Grundo Jokes

           Gargarox Isafuhlarg sighed and got back to cooking. Every year near April Fool's Day, the young ones constantly joked about Dr. Sloth. There was always someone dressed as the villain, though usually with a gigantic nose, or extra eyes, or even once in a dress. Sure, the sight was funny, but something about these April Fool's jokes left Gargarox feeling uneasy.

           These young Grundos knew nothing of the horrors Dr. Sloth inflicted on them long ago, he thought sadly. He was thankful for the peace and prosperity on the station, yet he worried about the future of his species. The lessons from history needed to be passed down, or else the same mistakes and troubles would happen again. Despite the jokes of Grundos being dim-witted, he believed in his species and knew they were capable of so much.

      As he crafted a set of his popular Marshmallow Grundo sweets, he thought back to the friends he lost under Dr. Sloth and the childhood he couldn't enjoy. As a child, he dreamed of being a Gormball champion, though it wasn't until he was an adult that he even played the game for the first time. Maybe he should just let these young Grundos joke and enjoy their innocence while they can...

           A loud crashing sound in the distance made Gargarox leave the kitchen and his musings for a moment. He assumed the little Grundos had done something a bit too mischievous, but when he opened the doors of his café and stepped outside, he noticed a large amount of smoke billowing out.

           He ran toward the source, still holding his large whisk, and as the smoke cleared, he saw the Space Faerie, badly injured but still standing up straight.

      “Mira! Are you alright? What are you doing here?!” Gargarox had fought alongside the Faerie against Dr. Sloth in his youth, but it had been years since he last saw her.

      The Space Faerie brushed herself off before bowing and explaining, “I apologise for the sudden crash landing. I was being chased and used unstable magic to get away quickly... I need to inform everyone that... Dr. Sloth and his new minions are on his way here!!”

      Gargarox looked at the Space Faerie and then at the crowd of Grundos around them. A tense silence filled the air until one young Grundo yelled out, “April Fool's! Right, Space Faerie?! Wow, you really went all out to sell this joke!!”

      The rest of the crowd began to laugh as they sighed in relief. Gargarox could hear both young and old Grundos laughing about the “joke.”

      Mira shook her head and pleaded with the Grundos around her, “Of course this is not a joke!! Why would I joke about something serious like this?! He is on his way, with a group of Voidlings that he has somehow been able to control! I spoke with him, before the Voidlings overwhelmed me with their numbers. He said he was going to get his revenge on Grundos, for turning on him in the past and leading to his downfall!!!! Please! You must evacuate for now! And call forth your Battledome fighters!”

      The crowd, however, did not move. The laughter had died down, yet still, no one wanted to admit that this could be real. The same young Grundo broke the tension in the air again - “Mi.. Mira, right? Dr. Sloth hasn't been seen in years! I'm not even sure if he's real, or just someone our elders made up to keep kids in line. This April Fool's joke isn't funny anymore...” The crowd nodded along until a blast in the distance gave weight to the Space Faerie's words. Soon, they could see creatures from the Void crashing down onto the station and heard screams from all directions.

      Everyone was now in full-blown panic mode. Gargarox knew he needed to stay strong and calm, or else the situation would get worse.

      “Mira, the announcement centre is down on the Supply Deck. Please call for all Battledome fighters, though I'm sure most have already heard the commotion. I'll bring everyone to the evacuation centre!”

      With swift determination, they parted ways amidst the chaos. Gargarox trusted the Space Faerie with his life, just as the crowd around him now trusted him with theirs.

      “Mr. Grundo chef... I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have joked about Dr. Sloth!!!” The young Grundo from before was now a mess of tears and snot, though there was no time to waste.

      Gargarox patted him on the head and hastily ushered everyone to the buildings in the back.

      “Listen! Just stay calm and head for the evacuation centre! Though it hasn't been used in years, there are still ships, weapons, and defence supplies there!”

      They ran through the winding metallic halls of the Space Centre, though unfortunately, their path was blocked by two particularly large Voidlings that had made their way here.

      Without hesitation, Gargarox stepped forth and smashed one hard on the head with his whisk, while kicking the other one, sending it flying back into a building. The crowd looked at him with awe and admiration, before he reminded them that they weren't in a safe area yet.

      Finally, they arrived at the evacuation centre, just as the Space Faerie’s announcement echoed throughout every corner of the station.

      “ATTENTION! All Battledome fighters! Dr. Sloth and his minions have returned! Gather your weapons and fight!!”

      Hearing the Space Faerie's words sent a wave of relief through Gargarox. He smiled and addressed the crowd of scared Grundos calmly.

