Attack of the Fuzz Balls
At night in a suburban neighborhood within the city of Acmetropolis, a family watches on TV a reporter asking Professor Zane about the new bio pet wave sweeping across the city.
"Professor Zane, why do you think all of Acmetropolis is clamoring for one of your new bio pets?" The reporter asks.
"Well, who could resist such a lovable, soft, playful creature? Every household should have a Fuz-z." Zane replies and the screen goes to a commercial promoting the Fuz-z with a song as people pick them up like crazy. We then go to the son as he hugs a Fuz-z. He eats some chocolate and his Fuz-z seems to want some.
"Hey, you want a snack?" The boy asks. He bites a new bar and gives a piece to his Fuz-z which happily eats with a playful squeal. He places his Fuz-z next to his pillow and pets it. "I love you, Fuz-z. You're my best friend." The boy places his snacks to the side and pulls the covers over and he and his Fuz-z go to sleep.
Some time later, the boy wakes up and notices that his Fuz-z is gone. "Where'd my Fuz-z go?" the boy asks. Then some stomps are heard and a shadow covers the boy and he looks and sees some giant furry monster walking towards him. The boy runs out his room screaming and tries to hold his door shut, but the monster breaks through it. The boy runs for his parents who are still watching the Fuz-z news. "Mom, Dad, run!". The family runs out with the Fuz-z chasing them, breaking the TV in the process and breaking through their home.
At Loonatics HQ, Ace is in the training in the Training Room. He's practicing his acrobatic moves against spinning projectiles. In the middle of the simulation, a computer voice says "Combat simulation over."
Lexi comes into the room. "Hey, look what I got!" Lexi shows a pink Fuz-z. "In a second, Lex." Ace replies. He kicks up a destroyed projectile and knocks one last projectile out. Slam turns a corner, notices the Fuz-z and licks his lips. He jumps with his mouth open to eat the Fuz-z but Lexi quickly moves out of the way and Slam misses. "Woah, no eating my pet."
Slam smashes into a large energy ray cannon, turning it on and causing it to spin. Tech and Rip are doing some work. "Watch it, Slam! We're trying to work h-" Rip says before the large neck of the cannon knocks him and Tech against the wall onto each other into the path of the ray. The camera follows the cable and shows Rev doing some work and we see the power outlet with the cable to the cannon attached into. Rip and Tech are too dazed to move out of the path of the ray, but the cable detaches from the outlet in time, turning of the machine. Rip and Tech breath a sigh of relief and wipe their heads.
"What's that? You bought a new cotton tail?" Ace asks regarding what Lexi had.
"No. It's a Fuz-z. Oh, come on. Bio pets are the coolest trend to ever hit Acmetropolis." Lexi replies with amusement. Ace still doesn't understand. "Yeah? What do you hit it with?" "You don't hit it, you love it! She'll be whatever you want her to be. A glove, a choker, a cuddle walker." Lexi responds while huging her Fuz-z. Then Duck enters.
"Hold it right there, sister." He jumps down and takes the Fuz-z. "How'd you get one of these anyway? My Fuz-z's been on back order for weeks. Are you sure this one isn't supposed to be mine?" Slam returns saying "Yummy" and tries to grab the Fuz-z but Duck moves it back to Lexi and takes it. "Back off, Duck. Zozo is mine." Lexi says. Duck laughs at Lexi's choice of name. "Ha. Zozo?" Then Zadavia appears on a screen.
"You're not going to believe this one, Loonatics. But there's a situation in South Acmetropolis that requires your special attention. A residential zone in the Fourth Quadrant seems to have a giant spider problem." The screen shows the neighborhood and the monster we saw earlier.
"Didn't they just spray for giant spiders last week?" Ace jokingly asks
"This family barely escaped with their lives." Zadavia replies
"Species? Origin?" Tech asks
"Unknown and unknown." Zadavia replies
"Forget where it came from. Where's it going? It's not coming here is it?" Duck asks
"The idea was for you to go there, Danger Duck." Zadavia replies. Duck gives a worried gasp. "Must we?"
"I'll transfer coordinates in transit. Zadavia out." The screen goes blank
"She gets to go out," Rev starts
"and we get to battle mutant spiders." Rip finishes
"Nice! Let's jet!" Ace orders
The Loonatics get their jetpacks one and start flying out when Ace, Lexi and Rip the last to go. Ace lifts up Lexi's arm and notices Zozo around her arm.
"Uh, you might wanna lose the wrist band, Lex." Ace suggests.
"Oh, I don't wanna leave her here all by herself. She could be our mascot!" Lexi suggests.
"Uh, how about no?" Ace answers and flies off.
