Young Heroes Stay Gold - TalktheWalktheTalk (2024)

Chapter Text

“Ohhhhh… ogata…”

He was cute. He was fluffy. And his head hurt like he’d been hit by those 18-wheelers all over again. Slowly but surely, he regained his bearings.

Last he remembered, he and his ‘ohana were taking one big picture, when all the sudden a bright light burst from nowhere and completely encompassed them. Stitch had reacted as fast as he could, but he couldn’t reach-

“Lilo!” Stitch’s immediately became alert and concerned as he desperately searched for his best friend. To his relief, he found her a good few feet to his side. His ears picked up her heartbeat as he bounded toward her. “Lilo!” He gave her a light shake, which seemed to do the trick.

“Ugh… my head… Stitch?” He backed off a little as she got up. “What happened? Where are we?”

“Ah-rumba.” Stitch said, shrugging. The both of them looked around the black void they were in, with no sign of… anything, really.

“Did Hamsterviel bring us here? How could he have gotten out of jail already?” Lilo wondered. Stitch only scratched his head.

“Naga.” He simply grunted. “Too stupid.”

“Yeah… you’re right. Even if he did get out that quickly, he’s not smart enough to do… this. Unless the Leroys helped.”

“Naga.” He said again. “Deactivated.”

“Huh… so their deactivation also makes them not as smart? Guess it’d be pretty bad if they were only temporarily powered down while in jail.” Stitch nodded. “Well, whatever happened, we won’t find out sticking around here! Let’s-”

The two were interrupted as a bright glow shined from behind them. Stitch growled, getting into a defensive stance in front of Lilo.

As the glow died down, the duo found two more unconscious individuals in front of them. They appeared to be far older than Lilo, older teens from the looks of it. Stitch relaxed, realizing they couldn’t be the enemy… but also because something smelled… familiar about them.

Lilo walked forward. “Guess we aren’t the only ones who were-” She paused as she got a closer look at the two. “Wait a minute… Stitch, it’s Kim and Ron!”

“Gaba?” Stitch perked up in surprise. Indeed, as he crawled over, he noticed the fiery red hair of one Kim Possible, and the drooling form of one Ron Stoppable. “Why here?”

“I don’t know, but that may mean that weird blue guy and his green girlfriend are behind this.” Lilo deduced.

Stitch growled again. “Ika-patooka.”

Just then, Kim and Ron began to groan, coming back to the land of the living. “Ohh… what happened?” The blonde sidekick asked. “Did we crash? His eyes widened as he noticed the inky void around them. “Oh, we did crash! THIS IS THE AFTERLIFE!”

“Ron, please. I really don’t like what you’re insinuating about my driving skills. Besides, if we were really dead, why would Lilo and Stitch be here?” Kim said as she rubbed her head. It took her a second to realize what she’d said. “Wait, Lilo? Stitch?!”

“Hi, Kim! Hi, Ron!” Lilo said cheerfully, despite their predicament.

“Aloha!” Stitch happily said.

“Oh, I get it now. This is alien business, isn’t it? Come on, we just got done with this!” Ron asked in frustration.

“That… would actually be pretty reasonable. I don’t suppose you two know anything about what’s happening, would you?” Kim asked the two.

“We thought that weird blue guy and green girl had something to do with it.” Lilo said, giving Kim a peculiar look.

The teen shook her head. “No, Drakken and Shego are taking a break after-”

NO!

Kim looked momentarily stunned as a holographic image of a lock appeared over her mouth, and a weird “ NO! ” sound reverbed through the void. The group looked around in confusion.

Ron scratched his head. “Geez, Kim, what were you about to say? I didn’t think you were the type to have a potty mouth.”

“I’m not. I was just trying to mention the-” NO! Kim narrowed her eyes as the lock and the sound went off again. Kim thought for a moment. “...The thing that we just went through.”

Ron gave a peculiar look before he realized. “Oh, you mean the-” NO! The lock went off once more.

Kim crossed her arms. “Looks like someone wants to keep certain events under wraps.” It was then Kim noticed something else. “Hang on… we weren’t in our old mission outfits when we left the-” NO! She scowled a little.

“Well, at least whatever evil force kidnapped us made sure to give me the full set. You know, with my luck I’m surprised that-” Ron was quickly interrupted as his pants fell. Stitch covered Lilo’s eyes in a microsecond. “AW, COME ON!”

“What happened? What’s wrong with Ron?” Lilo asked innocently.

“Naga important.” Stitch answered.

Before Ron could pull his pants up, one of his pockets rustled. From out of it, came a little pink skinned rodent. He squeaked in surprise.

“Rufus! Was getting worried for a second there, buddy.” Ron pulled his pants up and opened his palm, allowing the naked mole rat to jump in it. “How ya feeling?”

“Huh… hungry.” The rodent stated, rubbing his tummy.

Stitch finally uncovered Lilo’s eyes, allowing her to notice the cute little not-fuzzball. “Oh! Hey, Rufus!”

“Aloha!” Stitch said again.

Though confused why they were here, Rufus simply waved back. “Aloha! Huhuh!”

“Now that introductions are out of the way, maybe we can put our skills together and figure out-” Kim’s plan was interrupted, as yet another glow shined before dying down, this time only one person being left behind. “-who just got dropped in this mess with us.”

As the group walked toward the person, Lilo once again saw a familiar sight. A young Chinese-American boy, with a red jacket and green highlighted tips in his hair. “Jake!”

Kim and Ron glanced at each other in surprise. “You know this guy, Lilo?”

“He’s from New York. He came to Hawaii for a skateboarding competition. I… kinda got him involved in matters with one the experiments.” She chuckled nervously. “Long story.”

“Man, some kids just know how to get around!” Ron said, slightly bewildered.

“Uh huh, uh huh!” Rufus agreed.

“Ugh… I feel like I just got hit with an entire yarn ball of sphinx hair…” Jake groaned as he got up. “Oh, hey Lilo.” He said nonchalantly as he rubbed his head. Just as Kim did, it took him a second to realize who he just greeted. “Lilo? Stitch?”

“Hey, Jake!”

“Aloha!”

“Aw, man… did I get taken by that weird land whale again?”

“No. We’re not really sure what’s going on. Kim says it wasn’t her bad guys.”

“Who?” Jake stood up… and was greeted with a face he knew… to an extent. His jaw dropped a little. “Oh. That Kim.”

Kim raised an eyebrow. “Have we met?”

“No… but who wouldn’t know about the biggest super-spy this side of… anywhere?” Jake said.

Ron slid in. “And her sidekick, right?”

“Hey, man, how could I not? You guys dropped that killer song a while back.”

“You hear that, Rufus? Song cred! Not what I was expecting, but I’ll take it!”

Rufus giggled joyfully. “Oh yeah!”

He held a fist bump out to the trio, which they happily accepted. “Yo, name’s Jake Long. Thanks for taking care of my friends over here. I mean, trust me when I say they can take care of themselves, but it’s appreciated.”

“Trust me, we know. I’m good friends with her as well.”

“No way. Lilo, Sitch, you guys are cool with Kim Possible?”

Lilo nodded. “Yeah! She came by to help rescue Stitch.”

Jake rubbed his head. “Man, some kids really get around!”

“I know, right?” Ron added.

“Still, I’m not sure why you’d be brought here. Lilo probably got grabbed by whoever wanted Stitch. And they probably took me and Ron to keep us from interfering.” Kim pursed her lips. “Jake, is there anything about you that someone would want?”

Jake suddenly got nervous. “W-Who, me? Uhh…”

“Oh, that’s easy!” Lilo said aloud. It was then that Jake realized he’d never told Lilo that his “unique” trait was supposed to be kept under wraps. He quickly tried to gesture to Lilo to “cut it out”. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice. “Jake is a-“ NO!

Jake looked up and around. “What the heck was that?”

“An annoyance, that’s what. Someone doesn’t like it when we try to reveal certain information.” She sighed. “But it does tell me what I need to know. There’s something important about you, and that’s why you were targeted.”

Jake wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. “Well… okay. So, what do we do?”

Kim took out her Kimmunicator. “Darn. Can’t get through to Wade. But maybe I can use the other features to-” Kim was interrupted by more glowing lights. “Again? This just keeps getting better.” As four more people appeared, Kim walked up to Ron. “Ron, take these guys and go help those kids. I’m gonna see if I can figure out where we are… and how we can escape.”

Ron saluted. “Not a prob, KP! Me and the Kidnap Squad are on it!”

Stitch grimaced. “Bad name.”

“Yeah, let’s maybe not make them think we’re the bad guys here?” Jake suggested.

“Ok, yeah, so it needs some workshopping. But we can figure this out!”

“How about the Void Patrol?” Lilo suggested.

“Ooooooh.” Stitch said in awe.

Jake nodded. “Yeah, I’m liking it. Void Patrol is in da house!”

“Yeah! Void Patrol! Yeah!” Rufus shouted from Ron’s shoulder.

Ron smiled at Kim. “Well, Kim, guess you’re looking at the brand new Void Patrol! Now we just need a motto.”

Kim rolled her eyes fondly. “Maybe check on our new guests first before you start thinking of that?”

“Oh. Right.” He chuckled sheepishly. “Void Patrol, let’s go!” The group ran off while Kim began tapping away at her Kimmunicator.

“Come on, give me something .”

Meanwhile, the others had reached the new arrivals. Before them lay a set of Caucasian twins, the boy wearing a greenish baseball cap while the girl wore a sweater with a rainbow. The next was a Thai-American girl wearing a school uniform of some kind, leaves and sticks stuck in her floofy hair. The last was a young Afro-Latina girl, wearing a short sleeved cat hoodie.

“Lilo, you know people. Any of these kids familiar?”

She looked at Jake in disappointment. “Sorry, Jake. I don’t recognize any of them.. All the interesting people I meet usually come to Hawaii, but I don’t think I’ve seen any of these kids come to Kauai.”

“Shoot.” Jake cursed. “I was kinda running with the theory that everyone being brought here knew Lilo in some way. So much for that.”

“So then, who are these kids?” Ron asked to no one in particular.

“I dunno. But I think Kim’s still onto something. Whoever they are, they’re important, and our missing host wants them because of that.”

“Kids waking up!” Stitch blurted out.

“Ergh… this is why I feel like it’s a bad idea to sleep on buses…” The boy in the winter cap rubbed his head… and froze as he noticed he and his sister were no longer on the bus… and in a blank void, surrounded by strangers. “Definitely a bad idea. Uh… Mabel?”

“Ohh… Did someone spike my Mabel juice with Smile Dip?” The girl groggily said.

“Mabel, we have a situation here!” Dipper whisper shouted. Strangely, he seemed to notice the brim of his hat, before looking back to the group.

“Wuh?” Mabel took one look at the same situation… and took it in stride. “Well, hi there!” She said happily. “I didn’t know I’d be having a wake up call of cuties today!”

“Uh…” Jake felt a little off put. “I’m… off the market right now.”

“Um… same.” Ron added.

If Mabel was disappointed, she didn’t show it. She just kept smiling. “Had to try!”

“You’re… taking this whole situation strangely well.” Ron noted.

“She tends to do that.” Dipper said, much more wary of these new faces. “Who are you, and why have you brought us here?”

“Whoa, kid, hang on! We’re in the same boat you are.” Jake tried to calm him down. “We all just sort of woke up here.”

Dipper still felt wary, but relaxed a little. “Ok, but that doesn’t answer my first question.”

Jake pointed to the last two girls. “I think that should wait till everybody wakes up.” Lilo was watching over the girl with big hair, while Ron ran over to the girl in the witch costume.

However, as Mabel followed his finger, there was one thing that caught her eye. “OH MY GOSH, A KOALA!”

“Huh?” Stitch’s ears folded back as the young girl dashed towards him, wrapping him up in a hug. “WHOA!”

“He’s so blue and cute and fluffy!” Stitch groaned as she had a death grip on him.

