Meanwhile, Sonia is in science class as her homeroom teacher, Mr. Takegawa, instructs his class about lab safety. As he instructed the class on the necessities of safety, Sonia sat by the window, thinking about how she clapped back at Cindy earlier in the morning. It's bad enough to see her school day start off strenuously with a subset annoying classmates and diva queens, but then she starts remembering how she now has to fulfill this destiny of being this "champion." Just the thought of it is just too much! Sonia's fingers lightly trembled as she fondled the amulet tied with the snake around her neck, lightly strangling her with every passing second.

"Ms. Hardell," Mr. Takegawa called, "Ms. Hardell, do you know what this is?" Sonia snapped out of her mind when her teacher called her. The sturdy teacher held a specifically-shaped beaker in his hand while the class turned to look at her. Sonia shook her head and tries to answer, "U-uhhh... Um... An Urban-raker flash?" Her flimsy answer gained a few chuckles from a few classmates. However, her teacher was not amused.

"It is an Erlenmeyer Flask, Ms. Hardell." Mr. Takegawa stated, "In the future, try to pay more attention to the lesson at hand."

"Y-yes sir," Sonia replied while slowly slumping down into her chair.

########

At home, Matthew the dog and Scruffles the cat lounged about. Scruffles wandered the living, making herself comfortable while Matthew read a book while sitting in his comfy bed. Scruffles waddled from upstairs to downstairs until she found that golden mutt wagging his tail while enjoying his good book.

"Boy for a dog, you surely are a weird one if you are one to go around reading books," Scruffles queried, "Don't you think you should be doing what other dogs do and drag your butt on the ground or something?" Matthew's smile frowned while his eyebrows go blunt. As he turns around to look at the scruffy black cat, he then speaks to her, "You know, not every dog is as stereotypical as all other animals treat us to be. Some of us are very well-mannered in ways more than one."

"That's a lot coming from a dog who pretends to be British. Why not drop the accent and be American for a change?"

"I'll have you know - I'm only here because my last owner died twelve years ago. We used to travel to America every few months from Britain to get a glimmer of life in various cultures. We were adventurous and boisterous men, taking the world by storm. Looking at our town from high atop Big Ben and yelling out, 'Pave the way in the lands of tea and crackers, for we shall take a moment and-" Scruffles immediately interrupts him like a record scratch interrupts good music, "Blah blah blah, Cheerios and honey baths and other eccentric goodness. It's not like anybody actually cares, y'know."

"Oh yeah? What about you, Miss I-hated-the-shelter? What's your story about?" Matthew questioned in a slightly serious, quizzical tone.

"Alright. I get to finally explain myself around here," Scruffles says with a smirk as she both stretches and clears her throat, "It was a day. Like any other day. The trees whispered in the wind. They whispered words of a girl... A young cat girl. One who had a family but was always the runt of the litter. Every one of her brothers and sisters was adopted... Taken away except for only one. She was a small one, a surly one. One who loved to make some troubllllllllllleeeeeeee..."

"Please don't make this a song..." Matthew asked, feeling annoyed. Scruffles playfully ignores the British dog, struck up the alley-cat band, and began to sing!

"I was a cat of wonder! Love was surely asunder! There's not a day in life where I'm not stickin' around! My claws, they're pretty long - My tail, it's got frong. (I know that's not a word but what the heck). I was always pouncing into my owner's leaves, or always giving dogs some jars of fleas. I loved to climb and chase the birds, while at night I disturb the peace. My beautiful singing sounded like car tires screeechhiiiiiing.... But what the hey, I'm just trying to go and play!" 

Scruffles goes into a swooning pose as if a spotlight shines only on her while the rest of the room darkens. She then proceeds to sing, but in a more slower tune as the orchestra of felines began to play more softly.

"Whaddya expect when you're nothing but a black cat... Every Friday the 13th, we're slammed as bad luck. It's never a dull day when you're here to say... 'Why can't I just get a break and just have my daaaaaaaayyyyyy?'

