"Morning Summer! Whatcha doin'?" Isabella asked. Summer shrugged disconnectedly. "Summer? Whatcha doin'?" Isabella asked a little more desperately. "OK, mom! Bella kissed me yesterday! I get it! You don't have to keep asking me!" Summer lashed out. Ignoring the slights on her carefree attitude, she pressed on. "Summer, if Bella has plucked up the courage to do what I couldn't, there doesn't seem to be much wrong!" she pointed out. Summer stared out the window. "You might be right, mom. But I'll just have to wait and see what happens…" he said.
He went outside, and began planning something. Mist and Haley came out of the house, and smiled at him. Summer vaguely nodded, and returned to his musings. Mist shrugged, and then there was a genuine interruption. A car-like flying object, patterned with flames, came floating down to the backyard. A pink being jumped out of the car, and walked up to them. "Meap," he said. Mist crooned, and stroked his head. The being looked up, pointed skywards, and said, "Meap!" Haley asked it what it wanted to say, and it realised it's mistake. Pulling out a long black moustache, he put it on, and said, "RUN!" Summer, Mist, and Haley shrugged, and complied with the request. Summer picked up Bella as he ran past. They all jumped into the flying car, and fled.
"Alrighty, young ones. My name is Meap, of the Meapians. I come from a far off planet, and my hopes are raised in the defeat of evil," Meap told them. Summer nodded slowly, and said, "I don't get it." Bella sighed, and told him that the alien had come to defeat the giant alien that had just attacked. Meap nodded, and continued, "This chap here, he hasn't done anything evil for at least twenty years, but he's come back. Your parents have fought against him both times he attacked. He's known as…"
He's Mitch! He's Mitch! But some people call him Big Mitch!
Mitch stood in front of the Flynn household, and cursed. "Those younglings were my only chance of getting that damned cutonium!" he said. One of his Mitchbots issued a series of rapid clicks. "Yes, I am fully aware that a Heed-My-Word beam is in this household, but we can't extract it without those kids. We can't even put a hold on them!" Mitch replied. He looked into the house, and could faintly see the outline of his secondary target right there.
"I don't get it, Meap. Why would you have a punishment so lenient?" Summer asked. Meap replied, "We come from a cute-based society. Time-outs are considered the harshest punishment that goes under Meapian constitution!" Bella looked at Summer with cute eyes, but Summer wasn't looking that way. "So Meap, what is our goal?" he asked.
"Seven Meapian days ago, a Meapian girl discovered a hidden vein of pure cutonium. Under our laws, she mined out every last ounce of it, and sent it who knows where. It is our job to locate it!" Meap explained. Summer quickly programmed a cute-tracker signal, and began experimenting with the ignore functions. "OK, if it just ignores Mist, Bella, and Meap, this should work. At least, I hope it should. Anyway, Meap, we'll help you find that cutonium!
They arrived in the claimed town, which seemed to be Seattle. "My word! Haven't we had a similar case before in this town?" Meap asked. "It is entirely possible that the cutonium could be following the same path as the previous chalice, or that Seattle is just in the best position to intercept Meapian chalices," Mist said, to general shock. Haley put an arm around her, and Summer sighed. He gave Bella a quick hug to try and stop her from being angry, and began coming the town for cutonium.
Doofenshmirtz digging for gold!
"What, Mr Fourth Wall? I dig one hole and I'm searching for gold? Seriously? Balloony still has a subscription to Meapian newspapers, and there's a rich chalice of cutonium in here. I'm hoping to dominate the world with my cuteness!" Dr Doofenshmirtz called to the sky.
Doofenshmirtz seeking cutonium!