Dipper stepped closer. “Mabel, maybe we shouldn’t hug the strange creature that only mildly resembles a koala?”

“Stitch agree…”

“Ohhhh…”

“Don’t worry, Stitch. I think that’s just how she de-stresses.” Lilo said. Beside her, Anne began to stir.

“Man, what happened? Did the portal work?” She noticed a young girl next to her, alongside a cavalcade of strange faces. “Apparently not. Getting a feeling of deja vu here…”

“This happen to you often?” Jake gave her a strange look.

“It’s not the first time I’ve woken up in a strange place after being transported against my will.” She laughed a little. “Although, I gotta say… at least the last places I woke up in were pretty vibrant.”

“Yeah, the new sights ain’t much to look at. We’re already working on busting out of here. You know, wherever here is.” Jake explained.

“Hey, I’m up for that. I’ve got combat experience.” She grew a concerned look. “Not sure how I should feel about that.”

“Sweet… Potato…?” The armored girl blinked for a moment. That voice sounded… so familiar.

“Uh, guys, I think this one’s delirious!” Ron shouted.

“Wah!” The girl cried out as she nudged away from the unfamiliar teen. “Wha… Where am I? Who are you people?”

As Ron tried his best to calm down the girl, the one in the school uniform stepped closer, taking a good look at the girl. Her clothes and hair… there was no mistaking who she was. “Luz?”

Luz jolted a moment, looking back at the girl. She recognized her even faster, likely because the only thing different about her was the armor piece. “Anne?”

“Luz, it is you!” Anne rushed forward, and Luz did the same. They wrapped each other in a big hug.

“I thought you guys were dead after that-” NO! The two paused at the weird lock and sound. “Uh… okay, that’s new.”

“That’s been happening a lot. Apparently when someone almost reveals something they’re not supposed to, it just goes off.” Jake noted.

“Huh. Talk about ‘no spoilers’.” Anne said bemusedly. “In any case… we were fine, Luz.”

“I-I know.” Luz wiped away a tear. “I’m not sure if I can say why, but I figured it out later.” Anne seemed a bit confused by that, but brushed it off, smiling.

Stitch, who’d finally been let go, walked over and began sniffing the new girls. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize he’d made a very poor decision, as when both girls noticed him-

*GASP*

“AY, QUE LINDO!” Luz wrapped him up in a tight hug.

“Oh, he’s so adorable!” Anne began smooshing his face. “Domino’s got a rival in cuteness!”

“Not again!” Stitch complained.

Rufus looked out from Ron’s pocket as Stitch was swarmed by affection. He looked into Stitch’s eyes, as he silently pleaded with the mole rat for help. Rufus only nodded, hopping out to assist. He walked up to the two girls and began squeaking loudly, getting their attention.

He thought that the young girls would be repulsed and disgusted, as they often were. He was very wrong.

“Oh my gosh, he’s just a little guy!” Anne scooped him up and cuddled him, much to his shock.

“Widdle naked baby!” Luz said as she cooed at Rufus.

“He’s like a tiny little Waddles!” Mabel said as she ran over and fawned over him, while continuing to fawn over Stitch.

“Well, uh… not the response I was expecting.” Ron said, bewildered. “But hey, Rufus, you’re popular with the ladies! Not a bad day, is it?”

Rufus begged to differ, as he struggled in Anne’s grip, not used to the attention. He glanced to Stitch in defeat. “Sorry.”

“Thanks for trying.” Stitch said, equally defeated.

“Anyone else feel really weird that we’re being so casual about our kidnapping?” Dipper asked everyone.

“I mean, at least no one’s freaking out.” Jake said.

“Bad news, guys.” Kim stated as she walked over. “My Kimmunicator can’t make heads or tails of this place. Radars, sensors, scanners… none of it can make sense of where we are.”

Luz, Anne, and Mabel went quiet as they stared at the red head. Stitch and Rufus found their captors’ grips loosen, and quickly escaped. The girls didn’t seem to notice.

“K-K-Kim…” Luz stuttered.

Anne finished to the best of her ability. “Possibuh-buh-buh…”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.” Mabel repeated over and over.

“You were saying?” Dipper deadpanned.

“The universe just loves proving me wrong…” Jake groaned.

“KIM POSSIBLE!” The three girls resounded, rushing up to her.

“I can’t believe I’m actually meeting Kim Possible!” Luz giddily exclaimed.

“She’s in the classic outfit and everything!” Anne gushed.

“Please sign my grappling hook!” Mabel requested.

Lilo walked over, a little stunned. “Wow, Kim. I didn’t know you were this popular.”

“Comes with the hero territory, I guess. I tend to be really popular with the teen and preteen girls. Or at least, that’s what the toy companies who keep asking for my likeness say.” Fortunately, Kim was used to these kinds of situations. “Ok, ok. Let’s just take a deep breath, everyone. I’m glad to meet fans, but I really need all of your help. Can you girls tell me if there’s any important things I need to know about you?”

“O-Oh, well… I got sent to another dimension.” Anne said.

“Me too!” Luz added.

Mabel’s brain had unfortunately short-circuited from being starstruck. “APPLE GUM!”

“What Mabel’s trying to say, is that we encountered weird stuff in a town we stayed in during the summer.” Dipper translated. He whispered in her ear. “Mabel, Robbie once said that sweaters are just hoodies for babies.”

“I’LL KNIT HIS BUTT INTO A STRETCHER!” She shouted, the shock of everyone around her. “...What was I doing just now?”

“We’re finding a way out of here, that’s what! Whoever wanted us all here, they’ve got us. But they’re gonna get more than they bargained for!” Lilo stated.

Luz smiled. “I like this girl.”

Anne nodded. “Hope you’re right, kid. I really got to get back to LA.”

“No way, the City of Angels? New York City’s my turf.” He offered a fistbump. “Name’s Jake Long.”

She accepted. “Anne. Anne Boonchuy! This here’s a friend of mine.” She gestured to the girl in witch garb.

“I’m Luz Noceda. I come from Gravesfield, Connecticut. Well, usually. Right now I’m coming from-” NO! Luz looked slightly irritated. “Guess that’s off limits.”

“Dipper and I are coming from Gravity Falls, Oregon!” Mabel chimed in.

Dipper tilted his hand from side to side. “Er, sort of. We were there for the summer. We were on a bus ride back to Piedmont.”

Lilo stepped in. “My name’s Lilo Pelekai. My dog, Stitch and I are from Kauai, Hawaii!”

Ron wrapped an arm around Kim. “What’s up, everyone? Ron Stoppable, professional sidekick. Me, my buddy Rufus and KP here were just heading out from Middleton, Colorado.”

“People from all over the US, but nowhere else…” Kim thought aloud. “If Wade were here, he might be able to find the recurring pattern.”

“You think they got all the people they wanted?” Jake asked.

“Not sure. Every time we tried to form a plan, more people showed up. Guess we won’t know for sure till our honored host shows his face. Or if a bright glowing light shows up with another unconscious kid.”

“Uh, you mean like that?” Luz pointed behind the group. There was indeed a glow off in the distance. But Kim noticed immediately that this one was different. The light started from the bottom before Kim could hear the sound of something mechanical coming from it.

“No, that… looks like a doorway.” Her gaze turned steely. “I think our host is finally about to grace us with his presence.”

In an instant, other openings emerged. But instead of a bright light coming from them… they saw the depths of space. Whirling formations of cosmic clouds, entire galaxies, and fiery stars lit up the darkness of space. Stitch was less fazed than the others, but he still seemed surprised, nonetheless. More lights turned on around them- these obviously being electrical in nature. It finally lit up the room fully, revealing the metallic sheen of the floors and walls.

“Whoa! What’s with the light show?” Ron asked in a panic. No one had an answer. To their confusion, music began playing around them, some sort of… deep space bass.

The group grew more defensive stances as they heard the sounds of footsteps. From the doorway, a humanoid figure emerged. As he became visible, they could make out his features. He seemed to be wearing some sort of… space suit? What stood out though, was the symbol on his chest- which almost seemed to resemble the warning symbol for radiation.

“Well, hey there! ” He spoke suddenly, startling everyone. “Good to see everyone made the trip, safe and sound.”

“Ooookay. I was expecting a lot of things… this wasn’t one of them.” Anne said, confused.

Jake pointed to him. “Alright, you metal dunce, who are you? You better answer, cause I’m in the mood to make scrap outta you.”

“Metal dunce? Ouch, man. That hurts. But I guess I deserve it for those jabs I took at you all those years ago.” Jake gave him a strange look. “I’m the Toonami Operations Module. But everyone just calls me TOM.”

“Operations… Module.” Kim sounded it out. “You’re a robot.” She said in realization.

“Guilty as charged.”

Anne instinctively stepped in front of the younger kids. “Okay, that answers the who… Now, why did you bring us here?”

“Whoa, whoa, hey, I’m not here to hurt you guys or anything. You can think of me as… your guide. For a journey filled with action, comedy, tragedy, romance… and some cosmic beats.”

Kim stepped forward. “Much as I appreciate the offer, TOM, I’m not all that fond of being forced into someone’s little experiment. And I think my friends here can say the same.” Most everyone nodded in agreement.

“The tunes are pretty sweet, though…” Jake noted, earning him some strange looks. “What? They are!”

“You misunderstand. We didn’t bring you here to strap you in for some experiment. You’re all great heroes in your own right. But none of you are gonna be prepared for what’s to come if you try to go with just your own groups. There’s whispers in the cosmic winds. Something terrible’s on its way, and there’s unfortunately no time to meet and greet right as it arrives.”

The group gave concerned glances to each other, the news catching them off guard. Anne tilted her head. “Wait, so you kidnapped us… to get us ready to fight some coming big bad?”

“Worse than anything you’ve faced so far. It’s gonna tear Earth a new one if you aren’t ready. So, I was asked to bring y’all together to witness each other’s stories. Help y’all get to know each other. Cause the only way you’re kicking this thing’s ass, is if you do it together.”

“Not that we don’t appreciate the help, but… why do you care what happens to Earth?” Dipper questioned.

“Hey, Earth’s got all our faithful fans. How could I not? But it’s the being that recruited me that you’re asking about. See, they’re what you would call… a “ Watcher ”. They gaze into the dimensions below them to find great stories, ones that will stand till the heat death of the universe. They’ve got a lot of interest in yours… and I can definitely see why. All of you are pretty awesome. The idea of y’all getting snuffed out after everything you’ve been through? I’d hate it, too.” He pressed a button on the wall, and the platform they were on began to lower. The group watched as they were brought down to… an entertainment center? There were comfy looking seats of all kinds, and even a snack bar. “So, let me officially welcome you aboard the Absolution- a nuclear powered deep space vessel, and the best damn exploration and broadcasting ship you’ll ever find. Here in its newly added theater, you’ll witness each other’s stories, allowing you to understand one another… and perhaps, even figure things out about yourselves.”

The group looked around, amazed. Kim, however, was still skeptical. “If helping us survive is so important, why is this “Watcher” not stepping in himself?”

“Ooh, that’s a no go. As a Watcher, he can’t directly interfere in “lower dimension” matters. Them’s the rules. Even doing what he’s doing now could put him in hot water with his superiors. Which is why this is strictly off the records.” TOM explained.

Anne’s mind immediately went to the Guardian. It had never stepped in, no matter how bad things got. But their whole job was watching over the multiverse. ‘Were they… not allowed to directly step in, despite their job title?’

“But what about our friends? Our family? They’ll be worried!” Luz pointed out. Anne, also worried about such a thing, brushed aside her thoughts on the Guardian for now.

“I told you to quell their fears about that first, TOM.” A more feminine voice rang out. From above, what appeared to be some sort of pixie flew down. Mabel gasped, while Luz looked nervous.

“Hey, I was getting to it.”

“Holy Moly! Check it out, Dipper! A fairy!” Mabel pointed.

‘Hoo boy… fairies are Amity’s favorite.’ Luz thought.

