It was a dark and stormy night. Aloyse von Roddenstein… or, Rodney, for short, was locked up tight in solitary confinement. About a year earlier, he and the members of L.O.V.E. M.U.F.F.I.N. (League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness) had attempted to end Summer entirely by pulling the Earth out of the Sun's orbit. Fortunately, their plans were foiled and Rodney, being the ringleader, was taken into custody. The rest of the members had gone into hiding.
Rodney longed to break out and wreak havoc once again. His plans had been foiled by a man by the name of Heinz Doofenshmirtz; a wannabe bad guy who longed to rule the Tri-State Area. Not long after the incident, however, he redeemed himself… ironically, at another point in time when the world was on the brink of ending. Little did Rodney know that this very night, he would get his chance to enact villainy once again.
All of a sudden, the walls burst open, lightning flashed, and a UFO appeared. Rodney looked at it in awe.
"Greetings, fellow Earth creature," exclaimed one of the aliens, "We will now bestow upon you… powers unimaginable!"
Instantly, Rodney was hit with a flash of green light. Afterwards, he felt a powerful adrenaline rush. He felt like he could do anything!
"Use your powers wisely and use them for evil!" the aliens called as they flew off.
"Evil, you say?" quizzed Rodney, "You had me at just that!"
He tore the cell wall open and headed for the outside. Sirens blared as the maximum security prison immediately went into lockdown. Helicopters surrounded the prison, shining lights directly on Rodney, similar to that of a spotlight at a stage play. Moments later, the SWAT team surrounded the mad scientist with guns drawn and shields up.
"Freeze, we have you surrounded!"
"No, you freeze!" called Rodney, attempting to literally 'freeze' everyone. Nothing happened. Everyone was silent. Nobody moved and nobody spoke.
Rodney chuckled, "I-I thought that I would… uh… nyagh!" He slammed his fists to the ground, creating a sonic boom and sending the entire SWAT team flying backwards. It was then that Rodney knew that his mojo was back!
~~~"Breaking news, infamous mad scientist… uhhh, what's with all the names?" Veronica Hill was reporting the incident on live TV. However, Rodney had so many middle names that she found it confusing.
"You know what? Rodney has escaped from prison and what's more is that he has superpowers!"
For the past month or so supervillains have been popping up left and right with an inexplicable origin to welding superpowers. Fortunately, whenever this has happened, the improbable duo, Hamster and Gretel have managed to take them out, one-by-one. What the general public didn't know, however, was that the origin of all of the wielders' powers traced back to the one UFO.
At the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym), Major Francis Monogram immediately caught an eyeful of the news. He turned to his intern, Carl.
"Carl, send out our best agents on the job!" he commanded.
"But, sir, Agent P has been missing for months."
Agent P… also known as Perry the Platypus, was OWCA's best agent. He fought Dr. Doofenshmirtz on a daily basis prior to his redemption. However, that didn't stop him from taking on any bigger jobs. Unfortunately, though, he inexplicably went on a mission to space, a matter of months earlier and didn't show any sign of returning anytime soon. As a result of this, his host family's memory was wiped of knowing he ever existed. "It's for the best," Major Monogram said.
"Never mind that!" exclaimed Monogram, "We need all the help we can get, now that Rodney is more powerful than ever!"
Agent P's former teammates, Harry the Hyena (Agent H), Karen the Cat (Agent K), and Maggie the Macaw (Agent M) were first on the scene. Ever since they earned their black hat bands, they had all split off into separate divisions. They were glad to team up again, but it wasn't the same without Perry. Even so, they had to set it aside to save the world.
Before they knew it, they were in range of Rodney. They all exchanged looks and lunged for their target. Just then, they froze. Rodney cackled wildly.
"You fools, I have superpowers! I never said this would be a picnic!"
~~~"And now, continuing the story, where these three little animals in fedoras attempted to stop Rodney, but it was no good." Veronica reported.
"Sir, we're going to need a bigger memory eraser." Carl gestured as the sole existence of OWCA was being broadcast live.
"Never mind that," Monogram countered, "I said we'd need all the help we can get, so we're gonna get it!"
Instantly, all the agents in Monogram's division left their assigned missions to take on the newly superpowered Rodney. The power-filled mad scientist looked to see his opponents and grinned.
"Now this will be a picnic!"
He held his hands up and immediately zapped numerous OWCA agents with lightning. Second things second, he switched from lightning to laser and fired away with red-hot blasts. When the dust settled, all the OWCA agents were down.
"I am unbeatable!" cackled Rodney, "Nothing can stop me now!"
~~~"Looks like we blew it, Carl," sighed Monogram, "We sent everyone we had and now look what's happened."
