A Dislikable Visit

A Dislikable Visit.

	Hello to everyone! I'm pretty glad to be here again. (Oh. And I'm not?) Yes, it's
good to see you as well, Babs.
	(Why, thank you! Now, before you tell me to do it, I'll read the disclaimer. Ehem.
DISCLAIMER. Ramiro, as you guys already know, doesn't own any Tiny Toon
Adventures, Looney Tunes, or Animaniacs character, all of them copyrighted by Warner
Brothers. We'll have some characters here copyrighted by Disney as well. Oh, and we
want to thank The J.A.M. for allowing us to use his OC here, as well as making reference
to his stories. The same goes for one from Nightw2, who allowed us to use one of his
characters as well. Also, on this fic we're making reference to some events of previous
Ramiro's stories, so if you have some doubts, you can either read them, or ask in a review,
as usual.)
	Wow, you impress me, Babs. You actually are taking your assistant job seriously.
(Hey, if that's the only way I can get in touch with my fans.) Okay, I get the idea. (Oh, you
don't. Really, you have any idea about how it feels to be wanted and adored by the
masses?) Well, one niece of mine adores me, and she is quite a mass. if you are reading
this, I'm just kidding, Laura! (She needs to lose weight, uh? I guess that runs in the
family. Cut the donuts, pal!) You know, I think you have some baby fat in here. (What?
Oh, no! I'll better go jogging, or my career is over! -Zooming away-)
	Now, before Babs returns to point at my not very athletic figure. on with the
show!

A Dislikable Visit.

A Tiny Toon Adventures story by Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro.
(tinynicktune [at] hotmail [dot] com)

-Meeting The Heroes.

WHACK!

	"Come on, Gos! I know you can do better than that!"
	"Oh, so you want me to fight seriously? No problem, Pinkie!" Gosalyn Mallard
replied while shaking her head to clear her sight after receiving a pretty hard punch from
Babs Bunny.
	The red haired duckette and the pink doe were at the middle of the Acme
Looniversity's gym, on a ring, having a sparring match; both of them were using white
tops and red gloves, as well as black head gears, but Babs' shorts were yellow while Gos'
were black. Flying over them, Sweetie was doing her role as the referee, while Rita Cat,
the boxing team coach, was outside the ring to keep an eye and give advice to both girls.
The rest of the team, consisting on Fifi Le Fume, Mary Melody, and Hillary Hyena, and
some other toons, namely The J.A.M., Ronald Smutt Junior (Ron or Ronnie for friends,
Rita and Runt's son), and Wally Wolf and his girlfriend, former Perfecto Rhubella Rat,
were looking as well.
	Gosalyn dodged one of Babs' attacks, and then, looking for an opening, threw a
hard punch against the rabbit's chest. Babs lost her breath for a moment, and Gosalyn
took her chance to hit a couple of times before the rabbit reacted and blocked a third one.
Then, using her characteristic agility, Babs placed aside from Gosalyn, and surprised her
with a well placed right jab on her ribs. The avian groaned in pain, but refused to give up,
and threw another punch, connecting on Babs' chin. The rabbit moved back a few steps
while Gosalyn tried to hit her again, but the mammal avoided her, and threw an uppercut
against the avian. Gosalyn handled to avoid almost all the impact, and then she and the
rabbit had a fast punching exchange, blocking almost as much as they received.
	"Okay, girls, that's enough." Rita said to the boxers while Wally rang the bell,
finishing the fight. Gosalyn and Babs stopped, and than gave each other a friendly hug.
	"You're getting better, Gos. Next time I might not be able to touch you." Babs
commented in a happy tone.
	"Are you kidding? I have to chase you a lot before hitting at least once! How can
rabbits move that fast?" Gosalyn replied in a half-joking tone.
	"Hey, there's a reason why we have these feet. Certainly, it isn't for wearing
shoes."
	Gosalyn chuckled, and she and Babs jumped down the ring. Gosalyn wasn't part
of the core team, but she was accepted as a replacement and a sparring partner. Her
former martial arts' training from her foster father, Darkwing Duck, certainly was handy
during these fights, but Gos knew that, in a bare-fisted match, the other girls had a good
advantage over her, so her membership on the team was actually a great extra training for
her future career as a crime fighter.
	"Pretty good job, both of you." Rita told the girls when they were down the ring.
"You still need to keep alert, Babs; the teasing is useful to make a rival to anger and make
mistakes, but it's useless if it makes you careless. And Gosalyn, you are improving a lot,
but at times you still keep down your defenses on purpose to make an open attack; that's
good when you have a chance to hit, but if overdoing it, you are pretty much exposing
yourself to a beating." Rita lectured them, as she normally did after every fight, either a
competitive or a sparring one. Of course, she was very proud of the team, since they just
recently won the state championship for the third year in a row, and they would fight for
the national title in a few months; she was also happy that Gosalyn was two years younger
than most of the fighters (except for Hillary, who was just one year older), since three-
fourths of the core team would graduate that year, and the cat needed some good
replacements once they left.
	"Now, let's see. Hillary, you hadn't fought today, right?" Rita asked the hyena,
who just shook her head. "Good. We need a sparring partner for you."
	Rita scratched her chin while looking at Wally and Ron, who normally were the
girls' sparring partners. However, Ronald already had fought a couple of rounds against
Mary, and Wally with Fifi. Rita herself was another option, but she already had a lot of
extra job that day, not just practicing shadow boxing with the girls before the fights, but
having one sparring round with Rhubella, who wasn't really part of the team, but wanted
to learn a few fighting moves, just for self defense, and the rodent had improved a lot
(even if still not as good as the members), plus the cat had something important to do
after the practice, so having a fight, even in a sparring way, against one of the Loo's
strongest students wasn't possible.
	"J.A.M., I know you have no reason or obligation here, but, can you please be
Hillary's partner, just this time? I had seen you in Cartoon Violence, and you're pretty
good with non-toony fighting techniques." Rita said to the jaguar.
	"I don't know, Rita. I kind of dislike fighting when it's not necessary. I only do it
on self defense, or when a class asks for it." The younger feline replied in his usual polite
way.
	"I know, but you'll be helping me a lot if accepting, pal." Hillary joined the
conversation. "You are one of the fastest guys I had ever seen, and besides Ron and your
truly, you're like, the strongest student of the school. I'll be very glad if you help me train,
and that way you're avoiding me receiving a beating if facing someone faster than me
without the proper preparation."
	"Well. but no harsh feelings if one of us gets hurt, right?" The jaguar said to the
hyena, still a little hesitant. He wasn't just worried about hurting Hillary (even if knowing
the girl was one of the few toons around stronger than himself), but also about getting
harsh feelings from her boyfriend, Ronald, who was a pretty good friend of the jaguar as
well.
	"Of course no, J.A.M! I mean, you had seen us training, right?" The hyena replied
with a casual tone. "We pretty much kick each other's butt on every session, but before,
after, and even during the fight, we are still friends. And well, you know how much
Ronnie here and me are in love with each other, and that doesn't change even if we
normally spar together and hit with all our strength."
	"And don't worry about me, J.A.M." Ronald said to the slightly shorter predator
while placing a paw on his shoulder. "I know this is just a friendly match, not a fight for
real. After all, you don't get angry with me or Wally when we jump into the ring to go
against Mary."
	"Yes, but that's because she pretty much gives you two a beating almost all the
time." The jaguar said in a joking way, making the girls to giggle and Wally and Ronald
to shrug and smile. Mary shook her head while getting a little grin; she actually had a
little advantage on those fights, since the boys always used the softest and heaviest gloves
to avoid hurting her. Of course, they still were stronger, faster, and more experienced than
Mary, so it was a great merit from the girl to actually get the upper hand on many of those
matches.
	The jaguar finally agreed, and, after giving his poach, watch and chains with
religious symbols to Mary, made a spin-change to get a boxing outfit (since he, unlike
Wally and Ronald, wasn't dressed for the occasion); when ending the spinning, he had a
green head gear, white gloves, and green shorts, while using a shorter, most comfortable
version of his trademark black shirt with the words "Hecho en Mexico" in the front.
Hillary, using an outfit similar to Gosalyn and Babs but with dark purple shorts and
without her characteristic spiked bracelets (something that, obviously, wasn't allowed in a
boxing match) jumped into the ring, with the jaguar right behind her. Rita made them to
walk to the center of the ring, and, after checking the protective gear, and giving them
some final instructions, made them to touch each other's gloves, and move to the corner
she assigned to them. Then, the cat jumped out of the ring, Sweetie flew to locate herself
right over the center, and Fifi rang the bell.
	Hillary and The J.A.M. approached to the center of the ring, making circles and
studying each other's moves. As predators, they were both skilled in detecting a prey's
weakness and openings, so they took their time to throw the first attacks, limiting
themselves to some soft punches that the other easily dodged or blocked, just to test the
rival's strength and speed.
	Hillary made the first serious move, trying to connect a direct hit to the feline's
chin, but the jaguar avoided it, and replied with a fast jab to the hyena's side. Hillary
reacted with a fast uppercut; again, The J.A.M. avoided the attack, and threw one of his
own, but Hillary blocked it at the last moment. Then, the hyena started one of her
trademark moves, a literal rain of punches directed to several parts of her opponent's
body, connecting a few times, but the jaguar still handled to block or avoid most of the
attack, thanks to his quick reflexes and natural speed. When Hillary stopped her attack,
the feline saw an opening and threw a left-right combination against the girl's head,
stunning her, and giving him the chance to connect a well-placed uppercut that almost
sent her to the canvas.
	The hyena shook her head to clear her sight, and re-started her attack. This time,
she decided to surprise The J.A.M. with The Hill Smash, one of her favorite tricks. Of
course, this trick needed the feline to be a little apart from her to work, but the girl had
that covered. She allowed the jaguar to give her a few hits, and then, in a dashing
movement, gave him a strong jab on his belly, making him to move a few steps back and
adopt a defensive position. Then, the hyena put her gloves together, and raised them over
her head, focusing all her strength on her fists. The girl then punched the canvas with all
her might, sending an expansive wave through the ring and causing The J.A.M. to lose
balance for a few seconds. Hillary took the chance to dash against him, and gave the
jaguar a powerful hit on his chest, and then a left hook that almost sent him down.
Sweetie noticed the feline was out of breath because of the first hit, so told Hillary to go
back to her corner for the moment.
	"Hey, J.A.M., are you okay? We can stop if you want." The canary asked the
jaguar, who took a deep breath and shook his head.
	"I'm fine, Sweetie." The jaguar replied with a smile, and then looked at Hillary.
"So, you want this to be a full-strength match, uh?"
	"If that's fine with you, yes, I mean, my rivals aren't going to be soft with me, so if
you're holding back, you're not really doing me a favor." Hillary grinned widely, and the
jaguar nodded. He then moved back to the ring's center, and made an inviting movement
with his right glove; the hyena playfully smirked, and approached him in a fighting
stance.
	The hyena threw a direct hit to the jaguar's head.
	WARP!
	And missed. The hyena got a confused expression, noticing the jaguar wasn't in
front of her, and, a split second later.
	UNWARP!
	PUNCH!
	The feline appeared from behind Hillary, and, when the hyena turned to look for
him, received a powerful hit on the head. The girl shook her head, and tried to fight back,
but the jaguar continued his attack giving a right-left-right combination to her belly and
head, and then a dashing uppercut that sent her to the canvas. Sweetie made him to go to
a corner, and started counting at the stunned hyena.
	"One, two, three, four."
	"That's going to leave a mark." Wally whispered to Ruby, who was watching the
fight right next to him.
	Hillary shook her head and rubbed her chin while, slowly, returning to her feet.
Sweetie gave her a fast check-up, asking her if she could continue. The hyena looked at
the jaguar, already back to his fighting stance, and grinned.
	"Of course I can continue, Sweetie." Hillary said to the bird right before getting
her own fighting stance back. "Come on, J.A.M., let's rock!"
	The jaguar and the hyena exchanged a fast series of punches, with none of them
getting a clear advantage. Certainly, The J.A.M. was connecting most of the attacks,
while avoiding or blocking most of Hillary's, but the hyena, being slightly stronger than
him, could resist them, while her attacks, despite missing many times, the few she
connected made some major damage. The J.A.M., starting feeling a little tired because of
the fight, and resenting some of Hillary's strongest blows, decided to use his warping trick
again; after all, she was asking him to use all his speed and strength, and, in toon boxing
matches, any natural movement was allowed, and warping was natural for the jaguar.
	WARP!
	The jaguar disappeared from the front of the hyena.
	UNWARP!
	The jaguar reappeared aside Hillary. who received him with a roundhouse punch.
	WHAM!
	The jaguar made a half-spin movement right before kissing the canvas. Hillary
moved back to a corner while Sweetie started counting. The dizzy feline shook his head,
and handled to stand up right before the bird counted five. At that moment, the bell rang.
	"Saved by the bell, uh?" Ruby asked her boyfriend, who was in charge of timing
the rounds.
	"Yep. but, honestly, I don't know who I saved here." Wally admitted. He was
actually glad the fight wasn't a real one, or those two would certainly tear each other
apart.
	"That's enough for today, kids. I'm making this match a tie, okay?" Rita told the
hyena and the jaguar, who nodded to her and then smiled to each other right before the
friendly hug the team members always had before the sparring fights.
	"That was pretty impressive, J.A.M. I knew you are strong, but never imagined
you would be that tough." The hyena admitted.
	"Thanks, Hill, and you certainly aren't kidding when claiming you're the strongest
toon around. And that trick you used to hit me after warping. that was clever." The J.A.M.
commented.
	"Hey, we all have some special skills, remember? You have your warping, the
voice and languages stuff, and your pressure points attacks, and me, well, I have my
strength, my spin-changes, and, of course, fighting back any stunt performed on me once.
When I get injured because of a special fighting move, or fall for a cheat or trick, that's
normally the only time that happens, because the next one I know the way to
counterattack." The hyena chuckled at the end, right before leaving the ring, allowing
Ronald to help her down. The jaguar followed her, and jumped down next to Mary and
Fifi.
	"How are you feeling, Furrycoat?" Mary asked her boyfriend in her usual kind
tone while touching his cheek after he removed the head gear.
	"I'm fine, Cielito." The J.A.M. replied with an affective smile. "But I think I'm
going to be a little sore in the morning."
	"Zon't worry, mon ami." Fifi entered the conversation. "Moi am giving Ron, Mary
and Sweetie a ride home, so you can come with us and have some rest before dropping
you closer to vour house."
	"Fifi is right and. I can nurse you if you want." The girl smiled shyly before giving
his jaguar a little kiss and scratching his chin, making him to purr in happiness. Fifi and
Babs chuckled at the scene, and Rita was about to do the same, when noticing Ron and
Hillary were having a similar moment right next to her.
	"You know, kids, I like how much you two love each other, but, please, don't
overdo it in my presence, okay? Every time you go all lovey-dovey, I think you're going
to make me a grandma before time." Rita said to her son and someday-might-be-
daughter-in-law, making them to blush like crazy.
	"That was pretty cool, guys!" Gosalyn said to both Hillary and The J.A.M. in her
usual excited way. "Oh, boy! If we start selling tickets for our training sessions, we might
get rich in no time!"
	"Girl, you are spending too much time around Plucky." Ruby rolled her eyes while
placing a paw on Gos' shoulder. The avian shrugged.
	"Nah. I already was like this before moving here."
	"No wonder you two are so close, uh, Ruby?" Babs joked, getting a fake glare
from the rodent and the little duck.
	"Now, girls, and boys, you better shower and go home. I'll put everything on place
before leaving; excellent job, all of you, and thanks a lot for helping Hillary, J.A.M." Rita
directed to the young toons, getting her usual sly smile.
	"You're welcome, Rita. but, and I mean no offense, I doubt I'll agree to do that
again." The jaguar replied politely, making everyone to chuckle.
	"I can help you pack up everything, Mom." Ronald offered. Rita smiled at him,
and then used her blowing finger's trick, that allowed her to get some extra height (more
suitable for some tasks) and a little more feminine look.
	"Thanks, Ronnie, but it's getting late, and you have to shower and go home to do
your homework. I can start packing everything, and your dad will arrive soon to help me
and then we'll go home as well. I already have dinner ready, so you can eat without
waiting for us." Rita said to her son while placing a paw on his shoulder.
	"Oh. you two want some private time, uh? No problem, Mommy." Ronald gave
Rita a knowing smile, making her to blush a little and the other toons to laugh.
	"Respect your mother, kid. Now, go shower, okay?" Rita kissed his cheek right
before giving him a friendly slap on the back. Ron nodded, and he and the other boys
went to the boys' dressing room to shower while the girls headed to their own.
	"That boy knows us very well, definitely, he does." Rita turned when hearing her
husband's voice coming from the gym's door and slowly approaching her, walking on his
back legs.
	"Yes. and he's growing up so fast. It seems it was just yesterday when he was just
a little pup-kitty biting your ears and playing with my tail." Rita sighed, getting a
nostalgic look.
	"I know what you mean. And he is becoming a great man. or hybrid, or adult, or
whatever." Runt scratched his head in confusion, making Rita to roll her eyes.
"Sometimes I think it's a miracle we were lucky enough to have him, definitely."
	"I know what you mean. Remember when we realized I was pregnant? Everyone
kept telling us that it was a major risk for me and the baby, and he might as well have
birth defects." Rita rubbed her neck at the memory. "Good thing everyone was wrong."
	"That's because he definitely has a wonderful mom." Runt smiled fondly at the cat
while getting her in an affective hug.
	"And a very nice and strong dad," Rita replied with a fond look as well, and then
she and Runt kissed passionately for a few minutes.
	"That was good. definitely, very good." Runt said in a whisper after breaking the
kiss.
	"Wait for the kids to go home, and I'll show you something REALLY good." Rita
seductively replied, making Runt to blush and then kiss her again.
	None of them noticed a little red bird located on the top of the gym, looking at
them with crystal-like eyes, or the moment it left through an open window.
	None, that is, except, maybe, a certain blond loon levitating on her bedroom while
doing her daily meditation.
	"Like, weird, or some junk." Shirley said to herself while opening her eyes,
getting a thoughtful yet somehow worried expression. "Either that tofu burger I had for
lunch wasn't well cooked, or I'm getting the darkest vibes I had felt since Plucky
convinced me to assist to that Ozzy Ozzborne's concert."
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	- Gone With The Water.

	"You guys are spoiling us, you know that?" Hillary said in a half-joking, half-
casual tone to Ronald and Wally, who were carrying the hyena and Rhubella through the
Looniversity's corridors. Ronald, of course, was carrying Hillary on his back, piggy ride-
style, while Wally was transporting Ruby bridal-style.
	"I'm already spoiled, so. don't hear her, baby." Ruby said to her canine boyfriend
while leaning her head on his shoulder, making both of them to blush a little and smile.
Buster and Babs, who were walking the other direction, exchanged greetings with the
other couples.
	"How nice. Buster, why do you never carry me that way?" Babs asked the blue
rabbit in a fake angry tone.
	"Well, I might do it if I start working out, or you lose ten pounds." Buster joked,
making Babs to give a playful yet hard yanking to his right ear.
	"Buster, you should already know about never joking with a girl's weight. That's a
very delicate topic for us." Mary, alongside The J.A.M. and Gosalyn, joined the rabbits.
	"Yes. Just look at Oprah." Gosalyn joked.
	"That's not exactly the mental image I like having so early in the morning, Gos."
The J.A.M. commented while rolling his eyes. The rest of the group chuckled, and then
spotted Shirley, who was staring at a window.
	"Hey, Shirley, what's up?" Mary greeted her, but the blonde didn't answer, still
looking at the window without changing her emotionless expression.
	"Shirley?" Gosalyn poked the loon's arm, still getting no response.
	"Houston, we lost contact." Babs mimicked an astronaut-like voice, but got a
worried expression a moment later. Sure, Shirley's mind was always on another world of
her own, but even when deep meditating, she still reacted to everything around her, and
Babs knew that her current expression wasn't even close to be the one she had when
doing her meditation, or using her powers on any way.
	"This is weird. She isn't reacting at all." The J.A.M. said while gently shaking the
blond avian. He and the loon weren't close, since she was deep into New Age stuff, and
he was a very religious toon (something that somehow granted him with some strong
protection against magic in general), but, over the last year, they had become a lot tolerant
to each other, respecting their differences; actually, Shirley became glad for finding
someone immune to her powers, and even more when some of the closest jaguar's friends,
including Mary, got that same protection too after they joined the ranks of the Waiting
Ones, since that confirmed the existence of some pretty high powers beyond Shirley's
abilities' reach, and one of the reasons the avian got deep in metaphysic stuff on first
place was to discover the existence of said powers, though deep down, Shirley still feared
them.
	SPLASH!
	"Like, iceberg ahead, or some junk!" Shirley, soaked, finally reacted, getting a
surprised expression and shaking her wings. Everyone else turned to see Buster and his
infamous water gun.
	"That's your answer to every problem, Buster?" Babs folded her arms and glared
at him.
	"Only when I want to get a girl's attention, Babsy, and if it works with you, why
not with her?" Buster shrugged and put the gun back into his body pocket. Then he
walked next to Shirley and placed a paw on her shoulder, changing to a more serious
expression. "Sorry about that, Shirley, but you were freaking us out. Do you feel okay?"
	"Like. yes, Buster, and thanks for waking me up, or some junk." Shirley shook her
head and then used her powers to dry herself. "But I hate using my powers for this; my
sweater always gets static electricity, or some junk."
	"Anyway, what happened to you, Shirley? Are you sick, or something?" Mary
asked her in a friendly yet worried tone.
	"Like, no, Mary, it's just that. well, it's hard to explain, especially to muggles like
you guys." Shirley placed a hand/wing on her forehead, and sighed. "Look, had you ever
been in a situation when your senses get overwhelmed, or some junk?"
	"Actually, yes, Shirley, I had." Everybody turned to see The J.A.M., who was
rubbing his chin like if remembering something. "When I still lived in Mexico, and some
`friends' of mine convinced me to go to a disco for the first time, well. it was pretty hard
for me; the noise, the crowd, and the lights, all at once and in a sudden, it was just too
much for my senses. My nose got confused with all the new scents in a closed space,
especially cigarette smoke; my eyes couldn't adjust to the constantly changing lights, and
the sounds almost deafened me as well, and as a result I got a terrible migraine. I had to
sit down apart from everyone else for about half an hour until I got used to the place."
	"Well, something like that is happening to me." Shirley then explained, feeling
pretty glad that the jaguar could find a close enough experience so the others could
understand her problem more easily. "Even when I'm not using my powers in, like, an
active way, like levitating, summoning psychic electricity, or scanning an aura or mind, I
always have my psychic senses on, so I can detect evil vibes, or, at times, even some
strong feelings or thoughts. not that I'm reading a mind without permission," the avian
pointed quickly, remembering that the overusing of her powers in a negative way was the
main reason of her past problems with the jaguar, "it's just that some things are pretty
strong for me to ignore, even if making the effort to block them. It's like trying to sleep
during a heavy metal concert."
	"So, you're feeling some pretty strong vibes, or maybe a person with a very
powerful thought on his or her head." Buster guessed, getting now a better idea about the
way Shirley's abilities work.
	"Yes, but these vibes are so strong, and so evil, that they are like, flooding my
brain so hard I can't even find the source." Shirley sighed. "I had been feeling them since
yesterday, but maybe that evil source arrived at the city before that, and just now I started
sensing it. We all know my powers aren't flawless, so I can't precise anything about this
force, except that it's a very dangerous one, and that worries me."
	Everyone around Shirley got silent. All of them, even Mary and The J.A.M., who
didn't were magical believers, knew that Shirley's powers were real, and she could do
some pretty amazing stuff and sense things that were a mystery for everyone else. The
J.A.M. compared her abilities with his night vision; in the darkness, many things could be
around, but only someone like him could see them.
	"Shirley, are you entirely sure about this?" Mary asked, half-concerned, half-
angry. There was the chance that Shirley had confused an unknown power with an evil
one, as she had done once, creating some harsh feelings among the girls that took some
time to heal.
	"No, I'm sure about this one." Shirley shook her head, guessing Mary's suspicion.
"An unknown power is that, unknown, so I can't tell anything about its nature. A pure
good, or a pure evil, however, I can sense them like Fifi's fumes on a flower shop, or
some junk."
	"If you want, I can contact my friend Morgana and talk to her about this, Shirley."
Gosalyn proposed. "Two sorceresses are better than one, right?"
	"I'm not exactly a sorceress, Gos, but that's not a bad idea." Shirley smiled at the
younger avian. "But let's keep this among us, please; I don't want to spread panic until
knowing for sure what's going on."
	"Of course; we can scream like sissies and run like headless chickens then."
Buster joked, making everyone to get a much needed yet slight smile.
	"Thanks, guys." Shirley sighed in relief. "Better discuss this at lunch, okay? I don't
want us to get late to next class, even if it's for a good reason."
	"Yeah. Who would like missing next Elmer Fudd's lecture, even if a dooming
force is ready to strike from the shadows?" Babs said in a sarcastic way. A moment later,
all of them were heading to their respective classrooms, still a little shaken because of the
news of a mysterious and upcoming danger menacing them.
	The moment Gogo Dodo's announced it was time for next class, a couple of
crystal like-eyed red birds flew over the Looniversity, and then made circles over it. A
few moments later, the school's water pipes started creaking, and a few drops of water
leaked through them.
	"Hurry up, Plucky!" Hamton hurried his pal, who had stopped next to the closest
water fountain. "We are already late."
	"Relax, Hammy." Plucky replied in a trying-to-be-cool tone. "I'm just getting a
little drink. Besides, we have Elmer's class now. Just wait for a couple of minutes, and
we'll be able to get into the classroom right under his nose; he'll be too busy with his
lecture, and everyone else will be sleeping, so we'll have no problems." Plucky then
moved his beak next to the fountain to get a sip, but nothing came.
	"What's wrong with this thing?"
	SPLASH!
	A short yet powerful water blast hit Plucky and sent him across the corridor.
Hamton ran next to him and helped the duck stand up.
	"Just when you thought it was safe to return to the water." Plucky groaned, and,
instead of forgetting about the whole thing and go to the classroom, like any other less
stubborn toon would do, walked angrily towards the fountain.
	"Listen, you overrated sink, I want to take a sip, and you'll better cooperate, or
else!" Plucky yelled at the fountain, and then kicked it.
	"OW! OW! OW!"
	Plucky started jumping on one foot while grabbing the other one in pain. Hamton
sighed, and placed a hand on the duck's shoulder.
	"Calm down, Plucky. Unless that fountain was originally a prop from a Thirties'
cartoon, I don't think it will respond to your orders." The pig said in a calming tone,
making Plucky to cool down a little and then, without saying a word, they turned their
back to the fountain and started heading to the classroom. But, before they had advanced
more than ten steps.
	RUUUUMMMMMBBBLLLLEEEE...
	"Your stomach?" Plucky worriedly looked at Hamton, who gulped and shook his
head. Then, slowly, both toons turned back, and saw the fountain vibrating, so hard, that
it broke part of the floor, revealing some thick water pipes that were vibrating as well.
	"RUN!" Plucky yelled, and, before he or the pig could escape in a panic dash.
	SPLLAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!
	RRRUUUUMMMMMBBBBBLLLLEEE!
	Everybody at the school heard the powerful noise, and a few moments later, the
whole place was getting flooded! The water ran through the corridors, reaching all the
classrooms, and breaking down the doors because of the pressure.

	"Oh, great! Plucky flushed stuff in the toilets again!" Babs said to herself after
jumping over her seat, in a failed attempt to escape from the water.
	"Someone open a window!" Elmer Fudd yelled from the top of his desk. Furrball,
who had jumped over Calamity's shoulders to avoid getting wet (not a very smart move,
surely, since the coyote was just slightly taller than the cat), nodded, and then jumped to
the next window to try opening it. "Try" being the key word, since the window was stuck.
Buster tried to do the same on a different window, but the result was pretty much the
same; unknown to him, all the school's windows were on the same situation, and so the
exit doors, therefore the water's level was quickly getting higher.
	"Let's break them!" Max, who was a few feet behind Buster, sitting on the
shoulders of his bodyguard, Marcus, suggested, and, for once, everyone agreed with the
bratty millionaire. However, just when The J.A.M. was about to hit the glass with his
right paw, a powerful water current formed in front of the windows, pushing him and all
the other toons out from the classroom. The same thing happened all around the school,
so now everyone was at the corridors, trying to reach the lockers to climb on top and be
safe for the moment.
	"TAZ HATES WATER! TAZ HATES WATER!" The Tasmanian devil's
catchphrase was heard by Bugs and Daffy, who were now safe on top of a line of lockers,
and handled to grab him when he passed next to them, saving the marsupial.
	"Great. Nothing like the pthsmell of a wet Tapthsmanian devil in the morning."
Daffy rolled his eyes, ignoring Taz's glare at him.
	"Not now, Daff. We have a big problem here." Bugs replied while offering his
paw to a random student he could grab from his safe spot. "Can ya swim around, and try
savin' some of da kids?"
	"I'm a duck, not a pthsalmon." Daffy gave a good look to the water around them.
"The water pthshouldn't be able to move this fast. It's like, an indoor rapid or
pthsomething." Bugs realized Daffy was right; even if the pipes exploded, the water
shouldn't be moving that fast and nothing could explain why all the exits were blocked.
	"Sneezer!" Sweetie, flying over the flooded corridors, looked for the little gray
mouse. They were together when the flood started, and the current separated them. The
canary was more or less dry enough to fly, but, even if Sneezer could swim, he wasn't
good enough to do it in raging waters.
	"Swee. glub! Sweetie!" The canary, scared yet relieved by hearing her boyfriend's
voice, turned back and found him, trying to get his head over the water. The avian dived,
mimicking the fishing technique of her foster father (a bald eagle), and grabbed the
mouse's paw with her talons. Unfortunately, the current was still just too strong, and it
yanked down the bird girl, so now the two of them were in danger. Sweetie and Sneezer,
losing their breath, embraced tightly, fearing the end.
	GASP!
	GASP!
	The little toons got an extremely needed breath at that moment. They realized they
were now on top of a rodent girl's head, and moving at a good speed towards the next
lockers line.
	"Are you two okay?" Rhubella asked her passengers right after dropping them on
top of one locker. The little toons coughed and then looked at her, smiling.
	"Thanks a lot, Miss Ruby." Sneezer replied while holding Sweetie's wing on his
paws. "Didn't know you could swim this well!"
	"What can I say? I have some river rat's genes." Ruby explained, happy that they
were both fine, and then, after taking a deep breath, returned to her aquatic search of
toons in problems.
	"Help!" Rhubella accelerated when hearing a male voice a few feet ahead, and
gasped when realizing who needed to be rescued.
	"Help me! Glub! I can't swim!" Arnold yelled in fear while clumsily trying to keep
his head over the water's surface. Ruby swam next to him, and passed an arm through his
neck while trying to calm him down; Arnold was way heavier than her, and, even if she
could tranquilize him, he was still just too much for the rat to rescue by her own,
especially while fighting the current at the same time.
	"Hang on, Ruby! I'm coming!" Buster, thanks to a large surfing board he took out
from his body pocket, approached Ruby and Arnold, using the currents to his advantage.
A few moments later, the rat and the panting dog were safe on the board.
	"Thanks, Buster!" Rhubella sighed in relief while she and the rabbit checked
Arnold. "I just saved Sweetie and Sneezer. You know about the others?"
	"Almost all of them are safe on top of a locker. Concord is flying around to give a
hand, and the best swimmers, like The J.A.M., Shirley, Plucky, and Ronald, and I think
Minerva and Runt are helping too. Mary, Babs and Gogo are on a raft to help as well.
actually, Gogo is the raft." Buster explained, and then noticed something. "Hey, where's
Wally?"
	"Right behind you, wearing goggles and a snorkel," Rhubella pointed, and Buster
turned to see a thin human wearing a white hat, red goggles, black snorkel, and a stripped
red and white scuba diving suit, waving hello to him.
	"That recurrent gag is getting on my nerves." Buster slapped his forehead. "I mean
your boyfriend! It's kind of weird to see you without him covering your back."
	"We split some time ago, after helping Calamity and Furrball." Rhubella told him.
"He said he had an idea to get rid of the water. Hope he hurries up!" The rat said right
before a huge wave almost made them to fall from the board.
	Meanwhile, Ronald, with Fowlmouth riding his back, approached the lockers
where Hillary was taking care of some other toons. Even if the hyena could swim, she
wasn't nearly as good as the hybrid, so decided to stay and keep an eye on the rescued
students.
	"Thanks, pal! I always wanted a dadgum indoors pool, but this is dadgum
ridiculous!" The little chicken said while Hillary helped him to climb on top of the locker.
	"Are you fine, Muscle Boy?" Hillary asked her boyfriend. "I might be crazy, but I
swear the currents are getting stronger by the moment!"
	"Yes, you're crazy, but we already knew that!" Ronald replied, raising his voice to
be heard over the raging water noise; Hillary chuckled at the hybrid attempts of making
her laugh even in the worst moments. "But I think you are right! The currents are getting
stronger; I might not be able to swim against it for too long!"
	SPLAAAASSH!
	Suddenly, a powerful wave separated the couple, and the hybrid was pulled away
by the current. Ronald handled to get a good grip on the next lockers' line, but needed all
his strength to stay on place.
	"Hang on, Ronnie! I'm going to help you!" Hillary yelled, trying to hide her fear,
but somehow failing.
	"Stay there, Hill! I'm fine, and I'm not going anywhere!" Ronald yelled back, not
wanting the hyena to risk herself, especially since he was strong enough to stay on that
place for a while. Unfortunately, the water seemed to have its own plans.
	A gigantic wave appeared at the corridor at that moment, and, weirdly enough,
even if everyone got covered by it, the most of the impact seemed to be focused right
where Ronald was holding himself. Hillary tried her best to get a look at him, but, when
the wave disappeared.
	"Ronald? RONALD!" Hillary yelled, this time not even making an effort to hide
her fear. The hybrid was gone, as well as a couple of lockers' doors, and the remaining
lockers had claws' marks, obviously made by Ronald while trying to resist the push.
	Wally finally reached the place he was looking for. As assistant janitor, he knew
the Looniversity much better than most toons, and guessed where was the right point for
what he was about to do.
	"Here goes nothing." Wally took a deep breath, and made an aquatic spin-change.
The water covered him, and, after a couple of seconds, he emerged from the water
surface, and flied a few feet over it, thanks to the green jet boots he know was using,
alongside the green gloves, mask, short cape, and chest plate/vest with a yellow D on it.
	"Activating Dyno-Drill!" Wally, on his Dyno-Wolf's identity, pressed his nose,
and then his front paws and his muzzle turned into drills that immediately started
working. "Wolf Wonder. AWAY!"
	SPLAAASH!
	WHIIIRRRRR..
	Dyno-Wolf dived back into the water and drilled his way through the floor, the
underground levels, and then the solid rock under the Looniversity at high speed. After a
couple of minutes, he made an angled turn, and directed back to the surface, emerging a
few dozen miles away, right next to the city's dam, ready to drop all the flood's water.
Wally spin-changed back to normal, and sat next to the tunnel, that immediately turned
into a geyser because of the water jumping out of it. Wally decided to stay there, just in
case not everyone at the school was on a safe place and got sucked with the water as well.
	Back at the Loo, Wally's plan was actually working. The water, even if, strangely,
still tried to form huge unnatural waves, was quickly being sucked by Wally's tunnel.
After a few minutes, the water was low and quiet enough for everyone to jump down the
lockers.
	"Well, done, Lobillo!" Ruby happily exclaimed, using Wally's pet name, and then
turned to look at Buster. "Remind me to congratulate Wally the right way when he comes
back, please."
	"You mean something like that?" Buster pointed behind the rat, who turned to see
a pretty happy Arnold kissing the floor.
	"Dry land! Oh, how much I adore you!" Arnold said between kisses, not caring
about how many toons were now looking at him. Buster and Rhubella shook their heads,
and, whistling innocently, walked away to search for their friends. Almost everyone was
at the main door by now.
	"The doors are, I say, the doors are still locked, I mean, locked, boy!" Foghorn
Leghorn directed to the staff and students while he and Marc Anthony struggled to open
the door.
	"I'm on dat, doc." Bugs said while placing a paw on Taz' shoulder, and then
whispered something on his ear. "I'll give ya a hamboiger if ya take down da door, boy."
	"YEARGAZZAFRAZZLE!" Taz happily replied, and then, moving aside from
Bugs, turned into his trademark tornado form, breaking down the door.
	"That guy ipths great when you can't find the pthspare key." Sylvester whispered
to Penelope, who just shrugged, and then everyone left the building.
	"Everyone, stop!" All the toons turned to see a very worried Hillary behind them.
	"Ron got caught by a current, and I hadn't found him yet!"
	Everyone gasped, and Rita, Runt, and Minerva (who loved Ronald as a brother)
got shocked expressions. The cat was the first to react, running towards Hillary and
grabbing her by the shoulders.
	"You looked everywhere? Near the tunnel too?" Rita worriedly asked. Hillary
nodded, showing an equally concerned expression. Ronald's classmates and family, and
the rest of the staff moved next to the females.
	"Let's calm down, okay?" Ruby said while placing her paws on Rita's shoulders.
"Maybe he went through that improvised drain Wally made, and, in that case, he'll appear
wherever Wally finished the tunnel. And I'm sure Wally is smart enough to check the
tunnel on his way back to get sure nobody is caught in there."
	"Ya' might be right, kid, but I'm runnin' no risks." Bugs said while walking next to
the tunnel, and then made a spin change into a scuba diver. "I'm goin' in!" Bugs directed
to Rita and Runt, who just nodded and took each other's paw.
	"We're going too!" Minerva and Hillary said at the same time, and then spin-
changed like Bugs did. Despite the situation, some of the males around couldn't help but
whistle at the sight of the gorgeous mink on a tight outfit, and a few ones even whistled at
Hillary, who looked quite pretty as well in a fitness-championess kind of way; the girls
ignored them, and, a moment later, the three toons were at the tunnel. Everyone was near
the edge, hoping for them to appear with Ronald. Everybody was totally quiet for about a
minute, when.
	"I DON'T SEE THEM! I DON'T SEE THEM!"
	"LOUD!" Everybody glared at Loud Kiddington, who immediately covered his
mouth and got an ashamed look.
	"Sorry. Old habits die hard." The kid whispered back, and became silent, as
everyone else.
	After almost ten minutes, the rescue group emerged, with. Wally, wearing a scuba
diving suit as well.
	"Wally?" Runt got a puzzled expression, and after helping the wolf out from the
tunnel, placed his paws on the young canine's shoulders. "Wally, please, where is my
boy?"
	Wally got a sad expression at Runt's worried look, and sighed. Bugs had a
concerned expression as well, and Minerva and Hillary were at the verge of tears.
	"I waited until the water stopped pouring from the tunnel before coming back
through it, to check it there was anyone trapped in there, but. nobody was. I didn't see
Ronald."
	Runt froze at Wally's words and expression, and a moment later, he and Rita were
embracing and sobbing. Wally obviously was feeling guilty, but Ruby, with a sad yet
calmed expression, approached him and explained him Ronald was caught by the current
way before he made the tunnel, hoping that, at least, the wolf wouldn't blame himself for
whatever happened to the hybrid.
	Bugs took control of the situation. He asked Sylvia to call the police, and Pete and
Wile to start checking the place and find the cause of the whole mess, while the students
were asked to stay and wait for the ambulances to give them a good check up, and the rest
of the staff went to inspect the classrooms, searching for damage, lost items, and (Bugs
hoped it wasn't the case) missed students.
	"He has to be alright. Ronald isn't that weak. He must be fine!" Hillary said in a
cracked voice, trying to convince herself, and then kneeled and started punching the
ground in a rage.
	"Ronnie, please, you have to be fine! You have to! Your family needs you! And
Minerva! And our friends! I need you, you hear me, you big fool? I NEED YOU!"
Hillary's ranting was cut by Minerva and Mary, each one placing a hand/paw on the
hyena's shoulders, making her to stop and then, for the first time ever, the hyena allowed
herself to cry in public, using both Mary and Minerva's chests to hide her face. Minerva
herself was sobbing a lot, and Mary had to wash away some of her tears as well, even if
the human girl was getting teary eyes too.
	"I love you, Ronnie. please, come back to me." Hillary muffled voice, even if
quiet, was easily heard by everyone around her.
	A few feet away, Shirley, alongside the toons that broke her out of her trance that
morning (minus Mary, of course) watched the scene with sad eyes.
	"I just hope Ronald is okay." Babs sighed while looking down. "Not just for him,
but for his family, and for Minerva and Hillary. I never even imagined that tomboy hyena
could cry. and she is almost making me do it too." Buster nodded and placed a paw over
her shoulder; the blue rabbit hated the idea of losing any of his friends, and knew that, if
Babs was in Ronald's place, he would be as devastated as Hillary.
	"How this happened?" The J.A.M. said in a sad yet thoughtful tone. "The whole
flood was totally unnatural. I know Acme Acres makes the impossible possible, but this
mess is weird, even here!"
	"I sensed dark vibes from the water." Shirley said, making everyone to look at her.
	"It has no sense, and maybe it was because of the mess my powers are right now,
but I'm almost sure that the water had, like, an evil vibe, or some junk. but water can't be
evil! It just exists, like a rock or the air; it has no conscience. and yet, I felt one here! Call
me crazy, BUT I DID!" Shirley almost exploded at the last part, hating the idea of
doubting of her own abilities. Gosalyn narrowed her eyes, and placed a wing on Shirley's
shoulder, calming her down; then, the red haired avian adopted the most serious look
everyone had seen on her, and talked in a serene yet angry voice.
	"If your powers are right, Shirley, we are in trouble, and I'm not calling you crazy.
I'm calling Darkwing. "
	Gosalyn knew that things could get even worse.
	The concept of sentient, evil water wasn't strange to her.
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	The Search.

	"Liquidator?"
	"Yes, Da.Darkwing; I'm almost sure. My friend Shirley said the water had an evil
aura, and we all agree that the liquid wasn't acting in a natural way." Gosalyn explained to
her father (obviously, covering his secret ID in front of her friends) thanks to the special
communication sphere Morgana gave to her.
	Normally, Gosalyn only used the sphere to contact her dad and Honker, her
boyfriend, for friendly chats and, in the case of Honker, tutoring for Math and some long
distance making out (the sphere allowed them to have some limited physical contact); this
was the first time she used it to contact her dad in public, since she wasn't never sure
about when he was using his Darkwing's disguise, but, of course, none of her classmates
had ever been kidnapped by one of Saint Canard's most dangerous criminals. Right now,
all her friends, including a more calmed down Hillary, and most of the staff (including
Rita, Runt, and Minerva) were around her to hear the conversation; Darkwing couldn't see
them, but could hear as well, so was pretty careful to not reveal his relationship with Gos
since most of them knew he was her mentor, preparing the girl to be a heroine but the
father-daughter thing was still a secret, even if some of Gos' friends already were
suspecting something.
	"Gosalyn is right, Mister Duck." The J.A.M. said to the mallard, a little hesitant
about using a magical way of communication, but recognizing the importance of giving
the hero all the information they had. "Professor Coyote and our friend Calamity already
checked all the windows and exit doors, and the reason we couldn't open them is because
all the locks were magnetized except one. If Gos is right, then this Liquidator guy used
that exit to escape with Ronald while Wally tried to get rid of the water."
	"Magnetized?" Darkwing rubbed his beak in deep thought. "Liquidator obviously
can't do that. unless someone is working with him."
	"Megavolt!" Both Gosalyn and Darkwing exclaimed while looking at each other.
	"This is more serious than I thought." Darkwing commented, and then went back
to his thoughtful expression. "But it has no sense. Kidnapping isn't their style. and, if it
was, there are pretty wealthy guys studying at the Looniversity, right?"
	"Yes. My friend Rhubella and that Montana Max boy," Gosalyn pointed, "and
even myself, if we consider I had been living with my rich cousins since I moved here.
And yes, I thought the same thing; if this was just kidnapping, Ronald isn't the most
prized target. In that case, Perfecto Prep would be a more adequate place for our fiends to
attack."
	"Good reasoning, Gos. but, if we consider Licky and Sparky normally don't work
together, unless they are with the rest of The Bozo Squad, then this is far more serious
than simple monetary benefits. Ronald has any enemies that might have paid them to
kidnap him?" Darkwing asked.
	"Well, The Perfectos once hired some hunters to catch him and some other
members of the football team." Wally informed the duck. "But Perfecto's team is already
out from the tournament, and, if they were behind this, then your enemies should have
attacked other key players too, like Hillary, Dizzy, Buster, who is the quarterback and the
guy The Perfectos hate the most; or me."
	"Good observation, Wally. And if this was just a kidnapping, it would be done as
secretly as possible, but it seems the attack was planned to make Ronald's disappearance
to look like a lost toon's case during a freaky accident, or a stupid prank gone wrong, to
avoid the cops get suspicious. obviously, Licky didn't consider Miss Loon sensing him."
Darkwing then cleared his throat, ready to give some indications.
	"Okay, here is what we are going to do. I'll try to get there as soon as I can, but
right now I'm in the middle of the Atlantic with Launchpad chasing some clowns from
F.O.W.L., so it's up to you to do something for the time being. First, Bugs, give the police
all the information, including the possibility of super-powered toons involved."
	"Count on dat, doc."
	"Good. Second, I'm transferring all the data about my enemies from my main
computer (good thing I can do it from the Thunderquack's one) to Wile E. Coyote's lab. It
might be helpful for the investigation, and prepare some adequate weaponry to fight back
their powers." Wile E. Coyote and Calamity got stern looks, nodding. "Then, some of you
must try gathering information from the local criminals; they are a very valuable source of
clues and hints."
	"Leave that to me." Rhubella pointed to herself. "I might no longer be a Perfecto,
but I still know some toons with underworld contacts. but I'll need someone to come with
me for protection."
	"You don't even have to ask." Wally placed a paw on her shoulder, and they
nodded to each other.
	"Great. The rest of you, try finding your friend by using your own abilities, but
don't, and this is very important, DON'T try to rescue him without help." Darkwing got a
very stern look. "Keep contact among yourselves all the time, and search in pairs or trios.
We don't need another hostage here."
	"Correct. Don't worry, Darkwing. We'll handle this, and thanks." Gosalyn gave
DW a military salute, and Darkwing nodded in reply.
	"Good. Please, be very careful, all of you. and Gosalyn? The whole not-fighting-
alone stuff applies especially for you. I had made the mistake of trying to do a lot by my
own without any help, and you know how it had ended." Darkwing said in a more gentle
tone; he couldn't help but showing a little of fatherly concern, knowing he wouldn't be
there to cover his little girl's back.
	"I know, and you can be sure I won't do anything stupid. We all care too much
about Ronnie to risk his life because of a silly mistake." Gosalyn seriously said, and then
she and Darkwing gave each other a little smile. "I'll call you later. Good luck with your
case, and you and Launchpad take care as well, please. See you."
	The Masked Mallard nodded to Gosalyn, and then his image disappeared from the
sphere, that immediately stopped glowing and returned to its regular smaller size. Gos put
it back into her body pocket, and then Bugs took control.
	"Ya all heard da duck. I'll contact da police, and Wile and Cal will do some lab
work. For da search t'ing, I want all da flyin' toons on da air," Bugs gave a fast look to
Tweetie, Sweetie, Daffy, Plucky, and Corcord, who nodded in reply, "and Buster and
Babs doin' an underground search." The blue and the pink bunny got stern looks, and
nodded as well. Bugs then walked next to Hillary.
	"Goil, I want ya and all da other toons with a good nose to try findin' Ronnie by
his scent." Hillary nodded, getting a decided look; now she knew that her beloved hybrid
wasn't lost in an accident, but kidnapped by someone, her sadness was replaced with a
directed anger, and the eagerness to find Ronald and give his captors a lesson that would
horrify even Stephen King.
	"Shirley, we'll need yer powers here." Bugs directed to the blond loon. "I've heard
about psychics who help cops find missin' people, so ya might be able to locate Ron."
	"Like. I can't promise anything, Bugs." Shirley admitted, avoiding eye contact
with the rabbit. "My psychic senses aren't very trustable at the moment, or some junk. I
doubt I might be able to find anyone even if he was under my beak." Shirley then sensed
the extremely sad vibes coming from Ronald's parents, and Minerva as well, alongside
Hillary's eagerness and concern, and sighed. "But I can promise to do my best."
	"We expect no more, goil. Rita, Runt, I want ya two to go Minerva's place, and
stay t'ere until we make some progress." Bugs said to the cat and dog in a calming tone
while placing a paw on each other's shoulder. "We'll find da kid, okay?" Rita and Runt
nodded, with a little hint of hope on their faces.
	"Alright! Okay, toonsters, chose your search partners, and let's save our pal!"
Buster exclaimed in his trademark leader voice, and right after everyone replied, he and
Babs dived in the ground, starting their own search.
	"Eet is time for some super fast searching, amigos!" Speedy Gonzales directed to
The Roadrunner and Little Beeper, who were right next to him. "Andale, andale!
Yeepah!" The three speedsters zoomed away, ready to search all around Acme Acres.
	"This is a job for." Plucky spin-changed, emerging a few seconds later in a blue
superhero outfit with white cape and gloves, while adopting a heroic posture. "The Toxic
Revenger!" A second later, he was up in the sky.
	"Hope he doesn't forget he is supposed to be searching for Ronald." Hamton
rolled his eyes before joining his other classmates and teachers to form the search teams.

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	"I wonder what the common avians are doing right now." Harrison Nigel
Silverbill, one of Perfecto's top bad guys, commented to his partner, Drake Danforth.
	"Who cares about them when we are alone with these beauties?" Drake chuckled
while rubbing his beak with Giselle Swan's, who was sitting next to him. Nigel smiled
widely, receiving a nice neck massage from Giselle's sister, Jasmine. The rich toons were
currently sitting on a large coach, at a richly decorated private room (normally used as a
second office for some Perfectos) in their country club, enjoying the wealth's privileges.
The boys were using silk bath robes, while the girls used pretty expensive (and small)
bikinis.
	"So, how it's going to be, guys?" Giselle said while playfully rubbing Nigel silver-
colored beak with her hand left hand. "One girl for each of you, or you want switch
later?"
	"Let's start, and see what passion decides, Gis." Nigel replied in a smug tone right
before he and Drake got lusty expressions and started making out with the girls.
	"Oh, sorry I'm interrupting. Believe me I didn't want to see this."
	Drake and Nigel gasped, and Jasmine and Giselle fell to the floor in surprise. In
front of them, Rhubella Rat was leaning her back against the door frame, folding her arms
and showing a sly look.
	"What the. what are you doing here, Rat?" Drake snapped at Ruby. "And how you
got in on first place?"
	"Hey, I attend Acme, but my family still has membership in this club, remember?"
Rhubella pointed while walking in front of the avians. "Besides, it's not like I'm
interrupting something that would take so long."
	"How dare you."
	"I'm Margot's friend, Drake. She tells me everything." The rat cut the snobbish
duck, who grumbled something under his breath. "Anyway, I don't want to talk with you,
Drakey, but with Nigel. I need certain information about some business deals you do for
your uncle here in Acme Acres."
	"My businesses are private ones, rodent." Nigel growled, and then snapped his
fingers, making two large dog bodyguards on black suits to appear from nowhere. "Boys,
please show the exit to the lovely lady."
	The dogs extended their arms to grab Rhubella, who didn't move an inch and gave
them a bored look.
	SWISH!
	SWISH!
	THUK!
	THUK!
	Nigel, as well as Drake and the swans, wide opened their eyes in surprise. The
bodyguards were now hanging from the wall behind them, thanks to something that made
contact on their suits' collars.
	"Are those arrows?" Jasmine asked, finally getting back her voice.
	"Yes. and there's the archer." Rhubella pointed over her shoulder. At the door, and
still holding her bow in a shooting position, was a red-haired duckette using a large
purple shirt with a huge Q symbol on it, as well as purple mask, gloves and clothing
shoes, and green and purple cape and Robin Hood-like hat. She was also carrying on her
back a quiver, filled up with several trick and conventional arrows.
	"I'm the Arrow that Strikes in the Night. I'm the shot that never misses. I'm. The
Quiverwing Quack!"
	"Q. Q. Quiverwing?" Nigel gulped in fear. "You mean. Darkwing Duck's pupil?"
	"That's right, Mister Silverbill." Gosalyn talked on her practiced superheroic
voice, a little deeper and more menacing than normal, while advancing through the room,
making the swans and Drake to move aside, leaving Nigel alone in front of her and Ruby.
"I see certain familiar resemblance on you, especially with that beak. I suppose Miss Rat
was right when telling me to come here."
	"B. but. you can't be Quiverwing!" Nigel exclaimed in panic. "You are supposed
to live in Saint Canard, not here!"
	"And so Darkwing, and that hadn't stopped him from chasing your uncle all
around the world." Quiverwing commented.
	"This is a trick! You're one of Rhubella's friends in disguise!"

	"Maybe. and maybe the same applies for the masked guy at the window."
Quiverwing said in a smug tone, and then, in a perfect cue, a large shadow fell over
Nigel; the toon projecting it seemed to be using a cape and a large fedora. Nigel turned at
the window, but saw nothing.
	"Let's see if we understand each other." Ruby talked in her best business voice,
"You can assume she is the real Quiverwing giving you a chance to cooperate with the
investigation she and Darkwing are currently working on without him interrogating you,
and then you can finish this the same way you and Drake do with all your girls. fast and
painless," Rhubella then switched to a more aggressive tone, "or you can keep thinking
she is a fake, in which case we'll leave the room, and allow HIM to have a chat with both
of you. He wouldn't mind giving Danforth some warning so he doesn't even consider
about visiting my friend's Margot, who happens to be the cousin of his sidekick's best
friend."
	"Tell her what she wants, please!" Drake begged to the chicken, getting a terrified
look.
	"Fine, I'll talk! What do you girls want?" Nigel finally gave up. Quiverwing
grabbed him by his collar and talked in soft yet firm way.
	"We want to know if any outsider criminal has arrived to Acme Acres in the last 3
months. Also, if anyone had rented a hiding place, warehouse, or something like that, or
bought some especial items, like lab stuff, high caliber or sophisticated weaponry, electric
equipment, manure, or high tech."
	"Well. curiously, someone has being buying a lot of all those things through some
of my contacts. I don't know who is because everything was done pretty secretly; he paid
in cash, so my associates made no questions." Nigel confessed.
	"And where had those things being delivered?" Quiverwing narrowed her eyes at
Nigel, making him to sweat in fear.
	"A warehouse!" Nigel said while pointing to a desk behind them. "I must have the
address in my agenda."
	Quiverwing released him, and pointed at the desk with her eyes. Nigel dashed to
it, and checked his agenda, ripping a sheet of paper after a few seconds, and giving it to
the heroine in a hurry.
	"Thanks for your cooperation, gentletoon." Quiverwing said to the chicken after
checking the paper, and then placed it in her body pocket. "Guess I should leave now; you
don't need to escort me. I know my way out." The duckette blinked an eye to Rhubella,
and then walked to the window. The girl opened it, and, after getting a dramatic posture,
jumped out, disappearing from sight in a moment.
	"I'll better go as well. Good to see you guys again." Ruby said in a mockery tone,
and then directed to the door.
	"You stupid traitor." Drake groaned in a low tone, but, unfortunately for him,
Ruby could hear him. The rat stopped, and, without moving an inch from her place,
stretched her tail until it was as long as a whip. A moment later, the tail acted like a lasso,
grabbing the duck by his neck, and then Ruby made a hips' movement, sending Drake the
other side of the room and smashing him against a wall.
	"It's amazing what you can learn at Acme after just a few months, don't you
think?" Ruby said in a snobbish way, and then exited the room while her tail returned to
its normal size.
	"That's my girl." A very proud Wally, who saw the whole scene alongside
Gosalyn, hidden on some bushes outside the window, commented to the little avian.
	"Yeah, and we played a great classic scene; she, the bad cop; me, the worse one."
Quiverwing chuckled while pointing at herself. "And you do a very nice impersonation of
Darkwing, Wally. Now, let's go check this address before calling the others."
	Wally nodded to the girl, and then they dashed to the club's entrance to wait for
Rhubella.

	Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Meanwhile, the search by scent continued all around the city; the search parties
were arranged to have a good nosed toon in company of at least two partners. Loud
Kiddington, Aka Pella and Porky were searching with Fetch, Loud's Labrador; Newt
(who had arrived at the Loo while the search teams were formed, and offered his help as
well) was searching with Slappy and Skippy; Barnyard Dog was with Foghorn Leghorn
and Pepe Le Pew (the skunk, of course, was walking REALLY far behind the dog, so his
stench wouldn't interfere with the canine's job); Taz was with Granny and Petunia;
Charlie Dog with Pete Puma and Fowlmouth; Dizzy with Sneezer and Bosko; Marc
Anthony with Sylvester and Penelope; Arnold with Lola and Honey Bunny; and Byron
Basset with Furrball, Vinnie and Hamton. All of them were looking on the streets, alleys,
and warehouses, focusing on finding the criminals' hide-out.
	Another search party, composed by Hillary, The J.A.M. and Mary was working on
the sewers, all of them wearing protective gloves and boots, and, in Mary's case, who
obviously wasn't using her nose for tracking, a gas mask (sewers don't smell exactly as
roses). Hillary had deduced that it was the best escape route for a villain like The
Liquidator, so she was focusing on finding the way he had used to transport Ronald rather
than his current location, like the other groups, guessing that eventually she would find it
this way. Even if The J.A.M. himself had a very good nose as well, it wasn't as accurate
as a hyena's, so he was allowing Hillary to do most of the search herself, guessing it
would help her as well to focus her anger on something useful.
	"You think she'll be alright?" Mary whispered to her boyfriend while looking at
Hillary, who was walking a few dozen feet in front of them to avoid distractions.
	"I hope so, Mary, I really do." The jaguar sighed. "I understand her being this
angry, I mean, if I were in her place, I would be looking at you like crazy and ready to tear
apart the guy who dared to kidnap you," The J.A.M. paused to give Mary a fond look that
she immediately replied with a little smile, "but there's a difference between anger and
hate. Anyone can get angry, and many times there's a valid reason for that, but hate
consumes you from the inside, and destroys your soul one bit at a time. I've seen it
happen, and it's not a pretty sight." His eyes saddened for a moment as memories of some
close relatives drifted through his head.
	"I can hear the both of you, you know that?"
	Mary and The J.A.M. gulped, realizing that their conversation wasn't exactly
private. Obviously, a hyena's ear is pretty sensitive, especially in a good echoed place like
the sewers.
	"You don't need to worry about me, guys. but thanks for your concern." Hillary
commented, turning back for a moment to give them a little smile, calming her friends
down. She then returned to the matter at hand, but kept talking. "If there's a way to give a
serious beating to a totally water-made guy, I'll find it, and I'm pretty much doing some
major damage to anyone involved in this kidnapping. But, after that, and once I have
Ronnie back at my side, and had sent the guys responsible to an emergency room, I'm not
going to let our relationship get contaminated by hate. Ronald's love is the most valuable
thing in my life, and I wouldn't do a thing that might affect it in any way. And, if Iget
blinded by hate, I'm counting on you two to keep me sane."
	"You know we have your back covered, Hillary." The J.A.M. commented in a
serious yet relieved tone. "And. it's quite impressive how well you are managing this."
	"Well, crying time is over for me, J.A.M." The hyena replied while taking a deep
breath and closing her eyes in concentration, "Now, it's time for action, and getting my
better half back with me and his family."
	Hillary stopped talking then, and got thoughtful expression. The hyena froze on
the spot, making her friends to stop talking and keep silence as well guessing she might
have found something. The hyena took a second, deeper breath and, after a couple of
seconds, opened her eyes and started moving, slowly accelerating her steps.
	"This smell... it's so strong, and yet so soft." The hyena said softly, sensing a
perfect combination of a feline and a canine's scent that brought back many sweet
memories, "I would recognize it anywhere!" Hillary exclaimed. "Only Ronald has a scent
like this. I found him!"
	Hillary sprinted, following her nose. The jaguar and the human girl nodded to
each other, and then she jumped on the feline's arms. The jaguar's feet made a spinning
action, and then dashed in the direction the hyena was heading, trusting her nose and
instincts to locate their friend; the jaguar even used some warping to follow the hyena but
kept his distance to not disturbing her tracking.

	Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	"Like, stop, Fifi. This is useless, or some junk."
	Fifi sighed, and parked her Cadillac, as Shirley requested. The loon had tried to
use her powers at home, but the evil vibes she had been feeling still blocked her psychic
senses, so she couldn't locate Ronald after an hour trying, despite having his football
uniform to help her focus. Fifi, who had been with her to give the avian company, and
was told by her about her recent problems with her powers, suggested a more active
search, driving around the city so the blonde could, probably, pick Ronald's vibes if they
happened to get closer. Unfortunately, it seemed the plan wasn't working, since Shirley
now was getting a pretty tired expression without making progress.
	"Shirley, you have to clear vour mind." The skunk said to the loon in a concerned
tone. "Zis way vou are just exhauszing vourself, and vou aren't useful for zhe search like
zhis. Besides, moi am gezzing worried about vou."
	"I KNOW!" Shirley snapped at the mammal, who moved back in surprise. Shirley
calmed herself, and continued in a gentler tone. "Like, sorry, Feef, but this is frustrating,
or some junk. I know my powers have limitations, but I should be able to do this. and I
don't know if I'll be able to look at Hillary, Rita, Runt and Minerva at the eye again if I
can't. They're counting with me, Fifi. and I'm failing miserably, to all of them, to Ronald,
and even myself." Shirley couldn't hold back a few tears, and looked down at the uniform
on her lap. She had always been proud of how her special skills had been useful in the
past to help her friends, and now that one of them was in a major problem, she was as
useless as a camel in Alaska.
	"Shirley, maybe moi can make a suggestion." Fifi adopted a thoughtful
expression, and then talked in a soft and calming tone. "Vou know zhat, when moi get
excited, I can't avoid releasing mon fumes, and zhe scent is pretty szrong, right?" Fifi
paused, and, after noticing Shirley's nodding, continued. "Well, Cal couldn't szand it at
first, but now he can do it very well, and even likes it. When moi asked him how he could
do zhat, he zold moi zhat, every zime zhe scent is getting hard to szand, he just needs to
concentrate on something zhat keeps his mind away from his nose; he claims zhat he
always focus on moi and our good zimes zogether, and zhat's more powerful than any
szench." Fifi blushed a little at the last part, making Shirley to get her first real smile
(even if just a little one) since Ronald disappeared.
	"Moi have no idea about how vour powers work, Shirley, but it seems vou are
having a similar problem; how vou can focus on something when a powerful external
force is getting on vour way? Simple; don't focus just on Ronald's vibes, but in everything
vou know about him. His voice, his relationship with Hillary, any nice memory vou might
have concerning him."
	Shirley wide opened her eyes, and gave Fifi an impressed look. The skunk wasn't
famous for being a highly intelligent toon, but the loon knew she wasn't exactly an
airhead either; her friend was an avid reader (mainly romantic novels, but reader at the
end), and had a pretty wide general culture.
	"Like, that's brilliant, Feef! It might work!"
	"Well, vou don't zhink a genius like Cal would fall for moi if I were just another
pretty face, right?" Fifi got a proud expression, and then rubbed her chin. "Of course, it
doesn't hurt that moi looks great in a bikini."
	Shirley chuckled at her friend's vanity, knowing it was pretty much Fifi's only
important flaw, especially since she started getting therapy to control the hormonal
impulse that made her chase any creature with a back white stripe. The loon nodded at her
companion, and then adopted her lotus position. Fifi moved a little apart from her,
keeping silence to allow the avian do her job.
	"OhwhataloonIam. OhwhataloonIam. OhwhataloonIam." Shirley recited her
mantra while emptying her mind from anything but whatever involving Ronald. The
conversations they had, his gentle nature, the fights he had in Cartoon Violence, the times
she and some other toons had discovered him making out with Hillary when then thought
nobody was around (including the time they declared their mutual love), him playing at
The Acme Bowl, his mighty roar, the conversations she had with Hillary involving him
on any way, his accident with a few banana cream pies a couple of weeks ago in Cartoon
Props, the fake fight he had with Mary to help her prepare a routine, him carrying Hillary
on his back around the school at times and their first dance, right after The Acme Bowl.
	Suddenly, Shirley got a vision. It was a blurry one, but a vision, no less. The evil
vibes that had been interfering with her powers were still present, but in a more tolerable
level, and now the loon had a general idea about where to go.
	"Fifi, I found him!" Shirley wide opened her eyes, and stood up on the car's seat,
pointing ahead. "Quick, it is right in this direction. it's pretty far, but I'm sure I sensed
Ronald!"
	"Moi knew vou could do it! Put on vour seat bealt, mon ami!" Fifi exclaimed, and
after she and Shirley put on their seatbelts, the skunk turned on the engine and accelerated
as fast as the car could.
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	-The Mirror Match.

	"Well, this is the address. It certainly qualifies for the basic bad guy's hiding
place." Gosalyn, still on her Quiverwing's identity, jumped down Rhubella's car, giving a
good look to the warehouse in front of her. The warehouse was once among many others,
located on a district in the city's outsides, and a good sized one.
	"I think we got the right information." Wally commented while jumping down
from the car as well, and taking a good sniffing. "I can smell a little of Ronald's scent
around here."
	"Which means his captors might be close as well." Rhubella pointed, getting a
concerned expression, and looking around them, searching for any danger. At that
moment, the trio heard noises coming from the manhole behind them.
	"Talking about a perfect cue," Quiverwing took out one of her arrows, and aimed
at the manhole, while Rhubella placed behind Wally, on a fighting stance, and the wolf
stood on four, ready to pounce on any enemy.
	"What are you guys doing here?" Hillary said in amazement the moment her head
emerged, making the other toons to sigh in relief.
	"We found out that Ronald might be around here, Hillary." Wally explained while
helping her out. "I suppose your nose told you the same."
	"Guess we now have 2 strong points to confirm our friend's location." The J.A.M.
said while emerging right behind Mary, both getting Wally's help as well.
	"And you got something more." Rhubella said while waving her paw in front of
her nose. "Hadn't smelled something this disgusting since the last time I was at Perfecto's
dressing rooms and the maid was sick."
	"Allow me; I don't want our enemies to discover us by that scent." Quiverwing
said while taking a spray can out from her body pocket, and using it on the hyena, jaguar,
and human girl.
	"Nice job, Gos. I mean, Quiv." Mary said while removing her gas mask, and
smelling at herself. "What kind of spray is that?"
	"It's something Honker invented for me and Darkwing in case we ever have
accidents with the stench gas' bombs." Quiverwing explained. "Now, we'll better contact
our friends while two of us check this warehouse, just to be sure."
	"Wait. Someone is coming this way." The jaguar said while moving one of his
ears on the direction he heard a vehicle coming. Wally heard it as well, and got an alert
expression, but both predators relaxed in a moment.
	"Don't worry, girls. We are getting more help." Wally commented, and a few
moments later Fifi's Cadillac became visible. The skunkette parked her car next to
Ruby's, and she and Shirley jumped down.
	"I guess this means your psychic senses are working again, Shirley." Hillary
directed to the avian.
	"As well as your noses and Gosalyn's detective skills, I suppose." Shirley
shrugged. "Actually, I'm not at my top yet, but, since all of you are here as well, it seems I
was right."
	"Okay, enough talking. I'm going in." Hillary, getting a serious face, directed to
the warehouse, but was stopped by The J.A.M. grabbing her shirt.
	"Wait, Hillary, you can't just go inside like that. Remember, we are talking about
Ronald's life here." The jaguar said in a calm tone, making Hillary to relax a little but
conserved her stern look.
	"That's right, pal. Here's is what we are going to do." Quiverwing took control,
getting everyone's attention. "These warehouses surely might mess with our cell phones'
signal, and my communication sphere only works to contact Darkwing, Honker, Morgana
or my dad, so we need someone to go and bring help; since we also need the cars to
disappear, I suggest both Fifi and Ruby drive away from here and get the cavalry."
	The skunk and rat hesitated a moment, since they wanted to help as much as
possible with the rescue, but recognized Gosalyn had more experience in crime fighting,
so finally agreed.
	"Now, we need to sneak inside the warehouse as quietly as possible. The J.A.M.
and I are the best for this, since he is naturally good at stealth, and I'm trained for that."
The avian and the jaguar nodded to each other. "Then, after we give the place a good
look, the rest of you will enter as well." Hillary, Shirley, Mary, and Wally agreed,
realizing it was the best course of action.
	Ruby gave Wally a deep kiss right before she and Fifi ran back to their cars, and
both girls wished their friends good luck. Once they left, Gosalyn shot a grappling hook-
arrow to the top of the warehouse, while the jaguar (after getting a kiss from Mary as
well), warped the other side of the building. The duckette climbed on top in a moment,
while the feline used his claws the same way a mountain climber uses pikes, and, in a
Spiderman-like style, climbed his side of the warehouse, joining Gosalyn shortly later.
	Quiverwing and The J.A.M. found an air vent, and, by using a rope, they
descended into the warehouse. The feline, thanks to his night vision, could see in the dark
building without problems, confirming they were alone; actually, besides a few crates
here and there, the place was as much as empty. Gosalyn turned on a little lantern, and
found out the light switch and the main door, secured with a huge lock. The jaguar made
a quick job on it, thanks to a good paw hit, and then opened the door while Gosalyn
turned on the lights.
	"This is weird." Hillary commented while entering the building. "Ronald's scent is
quite strong in this place, and very fresh. He should be here." The hyena groaned in
frustration.
	"Many villains have trap or secret doors in their hideouts." Gosalyn commented
while rubbing her beak. "Start searching around the place." The J.A.M., Hillary, and
Wally started sniffing around, and Shirley tried to focus her powers to help as well, while
Mary and Gosalyn made a more old-fashioned search by touch and observation.
	"Like, I don't like this. The evil vibes suddenly became much stronger. it's
messing with my powers again, or some junk." Shirley said to no one in particular. The
good thing about this, of course, was that it meant the kidnappers were pretty close;
obviously, this was also a bad thing.
	"I smell something from under these crates." Wally commented, sniffing at some
crates almost at the center of the building. "I need some help here."
	Hillary dashed next to the wolf, and they both started moving apart the crates,
finding a large trap door under them. Right before they could call their friends to tell them
about it, the door started shaking, and making a buzzing sound.
	"Everybody, stay alert and be ready!" Quiverwing exclaimed as she and other
toons got fighting stances. Then, the door opened, and a platform covered with dirt
emerged from it; the most curious thing was that there were exactly six large watermelons
on the platform.
	"What's this? It's a welcome fruit salad or something?" Mary rubbed her head in
confusion. Gosalyn, however, became tenser, and narrowed her eyes.
	"Don't get distracted! Those plants can be a lethal weapon!"
	Before anyone could say a thing about the duckette's weird statement, the
watermelons started shaking, and, a moment later, they cracked, releasing a green slimy
substance. A couple of seconds later, there were six little slime columns, that quickly
solidified and took form. The toons gasped when realizing each column had become an
exact green duplicate of one of them, and gulped when they got an evil look and started
moving; to make things worse, in a perfect cue, a thick steel door fell over the already
open one, trapping the toons with the clones for good.
	"Evil clones?" Wally finally got his voice back, "Talking about cliched plots!"
	"It's not so cliched when it happens to you!" Quiverwing groaned, and then shot a
net arrow against the clones. Unfortunately, Shirley's clone stopped it on mid air just by
extending a wing on its direction, and then destroyed the arrow with a psychic lightning.
	"They have our skills. okay, that's bad." Hillary gasped right before her clone
dashed against her, almost punching the hyena's head.
	WARP!
	UNWARP!
	"ZACATEPONGOLAS!" The J.A.M. exclaimed while ducking to avoid a
dashing claw attack from his warping clone. Mary and Wally were attacked by their
clones in a physical way as well, while Shirley and Quiverwing were attacked at a
distance via psychic lightning and trick arrows, respectively. In a split second, each toon
and his/her clone got into a personal match, paying almost no attention to the others.
	Shirley made a quick mind scanning of the clones, realizing they had actually no
conscience, but apparently that didn't stop them from having each toon's skill and
strength. The loon levitated just in time to avoid another psychic lightning attack, and
replied with one of her own. The Shirley-Clone protected herself with a psychic shield,
and then levitated a crate next to her to throw it against Shirley. The blonde destroyed the
crate (which contained a lot of light bulbs, by the way) with a psychic blast, and then
picked up the broken bulbs with her telekinesis, sending them against the clone. The
duplicate replied by levitating as well to avoid them, and then threw a large blast against
Shirley, who attacked back the same way; the blasts met each other, and the loons got
stuck in a power-to-power struggle.
	Wally blocked a sharp kick from his clone, and replied with a fast punch. The
wolf-clone avoided the attack and then tried to bite Wally's neck, who stepped back just
in time to avoid his jaws. Wally threw another punch against his clone, but he caught the
fist and made a judo toss on Wally, sending him over his shoulder and against the floor;
Wally reacted by rolling the moment he touched the floor, and stood up just in time to
catch a kick and twist the clone's ankle, sending him over his back. The clone then stood
on four and tried to bite Wally again, who jumped back to avoid him and then pounced
over the clone to try submitting him with a wrestling grapple; unfortunately, Wally-Clone
knew that move, and released himself, hitting Wally's back in the process. The clone
stood up and spin-changed into one of Wally's favorite impersonations, El Kabong, and
attacked Wally with his guitar. Wally ducked to avoid the hit and spin-changed into El
Kabong as well, starting a guitar sword-like battle with his duplicate.
	Hillary and her clone were practically stuck on their match, since virtually every
punch or kick one tried on the other got blocked or dodged. Hillary tried to grab her
opponent on a head lock, but the hyena's clone avoided it and tried kicking Hillary's legs;
the hyena jumped to avoid that attack, and then made her classic hammer-like fists move,
in an attempt to knock out her enemy. Hillary-Clone blocked the attack crossing her arms
in front of her, stopping the fists with her bracelets; then, she threw a kick against Hillary,
but she blocked that attack too by raising her knee. The hyenas jumped back, and then
attacked each other with a savage punch, both of them connecting with her opponent's
low jaw. The fighters shook their heads, and then adopted wrestling positions; a moment
later, they were holding each other's paws, their muscles tensed to the max, getting stuck
in a strength test while one hyena tried to twist the other's wrists, bite her neck, or
push/pull her enemy apart to surprise her with a grappling move.
	WARP!
	The J.A.M. disappeared to avoid a direct kick to his chin.
	UNWARP!
	The jaguar reappeared behind his clone, and tried to apply his sleeper grip on him.
	WARP!
	The clone avoided the attack.
	UNWARP!
	The clone grabbed The J.A.M. in a full-Nelson. The J.A.M. growled, and tensed
his muscles.
	WARP!
	The J.A.M.-Clone warped just in time to avoid The Feline Defense Spin, the
jaguar trademark way to escape from a tight grappling.
	UNWARP!
	The clone reappeared behind a crate, and lifted it to drop it on The J.A.M.'s head.
	WARP!
	The J.A.M. avoided the crate.
	UNWARP!
	The jaguar reappeared a few feet over his clone, extending his claws to get him.
	WARP!
	The clone disappeared right before The J.A.M. could catch him.
	UNWARP!
	The clone tried to rip The J.A.M.'s throat with his right paw's claws, but the feline
could block the attack and reply with one of his own, that got blocked as well. The clone
jumped back, snarling, and extending all his claws.
	"I had no idea I looked that scary when furious!" The J.A.M. said to himself while
adopting a fighting position as well, right before he and his clone returned to warp and
un-warp all around the warehouse.
	Quiverwing and her clone got involved in an aiming battle. Each time the heroine
shot an arrow against her enemy, she stopped it with one of her own; Gos' explosive
arrow was intercepted by a glue one; the clone's arrow net got cut by a saw one; a bola
arrow was avoided by Quiverwing, who replied with a stunning one, that couldn't connect
because the clone protected herself jumping behind a crate; the clone shot two explosive
arrows against her enemy, who stopped one with a freezing arrow, and avoided the other
by mere inches. Quiverwing then put her bow on her back, and dashed against her clone,
and, once she avoided a regular pointy arrow, jumped on top of her with a double kick,
trying to knock her out. Quiverwing-Clone blocked the attack with her wrists, and rolled
over to gain some distance and attack Quiverwing when she touched the floor. The clone
used her bow in a fighting staff-like way, almost hitting Gosalyn's head, and then threw
several attacks to her body; the heroine took out her bow and used it the same way,
exchanging staff-blows and fast kicks with her enemy, blocking and avoiding a lot more
than they received.
	Mary received a good uppercut from her clone, but took the chance to grab her
wrist and, once she had her enemy secured, gave her a sharp punch on the cheek. The
clone growled and replied with a fast spinning move to break Mary's grip, and then threw
a jab against the girl. Mary blocked that attack, and threw a direct punch to her clone's
head, that was dodged, and Mary hardly could avoid another uppercut. The clone got an
evil smirk, and then spin-changed into Mary's regular skater outfit, complete with
protective gear, and tried to kick Mary with her skated feet. Mary blocked the kick and
pulled her enemy's leg, trying to make her to slip, but the clone was quite agile and kept
her balance while trying to kick Mary with her other foot. Mary realized that her clone
now had an important speed advantage, and made a fast spin-change of her own, getting
the skater outfit to fight the duplicate back. The two girls exchanged a fast series of
punches, and then started skating around the warehouse, trying to hit each other at high
speed.
	"This is a no-win situation!" Gosalyn thought while blocking another of her
clone's attacks. "Even if we defeat our duplicates, at this rate we'll be totally wasted when
finding Ronald, and Sparky and company aren't going to be a piece of cake. And if there
are more of these clones, then the cavalry will have a tough time as well!" The duckette
then gave a fast glance to her companions, and had an idea; she made a flip-back jump to
separate from her clone, and took out a freezing arrow. Quiverwing made her shot, that
missed her clone because she made a cartwheel to avoid it.
	CHILL!
	. but hit Mary's clone instead, freezing her legs right when she was moving at her
top speed. The girl couldn't stop, and hit the closest warehouse's wall, head first, getting
knocked out.
	"Mary, we can't waste time fighting our duplicates! We have to exchange them!"
Gosalyn yelled to the Afro-American while avoiding an electric arrow. Mary nodded in
reply, and made a dash against the loons, jumping a few feet in the air to grab Shirley's
clone, breaking the psychic struggle. The clone and the human rolled on the floor, getting
apart from each other, and then Shirley-Clone threw a psychic lightning against Mary,
giving her. not even a single scratch. Surprised, the clone summoned all her force to
attack again, but, before she could do it, Mary gave her a powerful punch at her beak,
sending the cloned-avian several feet in the air, and, when she descended, received her
with a kangaroo-style kick, impacting the loon against some nearby crates.
	Shirley realized Mary and Gosalyn's plan, and looked around to find a new target
while her clone pretty much became Mary's punching bag. The human girl, just like her
boyfriend, had a strong protection against magic, so Shirley-Clone's attacks were totally
useless, and, in a totally physical confrontation, Mary was strong and skilled enough to
beat ten Shirley's duplicates.
	UNWARP!
	The J.A.M.-Clone grabbed the original's wrists, and opened his jaws to break his
enemy's neck with a well placed bite, when he froze on the spot and released his prey.
The J.A.M. got a surprised expression until noticing Shirley extending her wings at the
clone's direction; since the magical protection came from a very strong faith, and that's
not linked to the skills or the strength, the clone lacked it, so was vulnerable to Shirley's
power.
	"Like, I'll handle him, J.A.M.! You go help Hillary, or some junk!" The loon said
to the jaguar, who thanked her in a hurry and warped next to the hyenas. The jaguar
placed himself behind the clone, and applied her Vulcan-like grip on her while using his
free paw to attack a pressure point of the duplicate's shoulder and make her left arm lose
its strength; Hillary-Clone tried to defend herself, but her paws were still being held by
Hillary's, so couldn't fight back and started losing conscience. On the meantime, Shirley
focused all her might on the jaguar-clone's body, and zapped him with enough force to
light on a regular house for a year, knocking him out.
	Once the jaguar pretty much dominated her clone by himself, Hillary separated
from them and charged against Wally's duplicate. The wolf-clone attacked her with his
guitar, but Hillary smashed it with a single punch; then, she grabbed the canine-clone by
his shoulders and threw him apart from Wally, who immediately turned his attention to
Quiverwing and her clone. While Hillary exchanged a series of furious blows with his
clone, Wally spin-changed back to normal, and, howling, dashed against the duckette's
duplicate. Quiverwing-Clone, who was aiming at the original with an exploding arrow,
heard the canine, and used her weapon against him instead; this was exactly what Wally
wanted. The wolf took a deep breath, and, a split second before the arrow could hit him,
he blew with his hurricane-like breath, sending the explosive back against the clone.
	BOOOOM!
	Quiverwing got a big grin when her dizzy clone fainted, totally blackened by the
explosion. At that moment, a mighty wind invaded the whole warehouse, making her and
her already victorious friends to lay chest first to avoid being carried away, and turn their
attention to Hillary's battle with Wally-Clone.
	The hyena was receiving the whole power of the hurricane-like wind produced by
the wolf-clone's mighty lungs. Fortunately, she and Wally had already faced once in
Cartoon Violence, so Hillary knew how to fight back this attack; she focused all her
might on her legs while crossing her arms in front of herself to break some of the wind's
force, and, making an effort to keep her balance, advanced slowly towards the clone. The
moment she was at the right distance, the hyena extended both her paws and grabbed the
clone's muzzle, cutting the wind, and then surprised him with a mighty knee impact on
the guts. The canine-clone lost his breath totally, and before he could recover, Hillary
lifted him over her head, and placed him on her shoulders, getting the clone on a
wrestling move with one of her arms on his chin and the other at one knee, pressing his
back against the hyena's shoulders and head, making him howl in pain and his back to
make cracking noises. Hillary finished the fight by lifting the clone again, and, throwing
him as high as she could; then, when he was still at a good height, the girl jumped and
grabbed him by the waist, and used her full strength and combined weight to impact him
head first, sending a shockwave through the whole warehouse because of the hit's force.
	"Remind me to never make that girl angry." Wally, very impressed and slightly
afraid, whispered to Quiverwing, who nodded in reply without losing sight of Hillary and
the knocked out clone at her feet.
	"I've heard that the worst enemy you can have is yourself, but never thought about
it literally." The J.A.M. sighed in relief while rubbing his forehead to get rid of some
sweat.
	"I know what you mean, J.A.M.; never imagined I was that tough." Mary said to
her boyfriend while skating next to him, carrying the unconscious loon-clone and looking
a little tired as well. Then, the human directed her attention to the clone on her arms, and
gasped.
	"Hey, she is breaking apart!" Mary gasped, making everyone to look at her and
Shirley-Clone. As she claimed, the loon's body was cracking while getting paler by the
second. Wally then pointed at the other clones, all of them on a similar situation, and, less
than twenty seconds later, they turned into dust.
	"Like, can someone explain what happened here, or some junk?" Shirley
exclaimed, confused. Everybody looked at Quiverwing with puzzled expressions.
	"Well, neither Liquidator nor Megavolt has the skills or knowledge to create
clones, but this confirms what I feared; they aren't working alone. And I know one villain
who can do the most amazing things with the simplest flower." Gosalyn rubbed her beak
in thought, and then directed to the platform where the clones emerged.
	"Anyway, now it's obvious that Ronald and his captors are right under our feet, or
paws, or whatever. And that platform is our entrance." Quiverwing pointed; the other
toons moved next to the platform, and then all of them took a mallet out from his/her
body pocket.
	CRAAAACK!
	The platform broke because of the six mallets' impact, revealing a large and dark
basement. Quiverwing shot a flare arrow to the bottom to get some illumination, and then
took out three of her hook arrows with ropes attached; after securing them to the edge of
the trap door, she and the other toons descended.
	The moment Shirley touched the basement floor, she got a blank expression, quite
similar to the one she had at the Loo right before Liquidator's attack, and, a second later,
grabbed her head's sides and cried in pain.
	"Oh, my. Shirley, are you okay?" Wally asked the loon in a very concerned tone.
The other toons got worried expressions as well. At that moment, they heard several
voices coming from the darkness around them.
	"Do you have a sudden headache? Problems to concentrate? Then come and visit
the Fearsome Hideout to get a permanent treatment."
	"Oh, yeah! We can arrange that by cutting her head off!"
	"That's not nice, Mister Banana Brain. but surely is funny!"
	"Not as funny as giving them a shock therapy."
	"Or we can use them as organic fertilizer. Power to the plants, that's what I say!"
	"Cool down, boys. We'll have enough time to decide their imminent and painfully
agonizing fates in a moment."
	Quiverwing gasped, recognizing the voices. At that moment, the basement's lights
turned on, and the six toons found themselves in the middle of a deep pit. Right over
them, they could see their enemies; a dog made entirely of water; a duck with a wacky
expression, large beak and huge teeth wearing a buffoon disguise and holding a banana-
faced puppet; a rodent-like guy with a yellow jumpsuit, a plug-like hat/helmet, blue thick
gloves and boots, a large battery strapped to his back, and a large socket on his chest; a
duck so green it would make Plucky envious, with large wine-like arms, leaves-shaped
hands, a purple petal-like hairdo, and brown root-like legs; and, finally, in the middle of
them and showing a sinister look, a duck who liked exactly like Darkwing but with a
different colored outfit, consisting on black and red cape, red fedora and turtleneck, and a
yellow Thirties-style jacket with black buttons.
	"Well, well, Quiverwing, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" The
sinister looking duck said in a mocking tone. "Doesn't Dipwing teach you manners, young
lady? What a shame."
	Quiverwing growled at the comment, but before she could reply, Shirley moved in
front of her, and got an extremely pale look (and that's a lot, considering her feathers are
white) while looking right at the mocking villain.
	"Like. you are the one I had been sensing!" Shirley exclaimed in anger and fear.
"YOU ARE PURE NEGATIVE ENERGY! LIKE, AN INCARNATION OF EVIL, OR
SOME JUNK!" The loon's companions gasped at her words; the last time she used that
tone, it was when her powers failed at trying to read the jaguar and his friends' minds, and
even then she didn't sound that scared or furious.
	"Oh, you know, flattering isn't going to save you, missy. but it's appreciated." The
duck chuckled evilly. Shirley's companions looked at him; even if, besides Gosalyn, of
course, this was the first time they saw any of these villains, the duck's cruel and ruthless
nature was evident to all of them.
	"Shut up, Negaduck!" Quiverwing finally snapped at him. "If you want me to talk
to accelerate this nonsense, then I'll do it," the duckette turned at her companions, and
pointed at the villains, "Pals, here are The Fearsome Five, or The Bozo Squad, as
Darkwing and I like calling them; you can call them Licky, Quaky, Sparky, Bushy, and
Negs."
	"Don't call me Sparky!" The rodent yelled in anger, making some sparkles appear
around his head. "My name is." the villain got a puzzled expression, and started rubbing
his nose, ". my name is. don't tell me, I know that one. Just give me a minute."
	"You're Megavolt, dummy!" The buffoon duck said to him through his puppet.
"And I'm Mister Banana Brain, and over here is my friend Quackerjack."
	"Thanks, Mister Banana Brain." Quackerjack replied to his puppet in his normal
(at least, for him) tone. "And over here are Bushroot."
	"You can call me Reggie as well, if you want."
	". and Liquidator."
	"Your school needs a major cleaning? Had you always dreamed with an indoor
river? Then, look no more, and, for a professional job, call the one and only Liquidator."
	Hillary growled softly and scowled at the water-made dog. If looks could kill,
Liquidator would be frozen, beaten, squished, blasted, diced, destroyed, turned into a
ghost, and then killed again by now.
	"And of course, you already know me. but you made a little mistake, Quiverwing
darling." Negaduck said in a fake gentle tone. "We are no longer The Fearsome Five. but
The Fearsome Six."
	"I like the new name better, Mister Negaduck." A voice was heard from behind
the five villains, and then a tall human toon, with a wacky black hairdo, glasses, and a lab
coat approached the group.
	Quiverwing, The J.A.M., Hillary and Wally got puzzled expressions, ignoring the
guy's identity, but Shirley and Mary recognized him from some chats with Buster, Babs,
Hamton, and, in the case of Shirley, Plucky as well. The girls looked at the man, and got
stern expressions.
	"Doctor Gene Splicer."
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	-The Fearsome Plot.

	"Well, it seems I'm more famous than I thought." Splicer chuckled. Hillary
growled under her breath, and snapped at the villains.
	"No more chatting, you maniacs! I want my boyfriend back or else I'm tearing you
apart like wet toilet paper!"
	"Not a very valid threat in my case, dear." The Liquidator shrugged, making the
hyena to snarl at him. Gosalyn cooled her down a little, and then directed to Mary and
Shirley.
	"You girls know that guy?"
	"Not personally, but yes, we do." Mary explained without losing sight of Splicer,
while Shirley kept her angry staring at Negaduck. "He used to work at Acme Labs, and
got fired because of his dangerous and unethical animal experimentation. He then
continued it by his own, but Buster, Babs, Hamton and Plucky stopped him; if I
remember right, you got a chicken's body."
	"I got better," Splicer replied in a casual tone, "and in more than one way. Mister
Negaduck here made me a pretty generous job offer; in exchange of my abilities and
work, he is providing me with pretty interesting raw material for my experiments."
	"The clones that attacked us are your doing, right?" The J.A.M., stunned at the
man's freaky and dangerous use of science, directed to him as well.
	"Not completely, but yes." Splicer explained. "Normally, clones so perfectly done
would take me a long time to get ready, but, with Doctor Bushroot's tissue samples, and
some help from him as well, we could create a watermelon that can produce a perfect
duplicate of any toon in a few hours. Of course, when you arrived at the warehouse, we
needed them done before time, which is the reason they turned into dust after a few
minutes, but since my duck-plant colleague can control plants and make them move or
grow immediately, we can make instant clones in case of emergency."
	"That explains the clones' bodies, but how they got the clothing or Quiverwing's
arrows?" Wally asked.
	"The story's rating and a plot hole," The villains chorused.
	"But you needed DNA samples from all of us to do that!" Mary pointed, slightly
scared about the possible answer.
	"Ah, but we got them." Negaduck said in his raspy yet calm tone. "You see, the
reason we came to Acme Acres on first place was, of course, to get Splicer's help to
create a clone army and use it to establish my own criminal empire, one that would make
F.O.W.L. envious and S.H.U.S.H. to shake in fear. However, when good old doc here
told us about the special skills you guys develop at your college and some pretty useful of
your own, I decided that, instead of cloning some mercenaries and other criminals I was
planning to use, you would be a better choice."
	"Someone here watched Episode II too many times." The J.A.M. said to nobody in
particular.
	"My clown companion," Negaduck pointed casually to Quackerjack, "designed
mechanical birds with camera eyes that allowed me to analyze you and your classmates at
a distance, and I got pretty impressed by your talents. Once I made a selection,
Quackerjack used the same birds to pick up several tissue samples, namely fur, hair, and
feathers, from your gym's dressing rooms, classrooms' seats, and even from some
bedrooms; right now, besides the six of you, we also have samples from the Tasmanian
devils, the pink rabbit, the pitbull, the roadrunners, that fast feet's mouse, the old squirrel,
the coyotes, the skunkette, and even from the rabbit in charge, and a few more I don't
remember right now."
	The six toons at the pit got shocked expressions. Their clones were really hard to
beat, and, if The Fearsome Six had so many duplicating choices, and the ways to do it
pretty fast, Negaduck would lead an almost unstoppable force.
	"Ah, you just realized the magnitude of my little project, uh?" Negaduck said,
guessing what his victims were thinking. "If not, let me draw you a nice picture; rabbits
tunneling inside every jewelry store in the country and outsmarting detectives; mice and
birds that can outrun any patrol car; an elite group of assassin jaguars and human girls to
eliminate my competitors; super strong hyenas and pitbulls creating havoc in police
stations; a large pack of spin-changing wolves committing terrorism acts in my name and
assaulting armored cars; furry tornadoes breaking through Fort Knox's walls while an
squad of skunkettes and archer duckettes eliminate the guards at a distance, and
telekinetic loons levitate the gold out; super-smart coyotes designing my weaponry;
buildings and bridges demolished by my explosives' expert squirrels; possibilities are
endless!"
	"You monster." Shirley clenched her fists while summoning enough force to
attack the duck, but, unfortunately, being so close to him messed with her powers even
more, so her attacking techniques were pretty much useless at the moment.
	"And, of course, I'll keep experimenting with my samples to improve our army's
abilities." Splicer commented. "It will be very easy now that Mister Negaduck gave me
what I wanted the most; Acme Acres most perfect hybrid to experiment with!"
	Splicer snapped his fingers, and, a few seconds later, Ronald appeared at his side.
	"Ronald!" Hillary yelled at her boyfriend, showing both fear and happiness.
"Ronnie, are you okay?"
	"Sorry, but he's not home." Quackerjack said to the hyena while walking next to
Ronald, poking his chest. "You see, Doc here told us that some of his experiments turned
against him in the past, so Megavolt and I modified one of our old inventions so our pal
here stays in a perfectly obedient state."
	Hillary then noticed Ronald had a dull expression, and was pretty emotionless,
hardly reacting to anything around him. Splicer took a weird gun out from his lab coat,
and, surprising Ronald's friends, shot at him, giving the hybrid a slight shock.
	"Problems with disobedient hostages? Tired of being attacked by the victims of
your experiments? You can stop worrying when getting the last revolutionary gadget from
the weird imagination of Megavolt and Quackerjack. Mister Relaxatron!" Liquidator
talked in his salesman-like voice while pointing at the little gun.
	"A shot from this beauty, and even Darkwing would allow us to rob a bank in
front of his beak." Megavolt proudly explained. "A minor changes, and, by shocking
Furry Boy here a few times a day, he is reduced to a perfect zombie so Doctor Splicer can
experiment and take samples from him without any problem."
	"Ronald." Hillary was almost at the verge of tears, but, as usual, her sadness was
replaced by an equally powerful anger, this time, directed against the mad scientist.
"YOU JERKS KIDNAPPED THE TOON I CARE THE MOST TO PLAY WITH HIS
BRAIN, AND TURN HIM INTO YOUR GUINEA PIG? AAARGH! FIVE MINUTES!"
Hillary practically roared, and Wally and The J.A.M. had to grab her by her arms to try
controlling the now rabid hyena. "JUST GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES ALONE WITH
THAT DOCTOR! IT'S ALL I ASK! I'M TEARING HIM IN PIECES! I'LL BREAK
EVERY SINGLE BONE OF HIS BODY! YOU HEAR ME, SPLICER? YOU'RE
DOOMED!"
	"What a lovely rage!" Negaduck laughed, and then got a sly grin. "But you don't
need to anger that much, hyena. If you want a hybrid, I'm sure good old doctor here will
give you one of his."
	"Oh, yes, certainly, I can." Splicer got a sinister look while taking a remote control
out from his lab coat. "I found some pretty interesting things about this hybrid; for
starters, he had never used his full strength in any fight. The combination of cat and dog's
genes gave him a might much bigger than the sum of his parts, but he always holds back
part of this power because of his morals. Of course, my green version doesn't have any."
	At that moment, a large hidden door opened inside the pit. The toons inside turned
to see steel bars, and, behind it, a green Ronald-Clone, giving them a murderous glare.
Hillary's rage got replaced by shock; she had never seen that anger on the real Ronald.
Her boyfriend, even at his most furious moments, still conserved an almost touchable
goodness glowing from him, evidence of his kind heart. This duplicate lacked that
quality, and, instead of goodness, irradiated pure primal fury that could be sensed even by
non-psychic toons. Wally and The J.A.M., by mere instinct, flattened their ears and got
fighting stances while wagging their tails nervously.
	"This is going to be really fun; a perfect way to test the abilities of the first one of
my personal bodyguards. This one had more time to be ready than the clones you already
faced, so he'll not turn into dust so easily." Negaduck and his companions chuckled, and
then Splicer pressed a button from the remote. The gate opened, and, slowly, the clone
walked out from it; the moment the duplicate was totally into the pit, Splicer pressed the
button again to close back the gate.
	"Shirley, try to zap him before he attacks." Gosalyn whispered to the loon, but
then noticed the blonde was almost at her knees because of the major migraine she was
getting. The duckette sighed. "Okay, we'll do this the hard way."
	The clone's first move was so fast it caught everyone by surprise. Ronald-Clone
dashed at top speed against his enemies, tackling Hillary and sending her against Wally
and The J.A.M.; then, he grabbed Mary and Shirley by their collars, and threw them
several feet away. Quiverwing reacted, and rolled while taking out a net arrow; she
actually caught the duplicate, but he ripped apart the net in a second with his mighty
claws and jaws. The duckette tried shooting another arrow, but the clone kicked her belly
and chest, stunning her, and then gave the girl a powerful punch at her back, taking
Quiverwing out of the fight for the moment.
	Wally and The J.A.M. recovered from the initial attack, and dashed against the
clone, the wolf snarling and the jaguar extending his claws. Wally threw a punch against
his enemy while The J.A.M. tried to claw his face, but the clone blocked both attacks, and
then hit their chests. The clone jumped back, and took a deep breath while the predators
were stunned.
	ROOOOAAAARRRR!
	The clone's roaring was as powerful as the original's, making the canine and the
feline to cringle and cover their ears in pain. The clone smirked, and dashed against his
enemies, hitting their throats with his forearms and slamming them against the floor.
Then, in a professional wrestling-like move, the clone jumped over his back to elbow
both toons on their chests, leaving them breathless. The clone rolled aside them, and
raised a claw to finish his prey.
	Mary jumped on Ronald-Clone's back and got him in a head lock, stopping his
attack. The duplicate moved a few steps back, and then jumped over his back, hitting the
girl against the floor. The clone rolled aside, free from Mary's grip, and tried to claw the
stunned girl, but Hillary blocked that attack by placing her bracelet-protected wrist
between the claw and the girl's throat. Hillary then punched the duplicate with all her
might, stunning him slightly, but, when she was about to do it again, the clone caught her
fist, and twisted the girl's wrist. Ronald-Clone then lifted the girl over his head, and
slammed her down; he then jumped over her, trying to stomp the hyena, but she rolled
away just in time to avoid the attack.
	Hillary stood up and she and the clone exchanged a series of punches and kicks,
while trying to get the other one in a grapple, pretty much like the hyena's fight against
her own duplicate. Hillary, as Ronald's regular sparring partner, knew all his movements
as well as he knew hers, so she was perfectly matched against the clone, but Splicer
wasn't bluffing when saying Ronald-Clone could fight more fiercely and stronger than the
original. Hillary found herself panting while trying to find an opening on the clone's guard
and keep her own guard up.
	CRACK!
	Hillary got a break thanks to a well placed whip attack on the clone's nose,
courtesy of Mary, spin-changed into a lion tamer's outfit. The clone got distracted, and
Hillary took advantage of this to knee him, making her enemy to lean in pain. The hyena
linked her paws together, ready to execute her hammer-like fists attack.
	SPLASH!
	The hyena got surprised by a powerful water-made fist. The clone reacted, and,
while she was distracted, gave Hillary a mighty uppercut, making her to fly a few feet
away.
	"Sorry; I thought you needed a shower." Liquidator said to the dizzy hyena in a
mocking tone.
	The clone turned to face Mary. The girl threw her whip against him, but Ronald-
Clone caught it, and yanked the girl next to him, receiving her with a fierce claw hit.
Mary was sent across the pit, and the hybrid charged against her, ready to finish the girl.
	WARP!
	UNWARP!
	WHAM!
	The hybrid's clone got surprised by a mighty kick from The J.A.M., who appeared
right in front of him. The jaguar then jumped on the clone's back, and applied his sleeper
grip on him; the duplicate tried to grab the feline with his claws, but Wally caught him in
a bear hug, using all his strength so the clone couldn't release himself and the jaguar could
put him to sleep.
	Unfortunately, the thick fur that Ronald inherited from his father was present on
his clone as well, and gave him a good protection against the pressure points' attacks. The
clone tensed his muscles, and then opened aside his arms, releasing from Wally's grip.
The duplicate gave the wolf a good hit on his muzzle, and then grabbed the jaguar by his
collar, throwing him down from his back. The J.A.M. made a gracious spin to land on his
feet, and, after flattening his ears and showing his fangs to the enemy, prepared to execute
a clawing attack.
	ZAAAP!
	The jaguar got a powerful electric shock; since it wasn't a supernatural lightning's
attack, but regular electricity, he got affected as any other toon. Ronald-Clone tackled
him, and, after pinning the jaguar down, started punching him.
	"Do I smell a burning rug?" Megavolt mockingly asked while rubbing his gloved
hands.
	Wally shook his head to recover from Ronald-Clone's attack, and saw him hitting
the jaguar. The wolf spin-changed into his Dyno-Wolf's identity, and extended his
mechanical-like arms, grabbing the duplicate by his shoulders and lifting him several feet
in the air. Unfortunately, at that moment, several small and multi-colored spherical
objects fell at his feet, making him to slip and release his prey that landed safely on his
feet. Dyno-Wolf regained his balance, and tried to attack again, when the spheres started
doing a ticking sound.
	PUM! PUM! PUM! PUM! PUM! PUM!...
	The series of little yet powerful explosions forced Wally back to normal, and,
before he could avoid it, received a mega-kick from Ronald-Clone, sending him against
one the pit's walls.
	"I suppose people are right; I finally lost all my marbles!" Quackerjack laughed
crazily.
	Gosalyn, who had finally recovered her conscience, looked at the fight and at the
toons out of the pit. She knew that, thanks to the occasional assistance from his masters,
the clone was sure to beat all her friends to a pulp, especially with Shirley powerless. The
heroine then had an idea, looking at the moaning loon aside her. Quiverwing crawled next
to her, trying to keep herself undetected by The Fearsome Six.
	"Shirley, hey, girl, can you hear me? Don't talk, just nod a little." Quiverwing
whispered to the blonde, who nodded slightly in reply. "Good. look, I have a plan. I want
you to cover me; if that Relaxatron thing still works the way I remember, I know a way to
take Ronald out of his trance, but I'll have only one chance. Try to separate Ron from the
villains, and I'll do the rest."
	Shirley looked at Gosalyn, and, after getting a stern expression, nodded in reply.
The loon summoned all her remaining psychic power, and stood up, extending her wings
at the villains' direction. It took her a lot of concentration, but gave the villains a good
psychic shove, moving them a few feet away from Ronald. Quiverwing rolled to stand up,
and placed an arrow on her bow, aiming at the hybrid.
	"Clone, stop her!" Negaduck ordered Ronald-Clone, who stopped his attack on
Wally, and dashed against the duckette. He was about to hit her when Hillary tackled him,
and they both rolled away from the avian.
	"Quiverwing, whatever you're going to do, do it now!" Hillary, struggling with the
duplicate, yelled to her friend. Quiverwing narrowed her eyes, and shot her electric arrow
against Ronald.
	SHRAKKLEEE!
	Ronald shook his head, and wide opened his eyes, while Bushroot and Dr Splicer,
who were the closest to him, were sent back by the electric shock.
	"Uh. what happened?" Ronald finally reacted, and immediately got an alert state
at the sight of Quackerjack trying to hit him with a spiked yo-yo. The hybrid avoided the
deadly toy, and gave the jester a powerful punch that sent him against Megavolt, who was
sent against Liquidator and Negaduck as well, producing the infamous water and
electricity's combination.
	YEEEAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!
	The four villains got stunned and fell on their knees. Ronald looked at the pit, and
gasped when looking at his injured friends, and his girlfriend struggling with a green
version of himself. He then remembered the villains mockingly telling him their plans
right before zapping him with the weird ray, and growled in anger.
	"Nobody hurts my friends, especially my girlfriend. NOT EVEN MYSELF!"
Ronald roared furiously, and jumped inside the pit, landing on his feet and charging
against his clone.
	"Take your green paws away from her, Meanie-Me!" Ronald grabbed his
duplicate by the shoulders, and gave him a sharp hit on the jaws. Ronald-Clone was about
to reply the same way when Hillary surprised him with a kick to his guts. Then, Ronald
and Hillary grabbed him by one arm each, and gave him a double knee hit on his sides,
making the clone to cringle in pain.

	"Double Predator Combination, Pretty Puncher?" Ronald grinned to his girl.
	"Welcome back, Big Paw!" Hillary happily replied, and then they both clenched a
fist while using the other paw to grab the clone by the back of his head.
	PUNCH!
	Hillary and Ronald hit the clone's jaw at the same time.
	KNEE!
	The couple forced the duplicate to lean, and double kneed his chest.
	WHACK!
	The couple elbowed the clone's kidneys, and then placed one of his arms over
each one's shoulders. After the couple secured him by grabbing the clone's back fur with
one paw and using the free paw to grab one clone's leg each, the predators jumped several
feet in the air on perfect synchrony.
	KAAWHAAAM!
	The impact was so strong it even made the already stunned heroes and villains to
react, and gasp at the scene. Hillary and Ronald were still holding the duplicate when they
landed, hitting the ground with one knee each, while the clone got the most severe part of
the shockwave through his whole spine; they released him after a few moments, and the
perfectly knocked out duplicate fell on his back. Then, Ronald and Hillary smiled at each
other, and, not caring that everyone could see them, embraced and kissed.
	"Oh, yeah; nothing's like shock therapy to break up the Relaxatron's effects."
Quiverwing commented in a smug tone.
	"Or to break the Relaxatron too" Mary added, noticing that Dr Splicer now was
holding a totally charred piece of junk. Negaduck glared at the toons at the pit, growling
softly.
	"Not bad, kids. but you all seem to forget about being trapped in a pit that is about
to be turned into a deadly pool. LIQUIDATOR, GET THEM!"
	The watery villain smirked, and, after his companions moved a few feet back,
turned his body into a huge wave, ready to fall over his victims.
	Luckily, Hillary and Ronald broke their kissing when hearing Negaduck's speech.
The hybrid saw his captor growing bigger, and reacted quickly by moving aside from the
hyena, and taking a deep breath.
	ROOOAAAARRRR!
	"YEAAAUURRRGH! Turn the volume down!" The villain returned to his regular
size while covering his water-made ears, his whole body shaking like jell-o.
	"Science 101; sound travels faster through liquids than through air." Ronald
smirked at the villain, and then Wally moved next to the hybrid.
	"And wind is what makes the water to form waves!" The wolf added right before
taking a deep breath himself and blowing at Liquidator, sending the villain back against
his companions; luckily for the villains, since Megavolt was already short-circuited, they
didn't receive a shock this time, but a serious soaking.
	"And about us being trapped here." The J.A.M., noticing the villains weren't
operational at the moment, revealed his trademark poach under his oversized shirt, and
took out an ACME Portable Brick Wall. The wall grew to a more natural size in a
moment, and all the toons dashed behind it, emerging after a few seconds, all their bruises
healed and not feeling as wasted as they were just a moment before.
	Quiverwing shot a grappling hook arrow out of the pit, and she and Wally used
the line to climb out with him carrying Shirley on his back. The J.A.M. repeated his
Spiderman-like climbing, which was copied by Ronald, as they climbed out carrying their
girlfriends. They all were in front of the stunned villains a moment later.
	"Give up now, Nega-Fool!" Quiverwing pointed at Negaduck while adopting a
heroic posture, and her companions getting fighting stances. "You guys are out-powered
and out-numbered, and cavalry is on its way here. You have no more tricks left."
	"I always have one trick left, Quiverwing." Negaduck growled in defiance. "In
case you had forgotten, that clone you left in the pit is basically a plant. which means
Bushroot can wake him up!"
	The duck-plant hybrid whistled loudly, and, a moment later, Ronald-Clone
jumped out of the pit, looking even more furious than before. The heroes got distracted by
his sudden appearance, and the villains took the chance to run away by using a nearby
exit.
	"I'll handle my evil twin. You guys go get them!" Ronald said to his friends while
placing himself between them and the clone.
	"I'll help you!" Hillary rushed next to Ronald, but he stopped her by raising his
paw.
	"I now remember what happened when those guys brought me here. I know their
plans, and that they have several of those cloning watermelons ready for use; if they
activate those, we are done!" Ronald quickly explained, and then turned slightly to give
Hillary a little warm smile.
	"Don't worry, Hill, I'm not leaving you again; we'll beat these jerks, and then I'm
inviting all of you lunch at Weenie Burger and tomorrow, you and I will have a great
evening wherever you want."
	"It's a date, then." Hillary smiled at her boyfriend, and then changed to her usual
sly grin. "Kick his butt, Muscle Boy!"
	Ronald nodded at her, and then eyed his clone. The predators glared at each other
while Ron's friends dashed out of the place. Ron and his enemy extended their claws, and
took a deep breath.
	ROOOAAAARRRROOOOOOOOOMMMM!
	The combination of both roars produced a powerful sonic boom that sent both
fighters a few feet back. Ron and the clone shook their head, and then dashed against each
other, ready to rumble.
	On the meantime, Quiverwing and company ran through a large and wide corridor
that suddenly divided in four. The J.A.M., Wally and Hillary used their noses, and found
out what was at the end of each one; one had plenty of fresh vegetation, another had
assorted chemicals, a third one had gun-powder and other explosives, and the last one
seemed to have several kinds of plastics.
	"Tired of multiple choices' tests?" The toons turned when hearing the salesman-
like voice of the smirking Liquidator behind them; he was a lot bigger, and, on a second
look, the toons found out that he was getting some extra liquid from some open pipes at
the walls.
	"Need a permanent break from crime-fighting? Your problems are over, since
yours truly is about to wash you away permanently." Liquidator grinned, and turned his
arms into a concentrated water blast. It was about to hit the toons when it seemed to clash
against an invisible wall; everybody looked at Shirley, extending her wings at the villain's
direction.
	"I still feel Negaduck's vibes, but now he isn't so close to me, and I know the
source, I can tolerate them." Shirley explained to her friends while the villain reformed
his arms. "I'll handle this poodle; you guys go get his companions."
	The other toons nodded, and divided to dash through the corridors in front of them
while Liquidator reformed his arms and prepared to attack Shirley, who kept her position
while summoning all the psychic energy she had left.

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Bushroot arrived at his underground greenhouse, illuminated by some special
lamps designed by Megavolt, and dashed next to his watermelons' field; it had over 50
plants, all ready to be used.
	"Okay, boys, I know you all need a little more time to be ready, but Negaduck told
me to wake you up now, and, well, he has a chainsaw and a flamethrower, so who am I to
argue?" Bushroot talked to the watermelons, and then moved his leafy hands at them,
focusing his power to turn them into clones.
	CHILL!
	CHILL!
	"NO!" Bushroot yelled in anger and surprise when two freezing arrows landed in
the middle of the field, freezing all the watermelons in a moment. The hybrid turned to
see Quiverwing at the greenhouse's entrance.
	"Now, if you have some glasses, we can have a delicious smoothie right now."
Quiverwing chuckled, taking out another arrow and placing it on her bow aiming at the
villain while slowly approaching him. "This one is filled up with herbicide, Bushy, so put
your leaves up, and don't move."
	"Oh, I'm not moving an inch, girl, but my friends will do it." Bushroot growled,
and, a split second later Quiverwing hands/wings and her feet were secured by fast
moving vines that emerged from the surrounding green area, forcing her to drop her bow
and lifting her a few feet in the air.
	"I hate to do this, but I can't let your attack on my poor watermelons to be left
unpunished." Bushroot then whistled, and a huge walking Venus fly trap-like plant
emerged from the bushes behind him.
	"Spike, your dinner is ready!"

