10 A LOSING BATTLE

CHAPTER 10 A LOSING BATTLE Monsters crawled, hopped, flapped, slithered, shimmied, and lurched toward the S.S.M.P. Alexander, Rip, and Nikki squirmed against the crusty rubber cement holding them to Ms. Vanderpants's beam. "I know we can handle a few monsters at a time," said Nikki, "but there are dozens of monsters here." "HUNDREDS!" hissed the gloomp. The boss-monster flipped through the notebook. "Spewnicorn, haircrow, frog-gobbler They're all here! Ready to attack on my order."

"You're not the only monster who can give orders!" said Rip. He made three loud clicks with his tongue. A few ants crawled out of his pocket. Rip tossed candy to the ants. BA-DINK! BA-DINK! As they ate it, the ants grew into huge, blue, puppy-sized bugs.

The three gi-norm-ants bowed down to Rip. Then they skittered around, chewing the rubber cement holding the friends in place. "I love a good fight," said the boss-monster, fanning herself with the notebook. "Especially when it's a zillion versus four. Plus a few ants, I guess." CRUNCH! Alexander broke free from the cement. He helped pull Rip and Nikki out, while the ants skittered up the beam toward Ms. Vanderpants. "ATTACK!" screamed the gloomp. KROOAOOOOOAAARRRRR!!! The swarm of monsters obeyed their boss.

Rip punched a honkyflower. Nikki chopped a giant onion, and Alexander slide-tackled a skunky- monkey. The gi-norm-ants stopped chomping at Ms. Vanderpants's glue and joined the fight. SNARL! OFF! AWWWK! BLOOMP! MEOW! BLARFF! The room was a blur of feathers, scales, claws, fur, and snouts. Alexander couldn't tell where one monster ended and the next began.

BLOING! A yak-in-the-box sprung open, flinging Alexander high above the battle. In mid-air, he caught a glimpse of Rip tripping a barfalo and of Nikki swatting a skeeter-copter. There are too many monsters, thought Alexander. We're losing... BADLY. BWAAR-HAWR-HAWR!!! The boss-monster laughed, with one eye on each member of the S.S.M.P. "Urf!" Alexander landed on the back of a rhinoceraptor. "Bring him to me!" the boss- monster commanded. The rhino-bird dive-bombed a nearby crate. WHAM! Alexander was bucked in the air— straight into the gloomp's waiting claws.