LATER, INSIDE A WAREHOUSE...

Freddy was tossing schoolbooks, and Captain Thunder was blasting them to dust using his lightning powers.

"ALGEBRA!"

ZAP!

"SCIENCE!"

Z-ZAP!

"ENGLISH!"

Z-Z-ZAP! Cherry watched this, looking unimpressed.

"Hey, you want your schoolbooks to be scorched too?" Freddy asked her.

"This is dumb and dangerous," Cherry replied. "Stop it right now."

"Ah, you're just jealous you don't have a cool foster brother like I do," Freddy scoffed. "He's way cooler than Saiyaman and Superman."

"Quit picking on Saiyaman!" Cherry glared. "Or else I'll-"

"Cherry!" Thor shushed and grabbed the perky goth in his arms to calm her down. "Shh~... It's okay... It's okay."

"He's not worth it," Lionel advised. "...But I'll have mine zapped, please."

Next, Lionel was using a video camera as Freddy held up a sign: WARNING! THE FOLLOWING FEATURES STUNTS PERFORMED BY A SUPERHERO (UNDER SUPERVISION OF HIS MANAGER). DON'T TRY AT HOME LIKE AN IDIOT. First up was the Super-Strength Test. Captain Thunder wound up his arm, and punched through a stone pillar. Then, he flicked an entire barrel into a nearby wall. Then, the Flight Test. Captain Thunder tried to fly into the air by running down a skateboard ramp and into the air, but he only got a few feet up before he fell down.

"Well, at least he got some distance." Thor noted.

Cherry soon whacked at Billy with a baseball bat which only seemed to make his lightning bolt insignia flicker, but not much of anything else. Thor then handed Billy an axe and turned away nervously. Billy grabbed the axe and soon slammed it down on his wrist, but the axe was cut in half and not Billy's hand as he laughed at the victory.

"Now what's next?" Freddy asked.

"Laser Eyes." Cherry replied.

"Aw, yeah, this'll be sweet." Freddy chuckled.

Billy soon stared at an oil drum for a good few moments before suddenly, lightning shot out and hit it, much to his surprise and amazement.

"Lightning Vision! Even BETTER!" Lionel noted.

Billy then got into a cardboard box, which Freddy drizzled with gasoline. He then struck a match and lit the box ablaze. After a few minutes, Billy burst out and charged after Freddy, who turned and ran.

"Well, at least he's fire-proof." Cherry replied.


Soon after, Freddy was uploading the testing videos on YouTube, and they were getting massive views.

"More powerful than a locomotive." Freddy remarked.

"Locomo...?" Billy scoffed. "What are you? An old prospector?"

Freddy laughed a bit before he continued to quote from Superman's personal taglines. "Can leap tall buildings in a single bound." he then said before looking behind him to see very tall buildings.

"Better than Saiyaman?" Cherry asked Freddy, a bit thickly.

"Maybe even those other kids like Bat-Mite, Lady Gothika, and Thunder Boy," Freddy scoffed. "Why should that 'Fool Force' get all the fun?"

The three soon looked a bit angered from Freddy's personal opinion on their superhero personas.

"What?" Freddy asked defensively. "You guys can't tell me that you actually like those guys."

"Yeah? What'd they ever do to you?" asked Lionel. "You're acting like they stole your lunch money!"

"Eh," Freddy shrugged. "I just don't see what makes those guys so cool or special. All they are just helper monkeys to the bigger and older heroes."

"Hey! Watch it!" Thor retorted. "That's no reason to talk crap about them! They've done plenty to qualify as heroes in their own right!"

"Weird thing to get defensive about," Freddy replied. "Anyway, back to Billy."

"That's it, I'm going back home," Cherry said as she walked off. "I don't care what punishment Drell gives me." Just then, a piece of paper fell into Cherry's jacket, and she pulled it out.

"Nice try, but until it's done, nobody goes back home," said the writing. "I mean it, and if you DO, I take your powers away forever, and you go back to being a powerless schmuck. You really wanna test me?"

Thor and Lionel leaned over a bit.

"...He's bluffing, right?" Cherry asked.

