Battle Force: Acceleracers

Chapter 1

"Let's get out of here." Vert said as he drove on the ramp toward the Wheel of Power in the acceledrome. He then pressed the nitrox button, causing Reverb to glow a light blue before increasing to three hundred miles per hour. "Feel the burn."

Yet, despite this sudden burst of speed, the Drones and their cars were still on Vert's tail and gaining. But Vert continued to prove his skills behind the wheel by dodging all the energy spheres the Drones sent his way.

"Coming up on the portal. You should be with us, Gig." Vert said.

"I wish I could." Gig said as he continued to overload the Nitrox 2 tanks so they would explode and destroy the acceledrome while also taking out the drones. But a second after he said this, the Nitrox 2 tanks exploded, causing a chain reaction destroying the acceledrome.

'So long, friend.' Vert thought as he rounded the last turn that led to the ramp that would let him jump into the Wheel of Power. However, before he could reach it, everything suddenly slowed down to the point where it seemed like something paused time. "What the?"

"Acceleracer, the path you are taking will not lead you out of danger. It is a trap. I will send you to another place where your skills are needed, and so you can protect The Wisdom Wheel and Accelechargers." The voice of the Acceleron warned, surprising Vert. He then had to cover his eyes as a bright light suddenly appeared next to him. Turning to where he placed the Accelechargers, Vert noticed they looked different for some reason. However, they were not a priority in Vert's mind.

"What about my friends?"

"Do not worry, Acceleracer. Your friends are okay and will eventually join you. Now, get ready. You are about to enter the Wheel of Power to your new destination."

Nodding, Vert readied himself as time suddenly resumed. And a second later, he flew off the ramp and into the Wheel of Power. However, instead of the sudden jolt that indicated a change in location that Vert had grown accustomed to, there was only darkness. Vert briefly thought he was dreaming or was unconscious, but the sounds of Sparky nervously chattering assured him that he was still awake. Yet, despite the darkness, Vert felt at ease. It didn't feel like he was stuck somewhere but simply traveling along a highway at night to his destination.

"Music?" Sparky asked.

"Might as well. But as Shirako always says, let's pump up the baseline." Vert answered before turning up the volume to the max while Sparky chose a song.

Race of my life, and I might just have to push harder

With a space starter

Out of this world, I remain smarter

My heart's driven

Competition

In first position

And my decision's to win any race given

Hey, hey, hey

I'm ready for action

"Where are we going?" Sparky asked.

"I don't know. The Acceleron told me he was sending us to a place where they could use my skills. But also to protect The Wisdom Wheel and Accelechargers." Vert answered.

"What about the others?"

"The Acceleron told me our friends are okay, and they will join us eventually, wherever we are going. But for now, let's enjoy the music."

Nodding, Sparking turned to face forward while Vert leaned back in his seat. Yet, despite the Acceleron assuring him that his friends were safe, Vert still worried for them as the mysterious Silencerz were still out there causing trouble. He just hoped he could return to them quickly.

Meanwhile

Battle Force 5 The Hub

"That's strange." A blue figure that strangely resembled a female robot without any armor said.

"What's strange, Sage?" A young male with blond hair and blue eyes. But what was most noticeable about the young man was his outfit. He was wearing what appeared to be a unique type of red jumpsuit with white accents.

"I was just looking over the Battle Keys we have to make sure they were all fine. But suddenly, they started to glow to near blinding levels before returning to normal."

"That's odd." Vert said, concerned. "Were you able to determine what caused the Battle Keys to glow?"

"No. All I could gather was that an outside force caused them to glow."

"We better tell the others."

"And I should inform the others on the council about this."

Nodding, Sage and Vert went to the other part of the Hub where the rest of the team was. Despite not having to show up today as it was an off day, the entire team decided to spend the day together at the Hub doing whatever they felt like doing. Once they reached their destination, Vert and Sage looked around the room and saw the rest of the Battle Force 5 doing their own things. Agura and Zoom were practicing fighting to keep their skills sharp. Stanford was listening to some music in his car. And the Cortez brothers were on the nearby couch playing the game they had recently brought. However, the alarm system went off before Vert could call out to them.

"What's going on?" Agura asked as she and everyone else ran to Vert and Sage.

