Episode 5 - Ghouls in School
The next day, Venomous returned to the castle of Rhyboflaven suited up in his modified One Blade attire, determined to head to his true first mission. He knelt before the king and bowed as Cattus smiled back at him.
"Good job, Professor," he announced. "You've successfully organized your own team! Now it's time you put it to the test."
Venomous asked, "Have you heard any updates from your son or Boxman yet?"
"Not yet. However, I've been getting reports about strange activity in your world. Readings of a high-energy frequency at the Ghoul School have been spotted by the Irken patrol. Possibly the same kind of reading Glorbs provide. If Black Hat is involved there, there is no telling what he'll do.
"Glorbs huh?" The Professor snickered to himself, "Guess I missed a few spots after all."
He reminisced on what his Shadowy half had done all those years earlier. He frequently visited beneath the plaza of Lakewood to gather enough glorbs to supply other villains off the black market. A very powerful strength and power booster on its own but is prone to exacerbating the negative thoughts of its users. As if Black Hat already embodies its worst aspects, why would he need them? Maybe they're for Flug and his experiments. Maybe to add fuel to the fire that is Dementia.
Venomous quickly shoved these thoughts in the back of his mind as he rose from his stance and proceeded to the entrance, telling Cattus, "If you find out anything, let me know. I don't want Black Hat continuing Shadow…my work."
Venomous returned to the shuttle eager to see Boxman marveling at its hull. The Irken vessel had been modified well enough that it could fit a crew of 10 inside and still have space for belongings. Its colors weren't changed so as to avoid suspicion from the Toon Force while the rest of the exterior was refitted to conceal its armaments.
Venomous checked on Boxman and asked, "How's the ship holding up?"
"Looking sharp," he said with a thumbs up. "Ready to go!"
"Excellent.
"Too bad I don't have my hover pod on me to help on the field. So I borrowed a very famous fighter to cover for me, if you don't mind."
From the back of the shuttle, a familiar metal face appeared before the pair. A tall, slender android designed to kill beings like the famous Samurai Jack hailing from a future ruled by the shape-shifting demon Aku.
"DR. V-MAN," Scaramouche announced! "Man, it's a nice change of pace from the whole samurai gig, ain't it?"
The professor pressed with a question, "You promise not to tell anyone about this?"
"Why would I tell anyone crappity-crap when dere's enough eyes on us as is?"
Boxman agreed, "Exactly! The Toon Force're onto us. So I picked the right man for the right crew. Besides you know how much I miss my robots."
"So do I," said Venomous. "Alright. I've got a mission lined up for us. We leave now."
As all besides Boxman began to enter the spacecraft, Cosma poked her head out from the side hatch introducing herself to the robot hunter with glee.
She happily announced, "Welcome aboard the Scalie Squad!"
"The what," Venomous tilted.
"Y'know. Your name is Venomous, you move like a snake, tongue's like a snake, your scalesona is a snake, and I'm a reptile. Scalie Squad!"
Venomous begrudgingly replied through the corner of his lips. "I'll stick to V-Team for now. Thank you."
They all hopped aboard and Nanini began raising the ship with its boosters in preparation for a light speed jump. Boxman waved at the gang before exiting for the castle and Scaramouche, in the shuttle's main area, noted, "Wo-wo-woooah! I thought you'd be invitin' more Johnson's up in here, Teach. I didn't know you wanted a harem for a movie!"
Sandy scowled at him and sneered, "Heeey!"
"Hey, there's an equal number of dudes as there are ladies," said Nanini. "Just look at Turbo in the back."
"Hey Scaramouche," Turbo greeted. "Didn't know you were comin'."
"Been a hot minute since I seen you showin' off yer muscles and mascara on the battlefield," the robot smirked.
"And it's been ages since you were just a head. Keep that thing screwed on man."
Soon the ship launched just a few galaxies away from Lyvsheria to a neighboring location in record time! They stopped at a familiar fleet of Irken vessels owned by the Toon Force and planet Earth. Lakewood Plaza wasn't far from their destination and neither was Voxmore.
