DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN OR TIME SQUAD
*DING DONG*
"I'm coming," Peabody said as he opened the door. As expected he found Penny's parents the Petersons waiting outside. Equally as expected, Paul had his angry face on, while his wife Patty had a big and obviously forced smile on her face. "Ah Patty and Paul Peterson, it's always good to see you. I must admit I wasn't expect you so early." Peabody greeted.
"Never mind all that, where's my daughter?" Paul demanded. "What sort of shenanigans have you get her into this time? And is that pancakes I smell?" Paul sniffing the air.
"Blueberry to be exact. Freshly cooked for breakfast. Care to join us?" Peabody offered. "I made the syrup myself from maple sap the I collected the last time I was in Canada."
"When was that?" Paul asked.
"Oh about 3 days or 150 years ago depending on how you look at it," Peabody chuckled. This caused the parents to laugh as well since they know of him being a time traveler.
"That does sound good," Paul licking his lips, before shaking his head. "Hey don't try distract me with you wonderful (smack) delicious (lick) gourmet (gulp)..." Paul tried to keep a serious face, but it's hard with him constantly drooling.
"Now Paul, we know that Mr. Peabody is very responsible." Patty trying to be the voice of reason. "Why don't we hear him out during breakfast?" she suggested. In truth she just want to hurry up and eat as well.
During breakfast Peabody explained the situation with Time Squad. "So let me get this straight," Paul mumbled with his mouth stuffed with pancakes. "They guys from the future uh what are they called again?"
"Time Squad," Penny reminded him.
"Thank you dear. These Time Squad guys don't want my daughter to be time traveling you?" Paul yelled in disbelief.
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Peabody said taking a sip of his tea. "They say that Penny and Sherman were never suppose to have met, so they also want kids to stop seeing each other."
Paul took a minute to process everything he heard. "Look no, offense Peabody, I like you and I do think that Sherman is a great kid, but I must admit I was never really comfortable with idea of Penny time traveling with you. Especially after hearing how she nearly got married and mummified by King Tut!" Paul glaring at his daughter.
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Penny griped.
"The point is I'd be damned if I let a couple of bullies tell my daughter what she can and can't do!" Paul slamming his fist on the table. Getting applause by both his wife and daughter. "Why if those guys I here right now I'd tell them..." At that moment a flash of light went off in the middle of the room and the members of Time Squad appeared.
"Speak of the devil," Peabody said looking at a pocket watch. "And they're also early, I must be slipping."
"Where are we?" Tuddrussel demanded. "And are those pancakes?" he observed sniffing the air.
"I believe we are in the home of Mr. Peabody," Larry observed.
"What gave you that idea?" Tuddrussel asked.
"Because they are sitting right over there?" Larry pointed everyone.
"Hey Sherman, hey Penny," Otto nervously waved after seeing them.
"Are these the guys?" Paul gulped. Penny and Sherman nodded. "Okay then," Paul getting up and walking over to the trio. "Look here you guys, I don't know where you get off telling my daughter to urk!" Paul was cut short as Tuddrussel grabbed him by the throat.
"Who's this clown?" Tuddrussel asked not really caring who the man is.
"Put him down Tuddrussel, he's not the mission Peabody is," Otto reminded him.
"Oh right," Tuddrussel letting go of Paul and turning his attention to Peabody. "So you haven't learn your lesson yet huh you mutt, maybe I should show you what we do to repeat offenders." Tuddrussel pounding his fists.
"Now, now Tuddrussel, allow me to handle this," Larry pleaded holding the big man back. "You owe me this much, especially after the thing!"
"Fine, we'll do it your way," Tuddrussel grumbled.
"Mr. Peabody, I just want to start by saying that I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. You are one of the greatest minds in all history!" Larry said.
"Fanboy," Tuddrussel snuffed. Larry glared at his companion but ignored his remark.
"So what is the meaning of this? If anything I'd think you'd understand our position?" Larry whined.
"Yes well, how about we discuss this over breakfast?" Peabody offered.
"Great I'm starved," Tuddrussel said patting his tummy. Time Squad took their seats as Peabody severed them up some pancakes.
"First off, let me start by saying as a fellow time traveler myself, I understand the need to preserve the time line, but perhaps if you elaborate why Penny should not be allowed to time travel it will help clear up any misunderstanding." Peabody said.
"Who's Penny?" Larry asked.
"The girl," Peabody clarified directing them to Penny.
"Yeah me!" Penny jumped up. "Why is it you don't want me to hang out with my friends?"
"Look Penny was it, no offense but we're only trying to do our job." Larry pleaded. "Our mission is to make sure that history happens the way it's suppose to, and history says that you are not a time traveler."
"Okay so what am I suppose to be?" Penny asked.
