Chapter 4 - From Human to Canosapien
"Okaaaay… how should I tell this to Jeremy? Start with my human disguise, explain to him everything and then reveal my new form, or…"
"Roll on the floor and offer him your paw?" Buford interrupted Candace, the girl softly growling at him. "Okay, fine, I get it. Don't be so sensitive."
"Candace, relax; you know Jeremy sometimes comes with us, so he's more or less used to not-so-ordinary stuff." Phineas tried to calm her down while gently caressing Candace's back.
"Yeah, guess you're right… and, Phineas?"
"Yeah, Candace?"
"Next time, rub my belly; I like it better."
"Wish that would be enough to calm me down." Major Monogram frowned.
"Well, Sir, I can…"
"Zip it, Carl; I'm not that happy with you. Helping my son keep a secret relationship with a then-villain's daughter? If I were paying you, you'd be losing your Christmas bonus for this."
"I'm not that happy either." Heinz frowned slightly. "Vanessa, how could you?"
"Dad, please, Monty is not a bad guy; just because he's Monogram's son…"
"No, no, I don't mean that. If you like the guy, go ahead; I am not gonna judge him for the rest of his family." Heinz groaned. "What I don't like is that you didn't tell me you had a serious relationship with someone. I'd have invited him for dinner, or chatted with his parents… well, I can see his father now… but you get my point."
"Wow… Dad, that's a very mature, nice way to handle this situation." Vanessa smiled at her dad.
"Hey, one of my ex-girlfriends dumped me for a whale. If your relationship is better than mine, I'm happy for you both." Heinz shrugged, and a moment later Vanessa got him in a very tight, loving hug… while wagging her tail.
"So… you don't mind my son dating your daughter… and someone dumped you for a whale?" Monogram arched his monobrow at this.
"No, I don't mind them dating. And yes, someone dumped me for a whale; why do you think I wasn't so fond of Valentine's Day?" Heinz groaned.
"Whoa. I'm so gonna earn myself my Psychologist's Badge." Isabella smiled while taking notes.
Candace then froze on the spot, gulping.
"Canine hearing?" Phineas guessed.
"Yep. Jeremy's almost here… and he's coming with Suzy." Candace cringed before taking a deep breath and using her holographic disguise. The rest of the canine anthros in the room used their own disguises while Perry went back to his 'mindless pet' act. Ferb gave Darek a special holographic mask and collar kit as well; while Darek was giving his demonstration, Ferb thought ahead and made the room's sensors to scan Darek's whole body, and the kids' designing/manufacturing robots did the rest, making a kit that was almost completely ready by the time Darek finished. The hologram made him look like a slightly tanned guy, with shoulder-length black hair, and rough yet handsome features. Mindy had to adjust her human disguise's skin tone so her blush wasn't noticeable.
"Whoa. You're good." Heinz said to Perry. "I'd swear you're nothing but a normal pet that doesn't do that much."
"Join the club." Ferb commented before handing Heinz a card.
"Ah. You took it literally… what are the membership's benefits again?"
While Heinz started writing his personal data on the card, Linda opened the door for Jeremy and Suzy. This time, even Mindy, Darek and Vanessa felt a chill when the little girl entered the house.
"So, it's true; dogs can detect evil." Mindy whispered at Darek.
"Yeah, it varies from dog to dog, but most can." Darek whispered back.
"Hello, Mrs Flynn-Fletcher… whoa, you have many visitors today." Jeremy said while looking at the many people in the room, finally seeing Candace and smiling at her. "Hey, Candace, what are you celebrating?"
"Well… for starters, my mom finally knows about my brothers' stuff." Candace grinned.
"Really? Wow. Never thought it would happen… at least, not without your brothers doing something that would be seen all over the world and that not even a blind person would miss." Jeremy was so impressed that Linda couldn't hold back a groan while her husband comforted her again. "Uh… sorry; too much?"
"Yeah… too much, yet too accurate as well." Linda sighed.
"And how did she found out?" Jeremy then looked at Phineas and Ferb. "Mind control experiment? Time machine accident? Fairy dust's discovery?"
"No. No. And good idea about the third one. Hey, Ferb, I know what we'll do tomorrow." Phineas said to his brother, who immediately gave him the thumbs up.
"I'll explain to you everything in a moment, Jeremy, but we're waiting for Vanessa's boyfriend to arrive too." Candace told him.
"Oh, how nice. A little improvised party? How sweet." Suzy smiled sweetly yet then glared slightly at Candace, in a way only she and Buford (the boy not even blinking since Suzy entered the house) noticed.
"Ah, Monty's coming too. Nice."
"Hold on… Vanessa, this boy knows about you and my son dating?" Monogram looked back at the dark girl.
"Yes. We only kept it secret from you and my father… no offense, Dad…"
"None taken."
"... and it's not likely that Jeremy knew my dad."
"Actually, I know him." Heinz commented. "He's my guitar teacher."
"And you're progressing a lot, Doctor D." Jeremy added.
"Thanks. Oh, and when are we gonna start practicing Elvis' songs like Promise Land?"
"We'll do it soon. I was thinking we'd start with the 'Old Hound Dog' first."
"Irony, you really love me." Candace rolled her eyes.
The doorbell rang again at that moment. This time Vanessa was the first one to detect Monty on the other side of the door.
"Hello. You must be Major Monogram's son." Linda opened the door.
"Yes, I am, Ma'am. Glad to meet…" Monty entered the house and froze when seeing his dad, Vanessa and Heinz in the same room. "Uh. Oh."
"Before you ask, no, Monty, I didn't say a thing." Carl pointed out.
"Thanks for reminding me, Carl. We'll discuss your disciplinary action later." Major Monogram frowned at the intern before looking at Monty. "And seriously, Monty, I'm the head of an important secret agency; how long would you think you'd keep this relationship a secret from me?"
"He's literally the head; most of the time he contacts the agents through this monitor that…" Carl whispered at Baljeet before Major Monogram silenced him again.
"Okay, Monty, I'm waiting."
"Look... Dad, please, don't get angry with Carl; he was just doing us a favor. And yes, I know I had to tell you eventually, but I knew you wouldn't like me dating the daughter of one of your agency's main enemies."
"I was one of the main enemies? Yes! Self-esteem boost!" Heinz grinned.
"On the bright side; she's also the Mayor's niece." Monty pointed out.
"Self-esteem dropping again." Heinz groaned.
"Monty, you have any idea of how dangerous this was? What if Doofenshmirtz had captured you and kept you hostage?" The Major was now interrupted by Heinz.
"Hey, hold on! I would never hurt any of Vanessa's friends. Okay, maybe I'd teleport him to some dark dimension or run him over with my Steam Roller-Inator, but only if he made her sad or unhappy. And it seems your boy had been a nice guy to my daughter all the time."
"Hey, thanks, Doctor Doofenshmirtz. See, Dad? Even her dad, who happens to be a mad scientist…"
"Not mad, just a bit resentful." Heinz corrected.