The news quickly reverted, "In other news, Hamster and Gretel have once again saved the day by stopping a superpowered army of beavers known as the Eager Beavers. You know what they say, 'If they can't do it, then no one can'!"
"Sir, what if we?-"
"Hold that thought, Carl." shushed the major. He stared at the TV screen before speaking up.
"I've got it!" he proclaimed, "What if we call upon Hamster and Gretel for help?"
"But, sir, I-"
"It's genius, why didn't I think of it before?"
"Excuse me, but I-"
"With both their and Rodney's superpowers, it'll be like fighting fire with fire!" he turned to Carl, "Did you want to tell me something?"
"Never mind, Sir." the unpaid intern sighed, "But now that you mention it, how are we going to come into contact with them? They live a state away from us."
"I'll send Monty out. Here's how this'll go…"
~~~"And once again, the day is saved, thanks to… Hamster and Gretel! That's right! Who's the improbable duo that you've heard about? Faster than a scooter and stronger than metal! That's right, they have done it again, stopping a villain by the name of the Zealous Zookeeper, who attempted to take over the city with his animals."
"And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for the little girl and her domesticated rodent!" snarled the villain as he was hauled off to prison.
"That's who we are." grinned Gretel, giving her partner a fist bump.
Instantly, the duo were swarmed with reporters.
"Was it tough taking down the Zealous Zookeeper?"
"Do you ever grow tired of hero work?"
"Can I get your autograph?"
As the fans and reporters swarmed the duo, Monty Monogram, the son of Major Monogram, walked along the sidewalk, trying to seem inconspicuous. He looked ahead to see Hamster and Gretel in the flesh. He held his hand up to an earpiece, which was used to keep in contact with OWCA HQ.
"There they are, Dad."
"Perfect," grinned Monogram, "Now get their attention."
"How? They're surrounded by paparazzi."
"Give it time…"
Hamster and Gretel carefully maneuvered out of the crowd, then set down on the ground to take a breather.
"Who knew being famous could be so tiresome?" piqued Hamster.
"Tell me about it," groaned Gretel, "It's always 'Gretel this' and 'Hamster that'."
"That's funny, I barely get any attention alone. You're the talkative one."
"Psst, you two, over here."
The duo looked up to see Monty poking his head out from an alleyway.
"No thanks, my mom told me not to talk to strangers." declined Gretel.
"You talk to your fans, aren't they strangers?"
"That's a different story."
"Exactly, you know that not all strangers are bad, right?"
Gretel still wasn't convinced. She looked at Hamster, who only shook his head.
"Okay, I'll just cut to the chase: Do you remember a year ago when Summer nearly ended for good?"
"I think so…"
"Well, the man behind it, Rodney, has gained superpowers, allowing him to break out of prison. We can only assume that the source of his powers also connects to your own."
"It can't be a coincidence," said Hamster.
"Especially since we've just found out that the aliens have been giving out powers to people for evil." said Gretel, thinking back to the Las Vegas incident.
"Wait, what? You've just discovered this?!" exclaimed Monty.
"We were never told to use our powers for evil, but it turns out that supervillain duo Fistpuncher and the Destructress were the first to have been told this."
"Which ones are those, again?" asked Monty, "You guys fight so many bad guys that I've lost track of them all."
"Never mind. Anyways, where do you guys-?"
Just then, Gretel's phone rang. "Sorry, I've gotta take this–Hello?"
"Gretel, it's Kevin, where are you?"
"Kevin, I'm–"
"No time to explain, we're about to leave for a family outing and I don't know how much longer I can stall."
"Kevin, mi chico have you found your sister yet?" asked Carolina, Kevin and Gretel's Venezuelan mother.
"Not yet, Mom," responded the 16-year-old boy, "Also, why are we going to Danville of all places?"
"Danville?!" exclaimed Monty.
"Who was that?" asked Dave, Kevin and Gretel's father.
"That? That was me," Kevin innocently replied, "What I'm saying is that Danville is a pure disaster magnet as far as I'm concerned. I've read about it on the web: Invasion from an alternate dimension, summer nearly ending for good, aliens invading to brainwash everyone with a mind-controlling plant, invasion of the Marvel villains, Night of the Living Pharmacists, oh, and not to mention the Pistachion Takeover!"
"Don't believe everything you read, mi vida." chided Carolina, "Anyways, we still need to find Gretel."
"And now we've got a superpowered mad scientist on the loose!" finished Kevin.
Back in the alleyway, Gretel looked at Monty and sighed, "I've gotta go."
"Just a few quick seconds," Monty frantically pleaded, "Danville is where our base of operations is. Here, this is where it is."
He took Gretel's phone and quickly entered the location. Then, he gave her back her phone.
"Meet me there."
