Title: Birthday Gnome Conclusion
Description: FINALLY!
Description: FINALLY!
GoldenSama - January 23, 2008 08:43 AM (GMT)
Episode IV of the “Birthday Gnome Arc”
Episode I DP
Episode II BR
Episode III Spoon
The Birthday Gnome's Revenge
Part III
“The Conclusion Before The Beginning”
<Sama Says> Since my being busy and lazy is a very bad combination, I'm wrapping up this arc and the missing birthday presents all at once! u_u; Believe me, for the birthdays in '08, I won't be trying anything like this again. I truly apologize to Cojo, Joha, Kimi, Tazzy and AGOI. I feel bad for not having these done on time. >_<
You'll notice this story is set on New Year's Day... I wanted to get it done by then, but... I believe the “Birthday Gnome” arc has been cursed with lateness. XD ... Seriously, I'm a lazy bastard.
The smoke was clearing now. When the Gnome had done his foul magical deed, a fearsome fire had sprang up throughout the room. Now that fire died down and in the midst of it stood Rowen. However, there was something different about him. Not just in his appearance. That had changed; he now had spiked pads on his shoulders. No, the real change was the sense that Spoony got when he felt Rowen's strength.
And the fear that it inspired in him.
“What...? No way... my mind has to be playing tricks on me.” The Spoon was nervous about this. Rowen's powers seemed to have increased by leaps and bounds. He had always been powerful, but now Spoony felt a truly terrifying presence from Rowen.
“Hah... Hah... Hah... Now THIS is fun!” Rowen grinned, feeling new power flowing through him. “OH YES! I can feel it... pure power running through my veins! ”
The room was still smoldering in various places from explosion that freed Rowen. He breathed in deeply and then exhaled with vicious consequence: the powerful gust shot all over the room and extinguished the still-burning flames and the embers below them. The sheer force of the wind sent The Spoon, The Spork, Avenger and the Clones flying in various directions, slamming them into the walls.
“This power! Yes, yes! OH YES! Nothing can stop me now – NOTHING!” Rowen roared loudly, clenching his fists tightly shut and letting out a insane laugh. The ground shook as he stomped his feet, and then as he jumped into the air something incredible happened – he did not come back down.
Rowen was flying.
“Buh...? OH YEAH!” CHoW lifted his head up and blinked from behind his mask. This was everything he could have hoped for! Rowen was super-powered; aside from his already formidable arsenal of attack, he had now gained super powers that rivaled even Kimi! CHoW knew the Gnome's spell would last only for Rowen's Birthday, so he only had twenty four hours to take over Teh City – but that would be enough!
Spoony looked around the room, and what he saw wasn't hopeful. It may have seemed like weeks since anything happened, but in reality they had all been involved in the massive battle just moments ago. The Professor and Avenger were both injured, Jimi and Hammah too. He was on his own and facing a now super-powerful Darth Rowen.
Spoony closed his eyes. Then he charged forward at impressive speeds and jumped up, slashing his now-active saber at Rowen's chest. He jumped away, spun in mid-air and fired a bolt of bright blue lightning from each of his fingers; striking Rowen with ferocity.
The lightning illuminated Rowen's body with a fearsome blue shine. After the light finally died down, Rowen was grinning a smile as wide as the river Nile. Much to the Spoon's horror, Rowen jumped forward and delivered a punch to his chest. With strength that could have rivaled Kimi's, magnified by his Flan-I training; Spoony was knocked clear across the room. He slammed into a wall and tumbled to the ground with a grunt.
“Now that was FUN! Most powerful Flan-I of them all... isn't that what they called you?” Rowen laughed with glee. Rowen's power was off the charts.
Spoony pushed himself up and glanced around the room quickly. Things were getting desperate. He could see The Professor and Avenger, both injured from the earlier battle. Jimi and Hammah were still unconscious, and that meant he was all on his own.
The Spoon stood up and with no other choices visible in his mind he began to concentrate. He would have to summon up all of his powers and make one last stand against Rowen – a dangerous task indeed. He did not know the extent of the fallen Flan-I's powers, but he did not like his odds. With the Birthday Gnome having such power, there was only one thing he could do.
He began to concentrate and slowly a light began to build around his body. He was searching his soul and finding every last trace of his powers; a terrifying idea. However, before he could come close to gathering up all of his strength, Rowen vanished from where he was standing in a flash of Chaos Control and reappeared behind the Spoon. In one swift motion he slammed a fist glowing with lightning into Spoony's back and sent Teh City's leader flying across the room, rendering him unconscious.
“Game over, you lose.” Rowen smirked as lightning cracked and hissed from the palm of his hand.
“Feels like we've been standing around for months.” Kimi complained loudly as she looked out at the open seas. She, Sama and the Flan-I Trio had made their way to a cliff that overlooks Teh Bay. They had defeated Sanders, saved Mustang and made sure that the Spoon would have his job back as soon as things calmed down.
“Relax.” HA was kneeling by the very edge of the cliff side, looking down at the water below. He held a telescope to his unmasked eye and seemed to be scanning the surface of the water.
“It's of the utmost importance that every Flan-I have the patience of a Saint, for the lack of discipline and patience when in battle is a mistake that can claim the life of even the most skilled and battle-ready.” Crystal Rose said, holding her index finger up like a teacher lecturing her students. Then her face fell and she uttered a sigh: “But still, this is taking a while HA.”
The half-masked Flantom groaned and ran his hand through his hair. His friends could be very annoying sometimes. “Look, we all agreed that the best way to stop the Birthday Gnome is to go back to the guy who sold him to me. My contact is the kind of guy who thinks everyone is out to skin him alive. He might not even SHOW at all with you guys here.”
“Maybe we should leave.” Sama suggested, his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree that sat on the cliff side.
“No way!” Tazzy objected at once, jumping up from where she had been sitting on the edge with her legs dangling off the cliff. “We don't know what the Gnome – or CHoW – might be up to. HA, you're tough, but you can't take LASOOF and that Gnome all by yourself. We have to stick together.”
“Well said.” Crystal agreed.
“Yeah, it's a good point . . . but WE could still leave.” Kimi said as she leaned her elbow against Sama's head, using him as a armrest while she floated in the air.
“Nope, you can't.” Crystal shook her head. “Like Tazzy said, we can't split up right now... and since this is a official Flan-I Mission, that means Sama's sticking with us tonight.”
Sama scratched the back of his head as Kimi increased the pressure on his noggin from her elbow, clearly showing her annoyance with her sidekick's career path. “Well . . . I guess you guys would get pummeled if you didn't have me around.”
“Yeah, 'cause we can't win a fight without your expert help.” HA replied, his voice full of the usual sarcasm.
All at once, something moved across the surface of the water. HA held up a hand for silence and the other Flan-I fell quiet. Kimi opened her mouth to say something, not being familiar with the signal but Sama clapped a hand over her mouth.
Next, without warning, something gigantic sprang up from the shadowy waters. A long, hideous appendage rose from the dark depth, it was long and snakelike but with a gigantic mouth at the end with long, protruding fangs.
Sama gave a nervous gulp when he saw the creature and both Crystal and Tazzy moved their hands to their waists, taking a hold of the flansaber's on their belts. HA waved them off, however, as he stood up and faced the monstrous mouth.
“Avatar of Doom. It has been a long time.” The mouth opened suddenly, speaking in a quiet, vicious voice. What was worse than the voice, though, was what was inside the mouth. Instead of a tongue or uvula, or even a throat – there was one gigantic eye.
“I think I'm going to be sick.” Sama muttered, moving his hand from muting Kimi to covering his own mouth like a seasick sailor.
“That's the single nastiest thing I've ever seen.” Kimi said as her eyes locked with the monster's mouth-eye.
Crystal, though, shot a glance to HA. “'Avatar of Doom'? Doesn't anyone have a nice nickname for you?”
“I'm actually rather fond of that one.” HA replied with a chuckle. The monstrous eye-mouth creature snapped its jaws and drool (or, perhaps, ocular fluid) fell from the jagged fangs. HA turned his face back to the monster.
“Hello Sal. How's life under the seas?” HA asked with a half-smirk.
“Don't patronize me.” 'Sal' the monster mouth-eye growled. “You did not come alone. You and ALWAYS supposed to come alone!”
HA rubbed the back of his neck. “I know, and I apologize... but you know me, Sal, they wouldn't be here if it wasn't absolutely necessary.”
Sal let loose another deep, throaty growl. “I will forgive you this time... only because I am a fan of them.”
Kimi and Sama blinked and exchanged glances with one another.
“Did he just say...”
“... he's our fan?”
Sal turned his eye to them. “Yes, indeed I am! I am Salvatore, monster who dwells within this bay. I've often seen your exploits on the nine o'clock news, and occasionally when you fight near the bay. I even bought a T-Shirt... but obviously it doesn't fit me well.”
HA shook his head and muttered. “Sal, you overgrown squid, quit gawking at those two; there's a reason I summoned you here.”
Sal let out what may have been a sigh, though his sounds were different from human noises. Perhaps because he was a sea monster, or maybe because he had a eye for a throat. “Of course. What do you need, my friend?”
“Remember that Gnome you sold me?” HA grinned.
Suddenly Sal moved down so that his mouth-eye was inches away from HA. The size difference in the two was now more noticeable than ever – had Sal's mouth not doubled as a eye-socket, he could have fit the Flan-I Master in his jaws. For a moment, it looked like Salvatore might try.
“I warned you. I warned you that Birthday Gnome have a truly terrifying power.” Sal growled, this time he sounded as cruel as a tyrant.
HA shook his head. “You were right, my friend. You were right. Now that Gnome has teamed up with some of our enemies and they're up to something. Not only that, but... I've done my homework. Today happens to be the birthday of one of our most dangerous enemies. And there's four more birthdays coming between now and January. I need to know how to stop the Gnome.”
Salvatore threw his neck back and let out a long, harsh howl into the night sky. He sounded like he was in a vicious mood. Then he moved back down to see HA, his eye seemed to narrow. “I'll have to be careful with what magical monsters I sell you from now on... anyway, destroying him will not be simple, but I know someone who can help.”
HA clapped his hands. “Alright Sal! I knew you'd come through for me!”
Sal shook his head. “Hold on. This person can destroy the Gnome... but I warn you, he can also be... dangerous.”
HA shrugged. “Eh, that's nothing new. Get him for us, okay?”
Salvatore looked reluctant, but then he nodded. “Very well . . . I will return soon.” And with those words, the giant Salvatore slowly sank back down into the darkness of Teh Bay below.
Sitting beneath Teh Bay is a truly odd scene. Aside from the remains of CHoW and Rowen's destroyed giant Mecha and a few crashed planes from Professor Spork's fleet, there is a building. This one is not the remains of a skyscraper thrown to the bay during a battle. This building was built underwater. The entire facility is made entirely of glass, with no metal or stone anywhere to be found. The glass gave off an eerie glow from some magical light source, it was the only light of any kind beneath the bay.
Though the building was gigantic and elaborate, it housed only a single person. A man who sat on a small bench, his hands folded in front of him. He wore a red bandanna tied around his head and had a scarlet scarf that covered his mouth and nose. His body was draped in a crimson cape, beneath it his clothes looked like red bandages tied around him.
At the edge of the facility, a door opened. The gigantic shape of Salvatore appeared at the gate. He opened his mouth and began to make sputtering noises; the eye shot from out of his throat and smacked into the glass floor of the building. There was a explosion of smoke and the eye had turned into Salvatore's true form.
He was a extraordinarily skinny man, his skin a deep cerulean like the seas he had come from. His head was long and looked like a cylinder. A single eye seemed to move all around the head of the odd man, going from the bottom to top, front to back; it seemed to 'swim' across his head. His arms and legs were thin and his fingers and toes were extra long, with webbing between the joints like a duck's foot.
“Man in the Crimson Cape, I have come to see you.”
Salvatore walked through the facility, going through the different halls and making different turns. He could see the man in the crimson cape through the glass walls of the facility. The man made no movements the entire time.
“I am Salvatore, Observer of Life and Death.” He announced his true identity, a secret that even HA did not know.
“I know who you are.” The Man in the Crimson Cape replied, not bothering to lift his head. His voice was horse and throaty, as if he had not spoken in a long time. In truth it had been years since the last time he had used his voice.
Salvatore stepped up to the outside of the room the man was in. It seemed to be a prison cell of some kind. He pressed his webbed hand to the door and a light shimmered all around the room.
“. . . Super Kimi and Wonder Sama.” Salvatore spoke the names of the heroes, but said nothing else. The reaction from the Man in the Crimson Cape was immediate. He jumped from where he sat and ran to the door with incredible speed, throwing both of his fists against the wall with all of his strength. The glass would have shattered, but the shimmering lights caused by Salvatore's hand seemed to keep the door in place.
After a few moments of the man's repeated pounding and kicking of the door, he finally seemed to calm down. He crossed his arms and looked out to Salvatore. His eyes were gray and lifeless. “You dare to speak those names to me?”
