Chapter 32: Battle for Redemption! (Song owned by Stan Bush.)
The Underminer was angry now.
"THEN, PREPARE TO DIE!" he shouted as he shot the cannon at the young boy, only for him to jump or flip over each shot. Dash then ran at super speed and jumped and kicked one of the shots back into the cannon, causing it to get jammed before it blew, causing a problem in the cannon.
Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered
There's nowhere to turn
You wonder how you keep going (going)
Think of all the things that really matter
And the chances you've earned
The fire in your heart is growing (growing)
You can fly if you try leaving the past behind
Heaven only knows what you might find
"You think that'll stop me?! I'll still smash you flat!" The Underminer shouted as he lifted the robot's arms and just narrowly missed squashing Dash, who then raced onto the robot's cannon arm and stomped hard on a circuit connector, letting loose some of the cords and causing the cannon to droop like it was about to fall off. He then pounded on the arm connecting the cannon, damaging it and making the cannon droop more.
The Underminer summoned the round robot again only for Dash to yell, "Not this time!" and jump up in the air and kick it away into a building, rendering it broken.
Dare
Dare to believe you can survive
You hold the future in your hand
Dare
Dare to keep all your dreams alive
It's time to take a stand
You can win if you dare
"YOU BRAT!" the Underminer shouted as he attempted to reattach the cannon by slinging the arm upwards, sending Dash into the air, only for his attempt to backfire as the cannon fully came off and flew up and came down on to the top of the robot, knocking it down and cracking the glass dome again.
"NO!" the Underminer shouted before he swung the tail at Dash. Dash quickly avoided it and it made a hole that it got stuck in. As the Underminer attempted to get it unstuck, Dash rushed forward and kicked the tail, making it fly back and damage the lower midsection some, sending the robot flipping backward.
Everybody's trying to break your spirit
Keeping you down
Seems like it's been forever (ever), oh
There's another voice if you'll just hear it
Saying it's the last round
Looks like it's now or never
Out of the darkness you stumble into the light
Fighting for the things you know are right
The angry madman then opened up the drill, revealing many smaller drills inside it. He shot two, only for them to land right in front of Dash.
He stared at them with a puzzled face before they exploded, sending him into the air where the Underminer said as he neared the head of the robot, "You're weak, just like the rest of your family. You have no chance!" before grabbing him with the tail and beating him up with the drill before he tossed him up and whacked him hard with the tail, sending him flying backwards into a brick wall. A bunch of bricks fell on him, making his injuries and pain worse, especially the ones that hit his wounds.
"Maybe he's right. Maybe I am weak." Dash said, his confidence sinking back down.
"Well, Speed Demon, it looks like you've run out of gas. Say good night!" the Underminer laughed as he prepared to stab him with the drill, only for a purple orb of energy to deflect it at the last minute.
"WHAT?!" the Underminer shouted in shock and anger. That's when Violet appeared out of the blue before letting the force field down. She limped over to Dash and helped him out of the rubble.
"Are you all right?" she asked with a smile.
Dash smiled weakly at her before he winced due to his wounds said, "Violet, I don't think I can beat him alone." with a frown before he looked at the ground and was on the verge of tears. His sister put her hand on his shoulder and he looked at her.
"You can beat him, Dash. You just gotta believe in yourself. No matter what happens, I want you to know that I believe in you one hundred percent, so do Mom, Dad, Mirage, Rick, Jack-Jack, Edna, Lucius, everyone. We know you can do this! This is your fight, not mine, not Dad's, not Mom's, not Shadow's, but yours. You can do anything you set your mind to. Don't be scared! This is your moment to shine again! Keep going! Don't let your fear own you! You can beat the Underminer by yourself! You just have to have the spirit! You are Speed Demon of the Incredibles! You're the one people refer to as the Speeding Super or the Coolest Super Kid on the Block! Am I right or wrong?!" Violet asked with a determined smile. Dash let all that sink in before he smirked and wiped his tears away.
