Time Fixers: Nicktoons of the Future
Episode 13: Spongekira
Plot: After a failed battle, Junior begins to feel as if his teammates don't find him useful. His wish is granted when Eustace implants his prototype neural intelligence chip onto Junior, giving him high intelligence and psychic powers like Maxwell, but starts behaving strangely as his intelligence increases. Meanwhile, Maxwell is determined to find Jimmy's schematic and gets help from the Nicktoons covertly breaking into Strych Enterprises to search for it.
Part 2
The next morning in Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and Sandy were still sleeping until a shadow looms over SpongeBob. He slowly opens his eyes and puts on his glasses to clear his vision, only to see Junior sitting on top of him, staring with a crazed grin and his eyes were now bloodshot and baggier. SpongeBob screams in shock, waking up Sandy. "Junior?!" He yells.
But Junior still grins and corrects him, "It's 'SpongeBob' now, Father."
However, SpongeBob still wasn't amused by Junior scaring him awake. "What are you doing?" he demanded to know.
"I wanted to show you and Mother all the new inventions I worked on all last night." Junior explained with excitement. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a perfume bottle. "A serum that alters higher cognitive function." Junior explains, "Street explanation: It makes you more extroverted."
Suddenly, they hear a scream and see Buster in the hallway, looking panicked as he blurted out, "I collect jellyfish stamps! I'm afraid of being shunned! I like bunny stickers! I'm afraid of making my dad cry!" With another scream, Buster runs away as he blurts out more secrets.
SpongeBob and Sandy glare at Junior in disapproval, knowing he was responsible. Junior just grins with a shrug. "I had to test it on someone withdrawn and it only lasts ten minutes."
After his parents said nothing, Junior moved onto his next invention. "And do you recall that idea I had to help us breathe air? Well, I expanded that concept to help our air breathing family to breathe water. It's still developing and has one malfunction."
On cue, they hear another scream and see Dolly run by with her fur a different color. "I'm blue! My fur's turned blue!" She's screams again and runs away.
"Junior..." Sandy was saying as she and SpongeBob look on in disapproval.
But Junior smiled slyly and responded, "Fear not. As I mentioned before, it's still in the developing stages. But just wait till you witness the artificial intelligence I've given to Mr. Jelly."
He turned around and they see Junior's jellyfish doll hovering on its own and suddenly speak on its own, "Greetings. I am Mr. Jelly 2.0, here to serve my creator, SpongeBob SquarePants."
"Junior!" Sandy exclaimed with her voice louder. "As impressive as these inventions are, ya can't just test 'em out on your brothers and sisters."
"Well, who else would I test them on?" Junior responded indigently until he grumbled, "And my name is SpongeBob."
But SpongeBob intervened, "Listen to your mother, Junior- I mean, SpongeBob. By the way, when did you make all this?"
Junior rubbed his baggy eyes and answered, "Last night, parental unit. A genius's work is never done."
Realizing what had happened, SpongeBob frowned, "You were up past your bedtime again, weren't you?"
Sandy frowned as well and ordered, "Ya better go get ready for school because once you get home, you're grounded."
But Junior retorted, "I'm not going to school. I'll be transferring to the University of Bikini Bottom for a degree in nuclear physics." He handed his parents a sheet of paper. "At least until you guys sign this application."
"College?" SpongeBob questioned as he stared at the paper. "But you're only six."
"Not with this brain of mine." Junior said, tapping his head.
"But you're still grounded," Sandy frowned.
However, Junior waved it off, "Oh Mother, you and your jokes amuse me."
"She's serious and so am I," SpongeBob said seriously, "You're grounded for two weeks. And you can forget about college." He meant it by crumpling Junior's application.
Junior gasped in shock, "That's...that is unfair, Father! You should treat someone who's obviously smarter and more mature than you with respect! I demand I should be treated like an adult!"
"You're only six!" SpongeBob snapped, "But if you wanna be a responsible adult, you should have done things a responsible adult would have done. For example, ask permission from your siblings first if you wanna borrow their stuff or experiment on them."
While looking shocked by his parents' disapproval, Junior suddenly glared and responded, "I've come to the conclusion that you guys are envious of my new intellect."
"Junior, that's not-" Sandy was about to say, but she and her husband were lifted off the ground along with all their furniture.
"It's 'SPONGEBOB'!" Junior screamed as his psychic powers go out of control. "You must appreciate me and everyone else must appreciate me!" SpongeBob and Sandy yelped as they were suddenly thrown to the floor among their stuff. Junior breathes heavily as he calms down, but still looked mad. "My knowledge is wasted here. I'll locate other individuals who will praise my intellect." With a crazed grin, Junior staggers out of the room.