“They need your help. The Birthday Gnome is gaining strength, and using CHoW and Rowen. He had given Rowen intense strength... Rowen will destroy all those who oppose LASOOF... and then the Gnome will devour him and gain immortality.” Sal explained the sticky situation. “The only way for this to be stopped... is if the Cavern is Opened.”
The Man in the Crimson Cape looked up at Salvatore when he mentioned this 'cavern'. For a moment, it looked like he might have another outburst of anger and attack – but he did not. Instead he threw back his head and began to laugh, cackling to himself. Apparently he found the whole situation to be hilarious.
When his laughter died down, he stood up and faced Sal.
“Fine,” He muttered. “I'll open the Cavern. Sure... but, first, can I ask you just one thing?”
Salvatore crossed his arms and looked at the Crimson Caped man. “... Alright. What is it?”
There was a dark spark in his eyes. “Do you really trust me to do this? How can you be sure I won't just kill Kimi and Sama the moment I see them?”
Sal stood motionless for a long time. The only movement he made was a gentle rapping of his knuckles against the back of his other webbed-hand. Finally, he locked eyes with the Man in the Crimson Cape and spoke, in a clear, matter-of-fact voice: “If you kill them now, the Gnome will have won the day. Is taking their lives really that important to you? The entire world, nay! The entire universe shall meet it's end if the Gnome is victorious... if the price of stopping that is for Super Kimi and Wonder Sama to die . . . then so be it.”
Salvatore turned away, knowing that by agreeing to this he would betray his friend and long-time customer, HA. Still, he had no other options.
“If the Gnome dies, I will not interfere in your revenge. You may do whatever you like to them.”
Kimi sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, her legs dangling off the side. She was deep in thought as the moon was shining overhead. Rowen was super-powerful, their friends were in serious trouble and right now they had all of their hope riding on a Sea Monster who was a friend of HA. A precarious situation to be in. Worst of all, though, was that she was completely helpless to change the tides of their predicament. For all her powers, on this one occasion, she could do nothing to help her friends.
“You look upset.” Kimi did not immediately acknowledge Sama as he sat down next to her. Though eventually the feeling of him staring at her became too annoying to block out and she finally turned her head.
“What's the point to all this?” Kimi sighed. “WE're supposed to be the heroes. Us. You and me. We should be out there beating Bucket-head and Ninja-boy until their heads swell up and turn purple. Instead we're just sitting here, waiting on... on... who knows what!”
She heard a sigh from her right and saw that Sama was just as stressed as she was. He rubbed the back of his head and cast his gaze out to the bay below them. “Yeah... you're right. We're just sitting around... but we don't have a choice in the matter. We need all the help we can get.”
Kimi clenched her fist tightly, looking like she was so dissatisfied with that answer that she wanted to punch something. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Sama would sent flying if she vented on him, and if she were to strike the ground... it might very well topple the cliff the crime fighters sat on into the bay.
As that idea crossed her mind, Kimi cast a glance at the bay. That's when she saw something move across the dark top of the waters.
“Hey... did you see that?” Kimi asked, leaning forward.
“Hmm?” Sama blinked and looked at the bay. “See what? Is it Seymour?”
“I thought his name was Sal...” Kimi blinked, remembering the giant sea monster with the eye in his jaws. She shook her head. “Whatever his name was, no, it wasn't him! It looked like... a person.”
There was a popping sound, much like a gunshot, and thick scarlet smoke erupted just behind the superhero duo. Sama was caught in a coughing spell while Kimi allowed herself to fall off the edge of the cliff to avoid being peppered by the gas, instead choosing to fly up and over it. The others with them quickly ran over as they saw the smoke rise up from the ground.
“What's going on!?” HA demanded, his saber sparking to life.
“Kimi? Sama? You two okay?” Crystal called out, unable to see the heroes from behind the red fog.
“We're alright.” Kimi replied, causing her friends to look up above the smoke to see her floating above. “At least, until whoever just showed up shows themselves.”
The smoke finally began to thin and clear, revealing the ominous shape of the Man in the Crimson Cape. Several sabers cracked and buzzed as they jumped into life, ready to defend their owners if the necessity came.
“Relax. Sal sent me. I'm here to help.” Crimson Cape announced as he looked to both his left and right to see several flansabers glowing beneath the twilight skies.
HA took a step forward. “And who are you?”
“...” He did not answer right away. “That is not important. All that matters is that I know the secrets to defeating the Gnome. My identity and my reasons for helping you are my own; ask me again and I shall offer you no aid.”
Avatar clearly was dissatisfied with that answer, his eyes narrowing. However, Crystal stepped forward, her saber returned to her belt and her arms crossed. “Okay...” She said quietly, peering at the mysterious man in red. “... Then tell us.”
The Man in the Crimson Cape paused once more, tapping his chin with his index finger. He paused and then turned away from the group, instead setting his sights on Kimi and Sama. “First thing is first; Rowen. He's got all of her strength, speed and physical abilities added to his own powers. At this rate, he'll kill you all. However... there is a way to stop both the Gnome and Rowen.”
He lifted his hands and turned them over so his palms were facing up. Red light began to shimmer in between his fingers and suddenly there was a small, floating holographic image in the skies. It was of a calendar.
“The Gnome can only die on the First of January... which is still a couple months away.”
“Eh?” Sama blinked, scratching his head. “But I thought...”
“A COUPLE MONTHS AWAY.” Crimson Cape repeated angrily, in a oh-so-subtle jab at the lazy jackass who writes this stuff.[/brokenfourthwall] “Anyway... I have the power to fast-forward the current time-line.”
Elsewhere in Teh City, the always-mysterious Phazon was busy working on a project of his own to attempt to bring on the Gnome's Downfall. Just as he was mixing a few choice chemicals under the watchful eye of Ema Skye, he suddenly doubled over, clutching his forehead.
“You okay?” Ema asked, worried.
“... My Flan-senses are going crazy...” He whispered. “... My powers are very sensitive to any distortion of the time-line.”
Ema blinked. “You mean, time travel, or something?”
“Yeah.” Phazon sighed, setting down the chemical container. “Well, maybe it'll be the Bender-esque kind of Time Travel that doesn't need to be thought a lot about.”
“In other words... we should all just not think too much about the time travel since it's nothing more than a excuse for someone's complete laziness?” Ema suggested, playing with her pink glasses.
Phazon nodded. “Exactly! So let's not think too hard about this... all of us... meaning the people who are reading these words right now.”
“... Anyway,” Crimson Cape continued. “There are several of you with a birthday between now and then... and for each birthday, the Gnome's powers will only increase. However, because of my intervention, none of you will be subjected to any special ill-effects... though, it means Rowen will keep the new powers he has obtained until the Gnome is killed.”
Kimi groaned. “No, no, NO! I'm the only one around here who gets super powers!” She crossed her arms.
Sama scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, and I'm not too big on making the situation for us worse. I mean, if the Gnome gets extra powers... how do we stop him?”
Crimson Cape rounded on Sama, narrowing his lifeless, gray eyes. The messy-haired sidekick gulped and took a step back, almost tumbling off the side of the cliff. Luckily Kimi grabbed the front of his jacket to stop him from plummeting.
“... You don't. Only she has the power to stop the Gnome... and right now, she can't even do that.” Crimson Cape spat.
Kimi blinked. “You know, I have a NAME! It's Kimi! Not 'her' or 'she'!”
Crimson Cape turned away from her, completely ignoring her sudden rant. That only caused Kimi to become more irritated than before, but instead of letting that cloud her judgment she instead took a breath, calmed down and then asked: “... So how do I stop him?”
“You must awaken a great power that slumbers within yourself.” Crimson Cape replied, turning back to the superhero. “When you gained your powers – originally – by eating a piece of the Master Flan... on that day, you also gained the potential for other powers. Powers usually only available to those who guard the Flan.”
While Kimi did not understand, a suddenly look of knowing appeared in her eyes. She did realize where this was heading.
“Mojohanna. She can teach you to unlock those powers.” The Man in the Crimson Cape explained, confirming the glimmer that had sprang up in Kimi's eyes. “However... it usually takes several years to achieve the powers you will need.”
HA shook his head. “That sounds reassuring.”
Crimson Cape did as he usually did and paused for a while before speaking. “... In that respect, I cannot help. You can only hope that Mojohanna can teach that girl to find her powers before it is too late.”
At this point a chilly wind blew by, ruffling the capes of the Flan-I, the back of Sama's unzipped jacket and Kimi long hair. As the frigid breeze came by, Tazzy took a step forward as she rubbed her forearms.
“What do you mean, 'too late'? If you can control time... couldn't you back things up? Or speed things to the next New Year?” She asked, looking to the Man in the Crimson Cape.
Crimson Cape crossed his arms, leaned back and looked to Tazzy. “... As I said, this entire plan is a gamble. If time is sped up, then the Gnome will gain powers from each birthday between now and the New Year. He will be made immortal and invincible. The one and only chance to destroy him will be on the first – after that, he will forever solidify his strength and there is none among you with the power to kill him.”
“Peachy.” HA yawned.
Crimson Cape shrugged his shoulders. Apparently the fate of the world wasn't something that he held in high importance. “It is your only chance. What good does it do to complain? Now, if you will take my help, I will make the time begin to tick down... by the time we reach the first, you must make sure that the girl has the powers she needs.”
He paused. Unlike his previous pauses, this one was longer and seemed deeper. A spark lit up in his eyes, as if an idea had just crossed his mind. A depraved idea born of darkness and desperation. “. . . There is something else I can do to help, however. Though, I will need some help. I need someone to come with me to retrieve a object. With it, I can perhaps seal the Gnome's power to some degree.”
Sama blinked. “You're really cryptic, aren't you?”
Crimson Cape ignored him, instead shooting him a vicious glare. Though his reasons were not clear, and his identity masked; one thing was perfectly obvious – the Man in the Crimson Cape hated Kimi and Sama. So much so that he avoided talking to them, even when talking about them.
“... You. Tazzy.” Crimson Cape turned to the girl in purple. “Your birthday is one of the ones in question... so then, it must be you who comes with me to retrieve my item.”
“Eh?” Tazzy blinked, a bit confused.
“Hold on!” Crystal shook her head, stepping forward. “You want us to split up? Why not take HA and I too...”
“No.” Crimson Cape shook his head. “Only those who have a birthday between now and the first can obtain the item. That girl and Mojohanna need to train... I don't think Rowen will help us, and the Professor is not here. That leaves only Tazzy.”
Tazzy looked to her friends and shrugged. The Man in the Crimson Cape nodded and stepped forward. Without another word, he placed a hand on her shoulder and snapped his other fingers; instantly they vanished in a puff of gigantic red smoke. As Crystal looked on with worried eyes, there was a suddenly violent rumble on the ground.
On the side of the cliff, a slab of rock that made up the base of the shoreline was moving to the side. Behind the cliff was actually a cavern. Old, dark and filled with spiderwebs the cave seemed to be perfect for secret training to save the world during the eleventh hour. Kimi sighed and ran a hand through her hair. This was going to be a long night.
“This is all good and stuff...” Sama said, an obvious objection on the tip of his tongue. “... but am I the only one who noticed that Joha isn't here?”
“We don't put much stock in what you do or don't notice.” The unmistakable voice of Mojohanna, Rapid Island's Guardian, called from behind him. Instinctively, Sama flinched and threw up his arms to protect his cranium from the crack of chopsticks. However, no smash came. He blinked and looked up to see what the others had seen from the moment they turned to her voice.
Mojohanna was there, alright. Just not in the physical sense. A large television set was floating in the sky in front of them on a hover jet. Kimi blinked, recognizing the television immediately, just not the person on the screen.
“Uh... Joha? Did we get a new Mayor... again?” Kimi stammered.
Joha blinked. “Eh? Oh, the set! No, nothing like that. I just figured since Spoony's out of his office I'd have a little fun... but fun-time is over. Kimi, get to that cave! It's time for training!”
Kimi sighed. “Okay Joha.” She started to turn around, but suddenly a mechanical arm came from the side of the television set and whacked Kimi across the scalp with a large stick it had grabbed from the ground. It wasn't a chopstick, but it still held similarities to Joha's familiar disciplinary style.
“Oww!” Kimi spun around, rubbing her head.
“That's Joha-sensei until training is over!” Joha said with the traces of a smirk on her lips.
Episode I DP
Episode II BR
Episode III Spoon
The Birthday Gnome's Revenge
Part III
“The Conclusion Before The Beginning”
<Sama Says> Since my being busy and lazy is a very bad combination, I'm wrapping up this arc and the missing birthday presents all at once! u_u; Believe me, for the birthdays in '08, I won't be trying anything like this again. I truly apologize to Cojo, Joha, Kimi, Tazzy and AGOI. I feel bad for not having these done on time. >_<
You'll notice this story is set on New Year's Day... I wanted to get it done by then, but... I believe the “Birthday Gnome” arc has been cursed with lateness. XD ... Seriously, I'm a lazy bastard.
The smoke was clearing now. When the Gnome had done his foul magical deed, a fearsome fire had sprang up throughout the room. Now that fire died down and in the midst of it stood Rowen. However, there was something different about him. Not just in his appearance. That had changed; he now had spiked pads on his shoulders. No, the real change was the sense that Spoony got when he felt Rowen's strength.
