Moustous the mutant Kacheek, jumped to his feet on the seat and said, "You're
cheating, Spectre!" He pointed and laughed at the ruler of Cheat! saying, "Why
do you cheat! I know you have a seven, so why did you cheat! Gosh... please
tell me again how you became the ruler of Cheat!?"
Spectre glared at Moustous and grumbled as he turned over his card and showed
the Jack that it really was.
"Ha! I told ya so! Now, pick up the cards...."
Spectre's face was beet red (well, he's naturally red, but now he was even
redder). He grabbed the stack of 10 cards. He was so close! He was down to three
cards! And he lost... to what? A mutant Kacheek! A MUTANT! He couldn't believe
it. This pet wasn't even a decent pet! He was a mutant! Spectre looked down
at his cards... wait a second! The one he played, the two Agent 00 Hog played,
the one Fernypoo played, then...
"You cheated on your last turn! You said you were played three sixes but actually
they were two sevens and an eight!" Spectre shouted.
"Hmmm... too bad that turn's over, huh?"
Moustous put down his last two cards, "Two fives."
Princess Fernypoo frowned, "You're cheating!"
"Ah, c'mon Fernypoo! You know he almost never cheats!" Agent 00 Hog said, annoyed.
"What have I got to loose?" She straightened her crown on her head, "If no
one calls him he wins anyway. You're cheating, Moustous!"
Moustous smirked, then turned over his two cards. They were two fives.
The other three pets groaned and tossed down their cards. Fernypoo had 7,
Agent 00 Hog had 16, Spectre had 21. Moustous had beaten them for the third
time in a row. He walked out, taking his battlecard and 651 NP with him.
"Okay, who is sick of this Mutant besides me?" Agent 00 Hog said, pulling
out a mirror and checking his hair.
"I certainly am. I'm the ruler of Cheat! I shouldn't be beaten-ever! Especially
not by some punk mutant Kacheek!" Spectre growled.
"Hey, watch it. Mutants are pets, too!" Fernypoo objected as she shuffled
the cards.
"Yes, but... our reputations are at stake. If the other pets find out that
we've been beaten three times in a row by the same pet... they'll start to wonder
if we're really as good as they say we are! They'll all laugh at us!" Agent
00 Hog was obviously worried.
"But what if the other pets don't find out?" Spectre said, with mischief in
his voice, "I've got an idea you guys, but it's going to take a lot of work."
The other two nodded, "We're in on it... as long as we all keep our reputation."
"Oh we will. It'll probably be even better then it was when it started, or
at least we'll earn more respect."
"The good way or the bad way?" Fernypoo asked.
"Who cares? As long as we keep them under our thumb, then--" Spectre was caught
off by the blue Gelert, who had popped his head in the door.
"Hey you three? Your next challenger, a strawberry Jubjub, is here. Get ready."
He shut the door behind him.
"You three meet me at Hubert's Hot Dog Stand at 4:00 PM Sharp tomorrow. Don't
be late, or you don't get in!" Spectre snapped, then took up his thirteen cards
that Fernypoo had dealt him.
The tiny little Strawberry Jubjub popped her head in the door, "Hi..."
"Get in here and let's get started!" Spectre growled.
The Jubjub zipped in the door and sat down, picking up her 13 cards. She then
proceeded to pull out a Sword of Domar and cut little slots in the pine finished
table.
"What the heck are you doing?!?" Agent 00 Hog's eyes were bugging out of his
head.
The Jubjub put the cards in the slots and smiled at the other three, "Shall
we begin?"
The three looked at each other and they all knew - This one was going to be
EASY!
-HUBERT'S HOT DOG STAND, 4:00 PM NST SHARP, THE NEXT DAY-
"You guys want a hot dog, I'm starved!" 00 Hog asked.
"This is a top secret meeting, are you nuts?!?" Fernypoo whispered with sternness.
"Which is why we should buy hot dogs. We need this to look like we're just
three friends out getting hot dogs. Go ahead Hog, buy us some hot dogs." Spectre
said with importance.
Hog bought them each a hot dog, and they found a bench to sit on nearby.
Spectre whipped out two bandanas, "Okay you two, you're going to have to put
these on."
"Why?" Fernypoo asked.
"Because I'm going to take you to the HDQ of F. I. N., but the location must
remain a secret!" Spectre snapped.
"Why? Everyone knows the doors behind a bush in the alley between the food
shop and bank." Hog said, his mouth full of hot dog.
"Shhhhhhh! I don't know how you got that information, but it must remain a
secret. But fine, you don't have to use the bandanas." Spectre walked back over
to the hot dog stand and gave them to a little Usul, who was sobbing. She glared
at him.
"You meanie! Those were MY bandanas!" And she kicked him and ran off.
Spectre rolled his eyes and walked back over to the two, "Let's go."