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	"I can't believe those silly students are giving us so much trouble. I never had
companions like them when I was at school. well, I suppose I didn't have." Megavolt said
to Quackerjack while strapping a new battery to his back. They were at the room they
have shared since their arrival to Acme Acres, filled up with assorted toys and electrical
equipment.
	"Well, at least this time we aren't dealing with any hero appearing from nowhere
doing a so-called dramatic entrance." The jester commented.
	UNWARP!
	"Good evening. I AM THE J.A.M.!" The jaguar appeared behind the villains,
getting a fighting stance. The criminals looked at each other, and shrugged.
	"At least his entrance was short." Quackerjack said, and then got his maniac tone
again. "It's plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaytime!"
	Megavolt tried to zap the jaguar, but the feline warped away, reappearing aside the
electric villain. He then tried to use a pressure point attack on him, but got zapped several
feet back.
	"Note to self. don't try to do that against an electrically charged guy." The jaguar
said while shaking his head. Quackerjack grabbed a teddy bear from a nearby pile of toys,
and pressed his belly button; the little bear got a ferocious expression, and extended large
metallic claws, advancing at the feline.
	WHACK!
	The bear got smashed by Mary's mallet; the girl, wearing her skater outfit, sneaked
from behind the villains when they got distracted by the jaguar's entrance, but had to
reveal herself and abandon the ambush plan she and her boyfriend had made because of
the deadly toy.
	"Hey, that's my toy!" Quackerjack growled, and then took one of his mechanical
jaws out of nowhere. "Well, if you break my toys, I'm breaking yours."
	The jaws jumped and bite Mary's mallet, destroying it in a moment. The girl
gulped in surprise, and moved next to The J.A.M., who still was slightly stunned, while
the villains advanced towards them.
	"You two are Math." Megavolt chuckled, and then blinked at his mistake. "No,
not Math. Science? English? No, History! Yes, you two are history!"

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Negaduck dashed inside his chosen room, which, not surprisingly, was the
villains' armory. The duck started collecting assorted weapons and placed them in his
outfit's many pockets; even if he wasn't well trained in toon tricks, he had mastered the
trick of accommodating several items of different sizes in small places, so he could carry
enough weapons to fight a little army.
	"You know, there are some countries with less fire power than this."
	RATATATATATATATATATATATA.!
	Negaduck shot with his machine gun at the direction he heard the voice, but
missed his target. A moment later, a red blur snatched the gun from him, and tear it in
pieces in a split second. The duck turned to see Wally wearing a red superhero outfit with
several yellow lightning-like designs over it, with a particularly large one over a white
circle on the middle of his chest.
	"Wolflash, The Fastest Mutt Alive." Wally talked in a heroic tone. "Now, give up
now, and I'll not punch you a few hundred times per second."
	"Try your best, kid." Negaduck replied in a challenging tone. Wally dashed
against him, and grabbed the duck by his collar, but, at that moment, a green gas was
released from Negaduck's chest buttons, making the wolf to cough like crazy and release
his prey.
	Negaduck, who held his breath before releasing the gas, scowled at his enemy,
and gave him a powerful kick that sent him across the room. Wally landed on his back,
and, when turning to look at the duck, saw him taking out his flamethrower; Wolflash
hardly could avoid being burned alive, but, on his attempt to escape, didn't saw a hidden
land mine.
	BOOM!
	Wally got stunned by the explosion, and fell over his chest. Negaduck approached
him slowly while taking out his favorite weapon. the chainsaw.
	"I already told you, doggie. I studied all of you. There's nothing you can do that
might surprise me, and you should know that I'm almost invincible."
	Wally heard the chainsaw roaring to life. The duck had a point; if rumors were
right, Negaduck had never been defeated by any hero on his/her own.
	None, except one.

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Doctor Splicer finally reached his lab's door, right when Hillary spotted him at the
end of the corridor. The hyena dashed against the mad scientist, who pressed a few
buttons at the door's control panel, and then several laser guns popped from the ceiling.
	"These are surgical lasers I modified, girl." The villain chuckled evilly. "They cut
through flesh and bone like hot knives on butter."
	The guns started shooting at the hyena, who avoided them by mere inches. Hillary
then got an idea, and removed her spiky bracelets, and, in a dashing move, threw them
like discs, hitting two of the guns and destroying them; the bracelets made a bouncing-
like action, returning to their owner's paws, who repeated the operation a couple of times
to get rid of the remaining guns.
	On the meantime, Splicer already had opened the lab door, made of solid steel,
and dashed inside. The moment Hillary destroyed the last gun, and put back her bracelets,
the door started closing; the girl sprinted to the door, and, by using all her strength, kept it
open, handling to jump inside right in time.
	"Very impressive, hyena girl," Splicer, at the other side of the huge lab, filled up
with several containers filled with chemicals, all placed in shelves, and some large
machines, smirked at the panting hyena. "That door weighs a ton and a half; I can't wait to
do some genetic research on you; I might be able to create an amazingly powerful
predator."
	"Well, I can't wait to put my paws on you, idiot." Hillary snapped at him while
approaching to the scientist. "I'm not going to kill you, but after what I'm going to do to
you, you'll wish to never been born!"
	"I seriously doubt it, Miss Hyena." Splicer said while grabbing a vase containing a
red liquid from a nearby shelf. "You know why I started my investigation on first place?
Well, my final goal is to gain enough knowledge from my experiments to use my research
on myself, and become as physically powerful as I am mentally. Right now, this is the
most I have achieved; a formula that can temporarily fuse my DNA with any animal's one
I want."
	Before Hillary could do a thing, the scientist drank all the liquid. A second later,
the man leaned in pain, and his glasses fell down, revealing large yellow eyes. His body
gained mass, ripping his lab coat because of the impressive muscles he got; his hair grew
to form a huge dark mane; his hands and feet turned into massive paws, destroying his
shoes in the process; his human mouth turned into a little muzzle, and, when opening it,
revealed sharp and long fangs; finally, the human got covered by short brown fur, and
gained a long tail with a short dark furry spot at the end.
	"What's better to fight a hyena than her natural enemy?" Splicer grinned evilly and
talked in a loud voice once his transformation was complete, "Panthera Leo; the African
lion."
	Hillary knew that, in the wild, no hyena could defeat a male lion at his top fighting
by her own.
	She also knew they weren't in the wild, and she wasn't like other hyenas.
	"Do your best, Simba." Hillary growled while adopting a fighting stance. "It's time
for Rumble in the Jungle!"
	Splicer then pounced over his prey.
	ROOOAAARRR!
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	- The Fearsome Battles.

	ZAAAP!
	ZAAAP!
	ZAAAP!
	ZAAAP!
	"Not bad, blondie." Liquidator said in a mocking tone while reforming the section
of his body that was zapped by Shirley just a second ago. "If I weren't getting some extra
liquid, then your attacks might stop me. too bad for you I have that extra!"
	Shirley groaned in annoyance. Her psychic lightning was as powerful as usual, but
obviously the villain prepared himself before attacking the loon and her friends. Since
Liquidator was draining some extra water from the pipes behind him to get more power,
the electricity got conducted through the liquid and to the pipes, so the hardest part of the
shock was avoided by the villain, getting only minor damages he could fix in a moment.
To make things worse, the extra liquid made the villain so strong that Shirley psychic
shields' were now almost useless to keep him from advancing.
	Liquidator formed a large water mallet with his right paw, and attacked Shirley.
The loon levitated to avoid the hit, but couldn't escape from a fast water blast coming
from the other paw. Shirley hit the closest wall, and then looked up at the large tsunami
heading against her. The loon got covered by water, and then the current slammed her
against the opposite wall.
	"I have always wondered how much a waterfowl can hold his or her breath. Guess
I'm about to know." Liquidator laughed while using the water pressure to keep Shirley
from escaping and get some fresh air. The last hit made her to expel almost all the air
from her lungs, so the blonde now was desperate for a good breath.
	Shirley slowly felt like fainting and the world around her turned black. She had
overestimated her own abilities against an enemy who was almost totally invulnerable to
most physical attacks, and she was about to pay for that arrogance.
	"Invulnerable to physical attacks." Shirley wide opened her eyes in realization,
feeling her strength coming back alongside an idea. "I can't hurt his body, but I can reach
his mind! And, since this is a life or death's situation."
	The loon concentrated as hard and fast (obviously, since she needed to execute her
plan before drowning) as she could, and then, her aura, the metaphysical manifestation of
her powers (that looked like a ghostly version of the loon), emerged from her, and started
glowing. A split second later, the glow extended through the water, and a dark blue light's
point appeared just a few feet away from Shirley.
	"That's his mind!" Shirley thought, and then made a wing movement, sending her
aura against the point.
	"What is that supposed to beEEEEEAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!"
	The powerful water current calmed in a moment, and all the liquid fell to the
floor, dispersing harmlessly, leaving a panting and soaked loon in the corridor alongside
an unconscious water-made pooch.
	"Mind over matter, or some junk." Shirley smiled slightly while looking at her
defeated enemy.

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Quiverwing struggled to release herself from the vines while Spike advanced
towards his snack. The duckette realized that the plants were pretty strong, and she had no
way to break free.
	"I think I'll better cover my eyes. I hate to see blood." Bushroot said while placing
his leafed fingers on his face, guessing what was about to happen.
	CHEWWUUFFF! SPLUCK!
	"Spluck? I don't think chewed bones sound like that." Bushroot, puzzled, moved
aside his hands, and gasped in surprise. The vines were now only holding Quiverwing's
boots and gloves, and Spike had his jaws filled up with glue!
	"I guess those gloves and boots are one size larger than mine; silly me, uh?"
Quiverwing smirked at the villain, and then, before the vines could attack her again, she
used the herbicide arrow against them; a second later, the vines were dry and breaking
apart, and Spike, who was close to them, was knocked out.
	Bushroot realized Darkwing's pupil was as dangerous as the masked hero himself,
so decided not holding back his powers, and commanded several cacti to jump from the
bushes around the girl. The plants started shooting their thorns against Quiverwing, who
avoided them with a series of flip jumps and cartwheels, and replied shooting more glue
and herbicide arrows she still had, defeating all the plants in a few moments.
	The villain, taking advantage Quiverwing wasn't looking at him, stretched his own
vine-like arms, and grabbed the girl by her ankles. Before the heroine could do anything,
Bushroot yanked her, making the girl to drop her bow because of the pulling's force, and
put her upside down, right in front of him and looking face to face.
	"Not bad, girlie, but now you can't shoot or jump, what do you have left?"
Bushroot said in a mocking tone, not noticing the sly grin Quiverwing got, or when she
clenched her fists.
	WHACKAWHACKAWHACKAWHACKAWHACKAWACKA.!
	Bushroot dropped Quiverwing after the incredibly fast series of punches she sent
against his head, turning it into a living speed bag. The villain got a dizzy expression
while Quiverwing took an arrow out from her bag, and pressed a hidden mechanism.
	WHIIIRRRR..!
	"What the. NO! Put that thing down!" Bushroot recovered from his stunned state
thanks to the fear caused by Quiverwing approaching him with a working saw arrow.
"You have to respect your elders. don't you learn that in school?"
	"Well, now that you mention it. I learned this from Slappy Squirrel." Quiverwing
commented right before pouncing over Bushroot.
	SLICEDICESAWCUTSLICEDICESAWSLICEDICE.
	"Oh, my." Bushroot quietly said right before falling to the ground, cut perfectly
into toony squares. Despite not being trained in toon tricks, Gosalyn knew the villain was
capable of regenerating himself after some time, so she could use a major attack on him
without remorse, and give him a smug look when ending.
	"You're lucky my friend Babs isn't here. she would really like you with carrots,
tomatoes, and some mayo."

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	WARP!
	The J.A.M. hugged Mary and warped them both right before receiving a major
shock from Megavolt.
	UNWARP!
	The jaguar and the girl reappeared a few feet left to Quackerjack, who spotted
them and threw more of his mechanical jaws against them. At the same time, Megavolt
directed his power to a nearby copper cable, and, using his energy in a magnetic way,
controlled it like a whip, sending it against the couple as well.
	Mary avoided some bites from the jaws and even destroyed a few ones by
punching them (after all, she was good at knocking out teeth) while The J.A.M. jumped
aside to escape from the cable, but they knew they couldn't keep doing this forever. The
jaguar then had an idea, and jumped next to Mary, who now was surrounded by the
deadly toys.
	"Get ready for a warping, Cielito." The feline whispered to the human, who
nodded in reply while they both kicked away the jaws, trying to keep them apart from
them.
	Megavolt made a complicated movement with his hands, and the cable moved
around the couple in a lasso-like way, ready to close on them. Then, the electric villain
made another movement, and the cable did just that.
	WARP!
	CRAAACKLEMUNCHMUNCHCRAACKLEEMUNCH.
	"My toys!"
	"My cable!"
	The villains yelled in anger and shock when the cable destroyed the teeth, not
before the toys could chew it, leaving it useless as well.
	UNWARP!
	"My God, get a living, you two." Mary exclaimed when she and her boyfriend
appeared behind the criminals.
	Quackerjack turned back and took a funny looking gun out from his disguise's
pockets. It looked like a regular pistol but had a boxing glove on it.
	PUUM!
	The glove, still linked to the gun thanks to a large spring, was shot against the
couple. The J.A.M. moved Mary aside and ducked himself to avoid the hit while
Megavolt turned as well and prepared his next attack. Because of the spring, the glove
returned to the gun a moment later, so Quackerjack could shoot it against Mary as fast as
Megavolt was trying to fry the jaguar with his energy blasts.
	"Stay still you lousy cat!" Megavolt snapped at the feline. "How I'm going to blast
you if you keep disappearing and appearing before getting the shot?"
	"You-really expect-me to-answer that question-or is-it a-rhetorical-one?" The
J.A.M. replied knowingly, warping in and out of sight, his voice apparently coming from
ten different places; each word coming from a different angle that was never right next to
the previous one. He already was getting a plan to defeat the villain.
	"Well. uh. can you tell me what does "rhetorical" means? I'm not exactly good
with complicated words."
	"Or-remembering-your-own-name-it seems."
	"Hey, don't mock me, cat! You're just like those fools from high school!" The
criminal roared. "They called me insane! They called me a maniac! They called me a
freak!"
	"Were-they-right?" The jaguar smirked, stopping in the shadows while tensing his
muscles.
	"Now that you say it." Megavolt rubbed his chin, losing his concentration and
leaving a good opening for the feline's plan.
	WARP!
	UNWARP!
	SLASH!
	"Hey, I was distracted!" The rodent yelled at the feline in front of him, and tried to
zap him again.
	WARP!
	UNWARP!
	The J.A.M. avoided the attack, and reappeared a few feet in front of the villain.
	"That's it! I'm finishing you for good!" Megavolt said in rage while his hands
sparkled with energy, but, when he tried to zap the feline. the sparks disappeared.
	"Uh? I wasted all my charge so soon?" Megavolt, puzzled, looked at his hands. "It
can't be! I just got a new battery right."
	Megavolt turned to see his back, and got a shocked expression. When the jaguar
warped next to him, he didn't try to slash the villain, but to cut the straps that kept the
battery on his back, succeeding; since the straps were made of a non-conducting material,
to resist Megavolt's power, the jaguar could touch them without any problem (besides, he
did the cut in a dashing movement). Without an external energy source, the villain
depended on his own reserves, and he used them all with the last failed zapping.
	Gulping, the villain turned to see the feline looking at him with an amused
expression. Megavolt got a nervous expression, and tried to talk his way out of the
problem.
	"Well. uh. you don't hate me because of the burning rug's joke I said a while ago,
right?"
	"No, Mister Volt. I don't hate you, or anyone else." The J.A.M. replied while
cracking his knuckles. "Unfortunately for you, I have to be sure you'll not escape before
the police arrives, and also I can't just stand here and do nothing, knowing what you tried
to do to my girlfriend and me with that cable, so, no hard feelings, okay?" The jaguar
smiled, making sure Megavolt saw each and every tooth he had.
	POW! THUD! WHAM!...
	While the jaguar gave Megavolt a lesson, Mary was already planning how to
finish her own battle. The girl moved in front of the villain, and folded her arms.
	"That's the best you can do? Your aiming is terrible!" Mary mockingly said,
making Quackerjack to growl in anger.
	"Oh, yeah? Let's see if you can avoid this one, Miss Skater!" Quackerjack aimed
at Mary again with his punching gun.
	PUUM!
	Mary waited until the glove was about to hit her to grab it on mid air with both
hands. Then, without releasing the glove, the girl started skating at top speed in circles
around Quackerjack, tying him with his own weapon's spring.
	"Hey, this is not fair!" Quackerjack exclaimed, his arms and legs already perfectly
tight against his body, "Let that glove go!"
	Mary stopped skating, and arched an eyebrow at the duck. Then, she gave a good
yanking to the glove, and placed herself in front of Quackerjack.
	"I'm so going to hate myself in the morning." Mary rolled her eyes, and then
released the glove, that flied back at Quackerjack.
	POOOW!
	Or, to be more exact, at his face.
	Mary gave a last look to the unconscious duck, and then turned to see The J.A.M.
holding a bruised and dizzy Megavolt from his collar.
	"You know, Mary, maybe I was a little too tough with Mister Volt." The jaguar
commented to his girlfriend. Then, the couple looked at each other's eyes, and smiled
widely.
	"NAAAAH!"

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Negaduck lifted his chainsaw over Wally's head, ready to behead the wolf, but,
before he could do that, the canine spin-changed and disappeared in a cloud of blue
smoke.
	"Hey, where did you go? Come back so I can skin you alive!" Negaduck furiously
yelled, getting a nasty feeling from this disappearing act.
	"I'm The Hunter That Howls in The Night!" Negaduck turned back when hearing
Wally's voice in a dramatic tone that sounded just too much like the guy he detested the
most in this or any universe.
	"I'm the watchdog your steak can't bribe!"
	A second blue smoke cloud surrounded Negaduck, who started swinging his
chainsaw to both clear the air and try getting the enemy he suspected was hiding in the
smoke. Then, his weapon fell from his hands/wings thanks to a powerful kick, and the
duck received a sharp punch on his beak that sent him out from the cloud. Negaduck fell
over his back, and looked up at the wolf in front of him, using a very similar outfit but
with different colors; blue turtleneck, gray fedora, and the rest in different shades of
purple.
	"I, am Darkpaaaaaaaaw Wolf!"
	"The impersonator of an idiot is an idiot as well!" Negaduck growled while
standing up, and he and Darkpaw started making circling each other.
	"Maybe, but the idiot I'm impersonating is the one who always defeats you on his
own whenever you face him." Darkpaw Wolf said in a smug tone. "If he is an idiot, and
he beats you, then what are you? A total retard?"
	"YAAARGH!" Negaduck battle-cried and took a large machete out from his
disguise's pockets. Wally avoided the first attack, and then pressed a button on his right
cufflink, activating its hidden saw. Negaduck tried to cut Wally again, but the wolf, in a
dashing movement, sawed the blade, and then surprised Negs with a double kick.
	Negaduck tried to take out another weapon, but Darkpaw stopped him by sending
a right punch to his face. Negaduck blocked the attack, and replied with a karate-chop,
that was blocked as well. The masked toons exchanged a series of martial arts' attacks,
with none of them getting a clear advantage.
	Negaduck made a flip-back jump to get some distance between him and the
canine, and took out a hand grenade. Wally replied by taking out his gas gun, an exact
replica of Darkwing's.
	"Eat bomb, sucker!"
	"Smell gas, evil-doer!"
	BOOM!
	The grenade collided with the gas canister, making them both to explode at mid-
way. The force of the explosion sent both fighters back a few feet as they fell on their
backs. Negaduck recovered first, and, taking advantage of the gas cloud in front of him
covering his moves, took another grenade out.
	"Very impressive kid, but, as you pointed, only Dipwing had ever stopped me,
and, face it, as much as you can try impersonating that silly duck, you aren't him."
	"You're right. I'm not Darkwing," Wally's voice was heard from behind the cloud,
"which means I have my own tricks!"
	WHOOOOSSSSHHH!
	A mighty wind, courtesy of Wally's lungs, sent the gas over Negaduck, who
started coughing, and dropped the now active grenade at his feet. and his outfit was filled
up with several explosive and flammable weapons.
	BABABABOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
	Wally was sent out of the room by the powerful explosion. When he recovered,
changed back to normal, and entered the room, using his blowing to clear up the smoke.
He found Negaduck, badly bruised and unconscious, yet living, right under a pile of
debris and cannon balls. Wally sighed in relief, and approached him for a better check up.
	"I wonder if The Justice Ducks would accept a wolf on the team."

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	CLANG!
	CLANG!
	CLANG!
	Hillary, by using her bracelets Wonder Woman-style, have handled to avoid
getting cut by Splicer's sharp claws for a couple of minutes. Then, finding an opening on
the scientist's guard, threw a punch against his jaw, making him to stop the attack. Hillary
tried to hit him again, but Splicer recovered in a moment, and gave her a mighty punch at
the kisser, sending the girl against a nearby metal lab table, denting it because of the
impact.
	Hillary shook her head and recovered just in time to put her right wrist's bracelet
in front of her face right before Splicer could bite her. The lion-man then tried to pin her
against the floor, but Hillary could place her boots against her enemy's stomach, pushing
him away. Hillary rolled to stand up, but, the moment she did it, Splicer punched her with
all his strength, stunning the hyena, who couldn't stop the villain from grabbing her by the
shoulders, and slam her against the floor several times like a rag doll, and then kick her
across the room.
	Hillary, dizzy, used a nearby wall for support and stand up; at that moment, she
lost her breath because of the powerful grip on her neck, courtesy of Splicer's paws. He
then lifted the girl, and, without loosening his grip, slammed her against the wall, his
arms extended all the time to keep her at a good height and slam her again against the
floor if he wanted to.
	"You see how useless your power is when compared to mine, hyena?" Splicer
mocked her while tightening his grip. "And this is nothing next to the power I'll have
when your boyfriend's genes reveal me the secrets to bond my DNA with the mightiest
beasts alive in a perfect fusion. I'll be as strong as I am brilliant! The most dangerous toon
alive!"
	Hillary glared at the scientist, and grabbed his wrists, applying her own strength to
them to stop the strangling. Splicer growled in anger, and increased his grip's strength,
focusing entirely on breaking the girl's neck. forgetting about her legs.
	Hillary focused a good part of her strength on her pelvis and legs, and, taking
Splicer by surprise, caught the scientist's neck with a scissors grapple. The lion-man tried
to shake his head to escape, but the hyena replied by tightening her grip on the villain's
neck, who started losing his breath, and his own grip on the hyena's neck lost force.
	"You have the strength and the instincts, Splicer," Hillary finally found her voice
back while slowly twisting the villain's wrists and keeping her grip on his neck, "but you
lack the knowledge and the experience to use them. Let me give you a little lesson!"
	CRACK!
	CRACK!
	"ROOOOAAAAUUUGH!" Splicer roared in pain after Hillary injured his wrists.
The hyena then released her enemy's arms, and while using the wall to support her back,
linked her paws and lifted them over her head, aiming at the lion-man's head.
	"HILL SMASH!"
	PUNCHRACK!
	Splicer got stunned because of the mighty hit on top of his skull. Hillary then
impulse herself over Splicer, still with her legs around his neck, and forced his back to
arch so she could place her paws on the floor. The girl flexed her arms, and then, in a
sudden, extended them, catapulting the villain over her and away from the wall. Hillary
released him, and Splicer fell over the same lab table he slammed her against a few
moments ago.
	The scientist rolled over the table and tried to stand up, but Hillary jumped over
his chest, hitting him with her knees and leaving him breathless. The hyena then started
punching his face at high speed, not giving him a second to try defending himself. After
about ten dozen punches (a hit more, a hit less), Hillary jumped down the table, and
grabbed Splicer by his legs, and, for a more secure grip, twisted his feline tail around her
right arm. Then, she yanked him, and started spinning, gaining more and more speed at
each moment; when she decided it was enough, the girl released her prey by throwing
him pretty high (the lab had a very tall ceiling), and, without losing a second, took
advantage of the spinning speed to dash at the closest wall.
	Hillary jumped at the wall and supported her boots against it, flexing her knees
and tensing all her muscles while looking at Splicer, who had started falling and was
showing his back to the hyena. The girl then bounced at a terrifying speed, and caught
him at mid air, supporting her forehead on the scientist's back and grabbing both his arms
while keeping the rest of her body straight like an arrow. Splicer wide opened his eyes in
fear, noticing that, on the opposite wall, there were several metal shelves attached to the
wall, all of them a foot of separation between each one, and he was heading against them.
	CLLLLAAAAAUUUUUNNNNGGGGGGGHHH!
	Hillary fell to the floor a couple of seconds before Splicer. Because of the hyena's
attack, the scientist's forehead, chest, upper part of the legs, and knees were badly injured
by the shelves while his back and neck received an awful damage.
	"H.how could I lo. lose?" Splicer talked, shocked, half because of the pain and
half because of his unexpected defeat, "Y. you are sm. smaller. and wea. weaker.I had f.
full advantage."
	"Tell that to King David, Bruce Lee and Jerry Mouse, fool." Hillary smirked at her
enemy, who, at that moment, started shrinking in front of the hyena. Slowly, Splicer
started losing his animal attributes, and, less than one minute later, he was back to his
normal, yet now incredibly pained, self. Hillary stood up and snarled at him while
cracking her knuckles and neck, scaring Splicer as he had never been in his life.
	"W. what are you g. going to do? You. won! You d. don't need to d. do anything e.
else!"
	"True, but I asked for five minutes alone with Doctor Gene Splicer, not with
Mister Evil Mufasa." Hillary got a sinister look while leaning to grab Splicer by his
collar. "And I'm not doing this just for me. I'm doing this so you never, ever, can use your
perverted science against anyone else, and so you can receive the whole punishment I
planned to give your whole gang. And you should know, breaking bones is what hyenas
do best, and I know exactly how to do it, without eliminating you, in a very painful way."
Hillary snarled at the scientist, aiming at his head with her right fist.
	"Get ready for the five most unforgettable minutes of your life."

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	"Shirley, are you okay?" Quiverwing leaned next to the loon, who had fainted next
to Liquidator. The loon opened her eyes, and smiled to her friend.
	"Yes. I'm just like, exhausted, or some junk." Shirley said in a very tired voice,
and then noticed a brown sack next to Quiverwing.
	"What's in the sack?"
	"Bushroot. Do you want some salad?" Quiverwing joked while helping Shirley
stand up. A few moments later, Mary and The J.A.M. emerged from a nearby corridor,
using a paddy wagon to transport the knocked out Megavolt and Quackerjack (both tied
up with cables the couple got from the villains' room), and then Wally appeared carrying
the unconscious Negaduck, tied up with his own cape.
	"Wow!" Quiverwing wide opened their eyes, incredibly impressed. "Great job,
guys!"
	"Thanks, Quiverwing; it seems you did it well yourself too." Wally said to the girl
while placing Negaduck on top of Megavolt and Quackerjack.
	"Now, we still have to check on Hillary; since she hadn't appeared, maybe she is
still fighting Splicer, or chasing him." The J.A.M. pointed; Mary nodded in agreement,
and then wide opened her eyes in realization.
	"Hey, we also have to go check on Ronald! We don't know if that clone."
	KRAKOOOOOOM!
	". beat him." Mary and the others looked at the huge hole that appeared on the
corridor just twelve feet away from where they were standing. Once the dust settled, the
toons saw a large mountain of debris and a bruised, dusted, and furious green hybrid
emerging from the hole, glaring murderously at them.
	"Here we go again." Quiverwing said in a hurry while taking one arrow out from
her bag, and all her friends adopted defensive positions as the green clone extended his
claws and snarled at them. Ronald-Clone tensed his muscles, ready to attack, when the
debris started shaking.
	"ROOOOAAAARRRR!" Ronald emerged from under the debris, looking as
bruised as the clone, but ready to fight as well.
	"You forgot about me so soon, Greenie? Round two is about to start!" The hybrid
snarled at his clone, who forgot about the group in front of him to turn all his attention at
his original. Then, the two of them threw a punch at the other's jaw at the same time,
getting stunned for a second, but returning to their exchange of blows immediately.
	"We have to help him!" Wally was stopped by Quiverwing.
	"No, wait; Ronald is doing it well without us, and we might end up getting on his
way! The best we can do is allowing him to finish this fight, and be ready in case he really
needs our help."
	Ronald hit his clone's chest and then threw a kick against his guts, but Ronald-
Clone caught his paw and twisted it, sending Ronald to the floor and showing his back to
the enemy. The clone sat on Ron's back, and, after placing his knees at Ronald's sides,
with Ronald's arms over them, linked his green paws over Ron's forehead, yanking it with
all his might. The pain at his neck was tremendous, but Ronald somehow could resist it
and slipped his arms to grab the clone's paws; then, in a sudden, tossed the clone over
him, making the duplicate to land in front, with his back paws at Ronald's reach. Ron
grabbed his duplicate by the ankles, and, after standing up, smashed him against the wall.
The clone tensed his legs and abdomen's muscles, and sat in a sudden to deliver a hard
punch to Ronald's belly, making him release his prey. The duplicate rolled to stand up,
and charged against Ronald, who received him with a wrestling grapple; the clone replied
with one of his own, and both fighters rolled on the floor, getting apart from Ron's
friends, who, like Quiverwing said, remained alert the whole time.
	The fighters separated and stood up, circling each other. They charged again,
throwing a perfectly mirrored series of attacks; each kick or punch by one was duplicated
by the other, blocking all the hits. At a certain moment, the panting warriors got a silent
agreement, and started backing up, without losing sight of each other. When they were
about twenty feet apart, Ronald and the clone got tackling positions, and their feet made a
circling effect.
	"Oh, no! It's a double Mega-Ramming!" Mary gasped, recognizing Ronald's most
powerful football tackle.
	"Everyone, duck and cover, or some junk!" Shirley yelled, and, right when Ronald
and his clone made their charge, the other toons jumped chest down to the floor, covering
their ears and closing the eyes.
	POOOOOWWWWAAAAAAMMMMMHHHHH!
	The J.A.M. was the first one to open his eyes, and immediately motioned his
partners to do the same. Ronald was walking clumsily in front of them, with a dizzy
expression, and covered in green dust.
	"So this is why we always wear a helmet when playing football." Ronald
commented goofily to nobody in particular, and then fell on his back. His friends rushed
against him, and Quiverwing took out one of her stench gas arrows, releasing a little of
the gas in front of Ronald's nose to make him react.
	"The cafeteria is serving stew again." Ronald groggily said after smelling the
arrow, and then shook his head, regaining his conscience, but still needed Wally and The
J.A.M.'s help to stand up.
	"Hey, Ronnie, how do you feel?" Quiverwing asked his large friend, still
impressed by the fight, but also concerned about his health.
	"I think. I'll be alright later; but, right now, my head feels as if I had the hippos
from that Disney's movie dancing on it." Ronald commented while rubbing his head,
"And you guys are fine? Those villains didn't hurt any of you?"
	"We handled them, Ronald. And don't worry, we are all okay." Wally said to his
friend while pointing at the fallen criminals.
	"And where's Hillary?" Ronald asked in a slightly more alerted state. The other
toons looked nervously at each other, until Mary placed herself in front of him, but, right
when she opened her mouth.
	NNNNNAAAAAAAAAUUUUURRRRREEEEELLLLLLPPPP!
	"She went after Splicer, and I think she caught him!" Mary immediately guessed
who screamed a second ago, surprising the toons. Then, they moved as fast as they could
through the corridor Hillary went at when they split up; Shirley used her powers to lighten
up Ronald a little bit while Mary and Quiverwing helped him walk, and the wagon with
all the villains on it was pulled by The J.A.M. and Wally; obviously, even if the villains
were already defeated, leaving them unguarded was pretty risky. After a couple of
minutes, they reached the lab's steel door.
	"Definitely, Hillary must be behind that door." Ronald said while giving a fast
look to the destroyed guns at the corridor. Wally and The J.A.M. dashed to the door,
noticing the control panel next to it.
	"This door opens with a password." The jaguar informed his partners while
checking the buttons. Maybe, if some of them were partially erased (which would prove
they were the most used), it would be easier to guess the combination.
	"Maybe I can spin-change into someone who can take down the door, or Shirley
can use her telekinesis to do it." Wally suggested.
	"Perhaps I still have an explosive arrow left." Quiverwing commented while
checking her quiver.
	BBAAAANNNG!
	The toons jumped a step back when the door suddenly got a human silhouette
perfectly impressed from the inside. Then, despite the obvious thickness of the walls and
door, they could still hear various hitting sounds and screams coming from the lab.
	"Hey, that's it!" The jaguar's expression brightened, and turned at Ronald, "If we
can hear what's going on inside, maybe Hillary can hear us as well if we roar."
	"Good idea; let's do it." Ronald agreed, and both predators took a deep breath
while the other toons covered their ears.
	RRRROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!
	At that moment, the noise from the lab stopped. Everyone at the corridor got silent
for almost a minute, until the door opened, and a very tired Hillary stepped out from the
lab.
	"That surely beats a doorbell." Hillary joked, and then advanced at Ronald, who
gently separated from Mary and Quiverwing, and both toons embraced, using each other
as support since they were equally tired.
	"You won, right?" Hillary asked Ronald while tightening the embrace.
	"You had any doubt?" Ronald replied in a tired yet happy tone. Hillary chuckled,
and both toons kneeled without breaking the embrace; after the experience they had
suffered, none wanted to separate from the other not even a moment.
	Everyone smiled at the couple, and Mary approached her boyfriend, giving him a
slight kiss on the cheek. The jaguar purred in happiness, and placed a paw on the girl's
shoulder while both of them kept looking at their embracing friends. Quiverwing then
reacted, realizing someone needed to give a look to Splicer, and moved at the door.
	"Holy guacamole!" Quiverwing exclaimed, making everyone but Ron and Hillary
to look at her. The duckette got a slightly green look, and turned her back to the lab,
directing to her friends while fighting the nausea.
	"Do yourselves a favor, and don't... don't... and, I repeat, DON'T take a look in
there." Quiverwing said, sweating cold. "Compared to this, the most gruesome horror
movies are like a Barbie's one!"
	"Maybe I exaggerated a little bit." Hillary finally turned to see her other friends,
getting a sheepish smile.
	"How bad it looks, Quiverwing?" The J.A.M. cautiously asked; as a predator, a
little gruesome scene couldn't scare him, but he knew that the duckette in front of him
was used to see the goriest flicks without having nightmares, so, if anything could make
her react that way, he wasn't running risks.
	"Let me put it this way," Quiverwing sighed deeply while closing her eyes, "We
need to call some paramedics, and tell them to bring brooms, a garden hose, a couple
spatulas, their stomachs totally empty, an expert in puzzle-solving, and, if possible, a
psychiatrist to attend any case of hysteria."
	"Fine. I exaggerated a lot." Hillary sighed, shaking her head.
	At that moment, one of the nearby walls started trembling, and, a split second
later, a section of it fell, revealing Buster and Babs Bunny, using miners' outfits,
alongside Bugs, Ruby, Fifi, Wile E. Coyote, Calamity (both canines carrying several
weird-looking weapons) and a few dozen cops. The groups looked at each other, and then
Babs got a casual grin.
	"So. what did we miss here?"

	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	- A More Likable Visit. 

	"Anyone want more fish-sticks?"
	"We need some here, Rita. Otherwise, Dizzy might eat the table." Mary directed
to the cat while she and The J.A.M. smirked playfully at the little purple devil sitting
behind them, who was about to chew the table after eating his dish.
	Almost all Ronald's classmates (for obvious reasons, Monty, Elmyra and Marcus
weren't present), as well as the whole Looniversity's staff, were at Rita and Runt's yard,
enjoying the picnic-barbeque the couple threw to celebrate Ronald's rescue. Runt was at
the grill preparing hamburgers and steaks (soy-made, of course, as most of Acme Acres
"meat" was), as well as some large fish sticks, carrots, potatoes and onions, while Rita
played host and attended everyone. Ronald himself wanted to help, but, besides his
parents not allowing him, since it was his party and all, Hillary kept him more than a little
busy; at the moment, thanks to some pasta Minerva brought, they were performing a
classic scene from "Lady and the Tramp", but without separating when their lips touched.
	"How they avoid choking? I mean, they were eating just a moment ago!" Sylvester
Junior commented, surprised at the length of the couple's kiss.
	"Those are the mysteries of romance, my friend." Vinnie explained while sharing
his meal with Binky Bunny. The other toons around Ronald and Hillary chuckled, and, a
few moments later, the hybrid and the hyena broke the kiss, conserving pretty wide
smiles.
	"Way to go, brother!" Minerva, who was sitting at next table alongside most of the
teachers and Newt, gave Ronald the thumbs-up.
	"And here I thought I was the one with the super lungs." Wally joked, making the
couple to blush and everyone else to laugh.
	"Ah, we're just teasing you guys." Buster said when calming down a little, and
getting a fond look on Babs. "I mean, everyone here had acted in a similar way more than
once."
	"Yes, except Fowlmouth." Plucky commented in a casual tone while pointing at
the chicken the other side of the table, who obviously got an upset face.
	"Like, Plucky, be nice, or some junk, or you'll be the next except here." Shirley
said to her boyfriend in a half-angry, half-joking way that made Plucky to get a sheepish
look, and Fowlmouth to smile widely at the image of Shirley defending him.
	"Okay, guys, I want to be serious for a moment." Ronald said while clearing his
throat, getting everyone's attention. "I just want to say, well, thanks a bunch for saving my
neck, and for supporting my parents and Minerva. I especially want to thank those who
rescued me from The Fearsome Six," Ronald gave a fast glance to Hillary, Shirley, Mary,
The J.A.M., Wally and Gosalyn, who were around him (except Shirley, who was at
another table with Plucky), "but I appreciate the effort from all of you when searching for
me. I think I'm talking for my family when saying we'll never forget this, and if you ever
need a paw, you can count with us."
	Everyone clapped at Ronald's speech, who immediately hugged Hillary, and
shook paws with his rescuers; he then did the same with Ruby (who obviously was next
to Wally) and Fifi (who moved from aside Calamity, since they both were at another
table), knowing they also helped a lot to locate him; and then continued with the rest of
his friends and teachers.
	"So, Ronnie, where are you going to take Hillary for that date you mentioned?"
Gosalyn asked the hybrid once everyone returned to their meals and regular chatting.
	"Sorry, Gos, but that's confidential." Ron said in a fake serious tone. "I want this
to be a nice, romantic, and very private experience."
	"In other words, we don't want any of you guys to suddenly appear and ruin the
mood." Hillary cleared, making Ronald to blush, and the whole table to burst laughing.
	"Hillary, you're one in a million." Ronald gave Hillary an affective kiss on her
cheek.
	"Good for us; I doubt we would survive having TWO like her in a million." Ruby
joked, getting a fake glare from the hyena.
	"No kidding; in that case, Splicer would be ten feet under by now." Wally said in
a half-serious tone.
	"Yeah. I really lost control in there." Hillary sighed. "The weird thing is that, right
now, I feel no hate for the guy. obviously, if he ever tries to do something like that again,
I'm going to hit him even harder, but I guess that beating allowed all my hate to leave
with every punch I gave to him."
	"Then, judging by the way he ended up, you really did feel more than a little rage
for him, Hillary," The J.A.M. commented in a serious tone, but changed to a more relaxed
one a moment later, "but you kept your word. It's great to see you didn't get consumed by
hate. I can tell you that take even more guts than jumping into a ring against any rival."

	"Even a jaguar with warping abilities?" The hyena asked jokingly, and then she
and the jaguar smiled to each other. The feline felt particularly proud of his friend,
knowing Hillary could be pretty violent at times, but this adventure confirmed she had a
good control over her instincts, and a lot of responsibility concerning her own strength.
Everybody knew that, if she had allowed herself to use her full capacity, Splicer wouldn't
be alive by now, but she was smart enough to not cross that line, despite the fury she felt
for those who attempted against Ronald's welfare.
	"I hope you're not asking for a rematch," he joked. "Sparring and class work are
easy enough that we can keep instincts under control, but I'm afraid that with those clones
and villains, I had a moment or two where I seriously considered getting raw barbecue.the
quick way."
	"What do you mean by that?" asked the hyena.
	"Erm." he shifted in his footpaws, while Mary took hold of his arm to comfort
him.
	"It's okay, Furrycoat," she soothed, remembering how that evil jaguar tried to kill
that arctic wolf in that alternate timeline. "It's part of who you are, just like breaking
bones is part of Hillary."
	"You break bones too?" asked Ron.
	"Um.sort of; one thing that makes jaguars different from other panthera is that we
normally don't go for the neck. We.um.crushtheskullforaquickkill."
	Everyone who wasn't a predator or Mary felt a little nauseous... except Gos, who,
after a moment, found it kind of cool.
	"If Quakerjack or Megavolt had tried anything horrible against me, Furrycoat, I
wouldn't have blamed you if your instincts had overpowered you. But now you, Hillary,
Ron, and Wally know where your instinct threshold is, and you can work to push it
further away, in case another villain tries anything like this again."
	"In which case, they'll be lucky if they just get a standard mauling," said the black
wolf, laughing a bit to liven up the group.
	At that moment, the jaguar felt a vibration coming from his poach, and, excusing
himself, took out his cell phone, noticing he had a text message.
	"You know, I normally don't care about those responsibility and forgiveness'
speeches, but I'm more than willing to do an exception. Can we talk later?"
	The feline didn't recognize the number, since it wasn't from any of his contacts.
The predator gave a fast glance around, and smiled when in the distance he noticed
Plucky was holding his own cell phone and looking discretely at him. The J.A.M. nodded
at the duck, who got a relieved expression, and returned to chat with Shirley, who placed
a wing over his shoulder and showed a proud look.
	"Who messaged you, Furrycoat?" Mary asked the feline.
	"Just someone who wants to mature a little as well, Mary," The J.A.M. replied
giving her a little kiss. The girl didn't ask more, knowing that he would give her a better
explanation later.
	At the table where most of the staff was eating, Wile E. Coyote glanced at Ronald
and company, and chuckled slightly.
	"Whatpths pthso funny, pal?" Sylvester asked the coyote, noticing him when the
cat turned to allow Penelope and Sylvia to have a private chat.
	"You know, I just realized Splicer didn't need to perform any experiment to get
more hybrids. he only needed to wait a few years." The genius commented, and then
explained to the puzzled cat, "Just take a look around us. Many of our students are
currently involved in very successful relationships that, I dare to say, might end someday
in marriage. And, since most of them are inter-species couples."
	"Oh, I get it now." Sylvester smiled, but immediately got a thoughtful look, "Wile,
I'm no expert, but are you pthsure all thepthse couplepths will have children? Thapths not
hard with pthsimilar pthspecies, like duckpths and loonpths, but a jaguar and a human, a
rat and a wolf, a coyote and a pthskunk. you get my point."
	"Certainly, that's a very valid observation, my feline friend." Wile said in his
expert-like tone. "The probabilities are considerably smaller than when similar DNA is
involved, but, as Rita and Runt proved, even if the genes are pretty different, there's
always a chance of developing a healthy product, especially considering the average toon
body's extreme adaptation's capacities that allow us a quick recovery from most wounds,
and the postures and physical changes we get through when doing a wild take. And, as a
scientist, I can tell you I'm positively curious about how the offspring might result;
Calamity and Fifi will have skunks with his color's pattern, or a perfect genetic mixture,
like it happened with Rita and Runt? Mary and The J.A.M. will have a black panther, or a
human-like child with some feline attributes? And Ronald and Hillary, well, there are
three species involved in that pairing. It's quite intriguing."
	"Well, my dear nerdy colleague, there's only one thing we know for sure."
Minerva suddenly appeared from behind Wile and Sylvester, placing a paw on each
male's shoulder and getting a sly smile, "No matter if they have children or not. they'll
surely have a lot of fun trying." The three teachers burst laughing a moment later,
stopping only when Newt called Minerva back and Sylvester returned with his wife and
his ex, leaving the coyote alone with his theories and looking at the youngsters.
	"Runt, did you remember to buy dessert?" Rita asked her husband while chewing
a fish stick. Runt stopped eating his hamburger to reply.
	"No, but Gosalyn assured me she'll get it, definitely." Runt told her, and, in a
perfect cue, a jet engine was heard by everyone. The toons looked up in the sky to see a
duck head-shaped jet hovering over them, getting ready to land.
	"I see it. I see it. I see it." Loud Kiddington said in his dull voice, making Aka
Pella and a few other toons around him to react from the surprise caused by the jet's
appearing, and chuckle a little at one of the boy's trademark routines.
	"Hey, dessert is here." Gosalyn said in an excited tone, but changed to a slightly
concerned one a moment later; "You guys better beware; I know the pilot, and he's pretty
cool flying, but not so much landing."
	To the duckette's surprise, the jet landed without any problems a few feet away
from the group. Then, the toons at the jet became visible, and Gosalyn smiled widely
when discovering the reason the jet landed so well.
	"Very nice landing, Honker," Launchpad McQuack, Darkwing's sidekick, directed
to a nerdy-looking young goose next to him, "Now, you just need to practice the acrobatic
flight, and you'll be ready to use The Thunderquack in case of emergency."
	"Thanks, Launchpad; you were right about flying. It's kind of a liberating
experience." Honker's speech was cut by the passionate kiss from the red haired duckette
that ran to embrace him. The goose got a surprised expression, but kissed back a moment
later; as good as the magical sphere was to get some long-distance kissing, there was no
substitute for the normal way.
	"It's so good to be together again." Gosalyn and Honker said at the same time
when breaking the kiss, chuckling when noticing it. The girl's classmates and teachers
laughed at the scene, except some of the girls who gave Gos the thumbs up.
	"What, no kiss for me?" A white duck wearing a green sweater with dark pink
sleeves said from behind the young couple. Gosalyn separated from Honker to share a
good hug with her dad, in his Drake Mallard's identity, and then kissed his cheek before
doing the same with Launchpad.
	"Glad to see ya, Mistah Mallard." Bugs greeted the duck while Launchpad and
Honker took a pretty large cake out from the jet, "Hadn't seen ya since Gos moved here."
	"Ah, well, you know, Saint Canard isn't exactly downtown, Mister Bunny." Drake
said while shaking paws/wings with the rabbit, "Darkwing has to attend some business
here concerning his enemies, of course, so I asked him and Launchpad to give me a ride
and visit my daughter, and, since Honker misses her as well, he came too."
	"Well, join da party, doc. I can tell ya, yer daughter made a fantastic job directin'
her classmates. Ya and Darkwing must be very proud of her." Bugs told Drake while they
moved towards the staff's table. Launchpad and Honker were greeted by Runt and Rita,
who grabbed the cake to put it inside the house until dessert's time, allowing the avians to
join the other guests.
	"I don't get it!" Fowlmouth commented to Sylvester Junior while glaring at
Honker, who now was getting introduced to Gosalyn's friends by her, "I had been trying
to dadgum get Gosalyn's dadgum attention since she moved here, and she had rejected
dadgum me because of that?"
	"Well, he looks like a nice guy, FM." The kitten said to the angry chicken, "And it
seems tough and witty girls are somehow attracted by nice guys; just look at Hillary and
Ronald."
	"But Ronald is a dadgum strong guy, Junior! And this guy looks like a perfect
dadgum weakling!" Fowlmouth insisted, and then got a sly look and elbowed Junior
slightly, "Just look at this; I'm giving him a dadgum handshake to make him cry." Junior
rolled his eyes, yet followed Fowlmouth when he approached Honker, who now was
getting introduced to Calamity, Fifi, and Egghead Junior.
	"Nice to finally meet you, guys. Gosalyn had told me a lot about The Loo's
smartest toons and her French friend." Honker said in his usual polite tone while shaking
paws/wings with the Acme's geniuses and the furry beauty.
	"Merci. Gosalyn is always zelling us about her cuze and lovely boyfriend from
Saint Canard." Fifi told Honker, making him to blush and give Gosalyn a shy affective
look she replied with a little kiss on his cheek.
	"And thanks for the compliment; Gosalyn talks highly about your intelligence as
well." Calamity replied with signal language that, he pleasantly discovered, Honker
understood perfectly. Egghead Junior nodded and wrote something on a sheet of paper; he
then handled it to the taller avian, who got a very interested look.
	"I would like it a lot, guys; maybe we can e-mail to exchange information and
even work together. And what's this invention you mention here?" Honker asked Egghead
while pointing at one part of the paper.
	Calamity and Egghead glanced to each other, and then Calamity took a little silver
panel with a large red button on it out from his body pocket. While he and Egghead made
a few adjustments to the invention, Fowlmouth and Junior finally got behind Honker and
Gosalyn, and the chicken cleared his throat to get their attention.
	"So, Gos, you're not going to introduce your boyfriend to us?" Fowlmouth said in
his most polite tone yet conserving his sly look.
	"Oh, sorry guys; Honker, they are Fowlmouth, Foghorn Leghorn's pupil, and
Junior, Sylvester's son. FM, Junior, he is Honker, my boyfriend." Gosalyn made a little
emphasis at the last part while looking at Fowlmouth; the chicken, since Shirley and
Plucky became an official item, had unsuccessfully tried to become Gosalyn's boyfriend
for a while now, and she was getting tired of his annoying flirting.
	Junior shook Honker's wing in a proper, polite way, and then Fowlmouth prepared
to perform his stunt. He gave Honker his tightest hand/wing-shake, but, surprisingly,
Honker's friendly expression wasn't affected at all, as if he actually didn't feel it.
Fowlmouth made his best to hide his surprise, and, at that moment, Egghead tapped
Honker's side to get his attention. The goose released the chicken, and the little group
focused on Calamity, explaining the invention through his regular signs.
	"Egghead and I had been working on this for the boxing team." Calamity pointed
at the panel that now was on four table-like legs yet slightly leaned, with the red button on
top. "It measures an impact force and tells you how much damage a punch can actually
produce on a distracted or untrained rival of your same size and complexion."
	"Cool! Can I try it?" Gosalyn asked the coyote and the nerdy chicken. When both
of them nodded, Gosalyn clenched her right fist and drew it back, aiming at the button;
she then threw a pretty hard punch, and an electronic voice was heard.
	"Ouch. Broken jaw. Fractured nose. Ready for knocknout."
	Gosalyn got a proud look, and got complimented by Honker and the other toons
but Fowlmouth, who looked at the button and decided to try as well. When the geniuses
gave him permission, the chicken did the same as Gosalyn; since he liked boxing as an
exercise, FM was expecting to impress Gosalyn by showing-off his strength.
	"That hurt. Ached cheeks. Black eye."
	"Want to make a dadgum try, Honker?" Fowlmouth said to the goose in a smug
tone. Gosalyn got tempted to kick him, but Honker, always the nice guy, ignored the
chicken's attitude and accepted his offer. The goose cracked his knuckles and aimed at the
button, throwing a pretty hard punch.
	"Augh. Numb jaw. Lost tooth. Seeing double."
	"Hey, nice one, Honk!" Gosalyn happily commented while touching Honker's
shoulders. "You hadn't stopped practicing your Quack-Fu, right?"
	"Well, I doubt I'll ever be as good as you, Gos, but yes, I do; you should had seen
Tank's face last time he tried to bully me." Honker smiled at her while Fifi and Calamity
complimented him as well and Egghead checked the machine's lectures for a more precise
measurement. Meanwhile, Sly Junior moved next to a stunned Fowlmouth, friendly
elbowing the chicken.
	"So. you still want to get Gosalyn's attention, uh?" The feline asked mockingly.
	"Eh. do you think they'll notice dadgum me if I chicken out of here right now?"
Fowlmouth replied nervously, and, before the cat could reply, dashed away to hide behind
Foggy.
	"Hey, Honker, can I borrow my daughter from you for a minute?" Drake, holding
a dish with a hamburger and grilled potatoes on it, approached the group. Honker and
Gosalyn chuckled, and she went next to her dad.
	"You know, Gos, Bugs and your other teachers told me what a great student you
are." Drake said to Gosalyn while they walked away from the other toons, and then he
chuckled slightly. "Oh, my. I never thought I would say that!"
	"Hey, the teachers at home didn't understand me, Dad." Gosalyn shrugged, "And I
never had so many cool classes like Cartoon Violence, Spin-Changing, and Superheroes;
now, those are things I really want to learn. Plus, I made more friends here in a few
months than in Saint Canard all these years; if you, Launchpad, Honker and Morgana
could be here as well, the place would be perfect."
	"Yes, I miss you too, Gossy." Drake sighed while sharing a potato with Gosalyn.
"But you have no idea about how good I feel by knowing you finally are in a school you
fit in, with so many friends around and actually enjoying your classes. And, if what I
heard is right, you did a terrific job as Quiverwing without me."
	"Well, I didn't do it alone; I had tons of help." Gosalyn admitted, and then gave a
fast glance to her classmates, eating and chatting a few feet behind them.
	"I know, and it seems everyone here cares about each other." Drake chewed his
hamburger, and, after swallowing the snack, got a gentle yet serious expression. "And you
certainly must hate hiding things from them, right?" Gosalyn got a blank expression,
guessing what her father was referring to; she recovered a moment later, sighing.
	"Yeah. but the most I have told them is that I do a nice impersonation of
Quiverwing; sure, some of them might suspect I'm the real thing since I am Darkwing's
pupil and all, but still, my identity isn't just my secret." Gosalyn got a slightly sad
expression. Drake lifted her beak with his hand/wing, and smiled at her.
	"But, aren't friends supposed to trust their secrets among them. and also keep them
as if they were their own?"
	Gosalyn got a shocked expression.
	"Wait. you mean you are allowing me to.?"
	"You said it, Gos; they're your friends, and it's just fair to tell them." Drake placed
a hand/wing on his daughter's shoulder. "And you just showed me you're responsible
enough to know who can be trusted with our secret, since you trusted them with your life
the same way they trusted theirs to you. Besides, if you keep with your idea of becoming
a heroine, and I think you'll be a great one, you'll need some allies, and your friends will
surely like the idea of having a professional hero for assistance if needed."
	Gosalyn couldn't restrain from giving her dad the tightest hug she could; Drake
almost dropped his food, but smiled widely at the girl's gesture.
	"Thanks, Dad. and don't worry, I'll not disappoint you. I'll just tell the secret to
those I know can keep it; guess that eliminates Plucky and Fowlmouth from my list."
Gosalyn chuckled at the last part, and, after giving her father a fast kiss, returned to her
table, high-fouring Launchpad when he passed next to her while approaching Drake, the
pilot carrying an over-charged dish with a little of everything Runt was cooking.
	"Gee, Drake, I guess Gos really liked what you told her." Launchpad commented
to his friend right before eating one of the many fish-sticks from his dish.
	"Yep. My little girl is growing up so fast." Drake sighed, looking at Gosalyn
getting a seat offered by Honker.
	"Ah, don't sweat, DW." Launchpad placed a hand on Drake's shoulder while
looking at Gos as well. "You know she still needs her father as much as Quiverwing still
needs Darkwing."
	"You're right, my old friend; which reminds me, I need to pay a little visit to a
friend tonight before leaving." Drake told his sidekick right before grabbing one of his
fish-sticks and Launchpad grabbed one of his pal's potatoes.

	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	"Open gate number 5!"
	The huge gorilla guard obeyed, and pressed a password to open the heavy armored
gate and allow the visitor to pass. The ape saluted said visitor, who nodded in reply while
passing next to another pair of guards, a human and a bear, and walking through the high
security ward of Acme Acres Prison.
	All the cells had the classic Hannibal Lecter's prison-like design, with thick
concrete walls at the sides, and a thick bullet-proof glass wall on the front, but with some
changes. The first cell was modified for its current prisoner, Bushroot; it had some tubes
on the ceiling and floor, so, if he tried to escape, the cell could be filled up with a special
mixture of sleeping gas and herbicide that could put him to sleep for a week.
	Next to him, Megavolt was in an especially isolated cell with no electric
appliances or sockets twelve feet around, plus some plastic tubes to fill the cell with
foam, similar to the one from extinguishers, but this substance became solid as cement in
a few seconds, plus being able to block high voltage and short circuit electric appliances.
The cell was illuminated by specially isolated bulbs so, even if Megavolt weren't in a
special cell, he wouldn't be able to drain power from them.
	Liquidator was captive in a cell that allowed no leaks, and it could be electrified in
a split second if he made any suspicious move, plus having a temperature control that
could freeze him if the electricity didn't stop the villain; if that didn't work, as a last
resource, the whole cell could be filled with a foam similar to the one at Megavolt's cell.
Obviously, since Liquidator was the hardest villain to control if escaping, his cell had a
lot more security measures than the others.
	Quackerjack was in a more conventional cell, but without anything he could use
to create a tool and escape. The visitor smiled at the job the coyotes made using the
information he provided, and kept walking to reach the cell he really was interested in.
	Negaduck, despite having no superpowers, was the most guarded criminal in the
whole prison; he was surrounded by no less than twelve guards, and his cell, like
Bushroot's, could be filled up with sleeping gas if needed, and, as Quackerjack, he lacked
anything that could be useful as a tool or weapon. He was currently pacing on his cell,
wearing a regular prisoner outfit (yet conserving his black mask), cursing under his
breath, trying to think on a way to escape, and hating himself for allowing a bunch of
teenage toons to capture him.
	"Nice place, Negsy. I would really like to come in, but I'm very comfortable here,
so take no offense."
	Negaduck stopped moving, and then looked at the toon the other side of the
transparent wall. Disguises' colors aside, he might as well be looking at a mirror.
	"Well, well, well, look who finally appeared." Negaduck said in his calm yet
hateful tone. "What happened, Dorkwing? You must be aging since you allowed a bunch
of kids do your job."
	"Ah, well, you know how this works, Neggy." Darkwing shrugged while leaning
his right wing/hand on the crystal. "I had to attend some major business the other side of
the pond, and had to let the youngsters handle the minor one. namely, Five Clowns plus
one."
	"You can say whatever you want, Dumbwing," Negaduck glared at his enemy
while approaching the wall, "but you should already know no jail can't keep me prisoner
for long. And the moment I set a foot out of here."
	"You'll get even on me and my loved ones, right, Drake?"
	Negaduck got a shocked expression, but immediately changed back to his sly
look.
	"So, you finally realized, uh? You know, there are guards around us."
	"I asked them to give us some private time." Darkwing replied, getting a more
serious tone. "You see, when I visited your Negaverse, I got shocked when seeing
everyone was different, but, at the same time, there were similarities. The Muddlefoots
were still Drake Mallard's neighbors, Launchpad was his sidekick, and. he was Gosalyn's
legal guardian. So, if I could put two and two together in a second, then, I thought about
something. what would keep you from realizing it as well, since you know we are
basically the same guy?"
	"Not so dumb after all, are we?" Negaduck chuckled evilly, getting an arrogant
look. "Yes, I had known your secret identity for a while, Drake, but I never did a thing.
because I wanted you to discover it by your own so, now, you know I can easily attack
and bring hell to your civilian life. You'll never be able to relax, knowing that I can
eliminate your sidekick the moment he goes to get a snack at Hippo Burger. and, did you
know he has a little sister, and his parents are still alive, for now?" Negaduck saw
Darkwing's frown, and continued.
	"And your lovely cousin Margot, well, I can kidnap her with the excuse of her
being a wealthy girl, but, in reality, I would do it to make her suffer an endless pain. And,
do you think Gosalyn would ever forgive you if you can't save her little boyfriend from
ending in the river, floating face down? Ah, your lovely Gosalyn. you can't keep an eye
on her all the time, especially now she is here in Acme Acres."
	Darkwing's frown grew larger at the last part. Negaduck grinned at him, and
moved closer to the crystal wall.
	"And, you know the best part? I don't need to do a thing but opening my little
beak, and then F.O.W.L. might do the job for me. Or, perhaps, Tuskernini, Taurus Bulba,
Splatter Phoenix, or any other criminal you had ever stopped will have that pleasure."
Negaduck got an all-business tone, and looked slyly at Darkwing. "Of course, I'm a
reasonable duck; if you let me out of here, well, maybe I'll keep your secret between us.
Of course, that means you can't never, ever, capture me again. If you had more guts, you
would end this easily by finishing me, but you're too much of a do-gooder to do that, so,
what do you think, Dipwing? We have a deal?"
	Darkwing got silent for a few seconds, and then did the last thing Negaduck
imagined; he laughed.
	"Negs, you can't be seriously thinking I'll do a deal with you." Darkwing stopped
laughing, and returned to his smug tone. "First of all, I know you'll never tell anyone my
secret, because, well, I know you and I share something besides our face. the ego. I hate
to admit it, but sometimes I let it cloud my common sense, and that had made me commit
mistakes; on the bright hand, your ego is as big as mine, maybe even more. You hadn't
revealed my identity simply because you want to finish me yourself, and you want to
eliminate Darkwing Duck, the superhero, not Drake Mallard, the commoner who lives in
a simple house next to some annoying neighbors. If I'm wrong, please, correct me."
	Negaduck got a furious look and some foam dropped from his beak, but couldn't
say a thing. Darkwing and he were two sides of the same coin, and, basically, the same
duck, so the hero knew him as well as Negaduck knew himself.
	"And about you attacking my loved ones, well, maybe I should remind you that
Launchpad isn't so easy to kill; he had survived more crashes than any other guy besides
Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester Cat!" Darkwing chuckled a little, and kept talking. "His
family, well, I don't know them that well, I admit, but I'm sure they're not a piece of cake
either. Margot? This might surprise you, but, if you touch her, the same wolf that kicked
your butt will be over you in a snap, that is, if I don't get you first. Honker? That boy has
more brains than you and all of F.O.W.L.'s scientists combined, and you can be sure that
he has some protective measures of his own besides the ones Gos and I have given to him
over the years, including more than a few Quack-Fu lessons. I noticed you didn't mention
Morgana; not dumb enough to go after a powerful sorceress, right?" Darkwing then
sighed and looked at Negaduck right in the eye.
	"And I would think twice before attacking Gosalyn; she and her friends are the
ones who caught you this time, even with that mad doctor helping you. Touch her, and
you'll not only have to run away from me, but from the whole Looniversity."
	"That was just dumb luck!" Negaduck snapped at Darkwing. "Next time, I'll make
no mistakes, and finish them all!"
	"Neggy, Neggy, Neggy. next time, you and your pals might not survive."
Darkwing replied in a casual tone, and before Negaduck said another word, the hero
touched his beak in thought and directed to him. "Tell me, Negs, do you know what
abilities does Hillary have?"
	"The hyena? Of course I know! I studied all of them for weeks!" Negaduck
growled. "She has high-level fighting skills, far-from-average strength, tracking abilities,
and." Negaduck stopped talking, and wide-opened his eyes in realization.
	"Spin-changing, with an expertise in tough characters, I'm right?" Darkwing said,
amused at Negaduck's expression, "Curious, don't you think? Why someone who
obviously was the most eager to beat all of you didn't use a skill that could certainly be
handy during her fight?" Darkwing leaned his back against the crystal wall, irritating
Negaduck even more.
	"I'll tell you why she didn't do it, and you'll better pay attention, since this can save
your life." Darkwing said in an expert tone; when Negaduck didn't say anything, he
continued. "Hillary was incredibly angry with you and your gang, Negs; especially with
Splicer, once she knew he wanted to perform experiments on her boyfriend, and do you
know anything about his current condition? He went through a fourteen hours surgery
yesterday, just to be fine enough to be at the Intensive Care Unit, and doctors say he'll
need at least five more major surgeries just to be able to perform the simplest movements;
I doubt he'll ever be able to grab a test tube again. Now, imagine all that fury fueling this
girl. spin-changed into The Hulk."
	Negaduck got a blank expression, and, for the first time in ages, he felt himself
invaded by a primal and powerful feeling. fear.
	"You guys are lucky she is a good girl at heart, you know?" Darkwing told
Negaduck while turning to see him. "She made herself the promise of not allowing her
anger to evolve into hate, so she restrained from using her most powerful skill, knowing
she might as well eliminate one or all of you in a pretty brutal way if losing control while
impersonating a stronger character. Of course, it was a good thing her boyfriend was
basically undamaged and what you did to him was easily reversed, because, well,
otherwise, I'm sure she could have forgotten that promise, and The Fearsome Six would
be The Terrifying Mess by now. And, in the case Hillary was hurt, well, Gosalyn found a
way to wake up Ronald; imagine him, turned against you, possessed by the same rage his
clone had." Darkwing got a more serious expression, while Negaduck gulped slightly,
finally realizing about the real danger he faced when messing with Gosalyn and her
classmates.
	"So, Negsy, shut up, and listen." Darkwing spoke quietly yet in a very serious tone
that Negaduck had never heard from him. "You can reveal my identity on national TV,
and try your best to get even on me, but you'll only get yourself into more problems. And
there's no way you can threat me, because I know all the people I care are well protected,
and not just by me. And finally, in the rare case you can hurt Gosalyn. a do-gooder can
change his mood to a very pissed father's in a snap, so don't press your luck, and stay
away from my girl from now on, or I'll make you suffer a pain like Splicer's, but ten times
worse."
	Negaduck didn't say a thing during Darkwing's speech, and, when he ended, the
enemies eyed each other for a couple of minutes before Darkwing turned his back on him
and walked away. His message was clear; he was a hero, yes, but before that, and first of
all, he was Gosalyn's dad, and nobody, not even his own evil duplicate from an alternate
universe, could touch her without getting the proper punishment. and even some improper
one.

	THE END.

	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	(You know, Darkwing was a little scary here.) Hey, he is The Terror That Flaps in
the Night, Babsy; you don't expect someone with that description to be cheerful all the
time. (Good point.)
	Anyway, here is where we place the second disclaimer, right Babs? (Sure, pal. As
you guys know, Darkwing Duck/Drake Mallard, Launchpad McQuack, Honker
Muddlefoot, and The Fearsome Five -Negaduck, Megavolt, Liquidator, Quackerjack and
Bushroot- are copyrighted by Disney, as well as F.O.W.L. and S.H.U.S.H., so Ramiro
doesn't own them and the same goes for Wally, not the wolf, but the nerdy human from
"Where's Wally?" We also had Loud Kiddington and Aka Pella, from "Hysteria!",
copyrighted by WB Studios, and impersonations involving Dynomutt and El Kabong,
created by Hanna-Barbera studios; and The Flash, by DC Comics.)
	Thanks, Babs, and also thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the story. (And
thanks again to The J.A.M. -who helped us with some scenes- and Nightw2 -original
creator of Nigel Silverbill- for allowing us to have their characters here.)
	That's all, guys. So long and. Babs, please.
	(Keep the good writing!)

A Time to Every Purpose Unto Heaven Part 19 (3) A Time To Kill

Welcome to the third part of the nineteenth installment of  -
 "A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN "  By Pepe K.
(Winner of 31 UKE Awards)
Please send all comments to PepeK62 [at] gmail [dot] com 
The following story concerns the Toonsters' freshman year of Acme
Looniversity at college level. This tale of mystery and adventure is
best read from the beginning - the other parts are available at
HKUriah's TTA Fanfic site, among others. I suggest you read it from
the start or you'll not know what is transpiring.
All characters portrayed that are not based on those owned by Warner
Brothers; Amblin, MGM, Tezuka, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, & Disney 
are created and owned by the author. Andy Fox is courtesy of his player. 
The WB Character "Bernice Beauvine" was named by Able DuSable.
This part of the tale is rated R for realistic violence.
This story contains many references to music, some of which you may be
familiar with. It contains and was inspired by the music of Danny Elfman's
film soundtracks. In order to enhance this experience, I've made notations
as to where each specific piece of music fits into the story. If it's 
available to you, I'd  *strongly* suggest getting the CD or cassette tape, 
so that you'll not only read the story, but hear it happen as well. All the
music is available on CD. Most is from 
Danny Elfman's Original Motion Picture Soundtracks:
"Planet of the Apes" - (#MCAD-10133), 
"Charlotte's Web"  - (Sony/Classical #88697-02989-2),
 Max Steiner's classic score of "King Kong" (Turner movie Classics & Rhino 
Movie Music #R2 75597) and  the Music of Sol Kaplan -
The Original Television Soundtrack of "STAR TREK" Volume 2 "From the 
Episode "The Doomsday Machine" (Crescendo Records #GNPD 8025)

I'd like to thank HKUriah, Thorne, Dennis Smith, Paul Zook 
and Danny Elfman. 
This story is dedicated to my Beloved Wife – 
             -And - 
In Memory of over Three Hundred Brave Men who gave their lives
In Defense of their Countries at the Battle of Hampton Roads,
March the Eighth, 1862.
-	And for  my late Beloved Brother –
                          JAMES CORNELL KELLOGG
                          Born January 30th, 1957 –
			Died July 11th, 2008



And now – Part 3 of Part 19 of -
   "A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN" - A Time To Kill 
    "The U.S.S. CUMBERLAND"

Chapter CXXV
	["Now hold on! Buchanan gets badly wounded, but he survives the war'],
Dr. Lord insisted, ["No one will be lost nor left behind here today! Not on my watch!
Do you hear me?!"]
	After his fierce declaration, the cowed toons were silent. Calamity wished
he'd studied before he'd opened his big mouth as his host went below. After a 
moment, Lord thought softly to Shirley in a fatherly way, as if patting her on the 
shoulder.
	["Don't cry Shirley. I'll figure a way to get you out of this_The others too.
Be a brave girl now."]
	["You promise?"] the loon asked, sniffing her tears back.
["I promise"] he told her. ["If only the two of you weren't getting wounded in the
legs..."]
	["What do you mean?"] asked Buster.
["Those uniforms I gave you all are actually body armor. Even the hats are
helmets"] the Doctor explained. ["Since they're designed as Civil War jackets,
they don't cover your legs."]
	["So zat's why zey felt heavy"] Fifi thought.
	["Looks like we've got company"] Furball announced as the ship began a
turn to port and the city of Norfolk came into view on the eastern shore.
	["What company? Who? Where? Why?"] asked Plucky.
["What Plucky is trying to say is that we can't see"], Babs explained, ["Would 
somebody please tell us whatever it is?"]
	Fifi looked through the eyes of her host and saw the figures of hundreds of 
people lining the banks of both sides of the river. It appeared as though the entire 
populations of Portsmouth and Norfolk had dropped everything and had run to the 
riverbanks to see the Virginia. The people stood silently for the most part, staring at 
the monstrous black ironclad as she slowly slipped through the waters. 
	Young men and boys were scrambling to join the ship, jumping into rowboats
and oysterman's skiffs, climbing onto rafts and poling their way along to follow the
lumbering giant. Little sailboats scooted around the ship. 
	Everywhere – there were girls waving white handkerchiefs. Finely-dressed ladies
waved to the crew with worried faces. Others bowed their heads in prayer for their 
husbands, sons and fathers who were about to go into battle. In the local
churches, the Confederates prayed for their struggling country and for the safe return
of their loved ones. Many of the men on the shore had serious countenances. An 
attempt at cheering would have ended in tears. Their hearts were too full for 
utterance.
	All the people knew that this was a decisive moment for the Confederacy. 
If the Virginia broke the enemy blockade, then there was a significant chance
that the new nation would gain the recognition and support of foreign powers
like Britain and France. With their support, the Confederacy might survive.
	["Ah'll tell vous what mah host, Docteur Pheeleepz eez theenking"], Fifi 
announced in an oddly dispassionate tone, ["Both sides of zee riverbank are 
thronged with people. Most ov zem, perhaps attracted by our novel 
appearance, and desirous ov witnessing our movements through zee water."]
	Fowlmouth and his host watched a group of old men on a nearby wharf
shake their heads at the ironclad.
	"Go on with your old metallic coffin!", shouted one, "She will never amount 
to anything else!"
	["Few, eef any, entertain an exalted idea ov our efficiency"] Fifi continued, 
["Many predeect a total failure."]
	Buster, who had been quiet since learning his fate, spoke up bravely.
["Maybe not everybody'], he thought, ["My man has realized that this is the day.
That here is to be tried the great experiment of the ram and iron-clad in naval warfare."]
	["Lieutenant Wood agrees with the others"], Mary contradicted as the ship
began a slight turn to port, ["From the start we could see that she was slow, not 
over five knots. Uh-oh!"]
	The ship was not making the turn and was aiming at a jetty, alarming the
man at the wheel and the officers. The helmsman spun the wheel hard to port to
avoid a collision but nothing happened! The crew waited breathlessly. Finally, the
great length of the ship lurched slowly aside under everyone's feet and swung 
gradually out of danger. 
	["This is like trying to steer a dinosaur!"] thought Hamton as his host, the pilot
talked with the other men in the tiny pilot-house.
	Mary continued to relay her host's thoughts: ["She steers so badly that, with 
her great length, it will take thirty to forty minutes to turn. She's as unmanageable 
as a water-logged vessel."]    
	"What's her speed?" Captain Buchanan called down from behind the
conical pilot-house to the leadsman on the foredeck.
	Standing ankle-deep in the river water that ran over the semi-submerged 
deck, the crewman threw his lead bob ahead of the ship and paid out the line it
was attached to. The lead struck the bottom and the man watched the ship's nose
pass it - then, hand over hand, he drew it back up, noting how much line had gone 
out.
	"Six knots, Sir. Our keel is close to the bottom, Captain" he called back.
While Buchanan mused sullenly over this, people on shore gasped at the sight 
of the leadsman standing on what to all appearances was thirty feet of water.
	"It is de debil ship! Dat man is walkin' on de water!!" they exclaimed.
The captain was not satisfied and ordered Buster's tugboat to take the Virginia in 
tow. Guiding the man at the helm, Buster's host slowed his tugboat, bringing it in 
close to the Virginia's sharp prow and a crewman dropped a thick hawser rope to
the leadsman, who looped it around the ironclad's bitt. The Beaufort pulled ahead,
steering the sluggish behemoth along the river.
	Calamity's host went topside and reported to the captain.
"The machinery is all right, sir. Beyond expectations."
	"Very good", Buchanan replied," Report to me on the exact condition of the
engines with the utmost diligence. This is very important! In the event of a collision 
- do not wait for the signal to reverse. Do so with full power and without hesitation! 
I may be in the heat of battle or wounded, so you are not to wait for orders."
Within him, Shirley was very nearly frightened by the aggressive nature of 
her host. She had seldom felt such fierce determination within herself. 
	"Boatswain - Pipe the hands to dinner" ordered the captain.
As the Bosun's pipe whistled a series of squeaky squeals, the men slowly filed
down the hatches and stairways to the galley to chew on butter-fried hardtack and
coffee, while the officers went forward to the curtained-off ward room. 
	Fowlmouth found himself seated across from Wakko, as they were served 
a picnic of hot biscuits and cold sliced meat.  
	["What's dis stuff?"] the rooster asked, making a face as his host swallowed
a bite of the cold-cuts.
	["Mmm! Cold tongue. Ya like it?"] Wakko smiled as his host daintily ate.
["ACK! Ptooey!"], FM gagged, ["Ya mean we's eatin' beef tongue?!"]
	["Yup. Try not to think of Bernice Beauvine while yer eating it."] the Warner kid 
grinned sarcastically.
	["@%#*&! That Perfecto cheerleader cow?! I wouldn't take no tongue frum 
her! Ya dunno where it's been!"] swore Fowlmouth as Wakko chuckled.
	["You've got a pretty dirty mouth yerself."]

	(Star Trek VOL2, "The Doomsday Machine" "Decker Takes Over" #6) 

	On deck, the ship's caterer hailed Calamity's host.
	"Better get your lunch now, Mister Ramsay. It will be your last chance.
The galley-fires must be put out when the magazines are opened."
	["Perhaps this secret attack isn't so secret"] Calamity observed as he
walked down to the gun deck.
	What he saw there confirmed the fact. Passing along inside the cramped, 
angular casemate he was particularly struck by the countenances of the gun's 
crews, as they stood motionless at their posts with ramrods or gun sponges
in their hands, their set lips unsmiling.  As he passed down the whitewashed,
slanted-in wall of the armored shield, the scene was eerily lit by the jagged shafts
of sunlight from the grating only seven feet above and by the sickly yellow light of 
the caged oil lamps that swung from the ceiling with the swell of the river beneath 
them. The vertically slanted strips of white wooden backing and the five rows of
hexagonal nuts holding the bolted iron armor on made it look like draftsman's study
in perspective_ or the sealed walls of a tomb. Only the massive black cannons 
and their heavy wooden carriages broke up the scene, the somber men at their 
sides seeming like funereal pallbearers around a group of caskets. 
	Calamity listened to the thoughts of his host: "The appearance of a ship
cleared away for action is nothing new_but these men look pale and determined, 
standing straight and stiff, showing their nerves were wrought to a high state of 
tension. From the time of leaving the yard I had not reflected much on the deadly 
conflict we were to engage in...The appearance of these men, with the surrounding 
warlike preparations, brings it all to mind_ 
	Here we are, with an untried, experimental ship_ about to make an attack on a 
fleet of the very best material in the U.S. Navy_ ten guns against two hundred – 
three hundred men against three thousand_ yet this was our hazardous 
enterprise."
	Calamity gulped as he realized the danger. As he reached the ward room,
he noticed the Assistant Surgeon, Algernon S. Garret, calmly laying out his surgical 
instruments and lint for bandages on the wooden table alongside the food as they 
prepared for battle. The sight took away his host's appetite. He descended into the 
depths of the engine room with a cold lump in his throat.  Ramsay remembered 
how his friend had teased him about his new posting to the Virginia. 
	"Goodbye, Ramsay", he'd said," I shall never see you again. She will prove your 
coffin."
	Neither Calamity nor his host found anything funny about it now.

Chapter CXXVI                                  ("Charlotte's Web" (2007), #1"Main Titles") 
	["How could anybody want to fight on a beautiful day like this?"] thought
Babs Bunny as her host stepped out onto the quarterdeck of the U.S.S. Congress.
	The salty taste and tangy smell of the sea filled her head as she walked 
across the clean wood of the sparkling white, holystoned deck. The cries of 
seagulls and the creak of the wooden ship mingled with the sounds of men 
laughing and talking. Somewhere, crewmen were repairing caulking with fresh 
black tar. The vivid black and white painted ship was warm to the touch as the 
sun beat down on it through the cloudless azure blue sky. Overhead rose the 
towering masts and spars with furled canvas strung aloft with miles of rope ratlines 
and rigging. This was still the Age of Sail – of wooden ships and iron men.
	Within her host, Lieutenant Pendergrast, Babs looked out upon the wide 
expanse of blue-grey seas at the faraway sandy shores of the bay. To the 
northeast was Fort Monroe, a great stone citadel with one hundred and eighty 
heavy cannon and manned by the thousands of General McClellan's "Army of the 
Potomac". She saw the Union fleet; sixty or more vessels of all shapes and sizes. 
There was everything from converted New York ferryboats to tugboats, side-
wheelers and the mighty forty-gunned steam frigates. The pink bunny had a 
chance to see again what the U.S.S. Merrimack had looked like before she'd been 
put to the torch, as her sister-ships U.S.S. Minnesota and U.S.S. Roanoke stood 
rising like prodigious castles over the placid water. 
	Ahead of the Congress to the west, Babs saw the twenty-four gunned 
sloop of war U.S.S. Cumberland riding at anchor next to the point of Newport 
News and Camp Butler, another Union fortification mounting eight heavy cannon
and manned by eight thousand of the Federal Army. 
How could all these multitudes lose the battle against a single ship?
	As onboard the Virginia, the crew of the Congress and Cumberland were 
eating their noonday meal, but Bab's host was still quite sated from the party
he'd attended that morning onshore. His friend Acting Captain Joe Smith stood 
smiling at his side, along with the ship's former commander. The ship was 
preparing to leave for a new post and the thought of leaving the boring task of 
blockade duty behind had everyone in a good mood. 
	"Did the oysters agree with you, Mister Pendergrast?" the handsome 
captain asked.
	"Aye, that they did Sir! As did the wine" answered the lieutenant.
"That was as fine a military farewell as any since the days of Caesar's legions"
agreed the former captain, whose name was also Smith.
["No relation"] thought Babs to herself as she watched the new Captain 
Smith.
Like many of the men, the Captain had a full close-cropped beard. The 
popular young officer was the son of Commodore Smith who had been on the 
Navy's Ironclad Board that had selected the Monitor's design. A generous man 
of good cheer, he was confident in his ship and crew.
"The Ericsson Battery will be here soon", he said, "They‘ll deal with this 
old Merrimack soundly."
	All this cheer and self-assurance rang hollow, Babs thought, for she knew the 
ship was doomed.

	A few hundred yards away onboard the U.S.S. Cumberland, Plucky and 
his host looked up from the main deck at the colorful spectacle overhead. Saturday
was washday and the crew had strung their wet laundry in the ship's rigging to 
dry. In a tradition hundreds of years old, blue clothing hung on the port side and 
whites on the starboard. The shirts, pants and underwear flapping in the breeze
looked like the bright flags at a carnival. A ship's boy, barely twelve years old,
skipped about on the smooth white deck, dancing and rattling his tambourine.
With Plucky inside, young Lieutenant George Morris stood smiling as he watched 
the powder monkey dance. The mustachioed Morris was in command while his 
captain was ashore. At his side, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge stood with the big 
man, John Harrington, the Master's Mate. The powder monkey's tambourine
rattled and thumped cheerfully, bringing something to mind_
	The sound of rhythmic clapping filled the minds of the Toonsters.
["What in the name of Ziggy Stardust is that?!"]  exclaimed Babs.
	["Oh, gag me with a spoon, Plucky! Not now!"]  Shirley complained uselessly.
	["Hey, I'm the Captain and what I say goes! C'mon it's fun!"] the Pluckster said 
with relaxed arrogance as the music became the funky disco beat of The 
Village People singing in their heads.
	["Where can you find pleasure? Search the world for treasure!
Learn science, technology!?
Where can you begin to - make your dreams all come true -
On the land or on the sea?
Where can you learn to fly? Play in sports and skin dive!
Study oceanography?
Sign up for the big band! -  Or sit in the grandstand! 
When your team and others meet!"] 
	["Where?!"] added Arnold as his grinning spirit danced within his host.
	["In the Navy! Yes, you can sail the seven seas! In the Navy!"]
	["Someone like put my mind at ease?"] Shirley remarked sourly.
	["In the Navy! Come on now people make a stand_"]
	The rousing male chorus died away as Plucky became aware of everyone 
else's grim feelings. 
	Only Arnold continued his carefree singing till he too stopped with a very tiny 
embarrassed voice. ["In the Navy! In the Navy!_Can't you_see we need _
a hand?"] 
	["Your levity is good"], thought the Doctor pointedly to Plucky, ["It helps to 
relieve the tension and thoughts of death. You're not scared, are you Plucky?"]
	["Naw! A'course not!"] boasted the duck.
	["Hm, really? If you had any sense, you'd be scared."] Lord smiled.
	["You mean it's not a bad thing - to be afraid, Doc?"] Mary asked.
	["Fear is a natural reaction. By being on edge, we are prepared for action.
It heightens our senses and often saves our lives. The trick is, not to stay 
fearful and keep hiding – that makes us vulnerable and keeps us from doing
what we need to do. Only a madman or a fool allows himself to be scared
longer than necessary- and only a fool or a madman would feel no fear.
Courage is doing what you have to do – even though you're scared."]
	Even Shirley smiled at this.  ["So, are you totally scared too,
Sensai?"] she asked.
	["Naw, a' course not"] Lord shrugged casually.
	Most everyone chuckled at the remark, thinking it was in jest, but Hamton
noticed that Lord wasn't joking.
	["Shouldn't you be working on how to get us out of this mess?"]
insisted Plucky.
	["_I am"] Lord told him simply, leaving the duck to grumble. 
	["But I'll need help from everyone"], he continued, ["We need to know what 
happens to the hosts of Plucky, Buster, Babs and Shirley. Let's see how well you 
studied, folks. What will happen to Buster's host - Commander Parker of the 
Beaufort?"]
	Buster stood inside Parker in the wheelhouse of his tugboat, thinking.
	["Well, we fire the first Confederate shot of the battle, we go in close and take the 
surrender of the Congress from her commander –"]
	["So we'll come face to face, Buster_"] Babs piped up.
	["That shall be our opportunity"], Lord announced, ["When the Beaufort is alongside 
the Congress, we'll get Babs aboard somehow. The Beaufort returns to Sewell's 
point before the Virginia –"]
	["But Pendergrast doesn't get on board the Beaufort – he eludes capture 
and gets to shore"] Wakko interrupted, as his host tried to chew a piece of 
hardtack.
	["If he does, Babs won't be able to get back with us!"] Buster agreed.
	["True_but it does give us the chance to get her back to you before Pendergrast 
leaves.."] thought the Doctor. ["What else happens then?"]
	["When the Federals ashore fire at us_ Buster will get wounded"] Babs
reminded them sadly.
	["They'll also get me"] Shirley added with a gulp.
	["Then the Beaufort will leave the scene with the wounded men of the Congress"]
Calamity observed, while his host tapped the steam pressure gauge on the 
engine.
	["The Beaufort has to be the key! It's the only ship to come in close enough to 
pick up Babs"] Furball realized.
	["Not quite – ze Jamestown also comes alongside zee Congress –"] Fifi argued.
	["But the Jamestown doesn't have time to take the wounded men aboard – 
she leaves too"] Fowlmouth disputed.
	["But vere does dis leave Plucky?"] bickered Arnold.
	["Yeah! What about me?_ and what about Shirley?!"] the duck objected.
	The Doctor considered.
	["Our only chances to recover you will be when our ships are the closest together_
Logically that means when the Cumberland is being rammed by the Virginia, but
that would also be at the point of the most danger – both ships will be firing on 
each other from point blank range with heavy cannons and rifles_"]
	["That_sounds a little on the dangerous side"], Plucky commented, ["Got 
any safer ideas?"] 
	["Just a darned minute, there!"] Babs interrupted ["That only tells us where 
we'll be. How are we gonna shift ourselves? If we change what our hosts do – 
we'll end up changing history!"]
	["We can't do that! Any little change could ruin the future – our future"] 
Buster agreed, as his host thoughtfully swept his mustache with his fingers.
	["Would it really wreck *our* future?"] Wakko asked, swallowing.
	["We can't take any chances. Even a small alteration might cause an imbalance 
between the two universes."] Calamity concurred.
	["Then how do we get home? Huh? Huh? I dunno."] Gogo exclaimed, ["My 
wackiness quotient is gonna be seeeeeriously depleted with all this dire drama."]
	["I need to call home and find out exactly what we can and cannot do,
then we'll know for certain"], the Doctor told them, ["This situation is dangerous, but 
you have to admit that by your being placed into these hosts – especially the four 
captains – we may learn more than we would have if we'd all been aboard the 
Virginia."]
	["Maybe yer right _but I'd like rather be totally stupid than face this"] 
Shirley said morbidly.
	After the Toonsters sighed sadly in unison, Lord spoke with reassurance.
["Don't worry. We'll get home. All of us. I have an idea. Have any of you ever 
played the old shell game? Now this is what we're going to do_"] 

Chapter  CXXVII        
	"Impossible!" exclaimed Wile E. Coyote.
	He stared again at the communications monitor where Dr. Lord's thought –
transmissions were displayed, then threw up his hands and stalked away.
	"Highly improbable perhaps – but not impossible" Ralph Wolf concluded.
Wile spun on his heel and exploded, "Stop one continuum entirely while keeping
theirs going?! It can't be done!"
	"I'll admit it's a difficult proposition, but if  we can apply sufficient power –"
"Even if it were possible – do you have any idea of the risk to history that's 
involved? This could destroy both universes!  The space-time continuum itself 
could be ripped apart!" the coyote stormed.
	"Don't be such a fatalist", Ralph said flatly, "It's like editing a song –
you simply pause one track while you let the one you want run to the right place."
	Wile raised a shaggy eyebrow and scowled: "I'm a genius – not a 
disk-jockey, damnit!"
	"Well that's just fascinating, Wile. Thanks for sharing that", the wolf 
remarked sarcastically, "Look cousin – if we can just crunch the numbers the right 
way, we can do this."
	"My dear boy, I'm telling you that it won't work" Wile told him patronizingly.
Egghead Junior politely tugged on the hem of the coyote's white lab coat and 
pointed to a chalkboard covered with an immense equation in nuclear, space-time
quantum mechanics that he had silently drawn out while the two canids had been 
arguing. Wile and Ralph read the dizzying amount of numbers and symbols – 
and at the answer at the bottom corner. Miss Prissy's little boy waited for them 
patiently, occasionally blinking his innocent beady eyes. 
	Wile's mouth finally closed and his long ears hung straight down.
"Apparently, it can work" he commented.
	"You know your lips move when you read?" Ralph observed sardonically.
"However – there's just one big problem with this plan!" the super genius pointed 
out by tapping on one of the figures scrawled on the blackboard. He then walked 
to the Wellesian control panel of the Space-Time Displacement apparatus and
pointed at a setting on the gauges. 
	"We haven't got enough power to do it."
	Ralph's jaw dropped to the floor and Wile slapped him upside the head, causing
it to return to his face. Junior raced to the controls and stood on tip-toe, trying to see
the gauges, but he was too short. Wile provided him with a small step ladder, but 
looking at the settings only made the chick's tiny beak frown pathetically. It was 
true – the machine's maximum power was too low to achieve their goals.
	A small black cloud labeled "Gloom" hovered over the three scientists and 
rained on them. Wile put up a tiny umbrella, but Ralph grabbed at it and the two
cousins fought over it briefly, slapping at each other like sissies before Junior blew 
the rain cloud away with an electric fan. The canids stopped and stared at the 
paper he waved patiently at them.
They then fought briefly over the paper, before the coyote grabbed it.
	"Esteemed colleagues - It will be a simple matter to raise the power input 
settings to achieve our objectives" Wile E. read.
	Before he had time to shake his head at this suggestion, another 
message from Doctor Lord filled the monitor screen.
"Changing the power setting will do you no good. The power source is beyond 
your reach" it said.
	The cloud of "Gloom" returned.
	"Fear not– the power will be increased to the required intensity in approximately
two hours, your time. You have *that* long to make the adjustments to the system
crucial to handling the zettatons of power ", Lord continued, " I'll assist you."
	This time, all three of the scientist's jaws hit the floor.
"_Oh my god" whispered Wile in disbelief.
	"He_he didn't just say what I thought he said_did he?" Ralph stammered.
Egghead Junior's scribbling on the chalkboard was frantic. He finally stopped, 
jumping and pointing to the algebraic hieroglyphics.
	"H-bomb = Megatons of power = 10^1 Zettaton = Megatons to the 21st
Power = 10^21!!!" 
	The three experts looked at each other and began opening the control 
panels, revealing the guts of the machinery.
	"Let's go, we've got alot of work to do" said Wile with determination.

Chapter  CXXVIII
	On board of the CSS Beaufort, Buster sweated along with his host, 
Lieutenant Parker. He knew, as Parker did, what the Virginia's captain's intentions 
were. He felt the terrible tension building.
	"Mister Foreman, watch the flagship for any signals, especially the new one" 
Parker said.
	"And which is that, Sir?" the man asked.
"The one Captain Buchanan said he might fly – "Sink Before You Surrender!"
	Astern, Buster watched the monstrous Virginia slowly plow the waters 
before her. The officers and men who stood on her narrow top deck seemed calm, 
despite the impending battle. As the men onboard his own ship joked amongst 
themselves, exhibiting a careless insouciance, it only served to reinforce the anxiety 
he felt.
	["How can they act like they don't care?"] he wondered as he watched them.

	But the story was different ashore as the Confederate fleet passed by. By now, 
the whole city of Norfolk was in an uproar. Women, children, men on horseback
and on foot were all running towards the river from every conceivable direction, 
shouting: "The Merrimac is going down!" 
	Rebel soldiers and officers were riding down to the riverbanks from as far away as 
twelve miles to the message passed from mouth to mouth: "The Virginia is coming 
up the river!"
	The Virginia's crew received enthusiastic cheers from the excited populace 
without a single response. Everything betokened serious business. Standing within 
the ship's doctor with the officers on deck, Fifi listened to the people on the shore. 
She watched women cry and wave their handkerchiefs as others took up a cheer 
she had never heard before. 
	"Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!" the people roared, their voices echoing across 
the river. 
	As the ship approached the Confederate artillery battery near Craney Island, 
the army of men in gray uniforms were cheering lustily and waving their hats. From 
the midst of this outcry came a new sound. A nine year old little drummer boy stood 
beating out a rhythm on the stretched calfskin of the wooden drum that dwarfed his 
small frame. The men's voices stilled for a moment – and then rang across the 
waters.
	"We are a band of brothers – and native to the soil!
A-fighting for our liberty – with treasure, blood and toil!
And when our rights were threatened – the word spread near and far!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!
Hurrah! HURRAH!! For Southern Rights, Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"
	As the young men sang, Fifi saw another patriot standing closer than the 
others. His spectacles showed him to be an older man. He stood stiffly at attention
with his right arm bent in a military salute, his finger-tips fanning his eyebrow, like a 
knight about to lower his visor. The patriot saluted the ship as she drew by, deeply 
affected, but trying stoically not to show it. A single tear ran down the patriot's 
deeply-lined cheek.
	Fifi gulped down her own emotions. Her host, the doctor, also felt a lump in 
his throat. His boot-heels thudded together and he proudly returned the man's 
salute for a long moment. Not until he lowered his hand did the old patriot's arm
relax as he watched the ship pass by.  
	Standing nearby, Shirley and the Doctor witnessed Captain Buchanan's
commands.
	"Mister Jones – have all the workers disembark. This is no place for 
civilians."
	"Aye aye, Sir" answered the Exec, exiting down the stairs. There he ordered
all the remaining ship-builders off the ship. The small steamer Harmony came 
alongside and the last few workmen ducked carefully out though one of the ship's 
gun ports. 
	["Looks like they're happy tuh leave,"] Shirley thought nervously, ["Could I 
like, go with em?"]
	["You'll get through this"] Lord assured her as the boat pulled away toward 
Craney Island.
	The captain followed Jones down the hatchway and stood on the stairs.
"All hands forward!" called Jones.
	Inside their walls of iron, the solemn eyes of the crew and officers all looked 
up. The noonday sun shining through the grating of the roof lit their faces with sharp 
squares of light and darkness. The only brightly-lit spot was where Buchanan now 
boldly stood. The gaze of all the Virginia's crew, including the Toonsters and Lord, 
now rested on the bluff, steely-eyed Captain, who stared down from above and 
spoke with a Nelsonian flourish.
	"Sailors! In a few minutes you will have the long-awaited opportunity to
show your devotion to your country and our cause! Remember that you are about 
to strike for your country and your homes - your wives and your children! The 
whole world is watching you today! The Confederacy expects every man to do 
his duty! Beat to quarters!"
	The ships' drum rolled ominously. The odd sound of a fife joined it. The 
crew knew that this was no longer a trial exercise. The Toonsters all gulped at 
the danger. 
	As the drumming continued to echo though the long casemate, the Captain
continued. "Many Confederates have complained that they have not been taken 
near enough to the enemy. I assure you all that there shall be no such complaint
this time. I intend to head straight for the Cumberland. Go to your guns" he 
commanded them. 
	The insistent drumbeat was now joined by footsteps on the gun deck as the
crew went to their stations. Quietly, the men secured the guns for action and stood 
at the ready. As the other toons went to their officer's stations, Arnold and Hamton 
watched the laborious process that would be repeated so many times that day.
Gogo's host Curtis took part as the gun's captain gave the orders.
	"Sponge!"
	With a hearty grin, Curtis' friend Dunbar moved to the muzzle of the giant black gun 
with a lengthy wooden pole, the business end of which was covered in thick 
cotton-wool. Dunbar stuck the other end out of the gun port as he thrust the 
sponge into the cannon's mouth and down the barrel till it made a satisfactory 
thump at the breech. The smiling Canadian then drew it out  backwards through 
the open port and back into the casemate, moving away to the left and out of the 
way of the next man. After the gun's captain had inspected the silken powder 
bags and the seven-inch explosive shell, he called out: "Load!"
	Another man sealed the breech vent by holding his thick leather gloved fingers over 
the hole to prevent a premature explosion, while the dangerous black powder  
bags were carefully rammed down the gun barrel by the rammer. The men then
gingerly placed the grooved conical shell into the rifle's mouth and carefully rammed 
it in after the gunpowder. The rammer was joined by another man and with a grunt,
they muscled the twisting shell down through the rifling of the gun's tube. 
"Run ‘er out!" ordered the captain. 
	Wordlessly, the gun crew took up the thick ropes of the breeching tackle and 
heaved away, pulling the tons of deadly metal towards the open gun port.
	As his host strained at the block and tackle, Gogo's mind squeaked: 
["HOLY HERNIA! Why don't we just try hoisting Hoppopotamus up 
Mount Everest? That'd be easier than this!" Hey Arnold? A lil' help??"]
	["Sorry, I'm an officer now. You do der manual labour!"] Arnold ordered, 
["Come on girly-bird! Get pumped! Hit it harder! Feel de burn! Yah!"]
	The pivot gun's muzzle stuck out through the gunport and the gun crew
relaxed.  Arnold's host now moved to the gun's breech and the vent was 
uncovered as he slipped a metal tube into it and attached the lanyard. The friction 
primer was filled with fulminate of mercury that would explode when the pin was 
pulled out of it with the lanyard and the massive gun would go off. The cannon 
was ready to fire. All there was to do now was wait. The men stood in silence at 
their posts – almost all the guns were ready, except two. 
	Fowlmouth's and Wakko's hosts had overseen the loading of guns 4 
and 5  - but the nine-inch cannon balls were only to be loaded just before firing.

	["What're we waitin' for? Let's get this ting loaded!"] fumed the rooster.
	["Oh, we can't"], Wakko sighed calmly, ["The buns are still in the oven."]
	["What're you talking about? The only buns that're bakin' around here are mine'],
Fowlmouth complained, ["We wound up getting stuck right next to da smokestack – 
right over da boilers! _Ah'm gonna end up a Kentucky Fried chicken."]
	["Ah like mine "extra crispy"], Wakko quipped, ["Din't ja study at all?"]
	["Whadya mean ya limey clown? A' course I did!"]
	["Wull then, you know that these are "hot-shot" guns. Look down that hole in 
the deck"] the Warner brother told him, ["The cannon balls're getting' heated red hot 
in the furnaces, so when we shoot ‘em – Poof! The enemy gets a hot foot."]
	["Heh, sorta like shootin' flamin' arrows – only woise, huh?"] FM noticed.
	["Hey! Who're you callin' a clown!"] Wakko suddenly realized, ["I hate clowns!"]
	["Gee, thanks a lot guys - I don't need reminding!"] thought the far-away 
voice of Babs as she looked at her flammable wooden ship.
	["Oops_ sorry Babs"] Wakko apologized. 
	He and Fowlmouth looked at each other's guilty faces, knowing that Babs' ship 
was destined to burn. 
	
	"Officers? The Captain wants to see you all topside, Sirs" called the Bosun.
	Silently, the Virginia's officers climbed the stairs back to the roof. Most of the 
Toonsters now joined Shirley and the Doctor as their hosts took them up into the 
sunshine and open air once more.  
	Mary felt as though she were standing on top of a slow-moving train.
She felt the motion of the massive metal fortress beneath her feet and felt the 
horrendous heat radiating from the huge blackened iron cylinder of the smokestack.
Glancing up, she saw the top of the stack chugging out billows of black, choking 
coal smoke and saw the tiny red glints of sparks and cinders melting and 
disappearing as the smoke poured and drifted off behind them.  Her host avoided 
the heat and bitter fumes by walking around the twelve-foot high chimney toward 
the ship's bow. Now that there was nothing to do but wait, she began to notice 
more of their surroundings. The river was widening out into the bay of Hampton 
Roads, a wide stretch of sea was before them, the cold water a dim bluish-gray.
Miles away to the north was the shoreline, littered with strange dots. Northeast 
was a yellow stone island and to the northwest was a spit of pale sandy beach.
Black and white dots seemed to line the shores ahead and there were more to the 
west. Mary stared harder at the dots and saw that some were tall and many were 
short_ then she realized that these were ships. Black and white sailing frigates 
with masts and spars that dwarfed their vast hulls. It was hard to see, but Mary 
counted over sixty of them. She knew that this was the Union fleet that the Virginia 
and her two tugboats faced. The big frigates were larger than the Virginia and the 
ships-of-the-line had as many as fives times her ten guns. The yellow stone 
island was Fort Monroe and there was also the batteries at Camp Butler, 
Rip Raps and Camp Harrison_
	All these ships and fortresses bristled with hundreds of heavy guns and 
thousands of men.     
	Mary gulped and thought ["_We're outnumbered by more than ten to one."] 
	With his arms crossed, Captain Buchanan explained his plan of attack; first to get 
in close and ram the Cumberland, so as to dispatch her quickly and save as much 
of their precious gunpowder as they could – they would need it to destroy the rest 
of the Federal fleet. 
	["Like, the Captain may seem totally aggressive, but he's hoping to ram and sink 
the fleet rather than shoot everybody'], Shirley told them, ["His own brother is the 
Paymaster on the Congress."]
	["Most of the officers know about his brother but they don't talk about it out of 
respect for him"] Mary confirmed.
	["Like, he doesn't talk about it. If his men thought he was soft on the North, he's 
afraid of getting carded or that someone might start raggin' on ‘em and narc on him. 
So, he's in like this awesome karmic trap! He totally wants to be a good soldier – 
but he doesn't wanna kill his old friends in the Union Navy"], the loon explained, 
["It's like, a way cosmic dilemma!"]
	["Totally"] thought Fifi as her host approached the Captain.
	"Sir?", said Doctor Philips skeptically, "Do you really intend to attack the Union fleet
with our untried, experimental vessel?"
	"Those ships must be sunk!" Buchanan answered, pointing at the 
Cumberland and the Congress.
	"But Sir, how are we to measure the success of the Virginia?" the Doctor asked.
	"If we sink them – we are a success", said the Captain, "If they sink us 
–then we are a true failure."  
	All of the Toonsters and many of the officers gulped in fear at this.
	"Mister Jones, prepare to cast off!" the Captain ordered.
	"Prepare to cast off, Aye Sir" Lord's host repeated, walking to the hatchway.
	"Very well" Buchanan acknowledged.
	Following a series of shouts between the Virginia and the Beaufort, the Captain
commanded: "Cast off!" and the tow line was thrown overboard to be hauled in by 
the men on the tugboat's stern. The heavy ironclad slowed a little, but surged 
forward under her own power. The rebel monster was loose at last!

Chapter CXXIX
	Across Hampton Roads, Plucky was fully enjoying being treated 
as the Captain. Like his host, Lieutenant Morris, he stood tall as his brother officer 
reported to him.
	"Anything unusual, Mister Selfridge?"
	"Normal routine this morning, Sir_except that Captain Tucker's rebel squadron 
seems to have anchored closer to the Roads. You can see them, sir, just next to 
the point of Mulberry Island."
	Plucky's host took the brass spyglass that Selfridge offered him and opened 
it, looking westward. Within the glassy circle far away, he saw three steamboats;
the Jamestown, the larger Patrick Henry and the smallish Teaser, all riding at 
anchor but with smoke flowing from their smokestacks.
	"They have steam up", said Morris with a smile, "Perhaps we'll see some 
target practice today."
	["If only they knew"]Plucky thought.

	Just a few hundred yards away, Babs' host was giving a report to his officer.
	"Something odd, Captain – those two Frenchie ships have moved down to
the mouth of the Roads" reported Lt. Pendergrast.
	"They must be preparing to leave port", concluded Lt. Smith, "They should 
have signaled to Fortress Monroe about it. That's the international law."
	"They did not report, Sir."
	Smith paused, thinking. "_I heard the two French captains visited Norfolk 
yesterday."
	"Do ye think they know something we don't Sir?"

	Back in Acme Acres, Wile Coyote stood on a catwalk above the central cooling 
and power tube, tightening a harness and a tether on himself, preparing to be 
lowered into it. Ralph Wolf looked anxious.
	"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked.
"I always know what I'm doing", the coyote declared, "I'm doing what the Doctor 
told me to do. The cooling system's frequency modulation must be altered to 
withstand the huge influx of power and it can only be done - manually."
	"Shouldn't we let the lil guy do this?," Ralph implored, "No offense, but both 
you and I have a reputation for – how shall I say it? – Screwing Up?"
	"I am perfectly capable of making this adjustment without blowing us all to 
Kingdom Come, thank you very much!", Wile insisted, then muttered under his 
breath, "As long as the Doctor hasn't used any Acme products in this design_"
	Ralph snapped the tether's safety hook to a electrical crane and stood at 
the controls. 
	"You do realize that you'll be inside the cooling system and close to the Time data 
stream, don't you?"
	This gave the Coyote pause for reflection but he turned back to his cousin 
with a supercilious smirk.
	"Of course! But someone has to save our intrepid little band, don't they?" he 
grinned arrogantly.
	The crane lifted with a jerk and he looked down at the heavy steel hatch
covered in frost and flowing with freezing vapor. Wile gulped nervously.

	Back in Hampton Roads, the Toonsters and their hosts gazed out at the face
of their foes – many, many foes. Men they knew personally, sailors they had 
served with before the war began. Old friends.
	[" My host served aboard the Congress"], thought Wakko sadly, ["She wuz his 
floating home for three years_Little did ‘ee think ‘ee should ever raise a hand for her 
destruction."] 
	["Look! Plucky vas right"], noticed Arnold, ["Der ist undervear in dere masts."]
	Blue pants and shirts hung on the spars and rigging of the Cumberland like leaves 
on a tree, while the white underwear hung to starboard, towards shore. There were 
so many_ so many men_ so many guns. With the battle about to begin, the 
Toonsters and their hosts grew fearful, but only their thoughts betrayed them. They 
felt cold again. Shirley's thoughts chilled them, her voice like that of a terrified toddler.
	["_Doc?_Like_I'm way scared."]
	There was a pause before Lord answered, as his mind was crowded with 
calculations of power conversions and the stress factors of photo-optic cable.
	["You'll be okay. Keep calm_Can't talk now– must prepare time machinery."]
Behind his host's bearded face, Lord's eyes glowed solid white as he thought
his instructions back through time to the screen Egghead Junior was reading.
["I hate texting"] he thought.
	["There's so many against us"], Calamity thought introspectively, ["And yet
we'll be the winners. Ours is the triumph of new technology over ancient dogma."]
["But at such a terrible cost"] Hamton's guilt-ridden mind muttered.
	The Toonsters were sore afraid, but kept their silence, until one brave voice filled 
their heads.
	["We've got a job to do. Take heart from these men"] Furball told them, 
["They're afraid too – but you don't see them showin' it."]
	["Furball's right – we'll get through this!"], echoed Buster, ["We can't let our 
feelings influence these men or we might change history! We've got to stay 
detached."] 
	Fowlmouth saw lookouts on the ship's bow and bragged ["I ain't afraid!"]
	"Keep your eyes skinned for torpedoes!" called Captain Buchanan.
	["Scratch that! I'm afraid!"] the chicken recanted.
	Within Lieutenant Jones, Lord's white eyes returned to their normal silver and he 
resumed his commanding tone.
	["All right, now everyone listen and listen hard! You are going into battle for 
the first time and there are some rules you must abide by. First; when I give you a 
command – you must obey immediately and without question. You life will depend 
on that. If I tell you to move – you jump and move fast. Second; Do not panic.
If there's any chances to be taken – I'll take them – Not you. You're All going home 
tonight – so don't forget that. Third; If you can see the enemy – they can see you.
Keep your heads down and try not to get shot. Fourth; If you know there's an 
explosion coming your way – open your mouth. That will lessen the concussion on 
your ear drums. Watch out for flying splinters – they'll kill you as sure as any bullet 
will. Last; if you have to shoot, aim for the center and squeeze the trigger, don't jerk 
it_ Shoot to kill – because the enemy will do the same to you. Got that?"
	["Yavol herr Baron"] thought Arnold amidst the grave silence that followed.
	The Toonsters and the men of the Virginia stood anxiously awaiting the battle to 
come. The sun beat down on the slimy black iron mountain. The eerie stillness was 
palpable.
	["_Now I know what ‘deathly quiet' means"] whispered Gogo, regarding 
his doomed friend Dunbar.

Chapter CXXX
	Ralph Wolf stood waiting at the controls of the crane hanging over 
the huge cooling conduits leading into the bowels of Doctor Lord's huge time
machine.  The end of the hoists' cable disappeared into the frosty hatchway which 
overflowed with frosty vapor, Then there were three sudden tugs on it from below. 
Egghead Junior scampered down the ladder to join the wolf as he pushed the 
lever that pulled up the cable.
	Like an anchor on a chain, the frozen form of Wile E. Coyote rose through 
the hatch hanging from his harness on the end of the wire, one hand frozen solid in 
the act of tugging on the cable, the other outstretched with a standard screwdriver 
in it. Wile's tongue hung out ridiculously, with a couple of metal screws stuck to it. 
The ice-covered coyote's pleading eyes looked at them and a strained squeak met 
their ears.
	"'Lo' orsh!"
	Junior looked at Ralph and his sign read "He said ‘blow- torch."
	The wolf blinked innocently and asked "Blow torch what?"
	He then reached aside knowingly and picked up an acetylene blow torch. Wile's 
eyes widened as Ralph ignited the roaring flame and stepped up closer to him.
	"I told you so!", the wolf literally sang, "Now this may sting a little_"

	On board the Cumberland, Plucky listened to a Union sailor bragging of how bored 
he was with blockade duty and how much he hoped the Merrimac would show 
herself, and how certainly she would be sunk by their war vessels. 
["Pride cometh before a fall"] thought the duck, recalling the many times he'd 
heard that himself.
	
	Aboard the Virginia, no floating mines were found and the Captain ordered the 
rudder hard to starboard to test the ship's maneuverability. Hamton's host swung 
the wrought iron wheel and waited for the ship to respond. For a minute or so, 
nothing seemed to be happening and the pilots grew nervous. Then the bow 
slowly began to creep to the right. Captain Buchanan could see how difficult 
turning the ship would be and ordered her hard to port. The pilot with Hamton inside 
swung the wheel the other way as the Captain spoke to Calamity's host.
	"Full speed ahead, Mister Ramsey. We must make this attack as quickly as 
we can. The rest of their fleet will try to trap us in a crossfire, so we must hurry with 
the work before us. Be prepared to ram as I told you" Buchanan announced.
	With a nod, the chief engineer called out the order to the helmsman and the 
telegraph in the engine room rang up for "Full Ahead". The sweaty, bare-chested 
stokers below shoveled more coal into the blazing hot furnaces and the roaring of 
the boilers and the shriek of escaping steam increased as black smoke belched 
from the towering smokestack. The engines thumped and pulsated like an ancient 
iron lung.
	["Listen to that_have you ever heard such a brutish engine before?"] 
thought Calamity in amazement.
	["As a matter of fact, I have"] Lord thought, ominously ending the
conversation. 
	As the heavy iron ship surged forward towards Newport News, all those on 
deck looked upon the face of the enemy. It seemed as though the Yankees had 
been caught completely unaware. 
	["Nothing indicates that we were expected"] observed Mary.

