Star

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series featured here, all credit goes to CN and their original creators. I only take credit for my OCs.

Chapter 1: The Defensive Tank
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“Three-point goal, blue’s number twenty-one!”

The roar of the crowd; that was what got the Stolz Prideful Lions back into the game. The amazing effort of the team’s elite duo of Leon and Marcus Atsushi singlehandedly brought back the team from a near impossible deficient to overcome. In only one minute, the offensive general of the Lions was able to score eight points and made a seven point lead that the opposing team had created in the final quarter of this high school basketball between Stolz Academy of Habitat Homes and Peach Creek Regional completely disappear. Not only that, but the amazing rally that Leon was able to formulate energized the home crowd enough to get the Lions back into the match, though it was to be expected from the best shooting big man in the country.

“We only have thirty seconds left, hurry up and get that shot up!” a raspy old voice ordered, causing  the boy in a white jersey with the ball to quickly jump into the air; this shot would go down if he was able to get it off on time.

“I won’t you let you!” Suddenly, a tall boy with red hair jumped in front of the player who was taking a shot, and smacked the ball right out of the vacuum of air that the ball was floating in after the shooter released it. Blue’s number thirteen, also known as the defensive tank of Stolz, successfully blocked the shot that could very well have won Peach Creek Regional the game. The buzzer sounded as the younger brother of the “Twin Towers” of Stolz landed on the floor. A smile grew on his face, and the entire Stolz basketball team began to gather around Marcus Atsushi as he let out a triumphant roar. The Prideful Lions were now the champions of the high school basketball world, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
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“Hello my little demon buddy,” a voice teased. It sounded like a man around the age of twenty was the owner of the voice, but it got unusually squeaky at the second half of the sentence. Whoever the voice belonged to, there was something wrong with him.

“What did Demongo say about calling me ‘little demon buddy’? I recall saying Demongo would add you to his personal collection of souls.”
The meeting place between the two was unusual, as it was in such an open area in the barren land of Devil’s Bluff, yet it looked like they were discussing something that would have been better if they were in a private location. The blue sky was clearly visible; it was a cold day in the winter, and the most sinister demon to ever step foot in the human’s world was beginning something that could lead to a revolution if things went right. All in all, this was a very bizarre meeting between this demon and what sounded like a human man.

“Lighten up Mr. Demongo. I was only kidding,” the voice replied. It sounded like it was getting closer to the demon as the voice got even higher pitched when he said ‘Mr. Demongo”.  Sure enough, the supposed owner of the voice left the shadows, revealing a man with long black hair and an orange bang that covered his blue and brown eyes. He grinned as he continued to casually walk in front of him. “There’s nothing to worry about, Hoshi is dead.”

“Are you sure about that? Demongo had a conversation with the reaper; he told me that his soul never needed to report to the Underworld. It’s one thing if he escaped, but the reaper was never ordered to get his soul. That either means he sold his soul to someone else, or he never died,” the demon stated, anger starting to take control of his emotions.

“That’s a joke right? I stabbed him in the freaking spine! Even if he survived that…there was no way he could have walked out of the place before it exploded!” the man furiously yelled. His eyes began to twitch out of irritation; he thought he killed his worst enemy after all.  He punched the wall he was standing beside as Demongo continued to observe these events.

“Do not fear boy, for he has not been heard from in three years. Even if he is alive, he can’t interfere with Demongo’s plan. Now, let’s get to the main reason I summoned you. The time is now; gather the shards of darkness, and my master shall be reborn. Of course, kill anyone that gets in your way.” The once angry demeanor of Demongo became calm and collected. He mellowed out from that sudden change of events.

“Alright…where do I begin the search?” the man asked. His voice…it was now emotionless. There was only one thing going through his mind: kill the one he failed to eliminate three years ago. He honestly didn’t care about this mission anymore. All he wanted was the death of Hoshi…the death of his brother Zane. “The next time we meet…I will rip you limb from limb, and break your friggin’ neck!”  
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Marcus Atsushi, he was known around the country as the best defensive player in the basketball world. That’s how people would remember him in his first year of high school basketball, but he wasn’t always the player he was today. In fact, just two years ago, he was ready to quit the game he loved so very much because of the frustration of not being able to get a basket. No one cared about a player that wasn’t able to get the stupid sphere in the hoop, so what team would actually want him? He continued to think that way until the day that he met a certain girl on a visit to his homeland in Australia a year ago.

*Flashback (Marcus’ POV)*

“Why…why can’t I make a stupid basket?!” I asked in a tone full of rage.
A simple basketball court in the slums of Sydney, Australia…that was my favorite spot to practice the game that I loved to play so much. The green leaves in the lone tree were the only way to tell it was the summer because it was an unusually chilly day in the middle of July. The wind blew in my hair as I continued to just stand there trying to figure out the answer to the question that led me to my sorrowful experience on the court. My pain, why did it have to leave such a large amount of emptiness inside?

It was time for me to attempt my twenty-fifth jump shot. With only three makes, anybody could see why I was getting frustrated. People said my form was good enough and that I was definitely putting enough force when I shot the ball, so many people also wondered why I still couldn’t make a shot. Maybe I suddenly turned to one side at the last second, making the rotation of the ball abnormal and possibly being the cause of why the ball wasn’t able to just spin straight. That could have been it, or maybe it was because I aimed at the backboard instead of the actual net, so it was easier to miss. I just couldn’t figure it out…and it was beginning to make me want to quit. No matter what, that ball wasn’t going in, and no team wanted a useless person like me if I couldn’t get that ball in that hoop.

