Well, it's hard to believe, but Pushing Through is now complete. It's taken two and a half months and over 130,000 words, but my longest story is done. I have a lot I feel the need to say, and I think it's best to start with the most important thing.

When I posted the first few chapters of this story, I couldn't help but feel a little sad at how small the audience was. I'd always been used to getting hundreds of hits and tons of reviews, and this was no longer the case. I'd expected this; I'd known that the JN community would surely have shrunk over six years. Yet I still felt sad for a little while. That all changed when I began to hear from some very special reviewers. I want to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story, but there are four friends I've made who deserve a really special shout-out.

Miss Yaya, you're up first. You took the time to really spell out exactly what you liked about each chapter, and let me know that this story was being taken seriously by my audience. I'll always be grateful for all of your reviews and support. As soon as I posted a chapter, I couldn't wait to hear what you thought of it. I loved reading and responding to all of your reviews.

TheKyttin13, you're next. I loved our late-night chats about this story and how you seemed to put more thought into it than even I have. Your responses to the hints about Cherenkov's Gun and Miranda's injuries showed just how much effort you put into reading this book. Conversing with you and hearing your thoughts was a real pleasure, and I can't wait to see what you think of The Lost Chapters.

Linklover77, I didn't forget about you. You've been an incredible inspiration throughout this writing process. You started out as an ardent fan of my work, and I became an equally zealous fan of your own. For everyone reading this, check out this amazing author's stuff. It's of incredible quality and I heartily recommend it. I don't know how you found the time to review every single one of my Jimmy Neutron stories plus every chapter of this story, but I deeply appreciate it. I love the discussions we've had in regards to both of oursworks, and I hope we have many more.

Last but not least, there's Farley Drexel. Now that I've finished with Pushing Through, I can't wait to really get into your story. I know how hard it is to find time to write, so I really appreciate you somehow finding more time to get through this book and give really thoughtful, expansive reviews. I can't wait to return the favor.

Now on to some more commentary about this story. There's a few major points I want to cover, so let's just jump right in. One thing I love about these two books is how you've gotten to see the evolution of Jimmy and Cindy's relationship. During the summer before The Final Battle, I've shown in flashbacks that Jimmy and Cindy were closer than they ever were in the cartoon. They still fought and didn't shout their love from the rooftops, but they were clearly able to hang out without screaming at each other. They openly enjoyed each other's company and their jabs were playful, not spiteful. They flirted quite often and enjoyed occasionally holding hands. This continued until chapter 24 of The Final Battle, when Jimmy and Cindy finally kissed. Now, I say finally because when I wrote The Final Battle, I had never seen the episode "Lady Sings the News." So in this universe, the events of that episode never took place. Their kiss on Little Boy was their first.

From chapters 24 – 42 of The Final Battle, the relationship between Jimmy and Cindy changed slightly. They began to act as though they were dating, although they still didn't make it official or declare their love. They kissed twice more on Little Boy and Minerva, as well as continuing to show how loyal they are to each other. Cindy refused to allow Jimmy to form a suicide team without her, and Jimmy trusted her to fly one of the four ships through the asteroid belt.

Chapter 43 is where their relationship truly changed. They finally admitted their love for each other before boarding Goobot's vessel. Though they didn't officially go steady until they got back to Earth, from this point on they are a couple for all intents and purposes. We saw how well they work together on Goobot's cruiser, and we're shown how broken Jimmy was when he believes that Cindy has been killed by Eustace.

Throughout Pushing Through Jimmy and Cindy remain a strong couple. They only have one significant fight in chapter four, and it is there that Jimmy realizes how necessary it is to treat Cindy as a true equal. For the rest of the book, they work in perfect harmony. Jimmy trusts Cindy to protect the group and values her input, and Cindy has complete faith in Jimmy to think his way through any problem they encounter. This book shows how perfect these two kids are for each other and how much stronger they are together than they ever were apart.

