Gemwimg2012 - This chapter took a lot of work concerning the Nerdlucks stealing the talents of the NBA players while making the story different from the movie as best as possible to make it unique with the exchange between the various characters. And it certainly looks like the aliens are not the only ones scheming…
Nataliepthatsme - this was a crazy chapter especially it involved the NBA players talents being stolen. But it's great to know that Cuppy can send word to Alicia and ask for some help. I'm so excited to meet all the cartoon characters and help them out
LexieLuthor98 -"Uh oh, seems we've got some strange happenings in the world of cartoons...and the NBA? And the Nerdlucks have now become the Monstars? Strange things have happened here, no stranger would it be...once we follow the next chapter of "Space Jam: Dreamstones edition. Stay "tooned" and enjoy!"
Blackwolfen - Short info but I'm afraid I won't be adding an author's note in the future. Poll is on my profile if the return is desired. Anyway have fun with this chapter ;)
Back in the Real World, John and Alicia just made it back home after walking Duke when it started to pour down heavily with a severe thunderstorm as a flash of lightning flashed across the dark, cloud covered sky and thunder roared loudly.
"Aw jeez! Made it back just in time before it got worse." John commented as he removed Duke's leash.
Duke let out a slight gruff before he shook himself, drying himself from the few light droplets of rainwater after receiving a couple of drips when the rain had been light drizzle. Both siblings recoiled while bringing their arms up to shield themselves from the wayward droplets.
"Duke!" Alicia exclaimed.
John sighed as he brushed down his sleeve. "Been meaning to get changed into some dry clothes when we get back anyway."
"Tell me about it. I'm wet from head to toe."
The sudden rain was a surprise for both siblings. But well it's better than another heatwave.
"Guess we have to cancel the meeting in the café." A disappointed Alicia sighed, grabbing her Smartphone and started writing in the group chat with the others.
Alicia: Sorry, Guys, we have to cancel the meeting.
Her phone pinged when Katie had written back in understanding.
Katie: It's okay. We just saw it pouring down over at the hotel. How about we meet up at the café tomorrow instead? The news said it'll be decent by then.
Alicia: Sure, we will be there and say, did you notice something wrong with the cartoons lately?
Alicia was curious and wanted to know if it wasn't a glitch she saw on her phone while she watched the Popeye cartoon.
Katie: Yeah, that was really weird. My memories of a few cartoons are a bit rusty but I seem to remember Darkwing had kicked Megavolt into that water fountain when we were watching a Darkwing Duck cartoon. Instead, Roger Rabbit and Benny the Cab from Who Framed Roger just appeared out of nowhere and ran over Megavolt. How odd is that?
Alicia: Same here Bluto should punch Popeye in the face but Baloo from Talespin appears out of nowhere and mentions something about a Cartoon Meeting?
Katie: Come to think of it, Lexie just got a text from Liam about the same thing back in Texas when he and Matt were watching a Looney Tunes cartoon. Porky Pig just popped up during Wile E Coyote's attempt to catch Road Runner, mentioning a Union Cartoon Meeting as well. The same between Roger and Darkwing.
Alicia: Well, we just checked if that happend to other cartoons and yes, even in The Cuphead Show, there were no characters. Only the background.
John watched other cartoon shows but there were no characters and just the scenery and backdrops, which greatly concerned his sister.
What the heck is happening?
Alicia: I have a bad feeling about this, guys. :(
Katie: Believe me, Alicia, you're not the only one… :(
Meanwhile, over at New York City, that evening, a basketball game is being held as the studio is jam packed with fans taking their seats. One particular figure, garbed in a trench coat, a fedora and a wooly scarf (despite the summer heat), was stumbling awkwardly among the patrons, sitting down in an empty seat next to a couple.
Once the figure had sat down, a couple of voices inside the coat shouted and argued. Instead of normal, small live-action eyes of a human being, peering out were large 2D animated eyes of a certain alien as Nawt, being the smallest, stood atop of the totem of Nerdlucks hidden away in the disguise.
"Ow! Get your feet out of my nose!" exclaimed Bupkus
The Woman sitting next to the Nerdlucks in disguise looked at them and was confused. Nawt quickly shushed the others not to attract any unwanted attention before he returned his focus onto the game as the woman rolled her eyes and looked away to do the same.
"Quiet! They're looking!" Nawt whispered. He was very awestruck by what he was seeing before he glanced down at the middle middle of the coat below him. "Hey, look. It's basketball."