"Sure... Just ask Uncle Skippy." Thor grinned with a bashful shrug.

Cherry gulped a bit as she balled up the paper. "So, who wants to help out Billy with his superpowers?" she then asked as her voice cracked from nervousness and pressure as she began to have sweat beading down her face.

"That's the spirit," Lionel replied. "True heroes never give up, even when the odds don't look good! Plus, the montage music is awesome."

"Yeah, I'll give it that." Cherry had to admit.


Billy soon tried to leap up at one building only to crash into one of the windows from way high up.

"At least he got some distance again." Thor smiled.

"There's no surprising you, is there?" Cherry smirked.

Thor looked confused with her.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, people!" Billy said as people screamed from the crashing and his sudden appearance.

"Now what?" Cherry wondered.

"Anyone got a dead phone?" Freddy smirked as he had another idea.


LATER...

Billy was zapping people's phones with lightning to recharge them as they walked through a mall. "Your phone's charged!" ZAP! "Your phone's charged!" BZZ-T! "Your phone's charged!" KZZT!

"You know what?" asked Freddy. "You really need a mic-drop catchphrase after you do something cool."

"Like a one-liner?" stated Lionel.

"I've been thinkin' about that," Billy told Freddy. "What about, what about this: 'that's why you don't mess with electricity'."

Freddy gave him a deadpan glance. "...Obviously catchphrases aren't one of your superpowers."

"And YOUR phone's charged!" Billy zapped another phone, which burst several seconds later. "You think you could do any better?" he asked.

The man's phone suddenly shocked and hit the floor.

"What the hell?!" The man complained.

"How about... 'Holy, Zapping, Shazam!'?" Thor suggested.

"Wow, that was as awkward and cringey as Atticus's attempts at a catchphrase." Cherry muttered thickly.

"That sounded better in my head," Thor groaned as he rubbed his head. "Uh... How about 'Don't get me angry, you get zapped when I get angry'?" he then suggested, looking a bit dark and gravely serious.

"Nah, some other guy already has that," Lionel replied. "Maybe 'Time for a zap attack'!"

"Maybe..." Billy nodded at Lionel. "That's a decent one."

They soon came to a Dr. Pepper vending machine as Billy tried out a new catchphrase as they stood in front of the machine.

"Uh, let there be light?" Cherry shrugged.

"Time for a zap attack!" Billy smirked as he soon shot lightning at the vending machine.

The vending machine creaked a bit and soon several soda cans shot out and Billy began to drink up before his eyes widened and he rushed into the nearest bathroom.

"How do I-? Never mind. Shazam!" Billy's voice asked from inside before he changed so that he could do his business.

A man soon ran out of the bathroom, looking scared as he passed by Freddy, Cherry, Lionel, and Thor.

"Shazam!" Billy then called out again.


SHORTLY AFTERWARDS...

Freddy and the others waited outside, while Billy went into an establishment called "The Booty Trap". A little while after, Billy came back outside with a plateful of chicken wings.

"What'd you see? What'd you see?" asked Freddy. "Were there boobies?"

Lionel snickered at that. Cherry groaned with her head buried her hands as she slowly shook her head.

"You see nipples?" Freddy continued. "Why aren't you talking?"

"We're gonna need more money." Billy replied as he ate a wing.

"Wow, you were in there for, like, five minutes." Freddy remarked.

"Dude, they were very convincing." Billy defended.

"Why?" Cherry groaned. "This has to be the most humiliating thing I've been dragged into."

"I dunno, I think it's pretty funny," Lionel replied. "Kids ARE pretty curious, and they sure as hell aren't gonna get a straight answer from parental figures."


Shortly afterwards, Billy zapped an ATM, which made money shoot out of the machine. After grabbing several handfuls worth of dollars, he and Freddy made a run for it. Eventually, they did something that even Cherry could agree on as she played Mortal Kombat with Freddy and Billy while Lionel and Thor watched and cheered for her to win.

"Sorry, Johnny Cage and Raiden, but Luna's gonna whoop your asses." Cherry narrowed her eyes as she played with super-sharp focus.