And the fear that it inspired in him.
“What...? No way... my mind has to be playing tricks on me.” The Spoon was nervous about this. Rowen's powers seemed to have increased by leaps and bounds. He had always been powerful, but now Spoony felt a truly terrifying presence from Rowen.
“Hah... Hah... Hah... Now THIS is fun!” Rowen grinned, feeling new power flowing through him. “OH YES! I can feel it... pure power running through my veins! ”
The room was still smoldering in various places from explosion that freed Rowen. He breathed in deeply and then exhaled with vicious consequence: the powerful gust shot all over the room and extinguished the still-burning flames and the embers below them. The sheer force of the wind sent The Spoon, The Spork, Avenger and the Clones flying in various directions, slamming them into the walls.
“This power! Yes, yes! OH YES! Nothing can stop me now – NOTHING!” Rowen roared loudly, clenching his fists tightly shut and letting out a insane laugh. The ground shook as he stomped his feet, and then as he jumped into the air something incredible happened – he did not come back down.
Rowen was flying.
“Buh...? OH YEAH!” CHoW lifted his head up and blinked from behind his mask. This was everything he could have hoped for! Rowen was super-powered; aside from his already formidable arsenal of attack, he had now gained super powers that rivaled even Kimi! CHoW knew the Gnome's spell would last only for Rowen's Birthday, so he only had twenty four hours to take over Teh City – but that would be enough!
Spoony looked around the room, and what he saw wasn't hopeful. It may have seemed like weeks since anything happened, but in reality they had all been involved in the massive battle just moments ago. The Professor and Avenger were both injured, Jimi and Hammah too. He was on his own and facing a now super-powerful Darth Rowen.
Spoony closed his eyes. Then he charged forward at impressive speeds and jumped up, slashing his now-active saber at Rowen's chest. He jumped away, spun in mid-air and fired a bolt of bright blue lightning from each of his fingers; striking Rowen with ferocity.
The lightning illuminated Rowen's body with a fearsome blue shine. After the light finally died down, Rowen was grinning a smile as wide as the river Nile. Much to the Spoon's horror, Rowen jumped forward and delivered a punch to his chest. With strength that could have rivaled Kimi's, magnified by his Flan-I training; Spoony was knocked clear across the room. He slammed into a wall and tumbled to the ground with a grunt.
“Now that was FUN! Most powerful Flan-I of them all... isn't that what they called you?” Rowen laughed with glee. Rowen's power was off the charts.
Spoony pushed himself up and glanced around the room quickly. Things were getting desperate. He could see The Professor and Avenger, both injured from the earlier battle. Jimi and Hammah were still unconscious, and that meant he was all on his own.
The Spoon stood up and with no other choices visible in his mind he began to concentrate. He would have to summon up all of his powers and make one last stand against Rowen – a dangerous task indeed. He did not know the extent of the fallen Flan-I's powers, but he did not like his odds. With the Birthday Gnome having such power, there was only one thing he could do.
He began to concentrate and slowly a light began to build around his body. He was searching his soul and finding every last trace of his powers; a terrifying idea. However, before he could come close to gathering up all of his strength, Rowen vanished from where he was standing in a flash of Chaos Control and reappeared behind the Spoon. In one swift motion he slammed a fist glowing with lightning into Spoony's back and sent Teh City's leader flying across the room, rendering him unconscious.
“Game over, you lose.” Rowen smirked as lightning cracked and hissed from the palm of his hand.
“Feels like we've been standing around for months.” Kimi complained loudly as she looked out at the open seas. She, Sama and the Flan-I Trio had made their way to a cliff that overlooks Teh Bay. They had defeated Sanders, saved Mustang and made sure that the Spoon would have his job back as soon as things calmed down.
“Relax.” HA was kneeling by the very edge of the cliff side, looking down at the water below. He held a telescope to his unmasked eye and seemed to be scanning the surface of the water.
“It's of the utmost importance that every Flan-I have the patience of a Saint, for the lack of discipline and patience when in battle is a mistake that can claim the life of even the most skilled and battle-ready.” Crystal Rose said, holding her index finger up like a teacher lecturing her students. Then her face fell and she uttered a sigh: “But still, this is taking a while HA.”
The half-masked Flantom groaned and ran his hand through his hair. His friends could be very annoying sometimes. “Look, we all agreed that the best way to stop the Birthday Gnome is to go back to the guy who sold him to me. My contact is the kind of guy who thinks everyone is out to skin him alive. He might not even SHOW at all with you guys here.”
“Maybe we should leave.” Sama suggested, his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree that sat on the cliff side.
“No way!” Tazzy objected at once, jumping up from where she had been sitting on the edge with her legs dangling off the cliff. “We don't know what the Gnome – or CHoW – might be up to. HA, you're tough, but you can't take LASOOF and that Gnome all by yourself. We have to stick together.”
“Well said.” Crystal agreed.
“Yeah, it's a good point . . . but WE could still leave.” Kimi said as she leaned her elbow against Sama's head, using him as a armrest while she floated in the air.
“Nope, you can't.” Crystal shook her head. “Like Tazzy said, we can't split up right now... and since this is a official Flan-I Mission, that means Sama's sticking with us tonight.”
Sama scratched the back of his head as Kimi increased the pressure on his noggin from her elbow, clearly showing her annoyance with her sidekick's career path. “Well . . . I guess you guys would get pummeled if you didn't have me around.”
“Yeah, 'cause we can't win a fight without your expert help.” HA replied, his voice full of the usual sarcasm.
All at once, something moved across the surface of the water. HA held up a hand for silence and the other Flan-I fell quiet. Kimi opened her mouth to say something, not being familiar with the signal but Sama clapped a hand over her mouth.
Next, without warning, something gigantic sprang up from the shadowy waters. A long, hideous appendage rose from the dark depth, it was long and snakelike but with a gigantic mouth at the end with long, protruding fangs.
Sama gave a nervous gulp when he saw the creature and both Crystal and Tazzy moved their hands to their waists, taking a hold of the flansaber's on their belts. HA waved them off, however, as he stood up and faced the monstrous mouth.
“Avatar of Doom. It has been a long time.” The mouth opened suddenly, speaking in a quiet, vicious voice. What was worse than the voice, though, was what was inside the mouth. Instead of a tongue or uvula, or even a throat – there was one gigantic eye.
“I think I'm going to be sick.” Sama muttered, moving his hand from muting Kimi to covering his own mouth like a seasick sailor.
“That's the single nastiest thing I've ever seen.” Kimi said as her eyes locked with the monster's mouth-eye.
Crystal, though, shot a glance to HA. “'Avatar of Doom'? Doesn't anyone have a nice nickname for you?”
“I'm actually rather fond of that one.” HA replied with a chuckle. The monstrous eye-mouth creature snapped its jaws and drool (or, perhaps, ocular fluid) fell from the jagged fangs. HA turned his face back to the monster.
“Hello Sal. How's life under the seas?” HA asked with a half-smirk.
“Don't patronize me.” 'Sal' the monster mouth-eye growled. “You did not come alone. You and ALWAYS supposed to come alone!”
HA rubbed the back of his neck. “I know, and I apologize... but you know me, Sal, they wouldn't be here if it wasn't absolutely necessary.”
Sal let loose another deep, throaty growl. “I will forgive you this time... only because I am a fan of them.”
Kimi and Sama blinked and exchanged glances with one another.
“Did he just say...”
“... he's our fan?”
Sal turned his eye to them. “Yes, indeed I am! I am Salvatore, monster who dwells within this bay. I've often seen your exploits on the nine o'clock news, and occasionally when you fight near the bay. I even bought a T-Shirt... but obviously it doesn't fit me well.”
HA shook his head and muttered. “Sal, you overgrown squid, quit gawking at those two; there's a reason I summoned you here.”
Sal let out what may have been a sigh, though his sounds were different from human noises. Perhaps because he was a sea monster, or maybe because he had a eye for a throat. “Of course. What do you need, my friend?”
“Remember that Gnome you sold me?” HA grinned.
Suddenly Sal moved down so that his mouth-eye was inches away from HA. The size difference in the two was now more noticeable than ever – had Sal's mouth not doubled as a eye-socket, he could have fit the Flan-I Master in his jaws. For a moment, it looked like Salvatore might try.
“I warned you. I warned you that Birthday Gnome have a truly terrifying power.” Sal growled, this time he sounded as cruel as a tyrant.
HA shook his head. “You were right, my friend. You were right. Now that Gnome has teamed up with some of our enemies and they're up to something. Not only that, but... I've done my homework. Today happens to be the birthday of one of our most dangerous enemies. And there's four more birthdays coming between now and January. I need to know how to stop the Gnome.”
Salvatore threw his neck back and let out a long, harsh howl into the night sky. He sounded like he was in a vicious mood. Then he moved back down to see HA, his eye seemed to narrow. “I'll have to be careful with what magical monsters I sell you from now on... anyway, destroying him will not be simple, but I know someone who can help.”
HA clapped his hands. “Alright Sal! I knew you'd come through for me!”
Sal shook his head. “Hold on. This person can destroy the Gnome... but I warn you, he can also be... dangerous.”
HA shrugged. “Eh, that's nothing new. Get him for us, okay?”
Salvatore looked reluctant, but then he nodded. “Very well . . . I will return soon.” And with those words, the giant Salvatore slowly sank back down into the darkness of Teh Bay below.
Sitting beneath Teh Bay is a truly odd scene. Aside from the remains of CHoW and Rowen's destroyed giant Mecha and a few crashed planes from Professor Spork's fleet, there is a building. This one is not the remains of a skyscraper thrown to the bay during a battle. This building was built underwater. The entire facility is made entirely of glass, with no metal or stone anywhere to be found. The glass gave off an eerie glow from some magical light source, it was the only light of any kind beneath the bay.
Though the building was gigantic and elaborate, it housed only a single person. A man who sat on a small bench, his hands folded in front of him. He wore a red bandanna tied around his head and had a scarlet scarf that covered his mouth and nose. His body was draped in a crimson cape, beneath it his clothes looked like red bandages tied around him.
At the edge of the facility, a door opened. The gigantic shape of Salvatore appeared at the gate. He opened his mouth and began to make sputtering noises; the eye shot from out of his throat and smacked into the glass floor of the building. There was a explosion of smoke and the eye had turned into Salvatore's true form.
He was a extraordinarily skinny man, his skin a deep cerulean like the seas he had come from. His head was long and looked like a cylinder. A single eye seemed to move all around the head of the odd man, going from the bottom to top, front to back; it seemed to 'swim' across his head. His arms and legs were thin and his fingers and toes were extra long, with webbing between the joints like a duck's foot.
“Man in the Crimson Cape, I have come to see you.”
Salvatore walked through the facility, going through the different halls and making different turns. He could see the man in the crimson cape through the glass walls of the facility. The man made no movements the entire time.
“I am Salvatore, Observer of Life and Death.” He announced his true identity, a secret that even HA did not know.
“I know who you are.” The Man in the Crimson Cape replied, not bothering to lift his head. His voice was horse and throaty, as if he had not spoken in a long time. In truth it had been years since the last time he had used his voice.
Salvatore stepped up to the outside of the room the man was in. It seemed to be a prison cell of some kind. He pressed his webbed hand to the door and a light shimmered all around the room.
“. . . Super Kimi and Wonder Sama.” Salvatore spoke the names of the heroes, but said nothing else. The reaction from the Man in the Crimson Cape was immediate. He jumped from where he sat and ran to the door with incredible speed, throwing both of his fists against the wall with all of his strength. The glass would have shattered, but the shimmering lights caused by Salvatore's hand seemed to keep the door in place.
After a few moments of the man's repeated pounding and kicking of the door, he finally seemed to calm down. He crossed his arms and looked out to Salvatore. His eyes were gray and lifeless. “You dare to speak those names to me?”
“They need your help. The Birthday Gnome is gaining strength, and using CHoW and Rowen. He had given Rowen intense strength... Rowen will destroy all those who oppose LASOOF... and then the Gnome will devour him and gain immortality.” Sal explained the sticky situation. “The only way for this to be stopped... is if the Cavern is Opened.”
The Man in the Crimson Cape looked up at Salvatore when he mentioned this 'cavern'. For a moment, it looked like he might have another outburst of anger and attack – but he did not. Instead he threw back his head and began to laugh, cackling to himself. Apparently he found the whole situation to be hilarious.
When his laughter died down, he stood up and faced Sal.
“Fine,” He muttered. “I'll open the Cavern. Sure... but, first, can I ask you just one thing?”
Salvatore crossed his arms and looked at the Crimson Caped man. “... Alright. What is it?”
There was a dark spark in his eyes. “Do you really trust me to do this? How can you be sure I won't just kill Kimi and Sama the moment I see them?”
Sal stood motionless for a long time. The only movement he made was a gentle rapping of his knuckles against the back of his other webbed-hand. Finally, he locked eyes with the Man in the Crimson Cape and spoke, in a clear, matter-of-fact voice: “If you kill them now, the Gnome will have won the day. Is taking their lives really that important to you? The entire world, nay! The entire universe shall meet it's end if the Gnome is victorious... if the price of stopping that is for Super Kimi and Wonder Sama to die . . . then so be it.”