The Nerdlucks below parts the coat open as Bang peeks out, whispering, "Where?"
"Whoa! Now what?" Blanko piped up.
While the game continued, the woman sitting next to the disguised Nerdlucks noticed something a bit off about the trench coated stranger and started to look back at "him" again, which worried Nawt.
"Hey! Hey!" Nawt called out.
"What? What?!" Pound demanded.
"She's looking again!"
The woman barely noticed the tiny pair of 2D animated stubby little green, three-fingered hands frantically flailing and waving about to grab the folds of the trench coat as a tiny voice yelped, "Close it up! Close it up!"
"Tightly!" Blanko added in.
The tiny green hands managed to close up the opening in the stomach of the coat while another voice grunted in protest.
"You're poking me again!" Bupkus complained.
As she turned to look over at her husband, the woman failed to notice another pair of eyes peeking out as Bupkus had popped up beside Nawt to take get a better view of the game before he stumbled back down inside the coat while the Nerdlucks struggled to readjust their position while keeping themselves hidden. For a brief moment, Blanko's foot stuck out from the coat before he was pulled back in.
"Sweetheart, I thought you were going to get better seats this year." The woman muttered over to her husband.
"Look, these are as good as I can get." The man answered, keeping his eyes focused on the game.
"This guy next to me is doing something really weird to his raincoat!" His wife hissed in annoyance as the Nerdlucks fidgeted some more before they settled down.
Getting agitated, the husband snapped, "Honey, please! Would you let me watch the game? Barkley's killing us!"
Overhearing that statement, Bang opened the belly of the coat again as he peeked out, interested.
"Hey! Someone's killing someone!" Bang piped up.
"No! Seriously?" Blanko inquired as he curiously took a peek himself.
"Whoa! A killer?" Pound exclaimed as he climbed up beside Nawt to take a look himself. "Lemme see!"
It was that moment the Nerdlucks had caught sight of Charles Barkley as he darted around members of the rival team, making a move to grab the ball and pass it onto one of his teammates.
"There! That's him! The killer!" Nawt informed, pointing at Barkley. "He's big."
"He's good." Blanko commented with an impressed and dopey smile.
Just then, Pound shoved Blanko aside, leering out from the opening in the coat as he leered at Barkley with the canny of a predator stalking its prey.
"He's mine!" Pound declared with a sinister smirk before he ominously closed up the opening in the coat again.
"Okay, go get him!" Nawt whispered, not noting the woman turning her head again to look over at the disguised Nerdlucks.
"Yeah. Watch this…" Pound replied.
Just then, much to the woman's horror, the trench coat started to crumple down into the seat it was sitting on as though its wearer was melting like the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of OZ. This freaked the woman out as she actually stood up and knelt on her seat like she had seen a rat, leaning against her husband, surprising and confusing him.
In reality, the Nerdlucks had dismantled their jumbled up totem and gathered up in their seat beneath their coat. They slightly opened it up to allow Pound to sneak out. The moment he got onto the floor, he suddenly started to morph and liquify into a glowing pink substance.
Creeping down from the audience stand, the pink liquid weaved around the darting basketball players, slithering like a serpent as it zeroed in on its prey. Once it had reached Barkley, the liquid struck and shot up into his mouth, catching him completely off guard. His sudden stop made the crowd roar out in protest as he twitched unconsciously a couple of times before the pink liquid crept out from his ear and slid away, not noticed by either of the basketball players or even the audience.
"Get back on defense!" One of Barkley's teammates called out, trying to get his attention. "C'mon! Get back on defense, man!"
So, the game continued, but something most unexpected happened. Much to the confusion, concern and frustration of his team and their manager, Barkley waved his arms about and awkwardly held them in the air while the rival team darted around him and tossed the ball into his team's net.
It was almost like… Barkley had lost his skills and talents at basketball.
"What are you doing?!" The manager demanded, shocked by the display. "Time out! Call in a time out!"
The time out horn blared out as each basketball teams went over to the benches while Barkley looked confused and out of it, not understanding what just happened to him.
"What's wrong with you, man? You're killing us!" The same teammate complained.
The glowing pink substance creeped back towards the audience, right towards the Nerdlucks' seat beneath the crumpled coat.
"Open up!" Nawt squeaked as he and the others parted the coat up to give the liquified Pound entry.