	Within Lieutenant Pendergrast, Babs nervously waited on the bridge of the 
Congress. What Mary had thought seemed to be true. Babs looked back upon the 
memories of her host and found that there had been so many false alarms that 
cries of "The Merrimack is coming!" rang hallow. The messengers of such sightings  
were referred to as the boy who cried "Wolf!". Babs began to wonder if the men 
around her would believe their own eyes. 
	There was a quiet commotion on deck. Crewmen crowded at the stern. 
"Look! The Merrimack is coming down the river!" said one man.
	"Be quiet, I want to read my paper" said another.
	With a long brass spyglass in his hands, the ship's quartermaster quietly 
saluted Pendergrast and said : "I wish you would take the glass and have a look 
over there, Sir. I believe that thing is a-comin' down at last."
	"Where away?" asked the lieutenant, taking the spyglass.
	"Sewell's Point, Sir. You can see the heavy black smoke."
	The bunny inside him was as anxious to see it as he was. Squinting through the 
monocular tube, Babs saw the dark cloud on the horizon_ and then the squat 
black metallic shape that was creating it. As it was nearly seven miles away, it 
was hard to see anything more than a dark mass that didn't seem to be moving. 
Two other small steamers were with the larger one. The shiny brass scope was 
cold in her paws but Babs did not care. The black humped shape of the enemy 
vessel was indistinct, but unlike anything her host had ever seen before. The 
lieutenant slid the spyglass closed decisively and strode away to tell his captain.
	Aboard the Cumberland, a similar scene was taking place. The intrepid 
Lieutenant Selfridge was the first to spot it. There was a slight mirage effect  
because of the distance so that at first it was not clear if the ironclad was really 
coming out. Soon enough, there was no doubt.  
	"Three vessels approaching. One is the hull of a large vessel shaped like 
the roof of a house, with one smokestack, Sir" Acting Master's Mate Charles O'Neil 
reported to Lieutenant Morris and the duck within him. "It must be the Merrimack!"
	Morris's eyes narrowed with determination as he looked through his 
spyglass at the approaching Virginia. It didn't phase him.  If the Merrimack
was going to attack – he was ready to spring the trap on her. The Union Navy's 
secret plan to defeat the ironclad had been kept fairly well and he was ready, 
willing and able to implement it. When the Confederate ship came close enough to 
attack – the Cumberland would block the channel while the rest of the Fleet would 
close it off behind the Rebels, catching them in the crossfire. Morris saw his chance
to make an end of the South's naval ambitions by showing what the Union Fleet 
was really made of. 
	The more Plucky heard of Morris's daredevilish thoughts, the better he liked 
the man. The chance to be a real hero thrilled him to his very core and he began to
feel more and more brave and courageous himself, despite the imminent danger.
	"Furl the sails! Cut down that wash! Prepare for action!", barked Morris,
"Signal the Zouave to come alongside! Send word ashore to General Mansfield
and lower the cutters aft."
	["Hoist the mizzenmast, you landlubbers! Lower the boom! Clean up the poop 
deck!"], thought Plucky, ["Jive the jib! Raise the spanker! Paddle the spankee!
And all that nautical talk!"] 
	The other Toonsters heard Plucky's zealous jokes and laughed, smiling with 
a moment's relief amidst the growing tension. 
	"Beat to quarters!" ordered Lieutenant Morris.
	The ship's chunky drummer boy began to play "the long roll" which silenced 
everyone. The Cumberland's patriotic crew instantly went to their work. Down 
came the clotheslines, the fresh laundry fluttering to the deck. Bosun's pipes 
squealed as the men cleared the decks for action. The Congress shook out her 
topsails, the white canvas being loosed by the men aloft standing along the spars 
and the men below pulling on miles of raw rope. The ship's magazines were 
opened, the powder monkeys carrying the gunpowder bags to double-charge the 
ship's huge Dalgren cannons. As the gun crews loaded their weapons, the ships'
Marines loaded their rifles with powder and shot. Some climbed the rigging, with 
their Springfields slung over their shoulders, to stand at the mast heads, their guns 
cocked and ready. Pistols and cutlasses were handed out, boarding pikes
and axes were made ready. Scabbards sang with the steel sound of swords.
	As the warriors prepared for their dreadful work, their captain lowered his 
voice and Plucky heard him give a grim command. "Sand the gun deck."
	Master's Mate Harrington simply nodded and saluted as he went to carry 
out the order. Soon the young ship's boys were at work scattering bucketfuls
of yellow beach sand onto the freshly holy-stoned white planking of the ship's 
decks. Plucky was puzzled.
	["Hey Doc? They're throwing sand all over the floor. What's that for?"]
The Doctor hesitated, then told them ["That's for the blood."]
	["What?!"] asked the shocked Toonsters.
	["It's for added traction. The sand soaks up the blood and keeps the men from
slipping in their comrade's blood and gore"] Lord thought grimly. 
	["_My God_"], thought Babs in horror, ["They're spreading sand here too!"]
The Toonsters all felt their stomachs drop. Some of the officers left the upper deck
of the Virginia in silence, staring back over their shoulders at the enemy ships.
	
Chapter CXXXI
	Aboard the Cumberland and the Congress, the crews lost sight of the ironclad as 
she moved out of sight around the bend in the river channel, coming closer. The 
men around Babs began to wonder if the fight was coming or not.  
	"The Rebels is a-feared of us. They jest be putting the Merrimack through her 
trials" boasted an old tar, spitting a chaw of tobacco overboard.
Captain Smith turned to Pendergrast. Babs could see the man thinking before he 
became once more the bold leader.
	"Action Stations, my lads!" said Smith," They may yet make an appearance 
that we'll want to be well-prepared for." 
	["I wish I could warn them"] Babs silently prayed as her host carried out the orders.
	["We are merely observers. We cannot change history"] Lord told her.
	["I wish there was at least something we could do for ‘em"] Plucky thought.
	At that moment, his host Lieutenant Morris looked thoughtfully down the deck
at his men and spoke to the Mate again.
	"Mister Harrington, have the crew finish dinner, but keep a weather eye out."  
	The bosun piped the hands back "to dinner" as Plucky watched them and 
thought ["At least they'll get to finish eating."]
	["For many of them, it will be their last meal"] Hamton thought unhappily.
	Within his host, Wakko was becoming increasingly uncomfortable – and not
quite because of the anxious situation aboard the Virginia.
	["Uh_ Doc?_ Um, I ‘ave a problem"] he thought.
	["What's wrong Wakko?"]  
	The Warner kid squirmed and shyly whispered ["_Potty emergency."]
	There was a round of snickering from some of the other Toonsters as the Doctor
winced in exasperation ["Oh for heaven's sake! Why didn't you go before we 
left?"]
	["Sorry. I'd forgotten"], Wakko apologized helplessly, ["What can I do?"]
	["You'll just have to wait until your host has the same need"] Lord advised.
	["Oh peanuts_I wish ya hadn't mentioned it"] Babs thought as her anxiety
caused her to feel the same pressure.
	["Like, my stomach's doing 360's"] whined Shirley.
	["Mine too"] moaned Hamton.
	["Fermez' le bouche!"], Fifi thought abruptly at Hamton. Instantly aware that 
everyone heard her she added, ["Toute la monde!"]
There was a long awkward pause before Fowlmouth quietly wondered.
	["What'd she say?"]
	["She said ‘Shut up everybody'"] Arnold reported bluntly.
	["Ah'm sorry, but all zis whining eez getting on mah nerves and theengz are ‘ard 
enough alreadee"] Fifi hastily half apologized, half lied.
	["Potty!"] complained Wakko.

	The Union tugboat Zouave chugged alongside the Cumberland and Lt. Selfridge 
shouted his orders through a tin mouth trumpet.  
	["That looks like what that singer from the Thirties sang with"], Plucky thought 
absently, ["What was his name?"]
	Doctor Lord answered ["Bing?"]
	["Somebody's at the door!"] Plucky laughed weakly.
	The Toonsters all groaned in annoyance and Lord thought dryly ["What are you 
trying to do?"]
	["Lighten up the otherwise dark mood?"] thought the duck sheepishly.
	After a pause, Lord's thought rang ominously as he simply said ["Don't.] 

	The Zouave left the Cumberland to investigate the approaching steamers,
chugging away to the deeper southern channel. The Virginia too, turned into the 
south channel, as she needed more than twenty-two feet of water underneath her.
The two enemies steamed towards each other. 
	Far behind them, Shirley watched the activity aboard the big Union frigates. 
Men kept peering curiously at the Virginia, sticking their heads out of the gun ports.
	["Like,  I don't get it.  They see us, but why aren't they doing anything?"], 
she wondered, ["This is totally ridic."]
	["The ironclad is almost unknown to this world. They have never seen anything like
this ship in their lives"], Lord answered, his host standing next to hers, ["Let me tell 
you all a story of what is known as ‘the shock of armor' _ "]
	As the Toonsters stood on or below deck in silence listening to the old skunk, his 
words coalesced into visual thoughts and they saw it in their minds.
	["Long, long ago there was a proud city. Its citizens had great pride; for they 
thought themselves safe behind the strong fortress they had built and were content 
to live free of the fear of marauders. They lived well and became rich and thought 
themselves invulnerable._Then one day, something strange came out of the forest. 
They had never seen the like of it before. At first they laughed at the scaly creature 
and scoffed because it seemed so ponderous and ugly. But their mocking laughter 
did not stop it – their spears, arrows and swords did not stop it – their cavalry and 
ballistas and catapults did not stop it – and when it opened it's crooked jaws – 
and breathed fire upon their wooden walls – their fortress did not stop it. _ When 
the dragon finally returned to the forest_ the pride – and the city – was gone_ 
Today, ladies and gentlemen -  We – are the dragon."]
	Everyone was silent for a while as the vision sobered them.
["Visual thoughts – Far out"], thought Shirley in wonder, ["You'll hafta teach me 
that_ like, once we get through this."] 
	Back at the stern gun, Mary was having a crisis of consciousness. Her host 
looked out of the gun port at the Union Fleet.
	["Doc?"], she asked hesitantly, ["_I know who I am _ I know who these 
men are and I know who we're going to attack_ The question is – are we on the 
bad side? Are these men evil?"]
	["These men are fighting for the right to live in the way that they choose, just as 
those men are. You can see in their minds that this is over states' rights; the right to 
choose, the right not to be unfairly taxed, the right of fair trade, the right of domain – 
it's not just about slavery"], thought the Doctor, ["From our point of view in the future, 
slavery is seen as being evil, but slaves have existed here since the dawn of time. 
Habits that are that old are hard to stop. Even today in some rare corners of 
Reality – slavery still exists."]
	["But are these men evil?_ Are we bad for being part of this - inside them?"]  
	["Look into your host's mind and heart to find out"], Lord sighed, [" Do you think 
they are genuinely evil?"].
	The Toonsters all looked at their hosts lives through their memories. They 
studied them for many moments, but finally all agreed and thought: ["No."]
	["Dey are tough"] Arnold affirmed.
	["They are clever and resourceful"] thought Calamity.
	["They hafta potty!"] Wakko whined painfully.
	["They're good men"] Gogo thought sadly as he watched the sponge man, 
Dunbar, who exchanged an encouraging grin with his own host.
	["Gogo? You don't sound quite yourself"], Babs wondered, ["You okay?"]
	[I dunno_I never watched somebody die before"] the Dodo thought timidly, 
["I don't think I want to."]
	["That makes two of us"] Babs agreed.
	["I'm sorry – "] Doctor Lord began, but then found his host suddenly in action.
	Lieutenant Jones had sighted the Zouave through his spyglass.
	"Federal tugboat off the starboard bow, Commodore. She's approaching."
	"Just a scout vessel. Maintain course for the Cumberland", said Captain 
Buchanan, "Mister Ramsey, more speed."
	"Aye-aye, Sir" answered Calamity's host.

(Star Trek VOL#2, "The Doomsday Machine" "Light Beams/Tractor Beam" #7)

	Suddenly an explosion made the Toonsters jump! After a silent second of rushing 
adrenalin ran through their bodies, a louder, closer detonation followed as a shell 
exploded above the water just a few hundred yards away!  Some of the Virginia's 
men rushed to look out of the gun ports, only to be stopped by their officers, who 
instead looked out the ports themselves.  
	["The first Federal shot of the day"] mused Lord calmly.
	The shot had come from the Zouave's single Parrot rifle and its thirty-pound 
exploding shell had missed the ironclad, throwing up a ragged splash as its hot 
shrapnel slammed into the sea.
	["I guess this is it?"] thought Babs fearfully.
	["No, just a signal to the fleet"] answered Buster as his host gave new orders.   
	"Quarters" Lieutenant Parker told his men, who began loading their own thirty-two 
pounder cannon on the tugboat's bow.
	A second shot flashed and rang out from the Zouave, a cloud of white 
gunsmoke following the shell as it skidded into the water  in the Virginia's path!
	"Hold your fire" ordered Captain Buchanan coolly, "We have a more 
pressing engagement." 
["They're out of range"], Lord declared, ["About two miles away."]
	As Calamity's host watched alongside the ship's commanders, the white-winged
sailing craft sprinkling the bay and the long lines of tugs and boats scurried to the 
far shore like chickens on the approach of a hovering hawk. Suddenly, huge 
volumes of smoke began to pour from the funnels of the frigates Minnesota and 
Roanoke at Old Point. Brightly colored signal flags fluttered up and down the masts 
of all the ships of the Federal Fleet! "The Merrimack has come down" they said.
The tugboat fired again and missed.
	["They've seen us and are getting up steam!"] Calamity exclaimed.
	["Relax, they'll never catch us. Those are the Merrimack's sister-ships"] the 
Doctor told him, ["The Roanoke's drive shaft is offline."]
	["The Minnesota has the same engines as we do, so they can only 
match our speed"] the coyote reasoned.
	The faraway gun on the Zouave boomed again, missing the Virginia's hull 
only by a hundred feet or so, sending an implosion into the water, like a stone
thrown from a high angle. 
	["Ohhh_potty!"] Wakko bellyached.
"Hold your course" ordered the Captain.
	["Like, he's bluffing them"], Shirley reported, ["He knows that he'll scare them off."]  
	As the ironclad seemed to steer directly towards them, the federal tug bravely stood 
it's ground, firing again, but missing by a wide berth.
	["Vy doesn't der kapitan fire?"] wondered Arnold, as he and his host 
looked out the bow gun port.
	Shirley's thoughts were clear. She seemed to have lost her fear, as if she 
had seen something new in her inexorable host. 
	["He's like, saving his gunpowder and_he really doesn't want to cause
more death than he has to. That's why he's attacking the Cumberland first!"], 
she explained, ["He just wants tuh sink the ships and make the Fleet surrender. 
He's gonna ram the Cumberland  and like intimidate the other ships. He doesn't 
wanna shoot at his brother's ship, he wants ‘em to surrender and then share a 
glass of sherry with him in his own ward room like Commadore Perry did with the 
British back at the Battle of Lake Erie. He's like a totally ‘old school' Navy man_"]
	["Doc?"], Shirley confessed earnestly, ["He is a good man_he just has to do his 
duty."]
	The Zouave fired a final shot and then spun around and headed back for 
the safety of Newport News. 
	["Nyeeeeh! Ya missed me!"] jeered Gogo.
	A ragged cheer broke from the men, but Lieutenant Simms quickly ordered: 
"Silence on board!".
The men feel silent but grinned at each other broadly. 
["We called them back, Gogo"] Plucky replied aboard the Cumberland.
	["Like, um.. how are things over there, Plucky?"] Shirley wondered nervously.
The duck looked at the men on the gun deck, standing at their guns, waiting.
	["Cool_grim, silent_ determined_ To be honest it's pretty scary"] he replied quietly.
	["Um_like_ same here"] the loon thought, feeling guilty that they were on 
opposite sides, ["The strictest discipline is in force on our gun deck_ uh_No one at 
the guns is allowed to talk er some junk_Not even in a whisper_"]. 
	["Uh_sorry I'm not with you"] he thought nervously.
	["Me too_totally"] Shirley agreed, forgetting that they were not alone.
	["Wackadoo! Plucky actually apologized! Will wonders never cease?"] 
Fowlmouth thought in amazement.
	["Un-cool, FM"] commented Mary as her host looked out through his gun port.
	["Ah dadgummit! I waz just thinkin' it. I didn' say it out loud. Sorry."]
	["Thanks a lot!"] grumbled Plucky. Then he added ["I trust you Rebels will 
tell me when yer gonna start shooting at me?"]
	["It's not their fault that we wound up on the wrong side, Plucky. It was an 
accident"] Buster asserted as the Beaufort and the Raleigh drew out ahead 
of the Virginia to starboard.
	Hamton swallowed another cold lump of guilt.
	["Arguing won't help us"], Lord insisted, ["Please let me concentrate on the 
task at hand. Now you concentrate on your assignments."]
	The Toonsters were feeling increasingly edgy. The only sounds aboard the Virginia
were the hiss and the steady thud-thudding of her steam engine as the ship 
moved slowly across the bay at four and a half miles per hour. The tension was 
palpable as the agony of waiting for battle continued for the toons and their hosts.
The crew sweated in silence, their drawn faces looking positively grim. 
	["Potty, potty, potty!"] whimpered Wakko as he squirmed.
	Luckily, his nervous host also had the same urge and retired downstairs to the dark 
orlop deck and the officer's head. Wakko's sigh of relief trailed off as he opened 
what amounted to an outhouse door and saw nothing in the faint lantern-light but 
a large chamberpot inside on the floor. 
	["That's a little too literal"] he thought, nonplussed.

Chapter  CXXXII
	In the Doctor's underground laboratory, Wile Coyote was 
sweating over the twelfth console he'd rewired in the last twenty minutes. The last 
of the icicles in his ears had melted as he worked to improve the machine's ability 
to control the higher level of power that would soon be coursing through it. The old 
heavy gauge wiring had been built to last and it was a hard job to change it out.
High above him on the ceiling's catwalk hung the tethered Ralph Wolf working on 
the cable trunking between two of the large electrode diffuser balls.
	"Cousin? If we use the impulse control circuits, they'll be fused solid!" Ralph
called down as he twisted his torque wrench, loosening the power lines.
	"What about the warp core control circuits?" the coyote reminded him without 
looking up from his labors.
	"Uh_ yeah, we can cross-connect the controls", the wolf admitted, but then 
cautioned him, "But that'll make the machine almost impossible for one man to 
handle!"
	Wile's gaze and voice didn't waver as he continued his efforts.
"You worry about your miracles, Ralphie. I'll worry about mine. Get to work."
	"Yes sir!" Ralph said mockingly, but the next moment there was a great 
flash of electrical voltage as the wolf touched the wrong wire! Ralph glowed like a 
stop light, then a Christmas tree, then like a lighthouse as the current went through 
his body like lightening! Thoroughly Friz frizzled, he hung sizzling by his tether with 
an astounded look on his face, his red nose flashing like a strobe light. 
	"That's what ya get for not listening! The Doctor warned us about the bare 
wires" Wile chided him as he continued working with a laser cutting torch. Calling 
out over his shoulder he said "Junior? Try the 2G6 circuit."
	As the bespectacled chicken nodded amidst a veritable Sargasso sea of 
hanging colored wires, Ralph grew impatient with his blinking snout and used his
torque wrench to ratchet it tight, his eyes crossing as he focused on his own nose. 

	Like a rocket-powered dagger, Commander Winters' SR-71 flew at Mach
three point five over the ridges of a snow-covered mountain range.  Though the 
polarized greenish visor of his golden space helmet, he saw the frozen tundra 
miles below and the blinding sun at ten o'clock behind him.  The slight draft of his
pressure suit's air-conditioner whirred softly in his sensitive owl's ears, as did the
roar of the Blackbird's ultra-powerful ramjet engines. 
	Abruptly, a warning buzzer sounded in the cockpit and the code indicators
began spinning on the black radio discriminator panel. A letter locked into place,
then two more followed by three numerals: "CRM114" – then the radio in his helmet
crackled with a familiar voice.
	"Blackbird, this is Dick Strong – do you copy? Over?"
	"Affirmative, Detective. This is Blackbird", the snowy owl replied, perplexed,
	"Breaking radio silence is highly irregular. What the devil do you mean by 
contacting me? You may be giving away my position. Over."
	"It couldn't be helped. We have a problem back here and you may be the 
only one able to save us in time", the hard-boiled policeman told him, "We need 
you to raise the power output of the PMD mainframe immediately! Over."
In a moment of puzzled silence, Winters huge yellow eyes blinked and his beak 
hung open a moment in confusion before his head turned quizzically aside.
	"Just a moment – did you say the PMD? Over?"
	"That's affirm. The power output levels at Point K must be raised to ‘Full'. Over."
	"Ha-ha! I think there's been a bit of miss-communication, Richard – because that's 
already my mission!", chuckled Winters, "The Doctor gave me that assignment last 
night.. I'm nearly over – eh_ I am over Canada now. Over."
	Now it was Dick Strong's turn to be surprised, "Last night?? But that's impossible!
How could he have -?"
	"Oh come now, old man" the owl reminded him, "You know him better than 
that. This is Lord we're discussing. Now then, what's all this fuss about? Over?"
	As the black spy plane flew north-northeast, it's pilot was told of the 
desperate problem the Toonsters now faced.

	Hamton sweated inside his host as he now sat in a chair on a small platform 
underneath the Virginia's pilothouse. He was alone looking through the tiny slits in 
the bell-like iron cone. These view ports were very small and were widely-spaced 
so that he had to be close enough to peep through while he called out directions 
to the messengers below, who ran back and forth to the ship's wheel amidships. 
Directly below was the breech of the seven-inch bow rifle, with it's gun crew
standing at the ready, Arnold and Gogo among them. 
	Hamton held onto the cold iron edges of the armor with his sweating palms. 
He bit his lip as he concentrated on anything other than his own feelings. He 
sought to look out the front eye slit of the conning tower –  to do anything rather 
than feel guilty. He struggled not to think out loud of the trouble he'd caused and 
how he may have jeopardized the entire future by his little scheme to scare 
Dr. Lord with Boris the spider. To think out loud now would let everyone know of 
what he had done - the terrible thing he'd done. His stomach churning with his 
swallowed guilt, the pig was nauseated, but stood still and stolid.
	Below him, every man stood on the deck in silence – all but one.
Amid the mounting tension, a young boy of twelve from North Carolina cautiously 
approached the captain of his gun. The small powder boy was pale and his 
hands trembled, but his little voice was clear and stoic.
	"Mister Marmaduke?", he whispered to the midshipman, "I'm likely to be killed
in this fight_ If I am, will you send my money to my father?"
	The boy reached up to hand the taller man his money purse. Henry Marmaduke
simply nodded, tucking the leather bag into his jacket and then looked to his gun. 
The child blinked and quietly returned to his task of fetching the heavy bags of 
gunpowder. Hamton's cheek tightened as he witnessed the little boy's bravery and 
felt ashamed for thinking only of himself. The time for sentimentality was over.

	Aboard the Cumberland, Plucky Duck was feeling like more of a man than 
he had ever been before as he stood within the bold interior of the Captain. 
"Swing ship! Heave now, lads! Pull!" Lieutenant Morris barked.
	As the circle of sailors pushed the yokes of the capstan round, the great ship
pulled in on her anchor-chains, slowly pivoting the bow of the sloop-of-war around 
with the river's current. The crew steadied themselves against the ship's movement
as it swung heavily through the water to port. Morris turned around to face along 
the ship's course. Plucky felt like he was riding the deck of the battlewagon like a 
surfboard – and all without the slightest pang of seasickness! 
	The seventeen hundred ton vessel swung to a gentle halt on the swell. Up 
swung the gun ports as her eleven broadside cannons were run out and brought 
to bear on the oncoming ironclad. With twenty-four heavy guns – the Cumberland 
could outgun the Virginia by more than two to one. The trap was set!
	["Now I am Captain Pluck"] the duck thought to himself with pride.

	Aboard the Congress, Babs stared at the approaching Virginia through the 
eyes of her host who gazed at it through his cold brass spyglass. The rabbit 
recognized the wooden structure she had seen before in the drydock at Portsmouth 
- but it had changed dramatically. This was a glistening black, armored war 
machine that moved slowly towards them through the water like a half-submerged 
crocodile intent on it's prey. Black smoke erupted from it's smokestack and guns 
jutted from it's gun ports, but unlike her own vessel – there was no sign of life. It 
seemed they would not be fighting against living men – just a hissing, smoking 
soulless robot  of destruction. Babs saw it coming and knew what it would do – 
and she was afraid.
	Her host and the men around him stared at the Virginia. Lieutenant Smith 
climbed partway into the rigging to point at the oncoming menace and bold as 
brass, he scoffed at the Virginia.
	"Well, my hearties!", the captain shouted to his crew, "You see before you 
the great Southern bugaboo, got up to fright us out of our wits. Stand to your 
guns, and let me assure you that one good broadside from our gallant frigate –
and she is ours!"
	"HUZZAH!" cheered the brave men of the Congress. 
	["What do they think this is? A football game?!"] Babs thought in disbelief. 
	The crew stared at the Virginia. Every eye was upon her.  All hands stood ready. 
No one stirred. The silence was awful.

	On the hurricane deck of the Virginia, Lieutenant Jones turned to his commander.
	"They've capped the T, sir" Jones reported calmly.
	"So shall we" replied Captain Buchanan.
	Jones (and Dr. Lord within him) took a last glance of the scene of battle and slowly
walked down the steps to the gun deck below. The ship was slowly steaming into 
harm's way towards the Cumberland's broadside and approaching the bow of 
the Congress about 2,500 feet away. Their single bow rifle now faced nearly fifty 
guns. The Captain took a few steps down the stairs but kept his head in the 
hatchway so he could see to direct the vessel's course. 
	Shirley gulped in terror as the Captain decided to remain exposed alone
to the fire of the enemy, making her also exposed, but her fright was overwhelmed 
now by the absolute fearlessness displayed by her host. 
	"Signal ‘Close Action'!" he ordered.
	The signalman switched the forward flags, running the red pennant up the flagpole 
before the towering smokestack, which hissed and snorted like a chimney on fire.
As the smoking, deadly leviathan slipped silently through the sea toward it's prey,
Franklin Buchanan's fierce determination to win began to defeat Shirley the Loon's
peacefully centered oneness.
	["Like what's ‘capping the T' mean?"] she asked.
	["It means they've turned their broadside guns at us while we're only bow 
onwards"] Lord told her, ["It's one of the oldest naval combat maneuvers. 
Now they can rake our entire ship with their  broadside guns."]
	["So now we're gonna do the same thing, Doc?"] asked Furball.
	["They're gonna shoot at us before we can turn at they rate we're going! 
This ship is too slow!"] worried Hamton.
["It is kinda like driving in first gear, ain't it?"] agreed Fowlmouth.
	["The channel is narrow here, we could easily run aground and be stuck"]
Mary added as her host peered out of his gunport.
	["The captain knows all that"], Shirley thought abruptly, ["He's presenting
as little of our ship as a target while we get close enough to ram. He'll set a course
that will keep us out of their line of fire too."]
	Down in the lamp-lit Captain's quarters, the ship's doctors prepared for the worst,
laying out bandages, tourniquets, scalpels and surgical probes as they set up their 
sickbay. All Fifi could do was to listen to the thoughts of the others and the 
changing tones of her friends.

	Aboard the Beaufort, Buster could only admire the nerves of steel of his host, 
Lieutenant Parker. He tasted the bitter flavor of tobacco as the Captain put a 
brand-new cigar in his mouth and coolly gave the order.
"Steer for the Congress. Raise our battle flag. Prepare to open fire."
His Bosun's mate pulled their tri-colored pennant up the mast. It resembled
the French national flag.

	"The frogs have joint the Rebs!" shouted a man on the Congress's deck.
	"Stand to your guns!" ordered their Captain.

	["..Babs?_.I, uh_ sorry_Watch out"] Buster stammered awkwardly.

	On the Congress, a frightened Babs understood and gulped as she knew the 
moment of truth had arrived.
	["_ I love you too_Watch yer tail_"] 

Chapter CXXXIII   ("The Planets" by Gustav Holst – "Mars, the Bringer of War")

	Buster could only stand and watch as his host gave the order.
"Mister Robinson, let's get their attention – Open fire on the Congress."
	 Jack Robinson, the captain of the gun, looked down the sights of the 
massive banded cannon and yelled: "FIRING!" 
	His gun crew all turned and leaned away, covering their ears as the midshipman
pulled the lanyard and the gun went off with an ear-splitting roar, the recoil bucking 
the titanic weapon backwards across the deck with a blast of orange flame! A 
three foot ring of fire appeared for a moment and Buster felt the concussion wave
and heat flash smack his chest. It was as though he'd stuck his face into a blast 
furnace and then been clonked by a club. His ears rang like a steel bell. 
White gunsmoke clouded his eyes and the chemical, rotten-egg smell of gunpowder 
filled his nose.  Although the shock had jarred him - his host didn't even bat an 
eyelash. Parker watched the shell rocket past the Congress's port side by a foot or 
so and hit the beach beyond, the resulting explosion throwing a column of sand 
into the air.
	Buster swore a mighty oath that surprised even Fowlmouth.
	["Whoa, not bad, Bustah"], the rooster thought with admiration, ["Now yer even 
swearin' like a sailor!"]
	["Gentlemen, I will not tolerate bad language in front of the ladies!"] Lord announced.
	["Well, how about in back of ‘em?"] quipped Buster.

	Before she could hear Buster's joke, Babs heard Lieutenant Smith call out 
"Fire as your guns bear!" and the bow cannons on the Congress roared!
	["Oh my ears and whiskers!"] yelped Babs as the thunderous reports
slammed her eardrums. A white cloud blew in her face and she coughed as 
she breathed in the gunsmoke. The cannon balls narrowly missed the rebel ships, 
but it was enough to make the Beaufort fall back. 
	Shirley watched the shot pass over her ship with wide eyes and felt not the 
slightest twinge of fear from her host. Captain Buchanan stared intently on his 
intended target as if sighting the great ironclad like a rifle. 
	"Hold your fire. Full speed ahead! Steer directly for that vessel!" he ordered.
Below in the boiler room, Calamity watched as more steam was urged upon the 
clanking, thudding massive engines, their revolving arms turning the giant propeller 
shaft, while the stokers poured the coal into the raging furnaces. 
	Shirley watched as the guns ashore at Camp Butler opened up on the 
Virginia, firing in front of the Congress's bow. The cannon balls came whistling in 
and struck her with a sharp crack!!_ But lo and behold, the heavy iron projectiles
bounced off – glancing upwards as they struck the angled armor to fall hissing into 
the sea!  Despite the danger, the loon's mind was focused elsewhere.
	["Plucky? Where are you?"]
	["Uh, the poop deck? The rear – the after-stern?.. eh – back here!"] he answered.
	["Good_ like please stay there, kay?"] 
	The terrible moment Shirley sensed was upon them. The Cumberland was only
1,500 yards away – well within range. She dreaded her next actions.
Tight-lipped, Captain Buchanan stepped down the hatchway and crouched under 
the ironclad's roof to see his forward gun crew waiting.
	"Mister Simms – open fire on the Cumberland!" he ordered.
The crew turned to their work as the Lieutenant with Arnold inside crouched to sight
the seven-inch Brooke rifle through the small gun port. His right hand held the 
cannon's lanyard as he shouted :"Number One - FIRING!"
	Gogo and the other crewmen at the gun's side leaned away, covering their 
closer ear.  Arnold winced as during the deadly pause that followed, as his host
shut one eye to aim the shot perfectly. 
	["Oh-"] Arnold managed to think before Simms yanked the lanyard.
	The Virginia's bow gun fired with a titanic roar that reverberated up and down the 
inside of it's casemate. The shell screamed across the Roads and hit the Union 
warship squarely, passing through the starboard-quarter rail. Plucky saw the 
white explosion and huge wooden splinters flying into the line of blue-uniformed 
Marines who'd been standing there. Nine men tumbled to the deck, impaled with
the broken wooden shrapnel, screaming as they lay there with shredded limbs.
Plucky stood on the perfectly clean white deck and stared_  The flag he stood 
next to was now shockingly similar to the colors before him; the pure white deck, 
the smart, perfectly blue uniforms – and the streaming red blood which stained 
everything.  The groans of these men, the first to fall, as they were carried below,
was something new to the rest of the gunners aboard. Plucky had no time to 
react as his host shouted: "RETURN FIRE!"
	Quickly, the crew of the Cumberland's pivot gun loaded and ran the 
cannon out. The gun Buchanan feared most went off with a shocking blast, 
but the ten inch shot missed it's mark. Now the gun crews on both ships raced 
to fire faster, hoping to stop each other. Gogo and Arnold fought their gun, 
struggling to load the deadly weapon and straining to pull it into position. The 
Cumberland's crew of Bostonians threw all their might and mane into reloading, 
but Simms' crew was ahead of them. Arnold squinted as his host aimed for the
heart of them. The crewmen frantically struggled at breakneck speed, but the 
Virginia's gun fired first. 
	Again, the ironclad's gun jolted back with a sharp report, the casemate filling
with acrid white gunsmoke. The Confederate shell burst in the very midst of the 
crew reloading the Cumberland's cannon, striking the gun carriage and knocking the 
nine ton weapon off onto the men. This time, there were no screams. The explosion
killed every man there except the young powder monkey and the gun's captain 
Kirker, who while holding a handspike to guide the gun's aiming, had both arms 
taken off at the shoulder.  White-faced, he stared in shock at his completely 
disabled gun. Without uttering a groan, he was taken below. Dead and wounded 
were everywhere, but no one flinched. They went on loading and firing, taking the 
place of some fallen comrade, killed or wounded, as they had been told to do. 
	As his host sought desperately to turn his ship so that more guns would 
bear, Plucky began to jabber nervously.
	[" Hey_those guys aren't getting up! There's arms and legs all over the place, but
they're not – Why aren't they coming back_ together? This is – too gross_ it's like  
Ren & Stimpy!"] he babbled in horror.
	[‘They're dead, son. Concentrate on your mission and you'll be all right."] 
Lord told the shocked duck.
	["I'm sorry, darlin'_"] gasped Shirley, barely in control.
	Master's Mate Harrington called away thirty men to move a gun from the port side 
to replace the disabled cannon. The black slanted bow of the Virginia erupted with 
flame as Arnold's host fired again. The bursting shell killed most of Harrington's 
crew. The head of the Master's Mate rolled across the deck like a bloody billiard 
ball.
	The Cumberland's captain and the duck within him fought to bring more 
guns to bear on their attacker.
	"Spring ship to the starboard quarter!" he shouted as his men pulled at the
capstan, but it was no use. The tide was pushing them the wrong way.
Morris's fierce determination out-ruled Plucky's fear as his voice rang out!
	"PORT BATTERY – FIRE!!"
	Trained as close as possible, the Cumberland's nine-inch guns fired a tremendous 
broadside, sending nearly a ton of iron flying into the Virginia! Shirley ducked inside
the hatch as the massive explosion rocked both ships, but the plunging cannon 
balls merely bounced off the ironclad's sloping sides and pilot house. Inside the 
wrought-iron cone, Hamton's head felt like the clapper of a bell as the pilot-house
rang from the impact. When Shirley peeked outside again, she and the Captain
saw that much of the forward railing had been smashed, but that was all. The 
great hulking vessel continued it's steady and unswerving course, it's forward 
gun wreaking havoc with every shot.   

Chapter  CXXXIV                    ( "King Kong Music Suite" "Main Title" #12)
	Within the armor-plated behemoth, Mary and the others could only guess at 
what was going on by the smoke and terrible sounds of battle.
	["What's happening?"] she wondered, feeling hot fever-like chills.
Amidst the rapidly firing guns, Plucky watched in horror as Morris' men were cut to 
pieces. The dead, as they fell, were thrown to the port side of the deck, out of the 
way, while the wounded were carried below. The ironclad monster kept on slowly 
coming towards them, spewing fire and smoke. Its shells went through the wooden 
ship's sides as if they were made of paper, the splinters impaling anyone in their 
path. The first and second captains of every forward gun were either killed or 
wounded, so Lieutenant Selfridge, with a box of cannon primers in his pocket, ran 
from gun to gun, placing the primers in the breech vents and firing the cannons as 
fast as the decimated crews could load them.
	["We're – we're getting' literally creamed out here!"] Plucky gasped.
By now, though still three or four hundred yards from the Cumberland, the Virginia's
snail-like advance had brought her abreast of the Congress, which had been firing 
on her for some time. 
	Shirley anticipated Buchanan's actions and warned:  ["Like, get down, Babs!"]
	["Who thinks about dancing at a time like this?"] the bunny questioned.
	Within his host, Hunter Davidson, Furball yelled ["Fire in the hole!"] 
	A stand of grapeshot struck the Congress's gun deck, mowing down a few sailors.
["Oh"], Babs muttered, ["Thanks, but you better watch out yerself, Shirl!"] 
	Still waiting for action, Wakko stood within his host, looking out the gun port 
he was commanding.  For a long while only the wide waters of the bay and the 
distant shores were visible, till suddenly the port became the frame of the picture of 
a great ship. It was the Congress, about one hundred yards away.
	["Aww, that's pretty!"] , he thought, ["Hey FM, you ought to see-"]
Suddenly he saw the flashes of thirty-five guns leap at him from the Congress's 
gun ports! His host jumped back just as the broadside all struck the Virginia at 
once!
	["Never mind"] shrugged Wakko.
	The noise was terrible, giving everyone a fearful shock, but the solid shot bounced 
off the plated sides like so many basketballs.  Gogo watched as the crew 
muttered in terror, only to be silenced by Arnold's resolute host, Lieutenant Simms. 
	"Be quiet men", he said calmly, "I have received as heavy a fire in open air."
A call came from amidships; "No damage", and the Virginia's crew gave a mighty 
cheer! Their ironclad was truly shotproof. It was a miracle that none of the shot had 
entered through the four open gun ports.
	"Starboard battery – Prepare to Fire!" called out Lieutenant Jones.
	["Wull, time to take the buns out of the oven"] Wakko mused to Fowlmouth.
Together they watched as glowing 9-inch cannon balls were rolled out of the ship's 
furnaces below and into iron buckets. The smoking hot shot were hoisted up to the 
mouth of the Dahlgren guns as water-soaked wads were rammed in. The loading 
men gripped the red-hot cannon balls with huge tongs that fit into the tugs in them.
Using sheer muscle, the loaders gingerly rolled the burning shot down the gun 
tubes and backed off as the rammer put another wad in to hold the hot-shot in 
place. The two hot-shot guns were then lugged into firing position with more muscle.
	["Ohh yer mother's tomato!"], swore Fowlmouth at the exertion, ["I'm gonna 
bust a giblet doing this!"]
	["Could be worse –"], thought Wakko, ["You could be ramming wet wads."]
	The rooster and the Warner kid snickered like sixth graders and FM commented:
["Heh! Heheheheheh! _ You said ‘wads'."]
				         ("King Kong Music Suite" "Jungle Dance" #16)

Their juvenile moment ended as Jones ordered "STARBOARD BATTERY! 
FIRE!"
	At the command, the Virginia's four-gun broadside belched flame and glowing shot 
at the Congress. The effect was terrible. Babs felt the sudden warmth and the next 
instant she lay on the deck among her host's fallen comrades. One of the Virginia's 
shells had come in through the port hole of gun number seven, struck the gun 
carriage and dismounted the gun, killing or wounding the entire sixteen man crew.
Merely knocked down by the others, the bunny's host struggled to stand up while 
the men lay around him, swept by the explosion into a bruised and bleeding heap.  
Then she heard the type of cry sailors fear most.
	"FIRE! THE SHIP'S ON FIRE!"
	The rest of the men scrambled back to their guns as the damage control parties 
grabbed their fire-axes and began to viciously chop away at the bulkheads to get 
to the fire with their hoses. Wounded men tried to crawl away from the flames.  
Babs' host grabbed a man by the shoulders and hauled him across the deck, but 
safety there was merely temporary. Another shout went up.
	"FIRE NEAR THE AFTER MAGAZINE!"
	Wondering if they meant People or Cosmopolitan, Babs and her host
hurried to the Captain, Lieutenant Smith, who shouted orders to encourage his 
crew.
	"We've taken two hot-shot!" Smith said, "If the fire hose can't put it out, the 
fire will hit the ship's gunpowder! Get the fire under control!"
	As the men raced to cheat death, the Beaufort and the Raleigh returned to make 
trouble.
	["Sorry Babs"] Buster muttered as his host opened fire again.
One of the Confederate shot hit the Congress's bow, but the Federal ship's return 
fire knocked out the Raleigh's only cannon. She could still fight, but the Congress
was now critically damaged.
	["Ricky, yer going to have some ‘splaining to do!"] Babs thought angrily at Buster.

Chapter CXXXV
	Lieutenant Jones stuck his head up through the hatchway to get a view of the 
effect of their broadside on the Congress and the Doctor within him saw the frigate 
smoking as the Virginia moved past it. The face of Captain Buchanan was flushed 
with emotion, but his eyes were fixed fiercely upon his target. He did not pause to 
finish off the stricken prey, as nothing would delay his intended rendezvous with the 
Cumberland.
	"Turn forty-five degrees port", ordered ‘Old Buck', "Bring us around her bow!"
Jones paused to look, but relayed the order to the helmsman.
	["This maneuver might ground us on the mud"] Lord thought to Shirley.
	["Damn the mud – Full speed ahead!"] , the Loon answered, ["..Like sorry_ I guess 
I'm getting caught up in his aggressive vibes er sum junk. He's like, going to
outgun them while protecting his ship and getting in closer. They have like, almost 
no guns at their bow, so he can get the ship in close without getting hurt."]
	The ironclad slowly turned her heavy bulk away to go around the 
Cumberland's bowsprit while the sloop-of-war kept up her fire. Lord and Shirley 
ducked as several shot rattled down her length, punching gashes through
the smokestack, smashing the railings and cutting down the flagstaff.
	"Our flag has fallen!" someone shouted inside the casemate.
	Wakko was watching his host oversee the re-loading of his cannon, when he 
suddenly found himself charging up the main stairway towards the top hatch!
Lieutenant Eggelston crouched in the open hatchway before leaping out onto the 
exposed upper deck and running aft at full speed! The crewmen looked up in 
surprise as his footsteps resounded over their heads. 
	["Boy, it's a much better view from up here"] Wakko observed passively.
	Ahead, Eggleston saw the fallen flagstaff and ran to pick it up. The ten foot pole 
was as thick as his arm and quite heavy, but he swung the Confederate flag up 
high, the colors streaming with the breeze. As he struggled to stuff it's broken base 
into the holes in the grating, a bullet ricocheted off the armor plate at his feet!
	[‘"Z'wounds, Wakko! What do you think you're doing?!"] Dr. Lord yelled 
abruptly as his host saw Eggleston under fire on the stern.
	["Sorry, I was overcome by patriotism"] the Warner kid shrugged with a grin.
	["Wakko Wakkarotti DuPont Warner!!  You get your tail back down that hole this 
instant!!"] the Doctor shouted sternly.
As musket balls zinged off the armor plating around him, Eggleston stuffed 
the broken flagstaff into the grating and ran back to the hatchway, dodging 
bullets as he went, as the ship swung under his feet!  Wakko was biting his
tongue as he ran down the stairs to safety. His host returned to his gun with a 
grin that was returned by everyone who saw him. 
	["Sorry Doc, it was his idea – not mine"] Wakko apologized.
	Lord sighed in relief and thought ["We should have remembered that Eggleston 
would do that. Next time give me fair warning."]
Their emotions were quickly forgotten as the heavy ironclad turned hard to the 
left and the starboard broadside guns were run out. The ship jerked slowly ahead 
as its keel dragged in the mud. Within their hosts, the Toonsters waited in dread 
silence until their weapons were pointed at the Cumberland's bow. On the 
hurricane deck, Shirley and Lord could see that they had now "capped the T".
"STARBORD BATTERY – FIRE!" shouted Lieutenant Jones.
		("King Kong Suite" "The Bronte" #18)
	Plucky and his host, the Captain, began to run forward just as the guns went off.
All four shells raked the Cumberland's bow, blasting it into a shambles. The 
Cumberland's gunners replied with all they had, but their cheers became vicious 
curses as they saw their shot and shell bounce harmlessly off the Virginia's tough 
hide like peas from a popgun.  Plucky watched the dead men, little more than 
reddish barrels of bloody meat, as they were unceremoniously stacked like 
cordwood on the deck for later burial. Torn limbs lay on the deck.
	["This can't be happening_I don't believe it_"], thought the terrified duck, 
	["It can't be real!..Cut! _Cut it! Somebody please cut it out!!"]
His host, Lieutenant Morris shouted to the ship's pilot.
"Smith! Turn the ship! Hell and damnation –TURN HER!!"
	"We're trying, Captain!" replied A.B. Smith as he pointed, "The tide is 
too strong! We can't turn against it!" 
Indeed, men on the nearby wharf were struggling to haul the ship around 
with a block and tackle, but it was no use. The tide from the James River was 
pushing them the wrong direction!
"It's impossible for our vessel to get out of her way" Smith lamented.
Morris and the duck within him grimly clawed and climbed their way to the bowsprit 
through shattered wood and smashed bodies. Over the bow he saw the Virginia 
about five hundred feet away turning slowly towards them again, looking silent and 
still, weird and mysterious, like some devilish and superhuman monster,
or the horrid creation of a nightmare. Now at close range the two warships poured 
out a living tide of fire and smoke, of shot and heavy shells. From the Cumberland's 
ship's scuppers, streams of crimson gore ran into the sea from the deck like 
washwater. Onward came the glistening black monster, looking like a half
-submerged crocodile as she ploughed through the water towards the bow. At her 
prow, Plucky saw the iron ram he and Hamton had mounted there, projecting 
straight forward somewhat about the water's edge.
	"FIRE!" both he and his angry host shouted simultaneously.
The Federals fired as best they could, only to see their projectiles bouncing off her 
mailed sides like rubber balls, apparently not making the least impression. 
Frightened and furious, Plucky and his host shouted as one!
"Come on, you damned rebels!"
	["Plucky it's nothing personal, rilly!"] Shirley apologized uselessly.
	["Plucky – get a hold of yourself!"] Buster told him.
	Inside the Virginia's iron shell, the Cumberland's ferocious barrage of fire 
made a terrible din. The deafening roar of the guns and the sharp crack of the 
enemy shot pounding it made everyone's ears ring, but the ship remained 
undamaged. Calamity's host had cautiously climbed to the gun deck to witness the 
fighting. The coyote flinched fearfully as he watched the Cumberland's shot strike
the sloping sides and be deflected upward to burst harmlessly in the air or roll 
noisily down to fall hissing into the water, dashing the spray up into the gun ports. 
Looking up, he saw Captain Buchanan still standing where he had been
since the action commenced, in the open hatchway on the hurricane deck, foolishly 
exposed, but miraculously unhurt. Buchanan raised his speaking trumpet, his clear
voice shouting across the waters.
	"DO YOU - SURRENDER?" he hollered at the Cumberland.
Lieutenant Morris – the Captain of the sloop-of-war had but one answer, and 
full-throated, he yelled back at his enemy.
	"NEVER!! I'LL SINK ALONG SIDE!! I'LL GO DOWN WITH MY 
COLORS FLYING!!!"
	"_So be it," Buchanan said reluctantly.
	["Like, he was trying to stop the fighting"], Shirley thought sadly, ["Now he has 
no choice."]
	["He had a choice! He could have stayed loyal to his country!"] 
Plucky thought angrily.
	["He'd already tried that once – they wouldn't take him back"] replied the loon.
	["Plucky Duck – you're taking this too hard"], Lord told him, ["You're an 
observer – not a participant."]
	["Too hard?! Tell that to the guy who just had his head blown off!"]
	["Plucky? Keep cool. We've still got to rescue you"] Hamton reminded him.
	["Look out, here comes yer first chance!"] Shirley warned as Buchanan 
stepped down to the platform below and called Ramsey to him. 
	"Full ahead Mister Ramsey! You have your orders", the Captain shouted over 
the sounds of battle, "Helmsman – Steer directly for that vessel!"
Calamity's host ran to the down ladder and yelled to his engineers: 
"RAMMING SPEED!"
	The cranky old engines throttled up, the steady thumping becoming a thrashing 
of hissing steam as the drive shaft spun the huge seventeen and a half foot 
propeller, dragging the ship's keel out of the muddy bottom and into deeper water. 
The monster charged like a rhinoceros, dipping its horn to strike!
	Gogo looked painfully at Dunbar, knowing the end was near. If there was 
only something he could do! As they prepared to fire the bow gun, the sponge-man 
deftly leaped over the breaching tackle with the sponger in his hands and plunged 
it down the cannon's throat to swab out the hot metal. Skillfully he pulled it out and 
moved cleanly out of the way for the loaders.
	Exerting all the will power he could muster, the Dodo spoke, actually causing 
his host Curtis to speak aloud.
	"Good work Soldier!" Gogo and Curtis cried. 
	The gun's captain, Lieutenant Simms (and Arnold within him) gave him a moment's 
pause, but returned to business. An image became indelibly stamped on Gogo's 
memory, as Dunbar stood at ease amidst the violence and gunsmoke with his 
sponger at the ready, flashing a big grin at him. 
	
	(Star TrekVOL#2, The Doomsday Machine", Kirk Does It Again" #12 )
Chapter CXXXVI
	On the deck of the Cumberland, Plucky and his host drew his officer's sword 
from its scabbard and brandished the weapon at the oncoming ironclad! He 
waved his officer's cocked hat high with the other arm and cheered on his crew! 
	"The damned cessesh aim to board us!  What say ye, men?" he shouted.
	"NEVER!!!" roared the men, shaking their fists and hurling insults at their enemies.
	"Then give them your answer! BLAST THEM TO HELL!!!" Morris cried.
The Cumberland's guns went off with a thunderous roar and all the armed men on 
deck leveled their muskets and pistols at the ironclad's open gun ports. With a 
tremendous crash and white clouds of smoke, they fired their side arms and rifles at 
the armored beast, their shot and Minie' balls hitting it's sloping sides like a 
hailstorm.

	At the Virginia's stern, Mary had nothing to do but wait. 
["Won't this be an opportunity to get Plucky back aboard?"] she wondered.
	["Not yet"] the Doctor answered. ["The power's not high enough"], he said 
as his host popped his head up to see if the ship's ramming course was true.
	As the thirty-five-hundred ton ironclad moved in at six knots, Richard Curtis
cautiously peered out the bow gun port and Gogo saw a sight he would never 
forget – the whole starboard side of the Cumberland was lined with officers and 
men with cutlasses and boarding pikes, ready to repel any rebel boarders. The 
angry mob shook their fists and weapons ferociously, their furious faces grimacing 
with deadly hatred! Gogo saw their heroic captain Morris and Plucky within him, 
with his hat off and his sword raised, cheering on his men!  The sight of the 
moment passed as he and the gun crew ran out their weapon to fire at 
point-blank range.
	"Look out, men! I am going to ram that ship!" warned Captain Buchanan.
	["Stand Fast!"] Lord commanded.
	The ironclad monster ploughed her way towards the sloop-of-war's 
starboard bow like a unstoppable locomotive. In the engine room, Calamity heard
two rings of the ship's gong, meaning stop engines. Then came three gongs, the 
signal to reverse. Either the Captain had gotten excited and ordered the engines 
reversed too soon, or else he hoped to have them already reversed before striking 
the Cumberland so that the ironclad might back away all the sooner.  
	Ramsey followed his orders. Pushing the cranky old steam engines into 
reverse took a concerted effort with his assistant engineers who had to stand atop
the steam boxes and work the levers and reversing wheels in tandem. It was 
difficult work even when they weren't rushed, and now they were in the midst of 
combat. Calamity helped to shove the lever, the gears changed and the engines 
reversed. Then there was an awful pause as the men waited for the deadly crash.
	["What eez happeneeng?"] Fifi asked from the sickbay.
	From her vantage point on the stern of the Congress, a shaken Babs tried to 
describe what she saw. 
	["The Merrimack is moving in towards the side of the Cumberland's bow_ 
the Yankees are shooting with everything they got - but it just bounces off!  
The Merrimack's ram is so much lower than the side of the wooden ship_ 
it's gonna be a train-wreck! _I wanna go home."]
	Standing on the Cumberland's bow, Plucky was surprised as the men 
calmly waited for the collision and worked their guns right up to the moment of 
the inevitable crash.  
	"Stand by to Repel Boarders!!" he shouted with his host, waving his sword.
Marines and sailors crowded to the ship's rail with cutlasses and muskets!

	Arnold and Gogo peeped out of the forward gun ports and saw the side 
of the Cumberland looming over them, as hot lead ricocheted off the plating only 
inches away. Arnold wanted to cover his eyes, but his host's steady gaze was 
un-flinching. He saw a series of timbers floating around the wooden ship, 
chained together to prevent mines from hitting it. 
	Like a sea monster of old, the Virginia crashed through the floating logs to 
smash into the Cumberland, forcing it backwards! The ship reeled sideways with 
the mortal blow, listing to port and pulling her anchor-chains out of the water as the 
ironclad's massive weight drove her back against them! 
	On the bridge platform below the hatchway, Shirley and Lord heard the 
crash and snapping of the timbers as the Virginia's formidable cast-iron ram, 
backed by several hundred tons of ironclad propelled at about seven miles per 
hour, tore into the Cumberland's starboard side below the water line, striking under 
her fore-chains near the bow. Calamity's host was nearly knocked from his feet as 
the ship trembled with the impact.
	When the Cumberland was hit, Plucky and his host's men fell and rolled 
across the deck like bowling pins! Angrily, they let loose their firepower on the 
enemy, firing at point-blank range at their attackers. Below decks in the sickbay, 
ten wounded men lay groaning in agony on the floor. They suddenly heard the
cracking and breaking of the ship's hull underneath them as the ram punched 
through the ship's wooden sides like a knife through ripe cheese. At the same 
instant, Lieutenant Simms fired the Virginia's bow gun into the very heart of the 
rammed ship! The shell exploded in the sickbay, reducing the wounded men to 
shreds like so much strawberry jelly. 
	The crash into the Cumberland was devastating in it's results. The ram had 
made a seven–foot hole in her wide enough to drive in a horse and cart. The water 
rushed in with irresistible force, almost instantly flooding the ship's hold. The cracking 
and breaking of her timbers told full well how fatal to her the collision was.
	Gogo's host Curtis stood to the right of the Virginia's bow rifle as the gun 
recoiled backward and the crew prepared to reload. The Dodo watched anxiously 
as Arnold's host Lieutenant Simms called out, "Sponge!"
	Dunbar, the brave sponge man, leaped over the breeching tackle and threw 
his head partially out of the open gun port to obey. A Marine on the Cumberland's 
deck who'd been waiting for just such an opportunity squeezed his trigger and fired 
his rifle. 
	Dunbar dropped dead on the deck at Gogo's feet, shot through the head. 
His sponge had barely clattered to the floor when his replacement picked it up and 
fulfilled the dead man's task.  Curtis and the Dodo within him winced in anguish as 
they pulled their lifeless friend away from the action behind the gun. Curtis knelt and 
cradled his fallen comrade's head a moment while Arnold and his host looked on. 
	["I'm so sorry, Gogo"] the pit bull whimpered. 
	["Oh my God, they've killed Dunbar!"], Gogo screamed, ["YOU BASTARDS!!!"]
	The body was swiftly taken away to the sickbay, right out of Curtis's hands. 
Gogo now noticed the blood of his good friend staining his palms. His hands 
clenched into tight fists as he looked up at Arnold with tear-filled eyes full of hatred.
	["Of Course you know - This Means War!"] thought the enraged Dodo, 
as he and his host returned to their post with deadly purpose.

	           (Star TrekVOL#2 "The Doomsday Machine", "Violent Shakes" #8)
Chapter CXXXVII    
	Meanwhile, shouts rang out on the Cumberland's deck amidst the heavy firing.
	"We're shipping water forward!"
	"They shot up the sickbay!"
	"The forward 
magazine is flooding!"
	"More powder!"
	"Pass along the cartridges!" 
	"Man the pumps! " called Morris and Plucky. 
	"Water's coming in too fast! It's hopeless!" Lieutenant Selfridge told him.
	Morris looked over the side at the ironclad still stuck into the hull of his ship.
He saw his own vessel's weight bearing down on it as the Virginia's propeller 
churned the water behind it as it tried to escape.
	"Maybe it is for the Merrimack as well," said he.

	Now it became painfully evident just why Buchanan had wanted to have the 
engines reversed as soon as possible. The Virginia had opened such a hole in her 
adversary that the sloop immediately began to list to starboard as the water filled 
her. In doing so, she bore down on the ironclad's ram, still inside her, and began 
forcing the Virginia down by the bow. Unless Buchanan could get his ship backed 
out quickly, the sinking Cumberland could hold her trapped in this position – 
perhaps even taking the ironclad down with her! 
	As Gogo watched from the gun port, he saw the side of the Cumberland 
listing towards them.
	["The ship's gonna fall on us!"] he thought, panicked.
	At the same time, the Commodore's aide, Flag Lieutenant Robert Minor ran 
down the Virginia's gun deck, shouting in triumph "We've sunk the Cumberland!"
	["What's happening?"] asked Mary again from her position in the stern.
As if in answer, the deck slowly began to tilt forward as the Cumberland began 
to pull the Virginia's nose under! The alarmed men looked to their officers in charge.
	"Ramsey, get us out of here!" shouted the Captain.
	Calamity's host turned to his assistant engineers and ordered: "Full Astern! 
Emergency!"
	The coyote and the men threw the rusty levers and the old engines thumped 
louder. The engines labored till the vessel was shaken in every fiber – but the
ironclad did not move. Instead, Calamity noticed that the deck was starting to 
depress visibly toward the bow!
	["We've got to break loose! Or else she'll pull us down with her!"] the 
coyote warned as the giant pistons and push-rods slammed back and forth.
	Suddenly there was a terrific explosion in the center of the ship! 
["The boilers have burst! We're gonna blow up!"] Calamity cried.
	["Look again, Calamity"], Shirley told him from the deck, ["We just took a shell 
in the smokestack, an' it exploded. My ears are totally blitzed now!"]
	"The black gang" in the engine room ducked as hot smoking fragments of 
shrapnel rained down on the boiler room floor. They coal heavers muttered in alarm,
wondering if they might be sinking.  Some of the gun crews looked up with fear as 
a large wave washed over the ship's submerging bow and poured into the bow 
gun port, splashing Gogo and Arnold's hosts with cold seawater! Then there was 
another terrible blast as a further shell from the Cumberland hit just outside the port 
and exploded!  A man fell, knocked senseless by the shock of the impact. He was 
carried below, bleeding from the nose and ears. The Toonsters groaned with 
aching ears and throbbing heads.
["Yipe, yipe, yipe, yipe!"] Arnold whined.
	["Keep your mouths open. I warned you about the concussion"] Lord reminded 
them.
	["But then all I get is a lung-full of gun smoke"] Fowlmouth complained.
	["Mayday! Mayday! We're sinking! Women and Dodos first!"] Gogo whooped.
	["She's gonna carry us down with her!"] Furball cried.
The other toons fussed until Shirley shushed them all.
["Yeah, like you all rilly studied well, I'm sure. Look!"] 
	The tidal current had caught the length of the Virginia's hull and was pushing
it downriver. With the engines going full astern, the ironclad and the sloop were 
twisting backwards; the James River's power pulling the two ships around till both 
their starboard sides were nearly facing each other. Almost parallel, the ships' 
bows grinded together and bent. The weakened ram that Plucky and Hamton had 
badly mounted broke off from the resulting torque with a crackling snap. A fortunate 
wave rolled the Federal sloop slightly in its swell and with the tension released – 
the Virginia finally backed out. The ram was torn away and remained behind in the 
Cumberland. 
	["Like the wasp, we could sting but once, leaving the sting in the wound"]
mused Calamity.
	["I think that's bees"] Furball reminded him.
	["We're free!"] , Hamton thought in relief, then admitted, ["Gosh Plucky, I guess we 
didn't do such a good job on that ram after all".] 
["That's because you were too busy thinking of the smell of your girlfriend's 
tail! Filling our minds with "Essence de la Derrière!"] Plucky thought back angrily.
	If Hamton had been able to, he'd have burned up, red-faced with rage.
["Hey! RrrrrrrrrRR! Shut up, Plucky!"] he exploded.
	["No, you shut up!"] the duck retorted.
	["Vous Both Shut Up!!"] Fifi shouted, silencing them.
	Plucky was distracted as Lieutenant Selfridge pounded a fist on the rail.
"We should have dropped the anchor on them! We could have dragged them 
down with us!" he cried as the Virginia escaped. 
	With the Confederate ironclad clear of the Cumberland, the Congress
opened up her broadside guns, blasting away at it's stern. Mary shuddered in 
shock as the cannon balls smashed down on the iron plating just a few feet 
away! The heat flash of the exploding shells nearly scorched her face.
	["Incoming! _ Sorry, Mary!"] warned Babs as the gunners plastered the 
rebel ship with solid shot.
	Mary winced at the deafening blasts and thought back with a sarcastic lilt.
["Mmmph! Thanks a lot, girlfriend."] 

	On the Cumberland, it was clear to Plucky that the ship was sinking 
beneath his webbed feet. Dead and dying men lay around him. The once clean 
and beautiful deck was slippery with blood, blackened with gunpowder, shrouded 
in smoke and looked like a slaughterhouse. Even as the gunners continued to work 
the guns, the ship began to settle beneath them. Even then, with the sloop-of-war 
literally sinking under them, the brave men of the Cumberland dragged the dead to 
the unengaged side of the ship and returned to their guns, loading and firing as fast 
as they could. 
	"The forward magazine is flooded!" a man called.
	"Bring the ammunition from the after-magazine forwards!" shouted Morris and 
Plucky "Kill those son-of-a-guns!"
	["Ooo, such strong language, Plucky"] mocked Fowlmouth.
	["This is the nineteenth century, FM"], the Doctor reminded him, ["It means what 
you think it should mean. Good officers didn't swear like sailors."]
	Now that the Virginia had backed about twenty feet away, Buchanan 
ordered Ramsey to nudge the engines ahead again.  Calamity and the others 
fought to twist the lever and engage the reversing gears. The cams of the huge 
push-rods swung round till they slowly came to a halt  - then the cam turned further 
unexpectedly– leaving it off-center! The engine's pistons were stuck in mid-stroke! 
Ramsey and the men struggled with all their might, straining against the shift-levers, 
but it was no use! Calamity was aghast. The ship was unable to move and 
helpless!
	["It's stuck! The engines are stuck!!"] the coyote cried. 

Chapter CXXXVIII
	With the engines frozen, the Virginia's guns could not bear and her firing ceased.
The vengeful gunners of the Cumberland fired a tremendous broadside into the 
ironclad. One shot struck the muzzle of Midshipman Marmaduke's gun, blowing
two feet of the cannon off. Steel fragments sprayed the gun's crew like buckshot. 
Marmaduke was hit and knocked to the deck. Blood spurted from painful wounds 
in his arm, but he stood up again to man his gun. 
	Another shell hit the Virginia's exposed foredeck, severing the ship's anchor 
chain on one side, which sent the twelve-foot anchor falling into the seabed. 
Relieved of it's weight, the heavy anchor chain whipped back into the ship with a 
terrible ripping sound, it's broken iron link flying across the orlop deck over Fifi's head 
like a giant horseshoe to wound a man. 
	The skunkette's host, Doctor Phillips only glanced a moment from the
wounded sailor he was treating. With bare, bloody hands, he removed shrapnel 
from a musket ball from the man's arm. Fifi gritted her teeth at the grim business.
	["Doc - like, what do we do?! We've got to get this ship moving!"] 
Shirley cried, losing her composure.
	["We relax and let the men do their jobs. They'll know what to do. We're 
here to find out how they did it"] Lord thought firmly.
	Below, Calamity could see the problem. As long as the steam pressure 
was engaging the piston rods – it was locked. Once the pressure was gone – 
the rods could be manipulated. But faster than he could think of it – his host and 
the engineers were already doing it. The steam drums hissed sharply as the 
pressure was valved off and the already oppressive heat grew worse. Gingerly, 
two of the engineers risked death by climbing between the piston rods to move 
the giant cams with levers. Sweating bullets, the two groaned and strained to shift 
the cam down off its center position. With a titanic effort, they slowly wedged the 
universal joint back into a working position. Carefully, they squirmed out from 
between the engine's moving parts that could have crushed them both like 
eggshells had they slipped. Ramsey and Calamity manned the reversing gear 
again and then engaged the steam to the three-foot pistons. The engines hissed – 
and finally began to function again. The men drew a deep sigh of relief.
	"Helm hard over! Take us alongside" Buchanan ordered. 
	["The Captain's thinkin' of passing on the rest of this fight. He totally doesn't wanna 
kill anymore sailors"], thought Shirley, ["If the ship's gonna sink, he may let it go."] 
	Aboard the Cumberland, the fighting was desperately personal now.
Delirium seized the crew. They stripped to their trousers, kicked off their shoes 
and tied handkerchiefs around their heads. The men were enraged that their heavy
fighting was hardly damaging their enemy. When they began aiming at the 
Virginia's ports and scoring hits, the men cheered! They yelled and fought like 
demons!  The sanded deck was red and slippery with blood of the wounded 
and the dying. They were dragged amidships as there was no one and 
no time to take them below. 
	"WE'LL SEE YOU IN HELL, JOHNNY REB!" the men screamed.
	"You first, Billy Yank!" men shouted back from the Virginia's gun ports.
	"Send the cutter ashore with a line!" Morris called, still trying to save his ship.
From behind the sloop-of-war, a boat was carrying a hawser rope to the nearby 
wharf in an effort to pull the Cumberland around. They hoped to either beach the 
ship on shore so she wouldn't sink or to bring her broadside guns to bear. They 
did not have to wait long. Shirley and the Doctor saw them.
	"They're trying to escape to shore, Captain" said Lieutenant Jones.
Captain Buchanan blew out his lower lip in frustration and called out "Return fire!"
Jones went down the stairs and directed the starboard broadside. Calamity 
returned to the gun deck as his host met wordlessly with that of the Doctor.
Both opened their mouths as the four broadside guns blasted the air with flame 
and hot shot! The coyote winced at the explosion, but Doctor Lord seemed to 
breath it in, taking in deep breaths of the acrid gunsmoke, savoring it as if it were 
a bakery full of freshly baked bread. Together they watched as the forward 
pressure from the guns pulled the lingering smoke out thru the gun ports like a 
momentary vacuum. The spurt of smoke followed the fire as the gun recoiled 
backward, forming a huge white, donut-shaped smoke-ring, which flew slowly 
through the air like an undulating ghost. The ironclad's ports truly looked like 
hell mouths from a fire-breathing dragon.
	The toons saw Marmaduke's gun with it's dangerously broken muzzle, 
amazingly still in action. Marmaduke himself stood clutching his painful bleeding
wounded arm but still ringing out the orders: "Sponge, load, fire". The flames 
from the broken gun barrel actually set fire to the wooden gun port and had to be 
smothered with sand, leaving it smoking and singed. The midshipman relaxed, 
slumping to the deck, as blood streamed from his face.
	Just then, the boy who had entrusted him with his money purse now came to
him and said: "Oh, Mister Marmaduke! Mister Marmaduke, you're going to die! 
Give me back my money!" 
	The toons had no time to laugh as they tugged away at their guns, training 
and sighting their pieces. The hot-shot gun aft was ready to fire, manned by 
Confederate Marines and commanded by Lieutenant Davidson. Looking through
his eyes was Furball, ready to give the order to fire, when suddenly with a terrible
metallic crash the gun muzzle was hit by a shell from the Cumberland. The horrific 
explosion set off the cannon, sending the sizzling, glowing shot into the 
Cumberland's hull.
	One of the gun's crew crumpled to the deck, gored by the detonation.
Louis Waldeck struggled and screamed a moment before dying, but there was no 
thought or time for anyone to help him. Furball wanted to turn his head away from 
the ugly moment, but his host had to fulfill his duties.
	"The muzzle of our gun has been shot away" cried one of the gunners.
"No matter, keep on loading and firing – do the best you can with it," replied
Lieutenant Jones. Then his orders rang out with warning: "Keep away from 
the side ports! Don't lean against the shield! Look out for sharpshooters!" 
	Fowlmouth coughed at the stinking smoky atmosphere of black 
powder gunsmoke and coal smoke inside the casemate.
	["This is terrible fer my sinuses"] Wakko complained.
	["The smokestack has been shot full of holes"], Calamity told them, ["It's cutting 
down the draft from the boilers and our speed. The steam pressure isn't as strong
as it was before. The smoke is blowing back in here with us."]
	["That's bad enough, but the grease they coated the casemate with is being 
set on fire by the heat from the guns and explosions"] the Doctor told them.
	["They greased the ship to make the cannon balls slip off?"] Calamity asked.
	["A simple solution that worked well. But now the outside of the casemate is literally 
frying from one end to the other"] Lord thought, looking at the smoke curling outside 
the gun ports. 
	["Eww! It smells like Weenie Burgers,"] thought Mary.
	Despite the heat, smoke and stench, the crew was in high courage and worked 
with a will. The crews with the shortened, broken guns, still managed to work them 
despite how they set the ports on fire. Buckets of water and sand were hastily 
thrown out the ports as soon as the gun had recoiled to quench the flames.
	"Pass along the cartridges."
	"More powder."
	"A shell for number six." 
	"A wet wad for the hot-shot gun."
	"Put out that pipe and don't light it again on peril of your life!"
	"There must be women aboard that ship. Men don't scream like that."
The Toonsters listened to the harsh words and stern orders given, but could see 
little as the gun deck became entirely enshrouded in smoke. Fowlmouth observed 
his gun crew, their faces all so blackened by the grimy gunpowder smoke that 
they looked like they wore blackface makeup.
	["Hey, what's dis? One a dem ol' banned cartoons?"] wondered the rooster. 
	["What chu talkin' bout, Fowlmouth?"] Mary asked with attitude.
	["Oh nuthin', Mare"] FM thought, rolling his eyes innocently.
As the burning grease's smoke curled into the casemate, he overheard the 
exchange of two of his gun crew in the midst of reloading.
	"Jack, don't this smell like hell?" John Hunt asked his comrade.
"It certainly does, and I think we'll all be there in a few minutes," 
answered Jack Cronin.
	 
(Star TrekVOL#2 "The Doomsday Machine" "Goodbye Mr. Decker" #10)

Chapter CXXXIX  
	It was, indeed, hell on the Cumberland. Plucky looked over a scene of carnage
and destruction never to be recalled without horror. The shot and shell from the 
Virginia crashed through the wooden sides of the Cumberland as if they were 
made of paper, carrying huge splinters with them and dealing death 
and destruction on every hand. Plucky's host Lieutenant Morris stood shouting
orders and waving his sword, cheering on his men despite their hopeless 
predicament. 
	"Look out!" they both barked as more shot and shell entered through one 
side and passed through the ship carrying everything before them. 
Morris called Acting master's Mate O'Neil to his side. "We must pull inshore! "
	"We're trying, Mister Morris, but the ship is too waterlogged to move!"
said the Mate, his face and uniform splattered with the blood and brains of
his unfortunate predecessor, Master's Mate Harrington.
	"Keep on trying!" Morris/ Plucky cried. 
O'Neil saluted as he ran to the capstan where a few men still strained at the 
ropes.  The few gun crews left alive prepared to fire another broadside as the
water crept up to the gun duck's level just beneath their feet.
	["FIRE!"] Plucky raged blindly at the Virginia as another shell exploded, 
killing many of one of the gun crews.
	Arms and legs were strewn about and the air reeked with the sickly smell of 
blood and bowels. The duck watched in horror as a gunner, with both his legs 
blown away, took three staggering steps on the bleeding stumps to resolutely pull 
the lanyard and fire one last shot at his enemy before falling dead. Another man 
lost both arms and was being carried by his comrades to the port side.
"Give ‘em fits!!" he cried painfully, before he too died. Over a hundred men lay dead 
or dying. Arms and legs were kicked aside so that the gunners would not trip over 
them.
	Through it all, not a man flinched. In the entire crew there was not a single 
case of cowardice. The gunners stood to their posts as water rose around the gun 
carriages. A twelve-year-old powder boy ran splashing through the water up to his 
ankles. His stoic, powder-blackened face was only snowy white where the tracks 
of his tears trickled down in silence, as he worked hard to keep the guns in action.  
Black smoke drew a curtain over the sun, but the crew of the Cumberland 
continued to fight her as though there was still hope. They manned each gun until 
the rising water covered it. Some still worked the pumps in vain. One of the 
Virginia's hot shot from the broken-muzzled gun set the ship on fire, but it was 
quickly extinguished. Smoke settled on the deck and over the sea. The cries of the 
wounded and the dying sounded across the waters and sea birds screamed in 
the distance.               
	                               ("King Kong Suite" "The Aeroplane" #20)
	Plucky's face was tight with hatred for his enemies, a bitter lump in his throat
burned as he swallowed it down. But his pride in his men overwhelmed his anger
and he stood proudly with one foot on the rail and one in the rigging as his
undefeated ship sank beneath his feet. He still waved his sword and said:
"Give them a broadside, boys – as she goes."
	There were few guns left serviceable to fire, but fire they did. Lieutenant
Selfridge gathered the remnant of his forward gun division, about thirty men and
with them, hauled a gun that was about to go under back to an open port. They
barely got it in place when a shell burst among them, killing or wounding almost
every one. There was no one left in the first division. Not a gun's crew could be
mustered. All about him lay the blood and mangled corpses of his comrades.
Some of the guns were run in where they had last been fired, spattered with
blood. The rammers, sponges, buckets, and all the accoutrements of the cannon
lay broken and scattered about the splintered deck.
	The berth deck finally went underwater and the Cumberland bow began to 
slip under. As the wounded saw a watery grave slowly approaching, many of 
them were crying pitiably. Only now was it apparent that sending the injured 
below had been a horrible mistake. Grasping hands and fingers appeared though 
the deck's gratings, the trapped men below desperately trying to escape drowning.
Among them was the ship's un-hurt chaplain, who'd stayed to pray with the 
wounded. All of them went down with their ship. 
	"Save all who can!" shouted Morris/ Plucky.
Only then did the few able-bodied men left abandon the fighting. The wounded
who could walk were taken with them, rushing through the gun ports and jumping 
into the sea. The wounded, trapped men's high-pitched screams were horrifying.
	One old gunner, an active little fellow named Matthew Tenney, paid no
heed. He rushed to the spar deck where one gun was still clear of the rising sea. 
In water up to his ankles, he fired one more defiant shot as the Cumberland went 
down, and he with her.
	The ship gave a mighty lurch to port! A gun broke loose from its tackle
on the starboard rail and rolled down across the sloping deck like a mad bull, 
crushing a sailor who on the verge of escape, leaving him mangled on the deck. 
	["JUMP PLUCKY! JUMP NOW!"] Shirley and Lord shouted desperately.
Morris stood at the stern as other men jumped clear into the cold water, swimming 
towards a small boat that was picking up the shipwrecked crew. Other men 
climbed frantically up the ship's rigging. Plucky gazed at the water below.
	["Heck of a time to find out that this guy can't swim"] he muttered.
Near the boat, Morris saw O'Neil climbing into it and called to him. Plucky took a 
deep breath and jumped! Suddenly the cold green water was all around him, his
boots and heavy uniform dragging him down into the abrupt silence – then 
suddenly his body shot to the surface, popping up like a cork. 
	["Swim Plucky, Swim!"] Shirley cried.
	["Oh no duh"] thought the duck as he struck out for the line O'Neil threw to him.
Lieutenant Selfrige was the last to leave, helping the ship's pudgy drummer boy 
who could not swim to climb overboard, where he floated on his drum, using it as
a buoy till he was picked up.
	Behind them, the Cumberland finally went down by the bow, sliding
down into the depths, taking her dead and wounded with her.  Her stern rose high 
above the seas as the last bits of air buoyed her up. There was a sickening crash
as the compartments inside broke loose, sending tons of smashed bulkheads
to fall down upon the drowning men!  Then after a final tragic pause, the sloop 
slid down to the bottom with a great hiss, the sea boiling up as the last of the air 
escaped its hold.
	Morris and Plucky within him were pulled to safety into the rescue boat.
Soaking wet, they rowed to the Cumberland's masts, which protruded from the 
water at an angle of forty degrees, as her hull came to rest on the bottom of
Hampton Roads. If the Federals could take any consolation at all from the 
heartbreaking scene of their ship going down, it was that her flag still waved
proudly and defiantly at her top.
	Morris, Selfrige, O'Neil and the others rowed in silence as the great ship
met her heroic death. They rowed to where the Stars and Stripes hung over the 
mass grave of one hundred and twenty-one brave souls, proud that their flag was
still there. Morris stood up in the boat while the others pulled in the remaining 
swimmers. Plucky was moved beyond words, but Captain Morris knew just what
to say.
	"Three cheers for the Cumberland, men!" he shouted.
"Hip-hip! HUZZAH! Hip-hip! HUZZAH!" Hip-hip! HUZZAAAAH!!!" they all cheered.
	"The Devil take the Merrimack!" said Selfrige, "They've not seen the last of 
us!"   
	           (Star Trek Vol#2 "The Doomsday Machine", "Cmdr. Matt Decker" #4)

	Slowly the men rowed to shore and Plucky saw the distance widening 
between himself and the other toons. He'd still have to escape back to them when 
the time came.  Nothing seemed real as he sat in the rear seat of the little boat, 
numbed by the cold and the reality of the terrible tragedy. He stared at nothing.
	
Chapter CXL
	Mary watched the tragedy from her post at the stern gun ports of the Virginia 
as the ship chugged away. She and her host Lieutenant Wood were deeply 
moved.
	"No ship ever fought more gallantly," he said, "She went down with her 
colors flying." 
	The Virginia fired again, this time at Camp Butler onshore.
As the ironclad moved slowly away up the James River, Lieutenant Eggleston
returned to the hurricane deck to replace the flag that had been shot down again.
This time Doctor Lord didn't say anything to Wakko, as the danger seemed to have 
momentarily passed. The Warner kid was surprised to see that all of the ship's
railings and howitzers had been swept away. The ironclad's two boats were all
shot up. One was so damaged that it would never be used again. The ship's iron
plating showed many indentations but was intact. The stem of the bow was 
twisted. The smokestack had been shot so full of holes that a flock of crows could 
have flown straight through it without much trouble. Wakko secured the broken 
flagstaff to a rip in the smokestack, so the battle-scarred Confederate colors 
streamed from it with the wind and smoke.
	["This is amazing! How did we survive all that?"] Wakko exclaimed.
The other toons and their hosts were relaxing from the terrible fight in grim silence. 
Those on the gun deck paused before they began reloading again. They breathed 
in the last of the gunsmoke and tasted its bitterness. The casemate was quiet
as the ironclad moved off. Below in the engine room, Calamity pulled back on the 
steam throttle and the engines thumped at an easier pace. Fifi bandaged a man's
head from a concussion. Hamton sweated at his post in the pilothouse. He
watched the Captain and Lieutenant Jones speaking quietly. 
	Pulling up alongside to aid the Virginia was Buster commanding the 
Beaufort. His men threw a towline to her bow.
	At the bow gun, Arnold sadly watched Gogo as their hosts worked. The
Dodo shook with emotion. The image of Dunbar's smiling face would not leave 
him.
	The only sounds that echoed through the Toonsters minds were that of
Shirley's thoughts. Her battle-hardened host, the Captain looked with stiffly into the
cold wind blowing over the sea. If he was moved, he would not show it. 
But inside of him, the loon quietly cried.
	["How will we get Plucky back? What about Babs and Buster?
How can I get through this?"] Shirley wept.
	[We'll get home. We'll all get through it"], Lord told her resolutely, 
["I promise."]

	    (Star Trek Vol#2 "The Doomsday Machine", "The Planet Killer" #5) 

	Aboard the frigate Congress, the men were cheering as they saw the Virginia
going away apparently damaged. Her smokestack was a shambles, leaking 
black smoke out at crazy angles. Babs' host, Lieutenant Pendergrast stood at 
the stern, looking through a spyglass at the retreating enemy. Lieutenant Smith,
the captain, stood shading his eyes as he watched the distant vessel.
	"Looks like the Merrimack's whipped, boys! She's going up the James 
to hide at Richmond!" shouted Smith.
	"HUZZAH!"  "We've won!" The Cumberland's beat her!" Hurrah!!" 
cheered the men of the Congress as they saw their ship saved from destruction 
and the Union had triumphed over the Rebellion. They cheered again and again.
	"Wait!" said Pendergrast, staring at the ironclad. 
Babs saw Buster's tugboat taking the Virginia in tow – pulling her bow around
in a wide circle.  Babs stared hard. Her mouth slowly opened wide. 
	Then she and her host both spoke the same chilling words.
"Oh my God__she's turning around_ She's coming back!"


Look for the next Chapters of -
"A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN"
	              coming to you soon.

Buck Falcon and Dyno Wolf by Jose Ramiro

Crazy Friz and Shotsy Bunny by Jose Ramiro

Darkwing and fans by Jose Ramiro

Defeated by The J A M by Jose Ramiro

F.08.01 Scentanna Megamink

F.08.02 Serpatro

F.08.03 Megara

F.2003.FA.01.SR

F.2003.FA.03.SR

F.2004.FA.03.SR

F.2004.FA.04.SR

F.2004.FA.09.SR

F.2004.FA.12.SR

F.2005.FA.29.SR

F.2005.FA.30.SR

F.2005.FA.54.SR

F.2006.FA.27.SR

Hillary and Ronald Victory by Jose Ramiro

Hillary and The J A M by Jose Ramiro

Junior and Alexi by Jose_Ramiro

Mary Melody and The J A M by Jose Ramiro

Mary Melody vs Quackerjack by Jose Ramiro

Miriam and Tex by Jose Ramiro

Ronald vs RonClon by Jose Ramiro

Scentanna va Serpatro Again

TINY TOONS FAN FICTION

SCENTANNA VS SERPATRO AGAIN

Written by Stephen Ricketts & SithSlayer

Tiny Toon Adventures (c) Warner Bros

Serpatro, created by SithSlayer

Megamink, created by Stephen Ricketts

NOTE: Most of Serpatro's lines were written by SithSlayer

Buttermilk Commercial, written by Rkerekes13

PART 1

A BEACH, MILES AWAY FROM ACME ACRES

Fifi La Fume was walking along the sandy ground, wearing a robe, and carrying a towel.
She placed the towel on the ground, and took off her robe, revealing a red swimsuit
underneath.

FIFI: `Eet is good to get away from ze Acme Acres once in a while, no?'

SERPATRO'S LAIR

Serpatro watched Fifi as she was at the beach.

SERPATRO: `Once again, you have so easily forgotten me, my love. But I assure you,
that within moments, all the earth and heavens will bow down to me.'

He got up off his throne.

SERPATRO: `For I am Serpatro, the lord of darkness! Taught through hatred, forged in
black fire, and immortalized in death!'

THE BEACH

Furrball was walking along. He walked up to a white post with a, "wet paint," sign
attached to it. He rubbed his back against the post, and then walked off, with a white
stripe along his back.

SOMEWHERE NEARBY

Fifi rubbed some suntan lotion into her arms, and relaxed on the towel. Furrball walked
past, and suddenly Fifi woke up, and saw him.

FIFI: `Ooh la la! Mon petite skunk hunk!'

Furrball screamed and ran off.

FIFI: `I love this game! I will find you my little passion of fruits!'

Suddenly the clear sunny sky got all cloudy.

FIFI: (looking up at the clouds) `Quel strange.'

There was a flash of lightning, and a crack of thunder.

SERPATRO'S VOICE: `Scentanna!'

FIFI: (scared) `No, eet can't be.'

A black cloud emerged from the dark grey clouds, and took physical form in front off
Fifi. The black cloud changed into Serpatro.

SERPATRO: `Surprised'

FIFI: `Serpatro. I saw you fall into ze fire.'

SERPATRO: `Fool, I only became stronger! I now hold the powers of a god! This world
belongs to me. Just.like.you.'

FIFI: `Never!'

SERPATRO: `If you won't join me, I will destroy you right now!'

FIFI: (twirling her finger) `!annatnecS rof boj a ekil skool sihT'

She magically changed into Scentanna.

SCENTANNA: `This time I will stop you!'

SERPATRO: `Didn't you learn anything from our last confrontation! Your superpowers
are useless against me! If I have to eat you whole, I will!'

His eyes lit up, and fired energy blasts at Scentanna.

SCENTANNA: `dleiF ecroF'

A force field appeared around Scentanna, shielding her from Serpatro's attack. The
energy blasts hit the force field, and destroyed it. The result pushed Scentanna back a few
steps.

SCENTANNA: (getting mad) `!enotS oT nruT'

She fired a beam from her tail. It hit Serpatro, but didn't phase him. The evil demi-god
just kept on laughing. Scentanna realized that she cannot beat him.

SCENTANNA: `I... I can't beat him.'

SERPATRO: `Yes! Now, I will show you the true power of a god!'

He raised his hands into the air, and fired a beam into the dark clouds.

SERPATRO: `Arise, my minions!'

ACME ACRES

Several Demonic Beasts materialized around the area, and people screamed and ran away.
The other Supertoons arrived.

SUPERBUN: `Not so fast, evil monsters you! We are the Just-Us League of Supertoons!'

METROPOLIS

The Demonic Beasts materialized on the street, and scared the people away. The Justice
League of America showed up, and faced the monsters.

SUPERMAN: `We are the Justice League of America!'

THE BEACH

Serpatro confronted Scentanna.

SERPATRO: `My beasts have spread to the far corners of the earth, spreading the touch
of darkness. Now, it's just you and me.'

SCENTANNA: `This can't be happening.'

SERPATRO: `This is your last chance. Become a demi-goddess, and rule the universe by
my side.'

SCENTANNA: `I'd rather die than join you!'

SERPATRO: `So be it!'

He raised his hands, and created an energy ball. He fired it towards Scentanna, who
shielded her face. There was an explosion, and she wasn't hurt.

SCENTANNA: `Huh?'

She took a look to see what happened. Serpatro was lying unconscious on the ground.

SCENTANNA: `What? But how...?'

She spotted someone standing right in front of her, who was looking at Serpatro. It was
Megamink. He turned to look at Scentanna.

MEGAMINK: `Are you okay?'

Scentanna stared at her savior.

NARRATOR: `Tiny Toons will be right back, after these messages.'

BUTTERMILK COMMERCIAL

Elmira was hugging Fifi, who had a glass of buttermilk her right hand. Fifi easily broke
loose of Elmira's grasp.

FIFI: (to Elmira) Vous may be under ze delusion zat moi eez a kitty cat. But as long as I
keep drinkeeng my buttermilk...

Fifi took a sip of her buttermilk.

FIFI: I can count on groweeng up weeth a, how you say, lactose eentolerance.

Fifi farted, and giggled. She took another sip.

FIFI: And evenzough I am not a kitty cat, I'm going to keep on drinkeeng my buttermilk.

Fifi took another sip.

FIFI: (growing angry) Because eet weell always remind moi of vous, and how vous
always zought zat moi was a kitty cat.

Fifi took one final sip of her buttermilk.

FIFI: (now really furious) As a matter of fact, een later years, I shall become, how you
say, obsessed weeth zat memory. Zat's right, I shall spend years trackeeng vous down, and
when I find vous, I shall geeve vous what vous deserve, you stupeed, brainless red-headed
bimbo!

Fifi turned around and sprayed Elmira with her stink. Elmira collapsed on the ground
unconscious.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Buttermilk, it makes a body bitter.

FIFI: (smiling proudly) Mais oui!

PART 2

Megamink stood before Scentanna.

SCENTANNA: (scared) `Who are you?'

MEGAMINK: `I am Megamink. And it looks like I arrived just in time.'

SCENTANNA: `Megamink?'

MEGAMINK: `That's right.'

SCENTANNA: `I am Scentanna. What brings you here?'

MEGAMINK: (pointing at Serpatro) Him. A sorceress named Megara sent me here to
destroy him, because he's unlocked a new level of power, which is unimaginable. The
entire universe is in danger if we don't stop him.'

SCENTANNA: `You're going to destroy him?'

MEGAMINK: `I know he used to be a friend of yours, but Megara is sorting it out as we
speak. But the bottom line is that he must be destroyed, before he destroys everything
else.'

SCENTANNA: `I understand.'

Megamink held out a necklace with a glowing ruby attached to it.

MEGAMINK: `Put this on.'

SCENTANNA: `What for?'

MEGAMINK: `Megara designed this specially for you, and it can only be used once. It
will enable your powers to work against Serpatro's.'

SCENTANNA: (putting it on) `Thank you, Megamink.'

SERPATRO: (getting up) `You will pay for your intrusion, Megamink.'

MEGAMINK: (to Scentanna) `If Serpatro isn't stopped, we are all doomed. And I mean
all of us.'

SERPATRO: `That's right, kid. I will destroy you both!'

Scentanna and Megamink stood together, side by side.

SCENTANNA: `Vou are going down, Serpatro!'

MEGAMINK: `Let's rock and roll!'

SERPATRO: `Fool.'

Both Scentanna and Megamink battled against Serpatro.

SERPATRO: `Impressive.'

SCENTANNA: `!enotS oT nruT'

She zapped Serpatro, and he turned to stone.

SCENTANNA: `Eet worked!'

Suddenly it wore off.

SERPATRO: `You dare to challenge a god?!'

MEGAMINK: `Scentanna, my Mega Sword might be powerful enough to destroy him. I
just need time to gather enough energy.'

SCENTANNA: `Okay, Megamink. I'll how you say, deestract him.'

She walked up to Serpatro.

SCENTANNA: (in a sexy voice) `Deed I ever tell you how gorgeous you are.'

SERPATRO: (chuckling) `Nice try, smelly.'

Scentanna began to fight Serpatro, buying time for Megamink.

MEGAMINK: `Mega Sword.'

The sword materialized in his hands, and he began charging it up. Scentanna continued
fighting Serpatro.

MEGAMINK: `I'm ready.'

Scentanna moved out of the way, and Megamink swung his sword at Serpatro. The
monster screamed, and exploded.

MEGAMINK: `I did it!'

Suddenly, Serpatro magically came back.

MEGAMINK: `What? But that's impossible.'

MEGARA'S VOICE: (inside Megamink's mind) `Rocko, your powers are strong, but not
strong enough to destroy a monster like him. But it's all taken care of now. I have just
finished separating Michael Gecko's soul from Serpatro. The result will destroy him.'

MEGAMINK: `Thanks, Megara.'

SERPATRO: (to Megamink) `Yes of course, Megara. She's the one who created the
Megamink powers which you and some of your friends possess! And I also know that
they are linked to her! When I'm done with you, I will destroy Megara, and all the
Megaminks will perish with her. Then I won't have to worry about them trying to stop my
plans! I will... What? What's happening to me?'

He began to fade and smoke, but then let out a roar and called upon the power of
darkness. It then caused massive black holes to form in the sky all over the world. He
continued to pull the darkness into himself and the earth began to crumble.

MEGAMINK: `Whats happening?!'

MEGARA'S VOICE: `It's not enough. He still has the power of darkness, and he's using
it to suppress Michael. I can't reach him anymore.'

Scentanna then began to walk towards Serpatro.

SCENTANNA: `Michael! Please, stop!'

Serpatro then let out waves of energy that burned into Scentanna, but she continued to
walk towards him until she stood right in front of him.

SERPATRO: `You would die for them?'

SCENTANNA: `No, for you. (hugging him) I love you, Michael.'

Serpatro then had a look of shock, then a tear fell from his eye, and he returned
Scentanna's hug.

SERPATRO: `Thank you.'

Serpatro then explodes in a brilliant blast of light. The explosion of light spread around
the world.

ACME ACRES

The Demonic Beasts were hit by the wave, and were destroyed.

SUPERBUN: `I guess that's the end of them.'

METROPOLIS

The wave destroyed the Demonic Beasts there as well.

SUPERMAN: `Once again the city is saved!'

THE BEACH

The light disappeared, and Scentanna and Megamink looked up at the clear blue sky.

MEGAMINK: `It's over. Serpatro has been destroyed.'

SCENTANNA: `What about Michael?'

MEGAMINK: `I'll find out. Megara, what has become of Michael Gecko?'

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Megara sat on a tree stomp, and Michael stood beside her.

MEGARA: `He's fine. I will send him back in a moment. (She turned to Michael) Are
you ready?'

MICHAEL: `I.I don't know. I gave in to the darkness. I let my hate control. I turned on
my friends. I nearly brought about the apocalypse. I can't be forgiven. No one will. Not
even Fifi.'

MEGARA: `She will. I know she will. Don't worry, Michael.'

MICHAEL: `Okay, I'm ready

MEGARA: `Good luck.'

She magically teleported Michael back to Earth.

MEGARA: `Now you have the chance to start all over again.'

THE BEACH

Michael materialized in front of Scentanna and Megamink.

MICHAEL: (to Scentanna) `Fifi?'

SCENTANNA: `Yes?'

MICHAEL: (crying out) `I'm sorry!'

SCENTANNA: (holding out her arms) `Come here.'

Michael ran up to Scentanna, and hugged her. And she hugged back.

MEGAMINK: (watching them) `Now that's what I call a happy ending.'

OUTSIDE A RESTAURANT NEAR THE BEACH

Fifi and Rocko sat at a table, having something to eat. And it was dusk outside.

ROCKO: `Thanks for asking me out, even though this date is just a way of saying thanks
for each other's help.'

FIFI: `Oui. So, do you have a how you say, special someone?'

ROCKO: `I sure do. Her name is Sarah. Like me, she has superpowers. She is called
Turbosquirrel. What about you?'

FIFI: `I have a special someone too. His name is Hamton J. Pig. I love him a lot. To be
honest I also have a weakness for other skunks.'

ROCKO: `Speaking of other skunks, you look almost like a friend of mine.'

FIFI: `Really?'

ROCKO: `Yes. Her name is Lucy.'

FIFI: `Wow.'

ROCKO: `I hope Michael fits in at Acme Acres.'

FIFI: `I hope so too.'

Furrball walked past, with the white stripe still on his back. Fifi spotted him.

FIFI: `Ooh la la, eet ees zat delicious skunk hunk again!'

Furrball saw Fifi, and he screamed and ran off. Fifi chased after him.

ROCKO: `Fifi, wait, that's not a skunk, that's... Never mind.'

He continued eating his food.

THE BEACH

Fifi chased Furrball, and finally grabbed him.

FIFI: (wrapping her tail around him) `I have caught you, mon amore.'

She kissed him passionately on the lips. And Furrball held up a sign, saying, "The End!
P.S. Help!!!"

THE END

FICTITIOUS CAST LIST

KATH SOUCIE: Fifi/ Scentanna

CHARLES ADLER: Superbun/ Michael Gecko

TIMOTHY DALY: Superman

KERRIGAN MAHAN: Serpatro

FRANK WELKER: Furrball

CHRISTINE AUTEN: Rocko/ Megamink

KIRA VINCENT-DAVIS: Megara

THURL RAVENSCROFT: Male Announcer

END TAG

FIFI: `Au revoir, mon petite potato de couch!'

Shirley vs Liquidator by Jose Ramiro

The J.A.M. vs Megavolt by Jose Ramiro

Wally as Lobato by Jose Ramiro

Brat Bashing

Buster and Babs - Spin Changing Class

Elmyra, the Flying Girl

Elmyra, the Flying Girl
By: Rkerekes13

ELMYRA’S HOUSE
Elmyra was in her pyjamas, singing and dancing.
ELMYRA: I'm going to go to sleep now, and have a nice sleep. When I wake up in the
morning, I will have a nice weep. (to the audience) Okay so it's not a good rhyme. But
tomorrow, I am going to find Monty and kiss him.
She got into bed, and went to sleep.

A FEW MINUTES LATER
Elmyra began to dream. In her dream, she climbed out of bed. She was wearing her
regular dress. Then she began to fly. She flew out the window and started flying through
the night sky.
ELMYRA: Whee! I can fly! (giggle)
As she flew, she saw a number of unusual things, including a flying cup and saucer,
flying fruit, an upside down plane, an unusual staircase, fun house mirrors, spinning
clocks, and flying animals.
ELMYRA: Ooooh! Look at the flying animals!
She chased the flying animals until she wound up in outer space.

OUTER SPACE
ELMYRA: (singing) It’s a great big universe, and we’re all really puny! We’re just tiny
little specks about the size of Mickey Rooney! Though I don’t how it got here, I’m an
important part here! It’s a big universe and it’s mine! (giggle)
As Elmyra flew in outer space, she saw shooting stars, UFOs, and friendly aliens.
ELMYRA: Oooooh! Friendly aliens to play with!
The aliens screamed and ran away.
ELMYRA: They must be a little shy.
FURRBALL: Meow!
Elmyra turned around and saw Furrball floating around in space. He was wearing a space
helmet.
ELMYRA: Oooooooh! A space kitty!
FURRBALL: Reowwwww!
Elmyra flew after Furrball. She chased him all around outer space. Suddenly, a giant glass
of water floated by, and Furrball was nearing it. Elmyra caught up with Furrball.
ELMYRA: Gotcha!
Elmyra caught Furrball, then they both fell into the giant glass of water. They both wound
up under the sea.

UNDER THE SEA
Elmyra and Furrball both found out they could swim. Furrball quickly swam away.
Elmyra just shrugged and began to swim alone, passing lots of undersea creatures along
the way.
ELMYRA: (singing) Whee! What fun! Bobbing along,
Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea!
What a chance to get a better peep
At the plants and creatures of the deep!
I glide
Far below the rolling tide!
Serene
Through the bubbly blue and green!
It’s lovely, bobbing along,
Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea!
What if the octopus, the flounder, and the cod
Think I’m rather odd?
It’s fun to promenade!
Bobbing along, singing a song
On the bottom of the beautiful briny sea!
Suddenly, she saw Furrball swimming through a portal.
ELMYRA: Oooh, look!
Elmyra followed Furrball through the portal and ended up in a maze of
corridors.

MAZE OF CORRIDORS
Elmyra could fly again, but Furrball was nowhere to be seen.
ELMYRA: Furrball? Furrball? Where are you?
As Elmyra flew around the maze of corridors, various images were shown on the walls:
animated paintings, an upside-down clock, a galaxy with shooting stars, dancing flowers,
sweets coming to life, and anything else a could think up. Finally, Elmyra found Furrball.
ELMYRA: There you are, my cute little kitty-witty!
Elmyra chased Furrball through the maze until she finally caught him.
ELMYRA: I’m gonna hug you and squeeze you into itty-bitty pieces!
Elmyra hugged Furrball until she stopped dreaming.

ELMYRA’S BEDROOM
Elmyra was hugging Furrball while she was sleeping. Finally, she woke up and found
herself in her own bed at home. She had indeed stopped dreaming. She was back in her
pajamas.
ELMYRA: (to the audience) Now that’s what I call a dream!
She winked.

THE END

FITICIOUS CAST LIST
CREE SUMMER: Elmyra Duff
FRANK WELKER: Furrball

END TAG
ELMYRA: Let the show begin!

Hillary Hyena

Mary Panterita Melody

The Fifi LaFume Show Theme Song

The Fifi LaFume Show Theme Song
By Abel DuSable

Sung to the TTA Theme

Who’d have Thunk-y, this Funky, Parisian Purple Skunky
While looking for her Hunk-ys, would get her own Cartoon
She’s sweeter than Honey, She makes all young boys Run-y
Her friends are Babs Bunny and the bird Shirley McLoon.

So here's Acme Acres, it's a place that she holds dear.
Stalking boys like they were toys, cowering in fear.
Her scripts are translated, some are barely G-Rated
It’s The Fifi Lafume Show and Fifi’s new premiere

She Lives in a Scrap yard. Her Odor is her calling card.
And people around her find that breathing’s very hard
The Boys that are her type, Only need a white stripe
Believe all the Hype, and guys be on your guard!

To earn her Citizenship she goes to Acme Loo
Within these halls, her mating calls, make guys all think “Adieu!”

She’s pretty, She’s Witty, And she’s in Acme City.
The Fifi Lafume Show is WB’s New Spin-Off!
Now turn your head and cough.

The J and Anni - Revised

The J and Anni - Training

The M and The J

The Rat from Perfecto

The Rat from Perfecto

The Rat from Perfecto.

DISCLAIMER: Rhubella is now attending Acme Looniversity, thanks to her new
boyfriend. Check out how this happened.

Hello, everybody! (Aloooooha!) Babs, why are you saying "Aloha"? We're just
presenting the story. (Hey, "Aloha" means both "Hello" and "Good-Bye", you know?)
Good point.
Anyway, language lessons aside, if you guys had read my previous story, "The New
Students", you already know Rhubella Rat had left Perfecto Prep, and became one of
the Looniversity's new students. (Yep; I still feel a little freaked for that, but she's not
that bad. And has a nice voice.) Maybe because the same actress voiced the both of
you? (It's a possibility.) Whatever; well, in this story we'll show you how Ruby ended
up with her current boyfriend, but first, we need a disclaimer; Babs, your turn.
(Sure. DISCLAIMER. Ramiro doesn't own The Empire State, The Grand Canyon, or
Tiny Toon Adventures' characters.) Babs, what do that building and the canyon have to
do with the story? (Nothing, but you don't own them, right? Okay, Ramiro doesn't own
the characters portrayed on this fic, since we are all copyrighted by Warner Brothers,
except the ones he might invent for the story, or the possible cameos from another
series.)
I also want to thank Nightw2 and mammal-mage for contributing with their OC and
The J.A.M for allowing me to use his OC plus giving some ideas.
Now, another author note; a good part of this story will be narrated by Rhubella
herself. 
-Also, whenever you see a first person narration between these marks, it will be Ruby
talking.-
(And now, go for your sandwich, your favorite soda, and... ON WITH THE SHOW!)

The Rat from Perfecto.

A TTA fanfic by Acosta Pérez José Ramiro.
-CLASS DAY AND SLEEPOVER.

	"Nice spin-change, Skippy! Excellent cowboy outfit," Minerva Mink, the new
Spin-Changing teacher, congratulated one of his students, and old friend, Skippy
Squirrel, who now was using a white cowboy hat, black shirt, red clothing around his
neck, blue jeans, and Texan boots.
	Minerva started teaching this class about one month ago. To help her male
students to concentrate on the performing instead of drooling over her, the mink
usually attended the school with more conservative clothing, even using fake glasses
and long skirts, and wore her long hair in a bun. Of course, this only helped a little,
because the gorgeous toon could look beautiful on any kind of outfit.
	Skippy changed back to normal, and returned to his seat. This wasn't the
Advanced Class, that only the best spin-changers or, at least, above the average,
attended (like Babs and Mary Melody), but the Basic, for toons that could only do the
most simple changes, including Skippy, Fifi, and Ronald (Minerva's almost-brother),
and those who just recently started performing them, like Gosalyn Mallard (a
newcomer from Saint Canard), and the former Perfecto Prep's star student, Rhubella
Rat.
	"Okay, now, to finish today's class, we'll continue with the classic American
History's outfits. I want all of you to stand up on your seats, and spin-change into
Native Americans. Like this." Minerva instructed her class, and then made a spin-
change herself. When she ended, the mink looked like a blond version of Pokahontas;
of course this caused a few males of the class to start whistling but they were silenced
by Ronald's glare. The cat-dog hybrid with lion-like look was very protective with
Minerva, since she was like an older sister for him.
	"Now, everybody, get on position." Minkahontas directed to the students.
Everybody stood up on their seats, and started spinning.
	Ronald was the first one to finish his change. He was wearing dark brown vest,
boots, and short, and a red head-band. Skippy and Calamity were the next ones, with
apache-like pants, and head-bands with red feathers on them. Gosalyn was the next,
and she was very proud of herself, since she had only started learning this trick a
month ago, and yet she looked great (a multicolored poncho, a head-band with blue
feathers, and war painting to complete the outfit); the rest of the class ended with
similar results. After a minute or so, Ruby was the only one who was still spinning.
	"Eh... Ruby, you can stop spinning now." Minerva pointed to the rat.
	"Is... a ... request...or...a...questioooon?" Ruby's dizzy voice came from the little
tornado. Obviously, she was having problems to stop spinning. Ronald jumped down
from his seat, and moved next to the rat. Then, in a fast action, he extended his arms,
and grabbed the tornado, stopping the spinning rat. She was using an outfit similar to
Gosalyn's, but, instead of the expected war painting, her fur and face were totally
green.
	"Hey, nice painting, Ruby!" Gosalyn pointed to the rat. From the first week
both girls attended the Loo, they became fast friends, despite the fact the avian was
two years younger than the rodent.
	"Who's using painting? GLUUURK!" Ruby said, stunned, and then covered her
mouth with both paws. Ronald quickly carried her next to Minerva, who was now
holding a large sick bag, and allowed Ruby to introduce her head inside.
	"P.U." Skippy said, with a nauseating look. Fowlmouth and Vinnie started
chuckling, but were silenced by Fifi and Gosalyn's glares.
	A minute later, everybody was back into their regular outfits, and Minerva
ended the class. Everybody rushed outside, except Ronald, Gosalyn, and, of course,
Rhubella, who was still a little dizzy, but with her usual color. Minerva offered her a
mouth-wash, and then a sea-sick medication she always brought to the school for this
kind of problem.
	"Hey, feeling better, rat girl?" Gosalyn asked. The duckette was a little
tomboyish, always wearing a blue soccer shirt, and two pigtails on her red hair, besides
a white mini-skirt and red sneakers, but she had become a very attractive young girl.
	"Yes... but now I know how it feels to be a supermodel. No offense, Teacher."
Rhubella said, half-joking and directing at Minerva at the last part. The mink chuckled;
Ruby sometimes kept calling her by her title instead of by her first name, like every
other student on the Loo does with his/her teachers, because of her previous time as a
Perfecto.
	"None taken. And don't worry, Ruby. Look, I know the whole spin-changing
stuff can be a little hard for someone that had never done it. If you want a few pointers,
just remember to drink a little of the sea-sick medicine before the class, and don't have
a heavy breakfast the days we have it. I had noticed that, when you can control the
dizziness, you can do pretty decent changes." Minerva said to the rodent. Rhubella
sighed.
	"I know, but... I was used to be the top student in my old school, and here I
most start from zero. It's kind of frustrating at times." Rhubella admitted.
	"Hey, just remember to enjoy yourself when doing it. That's why I like this
class so much... well, this, and Superheroes, and Cartoon Violence, of course." Gos
said, causing everyone to chuckle. Actually, one of the reasons Gosalyn learned the
spin-changing so fast was the fact she was Darkwing Duck's daughter, so was used to
be on high-speed's vehicles.
	"Yes, Ruby. Gosalyn is right. I know you want to be a very good spin-changer,
but relax. You know Wally loves you anyway." Ronald said to the rat. Ruby sighed;
her boyfriend was the reason she left Perfecto, and was extremely happy for that, but
he was one of the school's best spin-changers, so she wanted to be as good as possible
on this class to impress him.
	"Fine. I'll try to relax a little... and to do what you said, Tea...I mean, Minerva.
Thanks." Ruby said, smiling. Minerva looked at her watch, and motioned the
youngsters to go to their next class. Before leaving, Ronald gave Minerva a fast
brotherly kiss, and then knocked twice on her desk.
	"We are leaving now, Newt. You can go out, and remember to behave, okay?"
Ronald said to the desk, in a half joking, half menacing tone. The hybrid left the
classroom, and, a second later, a surprised blue dog emerged from under the desk.
	"How did he know I was there? I swear, Minerva, your "brother" must have
radar or something! Now that I think about it, his mother's ears look a lot like a bat's."
Newt commented to the mink. Minerva giggled; Newt and she started formally dating
about two weeks ago, and Ronald was now a little more tolerant with the dog, plus he
knew Newt wouldn't do anything with Minerva unless she agreed to do it, but still
liked to scare his potential-brother-in-law once in a while.
	"Oh, he is just being a little protective, as usual. We love each other a lot, so he
cares about my welfare." Minerva shrugged. Newt gave her a fond look.
	"Well... that's something we have in common." The dog said, blushing.
Minerva gave him a fond look as well, and removed her glasses, while passing her free
paw through her hair to loose it.
	"My next class is in one hour, Newt. Want me to give you a "private" lesson?"
Minerva said in a flirty tone. Newt gulped, but smiled widely after a second, and
dashed to the door, closing it from the inside. Then, he directed to the readers.
	"Sorry, folks, but, since we want to keep a family-like rating on this story, I
guess you guys will need to move to next scene." Newt informed, and then he and
Minerva started making out.

