My Adventures with Kaleb Ellis

My Adventures with Kaleb Ellis
Season 3, Episode 4
First Aired (USA) January 31, 2025 (FF) January 31, 2025 (AO3)
Episode Guide
previous "Ready Player Vee"	next "Interview with a Headless Horseman"

"My Adventures with Kaleb Ellis" is the fourth chapter of Luz Clawthorne: We've Only Just Begun, as well as the one-hundred & forty-eighth chapter overall.

Synopsis[]

Luz and Kaleb are dragged into an unexpected adventure by a reality-bending imp; Lois investigates Gravity Falls.

Plot[]

Years ago…

Looking outside the window of his home was a young Kaleb. Back then, he was just a scrawny kid wearing a yellow and white shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Looking through a telescope, he was watching the sky.

"Interesting," he said while looking through the telescope, trying to identify something he spotted in the sky. "It's a bird… it's a plane. It's-!"

"A waste of using my telescope, Kal."

Kaleb looked away from the telescope, turning to his roommate. Their shared bedroom had two sides. One side, the side that Kaleb used, was more sparse with simply a bed with blue sheets, a drawer, and a night stand with a baseball bat and glove. But the other side of the room, the side of the room that his roommate slept on, was a different story. It was filled with books. More books than his bookshelf could ever fit, so instead they took up every other bit of space. On the wall there were posters of famous scientists and geniuses, including the likes of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawkings, and Archer Atom. There was also a poster of the solar system and the Periodic Table. On the surface area that wasn't taken up by books there was a model scale rocket, a small hand-built robot, a globe, and a completed Rubix cube. On the bed with green sheets lay another boy whose face was buried in a book they were reading.

"When I said I would allow you to use my expensive equipment, I expected you to use it for some greater purpose," the boy said, his face hidden in the book that he was too focused on. He didn't even bother to look up at Kaleb. "Not used for the purpose of… bird-watching."

"Oh, sorry," the young Kaleb sheepishly responded. "I was just trying to identify what I saw out the window. I thought it was a bird, but I think it might be something else."

"What have you discovered?" his roommate asked.

But before Kaleb could answer, he heard a knock on the door. "I got it," Kaleb said as he went over to answer the door, opening and seeing who it was standing in the hallway outside of their room. "Hey, Josh."

"Hey, Kal," said Josh, an African-American kid with short black hair and green eyes. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and white sneakers. "I'm going to play baseball with some of the other kids. I was wondering if you'd like to come play with us."

Kaleb smiled. "Yeah! I'd like that! Let me get my bat and glove!" he shouted as he rushed across the room to grab his bat, glove, and his hat. He then turned to his roommate. "Say, would you like to play baseball with us?"

"No," his roommate responded with a completely disinterested tone.

Kaleb just sighed, though it was what he expected and he didn't let it bother him as he left the shared bedroom to join up with Josh and the other kids to play baseball.

In a field outside of the orphanage, Kaleb and Josh were joined by several of the other orphans. One girl showed up to pitch.

"Strike him out, Niki!" shouted one of the kids as the young Asian-American girl, who had brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles while sporting a red shirt with overalls and white shoes, looked at Kaleb, who was up to bat. She smirked.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you, Kal," she told him.

Niki then threw the baseball towards Kaleb, who swung the bat and missed.

"Strike one!"

"Come on, Kaleb! You got this!" Josh encouraged as the ball was thrown back to Niki.

Kaleb adjusted his glasses as he held up his bat, gripping it tightly. Niki then threw the ball again and once again he swung the bat but missed.

"Strike two!"

"Come on, Kaleb! You got one more swing!" Josh cheered as Niki had the ball tossed back.

Kaleb took a deep breath while firmly planting his feet to the ground. He once again held up his bat. Niki looked at Kaleb while deciding to do a curveball. She threw the ball at Kaleb, who prepared to swing…

And for a moment, time seemed to slow down for Kaleb as he saw the ball coming to him. He was surprised for a moment as everything around him seemed to move slower, but then he gripped the bat and took a chance to swing… and hit the ball.

With a loud whack, the ball was hit, no, launched far from the field. This caused Josh, Niki, and the rest of the kids to look up in shock, seeing the ball Kaleb hit fly into the sky.

"Whoa…" Josh said in shock. "You hit that ball up into the stratosphere!"

"Is it coming down?" one kid asked. They, along with Kaleb, stared up at the heavens where they had seen Kaleb send the ball… and it was not coming down.

However, they were not the only ones who had witnessed this home run. In Kaleb's room, someone had witnessed the ball fly up in the sky using the telescope. And he found it very, very interesting…

Sometime later, Kaleb was in the office of the orphanage. He nervously sat in one of the chairs while watching some papers being signed by his new adoptive parents.

"Alright, Kaleb, you are now officially part of Joseph and Jeri Ellis's family," the caretaker told him. "We're very happy for you, although we are going to miss having you here at our Happy Home, Kaleb."

Kaleb smiled at this. "I'll miss everyone here," he said while looking up at his new parents, Joseph and Jeri Ellis. Joseph was a brown-haired man with a teal button shirt, jeans, and brown boots, while Jeri was a brown-haired woman wearing a red jacket with a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and black boots.

As nervous as Kaleb was to leave the orphanage that had been his home for as long as he could remember, as nervous as he was to leave behind all of his friends… there was also a part of him that felt optimistic about the future that waited for him outside of the Happy Home.

A few years later, Kaleb had grown accustomed to his new home, the farm owned by the Ellises. Now as Kaleb Ellis, he walked over to his parents while dressed for farm work.

"Ready to work, son?" Joseph asked.

"You know it, Pa!" Kaleb cheerfully responded as he went to help out his father at the farm.

Kaleb did various chores around the farm, such as spreading out the feed for the chickens to eat. All the while his dad took the eggs from the coop.

Next, he helped to brush the coats of one of their goats while being supervised by Jeri.

"There you go, nice and gentle," Jeri told Kaleb. "You're doing great, son."

"Just like you taught me, Ma," Kaleb admitted, making her mother smile.

Even later, Kaleb was helping his dad with fixing up the tractor. Joseph then dropped something underneath the large tractor. He tried to reach for it, but the wrench wasn't in his reach.

"Need some help, dad?" Kaleb asked him.

"Dammit, I think I might need to move the tractor," Joseph said while he strained to reach for the wrench underneath the tractor. The wrench was close but just barely out of reach. Suddenly, he saw the tractor being lifted up. "What the…? Kaleb?!"

Joseph turned to see Kaleb lifting the tractor from the front like it was nothing.

"Did you get the wrench?" Kaleb asked Joseph, who just stared at him in shock.

Years later, Kaleb, having graduated from college, was about to begin his first job for the New York Star. He adjusted his glasses and his red tie while sporting a white button shirt and gray pants and carrying a cup of coffee. He looked up at the tall building and took a deep breath before entering, another figure trying to enter alongside him.

"Make way, coming through!" shouted a young woman who walked past him.

"Gah!" a startled Kaleb cried out, barely managing to save his coffee. "H-Hey! I almost spilled my coffee!"

"Oh, my bad," the woman said as she turned to him. It was Lois, who sported a blue blouse, black pants, white sneakers. "It's just that I got an important story to show to the chief."

"A story? Are you one of the reporters here?" he asked.

"Ace reporter, Lois Lee," she declared while extending her hand. "And you must be…?"

"Kaleb Ellis," Kaleb politely replied while shaking her hand. "I was going up to meet with the editor-in-chief here, Mr. Knight, and talk to him about my internship here."

"Oh, I can show you to him," Lois said while leading him inside.

"Thank you," Kaleb said as he followed Lois.

"No problem," she told him while hyping herself up. "And you know, as one of Knight's best reporters, I can also help you show you the ropes around here…"

In Mr. Knight's office, he sat behind his desk as he saw Lois leading Kaleb into his office. "You're late, Lee. Do you at least have the new ink for the printer?"

"Yes, but more importantly, I got you a scoop of the lifetime, sir!" Lois declared as she showed him some photos, spreading them out on his desk. "See here? These are photos showing that this snack food company has been receiving crates of some unauthorized-"

Unfortunately for Lois, however, Joe Knight was not amused.

"Lee, I just wanted you to get some ink," Knight interrupted her. "But now that you're here, you can also show our new intern around the Star." He turned to Kaleb. "Ellis, right? I recognize you from the headshots you sent."

"Yes, Kaleb Ellis," Kaleb replied as he shook Knight's hand. "It is so nice to meet you, Mr. Knight. I'm ready to begin my internship."

"That's what I want to hear," Knight said before gesturing to Lois. "Your fellow intern here, Ms. Lee, will show you what goes on around here and what you're supposed to do. She can show you how to make coffee, work the printer, scan things, and other tasks."

"But what about my story, sir?" she asked him.

"Show it to Roberta and she'll look into it herself," Knight told her. "Now show Mr. Ellis how to make coffee."

Lois looked disappointed by this, but she saw the stern expression Knight was giving her and she quickly complied. "Yes, sir."

Once they were dismissed, Lois led Kaleb out of the office and down the hall as Kaleb.

"So… you're also an intern here?" Kaleb asked. "Not an actual reporter?"

Lois sighed. "Yeah, that's my deal right now," she said, looking a bit embarrassed. But only for a moment, since her embarrassment was replaced by a confident and slightly cocky smile. "However, I may be an intern now, but soon I'll be on the reporter staff. And not only that, I am going to be one of the best reporters here!"

As she declared this, Kaleb found himself amused by and even in admiration of her confidence and her ambition. It sounded like she really believed it and even though he had only just met her… it was hard for him to not believe it either because of the conviction in her voice.

"Oh hey, James," Lois said as she saw someone else coming up.

"Hey, Lois," James replied. He was holding a camera while sporting a green shirt, a yellow tie, beige pants, and black shoes. "Is this the new intern?"

"James, meet Kaleb," Lois introduced. "Kaleb, meet James Bolton, also an intern."

"For now," James corrected before extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, James," Kaleb greeted while shaking James' hand.

"You too," James replied.

"Stick with us, new guy, and you won't have to worry about interning for long," Lois said as she patted his back. "Tell me, where are you from, Ellis?"

"Um, Tennessee," Kaleb told Lois.

"Well then, Nashville, do you have an interest in ground-breaking journalism?" she asked him.

"Uh, yeah," Kaleb replied.

"Then I am going to do more for you than just show you how to make coffee," Lois promised Kaleb. "I am going to help you show Mr. Knight that we got what it takes to be the best reporters here!"

As she said this, she wrapped her hand around Kaleb's head and brought it closer to her own, making him lightly blush. "Just think about it, Nashville, our names on the front page of the New York Star!" she declared. "Stories by Kaleb Ellis and Lois Lee! Photos by James Bolton!"

"Yeah!" James shouted while holding his camera up behind them.

"What do you say, Nashville?" Lois asked Kaleb.

Kaleb looked up at Lois, finding her energy downright infectious. "I-"

In the present day, Kaleb was woken up by the sound of loud knocking on his bedroom door.

"Kaleb! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Kaleb asked as he sat up in his bed. He let out a yawn while hearing Lois's knocking. "Lois, I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted while crossing his bedroom and opening the door, seeing Lois standing on the other side while already dressed in a fall red jacket with a purple shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers. "I'm awake…"

"Good, cause we got a full day ahead of us, Nashville," Lois told him, already filled with high-energy. "Since we want to know everything we can learn about this town in order to figure out what might have happened to James, we got a long day of research and investigation ahead of us. So I need you to get dressed and get ready."

Kaleb was yawning as he mumbled "What about…"

"Luz? Yeah, maybe we will meet up with her later," Lois said as she began talking very quickly "Though I'll admit that I think she's hiding a lot more about this town than what she showed us yesterday. Which is why I would like us to do our own research without her and dig deep. There are still many questions that need answering. Like, what happened to this town over the summer here? Why is everyone keeping silent? And why is the Headless Horseman here kidnapping folks? We need answers to these questions and more. Whatever it takes to find James."

Kaleb gave her a nod, though he still looked very tired and came nowhere close to matching her energy. "I'll get dressed," he said.

"Excellent!" Lois declared as she gave a determined look. "Our battle of getting to the truth continues!"

"Battle…?" Kaleb asked, slightly confused.

Meanwhile, Luz was in the middle of giving a big speech.

"Alright, when we go in there, I want you all to know what to expect," Luz declared. "I'm going to be truthful and warn you that what we are going to do in there is going to make you question your ethics and your morals. Friends are going to become enemies. If we survive, we'll have to live with the choices we made in there for the rest of our lives! And that's why, before we go in, I must ask you all if you're truly prepared to commit. Because the bottom line is that there are definitely going to be some war crimes committed by the end of the day…"

"War crimes?" Skara asked, looking nervous. Standing with her were Willow, Gus P., Amity, Boscha, Hunter, Clara, Masha, Dana, Rudo, Gus G,. Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, Candy, Grenda, Soos, Star, Vee, Tres, Megan, Ivy, Anne, Sprig, Polly, Wendy, and Victor.

"I… I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this," Hunter said with a gulp as memories of the war games he used to play in the Emperor's Coven came back to him.

"Yeah, I think I would prefer to learn about war crimes in the classroom," Gus P mentioned.

"I'm so ready for war!" Polly declared while drawing war paint on her face.

"Heh, I like this one's energy," Boscha said while pointing to Polly.

"Luz, is giving that kind of speech really necessary? We're just playing Laser Tag," Pacifica pointed out while crossing her arms.

And sure enough, behind Luz was the Big Gunz Laser Tag building, which she and her friends had gathered in front of.

"We're not just 'playing' Laser Tag, Northwest," Luz said as she paced back and forth. "We are pitting ourselves against each other in a glow in a dark war zone! For glory… and for bragging rights, of course."

"Will there be any blood spilled?" Sprig asked while raising his hand up.

"No, there won't be any blood," Amity told him. "We're basically just shooting lights at each other." She turned to her girlfriend. "Luz, even I think you're being a bit overdramatic."