After Junior left the house, SpongeBob stood up and pulled his wife to her feet. "Sandy, I know all our children are smart, but are they smart enough to make the room go crazy?"
"This is mighty peculiar." Sandy agreed. "We better go find some help lookin' into this."
Later that afternoon in Retroville, hiding in an alleyway next to Strych Enterprises was SpongeTron as he waited for his friends to arrive. "I'm here." SpongeTron turned around and saw Darry Phantom turn visible right next to him.
Right afterwards, Tammy, Tommy, and Maxwell appear right next to them along with Poof. Though he was nervous, Maxwell took a deep breath and asked, "Okay, we made it here, so how do we get inside?"
Tammy took out a large piece of paper and unfolded it. "I came up with a plan during lunch. If we follow this, we'll get in without anyone knowing."
Maxwell looked confused. "You mean you're not using Poof to wish us in?"
Tammy frowned and retorted, "I worked really hard on this so we're doing it." She turned to her brother, "Okay, you're up first, Tommy."
"Aww, do I have to?" Tommy groaned, but Tammy glared at him.
A few minutes later, a girl with long blonde hair and a school uniform enters Strych Enterprises through the front doors and approaches the receptionist desk. "Excuse me," she got the receptionist's attention, revealing it was actually Tommy in disguise. "I'm lost. Can you help me find my parents?" He asked in a girly voice.
The receptionist stood from his seat and responded, "Oh, you poor kid. I'll go check if anyone has reported a missing child. Don't move."
The receptionist left and Tommy quickly got behind the desk to see four cameras showing different areas from outside the building. Tommy took Nano from his pocket. "Go on, Nano. Loop the programming and show us the security tapes."
From outside, SpongeTron held a tablet that showed them video from the security footage Nano was broadcasting to them. "I got it." The square robot stated as the footage showing them behind the building replayed the footage from earlier that day, showing an empty space. "We're in the clear."
Tammy checked her watch. "And if my plan goes accordingly, Tommy should open the backdoor in 3, 2..." As she spoke, Tommy ran past the front desk and down the hall until he reached the back entrance where his friends were waiting next to the door Tommy unlocked.
Maxwell noticed Tommy was now wearing a black catsuit. "What's with the outfit?" He asked the pink-hatted boy.
"What? You expect me to go into action in a skirt this whole time?" Tommy shrugged. He unlocks the door to let Darry, Maxwell, and Tammy in.
"Remember your mission, SpongeTron," Tammy instructed.
"Right, stay here and check the security cams and alert you of any guards," SpongeTron reminded himself. "On it."
As the four humans went through the door, Maxwell interrupts, "Wait, wait, wait! Scottie, can't you just turn invisible and fly through the walls or something?"
But Darry just responds, "I wanna be part of this action too." Maxwell rolls his eyes at the complex plan he is forced to follow.
As they stand alone in the hallway, SpongeTron's voice speaks to them through the communicator, "Okay guys, the mission (if you choose to follow) goes like this: the president's office is on the third floor. At three sharp, Eustace Strych leaves his office for lunch and takes his private helicopter across town to eat at the most expensive restaurant in Retroville." On cue, Eustace walks out of his office and locks the door. SpongeTron continues explaining, "But every time he leaves, he always locks the door to his office. The only spare key is in the possession of the janitor who takes his own lunch break in the employee break room. You must find a way to get that key before Eustace returns in exactly one hour."
After SpongeTron stops speaking, Poof waves his rattle and changes Tammy, Darry, and Maxwell into black catsuits like Tommy. "Of course we're gonna follow the mission. That's why we're here." Maxwell complained, but the others quickly shush him.
"Okay guys," SpongeTron's voice began instructing them. "The hallway down to your left has security pacing back and forth, so go left until you hit the mail room." They follow the robot's instructions and peek into a room where mail attendants were working. SpongeTron then speaks to them again, "The break room is around the corner three rooms down. But the hall is swarming with executives. You'll never get past them unnoticed."
"Great." Maxwell sarcastically groans, "All this for nothing."
But SpongeTron speaks again, "However, if you guys look to your left you'll see a ventilation shaft that will lead you above the break room undetected."
They see the vent next to them and Tommy warily asks, "Can we really fit in there?"
But SpongeTron warns, "An office worker is heading in your direction. You have eight seconds before you're noticed." Thinking quickly, Darry blasts the vent open with a small ecto-beam, allowing Tammy, Tommy, and Maxwell to get inside the shaft along with Darry before they are noticed by anyone.
