Our story continues in Fruitbowl City. Fireball came to Apple Boy with a burning question, pun fully intended. "Hey, Apple Boy?" he asked. "Hey, Fireball! What's up, something on your mind?" Apple Boy asked in reply. "Do you think it's possible for us to gain more powers?" Fireball asked. "I wouldn't doubt that...I mean, back when I was scouring that temple for the golden treasure, I found out that I could breathe underwater," Apple Boy said, looking back on that time that he found possibly the worst treasure ever. In case you forgot, it was a golden trophy of a hamster sitting in a microwave, with the placard: Based on a True Story. It really is, by the way. Didn't happen in my life, but it happened in one of my friend's lives. Off-topic, sorry. "You can breathe underwater?!" Fireball asked in shock. "I didn't tell you guys?" Apple Boy asked, confused. "Anyways, yeah, maybe we can gain more superpowers. You'd have to talk to Ice Cream Man, though," Apple Boy continued. "Well...if I must, I must," Fireball said, "Could you or Andromeda fire up the teleporter?" "No?" Apple Boy said, "The time machine WAS the teleporter, until the Chronosphere incident. Now, we just don't have one," "Damn...maybe you and Andromeda could build another one?" Fireball asked. "Why would we do that? Everyone here aside from Kaiden can naturally fly, and I think even HE found a solution for that," Apple Boy pointed out. "Eh? What'd Kaiden do to solve that problem?" Fireball asked. "Don't you remember? He and Andromeda made some rocket boots based off of the technology used to make Omni-Metals. In fact, I think they're working on a second revision of them right now" Apple Boy said, pointing to the Lab Room, "Maybe they have a solution for your power problem," "Well, thanks anyways, Apple Boy," Fireball said, heading out of Apple Boy's room, and towards the Lab Room. "How close do you think we are?" Kaiden asked. "I WOULD SAY THAT WE'RE READY TO TEST THE SECOND VERSION OF THE ROCKET BOOTS," Andromeda said. "Hey, Kaiden? Andromeda?" Fireball asked, pushing open the Lab Room door. "Oh, hey Fireball!" Kaiden said. "WHAT BRINGS YOU TO THE LAB ROOM TODAY?" Andromeda asked. "See, I heard about the revision to the Rocket Boots that you two were working on, and I was wondering...would it be possible for you guys to manufacture more superpowers?" Fireball asked. "That's beyond my skill set," Kaiden said. "IT MAY BE POSSIBLE, BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE KIND OF POWERS YOU WANT. YOU CAN ALREADY FLY, SO THE ROCKET BOOTS WOULD BE OF NO USE TO YOU," Andromeda said, "YOU HAVE PYROKINESIS, SO MY FLAMETHROWER PROTOTYPE WOULDN'T HELP YOU OUT EITHER," "I really don't know what powers I want, I just feel like fire manipulation isn't enough," Fireball said, sighing. "MAYBE YOU COULD DISCUSS THIS WITH ICE CREAM MAN," Andromeda suggested, "ISN'T HE THE REASON YOU, APPLE BOY, AND ORANGE GIRL HAVE YOUR POWERS IN THE FIRST PLACE?" "That IS true...but I'm gonna keep it a buck...I don't really like Ice Cream Man all too much, and I don't think he really likes me either," Fireball said. "Because of your Fire powers?" Kaiden asked. "That'd be my guess," Fireball replied. "EITHER WAY, I'M SURE THAT KAIDEN IS GLAD YOU STOPPED BY, I PROBABLY WOULD BE IF I HAD EMOTIONS, BUT WE NEED TO TEST THIS REVISION," Andromeda said. "I'll go talk to Kamille," Fireball said, leaving, "See you around, guys!" "See ya later, Fireball!" Kaiden said, waving. "GOODBYE," Andromeda said. Orange Girl was working away on a story she had started two stories ago, simply titled, "The School Story,". There was a knock on her door, and Fireball entered. "Hey Kamille," Fireball said, "Hey bro...something on your mind?" Orange Girl asked, putting down her pencil. "Yeah," Fireball said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "Do you ever feel like our powers aren't enough?" "No, not really. Why do you ask?" Orange Girl asked. "I'm feeling that," Fireball said. "Oh...I'm sorry that you're feeling that way, Cam," Orange Girl said, trying to comfort her brother. "No, it's alright, Kamille...Ollie suggested that I pay Ice Cream Man a visit, and Kaiden and Andromeda suggested the same thing," Fireball said, "And I'm not sure that I want to