Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was just your average Tuesday night in Hoboken, New Jersey. The dark, starry sky overlooked the city, the streets were mostly empty except for the occasional person getting home after an unusually long day at work. A giant, orange and blue mecha with a shiny red car on top of it stood in the parking lot of the local 7-11. 

Inside of this mecha slept a tall, fat blonde man with a stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a white tank shirt, jeans, and a red vest, and almost the entire inside of his car was covered in food. Half eaten corn dogs were littered all over the place, as were empty slushie cups, and a slice of pepperoni pizza was sliding off of his mouth.

The mans large belly rose and fell as he snored loudly. He had a big, goofy grin on his face as he licked his lips. “Aw yeah baby…some Sriracha sauce on that…extra pork…”

Suddenly, the robot jerked forward, waking the man from his sleep. Coop looked around, dazed and confused, scratching his large belly. 

“Zzzr…huh? Where’s my pulled pork sandwich?”

The lights on the dashboard began blinking erratically, the windshield wipers began moving of their own accord, and Coop could feel Megas step away from the parking lot! He started to panic, sweat pouring down his face as he frantically grabbed the wheel and tried to steer, but to no avail. Coop grabbed the stick shift but it wouldn’t budge. He then tried opening the doors, but they were locked from the inside.

He angrily slammed his fist against the dashboard. “Hey! What the heck’s going on!? MEGAS, what’re you…!?”

Coop was interrupted by a voice coming from one of the computer monitors attached to the dashboard. It was a slow, menacing voice. “MEGAS is ours now…it belongs to us. You are no longer in control…”

“Oh yeah?” replied Coop, cracking his knuckles. “And who’re you, exactly?”

“We are of the planet Fuse. We will consume this world. We will consume everything.”

Before Coop could reply, MEGAS extended its large mechanical arm and launched several rockets towards a nearby building. A loud rumble and terrified screams could be heard in the distance, and Coop's eyes widened in horror both at the destruction and at a noticeable change in MEGAS’ appearance. 

The robot's arm was covered in a strange green substance. 

“Do not resist,” the voice from the monitor warned, “Or you too will be destroyed.”

Coop groaned and leaned back into his seat. “Oh great…just great. The one time I take MEGAS out to grab some slushies without Jamie and Kiva, it gets taken over by an alien. And now my ass is trapped thanks to some freaky lime jello looking stuff, MEGAS is going on a rampage, and the worst part of all… I’m stuck in Hoboken!!”

Dexter tapped his clipboard lightly with his pen, brow furrowed. He checked off several boxes as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Close the deal with Tesla today…check! Move the super soldier serum out of final testing stages…check! End world hunger…ah no, that’s next week.”

The red headed genius stretched out his legs atop the dark mahogany desk of his office in DexLabs. Dexter's office was a wide yet remarkably simple room, with cream colored walls adorned by a few family photos and a TV monitor hanging on the top right corner of the wall. On Dexter's desk sat a few more family pictures and a couple of science textbooks he read in his spare time. All of his important work documents were folded neatly in the drawers.

The glass door to his office creaked open. Dexter looked down and saw a purple dog walk up to his desk, tail wagging. The dog jumped on Dexter's lap and the young scientist laughed, setting down his clipboard as he scratched behind his dog's ears. 

“I tell you, Courage, a genius’ work is never done,” said Dexter, looking almost forlornly at his clipboard. “So much to do, and so little time…” 

The monitor on the wall of Dexter's office lit up, revealing the mechanical face of his assistant, The Computress. 

“I'm afraid you have less time on your hands than you thought, Dexter. An alien invasion has struck Hoboken, New Jersey and is making its way to downtown Genius Grove.”

Dexter groaned. Great. Just when I thought I could relax…

Courage yelped, his hair standing on edge. He jumped off of Dexter's lap, and the boy genius stood up, adjusting his glasses. 

“Understood, Computress. Do you have any information on these aliens?”

“Unfortunately, very little at the present moment. They appear to be made of some strange green fluid. Hurry, Dexter, Genius Grove is counting on you! ”

Dexter nodded. “I'm on it.”

Dexter floated above the tall buildings of Genius Grove on a black and white disc that matched the mechanical outfit he was wearing. As the breeze whipped past him, the red haired genius wished he could feel it blow through his hair, momentarily forgetting the reason he was downtown to begin with. 

Dexter sighed. I should really get out more…

Suddenly, a loud scream in the streets caught Dexter’s attention. He soared down to the usually busy intersection of downtown Genius Grove, where he saw a woman backed into a corner by a group of green aliens - doubtless the invaders that Computress told him about. Dexter landed deftly on the streets, guarding the woman from the invaders, taking note of their stature. 

These aliens were significantly smaller than he imagined. There were about a dozen of them, each one a small green blob with red eyes and a leering face. Dexter noted with some amusement how they hopped around. 

Dexter grinned. “This will be child’s play.”

He instantly pulled out two black and white discs, throwing them at the aliens. The blobs had no time to react as the discs sliced into each and every one of them, reducing them to green gelatinous masses. The discs returned to Dexter's hands and he turned to check on the woman he saved from the aliens.

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“Yeah…” she nodded, “But - look out!”

Dexter barely had time to react as a large fist nearly smashed him into the ground. The boy genius deftly evaded the attack, and saw that the gelatinous mass he turned the blobs into were gone, replaced by a large, hulking humanoid green monster with glowing red eyes. The woman as well as all the passers by ran for their lives, leaving Dexter alone to fight this new creature.

“Oh, damn it all…” muttered Dexter, “They can regenerate…”

The monster roared and slammed his fists into the ground again, Dexter once again evading. He pulled out several black grenades and threw them at the monster, which exploded upon impact. The monster grunted in apparent pain as the grenades hit him, but he instantly regenerated whatever mass was lost. Dexter felt a cold drop of sweat run down his neck from underneath his suit. 

The monster towered over him, and Dexter’s normally genius mind whirred for a solution. He gritted his teeth as the green beast looked ready to devour him. 

In spite of the situation, Dexter sighed. “Where’s Major Glory when you need him…?”

A voice chimed in from above, “I can do you one better!”

The green alien looked around, but before he could find his next target, a stream of icy breath hit him head on. Soon the monster was frozen solid in a block of ice, and a lightning fast flurry of kicks and punches reduced the alien to nothing more than a few green shards on the ground. 

Dexter blinked as before his eyes, a childhood friend landed on the ground where the monster once stood. She was dressed in a pink blouse with a black stripe in the middle, black wristbands, matching shoes and stockings along with a familiar red bow on her head. She looked, Dexter noted with some amusement, almost identical to when they last saw each other years ago.

Blossom Utonium smiled. “Hello, Dexter. It’s been a while.”

The boy genius nodded. “Hello, Blossom…indeed it has been.”

Dexter’s cell phone rang. He grabbed it out of his pocket, and a holographic image of the Computress emerged from the phone. “The latest in Dexlabs technology,” he explained proudly to Blossom, who looked amazed at such an innovation. 

“Good work, Dexter. The aliens in this vicinity have all been eliminated. However, there are a number of invaders on the east side of town. You must get there before it is too late!”

“Hey…” said Blossom slowly, “Is that your Computer?”

The Computress turned her head, smiling as she noticed the red haired powerpuff girl. “Why hello, Blossom. Long time no see. Yes, I am the same Computer Dexter has kept in his lab since he was a child. As you can see, he has made several upgrades for me since we last met.``

“Cool!” 

Dexter shook his head. “We can catch up later. For now, we have much more pressing matters to attend to!”

Green, hulking alien monsters terrorized the east district of Genius Grove. The roads were practically totalled, cars were toppled on top of each other, and water shot like a geyser from where fire hydrants once were. The only sounds aside from the citizens fleeing in terror were the roars of these monsters as they continued their assault on the city. 

And then, in the blink of an eye, all five of them were split in half by the blade of a sword. In their last moment of consciousness, the monsters were too shocked to fight back, and in the middle of their now decapitated bodies a lone warrior materialized. 

The warrior was dressed in a simple white gi with a matching obi around his waist, and jet black hair tied into a small ponytail. On his right hand he held a long, shining sword with a gold diamond pattern on its black grip as he gazed at the ground, pensive. 

Samurai Jack looked up, eyes narrowing as he took in his surroundings. That takes care of those monsters…but what is this place? 

He didn’t have time to ponder the question as he evaded another attack from the monster's fist, the same monster he had sliced in half. Jack saw to his horror that the monsters had regenerated, and by the malicious gleam in their red eyes were ready for revenge. Jack rushed to the alien closest to his right and began slashing quickly, yet with careful precision. Before any of the other aliens could react the red eyed beast was reduced to nothing but green confetti, and Jack landed deftly on the ground, a confident smirk on his face.

He stared down the other four monsters, who now looked horrified. Smirking, Jack looked at each of his opponents, daring any one of them to attack, but they all ran away. 

The ageless samurai reattached his sword to his hilt, a light breeze blowing over his gi. Once again, his mind went back to the question he had been asking himself before those monsters attacked:

How did I get here?

He could see the events flashing in his mind - just yesterday Jack was locked in a fierce battle with Aku, about to kill the horrid demon (or so he hoped) when a portal appeared out of nowhere, sucking Jack into it. He didn’t know if anyone else had been transported into the portal along with him, even Aku, all Jack knew was the bizarre sensation of flying through the portal while trying to maintain his memories and his sanity…

“Hey, you!”

Jack was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of a young man's voice. Turning around, he saw two red headed teenagers running toward him, and the light underneath the lamppost showed a very urgent expression on their faces. One was a short boy with a lab coat and glasses, and the other a girl with a pink blouse and bow on her hair. Jack would’ve thought the get-ups odd, but he had seen stranger things in his life. 

“We detected aliens in this area,” the boy said, “Have you seen any strange looking creatures!?”

“Do you mean large green beasts with red eyes? Beasts that can regenerate?” asked Jack. 

The girl nodded. “Yeah, those are the ones.” She observed the nearly destroyed street around her. “And by the looks of things, they’ve been busy here. Did you see where they went?”

Jack nodded. “I fought them. Their regeneration proved a challenge but ultimately no match for my sword. When I killed one of them, the rest fled in terror.”

The red headed teenagers' jaws dropped. “W-What!?”

Jack took out his sword from his hilt. “This sword has been forged in purity and strength. Evil cannot withstand its touch, as my battles with a certain demon in the future have proven. So naturally these aliens proved no match for it.”

“Wow, that is so cool!” gushed Blossom.

“Yes, truly a scientific marvel!” exclaimed Dexter.

Jack shook his head, unsmiling. “No. Not scientific. This sword was formed with a power that science cannot explain.”

Dexter’s expression fell a little. “Oh…I see. Well, regardless…”

“Dexter!”

Dexter pulled out his cell phone and Computress’ hologram appeared in his palm. Jack marveled at the sight, but said nothing. 

Computress’ voice was urgent. “Dexter, you must hurry! My sensors indicate the invaders are terrorizing the suburbs of Peach Creek. I also picked up the signal of a large mechanical robot that is heading in their direction, and it does not look friendly.”

Dexter nodded gravely. “Understood, Computress. We are on our way.”

The hologram faded, and Dexter stuffed his phone in his pocket. He turned to Blossom. “We better get going.”

Then, turning to Jack, Dexter added, “Feel free to join our fight against this alien invasion, if you feel so inclined, mister…?”

“Jack.”

“I see. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mister Jack. I am Dexter, and this,” he gestured to his companion, “Is Blossom.”

Jack nodded politely. “It is nice to meet you both too.”

“So, what’d you say?” asked Blossom. “You in?”

Jack returned his sword in his hilt. “I have a much greater enemy to face than these aliens…however, I cannot ignore the plight of innocent people. I will join you.”

“Sounds great!” cheered Blossom. “You’ll need to hitch a ride with one of us, though. We’re gonna fly there.”

“That won’t be necessary,” said Jack.

“Why not?” asked Blossom, and then her eyes widened. “Can you fly too!?”

For the first time that evening, Jack smiled. 

“No…but I can jump good.”

And so the trio left Genius Grove for Peach Creek, flying (or jumping, in Jack's case) as fast as they could. Meanwhile, from a tall building that overlooked the city, a young man observed the heroes on a rooftop. He wore a red hoodie, tan shorts, red and white sneakers, and a pair of sunglasses despite that it was dark out. 

His eyes narrowed. Alien invasion…

He pressed the button on a hexagon shaped device that was attached to his chest, and turned invisible.

“Damn it!!”

Coop slammed his fist against the dashboard of his car, cursing loudly. MEGAS was marching to Peach Creek to rendezvous with the aliens there at least that's what Coop heard from the monitor on his car that mocked him endlessly. 

With nothing left to do, the overweight blonde hung his head in defeat, still cursing under his breath. Coop thought of all the aliens he had faced over the years - the Glorft, Magnanimous, Regis - and wondered if he'd finally met his match. Was this the one enemy he couldn't defeat? He always felt like he lucked out in his battles, but Coop liked to think he was badass in his own right. 

Apparently that wasn't enough. 

“Man, what the hell am I gonna do?”

“There is nothing you can do,” the alien voice boasted, “Soon your world will -”

“SHUT UP!!”

Coop punched the computer monitor that the voice was coming from, making a giant hole. Satisfied, he leaned back into his seat, his elbows up and feet on the dashboard. He turned on the radio dial and 80s rock music played.

“If I'm going down tonight, the only voice I’m hearing is Gene Simmons’!”

The suburbs of Peach Creek were on fire as the green aliens who terrorized Genius Grove found new targets there. Houses were burnt to the ground, citizens were evacuating and the normally peaceful streets were cramped with cars either stuck in traffic or people running madly from the chaos that was unfolding. 

In a certain cul-de-sac, a group of teenagers were huddled together in the basement of a friend's house, seeking refuge from the terror outside.

“Let’s see,” Double D wrote on a chalkboard. “I’ve narrowed down the possibilities to alien invaders, lab experiments gone wrong, or a horrible and unusually elaborate prank courtesy of your brother, Eddy…”

“HOW CAN YOU JOKE ABOUT MY BROTHER AT A TIME LIKE THIS!?” Eddy screamed, grabbing his friend by the collar and shaking him violently. “IT’S ARMAGEDDON OUT THERE! WE’RE DOOMED!! DOOMED, I TELL YOU!!”

“Eddy, please calm down,” said Double D, “This is no time to panic…”

“THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO PANIC!!” shouted Eddy. 

Ed, who was sitting beside the chalkboard, smiled vacantly. “I’m not panicking, Eddy.”

Eddy glared at his clueless friend. “Well that figures…”

Meanwhile, outside the cul de sac, help had finally arrived. Dexter, Blossom, and Samurai Jack were fighting the alien invaders and helping civilians get to safety, a difficult task given how panicked everyone was, but they were managing as best they could. Dexter had his black tech suit back on, and was hurling grenade after grenade toward the aliens. 

Jack avoided an attack from an alien he was locked in battle with. The large, hulking green beast shot a stream of green blobs out of his mouth, which Jack reflected with his sword, hitting the monster back. Caught off guard, Jack was easily able to slice the monster before it could react, slashing his opponent so many times there was no trace left to regenerate from. 

Behind them, Blossom finished creating an ice barrier with her breath, a wall high enough that the aliens couldn’t march past it. All the civilians were on the other side, watching her in awe. 

“Is that a powerpuff girl!?” One girl said, tugging her mothers hand. 

Blossom landed on the ground. “Everyone, get out of here!” She shouted, “The wall is strong, but it won’t hold them off forever!”

No one needed to be told twice, and once everyone was evacuated, Blossom joined the fray. Her eyes glowed and she shot a stream of ice breath to two aliens who were destroying the neighborhood, freezing them solid. 

“Dexter, quick! The grenades!”

Dexter had just disposed of a monster and turned around. Spotting the two frozen aliens, he threw two grenades at them, reducing them to bits of gelatin on the ground in a flurry of ice. Jack meanwhile had slashed another alien to bits, and landed beside his two red headed companions, breathing heavily as sweat poured down his face. 

The heroic trio had put up a good fight, but the work was far from over. About a dozen of these strange alien monsters remained, and the heroes' muscles were shaking from the exhaustion of battle. Dexter, Blossom and Jack all took defensive stances as the aliens leered at them like they were easy prey. 

“There are more than I thought…any ideas, Dexter?” asked Blossom.

“Just one,” answered Dexter, “Survive.”

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“If you have a better plan, feel free to share.”

“Hey, you’re the ‘genius’ here, not me!”

“Silence!” interrupted Jack. “This is not the time for petty arguments. We must focus on the task at hand.”

The aliens towered over the three heroes, faces twisted, grotesque, fang-bearing glares. They were out for blood. One alien raised a large, gelatinous fist toward its victims, ready to smash them to bits. The fist came down, only to freeze midair when a fire blast melted a hole clean through the creature's torso.  Blossom, Dexter, and Jack shielded their faces in their arms from the blast of heat

“Huh!?” said Dexter, “What on Earth was…”

A torrent of fiery blasts hit the remaining aliens, distracting them from the heroes, and soon all of them were completely melted, leaving a large puddle of green goo on the streets. When the aliens were taken care of, their attacker was revealed: a tall, molten looking creature who was surrounded by fire. He had a strange looking symbol on his chest. 

“Alright, who’re the alien jerks trying to destroy the world this time!?”

Blossom took an attack stance. “I could ask you the same question!” She shouted, glaring. Dexter placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“I think he’s on our side.”

The mysterious creature raised his hands defensively. “Yeah hey, calm down! I’m on your side. I saw a bunch of freaks destroying this neighborhood and thought I’d help.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “I see. And what is your name?”

“I’m known as many things. But you can call me…”

He made a ridiculous pose, flexing his muscles as orbs of fire appeared in both of his palms.

“...Heatblast!!”

Dexter cringed. “Full of yourself, aren’t you…?” he whispered. 

Blossom smirked. “Yeah, like some people I know.” 

Before Dexter could respond, the strange symbol on Heatblasts’ chest glowed red and made a noise like it was powering down. Then, in a flash of red light, Heatblast disappeared, and in his place stood a brunette boy with a white and black striped t-shirt, matching shoes, and green cargo pants.

“Aw man!” The boy moaned, “I was looking so cool, too!”

Jack's mouth hung open. “What is this sorcery…?”

Dexter walked up to the boy, sizing him up. “How did you do that? You were an alien just a second ago.”

The boy raised his wrist, revealing a watch with a symbol identical to the one Heatblast wore. “I didn't, the watch did. My name is Ben Tennyson, and this is called the Omnitrix. It's a device that lets me turn into one of ten aliens,” he said with a proud smile. 

Dexter traced the outline of the watch, admiring the design. “Fascinating…when we have disposed of these aliens, may I borrow this watch for further study?”

“Dexter!” shouted Blossom, “This is no time to talk about science…look!”

The green goo merged together, creating a massive blob at least twice as tall as any of the aliens it came from. The blob slowly took form, revealing a hulking, four armed monster with at least a dozen red eyes. The monster let loose a horrific shriek that shook the entire neighborhood and nearly deafened the heroes. 

“Everyone, quick!” shouted Dexter. “Attack!”

The palms of Dexter’s mecha suit opened and shot two laser beams toward the monster. Blossom used her ice breath to freeze the monster solid, and Jack slashed away at the monster's legs, hoping to reduce it to green ribbons. The green beast powered on, however, and was still able to fight back.

The monster shrieked again and slammed his giant, gelatinous fist into the ground, nearly killing Jack and Blossom. They dodged just in time, but barely, and Dexter had to avoid at least five blasts of green spit from the monster's mouth as it melted the roads. 

“Watch out you guys!” he shouted, “The monster's green spit is acidic!”

“ Now you tell me!” replied Ben, frantically checking his watch as he dodged a blast of green saliva. 

“What’re you standing around for!? Use that watch of yours and turn into another alien!” commanded Dexter as he shot at one of the monster's eyes. 

“I can’t, the stupid thing won’t let me!”

The Omnitrix glowed red, signaling that it was useless for the time being. “Aw man, why does this happen at the worst possible times!?”

Dexter, Blossom and Jack landed deftly beside Ben, their bodies covered in sweat and shaking noticeably. They had done a number on the monster - it was missing about a quarter of its original mass - but was no less a threat, and it towered over the heroes as their minds scrambled for a way to beat it. Dexter used his built in sensors to analyze the monster for any sign of weakness. 

The eyes of his mechanical suit flashed red as it sensed the weak point to be the monster's mouth. But could they get a clear shot in? The monster was flailing about wildly, crushing house after house in its wake. 

“We must stop that thing before it causes any more damage!” said Dexter. 

“But how?” asked Blossom. “None of our attacks are destroying it!”

The monster kept flailing about, roaring and stomping with great intensity. Jack's eyes narrowed. 

“Pay close attention,” he said, “Something appears to be damaging it already!”

“What?” said Dexter, Blossom and Ben simultaneously. Dexter honed in on the monster's flailing face with his built in visual sensors, and he noticed it too. The beast was moving erratically, but there were dents and holes in its slimy face, as if it was being attacked by an outside force. 

“Yes…it does appear that way,” mused Dexter, “But what on Earth…or who on Earth…?”

“Guys, the watch is working again!” exclaimed Ben. “I can help!”

Ben slapped the Omnitrix with his palm, and transformed into a large, hulking red skinned alien with four arms. Everyone else took initiative and began attacking the monster relentlessly, Jack slashing, Dexter throwing lethal slicing disks, Blossom using her laser eyes and Ben punching the green beast with all the might that Four Arms gave him. The beast tumbled back, overwhelmed by three (four?) attackers at once, and soon the heroes’ combined strength reduced the once terrifying abomination to an innocent green puddle on the ground. 

Blossom landed near the puddle and quickly froze it with her ice breath. She stomped on it, reducing it to green shards. “Good riddance.”

Dexter frowned underneath his mecha suit. “I wanted to study that.”

“You’re kidding, right!?” said Blossom incredulously. “We can’t risk it regenerating!”

“No, but if I study it, we can determine its weaknesses! Besides,” said Dexter as he looked forlornly at the spot where Blossom stomped on the ice, “Studying alien physiology is a passion of mine.”

“Oh, for the love of…”

“Man, that was awesome!” said Ben as he powered down from Four Arms. “We should get together and kick butt more often!”

Jack looked around, scrutinizing the area for any signs of life. Finding none, he called out, “Who are you? And why were you attacking that strange monster?”

Everyone else went silent as they waited to see if anyone would answer Jack’s call. As if on cue, a person appeared under a street light of a now destroyed house, as if out of thin air. He was a tall, bald boy who couldn’t have been older than Dexter or Blossom's age, with a red hoodie, matching shoes, and tan shorts, as well as dark sunglasses. He had a hexagon shaped device on his chest ( What’s with all the alien symbols I’m seeing tonight? Thought Dexter) and looked rather awkwardly at the four heroes, as if sizing them up. 

Finally, he slowly waved to them, and a small, sheepish smile appeared on his face. “Um…hi.” Another long silence, and then he cleared his throat, “Well, I suppose I should introduce myself…I’m Nigel.”

“Wait a minute…” said Dexter slowly, “You look familiar…you wouldn’t happen to be Nigel Uno? Of the Kids Next Door?”

Nigel’s smile disappeared. “Formerly, yes. I work alone now.”

“Join the club,” chuckled Blossom. “Did your team get tired of you, too?”

“Well…a bit more than that, to be honest,” said Nigel, a cold drop of sweat running down his face. 

“Regardless - why did you help us while invisible?” asked Jack. “If you alerted us to your presence, we would have been not only grateful, but more able to assist you.”

Nigel looked down at the ground. “Let’s just say I’d rather keep a low profile these days.”

Jack was about to respond when Dexter’s phone rang loudly. The young scientist answered, and once again, a holographic image of the Computress greeted him. 

“Well done, Dexter. All the aliens that were wreaking havoc over Peach Creek have been vanquished. However, the giant robot that these aliens have taken over is still a threat, and must be dealt with immediately. I will send you the coordinates for the robot's location on the south side of New Jersey.”

“Understood.” 

Dexter nodded, and the Computress’ hologram disappeared. She immediately sent the coordinates to Dexter’s GPS. 

“Alright, about a dozen freaky aliens down, and one killer robot to go,” said Ben, grinning. “Mind if I join the fun?”

“I don’t mind,” said Dexter, chuckling, “But where are your parents? Won’t they mind?”

Ben shook his head. “Nah, I live with my grandpa and cousin in an RV. We’re just cruising through the states right now. We’ve faced bigger problems, he won’t mind. I just gotta be back by eleven.”

“Then welcome to the team,” said Dexter, extending his hand, which Ben shook. 

Everyone prepared for flight - Ben getting ready to transform into Stinkfly when the Omnitrix powered up again - and almost left when Dexter looked back, and saw Nigel still standing under the streetlamp. 

“Wait!” he told his comrades. Dexter walked up to Nigel, and the young boy fidgeted uncomfortably. “What about you, Nigel? Would you like to join?”

Nigel turned his back to Dexter, his head hanging. “I’m afraid I lost the right to be part of a team a long time ago. Trust me, if you knew what I’ve done - what I’m capable of - you would never want me to join you.”

A pregnant silence hung between the two boys, and the team in general. Dexter’s mind whirred for something to say to the apparently distressed Numbuh One, something that would hopefully convince him, when he felt a brush of a white robe pass him and saw Jack place a comforting hand on the former KND operative’s shoulder. Nigel’s head jerked up, and he looked at the ageless samurai in surprise. 

“It is not our past that defines us, but how we move on from it, young one,” he said sagely, “We may not know of every good and evil deed you’ve committed, but we know that you helped us, and that your heart is in the right place.”

Nigel processed the samurai’s words, his brow furrowed. Finally, he looked up and smiled, and with his head held high, he joined the team he had just saved. 

And so Dexter, Blossom, Jack, Ben and Nigel Uno made flight to Atlantic City, where the robot was rampaging like mad. Dexter contemplated the direction his evening had taken, and looked around at the ragtag group of heroes he had somehow found himself in. He grinned widely underneath his metal mask. 

I can get used to this…

Chapter Text

Courage’s nervous footsteps echoed through the large, circular laboratory of DexLabs as he paced around. His teeth were chattering, and he kept checking the time to see how long it had been since Dexter left.

“Alien invasion in Genius Grove? Something’s not right! Or my name is George Washington Carver the 23rd…and it’s not!”

The plucky, purple dog jumped on a chair and typed frantically on a keyboard attached to one of many, many computer monitors. 

“Help! Dexter is fighting crazy green aliens in the city! How do we get rid of them!? Need help! Send! Send! Send!!!”

“Ah, Courage?” said a smooth, robotic female voice behind him. Courage yelped and looked up at the Computress, sighing with relief when he saw it was a familiar friend. 

“Why are you typing on that old computer when I am clearly a more advanced model?” she asked with a small, wry smile. 

Courage sighed. “Force of habit, I guess,” he said, although Computress couldn’t understand his barking. The sleek, mechanical woman looked at what Courage had typed on the screen, and her smile widened. She patted Courage’s head.

“I understand your concern for Dexter, Courage, but there is no need to worry. He has faced alien threats before, even as a little boy. I promise you, everything will be alright.”

Courage’s shoulders dropped, and he smiled. His tail wagged as Computress scratched behind his ears, and he let out a contented bark. 

“Now, I think it’s time for your dinner. Dexter has you on that special formula of his, and you shouldn’t be skipping on meals.”

Courage leapt off the chair and followed Computress to the kitchen where his bowl of dog food and warm milk was waiting for him. His nose wrinkled and he inwardly groaned as he smelled the bowl of food; Dexter’s special formula of dog food was very nutritious, but the taste left a lot to be desired. 

Courage sighed and began digging in. 

The things I do for love…

Dexter, Ben, Jack, Blossom and Nigel soared above the clouds at lightning speeds. Ben, having turned into Stinkfly, was giving off a foul odor and his comrades were giving him a wide berth. That didn’t stop the boy turned alien from barraging two certain redheads with a flurry of questions, however.

“Okay, wait a minute…you’re the Dexter? The founder of DexLabs!?” said Ben with a wide grin, his wings buzzing. “That is so cool! My grandpa’s a huge fan. Hey, when this is over, can I have your autograph?”

“Uh, sure, no problem,” said Dexter awkwardly. It wasn’t every day he met an alien that fawned over him with the attitude of an excited ten year old. 

Ben turned to Blossom, who was flying beside him. “And you, you’re the Blossom from the Powerpuff Girls? My cousin and I love you guys! Can I get your autograph too!?”

Blossom chuckled. “You bet.”

Behind them, Nigel and Jack were flying beside each other, Nigel using his rocket powered shoes and Jack seemingly gliding as the wind blew through his robe. The ageless samurai gazed curiously at his bald companion, and the strange hexagon device attached to his chest. 

“That is a very fascinating device…what is it?” asked Jack. He tried to make eye contact with Nigel, but the boy averted his gaze. 

“It’s a stealth mechanism,” answered Nigel. “It allows me to turn invisible whenever I want to. I call it the Hexa-Gone.”

Jack smiled, impressed. “I see. And where did you get such a useful gadget? Did you design it yourself?”

Nigel blushed. “No, actually. I got it from…a previous employer.” His head hung down, and he looked strangely forlorn as he finished his sentence. Jacks smile disappeared.

“Forgive me if I am being intrusive.”

Nigel gave a somewhat forced smile. “No, it’s fine. Don’t worry. I just - “

Before he could finish his sentence, however, Jack fell beneath the clouds and disappeared in the mist. Nigel nearly stopped mid flight, panicking as he looked frantically around for his samurai friend, when Jack reemerged a moment later, looking as calm as he ever did, as if the fall was a normal part of the flight. 

“W-What!?” sputtered Nigel, “How did you…you fell and then…”

“I simply landed on a nearby building, and jumped again,” said Jack, with a self satisfied grin. “It is a technique I have been perfecting for a long time: jumping good.”

Before Nigel could respond, Dexter’s commanding voice snapped everyone back to attention. 

“We are entering Atlantic City! Everyone, stay alert!”

The clouds disappeared from everyone's view as the five heroes descended into Atlantic City, and had the situation been different, everyone would have admired the beauty of the sprawling metropolis before them. The city was lit up for the night, hotels, casinos and other such buildings towering over their citizens. The sun was setting on the horizon of the beach, casting a warm glow, an amusement park with a large ferris wheel in the background.

“This place looks awesome!” said Ben, “We should all do a beach trip here sometime!”

Blossom smiled. “Sounds good to me. What’d you think, Dex?” she asked her red headed companion. 

Dexter, however, was focused on things other than potential beach outings as the eyes of his mechanical suit narrowed. “Not now - we have bigger problems! Look!!”

A large explosion could be heard as smoke rose from a tall building, and people were screaming in terror as they tried to escape or else crash into cars as chaos ensued. Fires rose and soon the lights of the buildings weren’t the brightest thing to see in Atlantic City. The ground shook with tremors that were felt all over town, and everyone was scrambling to either figure out what was going on or get as far away as possible from the chaos. 

From the smoke emerged a huge, intimidating war mecha, the biggest one that Dexter had ever seen in his life. The robot was covered in a strange, green substance, doubtless the same substance the alien invaders were made of. Underneath the green goo, an interesting pattern could be made out - a blue paint job with a red flame design. And the car - was that a red car on top of the machine?

Who on Earth designed this? , thought Dexter.

The team landed deftly on the roof of a hotel several miles away from the mecha as it rampaged throughout the city. The Omnitrix symbol on Ben’s chest glowed red, and he turned back to his normal form. 

“Finally, you power off at the right time!” exclaimed Ben. He turned the watch a few notches to the right. “Still, though…I won’t be able to transform for a while…”

Dexter pressed a button on the temple of his suit, and his eyes glowed green. “Computress, can you analyze this mecha for any weaknesses?”

“Analyzing right now. But this may take a few minutes. I have never seen such technology before.”

Dexter swore under his breath. As if the kid not being able to transform wasn’t bad enough…

From the looks of things, they didn’t have much time - the robot was tearing apart every building it could, causing immense collateral damage. Every second they weren’t able to fight was a second wasted. “Just get me the analysis as soon as you can,” he said curtly.

“Understood, Dexter.”

The comm link shut off. Dexter looked back at his four comrades, and his mind raced for a possible solution. Nigel, as far as he knew, could only turn invisible and had a few handy guns in his arsenal, Jack was a skilled samurai but Dexter doubted it would help against a giant war mecha, Ben’s omnitrix wasn’t ready yet and even then it had a time limit…

Blossom was their best bet, being a superhero, but even she had her limits. Dexter frowned underneath his suit, wishing he had brought one of his own giant robots along for the ride. Deep down though, he doubted even that would be of much help. 

The boy genius straightened himself up, slamming his fist in his palm for emphasis. “Alright everyone! We need a plan to attack this behemoth. It’s tougher and more intimidating than any adversary we’ve faced tonight, we can’t underestimate it!”

“Aw man, what’s there to worry about? Once the Omnitrix works again, I can take it! I’ve faced way worse than that pile of scrap metal!” Ben gloated.

Dexter frowned. “Be that as it may, we must not foolishly rush into this battle.”

“Trust me, I got this!” Ben insisted. “I’ve fought a whole army of knights, magicians, a crazy alien with an octopus head…”

“And I’ve fought the devil himself, but I’m not rushing into battle,” interrupted Blossom, also frowning. “I’m with Dexter, we need a plan.”

“Maybe we could slice its limbs apart?” asked Nigel. He looked at the sword in Jack's hilt. “Do you think the metal in that is strong enough to cut through the robots hull?”

“Perhaps,” answered Jack, “But I can’t be sure of -”

“Look out!!”

Dexter’s warning snapped everyone to attention just in time for them to dodge two missiles that were headed toward the hotel they were standing on. A black and gray disc materialized under Dexter’s feet and he glided on it toward the first missile, throwing two grenades to knock it off its path. Beside him, Blossom flew toward the other missile and blew a stream of ice breath to freeze it and cause it to fall to the ground. 

“We’ve been spotted!” shouted Dexter to his comrades.

The large blue mecha charged toward the five heroes, causing an earthquake with every step it took. Jack looked urgently at Ben. “That watch of yours, does it work now!?”

Ben frowned as he stared at the glowing red symbol on his wrist. “Not yet…it needs more time.”

“Then I’ll join the fight!” said Nigel. “Jack, get Ben to safety until his watch recharges. I’ll help Dexter and Blossom!”

Jack nodded and grabbed Ben by the wrist, leaping off the hotel building away from the fight. Heart pounding, Nigel clicked his heels together and his rocket powered shoes activated. He joined Dexter and Blossom in the air as the war mecha ran toward them with its fists outstretched. 

Dexter threw grenade after grenade at the giant robot, and while it didn’t cause any significant damage, the smoke appeared to have blinded the machine's vision temporarily as it skidded to a halt. Blossom took the opportunity to charge toward the machine and let loose another stream of icy breath, covering as much of the robot as she could, which was only its upper half. 

The powerpuff girls eyes glowed red and twin lasers shot from them, and Nigel pulled out two guns and began firing. The guns were unusually shaped, one like a hair dryer, and the other like a gumball machine, but no one cared enough at that moment to question it. The gray parts of Dexter’s mechanical suit glowed yellow, and he aimed shots of lightning at the robot from his fingertips. 