	On the outside, Rhubella and Gosalyn were having some fun riding on Ronald's
back, while going to their next class.
	"Hey, this is funny, Ron, but Hillary will not feel jealous?" Gos asked the
hybrid. Ronald chuckled.
	"Nah. She knows I love her more than my life. Besides, I am transporting two
girls, not just one; that's her personal privilege. Plus, Wally asked me to keep an eye on
both of you when he isn't around." Ronald informed. Besides being Ruby's boyfriend,
Wally was a great fan of Gosalyn's father, and he had asked the young toon to keep an
eye on Gos while she attended the Looniversity.
	"And speaking about the devil..." Rhubella joked when spotting her favorite
toon. She jumped down from Ronald's back to receive a huge kiss and a hug from a
young black wolf wearing a cap and a T-shirt. Gos rolled her eyes, and jumped down
from Ronald's back as well. Ron stood on his back legs, and chuckled a little. His
girlfriend, Hillary Hyena, appeared next to him, and, after giving him her usual salute
(a friendly punch on the shoulder), they both kissed a few seconds as well.
	"Hey, Muscle Boy, why were you chuckling a moment ago?" Hillary asked.
Ronald whispered on her ear, explaining her about what happened on the class, and
Hill chuckled as well, trying to decide about telling Wally where his girl had placed
her head a few minutes ago, and why.
	"Hey, Big Bad Wolf, cool down! You are going to eat her if you guys continue
with that!" Gosalyn said to Wally and Rhubella in a joking tone. They finally broke the
kiss, blushing.
	"Can I escort you inside the learning facilities, my dear Marquesita?" Wally
asked in a ceremonious tone. Ruby giggled.
	"If that means you want to link arms with me, and walk inside the classroom,
sure. Oh, and Wally, don't be so ceremonial with me. I have enough of that with my
parents' friends." Rhubella said to the wolf. He chuckled a little, and then they entered
the classroom, linking arms. It was the Superheroes classroom, but the new teacher,
who was supposed to take Daffy and Bugs' place, was a little late, so the students could
chat a little; Hillary and Ronald didn't had that class this day, so they went to Stalking,
taught by Pepe Le Pew.
	Inside the classroom, the girls sat together for a little chat, while the boys were
doing the same. Rhubella and Gos sometimes felt a little out of place, since Ruby used
to be an enemy of these girls, and Gosalyn was still the newest student. However, this
was about to change.
	"Like, remember girls, don't eat a lot today, because we are having the
sleepover in Mary's house, or some junk." Shirley reminded her classmates.
	"Cool! I have never had a girls' night before, and now I'll do it with older girls."
Gosalyn exclaimed, really happy. Back at home, she had almost no female friends her
age, plus she usually spent her nights either training to be a heroine, or assisting her
dad on his patrols (most of the time without his consent), so this would be her first
sleepover party ever.
	"Or you can spend the dadgum night with me, if you want." Fowlmouth said to
Gos in a flirting tone, entering the conversation. All the girls rolled their eyes; since
Shirley and Plucky became an official item, FM had been trying to make her jealous
(without any success) by flirting with other girls, and since Gos was a very attractive
avian, she became one of the chicken's targets.
	"Fowlmouth, cool down okay? I had already told you that I have a boyfriend at
home." Gosalyn reminded the chicken. FM, of course, understood no reasons.
	"So? He is in Saint Canard, and you're here. How do you know he isn't having
some dadgum fun with another dadgum girl while we are talking?" FM insisted.
Gosalyn was about to give him a little lesson of Quack-Fu, but decided to stop the
problem once and for all using a different tactic.
	"First, he was my best friend for many years before we became an item, and
he's still my best friend. Second, he is caring, nice, and a little shy, so I doubt he had
even thought about cheating on me. And last, I see him almost every day." Gosalyn
said while taking a little black ball out from her body's pocket.
	"Hey, what's that?" Babs asked. Shirley's eyes started glowing.
	"That's like, a magical limited transportation device, or some junk! Where did
you get it?" Shirley asked, surprised. Gosalyn shrugged.
	"My dad's best friend is Darkwing's sidekick, remember? And he is dating a
sorceress. She gave me this as a gift to communicate with my dad and my boyfriend
whenever I want. Look." Gos explained, and then concentrated on the ball. A second
later, it became a little bigger, and the image of a nerdy goose, with big glasses, but
very cute looking, appeared inside. He was reading something, and seemed to be in a
library.
	"Hey, Honker! Is my imagination, or every time I call you, you have the beak
inside a book?" Gosalyn joked. Honker made a double take, but smiled when
discovered who was calling him.
	"Gosalyn! Nice to see you! I'm having my free hour. How are you? Need help
with your math, or something? Or you just miss me as much as I miss you?" Honker
said, blushing a little at the last part. Gosalyn and the other girls giggled (Honker
couldn't see the rest of the girls), while Fowlmouth rolled his eyes.
	"Well, answering your questions... I'm fine, and I'll go to a sleepover tonight;
yes, I might use some of your help with these equations; and, of course, I miss you a
lot, Honk." Gosalyn smiled fondly at him at the last part. Then, she approached the ball
to her beak, while Honker made a kissing gesture; a moment later, they were both
kissing through the ball. Despite the fact they were separated by many miles, it felt as
good as if they were next to each other.
	"I guess that's my dadgum cue to leave, right?" FM said, groaning. Wally
appeared next to him, and motioned the chicken to go to his seat.
	"Okay, Gos, better turn that thing off. I'm hearing Foggy's voice coming from
the corridor, and I think he is chatting with the new teacher." Wally told the little avian
while sitting next to Rhubella. Gos and Honker broke the kiss.
	"Call me tomorrow so I can help you with the math's stuff, Gosalyn. Oh, and
remember to call your dad too. Love you." Honker said to the duckette. Gos nodded.
	"Sure, Honk. Love you too." Gosalyn replied, and, a moment later, the image
disappeared, and the ball returned to its normal size.
	"That thing surely beats a cell phone. I could had used one of those during the
last semester." Ruby said, sighing a little at the last part. Babs, Fifi, Sweetie, Gos, and
Shirley gave her a puzzled look. Wally gave Ruby a fond look, knowing what she was
talking about.
	"I'll explain you in the sleepover, okay? Now, I guess the rooster is going to
start his yakking." Ruby pointed to the girls. At that moment, Foggy entered the
classroom, leading the new teacher inside. He was a nerdy looking boy, with an
oversized gray jacket.
	"I say, I mean, I say, students, he is your new Superheroes' teacher, Mister
Dexter Douglas. He is from Washington, the capital, I mean, and he'll be here only at
the mornings because every night he must return home, I say. Well, I'll better go to my
own class, I mean, class, so the kids are all yours, son." Foggy said to the students and
to the new teacher. The rooster left, and, before Dexter could say a thing, Plucky raised
his hand/wing.
	"Excuse me, but, why are you going to teach us about heroes? What makes you
an expert?" The duck asked. Dexter and a few other students chuckled.
	"Oh, I'll tell you, and when you discover it, you will... FREAK OUT!" Dexter
said loudly, and, a second later, he exploded in lightning; then, in front of the class,
instead of the nerd, there was a big blue guy with a huge and dark hairdo, with
lightning marks on the sides, dressed in red tights.
	"Cool! Freakazoid!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
	"That's right, kids! Most of my enemies are jailed in a special prison in France,
so I'm having some free time; that's why the rabbit in charge asked me to teach you. Of
course, with my speed and my Freakmobile, I can go to Washington and back here in a
few minutes, plus Huntsman and Lord Bravery are there as well to cover me, so I have
no problem coming to work. Okay, let's start the class." The blue hero explained with a
smile, and started giving his lesson.
	Rhubella was as eager on improving in this class as she was with the Spin-
Changing one, but those were the most difficult classes for her. Besides those two, she
was doing a very good job in the other classes, including Gym (she was a terrific
basketball player), Cartoon Violence, and Home Economics; she enjoyed this last one
a lot because it was the first time she cooked on a regular basis, and found she was
actually good doing it, plus giving her the chance to make a delicious lunch for her and
Wally once in a while.
	Much later that day, Rhubella was driving her car towards Mary's house after
making a quick stop at Mallard Mansion to pick up Gosalyn. Margot, Rhubella's best
friend from Perfecto, and Gos' adoptive father were cousins, and, ironically, Gosalyn
entered the Loo about the same time Margot moved to Saint Canard to finish her
studies there, so Gos was staying with Margot's parents. They had to do a few
adjustments, since Gosalyn wasn't exactly the delicate and formal girl the Mallards
expected, but, since Drake, her father, was doing them a favor by keeping an eye on
Margot, and Gos, despite being very hyperactive (she preferred the term "enabled with
lots of spirit") could behave herself most of the time, the family actually started
enjoying having her around.
	By the time Ruby and Gos arrived, Mary and Sweetie were finished with the
preparations. A moment later, Fifi, who lived on the same neighborhood, arrived as
well, carrying her sleeping bag and a few snacks. Babs arrived by tunneling, and
Shirley by levitation. Hillary arrived last; since she had spent most of the afternoon
with Ronald's family, and they lived closely, she didn't need to run or take the bus.
	The night started the usual way, with a scary movie. Since Gosalyn was the
newcomer, the other girls agreed on letting her chose the film; they had second
thoughts about this when they realized Gosalyn loved horror movies, and had chosen a
movie so scary, it was forbidden in Transylvania. After almost two hours of screams
and popcorn jumping all around Mary's living room, the movie ended. Gos was
extremely excited; Hillary and Babs, after a few moments, relaxed, and started
chuckling, making the rest of the girls to laugh as well.
	After this, the girls had a pillows' fight. At first, they made bands; the Amazing
Three and Sweetie versus Mary and the newest girls, but, when Mary hit Rhubella by
accident, the rat attacked her back, and then it became a "one versus everyone" battle.
Once they finished, Sweetie, Shirley and Gosalyn laughed at their classmates; for once,
the birds weren't the only ones covered by feathers.
	After a fast cleaning (thanks to enhanced toon speed), Mary ordered some
pizzas. Little Beeper arrived in two seconds with her order. Then, the girl placed the
boxes on the table. She had considered all the girls' different tastes for the occasion.
	"Okay, we have one with meat and mushrooms, a vegetarian one, and one with
spinach and Rochefort cheese." Mary said while opening the boxes. Hillary sniffed the
pizzas, hungrily.
	"That's fine for me, but what are you girls going to eat?" Hillary said, half
joking. The other girls rolled their eyes, and chuckled. They knew the hyena
sometimes could eat as much as Dizzy, and still keep a good figure.
	"Tell you what, Hill. Allow us to eat as well, and you can have all my leftovers
and whatever you want from the dumpster." Mary said to the hyena, placing a hand on
her shoulder. Hillary laughed; even if she hated to be called "scavenger", she couldn't
deny how much she liked to eat whatever the other people left.
	The girls started eating, and Babs remembered about Ruby's comment that day
at classes.
	"Hey, Rhubella, you said you were about to explain us about that comment at
Superheroes, remember?" The rabbit pointed before biting her slice of vegetarian
pizza. Ruby sighed.
	"Well... is kind of a long story. But I have no problems about telling you, if you
want to know how Wally and I became a couple as well." Ruby said, holding her
spinach and cheese pizza's slice.
	"Oh, oui! Zhat sounds inzeresting! Is a love szory!" Fifi, always the romantic
one, exclaimed. The other girls nodded, even Gos, who wasn't very fond on romance
stuff, besides her own, of course.
	"Okay, then, I'll start. But first... hey, the guy that handles the effects! We need
a flashback here!" Ruby said, directing to the people in charge.
	"GROWLFRAZZA! Taz hates flashbacks!" The voice of the Tasmanian devil
was heard.
	"Man, who gave that job to Taz?" Sweetie said, slapping her forehead.
	"The author wanted to use that line. Okay, Taz, start the flashback!" Babs
shouted. Some grumbling was heard, and then the whole scene started turning blurry,
while Rhubella started her story.
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	-ENTER THE WOLF.
	-The whole mess started last year, on September, when the vacations were
over, and the classes started. Of course, I still was the witch (no offense for your friend
Morgana, Gos) most of you knew.-
	Rhubella walked out from the Perfecto Prep's parking lot, alongside her friend,
Margot, both wearing the Perfecto's uniform (a black sweater with white skirt). They
spotted a little turtle guy wearing the Perfecto's boy uniform (a black sweater covering
a blue shirt, with white tie), and, in a dashing action, but pretending to be an accident,
made him to trip, falling over his shell.
	"Watch where you are walking, loser!" Rhubella laughed at the reptile and his
efforts to stand up. Margot chuckled as well. The turtle started insulting them, but the
girls ignored him, and kept walking.
	-Oh, and before you start feeling sorry for the turtle, let me tell you he liked to
insult poor kids he found at the street, and even threw them tomatoes at times.
Remember, he was like me, a Perfecto, and we aren't famous for our good disposition.-
	Rhubella and Margot met their boyfriends, Roderick and Danforth, who were
discussing business with some other students.
	"Hey, Roddy, what's up?" Ruby said to her boyfriend while placing a paw on
his shoulder. Margot did the same with Danforth.
	"Oh, Ruby, hi! Just discussing a little bet with the boys, as usual. Why don't
you ladies go to the classroom, and we'll catch you there later?" Roderick replied,
giving Ruby a quick kiss, and then turning to keep with his conversation without
waiting for an answer. Danforth had a similar reaction with Margot. Both girls sighed,
and rolled their eyes.
	-As you can see, Roddy and Danforth still had some attentions towards us, but
everyday they were more distant, giving more attention to their stuff than to Margot
and yours truly. I mean, I hardly saw the guy during the summer, and was eager to see
him again, and he hardly gave me a nice welcome.-
	"Hey, guys, look there. What is Mister Wolfson doing here?" Margot pointed at
the distance. Everyone turned to see a big gray wolf on business suit, followed by an
old black wolf wearing a little hat and an old cartoon-style blue outfit, and a young one
wearing the school's uniform, and carrying some books. They seemed to be heading to
the Principal's office.
	"No idea, Margot. Any of you fools had been involved in another legal
problem?" Roderick asked his classmates, and all shook their heads.
	-Mister Wolfson is one of many lawyers that work for Perfecto Prep. I later
knew he was also one of Walter Wolf's grandsons, and, therefore, Wally's uncle. Of
course, this was the first time I saw Wally, and, I must admit, he didn't impressed me
at all.-
	"Well, maybe the school is going to sue someone. But that old dog seemed
familiar." Drake said, rubbing his beak.
	"I think I saw him once in a magazine, or something... yes, he is one of those
wolf villains from the cartoons... Walter Wolf, I think." Ruby pointed.
	-Actually, I recognized Walter in no time, but one thing you must know about
Perfectos is that, despite the fact we're toons, we usually don't recognize to watch
cartoons as well. That, according to the school's unwritten rules, is just for commoners.
A Perfecto is allowed to quote a cartoon's villain once in a while, if said villain is evil
enough, but that's the most he or she can do. So, I always had to hide the fact I watched
cartoons once in a while.-
	The Perfectos decided to forgot about the topic, and they headed to their
classrooms. On their way to theirs, Ruby and Roderick found Mister Wolfson. He and
Roddy knew each other very well, since they were both a pair of cheaters, gamblers,
and other things we can't mention here to avoid having rating's problems.
	"Ah, Roderick Rat. How lucky I am for finding you. Can I have a few words
with you and your girlfriend?" The wolf said to the rodents, in a polite tone.
	"Sure, Mister Wolfson. What can I do for you?" Roderick said, with a greedy
look on his eyes. Rhubella nodded at the wolf.
	"Well, you see, my nephew, Wallace Wolf, is going to attend school here. He
isn't a rich guy, but my grandfather and I think he can be a very productive element
with the right incentives, so I asked your principal to accept him. However, I sadly
have to recognize he is a little... too much on the honest side." Wolfson commented.
	"Sorry about that. Every family has its black sheep... or, in this case, white
wolf." Roderick said, faking concern.
	"Yes. So, you see, we want to change that. So, I want you guys to give him a
special treatment." Wolfson said to both rodents.
	"Oh, don't worry Mister Wolfson. If you want, we'll talk to the other students to
ask them about not hurting your nephew." Ruby said to the wolf. The canine chuckled.
	"Nice detail, Miss Rat... but I want the opposite. The only way he is going to
stop being such a... nice guy, is mistreating him a little, so he can show some
backbone, and maybe become a cheater as well to improve his situation." The wolf
cleared. Roderick chuckled, while Rhubella got a puzzled expression.
	"Oh, I get it now. Don't worry, my dear sir. We'll make that little wimpy wolf a
perfect... well, Perfecto in no time, if you CASH my words." Roderick replied, giving
the wolf a knowing smile.
	"You can count with it, my dear boy. Here. Buy your girl some flower... shops."
Mister Wolfson said, handling Roderick a little envelope. Then, both males shook
paws, and the wolf left.
	-That was a major surprise, I can tell you. In the past, sometimes the parents of
especially weak students approached me and Roddy to pay us for protection for their
kids, at least until they learned how to defend themselves. Asking us to do the contrary
was the craziest thing any relative of a student had ever asked to us... but Roderick
didn't care as long as he was getting some money for that.
	Anyway, we went to our classroom faster than usual. Normally, we arrived
with a "fancy delay", but this time we needed to explain the situation to our other
classmates, or "minions" as Roddy and I used to call them.-
	The rats arrived at the classroom. Unlike the regular ones from a normal
school, this classroom's seats were actually luxury desks with massage chairs behind
them. Roderick and Rhubella approached to his desk, and motioned their classmates to
approach, so they could explain Mister Wolfson's request. Everyone chuckled.
	"Oh, what a delightful idea, Roderick! We'll get paid for annoying someone in
our own school." Danforth said, rubbing his hands/wings.
	"So, what's the plan, Roddy?" Ruby asked while sitting on her boyfriend's desk.
	"It's very simple. We just have to be extra mean with this guy all the time, plus
one of us will make him a "secretary", you know, like a personal slave, to make his or
her homework, do the laundry, wash the car, and so, and, if he refuses, we increase the
punishment. If he doesn't learn a little about cruelty with this, well, his bad. At least
we're getting paid. Oh, and Danforth, call your men at the dorms; I want the number of
this wolf's room ASAP." Roderick instructed his partners; since Wally's great-grandpa
and uncle wanted him to not have a minute to rest from the "treatment", they made
arrangements so he could stay in one of the most simple dorms at the school.
	The teacher, a snobby old bird called Mister Peacock, entered a few moments
later, followed by Wally. Everyone glared at him; the wolf had his ears and tail down,
to show humbleness and respect, a normal gesture of the wolves when they enter
another pack's territory, but, for the Perfectos, this was only a sign of weakness they
could exploit. Rhubella made her glaring as well, but it wasn't as long as the other
guys' one.
	-I had the chance to give him a good look, unlike the brief one I had when he
and his relatives appeared the first time. And actually, I noted he wasn't really bad
looking. His fur was black, but bright; his muzzle had the perfect length, and he had a
good body's complexion, not very muscular but no thin either, more like a marathon's
runner... well, you had seen him. However, what impressed me the most were his smile
and his eyes. Even if he was nervous, he showed a nice little smile to us, obviously
trying to be friendly, and his eyes were so deep and, at the same time, so warm...
Margot expressed all this with a little message she sent me to my cell phone at that
moment.-
	"The guy is kind of hot to be a do-gooder, don't you think?" Rhubella read at
her cell phone. The rat chuckled, and replied.
	"Only if you like the loser-type." Rhubella wrote on her phone. Margot
chuckled a little when reading it.
	Unlike most schools, the teacher introduced the student, instead of allowing
him to talk.
	"Students, he is your new classmate. His name is Wallace Wolf. Well, you can
socialize later. Wallace, please sit next to Miss Rat." The peacock said to the wolf,
motioning him to take the desk located right next to Ruby's.
	Wally took his seat, and gave the rat a fast look; he blushed slightly and offered
her a friendly smile. Ruby gulped a little, and then scowled at him. The wolf got the
message, and turned to see the teacher.
	When the class ended (by the way, only Wally and Rhubella took any notes; the
others just turned on a tape recorder and pretended to hear the teacher), everyone
surrounded the wolf. He got a little nervous, but decided it was a good chance to start
making some friends.
	"Uh... hi, guys... well, you heard the teacher. My name is Wallace Wolf, but my
friends call me Wally." Wally said, waving hello to the Perfectos. They looked at each
other, chuckling. Roderick cleared his throat, and directed to the canine.
	"Well... Wallace, no offense, but you're a nobody in this school, so, if we want,
we'll call you the name we want, even if that is "Dumb", "Fool", "Nobody", or "Loser."
The point is, you are the new guy here, so you have to know certain rules." Roderick
said in a half-friendly, half-menacing tone. A red fox-like creature, with a black patch-
like spot around his left eye, and wearing an imported over coat (the only student who
wasn't using the uniform) and a golden ringed tail, talked next.
	"The main rule is that... everything we tell you is a rule. If we say you have to
do our homework, that's a rule. If we ask you to wash our car, you do it at that
moment. And, if we tell you to make us lunch you are only allowed to ask about what
kind of spices we want. We made ourselves clear?" The canine animal said while
looking at Wally right at the eyes. The wolf felt a little intimidated, but nodded.
	-That guy name was... or is, since he still attends at Perfecto, Gunbo LeChien.
Despite his last name, he's not French like you, Fifi; he was born in Lousiana, and is
one of Perfecto most feared guys among the other students. His parents' identities and
occupations are a mystery; some guys say his dad was a fox, and his mother was a
wolf/racoon hybrid, so you can say he is like Roland's equivalent on Perfecto Prep. But
the likeness ends there; it seems his dad was a major thief, while his mom was an
assassin for hire; anyway, he is an excellent fighter, and a very wild one as well, so it's
very possible all those rumors are truth, especially since no teacher ever told him
anything about his habit of not using the uniform even in formal occasions. Oh, and
another detail about a Perfecto is that you don't care about someone species as long as
he has a good bank account; otherwise, the whole school could had given a bad time to
him for being an hybrid… of course, his reputation also help him a lot.-
	"But don't think we are that bad. Oh, no. We want to give you a nice welcome.
Let's see... Rhubella, you have your camera?" Roderick asked his girlfriend while
placing a paw on Wally's shoulder. She immediately took a fancy digital camera out
from her desk.
	"I have it right here, Roddy. Okay, guys, everybody go to the front of the room
for a picture." The Perfectos dashed to the front of the classroom and posed, with
Roderick, Danforth, and Margot in the front line, while Ruby took the picture, aware
of leaving Wally out of the frame.
	-This was part of a little plan Roddy thought during the class, and told us about
it with his cell phone. Luckily, we all had what we needed on our desks; since we, the
Perfectos, usually don't use the body's pocket (for the same reason we aren't supposed
to watch cartoons), we always keep lots of stuff in our desks, just in case.-
	"Oh, look! I didn't get all of you in the picture. No problem. Some of you,
please, come here with me, while the ones at the right of Roderick stay. I can edit this
picture with the other, and then have a complete one." Rhubella instructed. The way
she told the students to move, only a fistful of them was behind the rat, while Wally
stayed on his place, next to most of the group. Ruby took the picture, and then...
	"NOW!" Danforth shouted. Then, all the students next to Wally took a little
gun out from under their sweaters, and shot at the wolf. These guns were like the ones
used to play the paintball wars, so Wally wasn't really damaged, but his outfit and fur
became multicolored, and he got a few minor bruises. Everybody laughed at him, and
Rhubella took another picture. Oddly enough, the wolf, instead of getting angry, or
sad, just shrugged and smiled back at the rat, and then at the other students.
	"Nice joke, guys, really. Now, seriously, can you tell me where I can change
back my outfit?" Wally said in a polite tone, but with a slightly upset face. A pretty
swan girl, Giselle, walked next to him, and poked his nose.
	"In your room, Loser; oh, and hurry up. Your next class starts in two minutes."
The swan said in a mean tone before laughing in his face. The rest of the students
chuckled, and walked out from the classroom.
	Rhubella and Margot had the next class together. They sat next to each other, in
desks similar to the previous ones, chatting about the new guy.
	"I swear, Ruby, that poor wolf has no idea about his situation. We are going to
have a lot of fun, really!" Margot chuckled.
	"Yes. At least, now Roddy and Danforth will have someone to relief some
stress the next time that blue rabbit kicks their butts on a competition." Ruby said
while adopting a relaxing posture on her chair.
	A moment later, everyone but Ruby and Margot looked at the front of the
classroom, and made a double take. The rat and mallard noticed this, and directed their
attention to the front as well, gasping. Wally was entering the room, spotless.
	"How he made that? Was he carrying an extra outfit when he entered the other
classroom?" Margot asked the rat.
	"Nope, and I gave him a good look when he entered. He only was carrying his
books, like now. Maybe he is a very fast runner, like that orange road-runner or the
gray coyote that always chases him. You don't need to be, well, toony, to have some
extra speed if needed." Rhubella deducted.
	"In that case, maybe we should recommend Roddy and Danforth to accept this
guy on the football team. He'll learn to be a cheater, and we can use another player...
and, if he refuses, well, nothing is more intimidating than a whole football team
menacing you." Margot said with an evil smirk.
	"You have a point, Margot. And maybe this way Roddy and Danforth will
finally give us some attention, for helping them on their game and all." Rhubella said
with a smile. Wally walked next to her, heading to a desk located two spaces behind
the females. He stopped next to the girls, and, respectfully, leaned in Ruby's direction.
	"Excuse me... Miss Rat, right? Can I have one copy of those pictures?" Wally
asked politely. The rat and the avian gave him a weird look.
	"We just humiliated you, and want a picture of that? Are you some kind of
wacko, or what?" Margot asked.
	"Nope. He is Wakko." Wally pointed to the front of the classroom. There, at
the door, was Wakko Warner, waving hello. A moment later, his brother and sister,
Yakko and Dot, ran next to him. Wakko waved good-bye, and ran away as well, with
Ralph, the guard, chasing the little toons. Rhubella rolled her eyes.
	"We need to improve the security around here. Seriously, why do you want the
pictures?" Rhubella asked the wolf. Wally shrugged.
	"Well, I can accept a prank... even if I didn't like a lot that swan's attitude.
Anyway, the new guy always gets a few pranks over him, so I'm not taking that
seriously what you guys said and did to me. And I want a little souvenir to remind me
about my first day here." Wally explained. Rhubella and Margot gave each other a fast
look.
	"I'll give you a copy later... maybe. But trust me, you'll never forget about this
day, and your time in the Prep. We aren't going to be soft with you, Fool. Actually,
we'll do even meaner things to you." Rhubella pointed at the wolf, using a mocking
tone. The wolf gave her a sad look, and decided to go to his seat.
	"Oh... well. I guess I'll see you girls around here. Sorry for interrupting your
talking." The wolf said, and then retired. Rhubella changed her look to a little
concerned one. Margot noticed this.
	"Eh... Ruby, you aren't feeling guilty for this, right?" Margot asked, puzzled.
The rat shook her head, and directed to her friend.
	"Of course not! I have no conscience, remember? Maybe it feels weird to
perform our tricks on one of our classmates instead of using a guy from Acme, but,
well, I'll get used." The rat said, returning to her usual snobbish tone. Then, the teacher
entered, and the class started.
	-Now that I remember it, I really want to kick myself. He just wanted to be
friendly with us, despite the way we greeted him, and yet we were mocking and
menacing the guy. I still conserve those pictures, and actually gave Wally the one I
took of him and most of the group, because it serves to remind me about how mean I
was with him, and never do that again with anyone. And, sadly, I was right. His
punishment was just starting.-
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	-TREATING HIM LIKE A DOG.

	-Right when the class ended, Margot and I decided to start our part on the
whole "slaving the wolf" stuff. We made him carry our books while going to our next
class; sure, this doesn't seem to be so bad, but we made him walk behind us while
totally ignoring him, and our classroom was really far from the one he would attend his
next class, so he surely would need to run to be on time.-
	Ruby and Margot were chatting while walking in the corridor, with Wally
closely behind them, carrying their books and his own. The wolf seemed to be slightly
upset, but decided to obey the girls, thinking that, maybe, if he was extra-tolerant, the
other students would eventually accept him.
	"Oh, Fool, hurry up! We don't want you to walk next to us, but we don't want
to be late for class either! This teacher arrives on time once in a while!" Margot
snapped at him. Wally nodded, and accelerated his walking.
	Unknown for the trio, some Perfectos were behind the corner, waiting for them.
Giselle, the swan girl, was among them, watching the girls and the wolf approaching,
and ready to give her companions the attacking signal.
	"Get the wolf!" The swan jumped from her hideout, and, a second later, her
comrades emerged as well, holding water balloons. Margot and Rhubella shrieked, and
jumped out of the projectiles way, while Wally tried to cover himself from the attack;
of course, he received several impacts.
	"Giselle, are you crazy?" Rhubella snapped at the swan.
	"What? Don't tell me you don't want us to do this!" Giselle replied, confused.
	"Of course I don't! He is carrying our books, you fool! And, unlike you, I really
use them to do my homework!" Ruby cleared.
	-Oh, yes. I was a cute little princess then.-
	The attack finally ceased, and the ambushers left, right after each one gave a
little kick to the wolf that was now on the floor, curled like a ball and totally soaked.
Margot and Rhubella approached him, concerned about their books.
	"Oh, great! The first day of school and we'll need to buy a replacement for our
new books!" Margot said, slapping her forehead.
	"Well... maybe not. The books aren't that ruined. Look." Wally stood up,
showing the books to the girls. Amazingly, most of them weren't wet at all.
	"Hey, how did you make that?" Ruby asked, impressed.
	"When I realized I was about to be attacked, I tried to protect them showing my
back to the water balloons, and then threw myself to the floor making my best to cover
the books. It seems it was enough... except for this one." Wally explained to the girls,
and then checked a particular book that was almost as soaked as him. It was one of
Rhubella's.
	Ruby sighed, and was about to ask the wolf to drop the book at the nearest
waste basket, when Wally took a deep breath, and then started blowing over the book.
After a few seconds, the book was totally dry, and in a close-to-good condition. Then,
he moved a few steps back, and started shaking himself in a dog-like way, until he was
dry as well.
	"Ready; not exactly as good as new but it can be read." Wally told the girls,
smiling and showing them the book. Ruby and Margot wide opened their eyes, and
then the rat whispered at the wolf.
	"One advice, rookie; never, ever, do a toon-like trick in this school, even if it's
something as simple as that. That's just for minor-leveled toons, like the fools of Acme
Looniversity. Not that I should worry about you, but if you get beaten for this, you
might as well be carrying my books again when that happens." Ruby explained. The
wolf sighed, and nodded. Then, he and the girls kept walking to the classroom.
	-Again, I was being a total jerk with Wally, but, secretly, I was truly impressed.
He protected our books without us telling him to do it, and made his best so I could
have my book in a decent condition, so, by now, I was considering him to be, at least, a
good helper.-
	The trio finally arrived at the girls class, who, as the others, was supposed to be
delayed (the teachers also liked the whole "fancy delay" stuff). Wally carried the books
to the girls' desks, and dropped them there carefully.
	"Well, misses, I'll better leave now. So long," The wolf said to the girls, and
then dashed to the door. Unfortunately for him, a brown feathered chicken, a couple of
inches taller than Fowlmouth, with a silver colored beak, whose was standing next to
the door, extended his leg, making Wally to trip and fall over his belly. The other
students laughed, and, a second later, some of the heaviest ones and the girls that were
using high-heeled shoes started walking over the wolf's back, chuckling and insulting
him all the time.
	"Hey, Idiot, you should go to your classroom! There's a difference between a
"fancy delay" and a fool that arrives late!" The chicken shouted at the wolf. Wally, in
obvious pain, stood up, and, without saying a word, started walking down the corridor.
	"I'm sure that must hurt." Rhubella said, rolling her eyes and chuckling.
	-Harrison Nigel Silverbill... every time I have problems tolerating Fowlmouth, I
remember that chicken, and that makes me feel better about our little bad-mouthed
fowl. Nigel, like a few others students, kept his relatives' jobs as a secret. Now that I
think about it, I think there was a rumor about him having an uncle of something
working for a major criminal organization, and performing some stunts on your home
town, Gosalyn. Anyway, Nigel was ten times more annoying than FM; sure, he had a
great taste for fashion (when he wasn't using the school uniform, the least he ever used
was an Armani), and a great use of language, but he always was flirting with all the
girls. If one didn't fell for his money, she would do it by his persistence. Actually,
Margot started dating Danforth to have an excuse for refusing this chicken's
invitations.-
	After their class finished, Margot and Rhubella walked to the cafeteria.
Perfecto has one that looks like a luxury restaurant; the cheapest meal is the salad, and
it still costs as much as a huge steak on a decent diner. On their way there, they saw
Roderick and Danforth, alongside a few other students, surrounding Wally.
	"Okay, mutt, this is your program. The teachers always ask us to do some
books' reports, so, since we'll be ordering you around all the time, I think is just right to
give you a list of the books they normally tell us to read." The rat shoved a large sheet
of paper in front of the wolf. Wally sighed, and picked it.
	"We want those reports as soon as possible, okay? Oh, and you also have to
come to our football's practices. We already have water boys, but we can save the
school some money if you wash our uniforms." Danforth said with a smirk.
	"And the cheerleaders and the gymnastic team's as well." Giselle added.
	"And you'll better hurry up, or else!" Gunbo said, showing his fist to Wally.
The wolf nodded, and lowered his ears even more.
	"Guys, guys, calm down! We can't expect him to do all those things." Rhubella
said, walking next to the other students, and crossing her arms. Wally raised his ears
slightly, and gave her a weak smile.
	"At least not until he washes all our cars, of course." Ruby smirked. The wolf's
ears fell again, and he sighed. The Perfectos laughed, and agreed with Rhubella.
	"Okay, it's lunch time. You better go and wash our cars, Fool. We don't want to
see you near the cafeteria; you might spoil our appetite." Danforth said to the wolf, and
then he and the other Perfectos left. Rhubella gave Wally a fast look before leaving;
the canine was looking down, and started walking to the parking lot.
	"Well, if this mistreat can't make him a real bad guy, nothing will." Ruby said
to herself.
	Ruby, as usual, sat next to Roderick, in company of Margot and Danforth.
Rhubella asked for a cheese and mushrooms' cream, and a salad covered with
Mozzarella. While she and her partners were waiting for their meal, they heard Nigel
yelling at the waiter.
	"You idiot! I said I wanted no cheese in my trout's sandwich! I don't tolerate
lactose! If I get sick, I'll sue you until you loss everything!" The chicken said in a
furious tone while throwing the sandwich (that only had a tiny bite) to the scared
waiter. The man gulped, and picked up the food's remains after dashing to the kitchen
to prepare another sandwich.
	"Man, what a fool. It's really hard to find good service these days." Danforth
said with his usual "I-am-better-than-everyone" tone.
	"What a waste of cheese." Rhubella sighed. She, as most toon mice and rats,
loved cheese, to the point she never dumped it, even if it was slightly spoiled. In those
cases, she usually used it to fertilize her mother's garden; the result was flowers with a
slight cheese smell, something she liked a lot.
	Roderick and Danforth spent most of the lunch talking about business and new
ways to cheat on the Acme Bowl. Ruby and Margot sighed; this was a regular thing on
their table. Eventually, they got tired of just staying there, listening to their boyfriends
without having any attention, and left the cafeteria.
	The moment they walked out of the building, they heard a noise coming from
its side. The girls decided to take a look, and gasped.
	-I'll never forget that sight. Wally, unlike us, wasn't rich, and depended on a
monthly allowance his parents and uncle gave to him, and it wasn't a lot, so he had to
get his lunch from our dumpster. I even saw him eating the same sandwich that was
dumped, and putting some leftovers in a plastic bag, obviously to have something to
eat later. I know you and Ronald sometimes eat from dumpsters, Hillary, but that's
because you enjoy it; Wally, on the other hand, needed to do it because he had no other
choice... he could have had a good meal on any diner just with the tip I left in the
cafeteria! For the first time in ages, I really felt a little guilty.-
	"What is he doing in there?" Rhubella asked, with evident shock on her voice.
	"Well... obviously, he is eating. You... don't feel bad for him, right?" Margot
asked back; however, she was also a little shocked. Ruby shook her head.
	"No... I mean... Hey, Stupid! Why are you eating? You should be washing the
cars, remember?" Ruby popped out from her hiding place, and yelled at the wolf.
Wally gulped (both in surprise and to pass a bite of beef), and looked at the rat;
obviously, he felt really ashamed for being surprised scavenging.
	"I already finished... Miss Rat... and I thought about having a little snack so I
can be strong enough to keep doing the rest of my chores." The wolf replied.
	-At first I couldn't believe what he was saying. He had to wash at least 50 cars,
and did it in less than 30 minutes? He had to be the worst liar alive... but Margot and I
also noticed he was looking really tired, as much as if he had ran the marathon, twice,
so we gave him the doubt's benefit, and ordered him to come with us to the parking
lot.-
	"I can't believe this! You really washed all the cars!" Ruby said, amazed.
Margot couldn't say a thing, because her beak was almost touching the ground. As he
was told, Wally made a great job, and every car was shining as much as the day they
left the dealership. The tired wolf noticed the girls' expressions, and smiled a little.
	"Well... if you have no more orders, I guess I should go and wash my teeth
before next class. See you." Wally said, and then retired, obviously still tired. Margot
and Ruby gave him a weird look.
	"That guy isn't normal! I mean, maybe he used that blowing trick to dry the
cars, but how he washed them so fast on first place?" Margot asked, finally recovering
from the shock.
	"I have no idea, Margot, but I guess this only proves he can be a good element
in our football's team. With that speed, even the Acme's roadrunner will have a bad
time." Ruby said as well.
	-The next day, we told Roderick about Wally's speed, so he obviously got
interested, and also commented it to the coach and the rest of the football team. The
next day, the team had the first practice of the year, as well as the cheerleaders... of
course, our "practice" consisted basically on trying on the new uniforms, and sit for a
while watching the boys.-
	The Perfecto's cheerleaders sat at their stadium's bleachers, watching the boys
training. Wally was there as well; he wasn't a major football fan, but loved the team's
activities, plus decided this would be a good way to finally being accepted.
	"Okay, let's see how we are playing after the summer's break. Form two teams."
The coach, a mean-looking vulture named William Buzzroy, said to the students.
Wally ended in Roderick's team.
	-At first, it seemed everything was going well. Wally was doing a terrific job
blocking the other team's players and receiving passes. Unfortunately, he lacked
something all Perfectos need to play.-
	-He didn't want to cheat.-
	"Hey, you, Wolf, come here!" William yelled to Wally in an angered tone.
Wally walked in front of him.
	"Look, you are doing a very decent job... and I don't want decency on this team!
Look, imagine that I'm the referee, and next time one player tries to pass you, give him
a bite, or make him trip when I'm not looking. Remember, it's only cheating if you get
caught." The vulture snapped at Wally. He just couldn't believe it! In this school, the
teachers encouraged the students to cheat.
	-And, as you can imagine, Wally didn't obey the coach. On the next play, he
tried to catch the player holding the ball, but refused to bite him, or do anything against
the rules. Wally was tackled, and the other team scored. Roderick and the coach
weren't happy.-
	"So, we have a little rebel here, uh? Listen, Stupid, I don't want a coward on my
team. You'll better start listening and obeying, or else!" William said to the wolf in his
most menacing tone. Wally gulped; even if he was scared, he just couldn't go against
his nature.
	"I am sorry, sir, but I don't like to cheat. And I think we don't need to do it. Just
look at the team; most schools don't have students with the strength of half of the
players. Why we can't just play following the rules, and have some fun as well?" Wally
said, giving the coach a little smile.
	-We all looked at Wally as if he had grown an extra head, three more arms, and
a unicorn's horn, all at the same time. Saying an speech like that in Perfecto Prep was
the closest thing to a blasphemy.-
	"You are out of the team! And, from now on, you are our new tackling
dummy!" The vulture, totally red by rage, yelled at the wolf, and then motioned the
whole team to start tackling him in turns.
	"What an idiot! He is asking us to not cheat? Please, that's the most ridiculous
thing I had ever heard!" Jasmine, Giselle's sister, and a cheerleader as well, said while
chuckling.
	"Yes, he is such a fool." Ruby said, but then talked to herself.
	"But he must be really brave to defend his ideas that way."
	-Of course, Wally ended the practice extremely hurt. Worst of all, the coach
ordered him to pick up all the equipment before leaving, and wash the uniforms. When
we were leaving, I saw him almost crawling next to the helmets, to start picking them
up. This time, I felt not guilty, but a little bad for him. By now, I honestly was wishing
him to finally become a mean guy so everyone could start respecting him.-
	-I had no more classes with Wally for the rest of the day. The following
morning, I saw him extremely tired, but, oddly, he managed to wash all the uniforms,
and gave Roderick a couple of books' reports as well.-
	-These scenes continued the first two weeks. Wally was always ordered to do
something mean by one of the teachers, or a student, and, if he refused, he immediately
got more chores to do. However, he always managed to do all of them, and even do his
own homework, but always seemed to be tired, which was obvious, since he was doing
the work of at least ten guys every day, plus receiving a beating each two days because
of the tackling practice.-
	-Anyway, on Friday, I ordered him to do my homework, and gave him orders to
meet with me on Saturday, in front of the mall, so I could pick it up. You see, one of
the few good things about me on those days was the fact I really wanted to learn, even
if I was taking shortcuts, so I wanted to check Wally's work before delivering it on
Monday.-
	Margot and Rhubella exited the Prep, ready to some goofing up at the mall,
when Ruby realized something.
	"Oh, no! I forgot to give that wolf our Math's homework! Now I'll have to go to
his dorm!" Ruby snapped at herself.
	"Relax, Ruby. It's just homework; he can do it on Saturday, and give it to us on
Monday." Margot said in an annoyed tone. Rhubella sighed.
	"Margot, we have a quiz on Monday, remember? We need to study that
homework! You know how hard is to pass the answers by using the cell phone!" The
rat replied, and grabbed Margot by her arm/wing, motioning her to go back to the
school. Margot sighed, and decided to go by her own will.
	-We found the dorms in no time, but, since Roderick only told me vaguely
about where Wally was staying, it wasn't easy to find his room. And, when we found it,
we heard a weird sound coming from the inside, like a wild wind, or a storm.-
	Margot decided to take a look at the room by watching through the doorknob;
unfortunately, she only got a little irritation on her eye because of the wind coming
from the inside. Rhubella then had an idea, and used her credit card to carefully open
the door, as an expert thief.
	-Well, sometimes Roddy and I made some spying work on you, guys... I'm
sorry, by the way. So, I had developed some useful skills, including opening locks and
stuff. I opened the door as quietly as I could, and only enough so Margot and I could
take a look. It was a major surprise.-
	Wally was dressed with a red outfit that included a cowl, with lightning
symbols. Rhubella immediately recognized it as The Flash's disguise, and the wolf was
moving as fast as the hero. Wally was doing at the homework of ten students while
washing the uniforms (manually) of both the football's team and the cheerleaders'
squad, and cleaning his room, all at the same time!
	After a minute or so, he was done with everything. He could had moved even
faster, but he wasn't risking damaging the papers and the books by writing or moving
the pages at his top speed. Wally took a deep breath and then spin-changed back to
normal. At that moment, Ruby and Margot wide opened the door, making him jump in
surprise.
	"So, that's your secret! You are a spin-changer!" Rhubella snapped at him.
Wally gulped.
	"You forgot our little chat about toon tricks, Fool? Oh, you are so going to pay
for this!" Margot said in an angry tone. The wolf looked at them in shock, trying to say
something.
	"Do you have something to say in your defense, dog?" Rhubella said while
glaring at Wally. The wolf opened his mouth, and then...
	-Wally fainted in front of us. Since we had no knowledge at all about spin-
changing, we ignored about how stressful a super-powered change can be; sure, he has
a lot more practice and endurance now, but then, our little surprise entrance, right
when he was so tired, was just to much, and he collapsed. And, then, I felt really
scared.-
	"Margot, help me put him on his bed, quick!" Rhubella, in panic, said to her
friend, while grabbing Wally by his shoulders. Margot, a little shocked, reacted, and
grabbed his legs. With a little effort, the girls placed him on the bed, and then Ruby
started looking for something that might help her to wake him up.
	"Hey, maybe my emergency snack can help! I hope the wolves' noses are as
sensitive as people say." Rhubella said, and then took a little imported cheese's snack
out from her purse. The snack was delicious, but its smell was a little strong, so she
hoped it would work to make him react, by passing it in front of his nose. Luckily, it
worked, and Wally woke up, eating the snack with a single bite.
	"Delicious... thanks a lot, girls. That particular spin-change requires lots of
energy, and I have to eat as much as possible to keep my strength." Wally, panting,
said to both girls, smiling at them.
	-That smile... and those eyes looking at me… he was truly grateful with us,
even if he fainted because of the work we ordered him to do, and our yelling. I had a
very weird feeling then; it wasn't common having anyone thanking me for doing
something... and I liked it. I think Margot liked it as well, because we didn't say a thing
for a couple of minutes.-
	"Look, girls, I know I have to quit doing the toon tricks, but it's the only way I
can do all the chores, and recover from the beatings. Please, don't say anything... and I
promise I'll be your servant during the whole time I'll stay here." Wally said, sighing.
He knew this was a sure way to be black-mailed, but had no other choice.
	"Wallace... can you do other changes?" Ruby asked him. The wolf nodded.
	"Not a lot right now, but yes, I can do some other impersonations. Of course,
The Wolflash is the one I'm using the most these days." Wally said, looking down.
	"You know, Ruby, having our own slave can be a good idea; especially one
that can do a lot of job in no time." Margot said with a sly look. Ruby nodded.
	"Yes... and this can help you too, Wolf. If you become our personal pet, then
you'll be under our direct orders, so the other students will stop mistreating you that
much, because we'll own you, in a certain way." Ruby pointed to the canine while
sitting on his bed.
	"Well... if I'm going to be treated by dirt, better by two pretty girls than by the
whole school. Okay, you have a deal." Wally said, extending his paw. Ruby hesitated a
little, but eventually shook it, and then Margot did it as well.
	"But don't expect us to be nice with you, Wolf. Actually, we'll make you work
really hard." Ruby cleared. Wally nodded, and smiled.
	"Well, at least my situation is already improving. You had called me by my last
name twice, and even once by my first one, in less than two minutes instead of "Fool"
or "Dumb", or something like that." Wally chuckled. Ruby and Margot couldn't help
but laugh as well.
	-The next day, Wally met Margot and I at the mall, with the Math homework.
To make everyone know he would be our personal servant, we made him carry our
stuff all the day, and we even bought him a dog's collar, with a tag that said "Wallace
Wolf. Property of Rhubella Rat and Margot Mallard", so he could use it at school. Of
course, he would be teased and many guys would laugh at him, but that was the most
they were allowed to do, except for the occasional prank, and his duties as the coach's
slave. He was our pet to do anything with him, and our classmates had to respect that
fact.-
	
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	-TAKING CARE OF THE PET.
	-The next morning, Wally started his duties as our servant/pet. He greeted both
Margot and I at the parking lot, and carried our books, while following us. Of course,
he was using the collar.-
	"Rhubella, that's hilarious! How you got permission to bring a pet to the
school?" Giselle said to the rat girl, right after spotting her and Margot with Wally
closely behind them.
	"Oh, well, he isn't a real pet, you see. He is like one of those animals that are
trained to assist people in need. You know, like a seeing-eye dog for a blind guy, or a
monkey that answers the phone." Rhubella said in a snobbish tone, while she, her
friend, and "pet" kept walking.
	"Oh, and you need him because..." Giselle asked, with a teasing tone.
	"Because we have a lot of things to do since we are the top girls of the school,
Swan. And our little puppy is going to be sure we are well attended all day." Margot
replied in a superiority tone while pointing back at the wolf. Giselle frowned, and
walked away.
	As expected, while the trio walked through the corridors, almost all the
students were laughing at Wally. The wolf kept his head down, trying to ignore them.
	"This guy is really pathetic! He already was a slave, and now he made it
official!" Gunbo said in a superiority tone.
	"Here, here, doggie! Nice doggie! Oh, and remember, you're not allowed to sit
on the coach!" Nigel taunted him, chuckling.
	"Yeah! And he's not even a pure-breed dog. I'm sure his parents raised him on a
junkyard!" Ramon Ovine, a big black ram who was accepted with a sports scholarship,
said while crossing his arms, and giving the wolf an evil smile.
	This last comment really hurt Wally, who actually stopped walking for a
moment, and snarled as quiet as possible. Rhubella noticed this as well, and she also
felt a little upset. Even as a bad girl, she had certain limits concerning her enemies'
families.
	"Hey, cut it! He is our pet, and we are the ones in charge of making him
miserable! So laugh at him if you want, but don't mess his family on this! May I
remind you his uncle is the same lawyer that had cleaned your mess more than once?"
The rat snapped at her classmates. This suddenly outburst surprised everyone, but not
as much as it surprised Wally, and Ruby herself.
	-When I realized what I just had done, I covered my mouth with both paws. I
was supposed to be the al-mighty Rhubella, Snobbish and Star Student Supreme, and
there I was, defending the same guy I was supposed to give the worst time of his life.
Margot noticed the way everybody was looking at me, and decided to act to save our
images.-
	"Yes, guys, he is our loyal dog. Look at this." Margot said to her classmates,
while standing next to Wally. The avian cleared her throat.
	"Okay, Wolf, put those books down." Margot ordered Wally. He obeyed, and
stood straight, waiting for orders.
	"Now, SIT!" Margot ordered again. Wally obeyed in a split second, sitting in
the floor. The other students started chuckling. Rhubella smiled a little, after sighing in
relief.
	"ROLL OVER!" Margot said. Wally rolled on the floor.
	"TALK!" Now Ruby was the one ordering. Wally barked a couple of times.
	"BEG!" Ruby commanded. Wally kneeled, and placed his paws together, while
giving her and Margot a begging look, wide opening his eyes and lowering his ears.
	"Please, please, Mistresses, please!" Wally said, in a really pathetic begging
voice, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Margot chuckled a little, but Ruby
wasn't that happy.
	-I just couldn't see him begging. I always enjoyed making Roddy to do it when
he still cared for our relationship, and he had to ask for my forgiveness every time he
screwed things up... but Wally wasn't Roddy. He hadn't screwed anything. He was
making a total fool of himself in front of everyone at the corridor, just because I
ordered him to do it. Now, I REALLY was feeling more than a little guilty.
Fortunately, I had an idea to stop the game, while protecting my image as well as
Margot's.-
	"And now... PLAY DEAD!" Ruby ordered. The wolf stood up, and placed both
paws on his chest, while closing his eyes. He then talked on his most melodramatic
voice while pretending to be losing balance.
	"Oh... you got me... I... am not okay... you stinking cops... ugh!" The wolf
kneeled, and then extended his right paw, keeping the other on his chest, and giving
everyone a hurt look.
	"Is this... the end of Ricco?" Wally said in a pained tone, and then fell to the
ground, pretending to be dead. Everybody looked at him, amazed.
	"That was hilarious! Ruby, Margot, you really had trained this dog well!" Nigel
broke the silence, laughing loudly. Everyone joined the laughter, and started walking
away. However, neither Margot nor Rhubella laughed. They just gave everyone a fake
smile, and then turned to see Wally.
	"Hey, Wolf, that was a great performance!" Margot said to the wolf, truly
impressed. Wally opened his eyes, and stood up.
	"Glad you liked it, Misses. I always liked acting on my old school." Wally
commented.
	"Well, I must admit you are really good, Mutt. Honestly, for a moment, I
thought you were really going to visit Saint Peter!" Rhubella said, chuckling a little.
She was as impressed as Margot. Wally smiled at her.
	"Thanks a lot, Miss Rat... for that, and for defending my family." Wally said in
a very polite tone before leaning to pick up the books. Rhubella gulped a little.
	"Oh... about that... well, yes, I meant it, but I also meant the other part! We are
going to make your life miserable, acting or not!" Ruby pointed to the wolf, while
grinning at him. The canine shrugged.
	"Two girls commanding me... that's the stuff dreams are made of." Wally said
in a very cool tone while rolling his eyes. Ruby gulped, and actually blushed slightly.
	"Okay, enough chat! Come on, we have a class to attend!" Margot said to her
companions, and then they continued on their way to the classroom.
	-Hey, you can't blame me for blushing! I had always been a Humphrey Bogart's
fan, and Wally made a great impersonation of him! Anyway, we were dead serious
about the whole "making him work like a dog" stuff. Poor Wally! I'm sure we broke a
couple of laboring rules with him!-
	Right then, a lot of scenes of Wally working for the girls appeared.
	Wally washing Rhubella's car while she was chatting at her cell phone.
	Wally doing the girls' homework at the library while they were chatting behind
him.
	Wally buying Margot her lunch at the cafeteria (with money she gave to him),
and bringing it to her while she was hearing music from her I-pod at the school's spa.
	Wally washing the cheerleaders' uniforms.
	Ruby dictating him stuff while Wally is taking notes.
	Wally giving both girls a pedicure and manicure's treatment.
	Wally charging Ruby to her classroom.
	Wally carrying bottles of mineral water for the rat, the avian, and the rest of the
basketball's team.
	Wally giving Rhubella a massage at the school's spa, the rat girl wearing a one
piece bathing suit.
	Wally driving Ruby and Margot to the mall on the rat's car and carrying their
stuff.
	Wally carrying the girls' books while wearing a ballet's tutu, with all the boys at
the corridor laughing at him.
	Ruby calling Wally at midnight to change the tire of her car, since she got it flat
on her way back home from Margot's place; of course, the wolf had to run, since he
had no vehicle.
	Wally organizing the girls' desks.
	Wally giving both girls a shampoo and a haircut.
	-This was about everyday... but, after a while, both Margot and I started
developing certain amount of liking for the guy. And we started giving him a little
compensation for his efforts. After all, we had to take care of our pet, right?-
	Again, some scenes appeared.
	Ruby giving Wally some pointers about the classes he had more problems with.
	Margot allowing him to keep the change of the money he used to buy her
lunch.
	Ruby thanking him for making a good job taking notes.
	Both Ruby and Margot complimenting him for the great job he made with their
nails and hair.
	Ruby smiling at him while he was carrying the girl to the classroom.
	Ruby sharing some of her cheese snacks with him (even if she was throwing
them at him the same way an animal trainer does with a seal).
	Ruby allowing him to have one of the team's bottles of mineral water.
	Ruby smiling, and giving the wolf the thumbs up for his massaging abilities.
	Margot buying him lunch at the mall.
	Wally getting a new uniform bought by both girls.
	Ruby driving him back to the dorms after he changed the flat tire.
	Wally finding an envelope on Rhubella's desk, with "Your Tip" written on it.
Wally opened it, and found twenty dollars inside.
	Ruby throwing him a dog's toy in the school's yard, making him to catch it, and
bring it back to her. Of course, everyone looking at the scene thought this was another
way to humiliate the guy... but actually, both he and the girl were having a lot of fun.
	-Yes... maybe we treated him like a pet, but at least now he was receiving
something for his efforts. And, from the first days, I was the one demanding his
services the most; Roddy was starting to spend less time with me, and Margot still had
a little bit of a relationship with Danforth, so I usually was the one ordering Wally
around, just to have some company.-
	-Roderick and Danforth, of course, thought, just like the rest of the students,
that he was really suffering a lot as our slave, so they had no problem allowing him to
hang around with us, the same way they didn't care for having a legion of servants at
home to attend them. And, besides, they had another thing to think about; The Acme
Bowl.-
	-You girls hadn't seen how Roderick reacts when the Perfecto Team loses, and
everybody had left the stadium. He just stays at the middle of the field without moving
(not even blinking)... sometimes, he even stops breathing for moments. He stays that
way for a time that can be just a few minutes, or almost an hour, and then... he yells
like crazy, and starts hitting the ground with both fists and ripping pieces of lawn with
his teeth. Simply, the Perfectos aren't used to lose, and that is just to much for him,
especially because he always bets a lot of money on that game.-
	-Anyway, as you girls know, that year, just like it had happened since Buster is
the Acme's Captain, Perfecto lost. And we did it by a major beating, despite all the
cheating Roddy and his partners tried to perform during the game. To make things
even worse, after the game, it started to rain, so Roderick was getting soaked while
standing at the field.-
	Wally carried Ruby's umbrella (covering the rat from the rain) on their way to
the stadium' parking lot; the rat almost jumped inside the car.
	"Miss Rat, I have to leave you now. I have to pick up the team's uniforms to
wash them. Need anything else?" Wally asked the rat while passing her the umbrella.
Rhubella motioned him to keep it outside.
	"No, Wolf, that would be all for now. Keep the umbrella; I don't want to get my
car soaked. Just remember to give it back to me on Monday, okay? And don't worry
about Margot. Danforth is taking her home." Rhubella explained. The wolf nodded.
	"Okay, Miss. And, if I can recommend you something, wait a little until the
rain lowers its intensity. It will be safer. Oh, and thanks for letting me use the
umbrella. See you on Monday." Wally said while waving her good-bye, and started
walking back into the stadium. Ruby decided to listen for his advice, and, since she
actually liked watching rain without getting wet, stayed on her car listening music. She
wasn't so worried about Roderick; she knew that, eventually, he would cool down and
go home (actually, maybe the rain would help a little), but, right now, the best was
leaving him alone.
	-Now that I think about it, I realize how stupid I was for not warning Wally
about Roddy's mood after losing a game. Margot was with Danforth, watching at
Roderick from a safe distance; she later filled me with the details of what happened
then.-
	Roderick was at the center of the field, with anger boiling inside him. Danforth
and Margot, from the players' entrance, were watching him.
	"I hate when this guy starts doing his crazy yelling, but I hope he decides to do
it fast. Otherwise, Ruby is going to have a pneumonic boyfriend in no time." Margot
commented.
	"Yes, in deed, but I'll not be the one trying to make him react; the last guy who
approached Roddy on this state ended at the hospital with 3 broken ribs." Danforth
replied. At that moment, Wally approached them, holding a bag with the uniforms, and
Ruby's umbrella.
	"Excuse me, Mister Danforth, but I noticed you forgot to give me your
uniform." Wally said in a very humble tone, after giving Margot a little nodding in
salute.
	"Oh, don't worry, Imbecile. I gave it to my butler; he always washes it with
some water imported from Switzerland, and French soap. Now, leave this place, and
go to your doghouse." Drake said to the wolf, in a mocking tone. Wally nodded, and
started leaving once Margot told him she didn't need him either. However, Danforth
had a devious idea right then.
	"Oh, Fool, just one last thing; Roderick is getting terrible soaked in there, and
we can't move him when he is in that state. But I notice you have an umbrella, so you'll
better go next to him, and cover my friend with it." Danforth ordered the wolf. Wally
nodded, and walked to the field. Margot got a worried expression, and opened her
beak, but Danforth silenced her with a sign.
	"Danforth, are you crazy? You know how Roddy is going to react!" Margot
said to him in a low voice. Danforth shrugged.
	"Well, you are my girlfriend, so your things are mine as well, including the
dog. And, well, better him than me, don't you think?" Danforth chuckled, and turned to
look at the field. Margot gasped, and started writing a message on her cell phone.
	Wally approached Roddy, and placed the umbrella over him, protecting the rat
from the water, even if that meant getting wet as well. Roderick, when sensing no
more rain falling over him, rolled up his eyes, and spotted Wally. The wolf gave him a
friendly smile.
	"Hello, Mr. Rat. Sorry for bothering you, but you shouldn't be here at the
rain..." Wally started talking to the rat, but then the rat slapped the umbrella, making
the wolf to drop it.
	Roderick looked at Wally with a hateful glare; even if Wally was taller than
Roderick (the wolf was about the full height of Buster Bunny, ears and all, so he
actually was taller than Roddy or the rabbit by a little more than one head), the canine
felt intimidated. He then realized that Danforth had set him in a dangerous situation.
	Roderick jumped at Wally's throat, trying to strangle him. The wolf tried to
keep down the rat, and succeeded, since he was way stronger. Roderick realized this,
and stopped trying to strangle him to start throwing punches. The wolf blocked almost
all of them, but, unfortunately, since the field was wet, the wolf slipped, and fell over
his back. Roderick took his chance, and jumped on top of the wolf, punching, biting,
and hitting him; Wally never tried to fight back, and limited his defense to placing his
arms in front of him, trying to block at least part of the punishment. He didn't want to
hurt her mistresses' boyfriend but he might need to do it to stop Roderick.
	At their observation's point, Danforth was laughing loudly, while Margot was
in shock. She was hesitating about what to do next, when Ruby appeared next to her;
she had received Margot's message, and dashed out the car after reading it.
	"RODERICK RAT, STOP RIGHT NOW!" Rhubella angrily yelled at her
boyfriend. She was so furious, that actually made Roderick to stop. Wally uncovered
his face, and gave her a good look. Even if she was soaked by the rain, and extremely
pissed, Wally thought she looked beautiful.
	"Roddy, you know that this beast is my personal slave! I don't go to your house
to kick your maidens, or bite your butler, so stop hurting him, you hear me? How is he
going to learn to be one of us, if he is scared to even approach to you?" Ruby snapped
at Roddy. He panted, and glared at her. For a moment, it was like a little personal
glaring battle between the rats... and the girl won.
	Roderick, mumbling, stood up, and started walking away, passing next to
Rhubella without saying a word to her, and then exiting the place without saying
anything to the birds as well. Danforth shrugged, and grabbed Margot's arm/wing to
motion her to leave with him. The duckette looked at her friend; Rhubella nodded, and
motioned her to leave. She would be the one attending the wolf. Margot understood,
and left with Danforth.
	"Sorry... about the umbrella... I guess I'll need to wash it as well." Wally said
while painfully standing up. Even if he was used to be beaten by now, and by many
guys at the same time, Roderick managed to give him a few good blows with his
craziness-enhanced strength. Ruby looked at him, and lowered her ears.
	-Poor Wally! Again, he was punished for trying to be nice and obedient, and
yet, he still was doing his best to keep his good nature intact. He was covered by mud,
had a blackened eye and a few bruises, and was apologizing for the umbrella! Right
then, I really wanted to do two things I hadn't done in a long time.-
	-Cry, and wish for Roderick to break a leg.-
	Rhubella picked up her umbrella (also covered by mud), and then walked next
to the wolf. She grabbed his arm, and placed it on her shoulder. Wally gave her a
puzzled look.
	"I can't have an injured pet, right? Come on, I'll give you a ride home... and, if
you know something about first aids, maybe you can tell me how to heal that eye."
Ruby said to the wolf, while giving him a little smile. Wally smiled back, and they
started walking out from the field, with the canine using the rodent for support.
	-I was soaked to the bones and covered with mud... and yet, I felt... well, happy.
It actually felt okay to give him a paw, and even better when he smiled back at me.
That night, I healed his eye, and we even shared a bag of my snacks at his dorm. I left a
little late, and the next morning I had a major cold... but I'm sure I would do it again.-

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	-SHOWING THE FANGS.

	-Because of my cold, I spent the whole Sunday resting at home. Margot gave
me company for a while, but most of the time I was alone, except for Percival, or
Percy, as I like to call him, the family's butler. Since my parents spend so much time
on business trips, a great part of my education comes from him; actually, before
meeting Wally, he was the only servant I treated with some respect.-
	-Wally had that day to rest from both me and Margot, and only had to wash the
uniforms, so I didn't see him either. I was tempted to call him to know if he was fine by
now, but we still were in the "mistress-pet" level, so I couldn't show myself so eager to
hear from him.-
	-I still felt a little sick on Monday's morning, so I skipped school. By noon, I
was feeling much better, and even had lunch with my parents, who luckily had nothing
to do until five o' clock. By three, Margot dropped herself to visit me, and, since I was
practically cold-free by then, we decided to play some basketball.-
	The Rat's family mansion isn't as big as Montana Max's, but it still screams
"big bucks" out loud. The front yard is as normal as any other millionaire's home, but,
on the back yard, next to the pool, there's something many snobbish guys don't have, or
admit to have; a basket hanging from an oak tree. Ruby and Percy hung it themselves
when the rat was seven, and the old guy (who wasn't so old then) taught her how to
play. Right now, it was used by Ruby and Margot, both wearing their basketball's
uniforms.
	"Come on, Mallard! Don't tell me I'm too fast for you!" Ruby said in a fake-
mocking tone, while trying to pass the avian's defense.
	"In your dreams, Rat!" Margot replied, trying to snatch the ball. Unfortunately
for her, Rhubella had a point. From the two of them, Ruby was the more agile, and
eventually handled to pass Margot, and score.
	"Oh, yeah! Oh, God! Oh, oh!" Ruby said happily while dancing a little. Margot
groaned.
	"You are going to do that every time you score?" The avian rolled her eyes.
Ruby smirked.
	"Of course... oh, oh, that's why I say! Oh, oh, I say! Oh, oh, I say!" Ruby sang
while dancing.
	-That's another thing you must know about the Perfectos. We act like the
snobbiest creatures in the world when we are in public, but, in our homes, sometimes
we act like any regular guy, especially when we are in a very good mood.-
	Margot sighed; she was losing by more than 10 points by now. The rat stopped
when she heard the voice of an old gray rat on a butler's outfit.
	"Ehem... Miss Rhubella, as amusing as your dance can be, I must inform you
there's another visitor at home." Percival said in a very formal tone. Ruby smiled.
	"Thanks a lot, Percy. Who is the visitor? Roderick?" Rhubella asked.
	"Luckily, no," Percy said with a little smile. He had never hidden to his young
mistress the fact he disliked Roderick; he actually considered his influence the reason
Rhubella couldn't be a good girl outside the limits of her family's property, and he
wasn't so wrong.
	-Margot and I chuckled. Percy is a very serious guy, but, on his seriousness, he
always had managed to make me smile with these occasional displays of humor. Of
course, I could had liked him to like my boyfriend, but, well, he is like part of my
family, so I had never been able to be angry with him for a long time.-
	"Okay, so, who is the visitor?" Rhubella asked. A moment later, Wally
appeared from behind Percy, leaning respectfully in front of the girls. The females
gasped; they had never expected the wolf to present himself at any of their homes.
	"Wolf? What are... I mean, what brings you here?" Ruby said, covering herself
from using the mistress' tone. She hadn't told Percy about her and Margot's "pet", since
she actually felt bad for mentioning any bad thing she was doing in front of the old
rodent; when he managed to know about these stunts, Ruby had sometimes seen him
with a disappointed look, and, even if she liked to be a major pain to other people, she
never enjoyed being it for the people she cared.
	"Oh, young master Wallace came to bring your books for the homework, Miss
Rhubella. it seems that, since Miss Margot doesn't have the last period with you, she
forgot to bring us the assignment for said class." Percy replied in a very diplomatic
way.
	Margot had to fight the idea of slapping her own forehead; she gave Wally her
homework, and most of Ruby, but forgot about the last class, and Rhubella had those
books at home, so obviously Wally had to get informed about said homework with the
rat's teacher, and then go to Ruby's home for the books to do it (Wally couldn't afford
most of the books the school asked for, so he didn't had those either, and many times
he had to use the ones from his mistresses to do his own homework). To cover himself,
Wally made part of the homework, and then brought the already used books to the
mansion.
	"Oh. Well... thanks a lot, Wolf. Would you like to drink something?" Ruby said
in her most polite tone. Wally smiled.
	"That's not necessary, Miss Rat. I'll leave the moment you give me those books
you kindly agreed to borrow me." Wally replied, again, covering for him and the girls,
so Ruby could give him the books without being suspicious.
	"I'll bring them here, young master. Miss Rhubella, can you inform me about
what books I must retrieve?" Percy asked the young rat.
	"Oh, the big black one on my desk, Percy. Thank you." Ruby answered. Percy
nodded, and then leaned in front of the youngsters before going back to the house. The
trio waited until he was inside to finally talk.
	"Nice guy... look, I'm sorry for coming without asking, but I don't have the
mansion's phone number, and all the phones on this zone are privates, so I couldn't use
the phone book to find it either; plus, your cell phones are off, so I had to track you by
the scent to find the place." Wally excused himself.
	"Wait, why didn't you just ask at school?" Margot asked Wally. The wolf
sighed.
	"Who would I ask? Half of the school can't stand me, and the other half hates
me. Anyway, there's anything else you might need me to do?" Wally asked both girls.
Margot smirked.
	"Oh, yes... well, Ruby is kicking my tail here, and I hate to lose, so... maybe we
can play a two versus one. That way I'll be on the winning side." Margot said with a
knowing look. Ruby and Wally made a double take. Eventually, Rhubella smiled, she
liked the idea.
	"Why not? The pets need to exercise, and slaving isn't classified as a sport, so
we might as well make you pant a little." Ruby said to the canine, while grabbing the
ball. Wally nodded, and, after giving a fast look around to be sure nobody was
watching them, spin-changed into a basketball player's outfit.
	"Okay, Wolf, you are playing against us... and no super speed, or any other of
your tricks, or we'll make you wash our bathrooms." Rhubella informed Wally. The
wolf chuckled a little, and the game started.
	Ruby made a fast pass to Margot, and, in a dashing movement, Wally
intercepted it, and made a clean shot to the hoop. The girls gasped.
	"This is not going to be easy." Ruby said to herself.
	-We actually beat Wally at the end... but only by one point's difference. He
made a great work covering both of us, and Margot and I were having a hard time
trying to make a pass without him getting the ball. That was the most exciting and
funniest game I had in a long time.-
	"Bravo, Miss Rhubella." Ruby turned her head to spot Percy clapping behind
her, right after she made the winning shot. Margot was doing her own victory dance,
and Wally was shocking his head, but smiling as well.
	"Mister Percival, how long had you been watching us?" Wally asked the butler.
	"Oh, you young masters had been playing for almost an hour. I became so
absorbed in the game myself, I just couldn't interrupt your fun. Oh, and Miss Rhubella,
may I suggest you and Miss Margot to have a shower while I lead Master Wallace to
do the same on the guest's bathroom, so you can have a snack before leaving?" Percy
proposed. Margot and Ruby nodded; to keep the facade of Wally being like any other
student, they silently decided to allow him to eat with them, but Wally hesitated. How
was he supposed to cover the fact he spin-changed to have this outfit, since he arrived
without it?
	"Oh, and Master Wallace, you don't need to hide anything. I know you made a
spin-change; otherwise, where would your school's uniform be? Don't worry,
Perfecto's rules aren't Rat Manor's ones." Percival said to the wolf. Wally sighed in
relief, and entered the house, following the butler.
	-That Percy; one day, I'm going to fire him just to have the pleasure of hiring
him back.-
	Wally and the girls had their respective showers, and then a little meal. Percy,
being a rat that worked for other rats, prepared a mostly-cheese variety of snacks for
the youngsters; the exception was a few all-vegetarian and some fish snacks for
Margot, even if Ruby and Wally had a couple of them two. Since Percy was at home,
Ruby decided to make the homework alongside Wally, saying her butler that she and
Margot were the ones helping him.
	-Once we were done, Margot retired. Since she had to attend a family thing that
night, I was the one offering to give Wally a ride to his dorm. Once in the Prep, I
walked him to his room, since I still had to instruct him about his next day's chores,
and noticed that he had hung a few framed pictures on the walls.-
	"Your family?" Ruby asked Wally, pointing at the picture in front of her. It had
a black male wolf that looked a lot like Wally, and a female one, brown-furred, with
their paws on a very young Wally's shoulders.
	"Yes. They're in Yellowstone... I was born in there. I miss them a lot some
times." Wally sighed. Ruby did her best to ignore the sadness on the wolf's tone
(without a significant success), and approached to get a better look at the picture. She
noticed Wally's mother was using a green, white, and red bracelet, that reminded her a
flag.
	"Why she is using a bracelet colored like Mexico's flag?" Ruby asked. Wally
got an uneasy look, but decided to tell her the truth.
	"Well... my mother is Mexican. I had kept it as a secret because, well, if the
guys here treat me like dirt just because I'm not rich, I'll better not risk about knowing
how they treat Latin people who aren't wealthy enough to know Antonio Banderas in
person." Wally admitted.
	-Again, I was feeling guilty. This guy was denying his origins, and swallowing
his pride, to be on a school where he was exploited on a regular basis? And I was
collaborating!-
	"Wally... why studying here? You surely would be happier in Yellowstone, or
even at the Looniversity, as much as I hate to say it; I mean… nobody likes to be
mistreated. It's just that you have no pride?" Ruby asked him, with an upset and
slightly sad expression.
	"Nope. I have a pack. The prides are for lions." Wally said, in a joking tone.
Ruby gave him a weird look, and chuckled a little. Wally waited for her to cool down
again, and became serious.
	"Well... my great-grandpa, Walter, isn't very happy with my dad because he
married a Mexican girl from an un-rich family. I'm like the last chance we have to
finally make him accept us, by agreeing with having me studying here thanks to a
recommendation of my uncle. He is supposed to give me some support... but, truth be
said, most of the money I get these days come from your tips and Miss Mallard's. My
uncle's allowance is hardly enough to buy a hamburger once in a while, and I use the
money my parents send to me to buy some scholar items." Wally informed her while
sitting on his bed.
	"Family is a very important thing to you, right?" Ruby asked while sitting next
to the wolf.
	"Yes. Wolves are social animals; without a pack, well, we just feel incomplete.
The whole "lone wolf" thing sometimes is real, but only for hunting little prey,and
fighting a personal enemy; we crave for a pack's company. And, funny thing, I had
started considering you and Miss Mallard as my surrogate pack... my alphas, for saying
something." Wally said, chuckling.
	-The Alpha is the most important member in a pack, or any other animal
family, as you girls already know, and wolves are very respectful towards him or her. I
guess that explains why he accepted our orders so easily; obeying the Alpha is on his
nature. That also explained why he never tried to fight Roderick back when he snapped
at him; he was my mate... the Alpha's mate, so Wally had to be respectful with him as
well, and he considered every other student as his pack's superior, not as important as
me or Margot, but he couldn't fight them either.-
	"I guess I should go now. Thanks for the extra Zoology's lesson." Ruby said to
Wally while petting his head. The wolf smiled, and the rat exited the room. A second
later, she re-opened the door, and rushed inside.
	"Wolf, you must hide me! I just saw Gunbo and Danforth coming down the
corridor! They can't see me!" Ruby said in a hurry. Wally motioned her to hide on the
most typical place, under the bed. A few seconds later, Wally heard some knocks at his
door, and opened it.
	"Can I do something for you, guys?" Wally directed to Gunbo and Danforth.
	"Well, Wallace, we actually came to see if we could do something for you. You
know Acme defeated us on the Acme Bowl, but we still have chances with the rest of
the season. So, maybe we can make you an offer you can't refuse; anyone that can
stand an almost daily beating is a good adding to our team." Danforth said in a smug
tone. Wally tried to reply, but was silenced by Gunbo, who placed his paw on the
wolf's shoulder.
	"We know you have the whole "I don't cheat" stuff over you, but, maybe, if you
see our special GAME treatment, you'll change your mind. Come with us." Gunbo said
in a friendly tone. Wally was hesitant to go, but he needed to give Ruby a chance to
leave, so decided to go with them.
	-I popped out from under the bed a second after they closed the door. And I
wasn't happy with what I heard. "GAME" is Perfecto's code for Get A Mate Everyday,
an offer made to convince rookies and even students for other schools to accept doing
our dirty job. This "offer" was usually done in the school's spa, with two or three more
experienced students supervising and making the "negotiation". Danforth once
convinced Margot to be the drop-dead gorgeous girl that would seduce the guy; she
hated it, and she hated herself for agreeing. And, at that moment, I felt something
really nasty inside me... I did my best to deny it, but I was jealous. I decided to follow
them at a certain distance, just to be sure. Wally later filled me with the details I
couldn't get.-
	The three males arrived at the spa, and directed to the jaccuzzi's room. Nigel
was already waiting for them inside the tub, wearing a pair of green swimming trunks.
	"Oh, I see you decided to join the party, Wolf. Come on, take a pair of trunks,
and join the fun. The water is delicious." The chicken said in his coolest tone. Wally
and the other two males obeyed, grabbing the trunks that were on a nearby chair, and
entered the water.
	"You see, Wallace, this is the kind of life you can have if you agree to join the
team, and cheat a little for us; great luxury accommodations, gourmet meals... and
gorgeous companions." Gunbo said, trying to convince the wolf.
	Before Wally could say a thing, Danforth whistled, and then, Giselle, Jasmine,
and other two girls, a blond vixen and a red haired rabbit, entered the room by using
the dresser's door, all of them wearing bikinis. Wally gulped when the girls entered the
tub.
	"So, you missed me, chicky boy?" Giselle said to the chicken, while they
rubbed their beaks. Gunbo grabbed the doe by her shoulders, and they started making
out in there. Wally tried to say something, but the vixen silenced him placing her
finger on the wolf's nose.
	"Don't say a thing, wolf boy. Let me do all for you." The fox said in a very
seductive tone. She tried to kiss him, but Wally moved his head, avoiding the girl's
attempts.
	"Look, Miss, you are very attractive but..." Wally was silenced again, but, this
time, by anger. He saw how Danforth and Jasmine were cuddling, and he started
kissing her.
	"Excuse me, Mister Drake, but if I remember right, you are Miss Mallard's
boyfriend; how can you do this to her?" Wally said, shoving the vixen aside. Danforth
chuckled.
	"Come on, buddy, we're just having fun! And why do you care about me
cheating on a girl that exploits you all day? Relax with your girl!" Danforth said in a
careless tone. Wally had enough, and jumped out from the tub. He still had his collar,
so he placed his paw on the tag while directing to the Perfectos.
	"I'm not going to support anyone who does that kind of thing! Despite the way
you had been ignoring her lately, Miss Mallard still has feelings for you, Mister Drake,
and you should respect that! This tag says I'm her property, as well as Miss Rat's, so I'll
take her side! I don't care if you beat me everyday; that's my decision!" Wally snapped
at the duck, and then put back his uniform.
	"What a loser!" The vixen said, offended.
	"Maybe he enjoys being a loser, dear. He is nobody," Nigel said, in a mocking
tone.
	"Let him go. He's so insignificant, he's no menace. I mean, even if he opens his
mouth, Margot will surely hear me instead of her pet." Danforth said while kissing the
swan.
	SLAM!
	Everybody jumped in surprise, and looked at the door, where a really pissed
Ruby was glaring at Danforth. She had heard Wally's speech, as well as the Perfectos'
reaction.
	"And how about her best friend, you scum? Danforth, you are more a rat than
I'll ever be!" Ruby said in rage, and then charged against him. The duck gulped, as well
as the chicken and the other girls; Rhubella was really terrible when angry.
	Unfortunately for her, Ruby didn't scare one guy. Gunbo calmly jumped out of
the tub, and, when Ruby threw a punch at him, he simply grabbed her by the wrist, and
twisted it in a very painful position, forcing her to kneel.
	"Cool down, Rhubella. You don't want to make me angry, right?" The hybrid
said in calm yet menacing tone, while tightening his grip. Rhubella whined in pain.
	Luckily for her, she wasn't alone.
	"Now, if we can... OURGH!" Gunbo whined in pain himself; Wally was
grabbing his wrist, forcing him to release Ruby. The rat rubbed her ached wrist, and
moved a few feet back. Wally was snarling at Gunbo.
	"Maybe you didn't hear me the first time. I am Miss Mallard's dog... and hers as
well!" Wally said while pointing at Ruby. "That means I obey them, watch for their
comfort, and protect their backs. So, you'd better apologize, and never use that paw
again to hurt her, or I'll chew and spit it!" Wally said, furiously, while eying Gunbo.
The hybrid snarled back.
	-It was a really scary scene. I liked the fact Wally protected me, but Gunbo was
a skilled fighter, plus being a couple of inches taller. And, by the looks of both of
them, nothing would stop them for fighting.-
	"Here is my answer, Low-Life!" Gunbo threw a punch against Wally, hitting
him right on his jaw. The hybrid threw another one, but Wally handled to block it.
Then, the hybrid threw a couple of high kicks, and Wally blocked them as well.
Everyone else gasped, even Ruby.
	Gunbo got furious, and started throwing a series of high-speed punches and
kicks to Wally. However, he was blocking or dodging most of them, and, since he was
used to receive the attack of the whole football team on a regular basis, the wolf easily
resisted the few hits the hybrid could connect. And, this time, Wally wasn't fighting
Ruby or Margot's mate, but someone who had attacked one of his alphas, so he wasn't
holding back his strength.
	"This is impossible! I learned martial arts from skilled assassins!" Gunbo
snarled, and threw a kick to Wally's head. The wolf grabbed his leg, and drew back his
free fist.
	"And I learned boxing and wrestling... FROM GRIZZLY BEARS!" Wally
growled before throwing his first attack.
	WHAM! WHACK! POW! THUD! BIFF! THUD! PAS! ZAS!...
	-Now, that was a new experience for both me and Gunbo; for me, being
defended by my pet, and for him, getting a job as a living punching bag.-
	KAAAWHHHAMMM!
	Wally's last punch was so powerful, it sent Gunbo flying across the room, and
the hybrid ended flattened against the wall the other side of it. The jaws/beaks of the
toons inside the tub fell, and they got panicked expressions. A moment later, Wally
stood on four legs, and started growling and snarling at them, while slowly
approaching the tub.
	"D...down... down boy! SIT! STOP!" Nigel, hiding himself behind Giselle and
Jasmine, tried to order the wolf to stop advancing, but he obviously was terrified.
	"RUBY! STOP HIM, PLEASE!" Danforth yelled in panic, while placing his
arms/wings in front of his face in defense. Ruby smiled, enjoying the show, but
decided to stop Wally anyway.
	"Calm down, boy." Rhubella said to the wolf while walking next to him. Wally
kept his expression, but sat down. Ruby gave him a friendly scratch on his ears,
making him to finally smile again.
	"Good wolf. Now, about you... I'll tell Margot everything, you know? And, of
course, I must do something for the damage done to my wrist." Rhubella told the guys
in the water, with an evil grin.
	"Wolf, please block the jacuzzi's ducts." Ruby said while crossing her arms and
smiling at Wally; he nodded, and stood up; he noticed a few towels next to him, and
used them to block the ducts that made the water to flow inside the tub. Meanwhile,
Rhubella decided to manipulate the tub's controls. She started reading the buttons.
	"Let's see... Normal... Deep Relaxation... Wild Party...oh, here it is!
Experimental Tsunami Power!" Ruby exclaimed, and then pushed the last button. A
moment later, the rat ran to the door, whistling to Wally to make him follow her.
Wally dashed outside, right after giving a fast bite to the controls so nobody could turn
off the jacuzzi.
	The tub seemed to be alive! The water started moving violently, shaking the
toons inside the tub, and after a few seconds...
	WHHHHOOOOOSSSSSHHH!
	The room, and the whole spa, got flooded. The Perfectos had to do a major
effort to breathing properly; the only one who didn't notice was Gunbo, since he
remained unconscious; luckily, he was floating over his back. Rhubella and Wally
were watching the whole scene, and hearing the screams and grunts, from a certain
distance; they were both laughing.
	"Miss Rat, that was brilliant! I guess none of them will approach the spa for a
while!" Wally said between laughs. A moment later, his laughter became quieter, and
looked at Ruby with concerned eyes.
	"He didn't hurt your wrist, right?" Wally asked the rat. Ruby stopped laughing
as well, and started rubbing her wrist with her other paw.
	"Is a little sore, but I can move it without any troubles; thanks a lot for
protecting me." Ruby said with a little smile. Wally couldn't help but blush slightly.
	"It was both my duty and my pleasure. I mean, receiving insults? I can take
them. Being beaten? I heal fast; you being insulted or hurt? No with me around."
Wally said while pointing at himself. Ruby smiled widely.
	"Wolf, I know that sometimes Margot and I take a lot of advantage of your
situation, but... I must say, you're the best assistant we could ever have." Ruby honestly
admitted. Wally smiled her back.
	"And now... I might need your assistance again. I'm not totally satisfied with
the whole "wet-revenge" I had." Ruby said, smirking. Wally raised an eyebrow.
	"What do you have in mind?" Wally asked. Ruby rubbed her chin.
	"Well... do you feel strong enough for a little spin-change?" Ruby said, keeping
her smirk.
	A moment later, Danforth's chauffer (a white pig), who was in the parking lot,
sitting next to his limousine, waiting for his master, felt a little wind around the
vehicle, which was weird because it had been a very quiet night with no wind at all.
Anyway, in the darkness, he didn't notice a red blur that grabbed his cell phone, added
a new contact, and placed it back into the pig's pocket, all in less than a second.
	Ruby walked into the parking lot a few seconds later. Since she parked her car
next to the exit that was the closest to the dorms, it wasn't spotted by the other
Perfectos when they arrived on first place. She drove close to the limo, waving bye to
the chauffer, who nodded in reply.
	A few minutes later, Danforth and his companions, all with dry clothing,
arrived at the parking lot. Gunbo had to be helped by the vixen and the rabbit, since he
still was a little stunned because of the fight. The pig opened the limo's doors, allowing
the Perfectos to enter, and then he entered the vehicle to drive. However, the engine
wasn't working.
	"What's the problem, idiot? The limo was working perfectly when we arrived!"
Danforth said with an accusation's tone. The pig tried again, but it was useless; the car
wasn't moving.
	The pig walked down from the car, and checked the engine himself, not finding
anything wrong. Danforth walked down himself, and started yelling at him.
	"If you can't fix it, imbecile, call someone who can! Quick!" Danforth said,
snarling. The chauffer nodded, and took out his cell phone to contact the car service.
	"Hello? Yes, I'm calling from the parking lot of Perfecto Prep. My master's car
isn't working, and we need service ASAP. You're on your way? Thank you." The pig
ended the communication, and directed to his master.
	"The mechanics will be here any..." The pig was cut by an old red van that
entered the lot at that moment...
	SMASH!
	And ran over Danforth.
	"... minute." The pig, stunned, ended talking. A moment later, two duck-billed
creatures, with beaver's tails, and wearing working clothing, jumped down the van; one
of them was wearing big glasses.
	"We're sorry about that, sir. The illumination in this lot is really deficient." The
glassed one said.
	"Certainly, Timothy. Well, don't worry; we'll fix the limousine in no time." The
other one replied while looking at Danforth.
	"I agree with you, Daniel. Because there's no work too hard..." Timothy said to
his sibling.
	"... or too simple, for..." Daniel continued, and then both guys chorused.
	"The Platypus Brothers!" The platypuses said with a smile, and then they
rushed next to the limo. The pig, on the meantime, helped his master to go back to his
webbed feet.
	"Oh, and please, sign here." Daniel passed a piece of paper and a pen to
Danforth. Stunned, he signed without asking. The platypus then moved next to his
brother, and started checking the engine.
	"Hey, look at this engine! It might cost more than our house, Daniel." Tim said,
excited, while removing some parts of the machine.
	"Without any doubt, oh, great Henry Ford's pupil. It will be a pleasure to put
this baby back into the road." Daniel, equally excited, removed a few more parts.
	"Oh, I really admire how well you express by using the classical mechanical
talking, my estimated brother." Timothy said while he and Daniel removed together
the radiator. The other perfectos walked down the limo, and stood next to Drake and
the chauffer; they all were shocked. In less than one minute, the platypus had handled
to remove almost the whole machinery!
	"Oh, here's the problem. You lack a plug." Timothy pointed to Drake. The duck
gasped.
	"You disabled my car, just because of a simple plug?" Drake asked in shock.
	"Yes... unfortunately, since this is a highly expensive car, the plugs aren't like
the common ones we now have with us, so we'll need to go back home to pick the right
one. Don't worry, we'll get the engine back in one piece in a snap." Daniel said.
	"Actually, that might take a little more, since it's always harder to put the pieces
back together. Anyway, we'll be glad to give the rest of you a ride to your homes so
you don't need to wait here with Mister Drake." Timothy said, while motioning the
girls, Gunbo, and Nigel to go to the back of the van. The perfectos groaned, but agreed
to do it; six toons used to travel in a limo, now trying to fit in the back of a van, filled
up with spare parts and various junk, it was an hilarious view.
	"Oh, and before you yell, or something, I must remind you that we have a
signed contract that allows us to do anything we need to repair the car. Okay, we'll be
back in a while." Daniel pointed to Danforth. Then, he and his brother jumped inside
the van, and accelerated...
	SMASH!
	... passing over Danforth again.
	"Definitely, the illumination is terrible here." Daniel's voice was heard while
the van exited the lot.
	At a distance, Ruby and Wally (on his Wolflash's identity) were laughing
loudly inside her car. Thanks to the rat's camera, that had a very good zoom and a night
vision's mode, they could see the whole scene.
	"Wolf... you made a great job! Where... is the plug?" Ruby said, between
laughs.
	"I... placed it down the car...they only needed to search next to the back tires to
spot it!" Wally replied, laughing as well. His answer made Ruby laugh even louder.
	"One question, Miss Rat... how did you get the number of those two?" Wally
asked, finally starting cooling down.
	"Oh, I met them casually when my car had a problem last summer. They were
driving their van, and spotted me when the car was failing, so they offered to give it a
look. They actually repaired it, but it took them almost two hours to put back all the
pieces in the right places. They gave me their card, and I conserved it, just in case I
ever wanted to do something like this." The rat explained, cooling down as well as
Wally spin-changed back to normal.
	"Well, I usually don't like doing mean things, but I guess those guys deserved
it." Wally said, smiling. The rat smirked.
	"Oh, so something of myself is rubbing on you, uh? Maybe you're not totally
hopeless, Wallace." Ruby said while placing a paw on the wolf's shoulder. Wally
blushed slightly.
	"One question, Wolf... without the whole "cheating on Margot" factor... you
think you might have accepted that fox's offer?" Ruby said in serious tone, avoiding
the eye contact with Wally. The wolf sighed.
	"No, I really doubt it. Sure, I like when a pretty girl shows me some affection...
but one thing you must know about most wolves is that we are very selective when
choosing our mates, because we pair for life. Once we get a couple, we stick to that
relationship for the rest of our lives. The moment I get a serious relationship, it will
probably be the first, only, and last I'll ever have... because I'll live entirely dedicated to
that girl." Wally said in a serious tone, smiling to Ruby at the last part.
	Ruby looked at his eyes, and they both stared for a moment. They moved a
little closer, until their lips were just a couple of inches apart. However, they realized
it, and moved back. Wally rubbed the back of his head, while Rhubella grabbed the
car's wheel, and they both took a deep breath.
	"Guess I'll better go. See you tomorrow, Miss Rat. Thanks for the laughs."
Wally said in his usual polite tone. Ruby nodded, and the wolf exited the car. They
waved bye to each other, and he walked to his dorm.
	-I saw him walking back to his room... and started wondering about what
almost happened. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment, or the gratitude I felt for
him protecting me. Or maybe he was making a difference on me, even bigger than the
one I claimed to do on him. Perhaps I only missed having a nice guy caring for me, as
Roderick used to do when we started dating. But, right then, I was only sure of one
thing.-
	"Someday, Wallace, you'll make a girl so happy, you'll be amazed. And I hope
she will make you happy as well... because you deserve it." The young rat said in a low
voice, sighing, and finally realizing she had called him by his first name again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	
	(AN: On this chapter, some of the other girls will interrupt the narration to talk
with Rhubella. I'll make clear when that happen. The rest of the narration, of course,
will be from Ruby's POV Also, I'll make reference to one of The J.A.M.'s stories.)

	-A TIME FOR ADVICE.

	-For the next two weeks, I had Wally almost totally for myself. This happened
because Danforth had to do his best to get Margot's forgiveness (he still cared a little
about her then), and she made him her own slave during that time. Of course, he
excused himself saying that everything was just a facade to finally make Wally a
cheater and a bully, as the rest of the students, but, even if that was true, Margot really
made him work hard.-
	-Anyway, Wally started going to my home at times, to help me with the
homework... okay, he was doing all the homework, but I entertained him with stories
about my family and the other Perfectos; he always laughed every time I mentioned an
occasion when any of his usual bullies made a fool of themselves.-
	-He also started receiving a little respect from the other guys. Sure, they still
insulted him a lot, and sometimes played pranks on him, but nobody dared going so far
against him. Only an idiot would look for a fight with the guy that beat Gunbo.
Unfortunately, this had a bad effect as well... maybe I should skip this part.-
	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	CUT ON THE NARRATION.
	"Why? The story is going well!" Babs interrupted Ruby.
	"Yes... but I might re-open some old injuries if I say what happened next. And
you girls will go back to hate me."
	"Hey, don't worry, Ruby. We all know you were a bad girl... and certainly, I
dislike hearing about how you and the other Perfectos mistreated Wally, but you had
changed; you already have our forgiveness, and our friendship as well, or some junk."
Shirley assured the rat.
	Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	BACK TO THE NARRATION.
	-sigh- Thanks, Shirley... okay, I'll continue. By that time, it was almost the
basketball's season, and Perfecto would soon face Acme. Roderick, of course, got
interested on me again by those dates... or in the money he could get by betting.-
	Wally carried Ruby, bridal style, to her seat at their classroom, placing her
gently on the chair. Before he could go to his own, Roderick approached them.
	"Hey, Wolf, wait! I need to talk with you and your mistress." Roddy said.
Wally stopped, and he and Ruby looked at Roderick, puzzled.
	"Why do you need to do that, Roddy?" Rhubella asked, showing a lot of
interest. This was the first time in weeks that her boyfriend wanted to have a talk with
her, and he wanted to have Wally there?
	"Well, Danforth told me about the little misunderstanding you had on the spa."
Roderick was cut by Ruby.
	"He was making out with a girl who isn't Margot, and one of his companions
tried to break my arm. I wouldn't call that a "misunderstanding", Roderick." Rhubella
said in a dry tone. Roddy shrugged.
	"Whatever, the point is that this coward..." Roderick pointed to Wally, and then
directed back to Ruby, "fought for you, and actually defeated one of the toughest guys
in the Prep. Very impressive, Wolf; you are really loyal to my girl and Margot, right?"
Roderick said to Wally.
	"Yes, Mister Rat. I am their pet, and it's my job to defend and help them,
unless, of course, it involves something illegal. Is part of our "mistresses-pet"
agreement," Wally explained.
	-Canine loyalty. You must love that.-
	"Oh, that's good. Don't worry; I only want Ruby to allow you to act the way
wolves naturally do. Tell me... when was the last time you had a good fresh piece of
meat?" Roddy asked. Wally shrugged.
	"I'm trying to cut the fresh meat from my diet. I eat the fake soy meat that's
usually sold in this city, and Miss Rat gives me many cheese-based snacks; I like those
a lot. Anyway, I can't allow me to eat fresh meat because many guys on the school are
from eatable species, and it would be disrespectful to eat the same meat they have on
their bodies." Wally answered. Roderick placed a paw on his shoulder.
	"Oh, that's very generous from you. Well, I might allow you to have a good
meal, and we'll not feel offended for it. Maybe you don't want to eat a duck, because of
the respect you have for Margot... but maybe a rabbit, or two... or some pork... or deer,
one of your species' natural preys. Maybe you can play the part of the wolf from "Little
Red Riding Hood", and eat a human girl. And, if I remember right, you wolves can eat
smaller predators, like cats or coyotes." Roddy said with an evil smile. Wally got a
surprised look, and Rhubella gasped.
	"Roderick, you want Wally to eat the students from Acme!" Ruby said, in a
half-angry, half-scared tone. Wally gasped as well.
	"Why not? That's what wolves do, and he can't be jailed for acting according to
his nature. And, if you ask him to do it, he'll obey." Roderick said, smirking at
Rhubella. Wally gave her a begging look; he didn't want to disobey her, and that order
would make him to do it.
	SLAP!
	Rhubella got a furious look, and slapped Roderick, with her face red by rage.
The male rat fell to the ground, stunned, and the girl snapped at him.
	"How can you ask me to do that, Roderick? Had you forgotten about last year?
We almost did an irreplaceable damage to someone, and you promised we would never
do something that hideous again!" Ruby said, with tears on her eyes, and dashed out
from the classroom. Wally gave Roddy a nasty look, and resisting the impulse of
beating him to a pulp, ran to the door, following Ruby.
	Rhubella jumped inside her car, and covered her eyes with both paws, sobbing.
Wally approached the car with a concerned look, and tapped the window.
	"Please, if you are Roderick, just leave before I slap you again... and, if you're
anyone else, this is not your business, so go!" Rhubella snapped, without uncovering
her eyes.
	"And... what about me?" Wally asked. Ruby looked at him, with reddish eyes
because of the tears, and softened her expression. Wally lowered his ears.
	"You know, you can tell anything to a pet, and he will not judge you. It's on the
job's description." Wally told her. Ruby sniffed, and allowed him to enter the car. The
wolf offered her a tissue so she could clean her face. The rat girl didn't say a thing for a
minute; Wally only stared at her, placing his paw on Ruby's shoulder.
	"Last year... I almost killed one student from Acme." Rhubella finally said.
Wally gulped, but allowed her to continue without interruptions. Ruby sighed, and
explained.
	"There's one guy at Acme... a Mexican, like your mom. He is a jaguar... and he
had problems with Montana Max, their local villain. He wanted to get even on this cat,
and got help from another student, an avian... as well as Roderick's and mine. Of
course, he promised us a good amount of cash for doing it." Rhubella paused.
	-Money... as if we didn't already have enough of that.-
	"The plan was simple... shooting this cat from different angles with tranquilizer
guns, and then skin him alive and send the feline back to Mexico, unconscious. It was
the most sickening thing I had ever agreed to do, but we would do it with the help of
two guys trained in toon tricks, so they could skin the feline without really hurting him.
But we didn't count with one girl... Mary Melody." Rhubella sighed, and started crying
again. She cleaned herself with another tissue Wally passed to him.
	"She... she spotted us right before we could shot the darts, and dashed to save
the jaguar. She used her body as a shield, and... we got her instead. We used a dosage
strong enough to knock out an elephant, and, for Mary, was a nearly lethal one. She
ended in a coma." Ruby's voice was filled with anger, sadness, and guilt, all at the
same time.
	"She recovered, almost by miracle... but I felt so bad, so stupid, so... dirty. I
mean, I hate those guys from Acme, but not enough to kill any one of them, not even
my worst enemies, and I almost did it! Roderick noticed how much it affected me, and
promised to never, ever, get ourselves involved in any stunt that dangerous. He
obviously forgot his promise." Rhubella ended with a sad sigh.
	"And... you apologized for that?" Wally finally talked again. Ruby shook her
head.
	"No. I tried to repair my mistake once... you see, Gunbo heard about our
failure, and decided to hunt this jaguar himself. I discovered him, and... I paid 20 grand
to convince the guy to never try hunting the feline. It helped me a little with the guilt...
but it hadn't gone completely." Rhubella smiled weakly, but returned to her sad face
immediately.
	"Wallace... I want to ask you something... not as your mistress, but as if I were
a random girl who just confessed you her meanest action ever... What's your opinion
about me?" Rhubella asked, keeping her head down. Wally placed one paw under the
rat's chin, and lifted her head to see Ruby's eyes.
	"Well... I think that was a terrible thing to even considering doing it. But... I'm
watching the eyes of a girl who is truly sorry for her actions. A girl who had played the
villain's role for a very long time, but still has some good inside her, because,
otherwise, you wouldn't be this affected. And, if you are wondering about if I hate
you... no, I doubt I'll ever be able to do that." Wally said in a very sincere tone.
Rhubella's eyes watered and she hugged him for a while, until the tears stopped.
	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	CUT ON THE NARRATION.
	"Mary... I know you already forgave me... but I want to do this again. I'm truly
sorry for doing that, and there's no day I don't feel bad for grabbing that gun on first
place. I can say "I'm sorry" a million times... and still, it will not be enough..."
	"Ruby... I already said this, and, if it makes you feel better, I'll say it a million
times. I forgive you. That was a terrible experience for me, but, instead of being sorry
for our past fights, I want to enjoy our present friendship." Mary said in a very kind
tone, and she and Ruby hugged for a minute, until the rat calmed enough to continue
her story. The other girls got silent during this minute, sobbing a little as well.
	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	BACK TO THE NARRATION.
	Once Rhubella was a little more in control of herself, she returned to her
classroom, with Wally closely behind her. The girl ignored Roderick for the rest of the
day, and actually avoided him for two days, until Roddy kneeled in front of her to beg
for forgiveness. Rhubella made him promise again to never, ever, ask her to do
something that could lead to anyone's elimination. After that, their relationship
returned to normal... as normal as it had been the last months.
	One week later, Perfecto Prep's basketball team had a game against Acme. This
match was programmed to be on the Loo's gym, so the Perfectos arrived there on their
fancy cars, except the team, who used a special bus that looked more like an airplane's
first-class section. While the girls went to the dressing room, Margot ordered Wally to
stay at the door, watching for possible pranksters or peeping toms.
	-And he found one... but not from Acme. Wally told me about this the next
day.-
	Wally was on his place, alert for anything suspicious, and detected a particular
scent. It was Nigel Silverbill's cologne, a very strong one, and the smell was coming
from the next corridor. The wolf decided to take a look, and discovered both Nigel and
Danforth, placing a little round object in one of the gym's air vents.
	"Are you sure this will work, Silverbill?" Drake asked the chicken.
	"Of course I am. According to the data we got, this is the vent that goes right
into the Loosers' dressing room. And my uncle said that the gas this device releases
can make an Olympic runner to move like a turtle after just a few seconds of inhaling
it. Trust me; our team will beat these stupid girls without breaking a sweat." Nigel told
the duck, and activated the device; then, he closed the vent, and both villains ran down
the corridor.
	Wally jumped out from his hiding place, and opened the vent. He took a deep
breath, inhaling the gas that was already in the vent, and then placed the device next to
his jaws. The wolf blew the gas back into the object, and then covered it with a little
blue towel he brought with him in case any of the girls would need to clean her sweat.
He decided to place the device inside a nearby plant pot, and get rid of it after the
game.
	Wally sighed in relief, but, even if he returned most of the gas into the device,
he felt a little tired because of it. Wally walked back to his watching place, and
knocked the door. Rhubella popped her head out.
	"Any problem, Wolf?" The rat asked. Wally shook his head.
	"No... but I got a little dizzy for something I smelled around here. I just want to
ask you or Miss Mallard for permission to go buy myself a coffee or something."
Wally said. Ruby noticed he actually seemed to be a little tired.
	"Oh, well... sure, but hurry up, okay? We might have water boys to attend us,
but Margot and I feel more comfortable when you're the one serving us." Rhubella
said, smiling a little at the last part. Wally chuckled, and, after thanking the rat, walked
away, looking for the snacks' stand.
	Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	CUT ON THE NARRATION.
	"Actually, I think I know this part." Mary said to Rhubella.
	"Yes, I imagined him would tell you just like Wally told me later any part of
this story I wasn't present to witness. I guess Wally and I were lucky for not having
your boyfriend around when he entered the Loo, or everyone could have known about
our relationship and his past as one Perfecto before time."
	Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	BACK TO THE NARRATION.
	Wally found the stand, which was attended by a pretty looking purple rabbit
with blond hair. She had a name tag on the left part of the chest. The wolf approached,
and read it.
	"Excuse me, Miss... Binky, can you please give me a black coffee?" Wally
asked, rubbing his forehead while trying to fight back the gas' effects.
	"Sure. Just wait a minute, please. You're the first one who asks for a coffee
today, and I haven't turned on the coffee machine," Binky Bunny replied. Wally
nodded, and sat in a nearby plastic chair.
	A moment later, a yellow-orange feline toon, about an inch or two taller than
Wally, approached the stand. He was covered by a generous amount of spots, and
seemed to be a little corpulent, but most of his body was covered by an over-sized
black shirt with the legend "Hecho en Mexico" written in front of it. He was also
wearing a large watch, and a gold Cross and a David's Star hanging from his neck.
Wally immediately deduced he was the jaguar Rhubella had tried to capture before.
	"Good evening, Binky, can you please give me four hot-dogs with everything
on them, four sodas, three bags of popcorn, two sandwiches, and one bag of almond
M&M's?" The feline asked the rabbit. Binky blinked, stunned.
	"Uh... can you repeat it again... slowly?" the girl said while rubbing the back of
her head, and smiling widely. The jaguar sighed, but smiled back, and passed her a
piece of paper.
	"I imagined this might happen, so I wrote everything right here," the predator
told her. Binky sighed in relief, and started preparing his order. At that moment, the
jaguar noticed the wolf; actually, he noticed him the moment he arrived at the stand,
but hadn't said a thing since he was using Perfecto's uniform, and was expecting the
canine to be rude or snobby.
	"Eh... hi... are you a student here?" Wally finally asked the feline, a little
nervous. The larger predator decided to be polite as well, and introduce himself.
	"Yes, sir; oh, let me introduce myself. Good evening. I AM THE J.A.M." The
feline said, offering his paw to the wolf. He did, naturally, keep a wary eye on the
canine, just out of the corner of his eye. Despite being surrounded by friends, he wasn't
about to let his guard down whenever a Perfecto was around, not after…that incident
on the street.
	Wally shook the paw, and noticed how the feline rotated an ear toward him,
now having confirmed that this was indeed the jaguar that Ruby had mentioned.
	"Wallace Wolf... and you must check your watch.. It's just four o' clock." Wally
said, introducing himself. Binky overheard them.
	"Uh...‘evening'? That was a joke? I didn't get it." The girl asked, puzzled. The
J.A.M. chuckled.
	"No, Binky, it was just a comment," the feline told her, and Binky went back to
work.
	"Friend of yours?" Wally asked the jaguar, in perfect Spanish. The jaguar
suddenly turned, surprised at hearing not only perfect Spanish, but a particular accent,
probably Chiapaneco (from Chiapas, a Mexican state).
	"Yeeeesssss… are you from Mexico, too?" The J.A.M asked, also in Spanish,
though still wary of the Perfectoid. The wolf shook his head.
	"No, I'm from Yellowstone, but my mom is Mexican, so I speak a little Spanish
as well. Maybe we should go back to talk in English... I don't think it's very polite to do
it in front of the girl, you know, speaking in a language she doesn't understand." Wally
suggested. The jaguar nodded, finally straightening his ears at the rather
uncharacteristic politeness—and submissiveness, as the wolf's flat ears showed—from
this Perfectoid.
	"Okay. Do you realize you're a lot more polite than most Perfectos? Or at least,
those I had met treat everyone as dirt," the jaguar told the wolf. Wally sighed.
	"You're not so wrong, believe me. I'm only attending the Prep because of my
grandpa, but yes, I'm not very liked by most of the students. The only ones that tolerate
me are two girls." Wally smiled a little at the last part. The jaguar noticed then the tag
on the canine's collar, and read it.
	"Rhubella Rat and Margot Mallard?" The J.A.M read out loud, puzzled. The
wolf was silently praying for him not knowing about the identity of his attackers;
though actually, since the jaguar had been told by Mary that Ruby was one of the
snipers, he suddenly lowered his ears again. This wolf was familiar with
that…ratmaid?
	"Yes... you see, since the guys at Perfecto are kind of aggressive with me
because I'm not a rich toon, I agreed to be these girls' pet/servant, so that the other
students would stop messing with me. Sometimes they make me work a lot, but it's not
so bad. I actually like having them around." Wally admitted.
	"Pet? Servant? They don't mistreat or humiliate you…or…ask for any…TTBS-
type favors?" The jaguar asked, concerned, now being more wary about collar than the
Perfectoid.
	"Nope... look, these girls aren't exactly angels, but they're not that bad either.
Miss Mallard really treats me like a pet, but at least considers me a nice pet, so she is
never rude or something like that. And Rhubella—I mean—Miss Rat, well, she has
defended me a couple of times... and maybe... just maybe... she considers me a little
like a friend, or at least as a servant she is getting fond with." Wally said, looking
down, but smiling.
	The J.A.M. seemed to relax a bit. Maybe the Perfectoids needed toons like him
for menial work, and the wolf seemed sincere enough. He wasn't expecting another
mega-dart, but even this fellow carnivore didn't deserve to be a servant of a rodent or
an avian.
	"Well... that's fine, I suppose, but you should do something about the ‘being-a-
pet' thing. I had a few problems with that when I entered the Loo because of being a
predator, but I made some very good friends from day one, and now, well, I'm in good
terms with most of my classmates. Your classmates should treat you like a friend, or at
least respect you, without you using that collar," the jaguar pointed out. Wally sighed
again.
	"It's not that easy. I made a promise to both my grandpa and the girls, and you
know, the whole dog-like loyalty is very strong in me, so I can't just leave. Besides, I
think I might have a good influence on these girls... and Miss Rat needs it the most.
She had done some very nasty things in the past, but now she is having some remorse
for them." Wally explained. The J.A.M stood back a bit at that. Rhubella Rat, feeling
remorse over what she did to Mary and him? He placed a paw on the wolf's shoulder.
	"That's very noble from you... however... look, I'm not a wolf, so I don't
understand loyalty the same way you do, but, if I can show-off a little, I can assure you
I'm a very loyal guy. The difference is that I only offer my loyalty to those who deserve
it. If your grandpa really deserves this kind of respect, then he must understand you
aren't totally happy with your situation, and support you with your decisions. The same
can be said about your ‘mistresses': if they consider you a friend, and that ratmaid
really is regretting her behavior, they must support you as well, and, if you want to
leave the Prep, accept your decision." Wally pondered about the speech for a moment,
and nodded.
	"I'll think about it, promise. By the way, can you tell me the requirements to
enter the Looniversity... just in case?" Wally asked the jaguar.
	Binky gave Wally his coffee, and told the jaguar that his order was almost
done. The feline lifted his shirt a bit, revealing a black leather kangaroo pouch, took a
little card out from the pouch, and gave it to the wolf.
	"Here's the Looniversity's phone number. You can call from Monday to Friday,
between 9 and 2, to ask for information; Sylvia will attend you, a very nice lady, by the
way. Of course, you might call her Mrs. Cat, because only the students call the staff by
the first name. One suggestion, though: try to practice some toon tricks by your own,
so when you do the practical test, you can get advanced placement. Otherwise, you'll
need to start as a freshman, and I don't think you'll like to be the only seventeen-year
old guy in a classroom filled with thirteen-year old toons. That's a mockery magnet in
this or any other school." The jaguar told him in a friendly tone while Binky handled
the wolf his coffee. Wally thanked and paid Binky, and took a sip to clear his head
(even if the chat helped him a lot to keep himself alert), and shook paws with the
feline.
	"Thanks, man... I mean, thanks, mister jaguar. Trust me; I'll give a good use to
this card. I'll better go, the game is about to start." The wolf said.
	"Well, I'm not very fond of sports; that's why I offered to buy the snacks.
Actually, the only reason I come to these games is to spend some time with my friends,
and support my girlfriend. She is one of the best players." The J.A.M commented, with
a little smile at the end. The wolf chuckled.
	"Okay, see you later, I hope." The wolf said while moving away and waving
bye.
	The jaguar waved back. "And, as a classmate, I hope too, mister Wolf."
	"You can call me Wally, if you want. What's your name again?" Wally asked.
	The jaguar smiled and replied, "Until next time, remember, I AM THE J.A.M."
with a little echo at the end. The wolf chuckled, hoping he could learn to do that effect
with his voice, but, since wolf's howls have almost no echo, he decided to concentrate
on improving his usual tricks.
	-Wally arrived back at the gym just in time for the game's start. Must of you
girls know the details about this game, but, since Gos and Hillary weren't around here
by that time, I guess I can narrate it to them.-


Part 2-
 GAME TIME.

