2The town we all know and love with a house we all knew and loved. Cherry was shown to be in the grocery store with a hat, coat, and sunglasses as she was picking up some food and didn't want anybody to recognize her since she was a very famous author these days.
"You ever think it might be time for your kids to learn like you did with Atticus, Mo, and Patch?" A familiar voice asked as she passed down an aisle, seeing a worker stocking books by the book section before he turned his face.
"Yes, but aren't you retired, Drell?" Cherry smirked, lowering her sunglasses to him before she went to keep going with her shopping.
"Maybe, but it doesn't mean I can't pop in from time to time!" Drell replied.
"Whatever, man! Or... What ever the kids are saying these days..." Cherry replied.
Drell soon took out a phone to show the new Powerpuff Girls' Painbow episode.
"Augh! Make it stop!" Cherry begged, shutting off that episode. "I may be neutral on those Powerpuff wannabes, but that is where I draw the line!"
"I really didn't want to have to do that," Drell remarked. "But your kids and their friends will be going on a mission to the Underworld to retrieve Horror's Hand, an artifact of infinite power... Kinda like the Infinity Gauntlet."
"What?!" Cherry gasped.
The other shoppers soon looked over to her before she cleared her throat to look quiet and collected before they went back to shopping.
"What are you talking about?" Cherry asked him in a hushed tone of voice.
"Horror's Hand," Drell explained. "Apparently Grim will need to get it in order to prove he's the scariest being alive so he can keep his job. Billy and Mandy ruined another appointment for him, so his job's on the line."
"Well... I guess that'll be up to the kids then," Cherry shrugged sheepishly as she went to go back to shopping. "The kids are at home right now, so I'll-"
Drell soon used his magic to fill up her cart and checked her out, bringing her to the parking lot in the span of two seconds.
"...I hate you." Cherry muttered.
"Yeah, you and Lionel are coming too," Drell replied. "The kids don't have much know-how of the Underworld, and I don't trust Grim not to try and ditch them."
"All right..." Cherry said. "I thought you were done with this after Atticus and I graduated from high school."
"I miss you guys." Drell pouted.
"Aww... That'd be so sweet if you didn't make me feel sick to my stomach." Cherry smirked.
"Yeah, love ya too, you little stinker." Drell remarked.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to my home..." Cherry soon said as she loaded up the car. "Who knows what the kids might be up to?"
Meanwhile, back at the Schwartz house...
Zofia sat upside-down as she looked a bit bored while watching cartoons on TV with her brother. However, something zipped right by their house which made them both fall on the floor as the impact shook them slightly.
"Whoa... What was that?" asked LJ as he went to the window.
"I'm not sure..." Zofia said before going to go with him.
Grim, Billy, and Mandy were shown to be riding by on Grim's scythe to chase after the skeleton's latest victim.
"You know what? I'm staying out of this one," LJ shrugged. "I don't want anything to do with Billy and Mandy. Those guys are nothing but trouble!"
"Why tempt fate?" Zofia replied.
"Exactly!" LJ nodded. "That's why we're not getting involved, we're just gonna go hang out with our friends."
"Okay, but we have to wait until Mother comes home... However long that'll take." Zofia said, knowing it took her mother quite a while to go out in public these days.
"Or... Maybe not." LJ replied as their mom pulled into the driveway.
"Now I'd like Richard Tyler to come over!" Zofia then said hopefully.
"You really liked him, huh?" LJ asked.
"Yeah..." Zofia blushed. "We sure had fun with that Pagemaster adventure. I really miss Horror, Fantasy, and Adventure."
"Yeah... They were great." LJ nodded.
"Do you think Richard liked me too?" Zofia still blushed. "I really liked him."
"Yeah, no doubt," LJ replied. "He had it bad for ya."
Zofia blushed a bit more. LJ chuckled a little before going with her to help their mother with the groceries as she brought them into the house, bringing someone in the house with her.
"Don't. Touch. Anything." Cherry told Drell on the way into the house.
Drell put his hands up with a casual smile. "Hey, you got it. No touchy-touchy." he replied.
"You kids okay? The house looks like it shook slightly." Cherry said.
"Grim, Billy, and Mandy passed by." Zofia rolled her eyes.
"Of course they did." Cherry then mumbled as she went to put the food away.
"But for once, we're not gonna get involved with their crazy misadventures," LJ added. "Those three are nothing but TROUBLE!"
"Did you hear that?" Cherry asked Drell.
"I'm old, not deaf." Drell replied as his hair had grayed recently.
Cherry then went into the kitchen. "Where's your father?" she then asked.
"I think he's trying to make a warp pad in the backyard like when you guys met Steven Universe." Zofia said.
"YEAH!" Lionel replied from the backyard. "I'm almost done!"
"We were just watching cartoons." Zofia then said, showing The Loud House on TV.
"All right, well, Drell wants to talk to you guys about something." Cherry then said.
