KidsWBYungsta's Battle for the Animation Multiverse — Chapter 03: How We Get Here Part 1: The Revelation
KidsWBYungsta's Battle for the Animation Multiverse — Chapter 03: "How We Got Here Part 1: The Revelation"


A/N: Welcome back to the Battle for the Animation Multiverse, ladies and gentlemen! After the heroes finally meet up with Mao Mao face-to-face after being captured by the villains, they figure out what has happened to their world through some much-needed exposition by a futuristic version of the Grim Reaper. Once they realize what happened to the world and their friends that lead to the dystopian future, they realize that after wiping out most of the citizens in the Animation Multiverse, they are going to be next! However, Bloom is dealing with a lot of pressure upon getting up-to-speed on the situation when she realizes that who Grim was alluding to when he mentioned the traitor who was behind the destruction of Dubba City and the mass exodus of the heroes.

Chapter Synopsis: An encounter with Mao Mao and the futuristic Grim Reaper helps the heroes realize that their future is in a dire situation because of what the villains had done to Dubba City and the Animation Multiverse at large, so they try to put their heads together to come up with a plan to save their future! However, Aku and his motley crew of villains have a few tricks up their sleeves… Before that, though, the heroes eventually get a chance to see what happened to not only their friends and loved ones of the Animation Multiverse, but also themselves.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the cartoon and anime characters who appear in this story. The cartoon and anime characters who do appear are under the ownership of their respective companies.

Dedication: A tip of the hat to the talented cast and crew behind OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.


KidsWBYungsta's Battle for the Animation Multiverse — Chapter 03: How We Got Here Part 1: The Revelation

Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 2 (Robot Construction Zone / Escape Route) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

Upon the dramatic reveal of the Grim Reaper to the heroes, some of the heroes were surprised to see that Grim actually survived the Apocalypse that affected Dubba City and the Animation Multiverse in the future, even outlasting most of the Toons, including his masters Billy and Mandy. However, while that surprise would still linger in their minds, their concerns would be heightened once they came to realize how much of a dilemma they would encounter once Grim would give them the rundown of what occurred that led to the dark future they had envisioned earlier. Still, whatever thoughts they had in their mind would be sidetracked by Eddy trying to reacquaint himself with the Reaper himself as he walked up to the Messenger of Death and said, sporting a smirk, "Well, well, if it isn't the Grim Reaper himself. So, Grimmy, what have you been up to since we last heard from ya? Hey, where's Billy and Mandy? You finally got out of that stupid deal they set up after you lost that game of limbo?"

The level of amusement dripping from Eddy's voice as he made his statement only gave Grim an annoyed demeanor, leading the Reaper to give a heated sigh as he said, "Please, Eddy, I'm not in the mood for any pleasantries, mon…"

Based on how Grim reacted, the heroes could tell that he was not in the mood for any tomfoolery (well, he usually wasn't in the mood, but the circumstances of the situation they were in now made it clear that he really wasn't in the mood), but Eddy just bushed it off as he said, "Ah, c'mon, Grim, I know you're still that same ol' reaper we know and love. C'mon, tell us how you managed to pull out of that deal with Billy and Mandy."

"Ooh, ooh, did you finally take those two to the Underworld Court and Judge Roy Spleen ruled in your favor?" Ed asked excitedly.

Grim could only palm his face in annoyance, which Mao Mao quickly picked up on as he walked up to the two Eds and whispered, "Listen, you two, could you maybe cool it with the jokes? I don't think Grim's really in the mood for that right now."

"What? Grim's always liked it when we did stuff like this!" Eddy said with a smirk, wrapping his arm around Mao Mao as he added, "You should've seen how it was whenever Double D, Ed and I had to visit Grim, Billy and Mandy in Endsville. Trust me, underneath his dark and brooding demeanor lies a—"

However, Eddy was interrupted when Grim responded with a statement that most never thought he would've said, "Eddy, please forgive me for throwing a damper on the mood here, but the Grim that you all once knew and love… is dead…"

Now, if it was any other occasion, one could assume that it was just Grim's macabre sense of humor or if he was just being overdramatic because of dealing with Billy and Mandy every waking day, but based on the tone of voice from Grim and how he was reacting to Eddy's comments, it made it clear that Grim was holding back on something, but didn't know how to describe it to the heroes at the moment. Everyone remained silent for a solid minute until Bugs broke the ice by saying:

"Eh, listen, doc, I know you're the Grim Reaper and everything, but even I expected you to have a sense of humor or at least a sarcastic type. Sounds like there's something else at hand, but you're not wanting to tell us. Is all of that overdramatic bluster and the theatrics in your growing annoyance towards Ed and Eddy a way of hiding your complex emotions about this situation at hand?"

Bugs' declaration seemed to shock Grim, not expecting that the sarcastic rabbit could read people's emotions and body language as accurately as he did, but Grim just brushed it off as he said, "Listen, that's not important right now, mon. What is important is trying to figure out how you all survived and managed to avoid being caught by those villains in the future, and how you all got up here right now."

Grim's statement only left the heroes confused, especially regarding the part of what the villains had in store for the future and how it correlated with some of the clues they found in the dystopian Dubba City. Riley was the first to voice this bewilderment as he said, "Uh, Grim… what exactly are you implying right now? If you're implying if we somehow all got killed in the future or something crazy like that, why don't you just come out and say it?"

"Riley!" Huey hissed at his younger brother, hoping that he wouldn't set off Grim any more than Eddy did.

Riley could only give his older brother an indignant look as he said, "What? The way he was describing things made it sound like that's what happened to us anyway!"

Bloom decided to get things back on track as she walked up to Grim and said in a concerned tone, "Grim, please, you have to let us know what's going on. I mean, we found some hints back at the dystopian Dubba City that could clue us in and what happened: the desolate house at that park Flora, June and I had landed in; the letter from R.R. that Ben found; the secret laboratory that Star and Marco found… come on, Grim, you have to know something about what's been going on."

"I'm afraid I can't do so, my dear," Grim said, giving a sad sigh as he added, "Besides, I have a sinking feeling that if I tell you all the truth, it would practically hit too close to home."

