My first Slugterra fanfiction! I got the idea for this fanfiction from 2 of my favorite authors. So if anybody likes this, leave a review. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The World Beneath Our Feet Pt 1

In a cavern world, deep below Earth's surface, called Slugterra, where special slug creatures live, explosions were thrown at each other from left and right. A man summersaulted forward, aiming a blaster in all directions, with a slug on his shoulder.

This was Will Shane, a man who shows great passion for slugs. And the slug on his shoulder was his partner, Burpy, an Infurnus slug.

As Will loaded another barrel into his blaster, another man, who looked pale as a ghost, appeared on a cliff, aiming his own blaster at Will and fired a Thresher slug. When fired, the Thresher transformed and spun like a buzz saw towards Will.

Will sensed it coming and leaned backwards. The Thresher missed him and he fired a Hop Rock slug towards the cliff. The pale man jumped off the cliff just as the Hop Rock collided with the cliff. The pale man loaded and fired a Rammstone slug as he fell. But Will fired his own Rammstone for a head-to-head stalemate.

Both Rammstones were shown different when they transformed: Will's Rammstone had big bull like horns, while the pale man's Rammstone had tiny horns. Will's Rammstone upper-cutted the pale man's as they transformed back.

The pale man was very displeased. "You worthless slug!" The pale man yelled at his slug. The Rammstone got upset and hopped away.

This pale man is known as Dr. Thaddius Blakk, a man who shows very little emotion to slugs and Will's greatest rival.

"Not that I don't enjoy bringing you to justice time and again, Dr. Blakk, but aren't you tired of getting beat?" Will asked his greatest rival, retrieving his Rammstone. "Extremely. Which is why I lured you here." Blakk said with a scheming sneer. "Think you're going to finally beat me in a duel?" Will asked, unconvinced. Blakk just glared and said "I know I am." Burpy chittered angrily. "Settle down, Burpy. You'll get your chance." Will said to his slug partner.

Will looked to Blakk. "So, you gonna tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to guess?" Will asked. "I'll do one better, Will Shane." Blakk said, still glaring at Will. "I'll show you." He held up a red slug barrel, holding what looked like a Tormato slug, but had a more demonic appearance. "Is that a slug?" Will asked as Burpy looked on with anger at what Blakk was holding. "Blakk, what have you done to it?!" Will demanded to know. Blakk chuckled. "I fixed it. Made it better." He loaded the mutant slug into his blaster. "Good enough to finally beat you." He fired the slug.

The mutant slug transformed and created a black hole of sorts that started giving a strong pull at half the loose foliage. Will struggled against the hole's pull, while Blakk looked on in awe. "The power! I could never imagine!" Blakk said as he struggled against the hole's pull, grabbing a tree. "You have no idea what you're doing!" Will yelled, holding on to Burpy. "Corrupting slugs?! You could destroy all of Slugterra!"

Blakk gave all his strength to pull away from the black hole and started to run as Will was still struggling in the hole's pull. "Blakk! Stop this! You have to stop it!" Will yelled to him. "Blakk! BLAKK!" Blakk kept running, leaving Will to his fate. The hole's pull got stronger, pulling Will closer. Will, knowing he couldn't escape, held up Burpy. "Find my sons." He said, putting Burpy in a barrel. "Find Eli and Harley! Give them the letter!" He loaded Burpy's barrel into his blaster. "Go!" He fired Burpy as he got sucked in. Burpy transformed and flew away. Will got consumed and the black hole disappeared, leaving a big scorch mark on the ground.

Burpy looked on in shock from what happened, but continued up through a tunnel, heading through a pipe that lead to a sewer and flew out from a manhole and into the night sky. Burpy looked on, eyeing a certain house.

Burpy flew to the house window, leading to a room where 2 boys were sleeping. Burpy transformed back as the one boy woke up. This boy was Eli Shane, Will's first-born son. "Burpy! What are you doing here?" Eli asked in surprise. Burpy chittered. "It's Dad, isn't it?" Burpy lowered his head, as if saying Eli was right. Next to Eli's bed, another boy groaned waking up to the noise. This boy was Harley Shane, Eli's younger brother. Both Eli and Harley were the same age but born on different days on the same month. "Eli? What's going on?" He asked, until he noticed who was at the window. "Burpy?" Harley knew that Burpy showing up alone meant bad news. "Dad?"