She giggled. “I’m flattered, but I’m actually the A.I. for the Absolution. My name is SARA. It’s great to meet you all. We’ve heard nothing but good things about you all.”

‘…Should probably still keep Amity away.’ Luz concluded. “You, uh… were saying something about our families?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. A big thing about getting to know people is meeting their families, isn’t it?” She snapped her fingers, and six doorways emerged, each one with a specific symbol. “There’s one door for each of you- through these you’ll find yourselves at your own little “home bases”. They’ve been constructed to grow as we get to know each of you. The more you learn about each other, the more locations open, and the more people you know will get to come in and join the theater.”

TOM gestured to the doors. “Why don’t you go speak with your folks? We’ll call on y’all when we’re ready to get things started.”

Kim appeared to be in deep thought. She looked at the hodgepodge of heroes around her and gestured them closer.

“Can we really trust them, Kim?” Lilo whispered to the older girl.

“Meega naga troopaa.” Stitch chimed in.

“I don’t know, Lilo. He said all of us were great heroes.” She looked at the people she was unfamiliar with, signaling them closer. They huddled around. “I don’t know much about your skills or abilities, but if what he says is true, the fact is, he was able to snatch all of us up with little difficulty. Not to mention, we’re on his ship, with his A.I. likely controlling everything. We’re at a disadvantage.”

Jake shook his head. “So, we don’t have much choice but to do what he says.”

“Hey, he has a point. If we learn about each other, we could probably work together to stop him.” Anne suggested, driving her fist into her palm. “Heck, maybe he’s the “big threat” he’s talking about, and he’s trying to pull some dumb twist. Like a bad movie.”

“It is a common trope… but I agree with Anne. If it’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that whatever problem arises, we can face it together.” Luz beamed.

“We could also take the chance to learn about what these “Watchers” are, and how this place works. He did say there were more of them.” Dipper proposed.

“But he has our friends and families.” Mabel reminded everyone. “We have to make sure he can’t do anything to them, either.”

Kim nodded. “Then we’ll just have to wait until they’re all with us. In the meantime, we keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

Outside the huddle, TOM sheepishly looked on. “This… is a little awkward. I mean, I can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, but I know they’re talking about fighting us.”

SARA flew up next to his head. “Ah, give em some slack, TOM. They’re heroes! If somebody abducts them, they’re gonna be wary that they’re some kind of villain, at least at first.”

“Well, I just hope we can get on their good side soon. I’d rather not have to rebuild myself again.”

“Alright! Void Patrol is gonna knock this out of the park!” Ron hyped.

“Ooh, I like that.” Luz grinned.

Mabel looked eager. “That is team sweater material!”

“Don’t thank me, thank the little lady.” Ron gestured to Lilo.

“I have a thing for naming stuff.”

“Hey, guys.” TOM interrupted. “I’d hate to rush you, but we are kinda on a schedule here.”

Kim eyed the robot. “…Right. Everyone, go find your loved ones and tell them what we planned. We’ll see you guys when he calls us back.”

“Can I get a ‘Booyah’ on three?” Ron requested. “1, 2, 3!”

“BOOYAH!”

Lilo and Stitch quickly found their way to their door, marked by a symbol of surfboard with “L&S” over it.

“If this isn’t our door, I’d sure like to know who L and S are.” Lilo commented.

As the two walked through, they found themselves back at their house, but with no experiment in sight. Just a very worried sister standing on the porch.

“Lilo! Stitch!” She ran down, immediately enveloping them in a hug. “I was so worried about you two!”

“We’re fine, Nani. Is everyone else here?” Lilo asked.

“Well… not everyone.” Nani turned to the door as it opened.

“Lilo! Little monster! You’re alive!” Came the voice of Pleakley, as he hobbled out. Jumba was right behind him.

But… mostly everyone.”

Lilo appeared apologetic. “I’m sorry, guys. I know we only just got done with the all the Leroys, but…”

“No need for little girl to fill us in.” Jumba interjected. “Message of strange robot was transmitted to us.”

To Lilo and Stitch’s surprise, two more humans came out of the house. “David? Mr. Bubbles? He took you too?”

David gave a sheepish shrug. “I’m… probably even more confused than you are, Lilo.”

“Clearly, this “TOM” finds us to be as important assets to this little… journey.” Bubbles said as he removed his sunglasses. “What concerns me is this supposed threat he’s talking about.”

“Yes, big threat that even all my experiments combined are no match for, if what Toonami Operations Module is implying what I think he is implying.” Jumba huffed. “It is insult to evil genius pride.”

“If that’s true…” A baritone voice cane from behind the house. Gantu’s large form emerged from around the corner. “…Then the Galactic Council must be warned, as soon as possible.”

Lilo gasped. “Gantu! They got you, too?”

“Indeed. And not just me.” He gestured next to him as a familiar yellow experiment walked up, sandwich in hand. “Galley Officer 62- er, I mean, Galley Officer Reuben was also taken.”

“Don’t hurt yourself, Gantu, I don’t mind you calling me by my number.” He threw the rest of his snack in his mouth. “Yeah, they took us right in the middle of lunchtime… Real inconvenient.”

“Anyone else?” Stitch asked.

A familiar batlike experiment fluttered out, hanging around Stitch. 626 suddenly looked frantic. “No! Naga muca!”

“Lilo!” Lilo’s friend Victoria ran down the stairs. She quickly admonished Snooty. “Snooty, come on. You know the rules. No sucking out people’s mucus unless they let you.”

Experiment 277 drooped its ears in shame, flying over to rest on Victoria’s head.

“Victoria!” She hugged her friend. “I can’t believe even you were taken.”

“Just as I said, Lilo. Whoever they took, it means they thought they were important.” Bubbles emphasized.

“Me? Important?” Victoria rubbed the back of her head. “I dunno… I never really helped Lilo save the world or anything…”

“I don’t think saving the world has anything to do with it.”

“You going CIA agent on us, Mr. Bubbles?” Nani asked, somewhat amusedly.

“I’ve been “going CIA agent” ever since I discovered Lilo’s dog was really a genetic alien experiment.” He gave a slight sigh. “This is just something else to add to the pile.”

“Is that everyone?” Lilo pondered.

“Well, there was one more…” Reuben started.

“Boojiboo!” Came a higher pitched squeal, as Angel jumped down from the patio, running to Stitch.

The blue fuzzball was definitely excited to see her. “Angel!” He ran up to meet her, and they nuzzled their foreheads together.

“Okay, now that’s everyone.” Reuben finished.

“Huh… I thought there would be more experiments…” Lilo said in confusion.

“Perhaps Toonami Operations Module has other plans for them?” Jumba suggested.

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing!” Pleakley feared.

“I’m not so sure TOM is a bad guy… but I guess I’m not sure he’s a good guy, either.” Lilo wondered. “We’ll just have find out for ourselves.”

Nani gave her an unsure look. “Lilo, I’m not sure I really trust the lolo robot who kidnapped all of us to keep his word.”

“Neither do we. But it’s okay. Kim is here, too! Even Jake! And the other kids that got dragged here are also heroes. Whatever TOM throws at us, we’ll be fine.”

Pleakley suddenly went from fearful to excited. “That’s right! Kim Possible is here! I gotta go out there and see her again!” He rushed over to the door and opened it, only for it to be empty. “Hey! What’s going on here?”

“Artificial Intelligence clearly stated that not all of us would be joining viewing experience until certain points in time.” Jumba pulled Pleakley away. He suddenly pulled his shirt out a bit, drawing attention to a name tag of sorts. “It would also explain identification stickers we were given.”

Lilo walked over, taking a closer look.

Dr. Jumba Jookiba

M1 Lilo and Stitch

“M1? What could that mean?”

“Was asking myself same question, little girl.”

Lilo looked around. “Does every one have one?”

The group nodded. Pleakley, Nani, David and Mr. Bubbles all had the same one as Jumba, aside from their names. But the others...

Victoria Crimson

S2E3 Swapper

Snooty

S2E10 Snooty

“Huh… these ones are different.”

“Yeah, mine doesn’t say ‘M1’. And Snooty’s just says his name again. And what’s a Swapper?” Victoria asked.

“I don’t know about the first two, but Swapper is the experiment we dealt with the day I met you.” Lilo explained. And then, it hit her. “Wait a minute… Gantu, Reuben, what do yours say?”

Gantu knelt down so she could see his better, while Reuben took his out of a sandwich bag. “Didn’t want to stick it to my fur, ya know?”

Captain Nanaue Gantu

M4 Leroy and Stitch

X-625 Reuben

M4 Leroy and Stitch

“You onto something, Lilo?” David asked her.

“I think so… Angel?”

The pink experiment cleared her throat, before coughing up her tag, holding it out with her tongue. Lilo grimaced a bit, while Stitch just sighed dreamily. Despite this, she got a better look at it.

X-624 Angel

S1E30 Angel

She turned to everyone else. “I know what’s going on now. The tags refer to when each of you became our ‘ohana !” Everyone instinctively glanced at their tags again. “I think whenever we see the events listed on the tags, that’s when that person joins the theater!”

“Whoa. Looks like we come in at the very last moment, big guy.” Reuben noted. “That means we’re gonna be by ourselves while most everyone else gets to go hang out with the others.”

“Well, we’re not necessarily strangers to that.” Gantu said, remembering all the days on his busted ship.

“So… what does the M1 thing refer to?” Pleakley questioned.

“I think that means when Stitch and I first met. It is just our names, after all.”

“It appears mystery has been solved. So, the question is, what do we do now?” Jumba pointed out.

“Guess all we can do is wait till TOM and SARA call us in.” Lilo concluded, as the extended Pelekai family waited nervously for what would happen next.

Kim, Ron and Rufus rolled up to their door, conveniently marked with the logo of Kim’s initials that served as her Kimmunicator’s background image.

Ron’s ego deflated a tad. “Gotta say, not feeling the love.”

Kim nudged him. “You just got a group ‘Booyah’ from a bunch of people you’ve never met. You’ll survive not having your initials on the door.”

As they made their way through, Kim and Ron were shocked to find her own house sitting right there. Looking behind the door, Kim found the ground almost seemed to fade away into a void of a blue sky. “Figures.”

“You know, when they said “home base”, I didn’t think they meant it so literally.” Ron stated.

“You and me both.”

“Kim? You there?” Kim took out her Kimmunicator, her tech guy Wade appearing on screen. “Oh, man! Finally! I was worried about you guys!”

“Hey, Wade. Good to hear from you.” She noticed he wasn’t at his usual setup. “By any chance, you wouldn’t happen to be inside my house, would you?”

“A version of it. Everyone’s waiting inside.”

Ron nudged into frame. “Uh, yeah, about the whole “our loved ones are here with us”, thing. Who exactly falls under the category of “everyone”?”

Wade rubbed the back of his head. “It’s… probably better if you see for yourself.”

“Not liking how ominous that answer is.”

“Uh uh…” Rufus agreed.

“Come on, Ron. Let’s see who got dragged here with us.” Kim and Ron entered the duplicate home.

“Kimmie!” “Kimmie-cub!” “Ron!” The two were immediately swarmed by their parents.

Kim hugged her parents as Ron’s mom kissed him on the cheek. “Mom, Dad! I’m glad that you’re safe.”

“We should be saying that about you, Kimmie-cub.” He shook his head. “Out of one alien abduction and into another, eh?”

“You know we’re in a spaceship?”

“That “TOM” fellow broadcasted to the TV in the house. We got the whole story.” Her mother pointed to the TV. “Jim! Tim! Come on inside! Your sister’s here!”

Ron suddenly noticed a little bundle in his mother’s arms. “Aw, man, they got Hana too?”

“I know. It’s making me so anxious having her up on some strange spaceship. I’m just glad we’ve been given the necessary supplies to take care of her.”

“Bah bah!” Hana giggled as she reached out to her brother.

“Well, hello there little miss kickbutt.” Ron cooed at her, making her giggle harder.