I've had several people make note of the fact that romance plays a huge role in these books, but it is not the central focus. I'm glad people have noticed this and I wholeheartedly agree with their assessment. I love the Jimmy/Cindy relationship. It's the major reason I watched the show, and even six years later I still get a smile on my face when I think of these two characters together. Yet I wanted these books to be more than a love story. While I love the plots of both books, it's the characters' developments and interactions that I enjoy the most. Every character has changed and grown from the first chapter of The Final Battle. Even more so than writing action scenes, writing characters interacting is my favorite part of being an author. I love showing how these characters deal with the obstacles they face and how they grow closer over time. I'll discuss every character in a little bit of detail.

I greatly enjoyed writing Jimmy throughout these two books. Over the course of these adventures, he has grown so much. He's truly accepted his role as a leader. He's learned to trust others more fully than he ever has. He's grown closer to Libby, learned to respect Sheen, formed a deep friendship with Nick, came to love Miranda like a sister, and ultimately learned that Cindy is every bit his equal. Yet it was him learning how to come to terms with his guilt over killing Eustace and Goobot, as well as learning from those actions, that is my favorite part of his story. He killed two evil characters out of anger. His actions were, if not completely justifiable, then at least completely understandable. But Jimmy is unrelentingly good, so he couldn't just forgive himself. It was a long journey, but he eventually moved past his pain. More importantly, he learned from it. When it came time to destroy Animus, he chose the path of mercy and peace. He'd redeemed himself and saved two worlds from destruction.

Nick was one of my favorite characters to write. He was never shown much on the show, but I never got the sense that he was cruel or evil in the way that some authors portray him. I loved expanding on his backstory and showing that he's more than a head of hair. Jimmy became one of the first people to ever try to look beneath Nick's surface, and this led to an incredible friendship between the two. Over the course of The Final Battle, both boys came to deeply respect the other's abilities and trust each other completely. As much as I enjoyed Nick's role in The Final Battle, I loved his character in Pushing Through even more. He's more confident in his role as a leader and grows even closer to Jimmy. Even though the two don't always agree on the best course of action, they always consider the other's point of view and know that they'll have each other's backs. Theirs is a true friendship in every sense of the word, and I absolutely loved Jimmy acknowledging that he is a true member of his group in Pushing Through's epilogue.

Ah, Cynthia Vortex. I actually feel that one of the biggest weaknesses of The Final Battle was Cindy's portrayal. I wrote her as very subordinate and rarely showed her taking control. While she wasn't Jimmy's lapdog, she wasn't a true leader either. I made a very conscious effort to fix this in Pushing Through, and I think the story was much better for it. This time around, she shares the role of leader equally with Jimmy and Nick. She's constantly voicing her opinions and giving orders to the group. She was the one to confront Barak in Jimmy's lab when everyone else was caught up in their own chaos, she snapped Jimmy out of his misery in school, she was an equal partner in sabotaging The Flaming Justice's reactors. And of course, she is an incredible fighter. Over the course of this book, Cindy really learned how to lead, she learned how to move past much of her anger and jealousy, and she came to respect Sheen, Carl, and Betty. She's grown up a lot over the course of this story, and I loved showing that.

Sheen. I love Sheen so much. He's stupid, he's maniacal, he's almost legally insane. But he's got one of the group's biggest hearts, he's incredibly brave, and he loves all his friends. In both books, Sheen is really the one who saves the day. In The Final Battle, he freed his friends and stopped Eustace from killing Jimmy. In Pushing Through, it was his actions aboard The Flaming Justice that convinced Jimmy to spare Animus. If it wasn't for Sheen, it is very likely that the Yolkian-Human war would have continued after Animus' destruction. Sheen's trusting nature and good heart ended up saving many, many lives. Yet in spite of all the amazing things he has done, Sheen is still Sheen. Though he'll never forget all that he's been through and the people he's lost, he'll return to the wacky, energetic, kid-at-heart teenager that you saw early in this story.

