Grinder looked over at Young Flower, realising that Skunk had fallen asleep at his desk. It wasn't night yet, in fact, it was the middle of the day, so the robot knew this was just one of his random naps. The man usually got exhausted after inventing things all day and worked hard into the night as well, so all that plus his maturing age definitely led to him dozing off whenever he grew tired enough.
The small orange monster rushed up to the scientist and tucked himself under one of his crossed arms that were resting on the tabletop. Skunk had fallen asleep at his workbench, hunched over in his seat with his head resting in his arms. He had his goggles strapped loosely onto his head and his hair was a mess.
Skunk mumbled a little to himself at the warm fuzzy feeling he now felt and gave a small smile. He leaned into the warm little critter, who happily nuzzled him.
Grinder opened up the bed with the push of a button, then pulled the blanket out from it, carefully placing it over his inventor. He would've much preferred placing him in the bed since it was more comfortable, but there was a chance that Grinder would wake him up, plus he didn't want the orange fur ball to attack him. It wasn't very often Skunk got a good nap so he decided to help him.
Because he had to be as quiet as possible to not wake the man up, Grinder decided to sit in the corner and shut down to preserve energy. He usually did this whenever Skunk fell asleep because there was no need for his services, plus any bit of fuel saved would make him a lot happier.
He shut down and his vision went black. With time racing by during his shutdown state, he felt as if only a moment passed by before he was activated by a sound and his eyes opened once more.
Taking a second for his eyes to focus again, Grinder noticed a figure standing over Skunk, hand extended. He didn't spare another second before his arm shot out and using his claw, he lifted the person up by their collar, earning a startled yelp.
"What in the- Put me down!" The shouting woke Skunk up. With a startled yell, the old man jumped to his feet on top of the seat. In the rush, he nimbly whipped around and kicked the man's face, to which he yelled in pain. Young Flower had leapt up, transforming into his more dangerous monster state and snarled angrily, ready to protect Skunk at all costs.
"What is going on?!" The person shouted, wincing at the stinging he felt on his face and brought a hand up to rub his sore cheek.
Skunk's face dropped, finally snapping to his senses,
"Oh, Gumball m'boy. I didn't know it was you, sorry…" He gave an awkward chuckle, glaring over at Grinder. "Why'd yeh startle me like that, yeh tin can?" He huffed, placing his hands on his hips.
Grinder fumed and gave a few beeps, waving his free hand around. He had thought an intruder had entered and was going to attack him.
"Ugh, just drop him, you pile of nuts and bolts." Skunk frowned.
The robot chattered angrily and let go, making Gumball plop down onto the ground with an 'oof'. Skunk hopped off the chair onto the ground, holding a hand out towards him,
"Sorry about your face, Gumball… You alright?" He offered a guilty look, helping him up.
"I suppose…" He grumbled, looking over at the robot. "I just came to check on you. I called but you didn't respond." The man dusted himself off, glad he still had all of his teeth from that somehow mighty kick.
"Oh, that's because my wristcom was turned off," Skunk chuckled. "I was busy working on something before I fell asleep. My sleep schedule's pretty messed up, I suppose this means I'll be up in the middle of the darn hootin' night," he mumbled, eyes trailing off before he looked back up at him. "Why'd you call?"
"You didn't come up for lunch, I was worried."
Skunk squinted down at his wristcom and noted the time was well past 2 in the afternoon. He also had a couple of missed calls from Gumball, which made sense,
"Oh right…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose I can come up now if you still want?" He massaged his temple, realising how tired he was after the adrenaline had worn off.
"If you're tired, you don't have to."
"Nonsense, I'm feeling alive!" He hit his chest with his fist and stood up straight, beaming. The man had a habit of leaping suddenly, whether it was because he was startled or because he wanted to prove how lively he was.
Gumball didn't believe him, since he could still see the bags under his eyes, but he didn't want to refuse him or make him feel bad,
"Er, very well."
The two men walked over to the lift and the doors closed, leaving Young Flower and Grinder alone. The robot deflated a little and mimicked a sigh, trudging back over to his spot. All he had wanted to do was help, he had genuinely thought the President had been an attacker. How he got in the room without alerting him sooner made him worry.
What if he wasn't good enough anymore? What if someone actually managed to get to Skunk and he wasn't able to help?
He paused for a moment, Young Flower looking up at him, before his vision shut down once more.
Skunk yawned quietly,
"So… What's the young Pac been up to?" He asked.
"Oh, just schoolwork…" Gumball mused awkwardly. It was true, there had hardly been any ghost attacks and that had given Pac enough time to catch up with any missed work, despite his annoyed groans.
Straightening out his suit again, Gumball nervously glanced over at him, earning a raised eyebrow,
"What's got your tongue?" The scientist questioned.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but… Don't you ever miss interacting with people?" The president anxiously fidgeted with his gloves. Of course, he didn't want to offend his friend, not at all, but that couldn't stop his curiosity.
Skunk chuckled, lightly patting his shoulder,
"Not at all. I've got little Young Flower and good ol' Grinder, I'm quite set as it is," he spoke, smiling at him.
"And you don't ever feel strange not talking to others? Aren't you ever lonely?"
"Course not, they make lovely company," Skunk said firmly. "Just 'cause they aren't Pacworlders, doesn't mean they're useless trash bags. May I remind you that I speak monster and I can understand whatever the hell Grinder's tryna say?"
"Sorry, you know I only care for you. I just thought, with the way you treat the robot… Perhaps you didn't like it?" Gumball glanced over the ground.
There was a small pause from the scientist that made the president wince, thinking that he had just about done it, when Skunk started laughing.
"Oh you silly goose, Grinder's family! Course we get on each other's nerves all the time but we still like each other, that's what family's for…" His voice slowly trailed off as he saw Gumball slowly slumping forward, and his eyes widened in realisation.
Oh dear, he had almost completely forgotten about Baby Bugs Bunny being his brother. Skunk had grown up alongside the two siblings since their parents had been good friends. He was a few years older than them but that didn't stop him and Gumball from becoming really good friends. Baby Bugs Bunny, on the other hand… Well, he could never get close to him. After a while he gave up, though it pained him to see the man secretly suffering.
"No matter." Skunk shook it off. "Now, what's for lunch?" He hummed as they stepped into his office, rubbing his hands together.
A few plates sat on Gumball's desk, one with a salad, a few with sandwiches and others with plain fruits. Simple, just how Skunk liked it. He reached out and grabbed an apple, biting out a small chunk as he looked back over at Gumball, who simply watched him.
"Something still on your mind?" The scientist swallowed, pointing at him with his free hand.
"I can't help but wonder if this will ever end. How will it end? Will we cut access from the Netherworld to Pacworld? Or will we destroy all the ghosts? Will they return to their bodies as enemies and rule over Pacworld, or will they return as friends?" He found his train of thought leading him to the true death of Baby Bugs Bunny. The first one was traumatic enough, and yes his brother was evil, but death? Would anyone really wish death upon their siblings?
Skunk sighed,
"Here. Take this." He placed a banana in the president's hand.