"Nah, she's right, I'm a frequent Laser Tag player who comes here all the time," Soos said while holding up his membership card. "And let me tell you, dudes, this place does things to people. It can get crazy intense. The things I have had to do in there in order to survive…" He had a haunted look on his face. "I'm not proud of them."

"…then why do you keep coming back?" Amity asked him.

"Oh, because it is also really fun, dudes," Soos said with a big smile.

"Wow, this sounds… exciting," Anne said. "I've never actually played Laser Tag before." She turned to the Gatesfield Teens, Star, and the Basilisks "Have you guys ever played?"

"Yeah, a few times. First time was when Luz, Vee, and the twins got us to play," Masha admitted.

"Yeah, and it's a lot of fun," Clara said. "Especially since Gatesfield didn't have a Laser Tag place."

"Not even an arcade, honestly," Gus G sadly noted.

"The more I hear about Gatesfield, the more depressing it sounds…" Mabel mentioned.

"I started playing Laser Tag with my dads and their FCLORP group and eventually I introduced it to Star, Meg, and Ivy," Vee mentioned.

"I have one of the best scores in there," Star boasted.

"Well, this is new for me," Tres said. "Is it really like a war zone in there?"

"Only if you make it out to be," Megan replied with a shrug.

"Honestly, I am excited for all of us to play Laser Tag together," Dipper mentioned. "I think… this is the first time all of us have decided to do something like this together." He looked around at everyone that Luz had gathered. "And I am pretty sure this is the first time you've played Laser Tag as well," he said while pointing to the Hexsquad.

"It is, although I am sure we will get the hang of it pretty quickly," Willow said.

"You better hope you do, because you are going up against some pros," Candy boasted.

"Yeah, Gravity Falls represent!" Grenda shouted while raising his arms.

"Wendy even got Victor to join us," Dipper said while pointing to the teen also known as Steam Punk.

"It was a way to get me out of the lab," Victor said with a shrug. "And it just so happens that Laser Tag's one of my favorite games." He grinned. "One of the times where I get to be a menace…"

"Well, you better not slow me down, Punk," Wendy told Victor while playfully hitting him in the shoulder. "Cause I want to beat Luz this time."

"Tsh, in your dreams, Corduroy," Luz said with a smirk. "Cause I don't plan on losing to you, today."

"Wanna bet?" Wendy challenged with a smirk of her own.

Luz scoffed before she turned to address everyone. "Alright, everyone, let's get on!" Luz declared as she led all of her friends into the building to get them checked in.

And so, the group was soon in the 'loading' area, where they each put on their vests. Luz and Amity along with Vee, Wendy, and Masha helped out their friends as they got into their gear. Sprig and Polly being helped by Anne and Megan with their vests, while Hunter had his on backwards and Luz had to help him turn it around. The same went for Tres and Vee had to help fix him up. Then Rudo had his on backwards, somehow, and Dana had to fix him up.

"Alright! Is everyone prepared?" Luz called out while in gear, her lights on her vest glowing blue. "Now listen up to those who don't know how to play the game! I'm on Blue Team, Wendy's on Red Team. Anyone with blue on their vest is with me, reds are with Wendy."

On the Blue Team was Luz, Amity, Willow, Skara, Boscha, Hunter, Gus Porter, Gus Gordon, Clara, Masha, Dana, Rudo, Anne, and Sprig. On the Red Team was Wendy, Dipper, Mabel, Grenda, Candy, Pacifica, Soos, Vee, Megan, Ivy, Tres, Star, Victor, and Polly.

"The point of the game is simple," Wendy began to explain as she held her laser gun. "We're supposed to be shooting the lights on the vests. If you shoot anything else, it does not count. When the lights are hit enough times, they flash and you lose a 'life.'"

"Metaphorically speaking," Luz clarified. "You have three lives in total before you're out. After you get shot and the lights are flashing, you can't shoot your gun but you also can't get shot, meaning you have a chance to get to safety."

"Alright, sounds simple," Gus P said with a nod.

"Also some additional ground rules," Luz told them. "Just to make this clear, we are not allowed to use magic for this. No spells, no illusions, no shape-shifting, or magic draining, and no using your living shadows to cheat!"

Amity looked down at her shadow. "Sorry, Sam," she said.

Sam just shrugged and began to drift away from the group. "I'll be at the snack bar," she said.

"So is everyone ready?" Wendy asked.

"I'm ready to crush Anne and Sprig. I shall be their doom!" Polly declared while standing next to Wendy and laughing.

"Is she always this… maniacal?" Gus G asked Anne and Sprig.

"Kinda…" Sprig said as she and Anne made a mental note to watch their backs around Polly.

"Alright, dudes," Soos said as he charged up his laser gun. "Let us laser tag like we haven't laser tagged before!"

And thus, both teams were ready. Let the games begin…

The two teams, Red and Blue, spread out throughout the battle zone. Everything was dark, the fog machines making it harder to see while neon lit up the dark maze of walls and structures.

"Alright, let's spread out and cover the high ground," Luz said as they traveled through the neon corridors. "Skarlow, the Guses, and Sprig-Anne will go up high. The rest of you will cover the lower ground! Stay in pairs."

"Got it!" Boscha, Hunter, Clara, Masha, Dana, and Rudo said as they moved to cover the ground while Lumity, Skarlow, the Guses, and Sprig-Anne went up high.

"Beware that is thy Sprig!" Sprig declared as he hopped around, able to get to vantage points that others couldn't. "See anyone, Anne?"

"Nope," Anne replied as she looked around and felt the walls. "Huh, these walls are soft… are these mattresses?"

"Anne, three o'clock!" Sprig called out from his vantage point as Anne turned to face off against Star, both of them holding their laser guns up. Anne shot first, causing Star's vest to light up.

"Almost had me there, Star," Anne said with a smirk.

"Beginner's luck, Anne," Star replied before she ran off.

"Good eye, Sprig," Anne told her younger brother, who hopped down.

"Man, we are gonna dominate this game," Sprig said as he held his fist up. "Spranne against the world?"

"You bet," Anne said while fist-bumping Sprig.

"Alright, keep a cool head, Soos…." Soos said, sweat rolling down his face as he looked around, only to suddenly get shot by lasers from above. "Aaah!"

"Alright, got him!" Gus P declared as he and Gus G were positioned on an elevated platform above Soos.

"One point for Blue Team!" Gus G shouted as he and the other Gus hi-five each other.

However, hidden just out of view, Dipper along with Candy and Grenda saw what had happened to Soos.

"You're right, Mason, it looks like Luz had her team break into pairs," Candy said.

"That is such a Luz move!" Grenda declared.

"Which is why we need to figure out how to counter," Dipper suggested as he began to strategize. "Okay, so blue team split into pairs, so if we stick together in a larger group-"

"Oh Mason…"

Dipper's eyes widened in horror as he, Candy and Grenda slowly looked up to see Luz, Amity, Willow, and Skara hanging up on a bridge above them.

Luz smirked. "You want to know what's your problem, Dips? You're always over-thinking the scenario, which means you don't see what is right in front of you…"

"Run!" Dipper cried out before he, Candy, and Grenda got hit by the lasers, causing them each to lose a life. "AAAH!"

Sprig continued to hop around, leaping on top of walls and structures. He spotted another Red Team member, Ivy. He saw him about to aim at Clara and Masha.

"Death from above!" Sprig declared while shooting his beam at Ivy, causing the vest to blink up. Ivy looked down at his vest, saw that he had been hit… and decided that this was his moment to shine.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-" Ivy cried out as he moved slowly while making an overly long cry of anguish, earning Clara and Masha's attention, the two teens turning to see Ivy's mock death scene. "-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Sprig, who just stood there in confusion, hit Ivy's vest again.

"Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ivy shouted dramatically as he bent back while slowly kneeling down as his vest blinked.

Sprig, still confused, shot lasers at Ivy's vest a third time.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Ivy continued to shout as he laid down dramatically.

"Wow, nice performance," Clara told him. "I mean, you were definitely laying it on a little thick there, Ivy, but I can appreciate the effort."

"Thanks," Ivy said while still on the floor. "I knew I would make for a good distraction."

"Wait, what?" Masha asked.

"Now!"

Polly along with Mabel, Pacifica, Vee, and Megan revealed themselves and surrounded Sprig, Masha, and Clara. The shocked trio were then bombarded by lasers.

"It's an ambush!" Sprig shouted in fear as he tried to dodge the lasers.

"Yaah!" Clara cried out after she got hit. "Oh man…"

"Got us good, Vee," Masha said.

"Actually, it wasn't my idea," Vee pointed out.

"WAAAAAH!" Sprig cried out as he tried to flee while Polly shot lasers at him.

"YAHAHAHAHAHA!" Polly laughed maniacally as she chased after her brother. "You can't hide from me, Sprig!"

"Thanks again for the distraction, Ivy," Megan told her brother.

"Anytime, I do love giving a good performance," Ivy declared after getting back up.

"We got you all good," Pacifica said as she and Mabel high fived each other.

"Yeah! Score one for the Red Team!" Mabel declared.

"Sprig?" Anne asked as she looked around for her brother. "Sprig? Where did you go!"

She had sent Sprig ahead to scout for members of the other team, but was starting to get worried that he hadn't come back… until he suddenly landed in Anne's arms.

"Anne!" Sprig cried out. "We need to run!"

"What?" Anne asked in confusion. "Why?"

Suddenly Sprig got hit by a laser and his vest blinked. "Oh no," he said. "All out of lives…"

He then pretended to go limp in Anne's arms, much to her shock.

"Sprig?" Anne asked. "Sprig, don't leave me!"

She then heard a familiar voice… laughing at her.

"Oh no…" Anne realized. She tried to lift up her laser gun, but her vest got hit and it started to blink. "Crap!" she shouted as she ran away, leaving Sprig behind. "Sorry Sprig!"

"I'm coming for you, Anne!" Polly shouted behind Anne.

Meanwhile, Dana and Rudo hid themselves behind a wall as they covered each other until they heard a voice.

"Dana, Rudo, over here!"

"Boscha?" Dana asked as she and Rudo walked over to the voice.

"We found some Red Team members and could use some back-up, hurry!" Hunter's voice shouted through the smoke as the two teens followed the voice through the corridors of the maze. But as they rounded the corner where the voices of Boscha and Hunter were coming from, instead of seeing two witches… they saw nothing.

"Wait, what?!" Rudo asked before his and Dana's vests started to blink as they were shot by lasers through the smoke. "Gah! We've been hit!"

"It was a setup!" Dana realized as she got hit by a laser as well. "What just happened?!"

Meanwhile, the real Boscha and Hunter had stuck to the elevated platforms, only to suddenly bump into a frantic Anne.

"Boscha! Hunter!" Anne shouted as she rushed over to them. "Thank frog I ran into you two!"

"Anne, where's Sprig?" Boscha asked.

"And why do you look frantic?" Hunter asked her.

"You guys gotta hide! Polly's acting like a maniac!" Anne shouted while looking around, her paranoia obvious. "She already got Sprig! She's taking this game up to the next level!"

"O-okay, calm down," Hunter told her. "If Polly's as bad as you say, then we should remain calm and try not to panic. If I learned anything from my days as a scout, it is to try not to draw attention-" His vest suddenly blinked, making him panic. "SHE'S HERE! OH TITAN, SHE'S HERE!"

"YAAAH!" Boscha and Anne shouted as they dove for cover before the lasers hit them.

"YAHAHA! None of you are safe!" Polly declared menacingly as she revealed herself and singled out her sister. "There you are, Anne!" she hopped up while Anne held up her laser gun.

Anne looked nervous as Polly hopped around, making it difficult for her to get a good shot. "Come on, Polly, you're too fast!"

"I know," Polly said as she hopped behind her and shot Anne in the back. "Now you're out!"

"Aw crap…" Anne muttered.

"Hey!" Boscha shouted as she fired her laser gun at Polly, who dodged her lasers. "Nobody lasers my teammates!"

"Oh, a worthy opponent," Polly said with a smile as she charged up her laser gun. "Great!"

As the game continued, Lumity and Skarlow stuck together as they searched for the Red Team. Skara then stopped and motioned for her teammates to stop as well.

"I hear something," she warned them.

Amity poked out from their cover and saw Star and Vee walking together.

"Looks like it's just those two," Amity noted.

"Alright team, let's hit em," Luz said as she prepared to take aim, only for Willow to notice a red dot on Luz's face moving down to her vest…

"Luz! Duck!" Willow told her as the four ducked down, avoiding the laser beams that flew over them.

"It's a trap!" Skara cried out.

"You think your team could pull one on us, Luz?" Wendy asked while coming out from her hiding spot along with Mabel, Pacifica, and Megan, Star and Vee also joined them.

"Fire!" Mabel declared as she and the Red Team shot at Luz's group. "You will be avenged, Dipper, Candy, and Grenda!"

"Fall back!" Luz ordered as the four sought cover behind some of the nearby walls. From their cover, Luz and Willow shot back at the opposing team, Luz managing to score a hit on Megan.

"I'm hit!" Megan cried out.

"You're not getting off that easy!" Pacifica shouted, only to see her vest blinking. "What?! I lost a life?!"

"Oh no, now we're being ambushed!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Split off!" Wendy ordered as they split off, dodging the blue lasers being shot at them while Vee shot back, providing cover fire for their team.

Luz looked at them flee and then nodded at her team. "Alright, let's hunt them down."

"Thank goodness for our snipers," Amity responded, giving a thumbs up to the nearby tower.

"Did you get them?" Gus G asked his fellow Gus, both of them positioned on the tower.

"Yeah, I got Pacifica," Gus P confirmed. "And it looks like the rest scattered. I don't know where they went."

"So we better keep our guard up then," Gus G said.

Willow and Skara were hunting down Mabel, who was running away from them.

"You may run, but you can't hide from us, Mabel!" Skara declared before being stopped by Willow.

"Wait!" Willow shouted as she pointed to another laser fight going on. Boscha and Polly ran past them, Polly chasing Boscha while the triclops witch shot back at her.

"YAAH! You'll never take me alive!" Boscha shouted while avoiding Polly's shots.

"Fine by me!" Polly declared as she pursued her rival.

