The No Parents Project
Chapter One
Luke Triton knocked repeatedly on his mentor's door.
"PROFESSOR!" He shouted. "PROFESSOR!" The English boy looked though all of the windows of Professor Layton's flat, or house, that he could, desperately hoping that Layton was coming to open the door at any second, or was present. No such luck. He went back to the front of the flat, and sighed, scooting down to his bottom.
He didn't know what to do. All of the adults in all of town, and all over the U.K. according to kid news reporters just vanished into thin air. He hoped that Layton, miraculously was the only adult that didn't disappear, but it seems wasn't the case. He felt stupid of this now. How could he be so daft?
His father always told him to be brave and strong in dark times such as these, but he didn't feel brave or strong at all. He just sat there, and started to cry.
"I'm home from Queen's Domain!" Steve Smith announced, bursting though the door of his house. He expected a greeting from someone from his household, but didn't see anyone. "Mom? Dad?" He went though the whole house, shouting for them, but didn't see anyone, not even Klaus or Roger. The highschooler was terrified. He never felt this scared in his life.
"Steve?" Steve heard his friend, Snot coming in the house. Toshi and Barry, his other friends, were with him. "Your parents are gone too?" Steve nodded.
"So are Hayley, Jeff, Roger, and Klaus."
"Your uncle's still living with you? When will he move out?" Steve shrugged.
"I would ask why you named your fish, Klaus," Barry put in. "And why he can talk, but I'm so worried about our parents and loved ones."
"(We all are)." Toshi agreed in Japanese. "(But we have to be strong)."
"I don't know what you just said like always, Tosh," Steve said. "But we can't just sit here and mope all day. We have to take action, and find them all. We just have to."
Katie, the kitten, was in a corner of her mentor, Sylvester Scott's home, crying her eyes out in her paws. Scott, like her mom, and all of the other adults, has all disappeared, vanished out of thin air.
Suddenly, she heard a 'poof'. She looked up. There before her stood Poof (well, floated), Chloe, and Timmy.
"All of the kids are meeting at Castle DeDeDe to discuss all of the adults disappearing. Come." He offered him his hand. Katie was hesitant. "Come on, we're all in this together. We don't have all day. We have to get a few others." Katie took Timmy's hand, and Poof poofed them away.
"Okay," Luke began as soon as all of the cartoon children were in out in the backyard of King DeDeDe's castle. "I'm sure by now you know all of the adults from our cartoon worlds have simply vanished, even adult Pokémon. All of them all began talking at once. Luke held his hands up. "Whoa, whoa, not all at once! I know you're all worried with fear, so am I, but, please, calm down." But they all kept talking.
"We just got Mother back." Lillie stated. Her brother, Gladion comforted her.
"Please!" He sighed.
"EVERYONE, QUIET!" Tiff screamed. They all looked at her. "Look, it's hard right now, we get it, but talking about our fears like this isn't going to solve our problems. We need to listen, and support each other." She looked at Luke. "As you were saying."
"Thank you." Luke said.
"Why didn't you disappear?" Tuff asked. "You may be a kid, but you act like one of the boring adults." Tiff shushed him as they all listened to Luke.
"We, as children, can not survive on our own without them." Luke continued.
"Pbbt!" Bart disagreed. "We don't really need them. We can do whatever we want now!"
"Bart!" Her sister, Lisa scolded. Her baby sister, Maggie, was in her arms. "Of course we need them. In order for society to function, there has to be rules."
"But rules are no fun!"
"There're there to protect you, and get you ready for the future when we live on our own."
"What future? We're cartoons. It's been like thirty years since our show started, and we still live with Mom and Dad."
"I'm ten because I made a wish to stay this age forever," Timmy stated.
"so that I could be with my godparents. It might mean putting up with Vicky, Crocker, Francis, school, as well as others, but it's all worth it."
"And I tried to wish them back to us," Poof put in. "but I guess my magic's too weak, or something. It made a fart sound." Some cartoons laughed. Lisa rolled her eyes.