"Man, it can't be all that bad, could it?" Riley said, brushing off Grim's concern. "Besides, I've heard some crazier stories back at Woodcrest. You should've seen our Granddad when he was trying to tell us the story of our great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Catcher Freeman…"

Riley just assumed that Grim would ignore his comment and just move onto something else, but he was surprised to see that the Grim Reaper literally got into his face and shouted out of anger, flaming eyes for good measure, "Listen, Riley, this situation is nothing like what you are trying to imply! What those villains did to the Animation Multiverse in the future went far beyond just petty villainy, it involved a mix of Master Models, rogue robot doppelgangers and even deaths! I tried to keep the memory of the fallen heroes alive for generations to come, but it's not good enough! Besides, I think you would like to know that some of those fallen heroes happen to include—"

However, Grim was interrupted by Mao Mao stopping him as he frantically stated, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't tell them, Grim! You don't want these heroes to have an existential crisis or anything like that, do ya?"

Grim mulled over Mao Mao's comment, then he sighed heatedly as he said, "Anyway, excuse me for blowing up like that, but you all just can't handle the truth just yet…"

As Grim was about to walk off and check out the robots, Mao Mao and the heroes just stood there motionless, surprised to see that Grim was even more intense than usual. Bloom was going to walk up to Grim and prod him for more answers, but Jack decided to keep the peace before tensions and emotions could rise any further than that and everyone would start snapping at each other. Walking up to the Grim Reaper, the stoic samurai warrior cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Reaper, you have to understand that we are only trying to figure out the mystery of what happened in the future that you are hoping we could prevent. Trust me, I have battled Aku for many yeas and I know what he is capable of doing, so we just need to understand what has happened and how our loved ones and closest allies were affected by their plan."

Grim thought about Jack's request for more information, but one side of his mind wanted to keep that part a mystery until he felt that the heroes were ready to learn the truth about what had happened. However, he felt that the longer he kept this a secret, the worst off they would be if they happened to learn the truth about the future in another fashion, particularly during their darkest hour. Sighing sadly, Grim turned to Jack and the other heroes, clearing his throat as he said, "Well… alright, I guess I could tell you all about what happened in the future… I just hope you all can process what I am about to tell you…"

The heroes nodded their heads as Sailor Moon said in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, Grim, I'm pretty sure we can handle it."

Grim nodded his head in response as he said, "Very well…"


Flashback: An Overview of Dubba City in the Animation Multiverse (The Past, The Present and the Future)

(Grim's narration)

You see, years ago, Dubba City was once a bustling, colorful metropolis that served as the hub of connection to a wide variety of cartoon universes, a place where some of the world's most-beloved cartoon characters could come together. This place actually allowed the Looney Tunes, Disney characters, Cartoon Cartoons and Nicktoons to coexist with each other in the same universe, even housing some anime characters as well.

For years, we thought that, with the combined efforts of the heroes that populated Dubba City and the greater Animation Multiverse, there would never be a massive event where our lives would be at stake… that is, until the evil Aku came back in full force and reunited with Vilgax to lay down the plans for a League of Extraordinary Villains that could aid them in their plans for a massive takeover of not only Dubba City, but the Animation Multiverse as a whole. Upon them recruiting Queen Vexus, Swackhammer, Thrax and the Trix, as well as picking up Sailor Galaxia after she had to sacrifice herself to prevent Chaos from targeting any of the Sailor Guardians or the Winx. Word of the impending takeover led to the heroes ramping up their efforts to prevent this massive takeover and to stop the villains in their tracks, but the unity of the League of Extraordinary Villains was just too strong, too powerful and—to put it plainly—too much for them to handle, not helping the fact that Aku seemed to grow even bigger and stronger after the defeat of each hero.

However, things weren't all peace and business with those villains: Sailor Galaxia didn't even want to be a part of the group and she only joined because she didn't want any harm to befall either the Sailor Guardians or the Sailor AnimaMates, but the possibility of actually accomplishing her goal she failed to achieve became too much for her. However, after Aku had intentionally targeted the Powerpuff Girls, Sailor Galaxia tried her best to break away from the group's influence, but, just when it seemed that things were looking up for her, the villains decided to dispose of her the same way they did with the heroes: destroy her from all humanity and keep her in a Master Model.

Eventually, it got to the point that it wasn't enough that they had kept the heroes in Master Models after destroying them, but they started to transport various heroes from other parts of the Animation Multiverse into Dubba City, but they would ultimately defeat them. After destroying each of the heroes, their remains would be contained in these Master Models, which would be used to produce robot doppelgangers that would take over their spots in the present day—though I question how that would be even possible without breaking the time-space continuum.

However, there was one thing that made catching and destroying the heroes and the eventual destruction of Dubba City all possible: Aku had used his mystical powers to brainwash one of the stronger heroes into serving as the group's secret weapon that could not only give a good scare to the remaining Toons, but also overpower whatever heroes were left in the Animation Multiverse. Even to this day, the remaining heroes have no clue who their secret weapon was or how Aku managed to corrupt them, but one thing's for certain: they say that this character knew a thing or two about the immense power of the Dragon's Flame…"


Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 2 (Robot Construction Zone / Escape Route) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

Upon hearing Grim's explanation of what had happened to the heroes in the future, the present-day heroes were left in shock upon their realization of what had happened, especially considering how Dubba City ended up being in the state it was in when they first entered its future counterpart. Although some of the heroes felt rather uneasy after this revelation, Bloom was especially uneasy as the later half of Grim's exposition flashed her back to the end she was transformed into Dark Bloom against her will, but this time, the villains were successful in their ultimate conquest. Although her feelings on the situation at hand were unknown to the other heroes at the moment, Sailor Moon was able to pick up on Bloom's emotional state of mind quicker than the others.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that Swackhammer got that desperate to team up with the ultimate evil that is Aku to wipe out the entire Animation Multiverse in one go… all because he couldn't get over losing a basketball game to Michael Jordan and us Looney Tunes 25 years ago?" Bugs asked, his tone increasingly becoming more perplexed than amused.

