sly said. "You have no idea how much my lab needs those emeralds," Sammy interrupted. "I would appreciate it if you returned them to us. " "Why do you think we're calling?" Bentley said. "Dr. Eggman sent us a message saying he's kidnapped Carmelita Fox!" Murray shouted. "You have to help us!" "Fine," Sammy said. "We'll all help you." "Look, I know you have an army of champions," Sly said before turning his attention to Andy. "But this one looks like he's ignoring the four basic food groups, preferring the treats his grandma bakes, his shirt looks like either he bought it from the kids' section at Old Navy or it shrunk in the wash, and judging by the fuzz on his upper lip and on his chin, I'd say he's going through puberty." "Come on," Andy said, offended. "I'm only 15. The least you can do is give me a break." "No time for arguing," Billy said. "If we're going to get the Chaos Emeralds, we're going to need Sonic the Hedgehog's help." |
| "Just one problem." Sammy said "Sonic is constantly on the move. There's no telling where we might find him." "Well then, we'll have him come to us!" Said Billy. "What do you mean?" "You'll see..." A short time later... Andy was pushing a chili dog cart through the streets of Arcadia's capital city as Billy walked beside him, ringing a bell and shouting "Chili dogs! Get your chili dogs here!" They had a few other customers approach, but still no sign of Sonic. "Are you sure this will work?" Andy asked, starting to lose confidence. "Trust me, he'll turn up sooner or later." Billy said. |
| That was when a blue hedgehog appeared. "So, what kinds do you got? I'd like to try the vegan one if you got that." |
| "Hey, Sonic," Gel said. "We hear we could use your help." "Wow, I didn't know you were in the chili dog business," Sonic said. Behind Sonic were two figures. One was a red echidna and the other was a fox with two tails. "You're Knuckles!" Reinhart exclaimed. "And you're Tails!" Walk cried. "So these are the champions?" Knuckles said, examining the group of teenagers. "I guess it's true what they say," Tails said. "Big things come in small packages." "Excuse me!" A familiar voice called out. "Have you got a permit for that chili dog cart?" Trent turned around to see two familiar rabbit cops: Ert and Bernie! "This isn't what it looks like!" Penny protested. "It was Billy's idea. We needed Sonic's help getting the Chaos Emeralds from the Cooper Gang. You see, Dr. Eggman's captured Carmelita Fox and wants those emeralds." "Now that you mention it," Bernie said, scratching one of his chins. "Officer Fox was kidnapped a week ago by that walking egg." "Carmelita's a cop?" Aaliah asked. "She works for Interpol," Ert said. "And she's been on the Cooper Gang's trail for years." "Excuse me, officer," Tails said to Bernie. "You've got something right there." He was pointing at a little something in Bernie's neck fat. "Did I I get it?" Bernie asked. "It's to your right," Tails said. Finally, Bernie was able to remove the something from his neck. "I don't believe it!" He cried. "It's my wife's wedding ring! She's been looking all over for this! I'd better give it back to her after work." He put his wife's wedding ring in his pocket as Ert began to wheel the chili dog cart away. "We'll let you off with a warning," Ert said. "But, next time, you'll be getting a ticket." As Bernie was about to help him, the sound of a crying baby pierced the air. "What was that?" Mars said. "It came from over there," Knuckles said, motioning toward a nearby alley. Ert and Bernie marched up to the alley and there, they found a 2-year-old girl all alone. "You poor thing," Ert said, picking her up. "There is a law against abandoning children," Bernie said. As the group approached, Billy had noticed the baby reaching into Bernie's pocket and pulling out his wife's wedding ring. "Um, officers?" He asked. Without warning, the two bunnies were being frozen up to their chins by two creatures with pointed heads. The baby gave a devious smile and jumped out of Ert's arms and the two creatures caught her and made with her in tow. "I can't believe it!" Bernie said. "I skipped my fifth donut break of the day and I got frozen by two Snorunt!" "Snorunt? What's a Snorunt?" Andy asked. "It's a Pokémon that hasn't been introduced in your world yet," Sammy replied. "I managed to scan it with my Pokedex before they got