"Hurry up, kids!" Scrooge called out as everyone headed to the front porch loading their hobo sticks, bean cans, and other small packages into the car. "Adventure calls, and I've got a bet to win!"
"Uncle Scrooge, your bet with Glomgold is over in two days." Huey reminded. "You clearly have more money than he does. Doesn't this seem—I don't know—mean?"
"I didn't come this far by not hunting for treasure." Scrooge said. "So to guarantee my victory, we are going after the Hobo King's Ruby Bindle."
"We're going where there's Cherry Pep strings and the con man sings?!" Dewey asked.
"Where the gold geyser spews cast for youse." Scrooge added.
"Where all your laziest, schemeiest dreams come true." Della added in.
"Wow. This sounds like the easiest treasure hunt in the world." Howard said with a proud smile before thinking to himself. "And maybe this might be the perfect time to tell Della my secret."
"Uh, yeah," Della said awkwardly, "Listen, Howard, I need you to do something. Do you think you can…"
"YOU'RE HEADING TO BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN?!" Louie shouted as he barged out the front door. "Oh, I am GOING!"
"No. You are still grounded." Della said assertively.
"What?! No! What?!" Louie cried out while the others walked away from the awkward conversation. "Big Rock Candy Mountain is the laziest quest of all time! It's my dream!"
"Your last dream made you take treasure from the past which almost destroyed time, space and your family!" Della said. "Now, to your room! You can come out when you learn that no good ever come from cockamamie schemes!" She pushed Louie back into the mansion, where he sulked and pouted as he left. When he was gone, Della turned to Howard who was staring at the whole thing.
"Sorry you had to see that, Howard." Della said scratching the back of her head.
"It's all right." Howard said. "Still, it must be pretty hard on Louie that we're going off on his favorite quest without him. Would you be opposed if I decided to bring him back a souvenir?"
"Actually, Howard," Della said, "I kinda need to ask you to stay here."
"What?" Howard asked dumbfounded. "What do you mean? Did I miss something? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no. Of course, not." Della said. "It's just… Knowing Louie, he's probably going to sneak out of the mansion to try get to Big Rock Candy before us. I just need you to stay here and make sure he stays grounded."
"Me, watching him?" Howard asked. "I don't know about that, Della. He's still kinda mad at me for telling you about his time scheme."
"So maybe this might be a good chance for you two to patch things up."
"But I…"
"Please, Howard? If not you, then I'll have to ask Gyro to get the DT-87 robot to watch him, and there's always a good chance it'll turn evil and try to kill him instead."
"I… Uh… Well…" Howard let out a small breath. "All right. I'll keep an eye on him."
"Great." Della said. "And I promise, I'll bring you a big souvenir when we get back." She gave him a hug and headed into the car with the others.
Howard watched as the car drove off. "Well, they're gone. And I'm left with angsty 11-year-old who's still mad at me. Yeah, this isn't going to end well."
Louie watched as the car drove off and waited for them to disappear with a smile. He then grabbed a hobo bindle preparing to leave.
"Bye, family! I'm very sad I'm missing my dream vacation and definitely not gonna scheme my way to Big Rock Candy Mountain before you! Hehehe. Yeah, right." He opened the door, but was startled when he saw Howard standing in the doorway. "WAH! Howard? What are you doing here? I thought you were…"
"Yeah, Della wanted me to stay behind to make sure you didn't try to sneak out." Howard said. "Something told me you would try to leave in less than ten seconds after the family left."
"What?!" Louie shouted before groaning. "Ugh, this is just perfect! It's bad enough you sold me out! Now, you gotta be my babysitter?"
"Whoa, hold on. That's not fair." Howard said.
"None of this is fair!" Louie shouted. "I admit, using time travel for some easy treasure-hunting turned out to be a bad idea. But I learned my lesson."
"Did you?" Howard asked. "Because right now, I'm seeing you trying to scheme your way to easy riches once again."
Louie scoffed. "I should've known better than to think you would understand." He headed back to his bed and buried himself under the covers.
Howard looked at Louie sympathetically. "I do understand, Louie. Better than you know."
Howard waited outside of Louie's bedroom while playing games on his phone. He could hear Louie's snoring while he looked curiously at his game.