“Necessary supplies?” Kim questioned.

“Whatever this place is, it’s fully stocked with food, water, toiletries… and in Hana’s case, diapers and other baby supplies.” Wade says as he walked in with his laptop.

“Think you can get into their systems, Wade?” Kim asked. “Even if he really isn’t up to something, it’d be nice to know for sure.”

Wade shook his head. “Tried it the moment we arrived. No good. The firewalls in place here are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”

“Can’t seem to bust outta this place, either!” Jim said as he ran in.

“Yeah, our laser just kept going forever.”

“Laser?” James raised an eyebrow. “Boys, I told you not to start disassembling this house. It’s our only source of provisions, and I’m not certain the aliens here will grant us another one.”

“But we didn’t build it.” Jim said.

“Yeah, we were just talking about it, and then it appeared!” Tim explained.

Kim found that rather odd. “Really? They just gave you a laser?”

“Probably to show us that it wouldn’t work.” Wade interjected. “The readings I’m getting in this… ‘room’ are insane. My best guess? We’re in some kind of pocket dimension.”

“How can we all fit here if it’s the size of a pocket?” Ron wondered.

James placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, Ronald. Pocket dimensions are theoretical “smaller universes” that exist within larger ones. But the theory had yet to be proven… until now, I suppose.”

“TOM did say he was recruited by some higher dimensional being.” Kim mentioned. “I just thought whoever programmed him was a bit full of themselves.”

Ron brought his hand up to his forehead. “Man, this is just getting freakier.”

“Girl, you’re just gonna walk in here without giving your friend a hug?” Kim whirled to find Monique standing in the living room.

“Monique!” Kim quickly granted her said hug. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I didn’t think you would be kidnapped.”

She nodded. “Right? I know I got an excellent eye for fashion, but to be kidnapped for it? It’s a bit much.”

Kim gave her an amused smile. She looked around the room at everyone gathered. “Well, if this is everyone, maybe we can start putting together a plan.”

“Ah, well, Kimmie-cub, that’s not exactly… everyone.” Her father gestured to the kitchen.

Kim gave him a strange look, before walking to take a look…

…finding the familiar colors of blue and green before her.

“I swear, the Coco Moo tastes different than back home…” Dr. Drakken stated grouchily.

Shego groaned. “Again with the Coco Moo- stop saying Coco Moo.”

“Seriously, Shego, what did Coco-” He paused when Shego’s hand flared green. “What did this drink ever do to you?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not so much the drink as it was the person who was making it…”

He frowned. “Ouch, Shego. I may have been goodie-good, but I still pride my skills with cocoa and milk, thank you very much. Could we at least leave the judgy-ness to- KIM POSSIBLE!” He suddenly belted out, noticing the girl. He pointed at Kim aggressively. “SHEGO!”

Shego didn’t move a muscle, and both she and Kim gave Drakken a flat look. “And? What about it? You forget about the situation we’re in.”

Drakken’s eyes widened. He quickly looked grumpily off to the side. “Right. Force of habit.”

“To be fair, Drakken, I also thought teaming up the last time was a ‘once in a blue moon’ kind of thing.” Kim commented.

“Oh, ha ha. Because I’m blue, right?”

Shego scoffed. “Oh, please. You don’t see me getting upset every time someone offhandedly says they’re “looking a little green”.”

“Well, I mean, you do threaten people who so much as mildly sass you.” Ron popped in to say. It earned him a glare from the henchwoman. Ron shrunk behind Kim. “I’m just saying! People kinda know not to say that stuff directly at you.”

“Alright, let’s reign it in a little.” Kim spoke up. “Ok, Hana and Ron’s parents, I sort of get. Monique… I might have a hunch, but I’m not sure yet. But you guys? Last I checked, we weren’t exactly friends or anything.”

“Like I know either, princess. All I know is that someone interrupted my vacation because you hero types need to do some kind of team up.” Shego replied.

Drakken shuddered. “Being stuck in your house with the entire Possible family to taunt me. It’s a nightmare I didn’t even know I had.”

“There’s one more thing, Kim.” Wade got her attention. “Check out what we had on us when we got here.”

Kim looked closer to see a nametag on Wade.

Wade Load

S1E1 Tick Tick Tick

“Everyone got one, all with the same deal- their name, and a set of phrases with numbers and letters before them. At first, I was a little confused, but then your brothers said something that got me thinking…”

“Hey, these kinda look like episode listings.” Ron said out loud as he looked at the tags on his family, all with the same title.

Elliot Stoppable

S4E10 Big Bother

Andrea Stoppable

S1E10 Big Bother

Hana Stoppable

S4E10 Big Bother

“That’s exactly what we said!” The twins shouted, high fiving Ron.

Jim Possible

S1E17 Coach Possible

Tim Possible

S1E17 Coach Possible

“TOM did say he was going to show us our lives… and that our loved ones were going to join in at certain points.” Kim said, remembering.

“Showing our lives in the form of a… TV show? That’s a little odd.” Ann said bemusedly.

James chuckled. “I suppose we should be glad Jim and Tim care more about their projects than watching TV, otherwise groundings would get a tad bit complicated.”

James Possible

S1E16 Downhill

Ann Possible

S1E16 Downhill

“Wait a minute. I know what this one’s talking about!” Ron said excitedly as he looked at Monique’s.

“Not exactly a hard guess.” Monique sassed.

Monique Lydia

S1E18 Pain King vs Cleopatra

“So, the titles give a hint to what events they’re about.” She looked at her… maybe enemies? “How about you two?”

The two gestured to their tags, Drakken grumbling about how his preferred name was in quotes.

Sheila “Shego” Go

S2E14 Go Team Go

Drew “Dr. Drakken” Lipsky

S2E15 A Very Possible Christmas

“Your name’s Sheila?” Ron asked.

Shego suddenly brought her hand up to his face, bright with threatening green plasma. “Keep it to yourself. It’s still Shego to you.” Ron, despite having mystical monkey powers, withered under her gaze.

Kim nudged Ron behind her, giving Shego the evil eye. “Names aside… it’s not hard to figure out what each of those phrases mean. And with that squared away, there isn’t much left to do other than trying to figure TOM out… and finding out what to do if he’s up to no good.”

Jake eyed the symbol on his door- a silhouette of his human form, with the silhouette of his dragon form around it.

“Yo, this looks cool, but it’s not really helping me keep on the downlow. Then again, his idea of preparing us for the future is gonna expose me and the entire magical community, very shortly.” He sighed. “I sure hope Grandpa’s got some advice to deal with this.”

Through his door was a perfect recreation of two different buildings- his grandfather’s shop and his family’s house. There was also a third building he didn’t recognize. There wasn’t much else- the street just sort of… ended and went off into a void of sky blue.

Jake whistled. “Man, the Big Apple has never looked smaller.” He stepped into the shop, and was greeted by the sight of his family.

“Jakers!” “Jake!” His parents swamped him with hugs, as did his little sister. He noticed several nametags on them.

Jonathan Long

S1E17 Ring Around the Dragon

Susan Long

S1E17 Ring Around the Dragon

Haley Long

S1E5 The Legend of Dragon Tooth

His grandfather walked up. “It is good to see you unharmed, young dragon.”

Luong Lao Shi

S1E1 Old School Training

“Likewise, G. Glad to see that TOM guy was true to his word.” Jake said.

“Yeah, well, I prefer if he hadn’t been. We were in the middle of vacation!” Jake heard the voice of his friend, Trixie. She walked in with his other friend, Spud.

“I dunno. A space cruise sounds like a pretty cool vacation to me. Drifting past the cosmos, taking in the sights… maybe we’ll meet the guys who pulled the ol’ Roswell on us.” Spud said, dreaming up the possibilities.

Trixie Carter

S1E7 Professor Rotwood’s Thesis

Arthur “Spud” Spundinski

S1E7 Professor Rotwood’s Thesis

“Spud, how many times do I have to tell you- even if Roswell ain’t a hoax cuz of Lilo and her little blue fuzzball, it still ain’t a practical joke by aliens!”

“It makes sense! Drop a piece of trash on us and watch us argue for years about whether it’s real or not! Those guys have one heck of a sense of humor…”

Jake shook his head in amusem*nt. “What up, Trixie, Spud. Hope you guys aren’t going crazy in here.”

“It’s an uphill battle.” Trixie responded flatly.

“I think we’re all just a little antsy right now, Jake.” The young teen was even happier to see the love of his life, Rose. “Hey, Jake.” She gave him a light peck on the cheek.

Rose Thorn

S1E21 The Hunted

“Hey, Rose. I’m not surprised to see you here. You’re… definitely important to me.” Jake said, blushing.

Rose returned the blush. “You’re pretty important to me, too.”

“Alright, alright, enough flirting, you two.” A gray Sharpei moved in between them. “We need to talk about what’s going on here.”

Fu Dog

S1E1 Old School Training

Jake was tempted to chew out Fu Dog for ruining the moment, but unfortunately, the magic animal guardian had a point.

“Yeah, to start- what’s with everybody looking like they’re going to a mixer?” Jake gestured to the right of his chest.

“We figured it was when we were supposed to come in. The titles indicate what events they’re referring to.” Rose explained.

“Y’all figured that out already?” Jake questioned.

“Well… Haley did.” Rose gestured to his little sister. “She saw the dragon tooth phrase on her tag, and connected the dots pretty quickly.”

Jake looked at Haley. He expected her to start gloating at any minute… but she just avoided his gaze, looking off to the side. This surprised him… definitely not her style. He also noticed something else.

“Haley… isn’t that the dress you used to wear?”

She looked down at her clothing. “Oh yeah… I just woke up in this. My pigtails are done up the old way, too.”

“Trixie’s in her old digs, too.” Spud said nonchalantly. “Guess it must be retro night.”

“The outfits aren’t so important.” Jake saw one final person, who he missed at first. Sun Park, the Korean Dragon, and Haley’s teacher.

Sun Park

S2E5 Family Business

“What does matter is what this robot has mentioned. If he plans to tell Jake’s story, the magic community will be revealed to these… other heroes that were mentioned.”

Jake’s ear perked up at the last part. “Mentioned? You guys didn’t see the others?”

“Nah, we got some recorded message from ol’ Tin Tommy.” Fu explained.

“Well, those other heroes were in the room with me.”

“Jake, heroes they may be, but that does not mean we can trust them with the knowledge of magical creatures.” Lao Shi refuted.

“That’s right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’m finally aware of the family secret, but isn’t it risky to blab all willy nilly?” Jake’s dad wondered.

Susan nodded. “It is, honey. How can we be sure they won’t spread word like wildfire? Can’t we convince this… “TOM” to leave it alone?”

“I’m not so sure, G. Lilo and Stitch are out there.” This earned a shocked look from Fu, Trixie and Spud. “Not just that, but Kim Possible. Hasn’t she done some work for the magic community or something?”

“Unknowingly. She has combated the misuse of magical artifacts by humans. But she is not aware of the greater magic community.” Lao Shi appeared in deep thought. “And… the others?”

“I didn’t know em. But two of the other girls said they traveled to other dimensions. The only ones I’m not really sure of are these twins- one boy and one girl. The only thing they said was something about seeing weird things.”

“J-Jake?” He suddenly felt a tug at his shorts. “Did you say… Kim Possible? The Kim Possible?”

Jake felt his ears cringe. “Y…Yeah…”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Haley suddenly squeed, jumping up and down. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it! She’s here! She’s really here!

Jake released his ears, still hearing a ringing. “Yep. That she is.”

“I… I can get her autograph.” She smiled excitedly, only for it to turn into a horrified frown. “No, wait… I don’t come in till the fifth episode. I CAN’T WAIT THAT LONG!” She clutched at her hair.

“Haley, please, calm down!” Sun knelt next to her, trying to keep her from hyperventilating. “I’ve never seen her like this…”

Susan swiftly rushed over. “I’ve got this, Sun.” She turned Haley to her. “Come on, Haley. Breathe in, breathe out. Deep breaths.”