Libby really showed her true colors throughout these books. Even after being shot in the leg at the beginning of The Final Battle, she always did all that she could to help. She organized a breakfast for all the kids, she helped assemble rockets despite being on crutches, and she proved to be incredibly useful at being the head of the control team. Most importantly, she refused to sit out the fight in Pushing Through. She showed her bravery and skills and was an integral part of the team. Most importantly, she served as a rock for Cindy and Jimmy. Libby has always been a sister to Cindy, and I loved showing the two of them comfort each other in chapter 14 of Pushing Through. Yet my favorite aspect of her character is her growing relationship with Jimmy. In The Final Battle, these two characters realized how important they were to each other while simultaneously discovering how little they knew about each other. By the time Pushing Through began, they're closer than ever and are incredibly good friends. Libby becomes a rock for Jimmy, which is mostly shown during their talk in the camping store and when Jimmy becomes hysterical over Cindy's injury in Veras' chambers. Though these characters are both attracted to each other and realize they could be more than friends, they love their currents partners more and are happy being very close friends.

Another weakness of The Final Battle was the near-lack of Carl. I never appreciated his character until recently, and I wanted to make sure that he played a larger role this time around. I loved having him struggle to overcome his fears and become a man. While he provided only a minor help during the fighting in Pushing Through, he served as the group's moral center, along with Sheen. It was the two of them that had the biggest issue with detonating The Flaming Justice, and it was Carl who answered Jimmy's question of whether the kids actually wanted to destroy Animus. Having Carl run after Ike in the epilogue shows how much he's changed. After everything he's done, he has faith in himself now. When he sees a problem, he's no longer going to rely on others to fix it. He believes in himself and will try to solve it.

On to Betty. Betty was barely mentioned in The Final Battle, but I greatly enjoyed having her be a major player in Pushing Through. As soon as I came up with the idea of her wanting to become a pilot after flying one of the ships away from Minerva, I knew she was going to be a great presence in this story. All she wants is to help her friends and prove that she's more than a pretty face. As even Cindy admitted, she'd done that and more over the course of this book. Her ever-changing relationship with Cindy was probably my favorite subplot of this book. I loved having Cindy realize that Betty isn't this evil harlot that she had always envisioned. My second favorite subplot was Nick and Betty's relationship. They're not starcrossed lovers, but rather two young kids who are good friends and are attracted to each other. I greatly enjoyed showing the easy friendship between the two and mentioning, but not giving great detail, about their short relationship.

Ike. Poor Ike. He suffered a great deal in elementary school after losing his love Sandy. It took a long time, but he ultimately moved past his pain to become a sarcastic badass with a heart of gold. I loved him serving as a major source of humor in this story and greatly enjoyed portraying his slowly-evolving relationship with Miranda. It really hurt me to write him so differently after Miranda's death. It hit him hard, and I wanted to really show that. After she dies, he never jokes and he's clearly depressed and filled with a desire for revenge. Yet in spite of that desire for retribution, he still chooses to destroy Animus for the right reasons. And when push comes to shove, he doesn't fight Jimmy on changing their plans. He admits that it's important that they stay the good guys. At the end of this book he's still miserable, but with friends like Carl and Jimmy it's a good bet he'll be able to get through this.

Miranda Candor. She's my favorite character of the story as well as being the most tragic. It killed me to wait so long to introduce her, it hurt more to relegate her to such a minor role during her first few chapters, and it was nearly impossible to go through with killing her. Yet I knew I couldn't change her destiny just because I liked and admired her so much. She'd always been slated to die, so she did. She really is an incredible human being. She was only nine years old when she was raped by her father. Yet she refused to give up and became a fierce warrior; a survivor. Her chapter is probably my favorite of this story. I loved Jimmy's good heart finally breaking through her walls and enabling her to slowly open up to the group. Though she died far too young, at least she was able to, as she put it, come back to life before dying. There is no doubt that she saved the lives of all the other children. Had she not stayed behind in the plaza, Jimmy and Nick would almost certainly have been killed. And her refusal to be carried by Ike and Nick kept three extra guns in the fight and ensured that Veras was killed. She had lived alone for so long, but she died a hero and surrounded by friends.