"Another Battle Key appeared." Sage answered, going to a nearby console to see what triggered the alarms.

"Where did it appear?" Vert asked.

"The Vault Battle Zone where you battled Krytus after he freed Kytren from his imprisonment."

"Well, at least we don't need to worry about them or the pistons as they went offline due to lack of power." Stanford said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sherman said.

"Why?"

"It seems like something brought the entire Battle Zone back online. Not only that, but it also supercharged the place." Spinner answered.

"Hold on. It seems like we're not the only ones who picked up on the Battle Key. The Vandals also picked up the energy spike and are on their way there now." Sage added.

"Alright, you all heard Sage. Let's go." Vert ordered.

The others nodded before everyone headed to their respective vehicles. Everyone got in and buckled up as they waited for the Storm Shock to appear so they could take it to the Vault Battle Zone.

Vault Battle Zone

"Okay, everyone. We need to find the Battle Key before the Vandals do." Vert said they exited the Storm Shock, with it closing a second later.

"Any idea where it could be?" Zoom asked.

"No idea."

"But we better be careful. I can't make out a pattern for the pistons. They seem to be moving sporadically." Sherman said.

"As if the pistons are the things you should be worried about." A familiar voice said with the Vandals' leader, Kaulus, appeared a moment later. However, right after he appeared, the rest of the Kalus's group sped off into the Battle Zone to find the Battle Key.

"Kalus." Vert growled.

"Try and stop us from looting this Battle Zone for the Battle Key. We are the Vandals. We have-HEY!" Kalus began, unable to control his habit of monologing. As a result, he failed to notice the Battle Force 5's irritation, causing them to speed off a second later.

Growling, Kalus slammed the gas pedal to the floor with his vehicle racing off into the Battle Zone. But to the surprise of The Battle Force 5, the Vault Battle Zone was not the same as they had remembered. Everything was different. The only thing they remembered that was the same was the pistons, but as Sherman said earlier, they were moving sporadically with no discernable pattern. Even the pathways seemed to be different. And due to the pistons' erratic movement and the need for tight maneuvers to avoid crashing, Sherman couldn't map out a path to help the other members. This realization meant that The Battle Force 5 had to rely on their skills and memory to navigate the course to the Battle Key. But that was easier said than done.

Void

Rebuilt the motor because

She decided to blow

And what do you know

Someone stole my stereo when it's

Time to go I put my foot on the floor

Let the diesel do the work

I ain't complaining no more

"Can something steal your friend's stereo? The one who plays music constantly?" Sparky asked. It had been roughly two hours since they entered the Wheel of Power and had not yet reached their destination. They were still floating in this strange void waiting for anything to happen.

"Shirako? No. I don't think anything can steal his stereo without having to take the entire car. A bug tried to do it once, but Shirako blew it away with his stereo." Vert answered.

"Monkey always wondered if your friend was worried about damaging his hearing."

"Everyone was worried about him damaging his hearing, even Porkchop, but he would never admit that out loud. Yet when anyone of us brought it up, he would just play his music louder. Now, we just say he didn't hear us."

"Hopefully, everyone is okay."

"I hope so, too, Sparky." Vert said with a sigh. Even though the Aceleron assured him they were safe, Vert couldn't help but feel anxious. However, he trusted the Acceleron despite only seeing it for a few seconds and knew his friends could take care of themselves. Vert breathed in and out a few times to control his worries as he needed to focus on the task. And that was arriving as this new place and protecting the Wisdom Wheel and the Accelechargers. Although, Vert was curious about one thing.

"Who do you think we will meet?" Sparky asked.

"I have no idea. The Acceleron said they would need my skills, so that must mean they are drivers or want to become drivers."

"Will there be Accelechargers or something like them there?"

"I doubt it. But let's see when we get there. Hopefully, we can find who we are supposed to help quickly." Vert answered. But as soon as he said this, a bright white light appeared in front of them, nearly blinding Vert and Sparky.

"I think we are here." Sparky said before panicking when Reverb started to shake violently.

"Hang on, Sparky. This could get bumpy." Vert said as he grabbed the wheel and braced himself. And no sooner as he did, they reach the bright light and felt Reverb hit solid ground.

