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Robbie, using his periscope to spy on the town's kid as he does everyday now.
"WHAT?! They're doing sports ?! On the sports field?!
Wait a minute.
Yes. Yes!
I know how to stop all the sporty activity."
He makes a few gestures as he says the s-word, fingers pianoting chaotically in the air.
"I'm going to buy their sports field !
Huahaha !"
On this well thought decision, Robbie moves to a machine on the side of the room.
"That makes 400 lazy ideas just this week", he says very satisfied with himself as he turns a little valve on side of the counter, now displaying a nice 4 0 0.
"Yay me. Hahaha."
*************
On said sports field, oblivious to the evil machinations taking place on the other side of town, Sportacus, Stephanie, Ziggy, Pixel, Stingy and Trixie are playing with a ball.
Ziggy is as usual with a 2 scoops of ice cream cone, Stingy wanting to claim it as his, when the mayor arrives, talking about how special today is.
"Oh, this is the most exciting day I say, this will be the one of our best races ever."
The Mayor barely finishes his sentence that a big bulldozer appears behind him, Robbie laughing at its wheel.
Everyone gasps at the sudden appearance, worried of what could be happening.
And knowing Robbie, nothing good surely.
Sportacus is already anticipating the day's new obstacles as he watches Robbie arriving.
Robbie gets off the bulldozer and quickly hands the mayor a paper and a pen, still having a few bits of laugh as he goes.
"Sign at the X, please."
The mayor, good natured but inherently naive and oblivious as always, does not hesitate a second and sign as asked.
Ziggy looks up at Sportacus, worried, and Sportacus returns his confused and worried expression. They all look at the Mayor and Robbie, waiting for the shoe to drop.
"Thank you", Robbie thanks the Mayor politely as he takes the paper and pen back.
"Now clear the area !", he shouts.
"I own this land, and I'm building a feather pillow stuffing factory RIGHT. HERE."
"No, you can't do that!", exclaims Stingy, followed by the other kids' shouts of opposition.
"This land belongs to ME . It's MINE ", he adds, confusing the others.
"What?"
"What?"
"Yours?"
They ask all at once.
"Yeah, it belongs to me."
They all shake their head, used to Stingy's claims.
He corrects himself.
"No, I mean... It's OURS ."
"YEAH!" They all say looking back to Robbie with angry faces.
Robbie knows he has the higher ground and relishes in it.
"Your delightfully unstinchy mayor recently sold it to me, so now it's miiiine", he almost sings the words by the end of the sentence. He laughs as their faces decompose.
"Ohhh no, not again", the Mayor laments, a hand on his face.
Robbie jumps back in his bulldozer and starts leaving, laughing.
"Wait!", calls Sportacus, "We need this field for sports day."
The children all exclaim their own agreement.
"We want to compete in the super race", adds Stephanie.
"Really?", asks Robbie, faking ignorance.
"Yes", from all.
"Then how about this? You compete against me.
If you win, you can keep this dump.
If I win, I'm building my feather pillow stuffing factory right. HERE.", he says as he indicates the ground right bellow them.
They all gasp in offense for their poor field.
"And Sportacus has to leave town forever", Robbie adds.
A new, louder gasp from everyone.
"I said Sportacus has to leave town for-e-ver."
Robbie gets down from his big machine and approches them.
"Uh, for how long did you say?", Stingy asks in shock.
"FOREVER!", Robbie screams as he repeats the echoing word for the 3rd time.
"Sportacus would never leave us !", Ziggy screams back.
"That's right!", the kids shout.
Sportacus looks at the children then at Robbie before heading to him determined.
How could he refuses? Sportacus never backed from a challenge.
Robbie is mumbling the kids' words mockingly when Sportacus takes his extended hand and shakes it.
"We'll do it!"
Robbie can't help but cradle his own poor hand right after, Sportacus doesn't know his strength. Or Robbie's lack of.
Still, he laughs as he leaves for good this time, leaving behind a cloud of the engine's smoke that makes everyone cough.
After Robbie's departure, Ziggy calls to Sportacus sadly.
"Sportacus, are you really gonna leave ?"
Sportacus can't help but crouch immediately to reassure him.
"Of course not, guys. Cheer up! With all of us, working together..."
"We can, uh, beat Robbie !", Ziggy exclaims enthusiastically.
"Exactly!"
"Yeah!!", everyone cheers.
"Alright, hey kids.", he calls for their attention.
"Trixie."
"Yes!"
"Get your scooter."
"Got it!", she goes.
"Stingy, bring out your skates."
He nods and leaves.
"Pixel."
"Yeah!"
"I'll need your skateboard."
"I'm on it!", he goes too.
"I'll bring the mayor!", informs Stephanie as she leaves too.
