CARTOON ALL STARS TO THE RESCUE REWRITTEN
…
The line separating reality and fantasy was a dark, dreary plane with a gray mist. Suddenly several humans and creatures appeared. Danielle looked up at Danny. "Danny, what happened? And who are these people?"
Ulrich looked at his teammates. "Guys, what is going?"
"I don't know." Yumi answered.
"Jeremy, can you hear us?" Aleta called out.
Danielle confronted Kim and Ron. "Did you bring us here?"
"NO." Kim said, frowning.
"Yeah, we were wondering how we got here?" Ron said, looking at the blue Hedgehog near them. "What are you?"
Sonic glared up at the teenage boy. "I'm a hedgehog and my name is Sonic. And who are you and what's going?"
"Who are you?" Gwen asked the tall redhead.
"I'm Kim." Kim told the younger girl. "You don't know me?"
"No." Gwen scowled, "I've never seen you in my life."
"Me either." Ulrich added.
"Or me." Danny concurred.
"Oh right, enough!" Ben shouted suddenly, surprising everyone. "It's clear something weird is going on and it brought us here. How about introductions first?"
"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic said.
The two ghost hybrids spoke next. "My name is Danny Phantom.
"Danielle."
"Kim Possible."
"I'm Ron Stoppable."
"Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Aletia."
"Ulrich."
"Yumi."
"Gwen."
"Odd."
"Ben Tennyson."
"Mickey Mouse."
"Well the "mouse" bit sure fits you." Ben commented sarcastically.
Mickey glowered at the boy.
"OK, so does anyone know how we got here?" Danny asked, looking at the various people present.
There was a long silence from everyone.
"Well, that was useful." Ben grumbled.
Ulrich glared at the boy. "Well, you haven't thought of something."
"So what do we do?" Ron asked.
There was another long silence.
"Maybe we should look around." Aleta suggested.
"At least someone suggested something smart." Ulrich grumbled.
Suddenly a figure appeared, startling everyone. Ben activated his Omnitrix, turning into a green gem skinned alien. Most everyone gasped, unfamiliar with Ben's abilities to turn into aliens. Gwen shook her head.
"Don't be afraid." The stranger said. "I won't harm any of you."
Everyone relaxed and examined the man before them. He was tall and well built, wearing gray trousers, shirt and cloak with the hood thrown back. His face was lean with deep sunk eyes, a small nose and a thin mouth. His hair was long and dark brown.
"Who are you?" Mickey asked.
The man smiled. "I Am that I AM."
"Okaaaay, so, um…what does that mean exactly?" Odd asked.
"I am God." The man clarified.
There was a stunned silence.
"You're THE God? As in…THE God?!" Danielle asked.
Kim stood frozen in shock, unable to speak.
"You seem pretty average to be God." Yumi said skeptically.
"Can you tell us what is going on?" Aleta asked.
"I was the one that brought you here." God said, solemnly.
Suddenly Ben's Omnitrix beeped and with a flash, he transformed into his human form again.
"So you're God and you brought us here?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Gwen asked. "And what is this place?"
"This is the plane that separates reality from fantasy." God said. "I extracted you from your fantasy worlds because I have chosen you for a task."
"What task?" Sonic asked.
"It would be better if I were to show you." God then pointed and a giant screen appeared in midair. Kim, Ron, Danny, Sonic and the others looked.
Images appeared on the screen. It was a house. The image narrowed down into a window, revealing a room. In the room was a teenage boy. He was sitting on his bed and didn't look well. Suddenly a dirty gray smoke appeared out of thin air, and took form.
It looked like a ghost, only with a thin shriveled face, yellow eyes and jagged teeth. He wore a gray suit with a tie; his hands were long and bony.
"Don't feel high, do you kid?" The entity asked in a dark voice.
"My supply is nearly empty." The boy said grimly.
"Well, if you don't have money, you can always get some." The ghost said with a smile. "Maybe Cory has some."
Michael froze as if shocked. His shock turned into determination as he got to his feet.
"That's it." The ghost said approvingly. "You deserve it."
The boy took a deep breath and then snuck out. The screen became fuzzy.
"What just happened?" Danny asked.
"Who was that boy?" Ulrich said.
"What was that thing that spoke to him?" Ron asked. The others all concurred, looking confused and worried. The sight had seemed so…creepy.
"The boy's name is Michael." God said. "The one who spoke to Michael is called Smoke. He is a dark entity who leads others to destruction."
"Well that's nasty." Gwen murmured.
"So what is the sitch, exactly?" Kim asked.
"Watch." God said simply.
The images on the screen then morphed and then revealed another bedroom. A twelve-year-old girl was asleep in a bed.
"Who's the girl?" Danielle asked.
"Her name is Cory." God said. "Watch what is about to happen."
The bedroom door opened and Michael entered. He grabbed a piggy bank on the dresser and exited the room. "He's stealing that girl's piggy bank?!" Yumi exclaimed. "That's so…petty!"
"Let's get him." Sonic said, posing to run.
"Let's kick some butt." Danielle concurred.
"Wait." God said sternly. "You must be patient. You don't know everything."
God glanced at the screen. Suddenly the alarm clock on Cory's dresser rang and stopped. The girl moaned softly and then awoke.
"Huh?" She said sitting up. "Why did I set the alarm on a Saturday?" She looked around and then froze. "My bank! Someone took my bank!"
The screen image became hazy again.
Ben looked at God. "You caused her alarm to come on, didn't you?"
God smiled calmly. "Very perceptive, Ben."
Gwen glowered. "Trust me; that was a fluke. Ben isn't perceptive."
Ben glared right back at her. "No one asked you."
Kim looked at God, perplexed. "So what is the sitch you want us to do exactly?"
"Michael is Cory's brother." God explained.
Most everyone gasp in shock.
"Oh no." Mickey said sadly.
"OK, someone should teach that guy some manners." Gwen said, clutching her fists in anger.