"So the point of this game is to launch a bunch of super-birds with a slingshot and destroy pigs?" Howard asked. "What, did the game's creator hate bacon?"
Howard continued playing until he noticed something he was hearing. He raised his ear to the door noting Louie's words between every snore.
"Snoring… No need to check… Snoring… Definitely snoring."
Suspicious, Howard entered the boys' bedroom and walked over to Louie's bunk. He pulled the blanket off and saw a lamp attached to a green hoodie. The lamp shade had a drawing of Louie's face on it. After seeing that, Howard looked and saw a figure heading out of the room, and he ran to chase after them.
Once Howard was gone, Louie revealed himself to be underneath the lamp decoy and jumped out of the bad with his hobo bindle.
"Yes! Classic Double Dummy Fake-Out!" Louie cheered climbing up the wall. "See you later, sucker!"
Louie reached his leg out, but stopped when he saw Howard again. The alien duck stood beside him standing on a ladder. He was holding a balloon which also had Louie's face drawn on it.
"The old Double Dummy Fake-Out, huh?" Howard asked. He released the balloon and let it fly into the sky. "Nice try, kid."
Louie glared at Howard with a glare before heading back to his room.
Howard sighed. "Listen, kid, I think we should talk…"
"There's nothing to say!" Louie interrupted loudly.
Howard frowned. "Well, this day can't get any worse."
Howard was wrong. Without him nor any of the Duck family members knowing, Glomgold was preparing for one last attempt at winning the bet. Glomgold traveled Duckburg and even beyond recruiting the most villainous enemies of Scrooge to act as his very own "family", a team of counterparts for each member. First, he went to the junkyard to recruit Ma Beagle and the Original Classic Beagle Boys. Then, they went to Waddle and convinced Mark Beaks to lend his technology. After some searching, they then found the Iron Vulture and recruited Don Karnage. Lastly, they found Magica De Spell doing magic tricks at kids birthday parties at Funzo's Funzone.
With everyone they need brought together, the villains all assembled in the Iron Vulture. The ship took off and set a straight course for McDuck Manor while Glomgold got everyone together.
"So I assume you actually have a plan to destroy Scrooge McDuck?" Magica asked. "Or was your plan just for us to attack blindly?"
"Believe it or not, Magica, I do have a plan." Glomgold said. "It all starts with assembling the greatest villains to combat against Scrooge and his family members. I fight Scrooge obviously while Ma Beagle faces Mrs. Beakley, the Beagle Boys take on Scrooge's nephews, Mark Beaks counters Gyro Gearloose's technological knowhow, Don Karnage pilots circles around Launchpad, and Magica takes on Webby."
"Got to say, I'm not a fan of the part where someone else takes on Scrooge," Magica said, "But I am looking forward to destroying the brat to turned Lena against me."
"Whoa! Hold the truck, G-Gold." Mark Beaks said going through his phone. "There's an important family member you forgot." He turned his phone so everyone could see an image of Howard.
"The new guy?" Ma Beagle asked with a venomous tone. "He dropped a dozen cars on me and my boys!"
"He punched me out of Lena's dream!" Magica yelled.
"He worked with Dewey Duck to make a fool out of Don Karnage!" Don Karnage growled.
"Yes, yes, and he aided in foiling my plan to steal the Money Tree from the Doomsday Vault," Glomgold said, "But that doesn't matter! For the plan to work, we need him alive!"
"Why?" Ma Beagle asked. "What makes him so special?"
Glomgold gave an evil grin. "Because he's… AN ALIEN!" Everyone looked at him confused. "Seriously, he's an alien."
"Okay… I think all that brain damage is catching up to you." Mark Beaks said.
"No, he's actually right." Magica said. "I've chased him and the meddling brats across the Dreamscape. I saw all of their minds. And he's right. That fool is from outer space."
"Seriously?" Don Karnage asked looking closely at Mark Beaks' photo. "He doesn't look like an alien."
"Oh, trust me. He is." Glomgold said. "And there's no doubt that he's equipped with all kinds of alien weapons. Laser blasters. Star bombs. Advanced starships! Everything we will use to destroy Scrooge McDuck once and for all!"
