On Today's Episode: The spies continue to fight back against the army of cheerleaders in hopes of saving them and Bridget from their strange mindset. Meanwhile, Nick does battle with Corvus once again, hoping to finally get some answers about the dark mage's heinous plan and what about the future it entails. With trouble arising on multiple fronts, can the spies take care of business before they're overwhelmed?
Episode 2: Strawberry Surprise
2:21 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters, Southwest Quadrant
Nick leaped over another blast and juked to the side, hoping to throw Corvus off balance.
"Simply not interested!" Corvus laughed, dark energy extending from both of his hands and forming into what appeared to be long whips. Nick quickly had to jump away as Corvus began to crack the whips towards him.
Nick flew into the air to get a good vantage point, only to be snatched by one of Corvus' dark whips and yanked right back to the ground.
"What say you now?" Corvus sneered, only to reel backwards when Nick quite literally punched him in the face, causing his hood to drop and finally allowing Nick to get a good look at the man behind the cloak.
Apparently, Corvus was an old-looking man with beady-looking yellow eyes, though this did nothing to diminish his sinister smile.
"You definitely don't fit what I thought you'd look like," Nick admitted. "But you're still gonna pay for all of the trouble you've caused!"
"Yes, boy, come at me with all of that rage!" Corvus cackled, dark energy surrounding his hands once again. "Show me what your future self couldn't!"
"You've got some nerve thinking I'm just going to lay down and forget what you've said!" Nick shot back. "I'm coming to take you down, no matter what you think!"
"Oh, is that a fact, boy?" Corvus proclaimed. "Then show me your skill!"
Despite his old appearance, Corvus suddenly displayed surprising agility as he lunged forward to attack Nick with blades of darkness. Nick ducked and weaved through the slashes as best he could before jumping and striking Corvus across the head with a flying kick, causing the man to tumble across the room.
"Get up," Nick growled. "I'm not done kicking your ass yet!"
"Oh, but this is where our game must end for now," Corvus proclaimed, dark energy surrounding his body. "But know this: you, and everyone else in this wretched world, past, present and future, will be under my control soon enough."
With his words said, Corvus let out a large explosion of dark energy around him, and when it cleared away, he had vanished.
"...'control'? What exactly is he on about now?" Nick quipped as he rushed over to free the trapped agents from their bonds. "Either way, it seems like I at least know part of his scheme now. I'm just hoping the rest of the team back at Mali-U is having a better time with their problem..."
2:39 P.M. – Malibu University
The spies were continuing to battle the students who'd turned into evil cheerleaders, and hopefully turn them back to normal.
"Okay, we might need some assistance here! There's way too many cheerleaders, and Bridget's still outspeeding us!" Haruka exclaimed.
It was true, of course, as Bridget's Sonic Mode made it hard to even get a shot off from somebody.
"We've gotta think of something..." Sam groaned.
"Gee, I never realized how tough a mission like this can be without Nick's services," Alex chastised.
"That doesn't mean we can't win though," Clover proclaimed.
"I second that," Britney stated.
"I think we've gotta find a way to trip her up," May suggested.
"With her moving so quickly, it'll be tough, but I think it could work," Nozomi deduced.
"And hopefully Jerry's working on an antidote for these hypno-cookies!" Alex exclaimed.
"One thing at a time, Alex," Melissa quipped. "But certainly – hopefully Jerry's making progress on that note."
Dawn tried to trip Bridget herself, but she was too fast for that old-school leg-sticking out trick.
"Ugh, I guess I'll have to try something," Klee groaned.
Bridget leaped over another attack from Sam and charged towards Klee.
"Um, Klee, whatever you're planning, do it quickly!" Haruka exclaimed.
Bridget lunged forward, only for Klee to raise her right hand and ensnare Bridget in her psychic hold, rendering her unable to move.
"Ah, the classic psycho-grab!" Clover laughed.
"Never gets old," Klee giggled.
It was then and there that the hypnotized Bridget whistled, and more footsteps were heard; this caused the spies to look where Bridget was whistling at.