	"HELLO, EVERYONE! WELCOME TO THE ACME LOONIVERSITY
GYM, FOR THE GAME BETWEEN OUR LOCAL TEAM, AND PERFECTO
PREP! I'M LOUD KIDDINGTON..." The brown-haired boy, wearing a green shirt and
black short pants, directed to the public in a very loud voice, from the table assigned to
the game's commentators. He was cut by an afro-American girl, a couple of years
younger than Mary, with curly hair arranged in two large buns, and wearing a yellow
shirt and blue pants. She placed her hand on the boy's mouth, and directed to the public
as well.
	"And I'm Aka Pella... reminding my partner about watching his voice's volume,
especially when I'm this close to him!" The girl said, slightly upset, while covering her
left ear with her free hand. She then retired her hand from Loud's mouth. He gave an
apologetic look at her.
	"Sorry. I guess this is why you are always the one with the microphone." Loud
said in a very shy tone; Aka smiled at him, and gave the boy a little kiss on his cheek,
making Loud to blush. The girl then directed her attention to the court.
	"And now, Acme Team is entering!" Aka said, excited.
	"I see them. I see them. I see them..." Loud started saying in a dull voice while
getting a bored face. Aka rolled her eyes, but smiled.
	"Okay, Loud, you can increase the volume a little... just remember, no
screaming. Last time you broke all the Loo's windows with the sonic boom." Aka said
in a joking tone; Loud chuckled, and introduced the girls.
	"With the Number Five... The Terror of Pets... Elmyra Duff!" The boy
introduced Elmyra, who giggled at the cheering crowd.
	"Number Four... what a loon she is... Shirley The Loon!" Shirley waved hello
to the crowd while receiving the cheer.
	"Number Three... Le Gorgeous Skunkius... Fifi La Fume!" Fifi, who was using
a little necklace, entered the court blowing kisses to the crowd. She stopped when
spotted Calamity at the bleachers, and blew him a big one right after blinking an eye to
the coyote. Cal turned as red as a tomato, and took out a large sign reading "FIFI
NUMBER 1 FAN" on it.
	"Number Two... The Cameo and The Court Queen... Mary Melody!" Mary
entered the court, directing a fast look to her boyfriend, who was on the third line. The
J.A.M stood up on his seat to clap and whistle at her; the feline even roared a little bit,
making some of his classmates to jump in surprise.
	"And, with the Number One... Half of the "No-Relation" Team... Babs Bunny!"
Babs entered the court doing cartwheels while Buster mimicked the jaguar's action
minus the roaring.
	Loud then introduced the Perfecto's team. Once they were done, and Penelope
sang the National Anthem, the game was ready to start. The teams grouped to discuss
the strategy.
	"Okay, how are we going to start? Kicking the fools, making them to trip, or
what?" An otter girl on Perfecto's side asked Ruby, the captain. They were ready to
perform all kind of cheats on the Acme Team.
	"Well..." Rhubella said while rubbing her chin, and giving a fast look to the
other team. She also noticed Wally on Perfecto's side, giving her a thumbs up when
noticing the rat was looking at him. Ruby gulped.
	-I entered the gym ready to perform any nasty trick... but, just looking at Wally,
it was enough to make me hesitate. Suddenly, I was feeling bad for even considering
cheating in front of him. Fortunately, I had an idea that saved my reputation, and also
would allow me to play without cheating.-
	"Actually, I was thinking about playing without cheating, just for once." Ruby
told her teammates. They looked at her, surprised. Rhubella sighed, and explained
herself.
	"Hey, don't give me that look. Listen, these girls are from Acme, and they study
to be cartoon stars, remember? And, in cartoons, whenever a team is losing because of
the other team's dirty tricks, the "good guys" always find a way to fight back on the
second half of the game. If we start performing our tricks on them, these girls will
immediately use their own ones, and surely beat us with spin-changes, explosives, or
something like that. But, if we keep the game legal..." Ruby was cut by Margot.
	"They'll not use their toon tricks! You know, that plan might work. Let's do it!"
Margot supported the rat's plan. The other girls nodded in agreement, even if they
weren't so convinced.
	-And so, we started to play. This was the first game without cheating we ever
had... and actually, I liked it. Plus, since Margot and I had been practicing with Wally a
few times, besides that first one on my backyard, we were a little faster, and that
allowed us to cover our teammates' mistakes, since they weren't expecting to play in a
legal way, and had a hard time trying to do it.-
	"AND THE FIRST HALF FINISHES AND IT WAS GREAT! Oops, sorry,"
Loud apologized again for his yelling. Aka sighed, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
	"Don't worry... I'm getting used. Anyway, you're right; this was a great first
half. Both teams are doing a great job. Acme is winning 39 to 31, but our local girls
must keep themselves alert, because the Perfectos are playing good as well." Aka
commented.
	"And now, we'll leave you with the half-time show... The Wakkyland Rubber
Band!" Loud said, and, a second later, Gogo Dodo was leading the little living rubber
bands inside the court, and started to play their songs.
	"Hey, Loud, we have a little free time... want to use that mouth of yours for
something besides yelling?" Aka said to Loud in a flirty tone; the boy smiled widely.
	"You and I, behind the bleachers? Of course, gorgeous," Loud said, staring at
the girl. Everyone at the gym chuckled. The two humans made a double take.
	"Eh... I guess the mike is still on." Loud said to Aka, blushing. The girl slapped
her forehead, and started laughing nervously.
	Meanwhile, the Perfecto's girls were attended by their water-boys, massage's
experts, and butlers. Wally, of course, was attending both Margot and Ruby.
	"You two are doing it great! That last three-pointer was excellent, Miss Rat."
Wally said to Rhubella while giving her a water bottle.
	"Is pure talent, Wolf, plain and simple talent and style," Rhubella said in a
smug tone before taking a water's sip. "And, of course, having you as our personal
basketball's trainer is a good plus." Ruby admitted while smiling at Wally. The wolf
blushed slightly.
	"What's wrong with you, Rhubella?" A very pissed Roderick approached the rat
girl at that moment. "I hadn't seen you cheating during the whole game... actually none
of your girls is cheating!" Roderick pointed. Rhubella sighed, and explained him the
reason the same way she did it with the other girls. Roderick gave her a puzzled look.
	"Well... it's an interesting theory, Ruby, but you shouldn't experiment it in this
game! I have ten grand invested!" Roderick said, in an almost-begging tone. Ruby
slapped her forehead.
	"Roddy, the last time we made a major bet we lost the mini-golf, remember?
Don't worry, okay? Sit, relax, enjoy the game, and I promise we'll do our best to win."
Rhubella said to Roddy, and gave him a little kiss on his cheek. Roderick frowned.
	"Fine... but I'll feel more comfortable if you do your worst." The male rat
commented in a slightly upset tone, and walked back to his seat, giving a fast nod to
another player, a chipmunk. Rhubella shook her head while rubbing her forehead.
	-I should have known Roderick would have a back-up plan. He told the other
girls, previous to the game, that, in case we were losing, he would give them signals
from the bleachers to order them to perform certain tricks.-
	The teams entered the court for the second half. Babs and Rhubella walked to
the center, ready to jump and get the ball.
	"Hey, Ruby, it's my imagination, or you're playing a little better? Maybe you're
spending more time practicing, and less time thinking about your cheats." Babs
commented to the rat, half-joking, half-serious.
	"I don't need cheating to beat you, Bunny. Just wait and see." Ruby replied,
smirking.
	The referee threw the ball, and both girls jumped to grab it. Babs and Rhubella
slapped the ball at the same time, and it fell in the middle of the court. Margot grabbed
it, and then made a pass to the Perfecto's otter, but it was intercepted by Elmyra (who
had developed a good speed from chasing fast little animals), and dashed to Perfecto's
hoop.
	Roderick gave his signal to the chipmunk, and, when Elmyra passed next to
her, the rodent placed her foot in the human's way, making her to trip, and, because of
the speed she was moving, Elmyra hit the pole with her head. The whole gym gasped,
except Roderick and a few other Perfectos, who were chuckling. Monty, at the
bleachers, got a concerned look; even if Elmyra was a pest, he actually was more than
a little fond on her, and never had wanted to see the girl getting hurt.
	Mary and Shirley helped Elmyra go back on her feet. Luckily, since Elmyra's
head is as hard as a rock, and almost as smart, she wasn't badly hurt, and could go back
to play. Babs gave Ruby a nasty look. Rhubella gulped.
	"Eh... I had nothing to do with that, Babs, really." Ruby tried to defend herself.
Babs growled.
	"Save it for your biography, Rat! I'm not fond on Elmyra, but she is my
teammate, and I'm not going to allow any of your girls to hurt her!" Babs said, and then
walked next to her teammates.
	"Okay, girls, it seems the Perfectos are back to their usual game plan. We can't
risk them doing another stunt like this one, so, we'll use the contingency plan right
now. Feef, you have the emergency kit Calamity made for us?" Babs asked the skunk.
Fifi nodded.
	"Oui. Right here, in mon necklace." Fifi said, and then gave a little pull to her
necklace, revealing a green sphere that was originally covered by her uniform during
the whole game, hanging from it. Fifi removed the sphere, and threw it outside the
court, on Acme's side. A second later, the sphere grew up, transforming itself into five
large lockers.
	"Okay, team, let's go!" Babs instructed, and then the five Acme's girls dashed
inside the lockers. A second later, they reappeared, making the audience to gasp.
	Babs was wearing a red outfit with blue pants and gloves, complete with a
hood and a dark blue shield, and two large yellow M's, one on her forehead and
another in her chest, plus a white one on her shield. Mary was wearing a blond wig,
and her usual pony-tail looked like a bunch of rope, rolled over, plus she had similar
rope-like bracelets and leg-warmers. Shirley was using a scuba-diving blue outfit,
including goggles with two large antennae-like things, and a white life-savior. Fifi was
wearing a blue outfit with red gloves and boots, and her hair and tail were curly and
fluffy, like an afro-style. Finally, Elmyra was using a red outfit, with white gloves and
blue boots, and wearing a plastic cover on her head that mimicked a basketball.
	"Super Globe-Toonsters, ready for action!" Mary exclaimed, while she and the
other girls made the classical joint of hands/paws/wings while making a circle.
Rhubella and the other Perfectos gulped.
	"Houston... we have a problem." Margot said, with a worried look.
	The game re-started. Since Elmyra was the one who sent the ball out from the
court, it was Perfecto's turn to try an advance. Margot placed at the corner of the court,
and passed the ball to Ruby... but two long arms intercepted the pass. The Perfectos
turned back, and saw the owner of said limbs. Mary was at the other side of the court,
but she could stretch her arms in a dashing action, and grab the ball; the so-called
ropes were actually her arms, rolled over, and, when she extended them, they were as
long as the whole court, or even more. The human-maid then raised her arms, and,
without any effort, scored two points.
	The Perfectos got possession of the ball again. Shirley grabbed it from Margot,
and ran towards the rival hoop. The chipmunk and the otter from Perfecto tried to
tackle her, but the loon turned herself into a little poodle, making them to slip, and, a
second later, returned to normal, and made a clean shot, scoring again.
	The Perfectos made another attempt. Ruby avoided both Elmyra and Shirley,
but Mary stretched her arms in front of the rat, stopping her advance, so she tried to
make another pass. Unfortunately for her, Fifi appeared out from nowhere, and caught
the ball with her tail; oddly enough, the ball disappeared inside her afro-style tail. A
moment later, she placed both paws inside her hairdo and pulled cannon out of it. The
skunk aimed at the rival hoop.
	"Now... as vou can imagine... FIRE IN ZHE HOLE!" Fifi exclaimed, and the
cannon shot the ball inside the hoop, for a three-pointer.
	Acme got quick possession of the ball on the next turn. Babs (who was the one
carrying the ball) and Fifi moved next to Elmyra.
	"Now, Elmyra, the trick we taught you!" Babs told the girl. Elmyra giggled.
	"Oh, goody! I'll be a nicey cutey bally head!" Elmyra said, and then she
transformed into a basketball that looked exactly as the real one. Babs and Fifi made
some fast passes to each other using both balls, and then they dashed towards the hoop.
	The Perfectos had to divide their forces, since they now had to cover two balls.
Rhubella handled to take the ball away from Babs, but, when she was about to try a
three-pointer...
	"Hee, hee, hee! I'm not the ball, mousey girly." Elmyra changed back to
normal, right in Ruby's paws. When the rat girl dropped Elmyra to help her teammates,
Fifi, aided by Shirley and Mary, had scored again.
	The Perfectos got the ball again. Margot tried to advance into Acme's territory,
but Babs grabbed the ball from her. Ruby ordered all her teammates to move in front
of the hoop to block the rabbit. Babs laughed.
	"Sorry, girls, but, as a rabbit, I'm an expert in multiplication." Babs smirked,
and, a second later, she created over twenty clones of herself, each one carrying a ball.
The Perfectos did their best, but only succeeded in stopping two of the bunnies, while
the others scored 38 points.
	Babs called back all her clones, and returned to be just one. She called her
teammates for a fast meeting.
	"Okay, girls, we have a good advantage now, but I guess we are all getting tired
for keeping this change for so long. We'll do the Hawaiian Movement, and then
concentrate on defending for the rest of the game, okay?" Babs told her team. They all
nodded in agreement.
	The game re-started. Mary stretched her limbs to grab the ball, and gave it to
Babs. The rabbit multiplied herself and the balls again, but this time she only made 3
copies. The cloned bunnies passed the three balls to Mary, Elmyra, and Fifi, and Babs
returned to be just one. The Perfectos moved quickly in front of them, to block the
girls the moment they made their play. Fifi then took four surfing boards out from her
hairdo, and she and the other girls with a ball jumped on them.
	"Like, Cowabunga, or some junk!" Shirley exclaimed, and then turned herself
into a giant wave, carrying the boards with her teammates on them. The Perfectos
gasped.
	"Good thing we have many towels!" Ruby said, covering herself with her arms.
The other girls screamed in fear.
	SSSSPPPPLLLLLAAAAASSSSSHHHH!
	"I DON'T SEE THEM! I DON'T SEE THEM!" Loud Kiddington started
screaming; Aka silenced him by pointing at the top of the wave.
	"Look! They're surfing!" Aka said, and was right. On top of Shirley's liquid
form, the other girls from Acme were surfing, and the moment they passed near the
Perfecto's hoop, they scored two points each.
	Shirley changed back to her solid form, and then she and the other girls spin-
changed back to normal. Meanwhile, the girls from Perfecto were visible again, totally
soaked, dispersed through the court.
	Once the Perfectos were dry again, the game re-started, but, despite some good
plays from Ruby and Margot, and the fact the Acme's team was a little tired, they still
lost. The final score was Acme 114, Perfecto 47.
	"What happened with you, fools?" Roderick dashed into the court to insult the
Perfecto's girls. "You should have cheated from the beginning!"
	"Shut up, Roderick! We were doing a good game until you gave your minion
the signal to start cheating, remember? Those Loosers weren't using toon tricks until
the Duff girl got hurt, and you saw what happened! Never, ever, mess with my
decisions as Captain again, got it?" Rhubella snapped at Roderick. The male rat
gulped, and moved two steps back. At that moment, he felt a human hand over his
shoulder.
	"Sorry, Roderick, but I guess you owe me ten grand." Montana Max, smirking,
told the rat. Roderick groaned, and gave him a check. Loud Kiddington and Aka Pella
looked at the scene from behind them.
	"Can you believe how much these guys get involved in their bets?" Aka Pella
asked Loud. The boy gulped.
	"Actually... I also made a bet with all my savings." Loud admitted and Aka
frowned at him.
	"Oh, great! How much you lost?" Aka asked, crossing her arms; Loud smiled.
	"Who lost? I supported Acme, and the bets were twenty to one... and I had
almost 500 dollars!" Loud told the girl; now being her turn to smile.
	"Cool! What are you doing with that money?" Aka asked the boy; he got a little
blush.
	"Most of it is for my saver account... so, you know, if this relationship works...
maybe, after we graduate..." Loud said with a shy smile; Aka gave him a big kiss, and
then they hugged right next to the court.
	Meanwhile, Rubella and the rest of her team walked to the dressing rooms, all
with sad looks. Ruby and Margot were the last to enter, but, at that moment, Wally
appeared next to them.
	"Are you two okay?" Wally asked. Margot gave him a nasty look.
	"We were just washed away by a tsunami, Wolf. What do you think?" Margot
said. Wally sighed, and then passed them a couple of gift boxes he had taken out from
his body's pocket.
	"Sorry... but I think you two played a great game. And, you deserve a little
prize." Wally said, blushing again. Ruby and Margot, puzzled, grabbed the boxes.
	"Wow... thanks, Wolf." Ruby said, slightly blushing as well.
	"Yes... most pets only bring garbage and road-kill to their masters." Margot
said, smiling a little. Then, both girls opened the boxes, and smiled widely. Margot got
some new fancy laces for her pony-tail, and Rhubella a silver-colored bracelet.
	"I know these gifts aren't exactly high quality's ones... but I thought you might
like them." Wally said, giving the girls a fond look, especially to Ruby.
	"Hey, don't sweat! I like these laces! I'll try one after I change my clothing."
Margot told Wally, and then dashed to the dressing room, thanking him before going
inside.
	"I like my bracelet, Wolf... but, how did you get the money?" Ruby asked him.
Wally shrugged.
	"Your tips. That money is mine to do whatever I want with it, including buying
you and Miss Mallard a gift if I decide. Glad you liked it." Wally told her. Ruby
couldn't contain herself, and gave him a fast kiss on his cheek before entering the
dressing room. Wally got a dumb look, and placed his paw on the spot she kissed.
	-Despite the fact we lost, I really like remembering that game. Sure, the
bracelet isn't a very expensive piece of jewelry, but I like it more than if it was a
diamond-made one. I still use it whenever Wally and I have a private date, you know,
just the two of us with nobody else around. Another nice detail of that game was the
look of Silverbill totally out, drooling on his car... because that's where Wally dropped
the sleeping-gas bomb.-

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	-THE WOLF'S CHOICE.

	-The next week, I convinced Roddy to go to a very fancy new restaurant. "Chez
Snob", where you can buy a four-members family a food supply that would last a week
with the money you spend buying a bowl of soup... don't look at me, that's the place's
slogan. Anyway, even if I really enjoyed having Wally around, I still cared about my
relationship with Roderick, so he agreed to have dinner there that Friday. It would be
our first real date since the ending of the last school's year.-
	Percy ended working on his young mistress' hairdo, and moved a step back to
appreciate her better. Ruby was looking great; she was wearing a totally blue dress,
with bright red gloves that covered most of his arm, green high-heeled shoes, and a
pearls' necklace, plus allowing her hair to fall freely instead of using her usual pony-
tail.
	"You look beautiful, Miss Rhubella. I'm sure Master Roderick will agree with
me the moment he spots you... if he finally decides to arrive, I mean." Percival said,
looking at the wall's clock at the last part. Rhubella chuckled.
	"Percy, you know the social rules of our school. Being on time for a Perfecto
means arriving with a half-hour fancy delay; I'm not expecting Roderick to arrive for at
least another 15 minutes." Rhubella explained.
	"Well, if that's the case, Miss Rhubella, may I suggest you an indoor activity
while you wait for your couple? Chess, perhaps?" Percival asked. Ruby scratched her
chin.
	"How about poker, Percy? You have your deck?" Rhubella asked. Percy
chuckled slightly.
	"As usual, Miss Rhubella," The butler said while taking a deck out from his
jacket. Rhubella and him sat on the living room, and started playing.
	-Percy is always trying to convince me to play chess... actually, I can play a
little, but he is a real master on that game, so it's very hard to play on his level.
Luckily, he also likes to play poker, and he thought me when I started Elementary, so
I'm as good player as him. We always have little bets, like, if he wins, I buy him a new
tie, and, if I do, he makes me a special breakfast the next day.-
	"By the way, Miss Rhubella, I had been wondering about your canine
companion. It's my imagination, or you are more attached to him than to your
boyfriend?" Percy asked while checking his cards. Ruby gave him a nervous look.
	"Wo... I mean, Wallace? No, Percy, of course not; he's just a nice guy who likes
hanging around with me and Margot, that's all." Rhubella said while taking another
card from the deck. Percy smiled weakly.
	"Well, I certainly agree with you about saying he is nice guy, Miss Rhubella.
The few occasions he had come to the house, he had always been extremely polite; he
even helped me move a couch to vacuum the space under it, exactly two days ago,
when he arrived and you were changing up your outfit." Percy commented. Rhubella
nodded; she remembered that day. She and Margot decided to go to the mall, and the
rat asked Wally to go to her house so he could go with them, and carry the stuff, as
usual.
	-I kept playing and chatting with Percy for almost an hour... then, it was an
hour and a half... before I noticed Roderick was almost three hours late! I grabbed the
phone, and dialed Roderick. He had his cell off, so I called his home, but only got the
answering machine. I decided to call Danforth, but had a good idea then to ask him
about Roderick without Danforth trying to cover him.-
	"Heelllooo... Acme Transit Department; excuse me, but we're trying to find
Roderick Rat because of some imprudent driving, and we got this number. Can you tell
us if he's with you?" Rhubella asked Danforth, holding her nose to make a nasal voice.
To her surprise, Roderick was the guy who answered her.
	"Eh... well, yes, I'm Roderick Rat, but don't worry. I'll pay for that damaged
door, promise. Excuse me, but can't talk right now, I'm in a very important meeting."
Roderick said. Rhubella heard some other guys talking on the background; obviously,
Roddy had made his own meeting at Danforth's house, forgetting about his date with
Ruby. Roderick hung off, leaving a very pissed rat the other side of the line.
	"Miss Rhubella? Are you okay?" Percival, concerned, asked Rhubella. The rat
felt a little tear running down her cheek, but washed it in a moment.
	"Yes... I'll be fine, Percy. Roddy had some "last-minute-business" to attend, so
he's not coming." Rhubella said, sighing. Percival placed his gloved paw on Ruby's
shoulder, trying to give her a nice look.
	"Don't worry, Miss Rhubella. A girl of your category and style can surely find
another person to go out on a date. Or maybe we can call Miss Mallard to give you
company, or even Mister Wolf." Percy suggested. Ruby shook her head.
	"Margot is on a business dinner with her family, and Wallace is attending a...
certain detail today." Ruby said. Actually, since she wasn't expecting to call Wally that
day, and Margot had that dinner, both girls gave the wolf a free day, and Ruby didn't
want to bother him. The rat then had an idea, and sighed; it wasn't her best, but it could
work.
	"It's not so late, Percy. I guess I can go to another restaurant, by my own, and
enjoy the night anyway." Ruby told Percy. The butler gave her a large smile.
	Ruby changed her clothing, returning to her usual casual look, consisting on a
purple shirt with rolled-over sleeves, and black short pants, but kept her hair down.
Plus, she gave a fast look to the bracelet Wally gave to her, and decided to use it as
well. Once Ruby said her "Good Nights" to Percy, she drove away from the house.
	Ruby wasn't sure about the place she would go. She wanted a big and snobby
place, but that was funny only if Roddy was with her to entertain herself watching him
annoying the waiters. A less formal place would suit her well, but, again, she only
liked those if Margot was with her, so they could chat while eating. Ruby was about to
turn back and return to her house to have a super-special six-cheeses sandwich from
Percy, when she noticed another new place, "The Family's Home." It seemed to be just
another of those familiar restaurants, but looked like a nice place, so the rat decided to
eat there.
	-I don't know if it was a coincidence, fate, or just another idea from the author
of this fic, but when I entered the restaurant, I immediately recognized Wally's voice.
He was on a little stage, right at the center of the restaurant; it seemed this place also
had some entertainment for the customers. Wally was wearing a little fake mustache, a
white old long-sleeved shirt with a thin piece of black cloth hanging from his left
shoulder, patched pants (that seemed to be kept on place only by a miracle, because
they were half-way fallen), and a gray old looking hat. Everyone at the restaurant was
laughing like crazy because of his acting, that consisted in a weird kind-of-dialogue
with the public.-
	"And yes, so, I said to this individual, because, listen, there's the detail,
youngsters. I think that, well, first we must think, and be clear about it, because, well,
now, coming back to the beginning, when the whole mess started, because we must
start from the beginning, and end at the ending, coz that's the way things most be done,
because, otherwise, it feels like one movie from that Tarantula... I mean, Tarantino
guy. And, talking about guys, I met one human guy once, and he was so ugly, that
when he was born the doctor couldn't decide if he was performing a birth, or an
exorcism, really. He was so ugly that when his brothers had a nightmare his mom
placed him at the window to scare the Boogeyman. And as the great poet Chick-a-
spear said once, To be, or not to be, and if you are a bee, you sting me... because as I
say one thing I say another, because it's like everything, and there are things that, who
cares? I'm right or not?" Wally said in a funny wannabe-expert tone, with absolutely no
sense at all, but making everyone to laugh loudly. Rhubella chuckled, and asked for a
table, so she could sit down and enjoy the show.
	"So, tell me, sir, you think I'm right, or not?" Wally asked to a random guy.
	"I have no idea about what you just said, man!" The guy replied, trying to hold
his laughter. Wally made a shocked expression, and crossed his arms before speaking
back.
	"Well, that amazes me, because I don't know a lot, but speaking, well, I do that
since I was six years old, and hadn't stopped. And you look so smart! Please, sir, you
have to read, and get more "sculpture", or what kind of future awaits the country?
Because the country, and I'm talking about the nation you live, not the music the Dukes
of Hazard are always listening, is like a mother, and mother, as I once said when she
asked me to take two bottles of soda from the fridge, Mother, there's only one!... but
father... I'm not saying a thing here, because I don't want to ruin anyone's reputation.
And I'm doing it for your children, and those who have no children... aren't interested
in working as nannies? Because as Leon Tolstoi said… and you know what he said?
Neither do I, because he said it in Russian. Anyway, thanks a lot for coming, and don't
forget to come here tomorrow, because then, we'll have all those things I already told
you, and, if you forgot, ask the person next to you, because I'm not going to repeat
myself, despite the fact I have a wonderful accent, so nice, many people think I'm
European... I guess that's because of my Nordic-like complexion. Or maybe because of
my Swiss pants... like the cheese, they came with holes included. And, as I was saying,
once I'm done, I'll better go, because my boss is going to be pissed if I don't wake up
early to bring the breakfast to her bedroom, take in the milkman, and pay the cat...
wait, maybe that's not right, and might explain why the cat is gaining more money than
me, and the milkman always have breakfast with us. Okay, so long, because I have to
go to work. Y' orders, chief!" Wally ended doing a little military-like salute, and
smiling to the audience.
	The crowd clapped and laughed loudly at the wolf, and, a moment later, he
spin-changed back to normal, and vowed to accept the cheers; unlike most of the time,
Wally was dressed with a red T-shirt and wearing white toon gloves instead of the
Perfecto´s uniform. Ruby was almost rolling on the floor laughing, and started
whistling and clapping as well. Wally recognized her whistle, and raised his head to
look over the crowd, spotting her. The wolf blushed, but kept his happy mood, and, a
few minutes later, when the applause cooled down a little, he joined the rat at her table.
	"Miss Rat, what a surprise! I wasn't expecting anyone from the school to be
here, especially you. I thought your date with Mister Rat would be on that fancy
restaurant you mentioned yesterday." Wally said to the rat while taking the seat in front
of her. Ruby rolled her eyes.
	"Roddy had an appointment, so he kind of cancelled the date. Anyway, I'm glad
I found this place. You come here on your free days?" Rhubella asked.
	"I only had come here one time before, because the restaurant just opened last
month. And this time I overheard the waiters saying that the comedian they usually
have here wouldn't be able to work today, so I suggested them to do an open mike's
night. They agreed, but asked me to do the opening, you know, to encourage the other
clients. And, since I was the one with the idea, they said my food is on the house."
Wally explained. Ruby chuckled.
	"Well, that act was hilarious! What impersonation was that?" Rhubella asked,
smiling.
	"A late Mexican comedian named Mario Moreno, best known as "Cantinflas".
He used to act that way, talking a lot without really saying a thing. My mother says he
was one of the best comedians ever, and even Charles Chaplin recognized his talent.
Now I remember he made two movies in Hollywood... one was "Pepe", and the other
"Around the World in 80 days"; the Oscar-winning version. Believe me, the guy was
good." Wally informed her. Ruby started to scratch her chin, trying to remember
something.
	"I think I know who you are talking about... I hadn't seen that "Pepe" film, but
the other... Cantinflas played Mister Fogg's butler, right?" Rhubella asked. Wally
nodded.
	"Want to hear something funny? Originally, "Cantinflas" was just a random
word he invented for his act, but, he became so popular, it was recognized as a real
noun, with an adjective and a verb related! Grab any updated Spanish's dictionary, and
you'll find it." Wally said, chuckling. Rhubella chuckled as well.
	"Anyway, since you are here, and the waiters said I could eat anything I want
without paying, please allow me to invite dinner this time, Miss Rat." Wally offered.
Ruby blushed a little, and nodded.
	"Sure, why not? You probably know the menu and the cook's specialties; I'll
have the same thing you order." Ruby said. Wally smiled and called the waiter. He
asked for two bowls of cheese's soup, two cheese burgers, and Mozzarella's sticks as a
snack for him and Ruby to share, plus two milkshakes.
	-I liked that dinner a lot. We chatted, he made me laugh, we enjoyed the other
customers' performances... he even convinced me to sing! I had never been a good
singer, but I got some clapping, especially from Wally. To this day, we still go to that
restaurant once in a while... and sometimes we sing together.-
	After a couple of hours, Ruby and Wally left the place. As usual, she offered to
give Wally a ride home. During their time in the car, the wolf got silent, as if he was
thinking about something. Rhubella noticed this, and decided to ask.
	"A penny for your thoughts," Ruby told him.
	"That's the best offer anyone had ever done for them." Wally replied, making
her to chuckle a little.
	"Funny... but, seriously, what's on your head? And don't answer me "Fur" or
something like that." Rhubella pointed, in a joking tone. Wally chuckled, but became
serious a moment later.
	"Well... I had been thinking about what you told me some time ago, about me
being more happy attending Acme Looniversity... I also had a good chat with one of its
students the day you played there, and, well... I'm very tempted to do it; you know,
leave the Prep and study there." Wally said, looking down.
	"Oh." Ruby replied, getting a slightly sad look. The rat sighed.
	"I'll be honest with you, Miss Rat... the only reason I hadn't left is because of
my promise to both my grandpa and to you and Miss Mallard. I think I can handle him,
but if you two don't want me to go, I'll stay here." Wally informed Ruby. The rat got a
stunned expression; this guy had the chance to leave the Prep, but was asking for her
permission to do it!
	Both toons stayed silent for a few minutes.
	-I realized at that moment about how much I really wanted him to stay... even if
I still was in denial, because of my relationship with Roderick, I knew for sure that
Wally was more than a servant to me. Besides Margot and Percy, he was my best
confident, and someone I could always count for anything. But then, I also realized I
wanted him to be happy.-
	"Leave me in the mount. Leave me in the crag. Allow me to live in my liberty."
Ruby recited, breaking the silence.
	"Go back to the convent, Brother Francisco. Follow your path and your
sanctity." Wally ended the quote. He then looked at Ruby with fond eyes.
	"The Wolf's Motives," Wally said to her.
	"By Ruben Dario... I read it a year ago in Universal Literature." Rhubella said,
smiling.
	This poem talks about a wild wolf, tamed by a saint, Francisco of Asis. The
wolf and the saint live peacefully and happy with each other, but that's only because
the man is always with the wolf when they are on his village. When Francisco leaves
to attend some business on a nearby town, the villagers attack the wolf, and he escapes
back to the forest, returning to his predator ways, attacking the villagers and their farm
animals, and, when Francisco returns, the animal asks for his freedom, because he can't
stand living alongside those bad persons that disrespected him. The poem suited well
Ruby and Wally's situation, even if, in this case, the wolf had the saint's personality, or
at least his patience. The rat stopped the car to talk to Wally.
	"Look, Wolf, I'll be honest with this. I really want you to stay, but I'm not
forcing you. I'll talk with Margot about your decision, and, if I know her, she'll agree
with me and... we will release you from your promise. Just... stay with us until the
semester ends, okay? It's too late to enter the Loo right now anyway, so you might as
well prepare yourself to do it next semester." Ruby said to him, looking down. Wally
placed his paw under her chin, making her lift her head, and smiled at the girl.
	"Thanks a lot, Miss Rat. I really appreciate that. And, I'll do another promise to
you, right now; the moment I stop being a Perfecto, I'll not stop being at your service...
well, not entirely. But, the moment you or Miss Mallard need help of any kind, just
call me, and I'll change into Wolflash to dash here." Wally assured her. Ruby smiled
widely.
	"Thanks... you are a great guy, Wallace... and I'll miss having you around. So...
during your last months as a pet, I'll try to make them as comfortable as possible;
actually... I want you to find out about the books you'll need to study, so I can buy
them for you." Ruby told him. Wally made a double take.
	"That's very generous, Miss Rat, but..." Wally was cut by Ruby poking his
nose.
	"No "buts", Wolf! Consider it as a payment for your loyal services during these
months. I insist." Ruby said in a playful tone. Wally shook his head, chuckling.
	"Okay, I don't want to be a disobedient dog. I'll accept your offer." Wally told
her. Rhubella nodded, smiling, and then returned to her driving.
	-The next morning, I told Margot about my chat with Wally. At first, she wasn't
so happy, since, even if she didn't admit to like Wally as a friend (actually, she still
doesn't), Margot accepted that he was a nice guy, and a very good servant/pet.
However, after an hour or so, I convinced her that he would be happier as an Acme's
student, and we owed him that since he had always been very loyal and caring with us.
The point that really convinced her was when I mentioned the fact that Wally, by using
his spin-changes, could be the most feared guy in the school, but he still chose to serve
instead of forcing us to keep silence about his toon abilities. If that doesn't show about
how much he isn't Perfecto's material, nothing would.-
	-I kept my promises to Wally. I gave him the money to buy the basic books of
the Looniversity, plus giving him enough time to read them. He discovered that, even
if he was very good with the practical part, he needed to study the theory, and that
would take some time. He decided to use the next semester to help his parents and
work at Yellowstone, while preparing to make the test and being accepted at the Loo
next year.-
	-And he kept his promise as well. Even if Margot and I didn't give him a lot of
work during those months, he offered to make a lot of extra homework. Actually, he
made copies and reports of half of the homework we would need to do next semester!
He said that, besides helping us, this allowed him to practice with his Wolflash's
abilities, so he wouldn't faint again after using the super-speed during a long period of
time.-
	-And so, the semester came to an end. One week before the Christmas' break,
and Wally's date of departure, my parents threw a large party because of my birthday.
Of course, since it was an important social event, most of the Prep was invited... which
meant Wally would have a hard time if attending, so I had to ask him to not go.-
	Rhubella, wearing the same outfit she chose for her cancelled date with Roddy,
was sitting on her living room's couch, chatting with Margot and a few other girls from
the Prep. Roderick was a few feet away, talking with Drake and some of his classmates
as well. Silverbill, Gunbo, Giselle and Jasmine kept their distance from Rhubella, and
kept an alert look in case Wally decided to appear.
	"Ruby, darling, your dad wants to introduce you to a nice guy he had been
talking with." Roselyn Rat, Ruby's mother, told her. She looked like a more mature
version of Rhubella, but her fur was slightly darker; she was wearing a nice long-
sleeved red gala dress. Ruby nodded, and walked alongside her mother through the
large salon.
	-Honestly, I wasn't eager to go. Dad is always introducing me with guys as old
as C. M. Burns, or with their sons, and they were always as boring as a pet rock, or the
world biggest jerks. This time, however, it was a surprise.-
	"Oh, Rhubella, dear, good you are here. I had been talking with this young
gentletoon, and he claims to know you. I thought I knew all your friends." Rupert,
Ruby's father, talked to her. He was a large silver-colored rat, with a little mustache, on
a formal outfit. Wally was standing next to him, on a formal outfit (courtesy of a spin-
change) as well. Ruby wide opened her eyes.
	"Oh... yes, Father, he is my friend, Wallace Wolf... he had being here at times,
but you had no chances to meet him before. And actually, I thought you weren't
coming to the party, because of that problem we already discussed." Ruby said to her
dad, and then directed to Wally, trying to keep a smile, and praying for Gunbo or any
other classmate to not cause a problem when spotting the wolf.
	"Certainly, as we discussed, I wasn't able to come TO THE PARTY... but, I
could make time to come and SEE YOU, and say Happy Birthday, at least, and also
tell you that your outfit looks great." Wally said, in his most polite tone, blushing
slightly at the last part. .
	-My forced smile became a real one. This wolf found a loophole in my order,
and was a good one. I asked him not going to the party, but never said a thing about
not coming to see me. Maybe he learned a little from me after all. Luckily, it wasn't too
much.-
	"Oh, well, I must leave now. Please, Wallace, feel yourself at home, and I hope
we'll see you around here more frequently." Rupert said to the young wolf.
	"Actually, Mister Rat, I must say that wouldn't be possible, at least for a few
months. I'll leave the city in a few days to attend certain personal issues, so sadly I'll
not be able to visit your family for a while." Wally told the rat. Rhubella nodded to her
dad, confirming the story.
	"I see. Well, anyway, I hope we can see you again, Wallace. I like the
educational level of Perfecto Prep, but, sadly, most of the students seem to have
forgotten their manners. Just because we are rich, it doesn't mean we have to act as
fools. Precisely, since we are in a high position, we must set an example. Just to
illustrate my point, I must tell you I'm have noble blood in my veins, but I don't treat
my employees like a tyrant, or something like that... even if I always demand
excellence from them. Well, I had talked enough. Have fun, Wallace, and hope you
have a nice trip." Rupert told the wolf. Wally and he shook paws, and, after giving
Ruby a little kiss on her cheek, he left the two youngsters alone.
	"Your dad is a very nice toon, Miss Rat. I even told him I wasn't as rich as your
other classmates, and yet he was very polite all the time. I also talked a little with your
mother, and she was a lady in all the extension of the word." Wally told Rhubella.
	"Yes... sometimes we have disagreements because of, you know, the whole
generational stuff, but, yes, they are good parents. I guess that, since we can't see each
other a lot, we just don't want to spoil our time together fighting." Ruby said, smiling
at the wolf.
	-You guys thought my parents would be as snobbish as my classmates, right?
Well, sometimes my mom is a snob, but no, they are really kind toons. The problem
with me, of course, was that, unlike Wally, I just couldn't stand being ignored or
mistreated by my classmates when I entered Perfecto, so, to live in that environment, I
had to become a major snob like them, and, eventually, a villainous one to be the most
respected.-
	"Miss Rat... I can't stay here a long time, so... Happy Birthday." Wally gave
Ruby a little gift box. Ruby couldn't wait, and opened it right there; she smiled as
widely as she did when Wally gave him the bracelet. It was a little framed painting of
her; she was portrayed sitting in a bench, located on a park during the fall, and dressed
with her basketball uniform.
	"I made it in Art. Hope you like it." Wally blushed when Rhubella gave him a
quick kiss on his cheek; luckily, since they were a little apart from the other toons, they
were unnoticed. Wally smiled widely.
	"I'll take that as a "yes". Well... I think I'll better go. See you later... and please
tell Miss Mallard I send her my greetings as well." Wally said, holding Ruby's left
paw. He leaned to kiss it, and then started walking away. Rhubella blushed, and,
holding her gift against her chest, called him.
	"Wait. Before you go... well, I also have a gift for you... since you'll not be
around here by Christmas I think this is a good time for receiving it." Ruby told him.
Wally made a double take.
	"Go to the kitchen, and wait me there, okay?" Rhubella whispered to the wolf.
Wally nodded and then hided behind a curtain. He made his regular Wolflash's change,
and used his speed to go into the kitchen without being noticed. Once there, he
changed back to normal, panting.
	"Note to myself... I need to practice less exhausting spin-changes." Wally
talked to himself. A couple of minutes later, Rhubella, holding a gift box, entered the
kitchen, alongside Percival.
	"I wasn't sure about what kind of present you would like, but I saw this on a
catalog, and thought it would fit you." Ruby said, smiling, and handling the box to
Wally. The wolf smiled, and opened the box. Once he saw inside, he started wagging
his tail in happiness.
	"Hey, is a baseball cap!" Wally took the hat out from the box, and gave him a
good look. Ruby's smile widened; it was obvious the wolf liked the present.
	"Yes. According to the catalog, it's a very durable one, and easy to clean. Since
you do a lot of spin-changes, I figured any hat you would use should be very resistant.
It has no logos of any team so you can add whatever you want. Come on, try it."
Rhubella said, excited. Wally put the cap on, and then looked at himself in one
recently washed silver dish; he liked his new look.
	"Actually, I think the cap doesn't need any logo. I like it a lot this way." Wally
said.
	"It fits you like a glove." Ruby commented.
	"Even better, fits me like a hat." Wally joked, making Ruby to laugh a little;
even Percy couldn't avoid chuckling. The wolf walked next to Rhubella, and gave her a
good hug.
	"Thanks a lot, Miss Rat. It's a great gift." Wally told her. Ruby blushed, and
Wally did it as well when he realized what he was doing... and that Rhubella was
hugging him back.
	"You're welcome... any day. I don't care if you become an Acme's student; you
can come to play some b-ball or have dinner anytime you want." Ruby whispered at
him. Wally nodded, and, after a few minutes, they broke the embrace.
	"I must go back to the party. Thanks for coming." Ruby told him, and then
started walking out of the kitchen, waving him bye. Wally waved his paw in reply,
keeping his smile. Percy approached him.
	"Before you go, young master, maybe you'll like to eat something. I'll be glad to
serve you some of the delicatessen we had prepared for the party, if you don't mind
eating in the kitchen." Percival told the wolf. Ruby hadn't told him yet about the whole
servant/pet thing, and Wally always removed his collar before going to the mansion,
but she had told him that the wolf had some problems with the other students,
explaining why he had to leave secretly.
	"Of course not, Mister Percival... as long as you sit and eat with me, of course,"
Wally said to the butler. Percy smiled.
	"My pleasure. Oh, and Master Wolf... thanks for your attentions towards my
young mistress." Percy told the wolf, and then they both walked to the kitchen's table
to eat.
	-I have that painting right next to my vanity mirror, so I can see it every time I
prepare myself to go out, and try to look as pretty as Wally portrayed me.-
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	- HURRICANE WALLY.
	-And finally, the last day before Christmas Break came. Wally called the
principal asking for an appointment the previous day, to tell him about his decision of
leaving Perfecto. The principal wasn't happy with that, and called Wally's uncle so they
both could talk with him, and convince Wally to not leaving. I saw when Wolfson
arrived, and decided to go to the principal's office to overhear the conversation. Of
course, Wally had already taken his decision, and he would leave that day... but he did
it with a bang.-
	Ruby was outside the principal's office, trying to hear what was happening
inside. It wasn't hard, since they were yelling.
	"I can't believe you, Wallace!" Wolfson's furious voice was easily heard. "You
have the chance to study in one prestigious school like this, and you want to go to
Acme? That's the most stupid thing you can do!"
	"Sorry, uncle, but that's what I want to do." Wally answered, in a slightly loud
tone but keeping himself as polite as possible. "Look, I really appreciate what you and
my great-grandpa did for me, but I just can't stay in this school. Most of my classmates
hate me, and the only reason they had stopped teasing me as much as they did when
the classes started, is because I use this collar to show I'm a pet/servant. And I want to
be respected... or even liked, by my classmates, because of myself, not because of this
thing on my neck." Wally paused, waiting for his uncle's answer.
	"You idiot! The reason they mistreat you is because that's the only way you'll
stop being a useless do-gooder! I even paid them to do that! And you're back-stabbing
your family!" Wolfson practically roared.
	"You paid for me being bullied, and I'm the one back-stabbing the family?
Uncle, I'm not going to change; this is the way I am, and I like it. But you're right, we
are family, a pack, and we must support each other. That's why I'm asking you to
please understand my decision, and support me." Wally told his uncle.
	"I'LL NEVER SUPPORT THAT IDIOTIC DECISION, WALLACE! AND I'M
SURE GRANDPA WILL NOT, EITHER! IF YOU GO TO ACME, YOU CAN
FORGET ABOUT HAVING A FAMILY, EXCEPT FOR YOUR USELESS ONE AT
YELLOWSTONE, WHO ARE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF LOSERS THAT
RAISED A WIMP KID!" Wolfson said in rage. Ruby got so impressed by this speech,
she jumped on her place. A moment later, Wally opened the door, and walked out.
Then, he turned back to talk to his uncle and the principal.
	"I am really ashamed for this, uncle, but I said my last word. I'm leaving right
now, just after I pick up my stuff from the dorm. I hope you can reconsider your words,
and we can meet again someday in friendlier circumstances." Wally told the elder
toons. Wolfson growled.
	"You, little ungrateful..." Wolfson said while adopting a menacing pose, and
then he charged against his nephew. Wally reacted by taking a deep breath, and then...
	WHHOOOOOSSSSSH!
	Wolfson flew backwards thanks to the little hurricane-like wind created by
Wally. The wind also made a mess in the office, and made a few things to fly out
through the window. Wally sighed, and then spin-changed into his regular clothes...
who now included the cap. He dropped his old Perfecto's uniform in the door (he
decided to conserve the new one, since it was a gift from his former mistresses), and
directed to Rhubella.
	"Sorry about that mess, Miss Rat. You came to say good-bye?" Wally asked
her. She nodded.
	"Yes. Come on, I'll give you a ride to the airport... or the bus station, wherever
you are going." Ruby said a little sadly but keeping a gentle smile. She and Wally went
to the dorms, and he picked up his things, who were already packed in two gym bags
and a very large backpack. Ruby offered to carry one, but Wally refused.
	"The fact you came here is enough help for me, Miss Rat." Wally told her
while they were walking out of the dorms. Ruby blushed, and smiled at him.
	"Hey, Imbecile!" Ruby and Wally turned back when they heard Roderick's
voice. He was walking towards them, with Drake, Nigel, and other five classmates.
They all looked really pissed.
	"So, you're leaving, Idiot?" Nigel said to Wally from behind Danforth (he was
too coward to do it face to face). Wally nodded.
	"Yes. I realized that I really don't belong here, so I'm going to study on some
other place." Wally told them. Roderick growled.
	"You're going to Acme! One guy that was close to the principal's office told me
that! We are glad you're leaving, Mutt, but going to Acme... that's not just leaving, but
a treason! And you're supporting him, Ruby?" Roderick snapped at the pair. Ruby
placed herself in front of Wally to show her back to Roddy, and winked an eye to the
wolf.
	"Of course not, Roderick, but he had decided that. And since I can't really stop
him, I decided to release him from his promise to serve me and Margot. I'm taking him
out of the Prep myself to be sure he'll not come back." Ruby said in a fake angry tone.
Wally smiled slightly.
	"Well, he's not just leaving peacefully! We're going to give a lesson to this
fool... who is so stupid, imbecile, idiotic..." Danforth was cut by Wally.
	"And I'm half Mexican, too, by the way." The wolf said in a proud tone while
dropping his things. The Perfectos, except Ruby, gasped.
	"What? We had been attending classes with a wet-back? That's it!" Roderick
clenched his fists, and he and the other Perfectos prepared to pounce on Wally.
Rhubella gasped, but Wally kept his cool, and motioned the rat girl to move aside.
	"You know, I never did anything to any of you because of the way you treated
me, and you know why? Because, even if I was mistreated, I considered my classmates
as a surrogate pack, and had some respect for you guys... but, now, I'm no longer part
of the pack. And I'm glad to be half Mexican, because that allows me to surprise you
with this." Wally said in a confident tone, and then spin-changed. The Perfectos moved
a step back.
	When Wally ended his spinning, he was wearing a red outfit, complete with a
red hood, yellow short pants, and a heart-shaped symbol on the middle of his chest,
with a big red W on it, plus having two antennae on his hood. The Perfectos did a
double take.
	"Who are you supposed to be?" Nigel asked, confused.
	"The ColoRed Wolf... and I'll show you a thing or two." Wally said, and, a
second later, took a red and yellow mallet out from his body's pocket, and charged
against his enemies.
	SKWEAK! SKWEAK! SKWEAK! SKWEAK! SKWEAK!...
	The mallet made a funny sound every time it hit, but it was as effective as any
ordinary toon mallet. Soon, all the Perfectos were unconscious on the ground, except
the girl, of course, who was clapping at the wolf's performance.
	"Hey, Wolf!" Wally turned back, and saw Gunbo in a fighting stance, at a
certain distance. "I had been training, and I'm not alone!" Gunbo pointed at something
that was behind Wally, and the wolf saw Ramon, the black ram, getting impulse to
charge against him.
	Gunbo and Ramon started their charge against Wally from opposite directions.
Wally then placed his mallet back into his body's pocket, and took out a bicycle's horn.
He then aimed at Ramon with it, and made it honk.
	HONK!
	The ram became as steady as a statue, totally paralyzed. Gunbo then tried to do
a flying kick, but Wally repeated the procedure on him.
	HONK!
	Gunbo was paralyzed too, and stayed frozen in mid-air. Rhubella was
impressed.
	"Hey, how you do that?" The rat asked the wolf. Wally walked out of the
Perfectos path, and explained.
	"This is a Paralyzing Horn. With one honk, I stop an enemy, and, with two,
they move again. Watch this." Wally then aimed again at the Perfectos.
	HONK, HONK!
	HONK, HONK!
	KAWHAAMOOCK!
	Ramon and Gunbo were unfrozen, and they hit each other at the same time.
Ramon received the full power of the kick, while the hybrid flew several feet back
because of the ram's charge, knocking both of them out. Wally and Ruby chuckled.
	ROOAAR!
	Both toons turned back when hearing a powerful roar, and saw several players
from the football's team charging against them. Wally decided it was time for another
change. He started spinning, and then emerged wearing a wrestler's outfit, consisting
on a mask, pants, boots, and cape, all in a bright silver tone, and complete with black
wrist-bands.
	"And now... Lobato, The Silver Masked Wolf!" Wally said in a cool voice. He
then charged against his enemies.
	Wally received the first attacker, a large dog, with a judo-like toss. He then
made a kangaroo-kick against a hawk, and rolled on the ground to avoid an attacking
gorilla. He stood up, and started punching his enemies as fast and hard as possible.
When the gorilla tried to grab him, Wally gave him several strong punches on his mid-
section, and then jumped on the ape's shoulders; from that high position, he extended
his arms in a cross-like way, and then body-slammed two Perfectos who were trying to
get him, knocking them out. Wally rolled again on the ground to avoid another
attacker, this time, a black bear, and when he stood up, grabbed the bear in a strong
head-lock; he then used the bear's head as a battering ram, making him collide with the
already groggy gorilla, knocking both beasts out. The rest of the fight was a fast series
of punches and kicks to finish the job.
	"Lobato! Lobato! Lobato!" Rhubella cheered Wally during the whole fight;
even if she was worried for his safety, she was also enjoying the scene a lot, and didn't
care if any Perfecto could see her (all of them were too focused on Wally to do it
anyway).
	"You... are dead, Wolf." Gunbo's pained voice was heard. Ruby turned to see
him, and gasped, noticing he was holding a Swiss blade, and approaching Wally; he
couldn't move so fast because of his injured leg, but it was obvious he could still give a
fight.
	Luckily, Wally noticed him too. Since all his other enemies were already out of
the fight, he decided to use a slightly super-powered character to stop the hybrid. He
started spinning, and his voice filled the air.
	"Gentleman with men... gallant with women... kind with children... and terrible
with evil-doers...I am..." Wally ended his spinning, making both Gunbo and Ruby to
do a double take. He was wearing a totally white outfit, consisting in a long-sleeved
shirt, pants, cape, and an Indi-like turbant on his head, with a little red gem on it.
	"KAAA-LIIII-MUTT! The Incredible Wolf!" Wally said, in a loud and cool
voice. Gunbo recovered from his surprise, and raised his blade, ready to throw it
against the wolf. Wally then made eye-contact with him, and started concentrating.
The hybrid froze on his place.
	"Drop that blade." Wally ordered. Gunbo resisted a little, but eventually
dropped his weapon. Rhubella realized that the wolf was using hypnosis on Gunbo.
Wally was sweating a little because of the effort, but still he could give another
command to the hybrid.
	"Knock yourself out." Wally ordered him. A second later, Gunbo was punching
his own face!
	WHACK! WHAM! ZOCK! ZAS!
	The hybrid fell to the ground, with both eyes blackened, and without a couple
of teeth. Ruby smiled widely, and directed to the wolf.
	"That was amazing! Wish I could do that trick!" Rhubella commented, excited.
Wally gave her a little smile.
	"Serenity and patience, little rodent," Wally said in a calm tone, and then
changed back to normal. The first two changes weren't so exhausting, but Kalimutt
was a difficult impersonation, so Wally was panting a little.
	"We'll better go before they wake up... and this time, I'm helping you with a
bag. You're a little tired to carry everything." Ruby told him. Wally nodded, knowing
she was right.
	-I drove him to the bus station. During the whole ride, we were commenting
about everything we had lived together... his first days, the whole pet/servant thing, the
football's incidents, he defending me... it was both a happy and a sad moment, because
I knew he wouldn't be around any more, but it felt great to know I had someone I could
always count with.-
	Margot was already on the bus station, waiting for Rhubella and Wally. Even if
she still considered Wally as nothing more like a servant, she realized Ruby was right
about him being a great guy, and wanted to say good-bye. She owed him that at least.
	Wally and the girls sat together, waiting for the guys at the station to announce
Wally's bus time for departure. They chatted a little more, and, after a few minutes, the
speakers were heard, announcing that the bus would leave in 10 minutes. Wally
sighed, and stood up; the girls did it a few seconds later.
	"Well... I guess this is it... Miss Mallard, it was a pleasure to serve you. Please,
take care of yourself and Miss Rat... and don't let that Danforth guy mistreat you,
okay? If he does just call me, and I'll come back to give him a little bite," Wally
directed to Margot. The duckette gave him a wicked smile.
	"Just a little one?" Margot joked, making both Ruby and Wally to chuckle.
Margot shook her head, smiling, and offered her hand/wing to the wolf, who gently
kissed it.
	"Hate to admit it, Wolf... but I'll surely miss you; take care you too, okay?"
Margot told him. Wally nodded.
	-Margot and Wally still treat each other this way... but, even if they don't admit
it, I'm sure one considers the other a friend.-
	The wolf stood in front of the rodent. They both got silent for a minute; Ruby
was looking down, and he was trying to say something, but no word was coming out
from his jaws. Margot just looked at them, without saying a thing. Rhubella realized
that her own mood maybe was making Wally to hesitate about his decision, and
decided to do something.
	"You know, if you don't go into that bus, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, or
tomorrow, or in a year... but it will be soon, and for the rest of your life." Rhubella said
to him. Wally made a double take, and smiled.
	"Casablanca?" Wally asked. Ruby looked at him, and smiled back.
	"Sounds like the best option right now. I'll be okay, don't worry. Look... take
this." Rhubella handled him a card.
	"It's my e-mail address. You can send me a message anytime you want." Ruby
told him. Wally looked at the card, and smiled.
	"Littlemarchioness-alt-hotmail-dot-com?" Wally asked. Ruby blushed, and
Margot chuckled a little.
	"Noble heritage, remember?" Rhubella said, shrugging. Wally rubbed his chin.
	"So, in Spanish, you are a Marquesita, uh?" Wally commented. Both girls
chuckled.
	Wally gave Ruby a little hug, and then started walking away with his stuff.
Ruby remembered something, and moved next to him.
	"Wait! Almost forgot the most important!" The rat said, and then she unlocked
Wally's collar, retiring it.
	"There. You now are a free wolf." Ruby said to him. Wally looked at her with
fond eyes, and leaned to kiss her paw.
	"Thanks a lot, for everything, Miss Rat." Wally told her. Ruby shook her head.
	"Thanks to you... and... skip the "Miss Rat" thing, okay? You can call me
Rhubella, or Ruby... Wally." The rat told him, blushing. Wally had his widest smile;
this was the first time she had called him by his "for friends" name.
	"I'll keep in contact, Ruby. So long," Wally told her, and then left to take his
bus. Margot approached the rat.
	"Eh... are you going to conserve the collar? You know, if you don't, maybe..."
Margot said in a nervous tone. Ruby smiled at her friend, and gave her the collar since
it was obvious the avian wanted it as a way to remember Wally.
	-We stayed at the station almost for an hour after the bus left. I was feeling so
happy for him... but sad for myself, a lot more than I could have ever imagined. That
night, I retired to my room earlier than usual, but couldn't sleep until two in the
morning.-
	-I spent most of the night hugging a pillow, and sobbing.-
	(AN: Wally spin-changed into Mexican superheroes in this chapter. The first
was a comedic one, El Chapulín Colorado -The Red Colored Grasshopper/Cricket-;
next was El Santo, The Silver Masked, a wrestler made hero that made many movies
during the fifties and sixties; and, finally, Kalimán, The Incredible Man, our main
comic books' superhero.)
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	- LIVING WITHOUT THE WOLF.
	-I was feeling really odd the next morning. On one side, I had this kind of void
inside me, and, on the other one, I was feeling well... good with myself. I really wanted
to kick myself for letting Wally go, but when I remembered he would be reunited with
his family, and all the good times we had, the bad feelings became a lot easier to
tolerate. And, one day later, I received Wally's first e-mail, informing me he was at
home; from that day, we e-mailed each other almost daily.-
	-When I returned school, after the winter break, the first thing I did when I
arrived at the parking lot was stretching my neck, trying to find him... I needed almost
one minute to remember he wasn't around any more. Margot spotted me, and, of
course, she realized what I was doing.-
	"Ruby, you know he isn't here, but in Yellowstone. You told me he e-mailed
you yesterday, remember?" Margot told her friend. Both females were using last-
fashion jackets because the snowy weather.
	"I know... by the way, he asked me about you, and sent you greetings, as
always." Rhubella told Margot. The avian sighed.
	"Tell him that I'm fine, and I hope he is okay as well. Look, Ruby, I know you
miss him, but you must accept he's gone." Margot told the rat. Rhubella sighed.
	"You're right, Margot, but guess I really became used to having him around.
The moment I arrived at the school, my first thought was ‘Where is Wally?'" Ruby
admitted. Margot looked over her shoulder, and pointed to something behind the rat.
	"I see him. He is walking next to those guys from the band, right behind the
one with the drum." Margot said. Ruby turned back, and saw a group of Perfectos
holding instruments and walking through the campus, with a thin human dressed with
a red and white stripes sweater and hat, and wearing glasses, right behind the guy
Margot mentioned. Ruby slapped her own forehead in frustration.
	-Can you say "recurrent gag"?-
	"Funny... but, you know what's even funnier, Margot? That, despite the fact I
miss him a lot, I know I would feel terrible if he wasn't with his family. We only
owned him because he allowed us to do it, and knowing we made him possible to go
back with his loved ones, it makes me happy." Rhubella told the avian. Margot sighed.
	"That's not funny, but weird, Ruby. You really got influenced by Wolf, you
know that? If I didn't know you better, I would say you like him, and not just in the
friendly way." Margot told the rodent. Ruby blushed.
	"N-no, Margot, you are wrong! I miss him the same way I would miss you, or
Percy! Wally was... is one of my best friends, and I care a lot about him, even if I
needed a lot of time to realize it." Ruby said, looking down. Margot sighed, and placed
a hand/wing on the rat's shoulder.
	"Ruby, it's fine; I know you and Roderick had been a couple for years, but he
hadn't been a great boyfriend lately... actually, not even a mediocre one. Is natural you
feel attracted by a good looking guy that cares about you, and makes you laugh, even if
he's not in our social level; trust me, if Drake wasn't, at least, trying to compensate me
for all his mistakes, maybe I would had dumped him a while ago, and tried some luck
with Wolf. I'm the one who told you he was handsome the first time we saw him,
remember?" Margot told her friend. Ruby chuckled.
	"Nope... you said he was "hot", Mallard. And, actually, even if I denied it... I
agreed with you since then. He is the best guy I had ever met." Ruby said, sighing at
the last part. Margot chuckled a little, and then grabbed the rat by her arm.
	"Okay, enough of that; he is now with his family, and you two still keep
contact, so stop feeling sorry for yourself, and let's go to attend our stuff. We have to
greet the new girl that got the basketball's scholarship, remember?" Margot told her
friend. Ruby smiled, and walked alongside her friend.
	-The new girl was a gorilla, a bluish gray one, wearing a torn up shirt and
baggy pants, that arrived school in a motorcycle. As many guys that got a sports'
scholarship, she wasn't exactly rich, but since she was a good athlete, that detail was
forgiven, and could hang around with the wealthiest toons around. You'll see her on
the next basketball season, and believe me, she is good.-
	Ruby and Margot gulped a little when they saw the female ape jumping down
the motorcycle. She wasn't as big as a male gorilla, but she surely had muscles, and
was almost as tall as the rodent and the avian, one standing on the other's shoulders.
She wasn't using the school's uniform because of the weather, one of the few reasons
the school allows the students to dress freely; the ape obviously wasn't feeling affected
by the climate, but she was taking any possible chance to dress as she liked.
	"Ruby... you're the team's captain, so... I guess you should be the one
introducing us." Margot said, walking a step back. Rhubella sighed.
	"Thanks for the support, friend. Okay, here goes nothing." Ruby said, and
directed to the ape. She decided that the best way to approach her was Wally's way, as
polite as possible, but trying to show no fear.
	"Hello. My name is Rhubella Rat, and I'm the basketball team's captain. The
bird looking at us with fear on her eyes is my friend, Margot Mallard. Welcome to
Perfecto Prep..." Ruby said, extending her paw to salute the ape. The gorilla looked
down at her, and shook her paw, trying not using a lot of strength.
	"Tiffany Bongo Ape, but everyone calls me T-Bad, so I recommend you to do
the same." The gorilla said in a tough girl's tone, but a lot friendlier than Ruby
expected. The rat relaxed a little.
	"Okay, T-Bad, since we are going to be teammates, and I'm a top girl in this
school, I guess it's my duty to show you the place, and give you some pointers." Ruby
told the ape. The gorilla nodded, keeping a slightly surprised look.
	"Sure... you know, I had heard some stories about this place, but you seem to
be a good girl. Everybody says this place is filled up with snobs, bullies, and hot-heads
that don't even give you the time of the day without looking at you with disgust." T-
Bad told Rhubella.
	"Well, actually, yes, I'm a little snobby, and I had done some bullying and other
really mean things you don't really want to know, but I'm trying to quit that. If I could
stop smoking, that can't be so hard." Ruby shrugged.
	"And the fact you're big and strong enough to crush us without any effort is a
good extra reason to be polite with you." Margot said to the primate, finally joining the
conversation. T-Bad chuckled.
	"So, you have a tongue, uh? Well, maybe I'll like this place after all." The large
ape said, and then the rat and the avian started guiding her through the school. Since it
was the first day of the new semester, the classes were supposed to start a little later
than usual, so they had plenty of time. A little later, the trio saw a group of Perfectos
that seemed to be surrounding someone. Ruby and Margot, who got a good idea about
what was going on, frowned.
	"Hey, is that usual around here?" T-Bad asked. Ruby sighed.
	"Yes, especially when the semesters start. You see, since every semester there
are new students, the old ones have this territorial-like need to tease them and show the
newcomers about who is the boss. I doubt any of them would like to play hard on
someone your size, but any other guy, well..." Rhubella told her. She was feeling a
little guilty, since, before knowing Wally, she usually joined these groups as well.
Margot started explaining the rest.
	"The thing can be well planned and calm, giving the guy a little psychological
torture before starting the physical one... as we did with a poor guy last semester," the
avian said, looking down for a moment, "or like this one, beating him from the
moment he arrives."
	"Well... either my diet needs more carrots, or they aren't teasing a guy, but a
girl." T-Bad commented. Because of her height, she had a better view of the whole
mess.
	-She was right. Usually, girls are teased by girls, and boys by boys, especially
when a large group is involved, but this time there was a bunch of boys messing with a
girl, a light brown Persian female cat with dark brown face, paws, and tail tip. She had
blue eyes, and long dark hair, and, under her blue jacket, that was slightly open, she
was wearing a white shirt that seemed to have puffed sleeves. She was also wearing a
purple skirt, gold jewelry, a blue chakra stone on her forehead, and was covering her
hair with a purple veil.-
	"Please, guys, what's wrong with you?" The pretty feline told her attackers.
Gunbo, who was leading them, approached her, with a sly look on his face.
	"It's very simple, dear. You are new here, and we want to be as friendly as
possible... which means you have to be friendly with us, especially with me.
Otherwise, well, this school can be a pain to attend if you don't have someone to cover
your back." Gunbo told the feline while rubbing her chin. The cat moved her head,
disgusted.
	"I don't need to stand this! I come from a very rich family, just like yours, but it
seems you hadn't received a proper education. Now, let me go, okay?" The cat, angry,
yelled at the hybrid, and tried to go away, but Gunbo stopped her by grabbing her arm.
	"You have an attitude. I like it. Maybe this can be funnier than I thought."
Gunbo told the girl. The other guys chuckled, while the feline got a scared look.
	-That was all I could stand. The moment Gunbo started playing hard with her,
the only thought in my head was "What would Wally do?", and you know what that
means.-
	"Party is over, Gunbo. Let her go, NOW!" Rhubella growled at Gunbo while
marching towards the group. The guys gulped, while Gunbo only gave her a
challenging look, and the cat looked at the rodent with begging eyes.
	"What's the problem, Rat? Since your dog is gone, you want a cat now? You
really got used to have a pet, right?" Gunbo said to the rat. Rhubella smirked.
	"Oh, but I still have my dog, Gunbo. I just allowed him to go, but he remains
on my service. Touch me, or anyone under my protection, or Margot's, and he'll be
here in a matter of minutes, ready to kick your tail as he did the last two times. Oh, I
forgot! The last time he made YOU kick your own tail, or, more precisely, beat your
own face. Your dentist made a good job, by the way." Ruby told Gunbo, keeping a
challenging position as well. Gunbo growled at her, but the rat wasn't intimidated.
	"Hey, Gunbo! If you want a date so desperately, why don't you try with our new
player?" Margot said, moving next to Ruby, while the gorilla moved right behind
them, cracking her knuckles. All the boys, even Gunbo, got a scared look.
	"Oh, yes. If you want to date me, well, my interests are music, motorcycles, and
sending the guys that make me anger to the nearest hospital. ANYONE IS
INTERESTED?" T-Bad said, growling at the last part. All the boys escaped in a panic
dash, except Gunbo, who just released the cat, and tried to keep his coolness.
	"Well... I guess I should go now... see you later, girls." Gunbo said, and started
walking away, trying to show bravery. Ruby had an idea, and couldn't resist the
impulse of using it.
	"GET HIM, WOLF!" Rhubella yelled in a commanding tone. Gunbo jumped
because of the surprise, and then ran away.
	"You're not the only one who still expects to see him suddenly appearing here,
right, Ruby?" Margot told her friend, chuckling. Rhubella just shrugged, while the ape
laughed. Even if she had no idea about why the rat yelled something about a wolf, the
scene was funny enough. Rhubella approached the cat, who was sighing in relief.
	"Thanks a lot for your help. I had no idea there were so rude guys in this
school." The cat told Ruby. The rat placed a paw on her shoulders.
	"You're welcome. They didn't hurt you?" Ruby asked. The feline shook her
head, and Rhubella continued. "Good. Now, listen carefully. By personal experience, I
can tell you this place is filled up with really nasty toons, so you have only two ways to
survive here. One is to be as mean as them, so they can accept you in the group."
	"But, I can't do that! I was raised to be a lady, not a bully, or a jerk, like those
guys! And I have full intention to remain that way." The cat told the rodent. Ruby
smiled at her answer; as Wally, she seemed to be a nice toon, with the difference she
was a rich one.
	"Okay, then you have to use the second option. That is hanging around with a
well-known student, at least for a while, so you can learn your way around here, and
have some protection. Of course, you might need to do a couple of favors to said toon,
but it's the most suitable solution." Rhubella told her. The cat rubbed her chin.
	"And those favors would be...?" The cat said, suspecting the rat was planning
making her a personal slave. Ruby shrugged.
	"Mainly, being her friend, and inform her about where you bought those
wonderful clothes!" Rhubella said, in an honest tone. Margot nodded.
	"Then... I guess that option suits me well. Oh, by the way, my name is Saphira
Purrsian." The cat said, offering her paw. Ruby shook it.
	"Rhubella Rat. The duck behind me is Margot, and King Kong's relative is T-
Bad, a newcomer, like you." Ruby said, pointing behind her. Saphira joined her paws
to do a respectful vowing in front of the other two toons, and the avian and the ape
nodded. A moment later, they were walking together through the campus.
	"Your friend is always helping the newcomers?" T-Bad asked Margot in a
whisper, while Ruby was talking with the cat. Margot chuckled.
	"Usually, no... I guess she'll make an habit of it."
	-Saphira and T-Bad hung around with Margot and me during the whole
semester. After a while, Saphira was respected by the other guys even when we weren't
around; as I imagined, she was a nice girl, and we visited her house several times.
After a couple of months, we even helped her get a boyfriend, a newcomer from India,
named Rajshun, a tiger; he can act a little mean at times, but, since he and Saphira got
together, he actually started being a little friendlier. Plus, he doesn't tolerate Gunbo,
and this tiger is a very good fighter, so the hybrid finally desisted in his attempts to get
Saphira for himself. You didn't saw him playing in the Acme Bowl because he doesn't
like football at all, and he and Saphira preferred to have a nice date without anyone
else around instead of going to the stadium.-
	-T-Bad, well, she really could be a little tough at times, which explained her
nickname, but we liked to have the ape around; actually, she is kind of funny. And it
never hurts to have some muscle on your side; one day Nigel was particularly
annoying, she grabbed him by the neck and tossed him through the classroom's
window... and he landed outside the Prep! He is fine now, but he still walks a little
funny. Since Margot moved to Saint Canard, these girls are the only Perfectos I still
have contact with.-
	-And what was Roddy doing during all this time? He hardly spent time with
me, or even talked, during the whole semester! He was too busy planning new schemes
to get even on Buster and his classmates, and, since I became more interested in
helping my new friends to adapt to the Prep, I stopped helping him, which explains
why I didn't give any of you girls a hard time during those months.-
	-And, of course, I kept contact with Wally the whole semester. We phoned
sometimes, but, since Wally always wanted to pay for the calls, we usually used the
web. At times, we could expend hours chatting on line, mainly on his free days. When
he commented me his birthday was in April, I sent him, as a gift, some old series in
DVD I could find for him; Fangface, Dynomutt, Classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and
so. Besides being a nice present, he used them to practice some impersonations and
tricks. Actually, I bought some of the books he got for the school, and since, thanks to
him and his updated homework, I had some free time, I started reading them as well.-
	-Of course, despite all this, I still missed him a lot; that's why I commented
today at class that I could had used a trick like yours, Gosalyn, during the semester... to
see, hear, or even touch him again. -
	(AN: Thanks a lot to mammal-mage, from Fanfiction Net, for designing the
new characters used in this chapter)
	
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
	- Meet the Wolves.
	-About two weeks before the end of the school's year, Wally told me that his
family agreed to receive me and my parents during the summer vacation, if I wanted; I
had to think about it... like a hundredth of a second! That night, I talked with my
parents about that, and, at first, they were a little reluctant to go, but Percy helped me a
lot; he convinced them that the whole thing would be like a luxury safari, but closer
than Africa, and a lot cheaper; that argument convinced them in a snap.-
	-My dad rented the most expensive RV he could find, one that looked like a
little five stars hotel's room with wheels. My mother liked it so much, she actually
convinced my father to buy it once we returned back home.-
	-The day we left, Margot, Saphira, and T-Bad went to my place to say so-long.
Margot was about to leave to Europe with her parents the next week, and wouldn't be
back for almost a month so she asked me to send her greetings to our "pet". Saphira
was really excited, because Rajshin invited her to India to meet his family; she told me
later that the whole thing went great, and, before they returned, she convinced him to
spend a few days with her family as well, also with good results. T-Bad was the only
one, besides me, who stayed in the country, since she spent her vacations on Chicago,
where her father works as a cars and motorcycles' designer.
	-Not surprisingly, neither Roderick nor Drake appeared, and I was fine with
that. Roddy was, as usual, planning new ways to get even on Buster; now that I think
about it, I guess it was during this time he designed most of his attack plan for the
Acme Bowl. Danforth excused himself saying he had to leave to South America later
that same day to attend some family business... yeah, right, and I'm Minnie Mouse.-
	-Even if I was eager to finally arrive at Yellowstone, I enjoyed the trip a lot.
Besides spending a lot of time with my parents (something I rarely do), I could chat
with Percy during most of the trip, since he was the driver and I sat next to him. At
times, I asked him to drive a little, so he could rest for a while. Since we took the
scenic route, our trip lasted almost a week... and, finally, we arrived.-
	Ruby was taking a little nap on her seat when Percy gently shook her shoulders.
	"No, mommy... I am not the one who played throwing the disc with the silver
dishes..." A half slept rat said, still dreaming. Her butler chuckled, and insisted with
the shaking, a little more vigorous this time.
	"Wake up, Miss Rhubella... is almost three o' clock, and you stopped taking
naps when you were seven. We're almost there." Percy said, finally making Ruby to
open her eyes, and look in front of the vehicle. The forest view made her to fully react,
and smile.
	"Percy, this place is great! Good thing Wally is waiting for us, or we would
never be able to find him in this park." Ruby said, amazed because of the immensity of
the forest in front of her. Sure, she had seen this kind of image countless times in
pictures and movies, but it was a whole new experience to actually see the real thing.
Percy smiled.
	"Impressive, isn't it? When I was about your age, my classmates organized a
few trips around the country, and I had the chance to visit both this park, and Yosemite
as well. It will be a great experience to walk through these magnificent open spaces
again." The butler commented. Ruby looked at him.
	"I can't believe that." Rhubella said.
	"Well, before meeting young master Wolf, you were never interested in
camping, so I kept those stories to myself." Percy explained.
	"No... I can't believe you once were my age." Ruby joked. Percy didn't say a
thing, but smiled at the comment; his young mistress always enjoyed doing little jokes
at his expenses.
	An hour later, they finally reached the park's entrance. Since it was a high
tourism's season, the road was filled up with several cars, and lots of rangers trying to
keep them in order while pointing the tourists about the best places to camp, or, in the
case of those who reserved a cabin, where they had to go. Percy had to slow down the
vehicle to ask for directions; Ruby opened the window, and directed to a ranger who
was showing his back to them while ending directing another tourist.
	"Excuse me, mister ranger, but we are looking for one guy that works here,
Wally Wolf. You surely know him; he is a black wolf with white muzzle, pretty eyes,
and a very nice temper." Ruby told the ranger. He turned back, and the rat smiled
widely.
	"Of course I know him. He had been waiting for his dearest friend from Acme
Acres." Wally, who was the one in the ranger outfit, directed to the rat, smiling, and
blushing a little because of Ruby's comment about his eyes. He had already told Ruby
that he was working half-shift as an assistant ranger.
	Rhubella couldn't contain herself, and opened the door, jumping down the
vehicle and giving him a tight hug. Wally was a little surprised, but immediately
hugged her back. Percy shook his head, slightly smiling. At that moment, Rupert
approached to his butler.
	"Why we had stopped, Percival? And where's Rhubella?" Mr. Rat asked. Wally
and Ruby broke the embrace, and then he cleared his throat to get Rupert's attention, as
well as Roselyn's, who had approached to the RV's window. The wolf made a formal
salute, and directed to the rats at the vehicle, in his usual polite tone.
	"Welcome to Yellowstone Park, Mister and Mrs. Rat, and Mister Percival. I'm
glad to receive you here at my home, and to inform you I'll be both your guide and host
during all the time you stay, hoping you all will enjoy your visit." Wally said.
	"Oh, Wallace, nice to see you; au contraire, we are glad you invited us to this
beautiful place. Please, come on board." Rupert replied, motioning both Wally and
Ruby to get into the vehicle; the rat girl had already told her parents that Wally was
one of the park's employees, but they were okay with that, since Mister Rat had always
appreciated a hard worker.
	Wally kept the door open for Ruby, and assisted her to get in; he sat next to the
window, and, after shaking paws with both male rats, and gently saluting Roselyn, he
started directing Percy. During the ride, Roselyn taped everything she saw while
Wally, attending his guide's duties, informed the rats about the things they were seeing,
from the kind of trees to the geysers. Rupert listened to every detail, asking some
questions about anything he was doubtful. Ruby, even if she was enjoying the view
and the explanation, was more interested on the fact she and Wally were next to each
other, and she took the chance to place her paw on his. Wally blushed at this, but held
her paw in reply while giving her a discreet glance.
	They arrived to Wally's home almost two hours later. It was one of the less
visited parts of the park, since it was reserved for the employees' homes; this particular
one was a very big cabin, the type you see in western movies or TV shows, rustic, but
nice looking. The moment Percy parked the vehicle, a little seven year-old wolf girl,
with totally brown fur, wearing a white shirt and blue shorts, dashed out from the
cabin, and, when Wally opened the RV's door to jump down, she jumped on top of
him.
	"Yourfriendishere? Yourfriendishere? Yourfriendishere?" The girl said in a fast
and excited voice. Wally motioned her to calm down, while Ruby, chuckling, jumped
down from the RV as well. Wally already had talked to her about this particular
relative of him.
	"Yes, Vicky, she is. Ruby, she is my little cousin, Vicky. Vicky, she's my friend
from Acme Acres, Rhubella, or Ruby for friends." Wally made the formal
introduction. Vicky dashed next to Ruby, and keeping her excited tone and mile-per-
minute talking, shook her paw.
	"Hi! How are you? My name is Virginia, but everyone calls me Vicky because
otherwise there are many jokes about the whole "Who Fears Virginia Wolf?" topic, but
that doesn't really matters to me because I like my name anyway. So, you're my
cousin's friend, uh? He is always talking about you, and his other friend from Acme
Acres, but I think she is a duck, and you are a rat, right? I know because he talks about
you the most, and how nice you are, how pretty you are..." Vicky was cut by Wally's
paw on her muzzle. The wolf boy gave Ruby a nervous smile, while the rat was doing
her best to avoid rolling on the floor laughing because of the little girl's speech.
	"Nice to meet you too, Vicky. Your cousin had mentioned you some times
when we chat on line." Ruby said to Vicky while leaning, giving her a friendly smile.
Wally retired his paw from Vicky's muzzle when he noticed Ruby's parents and Percy
were walking down the vehicle. Virginia moved in front of the elder rats, and leaned
respectfully.
	"Good evening. My name is Virginia Wolf, but you can call me Vicky, as
anyone else. We are honored for your visit to our home; please allow me and my
cousin to help you with your baggage." Vicky said, in an amazingly polite and calm
way. Percy and Ruby's parents thanked her, and told the girl that they would sleep on
the vehicle, so there was no need to take down any baggage.
	"She only acts this way with the grown-ups she isn't familiar with. To the rest
of us, Vicky is like a sugar-high Speedy Gonzales." Wally whispered to Ruby,
explaining his cousin sudden change of behavior.
	A moment later, a brown wolf lady, wearing a red dress, a green necklace, and
a white apron, with a matching bracelet, walked out from the house, and gave the rats a
nice smile. Ruby recognized Wally's mother from the pictures she had already seen.
	"Good evening, sirs. My name is Guadalupe Wolf, but you can call me Lupe,
or Lupita. I'm glad to finally receive at my place the family that was so kind with my
son during his time in Acme Acres." Lupe said, in a very kind tone. The rats thanked
for the greeting, and then all walked inside the house to chat until dinner's time.
	Larry, Wally's dad, arrived about an hour later, alongside with Vicky's parents
and a few other wolves, who were relatives as well. Larry looked a lot like a taller
version of Wally (he was about the size of Wile E. Coyote, ears and all), but their eyes
were different, since Wally had his like his mother's. They all sat for dinner, who
consisted mainly on a large pot of stew; besides that, there were tortillas, some salad,
rice, and a dish with plenty of home-made biscuits. Percy wanted to help serve the
food, but Lupe, Wally and Vicky did it; the wolf boy insisted Percy was a guest as
well, so, at least during the meal hours, he shouldn't need to work at all. Wally sat
between Ruby and Vicky, and then they all started eating. Wally was the only one who
wasn't taking any stew, having mostly biscuits instead.
	"Delicious meal, Mrs. Lupe; might I ask you what kind of meat is this?" Rupert
asked Lupe while preparing himself another taco with the stew.
	"Bison," Lupe answered. "Since we are wolves, we are allowed to hunt a large
animal once in a while. Wally used to eat a lot of this, but he had lowered a lot his
ingest of meat since he knew he would attend school in Acme Acres." The wolf lady
commented. Wally nodded, and entered the conversation.
	"Well, as I already told your daughter, Mister Rat, I think it would be very
uncomfortable to eat real meat in front of a guy who belongs to an edible species, so I
had been looking for a substitute for meat on my diet. Actually, Rhubella helped me a
lot with that, because she introduced me to many cheese-based meals, and those work
well with me. These biscuits, for example, are made of potato and cheese." Wally
pointed while grabbing another biscuit. Roselyn entered the conversation.
	"That's curious... you know, when we have a party or dinner at home, we serve
several kinds of meat, and our guests had never felt offended. Now that I think about
it, I once saw one of our associates, a duck, eating eggs." Roselyn commented,
realizing about the cannibalistic tendencies of some wealthy toons; she had even seen
chickens and ducks eating poultry.
	"Well, maybe he doesn't consider eating that as a cannibal thing because, sadly,
as I noticed in Perfecto, many of the wealthy toons had forgotten they are animals.
Back in the Prep, the only ones I ever saw doing animal-like things were some guys
who were there because of a sports' scholarship, and just because they had some useful
natural skills. I know we are civilized animals, but we must not forget that we're that,
animals. Even if I'm trying to control my carnivore side, I still like doing some things
according to my species." Wally told the rats. Rupert pondered about the speech for a
moment.
	"You know Wallace… that might be a good stress-relieving therapy. I'm
comment about it to my associates at home. You have a good point about that animal-
heritage topic; sometimes, the only thing that reminds me I am a rat is the fact I like
cheese a lot." Rupert commented. Larry cleaned his muzzle with a napkin, and directed
to his family.
	"And talking about animal instinct, it's almost time," Larry said, making all the
wolves to nod.
	"Time for what?" Ruby asked Wally. He cleaned his muzzle as well before
answering.
	"Part of our job is to howl a little every night; tourists like that a lot. It helps to
complete the whole wilderness picture." Wally replied. A few minutes later, when
everybody ended eating, and Lupe, Wally, and two of his cousins cleaned the table,
they all walked out from the house. It was already dark, and the moon was up, giving
some illumination.
	"The best moment to do the howling is like this one, when the moon is visible,
even if it's not a full one. That eliminates any fear-related feeling from the howling;
otherwise, when it's totally dark, it can be a little scary for the people hearing it." Wally
told Rhubella while her mother was preparing the camera to tape the wolves.
	"Can I do the first howling? Can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeeease?" Vicky asked the
other canines; they chuckled, and nodded. Vicky cleared her throat, and howled.
	HOOOWWWWLLLLL!
	A second later, all the wolves were howling in a very melodic way. They
stopped a few minutes later, and then there was another howling in the air, not nearly
as melodic as the original.
	"Those are the tourists. They like to howl in reply. Wanna try?" Larry informed
the rats, inviting them to join. They hesitated a little, but Ruby set the example by
walking next to the pack, clearing her throat, and placing both paws in a megaphone-
like way. She took a deep breath, and started howling, in a more or less decent way.
This encouraged the other rodents, and they howled a little as well... except Ruby, who
joined the wolves when they started howling again.
	-Those vacations were great. My parents actually allowed themselves to relax
and enjoy the forest, even if they spent most of the time near the cabin, chatting with
Wally's mom. Percy offered to baby-sit Vicky, so they were together most of the time;
I guess Percy missed the days when I was Vicky's age, because I swear he looked like
ten years younger when we finally returned home. And me, well, I spent those days
alongside Wally and his dad, watching them working; after a couple of days, I knew
enough to, at least, assist them without messing with the job. I really liked being
useful... and, truth be said, that ranger outfit fits me greatly.-
	-Of course, Wally had some recess, and used that time to show me everything
and everyone. He introduced me to the rangers and the other animals he was friend
with. The second day he introduced me to Miss Hooter, an owl who teaches in the
local school; therefore, she used to be Wally's professor. He later showed me a little
outdoors gym where he learned to fight; his trainer was Mister Bruin, a grizzly bear the
size of a van, and kind of tough, but he surprised me with his manners, who were
better than the ones from many guys at Perfecto. He even offered himself to show me
some moves, and I accepted; sure, I can't fight like most of you, but I learned enough
to kick a tail or two, just in case.-
	-But most of the time, it was just the two of us; Wally and I could walk for
hours chatting about anything. As usual, he always cut the serious talking to joke and
to make me laugh, and I tried doing the same. so we could be having a normal chat one
moment, and the next one of us was laughing like crazy. By then, I was totally sure I
felt something more powerful than a crush for him, something even stronger than the
feeling I had when Roddy and I were on our best moment. Now, the only thing I
needed to know was if Wally was feeling the same.-
	Two days before the Rat family's departure date, right after Lupe called
everyone inside the cabin for dinner, Wally motioned Ruby to talk alone with her. So,
they stayed outside while everyone rushed inside the house.
	"Ruby, I want to ask you something. You see, my dad told me that we have to
disperse a little tonight when we do the howling, so we can be heard all across the
park... and I'll go to a section that is a little far away from here, and... I was wondering
if you would like coming with me." Wally said to the rat, blushing slightly. Rhubella
smiled.
	"Sure, why not?" The rodent replied, making the wolf to smile as well. Then
they entered the house to eat with the families. Once everyone ended dinner, Wally
told his parents and Rhubella's about her going with him to howl, and they all agreed.
	Wally and Ruby left the cabin a while before everyone else started howling,
because they had to cover some distance, and needed to be there before the other
wolves started howling. Once they were a few yards away, Wally had an idea.
	"Hey, Ruby, why I don't change into Wolflash to run there? I can carry you
without problems." Wally proposed. Rhubella got a doubtful look.
	"I don't know, Wally... I mean, you are really fast with that identity, and, well, I
just had dinner." Ruby told him. Wally chuckled.
	"Don't worry. I'll keep my speed under Mach-1, and I am always very careful
when running. Trust me." Wally said to the rodent. Ruby smiled and nodded.
	-Of course, that argument was a winner one. I trust him entirely.-
	"Okay, Wally but, just in case... safety first," Ruby said while taking a helmet
and protective goggles out from her body's pocket; Wally wide-opened his eyes in
surprise.
	"When did you learn to do that?" Wally asked. It was the first time he ever saw
Rhubella, or any Perfecto, using a toon trick.
	"Recently; I wanted to surprise you, and it seems I did it. Since your toon tricks
are very useful, I decided to learn a few on my own. Sure, I can do only the most basic
ones, but I'm improving." Ruby explained while putting on her protection. Once she
was done, the rat placed her paws around the wolf's neck, and he carried her bridal-
style.
	"Okay, Ruby, here we go." Wally told her, and then dashed away. As promised,
he wasn't using his top speed, but it still was a good one.
	-That ride was really cool. Even if he wasn't running at full speed, I could have
an idea about the way he sees the world when running that fast; is just amazing.
Everything seems to be frozen in time, and you see hundreds of color lines in front and
aside of you. Sure, I felt like throwing up a couple of times, but, just tightening my
grip a little, and leaning my head on Wally's chest, was enough to control that
sensation.-
	When Wally approached his final destination, a cliff, he sprinted to run on the
rocky wall. Less than a second later, he and Ruby were on top. Even if the ride lasted
less than 10 seconds, the whole "freezing time" effect made it feel to be like a 5
minutes one.
	"Enjoyed the ride, Ruby?" Wally asked the rat on his arms. The rat got an awe
expression, and looked at him.
	"It was wonderful! How do you know when you are arriving to the place you're
going? I honestly thought we were about to exit the park!" Rhubella asked. Wally
shrugged.
	"When I change into Wolflash, my whole body adapts to the speed, including
my reflexes and sight. That helps me to have a good vision of the place I'm going, and
prevents tripping or clashing with obstacles." Wally informed her. Rhubella nodded,
and blushed.
	"Uh... you know you can put me down now, right?" The rodent asked. Wally
blushed as well, and put her down gently. The rat removed her helmet and goggles, and
then turned to see the view in front of her. This cliff was really tall, so it was easy to
see a good part of the park.
	"Wow! This place is great!" Rhubella said, excited. Wally changed back to
normal, and moved next to her.
	"Yes. This is one of my favorite howling spots. Look, the moon is on the right
position." Wally said while pointing to the sky. Rhubella nodded, and, a couple of
seconds later, they both started howling; since she now had more practice, her howling
was more melodic, and made a good chorus with Wally's. They stopped after 10
minutes or so, and sat next to the cliff's edge, hearing the other wolves and tourists'
howling.
	-A great view in a private place, the moon on top, and a handsome guy... that
was the perfect chance.-
	"Wally..." Ruby said, rubbing her arms, "... about that conversation we once
had about you getting a mate... had you found any suitable candidate?" The rat asked, a
little nervous. Wally rubbed his neck, and replied.
	"Well... there's one girl... but, I don't know... it's not easy for me to have a
relationship with her." Wally told the rat, avoiding the eye contact.
	"She isn't a wolf?" Rhubella asked.
	"No; but that is not the problem... I love her the way she is. But... well, I can't
offer her all the things she is used to have and well, there is also the detail of the whole
loyalty and commitment between a couple; you know how much I respect that." Wally
said, looking down.
	-Of course I knew what he was talking about... and of course, I also knew what
I had to do.-
	"I'll break up with Roderick." Ruby told him, making Wally to do a double
take.
	"You... really?" Wally asked, more excited than he wanted to show. Rhubella
nodded.
	"Yes... I tried to keep the flame on as much as I could, but there's no use. He no
longer cares about our relationship, and we now are a couple only by title, or habit,
maybe. But the weird thing is that it doesn't hurt as much as I would think, because I
already like someone else... more than a million times than I ever liked Roderick."
Ruby said, blushing a little more. Wally gulped, and smiled nervously.
	"And, this guy... is from school?" Wally asked, waging slightly his tail. Ruby
smiled fondly at him.
	"He WAS a classmate... not the wealthiest guy around, but his qualities are
more worthy than any bank account; and... if he tells me what I want to hear... I
wouldn't care if we aren't from the same species, or school, or whatever." Ruby winked
an eye to Wally. The wolf stared at her, and took a little breath before talking.
	"Ruby... as you said, I'm not the wealthiest guy around... and I know it will be
difficult to have a relationship because of the whole social classes junk, and that silly
rivalry between schools... but I can promise you something, and you know I always
keep my word. Nobody will care, support, or love you the same way I do." Wally said,
holding paws with her. Both toons stared at each other, and then the moon was covered
by clouds, darkening the scene. And, when the moon was visible again...
	"We walk; we walk, walk, and then stop." A blond woman, dressed with a red
tourists' guide outfit and holding a megaphone, directed to a group of tourists
following her, right on top of the cliff. She made a signal to stop, and then directed to
them while smiling widely.
	"Good night. I'm your guide, Miss Information, and we are in one of the best
viewing points of Yellowstone Park. From here you can see almost all the north
section of this natural wonder, as well as a section of our neighbor park, Jellystone; it's
almost as pretty as our park, but they have a lot more problems keeping the bears away
from the picnic baskets. If you look behind me, you'll see the magnificent nocturnal
view of the park, and, next to the cliff's edge, an interspecies couple sharing a romantic
moment." Miss Information said to the tourists, who made an ‘awww' expression when
looking at Ruby and Wally, kissing tender and deeply while gently rubbing each other's
back, totally oblivious to the crowd looking at them.
	Miss Information, after looking at the scene for a few moments, and allowing
the tourists to tape the scene and take some pictures using special night vision's lenses
(needed to take good shots at night without disturbing the animals with a flash),
directed to the group again.
	"Now, friends, even if looking at the animals' natural behavior is one of the
park's main attractions, I think it would be proper to allow them to have some privacy,
so we'll better leave. We walk, we walk, we start leaving, we take a last picture, we
leave the scene, my cameo ends, we walk..." The blonde said while motioning the
tourists to follow her, leaving the couple alone. Wally and Ruby broke the kiss almost
three minutes later, thanks to the toons natural resistance, and looked fondly at each
other, with little hearts flying around their heads.
	"I love you too, Wally... and, I have the perfect way to prove it." Rhubella said.
Wally chuckled while rubbing her hair.
	"Well, I really doubt anything can be better than that kiss... but I'm more than
willing to try." Wally said, half-joking. Ruby giggled, and shook her head slightly.
	"Me too, but I'm trying to be serious for a moment. Look, I want to be your
girlfriend in an open and free way, without anyone to mess with us... I know that might
be hard, but I want to do my best to make this relationship to work. So, I'll ask my
parents to allow me to enter the Looniversity." Ruby told him. Wally smile grew even
wider.
	"You mean it? Really?" Wally asked, excited. Rhubella nodded, and Wally
couldn't hold a happiness' howling. Rhubella laughed, and waited for Wally to cool
down before talking to him again.
	"Don't worry about my parents; I mean, they already like you… once they know
how much I really want to attend the Loo, I'm sure convincing them will not be so
hard. And, who knows? Sure, the guys from Acme aren't going to receive me with a
parade, and it might take a while for them to trust me, but maybe I can make a friend
or two in there." Rhubella said. Wally pondered about her speech, and then snapped
his fingers.
	"I have an idea. Look, you need some preparation to enter the Looniversity with
a good placement, and that will take some time, so maybe you can take a month or two
to prepare yourself, with a little help from yours truly, of course, and enter Acme later
on the semester. Mrs. Cat, the lady who attended me, told me there's always a group
that can't start the classes alongside the rest of the school for different reasons, so they
do it about one month after the beginning, and they still can work at the same rhythm
of the other students. Also, maybe you shouldn't break up with Roderick yet, but after
you get your placement at Acme. Otherwise he will be extremely furious during the
Acme Bowl, and you know how he acts on that state." Wally explained. Ruby smirked.
	"So, you finally are developing a little criminal mind, uh?" Rhubella said, in a
joking tone. Wally chuckled.
	"And you're developing your toonity. Guess we are a major influence on each
other." Wally told her. Rhubella hugged him, and he returned the embrace; a few
seconds later, they continued with their first making-out session.
	-The first of many to come.-
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	END FLASHBACK.
	Rhubella ended her story, sighing and staring at the space. The other girls
chuckled, and tried to make her react; Sweetie succeeded by whistling on the rodent's
ears, making her to shake her head to fight the stunning.
	"Sorry, I guess I got trapped in the memory." Ruby said, smiling and poking her
ears to try clearing her hearing.
	"Zon't worry, Ruby. Zhat was a beautiful amour´s szory." Fifi said, sighing a
little. The other girls nodded.
	"Yep; I usually don't care about fluffiness... unless it involves my own love-
life, of course, but, yes, I liked the story." Hillary pointed.
	"No wonder you said my trick could had been useful during the time Wally and
you were separated, Ruby. You are crazy for the guy." Gosalyn said, half-joking. Ruby
nodded, and directed to the girls again.
	"Anyway, you girls know the rest of the story. When I told my parents about
my decision, they freaked out a little at first, but they finally understood how much it
meant to me after watching me practicing the tricks I was studying, and, when I told
them about my problems with Roderick, they accepted my relationship with Wally as
well. When he returned Acme Acres, he stayed a couple of days at my place before
presenting the admission's exam, and during that time he and my parents had a long
chat about us. My dad was actually impressed when Wally told him he would never
ask for any monetary help, since he would be working at the Loo, something Wally
arranged with Bugs shortly before coming back, thanks to Sylvia; Dad had always
respected a working guy. And, as you girls can imagine, the thing ended well for Wally
and me." Ruby ended his story.
	"Like, we are happy for you two as well, or some junk." Shirley said while
using her telekinesis to clean up the table where they had been eating.
	"Yes, he is the best thing that had ever happened to me. That's why I want to be
a better student, because I want to be the best both for him and myself." Rhubella
commented, remembering her fiasco on the spin-changing class. Babs rubbed her chin,
and then lifted her ears, realizing something.
	"Talking about that, Ruby... when Wally carried you as Wolflash, you were
moving at a higher speed than the one we reach during a spin-change, right?" Babs
pointed. Ruby nodded.
	"And you said you had dinner right before that, and yet you could control the
nausea." Mary said, realizing what Babs was thinking.
	"Yes, but I wasn't the one running, remember? And besides, well, I know it
sounds corny, but when I'm with him I feel like I can stand anything, so a little nausea
was nothing at that moment." Rhubella pointed.
	"That's exactly my point, Rhubella." Babs said.
	"Yes, that it sounds corny." Sweetie giggled. Everyone rolled her eyes, and
Babs continued.
	"No, what I mean is that, when you are doing a spin-change, besides focusing
on the aspect or impersonation you want to make, you must also focus on why you are
changing... having fun, defend yourself, and so. If you can remember that feeling you
have when you're with your wolf, I'm sure you'll be able to fight back the nausea, and
maybe do more elaborate changes." Babs explained to the rat. Ruby rubbed her chin,
thinking about the rabbit's speech; besides being totally logical, this explanation came
from Acme's top spin-changer, giving it a strong back-up.
	"Babs, I never thought I would say this... but you are a genius!" Ruby said,
excited. Babs chuckled.
	"Nah. I'm not a genius..." the rabbit then spin-changed into an Albert Einstein's
impersonation, "... but I had played one on TV." Babs changed back to normal.
	"So, it's decided. Tomorrow morning we'll help Ruby with her spin-changes to
surprise everyone on Monday. Agree?" Mary proposed.
	"Sure... and, if she still has some troubles, we can do a little extra practice on
Sunday as well, or some junk." Shirley pointed. The other girls nodded.
	"Hey, thanks a lot, girls, to all of you." Ruby said, excited. Babs couldn't resist
getting a little laugh at the rat's expenses…
	"You're welcome... plus, I can bring some bags and a video camera to the
practice. That way, even if you don't improve, I'll still have some material for
America's Funniest Home Videos." Babs chuckled, and, a second later, fell on her back
because of the impact of a dozen pillows.
	Babs shook her head, and spin-changed into her Groucho Marx's
impersonation, while grabbing a pillow.
	"Of course you know, this means war!" The rabbit said before jumping on the
other girls, starting another pillows' fight. At one point, Ruby and Babs, still on her
Groucho's disguise, fell next to each other.
	"You girls are fine, but honestly, you can't be loonier! And I must be crazy as
well!" Ruby said while grabbing another pillow. Babs, smiling, grabbed one as well,
and prepared to strike the rat.
	"Well, you know what I say; can't trust any club that accepts me as a member."
Babs joked, a second after she and Ruby hit each other with the pillows.
	(AN: For Wally's parents, I chose Guadalupe, a very common female Mexican
name, that means "River of Wolves", and, actually, Lupe comes from Lupus, Latin for
wolf; and Larry is a reference to Lawrence "Larry" Talbot, the main character's name in
the original "Wolf Man" picture, by Universal, played by Lon Chaney Junior.)
	XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

	- TIME FOR A CHANGE.
	"Slappy, I know this is your class and all, but maybe you should stop this now,
don't you think?" Minerva told the old squirrel. Slappy and the female mink, alongside
Freakazoid and the squirrel's class, were behind a thick bullet-proof glass, watching
carefully at something happening at the other side. Slappy agreed to have the other
teachers on this particular class because the students might use tricks concerning
Minerva and Freakazoid's classes.
	"Relax, Minerva. They're toons, and this isn't a real fight, remember? They're
not really hurting themselves." Slappy told the mink. A second later, everybody wide
opened their eyes in surprise.
	"Well, Slappy, toons or not, I'm sure that must hurt." Freakazoid told Slappy,
without turning, since he didn't want to lose any detail. Slappy nodded.
	"Guess you guys are right. Okay, kids, the exhibition is over!" Slappy shouted,
and then pressed a button on her desk, activating a bell-like sound, stopping the action
behind the transparent wall..
	On this particular class, Slappy was working on the multi-participants' fight.
For this, she made groups of three or four students, and made them to fight each other,
using any style they decided. To avoid serious injuries, Slappy could end the fight the
moment she decided, usually when the fighters were exhausted, or one was about to be
really hurt, so the fights usually ended without a real winner.
	The previous group consisted on Buster, Plucky, Calamity, and Fowlmouth;
they fought each other in a Toons Props-style, using mallets, anvils, dynamite sticks,
and so; they were now sitting next to their respective girlfriends, except FM, or course,
who was sitting behind Shirley (to the chicken's anger, she allowed Plucky to place his
arm/wing on her shoulder, and she wasn't complaining).
	The group whose fight was stopped now consisted on the three largest male
predators of the class, who decided to fight without any toon trick, in a Battle Royal-
style. That was actually a good idea, because their trademark tricks could do a lot of
damage (an extremely powerful roaring, a hurricane-like breath, and displays of speed
and stealth that mimicked short-ranged teleporting), and they were already hurt by
using their more normal skills.
	"Can anyone remind me again why we had to do that?" The J.A.M. asked his
companions, Ronald and Wally. The jaguar had some bruises on his face and arms, as
well as bite marks on his tail.
	"Because this isn't an optional class but an obligatory one; by the way, sorry
about the bites," Wally said, directing to the larger predators. He had a blackened eye,
and some bruises as well.
	"Don't worry. And I hope the last punch didn't hurt you that much." Ronald
said, directing to the jaguar at the last part. The hybrid, besides having some bruises, as
the other two toons, had a large scratch's mark on his shirt.
	"I'll live. Maybe I exaggerated a little with the claws too." The J.A.M said
while rubbing his chin. Truth be said, he was happy for this not being a real fight,
because, besides not liking to fight unless it was truly needed there was the fact that
even if Ronald contained some of his strength, he almost broke some of the jaguar's
teeth with the last punch.
	Slappy opened a hidden door, and walked next to the predators. Then, she took
a large bricks' wall out from her purse.
	"Okay, kids, this is a good chance to practice the Out-of-Scene Recovery. I
want the three of you to pass behind the wall, and emerge the other side as good as
new, or something close, okay?" Slappy told the predators. They nodded and obeyed; a
couple of seconds later, they emerged, still with exhausted expressions, but without
any bruise or scar, and their clothing intact. Slappy smiled at them, and then directed to
the rest of the class..
	"Okay, as you could see, they fought an old-fashioned battle, so it's a good
chance to analyze their physical and technical strengths. The J.A.M has the edge in the
speed and agility's aspects, so he could evade and connect many good attacks. Ronald,
since he is the largest, was the easiest target, and his size also limited his agility a little,
but he can stand the most punishment, and deliver the strongest blows. Finally, Wally,
despite being the shortest and least muscular of the trio, is the best balanced, because
he is faster than Ronald, and has a little more stamina than J.A.M. On the technical
aspect, well, they are perfectly matched; J.A.M has his own predator-based style,
consisting in very precise and fast attacks, while both Wally and Ron are skilled boxers
and wrestlers. Excellent fight, the three of you." Slappy directed to the predators at the
last part, and the whole class clapped; even Monty and Marcus did it, since they liked
to see three of their enemies hitting each other, even if it was just as part of an
exercise.
	The trio vowed to thank for the clapping, and then returned to their seats,
receiving high-fours all the way; The J.A.M sat next to Mary, who received him with a
little kiss on his cheek, making the jaguar to purr a little; Wally and Ron sat next to
Ruby and Hillary, who received them the same way, obtaining similar results. Slappy
waited for the class to calm down, and then directed to them again.
	"Okay, class, I think we still have time for a last battle before we run out of
time. I think a Cat Fight is a good idea." Slappy said, making Furrball and Sylvester
Junior to gulp.
	"Excuse me, Slappy, but we are only two cats in here, unless you are including
The J.A.M, of course, or Ronald, because he's half feline, but they just had a fight, and
wouldn't be fair to make them battle again." Junior said, hoping that speech would save
him from fighting. Slappy chuckled.
	"Not that kind of Cat Fight, kid, but an only-females one. Okay, I want four
fighters for this one. The rest of the girls will do it on Wednesday... right after Junior's
fight, of course. Maybe a battle involving him and Skippy, Dizzy, and Monty will
show him about trying to escape from an assignment." Slappy smirked at the kitten at
the last part. Junior slapped his forehead, mentally kicking himself.
	The girls looked at each other, nodding. They silently decided about who will
be the fighters.
	"Count me in, Slappy." Hillary, not surprisingly, offered as a volunteer. Ron
gave her a fast kiss and a "be careful" before the girl entered the battle site.
	"Count with me, too." Mary said, and, after receiving a similar treatment from
her furry boyfriend, she walked next to Hillary.
	"Count me three." Babs said, excited; Buster reacted as the other guys, and the
pink rabbit dashed to her place.
	Gosalyn, Fifi, Shirley, and Sweetie, who agreed to be the fighters on the next
battle, nodded to Ruby. The rat took a deep breath, sighed, and raised her paw.
	"I'm fighting too, Slappy." Rhubella said. Wally looked at her with concerned
eyes. Ruby kissed him on his nose, and whispered to him.
	"I know you care, Wally, but now I need your support, okay?" Ruby told him.
Wally sighed, and then smiled at her while giving the rat the thumbs up. The rat rushed
next to the other girls.
	"Okay, girls, I'll give you a minute to decide what kind of fight you want to
do." Slappy told them. The girls started whispering among themselves, and then Mary
directed to the squirrel.
	"We'll do a Spin-Changers Fight." Mary told her. Slappy and a few other toons
gasped.
	"Are you sure about that?" Slappy said, looking at Ruby. She knew, thanks to
Minerva, that the rat wasn't exactly the most trustable changer around.
	"Yes, and I know what everyone is thinking. Relax; I took my medication
before the class." Ruby directed to everyone, making a lot of them to sigh in relief.
Then, she turned to see Slappy.
	"I know the spin-changes aren't exactly my strongest point..." Ruby started
saying.
	"Neither your stomach!" Monty cut her, in a mocking tone. He was cooled
down by a back punch on his kisser, courtesy of Gosalyn, who was sitting in front of
him. Rhubella continued.
	"... but that's my best option to fight myclassmates on equal conditions. Sure, I
can use some toon weaponry, and fight a little on my own, but the three of them are far
more experienced in both areas, especially in the close range combat, so any of them
can kick my tail in a matter of seconds unless I get some extra abilities from a spin-
change." Ruby explained. Slappy nodded, understanding her reasons, and then walked
out of the fighting area.
	"Okay, girls, do your changes so we can start the fight." Slappy instructed
them. The three girls shook hands/paws, wishing good look to each other, and then
started spinning.
	Babs was the first to end. She was using an open brown fake leather jacket, a
blue shirt with the legend "Sunnydale High" on her chest, a white mini-skirt, and a
large brown purse hanging from her shoulder. Her ears were arranged in a pony tail-
like style, a lot like Lola Bunny's. Buster couldn't help but howl a little in excitement.
	"Introducing... Babsy, The Vampire Slayer!" Babs proudly exclaimed.
	Mary was second. She was wearing a blue Chinese-style dress with puffed
short sleeves, white wrestling boots, and spiked bracelets, a lot bigger than the ones
Hillary normally wears. Instead of her usual pony tail, her hair was arranged into two
buns, covered with white clothing. The J.A.M wide opened his eyes, and started
purring.
	"Chun Mary, Strongest Humanmaid in the World!" Mary said while winking an
eye and making the victory sign with her right hand.
	Hillary was next. She was using a metal and leather's body armor that looked a
lot like a dress with mini-skirt, as well at matching boots and bracelets. To complete
the outfit, she was using a large raven wig, a sword hanging from her left hip, and a
disc-like weapon hanging from the other. Ron stared at her, wagging his tail.
	"Xyena, Predator Princess." Hillary announced while placing both fists on her
hips.
	Ruby was the last one. When she finished, Wally wide-opened his eyes, and
smiled proudly. She was wearing a black spandex's outfit that included a cowl with
yellow goggles, with matching boots and gloves. She was also wearing a thin belt with
some poaches on it, and a whip hanging from her left hip. Even if Ruby wasn't as
curvy as the other combatants, the spandex made a good job defining her anatomy.
	"I'm Ratwoman. Hear me squeak." Ruby said in a flirty tone, directing
specifically to Wally. The wolf wagged his tail in happiness.
	Wally wasn't the only one proud of Rhubella. The other girls were too, as well
as Minerva. Freakazoid became quite interested in this match, since the girls decided
to spin-change into an antihero/villainess, and three heroines.
	The girls eyed each other, and then leaned, doing a respectful martial arts'
salute. Slappy rang the bell, and they adopted fighting stances.
	"AY-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!" Hillary battle-cried, and then she and the other girls
started throwing each other a series of kicks and punches, until they got separated in
pairs.
	Babs attacked Ruby with a round kick, but the rat ducked to avoid it, and
replied with a kick of her own, hitting the rabbit, but Babs landed gracefully, and threw
a good punch against the rat, striking her shoulder. Ruby walked two steps back, but,
when Babs tried to hit her again, she could block the attacks, and strike back. The
rabbit blocked the rat's punches as well, and the two rodents started a furious exchange
of attacks, blocking or dodging almost all of them.
	Meanwhile, Hillary and Mary were stuck on a strength test, one grabbing each
other's paw/hand and trying to make the other to move backwards. On a regular day,
this wouldn't be so hard for Hillary, since she surely was the strongest female on the
school (and, certainly, one of the city's strongest toons), but Mary wasn't bluffing when
she said her impersonation was the world's strongest humanmaid, so now they were
matched. Noticing this, they decided to release each other, and start throwing attacks
instead. Mary made a flip-back jump, and then placed both hands on the floor; a
second later, she started spinning while opening her legs, and moving against Hillary,
so fast, she actually could stop using her hands and depend entirely on her legs'
movement to stay in the air. The hyena took out her sword and Chakram (her disc),
and used them to shield herself against the high-speed kicks Mary directed against her.
Then, she threw a low kick against Mary, avoiding her kicks, making the human to
stop spinning plus sending her flying a few feet away.
	Hillary threw her disc towards Mary, but she could block it by using her left
bracelet. Hillary caught the disc back, and placed it on its place while charging against
Mary, wielding her sword. Mary blocked a hard strike crossing her arms in a defensive
way, using the bracelets to stop the blade. Hillary then pushed her, and, since now
Mary didn't had a good support, the hyena could make her move backwards against the
nearest wall; however, instead of trapping Mary, this helped her to escape from her
current situation, using her legs to bounce on the wall and over the hyena.
	The moment the human touched the floor, however, she received a sharp flying
kick on her back, courtesy of Ratwoman. Before Xyena could strike the rat, she had to
move back to avoid several stakes and shurikens (ninja stars) that Babsy was taking
out from her purse and throwing against her.
	Hillary handled to move through the weapons' rain, and reach Babs, grabbing
her by the neck and throwing the rabbit against a wall. Babs shook her head, and
charged against the hyena. Hillary tried to use her sword against the rabbit, but Babs
made her drop the weapon thanks to a well placed kick. Babs gave the hyena two very
strong punches, but, when she was about to connect a third one, Hillary caught her fist,
and replied with a powerful punch of her own, sending the rabbit to the floor. Babs
reacted with a swiping kick to the hyena's ankles, making her to fall on her back as
well. Babs jumped on top of the hyena, and started punching her, but Hillary caught
her fists again, and then they rolled, punching and slapping each other.
	On the meantime, Mary was blocking some kicks from Ruby. Mary took
advantage from a pause in the rodent's attack, and gave her a couple of punches; Ruby
could block one, but the second hit her well, making the rat to back up and adopt a
defensive position. Mary then stood on one leg, and used the other to throw high-speed
kicks; the rat couldn't block them all, and was sent flying a few feet back. The human
thought that would be enough to keep the rat down for a moment, and then turned to
see the other fighters, who were back on their feet and fighting furiously. Mary
jumped, and then used a diving kick against Babs and Hillary, but, before she could
connect, her ankle was caught by a whip. Before Mary could react, Ruby yanked her
weapon, making Mary to lose her balance and fall over her belly.
	Ruby charged against Babs and Hillary by using her whip, striking both of
them a few times, even making Babs to drop an stake she was holding. The rat
prepared a major strike, but Hillary reacted throwing her Chakram against the rodent's
paw, hitting it, and making Ruby to release the whip. Before she could grab it back,
Hillary made a summersault, landing next to the rat, and slapped her hardly. Ruby
reacted hissing like a feline, and attacking the hyena with the retractable claws of her
gloves, scratching her a few times. Ruby gave Hillary a hard kick on the chin, stunning
the hyena, but, when she was about to repeat the attack, Hill grabbed her by the ankle,
and lifted the rat over her head, A second later, she was throwing Ruby against a wall,
stunning her.
	Babs charged against Hillary, and re-started their previous attacks' exchange.
They didn't notice Mary, who was back on her feet, and preparing her helicopter-like
kicking movement. The hyena and the rabbit were surprised by the human's attack, that
hit them both a couple of times, making them to fall on their backs. Babs shook her
head, and bounced back on her feet; she jumped as high as she could, and then made a
diving kick against Mary, right over her spinning legs, making the human to fall on her
belly. Babs rolled on the floor, and adopted a fighting stance, waiting for Mary to stand
up.
	"Your kung-fu is good, but you need discipline." Babs said to Mary in a
mocking tone. The moment Mary stood up, the rabbit charged against her, punching
the human a few times, but, when she was about to finish her with a mega-kick, Mary
reacted and double-punched Babs, stunning her. The human took the chance to grab
Babs and throw her to the ground.
	"Your discipline is improving..." Babs, half groggy, directed to Mary. The afro-
American was about to finish the rabbit, but Hillary stood up on her way, blocking the
human, and they started fighting each other. This gave Babs the seconds she needed to
recover, and return to the fight, with each girl blocking from and throwing attacks to
the other two.
	Ruby watched the scene at a distance, and smirked. Taking advantage of the
fact the girls had forgotten about her by the moment, Rhubella took a few marbles out
from one of her belt poaches; then, she threw them against the fighters' feet; the
marbles exploded, producing a dark mist that blocked visibility almost entirely. The
other girls started coughing, and covering themselves. Ruby, on the meantime, took a
little gas mask out from another poach, and put it on.
	"Okay... they can't see plus hardly can breath; I have cat-like vision, and
goggles and a mask to protect me... Meow," Ruby said, smiling, and cracking her
knuckles. Less than a second later, she entered the mist in a dashing movement. Their
audience couldn't see the battle because of the mist, but a series of hitting and yelling
sounds was easily heard.
	KICK! PUNCH! ZAS! WHACK! UUFF! POW! THUD! SLAP! YEOUCH!
AARGH! KNOCK! WHAM! CRASH! PAS! BIFF!...
	"I wish I could see this!" Slappy commented. She and everyone else were
watching the scene carefully, trying to see something, but even the felines couldn't see
through the mist at that distance. Calamity snapped his fingers, having an idea; he took
a pair of infrared vision's goggles out from his body's pocket, and put them on to see
the fight.
	"Great! The only one that can see the dadgum girls fighting is the dadgum guy
that can't narrate it to us." Fowlmouth said, noticing Calamity's trick. Cal ignored the
comment, and focused on the fight; even if he couldn't talk, his expressions were
enough to make everyone understand the battle was a major one.
	"Let me guess. Ruby is the one with the major advantage, right?" Gosalyn
asked the coyote. Calamity got a serious expression, and took out a sign, reading "She
was until now; the others had just adapted to mist as well."
	After a few seconds, the mist started clearing, and the four girls, covered by
bruises, and with messy and damaged hairdo and clothing, were visible again. They
were in fighting stances, looking at each other. Everyone held the breath, waiting for
the next movement, and then...
	BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
	The four girls fell to the floor, knocked out, exactly at the same time.
Obviously, they hit each other really hard during the fight on the mist, and couldn't
take it any more. The teachers and the rest of the class gasped.
	"Reaction Plan Number Five!" Slappy said, directing to Buster and The J.A.M.
The rabbit nodded, and took a water pistol out from his body's pocket.
	(WARP!)( UNWARP!)
	The J.A.M used his warping ability to appear next to the wall's door, and open
it for the rabbit. Buster immediately dashed through it, and then started shooting water
blasts to the girls, waking them up.
	"So... who won?" Babs asked the other girls while Buster was helping her to
stand up.
	"The question should be... who conserves all her teeth?" Mary replied, rubbing
her chin, and receiving some help from the J.A.M as well.
	Hillary stood up, and helped Ruby to do the same, since the rat received a good
hit on one of her ankles, something obvious since she was rubbing it; Ron and Wally
were about to enter the battle place, but Minerva stopped them, knowing what would
happen next. Slappy repeated the wall's trick, and motioned the girls to do the
recovery's stunt, with excellent results.
	The moment the girls re-appeared from behind the wall, they received a major
ovation from the whole class. They changed back to normal, smiled to each other, and
shook paws/hands before vowing in front of their audience, thanking the cheering.
Buster and The J.A.M. linked arms with their girlfriends, and escorted them to the
door, where Wally and Ron were waiting for Ruby and Hillary to do the same, except,
of course, that they carried their girls; Wally did it bridal-style, and Ron on his back.
	"Keep the same quality on the next classes, and maybe I'll change you to
Advanced." Minerva whispered to the rat when she and Wally passed next to her.
Ruby nodded to the mink, smiling.
	"That fight was sooo cool!" Gosalyn commented, excited. "I can't wait to do
my impersonation of The Quiverwing Quaker on next class!" Of course, this change
was easy for her, since Gos was the REAL Quiverwing.
	"So, you want a spin-change battle too, or some junk? Maybe I can impersonate
Raven... or a Jedi." Shirley said to Gosalyn.
	"Guess moi should szart practicing mon impersonation of Scentanna." Fifi
commented. Sweetie smiled.
	"Do whatever you want. My Black Canary is going to beat all of you." Sweetie
smirked to the other girls. Sylvester Junior overheard, and sighed.
	"Great, they are matched, but me? I'm going to be trapped with a living
tornado, the resident villain, and the furry version of The Unabomber!" Junior talked
out loud to himself, and considering the option of moving to Madagascar for a couple
of years or until Cartoon Violence became an optional class, whatever happens first.
	The rest of the day passed without any major incident, and, at the end of the
classes, the students started gathering at the outside. Buster, Babs, Skippy, Plucky and
Ruby sat at the school's stoop, waiting for the rest of the gang.
	"I can't believe I forgot my video camera. I could had taped the fights, and sell
many copies. The last battle was a sure money-making one!" Plucky complained.
Skippy chuckled, and placed his paw on Plucky's shoulder.
	"Don't worry, Pluckster. I promise I'll offer you some really cool material on
next class. After all, I have ten boxes of hand grenades and fire crackers under my bed,
and know how to use them." The squirrel told the duck, making him smile in
anticipation.
	"And talking about the fight, all of you girls were amazing. I knew you
practiced the spin-changes on the weekend, but nobody expected Ruby to make one
that good so soon." Buster commented to both Babs and Rhubella.
	"Yes and why using Catwoman? I mean, a rat impersonating a feline-like
character?" Skippy asked, slightly confused.
	"I know, it's a little out of place, but I'm still a rookie, remember? During the
weekend I did a good job with the basic changes, so Babs here suggested to practice a
couple of more advanced ones, and decided Catwoman would be fine for me, since she
is a good fighter but has no superpowers, so the change isn't so exhausting or
complicated." Rhubella explained.
	"And you learned it well, Ruby-san." Babs said, doing an impersonation of
Mister Miyagi, from Karate Kid.
	(UNWARP!)
	"I agree with you, Babs." A deep voice was heard, right after a warping sound,
from behind Ruby.
	"YIKES!" Rhubella screamed and jumped in surprise because of the sudden
arrival of The J.A.M. The other toons chuckled, but the rabbits and Plucky soon
quickly tensed because of the previous history between the rat and the jaguar.
	"Please, never, ever do it again, okay? Nothing scares a rodent like a large
feline appearing from nowhere." Ruby said to the jaguar, regaining control of herself.
The J.A.M. grinned and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
	"Sorry, Miss Rat; almost everyone else around here is used to my warping by
now, so I forgot you're a newcomer and did it without thinking. Anyway, may I talk to
you in private for a moment?"
	Ruby gulped; ever since the rodent became an Acme's student, she and the
jaguar had barely spoken to each other, and there was always a lot of tension between
them. Ruby suspected that the only things that kept the feline from doing something
really nasty to her was his own peaceful nature and her recent friendship with Mary.
	"Well... I guess sooner or later we have to do it. Okay." Rhubella sighed. The
other toons looked worriedly at them. The jaguar noticed this, and sighed as well.
	"Relax, guys, I only want to talk with her. Promise," The rabbits and Skippy
felt a little better, especially Buster and Babs, who were now a little closer to the
jaguar since last semester, but Plucky still felt a little nervous, since he was as guilty of
the failed hunting incident as was Monty, Roderick, and Ruby. Until now, the jaguar
and the duck were in a constant state of alert from each other when they were in the
same room.
	The jaguar and the rat padded away from the other toons, stopping besides one
of the schoolyard's trees. Ruby noticed they were far enough from Babs and the others
to have some privacy, but close enough for them to watch the conversation, so the rat
felt a little safer.
	"Well... we both know why you want to talk with me, so... go ahead. Anything
you want to tell me, I deserve it." Rhubella said to the jaguar, looking down. The feline
sighed.
	"Okay, Miss Rat. Look, I just want to tell you, that the scariest moment of my
life was when Mary got shot, so I'm not going to forget that incident with the
tranquilizer darts, no matter what." The J.A.M. said in a stern tone. Rhubella nodded,
with a sad expression. The jaguar noticed this, and then continued with a slightly
friendlier tone.
	"However, Mary told me about how you stopped another Perfectoid from
hunting me. And Wally told me about your remorse, and what you did when I wasn't
around, warning my classmates about the other attempts to hunt them. I'm not
forgetting that either." The J.A.M. said. Rhubella smiled slightly.
	"Look... I'm the first one to admit I acted like a despicable rat with you and just
about everyone else in this school. But I really want to change, and to be judged by my
actions, both the good and the bad ones. Maybe you can't forgive me, and I'll
understand that, but do you think that, at least, we can be good classmates?" Ruby
asked. The J.A.M looked at her expression; unless this ratmaid was the best actress
around, her face was showing true concern and honesty.
	"Miss Rat –Ruby-I just need to know one thing; are you truly sorry about what
you did to me and Mary, and are you willing to change and do whatever is in your
power to make sure that never happens again?"
	The rodent looked at him in the eye. She was expecting to see something feral,
fierce, or even authoritarian, but instead, she found genuine concern. Could it be that
he was indeed one of the good guys?
	She glanced at his gold chain, and the emblems that hung from it.
	And, perhaps, even more than a good guy?
	"Every day I regret having taken that rifle in my paws. Every time I see you,
Mary, Montana, Plucky, a bicycle, a firearm, a black van, a dart, a rooftop-I-I-keep
seeing Mary jumping on top of you to serve as a human shield. J.A.M., I had never
gone back to that street since that afternoon. I've-already talked to Mary, and she had
forgiven me-but-this whole thing is just-eating at me, you know? I just-I just… want
you not to hate me."
	"It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to hate you, Roderick,
Maximiliano, and Plucky. However…"the panther smiled, keeping his teeth hidden; he
took the gold emblems of his chain in his paws, and held them up to her, "I'm not
allowed to hate. I'm not allowed to resent, or even seek vengeance. If I do that, then,
slowly, gradually, that would eat me as well, and if I let it continue, it will eventually
do to me what-what it did to my grandmother—" He paused, sighing. "And one more
thing; if you have truly repented from what you did to me and Mary, then I'm ordered
to do a very interesting thing."
	"What?" Rhubella asked, wide opening her eyes.
	He just smiled, and took her in his arms. "I forgive you."
	Ruby was stunned for a moment. Won't Mary or Wally feel jealous…
	No. This was different. She felt something she hadn't felt in quite a long time
now; the closest of this feeling was the one she had the times Percy had comforted her
when she was a child. Perhaps she and the jaguar were more or less the same age, but,
for some reason, she felt-
	-as if she was in the arms of her father.
	In the distance, through one of the Loo's windows, a female human and a male
black wolf looked at the scene with happiness.
	"T-thanks a lot, J.A.M.; Mary is right, you really are a good guy. This does me
a lot of good." The rodent told the predator, relieved, but nearly sobbing, as her
reddened eyes showed..
	"Because it helps your conscience feels a little less guilty?" The J.A.M. asked.
	"Yes, and because now I'll feel safer if we get paired in Wild Chases; after all,
you and Ronnie are the only felinoid characters who are big enough to be a suitable
chaser for me. I mean, Furrball is more suited for small prey, and Junior... I don't feel
like doing the "giant mouse" routine with him." Rhubella shrugged. The J.A.M.
chuckled, and, a moment later, both he and the rat were laughing together. At a
distance, the rabbits, Skippy, and Plucky, looked at the scene, sighing in relief.
	"Hey, wait a minute!" Plucky snapped. "How come Ruby got on the jaguar's
good side so easily, but I still get a bad look from him when we are next to each
other?" The duck asked.
	"Simple, Plucky... she accepted her responsibility, and APOLOGIZED." Buster
told the duck, making emphasis on the last part. Plucky sighed, considering seriously
about doing the same. A moment later, the rest of the gang exited the school, and Ruby
and J.A.M. joined the group.
	"So, you two finally could solve your differences?" Vinnie asked the jaguar and
the rat.
	"Close enough." Ruby and The J.A.M. chorused, shrugging. Wally and Mary
chuckled, and walked next to their respective significant other.
	"Oh, you just can't keep bad feelings towards anyone, right, Furrycoat?" Mary
said, playfully poking the jaguar's chest. He smiled fondly at her, purring.
	"Well, since now we have that particular issue solved, why don't we go and get
a Weenie Burger?" Hamton proposed. Everyone else nodded in approval.
	"Good idea, Hammy. I guess we all can use an extra snack to recover from
today classes, especially the Cartoon Violence's one." Plucky said, placing a hand/wing
on his best friend's shoulder.
	"Yes. I'm still a little surprised for that great work you did, Ruby. Is amazing
you could learn to do a spin-change like that in just a weekend." Wally commented to
his girlfriend. Ruby and the other girls smirked.
	"Actually, she learned to do TWO advanced changes." Sweetie informed.
Wally looked at the rat, smiling, while Ruby nodded, blushing.
	"No way! Can we see it, or is a complicated one?" Wally asked; he really
wanted to see Ruby's progress, but only if she was feeling strong enough to perform
the change.
	"Sure. Just give me some space." Rhubella said, walking two steps back. She
took a deep breath, and started spinning; ten seconds later, the tornado stopped... and
she wasn't visible.
	"GROWLFRAZAYEEK! She invisible?" Dizzy asked, confused. Before Wally
or anyone else could say a thing...
	"Arriba!" A surprising scream came from behind Wally, making him to jump
several feet in the air. When he landed, the wolf turned to see the jokester, and smiled,
while the rest of the group laughed. Ruby was there, wearing a white outfit, consisting
on cotton shirt and pants complete with a large yellow sombrero, and a red bandana
around her neck.
	"Ruby Gonzales, Fastest Rat in All USA." Rhubella said, smiling widely.
Shirley was the one who suggested her to learn this change, since, being a rodent, the
impersonation wouldn't be so hard to perform.
	"Very nice outfit, but, can you run?" Beeper said through one of his signs.
Ruby smirked at him.
	"Wanna a race, birdie? The loser pays for the other's burger." Ruby proposed.
Beeper nodded, and he got in position.
	"See you guys there, okay?" Ruby told the others, and gave a fast kiss to Wally.
She moved next to the bird, and gave the indications.
	"On your mark... get set... hey, look, a mirror!" Ruby pointed at a different
direction. Beeper turned, looking for the mirror.
	"Andale!" Rhubella zoomed away, leaving a little dust's cloud. Beeper made a
double take in surprise, while the other toons laughed loudly. One second later, the
bird zoomed too, trying to reach the rodent.
	"Well, she promised to stop being a bad girl, not a tricky one." Wally shrugged.
The other toons kept laughing, and, a minute later, they all headed to Weenie Burgers
to eat and see who had won.
	THE END.
	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	And that's it! (Hey, nice story, buddy.) You're welcome, Babs. What was your
favorite part? (All those where I appeared.) You'll never change. (I always change...
into Cher, Madonna, Cassius Clay, James Bond, The Terminator...) Cut it, Babs,
please.
	As usual, I had a few cameos on this story. (Yep. And here is the list.) Of
course, I'm not counting Gos and Skippy here, since, more than cameos, they were
regular characters on the fic. (One from Disney's Darkwing Duck, and the other from
Animaniacs).
	-Minerva, Slappy, Newt, The Warner siblings, Ralph, and Walter Wolf, from
Animaniacs.
	-Dexter Douglas/Freakazoid, from Freakazoid.
	- Honker Muddlefoot, from Disney's Darkwing Duck.
	- Loud Kiddington, Aka Pella, and Miss Information, from Hysteria!
	- Timothy and Daniel, The Platypus Brothers, from Taz-Mania.
	- Wally, from the Where's Wally? books and TV show.
	(And, here's the list of the characters that were impersonated.)
	- Pokahontas, from Disney's movies.
	- The Flash and Catwoman, from DC Comics.
	- Mexican comedian Mario Moreno "Cantinflas".
	- Mexican wrestler El Santo.
	- Kaliman, Mexican comic book hero.
	- El Chapulín Colorado, Mexican TV comedic hero.
	- Buffy Summers, from Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.
	- Groucho Marx, late American comedian.
	- Albert Einstein, late German scientist.
	- Xena, from Xena, Warrior Princess.
	- Chun Li, from the Street Fighter videogames and anime series.
	Thanks a lot to Nightw2, and his contribution to this fic through his OC,
Silverbill, and to mammal-mage, for giving me some of his own, namely Gunbo,
Saphira, T-Bad, and Rajshid. Also, to The J.A.M., for allowing me to use his OC, and
helping me with some scenes and lines, plus correcting some details..
	(By the way, talking about the jaguar, remember to check The J.A.M.'s story,
"Mary", to understand some details mentioned in this fic.)
	Guess that's all. (Yeah. Thanks a lot to all of you guys for reading this story.)
	So long, and keep the good writing.