"That all sounds awesome and all, but are you sure he has all that?" Mark Beaks asked.
"I'd bet my money on it."
"You already are." Ma Beagle criticized.
"Just take us to McDuck Manor and I'll show you all."
Louie's latest escape attempt involved him wearing Huey's red clothes and his hat. Before he went to work, however, he decided to rehearse in front of his full-length mirror.
"Help! Howard! Louie tricked me into this closet and took my place!" He then let out a small cough before adjusting his tone. "Howard, the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook states…"
"I'm sure the guidebook has all kinds of cheesy proverbs about honesty." Howard said suddenly popping up behind Louie, who startled after finally noticing him. "Honestly, kid, you'll have to try better than that."
Louie angrily threw his hat to the ground and sat down in a pout. "Why are you keeping me here? After what you did, you owe me."
"Kid, the only thing I did wrong was not tell Della sooner." Howard said. "If I had waited a minute longer, then we would've been lost to time forever." He glanced back slightly. "And let me tell, where I was at, I can't even begin to explain. My point is, I couldn't risk the entire family to be destroyed just to keep you happy. I care too much."
"But it's not like I meant to hurt anyone." Louie said. "I'd never do that. I just… I can't see what's so wrong with an innocent scheme. It's all I'm really good at."
"Are you sure?" Howard asked.
Louie nodded. "Scheming, finding all the angles, talking my way out of trouble, that's my roll. The only thing I'm good at. But if I can't do any of that, then I don't know if I can be a part of this family."
Howard thought for a moment before sitting down next to him. "Louie, listen, Della was right about your time tub hurting the family, but there's nothing wrong with some harmless scheming as long as you remember who goes down with you. Believe me, I've used plenty of schemes to get myself and others out of serious trouble in past."
Louie turned to Howard. "But you're a map-maker. What do you know about scheming?"
Howard was about to reply, but he stopped when he thought about what he could say to that. He rubbed his arm roughly before letting out a sigh.
"Kid, there's something I have to confess. The truth is…"
Suddenly, the room started to shake. The two stood up hearing the loud sound of large propellers spinning above the mansion. They looked out the window and gasped seeing the Iron Vulture airship hovering above the mansion.
"Is that what I think it is?!" Howard gasped.
"Oh, I hope not!" Louie said fearfully.
Suddenly, a lard alarm blared in the air. Parts of the house shifted revealing automated cannons which fired at the Iron Vulture. No damage was done though. Instead, the airship fired its own cannons and destroyed all the house's defenses easily. The Beagle Boys jumped out of the ship and broke down any ground defenses that got in their way.
"That doesn't look good!" Howard shouted.
"And it gets worse!" Howard turned to Louie who had a phone in his hand. "I tried calling somebody to help, and Mark Beaks was the only one who answered! He hacked our phone lines!"
"We've got to get out of here!" Howard yelled. He grabbed Louie and ran out of the room with him.
The two of them ran to the living room just as the villains broke in. They froze in place seeing Ma Beagle swinging a crowbar shattering a security panel. The two had their spirits raised when Duckworth floated in and changed into his demon form.
"GET OUT!" he demanded.
"A demon butler. How quaint." Magica said. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a purple gemstone. "Would you like to take my coat, shawl, or ghost-banishing amulet!" She threw her gem to the ground. When it stopped underneath Duckworth, it hit him with a large blast of purple light that sent him flying out of the mansion.
The rest of the villains parted ways allowing their leader to follow them into the mansion. Glomgold walked in and stood triumphantly.
"Daddy's home."
"Oh, no!" Howard gasped looking at all the villains one by one. "Magica De Spell, Mark Beaks, Ma Beagle, the Beagle Boys, Don Karnage, and Glomgold!"
"How come he said my name last?!" Glomgold asked annoyed. "You know what, it doesn't matter." He approached Howard confronting him. "We're here for your ship!"
"What ship?" Howard asked.
"Don't play games with me, spaceman." Glomgold said. "I know you're an alien! And I've come for all the high-tech alien weapons you've got in your ship which we will use to destroy Scrooge and his entire family! So… Where's your ship?"
Howard exchanged confused looks with Louie before turning back. "I, uh, hate to break it to you, but I don't have any of that stuff."