He grinned underneath his metal mask. Boy, am I SO glad I added that part!

The smoke soon disappeared, and the robot stood still, unmoving in the block of ice that Blossom had put it in. The three heroes waited with bated breath, feeling almost relieved that at least they had immobilized the mechanical beast, when - 

CRASH!!

The robot broke free from its frozen prison, the ice shattered as it stood with hardly a scratch on it. Its fists outstretched as a strange gun attached to the robots forearms, and the team dodged two rays of blue. The beams hit two random buildings, reducing them to pixels as they disappeared. 

Nigel gulped. “That’s a scary way to go…”

The robots fists glowed orange and they were soon engulfed with flames, and it swung wildly at the heroes. Dexter narrowly evaded the attacks, hyperventilating as sweat stuck to his suit. His mind raced as the robots fiery fists attacked relentlessly, and Dexter flew out of the robots sight to figure out a strategy while Blossom and Nigel continued their attacks. 

Dexter was distracted, however, by the sheer carnage that he could see throughout Atlantic City. Buildings were on fire everywhere, and the smoke would have reached his nostrils had Dexter not been covered in metal. His hands twitched as he heard the screams of innocent people beneath him, and the tremendous holes left by the monster's gigantic footsteps didn’t escape the young scientists’ notice either.

Before he could really process everything he was witnessing, Dexter’s comm channel beeped, and the Computress’ smooth, robotics voice answered, 

“Dexter, I’ve done a complete analysis of the robot based on everything I could see from your suit. It appears that this machine is made of an alien technology.”

“The same aliens that we fought in Peach Creek?”

“I don’t know. But this robot doesn’t seem to be managed by an actual pilot. The green slime, whatever it is, is controlling its every move.”

Dexter felt a small ray of hope. “So if we get rid of the slime, the robot will stop attacking…but how can we do it?”

He thanked the Computress for her information and shut off the call, joining Blossom and Nigel as they attacked the robot with everything they had while avoiding its fiery fists. Their attacks didn’t severely hurt it, but they at least stalled the mecha from damaging the city any further. 

Meanwhile, Ben and Jack were hiding in an alleyway, Jack on top of a dumpster looking for attackers while Ben was crouched behind it fidgeting with the Omnitrix. The ten year old boy frowned as he turned it a few notches to the right. 

“Is it working yet?” asked Jack, his head on a swivel. 

“Not yet. I -”

Finally, the Omnitrix flashed green. Ben grinned. “Scratch that, it does now!”

Jack was about to respond when the ground shook violently, causing him to lose balance and fall to his knees beside Ben. Two large mechanical legs walked past them on the streets, which were thankfully devoid of any civilians. Jack took out his sword and charged into the now totalled streets as the mecha continued to walk backwards. 

Ben followed him, and the duo saw that the gigantic war mecha was being pushed backwards thanks to the combined attacks of Dexter, Blossom and Nigel. The robot was off balance, and while it launched rapid fire missiles and was swinging fists that were aglow with a lethal flame, it was clearly playing defense. 

Ben pumped his fists in the air. “Alright! They're gonna turn that robot into shrapnel!” he cheered. 

Jack, however, was not so convinced. His eyes narrowed as he observed the fight from above. “Do not be so sure, Ben.”

He pointed to the robots upper half, which was covered in smoke, and Ben's cheering stopped as he saw that the machine looked almost completely undamaged. 

“We may be stalling this behemoth, for now,” continued Jack, “But we cannot keep fighting forever. We need to do more damage.”

“Are you serious?” groaned Ben, “Man, if they can't damage it, what can we do!?”

Jack grabbed Ben by the collar of his shirt and leapt out of the way as the totalled remains of a cafe almost fell on their heads. Gathering his bearings, the ageless samurai answered, “I don't know…but whoever is controlling that machine is a formidable opponent.”

Ben sighed. “Yeah, no kidding…”

In the distance, explosions and battle cries could be heard as laser blasts, grenades, and bullets collided with the mechas chest, but all to no avail. Ben stared at his watch, when an idea struck him. His face lit up. 

“Controlling the machine…I got it!” Ben turned the watch a few notches. “I'm going Upgrade!”

Jack blinked, confused. “Going what?”

“Hero time!”

Nigel dodged a flurry of missiles, sweat pouring down his neck as he heard explosions behind him. He didn’t have time to consider how many lives were lost as MEGAS stretched out its right arm and was surrounded by a large disk, which crackled with electricity before firing a huge blast of bright, lethal energy. 

“What the…!?”

Nigel didn’t have time to dodge but felt someone grab his collar and pull him out of the way just in time. He gasped for air. 

“You okay?” asked Blossom as she let go of Nigel. 

Nigel massaged his neck. “Yeah, thanks…”

Dexter meanwhile was blasting MEGAS with electricity, distracting the mecha enough to stop it from destroying more of the city. Blossom shot lasers from her eyes and Nigel shot rapidly at the gigantic robot, all three of them giving their all to stop it. But MEGAS was barely fazed, and kept firing missile after missile at its attackers as they kept up their work.

MEGAS charged at the three heroes, arms outstretched, ready to throw a colossal punch. Dexter, Blossom and Nigel charged their attacks, ready to retaliate, when suddenly the mecha stopped in its tracks. The robots head spun around, as if confused, and struggled to move, but to no avail. It appeared to have lost all control of its legs. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” asked Nigel. 

“I don’t know,” answered Dexter. “But now’s our chance! Hit it with everything you got!”

The heroes began their relentless assault, and the robot actually appeared to take damage this time as it stumbled backwards, cuts and holes appearing on its torso. Dexter was about to launch another electric attack when he noticed something odd about the robots appearance. 

The robots legs were covered in a black and green substance that looked like it belonged to another machine entirely, but Dexter couldn’t for the life of him figure out what. He was about to tell his comrades to stop firing when Jack leapt on top of a nearby building and shouted, 

“STOP!! The robot is being controlled by Ben! He turned into an alien that allows him to take over other machines!”

Blossom and Nigel looked at Jack incredulously, but Dexter, ever the analytical one, thought of a plan quickly. “Nigel! Fly down behind the robot and have Ben let you in that way. If this thing is like any other robots I've come across, there should be an entrance at the rear!”

Nigel nodded. “I'm on it!”

Nigel flew down behind the robot, dodging a few stray missiles that weren't aimed at him. When he landed he got a closer look at the dark green black substance surrounding it. Nigel did a slight double take, having never seen such advanced technology up close before. The contrast between that and the light green sheen surrounding the robots upper half was almost unnerving. 

“Ben, is that you…?”

“Yup!” A bright young voice answered as the green parts of the black substance glowed. “One of the aliens I can turn into lets me control any machine I want. Pretty cool, huh?”

Nigel smiled, genuinely impressed. “Yes, quite…but anyway, does this robot have a rear entrance? I need to get in.”

“You got it!”

A hatch opened at MEGAS’ rear that was just big enough for one person at a time. Nigel pushed the Hexa-Gone and disappeared, flying into the entrance. There was a short dark corridor to fly through, and then Nigel busted open a door that led to the interior of the machine. 

“Phew. Not everyday I have to fly through a robot's butt.”

The bald teenager shuddered at the cooler temperatures. Looking around, he saw hallways that were dimly lit, and he prepared his guns for any enemies that might be lurking around. Years of being Sector V's leader taught him to always be alert for signs of trouble. 

Not that I can call myself the same person now…

“Yo, Nigel!”

“W-Wha…!?”

Nigel looked around frantically to find the source of the voice, but to his relief and slight frustration, he recognized Ben's laugh. “Relax, it's me. I wanted to tell you I've gotten a closer look at the inside of this robot, and it looks like someone's trapped on top of it! He's at the controls, too. You might wanna check that out. Hurry though, I only got a few minutes left until I turn back!”

“R-Right…” muttered Nigel. “But please, don't scare me like that again!” He ran through the hallways, working his way up to the very top. 

Behind him, Ben chuckled. “No promises.”

Dexter dodged an energy blast launched from MEGAS’ right shoulder, the blast resulting in much collateral damage on Atlantic City's east district. He swore under his breath. 

“Guys, listen up! We need to get rid of the aliens…gooey stuff on this robots body, it's the only way to stop it!” Two energy gauntlets appeared on the wrists of Dexter's mecha suit. “And it requires us to get up close and personal!”

“ Now you tell us!!” shouted Blossom as she deflected a small energy blast with her hand, “Why didn't you say so before!?”

“Because the robot was moving too quickly before!” retorted Dexter. “Come on, we don't have much time!”

The three heroes leapt on MEGAS and got to work eliminating the green slime from its body. Jack landed on its left arm, Blossom on its right, and Dexter aimed a series of deep frying electrical beams at the robots torso. Jack ran swiftly across the robots arm, his sword slicing through the slime and repelling it off the mecha. Blossom meanwhile used her laser vision to get rid of the alien goop, leaving a few burn marks on the paint job in the process. 

Tiny orbs of Fusion matter materialized out of the goop that covered the robots arms. Jacks eyes narrowed as he glided over the mecha, and the orbs grew leering facial expressions as they leapt onto his robe. Jack spun his word around and effortlessly disposed of the monsters. 

“Watch out!!” He urged Dexter and Blossom. “It's creating little monsters out of the slime!”

“That means it is getting desperate!” was Dexter's triumphant reply. Jack couldn't help but smile at the boys response. 

So sure of yourself…

MEGAS raised its right arm as if about to attack, but stopped mid motion. The slime was almost completely gone and Blossom inwardly rejoiced as she blasted the remaining slime off its arm. She breathed out a stream of icy mist that froze several Fusion monsters in her path, and soon the robots right arm was completely free. 

“That's it! I got everything on the right side!”

Jack sliced through two Fusion monsters that jumped him, reducing them to confetti. “And I got everything on the left side!”

Dexter smirked as one last electric blast fried the remaining alien slime off of MEGAS’ body, freeing it. The robot stood still, frozen in a sort of battle stance, and the team breathed a collective sigh of relief as they realized the battle was finally over. 

“That's it…” breathed Jack, his face matted with sweat. “It's finally over…”

Dexter flew closer to the robot, observing it curiously. “Perhaps with some modifications, I could make this into an even more formidable weapon!”

Blossom flew beside him, frowning. “I dunno, Dex, if I never see this thing again I'll be happier. Let's just destroy it.”

Coop slammed his fists angrily inside the dashboard of his red car, swearing loudly. The radio was still blasting his favorite rock hits from the 80s, but Coop wasn't listening any more. “Damn it!! If you're gonna wreck shit apart, at least make it an accident!! 

He felt the car lurch forward and throw him on the windshield, squishing his face against it. “Brgh…wha…?”

Coop leaned back in his chair, massaging his face. Dazed, he absently reached for the car door and pushed it open. It surprisingly wasn't locked, and flung open with a thud and an audible “Ow!” Coop blinked and reality set in for him as he slowly walked outside. His face broke out in a wide, ecstatic grin.

He pumped his fists in the air. “AW YEAH BABY!! I'm free! No alien can stand against the might of…The Coopinator!”

The blonde teenager did a horrible cheesy victory dance on the roof of his robot car, shaking his hips, trying (and failing) to do the moonwalk and busting moves that were outdated in the 70s. He would have gone on forever if a certain British voice hadn't interrupted him. 

“‘The Coopinator'? Are you serious!?”

Coop stopped mid dance and looked around frantically. “Huh? Who said that?”

“Down here!” 

Coop looked to the ground, confused. “Uh…where down here?”

“Oh, for the love of…hang on.”

A bald teenage boy suddenly appeared beside the car, massaging his head and grunting. Coop gasped and fell on his rump as the boy stood up and introduced himself. 

“I'm Nigel Uno,” he greeted, “And judging by your reaction to our apparent victory, I take it you're not on the aliens’ side?”

Coop shook his head. “Nope, I'm just as much against crazy aliens as you are.” He smiled and reached out his hand. “And by the way, I'm Coop.” 

Nigel smiled and grasped his hand. “It's good to meet you, Coop.” 

“Yeah, thanks for saving my bacon!” replied Coop gratefully. They let go and Coops smile disappeared as he looked around curiously. “But how'd you do it, though? Those alien things were tough.”

“It wasn't just me,” Nigel clarified, “It was five of us. Long story, really…”

Samurai Jack felt the wind blow through his hair and robes as he observed the gigantic war mecha from a rooftop. It was now completely immobile, and in Jack's opinion looked much better without the ugly green sheen that covered it. He noticed a flash of red light and the black substance that covered the robots legs were gone, indicating that Ben had returned to normal. The ageless warrior smiled, reveling in the apparent victory.

That is, until two certain red heads interrupted his train of thought. 

“For the last time!” shouted Dexter, annoyed, “The robot poses no threat to us! It is not even moving! What is the harm in taking it back to DexLabs?”

“For the last time, we can't be sure!!” retorted Blossom. “How do you know there's not some alien left inside? There's always a chance it could still be a threat. Why not destroy it!?”

“And waste perfectly good machinery!?” Dexter bit back, “I cannot allow such a travesty, not in the name of science!”

“Oh, for the love of…!”

“SILENCE!!!”

Jacks booming, commanding voice brought the argument to a screeching halt. Dexter and Blossom looked at the Samurai, taken aback at first, then looking sheepish. Jack pointed to MEGAS, his face stern.

“This is not the time to argue about what to do with the robot! The important thing is that we've won, and now it's time to regroup with Ben and - “

“Nigel!” exclaimed Dexter. 

“Yes, Nigel, exactly!”

“No I mean…he's up there, talking with someone!” 

Dexter pointed to MEGAS’ rooftop where Nigel and a tall, fat blonde man appeared to be in deep conversation. Wasting no time, he flew to the roof, his mechanical gauntlets ready to fire if need be. The blonde man didn't appear to be hostile, but as Dexter was well aware, appearances could be deceiving. 

Dexter landed beside Nigel and Coop, both of them doing a double take as the red haired genius glared daggers. He pointed to Coop demandingly. “You! What is your business here? Are you the pilot of this mecha?”

“W-Wha…?” Coop sputtered, “No! I mean, yeah! I mean…”

“He's innocent!” Nigel cut in, standing defensively in front of Coop. “He means us no harm! He was trapped inside of that car when the aliens took over this robot.” 

Dexter looked carefully at Nigel, and then at Coop. “Is that the case?” he asked, his finger still pointed at Coop as electricity crackled through his hand. 

Coop gulped. “Y-Yeah, it's true! Honest!”

Blossom and Jack landed deftly beside Dexter, each of them observing Coop with interest and some skepticism. Dexter lowered his hand. Coop breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair, grinning. 

This fat one doesn't seem like a serious threat, thought Dexter as he sized up Coop. If he tries anything, I can quickly dispose of him.

Almost on cue, Ben landed on the rooftop beside Coops red car, having turned into Stinkfly. The group instinctively took a step back from him to avoid the stench, Nigel grabbing Coop and urging him not to breathe through his nostrils. 

“Looks like we kicked some serious alien butt!” said Ben cheerfully. “We should celebrate! Anyone want pizza?”

“Aw heck yeah dude!” agreed Coop, all his nervousness suddenly gone. Everyone noted with surprise and amusement that he didn't seem remotely shocked at the sight of a giant alien stink bug landing on the platform. 

Dexter tapped a button on his wrist, and his dark mechanical suit instantly retracted into a light blue backpack. He walked up to Coop, still sizing him up, and a curious smile appeared on his face. Blossom and Jack looked at each other, wondering what the red haired scientist's intentions were. 

“Am I to understand that you are the pilot of this…” 

Dexter glanced at the red car fixed upon a giant war mecha.

“...fascinating piece of machinery?” 

Coop nodded proudly. “Yup! I call her MEGAS, made her myself.”

Dexters jaw dropped. “You what!?”

“I made her!” repeated Coop. “Well, I sorta made her…I found this giant robot in a junkyard and attached my car to it, and made a bunch of other changes too. Not to mention this sweet paint job!” 

Dexter's eyebrows quirked skeptically. “You found a gigantic war machine in the middle of a junkyard?”

“Yeah, it dropped in from the future and belonged to this crazy alien race. Long story,” said Coop casually. 

“Can't say I haven't heard crazier,” replied Dexter with a light chuckle. 

Ben powered down back to his normal form, and ran up to the car, eyes wide with wonder. “This looks like an awesome ride!! Can we take it for a spin some time!?”

“Settle down, kid,” said Blossom, although she was smiling. She placed a hand on the brunette ten year olds shoulder, calming him down. “It's not our car.”

Coop, however, was outright flattered. “Hell yeah, dude! You bet.”

“It is a nice car,” agreed Nigel. “And the paint job is a sight for sore eyes.”

The whole group broke out in discussion about MEGAS, and then just getting to know each other, where everyone was from and how they got in the interesting situations they were in tonight. Ben was still star struck at getting to meet the Dexter Cavanaugh of DexLabs, as well as a powerpuff girl, and Nigel, while not as talkative, shared some of his happier memories working with the Kids Next Door. Coops stories of fighting aliens in a giant robot car were as fantastic as they were ridiculous, but given the night everyone had, it was hardly difficult for them to believe.

Samurai Jack stayed fairly distant from the conversation, his arms crossed and smiling lightly as the rest of the group chatted. Perhaps I can get used to this…

“Everyone!” announced Dexter after much conversation. “I have a brilliant idea!”

The group listened intently. Dexter took in a deep breath, gesturing dramatically. “With our combined powers, we were able to dispose of an invading alien race that was about to destroy the Earth. Given our stellar performance, I propose we join forces and fight evil together - as an unstoppable superhero team!”

Jack, Blossom and Nigel whispered to themselves about this proposal. Ben pumped his fists in the air, grinning. “That's what I'm talkin’ about!” 

Coop scratched his head. “Sounds cool, but I didn't really do anything. I just sat back while you guys saved MEGAS from those aliens.”

“True, but with your technical genius, you would prove a valuable asset to our team!” insisted Dexter. “So, what is the verdict? Do you all accept my generous offer?”

Blossom smiled. “I'm in. I miss being part of a team.” 

Jack nodded. “As am I. But only until I find a way back to my timeline.”

Dexter nodded. “We can arrange that somehow.” Turning to Nigel, he asked, “And what about you?”

Nigel looked down, his cheeks turning pink. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Dexter's brow furrowed. 

“I don't…” said Nigel, “I mean, you don't…that is…you don't know what I've…”

He was interrupted by a light squeeze on his shoulder. Nigels eyes met Dexter's, and the red haired genius smiled warmly. 

“I know enough.” 

Nigels breathing was shallow, and he trembled slightly. Dexter couldn't tell for sure, but underneath Nigels shades, he thought he saw the former KND operatives eyes go misty. 

Finally, he smiled back. 

“I'm in.”

Dexter clapped his hands triumphantly as the rest of the team cheered Nigels decision. “Excellent! Now, as to our name. I propose we call ourselves…”

“No,” interrupted Blossom. 

Dexter spun around. “What!? What do you mean, no!?”

Blossom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, we are not calling ourselves Team Dexter.”

Jack and Nigel shared a skeptical look, while Ben and Coop clutched their sides laughing hysterically. Dexter's face turned as red as his hair. 

“Wha…But…you don't know I was going to say that!!” He sputtered. 

Blossom placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, really? Okay then, what were you going to suggest?”

“Ah…”

Dexter twiddled his fingers nervously, a drop of sweat falling down his cheek. Everyone listened intently, waiting for the young scientists’ response, when he looked up and grinned sheepishly. 

“Well, ah…why can't we call ourselves Team Dexter?”

“We are not calling ourselves that!” insisted Blossom. 

Dexter glared at her, annoyed. “Oh, yes we are!”

“Oh no, we’re not!”

“Oh yes, we are!”

“Oh no, we’re not!!”

“Oh yes we are!”

Blossom smirked. “Oh yes, we are.”

“Oh no we’re…gah!” Dexter sputtered and stomped his foot angrily on the ground. “Dang it!”

Blossom and everyone else roared with laughter. “Works every time,” she said.

After that verbal match of wits, the team chatted amongst themselves as to what name they should adopt. While Dexter was disappointed that his suggestion got shot down, he listened with great interest at everyone else's. Jack listened more than he contributed to the conversation, while Nigel could only think of a spin off of Kids Next Door. (“Teens Next Door?” he offered, before realizing that one of their teammates was ageless.)

“How about the Sinister Six?” suggested Ben. 

“That's taken,” replied Blossom. “Besides, we're good guys, not sinister.’”

Everyone mulled over their options for a few more minutes, when Coop spoke up.

“I got an idea!” He declared. All eyes were on him as he continued, “When those gooey alien things trapped me inside MEGAS, they talked about this guy they served named Fuse. So how about…the Fusion Fighters!”

“Fusion Fighters?” repeated everyone in unison. 

Dexter raised a hand to his chin, deep in thought. “Hmmm…alliterative, and quite catchy. I like it!”

And so from that day forward, the Fusion Fighters banded together to fight evil, from earth or space. The gang set up HQ at the main DexLabs building in Genius Grove, where there was plenty of space to make rooms for all the members. It was a smooth adjustment for most of the team, except for Ben, who had to convince his grandpa to let him go (although Gwen was quite happy with it.) Coops mother wasn't too keen on him leaving the house initially, but when he explained the new mechanic job he'd get working at DexLabs, and the pay, she was absolutely overjoyed. 

But while the Fusion Fighters enjoyed their victory and the founding of their team, a threat loomed in the dark recesses of space…

A large, green planet floated throughout the galaxy, seemingly aimless. Anyone observing this strange world from a telescope would think it was covered in some toxic gas, but a closer look would reveal several smaller planets attached to it. The planet emitted strange, airy noises - almost as if it were breathing. 

In the center of this planet, a monstrous alien observed the events that played out on Earth that day. Everything, from the Fusions' first arrival to their eventual defeat, played across his mind like a movie. He could see everything that happened from the perspective of every single invader. 

“Lord Fuse?”

Slime bubbled out of the barren ground, and a small blob creature with red eyes appeared. 

“Our mission has failed…shall we launch another invasion?”

Fuse closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. His heartbeat (or whatever he had that qualified for a heart) could be heard through the entire planet. 

He opened his eyes again. “No…not yet. We will attack in smaller increments, to collect more information. But not now…and when the time comes, we will invade with a force these heroes cannot stand up against. Soon Earth will be mine, along with every pitiful planet in this universe.”

The blob disappeared back into the ground, leaving Fuse with his thoughts. Memories from other creatures flashed through his mind…memories of six heroes, and their red haired leader…

Enjoy your small victory, all of you. For one day, Earth will become the cornerstone of my assimilated world.

Chapter Text

Chaos was unfolding at Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends as everyone was running frantically to escape the insanely large house. Imaginary friends everywhere were in panic, running madly to the nearest exit. Frankie and Mr. Herriman were on the first floor trying in vain to calm all the imaginary friends down. 

The ones that were left, anyway…

“Mr. Herriman!” shouted Frankie. “Where’s Cheese!?”

The aged, monocled rabbit sighed deeply. “I do not know…but we mustn’t be distracted.”

The pair led as many imaginary friends out of the house as they could, making sure no one was running over each other. Frankie did a head count while Mr. Herriman locked the gates. No one liked being forced out of the house, but it was better than the alternative and thankfully a bright, pleasantly sunny day outside.

“Okay…Bloo, Mac, Wilt, Eduardo, Coco, Madam Foster, Duchess…still no Cheese,” observed Frankie, frowning. “That’s almost everyone…”

“Frankie!” shouted Wilt, pointing his only hand at the top of the gates. “Look out!!”

Frankie looked up and gasped as she saw dozens of green blob-like creatures leering at them on top of the gate - the same creatures everyone had tried to escape from. The blobs hopped off the gate and cornered Frankie as she spread her arms, trying to protect the Imaginary friends in vain. The blob's red eyes glowed with an evil hunger. 

“M-Madame Frances!!” cried Mr. Herriman. He hopped to his assistant but four other green blobs dropped in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere. The old rabbit was backed into the brick wall of the gate as the blobs cornered him, too. 

Suddenly, a bright flash of blue and black light soared over the aliens, reducing them to green puddles on the ground. Mr. Harriman yelped, and the flash of light appeared in front of Frankie and the other Imaginary Friends. They all stared in wonder at their unexpected hero: A sleek, almost dinosaur looking alien with a helmet visor that was seemingly built into his head. The visor opened, revealing a grinning, blue face. 

“I'm here to help!” The creature said, noticing the discomfort on some of the Imaginary Friends’ faces. “Call me XLR8.”

“Look out!” shouted Frankie. XLR8 turned his head and saw a gigantic green beast form out of the puddles. The beast was at least 6 stories high, a strange humanoid creature with glowing eyes and sharp teeth. It roared madly - but was quickly stopped by an icy stream of breath!

Blossom descended from the skies, flying through the frozen monster and smashing it to bits. Dexter and Jack followed closely behind her, Jack gliding, Dexter flying in a dark orange mecha suit. They all landed besides XLR8, and Dexter pushed a button on his mechanical suit retracted into a blue backpack. 

“Hey, a powderpuff girl!” said Bloo, pointing excitedly at Blossom. 

Mac sighed. “It’s powerpuff girl, Bloo.”

“Same difference,” scoffed Bloo. 

Dexter turned to XLR8. “Ben! Status report!”

A strange beeping noise was heard from XLR8’s chest, and in a flash of red light he turned into a short, brunette boy. Before anyone could ask what just happened, Ben replied, “I got rid of all the Fusions out here. I didn’t check inside the house, though.”

“They’re all gone,” said a British voice from seemingly nowhere. A bald teenage boy wearing shades, a red t-shirt and tan shorts materialized on the road. On his shoulder he was carrying a yellow bald creature with a vacant smile. “I blasted every last Fusion in the building. The area is secure.”

The yellow creature on Nigels shoulder nodded. “I like cereal,” it said in a nasally voice.

Dexter nodded. “Great work, team! Another mission accomplish -”

He was interrupted by tremors shaking the road, causing some to fall on their rumps and others to look around anxiously, worried another Fusion monster was going to appear. A gigantic, imposing war mecha appeared on the road, looking ready for battle. Mr. Herriman, Frankie and the Imaginary friends’ jaws dropped, frozen in fear, but Dexter and his team were totally unfazed. Dexter pulled out his phone. 

“There is no need for MEGAS this time, Coop. The threat has been eliminated!”

MEGAS flashed a thumbs up and retreated back into the city. Dexter turned to Mr. Herriman, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He grabbed the old rabbits hand, smiling brightly. “No need to thank us, all in a day’s work! The Fusion Fighters are glad to be of service.”

Nigel returned Cheese to the group of Imaginary friends, and the Fusion Fighers returned to HQ. Mr. Herriman didn’t move the entire time, and Frankirise walked up to him, waving her hand over his face. 

“Mr. Herriman? Helloooo, Mr. Herriman?” she asked. 

Finally, he blinked. “Madame Frances,” he said slowly, “Please check the contents of my morning tea from now on.”

Meanwhile, in the city of Endsville, news of the Fusion Fighters’ latest victory was spreading rapidly. In the home of a certain dimwitted boy, the tv was loudly and happily proclaiming it. 

“And so, the latest crisis involving these strange green aliens has been thwarted, thanks to the efforts of the Fusion Fighters! We’ve reached out to Frankie Foster of ‘Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends’ for further comment…”

The tv cut to a newscaster interviewing a young, red haired female standing beside a very shocked looking rabbit in a suit. The tv suddenly went silent, as the mute button was hit on the remote. 

Seated on the sofa of the house’s living room were two teenagers, one a boy wearing a blue striped t-shirt, jeans and red sneakers, and a girl whose bright pink dress with a sunflower hardly matched her personality. The girl's blonde hair stood up, looking eerily like devil horns. Standing beside them was a dark robed figure with a skull for a face. 

“I don’t understand what the big deal is,” frowned Mandy, “There are much bigger threats to this world. So these guys blasted a few aliens. So what?”

Grim sighed. “If you don’t care, why are you still watching? Why not turn it off?”

“Don’t question me, Grim,” replied Mandy, her eyes still glued to the television. Beside her, Billy’s eyes widened in awe and recognition. He pointed excitedly to Foster’s home in the background of the tv. 

“I remember those guys! They adopted one of my imaginary friends in first grade!!”

Grim shuddered. “Billy, please. The less we’re reminded of Frank the Living Toaster, the better.”

Mandy kept her gaze fixed on the tv. Her eyes narrowed when the camera panned over the Imaginary Friends that had been saved. “What would those aliens have wanted with figments of kids’ imagination anyway?” she pondered. 

“Imaginary friends are made of a strong energy,” explained Grim. “It can grant unusual power to the person wielding it. Perhaps these aliens wished to consume the imaginary friends in some way to obtain that power for themselves.”

Mandy turned to face Grim. “How do you know that?” she asked skeptically.

Grims chest swelled and he smiled proudly. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you pick up on some things.”

Mandy turned back to the tv, a strange gleam in her eyes now. “‘Energy’, huh…?”

“Well anyway, it’s time for me soaps,” said Grim, checking his watch. He shooed Billy and Mandy off the sofa and changed the channel. “You two can go do whatever it is that weird teenagers do. I need to find out if Hank left Marcia for Stephanie!”

Billy and Mandy left the house, Billy gushing about all his plans for the day. “Let’s go to the mall! Or go play mini golf! Or go to the movies! Or go to my house!”

“Your house is right there, doofus,” said Mandy, pointing to the front door of Billy’s home. The strange gleam in her eyes returned to her. “But listen, I need you to do me a huge favor this evening…”

Billy’s carefree smile disappeared. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Mandy’s lips twitched, almost like she was about to smile. “Steal Grim’s scythe for me.”

DexLabs was a surprisingly good place for the Fusion Fighters to make a home out of. The building was so vast that it wasn’t difficult for the team to find their own rooms, and it came with many great amenities. There was a gym on the second floor where Coop would often work out, a movie theater that played films not yet released to the general public, a garden on the rooftops where delicious vegetables were grown, and a kitchen on the first floor that had the best chefs prepare world class meals for the heroes. 

The team was enjoying a nice leisurely day after their mission to save Fosters the previous week. They were all gathered in the living room area of Dexter’s private lab while the red haired scientist worked on his latest invention. He had goggles on as he ever so slightly poured a drop of bright blue liquid from one vial into another. 

Dexter smiled broadly as he saw steam rise. “Success! My super soldier serum is now complete.” He felt a warm brush of fur against his ankle, and he looked down to see Courage smiling up at him, tail wagging. Dexter leaned down and scratched behind his ears. “One minute, Courage. I’ll get your lunch soon!”

The rest of the team was lounging around in the living room, the flat screen TV blaring as the warrior cries of a sumo wrestler could be heard. Ben was on the edge of the sofa, grinning with a video game controller in his hand as his fingers pressed the buttons relentlessly. Beside him, Nigel was equally focused and quick with his button mashing. 

“AW YEAH!!”

Ben cheered loudly and slammed his controller on the coffee table, causing Nigel to flinch and Dexter (who was pouring Courage’s food and had just spilled it on the floor) to curse. Ben raised his arms and shook his hips in a goofy victory dance. 

“Go Ben! You did it! You’re the champ! You’re the champ!!”

Nigel sighed and placed his controller on the coffee table much more delicately than Ben did. “You have an impressive winning streak, I’ll admit. That’s what, the fourth…?’

“Fifth,” corrected Ben, stopping mid dance. 

“Fifth time you’ve beaten me at this game.” Nigel crossed his arms. “But don’t you think these victory dances are a bit much?” 

“Not when you’re a five time Sumo Slammer champion!!” boasted Ben. 

Ben continued dancing as Nigel turned the tv off. In the corner of the room, Jack was meditating underneath a large house plant. The noise Ben was making was enough for him to open his eyes just a hair. He frowned slightly as he saw how displeased Nigel looked. 

“You must not let your accomplishments inflate your ego, Benjamin,” instructed the samurai, “Pride comes before a fall.”

Ben stopped dancing again. “Hey, it’s just a video game. Not like I act this way when we’re out on missions!”

“What!? Oh, give me a break!”

Nigel stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Bens face. “You’re the first person to brag about their accomplishments when we’re on missions! Who’s the one who poses in front of the cameras every time we beat a bad guy? Or constantly chants, ‘Who’s Your Hero’ for the whole world to hear!?”

“Oh c’mon, cut me some slack, I’m saving peoples’ lives here!” retorted Ben.

“So are we.” Nigel shot back. And then an idea struck him, and a smirk spread across his face. “I’ll tell you what - make you a bet. If you can go a full week without boasting, chanting, dancing, whatever…I’ll take back everything I said. And treat you to a full day at Pizza ‘N Play.”

Ben’s eyes lit up and he smirked back. “You’re on! And if you win…?”

“You clean up my room for a week,” replied Nigel. 

“Deal!”

They shook hands. “By the way…my sock drawer needs to be organized,” added Nigel, chuckling. 

Before Ben could respond, the twin doors to the laboratory slid open, revealing Blossom and Coop. The two Fusion Fighters had their hands full with cartons of food. “Hope you’re all hungry! They made us the best Chinese tonight!!” said Blossom cheerily. 

The team sat down eagerly at the kitchen table, which was right across from the living room and had a big chandelier lighting it up. Coop licked his lips when the table was set, eyeing the lo mein and orange chicken.

“Aw yeah baby, come to papa!” He said. But before Coop could grab a single bite, he and the rest of the team were interrupted by Courage’s shrill barks. The purple dog ran up to Dexter, shaking madly, eyes wide as dinner plates. 

“What is it, boy?” asked Dexter, putting down his fork. Courage inexplicably morphed into a giant, hooded figure with a scythe in an attempt to communicate (“I will never get used to that,” Jack muttered under his breath.) Dexter nodded, unfazed. “I see. A grim reaper looking character, but what does that mean?”

“It means that dinner will have to wait, unfortunately.”

The Computress hovered into the kitchen, her mechanical face looking very somber. Her green eyes lit up, and displayed a holographic image of a gigantic, black hooded creature terrorizing a familiar looking home. “This mysterious entity is wreaking havoc at 1123 Wilson Way. They need your help.”

“Wait a minute…Foster’s home?” asked Blossom. “We just saved them, what’s going on now?”

“More Fusion creeps, apparently,” said Coop, balling his hands into fists. “And they’re messing with dinner time! Now I’m pissed!!”

“This creature is no mere Fusion, I’m afraid,” corrected Computress, “It wields a strange power that can assimilate anyone or anything inside it. Including Imaginary Friends.”

Ben elbowed Nigel, grinning. “Ha! If this is the biggest challenge we’re facing, I am so gonna win this bet!”

“Ben!” chided Dexter. “Pay attention!”

The hologram disappeared. “You must hurry, Fusion Fighters. Time is of the essence!”

The Computress hovered away from the kitchen. Dexter stood up and placed his palms on the table, fiercely determined. 

“Let’s take it to them!”

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends was once again under attack, only this time it was by a much more threatening force. Outside of the home, a large, imposing figure dressed in a black robe was slashing at the house, absorbing as many Imaginary Friends as it could. The creature was almost twice as large as the house itself, and was attracting the attention of many passersbys and newscasters who were foolish enough to park close to the chaos. 

Inside the house, Imaginary Friends were scrambling left and right to save their lives. Mr. Herriman and Frankie had ushered most of the remaining friends into the bunker of the home, but there were a few stragglers. 