"...wait, are there more cheerleaders coming?!" Clover chastised.
"Lo and behold, it is!" Mat exclaimed.
"We can't outrun them like rabid dogs," Sam stated.
"Ooh, this could be trouble," Klee shuddered.
"Let me try something," Sam replied, taking out the stun-tan lotion.
The army of hypnotized cheerleaders came after the spies. Simultaneously, Bridget had broken free from her restraints and was coming after Sam, too.
"Sorry to do this, Bridget, but we gotta do what we gotta do!" Nozomi exclaimed and joined Sam in using the stun-tan lotion of her own.
Nozomi waited for the right moment and squirted. It was a direct hit, surprisingly! Bridget was trapped like a mouse in a mousetrap.
"Nice shot, Nozomi!" May exclaimed.
Sam quickly got out her X-Powder to dial up Jerry.
"Jerry, have you worked on an antidote yet?" Sam wondered.
"As a matter of fact, I have," Jerry proclaimed. "Just aim your X-Powder at Bridget and we'll do the rest."
Sam quickly ran over to Bridget, not knowing how long she'd stay stuck, and aimed her X-Powder for her face. A bright blue light enveloped Bridget for a couple seconds, and she quickly began looking around just as the Stun-Tan Lotion's effects wore off.
"Um... okay, two questions," Bridget asked. "One, what exactly happened to me? And two, why am I dressed in a gaudy cheerleader outfit? Last I checked, I was part of the track and field team..."
"It worked, Jerry!" Haruka exclaimed.
"H-How did you...?!" Inga gasped.
"Oh, what, you're salty that we can create fixes for your dumb brainwashing cookies?!" Clover shot back.
"Besides, you should see the cookies Nick made back in middle school," Bridget giggled as she ripped off her cheerleader outfit, the neon lines on her Sonic Mode outfit beginning to glow brightly. "Out of this world."
"What do we do now, miss cookie?" Candy proclaimed.
"Only thing we can do at the moment," The Granny replied. "This isn't the end, you wretches!"
And with that, the three villains retreated with the rest of their cheerleader army in tow.
"Well, nuts," Alex quipped. "I was hoping we could use the antidote on everyone else, too..."
"Hey, we'll get 'em soon enough, I'm sure," Bridget replied. "Now... if someone could inform me on what exactly happened while I've been out of it?"
3:03 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters
Back at W.O.O.H.P., Nick was still looking around for Corvus.
"Come on, you son of a bitch!" Nick exclaimed as he looked around. "I haven't given you the psychic beatdown you totally deserve yet!"
There was no sign of Corvus anywhere in the vicinity, so Nick returned to the training area.
"Looking good, Blaine," Mat commented as Blaine continued his training.
"I hope we finish soon so we can help Clover and the others soon," Blaine commented.
"We'll see how your training goes," Jerry remarked.
"But judging by how much Jerry wants you to do," Kana added. "Maybe the others will finish the mission by the time Blaine is done."
"Hope so," Mat replied, but he knew the girls could take care of themselves.
He looked to the side to see Nick return.
"Dude, what was the emergency?" Blaine asked.
"Corvus was here," Nick stated. "But he got away."
"Strange that he'd be here of all places," Mat commented.
"And what's even stranger is he possessed some of the same powers as the Shadow," Nick added.
"Then that would mean Corvus is from the future," Mat deduced. "Is it possible that might be the Shadow?"
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," Nick replied. "For one thing, Corvus definitely looks a lot older than I am. And remember, the Shadow was from another dimension. This guy's from our future, and I definitely didn't go dictator in this future, considering Klee. But he did say something about my future self, apparently. He mentioned that he wanted me to 'show me what your future self couldn't'."
"You think he's got some kind of scheme planned in the future?" Mat wondered.
"That, I'm absolutely sure of," Nick responded. "But we still have a good few questions that need answers. One, why did he throw Klee and Kana back in time just for his plans? Two, why did he wipe Klee's memories? And three, what exactly did he do to my future self and possibly other future us-es?"