Lastly, there's Barak Neroma. I adore him almost as much as Miranda. Here's a Yolkian who's managed to avoid the xenophobic hatred that claims most members of his species. He is more than willing to sacrifice his own life to protect humanity, and that is what makes his actions throughout this book so terribly sad. There is no question that Barak is a good person. Yet he was given an impossible choice: help murder nine children, or condemn an entire planet to destruction? Barak decided to do the former, but it killed him to do so. As he explained to Jimmy, he wanted nothing more than to be honest with the kids and find a way to kill Veras. Yet he knew that he couldn't risk six billion lives to save nine, no matter how much he valued those nine. Barak ultimately made up for his betrayal by saving Jimmy and his friend's in Veras' chambers. It cost him his own life, but he died knowing that Jimmy had truly forgiven him and still considered him a friend. Barak was truly a hero. As Jimmy noted in the epilogue, had the Yolkian failed to take Veras up on his offer, Earth would have been destroyed by the Yolkian fleet. By bringing the kids to Yolkus, he saved Earth. By bringing the gunship to Veras' chambers, he saved his friends.

Now that I've discussed the characters, I'd like to discuss the aspect of leadership briefly. Throughout this story, Jimmy, Cindy, and Nick served as the group's three equal leaders. Jimmy took charge of gathering supplies and led the assault on The Flaming Justice. Nick headed the battles on Yolkus. Cindy made sure to let her voice be heard and provided several key pieces of advice for the fights she partook in. After writing the fights on Yolkus, I was getting worried that I was having Nick play the leader too much. That's one reason why I had Jimmy concoct the plan on how to take over The Flaming Justice.

Another thing I want to touch on is the original ending for this story. Things changed drastically from my original vision after the kids killed Veras. Originally, I'd intended them to sabotage a large nuclear reactor on Yolkus instead of a warship. This would have lengthened the book considerably, as I had a great deal planned for the assault on the reactor. I would have had an anti-aircraft gun protect the facility, so the group would have had to move in on foot. After the reactor was sabotaged, Jimmy would have sent Carl, Ike, and Betty back to the gunship to flee Yolkus while everyone else stayed behind to make sure the Yolkians didn't fix the sabotage. This would have been a certain suicide mission. The group would have fiercely fought waves of Yolkian soldiers while Carl desperately tried to think of a way to save his friends. He would have come up with the idea of Betty luring another gunship into attacking them. She would have led the enemy ship into range of the AA gun and used that ship as a shield against the cannon's fire. The enemy gunship would have crashed into the AA gun and destroyed it. This would have allowed Betty to pick up Jimmy's team and speed away from Yolkus after Jimmy reversed the sabotage due to a change of heart.

There were several problems with this original idea. Betty had been shown to be a good pilot, but using another gunship as a shield would probably have been above her abilities. Secondly, I doubted that Jimmy would so easily have been able to reverse the effects of his sabotage. Lastly, and by far most importantly, my research showed that there is no way to turn a nuclear reactor into a nuclear bomb. I tried to think of a new but similar ending and came up with the idea of turning a ship into a nuclear bomb. I did this after remembering the ending of Halo: Combat Evolved. So I did a little research into the fusion reactors on so many science fiction ships. They're purely theoretical at this point, but it seemed reasonable to turn a ship into a nuclear bomb if they used these reactors. I feel that this ending flowed much better than the other ending would have, and I'm happy with how it turned out.