Inside, the other four Nerdlucks were holding a basketball as the substance fazed inside it. As this happened, the large, orange ball suddenly glowed ominously a bright golden glow, much to the awe of the Nerdlucks.
"That is so dope!" Blanko commented.
"Wow! He did it!" Bupkus exclaimed.
The basketball shook for a couple of seconds before Pound, in his solid form again, leapt back out with an audible pop as he grinned wickedly.
"I got it! I got his talent!" Pound declared, turning back to point at the glowing ball.
The rest of the Nerdlucks voice out their approval and celebration. Now, they just need four more and they will have the advantage they will need to make their win against the toons in the Ultimate Game a shoe-in as the Earthlings would say.
In the living room, Alicia and John watched through some channels. The other cartoons showed no characters at the moment so the only thing the two siblings could do is to watch the news or sports show.
John pressed the button on the remote to switch the channel as a live broadcast of the NBA game was shown. Alicia looked bored at the screen when she suddenly noticed a pink liquid-like thing.
"Uhhh, John…"
John looked to his sister, asking, "Yeah, Sis, what's wrong?"
"Did you see the pink liquid crawling on the playing field?" Alicia asked.
John looks more confused at her before he focuses his attention onto the TV screen while Duke yawned.
"Sis, there is no…." John trailed off when he saw it and was more than confused. He couldn't close his mouth.
Not only because of the liquid but also because of what happens to the players after they come in contact with it. It feels like both siblings watch a basketball match played by kids and not professional NBA players.
Back in Texas, after seeing all cartoon shows were devoid of their characters, most especially The Cuphead Show, much to the confusion and disappointment of his kid brother, Liam reluctantly changed the channel to show the sports show.
"Sit tight, buddy. I'll go pick out a DVD for us to watch." Liam said as he got up from the couch. "Hopefully, we won't have a repeat of what happened to the other cartoon shows on TV."
Just as Liam was about to leave the room to pick out a DVD, Matt caught notice of a live broadcast of the NBA players, spotting a weird snake-like pink liquid creeping in and out of one of them.
"L-Liam?" Matt squeaked out, unnerved and weirded out.
"Huh? Matt, what's the-?" Liam trailed off to notice the weird pink substance creeping in and out of an NBA player. "What the heck?!"
The two brothers watched on, dumbfounded as the NBA player, Shawn Bradley awkwardly slumping forward, his arms dangling underneath him as his sneakers squeaked across the polished floorboards.
"What's going on, Lee?" Matt asked. "How come the NBA players are suddenly playing badly?"
"Your guess is as good as mine…" Liam replied before he grabbed his phone and started to make a call.
Back in California at the hotel, Kaichi, Daisy and Aya were nestled on one of the beds while Lexie was ordering room service as Natty went into the living room and Katie was taking a shower. Just as Katie got out, drying her hair while dressed in a white terry-cloth bathrobe, Lexie's phone started ringing and vibrating.
She looked at Lexie's phone and saw it was Liam calling.
"Lexie! It's for you!" Katie called. Thankfully, Lexie came scurrying in and smiled.
"Thanks, Kate." She then answered the call. "Hi, Lee. What's going on?"
"Hey, Lex. Are you and the others watching the sports news?" Liam asked on the other line.
"Erm, I don't think so. I think Nat was just about to watch it." Lexie replied.
Just then she heard Nat call from the other room.
"Kate! Lex! You gotta see this!"
After Katie slipped on her clothes, the two rushed into the living room and saw Natty on the couch, watching the sports news. She's a huge Chicago Cubs fan and often times watched the highlights of their win with her dad.
This time, however, there was something else that was surprising.
"What the-?!" Kaichi exclaimed as the screen showed an NBA player getting nailed in the head by the basketball thrown at him as he poorly held his hands up to catch it.
"Are you all seeing this?" Liam asked on the other line.
"Yep, we are now." Lexie replied, as they saw the chaotic events happening on the basketball court. The main thing that startled everyone was that strange pink substance.
"First the strange flying object passing the airport. Then all of the cartoon characters running off during an episode, talking about a 'meeting' and now this?" Katie said in concern while she anxiously fiddled with her locket. "Guys… I think Alicia's right to have a bad feeling about this. Something is definitely wrong."
"Yeah, starting to get that bad feeling too." Natty muttered as she twisted her engagement ring nervously.
Aya mewed and Daisy squeaked in worried agreement.