do that..." "Do you not like him?" Orange Girl asked. "Not really...and also...I've got fire powers, he's made of ice cream...and on top of that, he's the ruler of Altoria. If I accidentally melt him, Altoria might go to war with us," Fireball said. "Well, that's fair. Nobody wants to be the cause of a war," Orange Girl said. "You know what, I'm gonna do it. But I'm gonna need to figure out how I'll be in proximity to him without melting him," Fireball said. "Have you considered...turning off your powers?" Orange Girl asked. Ever since the Defenders were formally formed in Apple Boy 5, Fireball's hair had been a burning blaze, kinda like the fire copy ability in the Kirby games. It had only just occurred to Fireball that that was a thing he could shut off and turn on at will. "I suppose you're right," Fireball said, turning off his powers. His hair returned to normal, and he was no longer a hazard to the Altorian empire. "I guess I'm off to go see him...wish me luck, Kamille!" Fireball said, getting ready to fly off to Altoria. "You can do this, Cam!" Orange Girl said, encouraging her brother. Fireball opened a window and flew out of it, and when he had left, Orange Girl closed the window, and got back to writing. Meanwhile, in Altoria, Ice Cream Man was going over the country census, and made sure to eliminate any remaining rebels from that census, and had them tossed in the Dungeon. And then, Fireball stopped by. "Ah, Fireball! What brings you here on a...did you change your hair? It's less fiery than it usually is," Ice Cream Man asked. "Yeah, I found out that I can 'toggle' my fire hair on and off. This is just what it normally looks like. Now, do you think you could hit me with another one of those power-granting meteors?" Fireball asked, getting straight to the point. "Why would you want more powers? You've already got the ultimate power to us Altorians! You could melt a majority of us easily!" Ice Cream Man pointed out. "I don't know, man, it just doesn't feel like enough..." Fireball said. "Well, I mean, I could...but not even I know what would happen upon a second contact with the meteorite," Ice Cream Man pondered, "I feel like at this state, there are too many unknowns for this to be considered safe," "Please, Ice Cream Man, I beg of you!" Fireball pleaded. "Well...oh, alright...but don't blame me when you turn into a campfire or something!" Ice Cream Man said. The two of them exited the Sugar Cone Citadel, and headed off to the meteorite firing range. "Are you ready, Fireball?" Ice Cream Man asked, readying a meteorite cannon. "Ready as I'll ever be!" Fireball said, "Hit me!" Ice Cream Man lit the fuse of the meteorite cannon, and hid behind a wall of wafer cookies. The cannon fired, and the meteorite, a meteorite about the size of a Fiat, struck Fireball directly in the face, before flying off in the distance, probably to Australia or something. "Fireball? Are you gonna be alright?" Ice Cream Man asked, rushing over to Fireball. Fireball was knocked unconscious, but...his fire hair had reactivated. "Oh boy...I'd better call Apple Boy," Ice Cream Man said to himself, worried. Ice Cream Man grabbed Fireball, found some of his Gingerbread Soldiers, and asked them to get Fireball to the healthcare wing of the Sugar Cone Citadel, and began dialing Apple Boy's number. Back at the Apple Tower, Apple Boy was testing Kaiden's next game, some sort of Mario fan game with a character named Mr. Retro. "Y'know...my dad actually fought in a war with Mr. Retro here," Kaiden said to Apple Boy. "Why do I believe that?" Apple Boy asked. Before Kaiden could answer, Apple Boy's phone went off. "Hello?" Apple Boy asked, answering the phone. "Hey, Apple Boy, it's me, Ice Cream Man," Ice Cream Man said. "Hey, Ice Cream Man! How's it hanging?" Apple Boy asked. "Things could be better, to be honest" Ice Cream Man said, "Fireball came over, looking for more superpowers," "Oh no, what did he do to try to get more?" Apple Boy asked, nervous. "Well...and here's the funny part...he wanted another meteorite shot at him. A full-sized one as opposed to the soccer ball sized one he and his sister were hit with," Ice Cream Man said. "Please tell me you didn't do it," Apple Boy said. "I did it, I shot him