It's been a couple of days since our last adventure, Y/n managed to convince Caine into making the next adventure into an exciting one.
Something that doesn't involve near death experiences for anyone. For that everyone was mostly left to themselves while Caine got busy working on the new adventure.
Caine tried to create problems here and there to keep everyone entertained, and make sure none of them abstracted.
Y/n was mingling with Gangle, as she talked about her drawings and Y/n showed her skills on it as well. They are very different since Gangle was better at portrait which made Y/n's work look so novice.
Jax also refrained from picking on Gangle too much, as per Y/n's request which the others were weirded out.
There had been every opportunity for Jax to torment Gangle but he never did, they only speculated that it was Y/n's doing but never said anything.
"Good morrow my lovely digital peeps!" Caine interrupted their peace.
"What now, Caine?" Zooble asked annoyed.
"Unfortunately, the adventure I'm making is still in progress." he informed. "To make it up, you all can have a nice day to yourselves."
Everyone sighed in relief, they were afraid he was gonna make them run around doing crazy stuff again.
"By engaging in a blood battle of paint ball!" Caine quickly added which made the others face dropped, except for Jax who had a very mischievous grin.
"Yes, paintball! I've seen videos of it. A battle to the death!"
"Caine they don't actually-" Jax slapped a hand on Y/n's mouth which set her off.
She then began cussing and scolding Jax to take it off, but of course the words didn't came out, it was all mumbles.
"Shut up, squeaker. He might actually give us real guns."
At the flick of Caine's finger, the circus became a paintball battle ground, at the next flick, everyone was wearing a protective vest and their own paintball guns.
"It's simple, it's a free-for-all. BUT! You have to shoot your opponent 3 times to knock them down. If you are shot 3 times, you fall to the ground and stay there until the game ends!" Caine explained.
"So we're like... dead the entire game?" Pomni questioned.
"Yes!"
Jax was busy inspecting his rifle with mischief still in his eyes. He then checked the magazine and noticed it was actually just paintballs. He groaned to himself.
Jax pointed the nozzle towards Zooble. He smirked and acted all innocent. "Hey, what's this button do?" He then squeezed the trigger and shot Zooble.
"What the- Jax!" they scolded.
Jax then shot her 2 more times, this made the middle part of the vest glow red, and the next thing they knew they're stuck on the ground.
"What the *boink*! Somebody help me up!" Zooble panicked.
Pomni and Ragatha came to her aid and tried to pry her off the floor but to no avail.
Y/n slapped Jax on his back, because that's all she could reach. "You're an idiot." she shook her head.
"What? It's funny." Jax shrugged, chuckling as he walked off.
As the scene unfolded, Y/n was scolding Jax about trying to at least be a team player and he argued that it's a free-for-all knowing that wasn't what she meant.
Pomni and Ragatha are still trying to pry off Zooble, but only ended up disassembling their limbs.
Gangle tried helping but she pulled too hard that she was sent back flying, causing her comedy mask to pry off and collided on the floor, breaking it. The first time in forever that it wasn't Jax's fault.
Kinger on the other hand was spacing out, he accidentally unlocked the magazine and poured the paint balls on the floor. He thought they were alive as they were rolling. He tried grabbing them but keeps on kicking them unintentionally. He ended up running around trying to catch the balls.
Too many stuff was happening and Caine couldn't focus on one, his eyes slowly drifted off in two separate directions. "Alright, alright! I'm leaving you to fend for yourselves! You got 30 minutes to off everyone!" He made a gun shooting gesture to the head or eyes for him and disappeared.
Everyone looked at each other, Jax was smirking, Pomni looked scared, Ragatha was still holding one of Zooble's hand, Gangle was picking up her comedy mask, and Y/n was about to book it.
Without a moment to lose, they scattered, finding their secured spot. Gangle was left in the middle of the field still picking up her comedy mask, Kinger was trying to figure out what the paintball gun was, then accidentally shooting Gangle over and over until she was now on the floor.
Jax cackled as the game officially began, already enjoying the chaos around him. He had the advantage—quick reflexes, a sharp mind, and most importantly, absolutely no moral qualms about taking down his friends for the sake of a win.
Y/n had bolted the moment Caine left, and Jax had half a mind to chase her down, but he figured she'd be a more interesting challenge if left for later. Instead, he turned his focus on the easier targets.
"Pomni, you look like a deer in the headlights." Jax taunted, casually striding toward the jittery jester.
Pomni yelped and fired wildly, but her shots went wide. Jax sidestepped effortlessly and took his time lining up his shot.
Pew!
A bright splatter of paint hit Pomni right in the stomach. She squeaked, stumbling back, but before she could recover—
Pew! Pew!
Two more shots hit her dead-on, making her vest light up. She let out a strangled groan as she collapsed to the floor, "dead" for the rest of the game.
"And that's two down. Too easy," Jax snickered before disappearing into the battlefield, leaving Pomni to groan in frustration.