Seeing the same sight as before, Nanini openly wondered, "Wait, we're going back to our place?"
"No, not to Lakewood," Venomous clarified. "We're headed to these coordinates."
"That's the same school Enid attended once," said Turbo.
"Did she enjoy it?"
"I'd say she did. Maybe if this place has any glorbs, they could be leftovers from her time there."
Recognizing Glorbs from records from the Republic, Sandy began to question the professor, squinting her eyes at him. "Saaaay, didn't you build yerself somethin' to pump fake buffers once?"
"I did. It's what I provided Catra when she commissioned me." As he continued to explain, his voice grew enthusiastic about the process.
"It's the same kind of alternative energy source we use for our robots since Glorbs are so rare. The only downside is, while natural glorbs bring life and personality to models such as Shannon or Darrell, these false ones work strictly as a battery and nothing more."
Cosma began licking her lips and tapped her stomach over the thought. "Glorbs… They're so much tastier with the right amount of salt and some sugar."
Venomous nearly cracked a smile. "You eat Glorbs?"
"How else do you think I became a foodie?"
"Well in that case, I guess it'd be great to save whatever we can if it's legit. This way we'll have a backup to lean on if things take a turn. This'll be our first mission, and as much as I'd love to see you mess up in comedic fashion, I need everyone good and healthy."
"Relax Doc," Scaramouche said. "Your talkin' to a couple of veterans."
"Oh, that's right! You're old guys," Nanini mocked. "Glad to know I can never escape authority folks…"
"I'm 23," said Turbo.
"And you're big enough to step on me. Anyway, we're landing in 3…2…1."
The surface of the forest they landed in was gloomy and barely lit by the moonlight. It was foggy. The trees were nearly dead and the bushes shrouded what could be monsters hiding behind them. When the team exited their ship, Scaramouche noted the scenery.
"Man, this place could use some mad tee-tee, tee-el-see "
Venomous smirked, "Honestly, I like the vibes I'm getting. Very eerie. Classic even."
"Spoopy," said Cosma.
Right after saying that, a group of bat's flew past the side of her face frightening her enough to hide behind Turbo.
"EEP!"
"Aw, what's wrong Cosma? Are you scaaaared of a little ambiance," Turbo locked.
"N-no! I'm just very nervous about this mission. Y'know. First time."
"The sooner we get through this, the quicker it'll end," the Professor assured her. "Nanini, Sandy, keep an eye out here till we get back. If anyone asks what you're doing, tell them you're sightseeing."
Sandy saluted, "You got it, chief!"
Nanini replied, "Hey, bring me a souvenir while you're at it."
Venomous led his team into the dark of the woods in front of them. This isn't new to Scaramouche nor Turbo as they had similar encounters with beings in otherwise gloomy places. Owls were calling and an actual snake came slithering past the Professor's foot to a tree, which humored him.
"Ever since my darker side took over, I've been able to detect whenever glorbs are around. The same as when I can tell K.O. is coming to give me a headache."
Cosma snarked, "So you have scalie senses."
"I...yes," he admitted.
Turbo and Scaramouche laughed under their breath on the way as they continued to trek the dark forest.
"Just get serious, will ya? Scaramouche is one thing, but working with you two for a job like this? It feels weird. No offense."
"I know whatcha mean, Dad," said Turbo. "I had to deal with the same thing with K.O. Yeah, I joke around too. But that's cause I know what the heck I'm doing. 60% of his and our pals' jokes are just coping mechanisms for getting anxious."
"Does that include making fine works of art," Cosma asked and pointed ahead.
Near the closest old building and an open space were several carved trees transformed into statues of people, from Enid to Scooby-Doo and a cutout of the Mystery Van. And bound to one of the logs by a loop of ice was a werewolf no taller than Fink when she was younger, wearing a Grey shirt with a skull and ripped dark shorts.
Turbo recognized her from looking at her puffed orange hair.
"Hey, you're one of Enid's pals."