Although the other heroes had similar questions regarding the villains who took part in this plan and their motives of why they did what they did, they didn't directly verbalize their thoughts out of concern that Grim's response would imply that something even worse had occurred than what they thought. Ultimately, Grim responded to Bugs' query as he nodded his head sadly and said to the wisecracking rabbit, "I really hate to make it sound like that's what actually occurred, Bugs, but that's definitely the case."

"That… that's so… horrible!" Ami cried as she walked up to Grim, looking at him with her sad puppy-dog eyes as she added, "Why, Grim? How could someone be so callous to do such a thing?"

"To be honest with you, Ami, I've asked myself that same question when I came to realize that Aku had gotten the upper hand once again," Grim explained. "Even though we had the combined efforts of Samurai Jack, Juniper Lee, XJ9, Danny Phantom, the Powerpuff Girls, the Kids Next Door and the entire Justice League on our side, their skills ultimately proved to be no match against the likes of Aku, Vilgax and that League of Extraordinary Villains. Eventually, they became too overpowered that they eventually took over the Animation Multiverse in the future and it looks like it's dangerously close to happening at this very moment…"

"Well, if that's the case, then I can easily say that those maroons have got another thing coming!" Bugs said in a confident tone, much to the surprise of Grim, Mao Mao and some of the other heroes.

"Bugs, are you serious?" Star said in a concerned tone. "I mean, you heard what Grim said about those villains. Do you really think our powers and abilities are going to be enough to stand against that League of Extraordinary Villains?"

Bugs thought about the possibilities of what could happen to them if they challenged the League of Extraordinary Villains, then he gave a warm smile to Star as he said, "Honestly, Star, I feel as though that, even if we are rather underpowered at the moment, those villains are bound to crack under pressure and break apart once their egos get in the way. Knowing Swackhammer, he'll probably be so caught up in trying to destroy us Looney Tunes that he'll ultimately become a liability to those villains, which will become one part of their downfall."

"Of course, and based on how Sailor Galaxia was acting earlier, she'll likely find a way to break all ties with that group and ultimately find herself back with the good guys," Sailor Moon explained. "Trust and believe, if she was able to break away from Chaos' control, I believe deep down in my heart that she'll do it again and figure out what's right."

Grim was pretty dumbfounded by Bugs' assessment of how the villains will ultimately break apart due to their conflicting alliances and egos, that he actually said, "You can't be serious, Bugs! That kind of thing would make sense if it was a Looney Tunes cartoon or something of that sort, but this is something even bigger than that! You can't tell me that you really believe that those villains will start butting heads that easily."

However, even with Grim's concern, Bugs coolly walked up to the reaper and said while wrapping his arm around his shoulders, "Relax, doc, I've been through these situations before. Besides, if the Tunes and I were able to go back in time and save our ancestors from the likes of Dr. Frankenbeans, then I know how this adventure is going to play out."

Grim was still not so convinced by what Bugs was telling, but Ben seemed to pick up on what Bugs was talking about pretty well as he walked up to the rabbit and said, "Y'know something, Bugs? You might be going somewhere with this. I mean, the last time Aku and Vilgax teamed up, they ended up alienating Mojo Jojo and Mandark enough that those two had cut all ties with them and their plans blew up in smoke, so what's to say that it won't happen again?"

"See that? Even Ben knows where I'm coming from with this," Bugs said to Grim in a reassuring tone.

"I don't know, Bugs, are you positive that this is where this is going to go?" Grim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, Grim, I'm positive that it will happen," Bugs said, then he noted to the reaper, "Don't forget, Grim, you, Billy and Mandy had to deal with one of those robots before and the CN Multiverse was ultimately kept intact."

Grim was surprised by Bugs' declaration, but just brushed it off as he was going to describe the new mission to the heroes, but Mao Mao beat him to it as he said, "Wait a minute, the Master Models! That's it!"

"The Master Models?" Huey said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What about those Master Models?"

"I'm saying that those villains need the Master Models to power their robot army, but I know that there are some that are scattered throughout the other animated worlds in the Multiverse," Mao Mao explained. "If we are able to collect all of the Master Models, we could restore the various characters in the future and prevent the villains' takeover from ever happening!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get into one of those dimensional portal things and collect all of those bad boys!" Eddy said as he walked away from the group to find a dimensional portal in the lair. "C'mon, Ed, we've got a universe to save!"

Ed was not too far behind from his money-obsessed friend as he jumped up and said with a smile, "Right behind ya, Eddy!"

However, before Ed and Eddy could go any further with their plans, Double D quickly grabbed his friends by the collars of their respective shirts as he said, "Wait a minute, gentlemen! You can't just run off and try to find those Master Models like it's a scavenger hunt! We don't even know where they could be located!"

"Double D's got a point," Static said, then he looked at Mao Mao and said, "Listen, Mao Mao, do you happen to know any of the exact locations of where we could find those things?"

Mao Mao thought about the possible locations where the Master Models could be found, then the locations popped up in his mind as he said with the snap of his finger, "Wait a minute, hold the phone! Of course I do! However, I think it would be best if Grim and I took you all to our secret hideout in the future Dubba City in order for you all to understand what you're about to be up against during this search."

"What? You mean to tell me that we have to deal with even more of those robo-retreads?" Bugs asked.

Grim then placed a hand on Bugs' shoulder as he said, "Believe me, Bugs, I think you'll find that the search for these Master Models will involve more than dealing with a robot doppelganger."

Just as Grim and Mao Mao lead the heroes into another area of the lair in the hopes of getting to the secret hideout without being caught by any of the minions, the alarms started going off in the lair that alerted them to another battle with the robot guards. While the Toon Heroes ran and prepared for battle against the robot guards while trying to find a way to escape, Sailor Moon stopped and saw that Bloom was not following along with the group, shivering a bit and talking to herself as she walked around, thinking about the identity of the Animation Multiverse traitor that Grim was alluding to during his explanation earlier. The "big sister radar" seemed to be ringing in Sailor Moon's head as she picked up on Bloom's mixed emotions as well as why she was feeling so withdrawn after understanding the current situation at hand.


Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 2 (Robot Construction Zone / Escape Route) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

As Sailor Moon walked up to Bloom, the Fairy of the Dragon Flame was pacing back-and-forth, holding her hand to her heart as she said to herself, "I just can't believe it… I didn't think anyone could do it, but it actually happened. Could it be true that I was the one who ultimately betrayed the Toon Heroes and allowed them to be destroyed by Aku, Vilgax and the other villains, all one-by-one? What will the others think when they finally realize who Grim was alluding to? How can I even look at myself in the mirror when I know that I will eventually be outed as the Animation Multiverse traitor?"

While she was musing in her own thoughts, Bloom was shocked to feel someone place their hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump up in shock and put her hands up in fear as she shouted, "ALRIGHT, OKAY, I ADMIT IT! I DID IT! I WAS THE ONE WHO ULTIMATELY BETRAYED THE—the… the… oh, uh… h-hi, Sailor Moon…"

Bloom slowly calmed herself down when she realized that it was only Sailor Moon who walked up to check on her. The leader of the Sailor Guardians gave Bloom a warm smile as she said, "Hello, Bloom, I couldn't help but notice that you were over here talking to yourself and pacing back-and-forth. Is there something that's bothering you?"

An awkward silence between the two magical girls occurred as Bloom turned away from Sailor Moon, not even willing to bring herself to respond to Sailor Moon as she wordlessly shook her head. Sailor Moon just raised an eyebrow in confusion as Bloom turned to look at her for a bit, then she bit her bottom lip a bit as she then quickly muttered, "No."

However, Sailor Moon could pick up on Bloom's discomfort and mixed emotions as she prodded even more, saying, "Bloom… you're not just saying that, so I could go away and act like nothing happened, are you?"

Bloom wordlessly shook her head, but Sailor Moon was not convinced one bit, based on how she read Bloom's body language as her being nervous and trying to swallow her emotions instead of opening up to a new friend. Sailor Moon then turned Bloom over and looked at her face-to-face, saying to the Winx girl in a serious tone, "Bloom, listen to me. If something is bothering you, you know that you can tell somebody, right? Besides, you don't want to bottle up your emotions for so long that you end up doing something that you'll ultimately regret. Think about it, Bloom: do you want that on your conscience?"

A tear started to form in Bloom's eyes as she put her head down and said, "I'm sorry, Sailor Moon… I'm… I'm just feeling on edge after what Grim had explained to us earlier."

Sailor Moon could understand why Bloom would feel the way she felt about what Grim explained earlier, but she knew that there had to be a deeper issue at hand, so she raised an eyebrow out of curiosity as she asked, "Bloom, I understand, but honest question: are you sure that's the main reason why you're so upset?"

Bloom just stood there without saying a word to Sailor Moon, then, after a moment of silence, she ultimately said, "I think Grim was alluding to me being the Animation Multiverse traitor."

Just off of that statement alone, Bloom's words sent a shockwave within Sailor Moon as she said in a tone of increasing surprise and confusion, "…W-Wait a minute… y-you mean to tell me that Grim was implying that you were the traitor who aided in the ultimate destruction of the Animation Multiverse in the future?"

Once Sailor Moon asked this question, tears started to stream down Bloom's eyes as she tried to stay cool, calm and collected, but eventually broke down in tears once the reality of the situation started to hit her like a ton of bricks. Bloom then fell to her knees and put her head down as she sobbed and said, "Listen, Sailor Moon, I know it sounds crazy, but there's no way that could be true! I thought it would've been impossible for me to transform into Dark Bloom again, but apparently Aku somehow made that possible!"

"'Again'? You mean that something like this has happened to you before?" Sailor Moon asked in a concerned tone.

Bloom then gave a sad sigh in response as she cleared her thoughts for a moment, then she stood back up and looked at Sailor Moon, saying, "You see, during my sophomore year a Alfea, I had been transformed into a darker version of myself by the likes of Lord Darkar in order to help him and the Trix take over the Realm of Magix. My friends had no idea of my initial transformation, or even why I was acting so different from my usual self, until Darkar kidnapped me and tried to turn me against all of my friends. If it hadn't been for my boyfriend Sky breaking me out of that curse, I practically would've put the entire Realm of Magix at serious risk."

Sailor Moon felt a pang of sympathy in her heart for Bloom as she relayed her past as being Dark Bloom under Lord Darkar's control, then Bloom started to tear up a bit as she added, "I never thought that it would've gotten to a point in time that I would be caught and forced into becoming Dark Bloom ever again, but if Grim was implying that I was ultimately the Animation Multiverse traitor, then that would mean that I was indirectly responsible for the dystopian future version of Dubba City that we had seen earlier…"

After finishing her explanation of what had happened, Bloom expected a variety of possible outcomes: either she would end up being forced to turn to the dark side because of this information; Sailor Moon would run off and warn the other Toon Heroes of her being the Animation Multiverse traitor, which would have destroyed their budding unity and chemistry before it was even established; or she thought that Sailor Moon would throw her out into the deepest reaches of space, never to be heard from again…

Okay, admittedly, that last part would be more of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune's department, but who's to say Sailor Moon would go against her usual approach of finding the good in everyone and feel that Bloom went beyond redemption because of this information?

Much to Bloom's surprise, however, the Fairy of the Dragon's Flame found herself being embraced in a hug from Sailor Moon, the latter saying, "Oh, Bloom, that's so sad! I guess that explains why you were feeling the way you felt earlier. To be honest, I thought you would've had this personal conflict a little later, but I guess the situation really did hit home with you like Grim said."

"See, that's why I'm hoping that we are able to save the Animation Multiverse to prevent that outcome from becoming a reality!" Bloom explained frantically. "If these villains are able to complete their ultimate conquest of the Animation Multiverse, as well as destroying us one-by-one and replacing us with robot doppelgangers, who knows what will happen if they had instigated a full-fledged robot invasion that will involve us being wiped out of animated history for future generations?!"

As Bloom continued to frantically speak, even hyperventilating at one point, Sailor Moon quickly calmed her down as she placed her hands on Bloom's shoulders and said to her in a reassuring tone, "Bloom, don't worry about a thing. I promise you that, as long as we stick together and keep a cool head, we will be able to stop these villains from accomplishing their ultimate goal and we were be able to prevent the bad future of Dubba City, thereby restoring Dubba City to its former glory and maintain the integrity of the Animation Multiverse for future generations to come!"

