Valak: Final Update! Enjoy
Jaden Yggdrasil: -bows-

Oi, it feels good to wrap this up, truly hope you guys enjoyed this one. I certainly enjoyed thinking it up, but boy did it get difficult after a while. Thanks for all the support!

Ch. 13: Ultimate Destiny

When the children finally emerged from the wrecked office, they felt as if they were caught in a dream, or maybe the eye of the storm. All was dead silent, eerily calm, and not another life form in sight. There was indeed rubble all around them, smoke coming from some areas, but as for guards and super powered freaks, the entire battle had disappeared. They stepped outside, so they could see real sunshine for the first time in months, years for some of them. Besides the wreckage (the heroes did not hesitate to blow up a few buildings on their way out), it was simply beautiful. Ahead of them, they could see the ruins of the walls, and a few buildings as well. It didn't cross their minds that they should be worried about the Neighborhood being destroyed; the few worldly possessions they had kept inside could not possibly be compared to the feeling of freedom. For a few minutes they wondered how long they had stood over the lifeless robot, how long ago had the fight ended, and though the answer was obvious, who won?

"You don't have to worry about saying a hundred thank you's, children." Their heads turned to Vlad, who remained leaning on a broken and spewing decorative fountain. "They all understand. They've each picked up one of the criminals and are currently taking them to the closest authorities." He was able to sense their presence without turning around to face them, but understanding that there was no reason to be dramatic by this point. He slowly approached the kids, once again in business attire, his chilling smile and deep blue eyes somehow comforting after this hellish adventure. Only Danny was able to recognize him as their ally, the others having yet to see Vlad in his human form. "I'll assume Big is long gone."

"Y-yes." Danny said a little shamefully. "In fact he was never really here."

"Don't dwell on it. I have my ways of tracking people down." Vlad assured. "However, though I'm aware you've been through an awful lot, I'm going to have to ask you to leave certain details out of the picture, once you've been reunited with your families. There's no escape from the press, but we can give them a believable story where no one else shall be hurt."

The kids knew exactly what he was talking about. Secret identities were at stake here. They exchanged knowing glances, and such a story was formed.

"Well, believe it or not, I have other things to do today." Vlad mentioned as he transformed back into his ghostly self, taking a second to throw another file down at them. "It's a map, be sure to find your ways back home."

"Wait, you're not gonna help us with that?" Jenny asked, catching the folder.

"Surely, with your memories restored, you won't have a problem. Now, there's just one thing left I must do." Knowing that everyone was evacuated, he had no problem with charging an ecto blast as big as a boat in his right fist. He thrust it at the ominous structure, which had become their symbol for secrets and lies. And just like those secrets, the explosion proved that the horrid thing was no more. It rained shards of metal, and Danny had to think quickly and make all of his friends intangible. It was a beautiful sight in its own way; some might not think it, but it was sweet retribution for these former prisoners. As they gawked at the remains, Vlad smirked and was on his way. He grabbed his cape, and bringing it over his head, he disappeared completely in a swirl of mist.

"He's right." Dexter added, without missing a beat, the sweet picture of pay back already burned in his mind. "We remember everything now, it's over, let's go home!" Unfortunately, there was one more order of business to tend to, one even Vlad didn't consider. In the distance, in the Neighborhood, the heroes noticed a flash of light, and decided it was something that needed investigation.

xXx

They flew at top speed, and three figures on the horizon came quickly into view, standing on a crushed piece of land. From what they could tell, yes, their houses had been destroyed, nothing was spared.

"Hey, what are they doing at my house?" Danny asked his friends, of course not hearing a decent answer.

They landed nearby, but put enough space in between themselves and the strangers to show that they were still cautious. One man, deathly skinny and wearing a black robe, was cursing with his back facing his guests and pointing some sort of tool at various piles of demolished bricks, said piles bursting into flames and vanishing. His associates stood very closely, despite the danger of burning. One was actually giggling and swimming through the rubble, no concern for his well being whatsoever and uncaring of the risks of being zapped. He had a notably GIANT nose, blue jeans, a white shirt with blue stripes, and a little red cap atop his messy orange hair. The last figure was a sour, pouty little girl, who eyed the newcomers with little interest. The shape of her blonde hair reminded Danny of Vlad.

"Ugh! Stupid ting," the older gentleman spat, with a slight Jamaican accent. "Why did dey have to leave such a mess? It'll take forever to find it!"

"Just stop acting like a priss and get your delicate fingers dirty, bonehead." Growled the girl as she crossed her arms over her oddly pink colored shirt, with a little yellow flower. "And stop complaining about it." She redirected her glower toward the other children, expression unchanged. The motion was so sudden that they flinched. "We have company."

"Friends!" exclaimed the little boy, hovering in the air for a second as he waved his arms excitedly. "Friends friends friends!"

