Aquatan

by Mac Park

  Lemonfizz Media

  PO Box 499

  Elwood Victoria, 3184

  www.lemonfizzmedia.com

  Scholastic Australia Pty Limited

  PO Box 579 Gosford NSW 2250

  ABN 11 000 614 577

  www.scholastic.com.au

  Part of the Scholastic Group Sydney • Auckland • New York • Toronto • London • Mexico City • New Delhi • Hong Kong • Buenos Aires • Puerto Rico

  Published by Pop and Fizz and Scholastic Australia in 2010.

  Pop & Fizz is a partnership between Paddlepop Press and Lemonfizz Media.

  www.paddlepoppress.com

  Text, design and illustrations copyright © Lemonfizz Media 2010.

  Cover illustration by Britt Martin.

  Internal illustrations by Lionel Portier, Melanie Matthews and James Hart.

  A CIP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, unless specifically permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 as amended.

  Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

  It is our policy, in association with McPherson’s Printing Group, to use papers that are renewable and made efficiently from wood grown in sustainable forests, so as to minimise its environmental footprint.

  10987654321

  01234/1

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Back Cover Material

  Once, mega-beast and man shared one world. But it did not last. The beasts wanted to rule the world. They started battles against man. After many bad battles between beast and man the world was split in two. Man was given Earth. Megabeasts were given Beastium.

  A border-wall was created. It closed the two worlds off. Man was safe. But not for long ... Beastium was not enough for the mega-beasts. They wanted Earth.

  The beasts began to battle through the border-wall. It was the job of the Border Guards to stop them. They had to keep the beasts in Beastium. Some battles were won. Some were lost.

  Battles won by the beasts gave them more power. The beasts earned new battle attacks. Battles won by the Border Guards earned them upgrades. Their battle gear could do more.

  Five boys now guard the border-wall. They are the Bordaria Border Guards. They are in training to become Border Masters like their dads.

  The Border Guards’ dads and grand-dads are the Bordaria Master Command. The BMC help the Border Guards during battle.

  The Border Guards must learn. The safety of Earth depends on them.

  The BMC reward good Border Guard battling. Upgrades can be earned for sending beasts back into their lands. New battle gear can also be given to Border Guards who battle well.

  If they do not battle well, the Border Guards will lose upgrades and points.

  Then they will not be given new and better gear.

  Kai Masters is a Border Guard in training. His work is top secret. He must protect Earth. The BMC watch Kai closely. Kai must not fail.

  Let the battles commence!

  Kai Masters was at home. He was playing a computer game. It was called Wild Water Ride. The game was a speedboat race. It was hard. Kai’s boat was just out in front.

  Kai was close to the end of the race.

  Suddenly Kai’s dog, BC3, barked.

  The dog was at the back door. And its tail was wagging.

  BC3 was Kai’s buddy. Kai called him BC for short.

  But BC was not just any dog. He was a dogbot. And he was made for beast battling. BC could see in front of himself. He could see behind himself too. And BC’s tail wagged when there was trouble.

  BC was a gift from the BMC. He helped Kai do his job. Kai Masters was a Border Guard. He was twelve years old. It was his job to keep Earth safe. Kai and BC battled beasts.

  These beasts wanted to take over Earth. Kai and BC had been on lots of battles to stop the beasts. They were good at battling. But they were still learning.

  Kai’s dad was once a Border Guard. Then he became a Border Master. He was part of the Bordaria Master Command now.

  The BMC helped Kai learn. Kai wanted to become a Border Master one day too. Just like his dad.

  ‘Stop it, BC,’ said Kai. ‘Be good.’

  But BC barked louder and louder.

  He wants to go out badly, thought Kai. And his tail is wagging. That can’t be good.

  Kai looked out the light-house’s big window.

  The lighthouse was Kai’s home. It looked old from the outside. But the inside was very new. It had secret rooms where Kai kept his battle gear.

  Kai looked at the beach. ‘What are all those things on the sand?’ he asked.

  BC barked again. ‘Okay,’ said Kai. ‘I’ll let you talk.’

  Sometimes Kai liked BC to be just like other dogs. And sometimes he liked him to be a dogbot. BC was great in battles.

  Kai hit the button so that BC could talk.

  ‘A bad smell is coming from the beach,’ said BC.

  ‘I can’t smell anything,’ said Kai. ‘But you can smell super well.’

  ‘Trouble on the beach,’ said BC.

  ‘We’d better go and look then,’ said Kai. ‘Good dog, BC.’

  There was no one on the beach. Kai looked at the fish on the sand. They were just bones. ‘Where are their bodies?’ asked Kai. ‘And what’s that green stuff?’