Gumball paused and stared down at it, raising an eyebrow,
"What is it?"
"It's- It's a banana. What does it look like? Eat. Some food'll do you good." At the uncertain and confused look he was getting, the scientist shook his head. "Don't worry that hard about the future m'boy, it'll just stress you out and all for what? Who knows what'll happen? Look back at Pac World War I, where we all thought Baby Bugs Bunny was gonna rule the world. Didn't happen, did it? All I'm saying is that you should care, but it shouldn't affect you too much. Maybe you just need a break." He took another bite of his apple.
"A break," Gumball scoffed. "And how am I supposed to do that?" He gestured to the pile of papers on his desk, placing the banana down on it. "In addition, I've also got two more meetings today and a press conference to discuss taxes- or something." Mumbling, he buried his face in his hands.
Skunk awkwardly watched, then sighed. Things were definitely easier before the war, when no one had to fight and they didn't have very many responsibilities.
"… You could just stop running for president every election."
"What sort of idea is that? I'd be left defenceless from my brother! Plus who knows who would run next. Remember Obtuse?" Gumball frowned sternly at the memory.
"Right, right. Well, I'm outta ideas now." He mumbled, quickly finishing off his apple. "Probably should head back to m'lab. Since yeh need to do your work and all that boring stuff."
"Already? All you ate was an apple!"
"Forgot to mention Young Copper's coming over as well." He chuckled a little, almost giggling. "Gonna chat and eat a tad bit of food together."
"Like a date?" Gumball pointed out, head tilting slightly.
Skunk's eyes widened and he rapidly waved his hand in front of the president's face, startling him,
"No, no! Nothing like a date!" His cheeks went a rosy colour and he covered his mouth with his hand to try to hide his embarrassment.
The corners of Strato's mouth lifted up slightly as he watched, thinking about how childish he was acting.
"You're allowed to admit you like her. We're not children."
"Well you're certainly acting like one, confound it!" He mumbled, turning over to the table, taking a plate of sandwiches and huffing. "I'll take this. Good day." Sticking his nose into the air, he spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, Gumball smiling as he watched.
"Have fun." He called after the scientist, sighing as he turned to look outside his window.
He didn't want to seem rude or like he was forcing anything on them, but it had been quite obvious Skunk had liked Young Copper from the get go, and vice versa. They had only met each other during the war where they got to meet Sunny and Zac, and of course they had introduced them to her. It was nice to see that they were finally getting closer.
Eyes trailing down to the stack of papers that loomed on his desk, he groaned and slumped into his seat. It was either this, or being out of a job. What, was he going to become an assistant after being president? No way, he'd rather not sink to a silly job like that. Probably just retire. But live where?
Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, picking up a pen. He was utterly useless besides addressing Pacworlders about problems.
When Skunk returned to his lab, he was met with Grinder sorting through a pile of scrap while both Young Copper and Fuzbits watched from a seat, rather confused. Young Copper glanced over as the doors opened and the scientist strode in, faltering slightly as he spotted her.
"Young Copper! Wasn't expecting you this early!" His eyes widened, realising he didn't get the time to clean his lab. "Excuse the mess, I was, er- having a chat with Gumball. Didn't realise he wanted to have lunch together today, fell asleep, kinda messed with m'plans and err… Sandwich?" He held out the plate, realising he was rambling, and offered her a sorry look.
Young Copper chuckled a little, offering a smile,
"No, it's my fault Cee Cee… I'm here early, hope I didn't inconvenience yeh too much… Just started watching Grinder here, do… Whatever he's doing." She took a sandwich from the plate Skunk was holding and stared at the robot who didn't stop to greet him.
"Grinder yeh tin can, show some respect, will yeh?" The scientist grumbled, stamping his foot. He didn't care if the robot did this while only he was in the lab, but Young Copper was there too and it felt quite rude.
The robot faltered, glancing at him and before the man could react, Grinder flew up to him, beeping like mad.
Skunk almost jumped backward,
"Slow down, rust bucket, can't understand a word you're sayin'."
Pausing, the robot turned and extended its arm to grab a random laser part from the pile. He extended it outward towards him and beeped a little.
The scientist returned a blank expression,
"And what do you want to do with a laser attached to you? Shoot me? I don't think so." Scoffing, he placed the plate of sandwiches down on the table, next to Young Copper.
Grinder shook his head angrily, chattering away. Young Copper could only watch in confusion, as she couldn't understand anything the robot was saying to him. Young Flower looked up at her from her lap and happily chirped, rubbing his head into her free hand. She chuckled and patted him gently, taking a bite from her sandwich from the other hand.
"Nonsense, I don't need you to protect me. I can look after myself." Skunk calmed down a little after realising Grinder only wanted the laser to be able to shoot any oncoming attackers. It was sweet, but there was really no need for it.
The robot beeped a tiny bit more, as a plea towards him. He felt horrible about this morning and knew something had to be done. What if someone bad actually got to him next time and he didn't realise quick enough?
"Said no, Grinder. Sorry, but I just don't think it's worth it. Yeh protect me well enough as it is, don't need some silly laser that you'll probably blast me with every night I fall asleep." He chuckled teasingly, trying to reassure him.
Slowly deflating, Grinder dropped the laser part and stared at the ground for a moment.
"Sorry lad, but there's really nothing to worry about. How many times have I gotten into trouble?"
The robot shot a glare at him, beginning to chatter like wild. Too many times to count. He had always been there, aimlessly watching as Skunk got in trouble, and the moment he offered to improve, he was refused.
In a mimicking huff, Grinder stormed off, through the automatic lab doors and away. They shut behind him and Skunk glanced over at Young Copper embarrassingly,
"I don't know what's gotten into him. He's never acted like this before."
"He just cares about you, that's all." She smiled acknowledgingly, patting the empty seat beside her.
The scientist sighed, hoping he didn't make Grinder too upset. He really cared for the robot, but was attaching a weapon to him the right way to go? What if he malfunctioned and blew up the lab? Or destroyed a few Pacworlders? He couldn't let that happen.
Moving beside her, he sat down and took a sandwich, a small conversation starting between the two of them.
Grinder rolled up a hill in the central park, plopping himself down beside a tree. He rarely left the lab, but this is where he went to blow off steam. Both figuratively and literally. It was nice and quiet, no other Pacworlders came over to this area of the park so he could have his peace.
He didn't know why he ran off, he just didn't feel like dealing with the scientist right now. What was so wrong about wanting to protect him? Apparently he only had eyes for Young Copper and didn't care at all about him or Young Flower.
From a nearby tree, a slugcam closely monitored him, and from in front of a screen down in the Netherworld, Dr. B grinned. Oh, so the little robot of that idiot, Sir Kumquat, was out on his own? Perfect, he could use this.
It wasn't every day Dr. B floated out of his lab and made a dash for the exit portal that led to the park, but he couldn't trust anyone else with the plan formulating inside his head, so he wasn't going to tell a single soul. Not even Baby Bugs Bunny - who he didn't really like anyways.
