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Chapter Text

In a beautiful morning, the sun rose from the horizon, and shined the busy streets and buildings of Los Angeles. Birds were now flying in groups, a few vehicles were already driving on the road, and people just woke up and ate some breakfast. It was a busy city, but not as busy as a group of former criminals/vigilantes whose hideout was under the bridge of the 6th Street Viaduct.

An alarm clock suddenly rang, until a green fin slammed it down to turn it off. Mr. Piranha, the short but strong and terrible Bad Guy, woke up exhaustingly on his little bed. He didn't want to get up in the morning, but every day was another day. All his friends couldn't do whatever they wanted without one would still be in their room. Piranha let out a big yawn before sitting up on his bed. He stared at the pictures of himself and his friends on the wall, having great moments with each other. Piranha smiled as he was happy to be living here in America with his friends ever since he left his home country, Bolivia.

Piranha tiredly left his bedroom while rubbing one eye with his fin. When he was headed to the fridge, he noticed on the calendar that it was his week to take out the trash. That was just great. He just woke up, and now he found out it was his turn to take out the trash. Well, everyone on the team got their part, so this was his part now. Piranha marched away to pick up all the trash around the hideout to take them away.

He came out of the tunnel, carrying a huge garbage bag. The bag was so big and heavy for a small little guy, but Piranha could handle carrying this bag. He is the "muscle" of the team! He could carry heavier than a ton of bricks. No harm was done to this little guy. His team's hideout was located under the 6th Street Viaduct bridge, so taking out the trash would be a lot. They had to keep their location hidden, despite their reputation having changed. The trash bins were somewhere up from the hideout, and someone had to search for the trash bins. And that someone had to be Piranha. It was his day to take out the trash after all.

Piranha took the long way to find the trash bin. Expectedly, he stepped on the gum. Luckily, it was on the sewer lid. He had to kick the gum off his shoe and leave it on the sewer lid.

Piranha: Lights up on Los Angeles, up at the break of day
I wake up and I got this little waste I gotta throw away
Pop the grate at the crack of dawn
Sing while I walk down the alley

Hey, what's up, papa?

Finally, he found a trash bin at the side of the road. Surprisingly, Piragua Guy was traveling with a cart of Piragua.

Piragua Guy: Ice cold piragua!
Parcha
China
Cherry
Strawberry
And just for today, I got mamey!

Piranha then encountered the Piragua guy with a friendly greeting…

Piranha: Oye, piragüero, como estas?

Piragua Guy: Como siempre, Señor Piranha

Piragua guy handed a cup of piragua to Piranha for free, and proceeded to push his cart to sell more of his piragua.

Piranha appreciated Piragua Guy's offer as he continued singing while heading back to his hideout.

Piranha: I am Piranha, you probably already heard my name
Reports of my looks are greatly exaggerated
Exacerbated by the fact that my syntax
Is highly complicated 'cuz I emigrated
To the single greatest little place in the USA:
Living the Bad Guy lifestyle!
I love it!
Ah man, I'm a front of it
And beyond that
Ever since I left my fam
I haven't gone back
For now, I gotta get on lots...

When he arrived at the hideout, Piranha headed to the fridge to make breakfast, but he found out that something was wrong…

Piranha: No good ingredients? Hold up a second
Why is everything in this fridge plain and lacking?
Let's just go outside now, explore the streets
'Cuz no vibrant tastiness for the early breakfast isn't light and sweet!

Just then, Wolf came out from his bedroom, "Hey, Piranha!"

"Wolf, we don't have enough to make a good breakfast," Piranha reported.

"Oh, we can go to FasTogether. We can head there for a cheaper meal."

"Nice!"

Piranha: That was my amigo, Wolf, you already know how he surfed
He practically brought me here, this territory is his turf
Now you're probably thinking:
"Is this a life of crime?"

Then, Snake came out of the room, rubbing his eye with his tail, "Is it already wake-up time?"

The other two Bad Guys came out from their respective rooms as well, just woken up from bed.

Piranha: Well, you never know the pack
Hands on wheel, picked me up to teach me how to never lose a step back
Keep the crew together for goals, take them to the escalator
I hope you're writing this down, I'm gonna test ya later

Ignoring Piranha just suddenly singing for no reason, the other Bad Guys proceeded to the elevator where their car was, and Piranha just followed them while singing

Piranha: We already passed the test, on another level
Change the views, switch sides, but only temporal
Fighting to wisen up, mischief for loosening up
And ever since our work rise up
Our lives and shells became strong and tough
And to us, that's just enough

The Bad Guys hopped into the car, fastened their seatbelts, and Wolf drove out of the tunnel from their hideout. They found a way to head into the road, and headed to Boyle Heights, where most of the residents started singing about their everyday lives.

Boyle Heights residents:  In the heights
I flip the lights and start my day
There are fights
And endless dreams
And prices to pay

In the Heights
I can't survive without café
I serve café
Yet the future seems like a million years away!

En Boyle…

Meanwhile, back at the Bad Guys' car, the song continued with Piranha.

Piranha: Next up to my side, there's Snake
Doesn't deal with anything flakey
But he's good at being shady
And behind me was Shark, his heart is caring and tender
My big brother who knows the strings, used the plaster

Snake: Piranha, are you singing again?

Piranha: Got to get into the good mood, chico!

Snake: Just pick up the pace, don't keep us waiting

Shark: It's still right up ahead there, babe

Piranha: Yeah, a man's gotta dream…

Wolf: Don't mind him, he's all excited
'Cuz he'll be meeting his bug again!

Piranha: (immediately blushing)  Don't look at me, I have been expecting him to cook all morning this week!

Tarantula: FasTogether runs all night

All: There's plenty to eat!

As the Bad Guys arrived at their favorite restaurant, Wolf parked the car on the sidewalk, and, just in time, two ladies they knew just crossed the crosswalk.

A journalist mother was followed by her daughter, who copied the former's every move when they walked the crosswalk.

Mira: And then, Mira walks into the room…
With Mariposa and new dooms!
Another blonde ditz today
Refusing to groom the tomb

It's true! He protests he's innocent his whole life.

Piranha: Mira

Mira: Court says he burnt workers like smores.

Piranha: Mariposa

Mira: But his autocrats will give him more!

The Bad Guys: No way! Seriously?!

Piranha: That's right. The Rose girls!

Mira and Mariposa: Hey, Piranha!

Mira and Mariposa waved at the Bad Guys, who waved back at them before heading towards the door of the restaurant. Piranha was left behind and Mariposa rushed towards him and hugged her favorite babysitter.

"Will you babysit me again?" The little girl asked.

"Si, chica. Sure I will," Piranha rustled her hair, making Mariposa giggle.

"Mariposa!" Mira called out to her daughter, gesturing that it was time to go.

Mariposa released Piranha from the hug and skipped along to follow her mother before turning back to her favorite babysitter, and squeaked, "Bye!"

Piranha smiled back before getting interrupted by his female friend.

"Piranha!" Tarantula called, who was waiting at the door, "Come on!"

"Chillax, chica, you know you love me!" Piranha teased.

Tarantula rolled her eyes as she crawled in, and Piranha caught up with her.

Inside the restaurant, the Bad Guys were standing in line to get to the counter to order their food. A lot of people were hungry this morning. There were a lot of customers ordering food.

Piranha: Just a little quip from Webs, like a boring sister
Her sarcasm makes blisters
And now, you know how we roll
With a shining camera we control
People used to come and go when around us
But you see now, nobody is giving any fuss
Everybody's got a role, everybody's got a dream
Yet complain as I sip my coffee and smirk
While watching the good ones hop to work
You can hear the:
"One dollar, two dollars, one fifty, one sixty-nine.
I got it. You want a box of muffins? What kind?
That's two quarters.
Two-quarter soda. Done in no time.
You need a bag for that? The tax is added."
Once you get some practice at it
You see how they get everything automatically
Getting scrambled eggs, sprinkle sugar on the cream and practically
Everybody's wins, yes!
Just already passed the mess,
Tick the checks, wonder what's next

The song continued with the people of Boyle Heights singing the story of their morning.

Boyle Heights residents: In the heights
I buy my coffee and I go
(I buy my coffee and I go)
Set my sights
On only what I need to know

In the heights
Can be tight
But even so
When the lights go down, I blast my radio!

Just then, Chief Luggins burst into the restaurant, just in time the Bad Guys finally reached the counter to order with the restaurant owners, Mr. and Mrs. Gardener, took care of taking orders.

Chief Luggins: You ain't got no skills

Piranha: And that's Chief Luggins

Chief Luggins: Yo, lemme get a

Mrs. Gardener: One sausage and egg muffin)

Chief Luggins: Yup, and lemme also get a—

Wolf: (Daily News)

Chief Luggins: And a—

Shark: (Post)

Chief Luggins: And the most important, my…

Mr. Gardener: Favorite coffee, one cream

Snake and Tarantula: Two sugars!

Chief Luggins: I'm the number one earner (What?!)
The fastest learner (What?!)
At least I know every alley and corner

Wolf: (Yeah, you can)

Chief Luggins: I'm makin' moves, I'm makin' deals, but guess what?

Piranha: (What?)

Chief Luggins: You still ain't got no skills!

Piranha: (Hardee-har)

Chief Luggins: Hornet's gonna show up yet?

Piranha: Shut up

Shark: Hey, little brother, don't get so upset

Piranha: Man...

Wolf: Tell Hornet how you feel, maybe steal a meal

Or you'll be hearing

Wolf, Snake, Shark, Tarantula, Mr. Gardener, Mrs. Gardener, and Chief Luggins: You got no skills

Just then, it was Hornet's turn as he came out from the kitchen, carrying a tray of food, and his co-workers danced in two lines and both sides.

Hornet: Nooo!
No no nooo!
No no nooo, no-no-no!
Nooo, no-no-no!
No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no, no-no-no-no-no!

Stay on sight, eyes forward until you've done the deposit
It's all on my hands, no time to search through my pockets
One spill from the cup, one slip, should not rock it
Keep your head high now, you're already out of the closet

No, no, don't let this fall down…

While Hornet flew towards the customers' table with their order, the Bad Guys, Mr and Mrs. Gardener, and chief Luggins watched him while waiting for Piranha to make his move.

Tarantula: Yo, here's your chance; ask him out right now!

Hornet: Work's nearly done, maybe I should have a raise.

Wolf: Do something, make your move, don't be fazed!

After Hornet served the food the customers' ordered, Piranha bravely walked towards Hornet, and lightly poked him on the back to get his boyfriend's attention.

Piranha: Hey!

Hornet: You owe me a bottle of cold champagne!

Piranha: Work doing alright?

Hornet: Just longer work for credit and I'll be on the rich train!

Piranha: Well, the victory dinner is on me…

Hornet: Okay!

Wolf: Piranha, ask him out

Shark: No way!

Hornet: I'll see you later, so...

Hornet gave Piranha a wink before heading back to the kitchen to continue working, and Piranha just dreamingly watched him go, hoping he'll see his boyfriend later for another date.

The trance was interrupted when other Bad Guys, Mr. and Mrs. Gardener, and Chief Luggins burst into laughter for Piranha being too slow and speechless to speak up to Hornet, not to mention too slow to reach his real goal in life.

Wolf: Oooh... Smooth operator, aw, damn, there she goes!
Yo, bro, take five, take a walk outside!
You look exhausted, lost, don't let life slide!
The whole hood is struggling, times are tight
And you're stuck to this corner like a streetlight!

Taking his friend's advice, Piranha headed outside for some fresh air, and, all of a sudden, the residents of Boyle Heights were on the streets, dancing to the beat of the song in the background.

Piranha: Yeah, I'm a streetlight, chokin' on the heat
The world spins around while I'm frozen to my seat
The people that I know all keep on rollin' down the street
But every day is different so I'm switchin' up the beat

Cause I came here with nothing, searching for a little more
And sure, it can look poor, at least there's the front door
And it's all about the legacy that created me, it's destiny
And one day I'll be on a beach with governors writing checks to me

Boyle Heights residents: In the Heights, I hang my flag up on display

Piranha: We came to work and to live and we got a lot in common

Boyle Heights residents: It reminds me that I came from miles away

Piranha: No need to look, we are not stopping

Boyle Heights residents: In the Heights
Every day, we work all day

Piranha: Until the day we go from being broke to being free

Boyle Heights residents: In the Heights
I've got today!

Piranha: And today's all we got, so we cannot stop
This is our block!

Boyle Heights residents: In the Heights
I hang my flag up on display

Piranha: (Lo le lo le lo lai lai lo le!)

Boyle Heights residents: It reminds me that I came from miles away
(Before I came from miles away…)
In the Heights
It gets more difficult every day

Piragua Guy: (Every day)

Boyle Heights residents: And tonight is so far away...

Piranha: But as for mañana, mi pana
Ya gotta just keep watchin'

Boyle Heights residents: (In the Heights!)

Piranha: You'll see the late nights
You'll feel the bright sights

Boyle Heights residents: (In the Heights!)

Piranha: Blossom and the green ice
I ain't gonna say it twice

Boyle Heights residents: (In the Heights!)

Piranha: So turn up the stage lights
We're takin' a flight
To a couple of days
in the life of what it's like

All: In Boyle Heights!

The scene all changed when Piranha smiled while humming and having his eyes closed. Turned out, the whole musical number was just in Piranha's head. Everything was all in his head, his daydream.

The Bad Guys were in FasTogether, but they dined outside instead as the restaurant was still in ruins. It was still under renovation, so the customers were told to be dining outside. Business was still going to earn enough money for the renovation.

"Hey, Piranha! Wake up!" Shark shook Piranha awake from his daydream by shaking his shoulder.

The little fish snapped away to reality as he didn't know what just happened while he was daydreaming, "What? What happened?"

"You were humming for 15 minutes! You haven't eaten your food yet!" Snake said while pointing at a fried fish sandwich that Piranha ordered.

"Oh, right!" Piranha quickly grabbed the sandwich, and took a bite from it.

The Bad Guys were sitting on the table with an umbrella on top, shading themselves from the heat and the brightness of the sun.

Shark was still chewing on his burger, but he was uncomfortable dining outside "I hate eating outside. I wish we could eat inside. There's air conditioning there."

Wolf sighed as he explained while pointing to the restaurant, which had cardboards covering the windows, but it was dark and dusty inside, "Ever since the FasTogether kitchen burned down, Mr. and Mrs. Gardener had to make a lot of renovation in this place. The business is still going but there's a lot of adjustments for the time being."

As the other members of the Bad Guys understood, Piranha was fiddling with his sandwich as he thought of something or someone else than a burning restaurant interior, "Is Hornet coming after his shift?"

"Well, you know that bug. He wanted to change and forget his past. He'll come around at his own pace," Tarantula noted.

"I… guess so," Piranha hoped.

Ever since he and Hornet started dating, Piranha wanted to hang out more with him, but Hornet had been caught up with work, they dated less than usual on the first time of their relationship.

Speaking of Hornet, he arrived just in time in front of their table after serving another customer, "Hey guys."

"Hornet!" The Bad Guys greeted him happily.

"Did I miss anything?" The bug asked eagerly.

"Your boyfriend here really missed you. Isn't that sweet?" Tarantula cooed.

This made Piranha feel a little embarrassed that Tarantula tattled about his feelings, and Piranha looked awkwardly at Hornet, who was also blushing surprisingly.

Piranha wanted to drop the topic it was a little awkward and continued eating his sandwich.

Hornet snapped out of it as he was trying to stay focused on his job, "So… uh, here's your receipt." He put the receipt down on the table.

Wolf then pulled a 5-dollar bill from his pocket, "And here's your tip."

"Thanks, Wolf," Hornet happily accepted the money, even though the whole group shared the same money. It didn't matter. Coming from his friends made him so happy, "I'll meet you guys later at lunchtime. Mr. and Mrs. Gardener gave me a half-day for my hard work."

"That's great, Hornet." Snake smiled, feeling proud of his bug friend.

"Maybe we can do a little heist again?" Piranha suggested.

"Sure," "Hornet nodded smilingly. He liked the sight of Piranha, his best friend… his boyfriend. He really loved this fish, and he'd do anything for him, even if he had to sacrifice his work for him. The insect then shook his head to snap out of his thoughts, and said, "I'll see you later, guys." He flew off back into the restaurant to get some more orders as his friends waved goodbye to him.