Once inside the shaft, they all crawl through the corridor that SpongeTron instructed them to follow. They then reach a vent below them and see a man below them sitting at a table, eating a sandwich. "I think we're above the break room, SpongeTron." Darry notified the robot. Maxwell looks closely and sees a ring of keys around his work belt.
Tommy also sees the keys. "That's the guy with the key to Strych's office. How do we get them?"
"Simple." Maxwell answered, "I can use my telekinetic powers, you can wish for the keys, or Scottie can turn invisible and grab them. All are logical solutions."
"Or..." Darry interrupted, "We can lower one of us down and swap out his keys for these..." He pulls out a ring of plastic keys that likely belonged to Baby Max.
Maxwell frowned and asked Tammy, "Why aren't we taking the easy way out?"
"Cuz if Eustace is really up to something and we use any of our powers and abilities, he and the staff will be suspicious," Tammy explained. "We don't wanna show any proof that we've been here."
"Plus, it's like we're spies on a top secret mission," Tommy added, "Which by the way, is getting awesome!"
Maxwell rolled his eyes in silence until Darry held out a long string of cable and asked, "So who should be the one we lower down?"
Tommy suggested, "Hmm, it should be the one who's the smallest and lightest."
Everyone immediately glanced at Tammy, who appeared uneasy. "But Poof weighs a lot less..." She suddenly frowns and grumbles, "Oh, I'll just do it." Suddenly, Tammy was hooked up to the cable and being lowered from the vent by Darry, Tommy, and Maxwell. Tammy's face strains nervously as she is lowered above the janitor, who is still minding his own business as he eats lunch.
As the boys slowly lower her down, Maxwell backs against the wall of the vent and sends dust and cobwebs flying around him. It flies into his nose and he suddenly sneezes, unwittingly letting out an electrical shock that hits Darry and Tommy, causing them to let go of the cable. Tammy starts plummeting to the ground behind the janitor until the boys quickly grab the cable, making Tammy stop inches from the ground with her arms and legs spread out.
After hearing something, the janitor turns his head around, but sees nothing and goes back to eating his sandwich, completely missing Tammy still dangling behind him and Darry, Tommy, and Maxwell struggling to hang on to her. Wiping sweat from her brow, Tammy reached for the Janitor's keys and slowly unhooks them from the belt and replaces them with the plastic keys. Tammy smiles and gives them a signal, allowing the boys to pull her back up. Once she reaches the vent, Tommy grabs her hands and whispers, "Tammy, you did it."
"I knew we'd do it." Darry said with a smile until he glanced at Maxwell, "Despite some problems."
Maxwell rolled his eyes and SpongeTron's voice rang out, "Hey guys, now that you got the keys, you can go to Eustace's office. However, the only way to get to his office is the elevator which is being guarded by security. You'll never get to the elevator without being noticed."
Maxwell glanced at Darry and smiled, "I know one way we can..."
But it cuts to Maxwell screaming, "I was talking about flying and turning invisible!" As he was clinging to Darry's back as the teen was climbing the elevator shaft with a cable while Tammy and Tommy trailed behind them.
Darry smiled and answered, "We have to lay low on our powers and abilities, remember? Besides, this is more gnarly!"
Meanwhile at the Krusty Krab, the Nicktoon Cadets were sitting at a table, conversing. "...And so I told her 'the tarot cards don't lie'." Yuki concluded as she laughed along with her friends- all except Junior, who was scribbling equations on a napkin. "Uh, Junior? I mean, SpongeBob, what are you doing?"
Without taking his eyes off his work, Junior answered, "I'm writing out the formula to my invention of a contentment machine." He smiles madly as he continues, "It will make everyone so happy that they will admire and appreciate me."
Looking tired and weary from not having anything sweet to eat in days, Twitchy asked, "What happened to not makin' anyone fight?"
Junior suddenly looked up at them with his baggy bloodshot eyes and snapped at them, "That is inconsequential at this moment! Everyone in Bikini Bottom must be knowledgeable of my intelligence so they will show me utmost respect." Everyone stared at him in shock and dismay until Junior suddenly jumped on the table and pointed at Kida, "I heard that, Kida!"
"I didn't say anything." Kida said defensively.
"I heard your thoughts!" Junior shouted in anger, "You think I'm acting like a weirdo!"
"SpongeBob!" Yuki shouted angrily, "You know, we have this rule for Maxwell to follow. And since you're a telepath now, you need to follow it too: no reading people's minds without permission."
Junior turned to her while gripping the sides of his head. "When so much knowledge is pouring into your cranium at once, you don't have time for permission."
'He is a weirdo.' Junior heard Crash thinking, 'Weirder than a starfish takin' piano lessons.'