"Here's hoping that Klee can regain the rest of her memories soon," Blaine quipped. "Because I have a feeling those memories are gonna be crucial to stopping this nutball."
Suddenly, a wave of golden light passed along the floor underneath Blaine, causing him to start floating into the air.
"Stay alert, Blaine," Nick teased.
Blaine, despite his floating distress, couldn't help but chuckle. Kana giggled at the sight as well.
3:11 P.M. – Malibu University
"All this over a cookie," Bridget quipped once the rest of the spies had explained the situation. "And really, they could come up with a better motive than just destroying Mali-U."
"Either way, we've got to stop them before they zombify all of Mali-U," Clover proclaimed. "Because that's another blast from the past that I would rather stay buried in the past."
"Hey, if I'm not mistaken, we seem to be down a couple peeps," Bridget stated.
"Blaine's back at W.O.O.H.P. undergoing some additional training, and Nick and Mat are there to help him out," Sam explained.
"And Kana's there, too, just to keep her safe," Klee answered.
"Guess that means this mission's most likely gonna be a girls' night out, huh?" Britney quipped.
"Seems that way," Alex giggled.
"Let's keep moving, everybody," Sam stated. "We've got a bunch of students to save, after all."
As the spies moved through the hallways, they were eventually stopped by a sneering voice that was all too familiar to them.
"Well, well, if it isn't the menials."
The girls all glanced towards a door that had just opened, and out popped who else but Mindy, Mandy's cousin who was just as obnoxious and snooty towards them as Mandy had once been.
"Okay, Mindy, this is really not the time for any of this," Clover proclaimed.
"Oh, but you have time to talk about your super-uncool dresses?" Mindy shot back. "What, did you put them together from old boyfriend hair or..."
Suddenly, Mindy yelped in shock when Mandy grabbed her by the ear and pulled her back into their dorm room.
"I'm really sorry about her," Mandy stated. "She's supposed to be getting ready for classes next week. Or did you forget, Mindy?!"
The dorm room door closed quickly, leaving the spies to their thoughts.
"Okay, so that was... a thing," Clover quipped.
"Man, am I ever glad that Mandy's on our side now," Sam admitted. "Mindy seems like she's as bad as, if not worse than Mandy was in high school before she got caught up in our shenanigans."
"And honestly, if Mandy hadn't pulled her back, I definitely would have let Mindy have it over that whole 'Mystery Food X' incident," May exclaimed. "I mean, who contaminates an entire swimming pool by being stupid and eating a double-decker cheeseburger with all of the fixings around a freakin' pool?!"
"Mindy, apparently," Alex sighed, remembering the chaos that incident had brought. "I'm just glad the Mali-U pool's all better now."
Klee closed her eyes in order to use her own psychic radar, scanning the nearby area for any signs of trouble (and chuckling at the fact that she could hear Mindy's thoughts grumbling about how "you used to do that to them" and Mandy countering with "yeah, well, not anymore!"; ah, how circumstances could change people).
Eventually, Klee found a series of thoughts all silently chanting the same thing.
"I've got a lock on our cheerleader army," Klee proclaimed. "Let's go knock some heads around!"
"Best idea I've heard all day," Nozomi quipped.
The spies followed Klee's directions back to the student lounge, where the army of brain-zapped cheerleaders was waiting for them.
"Did... did the army just increase?!" Britney shouted.
"It seems that most of Mali-U loves our cookies," Candy laughed as she made her appearance. "So much so that Inga and Granny are actually working on more of them as we speak. So for now, it's just me here to take you down."
"Oh, I wouldn't bet on it," Bridget taunted. "Because now our side's got its resident speedster back in the lineup. Sonic Mode, online!"
Once Bridget was transformed, she waved two fingers in the universal sign of "bring it", which only made Candy angry.
"All right, then, if that's the way you're going to play," Candy growled. "DESTROY THEM!"
The cheerleaders began marching towards the spies as they readied themselves for another battle.
"Surrender and make it easy," Inga sneered.
"Not on your life!" Clover scoffed.
"We're not taking the easy way out!" Britney exclaimed.