Burpy hopped into their room and slid under a rug. Eli and Harley walked over and moved the rug with Burpy showing them a small compartment. Eli opened it, finding a container bearing the Shane mark. He opened it to find a letter left by Will.

Eli and Harley began to read the letter. "Dear Eli & Harley, if you're both reading this, it means that I have fallen protecting Slugterra." Will's voice said as they read, both looking upset at what it said. "It's one of the many risks of being the Shane. A risk that you both will face yourselves, if you decide to follow in my footsteps. A long line of Shanes has made the trip down to Slugterra. If you both do choose to go, remember our deal." The 2 brothers stood up. "Not until we're 15." Eli remembered. Harley nodded as the gave their soul brother handshake.

The Shane brothers reached 15 in no time. They finished packing and were saying goodbye to their mother, Eliza. She read the letter and wanted to see her boys off. "Your father would by proud at the decision you're both making." She said, letting a tear drop from her eye. "I know I am." The 3 embraced in a tight, emotional hug. After they released, Burpy hopped into her hand. "Look after my sons, Burpy." Burpy nuzzled her cheek, saying goodbye, then hopped onto Eli's shoulder.

They walked away from the house as Will's voice continued reading. "I have told you both all about my adventures in Slugterra and you'll both have plenty of your own." Eli, Harley and Burpy dropped into the sewer. Burpy lit a fire on his head to light the way. "Getting down there is gonna be the easy part. Getting back up, that'll be a lot harder for you boys. If you boys choose to go, it'll be a one-way trip until you both learn the secret of how to get back home."

Eli and Harley followed directions written on the letter, finding a button with the Shane mark scratched on it. "I know we've always talked about making your first journey underground together, but you boys will have to do this one on your own." Harley pushed the button and a secret door opened, revealing a 2-seater carriage. "I've told you boys so much about Slugterra, but it only scratches the surface of what you'll see."

Eli and Harley sat in the seats as Eli looked down, seeing a tunnel that goes on and on underground. "You boys will be traveling over 100 miles beneath the surface of the Earth, to a place only a handful of top-siders have ever seen." Burpy hopped onto a blue button, strapping Eli and Harley to the seats and pulling the safety bar down. "You both will be safe inside the carriage. Just hold on tight."

Eli prepared the activation button, then looked to his brother and slug. "Ready guys?" he asked. "Always." Harley said with a smile. Burpy chirped, being ready. Eli took a deep breath and pushed the button. All 3 of them closed their eyes and readied themselves for the wild ride. Nothing happened. The 3 gave a confused look. Then suddenly, the seats dropped down the tunnel, with the brothers screaming into the darkness.

(Intro):

The Shane mark showed. The camera pulled back, to reveal Eli and Harley dropping from an Earth city down to Slugterrian ground. Burpy landed in front of them. They both walked up to Dr. Blakk, ready to duel. Eli fired Burpy from his blaster, while Blakk fired his Hop Jack ghoul. Both of them transformed. Burpy fired Flashfire from his mouth, bringing the ghoul down.

Eli then rode on his mecha beast with his brother and team, firing a Rammstone at Locke, knocking him down.

The camera then switched between members of the team. First Eli and Harley, to Trixie, to Kord and finally to Pronto. Then switched to Blakk and his soldiers were firing on the team, standing of a ledge, firing their own blasters.

Then the camera then switched to random scenes from the show ending with Burpy and his slug friends gathering at the title of the show.

Eli, Harley and Burpy continued their ride down The Drop. "This. Is. AWESOME!" Eli yelled. "TOTALLY!" Harley added. The seats traveled on a rail through the tunnel, 'til they reached the end of the tunnel. They dropped from the rail and fell until a parachute opened from the seats. "Ouch." The brothers said, feeling a bit of pain from the chute's whiplash.

They looked around as they slowly descended into Slugterra. "Wow! Slugterra! The world beneath our feet." Eli stared in awe. "We're finally here, bro." Harley nodded in agreement, also staring. Their seats landed and their straps were released. "When you boys reach Slugterra, there'll be a Shane hideout within a few hundred yards of the drop." Eli and Harley stood from the seats. "Ready to check out our new home, guys?" Eli asked. "Oh yeah." Harley answered as they made their way to the hideout, located on a big tree root with big mushrooms growing on the roof.