"I'll do my best." replied Gretel, and flew off with Hamster in tow.
Monty grinned and pressed the button on his earpiece, "Dad, mission A is accomplished."
"That's my boy!" cheered Monogram.
~~~Before long, Gretel had returned home. She and Hamster were back in her civilian appearances. Thinking fast, Gretel put Hamster in a baby carrier she usually wore and walked up to her family minivan, seemingly out of breath.
"There you are, where have you been?" scolded Carolina.
"Sorry, Mom," sighed Gretel, "I was at Bailey's place."
"Well at least you're here now," the mother grinned, "It's like I always say; better late than never."
"Why are we going to Danville, anyways?" asked Gretel.
"There's a baseball game going on and your father bought tickets."
"Seriously, a baseball game?!" shrieked Kevin, "That's exactly where the alien invasion took place, I've been telling you!"
"Ay yi yi," sighed Carolina, "And I've been telling you not to believe everything you read."
Before long, the family had all piled into the car and were on the road for Danville. Knowing the confined space they were in, Kevin and Gretel decided to communicate through text. Unfortunately, Carolina turned back with a stern look on your face.
"You kids are always on your phones. You hardly ever interact face to face." scolded Carolina, "Come on, hand them over!"
"But Mom, I–"
"Up, bup, bup, bup, no buts! Either you hand them over or you keep them without looking at them every five seconds."
Gretel and Kevin sighed, knowing that their mother's instructions were 'non-negotiable', so they simply put their phones back in their pockets.
"Okay, Boomer." Hamster silently said.
"Now what are we gonna do?" asked Gretel, looking out the window.
"You're doing it right now, mi vida," grinned Carolina, "You're looking at the whole world out there. That's such a good way of exercising your mind, rather than staring at a screen all day."
Gretel sighed once again, knowing she'd practically fallen into her mom's trap of doing something 'healthy'.
~~~Before long, the family stopped at a gas station. Carolina left to use the bathroom while Dave refueled the minivan. With both parents occupied, Gretel looked at Kevin.
"Kevin, have you heard about that mad scientist who broke out of prison with superpowers?"
"Of course, I mentioned it while we were on the phone."
"Well, I don't know much, but what I do know is that an organization in Danville needs Hamster's and my help to defeat him."
"An organization, you say?" piqued Kevin, "Does it have a cool acronym?"
"Who knows?"
Just then, the siblings heard a shutting sound. It was their father, closing the gas cap to the car. With that, Dave climbed back into the driver's seat. Next, Carolina returned.
"I think that's everything." grinned Dave, "Let's roll." But before he set foot on the gas pedal, Kevin interrupted.
"Actually, Dad," he said, "Could I drive us the rest of the way?"
"Yeah, sure, kiddo, knock yourself out."
~~~Soon enough, the Grant-Gomez family were back on the road. While not exactly as he envisioned it, Kevin was finally living his dream of driving out on the open road.
"Muy suave, Kevin," commented Carolina, "We should have you drive more often."
"At this rate, we'll be earlier than we thought." added Dave.
Knowing they weren't in any rush, Kevin had an idea.
"Oh, hey, look at that!" he exclaimed. Everyone else looked out the windows to look for whatever Kevin was vaguely referring to. With the little time that he had, Kevin pulled out a paper bag, blew it up, and popped it. He quickly put the bag away as he slowly set his foot on the brakes.
"Sounds like there's something wrong with the minivan," he said. The vehicle got slower and slower (as Kevin was adding more pressure to the brakes) until it came to a stop. Kevin moved the driving stick into park and stepped out of the car with his parents following suit. Kevin quickly looked at his little sister and flashed a wink at her.
Once her older brother had lifted the hood, Gretel quickly pulled her phone out to check where on the map the location that Monty entered was. To her surprise, it wasn't too far from the stadium.
"Perfect!" she grinned, putting her phone up. Knowing she wouldn't have time to share the plan with her partner, she formulated it in her head.
At that second, Kevin closed the hood, "Whaddya know? I guess there wasn't a problem." he chuckled innocently.
With that, the family piled back in once again and set off. This time, with no more interruptions.
~~~Before long, the family had arrived at the stadium. At the steps to the building, the parents turned to face their children.
"Alright kids, we're here early, so you go and buy some snacks while we go and save our seats." said Carolina, handing her kids $25 in cash.
"See you soon, kids!" called Dave as he and his wife headed in.
"You go and buy stuff, Kevin," said Gretel, "Hamster and I will head to this… OWCA place."
"That really isn't a good acronym." said Kevin, thinking back to what they said earlier.
Instantly, Hamster and Gretel's superhero costumes magically appeared upon the wearers. With that, they flew off. It only took a few seconds for them to arrive at OWCA, fortunately. Upon arrival, Major Monogram, Carl, and Monty all stood at the entrance.