"How should I know?" Larry shrugged.
"What kind of answer is that? You're from the future right!" Penny demanded.
This time Otto answered hoping to defuse the situation. "You see Penny, they are million and billions of people throughout history and only a handful are actually recorded. Like George Washington, Rosa Parks, Mr. Peabody and Sherman."
"So you're saying that I'm insignificant?" Penny taking offense.
"No, no of course not!" Otto shaking his head. "Everyone is important!"
"Just that you didn't do anything important enough to be remembered that's all," Tuddrussel said scarfing down pancakes and drinking syrup right out of the bottle. At this point Penny's face became so red that everyone half expected her to explode.
"Calm down Penny and let me handle this," Peabody said in his usual demeanor. Penny started to relax after hearing his words. She has seen Peabody in action enough to know that she can trust him no matter what. "If Penny here is as insignificant as you say, then there should be no problem in giving her some leeway in her life?" The members of Time Squad looked at each other curiously. Larry had a confused but calculating look, Otto seemed rather sad, while Tuddrussel looked utterly clueless. "Unless of course this isn't about Penny," Peabody realized.
"It's Sherman," Otto finally confessed. "He's suppose to become a reclusive genius who creates a new and innovative mathematical system that revolutionizes the human understanding of quantum physics."
"Wow I'm going to do all that," Sherman said excitedly. "So what does that mean exactly?"
"It means that you're going to grow up to be big nerd!" Tuddrussel laughed spitting pancake chunks on everybody.
"It means that you are going to do something great Sherman," Peabody said proudly. While Peabody is happy to hear of Sherman's achievements, the fact that he becomes a recluse bothered him. "I still don't see why Penny traveling with us is a problem," Peabody said.
"The problem is that it's going to take Sherman an entire lifetime to create his work!" Larry exclaimed. "Inventing a whole new set of mathematical equations is not something one can do overnight, especially with distractions." Larry hinting at Penny. Peabody can see where this is going. After all he himself also had to create his own math equations for the WABAC since the algorithms for time travel didn't exists. But where Peabody is a prodigy, Sherman isn't; what he could do in a couple of hours would take Sherman his whole life to complete. Add Penny into the mix and Sherman may never complete whatever it is that he was meant to do. Again Peabody found himself with a moral dilemma. He wants Sherman to succeed, but hearing that his boy grows up alone and isolated is something that he cannot tolerate!
"You know Penny might not be the distraction that you think she'll be," Peabody finally said. "I have been tutoring her these past couple of months and I have to say that in some aspects, she's even smarter than Sherman."
"That's not saying much," Penny joked.
"Hey," Sherman taking offense to that, but blushed after seeing Penny smiling at him.
"So I propose that we let her continue for a bit longer and ascertain whether or not she will hinder Sherman's destiny," Peabody suggested.
"But," Larry tried to argue but Tuddrussel stopped him.
"That's enough rust bucket. It's obvious that he's determine to keep the little miss and nothing you say will change his mind." Tuddrussel sounding surprisingly understanding, giving everyone hope that they can put this whole mess behind them. "Seeing as how you failed, now we do this the Tuddrussel way!" Tuddrussel throwing the table across the room to clear away the only obstruction between him and Peabody. "Last chance mutt, are you going to do history right or am I going to have to get rough!"
"Mr. Peabody!" Sherman cried running over to his father, but Patty immediately grabbed the boy and carried him to safety. Paul grabbed his daughter's hand and pulled her back out of harms way. Otto and Larry took a couple paces back as well.
Peabody stood calmly before the big man. Of course he's been in similar situations in the past so Tuddrussel intimidating size did little to affect him. "Sherman, Penny time for a crash course in self defense," Peabody said calming the two kids down. "What is the best way to deal with an adversary that's bigger and probably stronger that you?"
"Um avoid it?" Penny said.
"What are you blabbering about!" Tuddrussel yelled as he reached out to grab Peabody.
"That's certainly one option," Peabody said ducking to avoid Tuddrussel's grip. "Alright if you can't avoid it, what can you do?" Peabody asked while continually dodging Tuddrussel.
You can fight back!" Sherman said excitedly. He loves to watch Peabody fight.
"Only if there are no other options!" Peabody lectured. After all he didn't want Sherman to grow up to be a thug like Tuddrussel. Speaking of which, Tuddrussel was started to get annoyed and charged with both arms extended at the dog. Peabody responded by catching the man's hands, stopping him cold! "First lesson, you don't want to try and grabbed your opponents arms like I just did. For it puts you in a dangerous stalemate."
"How could Mr. Peabody stop Tuddrussel like that?" Otto wondered knowing how strong he is.
"Mr. Peabody is stronger that he looks," Sherman bragged.
