“Whoa! This gum, it tastes like tomato soup!” Ratchet said, a smile on his face as he chews the gum.

“Strange, I’ve heard of candy that comes in unusual flavors, but I’ve never heard of a gum that tastes savory.” Clank said.

“Well tomatoes are technically fruit, so it counts as a fruity flavor.” Talwyn said.

Ratchet chewed some more. “Still, this is delicious! It’s hot and I can actually feel it running down my throat! Man I wish I had some grilled cheese to go with it. Wait, i think it’s now…changing?”

Before he knew it, the gum suddenly changed flavor. Ratchet was surprised by this but his taste buds were hit with a new flavor, this one being meaty.

“What does it taste like now?” Talwyn asked.

Ratchet chews more. “Tastes like…Roast beef!” He said. “Mmm, With a side of baked potato. Roasted and baked to perfection, Tender and juicy, ooh, and the potato has butter, sour cream and green onions.”

Ratchet continues to chew the gum. He was having a great time chewing basically a full course meal in gum form. Clank and Talwyn were glad to see ratchet enjoying himself testing the gum, Frank however was the opposite as he watches the Lombax chew, like something was indeed wrong.

“Uh ok, I think that’s enough!” Frank nervously said. “You might wanna spit that out!”

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” Clank asked.

“Yeah, what is it?” Talwyn asked.

“It’s just that…” Frank tried to explain but ratchet interrupted him.

“Wow! Now I’ve reached dessert!” Ratchet grinned as the gum reached a dessert flavor. “It’s blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream! Oh man, it’s so delicious! Tastes better than any other pie I’ve had!”

Ratchet could feel the taste of the pie’s warm, flaky crust and sweet, blueberry filling enter his belly. He didn’t want it to stop. But Frank’s warning would come true as Clank and Talwyn noticed something happening to ratchet and went wide-eyed. Ratchet noticed, oblivious to what would happen to him.

“What?” Ratchet asked obliviously. “What are you all staring at?”

“Uh ratchet? It’s your nose.” Clank pointed out.

“My nose?” Ratchet asked. “What about it?”

“It’s…changing colors.” Clank said.

A tiny blue dot appeared on Ratchet’s nose, spreading and growing bigger, his whole nose was now blue. But the color continues to spread all throughout his muzzle, face and head.

“He’s right, your whole face is turning blue!” Talwyn said.

Ratchet was confused and thought his friends were messing with him, but that’s when caught a glimpse of himself in the reflective surface of a machine. Leaning in for a closer look, ratchet gasped at his reflection before choking on the gum. He was so shocked that he swallowed hard. He froze. He had swallowed the gum. But that was the least of his problems for his body continued to turn blue. His golden fur changed into a Cobalt blue while his brown stripes, eyebrows and nose were a darker shade of navy blue. His eyes changed from green to sapphire blue. The blue color spread down his neck, traveled up his arms, down his tail, even his clothes were changing color. Soon the Lombax was blue from head to toe. He turned to his friends and Frank who watched with shocked looks on their faces.

“Ok, what is going on here?!” Ratchet panicked.

“That’s what I was trying to warn you about!” Frank exclaimed. “This is why the gum is still in its beta stage!”

“So it just turns people blue?” Ratchet asked.

“That, and….” Frank trailed off nervously.

A loud, gurgling noise interrupted him,

“What was that?” Clank asked.

The gurgling sound was coming from Ratchet’s stomach. The blue lombax put both hands on his belly, his face flushed a deeper blue and he looked sick.

“I don’t feel so good…” Ratchet moaned.