The mad scientist peered slightly through the portal, eyes scanning his surroundings. Nobody in sight, it was perfect. He carefully hovered over to a tree where he could spy on the robot carefully without being spotted.
A minute passed by, which soon turned into five, and then ten. The robot wasn't moving at all, much to the ghost's dismay.
"Dr Buttocks!" A voice screamed, startling him. His head shot to the sides, searching for the source of the voice before his eyes settled on a frowning slugcam.
Relief overcame him as he brought a finger to his lips,
"Shhh! Not so loud, I don't want ze robot to hear!" Dr. B hissed at the slimy slug.
"Don't you shush me!" The voice snapped back, and the blue spectre immediately knew it was Baby Bugs Bunny. "What are you doing out here?! You're supposed to be in your lab making evil machines for me to use against the Pac-pest!"
Dr. B scoffed,
"I'm working on it! Now shoo!" He tried waving the slug off, but Baby Bugs Bunny just started screaming and threading him even louder. In fear that Grinder heard, he glanced past the tree, but he couldn't see the robot anymore. His eyes widened and he flew up into the bushy foliage of the tree to get a better view while still remaining hidden.
The slug's screams grew distant as he squinted, spotting the robot down at the bottom of the hill, heading towards the busier part of town. He grinned, realising he was probably heading back to his lab and zipped stealthily after him.
Baby Bugs Bunny sunk into his throne, grumbling,
"He'd better have a really good plan, otherwise we'll see how he likes it when I fry his ectoplasm."
Buttler smirked from his side,
"Oh goody." He spoke quietly, watching as Baby Bugs Bunny switched through the slugcams in order to follow the chase between Dr. B and Grinder.
As the robot grew closer to the lab, blissfully unaware of the spectre following behind him, he thought over what he would say to Skunk. He felt guilty about storming off, so maybe he would apologise. Then at least ask for the scientist to inspect his sensors to make sure he was still on top of his game.
He moved over to the cherry statue near the Round House, giving a quick glance to his sides as he opened the secret stairway, waiting for it to slowly open before hopping inside. Dr. B grinned and zipped for it as quickly as he could before the doors closed, cutting off any access Baby Bugs Bunny had with his slugcams.
Turning around at the sound of noise, Grinder beeped in alarm as he stared at the ghost, who tutted in disappointment,
"Now, now you silly robot. No need to sound ze alarms." He then dove straight for the robot. He didn't know if possession would work, with the robot being a machine and all, but it was worth a shot.
The automatic doors slid open and Young Copper and Skunk turned in their seats to see who had entered.
"Grinder! I'm glad you're back. I was worried, you had been gone for a while." Skunk smiled, ignoring as Young Flower glared at the robot and growled. The little monster could feel that something was wrong.
"I'm sorry if I offended you or anything." The scientist continued. "We talked about it, and Young Copper showed me that perhaps I should loosen up a little. So whaddya say, perhaps some improvements are well overdue?"
Without a word spoken, Grinder's hand shot out and snagged the man's ankle, suddenly pulling him into the air. A few things dropped out of his coat as he dangled upside down.
Skunk yelped and Young Flower spun around to change into his more dangerous form, hissing as a threat to try to get Grinder to drop him. Young Copper instantly shot up from her seat and stood defensively as the robot laughed.
"Grinder! What's gotten into yeh?! Drop me this second!" The scientist shouted, startled by the unexpected action.
Doing no such thing, the robot grinned,
"You old coot, your dumb little robot led me straight to you und your lab!"
Skunk's eyes widened,
"Heiny-head! What did you do to Grinder?!"
"Oh! Nothing, nothing." He scoffed, waving his free hand. "It just turns out you can possess robots. Or at least your precious Grinder. Wonder why that is…" He paused before shaking his head. "No matter! Now with ze robot's help, I shall take the second-greatest mind in Pacworld and use him for my plans!"
"That's what you think, you rotten posterior!" Young Copper leapt into the air, whipping out a Plasma-Sucking Canon. In a matter of moments, she shot forward a blast in order to try to capture the ghost, but the beam just bounced straight off, much to her dismay.
Dr. B's eyes widened before his grin merely widened,
"You fool, this robot is blaster proof! Thanks to you, I presume." He pulled Skunk closer and smirked at him. The man only gave a guilty glance over at Young Copper. "Well this has been fun, but I'm afraid I need to head off now. Ta-ta."
The robot turned and stopped at the sight of Young Flower standing guard at the door, hissing and growling at him.
"Ugh, move you obnoxious little traitor." With his free hand, the ghost reached out and smacked the poor little monster out of the way.
"You leave him alone, you dolt!" Skunk yelled, squirming about uncomfortably.
"Why don't you leave them both alone?" Picking up a wrench laying around, Young Copper leapt forward and swung at the robot, only to have Dr. B grab onto her wrist to make her stop. The mad scientist then swung and threw the woman against the wall with a thud.
Skunk's eyes widened and he extended a hand,
"Young Copper! How dare you, you slimy heiny-head!" He screamed, trying to kick at him to no avail.
"Oh, be quiet." Glancing around for a moment, Dr. B snatched the closest snorkel that let Pacworlders - somehow - breathe in the Netherworld and dashed for the exit.
The poor woman could only sit up from the messy pile of objects she was flung into and stare at the empty doorway in sorrow as Skunk's cries of help grew too distant to hear. Her whole body ached from being slammed into the wall, so she didn't think she could get up for a good moment or so.
Young Flower stared at her and whimpered, so she gestured for him to come closer so she could pat him and perhaps reassure him.
She needed help.
She needed Pac.
After a small rest break, Young Copper forced herself to her feet. Cee Cee was in trouble, she had to help him no matter what, so she pushed through her aches and pains, much against Young Flower whimpers of protest, and moved over to one of the large screens on the walls.
Skunk had given her access to most of his computers, because he trusted her so much, so she was able to enter by quickly typing in the password. A few clicks later and a call quickly started between her and Pac.
Several silent moments passed before the young teen answered. He appeared on the screen, hunched behind one of his books, probably hiding the call from his teacher since it was still school hours,
"Kinda busy right now, Skunk, what's up?" He mumbled, before realising said scientist wasn't anywhere on screen. "Oh, Aunt Young Copper! Is everything okay?"
She hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to word it,
"It's Cee Cee…" Young Flower leapt onto the counter and started making various growls and whines. "That mad scientist ghost got him." She hissed in discomfort and hatred.
The yellow teen's eyes widened and he muttered a quick,
"We'll be right there. Hang on." He ended the call and shot up in his seat, holding a hand up. "Ms. Globular! It's an emergency, we have to go!" Glancing over his shoulders, Cyli and Spiral also stood, having heard the whole conversation between him and his aunt.
"Now, now, I'm sure whatever it is can wait." She tutted, crossing her arms.
"It's a national emergency." He placed his hands down on his desk anxiously. It really was. If the ghosts did something to Skunk, then they could just as well take over since they wouldn't have any new inventions to fight against them.
"Please miss, we'll even get the President to account for us." Cyli begged, knowing it was rather extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
The teacher sighed, knowing that these kids were probably being genuine,
"Very well. Hurry along now."
