Thundercat

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Aki! Have you seen the others? I remember watching them when I was a kid and it blew me away, haha. This one is much more heartwarming though c:

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

"The DUMP!" The boy shouted in response to the mechanics verdict of his not so hovering hoverboard, "Awh, donuts! It's like the coolest thing i've ever seen." He crossed his arms in irritation whilst letting out a huff, causing his bangs to briefly shoot upward in the process. "I wanted to hang it up in my room or something. Err, or should I say hover it up in my room? Or uh, float it up in my room?" Toby gave Ashton a perplexed as he struggled to find the correct terminology. The Mechanic merely chuckled in response as he lifted the hoverboard into the air and began to examine it.



"Heh, well since it's pretty much damaged beyond repair it doesn't look all that 'cool' anymore, at least not to me." Ashton set the board back down before placing his hands on his hips and letting out a definite sigh, "Sorry kid, but it's pretty much safe to say this hoverboard is totaled." Toby kept his sights trained on the hoverboard as he perked his lips in thought. He couldn't help but recall the moment just before his hoverboard was shot, when he and Yves locked eyes momentarily. Just the thought of that snob Nobody was bothersome enough, this was all his fault.

"So does this mean i'm out of the competition?"

"Well, we don't have any extras in stock, but-" as if on cue, Riley popped up from out of nowhere and spun the boy around. Niran was right beside her. Toby greeted the two with a radiant smile, glad to see his friends were still in the race. His eyes lit up at the sight of the jet shoes "Radical, nice find Ran!" So he was still in the competition. Good. It was time for some payback.

He followed Riley and Niran to an area where the trio could safely fly off and make their way back into the race. Quickly Toby began to slip on the shoes just before Riley shot up and into the air. Even though she kinda yelped while doing so, it still looked fun. With haste he stood up straight and squeezed his eyes shut. Fly! he thought to himself. Immediately the jet shoes came to and the boy shrieked in confusion. For the third time he found himself hanging upside down in the air, his arm and hair moved about helplessly and his clothes fell downward, revealing his belly "Oh, cmon! What's with me?" The boy began flailing about as he attempted to fix his posture.

As he found himself now hovering beside Riley it was quite noticeable how much easier it was to handle the jet shoes instead of the hoverboard. Even so, Toby thought the hoverboards were a lot cooler. He was quite eager to find Landon and Yves so he exact his revenge upon them. "Uh, sorry to go all lone wolf on you guys, but i've got a score to settle with some other competitors. I'll catch you guys later, give Ace my regards!" With that, the boy sped upward and back into the race.





The two veterans soared through the city at a particularly high altitude. Cannon's fired at the duo frequently but to no avail, the pair maneuvered their way around the blue balls with little to no effort. "This key business is interesting, I don't think we've ever had to deal with it before. We'll have to get our hands on one sooner or later," Landon stated. "This year has been quite hectic, humans are so troublesome." Yves looked below in search of competitors. Being eliminated in the first round was not an option for the nobleman. "Landon, let's remedy this key situation immediately." The Nobody pointed towards a competitor that had managed to obtain a key and was now heading towards the maze. "It seems our luck has not yet ceased to run out, the prey has come to us this time." Landon smirked, "Let's not waste any time than chap,"

Landon gradually began to descend until he was leveled with the rider that had obtained a key. The two eyed eachother for a moment and the Nobody simply waved with a smug grin, causing the rider to tense up and prepare himself. Usually when two competitors were leveled one would try to ram the other, this was doubly true if one of the competitors had a key. But rather than attack, Landon merely began stood up straight and placed his hands behind his back.

"Evening," he said aloud, the rider merely responded with a puzzled look and tightened his grip on the key. Just as he was about to speak, Yves dove downward towards him like a hawk and rammed his shoulder into the tail of the riders hoverboard causing it to shoot upward and launch the competitor off. Landon swooped in and grabbed the key. The move was executed so smoothly, it was obvious the pair had conducted it numerous times. However, the rider had yet to release his grip on the key and dangled beside Landon who was unwillingly keeping him from falling to elimination.

Announcer Goomba said Well, this is....interesting. I don't think i've ever seen teamwork like this before!