Jake, as if worried for the other girls, turned to them. “You, uh… you good?”

“Meh. She’s cool, but I ain’t gonna foam at the mouth for her or nothing.” Trixie stated.

Rose shrugged. “I find her pretty admirable now, but the Hunstclan aren’t fond of her. So, neither was I. I always wondered why I was neutral towards her in my new life.”

“Aiya! Focus, everyone!” Grandpa shouted, the ringing from his ears finally gone. He sighed. “I do not know if I trust the people in there, aside from young Lilo and her pet. And the Dragon Council will not be happy to learn that so many have learned the secret.”

Jake thought for a moment. “Well, we could play it by ear. We trust Trixie, Spud and Dad because they showed they could be trusted. If we’re gonna be seeing the stories of all the others… we can find out if we trust them, too.”

Grandpa nodded, a smile appearing on his face. “Hmm… yes. Just as the Dragon Council tested Jake, we are being presented with tests of character to determine if these young people may be trusted with the secret. A wise decision, grandson.”

Jake smiled. “Hey, I like to think this thick skull picked up at least a little wisdom from you, G. But let’s worry about all that testing stuff in a bit. How bout y’all show me around before TOM starts things up?”

Dipper and Mabel were a bit spooked when they saw the Cipher wheel as the mark on their door. They breathed a little easier when they noticed Bill himself wasn’t in it.

Dipper rubbed his head. “I know he’s supposed to be dead, but… I think I might’ve covered it out of instinct, if he’d been there.”

Mabel gave a small nudge of comfort to her brother. “I woulda done it too, bro-bro. Probably would’ve torn a piece of my sweater to help.”

“So… guess we’re dealing with one last bit of weirdness, huh?”

“Just for this summer. I mean… if what the music guy says is true, our lives are about to get a whole lot weirder.”

“Yeah, that is true… but there is a definite upside.” He smiled excitedly as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Mabel matched that smile. “We get to see everyone again.”

At that notion, they ran inside.

The Mystery Shack recreation was pretty accurate. The ‘S’ even fell down like it always did. Dipper and Mabel had immediately rushed to the shack, eager to see their family away from family.

It was no surprise to see Stan right at the front. “Kids!” He scooped them up into his arms. “Come ‘ere, ya little gremlins!”

“Grunkle Stan!” They hugged him back, both noticing a tag on his outfit.

Stan Pines

S1E1 Tourist Trapped

“Hehe. Come on in, you two. Everybody else has been twiddling their thumbs waiting.” He carried them inside.

The twins jumped down after going through the front door, heading into the living room.

Ford was the first to greet them. “Dipper, Mabel! It’s good to see you two are unharmed.”

“Other than a bit of a headache at first.” Dipper noted.

“Probably a side effect of the teleportation process. I encountered similar issues trying to create my own. But more importantly, about the tags we have…”

Stanford Pines

S2E11 Not What He Seems

While Dipper and Ford started conversing about the purpose of the nametags, Mabel noticed her friends and ran over to them. “Hey, girls! You ready for a totally awesome space cruise?”

“You know it, sister!” Grenda shouted back.

Candy pumped her fist. “This gal’s going to rock the spaceship!”

Grenda Grendinator

S1E7 Double Dipper

Candy Chiu

S1E7 Double Dipper

“Oink.” Mabel found a familiar pink snout pushing up against her.

“Waddles! You little scamp!” She cuddled him in joy. To her slight surprise, he had a nametag, too.

Waddles

S1E9 The Time Traveler’s Pig

“I have kept your noble steed safe in your absence.” Soos said as he strolled up.

Jesús "Soos" Alzamirano Ramirez

S1E1 Tourist Trapped

“Thank you, Soos. You’re not only a good repairman, but a good stable hand as well!” Mabel complimented him.

He pointed up in the air. “Yes! Take that, dood from the renaissance fair!”

“Nice to see you two conquering heroes made it.” Wendy said as she walked over. “Didn’t think your bus ride would be a round trip, huh?”

Wendy Corduroy

S1E1 Tourist Trapped

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t my number one secret wish.” Mabel said.

Wendy chuckled before glancing to her brother and Grunkle. “Looks like Ford’s talking to Dipper about his little theory. He said something about the nametags meaning when we come in. He was pretty excited to discuss it with Dipper.”

“Does everyone have one?” The Pines girl asked.

“Yep. My friends all have the same one. Here, I snatched Thompson’s.”

“Come on, guys, where is it?” Thompson could be heard saying.

S1E5 The Inconveniencing

“Considering that I definitely know what that’s talking about, I think Ford’s theory holds weight.” She commented.

Mabel, however, noticed something else. A familiar blonde girl, standing off to the side by her lonesome. “Pacifica’s here too?”

Wendy nodded. “Oh, yeah. That’s a bit shocking, ain’t it?”

“She hasn’t been very mean to us lately.” Candy spoke up. “I did hear she had to get a job at Greasy’s Diner. You know, since her dad was stupid and bought all those weirdness bonds.”

“I mean, it’s nice that she’s mellowed out from being a bully, but did they really bring her here just cause of that?” Grenda wondered.

Mabel didn’t think that was the case. Her mind went to back to a certain party, where Dipper had gone off with the rich girl to help her with her ghost problem. Whatever she had missed after that, it ended with her spotting the two of them talking, laughing… just enjoying each other’s company. Adding onto that some very peculiar notes Dipper had on the page where he talked about her, and some very incriminating texts the blonde sent her by mistake…

“Wendy!” Dipper ran over excitedly, interrupting Mabel’s thoughts. He and the older girl quickly fist bumped.

“Dude, I was planning to switch hats with you, but…” She gestured to his green hat.

“Yeah, I woke up with this. Much like I’m guessing you woke up with yours.” He pointed to her lumberjack hat.

“Yep. Not sure what that’s about.” She shrugged. “What the hey. I’m pretty sure it’ll turn up.” She took her hat off, handing it to him. “Why don’t you hang onto this in the meantime?”

“You sure?”

“Dude, if I didn’t trust you with it this time, I probably wouldn’t have given it to you the first time.” She joked.

He chuckled at that. “Yeah, I guess so.” He reached for her hat…

NO!

Only for a familiar sound to play and a holographic lock to appear between his hand and the hat. Dipper glared above him, as if he was trying to stare at the source of the sound.

“It’s Gregor from the Motherland!” Old Man McGucket shouted as he ran in. “He’s come back to steal my pancreas as payment for the plutonium!”

Fiddleford McGucket

S2E7 Society of the Blind Eye

“Hey McGucket.” Dipper waved.

“Hi, Fiddleford!” Mabel cheerily added.

“Oh, hey kids! I’ll be in my panic room if you need me!” He ran to a garbage can and jumped inside, slamming the lid over him.

“The heck was that?” Wendy asked as she looked around in confusion.

“That… means you’re probably hanging onto your hat for now.” Dipper answered, somewhat grumpy.

While she’d paid attention to the interaction, Mabel’s focus quickly went back to Pacifica. Sure enough, the rich girl had also been watching Dipper and Wendy intently. She noticed Mabel watching her and quickly looked away.

Mabel finally decided to walk over.

“Ugh, please Mabel, I think I’ve had enough of your sweaters.” She scoffed.

Pacifica Elise Northwest

S2E10 Northwest Mansion Mystery

Mabel saw right through the act. It’d been pretty easy to see during Weirdmaggedon that Pacifica fell back on old habits when she felt vulnerable. And in the Shack, surrounded by little to no one she could call a friend? Yeah, that’d probably do it.

She brushed off her rudeness. “You know, despite not having a phone, he has been eager to talk to you again. We didn’t really see you too often before… well, “Never mind all that”.”

She kept her arms crossed, still looking away from her. “…Dad was… unhappy with me since the party and photo incidents. He kept me on a close leash.”

“Figured as much. He’s a butt.” She pretended not to notice the girl stifling a laugh. “But I don’t think you have to worry about him here.”

“I guess. He just… he seems busy talking to that red haired girl.” She said, making an excuse.

Mabel looked out of the corner of her eye. Dipper was looking in their direction, as intently as Pacifica had been. She watched as Wendy gave him an encouraging nudge, which got him to start walking over.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She turned to him. “Hey, Dipper!”

Pacifica jolted as Dipper arrived, though it went unnoticed by the boy. “Hey, Mabel. H… Hey, Pacifica.”

“H-Hey, Dipper. Still rocking the backwater bum look, huh?” Unlike with Mabel, there was a tone of playfulness in her voice, which Dipper caught onto. Mabel could see the change in her body language immediately, as she seemed less tense.

“And I see you’re still the worst.” His teasing tone let Mabel know he didn’t mean it.

Sensing it was time to leave, Mabel skillfully exited the conversation… “Non-specific excuse!” She walked away, leaving a slightly confused Pacifica and Dipper.

“And here I thought you were done with the whole matchmaking thing.” Wendy said as Mabel walked over.

“This isn’t matchmaking. It’s friend making.” The girl defended. Wendy smiled while rolling her eyes. “Seriously though, Wendy. I think I’m just gonna focus on making sure they’re friends first.”

“You don’t think there’s a thing going on between them?”

“Maybe. But I’m focusing on the friend level first. If I push things too fast, it could lead to trouble. I learned that much this summer. Besides, Dipper always wanted friends his own age. I don’t think he’d mind if I helped with that.” She looked off to the side, slightly sullen. “It’s the least I can do…”

Wendy gave her a strange look. “What’s that mean?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Mabel brushed off. “Hey, you’ll never guess who was out there!”

Wendy noticed hoe obviously she was trying to change the subject, but let it go for now. “Eunnah. Ducktective?”

“Kim Possible!”

“What?!” Grenda and Candy shouted as they rocketed into the conversation.

“The super spy who saved the world like, a thousand times?!” Grenda belted out. “I’m gonna pass out!”

“Forget Pacifica! I want Kim Possible’s life!” Candy stated, stars lighting up in her eyes.

Wendy stared at Mabel a moment, processing the info. “…Kim… Possible?” Mabel nodded. The lumberjane gave a short laugh, one that was slightly wheezy. “I mean, yeah. That’s awesome. Guess it’ll be kinda cool to meet her. You know.” She said somewhat nonchalantly. But Mabel saw her toe tapping relentlessly, as if suddenly becoming relentless.

“I thought you once said you’d give an arm and a leg to meet her.” Wendy went rigid as Tambry seemingly materialized out of thin air next to them.

“Really?” Mabel asked.

“Oh, yeah, she’s like, a total geek for Kim Possible.”

“Tambry! Shut up !” Wendy said, much like how Mabel had heard her say it when she and Dipper went back in time.

“Oh. Right. That was supposed to be a secret.” She said, slightly sheepish, only to shrug. “Well, at least I didn’t tell them about your dorky obsession with-”

“TAMBRY!” Wendy shouted.

Before Tambry could blab further, Ford spoke up.

“Alright, everyone, listen up! Believe it or not, I’ve heard of these ‘Watchers’ in my travels. A lot of it was mere hearsay and rumor, but what truths I managed to discern painted quite the picture. To put it simply, I don’t think this TOM fellow, or the Watcher he works for, mean us any harm. Still, I’d prefer to learn more if given the chance. Now, Dipper, about that journal your sister gave you…”

Anne brought her hand over the image on the door- the three Calamity Gems, converging together, aura and all.

She took a deep breath. “Looks like I’ve got a little while longer with the Plantars… and Marcy, too… let’s make the most of it.”

As soon as she went through the door, Anne was tackled by multiple bodies- two frogs and two humans.

“Anne!” Sprig and Polly sobbed into her chest while Sasha and Marcy stood by her side.

Anne looked down at Sprig and Polly, smiling fondly and tearing up. “Weren’t expecting me back so soon, huh?”

Sprig looked up, his eyes still leaking. “I thought… I’d never see you again.”