with a meteor about the size of one of those Fiat cars," Ice Cream Man admitted. "Andromeda and I'll be over in a minute..." Apple Boy said, hanging up the phone. "Sorry Kaiden, I hate to run out on you, but Fireball's been possibly fatally injured," Apple Boy said, rushing out of Kaiden's room to tell Andromeda. "Sad times," Kaiden said, and continued working on his game. About 15 minutes later, Apple Boy and Andromeda arrived at the Sugar Cone Citadel. "How is he?" Apple Boy asked Ice Cream Man, who was waiting for them at the gates. "He'll live...but you might want to get a look at him," Ice Cream Man said. "What do you mean by that?" Apple Boy asked, heading into the healthcare wing. Fireball was covered in small molten rocks, from head to toe. "My god!" Apple Boy exclaimed. Andromeda scanned over Fireball, trying to see if he was even still human. "HE IS NOT HUMAN ANYMORE...HE HAS BECOME SOME SORT OF MOLTEN ROCK CREATURE," Andromeda said. "What're we going to do?!" Ice Cream Man asked. Apple Boy thought long and hard about this. What would the other Defenders say when they saw what happened to Fireball? What would Orange Girl do when she saw what her brother had become? Would she lash out? Would she condemn Ice Cream Man? What was the game plan here? "Ok...I'll be back momentarily, I'm gonna go get the rest of the Defenders," Apple Boy said, "Andromeda, see if you can wake Fireball up," "I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO," Andromeda said. Apple Boy left the castle, flying back to the Apple Tower. A few minutes later, Apple Boy came back, with the other Defenders in tow. "Is Fireball ok?" Kaiden asked, and then he saw Fireball. "I guess not," Kaiden said. "What happened to him?" Dominator asked. "He wanted to get more powers, so he asked me to shoot another meteorite at him," Ice Cream Man explained, "Now he's like this molten rock creature," "Ah," Dominator said. Orange Girl looked at her brother, and said nothing. She placed her hand on his head, but quickly removed it when his head burnt her hand. "You gonna be alright, Kamille?" Apple Boy asked. "I...don't know," Orange Girl answered. Then, out of nowhere, Fireball came to. "Whuh...what happened? Do I have new powers?" Fireball asked groggily. "If you consider becoming a rock creature a superpower, then yep, you've got a new power," Kaiden said. Apple Boy promptly elbowed him in the ribs. "Fireball...you might want to look in the mirror," Apple Boy said, handing Fireball a mirror, which promptly melted when Fireball touched it. "Good thing I came prepared," Dominator said, pulling out a spare mirror. "WHERE DID YOU PULL THAT FROM?" Andromeda asked. "Not important," Dominator said. Fireball looked in the mirror, and saw his new image. "Oh my god...I'm hideous!" Fireball exclaimed, looking at the rock monster in the mirror. "No you aren't, man!" Apple Boy said. "Yeah, you look great!" Kaiden said. Fireball didn't really believe them. See, transforming into a molten rock monster really does something to you. Not just physically, but emotionally, too. Possibly even mentally, because Fireball's quest for power was only just beginning. "Listen...Ice Cream Man, if you could just unhook me from this hospital bed, I'll be on my way. I need to get away, and think about things," Fireball said. "Well...if you're really feeling better, I don't see why not," Ice Cream Man said, and then turned to Apple Boy. "You don't mind unhooking him, do you? I'll probably EVAPORATE if I even so much as brush up against him," Ice Cream Man asked. "Yeah, no, I don't mind," Apple Boy said, as he unhooked Fireball from the hospital bed. "Oliver...I don't think that Fruitbowl City's gonna be too jazzed up about a Rock Monster fighting crime, so...I think I'm gonna take a break from being a member of the Defenders," Fireball said to Apple Boy. "Wait, what?!" Apple Boy asked in shock. "I'm sorry...I'm sure there's a better superhero out there for the Defenders than a molten rock man. I'll miss you guys. I'll be back if/when I can look more...normal," Fireball said. "Where will you go?" Kaiden asked. "Probably Hawaii, lots of volcanic rock there. I'll fit right in!" With this, he bid his friends (and Ice Cream Man) farewell, and smashed