"No! Stop, no!" Freddy panicked as he was losing.

"I'm not even looking." Billy smirked.

"Stop. Stop!"

"I'm not even looking."

"Oh!"

"Oh, and done!" Billy smirked as he won, beating Freddy and Cherry. "Finished him!"

Cherry had a stoic stare at the screen before she suddenly lunged out and tackled Billy to the floor and began to beat him mercilessly with a pillow.

"Whoa! Chill out, girl!" Freddy called out to her.

"Hey! Hey! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Billy cried out. "Don't be a sore loser!"

"Cherry! No! He's not worth it!" Lionel called. "Serenity now! Serenity now! Um... Uh, if you get off, I'll buy you some Zebra Cakes! Two boxes of them!"

"Hmm..." Cherry paused suddenly.

"Three?" Lionel then asked.

"...Can I have chicken wings?" Cherry asked.

"Yeah, the meat will fall off of the bone!" Lionel said.

Cherry then growled.

"Okay, boneless!" Lionel then said. "Boneless chicken and Zebra Cakes and anything else you want!"

"...Fine." Cherry then said as she got off of Billy.

Lionel sighed as he wiped his head. "I'll get you the wings."

"But a rematch will be due very soon." Cherry said to Freddy and Billy firmly.

"Whatever you say, girly girl." Freddy replied calmly.

Cherry rolled her eyes at that.

"So, what else does a superhero need?" Billy asked.

"How about a secret lair?" Thor suggested.

"How exactly would you two go about getting a secret lair?" asked Lionel.

"Simple," Freddy replied. "We go to Real Estate and ask for one."

Cherry, Lionel, and Thor sweat-dropped a bit.


They soon came to a Real Estate office and met a woman, telling her what they wanted.

"A lair?" The agent asked, a bit unimpressed.

"Yes. And obviously, we're gonna have to be making this purchase anonymously." Freddy nodded.

"Obviously." Billy added.

"And um, if you have a location, like, on a cliff, like a castle-esque type thing."

"Overlooking some water."

"Over some water, seas below it."

"Rough, you know."

"Like waterfall, so you can, like... Waterfall"

" Yeah, if you have water..."

"Yeah..." The agent slowly blinked as she faced Billy. "Look, Maximum... Voltage, is it?"

"I thought we decided it would be Captain Thunder," Lionel whispered. "The heck?"

"It is," Billy replied. "It's Captain Thunder."

"Um... Right..." The agent shrugged. "Well, Mr. Thunder, Why don't you just start with how many bedrooms you're looking for?"

"One./Seven." Billy and Freddy said before facing each other.

"One?" Freddy asked Billy.

"Seven?" Billy scoffed. "What? Am I runnin' a foster home now?"

The agent shrugged at that and closed up her booklets.

"Yeah, I don't think she can help you find a secret lair." Cherry said to Freddy and Billy.

Thor then took out a random Duel Monsters trading card to use as a calling card as he slid it across the woman's desk. "We'll be in touch." he then said to her.

Lionel rolled his eyes as he and the others exited the room.

"Maybe we could make them a secret lair?" Thor offered to Cherry and Lionel.

"I dunno," Cherry shrugged. "I suppose that would be harmless."

"Yeah, it could be like a clubhouse like where Lionel used to live!" Thor smiled.

"We'll get to that bridge when we cross it." Lionel replied.


The next day, Freddy and the others were strolling through school as the other students were watching the videos of Captain Thunder's power tests.

"See the one where he throws the football into space?" A girl smiled at her other friends as she watched one of the videos on her phone. "So dope."

"Hey, you know, you guys gotta wonder who's filming those, right?" Freddy spoke up, trying to get some attention. "I mean, that's bravery in and of itself."

"I mean, is it though?" Billy asked, unimpressed with his foster brother.

"Yeah. I'd actually argue maybe even more brave." Freddy shrugged.

"Holding a camera?" Thor asked with a smirk.

"Staring in the face of danger." Freddy defended.

"Like some weirdo fanboy." Cherry retorted.

Just then, one of the boys, Burke Breyer, from the other day grabbed Freddy by the lapel.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Freddy advised.