  ‘Green slime,’ said BC.

  ‘Let’s take some home,’ said Kai.

  Kai took his orbix from his pocket. It was a small computer. It had lots of good stuff on it.

  The BMC used it to talk with Kai. And they sent Kai’s upgrades on it. It could hold things that Kai couldn’t touch.

  Kai hit a button on the orb. The screen flashed.

  A flat metal rod came out from the orb. The rod went along the fish bones. It picked up some green slime.

  Then the rod went back inside the orb. ‘I bet this stuff is from Beastium,’ said Kai. ‘We can test it in the lab.’

  Kai and BC ran back up to the lighthouse. They went into the kitchen. Kai pushed a button under the pantry shelf.

  The back wall of the pantry began to move. It slid open. A secret ladder was behind the wall. Kai and BC went down the ladder into the lab. It had lots of tools in it. Kai used them to look at things that might have come from Beastium.

  Kai turned on the sample tester. He put the slime into it. Then he hit the test button on the computer.

  The screen flashed.

  The water land and the rock land, thought Kai. Which one? The slime has a lot of water in it. But there’s only a bit of rock and dust.

  Kai went for the water land. He hit the Aquatan button. A card popped up.

  Then the computer flashed again.

  ‘This will be our first water battle. We’ll need some under water gear. We’d better get ready for battle,’ said Kai.

  Kai took out his Border Guard Card. It looked like a student card. He put the card into his computer. Then there was a very loud noise.

  Four big bricks in the wall behind K
ai began to move. They made a hole in the wall. Kai went through the hole into the room.

  It had three walls with battle gear on them.

  A screen was over the last wall. I can’t have stuff from that wall, thought Kai. It’s still locked. I need to win more battles.

  On the second wall was a heat laser. Kai read its tag. ‘This can dry up water. We want this, BC,’ said Kai.

  Kai went to take it. He heard a noise like locks closing. Then he heard

  Then a computer voice said

  ‘When will the BMC let me have things from these other walls?’ asked Kai. ‘Oh well.’

  Kai looked at the things on the first wall. ‘Let’s take this, BC,’ said Kai.

  ‘This thing can zap stuff and heat up water. Maybe this could be handy,’ said Kai.

  ‘We can only have one more thing from here,’ said BC.

  ‘Yes,’ said Kai. ‘I think it should be this.’

  ‘What does it do?’ asked BC.

  ‘It shoots a torpedo that goes fast under water,’ said Kai.

  Kai and BC went back into the lab. Then Kai picked up his hover board. It had jets and could go at fast speeds.

  ‘And I think we should take this,’ said Kai.

  Kai and BC went into the lift. It took them to the takeoff pad. Kai pushed the code for Aquatan on his orb. The lift went up to the top floor. When Kai got out he was in full battle gear.

  ‘The BMC has given us under water tanks!’ said Kai.

  Just then Kai’s orb beeped.

  ‘What’s rot moss?’ asked Kai.

  ‘The green slime maybe,’ said BC.

  ‘It doesn’t sound like fun stuff,’ said Kai. ‘Time to go.’

  Kai hit the light button on the orb. The roof of the lighthouse opened.

  The take-off pad lit up with light. The light went up into the sky.

  It took Kai and BC with it to the water land.

  Kai hit the water with a splash. BC came right behind him. Kai hit the button on his orb for flippers. Flippers popped out from Kai’s shoes. BC got four flippers too.

  Then Kai set his hover board to go up above the water. It went up out of the water. ‘It can wait for us up there,’ said Kai.

  Kai and BC went down to the sea floor. There was glowing green slime all over the place.

  Rot moss, thought Kai. He looked it up on his orb.

  ‘Great!’ said Kai. ‘It eats skin. And we have to go right through it.’

  ‘I’ll go first and find the best way,’ said BC. ‘Slime can’t eat my body. I’m a robot.’

  Kai moved slowly behind BC. He had to watch out. His face and hands could be eaten by the slime.

  They made it to a clear space. Kai looked up. They were in very deep water. But there was no slime. ‘I’m glad that’s over,’ said Kai. Just then his orb flashed. ‘Hey, we got some upgrades, BC.’

  ‘Our under water packs have jets now. And I can see much better with my goggles. Good work getting us through that slime,’ said Kai.

  Suddenly BC’s tail started wagging. ‘What now?’ asked Kai. ‘A wagging tail isn’t good. It’s always something bad!’

  And then he saw them.

  Jelly-fish. Before they knew it they both had jellyfish all over them. Kai had to do something fast. The jellyfish had long stingers. And they were going around Kai’s arms.