Now, I want to briefly mention Barak's death. I'd always intended for Miranda to die in this story, but I didn't decide to kill Barak until a week or two before writing his death. I was thinking of how unrealistic it was that only one of ten characters would be killed over the course of this incredibly dangerous journey. I was trying to think of which character's death could be done in a realistic way and would serve a good story-telling purpose. I realized that Barak was making himself very vulnerable by standing in the open door of the gunship outside Veras' chambers. The idea to have an injured soldier snipe him just popped into my head, and I realized it would solve my problem perfectly. It was unexpected, it was realistic, and it happened right after Barak had redeemed himself. Though I'm sorry to see him die, I'm confident it was the right choice to make.

As we near the end of this note, I'd like to share a few small pieces of trivia and discarded ideas. I briefly considered having Nick have a crush on Jimmy. Their friendship seemed pretty intense, and it somehow seemed natural to me that Nick might have gay feelings for his best friend. I decided against this after considering it for only a short time. I enjoyed showing Nick and Betty's relationship, and I didn't want to alter his character so drastically from his cartoon appearance.

Back before I came up with the idea of killing Barak, I considered having either Nick or Sheen have their arm badly burnt from a plasma bolt during one of the fights on Yolkus. Jimmy would have made a replacement arm for them back on Earth. I liked this idea because it reinforced how dangerous the mission was without killing a character, but I decided against it because I couldn't bear to make either Nick or Sheen go through so much pain. The journey back to Earth took three days, and the group didn't have any medical supplies or painkillers. A three day journey with a charred off arm would have been torture, so I avoided this plot point.

Jimmy originally discovered Libby in the supply closer in chapter 14, not Cindy. I wanted them to have yet another moment together and thought Jimmy could mirror Libby's sadness over being separated from Chowder with how he missed Goddard. I decided to shift gears and have Cindy discover Libby because these two best friends hadn't yet shared a long moment in the story. I realized Jimmy and Libby had already had plenty of moments, and I didn't want to go through the book with Cindy having one with her best friend.

Well, there's only one last thing I want to say about these books. That is that I'm really glad that the Jimmy Neutron community has two more full-length novels to read. I know all of us Jimmy Neutron fans feel that the show ended before its time, but let's all look on the bright side. We had three seasons of a great show and had some incredible episodes. Stranded, King of Mars, Lady Sings the News, Trading Faces, Crouching Jimmy; Hidden Sheen, My Big Fat Spy Wedding, Beach Party Mummy, and The Great Egg Heist are my personal favorites. These episodes are all of tremendously high quality and showcase everything we love about the show. They have great romance between both Jimmy and Cindy and Sheen and Libby, they're hilarious, and they really do a great job of showing the group's friendship. And I just have to say how much I love Win, Lose, and Kaboom. In my mind, it does everything right and nothing wrong. Just watch the first five minutes of that movie. It's incredible. I love just watching the five characters hanging out in the Candy Bar.

Yet we don't just have these episodes, we have a vast collection of incredible fanfiction. We all have different stories that we love, but we can all agree that there are some fantastic pieces of art in this section of this site. I truly hope you've all enjoyed The Final Battle and Pushing Through, and I'm glad that fans of the series have two more books at their disposal.

That about sums up everything I have to say about this book. There are just two things left to do. The first is to remind everyone that the story doesn't end here. The Lost Chapters will be uploaded very soon and will give new insight into the characters you've come to know and love throughout these two books. The second is that I want everyone reading this to feel absolutely free to contact me in any way, for whatever reason. Private message me on this site, email me at quiet-thinker AT hotmail . com, or add me as a friend on Facebook (the name is Quiet Thinker). Feel free to talk to me for any reason. Maybe you have a question about my work, maybe you'd like to discuss some things you did or didn't like with this story, or maybe you just want to talk. Whatever the case, don't hesitate to contact me. I love interacting with fellow Jimmy Neutron fans, so I'd love to hear from you.

Once again, I just want to thank everyone for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading this book as much as I've loved writing it. I'm humbled by every member of my audience, and I can't wait to get to work on my next JN project. Keep reading and writing, and I love you all.

Sincerely Yours,

Quietthinker