Salvatore turned away, knowing that by agreeing to this he would betray his friend and long-time customer, HA. Still, he had no other options.
“If the Gnome dies, I will not interfere in your revenge. You may do whatever you like to them.”
Kimi sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, her legs dangling off the side. She was deep in thought as the moon was shining overhead. Rowen was super-powerful, their friends were in serious trouble and right now they had all of their hope riding on a Sea Monster who was a friend of HA. A precarious situation to be in. Worst of all, though, was that she was completely helpless to change the tides of their predicament. For all her powers, on this one occasion, she could do nothing to help her friends.
“You look upset.” Kimi did not immediately acknowledge Sama as he sat down next to her. Though eventually the feeling of him staring at her became too annoying to block out and she finally turned her head.
“What's the point to all this?” Kimi sighed. “WE're supposed to be the heroes. Us. You and me. We should be out there beating Bucket-head and Ninja-boy until their heads swell up and turn purple. Instead we're just sitting here, waiting on... on... who knows what!”
She heard a sigh from her right and saw that Sama was just as stressed as she was. He rubbed the back of his head and cast his gaze out to the bay below them. “Yeah... you're right. We're just sitting around... but we don't have a choice in the matter. We need all the help we can get.”
Kimi clenched her fist tightly, looking like she was so dissatisfied with that answer that she wanted to punch something. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Sama would sent flying if she vented on him, and if she were to strike the ground... it might very well topple the cliff the crime fighters sat on into the bay.
As that idea crossed her mind, Kimi cast a glance at the bay. That's when she saw something move across the dark top of the waters.
“Hey... did you see that?” Kimi asked, leaning forward.
“Hmm?” Sama blinked and looked at the bay. “See what? Is it Seymour?”
“I thought his name was Sal...” Kimi blinked, remembering the giant sea monster with the eye in his jaws. She shook her head. “Whatever his name was, no, it wasn't him! It looked like... a person.”
There was a popping sound, much like a gunshot, and thick scarlet smoke erupted just behind the superhero duo. Sama was caught in a coughing spell while Kimi allowed herself to fall off the edge of the cliff to avoid being peppered by the gas, instead choosing to fly up and over it. The others with them quickly ran over as they saw the smoke rise up from the ground.
“What's going on!?” HA demanded, his saber sparking to life.
“Kimi? Sama? You two okay?” Crystal called out, unable to see the heroes from behind the red fog.
“We're alright.” Kimi replied, causing her friends to look up above the smoke to see her floating above. “At least, until whoever just showed up shows themselves.”
The smoke finally began to thin and clear, revealing the ominous shape of the Man in the Crimson Cape. Several sabers cracked and buzzed as they jumped into life, ready to defend their owners if the necessity came.
“Relax. Sal sent me. I'm here to help.” Crimson Cape announced as he looked to both his left and right to see several flansabers glowing beneath the twilight skies.
HA took a step forward. “And who are you?”
“...” He did not answer right away. “That is not important. All that matters is that I know the secrets to defeating the Gnome. My identity and my reasons for helping you are my own; ask me again and I shall offer you no aid.”
Avatar clearly was dissatisfied with that answer, his eyes narrowing. However, Crystal stepped forward, her saber returned to her belt and her arms crossed. “Okay...” She said quietly, peering at the mysterious man in red. “... Then tell us.”
The Man in the Crimson Cape paused once more, tapping his chin with his index finger. He paused and then turned away from the group, instead setting his sights on Kimi and Sama. “First thing is first; Rowen. He's got all of her strength, speed and physical abilities added to his own powers. At this rate, he'll kill you all. However... there is a way to stop both the Gnome and Rowen.”
He lifted his hands and turned them over so his palms were facing up. Red light began to shimmer in between his fingers and suddenly there was a small, floating holographic image in the skies. It was of a calendar.
“The Gnome can only die on the First of January... which is still a couple months away.”
“Eh?” Sama blinked, scratching his head. “But I thought...”
“A COUPLE MONTHS AWAY.” Crimson Cape repeated angrily, in a oh-so-subtle jab at the lazy jackass who writes this stuff.[/brokenfourthwall] “Anyway... I have the power to fast-forward the current time-line.”
Elsewhere in Teh City, the always-mysterious Phazon was busy working on a project of his own to attempt to bring on the Gnome's Downfall. Just as he was mixing a few choice chemicals under the watchful eye of Ema Skye, he suddenly doubled over, clutching his forehead.
“You okay?” Ema asked, worried.
“... My Flan-senses are going crazy...” He whispered. “... My powers are very sensitive to any distortion of the time-line.”
Ema blinked. “You mean, time travel, or something?”
“Yeah.” Phazon sighed, setting down the chemical container. “Well, maybe it'll be the Bender-esque kind of Time Travel that doesn't need to be thought a lot about.”
“In other words... we should all just not think too much about the time travel since it's nothing more than a excuse for someone's complete laziness?” Ema suggested, playing with her pink glasses.
Phazon nodded. “Exactly! So let's not think too hard about this... all of us... meaning the people who are reading these words right now.”
“... Anyway,” Crimson Cape continued. “There are several of you with a birthday between now and then... and for each birthday, the Gnome's powers will only increase. However, because of my intervention, none of you will be subjected to any special ill-effects... though, it means Rowen will keep the new powers he has obtained until the Gnome is killed.”
Kimi groaned. “No, no, NO! I'm the only one around here who gets super powers!” She crossed her arms.
Sama scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, and I'm not too big on making the situation for us worse. I mean, if the Gnome gets extra powers... how do we stop him?”
Crimson Cape rounded on Sama, narrowing his lifeless, gray eyes. The messy-haired sidekick gulped and took a step back, almost tumbling off the side of the cliff. Luckily Kimi grabbed the front of his jacket to stop him from plummeting.
“... You don't. Only she has the power to stop the Gnome... and right now, she can't even do that.” Crimson Cape spat.
Kimi blinked. “You know, I have a NAME! It's Kimi! Not 'her' or 'she'!”
Crimson Cape turned away from her, completely ignoring her sudden rant. That only caused Kimi to become more irritated than before, but instead of letting that cloud her judgment she instead took a breath, calmed down and then asked: “... So how do I stop him?”
“You must awaken a great power that slumbers within yourself.” Crimson Cape replied, turning back to the superhero. “When you gained your powers – originally – by eating a piece of the Master Flan... on that day, you also gained the potential for other powers. Powers usually only available to those who guard the Flan.”
While Kimi did not understand, a suddenly look of knowing appeared in her eyes. She did realize where this was heading.
“Mojohanna. She can teach you to unlock those powers.” The Man in the Crimson Cape explained, confirming the glimmer that had sprang up in Kimi's eyes. “However... it usually takes several years to achieve the powers you will need.”
HA shook his head. “That sounds reassuring.”
Crimson Cape did as he usually did and paused for a while before speaking. “... In that respect, I cannot help. You can only hope that Mojohanna can teach that girl to find her powers before it is too late.”
At this point a chilly wind blew by, ruffling the capes of the Flan-I, the back of Sama's unzipped jacket and Kimi long hair. As the frigid breeze came by, Tazzy took a step forward as she rubbed her forearms.
“What do you mean, 'too late'? If you can control time... couldn't you back things up? Or speed things to the next New Year?” She asked, looking to the Man in the Crimson Cape.
Crimson Cape crossed his arms, leaned back and looked to Tazzy. “... As I said, this entire plan is a gamble. If time is sped up, then the Gnome will gain powers from each birthday between now and the New Year. He will be made immortal and invincible. The one and only chance to destroy him will be on the first – after that, he will forever solidify his strength and there is none among you with the power to kill him.”
“Peachy.” HA yawned.
Crimson Cape shrugged his shoulders. Apparently the fate of the world wasn't something that he held in high importance. “It is your only chance. What good does it do to complain? Now, if you will take my help, I will make the time begin to tick down... by the time we reach the first, you must make sure that the girl has the powers she needs.”
He paused. Unlike his previous pauses, this one was longer and seemed deeper. A spark lit up in his eyes, as if an idea had just crossed his mind. A depraved idea born of darkness and desperation. “. . . There is something else I can do to help, however. Though, I will need some help. I need someone to come with me to retrieve a object. With it, I can perhaps seal the Gnome's power to some degree.”
Sama blinked. “You're really cryptic, aren't you?”
Crimson Cape ignored him, instead shooting him a vicious glare. Though his reasons were not clear, and his identity masked; one thing was perfectly obvious – the Man in the Crimson Cape hated Kimi and Sama. So much so that he avoided talking to them, even when talking about them.
“... You. Tazzy.” Crimson Cape turned to the girl in purple. “Your birthday is one of the ones in question... so then, it must be you who comes with me to retrieve my item.”
“Eh?” Tazzy blinked, a bit confused.
“Hold on!” Crystal shook her head, stepping forward. “You want us to split up? Why not take HA and I too...”
“No.” Crimson Cape shook his head. “Only those who have a birthday between now and the first can obtain the item. That girl and Mojohanna need to train... I don't think Rowen will help us, and the Professor is not here. That leaves only Tazzy.”
Tazzy looked to her friends and shrugged. The Man in the Crimson Cape nodded and stepped forward. Without another word, he placed a hand on her shoulder and snapped his other fingers; instantly they vanished in a puff of gigantic red smoke. As Crystal looked on with worried eyes, there was a suddenly violent rumble on the ground.
On the side of the cliff, a slab of rock that made up the base of the shoreline was moving to the side. Behind the cliff was actually a cavern. Old, dark and filled with spiderwebs the cave seemed to be perfect for secret training to save the world during the eleventh hour. Kimi sighed and ran a hand through her hair. This was going to be a long night.
“This is all good and stuff...” Sama said, an obvious objection on the tip of his tongue. “... but am I the only one who noticed that Joha isn't here?”
“We don't put much stock in what you do or don't notice.” The unmistakable voice of Mojohanna, Rapid Island's Guardian, called from behind him. Instinctively, Sama flinched and threw up his arms to protect his cranium from the crack of chopsticks. However, no smash came. He blinked and looked up to see what the others had seen from the moment they turned to her voice.
Mojohanna was there, alright. Just not in the physical sense. A large television set was floating in the sky in front of them on a hover jet. Kimi blinked, recognizing the television immediately, just not the person on the screen.
“Uh... Joha? Did we get a new Mayor... again?” Kimi stammered.
Joha blinked. “Eh? Oh, the set! No, nothing like that. I just figured since Spoony's out of his office I'd have a little fun... but fun-time is over. Kimi, get to that cave! It's time for training!”
Kimi sighed. “Okay Joha.” She started to turn around, but suddenly a mechanical arm came from the side of the television set and whacked Kimi across the scalp with a large stick it had grabbed from the ground. It wasn't a chopstick, but it still held similarities to Joha's familiar disciplinary style.
“Oww!” Kimi spun around, rubbing her head.
“That's Joha-sensei until training is over!” Joha said with the traces of a smirk on her lips.
GoldenSama - January 23, 2008 08:43 AM (GMT)
“What is this place?”
Tazzy was standing in the enormous glass complex that sat beneath the seas. Salvatore was nowhere to be found, it was just the Man in the Crimson Cape keeping her company. He had his arms crossed and was staring out the glass wall towards a room that was very far away.
“... This place,” Crimson Cape sighed as he looked over to Tazzy. “Is my prison. Built to house me once Salvatore found me.”
“Prison?” Tazzy's eyebrow rose up on her forehead and instinctively her hand moved towards her belt, coming to a rest on the hilt of the flansaber she depended on.
Crimson Cape took his usual pause before speaking. “... The time has yet to come for my story to be told. For now, concern yourself on getting the lock.”
Tazzy was suspicious. She was in a underwater complex made of glass, alone other than a man she did not know and could not trust. Tazzy turned her immediate concerns onto the 'lock' he mentioned. She was about to ask him about it when he began to explain.
“The lock is a powerful artifact that can seal away someone's powers, permanently. One blast of it and it can seal the Gnome's strength... at least until the second day of January. That will give the girl and her partner a chance to stop it.” Crimson Cape explained.
The purple Flan-I then asked the same question Kimi had, though in a more subtle tone. “What's your connection to Kimi and Sama?”
“. . .” Crimson Cape's pause, this time, was more than just a pause. The silence did not break. He turned his back to her and the eerie blanket of pure quiet fell on the glass structure. Almost five minutes passed by until it came to and end, when Crimson Cape's words had nothing to do with her question.
“You should hurry and get my lock. Otherwise, we'll never stop the Gnome.” Crimson Cape spoke silently.
One of the glass doors on the wall in front of them opened, revealing a path in the twisted corridors that was there for Tazzy to take. She had a forbidding feeling about this whole situation, but with so much at stake she shrugged off her nerves and headed down the hallway.