They went to the alley between the bank and the food shop. They found the trap
door under the bush (which was made of plastic anyway) and went down the creaky
(actually, they were perfectly normal...) steps and into a large white room
(with a small ketchup stain on the far left wall). There were computers lining
the walls, and rough-looking NeoPets on each one. There were four escalators
in the middle of the room, each leading to a different level of the FIN HDQ.
"Wow!" Hog said with his mouth hanging open.
"C'mon. I haven't got all day!" Spectre went up one of the escalators. It led
to another large white room, but this one only had a door on one side. He held
down a blue button and sang, "I hate you. You hate me. We're an evil family,
with a great big whack and a kick from me to you. Won't you say you hate me,
too."
Fernypoo and Hog looked at each other with confusion. Spectre opened the door
and they all walked in. This room was all black with torches on the walls. There
was a giant video screen and a wide control panel. Spectre sat down in the big
red chair and started punching buttons on the control panel. The screen came
on and showed Dr. Sloth feeding his little Floud.
"Oh you're such a CUTE little Floudy-poo aren't you! Oh yes you are!" He held
a carrot in front of the little Faerie PetPet.
"HEY! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FEED FLOUDS CARROTS!" Fernypoo was jumping up
and down and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"AH!!!!!!!" Dr. Sloth leaped 20 feet into the air, whacking his head into the
ceiling and falling back down... little Pteris and stars floating around his
head.
"Dr. Sloth? We need your help. There is a little mutant Kacheek that needs
to be punished." Spectre said, his voice dripping with pure evil.
Fernypoo and Hog were starting to wonder what they had gotten themselves into.
Dr. Sloth shook his head and gained his composure. He smiled, his eyes glowing,
"Yes, and you want my help? Perfect! Does this pet have some sort of high-ranking
in society? Is he a prince? A King? Is he important?"
"He's threatening the reputation of cheat players, sir. And he also tried to
enter the beauty contest..."
"A MUTANT trying to enter the beauty contest?!?!? This is despicable! This
cannot be allowed to continue! Beauty is such a precious thing. How DARE that
Kacheek even TRY to disgrace the value of beauty among Neopets!" Sloth began
shouting, and his Floud began hiding behind a Blumaroo transmogrification potion.
Dr. Sloth began jumping and scooting back as he shouted, "That worthless runt!
Where is he! He deserves to die! Who let him even be born?!? I tell you, when
I'm finished with that Kacheek he won't know what hit him!"
Dr. Sloth had backed up against the table, and had shaken and wiggled it so
much that the Blumaroo Transmogrification Potion had toppled over, and broke.
Its slimy ooze sneaking to the little Floud, who was so busy staring in horror
at her owner that she didn't even notice the potion creeping to her.
Dr. Sloth raised his fist in the air, "Mark my word! That Kacheek shall pay!
It not only disgraced the reputation of my dear friend, but it also disgraced
the reputation of beauty as we know it! I wish I--"
His voice was drowned out by a bloodcurdling shriek as his adorable Floud began
to morph at the touch of the ooze. She began to twist, stretch, bubble and always
that constant shrieking!
Fernypoo closed her eyes shut and turned around. She couldn't bear to watch.
Spectre winced at the sound of that screech. Almost like fingernails across
a chalkboard. Hog could do nothing but stare in complete and total horror at
the video screen.
Dr. Sloth fell into a ball on the floor, crying. Suddenly, everyone heard
a "Bark! Bark! Woof!" And they all looked at the video screen while Dr. Sloth
whipped around and grabbed his Floud
"Oh! He, he... I forgot. My Grundo chef accidentally made a Puppyblew Transmogrification
potion and had put it in that container. Oh! I am so glad you are okay, my little
floudy-poo, erm... Puppyblew-poo... that doesn't make any sense. I'll have to
work on it."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at the "okayness" of the little
PetPet. "Spectre, I will help you. Meet me at the Space Station, in the Grundo
warehouse. They will know who you are. We need to discuss this! There is so
much to do!"
He went back to ranting and raving about the reputation of beauty in Neopia.
"Oh, Sloth... I think we're breaking up. You know the cheap and lousy quality
of the merchandise that Tiki Tack man makes. Oh no... ack!" Spectre pressed the
"STATIC" button and suddenly the screen began to flash and display random static,
then eventually turned itself off.
"That is a really smart idea. Making a static button." Hog said, impressed.
"Yah, go thank the Island Mystic."
"I thought you said the Tiki Tack man made this?" Hog was confused.
"How do you think I became ruler of Cheat! I lie very easily..."
All three of them laughed. Spectre's laugh was so evil, though, it freaked
the other two out to the point of shutting up and just staring at him.
He cleared his throat, "Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour. Get!" Spectre shouted,
shooing them out of the room. They walked out, went down the escalator, up the
stairs, and went back to their NeoHomes.
To be continued... | 