Ben touched his Omnitrix. It wouldn't start. "Come on, why isn't it working?"
"Watch." God said. "You need to see more."
The screen then displayed the first bedroom. It seemed ominous. Michael then entered. He took the bank to his desk and broke it with a hammer. He shook the money of the broken bank.
"Ha. There must be twenty bucks here, easy."
Odd clutched his fists, glaring at Michael. "Just let ME deal with that little jerk!"
The screen became hazy and shifted to a hallway with Cory standing outside a door and knocked with Michael hearing the knock at the door. "Michael, it's me."
"Go away."
Cory opened the door. "I'm just looking fo-" She stopped in shock. "Is that my piggybank?"
"I told you to stay out!" Michael snapped, his anger shifted to fear. "It fell. I…I was just trying to fix it."
"Seriously?" Yumi asked sarcastically.
"It fell from my dresser into your room?" Cory demanded. "You took it. And what's in that box?" she inquired pointedly, glancing at a metal box on the bed.
Michael grabbed the box and shoved it under the bed. "None of your business. Now keep your hands off."
Danielle, Danny, Mickey, Sonic and the others glanced at each other, wondering what to make of it.
"You're acting really weird." Cory said.
"So who asked you?" Michael snapped.
"If you wanted some money you could have said something." Cory said, looking concerned. "Are you feeling OK? What's wrong with your eyes?"
Michael blinked his bloodshot eyes and grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his nightstand. "Nothing." He said as he put on the glasses and walked out. "Leave me alone, will you?"
"Michael." Cory called out. "You used to tell me everything. What's wrong?" She wanted to know as tears came into her eyes.
Michael entered the kitchen and headed towards the door. A woman looked at Michael. "Michael? Honey, where are you going?"
The images shifted to outside the house and they saw Michael walking down the driveway. The screen then went blank.
Mickey, Sonic, the Tennyson's, Team Possible, the Lyoko Team and the Phantoms were silent and sober.
Aleta looked at God. "What…what exactly do you want us to do?"
"Did you notice anything strange?" God asked.
"Besides the fact that he robbed his sister?" Gwen asked, scowling.
Mickey frowned, touching his chin. "Michael seemed off. Like something was really wrong with him."
"Yeah." Danielle agreed. "He wasn't like a thief who had been caught. He was…I don't know."
"Is he doing drugs?" Ron suddenly asked, an idea popping into his head.
"Correct." God said, looking sad.
A shock echoed out from everyone.
"Oh no." Mickey said.
"That's a bad one." Gwen agreed.
"What are drugs?" Danielle asked.
Everyone looked at young Danielle. "You don't know what drugs are?" Ron asked in surprised.
"I've heard of them, but never understand what was wrong about them." Danielle explained.
"Drugs are chemical substances used for medical treatment." Gwen explained. "But some drugs are bad."
"How?" Danielle asked.
"Some drugs are designed to make users experience artificial highs." Gwen explained.
"Artificial highs?"
"She means they make you feel good." Ben elaborates.
Danielle frowned. "So what makes them bad?"
"Many lead to addiction." Aletia interjected. "Before long, you feel as if you can't live without them."
"But why steal the money?" Danielle asked.
"Because drugs are not free." Kim said. "And some addicts will steal money so they can buy drugs."
"Oh my." Danielle exclaimed.
"Yeah, that boy's got serious problems." Ron concurred.
Odd looked at God. "How do you want us to help exactly?"
"I want you to help Michael overcome his problem." God said.
"How are we supposed to do that, exactly?" Ulrich asked.
"Yeah." Ron agreed. "I mean, we fight villains and such, but how do we convince a teenage boy he shouldn't be doing drugs? We can't just beat him up!...right?"
Odd suddenly blushed, his idea dying in his throat. "Yeah, uh…that'd be…wrong?" He said with a nervous smile.
You have a power of Imagination." God said. "With it, you can all accomplish everything. Find ways to convince Michael to get help." There was a silence that followed as they all looked about at each other, their expression somber and quiet.
"Will you help Michael?" God asked softly.
Mickey Mouse stepped forward. "Count me in."
"And me." Kim said.
"Me too." Ron said.
"Count me in." Gwen said.
Before long, everyone else expressed agreement. "Ok, so we need to figure out how to reach him." Danny said.
They all thought hard, a few glanced at God as if expecting him to suggest something. But he stood firmed and silent. Sonic then looked at God. "Hey, I got an idea. Is it possible for us to time travel?"
"Yes." God said. "With imagination, you can do anything."
"Does this mean I can use my Omnitrix without limits?" Ben asked.
"Ben!" Gwen said disapprovingly.
"You can anything if it's to help Michael." God clarified.
Ben chuckled as he looked over his Omnitrix. "Ooooh goody!"
"Well, what I plan to do may help set him straight." Sonic said. "How do I find him?"
God gestured and the screen displayed a town. "Enter and you will find yourself in Michael's home town. When you're ready to return, you will find a portal to take you back here."
Sonic smirked and ran towards the portal. "Shouldn't we go with him?" Aleta asked.
"That won't be necessary." God said. "Use your own ideas. Find different ways to help Michael"
The others pondered that. Mickey Mouse then spoke up. "Can I meet his sister?" The others looked at Mickey in stunned surprise.
"His sister?" Aleta asked.
"His brother is the one with the problem?" Ben reminded the mouse.
"I know, but Cory is her sister." Mickey said, "Maybe she can help him."
Ben rolled his eyes. "No she can't. Girls are trouble."
Gwen glowered at her Cousin. "Put a lid on it, Doofus."
"Yeah!" Danielle concurred.
Ben cringed when he noticed all the girls present were glaring at him.
Danny looked thoughtful. "Nothing against sisters, but what can Cory do?"
"Cory knows something's wrong with Michael, but she doesn't know what." Mickey said. "Maybe I can help her and thus, help Michael."
"Then go, Mickey Mouse." God said.
A portal appeared. Mickey looked at the others. "Bye." Then he was gone.