The X-Fowls

        Finally finished another story for the group after all these 
years.  Hope you all enjoy it.
                                                                   Tony, 
(A.T. Barnett)

The X-Fowls
By
A. T. [T2]Barnett


    Morning clouds dissipate overhead allowing a sunbeam to pass through. It flashes
down through a skylight onto a dozing Babs Bunny, waking her. Setting up she rubs
the sleep from her eyes. Looking round then down she sees Buster lying next to her,
still asleep. Then she panics!
    "Buster! Buster, wake up!"
    The Bunny Boy rattles awake with her vigorous shaking.
    "What? What! Babs? What's up?" He asks, still drowsy.
    "There's a big foul up here!"
    "Like what?"
    "All the Fowls are up!"
    Looking round the large tent the boy bunny sees they're alone. Two other sleeping
bags lying empty.
    "Babsie, they just went for a walk or they're making breakfast. Going back to sleep
now! Wake me around eight."
    "Plucky's wakened you, me and Shirley up every day of this trip, at the crack of
dawn, with his morning routine. Wheezing, grunting, preening, and snorting. Buster,
it's after ten!"
    Buster's eye pops open as he lays there, her meaning slamming home. Bolting
upright in his bag he looks stunned.
    "You're right! He's always doing that stupid stuff. No wonder I got such a good
sleep. But you know!"  He suggests, changing his tone. "Maybe the Pluckster and Loon
Girl just wanted a little alone time."
    Still concerned, Babs rolls over in her bag, reaching into Shirley's empty one.
    "This thing is ice cold. She hasn't been in it for hours. Try Plucky's."
    "Brrrr! Meat locker fresh." Turning he sees her blank look, staring off at the walls of
the tent.
    "Buss-terrr, I just got a glimmer from last night. She woke me up. About four this
morning, I remember looking at the clock. She said something to me but all I heard
was 'Bah bah, Plucky', something or other. I was really out of it from the hike."
    "She left out 'after' Plucky? That doesn't sound right. The only place you'ld want to
be by yourself is the little potty room. You don't suppose he got lost?"
    Glancing in wonderment then speaking in concert. "Nawwww!!!"
    "Well wherever they are they must be ok." Buster assures. "Shir would do her mind
thing if they were in trouble."
    "Yeah, right!" Babs agrees nervously trying to remain positive.  "Unless…"
    Seeing the fear in her eyes Buster acts.
    "Ok, look! Babs. You start breakfast and I'll take a quick look round. If I don't find
anything we'll both go looking for them, together."
    "How can you think of food?"
    Counting on his fingers. "One, I'm hungry. Two, you're hungry. Three, we can't
search very far on empty stomachs. And four, wherever they are they're probably
hungry too.
    We'll take some food with us and leave some here. Either way everybody gets fed."
    The busy work takes the pink bunny's mind off the subject, calming her. She hears
Buster calling in the distance to no avail.

    Later, on the trail they find webbed footprints in the moist ground not far from the
campsite. Following in that direction Buster finds a Plucky surprise.
    "Plucky, dig a hole, buddy!"
    Coming out of the tree line they move into a broad outcropping leading into a rock
covered valley. There they find a few strands of thread from Shirley's famous red
sweater on a branch in the rocks.
    "Shirley was here." Showing her the fibers.
    Hopping slowly they head onto the valley.  Into an arroyo, a dry riverbed.
    Big bunny ears pick up faint sounds in the distance. A funny noise, smooth but not
rhythmic. Nothing like they would have expected in that area.
    Hopping up to a ledge the bunnies creep closer to the source. Looking over they are
blinded by a brilliant light. Clearing their eyes they hear two people talking below.
    "Glad that's over!" Voice One says.
    "For now anyway." Voice Two replies.
    "Want off this rock, sooo bad!" Voice One cries out, lamenting their duty there.
"Blue skies, green plants. Who lives like this anyway?"  
    "That's the Space Foreign Legion for ya, Buddy. Another dumpster job on another
dumpster planet!"
    Their tone perks up, Voice Two wondering. "You think we should have told Her
Evilness bout the other one? She mighta wanted to check it out before she left."
    "No way! Look, our orders were to find her a green male alien, the darker the better
and we did! Nothing was said about anybody else trailing along. Besides, The
Princess's a Parcti and this one's a Parcti, I think. The Princess is covered with Gliss
and this one's covered with Gliss. Her Evilness is beautiful…"
    "But vicious!"
    "And this one's cute enough I guess. If you're into that sort of thing."
    They laugh a snorting laugh as Buster and Babs get a look at the off-world intruders.
They appear as half spiders. Two hairy arms and legs. Each having four eyes, both a
hair taller than the tops of the Bunnies' ears. 
    "E-yuck!" Babs whispers turning away.
    "Easy stomach! They're only tourists." Buster says.
    Not far from the aliens, a gray ring hovers, just above the ground, flat like a
doorway. Inside thick clouds swirl slowly.
    Alien One adding, "If she had seen this one the War Witch would have gone into
one of her raging fits."
    "Ho so right! The way I see it. She would have this one tortured just for fun. With
you and me suffering behind it all."
    "Think like this. The Evil One's got her green dude, she's happy! We get a meal of
good, fresh meat for a change, we're happy! And this one gets a quick chop and never
knows what bit her."
    "Everybody wins!"  Snorting and laughing as they produce Shirley spread out on a
crude serving dish.  Sans her red sweater and hair bow. 
    Surrounded by strange vegetables she has another one in her mouth. Her eyes are
open but weird looking as she lies motionless on the platter.
    The pair moves to a suitable rock, setting their dinner down. Alien One producing
two containers.
    "So, what goes with Parcti? Red or White?"
    "Ho red, always!"
    A shrill yell cuts the air as a 'Xena, Warrior Princess' styled Babs Bunny lands on
Alien One's head. Slamming him repeatedly with her enormous feet she pounds him
into the ground. Alien Two moves to help his partner. 
    Buster plows into the second invader sending him flying face first into the rock face. 
Recouping quickly the alien turns quickly to join the fight.  
    "Yippy oh kiy yaaa, Dirt bag!" Buster's huge foot sandwiching his head and the wall
again.

    The Aliens subdued and tied up, Buster inspects the floating disk. Babs shakes the
dazed loon out of her stupor.
    "Hey girl, you ok?" Helping Shirley set up on the platter. Still out of it she looks
around.
    "Plucky? Ooo! Like is that the sun?" Shielding her eyes. Babs helps her on with her
sweater, tying her ribbon in place.
    "What's going on? Why is it daylight out and where's Plucky?"
    "Long story short. It's well after midday. Plucky's missing and Space Aliens almost
had you for dinner."
    Shirley stares vacantly at the girl bunny, "Like, are YOU alright, Babs?"
    Babs points to the platter the loon still sits on. The vegetables and place settings all
around.
    "Yikes!" Leaping off, she sees the Aliens in the distance. "I remember those two, for
sure!"
    "What happened last night? You when out of the tent and that's the last I saw of
you."
    "Plucky went to the little duck's room and never came back. Like, I felt something
wrong and went out to find him. 
    I ran into those two and that's all…"  She ends then in sadden tones.
    "Babs? Where's Plucky? I can't sense his presence anywhere."
    "Don't know, girlfriend. Let's find out."
    They join Buster still inspecting the disk.
    "Hey girls! Shirley, you feeling ok?"
    "Much! Just glad I missed out on dinner, for sure! Thanks a lot."
    "What is this thing, Buster?"  Babs asks, taking a turn around the disk. 
    "I think it's a gateway." Shirley interjects. "I kind of remember seeing those two
talking to some other people. They took Plucky inside that thing. Then the lights went
out, for sure."
    "Let's talk to our little friends." Babs suggests.
    "Better yet. Shir, you up to a little mind bending?"
    "Like, I've already tried. They can block my powers."
    "Time to get tough." Babs says, about to go into her classic transformation spin.
    Putting his hand on her shoulder he stops her. "I got this one. Follow my lead."  
    Walking over to the tied up spiders he asks calmly. "Ok, where's the duck, boys?"
    "We're Imperial Legionnaires. You don't scare us, Snack Meat."
    "Snack Meat, good one!" His friend assures.
    Producing a large flat school ruler Buster holds it by one end and proceeds to bend
the other. Popping it against the Alien's nose. The girls giggle in the background.
    "Ouch! Son of a…"
    "Where is the Duck?" Buster asks again.
    "What's a du-ck?"  The Second Alien questions.
    "A guy, looks like her, only male and he's covered in green feathers. Wears a white
t-shirt."
    "What is 'Guy', 'male', 'green', 'white', or't-shirt'?"
    Babs interjects, pointing.
    "We're girls, females. He's a guy or male. These are feathers of which she has white
ones all over her body. These bushes are green in color and a t-shirt is something you
wear."
    Yeah! Like those tacky uniforms you're wearing." Shirley suggests.
    Oh, I get it! Quinten is white, Yodell is green, Fifin is female and Nodun is male."
Alien One says. 
    "You want to know what happened to the green feathered one, right?"  The second
Alien asks. "Come here… Guy."
    "Shut it!!" The first alien snaps.
    "I'll talk! Tell you everything you want to know."
    "Smart guy!"  Buster approaches, leaning in to hear.
    Alien Two head butts Buster viciously, sending him flying over a rock outcropping
and out of sight. Babs runs to his aid as Shirley watches the Aliens. The loon glares at
them as they laugh.
    Coming round the rocks Babs sees a smiling Buster leaning against a boulder, legs
crossed waiting for her. He had counted on two things, the Aliens would do something
stupid, like the head butt. And two, they wouldn't know about rabbit's ability to hop so
far.
    "You ok, Buster." Concerned.
    "Never better! Here's what you do…"
    On the other side, the Aliens wrestle with their restraints. Shirley picking up a large
stick as a weapon.
    "What ya gonna do with that, white duck?"
    "Like, I'm a Loon! And I'm going to hit one of you with it as hard as I can. So settle
down."
    "You think that scares us?"
    Asking Alien One. "Would you mind if I whack him over the head?"
    "Yeah I would! He's my friend"
    "So I should whack you over the head instead, right?"
    "No! Of course not."
    She turns to the other with the same question and response. Suggesting sternly,
"Like, one of you is going to get a good whacking and the other is going to talk about
our friend, for sure!"
    Adding in cheery tones. "You guys figure it out and get back to me, kay?"
    They argue between themselves as a worried Shirley wonders about Buster.
Suddenly Babs screams out, then shouting, "Buster, please! You've got to relax. We'll
get them to talk! We'll get Plucky back!" 
    Shirley can only wonder at what's happening. A large rock tossed overhead
disintegrates on contact. Babs' tone turns fearful. A deep, throaty roar comes from the
hidden area sending chills down the Loon's spine.
    Again Babs pleads. "Please calm down, Buster! Calm down, this isn't helping."
    Shirley glances over toward the Aliens. They're concerned if not frightened by the
turn of events, wondering aloud, "What is the problem, anyway?"
    "Plucky and Buster are best friends! More then best friends, if you know what I
mean. You shouldn't make him upset, you're not gonna like him …when he's upset." 
The loon stealing an old movie line.
    "We're Imperial Legionnaires! We can't be intimidated by threats!"
    Babs shouting out. "If you harm them we ill never know what happened to Plucky!"
    "Plucky!?" Buster's speech pattern almost primitive in tone. "Plucky! Little hairy
men know where Plucky. Me ask, they tell or me smash!"
    The sound and vibrations of huge feet rattle everyone. Buster's shadow appears on
the wall now five times the Aliens size.
    "Just a shadow! Just shadows on the wall!"
    "Right! Just a trick on the wall!"
    "I won't let you hurt them, Buster. They have to be turned over to the government
for study."
    "Pink Girl make too much noise."  Buster growls. On the walls the shadows show
Buster picking her up over his head as she screams in terror. The sound of her
backbone snapping echoes as she's bent in two.
    Shirley is almost panicked by the sight, but not as much as their guests.
    Buster flings Babs over the boulder. She impacts on the wall in front of the Aliens.
Her eyes slowly open, looking around, dazed. Noting the invader's look she glances at
a terrified Shirley, gasping.
    "Shir… Save yourself!"
    With that and thanks to Toon Physics, the bunny turns into a thick liquid goo
pouring down the rock face, out of sight.
    Leaping over the boulder a huge Buster lands hard. The impact sending everyone
into the air. Standing and turning Shirley sees the monster rabbit stomping slowly for
her. Buster gives a knowing wink to calm her. Composed, she thinks quickly then says
one word.
    "Buster?!" swooning and fainting. Buster stops, picks her up in his huge hand
sniffing at her. The Aliens hear as his grip crushes her ribs. Turning his hand over, she
drops like dead weight. A psychic blast softens her landing.
    "Not Plucky!" Buster seeing the Aliens. "Hairy men!"
    He stops, sniffs at them. Again asking calmly. "Where green duck?"
    "We don't know! We're just passing through."
    "Yeah, travelers! You should really cut us lose. Help us out here."
    "You lie! Me smell green duck on you!" he moves on them.
    "Ok! Ok! Ok!"
    "We are Imperial Legionnaires…"
    Buster yawns, reaching out to them. "Boring Me!"
    "No, wait! We were sent here, to your planet, to find a green male, someone to send
back to our home world."
    "The leader of our lands has to have a green body. It's the law, tradition. The Evil
One is white and must have a green mate to rule by her side as king. She sent the
legions out to locate suitable candidates. We found your friend and offered him the
position and he agreed to go."
    "Yeah, he agreed!"
    "Plucky, green leader? Leader of what?"
    "The fourth largest kingdom on our planet. He will want for nothing there."
    "Why you eat white loon girl? She like Plucky only girl and loon."
    "Meat's meat! Besides she'd only miss him."
    "You good guys! Kind heart. What hole in air?"
    "That's how we got here. It's a worm hole, a tunnel home."
    "You got big worms at home." Buster laughs. They join him. "Call worm. I want to
see worm."
    "There are no real worms, it's just the name."
    "How work?"
    "It's pre-set! We just have to time our departure with a chart. When the time's right
we just step through and bam we go home."
    "We're waiting for the next alignment. Not too long from now."
    "Just cut us loose and we'll leave your lovely little world. Never to return."
    "That's all we wanted to know!" Babs shouts as she bounds out of hiding.
    "For sure, hairy Alien Dorks!" Shirley says flying up on wing, landing near by.
    Buster breaks his masquerade deflating to normal size. Landing on tippy toe to the
girl's applause.
    "Ta da!"
    "You tricked us!" The aliens shout in disbelief.
    "Eee Yaaaa!!!" Shirley smarts.
    The three huddle, discussing the situation. The Aliens still seething about the hoax.
    "So now what?" Babs wonders.
    "One thing's certain, if the Pluckster thinks it's a good deal. Its not!"
    "Kay! But being green is, like, the only thing he's really good at."  Shirley laments.
"We have to find him before he gets in trouble."
    The bunnies scowl at her remark.
    "Kay! Too late for that." She admits sheepishly.
    "You said you saw them take him inside that worm-holely thing, right?" Babs asks.
Shirley nods.
    In his best 'Captain James T. Kirk' impersonation Buster states, "If our friend…  Is
in there…  Then we, three…  Must go in there…  To bring him… home!"
    They give a cheer, raising their spirits. Babs starting. "First we need stuff. We only
brought a little food with us. The rest is at the campsite."
    "Right! We'll have to strike the camp and hit that highway oasis we passed on the
way up here."
    "For sure! We better take those two…" Shirley starts, glancing over to see only a
pile of ropes. "They're free!"
    She launches a psychic burst as the pair race for the floating portal. Buster and Babs
hopping after them. The Loon's mind blast having no effect.
    "So long, Earth Scum."
    "Yeah! Eat ya later"
    The Aliens leap through the opening, causing a bright flash even in the daylight.
Buster and the others stop just in front of the disk, looking at the swirling mass inside.
    Babs leaps up on the rocky ledge where they had left their backpacks. Hopping back
Buster asserts. "We have to go! Now! Before this thing closes up."
    "Any ideas on how we're getting back?" Babs asks somberly. 
    "No thoughts come to mind."
    Shirley grumbling, "Pluc-ky!!!"
    Holding hands the trio leaps through. Inside, the wormhole's energy appears as
lengths of clear spaghetti all tossed around.
    Their bodies dissolve into long strands of light energy, stretching for millions of
miles. Still, they feel a sense of being whole as they race along faster then the speed of
light.
    Minutes pass and as suddenly as it began the ride is over. The three are hurled out of
the other end, another floating grey circle. Landing roughly on solid ground they see a
lightly tinted pink sky overhead. Reddish leaves cover light blue trees with orange
grass. The rocks appear about the same as home.
    "Girls Ok?!"
    "Totally!"
    "Fine, I guess. But I'm upgrading my flying cannonball act after this."
    The tops of a Palace can be seen above the tree line in the distance. Far below in the
valley, a vehicle comes to a stop. Dozens of Legionnaires pile out with strange looking
animals. They fan out moving towards the portal, the beasts tracking on the way.
    "Totally, time to leave!"  Shirley says as they move towards the Palace. The hunters
move fast, closing the range.
    Coming up on a ridge they find themselves surrounded by a squad of Troopers. They
look the same but have different uniforms from the legionnaires and appear friendlier.
    "Welcome strangers! Princess Cippeia sent us to find you."  The Officer in charge
says. "We should be leaving now! Before those Legionnaires see us."
    Unsure, but not wanting to deal with their old foes, the Earthers obey. Entering
another vehicle they are whisked away to the palace.
    Inside they are offered refreshments and a place to rest then an audience with
Princess Cippeia. She appears to be a swan, bright white feathers with a long slender
neck. Much taller and more statuesque then Shirley. The three are presented to her in
the main throne room.
    "So, Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny and Shirley Loon, what brings you through the
wormhole from… Earth?"
    "Like, see! Our friend, Plucky, he's a duck. Kind of like me only a guy! We think he
was tricked into coming here, or some junk!"
    "Something about the head honcho being green." Buster adds. "Dumb Duck agreed
to come."
    "Trust us! You do not want Plucky Duck in charge of anything!"
    "I see! We're quite familiar of the peoples you speak. Another country, along our
northern boarders. They have such a green law. They must have your friend. But if he
agreed to be their leader then what can you hope to do?"
    "He'd agree to be the village idiot if he thought he didn't have to work at it."  Babs
smarts.
    "Well!" Buster starts. "If he really wanted to stay…"
    "We couldn't… Couldn't." Shirley tears up.
    "If the Pluckster's happy here then we're happy for him. We just want to check
things out."  Buster states.
    "The tribes you're speaking of can be brutal! Especially to unwanted guests. You
would have to sneak in to see your friend."
    "Can you help us, your highness?" Babs asks.
    "Well! The Major did say their Legionnaires hadn't see my soldiers pick you up on
that road. So there would be no direct connection to my country. My people could try
to get you close to where they might be holding your friend, a fortress. It's the only
major structure in this region. But you'd have to make your way alone from there."
    "Not a problem! Shirley here has pyhi…" Buster starts. The Loon grabs him firmly,
planting a big wet kiss on him.
    "Oh, thank you, Buster! Like, you said you'd find my Plucky Wookey and you did!"
    Babs, like Buster is dumbfounded. She keeps her composure as Shirley releases the
Bunny, turning to the Princess with a smile.
    "It's settled then?" Cippeia asks.
    "Like, for sure. Thank you, your highness!"
    The Loon curtsies deeply before the monarch, as she does so her smile turns to a
deep scowl. She is uneasy. Buster bows at the waist and Babs curtsies as well.
    As they are lead out of the hall Princess Cippeia turns to the Major. "You know
what to do!"
    "And the remains, Your Highness?"
    Her expression changes. Glaring angrily, snarling. "Do I really look like I care?"  
    She storms out of the throne room. The Major licks his lips in anticipation.

    Coming to a door on her private level, Cippeia enters to see Plucky Duck setting on
a large cushion. Empty food dishes and drink containers lie about the room. He
intently plays video games on a royal sized view screen, never noticing her approach.
    "How's it going, lover?" She asks seductively.
    "Yeah, yeah! Sure, sure! Just put it down over there."
    Cippeia glares then puts on her happy face. "I'm not a servant. I'm the Princess,
remember me?"
    The Duck looks up for an instant. "Oh, hey babe. When'd you blow in?"
    "Ee… yes!" She answers, peeved. "I just came by to see if everything was alright.
Getting everything you need?"
    Her words fall on deaf ears as he plays away.
    "King?" she says. His ears perk up, listening intently until he loses a life in the
game.
    "Yes, you, king of the entire country. You can have anything you want!"  She says
breathlessly. "Anything!"
    "Terrific! Another soda would go great about now."  Handing her an empty beaker,
his eyes never looking away from the screen. Again she flairs but holds it together.
Handing the tumbler to a servant the Princess exits the room, unnoticed.


    On a back road, the transport carrying the rabbits and loon stops on a hill side. In the
distance, across the valley an imposing fortress stands on another high hilltop. The trio
overwhelmed by the sight. The Major pointing out the important landmarks as they
could not be caught with a map.
    Shirley and Babs hadn't spoken during the entire trip. The bunny still miffed by the
loon's actions before. Buster is caught in the middle. The kiss was unexpected but
nice! He had never thought about Shirley in a romantic way so he still was confused.
    The Major continues his briefing. Reminding them to never speak of the Princess'
assistance then adding, "There is the problem of the defense dragon."
    "Dra… Dragon?" Buster stammers.
    "You never mentioned anything about a dragon before. Why not?"  Babs wonders,
composed and calm as ever.
    "Sorry! We're so use to the beast it just slipped my mind."  The Officer says, taking
a large, frightening weapon out of the vehicle, powering it up.
    "Not to worry. You'll have top notch firepower. These are Legionnaire weapons,
taken in battle. They can kill the dragon if you get in three or more direct hits.
Remember, don't hesitate, it's fast. Aim for the glowing blue spot within it, not the
head or claws. It' ill be easy."
    "Radical!" The Loon says shouldering the weapon, aiming down the sights. "Wham,
bam, slam! No problems, for sure!"
    The bunnies are uneasy watching the bird girl in her altered state. They take the
remaining two weapons offered, just to hold on to.
    "We're sure your friend is in there. Once you get passed the defense dragon it should
be easy enough to over power the few guards and get him out."
    "Ah! Then what?" Buster asks.
    "When you get away and you will. We' ill be waiting to take you back to the palace.
Then through the portal to your home world."
    "And if we're caught?" Babs queries.
    "We're not getting caught, Girlfriend!"  Shirley interjects, storming off. "Come on!
Let's fry some dragon butt and get my ducky-wookey back home."
    Buster and Babs follow after, glancing woefully at each other. The soldiers remain
behind, stifling their laugher, the Officer saying. "The blue one's mine. I like my meat
gamey."
    The Trio reaches the fortress without incident. No guards, no cameras or sensors.
Finding a side entrance unlatched they enter ever wary.
    Closing the door they rest, exhausted from their run. Still miffed by that kiss Babs
confronts Shirley. "Ok Shir, fess up! What's with…"
    The loon slumps into the girl bunny's arms, their weapons clanging to the floor.
Buster helping her to the floor.
    "Shir? Shirley!?"  
    "Come on, Loon Girl! Stay with us!"
    Coming to, she looks round. "Like, got any ibuprofen or some junk? My head's
splitting, for sure!"
    Rested a bit the Loon explains. "Like, you have no idea how much pain I've been in
since we got here."
    "Pain?"  They question.
    "'Member back home. I said I couldn't read those creepies's minds. They blocked my
powers with some kind of gadget. So ever since we've been here I've been blocking our
thoughts."
    "All three of us?"
    "Why?"
    "Princess Cippeia is, like, rotten to the core is why! She plays nice but she's not. So
I've been feeding her looney information about us."
    "Looney? Like what?"
    "She's been reading Elmyra Duff's thoughts all this time, or some junk."
    "Elmyra?" They wonder.
    "You pack a lot of Elmyra's thoughts in a really little space." She smiles.
    "So now what, Loon Girl?" Buster wonders.
    "Like, I don't think Plucky's even in here. Cippeia wanted us here for some reason."
    "A no good reason!" Babs suggests. "But Shir! If you've stopped feeding the
Princess junky thoughts won't she know she's been tricked?"
    "This place has one of those mind jamming thingies. Like the soldiers wear, only
bigger. She can't read us in here."
    "That's why you wanted to get in here so fast!"
    "And that kiss?" The pink one queries.
    "Blue Boy almost blabbed about my powers. It was the only way to stop him."
    "Mmmmm! Well ok…"
    "She's still miffed, Shir."
    "Like, maybe you should give back the kiss, Buster!"  Her smile sneering.
    He puckers up leaning towards the bird girl.
    Babs grabs him by the neck. "Funny! Bunny! Back to business!"
    "Kayyy! There's something in this place blocking psychic energy."
    "Why would they do that?"
    "'Cause something's in hereeee!" Babs sings warily, looking round.

    At the palace Cippeia again enters Plucky's room. Bearing his favorite drink she
slides up next to him. Preoccupied as usual he plays on.
    "Here you go, Ducky."
    "That's Plucky! Thanks Babe." Taking the drink.
    "So… Plucky. Just who is this amusing Elmyra Duff?"

    Far away, the trio explores the fortress. Wondering what the Princess wanted them
to find…  Or find them. Moving slowly across the large courtyard they head to the
main structure. There a huge corridor, lined with torches, leads deep inside.
    "Maybe we should lose the hardware. Guns aren't our style."  Babs suggests.
    "Totally!"  Shirley dropping hers.
    Buster having other ideas. "We gotta keep them! You never know…"  The weapon
seemingly melding into his body by this time. The girls glance at each other.
    "Guy thing!"
    Farther in, bones and trash are scattered everywhere plus a distinct, loathsome smell
fills the air. A distant, echoy voice pierces the calm. "Shirley! Shirley? Come to me
Shirley!"
    "Plucky?"  She runs towards the voice, bunnies in pursuit. Ending in a blocked
passageway.
    "Dead end!"
    "Did you have to say 'Dead', Buster?" 
    Closing her eyes to go into a state, the floor suddenly falls away. Plummeting them
down a large shaft into the dark. Buster dropping his weapon.
    "Quick, grab my legs!" Shirley shouts. Pulling up her sleeves, extending her wings
she flaps vigorously. They continue falling but at a slower rate.  Dim lights appear
below as the loon struggles to keep flying. 
    "Ground coming up!" Buster assures her. "Ready, set… jump!"
    Leaping off the exhausted bird girl the bunnies use their legs to absorb the landing
impact. Shirley landing butt first. She just sets there regaining her composure.
    "Ah, Shirley!" Babs wonders. "Couldn't you just use your mind power to lower us
down here?"
    "Babs, I'm a bird first! Instincts are hard to beat."
    "Good point!"
    Above, in the shaft the opening closes off. Few torches light this area or the next
which is the only way out.
    Moving on, they feel the damp, dankness of the space. Entering the next room with
low ceiling they duck down.
    "Low bridge."  Buster leading the way.
    "Two words for this place. Maid service!" Babs suggests disgusted by the smell.    
    "Like, I'm getting something, but it's not much. We're getting closer."
    Passing through a smelly dripping waterfall they enter a larger area, standing upright
again, looking round. A heavy grunting noise comes from over head with a rush of foul
wind. Looking up they see the face of a huge dragon. The belly of which they had just
passed under. Not that they cared, they also see the mystic blue ball glowing from
inside the beast.
    They bolt in terror just as a wall of flame comes down to roast them. Shirley ducks
into a side passageway, quickly turning down yet another. The bunnies close behind.
The flames make the first turn but flashes passed the trio in their little enclave. The air
is consumed, leaving them breathless for a time.
    "Yikes!!" Buster wheezes almost passing out. Babs sets on the ground leaning back,
grumbling. "Tell me again why we're here!"
    "Like! I wish Plucky was here now." Shirley says, looking round.
    "Yeah! So we could get the heck outta here!" Babs snaps.
    "Or we could wring his neck…"
    "Noooo! I need an empty headed bobble head to get us out of here."
    "In English, Loon Girl!"
    "I need someone with low intelligents to hypnotize."
    Babs grabs Buster, pinning his arms to his side, flipping him around between the
two females. "Here you go, Sister. One bobble headed idiot!"
    "You're still mad, right?" Busters suggests.
    "Course not. Shir and me can't be empty headed bobble heads. We're just girls!" She
laments, a tear forming in her eye.
    "And don't you forget it!" Buster brags before thinking. "Hey…"
    Shirley comes up close, touching the back of his head.
    "Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!"
    The boy bunny instantly relaxes, slipping into a deep stupor.
    "Radical! Now, listen to me, Buster Bunny. I want you to follow only my voice. You
hear nothing else, you see nothing else."
    "I hear and obey, Mistress!"
    "Ah! What ya got in mind, Shirley?" a concerned Babs wonders.
    "Hush!" She snaps then begins to meditate. Hovering just above the ground, fingers
pressed to her temple, eyes closed. Mind linking with Buster she commands his
actions.
    "Buster, can you hear me?"
    "Yes, Mistress."
    "Like, you can call me Shirley!"
    "Yes, Mistress Shirley"
    She sighs then orders. "Buster, go out into the big hall we just came from and tell
me what you see."
    "Yes Mistress Shirley."  He walks past a bewildered Babs. Unable to hear any of
their mind link, she follows him out.
    Hearing the dragon stomping in the outer room she stops, watching Buster make his
way towards the sound. Glancing back the meditating Shirley just floats serenely. Babs
knows the loon would never knowingly harm Buster but still…
    "Shirleyyyyy!" She says softly.
    Shirley ignores Babs, ordering, "Look around, Buster. What do you see?" 
    "A big empty room."  He answers.
    "Look up."
    "A cage! In a blue mist! Just floating there."
    "Radical! Can you reach it? Try!"
    "Yes Mistress Shirley."  He bounces then leaps up just missing the cage's bottom.
On his fourth try he grabs hold hanging by one paw.
    "Got it!" he reports back. Shirley smiles.
    "Like, is there some kind of electric gizmo on there or some junk?"
    "Why yes, yes there is."
    "Well, hurry up and turn it off, for sure!"
    The device switched off, the stomping noise stops. Babs creeps out to see the dragon
gone. Overhead Buster clings to the mysterious blue glowing cage. Shirley joins her,
startling the bunny at first.
    "Like, there's your dragon, Babs! Just an illusion meant to hide that."
    "How did you know?"
    "Like, I'm psychic or some junk." Glaring at her friend.
    "Yeah, if you knew it was fake, why did you run screaming like the rest of us?"  The
bunny grins.
    "Ig-Nor-Ring you!" She says returning to the boy bunny.   "Buster, see if there is,
like, another thingy on the cage." 
    Feeling around finding a handle, He pulls it.  The cage makes a rapid descent to the
floor. The girls dart out of the way and Buster jumps clear.
    Inside they see… a dragon! Much smaller but similar to the fake giant one. A bit
taller then the trio, she's thin and tired looking.
    "Who are you?"
    "I'm Shirley the Loon. She's Babs Bunny, he's Buster Bunny…"
    "No relation!"  Speaking together. Babs asking. "And you are?"
    "Princess Titaron. You saw through my sister's trickery, how?"
    "I'm in the psychics club."
    "Can I get out of here, please?"
    "For Sure." Swinging the door open. The bunnies becoming concern.
    "Is that a good idea, Loon Girl?"
    "She's… A dragon. We're allergic to dragons, you know."
    "Come' on, she's cool. I can read her mind, 'member."
    "Okay! So what's your story, Sister?" Buster demands in a nineteen forty-ish P.I.
tone of voice.
    "Bad judgment! Cippeia is my younger sister by another mother.
    "Dragon, swan. We kinda guessed." Babs says.
    "I was next in line to the throne when our father, the late king, died. But I didn't
want to rule. I wanted to travel and study other worlds. I told Cippeia she could be
queen in my stead. She didn't believe me, I guess. She imprisoned me in this fortress,
telling the nation I was kidnapped by outlanders. She wanted to eliminate me and start
a war to consolidate her powers. But somehow you three figured out she used her
psychic abilities to control important people in the government."
    "Totally!"
    "She had hoped foreign powers would have dealt with me before now. But as always
Cippeia over did it. Her dragon illusion was so frightening their assassins were tricked
into lesser traps.
    "So, if the dragon was fake." Buster wonders. "Why didn't all the props disappear
with it? The bones and skulls and what's with that smell?"  
    "Oh, they're real! Cippeia was miserly on the food. Trying to starve me to death as a
backup plan."
    "You mean you…"  Babs asks, covering her mouth and holding her stomach. Buster
turns green and even Shirley is put off by the thought of what happened to intruders.
    "I had to eat… something!" Titaron retorts. "But that's all over now. I'm free! I can
reclaim the throne. I can free the oppressed masses. I can… Get some really decent
food. Come on I'm buying."
    "You got money? In here?"
    "I'm Crown Princess and heir to the throne. I think I can float us some quick food." 
The Dragoness smiles.
    Laughing and talking the group heads for the upper levels and the exit. Suddenly
two sharp, twinning sounds break the calm. 
    Princess Titaron and Shirley are ensnared together by flying restrains. Buster and
Babs the same. Struggling against the bindings they find them unbreakable.
    "Well alright! Alright, alright, alright!"  Princess Cippeia floats down from above. A
platoon of legionnaires comes from every entrance, surrounding the group. Landing,
the swan smiles.
    "Big Sis and her little band of heroes. A little longer and you just might have made
your escape. Luckily I figured it out in time. Yah me!"
    "Like, how did you do that?" Shirley wonders.
    "Its your own fault, you scummy little hen! You tried to do too much with your itty
bitty powers. You looped the same psychic waves for you and your friends here. I
bought the visions of you and her in a white and green outfit. But somehow I didn't see
HIM wearing a skirt and blouse. 
    Especially after my talk with future King Plucky, the Green. He knows a lot about
Elmyra Duff. Crazed human being, animal destroyer and all around insane person."
    "Pluckeeeyyy!!!" Shirley says grinding her teeth.
    "And as for you two!" Referring to Buster and Babs. "What really brings you to our
happy little planet?"
    "We're here to help our friend." Buster shouts.
    "Friendship, look it up!"  Babs snaps.
    Staring blankly at the bunnies Cippeia responds. "Quaint!"
    She gives a deep sigh, looking around the chamber, saying to the Major. "This
assassination thing isn't working for me. Finish them off and deal with the bodies.
Report to me at the palace when you're done eating."
    The Major's toothy grin brings a smile to her face. Looking back at Titaron she
moves towards her sister and new found friend.
    "As always, Sister. You cause me so much trouble. Why couldn't you be a good
dragon girl and die? Anyway, I suppose I should ask this. Protocol and all that rot. Any
last statements?"
    "Like…" Shirley starts.
    "Her! Not you, Molt Hen!"
    "Just this, Sister…"  Titaron says. Opening wide the dragoness unleashes a huge
stream of fire from her mouth. It engulfs Cippeia, the Major and most of the troopers
in the room. 
    A second blast sweeps the upper galleries, the legionnaires there retreat from the
great fiery plume.
    The Bunnies are horrified at the sight of Cippeia burning, trying to put out the
flames engulfing her as the others do the same. The few legionnaires not alight are
transfixed to the spot. Shirley observing the scene remarking, "Good one!"
    The main doors open with the fire brigade entering, hosing down the burning
victims first. The water pressure sending Cippeia and the others flying. Turning to their
Jailer Titaron demands. "Release us!"
    "I can not! Princess Cippeia…"
    "The King is dead and Princess Cippeia has gone insane. Who do you think will rule
this country?"  She asks sternly. The bindings fall quickly to the floor, freeing them.
    "That's my girl! Totally radical!" Shirley shouts as she and the dragoness dance
together. Spinning round the loon sees the looks on the bunnies' faces, vacant and
terrified. Turning to the dragoness she points.
    "Oh no!"  Closing her eyes the dragoness meditates. The room clears of smoke and
flames. The heavy drapes on the windows are un-burnt, the wood untouched. None of
the people are burned. All an illusion put in their minds by Titaron. The water from the
fire hoses, being real, having done the worst damage of all.
    Seeing the new state of the room everyone, even the legionnaires are relieved at the
outcome. Thankful they were not smoldering embers. 
    Princess Cippeia does not fair as well. Untouched by flames she still thinks she is
ablaze, demanding the fire brigade douse her with water for flames that will not go out.
    Titaron is horrified, seeing her younger sister in such a state. She starts for the
deranged swan but Shirley stops her. "I got it."
    Floating up to Cippeia, Shirley places her hands on the swan's head as the others
hold her still. Soon the evil one sleeps peacefully, slumping to the floor. Titaron comes
to her side, comforting her. "She's still my sister. Thank you."
    "For sure! But I left her a little suggestion. Whenever she thinks about hurting
anyone she'll catch on fire. Or at lease she' ill thinks she can."
    "And without your methods she won't be able to counter your psychic commands.
Thank you, Shirley the Loon. Thank you all!"
    Hours later, after leaving the country and planet in the hands of Queen Titaron the
Green, The group is again on Mother Earth, terra firma.
    Making their way back to their campsite Buster leads followed by Shirley. Plucky
coming up next, floating within a psychic bubble generated by the loon girl. Babs
bringing up the rear.
    "Ya know Babs." Busters says. "I think you hit the Pluckster a little too hard with
that mallet back on the planet."
    "Hey! He didn't want to give up those fancy videogames they had. Besides it was the
only way to keep Shir from plucking him featherless." She retorts
    "Like, who's up for pancakes?"  Shirley suggests, patting her tummy.
    "You buying?" the bunnies query eagerly.
    "Like, Plucky is, for sure!!"

--THE END--

[AB1]Completed February 2008
[T2]New September 1, 2006
The X-Fowls / A.T.        Page 5

Wally Wolf

ATT19B

ATTEPUH19B: A Time to Kill

Welcome to the second part of the nineteenth installment of  -
  "A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN "  By Pepe K.
(Winner of 31 UKE Awards)
Please send all comments to PepeK62 [at] gmail [dot] com 
The following story concerns the Toonsters' freshman year of Acme
Looniversity at college level. This tale of mystery and adventure is
best read from the beginning - the other parts are available at
HKUriah's TTA Fanfic site, among others. I suggest you read it from
the start or you'll not know what is transpiring.
All characters portrayed that are not based on those owned by Warner
Brothers,
Amblin, MGM, Tezuka, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Disney are created and owned
  by the author. Andy Fox is courtesy of his player. 
The WB Character "Bernice Beauvine" was named by Able DuSable.
This part of the tale is rated PG-13 for violence.
This story contains many references to music, some of which you may be
familiar with. It contains and was inspired by the music of Danny Elfman's
film soundtracks. In order to enhance this experience, I've made notations
as to where each specific piece of music fits into the story. If it's available 
to you, I'd  *strongly* suggest getting the CD or cassette tape, so that 
you'll not only read the story, but hear it happen as well. All the music 
is available on CD. Most is from 
Danny Elfman's Original Motion Picture Soundtracks:
"Planet of the Apes" (#MCAD-10133), "Charlotte's Web" 
(Sony/Classical #88697-02989-2)
William Stromberg's original motion picture soundtrack of
"TRINITY AND BEYOND" (The Atomic Bomb Movie) 
http://www.vce.com/trinity.html, and 
I'd like to thank HKUriah, Thorne, Dennis Smith, Paul Zook 
and Danny Elfman. 
This story is dedicated to my Beloved Wife – 
              -And - 
In Memory of over Three Hundred Brave Men who gave their lives
In Defense of their Countries at the Battle of Hampton Roads,
March the Eighth, 1862.
                                         And
Michael Robert Kosakowski ,my dear friend, who died January 19, 2007
                     And
Richard King, Senior Pilot at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, 1932 - 2007 
     
   All historical data of the years 1861-1862 contained herein is based 
on authenticated facts.

And now – Part 2 of Part 19 of -
    "A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN" - A Time To Kill" 
      Chapter CXXII

     The deathly silence in the Acme Acres Junkyard was penetrated only by
the clanking of Gigantor, as the giant robot continued to dig Fifi's new cellar 
like a steam shovel. His huge hands kept scooping up fresh earth as he had 
been programmed – but his young master, Jimmy Sparks stood speechless, 
staring at the spot from which Doctor Lord and the Toonsters had just disappeared 
in a panicked, screaming mass. The young two-tone anime lad looked to his older 
comrade, Dick Strong, with a serious face. 
     Ever the man of action, the detective threw him a quick glance and then was
running toward Lord's mansion across the green lawn. Concord the Condor stared 
dumbly where he'd fallen, as flies flew in and out of his open, yawning beak.  
Sweetie Bird pulled herself out of the bottle of Scratchy Cola she'd crashed into 
and was left retaining the "Hello Nurse" hourglass shape of it. Her sleepy eyes 
narrowed naughtily.
     "Now that the stars have left the building - it's time for "The Sweetie Show!",
she said looking at her new curves, "…The New and Improved Sweetie Show!
This'll give the censors something to think about!"
     At that moment, the pink canary's body popped back to its usual pear shape.
     "- Or not", Sweetie added bitterly, then shouted, "Curse you, Comic Irony!!"
     Nearby, Boris the spider bemoaned having been the cause of the calamity. 
"Oy, vat I did…" he mumbled miserably. "Vait!… My spider-sense is tingling!" 
he suddenly exclaimed.
     "Ah ha!'", Sweetie chirped as she spied him, "So it shouldn't be a total loss – 
LUNCHTIME!!"
     "Oy Gevalt!!" Boris yelled as he scuttled away from the carnivorous canary.
Sweetie pounced and missed him as he ran around the base of the black dragon 
statue on Doctor Lord's lawn. Quickly she flew to the other side and cornered him!
     "Yummy! A Polish spider pirogi!" Sweetie grinned, licking her lips.
     "Listen you mashugina boid! Me, you don't vant to eat!", Boris warned her,
as he was backed up against the stone wall, "Believe me – I bit my tongue once 
– I tasted terrible!"  
     "Don't worry, I like Kosher food" commented the nasty nestling as she opened
her big beak to chomp him.
     "Take dis!" the spider yelled, spurting cobwebs into her mouth from his rear end. 
"I leaned dat von from comic books - and why not?" he told Sweetie with a smirk 
as she gagged and spat out spider webs. 
     While Sweetie hacked up web-balls, Boris crawled up the vertical side
of the statue like a shot. With a SPROING, he fired a stand of webbing straight 
to the top of the mansion's roof and swung himself away!  
     "Bye bye Boidee!" called Boris swinging out of sight across the rooftops.
     "We'll meet again, Spider-man!" Sweetie cursed after him, shaking her fist.    

     Dick Strong burst from the elevator doors into the Doctor's gigantic laboratory
to confront three very anxious toons. 
     "What happened?" he demanded.
     "He started the travel sequence too soon" said Ralph Wolf flatly, pointing at Wile E. 
Coyote with a sign made of a million arrows.
     "Untrue!", the super-genius denied as he paced back and forth in desperate 
thought, "I activated it when the Doctor indicated. But not all the transportees 
were in place!" 
     "So why didn't you just turn it off?" 
     "We attempted to – but we only have manual controls here and – and…"
the coyote stammered in shame.
     "None of us has telepathic powers like Andy Fox and the Doctor" Ralph 
concluded fatefully as Wile hung his head.
     "The Doctor must have been trying to stop it when he was attacked" the 
detective deduced, "The others were a distance away. What happened to them?"
     "Unknown" said the sign that Egghead Jr. held up reluctantly.
"It's possible they were taken to the same point in time, but not to the same place",
     Wile told them, "There is a theory that Time is fluid – with currents, eddies,
backwash –"
     "So the same currents that swept the main group to one place might sweep 
them there too?" wondered Ralph.
     "Possibly", the lanky coyote continued as he paced, "… But there's no way 
to know until they've all arrived."
     "We must reverse the process!" Egghead Jr. signed adamantly.
     "We can't bring them back that way", Ralph replied, "They're split into two groups.
If we get one group – we'd lose the other in Time."
     "So what can we do??" Dick implored, his black anime` eyes tensing.
     "…They'll have to arrive and locate each other", Wile sighed as he finally stopped
his frantic pacing and looked worriedly at them all, "If they can just get back 
together, we can bring them back."
     "And if they can't?"
     Wile sighed deeply again and sat dejectedly at the control console.
     "Then Bugs and I will have some very sad phone calls to make."
     At that moment, the main console's screen changed to a message that riveted
them all.    
"ARRIVAL  TIME…
11 AM    
MARCH 8TH, 1862
PLACE…
HAMPTON ROADS, VIRGINIA…
CSA… & USA…

Chapter CXXIII

     The Toonsters screamed in silence as the blinding white time tunnel came 
to an abrupt end. Having resisted the tornado, few of them landed upright on the 
shiny black hill. Most of the group dropped painfully hard upon the metal and 
wooden gratings, while Gogo fell through a dark square hole. The open hatch had
a wooden stairway beneath it and the unfortunate dodo hit and bounced his way 
down to the floor below. Bruised and dazed, he looked up to find himself 
surrounded by dimly-lit heavy cannons and white-washed walls.
     Hamton lost his desperate grasp from Furball's hand as they both hit the 
grayish-black slippery metal. He felt himself slipping rapidly down the steep incline 
and clawed to keep himself from falling, but there was nothing to hold onto but a 
greasy wall of iron. Screaming, he slid down the steep slope on his belly towards
the dark water below! A large empty hole yawned open next to him and he made 
a desperate grab for the edge of it! His weight took him past it, his pig's feet nearly 
dropping into the cold water, but Hamton held on! He found himself hanging by his 
hands, looking into the dark mouth of a gun port while the frigid waters soaked his 
toes.
     "HELP!" cried Hamton! 
     To his surprise, Gogo's umbrella-topped face popped out of the port right in front of 
his nose.
     "What are ya hangin' around out there for?" punned the Dodo, and pulled 
Hamton inside. 
     "SILENCE!", commanded Doctor Lord, getting to his feet, "Search the ship!!
Find Buster, Babs and Plucky! ON THE DOUBLE!" 
     As the Toonsters ran every which way to look, the Doctor turned to the loon 
at his side. He closed his eyes and concentrated as he spoke.
     "Shirley! Find them! I'm calling home for help."  
     "Already on it, Doc" she said, her index fingers raised to her temples as she 
focused on locating the auras of her missing comrades.
     "HURRY EVERYONE!", Lord called urgently to the rest of the group, 
"We only have a couple of minutes before we acquire our hosts!" 
     Calamity started his digital stopwatch to count down the remaining seconds.

     As everyone scrambled to find their missing friends – back in the laboratory
in the Tooniverse, the main screen of the console flashed with Lord's thoughts in 
urgent red letters :"HOLD TIME ENTRY ALAP! LOCATE Ba, Bu & PD! 
EMERGENCY! ADVISE IMMEDIATELY!"
     "I knew it! Here goes!" said Wile as he threw a large braking lever. 
The monstrous factory-sized machines all gave out a terrible clank and electricity 
sizzled ominously as the circuit was closed, then began a slow, steady beeping
that rose dangerously in pitch and volume. Egghead Jr. looked worried as the 
power gauges began to rise.
     "We're overloading", said Ralph nervously, "We won't be able to hold for long."

     "There's Buster!" Shirley said pointing ahead of them at a tugboat.
     ["Buster, what happened to the others?"] Lord thought, as he began a 
telepathic conference.
     The blue bunny was standing alone on the bridge of a small steamboat in 
the middle of a river. He saw Shirley and the Doctor waving to him from atop the 
lumbering black thing fifty meters behind. His head was still swimming, but he
waved back and answered.
     ["I dunno!  My hand slipped out of Babs'! She and Plucky disappeared 
behind me! We've gotta hit 'Restart' and get them!"] 
     ["We cannot"], Lord told him, ["We have to all *be together* - if we go back
without them – they'll be stuck in this time stream forever."]
     The metallic gauntlet on Lord's wrist vibrated and he pulled back his sleeve 
to read the small computer screen there: "TIME LIMITED – Locations listed as 
Hampton Roads, CSA & USA – HOLDING 200 seconds till acquisition of hosts." 
The 200 became 199 as it began to count down.
     "Shirley! Search north of us!" the doctor ordered.
     "Scanning…" the loon replied, shifting her gaze ahead of them, up the river.
     ["What about me? Where am I?"] Buster thought to Lord.
["You're on board the C.S.S. Beaufort. Whatever happens, you'll be able to meet 
us later. Right now, we've got to find the others."] 
     ["Sensai! …I like feel…um… I got a scent of Plucky – but he's like a killer long 
way from here! Up thataway!"] Shirley thought, interrupting them. 
     Buster lost contact with the others as Lord shifted his focus the opposite 
way. As the Toonsters continued to scramble through their dark and smoky 
enclosure, Lord's psyche joined Shirley's in the search. Like sonar operators, they 
stood listening silently, looking for the signals of their lost friends' minds. One by 
one, the others rejoined them on the top deck. They were all afraid.
     "I looked everywhere!" 
     "There's no sign of them! What'll we do?"
     "Can't we go back?"
     "Not without them – we'd lose 'em!"
     "What if we scroll forward till we find them?"
     "We'd still lose them! What are we gonna do??"
     "Like yer gonna BE QUIET!! We're trying to find them" Shirley yelled at them,
while she tried to maintain her concentration.
     Reluctantly, Fifi crept up the stairs of the forward hatch to join the group. 
Crushed by Hamton's jealousy and the impending danger their friends were in, she 
stood silently in shock, hoping not to see him. Unfortunately, the pig came 
cautiously up the opposite stairway behind the smokestack to join the others.
Gogo helped to steady him as he walked on grease-covered feet. The terrified pig
slipped constantly but was more afraid of facing his friends than of falling. He 
couldn't bring himself to look at them, so he lowered his eyes to his slime-coated 
clothes instead. The sudden echo of voices filled his head as Dr. Lord's telepathy
came into play.
     ["Plucky! Are you all right? Where are you?… Answer the second question 
first"] thought the Doctor.
     Far, far away, the green duck wobbled for a moment as he stood balanced 
on his face where he had landed – then fell backward onto a hard wooden deck.  
     "Iz okay…I landed on my head", he said dizzily, "I think I'm on a ship – 
that'z upside down."
     ["What ship? Where?"] Lord insisted.
     Dazed, Plucky looked in the direction he thought was downward with crossed 
eyes.
     "Well, if I look down I see masts and sails and…underwear flappin' in the 
breeze –"
     ["Underwear"?] wondered Wakko.
     ["Down??"], thought an exasperated Shirley, ["Like, the ship's not upside down,
Plucky! – You are!"]
     ["You're on board a sailing ship, Plucky – you've got to find out which ship it 
is! Look at the flag – what kind is it?"] the Doctor continued.
      The duck righted himself and stared up amongst the drying blue and white 
clothes hanging from above him in the ship's rigging like so many leaves on a tree.
     "It's the American flag", he told them, "What's the rush anyway?"
     There was a collective gasp of shock as everyone looked at each other – and 
then back at the banner that flew at the stern of their own ship. It too, was red, 
white and blue – but with only three stripes and a circle of stars – it was the
flag of the Confederacy! Buster also found the same flag on his ship.
     ["He's on the wrong side!"] the blue bunny realized.
     "Whatdya mean wrong side?!" barked Plucky, suddenly awakened.
     ["LISTEN! We're running out of time! We've got to find out which ship you're 
on and find Babs! Fast!!"], Lord interrupted, ["Look for the ship's bell! It should be 
just aft of the wheel! Hurry!"]
     "Wheel? This is a boat – not a car!" the duck retorted.
     ["The ship's steering wheel, ya dope!"] Fowlmouth yelled.
     As Plucky got up, he stepped into a canvas bucket and got it stuck on his 
foot. He clomped over to the large, wooden double wheel near the after mast.
     "Aww Felgercarb!", he swore, kicking the bucket off, "Just what am I looking 
for anyway?"
     ["The name of the ship! It should be on the ship's bell or on the wheel – 
Find it! Quickly!"] Lord told him.
     ["Plucky, have you seen Babs??"] asked Buster.
     The duck ducked under and around the wheel, talking as he went.
     "I lost my grip on her just before I hit the deck – literally. I dunno where
she is. Wait – here's something on the wheel", he said craning his neck sideways,
"…U.S.S. Cumberland…"
     ["…Oh no! That's the ship we're gonna ram! Doc, We've totally got to get 
him back!"], Shirley begged in panic, ["We've gotta save him!"]
     The Loon turned and began desperately chanting her mantra in an attempt 
to fly away to pick up Plucky, but the Doctor called her to a halt.
     ["You'll never make it, Shirley! We're out of time!"], he told her, ["I can't let you 
be lost too. We've got to find Babs."]
     "I've got to save Plucky!!" she cried back at him.
     ["Not that way! Plucky – Babs must be near you. Do you see her ?"] Lord insisted.
     If the toon duck had been capable of it, his color would have drained away, 
leaving him white and wide-eyed with terror.
     "Wrong s-s-side? R-r-r-ram?! C-c-c-CUMBERLAND?!!", he shrieked in 
panic, running to the side of the ship to jump overboard.
     ["PLUCKY - DON'T JUMP!"] yelled Shirley.
     Confused and frightened, everyone began shouting at once; Buster begging Plucky 
to find Babs, Shirley and Hamton crying desperately for the duck not to throw 
himself off the Cumberland and Lord and the others trying to calm them all. 
In the midst of this tumult, Plucky suddenly froze as he witnessed something
the others could not. Another sailing warship was several hundred yards astern –
and there was movement on top of her aft deck –
     "Frigate!" exclaimed the duck in surprise, causing the others to pause in the 
midst of their commotion.
     ["Dis is no time to be svearing"] Arnold remarked shortly.
     ["No! – I see a frigate!"],Plucky exclaimed with growing excitement, ["And I think I 
see Babs on it!"] 
     Everyone began shouting all at once again, as Plucky hollered across the 
wide expanse of water to the slumped pink figure on the other frigate. 
Babs moaned as she got to her big wobbly feet and staggered to the 
nearby ship's rail. Her senses were still spinning from having been knocked 
unconscious. The sudden onset of everyone's thoughts flooding into her mind
didn't help any.
     ["Babs are you all right?! What happened?"] she heard Buster say.
     ["Not tonight Buster, I have a headache.."] she mumbled absently, ["Will you all 
shut up?!…I hate to be so cliché-ish but - Where am I"?]
     ["If you're onboard the frigate next to the Cumberland – then I'm afraid yer on
the U.S.S. Congress"] Mary reluctantly told her.
     ["Great. I would hafta end up on the ineffective side of government."] Babs 
remarked sourly. ["So get me outta here, guys!"]
     ["We can't – you're too far away"], Lord told her, ["We're onboard the Virginia."]
     Babs and Plucky panicked and began to run blindly in circles as everyone 
began shouting and arguing again. They were silenced as Calamity spoke.
     ["We're down to ten seconds! …nine…eight…"]
     Everyone looked desperately to Lord for an answer to this dreadful calamity.
He blinked his silver eyes in thought and said: ["The three of you! Run quickly 
to the Captain's cabin! It should be the top main cabin in the stern of the ship!"]
Franticly, they obeyed. Babs leaped down the nearest stairway to the main 
deck and clambered into the rear door she found. Plucky ran as fast as his 
webbed feet could carry him towards a similar door and raced through the wooden 
corridor to a large ward room. Buster could only find the wheelhouse onboard his 
tugboat and began to go to pieces!
     ["There's nothing but the wheelhouse!"] he cried.
     ["Stay there!!'], ordered the Doctor, ["Babs! Plucky! – go to the head of the captain's 
table – and stand on the right side!!"]
     Babs kicked over a chair to get to the right spot! Plucky jumped to attention
where he had to be! But how could this possibly save them?
     ["Now what?!?"] they implored.
     Lord blinked his mirror-like eyes slowly and said ["…Don't move…"]
     The wide-eyed Toonsters sweated, frozen in fear. Hamton gulped down his guilt.
A tear ran down Shirley's trembling cheek. 

Chapter CXXIV

     Somewhere over the Canadian border, Commander Winters closed in on his target.
He had descended in his SR-71C Blackbird from the outer reaches of the 
atmosphere to 35,000 feet, where the sky became a brilliant blue, following his 
objective on radar. Slowing to subsonic speed, the streamlined black arrowhead
zeroed in on the lumbering Stratotanker that flew ahead of him, trailing it's refueling 
boom. The Blackbird followed along behind the big jet liner in a close formation.
     "Ex-Cever KC135Q-4707, this is Blackbird" the snowy owl called over the 
radio with his Royal Air Force accent, "I'm on your Six and prepared for transfer, 
Over?"
     "Blackbird, this is 4707. Nice to see you again, Commander!" a vivacious 
female voice replied. "Come on in and we'll fill'er up, Over!"
     "Preparing for docking" ,Winters told her as he activated his fuel port pitot 
tube, "Trixie, it's been far too long since you've danced at my club. I've got patrons 
asking after you all the time, Over?"
     "Ha! You've got plenty of other pretty girls to wear those skimpy costumes, 
Johnny!" laughed the pert anime` brunette from the tanker's cockpit, "Besides, 
Speed might not like it, Over."
    "Hmm, that's true…You wouldn't want to make him jealous, now would you?
  Over?" Johnny said with a sly smile.
     Trixie giggled deliciously and said: "Maybe I will, then! A girl can always 
change her mind, can't she? The next time they hold the Acme Acres 500, we'll 
have to drop by, Over."
     The owl grinned: "You'll be a welcome sight indeed! Now I need a tank full of 
petrol. As quick as ever you can, please? Over."
     Trixie skillfully maneuvered the tanker's refueling boom to within inches of the 
Blackbird's pitot tube and held her aircraft steady. The space-suited Winters
lined up and docked into it in a perfect capture. The two aircraft flew as one, like a 
mating pair of damselflies.
     "One bird-full on JP-7 coming up! What's your hurry? Over?" Trixie asked.
"Thanks abso-bally-lutely!. Must get to Point K as soon as possible. The Doctor 
said it was urgent. Over", the Commander told her as they flew northward.
     
     Back in 1862, something the world had never seen before – something 
bizarre and terrible – was about to happen.
     The Toonsters once again found themselves as human beings – many of
whom were totally unaware of the holocaust to come. Instead, they were witness 
to a calm, mild Saturday morning in early spring. With hardly any wind to ruffle the 
glassy surface of Hampton Roads, it promised to be a beautiful day.  
                 (Planet of the Apes, #1 "Main Titles")
     Under the clear blue skies, a family of slaves from Richmond were walking 
by the banks of the Elizabeth River in the town of Portsmouth. They didn't bother 
to glance at the two tugboats passing by. The family matriarch suddenly saw a 
cloud of smoke drifting down the river. She could see and hear nothing else – 
all sound swiftly dropped into eerie silence. The group froze in their tracks.
The woman saw people running and staring up the river. Something was 
coming… 
     The smoke grew thicker and darker around them. Soon it was black. Grey 
cinders and ash began to rain on them like snowflakes, as the acrid smell of fire 
reached their noses. 
     "Wha's gwine on?" she whispered.
     A tall man gaped up-river with wide eyes. "It's a-comin!" he gasped.
     Suddenly they all saw it. A force-field of fear made them all back away.
The woman felt the hairs on her neck stand on end! Her trembling arms were 
overcome with goose bumps! A scream caught in her throat!  
     "THE DEVIL!! - THE DEVIL'S COME!!!" she shrieked in horror as she ran 
away behind the others who had already taken to their heels in terror!
"THE DEBBIL!! DE DEBBIL SHIP!!!"
     Slicing through the river came the massive dark monster, it's slanted grayish-
black armored casemate glistening in the sun with slime! It's ship-killing cast-iron 
ram jutted forward just inches below the waves, plowing aside the waters like the 
grisly snout of a half-submerged crocodile. The giant had three sinister holes across 
it's slanted triangular bow, like the empty black eyes of a shark. From the center 
port protruded the seven-inch wide mouth of a heavy rifled cannon. The thirty-two 
hundred ton monster was nearly the length of a football field and as wide as a 
four-lane highway. Pitch-black smoke belched from the top of its smokestack,
forty feet in the air, creating a sinister dark cloud that followed it, hovering over the 
ship wherever she went like an evil omen. The only attribute of the ugly, ungainly
craft that said that she was anything other than a nightmarish monster was the 
proud ensign of the Confederacy, snapping smartly in the wind atop the end of 
her casemate. The red, white and blue "Stars and Bars" flag told all those who 
saw her that this was the South's secret weapon - the C.S.S. Virginia.
     As news of the ship's departure sped through the city of Norfolk, stores 
were hastily closed. Tools were dropped. Crowds ran to the riverbank to cheer!
     Mary Melody found herself looking down at the ship's thudding propeller
as it churned up the muddy brown river. She was gazing through the eyes of a 
seasoned naval officer, Lieutenant John Taylor Wood. The grandson of President
Zachary Taylor, Lt. Wood regarded his ship's condition with a mixture of confusion 
and concern, wondering how such an un-tried weapon could fare in battle.
     "Until today", he thought," not a gun had been fired, hardly a revolution of her
engines had been made."
     ["Doctor? I'm Lieutenant Wood, the captain of the stern pivot gun"] Mary thought.
     ["Good, you'll be safe"], Lord told her, ["I am Lieutenant Catesby Jones, the 
second in command. All hands, report in."] 
     ["I'm Chief Engineer G. Ashton Ramsay again"] thought Calamity, pleased
to find himself in charge of the giant steam engines once again. ["I've been 
summoned by the Captain."]
     ["Buster? What is your situation?"] asked Lord.
     The rabbit's thoughts were laced with surprise, [" I – am the captain of the 
CSS Beaufort. Lieutenant William Harwar Parker."]
     ["Har-war?"]Fowlmouth giggled, then shut himself up. 
     Lord paused a moment, then gave a troubled mental sigh.
["Well, that's one hash mark."]
     ["What do you mean?"] asked Buster.
     ["He means that you're in trouble, Buster"], Mary worried, ["… Lieutenant Parker
gets wounded."]
      There were wild exclamations from Babs and the others as Buster felt his 
stomach drop. Lord spoke again quickly.
     ["It's just a slight nick on the knee, but the rest of the shrapnel passes right 
through your clothes. It won't even slow you down."]
     ["Oh great!"], thought Buster, ["Babsy? Carry me back to Wounded Knee."]
     ["Oh Buster… no!"] his fiancée cried.
     ["Do not panic"] Lord's thoughts told them steadily, ["Yours is one situation. 
We need to know everyone's. Babs? Who is your host?"]
     ["Uh… I'm Lieutenant Austin Pendergrast,"] she answered, taken aback 
somewhat by the Doctor's new commanding tone. 
     ["Good, you're the ship's X.O. You'll be safe. Plucky – who are you?"] 
Lord asked, his manner becoming martial. 
     ["Well I'm glad somebody's askin' about me –"] the duck began.
     ["Answer the question – we need all the time we've got to figure a way out of this. 
Who's your host?"]  the Doctor ordered quickly.
     ["Lieutenant George Morris"] the duck stammered hastily.
     ["Also good. You're safe"], Lord told him, ["And congratulations. You've just become
one of the bravest, most gallant fighters of the day, Captain."]
     ["So that's why you put them where the second in command would be 
standing"], Mary thought, ["You knew the ship's exec's would all survive."]
     ["Me?? I get to be a hero?"], the surprised Pluckster interrupted jubilantly – 
before his voice dropped warily, ["…Why does that scare me?"]
      ["A wise attitude to have"], Lord continued, ["Because one can only become 
a hero by fighting against an overwhelming force. Now, what about the rest of 
you? Is anyone stationed at the bow gun?"]
     ["Uh…yah. I am Lieutenant Simms, der Kapitan ov der bow rifle…is dat 
bad?"] asked a scared Arnold.
     ["No, you'll be okay, Arnold. It's only two of your men who get it"] Furball 
said reassuringly.
     ["Oh joy, oh bliss! *I''d* hafta be in the Number One gun crew!"], 
complained Gogo, ["I'm Richard Curtis, Ordinary Seaman."]   
     ["You'll be okay then, Gogo. None of you is Dunbar, Waldeck, Marmaduke 
or Lieutenant Minor, are you?"] Lord asked them.
     ["Dunbar is next to me! He's my – I mean – he's Curtis's friend!"] the Dodo
replied anxiously, ["Why? What's wrong with him?"]
     There was an uncomfortable silence which Mary tried to break.
     ["Gogo… Dunbar is… oh…"]
     ["Dunbar is the first to be killed, Gogo. I'm sorry"], Lord told him, ["Try not to let it 
bother you."]
     ["But he's my –"] 
     ["Listen to me – all of you! This isn't your fight"] the Doctor said stopping him, 
     ["*Don't* get emotionally involved. War means that men die. If you bleed for them –
you'll be just as doomed. Don't concern yourself… We cannot change anything 
anyway. We have a mission to accomplish here… and now, we'll also have to 
rescue Plucky and Babs."]
     It crossed the minds of some of the group to talk back to Lord and his strict
attitude, but they realized that he was right. 
     ["Javol, her` Baron"] Arnold thought gravely.
     ["…I understand how you all feel, but we must get on with this"] the Doctor
said seriously, ["We need to know if everyone is safe. Continue the muster."] 
     Everyone was quiet as they began to feel the cold. Gogo swallowed the 
lump in his throat. 
     ["I'm Lieutenant Hunter Davidson"] Furball thought.
     ["I'm Midshipman Littlepage"] thought Fowlmouth.
     ["I'm Lieutenant Eggelston, in command of Gun Four and Gun Five"] 
announced Wakko as the nearby smoke stack belched forth another eruption
of black smoke. 
     Hamton was reluctant to bring attention to himself, but spoke up finally.
["I'm, uh, William Parrish…one of the pilots"] he mumbled nervously.
     ["Directing our course, eh?"] Lord thought suddenly enough to make the pig 
jump before continuing, ["And you, Fifi?"]
     ["Ah'm…ah'm ze ship's surgeon, Doctor Phillips. Aren't zere ever any 
women aboard zees sheeps we could be eenstead?"] the skunkette grumbled
as they all felt a chill running through their bodies.
     Hamton gulped. Lord must have realized that he had caused the accident! He bit 
his tongue and tried hard not to think aloud. The cold seemed to increase. 
["Just FYI, I'm coming up on deck to report to the Captain"] Calamity announced.
     ["Sailors have always been a superstitious lot. They think it's bad luck to 
have a woman onboard"] the Doctor told them.
     ["How very typical"] Babs remarked cynically.
     ["Quelle sexist"] Fifi agreed bitterly.
     ["Uh, hey…I know it's March here – but why's it getting so cold?"] 
shivered Fowlmouth uncomfortably.
     Calamity's host, the chief engineer, climbed up on deck from the forward 
hatchway. He stepped carefully around the short chimney of the galley stove and
raised a hand to his cap, saluting the old gentleman who was pacing the deck 
with determination.
      The captain, Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan, was an intense and volatile
commander. Sixty-two years had not dimmed his clear, piercing blue eyes nor 
softened his harsh features. Aloft above him flew his own personal flag; a simple 
Navy blue flag which told all that this was his flagship as Commodore of the 
Confederate Fleet. Continuing to pace with long furious strides, his hands 
clasped behind him, Buchanan fired questions and instructions at the engineer,
who though much younger had trouble keeping pace with his captain.
     "Ramsey", he asked, "What would happen to your engines and boilers
if there should be a collision?" 
     "They are braced tight, sir. Though the boilers stand fourteen feet high, they
are so securely fastened that no collision could budge them" Calamity's host 
answered.
     "I am going to ram the Cumberland", the Captain told him outright, "I'm told 
she has the new rifled guns, the only ones in the whole fleet we have to fear. 
The moment we are out in the Roads I'm going to make right for her and ram her."
     Plucky and Calamity gulped at the seriousness of the captain's convictions. 
["He's as tough as he talks! This man deserves his reputation"] thought the coyote.
     "Now how about your engines?" the captain continued, never breaking his
stride, "I understand they were in poor shape on the old ship. Can we rely on 
them? Should they be tested by a trial trip?"
     "She will have to travel ten miles downriver to the Roads" said Ramsey.
"Should any trouble develop, I'll report it. I think that will be a sufficient trial, sir."
     "Very well" the captain acknowledged as he marched to the bow where
most of the toons had gathered.
     ["This Captain Buchanan is fourteen point three times more fierce than 
Yosemite Sam"], Calamity concluded, ["It's no wonder he stays on deck under fire 
and gets shot."] 
     ["This is serious"] thought Wakko.
     ["An' it is getting seriously cold!"], complained Fowlmouth, ["Don't ya feel it?"] 
      ["Ahh Shaddap! Ya don't hear anybody else complainin', do ya?"] Plucky 
snapped.
     ["No, he's right!"], Buster intervened nervously, ["It is getting colder."]
     The arctic chill was now reflected in the murmur of someone shivering. The cold 
was becoming palpable now, racing down everyone's spines like ice water.
     ["Wait … that isn't the cold…"], Lord realized ominously, ["…It's the sensation 
of fear…ice-cold horror…"]
     Then a quavering tiny voice whispered in terror ["…..Doc?….it's like - me!"]
     ["Shirley! What is it?!"] the Doctor cried as he and everyone else realized that
the poor loon hadn't spoken since they'd all taken their human hosts!
     ["…I'm …I'm like … like the one who's gonna get shot!"], Shirley sobbed,
["Like – I'm … inside Captain Buchanan!!"] 



Look for the next Chapters of -
"A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN"
                    coming to you soon.

ATTEPUH7 Gabby Vs. Plucky

ATTEPUH7 Statue of Red

ATTEPUH7 Surprise In Yer Pants

     More knocking drew Lord to the door.
The human Steven Spielburg stood there with Lola Bunny.
       "Hi! I heard the party's here?" said the bearded movie mogul.
Wakko stuck his head out from under Spielburg's baseball cap saying
       "Hey Doc! I invited a few friends".
       "Come right in", Lord replied, as Wakko hopped out, " Nice to
meet you, Mr. Spielburg. By the way - you wouldn't happen to have
any other toons secreted about your person, would you?"
       "Not that he knew about" said Yakko, suddenly popping out of
Spielburg's back pocket.  Dot appeared out of his other hip pocket.
       "Ooo! Stevie's got the kyootest widdle underwear in the whole
wide world!" she cooed with fluttering eyelashes.
       "HEY! WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THERE?!?" yelled
Spielburg in horror.
       "Counting the duckies and bunnies on your undies" simpered
the Warner Sister.
       "AAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!!"

Beautiful Dreamer ATTEPUH19A

F.01.01.Scentanna

F.07.01.Serpatro

F.07.02.ElviraDevira

F.07.03.PoisonOak

F.2008.FA.42.SR

Gateway Attepuh8

If Adventure Has a Name

Scentanna vs. Serpatro

TINY TOONS FAN FICTION

SCENTANNA VS SERPATRO

Written by Stephen Ricketts & SithSlayer

Tiny Toon Adventures (c) Warner Bros

Elvira Devira & Commander Beakiress, created by Rkerekes13

Serpatro, created by SithSlayer

NOTE: Most of Serpatro’s lines were written by SithSlayer.

ACME ACRES

It was Halloween, and the toons were out trick or treating in the evening. A green palace
materialized in an empty area, near Acme Acres.

INSIDE THE PALACE

A black lizard monster with wings, was sitting on his throne.

MONSTER: ‘Scentanna. I have been waiting for this day a long time. You may have
forgotten about me, but you still burn in my mind as familiar and permanent as the power
coursing through my veins. You will be mine!’

HAMTON’S HOUSE

Hamton was on his own, and he was sitting down watching TV.

HAMTON: (to himself) ‘I hope Fifi shows up for our movie night.’

There was a knock at the door.

FIFI: (on the other side) ‘I am how you say, here!’

HAMTON: (excited) ‘Fifi, you’re here. Come in.’

The door opened, and Fifi entered, as Scentanna. Hamton’s eyes opened wide, and turned
into red hearts. Scentanna walked seductively up to him. Hamton started panting with
excitement, as Scentanna pressed her hands on the sofa, both sides of Hamton. She
smiled seductively at Hamton, who turned red.

SCENTANNA: ‘I thought I’d come here as Scentanna. After all eet is Halloween.’

She stroked him with her tail, and kissed him on the lips. She let go, and stood up.

SCENTANNA: ‘So are we ready for our movie night?’

HAMTON: (blushing) ‘Yes, Scentanna. Do you wanna watch, Tiny Toon Night
Ghoulery?’

SCENTANNA: ‘Oui.’

She sat down next to him, and they began watching the movie. Suddenly the area shook.

HAMTON: (hugging Scentanna) ‘Earthquake!’

SCENTANNA: ‘’Do not worry, mon bacon of pigs. I am here to protect vou.’

THE MONSTER’S VOICE: ‘I see you have found another who is able to endure your
aroma, my love.’

HAMTON: ‘What the-?’

The lizard monster materialized in the room.

MONSTER: ‘Fifi, it has been some time, or, should I call you “Scentanna”?’

SCENTANNA: (facing the monster) ‘Who are you?’

MONSTER: ‘You don’t recognize me? A lifetime of violence will do that. Look into my
eyes and you will see the truth.’

Scentanna walked right up to him and gazed into his eyes.

SCENTANNA: (shocked) ‘Michael Gecko?’

MONSTER: ‘Michael no longer exists. I am what is left. Serpatro. Got it memorized?’

HAMTON: (to Scentanna) ‘You know him?’

SCENTANNA: ‘Unfortunately, yes.’

SERPATRO: ‘I want you and your Supertoon friends, Batduck and Decoy, to meet me at
Acme Park in half an hour sharp. And do not be late.’

He teleported out. Scentanna looked depressed.

SCENTANNA: ‘Eet looks like our movie night is over. We have to call Batduck, and get
to ze underground headquarters.’

SERPATRO’S PALACE

Serpatro sat on his throne.

SERPATRO: (to himself) ‘Fifi, you cannot imagine what I have been through. That
fateful day when I was captured by the gangsters, I thought they would kill me, and I truly
wish they had. They made me their slave. They beat me, insulted me, spit on me, and
even raped me! Every day was more torment, I truly wanted to die. But I soon discovered
my power, and I used the darkness to make myself stronger. I showed them what they did
to me. I took away their wills and souls and made them my servants. Yet, even now, with
so much power, I still long for you. That is why you must suffer. I will have you as my
own!’

THE UNDERGROUND HEADQUARTERS

Scentanna, Batduck and Decoy were at the headquarters.

BATDUCK: (to Scentanna) ‘So you and this Serpatro used to be friends?’

SCENTANNA: ‘Yes, when we were five years old. A long time ago before I became
Scentanna, he was kidnapped. He must have somehow gained superpowers, and he was
corrupted by how you say, darkness. Zis was all because of ze way he was treated by ze
mafia. He also knows I am Scentanna.’

DECOY: ‘If he’s a friend of yours, perhaps you can make him remember the good times
you two had.’

SCENTANNA: ‘Eet’s worth a try.’

BATDUCK: ‘Don’t you think we should talk with Commander Beakiress?’

Scentanna looked mad at him.

BATDUCK: ‘Okay, go ahead. Zap me.’

He covered his face.

SCENTANNA: ‘Zat ees a brilliant idea.’

BATDUCK: ‘Huh?’

Scentanna pressed a button on the control panel, and Commander Beakiress appeared on
the screen.

BEAKIRESS: ‘Good evening Supertoons.’

SCENTANNA: ‘Good evening, Commander. I have some bad news. Serpatro has
returned.’

Commander Beakiress jumped in shock.

BEAKIRESS: ‘Serpatro? Oh, I just remembered. It’s my vacation time. Gotta go.’

The screen went blank.

BATDUCK: ‘Congratulations, Scentanna. You scared away the commander.’

SCENTANNA: (pointing her tail at him) ‘Do you want to be turned into stone?’

BATDUCK: (panicking) ‘No, please don’t do that.’

SCENTANNA: ‘Zen put a sock in eet!’

DECOY: ‘Scentanna, it’s almost time to face Serpatro.’

SCENTANNA: ‘Yes eet is. And if Commander Beakiress is terrified of him, zen he must
be really powerful. I might not be able to beat him.’

BATDUCK: ‘Well, I say we take a quack at it!’

Scentanna and Decoy looked at him.

BATDUCK: ‘What? Me no funny?’

ACME PARK

The three Supertoons arrived.

SCENTANNA: ‘Okay Serpatro, we are here.’

Serpatro materialized in front of the Supertoons.

SERPATRO: ‘So, your courage has led you to oblivion. Perhaps it is not so wise to be a
hero. That must be why so many of your kind fear me. Destroy them!’

Six Red Lizard warriors showed up. They were dressed up like African warriors.

SCENTANNA: ‘Supertoons, attack!’

The attacked the Lizard Warriors. Batduck and Decoy had a hard time, and eventually
they became scared by them. Scentanna used her gymnastic and martial arts skills to beat
the Lizards.

SCENTANNA: (to Serpatro) ‘Please listen to me.’

SERPATRO: ‘Don’t waste your breath. I have no desire to be the weak little fool you
knew. I will never be so weak again. I will not bow before anyone! Not the mafia and not
your mighty Supertoons!’

SCENTANNA: ‘Michael, please...’

SERPATRO: ‘I am Serpatro, lord of darkness!’

SCENTANNA: ‘You... You’re pure evil. Zen there is only one thing for me to do. (Points
her tail at him) !enotS oT nruT’

She fired a beam at Serpatro, and he grabbed it in his hand.

SCENTANNA: ‘What?’

SERPATRO: ‘Your powers are useless against me.’

He fired the beam at Batduck and Decoy, turning them into stone.

SCENTANNA: ‘No!’

She ran up to the statues.

SCENTANNA: (firing at the statues) ‘!odnU !odnU’

Batduck and Decoy changed back to normal.

SERPATRO: ‘Now I will show you my power, Supertoons!’

He raised his arms, and the area shook.

BATDUCK: ‘It’s another Earthquake!’

A stone hand rose up from the ground, under Scentanna. And it grabbed her.

SCENTANNA: ‘Let me go!’

The hand went back underground, taking Scentanna with it.

DECOY: (getting mad) ‘Hey! Bring my friend back!’

Serpatro looked at him.

DECOY: (scared) ‘Please.’

SERPATRO: ‘Scentanna is now my prisoner.’

BATDUCK: ‘Well, we are going to rescue her!’

SERPATRO: ‘HAHAHAHA! Fools! You cannot face me! The earth and the heavens
bow to my whims! Begone!’

He used the power of wind, and blew Decoy and Batduck away.

INSIDE ACME LOONIVERSITY

They crashed inside Acme Looniversity. They landed in the main hall, and they saw
Yosemite Sam.

YOSEMITE SAM: ‘Hey! School’s closed! Get out of here you varmints!’

OUTSIDE ACME LOONIVERSITY

Batduck and Decoy ran out.

BATDUCK: ‘Boy, is he cranky.’

DECOY: ‘I think we need to get the other Supertoons. If we all unite, we could stop
Serpatro, and rescue Scentanna.’

SERPATRO’S PALACE

Serpatro was standing in a big room, and Scentanna was tied up with magic rope,
connected to the ceiling.

SCENTANNA: (waking up) ‘Where am I?’

SERPATRO: ‘You are in my palace. I must admit, Fifi, even now, you are still as
beautiful to me as the first day I saw you. You have burned in my mind ever since. Your
face has been a greater torment than any physical agony I have endured.’

Scentanna’s face filled with sadness and guilt. Suddenly the rope disappeared, and
Serpatro wrapped his tail around Scentanna and brought her face close to his.

SERPATRO: ‘But now, my moment of true triumph is at hand. If you join me, I will be
whole again, and you will stand at my side forever and ever, if not, then I will destroy
you, and the agony and sorrow will make me stronger than ever. Behold!’

He fired a beam at the big door on the floor, and it opened, revealing a pool of black
bubbling tomato juice. Scentanna gasped.

SCENTANNA: ‘Zat is my weakness.’

SERPATRO: (mocking her) ‘Zat is right! And the juice, it ‘az been, how you say,
touched by zee darkness!’

OUTSIDE THE PALACE

Batduck and Decoy returned, with Superbun, Wonderbabs, Hawkloon, Pink Canary and
Teen Arrow.

WONDERBABS: ‘This had better not be a Halloween trick, Batduck.’

BATDUCK: ‘Would I be lying if Scentanna was in danger?’

SUPERBUN: (to Wonderbabs) ‘He’s got a point there.’

HAWKLOON: ‘This place is like mondo mysterioso.’

SUPERBUN: ‘First we must get inside.’

He tried to open the door.

SUPERBUN: ‘It’s locked.’

INSIDE

Scentanna was struggling to break free.

SERPATRO: ‘Make your choice, Immortality or damnation. ’

SCENTANNA: ‘Alright, I’ll do eet. I’ll join you.’

Serpatro smiled evilly and laughed maniacally.

OUTSIDE

The other Supertoons were still outside.

SUPERBUN: ‘I’ll use my laser vision, and blast the doors open.’

He fired laser beams from his eyes, and blew the doors open.

INSIDE

Serpatro let Scentanna down. And the big door on the floor was closed again.

SERPATRO: ‘You made the wise decision my love. Now Acme Acres will be ours.’

SCENTANNA: (smiling evilly) ‘Yes, Master.’

ELSEWHERE

The other Supertoons were running up the stairs.

DECOY: ‘We must hurry!’

MAIN ROOM

Serpatro was talking to Scentanna.

SERPATRO: ‘Your first mission will be to destroy those friends of yours. Destroy the
Just-Us League of Supertoons.’

SCENTANNA: ‘Yes, Master.’

The doors blasted open, and the other Supertoons ran in.

SUPERBUN: ‘Not so fast you scary lizard you!’

SERPATRO: ‘You’re too late. The Mystic Maid of Musk now stands by my side’

SCENTANNA: ‘That ees true, my former friends.’

DECOY: (shocked) ‘What? Fifi... Scentanna, what are you saying?’

SCENTANNA: ‘I’m saying that Acme Acres is no more.’

She fired a beam at the Supertoons, causing a small explosion in front of them, and
sending them back.

SERPATRO: ‘I also formed an alliance with some other familiar faces.’

Three Supervillains entered the room. They were Wex Wuthor, Elvira Devira, and Poison
Oak.

WEX WUTHOR: ‘Remember me, Supertoons?’

ELVIRA: ‘When I’m through with you, you will be my pets to cuddle forever and ever.’

POISON OAK: ‘Let’s not forget our deal, Elvira. The Men will be mine to boss around.’

ELVIRA: ‘No I haven’t forgotten.’

POISON OAK: ‘Good.’

SUPERBUN: ‘We’ve got to snap our friend out of Serpatro’s trance.’

POISON OAK: ‘You will have to get past us first, big boy.’

The Supertoons faced against the villains. Superbun and Batduck faced against Wex
Wuthor. Wonderbabs and Hawkloon faced against Poison Oak. And Pink Canary and
Teen Arrow faced against Elvira Devira. Decoy faced against Scentanna.

DECOY: (to Scentanna) ‘Listen to me! I am your friend!’

SCENTANNA: ‘Shut your mouth, pig!’

DECOY: Scentanna!’

SCENTANNA: ‘!enotS oT nruT’

She turned Decoy into stone. Serpatro was sitting on his throne, drinking a black liquid.

SERPATRO: ‘Beautiful chaos.’

He raised his hand, and created a fireball. He fired it at the other Supertoons, causing
explosions around them.

SERPATRO: ‘I will finish these kids off.’

SUPERBUN: ‘That’s what you think.’

He charged at Serpatro, and slammed him in the stomach. The villain crashed into the
wall.

SERPATRO: ‘Scentanna, destroy him. What?’

He noticed Scentanna undid the stone spell on Decoy, and changed him back.

SERPATRO: ‘What’s the meaning of this, Scentanna?’

SCENTANNA: ‘I how you say, lied to you about joining your team.’

SERPATRO: ‘I knew I should have brainwashed you rather than ask you to join me
willingly.’

SCENTANNA: ‘So Serpatro. How does it feel to be outsmarted by a Supertoon.’

SERPATRO: ‘No Supertoon has ever defeated Serpatro!’

SCENTANNA: ‘Well I’m going to change zat!!!’

DECOY: ‘Me too!’

WONDERBABS: ‘Me three!’

HAWKLOON: ‘Me too!’

BATDUCK: (to Hawkloon) ‘It’s four! Four comes after three, not two!’

Hawkloon flicked Batduck away with her wings. Serpatro swung his tail at Decoy and the
other Supertoons, sending them all against a wall

SERPATRO: (to Scentanna) ‘Now, you will all suffer!’

He opened the big door again, revealing a massive black inferno.

SERPATRO: ‘And once you have been consumed, this fire will spread across the earth,
and all will be my servants!’

Suddenly he was attacked by Superbun. The Supertoon, lifted him up into the air.

SERPATRO: ‘Let go of me! Let go of me!’

SUPERBUN: ‘Okay.’

He threw Serpatro into the pool.

SERPATRO: (struggling to get out) ‘NO! I cannot be beaten’

The three Supervillains suddenly snapped out of Serpatro’s control.

WEX: ‘Where am I?’

POISON OAK: ‘It’s that ugly lizard, who brainwashed us.’

ELVIRA: ‘Never mind him! Let’s get the Supertoons!’

Scentanna stood in front of the other Supertoons.

SCENTANNA: ‘Leave these three to me.’

The three Supervillains charged at Scentanna.

SCENTANNA: ‘!esylaraP’

She zapped them, and moved them high up, and sent the three Supervillains flying out of
the palace, through a nearby window.

SCENTANNA: (to Decoy) ‘I am how you say, sorry for insulting vou, and for turning
you into stone again.’

DECOY: ‘That’s alright.’

Serpatro crawls out of the fire, horribly burned and mangled, black fire still on his flesh.
He looks at Scentanna and smiles maliciously.

SERPATRO: ‘Another day Scentanna. Another day.’

Then, black sadistic arms pulled him into a puddle of darkness.

A FEW MINUTES LATER: OUTSIDE

The Supertoons were at the Acme Park.

SUPERBUN: ‘Well, I guess Serpatro got what he deserved.’

Suddenly they saw Wex Wuthor, Poison Oak and Elvira Devira. They woke up and got
up on their feet. They saw the Supertoons, and they ran off.

HAWKLOON: ‘Like, what is going on?’

There was a flash of lightning, and the palace disappeared.

SCENTANNA: ‘Eet looks like Serpatro has given up. But I don’t think I have seen ze last
of him.’

HAMTON’S HOUSE

Decoy was playing a piano, and Scentanna laid seductively on top, singing, “Where the
Boys Are.” After they finished, Scentanna got off.

SCENTANNA: ‘I love zat song.’

DECOY: ‘Me too.’

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Decoy and Scentanna watched, “Tiny Toon Night Ghoulery,” on TV.

SCENTANNA: ‘What a good way to end ze Halloween holiday.’

DECOY: ‘Yeah.’

SCENTANNA: ‘I love you, Decoy. Kiss me.’

They hugged each other, and they kissed on the lips.

REALM OF DARKNESS

Serpartro was surrounded by burning black liquid rebuilding his body, all the while
ensuring he suffered.

SERPATRO: (to himself): ‘I thank you Scentanna. You have helped me achieve
godhood. Now, I am truly the lord of darkness. Taught through hatred, forged in black
fire, and immortalized in death! And I will make you a promise, you will be mine!’

THE END?

FICTITIOUS CAST LIST

KATH SOUCIE: Scentanna/ Poison Oak

JOE ALASKY: Batduck/ Yosemite Sam

DON MESSICK: Hamton J. Pig/ Decoy

CHARLES ADLER: Superbun

TRESS MACNEILLE: Wonderbabs

GAIL MATTHIUS: Hawkloon

LYNNE THIGPEN: Commander Beakiress

KERRIGAN MAHAN: Serpatro

DANNY COOKSEY: Wex Wuthor

CREE SUMMER: Elvira Devira

END TAG

FIFI: ‘Au revoir, mon petite potato de couch!’

18.10.2007

Spampire.jpg

Spampire.jpg, drawn by Thorne (ttathorne [at] mindspring [dot] com) is based upon Able DuSable's Spooky Stories 2. I say based because it's not from an actual scene in the story, but rather something that "didn't happen" but which Thorne wanted to draw.

ATTEPUH18-13copy.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 18:

The color rendering of all thirteen Toonsters in the Berth Deck of the USS MONITOR, This pic is an interesting study in reactions. It is happening just a moment after everyone returns to being their toon forms from being inside their human hosts. Fifi was coming down the stairs, was surprized and slipped. She is falling and Hamton is reacting by trying to catch her. Furball is wringing out his soggy tail, as just about everyone had gotten soaking wet. Plucky, released from the confines of his stoic host, is finally free to race to the bathroom to be seasick as Shirley laughs and a very wet Babs and Wakko look on. Arnold and Calamity look out of the ship's galley after leaving the engine room behind it. Buster, Fowlmouth and Mary are relieved and happy to be themselves once more, knowing that they'll soon be going home. Gogo has sought out the wackiest thing he can do and is sitting inside a canvas bailing bucket.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

ATTEPUH18-6.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 18:

The same pic (as ATTEPUH18-13copy.jpg) in it's uncolored, and somewhat more detailed form.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

BorisTheSpider.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 19:

The same (as BorisThe SpiderC.jpg) in it's original B&W.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

BorisTheSpiderC.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 19:

"BorisThe SpiderC.jpg" - The color version of Hamton having a heart-to-heart talk with Mr. Boris Chachka, the old B&W toon spider.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

DistressSignals.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 18:

The same (as MONITOR-1.jpg) with some CGI atmosphere of the building time-storm.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh Program 1: Beginning! Unleash the Z-Project!

Prologue:

    In the city of New Delhi, India, the people were running for
their lives. A gigantic robot reassembling an Octopus is wreaking
havoc into the city. Some people try to escape from the destruction
the robot caused. It destroyed some of the buildings and important
structures in the city.
    "AHHHHH!!!!!!!!" The people screamed as the robot destroyed
everything, including some public roads. The havoc is so severe, the
army decided to take extreme measures. They unleashed jet fighters
and tanks to battle the enemy robot. The jet fighters fired missiles
and the tanks shoots cannons to the enemy. It was a clean hit, until
one of its tentacles attacked the tanks and causing them to explode.
The jet fighters launched another missile barrage, but it was slashed
in two because of the robot’s sharp tentacles. The robot attacked the
jet fighters and slashed them in half, causing them to explode.
Because of this, the United Nations held a meeting in the headquarters
in New York about the robot mayhem.
    "This is insane! That monster destroyed one city and all of our
troops were eliminated!!!" Said one of the ambassadors.
     "Et ez some kind of le joke! What could we do about zis mess?!?!?!?!?!?!?"
Said another ambassador, who is now smoking in fear, all the members of the
UN were complaining about the incident, until the president started to
talk.
     "I know that we were in a big problem. That robot monster is
causing so much destruction, he could destroy the world!!!"
    "That’s a big problem we need to solve Mr. President."
    All the ambassadors and the president turned around to the
source of the voice. It was Dr. Scratchansniff, who is looking
seriously to the members of the UN. "Dr. Scratchansniff!! What do you
know about this problem?!?" The President asked seriously.
    "Simple. That monster came from an unknown enemy who bets on world
domination. And I’m sure that Pinky and The Brain is behind this." The doctor said
seriously.
    "Impossible!! The CEO said that the Animaniacs captured
the two after their failed attempt on stealing 24 scripts at Warner
Brother Studios ten years ago!!!
     How could they escape?!?" The president asked.
     "Someone helped them, and I bet they have great power to unleash
this Robot." The doctor replied.
    "But how we can defeat this robotic mayhem doctor?" The president
asked.
     "We can’t sacrifice more lives for such fools like them!!" One of
the ambassadors growled. Everyone in the room broke down as they complain
about the problem.
     The doctor shouted at the top of his voice. "ALL OF YOU!!!!
CALM DOWN!!! There is one way we can do." The doctor said.
     "What kind?" The president said. "We need to unlock……… the Z-Project."
The doctor answered.
     "But doctor, the Z-Project wasn’t continued because no one can fully utilize
it." The president said.
     "We can fully activate Z-Project. And I know some
persons who can do it." The doctor said calmly.

Tiny Toon Adventures in:
Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh
Program 1: Beginning! Unleash the Z-Project!
Written By: Duo Maxwell (blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Cast:
Ryusei Nakao as Buster Bunny
Miina Tominaga as Babs Bunny
Koichi Yamadera as Plucky Duck
Mika Kanai as Shirley Mc Loon
Junko Asami as Fifi La Fume
Junichi Sugawara as Hamton Pig
Masayo Kurata as Elmyra Duff
Yui Horie as Mary Melody
Kei Tomiyama as Bugs Bunny
Tohru Ohkawa as Dr. Scratchansniff
Takeshi Kusao as Pepe Le Pew
Mitsuaki Madono as Foulmouth Rooster
Ikue Ohtani as Montana Max
Yumiko Kobayashi as Calnasa Duff
Ryuzo Ishino:as Furball
Yuji Ueda as G
Hayashibara Megumi as Lola Bunny
Reiko Tanagi as Dot
Rokurou Naya as Yakko
Yasuyuki Kase as Wakko
Akimitsu Takase as Emperor Rune
Youko Soumi as Pinky
Yoshiko Kamei as The Brain
Yu Asakawa as Lady from Adults against Funny Cartoons
Steven Spielberg as Himself
Charlie Alder as Himself
Tress MacNellie as Herself
Kath Soucie as Herself
Joe Alaskey as Himself

Producer: Tokyo Movie Shinsha, TV Tokyo, NAS, XEBEC, Warner Bros.
Sountrack by: Avex Trax, Sony Records, Pony Canyon, EMI Japan, King Records.
Music by: AVEX Trax

Fade in

Wide shot - ACME Looniversity - Day
Camera pans scene.

INT - Corridors - Day
The school bell rings. Everyone at the Loo is going to their proper
classrooms. As usual, Buster, Babs and Plucky were walking together
on their way to their classrooms.

Buster
At least all of us were here.

Plucky
C’mon! I don’t want to talk about what happened yesterday.

Babs
At least you are popular.

Plucky
(Annoyed Tone)
Shut up pink ears! I look really stupid!

Buster
Relax Plucky. It’s not that bad.

>Shirley, Fifi and Hamton appeared, walking in the corridors.
The three greeted the other toons.

Hamton.
Hi Buster. Hi Babs. Hi Plucky.

Buster
Hi Hamton.

Fifi
Is Plucky mad at yesterday? I heard he hit a haywired vending
machine, and he jolted like a Christmas Light.

Shirley
Like your cosmic center is unbalanced or some junk.

Plucky
Laugh at you want.

>Plucky leaved the five toonsters behind, annoyed.

Babs
Buster, don’t you feel anything strange?

Buster
About what?

Babs
About our appearance, we look like Japanese Anime Characters right now.
More than that, we have extra hair, full clothes and accessories.

Buster
Well Babsy, you always look good, including your hair.

Babs
I guess so. Does my hair match with my earbows.

Hamton
(Doing a smart remark)
I do notice that Plucky had a major animation makeover. He has
improved my appearance a bit also. I think!

Babs
And also he now wears pants, jacket and some sort of gloves.

>Fifi pulls out a mirror out of nowhere and checks her appearance.

Fifi
I did have a good makeover too. I do now wear clothes and some
gloves. And my hair did have a good style. And my voice was
improved a bit.

Shirley
And like, I have improved my hair and my clothes or some junk.

Buster
I do notice I had pants. There’s only one conclusion; our
appearance has changed so we can fully adapt to the story.
The author said this is a Super Robot Series right now.

Babs
Super Robot Series?!? That means we can ride some cool and
beautiful robots?

Buster
I guess so. And our voice is now different. The ones from the
Japanese Dubbed Version of Tiny Toon Adventures give us this
nice anime voices.

Fifi
Hey Buster. I didn’t know I had a perfect English voice?

Everyone
We know!

>Foulmouth appears. He looked at Shirley in a good look.

Foulmouth
I didn’t know you have a cuter appearance, my Shirley. That
dadgumit Plucky will not date with my princess.

Shirley
Like get real Foulmouth. Let’s go.

>The five then leaves Foulmouth behind.

Foulmouth
Dadgumit! Wait!

>He followed the five toons to their classrooms.

INT – Classroom – Day
The toonsters were in a middle of a lesson named ‘Mentor 101’.
Bugs Bunny is writing some important lessons in the chalkboard
while discussing about today’s lesson. As usual, Buster, Babs,
Shirley, Plucky, Fifi and Hamton were taking down notes.