"YES! My name is Speed Demon and I am an Incredible!" he said, his confidence restored again.
He then looked at the Underminer and shouted, "PREPARE TO GET YOUR BUTT KICKED, UNDERMINER, CAUSE I'M BACK!"
Dare
Dare to believe you can survive
The power is there at your command
Dare
Dare to keep all your dreams alive
It's time to take a stand
You can win if you dare (dare) (dare)
"ENOUGH! I WILL FINISH YOU BOTH ONCE AND FOR ALL!" the Underminer shouted, having had enough of having to deal with them, as he fired hundreds of smaller drills at the two kids, only for Violet to protect herself and Dash to kick everyone near him back at the robot, each one exploding upon contact, severely damaging the robot and causing it to smoke in some places and start sparking with electricity.
"No, No, NO!" the Underminer shouted as he started to frantically mess with the control panel. Dash then saw his chance and jumped onto the robot's midsection.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" the Underminer screamed in outright rage as he pressed a button that shot the giant drill up in the air before it started a homing missile-style course towards Dash. The Underminer smirked only to stare in horror as the boy jumped out of the way at the last second and the drill went right through the robot's middle, stopping halfway through before it exploded, blowing the robot to pieces with the Underminer flying out of it in what was left of the cockpit and landing nearby with the glass dome nearly shattered.
The Underminer recovered from a daze he was experiencing and said, "Ooh, my head. Who turned out the lights?" before he saw a very ticked-off Dash running and jumping onto the remainder of the cockpit.
Dare
Dare to believe you can survive
You hold the future in your hand
Dare
Dare to keep all your dreams alive
The power is there at your command
Oh! Dare
Dare to keep all your love alive
Dare to be all that you can be
Dare
There is a place where dreams survive
It's calling you on to victory
Dare
Dare
Ooooo Ohhh
"STAY AWAY!" he screamed in fear.
Dash refused to listen as he punched from the right side breaking the right side and delivering a right hook to the madman's face while it was being cut up, repeating the action with the left side before he jumped in the air and flew down with a shout of, "GAME OVER, LOSER!" as he delivered a strong double ax handle to the last of the glass, shattering it all and nailing the Underminer square on the head, knocking him out cold.
Dash landed on his feet on the ground and yelled to the skies in victory, "I DID IT!" before panting and just smiling.
Violet rushed over and hugged the little speedster tightly before saying, "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!" Dash just kept his smile and hugged her back. Suddenly, the two of them heard cheering.
They looked and saw citizens applauding before they started chanting, "Speed Demon! Speed Demon! Speed Demon!" Dash's eyes welled with tears of joy before they ran down his face. Then, the mob from before came over, looking regretful.
"Speed Demon, we all owe you an apology. We shouldn't have done what we did. We're sorry. We just added to your injuries and made you run away upset. Can you forgive us?" the man from before asked.
Dash just kept his smile and said, "You know what? Water under the bridge." with a thumbs-up before he gasped and fell to the ground with Violet catching him.
"He'll be fine. He just needs some rest and medical attention and he'll be back on his feet in no time." she said before she smiled at the crowd and said, "By the way, I forgive you all for before." before walking off and heading to the hospital, where the doctors took Dash to his own room and bandaged her up before she returned to her parent's room.
"Violet!" everyone said in delight as she walked in.
"Hey, everybody!" she said as she walked over to her parents, who were out of bed and back on their feet.
"Glad to see you're better, Mom and Dad." she said as she gave them a hug.
"We're glad to see you're all right, Vi." Elastigirl said before she ruffled her daughter's hair.
"Where's Dash?" Edna asked.
"He's in his own room. He'll be fine, but he really took quite a beating." Violet answered. Afterwards, they went to go see Dash. Everyone was saddened to see Dash beaten the way he was, but were relieved to know that he was going to be okay. At that point, Dash's eyes started to move a little bit.
"Hey, I think he's waking up!" said Elastigirl. Dash's eyes then opened fully, with him seeing everyone smiling at him.