The ball soared into the air, a perfectly straight rotation being clearly visible. I stood completely straight when I leaped, but it was another miss…the twenty-second one out of twenty-five attempts. This meant my reasoning for missing wasn’t because of the fact that I was unbalanced when I released the shot. I was also aiming straight for the net, so that was also not the correct reason…which meant my theories were all wrong. Back to square one…I was still getting nowhere after twenty-five shots a day for four years!

Hopeless. That was what my emotions were telling me to feel right now. There was no point to try getting better anymore if someone missed over twenty shots a day in a four year time period. Really, a person like me didn’t deserve to be on a basketball team if the stupid sphere refused to let me score, and not many people would let me dunk over them. Seriously, all I wanted to do was punch something like a baby out of frustration. My face told the whole story…I was enraged beyond belief. That’s when I met her.

She was just heading home when she decided to walk onto the court. She was carrying some kind of instrument case in her hand. I wasn’t very good at recognizing instruments, but I was pretty sure it was a guitar case. She put the case under the tree with an extreme amount of care before she walked over to me, and put her hand on my shoulder before showing me her beautiful smile.

“What’s the matter?” She asked with a tone of concern in it. Her voice…something told me that my mood would disappear after talking to her.

“I’m just frustrated. I’ve tried for years to get better at shooting… but I just can’t improve at all. All of the effort I put into this stupid game, it’s completely pointless!” I yelled out of anger. That outburst was shortly followed by a basketball getting thrown at the fence surrounding the court.

“I saw your last three shot attempts. They looked pretty good for a six foot guy, but not every guy your size has to be an offensive master. Maybe there’s some other talent you have,” the girl told me.

“You think? Well…I never really thought about that. I was so obsessed with offense, I never really considered if I could be good at defense,” I admitted. This feeling inside my heart…was it hope? Whatever it was, it definitely helped me.

“I’m not exactly the best, but I have some range. I’d be willing to help you…if you want,” the girl offered.

“…Really? Thanks,” I replied.  A smile grew on my face because hope once again resided inside me. One way or another, this would be a happy experience for me.
After retrieving the ball from its position adjacent of the fence, it was time to see if I could be a master of defense or if my destiny was to be a complete bust in this sport. So many thoughts flooded my mind, the most prominent being if I could actually stop her from scoring. Of course, there was a second thought of mine that began to make me feel all fuzzy inside. I had no clue what it was, but this girl was way more beautiful than any other girl I had ever seen. Her kindness touched my heart like no one had done before…she was really special to me.

The test began with the ball in her hands. She was five foot six, so that definitely wasn’t an advantage for her. However, her moves were so majestic…like she was meant to play basketball. With one dribble, she was able to pass by me and run towards the basket. I was pretty fast despite being tall, but there was something else in my brain that enabled me to catch up to her. I think that’s what most people would call ‘instinct’. Whatever it was, it allowed me to catch up to her and send the shot she released flying. My first ever block…it was accomplished so easily! The joy that I wanted to show, I had to contain it for now since it could have been luck that led to that denied shot.

We returned to our starting position to continue. The girl started with a similar beginning to her first move, but instead of completely charging towards the basket, she dribbled and took five steps before jumping into the air. She was descending backwards as she positioned her shot and fired what was known as a fade-a-way shot. It was very hard to block since the ball was higher than usual, so I had to do the next best thing; I had to alter it before she actually released it. Like I thought, the ball was too high for me to block…but I was able to touch it slightly with one of my fingers, thus the path that ball would have taken was altered.

“I think you have potential, just don’t give up,” she commented with a smile on her face after the ball met with the rim.

Those words that came out of her precious mouth, I could have cried after hearing them. The game that I loved but could never improve in…there was a chance for me to become a good player! More than that though, I probably would have been happy about getting that compliment off if anyone else told me that, but it meant more that she was the one who told me that. A cheerful laugh was actually able to come out of my mouth.

“You really think so? I have to thank you, for everything. Oh, I completely forgot to introduce myself! My name is Marcus Atsushi and I actually live in the U.S,” I told her, extending my arm out.

I didn’t expect what was coming next al all. She accepted my hand, but she pulled me near her instead of just shaking it. My word, her gorgeous face…it was making my heart beat even faster. This feeling inside me, was this what they call love? If it was…I was perfectly okay with it, I wanted this feeling to stay forever actually. The only wish I had right now was to have her in my arms forever. If that’s all I could have right now…I’d honestly be okay with that. For me, almost giving up my favorite thing in the world was totally worth it.

“My name is Amy… Amy Hoshi. I live in The U.K technically, but I also came to visit.” The reason didn’t matter to me. She was in my arms now, and that’s all I cared about. Her name was so simple yet so fitting for someone like her…I would never forget Amy. She would always be in my heart, and maybe someday I could tell her how I felt about her. For now though, the wind blowing in our hair and staring into the others eyes, it led to something I would cherish for the rest of my life.

There was a look of curiosity on her face, like she was waiting for me to do something. It was in the spur of the moment, but I tilted my neck so that our noses were only a few inches apart. I was staring at her delicate, green eyes, and she was staring into my brown pupils. I heard her small whisper directed towards me; she said “yes” in her whisper. We continued to move our heads closer together until it eventually occurred. With closed eyes, our lips touched and it happened…my first kiss.