"What, is your bestie gonna hit us with a wheelchair this time?" asked Brett.

"No, maybe not him," replied Freddy. "But I have another best friend, who might hunt you down and destroy both of you."

"Okay, Freddy..." Cherry advised.

"You may have heard of him; uh, The Human Powerstorm, Frequency Flinger, Sir-Zaps-A-Lot..." Freddy then said. "Yeah, he's a man of many names."

"You know The Red Cyclone? You?" asked Brett, who scoffed. "My ASS, you do."

"Oh, we're a lot closer than you think," remarked Freddy. "Maybe even at this very moment."

"Prove it." Burke snapped.

"I will tomorrow," Freddy soon said. "Tomorrow he's gonna come to lunch and... R-Right, Billy?"

Thor shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, and then Superman's and The Toon Force 5 are gonna be bringing us dessert, right?" Burke scoffed.

"Tomorrow, at lunch," Freddy insisted. "You'll see."

"And when he doesn't show, then we'll kick your ass." Brett sneered.

The group soon walked away from the bullies.

"So wait, my identity's a secret so no one I know can get hurt. Except when it makes you look cool, then then it's all good." Billy pouted at Freddy.

"Billy, it's not like they're supervillains; they're just super douchebags." Freddy shrugged.

"That's the first thing you've ever said that's made sense to me." Cherry said to him.

Billy scoffed. "So you're breaking your own rules?" he rolled his eyes. "...Got it."

Freddy backpedaled. "This thing is as much as mine as it is yours." he stated.

"I'm starting to think you think it's all your thing," Billy replied as he left for his math class.

"Billy, you're still gonna do it, though, right?" called Freddy. "I mean, what would a good brother do?"

Lionel shook his head.

"He hates me." Freddy said softly.

"Probably." Cherry replied.

"Hmm..." Freddy pouted at her for that.


Later on, the trio went to the library to keep themselves busy until suddenly, everyone around them began to slow down and suddenly stop in place except for the three of them.

"Huh? What?" Cherry asked.

"Hey, kids, I thought I'd see how you were doing," Drell said as he came into the library via a magical door that appeared from nowhere. "That Freddy kid is a hard case, huh?"

"That's putting it lightly," Cherry replied. "The kid has some sort of bias against The Toon Force."

"Interesting..." Drell said. "Well, I'm not letting you go home just cuz some kid is making you feel bad about yourself."

"I guess I'll get over it," Cherry shrugged. "What brings you here anyway?"

"I just thought I'd come and check on your progress," Drell shrugged. "Do you have any questions?"

"Uh, yeah, do you happen to know where Billy's mother is?" Thor asked.

"Ooh, I don't think I can tell you that~" Drell replied mysteriously. "Especially about Dr. Sivana."

"Dr. Sivana?" asked the group.

"Oh, yeah; this bad guy who wants to claim the powers of the wizard," Drell explained. "He's mad cuz the wizard considered him unworthy."

"This would've been nice to know as soon as you took us away from home!" Cherry glared.

"I wanted to wait," Drell replied. "I'd be on the lookout for him."

"Gee, thanks." Cherry grumbled.

"Don't take that tone with me," Drell warned her, making her look up at him nervously. "I don't know if he'll hurt you guys, but he'll be a great threat towards Billy later on once he adjusts and adapts to becoming... Uh... What name did he give himself?" he then asked.

"We were thinking of Captain Thunder." Thor replied.

"Then Captain Thunder will have to watch out for this Dr. Sivana and so will you." Drell advised.

"Consider our eyes wide open." Lionel nodded.

"Yeah... He's got special plans..." Drell nodded. "That may or may not include Billy's mother."

"What about Billy's new brothers and sisters?" Thor spoke up.

"They could be a target as well, but I can't tell you too much," Drell replied. "It wouldn't surprise me though."

"Well, we'll do our best to look out for the guy," Lionel stated. "But I think there might be a rift forming between Billy and Freddy."

"I've sensed it too," Drell replied. "Aside from his Toon Force bashing."

"I know, don't let people's personal opinions get to you, but that kid was driving me crazy, especially when he insulted Saiyaman." Cherry remarked.