"What?" Glomgold asked.
"I won't deny that I'm an alien," Howard said, "But I don't have any weapons. I don't even have a ship. Even if I did, it's probably being digested by some giant mites on the moon. The only reason I came to Earth was on Della's rocket. I don't have any alien tech at all."
…
"Oh, I see…" Glomgold said before an awkward silence. "Family meeting… AH!" He turned seeing Ma Beagle all up in his face.
"Unbelievable. You didn't even fact-check to see if he did have any alien junk?"
"Don't start with me, Catherine." Glomgold said.
"I thought you said you were certain." Mark Beaks said.
"Did you just assume he had alien weapons based solely on the fact that he's an alien?" Magica asked.
"What about Dewey Duck?" Don Karnage asked. "We should at least be able to destroy him."
"Well, you won't find him here." Howard said. "Or anyone for that matter. They're off at Big Rock Candy Mountain, and they won't be back until half an hour when Scrooge's bet is over."
"So they're not even home?" Ma Beagle asked.
"Look, we're here." Magica said. "Why don't we just annihilate these two as sort of a warm-up?"
"And then what?" Louie asked. "What was your scheme here exactly? Just show up, take any weapon that Howard may-or-may-not have, and fight?"
"Of course not. I'm sure Flintheart had a perfectly good plan and…" Ma Beagle said before realizing who she was talking about. She and the other villains turned back to stare angrily at Glomgold.
"My scheme was to bring us together, like a family." Glomgold said. "We then take Howard's weapons, and then, our family destroys his family! How is that not a plan?"
"Well, for one, the space duck doesn't even have any weapons!" Mark Beaks yelled.
"And how would you even know if we can even defeat our designated enemies?" Ma Beagle asked. "I'm a master crook, sure, but Beakley's a master spy!"
"Wait. Was that really what your team's all about? You just chose them because Scrooge as people who are slightly similar to them?" Howard asked behind a laugh. "Sorry, guys, but it sounds like Glomgold just wasted your time as well as the little time he has left before Scrooge wins all his money."
The villains turned to Glomgold again approaching him threateningly. Glomgold panicked before finally letting some words out.
"Wait, listen! A good scheme… is like a family." Glomgold said causing the other villains to stop. "It can be big, complicated, frustrating, and people may not always understand it." The sound of that caused Louie to lower his head relating slightly to it. "But when the individual parts come together, they can achieve the impossible. And a family united is the finest scheme of all.
Big Time Beagle couldn't help but break down in tears at Glomgold's speech.
"I can't believe that slightly makes sense." Howard said.
"I can't believe I'm finding myself understanding what he's saying." Louie said.
"Who cares?!" Ma Beagle shouted. "In half an hour, McDuck's gonna win the bet and become twice as rich and powerful."
"All those resources." Mark Beaks said.
"All those magical artifacts." Magica said. "None of us will be able to destroy him."
"He will become untouchable." Don Karnage said.
"What do we now, new pa?" Big Time asked Glomgold.
"Uh, even if I lose my fortune, we can still kill McDuck."
"Well then, your fortune goes to his family." Ma Beagle said.
"Then we'll destroy his whole family." Glomgold said.
Louie looked past the villainous crowd and to a portrait. It depicted Scrooge winning the Deed to Duckburg from Ma Beagle's father. With it, a plan formed in his head.
"Actually, maybe there's a way we can all get what we want." Louie called out for everyone.
"Louie, what are you doing?" Howard asked.
Magica laughed. "Yeah, right. Like we're actually listening to an idea thought up by a child."
"Oh, it's not my idea." Louie said. "It's actually Howard's?"
"Wait, what now?" Howard asked before Louie pulled him aside.
"Listen, Howard, I know things between us are tense, but you've got to trust me." Louie whispered. "I have a plan, but you're going to have to play along."
"Play along to what?" Howard whispered back.
"You said a scheme is okay if it means helping others." Louie said. "Well, I've got a scheme against the villains, but they'll believe it more coming from you than me." He then whispered into Howard's ear for a moment. When he was done, Howard pondered hard at what he was told.
"And you're sure it'll work?" Howard asked.