Aleta, Yumi, Odd and Ulrich looked at each other. "So does anyone have any ideas?" Ulrich asked.
"Let's see what Sonic does." Odd said. "Maybe we will get an idea."
…
An arcade was crowded. Loud noise blared all around as kids played various games. A foul smell filled the air from Michael stood before a crowd of teenagers. "Wow Mikey, where did you get the money?" A blond girl asked.
"Uh, who cares, I got it didn't I?" Michael said defensively.
The teens divided the money among themselves and one of them handed Michael a pipe.
Michael took the pipe and began to smoke it. He relaxed. The irritability, regret and listlessness vanished, replaced with a slight bliss.
Suddenly the entity named Smoke appeared. He grinned at Michael. "Yeah that's it do it. Makes you forget all about your sister and her stupid piggybank."
Michael barely glanced at the ghost, enjoying the slight bliss the drug gave him.
Then one of Michael's friends- a red haired boy spoke out. "Hey, I got a new thrill." He held out some kind of crystal shaped substance.
"Ooh, now that's cool." Smoke exclaimed excitedly. "Mikey! Mikey my boy, you got to try this."
Michael eyed the drug with glassy eyes.
The red-haired boy smirked. "It gives you a major high, like that." Snapping his fingers dramatically.
"I'm in." A black boy said.
"And me." The blond girl said.
The rest all concurred as Smoke smirked at Michael. "You don't want to be left out, do you?"
Michael swallowed. It had been a while since he felt a major high. This was so tempting…
Suddenly a police siren echoed outside the arcade. Michael and his friends grew tense. The group split up very quickly while Michael stood still.
Smoke looked tense. "Blast! Cops! Beat it!" He urged Michael.
Michael turned and ran, moving past different people and getting outside. He ran into an alley. Then he reached a dead end. Michael was scared. Smoke phased through the wall.
"Wait!" Michael called out.
Smoke returned. "Sorry pal, in times like this, you're on your own." He then vanished.
"Great." Michael muttered. He became tense. He heard a noise. He cringed, looking away. "It was my first time! Honest! I'll never do it again!"
"Well you're a brave kid." A voice said.
Michael opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he saw. The creature resembled a hedgehog, only he was about three feet tall, stood upright, and had blue fur and red shoes.
"Sonic?" Michael exclaimed in shock.
The Hedgehog cocked his head "That's Sonic the Hedgehog. And I'm way past cool."
"But how is this possible?" Michael asked.
"Let's say the big man in the sky sent me." Sonic said with a shrug.
Suddenly Smoke reappeared. "You were running from a hedgehog?" He asked scornfully. "How pathetic can you get?"
Sonic frowned. "Look who's talking." He then grabbed the ghost and slammed him into a trashcan and put the lid on it.
The blue hedgehog turned his attention back to Michael. "You know pal, you don't look so good. I know you're into drugs so-."
"I'm not into drugs!" Michael shouted.
Sonic frowned. "Look kid, I saw you steal your sister's piggybank and I know why you did it. Now back to my question: how did you get started anyway?"
Michael scowled. "I started because I wanted to. What do you care?"
He turned to walk off, but Sonic blocked his path. "Now hold on, if you think I'm going to believe 'I started because I wanted to' routine, I think you need a memory refresher."
Sonic focused and suddenly a large device appeared.
Michael was flummoxed. "What is that? And how did you do that?"
"It's a time machine." Sonic said. "As for how it got here, I used the power of imagination to make it appear."
"But you can't just make something appear." Michael argued.
Sonic shrugged. "Yet something just appeared. Now get inside pal."
Michael stared. "I'm not going in there."
"Look pal, you say you started because you wanted to." Sonic said. "Let's see if that is true. And I won't take 'no' for an answer."
Michael hesitated, looking very perplexed. "Fine."
Suddenly the garbage lid flew off the garbage can and Smoke came out. "Hey, that kid is mine!"
Sonic glowered at the entity. He opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to reconsider. "OK, but don't expect your presence to be welcomed." He looks at Michael. "Well stop standing around, get inside."
Michael hesitated and then slowly entered the machine, Smoke carefully followed near the boy's shoulder. "Be careful, this guy is trouble."
Sonic glared at Smoke. "Yeah, like you're a great companion."
Smoke glowered at the Hedgehog but decided not to make a retort.
"Now just give me a few minutes and we'll be off." Sonic said as he prepared the controls.
…
…Mickey Mouse appeared outside Michael's house. He looked around. "Uh oh, I better not get seen by anyone. But how…" He paused. "Wait, God said I can do anything if it's to help Michael. Make me invisible."
He vanished. "Good. Now I can find Cory without causing a scene. Mickey walked towards the house unseen.
Getting inside, Mickey saw Cory at a table with a bowl of cereal. In another chair was a woman, and near the fridge was a man.
"That's weird." The man said. "Some of the beer cans seem to be missing."
"Don't be silly honey." The woman told her husband. "You probably had some when you were watching TV last night. Who else would take them?"
The man shrugged. "Well I'm going to go clean the garage."
The woman looked at Cory. "Cory, do you know if something is wrong with Michael. He's been acting very strange. We love you both. If you think anything is wrong, will you let us know?"
"I don't think anything is wrong." Cory said slowly.
"Thanks dear." The woman got up and left.
Cory looked down at her plate, feeling perplexed.
Mickey looked at the girl sympathetically. He then entered the visible spectrum.
"Uh hello."
Cory looked in Mickey's direction and froze. "You're Mickey Mouse!"
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." Mickey said, hoping to calm the young girl down.
Cory was breathing quickly, but then relaxed. "But how can you be here? You're a cartoon."
"Yes, I am." Mickey agreed. "As for how I got here, I was sent here. Can I talk to you about something?"
"OK." Cory said slowly.
"I know Michael stole your piggybank." Mickey started.
"How did you know that?" Cory exclaimed.
"I saw it happen." Mickey said frowning. "Why didn't you tell your mother about it?"