“Hold on, Bloo!” 

Wilt ran as fast as his long legs could carry him with Bloo secured under his one arm. The blue imaginary friend watched in horror as the hallway they were running in got split in two by a giant scythe. 

“Wilt!! Faster!” he urged. “Failure is not an option here!”

“I’m trying man, I’m - ow!”

Wilt tripped over his shoestrings, sending Bloo flying to the end of the hall. He flew into Eduardo, who luckily caught him just in time. 

“I’ve got you, azul!”

Wilt tried to get up, but he felt himself getting sucked into a vortex that led right into the black behemoth's seemingly endless cloak. The tall, red creature struggled against the force, but all in vain. “Eduardo!” he shouted. “Go! Take Bloo…save yourselves!!”

“Wilt!!” shouted Bloo and Eduardo simultaneously. Wilt was absorbed into the cloaked creature, screaming. Eduardo didn’t have time to process what happened as he frantically ran down to the bunker with Bloo in his arms. 

Meanwhile, the black cloaked monster outside of Fosters became stronger, its power fueled by the Imaginary energy of the creatures it absorbed. It raised its scythe with both hands in the air, shouting triumphantly as it devoured its next victim. Dark clouds swirled above the grim reaper looking behemoth as thunder and lightning roared. 

“Mine…all mine!” it shouted, with a strangled yet oddly feminine voice. “Just a few more Imaginary friends, and I’ll have the power I seek!!”

The creature slashed at the home again, nearly totaling it. It growled. “Where are they!? Just a few more, and I’ll be strong enough to take control of the world!”

“Take this!!”

A large, robotic fist smashed into the creature's cloak, where its head should’ve been. The monster stumbled back, and was faced with an equally gigantic blue war mecha, spray painted blue with some fiery patterns. MEGAS took a fighting stance, taunting its adversary. 

Inside of the red car attached to MEGAS, Coop was fuming. He was breathing heavily through his nostrils, and his hands gripped the steering wheel so tight that he almost crushed it. Through the windshield, he stared down the Grim Reaper with absolutely no fear. 

“You show up outta nowhere, take kids’ imaginary friends away from them, destroy their only home, and on top of that - interrupt my dinner when it's Chinese night!? You got some serious balls, my friend, but it takes more than balls to stand up to MEGAS!”

Before the monster could respond, MEGAS’ fists lit up with a lethal flame. The giant war mecha punched the giant Grim Reaper with all its might, and the enemy could only defend with several well timed blocks with the scythe. MEGAS’s shoulder blades opened up, releasing a barrage of missiles on its target. The monster stepped back, and several large explosions left a dark cloud of smoke surrounding it. 

Coops eyes narrowed. He couldn’t see anything from inside the car, but once the smoke cleared…

It revealed the monster standing tall, barely a scratch on it as it towered over MEGAS. The monster wiped dust off its sleeves - if the cloak it was wearing had real sleeves - and its scythe charged with electricity. Two balls of fire appeared from under its hood, where there could have been eyes. Coop felt a drop of sweat pour down his neck as he grasped the steering wheel tighter. 

“You fool!” The monster taunted. “You think you can stand against me!? With all of this Imaginary Energy, I could easily destroy five of you!”

The black behemoth raised its scythe, ready to slice MEGAS in half, when two laser blasts knocked its attack off course. The monster recoiled, looking left and right to see who had attacked it. 

“Then go ahead and try!!”

Dexter flew in, his dark red mecha suit shining in the sunlight. Behind him, Blossom, Jack, Nigel and Ben were following, Ben having turned into Stinkfly. They all landed atop MEGAS, staring down the large, cloaked enemy that was terrorizing Fosters. Dexter tapped a button on his phone. 

“I said we should attack together, Coop.”

“Yeah,” replied Coop, “But he interrupted Chinese night! Chinese night!! I can’t let that slide!”

Dexter sighed. Seeing no point in arguing further, he turned off the comm. The mechanical eyes on his suit narrowed, analyzing any vulnerabilities in the strange creature’s physiology. Blossom stood next to him, taking a fighting stance as she stared the creature down. 

“This one looks tough,” she observed, “Any suggestions, Dex?”

“Not yet,” said Dexter with a wave of his hand. He called out to the mysterious creature. “Who are you? And what do you want with all of these Imaginary Friends!?”

The beast lowered its scythe. The team all took defensive stances, but Dexter steadied his gaze, determined not to show any signs of hostility or weakness. Ben shuddered and leaned down toward Nigel. 

“Um…not shaking in fear wasn’t part of the bet, right?” he asked. Nigel shook his head, but kept his gaze towards the monster. 

Finally, it spoke up. “I don’t want any trouble with you. I don’t wish you any harm. All I want is to absorb these imaginary friends and their energy so I can be powerful enough to rule the world - and trust me, under my rule, it’ll look far better than it is right now. So let me go, and no one gets hurt.”

Dexter shook his head. “Sorry, but we can’t let you go after what you’ve done. Return those Imaginary Friends, or we’ll force them out of you!”

The creature held up its scythe threateningly, showing it had no intention to back down. Sensing this, Dexter’s rocket boots lit up, ready to fight. 

“Fighters, go!!”

The team all flew towards the grim reaper creature, launching a barrage of laser blasts, lightning strikes, lethal gumball bullets and a foul stench in Ben’s case. The monster swung its scythe madly, although it wasn’t able to aim precisely since its targets were so small. Still, the team barely evaded several attacks as they landed as many hits as they could. The creature swung its scythe and almost precisely landed a hit on Dexter, when Ben flew in and sprayed a gust of putrid air, causing it to stumble back. 

The monster coughed. “Agh…what…what was that!?”

Dexter took advantage of the distraction to launch several shots of lightning from his mechanical arms. It didn’t cause serious damage, but the monster flinched, showing it was in pain. He turned to Stinkfly. “Nice work, Ben!”

“No worries, Dexter!” said Ben proudly. Nigel flew towards the duo, an almost eager look in his eye. 

Dexter frowned. “I know what you are thinking, and no - he didn’t gloat.”

“Crud!” snapped Nigel. “Well, just wait - my sock drawer will be organized.”

“Yeah, by you, ” retorted Ben. 

“Guys!” said Dexter harshly. “This is not the time, nor the place. We must complete the mission!”

The large, hulking reaper beast roared with fury as it stomped on the ground. Blossom had just frozen its right arm again as it was about to swing its scythe, but the beast broke free, and was now more livid than ever. Dexter, Ben and Nigel evaded another lethal swipe, but the scythe hit the road and nearly totalled it.

“Alright, listen!” commanded Dexter. “You two attack the right - Blossom and I will take the left!”

“Roger that, Dexter,” said Nigel with a formal salute. “But what about Jack and Coop?”

Dexter observed the white clad samurai standing atop MEGAS’ shoulder, clearly focused. “We’ll let them figure things out. For now, let’s work on our own strategy!”

As the four fusion fighters commenced their attack, Coop and Jack observed it, looking for any possible opening. Coop slammed his fist against the dashboard in frustration. “Damn it! If I attack that giant ghostface looking thing, I might hit the others…what do I do?”

Jack, meanwhile, was concentrating on the power his sword held. He watched his comrades fight with narrowed eyes and deep, meditative breathing. His mind flashed back to all the times he fought Aku and his minions, and the ageless samurai felt the power of his blade emanate from the hilt, as if it was calling to him. 

Jack raised his sword, aiming dead center at the beasts’ chest. 

This blade was forged with pure righteousness…it will not fail me now!

He leapt off of MEGAS and slashed relentlessly at the monsters chest. Coop groaned, leaning back in his chair. “Aw man, now I’m the only one not fighting!”

His mind raced for a way to help his friends as they continued fighting. The monster appeared to be overwhelmed, but was fighting back and putting up a decent enough fight to keep everyone on their toes. Coop tried thinking of a way to attack without possibly hurting his friends, when an idea struck him. 

“I got it!”

Grinning widely, he punched a few buttons on the dashboard. His grin grew wider as he saw the words BREAKDANCE MODE appear on one of the computer monitors. Jamie and Kiva thought I was crazy for this, but I knew it’d come in handy one day!

MEGAS balanced on its right arm and swept the monster off balance with a kick of its right leg, aimed for the enemy's feet. The grim reaper looking behemoth fell on its back, and before it could get up it was cornered by MEGAS aiming a ton of missiles at it, as well as Dexter, Nigel, Blossom, Ben and Jack all aiming their weapons, ready to strike. 

“Give it up, we have you surrounded!” shouted Dexter.

The basement at Fosters Home was a large yet dusty area used mostly for storage nowadays. Boxes were piled high as far as the eye could see - which admittedly wasn’t much, given how dim the lights were. Occasional sneezes and coughs could be heard as imaginary friends and human beings alike struggled to breathe in the uncomfortable air. The less than ideal environment, however, was the last thing on Frankies mind as she frantically did a headcount of everyone in the room. 

“Okay…Eduardo, Bloo, Mac, Cheese, Mr. Herriman, Madame Foster…” She bit her lip. “We’re missing quite a few. Duchess, and…”

“Wilt,” finished Eduardo, frowning deeply. “Wilt no make it. He sacrifice himself for me and azul.”

Frankie heaved a deep sigh and sat down on one of the boxes, shoulders slumped. Mr. Herriman and Madame Foster tried consoling her, and the other imaginary friends stood around in grave silence. Even Cheese looked somber, his usually vacant smile gone.

“There, there, dear,” said Madam Foster, gently patting her granddaughter on the back, “Everything will be alright.”

“Yes, Madame Frances,” affirmed Herriman, “We will get out of this…somehow.”

But Frankie barely paid any attention to her friends comforting words. She stared at her hands as her eyes went misty, and she chokes out a sob. “Why…I don’t get it. Why are all these bad things happening to us? First those aliens, and now this…”

Frankie cried into her hands while her grandmother and Mr. Herriman continued to soothe her, Madame Foster grabbing her for a hug. Mr. Herrimans gray mustache twitched. As much as he tried to be a comforting presence to Frankie in times like these, there was only so much one rabbit could do. 

The other Imaginary Friends, meanwhile, were finding other ways to distract themselves. Eduardo was digging around in his potato sack looking for any potatoes while Cheese asked if there was any cereal in the bag. Eduardo tried shooing him away, but Cheese wouldn’t let up. Finally, the imaginary purple monster spotted a box of Corn Flakes on a dusty shelf and gave it to Cheese. He eagerly ate the whole box without even opening it. 

Bloo absently played with his paddle ball. He was barely focused, however, and this didn’t escape Mac’s notice. He walked up to his imaginary friend and forced a smile. “How’s it going, Bloo?”

“Fine,” said Bloo as he missed his fifth shot at the paddle. “Just…fine.”

Mac’s smile disappeared. He sat cross legged next to Bloo. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Those Fusion Fighters, whoever they are, they’ll take care of that monster and bring our friends back.”

Bloo laid down his paddle ball and looked Mac in the eye, and Mac could tell his friend was on the verge of tears. “Are…you sure about that?”

Mac was about to answer - but as if on cue, the doors to the basement opened up. Light poured into the dimly lit basement, and everyone looked up to see the outline of a young, red haired man in a lab coat. The man wore a very confident, satisfied smile, and he took a deep breath to prepare for what was clearly a dramatic announcement. 

“Greetings and salutations, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends! Once again, your home has been saved - thanks to the Fusion Fighters!”

Outside of the home, police cars were lining up the street, sirens blaring. The driveway and courtyard was littered with Imaginary Friends who were slowly regaining consciousness, groggily opening their eyes as the memories of that horrible day settled in. At the center of the road stood the six Fusion Fighters, holding in their custody…

A surly looking teenage girl with a pink sunflower pattern dress. 

Dexter held onto the back of Mandy's dress tightly, making sure she couldn't escape. Two policemen walked up and placed her in handcuffs. After reading her rights, they were about to put her in the police car when Nigel made an astute discovery. 

“Hey, wait a minute!” he shouted. “I remember you, you're that crazy girl that tried to take over the Kids Next Door!” 

Mandy eyed Nigel suspiciously. “And you…weren't you that weirdo with the horrible Billy disguise?”

“Horrible!?” repeated Nigel, incensed. “I'll have you know that disguise was one of the best and most clever that the KND had to offer!”

“I believe you,” Mandy deadpanned. 

The courtyard meanwhile was buzzing with happy conversation as the Imaginary Friends reunited with each other. Bloo and Eduardo were overjoyed to see Wilt again; Bloo even threw out his paddleball when he saw his one armed friend, running up to eagerly greet Wilt. Coco was laying plastic eggs left and right, absolutely overjoyed at her newfound freedom, and Duchess was so happy that she was actually getting along with Madame Foster. 

Dexter turned to face his comrades, grinning from ear to ear. “Another job well done, team! Good work.”

The team muttered their thanks, worn out from the battle. Coops stomach grumbled loudly, and he placed a hand on it, groaning. “No problem boss, but can we go home soon? That orange chicken is calling my name!”

“Didn’t you stuff a dozen egg rolls in your mouth before we left?” asked Blossom, frowning. 

Coop shrugged. “Yeah, but those were just egg rolls.”

Blossom rolled her eyes. Weeks of going on grocery duty with Coop helped her get used to the mans outrageous appetite, but it never ceased to amaze her. 

The scythe that Mandy used in battle was laying on the driveway of Fosters Home, and no one dared to touch it. Jack however, felt strangely drawn to the weapon as he held it up, observing it from different angles and wielding it almost like another sword. His eyes narrowed. 

Such a strange, otherworldly power. What is it?

“Give me that!!”

The scythe was roughly taken out of Jacks hand by what could only be described as a skeleton dressed in a pitch black cloak, that looked almost exactly like the creature Mandy was mere hours ago. Only this creature wasn’t nearly as large and seemed slightly less imposing. Jack blinked twice, but given all that he had been through in his relatively short life, a talking skeleton was hardly surprising. 

Besides the talking skeleton was a teenage boy with a striped t shirt, red hat and unusually plump nose. He was staring at the ground looking very ashamed of himself.

“Was…that yours?” Jack asked the skeleton, somewhat lamely. “I apologize…”

“No don’t worry, it’s not you who needs apologizin’,” replied Grim, looking at Billy, annoyed. “It’s this doofus here, and his crazy friend who’s got a lot to answer for!”

Back at DexLabs, the fighters were lounging around the living room after enjoying a nice meal. Coop was passed out on the recliner couch and was snoring loudly, much to Jacks annoyance as he tried to meditate. Blossom was flipping through a magazine, her legs stretched out on the ottoman, and Ben and Nigel were playing what must have been their tenth round of Sumo Slammer. 

“Remind me, what was my win streak?” asked Ben, smirking as the screen flashed PLAYER 1 VICTORY. “I’m counting…fifteen? Twenty?”

Nigel grumbled as he set down his controller. “Careful, Ben. You’re coming awfully close to losing that bet.”

Ben stretched his legs on the coffee table, leaning back. “Nah. It’s not gloating, it’s taunting. There’s a difference.”

“Wise beyond your years, I see,” deadpanned Nigel. 

Dexter walked in the living room, clipboard in hand as he twirled a pen. He looked at his teammates proudly, and whistled to get everyone’s attention. Computress and Courage were following behind him. 

“Attention, my fellow Fusion Fighters! I have grand news. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is now under construction thanks to a generous grant from DexLabs. We estimate that the entire home will be rebuilt in one month, if that.”

Computress’ eyes glowed, and displayed a holographic image of Foster’s under construction. The Fusion Fighters (except for Coop, who was still sound asleep) looked in awe at the progress that had already been made. New roofing was under construction, and careful attention to detail meant that the new Fosters home would look identical to the original.

“Thanks to our efforts, countless children everywhere will be able to find a safe home for their imaginary friends. Mr. Herriman and Madame Foster were even kind enough to grant us free lodging in the house should we ever need it - not that I expect we would have any use for such a home. I certainly would not want to take space away from all those friends.”

Courage barked happily. The holographic image disappeared, and Computress hovered away. Dexter placed his clipboard down on the coffee table. 

“A valiant effort from all! I hope you are all very proud of yourselves.”

“You know it, Dex!” shouted Ben. 

The ten year old brunette slammed his controller on the coffee table and jumped atop it, doing a ridiculous victory dance that would have put Coop to shame if he was awake to see it. Ben moved his hips wildly as he pumped his fists in the air, grabbing the attention of everyone, even Jack who stopped meditating. Dexter and Blossom looked at each other, confused, while Nigel had a darkly satisfied look on his face. 

“Go Ben! You did it! You saved ‘em! Saved Fosters! Ye-ah!”

Ben was midway through his dance when the reality of what he did hit him like a ton of bricks. His smile instantly disappeared, and he felt Nigel’s gaze penetrating the back of his head. Turning around, he chuckled nervously. 

“Heh heh…okay, hear me out -”

“No,” interrupted Nigel. He stood up and, with all the authority that came with being the former leader of Sector V, told Ben, “Your room cleaning duties begin tomorrow evening. Don’t forget the sock drawer.”

“But…!”

Nigel was out of the living room before Ben could protest. He desperately turned to Dexter and Blossom. “Hey c’mon, that doesn’t count right? You guys saw me, I was gloating for the whole team, not just for me!”

Dexter shook his head. “I’m sorry Ben, but a bet is a bet. And what you did counts as gloating and dancing.”

Blossom giggled. “Yeah, and I’d work on those moves if I were you.”

Ben tried to make his case, but Dexter and Blossom weren’t having it, and soon the boy was left alone in the room with no one but a snoring Coop to keep him company. He sighed, kicking off his shoes as he laid down on the sofa, deciding to sleep there that night. Ben heard a familiar yip from under the sofa, and Courage jumped up, snuggling close to him to keep the boy company. Ben smiled in spite of the situation. 

Before he drifted to sleep, the ten year olds last thoughts of the day were, 

I joined a superhero team, kicked ass, lost a bet, and now I’m on cleanup duty for a Kids Next Door member…imagine that.

Chapter Text

It was past midnight in the city of Genius Grove, and the entire town was sleeping. It had been an unusually peaceful week, with no Fusion aliens or any threats of the sort creating a problem for the city or any other area surrounding it. The worst that had occurred was the occasional bank robbery or arson threat made by a dumb, disgruntled former employee of DexLabs. Such a calm but uneventful week meant that the Fusion Fighters had more time on their hands than usual. 

Time that a certain red haired heroine wanted to take advantage of. 

Blossom felt her eyelids nearly shut as she typed away on one of the many computers in the main DexLabs laboratory. Images of her brunette sister littered the screens, as well as the latest articles explaining the absence of the powerpuff girls and where citizens of Townsville had seen them last. Blossom reached a hand on the desk she was typing and grabbed a mug, bringing it shakily to her lips. 

She gulped and set it down. “Computress…get me another cup.”

A mechanical beep sounded from the far right side of the room. 

“Blossom, with all due respect, that is your eighth - “

“Just do it!!” snapped Blossom. 

Computress reluctantly complied. She grabbed the mug and hovered over to the kitchen, sneaking past a sleeping Courage. Blossom reached out to type on the computer again, but was stopped by a hand lightly squeezing her shoulder.

“Isn’t it a little late for that?”

Dexter stood beside his superhero comrade with a drowsy, slightly irritated look, dressed in red flannel pajamas and slippers. Were Blossom in a more playful mood, she would have poked fun at his appearance. Instead, she grimaced and pushed Dexter’s hand off of her, typing away at the computer. 

“No,” she said curtly. 

Dexter yawned. “Blossom, it is almost one in the morning. Why don’t you just go to bed?”

“Don’t worry about me,” replied Blossom, without looking up from the computer screen.

“I’m not. I just feel uneasy about other people touching my equipment,” Dexter deadpanned. “What are you working on, anyway?” 

Blossom sighed and stopped typing. For a moment, she just sat there staring blankly at the computer screen that held so many tabs with news stories of the powerpuff girls, and so many pictures of her together with her two sisters. Dexter’s brow furrowed, and he grabbed a seat, looking patiently at his friend. 

Almost as soon as he had put two and two together, Blossom choked up and stuffed her hands in her face, sobbing. She collapsed on the keyboard, almost wailing as her hands shook horribly. Dexter shifted uneasily in his seat, but reached a hand behind Blossoms back, soothing her. The young scientist gazed at the computer screen, and felt an uncomfortable knot tie in his stomach.

“I just…don’t get it,” Blossom choked out, “One minute…we were a team. Nothing could stop us…and then, we’re not…”

Dexter frowned deeply. He couldn’t relate to splitting up with a superhero team - but he could relate to having a sister. “I know it is rough,” he said gently, “But you still have Bubbles…”

“I know, but…Buttercup…”

Dexter’s heart sank. He didn’t have any consoling words for that. 

Bubbles and Buttercup decided to go their separate ways from the Powerpuff team three years ago. Bubbles decided she wasn’t cut out for being a superhero anymore, and wanted to live a normal life pursuing dance and theater. Blossom happily obliged her sister, and the two had been in close contact ever since.

Buttercup, however…

Buttercup decided to leave on much less friendly terms. Her and Blossom had a much different perspective on crime fighting, Blossom being plan oriented, and Buttercup wanting to just punch every criminal in sight. As they grew older, their differences reached a boiling point to where Buttercup felt she was being “held back”, and left the team entirely. 

No one had heard from her since. 

Blossom looked up at the computer screen, her pretty face stained with tears. “I can’t give up. I have to find her…I just have to.”

Dexter leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed. The Computress hovered over to them with a mug of coffee, carefully placing it by the computer. Blossom was about to reach for the cup when Dexter grabbed her wrist, squeezing it gently. 

“Blossom…let me take care of this,” he offered. “You need your sleep. I’m more cut out for late night computer work, anyway.”

Blossom blinked back the rest of her tears. Wiping her eyes, she smiled warmly at her long time friend. “Thanks, Dex. I really appreciate that.” 

She went back to her room, and Dexter went to work researching everything he could about the powerpuff girls and where Buttercup was seen last. He couldn’t find much initially, and it led him down a rabbit hole of researching every villain the powerpuff girls had ever faced. Mojo, Princess, HIM, the Rowdyruff Boys…and finally, the Gangreen Gang. 

Dexter’s eyes narrowed at the screen. Apparently, the Gangreen Gang had given up their lives of crime and formed a punk rock band under the same name. Dexter checked out their website and saw a long list of concerts they would be performing in the near future, indicating they were very successful. 

But that wasn’t all that caught Dexter’s attention. 

What caught his attention the most was the gang's newest member: a pale, brunette goth girl by the name of Belladonna. She was their backup singer, and her profile on the gangs website indicated she was with them since they formed. All her photos with the gang had her dressed in a green miniskirt, black leather jacket, matching shoes and a streak of green dye on her hair to match her eyes. Her very familiar, piercing green eyes. 

“Dexter?” 

The Computress’ voice snapped Dexter out of his reverie. He looked up and tried not to sound too annoyed when he answered, “Yes?”

“You haven’t touched the coffee since Blossom left. Should I dispose of it?”

Dexter looked back to the screen, sighing. “Yes, Computress. I don’t think I will be needing any tonight. My work here is done.”

As the Computress hovered away with the unsipped coffee mug, Dexter massaged his temples and thought, 

So why don’t I feel happy?

“Alright, homies!” announced Coop, flourishing a spatula and a kitchen knife. “Breakfast is served!!”

The kitchen table was full of delicious breakfast dishes - waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and homemade mimosas courtesy of Computress. Coop had spent the entire morning preparing the meal, much to the team's anxiety, but they soon found that their burly blonde friend was as good at cooking food as he was at eating it. 

Jack observed his plate from a few different angles. He turned to Coop. “I confess I am not familiar with the eating customs in this time period. How do I…?”

He was interrupted by the incredible sight of Coop gulping down a stack of five pancakes in a single bite, smacking his lips. He let out a loud burp. “That hit the spot!” He wiped his lips. “What were you saying, Jack?”

The ageless samurai felt a nervous drop of sweat run down his neck. “N-Never mind…”

After breakfast, everyone gathered around the tv, ready to watch some cartoons - until Computress rushed in, hovering to the center of the living room. Her eyes glowed and a holographic image displayed from her mouth of a nearly destroyed park with an amphitheater in the background. 

“Fusion Fighters, I’m afraid your leisurely day off will have to wait. There’s been an attack at Townsville Park, and it seems that Fusion monsters are responsible.”

Ben palmed his fists, grinning excitedly. “Finally, some real action! It was starting to get boring around here.”

“The attack appears to be isolated, and thankfully there are no casualties as of now. But time is of the essence. Hurry!!”

Computress shut off her holographic display. Dexter straightened up, eyes on his team. 

“You heard her - Fighters, let’s go!!”

The scene at Townsville Park was as chaotic as it was bizarre. Crowds that were once gathered for an exciting concert were being chased by large, shape shifting monsters made of a gelatinous green substance. These monsters came in all shapes and sizes, some tall, some short, some little blobs of goo hopping on the ground, others large tentacled beasts who would suction in their prey and then consume it. 

Frightened screams filled the park and even beyond it as people tried and some failed to escape the monsters. Cries for the Powerpuff girls echoed throughout the park, despite that no one had seen them fight together in many moons.

“We’re closing in on them!!”

Dexter analyzed the Fusion aliens with the enhanced eyes of his mecha suit as he descended on the park, his teammates following closely behind. He tapped a key on the wrist of his suit, speaking into it. 

“Computress, what is the analysis on these Fusions?”

“This breed appears to be a more advanced threat than what you’ve faced before. It seems they are more intelligent now.”

“Thank you,” Dexter shut off the comm. “Alright, team, we cannot be hasty! We must be careful to devise a - “

WHOOSH!!

Blossom soared past her comrades at lightning speeds, slashing through the aliens and laser beaming every one of them she could find. 

“...plan,” Dexter finished, flabbergasted. 

Blossom shouted loudly as she tore through monster after monster, slicing some in half and ripping the tentacles off of others. Her eyes glowed with fury as laser after laser shot from them, and the other Fusion Fighters watched in awe. 

“This is…curious,” observed Jack, “Normally she is not so quick to rush into battle. She is a planner, not unlike you, Dexter.”

“Yes, that is curious,” agreed Dexter, “I wish she would at least be willing to talk before she fights.”

“Guess there’s nothing to talk about,” said Ben. He fired up the Omnitrix and turned it two notches to the right. “I’m going Wildmutt!”

In a flash of green light, he transformed into a feral, orange furred beast and roared loudly as he joined Blossom in battle. Nigel slapped the Hexa-Gone on his chest and rushed in as he turned invisible. Coop (who wasn’t piloting MEGAS this time and decided to fight with a pair of laser guns he made himself) joined too, as did Jack, and lastly, Dexter. 

The Fusion Fighters had their hands full with the amount of monsters they were facing in the park. Countless of the small Fusion blobs they’d gotten used to were hopping on them, trying to bite or attach to them somehow, but there were also more advanced monsters too. Large, bulbous creatures that resembled jellyfish were on the attack as well, and several wasp like Fusions were hovering over the Fighters trying to get their no doubt lethal sting in on them. 

Coop grunted loudly as he barely missed a sting from one of the wasps. He shot it down, but noticed too late that another wasp was headed right at him - and too close to dodge!

Thankfully, a slew of bullets stopped it in its tracks, killing it. The Fusion wasp turned to goop. 

“Aw yeah!!” cheered Coop. “Thanks…uh…”

He turned around and saw no one to thank - until Nigel materialized out of nowhere, grinning. 

“You’re welcome,” he said, his voice teetering on smugness.

Coop sighed. “Man, you gotta stop using the Hexa Gone thingy. No one can see ya anywhere.”

“That’s kind of the point,” retorted Nigel as he refilled his gumball machine gun. 

Meanwhile, Wildmutt was ripping through every enemy he could sense. He tore through the small Fusion blobs that tried to latch onto him and bite him, shaking them off and attacking with his claws and fangs. He rampaged through the park, devouring as many Fusions as he could, including some of the Fusion wasps.

Wildmutt gave a yelp of pain as he felt a sharp sting up his spine. Turning around, he saw a large jellyfish like Fusion creeping up to him, its tentacles aimed menacingly. Wildmutt pawed the ground, ready to strike and rip the jellyfish apart with its bare fangs - when a loud beeping noise could be heard, and Wildmutt turned back to Ben. 

“NO!!” cried Ben, panicking. “Not now!!”

The jellyfish creature moved closer to Ben, its tentacles ready to strike and electrocute the poor boy. Ben instinctively took a defensive stance, his muscles shaking as sweat poured down his neck. He glared up at the Fusion monster as it advanced on him, when suddenly the monsters tentacles were gone in a flash of blinding light. 

Samurai Jack stood in front of Ben, grasping his sword tightly. “Are you alright?” he asked with a slight turn of his head. 

Ben nodded. “Yeah - but look out!”

A strange, purple gas was emitting from the jellyfish monster as it floated without its tentacles. Before Jack could react, he felt himself get dizzy, as did Ben, and the two fell to the ground unconscious. The jellyfish monster swooped in and absorbed the two Fighters into its bulbous sac. 

“Ben! Jack!!” cried Dexter. Beside him, Blossom was too distracted fighting off Fusions to notice two of her teammates were absorbed. Dexter debated with himself whether to grab her attention, but he figured he could handle the situation himself.

The boy genius rushed toward the huge jellyfish, puncturing as many holes in its sac as he possibly could. Soon the monster deflated and Jack and Ben were recovered, but still unconscious. Dexter looked around and saw that most of the Fusion monsters had been eliminated, so he decided to let his two sleeping comrades be until the fight was over. 

Soon the threats were all eliminated, and Ben and Jack woke up. The Fusion Fighters stood in the midst of an empty park, worn out from the intense battle. Dexter pressed a button on his mechanical suit and it retracted into a blue backpack. 

He took a few deep breaths before speaking up. “A good effort from all!” congratulated Dexter. “Once again, the Fusion Fighters have saved the day.”

“Yeah, and almost got their butts kicked in the meantime,” sighed Ben, “I wanted a challenge, but not that big of a challenge.”

“I think we would have fared better had we not rushed into battle without a plan,” suggested Jack. “Blossom, why did you not wait until we had thought things over? We cannot be hasty.” 

Everyone turned towards Blossom, who was staring at the city in the distance. Her brows were knitted together, right hand clenched into a fist. Jack raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it, and stayed silent. 

“Let’s just say this place…hits home for me,” Blossom finally replied. “Well, it is home for me.” 

Dexter was the only one close enough to hear her whisper, “But it doesn’t feel that way anymore…”

“Ayo!!”

The Fusion Fighters’ reverie was interrupted by a very unusual group of people greeting them from outside the amphitheater. There were six of them - five of them green skinned, and another one pale with eyes that were just as green. One of them was a tall, lanky man with shoulder length dark hair who was clearly the leader, another a skinny, short man with snakelike features, followed by someone who was very tall and very obese with orange hair that covered his eyes, a tiny and unassuming person, an ugly looking person that could have been passed off as a science experiment, and a goth looking girl who was the sole female of the group. 

The leader walked up to the Fusion Fighters, grinning from ear to ear. “Aw man, that was awesome!! The way you guys smashed those green gooey things, I mean. Thanks for savin’ our bacon, we owe ya one!”

Samurai Jacks eyes narrowed, and his hand rested on the sheath of his sword. Dexter motioned for him to stop, giving him a reassuring smile. Nigel was too busy staring at the green creatures underneath his sunglasses, and he had a pained expression on his face like he was holding back a laugh. Coop and Ben, on the other hand, were absolutely elated. 

“It’s the Gangreen Gang!!” they said in unison. 

Ben ran up to Ace, grabbing a cd case and a pen. “You guys are the best band ever!! Can I have your autograph!?”

Ace chuckled. “Sure, kid.”

Coop walked up to every member of the band, staring in awe like a little kid at a candy store. He pointed at every member. “Snake…Big Billy…Lil’ Arturo…Grubber…and…”

He frowned when he pointed at the sole female member. Coops face turned red, as if trying really hard to remember, when the girl raised a hand and interrupted his thoughts. 

“Belladonna,” she said flippantly. 

“Hey, thanks again,” said Ace sincerely, grasping Dexter by the hand. “Anything me and the band can do for ya, let us know.”

Dexter smiled back. “Thank you, I shall certainly keep that in mind.”

Ace looked over to Blossom, who was standing behind the group with her arms crossed. His grin widened. “Yo, Blossom! Long time no see, huh?”

Blossom nodded. “Yeah. Long time.” she said curtly. 

Ace’s grin disappeared. “C’mon, you’re not still on about us being criminals, are ya? It’s in the past now.”

“Yeah, we’re good guys now!” affirmed Big Billy. 

“Well, sssssort of,” clarified Snake. 

Ace shook his head. “Ah well, can’t please everyone. C’mon guys, let’s go hit up the mini mart and play some games.”

And with that, the Gangreen Gang left. Ben was still gushing over his autograph, Coop smiling beside him. Nigel looked on at the retreating gang, confused, while Jack looked visibly relieved that they were no apparent threat.

But there was something else about them that crossed Dexter’s mind…

He turned to Blossom. “Did you notice anything familiar about them?”

“Huh?” asked Blossom. “Yeah, of course. They’re the Gangreen Gang, my sisters and I used to fight them all the time.”

“Actually, I really only meant one of them. That girl…Belladonna, she was. Did she look familiar to you?”

Blossom quirked an eyebrow. “No, why would she?”

Dexter frowned. 

So you don’t recognize your own sister…

His mind flashed back to when he first saw ‘Belladonna’s profile on the Gangreen Gangs website, and how angry she looked... 

…or you just don’t want to.

Being a popular rock band came with many great perks. Fame. Wealth. Women. Perks that were much easier to enjoy when you spent much of your developing life in the alleys committing petty crimes. 

Among these perks was a spacious penthouse in the middle of Townsville. It was absolutely pristine before the Gangreen Gang moved into it - what was once a spotless kitchen with marble tiles floors and a granite counter was now littered with beer bottles and empty pizza boxes, for instance. The living room too was full of empty video game disc holders and a television set that constantly played MTV. 

But there was one room that stayed consistently clean, except for the occasional drops of blood…

SLAM! POW! BANG! 

The sound of fists colliding with a punching bag echoed through the whole penthouse from the gym which was right beside the kitchen. Belladonnas face was drenched in sweat and her face bore a permanent scowl as she punched through her fifth bag, blowing it to bits. She was dressed in a black sports bra with matching shorts and boxing gloves, and was getting ready to grab another bag when the door slid open. 

“Hey…”

“Not now, Ace,” replied Belladonna, without looking up. She attached her sixth punching bag to the ceiling and took a fighting stance. 

“We're going out for pizza,” offered Ace, as if he didn't hear her. “Wanna join us?”

Bella shook her head and threw a flurry of punches, each one more intense than the last. Her face was red and her teeth were bared. 

“You want us to bring you anything back?”

“No,” replied Bella curtly, before throwing another punch. 

Ace sighed. Taking a chance, he walked up to Belladonna and placed a hand on her shoulder before she was about to throw another punch. She glared up at Ace, but he kept his gaze steady. 

“Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this, the boys and I are worried about ya. You've been in the gym for five hours since we came back from the park and you sound real angry. What's going on?”

Bella brushed Aces hand off her shoulder. “Don't worry about me.” 

“C'mon, Buttercup, I -” 

“Don't you dare call me that!!” 