Though Piranha expected something from Hornet, he didn't want to request it because of work, so Piranha just dropped it, and looked down, feeling a bit disappointed that Hornet forgot something. To his surprise, Hornet returned to Piranha's side, and said, "Almost forgot!" he kissed him on the cheek, "Bye!" He then flew away as fast as he could back into the restaurant.

Piranha was very surprised by that. He couldn't believe Hornet had almost forgotten yet did what he wanted from him. Guess this is what it's going to be from now on. Now that they're boyfriends, their relationship would evolve into romance. The feeling was new to both of them, but Piranha loved it hard, and wanted to stay that way with Hornet.

As soon as Hornet left, the Bad Guys finished up their food, and threw away their trash.

"Come on, we have to head back to the hideout," Wolf noted as he led his friends to their car on the sidewalk.

Piranha just finished his sandwich before throwing the wrapper away. Before he could follow his friends, he looked back at the restaurant, still thinking about Hornet. He wished he could see him sooner than lunchtime. Piranha quickly ran to the car before his friend would leave him behind.

As Wolf drove the car on the road of Boyle Heights, Piranha looked out the window, and began to wonder that, if these people worked really hard for their dreams, he wished he could reach his someday. He hoped there would be a sign for him to reach that dream.

Chapter Text

When the Bad Guys drove down the street, about to head to the 6th Street Viaduct, it was a bit boring to travel all the way back. Ever since they took a small rest from crime for a bit and Hornet was focused on his job, their lives were a bit more boring than usual.

But then, Shark saw something, and yelled, "Hey Wolf, stop right here! I wanna look at that!" he pointed outside.

It was revealed that Shark wanted to go to the open clothing store. Before they could get inside, Shark was studying a new dress through the window, and his friends were bored waiting for him. They didn't have to look at other clothes since they weren't into fashion like Shark.

"Oooh, fancy," Shark giggled while looking down at the skirt part of the dress.

"Ugh, why do we have to stop to look at dresses?" Snake groaned in boredom.

"Come on, Snake. I do need new clothes if we want to be unrecognized," Shark explained.

Just then, a trailer just passed them, and Piranha heard vocals and music playing.

"Guys, did you hear that?" He asked his friends, but no one listened to him. Shark was more focused on surveying a new dress and his friends were still waiting for the big guy.

Piranha got distracted by that trailer with music playing inside, he took a step down on the street from the sidewalk and stumbled down on the middle.

He just watched the trailer driving away, still hearing the music. But once Piranha turned around, there was an upcoming car headed for him. The driver noticed him and didn't think what to do.

The rest of the Bad Guys turned and noticed Piranha in the middle of the street, about to be run over by a car. Snake jumped forward with Wolf grabbing his tail, ready to pull.

Once Snake wrapped his body around Piranha, Wolf quickly pulled both out of the street. The car missed them and continued driving forward.

Once Piranha was safely back on the sidewalk, it was a close one. His friends checked if he was okay with no injuries or some sort.

"Whoa, Piranha, are you alright?" Shark asked worryingly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, hermano. Gracias," Piranha said as he felt traumatized.

"Wow, you've never been so clumsy before… except that you had Wolf run over by a truck," Snake teased, recalling their goodness training with Professor Marmalade a year ago.

Wolf just rolled his eyes as he didn't want to live on that.

"Sorry. I was a bit… distracted." Piranha admitted, knowing that he heard music on that trailer, but it almost killed him.

Well, we better go," Wolf declared before turning to Shark, who was still leaning his face towards the glass window and staring at the dress, "Shark, please buy clothes, and let's get out of here!"

"Alright, alright, I just need to fit in this first!" Shark rushed into the store, making his friends groan with boredom.

Later, the Bad Guys got out of the store, only carrying a lot of bags of clothes. Turned out Shark bought a lot of clothes than they thought.

Just in time, Hornet approached them while panting heavily. He already changed his clothes from his waiter outfit to his casual one.

"Hey guys!"

"Hornet, wow, you caught up with us," Wolf exclaimed, happily to see his insect friend.

"Yeah, you know I fly so fast," Hornet said proudly, "So, what's…?" He then noticed that his friends carried a lot of shopping bags, "All that?"

"Shark's buying more clothes again," Tarantula deadpanned.

"Perfect for new disguises!" Shark squealed in excitement.

"Well, you better customize that, or the sellers would recognize those clothes you use for disguises," Hornet suggested.

The Bad Guys chuckled as they headed to the car. They pushed all of the shopping bags into the car before they squeezed in. The car was a bit crowded, but, like any family, the Bad Guys could adjust to a crowded car.

When the car was at the Mariachi Plaza, Wolf managed to spot a sign hanging on a lamppost. He suddenly parked the car on the sidewalk, much to his friends' confusion.

"Hey guys, look!" Wolf got out of the driver's seat as the rest of his friends got out of the car and followed him. Right there, above them was a sign, "Boyle Heights Fireworks Show."

"Fireworks, huh?" Snake said.

"Well, we never had seen fireworks for a while. Maybe it would be our first time seeing them so close," Shark stated.

"Yeah. We avoided fireworks since we were still criminals." Tarantula reminded.

"I guess this is the perfect opportunity," Wolf clapped his paws together before telling the little insect, "Hornet, make sure you got the address."

But Hornet already pictured the flyer with his helmet, "Way ahead of you, buddy."

"Great! We must set up a reminder. 4:00 pm-8:00 pm at Hollenbeck Park," Wolf announced as he took out his phone.

The rest of the Bad Guys took out their phones (with Hornet using his helmet instead), "Right!"

They all set their alarm and calendar for the Fireworks show at the exact time when it'll start.

"Perfect," Wolf smiled.

Just then, Piranha heard the music again. Not just any music. It's the same music he heard from earlier.

"There's that music again," Piranha said as he walked forward, trying to follow the music.

"Piranha, where are you going?" Hornet asked as he and the rest of the Bad Guys followed the little fish.

Piranha crossed the street with his friends following him. He was headed to Santa Cecilia Apartment. When the Bad Guys made it, they could hear the music loud and clear, and the trailer that Piranha had seen earlier was parked on the sidewalk.

"Sounds pretty good." Piranha smiled, taking an interest in the music.

"Sounds like somebody was mourning or something," Snake commented.

The Bad Guys took a look through the window of the apartment building at the main lobby, where they saw a musical band, consisting of all anthropomorphic animals; a dog, a cat, a bat, a horse; and two African-American humans.

The cat named Felina sang to her heart's content while giving a little flirty look at her dog boyfriend, Doug.

All different voices, our melody's ringin'
We're living in harmony! Yeah, we're livin' in harmony!

Doug just couldn't help but stare at Felina as he sighed dreamingly, "Voice like an angel... with looks to match."

The bat, Rocki, rolled her eyes, feeling displeased, "Oh, please."

Felina: Yeah, we're livin' in harmon—

Suddenly, Felina tripped on a potted plant, and fell on the floor, "Aah!"

"Ooh!" Her band members cringed as they felt Felina's pain.

Felina got up from her fall, and rubbed her back, "Ow! Darn this tour! Of all the places, why do we have to come here anyway?!"

"Now, Felina, it's not like this building didn't like your singing," Doug said, approaching towards her to help her get up straight, "Now, can we get back to rehearsing, please?"

"I refuse to work under these conditions," The cat scoffed.

"Uh-oh. Here we go," The horse, Dolly, could predict this part as the rest of the band members chuckled.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Felina. You rehearse, and afterward I'll take you to another place where we can rehearse, just the two of us, all right?" Doug suggested, putting a paw on her shoulder.

"I got 5 bucks on Felina!" The teenage human boy, Daniel, bet on this.

"I'll cover that!" His mother, Ellen, agreed.

But Felina didn't appreciate her boyfriend's comfort as she threw his paw off her shoulder, "It just so happens I am a professional, and my standards—"

"Oh, now, Felina, sweetheart, you put on that same old record every day. Doesn't that just about wear out by now?" Doug asked with concern.

"You have some nerve talking to me that way, Doug. If your ear were any bigger, you could what you just said to me," Felina snarled back,

"Well, you listen to me, Miss Long Tail, in a couple of days, we will be in front of that talent scout from Hollywood Bowl."

"I get possibly scarred for life, and all you can talk about is the Hollywood Bowl?"

"Oh, now, Felina."

"I'll be in my trailer," Felina then marched towards the door.

"Darling, we got a show to do. You can't just walk…" Before Doug could finish, Felina was already out of the door with the Bad Guys watching the scene and watching Felina walking out like that.

"Away," Doug finished his sentence. Since Felina won this argument, Ellen gave her son $5. "Sometimes I dislike that woman," Doug murmured.

"If they dislike each other anymore, they'd have to get hitched," Rocki teased as the rest of the band chuckled at this.

Doug then snapped out of his thoughts on Felina, and focused on their rehearsal, "Alright, guys, we have to practice one more time before we can play at the kiosk."

"I hope Felina we'll be back before our performance," Dolly was worried for Felina.

"Eh, we can do it without her. Now, come on," Doug said as he got back to the couch to start practicing their song.

Outside, after watching the whole dramatic scene, the Bad Guys looked away from the window, and Piranha asked, "Hey guys, can we stop over to the kiosk across the street for the performance just a little bit?"

"I… uh…" Wolf was unsure of this as he thought of this as another waste of time, but when he looked at the rest of his friends, particularly, Shark, Tarantula, and Hornet, their eyes became puppy eyes with sparkles on them. He couldn't say no with those eyes as he sighed in defeat, "Alright."

The Bad Guys cheered in excitement as they walked off, probably back to the car.

"I do need some music today anyway," Snake admitted as he slithered off with his friends.

Chapter Text

The Bad Guys sat on the bench eating ice cream at the plaza, just right beside the kiosk.

"Are you sure you want to watch this, Piranha?" Wolf asked curiously while thinking about the band Piranha was interested in, "I mean, we've got the best singer in the team."

Piranha blushed at Wolf's compliment about his singing talent, "That's flattering, hermano, but maybe a little show won't hurt."

"Yeah, Wolf, maybe watching a little band is the thing we might need. Besides, we don't have that much to do since robbing the bank is not in our schedule this week," Tarantula pointed.

Wolf rolled his eyes and shook his head as he thought he was overthinking too much, "Maybe you're right."

Just then a small crowd of people just rushed towards the kiosk, and Piranha noticed the same band he had seen earlier carrying their musical instruments into the kiosk.

"Ooh, there they are now!" Piranha ate his whole ice cream and rushed towards the crowd. The rest of the Bad Guys tried to catch up with him. That fish ran so fast.

When Daniel plugged the chord into the speaker, Doug tested the microphone before speaking, "Hello, everyone! Good afternoon," As Doug spoke, the crowd of people started to get silent, trying to listen. Even the Bad Guys tried to squeeze in, "We are called the Harmony Notes. We traveled all over America, and we're here to share with our band and one of our songs."

At this cue, Doug nodded at his band as Ellen readied her bass, Rocky had her guitar ready, Daniel worked on his turntable, and Dolly strummed her banjo.

Doug: I got this feelin' inside my bones
It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flyin' up, no ceilin', when we in our zone

Doug, Rocki & Dolly: I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops (ooh)
Doug, Ellen & Daniel: I can't take my eyes up off it, movin' so phenomenally
Room on lock, the way we rock it, so don't stop

Rocki, Dolly, Ellen & Daniel: And under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm gettin' you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

Harmony Notes: Nothin' I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
Feel a good, good creepin' up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin'
I can't stop the feelin'
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feelin'
So just dance, dance, dance, come on

Their performance was already amazing. The crowd cheered loudly. Even Piranha had a good time with the music he was listening.

Doug: Ooh, it's something magical
It's in the air, it's in my blood, it's rushin' on (rushin' on)
I don't need no reason, don't need control (don't need control)
I fly so high, no ceiling, when I'm in my zone

Harmony Notes: 'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops (ooh)
I can't take my eyes up off it, moving so phenomenally
Room on lock, the way we rock it, so don't stop

Under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm gettin' you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

In the middle of the chorus, Piranha just stepped in and started dancing and pretending to be singing like the band as his friends watched him happily.

Harmony Notes: Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
Feel a good, good creepin' up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin'
I can't stop the feelin'
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feelin'
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feelin'
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feelin' (yeah)
So keep dancin', come on

In the middle of the song, Doug couldn't help but notice Piranha singing and dancing. His voice sounded great when he sang.

Piranha: Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
Feel a good, good creepin' up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on…

All of a sudden, Doug walked down the kiosk, and grabbed Piranha by the shirt and carried him uop back to the kiosk.

"Hey! Let me go!" Piranha shouted, until he was put down on the ground, surrounded by band members.

"Come on, kid. Sing with us," Doug encouraged him.

Harmony Notes: I can't stop the, I can't stop the…

While the Harmony Notes were wating for Piranha's line, the little fish was a bit nervous and didn't know what was happening, but he can't leave the band and song hanging as he finished the verse…

Piranha: I can't stop the feelin'!

The band proceeded singing from where they stopped as Piranha joined along. The Bad Guys were happy for him.

Harmony Notes & Piranha: Nothin' I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance (I can't stop the feelin')
Feel a good, good creepin' up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on (I can't stop the feelin')
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance (dance, dance, dance) (I can't stop the feelin')
And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin' (I can't stop the feelin')

Meanwhile, when Felina stepped of the band's trailer, finally resting from her argument with Doug, she was about to head back to the apartment, even if she had to listen to her band singing with her, which was fine by her. But then, when an unfamiliar voice was heard within the song, Felina was startled that there was a new voice in the band.

The Harmony Notes continued as they reached to the end of the song, and the whole crowd already started cheering.

Doug: Everybody sing

Harmony Notes & Piranha: Got this feeling in my body (I can't stop the feelin')
Got this feeling in my body (I can't stop the feelin')
Wanna see you move your body (I can't stop the feelin')
Got this feelin' in my body

Doug: Break it down

Harmony Notes & Piranha: Got this feelin' in my body

Doug: (Can't stop the feelin')

Harmony Notes & Piranha: Got this feelin' in my body, come on

Doug: (Ooh)

After the song, the whole crowd applauded loudly and happily at their performance. It was a great show in Boyle Heights so far.

"Thank you. Thank you very much," Doug waved to the fans as the whole band and Piranha appreciated the crowd's cheer.

"Hoo-yee! Listen to 'em, Doug. They love that number," Dolly said.

"Yeah, I knew things would turn out alright, especially with this one," Doug said before pointing down at Piranha, "I think they're cheering for him too."

"Well, the little fish has the voice, all right," Ellen stated.

After the performance, the crowd started to walk away, continuing with their lives as the Harmony Notes packed up their instruments, and stepped down from the kiosk, not before appreciating Piranha's appearance and participation in the show, and the Bad Guys caught up with him, also happy and cheering for their musical friend.

"Hey, Fish boy, I'll tell you what. You can sing!" Rocki flew down to Piranha and playfully punched his shoulder.

"You got pipes of gold," Daniel complimented while carrying his boxes of CDs.

"He sure does!" Hornet added, supporting his boyfriend while flying right beside him.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Doug asked the little fish.

"Mr. Piranha," Piranha said.

"Well, Mr. Piranha, thanks for getting us out of a tight spot."

"It was fun!"

"You got a future in show business, kid. You come back and see us in a couple of years, you hear?" Doug said as he walked towards the road, crossing the street to get to the apartment.

"Yep, in a couple of years," Dolly passed by while ruffling Piranha's headfins.

"Cause being in a band takes maturity," Rocki added, but the bad received a glare from Dolly for saying that. Rocki was confused about that, "What? What?"

As the Harmony Notes headed to their apartment, Piranha and the Bad Guys just watched them.

But Piranha didn't know what was going on. It was like something new happened to him that he hadn't expected for a long while, "What just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened. You're good at something," Shark answered.

"And we mean good!" Tarantula repeated.

Piranha didn't know that he just become famous for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in a band. It was really fun.

Now that it was settled, it was time to do other things with the Bad Guys as Wolf led the way and the team was headed towards their car, which was parked somewhere in the plaza.

When the Harmony Notes were made into the apartment building, Felina was already in the room, sitting on the couch as she was waiting for them.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"A little audience participation. That kid wowed them all," Doug answered.

