"Let's end this now!" Calvin yelled at nearly the top of his lungs.
Calvin, Tracer Bullet and three of Calvin's duplicates bolted towards Spaceman Spiff and his group, while Hobbes, Safari Al and the other three Calvins went towards Stupendous Man. The Calvins, Tracer Bullet, and Safari Al all yelled individual war cries while Hobbes roared defiantly.
Calvin went directly towards the original Spaceman Spiff and landed a punch on his chin, causing him to fall to the ground. Spaceman Spiff got up to see Calvin sporting a death glare at him.
"And to think you were my favorite alter ego!" Calvin yelled, sounding furious as he did so. "To think out of all of you guys, you were the one I enjoyed the most!"
Spaceman Spiff grinned smugly in response. "Well, I am quite dashing and charming, aren't I?"
Calvin gritted his teeth and pounced upon Spaceman Spiff, all the while Tracer Bullet and the other Calvins fought off the space explorer's duplicates.
"This is all crazy, you know" Tracer Bullet lamented as he dodged a punch from one of the Spacemen Spiff. "I should be at my desk, about to get some greenbacks from a dame, not caught up in….well, whatever you would call this!"
"Even for us, this is a weird experience" the Spiff duplicated replied. "And you wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've seen up in space!"
One of Calvin's duplicates scoffed when he heard that. "Of course I would. I thought them up for you!" Calvin had decided to go with one of his original ideas and give all the duplicates his memories.
"No, I thought them up!" one of Calvin's other duplicates suddenly blurted out. Hobbes was right – giving all these duplicates his memories might've not been the best idea. And unfortunately for him, he didn't plan for any tensions between himself in the most literal sense. Before he knew it, though, the three Calvins were barking at each other.
"I'm the original Calvin!"
"No, I am!"
"No, me!"
"Me!"
Calvin's head began to hurt. This was supposed to be a three-way war between him and his allies, Stupendous Man, and Spaceman Spiff. Now, his regular duplicates were beginning to forget who was who, complicating things even further.
Hobbes, thankfully, was not having his problem yet. He and Safari Al were doing quite well against Stupendous Man and his duplicates.
"Man" Hobbes muttered as he threw one of Stupendous Man's duplicates towards the other. "I thought just one Calvin was annoying. But this is ridiculous!"
"But I'm not Calvin!" Stupendous Man yelled back, gritting his teeth. "I'm Stupendous Man!"
"You're stupendously annoying" Hobbes replied as he clawed Stupendous Man in the rear, causing the latter to yelp in agony.
Safari Al tried to slash his machete at Stupendous Man, which the latter narrowly dodged. "You and Spiff both!"
One of Calvin's duplicates spoke up. "It's time to undo what I started!"
Unfortunately for Hobbes and Safari Al, this only earned the ire of the other two Calvin duplicates. "No, we're undoing what I started!"
"I'm the original Calvin!"
"No, I am!"
"I'm the real deal!"
The three Calvins began beating each other up. Hobbes and Safari Al took a step back to let it sink in what was happening. Not too long after, Calvin and Tracer Bullet did the same. The four of them could only watch as the battle got more and more complicated.
Tracer Bullet tried to wrap his ahead around what was happening. "Okay, let me see if I got this straight. We're in conflict with Stupendous Man and Spaceman Spiff, who are in conflict with each other, and now Calvin's regular duplicates – who were initially on our side – are against them, us, and each other?"
Calvin gulped, for Tracer Bullet had managed to sum up the current situation pretty well. "Yes, Bullet…it would appear that way."
Safari Al had a look of panic on his face, for things had gone horribly, horribly wrong. "Well, then what?! What do we do?!"
"I say we sit back and just wait for them to be done taking out each other." Tracer Bullet replied. This situation had become too much for him, and he had grown tired from it. He saw little reason to continue doing anything about it. Safari Al didn't necessarily agree with Tracer Bullet.
"No, Bullet! We can't just sit back and let this all happen! We have to intervene, however we can!"
Once Safari Al expressed his frustration at Tracer Bullet, Hobbes looked down at Calvin with a curious look on his face. "Well, Calvin, you said you had a Plan B. Well, now would be a really good time for that Plan B of yours."
Calvin cupped his chin as he glanced Hobbes up and down. "I do have a Plan B, Hobbes – and Plan B is to duplicate you while we go get Galaxoid and Nebular's ship."
Hobbes' eyes widened when he heard that. Since Calvin having a Plan B was such a new concept, Hobbes had no idea what it could've been. However, he never would've guessed it to be that.
"Uh…ar-are you sure about, Calvin? You know how I am with your inventions."
"I do, Hobbes." Calvin replied. "But you're the strongest out of the four us. With more than one of you, you should be able to combat all those duplicates."
Hobbes turned his head to the left to see the Calvins, Spacemen Spiffs, and Stupendous Men all continuing to duke it out against each other. As much as he hated Calvin's inventions, it became apparent to the tiger that he had no choice. He was unsure of how well Plan B would go, but none of them would know until it was tried out. Hobbes let out a deep sigh. "Alright. Duplicate me as quickly as you can"
Calvin got out his Duplicator Gun from his back pocket, and aimed it as his tiger friend. He pressed the trigger seven times, creating seven duplicates of Hobbes. The eight Hobbes' all looked at each. None of them looked happy at having just been duplicated, but they also knew what had to be done.
