Didn't expect me to update with a new story, huh? Okay, so this story I'm also doing on Deviantart, BUT... this is going on here too, just in case. But anyway, this is a request story made by a friend that was part of a Super Bowl pool he won, but he didn't turn in the request until nearly a year later, so... yeah, this is considered a 'late request'. BUT, for what it's worth, it does have a good premise. Keep reading and you'll find out why! Anyway, enjoy!

Down in the deep pits of Inkwell Hell, walking up and down the floor in anger and frustration, trying hard to not think about his recent failures (and failing to do that), was the Devil himself. Needless to say, he was NOT having a good time.

It had been a long while since he had last collected a soul. Sure, there was the usual trickery involved in getting a soul once in a while, but it was usually the same people from Inkwell Isles that seemed to be losing their souls… needless to say, business was pretty slow ever since three familiar cups… Cuphead, his brother Mugman, and their best friend Miss Chalice, had destroyed not only his casino, BUT all the Soul Contracts he forced the three to get, only for them to back out at the last moment. And even after trying to fight them for those contracts, those insufferable cups THEN used their magic glove finger guns on him and his demons to destroy his home. Sure, he used his pitchfork to magic everything back to how it was, but everything he had set his sights on were already ruined. Sure, he was picking up the pieces slowly, but surely, but it just wasn't enough… in fact, he was already FURIOUS.

"Uhhhh… hey, boss? Is now a good time to-"

The black furred creature with long horns, big feet and red eyes with yellow sclera let out a loud roar of anger, sending up a upwards burst of fire surrounding him. His stout purple furred assistant with yellow gloves, red eyes with yellow sclera and small wings quickly peeked out in fear as he said, "I guess no, now's not a good time!"

"I can't STAND it anymore!" The Devil shouted in anger as he turned towards his assistant. "Henchman, just how long have I been pursuing those annoying cups' souls?"

Henchman blinked twice as he tried to think. "Well, uh, there was the time Cuphead escaped from you after losing Soul Ball at the carnival, the time he lost Roll the Dice, the sweat-"

"TOO LONG!" The Devil shouted in anger. "And the worst part is, I had someone to get those souls for me in the form of Chalice, but she just had to grow a little conscience and try to save them! THEN, just as I'm about to take HER soul, that cup tricked me into a hard game that I can't fathom how I lost!"

"Uh, Boss, are you referring to how you lost Rock, Paper, Scissors a few doz-" Henchman started to ask, causing the Devil to glare at the stout, short purple underling, causing Henchman to shrink down nervously. "Uhhh, never mind."

"And just when I thought I had something with the casino, and finally won those cups' souls in revenge for gambling, and gave them convincing lies to get EVERYONE ELSE'S souls to free their souls, not only do they not GIVE me the souls, but they had the nerve to wreck my casino AND MY HOME!" The Devil growled before pointing to his now revived throne. "I swear, this is the THIRD TIME THIS YEAR I had to repair my own throne, and for what?! Those cups have been the bane of my existence for FAR too long!"

"Come on, boss, I know you've had some failures in the past, but looking at the numbers…" Henchman said as he tried to motion over to a nearby chart.

"What's the point of the numbers! Every time I try something new, those cups always find a way to ruin my life!" The Devil growled in anger as he closed his fist in frustration. "And the worst part is, I WANT to take their souls SO badly, so that I can torture them, boil them… maybe even possibly EAT them… but NOOOOO… thanks to Stickler and his stupid little rules that he has to remind me that I PUT IN, I can't just get their souls unless it's for a special occasion!"

"Yeah, it does bite, boss…" Henchman said as he put a hand behind his neck and rubbed it, before giving a small smile. "But maybe you can be clever in trying again. You've come up with some brilliant ideas to get souls before."

"Yes, I do have some good ones… but no, there's no point! Those miserable cups are just going to ruin EVERYTHING for me again!" The Devil growled in anger. "If I want to get those cups's souls, I can't work alone. I do have King Dice, but even HE'S not enough… especially since he's tusseled with those cups at least a couple times."