"Kid? What kid?" The cat asked.

"Bye, Doug," Piranha's voice was heard from an open window.

Doug, Felina, and Ellen looked down to see Piranha waving at them below as he was in the Bad Guys' car where Wolf drove them in front of the apartment before the car drove off.

"That kid," Doug smirked at his "girlfriend".

"Little angel over there just saved the show," Ellen explained. The three then headed back into the room

"That sang my lines?" Felina questioned.

"Oh, no. He didn't just sing it, he sang it!" Doug chuckled.

"You don't mean to tell me that that little fish could ever take my place in a band," Felina snarled, leaning towards Doug.

"I didn't say that. Although he does have that refreshing, blooming youth about him," Doug teased about Felina's age compared to Piranha.

Felina gasped in horror, feeling insulted as she got angry, "Just what exactly are you saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" Doug asked confusingly, thinking he was just kidding around."

Felina started to lean in, "You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying."

Now Doug realized Felina got serious as he said in a serious tone, "I think you know what I think I'm saying."

"I think you'd better know that what you're saying is what I think you're saying."

"Why do always have to be…"

The two continued to argue loudly and angrily as their nose touched, but in a bad way. The rest of the Harmony Notes just watched as Ellen and Daniel bet their money on the arguing couple, Rocki was drinking soda, and Dolly was checking on her banjo.

"Ooh! You know, this is just like the time when you—" Doug was about to mention about the bad memory the two had.

Felina growled as she couldn't let Doug remind her about what happened in the past as she warned him while gritting her teeth, "You better not bring that up."

Doug saw the anger on Felina's face as he couldn't continue the argument much longer. He scoffed, and declared, "Hmph! Well, I think we've both been perfectly clear."

"Ohh, perfectly," Felinae agreed before shouting, "I quit!"

"Huh?" Doug didn't see that coming as Felina walked out of the room, and slammed the door.

Even the rest of the Harmony Notes were shocked that Felina quit the band. They all rushed to Doug in panic.

"Doug, what are we going to do now?!" Daniel exclaimed.

"She's gone with the wind," Dolly commented.

The whole band started chattering in panic as Doug couldn't answer all of their questions at the same time.

"Sit!" He shouted as Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, and Daniel sat on the couch and chairs, obeying their lead singer, "I'll take care of this. I'd better that talent scout will be here any minute."

Unfortunately, the talent scout had arrived in Boyle Heights with his car, looking for musical talent for the Hollywood Bowl.

Chapter Text

Doug went over to the trailer where Felina isolated herself in. After she decided to quit the band, she had nothing to do but keep herself distant from the band, most especially Doug.

"Oh, Felina, you aren't mad over what I said about you, are you?" Suddenly, the trailer door opened for him, "I was only teasing you. You know how I feel about you."

Felina was sitting on the driver's seat as she was the one controlling the trailer, even the door as she was the one opening it, "Yeah, you have a lousy way of showing it," she then slammed her paw into a lever that shut the doors of the trailer.

Doug yanked away in surprise. He rolled his eyes when his girlfriend was still mad about his tease, and his effort to apologize was worthless in a first shot, "I am trying to kiss and make up here. Now, won't you please accept my apology?

The doors opened again, and Felina snapped, "Blow it out your ear!" She pushed the lever again, slamming the doors close.

"All right, you diva cat, but I'm in charge of this band, and not no one's indispensable!" Doug stated.

The doors opened again, "You're in charge?" Felina chuckled, "Which one of us is in the driver's seat?"

"Now, listen, you..." Before Doug could scold Felina, she pushed the lever as the door closed, leaving Doug's lips stuck between doors, "Now you got me riled."

Meanwhile, while keeping in mind that there will be fireworks tonight, the Bad Guys decided to occupy their time in Boyle Heights. They had been driving around the Mariachi Plaza in circles with their car, but they were having fun, probably as fun as car pursuits they caused when they were full-time criminals. It was their 6th lap so far.

"Hey, Wolf, can you turn around the plaza again, would you?" Shark suggested.

"Alright. But you'll be paying for the fuel once we're done," Wolf pulled the gearshift, and turned to left, making another loop around the plaza.

"Fine," Shark chuckled, "If we're done."

The Bad Guys were having a little fun rounding the plaza, even though Snake and Hornet felt a little dizzy and sick, but no one seemed to mind them.

"This is really fun with you guys around!" Piranha declared.

Just then, they passed Doug, who was standing on the sidewalk, "Second-most fun, actually."

"Senior Doug?" Piranha called out when he noticed him, but he disappeared when Wolf kept driving.

Much to the Bad Guys' surprise, Doug was able to chase them by the sidewalk as he continued talking, specifically to Piranha, "Kid, I saw how blissful you looked singing. That had to be the best time you ever had."

"Oh, for sure," Piranha smiled when he looked back at Doug, but the Bad Guys were concerned about this when they glanced at each other worryingly.

"Well, now, we can't let nothing in the way of that," Shockingly, Doug didn't see where he was going when he was busy talking and keeping an eye on Piranha in a moving car as he bumped into a row of trash cans, stumbling down while the trash cans were tripped down.

"Whoa!" Shark exclaimed when he witnessed the incident.

Wolf slowed down the car until he stopped to park on the sidewalk. The Bad Guys were worried about Doug's condition back there as they stuck their heads out at the left windows to check on him.

"Did you see him?" Tarantula asked.

"No. It's like he disappeared," Hornet answered.

"I hope he's okay," Shark said.

Just then, Doug turned out to be okay, only to rub his head after the trip as he popped up at the left backseat window where Shark, Piranha, Tarantula, and Hornet were.

"Like I was saying, how'd you like to join the band?" Doug asked Piranha.

"Really?" The little fish asked excitingly.

"Huh?" Wolf questioned about this

"Yes, sir. Genuine Harmony Notes. What do you say?" Doug inquired, offering this job to him.

"Yeah!" Piranha

"But Piranha, we were gonna have some more fun," Hornet reminded.

Piranha thought it over. He wanted to join a musical band as it was his dream to sing, but he could never abandon his friends out of the blue. He turned to Doug, and asked, "Well, Wolf, Snake, Shark, Webs, and Hornet can be in the band, too, right?

"Well, uh..." Doug didn't plan to have the rest of the group join as he only planned to recruit Piranha.

"These guys are my best friends," Piranha said before holding Hornet in his hand lightly, "And Hornet is my boyfriend."

"Can you guys sing?" Doug asked the rest of the gang.

"Uh..." The Bad Guys hesitated to answer.
Piranha answered the question for them, "'Course they can sing," he turned to his friends, and told them, "Show 'em, chicos!"

The rest of the Bad Guys didn't have any musical experience like Piranha had, but they had to try…, if only they could remember the song from earlier.

Can't stop the feeliiiiiiiiiiing!

Their voice became a loud screech as glass objects started to crack and break, including the Bad Guys' car windows. They all covered their heads to avoid getting hit by shards of glass everywhere.

Even though the gang's voices were terrible, Doug thought they could be useful with something for Piranha and the band, "Hoo-hoo! Here's the good news: You're gonna be part of the entourage-y."

"What's that?" Snake asked.

"That's French," Doug replied, "Means you five get to hang out with our star here, keep him happy," he pointed down to Piranha.

"They do that already. Especially Hornet," Piranha chuckled, making Hornet blush a little while brushing his antenna backward.

"You know, serve some food, clean instruments, fun stuff like that," Doug added.

"That's fun?" Tarantula asked.

"Does Rocki ever groom her hair?" Doug grinned.

"Aw, come on, guys. It's gonna be great!" Piranha insisted his friends to agree.

The rest of the Bad Guys were unsure if this was fun while Piranha would be part of the band. They had plans together as a team tonight… or every day. They would always go together with anything, but with Piranha in the band and they would feel left out, they had to join him, just to keep their friendship steady with him.

Hornet was the most concern. He couldn't keep himself away from Piranha while he was in a band. He just got into a relationship with him, and he had to support him. That's what boyfriends do.

"Well... Okay," Hornet answered, feeling a bit hesitant.

"Guess we're in," Wolf added.

"I'm in too." Snake raised a tail.

Shark and Tarantula only showed a nod of agreement.

"All right, then. Let's get moving," Doug announced as he walked along, probably back to the apartment as the Bad Guys followed him.

Meanwhile, Felina was still in the driver's seat when she saw the Bad Guys passing by through the window doors.

Knowing that Doug might be following them, Felina pushed the lever, opening the door, "Okay!"

"Hey, Felina," Doug greeted her.

"You come crawling back," Felina smirked as she expected Doug to beg for her to win her back.

Doug then walked backward to tell something to Felina, "Oh, by the way, you can't quit. You're fired."

Felina was shocked and angered by this as she yelled, "Oh! What?! You can't fire me! I already quit!" Felina stepped down from the driver's seat, and yelled at Doug at the door, "Doug, you get back…!" But the door automatically closed as Felina's lips were stuck between the door, just like what happened to Doug earlier, "Now you've got me riled."

Chapter Text

When Doug walked away, Felina was heard shouting and causing a mess in the trailer with just the sound of a breaking glass. Doug laughed at the sound of his "girlfriend" throwing a tantrum in the trailer.

Inside the trailer, two twin mice, one dressed in pink and one dressed in blue, were designing a new dress as they ducked to avoid getting hit by a throwing can. Felina's tantrum was too predictable for them.

"Ah, don't pin your needles in a cushion, Felina," the pink-dressed mouse, Silk, told the aggressive cat.

"It'll hurt you more," the blue-dressed mouse, Cotton, added while biting on the thread.

Felina then threw some newspaper from a couch with a swift of her arm, "The nerve of that Doug! Why did he fire me?"

"Oh, I thought you quit," Silk reminded.

"I had supported Doug all my life. I had been following him ever since high school, and then we got together. That's how we ended up here." Felina slouched down on the couch before staring up at the Harmony Notes poster that was pinned on the wall, "That Doug knew how to swoon a woman like me. He talked me into getting sweet on him, and now he tosses me away like I'm an expired meat!" She scratched the paper only Doug's face on it.

"Sweetie, we don't blame you for feeling hurt," Cotton said.

"Hurt? What do you mean by that? You think Doug could hurt me?" Felina chuckled hysterically and in denial. When Sil and Cotton stared at her and raised each of their brows, gesturing to Felina about her denial of being hurt by Doug, her love. Felina then stared back at the poster again, thinking that she was hurt by the dog she was in love with… and maybe she was still in love with him. She licked her paw, and pasted Doug's image of his face back on the poster, "Mangy mutt."

Just then, it caught Felina's attention when she looked through the window where she could see the insides of the apartment lobby, through the buildings' window, as Dolly came back with 5 boxes of pizza. Silk and Cotton joined her to watch too.

"Alright, ya'll, who wants some pizza?!" Dolly called as she put. Stack of pizza boxes on the table.

Felina kept her eyes on Piranha, who was very excited and hungry as his tongue was hanging out of his mouth, "Oh, well, there are many ways to eat a kiwi," she said with a sinister smirk.

"You eat kiwi?" Cotton asked.

"You know what I mean." Felina deadpanned.

Back at the apartment lobby, the Harmony Notes and The Bad Guys were eating some pizza together.

"Welcome to the band, Mr. Piranha. Let me do some introductions." Doug started as he pointed to the bat with red hair, who sat beside her guitar while eating the pepperoni of her pizza, "That is Rocki. She's the rocker of our band. A Hard-Rock guitarist and singer."

"I'm the lead singer of my Rock N Roll band. My drummer was my boyfriend, and he's in charge of my band back home," Rocki added to her introduction.

"Over there was Dolly. She's our Country banjo guitarist." Doug pointed to the horse, standing next to the plant near the entrance.

Dolly swallowed her food, and explained, "I lived in Texas, until I met Doug, and he recruited me. I'm doing this for my hometown, but I do love being part of the band."

"That's awesome!" Tarantula commented.

"Doing for your hometown is as good as for family," Daniel pointed out before taking another bite of the pizza.

Doug then pointed to the mother and son, sitting on the couch together, "And, yes, those two mother and son are Ellen and Daniel. They came from a musical family of Funk. Yep, they do love the 70s."

"Hey, my husband was the one who started the family band," Ellen mentioned.

"Where is your husband anyway?" Hornet questioned curiously.

"He's at home with my twin brother. They had their own band too while we were away," Daniel answered, remembering his father and brother at home. He missed them too.
"Yep. You'll never harmonize with a finer group of people in different musical bands," Doug smiled before asking Piranha, "How about you? What's your music?"

Piranha didn't think about this at all. Each of the Harmony Notes had their own different genres, and he didn't have one yet. He could sing with any genre, but he didn't know which one was right for him, "Umm… uh…"

Wolf cut in to answer Doug's question for Piranha, "Piranha is everything. He came from Bolivia, but he can play other kinds of music, like EDM."'

"Well, we do need some EDM music in our band," Daniel said. He is the DJ of the band but as a Funk musical, NOT EDM.

The rest of the band agreed before Doug turned back to Piranha, "But we're warning you. To keep our band's reputation, we all need to be clean. No criminal records, no drugs, no dirty stuff… do you?"

Now this concerned the Bad Guys. They were part-time vigilantes and part-time criminals, meaning they weren't so clean.

As the Harmony Notes stared patiently at the Bad Guys for an answer, they would find out that Piranha and his friends weren't clean at all if they didn't speak up soon. They were in jail for a year, they robbed many banks and stores for years, and they still have criminal records. If Piranha confessed about his criminal history along with his friendss, he would be kicked out of the band and wouldn't fulfill his dream.

"Uh…" Piranha was about to answer until his boyfriend cut him off.

"Course he's clean," Hornet answered, not wanting his boyfriend's dream to be crushed because of his unclean reputation, "You didn't see or hear him as a criminal, did you?"

"No, I don't," Daniel replied.

"Me neither," Rocki answered.

"He looks clean and nice," Dolly said.

"Yeah, he's just a kid after all, surrounded by his nice best friends and boyfriend," Ellen cooed.

The Bad Guys then grinned sheepishly, feeling relieved that the Harmony Notes had no idea about their reputation as the criminal name "The Bad Guys."

"Whoo! Good! Only clean allowed in this band," Doug chuckled before taking another pizza slice.

The Bad Guys realized that the Harmony Notes must've never heard of them as newly-reformed criminals and currently vigilantes, meaning they never heard of their reputation before either. Wherever the Harmony Notes went to, they hadn't checked the news for years, and never heard of them… ever.

While the Harmony Notes were eating, the Bad Guys huddled, and whispered to each other, as softly as they could.

"I guess they never heard of us yet," Shark whispered.

"Yeah, it's like they never heard or knew about the Bad Guys," Snake agreed.

"But, we're not clean, amigos, not even me. We have jail history and criminal records," Piranha reminded.

But Hornet smirked, "Shh! It'll be our secret."

Chapter Text

The next day, the Harmony Notes were getting ready for their rehearsal as they finished gathering their instruments from their trailer. Meanwhile, the Bad Guys had their own personal joyride, which they had always enjoyed so much together when they were not working as both vigilantes and criminals.

"Okay, guys, ten minutes before our practice. Let's get going!" Doug announced as soon as the Bad Guys' car passed by them so fast. Even Doug would notice their new band member, "That means you, Piranha!"

"Huh?" Piranha heard Doug calling his name.

This part made Wolf parallel park the car on the sidewalk when he drifted from the street. The impact caused all the Bad Guys to launch themselves off the car and get themselves into a pile. It hurt them, but they still had fun with their morning joyride and they all laughed.

When they were finished staying in a pile together, the Bad Guys got up from atop of each other so Piranha could join his new band for the practice.

"Good luck, hon," Hornet placed a hand on Piranha's cheek.

"Thanks, mi amor," Piranha pecked Hornet's side, making them both chuckle with their faces blush.

Then, Snake ruffled Piranha's head fin, "Yeah, good luck there, big guy."

"You'll do well, bro," Shark added with a gentle shove on the back.

Doug then interrupted them as he said, "Say, Mr. Wolf, while we're on, why don't you guys polish our instruments over there for a bit?

"The instruments?" Wolf repeated as the remaining Bad Guys turned their heads to see unused instruments next to them, "Alright, Doug."

Doug smiled as he turned to catch up with his bandmates in the lobby.