"... resentful scientist and super villain…"
"Another correction; I'm reforming. Starting today."
"Ah. Great. Okay… you get my point, right, Dad?" Monty finished. Major Monogram sighed at this.
"Yeah… that if I stay angry, I'd be the bad guy here… and it would be even worse by comparison, if the one-who-used-to-be-a-villain with questionable sanity is acting maturely."
"So, we're cool with this?" Monty asked his dad.
"Yes… I guess we must, considering the other reason I called you here, and why a group of civilians are becoming familiar with O.W.C.A." Monogram continued.
"Yeah, that surprised me too… And also seeing Professor Shephard here… and who's the guy with the Road Rovers' outfit?" Monty arched his eyebrow at this. Of course, being Major Monogram's son, he was familiar with the Rovers and their creator.
"Well, Monty, this guy is Darek." The Professor explained while Darek turned off his disguise. Monty was surprised at this, while Jeremy and Suzy gasped, obviously much more impressed than the military boy.
"Whoa…" Jeremy then looked back at Phineas and Ferb. "And I thought your skiing mountain was impressive."
"Thanks, but Darek isn't one of our projects." Phineas cleared out.
"That's right." Monty explained while approaching Darek and shaking hands with him. "Darek here is one of Professor Shephard's projects… or more precisely, the result of the union of two of his projects."
"Heh, easy, Monty, there are kids in the room." Darek chuckled.
"Yeah, well, the reason Professor Shephard is here is because of the consequences of another of Phineas and Ferb's projects." Major Monogram explained while nodding at Candace, Vanessa and Mindy.
"Just promise me you're not gonna freak out, okay?" Candace said to Jeremy; when the boy nodded, the redhead and the other canine girls deactivated their disguises, revealing their current forms.
"AH! CANDACE IS A WEREWOLF!" Suzy yelped while running behind her brother for protection. "SHE'S GONNA EAT ME AS REVENGE!"
"One, no, we're not werewolves; we're artificial Canosapiens with elasticity and shape-shifting powers. Two, yes, that didn't sound much better, I know. And three, even if I now have a constant craving for meaty food, no I wouldn't eat you." Candace frowned at Suzy.
"Whoa… this is awesome… May I?" Monty approached Vanessa and moved his hand closer to her face. The girl nodded and Monty started caressing her cheek and neck. "You like it?"
"Mmmm… caress me behind my ears, can you?" Vanessa grinned, and Monty started doing it, caressing and scratching behind her ears.
"Okay, Monty doesn't seem to mind… how about you, Jeremy?" Isabella asked the blond boy, who was now touching Candace's face in amazement.
"You don't mind I now look like this?" Candace asked him.
"Candace, after all the crazy stuff we had gone through with your brothers' inventions, you think I'm gonna stop liking you just because of a little… extra facial hair?" Jeremy chuckled a bit, making Candace to giggle in happiness.
"And I'm also flexible. Look." Candace stretched her arms to hug Jeremy, the guy laughing at this.
"Hey, this is great… Suzy, look, Candace isn't going to hurt you." Jeremy looked back at his sister, who still looked in awe and fear at this. "She's not gonna… hold on… you said Candace would eat you as 'Revenge'?"
Suzy gulped at this, specially when Jeremy did the hand moves for air quotes when saying 'Revenge'.
"I… uh… well… eh… you know I'm a little kid, Big Brother, and the big, fierce looking dog girl scared me." Suzy tried to use her 'innocent girl' face on Jeremy, but this time it didn't have time to work.
"I believe I can answer that." Major Monogram interrupted, cutting Suzy's act. "For starters, Jeremy, Candace, Vanessa and Mindy here, due to their current animal-like state, have been recruited into a secret organization, affiliated with Professor Shepherd here. Our organization, O.W.C.A., is extremely secretive, both due to our activities and because we don't like confessing what the acronym means; still, since this is a special case, we're allowing some civilians to get to know about us, including yourself."
"Whoa. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Anyway, our agency's main characteristic is that pretty much all our field agents are animals, like Agent P here. You know him as Perry." As Major Monogram said this, Perry dropped his pet facade and went into 'agent mode'.
"He's a very good actor, don't you think? He always tricked me with that." Heinz commented.
"And us too." Phineas added, most of the other people in the room nodded.
"Perry's a secret agent? Whoa. Again." Jeremy was again surprised; Monty, already knowing Perry, just smirked a bit at Jeremy and Suzy's impressed faces.
"Exactly. And as part of our activities, O.W.C.A. constantly monitors our agents' homes, both to get them for missions and to provide them emergency assistance in case it's necessary. That means we have several hidden cameras in this neighborhood." Major Monogram then frowned at Suzy. "And we have you on video, Suzy."
Suzy paled at this while Candace and Vanessa smirked.
"You're gonna get BUSTED." Both girls chorused in a sing-song tone.
"Wait, what do you mean you have video on my little sister?" Jeremy now frowned a bit. "And isn't that kinda illegal?"
"Why don't you see for yourself." The major nodded at Carl, who took a disc out and gave it to Phineas and Ferb so they could put it in their video system.
"I prepared this disc in the event Suzy's activities became too dangerous or criminal, so we'd have evidence on her." Carl explained.
"I must use the bathroom…" Suzy was about to run away but Candace stopped her by placing her hand in Suzy's path; of course, Candace's hand was now larger than the girl.
"Oh no you don't, you can go later." Candace smirked.
The boys turned on the video system, showing a montage of various mischievous or downright evil stuff Suzy has done to Candace. Those who didn't know of Suzy's true self gasped in surprise. Jeremy had to slap himself a couple of times to react and watch the rest of the video.
"This… can't be…" Jeremy looked down at Suzy. "Suzy, why would you do those things? You look almost… psycho…"
"Actually, she looks more like a possessive manipulative sociopath." Heinz observed, shrugging when some looked at him. "I've been seen by too many psychologists."
"And you wouldn't be that wrong." Major Monogram nodded at Phineas. "Please, pause the next scene, and turn up the volume; just a bit."
"I have one question Major Monogram, why would my little sister do this to Candace?" Jeremy interrupted them.
"Watch this scene. You'll see in a moment."
Phineas did as said. The next scene was precisely of Suzy telling Candace exactly why she was so mean with the older girl; basically saying that she considered herself the most important person in Jeremy's life and that nobody else was allowed, and that Suzy was more than willing to make Candace look bad in front of Jeremy so the boy would dump her, or make Candace's life so awful that she'd willingly stop dating Jeremy just to escape Suzy.
"Wow, this girl's so mean she makes The Regurgitator look nice." Heinz observed.
"The Regurgitator?" Mindy arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he's a high-level supervillain." Carl explained. "No matter how hard we try, we can't keep him down."
"That joke's still disgusting, Carl." Major Monogram moaned.
"Sorry, sir." Carl apologized.
Suzy gulped when looking at herself on the video, sweating cold when slightly glancing at Jeremy, who wasn't missing any detail. When the video ended, the boy looked down at her; she had never seen Jeremy with such a stern look.