through one of the walls, flying away using his flames. "That was the strangest thing I've had happened to me in a long time," Kaiden said, "And back home, I'm friends with a guy with no limbs!" "Well...I don't really think we need to be here in Altoria any more today," Apple Boy said, "Let's go home," Apple Boy and the Defenders flew back home, and Ice Cream Man was left in the healthcare wing, incredibly confused. Back at the Apple Tower, pretty much everybody except for Apple Boy and Orange Girl went back to what they were doing. Andromeda and Kaiden continued working on the revision to the Rocket Boots, Dominator went back to work at the Deli, Orange Girl began going through her brother's things, missing him a lot, and Apple Boy began making some posters. They read, "NEW SUPERHERO WANTED! FOR MORE INFORMATION, COME TO THE APPLE TOWER!" He made about 200 posters, and then, he walked into the Lab Room. "Hey, Andromeda? I need some help in distributing these posters. Are you and Kaiden up to the task?" "I WOULDN'T MIND HELPING," Andromeda said. "Sure, I'm down!" Kaiden said, "The second version of the Rocket Boots are almost done, so if we put the finishing touches on it, I'll strap them on, and help you guys out with the posters!" "Sounds good to me!" Apple Boy said, as Kaiden put the finishing touches (paint) on the second version of the Rocket Boots, and strapped them on. "Ready to go!" Kaiden said. Apple Boy, Andromeda, and Kaiden then went out, putting up posters all over Fruitbowl City. When they were finished, you couldn't go 10 minutes without seeing a poster. About a week later, Apple Boy and the Defenders woke up to a long line in front of the Apple Tower's double doors. "Man...I guess we have a lot of applicants," Apple Boy said, looking out the window. Now, to save you the strain of going through every single applicant, we're going to only go through some highlights. First, we have Mirror Man, a superhero that reflects any attack thrown his way. To test him, Apple Boy tossed an Apple Bomb at one of the mirrors on his superhero outfit. The mirror shattered. Mirror Man promptly left. Then, we have Time Killer. He speeds things up, including himself. Kaiden beat him in a race, so Time Killer left as well. Strangely, Don Stringozzi the Third was broken out of prison, and claimed he wanted to change his ways. So, he also applied for the vacant position. He put on a superhero mask and a red cape, and became Spaghetti Dude. He was immediately rejected, because none of the Defenders were gonna believe that crap. After 'Spaghetti Dude' was kicked out, the next applicant was Bowling Ball. He was a big guy, who could roll like a bowling ball and knock out criminals. He, shockingly, was put under consideration. After all the applicants had cleared out, the only one who was even somewhat good was Bowling Ball...until someone rushed in. "I'm not too late, am I?" the person asked. "Nah, I'd say we've got time," Apple Boy said, "So, who are you?" "Well..." the person said, nervously, "I'm Ryder, Ryder Williams," "No, no, your superhero name," Kaiden said. "Oh! Sorry bout that," Ryder said, "I'm...uh...Banana Enby? I dunno, I'm comin' up with this on the fly," they said. "Well, alright then, Banana Enby, what can you bring to the table?" Orange Girl asked. "W-well...I have these Boomerangs, I call them Bananarangs..." they said, pulling out a Bananarang. "Where are you from, Australia?" Kaiden asked, to which Apple Boy elbowed him again. "Y-yes, actually! Well, I grew up there, but I live here in Fruitbowl City now!" Banana Enby said. Upon hearing this, Kaiden elbowed Apple Boy as revenge. "Ow, dammit Kaiden! So uh, can we see how these Bananarangs work?" Apple Boy asked. Banana Enby threw a Bananarang out the window, waited a few minutes, and then outstretched their other hand. "Where's the bananarang?" Dominator asked. "Wait for it..." Banana Enby said. The Bananarang smashed through a window, and returned to their hand. Kaiden's eyes lit up when the Bananarang smashed through the window. "Aah! S-sorry about the window!" Banana Enby said, nervously. "No worries, I've done FAR worse to the structural integrity of this building," Kaiden said. "Don't worry about it, Ryder. Property damage is