The Devil then sat down on his throne and held his head as he gave a groan. "Ohhhh, but who can help me at this hour of need…"

"Well, I'm not sure, boss. Sure, there are a lot of people that have differing opinions on Cuphead, but not even THEY want to see them hurt. Everyone in the Inkwell Isles knows those cups in and out…" Henchman said.

"Yeah, everybody in Inkwell Isles." The Devil mocked as he put a hand on his cheek… before his eyes widened in shock. "Everybody… in Inkwell Isles…"

All of a sudden, a grin started to gleefully creep onto the Devil's face as a laugh rolled out from his belly. "Ho ho! That's it! Everybody in the Inkwell Isles KNOWS who Cuphead is… but what about people OUTSIDE of the Inkwell Isles? If I can just get ONE simple sucker from the outside to defeat those cups and deliver them PERSONALLY to me…" The Devil laughed. "Oh, this will be SOOOO much fun!"

Henchman looked at his boss with a pure look of concern on his face, before giving him a smile as he walked over. "Well, at the very least, it's good to see you in a jolly mood, boss!"

"Now the real question is… who can I get to come to the Inkwell Isles…" The Devil frowned as he looked over towards an old timey radio as he turned it on. "Hmmm… one of these channels HAS to mention somebody…"

The black furred hellish creature frowned as he fiddled with the dial as he kept listening to old music, then to some news reports.

"Toodle R- Jeepers Cr- The Toon Div- boy genius invents new- new Krabby Patties on sa- -ink panther dancing in crime ri- Phooey catches criminal- Hills are al- Elmer Fudd almost ca-"

The Devil quickly stopped short as he turned back two channels, wondering if he had heard right as he stopped at that channel and listened to the news report.

"On the outskirts of Hanna-Barbera Town, a dangerous criminal known as the Ghost Clown was seen collecting coins from the bank in hopes of turning them into hypnotic trinkets… but Hong Kong Phooey, the world's greatest superhero, has just jumped in and saved the day by his magnificent skills!"

"Magnificent skills?" The Devil asked in curiosity.

"Like a fox, this superhero has good senses for danger, and can leap out in surprise to defeat his opponents with ease. When asked about the capture, the hero only says, "No need to thank me, I'm just helping take crime off the streets. Plus, I'm clever in my captures." What a good Samaritan he is…"

"Hmmm… hmmmmm…" The Devil paused slightly as he gave a smile. "So, he's clever in his captures, eh… Henchman, get me a book on Hanna Barbera Town and help me get some information on Hong Kong Phooey…"

"Whatever for, boss?" Henchman asked, but somehow, he felt he already knew the answer to the question.

"Let's just say… this little superhero is about to be rewarded… gracefully…" The Devil chuckled to himself as he looked up and laughed. Things were about to turn around for this crazy devil…

Two months later, out on the seas, a small cruise ship was seen floating outwards in the middle of the sea, calm waves splashing through the boat, a relaxing atmosphere filling the air. But none was more relaxed than the man sitting on a beach chair in the middle of the cruise deck, wearing nothing but orange swimming trunks and holding a three sided mirror to his face as he gave a small sigh. It is a wonder that nobody could recognize Sergeant Flint out of uniform. But, nevertheless, he couldn't complain because it was his perfect vacation… a month away from the police station with pay, AND best of all, there were a lot of people on the force who could keep an eye on everything while he was out.

Of course, it wasn't exactly the Sarge's idea to take a vacation out of the blue. It was actually recommended by somebody else, who told him that he needed a vacation after the troubles he goes through, and despite his wariness, Sergeant Flint was forced to agree with the person who selected him to come along. Although Flint had a sneaking suspicion that maybe he was doing this for a promotion…

"CANNONBALL!"

Flint jumped as he heard the sound of the very person that invited him on the cruise ship in the first place. He yelped as a big splash of water came raining down on him. Sergeant Flint looked up at the guilty party in front of him.

"Thanks a lot, Penry. You ruined my perfect tanning spot." Flint said, glaring at the small person that came out of the pool and shook himself.

"Well, to be fair, there weren't any rules that says 'NO Cannonballs in the Cruise Pool'." The figure pointed out as he shook out the water from his fur.