Before Piranha could go, Wolf then reminded him, "Piranha, don't forget. Fireworks at Hollenbeck Park, 4-8 pm."

"It's a promise," Piranha stated.

The other Bad Guys smiled at him before started polishing some guitars and drums.

When Piranha was walking by the Harmony Notes' trailer to head towards the door of the lobby, Felina poked her head out of the door, and called out to the little fish, "Psst! Hey, kid," Piranha heard her as he turned to see Felina, "Come on in. Felina wants to talk to you," she moved backward with a sinister smile.

Having no idea what Felina was plotting, Piranha got into the trailer, and said, "But I'm supposed to rehearse for the band now."

"Oh, I know. I just wanna pass along my secret of success," Felina said, which turned out to be a lie.

"Really? Thanks, Senorita Felina."

"Before every show, take a big helping of that."

Felina showed Piranha a jar of gumballs.

Piranha squinted his eyes on the jar, and asked curiously, "Uh, gum?"

At the lobby, the band was about to rehearse as Doug trying to make sure all of the band members were accounted for.

"All right. Let's get to rehearsing everyone, let's move it!" He was pacing around while noticing Piranha wasn't around yet, and he turned to the band's bass guitarist, "Hey, Ellen, go get Piranha please."

"Just give me a sec," Ellen said before licking her thumb and smearing on her son's face to remove the dirt off his face.

"Mom, this is embarrassing!" Daniel whined while trying to make his mother stop smothering him.

Meanwhile, the other Bad Guys were sitting on the sidewalk, polishing some musical equipment, until they noticed Felina strolling out from the trailer while singing.

Me, me, me, me, me

The Bad Guys started to feel suspicious when Felina happily strolled out of the trailer. Something was off, and they wanted to investigate.

Felina then entered the lobby where the band was with a diva grin.

"Uh-oh. Bad news in a pink pop dress." Rocki deadpanned, knowing drama would be around when it came to Felina.

The cat chuckled as she approached the band, particularly her so-called love interest, "Doug, you look so tired like you've been eating a lot of cotton candy in one bite."

'Cause I'm busy since I lead the whole band by myself!" Doug snapped.

"Oh, yeah? Because you either fired me or I quit."

"What do you want, Felina?"

"I just thought you could use a lead singer," Felina grinned, thinking that keeping Piranha from singing would get her spotlight back in the band.

Back to the Bad Guys, they got a glance inside the Harmony Notes trailer and saw Piranha trying to get something unstuck.

When they got inside, they noticed a jar of gumballs next to him.

"Gum?" Snake guessed.

The Bad Guys figured a gum got stuck on Piranha's teeth.

"But Piranha you have to sing," Hornet stated, knowing the gum stuck on Piranha's teeth gave him the incapability to sing like this.

Piranha still tried to get the gum off his teeth, but twin mice, Silk and Cotton, started laughing at him. The other Bad Guys didn't like how Piranha got laughed at because of him trying to get the gum off his teeth. Just to teach them a lesson, Snake and Tarantula threw a jar of gumballs at the two mice, making them stop laughing. The group turned their attention back to Piranha, who was still trying to fix his gum problem.

"Hold on, Piranha. We'll be right back," Hornet said as he and the other Bad Guys left the trailer.

At the alley, three goons walked down the street holding a bucket of ice, all snickering sinisterly.

"Hehehe, check it out, boys. We got ice that lasts us for a whole summer," the leader chuckled, "And we got it for free!"

"You said it, boss!" Goon #1 agreed.

When the trio entered an alley, they stopped and gasped when the Bad Guys blocked their way in front of them from thin air.

"Excuse us," Wolf started, "Sorry for interrupting your celebration, but we do need that bucket of ice… please."

The leader grinned when he heard polite words for Mr. Wolf himself, "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Bad Guys. Haven't seen you since you abandoned your crime life."

"We didn't exactly 'abandon' it, we're just having dual jobs.," Hornet corrected with hand gestures.

"Same thing. You weren't the same crime family we knew before!" Goon #2 snapped.

"Yeah, and if you want the ice so much, why don't you get somewhere else? Like stealing it?" The leader showed the ice bucket to them.

"Hey, they don't steal anymore, they buy stuff with real money like babies!" Goon #1 laughed.

"Actually, we still have the urge to steal…, but not in the stores at this time," Snake pointed out with his tail.

"Oh yeah, then where are you going to steal one?" The leader asked like it was a rhetorical question. The Bad Guys smirked when they got their ice on the ice bucket the leader held.

The three goons were confused by the Bad Guys' looks until they looked down at their ice bucket, knowing what this meant. "Uh-oh."

Back at the trailer, Piranha was still trying to get the gum from his teeth as he paced around while doing it, and Silk and Cotton tried to get themselves out of the jar, but it barreled past Piranha and made a crashing sound.

"Hey, Piranha, we got you something." Wolf's voice was heard from outside, and it got Piranha's attention. He got outside while stretching the gum from his mouth.

"Stay still, little guy," Shark said as he threw ice water from the bucket and towards Piranha.

"Ack!" Piranha had his mouth open that time as he was soaking wet with ice water and had some in his mouth. He got up from the impact of the water, all shivering due to the cold, "What the heck, hermano? Are you going to freeze me to death?!" He finally spoke. That was when he realized he was able to talk clearly without gum in his mouth and teeth. He even noticed the gum he chewed next to him that became hardened when it touched the cold water, "All right!" He rejoiced until he remembered how he was splashed with freezing water, "You know you could just hand me a glass of ice water would be fine."

"Aww, our little baby's all grown up!" Shark cooed.

"Awwww!" Wolf, Snake, Tarantula, and Hornet also cooed with their eyes sparkled, making Piranha roll his eyes in embarrassment.

Back with the Harmony Notes, Doug and Felina were still arguing while the other band members continued to watch and listen to them since no one could stop the two from arguing with each other.

"You know well Piranha is our..." Doug was about to tell Felina that Piranha was the new singer of the band, but he was cut off.

"Piranha? You mean that little fish?" Felina guessed sarcastically, "Why, he ran off with those friends of his like a group of criminal gangs."

"You're kidding!" Doug stated suspiciously.

"Hey, if I'm lying, then flowers would spray off their pollen and make me sneeze," Felina smirked.

Back with the Bad Guys, Piranha jumped up and down victoriously as he was able to move his mouth freely, talk, and even sing without the gum in his mouth.

"That did it. I can sing!"

"Great. Now when you get out there, don't forget to..." Tarantula was about to remind Piranha about the fireworks, but he hurriedly scurried off, leaving his friends behind.

"Okay, see you at the fireworks, right?" Hornet asked, but Piranha already entered the lobby, leaving him and the Bad Guys frowned Piranha rushed to catch up with the band without looking back at his own gang.

Silk and Cotton successfully got out of the gum jar, only to be covered with gum all over their bodies.

"Get used to it, everyone. This is how it's gonna be from now on," Silk said.

"What do you mean?" Shark asked.

"While he's off having fun and getting the glory, he'll stick you all out here doing your own business without him," Cotton explained while removing one of the gums from her dress.

"No, Piranha isn't like that," Snake said hopefully before pointing his tail at Wolf, "I mean, Wolf did," he recalled what happened back at the S.U.C.M., making Wolf deadpanned for Snake guilt-tripping him, "But not Piranha," he continued talking about Piranha.

Cotton scoffed hysterically, "Yeah."

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Silk added as she and her sister hopped out of the trailer to report to Felina.

Piranha approached the band in the lobby so quickly that he didn't see where he was stepping on, "Here I am... Whoa!" he tripped on his own foot, making him tumble all the way in front of Doug and Felina.

Felina gasped to see Piranha making it, and especially free from the rubber stretchy gum that was supposed to prevent him from singing.

Doug scoffed while glaring at Felina, knowing he shouldn't believe what she said, "Ran off, huh?"

Felina then glared at Silk and Cotton, who made it with gum still all over them, "Sorry, Felina," they said.

Doug then lowered, and sniffed Piranha, who could smell the sweet scent of gum from him, "Gum?" He then turned to Felina, knowing she was behind all this, "Oh, Felina. You are through."

Felina scoffed as she was about to walk away, "Well, you can't get rid of me so easily, Doug."

Without looking where she was going, Felina tripped on the same potted plant that she tripped yesterday, launching herself out of the door, and crashed onto Silk and Cotton.

"That looked easy," Dolly whispered.

"Remind me to give that pot a bonus," Doug told his band while giving the pot some credit as Rocki and Daniel chuckled silently.

Chapter Text

"Daniel, give me a beat."

As Doug requested, he turned his turntables on and started scratching. Rocki and Ellen started strumming their guitars, getting warm-up.

"We are headed for the big time. And I got a big-time song to take us there," Doug pointed the spotlight towards Piranha, who was nearly blinded by the bright light there. Doug then jumped in front of Piranha, and ruffled his hair fin, "Follow my lead, kid."

Doug: I can't help myself
I'm addicted to a…

Doug, Rocki & Dolly: Life of material

Doug: It's some kind of joke
I'm obsessively…

Doug, Ellen & Daniel: Opposed to the typical

Doug: All we care about is runway models
Cadillacs and liquor bottles
Give me something I wanna be
Retro glamor Hollywood, yes, we live for the

Harmony Notes: Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we wanna live the life of the rich and famous
Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we gotta taste for champagne and endless fortune

At the chorus, an illusion of thousands of audience and fans made very loud cheers and cameras flashed at them. They were on the stage, performing with their dance moves, and Piranha could see what they saw as well.

Harmony Notes:  Fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame
We live for the fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame
Isn't it a shame, shame, baby A shame, shame
In it for the fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame

Doug: I can see myself in the movies
With my…

Doug, Rocki & Ellen: Picture in the city lights

Doug: Photograph, oh my mind and whatever else
You'd like to shoot

Doug, Dolly & Daniel: You decide

Doug: All we care about is…

Before he could finish while the music was still playing, Doug leaned towards Piranha, and whispered, "We don't wanna sing that part. It's inappropriate."

Piranha understood with a nod and shrug as Doug continued the song.

Doug: Give me something I wanna see

Harmony Notes: Television and hot blonds in odd positions

Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we wanna live the life of the rich and famous
Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we gotta taste for champagne and endless fortune

The illusion changed when Doug and Piranha walked down the red carpet, then stood on top of a float along with the rest of the Harmony Notes and fans throwing them a parade with confetti falling down on them.

Harmony Notes: Fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame
We live for the fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame
Isn't it a shame, shame, baby? A shame, shame
In it for the fame, fame, baby, the fame, fame

Another illusion scene changed when Doug sang at a party, then changed to himself and Piranha wearing shades and getting greeted by a lot of fans at the airport.

Doug: Don't ask me how or why
But I'm gonna make it happen this time
My teenage dream tonight
Yeah, I'm gonna make it happen this time

When everything changed back to reality, and Doug and Piranha took another stroll as part of their daydream, the latter noticed the advertisement at the street light pole about the fireworks happening tonight. Piranha couldn't check the time, but he could tell time when the sun was already set. It was almost dark.

"Oh, Doug. I'm supposed to meet my friends soon for the..." Piranha wanted to tell Doug about his promise to his friends about meeting them at Hollenbeck Park for the fireworks.

But Doug retreated to retrieve Piranha and gave him a piggyback ride at the back of his shoulders, "Whoa, whoa. We can't let anybody hold us back. This is all about our fame and fortune for the future, remember?"

Wolf, Snake, Shark, Tarantula, and Hornet witnessed this while standing by beside a streetlight, and noticed how Piranha was still having fun with Doug, especially how the little fish chuckled after the dog retrieved him.

Doug: Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we wanna live the life of the rich and famous
Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we gotta taste for champagne and endless fortune

During the montage, Doug and Piranha daydreamed of themselves and the band being famous and in magazines and receiving a trophy. But in real life, they bought a bag of burritos. Doug flipped one from the bag, and Piranha caught it, taking a bite from it.

Doug: Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we wanna live the life of the rich and famous
Fame, doin' it for the fame
'Cause we gotta taste for champagne and endless fortune
Fame

And just like that. The Harmony Notes and Piranha made it to Hollenbeck Park, just in time for the fireworks. Outside the park and in their car, the rest of the Bad Guys sadly witnessed Piranha spending time with Doug and the rest of the band and watching fireworks together. Piranha watched the fireworks without his real friends, which made the Bad Guys so upset, thinking their little fish had already forgotten all about them. Ever since he joined the band, Piranha had less time with them, just like they doubted in the beginning.

They couldn't enjoy watching the fireworks with their little fish enjoying himself with his new bandmates. Wolf quietly but slowly drove the car away from the park while the rest of the team just watched the fireworks with Piranha and his new "friends" sadly.

Later, after the fireworks, the Harmony Notes made it back to their apartment building, talking about how fun their night was.

"Man, that was. Fun night. And I can't believe I would see fireworks so clear and bright!" Piranha exclaimed happily while flipping the last burritos into his mouth.

Yeah, and you like burritos, huh? I never thought you would bring your hometown vibe with you here," Doug chuckled, remembering how many burritos Piranha got. As the other band members got inside the lobby, Doug stopped by at the door, and turned back to the little fish, "All right. Meet you at our apartment room kid. We got a lot of work to do."

Meanwhile, the Bad Guys were on the sidewalk, right beside their car while polishing some string and percussion instruments, overhearing Doug and Piranha's conversation when they arrived, but couldn't do anything about it.

"You got it, Doug." Piranha replied to the dog while walking backward, not seeing where he was going when he approached his fellow Bad Guys, and bumped into a set of drums that alerted the gang, slowly dropping the instruments they polished, "Oh, sorry, hermanos."

But the Bad Guys weren't so happy to see him so close, not giving him a happy greeting either.

"Hi, Piranha. Having fun at Hollenbeck Park?" Shark asked sarcastically.

Piranha gasped as he remembered the thing the whole gang promised to watch together, "The fireworks! Ay Caramba, I forgot," He started to chuckle as he felt silly, "Doug and I were really busy with our performance for our next gig."

"Too busy for us? Your best friend?" Snake scowled before pointing his tail at Hornet, who was right beside him, "Your boyfriend?"

"It's not like that, amigos," Piranha reassured his friends, "Doug said I had to let everyone see me. Doug said it's good for the band. Doug said..."

"'Doug said! Doug said!' Who cares about Doug, huh?!" Hornet shouted angrily.

Piranha was surprised by Hornet's reaction as he arched a brow, and asked, "Hornet, what's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"Course not, you stinkin' fish," The little insect lied.

"Then what's eatin' you?!" Piranha snapped, leaning his face towards Hornet's face.

"I don't know. It's like you're not around anymore," Hornet answered sadly.

Piranha's face calmed as he looked at the rest of his friends. He saw Shark and Tarantula's sad. Faces as if they had the same feeling as Hornet. Piranha then turned to Wolf and Snake, who also hung their heads down sadly. Seeing all of his friends' faces, he could tell that they all agreed with Hornet that Piranha had less time with them ever since he joined the band.

Piranha looked down in shame, realizing that he made his friend think he forgot all about them, but he wanted to make it up to them, "Well, I'm around now. Let's do something together," He said before doubting his friends might not agree with him, "I mean, if you wanna."

The rest of the Bad Guys beamed up like there was hope for their friendship to last.

"Now? Really?" Tarantula asked excitingly.

"Yeah. Go bad?" Piranha held his fist up.

"Or go home," Wolf finished with his fist up.

Shark, Tarantula, and Hornet had their fists ready, while Snake decided to use his head. All of them ready for a fist-bump.

But the little beam of hope interrupted when they heard Doug's voice from the door, "Kid, I swear, you're slow like a snail. Come on. You're holding us up. Let's go," Doug ordered before going inside, "Rocki, would you get up?"

"Oh, come on, Doug!" Rocki's whine was heard from the inside.

"Let's get to work now!" The leader commanded.

While he was with his friends, Piranha wanted to hang out with them for a little while, but he was called by his boss, and he couldn't lose this opportunity by disobeying him. The other Bad Guys looked at Piranha, waiting to how he would respond to this.

Piranha sighed hopelessly as he started to walk towards the door, "I guess I gotta go."

"But... But Piranha…" Hornet called out while the rest of the gang watched helplessly.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?" Piranha reassured his friends before walking into the door.