*End of Flashback (End of Marcus’ POV)*

Even if it was a year ago, he still remembered that experience like it was yesterday. The happiness Marcus felt in his heart that day was one that he had never felt again. Whether it was because it was the day he finally learned how he could be good in basketball or the day he felt the most positive emotions in his heart thanks to the girl named Amy, all he knew was that he was glad that he was able to experience that day, but never felt anything like that after it. It was thanks to that day that Marcus became the person he was now, and he was proud of him. The only thing he wished he could change was the fact that he wanted to see Amy one more time. Sure, being a basketball star led to some girls being naturally attracted to him, but none of them truly felt the same feelings Amy felt towards him. It was in her eyes right before they kissed…she really did like him.

Then it happened. On the way to his house in Endsville, he was met by a green figure that resembled someone he saw in the crowd at the Peach Creek Regional game. That stupid look on his face plus the ridiculous three strands of hair on top of his head…the short green guy definitely didn’t give off a scary aura.

“Hey green guy, you might want to get out of the streets before you get run over,” Marcus warned the boy.

The short person gave no response and instead just turned to the left. As a car began being visible in the horizon, a green circle appeared a few feet in front of him. With curiosity, the red hair boy watched this guy continue with what he was doing and decided to see what this would lead to. Whatever the intention for this was, it couldn’t possibly be that bad.

Marcus was pretty off with his hypothesis. The car began to speed closer and closer towards the guy with the driver not noticing the green circle in his path. As he finally drove over it, a green plasma-like material blasted from the ground and created a large hole in the vehicle from the impact. When it finally landed on the ground, it was completely turned over and decimated. Marcus looked in horror as he observed the bloody mess of a driver attempt to crawl out of the wreck. It was all in vain though as the glass shards that were stuck in his once white lab coat and his aging face combined with the crash onto the ground made him collapse. Before his head fell to the concrete street, Marcus recognized the face of the dying man. It was one that was famous in the world thanks to creating one of the greatest things to ever grace the Earth. The red hair boy had just witnessed the final moments of Professor Utonium.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series featured here, all credit goes to CN and their original creators. I only take credit for my OCs.

Chapter 2: Carrot to the Rescue
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“No way…is this a Fusion?! They really have no conscious. It just killed someone and it’s not disturbed in any way! I-I-I’m dead! There’s no way I can escape…I’m going to die!” the pupils of Marcus told a story of absolute terror…he really was going to get killed right here.

The body of the man named Utonium lied dead in the wreckage of his car as the green Fusion began to slowly approach his next victim. His red eyes were fixated on only one thing, Marcus. The only noise this thing was emulating was short but pretty terrifying breaths that would creep out any normal person. The atrocity was frightening despite his short stature, and he had a devastating technique that could kill someone if they didn’t notice it on the ground before hand.  Anyone that could stand face to face with that thing was a courageous human being…very courageous as a matter of fact.

Unfortunately, Marcus was anything but brave. He was just a normal fourteen year old boy after all. He wasn’t a super powered creation or a boy that had a watch that allowed him to turn into different aliens like the people he heard about on the news. No, there was nothing inside of him that indicated that he was meant to fight in a war. There were absolutely no thoughts in his head that ever told him to be violent and learn how to fight. It was a decision he always thought would pay off in the end, but it instead led to a situation he was coco in because he couldn’t defend himself.

Beats of sweat began to fall down his face, he was as pale as a ghost, and he was unable to move out of fear. He was seeing his life flash before his eyes; he saw the time he was five and made his first basket in basketball, when he watched his first anime at the age of six, and even his first injury with a broken arm at the age of eight. All of the highlights of his life flooded into his head until the moment he kissed Amy came to mind. Tears began to fall from the side of his face as he not only saw the happiest moment of life, but also witnessed the last memory he truly smiled in…the instant where his teammates gathered around and cheered for him when he won them the championship just a couple moments before.

After the sudden retrospective of his entire life, the emotionless wreck that was known as Marcus fell on his knees. His heart beats began to accelerate, his terrified brown pupils focused on the clouds in the sky, and his mouth was wide open from the shock of this event. He had been robbed of any sign of life and was now ready to die. His dream to become a basketball player that would be remembered for all of time, it wasn’t ever going to come true for his time had come. His body was just a hollow shell now. A green circle appeared under his legs; the time for his death had finally arrived.

“GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO!” a voice yelled somewhere in the distance. Sure enough, the green abomination turned its head to see a yellow creature running towards its location. He had no clothes on and few strands of hair on his scalp. Despite his simple appearance, he could very well have been a monster as his psychotic red eyes told a story of insanity. An orange weapon was concealed in his hand as he began to leap into the air and land right on the Fusion. He began beating the green atrocity with the weapon that turned out to be…a carrot. “Give me my chocolate milk!”

While that event was happening, two boys ran up the still hollow Marcus. The first was a boy with brown hair. He had a white long sleeve shirt with a red shirt over it to cover his torso, khaki pants over his waist, and black sneakers on his feet. He walked over to Marcus and put his arm over his shoulder. As he began to carry him over to a safer area, he stopped right besides the second boy. His head was almost completely covered, the only spot anyone could see clearly being his lower face because of the fact he was wearing an orange hoodie with the hood up and his blond hair was over his eyes.