The boys opened the door to look inside their new home. "Kind of a mess." Eli stated with Harley nodded. Burpy chirped and pointed to a locker. "Inside, you'll find all the gear you're both gonna need to keep the peace." Eli pushed a button and opened the locker. "Time to ditch the surface clothes, Harley." Eli told his brother. "Right!" Harley replied. They both wore a matching outfit with the Shane mark on the left side of their chests.

They then headed to their home's garage (Or service bay as they called it). "Your own mecha beast will be waiting for you in the service bay. Happy Birthday, sons." They opened the garage door, to stare in disappointment at a rusty-looking donkey mecha beast. "Thanks, Dad." Eli said disappointingly. "Yeah. Though we were expecting something cooler." Harley added, looking at the mecha. Burpy eyed and pointed at a tarp. The brothers pulled it back to reveal a wolf mecha. "Whoa, nice!" Eli said. Harley looked at the model's number. "LKE model, huh?" "How 'bout we call you Lucky?" Eli suggested to their new mecha.

They opened another locker, revealing a blaster and slug barrels. "I usually keep a few extra blasters around, but you'll both have to find your own slugs. That's going to be your most important task, boys. The slugs are the key to everything down here. You're gonna learn that their much more than ammo."

The brothers, however, were disappointed that there was only one blaster. "Go on, Eli. You take it." Harley encouraged his older brother. "You'll need it more than me. Well, at least until I get my own." Eli smiled. "Thanks, Harley." Eli took the blaster, took a good look at it and got a good feel for it. Burpy then jumped into one of the barrels and Eli picked it up, smiling at both Burpy and Harley.

Suddenly, there was a ruckus coming from the closet. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster while Harley grabbed a wrench from the work bench. They creeped towards the door and Eli practically ripped it open, revealing a molenoid, a midget sized mole creature, trying to get a hold of his slugs. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" He pleaded at the mercy of the Shane brothers. "Who are you?" Eli asked. "Who am I? The question, sirs, is who are you?" The mole asked back, trying to be tough. "My brother asked you first and he's the one holding a blaster." Harley said, readying his wrench. Burpy growled. The molenoid stared at the 2, impressed. "I see you both are as clever as me, young men." He complimented. "Pronto, at your service. Tracker. Explorer. Molenoid of many talents." He gracefully exaggerated.

The brothers looked on at the mole. 'This is an actual molenoid?' Harley thought. 'Kinda short.' "Funny. Dad never mentioned you." Eli stated. "Dad?" Pronto thought for a second. "Your father is Will Shane!" He realized. Then he slightly gasped and eyed around, trying to think of a good bluff. "Of course, I have a perfectly good explanation for this, you see." Eli held up the blaster, Harley tapped the wrench repeatedly in his hand and Burpy ignited his head in the barrel. Pronto sighed in defeat. "Alright! I never actually met Will Shane. But, if I had, there would be no doubt he would've begged me to be on his team!" He confessed. "As should you 2. What good are a couple of Shanes without a tracker to lead them on their adventures?" Eli and Harley looked to each other. "Yeah well, Dad didn't mention anything about needing a tracker either." Eli said, holding up the letter.

Pronto sighed in disappointment. "And so, the dream dies." He said sadly, but dramatically, getting on the donkey mech. "Perhaps we will meet again, if ever you pass through the Low Rock Caves. By way of the Northern Cavern or Scorch Sparks?" Eli and Harley realized: they didn't know their way around the caverns in Slugterra. "You know, a tracker might actually come in handy." Eli quickly said, changing his mind. "Yes! Yes!" Pronto yelled excitedly and jumped down from his mecha to shake their hands. "You have made a wise choice, young Shanes." "My name is Eli. And this is my brother, Harley" Eli said, freeing his hand while Harley did the same. "Hmm. Good names. Easy to pronounce. You, young Eli and young Harley, will not be disappointed." Pronto assured his new friends.

"Good, cause if me and my brother are gonna fight evil, our first order of business is to catch us some slugs" Eli said, taking a barrel from his strap. "Well as Shanes, you 2 must have an impressive arsenal of slugs." Pronto said under the impression. "Show them to me!" Burpy hopped from Eli's shoulder onto his backhand. "Yes, yes, you are very nice. But uh, where are the rest?" Pronto asked, brushing Burpy off. "There is no rest. Burpy's all we got." Harley told the mole. "Yeah, but he's awesome." Eli added. "You only have 1 slug?!" Pronto asked in surprise. "Gaah! You need to win some experienced slugs in a battle. And I know just the place."