Bloom wiped a tear from her eyes as she gave a small smile and said, "Wow… do you really mean that, Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon then gave Bloom a reassuring smile in response as she said, "Of course. Even if it meant that we ultimately risked our lives to save our friends, families and loved ones from impending doom, at least we will go down knowing that we fought for a noble and honorable cause."

Bloom gave a warm smile in response as Sailor Moon rubbed her head lovingly. Bloom wiped another tear from her eye as she said, "Thank you, Sailor Moon, you always know how to make someone feel better."

Sailor Moon smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she said, "Eh, I guess it comes with the territory of being a Sailor Guardian. Come on, let's catch up with the others before they become overwhelmed with fending off those robot guards."

Bloom was initially confused by who Sailor Moon was referring to, then she realized that she was talking about the other Toon Heroes as she said, "The others? Oh, no, that's right! I almost forgot!"

With that, Bloom and Sailor Moon both ran off to catch up with Grim, Mao Mao and the rest of the Toon Heroes.


Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 1 (The Robo-Constructo Station) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

Meanwhile, in the The Robo-Constructo Station of the Mysterious Lair, Thrax was busy overseeing the construction of the robot army for the Toon Heroes to encounter, looking on in amazement as he said, "Oh, baby, this is the kind of stuff you'd only see in the movies."

Upon taking a closer look at the Osmosis Jones robo-doppelganger being constructed, Thrax laughed evilly to himself as he said, "I hope you're ready to meet your match, Jones…"

While Thrax was watching the construction of the various robot doppelgangers, Queen Vexus had caught up with the Red Death, wrapping her arm around his shoulders as she said, "Indeed, finally, another robot army that will heed to my every command! After being usurped in my position as the ruler of Cluster Prime by that accursed XJ9, I will finally give that robot a taste of her own medicine and I will finally get the upper hand on her! That will teach her to mess with the Cluster's elite leader."

"You got that right, mama," Thrax said as he swaggered his way around Vexus to catch up with the rest of the villains. "Not only that, but I'll finally get my ultimate revenge against that Osmosis Jones. That means I'll finally get the chance of getting my own chapter in the medical books without any outside interference! No white blood cells, no bulky pills, no nothing!"

Back with the other villains, Aku just sighed happily as he took a look at his robot minions taking on the various Toon Heroes on one of the screens, saying, "Ahhh… there's nothing like the sweet smell of impending victory. Once we do away with our foolish enemies and use their abilities to power our robot army, we could move forward in our takeover of the Animation Multiverse, defeating every hero that comes into contact with us and use their abilities to power more of our robots through these Master Models, and no one will stop us!"

Swackhammer lit a cigar and took a quick inhale, blowing smoke as he looked up at Aku and said, "You ain't kiddin' about that, Aku. You know, I was thinking: I'm surprised that, based on what I saw in the future, you didn't let any of the other heroes live aside from that stupid black cat. I could've used some of those heroes as my new star attractions on Moron Mountain."

"Oh, come now, Swackhammer, once we pull off this ultimate multiversal takeover, you won't have to worry about relying on either a bunch of rebellious heroes, those foolish Looney Tunes or even a stupid famous basketball player to revitalize business in your amusement park. With these robot doppelgangers, they could easily shoot your amusement park back up to the top of the amusement park food chain, even toppling the stranglehold and influence of those Disney Theme Parks that have known the world over!"

Dollar signs quickly appeared in Swackhammer's eyes and coins started falling out of his mouth as he salivated over the possibilities of Moron Mountain becoming the premier amusement park in all of the galaxies, rubbing his hands greedily as he said to Aku, "You know something, Aku? I think you're speakin' my language right there!"


Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 1 (The Villainous Control Room) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

Meanwhile, in the Villainous Control Room, the Trix was keeping an eye on the current battle between the robot minions and the Toon Heroes, hoping that the minions would overpower the Toon Heroes enough that they would be caught in Master Models earlier than intended. While they were checking out the battle, the girls were fantasizing about how their lives will change once the villains finally accomplish their takeover game plan. Icy turned to look at Darcy as she said, "Just think of it, Darcy, we'll have those robots at the palm of our hands once we do away with those pathetic heroes. After we do away with them and placed them in these Master Models, our robot army will be overpowered for the next round of heroes, we'll wipe out every Toon known to man in this Multiverse and the entire Animation Multiverse will be ours!"

"Well, I don't know about all that, Icy," Darcy said, scratching her head a bit. "I mean, don't you find it rather suspicious that we'll be sharing our power and influence with these other villains instead of branching out on our own like we used to?"

"Yes, but let's be honest here: this alliance will prove to be even more beneficial to us than the last two times we had done this," Icy explained.

"Ugh, don't remind me about last time," Stormy groaned in an annoyed tone. "I can't believe we all fell head over heels for Valtor, but he turned out to be a complete joke. No different from Lord Darkar."

"Yeah, but at least those two had style and they had the know-how to present themselves as capable villains," Icy explained. "Besides, they didn't try to go halfway like some of the others we've seen in our time."

"Speaking of which, Icy, you claim that this alliance would be more beneficial to us than before, but wouldn't it make sense if we overthrow Aku and Vilgax as the leaders of this team?" Stormy said.

Icy and Darcy were rather intrigued by their younger sister's declaration as Icy raised an eyebrow and said, "Just what are you getting at, Stormy?"

"Think about it, some of the other villains are known for their theatrics and I can clearly tell that Sailor Galaxia doesn't even want to be involved with this plot," Stormy explained. "So, if we just move like we're following along with their plan, then, when they least expect it, we overthrow their empire and establish ourselves as the true rulers of the new Animation Multiverse in the future!"

After listening to their younger sister's explanation, Icy and Darcy could only think of the possibilities that would come from them overthrowing Aku and Vilgax as the leaders of the League of Extraordinary Villains, as well as pulling a fast one over the other members of the group. Provided that Aku did not have any tricks up his sleeve (as he usually does), Icy and Darcy both exchanged devious smirks as they thought of overthrowing their tyrannical leaders in order to take charge of this mission.