Vault Battle Zone

"CAREFUL!" Sage shouted over the comms when she saw some of The Battle Force 5 narrowly avoid the pistons coming out of the walls. It had already been a half hour since both teams arrived at the Vault Battle Zone, yet neither group was any closer to acquiring the Battle Key.

"Vert. Do you have any ideas on how to find the right path to the Battle Key? I tried firing sonic pulses to echo-map the area to find the key but failed to find it." Stanford asked before narrowly avoiding another piston.

"Not at the moment." Vert answered as he dueled Kalus. After only ten minutes of driving through the Vault Battle Zone, Kalus and Vert saw each other again, and a fight instantly broke out.

"Well, we better think of one fast as I don't know how much longer we have before our luck runs out and one of these pistons takes us out. Spinner and Sherman had to pick up Zoom after a piston hit him in his side and broke his leg. And I think Krocomodo and Sever already picked up the scent of the Battle Key and now know where to go." Agura said as she kept avoiding the pistons while ensuring Hatch remained behind her.

"Can you think of one? I'm a bit busy." Vert said before blocking another strike from Kalus.

"You won't be for long once I defeat you." Kalus taunted.

"Don't bet on it." Standford said as he arrived and fired a sound blast from his car's cannons. And even though it missed, it had the intended effect of forcing Kalus away from Vert to give him some breathing room.

"Thanks, Stanford." Vert said before getting back in his car.

"No problem. Now let's find the Battle Key and get out of here."

Nodding, both sped up while avoiding the pistons. However, despite now being temporarily free from Kalus, they made no progress in finding the correct path to the Battle Key. And the pistons certainly weren't making things any less challenging. Plus, they knew they only had a limited amount of time before the Vandals found the correct route to the Battle Key.

"Vert. We might need to fuse to find the Battle Key before the Vandals get to it." Agura said.

"It seems like it. Okay. Zoom. Where did you leave your vehicle?" Vert asked as he readied the Battle Fuser.

"It's not too far from where you are." Zoom answered.

"Okay. Spinner. Sherman. Meet me there so- What's going on?" Vert began but stopped when everyone heard what sounded like thunder. Looking at the sky, they noticed it had gotten darker briefly before returning to normal. Everyone was confused, but before they could react, a portal similar to the Storm Shock opened up above them.

"Sage. Are you seeing this?" Vert asked.

"Yes. But I'm not sure what it is. I can't make anything out of it." Sage answered.

"I wonder if it is a worthy combatant." Kalus said as his vehicle came to a halt.

"It looks like we're about to find out. Something is coming out of the portal." Sage warned.

'I wonder what it could be.' Vert wondered. However, he, along with everyone else, became confused by what they heard next.

"Is that music?" Agura asked, surprised.

It's official

Special delivery when I send it

And I send it like a fresh new car when you get it

Crowds wanna get it, so they gather round you

Center of attention now

Pump up the volume

(Ahh ahh ahh)

Come on, come on

Give it all you got

Cause when the tough gets going, it's the weak that gets dropped

"Well, whoever or whatever we are about to meet does have great taste in music." Stanford commented, lightly bobbing his head. But he stopped when a car suddenly flew out of the portal and landed next to him and Vert.

Acceleracer Vert and Sparky

"Woah. That was jarring." Vert said as they landed after driving through the bright light. "You okay, Sparky?"

"I'm fine." Sparky answered. "But where are we?"

"I'm not sure." Vert answered, looking around and noticing they were in some kind of maze with pistons acting as hazards. It honestly reminded Vert of the Labyrinth and Cybergrid realms.

"HEY! ARE YOU OKAY!?" Someone shouted nearby. Vert and Sparky looked to their left and saw two vehicles. The first is a purple sports car while the second one is red, but Vert didn't recognize the model.

"I'm fine. Who are you?" Vert asked, not trusting them as he knew they could be Silencerz in disguise.

"I'm Vert Wheeler, and this is Stanford." The guy in the red vehicle answered. "What's your name?"

"I'm Vert Wheeler. Same as you." Acceleracer Vert answered, surprising the others.

"What's going on?" Sparky asked.

"Uh, who or what is that?" Stanford asked.

"This is Sparky. A friend created him. He's harmless." Acceleracer Vert answered, still surprised, as he was not expecting someone to meet someone with his name. "But more importantly, where are we, and what's going on?"

