Chapter 4

When Phineas reached the bottom of the steps with Ferb following, they found their mom organizing some things in the living room.

She peered upwards when she heard the thumping sounds of footsteps.

"Cute...!" she said upon seeing Ferb walking closely behind Phineas. She set down a paper and came to look at them. "So what's his name?"

"Hmm?" Phineas asked for a second. Then smiled he pointed downwards to his feet. "That's Ferb."

"Oh, how adorable! You named him after Ferb?" their mom squeaked. She came over and gave Phineas a hug around the neck. "Ah, I remember when you two were little and used to name your stuffed animals after each other."

Then she went back around to the couch in the living room and kept sorting things. After a moment of thought, she continued with the resolution, "That's so nice of you to keep him here, Phineas. I'll let him stay until you find his owner, as long as he stays out of trouble."

Standing still, Phineas put on a confused face and bent down to whisper in Ferb's ear, "What's she talking about?"

Ferb looked back at him and shrugged, also perplexed, replying, "Not sure."

After both of them stood and watched their mom for a few more seconds, Ferb got up and walked purposefully through the nearby doorway.

Their mom picked up her list again, and turned to walk past Phineas. As she did this, she commented, "Where IS Ferb?"

"Oh! Um," Phineas replied, turning around to look at the kitchen. "I think he just went in there to find something to eat."

"Okay, good," his mom replied as she gathered up her list again. "I made some quiche last night and put it in the fridge. You boys can go ahead and microwave it if you want."

"Okay, Mom!" Phineas thanked her, starting to head into the kitchen.

His mom hollered behind him, "I have a few errands to run today, don't forget to do the dishes while I'm gone!"

"Yep!" Phineas returned, now entering through the kitchen archway. Upon surveying the scene, he spotted Ferb with his paws halfway on the countertop as he peered over its edge.

"Hey... Phineas!" Ferb tried to bark. He pointed with his nose to the tile floor, where Phineas saw the translator lying haphazardly. "...It fell off."

Phineas followed his point and tried to figure out what he meant. "It just flew off your head when you tried to get up there?"

Ferb nodded.

"Huh, I'll have to find some tape for that thing or something," Phineas decided, opening up the refrigerator.

He found the aforementioned quiche easily, and pulled it out onto the countertop. He elaborated, "Lemme put this in the microwave then I'll find some tape, or a string."

Ferb gave his agreement, and left Phineas to his preparation of breakfast. Ferb wandered out into the front hall, to see his mom leaving out the doorway.

When she had opened it with one hand, she was somewhat startled to see Isabella standing out on the steps, hand ready to knock.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher!" Isabella reacted. Then she tipped her searching stare into the house. "Are Phineas and Ferb home?"

"Hi, Isabella. Sure, they're in the kitchen getting breakfast," she answered, already partially out the door. "I'm heading out, but you can help yourself to some if you like."

"Thanks!" Isabella replied, watching Phineas' mom walk towards the car. Isabella then turned and came further into the house.

Ferb had been standing in the hallway while his mom left, and stayed with his feet planted as Isabella spotted him.

"Hello, Isabella," Ferb greeted her. But when it came out of his mouth instead of through the speaker, he remembered in regret that he had left his translator on the kitchen floor.

"Ooohhh! I didn't know Phineas and Ferb got a new puppy!" Isabella squeed in delight as she walked up to him.

"Uhh, no Isabella... It's just me, Ferb," he tried to explain as he backed slowly away. But Isabella understood not a word of it.

"You're just a sweet puppy, aren't you?" Isabella cooed, scooping him up and heading over to the couch.

"No, really Isabella, I'm not a puppy. I'm Ferb!" he repeated, but Isabella only saw his whistling moan as absolutely adorable as she sat on the couch and put him on her lap. His feet and paws were situated lopsidedly and he tried vainly to escape.

"Isabella..." he whined awkwardly. "Don't you think this is weird?"

"And you're so fluffy," she kept saying, petting him on the head and running her fingers through his fur.

"Phineas?" Ferb barked loudly. Isabella just wrapped her arms around his neck with a smile.

"One sec, Ferb!" Phineas hollered from the kitchen. "It'll beep in a minute!"

"I'm hungry still, yes. But I'm not talking about that, I need my-" Ferb's attempt at a sentence was interrupted by Isabella rubbing his ears. To any normal dog it would seem wonderful, but Ferb couldn't help but turn his head away at the strange feeling.

Isabella had leaned forward to listen to Phineas' clanking from the kitchen. She wondered out loud, "What are they doing in there that he's shouting to Ferb?"

Now, Ferb was able to slink his way down onto the floor and out of Isabella's snuggling grasp.

"Aw, come back, Puppy," was Isabella's disappointed objection.

Safely on the ground, Ferb looked up and showed her a tiny awkward laugh, or a woof.

Phineas came in with the two plates of breakfast. When he looked up, he caught sight of their guest in the house.

"Isabella!" he brightened up with a grin. He held up the plates in his hands and mentioned, "I have one here for Ferb, but there's still plenty in there!"