The Bad Guys couldn't believe what just happened. Piranha chose his new career with his friends when they were supposed to hang out again. They couldn't help but feel that they had lost their "muscle" and friend because of his dream and his new career. Was really there anything more important than friendship?

While the other Bad Guys took this as a sad consequence, Hornet turned his mood to anger and he felt betrayed by his new boyfriend's doing as if their relationship was a waste from the start, "Yeah? Well maybe you will, and maybe you won't!" He shouted as he was about to leave, and the other Bad Guys followed him, just to find another place to mope. But Hornet flew back, and kicked a guitar that was slouched on the speaker to the ground.

Snake quickly but gently placed a tail on Hornet's shoulder, and dragged him away, "Okay, okay, Hornet! Calm down. Let's go."

Hornet couldn't fight it as he followed his friends.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, Felina was in the trailer, munching on her favorite snack: jellybeans. She was still angry and outraged with Doug for "firing" her, despite the fact that she had already quit. She just ate all of her fury with a dish of jellybeans. The bowl was whisked away as Felina realized her comfort snack had vanished.

Silk and Cotton snatched them as they hid the bowl behind them.

"Why eat them, Felina? Silk and her sister advised Felina about her diet, saying, "Might as well just bury them under our satin and chenille."

Felina rolled her eyes at the mice and said, "Come on, Silk, Cotton." "I need to eat outside," she jumped up from her seat and walked out the door. The two mice leaped up to join Felina on her shoulder.

In the evenings, Boyle Heights' Mariachi Plaza could be a little calm, but occasionally there would be gunfire coming from a distance. Despite the occasional typical crime, Boyle Heights, as a Chicano/Mexican-American neighborhood, was nevertheless a peaceful and happy community for Hispanic and Latino residents.

The mice and Felina made their way to Santa Cecilia Restaurant. The restaurant was quite empty even though it remained open till 8am at this hour of the night. The other five bad guys in the restaurant had already placed their orders and were midway through their meals.

When Felina, Silk, and Cotton ordered their dinner and found a table, the mice ate quickly. When Felina was about to take a bite, she noticed the Bad Guys in front of their table, who were clearly not in the mood to eat. Half of them just stared sadly at their food, while the other half played with it. They couldn't stop thinking about Piranha leaving them for his dream. They could understand, but it was unfortunate that he no longer had time for them. Felina recognized the expressions on their faces. She recognized the looks. It was similar to how she felt for Doug, just on the inside.

"Oh, sweethearts, looks like you guys are as quiet as mice," Felina joked before Silk and Cotton cleared their throats. "Oh, no offense."

"Ugh, why do you care?" Snake didn't expect anyone to care about his and his pals' feelings, even though their expressions were noticeable enough for anyone to see them sad.

"Oh, come on. We're all on the same page right now. Cast off by the one we care about the most," Felina gave a pouty face, "Guess you know how that feels now."

"Piranha has forgotten about us…about me," Hornet murmured sadly as Tarantula placed her hand on his back for comfort.

"Yes, I've heard that. Hurts worse than anything," Felina understood what the group were going through.

Cotton, who overheard their chat with her sister, said, "I remember this one mouse named Mickey…"

Felina extended a paw at Cotton, saying, "I'm talking to this group," and then turned to the Bad Guys. "You see, guys, relationships and show business, they just don't mix. Oh, it starts out nice and friendly... Then they get their first taste of fame and believe you're insane, which they aren't because you tried to continue with that connection. Then, someone doesn't appreciate all you're doing to keep the relationship and career together, so they throw you out on the street, driving you insane!"

When music began playing in the background, the 5 Bad Guys slowly stood up from their seat and attempted to back away before fleeing the restaurant. To their amazement, Felina was already outside, with a flashlight blazing over her.

Felina: One minute I'm happy, then I'm sad
I get angry, then relax
I go from chaos into self-control
It's one of my side effects (ha)

She then turned to face the direction of the apartment where the Harmony Notes lived and practiced where she could observe Doug from a distance while leading the night rehearsal.

Felina: And you seem like a real nice guy
And I don't wanna treat you bad
So before you get a taste of me
Let me hit you with the recipe, yeah, yeah

I go a little OTT with the OCD
All my exes say that I'm crazy
I'ma check your phone while you're half asleep
Maybe God was high when he made me
'Cause I OD on the jealousy, got a PhD in anxiety
So, before you get in too deep
There's a couple things you should know about me

Silk and Cotton joined Felina as backup singers and dancers, and spotlights shone above them as well.

Felina: I'm

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: A little

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: Feel a little

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: There's a couple things you should-

While watching and listening to Felina's song, the Bad Guys exchanged puzzled expressions, and Wolf twirled his fingers at the side of his head, signaling the feline might be insane. After a quick chuckle from the group, Felina appeared between them, shocking the five as she proceeded.

A little bit of this, a bit of that
I'm just laying down the facts
I'll give it all, I'll give you everything
But you better watch your back (but you better watch your back)

Felina then headed towards the trailer, where the Bad Guys, Silk, and Cotton followed her, and the cat glanced at the poster of Harmonious Land, with her and Doug as the stars, standing side by side and smiling at each other.

Felina: And you seem like a real nice guy
And I don't wanna treat you bad
So before you get a taste of me
Let me hit you with the recipe, yeah, yeah

She angrily ripped the poster down, much to the surprise of the Bad Guys, but Silk and Cotton handled it as if it was just another Felina.

Felina: I go a little OTT with the OCD
All my exes say that I'm crazy
I'ma check your phone while you're half asleep
Maybe God was high when he made me
'Cause I OD on the jealousy, got a PhD in anxiety
So, before you get in too deep
There's a couple things you should know about me

Felina: I'm…

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: A little…

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: Feel a little

Felina, Silk & Cotton:  Cuckoo, cuckoo

Felina: There's a couple things you should know about, know about me

With a little dance to fill up the music, the Bad Guys glanced at each other, thinking she might be right about herself and her relationship with Doug. Guess they weren't the only ones with the problem.

Felina: There's a couple things you should know about me, I'm-
There's a couple things you should know about me

After the song, all of the lights turned off.

The Bad Guys, Felina, Silk, and Cotton found a table near the restaurant they were in and continued their conversation.

"And you know what? He wouldn't be in that dumb ol' band if I hadn't lied for him," Hornet admitted, regretting his actions from the day before.

Felina, Silk, and Cotton were astonished by this.

"Wait, what?" Felina questioned, hoping Hornet would repeat what he had just said.

"We got Doug and the band to think he was clean," Wolf admitted, revealing more about their plans for Piranha.

Shark added, "Piranha's not clean, he's a criminal… and we are criminals."

Felina was surprised again, "Come again."

Snake explained, introducing himself and his team properly to the cat, "We are the Bad Guys, Snake explained to the cat, properly introducing himself and his crew, "We are the Bad Guys, the infamous group of criminals, yet reformed and turned our jobs to vigilante, but we kept a dual job as both vigilantes and criminals to keep our mojo going."

"Oh, Bad Guys, huh?" Felina smirked sinisterly. Now that she knew who Piranha and his friends were, she quickly devised a plan: "All our troubles are over. How'd you like to get your friend back?

"But how?" Tarantula asked.

"Just listen close to ol' Felina here," The cat grinned as the Bad Guys were all ears.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, at the Harmony Notes' room apartment, the entire band was exhausted from rehearsing for their performance tomorrow, as a talent scout would be watching them perform, and they'd get to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. However, Doug had been putting pressure on the band all night to rehearse more. He wanted their performance for the talent scout to be perfect; otherwise, they would never achieve their dream of being famous.

Doug had to sing the first line, and then the rest of the band had to sing the next one.

However, the rest of the band sang tiredly. They didn't have the energy or motivation to sing while they were so exhausted.

Doug grumbled in frustration as he heard how the band sang differently and wasn't very good, "Ooohhh! That last part was very flat. Take it from the top, please."

"Oh, but Doug, we've been at it all night," Daniel said, yawning.

"Yeah, we're already tired. We need some sleep," Rocki complained, as she felt cranky when tired.

But it couldn't level up Doug's scold as he grew more strict than usual. "And we'll be at it all day if that's what it takes!"

Piranha swallowed nervously, as he had never seen Doug be that strict when he first met him and joined the band.

Doug went on: "This isn't just another show, everyone. The scout from the Hollywood Bowl will be watching us perform tomorrow."

While her eyelids heaved, Dolly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and stroked it against her long face. She failed to notice a quarter fall from her pocket when she took out her handkerchief. Piranha noticed the quarter as it began to roll across the floor. He couldn't resist money—even just a little quarter.

"Take it from the top," Doug instructed the band before noticing Piranha dashing after a quarter. Poor little fish, chasing the rolling quarter made him feel like a kid again. Doug then jumped in front of Piranha, blocking his path and asking, "Piranha, just what are you doing?!"

"Well, I think I saw a quarter," Piranha pointed to the rolling coin.

The quarter then landed on a white boot as Dolly picked it up. " Oh, sawry. Ay just done dropped it out ov my poket. "

"Oh. Sorry about that. Me and Hornet used to..." Piranha tried to explain and recalled his good times with the Bad Guys.

"What is the matter with you, kid? Don't you wanna be a star?" Doug scolded.

"Well, si," Piranha responded innocently.

"Well, then, why don't you act...!"

"DOUG! He's just a kid!" Ellen's motherly instincts kicked in as she shouted at Doug and pulled Piranha into a hug, who cuddled himself in her arms, "Piranha's just having a little fun. You remember fun, don't you?" She glared at him, reminding him how fun Doug used to be back then.

Doug sighed his frustration out as he calmed himself, "Okay, all right. Just take five, everyone," he told them before heading outside, trying to have some space for himself.

Piranha was startled by Doug's change of attitude toward him as he watched the dog leave the room.

Ellen consoled Piranha by ruffling his head fins, saying, "Sweetie, don't take it to heart. Doug's bark is worse than his bite." She then turned to the rest of the band with a threatening glare, "And if he growls at us again, I'm gonna muzzle him myself."

Piranha later left the apartment complex to find his friends. As he promised, he wanted to meet them again when he had time.

"Guys?" He looked for the Bad Guys' car, but it wasn't parked on the sidewalk. None of his pals were present either.

Piranha then started wandering in search of his friends. He assumed they could be nearby.

"Hermanos? Hermana?"

He hoped they weren't still upset with him for bailing them out because of his ambition of becoming a singer. They were equally important to him as his dream, but he disliked having to pick between them.

"You in there?" He checked the garbage chute just to be sure.

Piranha hoped that his friends wouldn't go too far so he could catch up with them.

"Wolfie?"

He had hoped to see them tonight.

"Snake?"

At least for five minutes.

"Fish bro?"

And he will return to rehearsal.

"Webs?"

He wanted to keep a balance between his dream and his friends, so he wouldn't have to choose.

"Hornet, honey?"

Piranha made it back to where he began. He noticed Doug sitting in a chair next to the trailer, trying to relax and relieve himself of stress. Piranha had no personal beef with Doug after what happened earlier. He understood the leader was doing his best to prepare the band for their performance in front of the talent scout tomorrow.

Piranha slowly approached Doug, asking, "Doug, have you seen my friends and boyfriend?"

"Nope," Doug responded, "Felina wasn't around either."

"You were looking for her?" the little fish inquired.

"No...," the dog shook his head, hesitant to admit that until memories rushed into his mind from back in his days. He chuckled, "Well... I remember when I first met her in high school." I was simply young and innocent. I felt like a total slacker."

"You?" Piranha arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And then one day, Felina and I auditioned for a school play, and I found out we could sing. We sang to our hearts' content... And I said, 'Felina, this is our ticket to success. We're gonna to be stars!'" Doug chuckled again, "I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't want her around sometimes," He shook his head to get his mind off Felina, and ruffled Piranha's head fins, "But we're going to be famous soon, remember? We can't let old friends stand in the way of that, right?"

However, Piranha still remembered his pals. He seemed perplexed by the scenario and said, "I guess not."

Doug then asked, hoping to persuade Piranha to see the positive side of his musical dream, "Oh, come on. You're having fun, don't you?"

"Ha! Are you kidding, hermano? Piranha laughed.

"Well, you just wait till we're on top. We are so close. I can smell it."

"The Hollywood Bowl,"

"All we gotta do is ace that audition. Right?"

"Right," Piranha agreed, nodding. Doug was right. Just one little thing, and they will undoubtedly reach their dreams for sure. They were so close now. "Then, come on, let's go rehearse some more," he replied, leading the way back to the flat.

"Attaboy," Doug followed him, freshly restored.

Chapter Text

In the city of Los Angeles, the Bad Guys' car parked on the sidewalk, just right across the street where the bank was. In Los Angeles, the Bad Guys' car was parked on the sidewalk across the street from the bank. The Bad Guys peered sinisterly up at the huge building of the bank, the same bank they used to rob when they were full-time criminals, while Felina sat in the backseat with Shark, Webs, and Hornet, trying to breathe some air when she got herself into a squeeze by Shark.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Hornet voiced concern.

"It's the only way," Felina responded, after breathing properly, "Since you guys are a team, that means Piranha will get involved as well. Once you 5 trigger a crime, you'll get them to Boyle Heights and get yourselves captured along with Piranha. You'll be the sixsome criminals-turned-crime-fighting vigilantes again, and I'll reclaim my rightful place in the spotlight!" She then questioned how to actually trigger the plan. "Hmm, we just gotta figure out how to cause a good yet heinous crime that can get those cops' attention."

"That's the easy part and the fun part!" Wolf smugly chuckling, "You see, we don't just rob; we like to do a car chase, and we are the car that causes the chase."

Shark exclaimed, "Yeah, police pursuits are so fun to watch in the news."

"And fun to be part of it!" Tarantula resumed his sentence.

"All we have to do is just trigger the alarm, grab...," Hornet paused in mid-sentence and suggested a safe plan: "Maybe a tiny bit of money since this isn't our schedule for robbery this week…" He then continued with the thrilling plan, "And get to the police station, where we can unleash our favorite bait, Chief Misty Luggins. And when Chief goes, the entire Los Angeles police force follows."

"Yeah!" Wolf, Snake, Shark, and Tarantula all yelled their agreement with the strategy.

"Let's see your stuff there, crime boys and crime girl," Felina said, winking.

The Bad Guys nodded. Time to put the plan into action!

While Shark, Tarantula, and Hornet were nowhere to be found, surprisingly executing their assigned tasks, Wolf and Snake had their own assignments at hand, and, as always and possibly forever, they stayed by each other's sides when approaching a target location to steal. They stood behind the staircase's right newel post. Wolf leaned to the side to see if the bank was properly secured. There were no guards, but he knew there were cops around.

Wolf told the rest of the team via the communication earpiece, "Okay, guys, it's just like old times."

"We do this about once or twice a week, but I miss being the scarer," Snake admitted, as he and Wolf exchanged smirks. This is going to be quite exciting.

Wolf "alone" walked casually up the stairs till he reached the door. He opened it with both paws and entered the bank while disguised. He wore a black tuxedo with a black bow, a small hat, and shades. It was just a casual quiet day in the bank, as if everything is so normal today.

Wolf approached the desk, with the accountant checking her computer, and greeted her gently, "Good morning, miss."

"Good morning, sir," the accountant replied, as if she didn't recognize Wolf with his disguise.

"I'd love to make a withdrawal today," Wolf requested.

"Okay, and what's your name?" the accountant inquired, tapping on her computer.

"Oh, you already know who we are…" Wolf smirked before taking off his disguise, and Snake appeared from behind him. "

"Sorry, sweetie. This is personal," Snake smiled, displaying his sharp teeth.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The accountant shouted in panic as she realized that the two of the Bad Guys showed up in front of her in this very bank.

Snake seized the opportunity to take a small vault containing money that was still locked inside, whereas Wolf only had one bag of money. They dashed across the street, where the car was parked and Felina was.

Felina waited for around 10-15 minutes in the car. To pass the time, she filed her claws. She was startled that Wolf and Snake returned to the car so quickly with a pile of money. "Wow, that was fast," When a couple of police cars were directly in front of them, she exclaimed, "Too fast!"

"Let's get going!" Snake exclaimed excitedly as Wolf put the car in reverse, sliding the joystick back and pushing on the pedal harder. The car then sped through the streets of Los Angeles.

