KLONDIKE, CP Army Headquarters – Welcome back to another edition of “Short Stories”. Today, I’ll be telling the action-packed story of Herbert unleashing a secret plan hidden for years onto the island, and the brave heroes who dared to face the challenge.
Herbert P. Bear was the name of a resident evil mastermind that tormented Club Penguin Island for decades to come. A great enemy to the Elite Penguin Force and Agency branches, he had tried countless times to take over the island. But for an odd reason, his plans always backfired on him. The Elite Forces and Herbert had endlessly clashed for years since the establishment of Club Penguin. Their world changed, and so did their tactics. Herbert’s foolproof plans beat master tacticians in the long run, and hundreds upon thousands of robot units were in his hands. But they all fell apart the more the war raged on. Each failure and every humiliation from the Island left the evildoer scratching his head in confusion. He did not know what he was doing wrong.
But all of that was in the past…
Now was another year, yet the same war. A decade of the same routine repeated over and over again. However, one plan remained on the planning board. When all else failed, this trump card would be used. This plan was created under the name of Operation Frost. A complex roadmap of Herbert’s agenda of evil was created as he sulked in darkness, out of sight of the Island. People believed that the war was finally over, and jubilated after over two decades of conflict. Little did they know that the war they thought had concluded with the sudden disappearance of Herbert was solely the outset.
The opening of the plan involved taking out the biggest obstacle first. The leader was working under the codename – The Auditor. If Herbert could remove them first, the EPF and EPA would have nobody to command them. Everything would fall apart. This was how he had imagined the Island to be left vulnerable after the fallen order. Herbert strolled down the entrance of his secret planning room, hearing the seal of electronic doors closing behind him. “These silly games have gone on for far too long,” the brooding figure growled. “All of my abhorrence has been tested to the highest level, and now they’ve asked for the ultimate weapon!”
Herbert glared at a large computer screen displaying images of the Island from multiple angles. Stasis tubes of a mysterious sky blue liquid stood nearby the screen, with degrees of aimlessly flying decay inside each of them. “I’ve learned from every defeat over the years. I know their tactics, and now it’ll be truly impossible for them to survive this operation,” the polar bear grumbled while he plotted something sinister. The Island was already known for having snowy weather every day. But Herbert decided to use that climate and go even higher with it. An eternal winter, plagued by hordes of Snow Minions and his army of robots. Not even the Club Penguin Armies would be able to stand a chance.
“They’re going to wish they never messed with me in the first place!” Herbert broke out a chuckle which then turned into an evil cackle. This plan was intended to go out by the end of the day, making way for not only an eternal winter but a night that would never end. Until dawn broke, the threats of the Snow Minions would rise. And Herbert’s gigantic robot army would be just the beginning.
Meanwhile on present-day Club Penguin Island…
Today was a day that was deemed very special to people all over the world: Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year that is all about love. Significant others, friends, and family were all celebrating this magnificent day with treats like banquets of roses and huge heart-shaped chocolates, or better yet, just a simple card to show their love for the special someone in their lives. The Island was themed with Valentine. The pathways were all painted with red and pink hearts that were visible from even the iceberg! Banners of hearts were hung in each store you could imagine and citizens all over the island were showing their love to friends and family. Love was truly in the air around this time of the year.
Within the island, there was one person whose identity was unknown. Nobody knew his actual name, but he went by the name Shadow. The citizen was just leaving one of the local stores with a banquet of roses and heart-shaped chocolate. He was getting ready to propose to their significant other. Seeing that today was Valentine’s Day, he felt like now was the best time to go for it. Apart from being just a normal citizen, Shadow was enlisted in the Technology branch within the Elite Penguin Force. He was a professional hacker and cyberspace trickster who could take a calculator and program it into a working replica of Snake…blindfolded.
Shadow wasn’t very known to the public, but he preferred to stay hidden instead of being exposed. Being a hacker for the EPF was a major responsibility to him, and he highly lived up to it. The citizen left the store and began strolling through the town to get to the Pizza Parlor, where his partner was said to be waiting. The plaza was very busy today, with many couples going to the Puffle Mall and the Theater. Shadow had to make sure he got through the Snow Forts quickly before he got hit by a snowball.
