Tummy Trouble (John Smith 10)

Story
Glass breaks, as alarm sirens go off. Fistina comes out of the jewelry store, several necklaces and jewels around her body. She takes off running, as laser blasts rain down from above. Fistina turns, firing a rocket fist in that direction. Upchuck appears, eating the fist, as Elektra fires more energy shots.

Fistina: Why hello, Smith. And boring girl.

Elektra: Boring?! I should blast her head off!

Upchuck spits the fist out, which flies back to Fistina, docking on her arm.

Upchuck: Denied.

Fistina: Ha! Soft little hero! Can’t even do

Upchuck extends his tongues, swishing over her body, swiping all the jewels off, as Fistina looks surprised. Fistina takes off running, as Elektra fires a shot, hitting her neck. It launches her head off, which was in a pod, falling off the robot body.

Elektra: A small fish alien?

Upchuck: Have to say, wasn’t expecting that.

Fistina’s body runs at Upchuck, swinging her fist at him. Upchuck dodges, spitting acid which breaks off the suit’s arm. Upchuck then eats the arm, spitting an energy ball at the  armor, knocking it down. Elektra picks up Fistina’s head, which was trying to walk away.

Upchuck: Now, to return the jewels.

Elektra: You really think they’ll want those back after you slobbered on them?! This form is disgusting, by the way.

Upchuck: Hey, whatever works. Oof!

Upchuck’s stomach rumbles, as his eyes glow green. His mouth opens, an echoed scream coming out, not Upchuck’s voice. Upchuck falls over to his back, reverting.

Elektra: Drama king.

John: Once we drop off Fistina, we’re taking a road trip. End Scene

The Proto-TRUK is flying through space, Elektra at the wheel. John is accessing the online computer system.

John: Huh. I never knew that.

Elektra: What? That you can’t breathe in space? Yeah, it’s lacking something called air.

John: Haha. No, there are two different types of Gourmands, the species of Upchuck. There’s a Perk Gourmand and a Murk Gourmand. They function the same, just appear differently. Apparently I’ve always turned into a Murk Upchuck.

Elektra: The ugly one?

John: Now that’s just rude. I never would’ve imagined a difference.

The Proto-TRUK flies down towards the surface of the planet, seeing large forces of Incurseans attacking the Gourmands. They fire laser blasters, while the Gourmands wield oversized kitchen utensils, one of them knocking an Incursean back with a spoon.

John: (Sarcastically) Great. Incurseans.

Elektra: Ah, Incurseans! The most war desiring creatures in the galaxy!

John: You would empathize with Incurseans. Daughter of Ares.

Elektra: Not daughter of Ares. Half sister to a Son of Ares.

John: Whatever. Land this thing.

John opens the door, jumping out. He uses Air bending to propel himself forward, landing in a mass of Incurseans. They turn to fire at him, when he spins, a vortex of air whisking them away. The Gourmands cheer, as they continue to charge, John joining them.

Elektra lands the Proto-TRUK, grumbling as she runs to catch up.

Elektra: I always miss all the action when I drive! (She grabs her blaster, blasting a few Incurseans away.)

John stomps the ground, several boulders flying out. Gourmands extend their tongues, eating the boulders. They then spit energy balls, John using an air wave to increase their speed. The Incurseans pull a retreat, the Gourmands cheering.

Perk Gourmand: Why are we cheering? (The Perks turn toward a commander, with a badge on his chest.) We still have a situation on our hands!

Perk Gourmands: Yes sir, Sergeant Cookmeister!

Murk Gourmand: And we will handle it better! Isn’t that right!

Murk Gourmands: Yes sir, Sergeant Cast Iron!

John: Whoa there! You mind explaining what’s going on?

Cast Iron: And who are you supposed to be?

Murk Gourmand: Don’t you know?! That’s John Smith! (The Murk grabs John’s hand, shaking it.) Hi, Private Brown Bag.

John: Nice to meet you. What’s going on?

Brown Bag: Let’s move this to the assembly room.

They move to a large outdoor stadium, Perks on the left and Murks on the right. Both sides are arguing with the other, Cookmeister and Cast Iron on the stage.

Cast Iron: The invaders are penetrating our defenses! I move that we initiate Plan Omega!

The Murks cheer, agreeing with Cast Iron.

Cookmeister: Only the Queen can initiate Plan Omega! We must organize a rescue operation and save her!

The Perks cheer, agreeing with Cookmeister. The sides go back into arguing, John standing on the side with Brown Bag and Elektra.

John: The Queen?

Brown Bag: Yep. The Queen is a different species of Gourmand all together. The Incurseans kidnapped her last night, and we’ve been in ruins since.

John: Elektra, what would you do in this situation?

Elektra: Well, honestly, they are doomed on their own. They have neither the tools or the intelligence to rally a defense against heavily armed Incurseans. That was just the cavalry. They will come in with tanks and airships. It’s only a matter of time before they are obliterated. I don’t know about any advanced weaponry, which only the Queen has knowledge of. I would suggest rescuing her. The soldiers will be helpless without her.

