Chapter 1

In the deepest galaxy in a place called the Aniverse, a small spaceship whizzed by, followed by a flotilla of spaceships and a gigantic spaceship. Inside the ship was Bucky O'Hare and the members of his S.P.A.C.E. crew-Jenny the Cat, Deadeye Duck, Bruiser, Blinky, and Willy DuWitt. For as long as they could remember, they've been at war with Komplex and its toad army, in the mission to protect the Aniverse from conquest. So far, with the chase now in full swing, eluding them didn't come quite so easily as they thought.

"We have to get out of range of the Toad Air Marshal," said Bucky. "They'll be catching up with us in any minute!"

Jenny suggested, "If we can go on lightspeed mode, we can avoid them. I'll rearrange the controls to do this."

Bucky nodded, before turning to the rest of the crew. "Deadeye, Blinky, Bruiser, and Willy, prepare yourselves. We're going to shift to lightspeed mode."

"Aye, Bucky," saluted Deadeye.

Jenny pressed a few buttons on the control panel; after she was done, she sat back down. She said, "Everything's all set and ready to launch."

"Go for it!"

"Lightspeed mode, engage!"

The Righteous Indignation disappeared in a speed of light, with a sonic boom that blew most of the toads away. Two of the toads, Frix and Frax, looked on in astonishment. Frix shouted, "Hey!"

"Where'd they go?" added Frax.

The Toad Air Marshal muttered, "They must've transported themselves out of the Aniverse altogether. But it won't be long before we'll find them and capture them for good." Turning to the two toads, he growled, "Don't you two just sit there! Go find them, wherever they are!"

"Yes, sir!" said Frix and Frax, and they set off. The Air Marshal sat back and relaxed, waiting for news of whether Bucky and his team would be found.

Meanwhile, down on Earth, it was just another peaceful day in the Evergreen Forest. In a small building by the lake, a trio of familiar-looking raccoons were working on the latest edition of the daily newspaper, The Evergreen Standard. A male raccoon was sitting at the desk, typing on a typewriter. He had a bent nose and bent ears, and was wearing a long red sweater with yellow sleeves and trim, and a large yellow "B" in the front. Another male raccoon, standing next to the press machine and going over the prints, had straight ears and nose, and wore a white scarf that went around his neck. And the third raccoon, this time a female, was in the darkroom developing the photos; like the second male raccoon, she also had the same straight ears and nose, with the exception that she wore a pink t-shirt. The raccoons' names were Bert Raccoon, Ralph Raccoon, and Melissa Raccoon-the forest's well-known residents.

After finishing his assignment, Bert leaned back against his chair and sighed contently. He said, "Ahhhh...another day without no annoyances from Cyril Sneer."

"It sure is, Bert," replied Melissa, walking out of the darkroom with the newly developed photos. "I wonder what he's been up to today."

Ralph shrugged and said, "He's probably busy counting his money, like he always does."

"But I just wish something exciting would turn up," said Bert, as he got up from his desk and started walking around. "It's been a while since we've had a lot of crazy adventures over the years."

"Yes. So far, it's getting awfully quiet out here. And who knows? Maybe somebody, from somewhere, is bound to come at us with news that's out of this world."

And just as he said that, there was a whoosh and a loud crash outside, sending a shockwave that almost shook the ground. The commotion sent the birds flying out of the trees and the big and small animals scattering away. Stunned, Melissa said, "What was that?"

"I think it sounds like a comet crashed into the earth," answered Bert. "We'd better check it out."

The raccoons ran out of the Standard, and became shocked to find a crater-like depression in the ground a couple of miles from the building; in the middle of it was the spaceship itself. Looking it over, they were convinced that it wasn't a comet, just like Bert supposed it to be. He said, "It's a spaceship."

"It looks kinda small for its size," added Melissa.

Bert said, "Sure, it does." He then continued fearfully, "What if there were aliens inside of it?"

Suddenly, the doors of the Righteous Indignation opened up with a loud hiss, startling the three. Out of it came Bucky and his crew, stepping out of the spaceship and onto the soft green grass. Bert screamed, "I knew it! They are aliens!"