Cory looked distressed. "If I tell and he gets in trouble, he'll be angry at me."
Mickey looked sympathetic. "That is probably true. But what will happen to him if you don't tell?"
Cory was silent.
"It's OK, Cory." Mickey said. "I understand this is very hard for you." He hesitated, feeling stumped. "I'm sorry to bother you. Maybe I should go."
"No." Cory almost shouted. "Don't go."
Mickey looked at Cory. I'll stay a little while."
Cory smiled, relieved.
…
…meanwhile, at the Time Machine, Michael and Smoke waited as Sonic had been making some preparations the console. "Well that's that. Next stop, two years ago."
The machine then flew into the air and vanished. The machine then reappeared at some kind of school. Some children were playing, and everything was black and white.
Inside the Time Machine, Sonic, Michael and Smoke looked out. Michael frowned at the scenery in surprise. "Where's the color?"
"This is the past." Sonic explained, "And the past is black and white. This is what you see when your life flashes before your eyes." Sonic then pointed to a boy off in the distant. "Do you know that kid over there?"
Michael looked at the boy and then at Sonic. "That's…me, when I was a kid."
"Do tell." Sonic said.
Meanwhile, Young Michael saw a group of older kids, one of them was smoking a cigar. "Are you cruising for lung cancer or what?" Young Michael asked.
"Nah." The smoker said with a smile. "We're just getting high."
"Want to try it?" A blond girl asked.
"I don't know." Young Michael asked.
The smoker sneered. "What's the matter? You scared?"
"No. No." Young Michael looked uneasy.
Inside the Time Machine, Sonic glared at Michael. "Still think you started because you wanted to?"
"I wouldn't want them to think I was a wimp." Michael said uneasily.
Sonic frowned. "There are worse things than being a wimp…like being an IDIOT."
Meanwhile, Smoke watched young Michael take the cigar from the smoker and try it out. "Yeah, that's it do it."
Sonic's eyes narrowed. "You know, there is an old saying: if everyone was jumping off a cliff, would you go too?" He eyed the Young Michael who coughed on the cigar. "I guess you would. Not very bright."
"Hey, ease up on my man." Smoke said, stroking Michael's shoulder. "He was just experimenting with some friends."
"But they're my friends." Michael argued. "They wouldn't do anything…very wrong."
"Well, what makes you think they know better than you?" Sonic asked coldly.
"It was only a harmless trip." Smoke sneered. "All his worries and problems went up in…smoke." He added with a chuckle.
Sonic continued to glare at Michael. "Everyone has problems, kid. Even heroes like me. The point is that no one gets everything they want. What a matter is what's in here." pointing at Michael's chest. "You know, what makes you, you. You don't need drugs; you just need to believe in yourself."
Smoke sneered. "But I make him feel good. I make hi-"
Sonic grabbed the ghostly fiend by the face and threw him to the floor. "Yeah, sure, drugs can make you feel OK for a while. But that's only temporary, cause sooner or later; even they won't make your problems go away."
He then ran around Smoke, faster and faster, the ghostly entity began to spin in a circle, blubbering and suddenly burst into a puff of smoke that vanished.
Sonic glared up at Michael. "It's not a pretty sight."
Michael began breathing heavily, feeling very stressed. "Can I go home now?" He asked.
Sonic scowled. "Fine. But you should really think about what you saw." He pressed a button the machine took off again.
The machine appeared in the alley, the machine's door opened and Michael exited, looking very agitated.
"Think about what I said, pal." Sonic said as he turned and was gone- creating a gust of wind in the process.
Michael rubbed his head, feelings of stress swelling in him. "I need a trip." He groaned before he took off.
…
…on the plane separating Reality from Fantasy, God, Kim, Ron, Danny, Danielle and the Lyoko heroes watched two screens that show different scenarios. One was Michael and the other was Mickey Mouse with Cory.
"Looks like Sonic's plan didn't set him straight." Ben commented.
"Yeah, that kid is taking a trip to nowhere city" Ron agreed.
Kim looked at the screen with Mickey Mouse. "I thought Mickey was supposed to help Michael. But he's just spending time with his sister."
"He is planting seeds, Kim." God assured the redhead. "Cory may play a role in helping Michael." He intoned calmly.
Sonic suddenly returned. "OK, I took him on a trip different from the ones he is familiar with. Does anyone else have any ideas?"
Ron looked thoughtful. "Maybe if he saw what was happening inside him?"
The others looked at Ron. "What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"I mean, take him on a trip that shows what drugs are doing to him." Ron explained.
"Oh, THAT will set him straight." Odd remarked sarcastically.
"Actually Ron might be on to something." Gwen said approvingly.
"What are you planning exactly?" Danielle asked.
Ron tried to find the words. "Well…What if we took him on a trip into the human brain and show him the ill effects of drugs or something like that."
"And with Imagination, you can do that." Aleta agreed.
"Yeah, imagination was very handy." Sonic agreed.
Kim took a stance. "OK, Ron, we'll put your plan into action."
"OK, we need to work on details." Ron said. "I need a…" He paused and a notebook and pen appeared in his hand. "WOW! Imagination really IS handy." Ron laughed in delight as he began drawing sketches of his idea."
Danielle looked at Danny. "We still need a plan to reach Michael, Danny."
"Agreed." Danny said. "I'm thinking.
Aleta looked at her teammates. "What about the rest of you?"
"Nothing yet." Yumi said.
"Yeah." Odd said. "We should do our own trip to set Michael straight."
"Yeah, but what?" Urich said..
Sonic then noticed something. "Hey, what is Mickey doing with Michael's sister?"
"He thinks she might help Michael." Danielle answered.
"How can Cory help?" Sonic asked.
"Cory is family." God said softly. "Family can help those in need."
"Whatever you say." Sonic said with a shrug.
"Let's figure out our plan." Kim said.
"OK, let me think." Ron said.