"Fine." Lexi reluctantly decide to leave Zozo back in the tower. As she puts Zozo down she decides to take her anyway. "Oh, you'll be lonely, won't you." Rip offers helpful words.
"Go ahead and bring her, Lexi. Our secret."
"Thanks, Rip!" Lexi excitedly replies and she picks up Zozo and puts her in her backpack and they fly off to join the rest of the team.
The Loonatics fly to where the giant spider was located. Ace follows the reading Zadavia transmits to him. "Ok, according to Zadavia's readings, we should be able to spot the itsy bitsy spider right about-" The creature bursts through the building the Loonatics are flying next to, causing them to back up. "-now." Ace finishes.
The creature lands on the street below and Duck cannot contain his shock from the sight. "Whoa! Look at that thing! it has three, no four, FIVE legs!" Duck finishes and the creature swats Duck away.
"Uh, make that six legs." Rip corrects. The creature then gives a roar.
Slam lands on the street and the creature runs away. Slam uses his tornado powers to catch up and grab the creature's right leg to try and stop it. The creature lifts it's leg with Slam still holding onto it and crushes him into the street with one heavy stomp, leaving Slam winded from the impact. The creature prepares to squash Slam again, but Rev speeds in and pulls Slam to safety just as the creature's foot hits the street. The impact causes a fissure that cracks all the way to a nearby bridge over a small waterway, slightly dislodging it. The creature then runs to the bridge, nearly squashing a driver along the way. Lexi is disgusted.
"Gross! Can I get the day off?" Lexi asks.
"Heroes don't get the day off Lexi." Ace reminds her. "It's rescue time! Slam, Rip, let's give our friend a little help. Whaddya say?"
"With pleasure!" Rip confidently replies and he and Slam charge the creature.
Slam grabs the left leg and Rip grabs the right leg with his psychic powers and they pull the creature onto the bridge. Tech observes the situation.
"We gotta contain this creature now!" He then uses his powers to remove the bolts to one of the columns and removes it "Clear the bridge, Ace! Then remove the four bolts in each column!"
"You got it, Tech!" Ace replies and uses his eye lasers to melt the columns while Lexi and Rip uses their powers to snap the cable connectors to the bridge. Rev and Slam distract the creature and Slam smacks it into one of the barriers. "Now lets lock 'em up! Clear out everybody!" Ace orders as he, Lexi, Tech and Rip put their hands on the top of the bridge and charge their jetpacks to maximum and push the bridge down and trap the creature. When the dust clears, to the shock of the Loonatics, the creature is gone.
"You've got to be kidding! How'd it get outta that?" Ace says and the team fly into the bridge to investigate. As they land, they turn their jetpacks into backpack form and look around and find nothing.
"Very impressive. Itsy bitsy go bye-bye." Lexi says.
"There's gotta be an explanation." Tech asks.
"A disappearing act?" Rev asks.
"Oh, man I don't believe it!" Duck calls out and the team turn towards Duck. Duck had noticed a brown colored Fuz-z next to one of the beams and picked it up. "I found a Fuz-z and this one is mine! I found my own superhero sidekick. How 'bout it, Wonder Fluff? Ha ha ha, yeah that works." Duck says in his excitement when Ace grabs it out of Duck's hand. "Excuse me!" Duck angrily says.
Ace examines the Fuz-z and gets suspicious. "Hm. Big spider beast pulls a disappearing act, and we find a hard-to-get bio pet in it's place. What are the odds, Tech?"
Tech gives his best estimate. "Hmmmm, 4,027,867 to 1."
Ace feels like that's too high to be a coincidence. "Hm, kinda high on the coincidence meter don't 'cha think?"
Duck doesn't believe that the brown Fuz-z was the creature. "Oh, come on! You're not gonna pin this all on Wonder Fluff are ya?"
Ace takes out a phial that expands into a large cup and puts the Fuz-z in it. "Until we come up with something better, yeah."
Then Zozo chirps in Lexi's backpack. "Zozo!" Lexi remembers. Lexi takes Zozo out which gives a playful chirp. "Oh. How can anyone think bio pets aren't sweet?" Then Zozo jumps towards Duck. "Zozo, come back! Zozo!" Zozo jumps into Duck's backpack and Wonder Fluff jumps out of the cup and into his backpack too.
"Sorry. Guess they like me better. Now I have TWO superhero sidekicks! Ha,ha! How cool is that?"
Ace looks at Lexi with a stern look. "You had to bring the Fuzz."
Lexi gives a shrug and chirping and thumping can be heard in Duck's backpack. "There's a party going on in your backpack, Duck." Lexi points out.