The three rushed out of the room and Skeebo scoffed, rolling his eyes. He found it unfair that she just let the three nerds rush off.
"Should I actually get the President?" Cyli asked the others as they ran down the hall. She didn't know if she had said the right thing.
There was a small pause as the others exchanged looks. He wasn't exactly the bravest, plus they didn't want to put him in danger… Maybe if they took him to the lab so he could keep an eye on them through the screen? Skunk was his friend after all, maybe they should inform him of his situation…
Spiral sighed,
"I'll go get the President, you two can head on down to Skunk's lab." It was in the same area, so they walked quickly together, out of the school and towards the Round House.
"I hope Skunk'll be alright…" Pac mumbled anxiously. He wondered what happened and how Dr. B was able to take him.
Spiral continued on into the Round House while the other two moved over to the Cherry Statue, opening the secret staircase cautiously.
They entered, rushing down the flight of stairs to see the slightly trashed room. Pac moved over to Young Copper, who was sitting down at the table, concernedly looking over her,
"Aunt S! What happened? Are you hurt?"
"I'm alright Pac." She carefully got to her feet. "But you need to help Skunk. That blasted ghost came in, possessing Grinder, and he took him. That piece of scum took my- took Cee Cee!" She quickly corrected herself, yelling aloud.
Moments later, down the tube that led from the president's office to Skunk's lab came Gumball, followed by Spiral.
"Is it true?" The man burst out, eyes locking onto Pac with worry. "Is Skunk really gone?"
"Yes, but please don't worry, we'll save him. We've never let anything bad happen to him, why would this time be any different?" He spoke confidently as he tried to mask his fear. He just didn't want the others to freak out, Skunk was super important to everyone and if anything happened to him then it might as well would be the end of their world.
Sure, the three teens did fight the ghosts and monsters, but without the scientist's machines to help them, there was a good chance Baby Bugs Bunny could take over. This was serious.
After a small bout of silence that was struck by uncertainty, Spiral spoke up,
"Right dude. How often is it that we lose? We'll save him, you two just sit here and keep an eye on us."
Cyli walked over to the large screen Young Copper had used before and opened an application that allowed them to see through a camera that was resting on the side.
"Here you are. Usually Skunk monitors us to make sure we're alright, but you two can do it instead, since… You know." The girl said awkwardly. "You'll be able to see everything. If anything happens, make sure you're well prepared to defend PacOpolis." She picked up the small camera on the side, about the size of a tack, and pinned it to Pac's chest.
Young Copper nodded firmly, while Gumball only nervously glanced at the screen that was now showing the room, his scared little self included. His eyebrows creased with worry as he wondered how in the world he could be this scared. It was almost embarrassing.
"You best hurry." Young Copper ushered. "Gumball and I have got this." She wasn't exactly sure about the man, but she wanted to reassure the kids.
No one wanted to let the other one down.
Young Flower leapt onto the table and with a growl, he adamantly puffed his chest out. He wanted to tag along, after all he lived with Skunk, he would do anything to save him.
"Sorry Fuz, it'd be too dangerous for you." Pac solemnly spoke.
The small orange creature shook his head, shifting into his more monstrous form to show that he was tough. No ghosts or bigger monsters would scare him off, he could still fend for himself.
Exchanging a few looks of uncertainty, the three kids sighed.
"Fine, but you've got to promise that you'll stay safe, okay? No rushing into danger when it's unnecessary, got it?" Cyli pointed at him sternly. She knew that if they didn't let him, he probably would've snuck in himself and that would've been worse.
Young Flower immediately changed back to his normal self and beamed happily, nodding vigorously. He was absolutely going to find Skunk and help him, and nothing would stop him.
"Hey Fuz, any idea where Skunk keeps his spare berries?" Spiral asked, holding out his empty berry container. "I'm running low and if we make a stop for the tree of life we'll be too late to save the dude."
The monster gave a small nod and leapt off the table, skittering over to a small drawer. He pulled it open using his large ears and gestured to it. Inside sat a small container and Spiral reached down and grabbed it.
"Hold on, are you really sure that you want to take those?" Cyli spoke, peering over at them from his hand. "You know how Skunk loves to perform experiments on them to see what happens. What if they've been used?" She questioned, not exactly wanting to see the effects of a radioactive berry in action.
"I'm sure it's fine." The red teen shrugged it off, closely examining them with his eyes. They didn't look too odd. And compared to the normal power berries, these ones seemed less neon, so that must've been a good sign, right?
Pouring the berries from the container into his own, he pocketed it and gave a thumbs up,
"Let's go."
"Be careful!" Gumball waved them farewell as the four quickly rushed out of the lab, leaving him and Young Copper alone to monitor them on the screen.
It was silent for a moment before Young Copper slammed her fist on the table in a huff, causing the President to jump,
"I should've done something more. I'm way stronger than that good-for-nothing blue heiny."
Awkwardly staring at her, he tried to console her,
"I'm sure you did everything you could. Besides, I have full confidence that Pac-man will save him."
"He'd better, or I'm going down there and beating up Dr. Behind myself." She growled, crossing her arms. She would've gone now, but she knew it was dangerous without any powers, and that Pac would've probably been angry. And the last thing she wanted to do was to make her nephew upset.
As Dr. B dragged the other through the portal, he handed him the snorkel. Skunk just snorted,
"So now you care about me, yeh rotten behind?" He still placed it over his face since he didn't exactly want to suffocate, and the air purifier inside would make sure he wouldn't inhale ash and smoke.
"Oh shut up." He huffed, exhausted from the physical labour he wasn't used to. "You're no use to my plan, dead. You und I both know that to become a ghost, you need your little machine, und sadly I don't have that."
Skunk laughed,
"You're just admitting I'm a better scientist than you, yeh nincompoop."
Dr. B shook him wildly, making him yell aloud as he was flung around. After a few moments he stopped and smirked at the dazed man,
"Shut up." He repeated.
He was honestly quite impressed with how long he had been able to possess the robot. Maybe it was because it wasn't actually living, so it didn't really have its own soul to push back against his.
After steadying himself again, still whilst hanging upside down from Grinder's hand, he growled,
"What exactly is your 'plan' this time? If it's as dumb as last time, I wouldn't be scared." He crossed his arms, blowing a raspberry at him.
"Why you-" Dr. B halted and inhaled very sharply, then slowly exhaled. He needed to make sure the old man didn't get the best of him. "It is, in fact, very ingenious und much worse than before. But, given my errors in my previous experiments, I shall not be telling you my plan beforehand."
This made Skunk's eyes widen,
"You're not what now? But you always–"
"Give away my entire plan so that ze yellow orb can help you? Not likely, you old coot. Not this time." He chuckled, much to Skunk's demise.
The Pacworlder remained silent as Dr. B carefully maneuvered over the rocky ground with the tiny wheels he now had. He wished he could just fly to his lab, but he wouldn't be able to carry both Skunk and Grinder there. Besides, they were almost at their destination.