"Ah, Ferb! Look… sorry for running out on you yesterday, but I've got a world to conquer. I can't spend my time in jail!" Doofenshmirtz said. Ferb rolled his eyes. They landed on a black-and-white shape. "Peter the Panda!" both agent and villain exclaimed. The panda stared at both of them. Doofenshmirtz looked away awkwardly, and saw the chalice. He opened the chalice, and was trapped in a cage. As if responding to a call, an alien walked up right then and there. "Ah, a delirious scientist? What is the world coming to?" Mitch asked. Ferb shook his head, and asked for Doofenshmirtz freed. "We're kinda in the middle of something here! If you can let him go and continue on with your plan…" Ferb stated, and Mitch complied. He threw the chalice in some general direction. He instantly felt a jarring sensation in his chest, and cheered. "I think I got them this time!" he said, and left Doofenshmirtz to fight Ferb and Peter.
Mist caught a chalice thrown from nowhere. Summer's cuteness radar went berserk, and Mist opened the chalice. A cage sprung from within it, and she said, "Second day in a row! What lesson am I supposed to be learning?" Mist asked. Mitch waltzed up to the group. "Ah, perfect. I got the girl," Mitch said. Meap attempted to fire a cute ray, but Mitch countered. "Hey! Put her down, you pile of scrap metal!" Haley exclaimed. Mist rolled her eyes, and stomped on the floor… didn't work. "Anyway, boys and girl, I'm off to see an old acquaintance of mine. Hope to not keep you waiting," Mitch said.
He's Mitch! He's Mitch! But some people call him Big Mitch!
Mitch stopped outside the Flynn household. "Alright, Miss Cuter-Than-Cute! You come out of this house right now!" he called. Isabella peeked out of the door. "Mist? Hey, Mitch! You let her go right now!" Isabella said. Mitch threw a second cage around her. "Hey, let me go!" she called out. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Spent me nearly twenty years searching for decent hearing aids, and they're already broken," Mitch replied. Mist rolled her eyes. "OK, Big Mitch! You got what you wanted, plus my mother to boot. Now let me go, you imbecilic robot-alien!" she said, put back on her tendencies of rudeness. "Nope. I still need you to ensure that Isabella sticks by my rules. Now, we'll have none of that Heed-My-Word usage!" Mitch replied, having fixed his hearing aid. He pressed a button on his remote, and Isabella's second attempt at release was thwarted by a simple gag. She reached to remove it, but Mitch pointed his cute ray at Mist. Isabella took the hint. Phineas… Isabella thought.
Doofenshmirtz, Ferb and Peter were locked in a fight. They were stopped as a spaceship flew past. Doofenshmirtz looked at it, and said, "You know, I think we have to follow that. Like it's important to some kind of story." Ferb glanced at him, and told him, "We have no time for your lunacy. But you're right about following that." Doofenshmirtz looked aghast at the suggestion of lunacy, and turned on his heel away from Ferb. He paid with a blow to the back of the head by Peter.
Summer, Haley, Bella and Meap arrived just in time to see the two captives of Mitch- Mist and Isabella. "Oh no! First Mist, and now Mom! What is Mitch's plan?" Summer exclaimed. Bella fingered the chalice that the cage had sprung from. "My guess is, Mitch planted that story about the cutonium. If the last of it was shipped off, it seems unlikely that there was another vein. With this deceit in mind, there can only be one goal… Isabella's Heed-My-Words beam. That might not be as grandiose as cutonium, but it'll do the job. He could even use the Meapian army to attack the rest of the galaxy!" she figured out. Summer glanced at her, and said, "That's brilliant, Bella!" Bella blushed, and Haley raised his voice. "If that's the case, we probably should follow Big Mitch," he pointed out. Summer twiddled with the dials on the cute tracker, and set it to follow Mist. If he chose Isabella, they could be doomed.
Mitch landed in his evil lair. He smiled, and grabbed Isabella's wrist. "Come along, now, Isabella!" he said, and led her to the extraction chamber. He lay Isabella down on the bench, and she struggled. "Yes, Isabella. I am about to relieve you of one of your greatest burdens. You should be happy!" he said. Isabella's eyes widened. He's going for the Heed-My-Words beam! PHINEAS! SUMMER! HALEY! SOMEONE! PLEASE! Isabella thought to herself. But naturally, no one could hear her. The extraction complete, Mitch removed the gag. "Alright, Big Mitch! Let us go, NOW!" she commanded. Mitch maniacally laughed. "No Heed-My-Words beam, no need to be commanded by such a puny woman! Now to go claim my prize!" he roared.