LJ and Zofia turned towards Drell as he sat down.
"Alright, what is it?" asked Zofia.
"I think it's about time that you children learn more about your magical backgrounds," Drell said. "Especially since your Uncle Atticus changed the rules a bit in certain parts of the Magic Realm and its connection into this realm."
"Ooookay," replied LJ. "What'd you have in mind?"
"Visiting the Netherworld... Practicing magical spells... Earning your own wands..." Drell listed. "Going on various adventures between the realms a bit."
"You mean like Mother did?" Zofia asked.
"Yes... Like your mother did." Drell replied.
"Hmm... We'll consider it." LJ replied curiously.
"Oh, I know you will," Drell smirked a bit, fluffing up his hair a bit. "Of course, I'll only be around occasionally. I'm getting a bit old."
"You don't look that much different though from 20 years ago." Zofia said.
"I'm just glad I'm not green and warty like Hilda and Zelda's cousin Susie," Drell shrugged. "Reminds me of Elphaba."
"Oh, okay, I remember that." Lionel replied as he came back inside.
"So, as you can see, your children are about of age to go on more magical adventures." Drell soon told Cherry and Lionel.
"So I see..." Cherry remarked.
"Think of it as a rite of passage... Like when you and Atticus found your missing grandmother and aunt or maybe even when you first met Lionel since he has his own magic." Drell then said as he explained why he was visiting.
"Oh... Neat!" Lionel beamed.
"Are you sure they're ready though?" Cherry asked. "I mean... They go on plenty of adventures enough as it is with those friends of theirs, especially LJ's lady friends: Kimberly and Chrissy."
"Yeah! Besides, they're all part of our team!" LJ added. "And we'd never go without the team! It's a package deal: either all or nothing!"
"Oh, I know you wouldn't," Drell replied, leaning back on the couch as he crossed his legs a bit. "Not to mention that creepy friend of yours, Zofia."
"Her NAME is Creepie." Zofia reminded.
"Oh, right... Sorry..." Drell said. "Anyway, I'm just saying your adventures are due to get bigger and magical, not to mention looking for magical artifacts such as Horror's Hand from the Underworld."
"What's that gotta do with anything?" asked LJ.
"You're going there." Drell replied like it was obvious.
"What? Why us?" asked LJ. "What's the big deal about this Horror's Hand thing?"
"Because I said so." Drell replied.
Cherry hid an eye roll from that.
"And someone is set on getting it," Drell then said. "A certain monster in the Underworld who haunts the nightmares of children."
"The Boogeyman." Both LJ and Zofia realized.
"Didn't he get banished already?" asked Lionel.
"Nope!" Drell said. "No doubt your Uncle Atticus will be appearing in the court as the new Head of the Magic Council that he calls it now, along with Elyse's mother."
"Ugh..." Lionel sighed.
"Underworld? Forget it," LJ replied. "We said we're not getting involved in any of Billy and Mandy's crazy misadventures anymore. Those two are trouble incarnate!"
"Sorry, but they decided that, I'm not sure what to tell you." Cherry soon told Drell, passing by as she put nonfood items where they were supposed to go.
"Yeah, we'd rather work with people who aren't completely braindead or likely to backstab us," Zofia added. "And that rules them out."
"All right... Fine, I was trying to help, but I can see this whole set-up was totally pointless, I'm gonna leave then," Drell said. He then turned to face them. "Yeah, you must have thought that you had a choice in the matter," he said. "Your parents didn't, and neither do you."
LJ and Zofia went to walk away and go outside to check out the warp pad their father built.
"You're not quitting, are you?" Cherry asked knowingly.
"Have I ever before?" Drell replied.
"Nope," Cherry sighed. "You always found a way to take us into an adventure, kicking and screaming."
"Yep," Drell nodded. "If you didn't get a choice, then why should they?"
"You are such a good teacher!" Cherry deadpanned from that statement. "You should write children's books."
"Maybe later... Now if you'll excuse me..." Drell said, going into the backyard with the siblings.
In the backyard...
"It's not done yet, I'll have to test it a bit, but I thought you guys might like it for when you have to travel around like that time you found The Trolls Kingdom when you met those girls: Amethyst, Sapphire, Topaz, Ruby, and Onyx," Lionel said. "Heh... Those Gem-like names and a warp pad... I guess it was inevitable to happen. Just remember that it's not a toy."
LJ and Zofia nodded. "Got it, Dad!" they replied.
"Great!" Lionel beamed. "So you wanna... I dunno, bring your friends over?"
"Yeah, I guess we could do that," Zofia replied. "Not much going on for us anyway."
"I'd also be careful if I were you..." Lionel said. "You never know when adventure will come take you, even if you don't wanna go along for the ride. Just ask your mother."
"We know," LJ nodded. "She kinda talks in her sleep."
Lionel soon went inside with a smile.