"And you're taller," she scowled as she tried freeing herself from her bonds.
"So what's a cute little po-oo-och doin' on a leash," Scaramouche asked.
"This pooch - name's Winnie - was just making art when some crazy blonde chick came an' knocked me out! Don't know where the ice came from."
"Sounds like our target," Venomous said. "Where is she now?"
The werewolf pointed to the old building next door. "In there."
"The Ghoul School..." The Professor tapped a hidden button on his glove and spoke into it. "Change of plans Sandy. Come to the school and help this woman out of her bonds. The rest of us are headed inside."
As they did so, Turbo was quick to sniff out something peculiar. A strange, alien scent near the entrance to the building. He got in front of everyone and silently walked into the main hall looking with his eyes in every direction. Claw marks were etched deep into the walls along with smashed classroom doors, fresh in comparison to the old lockers and floors.
"Dad, someone else is in here with us," he alerted him.
Venomous nodded, "I sense it too… Everyone, form up!"
A rumble started echoing through the derelict corridors until a large orange one, a lion-like humanoid, smashed through the ceiling, landing perfectly on her boots as she glared at the group with her sharp eyes.
"Black Hat had a feeling you'd try and find us," said Jasper.
Venomous stood back with his sword nearly drawn. "You're not even supposed to know this planet exists, Jasper. What do you want with me?"
"Uh, hello?" She swung her arm back in preparation to jab the man in the face. "I get to punch something other than rocks for once!"
Surprising for Venomous, Cosma stood between him and the titan and stared her in the eyes. "You only had to ask. I'll handle this, girl to girl."
"Thanks Cosma," the Professor replied. He and the others stepped away and proceeded to the next room based on his senses.
As they exited, Jasper cocked a grin, "Hmph. You really think you stand a chance, huh?"
"There is a difference between thinking and knowing you know you're good," said Cosma.
Confidently, the titan cracked her knuckles and looked down upon her. "Well then…looks like I know how this is going to end."
She grinned with her teeth as she spawned a hard battle helmet over her dome. The ensuing fight began with her curling into a ball at top speed like a certain blue hedgehog, rocketing toward the lizard who cartwheeled to the side while drawing her sword slicing into the Gem as she passed! Jasper reeled back into a feral position, grabbing the floors with both hands from the cut on her spine. This didn't deter her, however, when she launched her crash helmet like a rocket! Before it even reached her, Cosma hopped to get atop it then twice towards Jasper who swung a fist her way, which she ducked under before removing her cape blinding the large one with it! She spun with her blade, cutting deep into Jasper's legs and her back forming an X across.
Yet this only infuriated the tall one more. She backhanded the lizard away from her side which Cosma recovered from with a few consecutive backflips. Once on her feet, her opponent swung her leg at her only to have her foot caught deep in the stone wall when it's ducked underneath. Cosma got on her knee and aimed for the face.
CLANG
Instead of the crystal replacing her nose, she struck another helmet spawned over her dome, shattering it before she was forced to flip off when Jasper spun into a ball. The Gem was strong, but each punch was narrowly avoided and even blocked by Cosma's sword. Eventually, when she's kicked in the stomach and launched backward, Jasper whistles and a considerable number of monstrous, corrupted lifeforms like herself burst through the ceiling and the walls! These two-legged creatures marched and attempted to latch onto Cosma with their long frog-like tongues in an effort to tear her apart. Unlucky for them, she began to grow large enough to tower over both the monsters and Jasper and pulled them into each other with their own appendages! They instantly poofed into their inanimate crystals and Jasper rocketed to Cosma's snout when she shrunk back to normal size in mid-air to counter with a slice through her torso! Failing to react fast enough, Jasper came close to exploding like the others had she not found a way to use her own corruption to reattach her halves mid-descent!
"Forget this," the Gem barked! "We're leaving!"
She gathered the hearts of her fellow distorted sisters and fled to the exit. There, Jasper pulled out a Black Hat-branded control switch that summoned a portal back to her version of Earth. Whilst they left, Cosma held her knelt stance with her blade to her side then rose to her feet to holster the weapon.
