The Pizza Cats: Next Generation

Chapter 1: Cat’s Outta Da Bag!

In the beautiful surroundings of Little Tokyo, the people walk through the city following their same and boring lives. The shopkeepers sold, advertisers advertised and all kinds of commotion was spreading through town. It was now tweny years following the final adventures of the original Pizza Cats, Speedy, Polly and Guido, as they saved the world from the oncoming comet and the Big Cheese fled Tokyo on a small raft. However, things would soon be different. A small teenaged cat was zooming through the city streets.

“Yeah! Watch out Little Tokyo! Here I come!” he shouted. He zigged and zagged all across the streets, scaring the daylights out of anyone who nearly collided into him!

“Whoa! Heh! Sorry miss!” the cat called as he nearly ran her over. The woman he nearly ran over was the Mama and her son.

“Hey Mama, who was that?” Sonny asked. Mama huffed.

“I’ll tell ya what THAT was. That was a cocky teenager who thinks he’s all that. Well he better watch it the next time I see HIM around here!” Mama shouted. Someone chuckled. The voice was the narrator.

“Oh give it a break you old dinosaur. I’m surprised you’re even ALIVE up to now.” the narrator said. Mama groaned.

“Oh shut up.” she mumbled. As the camera looked back at the cat, the narrator cleared his throat.

“Allow me to introduce Rocky Cerviche, the teenaged son of Speedy and Polly. Ever since he was a kid, Rocky loved to be on the edge of his seat. Living in the fast lane, being the coolest guy around, stopping for those in trouble, etcetera, just like his old man.” the narrator said. Rocky chuckled as he winked.

“Ya got that right narrator! Nice to see you again dude!” Rocky chuckled. He raced off, heading down the street towards the Pizza Cats Pizza Parlor. Out on the front step was Speedy sweeping.

“Yahoo!” Rocky cheered as Speedy caught sound of him.

“Looks like Rocky’s finally back from his delivery. About time.” Speedy sighed. As Rocky was about to race by, he was quickly stopped by his dad when he stuck his arm out to snag him.

“What the? Oh. Hey dad.” Rocky said. Speedy groaned.

“Rocky, what have I told you? You’re still needed at the parlor, not to go gallivanting off when you finish a delivery.” Speedy said. Rocky chuckled.

“Come on pop. You know that I like being fast. Don’t you ever have that urge to just go as fast as you can down the town streets? Come on dad. I KNOW you do.” Rocky said. Speedy sighed and pulled Rocky in closely.

“I know that Rocky. But you’ve gotta understand that sometimes, work comes first.” Speedy said. The doors to the parlor opened up and there stood Polly. Her helmet was off and she was feeding a child in her arms.

“Speedy? What’s going on? Did Rocky come back?” Polly asked. Speedy nodded as he and Rocky came in. They both glanced at Susie, Rocky’s infant sister, who had the same colored hair as her mother.

“How’s my little sis doing? She doing all right mom?” Rocky asked. Polly nodded.

“Just hurry up and get your little tailed rear back into the kitchen. Francine and Guido have been having a pretty hard time ever since you left.” Polly said. Rocky groaned.

“But mom. It’s easy to say they would be having a hard time, even WITHOUT me. Francine’s an old geezer and Guido....well, he’s just too weird for words.” Rocky said. Suddenly, he was whacked by a flying frying pan to the back of his head. Francine was at the kitchen door blushing red with a furious look on her face.

“What did I tell you?! I’m not OLD! Geez Polly. Did ya HAVE to had a child who keeps calling me old all the time?” Francine asked. Speedy chuckled.

“Come on now Francine. You know Rocky was only kidding.” Speedy said. Francine huffed, considering the fact that Speedy sometimes joined Rocky in teasing Francine. Speedy looked away chuckling and whistled to himself.

“Okay mom. I’ll help. But remember that I was going to meet Serina later tonight.” Rocky said as he tied an apron around him.

“Yes yes, I know. Just do what you can until then.” Polly said. Rocky nodded as Bad Bird, now his good guy self, came in. For a few hours, Rocky helped serve pizza, take orders and prevent Guido from falling for girls when he’s supposed to be working. When closing time came, Rocky groaned

“Ugh. My aching feet. Business was HARD today.” Rocky said.