Skarlow avoided getting caught in the crossfire, instead just watching Boscha and Polly chase after one another in amusement.

"It looks like Boscha's got herself occupied," Skara said.

"Yeah, though where's Hunter?" Willow asked before noticing that Mabel was gone, causing her to sigh. "And we lost Mabel…"

"Boscha? Are you around?" asked Hunter's voice, which sounded nearby.

Hearing the voice, Willow and Skara decided to follow it through the smoke.

"It's us, Hunter!" Willow shouted.

"Yeah, over here!" Skara added before suddenly getting hit by a red beam on her vest. "Aw, what?!"

"Skara!" Willow shouted before getting hit as well. "Oh no! Hunter, run!"

But the voice Willow and Skara heard wasn't Hunter… but was instead coming from a golden speaker on the wall and next to it was Victor holding up an old-fashioned microphone.

"Hehehe, they haven't got a clue," Victor said with a grin.

"Victor?" a voice asked.

The young villainous genius' eyes widened and he spun around, holding up his laser gun. However, when he saw that it was only Tres, he lowered his gun. "Oh, it's you," he said. "I… didn't hear you coming up behind me."

"Yeah, I am very good at going unnoticed," Tres said with a smile. "Victor, right? I don't think we have been properly introduced."

"Victor is the name I was born with," Victor said. "But my stage name is Steam Punk."

"Huh," Tres said, seemingly amused by Victor wanting to go by a different name. "Well, Steam Punk, my name is Tres."

"I… haven't seen you at all since the game started," Victor pointed out. "Why aren't you with your siblings?"

"They're more familiar with the game than I am," Tres explained. "This is my first time playing, so I prefer to wait in the shadows, observe, and wait for my moment." He glanced at the speaker and the microphone, looking curious. "What kind of device are you using?"

"Oh, this? Something I worked up some time before, my Steam Speakers," Victor explained. "With this, I can impersonate everyone's voices and lure them into traps."

"Isn't that… cheating?" Tres asked him.

"Luz didn't say that I couldn't use my gadgets," Victor pointed out with a grin, before realizing something. "You wanna call me out on this?"

"… Nah," Tres said with a shrug. "I don't mind. In fact, I think it's quite impressive."

"Really?" Victor asked him in surprise. "Well… thanks for the compliment,"

"Don't mention it. Besides, I can admire a bit of underhandedness," Tres admitted with a smile.

The game had gone on for a while and there were fewer players now than there had been at the start.

Luz and Amity were sticking together when they saw Vee and Star, who shot at them. Lumity dodged their blasts and shot back, the two couples firing at each other. Vee got hit and Star almost got a shot on Luz, but then Amity stepped in her way, taking the hit. This gave Luz a chance to shoot at Star, causing her vest to light up. The two couples quickly ducked away as they waited for their laser guns to charge back up.

"How many lives have we got?" Luz asked. "I got two lives left."

"One for me," Amity responded as they finished charging up.

"Let's get them, Star!" Vee declared as she and Star advanced on Luz and Amity, who came out from behind their cover as well. Amity aimed for Vee, since she was down to one last life as well. However, Vee was aiming for her as well and their lasers hit one another at the same time, thus ending their time in the game.

"We're out," Vee realized as she saw their vests blinking.

"You got this, Luz!" Amity cheered for her girlfriend.

Now it was just Luz and Star shooting at one another. They ran throughout the maze of neon and smoke, dodging beams while protecting their vests. They kept on blasting until Luz managed to hit Star enough, getting her out.

"Looks like you're out of the game," Luz said as she charged her gun up. "Now where's Wendy…"

It was then that Luz's vest blinked, much to her shock.

"Right here," Wendy responded while appearing behind her. "Looks like you're down to one…"

Luz turned to face Wendy and gave a smirk, seeing the number on her vest. "And you still have three? Well you better be prepared to lose them…"

Meanwhile, Mabel ran through the corridors, breathing heavily. Dipper was out. Candy and Grenda were out. Pacifica and Soos were both out. It was now just her. She stopped to rest and to try to come up with a plan. She looked around, seeing nobody around.

"Huh, guess I'm safe," Mabel said before her vest blinked as she got shot by two blue beams. "Aw, come on!" she complained, realizing that she was now out of the game.

"Got Mabel down," Gus G said as he turned to Gus P, both of them still on the tower. "Seen any others left?"

"Not sure, hard to see through this fog," Gus P said. "I do wonder who else is left…"

"Haven't seen Dana, Rudo, Clara, or Masha in a while, so I assume they're out," Gus G said. "Anne and Sprig were some of the first ones out and I think I saw Hunter get out as well."

"So that potentially leaves Luz, Amity, Boscha, Willow, Skara, and us?" Gus P asked.

"Gus! Over here!" someone shouted.

"Willow?" Gus P asked as he turned, trying to look through the fog.

"Luz wants us to regroup!" Willow shouted.

"Yeah, that's probably a good call," Gus G said. "I'm not sure how much longer we could have held the tower anyway…"

But unknown to the Guses, nearby Victor and Tres were hiding behind a wall, Victor speaking through his microphone "'Yeah, come on over, me and Skara are-" It was then that his voice changed to his normal voice. "Down here," he said, much to his confusion. "Huh?"

"What happened?" Tres asked in a whisper.

"I don't know," Victor said as he looked at the microphone. "Do you think-?"

"That we'd catch you?"

The two turned too late, getting blasted by blue lasers to their chests before they could react. The Guses had been the ones to make the shots.

"Does that belong to you?" Gus G asked, pointing to the speaker.

"Uh… his invention!" Tres shouted while pointing to Victor.

"Sellout," Victor muttered.

"I can't believe that you'd cheat, Victor!" Gus P told him.

"Uh yeah, but to be fair, Luz didn't say I couldn't use my gadgets," Victor said. "But it doesn't matter, I still have two lives left, and I can still take you both down in this game…"

He was suddenly interrupted by blue and red lasers coming out of nowhere, hitting both teams.

"YAAAAH!" Polly shouted as she shot at Boscha while hopping around, while Boscha rolled across the ground and shot back, lasers flying everywhere.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Boscha shouted while shooting back at Polly, their other team members being caught in the crossfire.

"Gah! I'm out!" Tres cried out.

"Run Gus!" Gus G shouted as he was out after a few shots, Gus P running off through the fog.

"Crap," Victor said as he moved back, seeing that he was down to one life after getting caught in the crossfire. However, he still decided to pursue his opponent, Gus Porter. "Like I'm going down easily…"

Victor then noticed the fog behind Gus moving, almost like… something invisible was following him. 'What the hell?' he thought.

Elsewhere in the fighting arena, Luz and Wendy were locked in battle, both of them shooting at one another. Luz narrowly avoided the red lasers while shooting blue lasers at Wendy. So far, she had managed to get Wendy to lose a life.

"You're going down, Corduroy!" Luz declared.

"Says the one who's down to one life!" Wendy countered as she shot back.

"One is all I need!" Luz claimed while taking a few shots. She then spotted Gus running up, appearing behind Wendy. "Gus! Get her!"

Gus spotted Wendy and took the shot. Wendy saw her vest flash and she turned to Gus. "Hey, this was between me and Luz!"

"I got this from here, Wendy!" Victor shouted as he appeared, startling Gus. "You're not getting off that easily, Porter!"

"Says the cheater!" Gus P accused before his vest got hit. He quickly ran over to join Luz, who was shooting at Wendy from behind some cover.

"What did Gus mean by that, Vic?" Wendy asked while continuing to shoot at Luz from behind her own cover.

"It's nothing," Victor replied as he joined Wendy. "As if I can do magic."

"Looks like we're all down to one life!" Gus realized.

"Then we'll make it count!" Luz declared as she and Gus shared a nod. Wendy and Victor also shared a nod as the two duos prepared to meet each other in a final push…

…if not for the surprise crossfire!

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, BOSCHA!" Polly declared as she and Boscha ran through, shooting at each other and at the other players.

"What the heck?!" Wendy exclaimed, seeing her vest blink after getting hit. "I'm out already?!"

"Gah!" Luz exclaimed, seeing that she's out.

The blue and red lasers also hit Victor and Gus. This left Boscha and Polly as the only ones left as they ran off, leaving Luz, Gus, Wendy, and Victor behind.

"GAAA/YAAAH!" Boscha and Polly shouted as they kept shooting at each other.

"…why don't we just head out and wait until they're done?" Luz suggested.

No one opposed this as they all agreed to leave Boscha and Polly at their own little war…

Outside the gaming area, the rest of the Red and Blue teams were meeting up at the snack bar for some refreshments. Vee noticed Luz, Gus, Wendy, and Victor coming over to them. "Hey, so who won?" she asked.

"Still in progress," Luz said.

"Yeah, we all got in the crossfire between Polly and Boscha," Gus P explained.

"So for now, we just have to wait to see which of them comes out on top as the winner," Wendy said before turning to Victor. "As for you Vic… about what Gus said about you cheating…"

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that as well," Luz replied as everyone turned to look at Victor.

"Uh… okay, so I may have… sorta used one of my gadgets to trick some of you guys," Victor awkwardly admitted.

"You did what?!" Wendy asked before punching Victor in the arm. "Not cool, man."

"Ow!" Victor said with a wince while rubbing his arm.

"Wait, how did he cheat?" Sprig asked before Gus G pulled up the speaker.

"With this voice changing thing," Gus G said while holding up the speaker. "You used that to impersonate Willow."

"Wait, you were the one who impersonated Clara!" Dana realized.

"So that's how you got us?" Skara asked as they all narrowed their eyes at Victor.

"Oh come on, why do you guys look surprised that I'd cheat?" Victor asked with a shrug. "Besides, it's not like I used magic or shape-shifting."

"Still dude, cheating is cheating," Anne told him.

"Yeah, like I get that you have this supervillain persona, but that's still not cool," Wendy told him, looking disappointed. "Especially since I brought you here to have fun with my friends."

Victor looked surprised and even… wounded by Wendy's reaction. But he quickly pivoted.

"Yeah, well… he cheated too!" Victor shouted as he pointed to Gus P accusingly.

"What?! No I didn't!" Gus P told him.

"I saw something that was following you through the fog," Victor said. "Either you had one of your Palismen with you or someone else was there. I think you used an invisibility spell or something…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, since I never used my magic," Gus P countered. "And besides, all of our Palismen were left back home."

"Yeah, I was with him almost the whole time and he didn't draw a spell circle once," Gus G said, backing up Gus.

"Oh come on! Tres, you could have seen it, right?" Victor asked while turning to Tres.

"Honestly, I didn't see or smell anything," Tres admitted. "I don't even sense him using magic."

"Real messed up accusing G-Men of cheating, cheater," Luz told Victor with a glare.

"But there has to be-"

"Enough, Victor!" Wendy shouted, crossing her arms while facing Victor, looking upset. "Look, you don't have any right to accuse someone of cheating after being caught red-handed. It just makes you look like a poor sport! What the hell, man?!"

Victor fell silent after Wendy told him off. He had never seen Wendy this mad before, although he still knew that he saw something back there…

But the tension dispersed when they saw the door to the game area opening. Coming out of the laser room was the winner of the game…

"That… was… not an easy victory," Boscha said as she came out with Polly under her arm, her rival giving a pout.

'BLUE TEAM WINS!'

"Whoa, Boscha you won?!" Luz asked in shock.

"Yeah," Boscha said while breathing heavily. "Polly was a formidable opponent…"

"Hmph, I let my guard down," Polly pouted.

"Woo-hoo! Boscha has defeated the menace!" Sprig cheered.

"Wow, and this is just your first time playing laser tag," Amity noted.

"Yeah, that's quite impressive," Willow commented.

"With Polly, it was as if I was in an actual war zone," Boscha said while giving a thousand yard stare. "The lights, the beams, the smoke, the screams… who knows what war crimes I committed in there."

"What war crimes? You and Polly were just in there shooting lasers at random," Luz pointed out.

"Well… we should definitely bring the rest of our friends here," Boscha said while setting Polly down. "I'm sure Cat would love this…"

"Yeah, the others would definitely enjoy this," Hunter replied. "Do you think we can bring the whole gang here on our next visit, Luz?"

"Hmm, I don't see why not," Luz replied with a shrug. "Maybe we could introduce Laser Tag to the Boiling Isles someday."

"Yeah, it sounds like something Ed would like," Amity suggested.

"I will admit, it was fun playing with such a large group," Masha said while looking around at everyone. "I'm glad we did this."

"Yeah, especially before some of you return to the Boiling Isles," Clara pointed out. "Playing laser tag was a great way to start our Saturday."

"Yeah, and nothing bizarre or weird happened during this game, which is a plus," Dipper responded. "When we brought Soos here for his birthday, me and Mabel ended up going to the future and fighting in a gladiatorial arena."

"And I still have the slice of infinite pizza to prove it," Soos said while pulling out a slice of pizza and taking a pizza. "Mmm, still warm."

A few members of the group were looking at Mabel, Dipper, and Soos oddly, since they still had no context for some of the crazy adventures they had gone on over the summer.

"You know… we could play Laser Tag again," Megan suggested. "The day is still young."

"Hmm, I do think I could do better with my death scene," Ivy mused.

"I'm already strategizing for next time," Candy said.

"I'm all for a rematch," Mabel added.

"Yeah, rematch!" Grenada shouted, fists raised.

"What about you guys? Blue team ready for round two?" Pacifica asked.

"I'm down for it if everyone else is," Rudo replied with a nod.

"I want another chance to beat Boscha!" Polly declared while everyone else began to voice their approval at going again.

"Actually, I'm going to have to take a boiling rain check," Amity said with her hand up. "I need to go back home to check on Phil."

"Yeah, and I'll go with you as well," Luz replied before she looked at the others. "You guys can play more without us if you want."

"Well, we won't keep you two from Phil," Willow told them.

"Yeah, we'll see you two later," Anne added as others voiced similar sentiments.

"Okay, we'll see you all sometime later," Amity said with a wave as she began to leave.

"Yeah, bye, guys," Luz said, waving to them as she and Amity walked out together.