"This is why some people hate some kid cartoons nowadays. Too many fart jokes."
"Then they don't get humor like we do." Bart said. "Fart jokes are hilarious!" Lisa just sighed.
"At least you tried." Chloe stated. "I'm sure we'll come up with something that will work!"
"Chloe's right, guys." Luke resumed. "We need to do something about it. Young citizens in the real world are doing something to make change, so can we. If we all stick together, we can do anything we set our minds to. We can make a difference! It may be hard at times, and we may want to give up, but we can't. This is our future we're talking about. My dad told me to be brave and strong. We have to find the light in the darkness. The adults may think we might not all survive, but let's prove them wrong. Let's make them proud that we are their children, and we aren't just a burden, and can actually do something. Let's show them! Let's show the world!" Everyone cheered. "But first, we have to find out how all of the adults disappeared."
"Really wish I had Roger with me." Steve said. "This would be a great case to solve as Wheels and the Legman." Luke looked at Steve.
"That is why you'll be teaming up with me and Katie."
"Yay!" Katie cheered. "I'm going to make Mr. Scott so proud of me!"
"And Ferb and I will make something that can maybe get them back." Phineas put in.
"I'll help." Jimmy Neutron added.
"Yeah!" His friend Sheen said. "Because his head is shaped like a fudge sundae, so you know he's smart!"
"And I don't have Mom to bust you." Candace stated. "Not that I would anyways. This is all for a good cause, and I'm all for it, because it'll mean future bust attempts!"
"I wonder what she means by that." Milo Murphy said.
"We have no idea." Phineas told him as Ferb just shrugged. "We just go with it."
"You can count me in." Sophocles spoke.
"I'll help too." Clement spoke.
"Uh-oh." Bonnie observed. "Watch out. This can't be good."
"I might have something." Steve said to everyone.
"What?" Luke asked. "We're all ears."
"Well, the youngest ones here are Maggie, Jack-Jack, and Poof, while the oldest are…"
"Us." Clement and Vanessa said at the same time.
"So, what's your point?" Vanessa asked.
"My point is that everyone here your age, or younger."
"Wow!" Brittney Biscuit said sarcastically. "Good, like, detective work."
"Even we solved that," Her sister, Whitney said. "And we don't like it when we have to think. It makes our brains hurt and stuff."
"Who said you had to think about it?" Blythe wanted to know. Whitney looked at her.
"We can't help it if someone states the obvious. It makes them look stupid, and they need to know." Blythe glared at them. She looked at Steve.
"Sorry about them. Continue."
"Thanks," Steve said. "I know how mean kids can be, and I basically said what I needed anyways."
"It is a bit strange that no one pass the age of sixteen is here." Luke continued. "That's' interesting. But that's something to go on; now we have to figure out why and how!" He looked at Tim Goodman, Steve, and Katie. "Detectives, meet me in the left corner."
"And what are we supposed to do?" Gumball wanted to know.
"Just do whatever." Luke said. "We detectives got this. Just don't break anything."
"As much as he's hated," Tuff began. "and this is my sister's and my home, King DeDeDe will be so angry, and you don't want to make him mad. Believe me."
"While we wait," Hiro said. "I can teach you guys how to build fightbots, and we can have them fight each other."
"That can be fun I guess." Bart said. "I'm game." Cartoons agreed.
Luke, Katie, Tim, and Steve met in the corner.
"Okay," Luke started. "What do we have?" The others shrugged.
"Sorry." Steve stated. "This will be more easer if Roger was here."
"Me too with Mr. Scott." Katie added. Tim agreed. He wished his talking Pokémon partner were here too.
"Well, that's tough luck!" Luke said. "They're not here. We have to do this by ourselves or not at all. Now, think! Where were we when they all disappeared?"
"I was playing the Switch with Pikachu." Tim said.
"I was playing at a park with my friends." Katie put in.