"And, uh, well...", starts Ziggy a bit lost at what he could do himself.
"What about me?"
Sportacus gets to his height and gently tells him:
"Ziggy, I have the most important job for you."
"Yeah", he nods, waiting for his own mission.
"The sports candy supervisor", he whispers like it's a secret.
"Yeah. Uh", he gasps as the words align in his head and he starts running around in excitement.
"Candy! Oh the— Oh the—, that's great ! Oh, yeah!"
Then confusion hits him knowing Sportacus' usual take on candies.
"Oh, what? Uh... Is that a good thing?"
"It is a good thing", our blue man chuckles.
"Okay! Okay! I'm on it!", he then struggles to find the good direction to go, leaving Sportacus alone as he waits for the children to come back.
*************
Sportacus, despite all the inconveniences Robbie always throw at them, can't help but be impressed. Robbie always seems to find inventive and smart ways to go against him.
Or against sport.
Or health.
Or whatever.
Today for example, making the mayor sign a paper to claim the sports field, so that nobody can do sport there... It barely took a minute for the mayor to sign and now, legally, nothing can be done.
But despite his advantage, he still offered a way out.
In the form of a sport competition.
Sportacus is always amazed at how despite his apparent hate of everything 'energy', he's the one using most in town.
Sportacus wonders if it's not his own way of getting included in the town's events.
When he first came in town, he was a bit annoyed to have to face all those far fetched plans of his. He'd do it, of course, as trouble always seem to find them then, and he's a hero first and foremost. But he would always roll his eyes or sigh here and there.
Now, he often found himself having fun finding a solution to the new Robbie problem or playing along like today. And despite everything, Robbie seems to have fun too.
It's a bit... Well... some might say endearing, to watch him play around acting all evil but never truly harming anyone.
Sportacus also respects how Robbie keeps going despite how things never turn in his favour. He grumbles, laments sometimes, but the next day he's up and ready, somehow full of energy — ironically — and ready to stop the world from moving once more.
Yes. Sportacus has learned to find those kind of schemes a fun way to spend his days.
And as for today's competition, he doesn't doubt it'll be the case once more.
*************
Hidden in his home, Robbie is as always observing the town through his periscope.
He's watching as Sportaflop and the kids train for the upcoming race.
He watches as they do push ups with a shaked piggy bank for motivation, some handstands (helped by their blue hero), some candies weightlifting too.
They laugh loudly, scream as they fall or succeed.
Sport is so loud with these kids.
But adults?
Well, only Sportacus does sport amongst the adults...
And while he might not be too loud, have you seen those muscles? How he flexes them everywhere around town all day while saving everyone? That alone should be illegal. No, Robbie won't stop until he finds his peace back. And for that, those muscl— those kids!— have to be gone!
Yes. That's the reason.
Now back to the plan...
Robbie will do his own training. In his armchair. Until his alarm goes off.
Yeah. Good plan.
*************
Later that day and after a good nap, Robbie goes to spy on his competitors directly.
He arrives as Sportacus explains to the little blond one that candies are different from sport candies despite the kid making his gummy bears running and doing gymnastics.
Spartacus then proceeds to jump in the air head down and turn like a tornado while throwing apples to all the kids.
' He's a bit of an alien ' can't help but think Robbie at the display of acrobatics.
"This, is force candy", he says showing the one apple left in his hand.
"Here's the real energy".
As they all start dancing and singing about having energy and moving around, the usual exhausting things they like so much, Robbie slithers and sneaks around until he's hidden in a post box close to them.
At good spying distance.
That's how he hears about Sportacus and sugar.
"I've had sugar alright", he said.
"But guess what happened?"
"Uh, you liked it so much you keep it everywhere, even in your underwear?", asked the candy kid.
"No", Sportacus chuckled.
"Uh, me neither..."
Everyone laughed, then asked "What happened then?"
"I had a sugar meltdown", he stood from the low wall he was sitting on.
"It went something like this."
Then all of a sudden, he fell straight before him, face first, as he mimics his meltdown, surprising everyone around him.
Once back on the wall, he resumes his explanations.
"I just melted down. Like all my energy just drained away.
That's how I learned, too much sugar is not for superheroes."
With this new information in mind, a new plan built itself in Robbie's mind.
If a little sugar could drain enough energy from Sportacus to miss or lose the race, then Robbie wouldn't have to worry about his musc— about the kids running around behind Sportacus and making noise.
Yeah, he had a brand new apple to make.
And finally an opportunity to use his Rotten Candy Faker Maker 3000.
He knows, he's amazing.
*************
As Robbie manages to get Ziggy to take his fake (100% sugar) apple off a fishing rod, the race is finally about to start.