“Mac, you take him to safety. I’ll get the idiot and pound this Fusion creep,” the boy told him. The thing that was attacking the green monster was flying above their heads shortly after that proposition from the blond boy.

The boy named Mac nodded as he began to walk away. “Got it, take care of yourself.”
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It was a stare down between two short fighters. On the left side of the street, the boy that came along with Mac took out a pistol that resembled a mustard container attached to a small piece of wood. He removed the hood perched on top of his head to reveal a blond bowl cut. Pointing his gun towards his opponent, a smirk grew on the boy’s face. He was ready to fight, and he knew that losing wasn’t going to be his fate.

Standing right in front of him was the monster that had killed Professor Utonium. It stretched its left arm as it began to let out a low moan from under its breath. This thing was the walking definition of creepy…that was for sure. Bending its knees, it began to stalk the boy by walking in a circle and staring at him with its menacing eyes. He waited for the right opportunity to strike…whenever the boy let down his guard. Of course, that didn’t appear to be happening anytime soon, so it was just a game of waiting between the two.

“The name’s Wallabee Beetles and I’m the best brawler in Sector V. I’m also gonna be the guy that hands you your pounding today!” the blond boy proclaimed as he continued to focus on the green monster. The moment it charged, that’s when it would taste the nastiness of the ancient mustard contained in the pistol. Whoever slipped up first would be at a disadvantage.
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The boy named Mac was running towards the safety of Genius Grove while Marcus Atsushi was slumped over his shoulder in a state where he still refused to react to anything. Any attempt the brown hair boy made to get a conversation started was denied by the broken attitude that Marcus was emulating. His eyes were devoid of any sign of emotion, and his breaths had an unorthodox pattern coming from his lungs. His heartbeats were very slow and took a very random approach when it came to the amount of beats per second. All in all, it was very clear that Marcus was no longer the same boy he was just an hour ago. No; he was completely destroyed in the inside.

It was a somewhat understandable reaction to the events he had witnessed just a few moments ago. He had not only witnessed his first graphic death right in front of him, but he had literally seen something that was traumatizing. He had seen the face of death and survived from it completely scarred. He was expecting to have to suffer eternal coco in his battle in death to try and escape to the realm of the living. He was absolutely broken from the experience because of this. War had robbed him of his innocence…he might as well as been dead now.

“Death…no…go away.” The weakest possible whisper that could have been uttered, that was the best he could have let out.

“He’s not doing well. I have to take him to Dexter,” Mac decided in his thoughts. They were almost at Genius Grove…soon the one called Dexter would have to try and make the red hair boy return to a fragment of his original being.
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“When are you going to make a move, punk?! I dare you to attack, come on!” The challenge that the blond head had instituted right there was surely an enticing idea for the Fusion. It only wanted to decimate and injure, but it did have some understanding of strategy. It decided to continue its stalking strategy and wait for the most appropriate time to kill him.

Suddenly, a sound that resembled a transmitter being activated occurred in Wally’s pocket. With slight annoyance, he quickly took out what appeared to be a watch from the side of his pants and clicked a button on it with his free hand. “What is it?”

“Good, I got through to you before you fought Fusion Eddy. Remember, you have to get Cheese back and retrieve the thing’s container for drinking chocolate milk from the Fusion so he won’t run away again. It’s seriously annoying how he destroys both my lab when he goes on rampage. Why couldn’t he do that to that stupid Dexter’s lab instead?”

“Listen up Four-Eyes, I don’t care. What do you need to tell me? This thing is going to kill me if I’m not careful, so hurry it up!”

“I am the great Mandark! You do not rush me! Go kill that thing and make it quick because you already have your next mission, Numbuh Four.” The transmission was cut shortly after the voice finished talking.

“Seriously, that guy doesn’t know when to shut up. Sometimes I just want to…” That rant about Mandark was the moment the Fusion was waiting for. It leaped into the air and aimed a right fist for the stomach of the blond boy, but instead ended up hitting the air as the boy took a step back before contact could be made. The fight officially started right there, which meant it was due or die to time for Numbuh Four.
After the missed attack of the Fusion, he fired his mustard pistol directly at his opponent’s face and successfully squirted it in its features. The smell of the condiment was disgusting; it was at least a year old. That tint of yellow was definitely not normal as well, so there was no way that it could be good to put on a regular human being’s face. Most people would have thrown up from just the sight of that abomination someone dared call mustard. That’s why Wally loved to use this weapon. It was such a joy for him to see someone be absolutely disgusted by it and throw up. He didn’t know why either. He just assumed it was something that every person enjoyed deep down.

Well, none of that was happening with Fusion Eddy. In reality, it didn’t actually do a thing. There was no vomit on the ground, no signs of it getting into its eyes, and there wasn’t even a sign that showed that the thing registered the fact it was hit by year old mustard. All it did was take the condiments to the face and nail Numbuh Four with its forearm, knocking him over in the process. Just a few seconds later, it jumped onto his torso and began to pound on his face. Quiet moans of joy came out of its mouth as each knuckle on both hands began to hit flesh and cause the skin to swell a little. Getting enjoyment out of beating someone up before killing them, that was what Fusion Eddy wanted all along.