Meanwhile, Ragatha was on the move, having ditched Zooble's arm in an effort to find a vantage point. She had climbed up onto a stack of colorful crates, gun at the ready, scanning for enemies.
Jax, however, had other plans.
He silently maneuvered around the battlefield, ducking behind cover, inching closer to the crates without making a sound. When he was in range, he called out, "Hey, Ragatha!"
The moment she turned—
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Three shots landed in quick succession, knocking her out instantly. She barely had time to groan in frustration before her body stiffened and she fell onto the crate, stuck in place.
Jax blew the imaginary smoke from his gun. "Nighty night."
Across the field, Y/n had found cover behind a large barricade of foam blocks, peeking out to analyze the battlefield. She wasn't about to go down easy, and she knew Jax would come for her eventually.
Kinger, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the danger. He had somehow managed to paint himself into a corner, frantically trying to reload his gun but spilling more paintballs in the process.
Jax debated whether to take pity on him but ultimately shrugged. "Nah."
A single well-placed shot hit Kinger, and before he could even react—
Pew! Pew!
Jax took him out.
"Oh dear, I seem to have lost the game!" Kinger said, sounding more amused than upset as he fell over.
With only Y/n left, Jax couldn't hide his grin. "Now, where'd my favorite pain in the neck run off to?"
Y/n cursed under her breath, gripping her gun tightly. She had seen Jax take down everyone else like it was child's play. If she didn't outsmart him, she'd be next.
Steadying her breathing, she peeked over her cover and fired a shot. It narrowly missed Jax's head, splattering paint behind him.
"Oho, you almost got me!" Jax laughed, diving into cover.
Y/n didn't hesitate. She dashed toward another barricade, trying to reposition before he could predict her next move. Jax, however, was faster.
With a quick roll, he popped up on her left and fired.
Pew!
The shot hit Y/n's vest, making it glow faintly. She yelped but didn't stop moving. Desperate, she fired wildly in his direction.
Jax dodged most of the shots, but one grazed his arm. He looked down at the splatter of paint and gasped in mock horror. "You actually hit me! I'm so proud!"
Y/n gritted her teeth and bolted toward cover again, but Jax was already one step ahead. He vaulted over the barricade and landed directly in her path.
Pew! Pew!
Two final shots landed squarely on her chest, making her vest light up completely.
"And that's game, sweetheart," Jax purred, watching as she groaned in defeat and collapsed to the floor.
Caine reappeared, clapping his hands. "Wowza! What a spectacular show, folks! And the winner is—Jax! What a thrilling game of paintball!"
Jax grinned, twirling his paintball gun before slinging it over his shoulder. "Too easy. Better luck next time, losers."
Y/n huffed from the floor, glaring up at him. "I swear, next time, I'll make sure you don't win."
Jax smirked and leaned down slightly. "Sure you will, squeaker. Sure you will."
Jax chuckled, towering over Y/n as she groaned in defeat. Her vest was still glowing from the final shots, and she lay sprawled on the ground, arms outstretched as if she had truly been "defeated."
"Aw, don't look so sad," Jax teased, crouching down beside her. "You put up a good fight... for a squeaker."
Y/n narrowed her eyes at him. "I hate you."
"Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that," he said, rolling his eyes. Then, to her surprise, he extended a hand toward her. "C'mon, get up before Caine decides to leave you here for the next game."
Y/n eyed his hand suspiciously. "You're not gonna pull some dumb trick, are you?"
Jax gasped dramatically. "Me? Trick you? I would never!"
She scoffed but, after a moment of hesitation, took his hand. True to form, Jax did have a little mischief in mind. Instead of pulling her up normally, he yanked her forward with just enough force to make her stumble—right into him.
Y/n barely had time to react before she bumped into his chest, her hands landing against his vest. Jax, ever the troublemaker, didn't move back. Instead, he smirked down at her.
"Whoops," he said, completely unbothered. "Guess I don't know my own strength."
Y/n huffed and shoved him back. "You are the worst."
Jax just laughed. "And yet, here you are, still hangin' around me. Makes you wonder, huh?"
Before she could argue, Caine clapped his hands again, pulling everyone's attention. "Alright, alright, that was fantastic! But now that the game's over, let's get you all unstuck, shall we?" With a snap of his fingers, everyone who had been "eliminated" was able to move again.
Zooble groaned as they sat up. "Finally."
Pomni rubbed her head. "I think I liked it better when I wasn't getting shot at..."
Jax stretched, completely satisfied with himself. "Welp, another day, another win for me."
Y/n rolled her eyes, brushing some of the dried paint from her vest. "Next time, I'm so taking you down first."
Jax leaned in, his grin widening. "Oh, sweetheart, I dare you to try."
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A/N
Next one will be the haunted mansion episode. I'll try to write it sooner, am doing thesis. smh. help.