As Phineas said this, he set one of the plates onto the coffee table in front of his brother.

Isabella watched in forced silence as the dog, who she had just been happily snuggling, came up to sit in front of the plate that Phineas had just designated as Ferb's.

Ferb barked his thanks at Phineas, but his ears were flat and he had a quite annoyed look on his face.

"OH! I'm sorry, Ferb! I totally forgot your translator, didn't I?" Phineas apologized quickly. Not a second later had he retreated into the kitchen and snatched up the device.

Still sitting quietly on the couch, Isabella's eyes were widening in disbelief while Phineas set the translator over the "puppy's" head.

"I'm sorry, bro," Phineas repeated. "You'd think there'd be some tape in the house."

"It's okay," Ferb answered. "It stays on well enough."

Then he turned to Isabella, finally able to say in English, through some static, "Hello, Isabella."

Drawing out a finger, Isabella put her other hand on her mouth and pointed at him. "FERB!"

She didn't talk again for a moment, then she turned a bright shade of red. "Ooohhh... I had no IDEA that was you! I was talking all cutsie to you and hugging you like a puppy...!"

Isabella sunk down into the couch. "And now I'm all embarrassed."

Phineas showed his teeth in a huge smile. "Well, he IS really fluffy."

After looking at Phineas' expression, Ferb couldn't help but grin himself.

Isabella looked at the two of them, and began to giggle. She commented, "I was wondering why he had green fur."

"Wait, huh?" Phineas asked, as he and Ferb shared an interested look towards each other. "WE were wondering why he didn't have green fur."

"See," Isabella explained as she got down on the floor to kneel beside Ferb. "If you move his fur like this-"

Then she stopped, frozen, and asked timidly, "Ferb...? Is it alright if I pet you?"

Ferb just nodded nonchalantly. He craned his neck to try to see what Isabella was pointing out. "I don't mind."

"Okay..." she said as she sorted through his fur. "See, down here at the bottom, all his fur is green."

Phineas' eyes grew curious, and he got down to also examine Ferb. He brushed his fingers through and saw what Isabella was talking about. At the roots of each strand was about a quarter inch of green fur.

"Hey, yeah!" Phineas exclaimed, standing up and pointing downwards at Ferb. "Ferb! Your hair is turning green!"

"What?" Ferb asked in surprise, standing up to spin around in an attempt to see his back. "I know it's supposed to be, but I'm actually growing dog hair out of my skin?"

"Ferb..." Phineas asked slowly. He took a breath and continued with a slight hesitation. "You DID touch the purple core, right?"

"The purple core was used, yes," Ferb replied, mimicking Phineas' tone of uncertainty. "...But the one I was actually leaning against for a few seconds was yellow."

Phineas stayed speechless for a moment. Ferb turned around to better look up at him, concerned. "Why, Phineas? What does that mean? You were the one who did all the research on those things and ordered them, and I built the frame and put the nozzle together, remember?"

After remaining silent for another second, Phineas finally answered with an open mouth. "Ferb! The yellow one was in the center and powered the whole rest of the thing! You didn't tell me that you had touched that one."

"I-I didn't know..." Ferb responded, looking uneasily back and forth. He dipped his head down and looked up, ashamed. "...It was bad, wasn't it."

"You're growing dog hair because," Phineas answered cautiously. "...the core didn't just make you LOOK like a dog, the change went all the way down to your DNA. Your species changed and everything."

"Guys... you know how I get about all this species-changing mumbo-jumbo," Isabella eased. "...I still have a meeting to go to... But call me if you need help sorting this out."

"Okay," Phineas replied innocently. "You can grab a plate of quiche before you leave."

"Will do," Isabella answered. She left rather eagerly.

Ferb turned back to his brother. "Phineas. My DNA changed...? Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning," Phineas' elaborated with a little gulp. "That as far as your body's concerned, you were born that way. That's why you haven't changed back on your own."

"I...?" Ferb whispered, looking down at himself. He shifted his paws. "I don't have a single drop of human blood in me anymore?"

He fell down and put his chin on the carpet. "Does that mean I'm like this forever, and I'll never be my own self again?"

"No, no, Ferb. I didn't mean to make you sad," Phineas told him, also dropping to the carpet. "You're not like this forever. 'Indefinitely' would be a better word."

"Those mean the same thing, Phineas," Ferb pointed out. "I've lost my human DNA."

"Naaaa," contradicted Phineas. "Just cause you're not gonna change back on your own doesn't mean we can't change you back ourselves!"

Phineas gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "All we need to do is go into your DNA and say, 'Hey DNA! Quit thinkin' you're a dog and start remembering you're supposed to be a human!'"

With a comical snort, Ferb stood back up on his front paws and commented, "Hah, and we're going to write them a nasty letter?"

"Nah, Ferb, that would be silly," Phineas laughed. "We'll make a serum."

"A serum?"

"Yeah! A human-changing serum!" Phineas assured him, pointing towards the garage door. "And I bet we already have everything in there. C'mon, Ferb, it'll be fun!"