“Just be glad that you work in a family job and not anywhere else. I bet they’d be murder on you more than we are.” Guido said. Rocky nodded.

“I know. Thanks again for helping me get a job here dad. I owe ya one.” Rocky said. He quickly glanced at the clock and gasped.

“Oh geez! I was supposed to meet Serina a while ago! Man! I hope she’s still there!” Rocky exclaimed. He quickly grabbed his coat and dashed like a bullet out the doors, leaving a big smoke cloud behind him. Everyone coughed and groaned.

“That Rocky. He ALWAYS hates being late.” Bad Bird sighed. Rocky made quick works of the roads as he raced for the park. He even raced by Princess Vi and Big Al, nearly knocking them down.

“D’oh! Watch what you’re doing you crazy twit!” Vi shouted. Al groaned.

“To think, twenty years pass and she’s STILL as naive as when she was a teenager.” Al thought.

“You’ve got that right Al.” the narrator said. Vi eyed them both.

“What did you say? Don’t forget that I can STILL hear your thoughts.” Vi said. Al and the narrator nervously chuckled before the narrator hurried to catch up to Rocky. Rocky continued zipping down the streets before spotting a female cat with yellow hair and white fur.

“Oh! Serina! There you are!” Rocky shouted. He came to a screeching halt and, accidentally, going too far and crashing into a tree. Serina gasped.

“Rocky! Are you okay?!” Serina exclaimed. Rocky nodded as he groaned. Rocky joined Serina in looking up at the moon as it shined over the city. Serina sighed as she leaned on Rocky’s shoulder.

“The moon is really beautiful tonight. Isn’t it?” she asked. Rocky nodded as he slowly put his arm around her.

“Yeah. This was a great idea to just get out of the house and enjoy a look up at the moon Serina.” Rocky said. Serina smiled as she snuggled against Rocky.

“Well, it was your idea after all. And I think it’s a nice change of pace.” Serina said.

“Oh that’s right. You have that job with the tailorist, don’t you? How’s it been?” Rocky asked. As they talked, they were unexpectedly being eyed by a crow in the nearby bushes. A gleam came to his eye as he sneaked quietly towards them. Suddenly, the crow lunged at them from behind with a sword. The two gasped and leaped off the bench as the crow sliced it in two!

“Whoa! Hey! What.....Who are you?!” Rocky shouted. The crow snickered as it came at them. Rocky pushed Serina aside as he avoided the crow’s attacks. He tried to keep dodging, but he fumbled on his own two feet and fell. Luckily, he found a sturdy tree branch and grabbed it.

“Okay! You have some serious issues bird! So, I guess I need to personally tell you to buzz off.” Rocky said. He clutched the branch tightly as he charged into the fray. But with a swift swing of his sword, the branch was easily sliced in two.

“Rocky!” Serina exclaimed. Rocky gulped.

“Hey, uhh...I was only kidding ya know.” Rocky said. The crow snickered as it approached Rocky. However, the moment it leaped at him, another person lunged from the nearby trees and struck the crow down.

“Whoa!” Serina gasped.

“What the?!” Rocky gasped. The man appeared to be a cat dressed in black with a red X on his chest and a white visor on his face. He withdrew his sword.

“Who are you?” Rocky asked. But before the cat could answer, a robot suddenly was stomping their way. He had a big axe with him and he chuckled.

“So, Cat X, we meet again....for the final time!” the robot shouted. With a roar, he swung his axe as Cat X leaped back. Rocky and Serina watched as the cat continued to fight.

“Go get him Cat X! Make that oversized toaster into scrap metal!” Rocky shouted. But during the fray, Cat X seemed to be slipping and was getting easily beaten.

“What? He’s in trouble!” Serina shouted. Cat X groaned and collapsed as the giant robot neared him. He held his axe directly above him and chuckled.

“Time to take out the cat....permamently!” the robot shouted. He raised his axe high into the air, ready to strike. But as Rocky stood there, he knew he couldn’t let him get sliced in two.

“I gotta do something!” Rocky thought. He looked around and found a broken piece of metal from the destroyed bench and grabbed it. He yelled as he came at the robot from behind.

“Rocky! No!” Serina cried. Rocky took the metal and leaped at the robot’s back.