"Sorry it took so long," apologized Gretel, "I had family stuff to deal with."
"No need to apologize," assured Monogram, "I am Major Monogram, head of the O-W-C-A: the Organization Without a Cool Acronym."
"Did you really have to be so on-the-nose?" asked Hamster.
Major Monogram quickly came to eye level with the domesticated Rodent, "Would you consider being an agent here at OWCA?"
"No thanks, I'm good with where I am."
"That reminds me, what kind of organization is this?" asked Gretel.
~~~"Here, we have pets who live double lives as secret agents," described Major Monogram, "As you can see, however, they aren't in good shape right now."
Just then, a seemingly teenage girl in black approached, pushing a stretcher with a duck on it, "Major Monogram, Donny the Duck might not make it." she informed.
"Give it everything you've got, Vanessa!" encouraged Monogram, "We can't lose another agent. Especially not after what happened to Agent P."
"Who?" asked Gretel.
Monogram sighed, it was always tough when he had to bring up his best agent, "His full name is Perry the Platypus. He used to fight Dr. Doofenshmirtz on a daily basis, until he redeemed himself. That didn't stop the furry little flatfoot from taking on any other big jobs. But then one day, two months ago, he abruptly left for a space mission and never came back."
A tear formed in Major Monogram's eye as he sniffled in response to the saddening memory. Just then, he stood still and wiped his eyes.
"Carl, why didn't you give me a kleenex?"
"But, Sir, I–"
"I don't pay you to sit around, Carl."
"You don't pay me to do anything, Sir." he mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Here's your kleenex, Sir."
"Thank you, Carl."
"You're welcome, Sir."
Monogram blew his nose and continued where I left off.
"I just hope wherever he is, he's okay."
Gretel hovered to the major's eye level, "Don't worry, Hamster and I will take on Rodney easy-peasy. We'll avenge Perry and all of your agents, I promise."
"Oh, thank you so much!" smiled Monogram, locking the little girl in a tight hug.
"You're… welcome…" replied Gretel, struggling to breathe. Seconds later, Gretel was released, so she looked at Major Monogram.
"We won't let you down… first things first, Hamster and I have our own double-lives to take on."
With that, the improbable duo zipped off at the speed of light. They instantly found themselves back at the baseball stadium. Quickly, the duo reverted back to their civilian identities and scanned the area for Kevin.
"Kevin? Kevin, where are you?" called Gretel.
"I'm over here."
Gretel looked to see her brother inside a food truck with a sign that read "Mr. Slushy Dawg". She walked over and looked at him.
"Since when do you work here?"
"Well…"
Five minutes earlier…Kevin was browsing the food trucks, "Now, what to buy?..." he said to himself. However, his thoughts were instantly interrupted, "Hey, there. Are you new around here?"
Kevin turned around to see a food truck for the restaurant, Mr. Slushy Dawg. There, a blond-haired boy with clothes exactly like that of Kevin, poked his head out the window.
"Hi, I'm Jeremy." greeted the boy, "Were you sent here to give me an extra set of hands?"
Kevin was about to explain that it was all a misunderstanding and that the matching clothes were a coincidence, when he realized that he could make a little money off of something like this.
"...Yes, that's correct. I'm Kevin."
"Nice to meet you." smiled Jeremy, "Hop on in, we can't leave our customers waiting."
Kevin followed Jeremy inside. Once in, Jeremy instantly slapped a beanie with a hot dog on it, on top of the boy's head. Kevin then looked to see a spear near the driver's seat of the truck.
"Is this thing real?" he asked.
"No, of course not," replied Jeremy, flicking the tip, revealing it to be made of rubber, "I, uh… do a lot of LARPing."
"I think I've heard of that," chimed Kevin, "This girl I know, Hiromi's always telling me about it, she's saying I should give it a try."
Jeremy chuckled, "This girl, Hiromi, sounds really special."
Kevin blushed, he had a crush on Hiromi and especially didn't want to tell Jeremy, "N-no, it's nothing like that."
"Yeah, yeah, suit yourself."
Jeremy turned to the order window and saw his girlfriend, Candace Flynn.
"Hey, Jer."
"Hello, Milady," grinned Jeremy, tipping his hat, "what shall it be for you today."
"Make that three slushy dogs." she said, setting down $10 on the counter.
"Coming right up!" he put the money in the cash register before handing off the change. He then turned his attention to two shorter boys, "Hi, guys, build anything cool lately?"
The boy with the triangle-shaped head, Phineas, spoke, "You have no idea, Jeremy," he smiled, "We made a basketball robot, a giant waffle maker–"
"You boys have the wildest imaginations," chuckled their mother.