"You're gonna have to trust me." Louie answered.
Howard took a breath before turning confidently to the villains. "It's true, people! I may not have any alien tech, but I know a way you can win the bet. Although, I have some conditions to be met."
The villains all listened curiously.
Scrooge and most of his family returned to McDuck Enterprises after their visit to Big Rock Candy Mountain. There, they found two people waiting for them: Zan Owlson, Glomgold's business partner, and Bradford Buzzard, Scrooge's chairman. They stood next to two meters indicating how rich Scrooge and Glomgold are. Scrooge's meter was clearly higher.
"Mr. McDuck, I believe congratulations are in order." Owlson said.
"Why, thank you, Owlson." Scrooge said wearing a paper crown around his top hat. "We're looking forward to having you on the team."
"Obviously, I'm upset that I'll be forced to work with a successful, competent businessman who can make all my business dreams come true." Owlson said without a single hint of an upset tone. If anything, she sounded excited. "Very sad day. It's a very sad day."
"Yes." Bradford said dryly. "You'll probably the first new recruit in a long time who isn't crazy or psychotic."
"Oh, don't be like that, Bradford." Scrooge said. "Lighten up a little."
"I'll lighten up once this silly bet of yours is officially over." Bradford said. "The last thing we need is even more reasons for you to waste money on costly adventures. Seriously, was the plane fare to Big Rock Candy Mountain even worth it? Glomgold clearly hasn't made a single cent since you left."
"Where is Flinty anyway?" Scrooge asked. "You'd think he'd try one last desperate attempt to destroy me or something."
Della turned to the rest of her family. "I'm gonna head to the mansion to give Louie his hobo souvenir. I'm worried about him."
"Everything's fine, Mom." Huey said. "I mean, Howard's with him."
Della sighed. "You know what? You're right. That's enough for me."
"You seem to have gained a lot of trust in the man." Mrs. Beakley said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for him."
"Feelings?" Della asked bashfully laughing. "That's… That's crazy. I… Why? Did he say something?"
"Wait. So you actually do like him?" Dewey asked before cheering. "Awesome! I'm gonna have an alien for a dad!"
"Whoa, now! Take it easy! Let's not go there just yet!" Della said. "I mean, sure, he's sweet and reliable and caring and clever and honest and cute and… Where exactly was I going with this exactly?"
Before anyone could answer, everyone felt a strong gust of wind blowing at them. They all then gasped when the Iron Vulture landed in front of McDuck Enterprises. The cargo bay opened up a ramp which Glomgold and the rest of his villains walked over confronting the entire family.
"Not so fast, McDuck!" Glomgold yelled.
"I knew this day would come." Scrooge said determined. "Magica's grand revenge."
"I'm clearly standing in front!" Glomgold yelled annoyed. "Lo, our moment is at hand. For years, I schemed alone. Now, I've added a family's strength to my grand vision. Scrooge will bow before Clan Glomgold!"
In a puff of purple smoke, Magica appeared in front of Scrooge interrupting Glomgold. "And then, cower before Magica De Spell, whose hatred is unbound by time and space!"
"Your time is up, McDuck!" Ma Beagle interrupted next. "The mighty Beagleburg will rise again!"
Next, Mark Beaks stepped up. "For a new day is on the horizon, and it belongs to those with a superior intellect! AKA me!"
"And I, the supreme ruler of the skies, Don Karnage, seeks not Scrooge, but his nefarious nephew, Dewey Duck!"
The villains continued making their villainous proclamations talking over one another. It finally stopped when Glomgold yelled out.
"Hey! We cannae all make declarations of hatred at the same time!" He turned to Scrooge and spoke quickly. "And the name of vengeance shall be Glomgold!"
At that moment, the battle began. The Beagle Boys started by going after both Huey and Della Duck. Della lifted her boy up and threw him over to the large Beagle, Bouncer. Huey proceeded to crawl over Bouncer's face and attacked him while Della fended off against Big Time and Burger.
"AAH!" Dewey screamed running from Don Karnage who was swinging his sword at him. "It's not my fault that I'm a better showman!"
Webby tried to kick Magica, but the sorceress threw a purple smokebomb and disappeared.
