Bells Holidays Xmas

Bells Holidays Xmas is the second special of the Bean Cafe Cinema Special series. The episode is the Christmas Special for Battle Heroes X. Unlike Ducky of Chaos, this special lacks two plots. The sole plot involves Zack, Julius, Cloud, and Popple traveling to the North Pole to find out if Santa is real or not.

After making a bet about whether Santa is real or not, the heroes travel to the North Pole to see who's right.

## The Episode

Cory the Poor Chicken was once again at the Ez-Rent video store, looking at all the movies and videos for rent. But Cory wasn't here to rent, he was here to steal! You see, Cory was a thief who specialized in stealing movies to watch for his own enjoyment. Many wonder, however, why he would specialize in stealing movies, what with all the streaming services nowadays. Cory walked over to the section of the store labeled "Holiday Videos".

"Let's see here...Suppport Box Holiday Special...nah. Off the Screens Special...seen it. OOH! Bells Holidays Xmas, also known as...THE BATTLE HEROES X CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!!!"

"WILL YOU QUIET DOWN BACK THERE!! YOU'LL SCARE AWAY PAYING CUSTOMERS!!" The cashier yelled. He was back from the hospital, a hospital Cory put him in.

"What, I'm not a paying customer?" Cory retorted, grabbing the BHX Christmas special and stuffing it under his wing like last time.

The cashier leaned over the counter to see what he was taking. "What movie's that?"

"I didn't take a movie. I'm just leaving the premises and going home since I didn't find a good movie. Good day, sir," Cory said, walking to the door.

"C'mon, I know you're trying to steal something again, man. What is it this time?"

"Uhh..." Cory was confused, wouldn't the cashier be angry at him for trying to steal a movie from the store? Still, he slowly took the special from under his wing, showing it to the cashier.

"Mm. That's a good one, I like how they changed up the format so the special was one complete story instead of two plots. Good choice." The cashier said, nodding his head.

"Uh...thanks?" Cory said, not sure what to do at this point.

"You can go if you want, I won't stop you this time."

"You...won't?" Cory was even more confused.

"Yeah, just this one time. Christmas time comes once a year. Besides, I don't get paid enough to chase you around anyway."

"Gee...thanks!" Cory said cheerfully, walking out the door.

"Merry Christmas!" The cashier said as Cory left.

"Merry Christmas, cashier!" Cory said back as he left.

Cory walked happily all the way home and when he got in, he closed the door and began making treats to last him the whole movie.

"Man, that cashier might not be so bad after all!" Cory said as he sat down on his couch with the treats and put in the movie, letting it begin.

It was a snowy Christmas Eve morning in Fowler City and the people of the city were out and about, running around from store to store for a present or a missing ingredient to a meal. A certain group of four people were at a retail store, walking together and talking.

"So, what do you guys plan on getting for Christmas?" the black haired one named Zack asked the other three.

"Honestly? Some clothes. I could use more shirts since they keep getting ripped up when we're fighting you-know-who," Julius, the blue haired guy said.

"I think we should get ourselves a Christmas tree, you guys." Popple, the purple haired one replied.

"A Christmas tree? Laaamme. I say we pool together our money and get the hottest gaming console!" Cloud, the blonde haired one said.

"Well, fellas...and one chick, let's go and buy." Zack said, and he went his separate ways.

"We'll come back together at say...10:00!" Julius said as he glanced at his watch before leaving as well.

Cloud nodded his head before walking after Zack. "So what did you think of my idea? We pool together our money and buy the console?"

"Well, listen Cloud, I'm sure they're going to replace the console in a few years anyway so there is really no point in it." Zack replied, now beginning to head over to the Electronics section. "But I guess we can look at it."

"Sweet! Worst case scenario, we don't get it and I just ask Santa Claus to get it for me."

Zack gave a very forced chuckle. "Yeah, right, like Santa is just gonna give everything to us.."

"Of course. Only if we've been good all year, though."

"Yeah, yeah. You know a lot about the Santa mythos? Pretty in depth for something fiction, but it's stood the test of time."