Landon and the rider were now being broadcasted on the screen. "Oh come now, it's over for you! Let go!" The Nobody tried his best to swerve side to side at an attempt to have the rider release his grip, but it simply wasn't going to happen. It was pretty much life or death. Not literally, but letting go meant he was out of the competition. Yves flew beside his partner and laughed aloud at the spectacle. "Bugs can be quite clingy, ay old sport?" Landon scolded the competitor, out of irritation he lifted his leg and drove his foot into the riders face.

In unison the audience let out an "Oooooooooooo!" As his foot made contact and the rider finally released his grip on the key and fell towards elimination. Landon began to brush himself off as if his clothing had become dirty.

Announcer Goomba said Oh my! What a dirty move! It seems one of the keys has changed hands ladies and gentleman! Keep an eye out for this scholarly pair, with power hungry moves like that they just might win it this year!

Toby frowned at the sight of Landon obtaining a key. He had been watching the scuffle on the screen as he soared through the sky. He couldn't help but mimic the motions of a superhero he admired long ago. He wasn't really planning on progressing to the next leg, he was more so determined to take out Landon and Yves as soon as possible, them having a key would only make things more difficult. The boy slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Floating in midair he pondered how and where he could procure a key of his own.



"yoohoo!"

The boy's eyes grew wide at the familiar voice. He turned to see Namine approaching him on her hoverboard, eventually she came to a halt. The boy was reminded how much he missed his own board. "Oh geez, it's you." He said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" She placed her hands on her hips and bent forward as she spoke with an attitude, which was when she realized Toby was wearing jet shoes. It wasn't a surprise, considering Yves shot his hoverboard to the point of no return. Even so she hadn't anticipated he would obtain another means of transportation. "Where'd you get those shoes?" Toby crossed his arms and glared at the girl. "What's it to you, jealous or somethin?" He recalled what Riley had said earlier and couldn't help repeat it. "Hoverboards are so yesterday," Namine scoffed, "Gosh, you're kinda rude. And here I was, about to offer you my assistance," Toby's eyebrows perked and he un-crossed his arms, "Assistance?" he asked curiously, "Why do you want to assist me? That's kinda weird,"

"Dummy! I don't know if you noticed, but a bunch of people around here are teaming up with eachother. And, well, it was interesting how you fought me for that item box. That was the first time someone tried to steal it back after I swiped it from under their nose. You seem useful, even though you got yourself shot. I don't know about you, but I want to win this thing, so you're gonna be my partner." Toby couldn't help but smirk, he admired the girls attitude. It reminded him of his troublesome friends. Not to mention the fact that two is always better than one, especially since he wanted to take on Landon and Yves " Fine, but only because you're kinda cool. Just so you know, i'm trying to eliminate those two british speakin dudes. I want some payback since they pretty much trashed my awesome hoverboard. I was planning to take it home and hang it up in my room...or...hover it in my room. Or uh-nevermind"

"Didn't those two just get a key?" The girl asked "Yeah," Toby started to scratch his head and scrunched his face, "They're kinda good at this stuff, but i'm gonna kick their butts anyways." Namine slightly chuckled at the statement. "Well, either way we're gonna need a key. Got any idea where we can find one?" Once again Toby scrunched up his face, "Er, no. But, maybe my friends do! Let's go find em!" Before Namine could say anything Toby turned around and sped off and backtracked in search of his friends. "Wha? hey! Wait up!"

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Fox of Spades said
The girl pushed herself onto jelly legs then stared up at the giant screen. Mazes, Keys, and puzzles, the race was only getting more intense."Hey, is our board still functional, or are we out of the race for good?" Riley arched an eyebrow at the cogs and gears they were ripping out of the hoverboard. They pulled out a charred core and it looked like the thing had overheated.

"Hey, is our board still functional, or are we out of the race for good?" Riley arched an eyebrow at the cogs and gears they were ripping out of the hoverboard.

Riley arched an eyebrow at the cogs and gears

cogs and gears

I see what you did there

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Thank you Fox :3 Sounds perfect, I must say I have the sudden urge to play Mario Kart with all of you heheh

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

"Bend your knees, keep yourself balanced. It'll be easier for you to maneuver sharp turns in the city and avoid traps, heck, it might even keep ya from getting knocked off your board. Steer with your legs, rotate with your upper body. If you do it the other way around, you'll end up flying through the air upside down like you were a few minutes ago, heh. Try not to fly too high, you'll be an easier target for those cannons. Oh, remember to smile for the camera too, no harm in putting on a show, this is for fun after all."