"Um…sorry to bother you but," Jenny stepped forward, not as much affected by the daunting look she was given. "What are you looking for?" The cloaked man stood up straight and stiffened, indeed feeling a bit bothered. He adjusted his hood and rested his weapon on his shoulder, and then turned around without lifting a foot off the ground. He glided like a ghost, but this was a creature even Danny would do well to fear. And he did, especially when he noticed that the weapon was a scythe and the man's face had no skin. They all looked into the empty sockets of the Grim Reaper.

"Just a soul dat has been bottled up for far too long." He stated, floating up to the group. His deep sinister voice echoed, and black clouds from nowhere began to circle above all their heads. The earth split open and the flames of Hades sprung up around everyone's feet. "Perhaps you can assist me, it's time for him to come home." His exposed teeth formed a smile once his audience started to tremble, a power he hadn't used in quite some time.

"Oh quit the spooky crap, Grim." The child known as Mandy growled. "There's not much of a reason to be scared of you anymore." She made a point, the group concluded. She was probably a thousand times more frightening. Apparently she had control, for the Reaper sighed hopelessly and snapped, making the clouds depart and the echo turn off. The fire retreated and the earth sewed back up, the children able to breathe easy.

"I don't know why I still let you come with me to work, even after all dat happened dat first time." Grim whined.

"I'll be damned if I miss out on some poor idiot getting his limbs sliced off and his soul being dragged away kicking and screaming." Mandy replied.

"Well…yeah it is kinda cool…but why is he here?" he grumbled as he pointed at the little boy known as Billy.

"You know what happens if you leave him alone, that boy needs constant supervision." Mandy mentioned, furrowing her brows as the simpleton tried to pick his nose with his tongue.

"Bleh, bleh bleh" Billy was having trouble, but to everyone's disgust, he was near successful.

"Don't you tink dis is a little much for him?" Grim suggested.

"He's too stupid to be permanently scarred by seeing anything you do, no matter how graphic." Mandy decided.

"Excuse me, but," Jenny had the nerve to interrupt, something she was quickly about to regret. These humans were scary, if you could call them humans. "Are you r-r-really"

"Yes, child." The skeleton declared. "I am the Grim Reaper, master of—"

"Cut to the chase." Buttercup interjected, quickly learning from the Reaper's little friend. Death groaned.

"Very well. I'm looking for something dat resembles a backpack. It contains the soul of an alien named Zim. You know where it might be?"

"Wait, are you taking him to…you know." Freakazoid questioned, pointing downward.

"Yes, I'm afraid." Grim admitted. "It's only taken me so long because of that stupid security system of dis place." Wow, if Big could keep the Grim Reaper out, this had to be some place. It was either that or they've overestimated Death.

"Wait, you can't!" Jenny cried. "Please, there has to be a way we can bring him back to life or something, this isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair, child. Death isn't either." Grim readied his scythe, his way of showing he was serious, and there's no use battling over this matter.

"Please." Jenny begged, completely alone on this venture. No one else was willing to negotiate with the Reaper for such a life as Zim's, even if they did feel sorry for him. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Just let 'em, Grim." Mandy spat. "If they want to prolong the inevitable of their alien buddy going to hell, why not?"

"Yeah! And who are we to split up such a wonderful friendship?" Billy added, dumbly wrapping his arms around himself into a hug. "It kinda reminds me of us!"

"Plus, the more time you waste yakking with them the less time you have to finish my chores." Mandy added. "The toilet won't unclog itself.

At least the robot girl was polite about it, Grim thought. such manners should be rewarded. To be so easily swayed and pushed around by mere children, he was mortified, but almost complacent about it. "I swear I'm going to kill myself."

"You wish Grim." Mandy turned back to the heroes. "Tell 'em what to do and let's leave this dump."

Grim sighed and cleared his throat. "It's very simple what needs to be done. All Zim needs is a body. I'm feeling…generous today. I'll give you exactly twenty-four hours to find his corpse, fail to do so then I will have to take him. Am I clear?"

"C-crystal. That's it? Thank you!" Jenny beamed. "Don't worry, Mr. Reaper. We can handle it."

Grim smiled again, this time with no vicious intent. It felt good to get a little respect, especially going so long without it. He tapped the ground with his scythe, and the ground opened once again, and they were consumed by the flames.

"Isn't this great, guys?" Jenny felt like dancing, all the guilt gradually melting away. "We can get Zim back!"

"Yeah, one problem." Blossom brought up. "Where are we going to find his body?" It was a sad truth, as they looked back at where the Black Building once stood.

xXx

"Urg, ah…wh—"

"He's coming around!" Jenny gasped.

"Ahhhhh! I hate you guys, I hate you!" cried little Bubbles, shielding her eyes and stomping madly.

"You don't mean that." Danny said, trying with no avail to console the girl in blue.