Pronto rode on his mecha out of the garage. "It is a small, local tournament." Pronto explained. "The competition should be no problem for a Shane or 2." Pronto noticed the brothers weren't following. "What's the holdup? We have slugs to win!" Eli looked at his blaster. "Just one thing I need to do before we go. Been waiting my whole life to do this." Eli said, holding up his blaster. "Waiting to do what? Shoot a slug out of a blaster?" Pronto asked confused. "Yep. Ready Burpy?" Burpy hopped into the barrel and was loaded into the blaster. "Fire in the hole!" Harley yelled as Eli fired the blaster. Burpy transformed and performed Flamespire. "An Infurnus slug!" Pronto said shockingly impressed. "Whoa!" Harley said. "Way to go, Burpy!" Eli called to his slug. Burpy flew back to Eli, transforming back as the Flamespire disappeared. Pronto looked to Eli and Harley getting on Lucky. "Now, how do start one of these things?" Eli asked with no clue. Pronto looked at them thinking 'What is with these kids?'

Eli screamed with joy at how fast his mecha best goes. Harley held on to his brother tightly as the rode through the jungle, following Pronto. They passed by some slugs. "A flock of Flaringos!" Eli said recognizing the species. "Check it out Burpy." Burpy waved to the Flaringos. "Wait! You give your slugs names?" Pronto asked. "Don't you?" Eli asked back. Then a stinky gas cloud came from Pronto's belt. A Flatulorhinkus slug gassed, just to irritate him. "Stop that! Scurrilous beast!" Pronto said, upset. "I guess that's a name." Eli said to his brother and slug.

"You know, my skills in observation are highly refined." Pronto said. "It seems as if many common things are unfamiliar to you." Eli and Harley became wide-eyed. "We uh, grew up in a Shane's most secret hideout. It was really out of the way. Only the Shanes know about it." Eli lied. "Yeah. No other soul in Slugterra knows about it." Harley added. "Yes. Of course." Pronto said, believing their lie.

"The Shanes have a lot of secrets, but none of them are as important as the one about where you come from. No one can know about The Surface, sons. There are too many dangers on both sides. These 2 worlds must be kept separate."

Along the way, Eli and Harley noticed a bit of a scuffle. A big man was robbing a little man's slug cart. "What's going on, Pronto?" Eli asked. "Avert your eyes and keep moving." Pronto said, pretending not to care, but sneaking a peek. "That guy looks like he needs help." Harley noticed. "Without a Shane around to keep the peace, the caverns in Slugterra have gotten, how should we say, a bit rough around the edges." Pronto explained. "Well there's 2 Shanes around now." Eli said, heading over. "This is none of our concern. I am sure you'll agree that a wise hero must choose his battles." Pronto said, not noticing they were gone.

"This all you got?!" Said the man, looking in the cart. "Nothing but Floppers in here!" Eli readied his blaster, loaded with Burpy, behind the man, while Harley stood on top of the cart, holding his wrench. "You need to go!" he said to the cart owner. The cart owner ran off. "I've got the claim to this trail. Unless one of you is Will Shane, you better keep on moving." The man threatened. "That would be our dad." Eli started. "Yeah. We're picking up where he left off." Harley finished. The man just laughed. "Oh, is that a fact? Will Shane was someone to be afraid of. You 2 are just kids." The man said insultingly. "And we're 2 kids holding a blaster and a wrench." Eli said overconfidently. "You willing to try us, punk?" Harley asked with overconfidence too. The man rammed into both of them, knocking both of them down with their gear dropping out of their hands. "Guess that's a yes." Eli said, now afraid. The man loaded a Hop Rock into his own blaster and aimed it at the brothers.

Suddenly, an Arachnet slug was shot from somewhere and it fired a web at the man, knocking him down. "Thanks Pronto!" Eli said, picking up his blaster. "Who's Pronto? And you're welcome." Came a female voice. Eli turned his head and saw a beautiful girl riding a tiger mecha beast. She held a blaster in her hand, noting that she fired the Arachnet slug. "You know, this road is filled with guys like that. You 2 should be more careful." She warned them as she rode away. "Hey, wait! Who are you?" Harley called, just missing her. He noticed Eli dazed and blushing. "Hey! You good, bro?" He said, shaking him out of his trance. "What? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm good." Eli said still blushing.