"Alright, Hobbes. Now!"
The eight tigers all let out mighty roars, and they all charged their way into the brawl ahead. With Hobbes and his duplicates taking care of that situation, Calvin, Tracer Bullet, and Safari Al all dashed as quickly as they could to Galaxoid and Nebular's ship.
It didn't take long before a simple truth dawned upon Safari Al and Calvin – that they had forgotten where the ship landed. Both of them stood there dumbfounded, Safari Al scratching his had. "Well, this sucks, Calvin. Hey, Bullet – you remember where the ship was?"
Tracer Bullet groaned at the other two. "I think I do. I remember it being close by to Calvin's house."
Calvin and Safari Al all followed Tracer Bullet, and sure enough, he did have an idea of where the ship was – it was only about two or three minutes before they found it. They went inside the ship, and there stood Galaxoid and Nebular. It seemed as if the two had gotten up not too long ago, and what became very clear was that they were not happy to see Calvin.
"This is quite the conundrum you've started, Calvin!" Galaxoid yelled angrily. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Calvin scoffed at Galaxoid's words. "Hey, don't act as if this is entirely my fault. You two agreed to help me!"
Calvin's response caused Nebular to snicker. "See, Galaxoid. I told you we shouldn't have gone through with it, but did you listen to me? No!"
"Well, you can't blame me, Nebular! I figured negotiations with Calvin and Earth would be much easier if we just helped him out on his mission!"
Safari Al had just about enough of all the bickering and fighting he'd put up with today. "ENOUGH!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Calvin and Tracer Bullet both jumped. Not even Calvin knew he could be that loud.
Safari Al let out a deep sigh. "Sorry, sorry. It's just that we won't get anywhere by fighting each other! We need to think up a solution, now!"
Galaxoid had a look of determination on his face. "The boy's right. We need to think up a plan, now. Safari Al and Tracer Bullet, we'll need to study your physiology! Follow us!"
Tracer Bullet and Safari Al did exactly what Galaxoid and Nebular said, following them into one of the smaller rooms in the spaceship. Nebular turned around to look at Calvin. "Don't worry, Calvin. This will only take a few minutes"
The door shut behind the four, leaving Calvin alone. He was beginning to grow a bit anxious – he had no idea how Hobbes and his duplicates were doing. Given Hobbes' personality, he figured it was less likely his duplicates would turn on each than Calvin's did, but he was still getting worried about his best friend. He really hoped Galaxoid and Nebular wouldn't take long.
And sure enough, they didn't. After only a few minutes, Galaxoid, Nebular, Tracer Bullet, and Safari Al all came back, with smiles and smirks on their faces. This made Calvin a bit curious.
"It's time to end this, Calvin" Tracer Bullet said. "I know we keep saying it's time to end this, but this time it has actual meaning"
Five of the six Calvins laid unconscious on the ground, as did all of Stupendous Man and Spaceman Spiff's duplicates. Even four of Hobbes' duplicates were taken down. Hobbes and three of his duplicates stood against Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man, and the remaining Calvin - all of them determined to come out on top.
The remaining Calvin charged at Hobbes, but Hobbes barely had to do anything. All he had to do was move out of the Calvin's way. Just like that, the Calvin bonked his head onto the tree, knocking him out cold. Hobbes smiled smugly, a look he kept on his face when he turned his head to Stupendous Man and Spaceman Spiff.
"There's four of us and one of you, each" Hobbes gloated. "It's gonna be pretty hard to take down the likes of us"
Stupendous Man yelled out in anger, for the superhero had finally snapped. "Well, guess what? I was actually holding back a little. I like to enjoy my fights a little. But now…now I'm done holding back!"
He flew towards two of the Hobbes' and knocked them out cold with just one punch. He was just about to knock the original Hobbes out, but his remaining duplicate pounced on the superhero before he could do so.
"You know what?" Spaceman Spiff said as he grinned. This works out well for me, tigermen. With eight of you, my debt to the Mokians will be cleared for sure!" He decided to forget about Stupendous Man for a moment and focus on taking out the remaining two Hobbes'. He had to be very careful, however, lest Stupendous Man knock him out in a brief second. But then he got an idea.
"Hey, Stupendous Man!" he shouted, getting the superhero's attention. "Let's call a truce – and take down this tiger together!"
Stupendous Man raised an eyebrow. "An alliance? You're suggesting an alliance after everything we've done against each other?"
"We got off on the wrong foot. But just think about it. Think about the team we could make! With our powers and resources, we'd be unstoppable!"
Stupendous Man thought about it. Spaceman Spiff had proven himself a capable adversary, so perhaps he could be a reliable ally as well. He grinned at Spaceman Spiff, and the latter got the memo. Stupendous Man punched Hobbes in the stomach very hard, and as he was holding back a lot less, Hobbes was in a great deal of pain.