Bugs
(Writing in the chalkboard)
Okay. Now you know da thing on how I underestimate Marvin in
some of my cartoons, we’ll move on how Daffy underestimated him
when he’s playing the role of Duck Dodgers.

Fifi
(Looks at Plucky)
Plucky, did your mentor played the role of Duck Dodgers?

Plucky
Sure. I heard that both Porky and Daffy were popular,
especially my mentor……

Buster
……Who always falls flat on his beak, kinda reminds me
of you Plucky.

Plucky
Hardy Har Har! You also take the beating also, rabbit.

Buster
Whatever.

Babs
C’mon you two, were in the middle of a class here.

Buster and Plucky
We know. We know.

Fifi
You know that our mentors did some silly things before
they became mentors?

Hamton
I guess so Fifi.

Buster
C’mon gang! This is the cute part!

>The toons start to listen again.

Bugs
Daffy, or should I say, Duck Dodgers, did some wacky stunts
before he did a battle against Marvin. And because
of that………

Plucky
Wacky stunts, I didn’t know my mentor did that?

Fifi
Now I know about your clumsiness Plucky.

Babs
You know what they say, like mentor, like apprentice.

Plucky
What a blowhard.

Buster
Relax Plucky; at least you’re proud of that.

Shirley
Like, you have some ego or some junk to redo your
mentor’s old routines.

Plucky
I guess you’re right.

Babs
Let’s just listen okay.

Everyone
Sure.

>Everyone continued to listen to the mentor’s words. Then,
the bell rings, symbolizing the end of the class. Bugs picks
up his books and look to his students.

Bugs
Well, there’s da bell. We’ll continue the class tomorrow. Another
thing, da assignment about da basic laws of Toon Physics
will be due in Friday.

>There was a collective groan from everyone in the classroom.

Bugs
Not only that, we will have a quiz in that day too, any
questions? No? Okay, class dismissed.

>General sounds of kids chatting as Bugs exits the classroom.
The six is still worried about their project and the quiz.

Buster
Okay, so we have ‘till Friday for the project.

Babs
So what are we going to do then?

Fifi
(Worried Tone)
I should consult Hamton for this assignment.

Shirley
Sorry Fifi. But one of us must, like, have different
answers or some junk.

Plucky
(Looking at the Camera)
I bet this is stupid.

Buster
The assignment is one thing, but the quiz is another thing
that his hard to chew. Some of us almost got an F.

>Everyone including the camera looks at Babs in
disappointed looks.

Babs
(Smug Tone)
Hey! It’s just a spelling mistake.

Hamton
Let’s just think about this in the cafeteria.
I’m kinda hungry.

>Everyone agrees, and the six of them go
to the cafeteria.

INT – Cafeteria – Noon
Everyone was now busy eating and thinking
about their problem.

Buster
So what are the five basic laws of Toon Physics?

Hamton
Buster, you haven’t figured that one out?

Buster
I guess so.

Plucky
(To audience)
Man! He looks worried. He can’t even solve the simple
physics problem Ha. Ha. Ha.
(To Buster)
Well, that should be easy to master. Since Shirley
became my assistant.

>Shirley is annoyed. She fired a lightning bolt at Plucky,
frying him out. She blows the smoke on her finger out.

Shirley
(Annoyed tone)
Like what did you say?

Plucky
(Trying to pull himself together)
Nothing.

Fifi
Sure is a hard day.

Babs
I guess so fif. After were done here, we can go to the
library about our assignment.

Buster
Yeah, I don’t want to have another B+ again and……

>Buster will say some words until right on cue, the words
“Come back my kitty-witty!” was heard in the cafeteria. They
saw Elmyra, who is now chasing Furball in a pursuit.

Elmyra’s POV:
She is trying to get Furball in a FPV. A crosshair is shown
to aim to the target.

Bird’s Eye View:
The people inside the cafeteria sat the two in a chase that
lasted about 15 minutes. Then, Furball crashed to the six
toonsters, followed by Elmyra, who also crashed to the
toonsters themselves. Buster and the Gang tried to move.

Buster:
(Angry tone)
OUCH! Elmyra!

Elmyra
Sorry, my bunny-wunny! You see, my kitty-witty tried to
escape me again.

Furball
Oh yeah! Try to get close and that’s…

>Everyone looks at Furball in blank looks. This is the first
time that everyone heard Furball talked in their whole lives.

Furball
Meow. Gulp.

Plucky
(Confused)
Is it just me? Or that blue cat talked for the first time?

Buster
Yeah. This is the first time Furball talked.

Babs
His voice is kind of, a bit childish.

Shirley
But like I heard that only his mentor Sylvester can talk.
He can’t really talk or some junk.

Furball
Okay! You got me in that one. The loon’s right. I can really
talk. But I wanted to hide this so no one can notice. It’s
just that I’m like Chaplin.

Fifi
So why don’t you tell us about this? You didn’t speak for
about ten years.

Furball
Hello Ms. Mega-flirt! I’m the silent type. And………

>Elmyra gives Furball a deadly bear hug. He squishes and
hugged the cat tightly.

Elmyra
Ewoooo! My talking kitty-witty! I didn’t know you kept a
secret from meeee!

Furball
(Choking and running out of oxygen)
T..hanks… So would…you……mind LETTING ME GO?!?!?!?!?!? I
CAN’T BREATHE!!!!!!!

Elmyra
But kitty-witty? You looked so cute on that.

Furball
(Tried to talk)
Some……one…help.

>Furball fainted because of lack of Oxygen.

Hamton
Elmyra, would you mind letting him go, please?

Elmyra
Alright.

>She immediately let Furball go. Buster rushed to the
cat to see he’s okay.

Buster
Are you okay?

Furball
(Recovering)
Yes. And you guys must know this. I’m actually…………

INT – Principal’s Office – Afternoon
Everyone is surprised on what they heard. Furball explained
to the gang about his real self, identity and the place he
really worked. Bugs also know this secret.

Buster
You’re an agent of the CEO?!? I thought the Warner Siblings
were the agents?

Furball
Them? They sometimes fail you know? I’m the most expert of all
CEO agents. My real name is Luthenant Furaba Theodore Cat. I
shorted my named to Furball, so no one notices. I’m an S-Class
spy of the CEO.

Fifi
S what?

Shirley
S-Class, as in Superior Class?

Fifi
Oh? So why didn’t you tell me Superior?

Shirley
(Signed)
Just figure it out for yourself.

Babs
So Mr. Bugs? You know about this?

Bugs
Yep. I really know Furball and Dr. Scratchansniff for a long time.
We Looney Tunes kept a gigantic secret in Acme Acres.

Elmyra
So, why you didn’t tell us about it?

Plucky
Yeah!

Furball
(Cool voice)
Because it’s top secret, I, the Looney Tunes and the members of
the CEO can access it. Unless you guys were members, and besides,
I don’t think you got what it takes to be one.

Buster
(Angry tone)
Why you?!?

Furball
So what are you going to do bunny? Tear me apart?

>That blows the fuse. Buster rushed to Furball for a fight.
Until Babs controls the situation.

Babs
(Interrupting the two)
Stop it! You know he’s keeping a secret for a long time.

Buster
But?

Hamton
She’s right. We don’t have license to do it.

Fifi
(Thinking)
But how did the school has this secret?

Voice
That’s the thing you must discover for yourself.

>All of them then turned around to the source of the voice. Five
people were standing in the front door in Bugs’s office. One of
them is Dr. Scratchansniff, the leader of the CEO. The other is
Lola Bunny, Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend. Next is Pepe Le Pew, Fifi’s
mentor. The two more were strange, a woman who wears command
military clothes and has the same hair color as Elmyra. The other
is a skunk, about 20 years old, who wears a strange mask. Silence
fills the room, until Elmyra breaks the silence.

Elmyra
(Rushing on to the girl and hugging her.)
Sister!

Girl
Elmyra! I didn’t know you were studying on this school. So
these are your friends, right?

Elmyra
Uh huh.

>Elmyra then let go of the girl she called sister. The toonsters
were confused on the reunion.

Plucky
(Starts scratching his head)
Hey! Could you explain to us what was going on now?

Elmyra
Well, it’s simple Mr. Quack, sister?

Girl
Yes, my name is Calnasa Duff, CEO’s commander in training
and Elmyra’s older sister.

Everyone
YOUR OLDER SISTER?!?

Buster
So you mean this girl is your sister? That means she
must be as dumb as you are.

Calnasa
What?

Babs
So you mean you’re not as dumb as Elmyra?

Calnasa
Of course not, you must be Babs Bunny right? My little sister
heard of you guys very much. You must be in love with Buster,
right?

>Buster and Bab’s faces started to glow in deep red color.

Calnasa
I’m sorry. So are you also one of Elmyra’s friends?

Shirley
Yes Calnasa. We are her friends. And could you, like explain
why Dr. Scratchansniff is here?

Pepe
Dr. Scratchansniff zis Calnasa’s supérieur. Vous see, she’s
un commander in training, and soon take over le sien place.

Dr. Scratchansniff
Mr. Le Pew’s right. Furaba, you did a good job on guarding the
Z-Project for about 20 years now. Now the Tiny Toons knows about it.

Furball
(Apologizing)
Sorry commander. I don’t know they noticed my true purpose on
why I’m one of the casts of Tiny Toon Adventures.

Plucky
(Approaching to the masked Skunk)
What’s with the mask?

Masked Skunk
You don’t wanna know, duck.

Plucky
(Annoyed Tone)
Darn!

Calnasa
Sorry. His name is G. He’s also one of our best agents. And he
doesn’t want to remove his mask for some reason.

Plucky
Sure, like he’s like a reject from a Halloween Party. That mask
may look like from those in the supermarkets!

>Plucky laughed. Those words makes G flinch.

G
(A bit annoyed)
Right, now you know why I’m always using this mask.

Bugs
Well kiddos, we have some things you must know. And this one
is really serious.

Lola
All of us were aware on this situation. You see, Acme Acres is
once a secret weapons factory. Dr. Scratchansniff created a
powerful robot that could save mankind from an alien invasion.

Buster
On what kind Ms. Lola?

Lola
The Rhapsody Empire.

Fifi
Rhapsody, you mean a song?

Bugs
(Serious Tone)
Not da song Fifi, she means Rhapsody Empire. They were beginning
their attack on some parts of the globe. The recent attacks
were in India.

Babs
(Worried)
That was awful.

Shirley
So, is the project is in Acme Acres?

Dr. Scratchansniff
Yes. The project for the ultimate robot began about 20 years ago.

>The camera view begins to ripple like waves on a pond, becoming
fuzzy and distorted; the view fades into almost nothingness.
Then the scene opens in a research island that was soon becomes
Acme Acres.

Dr. Scratchansniff
20 Years ago, Acme Acres is once a research island for top secret
weapons. The weapons developed here were watched by the United
Nations.

Buster
You mean this place is once a lab?

Lola
More that that. We Looney Tunes were also researching on a
powerful weapons also. Egghead Jr. developed the blueprints
for the Z-Project.

Pepe
And also, ze project is made by ze doctor, us and ze research team
of developers and archeologist who studied ze project years ago.

> A montage of clips goes by; a scene inside a laboratory shows
Dr. Scratchansniff in his younger age, the members of the Looney
Tunes and some scientist and designers who worked in the project.

Bugs
Those blueprints were divided into four robots, Zeiryu, The
metal knight, Leos, The burning lion, Leviatan, The twin headed
dragon and Zephir Eagle, The ancient bird.

Calnasa
Each of those robots has a corresponding element represented.
Zeiryu symbolizes the Earth, Leos symbolizes the Fire, Leviatan
symbolizes the Water and Zephir Eagle symbolizes the Wind. This
is shown in an ancient writing that was dug out years ago.

>A scene then shows an ancient script about the four elemental
warriors, the ancient drawings is just like what Calnasa said.

Fifi
Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, those were the four sacred elements!

Buster
(Confused)
I didn’t noticed that Fifi.

Fifi
You don’t?

Buster
Not in my life.

Dr. Scratchansniff
In some matters, the project has started. We spend about 20 years
creating some parts, assembling the units and using some information
we had on the ancient scripts. The result is a success, Zeiryu,
Zephir Eagle, Leos and Leviatan were created. Some problems were
beginning to spring up, on how we can combine the four together.

Lola
Some of the researchers and the other members of the Looney Tunes
were searching for an answer on this problem. Until we found a
solution, there’s a prophecy that four hearts will combine together
and the ancient power those hearts will bring will come forth the
ancient Metal Angel.

G
The CEO is searching for the chosen toons that can do what the
prophecy told. We are doing this for about 9 years now. And we
found out who they are.
(Points his finger to Buster and the other toonsters)
You are the ones who can activate it.

Furball
So you know why I’m guarding the secret of Acme Acres for about
20 years now. Impressed?

Hamton
(Surprised)
Okay! So you mean some robot project is in OUR SCHOOL THE
WHOLE TIME?!?

Fifi
And we are the chosen toons? That is hard to swallow my dear Hamton.

Shirley
Like, some ancient prophecy wants us to protect the world or some junk.

Babs
Yeah Shirl, that story is hard to believe.

Buster
Sure does. But how can we………

>A gunshot is heard from the outside, they think its Yosamete Sam
practicing his sniping ability, but they were wrong. Some men crashed
into Bugs’s office, armed with guns and swords.

Babs
(Makes an impression)
Hey! I didn’t know it was Halloween?

Plucky
Maybe not! Friend of yours Furball?

Furball
Not in my life! Everyone! Get outside!

>Bugs, Lola, Elmyra, Calnasa, Pepe, the toonsters and the doctor
leaved the room immediately so they can save their butts. The men
started to fire their AK-17s to the targets. They missed the targets.
Both Furball and G were now is battle pose. The two noticed Buster
and the Gang coming back.

Furball
What are you doing here?!? Even you were the chosen toons, you
could be killed!

Buster
Hey! I can’t leave you here all by yourself. And besides,
you owe us one.

Babs
For a cat that can talk, you sure are difficult to tame.

Furball
(Proud Tone)
Really huh, Get a load of this!

>He then deployed his claws. Then a strange light is coming from
his claw and his claws extended about 7 inches. The toonsters were
impressed.

Hamton
That’s the thing we don’t see everyday.

Plucky
Actually, we need more space.

G
He’s right. Let’s take this battle outside, shall we?

EXT – School Lawn – Afternoon
>G, Furball and the toonsters went into the window, and landed in
the grounds below. The men did the same. The attack continues.
Furball starts to rush into the enemy, knocking them down with his
extended but powerful claws. Some of the men attacked the other
toonsters.

Man
You’re gonna die!!!!!

Buster
(Pulls out a bazooka)
Try if you can!

>With the pull of the trigger, he fired the bazooka and hit the
target in precise aim. Plucky and Hamton deployed their ACME Omega
Magnet and points it to the men who were after their lives. The
force of the magnet is so strong; the men were dragged in and crashed
into the magnet. The two made a significant discovery.

Plucky
Hey! They’re made of metal.

Hamton
Looks like the assassins were robot soldiers. Buster! Babs!

Babs
We know!
(Spin changes to Jackie Chan)
Let’s crash this party!

>Babs strikes the enemy, using her fists and kicks to totalize the
metal freaks. Buster rushed to one of the soldiers and strikes them
in the head. Fifi used her tail as a club to destroy the mechanical
mayhems because her fumes were ineffective against robots. G used
his knowledge on shooting against the robots.

G’s POV
>A crosshair is shown as a guide of precise shooting. He fired some
bullets to one of the suckers, turning them to scrap metal.

Normal View
>The robot became scrap metal. Furball still strikes the metal
soldiers with his claws and immediately defeating the whole
troop.

Furball
There. That’s the last of them.

Buster
Well, I really don’t want some metal soldiers to get pass to
our school.

>Right on cue, the Calnasa and the others rushed to the toonsters
to see if they are okay.

Bugs
(Panting)
Whew! I knew all of you will be alright.

Calnasa
(Looking at the pile of defeated robot guards)
What a mess. But how did the enemy knew that we were here?

Hamton
Well, we don’t know why these soldiers wanted the doctor’s life?

Fifi
(Notices a red spot on Pepe’s tail)
Huh?

>She looked and analyzed her mentor’s tail for some time.
She then pulls out a hairpin.

Pepe
What’s wrong?

Fifi
(Trying her best to remove the spot)
Will you please don’t move? I just need to remove this.

Elmyra
What is she doing?

Babs
Don’t know.

>She successfully removed the red spot on her mentor’s tail.
She looks at it for a few seconds.

Babs
So what is it Fifi?

Fifi
It looks like a transmitter from some Sci-Fi movies.
Someone put this transmitter unnoticed.

Calnasa
Uh oh, looks like the enemy knows the Z-Project.

G
Calnasa.

Buster
Looks like were in trouble, BIG trouble.

Lola
Bugs, what are we going to do?

Bugs
I don’t know.

>Just then, Calnasa’s radio starts to respond. She pulls
it out and answered it.

Calnasa
(Answered the call)
This is Commander Calnasa Duff. What is it?

CEO Soldier
(Static)
Co…mander we…got…some serious problems in…Los Angeles! The robot
that destroyed New Delhi is on a rampage at the city!

Calnasa
WHAT?!?

Elmyra
Sis?

Dr. Scratchansniff
What is it Calnasa?

Calnasa
Sir, we have a big problem. Did you make sure that the people
were evacuated?

CEO soldier
(Radio)
Yes ma’am! But if we don’t do something, the whole city
is going to be destroyed!

Calnasa
Don’t worry. We’ll think of something, Calnasa out.
(She then puts away the radio)
Everyone, we are now aware of the situation ahead of
us right now.

Buster
Yeah. The whole world is counting on us. It’s time
for us to save the world.

Babs
(Spin Changes into a commanding officer)
This is it soldier! Let’s move out!

Bugs
Hold it right there Babs. Dere is something you guys must see.

Everyone
Huh?

INT – Classroom – Afternoon

Buster
So what is this thing you wants us to see teach?

>Bugs went to the teacher’s desk and picked up a book.
He opened it and revealed a button hiding in the pages.

Bugs
This.

>Bugs pressed the button, and the whole place is
starting to rumble.

EXT – Acme Looniversity – Afternoon
The whole place starts to transform. The two buildings started
to move in different directions. The east tower moves to the
left while the right tower moves to the right. Then, the central
building started to move backward. After that, big guns and
missile launchers started to appear. All the residents of Acme
Acres noticed the sudden transformation from school to a military
base.

EXT – Classroom – Afternoon
Inside, the toonsters noticed that their school became a base.
But the transformation is not over. The whole classroom started
to change also. Each row of tables become computers equipped with
the advanced technology. The blackboard behind Bugs slides down
to reveal a gigantic screen used to view the world map. The windows
were gone also. The toonsters were amazed on the transformation
they saw.

Shirley
(Surprised)
Like mondo incredible!!!

Plucky
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!!!! FROM SCHOOL TO A SCI-FI BASE!!!!

Buster
Is this the thing you wanted to show us?

Bugs
Yep! This is, the Allied Organization of Earth Defense Base.
The whole Loo is created to hide the Z-Project and to become
a secret defense base at the same time.

Pepe
And et comes with ze good seats too.

Elmyra
Wow.

Hamton
Incredible, the technology used here is pretty advanced.

Calnasa
Yes. And also, we got some people who can monitor the base,
everyone, into your positions.

>The members of the CEO started to appear. They go to their
proper seats and waits for further orders. Mary, Max and
Foulmouth also appeared. They wear their headphone and
microphones and also wait for further orders.

Buster
MONTY?!?

Babs
MARY?!?

Plucky
FOULMOUTH?!?

Monty
Well, I really don’t want to get involved in this.
But I got no choice.

Foulmouth
Dadgumit! We will do this job even they forced us to do it!

Mary
So you need to do your job as well.

Fifi
(Confused)
What job?

Monty
(Looked Serious)
Don’t you hear? You four were the pilots of the Z-Project.
And remember this, don’t die so soon.

Plucky
Well, we won’t.

Calnasa
Buster, Plucky, Babs, Fifi. Are you ready?

Buster, Plucky, Babs, Fifi
Ready!

Bugs
Well, go to those chutes there. They will lead to
the Z-Project.

Buster
We will. Let’s go everyone! The whole world is
depending on us!

>The four started to go to the chutes in the far side of
the room. Each of them takes each route.

Angle on each character
A divider shows the characters. They were sliding down on
the tunnels that lead to the Z-Project. They each landed
on different cockpits of the Z-Project.

Buster
Wow. Is this the Z-Project? I wonder how it works.

>Buster notices that he system started to boot and the
power in now online. The radio started to respond.
Calnasa was on the line.

Calnasa
(Radio)
Buster! Buster Bunny! Are you there?

>He answered the call.

Buster
Yes. But is this the Z-Project?

Calnasa
(Radio)
Yes. You’re inside Zeiryu, the Metal Knight.

Buster
Cool! So the others were fine right?

Babs
(Radio)
Of course! I landed on some robot cockpit too. I bet this
is Leos, the Burning Lion.

Buster
Babs? Wow, what a party call.

Plucky
(Radio)
Not only that, it looks like the ones from Star Wars! I don’t
know if this is the X-Wing or……I got it! This must be
Zephir Eagle!

Fifi
(Radio)
Plucky! Buster, I’m also inside the cockpit also. I guess
I’m inside Leviatan, the Twin Headed Dragon.

Buster
Good! So what are we going to do next?

Calnasa
(Radio)
See those balls there? They are the controls. The Z-Project
uses mind link to use it.

Shirley
(Radio)
It’s just like controlling a thing using your mind and
body or some junk.

Buster
Okay. But how can we launch them into the battlefield.

Pepe
(Radio)
We’ll take care of zat. Better hold vous seats.

>Everyone followed the superior’s instructions. Buster,
Babs, Plucky and Fifi were ready to launch.

INT – City of Acme Acres – Afternoon
First to launch is Buster and Zeiryu. The city started
to rumble as the gigantic metal door started to open.
Then, a giant runway is then shown with Zeiryu in it.
Buster then receives the signal.

Buster
Zeiryu! LAUNCH!

>The boosters on the back of the mech started to activate
and the catapult is used to propel the unit to the sky. It
was a perfect launch.

INT – Valley of Acme Acres – Afternoon
Next are Babs and Leos. The lover’s leap is started to
split apart as special mechanisms slide the whole place,
revealing Leos. Then, a runway is shown to guide the unit.

Babs
Okay! GO! Leos!

Leos
ROOOOOOAR!!!!!!!!!!

>The lion robot starts to run to the runway. Because of this,
it achieves the perfect speed and velocity to fire its boosters
on its wings. The mech launched successfully.

INT - Underwater – Afternoon
Now its Fifi and Leviatan’s turn to launch, in the hangar below the
loo shows Leviatan. Some mini doors started to open, pumping in
water to the whole place. After that was done, the front gate started
to open. And Fifi is ready to launch.

Fifi
Commencing to launch! Leviatan! GO!

>The water mech started to move outside the hangar and into
the open sea.

Fifi
Dive mode off. Surface mode on!

>Then, she commences the rising of the mech to the surface.
The mech responded to the command as it surfaces. The dive mode
feature is disabled. And the mech moves like a gigantic speed boat.

INT – Acme Airport – Afternoon
Finally, it’s Plucky and his mech, Zephir Eagle. The whole flights
were cancelled because of this situation. Countless people were
gathered in the place to see the mech suddenly appearing. The
runway is now ready. And Plucky is also ready too.

Plucky
Let’s see what you’ve got! GO! Zephir Eagle!

>The contact is approved. The sky mech is launched like a jet
fighter. The spectators were amazed.

INT – Acme Looniversity – Afternoon

Officer
The launching of Zeiryu, Zephir Eagle, Leviatan and
Leos is a success.

Mary
They will arrive in Los Angeles in just 10 minutes.

Calnasa
Good.
(Thought to herself)
I hope you can make it on time.

Lola
The whole world is depending on you.

Bugs
Don’t let us down, Tiny Toons, especially you, my son.

INT – City of Los Angeles – Afternoon
The people in the city were in a panic when the robot destroys
everything in its path. The UN and the CEO were doing their best
to control the situation. On the other hand, a lady from The Adults
against Funny Cartoons in the TTA episode "It’s Buster Bunny Time"
is looking on the robot that caused the mayhem.

Lady from Adults against Funny Cartoons
Darn robot!!! This is why I hate funny cartoons!!! I should
stay at home where it’s quiet!!!

>The robot then destroyed a building named ACME Anvil Corp.
by using its missiles. The building destroyed and a couple of
anvils flew over. One of them hits the lady from the head.

Lady from Adults against Funny Cartoons
Darn anvil! I REALLY HATE…………

>She will continue her speech until another anvil landed on
the lady’s head, shutting her up (for good). The robot
continued its destruction of the city until the robots from
the Z-Project appeared just in time to combat the enemy.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Man! Sure is a big octopus.

Robot Monster
GRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
Sure is. I bet he didn’t learned how to put away
his toys.

Robot’s POW
>The robot makes its moves. It unleashed its tentacles
and hit Zeiryu right in the face.

Normal View
>The impact is severe, Zeiryu crashed into some buildings
until it finally wakes up.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
OUCH! OKAY! Now I’m mad! Now what were its
weapons anyway?

>A screen then pops up; it displays the common weapons
of the unit.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Let’s see; ZA-009 Beam Cutter, R9-00p Plasma Rifle and
GFD-112 Seeker Missiles. Hey guys, did you analyze the
weapon system of our unit? You know we are in a tight
spot y’know?

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Of course Buster, mine has 77mm. Beam Cannon, GCD-004 Wing
Cutters and ZOA-099x Lion Breath Cannon. It also has plasma
fangs for close combat.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
I’ve analyzed mine. I got LF-001 Sea to Air Missiles, GL-008
Beam Cannons and “PROTONA” NXS-005 Depth Charger Cannons.

Pucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
GFD-112 Seeker Missiles, FCD-008 Beam Claws, Itellstung 119
Multi-Purpose Vulcan Guns and GFD-117 Air to Sea Missiles.
I bet we can use these.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Okay. Let’s teach this octopus on how he can end up in
the sushi table!!!

Everyone
BUSTER?!?!?!?

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu, smug tone)
What? Is there something wrong on my saying? Oh well.

>Everyone started to attack. Zeiryu pulled out its beam cutter
and rushed to the enemy. The enemy counterattacked with its
tentacles and did a swordfight.

High Angle – Wide View
>Zeiryu used it’s sword to crash one of the enemy’s tentacles.
The unit used the other tentacles to grasp Zeiryu.

Worm’s Eye View
The enemy used a powerful electric shock to weaken the unit.
Buster received the shock also. Plucky/Zephir Eagle unleashed
missiles to the enemy, setting Zeiryu free.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu, gasping)
Thanks Plucky.

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
Hey. No offence. This giant Squidball is really gotta go!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Yeah, any ideas?

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Yes. According here, the weak spot of the enemy is in its head.
Guys, you need to slow him down first. After that, I’ll fire
the Depth Charger Cannons directly to the enemy.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Sounds like you’ve got a plan Fifi.

Babs
(Inside Leos, impersonating a soldier)
Let’s take this scrap metal down soldier!

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
Let’s get busy! HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Zephir Eagle unleashed all its missiles and Vulcan Guns to weaken
the enemy. Babs/Leos used its wing cutters to slash more of the
octopus’s tentacles and Fifi/Leviatan aimed its Depth Charger
Cannons to the giant robot before firing.

Leviatan’s POW
> (Screen Goes Green) a yellow crosshair moves and aims to the
enemy. The meters equals to the range and success rate of the
attack until it releases its energy blast to the enemy sucker.

Normal View
The energy blast fired by Leviatan hit the enemy. The explosion
swept the whole city with smoke caused by the blast.

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle, proud tone)
Alright! Instant Takuyaki!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
We sure beat that monster. Right guys?

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Sure does.

>Babs’s radio started to respond. She answered
it immediately.

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Babs here.

Mary
(Radio)
Nice job. But I think the enemy is now down yet.

Elmyra
(Radio)
This is a big problem we were now facing! That mean
octopus has another life!

Babs
(Inside Leos)
WHAT?!?

Monty
(Radio)
She means this rabbit! You’ve just destroyed the first
half of the rampaging robot!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
So you mean……HE’S NOT DEAD?!?

Mary
(Radio)
But don’t worry, the commander send Furball, G and the
rescue squad there. They’ll arrive soon.

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Thanks. It looks like we have a big trouble in our hands.

Speaking of trouble, the octopus robot rises again. But this time,
it has no more tentacles. Some legs and arms appeared from the
giant head. Then, its real head appeared.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Looks like we have a bigger octopus to
chew, everyone, LOOK OUT!!!!!!!

>The enemy unleashed a couple of missile blast into our
heroes. They hit the four targets successfully, dragging
them into different spaces. Zeiryu crashed into the Warner
Brothers Studio. Leos crashed into the Golden Gate Bridge.
Zephir Eagle then crashed into a nearby airport while
Leviatan crashed onto a lighthouse. The enemy robot starts to
move to the place where Zeiryu crashed.

INT – Warner Bros. Studios – Afternoon
The people from the studios started to escape as fire caused
from the impact of Zeiryu crashing to the studio. The Warners
jumped down from the water tower and looked at the
awful situation.

Dot
(Worried tone)
Holy Macaroni! What’s going on?!?

Wakko
(Whips up into a professor impression)
Yeah. And that’s one of the robots who wanted
to eliminate that monster.
(Normal voice)
That octopus on TV does a lot of damage, including knocking
out that robot. And I wonder if that one is edible.

Dot
(Angry Tone)
WAKKO?!?

Wakko
Sorry.

Dot
What are we going to do now big brother?

Yakko
I don’t know. But we need to evacuate all the people
in the area now.

Meanwhile, inside Zeiryu, Buster is recovering from the
impact. The screen then shows someone outside Zeiryu. He
then zooms in to see the Warner Siblings outside.

Buster
Oh no! Yakko! Wakko! Dot! Get out of here!!!

Yakko
Huh? I thought I heard Buster’s voice. But where?

Wakko
Maybe……

>The Warners look at Zeiryu. Wakko’s points his finger to
Zeiryu, meaning Buster is inside the unit.

Yakko
Buster!!!!! Are you in there?

Dot
Yeah, what happened?

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
It’s a long story. But now, you guys must evacuate the place
immediately. It’s dangerous here!

Yakko
We will! But I must stay. I’ll go and find Mr. Spielberg.
I bet he’s inside his office. Wakko, Dot, make sure you
evacuate every personnel in the studio.

Wakko
We will.

Dot
You can count on us big brother!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Thanks! But you should hurry! He’s here!!!!

>Buster saw the robot from their battle earlier. He’s now
approaching the studio area. Zeiryu starts to stand up and
charges to the enemy. The battle starts again as Zeiryu
deploys its beam cutter. The enemy used its arms to
counterattack Buster/Zeiryu. One of the arms hit Zeiryu at
the head while Zeiryu damaged the armor of the enemy robot.

INT – Studio Grounds – Afternoon
>Meanwhile, Wakko and Dot did what they could to evacuate
the people to safety. Wakko leads some people, including
some toons away from the impact. Dot is searching for
remaining people trapped in the studio.

Dot
Wakko! Are there any more people and toons in the area?

Wakko
(Leading the people and toons to safety)
I don’t know. But we are missing someone.

Dot
And what’s that?

Wakko
Let’s see.
(He then analyzed the list.)
Uh oh. The missing persons were Charlie Alder, Tress MacNellie,
Kath Soucie and Joe Alaskey. I bet the four of them were
revisiting the studio on the anniversary of Tiny Toon
Adventures.

Dot
OH NO!!! I got to find them now!

Wakko
Don’t do it! Yakko said that we need to evacuate the
people in the studio.

Dot
I don’t care! If they die, we……

Wakko
I know! We should trust our big brother for this. I hope.

INT – Studio Building – Afternoon
The whole tremor is also affected inside the studio.
Yakko is going to Mr. Spielberg’s room until he reached
a dead end caused by the impact and fire.

Yakko
Darn. Guess I need to take the other road.

>He then proceeds to the other route. He ended up in a burning room.
In the far edge of the room, saw Charlie Alder, Tress MacNellie,
Kath Soucie, Joe Alaskey and Mr. Spielberg. Yakko approached them.

Yakko
What happened here? And why is Mr. Spielberg is
in the ground?

Charlie Alder
Yakko, Mr. Spielberg inhaled a lot of smoke.

Yakko
Could you explain to me carefully?

Joe Alaskey
Yes. We were just enjoying the party when a strange
earthquake happened.

Kath Soucie
Some parts of the studio started to catch fire caused by
some unknown impact. Then, the room catches fire and Mr.
Spielberg inhaled a lot of smoke.

Yakko
So that why he fainted, quickly! I got a portable
oxygen tank in my pants.

>He pulls out a small tank of oxygen out of his pocket.
He then pulled out an oxygen mask. He put the hose that
connects to the oxygen tank to the mask together. Kath
then puts the mask into Mr. Spielberg’s face.

Yakko
I guess he’ll recover in a couple of minutes.

Joe Alaskey
But how can we get out of here?

Yakko
Simple. Toon Style.
(Pulls out an ACME Portable Hole)
I hope this works.

>Yakko puts the portable hole into the wall, creating a safe
opening. The group came out of the building alive, just to
see another problem.

INT – Studio Grounds – Afternoon
>Everyone saw the battle of Zeiryu and the strange robot.

Charlie Alder
I can’t believe it. Who is that robot?

Yakko
It’s a long story.

>Just then, a giant aerial carrier from the CEO hovers above
the group. The hatch opens, and Wakko, Dot and Calnasa appeared.

Calnasa
(Using a Megaphone)
Everyone! Remain calm! We’ll get you out of there
in no time.

Tress MacNellie
Charlie, friend of yours?

Charlie Alder
I don’t know. But we need to get out of here,
fast!

Yakko
He’s right. Wakko, Dot! The ladder!

Wakko
Okay!

>A ladder descends from the carrier. Everyone climbed into
the ladder safely. The medical team is now analyzing Mr.
Spielberg’s condition.

CEO Nurse
Commander, he’s safe.

Kath Soucie
Thank goodness.

Wakko and Dot
(Rushed to their brother)
Yakko! Were glad you are safe!

Yakko
Yeah. Will Buster defeat that robot?

Calnasa
I don’t know. But we should try.
(Reaches in to her earphone-communicator)
Furaba! G! You must help Buster now!

Furball
(Radio)
Roger!

G
(Radio)
Roger.

>A couple of special jet appeared. The jets were labeled
"Cosmograsper". G and Furball were ready to attack. Buster/Zeiryu
is now on a perfect condition as it evades one of the enemy
attacks. Both Furball and G unleashed a missile barrage to the
enemy. But it failed, as the smoke settles, the enemy is still
in one piece.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
No way! He’s still in one piece!

G
Looks like were in trouble now.

The enemy unleashed a powerful flamethrower into them. The three
dodged the attack safely. But the fire hit the water tower,
destroying it.

Furball
Shhesh! What a fire mouth!

Dot
Our home!

Furball
No way! That fire blast destroyed the water tower in one shot!
Especially the home of the Warner Siblings!

G
Darn.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu, very upset tone to self)
Great. Now what? Can I really save the studio from
this monster? But how?
(Pause)
The others were not here.
(Pause)
But even that, our combined powers can’t even lay a
scratch on this one!!!!
(Pause)
WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOW?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

>Looks like there’s no hope left when suddenly, a blast
came from behind the enemy, knocking it on the ground.
Everyone looked around and saw Leos, Leviatan and Zephir
Eagle all in one piece.

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Buster!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Babs! Everyone!

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
Hey! You should thank us for saving your butt out there.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Buster, you’re not alone. The rescue squad came to us and
rescues all the refugees. Now we need to destroy this monster.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Thanks. But we need to figure out how?

>Suddenly, Buster heard a strange voice.

Voice
Buster……Buster……

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Hey. Who are you?

Voice
It’s not important right now. You four must unite your hearts
so the metal angel will be born. You must say, Formation On.
And the metal angel Zeiryu-Oh is formed.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Formation On, I got it!

Babs
(Inside Leos)
What’s the matter?

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Guys! Remember what Lola said. When the four hearts unite, a
metal angel will descend from the sky. That means we are the
four hearts, and need to combine our units to become stronger.
And I know how!

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
How?

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu, proud tone)
Just follow the rabbit!

Zeiryu starts to fly up to the sky. The others followed his lead.
Buster, Babs, Plucky and Fifi were now ready.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Are you guys ready?

Everyone
READY!!!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Okay! Zeiryu-Oh!!!! Formation!!!

Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi
ON!!!!!

>A transformation now takes place. Zeiryu’s side armor was removed,
it’s arms folded on the back and the legs were moved to the back also,
creating the body. Leos’s wings started to come off and fly away while
the head come off also. The back starts to fold, creating a chamber for
the combination process. The wings were attached to the shoulder of Leos.
Leviatan’s body became legs as the upper wing and the tail starts to
come off and flew away. Then, the unit splits, creating the feet and
legs. Zephir Eagle’s back boosters and its tali come off and the bird is
ready of combination. The combination now occurs. Zeiryu attaches to Leos
by magnetic force and special locks located on both units. The legs attach
to the lower area of the combining robot, and Zeiryu’s side armor attaches
to the torso area of the unit while the tail of Zephir Eagle attaches to
the front torso area. The booster then attaches to the shoulders, creating
the arms and the hands popped out. Finally, Zephir Eagle attaches to the
back and it deploy its wings for flight. Inside the unit, Buster, Babs,
Plucky and Fifi were now in one cockpit; Buster is in the center, Plucky
is in the front, Fifi is on the left side and Babs on the right. Outside,
the Chest armor reveals the gem and the helmet are now attached. The
combination is finished.

Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi
Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh! Complete!!!!!!

>The unit did some moves and its wings were displayed as well. Lightning
comes from nowhere and a unit is powered up in battle. Everyone was
amazed on the transformation, including the toonsters.

INT – Inside Zeiryu-Oh – Afternoon
Inside, Buster and the gang were amazed on their robot’s combination.

Buster
Incredible! Our units combined together.

Plucky
I don’t know about this but were now on the home team advantage.

Babs
Sure, like that giant robot can defeat us.

Fifi
I guess it’s time to fight back.

Buster
Right Fifi, let’s do this everyone!

Everyone
YEAH!!!!

INT – Studio Grounds – Afternoon
>The enemy robot starts to stand up. Zeiryu-Oh is now ready to fight.
The enemy starts to breathe fire to Zeiryu-Oh. But it was no avail.
The unit charged to the enemy and delivered a powerful punch to the
enemy robot, knocking him from inches away. The people from the aerial
carrier can see it clearly.

Wakko
Wow!!! Just one punch and the enemy are down.

Yakko
Incredible, are those units combined together?

Calnasa
Looks like it. Dr. Scratchansniff’s dream of a robot for world
defense finally came true, the Metal Angel, Zeiryu-Oh.

Yakko
(Suppressed)
You mean Scratchansniff developed that cool robot BEFORE WE
WERE BORN?!?

Wakko
(Signed)
Looks like that robot is not edible.

Dot
Wakko, who says it WAS edible?

Charlie Adler
It’s just like from those robots in some Japanese Anime.

Kath Soucie
But this one is really real!
(Doing a perfect Fifi Impression)
Zis will gonna be ze good battle! Aller, mon gigantic
robot du justice!

Joe Alaskey
Oh boy, one of Kath’s impressions again.

>Tress and Charlie then noticed that Mr. Spielberg is
waking up from his coma.

Steven Spielberg
(Waking up)
Uhhhhh…… What happened?

Tress MacNeille
Mr. Spielberg. Thank goodness you’re awake.

Charlie Adler
We thought you won’t ever wake up.

Steven Spielberg
Last thing I remembered, we were inside the studio until a
strange earthquake happened and some sort of fire occurred
after the earthquake. And now, I’m seeing a giant robot
battle.
(Looks at Yakko)
Yakko, are you sure that I’m dreaming?

Yakko
No Stevie. This is totally real.

Calnasa
He’s right Mr. Spielberg. My name is Calnasa Duff, commanding officer
of the Allied Organization of Earth Defense. What you guys see now
is not a movie, it’s real. The winged robot is now trying to defend
the studio from the enemy robot.

Wakko
Better believe her Stevie, it’s no dream.

Dot
And best of all, the Tiny Toons were in that robot.

Charlie Adler
Buster and the others were now fighting to defend the studio
where they were born.

Joe Alaskey
And sorry about the Anniversary Party gone haywire because of
some alien robot attack.

Steven Spielberg
That’s okay. I guess I need to talk to Bugs about this.

>Meanwhile, G and Furball were supporting Zeiryu-Oh but it
was no avail.

Furball
Looks like it’s up to them.

G
I know. Good luck, everyone.

>The enemy starts to attack once again. But its attacks were always
a miss because of Zeiryu-Oh’s speed.

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Looks like the enemy can’t hit us.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
We know. Let’s see if he can handle this.

>The left foot of Zeiryu-Oh starts to glow in a
yellowish color.

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Take this! Blade Kick!

>Zeiryu-Oh unleashed a kick that slashes the front body of the enemy
mech. The enemy is now weakened by the impact it received.

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Buster! It looks like the enemy is weakening.

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
We can now finish him up.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Okay! If you say so!

>A Lion head Shield appeared out of nowhere, Zeiryu-Oh
grabs it.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
NOW! Zeiryu Saber!

>The mouth of the Lion Shield starts to opens and a ball of
light glows brightly into it. After the light is gone, a handle
is shown. Zeiryu-Oh grabs the handle from the Lion Shield and
starts pulling it slowly. A blade is slowly shown. After that,
a whole blade is shown, revealing a sword. The Lion Shield
disappeared and the sword is hold by two hands.

Furball
The Zeiryu Saber! Zeiryu-Oh’s finishing weapon.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Let’s see it can handle this! Everyone!

>Buster, Babs, Plucky and Fifi were now channeling their energy in
to the sword. The wings of Zeiryu-Oh are deployed and shown. The
boosters are activated and the mech is in killing pose. The enemy
can’t move as Zeiryu-Oh charges to the enemy while its sword is
glowing into a white light.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
This is…

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
……for the faith……

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
…of the…

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
…whole universe!!!!!

>The unit is now ready to use the sword.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
COSMO!!!!!!!! BREAKER!!!!!!

Everyone
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
SLAAAAASH!!!!!!!!

>Zeiryu-Oh fully used its sword to slash the enemy mech into two.
The unit stops charging and goes for a full stop. Its eyes shined,
and the enemy mech is finally exploded, destroying it. The enemy unit
that is rampaging Los Angeles is now a pile of scrap metal.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
WE DID IT!!!!!!!!

>Everyone cheered for the success of Buster, Babs, Fifi, Plucky and
their robot Zeiryu-Oh. Even the people outside cheered.

Charlie Adler
They did it!!!!! That giant monster is no more!!!

Tress MacNeille
(She hugs Charlie)
Oh Charlie! Buster and Gang did it!!!!

Charlie Adler
Yeah. I know!

Steven Spielberg
I really don’t know what’s going on, but I guess the whole studio
is safe and sound.

Yakko
Looks like the home team had won.

Dot
Really? I guess Babs do deserve a good reward.

Calnasa
Nice job, Tiny Toons.

>Suddenly, another carrier from the CEO started to appear. Inside the
carrier is Dr. Scratchansniff, Bugs, Lola, Pepe and the
rest of the Tiny Toons.

Dr. Scratchansniff
Nice job Calnasa! You really deserve a medal for this.

Elmyra
Sister!!! You did it!

Mary
Thank goodness you’re alive!!!!

Monty
I know those rabbits can’t die easily especially
a fight for world peace.

Foulmouth
I agree.

Shirley
Like sure. It’s like the hero wins in the end
or some junk.

Hamton
I hope Buster is okay.

Shirley
Sure Hamton.

Calnasa
Thanks everyone. Looks like we can begin our fight
against the Rhapsody Empire.

>Unknowingly, the group was surveyed by two mice in strange
costumes while standing on top of a building. One has short
and had a big head is The Brain while the other who is tall
is Pinky.

Pinky
I don’t know Octocross was destroyed by a robot named
Zeiryu-Oh. NARF!

The Brain
Shut up. Those toons will taste our real power someday.

>Brain’s communicator starts to respond.

The Brain
What?

Voice
(Radio)
I saw everything. I didn’t know you mice failed me for
the first time.

The Brain
I’m so sorry Emperor Rune. We didn’t know that the CEO
has a hidden weapon.

Emperor Rune
(Radio)
Really. You two must come back at once. But next time,
The Rhapsody Empire will not fail!!!

The Brain
Yes sir. Let’s go Pinky.

>The two disappeared into thin air. Later, everyone gathered
at the studio to see it was damaged from the fight. The people
from the UN and the CEO were doing some repairs for the studio
and to the whole city surrounding it.

Dr. Scratchansniff
Sorry about the studio Steven. I know the Big Guys from WB
will forgive us anyhow.

Steven Spielberg
No problem. The studio will be good as new for about a couple
of days. And I didn’t know the Toonsters can save the world.
You really did a good job Bugs.

Bugs
(Blushing)
Oh c’mon Mr. Spielberg. You’re embarrassing me.

Lola
Just face it Bugs. You’re a bit flattered.

Pepe
Vous should be happy in the end. Our protégées were growing
up so fast.

Bugs
I know. Well boy, you and your friends did a good job on saving
Los Angeles and the WB Studios. I’m proud of ya!

Buster
Thanks teach.

Calnasa
And also, starting today, I will become the commanding officer
of the Allied Organization of Earth Defense.

>Everyone is shocked on what they heard.

Everyone
WHAT?!?

Calnasa
Not only that, Luthenant Furaba will be a default student of Acme
Looniversity approved by the principal.

Furball
Looks like I can attend classes with you guys. And besides, I don’t
want that duck cheat on my paper during exams or Elmyra
hugging me to death.

Elmyra
Oh c’mon! You like it don’t you?

Furball
(Cool tone)
Sure.

G
Looks like you got your paws full Furaba

Furball
I know G.

Shirley
I guess you got a lot of luck G or some junk.

G
Sure loon girl.

Babs
So you must be Tress MacNeille, my voice!!!

Tress MacNeille
And you must be Babs. If you guys didn’t come, we were
dead by now.

Fifi
That’s okay, and we were so sorry about your
anniversary party.

Kath Souci
(Fifi’s Voice)
Zat’s okay. Moi is really like, enjoyed when you
defeated zat monster.
(Normal Voice)
And you know? Your English is really improved a lot.

Fifi
Thanks Kath. I actually practiced using English language when
the show is cancelled 10 years ago.

Joe Alaskey
Sure. I bet her fumes were gone at that time. She can’t
spray everyone you know.

Plucky
I agree. And that cat should go with the thrash
where he belongs.

Fifi
(Angry Tone, her tail is held Rambo-Style)
Really Huh!!!

Furball
(Angry tone, Claws deployed)
How about I slice you into French Fries, duck!!!!

Joe Alaskey
(Starts to run, followed by Plucky, who is chased by
Furball with is claws deployed)
I’m JUST JOKING!!!!

Plucky
You can say that again!!!

>The two run away while Fifi and Furball are
behind them, angry.

Charlie Adler
Look at them go. So what are you going to do now Yakko?
Your home is now demolished.

Yakko
I know. We decided to live in Acme Acres for a
change. Do you agree Buster?

Buster
Sure.

Wakko
Looks like we can attend the Loo Dot.

Dot
Maybe so Wakko.

>Both Bugs and Lola saw everyone happy in
their point of view

Bugs
I guess it looks like the home team
is now formed.

Lola
Sure. Well Bugs, are you sure Buster and the
others will handle it?

Bugs
You mean them? They can handle it; after all,
Buster is my only son.

Lola
It sure is.

Camera Zooms at Zeiryu-Oh
>Buster, Babs, Fifi, Plucky and the rest of the gang were now
appointed to save the whole world from the evil alien invasion
using their powerful robot, Zeiryu-Oh and the Allied Organization
of Earth Defense. But there are some questions; who is the
mysterious voice who contacted Buster? Why Pinky and The Brain is
working from the mysterious Emperor Rune?

Camera pans back to wide shot at Los Angeles
>And what kind of trouble will hit our heroes next.

Fade out

Well, that’s it. Oh yeah, please send your comments to
blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com for some comments involving on this fan fiction.
And there some notes I must remember (Including the readers):
1. I want Jeremy J. Jurrens to read it. He didn’t
read or write any TTa based Fan Fics for a looong time.
2. I need some good enemy ideas and good episode
and story plots for this series
3. My dearest apologies to Steven Spielberg,
Charlie Alder, Tress MacNellie, Kath Soucie and Joe Alaskey
for involving them in this fan fic I’m writing (Sorry guys!!!!).

SAYONARA, SUPER ROBOT AND TINY TOON FANS!!!!!!!!

MONITOR-1.jpg

For "A Time To Every Purpose Unto Heaven" Part 18:

Also from ATTEPUH Part 18, showing the USS MONITOR as she appeared the night of March 7th, 1862 off the coast of Maryland from the stern view, showing Fifi calling to a suicidal Dr. Lord.

Many thanks to Thorne Mouse and Leloni Bunny for teaching me to try using advanced PhotoShop and to HKUriah for posting it all.
--
Pepe K.

ATTEPUH19A: A Time for War

Welcome to the nineteenth installment of -

"A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN " By Pepe K.
(Winner of 31 UKE Awards)
Please send all comments to PepeK62 [at] gmail [dot] com or looneyk [at] earthlink [dot] net
The following story concerns the Toonsters' freshman year of Acme
Looniversity at college level. This tale of mystery and adventure is
best read from the beginning - the other parts are available at
HKUriah's TTA Fanfic site, among others. I suggest you read it from
the start or you'll not know what is transpiring.
All characters portrayed that are not based on those owned by Warner Brothers,
Amblin, MGM, Tezuka, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Disney
are created and owned by the author. Andy Fox is courtesy of his player.
This tale is rated PG-13. This story contains many references to music,
some of which you may be familiar with. It contains and was inspired by the music
of Danny Elfman's film soundtracks. In order to enhance this experience, I've made
notations as to where each specific piece of music fits into the story. If it's available
to you, I'd *strongly* suggest getting the CD or cassette tape, so that you'll not
only read the story, but hear it happen as well. All the music is available on CD.
Most is from Danny Elfman's Original Motion Picture Soundtracks:
"EDWARD SCISSORHANDS" (#MCAD-10133),
William Stromberg's original motion picture soundtrack of
"TRINITY AND BEYOND" (The Atomic Bomb Movie)
http://www.vce.com/trinity.html, and "THE VENTURES"
(Varese` Sarabande 302 066 390 2)

"Beautiful Dreamer" was written by the great American songwriter,
Stephen Foster

I'd like to thank HKUriah, Thorne, Andy Fox, Dennis Smith
and Danny Elfman.
This story is dedicated to my Beloved Wife.
For the late great Jerry Orbach and the one and only Johnny Carson
- and James Dohann, Don Knotts and Darren McGavin
For my late two dear friends from my production of "The Dresser" and
many other shows....Peter Potter and Jane Monseratte...both actors
are gone now…
...and for John Breen (1924 – 2005)

All historical data of the years 1861-1862 contained herein is based on
authenticated facts.

And now – Part 1 of Part 19 of -
"A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN"
- A Time for War"

Chapter CVIII

Twilight.
Acme Acres was bathed in blue and violet as the last rays of the sun reached
over the horizon. Gentle puffs of wind blew the green grass in waves across the
lawn behind Doctor Lord's mansion. Two tiny brown sparrows hopped and
pecked about on the ground at the foot of the great black obsidian dragon -
the evil-looking statue seeming to glare balefully down at them. Their heads
popped up as they nervously ceased their movements – then they were flying
away as fast as their wings could carry them… as the sky suddenly darkened
– then turned pitch black.
The wind blew icy cold as the white time tunnel exploded out of the darkness,
bathing the surroundings with a momentary blindness. Fourteen figures
were deposited onto the grass that was blustered about by the maelstrom.
During the trip back, Fifi and Doctor Lord had wisely relinquished their
embrace and now stood apart from each other, but the damage had been done.
Hamton hung his head sadly and stood still as a stone. He sniffed his tears back
hard and ate his pain. It was a bitter pill to swallow. He remained silent
with his eyes shut tight, fighting not to sob out loud. He was sure he'd heard Fifi
tell Lord that she loved him and that they might have kissed each other. Everyone
else had reappeared in front of him and stood listening to Lord, so no one saw
his anguished look of defeat.
Some of the Toonsters flopped down into the cool grass to relax as the time
tunnel whirled away into the heavens like a white tornado. With a sudden look of
tearful relief, Fowlmouth ran to Mary Melody's side and the two embraced each
other. In a rare silent moment of shyness, Babs Bunny cautiously reached for
Buster's hand, unsure if he'd accept it. Buster raised a sly eyebrow, but he took
her hand and wrapped her in his arms.
"Phew! I never thought I'd be so glad be on dry land again! I never wanna
go through another storm at sea in my life ever again!" said Plucky as he kissed
the ground.
Doctor Lord's silver and black fur reflected the indigo-colored twilight as he
stood stock-still in thought. His mind seemed distant as he spoke.
"I'm sorry Plucky, but I'm afraid you'll have to…" he said slowly, his soft
unidentifiable accent making him sound almost Germanic.
"Ach! You mean ve'll haf to go through all dat again?!" Arnold exclaimed.
Everyone but Hamton looked up at Lord with worry. He nodded reluctantly
and continued, his serious baritone voice seeming even deeper than usual with
stress.
"On the night the ship is supposed to go down, there will be a storm that's
even worse. But I promise that it won't last for days like this last time."
As the Toonsters looked at each other, the tall skunk turned away to face
the fading rays of the sun and looked at the horizon, his hands clasped behind him.
The others watched uncertainly as the tall skunk became a black silhouette
against the sky, with only the jagged triple silver stripes of his tail showing against
the deepening blue of the night. The silence was deafening.
Was he about to reveal something, wondered Fifi?
"…You all did well today", said Lord, " You saved the ship by fighting the
elements…Tomorrow we shall fight men…perhaps even each other. I don't need to
tell you that it will be even more difficult. Rest assured that I will *make certain* -
that everyone comes back alive. Tomorrow morning we'll have another debriefing
and… a long day, so get as much rest as you can and leave the worrying to me.
Now I'm sure you're all very hungry, so I've made reservations at Taz's Diner just
around the corner for you all. Have anything you like – it's on me. Good night."
With that, the Doctor slowly walked off, seemingly disconnected from the
presence of his students.
As the Toonsters' confusion grew, Shirley's eyes shifted and she abruptly
announced:" Yay! Like free food! I'm starved! Let's go!"
Some of the group shrugged and began to follow her toward the streets, but
Buster and Babs lagged behind, uncertain what to make of Lord's dismissal.
"Comes back alive?" muttered the blue bunny with trepidation.
Shirley thought quickly and seized an opportunity. "Hey lookit! Isn't that
Julie Bruin over there?"
The distraction paid off as Babs tugged her fiancée away to meet the
bouncy bear that happened to be pulling up outside their appointed eatery just
across the street at the corner.
Arnold watched the others bound away happily to eat with Julie and sighed
to himself, resigned to the fact that he wasn't fully "in" with the Toonsters…
until he felt a tug at his elbow.
Furball stood there looking up at him with a smile on his face and a sign in
his paw: "You coming?" The blue cat simply flipped the sign around to show the
side that said: "Pal?"
Furball's inviting grin was met by a friendly paw on his shoulder as Arnold
smiled under his sunglasses and the two walked off the field together to
follow the others as they scattered.
(Trinity & Beyond) #14 "Boosting with Tritium"
The three remaining figures stood like statues. Fifi was watching Lord, who
was listening with his back turned till the others were gone. Hamton remained
silently shadowing them, his mind boiling between blind rage and suicidal defeat.
The silence was terrible as the skunks waited, unaware of him.
At length, the ancient being's head sagged as he put his hand to his
forehead and closed his eyes in pain and exhaustion and began to lean to one
side. Fifi reached up to help him as he began to lurch toward his front door.
As they slowly walked away without looking back, Hamton fought his bitter
impulses to go after them. His hands balled up into white-knuckled, trembling fists
of fury, his lips curled in rage. His chest was tight as he took a step toward them –
then a look of desperate confusion overtook his tear-filled eyes - and the utter futility
of it all stopped him. As Lord placed a hand on Fifi's shoulder to steady himself,
Hamton turned and walked away. As they went toward the mansion, the jealous
pig went in the opposite direction, widening the distance between himself and
them. He stomped through the junkyard and was suddenly faced with Fifi's pink
Cadillac. Through the windows he saw the red back seat and drew back an
enraged fist to smash their love nest! His mind was suddenly flooded with images
and feelings of all the joys they had known there – and again he stopped himself.
In defeat, Hamton gently collapsed against it - his fist weakly hitting the window in
a half-hearted gesture. Sobbing silently through gritted teeth, he ran away toward
home.
"Thank you for saving me again, Petite" said Lord quietly as Fifi took him home.
"Zank you pour saveeng us *both* again, Grande`" she replied.
Her grandfather smiled at the joke and nodded, "We'll always take care
of each other – that's what families do."
As the little skunk and the big one turned at the door, they noticed one
Toonster still remaining –Wakko Warner stood over by the front gate. Waiting
quietly outside it were his brother and sister, strangely quiescent and looking
somber.
"Doc? Can we talk tuh you?" asked Wakko longingly.
Lord and the Warners looked uneasily at each other a moment before
Dot spoke up.
"…We want to apologize," she said softly, her black eyes shining.
The tall skunk stood still looking at the trio. He cocked his head slightly to one
side, sighed and rubbed his eye.
"No foolin'?" he asked doubtfully.
"No foolin'", said Yakko thoughtfully, "We …uuuuuh… I'm sorry."
Lord looked at them with the trace of a smile and asked again,
"No crossies count?"
The Warners all showed him their open hands and looked up at him.
Fifi could hardly believe it, but the notoriously wild threesome were as meek
as lambs.
"C'mon in" the Doctor said kindly and Fifi and the Warners followed him
into the mansion though the gates.
The front doors of the house were suddenly thrown open as an alarmed
Andy Fox burst out, startling all but Lord.
"What happened? You almost missed getting back!" demanded the fox,
"What went wrong?"
(Edward Scissorhands #2 "Storytime")
Feeling somewhat guilty, Fifi almost spoke up, but the Doctor squeezed her paw.
"I did", Lord admitted, looking into the fox's green eyes, "I went wrong."
The others stood in astonishment as he continued, "I've made a number of
mistakes… and it's time I did something about them. Please follow me."
Quietly, they entered and followed their subdued host down the long dark
hallway, the flickering flames from the gas lamps reflecting on the ancient black oak
paneling. Without looking, Lord reached out a long arm, his black clawed hand
gesturing. His silken cape flew into his hand and he pulled it around his shoulders
as he continued. The others paused a moment, but he walked onward.
As their footsteps echoed on the polished hardwood floors, Fifi noticed the
ancient oil paintings and began to see glimpses of Lord's past. There was
Alexander the Great's victory over the Persian Army, Julius Caesar's triumphal
march into Rome, returning from the defeat of Gaul. There were masterful paintings
of Viking long ships and the Knights Templars, but the picture that struck her most
was that of a ancient primitive village with a family of five eating supper inside a
thatched hut. She noticed the parents and children were talking and laughing as
they ate – but the oldest son just sat, smiling in silence at the others. His was the
face of Kirrik.
The toons followed Lord to a blank space between the portraits. The Warners
stood solemnly as he raised his hands and folded them before the entrance.
This time everyone bowed their heads, as they knew they were entering the tomb
of a lost loved one. Lord's reflective eyes closed and the heavy stone door slid
aside, revealing the chapel that had once been a Victorian parlor. The gas
lamps within slowly flared to life, their soft hiss becoming the only sound in the
dark green chamber.
Before a beautifully carved wooden cross that hung on the wall, stood the
exquisite statue of Red Hot. Lord kissed the figure's hand and spoke to it.
"We've been busy today, my sweet. Here are some friends who've come
to see you."
The Warner trio looked quietly at the painted face of the statue. Uneasily,
they approached the white marble pedestal with lowered eyes. Dot and Yakko
knelt down, but Wakko stood with misty eyes, looking up at Red. He leaned in
and put his arms around her waist and hugged the monument. As a sniffle
escaped him, Lord put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Wakko turned and
hugged him, his eyes shut tight.
They all regarded him with a look of need. Lord understood and walked to one
of the many framed pictures on the wall. He swung it aside, revealing an old wall
safe. From inside it, he withdrew a dusty yellowed envelope, sealed with antique
wax. His black claws slit it open and produced a tiny jeweled key. He held the
minute sliver of metal between two fingers and looked at them again questioningly,
but their faces remained unchanged. The old being sighed and placed the key into
a tiny keyhole on one side of the statue's back. The others moved in curiously
as the statute's seal was broken and a nearly seamless door in the figurine's
back was slightly opened. Then Lord withdrew and walked to a gilded green
chaise lounge on the other side. There he sat, facing away, his cape draping
to the floor.
"Go ahead", he said, "…look."
Fifi and the Warners looked at each other nervously, so the Fox reached out –
and slowly drew the door open. Dot almost hid her eyes.
Within the statue was a layer of clear crystal and filling the inside was a
translucent liquid that looked like vegetable oil. Yakko fearfully stepped away
backward and his awkward thump of a footstep made the statue shift, causing a
slight trace of red paint to waft briefly in the oil before settling back into the depths
of Red Hot's entombing statute.
The toons looked in silence. Dot lowered her eyes and sat sadly down where
she was. Yakko's face was ashen. His mouth agape, he stared, not wanting to
believe his eyes. Wakko hesitantly reached out a hand – and touched the
crystalline surface, then he turned and walked away to the wall.
"The ink and paint have separated", thought the Fox to himself,"
The pigments have settled."
"So zat's what happenz to real toons if zey die" thought Fifi, remembering
that her parents had not melted away when they had perished.
Yakko slowly reached out a gloved hand and gently closed the little door.
The lock clicked and he sat down with Dot in silent shock.
After swallowing uncomfortably in thought, Yakko shook his head and said,
"…I… can't think of anything to say… I'm sorry."
"Don't blame yourself," the Doctor told him, still facing away, "You weren't the
first to ask… I knew that when we returned there'd have to be explanations. I'd
only told Daffy that morning… the only others who knew… are dead now."
Dot looked towards Lord, her usual cute pout turned to genuine sorrow.
"We shouldn't have pushed you… Everybody knows you don't talk about…
things."
"You couldn't have known. I took great steps to make sure that no one would
find out… She wanted it that way", said Lord, turning to face them, "She wanted
to be remembered as she was – not as an icon of tragedy. If anyone should
apologize, it should be me… I should have ... foreseen…"
"I remember this," Wakko said from the other side of the room, "This was
hers, wasn't it?" indicating the grand piano he now stood next to, "Red gave me
piano lessons on it."
As reverently as an acolyte lighting candles on a church's alter, Wakko
opened the piano's keyboard cover and sat on the polished hardwood piano bench
before the black and white ivory keys. He opened the old songbook on the piano's
cherry music rack and tested the pedals, the old felt dampers making a soft
'foomp' on the strings.
"I still dunno what to say…" his brother sighed.
"There's only one way to talk directly to the soul " Wakko replied, looking to the
Doctor for permission.
Lord looked up briefly and nodded, then his eyes turned away, unfocused.
Wakko closed his eyes in a silent moment of somber reflection as he always did
before playing, then his gloves touched the keys. Softly, he began to play a
beautiful old familiar melody. Everyone recognized it as they listened to Wakko
make the piano sing, the house ringing with delicate elegant solace.
Fifi went to stand behind Wakko as Lord arose and walked towards the door.
"That was the last song Stephen Foster ever wrote, before he died in penury",
the Doctor whispered in an odd way, "I'll be back in a second."
Lord quietly slipped out of the door and the fox followed as Fifi looked closely
at the lyrics to the song. Dropping her accent, she began to sing soulfully as
Wakko played.
"Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me.
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight, have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng.
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!"
As the haunting song filled the air, Yakko could only look at the statute's
frozen painted smile as great tears welled up in his shining eyes. Dot put a
sympathetic arm around her brother's shoulder as they stood together, listening.
"Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea.
Mermaids are chanting the wild loreliee;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn,
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn' on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me…"

Doctor Lord walked swiftly down the hall with a purpose, his great strides
making the shorter Fox scamper after him.
"What's wrong? What are you doing?!" Andy called after him urgently.
"Stay here!" Lord told him firmly as he marched out the front door without
looking back.
The red fox was stopped by this in a moment of indecision, but then he
continued to follow.
"I will not stay here!" he shouted defiantly as he pursued Lord out the door,
"I want to know - … where you've… gone…?"
His voice died in his throat – for there was no trace of the giant skunk anywhere.
The street lamps shone on an empty road in total silence. It was as if he had
disappeared. Puzzled, the fox walked cautiously out onto the stone walkway, looking.
All he heard was the sound of crickets chirping their nightly song. With a sigh of
resignation, he turned back towards the mansion.
Seventy feet directly above him, Doctor Lord hovered in silence in mid-air, his
tremendous cape flaring behind him in the wind.
"He's intelligent – but not experienced", thought Lord looking down," Patterns
indicate… two-dimensional thinking."
Turning, the dark figure glided stealthily off into the night sky.
(Trinity & Beyond, #15, "The George Device")
Below on the ground, the vulpine scientist sighed and was about to return inside when
he heard a rumble of thunder. A cold wind ruffled his fur and a very peculiar feeling
shivered through him. Strange sustained music reached his mind and the Fox spun
around in realization and shock – the next moment he was running at top speed across the
lawn around the mansion! The heavy smell of the grassy field pumped through his lungs
as he ran into the darkness – but he was too late!
Barely discernable in the night sky was the figure of Lord, hanging in mid-air at a
hundred feet above the field. His cape blew and billowed as the thunderstorm and the
ominous music grew around him. His arms were outstretched and his silver-striped
tail hung straight down below his cape. Lightning struck the ground near the black
dragon statute with a terrible crash and the shock jolted the Fox to his knees!
Lord seemed to be attracting the electrical charges to himself.
"Lord! Stop it!" Andy yelled frantically up at him through the gathering wind.
As the music mounted from magical to menacing, Lord slowly rotated to face the Fox.
White-hot balls of sizzling energy surrounded his outstretched claws and the tip of
his frizzed-out tail, glowing like miniature suns. Another blue sphere of power
hovered inches above his head. Lord's large eyes burned a brilliant white, glowing
brighter and brighter as the energy's intensity grew. His body was trembling as
the electrical charge built up towards release.
"I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that," he said trying to make light of the
situation.
Below on the ground, the fox was wide-eyed with the shock of realization!
"Do you know what you're doing? Have you lost your mind??!"
Lord looked him straight in the eye and warned " Andy – Please!
Don't stop me! Don't let him stop me! …Rules are made to be broken!"
The music built up to a magnificently terrifying climax as bolts of lightning
ripped the sky around Lord's floating body! Andy shouted again up to him,
but the cracks of thunder overpowered his volume. The fireballs of blistering
energy that Lord held arced their own lightning between each other, surrounding
him with a blinding halo and began arching to ground themselves, hitting the
dragon statute and the earth where the Fox stood!
Using the only line of communication left, the fox thought desperately:
["No! Stop! THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE DISASTROUS!!"]
In the midst of the power storm, Lord raised his arms and tail out straight,
the energy spheres now creating a triangular pyramid of blue lightning around him!
The thunderhead clouds above him began to part, forming a towering ring
thousands of feet high! A hurricane of wind blew Andy to the ground!
["The only Limits that truly exist – are those we put upon ourselves!"]
Lord thought back.
The maelstrom of wind, lightning and terrifying music climaxed as the sky
opened and blinding white light came down, filling everything. Andy could see
only Lord high overhead as everything else was lost in a total whiteout. The
Doctor raised his fists and tail, smashing the four power globes into each
other, forming a powerful energy beam that fired up into the blinding whiteness!
Lord's music came to a crescendo of wordless voices as a great black hole
appeared above him. The funnel of darkness opened!

Wakko closed his eyes in a silent moment of somber reflection as he always
did before playing, then his gloves touched the keys. Softly, he began to play a
beautiful old familiar melody. Everyone recognized it as they listened to him
make the piano sing, the house ringing with delicate elegant solace.
Fifi went to stand behind Wakko as Lord arose and walked towards the door.
"That was the last song Stephen Foster ever wrote, before he died in penury",
the Doctor whispered in an odd way, "I'll be back in a second."
Lord quietly slipped out of the door and the fox took a step after him
before Lord stepped back inside. Andy blinked and looked back as Fifi looked
closely at the lyrics to the song. Dropping her accent, she began to sing soulfully as
Wakko played for the statue of Red Hot.
"Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me.
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight, have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng.
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!"
As the haunting song filled the air, Yakko could only look at the statue's
frozen painted smile as great tears welled up in his shining eyes. Dot put a
sympathetic arm around her brother's shoulder as they stood together, listening.
The Doctor stood watching and listening to the enchanting song, his silver eyes
shining as his mysterious smile returned. His eyes shifted to stare at the fox.
"Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea.
Mermaids are chanting the wild loreliee;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn,
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn' on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me…"

Chapter CIX
Hamton sat on his bed in his room with his chin in his hands. He'd
stopped crying and looked up mournfully as there was a soft knock at the door.
"Come in" he sighed, wiping away the tears and sniffing them back
as his father came in quietly.
Wade took off his hat with a look of understanding and sat down beside
his son. He could tell that Hamton didn't feel like talking, so the two sat next
to each other in silence a moment.
"Girl trouble, Son?" he asked gently.
Hamton was surprised, but then realized he shouldn't be.
"Yes, Dad… How'd you know?"
Rather than answering, Wade reached out and wiped Hamton's forehead
clean with his thick bare forearm and showed it to him. The words "Girl Trouble"
showed in reverse on his father's hairy arm. Hamton looked down in
embarrassment, but his father's kindly smile took away the bad feelings.
"Actually, when ya ate everything in the refrigerator in less than five seconds,
it kinda tipped us off", Wade admitted, "Yer Mother's gone out to the grocery store."
"Gee, I'm sorry, Dad".
"Oh don't worry, Son – we'd run out of mayonnaise anyway!" his father said
lightly with a nod.
Hamton smiled but shook his head sadly. His Dad put an arm warmly
around his shoulders, took his handkerchief and wiped the tears off his son's
wet snout. He gave him a little squeeze and Hamton's piggy ears hung down as
his resistance broke. He put his head down and cried a little, and hugged his
father. Wade put his head against him and hugged him back, placing his hand
on his son's head in a moment of quiet.
"Also, when you've been married for twenty years, ya learn a thing er
two", his father told him softly, "Yer Mom and I are concerned about you…
Do you wanna talk about it?"
Hamton shut his eyes and shook his head.
"That's all right, Son", his father said, "Just don't keep it to yourself for
too long … Holding powerful feelings inside can just make it hurt even worse.
Remember – even when things seem to be bad - they always work out for
the best. I'm sure you'll do the right thing. You always have. …Just make
sure you know what you're doing before you do it."
The two looked into each other's eyes and Wade hugged his son again
before standing up.
Hamton looked at the floor as his Dad walked to the door, "Dad?"
Wade turned as Hamton crossed to him and hugged him again.
"Thank you, Dad", he said," I love you."
His father held him tight in a heartfelt moment and kissed his forehead.
"I love you, Son," he smiled," Now you get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay. Goodnight Dad."
"Goodnight, Son."
Hamton rubbed his snout as the door closed in a moment of reflection
when there was suddenly a familiar Yiddish voice in the room.
"Oy, dat vas von heart-varmink scene. I vish *my* fadder vas dat nice."
Hamton's eyes went wide with fear causing his head to expand like a balloon
until Boris the spider crawled down into the light from the far corner of the ceiling
on a web. The pig rolled his huge eyes in exasperation and let his head deflate
through his ears, sounding like a double whoopee cushion.
"Sorry keedo", the old bearded spider explained, "Between the eating all
de food, slamming doors, cryink and de fatherly talk, I guess your mother never
got a chance to tell you she'd moved me in here…I hope you don't mind?"
"Well…"
"Vell, before you throw me out, maybe I can help," Boris shrugged, talking with
his four hands alot, "You could maybe tell me tings dat you couldn't tell your
fadder, huh?"
Hamton considered this as he slumped back onto his bed and the toon spider
lowered himself on a thread into a nearby chair.
"Look, I've been married three times so I know plenty about vimen," said
the Polish arachnid, "I'm an old poysen – you gotta listen to your elders! …
Besides…Vat's de use ov being a sulky teenager if you got no von to talk at?"
Hamton still really didn't feel like it, but he shrugged and asked:" You were
married three times? What happened?"
"Meh! Lady schpiders," humphed Boris, "All they do is bite yer head off! …
They don't call 'em Black Widows fer nuthin, ya know. C'mon! Tell Boris yer troubles."
Hamton interlocked his fingers behind his head and lay back on his pillow like
a patient on a psychiatrist's couch. As Boris stroked his beard, he listened as
the young boar told him everything that had happened concerning Fifi and
Dr. Lord since the morning they'd started college. The old spider took note of
how angry Hamton grew as he spoke of seeing Lord and Fifi embrace on the
shores of Lake Champlain, of hearing the two address each other in such
familiar terms and of how devastated he was when he'd heard her cry out that
she loved the big skunk. When Hamton was finished, Boris re-adjusted his
hearing aid and sat thoughtfully awhile.
"Vell… before reaching any conclusions, I have a few qvestions", the old toon
said, rubbing his front two hands together while scratching his head with the
other two, " Foist, you say you think dis Doctor vas tryink to destroy himselv
in de race? And Fifi stopped him?"
"Well… yes."
"And dis afternoon? Don't you teenk maybe she vas doing eet again?"
"…I dunno…she said. she loved him" Hamton sighed, not wanting to say
the words.
"And vat did he say to her?"
"I don't know. I couldn't hear him through the storm…"
Hamton swallowed and thought. Boris raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.
"…She was.. trying to get him to come back," the pig admitted finally with
a deep sigh, "I guess.. she was trying to keep him from jumping."
"Vell, there you go!" Boris told him, throwing up his four hands.
"*But* - she said she loves him!" Hamton exclaimed tearfully as he buried
his face in his hands.
"Vell…maybe she does" shrugged the comical spider, before starting to
crawl vertically up the side of his chair, grumbling about his lumbago.
Once there, he revolved upside down and hung there sideways and looked
down at Hamton.
"Look. Dere's three possible answers to vat's goink on", he said holding up a
hand, "Von: Fifi iz in love with the de richest, most powerful rival you could
never hope to face up to een a million years! – Two -" (he said holding up a
second hand) "He's a very old friend ov her family like she said he is and she
just doesn't vant the poor lonely guy to make himselv kaput. And three-"
Boris fell off the side of the chair and bounced upside down on the seat after
he took his third hand off of it. Hamton sat up as the spider righted himself and
swore.
"Raskayekov!!… And three", he said finally, re-adjusting his bifocals,
"Eetz none ov the above."
"What do you mean, Mister Chachka?"
The old toon looked at him with a sniff and a grunt," The truth eez alvays
some teeng you don't suspect. Eetz never vat you tink it is. De only way to find
out for sure is - to ask. Personally… I don't really tink he's really interested in
Fifi that way. From vat you say, he's much too old for her."
"Why do you think so?"
"Eef he really taught de Merrie Melodies vay back when – den he'd be older
than I am. " Boris concluded. "Ah'm not sayink eetz eempossible, but she's
only eighteen – and he must be four or five times dat age. Would you date
somvon who vas only three yearz old? Ov course not!"
"No", Hamton agreed," But how can I find out for sure? He's too tough for
me! How can I ask him a thing like that?"
"Feh, all you need eez de right leverage," remarked Boris, rolling his
four eyes knowingly.
"Yeah, but we're talking about Doctor Lord! Now what could I possibly think
of … that… would… scare him?"
As the spider smiled at him, Hamton thought… then he got an idea.
An awful idea! Hamton got a wonderful Awful idea!

"Thanks for dinner, Doc!" said Dot cheerily at Lord's front door.
"Yeah, thanks for everything, Doc," agreed Yakko as the Warners
bade their goodbyes.
Wakko just stood there with a mischievous smirk on his face.
"I'd better be going too," said Andy, "Tomorrow I start on that public relations
problem for Bugs, Honey and Lola."
"Good luck, Andrew", Lord replied, "Your colleagues will take over."
Fifi stood beside her tall grandfather as the others started down the front walk,
but Wakko just stood there smirking.
"What do you say, Wakko?" his brother chided with false impatience.
BUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRPPP!
The resounding gale of a belch made a slate shingle fall off the roof right over
Fifi's head. Without looking, the Doctor caught it with one hand as the skunkette
cringed. The Warners smiled and so did he.
"Does this mean we can be normal again?" asked Dot, "Being mundane gives
me a headache."
"That depends on what your definition of 'normal' is," remarked the fox.
"I want a pony ride!" shouted Wakko, jumping onto Andy's shoulders.
"I want foxy-ride!" his sister said, doing the same and pinching Andy's
cheek ruffs, "Yer so cute! I'll hafta add you to my stable!"
"AAGH-!", yelped the Fox in terror as the Warners all jumped on his back,
then he stopped himself with an odd look on his face, "On second thought…"
"Goooodnight Everybody!" grinned Yakko as the trio happily rode the fox
out of sight.
Fifi laughed as she watched them leave, but Lord was already moving
onto something else as he pulled out a cell phone and hit a single digit.
"Hallo, Doctor " said a British voice from the other end of the line.
"Good evening, Commander. I have a dual assignment for you",
said the tall skunk in serious tones, "Prepare to receive instructions."
There was a pause and Fifi stepped around his towering figure to look up
at him. His eerie stillness was unsettling.
"Ready, Sir," said the voice.
As Fifi watched in puzzlement, Lord's silver eyes glowed with pure white light
as his colorless pupils expanded completely, dimly lighting up their surroundings.
A chill ran down Fifi's spine, turning her tail into a clunking block of ice. After a
moment, Lord's alien telepathy passed, his eyes returning to their usual
mercury-like state.
"Understood, Sir. I'll meet you at 0700… and thank you, Sir," said the voice.
"I thought you might appreciate it. See you then" Lord replied.
Before Fifi could inquire what he was doing, the Doctor made another call.
"Yes, Sir?" said a deep male voice.
"X…this is the Captain speaking", Lord said deliberately, "Rig for silent running."
"Understood, Sir".
"Go to periscope depth and proceed on course to the primary target. Take
no action without my orders."
"Acknowledged, Captain."
As her Grandfather hung up, Fifi was now completely puzzled. Lord looked out
at nothing, then as he sighed deeply, he changed to his human form of Kirrik.
They looked at each other as she waited to hear an explanation.
"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" the man said abruptly as he walked quickly back
into the mansion.
"But you just gave us all deener" Fifi said in confusion as she followed.
"Yes, and I had to sit there and watch you all eat and pretend to eat toon food
while I was starving", Kirrik replied as he rushed to the huge kitchen. "I think I'll
spoil myself a bit," he said getting a tin from the refrigerator.
After getting a box of real crackers and a knife, the human opened the small
can and concentrated on it. As Fifi watched, strange blue flames sprang from
his hand and enveloped the metal container.
"I refuse to eat cold pate`de fois gras" he said nonchalantly.
The skunkette stared in amazement as Kirrik heated the goose liver until its'
dark smell arose. He then put the can on a plate and picked up the knife, but the
flames still surrounded his hand.
"Aheh. Pyro-kenisis", he said lightly, trying to wave out the fire, "Haven't quite
got it perfected yet."
Fifi giggled as her grandfather kept trying to shake and blow the fire off his hand.
"Nuts!" he said as he finally stuck it under the kitchen faucet and doused it with
water.
Fifi snickered as he spread some of the pate` on a cracker and ate it with great
relish. Kirrik smiled with a mouthful, making her laugh.
"Now", he asked, "What would you like in a new house?"

Buster rolled over for the fifth time and finally sat up on his bed. His burrow
was dark until he opened his cell phone and dialed a number. The glow of the
phone's display lit only his frowning face as he leaned on his elbows on his pillow.
"Hello, Babs?"
There was a bump and muffled noises as someone dropped the phone at the
other end of the line, then his fiancée's haggard voice answered.
"Buster, what the heck are you doing calling me?? I had just fallen asleep!"
Buster patiently held the phone away at arm's length for a count of ten seconds
while Babs' voice went into high-speed overdrive in yelling at him, then he
immediately apologized.
"I'm sorry Babsie, but… well…"
With her ears in curlers, Babs stopped cursing him and sighed. She could tell
when he was upset.
"Okay Buster… what's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Well, it's about the battle tomorrow –"
"You mean today's battle. It's after midnight, ya know!"
"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry to wake ya up, but… did ya read what's gonna happen?"
"I read it. One ship gets sunk an' another surrenders."
"There's more to it than that! It was the single worse day for the U.S. Navy until
the attack on Pearl Harbor!"
"So? So we'll see a lil action. It's not like that summer when you caused a tidal
wave and I pulled the plug on the Acme dam and flooded Acme Acres - or like
when Fifi stomped the city flat as a giant skunk or like when Plucky ate that
monster "El Reeko" microwave burrito!" Babs exclaimed.
"Heh, that was a gasser!" laughed Buster, "Plucky got sued by the
environmentalists for adding to the greenhouse effect!… But that's beside the point.
I'm just worried that somebody'll get hurt."
"Doctor Lord said to let him do all the worrying, so relax!" the pink bunny said
as she laid back in bed, "Besides, who can get hurt? I can pull my own head off
if the joke is funny enough and it never bothers me."
"You've been hangin' around with Gogo too much", Buster remarked, " The
point is – all that happens here in the Tooniverse - and we're gonna be in Reality."
"Okay, point taken", she agreed, "Just don't worry about it. After all, we're toons!
We can take anything!"
"I just hope yer right…" Buster shrugged.

Chapter CVXX
"Good morning, Soldiers! Are you ready for de-briefing?" Lord called down the
hallway from his mansion's office, "I have something for each of you – and I'd like
to talk to Hamton first."
Everyone looked at each other. Hamton wasn't there.
"Mais non! Qu'es que je fais?!"
It was then that Fifi realized that she'd completely forgotten about him last night!
"He ain't here yet," observed Fowlmouth.
"He didn't come to dinner with us last night" said Buster.
"Like, he must have gone home", Shirley commented casually," Cuz he
didn't come back to Plucky's room all – I mean –uh – like, he must have stayed
at his parents' house again."
Everyone snickered as Plucky glared at Shirley. The Loon blushed and made
a halo of innocence appear over her head. Babs popped it with a pin and giggled.

Just outside the mansion's doorway, Hamton was giving some last minute
secret instructions.
"Okay Boris – now you don't do anything until you hear me say the word
"Hear". When you hear me say the word "Hear" - you come out and scare
Doctor Lord."
"Vaitaminute!…Vat do I do? Vat do I say?" asked the old arachnid.
"I dunno", Hamton said hurriedly, "Just scare him! Now let's try it –",
he said turning to an imaginary audience, "Hi everybody! It's good to be here-"
The aged spider jumped up and down waving his many arms and said:
"Blah! Blah! I vant to suck your blood!"
The pig stared at him, unimpressed.
"That's the best you can do? It's not very scary."
"Vat do you vant from me?" said the spider, "You give me two seconds and
expect originality? Vat chu teenk I am – Boris Karloff?"
"Sounds more like a bad Bela Lugosi to me, but never mind, we're wasting
time", Hamton replied, "Let's try again. Okay – "Hi everyone! It's a pleasure to
be here-"
"Blah! Blah! I vant to suck your blood!"
"Not yet!"
"But chu just said "here"!"
"That was the wrong "hear"!
"Vich is the right "here"??
"The other "Hear"!!
Boris grumbled as Hamton started again.
"Say guys, this is a story you're gonna love to hear-"
"Blah! Blah! I vant to suck your blood!"
"No no no!!
"But chu just said "here"?! Vich is the right here??!"
"The OTHER "hear"!!
"How am I gonna know??!"
"YOU"LL KNOW WHEN YOU HEAR!!"
"Blah! Blah! I vant to suck your blood!!"
Both Hamton and Boris were now fuming at each other, but calmed down
when they realized their yelling at each other might be heard.
Hamton then whispered, "Alright… you will know - when I point to you!"
Shushing each other back and forth, Boris hid inside Hamton's backpack as they
entered the mansion.

Buster was just coming out of Doctor Lord's office as Hamton came into the
hallway. Boldly, he walked right past Fifi and up to the skunk who was nearly
twice his size. Without looking at anyone else, the determined pig marched
straight into the doctor's de-briefing room and sat down. Lord raised an eyebrow
at this and returned inside to speak to Hamton. Fifi desperately rushed to the door
as it closed, shutting her off from a scene that she now had no power to control.
Everyone else watched her as she leaned against the doorframe, fearful of what
was about to happen within.

Hamton sat in the chair surrounded by the memory machine and held his
backpack in front on him on his lap. He felt Boris jiggle slightly inside the bag as
he stared in front of him, avoiding Lord's gaze. He suddenly remembered that he
hadn't thought of how to conceal the spider from the Doctor's telepathy. Lord
stared at him with inscrutable silver eyes.
"I'm glad you could make it," Lord said, sounding slightly formal, " I have
something to ask of you."
"I have some things to ask you too" Hamton replied coolly, though his
stomach trembled inside him.
"I have time for one question," the Doctor told him, "I still have to de-brief
most everyone before we leave, so please proceed."
Hamton had been thinking all morning of what he should say – the question
that would answer most of what he really needed to know without getting him
into trouble. Using Boris would be his last resort.
Carefully, he asked, "How long have you known Fifi …and her family?"
The tall old skunk sighed and sat at his desk thoughtfully.
"I introduced her grandparents…" he began.
"To whom?"
"To each other," the Doctor said with his mysterious smile, "I was there at
their wedding. I delivered their daughter Josephine with my own hands", he said
re-living it, "Those days went by so quickly! She had such a serious little face
when she played with her blocks… I watched her grow up… then one day she
met Francois La Fume… I gave her away when they married. Her father was so
proud of her!" he said, his silver laugh-lines smiling, "and when the time came,
I delivered both Moufette and Fifi. Those were such happy times…"
Lord sighed again and cast his eyes down as he reached out and absently
picked up a strange cane from an umbrella stand. It was an old heavy wooden
stick that was carved like a drum major's baton and tightly wrapped with aged
black leather. The odd thing was - it was real.
As Lord was looking down, a couple of Boris's spidery arms opened the
backpack he was hiding in and his small head popped briefly up before Hamton
clapped down the cover to quickly stop him. Hamton's wide eyes tried not to
betray anything, but a bead of sweat ran off the top of his head and down the
back of his neck. He grinned sheepishly and pretended to laugh along with the
Doctor's mirth.
"Then the troubles began", Lord said sadly as he twiddled the cane up and
down in his hand, using only his fingers, "Honerine grew ill - and then Francois.
They aged before our very eyes… Grandpere Putuois and I worked for years to
keep them alive… It was very hard for Fifi to say goodbye. She loved her father so…"
Hamton's anger left him as he listened. Lord was evidently a very very, very
old friend of the family. Some things still didn't add up, but if Lord was even older
than Fifi's grandfather, then… Hamton suddenly became fascinated by the
Doctor's strange cane. Where had he seen that before?
"I helped Putois to bury them," Lord continued, "Their doom affected everyone
differently… Fifi and the others grew closer, while Moufette drifted apart…
When Fifi decided to come to America to go to school, I recommended her
to the Looniversity."
Lord noticed the object of Hamton's interest and put his cane down on his desk
for the boar to inspect. Hamton's eyes switched cautiously back and forth between
the dark wooden stick and the Doctor's face.
"Das ist mein Geschwaderstock" Lord told him with a smile.
Hamton looked at the cane closely, reading a faint inscription carved in the
blackened wood: "R.M. v R. JG1, 1917".
"…You mean like in the Luftwaffe?"
"Yah. Speaking of aeroplanes, I wanted to ask you if you'd care to be part of
a mission this morning?" asked the Doctor casually.
"A flight? But I thought we were going back-"
"Of course we are. This is to ensure that we don't encounter any problems,"
Lord said leaning back in his chair, "I need someone for air traffic control. Someone
I can trust."
Hamton looked from the skunk's kindly smile down to the jack-in-the-box full
of his own mistrust in his lap. Staring into Lord's eerie reflective eyes, he wondered
if he should trust this strange being again so quickly… and weather his thoughts
had already betrayed him.
"…Okay"
"Good. Now please sit back and remember for me", the Doctor said as he
activated the memory machine and the twin pylons moved in towards Hamton's
temples, "Remember your yesterdays on board the MONITOR…"
Hamton shivered off his misgivings, lest they betray him and - in a moment
it was done. The machine moved away making it's usual alien sound and Lord
reached into his desk and handed him a package.
"Here's something for you to wear today."
"A Civil war uniform?" Hamton asked, looking at the woolen coat.
"Yes. Size "Large", right?"
"…Uh, yeah" the pig sighed self-consciously.
"Consider yourself lucky, Hamton," Lord smiled, " I have to wear a Monster
size one."
Hammy chuckled at this as a door opened on the other side of the room. He
stood up uncertainly, as this wasn't the door he had entered from. A tall
wide-eyed figure stood there wearing a dark uniform.
"Commander, here's your assistant for this morning. Take him in hand, won't
you? Hamton – this is Commander Winters. You go with him and he'll show you
what needs to be done."
"Good morning," the snowy owl said cheerfully as he beckoned the surprised
pig to follow him.
Hamton stood, clutched his backpack tightly to his chest and followed
nervously through the door.
The Doctor went and opened the door – and Fifi fell right through it, her nose
squeaking on the floor. She had been leaning her ear against the door, waiting
for it to open.
"Oh, please do come in" Lord quipped as he looked down at her.
"Where eez Hamtone? What deed ee say? What deed you say?…
Waz ee angry?" Fifi demanded breathlessly as she stood up and shut the door.
"In the hanger, he asked about us, I told him what he wanted to know –
and I'm not sure. In that order " the tall skunk said calmly as he sat back at his desk.
"Ee moost be furiouz avec moi – Ah forgot about heem completely last night!"
Fifi said slumping into the chair, "Ee moost be jealous!"
"He was keeping something to himself, but he seemed satisfied to learn that
I'm older than your entire family" the Doctor said, interlacing his claws.
"But you are mah familee" the skunkette retorted, "Vous deedn't tell heem zat
– deed you?"
"And put his life in danger as well? No", Lord replied, shaking his head. "You
and I would survive if my enemies caught us, but Hamton would not. I already
have to worry about your loose cannon of a sister. …Intervention, Petite` -
I've known it – I will not risk it."
"But ah love heem!" she pleaded.
"If you love him – you must protect him", he told her, leaning in," Can you
imagine how you'd feel if it had been him that had been kidnapped by 'Them'?"
Fifi shut her eyes and looked away, cringing at the thought, and shook her
head. Then she looked back at him and spoke with determination.
"Eef you're asking moi to leave heem – ah weell not. Ee eez mah true love.
Hamtone eez too beeg a part ov mah life. Ah weell nevaire geeve heem up!"
Lord sat back and said thoughtfully "If this were a hundred years ago,
I would have the right to make the choice for you – but I wouldn't. This is your
decision."
The tall being stood and put a kindly hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. You'll make the right decision," he told her, "My council is to wait.
Everything will turn out right, I promise."
"How do you know it will?" she asked him.
Doctor Lord gave her his quiet secretive smile and said "…I know."
Just then, a knock at the door interrupted them and Shirley stuck her beak in.
"Um, like sorry to interrupt Sensei, but yer uh, Geek Squad is here.
"Thank you, Shirley. Tell them I'll be out in a moment" the Doctor responded.
Patiently, Fifi sat back as her memory of the maiden voyage of the MONITOR
was scanned and recorded. Her Grandfather handed her a uniform and walked out
into the hallway.
There stood an interesting trio. Silent and staring as usual was Egghead Jr.,
reading a book on "The Membrane Theory". Towering over the tiny chicken stood
a lanky pair of near-mirror images; Wile E. Coyote and Ralph Wolf.
"Morning, Doc" said the red-nosed wolf.
"Morning, Ralph", answered Lord, "Do you all understand the mechanisms?"
"*Of course*! It's so simple - a child could do it!" claimed Wile.
"I'm glad you agree. That's why Junior will be in charge," the Doctor declared.
"What? You mean to say that I shall be taking orders from this diminutive
squab? I?!?" exclaimed the outraged Coyote.
"Pre-cisely. You will be receiving, relaying and transmitting the telepathic
communications - Ralph will be implementing the required operations – and Junior
will be overseeing everything", Lord told them firmly, " I shouldn't have to remind you
that the lives of these students will be in your paws as well as the Space-Time
continuum of both universes."
Taken aback, the tall coyote looked in silence at the hallway full of his students.
They all suddenly made sad puppy-dog faced pouts at him with huge wet
anime-ish eyes. Babs even went into her Shirley Temple begging act.
"Grandfather! Grandfather! Please put away your tremendous ego and help us!!"
she cried on her knees with crocodille's tears, "PLEASE DON'T SEND US TO
THE ORPHANAGE! PLEASE!!"
Buster did a spin change into Sergeant Joe Friday, complete with a grey suit
and hat. Thoroughly deadpan, he picked Babs off the floor by the shoulder.
"All right sister, yer under arrest. Let's head down to the station" he said flatly.
Babs spun right back at him – into the thuggish Slug McSlug.
"Ya got nuthin' on me, copper!!" she bellowed, "I'll beat the rap!"
"Think so? I got ya on a four - twelve" the unflappable Buster said.
"A FOUR - TWELVE!! WHAT'S A FOUR – TWELVE?!?!!" she screamed.
"Overacting. Let's go." He told her, dragging her back to her seat.
"It's a fair cop" Babs admitted as Buster left her in her seat and ducked into
another room.
"Very well… you have my full support… to say nothing of my annoyance"
sniffed Wile E., "Just please refrain from doing that "big sad, soulful eyes routine."
At that, Egghead Jr. took his tiny beak out of his book, revealing a satisfied
smile. Ralph put a paw on his cousin's shoulder and led him to the elevator.
"Let's get to work, Wile" he said, businesslike.
"Shirley, you're next" Lord announced to the group," Come along, we've much to
do today."
The loon looked uncertainly at Fifi and followed the Doctor into his office.
"Check out the new threads!" said Buster as he stepped out of the adjoining
room, proudly showing off his new uniform.
Indeed, his brass-buttoned Civil War coat looked smart on him and the
slouched cap on his head even had holes for his ears, but there was something
odd about it.
"Hey, which side are you on?" asked Mary.
"I dunno" the blue bunny shrugged, looking at himself.
Fifi looked at her own and couldn't recognize the color either. It was
somewhere between navy blue and gray.
"Lookz gray to me" said Arnold.
"How would you's know?" mocked Fowlmouth, "Dogs are color-blind!"
"How vood you like to be black undt blue, Girly-Hen?" threatened the pitbulll.
As Furball interposed himself between the two, Wakko scrutinized Fifi's uniform.
"It's not blue or gray, rilly. Sort of neutral-like" he observed.
"Eetz heavy too", Fifi noticed, putting on her cap.
Shirley returned from Lord's office with her new uniform on but halfway unbuttoned.
Plucky walked over immediately and casually helped her finish buttoning her jacket
on. The loon smiled at him but then saw that everyone else had noticed. With a
nervous glance, she smacked his hands away!
"Oh! Like… uh – You dirty duck! Keep yer pervy paws to yerself!" Shirley
shouted with false indignance.
Fowlmouth laughed in disbelief as he walked into the office. Everyone else
turned away to hide their mirth.
"Methinks she doth protest too much" giggled Babs.
"Denial is always the first stage" agreed Buster.

Chapter CX
After everyone had finished giving their information to Dr. Lord and was dressed in
their uniforms, they all met outside by the back of the mansion. There was a loud
rumbling sound that grew louder and louder as they drew closer to the Doctor's
airplane hangars.
Everyone looked sharp in their matching caps and brass-buttoned jackets.
Babs was tempted to lead the military-looking group in a silly parade like a zealous
drill sergeant, but everything bespoke of serious business, so she satisfied herself
by doing an exaggerated march.
"Like, cut it out Babs," Shirley said elbowing her.
"Would you prefer 'goose-stepping'?" quipped the bunny.
"Quiet in the ranks or I'll goose ya myself!" said Buster shushing them.
As the group reached the hangars, Lord stopped them short of going around the
corner. Everyone noticed that a very long concrete runway had replaced the
usual green lawn.
"Herr Docktor? Dis vasn't here before" Arnold called.
"Stand clear of the doors!" cautioned the Doctor as he walked out in front
of the hangers alone.
"The Ventures, #14, James Bond Theme"
The resounding electric beat of the familiar 'James Bond Theme' began to
ring in everyone's minds as Lord played it in his own. The air was heavy with
expectancy as the giant corrugated hangar doors slid aside and the roaring became
even louder.
"Clear the decks!" shouted Lord over the din.
He walked backwards away from the open mouth of the cave-like hangar, directing
someone out of the way and Hamton appeared with a lap top computer in his hands.
Wearing his own uniform and a smile, the pig joined the others and
watched as Lord waved on whatever was coming out of the hangar.
As the roar became the whine of jet engines and the cool dangerous Bond theme's
snazzy electric bass line sang out, the spear-like nose of Lord's most deadly-looking
aircraft slowly glided out of the cavernous hangar. Fowlmouth tried to ask what the
alien-looking craft was, but even his loud voice was drowned out by the deafening
howl of the giant jet engines housed within the sleek black shape. As Lord walked
backwards onto the tarmac, the lethal SR71 Blackbird followed him, it's fuel tanks
dripping dark spots onto the cement and the crowd of Toonsters staring in
amazement. The rocket-like, delta-winged, supersonic jet's twin tails came into view,
bearing the tiny skunk emblem of the Lockeed Skunkworks followed by the
monstrous jet exhaust cones which spewed such a high temperature that everything
behind them was distorted by heat waves.
The airplane stopped and it's forward cockpit opened electrically. Below the
gold-plated windows, surrounded by the ship's controls, sat a space-suited figure.
Reaching to his golden-mirrored helmet visor, the figure slid it up to reveal the
white face and large yellow eyes of Commander Johnny Winters. Looking like an
Apollo astronaut, the snowy owl presented Lord with a gloved salute, which the
skunk returned. Turning around as much as he could in the cockpit, the pilot also
waved back to Hamton, surprising everyone else.
As the second stanza of the spy theme began, Lord came over to confer
with the smiling pig and pressed a key on the laptop computer he held. A revolving
silver radar dome arose from the top of the hangar .
"Give me a reading of the airspace over Acme Acres, please?" the Doctor
requested over the noise of the whine of the jet's turbines.
"There are two small objects overhead at two hundred and fifty feet",
Hamton told him, looking at the spinning display on his laptop, " One is larger than
the other.. they are on a collision course… We have a mid-air collision! … They
should be coming down … There!"
As he predicted, two bright-colored objects fell just then into the remnants of
Fifi's junkyard. Pink feathers flew everywhere as Sweetie Bird fell into a bottle
of "Scratchy Cola", forcing her into an exaggerated wasp-waisted silhouette.
Concorde Condor caught himself falling towards the sharp points of the top of the
junkyard's chain-link fence! The Toonsters cringed! But at the last second, the
purple condor stopped himself in mid-air – slid himself a few feet to one side –
and then pancaked into the ground harmlessly.
"I ain't so dumb" Concorde smirked before collapsing.
"The airspace is clear of all traffic, Doctor" Hamton grinned as he put away
the laptop.
"Very well!" Lord acknowledged, returning to the side of the stealth plane.
As the third stanza of the 007 theme played, the Doctor thought to Commander
Winters: [" Blackbird, you are cleared for takeoff"] as he spun his finger in a
"rev it up" gesture.
Giving him a "thumbs up" signal, the owl closed his canopy and opened the
throttle. Lord held his ears as the roar of the monstrous jet engines became an
ear-splitting blast and the black dagger of an aircraft taxied down the runway.
The twin tail cones widened, shooting long jets of flame and deafening everyone
as the sleek black delta-wing raced away down the long stretch of runway. Slowly
the Blackbird rose into the azure sky, retracting it's triple-wheeled landing gear and
streaked away out of sight.
As Lord returned to the group, he smiled at everyone's puzzled expressions.
Enthralled by what he'd just seen, Calamity held up several different signs all at
once, asking: "Who? What? Why? Where can I get one of those?!"
"He's part of our backup", the Doctor told him as he looked off to where the
plane had disappeared, "You better hold your ears when the ramjets fire!"
Everyone heard the distant noise change and suddenly they saw the Blackbird
zipping back silently toward them, it's engines spouting flame. Faster than the
speed of the sound of it's own deafening roar, the black demon flew past them
and flew out of sight like a bat out of Hell! The ear drum-ripping explosion and
the powerful double sonic booms assaulted everyone and the sheer power of the
blast waves of air pressure blew the Toonsters and Lord head over heels
backwards onto the runway!
As the sound of the jet diminished and its exhaust fumes dissipated, everyone
dusted themselves off and got up.

Gogo spun into wearing a white tuxedo and sunglasses.
"Shaken... but not stirred", he said imitating Sean Connery's voice.
The Dodo then spun into a grey neru suit and baldly said :"Goodbye - Mister Bond!"
"Well, that was fun" the Doctor said cheerfully walking back towards the hangar.
"And now we'll have another ground-breaking event. Jimmy?"
Now that the Toonsters could see inside the hangar, they slowly backed up in awe
as a giant ducked out from under the hangar door to stand gleaming in the sunlight.
Two human two-tones joined the metallic behemoth and Buster recognized one of
them as Jimmy Sparks and the giant robot as the mighty Gigantor! Fifi recognized
Jimmy's anime` companion as Dick Strong, one of Lord's team of agents who had
saved her from being kidnapped.
"You all recall Jimmy Sparks and Gigantor from the party, I trust?" Lord said
introducing them. "And this is Detective Strong of the Japanese NSA."
"Hello" the tall dark spy said in a business-like way, "Shall we get to work?"
Jimmy's control box issued forth ray signals as he manipulated the joysticks
and the immense Gigantor clanked forward, walking into Fifi's empty junkyard.
The Toonsters swept hurriedly out of his way as the gigantic robot stepped easily
over the fence and stood next to Fifi's pink Cadillac.
"Fifi has told me of how, now that she owns her own property, that she plans to
build a proper home on it", the Doctor announced, " and since we have the best robot
to do the job – I figure we might as well give Gigantor a little exercise. Shall we
proceed, Fifi?"
Fifi nodded and with a signal from Jimmy's control box, Gigantor bent and
began to dig with his tremendous metal hands like a steam shovel, scooping out a
big hole in the ground alongside the pink car. The giant robot worked tirelessly while
Jimmy and Dick Strong directed him.
Taken aback by this, Hamton took Fifi aside and both faced each other
uncomfortably. Out of earshot, they spoke privately in hushed tones as the others
watched the titanic man of metal digging.
"Fifi – what's this? What's going on?" Hamton demanded.
"I – I…Ah'm so sorry, 'Amtone! Ah forgot about tu last night. Ah-"
"I mean this! ", he said, pointing at the large hole being dug, "I thought we
were going to plan to build the house together!"
"Oui! And we deed. Zey are only deeging out zee foundation so we can beeld
what we want. We ave to start somewhere, yes?"
"But – but – we … didn't plan on starting so quickly!", he stammered," And
why's the Doctor doing this for you?!"
"Because ah… because…", Fifi's mind raced, "- Because ah saved heem
last night! 'Ee waz goeeng to throw heemself overboard and ave us leave
weethout heem! Ah couldn't let heem try to kill himself again!"
Hamton's brows knitted with anger. His words were bitter.
"Yes… I know… I heard you last night – You never told me how well you
know him."
Open-mouthed, Fifi had never imagined that Hamton could be so furious with
her – but he was right and her guilt began to crush her.
"Ah joost couldn't let him jump!" she exclaimed tearfully, "Eef you were zere –
why deedn't you help me?!"
"Cause – cause you said you love him!"
Fifi began to cry. He'd heard exactly the wrong thing to hear.
"Eetz not what tu theenk!" she cried, "Eetz not how ah love you!"
"Then what is it?" he growled.
She shook her head and looked down as her tears ran down her nose.
"Ah… Ah cannot tell you!" the skunkette wept, "*Please*! *Tu must trust
moi, Hamtone!*"
Hamton's eyes closed tight as if to shut off the world, his face burned red
and his hands became balled-up fists. With an angry snort, he marched away
towards the hangar doors. It was all too much. Blinded with fury, he sought his
trump card.
By this time, the other Toonsters and Lord, having satisfied themselves that
Fifi's new home was well underway, were arriving out by their point of departure,
the great statute of the black stone dragon.
"Well crew, today we are heading into battle", the Doctor began," I just want to
remind you –"
"Hold it Doc – we're not all together yet" Babs called out, as she pointed to
Fifi who still stood crying by the fence.
"Aw, c'mon Babs", Buster said as he set off to bring Fifi back.
As his fiancée hopped along with Buster, Plucky caught sight of Hamton
at the hangar, looking inside and he scampered off to try and grab his wayward pal.
At the hangar, an enraged Hamton was determined to take his revenge.
The pig snorted and snarled his way to the corner of the building where he'd left his
backpack. Behind a box, he found it.
But his Pig Scout pack was open and empty! Boris was gone! In his shock,
Hamton scanned his surroundings but the spider was nowhere to be seen!
He held the hollow canvas bag … and saw all the Scouting merit badge
patches on it - the merit badges his mother had sewn on by hand …
- the ones that said:" Duty", "Honor", "Country" and "Honesty".
As Hamton reached an epiphany, his teeth clenched as he saw the wrong
he had intended to commit. In the midst of a heavy sigh – he suddenly realized
that his problem wasn't over. Where was Boris? What might happen if his mistake
came to light? He had to find him! Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder!
Startled, Hamton spun around in panic as Plucky looked at him.
"What're ya doin' over here? The bus is leaving!" the duck said impatiently.
Hamton's eyes were darting everywhere as he ran haphazardly back towards
the group. Where could the old spider have gone?
"What's wrong Feef?" Babs asked as the bunnies reached the sobbing skunkette.
"Let's get going, crew!" called Doctor Lord.
In the underground laboratory, Wile E. watched the seconds tick down to zero
and heard the Doctor's call – and signaled for Ralph to set the machinery in motion.
The wolf hit the main switch that said " MAIN SEQUENCE START" and the giant
machines around him began to flood with power!
Unable to tell Buster and Babs what was wrong, Fifi was torn and ran away from
them back towards her Grandfather. Hamton was almost there as well, still looking
for the lost spider. He walked past the dragon statue to stand nervously beside
Shirley, who looked down at the grass uncomfortably.
Plucky stood confused at his friend's actions, but then caught sight of Hamton's
empty backpack. Puzzled, he started waddling back to the others, as dark
clouds gathered overhead and the thunder rumbled as the time storm began.
""What was that all about? They're fighting at a time like this?" Buster said
to Babs.
As his pink fiancée shrugged – the vast time blackout caught them in it's
blanket of darkness! The Time travel was beginning! They had to return to the
group! Plucky was also caught alone in the blackness and ran quacking in panic
back the way he'd come as fast as his webbed feet could carry him!
"Hold on!" shouted Lord, "It's too fast! We're not ready! We've got to be
together! Stop the time storm! Turn it off!!"
Hamton realized that his three dear friends were about to be left behind
and called out to them: "Hurry guys! Get over here!"
"We can't see you! Where are you?!?" cried the faint voices of Buster and Babs.
There was the sound of a collision as Plucky ran blindly into the bunnies
and all three fell to the ground!
Underground, Ralph and Wile strained to stop the terrible forces that were
already in motion. Egghead Junior looked wildly for the "Off" switch, and tripped
over the power cables on the floor. He watched helplessly as the two canids'
furry fingers flew over the computer keyboards, but saw the look of desperation
in their eyes turn to desolation.
"…We can't stop it" Wile gulped as his pupils became pinpoints.
The Toonsters stood together fearfully as Lord reached out into the blackness
with his mind, searching for the three missing comrades.
"Where are you?!?" he cried out to them.
"We're here!! Help us!" yelled Plucky!
The Doctor's mind found them. Buster, Plucky and Babs felt their bodies lifted
by an unseen force and were suddenly pulled sideways! Over their heads, the
blinding white tornado of the time vortex appears in the sky, racing towards them!
"HURRY! OVER HERE!!" shouted Hamton, trying to help.
"BLAH! BLAH! I VANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD!!" Boris yelled in a
blood-curdling scream as he suddenly leaped to the top of the statue of the dragon!
"*AAAAHHHHGH!!!*" screamed Lord as he recoiled in horror from the spider!
Plucky, Babs and Buster were dropped roughly to the ground as Lord's
telekinetic power abruptly released them within sight of the others, but the blinding
white time tunnel was right over the heads of the main group! It was almost upon
them! The winds sucked at the terrified toons as they clung to each other
and clawed at the grass desperately to hang on! Hamton saw his three friends
as they pulled themselves up and ran with all their might and mane to make it!

But it was too late – the white tornado pulled the group up into it!

Boris hung on with his spindly legs to the heavy statue and watched
helplessly as Doctor Lord and the others were pulled into the monstrous blinding
white whirlpool! The tornado's funnel shifted sideways to the ground and then
sucked up Buster, Babs and Plucky into the bright abyss as well! The time
tunnel retreated into the skies, taking them all with it!
In the terrible silence that followed, the old spider stared helplessly at the spot
where everyone had disappeared. Uselessly, he swung down on spider-thread to
the grass, looking for some sign that they might return.
In the junkyard, Jimmy Sparks and Dick Strong stood stock still in shock,
having witnessed the last few moments of terror. Concorde's oversized beak fell off
as he gaped at the tragedy. He didn't pick it up for some time. The force of even
Sweetie Bird's loud scream wasn't enough to break the tempered glass of the
soda bottle she was still trapped in. Her exclamations went unheard.
Below in Lord's laboratory, the three geniuses looked at each other vacantly.
All three gulped aloud at the gravity of the situation – then they scrambled
over each in the next moment, to get to the machine's telemetry screens.
"IN TRANSITION" was all the machines told them.
Alone at the ominous black statute, Boris began to realize what had
happened and whispered to himself.
"…Oops…"

Look for the next Chapters of -
"A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNTO HEAVEN"
coming to you soon.

BlackbirdFly_2.jpg

BlackBirdRoll-Out.jpg

LordMS.jpg

Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh Program 2: Ignite! The Double Date!

Tiny Toon Adventures in:
Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh
Program 2: Ignite! The Double Date!
Written By: Duo Maxwell (blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Cast:
Ryusei Nakao as Buster Bunny
Miina Tominaga as Babs Bunny
Koichi Yamadera as Plucky Duck
Mika Kanai as Shirley Mc Loon
Junko Asami as Fifi La Fume
Junichi Sugawara as Hamton Pig
Kaneto Shiozawa as Alex Redolence
Yui Horie as Mary Melody
Satomi Kurogi as Aretha Peacecraft (The Deed)
Kazuhiko Inoue as Bosko
Yu Asakawa as Honey
Yukio Maeda as Milky
Yumiko Kobayashi as Calnasa Duff
Ryuzo Ishino as Furball
Chieko Honda as Princess Ciela Remorsa Racroa (Ciel)
Reiko Tanagi as Dot
Rokurou Naya as Yakko
Yasuyuki Kase as Wakko
Akimitsu Takase as Emperor Rune
Youko Soumi as Pinky
Yoshiko Kamei as The Brain
Hiramatsu Akiko as Nova
Katsunosuke Hori as Dr. Gene Splicer
Toshiko Fujita as Camry Curvaceous
Kazuhiro Nakata as Zeorise
Miho Nagahori as The Empress
Kappei Yamaguchi as Kazuma, Owner of Weenie Burgers

Producer: Tokyo Movie Shinsha, TV Tokyo, NAS, XEBEC, Warner Bros.
Sountrack by: Avex Trax, Sony Records, Pony Canyon, EMI Japan, King Records.
Music by: AVEX Trax

Fade in

Wide shot - Weenie Burgers - Day
Camera pans scene.