"Let's get the others... Maybe if Dib isn't going through that anime phase of his..." Zofia said to her brother then.
"Then it could be fun." LJ nodded.
"Calling all friends!" Zofia called out. "...Except for Billy and Mandy!"
Soon after, the other kids showed up to the Schwartz house.
"Looks like the gang's all here..." Zofia said as they came in the living room. "Hey, where'd Mother and Father go?"
"They'll be along... And you kids are coming with me..." Drell soon said, appearing in front of them.
The group let out small yelps as he seemed to come from nowhere.
"You're going to the Underworld, Schwartz kids! Because I say so!" Drell glared at LJ and Zofia.
"You... Bloated bully!" LJ snapped.
"You didn't really think I was gone, didja?" Drell asked, pushing a button on a remote which put the house on lockdown.
"You can't do this!" LJ exclaimed. "Legally, at least."
"No more questions." Drell said.
"That wasn't a question?" Chrissy replied.
"Say... Don't I know you?" Drell asked her.
"Huh? What? No, how could you possibly know me?" Chrissy grinned nervously.
"What's it to you, bub?" LJ asked. "If you don't want questions or opinions other than your own, then why don't you go mentor a bunch of rocks?"
"Then maybe I should take you all back to my place and you can all be apart of my toad garden?" Drell grinned darkly.
"Toad garden...?" Gaz asked. "What's a toad garden?"
"You wanna ask the last person who tried to back-sass me?" Drell asked, taking out a photograph of someone who was turned into a toad with their clothes scattered beside them.
"Why, you miserable slimeball!" LJ spat. "You're just as bad as that Boogeyman, if not WORSE! You don't care what happens or about what we want, it's just Drell, Drell, Drell, 24/7/365! Why would I want to be mentored by a fat bully like you?!"
"Even if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be born?" Drell glared then.
"Oh, and as a reward for that, you treat us like crap!" LJ snapped. "Gee, thanks! I dunno what happened to you, but you became an even worse jerk!"
"Oh, like you're a joy..." Drell grumbled slightly. "If you don't want me here, then fine," he then went to leave, taking the security system off of the house. "You can forget about ever having any more adventures ever again."
"Wait a second!" exclaimed Dib. "I think I might've found something!"
"What?" Drell and LJ both asked, sounding bitter towards each other.
Dib held up a small insect, wearing headphones. "Take a look," he said. "We've been BUGGED!"
"Darn!" said the insect, before Dib squashed it.
LJ and Drell both had to roll their eyes in deadpan.
"Now, I know that Drell is annoying, but we have to put up with him sometimes," Cherry told her son. "He's a pain, but he's helpful when he wants to be... Wait, uh, where's your... Guh..." she then gulped, throwing up her mouth a little. "Son...?"
"With Hilda of course," Drell replied. "What? You think he should come along too?"
"Sure," Lionel shrugged. "If he wants to, but Dib makes a point. That insect was what made you two so hostile towards one another."
"I nearly turned you into a ball of wax." Drell glared to LJ.
"I'm sorry, sir," LJ said. "If you want me punished, I'd leave it to my mother. Though... I wouldn't want to imagine what she would do to punish me and Zo since we never really get in a lot of trouble with her."
"Sometimes she thinks that any wrong-doing we do is nothing compared to Wednesday and Pugsley Addams, but still not as horrible as those creepy twins, Edgar and Ellen." Zofia added.
LJ nodded. "I'm sorry about what I said... I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that." he added.
"Mm-hmm..." Drell replied sharply. "Now, uh, before that happened, where was I?"
"Uh, something about going into the Underworld for some kinda hand?" Gaz prompted.
"Ah, yes," Drell said. "Atticus and Elyse's mother Zoe should be going to the Underworld right now for Grim to be in court. Now, kids, I know you're not fond of Billy and Mandy, believe me, I'm not either, but we must get going."
"Oh... Very well." LJ relented.
"I'll make it up to you sometime, I promise you," Drell said. "Cherry, didn't I make it up to you and Atticus those times you had to go back to Jurassic Park after you went there the first time by accident?"
Cherry sighed as she hated to admit it. "You did... You're right, Drell..." She then cupped her mouth and ran off as she looked like she was about to throw up.
"Hm... Okay," replied LJ. "But we'll hold you to that."
"All right, well, we better go before it gets too late," Drell said, checking his pocket watch. "Be back later."
And suddenly, the kids were taken into a car and sent through a portal, taking them into another world far different from their own.
"Welcome to my home." Nergal Jr said to Gaz.
"Gee, I feel so honored." Gaz muttered slightly.
"Still looks better than Zim's place." Dib replied.
Gaz nodded to that.
"I guess we can just get this over with..." Zofia sighed.
"Fair enough..." Chrissy said. "No one said an adventurous life would be a glamorous one, I guess. At least that's what Aunt Sonata told me."
"When you're right, you're right," replied Martin. "Let's get this over with."
