[center][h3][color=tan]Courier 6[/color] and [color=orange]Ratchet[/color][/h3]
[b]Level 5[/b] - (9/50) EXP (+3), [b]Level 4[/b] - (17/40) (+3-2 friend heart=1)
[h3]Michael[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b]- (3/40)
And
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190412/e4dbf397d85ea4a514a02d2553a44c17.png[/img]
[b]Level 2- (2/20 EXP)
Difficulty Level 1[/b]
[b]Location:[/b] Paved Wilderness
[b]Word Count:[/b] 3717
A collab between [@ProPro][@thedman][@Simple Unicycle][/center]

Insanity spread all across the battlefield as the Courier made his way back to cover with the Bowsermobile. After hurling himself up and over the side he took a moment to get a brief idea of his surroundings. The second buggy had evaded the attack from his heracross, but honestly it was a total chump compared to the rest of the enemies. The reinforcement buggy seemed to have been totally destroyed by one of the newbies and Ratchet and Michael joined in to team up against the guy with the giant ears and his rat, so that wasn’t very concerning. The monster truck had been stalled but still presented the biggest, most clear threat to his immediate position. Meanwhile the ice cream truck had turned into a flying mecha robot, but that was getting swarmed by a bunch of his allies. Ok, this was weird, but as always the Courier was quick to adapt to the situation and do whatever would be the best for himself at the time.

[color=tan]”Howdy,”[/color] he said to the resident koopa mage, Kamek, the next seat over as he fiddled with his pip-boy. A second later a [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DD_NCM_RJs]song[/url] came blaring from the radio function. He tapped his shoe to the beat for a second, humming the tune. [color=tan]”That jingle, jangle, jingle-”[/color] Then he pulled out the weapon he had received from Gaige’s spirit, the Revolution, and took aim on the monster truck’s closest wheel. The machine gun fired volley after volley of acidic rounds directly into the tire’s hub cap, which would eat rapidly through the metal and into the axel. After a good solid few seconds of concentrated fire the driver of the truck would be without a front left wheel, throwing the whole thing off balance and leave it grounded.

[color=tan]”As she goes riding merrily along.”[/color] The Courier blew the smoke out from the hot muzzle, a self-satisfied shit eating grin plastered across his face.

[hr]

As Gene smashed the Sand Shark into unusable scrap metal, its two occupants went flying right passed the God Hand, one with a little more dignity than the other. [color=darkorange]”WAAAAAAH!”[/color] cried the little orange rat, but the long eared human tucked and rolled with the force, using the momentum to jump back into action. He twisted around, pulling out some sort of firearm, right next to where his little friend had been buried in the sand.

Ratchet also landed nearby, wrench out and ready to fight. [color=orange]”Jak, Daxter! I don’t want to have to do this.”[/color]

Daxter comically pulled himself from the ground, rolling back a moment then jumping to his feet. He patted away the dirt from his fur then jumped up on Jak’s shoulder. [color=darkorange]”Ratchet? Is that you? Woah, you got tall! What’s the matter, you got jealous of my boy Jak here the last two times we beat your butt?”[/color]

Jak scoffed, cocking his gun and clearly ready for a fight. [color=sandybrown]”It’s too bad for you that I do want to do this, Ratchet. Bring in all the reinforcements you want.”[/color]

[color=darkorange]”Yeah! Because we’ll pound’em into the pavement! Well, mostly Jak will. Won’t ya Jak?”[/color]

With an annoyed grunt, Gene picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. He succeeded in disabling the Sand Shark, and while he wasn't hurt, it was still a little embarrassing to get knocked on his ass! Still, he approached the drivers of the buggy, who were facing off against that... Cat thing. Ratchet was his name? Yeah, Ratchet, that sounded right.

The duo consisted of a man of about average height, with long ears and a killer goatee, while the other person ([color=burlywood][b][i]'Is that the right word?'[/i][/b][/color]) was a small orange creature perched on the man's shoulder. Judging by what Ratchet said, their names were Jak and Daxter. The orange otter-weasel creature thing was smack talking Ratchet, and Gene figured that now was about time to make his entrance.