"Suzy, how could you? You know I would have done anything for you…"
"Even dropping Candace like yesterday's garbage?" Suzy covered her mouth when realizing this wasn't helping her case.
"Hey, don't insult yesterday's garbage." Buford frowned. The others glanced at him. "What? I recycle."
Jeremy shook his head and got back to looking at Suzy.
"No, not that." Jeremy frowned. "Suzy, Candace is MY girlfriend, and you are MY sister. I love you both; in different ways, but still a lot each. You just saw that I don't mind that she now needs a monthly flea bath… no offense, Candace…"
"No, it's fine, I probably do anyway." Candace shrugged.
"Thanks… So, Suzy, if I love her so much that I don't mind her transformation, not even a little bit, and I'm still willing to be with her for as long as she wants…"
"Aka 'forever'." Isabella whispered at Phineas, both kids nodding in agreement.
"... you think I'm gonna drop her just like that? And you disappoint me a lot! I never thought you could be this possessive! I could have understood a little disliking of Candace, I mean, nobody can force you to like her, but being this… evil? You aren't acting like the little baby sister I read fairy tales to before her bedtime, but like the villains of those tales."
"That would explain why she offered me an apple pie once." Candace said under her breath before cringing. She threw that pie in the garbage can; the next day, the pie was gone and there was a sick rat inside.
"Jeremy… I… I… Look, I just don't like sharing you, okay? Nobody is gonna treat me as well as you do, and I don't want any girl to receive all the attention you give me!" Suzy finally admitted.
"Well, Suzy, right now I really don't feel like treating you well. I… I feel awful! Not just with you, but with myself, for not finding out before!" Jeremy sighed very sadly before looking back at Candace. "I am very sorry for this, Candace. All the stuff she had done to you…"
"Yeah, it wasn't nice, but Jeremy, it wasn't your fault…"Jeremy interrupted her now.
"No, it wasn't my fault but it was my responsibility! I'm Suzy's big brother; I'm supposed to watch over her, and correct her if she does wrong! I understand you couldn't tell me because I wouldn't have believed it… I barely can believe it now! That's another reason I'd have been more observant." Jeremy groaned. "Now I wish I had watched over her as much as you did with your brothers."
"What's gonna happen now?" Suzy asked, feeling awful herself. Maybe she didn't feel guilty over bullying and mistreating Candace, but she hated the idea of upsetting Jeremy.
"Well, for starters I'm gonna have to show mom and dad this disc of you to them." Jeremy frowned at his sister, trying to get a severe tone (mostly doing his best to mimic Candace's 'big sister threat' tone) even if getting tearful eyes himself. "Quite possibly, they might ground you until you're fifteen or they might send you to a child psychiatrist."
"I suggest an exorcist." Buford whispered at Ferb, the green haired boy nodding and taking out a bottle of holy water. "Good thinking."
"First of all, Buford, I heard that; second of all, my little sister is not possessed by the devil; and third, you guys are exaggerating." Jeremy got many arched eyebrows at the last point, he sighed and nodded at this. "Okay… I admit you guys might not be exaggerating that much."
"Speaking of a proper punishment, if you show the video to your parents, show them this one." Carl took a second disc out, handing it to Jeremy. "It's an edited version of the other, that makes it seem like all the footage comes from traffic cameras. After all, we, at OWCA, are a secret organization, and we can't have your parents asking how Suzy got caught on video when she was at your living room."
"Then, what would happen if they ask where I got this?" Jeremy asked after thanking Carl for the second disc.
"Well, we have contacts and people working in Child Services. You can tell your parents that someone at the Transit Department caught Suzy on video, and reported her to the Child Services' people." Monogram explained. "If they call the office to corroborate the story, our people will be ready. We'd been doing this a lot, placing people at the right places so we can cover up for our agents' activities in case a surveillance camera catches them on video, as it had happened before."
"Okay then." Jeremy sighed. "So, guess Suzy and I have to leave now to talk with our parents."
"Not yet. At least, not you." Monogram told him before looking down at Suzy. "Young lady, you're going back home, right now… In fact, Carl is gonna take you there. He'll be posing as an intern of the Child Services Office, and tell everything to your parents. We had to tell your brother first since we have to talk with him about something else, and we're saving time by having him staying here. And remember, Suzy, not a word about OWCA, the Canosapiens, and whatever else you saw here today to your parents; if you open your mouth, it's not likely they'll believe you anyway, especially after seeing the video, and we'd later erase your memory of the last hour, so you'd gain nothing."
"And besides, if you try anything to manipulate your parents, or myself, you'd be losing even more points with your brother." Carl added. "So, unless you want to disappoint your brother even more, you're gonna be quiet and let me do the talking… Whoa, it feels good to be in a power position."
"Yes, I know, Carl." Monogram nodded before looking back at Suzy. "So, do we understand each other?"
Suzy only sighed and nodded before looking back at Jeremy's stern yet obviously sad expression. The blonde boy then gave back the edited disc, and Carl removed his coat, revealing a black shirt; the intern then took out his wallet, that had several credentials and I.D. cards, and took out a Child Services' one, pinning it to his shirt's left side pocket.
"Hey, you came prepared." Mindy commented.
"Actually, it's normal for Carl to do this." Monty told her. "He has to get into disguise occasionally for undercover work, so he has several identifications ready for use at any time. And you should see his disguises' closet. He has enough wardrobe to dress up a The Village People's convention."
"Dibs on the Native American!" Baljeet was a bit too excited, everyone looking back at him. "What? I'm not gonna say 'dibs on the Injun'; I'm playing politically correct."
"You worry me sometimes." Buford grunted, then paused and looked back at Carl. "If you have a Construction Worker outfit in my size…"
"I'll check later." Carl said before looking back at Suzy. "Okay, let's go. And remember, right now, I'm not the OWCA's intern but the Child Service's one. So, no trying to manipulate people on the street either to make it seem I'm kidnapping or mistreating you, got it? I only need to show my card and people will believe me when saying I'm doing my job and taking a brat home so her parents can correctly discipline her, and that wouldn't be a lie."
Suzy looked down, nodding, and a moment later she and Carl walked out of the Flynn-Fletcher house while saying their 'Byes' and 'See you laters. Carl was almost beaming, even if doing his best to keep the severe look his role required right now; he was glad Major Monogram still trusted him for something this important despite the intern helping Monty keep a secret romance with Vanessa.
"Okay, now that we settled down this problem… Boy, are you okay?" Major Monogram paused to see Jeremy.
"Y-yes, Sir, go ahead." Jeremy sighed while Candace comforted him.
"Well, as I was saying, this part concerns both you and my son." The major then looked back at Monty. "As you can see, Vanessa, Candace and Mindy here are now what Professor Shepherd calls 'Canosapiens'. He can reverse the process to turn them back to humans… probably… but even if that happens, they'll now conserve canine DNA to a certain extent. And even if I am not crazy about my son dating anyone carrying Doctor Doofenshmirtz' genes…"
"Hey, she only carries 50%... and another 'Hey!" Heinz frowned while folding his arms.