…
…Michael was walking through the town, disorientated. He was getting agitated and felt sick.
He saw two teenagers, a blond girl and a black boy up ahead. "Hey Mickey." The girl called out.
"How are things?" Michael inquired. "I could use a trip."
"Yeah." The girl said.
Suddenly Smoke appeared. "Maybe you should go to the park. It less likely gets unwanted attention."
"He's right, Mickey." The boy said.
The three teens moved into the area.
…
Mickey and Cory were in the back yard. "I see your situation." Mickey said somberly. "But if your brother is in trouble, shouldn't you help him?"
"I guess." Cory said slowly. "But what can I do?"
Mickey considered that. "What about your parents?" Cory looked tense. Mickey took Cory's hand. "I understand that you're scared. Could you do this for your brother?"
Cory desperately at Mickey. "Will you come with me?" She asked.
"Sorry." Mickey said grimly. "I think its best that the fewer know I'm here, the better."
"OK." Cory whispered.
….
Michael was smoking a pipe. Nearby the black boy and the blond girl were doing the same.
The Blond Girl finished her puff and then looked thoughtful. "You know, with ten bucks, I can buy us all some crack."
Smoke smirked. "Oh yeah, crack. Now we're talking."
The girl looked at Michael. "You got money, Michael."
Michael looked uneasy. "But…crack. That's serious stuff."
"Come on, Michael." The Black boy said. "You're not going to ditch your friends, are you?"
"Yeah, what are you, baby?" Smoke said mockingly.
Michael hesitates. It's true the drugs he normally took weren't very exhilarating as they used to be, but he wasn't sure he wanted to try crack.
"If you want it, get it, OK?" He snapped. He put the pipe into his left pocket and started walking away.
Smoke looked at the girl and winked. He then went behind Michael and pulled out a wallet from his right pocket and threw it at the blond girl who caught it.
"Got your wallet!" She mocked as she turned and ran.
"Give that back." Michael shouted as he ran after her.
...…
"OK, I think we're ready." Ron said.
"Yeah, all the rough bits have been smoothed out." Kim agreed. "Let's do this."
"Wait." Ben said suddenly. "Let me go first."
"What?" The others exclaimed.
"Yeah, we just got our plan up and running." Ron argued.
"Yeah, but this is too good." Ben said, gesturing to the screen.
The others looked and saw Michael chasing the girl.
"She stole his wallet, but the money isn't his." Ben said. "Wouldn't it be great if someone pointed that out to him?"
There was a long silence.
"Actually the irony would be good." Gwen agreed.
"Well, let's go before it's too late." Ben said. "You two can go after me."
"Fine." Ron grumbled.
"OK." Kim said.
Gwen grabbed Ben's arm. "I'm going with you just to make sure you don't mess it up."
Ben scowled. "Fine."
...
The Blond girl was getting tired. Michael was gaining. He almost grabbed her when suddenly a black and green blur zoomed towards them. Michael yelled as the blur grabbed him and zoomed away, gone in a flash. The girl stopped and looked around surprised.
"What happened?"
…
Michael screamed as the thing carried him at lightning speed. Suddenly the thing stopped and put Michael down. Michael looked up in shock. It was roughly reptilian with a long tail, black and green suit, long legs and arms, a visor concealed his thin face.
"What are you?"
The creature's visor lifted, revealing a flat green face with dark green eyes. "The name is XLR8. And I'm the fastest thing alive."
"Knock it off, Doofus." Another voice said.
Michael turned and saw a ten-year-old girl standing a short distance away. She was thin with short red hair and green eyes.
"All right, Gwen." XLR8 said as his badge beeped and glowed red, and with a green flash, he turned into a ten-year-old boy.
"What are you?" Michael exclaimed.
"He's my Cousin, Ben." Gwen said. "He can turn into different aliens."
"I'm a hero." Ben said proudly.
Michael became indigent. "Well, if you're a hero, why did you let that thief get away?"
"That girl was a thief?" Ben asked, feigning surprise.
"She stole my wallet." Michael said, glaring at the smaller boy.
Gwen crossed her arms frowning. "And the money in it was yours?" She asked her voice sharp.
"Of course it was!" Michael snapped.
"Wrong answer." Ben said loudly. "We know that money isn't yours."
"What do you mean?" Michael asked, growing tense.
"It belongs to your sister." Gwen said her voice disapproving.
"My sister?" Michael exclaimed, looking tense.
"Yeah, it came from her piggybank." Ben said. "Basically, that money never belonged to you to begin with."
Michael froze, fear, stress and guilt swelled in him.
"You remember that trip in time Sonic took you, Michael." Gwen asked.
"How do you-"
"We saw it." Ben cut him off.
"That trip showed you how you got started." Gwen said. "But you're still trapped and we want to help, Michael."
Michael looked tense. Suddenly Smoke appeared. "Don't listen to them. They have no right to judge you."
Michael scowled at the two Cousins. "Look, what I do is none of your business. You two are just a bunch of kids."
Ben scoffed. "I think this guy needs to go up in smoke." He touched his Omnitrix and turned into a giant bug called Stink Fly. "Here's slime in your eyes." He fired four streams of goo at Smoke, smearing him.
"Disgusting bug!" Smoke snarled.
Stink Fly's wings became a blur as he flew into the air and charged at Smoke.
Smoke screamed as Stink Fly flew in a circle and then let go, sending him flying out of sight.
Gwen looked at Michael. "It's clear you need to have your head examined. Luckily, some people we know plan to do that." She pointed to the ground and a black hole appeared.
Michael looked at Gwen in stunned disbelief.
"Hey, I do magic." Gwen shrugged. "Now jump in."
"Forget it!" Michael snapped.
Gwen smirked. "Ben."
Michael gasped, as Stink Fly soared down at him. He tried to run, but the alien bug grabbed him and flew into the air.
"Put me down!" Michael demanded.
Stink Fly hovered over the hole. "Now for a trip different from the ones you're familiar with."