Launchpad approached Mark Beaks ready to fight. However, Mark shakes in fear and falls to his side knowing he can't beat somebody as big as Launchpad. "I surrender! Where's Gyro? I'm supposed to be fighting Gyro!"
Ma Beagle used her purse as a weapon against Mrs. Beakley, but the old spy-turned-housekeeper proved to defend herself just fine.
While everyone was fighting, Owlson hid herself behind the two meters alongside Bradford.
"You see? This is what happens when you make enemies with dangerous people?" Bradford stated. "I've been telling Scrooge for years, but no. He doesn't listen."
"Mr. Buzzard, how about we focus on trying to make it out of this in one piece?" Owlson asked.
Back to the fight, Scrooge prepared to defend himself against both Glomgold and Magica De Spell.
"Out of my way! McDuck is mine!" Magica said pushing Glomgold away.
"I never promised that!" Glomgold said jumping on Magica's back.
"Fine, we'll split him!" Magica said throwing him off. "But I get the top half!"
"No! That's the part that screams!"
"Hey! Everybody, knock it off! This is not what we agreed on!"
All the fighting stopped when Howard's voice was heard. They all turned to the Iron Vulture, where Howard was standing next to Louie.
"Howard!" Della cried out. "What's going on?"
"Sorry, guys, but I did what I had to do." Howard said with a shrug. "It was the only way to keep you all safe."
"What are you talking about?" Scrooge asked. "Are you helping them?"
"That's right, Scrooge." Glomgold said standing next to the two meters beside Owlson and Bradford. "You didn't win the bet! I did!"
"Wait, what?!" everyone asked.
"It was I, Flintheart Glomgold, who convinced all the other villains to band together!
"And it was I, Howard, who convinced them to hand their resources over to Glomgold. Combined, they actually have more money than you. I saved your lives, but…"
The Duck family looked back at the villains. The Beagle Boys unloaded large bags full of stolen loot, Don Karnage opened up a chest full of treasure, Mark Beaks sent a piece of his own digital currency, and Magica De Spell signed a check for a billion dead souls.
Seeing that, Scrooge looked back at Glomgold with a startling realization. "Glomgold wins the bet? Bless me bagpipes."
The answer was yes. Glomgold's meter soared on higher until it reached higher than Scrooge's. Seeing it, Glomgold smiled with extreme excitement.
"I did it. I won the bet and your company! With a scheme sorted out by your own alien houseguest! Or should I say, my new partner!"
"What?" Scrooge gasped.
"Wait, did I hear that right?" Bradford asked with widened eyes. "Did he just say that Scrooge's new family member… is an alien?"
"Read the room, Buzzard. We've got a new boss now." Owlson said. "Well, at least, you do. I'm still stuck with him."
"Howard, why would you do this?" Della asked.
"It was the only way to save your lives." Howard said. "In exchange for the idea, they promised not to hurt you. I know it's risky, but I didn't have a choice."
"And now that I have your money," Glomgold said before turning to each of the other villains, "And your money, I don't need any of you! I am the richest duck in the world! I am unstoppable! I AM FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD!"
Howard then showed off a smile. "Actually, you're wrong. You're not any of those things."
"What?" Glomgold asked looking curiously at Howard. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it is true that Flintheart Glomgold won." Howard said. "His name is on all the paperwork. Only, your name is not Flintheart Glomgold. It's…"
"Duke Baloney!" both Scrooge and Flintheart said at the same time realizing the latter's mistake.
"That's right." Louie spoke up. "Flintheart Glomgold is a fake identity. So all of Scrooge's money, all of Glomgold's money, and all the other villains' money go to your new partner, who is… Hold on one sec. Just let me check right here." Louie picked up a piece of paper and looked at it. "Oh, right. Howard! Always read the fine print. Trademark Louie Duck."
"WHAT?!" Glomgold yelled. "BUT THAT WAS MY SCHEME! I GOT THE FAMILY TOGETHER! I WAS GONNA STEAL THEIR MONEY FROM THEM AFTER I WON! I…" He suddenly realized that the other villains were towering over them with the most furious faces. "…can explain?"
"Let me get this straight!" Magica yelled. "You stole all of our fortunes, and then lost it all to an alien freak?!"