"Hey, buddy. How do you feel?" Mr. Incredible asked.
Dash winced before he smiled and said, "I'll be better."
"You made us all proud, kid." Mirage said before she leaned down and kissed his forehead. By the end of the week, Dash was healed to complete health. The day he was allowed to leave the hospital, he was called to the city center. When he arrived, an orange-haired woman came over and ushered him behind a curtain.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"You'll see." she said with a smile before she went in front. Dash waited for a while before he heard her talking. It sounded like she was speaking into a microphone.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! How's everyone today?!" she said. A crowd gathered in front of the stage cheered loudly.
"Last night, we all experienced a dangerous situation as the Underminer attacked the city with his giant robot. However, we were all saved by the young hero who we thought to be the very villain responsible for the devastation. I'm pleased and proud to present to you all, member of the Incredibles and the hero you know as The Speeding Super, Speed Demon!" she said, as the curtain drew back. The crowd cheered loudly upon seeing Dash.
Dash was surprised before he grew a wide smile and started waving as he walked to the microphone and said loudly, "Hey! How ya doin'?!" making the crowd cheer louder.
That's when a news crew came up near the stage and a female newscaster asked, "Speed Demon, how does it feel to have beaten the Underminer and saved the world?"
"It is amazing. No joke, I didn't think I could do it, but hey, I did!" the young Super replied.
"Why did you decide to save the same people who had mistreated you so badly?" another newscaster asked.
"Well, to be honest, I honestly considered giving up being an Incredible and a Super all together because I was so glum over the backlash I got. But, once I saw the people fleeing in fear from the Underminer's explosion, I realized I couldn't do it, because even though the people of Metroville treated me harshly, I was still Speed Demon and they still needed my protection no matter what, regardless of whether they wanted me as their hero or not. After all, that's what heroes are for." Speed Demon said, drawing whoops and hollers from the crowd.
"What drove you to face the Underminer alone?" someone asked.
"What drove me to do that, besides the fact that he made a fool out of me, was the fact that my family and my friends believed in me and supported me, despite my heavy injuries. Mom and Dad told me they'd send reinforcements due to my injuries, but, the whole time I was fighting, except for my sister, Miss Stealth, no one else showed up. This told me just how much they believed in me. Speaking of Miss Stealth, I especially want to thank her for believing in me and restoring my confidence. When I was framed, she and my parents supported me 100%, never once doubting me. Heck, when I left town, Miss Stealth chewed out the crowd then did everything she could to find me. When I was beaten by the Underminer, she convinced me not to give up the fight, and like she told me, to keep going and not let my fear own me when it was time for me to shine in your eyes again, because I'm Speed Demon of the Incredibles! I want to thank my sister very much for never giving up on me, even when things looked like they couldn't be fixed. Thank you, sis." Speed Demon said with a smile. That's when Miss Stealth appeared kneeling beside him with a smile, drawing surprised gasps from him and the crowd.
"You're very welcome, Speed Demon." she said before he hugged her around the neck, drawing an, "Aww" from the crowd before they started applauding. The mayor then came on stage and walked over to the two Supers as they parted.
"Speed Demon, as a token of our appreciation for saving the city and the world, please accept this." he said as he handed him a large golden key.
"Woah, an actual Key to the City." Miss Stealth said as Speed Demon took it. The crowd cheered loudly as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, along with Mirage, Edna and Rick and Frozone whooped and hollered from the back, Mirage and Elastigirl crying in joy.
Speed Demon then walked back up to the microphone and said, "Thanks, everybody!" before he smirked and asked, "Do you wanna know what's just as good as receiving this award?" before he drew back the curtain, revealing the Underminer tied up and his mouth taped shut.
"Getting to taunt this total loser!" Speed Demon said before he and Miss Stealth pulled a Mordecai and Rigby.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHH!" they shouted, waving their arms with the crowd joining in.
"Pulling a Mordecai and Rigby" (verb): the act of being extremely happy at something awesome, while at the same time, performing their signature, "OOOOOHH!"