"I just got home from Queen's Domain." Steve spoke.
"Okay," Luke observed. "This is obviously not helping, so we have to think even more." The cartoons thought about this long and hard.
"I can't come up with anything." Steve said.
"Me neither." Tim added.
"This is hard." Katie put in. "My kitten brain can't handle it.
"Can't we take a break, and think of this later?" Steve whined. "I want to destroy someone else's robot with my own!" The detectives agreed. Luke sighed.
"No! Focus, you guys, we need to…" Poof poofed to them, note in hand.
"Guys!" He told them. "I have a lead from Vanessa!"
"Finally!" Luke said. "What do you have?" Poof handed him the note. Luke read it to himself.
"What does it say?" Katie wanted to know. "I can't tell with you not saying anything, it not being in front of me." Luke looked at her as well as Tim and Steve.
"It's from the adults. Apparently they did this to test if us, kids, can survive on our own."
"What?!" Steve questioned. "That's stupid! They're supposed to be smarter then us, but this just proves that the older you are, you can still be stupid."
"I agree. It is stupid, but that is what they did, and worst of all, they can't undo what they did, so we have to go on a quest to undo what they did ourselves."
"It's hard to imagine that every adult approved of this." Tim put in. "I know my father wouldn't, not with what happened to us recently."
"It is strange, but maybe he had no choice. Maybe they did it without his input and permission."
"Well, can't Poof poof a note saying no way, and reunite us with them?" Luke sadly shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. It said once they activated the machine that caused all of this, it can't be undone. Plus, it made it so they went to another dimension. It's up to us. We need the key from the Southern Swamp in Termina to opperate the machine in the Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls, Oregon. "
"I can't do this without Mr. Scott and Mom!" Katie whined. "I can't live without them or the other adults! I'm just a little kitten. What do they expect me to do? I'm scared." Luke looked at her.
"We all are, but you just have to be strong and brave. You'll see them all again, don't worry." He looked at the others again. "If we do what the note says, we all will. This journey might be dangerous, but the adults say we can do it; what do you say?"
"If it is the only way we can be reunited, I'm game." Steve said.
"Me too!" Tim agreed with confidence. "We must do this to be happy again no matter what."
"I guess." Katie agreed with a sad sniff, tears in her eyes. "If it's the only way."
"Perfect!" Luke said with a smile. "Let's show them and the world what kids can do." I'll go tell the others." They all went to the other cartoons.
"We have to figure out who else besides me will go on this quest." Luke stated when he told them what the note said. But everyone was talking all at once that they couldn't listen. "Guys. Guys!" Tiff sighed.
"I got this." She said. Then she yelled the loudest she could. "GUYS; LISTEN UP!" They all stopped, and looked at her.
"You can make us all go deaf, sis." Tuff spoke. "And then we won't be able to listen."
"I'm sorry, but Luke has something to say." They all looked at him.
"So, who's going on this quest with me?" The English boy questioned. "Raise your hand, if you can that is, and if you can't, I guess just shout it out." Everybody raised their hands. Luke was surprised. "You all can't go."
"We all want to go because this is an adventure." Dewey said. "Who wouldn't want to go? Besides lazy people, I guess. And I'm not lazy!"
"Wow!" Ash Ketchum said. "This kind of determination is what I get for Pokémon battles. I get it, and I like it!"
"I'll go." Mudkip volunteered. "You'll need a Pokémon if you ever come across danger."
"Aw!" Torchic pouted. "I was about to volunteer."
"It's best if you stay here." Mudkip told her. She looked at Treecko. "Treecko will take care of you."
"Yay!" The chick Pokémon cheered. Treecko sighed with dismay.
"Yay, lucky me!" He said, not thrilled at all with the idea. "This is what I get for being too lazy to volunteer."
"I'll go too." Poof spoke up as well. "I'm magic enough to be useful."
"But Poof," Timmy stated to his god brother. "Your magic's not too good, remember?"