And yes, this person had fur. In fact, said person was an anthropomorphic brown dog wearing purple swimming trunks as he gave a small grin towards the police sergeant.

Flint narrowed his eyes and shut them. "Ugh, if you hadn't pulled some strings to get your cat, Rosemary and I on this cruise ship, and if the police commissioner didn't give us fat paychecks during that time to take said vacations, I would kill you right now for that stunt."

"Oh come on, Sarge, lighten up. A little water doesn't hurt anything." Penry said as he shook the water from his ears. "But still, it's good to be out and about on this cruise ship that I won for us. A month-paid vacation to a place called 'The Inkwell Isles', where we can spend the time sight-seeing and enjoying many of the activities that is brought upon us… you know, some say there's some strange looking characters out there."

"Believe me, the only thing that's strange around here is how much of a klutz you can be in the pool…" Sergeant Flint muttered to himself as he slammed his ear to get some water out. "Anyway, don't you have anything better to do today?"

"Well, honestly, not really. Since I ain't cleaning anything, and we don't have to do our usual police work…" Penry explained.

"Ahem, MY usual police work, in case you forget." Flint rolled his eyes.

"...I figured, if I'm going to take my vacation days, I might as well use them to the fullest!" Penry smirked. "And what better way to do so than with a good swim in the cruise pool, followed by a free lunch as the cruise takes us to the Inkwell Isles."

"About that, I was wondering, how did you win a cruise to this place?" Sergeant Flint asked.

Penry smiled as he took a deep breath… before opening his eyes and pausing to think. "Huh. You know, it's funny. I don't even remember entering any contests… maybe I did and I forgot? Either way, it'll be nice to get away from police work for just a while…"

Flint frowned a bit in suspicion. Penry won a contest he didn't remember entering? How could that be possible? He scratched his head in confusion before giving a groan.

"Hello, boys! Have I missed anything?"

Flint and Penry turned their heads as a very beautiful blonde haired woman stepped out, wearing round rimmed glasses and a very cute looking blue bikini. She gave a small pose towards the men, giving a small laugh to herself. "Ahhh, isn't it wonderful? A nice little vacation away from the police station, and not having to answer one simple phone call for at least a month… it just feels too good to be true."

Penry looked up as he gave a chuckle. "Well, it's nice to see you're enjoying yourself there, Rosemary. The sarge and I were just talking about what we plan on doing when we reach the Inkwell Isles."

"Oh, I've read a lot about the Inkwell Isles!" The woman, Rosemary, grinned as she walked over and sat down on another beach chair. "They say there's a lot of interesting creatures that are pretty ferocious in their own right… a large mermaid, a woman made of candy, a dragon, a haunted train…"

Sergeant Flint blinked twice as Penry cocked his head in curiosity as Rosemary giggled. "Of course, that's what I read…"

"Sheesh, I don't know what book you picked up, but I doubt these so-called 'Inkwell Isles' REALLY have those things." Flint frowned.

"Well, I, for one, am curious about those things. Rosemary, you certainly have an interesting insight, and a thoughtful brain." Penry smiled.

Rosemary blushed a bit as she gave a giggle. "Oh, Penry, you are just the sweetest. If Hong Kong Phooey wasn't the one I pined for, you would most likely have a shot."

"Shucks, I'll take that as a compliment." Penry chuckled a bit as he gave a small, hidden grin.

Flint rolled his eyes. "It's official. I'm surrounded by a dumbbell and a dumb blonde."

Rosemary glared at Flint for a brief moment upon hearing that dumb blonde comment, before giving a shrug. "Well, nevertheless, it'll be nice to get away from the hustle and bustle… the only thing I'll regret is seeing if Hong Kong Phooey will stop any crimes in our town…"

Penry chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure he'll keep the cities nice and safe…"

"Luckily for me, there hasn't been any crime around these parts in the past month… aside from the occasional bank robber, but that's the small stuff." The dog thought to himself.

Flint frowned as he crossed his arms. "Well, whatever. I'm feeling peckish already. I'm going down to the cafeteria, see if I can get some food there."