Michael screamed as he fell into the hole. At first there was darkness and then he landed in some kind of carnival ride cart, and he wasn't alone. There were two teenagers in a cart in front of him. One was a lanky boy with messy blond hair; his face had brown eyes and freckles. Next to him was a gorgeous red head.
"Who are you and where am I?" Michael demanded.
"I'm Kim and this is my boyfriend, Ron." The girl said.
Ron grinned. "And your about to take a trip through the human brain, thanks to the power of imagination." He pulled a level on the side.
The interconnected carts moved forward. Michael looked around. They were in a cavern that seemed to be made of brain tissue, and there was electricity on them, glowing brightly. The carts moved slowly, going up a hill and then down nicely.
"Why am I here?" Michael asked.
"To show you what happens when you take drugs." Ron answered simply.
"Look around, Michael." Kim said, gesturing to their surroundings. "As you can see, drugs can take you up and make you feel OK for a while."
Michael looked around and smiled slightly.
Suddenly the cart reached a steep hill and zoomed down the track at a very fast speed.
"AAAAHHH!" Michael screamed.
"But like most things, drugs have a downside!" Kim said tightly.
"Ooh." Ron whimpered, holding Kim's hand. "Maybe this wasn't a good plan."
The carts reached flat level tracks, but didn't slow down. Around them, the electrical activity on the brain walls had increased, glowing brighter, making a crackling sound.
"You see when you take drugs for a thrill ride, they end very fast!" Kim shouted over the noise. "And pretty soon, they aren't even a thrill anymore. Then you have to take drugs just to feel normal!"
Michael grew tense, and noticed that the brain walls seemed to be melted slightly. "What is happening?"
"Drugs." Kim shouted. "This is what they do to your brain, Michael."
"And it's not a pretty sight!" Ron shouted.
The electricity grew brighter and random bolts of electricity discharged left and right. Several demon-like creatures appeared, flying left and right. The tracks then led to a dead-end. Everyone grew tense as they hit the walls, smashing through it and finding himself or herself in broad daylight as the carts came to a halt.
Michael looked around. They were in open space. But there was nothing behind them. Almost like they had just appeared out of thin air.
"Where are we now?"
"The end of the line." Ron said, getting out of the cart. "And frankly, no one should take a trip like that."
"So that was what is happening inside me?" Michael asked.
"More or less." Kim said, getting out of the cart. "Some things were cartoony, but basically drugs mess up your brain. You really should take better care of yourself."
Michael was silent, disturbed by the whole thing.
"Well, we better go." Ron said.
"Think about what we said, Mikey." Kim said her green eyes full of concern.
Suddenly Kim and Ron disappeared.
Michael blinked, not sure if what he saw was true. "Oh man." He moaned.
...…
Cory went to the garage and saw her father still working on his cleaning project.
"Hey Cory."
"Hi Dad." Cory said. "I'm worried about Michael. He is acting really weird."
"Cory." her father said, "Being weird is part of being a teenager. He'll grow out of it."
"I think there might be more to it than that." Cory said in a low voice.
"What?" Her father said, looking concerned.
"Nothing. Never mind." Cory turned and walked.
Her father stood there ponderous.
Cory went to part of the house where Mickey Mouse was. "Um, how did it go?" He asked.
Cory looked sheepishly away. "I didn't tell him." She confessed softly.
Mickey couldn't believe it. "Why not?"
"Because I'm afraid." Cory said angrily.
"It's OK." Mickey said, touching Cory's hand. "This is very hard and no child should have to go through it."
Cory looked distressed. "I don't know what to do."
Mickey looked intensely at Cory. "Did Michael love you, before all this?"
"Yes."
"Maybe if you talk to him, he might listen to you." Mickey said.
Cory considered that.
...
Michael was walking through an area. He stopped and smoked a cigar. His mind grew numb and his fears, worries and doubts vanished. When he finished, he blinked. He wasn't sure how long he stood there. He then saw a skateboard nearby.
"How did my skateboard get here?" He murmured. He got on it, and skated forward, but stumbled like he couldn't balance himself. His skateboard sped up, and he wobbled on it.
He happened to look forward and saw a gruesome monster before him. Before he could scream, he crashed into it.
Michael jerked awake, gasping. He found himself in his bed. "What a nightmare." he said wearily. He felt sick.
He then took his metal box out from under his bed and opened it. He eyed the drugs inside the box. They weren't much, but they could ease the stress he was feeling.
Suddenly his bedroom door opened. It was Cory.
"I thought I told you to stay out of here!" Michael said angrily.
"I was just wondering why you wouldn't talk to Mom and Dad." Cory said meekly.
"That's none of your business." Michael snapped.
"I…I just want things to be like they were before." Cory said softly.
"Yeah, well they not." Michael said. "Now get out of here!" He grabbed his sister's wrist. "And if you say a word to mom and dad-"
"Ow, you're hurting me!" Cory exclaimed, pulling against her brother's grip.
Michael let go of Cory and pushed her. She backed away, her eyes full of terror. Michael's anger and self-righteousness melted away. "I…I didn't mean to." He stammered.
Cory ran out of the room, closing the door with a slam.
Tears appeared in Michael's eyes and flowed down his cheeks.
Suddenly Smoke appeared. "Meddlesome brat. You did the right thing, kid."
"I don't." Michael said sadly. "I mean she is my sister and…I don't know what's right anymore, I-"
Then he looked at the nearby mirror, examining his reflection. "OH! Man, I'm in good shape." He murmured.
"You look great." Smoke said with a nasty grin. "Would I lie to you?"
Michael hesitated and then froze in shock. His mirror reflection had morphed and transformed into four teenagers in strange attire.
"Boy if that's me, I'm in serious trouble." Odd commented.
Smoke groaned. "Not these guys."
"Hang on Michael." Aleta said.
Suddenly a beam of light shot out of the mirror at Michael. He cried out as the light transformed him into glowing ball, which flew into the mirror.