After seeing the sports show with the weird pink liquid, Alicia went to her room to grab her Cuphead book from her Shoulder bag.
It was old but it still looked good as new. The cup in the center of the book glows and shines with every movement.
"I hope you are alright, guys…" She hugged the book before opening it. The pages were already written and colored with pictures.
She remembered the adventure she had with both Cup Brothers back when she had to write the story. But she hadn't opened the book because of that. She opened it to travel into the world of the book.
Unlike any normal book, this one is magical and has one page that allows anyone from this world to get into the Cuphead World and the other way around.
She finally found the page she was looking for and was ready to go into the World.
"Please work this time." She pleaded inwardly, putting the book on her bed.
It was wide open and big enough for her to go through. She took one step but her foot didn't go through the book as it usually would.
She couldn't go into the world of the book which worried her even more.
Not only because she couldn't visit the former debtors, her god-parents and the two Cup Brothers, but she couldn't be together with her husband.
"Did it work this time, Sis?" John asked, watching her from outside her room.
"No, it didn't." Alicia answered.
She removed her foot and looked into the book. All the characters looked at her with worried faces as well.
Alicia sighed, "I really need to talk about that with the others."
Before she could close the book, however, a text appears on the next page.
It was a message from Cuppy. The Cuphead from the book.
"Alicia! The toons and I are in trouble! We need your help! We'll explain everything when you get here! Hurry!
-Cuppy
"Ehhh John? Can you give me my Smartphone?" Alicia asked.
"Sure, Al." John replied.
He reached over and grabbed her phone, handing it to her. She opened it and started a video call.
"Huh?" Katie gasped, getting a phone call on her phone.
She grabs her phone and opens it to video chat.
"What's up, Ali?" Katie asked. "Did you see what's happening on the sports show as well?"
"Yes, me and my bro saw it, but there is something else I need to show you." She holds up the book with the message.
Natty looked over Katie's shoulder and saw the message. "Cuppy…like from the Cuphead book?"
"Yes, it's him and I'm getting more worried than usual." Alicia answered, looking extremely concerned.
"And from the look of that message, I bet it has connections to why all of the characters from the cartoon shows had disappeared." Lexie confirmed.
"You think maybe the Devil did something?" Alicia inquired, the thought about it making her shudder, especially with her encounter with him was rather unpleasant.
"Hmm, I'm not so sure, sis." John stated.
"Your brother makes a good point, Alicia." Katie agreed. "Last we all checked, the Devil's obsessed with stealing people's souls… not their talents at basketball."
"Yeah, he sucks at sports in general, so what's the deal?" Natty asked.
"You're right, but he could get into the Real World and do something like that." Alicia sighed.
"True, but none of us ever remember him ever transforming into some weird pink liquid that can steal people's talents." Lexie pointed out.
Katie nodded in agreement. "The Devil might be capable of transforming into anything, even a hotdog stand, but I highly doubt he would actually liquify himself like that. And we all know that he likes playing tricks on people and making them miserable, but surely even he wouldn't stoop down so low to steal NBA players of their talents.
"Hmm, but if it wasn't him, then who stole the talent?" asked Alicia.
Meanwhile, back in Toon Town…
The Cup Brothers and all of the toons were out at an outside basketball court, practicing for the upcoming game, most confident that they would win. While some like Bugs and Mickey have more experience in basketball, some toons are either a bit rusty or never played it themselves.
After Bugs had successfully tossed the ball into the net, he and Mickey went over to the Cup Brothers and several toons waiting at a couple of benches. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers were chowing down on a couple of large sub sandwiches while Cuphead was drinking from a bottle of soda and SpongeBob and Patrick were licking away at a couple of ice cream cones.
"Okay, which of you fellas had ever played basketball before?" Mickey asked.
"Unfortunately, some of us have very little experience in such a game." Goliath spoke up.
"And I'm kinda rusty on my motor skills." Darkwing shrugged sheepishly.
"Cuphead and I normally play catch with a baseball." Mugman piped up.
Just then, Daffy Duck popped up, exclaiming, "I have, Coach! And I have a very important and strategic question I need to ask you both."
"Which is?" Bugs inquired before Daffy ran off.
In a flash, Daffy had made a runaway appear and he walked along on it like a supermodel, dressed and posing in various outfits (especially in a pink cheerleader outfit with a blonde wig in pigtails). Eventually, he reaches the end of the runaway, dressed in a purple and gold basketball uniform, black and white sneakers and a green curly wig.