Its beating eyes were fixated on the bruises that were beginning to form on Wally’s face as the moans of joy turned into chuckles of happiness. With a giant smirk on its face, the Fusion began biting the forming bruises and attempt to rip skin off his cheek. It was a truly sadistic creature, loving to hear the screams of victims as well as seeing the damage it inflicted on each and every one of them. This struggle for survival was exactly the thing that made Fusion Eddy one of the more twisted of the world’s monsters. Not many other creatures could compete with the green atrocity when it came to its torturing techniques. Truly it was a monster to fear.

That fear factor didn’t intimidate Wallabee Beetles though. He was experiencing firsthand the pain this creature was able to dish out, yet he wasn’t showing any signs of being afraid, far from it actually. He was not backing down at all from this menace. He continued to try to find a way to escape from its grasp with his arms but noticed that Fusion Eddy was in actually sitting on one of them, effectively limiting his possible escape plans. There was really only one option he had that could possibly work, but he didn’t want to do it. It could only be done once, and he would be through if that idea didn’t work…but there was no other possible thing he could do.

“Laser Vision!” a red beam suddenly nailed the Fusion in the shoulder, causing it to move back. That was the chance needed for Numbuh Four’s escape. Wally took advantage of this moment of weakness and used his now free arm combined with the one that was previously safe from the Fusion to push him off his torso.

“Numbuh Four, what were you thinking?! Why did you think mustard would work?!” the voice of Mandark yelled from the thing attached to Wally’s waist.

With an annoyed groan, he answered the object. “It’s worked for me before so I thought it was my best option.”

“You are an idiot. That was a mustard substance the Kid’s Next Door designed themselves. Why would anyone try using actual mustard on a Fusion?! It doesn’t even go bad, so your plan to use mustard was a bust. Where did you even get the real condiment?” the voice continued to screeched.

“From my house…I buried the thing because I thought it would work! Shut up, I’m going to beat this thing with my own fists, how does that sound, Four-Eyes?” the boy yelled in response. He ceased communication shortly after that.

Suddenly, a tiny girl, no bigger than maybe two feet, appeared in front of Numbuh Four. She was wearing a blue dress with a black strip in the middle as well as black shoes. Her blond hair was tied into two pigtails. She was a cute girl, but she was slumped over because of what appeared to be exhaustion. She disappeared as she let out a quiet noise to indicate she was too tired to do anything else.

Wally got into a fighting pose before he realized the little girl disappeared on him. Only one thing came to mind when he finally got that realization. “Aw crud.”
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His name was Cheese, and he was a danger to both Fusion and humankind. There were very few things in this world that could compare to the creature when he came to insanity. He was truly a nutcase that could very well get anyone he interacted with killed in a matter of seconds. The creature was a complete idiot that had no signs of intelligence. Yet, he was an important figure in the world because he didn’t want to actually do harm. All he really wanted to do was be free and drink chocolate mill. The only problem was that the world would be doomed if he was free, and that wasn’t a good thing. That’s why Mandark did the next best thing he could do and promise Cheese chocolate milk for life despite the fact he was lactose intolerant. It was the only thing he could do in order to make sure the lunatic didn’t go wild. Little did he know, that act of desperation would end up being one of the greatest things Mandark had ever done.

Most people didn’t consider the fact that Cheese had any actual feelings that could lead him to feel gratitude or care for someone. He had some kind of affection with the guy that came up with the idea to give him chocolate milk every day. He was willing to do anything for Mandark if it led to him getting the drink he loved to drink. That was the main reason that motivated the creature to do what it was about to do.

Running towards the Fusion, the creature leaped into the air and clamped onto the thing’s face and began beating it with an orange object. “I HAVE A CARROT!”  

“What’s that idiot doing?”

Again, a familiar voice came from his side. “Numbuh Four! Get Cheese out of there, NOW! He’s running straight towards an Eruption attack!”

A green circle was directly under the Fusion’s feet. It was really going to go through with what he was planning and hit Cheese with an Eruption attack. Even if it was injured by the attack, Fusion Eddy was willing do this in order to kill the pest. It continued to struggle in any attempt it could possibly do in order to get Cheese off his face and avoid the damage it would take after getting hit by his own technique.
Numbuh Four’s heart was racing as he tried to figure out a way to pry Cheese off the Fusion’s face. There was no possible way that the creature could survive something as powerful as an Eruption attack, and it was clear that Cheese had no intentions of letting go. Wally continued to try and formulate a plan to save the yellow guy as time continued to tick down. There was probably less than five seconds left before the ground exploded from the green plasma, which caused instinct to take over.

Nail both the Fusion and Cheese with a punch to force the yellow creature to let go…that was the impromptu plan he had come up with. Whether it succeeded or not was all up to chance and timing. Of course, this would come with a huge price no matter if it succeeded or not. If he was able get there on time and punch Cheese off the face, then damage would befall Wally’s arm. If he didn’t get there in time, then the creature would be dead. The dealing price for this plan was unfair, but nothing else was now possible. If he backed up, someone would die. If he continued on with this, then the limb that was entering the area the Eruption attack was going to possibly be unusable anymore.
T
he green lights from the plasma suddenly entered the scene. A scream of pain and agony echoed in the sky as the technique ended. Things would never be the same for Numbuh Four again.

After at least seven months of waiting, Star chapter 3 has been completed! Hope you all enjoy.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series featured here, all credit goes to CN and their original creators.