Ahead loomed the massive black and red rocky building that was separated from Baby Bugs Bunny's castle. While he didn't really want the nosy fire ghost to interrupt him, so he didn't even bother reporting back to him. He entered through the two doors and began going up the ramp to the second floor. The ghost was definitely relieved he had a ramp instead of stairs, because these small wheels would never get him anywhere. What a horrid design, he thought to himself.
When he reached the other floor, he moved over to a rocky spike and placed Skunk in front of it. Using a rope, he carefully tied the other scientist to it to make sure he couldn't escape.
He then rolled into the cell that was placed alongside the wall, made sure to tie his arms together, then flew out of the robot, slamming the cell's door shut and locking it to make sure he couldn't escape. Grinder took a minute to stabilise himself and regain control of himself before he started beeping furiously at the blue ghost.
"You're going to regret this…" Skunk frowned.
"Uh, uh, I don't think so." He chuckled, floating over to him. "Look, if you tell me where ze Repository is, I won't have to take any drastic measures."
"Not happening, Dr. Heinyhead." He held his nose up in the air, scoffing.
"Very well." The ghost floated over to his desk, where he shifted through a few items before holding up a small black and purple device. "You've given me ze perfect opportunity to use this again, seeing as it worked so well on your little leader." He gave a small chuckle, hovering back over to the Pacworlder.
Skunk wearily eyed the small contraption,
"And what's this now?"
"Oh, that's right. You don't know what this is. Well why don't I show you?" Dr. B grinned, holding it out to show him.
"What is…" Skunk's voice slowly trailed off as he found himself staring blankly at the screen.
The blue ghost started laughing at the state of the green man,
"You fool! You just fell for my most classic invention!" Of course, it wasn't like he could hear him, but it was fun gloating.
"Hypnosis! Works like a charm!" Dr. B gave a small giggle whilst floating around, before regaining himself. "You. Listen to und obey every order I give you, is that understood?"
Grinder watched in horror as his inventor nodded slowly and the ghost laughed in glee.
"It worked! Without that idiot Baby Bugs Bunny messing everything up, it worked!" He spun around with joy, tossing the device back into the pile of junk as if it wasn't important anymore. Cautiously, he then untied Skunk.
The scientist just sat there, and Dr. B quietly thought to himself. He wanted the man to take him to the repository with their bodies inside, but if they went now, all defenceless, then there was a good chance his plan wouldn't work.
"Alright… First order." He spoke aloud, "I want you to make a powerful robot army." A dark look washed over his face as he grinned. "Enough to squash ze Pac-man."
Grinder began chattering, trying to tell Skunk to snap out of it, but the scientist didn't respond as he began sorting through the messy piles on the ground to find what he needed.
Glancing over at the loud robot, Dr.B thought for some more, eventually smirking as another idea struck him. The robot could come in handy when the Pac-pest did eventually show. Floating back over to his desk, he grabbed a small chip and grinned. His mind-controlling microchip. It always came in handy to have a few spares lying around.
He zipped back to the robot through the cell bars and opened his chest control panel, much against his opposing beeps. With a dramatic swing, he stuck the chip on and it only took a few seconds for the robot to start sparking and go quiet.
Dr. B laughed, twirling around with joy. His plans were coming together. Why fight Skunk when he could just possess his intellect and use it for his own needs? Plus a robot that could distract the others while he worked wasn't a bad idea...
"Anyone seen a portal yet?" Pac called out into the maze, only getting a few distant 'no's in return. He groaned and anxiously continued the dreaded search. There had to be easier ways to find a portal instead of just skimming through one of the mazes in the hopes that one would pop up.
They had used this method various times, but it wasn't like it did much. Most of the time they just followed a few stray ghosts inside, but there didn't seem to be any.
Well, until a small voice spoke up from behind him,
"Hiya Pac-ie!"
The teen turned his head to be met with the friendly pink, orange, blue and red figures, to which he gave a small wave in return,
"Hi Pinkie. I'm kind of busy right now, I don't suppose you can point the way to a portal?"
"... Maybe." She tapped her chin thoughtfully before continuing. "But I came to tell you something."
The yellow teen stared at her,
"Is it what Baby Bugs Bunny is doing to Skunk? Please tell me you can help."
"Actually, I don't think Lord B knows what Dr. Hindbrain is up to." Inky hummed.
Pinky nodded and decided to add onto that,
"What he means is that Dr. Hindstein took your scientist, and your little robot and he went off to his lab. Baby Bugs Bunny summoned us to find out what the crazy ghost was doing."
"Not telling Baby Bugs Bunny? Must be serious if he doesn't want the fire ghost to interrupt him." The only times Dr. B didn't report to the Lord of the ghosts, was when he had his own projects he didn't want the ghost to bother him about. That must mean he was working independently and it wouldn't be too difficult to stop him without Baby Bugs Bunny's army on high alert.
"Do you think you can show us where a portal is? Please, this is really serious, everyone's lives could be at stake." Clasping his hands together, he pleaded desperately.
Blinky shook his head intensely, but still hopelessly. The pink ghost glanced over at him, then back at Pac and those soft, round eyes of his. She knew that Dr. B's plan came with a chance of them all getting their bodies back, but she couldn't just let Pac down like that, not when he needed her most.
Miserably, Inky and Blinky groaned whilst she nodded with a smile,
"This way, follow me."
The yellow teen grinned and cupped his hands around his mouth, turning to look over at the hedges,
"Cyli! Spiral! Over here!" He called out, knowing the others could find him. They had been in these mazes so many times they knew certain areas pretty well.
Trailing behind them, the ghosts led him through the twists and turns, eventually meeting with Spiral, Cylindria and Young Flower as they reached a portal that was opening in the ground.
"Here you go my sweet Pac. Just be careful, I'm not exactly sure what Dr. B did to your scientist, but he didn't look right." Pinky's eyebrows knotted in concern.
"Thanks Pinky. For everything." He grinned, giving her a thumbs up and hopping into the portal with his two friends following suit.
The teens all quickly gobbled a berry, and Cyli quietly watched Spiral to see his reaction to the berry, carefully holding Fuzbits in her hands since a monster didn't need a power berry to breathe down here, and without it he couldn't fly. Plus they didn't want to test how a monster would react to a berry.
The red Pacworlder frowned at her,
"I ate one of my older berries since you're all up on my case bro. What would Skunk say if he knew you didn't trust him?"
"He would say he's grateful that at least I am at least the tiniest bit cautious." She huffed.
"Guys, Skunk won't be saying anything unless we help him." Pac urged.
With a small sigh, the two decided to drop it, realising there was no point in arguing anyways since Cyli only cared about him and didn't want to see him hurt.
They flew in silence as they kept an eye out for any ghosts. Several detours were taken so they could avoid large groups because the last thing they needed was the alarm being rung and all of the ghosts in the Netherworld giving away their position.
Eventually they came close to Dr. B's lab with minimal complications and Pac squinted, watching as a few lonely spooks floated by before signalling to his two friends to go. With that, they made a dash for it and decided to quietly open the door in case they could just grab Skunk and Grinder and fly off again.