Duck brushes it off. "Oh, I never go out in the field without some Chocolate Abin Ducer Bars. Ooh, they must be really hungry." Duck pulls them out and notices something's happening to the Fuz-zies. Their eyes are glowing. "Hey, what's this? Ow!" Duck drops the Fuz-zies after feeling something sharp on his hand. The Fuz-zies start to transform. Their bodies grow very large and as they grow, arms and spikes protrude out of their bodies and they turn into the creature they were fighting, but this time, it's two creatures.
"I not so sure Wonder Fluff's gotten all his shots. Anyone wanna buy a bio pet cheap?" Duck jokes. Then Ace cries out "DUCK!" and everyone ducks but Duck doesn't. "What?" Duck asks and Zozo swipes him away.
"He meant "Watch out"." Rip reminds Duck. The Loonatics scatter and the mutated Fuz-z's try to stomp them and Wonder Fluff swipes Ace to the wall.
Ace takes a hit to his pride. "Smacked down by a fuzz ball? You realize of course that this means war." Ace gets up and gets his laser eyes ready. "Hit it, Loonatics!" Then Lexi pulls Ace back. "Hey. What gives?"
Lexi wants Ace to go easy. "That's Zozo. Be gentle with her. She's had a rough day." Then Zozo tries to head-butt Ace and Lexi but misses. Slam whips up his powers and charges Zozo who grabs him and tries to eat him, but Slam whip up a tornado around Zozo, the high winds causing her to drop Slam, allowing Rev to speed around Zozo's legs and stun her, and Duck uses his power balls.
"Here, Zozo, catch!" The balls stick Zozo's feet to the bridge and she roars in anger before wedging free and falling down with a thud. Slam moves in but Lexi stops him as Wonder Fluff moves in the way. Then, the creatures suddenly turn back into Fuz-z's who jump back into Duck and Lexi's hands.
Ace is confused. "What's gotten into these powder puffs?"
Zadavia then appears on a screen on a tall building. "Something powerful."
The Loonatics fly up to the screen. "Yeah. Powerful, but easy to get a hold of." Rip says.
"Good point, Rip. The boy with the first Fuz'z fed it a whole stash of chocolate candy before going to bed." Zadavia corroborates.
"And our Fuz-z's ate Duck's chocolate." Lexi includes.
Zadavia gives the Loonatics more info. "Professor Zane's laboratory is in the Seventh Quadrant just east of the Industrial Center."
"The guy who invented these hairballs better know a way curve their sweet tooth because Acmetropolis is crawling with them." Ace says with seriousnes.
"Yeah, it's gonna take a miracle to gather up all these Fuz-z's. I can grab about half of them, but we're gonna need something really amazing to get the rest of them." Rev suggests.
"I bet Tech has a few toys we can use." Ace suggests. The Loonatics rush back to HQ.
The Loonatics meet in the hangar where Tech has a solution to gather all the Fuz-z's.
"I give you the Exo Vac 2400-X." Tech says as he activates a button and opens a hangar revealing a massive vacuum machine flyer.
"Wow, Tech!" Ace says in amazement.
"It's the ultimate urban vacuum." Tech says with pride. Slam is excited with it.
"What in the world made you come up with this?" Ace asks.
Tech gives a thoughtful response. "Try eating with Slam. Not pretty." Slam glares at Tech.
Rev then runs around the vacuum giving details of the vacuum's capabilities.
"I get ya. So your saying this invention really sucks Fuz-z's that is?" Ace jokes. "Loonatics, lets jet! Lexi, you Duck and Rip go warn this Zane guy. He could be in danger from his own creations. The rest of us will gather up all the fur balls still out there." Ace, Slam, Rev, and Tech head out with the vacuum, while Lexi, Duck, and Rip head for Zane's lab."
Lexi, Duck, and Rip arrive at Zane's lab and it looks like it's quiet. "Look's like no one's home." Duck thinks.
Lexi uses her super hearing and hears breathing. "No, someone's in there. I can hear breathing inside." Lexi and Rip move ahead.
"Show off." Duck says.
They open the door and it's quiet and empty. "Hello? Professor Zane? We came to tell you about your bio pets. We have reason to believe they are very very-" Rip calls out when the door suddenly closes and they are confronted by three transformed Fuz-zies.
"Look's like they had all their chocolates." Duck jokes.
"Hope that's all they crave." Lexi hopes.
Then Zane appears from behind, surprised the trio. "Not only do they love chocolate, but they also love duck, rabbit, and road bird. And guess what? It's feeding time!" Zane says with a laugh and turns on the lights.
On the other side of the city, the other Loonatics are gathering up all the Fuz-z's with the vacuum while Rev collects the Fuz-z's the vacuum misses.
"Mission accomplished. How are things on your end, Lex?" Ace calls Lex, but no answer. "Lex?" Still no answer. "I've got a bad feeling. Let's ditch the fuzz balls, Tech and bug out." They fly to HQ and drop the Fuz-z's they collected in a compartment.