"Hey!" Smoke yelled and attempted to follow, but the mirror had become normal and he couldn't follow.
...…
Cory went outside the house, panting.
"Cory." Mickey said, looking concern. "What happened?"
"He hurt me." Cory said in distress.
"What?" Mickey exclaimed in shock.
"He got angry and grabbed my wrist hard. He hurt me."
Mickey looked horrified. "I am so sorry Cory. I won't ask you to try anything else."
"Wait." Cory exclaimed. "You're leaving?"
"I will be rejoining the others." Mickey said, looking sadly at the floor. "I just thought that maybe you could help Michael. I didn't realize he would hurt you."
"Wait." Cory exclaimed. "He hurt me. But he did regret it."
Mickey frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Cory said. "I was just scared when he hurt me."
"And you should be scared." Mickey said. "I won't ask you to speak to your brother again."
Cory considered that. "Maybe if you came with me."
Mickey was silent. "OK. If you're sure about this, Cory."
Cory took a deep breath. "Yes."
...…
Michael blinked his eyes. He found himself in some kind of Cavern that seemed to be made of glass that reflected multicolored lights all around. The four strangers stood some distance, waiting.
"Who are you?" Michael stammered.
"I'm Yumi." Said the Asian girl.
"Aleta." Said the pink haired girl.
"Odd." The blond haired boy said.
"Ulrich." The brown haired boy said.
"Where am I?" Michael asked.
"It's basically a virtual reality of our making." Yumi said simply.
Michael looked around in wonder. "It's looks so real."
"Yes it does, Michael." Aleta said. "The thing is we don't always see things the way they really are."
"What do you mean?" Michael asked.
"Well a digital world may look like the real world, but it isn't." Aleta said, gesturing to their surroundings, "Now to you, drugs are a great way to feel good. But in reality, they are in your enemy, dominating your life and taking control."
Michael looked perplexed. "I can quit if I want too. I'm in charge of my life."
"Wrong!" Odd announced suddenly. "Not if you're on drugs."
Ulrich then stepped forward. "If you don't believe us, then come and take a good look."
"Look at what?" Michael asked.
"This." Yumi gestured to a door.
Michael looked at the door. There was a sign on it. "The Man in Charge." He read. He opened the door. Inside was an office with a desk table and a chair. The chair turned…
Revealing Smoke.
"Hi, Mikey boy." he said. He suddenly laughed evilly, his face transforming into a skull as Michael gasped in horror.
Ulrich frowned. "Not pretty, is it?"
Something in Michael snapped and he turned and ran as fast as he could.
"Running away won't make your problems go away!" Yumi called after him.
"Have you lost it?" Odd shouted. "What am I saying? Of course he has."
...…
Cory and Mickey Mouse approached the door to Michael's bedroom.
"You don't have to do this, Cory." Mickey assured her. "I can do this."
"No I'll do it." Cory said, full of determination. She opened the door. "Michael. I know you told me to stay out but…Michael?"
The room was empty and there was no sign of her brother.
"I guess the others got to him first." Mickey said.
"Others?" Cory asked.
"Oh, yeah." Mickey laughed sheepishly. "I'm one of several cartoons trying to help your brother with his problem."
Cory looked around and saw the metal box on the floor and picked it up.
Suddenly Smoke appeared, startling Mickey and Cory. "Open the box kid, it won't hurt you."
"Who…who are you?" Cory stammered.
"A friend of your brother's." Smoke said with a grin. "Open the box."
"Cory, let's get out of here." Mickey said, looking uneasy.
Cory looked puzzled. "Why?"
"That guy is trouble. He's the one that-"
Smoke grabbed Mickey by the arm and threw him out the window. Mickey screamed flew out of sight.
"Mickey!" Cory shouted in horror.
"Relax." Smoke assured the girl. "He's a cartoon and can't be hurt. But more importantly, that mouse doesn't get around much, I do. Come on, don't you want to know what your brother is into?"
Cory looked at the box. She didn't trust Smoke. But she did wonder what her brother was hiding.
She opened it. "What IS all this stuff?"
"Why don't you find out?" Smoke said with a nasty grin.
...…
Michael was running for his life. He then noticed that he was running through some kind of Carnival and stopped. It had rollercoaster tracks, various rides shaped like monsters. The sky was red with black clouds floating in the sky.
Suddenly, out of nowhere the dark poisonous voice of Smoke spoke.
"YOU SEEM LOST MIKEY."
It seems to come from everywhere. The fear spiked. Michael ran for his life. All he knew was fear.
"MAYBE YOU SHOULD TAKE A TRIP!"
"Somebody help me!" Michael yelled. "How do I get out of here?"
He continued to run. He suddenly stopped found himself on top of a rollercoaster track, way up high. His fear changed, turning from panic to paralyzing fear. He didn't know how he got up here.
"YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT, DO YOU?"
Suddenly a rollercoaster cart was coming towards Michael. He turned and ran, but the cart was gaining on him.
"TRY IT, TRY IT."
"Ahh!" Michael screamed as he jumped off the track before the cart could hit him. Suddenly a mechanical bat flew out of nowhere and grabbed him.
'TRUST ME."
The robot bat flew towards structure shaped like a bulky monster with black metal skin, and a deformed face with a gaping mouth.
Michael struggled in the robot bat's grip when suddenly the bat lets go as it stopped with a jolt.
"AAAHHH!" He screamed as he fell in the monster's mouth.
Michael fell down its gullet and into flooding water. He surface with a gasp. He was in the artificial stomach of the metal monster. He felt nauseous as he tried to stay afloat. Suddenly an opening in the wall appeared, sucking the water. Michael got pulled down the opening, washed down a sliding tunnel. Tossed back and forth, Michael was then rushed outside the metal monster and into the rushing river through the carnival.
Suddenly a giant mechanical claw grabbed Michael. He gasped as the mechanical arm, threw him into the air, and landed on another rollercoaster cart, which zoomed down its tracks and headed into the jaws of a giant three-eyed monster.