"They sure do, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher." replied Jeremy, who then got to work.
Just then, Phineas scratched his head, "That's weird, I feel like something's missing, but I can't seem to put my finger on it."
Even though the family's memories had been erased of Perry's existence, it was almost as if it was a little hole, rather than a full wipe.
Present time"...And here we are now." finished Kevin.
Before Gretel could speak, Jeremy handed off some corn dogs to a nearby family; a mother, a father, and a daughter.
"Thanks, Jeremy, you're a real peach." commented the mother.
"Any time, Mrs. Murphy."
"It's such a shame Milo isn't here to see this." sighed the daughter.
"Don't worry, Sara, he'll turn up someday." assured the father.
Gretel was left confused as the family walked away, "What was that all about?"
Just then, the National Anthem began to play. She remembered her dad telling her that this was the sign that the game was about to start.
"Sorry, Kevin, I've gotta go. Bye!"
"I didn't think to ask, who was that?" asked Jeremy.
"That's my little sister."
"Little sisters are great to have."
"Even if they can be a real pain."
~~~Thanks to the ticket given to her, Gretel found where her parents were sitting.
"Where's Kevin, mi amore?" asked Carolina.
"He's–"
"Never mind, the game's about to start."
Soon enough, the anthem ended, followed up by a cry of "Play ball!" and an air horn blowing. Before the game could even start, however, the ground began to shake. Everyone shuddered as the center of the field began to crumble up and let out a maniacal menace.
"It is I, Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!"
"What?" asked the crowd, all at once.
Rodney sighed and shortened it all up, "Rodney!"
Everyone screamed, shrieked, and ran. Before anyone could make it out the exits, they were completely sealed off.
"Bet you didn't see that one coming!" he cackled, "Now you're all trapped here to witness my epic takeover!"
The baseball players were instantly trapped inside cages, like zoo animals.
"What's going on?"
"I can't get out!"
"Somebody, help!"
Gretel knew that she and Hamster had to fight, but it would be tough to transform, as everyone who came to watch the game was trapped. Just then, she remembered what Kevin did during the second half of the drive.
"Hey, everyone, look over there!"
Everyone in earshot of Gretel looked to where she was pointing, giving the little girl time for her and her domesticated rodent to transform into their superhero identities. Quickly, they swooped down to the playing field.
"Ah, Hamster and Gretel, I've been expecting you." snickered the mad scientist.
"We're not letting you take over the Tri-State area, Rodney." growled Gretel.
"Now where'd you get that from?" quizzed Rodney. Just then, a thought came to mind, "Oh, yes, now I see. That has to be a coincidence, though." he mumbled.
"I just plan to show the world how powerful I've gotten since it last saw me, starting with the Tri-State area. After that, I'll go on to take over the whole world, leaving everything and everyone beneath me. Full disclosure: you won't be there."
Gretel looked at her partner and flashed a smirk. The improbable duo knew exactly what to do.
"MAD SCIENTIST PUNCH!"
Hamster and Gretel flew forward with their fists out, ready to deliver a powerful punch. However, before they could even make physical contact with Rodney, they were blasted with hard pressures of water out of nowhere. They flew back against the barrier and winced in pain.
"Oh… this?" snickered Rodney, "I've been busy for a while now, testing out all my powers. Do you like them?"
The duo struggled to stand their ground. This time the tables were turned and the bad guy was the one with powers unimaginable. Who knew what else Rodney had up his sleeve?
"Defeated already? I never thought I'd see this from the great and powerful Hamster and Gretel." Rodney cackled wildly, knowing that he'd won… or so he thought.
While he was so proud of having the upperhand, he didn't have time to react when Hamster punched him in the face. The mad scientist went flying backward, tearing up the dirt and rolling across the field. When he came to, he saw the improbable duo standing tall once again.
"Looks like you've underestimated us, Rodney!" called Gretel.
Rodney grimaced, "How can something so little be so strong?"
"Hey, man, that's just the powers I was given." answered Hamster.
"Well, no matter, it looks like the fight's back to an even balance. That will give me perfect time to–"
SMACK! Before Rodney could finish, a giant, pink, transparent fist materialized out of thin air, sending Rodney even further across the field. Everyone (and Gretel) was in awe.
"I didn't know I could do that."
"We only tried out three of our powers, let's see what else we can do." suggested Hamster.
Gretel nodded. Instantly, the two of them held out their hands and blasted Rodney with ice. Things seemed safe, until the ice melted and Rodney emerged with fire surrounding him.
"Not cool, man." joked Rodney, before cackling. He was abruptly interrupted by getting shot with blasts of water.
"Who needs the fire department when you've got us?" declared Gretel, fistbumping her partner. All of a sudden, the duo were struck by lightning… from Rodney!