"Fiction? FICTION?!" Cloud sped up and got in front of Zack. "What are you talking about?"

Zack stopped dead in his tracks. "Well... Santa isn't exactly real."

"Of course he's real! Did someone put something in your eggnog?"

"No, but someone must have in yours if you actually think Santa's real. I mean, where's the logic behind his existence?"

"...Where's the logic behind our powers, Zack?"

Zack was silent for a moment. "Touché. But my point still stands. Santa does not exist."

"Santa does exist!"

"Does not."

"Does too!"

Meanwhile, Julius and Popple were just exiting the department store, bags of clothing in their hands.

"I seriously think we should get a Christmas tree this year, Julius. Spend the holidays together and everything. What do you think?" Popple said.

"It'd be nice. We never really hang out during the holidays because we're busy fighting Bane," Julius replied.

"Sweet, I just hope Zack and Cloud will be on board, too."

The two arrived in the Electronics Section to see Zack and Cloud still going back and forth on the matter of Santa's existence.

"He does so exist!" Cloud said.

"Cloud, I'm so confident of his non-existence that I would bet real money on it."

"What are you two talking about?" Popple asked.

"Zack doesn't believe that Santa Claus exists. Non-believer!" Cloud stated accusingly at Zack.

"Cloud, you're living a delusional lie. Santa. Doesn't. Exist!" Zack accused back.

"Well, if you two aren't going to get anything, let's go home," Julius said, beginning to walk towards the exit of the mall. The others followed.

As they walked home, Popple tried bringing up the idea of a traditional Christmas.

"Zack, Cloud, what do you two think about all four of us spending Christmas together?"

"I'm telling you Zack, there is historical and factual evidence that backs up my claim that Santa exists!" Cloud said, ignoring Popple.

"No there isn't, Cloud. The story of Santa Claus was based off a real person, but the guy giving presents isn't real," Zack replied.

"You two are still arguing about that?" Popple sighed.

The four arrived in their neighborhood and stopped at Zack, Julius, and Cloud's house first. Zack and Cloud argued on and on and on, even as Julius and Popple unlocked the door and unpacked their shopping bags.

"He exists, Zack. Snap back to reality!"

"You're being childish, Cloud. He's not real."

Julius shook his head. "You two need to settle down. This is the most wonderful time of the year, Andy Williams told me! You shouldn't be arguing about stuff like that!"

"I guess you have a point, it *is* the most wonderful time of the year," Zack agreed, looking at Cloud.

"Besides, it's painfully obvious Cloud is right. Santa exists." He then announced.

Zack's jaw dropped. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"Better change your tone, Zack. It's never too late to get put on the naughty list. Am I right, Popple?"

Popple remained silent.

"...Right? You believe in Santa, right?"

"Julius...he isn't real. I don't know why you and Cloud are insisting he is."

Now it was Julius' turn to drop his jaw. "No...my own girlfriend, a Santa denier..."

Cloud patted his shoulder in support. "It's okay, man."

Cloud and Julius stood on one side of the room. Zack and Popple stood at the other. Cloud took out his wallet. "You know that bet we talked about earlier, Zack?" He brought out a handful of dollar bills and counted them. "$100 says you're wrong."

"How would we find out if Santa's real or not?" Zack asked.

He pointed at Popple. "We'll have our magical witch lady here bring us to the North Pole."

Popple raised an eyebrow at Cloud. "What makes you think I'd want to spend Christmas in the freezing cold? We were going to spend Christmas together!"

"What's wrong, Popple. Afraid that you're wrong?" Cloud goaded, grinning.

Popple was unfazed. "If I took you there, then I'd want a lot more than some money," She looked at Julius expectantly.

Julius sighed. "Alright, fine. If you're right, then I'll...I'll come over and clean your house. But if I win, then you gotta make me those brownies of yours!"

Popple smiled. "Deal," They shook hands.

Zack took out his own wallet and grabbed a hundred dollar bill. "You're on." He and Cloud set their money on the table.