Bella raised a threatening fist up to Ace’s face. The green skinned man took a few steps back, raising his hands defensively. 

“It's Belladonna now, got it!? Buttercup is a thing of the past.  Now leave me alone.”

She went back to the punching bag. Ace opened his mouth a few times, struggling to think of what to say, but gave up and exited the gym. 

The rest of the Gangreen Gang were lounging around the kitchen and looked up expectantly at their leader as he entered. “Any luck, bosssssss?” asked Snake. 

Ace shook his head. “Nope. She's just not hearin’ it.”

“Our hermana cannot stay in the gym forever, okay” said Lil’ Arturo. Grubber made a raspberry noise that showed his agreement. 

“Yeah, sooner or later she'll get hungry. Maybe we should wait til then, Ace?” suggested Big Billy. 

Ace shook his head. “Nah, trust me, it won't work. Let's just grab some pizza and save her a slice, boys.”

And so the Gangreen Gang left their home leaving Belladonna alone with her thoughts and her punching bag. Angry growls could be heard from the gym as she slammed her fist into the bag relentlessly, her brows knitted together in fierce concentration. 

Suddenly, an image of a familiar red haired girl crossed her mind, and with a loud roar Bella punched her sixth bag hard enough to knock it down on the mat. She stood still for a few moments, breathing in hard, labored breaths. 

“Blossom…” Buttercup thought out loud, “You'll never hold me back again!!”

Dexters fingers moved at lightning speed on the keyboard as his eyes flitted from several different computer monitors. Each monitor had a map on it detailing where these Fusion aliens were last seen, and what patterns could be traced in their appearances. He grabbed a coffee mug, taking a sip. 

Behind him, Ben and Coop were playing video games in the living room area, Nigel watching them and waiting for his turn to play against the winner of the next Sumo Slammer match. Samurai Jack was meditating in a corner of the room, sitting underneath a large house plant. 

“Find anything?”

Blossom walked up to the computer board. Dexter's eyes flitted briefly to her before returning to the monitors. “Not…yet,” he answered. 

Blossom sighed. “I don't get it. These Fusion things have been off the radar for weeks, but all of a sudden they appear in Townsville? Something doesn't add up.”

“They appear to be attracted to power,” replied Dexter, taking another sip of coffee. “My research indicates that they leech off of creatures with a strong energy signature.”

“But who could have attracted them to Townsville Park?” asked Blossom skeptically. “I mean, it's not like the Gangreen Gang has any special power signature.”

No, but their newest member does, thought Dexter ruefully. 

Behind him, cheering could be heard as Coop slammed his controller on the table. Nigel took Bens spot and the boy grumbled, deciding to join Dexter and Blossom to distract from his humiliating defeat. 

“Sooo, have we found new monsters to beat up, or what?” he asked. “I'm itching to go Wildmutt again.”

Dexter shook his head. He tapped a button on the keyboard, and pictures of various Fusion monsters appeared on the screens - including the wasp and jellyfish creatures they faced in Townsville. 

“No. But, we have found out what attracts these creatures.”

Dexter's fingers typed rapidly on the keyboard. Images flooded the screens featuring graphs and paragraphs full of technical jargon that Ben for the life of him couldn't comprehend. The ten year old boys eyes were glued to the screen as Dexter elaborated. 

“It appears that the Fusion monsters are drawn to strong power signatures,” he explained, “Wherever there is a powerful entity, you can expect them to show up. It is what they feed off of.”

Dexter tapped another button on the keyboard and a picture the Gangreen Gang showed on one of the monitors. He opened his mouth as if to say something but Ben pointed at the screen and cut him off,

“Hey - that's Buttercup!”

It was as if all the air out of the room had disappeared. Dexters gloved hands trembled, a nervous drop of sweat running down his neck. Blossom looked at Ben incredulously, almost angrily. From the living room, even Jack opened his eyes ever so slightly as he sat cross legged in his meditative state. Nigel and Coop continued their game, but Nigel tilted his head slightly in the direction of Ben and his red haired comrades. 

“What…did you say?” asked Blossom evenly. 

“That's Buttercup,” Ben repeated, pointing to the picture of Belladonna standing next to Ace. “It's gotta be, I'd recognize the face anywhere! But what's she doing with the Gangreen Gang!?”

“Nothing,” answered Blossom, shaking her head. “That's not Buttercup, not a chance in hell. That girl looks nothing like her.”

Ben opened his mouth as if to say something, but Blossom raised a hand, cutting him off. “I think I'd recognize my own sister better than you,” she said icily. 

Dexter sighed. He stood up from his chair, adjusting his glasses slightly. His eyes met Blossoms, and he tried his best to hold his gaze steady under the weight of her glare. 

“Blossom…he's right. I have been meaning to tell you, but now the cat is out of the bag. I've run dozens of facial recognition tests on pictures of ‘Belladonna’ and Buttercup…that is most certainly her.”

Blossoms eyebrows quivered. She took a step back, her breathing becoming more shallow. Looking down, her hands balled into fists as she stared at her own reflection in the clean reflection of the lab's tile floor. 

“No…” she whispered. “She can't be with the Gangreen Gang, not again…”

Dexter reached his hand to Blossoms shoulder, but she turned away. Ben awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking in any direction aside from his red haired companions. Blossom raised a hand to her face and Dexter could tell she was holding back tears. 

“It's not true…”

“Blossom…”

“Shut up!!” she hissed. 

At this point Blossom had everyone's attention - Jack had snapped out of his meditating and Nigel and Coop paused their game. Computress, who was in the distance dusting a row of servers, conveniently found another place to dust outside of the main lab area, Courage following close behind. Blossom glared daggers at her comrades, as if daring one of them to contradict her. 

“That…that’s not Buttercup!” she said in a strained voice. Almost as if she was arguing with herself, Dexter thought. “I know my sister, she wouldn’t join the Gangreen Gang, she did it once and she’d never do it again!!”

Dexter sighed deeply. “I know nothing I will say can convince you - ”

“Then don’t even bother!” snapped Blossom. 

“Are we sure it’s her, though?” suggested Nigel as he entered the lab, “Buttercup, or whatever her name is? It could be someone who looks like her.”

Ben shook his head. “No way. I’d know that look anywhere. Besides, Dexter ran all his facial scan thingies to confirm it.”

“There’s some kind of error,” insisted Blossom, “There’s got to be!”

“That would not be likely,” said Jack, “This technology, whatever it is, is far beyond anything I have ever seen. Can such machinery even be capable of errors?”

“You’re from another time, what the hell would you know!?” 

There was a small, collective gasp at Blossoms outburst, Ben looking at her like she had grown a third head. Even Dexter looked shocked. Jack, however, didn’t reply except for a subtle frown and a slight shrug of the shoulders. “I pride myself on being a quick learner,” he replied calmly. 

Blossom noticed all eyes on her, and she felt her cheeks warm. Shaking her head, her expression softened as she looked at her comrades and Jack again. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…I just…”

Jack raised a hand, smiling. “I have endured far worse in my life than a mere insult.”

The whole team went silent again, Blossom shuffling her feet awkwardly. Everyone looked at each other, wondering who would or should speak up first, when Coop broke the silence. 

“The hardest part about knowing someone your whole life…is growing up and seeing the parts of them you didn’t know.” 

Everyone stared at Coop as he absently picked another handful of chips from a half empty bag. The blonde mechanic looked soberly at his teammates, his cheeks full of potato skins. Tears began to well up in Blossoms eyes and Dexter looked at her, his hand caressing the outline of his cellphone in his pocket. Without another word, the red haired powerpuff girl retreated to her room.

Coops unusual display of wisdom had stirred something in Blossom, but Dexter could tell it wasn’t enough. She needed more convincing. Something - or someone - who would erase any ounce of denial in Blossoms mind. 

And I know just the person for that.

The Utonium household was as pristine as ever, it's shining white exterior reflecting the sunlight that was particularly strong that day. The garden was neatly kept, with little rose bushes and sunflowers blooming, and the three windows were glistening at the top of the square shaped home. 

One of which, sadly, hadn't seen much use in several years. 

Dexter grimaced as he stood in front of the door. Blossom stood behind him, but he was only dimly aware of her presence as he reached for the doorbell. Memories of a happier time flooded Dexter's mind, when he was in kindergarten and would study with the girls and professor utonium. As he gazed at his reflection in the small window of the doorway, Dexter couldn't help but wonder if times could ever be so simple again. 

The door opened, and the sharp, inquisitive face of Professor Utonium greeted Dexter and Blossom. Pipe in hand, his eyes widened as he recognized his two visitors. 

“Dexter? And Blossom! My goodness, come on in! I haven't seen you two in forever.” 

Utonium smiled brightly, leading the red headed duo to the living room. He reached to hug Blossom and she reciprocated, a happy but slightly forced smile on her face. 

“Blossom!!”

A flash of blue swept across the hallway and Blossom was nearly tackled to the wall by her exuberant, blonde sister. Bubbles cheered loudly as Blossom gasped for air.

“OhmygodyourefinallybackImissedyousomuchwhereveyoubeentellmeeverything…!”

Soon she finally let go, and Blossom managed a shaky, “Good to see…you too…” in between labored gasps. 

At the living room, once everyone was seated, Professor Utonium gazed solemnly at his daughter and protegee. 

“To what do I owe the unexpected visit, kids?” he asked as he took a draw from his pipe. 

Blossom sighed. “We're not kids, Dad, we…”

“Are here to ask a favor of you,” interrupted Dexter. Blossom shot him an annoyed look, but let the interruption slide. 

The Professor raised an eyebrow. Bubbles, who was seated beside him on the sofa, looked mildly surprised. “Really? What kind of favor?” 

Dexter reached for his pocket, a cold shiver running down his spine. He pulled out two small photos, placing them on the coffee table. His eyes flicked to Blossom, and Dexter felt a twinge in his stomach as he saw her look away. 

He turned back to the professor. 

“Can you tell me if these two pictures show the same person?”

Utonium grabbed the photos from the table, eyes squinting. His hands shook as he observed the pictures closely, and Bubbles gasped as she looked over his shoulder. The Professors pipe fell out of his mouth and he gulped. 

“This is…” 

Blossoms nails dug into the sofa. 

“Buttercup,” finished Utonium. 

For a minute, it seemed as if time had stopped still. Everyone sat in their positions unmoving, the only sound being the grandfather clock ticking in the background. Dexter looked to the Professor and Blossom, gauging their reactions, but for all his genius couldn't discern the emotions that showed on their faces. 

Finally, Utonium stood up, breaking the silence. He picked up his pipe and paced around the living room, stopping at the fireplace. A large portrait hung over the fireplace…a family portrait. One that showed the professor and powerpuff girls at Townsville park as he held them closely. 

He turned back to Dexter, his expression grim. 

“Where did you find her?” he said severely. Realizing his tone, Utonium took a deep breath. “I mean…how did you come across her?”

Dexter opened his mouth to speak, but Blossom cut him off. 

“At Townsville Park,” she answered. “We were fighting a bunch of aliens and saw her with…the Gangreen Gang.” She emphasized the last three words sourly. 

Bubbles gasped. “The Gangreen Gang!? No!! Not again!!”

Professor Utonium scratched his chin, brow furrowed. “I see…this is quite alarming.” He looked back at the large family portrait over the fireplace, and his expression softened. 

“But…at least I know she’s okay.” 

Bubbles folded her hands anxiously. “But what are we going to do? How do we get her back?” 

Blossom stood up. She joined her father beside the fireplace and inhaled sharply through her nostrils, her right hand clenching into a fist. Dexter’s eyes narrowed, wondering what was going on in her mind. 

Finally, she spoke up. 

 “I have an idea.” 

The city of Townsville was lit up as night fell and everyone was going to their evening destinations. Loud noises could be heard atop a tall apartment complex, noises of music and dancing. The Gangreen Gang was living it up as much as they could outside their penthouse, rock music blaring over the speakers as they shouted and danced. 

Everyone (except Big Billy, who was too fat to move around) danced wildly to the beat of the music, especially Buttercup and Ace. People who lived in the apartments below them were opening their windows and angrily shouting to keep the noise down, but the Gangreen Gang couldn't hear them. Not that they would've cared if they did.

Buttercup pumped her fists in the air, writhing and dancing madly. Ace was headbanging and playing the air guitar, Lil Arturo spinning around on his head beside them. Grubber was moonwalking around the back deck and Snake was DJing, his hands on the records. 

“Yo, Snake!” shouted Ace. “Turn it up!!” 

“Sssssure thing Acccccce!” replied Snake with a thumbs up. 

But before he could adjust the volume, Snakes DJ mixer burst into flames! He screamed in pain, landing on his rump as he tried to blow on his right hand, which was now on fire. The music abruptly stopped, as did the Gangreen Gangs dancing as they saw the intruder responsible for the interruption. 

Buttercups hands balled into fists. 

“Blossom,” she said through gritted teeth. 

The red haired powerpuff girl landed on the sleek floors of the penthouse rooftop, her eyes still glowing from the lasers they had just shot. The rest of the Gangreen Gang had rushed Snake inside, giving him ice or aloe or anything that could potentially heal a burned hand. The two girls barely paid attention to this however, as they sized each other up, Blossoms fiercely determined gaze meeting Buttercups angered one. 

“You…”

Blossom flinched at the venom in her sister’s tone. 

“How dare your sorry ass show up here uninvited!?” shouted Buttercup. “You think I want to see you again!?”

Blossom took a deep breath. “Buttercup, please, I just want to talk…”

“That’s rich,” spat Buttercup. “You burn my friends hand and want to sit down and have a ‘talk.’ You always were tone deaf, you know that? And by the way, it’s Belladonna from now on. Buttercup was a past life.”

“‘Friends?’” repeated Blossom. “They’re criminals! Don’t you remember what happened the last time you hung out with them!? Me and Bubbles almost got killed!” Refusing to acknowledge Buttercups name change, she made a mental note to refer to her in the second person from now on. 

“That was a long time ago. Things change, people change. Besides, why are you just talking about this now? Why didn’t you say anything to me when you fought those Fusion freaks at the park?”

Blossom winced. Averting her sister’s gaze, she replied, “I was…in denial”

“ What else is new!?”

Before Blossom could respond, Buttercup lunged at her, throwing a flurry of intense punches. Blossom barely dodged them as she moved back toward the edge of the roof, her eyes locking on her sister. Blossoms quick wit barely saved her from a pummeling as she timed each punch carefully enough to either dodge or deflect, but Buttercup wasn't relenting. 

With a loud growl, the brunette Powerpuff girl slammed her knee into Blossoms stomach, causing the other to fly off the rooftop and into a billboard. Blossom quickly readjusted herself so that she landed with her feet on the billboard and propelled herself back into the battle. 

The two sisters clashed in midair, their battle a flurry of punches, kicks and laser beams. From the penthouse roof, the Gangreen Gang was observing the battle as best they could - which wasn't a lot, given how fast the Powerpuff girls were moving. Ace adjusted his shades, trying to get a better look. 

“Are you following this, boys?” 

Everyone answered no, except for Big Billy who had his orange hair pulled out from his face showing his one eye.  “I can see them, Ace!” he said proudly. 

“”Whaaa?” replied Ace. “Does that one eye give you super focus, or somethin’?” 

“Do you know anything about me?” asked Billy, annoyed. 

“Forget the hyper focussssssss,” Snake cut in, “Can you tell us who'sssssssss winning?” 

Billy nodded. “Yeah, it's Bella! She's kicking Blossoms ass.” 

The gang all cheered, relieved for their newest member. Ace smirked widely, pumping his fists in the air. “Thats our girl!!”

The battle continued in the skies of the city of Townsville. Blossom and Buttercup could only see parts of the other through the flickering lights of the city, but it was enough to keep the fight going. Buttercups hands crackled with electricity as she threw another onslaught of punches, all of which Blossom deflected. Finally, she caught both her sisters fists in the palm of her hand, looking dead in the eye. 

“Buttercup…”

“Belladonna!!” snarled Buttercup. 

“Please, listen to me,” pleased Blossom, “You don't have to do this. We don't have to fight each other over a disagreement we had years ago.” 

Buttercup struggled to break free from her sisters grip, but Blossom had a surprisingly good grip. She may have been the brains of the Powerpuff Girls, but Blossom was no slouch when it came to brute strength. 

“A disagreement!?” shouted Buttercup. “You think that's all this is!? You held me back! You kept bossing me around and wouldn't let me fight crime without jumping through all the hoops of your stupid ‘plans’!” 

Before Blossom could respond, Buttercup leaned back and headbutted her sister in the forehead. Blossom was sent careening on the rooftop of a tall apartment complex, getting on her knees just in time for Buttercup to land. 

The red haired Powerpuff girl coughed, wiping a drop of blood off her mouth. Blossom struggled to stand up, hoping that Buttercup wouldn't knock her down before she could. Her sister thankfully didn't however, and continued berating her after Blossom got up. 

“You just wouldn't let me get my hands dirty,” seethed Buttercup, her hands balling into fists. “ That was your problem. You thought you could do whatever you wanted because everyone thought you were the ‘leader’ of the group.” 

Blossom charged at her sister, aiming a roundhouse kick squarely at her torso. Buttercup deftly evaded the attack and grabbed Blossoms leg. She threw it to the ground so that Blossom landed on her stomach, the gravel of the rooftop leaving cuts and scrapes. 

“You didn't even go after people who were really bad guys!!” continued Buttercup, as if she hadn't been interrupted. “I mean Mojo and HIM, sure. But Mitch? The Gangreen Gang!?”

Blossom coughed and spun on her back, landing on her feet so she could look Buttercup dead in the eye. “They’re not innocent, and you know it!! The Gangreen Gang tried killing us!” 

“What about Sedusa!?” retorted Buttercup. “They helped us defeat her, remember that?” 

Blossom glared at her sister. Straightening up,.she replied in a pompous tone, “One good deed can't erase a lifetime of crime.” 

“Oh, give me a break!!” 

The two Powerpuff girls stared each other down, Blossom with steely resolve and Buttercup with barely contained rage. They each took a fighting stance, ready to attack the other…

When a loud explosion in the distance interrupted their fight. 

“What the…!?”

“How…!?”

A tall building had been set on fire, and screams of terror could be heard throughout the city. Overshadowing the building was a gigantic, robotic creature - a black colored machine with a dome shaped head and two red glowing eyes. The robot punched a gigantic hole through the building, it's fists engulfed in flames. 

Blossoms breath caught in her throat. Her eyes met Buttercups, and the conflicted expression on her sisters face told her they were both thinking the same thing. Differences aside, they were literally born to be superheroes. It was in their blood. But would Buttercup answer that calling now, over her desire for revenge? 

Five horribly long second past. 

And Buttercup flew off the building to face the robot. Blossom smiled, her eyes moistening as she joined her sister in the fray. There's the Buttercup I know…

“Hey, metal head!” shouted Buttercup, looking the robot dead in the eyes. “Drop it before I turn you into shrapnel!!”  

Blossom joined her sister, observing the wreckage from the robots rampage. The building this robot destroyed appeared to be an empty construction site, and Blossom couldn't detect any casualties or anyone in danger. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. 

The robot stared down the two Powerpuff girls, it's red eyes unblinking. Blossom stared at this mysterious machine. Where did this thing come from? 

Buttercup charged at the robots, eyes glowing green. She punched its metal, domed head repeatedly, trying in vain to make the glassy surface crack. Blossom observed the fight from several feet away, studying the robots features. 

It has a domed head - one of Mojo's robots? Or someone who works for him…

“Yo, Blossom!!” shouted Buttercup. “Don't just float there, help me out!” 

Blossom snapped out of her reverie. Nodding, she joined her sister in the fray, punching the robots domed head with equal intensity. As the two girls struggled to rip the machine apart, strangely, it was not fighting back. Not that it needed to. 

Sweat poured down Blossoms neck, as the robot turned its head towards her. Eyes glowing, it raised its right fist and charged a gigantic punch towards the red haired Powerpuff, Blossom bracing herself for the impact as she crossed her arms in front of her. She had endured worse impacts than this. 

But surprisingly, Blossom didn't even need to prepare for the attack. Because just as the robots fist was about to hit, she felt Buttercup grab her arm and fly her out of the way so that they were facing the robots side. Blossom felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up in surprise at her sister. 

“You…saved me?” 

Buttercup let her go, eyes still focused on the machine. Her eyes flared a dark shade of green as she stared down the robot, whose head was now turned back to the Powerpuff girls. 

“Listen, you overgrown coffee machine,” she said through gritted teeth, “I dunno who made you, where you came from or whatever…but nobody tries to hurt the Powerpuff Girls and gets away with it!”

Buttercup breathed in deeply, chest expanding as her whole body glowed green. Exhaling, she spit out a searing hot stream of green fire that engulfed the robot, causing its circuits to fry and it's glassy domed head to finally shatter. Soon it was burnt to a crisp, it's only remaining parts being a few pieces of scrap metal. 

Buttercup grinned, stroking a heroic pose in midair. “Aw yeah, baby!! That's how you do it!”

The two Powerpuff girls descended on the city streets, which were thankfully empty. Blossom brushed some dirt off her outfit, looking warily at her sister, who had her back turned. Buttercup was staring up at the sky towards where they had just fought the robot. 

Blossom nervously walked up to her sister, coughing lightly. “Um…Buttercup?”

Buttercup turned to her. “Yeah?” she asked casually. 

Blossoms mind whirred, and her chest felt tight as she stared into the piercing green eyes of her long lost sister. She felt her throat go dry - but Blossom powered through all this as she got her words out. 

“Thanks for saving me,” she said breathlessly. 

Buttercup paused, then nodded. She stared back up at the sky and got ready to fly up into the endless expanse, back to the Gangreen Gang, when her sister interrupted. 

“Buttercup, wait!!”

The green clas Powerpuff girl paused. Sighing, she turned to face Blossom, annoyed. “What is it?”

“I just…” Blossom breathed in deeply. “I just want things to be normal again, the way they were, I mean. I don't want any of this tension between us, I miss you, Bubbles missed you, Dad misses you…I'm sorry for all the times I held you back. And I'll do anything to make up for it. But can we just put all this conflict behind us? Please?”

Blossoms red eyes met Buttercups green ones, and a pregnant pause held between them. Blossom felt her hands tremble. Buttercups expression was impassive, completely unreadable. They could both hear the wind blowing past them. 

And then Buttercup ran over and hugged her sister. 

Blossom gasped, startled by the unexpected display of affection. But she hugged back, feeling her eyes go misty as tears fell down her cheeks. If she didn't know better, she thought she could hear buttercup make a sound like she was sobbing too.

They finally separated. 

“I'm sorry, too…I dunno what I was thinking when I was attacking you like that. Then I saw you almost get clobbered by that robot and I…” she sighed. “I don't want any beef between us either. And I miss you guys too. Its just, I've found my own way in life. I've found my identity outside the Powerpuff girls, and it's not something I wanna give up.”

Blossom opened and then closed her mouth, nodding in silent understanding. Her expression remained neutral. “I understand.”

Buttercup looked at her, then smiled. “But…that doesn't mean I'll stop being your sister.”

Blossoms heart skipped a beat, and her stomach felt a knot untie that had been tied for years. Buttercup playfully punched her arm. “You drove me hella crazy for years, but that's in the past now. Tonight made me see what really matters…and I almost lost it. We're family. And family's gotta come first.”

Blossom play punched her sister back. “You better believe it,” she said, grinning. 

The rest of the evening was spent reminiscing about old times fighting crime in Townsville, Blossom and Buttercup recalling memories where they'd drive villains (and each other) crazy. Soon Buttercup departed, waving goodbye to her sister and promising to keep in touch as well as contact their dad and Bubbles. 

Blossom held a hand to her chest, her heart feeling lighter than it had in years. 

I can't believe it. After years, the fighting, the uncertainty, the tension…it's all over.

Dexter had his arms crossed, observing a computer screen as Coop sat down typed away at it. He whistled. 

“You wrote all that code for the robot?”

Coop grinned. “Yup! Used the same material I used for MEGAS too.”

Dexter smiled. “You are quite full of surprises, my friend.”

It was near midnight at DexLabs, and everyone has gone to bed - including Blossom, who went to sleep much earlier and looking much more relaxed than anyone had seen her in months. Dexter straightened his glasses as Courage rubbed himself against the genius's legs. He reached down and patted Courage on the head.

“I'll warm your doggie bed soon, boy. Don't worry,” he turned back to the screen, his expression becoming serious. “No casualties, then?”

Coop sighed. “I told you a billion times, man. No. I programmed the robot to only wreck conveniently empty buildings. No one was hurt in this plan.” 

“And might I say, a brilliant plan from both of you gentlemen.”

Computress hovered over to Dexter and Coop, a small smile on her mechanical face. Her eyes glowed as she complimented her master and his friend. “Sending a robot to interrupt the fight between Blossom and Buttercup was a wonderful idea. As you predicted, Dexter, once Buttercup saw her sister in mortal danger, it was not possible for her not to save Blossom.”

“Technically, no one was in mortal danger,” corrected Coop. “But thanks!”

Computress turned to Coop. “No, thank you, Coop. Your mechanical acumen combined with Dexters intelligence made for a great team. The Powerpuff Girls are reconciled once again. Computress out.” 

She hovered away. Dexter clapped his hands together. “All is well that ends well! It is time for us to go to bed, Coop. Thank you again for your help.” 

Coop smiled and shut off the computer. He retreated to his room,.and Dexter got to work on warming up Courage's dog bed. Before he finished, he spared one last glance at Blossoms room, smiling brightly. 

Sleep well, my friend…you deserve it.

Chapter Text

The morning sun rose on the horizon, covering Tech Square in its warm glow as it signaled a new day. A certain white robed samurai felt this warmth as he sat cross legged on top of the DexLabs building, eyes closed and hands on his knees as he breathed deeply in focused meditation. 

Samurai Jack had developed a habit of meditating on the DexLabs rooftop ever since joining the Fusion Fighters. More specifically, he would meditate during the night hours while everyone was asleep - and then fall asleep himself on the rooftop. When he awoke he would continue meditating, not that anyone would notice a difference as he sat in the same meditative stance with his eyes closed. 

The sun's rays bathed him, and Jack slowly opened his eyes. He observed the sprawling metropolis before him, cars rushing to their work destination, some hovering, and people crossing the roads chatting about their plans for the day. 

He frowned. 

This time period was interesting, to say the least. While the technological advances were a lot for a samurai from the feudal era to get used to, there were other things to consider. Like how… bizarre the world had become in the future. Talking animals, superpowered teenage girls, a boy with a watch that made him transform into aliens, and a distant town called Marzipan City with the strangest foods Jack had ever heard of. 

He closed his eyes again. What was this timeline…this world? Was this really what Earth would become in the future? But regardless, Jack had to focus on what really mattered - and that was getting back to the past to destroy Aku once and for all. Only then would he know peace.

As morning fully dawned, Jack couldn’t help wondering how much he would miss this place.

Sparks were flying over a rectangular shaped table in the main laboratory of DexLabs. Dexter worked diligently on his latest invention, armed with a face shield and his usual pair of rubber purple gloves for protection. The young scientist grinned excitedly. Courage was seated by the computer tower, trembling nervously. 

“Now now Courage, relax! There is no need to be afraid of the wonders of science,” said Dexter, without looking up from his work. Courage yelped as he saw another spark fly close to him. 

Finally, Dexter took off his face shield, admiring his handiwork with a wide, satisfied smile. He took out a small walkie talkie looking device from his pocket. 

“Attention, Fusion Fighters! Please meet me in the lab ASAP. I have an exciting announcement to share with you all!”

Soon everyone was gathered in the lab, some curious, some annoyed. There was some muttering among the group as to what in the world Dexter could be announcing that was so important he had to interrupt everyone else’s day for it. Coop in particular looked very irritated. 

“Look man, all I'm gonna say is, this better be worth interrupting the Goo Zombies marathon…”

“Oh, it is worth far more than that, my friend!” Dexter clapped his hands excitedly. “What I have here is something that will give us a huge advantage in all of our battles - perhaps even make us unbeatable!!”

The muttering among the group stopped as everyone stared curiously at the table Dexter had been working over. Blossom put her hands on her hips. “Unbeatable, huh? Pretty bold claim, even for you.”

Ben chuckled. He raised his right fist, showing off the Omnitrix. “No offense, Dex, but what could be more unbeatable than this?”

“Maybe something that lasts longer than five minutes,” Nigel snickered. 

Ben glared at him, but didn’t say anything. He had gotten used to Nigel’s snark by now. 

Dexter pressed a button on a remote control device, and the table turned upwards, facing the team. Attached to the table was a pitch black bodysuit, glistening in the intense light of the LED lights it was under. Dexter grinned proudly as he gestured to the suit. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, as if presenting his latest invention to a board of executives, “I present to you, my greatest creation yet: The Xoskeleton!!”

“The what now?” asked Coop between bites of donuts (which he conveniently kept in his pocket for whenever Dexter called the team for a meeting.)

“The Xoskeleton,” repeated Dexter, “It is a thermodynamic bodysuit that is malleable to a persons physiology by having the isotopes produce the correct amount of -”

“You wanna run that by me in English?” interrupted Ben.

Blossom sighed. “It's a one size fits all suit. Literally.” She explained. “But Dexter…is this made of…?”

“Yes, Chemical X!!” boasted Dexter. “Professor Utonium was gracious enough to lend me a sample to use for this ingenious experiment of mine. Whoever wears the Xoskeleton will have a wide assortment of superpowers at their command - flight, heat vision, super strength, sonic screams, the list goes on and on!”

Jacks eyes narrowed. Ben and Coops jaws dropped in amazement, and their eyes lit up. “Whoaa, that is so cool!” they said in unison. 

Nigel crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “Very impressive, Dexter. But there’s only one of that, and six of us - er, five, not counting the one with superpowers already,” he added, glancing at Blossom. “Will we all have to share it?”

Dexter shook his head. He pressed a button on the remote and the Xoskeleton shrunk, practically melted from a bodysuit into a little ball of black goo. The young scientists eyes twinkled with excitement.

“Quite the contrary, Nigel. This is a prototype, the first of multiple Xoskeletons I plan to create for the team - maybe even for the whole world!!”

Nigel smiled wryly. “And let me guess, the one who has the honor of trying out this new prototype is going to be you?”

Dexter raised an eyebrow. “But of course. I invented it, after all. Am I not allowed to enjoy the fruits of my labor?”

Before Nigel could respond, an alarm was heard, and the lights in the laboratory began flashing red. Dexter’s proud expression disappeared as the Computress hovered into the lab, her mechanical eyes glowing. Courage yelped and ran out of the room. 

“Fighters - there is an attack on Orchid Bay that requires your immediate attention. Fusions are wreaking havoc in the area. Hurry!”

Dexter gazed at the black ball of goo resting on the experiment table. “Perfect timing to try out the suit. Xoskeleton, activate!!”

He grasped the black ball in his hands, and immediately Dexter’s whole body glowed as he was covered in the dark substance. He grunted in slight pain at the sensation of the Xoskeleton traveling up and down his body, but finally, it finished. The Fusion Fighters watched in awe and anticipation as Dexter was finally covered completely in the black bodysuit, outlined entirely in black, with two glowing white orbs to show where his eyes were. 

He took a moment to look himself up and down, admiring. “Wow, now this feels like power!!” said Dexter proudly. “How do I look?”

Nigel winced. “Sort of like my crazy uncle, but that’s a story for another time.”

“We can’t waste time worrying about appearances,” said Blossom seriously. “The city’s in danger. We gotta move fast!!”

Dexter nodded. 

“Fusion Fighters - let’s roll!”

The thriving coastal city of Orchid Bay was shaking with the tremors of enormous, crab-like monsters that roamed the town seeking to devour everything in their paths. These creatures were bizarrely shaped, with seemingly eight orange limbs, yellow mushrooms for heads and torsos made seemingly of land mass. They roared loudly as they totaled another building by the pier. 

The pier was mostly evacuated, but there were a number of stragglers who were unlucky enough to get left behind. One of them, a tall dark haired man in a business suit, was running away from the monsters as fast as he could before tripping and falling on his stomach. Turning around, the man screamed in terror as several of the monsters cornered him, each one looking ready to kill. 

“No!!” the man shouted. “No, please…!”

BLAM!!

The monster in the center exploded into a heap of dirt and crab legs, startling the other creatures as the dust from the smoke settled and revealed the Fusion Fighters, except for Coop. Dexter was standing in the center, his right arm extended and a thin cloud of smoke in his hand. 

“Whoa…” he said, “That was awesome!! Is this the power of Chemical X!?”

“It does come in handy,” said Blossom, smiling proudly.

“Don’t get too enamored,” warned Nigel. “Look!”

The bizarre, crab like creatures had surrounded the Fusion Fighters, looming over them threateningly. The man in the suit had by now run far away, leaving the Fighters alone with the monsters to deal with. They all took their fighting stances, ready for action. 

“Any info on these things, Dex?” asked Ben as he turned the dial on the Omnitrix. 

“Computress ran a scan on them. Their mushroom shaped heads are their weakness,” answered Dexter. “Don’t hesitate - attack!!”

The Orchid Bay pier was lost in a flurry of attacks, dodges, and abnormally colored crab limbs as the Fusion Fighters scrambled to eliminate their enemies. About a couple dozen aliens were surrounding them, and the fighters each took on several of them to even the load. Dexter was the first to land a killing blow as he stared down three of the mushroom crab creatures looming over him. 

In spite of the situation, he smirked underneath his black bodysuit. “I wonder what other abilities Chemical X can give me?”

His body glowed with a dark red energy as he felt an electric sensation in his fingertips. Aiming his hands at the crabs mushroom heads, Dexter inhaled deeply and exhaled as fire shot from his fingers, frying the monsters heads and causing them to fall back, their limbs flailing as they melted in a green puddle of goop. He inhaled again and exhaled, watching in amazement as another stream of fire emanated from his fingertips.

Dexter whistled. “Whoa, now that is power!!”

The other fighters had their hands full getting rid of the rest of the monsters that were infesting the area. Blossom deftly dodged two crab legs as her eyes glowed red, staring down the monster that was attacking her. She aimed squarely at the creatures head. 

“Eat this!!”

Blossom fired twin lasers from her eyes - but not before another pair of lasers attacked the monster, killing it instantly and reducing it to goop! Dexter flew past her, and Blosoms mouth hung open, confused and annoyed. 

“Hey! I was gonna do that…”

Ben stared down two monsters as they towered over him, but he wasn’t afraid in the least. He grinned, turning the Omnitrix a few dials. 

“Oh, you guys are so dead. Time to go Four Arms!”

But before Ben could transform, a blinding flash of light sped past him, and a flurry of punches and kicks were all he could see before the monsters were incapacitated and eventually reduced to goop. Dexter flew to another group of monsters, his back turned to Ben. He blinked twice and then, recognizing what had happened, Ben raised his fist in protest.

“Hey!” shouted Ben. “Those were mine!!”

Nigel did a backflip, avoiding the clawed grip of a monster. He landed safely on his feet, observing his surroundings. Three of them…this should be fun. 

Nigel pressed the Hexa-Gone on his chest, instantly turning invisible. The crab creatures mushroom heads spun around, clearly looking for him, and he smirked. Nigel pulled out twin laser guns and his fingers almost pressed the triggers, when a loud sonic scream knocked him off his aim. He looked up and saw the monsters completely destroyed in an instant, Dexter standing among the wreckage. 