“Heh? What’s this?” the robot said. He looked back as Rocky drove the metal chunk into his back. The robot groaned, giving Cat X enough time to break away.

“Now you oversized robotic scrap, I think it’s about time for you to join your other little buddies in the junkyard! Don’t ya think so?” Cat X said. He clutched his sword’s handle as a fiery aura surrounded him. Like magic, the handle of another sword appeared in his scabbard and he slowly drew it. Suddenly, Rocky gasped.

“Wait a second. Only ONE guy I know has corny statements like that. Dad?” Rocky said.

“In an unbelievable move, it would seem this new hero, Cat X, has summoned for an incredible power as the same fiery aura that once burned around Pizza Cat Speedy Cerviche, now burns on him and....hey. Wait a minute. Is that YOU Speedy?!” the narrator said. Cat X chuckled as he formed a cat’s eye stance.

“Get ready for the Cat’s Eye Slash! Hee hee! Yeah!” Cat X shouted. He swung his swords at the same time, unleashing a yellow thin attack that sliced the robot directly in half.

“No....!” the robot roared. He broke apart and exploded in a flash of nuts and bolts. Serina and Rocky gasped.

“No way.” Serina said. As Cat X withdrew his swords, Rocky stared at his face.

“Dad? Is that you in there?” Rocky asked. Cat X nervously chucled and started to slowly walk away. But in the progress, he stepped on his own tail and fumbled. His helmet popped off and it revealed Speedy’s face!

“Duh....hi kids.” Speedy chuckled. Serina and Rocky eyed Speedy.

“Mister Cerviche?” Serina asked. Wanting to know what he just saw, Rocky started questioning his father endlessly. Speedy sighed.

“Okay. I’ll admit it. You see son, when I was a bit younger, I was a Samurai Pizza Cat and also it’s leader. What you saw was my Cat’s Eye Slash, my ace of tricks.” Speedy said.

“I know about the Pizza Cats dad. I read the old articles that you and mom kept. But...why are you dressed like this?” Rocky asked. Speedy chuckled.

“Well, even though the Pizza Cats were no longer needed and we decided to leave our superhero days behind us, I’ve still kept being a hero in secret. Big Al at the Emperor’s castle is the only one who knows about Cat X, my new alter ego.” Speedy said. Serina started putting things together.

“Anyway, please promise me you won’t let your mom, Guido OR Francine find out about this? Be a good boy and....maybe I’ll let you be my partner.” Speedy said. Rocky gasped.

“Really dad?” Rocky asked. Speedy nodded.

“You showed real courage back there, willing to fight the robot to save your friend and old man. Besides, I think you make an excellent teammate also.” Speedy said. Rocky chuckled and hugged his dad, promising to keep the secret.

“What about me? I know too.” Serina said. Speedy and Rocky looked at each other.

“All right then. Why not? You’re in too Serina.” Speedy said. Serina giggled as Rocky chuckled.

“Then come on. We’d better pick out some new hero gear.” Rocky said. They returned to Speedy’s “lair”, which was in the basement under the Pizza Cats Pizza Parlor. Serina and Rocky tried out different costumes, each of which Speedy thought were a bit weird.

“Nope. Nah. Looks weird. Okay...next!” Speedy criticized. After multiple costume changes, Speedy saw outfits that he liked. Rocky wore white armor that looked like a futuristic version of his own and Serina had the same kind of armor, but it looked more like Polly’s old armor.

“Yes! I do believe we’ve got it. The new Pizza Catz!” Speedy laughed. Rocky and Serina chuckled.

“Hmm? What?” Speedy asked.

“The Pizza “Catz”? Dad, I think you spelled “cats” wrong.” Rocky chuckled.

“Oh come on. That’s gotta be a cool name at least.” Speedy said. The two looked at each other.

“Yeah. I think that’s pretty cool. But...what about PZ? It’s short for “Pizza Catz”, plus it’ll probably look cooler once people know about us.” Rocky said.

“Sure, why not?” Speedy said. Rocky and Serina chuckled.

“And so, the new Samurai Pizza Cats....oops! I mean, Pizza Catz, has formed. With Speedy as their leader, one can only wonder what new adventures awaits Rocky and Serina as they become Speedy’s new teammates. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” the narrator said.

END OF CHAPTER