At Studio 25, Mr. and Mrs. Guidi and Big G were arriving early. Vincenzo and his sisters were spending the night at Zio Antonio's house because Big G had an import of Canadian paper coming in and didn't want his grandkids to get papercuts. When they got to Studio 25, they saw numerous camping tents outside, "What in the name of Ginger Rogers is going on?" Big G asked in anger. "This is not a campout."
"Not like the campouts at our concert," answered Nick as he came out of his tent.
"Nicky?" asked Big G. "Why are you camping in front of the studio?"
"I heard you guys were having prank week," explained Nick. "Plus I invited the backup dancers over to teach them how to pull a real prank."
Big G was horrified, because Prank Week was the worst week of the year for him. Mrs. Guidi comforted her father-in-law while Mr. Guidi came up to Nick and asked, "Are any of you familiar with the kids show 'Captain Smashing's Superpark'?"
"It's where they had that British superhero who teaches the meanings of being a friend and being safe." Nick replied. "Aaron and I use to watch it as kids."
"Exactly," Mr. Guidi replied. "I was one of the members until I had my growth spurt. The day after my final show, I saw all my miserable, because they missed me. To keep their spirits up, I decided that after the week I retired from, we do Prank Week in my honor."
"That's right," stated Nick. "You were the funny one of the group, Panda Loon. You were fluent in English, Italian ,and Chinese and you played the most epic pranks."
"Exactly," replied Mr. Guidi. "In fact, this was the same week where I met my beloved Esperanza."
"Season 10 of 'Dynamite Runway' and I was modeling for Helga von Guggen's sequence silk dresses when I spot you trying to prank some new cameramen by taping magazine cutouts of Madonna and everyone laughed," recalled Mrs. Guidi. "Then I showed you a real prank by replacing the ugly dresses with Helga's own. Big G was upset at first, but then he found out about my degree in teaching and let me work here as a tutor. The previous one didn't have a way with kids."
"Another thing," Mr. Guidi said to Nick. "Around this time, we prank the new crew members of the studio. That means you guys."
"How come your dad doesn't stop this?" asked Ginger.
"He didn't want our family to fall apart," Mr. Guidi explained. "So he let me have prank week on this week."
Suddenly, Jessie's annoying seven-year-old sister Antonella, who preferred to be called "Nella," popped up. Jessie invited her over because she wanted to learn pranks from him. Jessie pulled Nella back so she wouldn't bother Nick.
As Big G was about to enter his office, a bucket of ice water landed on his head.
XxoxX
Inside, Dorothy congratulated Nick for his water bucket prank. "And this is a good reminder of another superhero rule," she said to Nick. "They must always save their energy for the events ahead, because you never know when danger will strike."
"I tried auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club," Nick explained. "It didn't go so well. Plus, I was in a little group known as Nick and the Angels, where I was the leader and lone boy, of course."
"Did you have any support?" Dorothy asked.
"I had three sisters and a brother growing up," Nick explained. "I remember them coming with my to auditions"
"B.J., Leslie, Angel, and Aaron" Dorothy recalled. "I remember them from your interviews and pay-per-view performances. There was that time at Kids' Choice 2001 where you did a pie in the face to Aaron, then Leslie tried to pie you. Cousin Faith videotaped Kids' Choice each year and told me about them."
Petrified by the pieing incident, he decided to work on his dancing.
XxoxX
During the week, Nick threw some pies at Big G, placed whoopee cushions in the cafeteria, sprayed silly string on, and tied Lewis's shoelaces together. Everyone got mad because of Nick's pranks.
XxoxX
Meanwhile, in Zator's castle, he was bored to the bone and wanted to be entertained. He told Zora to summon his court jester, 'Zenza Zumve', at once. Zenza Zumve looked like a crossed between a devil and a jester.
"Good day to you my dearest king," greeted Zenza. "What can I do to give you funny bling?"
"Make me laugh," Zator answered.
"What do you get when sculptor sculpt bananas?" asked Zenza. "A slippery potassium piece of artistic planas"
Confused by the joke, he ordered Zenza to cause destruction on Earth. "No big deal your highness, in my precise," she said. "I'll turn Earth into a Zatorian paradise."
Then she teleported to Earth for her Cirque Du Zenza.
XxoxX
At the Backstreet Boys' beach house on Earth, A.J., B-Rok, Howie D, and Kevin were traumatized by all the pranks Nick pulled over the past week. "I don't know how many more pranks I can take," A.J. said as he opened a closet, filled with marbles.
After that, the boys had enough of his pranks.
In his music room, Nick was practicing his drums when A.J., B-Rok, Kevin, and Howie D came in. Nick didn't hear them of course, because he had some noise-canceling earbuds on, just like any other drummer would wear. After he finished, he saw his friends angry at him, "Looks like you fall for the marble-closet trick," he guessed nervously.