"Today is victory over yourself of yesterday," she said to herself. "Tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. Or…tomboys."
In the middle of the gymnasium was a gaping hole that opened a short path down to the cave underneath. Venomous could sense the glorbs inside and took the small climb down first. He used his Whirlwind to gently levitate to ground-level followed by the rest of his crew. No sign of any enemies yet. However, it became apparent almost immediately as to what they were after. A small narrow river that ran under the building glowed like toxic blue chemicals along with a light haze over the water.
"This is the place alright," Venomous nodded. "This river's a liquid form of glorbs. Kind of the first stage in their life cycle. But don't touch the water."
To demonstrate, the Professor grabbed a beaker concealed by his coat filled with different substances and didn't even uncap it. He tossed the bottle into the water and it quickly burst into dust!
"It's highly unstable in this form. As if its refined version wasn't enough."
Turbo scanned the place, "I don't see any regular glorbs around, Dad. Why would Black Hat be down here?"
"That's what I'm aiming to find out."
"Ey," Scaramouche said, "You ain't gotta wait Fer too long, Jack. Dere's some metal men doin' the walk cycle. Clankitty clangin'."
Just shortly down the river towards the hillside of the school outside was exactly what Scaramouche pointed out. A sizeable squad of large mono-eyed Hat Bots along with Dr. Flug and Dementia were carrying a number of vats full of hazardous water. As always, Flug took charge of this operation, albeit somewhat reluctantly, as he darted around for intruders while his assistant filed her nails against a sharp object like a cat. Close by, another evildoer under the alias, Father, shrouded in darkness, monitored the job, folding his arms as if he were silently judging or mocking them.
"Almost done guys," said Flug. "Just a few more containers full and we'll be all set!"
Not so fast, Slys!
All the robots and Dementia put on brakes as they rotated for Venomous and his gang stepping into the site.
"Hey hey heeeeey everybodaaaaay" Scaramouche sang.
"Drat," the scientist stomped. "It's him!
Unsurprised, Venomous folded his arms with his sword in one hand and shook his head. "Dr. Flug… I should've known. You never were the most thorough in Black Hat's organization. I take it you want something to do with the river?"
"Like I'll ever… Ugh… Yes," he relented. "It doesn't take a genius to see that, ok? But it's too late to stop us now that we have everything we need. You don't stand a chance!"
"We'll see about that. "
Venomous swung his Magisword to whirl Flug over to him, grabbing him by the throat before he was forced to let go as Dementia threw herself at the pair! She came inches away from smashing the Professor's arm with her comedically large mallet had it not been for Turbo smacking it out her hands! She clawed at the man, countering every blow till he kicked dust from the floor briefly blinding her, and hopped back with his father beside him.
"So whaddya know about this chick," Turbo asked him.
"It's a fangirl," he explained. "A very…VERY obsessed fangirl of Black Hat's. Rumor has it she was killed in the battle of Toon City and replaced with a clone. And it wouldn't be the first."
Dementia interrupted, "Who cares? I'm still gonna smash your skull into your stomach! HAHAHAHAHA!"
She raised her hammer again and almost struck Scaramouche when he ducked and flipped backward toward Father who drew flames around him to protect himself as he moved along a path avoiding the robot.
Venomous guarded well against Dementia. At first, he did what he always does in close corner situations, swerving and bobbing like a snake away from attacks in an almost mocking gesture until he is forced to get serious when Dementia rotates to Turbo to attack him instead! He grabbed the mallet, unable to snap it however thanks to its properties, and gets clawed in the stomach! This, luckily, gave him room to knee the villain in the jaw and send her flying into a wall! She latched into the surface like a chameleon and her minions arrived to apprehend the alternate K.O., already in firing range. His father interrupted them when he tossed his Magisword like a boomerang to slice the machines' arms off! But there were still a few more of them left.
Flug noted, "You're using Magiswords, huh? Good thing the boss borrowed some help just for that!"