A small orange rolled up to them from seemingly out of nowhere and Pac licked his lips hungrily. A snack was exactly what he needed right now. He stuck out his tongue to reach it, but Cyli held her hand out in front of him and stared at it as Young Flower growled angrily,
"Hold on Pac… Something isn't right here."
"It's just an orange." He scoffed, glancing around at the otherwise empty room.
"In the Netherworld? They don't grow here Pac. No Pacworld fruits grow here." She said firmly, slowly pulling out her Plasma-Sucking Cannon.
Spiral mimicked her, just as another orange rolled down the ramp beside them. Then another, and another.
The yellow teen groaned as he stared at the delicious food, thinking about how he wasn't allowed to eat it. But that was when the oranges began leaping into the air, four slices sticking out to become legs and small eyes glaring at them.
These weren't oranges, they were small robots disguised as oranges. It completely took them by surprise since Dr. B never created anything like this, his were never colourful and fruit-like. They were always dark and metallic.
The teens gasped as more and more orange robots rolled over to them, hissing and making chattering noises.
"What are these things?" Spiral's eyes trailed from one to another and watched as pretty soon the entire floor was covered with them.
"Less talking, more destroying!" Pac called out as he opened up his berry dispenser, chomping on an ice berry as it flew out. His yellow hue transformed into a light blue as a thin layer of ice slowly crept over his skin, and an icy blue spike formed on his head.
Opening his mouth, he blew out a freezing breath of air in the direction of the bots, except they all jumped and rolled out of the way in time to avoid being frozen.
Pac's eyes widened as they began shooting out a thick and disgusting slime that stuck to them.
"Ghost slime? What is-" The oozy slime was spat into Cyli's face, cutting off her sentence as she gagged and tried wiping it off. Young Flower jumped out of her arms and landed on the ground with a hiss.
Spiral pointed his PSC at a robot and pulled the trigger, a light beam shooting out and trapping it in a sphere. He struggled with holding it for a moment before it shot a direct flow of slime down the barrel of his PSC and it started sparking and smoking.
Yelping, he tossed the cannon forward just in time as it exploded above their heads, a few of the robots curling up back into their rounded form to avoid taking too much damage. The Pacworlders had to avert their gaze and the oranges took this opportunity to shoot slime at their feet, then dashed forward as a ball to slam into them.
Toppling over, the teens - and small fuzzy monster - groaned as they slammed into the ground. Laughter perked up from beside them and Pac lifted his head up to see Dr. B floating down from the second floor with a large grin.
"I knew ze Pac-pest couldn't handle something so small!" The ghost teased, snapping his claw a few times for dramatic effect.
"Buttocks! What did you do to Skunk?" Pac growled, leaping up into the air, only to slip on the slime again and land with a 'thump'.
The ghost's laughter echoed as he spun around happily as the teen made a fool of himself,
"I knew adding slime to ze robots was a good idea. The old man wanted to use fruits ." He scoffed, ignoring Pac's question.
The three exchanged odd looks before Cyli spoke up,
"What old man…?" She asked apprehensively.
"The robots cannot hold fruits , the fruits are too big." A voice called out, correcting the small ghost as if on cue. "The idea was orange juice. Not that would sting the opponents."
Looking over at the source of the voice, their stomachs sank. Skunk stared right back at them, a small snarl at his lips. His usually friendly face had been replaced with a glare from those unusually shrunken pupils of his.
Young Flower gave a small whimper and dug under Pac's arm in fear. What was wrong with him, why was he acting like this?
"Whatever. Slime is a ghost's signature, I'm not changing it, you dolt." Dr. B spat at Skunk.
Pac expected the man to throw an insult back at him, but when that didn't happen and the scientist only stood there, his eyes narrowed as he glared daggers at Dr. B,
"What did you do to him?" He spoke slowly as he tried to remain calm.
"Quite simple. I hypnotized him und now he listens to my every command! Do you like ze army he created? If they can stop ze Pac-man, then they should have no trouble taking over the city!"
Snickering, the mad scientist watched as Pac opened his mouth to shoot his tongue out. This time prepared, he didn't even flinch, he only just grinned at the now confused teen.
The situation seemed off to Cylindria, so she tried to call out in time,
"Wait Pac maybe don't-" Unfortunately Pac didn't get to pull away in time as a long arm extended out from seemingly nowhere and grabbed onto his tongue tightly.
The yellow teen yelped a little and turned to see where the arm had come from, although he already knew who it was just by its metallic nature, no matter how much he wished it wasn't. Grinder emerged from the shadows, using Pac's tongue to slam him into a wall. The robot's narrow eyes glowed a faint purple, but it was really obvious in the dark.
"Of course, I didn't tell you about ze robot too, otherwise you und your silly friends would have spoilt my surprise." The blue ghost laughed at their position.
It wasn't exactly like Pac could do anything to fight the cold and tight grip on his poor tongue, since it was too strong for even him to slide out of. He just winced as he hit the wall, looking down at his friends with slight embarrassment and as a call for help.
"Hey! Let my bro go!" Spiral sat up and shouted at Grinder. The robot shot out its other arm and snagged Cylindria, Spiral and Young Flower's legs, lifting them into the air.
They gasped as their power berries began to fall out of their pockets and onto the ground. Dr. B's eyebrows arched, honestly having forgotten that the red and pink one would be carrying berries as well.
"Shake the yellow one." The mad scientist instructed, and the robot quickly did as he was told.
As Pac was tossed about harshly, his berry dispenser fell to the ground, and the small camera tumbled off as well.
"Perfect. Now take them to a cell and make sure they don't escape." The mad scientist told Grinder as he floated down to the power berries and picked a few up, inspecting them closely to make sure they were genuine.
The three's hearts sank as they realised they had lost. Skunk's inventions had successfully defeated them, and it only just hit them how desperately they needed Skunk on their side.
Young Copper, who had been watching quietly in the hopes that they could somehow regain control of the situation, slammed her fist once again into the table.
"That's it! No one messes with my nephew and Cee Cee and expects to see the light of day tomorrow!" She hissed, glaring at the blue ghost through the screen. The moment she had seen the state of Skunk, she had almost broken the screen with anger. How could anybody ever do something like that to such a sweet guy?
"You can't go down there!" Gumball's eyes widened in fear.
"And why not?" Her eyes narrowing at him, the smaller man anxiously took a step back from the furious woman.
"It's dangerous! Besides, even Pac-man couldn't stop him. It would be best to wait out here while I alert the authorities."
"The authorities?! Your best friends are down there suffering and you're over here not doing anything about it except calling in 'the authorities?!" She harshly shoved at his chest while he stumbled backwards. "What good have they done in past attacks?! You can't just hide and expect everything to turn out just fine, you coward! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some people I actually care about that I have to save." She huffed, spinning on her heel.
She grabbed a snorkel and a PSC and rushed out of the room, leaving Gumball a poor frightened mess.
He stared at the exit that she had left from, sliding down against the control panel until he was on the floor. Mumbling softly to himself, he buried his head in his hands and listened to the distant calls of protest from the teens on the fallen camera.