away," Trent said, showing them his Pokedex. "Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokémon," it said. "An Ice-type. Snorunt feeds on snow and ice to survive. According to folklore, any home visited by a Snorunt will be blessed with good fortune." "You call this good fortune?" Daisy said. "The police have been conned by two Snorunt and a baby!" "I'll stay here and get you guys out of the ice," Silver told Ert and Bernie. "We've got a baby to catch," Wolfclops said. The group took off after the baby and the two Snorunt in a chase throughout the city. Finally, they were able to corner them in the back of a pizza restaurant. "We're not going to hurt you," Andy assured her. "We could use your help with stealing something back. Will you help us? And do you know where your mother and father are?" The baby toddled off to a patch of dirt nearby and began drawing a picture with her finger. "I think she's trying to tell us something," Kit said. "It looks like a bird," Candle said, examining the baby's picture. "Maybe it's a penguin," said Ferdinand. "It can't be a penguin," Gerty said. "The beak's too short." Cookie narrowed his eyes. "It's an owl, right?!?" He said. The baby nodded her head to confirm he was correct. Then she started drawing a human hand next to it. "An owl with a hand?" Tank asked. "Owls don't have hands. They have wings." "This doesn't make any sense," Andy said. "What could she be trying to tell us? |
| The child continued sketching on the ground until the group finally understood her message. |
| Sly was waiting at his hideout. He was nervous - something he hadn't been in a long time. He pulled out a small box, and carefully opened it. Inside was a diamond ring, but not just any diamond ring - it had been his mother's wedding ring, and his father had given it to her. He sighed. The Cooper side of his family was something he knew well. The other side though - much more mysterious. |
| In the real world, Lindsay had just finished cleaning her office and went to her desk. She pulled out a framed picture out from underneath. In it, Lindsay was sitting with a Bulbasaur in her arms. On both her sides were two other Pokémon: a Squirtle on her left and a Charmander on her right. Behind her were dozens of Pokémon, some gamers were familiar with at the time and some that had yet to be introduced in the future. "I wonder if they even miss me," she said. "I'm sure Arcadia hasn't forgotten about me." She took her Game Boy out of one of her drawers and was about turn it on when she heard Owen screaming like a crazy person. Back in Arcadia, Sammy had taken the picture of the child's cryptic message in the dirt. "This looks like a serious situation," Tails said. Just then, Silver reached the group with Ert and Bernie close behind. "We've got a message from the child," Trent announced. "Look at the ground!" He pointed at the scribbles in the dirt. Andy was the only one not looking at the message. He was busy looking at something in the sky. It was a flock of anthro owls flying straight toward him. "Guys, look out!" He shouted. The group managed to hold off the owls and send them turning tail. "Phew! That was tight!" Sonic said. "We're not out of the woods yet," Billy said. "Someone's coming." Billy was right. Approaching them from afar was another owl. This one was larger, more obese, and wore only a black cape and pants with a belt. "Uh, sir, we just fought off owls," Aaliah said. "We don't want to fight anymore. Besides, we don't know who you are." "Oh, my," the owl said. "Where are my manners? Count Nightowl, at your service." "Hey, I've heard of you," Sammy said. "Weren't you the original royal wizard?" "Ah, well spotted," Count Nightowl said. "I even taught Magnus everything he knows. In my day, we had exquisite feasts when I lived in the palace." Sammy eyed him suspiciously, remembering the baby's cryptic message in the dirt. "I'm sorry if my men gave you any trouble," Count Nightowl said. "Well, you should be," Mars said. "We almost got killed." Billy looked at his watch. "Seeing as time moves faster here than it does in our world," he said to himself. "It's getting to be lunchtime." "Do I hear it's getting to be lunchtime?" Count Nightowl said. "I would be happy to serve you." The group all looked at each other and agreed. "Gentlemen, I'd like to announce that these people are guests!" Count Nightowl announced. The owls flew in and started flying the group to Count Nightowl's castle for lunch. |