"Bye Luz/Amity/See you later!" they all shouted after as they saw Luz and Amity walk out of Big Gunz.

Meanwhile, some distance away from everyone else, two voices were whispering to each other. The voices belonged to two invisible entities who appeared to be having an argument.

"You shouldn't have done that," spoke a male voice.

"But I hate cheaters," a female voice said with a huff. "I had to break his machine."

"Maybe, but it's not like he was in any actual danger this time," the male voice pointed out. "You were out of line… again."

"I don't care," the female voice told the other voice. "I still had to do something…"

Meanwhile, Lois and Kaleb had made it to the Gravity Falls Library. Entering inside, they saw the interior of the library, which was filled with rows and rows of bookshelves. There were several townsfolk in the library, including several children who were either reading and sitting or running about.

"Alright, this should be a good start," Lois said as they walked around. "Apparently the Gravity Falls History Museum was destroyed during the summer, which means this library is our best source of information to learn about this town's history. Hopefully this library has an archive."

"Yeah, maybe we can find some newspaper articles, old history books, records about some of the town's notable figures and laws," Kaleb listed off while avoiding some kids running by him.

"The more we know about this town, the more we'll have to help us find James and get to the bottom of this town," Lois said with determination as they walked towards a librarian who was stacking some books. "Excuse me, are you the librarian here?"

"One of them, yes," replied the elderly woman with glasses and frizzled hair. From her appearance, she resembled a hippy, with a peace sign necklace, a green flowery kaftan dress, and black shoes. "I'm Ms. Print, and I don't think I've ever seen you around here before…"

"Oh, well… we're… new in town," Kaleb explained. "And we're here to look in your archives."

"Oh? What for?" Ms. Print asked.

"Um… we're…" Kaleb tried to think of a lie, but Lois quickly helped out.

"We are helping to rebuild the Gravity Falls Museum," Lois explained. "So we need to do some research for the exhibits."

"Oh, I see," Ms. Print said, giving a nod. "I will admit, I was upset when I heard that an earthquake destroyed the museum. Are they really rebuilding it?"

"Y-Yeah, and you can help us by showing us where the archives are," Kaleb said while going along with Lois's cover story.

"Hmm, nobody has come here to look at our archives for a long while," Ms. Print explained as she led the way. "But the archives should be right over there…"

She pointed to where the archive section was… at the farthest part of the library. There was very little lighting and no windows to provide any natural light, so the section remained very dark. It was dusty as well, with books that looked like they hadn't been touched in decades. Besides the books, there were older-looking file cabinets, a roach crawling out of one of them, and some absolutely ancient-looking computers on a desk…

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Kaleb commented. "It doesn't look like anyone has been back here in years."

"Yes. Well, good luck on your research," Ms. Print told them while walking away.

After the librarian left, Lois turned to Kaleb. "We got our work cut out for us, so let's get to researching," she told him.

Kaleb nodded in agreement. "Let's see what they got here," he said as the two went into the archive section, venturing where few had dared to go…

Meanwhile, at the Noceda household, Luz and Amity had just returned home.

"Ya regresamos!" Luz announced as Camila and Phil looked up to see them. They were both in the living room, Camila sitting on the couch while Phil was on the floor playing with Atticus and Ghost.

"Luz, Amity, welcome back," Camila greeted them as she stood up.

"Mom!" Phil shouted as he rushed towards them, Amity bending down to pick him up.

"Hi, Phil, hope you have fun with your Abuela," Amity said as she hugged him.

"We did!" Phil replied excitingly.

"That's our little hermano," Luz said as she rustled his hair, making Phil laugh.

"So how was laser tag with your friends?" Camila asked them.

"It was great, mom," Luz replied. "It was intense, but we had fun."

"It was mostly intense because of how Polly and Boscha played it," Amity mentioned. "Now I feel bad for leaving the others with them…"

"Eh, they'll be fine," Luz replied with a shrug.

"So what do you girls plan for the rest of the day?" Camila asked them. "I ask cause I'm about to head out to spend some time with Gail and Nora. I can't stay with Phil all day."

"Well… I think we could spend some time with Phil together since the day is still young," Luz admitted while Atticus flew up and landed on her arm. She smiled and petted him on the head. "Anywhere you'd like to go with Phil, Ams?"

"Well… I have been interested in checking out the Gravity Falls public library," Amity admitted. "I want to see if it is anything like the Bonesborough Library. And we could bring Phil there with us to see if there's a kids section."

"Then the public library it is," Luz replied with a smile.

"Wait," Amity said while turning to Luz. "You're not banned from the library for whatever reason, are you?"

"Hmm… nah, I shouldn't be," Luz replied before turning to Atticus. "Am I, though?"

Atticus shook his head, confirming that Luz wasn't.

"Yeah, the library's good," Luz said while Amity and Camila just looked at one another.

Back at Big Gunz Laser Tag, the Gatesfield teens were in the middle of another game, this time playing against a group of Gravity Falls teens. Since it was the weekend and later in the day, Big Gunz has been getting busier, meaning Luz's friends couldn't all play at the same time and instead had to share with families, teens, and other groups.

At the moment, the Gatesfield teens were locked in laser combat with Wendy and her friends, Robbie and Tambry managing to score some hits on Dana and Rudo.

"Oh man, we're hit!" Rudo said.

"Haha, Laser Robbie!" Robbie declared before he got hit by a laser. "Gah!"

"Beware of Laser Masha!" Masha declared as they, Clara, and Gus G had managed to flank their opponents and catch them by surprise, firing their blue lasers at them.

"Scatter!" Tambry shouted as she, Robbie, Thompson, Lee and Nate scattered while Wendy kept up her guard while shooting back.

"I say we regroup at the tower and get ready for another push," Clara suggested.

"Alright, let's go!" Gus G said as the group moved out, although he was quickly on her own, losing the others in the fog machines. He carefully navigated the maze that was the laser tag arena, making his way toward the tower.

As he traveled alone, Gus G looked around and kept his laser gun up, not wanting to be caught off guard by another player. However, unknown to him, someone was sneaking up behind him. Gus didn't notice because of a combination of the lighting, the fog machines, and the soft footsteps of his stalker… until his vest started to beep.

"What the-?!" Gus G asked when he saw his vest blinking, getting him out. He turned around and saw who had shot him, much to his surprise. "You…"

"Hello there," said Charlotte, who just smiled towards Gus G. "Looks like I won this round, eh? Man, you should've seen the look on your face when I snuck up on you like that."

"Uh… yeah," Gus G said with a nod. "I never even heard you. You were as silent as a cat..."

"Like back on Halloween?" Charlotte teased, making him blush slightly.

After the game, the Gatesfield teens left the arena and found Willow, Skara, Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica in the lobby either mingling, having refreshments, or waiting for their turn.

"Hey, how's your round?" Willow asked upon seeing the return of the Gatesfield kids.

"I think I did better than last time," Clara replied before she looked at the scoreboard and frowned. "Although, Boscha is still an unstoppable force in there…"

Sure enough, Boscha was at the top of the scoreboard, beating out everyone else.

"Yeah, like this is her first time even playing and she's wiped out every team that she has gone up against," Dana complained. "She remains undefeated…"

While they were chatting, Gus G stayed silent, since he was too busy looking over at Charlotte, who had left the laser tag arena and was taking off her gear. He remembered her from the Halloween party a few days ago, but was surprised to see her here as well. He wondered if-

"Yo, Earth to Flash Gordon," Masha said, tapping Gus's arm and getting his attention.

"Wha-what?" Gus G asked as he looked around and saw all of his friends staring at him. "Is there something on my face…?"

"You had been spacing out for a long while, man," Dipper told him.

"Yeah, it looked like you were staring at that girl over there," Skara pointed out. "Which is kinda creepy…"

"Oh, um… yeah, you saw that?" Gus G asked, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, she's the one who got me out… and I've actually met her before."

"You have?" Mabel asked, her shipping senses tingling. "Oh do tell…"

"I mean, we only met once, during that Halloween party over at Sprott's farm," Gus G admitted. "After I had started playing, she came up to me and we talked, she told me that she liked my music and we talked a lot about different music and bands. She… was dressed as a cat."

"What's her name?" Clara asked him.

Gus buried his face in his hands. "…I somehow forgot to ask her name," he said in embarrassment. "We talked for a bit and then we went our separate ways and I didn't even think I would see her again since I hadn't seen her at school or around town before then. I… I thought she was a tourist…"

His friends quickly sensed that this Gus might like this girl, so they decided to give him some encouragement.

"Well, if you don't know her name, why don't you go up and ask her then?" Clara suggested. "I mean, it couldn't hurt."

"You think I should? It might be weird…" Gus G said.

"Please, it's not like you're asking her to marry you," Pacifica told him. "Like, just go out and ask for her name."

"Yeah, what Paz said," Mabel said. "Also, asking her name would be a good way to start a conversation. You can keep her talking and… see what happens."

Gus G thought about their words, looked over at Charlotte again, and gave a nod. "Yeah, I will," he said as he began to walk over to them.

"…do you think he's going to strike out?" Masha whispered while leaning over to Clara, causing Clara to lightly elbow Masha.

"He's going to do fine," Clara insisted.

As Charlotte finished turning in her laser tag gear, she noticed Gus G walking up to her and she smiled. "Oh hey, you again."

"Uh yeah, um," Gus G said as he cleared his throat. "Um, when we were talking to each other during the Halloween party, I didn't get your name. I guess we were just so busy talking about our favorite music artists and such that I forgot to ask…"

Gus was attempting to hide just how nervous he was, but he was clearly failing at it. Not that it bothered Charlotte, who didn't seem to mind.

"Well, then I guess we're overdue for a proper introduction, huh? I'm Charlotte," she said, raising her hand up.

"A-Augustus!" Gus G replied, shaking her hand. "I'm… Augustus. But my friends call me Gus."

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "You told me back at the party." She gave a small laugh. "You may have forgotten to ask me my name, but I also forgot to tell you even though you told me your name, so I guess we were both just forgetful that night."

"Huh, oh yeah," Gus said, laughing a little as well. "So, um, you're new here, right? Cause I haven't seen you at school or around town."

"Are you sure about that?" Charlotte asked with a sly smile. "Maybe I have been around this whole time and you just never noticed me."

"I think I would remember seeing you before," Gus said before he realized what he said, causing his cheeks to heat up. "What I mean to say is-"

"It is a bit weird that our paths happened to cross again," Charlotte interrupted him. "Maybe you're stalking me… or I've been here the whole time and I've been stalking you."

Gus stared at Charlotte for a moment. "You're… messing with me, aren't you?"

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, I am," she admitted. "But yeah, I did recently move here. I've been living with my uncle Sprott."

"Oh, you're Sprott's niece?" Gus G asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I help out at his petting zoo," she said with a shrug. "You know… I was about to leave and head to the music store,"

"Oh… you didn't want to stick around?" Gus G asked her.

"Well, I just came here to check the place out, since I hear it's one of the most popular spots in this town, especially for teens," she admitted. "But since I am about to go… do you wanna come with me?"

Gus G blinked in surprise. "You mean… go with you… to the music store?"

"Yeah," Charlotte replied. "Thought you'd like to come with me to check out the albums. We can talk more about music, like we did during Halloween."

Gus smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to come," he quickly answered.

After he finished turning in his gear, Gus G and Charlotte walked out of the building, Gus's friends watching them go.

"Huh, you were right," Masha said to Clara. "He did do fine. Good for him."

"Yeah," Clara agreed with a smile. "Good for him."

Meanwhile, Camila was with Nora and Abigail, the three moms walking down the sidewalk together while doing some window shopping… and occasionally some actual shopping. The three women entered a thrift store, Shop Thrifty, together and looked around.

"Oh look at this," Camila said as she showed Nora and Abigail some clothes. "They have all kinds of world cup baseball shirts here. Perhaps I should find one in Luz's size; I wonder if they have a Dominican shirt…"

"Hmm, there are some good deals here," Abigail commented before spotting a unicorn ornament. Her eyes widened and she immediately went over to it. "Oh, this one's coming home with me."

After they finished checking out Thrifty's, the three continued their window shopping. Most of the time they just looked through the windows at the store, but occasionally they went inside to look around. One such occasion was when they saw 'Candle Barrel', a candle fragrance store. They went inside and began smelling the various candles and perfumes that they had on display there. Of course, Abigail couldn't handle the smell of the perfume.

"Jesus, this one's too strong," Abigail said as she set it down.

"I never thought that a perfume store can meld with a candle store," Camila commented before she turned to an employee. "Could you recommend anything? Like something not strong…"

"Oh, you should try out this brand of candles," the employee said while holding up a candle jar. "This one smells just like my late grandma; apple cider, cinnamon, and bourbon… she was a drinker."

After they finished in that store, they continued their walk down the sidewalk, chatting with each other as they strolled.

"So how have Gus and Clara been doing at school lately?" Camila asked her friends.

"Oh, Clara's been doing great," Abigail told her. "Honestly, I did worry about how she was going to adapt to a new school, but thankfully she's managed quite well. It probably helps that she is going with people that she knows. But she is also getting herself involved in the local theater scene. She is even hitting it off with Ivy, one of those basilisk kids."

"And my Gus is doing just as well at school," Nora mentioned. "Especially compared to Gatesfield. He just seems… a lot more lively now. Happier."

"Luz told me that he has been hanging out a lot with Gus Porter and Gus Corduroy at school," Camila mentioned.

"Yes, he has," Nora admitted. "Although speaking of school…" She looked up at Camila. "Have you thought about enrolling Luz in school here as well?"

"Oh, well…" Camila said as she looked down. "I have thought about it, yes. And I think that I would like Luz to get some schooling here on Earth at some point. But I think… that it would ultimately have to be Luz's decision. I know that Luz's education has been… unorthodox, but she is still a very smart and clever girl. And having her attend a school here would be a big change for her."

"Have you talked to Luz about it?" Abigail asked.

"A little bit, but we still haven't come to any decision about it," Camila replied. "Hexside doesn't start back until around January, so we have plenty of time to think about Luz's future… and if she is going back to the Boiling Isles or not."