"Let's see you get out of this now!" he cackled. But when the dust settled, Hamster and Gretel were completely unfazed.
"But… h-how?!"
"We must have lightning absorption," assumed Gretel, looking at her partner. Then, the two of them had an idea.
"THUNDER PUNCH!"
As the fight went on, Major Monogram, Carl, Monty, and Vanessa all spectated from the stands.
"Well how about that?" commented Monogram, "I knew we made the right choice!"
"You also made the right choice in bringing me along." added Vanessa.
EarlierThe second Hamster and Gretel left OWCA HQ, Major Monogram spoke up, "I have an announcement to make… I got tickets to the Danville baseball game."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Sir?" asked Carl, "The entire world is at stake and you want to watch a baseball game?"
"Who knows, maybe Rodney will make his grand entrance there. The whole town will be there, mind you!" the gray-haired man exclaimed.
"Also, you remember when those aliens invaded and tried mind-controlling everyone?"
"I miss Vlorkel." sighed Vanessa.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Rodney will be there. Now come on, I've got four tickets."
He passed the tickets out among his son and intern. It was then that he realized that there was still an extra ticket.
"Dad, there's an extra ticket," pointed Monty.
"Yes, I can see that." muttered Monogram.
"Could Vanessa have that ticket?"
"I'd be more than happy to come!" exclaimed the teenage girl.
"Sorry, Vanessa, you have to wait here and watch over the agents." declined Monogram.
"I never said I was a nurse," Vanessa shot back, "I was only taking care of them, because I care about them as much as you do."
"But… the agents."
"Major Monogram, the agents are fine." stated Vanessa, "Perry wasn't the only one you guys lost. I lost my dad!"
Monogram bit his lip. He completely forgot that Dr. Doofenshmirtz had also assisted Perry on the space mission, two months prior. He looked back at Vanessa to hear more of what she had to say.
"I want to avenge my dad, just as much as you want to avenge Perry, and if it seems like Hamster and Gretel can't handle it, I would gladly do what my dad couldn't: defeat a superpowered former friend of his, Rodney."
Monogram looked at Carl and Monty. The two of them seemed content with Vanessa's assistance. With that, the final decision was made.
"All right, Vanessa, you're coming with us!" announced Monogram, handing her the extra ticket.
Present"Why yes, yes I did." said the agency worker, thinking back on it.
While the quartet had been flashing back on the moment, Hamster, Gretel, and Rodney had all been experimenting with whatever powers they could think of. Rodney fired away some paralysis beams, which were completely reflected by the improbable duo generating barriers to protect them.
"Why can't you stand still?!" growled the mad scientist, "Come on, kneel before Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang–"
Just then, no words came out of Rodney's mouth. The lip-synchronization was still there, but the audible sounds weren't.
"What was that?" mocked Gretel, "Oops, sorry, I don't read lips, or minds… or maybe I do."
At that very moment, Rodney was unmuted, "That does it! You two have mocked me for the last time!"
The mad scientist stretched his right arm up and a piano fell right out of the sky. Hamster and Gretel stood in shock as the piano landed right on top of them.
Even from outside the stadium, Kevin heard the sound of the crash and all of the piano keys playing at once. He knew there was only one thing that it could possibly be.
"GRETEL!"
Kevin threw off his employee hat and climbed out of the truck, through the server window. Jeremy was surprised.
"Kevin, where are you going?!"
"I think it might be my little sister!"
Back at the stadium, Rodney lifted the piano up with telekinesis to see the improbable duo unconscious. He cackled wildly, "You may be stronger than metal, but you're nowhere near stronger than pianos!"
The improbable duo struggled to stand back up. Everyone in the stands was in shock. It finally seemed as if the bad guy had won.
"This is all my fault." Major Monogram said solemnly, "I should've known that they weren't up for this challenge."
"It's not your fault, Sir, you had no way of knowing what could've happened." reassured Carl.
"Thanks, Carl," sighed Monogram, "Here's five dollars, go buy yourself an ice cream… *sniff*, not that it'll change anything."
Rodney came closer to Hamster and Gretel, "Any last words?"
Gretel tried her best to open her eyes, "I… am actually…"
Before she could finish, Rodney was punched in the face by a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal of action!
When he recovered, Rodney spoke, "Perry the Plat–?" Before he could finish, a nearby lamppost fell and nearly hit him. Quickly thinking, Rodney rolled out of the way.
"Looks like Murphy's Law hasn't changed one bit!" grinned an early teenage boy in a sweater vest.
Then, the mad scientist looked to see a middle-aged man in sunglasses and a red tracksuit right next to an older man in a green suit and matching top hat.