"Uhhh…" Cuphead uttered as he squinted at Daffy's choice of uniform wear, more uncomfortable with the wig.
"Aw, applesauce…" Baby Herman muttered, facepalming.
"Whaddya think?" Daffy asked. "I'm kinda partial to purple and gold myself. It goes better with my coloring."
While Daffy is posing in his outfit, Launchpad had just happened to hurry over to Bugs and Mickey with some news.
"Hey, guys!" Launchpad stopped for a second to notice Daffy was posing and showing off in his uniform some more before Launchpad commented, "Whoa! Nice outfit, Daffy."
"Gosh, what is it, Launchpad?" Mickey asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Launchpad remembered. "The little alien guys requested their turn to use the basketball court."
The duck politely motioned over to the Nerdlucks, who were doing some warm-up exercises, some of them doing poorly while Nawt was doing surprisingly well with doing Jumping-Jacks.
"Yeah sure, let the little pipsqueaks knock themselves out." Cuphead commented.
The other Toons started to leave the basketball court grabbing their stuff.
"Let's see how this will go." said Kid Cloudkicker while he gave Baloo a high five.
"Too bad you can't practice getting taller, boys." Daffy taunted as Donald, Tom and Squidward laughed along with him.
As the Toons were about to leave, thunderclouds ominously rolled in, crackling with streaks of lightning as Pound and Bang held up a basketball bag by each strap with malicious smirks.
Pound unzips the bag to reveal the basketball containing the talents of the NBA players they had stolen from as it glowed brighter than it had before. Without any hesitation, the Nerdlucks pressed their hands over the ball as a surge of energy courses through them.
Suddenly, getting an odd feeling, Mugman turns around and gapes in shock, confusion and concern. Realizing the tiny aliens were going through some sort of freakish transformation, Mugman gave out the same wheezy sputtering he had made in Carn-Evil, in terror while trying to get the other Toons' attention.
"Gawrsh, Mugsy, what's wrong?" Goofy asked as he and the others turned.
"What? So, those little twerps are about to practice on the court." Squidward snorted. "What's… the big… deal…?"
The celeapod trailed off in shock, his eyes widening as he and the rest of the Toons looked on in shock.
"Ahhh!" Pound gasped, smiling with wicked fascination as he started to feel strange and began to grow big and strong. He laughed as he grew muscles.
Blanko stares up at Pound before he looks down to see his feet starting to shake. They suddenly transformed into big sneakers and he suddenly and quickly grew bigger and taller too as well.
Bang started to grow tall as he groans in pain, grew muscles and his spine got strong. Then the spikes pop out. Once his painful transformation was complete, he briefly laughed before he threw his head back and let out a monstrous roar.
Cuphead heard it and turned around to see the aliens transform into giant monsters. Darkwing and Donald turn around as well only for the latter to fall unconscious.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy screamed, his hair comically spiking up all over his head as five shadows loomed over him and the other Toons.
"Rikes!" Scooby yelped as he leapt into Shaggy's arms.
Towering above the shocked Toons were no longer the dorky, bug-eyed and puny Nerdlucks, but terrifyingly monstrous brutes with muscles, height and skills. Apparently, the former Nerdlucks were the ones laughing now as they sneered down at their soon to be competitors and future slaves as the storm clouds had parted, revealing the full moon that only seemed to highlight their new monstrous forms.
Not only were they now bigger, stronger, taller, faster and more skilled, they were now garbed in black basketball uniforms with yellow rims and each a silver #0 on the back and front of their jerseys.
The tall, lanky brute who was Blanko leans over between Pound and Bupkus, sneering down at SpongeBob, "Hey, little sponge!"
Despite his earlier intimidating glare, the tall blue alien was still the same mellow and laid-back dimwit as he bends his head down with a dopey smile to level with a trembling SpongeBob as his teeth were audibly chattering.
"Boo." Blanko said simply.
This was enough to make SpongeBob scream in terror and literally jump out of his trademark pants. Once his feet hit the ground, SpongeBob looks down to see he was in his shoes, socks and underwear, much to his embarrassment.
"That scared the pants off me…" SpongeBob commented sheepishly as he grabbed his pants, blushing.
As the monsterfied aliens laughed and mocked the Toons, Bang snatched up the basketball in his clawed hand. Due to his new form and height, the ball was practically no bigger than a baseball in his palm as he bounced it a couple of times.