"I wish I never had a new pa!" Big Time Beagle sobbed running away.
Ma Beagle swung her purse and smacked it across Glomgold's face. "You scarred him for life! That's MY job!"
The other Beagles attempted to attack Glomgold, but he narrowly dodged out of the way before being confronted by Don Karnage, who pointed his sword at his face. "How could you betray us after such a dramatic speech about family?" He swung his sword, but Glomgold used his cane to block it and knock him away. He then turned to Mark Beaks, who aimed his phone at him.
"Face Punch App!" Suddenly, a blue, hard-light fist shot out of the phone, but it hit Mark Beaks instead. "OW! Selfie mode!"
"You've made a powerful enemy." Magica declared. "I have enough hate in my heart for TWO Scottish billionaires!" She launched herself onto Glomgold and attacked him.
From the side, Scrooge and the others watched awkwardly.
"Should we do something?" Scrooge asked.
"Are you kidding? This is the best part." Howard said watching Glomgold narrowly escape Magica's wrath.
Cornered by his so-called "family" Glomgold did the only thing he could and jumped off the cliff landing into the bay. "CURSE YOU, EVERYONE!" he yelled as he swam off. Once he was gone, the rest of the villains ran back into the Iron Vulture and flew it away from McDuck Enterprises.
Once the villains were gone, Della jumped over to Howard and surprised him with a big hug. "WOW! That was incredible! The way you just showed up and faked giving the villains what they wanted! I admit, even I was fooled! But you really stepped up with that plan of yours!"
Howard looked over at Louie and smiled at him. "Actually, Della, it wasn't a plan. It was a scheme. And it wasn't mine. Louie's the one who came up with it. I just followed his lead."
"Is that so?" Della asked turning to her mischievous son.
"Mom, I know I messed up before," Louie said apologetically, "But seeing all the angles is what I'm good at."
Della smiled and picked him up for a hug. "Okay, but you need to take care to not hurt the ones you love. And I'll be here to help you see the angles you can't."
"And not just her." Howard said. "I'd like to help to… if you'll have me."
Louie stared at Howard for a minute before smiling. He then gave him a hug too. "Of course. We're lucky to have you." Howard was speechless while tears were forming in his eyes. He fought them back and broke the hug.
"So…" Howard was startled by the deep, dry voice behind him. He turned and stood face to face with Bradford Buzzard. "Scrooge's newest house guest is an alien, huh?"
"Uh, yeah." Howard admitted. "Is that a problem?"
Bradford narrowed his eyes. "We shall see." He then turned to walk away.
Howard trembling. "Call me crazy, but that guy kinda gave me the willies."
"Oh, don't mind him. We've got one last thing to settle." Della said. "All you have to do now is turn the new company over to Scrooge and everything will go back to normal."
"Really?" Howard asked. "I mean… Sure… I guess… But…"
Scrooge raised his eyebrow. "But what?"
"I mean… It's trillions of dollars. Convert that to galactic credits, I'd be rich enough to buy a planet. And not just a dwarf planet. I mean, a supersized one made of diamonds." Howard said. "After all I've been through, I guess it's a little hard to just let it go just like that."
Scrooge exchanged a look with Della before looking back at Howard. "All right, lad. How much time would you like?"
"I'm sorry?" Howard asked.
"You said you didn't want to lose all that money just like that." Scrooge said. "So to be fair, I'll give you a free period to run my entire fortune and company. How does that sound?"
Howard thought for a moment before smiling. "How about… 24 hours? Starting tomorrow morning."
"Deal." Scrooge said shaking Howard's hand. "You'll sign everything back to me after tomorrow. Until then, Howard, you're the richest duck in the world."
Howard couldn't believe his ears. He looked at himself and gave a large, wide smile. "The richest duck in the world… I kinda like the sound of that."
Outside the limits of Duckburg, a mechanical aircraft descended from the sky and landed on the ground. It was a spaceship, which opened up allowing the pilot to step out.
It was Bounty, the alien bounty hunter who the Collector sent after Howard. He looked on out into the city examining it.
"So the target is somewhere here, huh?" Bounty asked with a chuckle. "All right, then. Time for some duck hunting."