Abigail looked at Camila and could tell that there was more that Camila was not willing to say. That her uncertainty about Luz's future was bothering her. But she decided to change the subject.

"So Nora," Gail spoke up. "How are you and Poolcheck doing?"

"Oh, um, we are doing good," Nora replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… how could we put this," Abigail said before Camila cut in.

"It's just that, well… Poolcheck can be a little… intense," Camila said.

"Yeah, especially around kids," Abigail added.

"I don't know about that, since Ian is very cool around Vee," Nora said dismissively. "Besides, he just takes his job very seriously, which is something I can very much admire. He cares a lot about what he does, which includes keeping children safe at his pool."

"Nora, he literally imprisoned a child inside the drainage section of the pool," Abigail pointed out, her tone blunt.

"Okay… maybe he takes pool safety a… little religiously," Nora admitted. "But I do think I could talk to him about it on our date."

"You are seeing him tonight?" Camila asked.

"Yeah, we are going out for dinner tonight," Nora confirmed. "It is going to be our first real date, now that we finally have the time. And I will ask him about the kid. I mean, there's no way he could have kept that kid in that pool drain since the summer… right?"

Camila and Gail just looked at each other before looking at Nora.

"Well, we'll just wish you good luck on your date, Nora," Camila told her.

"Yeah, and please be careful," Abigail advised.

"Girls, I'll be fine," Nora reassured them. "Besides, if I can manage to punch out some spoiled rich jerk, I can handle Ian." She then saw something that caught her eye. "Ooh, I didn't know that Gravity Falls had an antique store."

Camila and Abigail stopped and looked at the antique store Nora was referring to. It was a brown building with some old chairs outside. Through the window, they could see some old lamps, furniture, and clocks inside. The sign above the store was white and it read 'Field & Burrows Antiques'.

"Ooh, maybe we should check it out," Camila suggested. "Perhaps there's something in there to spice up our home décor."

"That would be nice," Abigail agreed as the three women entered the store.

Once they were inside, they looked around and saw all kinds of antiques on display from couches, chairs, and lamps to clocks, tables, statues, tea sets, dolls, and knick-knacks of all kinds. It was almost like walking into a museum. The sounds of clocks ticking in the background could be heard.

"Wow, this place is nice," Camila commented while looking around. "A lot of old stuff…"

"Yeah, this looks like it is from the twenties," Nora commented while picking up and looking at an ornament.

"Oh, it is older than that," said a voice.

Startled, Nora turned around to see an elderly man in front of her. "Christ!" she shouted, almost dropping the ornament, but the old man caught it with lightning-quick resources.

"Careful now, you don't want to have to pay for this, do you?" he told her as he chuckled. He was an elderly, Caucasian man with a white beard and a balding head, along with blue eyes and a narrow nose. He wore a blue suit and pants with a red tie, a white button shirt underneath, and black shoes. "Cause this is worth a lot…"

"Oh, sorry," Nora replied.

"No, I should be the one to apologize, I did startle you," he responded politely. "I didn't hear you three come in," he said as he looked at the three women with a curious expression. "In fact, I think this is the first time I've seen you ladies in here at all."

"Well, we haven't lived here in Gravity Falls all that long, we only moved here a few months ago," Camila told him.

"I assume you are either Field or Burrow?" Abigail assumed.

"You assume correctly," the old man replied with a warm smile before he cleared his throat. "My name is Milo Hatfield. Welcome to my humble store. Now who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

"Well, I'm Nora Gordon, and these are Abigail Gates and Camila Noceda," Nora introduced herself and her friends.

"Gordon, Gates, and Noceda," Hatfield repeated to himself while looking at the women, like he was trying to memorize their names and faces.

"We were window shopping and we came across your store," Camila admitted. "I didn't know this town had an antique store up until now."

"That's the good thing about Gravity Falls," Hatfield said with a chuckle. "It is a town filled with hidden wonders like my shop. It may be a small town, but you can live here for years without seeing everything that it has to offer." He smiled. "Though I imagine that you three know exactly what I am talking about. Were you here at the end of August, perhaps?"

The three women exchanged looks.

"We… might have been," Camila admitted.

"Hmm, I thought so," Hatfield said. "Of course, we must be careful with our words now. There is a law against discussing certain things. Though that is nothing new. I remember a time when I had to keep my head low and my mouth shut about the things I had seen if I wanted to keep my memories." He tapped his forehead as he said this. "Back then it was the Blind Eye Society keeping people from saying too much. Now it is the government." He shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if they started erasing people's memories too."

The three women looked a bit uncomfortable about this discussion.

"But besides that, how have you been enjoying Gravity Falls?" Hatfield asked them.

"Very much," Camila told him.

"Yes, this is a very nice town," Nora agreed.

"So, um, how long have you had this antique business here?" Abigail asked.

"Oh, I've been here for many years. I consider it my retirement. Me and my partner, Mr. Burrow, opened this shop together," Hatfield explained with a bit of pride.

"And who is Mr. Burrow?" Abigail asked. "Is he around here?"

"Well, not at the moment," he admitted. "I have been running this shop in Mr. Burrow's absence. While I am retired, he is a very busy man. Always traveling. Right now he is pursuing other business interests, but I'm his man in Gravity Falls. His spokesperson."

"It doesn't sound like he is here very often," Nora replied.

"Unfortunately not, but he does trust me to manage things well enough on my own," Hatfield said. "But fortunately for you, I do know that he'll be returning to Gravity Falls soon to close in on a real estate opportunity that he's interested in. Mr. Burrow doesn't actually have a residence in town, but I have informed him about a property that would meet his standards and he has decided to come here in person for it, so you three may have a chance to meet him soon. Oh, I am sure you will like Mr. Burrow. And I think he would be charmed to meet you as well."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Camila said with a nod. "And if he's anything like you, I am sure I will like him."

Hatfield smiled at this. "You are too kind. Now then, since you three are in my store, I could help you look around, tell you about the merchandise, and help you find something you'd like."

"Oh, that is very generous of you, Mr. Hatfield," Nora responded. "Please, show us around."

"Well, let's see," Hatfield said as he walked over an old vase. "Ah, this is a nice piece. This vase was made in 1870 in Austria…"

Meanwhile, at the Gravity Falls public library, Luz led Amity and Phil inside.

"AND HERE WE ARE!" Luz loudly, which earned her some glares and shushing from the other library goers and the librarians. "I mean… here we are," she whispered quietly.

"I'll admit, compared to the Bonesborough Library, it's a lot smaller than I expected," Amity commented while she and Phil looked around.

"Yeah, this place isn't as cool as the Bonesborough Library," Luz admitted, her hands in her pockets. "But it does have a pretty good kids section."

"Could we check it out?" Amity asked.

"Yeah, it should be over here," Luz said as she led Amity and Phil over to the kids section, where they saw shelves filled with children's books and many small kids running around. "Welcome to the kids' corner."

"Book!" Phil shouted as he pointed to a poster.

"That's right, Phil," Amity told her son. "That is a book, reading… a book." she said while seeing the 'Read?' poster that had a book character horrified while holding another book character who was equally horrified. This made Amity concerned. "That's a bizarre looking poster."

"Not as bizarre as those posters with those creepy small-eyed, smiling children staring into your soul," Luz said as she pointed to a Carson Dellosa-esque poster of a creepy looking child with a wide smile who was holding a book. It gave Luz the shivers just from looking at it. "Yeesh…"

While Luz and Amity looked at the posters, Phil was looking at the other kids in this part of the library. They were running around, laughing, and playing with each other. He was tempted to go talk to them… but he immediately stopped himself.

Amity felt a tug on her leg and she looked down to see Phil. "You alright, Phil?" she asked him.

"Yeah…" Phil nodded while hiding behind her mom.

Luz knelt down in front of Phil. "Hey, this place has some other kids your age. Would you like to talk to them?" she asked, only for Phil to shyly shake his head.

"He's shy," Amity noted while patting his head. "But hey, there's nothing to be afraid of, Phil."

"Yeah, and you could make some friends here," Luz suggested before they saw the children being instructed to sit down on the floor.

"Alright, kids, gather around, it's time for today's puppet show, hosted by our star local puppeteer," said the librarian in charge of the kids' corner. "Gabe Benson is here to tell you all about the joy of reading and other things."

"Thank you for having me here again," said Gabe, a blonde-haired young teenage boy with teal blue eyes and all black clothing. He had a puppet on each hand, one a yellow bee and the other a pink book. "Today, me, Buzz, and Page, are going to teach you about the joys of literacy!"

"What's going on here?" Amity asked, seeing the kids gathered around Gabe and the small stage he was standing behind.

"I think he's today's reading guest or something," Luz replied before she looked at Phil. "Hey, maybe this is something Phil would enjoy."

"You think so?" Amity asked.

"Yeah, I mean, kids love puppets, right?" Luz asked.

"Well… if it's okay with Phil," Amity said as she looked down at her son. "Would you like to sit with the other kids and watch the puppet show, Phil?"

"Um…" Phil said as he saw that the puppet show was about to begin. He quickly nodded. "Yeah!"

Amity smiled. "Alright, let's go watch," she said as she and Luz followed Phil and sat down to watch the puppet show as it started.

As some music began to play, the bee puppet started to sing. "Oooh, what's the buzz? Tell me what's happening. What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening! What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening-"

"Oh why should you wish to know? Would you read some literature?" Gabe sang. "Don't you try to think ahead, it's simple to swallow, think about the ABCs instead~ Keyboard solo!"

Gabe played the keyboard solo with his one hand while the kids watched in awe. Luz leaned over to whisper to Amity. "I'll admit, he's good with the keys."

Sometime later on, Gabe was singing his song with his puppets. "All my life I've been dreamin' of a love that's right for me. And now I finally know her name, and it's… sing it with me kids."

"Literacy!" the kids, including Phil, sang along.

"I finally understand what all the buzz is about," the bee puppet declared. "Reading!"

"Give me some of that honey!" the book puppet told the bee puppet before the two started to 'make out' while Gabe just laughed.

Luz, Amity, and even Phil looked weirded out by this.

"Is this… what puppet shows are like here?" Amity whispered to Luz.

"…No," Luz said, shaking her head. "I think this guy's just too passionate about the craft…"

"And now here is something else you kids will enjoy," Gabe said as he turned on some more music to play in the background. "What's your favorite idea? Mine is being creative."

"How do you get the idea?" the bee puppet asked.

"I just try to think creatively…" Gabe said as he held up a picture of an orange. "Now when you look at this orange. Tell me, please, what do you see?"

"It's just a boring, old orange," the bee pointed out.

"Maybe to you but not to me," Gabe sang while drawing a face on the orange. "I see a silly face, walking along and smiling at me."

"I don't see what you mean," the bee said.

"Cause you're not thinking creatively," Gabe pointed out. "So take a look at my hair," he said as he pointed to his ponytail. "I use my hair to express myself."

"That sounds really boring," the book puppet said while appearing on his other hand.

"I use my hair to express myself," Gabe said in an almost robotic tone before resuming to sing. "Now when you stare at the clouds in the sky, don't you find it exciting?"

"No," the book and bee replied.

"Come on, take another look!" Gabe said while showing his puppets through the window.

"Oh, wait," they said as they sang. "I can see a hat, I can see a cat, I can see a man with a baseball bat."

"I can see a dog, I can see a frog, I can see a ladder leaning on a log," the kids sang along with the book and bee.

"Think you're getting the hang of it now, using your minds to have a good time," Gabe declared.

"I might paint a picture of a clown," the bee sang.

"Whoa there, friend, you might need to slow down," Gabe said before pausing suddenly along with the music. After a few uncomfortable seconds, he and the music resumed. "Here's another good tip, of how to be a creative whiz kid. Go and collect some leaves and sticks, and arrange them into your favorite color."

"Blue! Red! Green!" the book and bee sang while the kids sang along.

"Green is not a creative color," Gabe pointed out. "There's one more thing that you need to know, before you let your creativity flow. Listen to your heart, listen to the rain, listen to the voices in your brain!"

Luz and Amity looked at each other after hearing the last part, wondering exactly what kind of song this was… although thankfully it ended there.

"Come on, guys, let's get creative!" Gabe declared. "You can find some arts and crafts supplies on the table over there!"

The kids got up and rushed over to the table where the librarian was handing out some arts and crafts. Luz and Amity stood up as they led Phil over to the table where Amity grabbed some construction paper, crayons, glitter, glue, and other crafts.

"Here you go, Phil," Amity said as she handed him the art and crafts supplies.

"Well that was… something with that puppet show," Luz commented while seeing Gabe having his puppets 'kiss' each other, which disturbed her.

"Come on, you two, not here," Gabe said while making his puppets kiss.

"Yeesh," Luz winced before turning to Amity. "Well, I'm gonna look around the library. Anything you and Phil need?"

"Oh, we'll be good here," Amity responded while watching over Phil. "Just try to stay out of trouble."

"No promises," Luz responded with a shrug as she started to walk away. "I'll be back, you better make me something good, Phil."

"I will," Phil replied while Luz continued to walk away so she could look around the library.

After she left the kids section, Luz began to wander around in the library. As she looked around, she took note that it hadn't seemed to change much since the town's reconstruction.

'Surprised that this place was kept pretty much the same,' Luz thought before she noticed a librarian looking at her. The librarian gave Luz the stink eye while sipping her coffee, making Luz laugh nervously. "How do you do, ma'am?"

"Hmm," the librarian said as Luz passed by her.

Deciding to get out of view of the librarian, Luz walked into the archive section of the library. She noticed that the lights seemed to be out back here, making it much darker than the rest of the library. As she looked at the shelves filled with old books, she noted the layer of dust that covered almost everything. She also noted that some of the books had wears, tears, and even some mold. There were cobwebs everywhere.

'This place could use a clean up,' she thought as she kept looking at the shelves and the old filing cabinets that were scattered throughout the archive section. Since she wasn't looking where she was going, she didn't see who was in front of her and she bumped into someone who was carrying a stack of newspapers, making them both fall to the ground, the newspapers scattering across the floor.