As she turned the corners and ran down the hallways, several thoughts were occurring to her. She realized that this was the perfect trap for her. The entire structure was made of glass, meaning her earthbending would be completely useless. Being under the bay, her firebending wouldn't be much better. That left only her most basic Flan-I abilities, and it seemed like lately those wouldn't be enough.
“I don't like this... we don't know this guy in red... but I know he's been in this prison. An underwater prison . . . what could he have done that was bad enough to warrant being confined under the bay, all alone?”
After what seemed like an eternity of walking down the twisting, winding corridors she found herself in a much larger room. It was round and appeared to be the lowest point in the structure. Looking ahead, she saw a round pole in the middle of the room, also made mostly of glass. However, in the middle of the pole was a cylindrical section that was made from some kind of metal. It was suspicious enough that it was probably where the lock was being kept – or a trap. The only way she would know for sure would be to open it.
Tazzy walked towards the lock, but suddenly something appeared in front of her. It came from right out of thin air – apparently it was a guardian of whatever was sealed inside the pole. The beast was gigantic and covered in scales, with webbed hands and feet and gills on the sides of it neck. The monster's face looked a lot like a piranha, with rows of jagged teeth lining the mouth.
Instead of speaking, the monster made a high-pitching yelping noise and jumped forward. It's mouth moved at incredible speeds and it's jaws snapped and snapped as it dove at Tazzy. She jumped back away from the beast and activated her saber, slashing it as soon as she could.
The fish-monster avoided it, though, showing surprising speed. It then charged at her again but she was able to jump clear over the monster and land on the other side of the room. She threw a punch – obviously too far for her fist to connect with her foe. From out of her knuckles bright flames shot forth, forming a ball of heat as they flew at the piranha man and struck him in the chest.
“Alright! Somebody get the butter, we've got fresh fishsticks!” Tazzy grinned as the monster toppled over onto the ground. All at once, though, it punched a scaly hand through the floor causing water to shoot up and douse the flames. The glass floor seemed to repair itself automatically as the fish-monster withdrew his hand.
“Whoa...” Tazzy gulped, but then an idea came to her. She smirked and held out her hand. The monster got up and began another charge, ready to sink his teeth into her outstretched palm – but a blast of jarring lightning blazed forth and struck the fish-beast, who was still soaked from the water. There was a bright flash of brilliant blue bolts and the aquatic foe was felled.
Turning away from the defeated fish-monster, Tazzy placed the tips of all five fingers on her right hand onto the cylinder. She closed her eyes and concentrated very hard on the cool metal she touched. Bending metal required absolute patience and self-control, as well as a will even stronger than the steel she attempted to bend. After several tense seconds, the metal broke away and fell to the floor.
She opened her eyes to see a old, gray padlock. It was nothing special, rust covered the bottom and the locking hinge was worn and scratched. She took it from out of the pole slowly and held it in the palms of her hands, looking at it in the dim light given off by the magical glass walls.
Suddenly there was a pop like a gunshot and the burst of scarlet smoke that signaled the arrival of Crimson Cape. He stood behind Tazzy, his hands outstretched and his gray eyes so wide they looked as if they would fall from their sockets.
“That lock...” He muttered, as if in a trance. “Let me have it! Without it, I cannot stop the Gnome!”
Tazzy backed up away from him a bit until her back bumped against the glass pole she had retrived the lock from. She held the lock to her chest protectively. “Hang on! I'll give it to you, but first I want to know --”
“NO TIME!” Crimson Cape shouted. “I need the lock! Time may feel like it is moving normally, but in reality it has already been several days since we came down here! No one will feel like time has sped up, but it has! We are drawing ever closer to January 1st! I must have that lock back – NOW!”
Tazzy bit her lip. The way he longed for the lock scared her. It was as if his entire life was tied into the old, gray padlock she held. She had seen enough super villains in her day to recognize the tell-tale signs, and her gut was telling her that if Crimson Cape got his hands on the lock, it would spell disaster.
“What will you do with the lock?” Tazzy demanded to know.
Crimson Cape narrowed his eyes, and his voice became vicious. “Fool! What does it MATTER!? There is a very narrow window to stop the Gnome – if you don't give that lock to me, right now, we are all doomed! If you care at all for your friends, then give it to me!”
“It is okay.”
Tazzy looked to the right side of the room, as did Crimson Cape. Salvatore stood there, in his human form. She did not recognize this form, but she could sense that it was the sea monster from before. Flan-senses of not, though, she was even more confused now.
“Taz-won Benobi,” Salvatore said, stepping forward from the corner. “His intent is a evil one, that much is true... but against the Gnome without his help, there is no hope. Against him, once this is done... I have no doubt that Kimi and Sama would prevail.”
Crimson Cape didn't seem to care, or even notice, what was being said about him. His eyes had not left the sight of the lock. It was all he cared about.
Tazzy reluctantly reached out and handed him the lock. Crimson Cape, the very instant the lock touched his hand, screamed out in delight and snatched it away. He ran a few feet across the room and then he turned to Tazzy and Salvatore with a devilish glint in his dead, gray eyes.
“... Thank you. I no longer have need of either of you.” Salvatore held up his lock and there was a flash of light; and suddenly the glass shattered . . .
“. . . Wonder what's going on down there.”
Crystal, HA and Sama were still on the side of the cliff. They still had not heard from their missing friends at LASOOF HQ, nor was there any sign of their newly-vanished friends from in the cave or at the ocean floor.
“Do you mean the cave or wherever Tazzy went to?” HA asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Both.” Crystal replied, putting her chin in the palm of her hand. “You think she's okay?”
“Which one?” HA yawned, leaning back.
“Either one.” It was Sama's turn to chime in, he seemed just as concerned and miserable as Crystal.
Avatar clenched his fist tight. “All this sitting around and worrying is driving me crazy! And sitting around listening to you two sad-saps... bah, you're even more annoying than when you're way-too-optimistic.”
“Which of us are you talking about?” Crystal blinked.
“Either one.” HA growled back, crossing his arms.
Sama scratched the back of his head, letting out a small sigh. “Come on, let's not get annoyed with each other.”
“You kidding? Pinky here always annoys me... all the bright colors and cheerful laughing... and you're so optimistic it makes me wanna spew.” Avatar leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. His ordinary eye closed, while the eye shrouded by the half-mask from his previous death remained open.
“Well it annoys ME when you let that leech sleep on the couch!” Crystal snapped back, not her usual cheerful self with her best friend missing beneath the bay.
“And it annoys me that the three of you are still breathing.”
The three Flan-I on the cliff's ledge all froze at the new voice. While they were all on edge thanks to the danger and the unknown fates of their friends, this one simple sentence had suddenly drained them of their bad moods and united them as a team once again. It had nothing to do with what was said . . . only who said it.
“Wenny!”
“Whoa! Nice armor.”
“Aw, 'taters.”
There was a pause. Rowen, still in his new armor and spiked suit from the Gnome's influence, blinked twice. “'Taters'? You're getting lazier.”
Instantly there were several flashes of light. Pink, blue, green and a dark teal – the flansabers roared to life with loud buzzing sounds. Naturally the three warriors were on their feet, facing Rowen without fear in their eyes. In fact, the concern, worry and downright bad moods they had been plunged into were only making the idea of defeating the Fallen Flan-I even sweeter.
Rowen stood his ground, unflinching. The three Flan-I charged at him and he activated his double-ended saber in preparation of their arrival. Avatar was the first to reach him, slashing his quad-bladed sabers (shaped like a 'H' and a 'A', respectively) right at Rowen.
In a blight blue burst, Rowen was behind him. His powers had accelerated so much he no longer needed to speak the words 'Chaos Control' to activate his powers. He kicked HA in the back, knocking him down to the ground and sending him skidding across the grass. Rowen's increased speed and strength had made one of their most dangerous foes even worse.
Crystal was next, and while she had only her single saber, she swung it with experience and knowledge that far-surpassed her former student. Crystal's blade buzzed as it slashed; but with a loud hum Rowen's red blade caught the pink one and blocked her strike. She jumped back to prepare a second strike, but Rowen's free hand flashed with green and a Chaos Spear flew into his former teacher, sending her flying before she had a chance.
Sama made his move, attempting to attack Rowen with both of his blades – but he never made it that far. A single red saber blocked his blue blade as he ran towards Rowen, sending the cerulean flansaber falling away. Sama spun around to see CHoW.
“I don't care how many birthdays come to pass,” CHoW hissed, raising his blade. “When it comes to you and Kimi, I'll be the one to land the final blow!”
Sama shook his head. “I really don't have time for you tonight.” He held up his now-free hand and belted CHoW with a green bolt of lightning. The impact was so great it sent the Vader-esque helmet flying into the air – and CHoW flying off the side of the cliff.
The sidekick turned around, now ready to fight Rowen, only to find the villainous LASOOFer waiting for him. Rowen held up his hand and silently activated a 'Chaos Blast' – the great red explosion knocked Sama's green saber from his hand, while simultaneously sending Sama on a collision course with a tall tree.
“You three are pathetic.” Rowen scoffed. By now, Avatar was on his feet again. He pulled back his cape and from it's inner folds, a anaconda-sized leech leaped at Rowen, thirsty for his blood. While Shannon frequently sucked the blood out of Sama's head, that was a playful gesture – right now she was attacking, and would use her full strength. Had she bitten Rowen, she could have drained him of four pints of blood in a matter of seconds.
Unfortunately, she never made it. Rowen blasted her with a Chaos Control, causing the leech to reappear right above HA. Shannon accidentally bit her owner, and while she made quick work to detach and not leave him half-empty of blood, the special chemicals in her saliva kept the wound open and HA's blood flowing out of the teeth marks on his forehead.
“Hey Pinky, I could use some healing!” He yelled to Crystal.
She had landed by the shore after being hit with the Chaos Spear. She nodded and stood up, ready to lend a waterbending cure to her friend's forehead – that's when all of the sudden the surface of the water exploded and a ominous, shadowy figure rose high into the sky.
Salvatore, a sea-monster once more, coughed viciously and something flew from out of his mouth. It was not his single, misplaced eye – but a pigtailed girl in purple. Tazzy soared right to the ground; unfortunately landing on Crystal in the process.
Crystal blinked, a bit winded from having a monster spit a person on her head, but after spotting Tazzy she quickly forgot her tiredness (and the battle) and engulfed her friend in a huggle. “You're OKAY! I'm so relieved!”
“Y-Yeah, I'm fine...” Tazzy sputtered. “... that was SCARY!” She said, imitating Mallow.
((Ten thousand year supply of win for whoever gets that reference.))
Rowen stepped forward, cracking his gloved knuckles. “I'm glad you're alive... because now I get to kill you!”
“That's it, Coojie!” Crystal snapped, narrowing her eyes. “I'm not sending you a Christmas card this year!”
There was suddenly a clap like thunder, and sitting on Rowen's head appeared the small, white-bearded man in the red hat. The Birthday Gnome grinned to the female Flan-I's. “Who cares about a Christmas Card? Thanks to ol' red, it'll be Christmas in about two minutes – and the second of January in ten!”
“Meh?” Sama had lifted himself up off the ground. “Say what, now?”
Tazzy snapped her fingers, remembering everything that happened underwater. “That guy in red betrayed us! He took the lock and then tried to kill me and Sal!”
“WHAT!?” Avatar roared, then he stumbled. The head-wound was throwing off his balance. “Oi... this is just great... I'm a mess, you two look pretty beat up yourselves... Sama's unconscious... we're running out of allies!”
Rowen began to laugh; a deep, throaty cackle. “More than you think... your friends at LASOOF's HQ... The Spork, Avenger, those Clones... your precious, Spoon of a Leader... they're all lying locked in my dungeon right now, waiting for death to take them. I'll send you all on ahead to wait for them.”
The super-charged Rowen started forward, enjoying the fear in the eyes of the three Flan-I in front of him. It was true that Kimi and Sama were the foes he wanted to defeat the most, but these three... all of them had been there during his training. Their destruction meant a great deal to Rowen.
Suddenly there was a bright ball of fire that cut the night sky in twain and struck Rowen in the back of the head. The Gnome vanished to safety just seconds before impact. Rowen spun around to see the one who had produced the ball of fire – Professor AGOI.
“WHAT!? Impossible! You... I cut you... you shouldn't be able to stand for at least three days!” Rowen bellowed.
The Professor stepped forward and smirked. “You spent a lot of time with the Professor... you should know better than to leave him alone. Always thinking... thought of this plan.”
Rowen blinked. “What?... Are you talking in third-person?”
The Professor laughed. “Oh, sorry... didn't I explain? Spork, Avenger, bro and that Spoony... they all combined their powers to heal me. Spoon even used some flashy-thing to make me look like the Professor, and let me use his keyblade!”
“Oh, I hate that flashy thing!” There was a new voice, this one female. Rowen looked over his shoulder to see Joha standing on her flying, chopstick-made surfboard. “Once played a real cheap trick on me with that.”
Rowen clenched his fist. Now he was getting annoyed. Professor Jimi in front of him had shown up at just the right time to try save the Flan-I; and now the Guardian too had arrived. He did not know if it was his Flan-senses, or just the common variety – but he knew what was coming next.