Robbie will be alone against the kids and Sportacus (as always).
They will relay eachother.
Mme Busybody announces the participants and talks and talks as everyone gets into position, the Mayor next to her already cheering.
Pixel is typing on his small computer, showing the race circuit to the others, and explaining the sports order: running, biking, skateboarding, and scootering around the track.
Everyone is enthusiastic and hyped up for the race.
Sportacus is the first to start with running and allowing everyone a good head start on Robbie.
As he's about to start and hoping to find Ziggy for an apple, said kid suddenly arrives with a big and pretty apple.
Robbie arrives and gets on the head line at the same time.
As the Mayor gives the "Go!", Robbie manages to start first but only gets in front for the few seconds it takes Sportacus to get started. He passes him easily and quickly, leaving Robbie to start running in the wrong direction for a moment before going forth once more.
"Isn't it exciting", Mme Busybody's voice can be heard through the speakers.
"Sportacus is so fast. How does he do it?
Everyone is cheering.
Ziggy is on the side and calls for Sportacus as he finally throws him the apple.
"Catch!"
"Thank you, Ziggy!", Sportacus shouts as he takes a bite and falls in the same moment.
"Oh, Sportacus is down", the voice through the speakers comments. "Really down..."
Ziggy gets the apple as it rolls to him and notices his mistake: he gave Sportacus an apple full of sugar. He gasps.
He accidentally poisoned Sportacus.
Distressed by his discovery, he runs to his friends to inform them of the incident as they recover Sportacus from the ground, barely conscious and coherent.
Robbie, on his side, is quite happy.
With Sportacus out of the loop, he has all his chances.
Still, his fall was quite immediate and its intensity did surprise him.
Nevermind.
Race first.
A bit of sugar never killed anyone...
Ziggy enters the race after his friends throw him the baton, the sugary apple stuck on its head.
"At the first glance, Robbie as taken the lead", is announced.
They're all panicking. They have to win the race or Sportacus will have to leave the town. But they can't leave Sportacus like that. Also, they will need Sportacus to win the race.
As Ziggy arrives after the running part of the race done, he explains about the apple and go look for one.
He finds one high on a tree, and jumps, and jumps, and jumps until he manages to get a hold of it.
He runs as fast as he can to deliver it to Sportacus.
In one bite, our hero is up and running, negociating with Stingy to get the relay baton.
In no time, the race is run and won.
And Robbie's scooter takes him right in the apple tree, apples falling down and burying him under.
As the others all start dancing and singing, happy of the victory and of our hero staying, Sportacus goes to help Robbie from the apples.
He grabbles around until he finds his hand and pull strongly, catching Robbie as he stumbles on him.
"Always have to be a good samaritan...", Robbie grumbles.
Still, as he finds his balance, Robbie looks at Spartacus thoughtfully before looking away as he grumbles some more.
"Urgh. Sorry..."
"What?" Sportacus is shocked as it's well the first time he has heard Robbie apologise.
"I didn't know about the sugar!" he says a bit vehemently.
"I thought it would make you..."
He gestures randomly.
"I don't know. Groggy? Tired? Not that it was a near coma experience! Or make your mustaches all... tumbly!"
"What??" Sportacus asks as he smoothes his mustaches straight and tries to look at them.
"Urh, not like that ", Robbie tells him as he comes to smooth them himself.
Sportacus watches as Robbie straightens his mustaches.
He watches his hands, then slowly his eyes follow along his arms and up to his face.
He watches as Robbie nags at him about his facial hair, and his health, and how he shouldn't just eat anything he finds if he has such a strong reaction to sugar...
And in that moment, he feels a rush of affection for the man.
For his care, his eccentricities, for the fun and challenges he brings in his life.
He's his own brand. And Sportacus likes it. Likes him.
And oh, what a revelation that is.
It's not mind-blowing or makes him feel confused.
It feels natural.
Like, of course he is.
He wouldn't have so much fun otherwise.
He would let him be so touchy otherwise.
And the bridal carries.
All those bridal carries.
He's such a fool, he should have seen it earlier.
"There. All done."
Sportacus blinks back to Robbie's face. He didn't realise he got lost in his thoughts.
Robbie takes his hand and puts an apple in it.
"Just this once, because of the sugar one. Don't expect anything else, alright!
I'll make you and your...", he gestures to Sportacus' chest, then the rest of his body too. "...muscles, leave town one day!"
Sportacus smiles, realising maybe he's not the only one about to make a discovery about himself.
He grabs the apple and takes a big bite of it.
It's good and juicy.
It's sweet
As he's savouring his sports candy, he hears Robbie mumbling about reckless fools and dangerous apples as he watches him leave.
Yes, definitely sweet.