Hearing this insult, Junior growled anger and his psychic powers cause every drink in the restaurant to explode. After noticing the chaos, Squidward looked up from his book and called, "SpongeBob! Come control your kid!" Unaware that SpongeBob is away at the moment.
Junior then felt the table he was standing on shake. He narrowed his mad eyes as he realized, "An impact tremor."
He and his teammates run out of restaurant to see the same large metallic tank that they fought days ago, and just like before, Plankton's voice comes out of it, "Hello Nickbrats! Surprised?"
"Plankton?" Yuki asked in surprise, "You're trying the tank again?"
"A new and improved tank." Plankton corrected, "Thanks to all the helpful tips given to me by the smart SpongeBob Jr. last time."
The Cadets widened their eyes in surprise until they glare at Junior. Junior huffed and crossed his arms when he examines the tank, "I must say, Sheldon, your tank is quite an improvement. However, we have no choice but to defeat you once again."
"I'd like to see that." Plankton said sarcastically. "Now if you excuse me, it's formula ti-" before he could fire at them, his tank was suddenly lifted into the air. The Cadets watch in shock as a serious Junior raises his hand up, using his psychic powers to lift the tank in the air.
Junior grits his teeth as he clenches his fist, crushing the tank into a large metal ball until Junior dropped it on the ground. The rest of the Cadets gasp until Plankton climbs out of the wreckage. He turns to them in dismay and shouts, "Curse you, Nicktoons! I'll have my revenge someday!" And runs back to the Chum Bucket.
Crash suddenly jumped for joy. "Boy howdy! That was awesome, SpongeBob! Bout time you got some action!"
But Junior kept his back turned and chuckled madly. "It all adds up. My intelligence is increasing my perception. None of you are holding us back..." He suddenly turned to his friends with a crazed expression, "... You're all holding ME back!"
His friends and brothers stare at him in shock; even more when the sky around the Krusty Krab darkened and a small orb of energy started forming around Junior. Twitchy became concerned about his younger brother. "Junior- ImeanSpongeBob, what's goin' on with you?"
"Yeah," Crash agreed as the wind storm started to pick up. "You really ain't actin' like yourself."
But Junior ignored them and pulled on his lower eyelids as he smiled madly. "I have so much power and knowledge, I can do anything." He chuckles evilly as he even begins to levitate a few inches off the ground. "If no one is going to respect me, I'll MAKE them respect me."
He laughs even louder as lightning strikes from his hands and strong forces begin to pull the Krusty Krab apart, causing all the customers, Squidward, and the ST-Units to run away in panic. The Cadets back away cautiously, seeing that their words were not getting through to Junior as he uses his psychic powers to destroy the Krusty Krab.
Back in Retroville, the Nicktoons had snuck out of the elevator shaft and were sneaking through the empty hallway until they reached the door to Eustace's office. After peeking around the corner to see no one around, SpongeTron speaks to them, "You're clear to go. Security paces by every two minutes, so you have sixty seconds until you're noticed."
"On it." Darry answered. He, Tommy, and Tammy silently crept from the corner into Eustace's office. Maxwell just causally walked to the door, checking the side to look for any security.
They were finally inside Eustace's office which seemed like a regular office aside from the larger space, window from behind the desk, couches and coffee table, and a large golden statue of himself. "Wow, and I thought your mom was egotistical," Tommy whispered, making Maxwell shoot a glare at him.
"Alright, you have exactly three minutes before Eustace returns to his office," SpongeTron informed, "That should be enough time to find evidence and leave without being noticed."
"Let's spread out and look around." Tammy suggested. Tommy checks the book shelf against the wall, Tammy checks inside a filing cabinet, Maxwell checks through spreads of paperwork on the desk, and Darry just stands in front of the window, staring at the view of the streets of Retroville.
"What a gnarly view." Darry said, looking amazed. "Maybe when I grow up, I can work in an office building like this." He turned to Maxwell and asked, "How about it, Max? Does it sound like a possibility for me?"
"Darry, focus!" Tammy yelled, dismayed by Darry's lack of attention to their mission.
Tommy was throwing a bunch of books off the shelf. "I don't see any secret rooms or anything evil."
Maxwell used his powers to put the books back on the shelf. "I thought we were supposed to be covert."
"But I'm not seeing anything either." Tammy mentioned. "Sorry to say this, Max, but maybe you were wrong about Eustace."
"But..." Maxwell stammered in disbelief.
"ABORT! ABORT!" SpongeTron yelled out, "Eustace is coming!"
"What?" Tammy said surprised, "But we still have two minutes!"