Joha's surfboard fired a blast of lightning from the tip that struck Rowen from the right. Professor Jimi used a Thundaga to call down a bolt of thunder on the villain's head – and just for kicks, the Flan-I Trio used the opportunity to use their cerulean blasts of electricty.
The result was a gigantic flash of blue and yellow lightning that mixed together and swirled into a storm there on the ground. The explosion was so fantastic that it cracked the entire cliffside, breaking apart the grass and rocks and stones and threatening to collapsed everything.
When the smoke cleared, Rowen was on his knees. Fumes floated up from his body and sparks of electricity jumped between strands of his hair. He panted heavily, coughing and sputtering. However, at length, he got back to his feet.
“... I've got super powers, now.” Rowen smirked. “You... can't... urgh...” He collapsed back down, unconscious.
Professor Jimi rubbed the back of his head. “Took everything we had... but we finally stopped him.” All at once, he blinked a bright flash and turned gray. There was a puff of smoke and he wound up on the ground, once again Jimi. The powers granted to him by the Custard-I and the temporary disguise given to him by the Spoon were gone.
Joha landed next to the Flan-I Trio and offered a hand helping them to their feet. “You guys okay?”
“None of you are.”
As always seems to happen in these moments, heads turned. The eyes in those heads all saw the same thing; the Birthday Gnome floating in the skies above them. He was glowing with a deep magenta and wind seemed to swirl around his body. His eyes shone like rubies in the blackness of night.
“In exactly thirty seconds, I will achieve immortali—rrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaarrrraaagggghhhhhhhhh!”
The scoff turned to a scream as he grabbed his head. A small cloud of mist hit him from behind and steam began to pour from his body. He roared and scratched at his own forehead, but the unmistakable design of a padlock was suddenly etched onto the skin where he had been clawing seconds earlier. He let out a second, piercing scream and then began to shake.
“Perfect shot!” Phazon grinned. He was standing not far away, holding a super-soaker. It was filled with the same odd batch of chemicals that he had gotten Ema and Rikku to help him make earlier. “Mixing Luminol with a Super Potion... who'd have thought it'd make a Gnome-paralyzing spray?”
The ground shook once more. Then, from the cracks made by the lightning before, a figure erupted from the ground. She was dripping wet, covered in mud and her hair was matted. Her eyes were red and her clothes filthy. The smile on Kimi's face, though, was unmistakable.
She lifted her arm and revealed that she was holding something. The item she had finally found as a result of her training – a old, wooden, hand-carved boomerang. She threw it without another word and it spun circles through the sky, moving as rapidly as a power-saw – and it had quite the same effect on the Gnome as it crashed into it.
With a final scream, the Gnome exploded and small dots of light fluttered down to the ground. The boomerang returned to Kimi's hand and she smirked.
“It's FINALLY over!” Kimi collapsed onto the ground behind her, panting. “Who'd have thought it... I chased a monkey, wrestled a wild boar, fought with a giant lobster who claimed to be a doctor and had to play a super computer in a game of chess.”
“Did you win?” HA asked.
“Of course I won! Turns out the secret to beating computer at chess is to throw a rock at it.” Kimi replied with a sheepish grin.
Joha coughed. “That one area of training aside, she did great! She found the Guardian's Boomerang and best of all, killed that Gnome!”
Kimi jumped up, still tired, but also happy. “Yeah! We won! The Gnome's dead, Rowen's unconscious and CHoW is . . . hey, where is chrome-dome?”
“He fell off the...” Crystal had started to explain, and naturally she looked over to the ledge where the Dark Lord had taken his tumble. What she saw standing there, however, caused her words to fail her. Her mouth remained open as her eyes widened.
Avatar whistled. Tazzy almost fainted. Joha made a gasping sound and clamped her hands to her face. Phazon had to sit down on a stump, he was so surprised.
Kimi became as white as paper, her eyes growing three times their normal size.
CHoW had pulled himself up the cliff-wall during the battle, and had just managed to make it onto the land. His first move had been to race to where his helmet fell and try to get it back on; he had been reaching for it when everyone turned his direction.
“... Damn. I'd hoped no one would see this.” Rush sighed as he let the helmet fall from his hand. The thing everyone was staring at was his face. The tomato-sauce burns that had been blamed for his insanity and evil-doing were gone. No scars, not even a blush in his cheeks. His eyes had returned to their original color as well, and his hair was blond once more.
Rush shrugged. “Well, I guess you can't keep a cat in a bag forever... but if you're waiting for an explanation...” He put his helmet back on. “... Then don't hold your breath... actually, yeah, go ahead and hold your breath; it'd make my job easier... Rowen, a Chaos Control would be really good right now.”
Behind the Flan-I, Rowen had woken up about a minute earlier. Even his jaw had dropped; apparently even he had no idea about Rush's miraculous recovery. He vanished from behind them, appeared at Rush's side long enough to grab his shoulder, and then the two vanished.
Kimi blinked once, then again; and then she passed out.
The others were silent for a long time. As they stood on the cliff side, the sun slowly began to rise. Crimson Cape's spell had worn off, just as dawn came on January 2nd. The veil of silence did not dissolve away with night's end, though. It remained in place until, after what seemed like ages, someone spoke.
“I'm as shocked as everyone else... but could someone get me out of the tree? I think my leg's asleep...” Sama coughed; apparently he had seen the whole thing from his vantage point – hanging upside down in the tree with his arms stuck beneath his back.
Time returned to normal and as it did, Teh City tried to follow suit.
The Professor, Avenger and the Clone Brothers headed back to Teh Town to prepare for tomorrow night.
“Gee Prof, what are we going to do tomorrow night?” Avenger asked.
“The same thing we do every night... watch some Sci-Fi channel, play PS2 and THEN; try to take over the world!”
Spoony was re-appointed Mayor, happily taking back his chair. Joha was all to happy to walk Mustang back to the Military Embassy – until Hawkeye got wind of the walk and insisted on tagging along. Phazon laughed as they left and prepared for a game of Stratego against the Spoon.
In the Flan-I Temple, the Trio locked themselves in the meeting room to discuss the many unsolved mysteries. The identity of the Man in the Crimson Cape, the significance of the padlock and most intriguing of all, Rush.
Rush was also the topic being discussed at the K-Tower...
“How could he...”
“Cheer up, Kimi-chan. You have a boomerang. Those are awesome!”
“... All this time... I always just felt sad...” From her seat on the couch, Kimi sighed as she spoke. “I mean, I figured Rush was being evil because of whatever they put in the sauce at Pizza the Hutt's palace... but... the burns were gone... the scars... he looked just like he did the day he left to train as a Flan-I.”
Sama scratched the back of his head. “Kimi, maybe... maybe just his skin healed. Maybe the sauce is still staining his brain...”
Kimi shook her head. “N-No... do you remember... when I got sent to the future?”
It was Sama's turn to sigh. “Yeah; every time I have a date you remind me that Blackfire kills me in the future. It's kind of a bummer when I'm on my way to the movies--”
“Hey, talking about me.” Kimi interrupted him. “Anyway, when I went to the future... I got a ray gun that was supposed to heal CHoW. Make him good again . . . it worked on future-CHoW . . . anyway, I zapped him, you know? And then, the King separated his good and evil out . . . and then the two halves got put back together . . . what if . . . what if all that messing around with his emotions and sanity and stuff... what if it made him evil?”
Sama looked uncomfortable. “Kimi-chan... he was already evil.”
“NO!” Kimi slammed her fist on the couch. “I don't mean CHoW! I mean... Rush. What if all our trying to make him good again... made Rush evil?”
Sama paused. He had no answer to that.
“If that's the case... then... then he's evil because of our messing around... then, it's my fa--”
“Shut up, Kimi.”
There was a silence. Kimi blinked and then slowly turned her head to Sama. “... You must have hit that tree REALLY hard to suddenly become this stupid.”
Sama's face was serious. “It isn't your fault. Or my fault. Or our fault. If the effects of the sauce really are gone; then this is all Rush's choice. HIS choice.”
Kimi closed her eyes. “... We must have come real close to the end of the world for you to be right.”
“You can say that again . . . HEY!”
With that, the two began to bicker and tease one another like children until eventually the arguing turned to fighting – in video games, of course. While they may be completely immature, the two did get one day to just relax and host the Ultimate Ninja battle of the century.
It was good that they'd get a day to relax, too . . . because very soon, as is always the case, a new threat would arise. That, thankfully, is another story. Which means this, at long last, is...
The End.
Super Kimi and Wonder Sama will return.
...
...
...
W00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000T! OH FREAKIN' YES!
And now, a brief note my friends... this arc shall be the last time, at least for a while, that I do a “arc-form” story. SK&WS is not ending, so don't even begin to think that. So long as I'm alive, have access to the internet and SRB is around, there will be a SK&WS. :p
However, I tend to over-reach in the arcs... I drag them out too long and then want to do a new idea, which drags them down. So, I'm re-formatting things again. From now one, stories will all be confined to an episodic format. Each new installment will contain an entire story. Occasionally there may be a two-parter, but I don't know.
Obviously this doesn't apply to Teh Empire Strikes Back and Return of teh Jedi, but those aren't canon anyway.
This way I can also do some of the smaller, one-shot comedies I've thought of... like the one introducing famed film director “Barry Scone”, and the next episode, which shall introduce Vidit's character and create a hilarious mix-up for Kimi and Sama. Special guest stars include J, K, Mulder and Scully. Yeah, I'll give you a moment to go: “whaaaaaaaaaaa?”
Anyway, I'm really glad this arc is complete. The next major storyline, The Lords of the Skies, will be coming soon, but another story has priority... speaking of which...
“It is one of the greatest films ever created... by far, the best of the six... it is the perfect movie... and now, it's getting the SK&WS treatment.”
“Kimi . . . Spoonobi never told you what happened to your father, did he?”
“... Actually, come to think of it, I don't remember us ever talking about my dad.”
“ . . . Oh. Um . . . well . . . crap! How's this going to work, then?”
COMING SOON.
Tazzy was standing in the enormous glass complex that sat beneath the seas. Salvatore was nowhere to be found, it was just the Man in the Crimson Cape keeping her company. He had his arms crossed and was staring out the glass wall towards a room that was very far away.
“... This place,” Crimson Cape sighed as he looked over to Tazzy. “Is my prison. Built to house me once Salvatore found me.”
“Prison?” Tazzy's eyebrow rose up on her forehead and instinctively her hand moved towards her belt, coming to a rest on the hilt of the flansaber she depended on.
Crimson Cape took his usual pause before speaking. “... The time has yet to come for my story to be told. For now, concern yourself on getting the lock.”
Tazzy was suspicious. She was in a underwater complex made of glass, alone other than a man she did not know and could not trust. Tazzy turned her immediate concerns onto the 'lock' he mentioned. She was about to ask him about it when he began to explain.
“The lock is a powerful artifact that can seal away someone's powers, permanently. One blast of it and it can seal the Gnome's strength... at least until the second day of January. That will give the girl and her partner a chance to stop it.” Crimson Cape explained.
The purple Flan-I then asked the same question Kimi had, though in a more subtle tone. “What's your connection to Kimi and Sama?”
“. . .” Crimson Cape's pause, this time, was more than just a pause. The silence did not break. He turned his back to her and the eerie blanket of pure quiet fell on the glass structure. Almost five minutes passed by until it came to and end, when Crimson Cape's words had nothing to do with her question.
“You should hurry and get my lock. Otherwise, we'll never stop the Gnome.” Crimson Cape spoke silently.
One of the glass doors on the wall in front of them opened, revealing a path in the twisted corridors that was there for Tazzy to take. She had a forbidding feeling about this whole situation, but with so much at stake she shrugged off her nerves and headed down the hallway.
As she turned the corners and ran down the hallways, several thoughts were occurring to her. She realized that this was the perfect trap for her. The entire structure was made of glass, meaning her earthbending would be completely useless. Being under the bay, her firebending wouldn't be much better. That left only her most basic Flan-I abilities, and it seemed like lately those wouldn't be enough.
“I don't like this... we don't know this guy in red... but I know he's been in this prison. An underwater prison . . . what could he have done that was bad enough to warrant being confined under the bay, all alone?”
After what seemed like an eternity of walking down the twisting, winding corridors she found herself in a much larger room. It was round and appeared to be the lowest point in the structure. Looking ahead, she saw a round pole in the middle of the room, also made mostly of glass. However, in the middle of the pole was a cylindrical section that was made from some kind of metal. It was suspicious enough that it was probably where the lock was being kept – or a trap. The only way she would know for sure would be to open it.
Tazzy walked towards the lock, but suddenly something appeared in front of her. It came from right out of thin air – apparently it was a guardian of whatever was sealed inside the pole. The beast was gigantic and covered in scales, with webbed hands and feet and gills on the sides of it neck. The monster's face looked a lot like a piranha, with rows of jagged teeth lining the mouth.
Instead of speaking, the monster made a high-pitching yelping noise and jumped forward. It's mouth moved at incredible speeds and it's jaws snapped and snapped as it dove at Tazzy. She jumped back away from the beast and activated her saber, slashing it as soon as she could.