all a part of the job!" Apple Boy said. "So...have I gotten the position?" Banana Enby asked. "Well, what do you guys think?" Apple Boy asked the other Defenders. "I'm fine with that!" Dominator said. "I VOTE YES," Andromeda said, making Banana Enby jump. "W-who or what is THAT?!" they asked. "I AM ANDROMEDA, AN OMNI-METAL CREATED BY OSWALD BALDOVIS, THE SUBMARINE MAN. HE IS A VILLAIN, AND I ONCE WAS. I HAVE SINCE BEEN REFORMED, AND AM A MEMBER OF THE DEFENDERS OF FRUITBOWL CITY," Andromeda explained. "An Omni-Metal?" Banana Enby asked. "He's kinda like a sentient Iron Man suit," Apple Boy said. "Orange Girl, what do you say? Should Ryder become part of the Defenders?" Orange Girl looked Banana Enby over, and simply gave them a thumbs up. "Alright, then. Ryder Williams, welcome to the Defenders of Fruitbowl City!" Apple Boy said, getting up and shaking their hand. "R-really?! Thank you so much!" Banana Enby was so excited that they gave Apple Boy a hug, which caught Apple Boy off guard. "Oh! Well, ok then! Let's go get your room set up!" Apple Boy said. So, the Defenders spent the better part of the day moving Fireball's few belongings into Orange Girl's room, and sprucing things up for Banana Enby to move in. Meanwhile, in Hawaii, Fireball was preparing to make himself even more powerful. How would he do that, you ask? Well...he was planning to use his newfound body to merge with a VOLCANO. Yep, that is a thing he can do now, due to his rocky body. "Alright...when I jump into this volcano, I should theoretically melt, merging with the lava, and therefore becoming the volcano. I'll be the most powerful elemental superhero in the world!" Fireball said to himself. The mutation into a rock creature has seemed to drive him a bit more power-hungry than he was pre-mutation. He jumped in, and all the rocks that made up his body sunk to the bottom of the volcano, separated, and melted into lava. Then...he opened his eyes, and he WAS the lava. He WAS the volcano. Fireball was no more...because he was now Mag-Man. He erupted from the Volcano, and landed on the island. "PERFECT..." Mag-Man muttered, "TIME TO GO HOME..." He began trudging across the island, until he made it to the water, upon which his leg touched the water, turning his leg to obsidian. "WHUH?" Mag-Man said, looking confused at his leg. Then he hatched an idea. If he turned himself completely to obsidian, he'd be unbreakable! He'd live forever, theoretically! So, he hopped on top of the volcano, and jumped off with a "CANNONBALL!" into the ocean. He cooled off in the ocean, turning to obsidian. Mag-Man was no more, as he was now...the Obsidian Man. He once again sunk to the bottom, planning to go back home to Fruitbowl City to be with his Defender family. This journey would take about a month. In that month, however, Banana Enby began acclimating to life in the Apple Tower. They gamed with Kaiden, made a new suit with Andromeda's help, jammed out with Apple Boy (Ryder plays guitar in their spare time), read Orange Girl's story, loved it, and...didn't really do anything with Dominator, they don't interact very much. But...at the end of that month...our good friend the Obsidian Man had made his way to the water that bordered Fruitbowl City...right on Virginia Beach. He emerged from the water, and walked onto the beach. "COME ON OUT, DEFENDERS!" called out the Obsidian Man. Apple Boy and the Defenders heard this, and quickly made their way to the roof of the Apple Tower. "Who said that?!" Apple Boy asked. "Show yourself!" Kaiden said. "WE ARE NOT AFRAID TO USE FORCE," Andromeda said. "We're armed!" Banana Enby yelled out. Obsidian Man was glad to hear the voices of his old friends...but didn't recognize Banana Enby's voice. "HEY GUYS!" Obsidian Man said, making it to the Apple Tower. "Wait...FIREBALL?!" Dominator asked. "NOPE, I'M THE OBSIDIAN MAN NOW!" Obsidian Man confirmed, "I'M MORE POWERFUL NOW, I'M READY TO RE-JOIN!" "Oh...you were planning on re-joining...?" Apple Boy asked. "YEAH, WHY? AND WHO'S THIS NEW PERSON?" Obsidian Man asked, pointing at Banana Enby. "H-hello!" Banana Enby waved up at Obsidian Man. "Well...this is Ryder Williams, better known as Banana Enby...your, uh...replacement," Apple Boy said, sheepishly. Obsidian