He saw the forts and continued walking, seeing couples getting ready for their snowball fight. Two sides that were hoping to triumph over the other began throwing immediately, leaving the air swarmed with launching snowballs, either hitting one another midair or the other side. Shadow sprinted through the forts, dodging snowballs that seemed to be coming in every direction. “Coming through, guys!” He cried to the participants. “I have a partner to propose to, and I don’t like to keep him waiting!” Shadow dodged another snowball by ducking and performing maneuvers while watching over the banquet and chocolates.
Meanwhile, Herbert was closely examining the Island. He was trying to figure out how he was going to pull off this operation. “If they see me in plain sight, this plan is done for,” he thought to himself. “If I can’t go out like a bear, I’ll just go out like a penguin.” The polar bear immediately changed the first step of his plan. He couldn’t bring out the operation in phases. He was going to go all out. Freezing the whole island, thrashing down the EPF forces, and unleashing dominance was all a part of this unscrupulous scheme. The only question people would have sooner or later was who would face Herbert himself? Who was going to rise on every front and stop this plan?
There were many stories of heroes told, but often forgotten and withered away into the lost pages of history. All had unknown identities just like Shadow but prophecies were made by Sensei. It was odd to hear about the Dojo teacher speaking foretellings, but they consisted of five heroes: a novice-turned-pro of Card-Jitsu, a knight in shining armor, a marauder of witchcraft, a dedicated and hardworking server who used to work at the Coffee Shop, and the Pizza Parlor, and the last hero being unknown. Sensei claimed that the fifth idol could be anybody whose spirit set themselves to be that hero. But why would these five heroes be needed? Was Operation Frost just the beginning of a foretold prophecy everyone treated as a joke? And if they were all known, then why wasn’t Shadow known? Could he be the fifth hero?
“Along with the operation, I have this entire network of the greatest villains to help me carry out the operation,” Herbert talked to Klutzy, a red crab often filled with joy who was Herbert’s assistant. “The EPF falls today. Activate the Super-Freezer 5000 and let’s put Club Penguin Island on ice!” Klutzy jumped towards a big, red button with a sticker underneath it that read “CAUTION” in big bold letters, overlaying a pattern of yellow and black lines. A buzzer went off as the button was pressed, and a rumble shook the mountain next to the Dojo. The disturbance was only noticed by those sledding down, feeling the fierce shakes as the machine buried deep below is activated.
The rumbles went on for a few short minutes until a giant beam of blue shot out of the summit and towards the sky. As it struck the clear atmosphere, clouds began forming almost the color of the darkish-gray Puffles. The sun was entirely blocked, and now everyone had noticed the beam covering the skies. People began panicking at the sight of a giant snowfall, and chaos would soon flare beyond that point. The EPF had no time to react to this situation, either. The operation was now underway, and the eternal winter was the first step.
Herbert cackled in amusement as he watched the island turn upside down in panic. “Look at these little penguins run!” The polar bear roared. “This is my favorite part here, Klutzy. Send the robot armies before we take advantage of the villain network!” Meanwhile, Shadow was unaware of the madness going on. By the time he got to the Pizza Parlor, everyone had immediately evacuated after the news channel displayed the mysterious giant beam shooting towards the sky and making the eternal winter. Shadow’s partner evacuated to safety, leaving Shadow on the brink of having to wage a fight against the robot armies that could be heard incoming.
The hacker ducked to safety in an alleyway between the Puffle Mall and the Theater and activated his drone. He watched closely through the drone’s eye camera and saw giant hordes of robots coming in his direction. Shadow could not believe what he was seeing. Was today the end of the world? It couldn’t be that anticipated day at all, not now and not ever. Shadow flew his drone over the army of robots and released a shockwave from the drone. All the robots shook in place before dropping onto the ground, frying their circuit boards.