Toby recalled the advice Jay had given him, which was proving to be quite helpful as he progressed in the race. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through! Beep beep!" He capitalized on a sharp turn and wooshed passed two competitors in an effort to catch up to his friends as fast as possible. The boy hanged back for some time to get a handle of the hoverboard, he wasn't sure how far back he was though. Nobody was passing him, so that either meant he was better at hover-boarding than he initially thought, or he was in last place. Hopefully it wasn't the latter.

Since the competition had begun the boy couldn't think precisely, he was appalled at the loud shouts and cheers of the audience. Toby absolutely loved being the center of attention. Being surrounded by an audience as large as this practically gave the kid an adrenaline rush. Although the whole thing was quite exciting it was difficult for the boy to calm down and pay attention to the race. He found himself relishing in the crowd's cheers, thankfully Jay had set him on the right course both figuratively and literally. Now he found himself in the very thick of the race, speeding through the air amongst the other competitors in search of his friends. Even amongst the lighthearted chaos Toby could somewhat make out the fire red hair that could only belong to Ace. However, Riley and Niran were nowhere to be seen. The thought of them being eliminated dampened the boy's excitement.

Toby squinted his eyes, his tongue stuck out as he concentrated on the race. He was determined to catch up to Ace when suddenly a small object floating in the distance caught his eye, which was no doubt an item box. A troublesome smirk overcame the boy as he pondered what the box would award him upon retrieval. "Dibs!" Toby shouted to himself as he pressed on towards the box. The closer he came within the items grasp the faster his heart beat. His eyes grew wide as the box was now only twenty or so yards away, his arms reached out, prepared to grasp the object.



yoink!

"WHA?!"

Toby shouted in disbelief as Namine snatched the item box for her own before he could grab it. The two had spotted it at about the same time, however Namine had been flying below the boy and used the element of surprise to her advantage, ascending quickly into the air and grabbing the item box for her own just as Toby came within inches of taking it for himself. The savvy rider now flew above him, holding the box between her arm and hip. She gave a cheery smile, "Sorry! First come first serve I guess," The girl spoke in an apologetic tone, she seemed genuinely sorry despite her smile. Even so, Toby was left flustered, his troublesome grin now an agitated frown. "HEY! That's mine! I saw it first!"

Announcer Goomba said Take a look at this! As the first leg comes to a close another item box makes it's way into the hands of a rider. No doubt this is a critical moment for the competitors, an item now can make or break you!

The sound of a cannon firing startled Toby, he looked to his left to see a blue ball soaring through the sky towards him. The boy prepared himself for impact and caught the ball, an action he was quite familiar with thanks to numerous games of dodgeball he participated in as a child. With ill intentions he watched as Namine delightfully held the item box in her hands, waiting for the slot machine to come to it's conclusion. Toby hurled the blue ball at the girl just in time, knocking the item box out of her grasp. "Wha? Hey! Not fair!" Toby couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, even he was surprised the ball met it's target.

Announcer Goomba said How creative!

Toby and Namine chased the item box as it flew through the air. Both of them managed to catch up to the item, simultaneously grabbing the box as they sped through the air parallel to eachother, moving at the same pace. Both riders now found themselves playing tug of war with the item box. "You're lucky I promised my mom I wouldn't hit girls!" Toby shouted and began to pull with all of his strength. "Yeah? Well you're lucky my hands are on this box, otherwise i'd punch you right in the throat-WHOA!" As Namine yelled her comeback at the boy, he intentionally released his grip on the box, causing the girl to spin 360 degrees on her hoverboard. As gravity brought Namine back to an upright position she was momentarily disoriented whilst attempting to regain her balance "Son of a carrot" She muttered. Toby didn't hesitate to snatch the item from her hands.

"Mine!" He shouted with joy, where as the girl immediately bent down, grabbing his hoverboard and pulling it from beneath him, causing Toby to reel backwards and release his grip of the item allowing Namine to take possession of the box once more "Mine," She said in a sarcastic tone as to mock the boy. Toby once again found himself flying upside down. A troublesome smirk overcame him once more as he suddenly spun himself in a circle whilst flying upside down, using his hoverboard to launch the item out of Namine's hands through the air and into another riders possession.