"'Hey' is for horses." Buford grinned while everyone groaned at this. "What? I have my moments."
"Anyway, a couple can't have secrets among them; especially something this serious." Monogram continued. "So, if you two want to keep dating Vanessa and Candace, you must be fine, or at least accepting, of this fact."
"Yes, we just saw both Monty and Jeremy are fine with this, but you must consider the long-term implications, as the girls will now be both affiliated to OWCA and part of my own team, the Road Rovers." Professor Shepherd got the boys' attention. "That means going on missions, facing villains, and even risking their lives on occasion."
"Yeah, it will be like being married to a cop that also happens to be a K-9 operative… great, now I'm making puns too." Monogram groaned. "So, you two think you're ready for this?"
"We'll do one better, Dad; what if we transform ourselves into Canosapiens?" Monty suggested.
"You read my mind." Jeremy added.
"You can't be serious." Linda, and pretty much every adult in the room was more than mildly shocked.
"Actually, it can be done. When Ferb and I made the holographic disguises, we also set up our manufacturing and repairing robots to rebuild our transformation chamber; it must be ready by now." Phineas pointed out. "And with Professor Shepherd and Doctor Doofenshmirtz checking it, and doing some extra modifications based on their own inventions, the result would be a super-powered Rover. Not necessarily an elastic one, but still powered."
"Still… Monty, are you sure of this?" Major Monogram now was getting full-parental mode.
"Dad, I'm sure. I love Vanessa, and if the only way I can be with her is to become part of the 'pack', I'm definitely in. Besides, this way, I'll do what you always wanted; in a certain way, I'd be an OWCA agent." Monty pointed out, Vanessa smiling lovingly while he talked.
"And I feel the same about Candace. Besides, this way you can be sure someone you know will be around Candace if she needs a hand, or paw." Jeremy said the last part while looking at Candace's parents.
"Well, it would be nice to have someone we know beforehand keeping an eye on Candace…" Linda thought out loud.
"Oh, he's always keeping his eyes on Candace." Mindy smirked, making Jeremy to blush while Candace did her usual 'giggle and grin' combo.
"... but how about your parents?" Linda continued. "We're gonna tell them too?"
"I think they'll have enough on their hands already, considering Suzy's true nature being revealed." Major Monogram pointed out. "Besides, Jeremy would need to be trained beforehand, and he would be mostly a Rovers' 'reserve' member. I think he'll need to hide this from his family, at least temporarily."
"Hey, if Perry could hide himself from us for so many years, and Mom didn't find out about Phineas and Ferb no matter what…" Candace smirked slightly at her mom when saying this. "... I think Jeremy can play Secret Canine Hero without much trouble. He only needs a holographic disguise, like ours."
"Ferb and I can have a set of masks for Jeremy and Monty in a few minutes." Phineas added. "Again, we just need to get them scanned… and Jeremy's disguise will be quite fast to make since we already have scanned him from previous occasions."
"You scanned me?" Jeremy asked.
"Don't take it personal. They've scanned all of us." Isabella shrugged while Baljeet and Buford nodded.
"And they had made us intangible, insect-sized, ant-scented, digitized…" Baljeet was interrupted by Linda this time.
"Okay, I really need to know about ALL the things you kids had been doing when I didn't have any idea."
"Ferb has a multimedia presentation." Phineas said to his mother.
"Lucky you. I can't do mine without Norm interrupting me." Heinz rolled his eyes.
"Also, a fair warning; if you guys get transformed into dogs, you'll also get canine instincts." Candace said to both Jeremy and Monty while pointing at her collar. "See this? My brothers made these special collars so we can keep ourselves under control. Without this, I'd be smelling your butt… and I can't believe I just said that out-loud."
"So we'll need those collars too, uh? Okay, no problem." Jeremy shrugged while blushing at Candace's comment.
"Yes, if it only affects us when we turn into dogs, and the chamber will allow a back-and-forth human to canine transformation, we'll just need to use the collars when we get transformed." Monty deduced. "We can even make the collars as part of the Rovers' uniform; it already has a collar included."
"You're right." Darek nodded. "The normal collars work as communicators, GPS devices and similar; we just need to add the 'instinct control' function to the mix."
"Alright, then, it's decided." Major Monogram got his 'leadership' tone. "Jeremy, Monty, you two will join the Road Rovers, under OWCA's supervision, once you get properly cano-transformed."
"By the way, what dog breed would you like to be?" Phineas interrupted.
"I've been partial to Nordic-style dogs, you know, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and the like." Jeremy said, suddenly very excited about the idea of getting transformed like the girls.
"Okay, we have two good options. Ferb, the coin." Phineas told his brother. "Heads, you get Husky. Tails, you get Malamute."
Ferb flipped the coin, and landed on 'Heads'.
"Perfect. You'll be a Husky." Phineas high-fived with Jeremy before turning at Monty. "How about you, Monty?"
"I like Military and Watch Dogs in general… Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Pit Bull…"
"I've always liked German Shepherds." Vanessa interrupted, grinning slyly at him.
"Heh… okay, a German Shepherd, then." Monty shared a smile with Vanessa while Phineas and Ferb started sending some commands to their computers.
"Gotcha. Okay, our chamber is getting set up for both breeds. Still, Professor Shepherd and Doctor Doofenshmirtz have to check it out so we can add the powers." Phineas then turned at the older scientists in the room.
"Very well. Usually, my Transdogrifier enhances the dogs' normal abilities to the point they become super powers; a quick dog gets super speed, a good fighter becomes a high-level martial artist, and so on. We can make your own chamber do the same, or to add an extra mutagenic effect so the transformed ones get super powers regardless of their already existing capacities." Shepherd explained.
"Well, I already have military training, so, if you enhance me, I'd probably become a martial artist or something. Considering part of my training includes stealth capacities, guess I'd become a super soldier of sorts." Monty said.
"I have no previous training, so guess I'll get the extra muta-whatever you said, so I can get powers even if I have little to enhance right now." Jeremy commented.
"Alright then." Professor Shepherd nodded as he and Doofenshmirtz went with the boys.
A while later, Phineas and Ferb's transformation chamber was ready, and adapted with Shepherd's Transdogmafier technology and some of Doofenshmirtz's 'inators' that would provide certain energy-manipulation's powers. The chamber could also be adapted to choose the kind of energy the subject would work with.
"Alright, we'll start with Jeremy." Phineas said while adjusting the machine. "I already set it up for 'Husky', and I'm adding the energy manipulator's capacity to provide some super powers. Professor Shepherd gave us the idea."
"Yes, one of my Rovers, Exile, is a Siberian Husky, and he has thermic energy manipulation abilities, focused on his eyesight." Professor Shepherd explained.
"In other words, My uncle Exile has Freezing and Heat Vision, with a little night vision." Darek 'translated' the professor.
"Whoa, that's great." Jeremy said while getting inside the chamber. "So, I'll get Heat and Freezing Vision too?"