“Sonic scream,” he said smugly. “Pretty good, huh?” 

Before Nigel could reply, Dexter flew away, nearly knocking his comrade over. Nigel blinked, stunned. 

“I…what just happened?”

Samurai Jack unsheathed his sword, fearlessly approaching the monsters that were snapping their claws threateningly at him. His expression was impassive, completely undisturbed as he took a fighting stance, his mind whirring with all the ways he could chop up the crab creatures. He was about to leap to slice off their mushroom heads simultaneously when a stream of icy air swept through the monsters, freezing their heads to death as they fell on their backs, immobile. 

Jack gave a small gasp of surprise and turned around, noticing Dexter standing above him with what was doubtless a very smug look underneath his black bodysuit. Dexter jumped down the roof of the pier he was standing on, observing the wreckage. 

“Ahhh, sweet, sweet victory!” 

The young scientist looked himself over, checking for any cuts and bruises. Finding one on each of his arms and another on his midriff, he frowned. But his frown soon disappeared as the injuries instantly disappeared, healing themselves as the bits of exposed skin were covered back up with the Xoskeleton.

“Whoa…I have healing and regeneration powers too!? That is so cool!!”

The other fighters soon joined him, all of them looking equally annoyed or just flat out confused at what Dexter had just done. The red haired genius was none the wiser and addressed his team as normally as he would after any mission. 

“A good effort from all! The area has been cleared, and Orchid Bay is safe. Now it is time for us to go home!”

Without another word, Dexter flew back to HQ, without even waiting for his team to follow. Jack, Blossom, Ben and Nigel stood behind for a few minutes, talking among themselves about the events they had just witnessed. 

“What’s up with Dexter?” asked Nigel. “He was so…intense.”

“He took my kills!” complained Ben. “I was about to crush those crabs as Four Arms!!”

“That’s Chemical X for you,” said Blossom, sighing and sounding completely resigned. “It can enhance aggression. I just hope he doesn’t try to do everything by himself from now on.”

Jack remained totally silent, his eyes narrowed as he stared into the sky that Dexter had disappeared into. Unconsciously, he gripped his sword more tightly as it rested in its hilt. Noticing this, Blossom nudged his arm. 

“Jack? You okay?”

Jack nodded. “I am fine.” He looked down on the edge of the pier, seeing his own reflection in the water. “I just hope Dexter knows what he’s doing.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” reassured Blossom, smiling. “As someone made of Chemical X, trust me, it’ll be fine. He’s just got something that’ll feed his already huge ego for a while,” she added with a chuckle. 

Nigel groaned. “As if he needed anything else…”

Suddenly, a series of tremors shook the pier, knocking the team out of their conversation. They looked up and saw MEGAS approaching, giving the Fighters a thumbs up as it towered over them. 

“Alright!!” said Coop’s voice from the intercom. “I got the donuts and slushies for after the battle. Where the Fusion monsters at!?”

“They’re gone, Coop,” answered Blossom. “We took care of them. Or…one of us did, at least.”

MEGAS looked around at the empty pier, and hung its head slightly as if experiencing Coops disappointment. 

“Oh…okay, then.”

The gigantic robot lumbered away from the pier, and the Fighters could hear mutterings of “always late for the action” coming from the loudspeakers. Blossom sighed deeply and faced the team with a resigned but commanding expression. 

“Well, that’s that. Come on, everyone. Let’s head back to HQ.”

Ben patted his stomach. “Yeah, I could use a donut and slushie right now.”

Nigel nodded. “As could I.”

Blossom began her flight towards DexLabs, disappearing in the clouds as Nigel and Ben (who transformed into Stinkfly) followed her. Jack was the last one left behind, looking forlornly at his sword. He closed his eyes, the events of that afternoon flashing in his mind as he could see Dexter’s every move in battle against the Fusions. 

That suit…the Xoskeleton…why did it seem so familiar?

Jack made a small, humming noise as he opened his eyes, the wind blowing lightly through his gi. He placed his sword back in its hilt and jumped on top of the nearest building, making his way back to headquarters. 

Whatever it was that seemed so familiar about the Xoskeleton, Jack had a bad feeling that he would find out soon. 

A lone cheeseburger with homemade chili fries and lemonade sat on the table of DexLabs’ pristine kitchen, the shadow of a huge, bulking man towering over it. Coop licked his lips as he eyed the burger like a hunter cornering its prey. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. 

“Man, do the chefs here know how to cook!”

Before he could dig in, however, the burger swiftly disappeared from its plate, as did the fries and lemonade. Coop stared confused at the plate before he saw Dexter standing across the table from him, still wearing the Xoskeleton and licking his fingers. Coops jaw dropped.

“Wh-what…Dexter…you…”

“Ah, what a lovely meal!” said Dexter happily, though his tone was slightly lower than usual. “Yes, you’re right - I only hire the best chefs for my company.”

Coop blinked rapidly. “But dude, I thought you hated greasy  food. I mean you always go on about the ‘additudes’ and ‘preservatrons’ and all the other stuff with big words that make my brain hurt.”

Dexter shrugged. “People change. With all this newfound strength, I can’t be too picky about what I eat. By the way, it’s almost 7, you should really grab some dinner.”

Dexter walked out of the sliding glass doors of the kitchen, leaving Coop by himself as he scowled at the retreating form of his leader. 

“That was my dinner…”

In the living room, Nigel and Ben were busy playing video games, empty bags of chips and oreos littered by the sofa. Ben was grinning widely as his character landed a direct hit, cutting Nigel’s HP in half. 

“Alright!! It’s hero time, baby!”

Nigel’s eyes furrowed in concentration as his fingers moved rapidly around the controller. He was wearing his own smug grin as his character got back up and prepared a giant energy blast.

“Yes it is - for me.”

He was about to launch his blast when the TV screen suddenly went black, interrupting the game. 

“Hey!!” Ben protested. “What did you do!?

“I didn’t do anything!!” shouted Nigel. 

“I did.”

The boys bickering was interrupted by Dexter standing in front of the tv, staring down at them. He had his arms crossed, and Nigel shuddered as he felt the scientists eyes bore into him and Ben from underneath the Xoskeleton. 

“What are you two doing wasting your time playing video games!? We must take every chance to get stronger!! Get out and train!”

“Train?” Ben and Nigel repeated. 

“But Dex, we train every day,” said Ben, frowning. “And we just finished a mission tonight. Can’t we relax?”

“Don’t give me that!” snapped Dexter, causing his two comrades to flinch. “We should be making the most of our time. Get into the simulation room and train more - or else!!”

He stormed out of the living room. Ben looked at Nigel as the other stared past Dexter’s retreating form, brow furrowed. 

“What’s up with Dexter? This isn’t like him…”

“I don’t know. But frankly I’d feel a lot better if he took that blasted suit off.”

Dexter’s footsteps echoed through the hall as he marched to his main laboratory. He passed by Jack, who was standing against the wall with his arms crossed, frowning at Dexter as he walked past. Dexter shot him an annoyed glance, and his right hand balled into a fist. 

“What are you looking at!?”

Jack didn’t even wince, simply meeting Dexter’s stare with his own. The young scientist paused for a second, and Jack made a move with his hand as if ready to defend himself, but Dexter kept walking without another glance. Once inside the lab, he was greeted by a smiling Blossom, who was holding a folder full of papers.

“Oh, Dexter! I was just looking for you. Coop and I whipped up some cool designs for new mechs we could use in battle. Thought you’d be interested.”

She handed the folder to Dexter and he flipped through the papers - then slammed the folder down on his desk, startling Blossom. He glared angrily at her. 

“Since when did I give you this kind of authority!? I am the boss, I am the genius - I decide what equipment we will be using!”

Blossom took a step back, arms raised defensively. “Whoa, okay. Calm down. I just thought you’d be interested…”

A dogs bark was heard across the room, and Dexter sighed, annoyed. “Computress, take care of whatever it is that Courage wants. I do not have time for this!”

“I will attend to his needs, Dexter,” said Computress, her usually smooth voice laced with a hint of unease. “But with all due respect, you are usually the one who takes care of Courage. Why the sudden change in policy?”

Dexter let out a howl of frustration. He threw Blossoms folder to the ground, letting the papers scatter as he shook his fists in the air. Blossom inhaled sharply and wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or not when the doors to the lab opened and her teammates joined her in the room. Dexter was about to give Computress an earful when Nigel chimed in. 

“I don’t know what in the world is going on with you,” he began, “But if I were you, Dexter, I’d take off that suit immediately.”

“Yeah, you’ve been all kinds of weird since you put it on,” added Ben. “First you take all our hits at the pier, and now this?

“You owe me a dinner, you jerk!!” shouted Coop. 

Blossom nodded in solemn agreement with her comrades. “They’re right, Dexter. I’m made of Chemical X myself, but even I can see how this has been affecting you. I’d retire the suit too.”

Dexters hands both balled into fists, and a subtle green glow surrounded his form  - unnoticed by everyone except Jack. The ageless samurai’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, but he remained silent as his leader shot back. 

“What do you all know!? I am the genius, the inventor - if I want to wear this suit, I will!!”

Ben walked up to him, the young boy meeting Dexter’s gaze as the scientist continued to seethe. “Look, we get it. You’re super smart and all that jazz. But you can’t just - “

“Shut up!!”

Dexter punched Ben squarely in the cheek, knocking the poor boy out cold as he fell on his stomach to the ground. 

“Ben!!”

The other fusion fighters immediately hovered around him, checking for any serious injuries. Ben was unconscious and had a bad bruise on his cheek, but no other injuries were found. Coop glared up at Dexter, holding Ben protectively to his chest. 

“What the heck was that for!?” he shouted.

“Yeah Dexter, that was completely unnecessary!” agreed Blossom, “He’s just a kid!!”

“Spare me,” spat Dexter bitterly. A cold, collective shudder ran through his team mates. “I am the leader of this team, the founding scientist of DexLabs, and I will not tolerate…will not…”

Dexter rubbed his temples, eyes narrowing as the subtle green glow became stronger. He suddenly clutched his head and let out a loud scream of pain as he fell to his knees, and the ground beneath him began to shake. Blossom and Nigel immediately took defensive stances, ready for Dexter to attack, while Jack carefully scrutinized the young scientists struggle.

“Coop!” shouted Blossom, “Get Ben out of here, now!!”

Coop nodded. “Done.”

He ran out of the lab carrying Ben while the remaining Fusion Fighters waited with bated breath to see what was happening to their leader. When Dexter’s pained groans finally stopped, so did the ground shaking, and he finally looked up at his comrades. 

A drop of nervous sweat fell down Nigel’s cheek. Aiming his gumball gun carefully at Dexter, he whispered, “Dexter…is that you…?”

Dexter did not answer. Instead, he jumped up and ran out of the room, before anyone could tell him to stop. Jack instantly followed him, exiting the twin automatic doors to the lab before they even shut. 

“Hey!” shouted Blossom. “Wait…!”

But it was too late. The doors shut, leaving Nigel and Blossom in the lab to process whatever it was that just happened. They could faintly hear Courage barking as Blossom pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“Sometimes I really miss when I was the team leader,” she muttered. 

“Tell me about it,” groaned Nigel.

Jack followed Dexter up the stairs to the rooftop of DexLabs, catching just a glimpse of his retreating form through the winding hallways of the building. He was sweating profusely, and not entirely from running. Jacks robe seemed to stick to him like a second skin, and he had his sword drawn, as he leaped up another flight of stairs to catch up to Dexter. 

The samurai passed through scientists and robots in all shapes and sizes as he made it past the last hallway before the final stairway to the roof. A couple of people, Jack saw, were knocked out cold on the ground as if they’d been knocked into by someone else. Or worse, attacked. 

Jacks eyes narrowed. 

This is not like you…

Jack finally made it to the roof, and Dexter had his back turned to him as he stood on the edge of the roof. The hairs on the back of Jacks head stood up, and he carefully raised his sword. Brow furrowed, he took two hesitant steps forward. 

“Dexter,” he said slowly, “What is the meaning of this?”

The young scientist did not answer. Instead, he stood still and continued observing the skyline of Genius Grove as if he hadn’t heard Jack. A light breeze swept through the roof, and the busy sound of a sprawling metropolis could be heard from the streets. Jacks grip on his sword tightened. 

Finally, Dexter spoke up. 

“The meaning?” he said, his back still turned to Jack. “Still your tongue, fool, and I will gladly share with you the meaning of not only my actions…but my entire existence. And that meaning is to conquer the Earth, to have every living creature bow before me.” 

Jacks eyes widened. “What!?”

“You heard me,” Dexter continued. “For too long I have been imprisoned inside of a lab vial. But now, the Earth is mine!!”

Jack could hear his heart pounding in his chest. 

“You are not Dexter,” he said, “Who or what are you?”

A dark chuckle escaped ‘Dexter’s’ lips. “You already know the answer to that. But allow me to show you…”

He turned around, and had Jack possessed an even slightly weaker stomach, he would have dropped his sword to the ground in abject fear. Instead, Jack felt a drop of sweat run down his neck, his heart pounding even more at the hideous vision standing before him. 

Dexter’s body, entirely black, was wearing the most disgusting face Jack had ever seen in his life. It was covered in a sickly green glow, with two bulging eyes that could stare into one’s soul. He wore a hideous grin with razor sharp teeth, and two eyebrows that were made of fire. Time seemed to stand still as Jack and his eternal enemy faced each other. 

“... samurai.”

Chapter Text

Ben was fast asleep on the living room couch snoring softly, his cheek still bright purple from Dexter’s punch. Coop was kneeling beside him by the armrest while Computress was leaning over him, analyzing Ben for any signs of further injuries. Courage meanwhile was seated in the corner of the room under a large houseplant, groaning, his ears drooped. Coop’s teeth were gritted in anxiety.

“Speak to me, Ben!!” he begged. “C'mon buddy, I can't lose ya. Who else am I gonna go head to head with in Sumo Slammer? Or compete with in the hot dog eating contest!? You’re the only one on this team who can match my appetite!” 

“Coop, please calm down,” Computress admonished as she applied an ice pack to Ben’s cheek. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. “Benjamin will be fine. He got a nasty bruise but will recover shortly. He just needs rest.” 

Coop breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that's a load off my mind.” He sat down. “Still though, that was crazy. What's gotten into Dexter?” 

Computress’ mechanical face bore a frown as she gently applied some more pressure to Ben’s cheek, then disposed of the ice pack in one of her mechanical cabinets that protruded from her midriff. “Chemical X is a highly resourceful yet unstable substance that can make one go mad with power if they are not careful. This is not the first time Dexter’s experiments have gone awry…”

Courage yelped in the background, grabbing Computress' attention. She looked forlornly at the purple dog. 

“...but it is the first time he could lose himself because of it.”

All at once, Jack was back to that moment. The most critical moment of his life. The moment he was facing down his worst enemy after all those years of formidable training, fiercely determined to liberate his people from the slavery they had been put under. 

And then…

Jack gritted his teeth. His grip on the hilt of his sword tightened as he stared down his most hated foe. Only it wasn’t his foe. Not physically.

“Aku.”

The demon wearing Dexter’s body chuckled darkly. When he spoke, it was a disturbing mixture of Dexter’s heavily accented voice and Aku’s deep, threatening one. 

“Indeed I am, samurai. And I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally see you again.”

Aku took two steps toward Jack, a dark energy seemingly reverberating off the ground. Jack charged at his opponent, sword raised as he aimed his blade to slice off the monster’s head. Aku paused, completely unperturbed as the samurai rushed towards him…

When Jack paused. 

His eyes widened in sudden realization. His blade was merely an inch away from “Aku’s” neck, but the demon just smiled nonchalantly. He laughed as Jack withdrew his weapon. 

“Didn’t think your attack through, did you?”

Jack swore under his breath. He took a step back, securing his grip on the hilt of his sword. As Aku’s bulging eyes stared into Jack's narrow ones, the ageless samurai saw his life flash before his eyes. His life as a young prince, living happily with his family, until one day a solar eclipse would mark the day Jack’s life would change forever. 

Memories flooded Jack’s mind of all the training he did as a samurai to finally defeat Aku. And all the places he traveled around the world, learning astronomy, horse riding, fighting with pole weapons, until finally, Jack returned to his village to liberate his people once and for all. He remembered his father’s warning that it was too early to face Aku. That he needed more time.

Now, as Jack stared down his immortal enemy wearing his comrade’s body like it was his favorite suit…he couldn’t help but wonder if he should have heeded his father’s warning. 

“Let the boy go, Aku!” demanded Jack. “Our battle does not concern Dexter! It is me that you want!!”

Aku let out another bone-chilling laugh. A laugh that sounded so horrible coming from Dexter’s mouth.

“After all these years of being treated as an accessory in a lab, do you really think I would give up my freedom now?” His hands balled into fists, and orbs of blue fire surrounded them. “No, samurai. I will not release the boy. He was the catalyst for the awakening from my dark sleep. However…eventually, I may see fit to dispose of his body. Once I have possessed yours!”

Aku threw a flurry of blue fireballs from his fists, each of them moving toward Jack as if they were heat-seeking missiles. Jack cut through all of them with his sword, but before he could retaliate, Aku had disappeared into the ground as it turned pitch black. Jack's eyes widened, and he looked around frantically for where Aku would strike next. A crumbling sound to his left signaled Aku’s emergence, his sickeningly wicked grin stretching from ear to ear as he aimed his fists at Jack’s head. 

The samurai quickly evaded Aku’s attack, the hilt of his sword getting slippery from the sweat of his hand. But he kept a tight grip and charged toward Aku with a warrior’s yell. Jack aimed a hit toward his head with the blunt of his sword, but Aku caught it in his hands. 

“Awww, what’s the matter, samurai? Don’t want to hurt your beloved leader?” taunted Aku. “It is useless. Dexter is no more, his body is my body now. So you may as well give up trying to defeat me without also killing him. Besides, what good is a fight between us after millennia of waiting if you won’t give it your all?”

“ENOUGH!!”

Jack slammed his sword on top of “Aku’s” head, wrestling the blade free from his grip. The demon screamed in pain and stumbled back, nearly falling over the ledge of the building before catching himself. Jack rushed toward Aku, swinging his sword madly as his opponent dodged each attack. Aku’s look of surprise turned to glee. 

“Yes that’s it, samurai, that’s it! No holding back. I want to beat you at your very best! Ahahahahaha!”

Jack aimed another strike at Aku’s head when the demon let out an intense sonic scream that forcefully pushed the samurai against the entrance to the rooftop, where he left a large dent in the door. Four black orbs shot from Aku’s palms and attached to Jack’s wrists and shins, and he groaned as he struggled against them. But it was no use, Jack was completely immobilized. Aku walked up to his opponent, every step he took making him seem bigger and bigger. Jack didn’t know if it was his imagination or if Aku was actually increasing his size somehow, but either way, he was determined to break free and slay the demon once and for all. 

Aku stopped mere inches from Jack, his eyes narrowing as he drank in the sight of his enemy utterly helpless. Jack was glaring daggers at the demon, his stomach churning as he thought of Dexter’s body underneath the suit, and dropping as he wondered if the poor boy was still conscious, aware of all that was going on…

“Now,” Aku announced, “The time for my return, and your ultimate demise, has come. You can use your last pitiful breaths to beg the forgiveness of your friend for trying to kill him.”

Aku’s eyes glowed red, and Jack braced himself for imminent death. His life flashed before his eyes, which were shut tight, sweat dripping down his neck…

Until a surprised yelp indicated that Aku’s attack had been interrupted. 

Jack felt his limbs break free from their restraints, falling on all fours to the ground. Aku was clutching his stomach, clearly having been hit, and was looking around frantically for any sign of the attacker. His eyes glowed red again as he searched for another life to take. 

“What? How!? Who dares - “

He was interrupted by a flurry of hits to his face, his cheeks bruising from seemingly invisible attacks. The demon stumbled back, and Jack’s eyes widened as he put two and two together. 

It didn’t take long for Aku to do the same. Reaching out to his invisible foe, his fist curled, indicating that he found his assailant. “You may have caught me off guard, fool. But I do not need my eyes to see you.”

Nigel Uno materialized in midair, being hoisted by Aku from the front of his red hoodie. He groaned, struggling to break free, but to no avail. He aimed a kick at Aku’s torso, but his foot slid off of the demon like it was kicking black paint. Aku laughed raucously. 

“Not very adaptable, are you?”

“NO!!” shouted Jack, “Let him go!”

Aku sighed as Nigel continued to struggle against his grip. He didn’t even turn his head to face Jack as he replied, “Let this boy go, let that boy go...you can only chaperone so many stupid kids, samurai.”

A pair of twin lasers shot from above toward Akus’s back, but the demon easily deflected them both with his free hand while Nigel continued to struggle against him. Blossom landed deftly beside Jack on the rooftop, her ribbon blowing in the wind along with her hair as she observed the bizarre sight in front of her. 

“Dex, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll have to put more power in my next attack if you don’t let him go now!” she warned. “What the hell has gotten into you!?”

Before “Dexter” could respond, Nigel clicked his heels together, activating his rocket shoes. He flew free from Aku’s grip and joined his two teammates on the other side of the rooftop, facing their opponent. Blossom gasped as she got a good look at their leader's face under the moonlight, and her face turned pale. 

“What the…who are…?”

Aku’s mouth glowed white, and a bright beam of lethal energy shot from it as he aimed squarely at Blossom. The Powerpuff Girl was too shocked from the sight of Dexter wearing such a demonic appearance to react quick enough, but Jack pulled her out of the way just in the nick of time, and the blast tore its way through several buildings in the distance before finally evaporating. Nigel and Blossom's jaws dropped, while Jack looked on in morbid solemnity. 

“Since when could Dexter do that?” asked Nigel. 

“Since when could Chemical X do that!?” replied Blossom. 

Jack opened his mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by Aku’s demonic laughter, the villain clearly relishing his opponent's confusion. 

“Poor, simple fools…your precious leader is no more!”

Nigel and Blossom both took their best fighting stances, while Jack held his sword protectively over himself. Not even his narrow brush with death at the hands of Aku would stop him from protecting his friends to the end. 

“Who are you!?” shouted Blossom and Nigel simultaneously. 

Aku stretched out his arms as if gesturing to the world around him. “Your future master. The Deliverer of Darkness, the Shogun of Sorrow. I am Aku - and all will bow to me, or die in defiance!”

A strange, lurching sound emanated from Aku, and a pair of skeletal wings formed out of his back. He cackled madly as the Fusion Fighters watched in shock and disgust at what the demon was doing with Dexter’s body. The wings were then surrounded by flames, and Aku prepared to beat them against his opponents and send a maelstrom of fire…

When he groaned in apparent pain, clutching his head and falling to the ground. Nigel lowered his gumball gun, Blossom gasped in surprise and Jack’s grip on his sword slackened a bit. 

Aku seemed to be muttering to himself, no one could tell what it was, but Jack could’ve sworn he heard a faint, “No” in Dexter’s normal voice…

“Dexter!!” cried Blossom. “Come on, fight it! I know you can!!”

“Silence!!”

Aku stood back up, looking slightly annoyed. “Kids. I mean, you take over their body to enact your plans for world domination, and they can’t just listen to you. Even in the future respect for elders is hard to come by.”

Aku flew above the rooftops, grin widening as he observed the three Fusion Fighters beneath him. “But it occurs to me…this is hardly the place for me to establish my rule over the universe. No, I must retreat to the place I called home all those years ago. You all can consider this your last chance to save your own lives - by refusing to follow and fight me. Otherwise, you are invited to face the most gruesome deaths ever known to man!”

The Shogun of Sorrow flew away, cackling madly as he disappeared into the horizon. Blossom was about to fly after him, but Nigel caught her by the wrist, gently pulling her down. He cast her a somber look underneath his shades, and Jack sheathed his sword, looking austere as he stared into the night skies.

“We have not a moment to lose,” he said at last. “We must plan our attack.”

The team sat in the living room area of the Dexlabs building, Ben having just woken up and recovered from his injuries. They were seated around the coffee table, Nigel frantically searching the TV for any news on Aku’s whereabouts. Computress was hovering close by, expression unreadable as Courage sat beside her with his ears drooped. 

Samurai Jack sat at the center of the table with his arms crossed, having just explained the situation to the other Fusion Fighters. Everyone looked at him with varying degrees of skepticism and shock, Blossom looking horrified.

“Hold on…you mean…that thing that possessed Dexter is inside me!?” she asked, pointing to herself. 

Jack nodded soberly. “I am afraid so.”

“But there is no reason to worry about it, Blossom,” chimed in Computress, with a small smile. “The sugar, spice, and everything nice you were made with offset Aku’s evil influence. There is no chance of him possessing you.”

Blossom sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Small comfort.”

“Isn’t there some way we can get the suit off of him?” asked Ben. “Like wash it off or something?”

Jack shook his head. “I have fought Aku before. He is a truly formidable opponent. We cannot simply rinse him off of Dexter like he is some kind of kitchen stain.”

A collective murmur swept around the table. Computress’ small smile disappeared, and Courage’s ears drooped even further as the purple dog walked away from the discussion. Blossom’s breathing became more shallow.

“But wait a minute, it’s like demonic possession, right?” observed Coop. “I’m no expert, but I’ve seen enough horror flicks to know what an exorcism is. We should call a priest.”

Again, Jack shook his head. “Aku is no ordinary devil. A common priest would pose no threat to him.”

“Then what do we do?” asked Blossom. 

Nigel kept channel surfing for any sign of a news story on Aku’s whereabouts. He sighed deeply after what was his 500th channel, turning off the tv and tossing the remote on the coffee table. Ben moved the dial on his omnitrix to show all the aliens he could transform into, scrutinizing each one carefully. 

“Let’s see…Heatblast…Diamondhead…Four Arms…not Gray Matter…”

Coop cracked his knuckles. “I’m itching for a fight, man. That crazy demon stole my dinner and my friend - not cool!”

“We can’t rush into this,” Blossom pointed out, “We need to figure out a way to beat Aku without hurting Dexter. Otherwise, it’s pointless to attack.”

Samurai Jack’s eyes narrowed, and his hand hovered lightly over the hilt of his sword. He stood up and walked toward the other side of the room to the large windows overlooking the city skyline, a somber expression reflected in the glass. The rest of the team eyed him curiously - even Nigel looked slightly mystified. Blossom crossed her arms, her face growing pale. 

Finally, she spoke up. 

“Jack…” she said slowly, “That is the plan, right? It’s what you were trying to do - defeat Aku without killing Dexter, right?”

Jack unsheathed his sword, holding it with his two hands open palmed as it reflected off the moonlight shining through the window. Computress hovered away from the room, Courage following close behind. Jack closed his eyes. 

“I have seen evil. I have seen the deep recesses of darkness that humanity is capable of. And then…I have seen Aku.” He opened his eyes. “Aku enslaved my people, forcing them to live out their days in suffering and servitude to him - provided that he would allow them to live at all. And I know that he is capable of doing the same to the entire world.”

He inhaled sharply. Nigel stood up, looking nervously between Jack and Blossom, whose arms had dropped to her sides as her hands balled into fists. 

“I owe a great debt of gratitude to you all for welcoming me, especially Dexter,” continued Jack. “But this is a conflict not even I could have foreseen. As long as Aku lives, nowhere is safe. If he can roam free throughout the Earth it would cost billions of lives - and he would not stop at even that.”

He turned to face his comrades. “Aku must die. Whatever the cost.”

A deafening silence fell in the room. The teammates were either looking at each other or Jack, with mixed expressions of nervousness and horror. Jack gazed at the team, his expression impassive as his hand hovered over the hilt of his sword. Coop slumped into an armchair, the force of his weight almost breaking the piece of furniture.

“You tried to kill him.”

All eyes were now on Blossom as her piercing words broke through the silence. Her hands which were already balled into fists tightened, and the powerpuff girl glared at Jack with fire brighter than her shining red hair. Jack's eyes narrowed. 

“Dexter’s our leader…our friend,” she continued, voice breaking at the last word, “And you tried to kill him.”

Nigel eyed Blossom warily. Ben stood behind the armchair that Coop was sitting in, concealing his small frame from everyone else’s eyes while the overweight mechanic whistled casually with his hands in his pockets. Jack eyed Blossom, his gaze unbreaking. 

“I did not want to,” he replied. “But I had no other choice.”

“Are you serious!?”

Blossom’s scream caught everyone off guard. She walked up to Jack so they were nearly face to face, and her gaze was impressively intimidating despite their difference in height. 

“How can you be so casual about this!?” shouted Blossom. “You’re acting like you didn’t even try to keep Dexter alive!”

Jack frowned deeply. “I did…and again, I am sorry. I care for him as well…”

“You have a funny way of showing it!”

“...but Aku must be eliminated,” continued Jack, as if he hadn’t heard Blossom. “You must listen to me: As long as Aku lives, the entire world is in danger. It is either one life, or one billion.”

“You’re acting like we can’t do both!” protested Blossom. “Aren’t you gonna try to find another way?”

“There is no other way,” said Jack sternly, “Don’t you see? Aku must die! If you had seen the damage that he can cause, the countless lives he can ruin, you would agree with me.”

“But would Dexter!?”

“That’s enough!”

Nigel stood in between his two bickering comrades, pushing them aside. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice so everyone could hear him. 

“We can’t waste time bickering with each other,” he said commandingly, “Every second we spend here is a second that could be spent stopping Aku.” He looked at his two comrades seriously. “That being said, we should definitely try any option we can to keep Dexter safe. Time is of the essence, but we can’t take our friends' situation lightly, either.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we could figure something out,” agreed Ben, “We gotta get Dexter back.”

Coop nodded. “He may have stolen my dinner, but the dude’s still our friend.”

Jack’s brow furrowed. “I know, and I want to save him too, as much as all of you. But I do not know how we can do that while also killing Aku.”

“We’ll have to figure it out as we go,” said Nigel assertively. “There’s no time. First, we need to find out where Aku is located. I still haven’t found any leads. Where could he be hiding?”

Jack gazed at his sword, and he could practically see the metal shining underneath the hilt. He closed his eyes as the memory of his last battle with Aku played through his mind, every detail as pronounced as if he was experiencing it all over again. 

“I know where he’s headed.”

Aku’s tower stood on a mountain overlooking the distant valleys of Japan. A dark, foreboding building that seemingly loomed over the area for centuries, it had not been explored for thousands of years since the disappearance of the demon in question. Legends circulated through the land as to what this mysterious building held, and who it belonged to - each tale seemingly more fantastical than the last. 

And as Aku sat in his throne made of flames, kicking up his feet, he wondered what legends people would think of next as he set out to rule the world. 

“Ahhh, it's good to be back!” Aku leaned back on his throne, relaxing. “There’s no place like home. Especially after spending centuries trapped inside a vial.”

He hopped off his throne, walking down steps that were also made of fire that materialized seemingly out of thin air. Aku descended to the lower parts of the castle, breathing in deep as he reminisced about old times. 

“So many fond memories here. Ruling with an iron fist, the minions I’ve created, the people I’ve killed…nothing like the freedom that comes with having your own body.”

He paused, gazing down at his navel as his razor sharp teeth flashed an ugly grin. 

“Wouldn’t you say, my friend?”

It was almost pitch black, except for the occasional spot of light that flashed every five minutes. If it was even possible to measure time in this state. Dexter wasn’t sure. Nor did he care. 

The young scientist struggled against invisible restraints that were binding his limbs, grunting and cursing as he tried in vain to break free. A loud cackle echoed through the dark abyss he was trapped in, and Dexter’s eyes narrowed, his hands balled into fists. 

Aku’s large, horned face materialized in front of Dexter, leering as he relished in the vain struggles of his captive. His large eyes met Dexter’s much smaller ones, but the latter showed no signs of flinching or fear. 

“Well, well, well…still trying to reclaim your body, I see.” Aku mocked. 

“Get me out of here!” shouted Dexter. “Get me out of here, you stupid, oversized Halloween decoration!!”

“Tsk tsk.” Aku shook his head. “For one who claims to be so smart, you are not the brightest, are you? It’s too late. You’ve been wearing your little ‘Xoskeleton’ too long to have any control left. The skin you once wore is now mine. But not to worry, I’ll make very good use of it!”

Dexter struggled more as Aku’s laughter echoed through the abyss he was trapped in. Grunting, disheveled, Dexter looked venomously at Aku as the demon reveled in his prisoner’s predicament. 

“Let…me….go!!”

Aku stopped laughing, and seemed to think about Dexter’s demand. “Well…I suppose I could let you go, under two conditions.”

Dexter glared at Aku and said nothing. 

“First, you will need to wait until I am strong enough to come back in my true form. You see, as useful as you’ve been, my power is limited in your human body. But as time goes on and I become stronger, I won’t have any need for it. I can then return to the state I was in before. At which point I will let you go.”

Dexter raised an eyebrow. “And what is your second condition?”

Aku grinned. “Oh, I am so glad you asked! The second condition is simple: you will have your body back, but spend the rest of your mortal days in servitude to me!!”

“Why, you…!”

Dexter struggled even more against the invisible restraints holding him back, cursing and spitting at Aku’s leering face. The shogun of sorrow cackled madly as his victim tried in vain to free himself. 

“I would rather die than be your servant!!”

Aku shrugged. “Suit yourself. As I said, soon I will not need your body as a vessel anymore. And if you refuse my offer - soon you will outlive your usefulness.”

Aku cackled as the young scientist continued his vain struggle to free himself.

Back in the real world, Aku was still laughing madly at Dexter’s mental imprisonment - when a loud explosion outside the castle snapped him out of his reverie. 

“What!?” 

Aku flew out of the fortress, already cursing whatever mortal was foolish enough to disturb his peace. When he got out the nearest window, a giant, robotic fist collided with him, nearly punching Aku through his castle before he stopped it just an inch away. Muscles shaking, Aku dodged another punch from another fist and flew far enough away to get a good look at his attacker. 

MEGAS.

Coop cracked his knuckles inside the red car that decorated the top of his giant robot. He adjusted the intercom so that his opponent could hear his boast loud and clear. 

“Alright freakshow, listen up! You take over my friend's body, knock my other friend out cold, and on top of all of that steal my dinner - and you think you can just run away to Japan like nothing happened!? Buddy, I got news for you: the Fusion Fighters don’t play around!”

Coop revved up the engines, and MEGAS charged towards Aku as he floated by the castle. The demons fists glowed red, as did his eyes, and he shot red energy beams toward his attacker from his palms and eyes. All four of the beams hit MEGAS dead on, pushing it back, but not severely damaging it. 

“Ha!” Aku boasted. “Foolish intruder! Do you really think an oversized pile of scrap metal can destroy Aku!?”

“Intruder, huh? Look who’s talking!”

Aku barely dodged a flying kick from Blossom as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The powerpuff girl changed direction mid-flight and charged at her target with a mouth full of icy breath, which she exhaled once her target was acquired. Aku inhaled deeply and breathed out a stream of fire to counterattack, and the two deadly elements collided with each other as Aku and Blossom struggled against their opponents' attacks. 

The struggle was short-lived however, as Aku felt a flurry of bullets attack him at his right side, distracting him from the battle and allowing Blossom's ice blast to overpower his fiery one. He narrowly dodged getting frozen only to find Nigel Uno aiming two strange-looking guns at him, his rocket-powered boots activated and allowing him to fly as easily as Aku and Blossom. 