Bert, Ralph, and Melissa had only started to shrink back in fear, in preparation to run away, when Bucky held up his hand. He said calmly, "Don't run away...we mean you no harm or ill will."

"Y-you're a green rabbit?" asked Bert.

Bucky nodded. ""Precisely. I am Bucky O'Hare, leader of the S.P.A.C.E. crew, defender of the Aniverse. We humbly apologize for disturbing your peace on this planet."

"Nah, it's okay. It's not everyday something like this happens here. By the way, I'm Bert Raccoon and these are my friends Ralph and Melissa. You're in the Evergreen Forest."

"So this must be the Evergreen Forest we've been hearing about," commented Bruiser.

The raccoons looked up at them. Ralph said, "Wait a minute...you knew about the forest, before you got here?"

Bucky explained, "An entity, named Gaia, told me in a dream that we would meet you here. The reason why we're here on this planet is that we're on the search for something called 'The Greatest Treasure In The Universe'."

Jenny added, "We were also told that a human boy would lead us all to victory."

"Who?" said Bert, pointing to Willy. "That kid over there?"

"No. A boy named Brian."

"Brian? As in...Brian Harrison? My #1 fan?"

Jenny chuckled. "I guess you could say that."

Melissa asked, "So what's this 'greatest treasure in the universe'? And what does it do?"

"It is a sort of gem that grants unlimited power to anyone who finds it and brings peace to the earth. Our enemies from the Toad Empire have devised a plan so devious, that we must take extreme measures to stop it at once-if they become the first to find that treasure, the entire galaxy will be doomed, especially Earth. For that reason, Gaia instructed us to go defend the galaxy against that new threat."

"Sounds great. But who or what is Gaia?"

"She is Mother Earth personified, the mother of all. She once led the Planeteers in fighting to save Earth from pollution."

"And those Planeteers are...?"

"Wheeler, Kwame, Linka, Gi, and Ma-ti. They are the owners of the elemental rings, which represents all five of the elements-Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Heart. When these elements are combined, they form the great hero Captain Planet."

The raccoons were amazed at this interesting piece of news. Bert muttered, "Wow..."

"Is there any way we can help?" asked Ralph.

Bucky replied, "You're more than welcome to join us, as long as you promise to swear loyalty to the good side."

"Of course, but we're going to need some help."

Bert suggested, "Maybe Schaeffer, Cedric, Sophia, Lisa, Bentley, and the others might want to come along."

"An excellent choice!" exclaimed Blinky. "Where can we find them?"

"Oh, they're at their homes, and Schaeffer's at the Blue Spruce Cafe. I can't wait to tell them all about you!" And so, the three raccoons led the S.P.A.C.E. crew into the forest, on the search for their friends to ask them to join in the fight against evil.

At about the same time in another universe, on an island with large crystals in the middle of an ocean, Gaia was telling the Planeteers about the same message. Wheeler said, "Huh? 'The Greatest Treasure In The Universe'? What exactly are you talking about, Gaia?"

"It is a rare jewel that grants unlimited power to the person who discovers it," replied Gaia. "It can also spread peace and harmony to all of the universe and keep the darkness at bay."

Ma-ti said, "This is terrible. If the Eco-Villains get a hold of that jewel, it could spell big trouble. Even worse, they could use it to corrupt not only the earth, but all the other planets as well."

"That is true. For many years, all the villains have had plans to find the treasure and use it to wreak havoc on this planet...which is why I'm sending you to do something about the coming threat." She waved her hand around, and all at once the crystals around them begin to shine; each crystal showed a different setting, showing places like the Evergreen Forest, Flipside, Green Meadow, and more. Gaia continued, "Scattered across the recesses of time and space are people like you who live within the two decades, the 1980s and the 1990s. My plan is to gather all the best toons from those eras together, in high hopes that they will soon succeed in defending the planet from the villains."

"Where should we start?" Kwame asked.

Gaia pointed towards one of the crystals, which began to glow and reveal a small house in the suburbs. "A leader first should be found, and this is where you shall look. Clearwater, Florida, USA...the home of the Chosen One."