Snapping his fingers, Flug called for two more supervillain to arrive from the dark corners beside him. One, the goofily maniacal Ice King, and the dark-suited human, Black Cuervo.
"Wait what," Ice King was confused. "There's no princess to kidnap?!"
"If Black Hat told you there was one, you really need to raise your standards," said Turbo rolling his eyes just before getting punched in the cheek! He hit back, completely shattering the attacker's metal skull and blocking another jab with his arm!
Black Cuervo took to lunging at Venomous, then braking with her jets to launch three talons at him at once! He sliced them, but then he's struck square in the jaw by the supervillain rocketing at him with her fists! It was a distraction. One he'll be sure to shrug off as he practically slithered away from each slash! She reeled back bringing her jets close to his face to try melting it off when he held his sword upfront. Suddenly, he felt that he couldn't move his legs around. Ice King had frozen his feet in place giving Cuervo plenty of angles to fire her wrist guns.
"Enjoy your last seconds on Earth, Professor!"
SLASH
Out of nowhere, something sharp cut straight through one of her lasers causing a malfunction! It puffed into a tiny explosion on Cuervo's left hand and distracted her long enough for Venomous to break himself out of a bind. More slashes came from the ceiling and the walls as Winnie Werewolf arrived just in time to keep the evildoers busy!
She landed and smirked, "Hope ya don't mind me cutting in, Professor."
"Payback's a dish best served cold, Winnie," the Professor quipped.
Irritated by the puns, Black Cuervo's face nearly turned red trying to ignore them. "Urrrrgh! I thought you had her frozen solid, Ice dork!"
"Eh. You'd be surprised how often folks escape from me."
He is struck immediately in the cheek by one of Turbo's energy fists and flown into a wall! Father saw the commotion from his side of the fight and shook his head.
"Idiot... I should have set her ablaze when I had the chance."
Scaramouche introduced himself. "So Papa Pops, what it do?"
"I've struck a deal with Black Hat for a portion of those glorbs to use against the Kids Next Door. Since many of my associates are prone to fail, I've taken it upon myself to oversee this operation, less I suffer a migraine over a few fools!"
"Sorry to say, but yooooooooooooooou just got scammed!"
Scaramouche spun around and pulled out his flute as Father summoned fire around him intent on setting the android on fire. But a few notes with the instrument magically sends a boulder hurdling the man's way! Father is struck in the side, pinning him against the floor and a large rock, killing his flames and aura instantly.
Turbo got around to dealing with Dementia again once all the machines were dismantled. She kept swinging her mallet at him till one firm snap against the knee shattered it after getting a grip of its hilt! Dementia then reached for another weapon in her pocket: A bat with spikes on it creating a mace wildly flailing it at Turbo in a chopping motion! She almost hits his foot when he stepped away at the right time and the right angle to get behind the river of glorbs. With the insane one stood at the center of it, he grinned.
"What's up T-Man," Dementia smirked. "Ready for round two?!"
"I already ended it."
Quietly, Turbo let out an electric charge into the ground, then the river causing it to go unstable! The glorbs immediately combust with the Dementia clone stood in it, instantly atomizing her!
Winnie on her end continued to throw her claws at Black Cuervo who guarded using her metal wingspan and cuffs before turning away to burn the werewolf with her jets. But this was a big mistake. Winnie severed the rockets and sent the young evildoer flying out of control in the cave!
"WOAAH," she screamed trying to regain her mobility until she found herself careening out of the caverns through the waterfall at the exit! She crashed head-first so hard against a stone she smashed her helmet and knocked herself out!
Ice King stepped in to finish off the Professor. His last freeze beam at sub zero was instinctively deflected thanks to Venomous shielding himself with his Magisword. It bounced the ray back at the king, encasing him in a thick layer of his own frost only able to move his eyes.
Suddenly, Cosma came crashing from above the pit onto her feet smashing the statue that was Ice King!
"Kept you waiting, huh?"