Just as they were getting deep in their thoughts of becoming the true leaders of the dystopian Animation Multiverse, the voice of Aku snapped them out of their stupor as the shapeshifting Master of Darkness said, "Well, girls, I see that you three are having the time of your lives while we proceed to put the finishing touches on our robot army. How are things looking so far? Any disturbances found in the area?"

The Trix looked up in surprise when they saw that Aku had made his way into the control room while they were deep in their conversation, so they cleared their throats as Darcy said, "Oh, uh… greetings, Dark Master Aku! Uh, from our perspective, it looks like things are going… uh… great! Yeah, things are going great, better than they've ever been around here!"

Aku was a little thrown off by Darcy's demeanor as she made her response, but he brushed it off for the time being as he gave a smile and looked closely at one of the screens, saying, "Well, excellent, my apprentices… it seems that everything is going according to pla—What the? Wait a minute! What is this here? How did those foolish heroes find a way to escape their capsules?!"

The Trix were shocked when they heard Aku mention the Toon Heroes' escape from their capsules, which caused Stormy to smile sheepishly as she looked up at Aku and said, "'Escape'? Um, what do you mean by 'escape', Aku?"

Aku just growled at Stormy as he said, "Don't play with me, young lady, I'm talking about this!"

As Aku pointed to one of the screens, the Trix saw that the Toon Heroes, alongside Grim and Mao Mao, were currently engaged in battle with the robot minions, hoping to avoid being recaptured and turned into Master Models (or, even worse, evil minions against their will). The Trix could only look on in shock as they noticed Aku's flaming eyebrows were growing in anger, saying, "Those blasted heroes have escaped and it looks like that mysterious black cat has returned from the future, alongside the Grim Reaper and—wait… THE GRIM REAPER?!"

Aku's flaming eyebrows roared in response to his anger, leaving the Trix covered in soot for a quick moment, then Aku seethed in anger as he added, "I thought we eradicated every single hero in existence throughout Dubba City and all of the Animation Multiverse! How did Grim manage to avoid being eradicated or even turned into a Master Model for one of our robots?!"

"Well, it should've been pretty obvious, master Aku," Darcy explained, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, Grim is practically dead anyway, so it would be impossible for him to even meet his demise since he is already a walking, talking skeleton."

Aku growled in response as he said, "Figures, but that's still besides the point! It seems that we'll have to—no, wait a minute… I know what's really going on here…"

The Trix looked at Aku in complete confusion as Icy said, "Wait, you do?"

"Yes… I bet you that that accursed black cat and that reaper told the heroes about the future of Dubba City that they had witnessed and how they could prevent that from being the actual future," Aku explained, then a devious smile proceeded to grow on his face as he then continued his explanation by adding, "They think that picking up those Master Models scattered throughout the Multiverse alone will be enough to restore Dubba City in the future, but I think they will be surprised to know that it will be more than that."

"Even more than that, just what are you getting at, Aku?" Icy said, raising an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips.

"If they're going to travel throughout the Multiverse to find those Master Models and find the key to restoring Dubba City in the future, they'll happen to come into contact with the various surprises we have implanted in each of those worlds…" Aku explained. "Surprises in the form of our robot minions, as well as evil, brainwashed versions of their closest friends and dearest loved ones…"

"Aku, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly are you going to pull that off?" Icy said in a tone that reeked of a mix of amusement and bewilderment. "I mean, what if those heroes become wise to our tricks and they overpower our minions? After all, Bloom, Flora and the rest of those Winx may be a bunch of pathetic pixies, but they are all more powerful than they actually appear."

"Ah, but that's where the fun part comes in, my dear Icy," Aku said as he led the Trix out of the surveillance room and back to where the villains were hanging out.

After walking a short distance, Aku led the Trix to one of the windows where they could see the construction of their robot army, which included not only their usual group of robot minions, but also the evil robot doppelgangers of the Toon Heroes. Aku then explained to the Trix, "As you can see, ladies, some of the robots in our army may come off as just mechanical counterpart to those blasted heroes, but those robots not only have their DNA, powers and abilities programmed into their hard drives, but they can even pinpoint their every move and mode of attack!"

The Trix looked on in amazement when they noticed the robo-copies of Bloom and Flora practically destroying dummy versions of the two aforementioned Winx, sporting sadistic smiles as Icy said, "Oh, this is definitely worth the price of admission!"

"This is all very impressive, Aku, but what if the heroes end up getting one step ahead of their robot doppelgangers?" Darcy said. "Think about it, someone like Bugs Bunny probably has some tricks up his sleeves on how to dispose of those robots, even if they know his every move."

Aku thought about that possible outcome, but he gave a reassuring look at Darcy as he said, "I wouldn't worry about a thing, Darcy. Those heroes won't even know what hit them when they come into contact with these robot counterparts. Besides, once they get through with our robotic minions, I think it would be best to up the ante when they have to battle themselves."


Present Day: Aku's Mysterious Lair: Level 2 (Robot Construction Zone / Escape Route) — ACME Space Station, The Reaches of Outer Space, Animation Multiverse

Meanwhile, back with the Toon Heroes, they were still engaged in their battle against the robot minions of the villains, some of whom proved to be even tougher than the ones Mao Mao had taken care of earlier. Of course, the more combat-oriented heroes, such as Ben, Jack, Rex, Jenny and Static, had done most of the work in clearing out the robot army while the non-combatants stood to the side while trying to figure out a way for the Toon Heroes to get through this place without having to deal with any more robot guards.

"You'd think that these robot guards would give up after the first few rounds," Static said as he used his Static Cling to destroy two robot guards back-to-back. "I mean, didn't they learn about what we could be capable of upon seeing what Mao Mao did to them?"

Mao Mao was busy slicing and dicing through some of the robot guards with Geraldine, then he said to Static, "I'd hate to tell ya this, kid, but I think I should let you know that these robots never go down without a fight."

Before Static could respond, Samurai Jack corroborated Mao Mao's statement as he said to Static, "It's true, Virgil. I've had to deal with Aku's robot army plenty of times before and they never back down without complying by Aku's orders."