What good was he if he just hid all the time? Young Copper was right, he was a horrible person and was in no way a good person. They had all been right, especially Baby Bugs Bunny…
He really was a bad person…
Feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes, he let them flow a little, thinking about every single Pacworlder he had let down. There was no way Young Copper could do it…
Sniffing, he wiped at his face with the back of his gloved hand and looked up at the screen again, waiting to see (more like hear, because the camera was pointed at the ground) what would happen next.
Dr. B hummed happily as he examined the berries on his desk, while Skunk worked in silence over on his side, sitting cross-legged on the floor. The small orange robots were rolled up around him in their ball form so that he could improve them or tweak certain things. The test run for Pac had been nice, but they needed something that could take over Pacworld, something stronger.
Near the cells, Grinder stood guard against the three tired teens and a sad little monster. Pac's ice berry power had melted away, faster than usual probably due to the heat, and left him defenceless, and choking. The others had also lost their powers and soon joined him on the floor.
Luckily Dr. B had tossed them all snorkels that he had Skunk quickly whip up, so at least they weren't dying anymore.
After regaining their breath, they stared glumly out of the cell they shared knowing there wasn't much they could do. He had control over both Skunk, who had all those tiny robots, and Grinder, who could easily trip them up again. Their only hope now was that the President had called the authorities to stand guard in Pacworld, and maybe they could break out.
Pac gestured to the berries on the desk after some thinking,
"Why don't I grab one with my tongue?"
"Because Grinder is there, ready to grab it if you try." Cyli pointed out. "Plus we don't want you to lose what little oxygen you have."
"How 'bout we get Young Flower to sneak through, grab a berry and give it back to us?"
"He can't fit through the bars, plus Grinder is still there."
"Alright, what if I take a robot orange and use it to unlock the cell with its sharp little legs?" The yellow teen suggested again.
"You'd have to go through Grinder again . And who says the robot oranges could do that, wouldn't we need a key?" Spiral pondered aloud.
Pac only shrugged,
"I've seen people do it with hairpins in movies. And you're both right, we can't do anything with Grinder there. So here's my plan, we deactivate him and-"
" Young Simba! " A shrill voice cut through the air, making said blue ghost to freeze. "You've got some explaining to do!" Baby Bugs Bunny flew up the ramp and paused as he stared at his surroundings.
It took him a moment to process everything as the others stared right back at him and a massive grin formed on his face,
"So this is what you've been up to? Why didn't you tell me you caught the Pac-pain sooner?!" He yelled loudly as he hovered closer to all of them, soon staring at Skunk. "Why is this one out?"
"I am ever so sorry, my Lord." Dr. B grumbled, giving a small bow. "This one is under my control." He added.
"Without the yellow pest to protect Pacworld, I'm free to begin invading it!" The red ghost grinned and rubbed his clawed hands together.
Dr. B merely sighed, staring at him. This is why he didn't want to say anything to him, not even two minutes in and he was already ranting about destroying the world.
"But my Lord, I'm afraid I haven't finished studying ze berries yet, nor are ze robots completed." The mad scientist told him, gesturing to the two objects.
"No matter, you can finish those later. I'll go instruct my ghost armies to start sliming Pacworld!" Before Dr. B could oppose, the fire ghost had already dashed out of his lab, leaving him to let out a groan that lasted for a good few solid seconds.
Pac glanced at the others on his sides with terror in his eyes. Baby Bugs Bunny had shown many times that he could easily take over Pacopolis when the yellow ghost muncher wasn't around to protect it. It didn't even matter if every officer in Pacworld was out there with PSCs, nothing would stop them.
"Let us out of here!" Pac grabbed onto the bars and shook them.
"Yeah, Pac-ster's gonna chew your heiny and spit it out if you don't release us!" The red teen joined in, rattling the bars vigorously.
"Oh, be quiet! Your insidious noise is giving me a headache." He turned his head to glare at them over his shoulder before returning back to work.
The teens mumbled under their breath and stopped. Not because the ghost had told them to, but because it wasn't really doing much.
It was silent again for a while before Cyli perked up, looking over at the ramp that they had climbed up before. She then elbowed Pac and gestured to it quietly.
The yellow teen peered over, slightly confused before he spotted Young Copper peering into the room. The woman gave him a small wave, and having studied the room, she gestured to the berries on the desk.
"We need a distraction." Cyli whispered to the other two, who nodded.
Pac took a deep breath in before he started shaking the bars again,
"You can't hold us in here forever!"
"Let us out!" Spiral shouted as well, trying to make as much noise as possible.
The blue ghost twitched but tried his best to ignore them. He couldn't focus on the berries any longer, but he didn't want to let the annoying kids win.
"Let us out! Let us out!" Cyli started chanting, rattling the bars to the best of her ability.
Fuzbits began howling as loud as he could, understanding what their plan was.
"Oh that is it!" Dr. B screamed, spinning around. "Knock it off, I'm not going to release you, you nitwits!" He spat, floating up to them. "Now shut up before the robot makes you!" The ghost seethed, pointing at Grinder who finally turned to look at them.
Cyli shrugged carelessly,
"He doesn't see the problem with noise."
"Well it may not now, but when I instruct it to destroy you, you'll regret ever having bugged me!" The ghost laughed.
"Actually," Pac held a hand up into the air, "I think you'll find that you'll regret bugging me ." A few berries flew into his hand from over Dr. B's head.
The blue ghost's eyes widened and he turned around to see Young Copper standing at the table,
"Cya later, hindbrain." She smirked, watching as Pac threw off his snorkel and tore the bars open.
Dr. B dashed for the table, picking up a berry. He laughed and quickly ate it, grinning at them.
"Wait! No!" Pac shouted, getting ready to dive at him. Before he could, Cyli wordlessly held a hand out in front of him again. The berry he had just eaten wasn't normal.
The yellow teen looked over at her with creased eyebrows,
"Cyli, what are you-"
"Get down!" Her eyes widened, staring as the ghost began to swell up. Everyone quickly ducked, and just in time too, before Dr. B's ectoplasm exploded and made him splatter all over the walls.
"What the- What was that?! Is that what happens when a ghost eats a berry?!" Spiral shouted in complete shock.
"No idea." She shrugged, carefully getting up. "That's what happens when a ghost eats a berry that spent some time in Skunk's lab. Told you they were dangerous." The girl grinned.
Spiral just patted himself down, absolutely relieved that he hadn't eaten it instead,
"Alright, alright…" He mumbled weakly, realising he could've very well ended up in the same scenario.
The mad scientist's eyes slowly peeled themselves off from the wall and began slowly floating off, looking down sadly. He never wanted to try another berry again.
Young Flower made a dash for the old man who was sitting on the ground and began nudging him in the hopes that it would get him to snap out of it, to no avail. Young Copper also quickly moved over to Skunk, kneeling down beside him. The scientist hadn't stopped mindlessly working on the robots the entire time.
"Cee Cee, are you alright?" Hesitating for a moment, she placed her hand on his shoulder. He didn't react to it though, he just continued to fix up the robot oranges and ignored her.