| Upon landing in the Count's castle, the group was greeted by a long table lined with various luxury foods. "Go ahead, dig in!" Count Nightowl said. Some of the champions actually took him up on said offer. Billy, meanwhile, turned to the Count and said "No offense, Count, but we really don't have time to waste." "Oh, come now! At least eat something! I insist!" Not wanting to be rude, Billy reluctantly bit into an apple. And almost instantly felt himself getting drowsy. Things seemed to move in slow motion, as he noticed everyone else that had eaten the food was now passed out on the floor. "Whus...goin...oooonnnn?" He slurred before falling unconcious himself. |
| As the crew came to through, they found that Count Nightowl and his minions had arranged the feast. "Sorry for knocking you out," the count said. "But I wasn't finished with decorations yet." "Huh?" Andy said. "After I left the palace, I spent my life collecting magical items," Count Nightowl added. "I have them adorning my walls." Just then, a bat flew in and landed on Count Nightowl's shoulder. Aaliah was horrified. "Pip," the count told the bat. "Have our guests seated at the table." "Yes, your lordship," Pip said. "Pip is my faithful servant," Nightowl told the group after Pip escorted them to their chairs. "So, he's like your butler?" Billy asked. "I wouldn't say butler," Count Nightowl said. "That role is already filled." He turned his head to face a robust owl dressed as a butler behind him. "Robespierre, show our guests my collection of magical items," the count said. "Don't you have magic of your own?" Trent said. "Sammy did say you were the royal wizard." "That was before I had my magic taken away from me," Nightowl said. He pressed one of his wings to his large stomach. "Look at me. Wasted away to practically nothing," he said. "Sir, Robespierre has your magical item collection ready," Pip said. "Thank you," Nightowl said. Robespierre held out a trident and handed it to the count. "This trident belonged to the king of the sea," the count said, showing it to the group. "With it, he could create storms, control the waves, and so on and so forth. You wouldn't believe what I went through to get it." "I don't believe it!" Penny cried, looking at a bird I a cage. "It's the phoenix!" "Ahhh, you recognize that," Nightowl said. "I found it when it was just a chicken." The baby was eying a glass case with a bottle and a cookie in it. The cookie had a tag tied to it that read "Eat Me" and the bottle had a tag tied to it that reads "Drink Me". "Does baby want a cookie?" Nightowl said, scooping her up. "That's no ordinary cookie. Whoever eats it will grow in size." "What about the bottle?" Wolfclops asked. "The potion does the exact opposite," said Nightowl. "Whoever drinks it will shrink in size. I don't know yet if magic snacks affect the consumer's clothes or not." He took an acorn out of a pocket on the inside of his cape. "Ever hear of the Midas touch?" He asked the group. "Whatever King Midas would touch turned to gold." He showed them a golden hand and pressed the acorn to it. Within seconds, the acorn had turned to gold. "Anything turned to gold could be worth something," he said. "Are those unicorn horns?" Candle asked, looking at a wall decorated with them. "Baby unicorn horns," Nightowl said. "They're lighter and sharper than adult ones." "We're sorry we had to bother you," Gel said as the group sat down at the table for lunch. "You're no bother at all," Nightowl said. "Having guests is a real pleasure, a delight, if I do say so myself." He fellow owls nodded and murmured in agreement. "I usually get thieves who come to steal what's mine," Nightowl added, holding up a piece of paper. "This is said to be a map to where the Chaos Emeralds are. Rumor has it their power can give unlimited magic to whoever possesses them." "I've got to get that map," Sammy whispered to Andy. "It's the only way we'll find Sly and get those emeralds." "What did you say?!?" The count demanded. Sammy had to think fast on that one. "After lunch, could we get some dessert to go?" She asked. "That's an excellent idea!" Nightowl agreed. "My chef, Toulouse, makes a fantastic cherries jubilee." |
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