The cheerleader army came straight for the ten spies.
"Don't suggest to run away just yet," May told the others.
"Leave this to me, spies!" Bridget exclaimed. "I have a score to settle with these chodes!"
"That's a good way to put it," Dawn laughed.
("What You Wish For" by Lyn plays)
As the cheerleaders approached, Bridget simply charged forward as fast as she could, her lightning speed bowling over many of the cheerleaders.
After skidding to a stop, Bridget quickly turned around and rushed backwards to intercept Candy as she attempted to make a move on the spies, knocking her away with a flying kick to her back.
"Hope that hurt, you washout!" Bridget exclaimed.
"This isn't going well, is it?" Inga quipped.
"What was your first clue?" The Granny answered. "I insist we assume a tactical retreat."
"Not so fast, sourpusses!" Klee shouted and used her psychic powers to round up Inga Bittersweet and The Granny.
Unfortunately, Candy Sweet had gotten away and was making a break for who knows where.
"Great moves, Bridget!" Haruka exclaimed.
"Hopefully the boys can rejoin us soon," Alex replied.
"Maybe we oughta check in with Jerry to see how they're coming along," Sam suggested.
"And while we're at it, maybe he could analyze this I found during the battle," Bridget remarked.
"What is it?" Britney asked as Sam opened her X-Powder.
"It looks like some kind of computer chip," Bridget replied, glancing at the clue in question. "But why does it look so familiar?"
"Hopefully that might give us an idea of where those three creeps got to," Clover stated.
Sam called Jerry, and his visage appeared on her X-Powder.
"Spies, a mission update..." Jerry stated.
"Hey, Jer," Sam replied. "We thwarted away Candy Sweet's army of cheerleaders, and we got Bridget back!"
"But I do have this for you to analyze," Bridget stated, holding her clue.
"Excellent," Jerry remarked. "Sam can send it to me and RiCO can analyze it."
Sam pointed her X-Powder at Bridget's clue, and it disappeared; it would appear in front of Jerry.
"How's Blaine coming along with his extra training?" Clover wondered during the wait.
"He's doing very well," Jerry answered. "But don't expect the boys to return for this particular mission."
"Must be a lot of training then," Britney quipped.
"I'll second that," May added.
"But we have an update of our own," Nick stated, tapping Jerry on the shoulder to let him know he was there.
"What's going on, Nick?" Alex wondered.
"Corvus was around W.O.O.H.P., that's what," Nick answered.
"Is Kana okay?" Sam asked, obviously alerted at Nick's news.
"She's fine, Sam," Nick answered.
"Why would Corvus be there?!" Klee wondered.
"Exactly what I was going to say..." Melissa replied.
"It's not good," Nozomi stated.
"Maybe the boys can deal with Corvus if they finish training with Blaine," Sam deduced.
4:00 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters
"Looking good, Blaine," Mat remarked while Blaine continued his extra training.
"And hopefully the girls are abstaining from a cookie craze," Nick quipped.
"I'll bet they are," Kana replied. "They already know the cookies are bad news."
"By the way, bro, what happened earlier?" Mat asked Nick.
"If you're talking about Mali-U, apparently Bridget got brainwashed into being a gaudy cheerleader by those strange cookies, but the girls just got her back to her senses," Nick answered. "If we're talking Corvus, I still don't know why he keeps popping in and out, but he's apparently got some big scheme in the works that involves our future selves."
"Man, just when you think a case is gonna be simple, it has to sprout an 'extra head', as it may," Blaine quipped.
"No kidding," Mat replied.
"Speaking of Corvus, I wonder how he got past most of the security," RiCO wondered.
"He's apparently got some kind of crazy dark magic, so I wouldn't be surprised if he can teleport in with it," Nick answered. "I'm hoping we can stomp him before he causes too much chaos."
Just then, Nick's X-Powder beeped again, and he opened it to see the face of a smiling Klee.
"What's up, Klee?" Nick asked.
"Well, papa, Jerry should be getting a present any second now," Klee giggled.