"Not exactly. Exile has those abilities because he was already born with a very good eyesight, so my Transdogmafier gave him superpowers that enhanced his pre-existing capacities." The professor explained. "You'd probably get energy manipulation capacities similarly to Darek's auras. We're gonna give you mostly Elemental Manipulation capacities. Since we're giving you the ability to work with several types of energies, it's possible you develop new powers over time as you gain experience and strength."
"Hey, that's great." Jeremy smiled at the idea, and after Candace gave him a reassuring nod, the blonde boy entered the chamber.
"Also, another thing; the Transdogmafier's technology we added will also provide you with a Rovers-like outfit, that will already include the Instinct Control collar." Phineas pointed out. "We wanted to include the holographic mask too, but that would be too much; the chamber already deals with a considerable amount of information on genetic splicing, energy manipulation, physical enhancement, and radio reception."
"Radio reception?"
"Yeah, it gets A.M. and F.M.; you know, to hear music while you get transformed." Phineas told the professor.
"Yeah, that was my idea." Heinz grinned. "Hey, Jeremy, any particular station you wanna hear while you're in there?"
"Mmm… if you find a Love Handel' song, go ahead." Jeremy said from inside the chamber.
Once the chamber's settings were ready, and Heinz found a Love Handel's song on a local radio station, the transformation started; this one took a bit longer than the Road Rovers' normal changes, since it wasn't just transforming a human into a Canosapiens and enhancing his abilities, but also infusing him with a high level of energy powers.
Once the process was over, Jeremy exited the chamber, fully transformed into a blonde Husky, wearing the Rovers' trademark outfit. Candace couldn't stop herself from getting on four and howl.
"Candace, control yourself…. And hope you don't hug his leg now." Linda groaned. "Never thought I'd say that to my daughter."
"Heh, sorry, Mom." Candace blushed before looking back at Jeremy, who was checking his own body, with Ferb helping by providing a full body mirror.
"Whoa.. this is great… Cool, I have a tail." Jeremy chuckled while wagging his tail, and then looked at his biceps while flexing them. "Wow… I'd never been this athletic before."
"The Siberian Husky is a naturally strong-bodied dog." Professor Shepherd explained him. "Now, let's see if the energy transfer worked too; focus your energy on your hands, and see what happen."
"And aim your hands somewhere else." Heinz moved behind the professor.
Jeremy nodded and closed his eyes before lifting his hands, aiming his fingers to the sky. After a few moments, he felt his hands getting hot, and then he shot up a huge flame.
"That was awesome!" Phineas exclaimed, everyone else agreeing even if also a bit stunned.
"And now I'm glad I suggested the whole 'aim your hands somewhere else' thing." Heinz looked up, some of the fire still visible. "If this was one of my inventions I'd call it…"
"The Incinerator?" Vanessa smirked at him.
"Uh… well, it doesn't have the '-inator' ending, but sounds good enough." Heinz shrugged.
"Alright… so now I'm a hot dog?" Jeremy chuckled at his own joke.
"You've always been hot…" Candace stopped talking when noticing her mom arching an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, Jeremy, we'll go to the practice room later so you can fully test your powers." Phineas told him before getting a thoughtful look. "And… you don't feel like doing dog stuff?"
"No, I think this collar really controls my canine instincts…" Jeremy paused before rubbing his chin. "But guess I still have them; I suddenly imagined myself chasing a squirrel."
"Squirrel? Where?" Darek and the Doberman girls looked around for a moment, calming down almost immediately.
"I thought you had your instincts under control." Heinz asked.
"Well, even with the collars, the instincts are there; the collar only helps to keep them on a safe level." Phineas said to the older scientist.
"Plus, we had to give Ferb our collars so he could put their information on the transformation's chamber, and you could get your own collar added to your outfit." Mindy explained to Jeremy. "Also, he's modifying them a bit more so we don't have any potential mishaps."
"We even had to give him our ID Masks so he could modify them further so we don't have to use our powers to fit our holographic disguises." Vanessa continued. "That will work on the long term so we don't have to make an effort to keep up a particular shape for an extended period."
"Alright then, it's time to transform Monty now." Phineas said while looking back at Monty, who was nodding at his dad.
"Are you sure about this, Monty? It's the last chance." Major Monogram pointed out.
"Dad, I'm completely sure of this. And just look at Jeremy; he's not having any ill effects." Monty reminded him. "I'll be fine, don't worry."
Major Monogram sighed and nodded at his son as he entered the chamber; since his transformation would be slightly less complex than Jeremy's, not needing to add the energy manipulation abilities, it would be much faster.
"Okay then… setting it to German Shepherd…" Phineas prepared the chamber.
"And adding the normal transdogmafication's enhancements." Professor Shepherd added. "This will give Monty the same kind of transformation my Rovers normally get."
"And Ferb and I already have a small arsenal ready for him." Phineas then turned at Major Monogram and Perry. "Thanks for your contributions. Never imagined Perry would have so many ninja and commando weapons."
"Yes, well, Agent P usually doesn't use those weapons because, after all, his normal skills and training, and the occasional gadget, are more than enough to deal with Doofenshmirtz-level villains." Major Monogram explained.
"Yeah, I can confirm that." Heinz nodded.
"But we still have those weapons in case we have to face a more serious, murderous threat, like, a floating big headed villain, an alien symbiote, or extra-dimensional robots. It had happened enough times, and they aren't catching us unprepared again." The major continued.
"Well, we've used our miniaturization technology on those weapons, so Monty's pockets and bags will be able to carry enough weapons to arm an army unit. The weapons will stay shrunk until Monty needs them; when taking out the weapons, they'll expand to normal size." Phineas concluded. "Alright, Monty, we're ready."
"Good luck, Monty." Vanessa said, trying to keep her own cool but feeling obviously excited about this, and very touched that Monty was willing to do this for her.
"Thanks, Vanessa. Okay, Phineas, make a dog out of me." Monty replied from inside.
"Transformation starts… now." Phineas signaled as Ferb activated the chamber. The transformation was very quick, less than half the time it took on Jeremy; when Monty exited the chamber, Vanessa wide-opened her eyes and changed one of her hands into a fan.
"Whoa, is it hot in here or is just him." Vanessa grinned while fanning herself.
"I don't look that good… or… Oh, wow." Monty chuckled and gasped slightly when looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like a huge, muscular anthro German Shepherd; Monty had always been athletic, but now he looked like a canine Rambo. Also, unlike Jeremy, he wasn't wearing a Rover outfit, but a ninja one, with several pockets and bags; it made sense since the Rovers, with their special powers, didn't need that much weaponry except for special cases, and Monty, on the other hand, would rely on the commando and ninja equipment regularly, so this outfit made much more sense for him.
"One moment… he doesn't have the collar…" Isabella pointed out until Phineas interrupted her.
"Yes, yes he has it. But unlike the Rovers' outfits, the collar is covered by the outfit. Remember Monty's battle abilities rely mostly on stealth, and a big, red collar with a golden tag is very noticeable. His collar is a bit thinner and lighter than the others, but works just as well, and it's comfortable enough to wear under the clothes."