"It's a bit of a long story. But to keep it simple, we're in a place called the Battle Zone and need to find a-" BF5 Vert began, but another voice interrupted him.

"THE BATTLE KEY! WE FOUND IT!" Kalus shouted before racing off and following Sever.

"You know. Seeing anthropomorphic animals is not the strangest thing I had ever seen." Acceleracer Vert commented before realizing something. "Wait. What's a Battle Key?"

"That. We need to get to it before the Vandals." Stanford answered, pointing to the center of the room where a strange-looking stone thing was floating above a pillar.

"Why do you need it?"

"We don't. But we can't let the Vandals get their hands on it. They'll use it to open gateways to other Battle Zone to pillage them." BF5 Vert answered.

"You better not be lying. I'll give you guys a hand." Acceleracer Vert said, gripping the steering wheel.

"Wait. It's-"BF5 Vert began but never finished as Acceleracer Vert drove off into the maze.

"What just happened?" Stanford asked.

"Not sure. But we have to go after him. He could get hurt." BF5 Vert answered.

Nodding, BF5 Vert and Stanford raced after the new arrival and his robot companion, but not before Standford informed the others of what had happened. However, they had trouble keeping up as the new Vert navigated the maze with incredible skill. It was almost as if he had gone through something similar before mysteriously arriving at the Vault Battle Zone. Yet, it became apparent even the new Vert was having trouble getting to the Battle Key.

"I don't think there is a path that leads to this Battle Key." Sparky said.

"Then we'll make our own." Acceleracer Vert said.

"How? Are we using an Accelecharger?"

"No. I don't want to show the others what they can do until we know we can trust them. And besides, I don't need them."

"Why?"

"I have something different in mind. Hang on." Acceleracer Vert said before pressing the Nitrox Button so that Reverb would use the last of the Nitrox 3 1/2.

"What-AAAHHHHHH!" Sparky began before screaming as Reverb instantly reached speeds over three hundred miles per hour.

"Woah. Did you see that speed?" Spinner asked, amazed as he, Sherman, and Zoom saw the new Vert's vehicle reach speeds comparable to a rocket.

"Yeah." Sherman and Zoom answered.

"Ignore the speed. He's going to crash!" Agura said, worried, when she noticed the new Vert's vehicle rapidly approaching a wall with a piston in front of it. However, to everyone's shock, they realized that the new Vert had time the boost so the piston would launch the vehicle into the air with the momentum carrying them to the Battle Key.

"YEAH!" Acceleracer Vert shouted as he flew toward the Battle Key. But he then realized he wasn't sure if the Battle Key would automatically be given to him or if he had to grab it. However, as soon as Reverb was next to the Battle Key, it attached itself to the car. It certainly surprised the two, but they couldn't think about it too much as they landed back on the ground a second later.

"Yes." The Battle Force 5 cheered, amazed at how effortlessly the new arrivals managed to get the Battle Key.

"No." Kalus growled when he realized the new arrival got the Battle Key before him. He then motioned for the other Vandals to follow him out of the Vault Battle Zone.

"They certainly gave up easier than the Drones." Acceleracer Vert said as he watched the Vandals leave. But his attention returned to the Battle Key that magnetically attached itself to Reverb. "Now, what to do about you? You certainly don't look like an Accelecharger."

"Are you okay?" BF5 Vert asked as he and a few others drove up to him.

"Yeah. We're fine."

"What you did back there certainly was impressive." Spinner said as he and Sherman got out of their car.

"Thanks."

"But we have to ask, who are you, and how did you get here?" Agura asked.

"I could ask the same about you six."

"Looks like we have a lot to go over." BF5 Vert said. "Why don't you two follow us back to our Hub, and we can get everything sorted out."

"Alright." Acceleracer Vert agreed, still not trusting them. But he also wondered if these were the people the Acceleron told him about before entering the Wheel of Power.

"Great." BF5 Vert said before getting in his car with a Storm Shock opening up a second later, surprising Acceleracer Vert. But he snapped out of it before following The Battle Force 5 into it, unaware of what the future has for him.

Note:

A One-Shot Idea that came to mind after watching Acceleracers: The Ultimate Race.