Jerry glanced up at his office viewscreen to see that, indeed, two agents were escorting Inga and The Granny to the containment facility, both villains imprisoned in a psychic bubble and grumbling about their defeat.
"I managed to snag Inga and Granny when they were trying to invoke rule twelve, but Candy's still on the loose," Klee explained. "Hopefully, since she's the only one left, it won't be much longer before we nab her, too."
"Nicely done, Klee!" Nick proclaimed.
"Thank you, papa!" Klee laughed. "If you see Corvus again, let him know that I've got my own bones to pick with him."
"Already on the docket, Klee," Nick replied. "I know it kinda stinks that we probably won't be able to help you on this mission..."
"Hey, don't worry about it, 'kay?" May responded. "We can't let you boys have all the fun, now, can we?"
"You have a point there," Nick chuckled.
A loud ping resounded in the office, which meant RiCO had finished her analysis of the strange computer chip that Bridget had sent over.
"Analysis complete, Jerry!" RiCO proclaimed. "According to my scan, the computer chip contains code that was used in certain synthetic suits that you've been developing as of late."
"...you mean, like synthetic suits that enhance someone's abilities?" Nick asked, the pieces clicking together.
"Exactly, Nick," RiCO responded. "And this particular chip is part of the series that enhances a user's speed."
"Wait, you're saying that chip has Sonic Mode tech in it?!" Bridget gasped. "I didn't know you were making more suits like that, Jerry!"
"To be fair, Bridget, your Sonic Mode is the first successful version of this technology," Jerry explained. "After your field test was a resounding success, I began to look into ways of duplicating that so our other agents could utilize something similar."
"Now I'm pretty positive that's Candy's trump card for if and when we free the other students from the hypno-cookies," Sam proclaimed. "Jerry, do you have an update on the rest of the antidote?"
"I'm working on that as we speak, Sam," RiCO answered. "I'll call you when it's ready."
4:08 P.M. – Malibu University
"Okay, here's my question," Clover asked as the girls continued to explore Mali-U for their last remaining villain. "What the heck would Candy need with W.O.O.H.P. tech like that?"
"She can't be using her old robot cheerleaders again, can't she?" Alex wondered.
"I honestly don't think she'd try that," Bridget proclaimed. "Remember, that chip is for enhancing speed with those synthetic suits, and that's the same chip that's most likely in my Sonic Mode suit. I'm guessing she's trying to use a Sonic Mode suit of her own."
"Well, that's kinda lame, isn't it?" Nozomi retorted. "Can't she, oh, I don't know, not resort to cribbing off of our style?"
"Well, whatever the case, if she tries to bust out any super speed, our own track star's gonna show her how it's really done, right?" May laughed.
"Damn right," Bridget proclaimed.
With that, the spies continued to follow the tracker's signal (Haruka, as always, had slipped one on Candy during the fracas) until it led them to the gymnasium, which was surprisingly empty for this point of the day.
Empty, that is, except for Candy Sweet and another group of brainwashed cheerleaders, this time wearing their cheering outfits over their swimwear.
"Wait, so now you hijacked the pool-goers?!" Alex shouted. "Have you no shame?!"
"Apparently not," Candy laughed. "You may have caught Inga and Granny, but I promise you, I'm going to be a much tougher nut to crack."
"Oh, we'll see about that, I'm sure," Melissa shot back as the spies prepared for another battle.
"Hmmm, you say that now, but when my trump card is ready, you'll be taking those words back," Candy taunted.
"Sonic Mode, online!" Bridget exclaimed, transforming into Sonic Mode. "Really, Candy, how far do you think you're gonna get by copying my shtick?!"
"We'll get there soon enough, little lady," Candy responded. "But, for now, DESTROY THEM!"
"I'd say no way, Candy!" Bridget proclaimed as she charged forward.
"Go get 'em, Bridget!" May cheered from the sidelines.
"No way she's going alone at this," Nozomi proclaimed.
"I hate the fact Candy went for the people on the Mali-U swim team!" Alex exclaimed.
"WHY did she go for them anyway?" Klee wondered.