"He had an early lunch and went ahead of schedule. You have less than 30 seconds!"
"What do we do? What do we do?" Tommy panicked, running in circles. Maxwell turned back and forth for a place to escape or hide when he glanced up at the ceiling.
The knob turned and Eustace entered his office, no one in sight. "Hmmm..." Eustace rubbed his chin, thinking he heard something. He walked around the office, and then glanced at the ceiling. No one seems to be here, so he shakes it off and called, "This way, gentlemen." allowing two scientists to enter his office.
He did not notice that Darry, Tommy, Tammy, and Maxwell are at the side edge of the window, from the other side. Thankfully, SpongeTron assigned them magnetic shoes to keep them from falling off the ledge of the building. "Let's get outta here quick." Darry whispered until Maxwell hushed him. He takes out a small device and presses it on the window, allowing the four to listen to Eustace's conversion.
Eustace sat at his desk and folded his hands. "So how is the progress?" He asked the scientists.
One scientist looks at a tablet and reports, "So far the chip is still in stable condition on his body."
Eustace grins in triumph. "Excellent. I knew that creature's body could handle the immense power given to him."
"But sir," the other scientist says in worry, "According to these numbers, the chip is transmitting the same amount of data and energy as our past test subjects." He shows his boss the tablet that has a blinking image of a square figure. Darry sees the image and recognized it. The scientist continues, "His brain is overwhelmed with too much knowledge and power. If this keeps up, he could do damage to himself or to others."
But Eustace waves them off. "Then it'll be Neutron's problem, not ours." Suddenly, Eustace's tablet on the desk starts blinking, causing his eyes to widen. "Both of you go. I have a very important business call to take. Keep working on the project and no delays." He continues ushering his scientists out. "Go! Now!"
Once his scientists leave, Eustace pushes a button on the tablet and the screen emits a holographic image of the mysterious figure he's been talking to. "It's about time you answered."
From outside, Maxwell sees the figure and his eyes widen in horror just from seeing him. He cries in fright and takes a step back, losing his footing and nearly falls off the building until Tammy grabs his hand and pulls him back. But Maxwell wraps his arms around her and whimpers into her chest. "Max?" Tammy asked in concern, stunned to see how scared Maxwell was right now.
"What's wrong?" Darry asked, looking concerned as well. "Do you know that guy?" He pointed to the hologram in the window, but they listen to the conversation.
"Are you still in possession of the plans?" The hologram asked Eustace.
Eustace answered, "Yes. My workers are constructing it as we speak. I'm already testing a model on the son of SpongeBob SquarePants. According to the reports, it's working well, though with a few bugs that can be fixed later."
"Excellent." The hologram replied, "Though you still have failed to retrieve the one thing I require: the boy with the completed neural intelligence device." Maxwell was still hiding his face into Tammy while the other three Nicktoons look at each other as they listen to the conversation.
"I've tried several times to get that boy here." Eustace explained, "As long as he is with those Nicktoons, I can't get near him or that device in his head."
"Believe me, you will." The hologram responded. "As long as he has Neutron's model and is affiliated with his team, he is untouchable. I know when Neutron formed his team, everything he knows about his team, everything he invented, and know that the boy was the last person he showed the device to."
Eustace and the Nicktoons stare in surprise. Then the former asked, "Who are you anyway? You've been giving me orders for quite some time now and you still haven't told me how you know all these things."
"You desire a secure future? Then you will direct no further questions to me. I do require another device you need to apprehend from Neutron to simplify things. I'll forward you the details later. You just need to get Neutron out of his headquarters."
Eustace smiles smugly with his arms crossed. "Don't worry. With the prototype neural intelligence device on SpongeBob Jr. making him more and more destructive, Neutron will be wiped out without even knowing."
After hearing this, Darry's eyes widen in shock. "It all makes sense now. Junior has an intelligence chip and it's making him crazy."
"And that means Eustace does have the schematics." Tommy realized. "Him and that other guy he was talking to. Who is he anyway?"
Maxwell starts to calm down as he states, "There's no time for this. We have to warn everybody. Junior is in danger...and so is everybody else."
Meanwhile at Bikini Bottom, Junior was floating around the remains of the Krusty Krab and was using his psychic powers to reconstruct Plankton's tank into a device. Junior smiled gleefully as he states, "If I construct this right here and add some electricity, I'll have that contentment machine in approximately six hours."
"SpongeBob Jr.!" Junior turned to see Jimmy Neutron, along with SpongeBob and Sandy, who had informed him of everything they experienced with Junior.
"Mother, Father, you brought Commander Neutron." Junior said as he hovered in the air. "Up for a three second game of chess?"