Felina had not expected this plan to work so well; they were currently in the midst of a police pursuit. She tried to relax as Snake worked on cracking the vault code that he and Wolf had stolen.

Wolf then called Tarantula over comm and said, "Webs, can you still hack into the system?"

"Already on it!" Tarantula was perched atop a traffic light and hacked the system, causing the red lights to turn green. When the car came below her, she leaped down, reset the traffic signals to red, and landed through the open sunroof. The traffic forced the police cars to stop in the middle. "Easy peasy!"

Felina swung around to peer through the backseat and observed more police cars following them. "Uh, there's still more gaining on us."

"Got it!" Wolf then turned the wheel, causing the car to make a U-turn to the next street.

The car then drove towards a construction site. When they got in, a construction worker instructed the crane to carry the metal building panels, only to have it drop the panels in front of the speeding police cars, causing them to collide with the panels.

Shark, once again, took off his disguise and jumped into the backseat of the car.

"Can't believe I did that again, and I missed it!" Shark yelled joyously, feeling more alive than ever before.

Felina felt sorry for the cops behind them as she saw the cars slam into the metal panels.

Wolf then discussed the communications for their "eye in the sky," "Are you on it, Hornet?"

Just above the city, Hornet had been tracking the pursuit from the bank to where the Bad Guys car was now. He was still able to communicate with Wolf and the others via his helmet, "Just a couple of miles, and head into the alley on your right!"

Hornet zoomed back into the city as part of his task, and instead of catching up with his friends, he wound himself approaching one of the pursuit's leading police cars.

He flew through an open window and fluttered in front of the driver, exclaiming, "Hey!" He casually greeted the officer driving the car before pointing his stinger at him.

"Aaah! He's gonna sting me!" the cop driver pounced from his seat and tried to cling onto his partner beside him.

Because no one took the wheel, the car became "paralyzed," leading other cars to collide.

Hornet had enough time to depart before being murdered back there, so he flew into the Bad Guy's car through the driver's window.

"Can't believe I showed my artificial stinger!" Hornet laughed before entering the backseat with Shark and Felina.

"Is that artificial? No wonder you have a stinger; only female hornets have them!" Felina complimented Hornet before being aware he was unhappy, despite generating a comical ruckus back there. "Are you okay?" she said.

Hornet sighed and crossed his arms: "Piranha was supposed to pounce on those guys and yell 'surprise!', not me."

Wolf could tell Hornet was unhappy and lonely now that Piranha wasn't with them, especially after such a great robbery and pursuit. And now that Piranha and Hornet were in a relationship, the small bug felt more than just sad. "We'll get him back, Hornet. We just have to stick with the plan!"

Speaking of the plan, Snake eventually unlocked the vault's code, forcing it to open and the money to fly out. Wolf remembered these streets and knew what to do next.

"Hold on, Ms. Felina!" Wolf shifted gears and maneuvered the car, which drifted into a backstreet.

"Whoa!" Felina felt another turn as she dug her claw deep into the seat cushions, while the Bad Guys felt satisfied and joyful; they had to do this again to get Piranha back on their team, not for fun.

Snake's passenger door opened as the car came to a stop, and he dropped the empty vault from his grasp. The vault rolled in front of the other cops in the parking lot, revealing that they were now in front of the police station.

Snake grinned sheepishly as the cops turned around to see where the vault had come from before Snake closed the door.

Felina was alarmed that Wolf had taken themselves into a trap, a police station, and cried in alarm, "Wait, what?! This is your plan?!"

"Yep. "This is the best part about being criminals!" Wolf smiled.

A police officer entered Chief Luggins' office and exclaimed, "Chief, it's…"

Chief Luggins recognized her fellow officer's apprehension and responded fiercely, "Them! AGAIN!"

Chief Luggins kicked the door open to exit the station, accidentally kicking the other cops who were standing beside it.

"Webs, hit it!" Wolf exclaimed as Tarantula played Dan Auerbach's song "Run That Race" on her MP3 player. The Bad Guys then put on their shades, and Felina lowered herself out of sight from the window.

"I just hope they didn't see me!" Felina didn't want to be seen, so she hid between the front and rear seats. "I don't want to be a part of this felony life! I don't want to go to jail! I have big dreams! I have a spotlight waiting for me!"

Chief Luggins yelled at her other cops, "GET THEM!"

The Bad Guys laughed as Wolf accelerated the car away. The cops got into their cars and chased the Bad Guys, turning on the sirens. Hornet stole Wolf's phone as they drove through the streets, looking for a faster route to Boyle Heights.

Speaking of that...

Meanwhile, in Boyle Heights, a crowd gathered around the Mariachi Plaza for the Harmony Notes' performance, which could be their final here. People from Boyle Heights and beyond had to drive all the way to the plaza to see what their final concert in Los Angeles might be.

The Harmony Notes were still in the apartment building, in the foyer. Doug was worried before their performance because he had never seen so many people gathered in Mariachi Plaza. He felt Boyle Heights was a little city, yet it was large enough for everyone to be here. Doug was nearly hyperventilating as he turned away from the glass door, attempting to calm down.

The rest of the band couldn't help but notice Doug's excitement and nervousness for the event.

" Why, Doug, look at you. You nervous as ayy flea on dip day," Dolly noted, " Ay haven't saw y'all like this here in ayy awful long tahm."

Doug chuckled with embarrassment, "You've never seen me like this, Dolly."

"I just hope that talent scout is in a good mood," Daniel stated enthusiastically, setting up his turntables.

When Doug looked back outside, he noticed the talent scout wandering through the crowd, waiting for the show.

"Oh boy, he's here!" The band leader gasped and collapsed on the floor, whining like a terrified puppy.

Piranha patted Doug's head while holding a microphone with his other fin, "Relax, Doug; everything will be fine."

Back with the Bad Guys, the pursuit continued into a high-speed chase through the interstate.

Felina was still clinging to the chairs, claws pressed through the cushions, trying to stay hidden from the cops. "I didn't sign up for this!"

Snake turned to the backseat and hissed at the damsel cat, "Oh, stop complaining! This was your idea."

"Yeah, but not a stupid police pursuit!" Felina cried.

"It will be over real soon! We are almost there!" Wolf declared as he drove towards the right exit. The pursuit was headed towards Boyle Heights.

Chapter Text

Now that the entire Mariachi Plaza was packed with excited audience members, the Harmony Notes were ready to perform before Doug made his announcement. The Talent Scout in the crowd waited patiently for the show to begin.

Doug tapped the microphone to check it before clearing his throat and stating, "Ladies and gentlemen." This might be our final performance here in Boyle Heights before we reach greater heights." He chuckled at the end, "I made a pun." Still, no one understood the joke as the audience mumbled in confusion regarding the band's last performance in this city. Doug added, "But don't worry. Once we reach that level, you will hear more of us again very soon!"

The crowd's atmosphere shifted from confusion to comprehension as they realized it would not be the last time they heard from The Harmony Notes.

"Now, without further ado… The Harmony Notes!" Doug returned to his band as Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, Daniel, and Piranha prepared to perform. Doug was standing in the front center.

Piranha was overjoyed that this performance with the Harmony Notes would be the gateway to his dream and new singing career.

When Rocki and Dolly began strumming their guitars, the moment was cut short when a car made a loud screech while making a drift turn into Mariachi Plaza. The crowd ran away from the car's path to avoid being hit or crashed by the skidding car. The car ultimately parked in front of the kiosk where the Harmony Notes remained, and they watched as the car skidded towards them.

The car came to a complete stop as the Bad Guys got out and surged through the crowd, with the people hurriedly stepping aside.

"Coming through!" Wolf said.

"Excuse us!" Tarantula, who was on Shark's shoulder, added.

"Pardon us!" Shark exclaimed politely.

"Sorry!" Hornet yelped.

"On your right!" Snake warned as a woman leaped aside and let out a small shriek as she noticed him slithering beneath her.

The Bad Guys came to a stop at the kiosk's stairs and turned to wait for the cops to come for them.

Piranha jumped down the steps and questioned his friends, "Hermanos, what's going on?"

Just then a large number of police cars charged into the Mariachi Plaza, causing the audience to scream and flee. Some people stayed behind to witness what was going on while staying to the side to avoid being hit by police cars. There were a lot of them now that the five Bad Guys had slowed them down during the chase. It was as if an entire army had arrived. There was no army at all. No helicopters, tanks, or trucks; only police cars.

Many cops stepped out of their cars, pointing their guns at everyone in the square, not just the Bad Guys.

"Freeze!" yelled Chief Luggins as she marched out of her car.

Everyone remained motionless as the crowd grew nervous and mumbled suspiciously. The Harmonious Notes were astonished but puzzled by what was going on right now. They were this close to impressing the Talent Scout, but were stopped by a pursuit?

"Everyone, hands in the air!" Chief Luggins demanded, clutching her gun, while everyone in the plaza raised their hands up. She then pointed her gun at each of the six Bad Guys, saying, "All right, Bad Guys! Put your hands, paws, or fins in the air so I can see them!" Wolf, Snake, Shark, Tarantula, Hornet, and even Piranha all agreed by holding their hands, fins, and tail up. Chief Luggins marched forward, determined that the Bad Guys would not escape her grasp once more, "There's no going anywhere, Bad Guys, we've got you surrounded!"

The Harmony Notes gasped in disbelief while still holding their hands up in the air. They were a little stumped about who the police chief was referring to, but the way Chief Luggins spoke to Piranha's friends and Piranha himself made them realize who they were.

"Wait, what?!" Rocki exclaimed.

"Bad Guys?" Ellen kept an eye on Piranha and his buddies.

Piranha clinched his teeth as he realized his secret from the band had been revealed.

"Piranha," Doug gazed down at the little fish with a disappointed and shocked expression. "You're a criminal?"

Piranha felt like he buried his head under his shirt to hide his humiliation before smiling sheepishly. "Does also a vigilante count that I'm not allowed in the band?"

However, none of the Harmony Notes responded to the query because that was not the point. Piranha and his five friends were clearly wanted criminals.

"You six are under arrest for robbery, traffic violations, property damage, and disturbing the peace," Chief Luggins said loudly as she marched closer to the Bads Guys, still holding her gun.

All the Bad Guys, Harmony Notes, and the audience gasped. There was more criminality than normal. Robbery was not enough to make them look awful. While everyone in the plaza was distracted, Felina got out of the car, hoping no one recognized her, and dashed out of the crowd before cops could spot her.

Officer Bob then turned to the crowd and declared, "Sorry, everyone. The show is over. You can go back to your normal business operations. We'll take it from here."

The Bad Guys' plan worked too well. They only wanted Piranha back, but they ended up committing a few more crimes than they anticipated. Not only that, but they hauled the cops in during the Harmony Notes' performance, embarrassing and humiliating them since Piranha was a member of the band but was still labeled criminal. This negatively impacted the band's image… which wasn't part of the plan at all.

A angry and disappointing groans and complains were heard from the crowd as they turned away from the scene and walked back to their homes and workplaces, thinking they had wasted their time seeing a band with a criminal. Most importantly, they witnessed the arrest of the Bad Guys, who were assumed they turned good. But this scene said otherwise.

"I can't believe they let one of the Bad Guys in the band!"

"And I thought they're good now!"

Doug was surprised that everyone was leaving, and the band hadn't had a chance to perform yet. He raced out of the kiosk, persuading everyone to wait, "What? No! We have a show to do!"

However, a police officer stretched his arm in front of Doug, stopping him in his tracks. "Sorry, sir. Your show has been canceled."

Felina was watching from behind the dumpster as the cops evacuated the plaza. This was not how she imagined her plan unfolding. All she wanted was to reclaim her role in the band. Instead, she allowed the Bad Guys to take the cops to the band's final performance in order to impress the Talent Scout and gain success, humiliating them and driving the audience away before they could even perform.

Speaking of which, the Talent Scout remained in the crowd, watching everything that was going on. He'd seen enough. He had noticed that there was no talent he was looking for here.

He only saw mayhem and criminals on the loose, one of whom was a member of the band he expected to see. Knowing there was nothing left for him to search for new stars, the Talent Scout walked away, got into his car, and left Boyle Heights.

While the cops were taking everyone away, Felina was able to leave her hiding spot and watch the Talent Scout leave. She felt guilty inside, knowing it shouldn't be this way.

Even Doug and the rest of the Harmony Notes were saddened that they did not receive the opportunity to perform in front of the Talent Scout as their ticket to stardom. That chance was lost. They will no longer be able to play on the big stage. Doug held his head low, losing all of his hopes and dreams, and his intentions of leading the band to success were shattered.

Piranha approached Doug next to him slowly and inquired, "What are we gonna do now, Doug?"

"You're going with the police and to jail," Doug said sternly.

"But, the band..."

"Don't you get it?! You are fired!"

Piranha flinched fearfully as he realized Doug was blaming him for their ONLY chance of fame and wealth. Piranha ran off in tears and curled up in the alley, wanting to be alone.

Seeing Doug mistreating Piranha in such a different light now that they knew who he was, Dolly's opinion of the small fish did not change, as her disappointment was focused on Doug instead. "You know what, Doug? Y'all done used ta be ayy lot mawe fun ta be around," she added, leaving Doug as if she were leaving the band.

"Oh, come on. Where are you going? Hey..." Doug called Dolly back, but she didn't respond or turn back. "Oh, yeah? Fine. We don't need you, either. He then addressed his remaining bandmates, "Right, guys?"

But Rocki, Ellen, and Daniel were silent since they discovered Doug's attitude had changed and he was treating their band differently than friends, all because he was chasing fame and stars.

"Sorry, Doug," Ellen replied, resting her hands on her son's shoulders.

"It's just no fun anymore," Daniel said, as he and his mother walked away sadly.

"I did not sign up for this," Rocki said, giving Doug an icy glare before flying away with Ellen and Daniel.

The fact that Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, and Daniel have left Doug behind could only mean one thing: the Harmony Notes had broken up! Doug was on his own now. Felina stood by, wanting to say something to him, but she didn't have the words to say now that the Talent Scout had left and the band had broken up. There was no spotlight for her to perform in, and no friends to sing along with her.

Doug lifted his head and noticed Felina. The dog wasn't sure what to say to the cat. Either screaming at her or crying in front of her... But there was nothing to say anymore. It didn't matter anymore because there was no way for the Harmony Notes to reach their real goal.

It was all gone.

"Happy now?" That was all Doug could say to Felina, believing it was what she would have wanted.

But this was not what Felina wanted, and she felt bad that her friends had lost their chance.

Meanwhile, when Piranha was still curling in a little ball in the alley, the Bad Guys found him and attempted to comfort the poor little fish, but they were unable to approach him because they knew he was so upset right now.

"Piranha, we're so sorry," Wolf broke the silence first, but Piranha did not reply. Deep inside, he was suppressing his emotions about how his dreams had been crushed. He was so close, but he was back at square one.

Hornet chose to explain on behalf of himself and his team, "We just wanted to..."

"You all ruined everything!" Piranha snapped angrily at all his friends. They crushed his singing dream. They had him exposed solely to get him kicked out of the band. He no longer had any possibility of becoming a singer, as he had hoped.

The rest of the Bad Guys did not protest or provide more arguments for what they had done. There was no excuse. Bringing Piranha back into the team by exposing him to the band as a wanted criminal was a selfish move. Since they became closest friends, they have supported Piranha's dream to become a singer. However, their concerns and jealousy get the best of them, especially Hornet. He and his boyfriend began dating, and the bug wanted him all to himself, which is something a boyfriend should not do to his partner. They crushed his dreams rather than being happy for him. They messed up. They messed up their friendship.

Chief Luggins approached them with handcuffs appropriate for humans and said with a victorious grin, "Alright, Bad Guys, you have to…"

"We're going!" Piranha stood up and marched past his friends and Chief Luggins, "But I'm not riding with these guys," he declared as he climbed into one of the police cars with an open door and hopped into a seat without hesitation, much to the surprise of the other cops who were watching him surrender on his own.

The Bad Guys understood Piranha's pain and gesture, while the chief of police was confused by what just happened. The Bad Guys usually did everything together, even surrendering last year. Chief Luggins returned his attention to the other Bad Guys and was going to say something while handling out a couple of handcuffs.