"We'll figure that out later," Sam quipped. "We gotta stop them!"
Candy just sneered. "Welcome to your doom!"
The swimmers, now hypnotized cheerleaders, came after the spies to prevent Bridget from getting any additional help.
"Am I the only one who finds it weird that these swimmers are wearing cheerleader outfits the way they are?" Britney commented.
"It's not just you, Brit," Alex quipped.
"That's a total mock of how we spent parts of our summer vacay, too!" Haruka chastised.
"I'm seconding that," May remarked.
"I really think we could use that antidote right about now!" Bridget told the others.
Some of the other hypnotized swimmers had cornered Alex and May near a corner of the gym.
"Are you with me, Alex?" May asked. "I got an idea..."
"Using your anchor on them might not be a good idea if your intention is to injure them," Alex pointed out.
"Don't worry, it's not," May assured her.
Alex noticed May using the Expandable Cable Bungee Belt to aim at the high roof; she copied her.
Thankfully, the swimmers couldn't leap high enough to go after Alex and May, which gave Bridget the opportunity to lunge and bowl them over.
"STRIKE!" Nozomi exclaimed.
"Would you believe me if I told you I normally suck at bowling?" Bridget teased.
"Any ideas on Candy's plans since you've supposedly fallen under her influence, Clover?" Britney wondered in the meantime.
"Not a one," Clover answered. "All I remember was what Sam and Alex told me after the last time that happened and I found myself in W.O.O.H.P." (A/N: Remember S4's Sis-Kaboom Bah?)
"Other than Jerry's ballet moves, the first thing that comes to my mind on that mission is Clover and Mandy repeating 'sis-kaboom bah' and so many other rhymes..." Sam told Britney.
During the battle was when Sam's X-Powder chirped, and it turned out to be Jerry.
"Jerry, did you finish the antidote?" Sam asked immediately.
"All finished, Sam!" RiCO proclaimed. "Just lift your X-Powders towards the swimmers and I'll take care of it."
As the swimmers charged forward, Sam raised her X-Powder towards them just as a massive flare of blue light erupted from its screen, enveloping the swimmers and stopping them right in their tracks.
"H-Hey, what happened?" one swimmer asked. "I thought we were in the pool?"
"Hey, yeah, and why am I wearing this gaudy cheerleader's outfit?" a second swimmer gasped.
"Hey, you look good in it," a third swimmer, this one a girl, laughed.
"S-Says you!" the second swimmer sputtered.
"Now, what was that about welcoming us to our doom?" May taunted as Candy took a few steps backwards.
"You won't be so smug when I bust out my secret weapon, you wretches!" Candy snarled as she assumed a tactical retreat for the moment.
"Figures that she got away..." Melissa chastised.
"Hold on, I'm getting a reading from the tracker I put on her," Haruka quipped.
"So, where'd she get to?" Dawn wondered.
"We don't have to go far – the Mali-U Beach," Haruka told them.
5:01 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters
"Are we gonna have to worry about Corvus?" Mat asked Nick.
"I hope not," Nick replied.
"No wonder Jerry told us to not expect to rejoin the girls later," Mat remarked.
"Yes, well, we'll cut Blaine's training short so you three can investigate W.O.O.H.P. for Corvus," Jerry then stated.
"I hope this guy's not all that's cracked up to be," Blaine replied.
"Wait, Jerry, why do you think he would still be in the building?" Mat asked. "Wouldn't the alarms have been tripped like they were the first time?"
"Knowing the freaky powers this guy has, I wouldn't be surprised if he had something that could keep himself from setting off the alarms," Nick replied. "He probably let himself get caught the first time just so he could get my attention."
"Well, then, if he wants your attention, let's go find him and show him the door," Blaine proclaimed. "Preferably by slamming it into his face."
"Sounds like a plan, man," Nick quipped.
5:12 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters, Southeastern Quadrant
The southeast hallways were eerily quiet as the boys explored them in hopes of finding Corvus.
"Man, it's quiet here," Mat stated. "Does anyone else get the feeling that something's probably about to go horribly wrong real quickly?"