But Jimmy spoke calmly to Junior, "SpongeBob, your parents told me what happened to you, but they failed to tell me how. I assumed that maybe you can answer that part."
Junior had a wide grin as he shook his head. "Nuh uh uh, it's classified information. You're just jealous you're not the smartest one present right now."
"Junior, no!" Yuki's voice called out, revealing her and the other Cadets to be against the remains of the Krusty Krab encased in a psychic force field, and guarded by Junior's advanced Mr. Jelly doll.
Seeing what his son has done, SpongeBob gasped and shouted, "SpongeBob Jr., you let your brothers and friends go right now!"
Junior glared furiously and yelled, "NO! They didn't appreciate my increasing level of intellect and you didn't either!"
"Increasing?" Sandy asked, wondering what he meant.
But Jimmy made one last attempt to reason with Junior, "Listen, SpongeBob, I know better than anyone how unappreciated genius is. But this isn't the way to change it. A real genius would want to share his discoveries and benefit mankind- or fishkind. You need to reveal what's causing this and find a way to solve it. Your parents are concerned and so are the rest of us."
Junior looked like he was considering Jimmy's words, but suddenly; he gripped the sides of his head and growled. "This is highly illogical. When I'm this smart, I can do more than help anyone. I can get all those who don't respect me out of the way!"
He fired psychic lightning at Jimmy and his parents. They retracted as the blast heads towards them, but they were suddenly protected by Darry Phantom's ghost shield.
"Darry?" Jimmy asked, surprised to see him and the rest of the Nicktoons suddenly intervening.
When Junior sees everyone, he lands on the ground and yells, "Hey! Your untimely intervention is unnecessary! Don't tell me you're standing against me as well!"
Tammy pointed to the psychic sponge and yelled, "We know the truth, Junior! We know why you're really a genius!"
"You have a neural intelligence chip!" Tommy shouted.
Jimmy reacted with shock. "What?"
"Who told you?" Junior asked angrily until he read one of their minds, "You spied on Eustace Strych?"
"And we had a good reason!" Maxwell hissed, "Don't you get it? Eustace is using you as a lab rat for his experiment! He's the one who stole Neutron's schematic!"
Jimmy's eyes widen at what he was hearing when Darry continued, "And that chip is messing with your mind, Junior! It's driving you insane!"
Junior, however, just glared with his bloodshot eyes and retorted, "What you refer to as being mentally unstable, I call growing intelligent and realizing the capabilities of my newfound abilities."
He laughed madly and began to levitate in the air again. His friends stare in agape while Tommy uttered, "Whoa..." He looked at Maxwell and asked, "Can you use your powers to fly too?"
Jimmy was freaking out over finding out this information. "But...but how could this have happened? And how is it that SpongeBob Jr. is..."
But SpongeBob slapped him across the face and demanded, "Worry about that later, Jimmy! Right now we have save my boy before he gets hurt!"
Jimmy snapped out of his daze and glared with determination. "Right." He said with a nod. "Tammy and Tommy, go help the Cadets. Darry, Maxwell, and SpongeTron, help us calm Junior down."
Everyone followed orders and Darry flew straight at Junior, hoping to tackle him. But Junior waves his hand and created a shield that Darry bumps into. He falls on the ground and SpongeBob approaches him. "Please don't hurt him." SpongeBob pleads. "He doesn't mean it."
Sandy tried approaching her son and called out to him, "SpongeBob Jr.! This is your mother talkin'! Come down here and let us help you!"
SpongeTron extended his arms to grab Junior, but the sponge just floated higher and used his powers to tie SpongeTron's hands into a bow. "Neat." Junior said with a grin. "I am now knowledgeable at fastening my shoelaces."
Tammy and Tommy use Poof to free the Cadets from the force field. "Alert! Alert!" Mr. Jelly screams as it shakes, "Eliminate fugitives!" it produced a laser that was about to fire at the kids, but Yuki picks up a wooden board and simply smacked the jellyfish toy to the ground in pieces.
Throwing the board aside, Yuki dully frowned and stated sarcastically, "And Junior thinks I can't do anything."
Afterwards, Crash grasps Twitchy's paw and he says with determination, "Let's save our baby brother."
Twitchy nodded in agreement. Then Kida waves her staff, making Crash's hoverboard appear in his hands and pixie stick to appear for Twitchy. They both grin in excitement at having their things back. Crash hops on his hoverboard and flies toward Junior. But the younger sponge hears him coming and turns, waving his hand to make Crash fly over him and go far away while Crash cried out in amusement. Twitchy downs the whole pixie stick and feels his sugar rush finally returning to him. He runs at fast speed and jumps toward Junior, actually managing to grab him by his lab coat. They both struggle for a bit until the coat tears off Junior, and Twitchy falls to the ground.