"There you 2 are!" Pronto said, riding up and readying his own blaster. "Already dispensing the justice, I see." The man came to, seeing Eli and Pronto aiming their blasters at him. "Stay off this trail, punk." Harley warned. The man got up and pulled the web off. "Alright! I'll go. Your friend just caught me by surprise. But fair warning: it takes more than a blaster, a wrench and a molenoid to be a Shane, kids." He walked away, chuckling. Eli and Harley glared at what the man said.

The 3 were back on the road. "We thought being a Shane was supposed to mean something." Eli complained. "Yeah, that guy thought we were jokes." Harley added. "If respect is what you want, you must earn it on the field of battle, like Pronto the Brave." Pronto explained, also exaggerating about himself again. 'What respect? He barley noticed we were gone back there.' Harley thought as Eli kept thinking about what the guy said.

They arrived at the destination of the tournament, where dozens of slingers were training for their upcoming battles. "If you win this tournament, people will know that the Shanes have returned to fight for justice and protect the innocent." Pronto explained. "And if I don't win?" Eli asked in concern. "Chaos will continue to rule and you will be forever branded as a hopeless fool!" Pronto said, being too honest. 'Hopeless fool?!' The brothers thought. "Of course, this will never happen. You boys have this competition in the bag." Harley interjected. "I'm not entering." He said. Pronto stopped in his tracks. "WHAT?!" He asked in shock. "I'm choosing not to enter not just because I don't want to, but because I don't have a blaster." Harley explained. "Hmm. Fair enough." Pronto accepted.

The 3 made their way to the signup booth. Eli signed his name in. The booth director looked at the name. "Shane?" He asked in disbelief. "Hey, check this out! Kids think their Shanes!" The other competitors started laughing, getting the attention of the girl who saved the brothers earlier. "Alright! You got the last spot in the qualifier. Good luck. You're gonna need it." The host teased. "Qualifier?" Eli asked confused. "Just one little duel to get you into the tournament." Pronto explained. "Nothing to worry about." He assured the young Shanes. "Okay, cool. It'll be fun to finally get to duel someone." Eli said. "It sure will, bro." Harley said.

Pronto flinched at what he heard. "Wha? WHAT?! You never-" He covered his mouth, making sure no one was listening, then pulled Eli and Harley close to him. "You 2 have never been in a duel? But you 2 are Shanes!" He whispered. "It's kind of a long story. And I don't think we wanna share it with the other duelers, do we?" Eli asked, being strict. "No, of course not." Pronto agreed. "I need to find you a sparring partner right away! I'll be back." Pronto took off to find a sparring partner for Eli.

Eli and Harley were just about to look around some more 'til someone called to them. "Excuse me, you 2 are in my shot." It was the girl, and she was holding a video camera. "Oh, sorry." Eli said before he recognized her. "Hey it's you!" They walked over to her. "Hey, thanks again for, um, you know." She looked at Eli. "What? Saving your butts? It'll be our little secret." She said with a wink. Eli blushed. "Well, we owe you." He said. "We do." Harley agreed. "I'm Eli. This is my brother, Harley" Eli introduced. "Beatrice Sting. My friends call me Trixie." She shook Eli's hand while still filming.

"You 2 told that guy that you both were Shanes. Is that true?" Trixie asked. "Yep. I'm just here to win a few slugs before my brother and I go off and fight crime and stuff." Eli explained, trying to sound cool. Harley looked at Eli funny. 'Is my brother trying to flirt with this girl? Nice.' He thought. "So, what's with the camera?" Eli asked. "I'm filming my competition, looking for anything that might give me an edge in a duel." Trixie explained. "Cool." Eli said, impressed. Trixie blushed at his response.

Suddenly, there was an interruption. 2 other guys were sparring. The guy on the left fired a Tormato slug, trapping his sparring partner with its Slyphoon and sent him flying. The guy started to dance in victory. "Who's this guy?" Harley asked, unimpressed. "That's Jon Bull. The guy you'll have to beat if you're planning to win this thing." Trixie explained, focusing her camera on the guy, who was still dancing like an idiot. "Haven't found a weakness yet. Except for the fact that he's a total jerk." Harley scoffed in his direction. "Even I can tell that." Trixie looked to Eli. "Uh, shouldn't you be in there practicing?" She asked. "Yeah! Uh, my friend's just getting me someone easy to spar with." Eli said with a blush. "Unless, you're interested." "And give away all my tricks? Tempting, but no thanks. I'd rather film you and learn yours." Trixie said. "Besides, I think your friend already found someone."