Angered, Doctor Flug grabbed his weapon from the cargo hauler while a portal spawned behind him to deliver the supplies to a different place. As he backed up and aimed his laser, he said to Venomous, let alone appealing to him, "Try to step in the shoes of someone who could never satisfy those around him. Not family, not friends, not even Black Hat appreciate my work, and he's the only one who wouldn't betray me. Unlike you!"
"I've betrayed a lot of people in the past Flug," Venomous admitted. "But unlike me, you're the one sticking with it."
Cosma used the yarn on her magisword in an effort to tie up the doctor before he could pull the trigger! While in a bind, he gets kicked hard in the chest by Winnie running up to him, sending him hurdling into the portal along with the supplies. Before they could pursue, the gate shut down and Dr. Flug was back at base safe and sound, much to Turbo's dismay.
"Damn," he balled his fist. "They got away."
"Don't worry," his father assured him. "They may have left with some of the Glorbs, but it shouldn't be enough to cause major concern knowing how unstable it is."
"An' you said it was the good stuff," Scaramouche asked.
Cosma smiled and clarified, "Only with salt, sugar, and grown right."
"Keep talking and I might just cook one tonight," said Venomous. He turned to Winnie, still there from the fighting perfectly unscathed. "Thanks for the help Winnie. You saved my skin back there."
"It's all good," she saluted. "You guys're a team, right? Lemme join! I wanna bust some heads for puttin' me on a leash!"
Cosma excitedly agreed, "More gals to represent, V-Man!"
The Professor thought aloud, "I suppose, but I don't want you telling anyone about our business until it's done. Absolutely no one must know about this. Understand?"
"Trust me. I'll be as quiet as a church mouse boss!"
[WINNIE WEREWOLF HAS JOINED THE SQUAD]
Returning to the shuttle, Turbo recovered Black Cuervo's helmet and already contacted the Toon Force to arrive shortly. Nanini's at the helm preparing for takeoff and Turbo hands her the broken headwear.
"I got you your souvenir, Nanini. Plus a new pal."
"Hey what's up," said Winnie.
"Nice meetin' ya Winnie," Nanini replied. "K.O. brought ya up once but we never met."
Turbo wondered, "Oh… Guess I forgot about that, didn't I?"
"I thought you were Turbo," said Winnie.
"I am. But back then I was K.O.'s dark side. Same memories, just…blurry."
"What next, Venomous," Sandy asked.
He answered as the ship began to take off, "Give it at least 2 days for the situation here to calm down before we get our next mission. The Toon Force'll be here any moment to investigate."
"What're we supposed to do then," Winnie questioned.
"Just pretend we never met till one of us comes to get you again. You'll know when we're ready."
"Ok chief, but you'd better lemme do somethin' other than sittin' here like a Floridian crocodile in a sermon next time," said Sandy.
The ship quickly vacated the atmosphere. And thanks to its Irken exterior, it made it easy to blend in with the rest of the shuttles descending to the surface. Dani, the female clone of Danny Fenton, hopped out of a ghost portal generated by the commanding cruiser to investigate the site, spotting Black Cuervo faceplanted against a rock while Father is crushed and Ice King is scattered into thousands of frozen pieces.
"Geez," the Ghost Girl commented.
Juniper Lee, Lazlo, Manny Rivera, and Nigel Numbuh 1 stepped out of the command ship to join in the case looking around trying to work out what could've happened. It was Manny especially who took notice of Black Cuervo and Numbuh 1 recognizing Father's body.
"You weren't a good man, Father," said Numbuh 1. "But you made things interesting."
"You don't think the heroes out here could've done this, do you," Juniper asked Dani.
"I sure hope not. These guys come from completely different cartoons."
Manny added, "Zoe's not even from the same network!"
"Tigre," said Cuervo Negro with a slur. "Don't tell Frida… I wanna be her property…"
"Yup! Definitely the wrong network," Manny said dropping her.
Examining the river of glorbs, Dani wondered, "Just why would these supervillains be here of all places…?"