"So you do care about him," Drell smirked. "You two are like brother and sister."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I guess I better get back home," Drell said, about to go through the door. "If there's nothing else to discuss."

"I guess not," Cherry replied. "So yeah, you can go now."

"Alrighty then, keep in touch." Drell waved as he turned and went through the door.

As soon as the door closed, time restored back to normal and everyone and everything began to move again at a normal pace as though nothing had even happened.

"So, what do you guys think about having dinner with Billy and his family?" Thor suggested.

"I dunno," Cherry shrugged. "It might be too crowded."

"Yeah, but it might be wise to keep an eye on him since Uncle warned us." Thor explained.

"It would be a good way to see if things are at least under control," Lionel replied. "Guess WE'RE coming to dinner, then!"

"All right, we'll see what they say then." Cherry nodded before she took out a book.

The librarian walked by, glancing at them strangley. Cherry and the boys hummed and whistled innocently as they acted like they were studying and blended in as regular students. The librarian then shrugged and went back to stocking books on the shelves.

"All right, we'll find Billy or Freddy after school and ask to stay for dinner." Cherry said to Lionel and Thor to make it official.

Lionel and Thor nodded.


AND SO, A WHILE LATER...

Cherry, Thor, and Lionel found themselves at dinner with the Vasquez family that evening.

"All hands on deck!" Mr. Vasquez said, and everyone put their hands in the middle. "Thank you for this family, thank you for this day; thank you for this food. Sorry Billy's hand's on vacay." After this prayer, everyone sat back down. "Big news in Philly: they found a costumed hero. He's doing good."

Lionel smiled as he tucked into his food.

"Yeah, but is he, though?" asked Eugene. Billy glanced over at the bespectacled boy.

"Oooh, controversy!" Mr. Vasquez exclaimed. "Into it. Share with us your perspective, Eugene."

Eugene continued. "Just saying, he's what? Charging people's phones? So what? I can charge a phone, with a plug." he stated.

"Preach." nodded Mr. V.

"Well, maybe he's charging them instantaneously," Lionel shrugged. "Not everyone has time to wait for their phones to charge."

"Solid counter, Lionel," Victor nodded. "Pedro, any thoughts?"

Pedro shrugged. "...Costume's stupid?"

That got a couple of laughs from the others.

"Big white cape like, he's getting married or something." Pedro continued.

Billy looked a bit miffed. "What if he didn't get to pick his costume?" he replied, a bit quietly. "Ever think about that?"

"...This is such a lovely dinner." Thor spoke up awkwardly.

Everyone soon gave him a look.

"You're a specialist, Freddy," Mrs. Vasquez soon remarked. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, Freddy, let's manage to see the positive." Billy added a bit hotly.

"Okay, well, I think it looks like he doesn't have gratitude for what he's been given." Freddy soon explained as Eugene took a sip of his drink.

"Very specific. All right." Mr. Vasquez nodded as Darla began to eat her food, rather quickly which concerned Cherry a bit.

"Maybe to this superhero, gratitude doesn't mean having to be clingy." Billy then retorted.

"'Clingy', wow, interesting take." Freddy scoffed.

"You know, maybe sometimes a superhero just wants a little me-time." Billy suggested as the dinner table got a little quiet and awkward as the others shared looks with each other.

"You know, me-time can also be construed as pushing away his family." Freddy advised.

"Family. Is that what they are now?"

"It's a classic symptom of superhero syndrome coined by German psychologist Heinrich de Von... German something, where superpowers become an all-consuming narcotic."

Billy soon looked fed up and suddenly stormed off away from the table.

"Son, we're still eating dinner?" Mr. Vasquez reminded Billy.

"What he needs is a sidekick!" Freddy told Billy.

"Name one cool sidekick!" Billy retorted as he stormed off up the stairs.

It was then quiet for a few moments as everyone else remained at the table.

"Hey, uh, you okay, kiddo?" Cherry asked Darla. "You're never this quiet in school."

"I'm eating." Darla muffled as she shrugged her shoulders.