"We'll catch up with you, Sarge!" Penry called out as he saw Flint getting up and walking away. As soon as he saw the coast is clear, Penry quickly turned towards Rosemary as he gave a chuckle. "You know, I think the Sarge is actually getting close to liking me."

Rosemary gave a small smile as she laid her head down. "I doubt it, but I admire your optimism, Penry…"

It was then Penry noticed the small, worried look on the beautiful woman's face. Being the kind gent he was, he sat down next to her. "Something on your mind, Rosemary?"

"Well… it's not that I don't appreciate the vacation, Penry, in fact, I like the time off." Rosemary said. "I'm just wondering… why me, out of your three people? I know we talk a lot as friends, but I didn't think I was that special. After all, I'm only the telephone operator of the police station…"

Penry blinked twice and chuckled. "Rosemary, come on. You're not just the telephone operator. You're the glue that holds everything together. Sure, sometimes it's a difficult job, those telephone operating skills… I never could understand how you connect one line to another… but you also display great information… if you don't, how would we know what crimes are being committed out there?"

"Well…" Rosemary paused. "I love my job, Penry, but… I was thinking I could do much better than a telephone operator… I don't mind taking calls, but… sometimes, I'd like to be part of the action, go out on the field and help the police out."

Penry's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Rosemary's proposition as his ears raised up. "I didn't think you had combat experience?"

"I've been reading up on the hours I clocked out, and I've been training myself quite well." Rosemary smirked as she got up and did a small fighting pose, before showing off some moves, some kicks and a few punches, before grabbing Penry's hand and suplexing him on the ground, surprising the pooch.

"Oof…" Penry groaned as he rubbed his head. "That's quite the throw…"

Rosemary yelped as she bent down. "I'm sorry, Penry! Are you okay?"

The dog got up and rubbed his head. "Honestly, I've been hit by worse. I'm okay, really… but wow!" Penry gave a small smile. "With moves like that, it makes me ask how come you're not on the field!"

Rosemary giggled a bit. "I'm glad you like that, Penry, but…" She looked down with a despairing look. "Even if I'm training myself, I doubt the commissioner will let me into the force…"

"How do you know?" Penry asked as Rosemary looked up in confusion. "Listen, Rosemary, don't think of yourself so low that you think you can't fight… sometimes, it wouldn't hurt to ask to give a demonstration for the Sarge or the commissioner himself."

Rosemary giggled. "I appreciate the compliment, though I think you have to have a degree in law in order to pursue a career as an officer. And… well, I may have gone to college, but my degree wasn't in police work… it was in mechanics."

"Still, those fighting moves are good. Dare I say, even Hong Kong Phooey would be rather impressed." Penry smirked as he gave a chuckle.

"Do you really think so?" Rosemary asked as her eyes lit up in delight.

Penry smirked as he crossed his arms. "Let's just say that while you may not be as fast as him, you might be able to give him a run for his-" Penry raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the sky. "Huh, strange. The skies are becoming a little darker than usual…"

Rosemary looked up as she noted the sky. "Huh. I guess the weather doesn't look good if clouds are like that."

"Probably just overcast, but… it probably wouldn't hurt to get dressed back up and catch up with the Sarge at the cafeteria." Penry said as he and Rosemary started to leave the pool to go over to the dressing rooms. "As I was saying, if you can show off those moves, you'd become a great officer for the force."

"Oh, shucks, they're not really all that much, really." Rosemary smiled a bit. "But thank you, Penry, I appreciate the thought…"

Penry smiled towards Rosemary as a small blush came to his cheeks. Rosemary looked away for a moment to hide her own blush as she closed her eyes to ponder Penry's words. As beautiful woman and anthro dog kept walking, Rosemary paused as she scratched her head in confusion. "Say, Penry, I've been thinking… besides, you, Spot, Sarge and I, have you seen any other people on this boat?"

"Hmmm… I do remember seeing the ticket man next to the boarding dock and gave him our tickets… other than that, I haven't seen any other people since we entered the boat. Of course, I was getting in a good sleep as we were taking off, so I didn't notice anything peculiar…"

"Well, I was only saying because it seems like we were the ONLY people there at the pool." Rosemary frowned. "A little suspicious, if you ask me."