Brown Bag: I’ll just pretend that wasn’t insultive.

John: She’s very blunt when it comes to details like that. Alright.

John walks into the stadium, exhaling, breathing fire. The Gourmands all look in his direction, silent.

John: Here’s the plan, guys! Cast Iron! I’ll be assisting your forces in holding off the Incurseans. Meanwhile, Cookmeister will take a small force and rescue the Queen, led by Elektra.

Cast Iron: And why should we listen to you? I’m a Sergeant!

John: And I’m a General in the Plumbers. I led several successful battles with no casualties, and Elektra is a master tracker and leader. She can get the Queen out with little to no fuss.

Elektra: What?! I want to be on the field!

John: It was your idea to rescue the Queen. Plus, you said they need more power to fight the Incurseans. And that’s me.

Elektra: I hate how you take all the good roles.

John: But yours is more important.

Elektra: (Sighs) Fine. Soldiers, attention! (The Perk Gourmands turn to attention.) Cookmeister, gather your finest. We leave in five minutes.

Cookmeister: Yes sir!

John: Good luck, Elektra.

Elektra: I hope you know what you’re doing. End Scene

The Proto-TRUK is underneath the Incursean Flagship in space, the Perk Gourmands using their burps to propel them to the ship. Elektra jumps, holding her breath, as she opens the airlock, the group getting in. Elektra leads, almost completely silent as she slinks through the halls. The Gourmands are louder, cooking pot helmets and weapons clanking. She raises her arm, the group stopping.

Cookmeister: Why’d we stop?

An Incursean comes around the corner, as Elektra sweeps his feet from underneath it, slamming his head into the ground. He falls, out cold.

Elektra: Low level sentry.

Incursean: (On speaker) Unit red, status report. Over.

Elektra turns, seeing a speaker on the wall. Elektra walks over, pulling out her Plumber’s badge. She holds it over her mouth, as she turns on the speaker on the wall.

Elektra: (Voice manipulated into male voice) All is normal. Over.

Incursean: (On speaker) Copy that.

Elektra leads the group on, finding the Queen Gourmand floating in a prison. Her coloring is similar to a Perk Gourmand, but her size is easily three times the size of the other Gourmands.

Cookmeister: Queen Voratia Rumbletum!

The Gourmands go over, disabling the force field. Queen Rumbletum falls, crushing the Gourmands under her.

Rumbletum: Oh, my followers! It’s so good to see you. Did you bring any cake?

Gourmands: Mmm. Cake!

Elektra: Alright, come on, can we be moving now!

Voice: Oh, you’re not going anywhere!

Elektra turns, pointing her Proto-Tool at Attea, who was pointing a blaster at her.

Elektra: What? They send their special forces?

Attea: No, they sent command! I am General Attea, Princess, Scion and Teen Supreme of the deathless Incursean empire.

Elektra: You’re the general, huh? No wonder I like the Incurseans. They know what they’re doing.

Attea: I’ll take your scorn as a compliment.

Attea fires lasers, as Elektra spins the Proto-Tool, deflecting the lasers. Elektra charges in, kicking the blaster out of Attea’s hand. Attea bends backwards, kicking Elektra as she does a back walkover. She stands, extending her tongue which swats the Proto-Tool out of Elektra’s hand. It flies across the room, as Attea jabs a fist at Elektra, who catches it and strikes Attea’s jaw with her palm, Attea retreating back, moaning in pain.

Attea: (Muffled) Ah! My tongue!

Elektra: Let’s move it!

Elektra jumps and flips over, grabbing her Proto-Tool, mounting it on her shoulder. The Gourmands lift the Queen as they run down the hall.

Down on Peptos XI, the Murk Gourmands attempt to hold off the Incurseans, as giant armored tanks and battle wheel tanks roll forward. John charges through the Incurseans, knocking Incurseans away with ease as he makes it to a tank. He thrusts his fists forward, as a small dent occurs in the tank.

John: Seriously? This must be highly purified if metal bending doesn’t work. I need a little extra force.

John turns into Armodrillo, as he pumps his jackhammer back. He punches the tank, pumping the jackhammer, the impact denting the front of the tank, it falling over and disabled. A energy shell is fired from another tank, Armodrillo knocking it out of the air. Armodrillo’s jackhammer pumps, as he swings his arm, punching the air, cracking it and creating an air shockwave, which hits the tank, knocking it over.

Armodrillo: Sweet. I can still do that.

Another tank approaches, firing energy shells at Armodrillo. Armodrillo puts his hands on the ground, pumping his jackhammers, launching himself into the air, shifting to Perk Upchuck. Upchuck lands on top of the tank, extending his tongue to take the Incurseans’ weapons, eating them.

Upchuck: I can turn into Perk form. Sweet like candy. Now, eat energy ball!