Popple's spell book materialized in front of her and she opened it up. She then began chanting a spell. Soon, a large blue portal opened up in the middle of the living room.

"Popple, w-what is that?" Cloud asked, slightly afraid.

A cold gust of air entered the room and Zack and Cloud shivered.

"I made a portal that'll take us to the North Pole."

Popple snapped her fingers and everything the four would need to survive in the harsh cold appeared, from large bulky jackets to thermoses and backpacks.

After packing up, they began walking through the portal.

"Hope you're ready to be woke, Zacko," Cloud said.

"I already am, you're the one sleeping," Zack retorted, walking through.

Julius laughed. "Oh, you're gonna be making so many brownies!"

Popple laughed as well. "For future reference, lavender oil feels the best on my feet," She said as they now entered.

...

The four walked through the white landscape. Even in the frigid cold, they still argued.

"Zack, I have *physical* proof that Santa exists!"

"Let's hear it then."

"I set out milk and cookies for Santa last year and when I went downstairs in the morning, they were gone!"

Zack looked at Cloud skeptically. "Did you also notice that Popple had crumbs on her face when you went downstairs?"

Popple scratched her head. "It wouldn't have been right to let those perfectly good cookies go to waste..."

"What you did is between you and Santa, Popple. Although I wouldn't be surprised if all you got this year was coal."

"Good thing he's not real, then," Zack said.

"Hey, you guys see that in the distance?" Julius asked. They stopped and looked ahead. A metallic structure stood tall, blocking most view of the other side.

"Yeah, I see it. And it's definitely not Santa's workshop." Zack replied. The heroes accelerated their pace until they were right next to the front. Indeed, it was a massive iron wall with a metal door that towered over them. Dispensed around the wall were construction materials. A crane was next to the wall as well.

Julius was amazed. "Get a load of this beauty! Santa really modernized his operation, huh?"

Zack stuck to his take. "This looks nothing like Santa's workshop."

"Yeah, this is more like a fortress," Popple concurred.

"Like the fortress of--"

"No," Zack stopped him.

Popple got closer to the structure and pointed at the ground in front of it. "Check out these cracks on the ice. Almost as if this thing was deployed rather than built."

Their investigation was interrupted by the loud whistling of something being launched into the air. Shortly afterwards, an ear-splitting explosion filled the air.

"Alright, who asked for the missile launcher this Christmas?" Julius asked once the noise died down.

"That had nothing to do with Santa," Zack countered. "We need to find out what this thing is, and fast."

Cloud began walking towards the door. "Let's go say hi."

"Let's not. We have no idea what it is, or what's inside," Popple said.

Cloud turned around, his voice and facial expression dead serious. "Think about Christmas! How will Santa be able to deliver the presents with a possible missile launcher on the loose!"

"I'm with Cloud," Julius added. "It's Christmas Eve and any and all distractions need to be dealt with. Besides, I don't think a simple knock will do the trick."

Zack couldn't take it anymore. "Listen to yourselves! Santa isn't..." He paused and finally gave a reluctant sigh. "...Whatever, that's not important right now. Can we at least infiltrate the fortress tactically?"

"Yeah, sure, Zack!" Julius walked up next to Cloud and the wall. "Alright, Cloud. On three, we hit the door with everything we got. One..." Blue light surrounded his hands.

"Two..." Cloud summoned his sword.

"THREE!" Julius yelled. A beam of blue energy blasted out of his hands and struck the door, encasing it in ice. Cloud followed up with a flurry of sword slashes. The now brittle door busted open, creating an opening.

Julius took a bow. "Voila! Cracked like a cold one!"

Zack and Popple walked up to the door. "You call that tactical?!"

Julius pondered the question. Then a confused expression formed on his face. "Wait, tactical is the opposite of strategic, right?"

Cloud started walked through the door way. "Christmas is in danger! We need to move, people!" The others followed after him into the interior of the fortress.

