Gecko Gladiator Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Our dragons will FIGHT TO THE DEATH!”
    Josh and Danny stared at her. They were in Princessland, standing in between two crowds of damsels—and the damsels, with their rosebud dresses and tiaras and shiny ballet shoes … wanted them to FIGHT TO THE DEATH?! Danny felt a grudging admiration rise through him. These girls weren’t all bad, he decided.
    â€œDarling … that seems a bit … violent,” simpered Melissa’s mother.
    â€œYes, it DOES, doesn’t it?” Melissa picked up a long baton from a nearby majorettes twirling sticks display. “Here you are,
Pink
Dragon! Go beat up the spotty dragon!”
    A high-pitched roar of approval went up, drowning out the Princessland entertainer’s protest. Then the dark-haired girl seized another twirling baton and handed it to Josh. “Bash his brains in, Spotty Dragon!” she urged. The batons were long, silvery sticks with heavy, sparkly ballson either end. As Josh and Danny took one each, they realized these could actually do quite a bit of damage.
    â€œWe’ve got to get out of here!” hissed Josh, glancing all around for an escape route. But they were surrounded by girls—many of them linking arms as they stood whooping and cheering.
    â€œFIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” goaded Melissa.
    â€œAh come on,” grinned Danny, gripping his baton and holding it out between both reptilian fists. “We might as well give them a show …”

“TO THE DEATH!!!” Danny shrieked as he ran at Josh, holding the baton like a mace. It came out a bit high-pitched and chirrupy.
    Josh sighed and sidestepped his brother at the last second. But Danny was expecting that, and he swooped his baton to the left, whacking Josh in the middle of his scaly chest. There was a roar of approval from Melissa’s team.
    â€œGah! Right! You ASKED for it!” squeaked Josh, spinning around and bringing his own baton up to whack Danny on the arm. Lucy’s team gave a shrill cry of approval and started chanting “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”
    Danny let off an angry chirp as the heavy, rounded end of Josh’s baton connected with his elbow—and he swung his baton around andthwacked his brother on the ribs.
    Then Josh got really angry and bit him. Hard. On the shoulder.
    â€œYeeeow!” screeched Danny. “That’s dirty fighting!”
    â€œOh yeah?!” grinned Josh, leaping from left to right as his brother tried to land another baton thump on him. “So, what are you going to do about it, Pinkie?!”
    Danny let out a cry of rage and threw himself on Josh, snapping his sharp teeth down hard on the back of Josh’s neck. Around them, the damsels were in a frenzy of cheering and chanting. And the moms were now trying to shout them down. The Princessland entertainer was waving his little jester’s stick around and calling for calm.
    Josh shook Danny off and then jumped onto his brother’s chest. He snapped his own sharp teeth on Danny’s shoulder. A moment later, they were rolling across the party circle floor, knocking over the friendship bracelets stand and sending an avalanche of beads across the tiles.

    Josh and Danny were having the times of their lives. They had never fought like this before. They’d scrapped often enough, of course—they were brothers. But a really full-on FIGHT like this? Never!
    If Josh hadn’t spotted the security guard and the store manager running toward the cacophony, things might have gotten more serious. But seeing Mr. Butch and the square-faced guard helped him remember who he was. And who Danny was and what they had been trying to do when they got caught up in the Damsels’ Party. ESCAPE! That’s what!
    Josh rolled into the pink castle-shaped tent, dragging Danny with him. He hoped desperately that he wasn’t about to make things even worse. Out of sight of the baying damsels, he pulled the S.W.I.T.C.H. spray