Pronto came back with Eli's sparring partner: a cave troll. Burpy hid in his barrel, while Harley flinched and fell on his butt. "Eli and Harley Shane, meet Kord Zane." Pronto introduced Eli's opponent, who clutched his fists, ready to duel. "Well, what do you think?" Pronto asked his friend. "I think…this could be extremely painful." Eli responded, afraid of getting hurt.

Kord took a look at the brothers. "You told me I'd be dueling a Shane! These are just kids." He said to Pronto. "And you're a cave troll!" Eli said in excitement. "Let me guess: you don't wanna spar with me either." Kord said, upset. "Are you kidding? Me and Eli have always wanted to meet a cave troll." Harley corrected Kord. "Yeah. You'll never find anyone more loyal, honest and brave than a cave troll. That's what our dad always used to say." Eli added. Pronto felt insulted. "Hmpth. Well clearly, he spent little time around molenoids." He said. "Will Shane said that?!" Kord asked. "Aww! Come here you!" Kord grabbed the brothers and pulled them into a bear hug. "Wow! He hugs tighter than Mom!" Harley noted, losing his breath. "So, I take it this means we're gonna duel?" Eli asked, not breathing either.

Kord opened a slug canister, releasing Flopper slugs. "Take your pick." Kord offered. Eli looked at them. "Floppers huh? Great." He said. Pronto got shocked from what he heard. "What?! Not great! Floppers are useless." He said cruelly. "Every slug is useful." Eli said picking up 3 Floppers. Harley picked one up too, putting it on his shoulder.

Eli and Kord got into position. "So, what do you 2 know about dueling?" Kord asked, preparing his blaster. "What's to know?" Eli said, loading his Floppers into his extra slug barrels. "First you choose your slug and then you sling it. When it reaches 100 miles an hour, it transforms. Keep at it until your opponent gives up. My dad must've explained that to us like 100 times." Kord seemed impressed. "Yeah, but explaining's not dueling." Kord explained. "In this competition: you win, you get to pick a slug from your opponent. That means if you lose any match, even the qualifier-" "I could lose Burpy." Eli finished sadly. "Are you really willing to put it all on the line?" Kord asked in concern. "I really don't have a choice, do I?" "Nope. DUEL!"

Kord fired a Phosphoro slug. It transformed and scared Eli with its Arcalyte attack. Pronto facepalmed himself, while Trixie and Harley laughed a bit. "Not fair! Wasn't ready!" Eli complained as he got his second wind. "That's the point! You always gotta be-DUEL!" Kord fired a Tormato, which took Eli for a little spin with its Slyphoon. "Stand sideways! You're harder to hit that way." Trixie said, giving Eli advice. "You do realize you're helping the competition." Eli pointed out, fixing his hair. "Heh. That's cute. He thinks he's competition." Trixie said. "Did you just call my brother cute?" Harley asked, hearing her. Trixie blushed. "NO! I mean yes-I mean-" "DUEL!" Kord fired another slug.

Eli fired one of his Floppers at Kord, who dodged and fired a Bubbaleone. It knocked Eli into the air and he started bouncing on it. Kord started laughing at this. "Hey not bad, bro." The Bubbaleone popped back to its smaller form and made Eli land on his butt. Pronto lowered his head in disappointment. Eli fired another Flopper, while Kord fired a Jellyish slug. Both dodged the incoming slugs. "Don't target your opponent everytime. Try moves that mess things up around them." Kord said. "Ah. You mean like this?" Eli fired a Flopper at Kord's feet, creating a small cloud. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Kord said, until he noticed Eli disappeared. Eli tapped Kord on his right shoulder, surprising him. "Alright, Eli!" Harley cheered. "Yes! Now that is the Eli Shane that I know." Pronto said, earning looks from Harley and Trixie. "Or uh, you know, just recently met." Trixie looked on, impressed with Eli's move. "Clever move." Kord said before movie aside. Eli noticed a Flatulorhinkus at his feet, setting off a stink bomb. "And so is my time to lay Flatulorhinkus." Harley plugged his nose "PU! That stunk! Literally!" His new Flopper chirped in agreement.