"Oof!" Luz grunted as she looked at who she had bumped into. "Hey, watch where you're going… Kaleb?"

"Luz?" Kaleb asked in shock while trying to collect all of his fallen newspapers. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Yeah, me too," Luz replied while going to help him out. "Here, let me help. Uh, sorry for bumping into you."

"No worries, but I appreciate the help," Kaleb replied as they collected all of the newspapers before standing back up. "So what brings you here at the library?"

"I came here with Amity and Phil, since they wanted to check the place out," Luz explained. "Luckily, this is one of the places in town where I'm not banned."

"Not banned?" Kaleb asked her, looking concerned about this. "How many places are you banned from in this town?"

"Too many to count," Luz said with a shrug. "Amity and Phil are doing crafts right now, so I decided to look around in the meantime. What about you? What brings you here in the library?"

"Well, me and Lois decided that we wanted to do some research on Gravity Falls," Kaleb explained. "In order to figure this town out, Lois suggested that looking into the archives would give us some insight about Gravity Falls."

"So these papers…?" Luz asked, pointing to them.

"Old documents I plan to read," he said while placing the stack on the table.

"All of that? Sounds like you'll be busy all day and night here," Luz pointed out.

"I'm a fast reader," Kaleb assured her.

"Right…" Luz responded before hearing something fall from the bookshelf behind her. "Hmm?" she asked as she turned around and saw something on the floor that caught her attention. "What's this?"

"What?" Kaleb asked, seeing Luz bending down and picking something up. "What do you got there?"

"It's… a comic book," Luz replied, sounding confused while looking at the comic in her hands as she walked over to Kaleb. "Not sure how it got back here… and this title is one that… I don't think I recognize."

"Let me see," Kaleb said as he looked at the comic Luz was holding, adjusting his glasses as he took a good look at it. "Huh… I don't recognize this title either…"

"Who's the weird blue and red suited guy holding the car?" Luz wondered, looking at the comic's cover… which showed a man holding up a green car.

The title of the comic… was Action Comics #1.

Luz began to flip through the pages of the comic, looking through the character's history. "Strong even as a baby, can lift heavy weights, faster than a train…" She looked at the character's name. "Who's Superman?"

"I… don't know," Kaleb replied, looking over her shoulder and checking the hero in the comic out while Luz flipped through the pages. "Huh, he can jump really good."

"Yeah, and he is not fooling around with those thugs," Luz complimented. "Not even their guns and knives could harm him. It's like he's indestructible." She looked at the cover again. "This comic has to be from the Golden Age…"

As Luz turned the page, she came across a page at the end of the comic. "What the… hell…?" It showed a short, big-headed balding man with frizzled white hair, a purple bowler hat, a purple suit jacket with a purple green-tie, baggy pants, and blue shoes. The speech bubble said 'Hiya, Kal!'

"Did… that comic say my name?" Kaleb asked a confused Luz.

"I sure did, big guy!" the character said, turning from a still image to a moving figure.

"GAH!" Luz shouted, dropping the comic immediately while she and Kaleb were left shocked. However, the comic opened itself up and the character began to pull himself off of the page he was on, stretching out a blue hand and pulling himself out. "What the fuck?!"

"Just a little shimmie there, and…!" the character, or creature, said as they fully came out of the comic. "There! Got out of that dusty old thing, finally." He looked at Luz and Kaleb and saw them staring at him. "What? Is there something in my teeth?" he asked while having taken an appearance that was very different from how he had looked in the comic. He was still short, but was now blue-skinned with tied up white hair, gray eyes, and a yellow gem on his forehead. His clothing consisted of a purple loincloth, dark-purple baggy pants and shoes, an orange cape, and green pearls that he wore around his neck. He was floating entirely off the ground.

"What… what are you?!" Kaleb asked in shock.

"Are you some kind of genie, fae, yokai, or interdimensional deity?!" Luz asked while getting in a defensive position.

"Huh, you sound like you have been around the block, kid," the creature said. "But you're not wrong with the last part." He cleared his throat. "My name is Mr. Mxyzptlk and I am a magical imp from the fifth dimension, meaning I am not bound by the physical laws of your dimension!" he declared as suddenly his name popped up over him in a flashy banner that spelled out his name, followed by confetti.

Luz and Kaleb stared at the blue imp in question, looking more confused than ever.

"I'm sorry, Mr… Mxyzptlk…" Luz said.

"Yes, that's I, but I am not here for you" he replied before turning to Kaleb. "I am here for you: Kal-El, the Superman of this Earth."

"Wait… Superman?" Kaleb asked in confusion. "But I'm not Superman, I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're probably just a mild-mannered news reporter or newscaster depending on the universe and its iteration," he said with a shrug. "Is your name Clark Kent?"

"Um, no," Kaleb said. "I'm Kaleb Ellis."

"Huh, really?" Mxy said while floating around Kaleb and getting a better look at him. "Ha, nice try! You might not be called Clark Kent in this reality, but you are a variation of him and Clark Kent is Superman in almost every reality." He snapped his fingers.

"Either Superman or some other name like… Savior," Mxy said as Kaleb suddenly found himself with blonde hair and a red bodysuit with a blue cape connected to a golden large button and white straps around his abdomen.

"Surpremo," Mxy said as he snapped his fingers again and this time Kaleb was changed into a silver-haired man with a white cape, a red bodysuit with a white diamond on his chest, golden arm bands, and white boots.

"Optiman," Mxy said as he snapped again and this time Kaleb was wearing a yellow and orange bodysuit with a black 'O' on his chest, a black and blue cape, blue gloves, boots, and a gray belt.

"Hyperius," Mxy said Kaleb was once again blonde with a black domino mask, a white bodysuit with a red cape connected to a ring, blue gloves. and boots.

"And so forth," Mxy said as he snapped his fingers one last time and Kaleb found himself wearing the Superman costume; a blue suit with a red cape, red trunks, and belt with a yellow buckle. He had a shield-shaped symbol on his chest, a red 'S' logo, and red boots.

"Gah!" Kaleb gasped in shock. "What happened?"

"You were blonde there for a second," Luz told Kaleb while still acting wary around Mxy.

"I was… blonde? And why am I still wearing this suit?!" Kaleb demanded to know.

"Look, pal, one of the constants in almost every universe that I visit throughout the Multiverse is that Kal-El is Superman or a similar superhero going under a different name, although I do prefer Superman, since he came before all those other guys," Mxy said before noticing Luz. "Say, who are you? Some kind of younger version of Lois in this universe, or a gender-swapped Jimmy Olsen variant?"

"Who the fuck is Jimmy Olsen?" Luz asked. "And why do you think I'm Lois?"

"Hmm, what's your name again?" Mxy asked her, curious.

"Luz," Luz replied.

"Luz… Luz… no, it doesn't ring a bell," Mxy replied with a sigh. "I guess you're just someone who happened to be here at the wrong place and the wrong time. How do you know Kal?"

"We just met a few days ago," Luz said with a shrug.

"And you aren't surprised by my appearance?" he asked her.

"Like you said, I have been around the block. Honestly, you're not even close to being the first deity I've ever met," Luz told him. "I've been dealing with weird shit in all my life. So are you a being like Star Trek's Q or are you something like the Impossible Man?"

"Hmm, you're interesting…" Mxy said before he gets pulled aside by Kaleb.

"Enough," Kaleb said as turned to Mxy. "Look, I don't know what your deal is with me, but leave Luz out of this. Whatever it is you want with me, keep it between us, without her involved."

"Oh?" Mxy asked him. "So you… care about this girl and wish to see no harm done to her?"

Neither Luz nor Kaleb liked where this was going. "Wait, I-"

He saw Mxy form a Grinch-like smile, his hair curled opening on different sides. This gave Kaleb a very uneasy feeling. "Oh, don't worry, Kal, not a harm will come to this young girl's head… in this world."

It was then that Mxy snapped his fingers once again, this time to cause Luz and Kaleb to both disappear.

Meanwhile, at the Gravity Falls music store, Scratch My Backtrack, two teens were browsing the stands and shelves that held various CDs, vinyl records, and music players. There was specifically a 'no karaoke' sign on the door and next to it was a photo of Mabel with 'banned' written on it in big red letters.

"Yes!" Gus Gordon shouted while pulling out an album. "They got Yes's Top Hits in this album."

"Which ones?" Charlotte asked him while looking through some albums.

"Roundabout, Owner of the Lonely Heart, Starship Trooper, it's got basically my Top Fives of their songs," Gus G pointed out before turning to Charlotte. "What artists are you looking for, Charlotte?"

"Well, I have my favorites. I'm a little into Chicago, Styx, Fleetwood, Commodores, Steely Dan," she listed off. "You ever listen to Bob Dylan?"

"Who hasn't?" Gus asked with a smile. "But you got some good tastes."

"Yeah, it's better than that auto-tune junk they violate our ears with," Charlotte mentioned.

"Yeah, I agree. I don't get the appeal of that," Gus said before finding another record. "Oh look, 'No'," he said as he held up a 'No' band album.

"Funny that there's a band called Yes and one called No," Charlotte commented. "Is there a band called 'Maybe'?"

Gus shrugged. "Who knows? There's a lot of bands that use adverbs, adjectives and onomatopoeia. Heck, this one's title doesn't make sense," he said as he pulled out one album. "I mean, what band's name only has three exclamation marks? They're not like, The Who, since at least their name is pronounceable."

"Yeah, thought at least it's not repeating the words like 'The The', or Mr. Mister," Charlotte commented. "I think most of these bands were just high all the time."

"Yeah, that… that actually checks out," Gus replied before putting the album back. "So um, how do you like Gravity Falls, Charlotte? I mean, since you came here…"

"Oh, I think it's a pretty neat place," Charlotte replied. "The people are nice, the stores are interesting, and it has some nice views. Although I did hear that a lot of businesses left a few months ago…"

"Uh, yeah," Gus said while rubbing the back of his head. "There was a natural disaster. Only a few people died, but the town was wrecked. A lot of people decided to just leave, taking their businesses with them."

"Was it bad?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah," Gus said while looking down. "It was pretty bad." He then decided to change the subject. "So, uh, how long have you been in Gravity Falls?"

"Oh, only about a week," Charlotte admitted. "So not long, but long enough to notice some of this town's own quirks, though that's just what makes this place interesting."

"Yeah, I get that," Gus said with a nod. "So, um, why are you staying here with your uncle in the first place?"

"Well… I heard that Gravity Falls was a really incredible place and I wanted to see more of the world than just my home," Charlotte admitted while scrolling over some records.

"Where do you live exactly?" Gus asked.

"Oh, not far from here," Charlotte told him. "Just a few hours down the highway. Where I live is… nothing to write about."

"Yeah, I can relate to that," Gus confessed. "Before coming here, I used to live in Connecticut."

"Really?" Charlotte asked, looking up. "That's like on the other side of the country!"

"Yeah," Gus said with a nod. "And my old hometown… it wasn't for me."

"What was it like?" she asked him. "To live there, I mean."

"I'd say it's like living in one of those white picket-fenced neighborhoods, a gated community at that," Gus explained. "There was nothing fun to do in Gatesfield, no places you could hang out at after school like you can here. It was boring and I would spend a lot of my time reading about the rest of the world, wanting to travel beyond Gatesfield. Also, Gatesfield was founded by witch hunters."

"Woah, really?" Charlotte asked him.

"Well, I guess they technically didn't found Gatesfield, they just made it what it is today, changing it from Gravesfield to Gatesfield," he mentioned. "Living in Gatesfield… there was just something incredibly fake about it, if that makes sense."

"I think I get the idea and that does sound like an unpleasant place to live," Charlotte commented. "But how did you come here?"

Gus hesitated. He wasn't sure what to tell her, since he definitely couldn't tell her about how he and his friends saved Willow from Department A and traveled across the country to help her return to her home dimension.

"Well… something happened in Gatesfield. A scandal. And because of that scandal, me and my mom had to move," he explained.

"Why Oregon though?" Charlotte asked him.

"Yeah, um… a friend of my mom's knew someone who lived here and wanted to get closer to them," he mentioned. "And it has been a great change of pace. I definitely enjoy living in Gravity Falls more than I enjoyed living in Gatesfield."

"Have you seen any more of Oregon since moving here?" Charlotte asked him. "Have you been to Portland? Driven down the Redwood Highway?"

"I… did go on a road trip with my mom and my friends," Gus mentioned. "We drove down the Redwood Highway, all the way to Mystery Mountain…" He paused, remembering what happened there. "It was… neat."

"Good thing you visited Mystery Mountain when you did, because I heard it shut down near the end of the summer," Charlotte mentioned. "It's still closed too."

"It is?" Gus asked, frowning slightly.

"So… what's your mom like?" Charlotte asked him, changing the subject to something else.

"We didn't always see eye-to-eye," he admitted. "She works in education and she was actually a supervisor at my old school back in Gatesfield."

"Oof," Charlotte said. "Did your mom ever bother you while you were at school?"

"A few times," Gus admitted. "And I think she's considering working for the school district here as well. Not just to keep an eye on me though. She does worry about me a lot, but she means well. And I think she 'sees' me more than she did when we were living in Gatesfield. I think over the last few months… we've gotten closer."

"She sounds pretty cool, especially compared to my mom," Charlotte muttered. "Or my parents in general."

"Really? What are they like?" he asked her.

"Well, to sum it up… they don't… really understand me," Charlotte said while looking down at an album. "My folks are… very different from me. I guess it is like how you and your mom used to be, except probably worse. I don't see eye-to-eye with my parents and there was very little that we agreed on, which is another reason that I decided to move here to stay with Uncle Sprott. It was a way to get away from my folks for a while. Give myself some space."

"Oh… sorry to hear that," Gus replied. "About your parents, I mean."

"Thanks, but don't be," Charlotte replied with a shrug. "My parents honestly suck. I don't just disagree with them, I don't want to be anything like them."

"Why… why are they so bad?" Gus asked.

"They're… pretty soulless," Charlotte admitted.

"Come on, they can't be that bad-"

"They're lawyers, Gus," Charlotte told him.