"Yes I do! How can you create this abomination?! Oh it's a sin against nature!"

"It's not like we k—well, it was road kill, girl. It wouldn't matter what we did." Dexter said defensively, putting a few gadgets away.

"At least he's not as scary." Dex said with a smile, no longer feeling intimidated to be in this one's presence.

"Hey, Zim." Buttercup piped, leaning over his new face. "Welcome back." She was strangely…happy to see his shiny red eyes again. She'd never admit that she missed him.

"Wha? What?!" The creature scrambled to his feet, falling back down instantly. His dark vision cleared, but the familiar faces were still surprising. "What happened? Where am I?" Zim looked around to find Dexter's lab, everything like a tower. He was on an operating table, the cold metal making his spine chill and his fur tingle…wait, fur? "AGHGUAH! What did you do to me?! I'm a filthy earth beast!"

"Squirrels are not FILTHY!" Bubbles snarled, pounding her fists on the table.

"We're sorry, Zim." Danny apologized. "But we couldn't find your body, so we found a new one. Dexter shrunk your backpack so it would fit."

"Unusual that his fur automatically turned green." Conan surmised. "I guess you'll never pass for normal."

"What are you talking about, spectacled monster? Zim was always normal!" the squirrel shouted, tiny paws raised like fists. He took a moment to look himself over and flick his bushy tail, then growl and squeak his displeasure. "This is unacceptable!"

"Ah, shuddup. You should be grateful." Buttercup said playfully. "Now you're cute."

"I tried ruling the world with cute!" Zim shouted with distaste. "It doesn't work!"

"It's just good to have you back, Zim." Jenny snatched the little animal off the table and brought it into a hug on her face. "You have no idea how great it is to hear your rage again."

"Ugh! Put me down! Put me down this instant you miserable tinker toy! Augah! I mean it. I am Zim. I AM ZIM!!"

Yes he is, yes he is.

xXx

"Well, Mr. Spongey." Bubbles started, giving her aquatic friend one last hug. "We're all going home, and you deserve to go too." She hovered over the sea, a gentle, refreshing breeze blowing past her face and making this goodbye as easy as pie. She looked down, visualizing the beautiful coral reefs and fishies that her small friend had to miss, remembering a certain starfish and squirrel he especially pined to see again. He had mentioned that one of his crab buddies was a specific target of the plankton, and that he wouldn't be waiting for him, but there was so much to repair. She imagined the tear jerking reunion, and then she dropped the sponge. He floated on the surface for a bit, but then he began to sink, and she wiped a single tear from her eye. "Goodbye, we'll meet again someday!"

Buttercup tapped her foot anxiously on the beach, getting impatient. "C'mon! Let's go! I can't wait any longer!"

Bubbles forgave her antsy sister, joined her and Blossom, then took off. Pink, blue, and green streams of light traced the trail to their loving, lonely, and very relieved father.

xXx

"So, you don't want to tell me anymore?" asked Dr. Agasa as he took the empty coffee mug from his young friend. "That's quite a tale."

"Tell me about it." Conan sighed, wiping off his glasses with his shirt. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but you saw the ghost kid for yourself. To think those things actually exist. Thanks for covering for me, Doc; if Ran ever knew I was in trouble, she'd probably still be smothering me by now."

"Ha ha ha! Knowing you, Shinichi, you would have preferred it that way." The doctor chuckled. "But I understand…did you miss her?" Conan stared at the floor for a few minutes, then getting up and making his way towards the door.

"I think I'm going to go back for a few more hugs."

"Oh ho, ok, see you soon, Shinichi! And don't go getting abducted again, ha!" the doctor was joking, but once Conan was gone, he had to lay down on the couch, his old brain unable to think that such a story was real. He made a deep sigh and closed his eyes, the mere idea that his buddy was used for murder unthinkable. And being as protective as he is, he couldn't bare thinking that it could happen again. He thought of new inventions that would put his mind at ease.

xXx

Dexter expected that his parents were going to hold on to him for days, but from what his memory told him, he never would have thought that his sister, of all people, would be just as overwhelmed, if not more, to embrace him again.

"D-Dee Dee," he stammered. "I never knew you cared." His sister was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Of course I care, stupid!" she cried, hugging him tighter. "I don't know what I'd do without you!" The blonde, blue eyed, tall and slender ballerina spun around as she hugged her little brother. "Don't you ever leave me again!" Dexter couldn't help it. He too had salty drops slide past his glasses and down his cheeks, trying to hide them in Dee Dee's shoulder.

xXx

The door of the Wakemen household swung open, as it did twice earlier that day, but with a greasy, nerdy teenager standing in the entrance.

"JENNY!" Sheldon screamed, already bawling. "Where's Jenny?!"