"You don't need to cuff us, Chief," Wolf cut her off since he didn't want her to say anything, and he and his friend got the message as the five of them proceeded to her car. "We're going," the leader said.

The five Bad Guys boarded Chief Luggins' police cruiser as Snake closed the door, confusing all of the cops to the point that the Bad Guys surrendered willingly without hesitation or explaining the moral lesson, as they had the first time. They just sadly surrender, as if they understand the situation. They purposefully robbed the bank and caused damage before surrendering immediately. No criminal has ever surrendered immediately after committing a certain crime.

Knowing the Bad Guys so well, they always go together as a team, as if they will stick together to the end. But today, the cops were bothered because one of them decided to go to jail alone, while the other five simply let him go and got into another car. This is definitely new for the Los Angeles Police Department. Of all the years they attempted to capture the Bad Guys, one had been separated from the team.

Something serious transpired between Mr. Piranha and the rest of the Bad Guys to induce their willing surrender without being together as the sixsome. One was alone, while the rest were a fivesome. This was very unusual.

But the cops had a job to do: take these criminals to jail as they should. They all returned to their various cars and decided to drive to the prison center, where the Bad Guys had been held for a year.

When Chief Luggins got into her car with the five Bad Guys in the backseat, she wanted to ask about Piranha, but she could tell by their expressions that they were not in the mood to discuss it. She shrugged and started the car before driving away, leading the last pursuit out of Boyle Heights.

Piranha was alone with his thoughts in the backseat of another police cruiser. He was still furious with his friends for betraying him and destroying his chance to achieve his dream. He couldn't believe what his best buddies and boyfriend would do to him. As his friends and new family, they should have supported him, but they didn't, and they ruined everything.

When the Bad Guys were sent to their prison cells, Piranha suggested that he have his own prison cell alone in order to stay away from his team for a while, although the other five Bad Guys shared the same prison cell. Despite being in separate cells, Piranha and the other Bad Guys cells were literally next to one another, but Piranha sat in the corner, away from the wall, next to his so-called friends' cell. Her knew his friends were right next to his cell, so he curled back into a ball. He didn't say a word. He was merely silent in his thoughts. He was unsure whether he would ever forgive his friends sooner.

Meanwhile, back in Boyle Heights, Felina couldn't help but feel guilty about the mess she made, not only for herself but also for the rest of the band. When she went upstairs in the apartment building, she was unable to return to their room. She didn't want to be near her bandmates right now, not after what she had done to them. They had been dreamed of being stars since they began their own musical careers before the band was formed, and she ruined their dreams, not just hers and Doug's. Felina had no intention of having her actions effect Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, or Daniel. However, they had lost all hope for their future. Felina went back down the stairs, allowing herself time to consider what she had done.

In their cell, the other Bad Guys were also unable to talk. They still felt horrible about ruining Piranha's chance for a dream. They went a little too far to get their friend back. Alternatively, getting their friend back was not worthwhile. He would shun them in any way.

Hornet felt the most guilt out of the five members. Hornet, Piranha's boyfriend, shouldn't keep his dreams away from him, even if Hornet would lose Piranha, either forever or longer. However, Hornet felt quite selfish. He had never been so selfish since he went on a solo mission. Who would have expected his romance with Piranha to end so quickly? They had just dated, and now he hated him. Hornet did not want to know what Piranha thought of him right now. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was that Piranha was angry with him and the rest of their friends.

A few days later, Governor Diane chose to bail out the Bad Guys and accept full responsibility for their crimes because she "easily forgave them and believing they changed their ways." The court decided to put Diane in charge of the Bad Guys' parole.

When Chief Luggins unlocked and opened The Bad Guys' and Piranha's respective cells, Piranha stormed out first. When Diane opened her lips to speak, Piranha simply ignored her and headed away as if nothing happened. Chief Luggins and Diane watched the little fish stroll away so madly, while the Bad Guys came from their cell and looked at Piranha with shame. Diane looked at Wolf, her questioning countenance indicating that she was wondering what happened without saying it aloud. However, Wolf and the rest of the Bad Guys were unable to say anything because they also chose to go without explaining what was going on.

Meanwhile, Felina had already sought a hotel following the incident. When she went out to check out the hotel, she noticed Doug tearing off their band poster from their trailer and rolling it as if the band was long gone. Felina was aware of who she was. She was selfish in trying to defeat Doug at his own game, but it went too far for her. With that, she decided to leave the band for a while, hoping that giving her bandmates some space would help them get back on their own feet again.

Back with the Bad Guys, Piranha already got himself a ride back home to their hideout. He took a taxi, but it stopped at the bridge, forcing him to take the long way down. Diane returned Wolf's car to the Bad Guys, who drove home. It was a sad ride home. When the five remaining Bad Guys entered the main room of their hideout, Piranha was about to go to his room after grabbing a cup of coffee. When Piranha discovered them in the same room as him, he just turned to his friends with a regretful expression on their faces. Piranha only returned a bitter stare, still upset about what happened and for ruining his shot at his dream, as he entered his bedroom and slammed the door.

Wolf, Snake, Shark, Tarantula, and Hornet looked at each other, realizing Piranha was still angry with them and was possibly unwilling to forgive them. However, the group realized that they were responsible for wrecking Piranha's dream. This was their punishment for failing their friend.

When Wolf, Snake Shark, and Tarantula slowly headed to their respective bedrooms, Hornet was left alone, feeling terrible among the five. He flew to the dining table and sat in his own tiny chair. So much for being the greatest boyfriend ever. He should've supported Piranha rather than believing he had abandoned him and the team. Hornet wished he could go back in time and undo what happened that led to this. But it was impossible. Hornet could never reverse his own or anyone else's actions now. He knew Piranha hated him, and they were now referred to as "exes." The worst word Hornet might describe himself with Piranha. Love, like dreams, does not last forever.

Phew, this chapter was really intense, and it got me crying while making this.

Diane only made a silent cameo in this chapter or the entire story.

Chapter Text

The previous night's rain had soaked the ground by the next morning. Piranha had to take out the trash again, but he was still upset over his dreams being destroyed and failing to become a real star. Regardless of his sorrow, Piranha took a garbage bag from the hideout and walked up the bridge to the dumpster.

When Piranha arrived, he simply dumped the garbage bag like he had done before. Nothing fresh or joyful about it. It was not a beautiful day for him to take out the trash, as he used to believe.

"Piranha."

A familiar voice was heard nearby as Piranha turned to see Felina approaching him, "Felina? What are you doing here?" He was inquisitive yet uninterested about Felina's desire to show up after what had happened in Boyle Heights. He knew Felina had been involved in his friends' robbery when he saw her at the last minute.

"I just thought you should know that blowing' your cover was my idea. Not your friends'," Felina confessed sadly, as Piranha continued to avoid looking at her., "I guess I just lost sight of what's really important. And, sweetie, I'm awful sorry. Your friends never wanted to hurt you. Not even Hornet. He knew how much your dream meant so much to you," Piranha finally glanced back to Felina, not angry, but concerned that what she said was true. "They just wanted you to be their friend again," the cat explained, as the little fish looked down, thinking whatever was on his mind.

"Well... That's what I came to say," Felina said, then walked away slowly, sadly, and guilty. She was only here to tell Piranha the whole truth about the robbery so he wouldn't be angry with his friends. She wants to accept full responsibility for her mistake with Piranha.

As he watched Felina leaving, it took her words to make Piranha realize he was wrong about his friends. It wasn't their intention to ruin his dreams. They just wanted him to be their friend again. Piranha also discovered that he didn't spend enough time with his friends because he was too busy practicing with the Harmony Notes. Most importantly, he did not act like a proper boyfriend to Hornet when he was supposed to spend time with him. Piranha recognized he was half to fault for the incident, and he felt awful about pointing it out at his friends.

Later that morning, when Hornet was resting in his little bed, he awoke to the strong smell of food. He opened his eyes and sniffed at the smell. It smelt like breakfast. Someone cooked breakfast. There was only one chef on this crew.

When Hornet approached the door and gently opened it, he noticed Piranha cooking breakfast for five. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

"Piranha?" Hornet was surprised that Piranha was in the mood to cook breakfast.

When Hornet exited the room, the rest of the Bad Guys came out of their respective rooms, and they all smelt breakfast when they woke up. They were all very curious and worried that Piranha was cooking today. He was upset for these past few days, and now he's cooking them breakfast? What was happening here?

When Piranha finished making all of the breakfast food, he turned around and was surprised to see his friends awake. However, he acted casually as he placed the food on the table. The other Bad Guys silently sat down at the table as if it were any other morning.

Piranha sat down on his high chair, wanting to break the silence between him and his gang after what seemed like a long time, and began to say, "Hi."

"Hi," Hornet was the first to respond.

"Hey, fish bro," Shark said as he cautiously took his seat.

"We still friends?" Piranha asked, attempting to make eye contact.

"I don't know. Aren't you mad?" Wolf inquired.

Piranha sighed, reluctant to admit it, "Listen, I've been thinking; I've been kind of a stupid fish recently."

"No, you're not stupid," Tarantula protested, "No, you're just a… bad friend."

"Webs!" Snake exclaimed.

"What? I was trying to be honest," the hacker claimed.

"No, she's right. I'm kind of a..." Piranha swallowed his pride, "Bad friend. Since joining the band, I've given you all less attention and importance. I was only thinking about myself and my dreams, and I forgot about you guys."

"No, no, Piranha, you have such great talent, and we don't want you to waste that," Wolf remarked.

"Yeah, and we're really proud of you," Shark said with a little remorseful tone, "We could've been supportive of you. That is what friends should have done."

"That's what boyfriends should've done with each other," Hornet came forward, fluttering close to Piranha and placed his palm on his boyfriend's fin. "I should've supported you all along."

Piranha gave Hornet a guilty expression as he carefully and gently placed another fin on his palm. The two had a shameful look in their eyes because they had never acted like boyfriends to each other on their early days of dating, but it wasn't too late to make up for their mistakes.

"We should've supported each other," Wolf said, as the Bad Guys drew closer together like one big happy family.

"I sure am sorry," Piranha said.

"Yeah, we're sorry too," Snake said.

"We're sorry we ruined your chance to your dream," Shark said in response.

"It doesn't matter anyway. The Talent Scout's gone, the band broke up, I don't think we're getting them all back anymore," Piranha recalled about the incident.

The rest of the Bad Guys hung their heads down, feeling bad for causing the Harmony Notes' breakdown and preventing the Talent Scout from seeing and hearing their musical talent.

But Wolf slammed his fist on the table as he stood up, and declared, "No! We can't just quit right now! We are going to fix this."

"What else are we going to do, Wolf?" Snake slithered towards Wolf, "The Talent Scout might be halfway to Vegas by now, and the Harmony Notes won't perform again."

"Since when have we ever given up? We are the Bad Guys. We can do anything except give up. We'll give the Harmony Notes what they've wanted since their arrival here in LA."

"How are we going to do that?" Tarantula questioned.

Wolf then turned to Piranha, and announced to the whole gang, "Piranha, you try and stop the Harmony Notes from leaving, while the rest of us are going to get the Talent Scout."

"And how are we going to find the Talent Scout when we have no idea where he is now?" Hornet asked like it was a silly idea, "I mean, we can't just scan the whole city to find him and…" Hornet stopped in his tracks when the Bad Guys stared at him. Knowing those looks, Hornet realized he was capable to fly up above the city, and could see people down below, even a Talent Scout, "Ooooohhhhh, right."

"And how can I stop the Harmony Notes?" Piranha inquired.

"Just improvise! I'll text you where we'll meet up," Wolf remarked, taking out his phone.

Piranha removed his phone from his pocket and nodded, "Got it."

"Alright! "We can do this, gang!" Wolf kept his paw in the middle.

Snake extended his tail as well. Then came the Shark's fin, followed by the Tarantula's four legs and the Hornet's small hand. Lastly, they waited to see if Piranha was all in. Piranha smiled, relieved to be back with the crew. Oh, how he missed it after spending time with the Harmony Notes. Piranha extended his fin, signifying that he was all in.

Chapter Text

At Boyle Heights, the Harmony Notes were packing their belongings from their apartment onto their trailer. Felina was nowhere to be seen, having been hiding from her bandmates for a while. Knowing it was her fault, she assumed her friends would not be in the mood to see her at the moment.

Dolly and Ellen were lugging a hard-to-carry case containing some musical equipment. Dolly took one end on the front, and Ellen grabbed the other as she cautiously moved backward into the trailer.

"Come on, guys. We better pack everything before we hit the road home," Rocki stated, guiding Ellen from inside the trailer.

"Just make sure we ain't miss anything," Dolly said as she lifted her end of the case and entered the trailer.

Doug was outside the trailer, sitting on one of the hard cases and fiddling with his guitar. He was saddened by what had transpired, but the situation provided him with time to realize that his goals and dreams were not meant to be. It allowed him to reflect on how he had changed after being deceived by his dreams. His bandmates no longer trusted him, Felina hadn't shown up in days, and his aspirations of becoming a star had no chance of being fulfilled.

"Doug, Doug!"

Doug's thoughts were interrupted when Piranha charged towards him, "Felina's in trouble!"

The news spread rapidly as Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, and Daniel emerged from their trailer and began to speak anxiously for Felina. They went to Doug with questions.

"What happened?"

"Trouble?"

"What's wrong?"

"Where?"

"Calm down!" Doug commanded loudly, and the Harmony Notes exhaled. Now that his bandmates had cooled down, he turned back to Piranha and inquired, "Where is she?"

"Follow me," Piranha said as he dashed away, and the Harmony Notes followed.

Meanwhile, the Talent Scout was driving out of LA when the Bad Guys' car passed him and blocked his path in front of his car.

"Whoa, whoa!" The Talent Scout was alerted by this and stomped on the brakes while turning the wheel to the right.

His car almost collided with the car in front of him, but thankfully no one was injured. The Bad Guys stepped out of the car to present themselves, and the Talent Scout followed likewise out of curiosity.

"Mr. Talent Scout," Mr. Wolf presumed.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The Talent Scout was concerned since he knew the Bad Guys, but he wouldn't act unless he had a decent talk with them.

"You should really come with us for a moment," Snake advised.

"And... what if I don't?" The Talent Scout asked, hoping he wouldn't have an adverse consequence.

"Then we're going to do this the hard way," Tarantula said as Shark took out a black blindfold.

The Talent Scout gulped and sweated with fear.

Back in Boyle Heights, the Harmony Notes continued following Piranha, who was still stalling them from leaving. He was still giving his team time to get the Talent Scout.

"Phew! We could have taken the trailer." Rocki panted heavily during her flight and landed on Daniel's shoulder.

" Ya'll just don't like ta fly this here far," Dolly remarked.

Then, the run came to a stop when Piranha realized he didn't know where he was going. He hadn't received any news from his friends yet.

"Well, where is she?" Doug asked.

"Um..." Piranha didn't know how to respond because he was merely stalling the Harmony notes. Right on time, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he took it out and saw that he had received a text from Wolf. He opened his inbox, read the message, and smirked. Piranha put his phone back in his pocket and turned to the Harmony Notes, "At Hollenbeck Park!"

"Come on, everybody. Follow me," Doug commanded the rest of the band as he led them, leaving Piranha behind for a minute.

While the Harmony Notes fell for the bait, Piranha took out his phone again and decided to text a message before sending it.

Back with the Bad Guys, as Wolf drove the car into Boyle Heights, Hornet's helmet alerted him to a message from Piranha. Hornet used the HUD effect to open and read the message.

"Hornet, what are you doing?" Tarantula noticed him staring through the helmet lenses.

"Piranha just texted me," Hornet replied before widening his eyes and closing his inbox, "I'll be right back!" He flew out the window, and the Bad Guys watched him go.

"What is with that bug?" Snake questioned.

"I'm not sure, but we have to stick with the plan," Wolf remarked as he stepped on it.

The Harmony Notes arrived at Hollenbeck Park, but it was currently empty. There was no Felina. They were looking in all directions for Felina when they heard a car tire screeching. The Bad Guys' car unexpectedly arrived at the scene, and Wolf stepped out of it when he parked in an empty spot.

"Mr. Wolf?" Doug recognized the car and the driver as he and the Harmony Notes approached Wolf and the Bad Guys, who also got out of the car, "Where is Felina?" The dog asked.