Chapter 3: Tears and Cheers
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“They always said that if you wish upon a shooting star, that wish will come true. I’m not one of those people that believe in legends, but I’m willing to give it a try if it ends my suffering.”
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Marcus turned his head. He let out a sigh as he sat down, looking disappointed. “Nothing but black…just great.”

“Release the seal.”

The red head jumped back to his feet the moment he heard a voice. He started wandering around the dark realm, trying to find something in the area. He figured that he would die if he couldn’t find the exit, but it truly felt like there was no escape for him. It was like fate decreed him to do nothing but run forward until the day he died. Why was he in this realm to begin with? Sure he fainted, but did someone really go through the trouble of carrying him to this weird place just to torture him? If they truly wanted him to suffer, all they would have to do is make him remember that scene that scarred him greatly, no need to bring him somewhere like this.

Thoughts like those continued to disturb the boy, who was still running to who knew where. He had witnessed death for the first time, in addition to seeing that fearsome creature for the first time only an hour ago, and it completely messed him up. He was still shaking as he vividly remembered each drop of blood that covered the man inside the car that was struck by an Eruption attack. The boy fell over and held his head the moment that the face of the creature flashed right in front of his eyes. Just thinking about that…that…creature frightened him beyond belief, and him remembering what that thing looked like wasn’t exactly helping him keep his cool while trying to escape this black void.
…..

Suddenly, the void transformed from a blank location into a crappy looking area of a big city. No longer running, the boy was amazed at this sight. This place seemed so familiar to him, and yet he just couldn’t figure out where he had seen it before. The buildings that looked like they were about to crumble, the birds that were chirping on top of the power poles, even the calm blue sky, none of them could help the boy figure out what was going on right now. All he was focused on was trying to come up with a reason for why he was suddenly here.  

At that moment, two people appeared before Marcus, making him realize what he was seeing exactly. The shorter of the two, a boy with orange hair that covered his right eye that was wearing black shorts and a white sleeveless shirt, was smiling as he extended his fist out. The other person a boy that looked eerily similar to Marcus except for the fact that his red hair was mostly shaved off, let out laugh before touching the fist with his knuckles. The boys quickly ran up to a basketball court and picked up a basketball, ready to start a quick game. At that moment, Marcus scratched the back of his head before letting out a sigh.

“Why am I seeing this? What does this have to do with anything?” the boy asked himself, slowly approaching the scene. He turned his head in confusion when the boys completely ignored his presence, just continuing with their game even though Marcus was standing in-between the both of them. He decided that he should begin experimenting. Yelling at them, trying to trip both of them, and even attempting to tip the ball out of their hands; they all failed to get the boys attention. Finally, he tried slapping one of them in the face, something he really didn’t want to do but felt he had to do. To his surprise, his hand went right through the boy’s face, as if he was a phantom.

He figured the best course of action was to think about these discoveries, which he was about to do over on the bench on the sidelines. However, the boys began talking about something, peaking Marcus’ interest. He walked over to the boy with orange hair, who still had a grin on his face while the boy with a shaved head was beginning to frown. Marcus began holding the bridge of his nose, as if he was on the verge of remembering something. At that moment, the boy with orange hair put his thumbs down and immediately followed it up by placing his right index finger on the side of his head.

“Leon, why do you always do that when you make three shots in a row?” the boy with the shaved head asked.

“Marky, I’ve told you this at least twenty times! Every player has a move they do when they’re on fire. Someone puts their fingers in rings and then over their eyes, and another guy points to the sky and pounds their chest. Isn’t that so cool?!” Leon answered. There was some kind of aura coming out of him; it was as if no one could be upset if they saw this kid talk right now.

Marky looked at the ball before giving Leon a sad look. “Yeah…but do you have to do it when you play with me? It just makes me feel bad that I can’t ever beat you.”
The orange head let out a laugh before placing his arms behind his head. He began walking in place, trying to contain his excitement. Eventually, he moved next to the taller boy, looking at the sky as he took a breath.
“Come on, Marcus, you just gotta have faith in yourself. Just because I’m older doesn’t mean that I’ll always be better.”

“You keep saying that, but everyone says you’re the one that’s going to make it to the pros. Everyone just laughs at me whenever I say that I’m going to be drafted someday.”

“Marky, don’t let others bother ya like that. We made a promise right? We’d both make it to the pros and face each other for our first championship.”

The Marcus that wasn’t noticed by these two kids suddenly snapped his fingers, finally realizing what the scene he was witnessing was supposed to be. He quickly ran to the other side and checked the poll that held up the other hoop. Looking around, he noticed a sticker of a black cross with the letters L and M on the ends. This was something that he made with his brother when they were both eight years old. That was all the confirmation that he needed. Without a doubt Marcus could say that he was watching the time that he was encouraged by Leon on the day before they moved to the States from Australia.

This memory was very important to him since it was one of the last times that Marcus could remember that his older brother acted like his older brother. Once they settled in Endsville, Leon started to distance himself from his younger sibling. The only way the red head was able to communicate with his twin now was when they were busy trying to formulate a plan to win a basketball game. Marcus placed his fist over his heart and looked to the sky, noticing that it was beginning to turn orange. He yearned for the days that he and his brother could have actual conversations and play games for fun again.

“Yeah, you’re right, Leon. Sorry for being sad again.”