He's Mitch! He's Mitch! But some- "Oh will you shut up!" Mitch shouted at the Mitchbot responsible for playing his theme. He clicked, and destroyed the tape.
Ferb knocked on Phineas' door. "Yes, Ferb?" Phineas asked. "I saw Meap's spaceship come by," Ferb stated. Phineas rolled his eyes. "You'd think I've noticed Isabella vanishing. Big Mitch has her. I went to stop him, but the most reliable transport to planet Meap is currently in the hands of Summer, Haley, and Bella," he pointed out. Ferb nodded, sighing. "Ferb, is it possible to replicate Meap's ship?" Phineas asked. Ferb nodded, but shook his head. "Any attempt to rescue Isabella now would be too late, we don't know where Meap's planet is, and there's every chance Isabella is missing that beam," he said. Phineas shrugged, and went back inside. Ferb stared at the stars. "Isabella… hang in there…" he whispered, hoping that the galaxy was still safe.
The galaxy might be many things. But at this moment, safe was not one of them. Mitch was walking up to the chamber holding Doofenshmirtz's Heed-My-Words beam. Summer, Haley, Bella and Meap watched from a higher balcony, in pure terror. Or, at least that was the plan. Bella realised one tiny little detail. She grabbed a rope hanging nearby, and swung down to meet Mitch. "Hiyo, Mitch!" she called over to him. Mitch turned around, and saw Bella standing right there, looking so darn adorable. He collapsed, and Bella strolled past to collect the Heed-My-Words beam. Mitch realised his mistake, and leaped to his feet. "ISABELLA!" Summer cried out, and Bella jumped just in time. She realised that returning the beam to Isabella was no longer an option. "Sorry, Miss Flynn… the fate of the galaxy kinda depends on this… Summer, forgive me…" Bella muttered, and downed the beam.
"Mitch! In the corner, now!" Bella commanded. Mitch nodded glumly, and turned to face the corner for his third time-out. Summer cheered, and flung his arms around her. Meap and Haley landed right behind him, and smiled as well. "Summer… would you take me on a date sometime?" she asked, looking at him with her adorable eyes. Summer shrugged, and said, "Sure, why not?" Haley smirked, and remembered to save Mist and Isabella.
Everyone hopped into Meap's spaceship, and blasted off. "Look, Miss Flynn… I had no intention of stealing the Heed-My-Words beam. Can you forgive me?" Bella asked. Isabella smiled. "Of course, young Bella. You had no choice, and I don't really need it anymore. By the way, my friends call me Isabella," she told her. Bella nodded, and said, "Thank you… Isabella." Meap turned around, and told them that they were home. Everyone climbed out, and Phineas took Isabella into a tight hug. "Well… it's been nice meeting you, children… but it's time for me to leave," Meap said. "Will we ever see you again?" Bella asked. Meap looked at her uncertainly. The Heed-My-Words beam was within her, and while Mitch knew about it, she was unsafe. "I hope, one day when Mitch is no longer evil, that we can meet in peace. Until then, Summer's princess…" he told her. Phineas looked at Meap. "Thank you, for saving Isabella…" he said. "It was my pleasure, Phineas," Meap announced. "And ours, too…" continued the kids. Phineas smiled. It's good to have children like these… he thought.
Surprise! Meap! Betcha weren't expecting that, huh? And what a perfect way to pass the torch!
Next time on a Hero's Legacy, we find an explanation for one of the greatest mysteries of this entire trilogy. Summer belongs to you!
...What? I really liked the pun with it I pulled off in an earlier chapter of this story! I feel like carpe diem was getting old, cliche or both.