Walking forward slowly, confidently, Gene cracked his knuckles and shot the pair a grin. [color=burlywood][b]"Newsflash, little guy! You can talk shit all you want, we're still gonna wipe the floor with you and your buddy!"[/b][/color] He still had a bit of juice left in the God Hand, and was ready to kick ass and take names!

Meanwhile, Michael stopped his scooter behind the now disabled buggy, flicking out the kickstand and setting the vehicle down. Getting up, he took a moment to adjust his aviators before walking over to join Ratchet and Gene. Lifting up his Uzi, he held it in both hands and aimed it at Jak and Daxter. [color=00aeef]"I'll give you one chance. Drop the gun, and give up. It doesn't have to end like this." [/color] 

[color=orange]”Don’t underestimate Jak. He’s got great moves,”[/color] Ratchet warned, swinging his omniwrench around a bit to showcase his new reach with his longer limbs. 

[color=darkorange]”Hey! And what am I, chopped liver? Kick their asses, Jak!”[/color]

[color=sandybrown]”This is gonna be fun!”[/color] Jak immediately dashed toward Ratchet, gun forward like a makeshift club, with a sudden rocket-like speed. Ratchet, familiar with Jak’s fighting style, was prepared and backflipped just out of reach, but Jak wasn’t done. He spun upward into a high jump uppercut, clear above everyone’s heads, then spun again with his legs extended out. Ratchet blocked the spinning kick with his wrench but was pushed back. Meanwhile Jak fired several volleys of some sort of yellow energy bullets from his gun, each one deadly accurate and aimed at a different target: one for Gene, Michael, Ratchet, and Michael’s scooter. 

Michael, seeing Jak jump up into the air, lifted his Uzi up in an attempt to land a shot on him. As Jak began to fire, Michael was able to activate his Bullet Time, moving to the side to narrowly dodge the yellow projectile fired his way. His scooter, on the other hand, fared much worse as the bullet struck, tearing it apart and rendering it unusable without heavy repairs. With the Bullet Time still active, Michael steadied his aim and fired several shots at Jak, aiming for center mass.

Gene watched in amazement as Jak dashed toward Ratchet, the lombax dodging out of the way with surprising speed. Had they fought before? Well, Ratchet [i]did[/i] say that he knew Jak, maybe they had sparred or something in the past. Anyway that wasn't important right now, what was important was that Jak suddenly rocketed up in the air! He was still attacking Ratchet, who blocked, while simultaneously shooting at them!

Feeling his instincts kick in, Gene sidestepped out of the way of the blast, an impressed whistle escaping his lips at his smooth dodge. Still, reflex wouldn't pull him through this entire fight! He noticed Michael, the guy who pulled up next to them, managing to move out of the way of the shots and firing some of his own at Jak. Gene decided that rushing in while Michael was shooting at Jak would be too risky, so he waited for a lull in the gunfire, ready to pounce as soon as he saw an opening.

Ratchet held up his omniwrench in the path of the yellow eco shot, dispersing the energy with a good heavy swing. Good thing the tool was made to last! But Jak was still right in front of him, as crazy mobile as ever, while Ratchet lacked Clank who was the main source of his own quick mobility. Luckily that wasn’t a major issue, as Michael’s uzi shots drew in Jak’s attention. 

Because he aimed for center of mass, the bullets all struck the center chest piece of Jak’s shiny armor, bouncing off relatively harmlessly. The force still put Jak a bit off balance though, interrupting his chain of attack and getting his attention. 

[color=darkorange]”Ooh, that’s gonna leave a nasty bruise! Like that overripe banana nobody wants at the market!”[/color] Daxter commented at rapid pace. His capacity for talking, even in the middle of danger, was impressive. 