Static mulled over Jack's statement for a moment, then he shook his head as he said while disposing of two other robot guards, "You know something, Jack… sometimes, you gotta wonder if these robots are in need of a new hobby or something."

While the non-combatants were watching the fight, Yumi took notice of another round of robot guards making their way towards the Toon Heroes. Wanting to spur into action, an idea came into her head as she said to Ami, "Hey, Ami, I think I've got an idea."

"Huh? Yumi, how are you going to take on these robots?" Ami said curiously. "We don't have anything in our arsenal to match what the other heroes have!"

"Ami, trust me, we don't need any special powers or abilities," Yumi said as she pulled out her signature electric guitar, then she added in a confident tone, "All we need is the Power of Rock!"

Right out of the blue, a random lightning bolt struck Yumi's electric guitar, which caused Courage to jump up in surprise because of the random clap of thunder and Eddy to get his own idea as he whispered to both of his friends, "Alright, boys, I think it's about time we prove to these guys as to why we call ourselves 'The Amazing Eds'!"

Double D could only roll his eyes at his friend's remark as he said, "Eddy, you're the only one that calls us 'The Amazing Eds', but how are you going to pull this off? More importantly, why are you so quick to jump into action? You never jumped this quickly to do anything that didn't involve any money of some kind."

"That's not the point, Sockhead!" Eddy said in a slightly-annoyed tone. "Listen, we've got our own formations that none of the others know about just yet, so if we're able to pull out our classic moves and do away with these robot dudes, they'll see that we're more amaaaazing than they think we are at the moment."

Double D just sighed in annoyance, but Ed (of course) was all up for Eddy's game plan as he excitedly said, "Oh, boy, Eddy, are we really going to do this?!"

"You bet, Ed," Eddy said in a confident tone, then he added in a whispered tone, "Ed… I think it's time we give the robots a warm welcome."

"Eddy, you mean…" Double D said, raising an eyebrow.

Eddy nodded his head wordlessly at the smart Ed as he whispered, "Boys, we're about to bring back the 'Batter Ed'…"

Meanwhile, Osmosis Jones was making light work of some of the robot guards, using his laser gun to destroy the guards while using his shapeshifting abilities to avoid being tackled by them. As Ozzy shapeshifted his way out of the viewing distance of two robot guards, causing them to slam into each other and blow each other up, he noticed a rogue robot guard charging at him. As if on instinct, Ozzy aimed his laser gun at the robot and said, "You want Osmosis? You've got Osmosis!"

With the call of his signature catchphrase, Ozzy blasted the robot guard to smithereens with one supercharged shot from his laser gun. Upon witnessing the robot guard's demise, Ozzy pumped his fist up as he said, "Aw, yeah, that's another one for Osmosis Jones!"

Upon seeing Ozzy's overconfidence at defeating some of the robot guards, Sailor Pluto yelled out to Ozzy, "Ozzy, don't let your guard down just yet! We've still got a number of these robot guards to wipe out before we go any further."

"Hey, don't worry about a thing, Sailor Pluto," Ozzy said in a reassuring tone as he quickly blasted another robot guard without turning away. "I've got this covered. Besides, I've been able to use my abilities to their highest potential, thanks to some advice from Drix."

Rex was also holding his own in destroying some of the robot guards, pretty much destroying most of them in one hit, though some were still unfazed as they continued to move forward. However, even though the few were left intact, it only allowed Rex to come back harder and knock them down a few notches. Unbeknownst to Rex, one of the robot guards was powering up one of its laser arms to blast the EVO hero, but it was quickly stopped by Jenny using her arm cannon to dispose of the robot, drawing Rex's attention as he looked at the robot girl and said with a smile, "Wow, nice work, Jen! Feels good to have a close friend watching my back, huh?"

"Y-yeah, a close friend…" Jenny said, sporting a shy smile as she proceeded to blast another robot guard with her giant fists.

Compared to the other Toon Heroes, Bugs didn't have to rely on any superpowers to do away with some of the robots nor did he just sit back and watch the others do all of the work in terms of getting rid of those robots. Rather, he put his classic Looney Tunes trickery to good use by outsmarting the robots in various ways: delivering bombs to them as birthday presents, tricking the robots in blasting each other, and, at one point, using a mirror to fire a robot guard's attack back at them.

Although his methods of disposing the robots were rather… unorthodox, compared to the straightforward approach implemented by some of the other Toon Heroes, they managed to get the job done just as effectively as the other heroes. However, the heroes were slowly starting to get overwhelmed by another round of robot guards that was surrounding them. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost for the Toon Heroes, they had a rockstar angel looking over them as Yumi plugged her electric guitar into a surround sound speaker and proceeded to play it at full volume, disposing most of the robot guards as she sported a confident smile and said, "Like I said, the Power of Rock."

The other Toon Heroes were impressed by Yumi's ingenuity in disposing the next round of robot guards as Bugs noted in a tone of amazement, "Whoa, I haven't seen anyone clear a room this fast since the Tasmanian Devil!"

Just as a trio of robot guards were making their way towards the heroes, they were startled by a scream of "I am Ed! Cheese and macaroni!", which was followed by Ed charging at the robot guards with Double D and Eddy hanging onto his shirt. As the robot guards charged at the Eds, Ed's head proved to have more endurance than the robots as he knocked the robots away and into the deep reaches of space! Upon completing the Batter Ed formation, the Eds looked out into space, with the other Toon Heroes following behind them as Eddy exchanged high-fives with Ed and Double D, saying in an excited tone, "Whoo-hoo! What'd I tell ya, boys? That Batter-Ed formation still works like a charm! Way to use your head there, Ed!"

"Aw, it was nothin', Eddy," Ed said as he gave his signature chuckle, then he pointed at his head as he said, "Like a wise man once said: 'The early bird catches the peanut'!"

"Um, Ed, I think you meant to say 'The early bird catches the worm'," Double D said, then he looked at Eddy as he said, "Though, I must say, Eddy, I had my doubts, but I guess that using Batter Ed against those robots worked out well after all."