They all see the neural intelligence device on Junior's lower back as he angrily cries, "Mother! Twitchy tried to aggressively apply physical harm to me!"
"It's no use." Darry told the adults, "We can't get close enough to him."
Yuki suggested, "Maybe we can't get physically close to him, but someone here can get mentally close."
Realizing what she meant, Maxwell looked worried, "No! I mean, I never fought another psychic before. What if he penetrates my mind and I..."
But Sandy held his shoulders and gently spoke to him, "Max, sweetie, you have to. You just gotta bring my boy back to normal."
Maxwell stayed silent, not believing he could enter Junior's mind by himself. But Junior suddenly chuckled as he held the sides of his head. "It's all becoming obvious to me. I don't need a device to make people happy and non-violent. I have telepathic powers. I can penetrate their minds to make them happy!"
Junior held his hands out toward everyone and they all double over as they feel their minds penetrated with sweet sugary thoughts that made them wanna crack a smile as much as they resisted. All except SpongeTron who wasn't affected by psychic mind attacks.
"SpongeBob Jr., what are you doing?" SpongeTron shouted in distress.
Junior answers, "I'm making them think nothing but happy thoughts so they will feel nothing but contentment. And since you can't be persuaded, I'll just shut you down and fix you up later." He fires psychic lightning at SpongeTron and it knocks him out.
While having his brain invaded, Maxwell opens his eyes and sees SpongeTron down and the rest of his friends having their minds altered along with his. Maxwell then screams as he looks at Junior with a glare and he suddenly enters the sponge's mind.
In the mindscape, Maxwell and Junior floated across from each other as they tried to overpower each with their minds. 'You bad-tempered, small-minded individual!' Junior's thoughts rang out, 'You can't defeat me! I'm a lot smarter and more powerful than you!'
Maxwell replied in his thoughts, 'You're not in the right state of mind! I'll hold out as long as I can!'
In the real world, Jimmy opens his eyes when he realizes his mind is no longer being penetrated along with everyone else. Nano hops out of Maxwell's pocket and crawls over to SpongeTron, sticking himself onto his body until he wakes him up. "Huh?" SpongeTron asked as he held Nano and sees his friends, "Guys, you're okay!"
They see Maxwell and Junior staring at each other intently. Darry walks over to Maxwell and waves a hand in front of his face, but he does not react. "What's happening to them?" Darry asked.
Nano attaches itself to SpongeTron and speaks through the robot, "I can explain." SpongeTron says in monotone, "Maxwell and SpongeBob Jr. are engaged in a psychic battle. The winner will be determined by whoever has the strongest will in the mindscape."
"We should do something." Tammy was about to take a step toward Maxwell, but Jimmy stopped her.
"No Tammy. This is something only Maxwell can do on his own."
Back in the mindscape, Maxwell and Junior were still trying to overpower each other with their mind. 'Surrender, Maxwell!" Junior shouted, 'My mind is far superior! I mastered my powers and intellect in 48 hours while you are still struggling to master yours!'
Maxwell winced as he was clearly struggling to hold Junior's powers back. 'No!' Maxwell shouted, 'I can do this! I can beat you!'
Junior's eyes widen as he scowls, and starts to overpower Maxwell. 'The statistics show that I will be the victor in this battle, Maxwell! And it will be won by me probing your mind to make you helpless!'
Maxwell's eyes widen in shock and horror since the idea of getting his mind probed sounded familiar to him. 'N-No!'
'Yes!' Junior shouted in triumph as he focused his mind on Maxwell. 'Reveal!'
Maxwell's face strained as he feels Junior penetrating his mind. Junior views memories in Maxwell's head such as Maxwell looking disappointed at his B+ test paper, getting bullied by other kids, a large RA-Unit firing at him, his father looking catatonic, a man with fierce green eyes, and being flung into a portal by someone. As Junior views this, his look of rage turns to pity.
"You...you come from that kind of future?" Junior muttered in shock.
Maxwell opens his eyes when he notices his mind no longer being attacked. He turns to see a teary eyed Junior just floating ahead of him. But seeing the opportunity, Maxwell launches a psychic attack at Junior who screamed as the device in the back of his head cracks as it breaks down.
In reality, Junior falls on the ground unconscious while Maxwell falls to his knees, equally worn out. "Max!" Tammy cried in worry as she and the other Nicktoons ran over to him while the Cadets, Jimmy, SpongeBob, and Sandy run over to Junior.