"A good tactical decision." Major Monogram pointed out, also impressed at the transformation. "Uh… Monty, it doesn't hurt, right?"
"No, Dad, luckily the pants have a hole for the tail." Monty half-joked.
"Good… hey, that's not what I meant, I…" The major then noticed everyone's amused expression. "Oh, right,it was a joke. I get it now."
"Well, I think I can help Jeremy and Monty with the power practice." Darek offered himself.
"Good idea, Darek. After all, you have both energy manipulation powers and high level combat skills." Professor Shepherd correctly pointed out. "That makes you a good mentor for them both."
"Great. He's our 'alpha' then.¨ Monty smirked before saluting Darek. Jeremy nodded at this and copied the German Shepherd's gesture.
"Well, technically I'm more like a liaison, but yeah, in terms of battle experience and use of powers, I'm your superior, for now." Darek cleared out. Even if he definitely was more powerful and experienced than the two new Canosapiens, he knew that, with enough training and fieldwork, Jeremy and Monty could become as good or even better than himself.
"Okay, I suggest you guys start practicing on how to use the powers and weapons, while Ferb and I prepare a few more dummies for you to destroy." Phineas said while taking the three male Canosapiens to the practice room.
"In the meantime, I think I can give the cano-girls a quick tour at OWCA, so they can get familiar with our quarters, equipment and other agents." Major Monogram suggested.
"That sounds good." Vanessa and the other girls agreed before the dark doberman turned at her dad. "You're coming too, right?"
"Well, I'd been in OWCA a couple of times in the past, but yeah, this would be my first time as a guest or employee or whatever that isn't invading." Heinz shrugged. "Besides, I heard you get fresh donuts on weekends."
"Revealing secrets, Agent P?" Major Monogram arched his eyebrow at Perry, who simply shrugged at this.
"Well, guess we already have our activities planned for the time being. While you work on those things, I'll contact my Rovers; they're still on a mission and I have to monitor them regularly." Professor Shepherd said. "Even if it seems to be just a routine search, better safe than sorry."
A few minutes later, Major Monogram was driving back to OWCA with the cano-girls, while Heinz and Perry followed them in Doofenshmirtz' car. The other parents decided to stay at the Flynn-Fletcher home to watch Jeremy and Monty's training session, plus Linda still had to watch the multimedia presentation Ferb had made, so she could finally see all the stuff her sons had been doing.
"Now I'm the one who needs popcorn." Linda groaned while watching the video, gasping at the next scene. "Time travel… and a T-REX?"
"Mmm… guess Candace was right after all; Mom wouldn't really approve most of the things we do." Phineas said to Ferb while they watched the training session, along with the other kids, Charlotte and Lawrence, through the test room's video links.
Currently, Darek was showing Jeremy how to use his elemental powers, while Monty was behind them, in an improvised obstacles course ('improvised' for Phineas and Ferb, of course, so it was probably better than anything the Army had), testing his agility and strength. He'd later test his weaponry once the practice dummies were ready.
"Okay, Jeremy, I want you to use the 'fire' attack again, but this time keep it small." Darek explained to the blonde while showing his hand to him. "Imagine you're holding a ball, and try to keep that image in your mind. The energy will take the shape your mind commands, but, obviously, some shapes are easier than others, and a fireball is pretty much a basic and a classic."
"Alright. Here I go." Jeremy nodded and focused on his right hand, eventually forming a small fireball. "Hey, this is great."
"Good. Now, try to keep that ball. Don't drop it." Darek moved a few steps back. "These walls are very resistant; so, I want you to throw the ball, as hard as you can, and hit the wall. At this moment we're working on 'control' rather than 'precision', so you don't need to hit a small or moving target; a big one, very hard to miss or damage, is the best at this stage."
Jeremy nodded and, after using a bit more energy on the fireball, so it wouldn't dissipate the moment he threw it, the blonde canine boy shot it at the wall. The fireball produced a small explosion when impacting, and didn't damage the wall at all, but Darek correctly guessed it was mostly because of Phineas and Ferb's very solid construction standards rather than a weak attack.
"That was very good." Darek nodded. "Now, let's try with the wind attacks. In order to control it, you have to control your own air supply, namely your breathing. Inhale and exhale as hard and deeply as you can; feel the air moving in, out, and around you."
Jeremy did as said, and started doing some deep breaths. At first it didn't seem to do anything, but after a few moments, Jeremy could feel the air moving all around his body. He then did the same as when he created the fireball, this time, obviously, with air instead of fire; the result was creating a small, visible hurricane-like wind circling around his hands.
"Whoa. This feels good." Jeremy moved his hands closer to his face, grinning at how the wind felt on his face. He then opened his muzzle and allowed the wind to move his tongue. "Heh… no wonder dogs love to do this when they ride a car."
"I'd say you need an adjustment on the instincts-restraining-collar, but there's nothing wrong with having some fun with the canine instincts once in a while." Darek chuckled. "Dad and I still play 'Catch' for hours whenever we have the time… heh, you should see his tennis balls collection."
"Hey, if you need tennis balls, we can provide those." Phineas' voice was heard through the speakers, and soon a medium-sized metallic box, containing several tennis balls, appeared on the middle of the room.
"Great idea." Darek grabbed one ball. "Okay, Jeremy, we'll practice the 'air attack' as we did with the fireball, but this time I want you to hit the ball; let's see how hard and fast you can throw it with the air blast."
"Gotcha." Jeremy nodded and got ready. Darek threw the ball up, and Jeremy hit it with the air blast, sending it the other side of the room, right over Monty's training course.
"Hey, a ball!" Monty, who was currently running past a track that had falling bags as obstacle, saw the ball and jumped to catch it, doing it with relative ease despite needing to jump over 12 feet up.
"Great catch, Monty." Darek chuckled before getting another idea. "You know, we can use these balls to practice with both Jeremy's powers and your weaponry."
A few moments later, Darek was standing next to the balls' box, with Jeremy a few feet behind him, and Monty aside him, the German Shepherd already with a few kunais in his hands.
"And now… air blast!" Darek threw three balls up, and Jeremy hit them with his air attack. Once they were moving the other side of the room, Monty chased after them, trying to hit the balls with the kunai; he did it so well that he only needed one kunai shot per ball, actually pinning/stabbing a ball against a wall.
"Alright! Very good, the both of you." Darek congratulated his pupils while Jeremy and Monty high-fived, and then Phineas' voice was heard again.
"The dummies are ready. We have a few dozens this time; sending the first batch… now."
Again, as they did with Darek's demonstration, Phineas and Ferb sent 12 dummies that emerged from the floor. Darek thought Monty should start the practice this time.
"Okay, Monty, you're gonna attack the dummies. First, do it only with your canine abilities." Darek pointed at the six dummies at his left. "And then you take down the other dummies with any of your weapons; your choice."