Stupendous Man then threw Hobbes towards the nearest tree. He threw the tiger with such strength that the tree shook, as if it was about to fall down. It didn't, but Hobbes found it hard to get up. Spaceman Spiff ran towards Hobbes and kicked him in the stomach, grinning as he did so.
Normally, Hobbes could take care of himself in a fight, but Stupendous Man had done a number on him. He could not fight back when Spaceman Spiff repeatedly punched him in the face, as much as he tried to. After a dozen or so blows to the face, Spaceman Spiff finally let up as Stupendous Man flew towards the two.
"So you mentioned that deal with the Mokians earlier – does it really matter if we take care of one of the Hobbes' for good?"
Spaceman Spiff pondered for a moment, before ultimately deciding that just seven tigermen would be enough to clear the debt. He shook his head at Stupendous Man, to the latter's delight.
"Farewell, Hobbes!"
"Think fast!" Calvin yelled. He, Tracer Bullet, Safari Al, and the aliens had just arrived, and Calvin had a silver ray gun in his hand. He pulled the ray gun's trigger towards Spaceman Spiff, and a wave of yellow energy flew towards Spaceman Spiff, engulfing him and disintegrating him.
Stupendous Man was aghast at Spaceman Spiff's demise, not knowing if he would be immune to the ray gun's effects or not. In a panic, he threw Hobbes' remaining duplicate at Calvin. Calvin just barely dodged the tiger, and then proceeded to fire at Stupendous Man.
"No! No!"
Stupendous Man got ready to fire away, but it was too late. The wave of yellow energy came towards him, and he too was no more.
Everyone took a moment to sigh in relief. The crisis was finally over. Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man had both been dealt with, and no more trouble could be caused by the two. Calvin used the ray gun to disintegrate his duplicates, Spaceman Spiff's duplicates, and Stupendous Man's duplicates. However, he was hesitant to get rid of any of the Hobbes' yet. He had no idea which one was the real Hobbes. Galaxoid saw the look on Calvin's face and figured what was going on.
"If you adjust this setting on the ray gun, Calvin, you can scan the Hobbes over there and see if he's the original one"
Calvin walked up to Hobbes and did just that, relieved when it turned out to be the real Hobbes. With that done and out of the way, he blasted at Hobbes' duplicates and undid them. Safari Al walked up to Calvin, with a look of content on his face. "My life was very short, yes, but none of this should've ever happened. I am ready."
"Well, I'm not" Tracer Bullet scoffed. "I would like to be around for more than an hour or two. I want to see the world, for pete's sake."
Calvin, Hobbes, Safari Al all stared at Tracer Bullet.
"Oh, come on! Why do I gotta go?"
They continued to stare at him. Tracer Bullet thought about it, and ultimately decided that Safari Al was right. "Alright, alright. I'm ready too."
Safari Al and Tracer Bullet had stayed by Calvin's side, so he wasn't as ecstatic to get rid of them. However, Safari Al was right. Everything from this mess needed to be undone. So he blasted at Safari Al and Tracer Bullet, and the two disintegrated into nothingness.
It didn't take long for Calvin to brief Galaxoid and Nebular on how the Earth was doing. When he was done, it was time for farewells. Calvin, Hobbes, and the aliens were all right by the latter two's ship, ready to part ways.
"This was…interesting" Galaxoid said to Calvin, having no reason to expect that any of this would happen. "I don't wish for it to happen again. That said, it was good to see you again, Calvin"
"It was good seeing you, too" Calvin replied. With that, Galaxoid got on board the ship. Nebular stayed behind, having one last thing to say to Calvin.
"So, Calvin, what did you think of Safari Al?"
"Uh, he was okay, I guess."
Nebular sighed in relief. "Oh, good. When the duplication process began, he didn't have enough to work with, so he borrowed some traits from that good duplicate we found in your memories"
Calvin groaned when he heard that. Now he was going to miss Safari Al a little bit less.
Nebular didn't have time to comment – he and Galaxoid were needed on their home planet. Nebular said his farewell and boarded the ship. As it blasted off into space, Calvin and Hobbes walked back into their backyard.
"Well, Hobbes" Calvin said as he looked up at the tiger. "I did learn something today. Never enlist the help of aliens for your projects"
Hobbes didn't really know what to say to that. "Uh….sure. That's a start, at least"
Calvin sighed. "I just want to go to my room now and lay in bed"
That would have to wait, however. Calvin's parents, Rosalyn, and Susie all came out from the kitchen, storming their way towards Calvin.
"I cannot believe what I've just heard" Calvin's dad shouted towards his son. Calvin had no idea what was going on, but he figured Stupendous Man and Spaceman Spiff were involved in it somehow. "You are in so much trouble, young man!"
Calvin smiled nervously at the four. "Well, uh….you see, it's a funny story. It's just….AAAAAAH!" Calvin ran for his life, dashing into the woods. Calvin's parents, Rosalyn, and Susie all chased after him.
Hobbes felt bad for Calvin. After all, he was about to get in trouble for nothing he technically did. But he knew that this wasn't the end of the world. Calvin's parents would never take Hobbes away, and Calvin had a way around punishments. With the crazy day he had just endured, Hobbes felt that it was finally time for that nap of his.