The adolescent versions of Marcus and Leon were both smiling when the older brother began dribbling again. Laughter could be heard as he started driving towards the basket, only to get his lay-up attempt blocked by the jovial red-head. The younger of the two twins threw his fist into the air and started jumping, happy that he was finally able to stop his opponent from scoring. Leon looked up to the basket and let out a grin. He walked up to his younger brother and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Both of the boys were starting to laugh as the orange head started to rub his fist on top of the younger boy’s head. He was real proud of his sibling right now.

“See, Marky? You just gotta trust yourself. That was the first time you sent my shot flying.”

“Yeah…you’re right, it was! As long as I keep on holding on to the hope in my heart, I won’t fail!”
…….

At that moment, everything began to revert to its original form. Leon and Marky, the court, all of it was pitch black again. Marcus was all alone again, except this time he wasn’t focused on trying to escape. Rather, he was sitting on the ground, trying to figure out the reason he saw that memory. It was very dear to him, but it was a part of the past that he hadn’t thought about in years. He held his held in confusion, not able to think of a solution to his question.

“Remember dawn.”

Marcus turned his head as soon as he heard the voice again. He was certain that he was the only person here…and yet he felt like someone was watching him right now. The only thing he was certain about right now was that this voice was beginning to agitate him. Marcus thought the voice sounded familiar, but he just couldn’t think of the reason why it did at the moment. The boy stood up and began wandering again, determined to find the source of the voice this time. He was ready to search every possible area in the void if that’s what it took.

While searching for anything of interest, Marcus began thinking about other times he spent with his brother in the past. After seeing the last time he played a game with his brother for fun, the boy wanted to think back and remember if he did something to cause Leon to distance himself from the red head. The result of this reflection wasn’t what he was expecting however. Instead of finding anything that gave Leon a reason to drift away from his life, Marcus found himself with a teary vision. He fell to his knees, crying because he missed his brother.

“You realize what you were missing…awaken.”

…..

Blood was splattered throughout the concrete in a way that it formed a smiley face if it was looked at from certain angles. The place was completely abandoned, which was why Antonio Hoshi decided that the warehouse located in the Pimpleback Mountains would be the best place to take a nap. He didn’t expect the Urban Rangers, who were normally stationed in the Suburbs district, to follow him all the way into the wilderness just to capture him. On the flip side, the Urban Rangers didn’t expect the man that was accused of crashing the Mandark Industry Carrier Ship into the Firepits to be such a challenge. If they weren’t already dead, the people that came for him were all very close to biting the bullet. Every single one of the surviving Rangers had blood flowing down their face in addition to heavily damaged clothes. They all turned their heads in order to find their target when they heard a sinister laugh from the man with orange bangs. The only blood on him was of their fellow Rangers that died trying to catch him.

“HELP ME! HELP ME! PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS!”

The Rangers all looked absolutely disgusted when they finally noticed Antonio. With a demented grin on his face, he was holding a boy wearing the uniform of the former scouts with a retainer as an accessory over the rafters. Tears were falling down his face as he desperately tried to cling onto something despite the fact he was surrounded by nothing but open space. These tears made Antonio even happier, causing him to tighten his grip around the boy’s right ankle. Screams of pain echoed throughout the warehouse, hurting the Rangers just observing the scene since they couldn’t do anything to stop it. None of them had the courage to even utter a word anymore…they were all at the man’s mercy.

Out of nowhere, there was a loud crash. Laughter could be heard from the rafters as the Rangers just sat there, completely stunned by what they just saw. “Woopies!”
…..

Marcus slowly opened his eyes, noticing that he wasn’t crying anymore. He stared at the ceiling with a confused look. He might not have remembered exactly where he fainted hours ago, but he was certain that he was outside when he did. Pain rushed to his head, forcing him to hold the side of it as he sat up for the first time in awhile. He was having trouble trying to stay conscious right now, but he figured that taking another nap wouldn’t be the best option exactly.

While Marcus was trying to not fall over, a boy that looked to be around the same age as him walked into the room. The way he was staring at all the strange containers on the tables with his grey eyes indicated that he was searching for something. He scratched his light blue shaggy hair before letting out a sigh. The red head was going to say something when the stranger turned his head and noticed him. He was slowly approaching the bed-ridden Marcus, observing the boy very closely once he reached the side of the mattress and bed frame.

Marcus assumed the boy was a doctor since he was wearing a white coat over a blue shirt and because he was holding a clipboard. He started jotting down something on the piece of paper, tapping the eraser of his pencil against it after every fourth stroke. The red head let out a gulp once the one with blue hair walked over to the table and placed the clipboard on top of it. He couldn’t tell if the expression his face was good or not. His worries began to disappear when the boy closed his eyes and let out a small smile. That smile didn’t last long however, as a message appeared on some strange device attached to the boy’s right arm. He let out a second sigh before running out of the room and leaving the red head alone.

Marcus took a deep breath before throwing off the sheets on top of him. He positioned his feet adjacent to the floor and attempted standing up, only for pain to suddenly attack his legs. For the first time, he realized that he had white tape around his left leg. While he wondered what caused the injury and who wrapped it, the main thing Marcus was focusing on was walking over to the clipboard and reading what was written on it. He was determined to not lose to his hurt limb.