Upchuck spits energy balls, curving to knock Incurseans off the top of the tank. Upchuck charges in, taking a big chunk out of the tank with a bite, chewing through it. Several Incurseans come out, as Upchuck swallows. He then inhales, sucking in a stomach full of air. Upchuck then releases a large belch, the wind expanding it, blowing the Incurseans off, shaking the tank.

Upchuck: (Gives off a small burp) Now that, was epic!

Elektra uses the Proto-Tool to form an energy shield, taking blaster fire. Attea has a large group of Incurseans with her, Elektra holding them off.

Elektra: Get her to the ship!

The Gourmands go through the airlock, taking the Queen to the ship. Elektra fires a cable, catching on the Proto-TRUK, pulling her down.

Attea: You are not getting away that easy! Get ready for an air raid!

Elektra gets onboard, flying back down to the planet. Attea lands onboard, sneaking in. The ship makes it down into the atmosphere, as Attea makes it inside, kicking and sucker punching the Gourmands, taking the Queen through the sun roof.

Elektra: Stubborn and persistant! I wish I had a Hunter like her. Cookmeister, take the wheel!

Elektra leaves her seat, running and jumping out the sun roof. Attea punches her as she comes out, sliding across the TRUK, barely holding on.

Attea: (Wind rushing by) Not bad, Plumber! But you’ve got a lot to learn be able to beat me!

Elektra: Right. I’ve only been doing this for 2,000 years.

The Proto-Tool points up, a flashlight activating, blinding Attea. She closes her eyes, as Elektra pulls her body up from over the side, doing a leg sweep. Attea falls, and slides down the back of the TRUK, bumping the Queen. The Queen goes off to the side, holding onto the wing, causing it to capsize to the side. Elektra gets on her Plumbers’ badge.

Elektra: John! Get the Queen!

Upchuck is finishing eating a wheel tank, as he looks up, seeing Queen Rumbletum hanging on for dear life. Upchuck spits energy bursts, flying into the air. He then looks up, as he shifts to Cloudnine.

Cloudnine: One rescue craft, coming up!

Cloudnine inhales, as his body expands. He floats up, as the Queen lets go of the Proto-TRUK.

Rumbletum: Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Oof!

She lands on Cloudnine, bouncing up slightly. Cloudnine strains from the weight and from holding his breath. He floats down, allowing the Queen to roll off him. He reverts, as he gasps for breath.

Attea slides off the Proto-TRUK, as an Incursean ship catches her. On board is Raff, an alien wearing black robes with a pink brain sticking out of his head.

Raff: Very foolish of you Princess, apprehending the intruders like that.

Attea: Oh, stuff it! If it was up to you, you would’ve let them just take the Queen back!

Raff: You do realize that John Smith is on the planet below? The tide has turned against us!

Attea: We’ll still crush all of them!

The Proto-TRUK lands, as the Perk Gourmands come off, running over to the Queen. The Murks join them.

Cast Iron: Your Majesty. What are your orders?

Rumbletum: Well, it has been a while since we’ve had a good meal. And these pesky people cramp our style. Execute Plan Omega!

The Gourmands get right to work, devouring the planet. They eat the dirt, rocks, plants, everything.

Elektra: Wait, your last resort is to eat the planet?!

Rumbletum: They can’t conquer what isn’t there.

John: So that’s why it’s called Peptos XI. You ate the other 10.

Rumbletum: Smart one, that guy is. Now, if you’ll excuse me. (She takes a giant bite out of a rock.)

John: Well, let’s get going. It’s all good here.

Elektra: (Still baffled) They refuse to give it up, so they ate it. Wow.

They get in the Proto-TRUK, taking off.

The Incurseans pull a retreat, getting back on the spaceships. Attea has a holographic meeting with Emperor Milleous.

Milleous: You destroyed it?

Attea: Uh, yeah! I didn’t want such a back water planet anyway! Destroying it makes a grand example out of what happens when you mess with the Incurseans!

Milleous: That’s my daughter! (His voice gets higher) Just be sure to keep winning, (His voice deepens) or you’ll return to stasis with your mother! (The hologram ends.)

Attea: Oh, I know. Raff! Set us a course! Chase after John Smith!

Raff: But, Princess!

Attea: Are you defying a direct order?!

Raff: No, princess. Track that ship!

Attea: (Smiling evilly) You are mine now.

Characters

 * John Smith
 * Elektra
 * Gourmands
 * Sergeant Cast Iron
 * Sergeant Cookmeister
 * Private Brown Bag
 * Queen Voratia Rumbletum

Villains

 * Fistina
 * Incursean Empire
 * ​Attea
 * Raff

Aliens

 * Upchuck (Murk and Perk form) (first re-appearance)
 * Armodrillo
 * Cloudnine

Trivia

 * John learns about the different kinds of Gourmand.
 * He also learns that he previously exclusively used Murk Upchuck.
 * This is due to his aliens having their UAF appearance.
 * Attea makes her first main dimension appearance, as she was first seen in an alternate dimension.
 * Elektra shows some military expertise from her time as a Hunter.