Man paused. "MY...REPLACEMENT? YOU REPLACED ME?!" Obsidian Man asked, both sad and angry. "I didn't know you were planning on coming back!" Apple Boy explained. "HOW COULD YOU REPLACE ME LIKE THAT?!" Obsidian Man yelled. "Well, I...uh...heh heh...man, this is awkward," Apple Boy said, tugging at his collar. "I'LL CRUSH YOU!!" Obsidian Man said, getting ready to swing at Apple Boy at the Defenders. "Oh crap," Apple Boy said, "Get down, guys!" The Defenders went their way down into the Apple Tower. As Obsidian Man made contact with the Apple Tower, a holographic shield suddenly deflected his blow. "What was that?!" Apple Boy asked. "A FORCE FIELD. I PUT IT UP WHILE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THAT TREASURE," Andromeda said. "Good thinking!" Dominator said. The Defenders ran out of the Apple Tower, flew up, and began to do battle with Obsidian Man. Banana Enby tossed a Bananarang at him, but it didn't do very much, considering it was a regular boomerang made in the image of a Banana. "Crap, that didn't work!" Banana Enby said. "Hold on...let's try this!" Dominator said, attempting to lift Obsidian Man using the telekinesis that he mentioned once but never really has to use. "HEY, PUT ME DOWN!" Obsidian Man yelled, attempting to swing at Dominator. "Hit 'em with some bombs, Apple Boy!" Dominator said. "Good idea!" Apple Boy said, tossing a few Apple Bombs towards Obsidian Man. The explosions blew off some chunks of Obsidian Man's body, but it didn't really hurt him, as the chunks became sentient, and joined Obsidian Man in his fight against his former friends. "Well, that's just made things worse!" Kaiden said. Orange Girl, reluctant to fight her brother, wasn't doing very much. Just a punch here or there. "Oi, Apple Boy, I've got an idea!" Banana Enby yelled over to Apple Boy. "What is it?" Apple Boy said, fighting off some of the Obsidian Chunks that had fallen off of Obsidian Man. "Toss a few Apple Bombs over!" Banana Enby suggested, prepping a Bananarang. "Uh, alright!" Apple Boy said, tossing some Apple Bombs over to Banana Enby. They took the Apple Bombs, and stuck them to the ends of the Bananarang. "Now THAT'S what I call Fruit Salad!" Banana Enby said, throwing the Bananarang with Apple Bombs on the edges of it towards some Obsidian Chunks. The chunks were blown up, losing their sentience. "Nice work, Banana Enby!" Apple Boy said. "Thanks, Apple Boy!" Banana Enby said, punching another one of the Obsidian Chunks in the face. Above them, Andromeda was taking on Obsidian Man head on. "STAND DOWN, CAMERON," Andromeda said, "THIS WILL NOT END WELL FOR YOU," "MAKE ME!" Obsidian Man yelled. Andromeda shot some energy blasts at Obsidian Man, making him crack apart. "Andromeda, keep blasting!" Apple Boy said. "ALRIGHT," Andromeda said. He kept on blasting, cracking him apart further and further, until he burst into at least 84 chunks. All 84 of them were, of course, part of the same mind, that of Obsidian Man. They went after the Defenders, who beat them down as best they could. Orange Girl still wasn't beating as many as the others, but she still contributed. Apple Boy and Banana Enby tossed Apple Bombs and Bananarangs at the Chunks, with some of them falling and shattering, and others exploding into smaller chunks, who would fall and shatter as well. Dominator slammed some into each other with his telekinesis, and Kaiden beat some of them in Sonic Advance multiplayer, making the chunks shatter out of complete shock. It was at the point of the battle when there was only one chunk left. Apple Boy got a bright idea. "Andromeda, do you have a way to melt things?" Apple Boy asked. "I HAVE AN OPTION WITHIN MY ENERGY BLASTS TO DO THAT, YES," Andromeda said. "Melt him, I've got a plan!" Apple Boy said, flying off to the store. "AFFIRMATIVE," Andromeda said, setting his energy blasts to melt. He shot some energy blasts at Obsidian Man, melting him back into Mag-Man. "What're you doing?" Mag-Man asked, no longer the Obsidian Man. "Gotcha!" Apple Boy came back with a massive jar, taking Mag-Man in the jar. "Noo! Not the jar!" Mag-Man cried. "It's ok, Cameron...we're gonna try to get you back to normal," Apple Boy said. Taking the jar, he flew off to Altoria. "Hey, Ice