"See? What'd I tell ya, Double D?" Eddy said as he wrapped his arm around Double D's shoulders.

Ben walked up to the three Eds and said, "I never knew you guys were capable of improvising an attack strategy in such a short amount of time."

"Yeah, I just thought you guys would've just stayed on the sidelines the whole time, but you three and Yumi really stepped up and cleared out the rest of those robots for us," Jenny said in an amazed tone.

Eddy stood up to the two teens with such confidence and said with a smile, "Ah, what can I say? Fending off evildoers is just the same-old, same-old for the Three Amigos, right, Ed?"

"What evildoers, Eddy?" Ed said as he stared off into space, causing Eddy to slap him upside the head for good measure in response.

Ami and Yumi then walked up to Double D, who palmed his face in embarrassment upon seeing his friends' antics while talking to Ben and Jenny, as the latter said, "Uh, Double D… are these two normally like this or is this just a special occasion?"

Double D looked at Yumi and responded, "Well, in the case of spurring into action and fending off some robot goons, I would say that is a special occasion in and of itself—admittedly, I'd expect Ed to spur into action since he's into this sort of thing, but not Eddy, unless it was part of a scam or whatever else comes from the deep trenches of his mind—but, as far as how they are acting right now… let's just say that it's normal for the two of them to annoy each other like this, but when you've been around them for as long as I have, you'd get used to it after a while."

As Double D left to stop Ed and Eddy from continuing to make fools out of themselves, Ami could only sigh lovingly upon hearing Double D speak, saying, "Wow… he's so articulate!"

Yumi could only roll her eyes at her friend's lovestruck demeanor as she said, "Oh, brother…"

Upon clearing out the robot guards, Sailor Moon walked up to Grim and Mao Mao, and she said to the skeleton, "So, Grim, now that we got rid of the army of robot minions, do you know how we could find these Master Models in the other universes?"

"Well, I could try, but we have to go back into the future," Grim said, then he rubbed his chin as he added, "The trouble is… how can we make it out of here without being seen by those robot guards?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted Grim's current train of thought, which drew everyone's attention to the one who made the sound in the first place: Star, who was just whistling to herself as she said, "Well, gee, if only we had a pair of dimensional scissors that could get us out of this place… preferably a pair like these?"

Upon pulling out her Dimensional Scissors, she was about demonstrate by drawing a line in the air to open a portal that would send them into the future, but she stopped upon hearing Aku say, "Excellent! The robot doppelgangers are complete! Now, we can send them out against those foolish heroes and see how they fare against their new-and-improved counterparts!"

Star being distracted by the sound of Aku's voice left the other Toon Heroes confused as Huey just raised an eyebrow and Riley said, "Uh… what's up with the weirdo girl? Is she hearing voices or something?"

Marco walked up to Star, who was looking out of the window to see the robot army Aku was talking about, and asked, "Hey, Star, are you feeling okay?"

"Wha? Oh, sorry, Marco, but it looks like it'll be a while before we can move forward in going into the future," Star said.

"What makes you say that?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, guys? I think you might want to come over here and see this," Star said as the other Toon Heroes gathered around her and Marco to see what she was talking about.

Much to their surprise, the Toon Heroes saw that the villains were preparing to send out their fleet of robot doppelgangers to do battle against the Toon Heroes, which caused some of them to reel back in shock as Juniper said, "Wait, I thought we just had to deal with the robot minions! Why are they even making robot doubles of us?!"

Eddy noticed that there were also robot doubles of himself, Ed and Double D this time around, compared to last time when they were overlooked by the likes of Samurai Jack, Ben, Dexter and the Powerpuff Girls. Of course, he was still shocked by the fact that he and his friends would have to do battle against their own counterparts, but… well, to put it in his words:

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but… it's not like I'm in support of the villains' plans or anything, but at least they remembered to make robot doubles of me, Ed and Double D this time."

Double D just rolled his eyes in response as Ed gave a thumbs up and said, "Too cool!"

Bugs noticed that there were robot doubles of Yakko, Wakko and Dot, as well as some of the other Looney Tunes, which left him in shock as he said, "What the? Yakko, Wakko and Dot? How did they manage to get some DNA of Yakko, Wakko and Dot to produce robot duplicates for them?!"

Suddenly, the Toon Heroes were surprised to hear a voice say, "Well, we would've told you this earlier, but it would've spoiled the surprise…"

The Toon Heroes turned and prepared to battle what they thought were more robot guards or even their robot doppelgangers, but Bugs quickly recognized the voice so fast that he told the other Toon Heroes to put their guard and said in a surprised tone, "Yakko, Wakko, Dot… is that you?"


Ooh, we leave this chapter on a cliffhanger! Well, it should've been pretty clear that the Warners would eventually encounter the Toon Heroes to let them know what's going on in some of the other worlds, but the fact that they're meeting up with them upon the revelation that the Toon Heroes would have to battle against the robotic doppelgangers only adds to the excitement! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the revisions I have made to the third chapter. I felt that what I had written for the original version was rather short and choppy, not even including much in terms of exposition, let alone action sequences, and only including some character interactions in small doses. I decided to add more of the action and expand on what the villains will have in store for the Toon Heroes for later in the story, as well as showing more of the Trix's perspective on how things are going.

You may notice that Sailor Galaxia is missing from this chapter, but she will eventually come into her own through later arcs in the story, particularly her internal conflict in betraying her friends to help the League of Extraordinary Villains in their plan for multiversal conquest or going against the villains to protect her friends and fellow Sailor Guardians from impending doom. That conflict of interest will come into play through the later arcs as the characters travel through the Animation Multiverse to collect the Master Models, but it will also lead into the decisions the Trix will make throughout the story.

Also, note the special bond that is blooming between, well, Bloom and Sailor Moon; that will come into play during an integral moment in the story…

How will the Toon Heroes fare in their impending battle against their robotic counterparts? What information will Yakko, Wakko and Dot parlay to the Toon Heroes and how will it impact their journey? Will Sailor Galaxia maintain her villainous side or will she regain her heroic resolve and turn on the villains? Well, all I can say is… "Stay Tooned" for the next chapter to find out, folks!