"SCARED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW?"
Michael screamed in terror as the cart zoomed down the tracks to the gullet. Suddenly the cart suddenly came to a halt, throwing the boy out. Michael flew through the darkness and landed on a flat surface. Suddenly water poured on him. The place flooded. Michael panted in terror as he tried to swim. Suddenly the water swirled and formed into a whirlpool.
Michael spun around and around and then got sucked down. Suddenly he found himself washed out on a flat surface.
Gasping, he saw two figures standing before him, a teenage boy and preteen girl. They both wore black and white attire, and had white hair and glowing green eyes.
"Who are you?" Michael asked.
"I'm Danny Phantom." The boy answered.
"I'm Danielle." The girl said. "But you can call me Dani Phantom, spelled with an I."
Michael sighed. "You're going to try to convince me that I shouldn't take drugs."
"That's right." Danielle said.
"I guess I can't refuse." Michael groaned
Danny frowned.
Michal sighed. "I might as well get it over with. What are you going to do?"
"We're going to show you your future." Danny said.
"My future?"
"Yeah." Danielle said. "Now come with us."
Michael sighed and got to his feet, feeling like a worn out pair of shoes. He followed the two hybrids.
...…
Cory looked at the metal box, still unsure. "What are you waiting for?" Smoke asked.
"I just don't know about this." The girl said hesitantly.
"Your brother does it." Smoke reminded her.
Cory brightens. "If I do it and Michael does, maybe we can be friends again."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Smoke said slyly.
Cory raised a hand towards the box's content.
...…
Danny and Danielle took Michael into a large empty room. Inside was a large crystal wall. The wall began to glow brightly as colors swirled in it. "What's happening?" Michael asked.
"We're about to see your future." Danny said, looking grim.
The colors began to materialize into images. Michael froze in horror.
The image showed a figure in a hospital bed. He wore familiar shirts, pants and shoes. His face had sunken cheeks, a severed nose, glassy eyes looking up, and his mouth hung open. His skin was a dirty brown, giving him a zombie appearance. He was trembling as if having a seizure.
"It's…it's me." Michael exclaimed. "This is my future?"
"It is if you don't get off those drugs." Danny said.
Suddenly several familiar characters came out of the shadows.
"Pretty nasty isn't it?" Ulrich said dully.
"Now you see our point?" Yumi asked, scowling.
"You use, you lose." Odd declared.
Aleta looked compassionately at Michael. "Listen. We care about you, Mikey."
Sonic frowned. "The problem pal is your life, if you don't stop."
Ron shook his head. "There is nothing cool about a fool on drugs."
"Just believe in yourself." Kim told him earnestly.
"Yeah." Ben concurred. "You're fine just the way you are without drugs."
Gwen glanced at her Cousin. "Pretty smart, Ben."
Ben smirked. "Thanks."
Michael couldn't take it anymore. "How do I get out of here!?"
The various cartoon stars seemed ominous as they all looked at Michael.
Danny gestured. Suddenly lights came on, revealing a door in the wall. "That door will take you to your room."
"But running away won't solve your problem." Danielle added.
Michael ran towards the door, determined to escape. He pulled the door open and ran into his room from his closet. He froze in horror.
"NO!" He ran at Cory and struck the metal box, knocking the contents to the floor.
"Cory." he shouted, grabbing her wrist, but not very hard this time, "don't you ever, ever do this stuff!"
"But you did it." Cory argued.
Michael's anger shifted to regret. "I was a dope. I was wrong."
Nearby, Smoke glowered at Michael, annoyed with this turn of events.
"Then stop. Please Michael." Cory pleaded.
"I don't know if I can." Michal said unhappily.
Smoke smirked and hovered over Michael's shoulder. "Face it, kid, we're buddies for life, whether you like it or not."
Cory was determined. "You don't have to quit on your own. Just talk to Mom and Dad. They'll help. I'll help."
Michael hesitated, torn between his addictions and doing what was right.
"Listen to me, Mikey." Smoke whispered venomously.
Michael scowled. "I think I've listened to you long enough." He snarled as he grabbed Smoke by his ghostly tail and swung him around and then threw him towards the window. Smoke screamed as he sailed through the air out the window and into the back of a garbage truck.
Smoke reared his head out of the truck, a banana peel on his head. "Can't get rid of me that easy." He said mockingly. "I'll be back and you can bet on it."
The garbage truck drove off.
"He's right you know." Michael said. "He will try and come back."
Cory looked determined. "When he does, we'll be ready for him."
Suddenly the door opened and Mickey Mouse came in, looking distressed. "Cory, are you…" He trailed off. "Did I miss something?"
"Michael stopped me from using his stuff." Cory explained.
"And Smoke?"
"He's gone for now." Michael said, looking weary.
Mickey looked at Michael and then at Cory. "So what will you do now?"
Michael looked very grim. "I'm going to…talk to my…mom and dad."
Cory grabbed her brother's hand. "It'll be OK, Michael. I'm here."
Mickey smiled. "You're lucky to have a sister that cares about you, Michael."
Michael looked perplexed, his emotions swimming.
"Will you two be alright now?" Mickey asked.
"You're leaving?" Cory asked.
Mickey looked up at the girl. "I think my work is done."
"Will we ever see you again?" Cory asked.
"And the others?" Michael asked.
"I don't know." Mickey confessed. "But remember this; I and the others will always exist in your imagination. And that will always be with you. Bye."
Mickey Mouse became transparent and then vanished.
Michael looks at Cory and smiles. "Come sis; let's go talk to Mom and Dad."
Cory smiled at her brother. Then they both walked out.
…
To be Continued
…
Author Note: coming up next is an Epilog. If you saw the original TV show, you would see how identical my story is to the original. I put God in the story as a plot device to get it going. I thought it wouldn't make sense for them to just appear and decide to be a team.
As for the characterization of the characters, I did my best and hope I kept them in character.
Please review. Tune in for the epilog.