Shadow leaped from the alley, painted in a tenebrosity of shade, and retrieved his drone. Now was his singular opportunity to run to safety. But suddenly, a giant figure stomped in front of him. This caused the hacker to collapse with imbalance. The figure who had jumped in front of him was known, but not as recognizable. A once-defeated combatant that abhorred Sensei and a far cry of his preadolescence persona, he had returned with a cold-blooded justification. He looked meaner than before and was here to redeem his defeat to be proven honorable to enlist in Herbert’s coalition of villains. The intrepid, terrifying, powerhouse of Card-Jitsu had returned: Tusk.
“Hello there, little boy,” he snarled in a salutation towards Shadow. “You may not recognize me at first, but I’ll have you know I’m still what you fear.” Tusk turned to his right side to grab a parked vehicle and chucked it at the civilian. Shadow threw his drone at the car, hoping to prevent it if it could, and dipped for shelter. Waiting for impact, he heard the sound of crashing metal on both sides. He looked up immediately to see the drone happening to form into a drill that shot a small beam of magma slashing the car in half and saving it from hitting Shadow.
“Looks like the EPF has improved their ways, huh?” Tusk boomed. “How about a little friendly competition?” Shadow didn’t have time to waste fighting one of the most infamous villains to live. “Don’t waste my time,” he demanded before running away to cover. Running away was not the best choice to make. Tusk immediately followed after the citizen, crashing against the Earth as he ran on all fours. The booming stomps grew louder as Tusk got closer to Shadow. Fear induced the hacker as he desired somebody would arrive in the nick of time to save him. And thankfully so, his wish was bestowed.
A giant shot of water splashed in Tusk’s face, blinding him for a short second. The water wave had come out of nowhere, leaving Shadow more confused and scared than he already was. But there was no need to have fear. The character who made the spell wasn’t just an ordinary citizen, but one who was an unlikely hero at the start. He lived following his dad’s purpose after finding it with the help of Sensei. Now, he was a master of Card-Jitsu and was a vigilante known as the Card Knight. Fear no more, for the legendary Alderam had come to save the day.
Tusk looked directly at the hero and formed a toothy grin of evil. “Well, well, well.” The walrus growled softly. “Look how old you’ve grown.” Alderam was just as confused as Shadow. Tusk’s appearance had changed so much that he was nothing like how he used to be after childhood and the battle near the Dojo. “Uhh, do I know you from somewhere?” Alderam questioned, reaching for his deck of cards to fight Tusk. “Glad you came to the party, young student. I saved the best part of this operation for last.” Tusk let out a chuckle that broke into a bellowing laugh, as a horde of Herbert’s robots and more faces came by. Shadow was able to recognize these villains through intel stored on the database.
Seven more villains showed their faces. They all went under the names of Phobia, Sabertooth, Neurosis, Serenity, Memory, Talisman, and their leader Prima Morgana. They were all under one squad known as the Frozen Strikers. Each villain had a special ability. They were known for their powers. A witchcraft maniac, a super strength brute, a psychokinesis master, an explosives junkie, a technological tracker, a controller of nature, and the main leader. Prima’s power was unknown. Alderam wasn’t going to give in to a group of villains. Therefore, he decided to take them on. “Alderam, you have no chance against us,” Tusk warned. “Surrender now and the operation will be ceased. Or face your grand defeat today.”
The Card-Jitsu hero decided to fight them. Shadow ran away into cover as Alderam stalled the villains. He took out his Fire Card and released a wave of fire that was suddenly deflected. And then, the villains all began attacking at once. The hero was left with no other choice but to randomly cast their cards, hoping he would manage to get a hit on one of them. He noticed Tusk coming in to throw a punch and immediately used the Ice card to kick him back. Herbert’s sinister plan did not involve defeating Alderam. But with the succession of freezing the island, there was no reason to refuse to claim a victory.
Alderam’s vision suddenly blurred and everything around him was getting darker as he tried to fight. But with one final blow from Prima Morgana, he fell to the ground. He pushed against the ground, trying to get back up but his arms failed in strength and he lay lifeless. The villains cackled in victory over the Card-Jitsu master. With his defeat, the island was left with no protection from anybody but the EPF’s forces. Over the course of months, their army significantly weakened against the Frozen Strikers and Herbert himself. But soon, Shadow would be the new face to join the resistance to take back the island.
End of Part One.