"Hm? Yves, seem's an item box has made it's way into your hands."

"It appears so. Today must be my lucky day." Yves studied the item box in his hands curiously, as if he was intrigued by it's presence. "Out of all the days. I'd say that's quite fortunate, wouldn't you Landon?"

"Quite fortunate indeed"

The two seasoned veterans spoke in what seemed to be english accents. Both Landon and Yves intentionally decided to pull back from the lead as to avoid the mayhem caused by Ace. The two were a perfect example of the saying "slow and steady wins the race," and took the competition a bit too serious. Yves waited patiently for the slot machine to come to a stop. Once it did, his face remained blank, as did Landon's. Even so there was still a hint of arrogance surrounding the two.

"Not a bad item," Landon said, Yves gave the box a look of distaste, "It would've been much more useful had I obtained it earlier,"

Toby eventually regained his posture and balance, the boy was quite irritated, even to the point where his cheeks were starting to turn a little red. "Hey! Numbskull! That's my item!" He shouted and with haste began to ascend towards Yves, blinded by his sudden obsession to claim the item box for himself. Namine's eyes suddenly grew wide as she realized what item the box had provided. "Wait, hey stop! Stay away from him!"

"Mine as well use it now," Yves spoke in a non-chalant tone and turned his attention towards Toby, aiming what appeared to be some type of pistol in his right hand. "I'm really kinda getting super annoyed, I saw it first an-OH! Oh geez, what is that?" Steam began to shoot out of two holes in the pistol which began to make a sound similar to that of a teapot whistling. The sound of a gunshot shook the audience as a pointed bullet whizzed through the air and lodged itself into Toby's hoverboard. Within moments the hoverboard began to shoot out steam as well and gradually started slowing down. "Oh no, oh no no no come on, what did you do!" The pointed bullet damaged the mechanism that allowed the hoverboards to actually hover. "Poor fool," Landon remarked, he and Yves sped off as Toby made the slow and inevitable journey to the ground. He began to curse profusely.

"Heeeeeeyyyy!" Namine flailed her arms about at an attempt to catch the boys attention. "Go to the pit stop!" Toby looked up, cupping his hand around his ear with a puzzled look. "What?"

"Go. To. The. Pit. Stop."

"Huh?!"

"GO TO THE PIT STOP!"

Namine's voice faded as she eventually sped off as well. The boy turned his attention to what lay below him and managed to catch sight of a sign labeled "Pit Stop," There weren't many options, in fact the pit stop was Toby's only option at this point. He sighed, and slowly began to descend towards the Pit Stop, eager to get back into the competition as soon as possible.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Fox of Spades said
Thunder, if you're having trouble, remember, you don't have to react to the past events. They won't add anything to the stuff going on now ^^ so feel free to just jump in. You can have Toby make a pit stop or have him zoom in and join the others.

Gotcha, managed to catch up with the IC and i'm working on a post now.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Sorry for the absence guys, I thought I'd be blessed with free time after catching up with my work but unfortunately I wasn't, I promise you can expect a post from me today.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

I can't get Nowhere out of my head when I hear this song.

Kingdom Hearts: Darkness Reborn

Hi guys, i'm back :3 things seem to be moving pretty slow, heh. I'd like to apologize for waiting so long to check back in, i've been furiously catching up on my work these past few days and i'm somewhat caught up now. I'll spend the rest of my day trying to get back into a writing groove and will post tomorrow, if not later tonight.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Hi guys, good and bad news kinda I think. This saturday i'm going on a field trip with my old production teacher and about sixteen other students to Nevada. The school's A/V club makes about six grand every year in revenue for the trip and it's an annual thing.

Basically i'll be working most if not all the time i'm down there so i'm not going to bring my laptop with me, I assure you i'll hardly find the time to even use my phone. I'm leaving at like 5:30 in the morning and won't be back until next sunday ;-;

I'm sorry for not telling ya'll sooner, I kind of forgot and whenever it crossed my mind I was too scared to bring it up since i'm new and especially because it's the start of a chapter and we're trying to get the ball rolling and everything. But yeah, I probably won't be posting again until next sunday. If the cycle ends today or tomorrow I might be able to squeeze something in Friday night (which would be friday morning for Fox i believe?)

I love you all with my red squishy red heart, pls forgive me.