Sandy holds Junior and turns him over to see the device broken in half on his back. A tired Maxwell looked up and stared his exhausted eyes at Jimmy after being forced to relive his worst memory of him. "Dad..." He muttered weakly.
Soon, a pair of eyes open up and it turns out to be Junior who is laying in a hospital bed after having been brought in by his parents and friends. "Huh?" He asked softly, holding his aching head. "Where am I?"
"Junior!" Sandy cried in joy as she ran over to her son and hugged him. "Oh, thank Texas you're okay."
Junior looks around the room to see his parents, friends, and Jimmy. He is confused by Sandy hugging him, but hugs her back. "W-What happened?"
"Oh, the usual..." Darry said casually, "An apparent evil billionaire used you as a lab rat to make you smart but mad with power that you threatened to destroy us all."
"Wait a minute." Kida said suspiciously. "The chip may be gone, but how do we know you're not still smart?" Twitchy was licking an ice-cream cone, but quickly hid it behind his back out of fear that Junior would confiscate it again.
"I can answer that." Jimmy answered smugly and then stared at Junior, "SpongeBob Jr., can you tell me what -9 + 13 is?"
Junior thought about it and answered, "Uhh...42? No wait, 24! I mean, seventeen-two!"
"Yee-haw!" Crash cheered, "You're dull again!" He, Twitchy, Yuki, and Kida hug Junior in joy, happy to have him back to normal.
Junior was happy to be in his friends' embrace, but then he frowned with remorse. "Guys, I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't know what I was doing. I mean, I knew what I was doing, I just couldn't stop myself."
But SpongeBob placed a hand on his shoulder and softly spoke to his son, "It's okay, Junior. We know it wasn't your fault. We're just glad you're back to normal and you're safe."
"So I'm still a Nicktoon even though I'm useless again?"
Tommy chuckled and smiled, "Dude, no one here thinks you're useless."
"You're a really important member of our team." Yuki added with a sincere smile.
Junior's eyes water with tears. "Really?"
Twitchy jumped onto the bed and excitedly said to Junior at eye level, "YeahYeahYeah! CuzyougotsomethingthatnootherNicktoonhas!"
"That's right." Crash agreed, "You're both super strong and super soft. SpongeTron and our Pa may be one of those things, but you're the whole package, and that's what makes you important."
Junior tears up some and hugs his teammates again; only this time he was hugging them so hard that his strength nearly crushed them. "Oh, you're all the bestest friends ever!"
Despite everyone admiring the tender moment, Jimmy felt the need to interrupt, "Okay guys, I think it's time we let Junior rest and recover."
Everyone agreed and began to follow Jimmy out of the room. Junior's parents kiss him goodbye before they leave as well. Maxwell was the last one to start heading out until Junior called, "Max, wait!"
Maxwell turned to him in surprise, "You called me Max."
Maxwell was surprised more to see Junior turn on a serious face, "Even though I'm not as smart as you anymore, I still remember everything. And I remember what I saw in your mind."
Maxwell's eyes widen, not because Junior found out his secret, but by something even more... "So you know about the future, my dad, and...him?" Maxwell asked, looking saddened.
"Yes..." Junior answered in the same manner, "Which is why I think you should tell your friends everything that happened before it gets worse. They can help you... and so can we."
Maxwell stood silently as he remembered how his friends have been telling him the exact same thing for the past week. Then he narrows his eyes and answers, "I'll do it." Junior suddenly regains his cheerful disposition and leaps from his hospital bed to hug Maxwell who just stands stiffly with an annoyed frown.
Meanwhile at Strych Enterprises, Eustace was staying late in his office, looking at a screen that showed nothing but static. "I'm not getting any reading on the device attached to SpongeBob Jr. It must've got destroyed somehow." Eustace notified.
"It was the boy." The hologram explained, "He used his own powers to destroy it with the device he has on his own body."
Eustace growled in anger and frustration, "Those Nicktoons must have something to do with this. I'll get the device off that boy somehow."
"No!" The hologram yelled, "There has been a change of plans: that boy clearly has more experience and control over his abilities now. It's something that can be used. Leave him be for now and follow the plans I'll send you."
"But what use can I have for a device if it's still on the boy?" Eustace asks.
"Ask no more questions!" The hologram demands, "I have both the knowledge and the power to know how to operate the device...and the user. Now do as I say or you can call our partnership terminated."
Eustace looked irritated by his partner's secrecy, but calmed down. "Alright. Whatever you have to defeat Neutron, I'm in."
The End
If Maxwell is willing to share, will we learn more about his past? Please review what you think so far and stick around for the next story "Nicktoon Genesis Zero"