"Got it." Monty nodded before getting a battle stance. It was very similar to a martial arts' one, but a bit feral in looks. When Darek signaled, Monty attacked the first six dummies, hitting the first ones with karate kicks and chops before making a claw-like position with his paws/hands, so the next dummies were pretty much slashed as well as punched despite Monty not having particularly sharp claws, his battle-training and very strong canine muscles and bones doing the job as well as if he was a tiger instead of a dog. Once he finished with the first dummies, he took out a battle staff that, as Phineas told him, was the size of a pencil when taking it out of the bag, but it grew almost instantly to a normal size. Monty started hitting the dummies' bodies with quick, sharp efficiency before pressing a hidden button that made a pair of blades to emerge from both sides of the staff, the German Shepherd using them now to be-head the dummies with clean, quick strikes. The whole attack lasted less than two minutes; with more practice, Monty would be able to do the same damage in less than half the time.
"Very good, Monty!" Darek complimented him while Monty returned the staff to miniature size and put it back into one of his many pockets.
"Yeah, that was great." Jeremy said, equally impressed. "Uh… quick question; how did you know you'd take a staff out of that pocket? They all look the same to me."
"Well, when Phineas and Ferb gave me the weaponry, I gave it a quick check-up. " Monty explained. "It's basic Army and Secret Agent's training, to know exactly what you're carrying on each and every pocket or bag, since, in the middle of a battle, you have to take the right thing out almost instantly."
"That's right. Okay, Jeremy, your turn. " Darek then turned at the White Husky. "We are gonna continue practicing with the fire attacks. We'll later need some water and earth so you can practice those attacks too…"
"We can provide that." Phineas' voice mentioned while a large water tank and some crates containing rocks and soil emerged from the floor.
"Hey, thanks." Darek, again, was impressed by the boys' intelligence and preparations. "Alright, guess we can practice with these now. First, try to move them, at least a bit, while Phineas and Ferb replace the dummies."
Jeremy started focusing on the water tank while Phineas and Ferb made new dummies to appear while the destroyed ones were taken out of the room. Jeremy managed to move the water with relative ease, but he still couldn't take it out of the tank.
"You're doing it well. Now, I want you to focus on moving just a little bit of water. That way you'll be able to take it out of the tank." Darek encouraged him. Jeremy got to move small volumes of water out of the tank, first as large waterballs, and then moving them like whips or circles.
"Excellent. Okay, now, move the water as fast and hard as you can, and try hitting the dummies."
"Got it." Jeremy nodded and threw the first water ball at the closest dummy, with enough force to knock it down. The second ball was much harder and faster, not just knocking down a dummy but making a hole right in the middle of its chest.
"Very good! Now, try moving a larger volume of water, and see if you can use it as a tidal wave, or at least a blast."
Jeremy did as Darek told him. Since now the Husky Boy had more practice, he managed to take almost half of the tank's content out, and throw it at the dummies with high force, effectively mimicking a small tidal wave. The attack was so hard it send all the remaining dummies to the other side of the room.
"Whoa… so that's why that Poseidon ship got turned upside down by a wave… Water really has lots of power." Jeremy was visibly impressed. He knew how hard waves could be since he surfed sometimes, but he never expected to make a wave as powerful as the ocean's.
"Alright. Let's now try with the earth attacks." Darek said while moving next to the crates; each rock inside was more or less the same size of a large bread loaf. "Again, try to move one rock out of the crate, just one, before we try more advanced stuff."
Jeremy realized that, while moving the rock was a bit more tiring than moving the water, it was comparatively simpler, as the rock kept its shape by its own while Jeremy had to focus to keep the water in a particular shape after taking it out of the tank. Jeremy moved the rock around the crates, and then over and around himself.
"Nice. You have your own orbit." Monty grinned.
"So this is like my little moon? Cool." Jeremy chuckled.
"Okay, Jeremy, your targets will be the same dummies. The water attacks washed them away, literally, but didn't destroy them completely." Darek told his pupil. "Again, try to move the rock as hard and fast as you did before with the water."
"Gotcha." Jeremy levitated the rock until it almost touched the room's ceiling, and then threw it against the dummies, hitting one of them with power similar to a cannonball or meteorite.
"Smashing… literally." Jeremy chuckled at his own joke.
"Very good. Now, try with more than one rock at once."
Jeremy soon moved more than a dozen rocks, and levitated them around himself, increasing the speed to make the rocks gain momentum before shooting them at the dummies.
"Whoa… very good idea." Darek was visibly impressed. "How did you…"
"You can't be around Phineas and Ferb without learning a few things about Physics." Jeremy chuckled before finally shooting the rocks; they had gained so much speed they made far more damage than the first rock, not just smashing the dummies but pretty much obliterating them, completely destroying the targets.
"Heh… this was fun." Jeremy was pretty impressed by his own attack. "I didn't imagine I could hit this hard."
"Well, it makes sense. I mean, if you could do that much damage just with the waterballs, it's obvious the rocks can make a lot more, especially if you do that extra impulse thing." Monty said while approaching the dummies' remains. "Seriously, this was as powerful as an avalanche, or a commando unit using heavy artillery."
"Okay, I think we practiced enough with Jeremy's powers, at least for now." Darek nodded at Phineas, who was appearing on the screen again. The boy nodded back, and he and Ferb quickly replaced the destroyed dummies. "Phineas, can you put the dummies alongside the obstacles course?"
"Sure, no problem." Phineas gave him a thumb up while Ferb set the new dummies alongside the course.
"Perfect. Okay, Monty, you're gonna run the obstacles course again, but this time you have to destroy the dummies along the way. You can use any weapon of your choice."
"Got it, Sir." Monty saluted Darek before moving to the course's start. The German Shepherd waited for a moment until Darek told him to start, and he immediately took out a pair of shurikens. Monty jumped the first obstacle while throwing the shurikens at two dummies' heads; he then took out a small, circular shield that he used to hit other two dummies on his way to the next obstacle; when jumping it, he threw the shield at another dummy, taking it down, and when the shield bounced back, Monty caught it and returned to its bag before heading to the next obstacle, taking down another dummy with a kunai while running.
In the end, Monty ran the whole course in less than 2 minutes, with such speed and skill that he used no less than 15 different weapons, going from ninja ones like kunais, sais and shurikens to crossbow arrows and army knives. All the dummies were damaged to a certain extent; some only had 'minor' hits, the kind that would knock out a normal human, while others were so injured that, if they were people, they'd have ended in intensive care.
"Excellent job." Darek grinned. "You really got well trained."
"Thanks. The canine agility and strength help a lot."
"Now, a word of advice, in the hero world there's one important thing you should always do with your powers." Darek pointed out.
"What's that?" Jeremy and Monty said in unison.
"Exercise restraint."
"What's that mean?" Jeremy asked.
"Well, you can use full power against dummies, and that's fine for training, but you don't want to do the same against a living target, specially a human or another dog. I mean, look at the dummies, and then imagine if they were people."
Monty and Jeremy looked at the dummies from the obstacle course, and cringed.
"You have a point… I mean, look at those two." Jeremy pointed at one dummy with a kunai right in the forehead, and a headless one, courtesy of a katana blade.