The fish-monster avoided it, though, showing surprising speed. It then charged at her again but she was able to jump clear over the monster and land on the other side of the room. She threw a punch – obviously too far for her fist to connect with her foe. From out of her knuckles bright flames shot forth, forming a ball of heat as they flew at the piranha man and struck him in the chest.
“Alright! Somebody get the butter, we've got fresh fishsticks!” Tazzy grinned as the monster toppled over onto the ground. All at once, though, it punched a scaly hand through the floor causing water to shoot up and douse the flames. The glass floor seemed to repair itself automatically as the fish-monster withdrew his hand.
“Whoa...” Tazzy gulped, but then an idea came to her. She smirked and held out her hand. The monster got up and began another charge, ready to sink his teeth into her outstretched palm – but a blast of jarring lightning blazed forth and struck the fish-beast, who was still soaked from the water. There was a bright flash of brilliant blue bolts and the aquatic foe was felled.
Turning away from the defeated fish-monster, Tazzy placed the tips of all five fingers on her right hand onto the cylinder. She closed her eyes and concentrated very hard on the cool metal she touched. Bending metal required absolute patience and self-control, as well as a will even stronger than the steel she attempted to bend. After several tense seconds, the metal broke away and fell to the floor.
She opened her eyes to see a old, gray padlock. It was nothing special, rust covered the bottom and the locking hinge was worn and scratched. She took it from out of the pole slowly and held it in the palms of her hands, looking at it in the dim light given off by the magical glass walls.
Suddenly there was a pop like a gunshot and the burst of scarlet smoke that signaled the arrival of Crimson Cape. He stood behind Tazzy, his hands outstretched and his gray eyes so wide they looked as if they would fall from their sockets.
“That lock...” He muttered, as if in a trance. “Let me have it! Without it, I cannot stop the Gnome!”
Tazzy backed up away from him a bit until her back bumped against the glass pole she had retrived the lock from. She held the lock to her chest protectively. “Hang on! I'll give it to you, but first I want to know --”
“NO TIME!” Crimson Cape shouted. “I need the lock! Time may feel like it is moving normally, but in reality it has already been several days since we came down here! No one will feel like time has sped up, but it has! We are drawing ever closer to January 1st! I must have that lock back – NOW!”
Tazzy bit her lip. The way he longed for the lock scared her. It was as if his entire life was tied into the old, gray padlock she held. She had seen enough super villains in her day to recognize the tell-tale signs, and her gut was telling her that if Crimson Cape got his hands on the lock, it would spell disaster.
“What will you do with the lock?” Tazzy demanded to know.
Crimson Cape narrowed his eyes, and his voice became vicious. “Fool! What does it MATTER!? There is a very narrow window to stop the Gnome – if you don't give that lock to me, right now, we are all doomed! If you care at all for your friends, then give it to me!”
“It is okay.”
Tazzy looked to the right side of the room, as did Crimson Cape. Salvatore stood there, in his human form. She did not recognize this form, but she could sense that it was the sea monster from before. Flan-senses of not, though, she was even more confused now.
“Taz-won Benobi,” Salvatore said, stepping forward from the corner. “His intent is a evil one, that much is true... but against the Gnome without his help, there is no hope. Against him, once this is done... I have no doubt that Kimi and Sama would prevail.”
Crimson Cape didn't seem to care, or even notice, what was being said about him. His eyes had not left the sight of the lock. It was all he cared about.
Tazzy reluctantly reached out and handed him the lock. Crimson Cape, the very instant the lock touched his hand, screamed out in delight and snatched it away. He ran a few feet across the room and then he turned to Tazzy and Salvatore with a devilish glint in his dead, gray eyes.
“... Thank you. I no longer have need of either of you.” Salvatore held up his lock and there was a flash of light; and suddenly the glass shattered . . .
“. . . Wonder what's going on down there.”
Crystal, HA and Sama were still on the side of the cliff. They still had not heard from their missing friends at LASOOF HQ, nor was there any sign of their newly-vanished friends from in the cave or at the ocean floor.
“Do you mean the cave or wherever Tazzy went to?” HA asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Both.” Crystal replied, putting her chin in the palm of her hand. “You think she's okay?”
“Which one?” HA yawned, leaning back.
“Either one.” It was Sama's turn to chime in, he seemed just as concerned and miserable as Crystal.
Avatar clenched his fist tight. “All this sitting around and worrying is driving me crazy! And sitting around listening to you two sad-saps... bah, you're even more annoying than when you're way-too-optimistic.”
“Which of us are you talking about?” Crystal blinked.
“Either one.” HA growled back, crossing his arms.
Sama scratched the back of his head, letting out a small sigh. “Come on, let's not get annoyed with each other.”
“You kidding? Pinky here always annoys me... all the bright colors and cheerful laughing... and you're so optimistic it makes me wanna spew.” Avatar leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. His ordinary eye closed, while the eye shrouded by the half-mask from his previous death remained open.
“Well it annoys ME when you let that leech sleep on the couch!” Crystal snapped back, not her usual cheerful self with her best friend missing beneath the bay.
“And it annoys me that the three of you are still breathing.”
The three Flan-I on the cliff's ledge all froze at the new voice. While they were all on edge thanks to the danger and the unknown fates of their friends, this one simple sentence had suddenly drained them of their bad moods and united them as a team once again. It had nothing to do with what was said . . . only who said it.
“Wenny!”
“Whoa! Nice armor.”
“Aw, 'taters.”
There was a pause. Rowen, still in his new armor and spiked suit from the Gnome's influence, blinked twice. “'Taters'? You're getting lazier.”
Instantly there were several flashes of light. Pink, blue, green and a dark teal – the flansabers roared to life with loud buzzing sounds. Naturally the three warriors were on their feet, facing Rowen without fear in their eyes. In fact, the concern, worry and downright bad moods they had been plunged into were only making the idea of defeating the Fallen Flan-I even sweeter.
Rowen stood his ground, unflinching. The three Flan-I charged at him and he activated his double-ended saber in preparation of their arrival. Avatar was the first to reach him, slashing his quad-bladed sabers (shaped like a 'H' and a 'A', respectively) right at Rowen.
In a blight blue burst, Rowen was behind him. His powers had accelerated so much he no longer needed to speak the words 'Chaos Control' to activate his powers. He kicked HA in the back, knocking him down to the ground and sending him skidding across the grass. Rowen's increased speed and strength had made one of their most dangerous foes even worse.
Crystal was next, and while she had only her single saber, she swung it with experience and knowledge that far-surpassed her former student. Crystal's blade buzzed as it slashed; but with a loud hum Rowen's red blade caught the pink one and blocked her strike. She jumped back to prepare a second strike, but Rowen's free hand flashed with green and a Chaos Spear flew into his former teacher, sending her flying before she had a chance.
Sama made his move, attempting to attack Rowen with both of his blades – but he never made it that far. A single red saber blocked his blue blade as he ran towards Rowen, sending the cerulean flansaber falling away. Sama spun around to see CHoW.
“I don't care how many birthdays come to pass,” CHoW hissed, raising his blade. “When it comes to you and Kimi, I'll be the one to land the final blow!”
Sama shook his head. “I really don't have time for you tonight.” He held up his now-free hand and belted CHoW with a green bolt of lightning. The impact was so great it sent the Vader-esque helmet flying into the air – and CHoW flying off the side of the cliff.
The sidekick turned around, now ready to fight Rowen, only to find the villainous LASOOFer waiting for him. Rowen held up his hand and silently activated a 'Chaos Blast' – the great red explosion knocked Sama's green saber from his hand, while simultaneously sending Sama on a collision course with a tall tree.
“You three are pathetic.” Rowen scoffed. By now, Avatar was on his feet again. He pulled back his cape and from it's inner folds, a anaconda-sized leech leaped at Rowen, thirsty for his blood. While Shannon frequently sucked the blood out of Sama's head, that was a playful gesture – right now she was attacking, and would use her full strength. Had she bitten Rowen, she could have drained him of four pints of blood in a matter of seconds.
Unfortunately, she never made it. Rowen blasted her with a Chaos Control, causing the leech to reappear right above HA. Shannon accidentally bit her owner, and while she made quick work to detach and not leave him half-empty of blood, the special chemicals in her saliva kept the wound open and HA's blood flowing out of the teeth marks on his forehead.
“Hey Pinky, I could use some healing!” He yelled to Crystal.
She had landed by the shore after being hit with the Chaos Spear. She nodded and stood up, ready to lend a waterbending cure to her friend's forehead – that's when all of the sudden the surface of the water exploded and a ominous, shadowy figure rose high into the sky.
Salvatore, a sea-monster once more, coughed viciously and something flew from out of his mouth. It was not his single, misplaced eye – but a pigtailed girl in purple. Tazzy soared right to the ground; unfortunately landing on Crystal in the process.
Crystal blinked, a bit winded from having a monster spit a person on her head, but after spotting Tazzy she quickly forgot her tiredness (and the battle) and engulfed her friend in a huggle. “You're OKAY! I'm so relieved!”
“Y-Yeah, I'm fine...” Tazzy sputtered. “... that was SCARY!” She said, imitating Mallow.
((Ten thousand year supply of win for whoever gets that reference.))
Rowen stepped forward, cracking his gloved knuckles. “I'm glad you're alive... because now I get to kill you!”
“That's it, Coojie!” Crystal snapped, narrowing her eyes. “I'm not sending you a Christmas card this year!”
There was suddenly a clap like thunder, and sitting on Rowen's head appeared the small, white-bearded man in the red hat. The Birthday Gnome grinned to the female Flan-I's. “Who cares about a Christmas Card? Thanks to ol' red, it'll be Christmas in about two minutes – and the second of January in ten!”
“Meh?” Sama had lifted himself up off the ground. “Say what, now?”
Tazzy snapped her fingers, remembering everything that happened underwater. “That guy in red betrayed us! He took the lock and then tried to kill me and Sal!”
“WHAT!?” Avatar roared, then he stumbled. The head-wound was throwing off his balance. “Oi... this is just great... I'm a mess, you two look pretty beat up yourselves... Sama's unconscious... we're running out of allies!”
Rowen began to laugh; a deep, throaty cackle. “More than you think... your friends at LASOOF's HQ... The Spork, Avenger, those Clones... your precious, Spoon of a Leader... they're all lying locked in my dungeon right now, waiting for death to take them. I'll send you all on ahead to wait for them.”
The super-charged Rowen started forward, enjoying the fear in the eyes of the three Flan-I in front of him. It was true that Kimi and Sama were the foes he wanted to defeat the most, but these three... all of them had been there during his training. Their destruction meant a great deal to Rowen.
Suddenly there was a bright ball of fire that cut the night sky in twain and struck Rowen in the back of the head. The Gnome vanished to safety just seconds before impact. Rowen spun around to see the one who had produced the ball of fire – Professor AGOI.
“WHAT!? Impossible! You... I cut you... you shouldn't be able to stand for at least three days!” Rowen bellowed.
The Professor stepped forward and smirked. “You spent a lot of time with the Professor... you should know better than to leave him alone. Always thinking... thought of this plan.”
Rowen blinked. “What?... Are you talking in third-person?”
The Professor laughed. “Oh, sorry... didn't I explain? Spork, Avenger, bro and that Spoony... they all combined their powers to heal me. Spoon even used some flashy-thing to make me look like the Professor, and let me use his keyblade!”
“Oh, I hate that flashy thing!” There was a new voice, this one female. Rowen looked over his shoulder to see Joha standing on her flying, chopstick-made surfboard. “Once played a real cheap trick on me with that.”
Rowen clenched his fist. Now he was getting annoyed. Professor Jimi in front of him had shown up at just the right time to try save the Flan-I; and now the Guardian too had arrived. He did not know if it was his Flan-senses, or just the common variety – but he knew what was coming next.
Joha's surfboard fired a blast of lightning from the tip that struck Rowen from the right. Professor Jimi used a Thundaga to call down a bolt of thunder on the villain's head – and just for kicks, the Flan-I Trio used the opportunity to use their cerulean blasts of electricty.
The result was a gigantic flash of blue and yellow lightning that mixed together and swirled into a storm there on the ground. The explosion was so fantastic that it cracked the entire cliffside, breaking apart the grass and rocks and stones and threatening to collapsed everything.
When the smoke cleared, Rowen was on his knees. Fumes floated up from his body and sparks of electricity jumped between strands of his hair. He panted heavily, coughing and sputtering. However, at length, he got back to his feet.
“... I've got super powers, now.” Rowen smirked. “You... can't... urgh...” He collapsed back down, unconscious.
Professor Jimi rubbed the back of his head. “Took everything we had... but we finally stopped him.” All at once, he blinked a bright flash and turned gray. There was a puff of smoke and he wound up on the ground, once again Jimi. The powers granted to him by the Custard-I and the temporary disguise given to him by the Spoon were gone.
Joha landed next to the Flan-I Trio and offered a hand helping them to their feet. “You guys okay?”
“None of you are.”