Inside the fortress, the heroes were greeted with a room filled with small hovering robots. Dim lightbulbs lined the ceiling. The robots were spherical in shape and unlike anything they had seen before. There were twelve robots in the room in three columns columns of two. Cloud ran up to one and examined it.

"Check out these things!" He said.

"Yeah, it's like a robot army in here?" Zack commented, getting closer as well.

"But of all places to invade, why would whoever owns this place come here?" Popple said.

Cloud looked to her. "Isn't it obvious? They came here to try and ruin Christmas!"

Zack turned to Cloud. "How about a sensible answer? As a matter of fact, there are a lot of research stations in the North Pole. Maybe they came for those?"

Cloud made a face. "Which one makes more sense? Attacking some scientists researching the incredible properties of ice? Or attacking one of the most important holidays in existence?"

Before Zack could give his take on Cloud's comment, he began to hear a familiar voice talking.

"Now, are you two ready to tell me how to get in?"

Julius, Cloud, and Popple immediately turned their attention to where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be from somewhere past the room. The same thought was on everyone's minds; Hoji.

"W-we told you! We have no idea how to get in!" A shaky male voice answered.

"You're obviously hiding something from us. Ready another missile."

"We don't know anything, I swear!" A third voice pleaded. This one belonged to a woman.

"Last chance. How do I get in?"

Silence. "Oh well, fire at will."

The whistling sound that signalled the launching of a missile filled the air once more, and shortly after, was accompanied by a loud explosion.

"NOOO!!" The male voice cried out.

Hoji's voice returned. "Would you look at that? Looks like the place is still standing...but I don't know how much longer I can be patient for. Soon, I'll get tired of waiting, and then what happens next will be on your hands."

The female voice sounded like it was on the verge of tears. "You...you're a monster!"

"Yeah, I know," Hoji said dismissively. "Take them away."

The room was deathly quite. Eventually, the heroes looked back at each other.

Popple was the first to speak. "Hoji is here in the North Pole, too?"

Another voice from beyond the room began to talk, this one just as familiar as Hoji's. "Are you sure he'll be okay with what we're doing?"

"Alright, so it is just Chan and Hoji," Julius said plainly. "Let's go beat them up so we can get back to finding Santa's workshop!"

"You heard what he said, Chan. Find a way to get inside by any means necessary."

Hoji huffed. "Are the ghostbots able to deal with the cold yet, Chan?"

"I'll activate some now and send them outside. It'll give me a good chance to monitor their energy levels."

A loud beeping sound penetrated the room the heroes were in. The robots' lights began to turn on and glow blue. They filed out of their stations in an organized fashion and immediately surrounded the heroes, appendages sparking with electricity.

"Wait, it looks like the ghostbots detected something!" Chan exclaimed.

"Ah, crap," Cloud said to himself.

The heroes were escorted by the ghostbots to a room with brighter lighting, a checker pattern on the floor, and a yellow carpet under their feet. The most interesting part of the room, however, was a vending machine filled with drinks, which was what Chan stood next to. Between Chan and Hoji was a black throne with a red metal outline.

"What do we have here?" Hoji began, smirking. "Didn't expect to find you four in the North Pole, especially this early."

"Chan and Hoji! Of course it's you two messing with Christmas!" Cloud said angrily.

A black sphere of energy formed on top of the throne and after a few moments, it faded away. When it did, a familiar foe was revealed.

"Bane!"

The villain allowed himself a small smile. "Part of me is happy that you've walked into our hands this early. But another part of me wonders why you four were walking around the North Pole in the first place."

"We came out here to pay Santa a visit," Cloud answered.

Zack turned to Cloud. "Santa doesn't exist, and we came out here to prove Cloud wrong."

This prompted the two to engage in another round of "does too!" "and does not". Bane put his hand to his temple. "Why did I bother asking?"

"What kind of evil plan lead you to the North Pole, Bane?" Popple asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hoji retorted.

"Don't you guys take holidays off?" Julius asked.

"Nope, which is why we live for moments like these where you do!" Chan answered. Both Chan and Hoji stepped forward. "It's game over for you four."