Aku growled. “Alright, now I am losing my patience. How many more insects will I need to squash tonight?”

“You’re the one about to get squashed.”

Aku turned around to find the source of the other voice that had seemingly whispered behind him. Not finding anyone, he narrowed his eyes, then grinned when he saw his target. A thin ghostlike creature with a red eye in a black slit, and the symbol of the omnixtrix on its chest. 

“Ah, I see our bald friend is not the only one with a knack for invisibility.”

“You better believe it!” Ben gloated. “And you’re about to see what else I can do!”

Blossom floated beside Ben, Nigel reloading his gumball guns. Off in the distance, MEGAS was brushing dust off itself, but Aku was too focused on his newest intruder to bother with what the other fighters were doing. 

“Ben, quick!” urged Blossom. “We don’t have much time until you turn back from Ghostfreak.”

“Oh right, the plan,” said Ben, “Well, here goes nothing!”

Before Aku could do anything, Ben floated through him, causing a sudden chill to run all over his body. The demon’s eyes widened in sudden pain as he clutched his head, writhing around violently in mid air. Blossom and Nigel watched with bated breath as they saw Aku struggle against Ghostfreak’s influence, his shrieking becoming louder and louder, his body shaking more, bits of pitch black seeming to fall off Dexter’s body…

Until suddenly Aku stopped writhing, Ghostfreak expelled from his mouth as the shogun of sorrow laughed maniacally. Ben groaned as he shook from the struggle of trying to reclaim Dexter’s body back from Aku. 

“No…no way!” he bemoaned. 

“Trying to outdo my possession with one of your own, eh? Clever,” Aku sneered. “But no one can claim what Aku has already taken!”

Nigel pointed his guns at Aku. “Give our leader back!” he demanded. 

“Or else what?” Aku retorted. “None of you can defeat me - at least not without harming your friend! There’s nothing any of you can do to win…”

Aku paused. Turning around, he licked his lips, showing all his razor sharp teeth as he looked in the misty horizons surrounding the castle. His eyes narrowed like a lion who had just found its prey. 

“Not even you…samurai.”

Out of the mist - seemingly out of thin air - Samurai Jack leapt at his eternal nemesis, sword drawn, practically roaring with fury. His eyes met Aku’s as he swung his sword, the blade touching just a tiny bit of Aku’s black skin as Jack descended gracefully yet quickly to the ground below. His enemy and comrades gazed at the samurai’s retreating form, with mixed expressions of shock and frustration, Aku blinking several times as if to process what he’d just witnessed. 

He turned to Blossom, Nigel and Ben, looking completely nonplussed. “Is…is that it?”

Before anyone could respond, Jack ascended back to meet his enemy and three comrades as they floated beside the castle - standing securely in the robotic palm of MEGAS, who was just tall enough to reach Aku and the others. 

Jack tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, glaring daggers at Aku. Blossom and Nigel landed beside him, Nigel gazing curiously at his samurai comrade. 

“Erm, what exactly was the point of that entrance?”

Jack smiled at his two companions. “Perhaps I have developed a flair for the dramatic.”

A loud beeping noise was heard, and Ghostfreak’s chest started to glow red. Ben’s eyes widened and he quickly flew toward his comrades, turning back into his human form just in the nick of time as he landed on MEGAS’ palm. 

“Phew…that was too close!”

“I would’ve saved you if the transformation wore off too soon,” said Blossom, and then added with a smirk, “Probably.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha ha.”

“Silence!!”

Aku’s booming voice got the Fusion Fighters’ attention, and he floated on MEGAS’ palm so he could see his enemies face to face. MEGAS’ fingers twitched as if Coop was considering crushing Aku in his robot’s hand, before realizing his friends were there too. The demon's close proximity sent a cold chill down everyone's spine, but the fighters all took their best defensive stances, their eyes never leaving Aku. 

The shogun of sorrow slowly walked up to Jack, his eyes gleaming. “This is all so touching, really…but I’m afraid the party is over. You will pay for intruding on these sacred grounds that belong to Aku.”

“As if!” shouted Coop, his voice echoing from MEGAS’ intercom. “You’re the one who intruded in our home and our friend, buddy. We’re gonna crush you!”

Aku smiled wickedly. “I was not talking to all of you. Oh, I will deal with you miscreants later, no doubt. But right now I have my sights set on only one.”

He pointed a long, black finger at Jack, lips curling as his smile widened. “And that would be you, samurai.”

Jack put his sword back in his hilt. His comrades were all staring intently at him as he faced Aku. “Why only me, coward? Why not face all of us at once?”

“As I said, I will deal with your friends later,” replied Aku. “But our fight is more personal. A fight millennia in the making, in fact. And I have waited too long to let it be obstructed by these half-witted sycophants.”

“Half-witted!?” repeated Ben, palming his fists. “You son of a…!”

Blossom placed a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down Ben, you can’t transform yet.” Turning her gaze to Aku, she glared at him. “But we’re not doing this alone. We’re facing you altogether, and getting Dexter back!”

Nigel reloaded his gumball guns. “You bet!”

To everyone’s surprise, however, Jack spread his arms, gesturing for the team to stay back. 

“I’m sorry…but for perhaps once in his life, Aku is right,” he said seriously. “This is our battle to finish. And I will finish it…alone.”

“What!?”

Blossom, Nigel, and Ben simultaneously protested Jack's decision. Nigel looked from Jack to Aku, aiming his gun carefully at Aku’s chest, and Blossom stood in between the two warriors. 

“No way…there is no way you are doing this alone!” she insisted. “We need to face him together!”

“Yeah, you can’t just split from the team!” agreed Nigel.

Jack, however, showed no signs of swaying as he stared into the eyes of his eternal nemesis. “Again, I am sorry. But Aku was my enemy long before he was any of yours. This battle between us must be resolved, uninterrupted.”

Aku’s chest swelled, clearly smug. He flew off of MEGAS’ hand, pointing to the castle. 

“Our fight will end where it began, samurai. Join me inside the castle after saying goodbye to your friends.”

Aku flew inside the castle, leaving Jack alone with his teammates. He faced them, looking solemn, but fiercely determined. The three Fusion Fighters looked as though they were about to say something until Coop's voice echoed once again through MEGAS’ intercom.

“Just let him go, dudes. He ain’t changing his mind.”

Blossom bit her lip. She slowly approached Jack, and he offered her a small smile. 

“Jack…” she said quietly. “Just…promise me you’ll get him back, okay? Promise.”

Jack’s smile disappeared. He looked at Ben, thinking of their last attempt to use Ghostfreak to push Aku out of Dexter. That plan was our last hope…

He looked back at Blossom and nodded silently.

Without another word, Jack leapt into the nearest window of Aku’s castle, ready to defeat the deliverer of darkness once and for all.

Samurai Jack’s footsteps echoed through the castle as he raced through platforms made of rocks that were bright orange and shaped like flames. Perhaps they were flames. one couldn’t be sure. There wasn’t much to be sure of at all in a place as dark and twisted as the shadowy fortress that Aku called home. 

Jack jumped up several ledges, making his way to the very top where he knew Aku would be seated on his makeshift throne. Brow furrowed, sweat pouring down his neck, the ageless samurai jumped and nearly slipped off the next platform he landed on, his foot almost sliding off the ledge. Thinking quickly, Jack stabbed the ground with his sword, getting a good enough grip to keep from falling. 

He breathed heavily, straightening himself. Closing his eyes, Jack’s mind flashed back to the last time he faced the shogun of sorrow, and all of a sudden it felt like every vein in his body lit on fire. 

“AKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!”

Jack’s voice echoed throughout the castle, and he looked in every direction, sure that Aku could hear him. 

“Do not play these childish games! You invited me to fight you in your castle. Now come on out and face me like a man!”

For a long moment, Jack heard nothing. And then…

“A man, you say? Very well. After all, that is my current form.”

Aku descended, floating in front of Jack as the latter gripped the hilt of his sword, drawing it from the ground and preparing for battle. The demon chuckled darkly as his enemy faced him with intense, focused anger. He landed on a rocky platform across from the one Jack was standing on. 

“That is, until I dispose of this fool’s body. Dexter is very stubborn, you see. You'd be impressed to see the fight he puts up. But alas, all resistance is vanity when your foe is the mighty Aku.”

Jack leapt off the platform he was standing on, blade drawn as he swung it towards Aku. The demon sidestepped his attack, eyes glowing red as he shot twin lasers at Jack which the samurai easily deflected. Aku charged at Jack, fingernails extending to claws as he swiped ferociously. Jack narrowly evaded each swipe, the claws tearing at his robe and barely missing his skin. All the whole his face was scrunched in concentration as Akus face leered up at him…the fact that so closely resembled Dexter…

Thinking quickly, Jack flipped his sword around and jabbed Aku in the gut with its hilt. Aku’s eyes widened and he knelt over in pain, Jack kicking him sharply in the side and turning him over on his back. Before Aku could counter, Jack placed his foot firmly on his opponent's chest, glaring daggers as he held his sword above his head. 

Aiming it directly at Aku's (Dexter’s?) face. 

Aku stared at the blade, then at Jack, and his sickening grin returned to him. 

“Brings back memories, doesn't it, Jack?”

Jack inwardly cursed himself for recognizing what Aku was talking about. Their fateful battle millennia ago…when Jack was about to deliver the finishing blow. 

“Do not play mind games on me, villain!” he shouted. 

“Your sword was about to strike me, until I sent you all those years into the future, not knowing that others would thwart my plans for world domination,” Aku continued, as if he hadn't heard Jack, “But this…this is so much more delightful. I see the conflict in your eyes, Samurai.”

Jack's grip on his blade tightened. His teeth were firmly gritted as Aku’s eyes shone with a twisted sort of mirth. 

“Will you kill your friend, or let me live?” 

Before Jack could respond, Aku grew eight spider-like appendages out of his back, and they landed firmly on the ground. Aku’s body was lifted high enough to where Jack couldn’t reach him, and the samurai nearly fell off the edge of the cliff he was standing over. Aku’s fingers glowed red, and he shot fire from his hands that Jack carefully dodged. 

The ageless samurai jumped from platform to platform, as each one exploded in an array of rubble thanks to Aku’s fireballs. Thinking quickly, he drew his sword and leaped over all eight of Aku’s wiry spider legs, causing the demon to yelp in surprise and fall down on the rocky earth beneath. Before he could finish his descent, however, Aku’s hands and feet grew claws in place of fingers, and he seemed to grow twice in size as he took on a more beastly form. His teeth grew sharper than they already were, and he roared loudly as he charged toward Jack. 

Jack almost went sick from the sight. He knew Aku could transform, but this…

Head pounding with rage, the samurai charged back. Aku and Jack collided in a flurry of limbs and sword strikes clashing at each other, neither enemy giving an inch. The more they fought, the more Jack's mind flooded with memories of the past, memories of his people enslaved by the deliverer of darkness, his father entrusting him to liberate the village, and how tantalizingly close he was to ending it all that day…

Jack’s veins lit on fire as his sword clashed with Aku’s clawed fists, the beast roaring madly. Jack aimed a kick squarely in Aku’s gut, and the demon was pushed back against a wall, his face mere inches from Jack's blade. 

“Enough…enough!” Jack nearly spat. 

Aku reverted from the beast-like form he transformed into. And laughed. 

“It seems you are trapped in a vicious cycle, samurai! Have you decided whether or not to kill me yet?”

Jack swore under his breath. Aku didn’t even make an effort to get up, although it was clear he could have. The demon’s sick, leering face that looked so horrible on Dexter’s body grinned up at Jack, relishing the predicament his enemy was in. Jack’s face turned as white as his robe - he could practically feel the blood draining from his head. 

One strike. One blow. One attack…and it would all be over. He would kill Aku once and for all.

But at a horrible price. 

Aku cackled. “Samurai, samurai…what a dilemma you’ve gotten into! But don’t worry - if you do decide to kill me, I’ll keep Dexter alive long enough for you to beg for his forgiveness!”

“Silence!!” growled Jack. 

Aku’s laughter echoed through the vast expanse of the castle. “Or what, Jack? Do you really think you are in a position to…to…”

Aku’s eye twitched, and his smile disappeared as he clutched his head in apparent pain. Howling, he fell to his knees as his laughter became shrieks of agony. Jack nearly dropped his sword in surprise, but he quickly discerned what was going on. And the words that came out of “Aku’s” mouth next confirmed his suspicion.

“Jack…”

It was Dexter’s voice in a tiny, hushed whisper.

“Dexter!!”

“Jack…” 

Dexter looked up, and Aku’s face was gone for a moment. Instead it was two bright eyes that shone through the face of the Xoskeleton. “Jack, please…”

“Fight him, Dexter!” urged Jack. “You must resist Aku!! You can do it, I know you can!”

Dexter shook his head. “No, Jack…I cannot resist him for long, you must…”

All the air disappeared from Jack’s lungs. 

“You must kill me…”

Their eyes met. 

“Jack…” said Dexter. “Listen to me, this is my fault…you must do..do what is…”

Dexter screamed in pain, clutching his sides as his face reverted back to its Aku like appearance. The demon gasped in pain and spat madly on the ground. 

“Curse you, foolish scientist!!” shouted Aku. “Why won’t you obey me!?”

Jack closed his eyes. He could hear his own heart beat as his sword suddenly felt much heavier in his grip. 

It was now or never. 

He slowly opened his eyes again. Aku was still struggling to regain full control, convulsing madly on the ground. Spit was flying from his mouth, and Jack took two calm steps towards his opponent. Blade raised, he stared down at the body of his leader - his friend - still possessed by Jack’s mortal enemy. 

This is it, he thought. 

Aku lifted his eyes just in time to see Jack about to strike. His mouth hung open in shock, understanding what was about to happen. 

“Blossom…Ben…Coop…Nigel…forgive me,” whispered Jack. 

“No!” screamed Aku. “Wait! Wait!!”

Jack struck Aku squarely in the chest with his sword, hacking and slashing away at his enemy, his eyes closed the entire time. Despite his lack of vision, he aimed with great accuracy as his sword sliced through the body that Aku possessed, and Aku’s pained shrieks mixed with the impact of Jack’s blade made for the most cathartic and most horrible sound that the samurai had ever heard. He felt his way through each attack, not daring to open his eyes an inch, as Aku’s shrieks slowly subsided. Finally, the demon was silenced. 

Jack felt a cold drop of sweat fall down his face as his heart pounded like a drum inside of his chest. Slowly, painstakingly, he opened his eyes inch by inch and prepared for a horribly bloody sight. But Jack wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.

Dexter’s unconscious body, free from Aku’s essence, but miraculously unharmed. Not a scratch was on him; even his lab coat and the rest of his clothes looked perfectly clean. Jack rushed to his leader's side, checking his pulse, and, relieved to find one, shook Dexter out of his sleep. 

“Dexter…Dexter!!”

Slowly, the young scientist stirred. Dexter blinked a couple of times, vision coming into focus. “J-Jack…?”

Jack was about to respond when out of the corner of his eye he found a small blob of black goo on the ground. He slowly walked up to it, and the blob grew a pair of eyes, looking around frantically. It then grew a mouth. 

“What…how…why didn’t he die!?” shouted Aku. 

Jack held his sword, observing it at every angle as the blade shone in the moonlight pouring into the castle. 

“Even I had forgotten that this blade was forged in purity and strength. It can only be used for good. It was never meant to harm an innocent, and never will. And so, Aku, it will not harm Dexter…”

He smiled. 

“...but it will harm you.”

Jack attacked the little blob that was Aku with renewed vigor and strength, all conflict gone like an enormous ton of bricks off of his shoulders. He slashed at Aku’s blob-like form until it divided, into two, then four, then eight, then ten, and each time Jack attacked the blob got smaller and kept dividing. Aku once again shrieked in pain, but the shrieks became smaller as his barely sentient form did as well.

Jack aimed his sword one last time at the little black blob that was Aku, but the blob seemingly slithered away, quickly, determined to run for its life. Jack ran after it, cursing under his breath as it appeared the blob would escape - until it was captured in a vial, a flange quickly sealing it with no hope of escape.

Dexter held the vial up as the moonlight illuminated the last remains of Aku’s essence, smiling proudly. “Who’s the prisoner now?”

“Dexter!” 

Jack ran over to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Dexter nodded. “I’m fine, Jack. More than fine, actually, and I have you to thank for that. But let’s save the sentiment for when we get back home. I've had enough of this out of body experience.” He gazed thoughtfully at the vial in his hand. “And I may have some more research to conduct.”

The team was gathered back at the DexLabs HQ, and the morning sun was slowly rising on the horizon of Tech Square as the Fusion Fighters enjoyed a new day with their leader restored to them. Everyone was seated in the living room area, Dexter recalling the experience of his possession, while Computress was in the lab analyzing the essence of Aku that her creator sealed in a vial.

“Did you know what was going on?” asked Nigel, peering curiously at Dexter. “I mean, were you aware of everything?”

“Sometimes,” replied Dexter. He stretched his legs on the coffee table, sinking deeper into the sofa he was sitting on. “I was fighting Aku’s grip on my mind the whole time, and occasionally I’d get glimpses of the outside world.”

“That’s wild,” said Coop. He reached into a bag of chips and munched loudly. “We’re glad you’re back, bro.”

Dexter stood up, walking up to the large glass window overlooking the city, hands folded behind his back. The rest of the team watched curiously as he appeared to be in deep thought, and then turned around, his expression somber. 

“Yes, I am grateful this ordeal is behind us, too. However…” Dexter frowned deeply. “I owe you all a tremendous apology.”

Ben blinked. “Apology? For what?”

“For letting my pride cloud my judgment,” Dexter explained, “If I was not foolish enough to create the Xoskeleton, Aku would not have been awakened, and I would not have been possessed. This whole disaster could have been avoided.”

Dexter hung his head in shame. Blossom walked up to him, gently grasping his hand and smiling sympathetically. 

“Hey…don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t know what was gonna happen, with Aku or any of that. None of us blame you, Dex.”

Nigel, who was seated in an armchair by the sofa, smiled. “Exactly. None of this was your fault, we’re just happy to have you back.”

Jack nodded. “You did not know of Aku’s power, nor could you have possibly known. There is no need to apologize, my friend.”

Dexter smiled, looking around at his team and feeling his chest swell. His voice sounded somewhat shaky as he replied, “My friends…thank you.”

“You bet!” said Coop. “So uh, not to change the topic, but can we grab some breakfast? Waffle Huts got an all you can eat special. And I think you still owe me a meal,” he added with a grin.

“Coop!” said Blossom sternly. But Dexter laughed. 

“Of course, Coop. Come on, everyone - let’s go out to eat!”

The team enjoyed the rest of their morning eating and chatting happily, Dexter looking happier than anyone on the team had ever seen him. Jack too, for the first time in a while, felt at ease with his place on the Fusion Fighters, smiling as he joined in the conversation and breakfast with his comrades. 

He gazed out the window, to the sunny skies overlooking the city. 

Father…I hope I have made you proud today.

Chapter Text

In the vast reaches of space, a lone green planet was floating aimlessly through the starry skies. Covered in a thick, noxious gas, it collided with several asteroids that disintegrated almost instantly, before they could even touch the surface. Underneath the planets crust, a muscular, three-horned creature sat on a makeshift throne as he saw images flashing before his mind. 

Images of Earth’s most famous defenders. 

Dexter. Blossom. Jack. Nigel. Ben. Coop. 

Fuse closed his eyes as he saw the events of all their heroic achievements play through his mind. Achievements won by eliminating his minions, products of the planet he inhabited. Fuse made a low, grumbling noise that reverberated through the planet when a small Fusion spawn materialized out of the crevices of his lair. 

The spawn made a hissing noise. “My lord,” it said, “What should we do now?”

Fuse opened his eyes. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled; and as he did, the whole planet pulsated. The small Fusion spawn stood there, completely unbothered. 

Fuse turned to his minion . “I will deal with them myself.”

“Wh-What!?” said the Spawn. “But Lord Fuse, we still have not collected all the information we - “

“You don’t think I know that?” asked Fuse rhetorically. His Spawn seemed to shrink. “I am aware of how much - and how little - information we have on this planet. Frankly, the way you all have gone about collecting it has been disappointing, to say the least.”

The minion squirmed. 

“So I will take matters into my own hands. I’ve spent far too long watching these heroes from a distance…no, I was made for more than just observing. You are dismissed.”

The minion retreated, its green ooze seeping into the crevices of the rocky ground it came from. Fuse closed his eyes, feeling the planet contract with every breath he took. 

Prepare yourselves, Fusion Fighters…

It was a bright, sunny day in Bravo Beach. The water was crystal clear, the palm trees swayed gently in the wind, and all around you could hear the sounds of kids running in the sand as the waves hit the shore. 

It was the perfect day for a group of alien-fighting heroes to relax and forget about life. 

“Heads up, dude!”

Ben and Coop were playing catch with a large beach ball in the ocean, Coop punting the ball with his large, hammy fist. Ben barely jumped high enough to swat it back, and Coop grinned, punching the ball back to his comrade. 

“Hey, you can't do that!” said Ben as the ball nearly flew right past him, catching it just in time. “That's cheating.”

Coop shrugged. “We're playing catch, bro. Anything goes.” 

He bounced it back, and before the ball hit Ben, the plucky ten year old turned the dial on the Omnitrix and slapped the watch. 

“If you say so!”

In a flash of green light, Ben turned into Ripjaws, leaping up and easily capturing the ball in his mouth. He dove headfirst in the ocean, zipping past colorful fish and performing backflips to show off. 

“Hey!” Coop complained. He swam towards his now transformed friend, trying in vain to catch up. 

Elsewhere on the beach, under the comfortable shade of a blue umbrella, Dexter was peering closely into a small, rectangular handheld scanner, dressed in his favorite Justice Friends swim trunks. The device beeped as it provided data on the ocean with every wave that hit the shore. Dexter smiled widely. 

“Such incredible landscapes underneath the surface!” He cheered. “Soon I will create the world's first underwater city!!” Dexter eagerly typed away, sending the data to Computress with a very smug look on his face.Blossom, who was laying on a towel behind him dressed in a bright pink swimsuit, sighed. “Or you could just relax, Dex. We came here to take off work, remember?”

“Science never sleeps, Blossom,” replied Dexter without looking away from his device. Blossom gazed skeptically at him from underneath her sunglasses. “Does ‘science’ make its best discoveries while at the beach dressed in superhero swim trunks?” she teased. 

Dexter blushed profusely. “They’re ergonomic!” he insisted. He went back to typing away on his scanner, intensely focused. Blossom sighed and leaned back on her towel, content to soak up as much sun as she could. 

Samurai Jack was sitting underneath a large palm tree, dressed in his usual white robe. He was in a deep, meditative state, breathing in his nostrils and out of his mouth. The ageless samurai felt as though the world around him was becoming fainter, more distant, and utterly at peace as his heartbeat slowed. All that he could feel was the gentle breeze of the wind as it blew through his robe and the leaves on the palm tree overhead. 

He smirked. 

“Nice try, Nigel.”

Nigel Uno materialized beside his samurai teammate, dressed in a dark wetsuit with the Hexagone strapped on his chest. He was holding a water gun in his right hand, aimed at Jack. 

“Blast it!” He exclaimed, “How’d you know I was there?”

“Meditation heightens the senses,” replied Jack, his eyes still closed. “Although I could not see you, I could hear your footsteps more easily this way.”

Nigel raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? And how does that work?”

“Quite simply, once I give up my sense of sight and block out all other thoughts, that which I can hear and feel becomes more pronou -”

Jack was interrupted by a stream of water hitting his face, causing the samurai to sputter and recoil on the trunk of the tree. His short ponytail became undone, black shoulder length hair falling down Jack's face as he shook his head in an effort to dry himself. He glared at Nigel as the latter roared with laughter. 

“Nigel!” he scolded. “Who taught you manners? How horribly childish!”

Nigel scratched the back of his head in mock embarrassment. “I suppose it's the Kids Next Door operative in me. I didn't spend all those years with Sector V for nothing!”

Back on the beach, Coop was frantically chasing Ripjaws around the ocean as Ben kept showing off with his backflips and serpentine swimming, impressing several onlookers and a few excited kids as they recognized the alien as Ben Tennyson. Coop fumed as he tried in vain to get back the beach ball. 

“HEY!! Not cool, bro! That’s cheating!!”

Ripjaws emerged from the ocean, grabbing the ball with his left hand as he flashed Coop a sharp-fanged grin. “Anything goes when throwing a beach ball…remember?”

“Why, you…!”

As Coop and Ben continued their chase, Dexter and Blossom watched with great amusement. Dexter still had his ocean analytics device in his hand, but the sight was enough to make him forget about his scientific endeavors for a moment. 

Blossom giggled. “Quite the duo, those two, aren’t they?”

“They are quite silly, yes,” replied Dexter, smiling warmly. “Rather like someone else I know.” His eyes shone reminiscently, and Dexter’s mind flashed back to his early days as a scientist, and how a certain blonde, pigtailed sister of his would constantly be disrupting his experiments…

Suddenly, his handheld device started beeping loudly, showing different strings of data erratically. Dexter’s smile disappeared as he peered into the rectangular device, brow furrowed. Blossom leaned in, trying to decipher what it was Dexter was seeing. Blossom frowned, leaning in to get a look at what he was seeing. “Dexter? What’s going on?” 

Dexter’s face darkened. “There’s an unusual amount of seismic activity on the oceans horizon. The kind you’d usually expect from an alien invasion.”

Blossom groaned. “Ugh, not on our beach trip. I’ve been waiting all month for this!”

“We need to suit up quickly,” said Dexter, ignoring his friend's frustration. “Gather the others. The source is a remote island 60 miles north. Hurry!!”

The Fusion Fighters wasted no time in pursuing their new opponent, despite their reluctance to abruptly end their beach day. Coop rushed quickly to MEGAS, Jack and Ben following behind to take a ride with him, while Dexter, Blossom and Nigel took to the skies, flying beside the giant robot. Blossom being the only natural flier of the group, Nigel used his rocket powered shoes while Dexter opted for a bright white and blue mecha suit.

“So what kind of Fusion monster are we dealing with this time?” asked Blossom. “Air Drone? Golem? A new species?”

“I do not know,” replied Dexter. “All of the data I have collected so far indicates it is an unusually large monster capable of creating enormous seismic waves.”

“Whatever it is, we’re gonna kick its butt in no time!” said Ben, palming his fist. 

Coop revved MEGAS. “Heck yeah!”

The island where Dexter had located the strange seismic activity came into view, and the team landed deftly on its shore. It was by all appearances your average tropical island, palm trees swaying and a light ocean breeze blowing through the beach. The eyes in Dexter's mecha suit glowed red as he scanned the area for any sign of hostile life. 

Blossom looked to her right and left, frowning as she casually kicked the sand off her shoes. “There's nothing here. Dexter, if this is some kind of prank you're playing…”

“You know I would not play such a trick on you guys,” said Dexter defensively. 

“Well, if not a prank, it could be a false alarm,” suggested Nigel. “After all, there's plenty of other stuff that could cause huge seismic activity.”

“Yeah, Dex, do you really think it was worth dragging us over here for that?”

Before Dexter could respond, the ground beneath them trembled violently, and a colossal explosion erupted from the volcano in the islands center. The Fusion Fighters watched in shock as a gigantic, green figure emerged from the rift in the volcano, eyes glowing red and claw-like appendages snapping. Its appearance was unlike any Fusion the team had faced before - eerily humanoid, with Fusion matter gluing pieces of rock ( is it rock? Or some other organic substance? thought Dexter) to its face, chest, shoulders and limbs. Long, tube like strings of Fusion matter protruded from the back of its three horned head, almost like dreadlocks. 

When the creature spoke, it spoke with a loud, booming voice that snapped the Fusion Fighters out of their brief shock. 

“Defenders of Earth! I am sorry to announce that your planet saving careers have come to an end. For today, I have come to establish my reign over this world - and absorb it into my own. I am the bane of your existence, and once I have consumed every world in this galaxy, I will become existence itself!”

The creature stretched out its arms. Lava shot out in big, superheated globs from the volcano he had emerged from, and even a flash of lightning could be seen from it. Flocks of colorful birds fled in panic as the island shook violently, while foxes, snakes and other rodents darted around the palm trees. The Fusion Fighters were barely able to maintain their footing. The alien inhaled deeply, eyes glowing with malice. 

“I…am Lord Fuse!”

Dexter’s eyes narrowed under the mask of his mecha suit, analyzing Fuse closely. I know you. You’re that…

Nigels eyes widened in horror. “ You’re Lord Fuse!?”

“Hey, jello face!”

Ben deftly landed on the beach beside his friends, Jack following behind, both having exited the red car atop MEGAS. Ben glared up at Fuse. 

“So you’re the one behind all these Fusions invading the Earth, huh? Bring it on, we’ll kick your butt back into outer space!”

Nigel whipped out his hand guns, cringing at Ben’s insult. “Jello face? Really?”

Ben shrugged. “It was all I could think of.”

“For something you came up with on the spot, I must say, that is quite the insult,” said Jack, giving Ben an encouraging smile.

“Everyone, stay focused!” admonished Dexter. 

The Fusion lord towered over his opponents, arms crossed as he floated above the wreckage of the volcano he tore apart. He gave a low, grumbling noise that could have been a chuckle. “Just as I’ve observed from you fools…never giving up the chance to talk.”

“Hold on, ‘observed?’” repeated Blossom, grimacing. “What, have you been stalking us!?”

Fuse did not answer. Instead, he stretched out his arms as a tempest overtook the island, causing the trees to uproot and the sand to fly everywhere. The Fusion Fighters struggled against the winds and sand, nearly flying off the beach until fissures gave way to the ground underneath. Out of the fissures jumped a group of spawns that jumped the fighters. The team hacked away at the spawns - having faced them many times before in battle, they weren’t nearly as big a concern as Fuse himself was. 

Blossom sliced through one with her forearm, wincing as it covered her in green goo. “Well sorry I asked, I guess.”

Dexter launched at Fuse, shooting a flurry of missiles from his mechanical fists at the creature. Fuse crossed his arms, completely unfazed as the missiles struck and he was covered in a mushroom cloud. Dexter frowned underneath his mask as he sensed no movement from the cloud. 

“Don’t mock me,” he shouted, “I know you can still fight!”

As if on cue, Fuse lunged towards Dexter, his claw-like appendages ready to slice through the scientist’ suit - and his heart. Dexter easily sidestepped the attack, his fingers crackling with electricity as his sights were set on his alien foe. He shot electric bolts from his fingertips - which bounced right off of Fuse, the latter smirking as the bolts easily deflected off his rocky skin. Fuse retaliated by shooting pellets of green matter from his mouth, which landed on Dexter’s suit - and instantly deactivated it!

“Hey!!” shouted Dexter, feeling the propellers in his suit malfunction as the lights went off inside of it. “What is going…?”

The suit instantly retracted into a light blue backpack Dexter kept it in, leaving the boy genius in his normal clothes of a lab coat, black pants, shoes and glasses. The scientist screamed for dear life as he nearly fell into the ocean, wind whistling past his ears and his heart jumping in his throat. Dexter’s landing was interrupted however as he was saved just in the nick of time by Blossom. He gasped for breath, trying to steady his heartbeat as the power puff girl landed him safely to shore. 

Fuse watched with amusement as Dexter tried to get his bearings back. “Is that all? I expected better from the legendary Fusion Fighters.”

He turned his head. “Even from you.”

Fuse grabbed the air next to him - at least, that’s what it looked like, until Nigel materialized into his grip. Nigels face turned red as he struggled to break free from the alien’s grasp, Fuse laughing the whole time.

“Y-you…how did…” sputtered Nigel.

“I know you were there?” finished Fuse. “As I said, I’ve been observing you fighters since the moment your team formed. I’ve picked up on that little HexaGone of yours, so I perfected my ability to sense heat signatures. It comes in quite handy.”

With that, Fuse violently threw Nigel down to the shores where the rest of the team was fighting off the spawns. Ben, who had transformed into Four Arms, grabbed Nigel by the collar of his shirt before the bald kids next door operative hit the ground. His free arms were busy smashing Spawns as they crept up from the ground. 

“No luck, huh?” asked Ben as he stomped on another Spawn.

“No, and I’m starting to think none of us will have any,” replied Nigel, freeing himself from Ben’s grip. “Fuse has learned a lot from spying on us. He knows how we fight.” 

“He can’t know every - WHOA!!”

Ben and Nigel narrowly dodged MEGAS’ gigantic foot as it stomped on a group of Fusion spawns that just crept out of the ground. The Spawns were squashed, but Ben was fuming, pulling out his cell phone and immediately calling Coop. 

“Hey! What’s the big deal, man!? You almost stomped on us!!”

Coop cringed from inside MEGAS. “Sorry dude, I can only see so much from up here…”

Jack had just cleared his area’s worth of Fusion spawns, killing them all in a carefully precise spin attack that sliced the spawns in two. They fell on the ground in lifeless slops, their regenerative abilities useless thanks to the power of Jack's blade. He carefully placed his sword back in its hilt, glaring up at Fuse as the alien hovered carelessly with his arms crossed. 

Jack frowned. He isn’t even bothering to attack…just floating there silently. Almost mocking us…

The samurai looked to his right, where Blossom and Ben had just eliminated the rest of the Spawns. Dexter was still working on repairing his suit, using a handy toolbox he kept with him in his backpack. Ever the resourceful one, thought Jack. 

Thinking quickly, Jack called to his comrades. “Blossom! Ben! Let’s take him on together. Fuse can only attack one of us at a time!”

Blossom nodded. Ben cracked his knuckles, grinning, clearly excited to hop into the real battle - until the Omnitrix made a very unwelcome beeping noise, and he turned back from Four Arms! Ben groaned as he fidgeted with his watch. 

“No!” he shouted. “Not now…”

Jack's frown deepened. Dexter looked up from where he was fixing his suit, sighing. “This was all part of his plan, I’m sure. Fuse must know about the Omnitrix’s time limit - hence why he summoned all those Spawns.”

“A distraction, huh?” replied Nigel, looking up at Fuse and scowling. “Clever…”

“Alright, Ben, you stay back. Jack and I will take it from here,” directed Bossom. “In fact…”

She flew up atop MEGAS, where Coop's red card was located. “Hey, Coop! Jack and I are gonna launch a group attack on Fuse. We could use your help!”

Coop nodded, engines revving as he prepared for battle. “You got it!”

Jack, Blossom and Coop launched their attack on Fuse, who kept floating above the volcano completely unfazed. Jack aimed several precision strikes from his blade, hoping to slice Fuse apart permanently, jumping from different palm trees. Fuse easily evaded the attacks, catching Jack's sword and throwing him to the ground. Blossom caught the samurai just in time, flying them both towards Fuse as she breathed in a blast of icy air. 

Her sights set on Fuse, Blossom shot an ice cold stream from her mouth - which Fuse countered with a fiery blast from his palms! Blossom's eyes widened in shock as the ice melted on contact, and it nearly scorched her and Jack. She hastily let go of the samurai, and he landed deftly on the ground, unscathed. 

“Are you still unable to put up a fight?” taunted Fuse. “Don’t mock me!”