As always seems to happen in these moments, heads turned. The eyes in those heads all saw the same thing; the Birthday Gnome floating in the skies above them. He was glowing with a deep magenta and wind seemed to swirl around his body. His eyes shone like rubies in the blackness of night.
“In exactly thirty seconds, I will achieve immortali—rrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaarrrraaagggghhhhhhhhh!”
The scoff turned to a scream as he grabbed his head. A small cloud of mist hit him from behind and steam began to pour from his body. He roared and scratched at his own forehead, but the unmistakable design of a padlock was suddenly etched onto the skin where he had been clawing seconds earlier. He let out a second, piercing scream and then began to shake.
“Perfect shot!” Phazon grinned. He was standing not far away, holding a super-soaker. It was filled with the same odd batch of chemicals that he had gotten Ema and Rikku to help him make earlier. “Mixing Luminol with a Super Potion... who'd have thought it'd make a Gnome-paralyzing spray?”
The ground shook once more. Then, from the cracks made by the lightning before, a figure erupted from the ground. She was dripping wet, covered in mud and her hair was matted. Her eyes were red and her clothes filthy. The smile on Kimi's face, though, was unmistakable.
She lifted her arm and revealed that she was holding something. The item she had finally found as a result of her training – a old, wooden, hand-carved boomerang. She threw it without another word and it spun circles through the sky, moving as rapidly as a power-saw – and it had quite the same effect on the Gnome as it crashed into it.
With a final scream, the Gnome exploded and small dots of light fluttered down to the ground. The boomerang returned to Kimi's hand and she smirked.
“It's FINALLY over!” Kimi collapsed onto the ground behind her, panting. “Who'd have thought it... I chased a monkey, wrestled a wild boar, fought with a giant lobster who claimed to be a doctor and had to play a super computer in a game of chess.”
“Did you win?” HA asked.
“Of course I won! Turns out the secret to beating computer at chess is to throw a rock at it.” Kimi replied with a sheepish grin.
Joha coughed. “That one area of training aside, she did great! She found the Guardian's Boomerang and best of all, killed that Gnome!”
Kimi jumped up, still tired, but also happy. “Yeah! We won! The Gnome's dead, Rowen's unconscious and CHoW is . . . hey, where is chrome-dome?”
“He fell off the...” Crystal had started to explain, and naturally she looked over to the ledge where the Dark Lord had taken his tumble. What she saw standing there, however, caused her words to fail her. Her mouth remained open as her eyes widened.
Avatar whistled. Tazzy almost fainted. Joha made a gasping sound and clamped her hands to her face. Phazon had to sit down on a stump, he was so surprised.
Kimi became as white as paper, her eyes growing three times their normal size.
CHoW had pulled himself up the cliff-wall during the battle, and had just managed to make it onto the land. His first move had been to race to where his helmet fell and try to get it back on; he had been reaching for it when everyone turned his direction.
“... Damn. I'd hoped no one would see this.” Rush sighed as he let the helmet fall from his hand. The thing everyone was staring at was his face. The tomato-sauce burns that had been blamed for his insanity and evil-doing were gone. No scars, not even a blush in his cheeks. His eyes had returned to their original color as well, and his hair was blond once more.
Rush shrugged. “Well, I guess you can't keep a cat in a bag forever... but if you're waiting for an explanation...” He put his helmet back on. “... Then don't hold your breath... actually, yeah, go ahead and hold your breath; it'd make my job easier... Rowen, a Chaos Control would be really good right now.”
Behind the Flan-I, Rowen had woken up about a minute earlier. Even his jaw had dropped; apparently even he had no idea about Rush's miraculous recovery. He vanished from behind them, appeared at Rush's side long enough to grab his shoulder, and then the two vanished.
Kimi blinked once, then again; and then she passed out.
The others were silent for a long time. As they stood on the cliff side, the sun slowly began to rise. Crimson Cape's spell had worn off, just as dawn came on January 2nd. The veil of silence did not dissolve away with night's end, though. It remained in place until, after what seemed like ages, someone spoke.
“I'm as shocked as everyone else... but could someone get me out of the tree? I think my leg's asleep...” Sama coughed; apparently he had seen the whole thing from his vantage point – hanging upside down in the tree with his arms stuck beneath his back.
Time returned to normal and as it did, Teh City tried to follow suit.
The Professor, Avenger and the Clone Brothers headed back to Teh Town to prepare for tomorrow night.
“Gee Prof, what are we going to do tomorrow night?” Avenger asked.
“The same thing we do every night... watch some Sci-Fi channel, play PS2 and THEN; try to take over the world!”
Spoony was re-appointed Mayor, happily taking back his chair. Joha was all to happy to walk Mustang back to the Military Embassy – until Hawkeye got wind of the walk and insisted on tagging along. Phazon laughed as they left and prepared for a game of Stratego against the Spoon.
In the Flan-I Temple, the Trio locked themselves in the meeting room to discuss the many unsolved mysteries. The identity of the Man in the Crimson Cape, the significance of the padlock and most intriguing of all, Rush.
Rush was also the topic being discussed at the K-Tower...
“How could he...”
“Cheer up, Kimi-chan. You have a boomerang. Those are awesome!”
“... All this time... I always just felt sad...” From her seat on the couch, Kimi sighed as she spoke. “I mean, I figured Rush was being evil because of whatever they put in the sauce at Pizza the Hutt's palace... but... the burns were gone... the scars... he looked just like he did the day he left to train as a Flan-I.”
Sama scratched the back of his head. “Kimi, maybe... maybe just his skin healed. Maybe the sauce is still staining his brain...”
Kimi shook her head. “N-No... do you remember... when I got sent to the future?”
It was Sama's turn to sigh. “Yeah; every time I have a date you remind me that Blackfire kills me in the future. It's kind of a bummer when I'm on my way to the movies--”
“Hey, talking about me.” Kimi interrupted him. “Anyway, when I went to the future... I got a ray gun that was supposed to heal CHoW. Make him good again . . . it worked on future-CHoW . . . anyway, I zapped him, you know? And then, the King separated his good and evil out . . . and then the two halves got put back together . . . what if . . . what if all that messing around with his emotions and sanity and stuff... what if it made him evil?”
Sama looked uncomfortable. “Kimi-chan... he was already evil.”
“NO!” Kimi slammed her fist on the couch. “I don't mean CHoW! I mean... Rush. What if all our trying to make him good again... made Rush evil?”
Sama paused. He had no answer to that.
“If that's the case... then... then he's evil because of our messing around... then, it's my fa--”
“Shut up, Kimi.”
There was a silence. Kimi blinked and then slowly turned her head to Sama. “... You must have hit that tree REALLY hard to suddenly become this stupid.”
Sama's face was serious. “It isn't your fault. Or my fault. Or our fault. If the effects of the sauce really are gone; then this is all Rush's choice. HIS choice.”
Kimi closed her eyes. “... We must have come real close to the end of the world for you to be right.”
“You can say that again . . . HEY!”
With that, the two began to bicker and tease one another like children until eventually the arguing turned to fighting – in video games, of course. While they may be completely immature, the two did get one day to just relax and host the Ultimate Ninja battle of the century.
It was good that they'd get a day to relax, too . . . because very soon, as is always the case, a new threat would arise. That, thankfully, is another story. Which means this, at long last, is...
The End.
Super Kimi and Wonder Sama will return.
...
...
...
W00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000T! OH FREAKIN' YES!
And now, a brief note my friends... this arc shall be the last time, at least for a while, that I do a “arc-form” story. SK&WS is not ending, so don't even begin to think that. So long as I'm alive, have access to the internet and SRB is around, there will be a SK&WS. :p
However, I tend to over-reach in the arcs... I drag them out too long and then want to do a new idea, which drags them down. So, I'm re-formatting things again. From now one, stories will all be confined to an episodic format. Each new installment will contain an entire story. Occasionally there may be a two-parter, but I don't know.
Obviously this doesn't apply to Teh Empire Strikes Back and Return of teh Jedi, but those aren't canon anyway.
This way I can also do some of the smaller, one-shot comedies I've thought of... like the one introducing famed film director “Barry Scone”, and the next episode, which shall introduce Vidit's character and create a hilarious mix-up for Kimi and Sama. Special guest stars include J, K, Mulder and Scully. Yeah, I'll give you a moment to go: “whaaaaaaaaaaa?”
Anyway, I'm really glad this arc is complete. The next major storyline, The Lords of the Skies, will be coming soon, but another story has priority... speaking of which...
“It is one of the greatest films ever created... by far, the best of the six... it is the perfect movie... and now, it's getting the SK&WS treatment.”
“Kimi . . . Spoonobi never told you what happened to your father, did he?”
“... Actually, come to think of it, I don't remember us ever talking about my dad.”
“ . . . Oh. Um . . . well . . . crap! How's this going to work, then?”
COMING SOON.
Dark Phazon - January 23, 2008 01:37 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| And now, a brief note my friends... this arc shall be the last time, at least for a while, that I do a “arc-form” story. |
Hey, I wasn't the only person who thought that way!
Great great story! I'll comment more after I get back home!
Crystal Rose - January 23, 2008 06:45 PM (GMT)
XD Awesome ending to a totally funny Arc Sama! Only SK&WS can make me run back to my room in between each class to read XD
| QUOTE |
|
XD Poor fourth-wall...Broken so many times in the course of the SK&WS Saga, Oh well makes for an AMAZING story though!!!
I can't wait to read alll your upcomic stuff! I'm totally excited!
Avenger29 - January 23, 2008 07:00 PM (GMT)
Fourth wall breakage = Always a good thing. I'd do it more if ATS was meant for seriousness.
Of course, with my upcoming SK&WS series, I'm gonna use that... Coming right after the end of ROTK!
Anyways, great job, Sir Sama. And, of course, if Avenger and the Professor ever took over the world, there'd be some serious doomage going on... Or some serious in-fighting between the two rivals. Either way, it'd be chaotic.
Of course, with my upcoming SK&WS series, I'm gonna use that... Coming right after the end of ROTK!
Anyways, great job, Sir Sama. And, of course, if Avenger and the Professor ever took over the world, there'd be some serious doomage going on... Or some serious in-fighting between the two rivals. Either way, it'd be chaotic.
Dark Phazon - January 23, 2008 08:33 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| I chased a monkey, wrestled a wild boar, fought with a giant lobster who claimed to be a doctor and had to play a super computer in a game of chess. |
I get references for most of that, but not the wild boar (and maybe not the chess computer either, but I don't believe that to be referencing anything other than chess computers)...
| QUOTE |
| “Aw, 'taters.” |
"They call me... Tater Salad."
| QUOTE |
|
That picture looks... Disturbing...
| QUOTE |
| Sal |
HA has some weird friends... :LOL:
Clown Prince of Crime - January 24, 2008 12:19 AM (GMT)
That was quite entertaining, GS. Though, now I'm left wondering about the Crimson Cape's identity, myself.
Also... does this mean that now BOTH sides of Rush are evil? o.O
Also... does this mean that now BOTH sides of Rush are evil? o.O
The Vidit of Light - January 24, 2008 01:46 AM (GMT)
Chess computers...a reference to Deep Blue?
Kimiko - January 24, 2008 03:09 AM (GMT)
:D Wow! Supah cool, Sama! And oh noes! The forth wall! Well, I least it wasn't a forth window.
And, as for your thoughts about arc-form stories... I believe you have a rare condition Sama. I believe you are a victim of
Hyper
Acheiver with
No
Direction and
Tendancy to
Overcomplicate
Situations
Syndrome
"Toy Story 2 was okay."
And, as for your thoughts about arc-form stories... I believe you have a rare condition Sama. I believe you are a victim of
Hyper
Acheiver with
No
Direction and
Tendancy to
Overcomplicate
Situations
Syndrome
"Toy Story 2 was okay."
AGodofIrony - January 25, 2008 12:04 AM (GMT)
Wow...
Jimi with the Spork's Keyblade = Win.
A conclusion tp that evil birthday gnome! And a lot of questions for our heroes and villains afterwards.
I would have reviewed earlier, but this galvanized me to finish off Part V for Return of the King. Soon, soon.
Anyways...Where to begin? I really like the story, and all the fourth wall breaking as well! Hilarious!
And references! Woot!
Just...wow! Excellent GS!
Jimi with the Spork's Keyblade = Win.
A conclusion tp that evil birthday gnome! And a lot of questions for our heroes and villains afterwards.
I would have reviewed earlier, but this galvanized me to finish off Part V for Return of the King. Soon, soon.
Anyways...Where to begin? I really like the story, and all the fourth wall breaking as well! Hilarious!
And references! Woot!
Just...wow! Excellent GS!
tailsonic15 - January 25, 2008 03:45 AM (GMT)
...Did you steal my boomerang...?
Anyway...the references..I got alot of them...or that may be gas....
ANYWAY, this was an awesome story, GS! The Birthday Gnome is gone! Huzzah! >.> He no get mah birthday today! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
*is obviously insane*
Anyway...the references..I got alot of them...or that may be gas....
ANYWAY, this was an awesome story, GS! The Birthday Gnome is gone! Huzzah! >.> He no get mah birthday today! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
*is obviously insane*