“You made us cry for no reason, and that makes me both angry and happy!” Polly rambled. “I’M ANGPY!”

“Heh… I’m happy to see you too.” Anne said, wiping away her tears.

Marcy’s head was buried into her shoulder. “When we woke up and you weren’t there, we thought… we thought…”

That she hadn’t come back. Anne hated the thought of scaring everyone, even if it wasn’t really her fault.

“N-Needless to say…” Sasha said, clenching her other shoulder tightly. She was looking off to the side, her eyes also red and watery. “We were… happy to learn we all weren’t just dreaming.”

Anne brought her hands up to Sasha and Marcy’s, clenching them tight, as if to ground them. “I’m sorry I scared you all.”

“It’s not your fault, dear.” Anne heard a familiar weathered voice, as Hop Pop walked up. To her shock, but also happiness, her parents were behind him. “That darn robot scared us all half to death.”

“HP…” The others quickly got off as she wrapped up Hop Pop in a hug.

He met it with just as much strength. “It’s good to see you’re alright, Anne. A childish part of this old coot’s happy we can spend more time with you.”

“And the old coot’s reminding him that all this is a really bad way to do it?” Anne guessed.

“Something like that.” Hop Pop let her go and she went to hug her parents.

“Oh, my good girl…” Her mother nuzzled her close. “I worried every moment you were gone.”

He father hugged her just as tight. “Once everyone calmed down, they told us everything that happened.”

Anne suddenly grew nervous. “E-...Everything?” She looked back at the rest of the group. Equally squirrelish, they shook their heads- No, thankfully they didn’t tell her parents that she had died.

Admittedly, that begged the question of how they played off their panic when they thought she was dead… again, but she would ask that later. Worse yet, even if they didn’t know now… she would have to tell them. They would only find out eventually through watching her story… and they would need to hear it from her. For now, though, she pushed that thought aside.

“Everyone else is kinda around. We’re all pretty anxious.” Sasha spoke up.

“Everyone else?” Anne asked.

“See for yourself.” Marcy gestured.

Anne caught sight of several other people she’d gotten to know. Olivia stood next to Yunan as she discussed battle tactics with Grime. Terri and Dr. Jan were talking to Mr. X about their situation, as Jenny typed away at their computer. Ivy and Maddie seemed curious about the environment- which she only just noticed was modeled after the Plantar house. Each of them waved to her as they noticed her gaze.

Then there was… Andrias. He sat off to the side, away from the others. Noticing Anne, he gave a somber nod. Despite her mixed feelings on him, she returned it.

“Wow… that’s a lot of people.”

“And that’s not all!” Polly declared. As if on cue, both Bessie and Frobo walked up. “Awesome! Just like we practiced. …Once.”

“Bessie! Frobo! You’re…” She noticed something peculiar about Frobo. “Frobo… isn’t that your old body?”

“Oh yeah. He has that for some reason. Much as I like him going retro… I miss my modifications.” Polly pouted. Frobo was equally disappointed. “Also, my legs are gone.”

“Invisible, Polly. They’re invisible. Anyway, it’s the same with me. I’ve got my old armor on. ” Sasha gestured to herself. Sure enough, it was from when she and Anne first reunited. “We’re missing our scars, too. Grime has his arm back. Even Andrias is all repaired.”

“We checked, and it all seems to be… some sort of hardlight constructs.” Marcy explained. “I have a theory why Tom did this, but… I’m holding off on it till I get more evidence.”

“Weird…” Anne noticed something else. “What’s that tag?”

“Oh, these? Marcy can tell you.” Sasha nudged Marcy, who got very excited.

“Oh yeah! Get this. They’re totally episode titles!”

Anne tilted her head. “Huh?”

“Yeah, take a closer look. Along with our names, it’s got the season and episode number, and what’s probably the episode title.”

Sasha Elizabeth Waybright

S2E20 True Colors

Marcy Wu

S2E6 Marcy at the Gates

“Huh… you’re right.” Anne noted. “What’s up with that?”

“Hang on, I’ll show you everyone else’s while Marcy explains it.”

Marcy nodded, and kept going. “TOM said he was going to show us everyone’s stories, right?”

Sprig Plantar

S1E1a Anne or Beast?

Hopediah Plantar

S1E1a Anne or Beast?

Polly Plantar

S1E1a Anne or Beast?

“So, what they’re doing with us is putting our adventures into little episodes. Like a tv show!”

“We’re like one of those Ack-tors you told us about!” Sprig added.

Bessie

S1E5a Anne Theft Auto

Frobo

S2E15b Friend or Frobo?

“And why wouldn’t TOM do that? He’s a tv host!” Marcy continued.

Anne raised an eyebrow at her. “A tv host? Him?”

Ivy Sundew

S1E7a Dating Season

Maddie Flour

S1E17a Cursed!

“Well, more specifically, he’s the host of a programming block.” Marcy explained.

“What, like… Friday Night Cartoons or Saturday Mornings?”

“Now I feel like wearing my pajamas and eating cereal in front of a tv...” Sasha interjected.

Lady Olivia

S2E6 Marcy at the Gates

General Yunan Longclaw

S2E20 True Colors

Captain Grimothy “Grime”

S2E20 True Colors

“Pretty much. He said his ship was meant for broadcasting. He’s got the charisma and the voice. So, I put two and two together.” She brought her hands together.

Anne gave her a strange look. “So… this super high dimensional being hired… a robot who hosts tv?”

“I don’t get it either.” Sasha commented.

Dr. Jan Rogers

S3E4a Fight at the Museum

Terri Oates

S3E8b If You Give a Frog a Cookie

Andre "Mr. X" Xander

S3E17 All In

Jenny Peridoh

S3E17 All In

“Okay, so… rewind. Why frame our stories like that?” Anne asked.

“Probably to make it easier to digest.” Marcy suggested.

Oum Boonchuy

S3E1 The New Normal

Bee Boonchuy

S3E1 The New Normal

Andrias Leviathan

S3E18 The Hardest Thing

“What, like, sitting down and watching an entire series at once?” Sasha said warily. “Ooh… I know I’m not a tv person, but I’m even less a fan of binge watching.”

“No, I think TOM’s gonna give us a spoonful at a time. Trust me, you’re not gonna retain any information if we try and binge it all at once.” She pulled out a notebook. “Speaking of, I’m totally ready to take notes! I just gotta know what other hero stuff was going on besides us!”

“Well, Luz was there.” The other two girls gave her a confused look. “Oh, right. I guess I never told you about her… And I guess that means I can’t tell you about her until we watch it happen.”

“Wait, what? Why?” Sasha asked, incredulous.

“Watch. I met Luz when-”

NO!

Anne grunted as everyone looked above in confusion. Well, except for Marcy. “Ah, I get it! No spoilers! That censor sound is weird, though…”

“I’d go with ‘annoying’.” Anne said. “Oh, but guess what? Kim Possible is with us, too!”

Marcy dropped her notebook, as Sasha’s mouth hung open. “You’re… you’re kidding, right? Do not be kidding me when it comes to Kim Possible, Anne.” Sasha begged, breathing heavily.

Anne stared her in the eyes. “Zero percent kiddage here, Sash. Kim Possible is on this ship right now .”

“Kim who now?” Sprig asked as the other Plantars caught up with the trio.

“Kim Possible. World renowned superhero… the girl who can do anything…” Marcy said as her brain went on auto pilot. “What… how… why… I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!” She shuffled through her bag. “Notebooks! I need more notebooks! I need her complete autobiography! I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO WRITE DOWN WITH!”

“Possible? Pfft. That’s not a real name.” Polly scoffed.

“Now, Polly, our last name is Plantar.” Hop Pop reminded her. “We’re in no position to be criticizing another family’s surname.”

“Guys, you don’t get it. Kim Possible is like… the hero of heroes.” Sasha explained. “What we did in Los Angeles? She’s done a hundred times over. She’s gone up against super scientists, magic, aliens… everything! And to top it off, she’s the best cheerleader any high school or college ever had.” Sasha’s face grew ecstatic. “She’s like… my idol. My idol is going to learn about me!”

As soon as she said that, her face went from ecstatic… to horrified. “ Oh my god, my idol is going to learn about me .”

Anne and Marcy watched as she walked off, holding her head in her hand. They quickly followed. “Sasha…” Anne tried to begin.

“I always wanted to meet Kim Possible. She’s been my hero since… even before I met you guys. And now that I finally meet her, she’s going to see every terrible thing I ever did. She won’t see a fan, she’ll see a villain.” She sat down, burying her head into her knees. “...Not that I could blame her…”

“Hey… you changed, remember?” Marcy refuted, kneeling down next to her. “You’re not that person anymore. I won’t lie, it’s gonna be… rough. I’m not exactly looking forward to everyone seeing how much of a screw up I’ve been…” She said, sullen.

Both of them felt their hands being taken. Anne grasped their palms in her own, intent on giving a warm comfort. “We all made mistakes. But we came back from them and became better people. I know Kim and everyone else in that theater will see that. And even if they don’t… we’ll have each others’ backs.” They smiled fondly at her, nodding in resolve.

The Plantars looked on, not sure if they should interrupt the moment. Eventually, Polly cleared her throat. “So… now what?”

Anne turned to them. “Now? Well… Mar Mar?”

“You guys have the literal first episode on your tags. So, you guys are gonna be with Anne from the start.” She explained. “If we’re doing a hero team up, then we gotta do like TOM says, and get to know these people. I don’t wanna see any third act break ups happening. I hate that trope…”

Sasha’s mind went elsewhere. “Man… a threat bigger than the core…” She shuddered. “We don’t have the gems anymore. Will we be ready for that?”

“Of course we are!” Sprig said confidently. “That stupid core was fighting us when we were all… split up! Now we’re all together, and we’ve even got new potential friends! This big bad doesn’t stand a chance.”

Anne thought on that. “Sprig has a point. The core always had us on the back foot because we were… infighting, to put it nicely. And it took advantage of that.” Anne said, as the others gathered around. “But now, we know who our friends are. And so long as we keep those bonds strong, the next threat won’t catch us by surprise. Right?”

“Right!” The group replied.

“We’ve got this.” She turned to Sprig. “Spranne against the world?”

Sprig smiled. “Spranne against the world.”

The symbol of the Owl House was etched over Luz’s door.

“Huh… was kinda expecting Hooty…”

The Owl House looked much the same as it always did, no longer ragged as it was during their several month long absence.

“HEEEEEYYY! GUESS WHO’S HEEEEEERE?” A familiar bird tube stretched out of the front door.

“Ah. There’s Hooty.”

At Hooty’s trumpeting, the door to the Owl House opened, out flooding Luz’s loved ones. Amity was the fastest.

“Luz!”

“Sweet Potato!” The two embraced, giving a light peck on the lips. “You’re… green?” Luz tilted her head as she noticed her girlfriend’s hair.

“And you’re… not wearing your cute costume.” She replied, with a tinge of disappointment unnoticed by her girlfriend.

Eda and King followed, with King jumping into her arms, hugging her tightly. “Luz, you’re here!”

“Kiddo, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Eda ruffled her hair. “You know how worried we were when we all showed up here without you?”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect to be picked up by a robot from space.” She blinked. “Huh. That actually sounds weird to me. I guess since I’m so used to dealing with fantasy, I wasn’t prepared for sci fi…” By now, Luz’s other loved ones had caught up.

“I think some of us are taking better to it than others.” Luz’s friend Willow said, as she pointed to their friend, Gus.

“I can’t believe it!” Gus excitedly said. “It’s like a dream come true! We’re living Cosmic Frontier!”

“I know, right?!” Hunter, Luz’s adoptive brother, geeked out with him. “All we’re missing is Captain Avery himself!”

“Uh… what are they talking about?” Emira, Amity’s very baffled sister, asked.

“Is that some sort of Coven?” Edric, Amity’s brother and Emira’s twin, was also confused.

“Uh… in a sense.” Luz sort of confirmed.

“Now boys, you need to remember this is much different than fiction.” Luz’s mother Camila said, placing her hands on their shoulders. “Things could be much more dangerous than in Cosmic Frontier.”

“My mom’s right. I don’t need to tell y’all how many of my cushy expectations of a magical world were demolished by the Boiling Isles, do I?” Luz reminded them as she gave her mom a hug. “Gotta say, Mami, I’m surprised. I kinda thought you’d be excited about the space thing, too.” She whispered.

“Who says I’m not?” Camila revealed. Luz pulled back to see her mom very barely containing her excitement. “But I’m… the responsible adult. I have to make sure I come off as a good influence.”

“Oof. Hang in there, Mami.” She squeezed her hand.

Luz’s adoptive sister Vee was next in the hug line. “I heard you guys beat Belos. I’m really glad to see you guys came out of that alright.”

“Er… more or less.” Luz replied.

“Huh?”

“Oh, look, it’s Stringbean!” Luz pointed out, diverting the conversation. Her snakeshifter palisman floated up to her face, snuggling her cheek. “Hey there, my little gummy worm.”

“So, Luz… is this a common thing in the human world?” Willow asked curiously.

“What, aliens? Nope. Well… I mean… there was an alien attack right as I was born…”

“That was a stressful pregnancy…” Camila muttered to herself.

“-and there was some sort of invasion in LA that happened right before the end of the school year… but everyone has started to say that it was just some kind of hoax… you know, I’m gonna just go with “it happens sometimes”.” She concluded.

“Uh… right.” Willow replied, both confused and concerned.

‘ Wait a minute… ’ Luz started to think. ‘ Anne’s from LA. And the articles my mom looked up said she disappeared and reappeared some time before that… Did she have a part in that? ’ That definitely wasn’t a coincidence. ‘ But… how would an adventure with frog people… turn into some alien invasion? …Guess I’ll need to find out for my- ‘

“Check it out, Luz! I have BLING!” Hooty shoved a part of his body right into her face with a resounding smack. Giving her a way too personal look at a tag that was a little below his head.

Hootsifer “Hooty”

S1E1 A Lying Witch and a Warden

“Agh! Hooty! Personal Bubble!” She yelled, shoving Hooty out of her face.

“Back off, Hooty.” Eda whacked the house demon in the face. “Now’s a good time to bring that up, I guess. We all got those tags.” Eda Lifted up King, showing Luz their tags.

Edalyn “The Owl Lady” Clawthorne

S1E1 A Lying Witch and a Warden

King

S1E1 A Lying Witch and a Warden

“Your little friends already guessed they had something to do with when we come in.”

Willow Park

S1E3 I Was a Teenage Abomination

Gus Porter

S1E3 I was a Teenage Abomination

The Palismans aside from Stringbean all had the same title.

S2E6 Hunting Palismen

“It wasn’t hard to tell, since these titles are pretty on the nose.” Willow explained.

Gus chuckled. “Yeah! Hard to forget the day we met you. Sorry, it looks like we get our Palismans a fair bit earlier than you.”

Luz waved that concern off. “Don’t sweat it, Gus. Mami will take good care of Stringbean until she can come in.”

Vee Noceda

S2E10 Yesterday’s Lie

Camilla Noceda

S2E21 King’s Tide

Stringbean

S3E2 For the Future

Luz got a good look at her mom’s and sister’s tags. “Wow. You two don’t come in for a while. And poor Stringbean’s gonna wait practically forever.” Stringbean drooped over her head in disappointment.

“Yeah, and I come in before Mami for some reason.” Vee noted.

“I am a little confused as to why I don’t come in sooner…” Camila said, a little concerned. “But so long as Eda and the others are looking out for you, I can bear it.” She walked over to the twins.

Emira Blight

S1E12 Adventures in the Elements

Edric Blight

S1E12 Adventures in the Elements

“You know, a pair of twins were brought here alongside me.” Luz revealed.

“Really? I wonder if they’ve got the same penchant for mischief we do?” Emira wondered.

“Imagine the pranks we could pull with them.” Edric rubbed his hands together. “Quadruple the devilry, octuple the fun.”

“ No . You are not going to be a bad influence on other kids.” Amity pinched the bridge of her nose. “I swear, I feel like I’m the older sibling instead of you two.”

“Oh, you’re just all huffy because we get to hang out with your girlfriend before you do.” Emira teased.

“All the precious kissy kissy time wasted.” Edric piled on.

“S-Shut it, you two.” She shouted in a huff. Luz came over to see if that was true.

Amity Blight

S1E15 Understanding Willow

Hunter

S2E16 Hollow Mind

“Aw, it wouldn’t be too much longer, Sweet Potato.” She affectionately rubbed her cheek, getting a smile out of her girlfriend. Luz realized something as she saw Amity’s tag. “Wait… I think I know what this one means. This was back when you had green hair. Is that why your hair is green now?”

“Hey, it’s not just her who’s changed.” Hunter pointed out. “No scars.”

“Old hair.” Camila said.

“Hand’s back.” Eda added. “I can move it, but I can’t really feel it.”

“My horn’s gone.” King gestured.

“I sound so squeaky again…” Gus said, disappointed.

“My casts are invisible!” Edric stated. “ The pain is still there, though .”

“Huh… hang on…” Luz thought to herself. “Maybe… that’s to prevent spoilers.”

Amity raised an eyebrow. “Spoilers? Why even worry about that?”

“Well, we’ll be seeing each other’s stories as they happen. If you guys come in as you are with your newer looks, people are gonna question why Amity suddenly has purple hair, or Eda is missing an arm, etc. It could make things confusing or complicated. So maybe once we get to certain points, your looks will update?”

Gus scratched his head. “I… guess? I dunno, Luz… do they even care about spoilers to begin with?”

“Of course. Here, I‘ll show you. Out there, I saw Anne.” She looked to Eda and King.

“Really? That bushy haired human?” King asked.

“Yep. King, Eda and I met Anne when-”

NO!

‘

Luz gestured up to the sky as they voice went off. Everyone else had strange looks on their faces.

Eda finally spoke after an awkward silence. “...Okay, so the metal man wants things all hush-hush. I get that. But why even warp us here to begin with? If we can take out some bigoted goo monster hopped on Titan power, I can’t imagine anything else that comes our way faring much better.”

“Much as I’d like to feel high and mighty about that, Eda… we were really lucky. Lucky that the Collector was willing to listen, lucky that the Titan gave me his power… we can’t just skirt by the seat of our pants forever. Who knows what’s out there waiting for us?” Luz explained.

“The Archivists, probably.”

The Collector

S3E3 Watching and Dreaming

Luz jumped, slightly spooked, as a childish voice came from above. “Collector?”

The godlike child floated down… upside down, that is. “Hi, Luz!”

“They brought you here? How?”

The Collector shrugged. “Probably wasn’t hard. That metal guy mentioned the Watchers. They make the Archivists look like… well, like you guys. They probably also told them how to make these pocket dimensions. I mean, I know how to make em, but these are really fancy.” He suddenly stopped floating, landing in Luz’s arms. “But that TOM guy was right. They aren’t supposed to get in the way. They got rules, or something. So, if one’s risking being punished to help us out, this new bad guy must be really bad!”

“You think that’s the archivists?” Amity asked him.

“Maybe. I didn’t get a chance to meet up with my siblings before I was taken, so I don’t know what they’re up to. But considering they took all the baby Titans and fought the adults to extinction…” He looked somber at that, glancing to King. “If they find out King is the last remaining Titan… they aren’t gonna like it.”

King looked nervous. “...Maybe we could use these other guys’ help. Unlike you, Collector, I think your siblings are aware how fragile mortals are… and I don’t think they care.”

Collector glanced off to the side. “Probably not…” He hovered out of Luz’s arms.

“So, who exactly are they giving us to work with?” Hunter asked, his combat instincts kicking in.

“I’m not really sure. TOM said we were all heroes, but I don’t know if Anne is any great warrior, as far as I know. And I have no idea who any of the others were… oh, except one! Kim Possible!”

“¡No me digas! The Kim Possible?” Camila asked in surprise, though much more composed than Luz and the other girls had been. “I never thought I’d meet a celebrity.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” Willow said, a little lost.

Amity tried thinking back. “I think I saw her name on human news outlets a few times. Some sort of… world traveler?”

“Kim Possible is a world renowned human hero.” Vee clarified. “She doesn’t have magic, but… if anything, she doesn’t need it. That lady kicks serious butt. But… even still, she’s only human, Luz.”

“I know. But if Anne and the others are anything like her, then that means we have more than a chance at stopping whatever’s coming.” Luz concluded.

Eda wrapped her arm around Luz’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t count yourself out, kiddo. You’re just as great a hero as any of those others. Probably better.”

“M-Me? As great as Kim Possible? Well, I mean… I don’t know about that…”

The door to the copy Owl House opened, five more individuals walking out.

“I’m simply stating the facts, Lilith. The witches of the Isles may not be eager to help the Human Realm after the trial we faced here.” Darius, the former Abomination Coven head, was arguing with Lilith and Raine, alongside Eberwolf (Luz wondered if they were old friends of sorts). “I myself am not entirely positive that we should.”

“Darius, I can understand your concerns about the Isles as a whole, but we owe it to Luz! After everything she’s done, she deserves that much.” Lilith argued back.

“Grraaara Hrrrrr.” Eberwolf growled out.

“You make a decent point, Eberwolf. We will be financially stretched thin making repairs. But we are not asking for a grandiose effort. We can start small, and work our way up.” Raine offered. “The fact that a human saved us all will at least encourage cooperation.”

Eda brought her face closer to Luz. “I think this speaks for itself.”

Unbeknownst to the rest of them, Vee had moved behind Camila, who comforted her.

“Alador, are you even listening?” Darius asked the Blight father, who seemed absorbed in writing his own notes.

He looked up from his notebook. “Hmm? Oh, apologies, Darius. I was fascinated by that construct. Not only does it have its own consciousness and sense of self, but it doesn’t seem to be run on magic of any kind… a marvel fully brought to life by science alone!” Luz made her way over.

Alador Blight

S2E14 Reaching Out

“Alador, I feel as if our concerns should be on the coming threat, not more pet projects.” He noticed Luz. “Ah, good to see you, human. You have my thanks for everything you’ve done.”

Darius Deamonne

S2E19 O Titan, Where art thou?

Eberwolf

S2E19 O Titan, Where art thou?

“Well… I couldn’t have done it without Eda, King and all my other friends. Even Collector helped.”

Darius appeared to still be unnerved by the young reality warper, eyeing him warily. “Right… modesty aside, we’re all still grateful. Despite how it may seem, I too am concerned about this threat the construct talks about. Even if we were callously inconsiderate of our neighboring dimension’s fate, there is no guarantee that it would not seek out the Demon Realm after.”

“Uh, thanks. …I think.”

“But we must also be realistic. The restoration effort needed here will be considerable, and diverting any amount of resources could hinder that effort.”

“I understand, Darius. But hey, let’s not forget, it’s not just our group out there. We’ve got five other bundles of possible allies waiting for us. Maybe we should wait and see what we’re working with before we reach any conclusions. We might find someone who’s willing to help the Isles in return for our help.” Luz suggested.

“...I suppose. But I’m not sure anyone could help on the level we need.”

“Oh, come now, Darius. If you think my niece is the only human to be so compassionate, then you may have some preconceptions of them that need to be dispelled.” Lilith defended. Darius huffed at the accusation.

“If they’re anything like Luz, I think we’re in good hands.” Raine said, strolling over to the other side of Eda. Luz blushed at the compliment.

Lilith Clawthorne

S1E20 Young Blood, Old Souls

Raine Whispers

S2E15 Them’s the Breaks, Kid

“So, when do we start?” Raine asked.

“When TOM calls us back. Not sure how long that will be-”

“ Attention, guests of the Absolution. ” The group looked to see a screen forming in the sky. SARA’s face appeared on it. Eda and King’s tags suddenly lit up to a neon blue.

Theirs was not the only one, however…

Lilo and her ‘ohana watched as SARA began. Nani’s tag was glowing. “ We are ready to start our viewing experience. ”

Kim watched intently from her own fake home. “ Aside from those who originally found themselves greeting TOM and I personally, several of you may enter the theater alongside them. ”

Jake and the others watched on a jumbotron that reformed on a nearby building. “ If your tag is lit up, that means you are clear to enter the main theater. This remains true for those who arrive in later episodes. ”

Dipper and Mabel saw Stan, Wendy and Soos’ tag light up. “ If you are not joining us, you will be guided to your group’s personal viewing room. Please follow the glowing arrows. ”

Anne expected the Plantars tags to light up, so she continued to listen. “ To ensure clarity, the conversations of the main room will be documented and shown on smaller monitors in your personal viewing rooms. That way, you won’t have to repeat yourselves. ”

Luz and the others continued to listen. “ Any questions you have, we’ll answer to the best of our ability. We hope you guys enjoy your time here. ”

The new guests followed the original arrivals into the theater, the group considerably larger than before.

For now, Nani was the only one to join Lilo and Stitch. She briefly wondered to herself why her life had gotten to a point where seeing the strange looking individuals in the other groups didn’t phase her.

Kim, Ron and Rufus were the only ones who didn’t have anyone joining them, at least for now. Kim took note of all the new faces.

Jake was joined by his grandfather and Fu Dog. Fu was keeping quiet for now, as Jake thought his speech would be censored anyway. However, send a thumbs up to Lilo and Stitch when they noticed him.

Dipper and Mabel walked back through with Stan, Soos, and Wendy, making their group the current largest. Wendy noticed Kim Possible, and her hands suddenly got very shaky.

Anne’s guests garnered the strangest looks. A little trail of… frog people? Sprig, Polly and Hop Pop glanced at all the unfamiliar faces, who in turn were staring at them in surprise.

Finally, Eda and King were following Luz. While King was getting the same looks the Plantars, Stan’s attention was instead on Eda, as he felt like… there was something familiar about her.

Nani felt it polite to introduce herself. Remembering Lilo tell her about Jake, she felt she should start there. “Hi there, I’m Nani, Lilo’s big sister. I heard you helped my sister with one of her… dogs.” She reached out her hand.

Lao Shi shook it. “A pleasure to meet you, Nani. Unfortunately, I was… indisposed at the time, but my grandson was of great help to her.” He gestured to Jake. “Eh… tell me… how is Lynne?”

“Lynne? Oh, you mean Mrs. Hasagawa!” Nani smiled. “She’s been doing wonderfully.”

Grandpa sighed dreamily. “Ah, my cherry blossom…”

As that conversation went on, Jake observed the frogs, a little tense. “Uh, Fu? Did some people get bitten by magical frogs, and we just didn’t know?”

“I… maybe? They don’t look like your typical werefrogs though…”

“Wait. That girl, Anne. She said she went to another dimension.” Jake noted. “It must be full of frog people.”

“What? Nah. The Dragon Council woulda known about something like that… right?”

“I dunno, Fu. The other girl, Luz, said she also went to another dimension, too.” He looked at the small bone headed creature. “I don’t recognize the little guy’s species.”

“Neither do I, kid. But the lady’s definitely a witch.” Fu pointed out.

“Really?”

“Of course! The snaggletooth gives it away. As does that heavenly figure, agoo!” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe she’ll be willing to go out for a nice cauldron stew with yours truly!”

Jake elbowed him. “Or maybe she’ll dump that cauldron on your face for being a creep. Now, will you stop ogling her and-”

“Wow! What a cute doggie!” Mabel rushed up, her eyes sparkling. “His skin is so loose and floppy!” Fu didn’t back up in time as Mabel smooshed his face. “He’s like a tiny old man!”

Fu looked at Jake, desperate for help. But the boy only smirked evilly. “That’s what you get, Fu.” Mabel gave him a strange look. “Uh… for being so cute! Little guy’s been begging for attention.”

“I’ll say!” She agreed, while Fu simply glared at him. “You’re just a little cutie patootie!”

“Why don’t you see if he can fit in any little costumes while I go talk to some of the others, alright?” Jake told her, walking off.

“Of course! I have the perfect little business suit to make him look like a grumpy old CEO!”

“Ughh…” Fu groaned to himself.

As Fu suffered, Jake walked up to the Plantars. Dipper wasn’t far behind, curious about these frog people. Anne and Luz had already started talking to one another. “Yo, I didn’t catch the names. Mind introducing me, Anne?”

Anne looked away from Luz. “Oh, uh, yeah! This here’s Hopediah Plantar. We just call him Hop Pop.”

“A pleasure.” He nodded.

“The excited one in the goggles is Sprig.”

Sprig was caressing his chin in thought. “Your hair looks slimy. Do you excrete mucus from your head?”

“Sprig.” Anne said sternly. “And the last one is Polly.”

“Hi! I bring an esoteric brand of violence to every situation!”

Jake looked a little afraid. “Uh… good to know?”

“This is amazing. Are they from the dimension you visited, Anne?” Dipper asked as he wrote in his journal.

Anne narrowed her eyes up at the ceiling. “...Yes. But let’s leave it at that for now.”

Dipper glanced to Luz’s group. “Is it the same with them?”

“Yep!” She lifted up the small, fluffy one. “This here’s King. He’s such a cutie-pie, isn’t he?”

He squirmed. “Agh! Luz, please! I’m losing my intimidation factor!”

“And the lady next to me-”

She took control of her introduction. “Eda Clawthorne the Owl Lady. The most powerful witch of-

NO!

Her arms slumped. “Well, most powerful witch you’ll ever know, that’s for sure.”

“Hey, lady.” Stan got her attention as he walked over. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

She looked at him a moment. “...I dunno. You’re looking vaguely familiar, too...”

Before that conversation could continue, Lao Shi came in. “Actually, I cannot help but feel that I recognize you as well.” Unlike Stan, who was merely curious, Eda felt like Lao Shi’s gaze was much more judgemental.

“Well, I definitely don’t recognize you, Shorty.”

“Shorty?!”

Lilo, Sitch and Nani, who had followed not far behind Lao Shi, felt the tense air, and began shimmying away.

“Okay!” Jake interjected, trying to defuse the situation. “This is my Grandpa! And uh, Mabel’s currently tormenting my dog, Fu.”

Dipper glanced between Stand and Eda, but shook off his curiosity for now. “Uh… this is my Great Uncle Stan. Or just Grunkle Stan.”

“How’s it hanging?” He said casually.

“The man in the question mark shirt is Soos.”

He raised his hat. “Hey, doods!”

“Huh… you know, you kinda remind me of my friend Spud.” Jake said.

“Whoa. Your friend’s named after a potato? That’s so cool, dood.” He chuckled.

Dipper continued. “And the girl in the lumberjack hat is Wendy.”

Wendy was leaning back on one of the seats. She gave a casual two finger salute. “Yo.”

“Seems like all of you are getting pretty familiar with each other.” Kim said as she, Ron and Rufus walked over.

THUNK

Everyone jumped as Wendy suddenly fell backward out of her seat. She quickly righted herself, a nervous smile on her face. “HEY!” She said at a much larger volume than intended.

Dipper and Mabel glanced at each other. They’d never seen her like this.

As Wendy walked forward, still keeping a… rather unsettling smile, she jutted out her hand suddenly. “Mmm Wendy!” She fumbled out. “Gladda meetchu!”

Kim, though a little off put, took the hand. “Uh.. thank you..” She suddenly felt a squelch, and noticed her hand was all wet. Wendy looked at her hand, mortified, before continuing to smile at her, albeit much more panicky. The lumberjane quickly wiped off the sweat on her shirt. Kim cleared her throat. “I’m… glad to meet you too, Wendy.”

As Kim walked to meet the others, Wendy let out a breath she didn’t know she had. She looked at her still sweaty hands. “Stupid sweat glands… you haven’t acted up on me since middle school, what the heck?” Her frustration suddenly became admiration. “She said my name.”

“Yeesh. I know Tambry said she was a total fangirl for Kim, but that was painful to watch.” Mabel commented.

“Is that what I looked like meeting Ford?” Dipper asked.

“Actually, shock of all shocks, you were less dorky about it.”

Kim made the rounds, introducing herself to everyone else in the room. After she was done, she spoke to all of them. “It’s good you’re all getting comfortable, but don’t let your guard down. We don’t know if-”

Suddenly, Kim was met with a glowing blue eye.

“Whoa!” Kim flinched slightly as a small floating robot hovered in front of her face.

“Aggh! Robot probes!” Ron shouted as numerous others showed up from above.

Polly grinned as they flew by. “Cool! I could totally use them for parts!” The one closest to her recoiled and flew away in a panic.

Dipper got a closer look, quickly drawing them in his new journal.

“Don’t worry about the CLYDEs. And uh… please don’t disassemble them. ” They heard the familiar voice of TOM as he came down in the elevator. “ They’re just doing their jobs.”

“The what?” Kim asked.

“ These little guys are called CLYDEs. CLYDE-57s to be exact. ” SARA explained as she flittered in. “ They help with the general upkeep and minor tasks. They’re just curious about you, is all. ”

“They are kind of adorable.” Luz said, the CLYDE in front of her suddenly becoming bashful.

Kim scrutinized the things. “Okay, that explains them… but what about the Russian man who keeps objecting to certain things we say?”

“Oh, the censor… ” TOM rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “ The choice of censor… wasn’t mine to make. Kinda sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it?”

“Okay, but why is it doing that to begin with?” Kim pressed.

“That, I can explain. You guys are already about to ingest a ton of information. If we just let spoilers get thrown around all over the place, things would get pretty confusing. The episode system’s in place so y’all can digest a fair amount of each story at a time. ” He walked off. “ You’ll figure out most of the stuff being blocked eventually, so don’t worry too much.”

‘Looks like Marcy was right…’ Anne noted, knowing she was patting herself on the back for that one.

‘ I knew it! That’s definitely why everyone looks like they did from before. ’ Luz mentally cheered, glad she got it right.

“ Should we tell them our itinerary, TOM? ” SARA suggested.

TOM sat in a swirling seat at the back, the armrests glowing with touch controls. Each button he pressed had an admittedly satisfying beep to it. “Not a bad idea.” *BEEP*

Six images appeared across the screen, each one of the original six groups or individuals that appeared.

“Lilo and Stitch rockets into the first part of our sessions.”

“ Next, Kim Possible takes us on daring missions around the world. ”

“Then, Jake Long brings us back to the Big Apple to see the sights.”

“ After a short break, we take a trip to Gravity Falls alongside Dipper and Mabel. ”

“Followed by our journey with Anne into the wild world of Amphibia, before Luz wraps it up for us at the end of the day with a tour of The Owl House.”

“ That’s one hell of a lineup. ”

“One hell of a set of heroes, too. And if you guys are ready, we can get things kicked off.”

Kim looked to the others. Each of them gave a determined nod, prepared for whatever came. “Okay. We’re ready.”

TOM gave her a thumbs up. “Alright! Find your seats people. It’s gonna be one bitchin 'ride. ” As they sat down, TOM swiveled to face the screen. “ Hang on to your Kweestas.”

*BEEP*

Footage appeared of the CLYDEs making ground fall on a nearby planet. As they began drilling into the ground with their bodies, their eyes shot streams of energy to the Absolution.

“Receiving CLYDE-57 transmission. ” SARA noted.

The CLYDEs remaining in the ship were buzzing around, each holding onto holographic screens. One CLYDE came forward and inserted the screen into the theater.

“Uploading video to theater. ”

SARA floated beside TOM as the information downloaded into the mainframe.

“Alright, TOM. We’re ready. ”

TOM pressed several buttons on his right armrest. “I love this job.” He slammed his fist down on the left, causing a title to appear on screen.