      "Don't worry! There are weapons here just in case some of those creatures make it past the laser defence system around the evacuation centre. I will send some fighters here, and if need be, pilots will take you down to Neopia. I promise everything will be okay!”

      Everyone was too frightened to speak; nevertheless, they still grabbed weapons and huddled together.

      Gargarox grabbed as many ray guns, swords, and bombs as he could and went out to help the others. The emergency sirens were blaring, and the usual green colour of the station was now bright red.

      Along his way, he passed by other fighters and handed them weapons, sending a few of them back to guard the evacuation centre. It had been so long since he was last in battle, but as the chef of Grundo’s Café, he had broken up quite a few quarrels over the past few years from rowdy customers, so he was still confident in his abilities.

      He was almost at the Gormball stadium when he heard the sound of cruel laughter, a voice that he could never forget. The sound haunted his nightmares, and he knew Dr. Sloth was just up ahead. When he turned the corner, he saw the villain casually toss aside a small Grundo toward a group of Voidlings that dragged him away. So, Dr. Sloth wants to mess with Grundos again!? Not this time, Gargarox thought angrily. Dr. Sloth absolutely wasn't going to destroy everything Grundos had created together!

      “Hey, you ugly, overgrown, smelly, no good... Chia? Whatever you are, leave Virtupets Station and never come back! You aren't welcome here!!”

      Gargarox blasted his ray gun at Dr. Sloth, though he dodged each attack with ease. The strong chef then threw his remaining two bombs and charged through the smoke, sending his sword down with all his might.

      He knew Dr. Sloth had a vast array of weapons and technologies at his disposal; but what the villain didn't have was a community of friends and family. Gargarox continued to fight through the pain that surged through his tired body, since soon, he knew help would come.

      Thankfully, he landed a blow on Dr. Sloth's arm, though just as he did, two Voidlings grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

      The villain towered over him and stomped on his chest, sending a wave of pain through his body. Gargarox could barely breathe, and only the thought of helping his fellow Grundos kept him conscious.

      “Oh, I think I remember you from before. You were ugly as a kid, and you're still ugly now! I'm going to control you Grundos again, and with an army of Voidlings and Grundos I will march on Neopia and finally stand as their true leader! First, I need to take back what was originally mine – this Space St...”

      Before he could finish his speech, a blast from the Space Faerie knocked him flat on his face. Gargarox gasped for air as he looked up and saw Mira, along with a large group of Grundo fighters.

      “Dr. Sloth... why must you keep returning? These Grundos have created a fine life for themselves, and they have gotten stronger than you could ever imagine. They are a kind species, and their bonds will never be broken again. We will continue to fight you each time you return!”

      The Space Faeries, Grundo fighters, and Gargarox charged forth at once. The Voidlings tried to hold them back, but they were outnumbered. Soon, the strange purple creatures disappeared through a black portal, leaving Dr. Sloth all alone.

      “Uh, you ungrateful minions! The mind control machine must be malfunctioning... Come back!” Dr. Sloth backed away toward his ship as the group closed in on him.

      “You do not have a community to support you, and that is why you will always fail!” Gargarox looked at his fellow species and felt nothing but pride.

      Unfortunately, before the group could finally capture Dr. Sloth, he threw a smoke bomb and escaped into the darkness of space on his ship.

      “Don't worry, I will follow him! Gargarox, I trust that you can take care of everything from here!” The Space Faerie disappeared quickly, leaving Gargarox and the rest in the middle of their broken home.

      “Spread the word that the coast is finally clear!” Gargarox swiftly got to work, helping the wounded Neopians, putting out fires, and slowly cleaning up and fixing the damaged areas. The group he had helped bring to the evacuation centre soon found him and apologised profusely. They wiped away tears and hung their heads in shame before the little Grundo trickster from earlier appeared.

      “I'm sorry! I will never make an April Fool's joke about Dr. Sloth ever again!!”

      “It's alright little one! Please, we need all the help we can get now! Let's get to work!”

      In just a few days, they were able to repair the station completely. Gargarox continued his work as a chef, along with teaching night classes once a week. He was now the history teacher at the newly created Grundo school, aimed at teaching Grundos of all ages about their history and culture.

      His first day of class just so happened to fall on April Fool's Day. He entered the room, nervous, though ready to teach his new students. As he sat down on his chair, a loud farting noise echoed through the class, sending a wave of laughter across all the students. When he stood up, he saw that a whoopee cushion had been placed on his chair.

      As he looked up at his students, they yelled out, “April Fool's!”

     The End.