Penry paused briefly as he scratched his head. "Hmmm… maybe there's some folks in the cafeteria, probably eating lunch or something… I say once we change, we should get going…"

Rosemary looked a little unsure, but had no other choice but to agree with Penry…

Pretty soon, Penry and Rosemary were out of their swimsuits and into regular uniforms, with Penry wearing a white hat and purple shirt, and Rosemary wearing a blue police uniform and a blue skirt. As the two walked together, Penry raised an eyebrow. "Say, why are you wearing your work clothes here?"

"Ehhh, I just felt more comfortable wearing them. It gives me a more authoritative look, you know?" Rosemary said as the two walked down the deck… as they heard thunder and lightning. Rosemary gasped as she looked up to see a lightning bolt strike near the water as the water started to blow ferociously, a wind starting to pick up.

"Sheesh, I don't remember there being a storm in the forecast!" Penry noted in concern.

"It shouldn't be! My weather forecast said sunny skies all week!" Rosemary said as she grabbed Penry's paw. "We better get inside, quick!"

Penry didn't need to be told twice as he and Rosemary started to run inside the ship as they felt the boat rocking violently. The two found themselves slipping and sliding down the halls as Rosemary asked, "What is going on with the ship?!"

"I don't know, but maybe the captain will say something!" Penry said as he looked up, as if expecting a call from the captain's horn… however, it never came, much to Penry's confusion. "Huh, that's strange…"

"Rosemary, Penry! Where have you been?!"

The two looked up as they saw the Sarge, in his regular uniform (a blue police uniform), running towards them as Sarge panted. "Okay, so I was trying to find the cafeteria, but I got lost. I eventually ended up at the captain's quarters and thought to ask him for directions… but when I got there… nobody was manning the wheel! That's when the storm started!"

"Nobody's manning the wheel?" Penry asked in surprise as Rosemary looked worried.

"Wait a minute… Sarge, did you at least see other people when you went down the halls?" Rosemary asked in concern.

Flint paused, before gulping. "No, in fact… it was like I was the only person in… everything felt so…" The boat rocked once more, causing the three of them to tumble. "WHOA!" The three were now in awkward position as Flint groaned and held his head. "Empty…"

"So… you're saying we're the ONLY people on this ship?!" Penry asked in surprise. "Either the captain forgot to weigh anchor… or this cruise ship was a…"

"Trap?" Sergeant Flint said as he frowned, crossing his arms. "That is a possibility. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that this convenient win you had never happened, Penry. You said you didn't remember entering a contest, right?"

"I… seem to recall saying that, yes." Penry scratched his head.

"Well, I can confirm, you didn't. Someone or something is aiming for us! Well, I'm not standing by idly and letting this ship sink! I'm going back to the wheel to see if I can take control. Penry, take Rosemary to a safer place. Can you do that WITHOUT your usual screw-ups?!" Sergeant Flint frowned and glared at Penry.

Penry felt the intense glare for the first time. "You can count on me, Sarge. I'll keep Rosemary safe."

"Wait, Sarge, maybe I can help!" Rosemary offered.

"What can you possibly do? I'm sorry, Rosemary, but the wheel needs a captain and… seeing as how I'm the only official around here… it's up to me." Sarge said. "Just stick with Penry! I'll be back as soon as I figure out the wheel!"

"Bu- but-" Rosemary shouted as the Sarge ran off, before shutting her eyes in frustration. "Sheesh, he didn't even give me a chance to speak."

"Sorry, Rosemary… but the Sarge IS the Sarge, after all…" Penry said as he grabbed Rosemary's hands. "Besides, as good as your fighting skills are, I don't even know if there IS anybody on this ship sabotaging us…"

"Although I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe said somebody is still HERE… because a captain never leaves his ship…" Penry thought to himself as he lead Rosemary further and further down the halls until they went down below deck and got into the boiler. "All right, this'll have to do."

"All right." Rosemary nodded as she started to go down, but stopped as she noted Penry turning around. "Penry, where are you going? Sarge says you need to stay with me!"