Cream Man!" Apple Boy said, holding the jar. "Hey there, Apple Boy. What do you have there?" Ice Cream Man asked. "It's Fireball-" Apple Boy started, but then was cut off by Mag-Man, "It's Mag-Man, not Fireball. Do I look like a Fireball to you?" "I suppose not," Apple Boy said, "but you will soon, hopefully," "So, uh, what can I help you with?" Ice Cream Man asked. "If you could just pour this dude into a mold in the shape of a human, that'd be great. We'll let him sit, and he'll pretty much be human again," Apple Boy said. "Is...is that really how that works?" Ice Cream Man asked, "Why would I even HAVE a mold in the shape of a human??" "I dunno, it just seems like something you'd have," Apple Boy said. Luckily for Apple Boy, Ice Cream Man actually DID have a mold in the shape of a human, from when he was trying to be a human. That's another story, that I don't really want to tell. Stuff gets weird in that story. Ice Cream Man prepped the mold, and Apple Boy poured Mag-Man in, and waited for him to cool off. It took about half an hour, but Mag-Man, now Obsidian Man again, had finally completely cooled off, and settled into the mold. "You all good in there, Cam?" Apple Boy asked, knocking on the mold like a door. "Yeah, I guess I'm me again," Obsidian Man said, "Take me out, please," Apple Boy opened the mold up, and out popped Obsidian Man, looking much closer to his old self. "There he is! Welcome back, Cameron!" Apple Boy said, going in to shake Obsidian Man's hand. He didn't budge, however, as he had another burning question for Apple Boy. "Why did you replace me?" Obsidian Man asked. "It's really pretty simple...I didn't realize your leave wasn't gonna be permanent," Apple Boy answered, "It's just all a big misunderstanding," Obsidian Man understood this, but he had one final question. "Am I still able to return to the Defenders?" he asked. "I'm afraid not," Apple Boy answered, "I can get you your belongings, if you'd like, though," "That would be nice. Pleasure serving with you on the Defenders, Apple Boy," Obsidian Man outstretched his hand. "Indeed it was, my friend," Apple Boy said, shaking Obsidian Man's hand. Within the week, Obsidian Man's belongings were sent his way, and Obsidian Man moved permanently to Hawaii. That Friday, Apple Boy had something special planned. "Alright, Ryder...since you're the newest Defender, and I'm shocked we haven't gone out for pizza for nearly a whole damn month, it's time for your proper initiation, through our Pizza Nights!" Apple Boy said to Banana Enby. "Oh?" Banana Enby said, "And where shall we go for that?" "Only the best pizza place in Fruitbowl City," Kaiden said, "Pizza Prophets pizzeria!" "Pizza Prophets, you say?" Banana Enby asked, revealing a Pizza Prophets member pin on the inside of their cape. Upon seeing this, Apple Boy's eyes lit up. "NO WAY!! You're a former Pizza Prophet, too?!" Apple Boy asked, excited. "Yep!" Banana Enby said, smiling, "Got up to a Silver Pepperoni! Only one person in the history of the Prophets got to the Golden Pepperoni...some dude named Oliver Stewarts. I wish I got to his level before I left the prophets," Apple Boy and Kaiden looked at each other. "Well, Ryder...I, uh..." Apple Boy said, pulling a Golden Pepperoni pin out of his pocket. Banana Enby gasped at the sight of the Golden Pepperoni. "YOU'RE Oliver Stewarts?!" Banana Enby asked in shock. "The one and only," Apple Boy said, a bit nervous at what would happen next. "Dude, you're a Pizza Prophets LEGEND!" Banana Enby said, "How'd you do it? How'd you get the Golden Pepperoni?" "It's a long story, and we don't wanna be late for dinner," Apple Boy said, "I'll round up the other Defenders, then we'll head out," So, he did, and off went the Defenders to Pizza Prophets restaurant. As they ordered their meals, and Apple Boy explained to Banana Enby the best tips on working your way to getting the Golden Pepperoni, the Crystal Clone lay in the temple, growing larger, and larger. At this point, with all that's happened, it's about the size of Apple Boy, pre-superpowers. It's nearly time for the clone to be set loose onto the world.
The End
YOU ARE READING
The Apple Boy Series
Science FictionApple Boy and the Defenders go on all sorts of adventures!