Coops eyes narrowed from inside his red car, his sights set on Fuse as he kept revving his engines. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. 

“You ruin our trip to the beach, beat up my friends, and think you can get away with it? Fat chance!!”

MEGAS charged towards Fuse, ready to crush the alien overlord like an insect in its mechanical palm. Fuse however, merely chuckled as he shot some carefully aimed pellets of Fusion matter that landed inconveniently on the windshield of Coops car, causing him to skid to a halt. 

“Whoa! What the hell..!?”

MEGAS scrambled trying to get the matter off its windshield, but to no avail since the arms couldn’t reach the car. Coop swore loudly at his failed attack. 

Dexter, meanwhile, had just finished repairing his suit, putting it back on. This time however, he had no intention to join the battle. 

“Fighters, retreat!”

The Fusion Fighters left the island in a rush, none of them needing to be told twice. Fuse watched with sadistic glee as his enemies ran for their lives.

“Yes, that’s right, Fusion Fighters. Retreat…it’s all you can do. You can try as many times as you like - I will still bring you to your knees!”

Back at DexLabs, the team was recovering from their embarrassing defeat. Dexter was running a number of calculations at his computer, Blossom standing beside him, while the rest of the team was either sulking or (in Jacks case) meditating in the living room. Coop heaved a great sigh, his face buried in his enormous hands. 

“Aw man, we’ve never had to retreat before!” he bemoaned. “That was embarrassing.”

Dexter, his face still buried in the computer screen, frowned. “You do not need to tell me twice,” he replied. 

Ben, who was seated beside Coop on the sofa, punched the air angrily. “We shoulda stayed and kicked Fuse’s slimy green butt! There’s no way he could’ve taken on all six of us.”

“Except that he did,” corrected Nigel, deadpan. “And trust me, now that I’ve seen him up close, I can tell you I’ve dealt with Fuse before. Retreating was absolutely the right thing to do.”

Blossom looked up from the computers, eyes widened. “Hold on, you’ve fought him before!?”

Nigel’s face darkened. “Sort of. Let’s just say he was causing some intergalactic trouble for me and my team years ago. We thought we defeated him, but as today proved, it was only a temporary victory.”

“Give yourself some credit, Nigel,” said Dexter, leaning back in his chair. “Even we could not defeat Fuse. If Sector V was able to at least contain him, that is highly commendable.”

Nigel inhaled deeply. “It wasn’t Sector V,” he replied, his voice low and clipped. He met Dexter’s gaze, unblinking, but offered no more. A thick silence settled over the room, heavy with unspoken questions. Dexter tilted his head, intrigued, his mind already spinning theories about this mysterious other team. Blossom frowned, sensing the tension, while Ben and Coop exchanged confused glances—Ben with a shrug, Coop with a blank stare.

Dexter raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then who is this team you fought him with?”

Nigel looked down to the ground, hand clenched into a fist. The thick silence hung a moment longer until it was suddenly broken by a loud, rumbling noise. The rumbling soon died down, and the source was identified when Coop patted his stomach and groaned. 

“I can’t focus on an empty stomach…let’s eat and then get back to saving the world.”

Blossom's jaw dropped. “You ate twelve tacos and five slushies for lunch!”

“Yeah, I know right? I need to step up my game,  haven't been eating good lately,” replied Coop, without the slightest hint of irony. 

Dexter clapped his hands, grabbing everyone’s attention. Even Jack opened his eyes, awakened from his meditative state. “We’ll grab some dinner. And then we must work on a plan to stop Fuse once and for all!!”

Dinner was a short, but very delicious affair. Dexter had his chefs prepare a meal of Wagyu beef, slow roasted carrots and the most amazing mashed potatoes anyone on the team had ever tasted in their life. Even Ben, usually the pickiest eater, finished his meal almost as soon as it has reached the table. Dexter leaned back at the front of the table, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief as the rest of the fusion fighters set their silverware down and had Dexbots take the dirty dishes away. 

Adjusting his glasses, Dexter stood up, inhaling dramatically as all eyes were on him. 

“Now that everyone is fed, I wish to discuss the threat we have faced on our trip today.”

“Our interrupted beach trip…” grumbled Blossom. 

“Today, we have come face to face with the mastermind behind these Fusion monsters that have plagued the world,” continued Dexter. “And this mastermind knows all of our strategies. He has been observing us since, I fear, the inception of our team. As Coop has pointed out, this is the first time in the history of the Fusion Fighters that we have ever had to retreat from battle.”

Dexter sat back down, legs crossed, hands folded as he carefully scrutinized his colleagues. “My friends, for as much of a genius as I am, even I need help sometimes. So I leave the floor to you. What approach do you suggest we take to eradicate this threat?” 

Everyone looked at each other, some with looks of determination, others with worry. It was the first time Dexter had ever asked anyone for suggestions on dealing with a villain - usually, he was the one to come up with a plan on the spot. On the one hand it felt good to have their leader put aside his pride and ask for help, knowing how much Dexter loved to extol his own genius. 

But on the other hand…

“We definitely need something new,” said Nigel., “Something Fuse wouldn’t expect. You could make another one of your giant robots.”

Dexter grimaced. “It would take months just to come up with the blueprints and gather the raw materials. We do not have that much time.”

Blossom peered over the table, looking closely at Ben who was observing the Omnitrix. “What about the watch? Ben, don’t you have any aliens in there you haven’t tried yet?”

Ben shook his head. “Nope. I’ve used all of them at least once.”

“Maybe we could launch a surprise attack,” suggested Coop., “You know, like shoot a bunch of missiles while he isn’t looking, or something. Catch him off guard.”

“I already tried that. It didn’t work,” replied Nigel, frowning. “Fuse can sense heat signatures. Even when I was invisible, he could sense me attacking from behind.”

Coop groaned. “Man, is there anything he can’t do!?”

“We cannot spend too much planning,” intoned Jack. “Time is of the essence.”

Dexter looked out the window, to the vast expanse of Tech Square and the greater city of Genius Grove - and his mind wandered to the world beyond it. To the planet he and the Fusion Fighters had fought so hard to protect, from threats both earthly and extraterrestrial. Dexter’s chest swelled as he thought of the people who lost their lives because of the Fusion invasion - while they were able to keep the threat mostly contained, the Fusion Fighters couldn’t be everywhere at once to protect every person who needed it. 

We owe it to this world to defeat Fuse, he thought.

Almost unconsciously, Dexter’s mind began whirring, taking into account all of his teammates suggestions and basing his own plan off of them. And then an idea struck. Turning back to his team, he inhaled sharply, giving a curt nod to Jack’s assessment. He smiled triumphantly.

“I think I’ve got it.”

Fuse hovered almost carelessly above the island he had defeated the Fusion Fighters on, where he had forced them to run for their lives. He breathed deeply, and as he did, the rocky exterior of his body seemed to contract and expand, as if it was breathing into the atmosphere all around him. The Fusion lord didn’t know how long he had been levitating above the island - an hour? A month? A year? 

Time, especially time on a planet he had never visited, didn’t seem to hold much meaning for Fuse. What did hold meaning, however, was the victory he was basking in. 

Victory, he thought with a wicked grin, that he would soon experience again. For in his line of sight, Fuse could make out the silhouette of a familiar bright blue mecha with a red car attached on top of it. His red eyes shined with amusement as he stared down his incoming opponent. The earth trembled beneath him as four large, sharp green rocky shards emerged from the ground and floated besides Fuse, aiming their sharp points at MEGAS. 

“So you and your friends have come back for another round? You must have a death wish,” boasted Fuse. 

MEGAS charged towards the large green alien, fist outstretched, and Fuse prepared himself to aim every sharp rocky shard at the robots fist and then the car. His grin widened, ready to shatter MEGAS into a million pieces…

When the mecha suddenly retracted its fist, missiles shooting from its chest and aiming straight at Fuse and the shards!

Fuse’s eyes widened. “What…? How did…!?”

The missiles collided with him, creating a mushroom cloud of smoke that when it disappeared showed Fuse with several cracks in his rocky exoskeleton. His chest was nearly split in two, and he narrowly evaded several attacks from MEGAS’ enormous fists, parrying them with his claw-like appendages. 

“What is going on?” he said in between attacks. “This doesn’t match the pilot’s usual strategies…”

Fuse successfully parried another attack from MEGAS, and then sensed a presence behind him, smirking. 

“Trying a surprise attack, are we?”

Fuse launched a flurry of lethal fusion pellets from his palm to an invisible presence floating behind him. These pellets didn’t hit their target however, as an icy mist caused them to freeze up and fall to the ground. Fuse didn’t have time to react as a pair of red lasers shot him in the chest, knocking him back as MEGAS’ fist slapped him to the sandy shores of the beach. 

Getting up, inhaling rapidly, Fuse looked up and saw to his shock Blossom Utonium landing deftly on the ground - wearing Nigel’s HexaGone!

“What!?” shouted Fuse. “You’re using the bald one’s device!?”

Blossom smirked. “You’ll find we’ve done quite a bit of strategy swapping.”

In the red car atop MEGAS, Dexter grinned widely as he saw Fuse’s confusion and struggle to keep up with the team's plan. He pushed a button by the head unit, radioing into his comrades. 

“Coop, Ben, Nigel, Jack - are all of you in position?”

“Yep!” came Ben’s hyper voice. 

“Affirmative,” Nigely replied smoothly

“Indeed,” was Jack’s calm reply. 

A muffled, discontented noise came from the monitor. Finally, Coop spoke up. “I’m ready to fight, but don’t these robot suit thingies come in bigger sizes?”

Dexter sighed. “I told you, I did not have time to modify the waistband. You will manage somehow.”

Eyes narrowed, he set his sights on Fuse. “Now team  - attack!”

Fuse charged a dark green energy ball in his palm, the energy humming as he stretched his arm towards Blossom. The red powerpuff girl took a defensive stance, glaring at her opponent. 

“Very clever…” snarled Fuse. “But can you stand against such power as this!? En garde!”

Fuse launched the ball, Blossom inhaling deeply as she prepared to deflect the attack with her icy breath. Before she could, the orb was knocked back to its target, hitting Fuse squarely in the chest as the alien screamed in pain. When he regained his bearings, he saw that the orb was reflected back to him by a familiar looking blade - wielded by Nigel Uno!

“You!?”

Nigel charged toward his opponent. He attacked Fuse relentlessly with Jack's sword, using impulsive but still precise strikes. Fuse dodged and parried most of the attacks, catching the  sword at one point with his claw, but Nigel did a quick back flip, activating his rocket boots and freeing his grip from Fuse while the latter coughed and stumbled backwards. 

Fuse’s rocky exoskeleton cracked yet again, this time leaving tiny fissures along his limbs. The thick, green, gooey substance of Fusion matter leaked from his limbs and dropped on the sandy ground. He howled like a wounded animal, eyes glowing red with rage. Raising his arms, he aimed the sharp tip of his claw towards Nigel and Blossom, ready to pierce through both their hearts - when yet another surprise attack met him from behind. 

Several energy blasts exploded on Fuse’s back, courtesy of a ray gun wielded by Coop who, as Fuse saw when he turned his head around in shock, was wearing one of Dexter’s mechanical bodysuits - one that was far too small for him as it struggled to contain his giant waistline. Fuse snarled as yet more Fusion matter leaked from his back, and his body worked quickly to regenerate, patching up the fissures that were left by his opponents attacks. Beside Coop, Jack and Ben landed deftly in front of their alien opponent, and all eyes were on Fuse as the Fusion Fighters had their prey cornered. 

Or so they hoped. 

Fuse let out a low, animalistic growl as he eyed his attackers. “So, you have adapted to my knowledge of your battle techniques.”

His breathing slowed down, and his eyes lost their rage-filled shade of red as Fuse visibly calmed himself. Inhaling deeply, chest swelling, the Fusion lord let out a low chuckle. “And before this planet of yours even finished one full rotation on its axis…impressive, I must say. I can see why the people of Earth depend on you fighters for its protection.”

Nigel brandished Jack's sword, carefully placing it above his head so the blade was aimed squarely at Fuse. “You’ve got that right. But don’t think you can flatter your way out of defeat - leave this planet for good, or prepare to be annihilated!”

“It's over, Fuse!” added Blossom. 

Fuse, however, chuckled again, completely nonchalant. He floated above the Fighters, each one taking offensive battle stances, ready to charge at the alien. His loud, booming voice was strong enough to reach Dexter’s ears as he sat in MEGAS’ cockpit, frowning at how confident Fuse had become. 

“On the contrary - it hasn't begun! Swapped strategy or not, I will make this island your graveyard!!”

“Oh, yeah?” questioned Ben, raising his fists. “You and what army!?”

As if on cue, the ground beneath them shook, revealing a group of Fusions that crept out from under the sandy shores of the beach. Regular Spawns met with Cyber Stingers and Air Drones, forming a perimeter around the Fusion Fighters. 

“Ya had to ask, didn’t you?” Coop deadpanned. 

Fuse's army closed in on the Fighters, a writhing mass of green goo, jagged claws, deadly stingers and far too many bizarrely shaped monsters to count. The fusion lord's laughter echoed through the island, so powerful that the palm trees nearby shook. 

Ben swore under his breath. “Okay, so you have an army…” He turned the dial on his Omnitrix, searching frantically for an alien that could help. Finding one, he slammed the watch down. “But I got XLR8!” 

In a flash of green light, Ben turned into a familiar black and blue sleek alien. “Try keeping up with this!!” He blurred into motion, running over as many Spawns as he could and kicking up a whirlwind of sand. 

Fuse's eyes narrowed, keeping track of XLR8’s movements. “That cheap trick won't work on my army, foolish child.” He raised his arms, ready to stroke precisely where he knew XLR8 would be next. 

“Save it!!” shouted Blossom. She rocketed upwards, pressing down the HexaGone to go invisible. Concealed by the device, she exhaled a blast of icy breath that flash-froze a cluster of Air drones mid flight. The drones landed on the sandy ground with a soft thud. “Nigel, now!”

Nigel nodded to his red haired comrade. Thinking quickly, he jumped on the frozen drones, gripping the blade in his hand tightly. The drones provided enough of a platform for him to jump and strike at Fuse, aiming Jack's sword at the cracks in Fuse's chest. Fuse parried the attack, but not soon enough to keep a large chunk in his rocky exterior from breaking off. He snarled. 

“Wretched, insolent little…!”

Before Fuse could finish, he felt a sharp jab to his face that sent him careening into a palm tree. Getting up, he saw Jack standing over him, face matted with sweat but looking calm nonetheless. 

“It is time for you to accept the reality of the situation,” he said smoothly. “We have overcome your knowledge of our tactics. I shall reiterate what Nigel has already said - surrender now, or prepare to die.”

Fuse got up, the Fusion matter that made up his body leaking from the cracks in his exoskeleton. In spite of the situation, he laughed callously. “Surrender…when I am so close to claiming this planet for my own?” 

He leapt towards Jack, claw-like appendage extended as he prepared to stab the samurai in the chest. Jack easily evaded the attack, however, launching himself away from Fuse with two familiar looking boots. Two familiar looking, rocket powered boots. 

Fuse growled in frustration. “You're wearing…”

“Nigels rocket boots, yes,” answered Jack, unable to contain a smug smile as he flew above the palm trees. “You were prepared last time - but now, can you develop a counter strategy for our techniques soon enough?” 

Before Fuse could react, MEGAS slammed its fist into the ground, causing violent tremors and wiping out many of the Fusion monsters that were attacking the fighters. Coop, still struggling to move in his too-tight mecha suit, fired away at any Spawn he was able to aim at and even took out two drones and stingers that had their sights set on him. He was wielding two twin ray guns that made it easier to attack, but he had to stop every.now and then to catch his breath. 

A cyber stinger swooped in towards Coop, it's needle aimed for his head. Coop shakily lifted up a ray gun and fired at the stinger,.causing a small splattering of Fusion matter on the ground. 

Coop pressed a button on the neck of his suit, the mask retracting. “Dexter!” He gasped. “You owe me a raise for this, buddy!!”

The scientist in question was busy analyzing Fuse as the alien struggled to keep up with Jack's evasive flying. He smirked. This creature can't even adapt to new flight patterns soon enough. If we play our cards right…

Dexter pushed the stick shift forward, and MEGAS charged towards Fuse and slammed his fist straight into his chest. Fuse gave a loud growl of pain but pushed back against the force of the punch, digging his claws into the metallic hull of the fists. He was about to bite into the machine when another attack caught him from behind - from Jack's sword. Nigel, with an arm around Blossom’s shoulder and the other clutching the sword, hovered in the air just behind Fuse.

Fuse's eyes flashed in pain, the noises he made becoming more animalistic. “You…you won't get away with…!”

He was interrupted by Jack landing an elbow jab to his head, aiming perfectly as it shattered Fuse’s rocky face and his red eyes faded to an empty black. Fuse's entire body started crumbling into dust as the green dreadlocks he had fell to the ground, as did the rest of him. Soon all that was left of the alien warlord was a puddle of rocks and green slime on the sandy shores of the island.

The Fusion Fighters gathered around the remains of their enemy, a feeling of cautious optimism shared among them all as they stared at the lifeless rocks and fusion matter. The rocks started to move, merging with the Fusion matter, as if it had a mind of its own. Dexter was observing the whole thing from MEGAS, and his eyes widened in horror as he keyed in the intercom. 

“He’s regenerating! Quick - destroy the remains!!”

 “You got it, Dexter!” replied XLR8. He ran over the rocky material, crushing it to a fine powder. Blossom landed deftly beside him, blowing a gust of icy wind to Fuses’ remains and freezing him solid. Finally, Coop delivered the coup de grace by blasting the icy remains of Fuse’s rocky matter with his twin ray guns, so that all that was left was a small green puddle in the sand. 

“That’s for making me wear this terrible suit, you freakshow!!”

Dexter exited the red car atop MEGAS, sliding down its metal limbs and landing deftly beside his team mates. He smiled broadly. “Superb job, my friends! Once again, the Fusion Fighters have saved the day.”

A flash of red light surrounded XLR8, and Ben returned to his normal form. “Yeah, but barely. That had to be our toughest fight yet.”

“He was the mastermind behind the Fusion crisis, mind you,” Nigel pointed out. “It’s only natural we’d have a harder time defeating Fuse than any other enemy so far.”

Blossom gazed toward the setting sun. “I’m just glad it's over. Let’s hit the beach tomorrow, okay Dex?”

“I’m sure we’ll find some time,” replied Dexter, winking.

Jack slipped off the rocket boots he was wearing, handing them to Nigel as he pulled his sandals out of his pocket. He looked at Fuse’s frozen remains - at least, the little that was left of them as Coop kept shooting with his ray guns. “Fuse was the center of an alien hive mind…perhaps this means we will never face another Fusion monster again.”

Dexter’s smile disappeared. Jack's expression was pensive and misty eyed, and Dexter could tell he was thinking of returning to his timeline. “It would appear so, yes.”

“So…if all these aliens are gonna stop invading the world, does that mean there’s no need for us to be a team anymore?” asked Ben, frowning.

Dexter shook his head. “There will be other threats out there to deal with. I see no reason to disband the team - after all, you never know when an even bigger enemy will show up.”

“Indeed, and it already has!”

A deep, threatening voice boomed through the island, cutting through the hero’s conversation like a painfully sharp knife. The Fusion Fighters looked around frantically trying to find the source of the voice, but their question was soon answered when a bright beam of green light appeared over Fuse’s frozen remains, melting the ice and lifting the bits of rock and fusion matter seemingly into outer space. Coop, who was still busy shooting at the rocky, icy mass, was knocked on his rump as Fuse was seemingly absorbed into the heavens.

The sky seemed to darken, and out of its vast expanse Fuse’s voice echoed. 

“You have fought well, defenders of Earth…far more impressive than even I could have anticipated. Your wits have spared you from yet another humiliating defeat. However…you have not seen the last of me. The body that you destroyed on this island - that was not even my true form!”

A collective shudder ran through the Fusion Fighters, everyone gazing up at the sky with shock and apprehension. Ben’s face turned pale. “Oh man, that wasn’t his true form? We went through so much trouble…”

“So enjoy your small victory, defenders. Enjoy this planet while you still can. For now that I have observed you up close and personal, I now know how adaptable you all are. I will take that into account when I finally visit this pathetic world - and claim it for my own!!”

A wicked laugh roared from the heavens, and then the mysterious green light disappeared, the evening skies becoming less dark. 

Everyone was looking at each other, uncertain. Dexter broke the silence by clearing his throat, half smiling. 

“Well…I guess we’re sticking by each other for longer than I thought.”

Back at DexLabs, the team was relaxing from their hard fought battle with Fuse. Coop and the others were lounging in the spacious living room, the tv in the background as Coop struggled to get out of the sleek mechanical suit he was wearing. He frantically pressed every inch of the suit on his body, looking for an eject button of some sort. 

“Grgh…come on…!” He grunted. “Hey Dexter, you made this suit, how do I get it off?”

Dexter scratched the back of his head. “Ah, you may not want to get out of that just yet…”

“Don’t tell me what I wanna do, man! I’ve been trying to get out of this thing since before we got here!!” insisted Coop. “I can hardly breathe in this thing.”

“Okay, okay,” Dexter raised his hands defensively. He dug into his coat pocket, pulling out a remote control. “Here, this will get the suit off. But…are you sure you want to get out of it now?”

Coop nodded vigorously. Dexter sighed, and with the push of a button, the suit retracted into a tiny blue backpack. Coop fell to his knees, gasping for breath, and then stood up, cheering loudly. 

“Aw yeah baby!! Air, sweet air, I’ve missed you so much!!”

He looked around at his comrades and his smile disappeared. Everyone was either looking away from Coop or trying to hold back laughing at him - or in Ben’s case, not even trying and falling on the floor laughing and pointing. Coop blinked, confused. 

“Hey, what’s going…”

He looked down and saw he was clad in nothing but yellow polka dot boxer shorts. Coop screamed and hastily covered himself, running for his room. Ben clutched his sides, tears falling down his face. 

“That…was…priceless!!” 

Jack gently nudged the boy. “It is not nice to laugh at the humiliation of others.”

“Yeah Ben, don’t be mean,” chided Blossom. Ben kept laughing however, getting up shakily as he wiped tears from his eyes. 

“Polka dots…oh man, polka dots!!” he laughed.

Blossom sighed. “Boys.”

Dexter sat down on the sofa, kicking his feet up on the coffee table as he gazed outside to the sprawling Tech Square of Genius Grove. He had a far off look in his eye, brow creased, and he seemed only dimly aware of his friends surrounding him. Nigel raised an eyebrow, but Blossom, sensing her friend’s mood shift, sat down beside Dexter. 

“Hey Dex…penny for your thoughts?”

“Have I ever told you how much I hate that phrase?” retorted Dexter, although half smiling.

“Well, here’s another one,” replied Blossom, smiling back. “What’s on your mind?”

Dexter stared at Nigel, Jack, and Ben, who recovered from his laughing fit. They all shifted uncomfortably, and Dexter shook his head as if reading their minds. “You all can stay if you want. It is nothing too personal.” Dexter gazed down at his lap. “I just…cannot shake the feeling I’ve seen him before. Something about Fuse looked so familiar to me, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Blossom blinked. “Familiar?”

Dexter stood up, walking over to a large window overlooking the city. Hands folded behind his back, he inhaled sharply through his nostrils. Nigel, Jack, Blossom and Ben gazed curiously at their leader. 

“I can’t say where or when, I can’t even say why. But somehow, I just feel like I remember him, like a distant memory you can’t quite recall.”

“Maybe you saw him on one of your space explorations,” suggested Nigel. “I vividly remember when I first fought Fuse, he was traveling the whole universe starting trouble. He would have crossed a few people on the way.”

Dexter shook his head, still staring out the window. “If that were so, I would have remembered. I remember all of my trips to space. But this feels…different.” He grimaced. “I just wish we defeated him for good. Wherever he came from, Fuse is a threat to the safety of the world as long as he lives.”

A pregnant silence hung over the group. Jack walked up to Dexter, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing it. “We did everything we could,” he said with a kind, fatherly smile. “For now, let’s relax.”

Dexter smiled back. “Yeah…that’s true. We can worry about it later.”

Chapter Text

Dexter tapped his pencil against his office desk, working meticulously on equations for his latest experiment. Brow furrowed, he scribbled a symphony of letters and numbers on his notepad that would have stumped the average Harvard chemistry graduate. Sunlight poured through the windows, casting a pleasant glow through the otherwise dimly lit office. While Dexter was busy scribbling, a small tuft of fur zipped through the office door, nuzzling itself by the young scientists’ legs. 

Dexter glanced down, showing a rarely affectionate smile as he gave his dog a friendly pat on the head. “What is it, Courage? You know I’m busy this time of day.”

Courage yipped and hopped on Dexter’s lap so he could see that the dog had a bright blue frisbee in his mouth. Tail wagging furiously, Courage looked up at Dexter with big, eager eyes as his owner’s warm smile faltered. 

“I told you, I’m busy,” sighed Dexter, his voice firm but not unkind, “I will play with you later.”

“Courage!”

Computress hovered into the office, her sleek, mechanical form reflecting the sunlight that poured in through the windows. Her robotic face bore a frown as she scooped up Courage from Dexter’s lap and snatched the frisbee from the dog's mouth, much to his protest. “I’m terribly sorry, Dexter. I took Courage out for his walk this morning, and he broke free from his leash. I’ve been trying to find him for the last hour.”

Dexter waved a hand, returning to his notepad. “No harm done, Computress. But Courage—” he fixed the dog with a stern look, making Courage’s ears droop—“you know better than to run away like that. Take him to the courtyard; some fresh air might settle him.”

Computress nodded, and Courage gave a faint whimper as she carried him out of Dexter’s office. 

DexLabs’ backyard was a wide open courtyard surrounded by sleek, bright blue metal walls almost half a mile thick. There were only a couple of trees scattered through the grassy field, a tile pathway splitting the grass in half. It was a bright, sunny day, making everything clearer and more visible. Three disc-headed Dexbots patrolled the air, red eyes scanning, their hum a soft drone in the sunny calm.

Their heads were soon sliced clean off their small mechanical bodies as the rest of them fell to the ground, the grass cushioning their fall so they didn’t make a huge noise. Blossom landed deftly in the grass, smiling, her pink sundress fluttering in the wind. 

“Is that all you got?”

Behind her, a panel slid open from the DexLabs building, and Computress emerged, carrying Courage. She set him down on the patio, petting his head gently. “There you go, Courage. You can stay out here until Dexter is finished with work.” 

Computress hovered back inside, the panel sliding shut as Courage yelped and scampered after her. He barked loudly as his paws scratched the panel, but to no avail. 

Meanwhile, Blossom was busy shredding as many Dexbots as she could as they poured out of the upper panels of the building. She didn't even notice Courage’s presence as hunks of scrap metal fell to the ground with a loud thud. Blossom sliced through every bot that flew her way, eyes shining red as she launched lasers at two incoming attackers. 

Two Dexbots flew in her direction, and Blossom inhaled deeply, ready to freeze them both with a gust of icy breath when a mass of purple fur jumped on her face. The red Powerpuff Girl screamed and flew around wildly, colliding with the Dexbots, the force of the collision enough to destroy them. When she finally landed on the ground, Blossom pulled the mass of frantic fur off her head. 

“Courage!!” she yelled, her face turning red as her hair. “What’re you doing out here while I’m training!?”

Courage’s ears drooped. Blossom grabbed him by the waist and gently tossed him back inside DexLabs. “Stay in there until I'm done! It's too dangerous right now.” She pressed a button on the outside of the building, the panel closing behind her and locking Courage in. The purple dog whimpered as he stared at the panel that looked identical to the rest of the walls surrounding him. 

I can’t stay inside, I can’t stay outside…am I welcome anywhere around here?

In a dimly lit meditation room, Nigel Uno sat cross-legged on a woven mat, eyes closed, hands on his knees. The air carried the soothing scent of sandalwood and sage, easing his racing thoughts. A bead of sweat trickled down his neck, his brow furrowed as he struggled to focus, heart thumping.

Samurai Jack sat opposite, his white robe pooling around him, his breathing slow and steady. “Do not think,” he said, his voice a calming balm. “Feel. Let the world around you guide your peace, not the chaos within.” His words carried the weight of hard-earned wisdom.

Nigel inhaled again, digesting Jacks words. His heart rate steadied a little, but his brow was furrowed in concentration as memories swirled inside of his mind. Dark memories. Evil memories...

No, thought Nigel. Focus. Focus on the outside world...

Nigel's brow was furrowed in intense concentration  when he felt a warm, fuzzy sensation in his lap. His eyes shot open as he fell down from his cross-legged position on his back. “What the…!?”

Courage sat in between Jack and Nigel, shaking, his ears drooped. Jack looked perfectly at ease, eyes still closed as he breathed in and out. Nigel however was irate, and hastily shooed the dog out. Courage yipped as Nigel grabbed him and practically slid him across the floor out of the room. 

“We’re meditating here! Out, you stupid dog!!”

The door slid shut, leaving Courage alone in the hallways…again. Nigel sat back down in front of Jack, crossing his legs and trying to calm down his heart rate…again. 

“Sorry about that. Courage can be a pain in the neck sometimes.”

Jack shook his head, eyes opening as he gazed sternly at Nigel. "It is not me you should be apologizing to. It is Courage. Why were you so harsh to him?" 

Nigel winced, cheeks turning pink as he stared down at the floor. "I... I'm sorry. I let my bad thoughts get the best of me, I suppose."

"That is plain to see. However, once we have finished this session you will have a clear enough mind not to repeat such a mistake any time soon. Let us continue, and then you can apologize to Courage." 

Nigel nodded, inhaling through his nostrils as he closed his eyes and continued the struggle to calm his negative thoughts. 

Outside the meditation room, Courage whimpered as he slinked down the hallway, looking for anywhere else he could be. His tail dragged as his paws took him almost unconsciously to the living room, where the TV was blasting loudly. Courage heard excited shouts from behind the sofa as a loud voice from the television announced, “VICTORY!!”

“Aw yeah!!” Ben Tennyson slammed his controller on the coffee table, standing on the sofa to do his trademark goofy victory dance. His green jacket hung loose, unzipped, his face lit with triumph. “High score, baby! This is almost getting too easy.”

Courage snuck behind the sofa, ears perked, while Ben sat back down and got ready for level 100. The screen flashed white, and a gigantic sumo wrestler faced a hulking, blood-smeared, skeletal monster. Courage's teeth chattered, and his fur stood on end. 

The voice from the TV yelled, “FIGHT!!”

Bens fingers danced wildly on the controller as the fight began. His face was scrunched in concentration, and his sumo wrestler avatar unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, kicks and the occasional body slams on his opponent. Suddenly, the skeletal villain let out a hideous screech (that was made worse by the fact that Ben had the volume turned all the way up) that indicated it was about to unleash its signature move. Ben smirked.

“Bring it on!”

Courage, however, was horrified by the awful noise and barked so loudly that Ben flinched and dropped the controller. He didn’t pick it up in time to defend himself, and the screen flashed “GAME OVER” as the sumo fell. Courage scampered around the TV, fur spiked like a porcupine, barking frantically.

“Hey!” Ben yelled, jumping up, “I was about to break another record!!” 

Courage yipped and ran circles around the TV. Ben grabbed him by the waist and shoved him out of the living room. “Go bug someone else, you stupid dog!” 

In DexLabs’ basement, a cavernous workshop of clanking metal and flickering lights, Coop hunched over a sleek, sky-blue hover-car, its hood propped open. He was dressed in a wife-beater and jeans which were streaked with grease, wrench in one hand, a flashlight in the other. Robotic arms whirred nearby, assembling drones, while models of other hover-ships loomed in the shadows. Coop wiped his brow with a rag slung around his waist, whistling. “Phew, last job today. Dexter better give me a raise soon.”

Closing the hood, Coop wrapped the towel over his neck and grabbed his tool belt, which he wrapped around his large waist. The blonde, bearded man whistled to himself as he patted his stomach and it grumbled loudly. Coop licked his lips as he thought of all the delicious food he could treat himself to for a job well done…a burger, a pizza, a dozen pizzas…

Time to eat like a king!

His thought process was interrupted when he tripped on something, falling roughly on his stomach. “Ow! What the hell…!?”

Coop got up, massaging his stomach and saw Courage sitting across from him, ears drooped and shaking nervously. Coop blinked. “Huh? What’re you doing down here? You’re never in the basement.”

He grabbed the dog roughly by the waist and hauled him to the service exit, ignoring Courage’s protesting yelps. Coop tossed him on the sidewalk outside, dusting his hands off. “There ya go. Run around or whatever.”

Coop shut the door before Courage could scamper back inside, leaving the poor dog alone in the bustling streets of Genius Grove.

Cars whizzed past the plucky, purple dog as horns blared loudly and the smell of gas and other pollutants filled the air. Courage coughed, scampering on the sidewalks to get some fresh air, his mind whirring as he ran. He saw a park across the street and, looking every which way to make sure no cars were coming, scampered over to the park and landed deftly underneath the shade of a large oak tree.

Courage snuggled against the bark, the sensation uncomfortable but enough to keep his anxious thoughts at bay. He saw the park was very busy, with families walking along the trail, some sitting at the picnic area and enjoying a nice lunch…and some playing with their dogs. 

One of the owners threw a frisbee for his bulldog to catch, and the large dog barked happily and practically jumped as the frisbee landed in his mouth. The owner, a tall blonde man, smiled proudly. “Great catch, Winston!”

Courage ears drooped. He snuggled closer to the tree, and made a soft, howling noise. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, three boys were exploring the city of Genius Grove, more than happy to get outside their cul-de-sac neighborhood. Ed, Edd and Eddy were walking closely beside each other, Eddy walking slightly ahead in a not so subtle display of his self perceived dominance. Double D was writing on his notepad and barely looking up as he followed his friends, while Ed walked with a happy, vacant smile on his face. 

Eddy stretched out his wiry arms, soaking in the sight of the city around him. “Man, this is what I’m talking about!! A whole city, ripe for the taking. So many potential customers…and potential money for jawbreakers!”

Double D frowned, looking up from his notepad. “It’s great that you’ve decided to expand your horizons, Eddy. But need I remind you that you haven’t started any successful businesses before in your life, much less in a large metropolitan area?”

“Pfft, business schmisiness!” said Eddy dismissively. “I’ve gotten us a bunch of quarters over the years, and that counts for something.”

“I still have quarters in my coat pockets!” said Ed. “Sometimes they jingle.”

The three Eds walked around town for a while, passing by humongous skyscrapers and apartment complexes. They soon passed the large, dome shaped building of DexLabs, and Double D scribbled away even more furiously on his notepad. 

“Dexlabs!! Oh my goodness, it’s even more impressive in person,” he said gleefully as he took notes. “Let’s see…the architecture could use some work…if I submitted these notes to Dexter, I might be able to secure an internship!”

Eddy huffed, annoyed. “That carrot headed nerd? You’ll be lucky if he ever comes out of his lab for you to talk to him.”

“Excuse you, Eddy? Dexter Cavanaugh is the most intelligent scientist of our generation!” protested Double D.

“Yeah! And he’s also the leader of a super cool hero team: The Foo Fighters!” added Ed. 

Double D sighed. “That’s Fusion Fighters, Ed. But yes, his efforts to stop the Fusion invasion are also commendable.”