"Why're you crying, ya big baby?" the younger of the duo mocked, firing away a gadget in his hands. Rodney quickly dodged that as well.
The tracksuit-wearing man spoke to break the silence, "You see, this is an age regressor ray, meaning that if I zapped you, you would de-age into a baby, which is why I called you–"
"For the love of Charles, Dakota!" interrupted the older man, "You don't have to mansplain everything!"
"What's this about mansplaining?" shot back Dakota, "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're both men, Cavendish!"
While the two men argued, the man, himself, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, took action and grabbed Rodney by the shirt collar, punching him in the face rapidly. Afterwards, Rodney lay on the ground, defeated.
"All right, everyone, we're back!" announced the teen boy, who was no other than Milo Murphy, "What did we miss?"
"Who are you guys?" asked Gretel, she and Hamster now rejuvenated.
Before Milo could explain, he was interrupted. Everyone turned to see Major Monogram and Carl running from the stands to the field.
"Agent P!" they cheered.
The two of them gathered around the platypus, holding him high in the sky.
"I never thought I'd see the day!" sniffled Monogram.
"Our number one agent is finally back!"
While the agency workers reunited with their best agent, Doofenshmirtz turned to see Vanessa running towards him.
"Dad!"
"Vanessa!"
The father and daughter embraced each other in a hug.
"What happened? I thought I'd never see you again!"
"It's a long story, Baby Girl," replied Doof, "But I'm just as glad to be back as you are."
Amidst the heartfelt reunions, Hamster and Gretel rose up above the group, looking down on Rodney.
"Surrender, Rodney, it's over." Gretel growled.
Rodney weakly lifted his head up, "You may have won the battle, but you haven't won the war."
Just then, all the LOVE MUFFIN members that went into hiding long ago arose from the ground in a similar fashion that Rodney had.
"Looks like my little alien friends didn't forget about these guys." the mad scientist smirked.
Just then, Kevin burst onto the scene. He looked to see the opposing sides, "I knew I missed something when it took me basically forever to get in here."
Rodney cackled, "While both sides are equal in players, one of us has more superpowers than the other."
But Gretel wasn't having it, "You know what, Rodney? It isn't the powers that make the hero… or villain. It's what they do that counts. And I don't know these guys very well, but while they don't have powers–"
"I've got Murphy's Law," interrupted Milo, "It's kinda like a superpower if used right."
"Please don't interrupt,"
"Sorry,"
"As I was saying, while these guys don't have powers like Hamster and I do, I know that together, we will take all of you down."
Both sides flashed glances at one another before charging forward. The improbable duo made the first move by materializing fists, which took down supervillains Dr. Bainbridge and Dr. Bringdown.
"Easy as pie," Gretel grinned, fistbumping her rodent partner.
Diogee, Milo's pet dog, dashed right past a scientist named Dr. Diminutive.
"Get back here, you stupid dog!"
While he was distracted, Perry swooped in and knocked him down from behind. The scientist was furious to have been taken down by someone nearly the same size as him.
Dr. Bloodpudding attempted to trap Melissa and Zack, Milo's friends, in spider webs, but was quickly stopped by Melissa delivering a swift karate chop to the chest.
"Nice one, Meli!" commented Zack.
"Thanks… wait, what did you just call me?"
"I, uh…"
"Y'know what? Never mind!"
"Zack, behind you!"
Zack looked to see Dr. Killbot, a… robot, nearly blast him with a laser beam.
"Hasta la vista!" the robot exclaimed. At the last second, Perry swooped in and shoved the boy out of the way.
"Thanks, Perry," said Zack, relieved.
Perry chittered before zipping off and kicking Dr. Killbot in the… face (a glass sphere, defending an eyeball inside it)
Cavendish and Dakota looked ahead to see Rodney. "He's all that's left, Dakota, let's go get him!" exclaimed Cavendish.
"On it!" responded Dakota.
Just then, Rodney grinned, "Have either of you met Chloe?"
A female robot emerged from behind Rodney and walked up to the time-traveling duo.
"Care to dance?" she asked. She grabbed both men and instantly spun them around.
"I'm… gonna… be… siiick!" exclaimed Dakota.
Perry and Diogee both noticed this and had an idea. Diogee rushed over to Chloe and barked. The robot stopped and looked down.
"What a cute little doggy." Chloe said… with red eyes and saws instead of hands. Diogee whimpered, hoping that Perry had a plan. Just then, his thoughts were proven and Perry zapped Chloe with the age regressor ray, causing her to revert to a simple circuit board.
"Nooooo!" Rodney screamed. Just then, Hamster and Gretel looked from above. "It's over, Rodney!" called Gretel, "Why don't you just give up?"
"Never!" snarled Rodney.