"So you heard the news," Miss Wakemen sniffed, going through her 10th box of tissues. "Boy does it travel fast." She was still clinging to her "daughter", not at all worried about rust.

"Back off, kid." Warned her friend, Brad, his bright red hair unwashed for being with Jenny the past few days. Seeing Jenny again, after all this time, had made him ecstatic, but a little overprotective, and very clingy.

"She needs time to adjust—" Brad's little brother Tuck was cut off by a whooshing sound as Jenny tackled her former stalker.

"It's ok guys." Jenny assured them. "You don't know how much it means to see any familiar face." Sheldon sighed happily and fainted from delight into the robot's amazingly comforting arms.

xXx

"Hey, Kid." A police officer said monotonously to the blue boy in red tights who hugged him with his entire body. "I missed you too." It's not his fault he had trouble showing emotion. "No really, it's really, REALLY good to see you. Where have you been?" Freakazoid responded by speaking a thousand miles a minute, every world incomprehensible. "That's nice, how's the family?"

"I had no idea, Cosgrove!" he yelled excitedly. "I would have never known that they missed me so much, even Duncan! I just thought all this time that they didn't even acknowledge my existence. They might be looking for me right now to have another cry fest, maybe I should—"

"Hey, Kid, wanna get a snow cone?" It was the one question in the world that could possibly break the hug, and then promptly cause a bigger, tighter one.

"DO I?!"

xXx

"Master!"

"Ug!" Zim braced himself for the very painful affection he was to receive from his robotic henchman. Honestly he had to think about it for a while to reactivate him, wondering if he should first rebuild his destroyed base. His base was back, good as new, but his doggy dressed sidekick was overcome with joy to have the first thing he sees in over a year to be his master in cute squirrel form. He couldn't stop squeezing him.

"You're so squishy now!"

"Enough, Gir!" Zim commanded, Gir instantly complying. Zim fell with an "oof", then dusted himself off and got to business. "Go to that control panel over there and push the buttons that I tell you too!" Zim climbed up a few chairs and consoles to get a good look at what he was creating on his own operating table. "Zim shall not be condemned to a life of furryness. I shall make a new body, just as good looking and as powerful as the original, and then, I will destroy this world!" He laughed manically as he pulled a few switches, his lair buzzing and bright, back to doing what he was meant for.

xXx

"Breaking news!" shouted the news anchor.

"That's putting it lightly." Danny smiled casually, sitting on his own couch, in his own home, with his own sister trying to dry her eyes, his own mother kissing him on the forehead, and his own father embracing the entire family with his massive arms.

"Local hero, Vlad Masters, had organized a league of heroes and put a stop to an absolutely heinous facility that kidnapped children and put them to work like slaves! All of those involved have been arrested and have been put away for life; unfortunately their leader had escaped and is still at large. We have no picture or any solid information about him, but Mayor Masters declares that he will be found and he will be punished. Meanwhile, the names of the kidnapped children shall be left anonymous, and they are currently being reunited with their families. The town is eternally grateful and is preparing a ceremony for Mr. Masters, thanking him for his self less effort."

"We could never thank him enough." Maddie said between kisses and tears.

"Aw son," Jack sniffed. "I'll admit it, I thought you were captured by ghosts and I'd given up hope, but seeing you again, I—I," he squeezed his family so tight they couldn't breathe for a few seconds. "A ghost could walk right in and stick his tongue at me, I'm not letting go!"

"I missed you guys too." Danny managed to say. "You don't know how much it means to know that you guys even exist, to have such wonderful parents." He began to choke on his words. "And a caring sister. And-and though I may have never said it before, I'm the luckiest kid in the world to have you all. I'm never going to lose any of you ever again! I swear it!"

xXx

More was said, in every single one of those relieved households, about love, faith, and promises to never leave each other again. There was more crying, laughing, and definitely hugging. The nightmare was over and the healing could begin. They've realized just how much their loved ones mean to them, how their lives touch others, and generally what is important. Though our heroes were more than likely traumatized, they didn't let that faze them in combat. They learned from their mistakes, and plan to work harder than ever in their heroic fields to make up for those who were lost, and one day bring Mr. Big to justice.

Once again, the day is saved, thanks to:

Danny Phantom, Invader Zim, Detective Conan, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Freakazoid!, Sheep in the Big City, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Family Guy, Fairly Oddparents, Blue's Clues, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Ed Edd n Eddy, Time Squad, Angry Beavers, Cow and Chicken, I M. Weasel, Courage the Cowardly Dog, South Park, Homestar Runner, Conker, Putt Putt, Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl, Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold, Teen Titans, Samurai Jack, Avatar the Last Airbender, Inuyasha, Full Metal Alchemist, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Samurai Pizza Cats, Ren and Stimpy, Dynomutt, Scooby Doo, Hong Kong Phooey, The Simpsons, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.