During break, Pronto was spotting Eli, who rested on a crate. "How is it that neither of you have ever been in a duel?" Trixie asked. "We made a promise to our dad, that we wouldn't take up slinging 'til we turned 15." Eli explained. "Let me guess: Happy Birthday?" "Yesterday for me. Eli a few days before, but we like to share." Harley said, putting and arm on Eli's shoulder. "I got a good feeling about you, boys." Kord said. "You 2 may not have lots of skill, but you've both got plenty of heart." "So, you think I'm ready?" Eli asked, getting up. "Definitely." "Maybe." "Totally." "Hmm, nope." Eli seemed unsure with all the answers he got. Kord put his arm around Eli's shoulder. "You're gonna do fine." The troll assured his new friend. "In fact, I almost feel sorry for whatever noob you're up against."

By then, another slinger, dressed in an electric suit, was practicing on the targets. He fired a Tazerling slug at a target, completely demolishing it. The 5 looked at him. "Uh, remember what I said about feeling sorry for the other guy? I totally take that back." Kord said in regret, knowing who this slinger was. "You're going up against Shockwire." Eli looked on in worry.

Shockwire pulled up his electric themed blaster, loaded another Tazerling and started to move around and swing his blaster around in his hand, like a ninja. The tournament host walked past the gang. "Still not too late to quit while you're alive 'Shane!" He teased. "He's gonna demolish you!" Kord said in worry. "Come on guys. He doesn't look that tough." Eli said as Shockwire fired more Tazerlings back-to-back. "What do you think, Burpy?" Eli asked his slug. Burpy just blew a raspberry. Trixie focused her camera on Shockwire. "All he uses are Tazerlings. And from what I can tell, he's sort of a one-trick pony." She said as Shockwire fired another Tazerling, destroying 4 targets at once with its Tazerbolt attack. "Some trick!" Kord said with fear. Eli slid in front of them. "I have a few tricks too, you know." He said. "You do?!" His friends asked. "Uh, sure he does." Harley backed up his brother. "You know some tricks, right?" Eli asked Burpy in a mutter. Burpy just widened his eyes. "Look, I'll be fine. I'm sure I-" Shockwire destroyed more targets. "Man, he is really tearing those targets to pieces!" Eli said, impressed. "You know, Tazerlings are tough little slugs, but sometimes they'll misfire if they get too overworked." Trixie said. "You don't say." Eli said as he thought of a plan.

Eli and Shockwire stepped forward to meet each other. "They tell me that you and your brother are Shanes." Shockwire said. "That's right." Eli answered. "And alls you got is a Flaringo and a bunch of Floppers?" Shockwire asked. Burpy got angry for being mistaken for Flaringo. "Yep." Eli said, smiling at his slugs. "You're either crazy, dumb or both." Shockwire stated, getting in Eli's face. "Um, are there any other choices?" Eli asked, not thinking of a better response. Shockwire just smiled.

Eli and Shockwire prepared to duel on a series of cliffs and land bridges overlooking a lake of lava. Eli looked to his brother and friends before looking back to Shockwire, ready to draw. "DUEL!" Cried the host. Eli drew first and fired a Flopper directly at Shockwire, but it didn't do anything. Eli smiled innocently and Shockwire fired his Tazerling. Eli jumped of his cliff so he wouldn't get shocked. Shockwire jumped after him, firing another Tazerling. Eli jumped to a lower bridge and loaded another Flopper. Burpy chittered, wanting his chance. "Not yet, Burpy. You'll get your chance." He assured his father's best slug. When Shockwire came to view, Eli fired the Flopper past his head as a distraction before Shockwire fired another Tazerling. Shockwire jumped down and fired another Tazerling. Eli rolled out the way and almost off the edge of the bridge. Shockwire re-barreled his tiring slug and reloaded it. "Do it." Eli muttered, knowing what was coming. Shockwire fired the slug and Eli dropped down to another bridge. Shockwire fired 2 more Tazerlings, while Eli fired another Flopper.

"Hey, why isn't he using his Infurnus?" Kord asked in confusion as they watched. "Eli you're never gonna win using Floppers!" "No wait, I think I know what he's doing." Trixie said.

Eli then jumped down to some pointy rocks in the lava river, dodging 2 more Tazerlings. When Shockwire thought he had him cornered, he loaded one more Tazerling and aimed at Eli. "You're in for a shock kid!" Shockwire said, feeling victorious. "Just a little longer." Eli muttered with Burpy loaded into his blaster. Before Shockwire could pull the trigger, the loaded Tazerling misfired and shocked Shockkwire's whole body.