The rest of dinner was relatively quiet, but otherwise plenty awkward after that.

"Thanks for the dinner, but we should probably head back home now." Thor smiled.

"Of course," Mrs. Vasquez nodded. "Feel free to come back anytime."

"We just might take you up on that offer." Cherry said before they decided to get back "home".

"You have a pleasant night," Lionel waved to them as they left. "...Good God, that was tense!"

"That tension was so thick, I could braid Cherry's hair with it." Thor added.

"I was never this bad during my phase before therapy, was I?" Cherry asked weakly.

"Oh, probably not that bad," Thor replied. "You were a bit sour and bitter, but probably not as bad or tense as that."

Cherry let out a small sigh. "Maybe it'll be better at school tomorrow." she then said hopefully.

"Boy, I sure hope so." Lionel replied as he and the others went off to find somewhere to crash for the night.

Thor got a message on his Spell Phone and grinned a bit at the message alert.

"...What?" Cherry and Lionel asked.


The trio soon came into a hotel suite that was paid for and given to them from Drell with two beds, though they were currently pushed together with a fully stocked fridge with a TV and an office desk with a swivel chair with a plug for a laptop computer.

"Well, I guess this is the honeymoon suite." Thor chuckled at Lionel and Cherry before he found a note left behind.

"'Enjoy the room, I hope it's to your liking'," Cherry read aloud from the note. "Heh. Glad to see that he cares about us."

"Bonza!" Lionel exclaimed. "It is very pleasant..."

"So, are we gonna go straight to bed or maybe order a pizza?" Thor asked hopefully.

"We just ate dinner!" Cherry reminded him.

"Well, yeah, but that was an hour ago." Thor shrugged.

Cherry rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You order your pizza, I'm gonna take a bubble bath." she then said as she went off to the bathroom.

"And I'll man the telly!" Lionel called as he changed into some pajamas and climbed onto the bed, remote in hand.

Thor laughed as he soon jumped onto the bed, nearly bouncing Lionel off as he decided to order some pizza.

"Men." Cherry sighed playfully as she shut the bathroom door to take her bath.

As the trio settled in for the night, things would get pretty tense the next day.


AT SCHOOL...

Billy and Freddy were headed up the stairs with their friends, when Billy suddenly stopped. "Why am I still doing this?" he asked.

"Billy, you can't skip every day," said Freddy.

"Not at YOUR age," Billy retorted. "But I'm not your age anymore." With that, he turned and walked down the stairs.

"But I can go with you, we just gotta trick the guard out, you know, and then..." Freddy started. "Billy, where are you going? You're still gonna have lunch with me, right?"

"I don't think he's gonna have lunch with you," Cherry stated.

"You don't know that," Freddy replied. "...He'll be back, any minute now."

"I wouldn't hold my breath." Cherry retorted.

The bell soon rang as everyone went to class.

"I feel like one of us should follow Billy." Cherry said to Lionel and Thor.

"Alright, I guess I'll go after him," Lionel shrugged. "Beats hanging around here for most of the day."

"Just make sure no one sees you like a truant officer." Cherry suggested.

"Do those even exist anymore?" Thor asked.

"Meh," Cherry shrugged. "Just watch out, Lionel. Not that I doubt you won't blow it or anything."

"You got it!" Lionel replied, as he ducked behind a tree, turned into a bird, and flew off.

Billy was soon back in his Captain Thunder form and was taking a picture with a young woman who seemed to be one of his many newfound fans.

"All right! Did you check it?" Billy beamed as the man who took the picture smiled and walked off with the woman. "People typically, like, give me a little money, you know, to... You're a sweet couple, you guys have a good day." he then said to them, about to go off until he saw something happening across the street.

A girl was shown to be crossing the street, completely unaware that a truck was zooming down the street, about to hit her.

Billy then thought quickly with his new powers and dashed over, saving the girl instantly until he then realized who she was. "Oh, my God. Mary... Mary, are you okay?" he then asked out of concern.

"...How do you know my name?" Mary asked out of confusion.