"Oh," Gus realized. "Okay, yeah. I get it. So… what do you hope to do while staying here?"

"Besides getting away from my parents?" Charlotte asked with a sigh. "I was actually hoping that I could make some friends here as well. I… don't really have any back where I'm from,"

"Yeah, I know that feeling as well," Gus admitted. "It wasn't until recently that I actually made some real friends." He paused. "Say, maybe you could hang out with us sometime."

"Really?" Charlotte asked while looking up at him. "They wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, they're pretty cool," Gus told her. "And they are pretty open to all kinds of people."

Charlotte was silent for a moment. "They sound… nice," she repeated, her tone hopeful. "Yeah, I think I'd like to meet them."

And as the two teens looked at each other, they shared a smile.

Back in the library, Lois was still at the archives looking over some old documents. She was currently carrying a box full of documents.

"Alright, let's see what you dockeys can show good ol' Lois Lee," Lois said with a fake cockney accent before sitting down to take a look at the old documents.

First she used a microfilm to look over some old newspapers. While a lot of the newspaper headlines were pretty unextraordinary, there were a few that caught her attention. This included a newspaper article that was dated back to the 1960s and was about a group of scientists who had been based just outside of Gravity Falls… before their sudden disappearance.

"What the…" Lois said as she read through the article. "'The earthquake was caused by an explosion that happened in the mountains a few miles outside of town. An investigation into the explosion revealed that it came from Seeker Mountain, a hollowed out mountain that was being used by a group of high profile super scientists that had turned the mountain into their compound and were doing research in the local area.'" She pulled out a notepad and took note of the names of the scientists. "'These local celebrities were known as the Seekers of the Forgotten: Dr. Maxwell 'Rex' Rictor, Morris 'Gray' Benson, Carlton 'Apollo' Dillon, and Jill 'Doc' Merry. Their mission was to seek out the unknown. Although they were some of the most prominent pioneers of the recent 'super science' trend, it seems that they have fallen victim to the unknown that they dedicated their lives to. The cause of the explosion in their compound is still unclear and no bodies have yet to be found, leading to speculation of what could have happened to these Seekers of the Forgotten. Only time will tell if these Seekers will become forgotten themselves…'"

Lois underlined their names on her notepad, though she did feel a bit of sadness for these scientists. The fact that she had never heard of them before meant that they had indeed faded away into obscurity and been forgotten by history, with nobody knowing what even became of them. Looking through the article, she saw a black-and-white photo of the group and a photo of a mountain with a trail of smoke coming out of it, making it almost resemble a volcano. She also saw photos of the interior of the hollowed out mountain, making her wonder what exactly had become of this mountain base…

Next, Lois went through a box of documents. Not all of it was interesting, but then she found a document about Nathaniel Northwest, the alleged founder of Gravity Falls.

"Old Nathaniel, died of… eating oak tree bark?" she said while looking weirded out. "'Survived by his widowed wife and children'. What else is there…"

She went back to the microfilm, reading some articles from the early 1900s. She came across one article about a tinkerer and inventress named Abigale Blackwing marrying into the Northwest family, which she would have just skipped past… if not for another part of the article.

'What Is the Anti-Cipher Society?'

'Anti-Cipher Society?' she thought while looking over the article. Apparently, before coming to Gravity Falls, Abigale had been part of a short-lived secret society whose mission was the elimination of a dream demon called Bill Cipher, though this group was declared a laughingstock at the 1901 Inventioneers Fair. She found a photo of its various members: Founder Thurburt Mudget Waxstaff III, Father Tinsley O'Pimm, Horace Broadshoulder, Jessamine Delilah Gulch, and Abigale Blackwing herself. Lois once again rooted through the box of documents she had recovered and found sketches of a crude steam-powered Bill Hunting suit that had been designed by Blackwing.

'Abigale Blackwing… just who are you?' Lois thought, her curiosity growing. Perhaps a few days ago, she would have laughed at the notion of an evil triangle demon, but after yesterday she was definitely more open-minded to such a thing…

"Be careful not to stick your nose in too deep."

Lois heard a voice and she immediately turned around to spot someone lurking in the shadows. "Who's there?" she demanded before she saw someone stepping out into the very faint light, showing herself…

"Not many people come back into the archives anymore," Rachel Jones said once the light revealed her face. "That's what I heard, at least. A shockingly few of the people who live here actually seem to care for this town's history… but here you are."

"I was just… looking for something," Lois said while being suspicious of Rachel. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking… for you." Rachel told her. "I have been watching you, ever since I saw that you're new here." This made Lois weirded out by the pale brunette, who didn't seem to notice. "Are you a reporter?"

Lois briefly hesitated before giving her a nod. "Yes, I am."

"So you must be here for a story then," Rachel assumed.

"Well, actually, I'm here to look for a friend of mine," Lois told her. "I… didn't get your name."

"Rachel Jones," Rachel introduced herself. "I volunteer at the local church."

Lois nodded again. "Nice to meet you, Rachel," she said, trying to be polite. "My name is Lois."

"How long have you been in town, Lois?" Rachel asked.

"This is my third day," Lois confirmed.

"And you still haven't found your friend?" Rachel asked, making Lois slightly uncomfortable.

"You asked me if there is a story here," Lois told Rachel, changing the subject. "So is there a story here in this town?"

"…Yes," Rachel confirmed, folding her arms behind her back. "In Gravity Falls, not everything is as it seems. I saw you earlier with that Luz Clawthorne girl…"

"She… has been helping me out," Lois said as she wondered just how long Rachel has actually been following and watching her.

"I would be careful around her," Rachel advised. "And the company she keeps."

"What… what do you mean by that?" Lois asked.

Rachel, however, didn't answer her question. "You know, I have only lived here for a few months," she told Lois. "I moved here to take care of my grandfather after he started to suffer cognitive decline… God rest his soul," she said as she looked down, sadness in her eyes.

"Oh," Lois said. "I'm… sorry. How… how did he die?"

Rachel's fists tightened. "According to his death certificate, a heart attack," she told Lois, a hint of anger in her tone. "But that's not the truth."

"What is the truth?" Lois asked Rachel.

"The truth is… this town lies about what it really is," Rachel told Lois. "Sure, it looks innocent and charming on the surface. But its true nature is anything but. I didn't know about this town's… quirks before moving here. I had to experience that stuff firsthand." She looked down for a moment, then looked up at Rachel. "Tell me, what do you know about Gravity Falls? Not the Gravity Falls that they try to pass off to tourists. I'm talking about the real Gravity Falls."

"Well… I heard rumors from a friend of mine," Lois answered, a bit hesitant. "At first, I thought it was just rumors… until I saw, um…"

"Something magical?" Rachel asked her. Lois looked up at Rachel and her eyes told Rachel everything. "So you have seen it…"

"Yeah, I've seen magic," Lois admitted. "Just this morning, on the way here I spotted a gnome wrestling a squirrel…"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Rachel asked her.

"Well, I do want to learn more about this town's history and I am hoping that will help me better understand its weirdness," Lois admitted. "But at the same time I'm still trying to digest it. What I saw shouldn't be possible… and yet it is possible. Although I have noticed that not many of the townsfolk seem to even be acknowledging it."

"That's because a lot of them are afraid to tell the truth," Rachel admitted. "Not me, though. I don't mind talking about this kind of stuff… and I was wondering if you're someone who might… listen to me. To my story."

"Well, yeah," Lois said. "I'd love to hear whatever you can tell me."

Rachel looked hard at Lois, trying to get a read on her. She wanted to believe that Lois was someone she could trust. She wanted to hope that she had found an ally.

"We can't talk here," Rachel told her while looking around. "I don't know if there is anyone else listening. But I wish to keep in touch with you."

"Yeah, same," Lois said with a nod and Rachel gave a small, brief smile.

"But I should warn you about one thing," Rachel told her. "Some people are not going to like you digging around for the truth. So… just be careful where you look for answers."

"Pfft, like that's going to stop me," Lois said with a determined tone. "I won't let anyone prevent me from learning the truth."

Rachel smiled at this before walking away. "Then you might just be who I've been waiting for…" she said while slipping back into the shadows… and vanishing.

Lois stared at where Rachel had vanished, blinking. "Okay… is everyone in this town theatrical…?" she asked herself.

Back in the kids section of the library, Amity was watching Phil make something with a paper plate and some macaroni.

"Alright, careful with the glue," Amity said while Phil spread some glue on the plate and placed the macaroni on it. "Have you decided what you're going to make?"

"Yeah," Phil replied as he used the pieces of macaroni to make a crude family portrait. As he made his art, he took a glance at the other kids who were working on their own crafts. Phil couldn't help but look at the kids around him, all of them around his age, and want to… talk to them. But he then glanced back down on his plate, still a bit shy.

Amity did notice this, however. She saw that Phil was interested in talking to the other kids, but she understood how he was not yet ready for that yet. Especially since he was still getting used to being a witch and not just an Abomination.

As she watched Phil resume working on his macaroni portrait, Amity then thought about Luz and how she went off to look around the library. 'I wonder what Luz is up to?' she asked herself, wondering about what kind of antics her girlfriend might have gotten herself involved in…

Meanwhile, Luz and Kaleb had found themselves teleported onto the top of a skyscraper in a city. However, it was a city that looked… off. Like it was half-toned and illustrated.

"What the… where are we?!" Kaleb asked before he saw his words appear in a speech balloon next to him. "What is that?!"

"Wait, large futuristic buildings, half-tone coloring," Luz pointed out as her eyes widened. "This city… this looks like… Conflictopolis…"

"That's right!" Mxy shouted as he popped up in front of them "Welcome to Conflicopolis, the home setting of Gizney Comics's most popular heroes… the Indestructo-Buddies!"

"You teleported us into a comic book," Luz said while poking the speech balloon that appeared next to her head. "Why?"

"For him," Mxy said while pointing to Kaleb.

"For… me?" Kaleb asked in confusion while pointing to himself.

"Listen, Kal, I have visited your variants in almost every reality and it is my personal mission to test every one of you. And I brought you here because it is the perfect place for such a test, the perfect place to challenge someone like you." Mxy snapped his finger and poofing up in front of them were six superheroes. "Behold, Conflictopolis's supreme superhero team!"

"What." Luz said with a deadpan expression.

"Indestructabro, the most powerful hero of the team!"

"I drink lava and eat tanks for breakfast!" Indestructabro declared. He was a yellow masked man who wore a red bodysuit, yellow gloves, boots, and trunks along with a cape. Just like with Kaleb, Luz, and Mxy, a speech balloon popped up next to him when he spoke.

"Feminez Wild, the punk-rock solo female hero with an attitude!"

"Lay off," said a heroine with green hair to the side of her right face. She was wearing a domino black mask, a black and pink suit with pink gloves, boots, and a belt with green pouches.

"Clubbing Time, he has a spiked bat and is not afraid to use it!"

"It's nail-clubbin' time!" declared the male hero wearing a black bowler hat, a white suit, and a purple shirt.

"Howling Hoo-Ha, the werewolf who's a complete unknown!"

"Am I an alien? A mutant? What am I?!" asked the brown-furred werewolf wearing a green tank top and beige pants.

"The compatible and reliable Armored Accountant!"

"I'm here to crunch your numbers!" declared the Iron-Man look-a-like with blue armor.

"And finally, the Gratuitous Golem!"

"Grr, I'm angry because I can't biologically digest food!" declared the man made out of brown stone.

"And with these pastiche of superheroes as your opponents, Kal-El, I will prove once and for all that you are Superman!" Mxy declared as he grinned/ "By having them gang up on Mini-Lois over there, right guys?"

"Yeah!/Let's pummel that girl/Crush her!" the Indestructo-Buddies declared while under the influence of Mxy's power.

"W-Wait, you can't do that!" Kaleb told him.

"Uh yeah, I can, bud," Mxy told Kaleb. "And I know for a fact that Superman wouldn't allow a young, helpless civilian to get hurt. So protecting her would be a good motivation for you…"

"Who the fuck are you calling helpless, you little mediocre Dragon Ball cosplayer?" asked Luz, who took offense to that.

"...Mediocre?" Mxy asked as he looked down at Luz, who took a step forward.

"Luz, what are you-?" Kaleb tried to ask before Luz raised her hand up.

"Step back, Kaleb," Luz told him as her eyes glowed and her mouth formed a smile. "Let me handle these guys…"

"Hey, what do you think you're do-" Mxy saw Luz transform into her Titan form, seeing her grow wings, fur, and skeletal talons. "-ing…? What the f-"

Luz charged at the Indestructo-Buddies, who were caught by surprise from how forward she was. But Indestructo-Bro still raised his fist.

"You can't hurt the Indestructro-Bro! Indestructo-Bro is indestructible! I have no weaknesses!" he declared, but Luz grabbed his speech balloon with the words he had just spoken and then, to the shock of everyone, Luz used the tail of the speech balloon to stab through Indestructa-Bro in the chest. "GAAH!" he cried out, blood spraying all over the rest of the team.

"Sweet, merciful cripes! She killed Indestructo-Bro!" Clubbing Time exclaimed.

"Who's next?" Luz asked while wiping some blood off her.

"You bitch!" Feminez Wild shouted as they, along with the rest of the team, charged at Luz.

Luz tilted her head with a mad grin. "Bring it on," she said as she charged at the Indestructo-Bros to meet them head-on.

Kaleb and Mxy just watched in silent shock as Luz proceeded to downright annihilate the Indestructo-Buddies. She stole Clubbing Time's spiked bat and swung it at him, bashing his head into the ground while Hoo-Ha tried to save him. But Luz instantly flew up to avoid the werewolf, the Armored Accountant flying up after her to try to take her on.

"Freeze!" the Armored Accountant declared with his gauntlets up.

"Yeah, no," Luz said as she held her hand up and drew a spell circle, summoning ice glyphs and shooting an ice blast at him. The Armored Accountant's armor went completely frozen, making him fall out of the air and hit the ground hard with a loud shattering sound. She then saw Feminez Wild jump up to try to land a punch, only for Luz to dodge and use her vine magic to grab her by the leg. "You know, Feminez is not really a name, nor a Spanish word. Were you written by a Peggy?"