"He was waiting for one of the Tazerlings to misfire." Trixie said, figuring out Eli's plan. "Alright bro! Now's your chance!" Harley called.

Burpy nodded. "Ok Burpy. Now!" Eli said, slinging Burpy into action. Burpy transformed and flew towards Shockwire, trapping him in a Flamespire. Shockwire was getting scared from the heat. "Call it off!" He yelled, surprising Trixie, Kord, Harley, Pronto and even the host. "Call it off! I quit! You win!" Burpy stopped his attack and dropped back to Eli. The crowd cheered as the host declared Eli the winner.

Eli climbed back up to the top bridge. "Burpy, we did it!" Eli said, until he was then pulled into a noogie by Kord, while Trixe, Harley and Pronto applauded around him. Even the host cheered. "I guess you really are a Shane, Eli. And if Harley says he's your brother, that's good enough for me." The host turned to Shockwire. "Shockwire! Get over here and pay up." "Yeah, yeah." Shockwire understood, annoyed that he lost to a kid. He walked over to Eli and held up his 3 Tazerlings. "Take your pick."

The 5 looked at his selection. "Ooh! He's got some good ones, Eli." Kord said in excitement. Eli was just about to walk over, but Kord stopped him for a second. "Hey, hey. Let's think about this." He suggested. "No, Kord. I've got a better idea." Kord looked confused. Harley walked next to Kord. "Don't worry, Kord. My brother knows what he's doing." He assured the troll.

Eli kneeled down to the Tazerlings. "Which one of you guys wants to come with me?" He asked the slugs. "I'm a Shane you know. So, after this competition is over, you've gotta be up for a life of adventure." Pronto turned shocked, once again. "What? You're asking the slugs? Nobody ever asks the slugs." Pronto stated. The middle Tazerling, inspired by Eli's request, jumped out of her barrel and hopped into Eli's hand. "Welcome to the team, little girl." Eli said, rubbing the slug's head with his thumb. "How do you like the name Joules?" Joules hopped, clapped and lit a little spark on her head, liking the name. Eli held up Burpy and his other Flopper. "These are Burpy and Noodle." Burpy and Noodle touched arms with Joules, getting shocked in the process.

Harley walked up to Eli, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nice work, bro." He praised. "You got 3 slugs and I've got 2." Eli looked confused. Harley up his hand, revealing the Flopper he picked up from Kord and a Flaringo. "Meet Squirm and Matchstick." Eli smiled in surprised. "Where did you get a Flaringo?!" Pronto asked, also surprised. "I got him on the way over here." Harley explained.

(Flashback)

The 2 mechas just passed the Flaringo flock, when one of them hopped on Lucky's tail. Harley looked back to see the little slug. Harley held his hand out and the Flaringo jumped into it. "Hey little guy. Wanna join us? My brother and I are Shanes, so we could use your help." The Flaringo nodded his head, accepting the invitation. Harley smiled. "I think I'll call you Matchstick."

Kord and Trixie looked on. "You 2 are naturals." Kord complimented. "But Eli, now that you're in the competition-" "Don't think we're doing you any favors." Trixie finished. "We're all in this to win." 'Then you better get a move on." The host said, getting their attention. "Round 1 starts tonight at Scorch Sparks Cavern. And you'll be fighting them." He pointed to 4 slingers: Jon Bull and 3 others, ready for battle. The gang looked to each other nervous.

At a factory deep in some dark cavern, Dr. Blakk was approached by his henchman, Maurice. "Dr. Blakk. You need to see this." Maurice informed his boss, holding up a data pad. "It's footage from a slug slinging tournament way out in Herringbone Cavern." Blakk turned to Maurice. "Why would something like that be of any interest to me?" He asked with little interest. "Because these 2 say their names are Eli and Harley Shane." Maurice answered, showing Eli and Harley in the footage. "Think they're any relation?" Blakk looked at the footage. "Well if they are, we have ways of dealing with Shanes." He said with a smirk. "Quite a few of them, actually." He and Maurice looked on at hundreds of slug canisters. One tube containing a mutant slug.

To be continued…

Well that's the first chapter. How do you like my OC, Harley Shane. I'll be putting together a bigger Shane Gang. I'll also be adding a few other OCs later on in future chapters. Some will be names for the slugs. Please leave a review if you like it so far.

Slug Arsenal:

Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper)

Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper)