AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again. I'm back with an Underdog fanfiction. I hope you like it.

I started writing this at Christmas, but I haven't finished it until now. By chance, I noticed that there weren't many Underdog fanfictions on here (I could only find two here: 'Underdog Vs Overdog' and [groan] 'The Spanking of Polly Purebred'), which is a shame, because you'd think there'd be more Underdog fanfictions here considering how popular it is / was (there is a separate website that's got more Underdog fanfictions, though the only one I've read there so far is the one the FanFiction Critic wrote and reviewed on her show). Because each adventure on the show was spread out across four episodes (except for a few), I have spread this fanfic out across four chapters.

I'm not sure who owns the copyright for the show now (I'd assume it's either Classic Media or Shout! Factory), but I can assume that they'll be fine with fanfiction. The show was made by Total Television though, I know that (and Disney made the…[shudders]…atrocious live-action movie that's on par with the repulsive live-action Inspector Gadget movie they also made). Anyway, on with the story…

It had been only a week since Simon Bar Sinister had last attempted to take over the world. He had tried to take over with a machine that could make the wheels of vehicles and peoples' feet stick to the ground with impenetrable superglue, and threatened to glue anybody who dared to show resistance.

But Underdog had ruined his plans. Underdog had showed up and had defeated Simon by making him glue the entire floor around him in an attempt to stop the canine superhero. This backfired on Simon, for his feet got stuck, meaning he couldn't move. While Simon built a fishing rod out of whatever was nearby to reach for a chemical that could dissolve the glue so he could free himself (originally intended to be a bargaining tool), Underdog had destroyed the glue machine and had saved the citizens by using his x-ray eyes to destroy the dried glue. As a result, Underdog had been proclaimed a hero once again.

Now Simon Bar Sinister was back in his diabolical laboratory in an old house that had seen better days, working on a new diabolical invention in a new attempt at claiming his title of world leader.

"I've finished it!" Simon cackled. He held what looked like a gun made of pipe up in the air to display and marvel at it. "Look at what I've constructed! This is a work of genius!"

"What's that, Boss?" asked Cad Lackey, his assistant.

"This is a new invention of mine," said Simon, "and I've impressed even myself with my own brilliance. I have even given it a name! I call it the Fear-o-matic!"

"That thing?" asked Cad, unimpressed. "What's it do, Boss?"

"This device can turn grown men into cowards. I simply pull the trigger…" Simon fired the Fear-o-matic, and a purple lightning bolt shot out with a ZAP, making an unusual buzzing sound, and hit the wall of the laboratory where it dissolved. The buzzing seemingly vanished. "…And the Fear-o-matic fires a bolt of fear rays!" he continued.

"'Fear rays', Boss?"

"Yes; something I recently developed. One hit from a fear ray, and anyone will instantly become spontaneously frightened! They will run around, afraid of anything from shoes to stars!"

"So once you get hit by one of these fear rays," asked Cad, "does that mean you'll be like that forever?"

"Once a fear ray has been fired, it still shares a connection with the Fear-o-matic in order for me tell who has been hit. You see?" Simon pointed at a small screen on the Fear-o-matic that resembled sonar.

"So if the Fear-o-matic is broken…" Cad sussed. "…But it won't though, Boss, will it?"

"Of course not!" Simon answered confidently. "I won't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"What are you gonna use it for?" asked Cad.

"Why, it's obvious!" Simon exclaimed. "I will use the power of fear to rule the world! I will use my fear rays to scare as many citizens as I can, and then I'll announce to the remaining people to surrender to me and make me their dictator! And if they don't, I'll bombard the world with fear waves!" Simon laughed evilly.

"Gee, that's a good idea, Boss."

"Precisely!" replied Simon. "Come, Cad. Now we shall have a demonstration of the Fear-o-matic's abilities."

Cad gulped. "Wait, Boss. You're not gonna use that thing on me, aren't you?"

"Of course not," Simon responded. He grinned evilly. "I plan to take this outside and test it on unsuspecting citizens!"

"Oh, right. That's a better idea, Boss," said Cad. Simon took the Fear-o-matic and made his way out the laboratory. Cad followed.

Usually, they would travel through the city by vehicle, but thinking that they would be spotted, they stayed confined to the alleyways, intent on not being seen with what anyone would instantly recognise as a weapon of sorts. From one of the alleyways, Simon and Cad spotted a man standing at the side of the road, waiting for the traffic to pass so he could cross the street. The man wore a suit and held a briefcase in his hand.

Simon turned to Cad. "Now, let's see how well my invention works on our first unsuspecting citizen."

They kept hidden in the alleyway while Simon aimed the Fear-o-matic at the man.

"Simon says be afraid!"

ZAP!

A purple lightning bolt shot from the Fear-o-matic and hit the citizen. The man was immediately spooked by the traffic. He threw the briefcase in the air, wailed with fright, and ran off down the street. A green dot on the Fear-o-matic's screen turned purple, representing the affected citizen.

A few passers-by stopped and stared at the frightened man. "What in the world is he up to?" they asked.

"Hey, it worked, Boss!" Cad said excitedly.

"Of course it did!" responded Simon "Now to spread some fear amongst more unsuspecting citizens!"

"But you know it works –" Cad began.

"I know it works," Simon interrupted, "but I want more than a handful of people to be aware of my presence, so that when I do announce that I will take over the world, everybody will know that I am not bluffing! You see, I need to create an impression before I threaten to bombard the world with my fear waves."

"How do you plan to frighten everybody all over the world, Boss?" asked Cad. "That thing can't affect everyone at once, and it doesn't fire 'fear waves'."

Simon chuckled. "You'll see, Cad. You'll see."

Simon and Cad made their way through some more alleyways. They soon noticed a woman across the street stepping into a flowery garden and walking up to her house. Simon aimed the Fear-o-matic at the woman.

"Simon says be afraid!"

ZAP!

"EEEEEEP!" The woman rushed out the front garden and cowered behind the fence. "I've suddenly developed a fear of my house! Help!"

A larger group of passers-by noticed this unusual behaviour. "What made her so afraid?" the passers-by wondered.

As before, one of the green dots on the Fear-o-matic's screen turned purple. Simon Bar Sinister laughed evilly. "Perfect! Perfect! The Fear-o-matic is reducing adults into children! Come along, so we can scare somebody else."

After sneaking through more alleyways, they spotted a car salesman giving an amazing sales pitch to a crowd of enthralled people at a garage. There were about ten shiny new cars on show, and the salesman was bringing the crowd's attention to an open-top sports car with an electric blue finish.

"…And this baby can go from zilch to a hundred in just a half-second!"

"Ooooooh!" the crowd said in awe.

Once again keeping a distance away, Simon Bar Sinister aimed the Fear-o-matic at the salesman. "Simon says be afraid!"

ZAP!

"And that's not all it can do, folks; it…" The salesman trailed off and gulped. He backed away from the crowd. "What are you all standing here for? Keep back! Help! Stay away from me!" He ran away from the people and hid in another car.

Shocked gasps echoed through the crowd.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Has he gone insane?"

"Is it truly the end of life as we know it?"

"WHAT ELSE DOES IT DO?"

Simon cackled evilly. "This is going better than I planned!"

"Boss, what if Underdog goes to stop us?" asked Cad. He wasn't the brightest spark, but he was still capable of remembering Underdog's past victories.

"You realise I have a fear-inducing weapon?" Simon reminded Cad. "If Underdog gets in our way, I will shoot a fear ray at him, and that will put him in his place!"

"It'll work on Underdog?"

"Of course it will!" Simon replied. "And with Underdog unable to interfere, nothing will be able to stop me becoming ruler the world!"

Will Underdog be able to put a stop to Simon Bar Sinister's evil plot? Find out in the next exciting chapter…

Author's notes: Sorry that Underdog / Shoeshine didn't appear in this chapter. He's properly introduced in chapter 2. I think there were some adventures in the show where Underdog didn't appear in one of their episodes, so I might be allowed to get away with that? The "Find out in the next exciting chapter" bit is meant to replicate the end narration for each episode.