Chapter Five

Daffy's Still Sulking (or The Big Jump)

Daffy was walking down the street, clad only in a ratty old trenchcoat and slippers. He came upon a table with a man and a jar of money. The sign read "SAVE DEXTER'S LABORATORY." The man shouted out, "Save Dexter's Laboratory! Save the show! Save Dexter's Laboratory! Save it from being canceled and help put it back in production! Save…"

Daffy pounced on the man and knocked over the table in the process. He grabbed hold of the man and yelled in his face, "I'M the one who needs to be saved! My cartoons are now off TV! My friend kicked me out and I'm broke! And you're letting that DEXTER take over my timeslot! Save Daffy Duck! SAVE DAFFY DUCK!" He then ran off, shedding the coat and slippers in the process.

He then grabbed a megaphone and ran over to the edge of a large bridge over a busy harbor with rushing water. He shouted into the megaphone, "ATTENTION, EVERYONE! You are about to hear a shocking story of injustice! You all must listen!" By now a crowd began to gather around Daffy. "THIS is the story of a boy genius in his laboratory and his aggressive campaign to defame, eclipse and villainize my good name! But at least he can't take away my life! Only I have the power to do that!" Daffy Duck continued. He pointed over to the raging water below. The crowd grew larger.

"THIS is what Dexter has done to me!" Daffy angrily said. "I can no longer live in a world where the innocent suffers and the wicked thrives! You shall never see another Daffy Duck in your lifetime! THIS IS FOR YOU, DEXTER!" And with that, he reared up and prepared to jump off the bridge into the water below.

"NO!" a man yelled. But then he noticed something elsewhere. It was the Hi-Hi Puffy AmiYumi group in their cartoon forms! "Hey, look! It's Puffy AmiYumi!" The crowd just cheered and ran off to see them,

"Hey, wait!" Daffy yelled to the crowd. "Don't you all want to see me do… YAAAAAUGH!" Unfortunately, the duck lost his balance and fell over the bridge! He landed with a splash!

However, since he could swim, he climbed up back to the edge of the bridge, all soaking-wet and slightly bruised. He began to walk off until he heard a voice.

"LOOK! THERE HE IS!"

Daffy Duck turned and saw a big angry mob marching down the street ala the "Beat It" music video. "EXCUSE me! I gotta get through!" Daffy said to the crowd. Just then, the mob began running and shouting at Daffy! They grabbed the poor duck and plucked some feathers off of him and tossed him into a trashcan.

Inside the trashcan, Daffy found a newspaper. It read… "CARTOON CHICKEN SHOT! CO-STAR OF 'COW AND CHICKEN' GOT BOOM-BOOM TREATMENT. Daffy suspected in shooting of fowl." The duck was shocked!

Daffy decided to call Wile E. Coyote. He got onto a pay phone and talked with him. "BUT I DIDN'T DO IT! You got to believe me!" he told Wile E.

"The paper says you were the mastermind," Wile E. said. He held up a few papers with Dexter getting squashed, Kids Next Door getting beaten, etc. "They found drawings of you torturing Cartoon Network stars."

"HELLO! I didn't have access to weaponry when it all happened! And besides, the paper says Chicken is alive and survived the shootings! Plus, the only Cartoon Network star I'd torture is DEXTER!"

The coyote gave in and said, "Yes, I can see the trouble, poor chap. But they'll find you if you come back to my place. We'd better go underground."

Daffy made himself comfortable the attic of an old ACME building. A makeshift living area was made up. Daffy Duck sat there wrapped up in a sheet. Then Wile E. Coyote came over with a totebag. "You're gonna have to stay put here," the coyote explained. "Every cop in town is now looking for you. And Chicken isn't well enough to say whom it was who shot him."

The duck said in a low voice, "Well, I guess it's time to heal. To accept the fact that Dexter's Laboratory has won and gracefully march forward."

"I'm glad for you. I brought you lunch…" Wile E. said, taking out a paper bag.

"Thanks," Daffy calmly said. "You know, I could have tried posing as Danger Duck of 'Loonatics Unleashed.' That might have gotten me somewhere."

"I don't think so," Wile E. told Daffy. "You remember last Halloween when I passed myself off as Scooby-Doo?"

"Yeah, but that was just your Halloween costume," Daffy told Wile E. back in the present.

Wile E. Coyote explained, "That was only for fun, since Scooby-Doo and I are friends, and he didn't mind my mirror routine. You are enemies with Danger Duck, just as I am with Tech E. Coyote."

Daffy began thinking again. "If only I had another way to get back at Dexter without getting caught…"

The coyote handed a newspaper to Daffy and said, "Well, how about you read the newspaper a bit? I'll also get you some crossword puzzles."

"Thanks…" Daffy smiled. He began reading the newspaper but was shocked at a headline… "DEE-DEE FRAMES BUGS BUNNY! Sister of 'Dexter's Lab' star sets up former cartoon star rabbit in daring bank robbery!" Daffy begins growling with an enraged look.

"Daffy… you OK?" Wile E. asked cautiously.

But Daffy wasn't all right. He angrily said, "I'm gonna grab that little bugger Dexter… and take him apart…" He began ripping up the newspaper as he continued, "…piece by piece! … PIECE BY PIECE!"

A day later, Daffy stormed out of his hiding spot, grumbling to himself. Suddenly, a figure jumped out into his path! The figure was wearing a brown trenchcoat and white gloves. He had the head of a whitish-grayish goat with yellow horns. His eyes were staring right at Daffy. "Psst, hey… I think I can help ya with your problem…" the goat whispered in a low, gruff voice.

Daffy followed the mysterious goat into an alley.