"Come on, we can go now. You've just gotta get up. That's all." She urged softly.
The three teens walked up to them and gazed down at him.
"I'm sure he'll be back to normal soon…" Pac tried assuring her quietly. The other two didn't want to say anything that would bother their moment, it was already hard enough on them.
"No, I need to be sure he'll be alright. Cee Cee, I know you're in there, snap out of it." Pleading, the woman carefully cupped his cheeks and turned his head to face her. He tried fighting it so he could continue working, but Young Copper wouldn't give up.
"Listen to me." She spoke firmly this time. "I'm here now. I'm here…" Her voice slowly cracked as he stared blankly at her.
Her confidence slowly slipped away as she pulled her hands back and Skunk immediately began working on the robots once more.
"I'm so sorry Aunt S…" Pac mumbled.
"No. No, no." She took a step back. "I am not going to lose him like this. I am not letting him become a dumb mindless drone!" Lifting a fist up, she pounded it into the table like she normally did, but this time she knocked a few things off, including the black device.
"I don't need an apology, what I need is Cee Cee to turn back to normal! I'll go pound that blue butthead into tiny pieces and get him to spill everything he knows, if it's the last thing I ever do!" She shouted. "I just- I can't lose him…" Her voice faltered again.
"Glad you think heinyhead should be beaten up, but I doubt I could ever be normal." A small voice muttered tiredly.
"How dare you-" She cut herself off as she processed who had just spoken. "Cee Cee? How are you… You're…" Young Copper barely spared a second before she dove at Skunk, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
Skunk let out a wheeze as his air was blown out of him and his face turned bright red. After the small moment he took to collect himself, he carefully returned the hug and closed his eyes.
The orange monster at his side gurgled happily and rested his head against Skunk's leg.
"Not to, uh, interrupt the very sweet moment, but Pac, I think you should go stop the ghosts invading Pacopolis…" Cyli whispered to him.
The yellow teen nodded, quickly smiling over at the scientist,
"Glad you're feeling better Skunk, but we gotta dash."
Skunk only returned a thumb up, still too absorbed in the moment he was having with Young Copper to talk.
As the teens left, Young Copper took this moment to pull away, softly gazing at him,
"Today got me thinking… I was so scared I had lost you and I realised something important…"
The scientist felt his chest tighten as Young Copper gently took his hand.
"Cee Cee… I like you. A-A lot. And I know it's silly, but I was hoping maybe we could get closer? I- I just don't want to lose you and never had gotten the chance to tell you… How I felt." She quietly said, offering a nervous smile. Her heart was racing and she could feel her throat get dry.
His eyes widened
"R-Really? I've actually been meaning to tell you the same thing! Well, except without the losing part, because you've always been there. But that doesn't mean I don't care about losing you! That's not what I meant! I'd be devastated! I mean, like, with the getting closer thing and y'know…" Skunk rambled aimlessly, his heart also racing. He was so anxious right then, nothing he said sounded right and he felt like he was making a fool out of himself.
Young Copper chuckled quietly, which reassured him slightly, but then she slowly reached out and gently cupped his cheek, making his eyes widen and his face turn red.
She paused, glancing down at his lips,
"M-May I…?"
The positively giddy man smiled and nodded carefully,
"Of course! Er, I mean- If you want, I didn't mean to sound so awkward, honestly I'm very excited but its an over-the-top excitement and-"
The woman slowly closed the distance between their mouths, instantly stopping the man from rambling again as he melted into the heavenly feeling. To be honest, he felt glad Young Copper had stopped him, he practically had no control over his words when she was around and it was very embarrassing.
The ghosts began flooding into Pacopolis with Baby Bugs Bunny leading them. A group of officers that were awaiting the attack immediately began blasting them with their PSCs, but they were no match for the thousands of ghosts that poured out of the portals.
The fiery ghost leader snickered as the officers were easily overrun and hummed to himself. This was going to be easy without the lemon to bother him and ruin his plans. Finally, that twin twit did something right for once.
All he needed was to find his brother, rub it in his face and then throw slime in his face to laugh at him. Maybe he could even get his body back. Victory was his and he knew his pathetic older brother couldn't do anything about it.
So while his ghost army went to work, he headed for the Round House, singing a cheerful little tune as he thought of everything he could do as leader.
The security guards at the Round House didn't even notice as he slipped by, in through the wall at the back, since they were busy fighting other ghosts. He had been here several times, so he knew where to go to reach the office.
When he arrived, Baby Bugs Bunny cleared his throat,
"Gumball, my pathetic brother, how are you?" The ghost spoke, but got no response.
He was about to start screaming at him, when he noticed the room was empty. How odd, where else would he be? The man was usually always here writing his surrender speech during invasions like this.
"Forgive me for being late." Gumball's voice spoke up from behind him. "Just had to grab a few things."
Baby Bugs Bunny smirked,
"What, the key to the city and the repository? Just for me? How kind." He turned around, only to be met with a PSC to his face.
"Wrong." The President snarled at him.
"What is-" Baby Bugs Bunny shrunk back slightly in fear, taken aback by the unexpected behaviour. "You're just going to make this worse for yourself when I regenerate." He spat.
"You may be right, but that doesn't matter." He said, frowning. "You hurt me, and my family, and I can't just stand by and watch anymore." Young Copper had been right. He had to take action, he had to at least try. If he just gave up, he would have no one.
"You idiot, I am your family. I'm your brother, you have no one else. No one likes you, you coward ." Hissing at him, Baby Bugs Bunny flew backwards.
"That's where you're wrong. Again. A very wise man taught me that family are those who are there for you, so as far as I'm concerned, you're nothing to me." He blasted the PSC at Baby Bugs Bunny, who froze in shock, and sucked him up.
After the ghost had been absorbed, he slowly lowered the cannon and stared at the ground. Baby Bugs Bunny was right, he was probably going to regret this later when the ghost tortured him, but he didn't care. The fiendish spectre deserved it.
A small cheer came from outside and he rushed over to the window to see what was going on. Utter relief and joy overcame him as he saw a yellow blur zipping about, chomping on every ghost in his path.
The President turned on his heel and sped through the corridors until he reached the front doors and threw them open, eyes glistening at the sight of not just Pac-man standing there, but the teen's two friends, the robot, the small monster and Skunk and Young Copper holding hands. Everyone was there, and they all looked happy.
"You're all alright! Thank the stars, I thought I had lost you all!" He said with absolute joy.
"Happy to see you too, sir, but I'm afraid I need to go and catch Baby Bugs Bunny now." Pac smiled. "People saw him heading in this direction."
"No need to worry about that." Gumball lifted the PSC to rest it on his shoulder. "Shouldn't be much of a problem."
"Well I'll be." Young Copper spoke up. "Didn't know you had it in you." She grinned and gave him a thumb up with her free hand.
"Me neither… Could someone please take it off me, I don't want to drop it or anything…" He gave an awkward smile.
The others laughed, and he joined in, finally feeling peace after a long and tiring day.