"Ever heard when the cat mews, the dog shall have his day?" Matthew asked. On queue, Scruffles commanded, "Don't interrupt, I'm singin'," and continued to spin her solemn soliloquy.

"It was a lovely little day... My family took me out for a trip. We crossed the countryside and into tooowwnnn~. Little did I know that I found my way around in the city... I thought we were all going on vacation, or maybe my owners were on break. Little did I know, I was placed in a home. For little animals to be re-adopted. I thought my family really loved me... but all they wanted was to see me go... They dropped me off at the shelter, and then's they left... while I looked out the window... Watching them drive away..." 

Scruffles ended that lyric on a low note, allowing Matthew to drink it all in... until the band started being upbeat again.

"Weeeellllllllll, screw it! I didn't need them. I'm a cat of wits, not a cat of love. I busted my way out using skills and persuasion, lusting some of the boys into my little indignation. With a skip and a scamper, I just got outta that place, and took my way to living in the streets! I'm a street cat thru and thru, and I don't give a damn nohow! I'm a cat of life, wonder, whimsy, and master of getting around! Just watch out baby, because SCRUFFLES IS COMIN' TO TOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNNNN~!! YEAH!!!"

Scruffles ended her song on a high note as the alley cats came crashing down. The furry black cat bowed and proudly proclaimed, "Thank you, thank you! You're such a lovely audience!" However, Matthew wasn't clapping. Instead, he was raising eyebrows while remarking, "I guess somebody's been taking lessons from that Arabian street rat, Aladdin."

"Hey, you know what they say. You gotta stay one step ahead of the wingman if you wanna live to eat and eat to live, y'know." Scruffles playfully scoffed. In the midst of their conversation, a sudden explosion erupts, located just a few yards away from the Hardell household.

"What in the bloody world was that?!" Matthew exclaimed as he dashes to the window sill. Once the smoke cleared from up ahead, Matthew's eyes widen in an instant. The dog's ears sprang upward as he uttered, "By the dearest Lord, and all of the bones a dog could find..."

"What?"

"I-I-I don't know... I-It appears to be a colossal creature of extreme expedients." Scruffles curled her nose in disbelief before climbing up to the window, rudely edging her way in Matthew's vision. "Lemme take a look, she says, "I'm pretty sure it was nothing but a-." Her remarks are interrupted as she choked on her own words. There, Scruffles got a good view of the beast rising in the sky, spreading its large wings and starts to head in one direction and one alone... Sonia's school. Scruffles and Matthew illicit a high-pitched whine as they try to process what they just saw... until Matthew shook himself back to normal and gave Scruffles a smack to the head.

"That looks almost like the black tentacle that tried to kidnap Sonia!" Matthew exclaimed as that fateful illusion came rushing back, "We have to warn her about this danger!"

"We?! Are you shrink-wrapped?! Didn't 'cha the size of that thing?! We'll be the next foreign cuisine if we go after it! Count me out!" Scruffle then began to feel the sudden pressure of Matthew press against her snout as he growled menacingly like a real dog. Scruffles suddenly gulps as she witnesses the anger in his eyes, "O-ok, count me in..." Scruffles then zips through the doggy door and Matthew not too far behind. However, Matthew's behind gets a little stuck, purely because he hasn't really gotten a lot of exercise in a while. So much so that despite her fears, the annoyed black cat rushed back to fish him out. Scruffles strained until he was finally thrusted out, but the avian demon was already on the move, demonically airborne as it made its way to Sonia's school. The crash site with which the demon had spawned from was instantly crowded with civilians, shaken from the blast and needing answers just as badly.

"We gotta get to school, and FAST!" Matthew exclaimed as he scurried out of the cul-de-sac, "Who knows what will happen!"

"HEY!! WAIT UP!!!" Scruffles bellowed as she gasped for breath, "My tiny legs can't keep up!" With the avian demon on the rise, and the two bewildered pets on its trail, today will appear to be a dark day. A dark day indeed...