"Uh, how do I know your name, uh... Uh, one of my superpowers is name-guessing," Billy quickly covered up as Lionel watched this from a tree. "Which is really weird, I bet. Uh, it's not as cool as super strength or super speed but it's really helpful when I meet new people. Are you hurt? No, I'm... I'm okay. Thank you, um... I just need a second to think. This has been such a weird day. Um, using my powers of super observation, I see that you're holding a letter from a college in your hand. Are you upset because you didn't get in?" he then guessed and asked.

Mary paused before shaking her head and suddenly nodding as she looked upset. "I got in." she then told the "stranger".

Lionel landed nearby to listen as Billy sat with Mary on a sidewalk.

"Uh... well, now my superpowers are failing me, and I'm very confused." said Billy.

Mary sighed. "Yeah, me too; I don't know. I know I should be excited 'cuz this is my dream, and I worked really, really hard for this," she replied. "But it's like... I don't know, leaving my family does not feel fun, you know?"

Lionel sighed. "Kinda reminds me of Cherry..." he muttered.

"C-C-Can I-I-I give you a little piece of advice?" asked Billy. "Don't be worried about everybody else. Always look out for number one. Gandhi said that."

"I don't think he said that." replied Mary.

"Yeah, he did."

"Gandhi did not say that."

Lionel snorted. "Maybe Clone High's version..."

"Somebody like Gandhi said that." Billy continued.

"Take care of number one?" Mary then asked.

"It was a really wi-" Billy started. "It might have been Yoda."

"Listen-" Billy began.

"I'm sorry, no." Mary shook her head.

"Agree to disagree," Billy interjected. "The point is... You do you, you know? You gotta look out for you. And get as far away from this place as you can." he then advised.

"I don't know if I want to." Mary said in a broken voice then.

"Of course, you do. What are you gonna do?" Billy replied. "You're gonna live in a group home for the rest of your life?"

Mary gave him a strange look off that reply.

"Look, families are for people who can't take care of themselves," Billy continued. "Okay? So. And you know, y-you can take care of yourself, you know. Also, look both ways when you cross the street." he then advised before he decided to leave her alone.

"Smooth move, Captain Thunder." Lionel snarked to himself.

"Lionel?" Billy blinked as he looked around, feeling he heard a familiar voice. "Is that you?"

"Yep, yep, yep," Lionel replied as he walked over in his human form. "I figured I should keep an eye on you and see how you were doing. Don't worry, I came of my own accord."

"Oh... Well, okay," Billy replied. "I was just about to make some sweet money. You wanna come with?"

"Sure, why not?" Lionel shrugged. "Could be fun to watch."

"Heh. Now you're talkin'." Billy chuckled in excitement.


Back at school, it was time for Freddy to live up to his promise.

"All right, Freddy, you made your bed, now lie in it." Cherry smirked as she stood with the students in the cafeteria, anticipating for something to happen.

"Yeah!" The others added as they waited for someone to come into the cafeteria like he had bragged about.

"I'll just call him. It's ringing," Freddy said nervously as he made a call on his phone. "Red Cyclone! Hey! Hey, what's goin' on? Oh, that's crazy. Yeah, it's Freddy, by the way. Yeah, it's crazy. That is... Great story."

The girl closest next to Freddy soon took his phone and smirked at the other students. "He's not talking." she then told the others. The other students soon erupted into laughter and they soon walked off together, leaving Freddy alone in shame.

"I was! I was! We're friends!" Freddy defended and pled to them. "I know him. I do. I know... I know..."

"Ooh, sweet honey roasted karma," Cherry whispered into Freddy's ear with a demented smirk. "It tastes almost as good as the filthy, rotten stench of failure~"

The last two people left standing as the crowd dispersed were Burke and Brett; they had both witnessed Freddy not being able to make good on his promise, so they were ready to make with their end of the deal.

Freddy's face fell. "...Shit." he gulped.

Cherry didn't bother to get involved as the boys came over to Freddy and got busy on personally teaching him a lesson for lying.

"Don't you think you were too rough on Freddy?" Thor asked Cherry.

"Hey, this is karmic retribution," Cherry shrugged. "The kid brought it out on himself."

Thor shrugged with a small pout at her behavior.