"That's right," growled Kevin. "Everyone is mad at your pranks, including Big G. He's lucky that con-man Paxton Sherman didn't do stuff like you."
"Paxton Sherman?" asked Nick. "He was a record producer at Palmtree Records in Miami until his Ponzi scheme in '81, and he got fired after that."
Kevin explained to him that three months ago, Paxton swindled him of his life savings in order to get musical acts on LADUWS, which explained the cutbacks of the studio. For Christmas, the Guidis had to spend it at the homeless shelter for dinner.
Suddenly, the Amulets of Zallegro started to glow.
"We better get to the scene of the crime," suggested A.J.
Backstreet's Back Alright
XxoxX
Meanwhile, at Sally Ride Middle School, Faith, Ginger, Nadine, Jessie, and Dorothy were wrapping up volunteer work at the school's craft fair when their pins glew.
"It's a good thing we finished Nick's early birthday present," whispered Faith. "He's going to love it."
They hid under a Valentine craft booth, changed into the Griff Gals and took off.
XxoxX
In an office in Downtown Orlando, Paxton Sherman was admiring pictures of the Backstreet Boys, "My favorite boy band," he said passionately. "A.J. is the fashion plate, Nick is the adorable one, B-Rok is the romantic one, Howie D is the nice one, and Kevin is the serious one."
Outside his office, a bunch of clown robots was terrorizing the town. Paxton was too busy kissing B-Rok's picture, he didn't notice the robots.
On the streets, Zenza Zumve and the clown robots were. "Run in fear, you lazy bones!" she shouted. "Away from my clownly drones!"
The Cyber Crusaders arrived at the scene of the crime, "The Backstreet Boys under those super masks," Zenza said. "Five Floridian boys with a heroic task. I can see thy people on what they be, I'll beat you cuties in one, two, three."
She squirted chocolate milk on all the members except for Ninja Man. "And with Nick Carter of eyes of blue," she flirted, "I know how to make youngster woo."
Diamondnix got jealous of Zenza, so she tossed a whoopee cushion at her.
"Now, now, now don't pull the cushion's finger," said Zenza. "I am the one and only prank bringer."
The Griff Gals and the Cyber Crusaders needed a way to stop her, but how? Then Diamondnix remembered a prank Nick taught while pranking the new gaffers on the sitcom "House-sitting Haywards." She and Nick were sneaking around the set, disguised as party extras for the slow dance scene in the party episode. Not only had she remembered how gracefully he danced, but she also remembered putting hot peppers in the boys' pants, giving them a dance craze.
Instead of using peppers, she showed a big iceball down Zenza's pants, then she tossed ice balls at the robots. Ninja Man helped out by slashing the robots, "You haven't seen the last of the joking ch-ch-chick," Zenza said. "I will return, and you'll be mine, Ni-Ni-Nick!"
Then she teleported back to Zator's castle.
XxoxX
At Zator's castle, Zenza decided not to tell Emperor Zator about the amulet switch, since he was so busy ruling the galaxy, it was better if he knew on his own.
XxoxX
In an alleyway on Earth, they were changing back to their normal selves when they spotted Paxton in the corner. Luckily, he was too busy kissing a Howie D pic to notice the change.
"Say, guys," Nick whispered, "didn't Paxton say that he swindles people for money?"
"Yeah," A.J. whispered. "He's very sneaky."
"Then I got an idea on how to swindle him," Nick whispered back.
XxoxX
Back at Studio 25, Paxton was arriving to talk about a solo career with Nick Carter, whom he talked on the phone earlier on. Nick was waiting by the front door when he saw Paxton. When he asked Messy Marvin about the solo career. Nick only had one thing to say. "Fire the paint balloons!"
Everyone tossed water balloons filled with white paint. Paxton was paralyzed with horror from the water balloons. After the last water balloon hit him, Big G came out and was horrified by the mess they made.
"Here, here Big G," Paxton traumatically said. "Here's your $500,000 in cash, now get me out of this crazy TV station."
Paxton ran away as fast as he could while everyone laughed at him. Big G was about to scream in rage, but then he saw Nick was holding a briefcase of $500,000 dollars, which was the same amount Paxton swindled him of. After a deep breath, he smiled. "Thank you, Nicky!" he shouted gratefully. "I had enough of financial troubles this millennium."
"We did it to save you," Nick explained. "Figure a paint-balloon fight would make him give back the money."
"To make sure I don't get swindled of my money again," Big G said, "I'm still doing the cutbacks."
After he left, Dorothy gave him a little something.
"An early birthday present?" asked Nick.
"It *is* January 28, right?" asked Dorothy.
As Nick opened his birthday present, rubber snakes came out of the present. On one of the snakes, played a message just for him.
Happy birthday, Fender Bender!
Nick didn't think it was mean; he thought it was funny.
The End.