INT – Inside Weenie Burgers – Day
The toonsters celebrated their first mission on saving Los Angeles
and the Warner Bros. Studios from destruction the other day. The gang
ordered a super combo menu for their food all thanks to the
AOED Commander, Calnasa Duff. The problem, Calnasa's wallet is almost empty.

Calnasa
(Signed)
You guys do order a lot of food these days.
(She shakes her wallet, a penny drops off)
And you almost wasted all my money. I should ask the chief about my wage.

Buster
(Eating)
Sorry. We just want you to order the super combo meal for the five... I mean,
for the six of us.

Babs
(Drinking her Milk Shake)
Well, we did get a discount. All that's left is $50.00 in your wallet.

Calnasa
(Starts to eat her fries)
Thank a ton, especially when Hamton ordered a lot of items.

Hamton
Hey!

Plucky
You know what she said. And also, you need to lose weight.

Hamton
C'mon! You know there food tasted this good these days.

Buster
(Interupts the two)
Hey! hey! Slow down, maybe we need to figure out who send
that robot last time.

Babs
He's right. The Rhapsody Empire sounds a bit strange.

Hamton
Guess you're right Babs.
(Puts on his visors)
Let's see...

Plucky
(Confused)
I didn't know you had visors.

Hamton
This? It's from the CEO. They gave me this VisorComp as a gift.
Let's see...
(He accessed the CEO database, He found nothing)
It looks like there's no data on the Rhapsody Empire.

Babs
They don't?

Hamton
(Raised his visors up)
They don't. I guess we were now dealing with an Alien Empire.

>The Owner of Weenie Burgers, Kazuma Okotou walked into our
heroes, carrying a cellphone.

Kazuma
Excuse me. But you guys had an important call from so
called Furaba.

Buster
You mean Furball? I hope it's not a chit-chat call Calnasa.

Babs
(Mean Tone)
Buster?!?

Buster
Oppps!

>Calnasa grabbed the cellphone from the owner.

Calnasa
Thanks.
(She answered the call)
Hello?

Furball
(On the phone)
Commander, are you at the Weenie Burgers again?

Calnasa
Yes Furaba. So what is it this time?

Furball
(On the phone)
Commander, you actually must plan a special formation
for Team Buster for our next battle. And also...

>She heard some crashing of plates and the voice of Elmyra on the line.

Calnasa
Don't tell me you can't handle my little sister? She can't
really cause trouble as long as you make her entertained.

Furball
(On the phone, gasping for air)
I know! She's making me run out of air!!!

Calnasa
(Signed)
Just tell her that I'll be home soon. Bye.
(She hung up the call)
Really, I bet Furaba and my little sister do have a good time.

Plucky
That cat agent? I bet he's not as lucky as he looks in some missions.

Calnasa
Maybe so.

>They heard a bell sound. Some opens the door.
Then, they saw a white female rabbit wearing fancy clothes. She
comes in and takes a seat.

Plucky
(Looks at the rabbit)
Woweee! Looks like you hit the jackpot Buster old pal.

Buster
(Surprised)
Wh......What?!?
(His muzzle his glowing bright red)
Well I'll be!

Hamton
Plucky, I don't think you can convince Buster to have a new
girlfriend. He has Babs right now.

Plucky
(Annoyed Tone)
WHAT?!?!?
(Goes near at Hamton)
Hammy! You must see about the upcoming love triangle between
Buster, Babs and the new girl.

>Plucky noticed strange. He turned around and saw Babs really angry,
her ears are pointed to the ceiling, and her face looks like an angry
mama.

Angle on Plucky
The duck is really afraid, seeing Babs getting angry on her limit.

Babs
(Angry but Hollow Tone, Clenching her fist tightly)
PLUCKY?!?!? Don't Even…

>The white rabbit noticed the group. She approaches them.

Rabbit Girl
(Awed tone)
Oh! The poor duck will be reaped into shreds.
(Normal Tone)
I'm so sorry. That rabbit is TOO young to be my date.

Babs
(Confused while scratching her head)
Huh? Thank goodness.

Buster
(Signed on comfort)
That was close. Thanks Babsy.

Babs
No problemo Buster. So like who are you miss?

Calnasa
I'll answer that question Babs. Her name is Milky Bunny,
Honey's twin sister. She's one of AOED's new crew members. She arrived in
Acme Acres 9 minutes ago. Milky, I like you to meet Buster Bunny, leader of
Team Buster.

Milky
Nice to meet you all, you must be Buster, one of the pilots of the Z-Project.

Buster
(Laughing a bit because of stage fright.)
Uh...we are. Actually...

Plucky
Wait a sec. You mean you're Honey's sister? Didn't Honey tell
us about you?

Milky
On second thought, she didn't. She's busy with her
soon to be 'boyfriend' Bosko.

Babs
You also know him?

Milky
Yes Babs. I...
(Noticed her beeper)
Oh no. I'll tell everything later at the loo. See you later.

>She exits the place. Buster is confused while he looks on her.

Buster
(Talking to himself)
What's with her?

EXT – Shirley's Meditation Place, Acme Woods - Day
On the other hand on Acme Woods, Shirley is in Lotus Position,
analyzing Fifi and Dot's fortune using the cosmos. Wakko and Yakko
looked on while the two girls talked.

Shirley
Ohm... ohm... ohm...ohm...

Fifi
So, I actually used my tail as a hook to catch my suitor
back there. But he always gets away.

Dot
(Impressed)
Gee, you do have a hard time catching Skunk-Hunks Fifi.
So do you give up being a mega flirt during last semester?

Fifi
Yep. I also improved my speech as well. But my skills as a
skunkette still never fade. I still got my mentor's blood
flowing in me.

Dot
(Smug Tone)
Riiiiiiight.
(Noticed that Shirley is finished on her meditation)
Hey. I bet Shirl got an answer on our fortune.

Fifi
Did you see our fortune Shirley?

Shirley
Well Fifi, like I got your fortune. Listen. Fifi, you will,
like meet your ultimate suitor in the future. And Dot, like I bet,
you will have a hard time catching up with the flow for the
coming months.

Dot
(Disappointed)
Oh no! I guess I'm not used on living on Acme Acres when our
old home was destroyed last week.

>She remembers the Robot Monster's destruction to the home of
the Warner Siblings. Yakko walks to Dot and pats her.

Yakko
(Pats her little sister)
That's okay Dot. You'll get over with it.

Wakko
Well, it's for us to go. We'll see you later.

>The Warners leaved the place. Fifi and Shirley remained.

Shirley
It's kind of like, hard for Dot to live in Acme Acres since the incident.

Fifi
(She lied down, using her tail as a pillow)
Yeah Shirl, I wonder if she can endure it much longer.
(Looks at her hand)
And I can't believe that I was chosen to save the planet.

Shirley
(Resumes her Lotus Position)
I guess so.

>Something beeps on Fifi's left pocket. She pulled out a Pocket PC
and see what it is.

Fifi
(Looks at the Pocket PC)
Shirley, the commander wants us in the school right now.

Shirley
I wonder what they want this time.

Fifi
Yeah.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classrooms – Day
The gang arrived at the Loo just in time. Calnasa and the others
were also here.

Calnasa
Everyone, I know you guys met Milky Bunny. You know, she is now
one of AOED'S best crew members.

Milky
Nice to meet you everyone, I'm Milky Bunny.

Fifi
So, is she's one of the best crew member?

Buster
Of course she is. We met her back at Weenie Burgers a while ago.

>Shirley walks close at her.

Shirley's POV

Shirley
(Analyzes Milky)
Looks like you were related to Honey or some junk.

Normal View

Fifi
She sure is.

Plucky
So, why is she worried when she leave Weenie Burgers?

Voice
One reason: Me.

>Everyone turned around and saw Honey at the door.

Milky
Oh hello, sister.

Honey
Hello, Milky. Having problem with boys again?

>This makes Milky flinch.

Buster
(Stern Tone)
Hey! You can't treat your sister like that!

Babs
Ms. Honey, Buster's right. She's your twin.

Buster
(Concerned Tone)
She's right. Milky doesn't pose a threat to you.

Honey
She didn't. The only problem with her is she's really
attracted to Bosko himself.
(Angry Tone)
OH!!!! I JUST CAN'T STAND IT!!!!!!

Milky
But sis? I...

Honey
Sorry Milky. If you want to win Bosko's heart, you'll have to beat
me in a date.

>Milky has some accusations to say to her sister at her mind. But she passed the
opportunity and looked a bit depressed with some tears on her eyes
as Honey exits the room. The others looked at her in concern.

Buster
Are you okay Milky?

Milky
(Wipes out her tears)
*Sniff* Yes. I'm alright. My sister has a big grudge on me since preschool.
That's because I always surrounded by boys even I don't go near them.

Babs
(Thinking)
It's like you're a natural Hunk-Magnet.
(Spin Changes to a professor)
We need to run some test in you Milky.

Shirley
(Interrupted the pink rabbit)
Like Babs. Don't you see she has problems right now?

Buster
She's right. And I think the love triangle will not be as easy as pie.
We need to teach her how to attract boys.

>Fifi stands up.

Fifi
(Proud Tone)
Buster, when it comes to attracting boys and Skunk-Hunks, I'm the one you need!

Milky
(Dreamy eyed)
REALLY?????

Plucky
Oh brother. I don't want to hear this, especially if I'm dating Shirl.

>Shirley fired the most powerful metaphysical lightning bolt to Plucky. He
received the most powerful metaphysical energy in his life. He falls to the
ground beak flat.

Shirley
(Smug tone)
Like, get real Plucky. Dating you will bring me mondo bad vibes to my
aura or some junk.

Plucky
(Trying to talk)
Nice try, loon girl.

>Calnasa looked at Fifi in partial seriousness.

Calnasa
And what kind of plan will you do Ms. La Fume?

Fifi
Simple.

>A background appeared at the back. The background displays a middle age Japanese
drawing with some big, bold Japanese text in it. Japanese Kabuki Play music
plays in the scene.

Fifi
(Dressed in Shogun Costume, Saying out loud)
'Cause the Fifi's School of Dating is on Business!!!

>Everyone looked at Fifi with blank looks on their faces, except Milky,
who is eager to learn how to properly date boys.

EXT – Strange Spaceship on the Orbit of Mars
We zoom out now to earth and into space, the final frontier.
In the Orbit of Mars, lies the Rhapsody Empire Star Fortress, the base were the ones
bet on taking over earth. Inside, is a grand hall where the Evil Emperor Rune and
both Pinky and The Brain were in the scene.

Emperor Rune
So, this robot named Zeiryu-Oh in interrupting me in my conquest for taking over that
planet.

The Brain
Yes you're Emperor. The technology of Earth is getting better every decade.
And I didn't know that Scratchansniff can develop this for a long time.

Emperor Rune
(Clenching his Fists in anger)
Really? The last time you did is a failure. I'm getting impatient Brain!

The Brain
(Worried Tone)
Well......I......?

Pinky
NARF!

>The Brain hit Pinky on the head.

Pinky
(Recovering from the pain)
OUCH!!! Do you have to do that?

The Brain
(Loud Voice)
KEEP QUIET!!!!
(Normal Voice)
This time Emperor, I will not fail.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Now don't fail me mouse. Or else.

The Brain
(Scared)
Y……yes your emperor.

>Brain disappears. Pinky is the one left on the throne room.

Pinky
So, what am I going to do your emperor? NARF!

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Make sure you guarded Princess Ciel in her room. Now go.

Pinky
Y..Yes, your emperor!

>Pinky went to the way to Ciel's room.

EXT – Princess Ciel's Room, Rhapsody Empire Star Fortress
We then go to the room of Princess Ciel.

CHARACTER NOTE: If you don't know her, Ciel is a little girl princess
about the age of 10. She is the soon to be queen of the Planet Racroa
until the Rhapsody Empire destroyed her home planet. She has light blue hair
and pink eyes, wears a blue gown, with a crown on her head and a royal
necklace on her neck. She has a nice and friendly personality.
Well back to the fanfic.

Inside, Ciel is drawing some pictures when she heard the door opened.
She turned around and saw Pinky in front of the door.

Ciel
Oh. Hi Pinky.

Pinky
Hi Princess. Are you fine?

Ciel
(Happy Tone)
Sure. With you around I'm happy. So what happened did that Rune
scolded you again?

Pinky
NARF! Yes princess. He did.
(Noticed some of her drawings and picks it up)
Hey! Is that one of your drawings?

>Ciel shows one of her drawings to Pinky.

Ciel
Yes. Does it look cute? I wish to see these ones by myself.

Pinky
Well, you do draw nicely.

>Those words made Ciel happy until she gazed into the stars on
the window.

Ciel
(Gazing to the stars)
Pinky, do you imagine about the stars?

Pinky
(Sits down)
No. Why princess?

Ciel
You see, my parents and I do a lot of stargazing back at my home planet
of Racroa. When the Rhapsody Empire invaded our planet, they took me prisoner
and my parents, were killed as my home planet was destroyed.

>She can remember what happened back at her home planet of Racroa.
She then looks at Pinky.

Ciel
I hope Rune realized about what he's doing now. I hope he didn't
destroy the blue planet called Earth.

Pinky
(Looks sad)
I hope you're right your highness. NARF!

>The camera zooms on Ciel's beautiful face. Screen fades out.

EXT – Classrooms – Afternoon
Back at earth, the toonsters were preparing a good class session for Milky.
A whiteboard, Babs, Shirley, Fifi and Calnasa were in front, looking very
agitated about their student, Milky Bunny, who is now sitting on one of the
loo's tables. Fifi, who is dressed in a toga, is looking at Milky.

Fifi
Okay Milky. Are you ready for this?

Milky
Yes Fifi. If you know anything about dating, then please tell me.

Fifi
Okay. Buster, will you please come out?

>Buster looks stupid as he comes out. He was dressed in a skunk
costume (Okay, don't laugh at this one.).

Buster
(Looks a bit agitated)
I really don't like this.

Fifi
(Begging Tone)
C'mon Buster. You're the one who can fit on that costume.

Babs
We already tried Plucky and Hamton to wear that costume, but it won't fit.
(Looks at Buster)
And it looks like it fits perfectly on you.

Buster
(Stern Tone)
Thanks a ton!

Fifi
AHEM! Let's start, shall we?
(Looks at me in the camera, worried)
Mr. Ponaya, are you sure this will work. You see, using what I learned from Jeremy's
Fan Fic "Transfer Student" will give Milky a severe case of headaches.

Alester
Trust me on this. This plot is fool proof, especially with a little help from Jeremy himself.

>I looked to Jeremy, who is now tied in gigantic metal chains with a metal lock in it. He
looks worried as he struggles to break free.

Jeremy
(Worried tone, crying in gushers)
PLEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSE!!!! Will you let me go!!!! I got a date
with my girlfriend and I have to write a new fan fic. PLEEEESSSSSSSEEE!!!!

Alester
(Apologizing)
Sorry Jeremy. I need your knowledge and your characters for this series.
So please be patient OK? Please?

Jeremy
Alright! You win; you can use my characters and MY story if you want!!!!!
And I'm not responsible on them anymore!!!!
(Looks at the audience)
Why do I have to be a jerk to do this?

Alester
Oh brother, back to the fan fic.

>I looked back at Fifi and give the signal.

Alester
Fifi. Do it.

Fifi
(To my monitor)
ROGER! CAPITAN!
(To Milky)
Okay. Milky, did you run around and convince Bosko to be your date?

Milky
Sometimes Fifi, why?

Fifi
I got the same situation as you. Back there, I always chase Skunk-Hunks
last year to be my suitor of love. Now, I've changed. And I'll tell you how.

>Babs and Shirley darken the room and the slide projector is activated.
A slide is inserted and shown in the whiteboard. It shows RULE NO. 1:
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER TECHNIQUE.

Fifi
RULE NO. 1: Use a technique called hook, line, and sinker. This way,
we save the energy of chasing for fun and more interesting things,
like shopping. Guys hate to be with women who are easy to get, thinking
they can at any time pick her up for a date like oranges on a store shelf.
Are you listening?

Milky
(Taking down notes)
Yes teach. So how it works?

Fifi
(Shows a can with Fifi's name in it)
Simple, all you need to do is to turn this.
(Points at the screen behind her)
Into this.

>The slides start to change. On the whiteboard appears a picture of Fifi,
looking familiarly like a precious gemstone. What appears to be a whole city
of men is fighting with each other over her in the picture. Calnasa looks a
bit surprised.

Calnasa
Oh boy. This reminds me of my younger days. *Sign* Maybe I wear the wrong
perfume or something.

Fifi
I tried the routine and it works like butter and cream. Now,
let's go to RULE NO. 2.

>The slide starts to change. It now reveals RULE NO. 2: WONDERBRA TECHNIQUE.

Fifi
Okay. RULE NO. 2: Before you do rule no. 1, use tissues, padding,
make-up, and space age clothing generously were needed. This will attract
more men with ease. Using of the Wonder Bra will bring better results.

>Milky is taking down notes a bit hastily than usual. Buster is confused.

Buster
Hook, Line and Sinker? Make up? Don't you mean...

Fifi
(Winks at Buster)
Correct! These are the tips Babs and Shirley taught me for my date
with Alex last year.
(Looks at Milky)
Milky, Using of make-up, the wonders of padding, spandex, tummy tuckers,
facial waxing and other things to attract men is crucial. You must be both
innocent but busty.

Milky
(Thinks)
Well I got the point. So what's rule no. 3?

Babs
Uh oh. Looks like were in a big surprise.

>The slide starts to change again. It now reveals RULE NO. 3:
SEXY APPROACH TECHNIQUE.

Fifi
Third and final rule: The Sexy Approach Technique. In this one,
you approach your suitor in seductive moves. Now watch as I imagine Buster
here is a Skunk-Hunk. Better list it down Milky.

Milky
(Determined)
OK!

>Plucky and the others were looking on the Skunkette as she makes
the moves. Calnasa is a bit confused.

Fifi
First, you must approach slowly, in order not to scare off you're
soon to be lover.

>She walks softly towards Buster, who is looking at Fifi as if she is one of the
many boulders that have fallen on him.

Fifi
Then, while approaching, make sure to show off all of the best curves.

Milky
(Taking down notes)
Yes. Yes.

>Buster somehow noticed her moves. This makes Babs a bit jealous, I think.

Shirley
Like Babs. You're like the one who taught her those techniques before the dance
last year when she was dating Alex.

Babs
(Embarrassed)
Oh yeah I forgot. How stupid of me back there.

Fifi
Next thing to do is to get close. And show the beauty of your body. I hope.

Plucky
(Drools)
Oh boy. I like to see this.

>Fifi moves now with emphasized movements, hinting, but not totally giving
away what is beneath her fur. Buster isn't scared of her now, in fact, he
begun to drool a little and eyes are focused on her tail. She waves it, giving
away just what she can do with that tail. Babs, who is now angry to the max,
prepares to rip Buster, but it was stopped by Calnasa.

Calnasa
Babs. Let her do her thing. I'll talk to him later.

Babs
(Angry Tone)
Okay. Darn it!

Fifi
Last and final step, when you're in range, begin the attack.
(Eyes locked and focused on Buster, speaking in a seductive French Accent)
Bonjour monsieur Buster, are vous happy to zee moi?
Our, eez zat a present vous has for moi?

>Fifi flashes her eyebrows at him. Buster turns beat red and appears
uncomfortable about something. Because of that, he melted like ice. Babs stops
the session. Plucky is now looking on a blue and red puddle that was Buster.

Plucky
Now that's nice Buster!

Buster
Oh shut up!!!!!

Babs
Okay. Session's over. I'm sure you have the tips Milky.
(Looks at Buster and pulls out an ACME Integrator Pistol)
As for you, time to bring you back.

>She fired the ray into the puddle and in seconds, Buster
is back in his regular shape.

Buster
Whew! Glad that's over. So Milky, did you get what she taught you.

Milky
I course. Now I can show my sister I am a bit attractive than she is.

Fifi
(Confused)
Well...I... Oh brother.

Plucky
Nice job, Fifi.

>Everyone looks at Fifi in disappointed looks.

Fifi
(A bit embarrassed, laughing a bit)
Opps.

EXT – Corridors – Afternoon
Meanwhile, two strange figures enter the loo. And because the loo is not
fully open in weekends, the toonsters were free to enter for AOED mission based
business. The details of the two people are made out.

CHARACTER NOTES 2: The first person in this scene is Alex Redolence,
a male skunk with muscular arms, legs and a well built body, built more for aggressive
behavior and battle. He also has a huge tail, so large it is four body lengths long and
has five times the mass of the body it is connected to. His real info is found in
Jeremy's Fan Fic "The Legend of the Deed to Acme Acres".

The other person who reassembles a little girl is the Deed of Acme Acres. The Deed's real appearance looks like a contract paper for an important place as I remember. This is
the Deed's alternate appearance used in my Fan Fic series, a little girl named Aretha
Peacecraft. She has yellow hair, strange mage clothing, a powerful magic hat and a ring
attached into her clothes. This is the Deed's alternate form, and I don't want Jeremy
knocking on my door because of this, sheesh!

>The two walked on until they bump into Mary.

Mary
Oh. It's you Alex. And who's that girl?

Alex
She's the Deed of Acme Acres. So why the school is is open in weekends?

>Mary swallows hard. She remembered not to tell the secret of the AOED and the
Z-Project to some rogue toons.

Mary
You see... we have a weekend session. Yeah, a weekend session.

Alex
(Thinks to himself)
Hmmmmm…… I don't think this is some kind of excuse.
(Looks at Mary)
Okay Mary. Tell me something. You guys were hiding some secret right?

Girl
(Soft Tone)
Will you tell us please?

Mary
(Signed)
*sign* I think it looks like the commander is not gonna like this.

EXT – Classrooms – Afternoon
Everyone in the room packed their things now and now ready to go home.

Milky
I hope these tips will work.

Babs
Don't worry. Fifi remembered everything we taught her last year. So it will work.

Buster
Sure.

>Buster and Babs then noticed the door is open and saw Alex, Mary and the strange
girl on the doorstep.

Calnasa
(Surprised)
Mary, what happened?

Mary
(Trying to speak)
Well……you see, Alex finds out about the AOED. Sorry everyone.

Calnasa
Oh boy.
(Looks at Buster in confusion)
Buster, who is this Alex person?

Buster
It's hard to explain Commander. You see, Alex is known as the Guardian
of the Deed, who is now the owner of Acme Acres.

Alex
So you must be Calnasa Duff, Elmyra's sister and commander of the AOED.
I'm Alex Redolence. The little girl here…
(Pats the girl)
…is The Deed of Acme Acres.

>Everyone was surprised on what they heard. Buster and Plucky looked the
strange girl.

Plucky
(Looks and analyzes the girl)
Alex, you mean this GIRL IS THE DEED?!?!? I can't believe it!

Buster
(Confused)
I remember the Deed looks like a toon paper. But now, I've seen everything.

Shirley
Like, you're really a girl?

Girl
Yes. And also I had a proper name; Aretha Peacecraft.

Fifi
Nice name Dee…I mean Aretha. Did Alex give you that name?

Aretha
Yes Fifi. The two of us had a hard time thinking a name for me. So I
decided to name myself Aretha.

Fifi
Oh. So that's why.
(Looks at Alex)
How's it going Alex?

>Alex notices that Fifi is not aggressive than the one last year. He also has some
trauma and memories on her in the church incident happened in "Le Wedding De Fifi".
He chuckles a bit

Alex
I'm fine. Kind of.
(Looks at Fifi with partial seriousness)
Fifi, what happened to you? You somehow, matured a bit.

Fifi
It's because you run out of the church last year. We were supposed to get married after
you exposed the fake Jean Pathos. If that didn't happen, we were now husband and wife.
(Daydreaming)
Oh…… I just like that.

Aretha
So that's why you're acting weird last year. You know, you've just passed the biggest
opportunity of the year.

>Alex's cheeks starts to blush.

Alex
(Embarrassed)
C'mon! Fifi is actually very young in that time!

Milky
Uh Excuse me? I need to Fifi's teachings to the test. And also, our date will be held in
Seattle, Washington. I can't be late.

Babs
I forgot. Okay everyone, to the Z-Machines!!!!!

>Everyone was now going to the path were the Z-Machines are until Calnasa stopped them abruptly.

Calnasa
(Angry)
Are you out of your mind?!? The Z-Machines can be used when you have a mission, not as an ordinary transport!

Everyone
But Commander?

>Everyone give Calnasa some pity. She was a bit annoyed, until she forgives them.

Calnasa
Alright, and besides, the next attack of the Rhapsody Empire is in that city.

Fifi
Okay commander. We'll do the dating job and the mission at the same time!

Calnasa
(A bit disappointed)
Oh boy. Kids these days, you can't control them.
(Turns serious)
Ok! Take the Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis; this will transport the Z-Machines
to a farther destination in no time. Now Team Buster, dispatch!

Everyone
ROGER!

EXT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis, Underwater – Afternoon
The whole group went to the AOED transport vessel below the school. The ship is called
Artemis. The Z-Machines were loaded to the vessel. The whole crew and the members of
Team Buster were now ready.

EXT –Underwater Hangar – Afternoon
The hangar start to pump water inside to provide safe launching, after that, the front
metal gates started to open. The ship is ready to launch.

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis, Underwater – Afternoon
>Everyone in the ship is analyzing the ship's conditions while Buster and the Gang were
taking their seats, including Alex and Aretha.

AOED Crew
Everything's ready sir.

Hamton
Okay. So what's the status?

AOED Navigator
(Checks at the status)
Here are the statuses. Pressure OK. Mobilizers OK. Thrusters OK. Life Support OK.
Launch gates are open. All systems green.

Alex
So this is Artemis. I thought was a god.

Aretha
Alex. That's the name of this ship. It's not really a god. Right?

Buster
Yes Ms. Aretha. Plucky, better hold your seats.

Plucky
Sure, sure.

>Everyone fasten their seatbelts to prevent accidents.

Milky
Navigator. Now.

AOED Navigator
Yes ma'am! Artemis, LAUNCH!!!

EXT –Underwater Hangar – Afternoon
The whole ship starts to move as powerful underwater thrusters propel the ship to the
surface. After the ship is on surface, the underwater thruster starts to convert into
sky thrusters that make the whole ship fly.

The ship achieves the perfect speed and the whole craft is now in the sky, approaching
Seattle.

INT –Seattle, Washington – Nighttime
The group arrived at Seattle at night. Buster, Babs, Plucky Fifi, Milky, Alex and Aretha
were in the city grounds while Shirley and Hamton were inside the ship, providing them
some tips and info. Milky is dressed in a seductive outfit, complete with makeup.

Milky
Okay. Now I'm ready for my date.

Babs
(Signed)
I should stayed at home and do my homework. My mother will not believe me when I
told her that I'm in Seattle.

Plucky
Sure. At least I can see the hot babes in this city.

Babs
We can't, were here to help Milky. Not to roam free for some babes.

Buster
She's right. We also need to keep a lookout for some enemy attack.

Plucky
Fine. Is that's the way, I'll participate.

>On the other hand, Fifi is looking at Alex. This the first time Alex wears
some clothes; purple short jacket, purple pants and a pair of olive green shoes.
His hair is now in a ponytail style. Aretha almost laughed on the skunk's present
situation.

Alex
(Embarrassed but angry)
It's not funny!!! I don't really want to wear this so called clothes Deed!!

Aretha
(Chuckles a little)
Oh c'mon Alex. In this way, you can know more about you're soon to be wife.

Alex
(Smug Tone)
Deed! I told you SHE'S NOT GONNA BE MY WIFE!

Fifi
(Consoled Alex)
Alex, you looked handsome in those clothes.

Alex
(Swallows Hard)
GULP! Uh…I guess so.

Buster
(Looks at the two)
Alex, I guess you're on your own. Hope you two have a good time. We'll keep you
covered for anything. Fifi, Alex, contact us if there's something wrong.

Alex
Okay.

Fifi
I will Buster. See you later guys.

>Milky, Alex and Fifi leaved the group and walked to the city grounds,
which are surveyed by Buster and the Gang. The three arrived at the Silent Blue
Restaurant, where Honey and Bosko were eating. Milky is a bit scared, thinking that
Bosko will dump her. The three entered the restaurant.

INT- Silent Blue Restaurant, Seattle – Night
The three approached the two. Honey noticed the presence of Milky.

Honey
So, you've show up after all, Milky.

Bosko
Hi Milky. Hi Fifi. So who's your date Fifi?

Fifi
This is Alex. Alex, meet Bosko.

Alex
(Introduced himself)
Hi. My name is Alex Redolence.

Bosko
(Chuckles a bit)
Hi. I'm Bosko.

Fifi
Bosko, Can we sit now?

Bosko
(Offers them a seat)
Sure. Go ahead.

>The three sat down the table. Honey looks agitated on what's happening.
She lunges closer to Bosko. Alex notices.

Alex
Wow. I guess that's what women do when they were in love.

Fifi
(Holds Alex's Arms)
Sure is, they look a bit balanced. Milky, do your stuff.

Milky
Okay.
(Seducing Bosko)
Oh Bosko, you don't really gonna date her. Do you sugar plums?

Bosko
(A bit embarrassed)
Well………I

>Those words make Honey a lot agitated. She counterattacks it with a hug.

Honey
(Hugs Bosko)
C'mon my chocolate. You don't want her to break your heart do you?

Bosko
I know Honey but…

Milky
Don't listen to her. She's sometimes a big reject in an animation.

Honey is now at the peak of her anger. She tries to recompose herself in
front of Bosko.

Honey
(Looks a bit agitated, eyes locked at Milky)
I'll get you for this, sister.

Milky
(Eyes locked at Honey)
You too sis, time to start round 2.

Fifi looks at the two. She's a bit left behind and confused.

Fifi
Oh boy. Alex, we need to contact Artemis.

Alex
(Agrees)
Sure.

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis – Night
Sure is a date in Seattle. Meanwhile at Artemis, Buster and the others
were bored because of the long night.

Buster
(Bored Tone)
Great, why do I have to be stuck in this ship?

Babs
Buster, is that the only thing you should worry about?

Buster
Why?

The radio of the ship starts to respond. The two bunnies answered the call.

Buster
This is battleship Artemis, what is it Fifi?

Fifi
(Radio)
Buster, it looks like Honey and Milky were going for round two.

Babs
What?!?

INT- Silent Blue Restaurant, Seattle – Night

Fifi
(Answering the call)
It looks like both of them were ready to tear themselves apart for this.

Buster
(Radio)
Sheesh! Okay Fifi, report something suspicious ok?

Fifi
Okay. Fifi La Fume out.

She turns off her communicator.

Alex
I guess you guys were busy always.

Fifi
I know.
(Noticed something at Milky and Honey)
But I don't know if Milky is overdoing it. Maybe I'm not a good teacher
after all.

Alex
(Surprised Tone)
Fifi, you taught her to date, right?

Fifi
(Looks at the table)
Yes.

Alex
(Cool Tone)
Fifi, you shouldn't interfere with problems of some people.

Fifi
(Disappointed)
I know. But Milky is how you say it, a bit worried about Bosko just
like Honey. I guess this is not good.

Alex
(Encourages Fifi)
Don't worry, you taught her very well. I guess your change of attitude did
a lot of things in your life.

Fifi
(Looks a Alex in a happy tone)
Really?

Alex
Yes, you've become a true lady Fifi, I really proud of you, sort of.

Fifi
(Looks at Alex eye to eye)
Thank you Alex, thank you.

>The two skunks looked in each other in complete silence. Both of them will make
a kiss until the whole place starts to rumble and shake. Milky, Honey and Bosko
noticed the shake also. Some of the people in the restaurant were confused.

Honey
(Worried tone)
What's happening?

Milky
I don't know. The whole place just shook.

Bosko
Fifi, is this an earthquake?

>Fifi noticed that the vibration is not natural. Then, she looked outside and
saw countless people running on the streets. All the people started to panic. Fifi
then stands up, noticed that it was another attack from the Rhapsody Empire.

Fifi
(Looks at the four)
Everyone! You must evacuate the restaurant now!

Honey
(Smug Tone)
What?!? Are you crazy?!? Were not finished with our date!!!

Milky
Fifi's right! Sis, we need to get the people out of here now!

Bosko is a bit confused on the situation.

Bosko
(Confused)
What's going on?

Alex
(Serious Tone)
It's a bit complicated. You two must get all the people in this restaurant
out of here before they could get hurt.

The four of them agreed at Alex's decision. Milky, Honey and Bosko were helping
the people to evacuate. Both Alex and Fifi were aware at the situation.

Alex
(Thinks)
Looks like you got a good sense of danger.

Fifi
You know?

Alex
Sure. I can be sure you got some other ability besides your noxious fumes.

Honey
(Looks at the two)
Alright! Will the two of you just come with us will ya?

>Both Alex and Fifi agreed. All of them evacuated the place safely.

EXT – City Grounds –Night
All the people of the restaurant were now in the streets. The five toons
feared on what they saw. A giant robot in a shape of a giant gorilla is terrorizing
the whole city.

Bosko
(Looks at the robot in surprised tone)
In heaven's name, what is that?!?!?

Honey
I don't know! But it's sure scary!!!!

Milky
Sis………
(Looks seriously at Fifi and Alex)
Fifi! Call Leviatan and the others now! We got a bad case of enemy robot attack
in this city.

Fifi
Roger that Milky!!!

Milky
Alex, you must help us to lead the people to a safe place.

Alex
Right! Fifi, be careful out there.

>Alex and the others were leaving with the people. Fifi stands in a couple of
minutes until she deploys her Pocket PC. She then activated the Z-Project Application
and raised her Pocket PC in the air.

Fifi
Twin Headed Dragon Leviatan! GO!!!!

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis – Night
The ship's launch bay started to open. In the fourth row, is Leviatan.
The mech takes off to the area where Fifi is. Both Buster and Babs noticed it.

Babs
(Did a Lucy Impression)
Ricky! Look at that!!!
(Normal tone)
Looks like Fifi detected another attack from the Rhapsody Empire.

Buster
Sure is. Okay Babs, to the Z-Machines Zeiryu and Leos.

Babs
Roger!

Hamton
Wait! I'll fly you guys there. It's much easier that using your units and wasting
your fuel.

Buster
Thanks Hamton!

>The two bunnies went to the hangar. Aretha, Shirley and Hamton were now flying the
ship.

Aretha
I hope were not too late.

Shirley
I hope so Aretha. Did you contact Plucky about this?

Hamton
(Grabs the radio)
I'll try.

Shirley
(Thinks to herself)
C'mon. Don't let us down Fifi.

The ship is now following Leviatan to the major source of the attack.

INT – City Grounds – Night
The enemy started the attack. The buildings started to collapse caused by the banging
of the Robot's fist to them. Leviatan arrives at the scene, opening its hatch for Fifi
to come in. The skunkette went inside the mech. The enemy notices the presence of the
Z-Machine.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Uh oh, looks like the giant gorilla needs to be caged out.

>On the building far from the battle area, we can see Brain standing.

The Brain
So the Z-Machines had arrived. But don't worry; Geakong will tear you limb to limb
(Gives an order)
Attack! Geakong!!!!!!

With those words, Geakong started to attack. Its big knuckles hit Leviatan
directly and crashed on the building.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan, a bit hurt)
Ow! Okay, looks like you need a time out!

The mech recovers from the attack. She then activated the Beam cannons and
fired it into the robot's face. The dust settles, and the enemy is recovered from
the blast.

Geakong
GRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan, Surprised)
Yipe! The beam cannons didn't work.

Meanwhile, the four toons were leading the people to safety. Alex noticed
the distress from Fifi.

Honey
(Looks at Alex in confusion)
Alex, what's wrong?

Alex
It's Fifi. She's in trouble!!! I got to help her!!!

Bosko blocked Alex.

Bosko
(Looks concerned)
Alex look, our only way to do now is to make sure the people were safe. I know
she can handle it.

Alex
But……?

Milky
Don't worry. We have something just for you Alex.
(She pulls out a cellphone)
Watch.

>Milky pressed the reply button on her cellphone. Then, a shine in the night sky
appeared.

Camera Zooms into the shine from a distance.
>The shine appears to be a Green Cosmograsper. The jet hurdles into the area where
Honey and the others were and landed.

Honey
(Looks at the jet)
Wow. Looks classy.

Milky
Alex, this is the AOED'S Special Jet Fighter, The Cosmograsper.
(Gives the keys to Alex)
Take this and help Fifi right away.

>Alex takes the keys. He then goes inside the cockpit of the aircraft.

Alex
Thanks Milky.
(Looks at the area)
Fifi, I'm coming right now.

>Alex takes off to help her friend. On the other hand, Fifi is still up attacking Geakong.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Still no damage? Great. I guess I have no choice……
(She activated the depth charger cannons)
……but this!!!!!

>Leviatian's twin head started to open and revealed cannons in its mouth. Fifi
inside is focusing on the target.

Leviatan's POW
> (Screen Goes Green) a yellow crosshair moves and aims to the enemy. The meters equals to the range and success rate of the attack until it releases its energy blast to
Geakong.

Normal View
The energy blast hits the target at 99.9% aim and crashed on a building behind the
robot. The impact is so big, dust scatters to the whole area, and the people in the area
were impressed.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
WHEW!!! That was a fight.
(Notices a green Cosmograsper)
Huh? I wonder who pilot that aircraft.

>She patched a signal to the Green Cosmograsper.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
This is Fifi La Fume of the AOED. Whoever you are, leave the area now!

Alex
(Radio)
Hey. That's not the way for a lady to talk.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan, surprised)
ALEX?!?!?

>The green cosmograsper flies to the area where Fifi/Leviatan is.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
So how did you get that green Cosmograsper?

Alex
(Radio)
Let's say that Milky gave it to me as a present.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
Okay. I got your point.
(Notices something at the radar)
Huh? It looks like the enemy is now down.

Alex
(Radio)
I know. My powers noticed it also.

>The Geakong starts to rise again from the ruins of the building. Its fist were how
waving high in the air.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatan)
So now what Alex, any ideas?

Alex
(Radio)
I don't know.

Suddenly, the Artemis arrived in the scene along with Zephir Eagle. The two skunks
were relieved. The launch bay doors starts to open and Zeiryu and Leos were released.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Who let out the gorilla in this peaceful night?

Babs
(Inside Leos, annoyed)
Buster! This is no time for jokes.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Oh yeah! Okay everyone, get ready to combine!!!

Plucky, Babs, Fifi
ROGER!!!

The four Z-Machines flew up to the night sky. Buster gives the signal
and activates the transformation.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Zeiryu-Oh!!!! Formation!!!

Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi
ON!!!!!

>A transformation now takes place. Zeiryu's side armor was removed, it's arms folded
on the back and the legs were moved to the back also, creating the body. Leos's wings
started to come off and fly away while the head come off also. The back starts to fold,
creating a chamber for the combination process. The wings were attached to the shoulder
of Leos. Leviatan's body became legs as the upper wing and the tail starts to come off
and flew away. Then, the unit splits, creating the feet and legs. Zephir Eagle's back
boosters and its tali come off and the bird is ready of combination. The combination
now occurs. Zeiryu attaches to Leos by magnetic force and special locks located on both
units. The legs attach to the lower area of the combining robot, and Zeiryu's side armor
attaches to the torso area of the unit while the tail of Zephir Eagle's attaches to the
front torso area. The booster then attaches to the shoulders, creating the arms and the
hands popped out. Finally, Zephir Eagle attaches to the back and it deploy its wings for
flight. Inside the unit, Buster, Babs, Plucky and Fifi were now in one cockpit; Buster is
in the center, Plucky is in the front, Fifi is on the left side and Babs on the right.
Outside, the Chest armor reveals the gem and the helmet are now attached.
The combination is finished.

Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi
Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh! Complete!!!!!!

>The unit did some moves and its wings were displayed as well. Lightning comes
from nowhere and the unit is all powered up in battle. The unit lands in the
area where the enemy is located.

INT – Inside Zeiryu-Oh – Night
Inside, Buster and the gang ready for battle.

Fifi
Okay you simian! You ruin my date with Alex!! You tried to tear me apart and
you started to destroy the city!! Now! It's payback!!

>Everyone gives Fifi a lot of blank looks.

Fifi
(Smug tone)
What? Is there something wrong?

Plucky
Sheesh! You sounded stupid in there!!!

Fifi
(Angry tone)
I beg your pardon!

Alex
(Radio)
Cut with the chit chat. We need to bring this gorilla down.

Buster
Okay Alex. IS that what you want, that's what this robot will get!

INT – City Grounds – Night
Zeiryu-Oh starts to attack. The unit punched the enemy's chest, sending him 90 ft.
backward. Geakong started to attack with its rocket fist.

Geakong
GRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

>Geakong fired its rocket fist to Zeiryu-Oh. The whole group inside the unit
can't evade the attack clearly as the fist hits the unit straightforwardly, some
special effects explosions occurred.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHH!!!!!! Man! This one is a lot tougher that I thought.

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
You can say that again!!!!!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Just shut your beak up and concentrate Plucky!!!

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Alright!!!!!!! Fine!!!!!!

>Zeiryu-Oh starts to grab the enemy's flying fist. Buster used his quick thinking and
inputs them to Zeiryu-Oh. Then, Zeiryu-Oh forcefully returns the flying fists to Geakong.
The enemy was hit straightly to the face. Alex is now making his move in his Cosmograsper.

Alex
Okay you giant ape!!! Take this!!!!

>The Cosmograsper opens its blade cutter and charges to the enemy. The blade hits the
enemy successfully, leaving a slash mark in the right arm.

Camera changes to Wide View
>Geakong unleashed it missiles to the jet unit. But Alex evaded it with no problem
whatsoever as the jet somersaults to the sky, evading every missile.

Alex
WHEW! That was close.

Ground View
>Everyone in the ground saw the somersaults done by Alex's Cosmograsper.

Honey
Incredible, it's like I'm seeing a real live air show.

Bosko
(Looked amazed)
Wow. I wish I had my own jet.

Milky
(Thinks to herself)
What a dreamer.
(Goes back to reality)
Bosko.

>Bosko turned around and looked at Milky

Bosko
Why Milky?

Milky
You see…I……I worked for the AOED, The Allied Organization of Earth Defense.

Bosko
What?

Honey
It's true Bosko. We twins were working on a secret organization for
protecting the earth from upcoming invaders. And what are you
seeing now is……is……

>Tears rolled down from Honey's eyes. Milky noticed that her sister is crying
for this.

Milky
(Comforts her sister)
She said this: the enemy robot you were looking now is from the Rhapsody Empire.
The AOED were fighting against the Rhapsody Empire to preserve our planet.
The other robot you were seeing is the legendary Metal Angel, Zeiryu-Oh.

Bosko
Zei…ryu…Oh?
(Looks at the battle)
Whoever the pilot of that robot, I wanted them to save our planet.

Honey recomposed herself and starts to stand up.

Honey
We should trust them Bosko. They are the Earth's last hope.

>Back at the battle scene, Alex unleashed powerful beam cannon from his
Cosmogrsasper. The blast hits Geakong in the back while Zeiryu-Oh used its
Blade Kick to slash the left arm of the enemy.

Alex
Good attack Buster. We should finish him by now.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Thanks. Alright! It's time for you to become scrap metal!!!

Zeiryu-Oh used its Blade Kick again to the right shoulder of the enemy, but it was
evaded only by an inch, leaving a small crack.

Zeiryu-Oh's FPV
Geakong used its right arm to smash Zeiryu-Oh in the face. The unit falls down to
the ground

Normal View
Then, Geakong starts to stomp the unit using its feet. The Zeiryu-Oh received
a lot of impact due to the stomping.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHHHHH!!!!

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHHHHH!!!!

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHHHHH!!!!

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHHHHH!!!!

Everyone inside Zeiryu-Oh received a lot of pain caused by Geakong.

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis – Night
Inside Artemis, Hamton, Shirley and Aretha were monitoring the present
situation of Zeiryu Oh.

Hamton
(Looks at the status of Zeiryu that is in code red)
Oh no!!! If this keeps up, Buster and the others will be doomed.

Aretha
Oh no!
(Contacts Alex with telepathy)
Alex. Zeiryu-Oh's in danger. You need to attack now!!!!

INT – City Grounds – Night

Alex
(Using telepathy)
Right.

Alex's Cosmograsper started to attack once again. He opened the hatch in the jet
and gathered a lot of energy from his both hands.

Alex
Don't even hurt my FRIENDS YOU UGLY APE!!!!!!!!!!

>Alex unleashed a powerful energy beam from his hand and hits Geakong in the
back, sending it into a nearby building to crash through. Alex went back to
the cosmograsper's controls and flied to a safe place. Zeiryu-Oh is now free
as it stands up for a counterattack.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Thanks a lot Alex.

Alex
(Radio)
That okay Buster. Finish him up before he can do great damage.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Now it's our turn. LION SHIELD!!!!

>The Lion Shield appeared out of nowhere, Zeiryu-Oh grabs it.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
NOW! Zeiryu Saber!

>The mouth of the Lion Shield starts to opens and a ball of light glows brightly
into it. After the light is gone, a handle is shown. Zeiryu-Oh grabs the handle from
the Lion Shield and starts pulling it slowly. A blade is slowly shown.
After that, a whole blade is shown, revealing a sword. The Lion Shield
disappeared and the sword is hold by two hands.

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
It's time to finish this battle!!!!!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
You read my mind Fif. Not let's do this!!!!

>Geakong starts to recover, only to find out he's gonna be scrap metal.
Everyone on the ground was seeing this.

Honey
Wow.

Bosko
(Excited)
Alright!!! Finish him off Zeiryu-Oh!!!!

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Buster!!!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Right!!! Start Channeling our Elemental Energy to the Blade!!!

Everyone
Right!!!!

>Buster, Babs, Plucky and Fifi were now channeling their energy in to the sword.
The wings of Zeiryu-Oh are deployed and shown. The boosters are activated and the
mech is in killing pose. Zeiryu-Oh charges to the enemy while its sword is glowing into a
white light. The enemy has no more moves to use.

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
This is for the date that you ruin!!!!!!!

>The unit is now ready to use the sword.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
COSMO!!!!!!!! BREAKER!!!!!!

Everyone
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
SLAAAAASH!!!!!!!!

>Zeiryu-Oh fully used its sword to slash the enemy mech into two. The unit stops
charging and goes for a full stop. Its eyes shined, and the enemy mech is finally exploded,
destroying it once and for all. The people rejoiced for the victory.

Honey
(Hugs Bosko in excitement)
They did it!!!!!!

Milky
(Also hugs Bosko)
Alright!!!!

>The two bunnies noticed that their hugging the same man.

Honey
Hey!!!! He's my boyfriend Milky!!!!!

Milky
No he's mine!!!!!!

Honey
(Angry Tone)
He's mine!!!!

Milky
(Angry Tone)
He's mine!!!!

Honey
(Angry Tone)
He's mine!!!!

Bosko didn't have the courage to say anything to the twin sisters.

Bosko
(Signed)
Oh brother.

>After the long battle, Honey and Milky resumed their date with Bosko.

Buster
Man!!! Those two never give up.

Aretha
(Looking at the two tugging Bosko in both arms)
You're right Buster. Love can be dangerous sometimes.

>Plucky is taking pictures of the three with his camera, wanting
the whole loo to see a big love scandal being printed out in the
ACME Gazette.

Plucky
Okay!! I got everything on camera.
(Evil laugh)
I'm gonna be rich in these pictures!!!!

Shirley
Plucky. You're so egotistic.

Plucky
Do you want to say something Shirl.

Shirley
Like get real Plucky.

Hamton
She's right. You know you can't publish a scandal without a proper permit.

Plucky
(Goes near Hamton)
Oh c'mon Hammy. You know I'm a greedy little coward.

Hamton
(Giving him a blank look)
Sure. So Fifi, did your date with Alex become successful?

>Alex's Muzzle starts to blush after hearing this.

Fifi
Almost. I almost kissed him in the end when we found out an attack
from the Rhapsody Empire.

Alex
Yeah she's right. I did have a good time watching Milky, Honey
and Bosko go for a date.

Fifi
(Signed)
I wanted Milky to do what I've taught her. But it just goes
down the drain.

Babs
Too bad. I wanted to see that part where you and Alex were
kissing each other.

>Both Fifi and Alex were embarrassed on this. Their whole head starts
to glow read because of embarrassment.

Fifi
(Surprised)
What?!?!?

Alex
(Surprised Also)
Babs!?!?!?!?!?

Babs
(Agitated)
Hey! Is there something wrong that you will kiss each other?

Fifi and Alex
Well no!!!!

Babs
Sorry. Well, we'll just have to see who will win Bosko's heart this time.

>The whole group was watching Honey and Milky still fighting over Bosko.
But unknowingly, they were being watched by The Brain.

The Brain
Darn!!!! Geakong is destroyed!!!!! Next time Zeiryu-Oh, you'll be sorry.

>He disappears again, just like the last time.

EXT - Rhapsody Empire Star Fortress, Orbit of Mars
Emperor Rune watches the whole battle inside his star fort. He was disappointed
on what happened.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow but Angry Tone)
AHHHH!!!!!! I shouldn't trust that no good mouse for this.

Pinky
Is there something wrong Emperor?

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Nothing. Did you guard the Princess?

Pinky
Yes your emperor.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Good. When your friend The Brain comes back, I'll give him the punishment he
will never forget.

Pinky
Uh………I guess you're right your emperor. May I leave now?

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Yes. Now leave and guard the princess. And make sure that you don't let her escape.

Pinky
Y…Yes your emperor NARF!

>Pinky leaves the emperor. Emperor Rune is now alone in his throne until a strange
but evil voice echoes the whole scene.

Voice 1
I guess The Brain didn't make the grade on destroying that Zeiryu-Oh.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
So what? Do you have other plans?

Voice 2
You see my emperor; the Zeiryu-Oh is unbeatable at anything.

Voice 3
Hurmp! That big pile of metal won't stand against us.

Voice 4
Maybe we can join forces and destroy that AOED. They obscure our view on
taking over the whole planet

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Maybe you got a point, Nova.

>A lady in red hair, green grown and carries a big staff appeared.

Nova
Thank you your Emperor. And besides Splicer, my genius is better than yours,
Dr. Gene Splicer

>A doctor with weird hair and wears Professor Clothes appeared also.

Gene Splicer
Shut up, Nova!!!!!

Voice 3
(Evil laughter)
HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! You guys don't know anything, do you?

>The source of the laughter is coming from a fox. She's wearing a light
blue shirt and jeans, both are tight enough so that they show off more curves
then thought possible on a toon.

Nova
Oh? So you have an idea, Carmy!!!

Carmy
Maybe. As long is Alex is in it. I joind the Rhapsody Empire in order for me to
eliminate the Amazing Three: Babs, Shirley and Fifi.

Gene Splicer
What did you say?!?

Emperor Rune
(Hollow but Angry Tone)
Enough!!! Maybe you Zeorise had a good plan to execute.

>Those words made another man come out. He is a man with a powerful arm weapon in
it's left arm.

Zeorise
Certainly, your emperor, since I lost to G, I pledge my loyalty
to you, so I can get revenge.

Gene Splicer
Oh yeah!!!!! You didn't do a thing Zeorise!!!!

Zeorise
Whatever, Gene Splicer.

Voice 5
(Hollow Tone)
Stop it. Axis of Evil!!!!

>Another person came out of the shadows. This time, she was a girl rabbit that has
the same fur and eye color as the original Babs except some strange clothes and two
ring that hold both of her ears.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Good timing, Empress Babs. I didn't know you could come here for our discussion.

Empress Babs
Thank you your emperor. We, the Axis of Evil will make sure that AOED is destroyed.
Especially those Tiny Toons.

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
That's very nice. Alright!!!! Axis of Evil, do your plans.

Everyone
Yes your emperor!!!!

>Uh oh! This will spell a new disaster in our heroes. Rune's Axis
of Evil is really diabolical and evil at the same time, wanting to take
over the whole universe. What will happen now in the next episode?!?!?
FIND OUT!!!!!!

Fade out

Episode 2 finished. Oh yeah, please send your comments to blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com
for some comments involving on this fan fiction.

A really BIG apologies for Jeremy J. Jurrens (Stories: The Legend of the Deed to Acme
Acres, Transfer Student and Le Wedding De Fifi), Kevin Mickel, Mike Cote, Rebecca
Littlehales, John Friedrich and Mike Demico (Mondo Negatory Tiny Toons: The Other
Side of Comedy) for including their characters, stories and modifying some of the
characters on this Fan Fic. SORRRY!!!!!!

SAYONARA, SUPER ROBOT AND TINY TOON FANS!!!!!!!!

Picture106.jpg

Takeoff.jpg

Christmas Tales

Here's a short TTA story (believe it or not) by Pepe K.
just for you on Christmas Eve. It contains some religious references
in song, but as Linus Van Pelt said:
"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Christmas Tails by Pepe K.

("I Wonder As I Wander" is played slowly and softly on a dulcimer)

T'was Christmas Eve in Acme Acres and the newly fallen snow lay
white and perfect. The hour of twilight had fallen and all the land was bathed in pale
blue moonlight and silence.
Also thoroughly blue was Furball Cat.
He wandered slowly through the dark and empty city streets. He could find none of his
friends to celebrate Christmas with and felt terribly alone.
He'd gone to Buster's burrow... and found it hollow.
He'd gone to Babs' burrow... and found her flowers withered by the snow.
He'd gone across the ice-covered bridge on his chilly bare paws to Plucky's house in the
swamp... and found no one but Plucky's parents sitting together arm in arm, watching
their fireplace. They didn't hear his scratch at their door.
He'd found Hamton's house ... but it was empty and dark except for an
electric minoreh in the window.
He'd gone to Shirley's haunted house... and found only the ghosts of
Christmas Past, Present, and Future. He interrupted their poker game
and they scared the frightened cat away!
He'd found Arnold's gym all locked up and Dizzy's cave empty.
He'd gone to Fifi's pink Cadillac and found colored lights and a
snowman-skunk... but no one was home.

Sadly, Furball began to trudge through the snow back to his rotting, wet
cardboard box in the dirty alley. He tried hitching a ride with a big rubber thumb and a
bigger grin...but no one would pick him up. The cars drove right past him, showering
him with the filthy cold slush from the gutter.
Furball sat and wrung out his fur and looked up at the cold Christmas stars. At least
there was one simple thing that he could enjoy.

Suddenly a long car drove up and stopped next to him. Before he could open his mouth
to meow - he'd been grabbed by the scruff of the neck by a snotty-looking man and
thrown into the trunk! The trunk lid slammed shut and he was trapped! The car rushed
off with him and he heard awful voices arguing from inside it! Furball grew terrified -
he'd heard stories of cats being kidnapped and sold.

The car stopped and the voices grew louder! They were coming to the trunk to get him!
It was opened and hands grasped the frightened feline in a vise-like grip! He fought as
two figures dragged him towards a huge stone building with immense metal doors!
Furball struggled bravely against them, but it was no use - he was dragged inside!

"What are you doing, You silly Kitty-witty Furball-head?!? Don't you wanna to go to
the Christmas Service and sing pretty Christmas Carols??" asked Elmyra as he stopped
fighting her grasp and looked up.
He was standing at the back of the congregation in Acme Acres Cathedral.
All of his friends were there singing joyfully and they turned to wave to him!
"I'm sorry fuzzy Furball-kitty", continued Elmyra, "Monty-wonty had Grovely put you
in the trunk , that mean ol' silly boyfriend-head!"
"Hey, I just had the limo detailed!" grouched Montana Max at her side, "I'm not gonna
have 'Flea-ball" mess it all up again!"
"Say your're sorry, Monty", the precocious red-head said holding up Furball to Max's
face, "Give Kitty-Witty a big kiss!"
"No Way! C'mon, let's sit down" grumped Max as he sat in the nearest seat.

Furball was happy to wave to the other toonsters and smile, and he purred as he sat with
Elmyra.
Hamton sat with Fifi, feeling a bit uncomfortable as they were alone in their reserved
row.
"How come you have yer own private pew, Fifi?"
Plucky leaned foward from his seat behind them and chuckled to Buster and Babs:
"Should I tell him?"

The service was magnificent. The alter was surrounded by two 15 foot-tall, green
Christmas trees. The robed choir sang , accompanied by trumpets, french horns and
kettledrums. The huge cathedral echoed deeply with beautiful music.

The introduction of a touching song began. Petunia Pig arose and sang softly:
"I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the savior did come for to die
To save lowly people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky...
When Jesus was born it was in a cow's stall
With shepherds and wise men and angels and all
tThe blessings of Christmas from heaven did fall
and the weary world woke to the savior's call."

The beautiful song brought smiles to many and even tears to a few.
The evening continued with many a lovely carol and everyone felt the warmth of the
holiday. After the last hymn was sung, even Monty was caught smiling by Elmyra, who
then caught him with a kiss.
"Bah Humbug!" ,complained Max, " I wanted to party tonight!"
Suddenly, an amazing light appeared at the back of the stone hall and a huge grotesque
face stuck through a huge rip in the air!
"Exactly what I was thinking, my little nimrod!" said Gogo Dodo's gigantic head with
a grin! His giant green hands scooped up everyone and pulled them all throught the hole
in space and into Wackyland, where everyone was having a wild Christmas party!
"Well, when in Wackyland - Be Wacky!!!" proclaimed Babs!
The toonsters shrugged and began to dance and sing:

"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!
Only a hippopotamus will do!
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy!
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do!
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs!
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there!
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!
Only a hippopotamus will do!
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses!
I only like hippopotamuses -
And hippopotamuses like me too!
Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian...
There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage!
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage!
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs!
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there!
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!
Only a hippopotamus will do!
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses!
I only like hippopotamuseses -
And hippopotamuses like me too!"

Furball and the Toonsters sang and danced the night through
and everyone lived wackily ever after!

Fin (The End)

Merry Christmas , Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all!
Love, Pepe K.

hammyfeef-col.jpg

Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh Program 4: Double! The Shadow Assassin Havoc!

Tiny Toon Adventures in:
Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh
Program 4: Double! The Shadow Assassin Havoc!
Written By: Duo Maxwell (blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Cast:
Ryusei Nakao as Buster Bunny
Miina Tominaga as Babs Bunny
Koichi Yamadera as Plucky Duck
Mika Kanai as Shirley Mc Loon
Junko Asami as Fifi La Fume
Junichi Sugawara as Hamton Pig
Masayo Kurata as Elmyra Duff
Kaneto Shiozawa as Alex Redolence
Mikako Takahashi as The Bookkeeper
Takeshi Kusao as Pepe Le Pew
Chieko Honda as Ciel
Rokurou Naya as Yakko
Yasuyuki Kase as Wakko
Reiko Tanagi as Dot
Hiro Yuki as Defender Hamton
Yukio Maeda as Milky/Kid
Yumiko Kobayashi as Calnasa Duff
Ryuzo Ishino as Furball
Mitsuru Ogata as Resistance Leader Fifi/Gogo
Chisa Yokoyama as Resistance Member Shirley
Fumiko Orikasa as Fanny Fox
Akimitsu Takase as Emperor Rune
Yoshiko Kamei as The Brain
Hiramatsu Akiko as Nova
Miho Nagahori as Empress Babs
Hikaru Midorikawa as The Chancellor
Seki Toshihiko as The Technodyne
Koyasu Takehito as Havoc
Mitsuaki Hoshino as Rhapsody Empire Soldier

Producer: Tokyo Movie Shinsha, TV Tokyo, NAS, XEBEC, Warner Bros.
Sountrack by: Avex Trax, Sony Records, Pony Canyon, EMI Japan, King Records.
Music by: AVEX Trax

Fade in

Wide shot – Acme Zone – Night
Camera zooms in the east side.

INT – Forest of Oblivion – Night
Were now in the alternate dimension called the Acme Zone, according to the info, this is the place where Buster landed years ago when Monty zaps Buster with his stolen Reality Transferer. Now, its 5 years after he saved Acme Zone and Acme Acres from doom, peace comes back to the two dimensions. In the east side lies the Forest of Oblivion, a place where monsters crawling in and out in every tree in the forest. Inside, a strange, black figure is fighting some of the monsters using his sword.

>One of the monsters attacked. But the strange figure just slashes the enemy in half. He then dodged the claws of another monster and kicks him in the waist. The he jumped and slashed the last one in half. He then landed in the ground with his clothes covered in monster’s blood.

???
(Puts his sword back in its casing)
What a waste. Their lives are important than hunting me instead.

>Suddenly, a strange figure appeared right near the trees. He was a rabbit with brown fur and orange hair color, strange clothes and carries a knife with him. The strange one notices his arrival.

???
Well, Well. The famous Shadow Assassin of Acme Zone is training in the Forest of Oblivion.
(Looks at the bloodstained area)
And it looks like you eliminated every monster in the forest.

???
Who are you?

Chancellor
I’m the so called Chancellor. I guess you’re skills were really deadly in some manner. Maybe I really needed your help.

???
In what job?

Chancellor
(Grins)
I want you to destroy Buster Bunny, and the Allied Organization of Earth Defense.

The strange one pulls out his hood and revealed his face. He was a cat just like Furball, but he has longer hair and a scar in his left eye.

???
I’m not interested.

Another figure appeared in the shadows. It was Empress Babs, who is carrying a photo in her right hand.

Empress Babs
Maybe this will see your interest.

>She tossed the photo to the strange one. He grabs it and saw the photo of Furball.

???
(Looks at the Photo)
Okay. Count me in.

Chancellor
Before that, tell us your name first Shadow Assassin.

???
My name……is Havoc.

Fade out to black.

EXT – Elmyra’s house, Acme Acres – Day
The next day at Elmyra’s house, Elmyra, Ciel, and Furball were playing card games to kill some spare time.

Furball
(Looks at his cards)
Okay, who has a 10 of spades?

Elmyra
Nope. Go fish.

>He picks up a card in the deck. It’s Ciel’s turn.

Ciel
(Looks confused)
I don’t know Elmyra. But this game is a bit………weird.

Furball
Don’t you mean that you’ve never played cards before?

Ciel
(Answers)
No. The cards in my planet were used for magic only. I’m actually not familiar with this game.

Elmyra
(A bit sad)
That’s too bad.
(Lightens up)
Anyway, how about we play another game.

Furball
As long as it doesn’t involve you hugging and squeezing me ‘till I die.

Elmyra looks sad after hearing this.

Ciel
Furball! Even thought she was doing that, you must understand her feelings sometimes.

Furball
(Smug tone)
Riiiight, as long as I can hold my breath.
(Looked at Elmyra)
Okay. I can join your games.

Elmyra
(Squealed into happiness)
Ewwwwoooo! Thank you my kitty-witty.

Ciel
Well, I guess we need to see what the Bookkeeper is doing.

Elmyra
Thanks for reminding Ciel. Their talk with the other me is taking about a long time.

>The three agreed and they went downstairs.

INT – Elmyra’s House 1st floor - Day
Downstairs, both Calnasa and the Bookkeeper were talking seriously. She explains to her how she transported into Acme Acres using Ciel’s magic.

Calnasa
(Thinks deeply)
So that’s why. You were transported here when you were reading books.

Bookkeeper
Yes. I guess Ciel is gifted with magic far more superior than yours. I can only say this: She can use that magic to summon only.

Calnasa
Theoretically, we were developing a special dimensional machine and module to travel to all dimensions. I guess Egghead is researching on that.

Bookkeeper
Well, I guess if that machine is finished, I can get back to the Acme Zone?

Calnasa
(Disappointed)
I don’t know. Since both the machine and the module is clearly untested. We don’t the certain outcome if it will work or fail.

Bookkeeper
(Looks disappointed)
I see.

Ciel, Elmyra and Furball went downstairs to their commander. Both of them noticed their arrival.

Calnasa
(Noticed the three)
Elmyra, what are you doing here?

Elmyra
Sis, we just wanted to listen on your conversations. Isn’t that right my kitty-witty?

Furball
(Smug tone)
Not me. It’s their idea.

Calnasa
(Concerned)
Elmyra, I’m actually talking to an older person. We can’t be disturbed right now.

Bookkeeper
Maybe we’ll talk later Elmyra.

Elmyra
But?

Ciel
Sorry. But we must leave them alone right now. Let’s find a place where we can play outdoors. Let’s go Elmyra.

Elmyra
(Disappointed)
Alright.

>The three were now leaving the house until Calnasa calls her younger sister.

Calnasa
Elmyra, don’t forget to go to the loo. Egghead is finishing on a special invention. You should check it out.

Elmyra
Yes sis!

>The three of them leaved the housed and starts going to the Looniversity.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classroom – Day
Everyone is now checking on the new invention Egghead created. The small chick is putting some finishing touches for the machine that looks like a giant monitor.

Plucky
(Agitated)
C’mon! You should be finished by now! I don’t know what that contraption do, but you’re slowing us down.

Buster
Plucky! We should be patient. Egghead always has a hard time on machinery like this one.

Fifi
(Leaning)
But what does that thing do? A giant TV?

Buster
Well, he said it looks like a giant TV just like the monitor used in the HQ of the AOED, but it can receive signals from alternate dimensions.

Shirley
Like the ones Ciel used or some junk.

Fifi
(Thinks)
But I remember that Ciel can’t use machinery, she only uses magic.

Shirley
(Giving Fifi a blank look)
Okay, so like I’m wrong.

>At long last, the little chick finished the machine. He pushed the red button named start in it. The whole screen starts to operate as it goes on full power. But it has no signal.

Plucky
(Looks at the monitor)
What? No cable?

Babs
Looks like it has some flaws Egghead, how can we see some reception?

Egghead points to the keyboard, where some names on some dimensions were displayed.

Babs
(A bit confused)
Okay, I really didn’t notice that.

>Buster walks to the contraption and decides which button to press.

Buster
(Thinks)
Let’s see……… Gundam Universe………Anime Universe………Tiny Toon Adventures Universe……Justice League Universe…… Aha! Acme Zone!

Buster pressed the button named Acme Zone. The signal then clears, revealing a room much low-tech that the AOED Base. Just then, a skunkette that looks like Fifi, except with a red beret, revealed in the monitor.

NOTES: To prevent confusion for everyone, the following names will be used:
RL Fifi – Resistance Leader Fifi
AZ Hamton – Defender Hamton
RM Shirley – Resistance Member Shirley

Good Luck!

Babs
(Looks at the screen)
Isn’t that Resistance Leader Fifi cleaning an area?

Buster
(Thinks)
Hmm…… Looks like Egghead’s invention worked.

Hamton
(Looks at the RL Fifi)
Hey Fifi, I bet she was wearing a beret. Sort of.

Plucky
(Looks at the monitor)
Heh! I bet she didn’t know the meaning of under……

>Before Plucky said the final word, Fifi pulled out her mallet and flattened the duck like a pancake as soon as the last word is spoken. Then she recomposed herself.

Fifi
(A bit angry)
What are you saying Plucky?

Plucky
(Trying to move)
Nothing……… I geffs………I become overactive……

Fifi
(Looks serious)
Next time, be careful on what you were saying, duck.

Shirley
Like, you don’t want here to fully use her powers or some junk Plucky.

Buster takes one of Plucky’s hands, on what looks like a hand, and blows whole-heartily into a stubby finger. With a “POP!!” Plucky is blown back to his original appearance.

Plucky
(Tries to move his fingers)
Thanks. I needed that.

Buster
Sure.
(Looks at the monitor)
Let’s see if we can communicate with them.

>Buster tries to convince RL Fifi to look but it was no avail, until she noticed something on the other dimension.

INT – Resistance Base, Acme Zone – Day
She noticed someone’s looking at her. She thinks it was her imagination until she noticed the computer in the base shows the scene back in Acme Acres.

RL Fifi
(Looks at the monitor)
Huh? Ez zat Buster?

>She looks closer at the monitor.

RL Fifi
(Finally notices)
Buster, what are vous doing there?

Buster
(Signal)
So you do notice it was us.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classrooms – Day

RL Fifi
(Signal)
What ez this? Moi can communicate you in ze other dimension.

Babs
(Said Happily)
Of course, we got a good mechanic here. Egghead, this is RL Fifi, the leader of the Acme Zone Resistance Forces.

>Egghead waved his hand saying hello.

RL Fifi
(Signal)
Hi Egghead. I guess vous have many friends zere.
(Noticed Fifi)
Is zat the other me?

Buster
Yes RL Fifi. She is, and I guess you don’t notice something about here.

INT – Resistance Base, Acme Zone – Day

RL Fifi
(Confused)
Huh?

Fifi
(Signal)
Hi other me. How’s it going there about your revolution?

RL Fifi
Uh Buster, why ez she speaking English? Does elle forget se French accent?

Fifi
(Signal, Smiled)
No I don’t. I was now perfecting my speech from French to English. And I did it. Surprised huh?

RL Fifi
(Looks happy)
Moi guess so, good for vous. Maybe vous can teach moi how.

Both AZ Hamton and RM Shirley arrived from their patrol. They soon noticed RL Fifi.

AZ Hamton
Hey, is that Buster at the monitor?

RL Fifi
(Answered)
Yes Hamton, we were now communicating from ze another dimension.

RM Shirley
Like, it’s possible that we can communicate with other without mind link or some junk.

Shirley
(Signal)
Like get real other me. We were using technology this time.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classrooms – Day
Elmyra, Ciel and Furball arrived at the Loo. They saw Buster and the others talking on the monitor.

Ciel
Hi everyone.

Buster
Hi Ciel. Hi Elmyra.

Plucky
(A bit cold)
So Furball, you got some problems with you know who.

Furball
Shut up.
(Looks at the monitor)
Hey? Is that Fifi?

Fifi
Are you talking to me Furball?

Furball noticed Fifi sitting on a chair. He was surprised that she saw the OTHER Fifi in the monitor.

Furball
(Surprised)
Ai yai yai! Am I drinking too much milk this morning?

Elmyra
(Smug tone)
Hey! I give you a bottle of milk to drink this morning.
(Looks at the monitor)
Hi RL Fifi.

RL Fifi
(Signal, Chuckles a bit)
Well, allo Elmyra. And who’s zhat girl?

Buster
RL Fifi, this girl here is Ciela Remorsa Racroa. She’s from another planet I suppose.

AZ Hamton
(Signal, Looked at the girl)
Hmm……… She looks beautiful. I think that she’s here because of her UFO crashed down on your planet right?

Everyone shook their heads.

Hamton
(Explains)
That’s not the reason. The Rhapsody Empire held her hostage and her planet was destroyed for some reason.

RM Shirley
(Signal)
Like were so sorry. We didn’t know that your home-world is gone.

Ciel
That’s okay. I was now getting used on living here. I even met your friend called the Bookkeeper.

>RL Fifi became confused and concerned on what she heard.

RL Fifi
(Signal)
Buster! Why ez ze Bookkeeper is in your world?

Buster
Well………

RL Fifi
(Signal)
Don’t tell moi zhat she was here because of ze dimensional hole.

Buster
(Stammered as he tugged on the collar of his shirt)
Uh……… yes. She did. You see, Ciel transported here in our world. And………

RM Shirley
(Signal)
Like Ciel have special powers or some junk?

Shirley
I guess you’re right other me.

>Just then, Bookkeeper and Calnasa arrived at the room, looking at the invention Egghead did.

Calnasa
Well, it looks like Egghead did it again.

Buster
(Noticed the two)
Commander, Bookkeeper, good thing you’re here.

Bookkeeper
Hey. It’s RL Fifi. How’s it going there?

RL Fifi
(Signal)
Nous Were fine. So why did Ciel transport you in zhat dimension?

Bookkeeper
(Looks depressed)
I don’t know. Las thing I remembered that there was a light that hit me. Then, I heard a calm but soft voice of a girl. Then, I was now in their world.

Buster
We really don’t know why Ciel did that. She said it was magic.

RL Fifi
(Signal)
I see. Well, vous should take care of the Bookkeeper in vous world.

AZ Hanton
(Signal)
Well, see you guys later.

>The screen starts to disappear.

Plucky
That’s it?

Fifi
I guess we know now how can we communicate with someone from other dimensions.
(Looks at Calnasa)
So commander, why did you want to develop a dimensional machine in the first place?

Calnasa
Well, for some reason I………

>The bell starts to ring, meaning the beginning of another class.

Calnasa
(Heard the bell)
Opps. There’s the bell. I guess you should be ready for your class session with Pepe Le Pew.

Buster
Thanks commander. So Ciel, do you want to watch?

Ciel
(Agreed)
Sure. I wanted you guys to see what you have to learn here.

Elmyra
How about you Bookkeeper?

Bookkeeper
I’ll go to the library and read some of your books.

Babs
I guess you got a really good taste on reading.

Bookkeeper
Sure. See you guys later.

Both Calnasa and the Bookkeeper went out of the classrooms. The toonsters went to their respective chairs and Ciel sits beside the teacher’s table, waiting for the other classmates and their mentor. But unknowingly, they were monitored by someone.

Angle on the tree
The camera zooms in the cat on the tree. It was Havoc, who was spying on the toons.

Havoc
(Looks at the toonsters with a binoculars)
Hmm……… so they are the pilots of the Z-Project. Looks like small fry to me.
(Looks at Furball)
That blue one, he somehow……… looks like me. So that blue cat is Furball. I guess I need to report this back to the Empress.

>He disappeared in an instant.

EXT – Rhapsody Empire Star Fortress
Emperor Rune is now monitoring Earth in his another attack. Both the Technodyne and Nova is now in front of him.

Emperor Rune
I guess the Empress and the Chancellor did a good job hiring an assassin to eliminate the pilots of the Z-Project.

Nova
Yes your emperor. Havoc is actually called the “Shadow Assassin” because of his speed on killing people for money.

Technodyne
And he’s somehow related to Furball on appearance.
(Grins)
And I know he will defeat the Tiny Toons in no time your emperor.

Nova
Technodyne, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions right now. We haven’t seen their true powers. It’s better to be best prepared.

Technodyne
(Getting to the point)
I know that Nova!

Emperor Rune
(Hollow Tone)
Silence, I know we don’t have enough data from the battles with the Z-Project. But you two must shut up!

Nova and Technodyne
(Kneeled and apologized)
Were so sorry, you’re Emperor.

Emperor Rune
And about Ciel, why did she escape from the ship Azeroth?

Nova
The Brain said that Pinky helped her escape and went to the place where Auka and Lari were fighting.

>Rune banged his fists in his chair angrily.

Emperor Rune
(Angry)
WHAT?!?

Technodyne
(Looks scared)
You’re emperor…………please…………control your anger. I know she was the last of the Racroans.

Emperor Rune
(Bawling Hysterically)
She’s more that the last Racroan, she’s from the Racroan Royal Family!!! They can go through diff. dimensions!

Nova
You mean you wanted here back?

Emperor Rune
No. I want her………DEAD.

Nova
(Surprised)
You mean we need to kill her along with the Z-Project?!?

Emperor Rune
I already have a copy of her powers on dimensional travel. When they discovered her powers, it will be a big problem to us.

Technodyne
Is that what you wanted, we’ll do it.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classrooms – Day
Back at the Loo, the toonsters were listening to Toon Love class taught by Pepe Le Pew. Ciel is sitting beside the teacher’s chair, watching how the Tiny Toons learn.

>Ciel looks around the busy toonsters.

Ciel
(Looks at her friends working on their studies)
Wow Mr. Le Pew, your students were so busy.

Pepe
Well of course Ciel darling. Moi’s role as ze teacher somehow has, how do you say et, problems with my students.

Ciel
Oh? Well, I always taught by my royal advisor about knowledge on everything.

Pepe
Well, being a princess of a planet ezz sure a hard job.
(Picks up a chalk)
Well, moi has more zhings to do, how about vous watch moi how I teach my students.

Ciel agrees, and Pepe returns on his teachings to the students.

Pepe
(Writes his subjects on the chalkboard)
Well class, ze most important zhing to remember about the ze perfect kiss, ez to remember some important factors……

Everyone is taking down notes more seriously that usual while Pepe discuss his lessons. Ciel is listening on their studies.

Ciel
(Confused)
I don’t know why he taught them to kiss.

>Buster looks at Ciel.

Buster
(Looks at Ciel)
Wow. Ciel is really listening even she wasn’t a student.

Buster resume to listening to the mentor’s teachings. Furball looks a bit confused on Ciel.

Furball
(To himself)
What’s this? She somehow happy on her new life here. But there some questions about her. Why is she sad?
(Pause)
Does her parents died?
(Pause)
Did she remind of me………when I was a kitten?
(Pause)
Even so, I can’t remember how I lost my parents since that plane crash accident.

>He resumed to taking down notes. Looking so sad and confused, Furball snaps out and continued on taking down notes.

INT – Library – Day
In the library, the Bookkeeper, along with Calnasa was reading some of the books involving Love, Romance and Knowledge about Buster’s Universe. She even read some of the books involving on how the Looney Tunes were formed.

Bookkeeper
(Reads some of the books)
This is interesting. The beginnings of the Looney Tunes were inscribed in this book.

Calnasa
Yes. I guess you guys haven’t heard of them.

Bookkeeper
No.

Calnasa
(Upset tone)
Oh. I forgot that you guys were fighting a war against the Chancellor.

Bookkeeper
That’s okay Calnasa.

Calnasa
I know Bookkeeper; I really don’t have enough knowledge about your world or any dimensions I can imagine.

Bookkeeper
Well, some thing must be understand when you encountered them. For some reasons, I got someone who is worth loving.

Calnasa
(Stared darkly at the floor)
Well…… I have someone that I loved in my whole life. But………

Bookkeeper
(Concerned)
But what?

Calnasa
(Looks at her books)
Ahh. Just forget about it.

>The Bookkeeper looked concerned and curious on Calnasa. Like she has a secret she doesn’t want to show.

Bookkeeper
(Concerned)
Tell me Calnasa. Are you keeping a dark secret?

Calnasa
(Stammered)
Well……… Okay. I fell in love with someone when I was in the Academy. When the both of us graduated, he promised that the two of us will be engaged.
(Paused, looks sad)
But that chance didn’t come. He died in the World Trade Center incident in New York. I was so sad to hear that he was dead.
(Pause)
After that incident, I was training to be a commander since then. And I promised to myself that no one will die just like him.

Bookkeeper
Calnasa, I………

Voice
Will someone please be quiet? This is a library.

>The Bookkeeper was cut off by a strange voice. She looks around and saw Alex sitting on the library counter.

Bookkeeper
Alex?

Alex
(Looks at the girls)
Bookkeeper. I didn’t know you were here in the library.

Calnasa
She is. We were talking about something. On the contrary, what are you doing here?

Alex
I was appointed by Bookworm to watch over the Library while he was gone Commander.

Bookkeeper
We’ll I’ll be. That doesn’t cont as………

>Just then, Gogo appears running for his life. Calnasa catches the Dodo and calms him down.

Calnasa
(Confused)
Gogo, what’s going on?

Gogo
(Worried)
Bad Problem!!!!!!!!! Bad Problem!!!!!!! Another robot attack is located at Carrotblanca.

Calnasa
(Serious)
You mean Casablanca, Morocco!!! Gogo! Order everyone to prepare for the mission! We’ll be there as soon as we can.

Gogo
(Salutes)
ROGER Capitan!

>He runs outside to remind everyone about another mission!

Alex
Let’s go Commander.

Calnasa
Right!

The three of them went to the command deck which is the classroom of Buster and Babs.

INT – Acme Looniversity Classrooms – Day
Meanwhile in the classroom, everyone is still in class until the intercom crackles and screeches to life that was accompanied by sirens. Fanny is in the com.

Fanny
(Intercom)
Everyone! We got another attack from the Rhapsody Empire! Its present location: is in Casablanca, Morocco. Alpha Brigadiers, you must go to Artemis for further instructions right now!

Pepe
Uh oh. Et looks like nous must cancel our class.
(Looks at the Toonsters, Serious)
Everyone! Prepare for transformation! Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi, Hamton, Shirley, Furball, proceed to Artemis right now!

Everyone
ROGER!!!

>The seven toonsters exit the room and went to the hangars.

Pepe
Acme Looniversity, AOED Base Mode on!!!!!

EXT – Acme Looniversity – Day
With those words, the whole place starts to transform. The two buildings started to move in different directions. The east tower moves to the left while the right tower moves to the right. Then, the central building started to move backward. After that, big guns and missile launchers started to appear. All the residents of Acme Acres noticed the sudden transformation from school to a military base.

INT – Classrooms – Day
The classrooms also transformed. And everyone is ready. Every student went to their chairs and put on their communicator headbands. Elmyra did the same. Then, Alex, Bookkeeper, Milky and Calnasa appeared. They take their proper seats also and Calnasa went to the commander’s chair.

Calnasa
Is everyone ready?

Milky
(Checks the status)
Commander, the Z-Machines was now loaded inside Artemis. Buster and the others were now aboard the ship.

Elmyra
Sis. Everything’s ok, but except one thing.

Calnasa
(Confused)
What.

Elmyra
Ciel joined them inside Artemis unnoticed. She’s gone with Buster and the others.

Pepe
(Surprised)
What?!?

Milky
It’s true! We didn’t notice how she went aboard Artemis.

Calnasa
(Looks disappointed)
Great. Contact Admiral Yakko right now! I think she was aboard the ship.

Elmyra
Yes sis!

EXT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis, Underwater – Day
Inside Artemis, Yakko is listening to some Full Metal Panic MP3’s on his computer (That’s the thing you don’t see everyday ;)). He heard a call from the main base.

Yakko
(Answers the call)
Admiral Yakko here.

Calnasa
(Radio)
Admiral! We got a stray on the ship. Her name is Ciel. If you see her, please make sure that SHE never leaves the ship until the mission is finished.

Yakko
Yes Commander!

Then, he noticed Buster and the others were inside the ship’s bridge.

Buster
Well, shall we go?

Yakko
(Proud tone)
You read my mind Buster. Okay! Take your seats now!

>Both Buster and Babs take their seats. The others did the same.

Yakko
Okay! Dot, Wakko, the status.

Dot
(Checks the status)
Everything’s fine. The launch gates are open!

Wakko
Were ready to launch!

>Unknowingly, Ciel is watching them from behind the door. She wanted to see the other how to fight.

Ciel
(Soft but low voice)
Wow. So this is how this metal bird comes to life.

Furball then heard Ciel’s voice from behind the door. But he didn’t mind. Yakko was now giving the signal to launch.

Yakko
Alright!! Artemis, Launch!!!!!!!

EXT –Underwater Hangar – Day
The whole ship starts to move as powerful underwater thrusters propel the ship to the surface. After the ship is on surface, the underwater thruster starts to convert into sky thrusters that make the whole ship fly.

EXT – Pacific Ocean – Day
The ship achieves the perfect speed and the whole craft is now in the sky.

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis - Day
Because of the impact is so strong; Ciel was accidentally appeared at the bridge. Everyone is surprised.

Everyone
CIEL?!?

Ciel
(Confused)
Everyone?

Plucky
(Annoyed)
Okay! What is she doing here?

Fifi
Ciel, why are you aboard Artemis without even telling us?

Ciel
(Apologizing)
Sorry sis. I just wanted to go with you guys.

Buster
I’m sorry Ciel. But this is a dangerous mission. We can’t let you go with us.

Babs
(Reminds the blue rabbit)
Uh Buster? Were in Artemis, we can’t go back to the base right now unless we finished this mission.

Buster finally noticed. He slapped his face and moved his hand downwards, looking like a big idiot.

Buster
(Marooned)
I forgot. Could you just call commander for this?

Yakko
Okay.
(Grabs the radio)
This is Admiral Yakko. Come in mainbase.

Milky
(Radio)
This is mainbase. Did you find Ciel?

Yakko
Yes mainbase. She’s in the bridge.

INT – Classrooms – Day

Calnasa
(Stammered)
Great. You know what to do? Don’t let her get off the ship understand?

Yakko
(Radio)
Yes commander.

>Alex stands up and requested permission.

Alex
Commander, I need permission to go with them.

Calnasa
(Serious)
Permission denied.

Alex
But?

Calnasa
(Serious tone)
Listen! Even with your Cosmograsper, you can’t reach Casablanca that instant. Artemis is specially designed to reach a far away place. Except………

>Alex thinks until he founded a solution.

Alex
(Got an idea)
Unless I used my powers! Why didn’t I think of that?

Calnasa
Alright! Your permission to go to the battlefield is accepted.

Alex
(Salutes)
Thanks commander.

Pepe
(Interrupted the two)
Excuse me madam but……you should give me ze permit to go with him.

Calnasa
(Surprised)
ARE YOU NUTS?!? I can’t do that, when your friend Bugs found out about this, I’m doomed!!!

Pepe
(Pulls out a rose from nowhere)
Ah yes. But you should remember zhat we must help someone.
(Serious)
And also, I don’t like zis feeling. Like et was a trap.

Calnasa
(Picks up the rose from Pepe’s hands)
*Sign* Alright. Alex, Pepe, go to the hangar right now!

Alex and Pepe
Roger!

Both of them went to the hangar and prepare themselves for takeoff.

Calnasa
(To self)
Good luck.

EXT – Desert - Day
At last, we were outside Casablanca in the sandy deserts. Casablanca is a city built by the French colonizers in Morocco years ago. Today, the entire town is in a disorder because of the Rhapsody Empire attack. Artemis arrived at the scene and lands just outside the city. Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi, Shirley and Furball gets of the ship and went to the town. Hamton and the Warners were at a lookout in the ship while taking care of Ciel.

Plucky
(Bold tone)
Great! I wish we weren’t late!

Buster
You can say that again. We have to hurry and save the refugees!

Everyone
Roger!

>Everyone run faster to the town. Unnoticed, they were being monitored by someone.

Camera zooms at the sand dune
>In the sand dune, stand both the Chancellor and Empress Babs.

Chancellor
(Looks at the surroundings)
Ha! They didn’t even notice that we were here.

Empress Babs
Right. Anyway, we should about to see the death of both Buster and Babs at this moment.

Chancellor
It sure is.
(Contacts the Brain)
Brain, keep an eye on them. And launch the robo-beast. Understand?

The Brain
(Radio)
I know! I’m not that dumb in your humble opinion!!!!

Chancellor
(Shouts at the communicator)
ALRIGHT!!!!
(Turns off his communicator)
Darn! Let’s go and give our guest a special surprise they’ll never forget.

Empress Babs
(Agrees)
Sure thing Chancellor.

>Both of them disappear, preparing for their battle.

EXT – Casablanca, Morocco - Day
Meanwhile, Buster and the Gang were in the town and saw many people running for their lives. Buster and the others evaded the crowd while Shirley levitates.

Fifi
Buster! It looks like the damage done to this city is really *WAAAAY* off the belt!

Shirley
(Levitating)
Like, the Rhapsody Empire forces were near or some junk.

Furball
Yeah, I can smell them from here.

Plucky
Maybe you spoke too soon! Look!

An army of Rhapsody Empire soldiers were now surrounding our heroes. Babs materializes her tennis racket while the others prepare themselves for battle.

Babs
(Serious)
Okay! Any Ideas?

Shirley
(Levitating)
Like, we could just kick their butts off or some junk.

Buster
(Serious)
Good idea! Whatever they say…………
(Declares)
……It’s time to PARTY, Buster-style!!!!!!

>The Rhapsody soldiers start to rush forward. The song “LOST HEAVEN” from Full Metal Alchemist starts to play into the scene. Buster just evades their attacks and even punching their lights out. One of the soldiers used some AK-17’s, but Babs strikes them with her racket and some of them were down to the ground.

Buster
(Punching some unlucky soldiers)
Okay! You guys are giving me a hard time here!!!
(Looks at Babs while punching)
How’s your position Babsy?!?

Babs
(Using her racket as a club)
Fine! I got some problems here at least.

>One of the soldiers is gonna cream Babs in the face. But she hits the soldier with a “WHAM!”. Plucky is having a hard time to the soldiers as he punched his way through the idiots.

Plucky
(Punching one of the soldiers)
I could grow tired on these midgets!

Shirley
(Firing lightning bolts)
Yeah! Like they disturb my cosmic center!!!

>Shirley’s lightning bolts always hits some of the soldiers in perfect accuracy, frying them into crisp. Furball slash some of the soldiers with his claws, even evading some of the soldier’s attacks.

Angle on Fifi
Fifi used her tail as a club to KO some of the soldiers. She even used her fists for the first time to punch their lights out.

Fifi
(Striking a pose)
Okay. So they’re 190 soldiers left. Now how I can take them down in one shot?
(Thinks, and got an idea)
I got it!

>Fifi turns back and raised her tail, she called the soldiers seductively

Fifi
(Calls the soldiers)
Oh boys!

Rhapsody Empire Soldier
(Confused)
Huh?

Fifi
(Serious)
Come and get it!!!!!!

>Fifi finally unleashed a full force skunk blast to the remaining soldiers, rendering them helpless. The blast is severely strong, the soldiers crashed into a nearby wall, making them unconscious. But there are some downs on this attempt, because of the blast; some of the people in the town, especially the French covered their noses.

French Tourist
(In panic, tries to flee)
Sacre Bleu!!! Le skunk de pew!!!!

High Angle – Wide view of the town.
Everyone in the town said “Le pew!”, “Le terrible odeur!!!”, etc, etc. Everyone covered their noses while some French flew away the village because they don’t wand to be skunked.

Normal View
>The others noticed the thick gas released by Fifi. Everyone feared the worst until Buster shouts.

Buster
(Shouts)
Everyone!!! Take shelter!!!!!

Buster and the others go to one of the abandoned houses for shelter. The unlucky soldiers were blown away by the thick cloud the purple skunkette unleashed. After a couple of minutes, the fumes started to disappear; Buster and the gang went to the place where Fifi is.

>Everyone arrived at the place where Fifi is.

Buster
Nice move Fifi. But next time, don’t do it again, it will give us headaches.

Plucky
He’s right. We were almost thrown away back there.

Fifi
(Angry)
I beg your pardon!

Plucky
(Angry, looks at her on the face)
It’s true! Your fumes maybe saved effort on eliminating some Rhapsody Empire Soldiers. But you also skunked the whole town!!!

Fifi
(Angry)
Well, in my humble opinion, you should thank me enough duck!!!!

Babs
(Seeing the two fighting with words)
Uh………Fifi? Plucky?

The two keeps on complaining to each other. This blows the fuse and Babs became angry. She immediately shouts at the top of her voice to calm the two down.

Babs
(Shouts out loud)
WILL THE TWO OF YOU JUST STOP IT?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Everyone calmed down. Babs quickly recomposed herself.

Furball
(Look ridiculed)
Okay, so we have skunked the whole town as well as we saved it from the Rhapsody Empire.

Shirley
(Looks at the surroundings)
He’s right. Look at the town; it’s free from the Rhapsody Empire. Without her, we were sitting on cloud 9 or some junk.

Plucky
(Frustrated)
On what point Shirl?

Babs
Well, we could be dead if some backup soldiers appeared.

Then, Havoc appeared in front of our heroes. He then attacked our heroes with his sword. They evaded the strange one’s attack.

Buster
(Demands)
Hey! Who are you?!?

Havoc
my name……is Havoc. I’m here to eliminate you, pilots of the Z-Project.

Babs
(Demands)
What?!? Are you telling us that you wanted us dead?!?

>Havoc didn’t answer Babs’s question. Instead, he started to attack our heroes. Furball blocked the attack with his claws.

Plucky
(Looks at Furball)
Hey! Don’t even think you can defeat him alone!

Furball
(Trying to block the attack)
Shut up duck!!! You should report this to the commander right away!!!

Fifi
What are you talking about Furball?!?

Furball
(Trying to block the attack)
‘Cause this whole thing, IS A TRAP!!!!!

Buster
(Shocked)
What?!?

Furball
(Tries to counterattack)
I’ll handle him from here!

Buster
Okay! Babs! Contact Artemis right away!!!!

Babs
Right! But we need to go to a safe place first!

Shirley
Like there’s no time! Contact Artemis right away!!!!

Babs
Okay!
(Pulls out her cellphone and calls Artemis)
Artemis! This is Babs! Come in Artemis!

Yakko
(Radio)
This is Artemis! What is it Babs?

Babs
Yakko! You must launch the Z-Machines right away! This mission is only a………
(Noticed the whole ground is shaking)
WHOA!!!!! QUICK!

The earthquake keeps on going. Everyone noticed that this isn’t a regular phenomenon, and a Robo-Beast appeared outside the city that reassembles a giant mole. Just in time, the Z-Machines appeared in the scene.

Buster
(Looks at the Z-Machines)
Good! Okay! Dive in!

>With those words, strange light descends from the five and they ascended into their Z-Machines and they went outside the city to fight. Furball is still fighting Havoc in a duel. Furball is using his claws to hit Havoc. But he evaded the attack because of his speed.

Havoc
You’re good, Furball.

Furball was surprised that he knows his name.

Furball
(Angry)
How did you know my name, Havoc?!?

Havoc
Let’s say someone hired me to eliminate you!!
(Tries to pull out his sword)
Now I’m serious on this!!

Furball
(Cool tone)
Me too.
(Declares)
LET’S FINISH THIS!!!!!

EXT – Desert - Day
While the two kept on fighting, Buster and the others where now fighting the Robo-Beast in the desert.

>Zephir Eagle unleashed a missile barrage into the enemy. The enemy dived into the sand to prevent to be hit while it damages both Zeiryu and Leos with its dive and attack move. Leviatian fires its cannons but it was no use also.

Plucky
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
What?!? Even Leviatian’s cannon missied it’s target?!?

Shirley
(Inside Zephir Eagle)
Buster! This Robo-Beast is really mondo hard to beat!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Be careful guys!! This one can go under the sand and attack its opponents unnoticed!

Fifi
(Inside Leviatian)
Like a giant mole Buster?

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Right Fifi.

Fifi
(Inside Leviatian)
Well, we need to outsmart him somehow?

>Zeiryu saw the robo-beast trying to attack them from the ground.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Maybe you spoke too soon!!!

>The Robo-Beast attacked Zeiryu with its claws and grabs Zeiryu in the shoulders. Buster received the same impact.

Babs
(Inside Leos)
Buster!!!!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
I’m………alright! Now get your claws off me!!!!

>Zephir Eagle and Leviatian released its missiles and it hits the target in precise aim. Leos charges to the ground, deploying its wing cutters as it hits the enemy. Zeiryu used its Plasma Rifle and fires to the opponent in close range. The enemy suddenly lets go of Zeiryu and the unit is now free.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
That was close! Okay gang! We need to fuse now!!!!

Fifi
(Inside Leviatian)
Okay!

The four Z-Machines flew up to the sky. Buster gives the signal and activates the transformation.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu)
Zeiryu-Oh!!!! Formation!!!

Buster, Babs, Plucky, Fifi
ON!!!!!

>The four Z-Machines went close together and a sudden flash is seen. After the flash faded, the four units became Zeiryu-Oh. The unit landed on the desert soil, ready to kick robot butt.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Okay guys!!! We got a bigger mole to exterminate!

Everyone
Right!

Voice
(Inside the Robo-Beast)
Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

INT – Inside Zeiryu-Oh – Day
Everyone heard a familiar voice inside the Robo-Beast.

Babs
(Identifies the voice)
I know that voice! It’s……………

Buster
(Asked)
What do you mean you know?

Fifi
The Empress?

Everyone
What?!?

Then, the monitor Buster is using shows the Chancellor and Empress Babs inside the Robo-Beast.

Empress Babs
(Radio)
Correct Ms. La Fume! Long time no see, Barbara Anne!

Babs
(Serious)
Yeah, Barbara Anastasia, so why are you here?!?

Chancellor
(Grins)
Do you really miss us that much Buster?!? Or you wanted to see us in hell perhaps? And how do you like our Robo-Beast Gaimole?

Fifi
Oh yeah! You really give us a lot of trouble!!!

Buster
(Demands)
And how did you escape the punishment years ago Chancellor?

Plucky
(Demands also)
And why are you working with the Rhapsody Empire you no good rabbit!!!!

EXT – Desert - Day

Chancellor
(Inside Gaimole)
Simple, The Rhapsody Empire helped us escape punishment, along with the Technodyne and Empress Babs; we can crush you like mere insects.

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Isn’t that an accusation?

Empress Babs
(Inside Gaimole)
Maybe. Well enough with the chit-chat!! We’ll gonna destroy you this INSTANT!!!!!!

>Gaimole started to burrow deep underground and starts to move where Zeiryu-Oh is. Everyone in the mech can’t see the enemy’s moves.

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Great! He burrowed again!

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
And this time, he’s really going to get us! Buster!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Alright! Z-Missiles!!!!

Zeiryu-Oh’s chest starts to open, then, missiles started to fire from the chest and it hits the whole ground in 360 degree radius. But it failed to detect the enemy.

>Gaimole emerges and strikes Zeiryu-Oh in the chest as it burrows again on the sand. The mech was pushed over about 70 meters. Everyone inside received the impact.

Shirley
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
It’s no use! We got to like, outsmart the………
(Felt another impact)
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

>Gaimole emerges again and attacks Zeiryu-Oh in the head and burrows again. This hit and run move damages Zeiryu-Oh greatly as everyone hangs on.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
AHHHHH!!!!! Darn it!!! If I could just hit him precisely!!! AHHHH!!!!

Empress Babs
(Inside Gaimole)
Tell me Buster. Is that what you have got?!?

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Ahh!!!! Buster!!! There utilizing the sandy desert as a giant sea.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
What do you mean Fifi.

>In the far distance, lightning crackles in a ball, soon a porthole opens. Looking through the other side is Acme Acres. And the Cosmograsper where Alex and Pepe were piloting flew through the porthole. The porthole soon closes with a snap of Alex’s fingers and finds themselves that there’re in Casablanca.

Alex
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Well, judging from the place, were now in Casablanca.

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper, looks at the surroundings)
Well, et ezz hot zhere, no?
(Looks at Zeiryu-Oh being attacked by Gaimole again and again)
Ohh la la! I guess we have a bigger problem.

Alex
(Inside Cosmograsper)
What?!? I need to contact Artemis in this state.

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Maybe, and I got a probability zhat Ciel is in zhat ship.

Alex
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Sure.
(Contacts Artemis)
This is Alex Redolence! Artemis, come in!

Dot
(Radio)
This is Artemis. What is it Alex?

Alex
(Inside Cosmograsper)
We got a big problem! Zeiryu-Oh is repeatedly hit by a Robo-Beast.

Dot
(Radio)
Oh no!! According to the info, Zeiryu-Oh could be destroyed! Alex, you must help them now!!! We’ll do something!!!

Alex
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Roger that!!
(Opens the hatch)
Mr. Le Pew, I’m switching the controls to you. You should pilot this in no time.

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper, pilots the jet)
Okay Capitan! Engaging to ze enemy!!!

>The Cosmograsper engaged in battle as it fires its missiles to the enemy. Gaimole launched its retractable claw. But Alex counters it with his bare hands.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Alex! Nice timing!!!

Alex
Thanks Blue Ears! Mr. Le Pew, we need to help them right away!

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Well of course. Let’s see if moi’s license on piloting jets ez not fading!!!

>The Cosmograsper fired its beam cannon and its missiles as it somersaults to the sky. Gaimole still keeps on attacking Zeiryu-Oh. Zeiryu-Oh blocks the attack and starts to counterattack the opponent by delivering a powerful punch. Gaimole was send 40 meters back and crashed on the sandy grounds. The enemy tries to stand up.

Chancellor
(Inside Gaimole)
AHHHHHH!!!!!!! That’s it!! No more Mr. nice bunny!

Empress Babs
(Inside Gaimole)
You said it!!! There really makes my blood boil!!!!

>Gaimole’s right claw spins into a drill and starts attacking Zeiryu-Oh, Zeiryu-Oh keeps on evading the enemy’s moves while punching the enemy. Alex and Pepe provide backup as missiles and Beam Cannons keeps on firing to the enemy.

EXT – Casablanca, Morocco - Day
On the other hand, the battle keeps on growing in the city as Furball keeps on dodging Havoc’s moves.

>Havoc unleashed darts to his opponent. Furball keeps on evading them as he used his claws.

Furball
(To himself)
Darn! He knows all my moves very well.
(Pause)
Like he’s my double!
(Snaps back into reality)
Okay!!! Let’s see if you can predict this!!!

He then stands still on the ground with his eyes closed. Havoc didn’t know what the next move of the blue cat will be.

Havoc
(Serious)
Ha! What are you doing? Giving up? If you will, I’ll put you out of your misery.

>Havoc starts to attack once again. But before he was gonna slash him into shreds; he disappeared in front of him.

Havoc
(Provoked)
What?

>Then, he was hit on the back by Furball’s claws. This sends Havoc crashing about 4 feet on the ground. He tries to stands up until one of Furball’s claws was pointing near Havoc’s neck. Furball was successful on the attempt.

Furball
(Smirked)
Don’t underestimate a cat’s keen sense.

Havoc
(Looks at Furball)
Well, looks like I was underestimated by a young cat. How impressive for my double in this world.

Furball
(Serious)
What do you mean “your double”?

Havoc
(Grins)
You don’t know? I came from the Acme Zone to eliminate you guys.

Furball
(Confused)
Acme Zone?!? Tell me, is that the place Buster landed 5 years ago?!? SPEAK!!!

Havoc
Ha! Yes.

>Then, a strange gas erupted from Havoc’s clothes, creating a big smokescreen. Furball immediately let go of Havoc and tries to cover his nose to prevent inhaling a lot of smoke. After the smoke subsided, he saw Havoc gone on his present location. Furball then saw hiw in a giant hang glider.

Havoc
That was a good fight Furball. But I can’t tell you about the Acme Zone Furball.

Furball
(Looks at the hang glider)
You coward!!! COME BACK HERE!!!!!!

Havoc leaves the city with his hang glider. Furball looks serious that he was tricked.

Furball
Someday, you’ll going down, Havoc.
(Noticed his communicator ringing)
Furaba here.

Dot
(Radio)
Furball! Are you okay?

Furball
I’m fine. What’s the situation outside the city?

Wakko
(Radio)
Not good. Zeiryu-Oh is still fighting the enemy.

INT – AOED Z-Machine Transport Vessel Artemis - Day

Wakko
I don’t know if they can take another impact.

Furball
(Radio)
They can do it. You must answer a call from the HQ right away. I bet they have a plan to defeat them.

Wakko
Okay.
(Looks at Yakko)
What should we do Yakko? We can’t let them be killed!!!!

Ciel
(Begs)
Please Yakko, you must help them.

Dot
(Disappointed)
Sorry Ciel. But Artemis is a transport ship. It doesn’t have weapons on what kind.

Ciel
Oh no.

>Hamton noticed another call. This time, it’s from the headquarters.

Hamton
(Answers the call)
This is Artemis. What is it?

Elmyra
(Radio)
The Bookkeeper has something to say on Buster. Patch it through Zeiryu-Oh.

Hamton
Okay!

INT – Inside Zeiryu-Oh – Day
Everyone inside Zeiryu-Oh is still having a hard time. Buster noticed the call from HQ.

Buster
AHHH!!!!! Could someone answer that call?!? I got my hands full!!!

Fifi
I will.
(Answers the call)
What is it?

Bookkeeper
(Radio)
Everyone! I got a plan how to defeat Gaimole. When he dives, you should see a hint of its tail. Take advantage of that and use your weapon named Lion Shield Cannon.

Plucky
AHHH!!!!! What kind of weapon is that?

Bookkeeper
(Radio)
Listen! That weapon uses a system called FPS or Fume Propulsion System. It converts skunk fumes into plasma energy using a special module attached in Leos and Leviatian. In other words: it converts skunk fumes into electricity.

Calnasa
(Radio)
But to use it, you must unburrow Gaimole right away!

Buster
Yes commander!

INT – Desert – Day

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Alex! We must prevent Gaimole from burrowing into the ground.

Alex
Okay! It’s time Mr. Le Pew!

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper)
I got zhat!

>The Cosmograsper starts to unleash all of its weapons and hit the target precisely. Gaimole’s didn’t have the time to burrow because of the impact.

Chancellor
(Inside Gaimole)
Darn it! The controls were frozen!!!!

Empress Babs
(Inside Gaimole)
Well don’t just stand then!!! Fix it!!!!

While the two were feuding inside their mech, Zeiryu-Oh is ready for a powerful move.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Now it’s our turn. LION SHIELD!!!!

>The Lion Shield appeared out of nowhere, Zeiryu-Oh grabs it with two hands.

INT – Inside Zeiryu-Oh – Day
Everyone inside were ready on the second finishing attack. The music of Gundam X where the twin satellite cannon is activated plays in the scene.

Buster
(Commands)
Babs! Activate FPS!

Babs quickly activated the command named FPS.

Babs
(Checks the status)
Command activated. FPS is now enabled.

Then, a strange contraption appeared at Fifi’s seat. The contraption attached itself into the area where her scent glands were located.

Fifi
(Asks)
Uh Buster? What is this strange thing attached at the back of my jeans?

Plucky
Well, it looks like a hose or some sort.

Shirley
We don’t have any time for that Plucky!!! Buster!

Buster
(Serious)
Right! Start the fume collecting Fifi!

Fifi
(Serious with a hint of playfulness)
Okay!!!

Fifi unleashed her fumes and it was collected to the strange contraption. The fumes travel to a strange turbine inside Zeiryu-Oh as it converts it into plasma energy.

INT – Desert – Day
>The twin turbines on Zeiryu-Oh’s side armor starts to spin as it collects air. The spikes located in the center of the turbines starts to glow in a golden light which is followed by sparks of electricity into the Lion Shield.

Pepe
(Inside Cosmograsper)
Oh my.

Alex
(Looks below)
Looks like Zeiryu-Oh is doing its second finishing move.

>Gaimole starts to recover as it starts up again. But they were too late to burrow because of powerful move Zeiryu-Oh will unleash.

Chancellor
(Inside Gaimole)
Oh no!!!!

Empress Babs
(Inside Gaimole)
Great nova! We don’t have time to burrow!!! We need to retreat!!!!

>The Lion Shield starts to open and it started to collect energy particles the FPS unleashed.

Fifi
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Distance of target: 600.12 meters!

Plucky
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Probability of perfect hit: 99.9%!

>Both the Chancellor and Empress Babs escaped Gaimole using escape pods installed in the mech. The escape pods floats to a safe distance. Meanwhile, the energy collected by Zeiryu-Oh reached 100%. And it’s ready to fire the cannon.

Babs
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Buster!!!! Charging complete!

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Okay!!!! Firing in 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!!!!!
(Yells out loud)
Lion!!!!! Shield!!!!! CANNON!!!!!!

>The mouth of the Lion Shield unleashed a gigantic blast that hits the Gaimole in precise aim, destroying it with a giant “BOOM!!!” and explosions. After the cannon weaken and disappear, Gaimole is destroyed and became sub-atomic particles. Both the Empress and the Chancelor were furious.

Chancellor
(Inside the escape pod)
NEXT TIME WE BUSTER, YOU’LL BE SORRY!!!!! And I'll have your head for this.

Buster
(Inside Zeiryu-Oh)
Yeah right! Go home and cry for mommy Chancellor!

Empress Babs
(Inside the escape pod)
THAT WAS A NASTY INSULT!!!! LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!

>The escape pod flew into the sky and back to the enemy HQ. Everyone is relieved since the battle is over.

EXT – Elmyra’s house, Acme Acres – Afternoon
Back at Acme Acres, everything’s is back to normal, except for some.

Ciel
And I saw it! Zeiryu-Oh fired the cannon and the whole robot became scrap metal. You should have seen it Ms. Calnasa.

Elmyra
(Exited)
Ciel’s right sis! You should see it.

Calnasa
I know Ciel. Well, I guess everything’s back to normal.
(Thinks on something)
But how did Furball knows that this mission is a trap? And who is this Havoc guy he was talking about

Bookkeeper
(Noticed)
Havoc is the so called “Shadow Assassin of Acme Zone”. He can kill someone if you pay him enough money to do it.

Calnasa
(Confused)
But why did the Rhapsody Empire hired him? Is this related to the escape of the Empress, Chancellor and the Technodyne?

Bookkeeper
I don’t know. That’s the only question I can’t answer. But I’m sure of this: he maybe wanted to destroy the AOED.

Calnasa
(Looks disappointed)
Guess you’re right Bookkeeper. I wonder what happen to Furball.

INT – Grassy Fields, Acme Acres – Afternoon
Speaking of Furball, he is watching the sun sets on the grassy field in Acme Acres. He looks dissiapointed with some anger in his face, thinking about his fight with Havoc. Buster and the others came just in time.

Furball
What is it, Blue Ears?

Buster
(Sits on the grass)
Well, we were worried about your fight between you and Havoc.

Furball
(Looks at the sunset)
Why? Are you worried about that?

Babs
(Reasoned)
Furball, you should know that he escaped. But when he comes back, you should be ready.

Buster
Babs’s right. You should take away your anger for today.

Plucky
(Cool tone)
Just forget your problems cat.

Furball turns around and looked at the others with a hint of playfulness.

Furball
Is that a complement duck?

Plucky
Maybe.

Shirley
Like you have no comments on something or some junk Plucky.

Plucky
(Agitated)
Oh C’mon! Shirl!

Shirley
(Gives Plucky a cold look)
Like get real Plucky. Talking to you sends some bad aura to me or some junk.

Plucky
Ha! Is that a bad thing Shirl?

Fifi
(Tries to stop the two)
Uh Plucky? Shirley? Will you please stop fighting?
(Gives up)
*Sign* what should I do anyway?

Both Plucky and Shirley keeps on fighting with words while Buster and the others stop them from feuding. Furball didn’t seem to notice.

Furball
(To self)
Note to self; give Plucky a big duck tape for his beak.
(Pause, looks happy with a curved smile)
Who cares? I could worry about Havoc the next day. But I wonder?

>Furball gazes to the sunset once more, leaving is troubles behind for the day. As for Plucky, well, you’ll be the judge on what we can do to shut him up, any ideas?

Fade out

I hope you enjoyed it. The email is still blackgaia02 [at] yahoo [dot] com for some comments involving on this fan fiction.

Again for the thanks and apologies to some people for their characters and their stories:

1. Jeremy J. Jurrens (Stories: The Legend of the Deed to Acme Acres, Transfer Student and Le Wedding De Fifi)

2. Kevin Mickel, Mike Cote, Rebecca Littlehales, John Friedrich and Mike Demico (Stories: Mondo Negatory Tiny Toons: The Other Side of Comedy)

3. John Calcano for his character named Havoc. (As far as I’m concerned, he never appeared in Mondo Negatory Tiny Toons: The Other Side of Comedy. So I include him on this fan-fic)

SOMETHINGS TO REMEMBER:
1. Check my E-Mail this week.
2. Try to finish Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Bad Dream without cheats.
3. Research for another episode of Metal Angel Zeiryu-Oh.
4. Try to download a Machine Robo Rescue Manga on the Web for a change.

END TAG (FOR THIS FAN FIC ONLY!!!)
Fifi: "Au revoir, my petit potato du couch!"

[Hmm…… Guess I must resume the original end tag of this fan fic. But for you readers, do you have an original end tag I can use?]

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