In an instant the gun in Jak’s hands changed, the muzzle shrank by more than half and instead of a yellow magazine it was equipped with a red one. As the gun morphed, Jak rolled into a very long jump away from Ratchet, toward both Gene and Michael. No sooner had his toes touched the ground did he pull the trigger. The gun fired off an impressively large red cone of energy, short range but wide enough to hit both Michael and Gene. Ratchet took advantage of the opening to throw his omniwrench like a spinning boomerang, nailing Jak in the back only to return to the magnetized glove, back home to its owner. 

As Gene watched the proceedings, he could feel the God Hand's power draining, slowly, until finally, he cursed and slapped the Deistic Brace back onto his arm. Looks like he was knocked back down to normal for the rest of this fight.

He watched as Jak rolled toward him and Michael, the gun in his hand transforming in an instant, and the moment he stopped he fired the gun in their direction. Oh crap, this thing was like a shotgun! Gene tried to backflip out of the way, but it was too little too late; he felt a burning sensation as he made contact with the cone, and let out a grunt of pain.

He wasn't sure if Michael was alright, but he knew that he needed to get Jak's attention on him. So, with the man now within range, Gene decided to bust out his Roulette Wheel to lay the smackdown on Jak! He could feel the wheels of fate spinning, deciding just what he'd do...

WOOHOO! BALLBUSTER!

Gene found himself running up to Jak and, in the blink of an eye, delivering a kick to the man's poor gonads. Gene let out a laugh as he watched Jak cradle his damaged manhood. [color=burlywood][b]"Come on guys, let's beat the crap out of him while he's still reeling!"[/b][/color]

Gene himself began to punch the stunned man to keep him in that state while Michael and Ratchet made it over.

Michael, due to his Bullet Time, was able to see Jak transform his weapon and aim it at him, allowing him enough time to leap out of the way, hitting the ground. Unfortunately for him, he didn't anticipate the weapon's large cone of fire, and he soon felt pain shoot up on the right side of his body as he was hit by the far edge of the cone. [color=00aeef]"Ow, goddamnit!"[/color] He shouted out, gritting his teeth through the pain as he lifted himself up. Looking around, he  began to walk over to Jak, seeing that Gene had him incapacitated. [color=00aeef]"Say goodnight, asshole."[/color] Lifting up his Uzi, he began to pistol-whip Jak in an attempt to take him down for good.

Ratchet chose to stay back rather than move in on the attack. He had a bad feeling about what was about to happen, a feeling that was soon proven to be correct. He switched out his omniwrench for the bombuilder and laid down two remote mines near the group, just in case.

[color=darkorange]”Woah! Ah! I’ll protect you, Jak! Ouch! Gah! Stop it!”[/color] Daxter scurried about, trying to take as many hits for Jak as his little ottsel body could, sparing his friend from at least some of the punishment. After one too many smacks to the head, Daxter stumbled around like a drunk, little stars flying around his head. [color=darkorange]”Bartender, you should’ve cut me off,”[/color] he mumbled through a clear concussion, falling over.

[color=darkviolet]”I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”[/color] Bellowed Jak, his voice much deeper and booming with power. In an instant the man’s skin changed to a purple-gray color, his eyes became as black as the void, his muscles bulked, long claws and horns sprouted, and a black-purple energy began crackling in the air around him, surging through his body. 

Jak jumped up in a sudden explosion of power, energy surging all around him. Only one word came to mind to describe this transformation: monster. With one swipe of his claws Jak showed off a new impressive power and speed, aiming to gut both Gene and Michael together. Of course even if he missed, the crackling dark eco energy would still leave a nasty mark and cause incredible pain.

[color=orange]”Don’t let him touch you!”[/color] Ratchet called out. [color=orange]”That energy he makes when he’s like this is basically anti-life!”[/color] He kept one finger on the detonator trigger. Hopefully the other two noticed the bombs and would lure Dark Jak back a few more feet, or at least get out of the blast zone themselves.