“Whatever! I don’t have time to fanboy over some ginger with a funny accent and his wannabe Justice League. In case you bozos forgot, we don’t have any money and I need some ideas!!” snapped Eddy.

The Eds kept walking through the city and entered a park with winding paths and people playing with their dogs. They were still thinking of ways to earn some cash when Eddy tripped and fell over a warm, furry sensation that brushed against his leg. He gave a loud yelp and fell on his stomach, cursing as he got up.

“Hey! What the…who tripped me!?”

Eddy looked to his left and right and then to his friends, fuming. Double D buried his face in his note pad while Ed frowned, shaking his head in denial. Eddy opened his mouth wide to unleash a tirade, but then paused as he felt the same furry sensation brush against his leg. 

He looked down and saw a purple dog that was shaking violently, clearly afraid. Eddy glared at the dog and yanked him by the collar, and the dog yipped loudly. 

“You dumb mutt! Watch where you’re going, will ya!?”

“Eddy!” shouted Double D, alarmed. “Please, be gentle! It's inhumane to handle a dog by the collar like that.”

Courage yipped more loudly, and broke free from Eddy’s grip. He ran circles around a large oak tree, barking madly as the Eds watched him. The boys were amazed to see the dog suddenly shapeshifting into a cobra, an alien, a duck wielding a laser gun, and a fire breathing dragon. When he finally stopped, Courage sat beside the tree, huffing as his ears drooped. 

The Eds jaws dropped, marveling at Courage’s unique abilities. “My goodness…” breathed Double D. “A canine that can transform into anything at will!” 

“It’s like one of those sci-fi movies!” cheered Ed. “Can we keep him, Eddy? I’ve always wanted a dog.”

Double D frowned, crossing his arms. “Ed, with all due respect, what we’re witnessing is a marvel of genetic capabilities. We can’t just treat this dog like a common house pet.”

Eddy, however, had a much different idea from his companions. Staring at Courage’s now sleeping form, he grinned wickedly, rubbing his hands. He turned on his heel and faced his two friends, a sinister gleam in his eyes. 

“Gentlemen, I think I’ve found the answer to our money problems…”

Back at DexLabs, Dexter was finishing up a particularly long work day as he put the last file in his cabinet, stepping out of his office and stretching out on the sofa of the living room. Kicking off his shoes, he lazily pressed a button on the coffee table, and a Dexbot rushed in with a steaming cup of cappuccino. Dexter eagerly grabbed the cup and sipped, sighing as the liquid made a coffee mustache on his face. 

“Just what I needed…you are dismissed,” he told the Dexbot, and the robot beeped and hovered away. Dexter stretched out some more on the couch, and the automatic doors across the room slid open. Blossom walked in, her face dripping wet. 

“Geez, what a workout.” She plopped down on the armchair parallel to Dexter and pressed the button on the coffee table, a Dexbot hovering in with a glass of iced water with lemon. Dexter jolted upright on the armrest on the sofa.

“Blossom! I told you, you shouldn’t -”

“Sit on the furniture when I’m all sweaty. Yeah, I know,” replied Blossom, casually kicking her legs on the table as she sipped her water. “This isn’t sweat though - I just got out of the shower. Your decor is fine,” she winked. 

Dexter breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing on the couch. “Thank goodness.”

“Not that you couldn’t have a Dexbot clean up after me…or afford a dozen other furniture sets if this one got ruined,” teased Blossom. Before Dexter could retort, the doors to the living room slid open and Nigel and Jack walked in, both looking calm and serene in contrast to Blossom’s battle worn expression. Dexter pointed to the handy button on the coffee table. 

“Would you gentlemen like a beverage - water, coffee, lemonade, beer, anything?”

Jack shook his head, smiling politely. “We have had plenty of water, and I don’t think we’d need anything else.” Nigel nodded in agreement. Soon Ben walked in, stretching himself, followed by Coop, who smelled as bad as one would expect after staying in the basement working on rusty robot and car parts all day.

“Yo Dex, are you gonna sleep on that couch all day?” asked Ben, lazily pressing the button for a lemonade. “Some of us gotta nap, too.”

“You can nap all you want in your room,” said Dexter irritably. “I’ve had a very long day at work. I am not getting up.”

Ben glared at him. “Hey, I worked hard too.”

Blossom sighed. “Beating Sumo Slammer for the hundred billionth time doesn’t count as work, Ben.”

“Does too!...kinda,” said Ben, his face turning pink as he scratched the back of his head. 

A loud rumbling noise was heard, and Coop patted his stomach. “Hey, when’s dinner?”

Dexter turned on his side, facing the team as a sudden realization hit him. “Hey, where’s Courage?”

Everyone looked around, noticing the unusual absence of the purple dog. Courage was typically very skittish and ran all over the DexLabs building throughout the day, but he always noticed when Dexter had gotten off work and eagerly joined him in the living room. For him to not join the Fusion fighters was…off, to say the least. 

Dexter stood up, slipping on his shoes as he gave his team mates a very scrutinizing look. “Think, everyone. I last saw Courage today when Computress took him out of my office. Did anyone see where she took him?”

“Oh yeah, she took him outside to the courtyard.” answered Blossom. “I was busy training and didn't want Courage to get in the way, so I sent him back inside.”

“Nigel and I last saw him in the meditation room,” added Jack. “He was interrupting our session, so Nigel threw him out.”

Nigel blushed. “I suppose I could have been gentler…” 

Ben spoke up. “And I saw him in the living room - I was about to make another high score on Sumo Slammer when he broke my concentration! So I told him to get out.”

Dexter frowned deeply. Courage…today really isn't your day, is it?  

He turned to Coop, eyes narrowing. “What about you? When did you last see him?”

“In the basement when I was finishing my last job,” explained Coop. “He seemed really tense, so I thought I'd let him outside to get some fresh air.”

Dexter's jaw dropped. “You did WHAT!?” 

The Fusion Fighters did a double take at their leaders explosive remark. Coop winced, taking a step back. “Chill, bro. I just thought he…”

“Do not bro me, Harold!” snapped Dexter. Coop gulped - Dexter only called him by his real first name when things were dead serious. “You know how vital an asset Courage is to us! His superior threat detection and shape shifting skills prove invaluable to the team and to my research on unique animal physiology. And on top of that, he suffers from severe anxiety! And you just left him out on the streets, unsupervised!?”

Coop shrugged. “Uh…yeah?” 

Dexter swore under his breath. He grabbed his lab coat and hastily put it on, marching out the door at a commanding breakneck speed. Turning his head, he gestures out the door. 

“Everyone - come with me! We got to find Courage!!”

“Grgh…ugh…”

Courage’s large eyelids fluttered open, his vision coming into focus as he finally woke up. He groaned, struggling to stand on all fours before he was able to walk again. He moved a few feet and then felt a tug around his neck, keeping him from going further. Turning around, his eyes widened in horror as he saw he was tied to a large pole by a leash. Courage’s horror doubled when he found out he was surrounded by a large group of people…seated all around him in a large circus tent!

Courage barked madly, trying to get someone’s attention, but the crowd was too focused on the ringmaster to notice the dogs distress. Eddy walked up to the microphone at the center of the stage, dressed in a cheap looking, bright red suit over a black vest and top hat with the biggest salesman grin he ever wore. He took a deep breath. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Come one, come all, to the greatest show you’ll ever see in your life! What we have for you tonight puts every circus performance you’ve ever seen to shame. Balancing acts? Contortionists? Bearded ladies? They can all step aside, because the Eds present: The worlds first shape shifting dog!”

The spotlight moved to Courage, who froze in place, gulping. Eddy gestured to him as the crowd was laser focused on the poor canine. 

“To start us off…this amazing animal will transform into an alien!” He glared at Courage. “C’mon mutt, do your thing!” he whispered.

Courage was sweating bullets, feeling all eyes on him as the crowd eagerly awaited his transformation. Trembling, he reluctantly transformed into an insect like, bipedal purple alien, much to the the crowds astonishment. Everyone cheered loudly at Courage’s incredible transformation, and the dog reverted back to his true form as quickly as he could, whimpering. 

“Wonderful job, mutt!” Eddy shouted in the microphone, clearing his throat. “Erm, I mean…beloved pet of mine! Now, let’s see him turn into a toaster - and then a spaceship!!”

As Courage continued his humiliating performance, Ed and Double D were on the sidelines, Double D working the tech while Ed stood there in a clown costume. 

“Uh, Double D? When do you think Eddy’s gonna bring me onstage?” asked Ed.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath Ed,” said Double D through pursed lips. "He seems quite fixated on milking that dogs talents for all they're worth."

"Oh...okay," said Eddy, shoulders slumping. "Say, how did we get this giant circus tent, Double D?"

Double D shrugged. "Ask the writer."

Dexter ran as fast as his black leather shoe clad feet could carry him around Tech Square. He looked around frantically, questioning whatever passerby would listen to him as to the whereabouts of his dog - to which no one could answer. He swore under his breath, stopping underneath the shade of a large oak tree by a coffee shop as he pulled out his comm. 

“This is Dexter to all Fusion Fighters. Any updates?”

“No.”

“Nope.”

“Nada.”

“Zilch.”

“No. And we told you we’d let you know if we found him,” said Blossom, sighing.

Dexter shut off his comm, stuffed it in his pocket, and took off again, running so fast it was like he was trying to cover the entire city by foot

The wind whipped violently through Blossoms hair as she flew past several skyscrapers, eyes narrowed as she kept a close eye on the city below. Her super sight allowed her to zoom in on the streets and people of Genius Grove, which was a useful tool to have when you were looking for a jittery purple dog. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't very useful right now. 

Blossom landed deftly on the roof of an apartment complex, lips pursed. She crossed her arms, staring over the horizon as she considered her next move. 

Think, Blossom. If you were a dog with bad anxiety and an uncanny ability to shapeshift, where would you go?

Out of the corner of her eye, Blossom saw a billboard for a pet food shop that just opened on 5th street. She shrugged. 

“Worth a shot,” she said to herself as she flew towards it.

Ben crossed a corner on a busy intersection, looking every way he could for any sign of Courage. The streets were cluttered with people walking and cars honking, but no canine could be found anywhere. Ben didn’t even blink as he kept his eyes peeled, although he frequently bumped into people who were passing him by. 

“Hey ‘scuse me…oomf!” Ben walked into a tall man. “Sorry about that…”

He walked into an alleyway, seeking some relief from the oncoming foot traffic. Taking a few deep breaths, Ben turned the dial on the Omnitrix, hoping to find an alien that would help him be more discreet. Finding one, Ben grinned and slapped the watch. A bright green light enveloped him, and Ben transformed into Ghostfreak.

“Now this makes things easier!” cheered Ben. “No one can bump into me now…”

Ben went back into the streets, completely invisible as he floated through all the people walking by the road.

Jack leapt from building to building, wind blowing gently through his robe. Gliding through the city, his attention laser focused on the mission, he paused on a rooftop to take a deep breath, inhaling through his nostrils and closing his eyes.

After a minute, he re-opened them, leaping again to another building and getting back to the mission. 

“How hard can it be to find one purple dog!?”

Nigel flew through the city with his rocket powered shoes, scanning the area for any sign of Courage. So far he didn’t see any sign of the cowardly dog, and he was beginning to wonder with a sinking feeling in his stomach if he or anyone on his team would find Courage. Nigel stopped above a delicatessen, hovering above the shop as customers went in and out. He tapped a button on his watch, activating his communicator. 

“This is Nigel Uno to Fusion Fighters. I’ve scoured the entire south side of Genius Grove and still no sign of Courage. Heading to the northeast sector now. Over.”

Static crackled on the other end before Dexter’s commanding voice responded. “Copy that, Nigel. Keep your eyes peeled. Over and out.”

Nigel shut off the communicator, frowning as he flew to the northeast side of town. As he flew as fast as his rocket powered shoes could carry him, he thought of the last time he saw Courage, how he was eager to kick him out of the meditation room for interrupting his peace of mind. 

Nigels stomach twisted into knots, and he exhaled deeply. “Please be alright,” he said, a small, crazy part of him hoping that Courage would hear. 

Coop nearly fell asleep at the wheel as he drove MEGAS through the busy streets of Genius Grove. Well, “drove” wasn’t the best way to describe it - unless you counted moving 1 mile per hour as driving. It was rush hour traffic, everyone going home for the day, and that meant that Coop was going to have to exercise every bit of patience he had driving through the busy city.

The blonde, bearded mechanic yawned as he pushed a button on his dashboard, radioing into Dexter’s comm channel. “Hey man, traffic’s slow as hell right now. Can’t I sit this one out?”

Dexter’s reply was instant, sharp, and irritated. “Absolutely not. You were the one who threw Courage out to the streets to begin with. Just consider yourself lucky that I’m not docking your pay.” The channel shut off. 

Coop groaned and muttered some profanities as he turned the radio on to his favorite rock station. As he leaned back in his chair, Coop thought to himself that he might prefer having his pay docked to dealing with the awful traffic for one more minute.

Meanwhile inside the gigantic circus tent that the Eds had inexplicably obtained, Courage was going through every transformation possible to entertain the cheering crowd. Ed had Courage turn into a cobra, a jack in the box toy, and a green-eyed duck wielding a laser gun. His impressive shapeshifting garnered many ooohs and ahhhs through the audience, and some patrons even threw roses as they applauded Courage’s performance.

And yet, for all the admiration he was getting, the cowardly canine couldn’t have been more miserable. 

He sighed as Eddy commanded him to transform yet again, this time into a boat. I never had to do this for Dexter…

“Computress, have our drones picked up on any sign of Courage yet?”

“Negative, Dexter. The minute they have found him, I will alert you immediately.”

Dexter sighed. “Very well, then.” He shut off his comm link. 

He had been running around town for what felt like forever, but as he wiped sweat off his brow and took a seat on a park bench by the sidewalk of the Genius Grove suburbs, Dexter felt that it was a good time to take a break. Almost the moment he sat down, he heard a dog barking in the distance, and across the street saw a man walking his yellow lab to the nearby park. Dexter smiled, his mind flooding with memories of him and Courage…including the moment they first met…

Nowhere was an appropriately named Kansas town, sparsely populated and surrounded by endless miles of desert. Nothing could be seen aside from the mountains in the distance, and nothing could be heard apart from the wind blowing and the occasional crow cawing. No one could ever end up in Nowhere by accident; it was such an isolated town and so far off the beaten path that whoever did show up could only do so because they had every intention to. Which wasn’t likely. 

It was the perfect place, in Dexter’s opinion, for the creation of a top secret research facility. 

He checked the blueprints a member of the construction team gave him. “You’re sure this can be completed in three months?”

“Yessir,” a burly, mustached man in a hard hat and reflector vest. “We got everything we need to make it happen.” 

Dexter was surrounded by bulldozers, crane trucks and excavators, and he was dressed in cargo pants and a light blue shirt, wearing a hard hat himself. He and the construction workers were encircling a quaint, wooden home that had been abandoned for years, with a windmill beside it that was spinning lazily. 

“We can get started on the facility as early as tomorrow,” the construction man. “Just need to get that old house outta the way.”

Dexter smiled. “Very good, Weston. You and your men may proceed.”

The construction crew circled around the house, ready for demolition. Dexter stood a good distance away from the crew, watching with bated breath as they were about to tear the house down. His heart raced as he thought of all the possibilities that yet another research facility would bring…he could develop a cure for cancer, invent a never ending food supply, create a factory for robots willing to serve humanity…and since it was so isolated, he wouldn’t have to worry about Mandark finding and potentially destroying it. 

The comm link on Dexter’s watch beeped. Brow furrowed, he turned it on. “What is it, Computress? You know I’m busy right now.”

“I understand Dexter, but this is urgent!” said Computress, capturing Dexter’s attention with her unusually alarmed tone. “I’m sensing another life form inside of that house - and its heart rate is off the charts!”

“What!?” questioned Dexter. “How is that possible!? This house has been abandoned for years!”

“I don’t know, but I would strongly advise you to hold off on the demolition.” 

Dexter gritted his teeth. And just when they were so close to calling it a day…

“Understood, Computress. I’ll tell them to stop. Thank you for alerting me to this.” He shut off the comm. Dexter pushed a few buttons on his watch, radioing into every construction worker as their vehicles were inches away from destroying the house. A bulldozer had lifted the front porch an inch off the ground when Dexter’s announcement came blaring through the airwaves. 

“Attention, everyone! Stop what you are doing - don’t go near the house! My assistant has informed me there is still someone else in there.”

The bulldozer paused, and backed away from the house along with the several other bulldozers and cranes as Dexter ran toward the front door. Several of the construction workers got out of their vehicles, some looking angry, others confused. 

“You gotta be kidding me! Someone else is in there!? I thought the place was abandoned!” one shouted. 

“Me too…what’s going on?” his co-worker asked.

Dexter rushed into the house, the wooden door nearly falling off its hinges when he opened it. He scanned the living room and kitchen area for any signs of life, but found none. What he found instead was the dusty remnants of a well kept home that had a wicker furniture set, a 1950s TV in the living room, and an even older refrigerator with pictures of an elderly couple and their pet. For all the charming aspects of the house, though, it didn’t hide that the building was in a dreadful state of disrepair. The wooden floorboards creeked with every step Dexter took, and looking up he could see the roof was missing shingles. Paint was peeling off the walls, and there were even weeds growing inside the living room and kitchen area. 

Who in the world would want to stay in a house like this?, thought Dexter as he explored the building.

“Hello!?” he shouted. “Is anyone home?”

Dexter heard nothing. He slowed down his pace, walking carefully through the kitchen and dining room, ears peeled for the slightest sound of movement. 

“I do not mean to alarm you, but your home is slated for demolition. In fact, it has been for months. Please show yourself, we will not hurt you!” he shouted, more loudly. 

Upstairs, he heard the quick scurry of feet across the wooden floor. Dexter immediately ran up the steps, and it led him down a long hallway decorated with pictures of the same elderly couple he saw in the kitchen. He looked around the different rooms, walking slowly, purposefully. 

“Hello?” he said, voice echoing through the hall. “Please, do not be afraid. I promise you I mean  no harm - I thought this place was abandoned. If you would just show yourself, I am sure we could come to an agreement.”

From the farthest end of the hallway, a loud, panicked noise was heard. Dexter couldn’t make out what it was, but it sounded high pitched - like a scream. He felt sweat drop down his neck as he moved closer to the last room of the hallway, a closed door to his left. Dexter reached for the doorknob, hand trembling slightly, and prepared himself for the best and the worst when he opened it. 

And saw, to his surprise, a purple dog laying in the corner of the room, eyes wide as saucers and shaking terribly. 

Dexters jaw dropped, hand sliding off the doorknob as he stared speechlessly at the terrified canine. The dog looked back at him, making another high pitched yipping noise, and burying his face in his paws. 

“A…dog?” said Dexter incredulously. “The absurdly high heart rate that Computress sensed was from a dog?”

The dog barked loudly and started running all over the room and, to Dexter’s amazement, started to shapeshift. In a flurry of purple it transformed into a miniature bulldozer, then a crane, then an old man, and an old woman…who Dexter recognized as the couple that used to live there. He marveled at the housepets abilities. “Incredible,” he whispered.

Soon the dog stopped transforming and went back to its original form, teeth chattering. It was still trembling, but had calmed down some, and Dexter smiled as he leaned down to the dogs level. “You are truly a wonder of science, my friend. An anomaly of the canine species…indeed, I have never seen a dog of your shapeshifting capabilities before. You will be a fascinating subject for further study.”

The dog yelped loudly, fur standing on end as it scampered into the corner of the room, running into the wall as if it could somehow break through it. Dexter’s smile disappeared and he ran toward the dog, reaching out his hand to soothe the poor pet. At first it yanked away from Dexter’s touch, but slowly, when it became clear Dexter wasn’t going to harm him, the dog relaxed slightly, fur still on edge but staying put. 

“There, there…I promise I won’t harm you,” said Dexter soothingly. “I am merely curious. I’m a scientist, you see. Now then, what is your name?”

The dog lifted its head slightly, so that Dexter could see its collar. He reached a gloved hand towards it, his thumb brushing against a silver bone dog tag that read “Courage.” 

He smiled warmly. “Courage…it’s very nice to meet you, Courage. My name is Dexter.” 

Courage whimpered, still trembling. Dexter patted him on the head and then, perhaps against his better judgment, pulled Courage into his lap. The dog yelped as Dexter started petting him all over, but soon Courage calmed down, and actually smiled when Dexter scratched behind his ears. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

Dexter's watch suddenly beeped, and Courage jolted upwards, scared. Dexter scratched behind his ears some more to calm him down and then pressed a dial on his watch. “Yes?”

“Sir, we're ready to proceed with the demolition whenever you are,” said Weston, his voice sounding strained with barely concealed impatience. “We have been waiting for twenty minutes now.”

Dexter looked outside the window to the bulldozers and cranes ready to tear the house down. He looked at Courage, whose ears dropped. His smile disappeared. 

“Weston…”

“What is it, sir?”

Courage climbed out of Dexter's lap, head hanging low as he crawled out of the room into the hallway. Dexter followed him, and he saw that Courage was sitting in front of an old picture of his owners, looking soulfully up at it. 

Dexter felt his heart constrict. 

“Sir?”

“Give me a moment,” he said into his watch. 

“Understood,” replied Weston, and the comm link was cut off. 

Dexter stared at the picture Courage was gazing up at, a picture of him being cradled by an older woman seated next to a grumpy looking man reading a newspaper. Courage whimpered, tail brushing against the wooden floor as his eyes began to water. Dexter kneeled down to him, scratching his head. 

“So…I suppose your owners are no longer with us, eh?” he asked rhetorically. Courage nodded his head. “And you live in this old house, all by yourself? No one takes care of you?”

Courage nodded again. 

“I see…well, as you are probably aware, we intended to tear down this home today. I’m building a new research facility for my lab,” continued Dexter. “But, ah…I was not aware you were here until now, so that complicates things.”

Courage barked loudly, in a noise that wasn’t hard to interpret as protest. 

Dexter looked around the hallway, noticing the same peeling paint, creaky floorboard and missing roof shingles that he did downstairs. “I don’t mean to be rude, but surely you have seen how dilapidated this building is. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life here?” 

Courage leaned against the wall, looking up at the picture of Eustace and Muriel with sad, soulful eyes. Dexter stared back at the picture, noticing how happy Courage appeared to be in it. He then heard a loud, rumbling noise, and Courage’s drooping ears told him where it came from. 

“You haven’t had a good meal in a long time, haven’t you?”

Courage buried his face in his paws, clearly embarrassed. Dexter reached a hand toward Courage’s head, patting it, his eyes meeting the dog in a rare display of affection. 

“I understand how you feel. This place holds a lot of sentimental value for you, clearly, and rightly so. But if there is one thing I’ve learned as a scientist, its that we can’t cling to the past too much - the world changes, it progresses, and so do we. You staying here isn’t good for you - so, why don’t you come home with me instead?”

Courage whimpered, ears drooping as he kept his gaze steady on the picture of his dearly departed owners. Dexter lifted a finger to his chin, in deep thought, then grinned as an idea struck him. 

“I tell you what…why don’t you bring these pictures with you? And any other possessions you have here. That way you can take a piece of this home to your new one,” he suggested. Courage looked back at Dexter, clearly considering his offer…and then for the first time, actually smiled as his tail began to wag. 

Dexter clapped his hands, satisfied. “Wonderful, we have reached an agreement! Now, what else do you wish to bring with you?”

Courage rushed into another room and dragged several belongings out to the hallway with his teeth: A tattered old dog bed, a yellow apron with a similarly colored dress, a long brown hat, and a crumpled up newspaper. Dexter was carefully inspecting each item when he heard his watch beep. 

“Sir, not to rush but when are we demolishing this building?”

Dexter stared at Courage, who groaned lightly. 

“In a few minutes, Weston. We have some…pieces to pick up, first.” He shut off the comm. 

Courage happily jumped into Dexter’s arms, the scientist grinning from ear to ear as his new dog licked his face. They gathered all of Courag’es stuff and walked outside, the construction workers gazing curiously at the dog that followed Dexter back to his hover car. Looking up to where Weston was seated in his bulldozer, Dexter motioned that he could proceed with the demolition. 

As the bulldozers circled in, Courage gave his house one last soulful look, ears drooping. Dexter scratched his head and the dogs ears perked up again, smiling, tail wagging as his attention turned to his new master. 

“Welcome home, Courage.”

Dexter stared at his watch as it kept flashing a light blue hue, only dimly aware of the pedestrians surrounding him on the city sidewalks. He sighed as he leaned back on the bench. Almost absentmindedly, Dexter stared at the passerbys walking by, some by themselves, some with their spouses and children…and some with their pets. 

Dexter’s chest tightened. 

He stood up and started walking - where, he wasn’t sure. Shoulders slumped, hands stuffed in his coat pockets, Dexter weighed his options. Did he have any left? The rest of the Fusion Fighters and even Dexter’s handy robot drones were all over the city trying to find Courage, with no luck. Was there anything else he could do at this point? 

His brain whirred for an idea as he passed a movie theater, a Mexican restaurant, a giant circus tent…

Circus tent?

Dexter stopped in his tracks as a large, bright orange circus tent caught his eye. The massive tent was situated in a wide field that could have been a baseball field, customers coming in and out to watch the spectacular show. Whatever it was. Dexter placed a finger to his chin. Odd. Since when did the circus ever come to this town?

He felt a buzzing in his wrist, and tapped a button on the watch. Computress answered him, sounding urgent. 

“Dexter, you might want to investigate what’s going on inside of that tent. It mysteriously appeared this afternoon…and I’m sensing an abnormally high heart rate coming from inside of it.”

Dexter’s eyes narrowed. “Will do, Computress. Thank you for the information.” 

He shut off the comm link. Tapping another button on his watch, Dexter radioed to his teammates. 

“Attention, team. I will be sending you coordinates in the downtown area where I’ll need you to meet me as soon as possible. I think I have a lead.”

Courage had transformed into a giant purple rhino and was balancing on top of a ball, moving all over the stage with it as the crowd clapped and cheered madly. He was sweating bullets as he struggled to not fall off, but miraculously was able to stay on long enough until Eddy called for something different. Eddy whistled, signaling for Courage to get off the ball, and then eagerly spoke into the microphone. 

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the piece de resistance!”

Ed and Double D walked on stage, each carrying large rings that they set up on a platform parallel to Eddy and Courage. Eddy grinned widely, and pressed a button on a remote like device which caused the rings to set on fire. The crowd gasped in surprise, as did Courage, who transformed back into a dog and shook horribly while his teeth chattered. 

“This amazing little dog is going to transform into a tiger - and leap through the rings of fire!”

The crowd went wild, their cheers drowning out Courage’s horrified yelps. The purple dog trembled as the Eds surrounded him, waiting for him to continue the show. 

“Pssst!” Eddy leaned in to Courage, whispering. “C’mon, ya lousy mutt. Do the transforming thing!”

Double D frowned. “He seems quite disturbed, Eddy…perhaps we should give him a minute?”

“Yeah, or have me onstage instead!” said Ed, smiling vacantly. He honked his red nose. “I’ve always wanted to be a clown.”

“You already are, now shaddup!” snapped Eddy. He glared at Courage. “Now listen. I need money, and you’re not gonna ruin this for me when I’m so close to the finish line. Got it?”

Eddy faced the audience again, bringing back his smiling, showman demeanor. “Alright, everyone!” he said into the mic. “Sorry for the delay, but now…feast your eyes on the worlds first purple, ring of fire leaping tiger!!” 

The spotlight moved from Eddy to Courage…and then abruptly cut off. In fact, the entire circus tent went dark in an instant, and even the tech booth that Double D and Ed were maintaining stopped working. The crowd at first was waiting on the edge of their seat, assuming the sudden darkness was a long pause for effect, but after a while it became clear it wasn’t intentional. A confused murmur ran through the crowd, that quickly devolved into angry shouting and throwing food onstage. 

“Hey! What’s going on?” Eddy shouted to Double D and Ed, dodging popcorn and water bottles. “Turn on the lights, would ya!?”

A spotlight did turn on, over Eddy and then the tech booth. Double D and Ed however, were unable to reply to their friend as they were tied up to the chair with tape over their mouths, struggling to break free, their protests muffled by the tape. A familiar looking red haired teenager wearing a lab coat and glasses emerged from the darkness and into the spotlight. Courage yipped happily, smiling for the first time that entire day.

Dexter toggled with the computer at the tech booth, turning on the mic that was seated on the monitor. His voice echoed through the tent. “Attention, everyone - this show has been canceled. Full refunds will be available outside.”

“HEY!!” Eddy yelled, his face turning beet red. “You can’t just interrupt my show like that!”

“We can,” a young voice replied. “And we will!”

Ben hopped onstage, running to the spotlight and facing the audience with a big, goofy grin. “Ladies and gentlemen! You all wanna see a cool transformation? Check this out!!” Before Eddy could push Ben offstage, he slammed his palm on the Omnitrix and in a flash of green light that suddenly became yellow, turned into Heatblast. The crowds frustration turned to awe as Heatblast formed two fireballs in his palms and started juggling them, then a third, then a fourth. 

“Don’t try this at home, kids!” 

A gust of wind blew through the crowd, and as if on cue Blossom flew on stage, hovering over Heatblast as she too faced the audience. “And if you think that’s good, check this out!” 

She inhaled sharply, cheeks puffing up, and then exhaled an icy blast of freezing breath that turned Heatblast fireballs to ice! Ben, not to be outdone, shot a stream of red hot fire that melted the balls before they hit the ground, much to the crowds amazement. People cheered, exhilarated by the unexpected performance. Eddy meanwhile was standing on the corner of the stage, fuming. 

“Why I oughta…!” 

He marched towards Blossom and Ben, but stopped in his tracks when he felt something push him violently on his rump. Eddy grunted in pain and looked around to see who pushed him but couldn’t find anyone, and then felt himself getting shoved into the spotlight. He howled in pain as he felt someone giving him a violent wedgie, and Nigel materialized in front of him, joining his comrades. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Nigel said as he kicked Eddy’s rear and he fell face first into the ground, “The Invisible Man has arrived!” 

The crowd applauded and even gave a standing ovation, completely forgetting about Courage and the act he was supposed to put on. The purple dog in question was cheering along with the crowd, relieved to not be the center of attention anymore. Dexter climbed onstage away from the spotlight, and unhooked Courage from the pole he was tied to. The dog eagerly leapt into his owners arms, licking Dexter’s face as the boy genius laughed. 

He scratched Courage behind the ears. “There you are, boy!! Please, you mustn’t scare me like that again.”

Eddy groaned, massaging his rear as he recovered from the violent wedgie Nigel had given him. Seeing that Courage was now in Dexter’s possession, he bolted straight up and protested. “Let him go, that’s my dog! I found him first!!”

Two big, muscular arms grabbed Eddy from behind, restraining and nearly choking him. His eyes grew wide as dinner plates. He struggled to escape, but the grip was too strong. 

“I got news for you, little man,” said Coop, tightening his grip. “My boss found him first. That’s our dog.”

Courage growled at Eddy, fur standing on edge. Dexter frowned as he looked at the newly minted circus showman responsible for his dog’s disappearance. “Is this the person who’s been giving you so much trouble, boy?”

Courage nodded. Eddy groaned as he struggled to break free of Coops grip, but it was no use. The blonde man was more than twice as strong as Eddy. 

“Hey, it was nothing personal, honest!” sputtered Eddy. “I just thought, here’s this stray looking dog, he can shapeshift, and I gotta have money for jawbreakers…”

Dexter scratched Courage on his head while the dog kept growling at Eddy. Underneath the stage light, the crowd was none the wiser as Blossom, Ben, and Nigel continued to entertain them with their talents. Dexter’s expression was passive as he looked at Eddy. He let Courage down gently, and the dog barked. 

“Let him go, Coop.”

Coop shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.” He released Eddy, who fell on his knees. Dexter smiled as he slowly got back up. 

“So, you wanted jawbreakers, eh? Well…”

He cracked his knuckles. 

“...allow me to accommodate you!”

Dexter’s fist collided into Eddy’s jaw, causing blood and a tooth to fly out of his mouth. Eddy stumbled before falling unconscious on the ground at Coops feet, the crowd again completely oblivious as they enjoyed the show that the other Fusion Fighters were putting on for them. Dexter wiped his hands, glaring at Eddy’s comatose form. 

“That will teach you to steal my dog.” He looked up at Coop. “Call the police, and tell them we’ve got three self-made dog catchers for them to apprehend.”

Coop gave a dutiful nod and grabbed his cell phone, his big fingers racing across it. While it was ringing, he asked, “What about the circus? Should we tell everyone to get outta here?”

Dexter glanced at Blossom, Ben, and Nigel - who had turned invisible, and was balancing three fire-turned-ice balls on his palms and head while the crowd watched with rapt attention. Ben had formed three giant fireballs which Blossom froze, and turned into a snowman. Dexter smiled. 

“I am in no rush.”

Sparks were flying as Dexter worked on a new device in his laboratory, wearing a metallic face mask and welder. In the living room, Blossom was stretched out on the sofa with Courage resting in her lap, snoring as his tail moved gently. Jack was seated beside her in the armchair, sipping tea. 

“You really missed out, Jack,” said Blossom as she scratched Courage behind the ears. “Upstaging that jerk at the circus was a lot of fun. Ben, Nigel and I had the crowd going wild after a few minutes.”

Jack frowned, stirring his tea. During the Fusion Fighters takeover of Eddy’s circus, he was more than content to stay outside and issue refunds for the patrons. “I never cared much for crowds.”

“Have you ever had one cheer for you?” asked Blossom, snickering. “Maybe you’d change your mind.”

Ben and Coop walked into the room, Ben pressing the button on the coffee table for a lemonade, Coop for a coffee. A dexbot arrived with their beverages, and Ben eagerly grabbed his glass, gulping it down. He set it down on the table with a satisfied smack of his lips.

“And here I thought the circus was for babies. That was so cool!” 

“Yeah, it looked like fun. Wish I could’ve joined the show,” said Coop, sipping his coffee. “But I guess I had to make up for letting Courage out in the first place…”

“Mistakes happen,” said Nigel, appearing suddenly behind Ben, who screamed and fell on his butt. “At least now we have him back.”

“And I have just the thing to ensure incidents such as this will never happen again!”

Dexter emerged from his lab, holding what looked like a shiny metal dog collar. Courage stirred awake and hopped off Blossoms lap as he heard his master approaching, tilting his head curiously. Dexter leaned down to Courage’s level and placed the collar over his head, then pressed a button, lights flashing on it. Courage gave a nervous bark but relaxed when he realized the collar was safe to wear. 

“Another dog collar?” asked Blossom as she peered curiously at Courage’s neck. “What was wrong with the old one?”

Dexter smiled proudly. “Nothing. But this collar will allow Courage to communicate with us in our language, so that there will be no confusion from now on. I call it…this is genius…the Talk Collar!”

Blossom gave him a half smile as if to say that she found that name quite clever. Dexter looked at Courage expectantly. “Well boy, come on now! For your first words in our English language, what do you want to say?”

The Fusion Fighters leaned in as the Talk Collar beeped, Courage gulping as he opened his mouth to bark and it auto translated to the team: 

“The things I do for love.”