"Switching to Turbo Vac Jet Mode." Tech says as he switches the vacuum flyer to a high speed jet. They head to Zane's lab with Rev running right behind them.
At the lab, Lexi, Duck, and Rip were being held by the Fuz-z's since Zane can control them.
"So, you knew all along that chocolate mutated the Fuz-z's?" Rip accuses.
Zane gives a better answer. "Knew? I made sure of it. My first Fuz-z's weren't suppose to transform so soon. Not until I had completely flooded the entire city with bio pets. One pulse from my electric leash and the savage beasts are under my control."
Lexi catches on. "So you wanted the Fuz-z's to take the chocolate express train to Creatureville at the same time and tear Acmetropolis apart."
Duck does a joke. "Sounds like someone's mommy didn't buy them enough chochies when they were little."
Zane is just entertained but also disgruntled. "Oh, you're just as naive as the Acmetropolis Science Council. Imagine, firing me because they deemed my experiments too "Dangerous". They never appreciated my genius, my-"
"Insanity, craziness? Am I getting close?" Rip interrupts.
Zane isn't fazed. "Hardly. Because I needed to show Acmetropolis what I am capable off." Zane then tells his story. "When the meteor hit Earth, the impact opened all kinds of fissures."
"Including the ones in your brain, Zane?" Duck jokes.
Zane continues. "I discovered these delightful creatures. Their biology was perfect for the experiments I had in mind. Experiments that led to the Fuz-z. So cute and cuddly until they have a little chocolate and the only way to stop them it with this." Zane finishes his story and points to his controller. The Fuz-z's then get ready to eat the trio.
"Care to demonstrate?" Rip dares Zane, but he doesn't fall for it.
"No. They need their protein."
Then the Exo Vac crashes through into the lab.
"See? Too much chocolate will make you sick." Ace jokingly reminds.
The trio break loose and the other group joins in. Zane pulls a lever, releasing several class canisters of hundreds of Fuz-zies. "Oh dear me, what kind of host have I been? Would anyone care for some chocolate?" Zane asks as he pulls a lever opening a compartment filled with a mountain of chocolate bars that spill all over the room. "The effect is temporary, but the more they eat, the longer it lasts."
"And no more chocolate for them." Ace points out. "Slam, Rev, Rip. Time for a little candy run."
Slam uses his tornado powers to move large piles of chocolate to another room, Rev uses his speed to move small piles, while Rip uses his psychic powers to move medium piles.
"Duck, the control box!" Ace orders.
"What about it? Oh, right" Duck jokes and fires a power pall at Zane's face, knocking him back and covering his face, causing him to drop the controller. Duck grabs the controller. "I got it!" Then Zozo and Wonder Fluff go for chocolate. Zane gets the gunk off his face and wrestles Duck for the controller. "Hey, this is no time to dance!" Duck says.
Zozo and Wonder Fluff transform and with the other Fuz-zies, attack Ace, Lexi, and Tech. One grabs Lexi And Tech uses his powers to wrap some metal around it's legs, causing it to fall and nearly crush Duck and Zane, causing Duck to drop the controller.
Zane makes a dive for it but Rip appears. "Not so fast, Zaney!" Rip uses his psychic powers to lift the controller, causing Zane to miss it. Ace gets loose and jumps high and Rip tosses the controller to Ace and he grabs it.
Upon landing, Ace uses the controller to stop the creatures. "No snacking, guys. You'll spoil your dinner." Ace says victoriously.
"My babies!" Zane cries out in defeat. We are taken to the Acmetropolis Prison where Zane is shown locked up.
The Loonatics take the Fuz-zies to one of the fissures Zane mentioned and use the Exo Vac to drop them down into it. Lexi and Duck release Zozo and Wonder Fluff with a bit of sadness, but assure them, they will be alright.
Tech then activates a holographic call from Zadavia with his gauntlet. "Congratulations, Loonatics. Thanks to your efforts, Professor's Zane's nefarious experiments have been shut down. Take the rest of the day off, you deserve it. Zadavia out." The hologram vanishes.
"You know, Fuz-zies are so over. I've already moved on to the next big thing. Take a look at this." Duck says as he pulls out a container with a miniature carnival inside. The other Loonatics bend down to look, but see nothing.
"Look at what?" Lexi asks.
"Oh, a little hamster playhouse." Ace says.
"No, a little flea circus." Duck corrects.
"I don't see any fleas" Rip says.
Tech notices a hole. "Looks like there's a hole in the bottom."
Duck looks and is worried. "Oh, great. So where are the fleas?" On Duck's tail, the escaped fleas are on his hair and two big fleas bite his skin. "YEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!"