Michael took a step back as the transformation began, looking on in horror. He took a few more steps back, but before he could get away Jak's claw swiped in front of him. He managed to dodge the claw itself, but the energy radiating off it struck his left arm, causing intense pain to shoot through it. Michael cried out in agony, falling to his knees from the pain. Looking around and noticing the bombs laid by Ratchet, he dragged himself back onto his feet, and began to limp away from the blast zone. When he got a decent distance away from the bombs, he turned back towards Jak and lifted his Uzi. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, and his injury forcing him to shoot one-handed, his shots weren't as accurate as they could have been. He pulled down on the trigger and didn't let go, firing around twenty rounds in Jak's direction.

[color=burlywood][b]"OH CRAP!"[/b][/color] Gene stumbled back away from Jak as the man transformed into some sort of... Demon! He felt panic bubble up within him that he hadn't felt since Azel activated his own God Hand during their fight. Gene knew that he didn't have time to worry about fighting, because if Jak's transformation was anything like the God Hand, it made him nigh-invincible.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a claw swinging his way, and Gene backflipped away, the energy arching from Jak's claw glancing his side. At first, Gene didn't feel anything... But that was only for a moment, as soon his entire body was screaming out in pain! He gave a short yell of agony, but gritted his teeth. He needed to take down Jak, and, spotting Ratchet's mines, found the perfect opportunity.

[color=burlywood][b]"I got one last trick up my sleeve, demon boy!"[/b][/color] Gene pointed dramatically at Jak, grinning, before turning around quickly. [color=burlywood][b]"AND THAT'S HIGH-TAILING IT OUT OF HEEEEEEEEEERE!"[/b][/color] Gene began to sprint away, hoping to lure Jak to the mines so Ratchet could detonate them.

Dark Jak wasted absolutely no time in leaping after his prey. The feral beast-like mind of this form prioritized Gene over Michael as the bigger threat. He leaped high I to the air, nearly twelve feet, diving right for the God Hand user claws first. Bullets whizzed by, most missing or striking his armor but a couple outliers hitting some arm flesh. 

[color=orange]”Kaboom!”[/color] Ratchet triggered the detonator, setting off both bombs in a large explosion. The shockwave sent Dark Jak, already high in the air, flying even further with greater force than he expected. He overshot everyone by a good several meters, flying overhead, until he crashed into the ground near his wrecked Sand Shark. 

[color=darkviolet]”Gragh!”[/color] Dark Jak jumped back up to his feet to stare down his three foes. He was covered in a lot of bruises and cuts, the kind of injuries that would have knocked out a lesser man. But Dark Jak was running on more than just adrenaline. He was fueled by the energy of dark eco. It gave him the strength to keep going, and they were about to see that strength first hand. The eco mutant howled in unbridled rage and grabbed the wreckage of his Sand Shark. In one heaving motion Dark Jak hurled the wreckage of the vehicle at all three. Once the car had left terra firma, Jak’s color came back. Claws receded and his eyes turned green. Exhausted from the wounds, Jak collapsed in a miracle of good timing. Of course a scrapped car was still flying at Ratchet, Gene, and Michael. 

Gene quickly stopped and pivoted as soon as he heard Ratchet detonate the mines, a goofy grin making its way on his face. With a shouted [color=burlywood][b]"YEAH!"[/b][/color] and a fist pump, Gene watched as Jak soared through the air from the power of the blast! [color=burlywood][b]"That should take him down!"[/b][/color] Gene said to his team mates, still grinning as he watched Jak land by his wrecked Sand Shark...

And then get back up. Looking [i]pissed[/i].

Gene's grin fell as he watched Jak grab the wrecked buggy and start sprinting at them. [color=burlywood][b]"... If we live through this, remind me to never open my big dumb mouth again,"[/b][/color] he said to no one in particular, as he watched Jak chuck the buggy at them. He had a little time to notice Jak falling to the ground, back in his human form, before the buggy arrived.