  ‘I can’t move and I can’t see,’ said Kai. His goggles had jelly-fish on them as well. Jelly-fish with stingers and drills!

  ‘Drills are starting,’ said BC. ‘They will drill into your bones and my metal body.’

  Kai could hear them. The noise was getting louder.

  Kai got one hand free. He pulled out the Super-Zap-6. He hit a button. The Super-Zap-6 shook. But that was all.

  Kai looked at BC. BC was biting and pulling at the jelly-fish. I have to stop this, thought Kai. He tried another button. A bad noise filled the sea.

  Suddenly the jelly-fish started to shake. Their bodies shook and shook until they fell to bits. Little bits of jelly-fish were everywhere in the water.

  ‘Are you okay BC?’ asked Kai.

  ‘Okay,’ said BC. ‘Just! But I can hear something else now.’

  Kai stood on the sea floor and listened. ‘What’s the noise, BC?’ asked Kai. And then he heard it.

  It was coming from in the water.

  Kai turned the button on his goggles to full strength. He looked at what was making the noise. ‘It’s only a little one,’ said Kai. ‘This will be an easy battle.’

  The little beast slid across the sea floor. It moved towards Kai and BC like a snake. It kicked up slime with every move it made.

  Kai swam around trying to miss the slime. But that was when the little beast made its move. It was around BC in a second.

  In no time it had the dog in a crush-attack.

  BC was getting crushed. Kai got out his bow. But he couldn’t shoot.

  The little beast was all over BC. I have to hit the beast and not BC, thought Kai. But how? Kai held his breath. 1, 2, 3. The bow went off.

  The torpedo shot through the water. Everything went quiet. Kai didn’t want to look. The water stopped moving and there was BC. He was standing on the sea floor. And he was shaking. The little beast was gone.

  ‘Are you okay?’ asked Kai.

  ‘Yes. But my under water pack got blown up. And I am shaking,’ said BC.

  ‘Everything’s shaking, BC,’ said Kai. Kai used the orb to call the hover board. ‘Jump on and wait for me up top.’

  Kai didn’t know why everything was shaking. But he didn’t think it was good.

  BC rode up and out of the water. Kai looked at the sea floor. It was really shaking. What’s going on? he thought. Kai looked all around him.

  He could see strange blobs. They were falling into a nest of slime.

  Kai saw glowing green eggs in the nest.

  Kai watched as the water around the nest began to turn. It turned around and around. The eggs and slime came together in the water. They were turning around with the water.

  The water was so strong it was pulling Kai into it. Kai turned his under water pack to top speed. He pushed away from the turning water.

  Then the water stopped. Everything went still. Kai couldn’t see what was going on. Then a big sucking sound began.

  The water was being sucked out from under Kai. It was very strong. And the thing doing it was huge and ugly. It was a beast. And it was right in front of Kai.

  Kai took a photo of the beast with his orb. The BMC sent back a beast card.

  The little beast has become something else, thought Kai.

  Kai went above the water. He jumped on the hover board with BC. ‘The beast is about to attack,’ said Kai.

  Kai hit the ice hard. He had slime on his hands and face. It made him fall asleep.

  BC had been thrown to the other side of the ice. But he was still on the hover board. BC went over to Kai. BC took the crystal from his hatch.

  He rubbed the crystal over the slime on Kai’s skin. It worked. The slime went away. Kai’s skin was alright again. And he was starting to wake up.

  ‘The crystal,’ said BC. ‘It gets rid of slime. And it can make ice.’

  ‘How do you know?’ asked Kai.

  ‘Data in storage hatch,’ said BC.

  ‘What?’ asked Kai.

  But then the ice began to rock and shake.

  The beast was on top of them. It had Kai in its tail. BC was in its suckers.

  They were stuck in a crush-attack. ‘Use bow to shoot the crystal,’ said BC. ‘It will save us.’

  ‘Are you nuts?’ yelled Kai.

  Kai looked at BC. The beast had its mouth open. It was pulling BC towards it. BC growled loudly. He tried to break free but he couldn’t.

 
I have to trust BC, thought Kai. ‘Okay,’ Kai said to BC. ‘Throw the crystal up into the air.’ BC did. The crystal went up into the sky. Kai fired the torpedo.

  The torpedo hit the crystal in its middle.

  The crystal burst open. It broke into lots of pieces. The pieces were made of ice. They fell down onto the beast. And they kept coming. The beast let out a big noise.

  It had bits of sharp ice all over it.

  More ice fell from where the crystal had broken open. It didn’t stop.

  The beast’s tail suddenly let go of Kai. Kai came down hard on the ice. BC fell down on the ice after him. Then Kai heard a funny sound.