"Let's not talk about that," Blaine responded. "Usually, when we do start talking about it, it happens."
Blaine couldn't have been more correct.
As the boys entered a connecting hallway, bolts of dark magic flew out from the shadows, striking Mat and Blaine in the chest and slamming them into a nearby wall, the dark bolts forming into restraints that kept them pinned to the wall.
Nick ran over to free them, only to be forced to dodge another salvo of dark bolts.
"That was dirty, even for someone like you, Corvus," Nick growled just as Corvus stepped out of the shadows, his body surrounded by an ominous dark glow.
"I don't believe in the concept of 'fighting fair'," Corvus laughed.
"Well, that's fine by me, because when it comes to someone like you, I don't, either!" Nick shouted, his psychic aura flaring to life as he charged down Corvus.
Corvus raised his hands to fire off three dark rings for Nick, but he easily dodged each one by flying through the center of the rings.
"Always check for blind spots," Nick laughed as he blasted Corvus backwards with a Final Shine Attack...
...only to see a bunch of dark energy orbs surrounding him.
"Oh, crapbaskets," Nick gasped as the orbs all converged on him faster than he could put up a barrier to defend himself, exploding in a cascade of darkness and flooring him almost immediately.
"Need I remind you to study your own advice, boy?" Corvus cackled. "After all, that's exactly how my last scuffle with your future self ended."
As Nick picked himself up, he stared down Corvus, hoping to get some more answers this time.
"You wanna explain that before I roast you like a turkey?" Nick growled. "What exactly did you do to future me?!"
"Keep your shorts on, boy," Corvus proclaimed. "You're acting as if I killed him. He is still alive, as I need him for my plans. But as for what happened, he merely stuck his nose into my business and forgot to check for potholes, as it were. That gave me an opportunity to capture him."
"You said something about 'control' the last time we met," Nick retorted. "Are you going to tell me what that meant, or do I have to rip it out of your wrinkled yap?!"
"Oh, but what would the fun be in spoiling that little surprise?" Corvus responded. "But make no mistake, when my plans come to fruition, nobody will be safe from me. Not you, not your future selves, no one."
"Look at you, a senile old man with delusions of grandeur," Nick taunted. "You know, right now, you're really acting no different from most of our rogues' gallery."
"But you'll quickly find that, unlike your petty group of villains, I actually have the power to back up my claims," Corvus stated, his hands shimmering with darkness. "Would you care for me to demonstrate?!"
Nick flew upwards as Corvus slammed his hands to the ground to send a dark shockwave towards Nick. In mid-flight, though, Nick stopped in his tracks when he realized that the shockwave was actually aimed for the restrained Mat and Blaine.
Nick flew over to his trapped comrades and raised his hand to create a barrier to dispel the shockwave, and even though the shockwave was indeed dissipated, Nick's barrier shattered as well.
"Oof, that was close," Nick quipped as he used his other hand to fire psychic bolts that shattered Mat and Blaine's restraints and allowed them to rejoin the fight.
"Now let's see how you fare when it's three against one, dark boy," Blaine proclaimed.
"You're not getting away with whatever you've done to future us!" Mat shouted.
"But I already have," Corvus laughed. "Though if you think two more will make a difference, then by all means, do try and entertain me!"
To be concluded...
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
On the next episode...
Haruka: All right, Candy, we're here to shut your plan down!
Bridget: ...oh, crapbaskets.
Alex: What?
Bridget: There's an even bigger army of cheerleaders out here, and unless my eyes deceive me, Candy's wearing a ripoff of my Sonic Mode suit!
Candy: Can you annoying spies stop me now?!
May: Well, we're definitely gonna try! You're not gonna get anywhere by cribbing off of our moves!
Bridget: Well, well, it looks like next time's gonna be a battle of speed, huh, readers? Don't blink, or you're gonna miss the final act of Totally Spies: Cookies and Cheer, "Blueberry Bonanza"! ...oof, now I'm hungry, too. May, where's that café Nick told you about?
May: East path, down the second hallway, Trust me, it's magical.