"Time to play a little basketball." Bang sneered.
With a grunt, he threw the ball down with all his might, causing the entire court to shake and tremble as though it were suffering an earthquake. Most of the Toons panicked as they tried to avoid falling while a piece of the ground was pushed upwards due to the earthquake, lifting them. In panic, Tom and Herman leapt into Baloo's arms as they trembled in terror.
"Well, blow me down!" Popeye exclaimed in shock. "Them little pipsqueaks suddenly turned into superstars!"
"They're m-m-m-monsters!" Porky stammered in fright.
"Jumpin' jeepers! They're… Monstars!" Roger cried, horrified.
With a malicious smirk, Bang callously squeezed the ball until it popped into a uselessly airless sack and tossed it aside.
"Bye-bye!" Bang waves mockingly as he and the rest of the newly dubbed Monstars ran off, causing the ground to shake and a building to collapse in the distance.
"Uh-oh…" Donald gulped, realizing the sudden turn of events.
"We're doomed!" Squidward wailed in horrified dismay. "We don't stand a chance against those monsters now!"
While the Toons shake in fear after seeing the transformation of the aliens both Cup Brothers looked at one another anxiously.
"Eh, I think we would need a little help." Bugs said as got out a carrot and munched on it.
"But who can we ask?" Roger asked, nervously stroking his hands as he shakes in fear. "I don't think we can ask any professional basketball players like Michael Jordan since he still has a life outside of basketball and could be busy with something else."
"Gawrsh, who can we call for help?" Goofy inquired worriedly.
Of course Cuphead didn't need to think long for who the person will be that can help them.
"Alicia can help us! She is a good basketball player after all. Remember Mugsy?" He asked as he nudged his elbow against his brother's shoulder.
"Oh yes, you're right!" Mugman agreed. But then, he remembered something.
He knew Alicia wouldn't do this all alone. She needs help. The help of three other young women who could be capable to face up against the Monstars and will always have her back.
"Who is that Alicia you guys are talking about?" Asked Baloo as he walked up to both Cup Brothers with the other Toons.
"A pal of ours." Cuphead answered. "She had been on our many adventures in the past and has some pretty cool powers."
"And you two said she is a basketball player right?" Gosalyn inquired.
"Yes, we had a similar basketball match against the Devil." said Mugman
"He wanted my soul so we made a match out of it which she won." stated Cuphead. "If there's anybody who can wallop the Monstars and save us from slavery on their planet, it's Alicia Powell."
"Like, that's great and all, but isn't there anybody else next to her to help us out?" Shaggy spoke up.
"Yes, there are three others we can ask!" said Cuphead.
"Their names are Katie Gemwing, Lexie Luthor and Natty Poke." Mugman confirmed.
"Alright, so Alicia will be our coach." Bugs declared. He turned to Mickey in confusion, asking, "Any ideas where those girls could be?"
Mickey looked on in thought as he considered, "Good question…"
Pondering, the mouse then looked over at the Cup Brothers with an idea.
"Say, Cuphead… don't suppose you and Mugman have some way to communicate with either Alicia or those other three?" Mickey asked.
Cuphead thought about it and had an idea as he exclaimed,"Sure, we have!"
"Really? What is it?" Darkwing inquired.
Both brothers brought the Toons in and whispered to them.
Meanwhile, not far away from the basketball court the Devil, Henchman and King Dice appeared listening to what both Cups said.
"Aw jeez. Looks like the basketball game has gotten much more serious now." Henchman said nervously. "And those Monstars are unnecessarily huge and mean."
"Looks like things are getting interesting, eh, Big D?" Dice commented.
"Yes it is, Dice." The Devil said with a sinister smile "Soon, I will have my sweet Katie and dearest Alicia in my arms."
"Indeed you will, Boss." Dice sneered. "And since Lexie is coming, I'll be happy to have that lil' darling snuggled with me, and I'm sure Anubis will be happy to hear about his beloved Natty coming too."
Smirking, the Devious Duo, along with Henchman (who is still uncomfortable with the aliens' monstrous transformation and brutality) disappeared in a cloud of smoke before any of the other Toons noticed them.
With the Devil involved, it would seem the situation had now gone from bad to worse. And now that the Devil knows about Alicia and the Dreamstones are soon joining in the field, the basketball game will surely work to his benefit.