"I'm been practicing while you were with my parents and Chloe." The fairy baby informed him. "You got nothing to worry." He winked. "I got this."
"Well, okay. If you're sure."
"Timmy." Chloe said to him. "You have to trust your little god brother." She looked at Poof. "You, go, Poof; I believe in you!" Poof smiled as Timmy sighed.
"Thanks, Chloe!" Poof thanked her.
"Kirby will go too." Tiff also stated. "He'll also be useful in danger. Right, Kirby?"
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed with determination.
"I wish we could go." Adrian Agreste put in. "But without our powers, we'll be useless."
"But we believe in you guys." Marinette Dupain-Cheng added. "Show them what you're made of!"
"So, anyone else?" Luke offered. "I think one more cartoon, and that'll be enough." He scanned his kid audience. "Going once, going twice,…" Young Link was about to raise his hand when Dash Parr raised his hand, 'oohing'. They all looked at him.
"I'll go." He stated. "I can outrun anybody." His sister, Violet, shook her head, and handed Jack-Jack to him.
"No, I'll go." She said. "I can force field if needed. You watch Jack-Jack." The baby looked at Dash, and burst out laughing. Dash groaned.
"I swear you just laugh because you feel like it, not because you think it's funny." The baby laughed again. Dash then smelled something awful; so did the others as they fanned the air, or plug their noses. "Violet, you better hurry and get Mom and Dad back."
"Uh, Young Link I think you will be good, considering you has a sword. I know I said one more after four, but what the heck! Six is fine, but only six, nobody else." Luke said.
"So, I guess it's pointless to resume on inventing since we have to rely on your guys." Phineas spoke.
"And I think I would've made an awesome invention too." Clement said.
"No you won't." Bonnie disagreed. "It would blow up in your face like all the times before. I just know it." Clement hung his head in shame.
"How come you have to be so hard on me?"
"Because you're bad at what you do." Clement sighed in defeat. Sophocles was disappointed to.
"You'll get them next time, Sophocles." Lana consoled him. Sophocles cheered up.
"You bet I will!" He stated.
"Why do you think you're the only detective that can go?" Steve asked Luke. "Why not all of the detectives, or just me?"
"Because you weren't fast enough." Luke told him.
"Fair enough. But, I still want to go."
"Sorry." Steve sighed.
"Fine; I'll stay here. I'm used to disappointment." Torchic, feeling sorry for him, went up to him.
""You can have loads of fun here!" She told him. Then, she talked in a creepy voice "I'll make sure of it!" He did a smile at her. Steve was a little freaked out by this.
"Uh, thanks?" Torchic smiled back. She went back to her normal voice.
"No problem!" Steve changed the subject, looking at Luke again. "But it is really necessary for all six? I mean, if adult animals disappeared, there will be only baby animals if you run into them, and they won't be much threat."
"You can never be sure." Luke said. "We want to be prepared for the unexpected."
"I guess."
"Now, we'll be back with the adults as soon as we can." Luke continued. "All that are going meet me where we were last time." And so all of the cartoons dispersed.
Once Poof, Kirby, Violet, Luke, Young Link, and Mudkip all met at the spot, Luke looked at the fairy baby.
"Poof," He began. "Poof to where the key it and what the note said our first destination is. Poof us to Swamp Spider House in the Southern Swamp in Termina. "
"You got it!" The little fairy said. Luke looked at Young Link. "This is one of the reasons I wanted you to come. It's your time to shine; get your sword ready!" Young Link nodded. With a poof, they were gone.
"Wait!" Mabel Pines shouted. But it was too late. She sighed. "Darn it. I wasn't quick enough."
"You should have let me deliver it." Dash said, who was nearby with Jack-Jack, playing with building blocks. "I would have been quicker." Mabel sighed.
"Yeah. Too late now." Dipper came over when he noticed his disappointed sister.
"What's wrong, Mabel?" He asked. Mabel showed him the grappling hook.
"I was going to give them this. It could have been useful."