The strange room that Marcus had been sleeping in wasn’t that bad in all honestly. Sure the place looked kind of bland since the walls were white and bare, but this boring look gave it some kind of charm that most places couldn’t. The medical tools were all either neatly placed in plastic bags or they were hanging off the edges of open drawers. The two beds in the room were parallel to one another and looked very comfortable. The red head wouldn’t mind coming back here if he got injured again.

At that moment, a loud crash sound roared in Marcus’ eardrums, causing him to crouch down in pain. Covering his ears, he slowly stood up again and approached the door, wanting to see if the source of the sound was anywhere near him. His heart began racing as he made his way to the doorway. Would he find anything on the other side? What will happen once he walked out of the room? Would his leg be able to endure all this pain?

Once reaching the door, the boy took a deep breath and grabbed the door knob. With slight hesitation, he began turning the thing, closing his eyes before taking a step outside the room. When he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped because of the first thing he saw.
……

Bodies lied all over the empty warehouse, all of them no longer moving. The floors, walls, even some of the left over machines were painted crimson. Smiley faces were drawn near every one of the corpses, some of them also saying ‘I am God’ over their cross eyes. Besides the smiley faces, each dead body had a blue fabric that appeared to be a hat tied to their face, covering most of their features. Most of them also looked like they had broken arms, as if someone forced the limbs right out of their sockets. Something had killed every single one of the Rangers that came to capture Antonio Hoshi, and that something was dragging a corpse to the wall.
Antonio dipped the carcass’ hand in blood and began writing something on the wall. After each stroke, the smirk on his face began to grow until eventually he couldn’t help but laugh. Whatever it was that he was painting, it was taking the man a while to finish, though it didn’t look like he was too bothered by the amount of time he was wasting. In fact, the look on his face and the sound of his laugh made it seem like that he was overjoyed that he got to do this seemingly mundane task for such a long period.

Once he decided that his ‘work of art’ was good enough, Antonio slammed the arm into the concrete floor and rested his head against the words on the wall. “Die Hoshi, die Hoshi, die Hoshi,” he repeated, as if he was in some kind of trance. Out of nowhere, a beeping sound started echoing, a sound that the man ignored. After five minutes of silence however, the beeping returned, annoying him greatly. He quickly reached into his pocket and grabbed a phone. Answering the device, he placed his free hand over his forehead and sat back as if he was just lying back on a sofa in someone’s house. Never mind the fact that he was surrounded by blood and corpses.

“What is it, Militia?” Antonio asked in an aggravated tone.

“Have you found a shard yet? Master told me that you were in charge of finding them, but we both know that Mr. Insane isn’t the right person for a search mission like this.”

“Shut it. We both know that I’m the only one that finds anything for Master. All you do is sit in your pretty Princess throne and take the credit when I get the thing we were suppose to find.”

“Come on, Tony-Tony. Don’t get mad for no reason. All I wanted was to get a status report.” The tone of voice on the other end of the phone sounded like sarcasm. Whoever they were, he sure was brave if he was making fun of the insane man.

If the person he was talking to was standing right in front of him, Antonio would have stuck up the middle finger right in the guy’s face. Since there was no one in front of him though, he had to listen to this crap without anything to take his anger out on. “You got five seconds to tell me something useful before I track you down and break your skull.”

“Feisty are we? Alright, fine, I’ll talk. There’s a shard in Dexlabs that is being protected by the Kid’s Next Door. You’re going to have to subdue Numbuh One if you want to get it.”

At that moment, Antonio threw his phone against the wall, shattering the device into many pieces. His smile began to return as he started stomping the corpse he used to write on the wall earlier. He was going to have fun taking his anger out on the scientists in Dexlabs.

“I feel the flow!”
……

Marcus was face to face with another Fusion, this one wearing a red cap that covered her eyes and a black shirt that went over her shorts. The incident involving Fusion Eddy flashed in his mind again. The boy attempted to start running, but the pain in his caused him to fall over. He let out a loud scream as the green monster started pulling out two guns. Smaller round green creatures started appearing from the end of the corridor. They all went beside the Fusion, making weird noises as the big green monster started aiming at Marcus. Things were looking extremely bad right now for the boy.

Lightning suddenly descended from the sky, destroying most of the smaller green creatures instantaneously. The remaining creatures turned around to see a boy with light blue hair and grey eyes slowly approach them. They all started trying to escape the moment they noticed a spark appear on the sharp object he was holding in his right hand. Before they could get away, the boy moved the sword in a horizontal motion, causing the spark to leave the object in the shape of a wave. He let out a grin before he pointed the object towards the big Fusion, revealing that the object he was holding was a sword.

Finally able to move, Marcus slowly got up and started taking a few steps back in order to get away from the Fusion. He couldn't help but observe the person that saved him though. That’s when he realized something. “Wait…aren’t you the doctor? What are you doing fighting this monster?!”

“I’m just studying to be a doctor. Dexlabs were short on people so they went to my school and asked for students willing to serve in the war. As for why I’m fighting this thing…let’s just say that being a med student isn’t the only thing I’m interested in.”
The Fusion let out a growl, causing Marcus to shake even more. He really hated these stupid green monsters.

“Are you crazy?! I know you just beat all the small fry easily, but do you have any idea how different the one’s that look like humans are?! You’ll die if you go through with this!”

“If I die, I die. I’ll be satisfied knowing I saved at least one person’s life.” The boy walked up to the Fusion and started charging his sword with lightning again. “Fusion Numbuh Five, my name is Roy Sebastian…and this will be your last day!”