"She'll be along," Wolf chuckled.

"Wha-?" Doug was confused by this response.

"Felina's not here, but we brought him!" Shark spoke while carrying a black bag out of the car and setting it down. He lifted the bag and revealed himself to be the Talent Scout, completely blindfolded and tied up.

"WHAT?!" The Harmony Notes gasped in fear.

"You kidnapped the Talent Scout?!" Ellen yelled.

"You'll thank us later," Tarantula winked.

Doug was ready to speak up again about this when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Doug!"

Felina hurried into the scene, followed by Piranha and Hornet.

Piranha texted Hornet to look for Felina. When Hornet flew above, he quickly discovered Felina nearby, who had been within Boyle Heights all along, as he and Piranha went to get her and had her follow them to Hollenbeck Park.

"Way to go, Hermanos!" Piranha praised his friends for bringing the Talent Scout with them.

Felina approached Doug, worried, "Doug, are you all right?"

"No, are you all right?" Doug expressed concern.

"I'm fine!" Both Doug and Felina responded in unison, which shocked them.

"What is going on? I thought you were in trouble!" Doug spoke before turning to face Piranha and the Bad Guys, who were grinning at them. He understood Felina wasn't in any trouble, and Piranha and Hornet informed Felina that he was in trouble. It was all the Bad Guys' plan to bring them together while holding the Talent Scout prisoner. Doug looked at the six criminals meticulously and asked, "Just exactly why did you get us all together?"

"Yeah, and why is the Talent Scout here?" Felina continued, pointing to the still-tied Talent Scout.

The Bad Guys' smiles faded as the five glanced at Piranha, allowing him to respond. "'Cause... 'Cause that's what the Harmony Notes ought to be," Piranha smirked "We have to sing and play music together in harmony."

The Harmony Notes exchanged glances, as they no longer had the spirit to sing in harmony following their fallout.

Wolf then said, "Don't be mad at Piranha. We're trying to make things right for him and you guys."

"We gave the Talent Scout a special once-in-a-lifetime and unregretful offer," Tarantula declared

Daniel tilted his head, examining the Talent Scout's current situation. "Yep. You made him an offer all right."

"Look, we appreciate the gesture of what you criminals are doing, but it's too late," Doug responded. "The Talent Scout doesn't want to see us, and we don't want to perform anymore."

"On the contrary, the Talent Scout won't press charges unless you guys show what the Harmony Notes is all about," Hornet stated before leaning into Doug's face and mumbling, "But seriously, impress him or we'll all be in jail."

Doug gulped under strain as the Harmony Notes realized there might be consequences if they did not perform well.

Ready or not, the Harmony Notes had to perform because the Bad Guys were about to release the Talent Scout from his hostage.

"Alright, sir, here's your new stars!" Wolf proclaimed as he, Snake, and Shark untied the ropes and removed the Talent Scout's blindfold, revealing the Harmony Notes right in front of him.

The Talent Scout raised a brow, waiting for anything from this band.

The Harmony Notes did nothing but smile sheepishly and wave to him.

Seeing that it wasn't going to end well, the Bad Guys realized the band needed a little boost. Tarantula pulled out her MP3 player, Snake regurgitated a boombox, and Hornet attached the mp3 to the boombox and played the music.

The Harmony Notes could hear loud beats while the music played, causing their bodies to bob and wanting to sing along. They've all looked at Doug. As leader, he was expected to lead the song. But this time, instead of having the spotlight, Doug motioned for Felina to begin the song since she deserved it as much as everyone else in the band.
Felina was charmed by the gesture and began singing.

Felina:  You think you've gotta hide it
Don't keep it on the shelf
Let your waist start movin'
Watch the way I do it, do it
See me do it like nobody else

Then, Ellen joined in to sing this verse.

Ellen:  If we sing it all together
(If we sing it all as one)
It's louder than yourself
(All together everyone)

Everybody's lookin'
Watch the way we do it, do it
'Cause we do it like nobody else
Let me hear you sing

While they saw two of the Harmony Notes sing their parts, Piranha asked his friends if he might join them because he was still technically a member of the band. The other Bad Guys nodded, indicating their support for their fish friend. Piranha dashed to the Harmony Notes to join them and sang his part.

Piranha:  Don't you stop it, don't you fight it
Let me hear you sing
If you got it, can't deny it
Let me hear ya

Harmony Notes:  It's waitin' for ya already
You know that you do it like nobody else
Just sing

Sing it together
Louder than ever, ever
Forget everything
Just sing
Like it's what we've been missin'

And they're gonna listen, listen
Forget everything

Felina:  (Let me hear ya)

The Harmony Notes did not mind Piranha joining in. They made an error about him being a criminal because his intentions were pure, and joining the Harmony Notes was about having fun rather than being clean and faultless. They let the fish back into the band.

Dolly:  Hey, I been right here where you standin'

Doug and Daniel:  (I've been standin' on the ground)

Dolly:  And the walls are cavin' in

Doug and Daniel:  (All the walls are fallin')

Dolly:  But my lips start movin'
With the soul I put into it
And you've never heard it done like this

Harmony Notes:  Let me hear you sing
Don't you stop it, don't you fight it
Let me hear you sing
If you got it, can't deny it
Let me hear ya
It's waitin' for ya already
You know that you do it like nobody else

Just sing

At the chorus, the Talent Scout stood up and danced to the Harmony Notes' singing, while the Bad Guys enjoyed seeing and hearing them sing, particularly for Piranha.

Harmony Notes:  Sing it together
Louder than ever, ever
Forget everything

Just sing
Like it's what we've been missin'
And they're gonna listen, listen
Forget everything

(Let me hear you sing!)
(Let me hear you)

Ellen:  Let me hear you sing, yeah!

Harmony Notes:  (Let me hear you sing!)

Daniel:  I want you to sing from your soul, I want you to reach with your elbows

Harmony Notes:  (Let me hear you)
(Let me hear you sing!)
It's waitin' for ya already
You know that you do it like nobody else

Just sing
Sing it together
Louder than ever, ever
Forget everything

Just sing
Like it's what we've been missin'
And they're gonna listen, listen
Forget everything

Just sing
Sing it together
Louder than ever, ever
Forget everything

Just sing
Like it's what we've been missin'
And they're gonna listen, listen
Forget everything

Just...

Felina:  Sing

Felina sang the entire final verse while the Talent Scout shouted happily. He appreciated the band's entire performance, which featured a diverse group of creatures singing in perfect harmony. He hurried over to the band and hugged Doug tightly, "I've finally found my act. "You're all gonna be stars!"

Piranha decided to join the celebration after noticing how impressed the Talent Scout was with their performance.]

The Bad Guys felt proud that they had fixed their mistakes for Piranha and the Harmony Notes. Piranha would remain in the band for a long time now that they had been chosen by the Talent Scout to become stars. Even though they had to lose their friend for a long time, they were happy for him since he would undoubtedly pursue his dreams. When the Bad Guys realized their mission was complete, they decided to return home. They got into the car carefully and quietly, and Wolf drove off, but not in a quick way.

Meanwhile, the Harmony Notes were too preoccupied with the Talent Scout, who would assist them in achieving their professional goals.

"Does this mean we're going to perform at the Hollywood Bowl?" Rocki inquired excitedly.

"Oh, you're going to perform more! Who is your leader?" the Talent Scout inquired.

The band was about to claim Doug was their leader, when the said-leader interrupted and said, "You know what? You should speak to my band here. They had bigger dreams than I did."

Rocki, Dolly, Ellen, and Daniel were in shock that Doug had become a new dog. He became selfless and allowed the band to speak with the Talent Scout rather than himself. They now liked the new Doug. The Doug they trusted and the Doug they befriended for years.

The Talent Scout said as he approached the four band members: "Oh goodie, which one of you should I talk to first?"

When the Talent Scout accidentally pushed Doug into a spin, the dog bumped into Felina, whom they caught in each other's arms.

"So there you go, Doug. You just got what you always wanted," Felina explained.

"Well, maybe I had it all along," Doug said with a sneaky expression.

Felina's eyes widened in surprise as she asked, "What are you saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" Doug inquired, still beaming at her.

"You better be saying what I think you're saying."

"I think you know that what I'm saying is what you think I'm saying."

"Oh, Doug, I thought this was what you wanted."

"Look, I thought I did, but it won't be the same without you."

"So, what? We're like a thing again."

"If you want to."

"Well, I thought you'd never ask."

Doug and Felina, after days of squabbling, locked themselves into an embrace and rekindled their relationship. Oh, how they missed this when they were together before.
And perhaps now again.

Piranha was ecstatic that the Harmony Notes would finally be able to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. This had been a long-awaited dream. The band is back again, and Doug and Felina are in a relationship... Once again, the Talent Scout found what he was looking for, and everyone got what they desired.

Well, almost…

The Bad Guys' car came to a stop at one intersection of the open main road leading out of Hollenbeck Park. They were waiting for the traffic light to turn green, but not before considering Piranha's decision to pursue his dream.

Shark put his head out the window, waiting for Piranha to dash after them from behind. "Do you think this is what he'd wanted?"

Hornet, carrying a cup of slushie he bought along the road, put his head out the window and glanced back, hoping Piranha would follow them, but there was no sign of him. He sighed and retreated to the car, "Well, he had to live his dream. He'd been wanting this for a while."

Wolf sighed in a calming tone, "I guess... we should be happy for him."

The other Bad Guys nodded in agreement as they returned their attention to the traffic light. The light turned green as Wolf drove the car forward.

"Guys!"

He came to a halt when the Bad Guys recognized Piranha's voice. They all peeked their heads out the windows to see whether Piranha was calling, but there was no one there. There were no Piranha either.

As the fivesome withdrew back into the car, Wolf was going to drive on when they heard a friend's voice.

"Guys!" This time, the voice became louder and closer. The Bad Guys turned around once more, and they saw Piranha appear behind them, rushing as fast as he could to reach them. "Mi amigos, wait!"

The Bad Guys were taken aback when their small fish friend approached them on such short notice, "Piranha?".

Wolf hurriedly parked the car on the sidewalk, and they all exited to welcome Piranha closely.

"Piranha, what are you doing here?" Wolf inquired with a surprising smile.

Piranha paused in front of his friends, panting heavily from all of his running. He took a moment to catch his breath before responding, "What are you talking about?" "I'm going home with you."

"But about the band. Aren't you going with them?" Snake wondered.

"Nah. They'll be alright on their own.

"But, what about your musical dream?" Shark enquired.

"I already lived it, thanks to you guys," Piranha smiled, making his team feel touched by his remarks as they smiled. "I'm not ready for the big time. Singing is my passion, and that was all I wanted. Besides, I have my own band right here!" Piranha wrapped each arm around Snake's tail and Shark's leg, making himself and his friends chuckle heartily. He then turned to Hornet with a humble gaze, "And I got you,"

Hornet gaped in awe as his eyes gleamed with adoration and grinned, leading him to believe Piranha had finally understood he was more important than his own dream alone.

"I still have many great things in my life besides dreaming of stardom. Like really great friends... Piranha each did a fist bump with Wolf and Tarantula before pushing an elbow with Hornet, "And a really amazing boyfriend for starters."

Hornet was drinking a slushie when Piranha mentioned him. Hornet didn't know he had taken a large gulp of the slushie, causing him to hold it in his mouth until it froze. When the fish returned his gaze to his boyfriend, waiting for the bug's reaction to Piranha's thoughtfulness toward him, Hornet merely offered a thumbs up and a large smile, a slushie in his mouth and tears in his eyes.

Piranha's eyes gleamed as he was moved that his partner appreciated his compassion and willingness to sacrifice his dreams for him and the rest of the team. Piranha quickly but gently grabbed Hornet by the arm and hugged him on the face.

Hornet, who liked hugging his beloved, accidentally swallowed the slushie when Piranha embraced him, causing a little pin in the skull. "Oooooh, ice chip… brain freeze… in antenna."

Chapter Text

Some time later, the Harmony Notes finally took the stage for the first time, and Southern California enjoyed going to their show. Since the band finally reached their dream, Doug had a change of heart and was no longer "the boss" of the band. All he wanted was for the whole band to sing their parts and have fun. Doug would have a great time in the band now that he has reconnected with Felina and was able to sing together like they once did. He understood that nothing is perfect, and no band was perfect. Their new fans simply want to hear them sing, and they will oblige.

Doug: Mmm (uh) (ooh)

Daniel: Not anyone can move you this way

Doug: (No way)

Daniel: Finally, got you loose from the cage

Doug: (Okay)

Daniel: I ain't tryna schmooze you with flowers, baby

Doug: (Don't play no games)

Daniel: I'd rather make a power play

Harmony Notes: (I don't play no games)

Doug: Ooh, imagine all the lives that we can change

Felina: (Woo)

Doug: You don't even know the power you got in them legs

Dolly & Ellen: (Woo)

Doug: Pick up your face and be proud for once

Rocki: (Proud for once)

Doug: Take off your cool, but keep stylin' on 'em

Daniel: (Keep stylin' on em)

Meanwhile, the Bad Guys had their own celebration by robbing the bank again. They fled with money flying out of the car, prompting the cops to pursue them. The Bad Guys didn't care about robbery or being arrested. All that mattered was that the SIX of them were in this together, and they would accomplish anything together from now on.

The Harmony Notes: Okay, now, don't slack (don't slack)
I need all my racks (all my racks)
No, we don't hold back (don't hold back)
Act like you know that (act like you know that)
Go tell your old man (act like you know that)
Go get your whole fam (act like you know that)
I'm fly like the ghost man (act like you know that)
Taking all I can

I just came to feel all that is made for me
I was made to be the change we really, really need

Credits:

Anthony Ramos – Mr. Piranha

Justin Timberlake – Doug

Sam Rockwell – Mr. Wolf

Rhenzy Feliz – Mr. Hornet

Anna Kendrick – Felina

Awkwafina – Ms. Tarantula

Craig Robinson – Mr. Shark

Marc Maron – Mr. Snake

Kelly Clarkson – Dolly

Rachel Bloom – Rocki

Mary J. Blige – Ellen

Anderson .Paak – Daniel

Okieriete Onaodowan – Talent Scout

Alex Borstein – Chief Misty Luggins

Stephanie Beatriz – Mira Rose

Kaycie Chase – Mariposa

Brian Stepanek – Mr. Timothy Gardener

Allison Munn- Mrs. Angel Gardener

Lin-Manuel Miranda - Piragüero Guy

Author
I.M. Rally

Co-Author
Masterclass60
TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3

I'm up before the rooster, you dig? (Ooh, you dig?)
I had to jump the moon to get big (ooh, to get big)
How many stone grooves will it take (okay)
For you to skip on my funk lake? (Oh-oh, okay)

Ooh, imagine all the lives that we can save (woo)
You don't even know the power you got in them legs (woo)
Pick up your face and be proud for once (proud for once)
Go quit your gig and get down with us (keep stylin' on 'em)

Okay, now, don't slack (don't slack)
I need all my racks (all my racks)
No, we don't hold back (don't hold back)
Act like you know that (act like you know that)
Go tell your old man (act like you know that)
Go get your whole fam (act like you know that)
I'm fly like the ghost man (act like you know that)
Taking all I can

I just came to feel all that is made for me
I was made to be the change we really, really need

Yeah, now I fill up the whole tank (whole tank, ayy)
And I drive in the cold rain (cold rain, ayy)
And I run like a nosebleed (nosebleed, ayy), uh
And can't nobody hold me (you can't hold me), hold me, hold me (you can't hold me)
Hold me (you can't hold me), hold me, hold me (you can't hold me)
Hold me, hold me (you can't hold me)

Okay, now, don't slack (don't slack)
I need all my racks (all my racks)
No, we don't hold back (don't hold back)
Act like you know that (act like you know that)
Go tell your old man (act like you know that)
Go get your whole fam (act like you know that)
I'm fly like the ghost man (act like you know that)
Taking all I can

I feel different now, you know (c'mon)
I was made to love (I was made to love, say)
I just came to get to the love that was made for me
(I just came to get to the love that was made for me)
I was made to be the change that we really need
(Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, say it)

I just came to feel all that is made for me
I was made to be the change we really, really need (I was made to be changed, yeah)
I just came to feel all that is made for me (I was made to be changed, yeah, c'mon)
I was made to be the change we really, really need