"Yes but still, Mr. Peabody should have forced back by the man's momentum. That's basic physics." Penny pointed out.
"Quite right my dear," Peabody praising Penny's observation. "I should have been forced back as is dictated by Newton's law of motion. So how is it that I was able stop him so completely? I'll give you a hint, think sleeping sea otters."
Sherman thought about it for a bit. When sea otter float in the ocean they often wrap themself with seaweed in order to keep from drifting away. This technique is also referred to as, "You anchored yourself down so you wouldn't move!" Sherman answered.
"Correct!" Peabody praised while still holding Tuddrussel back.
"How could he anchor himself down?" Otto wondered.
"Easy look at his feet," Sherman said. They all did as he suggested and saw Peabody's claws digging into the floor.
"I should be thankful that I missed my appointment with my manicurist yesterday," Peabody joked. "Alright lesson two, jujitsu. When facing an opponent, you must first get them off balance. The simplest way to do this is to redirect their energy, if they pull you push, and if they push you pull!" Peabody demonstrated by pulling Tuddrussel back, causing the man to move forward again, but since it was unexpected Tuddrussel lost his footing, giving Peabody the opening to flip the big man over his head! "So Sherman what have we learned?" Peabody asked his son.
"By utilizing and manipulating your opponents center of gravity and initial energy, you can even toss someone who is ten times your size!" Sherman quoted from the jujitsu masters he met in Japan, not really understanding it but liking the results.
"Is this how Peabody teaches you things?" Paul asked his daughter.
"Yup," both children nodded.
"Wow, no wonder your grades improved so drastically. I wish I had a teacher like that." Paul commented.
"That's it no more mister nice guy!" Tuddrussel yelled as he started throwing punches at the little dog. Peabody stood his ground swatting away Tuddrussel's attacks with only one paw.
"How's he doing that?" Larry wondered.
"Good question, Penny?" Peabody said giving his other student a chance.
Penny observed Peabody movements for a bit before answering. "He's not only blocking, he's deflecting the punches!" Penny said.
"Huh?" everyone said.
"Look it's like in baseball. You don't really need to hit the ball as hard as you can, you just need to tap it in the right place and it would ricochet off with minimal effort!" Penny said proudly. Everyone stared at her blankly. "I picked that up from Babe Ruth," Penny explaining why she used a baseball reference.
"You met Babe Ruth too!" Paul said in disbelief. "Man now I really wished I had a teacher like Peabody!" he whined.
"Good job you two," Peabody praising his young pupils. "I think that's it for today's lesson." Peabody jumped up and did a double kick to Tuddrussel's face sending the big man down. A blow like that would knock a normal man out cold, but unfortunately Tuddrussel is not a normal man.
"I have had enough of you!" Tuddrussel growled pulling out his blaster.
"Mr. Peabody look out!" Sherman screamed. Expecting this, Peabody quickly began using advance geometry to calculate the trajectory of Tuddrussel's shots, dodging them before the man even pulled the trigger!
"Please refrain from using that in the apartment, I don't think my insurance will cover damages caused a laser gun from the future." Peabody joked still dodging the beams. Tuddrussel getting really annoyed increase the intensity of his laser and fired on the dog! Peabody manage to dodge the beam but when it hit the wall behind him, a chunk of it blew off, hitting Peabody on the head!
"Mr. Peabody!" Sherman cried.
"I got him! I got him!" Tuddrussel boasted.
"Oh yeah you're indeed a real marksman," Larry said sarcastically.
"Don't worry Sherman. I have everything under control." Peabody said woozily to his young ward before collapsing.
"Alright you, you are under arrest for violating time laws. Maybe a few days in the holding cells will teach you!" Tuddrussel laughed as he picked the dog up.
"Mr. Peabody!" Sherman wanted to run over to his father's side but Patty held him back.
"I'm really sorry about all this, but don't worry Sherman, we won't harm him. I mean other than right now." Otto tried to explain to the boy. "Peabody still has a lot to do, so after we're sure that he'll follow history we'll return him as soon as possible." Otto assured him. The member's of Time Squad gathered around Peabody, as Larry began working the time controls. Fearing for his father, Sherman struggled to break free of Patty's hold on him and ran towards Time Squad. Penny concerned for her friend, slipped out of her father's grip as well and chased after him!
"Penny! Sherman! NOOO!" the Petersons cried as the group disappeared in a blinding light. Leaving only scorched marks on the floor where they were standing. "We really need to tie a leash around those kids," Paul groaned.
"A leash, you mean like a dog? You know since Peabody is a dog." Patty joked trying to mask her concern. Paul gave his wife a reassuring hug, trying to tell her that everything is going to be alright.