"And those are among the less damaged ones." Monty nodded. "Guess we really need to be more careful with our powers and weapons."
"Exactly. Now that you two know how powerful you can be, now we have to work on self-control. Most of the time, you'll only 'incapacitate' the target; knocking a person down, or hurting a villain's hand so he can't use a weapon." Darek explained. "You'll only use full power against an equally powerful enemy, or a non-living target, like breaking your way through a wall, stopping a war tank or similar."
Monty and Jeremy nodded in agreement. Before they could continue training, they heard Professor Shepherd's voice through Darek's communicator.
"Darek, emergency; I need you right now. Jeremy, Monty, come here too; I already called Major Monogram so he's bringing the girls back."
"What's going on, Professor?"
"Remember the Road Rover mission I was monitoring? It stopped being routine and it's now a priority one. A rescue mission."
"Rescue… how many of them got captured?" Darek was now visibly concerned.
"Apparently… all of them." The professor paused before taking a deep breath. "It's Parvo."
Darek clenched his teeth. This was definitely a priority mission now.
"Come on, guys, this is really bad news." Darek lead Monty and Jeremy out of the room, both newbies curious about this 'Parvo' and who needed to be rescued.
Once Darek and the boys were in the living room, they still waited a couple of minutes until Monogram returned with the canine girls, Perry and Doofenshmirtz; the professor then gave them a quick summary.
"I sent the Road Rovers on a research mission; it didn't seem too dangerous, just collecting data and confirming some rumors about another Canosapien's existence…"
"I thought you were the only one who could create Canosapiens." Mindy pointed out.
"Yes, but I'm not the only one who can create similar creatures; you girls are a perfect proof of it." Shephard sighed. "And apparently, they weren't Canosapiens but Canomutants."
"Parvo's creatures." Darek said to the others. "Similar to us, but much more feral and aggressive. They usually have no special powers, but compensate by being much bigger and physically stronger, or, if Parvo modifies the process a bit, they can be our same size and less powerful, but smart enough to use weaponry."
"Parvo… I think I remember him. We invited him to join L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.S. once, but he's just too tough and mean, even for our standards, plus he turned down all of our offers to join. Something about not liking the 'inators' and how he always insists on having his super dogs around… without being well trained." Heinz explained before cringing. "You wouldn't wanna to look at the mess those mutants made the last time. We had to change all the carpets."
"You're lucky it's the only thing you had to change." Shephard continued. "Anyway, the Road Rovers contact me constantly through all the missions, and when they didn't reply my last message, I used their vehicle's video surveillance system to see what was going on. The last thing I saw was a pack of Canomutants dominating Shag before he could unleash Muzzle."
"So, this is a rescue mission, and also stopping Parvo from getting the Ryu Oni Stone, right?" Darek frowned.
"The Ryu-Street Fighter-Whatever Stone?" Bufford arched his eyebrow.
"No, Ryu-Oni Stone; the 'research' part of the Rovers' mission was to confirm its existence." Shephard cleared out.
"What is the Ryu-Oni Stone, Professor?" Baljeet asked, everyone paying attention the the professor's explanation now.
"It's a Japanese local legend; the stone is basically a prison vessel for the Ryu-Oni demon that was first imprisoned by the first generation of Ninjas, who used mystical methods to imprison the beast; legend has it that if that creature was released into the world, it bring about an apocalypse of eternal suffering. From what I could get from the video surveillance system, it seems Parvo stole it from the temple it was housed in, and he even annihilated the Ninja Clan and it's students that were protecting it."
"B-but… all that for a… so-called magical trinquet? I mean, magic isn't real, right?" Mindy gulped.
"Many things that were considered magical in the past had been revealed to have a scientific background. And this vessel, apparently, projects an energy type we hadn't fully studied yet; and as any energy, it can be used to fuel a machine, which seems to be Parvo's goal; I overheard him saying he was going to use it to power up his newest Canomutator; in the best case scenario, if he succeeds in using it, he'd have an army of super powerful Canomutants, and, in the worst one, the demon inside it would be released just after one use."
"A dragon-ogre demon…" Baljeet gulped while Bufford glanced at him. "That's what 'ryu' and 'oni' mean in Japanese."
"Well, yes, loosely translated from it's native language, Ryu-Oni means Dragon Demon." Shephard nodded.
"I know. I added 'ogre' because we are already calling it a demon, and we'd be saying 'Dragon-Demon Demon' otherwise."
"Great, we're facing the apocalypse and you're discussing grammar and semantics." Candace groaned.
"Indeed. We need to rescue the Road Rovers, stop Parvo, and make sure that demon remains imprisoned." Major Monogram took charge now. "I can call some of my agents to provide back-up…"
"With all due respect, Major, most of your agents wouldn't do that well against Parvo's army. They're all large, alpha predators; for them, the O.W.C.A. agents are nothing but prey." Shephard interrupted him. "It would be better if it's just Darek and maybe just one or two particularly good agents…"
"Or all of us." Monty talked now. "We can go with Darek and help him."
"Monty, you've had your powers for less than 2 hours…"
"Yes, but I also have years of agent training." Monty interrupted the professor. "Between my training, Darek's leadership and abilities, and the rest of the new Canosapiens' powers, I think we can handle ourselves. Maybe not enough to defeat Parvo, but good enough to rescue the Road Rovers, and then we can all finish the mission together."
"And Ferb and I can provide them with some of our new gadgets." Phineas added.
Perry nodded and chattered, pretty much confirming the efficiency of Phineas and Ferb's inventions. The platypus also raised his hand and pointed at himself.
"Yes, Agent P, you can provide backup. I think Darek can lead the main group, and you can stay behind, ready to assist them in case things don't go according to plan." Major Monogram nodded at the platypus.
"Oh. Demoted to backup, eh?" Heinz grinned at Perry, who simply shrugged and smirked back.
"More like, he got promoted to 'Cavalry'."
"Oh." Heinz realized Monogram was right and looked back at the grinning Perry. "You always have to win someway, uh?"
"Okay, it's decided then. I remote-called another of my vehicles; one that can do a trans-oceanic flight in no time while carrying several passengers." Professor Shephard explained. "Phineas, Ferb, you kids have 10 minutes to provide the team with whatever gadget you want; don't explain how to use them; the flight will take a couple of hours, so you can use that time to call Darek and company, and explain them how to use the gadgets on their way to Japan."
"Got it. We have to save time." Phineas and Ferb went back to their workstation to get the tools and gadgets for the team. Meanwhile, Darek and his team talked with the rest of the adults, explaining the situation and trying to calm them down. Obviously, Charlene and Linda weren't too happy about letting their daughters to go risk their lives, but they also understood this was an emergency and couldn't find good enough arguments to object them either.
Ten minutes later, Darek was flying the Rover Jet to Japan, along with his new teammates, and listening to Phineas explaining them how to use the gadgets, the young Canosapien hoping they'd be enough to save his parents and friends while also saving the world.