"Killing them already?" Bane questioned.

"Leaving them breathing tends to bite us later on," Hoji pointed out.

"We have them dead to rights this time, why don't we let them suffer before dying?" Bane pointed out. "I've got a better idea. How about we give these four some time...chill out? We have those cells downstairs for a reason."

Bane's henchmen took a moment to think. "Throw them in a holding cell on the lower level, where the temperatures are painfully cold? Sounds like fun to me!"

"Great idea!" Chan agreed.

Hoji turned back to the heroes. "Thanks for saving us the trouble of finding you later, it'll make finishing our a plan a whole lot easier."

"Ghostbots, take them to the holding cell."

"You won't get away with this!" Cloud let out as Bane's robotic minions herded the four out of the throne room.

...

It was cold. So unbearably cold. Cloud was curled up on the ground, trying to maintain what little warmth he had left. He had no idea how long he had been in the prison cell for, but felt like hours. Or at least, that's what he thought. The cell comprised of four dark gray walls, with a stone cold floor a lighter shade of gray. The door to the cell lacked a knob or anything to grab onto.

"S-s-s-o...c-c-cold!" He uttered.

Zack turned to him, shivering. "I c-can barely feel my body..."

"C-christmas is in trouble and we're st-stuck in a dungeon!"

"Cloud, Chan, Hoji and Bane didnt' come here to stop Christmas."

Cloud attempted to get up to confront Zack, but began to chatter his teeth and sat back down. "They never explained why they were in the North Pole, even though it's obvious they wanna destroy the Christmas cheer!"

"Cloud for the love of..."

The heroes' conversation was interrupted by another voice. It sounded distant, like it was coming from the other side of the cell's right wall. "Hello?"

"Is someone on the other side of this wall?" Another called out.

All four heroes turned to the wall. Cloud quickly recognized the voice. "H-hey, it's those two voices we heard earlier!"

"You have to help us! They've had us captive for hours!"

"Don't worry, you two! We're on our way!" Cloud exclaimed, mustering all the energy he could to get up and walk to the other side of the cell. Turning back around, he took a deep breath before letting out a battle cry. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

With that, he ran at the wall and rammed it with his shoulder. Almost immediately, he fell on the ground, clutching his shoulder. "AHHH CRAP, MY SHOULDER!! It's so cold, I can barely muster enough strength to shoulder ram the wall..."

Julius flexed his arm. "Honestly, you guys are overreacting about this whole cold thing. I mean, look at me!" He walked in a small circle, then stretched his legs. "I feel fine! Sure, this place is cold. But it's not like I can barely move."

"Maybe it's got something to do with your ice powers. You've got a natural resistance to the cold," Zack observed.

"Try freezing the wall and getting us to the other side!" Cloud requested from the floor, still holding his shoulder. "Owowowowowow..."

Julius walked to the wall and pointed his hands at it, firing an ice beam. The wall soon gained a layer of ice on it. A sledgehammer made of ice formed in his hands and he raised it behind him before unleashing it on the wall. The hit made a sizable crack on the wall, but Julius' hammer head shattered. Throwing it down, he created another and swung once more, this time breaking through the wall. After pulling out a few loose bricks, a serviceable entrance between the two rooms was created. On the other side, the heroes were greeted by a man and a woman wearing identical green and red jumpsuits with green beanies. Both of them had light brown hair, but the woman's eyes were a bright blue.

"Look, help!" The man announced. "We're saved!"

"Oh...my...GOD!" Cloud began giddily. He turned to Julius. "We found elves! This proves that Santa is real, Zack!"

Zack was momentarily speechless. "What the hell, Cloud? Do you walk around calling everyone you meet elves?"

He turned back to the two. "Please excuse my friend, he is being childish. You're not actually elves, your scientists from one of the reigon's research stations, right?"

The man and woman looked at each other before looking back at the heroes. "Well...yes we are, that's us," The man said.

"We were working when that man and his robots captured us!"