"You're right. It could've. But no sweat. They have Poof who can poof them wherever they desire."
"Oh, right. Duh! I wasn't thinking of that."
"It's okay. Let's just get back to the others." And so, that is what they did.
Layton awoke in strange whiteness. There he saw Sylvester Scott, Stan Smith, and a bunch of cartoons.
"Where am I?" The professor wanted to know.
"You're in another dimension." Scott told him.
"Apparently Dr. Doofenshmirtz made it with one of his inators so all of us got separated from our children." Stan informed him. "Because he wanted to see if our kids would survive on their own in a world without adults, which was a stupid plan." He glared at Dr. D.
"I said I was sorry, alright?" The doctor defended himself. "I made this inator back when I was evil, and forgot to destroy it."
"Then destroy it." Carl Karl stated. "Don't you always have a self-destruct button on your inators?" Dr. D shook his head.
"Not this time." He laughed to himself. "The one time where I wished I kept a self-destruct button intact, I didn't. Isn't that funny? Life's funny sometimes. Just be glad that it was my time with Vanessa, and I wrote a quick note, and put in her purse before we all vanished here"
"I'll poof the kids here." Wanda volunteered. She tried, but her wand farted. This made Homer Simpson laugh. Marge glared at him, so he stopped, looking disappointed. "What the? Why isn't my wand working?"
"Doesn't it work if only your godchildren makes a wish?" Jake the Dog wanted to know. Wanda looked at him.
"Yes, but we can wish up anything for ourselves too. We have free will. Jorgen changed that rule, and for that, I'm glad. We just have to obey our kids and grant wishes they wish for, no matter how selfish or stupid they may be."
"So, what do we now?" Miss. Potts wanted to know. "How do we get our children back?"
"Unfortunately, we can't." Doof informed her. "I designed the inator so that once it's working, it can't be undone. We just have to wait until they figure it out ourselves."
"Oh. There's nothing we can do?"
"No." Miss. Potts looked sad. Belle, Jean Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Babette went to comfort her. "But that shouldn't be a problem. Your son left after Belle went to rescue her father, and he was a teacup. That's no easy feat for a kid, especially a kid teacup. That took guts. Your son is gutsy."
"Well, thanks." She then was confused. "What?"
"Oh, you didn't notice? You were too busy thinking about Belle to worry about your own son?"
"Wow!" Cosmo said. "What bad parenting!" Wanda elbowed him. "What? It is. I would never let Poof out of sight…except for right now, before he was born, or when he was gone."
"Bad parenting is right." Homer agreed. "I'll never let that happen to any of my kids. I'm a responsible parent."
"What are you talking about?" Marge asked. "You forgot to pick up the kids at school, forgot Lisa at band class, and forgot Maggie from day-care." Homer realized she was right.
"D'oh!"
"Stan forgot me at soccer." Roger spoke. "I know I'm not one of his kids, but it hurts just the same."
"I said I was sorry!" Stan argued. Roger shouted back.
"It still hurts, Stan!" Stan sighed,
"Anyways, my son doesn't even have a gun. He'll get murdered out there!"
"Dad!" Hayley said to him. "Guns aren't the answer for everything."
"Yes, they are, Hayley." Stan told her. "They might cause problems, but they can also solve them, and save your life. Guns are good to have. Everyone should own a gun!" Hayley groaned.
"Although we still have our daughter," Fredrick, Rapunzel's dad began. He was with his family. "My wife and I still feel for you. It hurts when you have no idea where your children are."
"Luke's smart." Professor Layton stated. "So are the other children. They're figure out a way to us again. This is like a giant puzzle. Luke is good at them; I taught him all he knows. Now, it's the ultimate test for him, and all of them."
"It's not like a puzzle." Cosmo piped in. "This is real life. I still have one more piece of that cat puzzle to see where it goes."
"Well, this is your chance to finish it. In the meantime, like Doofenshmirtz said, all we can do is wait."