"And I'll return soon! I gotta find Spot! I'm worried about him!" Penry said as he looked back.

"Shouldn't I go with you to find him? I promise we'll-" Rosemary started to say, before Penry grabbed her hands.

"I promise, I won't be long. Just let me get Spot, and I'll return directly to you!" Penry said as he patted her hands. "Just keep calm, okay? I'll be back soon!"

Rosemary felt more worried as she shut her eyes and nodded. "Okay, okay, but you come RIGHT back as soon as you get Spot!"

"I promise!" Penry shouted as he turned around.

Rosemary could only watch as she saw the brave janitor go off to find his pet. She had to admire Penry's bravery and stupidity, but she felt confident in him. Little did she realize though was that before she could contemplate anything else, somebody had grabbed her and gagged her with its hand, a small devilish laugh coming from behind her.

"Sorry, my dear, but I'll need you as… motivation…" The voice said as she felt herself getting dragged away towards a creepy looking elevator that came out of nowhere.

Penry kept running towards the halls, having one mission in mind. "I know the Sarge says I should keep an eye on Rosemary, but I think she can handle herself just fine… I've seen those skills… but I think he'll need some help… in the form of Hong Kong Phooey!"

After quickly turning the hall, and avoiding another tumble due to another violent boat rocking, Penry finally found his room and ran inside to see Spot was clinging in worry on the bed. The striped cat looked up and smiled upon seeing his master run in.

"Spot! There's nobody on board. I have a sneaking suspicion an assassination attempt on the police force is about to occur… but I need to get into the cabinet real quick!" Penry said as he opened up a nearby suitcase… as a very familiar looking file cabinet popped out. "Lucky for me my bag happened to be lightweight to carry this!"

He then quickly jumped into the lower cabinet door as it closed up. The cabinet then shook a bit before the top door… was heard slamming and trying to move.

"Oh no, this always happens… another stuck door. Well, no matter. I'll just use my natural superhuman strength!"

Spot could only roll his eyes as he jumped to the top of the filing cabinet, and as Penry was busy making noises and pushing on the door from the inside, Spot slammed his fist right on the top, loosening the door's hinges as the top filing cabinet door rolled up.

Then, Penry came jumping right out, only he was now wearing a black mask and a red and white gi with a yellow belt as he did some karate poses.

"Yah! Ooh! And a rinky-dinky-doo to you!" Penry said before doing a martial arts bow, before giving a chuckle. "My natural powers never cease to amaze me!"

Spot could only roll his eyes at his owner's obliviousness. He liked the mutt, but heaven forbid if he was ever told that he doesn't actually know kung fu and only made up his own moves. Penry then looked over to Spot and nodded. "Well, Spot, now that I'm Hong Kong Phooey, you better stick with me, while I go find the Sarge!"

Spot didn't find room to complain with that… then again, hearing the crackle of lightning striking near the side of the boat would often get you to do anything as the 'superhero' and his faithful companion quickly ran out of the room.

"No time for getting our vehicle… especially since the captain's quarters can't be too far behind!" Hong Kong Phooey said as he jumped around in an agile way, whilst Spot followed close behind. However, before any of them could celebrate…

BOOM!

A large lightning bolt came crashing down in the middle of the ship, causing Hong Kong Phooey and Spot to yelp as they stumbled downwards, the ship taking a massive amount of damage. Hong Kong Phooey shut his eyes as he grabbed Spot. "Okay, right! No time for agile poses! We got to get to-"

All of a sudden, a large tidal wave had came in and capsized the boat, causing Hong Kong Phooey and Spot to fall and hit their heads on the ceiling… this knocked both heroic mutt and cat out as Hong Kong Phooey gave a groan as he tried to keep his eyes open… the last thing he saw was a blurry image of a purple suit wearing character with a strange cube shaped head approaching him with a smile before going out like a light…

And that is the first chapter done! How did you guys like it? Next time, Hong Kong Phooey meets up with a very familiar looking devil... who offers to make him a deal? Will the naive pooch find no other choice but to accept? You have to wait and see! Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, folks!