Acting quickly, Gene did a little juke before quickly dropping down further for a sweep kick. It lowered him just barely enough for the Sand Shark to go flying past him overhead, and he released a relieved sigh as he stood back up... Only to wince as he realized that maybe his teammates weren't so lucky.

[color=00aeef]"Oh, shi-"[/color] Michael could barely dodge in time as the wrecked buggy was suddenly thrown at him. He hit the deck, feeling the vehicle pass over him and land in the distance. Getting up and dusting himself off, he took a moment to catch his breath. [color=00aeef]"Holy fuck...that was insane."[/color] After a few deep breaths, he walked over to Jak, making sure he was down. [color=00aeef]"Alright, someone...someone convert him, and let's get out of here."[/color]

Ratchet flipped to the side in an effort to avoid the flying dune buggy, but he was too slow to react. Fast as he was, he just wasn’t expecting it. The lombax squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of the impact… only to suddenly feel himself jerking to the side much faster. Ratchet opened his eyes to see the Sand Shark narrowly avoiding him. As he landed on his feet, he saw what had given him the sudden speed he needed. 

[color=orange]”Clank! You really saved my bacon just now, partner!”[/color]

“Indeed. I believe the expression is ‘no man gets left behind?’” 

Ratchet and Clank both looked over to Jak, collapsed in a heap not too far off. Michael urged someone to convert him, but before Ratchet could respond, Daxter came scurrying in. The itself positioned himself on Jak’s chest and grabbed him by the collar. [color=darkorange]”Get up Jak! I’ve got your back, but you can’t expect me to take them all on by myself! You’ve gotta get [i]some[/i] of the glory! WAKE UP JAK! Maybe chubby’s breath here can wake you up? Hey, want to try it out for me, round and proud?”[/color] he gestured to Michael. 

Ratchet strut forward shaking his head to Clank. [color=orange]”Looks like even Galeem can’t change Daxter.”[/color]

“Indubitably!”

[color=orange]”I’ve got this, guys.”[/color] Ratchet drew a friend Heart from his chest and cast it down at the duo. Daxter freaked out at first, but the energy soon enveloped both him and Jak. Color returned to the duo, their eyes cleared, and a moment later Jak was regaining consciousness. 

[color=sandybrown]”Ugh. Why do I feel like I got run over by a yakcow?”[/color] He rubbed his head then looked around, seeing four figures standing over him. Two looked like really weird humans with incredismall ears, but the other two… [color=sandybrown]”Ratchet? Clank?”[/color]

[color=darkorange]”Oh great!”[/color] Daxter cut in. [color=darkorange]”Every time we see you yahoos we get roped into some kind of multiple world inter dimensional crisis! If you wanna talk, ever heard of a phone?”[/color]

Jak and Ratchet both shook their heads together, each cracking a smile at Daxter’s antics. [color=sandybrown]”Well I’m game. Who or what do we get to shoot, punch, or blow up?”[/color]

Michael grunted at Daxter's remarks, but he was unable to bring himself to do anything other than frown. Right now, they had more important things to worry about. Turning around, he gestured towards the monster truck and Sweet Bot in the distance. [color=00aeef]"Those guys. We'll explain everything later, all you need to know for now is that they're trying to kill us. And now, that includes you as well."[/color]

Gene gave a sigh of relief as he saw that Jak and Daxter had been turned to their side. Jak asked just who they were after, and Michael pointed out the other cars attacking the rest of the group. Gene gave a nod in confirmation. [color=burlywood][b]”Glad to have you two on board! You sure as hell can pack a punch big guy. Your, uh, pet, on the other hand..."[/b][/color] Gene trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

[color=darkorange]”Hey! I’m no pet, biceps-for-brains! You just pissed off the god Orange Lightning! Let’s get outta here Jak.”[/color] Jak and Ratchet could only chuckle at Daxter’s antics, but at the end of the day the group had two new powerful heroes. 

[hider=Jak and Daxter are ready to fight!][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/419487079290896384/589688912432332800/Jak_and_Daxter.png[/img][/hider]