The improbable duo exchanged looks, "Mad scientist punch!" Two fists, one big and one small, fired down towards Rodney. The scientist, however, had his own card to play.
"Pesky pests punch!"
Instantly, both opposing sides' fists clashed, each trying to one-up the other. The improbable duo tried everything they could, but Rodney began to retrieve the upper hand.
"Looks like I'm winning!" he cackled.
Gretel felt herself grow weaker and weaker, but all of a sudden felt a jerk. She looked back to see Milo, Melissa, and Zack push their backs into it to help her and Hamster get back on top. However, it only took about ten seconds before the good guys began to slip, once again. Just then, Perry and Diogee gave them an extra hand, knowing that their friends needed help. With each time that they began to slip, more of their friends came to help; first Doof and Vanessa, then Cavendish and Dakota, and finally, Major Monogram, Carl, and Monty.
All together, the good guys succeeded in overpowering the mad scientist's strength. Rodney recoiled in horror as his generated fist shattered and the other fist came right for him. After that, there was a flash of light.
~~~When the light settled and everyone regained their vision, Gretel scanned the area, "Where's Rodney?"
"He must've gotten away," replied Major Monogram, brushing dirt off of his suit. Just then, the police rolled in. They all piled out and hauled the remaining LOVE MUFFIN members off to prison.
"And there you have it, folks, the terrifying reign of Rodney the mad scientist is over," reported Veronica Hill, "But this time, Hamster and Gretel didn't do it alone. Instead, they had a whole team assisting them, even though they weren't superpowered. Anyways, that's that, now onto a press conference with the authorities."
Amidst the team gathering, Milo looked ahead to see his sister and parents in the stands, "Mom, Dad, Sara!" he called, running towards them. He climbed over the barrier and hugged them tightly.
"It's good to have you back, buddy." smiled Martin.
Meanwhile, Perry was also in the mood for reunions. He saw his host family in the stands and wanted to reunite with them. He reached to take his hat off, when Major Monogram stopped them.
"I'd hate to break it to you, Agent P," he said, "But after you disappeared, I erased their memories of your existence."
Perry looked down, sadly. He had finally gotten back to Earth, only to find out that his family had completely forgotten about them.
"Y-you can try, though." suggested Carl.
Perry nodded and zipped off. He popped up into the stands and reverted back to his identity as an ordinary platypus. He waddled over to his family.
"Perry!" exclaimed Phineas, embracing the platypus, "We've been so worried about you, where've you been?"
"It's almost like we forgot about him up until now." commented Ferb.
Back in the field, Major Monogram was surprised, "Whaddya know? They recognized him the second they saw him."
"I know, right? How odd." chuckled Carl.
Major Monogram faced his intern with a stern look.
"Carl,"
"Sir, I–"
"Give me back my $5."
"But, sir, you gave–"
"I gave it to you and now I want it back."
"Sir–"
"Just do it!"
"*sigh*, here, Sir."
"Thank you, Carl."
Just then, Gretel realized something, "Sorry, guys, I've also got my own reunions to handle." she said, before zipping off.
Suddenly, Dakota noticed Cavenpuss, a creature made up of platypus and Cavendish DNA, sitting by the barrier, cradling his egg.
"Where've you been the whole battle?" he asked.
"It's bound to hatch any second now," explained Cavenpuss, and sure enough, she was right. The egg began to crack and a baby Cavenpuss emerged.
~~~Gretel returned to the stands in her civilian identity. The first thing she saw was her dear big brother, Kevin.
"Kevin!" she exclaimed.
Kevin got down on his knees as Gretel leapt into his arms for a big hug.
"I heard something break, so I thought you were hurt, and–"
"Kevin, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, because I'm not alone. Not just with Hamster, but with anyone in my life."
Kevin looked towards the baseball field to see the returnees to Earth, then towards the ones who had just reunited with their families.
"And they aren't alone, either." added Kevin.
~~~"The members of the so-called League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness… or, L.O.V.E. M.U.F.F.I.N., have all been found guilty and are sentenced to life in prison. However, the whereabouts of their leader, Aloyse von Roddenstein, is unknown." reported Veronica.
A few days later, Gretel and Kevin had gone out for ice cream with their cousin, Fred.
"I can't believe you did all of that," proclaimed Fred, "I wish I was there."
"Like I said, Hamster and I didn't do it alone," replied Gretel, "We got a full set of reinforcements at the last minute."
"Now that I've thought about it, what is the aliens' plan?" asked Kevin.
EpilogueOut in space, a UFO hovered close to Earth.
"I can't believe this," said the male pilot, "That was our best chance at evilizing the world and it failed!"
The other alien put a hand on her co-pilot's shoulder, "Don't worry, Maurice, there's always next time."
To be continued…