"Yah!" Feminez Wild shouted as she tried to kick at Luz while still in the air, but Luz swung her down into the rooftop before flying down and landing on Feminez's back, causing her to cough out blood. "GAAH!"

"She's ruthless!" Golem declared.

"We can still take her down!" Hoo-Ha shouted as he jumped toward Luz, who easily dodged out of the way, grabbed his tail, and swung him down onto the roof. She then began to swing the wolf around like a ragdoll before letting him go, causing him to slam into a nearby wall of bricks, breaking his snout and probably his back as well.

"Oi!" shouted the Golem as he rushed over to her. "You ain't getting away from this! I'm from Ohio!" he boasted as he swung his rocky fist towards Luz, who easily dodged them.

"I think this is the perfect time to sing," Luz said with a smile before she took a deep breath… and screamed. "WEEEEHHH!"

Her Titan screech of rage hit the Golem, making him scream in return. "AAAAHHH!" he cried out as his body began to crack and break. Moments later, Golem had been shattered from Luz's screams, most of his body having been turned into dust…

After letting out her scream, which damaged some of the nearby buildings of Conflictopolis, Luz stopped herself. She panted, trying to catch her breath while swiping the sweat from her forehead and looking around at the beaten and half-dead, well mostly dead, heroes around. With only her, Kaleb, and Mxy still standing (or floating), the latter two staring at her in shock.

"Man, beating the Indestrocto-Buddies felt pretty cathartic," Luz declared with a smile. "To be honest, I was never a huge fan of them. They feel way too generic for a pastiche team of heroes."

"Luz… did you just kill them?" Kaleb asked with a look of horror.

"I mean, they're not real, right?" Luz asked with a shrug. She pointed at Mxy. "They're just constructs summoned by that guy. Perfect excuse for me to cut loose."

"You… what… I…" Mxy said while looking more and more dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. "How did… just… who are you?!" he demanded of Luz. "Or in that matter, what are you?!"

Luz tilted her red beanie hat and pointed to her chest. "I'm Luz Clawthorne, the badass witch from two worlds," she declared.

"Witch, huh?" Mxy asked while stroking his chin. "I'll admit, you surprised me, kid. You're not like anyone I've ever met before in the multiverse."

"Well, maybe you're not as knowledgeable about the multiverse as you think you are," Luz taunted him.

Mxy frowned. "Well, what does a teenager with a colorful language filter know anything about the-"

"Alright, let's finish this," Luz said as she flew up at Mxy, ready to send a fist at him.

However, before she could even lay a claw on him, Mxy put his hands together and shot a burst of purple energy out of them, the blast slamming Luz in the chest and knocking her out of the air, sending her falling off the skyscraper and toward the streets below.

"Luz!" Kaleb shouted, seeing Luz hit the streets hard.

"Relax, Smallville, she's still kicking, look," Mxy said as he pointed to Luz as they both saw her getting up from the crater she made when she hit the ground. "I'll give her some credit, she is a tough one. But let's see how much she can handle…"

"Shit," Luz said as she got up and dusted herself off. But before she could even think about flying up to challenge Mxy once again, she noticed a huge shadow falling over her… and she saw what the shadow belonged to…

"ROOAARRR!" cried a large, black furred gorilla that stomped towards Luz. Next to it was a giant green Tyranosaurus-like dinosaur with a light-green underbelly. Behind them was a large giant robot with claws and countless other giant monsters and robots that now filled the streets of this comic book city. It was like they were forming a line, each of them waiting their turn to beat up Luz Clawthorne.

"I thought I would make things more interesting for you," Mxy said as he suddenly appeared next to Luz. "These mighty monsters are all based on creatures that different versions of Superman have fought across the multiverse. Just one of these beasts could give Superman a run for his money and I was curious to see how they might do against Luz Clawthorne, a crazy witch with a thirst for blood! What do you say?"

Luz raised her fists up. "Bring it on, bitches!"

"Hmm, determined," Mxy said with a smile as he floated away. "I like that."

He then snapped his fingers and the giant monsters and robots charged towards Luz, the giant gorilla launching his fist at her. Luz flew up to avoid the fist, which slammed into the street instead, and she blasted the gorilla with her magic. She hit the gorilla with several of her spells, but it seemed to show no effect. She almost got eaten by the jaws of the dinosaur, prompting her to blast some ice at its face. She managed to dodge several more attacks before she then spun herself around with her wings spread out, creating a large spell circle that shot a large light blast that pushed the monsters back. She tried to take a moment to catch her breath, but she was then hit by a laser from one of the giant robots.

"Fuck!" Luz shouted as she crashed into a building. When she got back up, she saw another giant monster, a giant ant, crawling up the building to get her. She dodged its thorax and knocked the ant away with another spell, but then she saw a mechanical spider nearby shooting beams at her. "Okay, what's with the giant spider from Wild, Wild West?!"

"Ask Nic Cage," Mxy said while popping up next to her. Luz immediately tried to slash at him with her talons, but he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared..

"Come back here, you piece of shit!" Luz demanded before she saw a large green dragon with a purple underbelly and wings show up, breathing flames at her. "First Kong, and now Rodan?"

"No, no, no! The gorilla is Titano, and the dragon is the Super-Creature from Krypton! Get it right!" Mxy shouted while he appeared in a panel bubble.

"I have no idea what the fuck these are!" she told him. Luz dodged the flames from the Super-Creature as she shot back with an ice spell. But although she was giving it her all, these giant monstrosities had her outnumbered and they were all ganging up on her. And though she dodged most of the attacks, Luz did end up getting blasted by more beams from the robots. "Shit!" she cursed while leaving herself open for Titano to punch her as well, sending her back to the streets.

Luz groaned, she could feel her entire body ache. She began to use healing spells to heal herself, but the monsters were not going to give her a break. The nearest giant robot raised its large foot, ready to stomp on Luz while she was recovering. Luz saw this and she was about to summon a shield spell…

But she didn't need to.

For the foot was stopped… by Kaleb.

"What the…?" Luz asked as she stared at Kaleb in front of her, seeing him single-handedly holding up the foot and keeping it from crushing her.

"Enough!" Kaleb declared as he pushed up the foot and pulled it off the robot, ripping its entire leg away from the mechanical body in the process, making it fall.

"No way…" Luz said while in awe at Kaleb's true strength.

"Oooh, this is it!" a giddy Mxy shouted while clapping his hands as he watched nearby. "That there is the real deal!"

Once he discarded the foot, Kaleb stood up with his fists on his hips. He stared down the rest of the monsters and robots, ready to fight.

This was who Kaleb Ellis really was.

After they finished with the arts and crafts, Amity and Phil looked for Luz around the library.

"Luz? Where are you?" Amity asked as she looked around, turning to Ms. Print. "Excuse me, have you seen, well, Luz Clawthorne around here?"

"Well, I haven't heard the fire alarms going off," Ms. Print mentioned. "But one of my fellow librarians mentioned seeing her head to the old archives and being too afraid to follow her."

"Thanks," Amity said before she took Phil with her to the archives.

"Do you think Luz will like my plate?" Phil asked her mom while holding up his macaroni art.

"I'm sure she will, Phil," Amity told him as they walked toward the archives… and Phil suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Phil?"

Amity looked back and saw that Phil was standing there, staring at the archives, which was much darker than the rest of the library. He didn't seem to like the darkness… as if it reminded him of something.

"It's too dark," Phil said out of fear, causing Amity to go over and pick him up.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Amity said as she held him and summoned a light ball. "Plus, we got the light to guide us. Will that be okay?"

Phil stared at the ball of light before nodding. "Uh-huh."

Amity gave her son a reassuring smile as she held onto Phil while walking into the darker archives, holding the ball of light to guide them through. As they navigated their way through that part of the library, they saw a silhouette of someone in front of them.

"Luz?" Amity asked, only to see moments later that it wasn't Luz… but Lois.

"Amity?" Lois asked in surprise.

"Lois?" Amity asked, also surprised. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"I could say the same," Lois replied. "And, uh, I see you have Phil with you."

"Hi," Phil said with a wave.

"Yeah, hi," Lois replied, waving back before looking at Amity. "Wait, were you looking for Luz? Is she here too?"

"Yeah, Luz came with us here. I wanted to check out the local library and we caught a puppet show in the kids section. Luz decided to look around while me and Phil stayed in the kids section doing arts and crafts,"

"I made macaroni art!" Phil shouted as he waved his plate up for Lois to see.

"Aw, that's pretty good," Lois responded before she looked at the ball of light floating over them. "Um, this is… magic, right?"

"Yeah," Amity confirmed. "Luz told me that you… know about magic now. But have you seen Luz though? I was told that she came back here."

"I haven't seen her. But I haven't seen Kaleb either, though I guess he just went to another part of the library to do his half of our research," Lois explained.

"Research? About anything in particular?" Amity asked.

"Oh just, you know, trying to figure out this town's deal," Lois said while glancing at Phil. "So, um, did Phil have fun at the kids' section?"

"Yeah, he did," Amity replied with a smile. "Luz also told me that you know…"

"That he's… your son," Lois said in an awkward tone, though she was doing her best to hide her discomfort. "Um, does anyone else know…?"

"Only our friends and families. The local folks around here don't know, since well, it would be a bit complicated to explain that I am a teenage mother," Amity replied.

"Yeah, um… so… how did he come to be?" Lois asked her.

"Hang on," Amity said as she carried Phil over to a table, sat him down, and summoned up a CD player with headphones. "Hey Phil, want to listen to mommy's tunes?"

"Yeah!" Phil replied happily as Amity helped put some headphones over his ears before playing the CD player and turning up the volume so he would be nice and distracted while she and Lois talked to each other.

With Phil occupied with his music, Amity and Lois sat across from each other while Amity began talking. "I didn't want him to listen to our conversation. This thing is pretty… sensitive."

"I get that," Lois said with a nod. "So Luz said that you're a witch-Fae. Are you from the place where Luz was raised? The…"

"Demon Realm?" Amity asked. "Yeah, I am. And that's where Phil was… created."

"Created?" Lois asked.

Amity nodded. "Phil was… an Abomination."

"Abomination?" Lois asked in confusion. "That sounds a bit harsh…"

"No, actually, where I am from Abominations are these slime-like creatures that were replacements for Golems after the Golems revolted against the witches that created them, but that's unimportant," Amity mentioned. To give an example, she summoned a bit of Abomination goo and created a mini-Abomination the size of a doll that walked around the table. Lois stared in awe at the Abomination before it melted away. "I guess you could compare them… to a robot. They are soulless creations that we use to perform various tasks."

"They are… soulless?" Lois asked.

"Yes, or… at least they are supposed to be," Amity told Lois. "They don't have full sapience, which means they won't revolt against their creators like the Golems did. Instead, they recognize and perform whatever tasks their summoner gives them, while their bodies can easily reform and repair themselves if damaged, allowing them to do tasks that most witches cannot. They are pretty much a staple of witch society where I'm from."

"Did Phil… look like that when he was… created?" Lois asked while glancing at Phil, who was innocently listening to music. "All purple and ooze-like?"

"He… did," Amity admitted. "And I created him to carry my books."

Lois looked at Amity in shock. "You created your son to carry books?"

"It was Luz who gave him the name 'Phil'," Amity told her. "And I guess it just… stuck. But he was just an Abomination then… until I learned about my ancestor, Abra Blight, and how he created his son, Adam, from using Abomination magic."

"Whoa… so does that mean that you're also part Abomination? Sorry, is there a nicer term to that?" Lois asked her.

"Relax, being abominable is a compliment to witches," Amity told her. "But no, I'm not part-Abomination. Adam Blight died young and never had children, but his father was remarried to a duchess, which saved the lineage."

"Interesting, and this Adam… he looked like Phil?" Lois asked Amity. "He looked…"

"Normal?" Amity asked. "Yeah, he looked like a normal witch. And… he had a soul. Just like Phil."

"How did that happen?" Lois asked.

"By… accident, actually," Amity admitted while looking over at Phil, who was too busy nodding his head to the music. She sighed and turned back to Lois. "But I didn't realize that he was fully sapient until it was too late."

"Too late?" Amity asked. "What do you mean by that?"

Amity took a deep breath. "Phil actually… died as an Abomination, and it was only right before he died that realized he was… sentient. That he had a soul."

"That… must have been hard on you," Lois realized.

"It was," Amity admitted. "It messed me up for a really long time. Abominations were made to serve witches. They weren't supposed to… have souls, though I do suspect that there are some cases where Abominations have some autonomy. Luz's mom, Eda, once told me about how she started an Abominations revolt once," she mentioned before getting back on topic. "But yeah, I only realized Phil was sentient right before he was petrified and that haunted me until I eventually learned… that I could save his soul, since it hadn't moved on."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Lois asked. "His soul couldn't move on? He was… trapped?"

"Yeah," Amity said while looking down. "He was… trapped. Fortunately, with some help from the Titan, I was able to learn how to save Phil's soul and bring him back to life… as a real witch boy. Some witches are able to transform themselves into Abominations, so I was able to find a way to turn an Abomination into a witch."

"So like… some kind of Pinocchio situation?" Lois asked her, looking both weirded out and oddly curious.

"You know, you're not the first person to make that comparison, but yeah," Amity confirmed. "It is kind of a Pinocchio situation for him. And after I brought him back, I decided that I wouldn't treat him as just another Abomination. I would treat him as my son, take responsibility for him since I was the one to give him a soul, to give him sentience. And I want to give him the best life that I can."

Lois was quiet for a moment while taking this in; processing what she had just been told about Phil's deal. To say the least, she had still been processing the fact that magic was real and now she had to grapple with all this knowledge about witchcraft and how they can make babies out of goop. It sounded almost biblical…

"You're taking it all in, aren't you?" Amity asked her in concern.

"Y-Yeah," Lois responded while rubbing her temple. "Sorry, this is just… a lot."

"It is," Amity acknowledged.

"Okay, so Phil is like, your son basically, making you a teenage mother," Lois said. "And that is concerning but not as concerning as I thought it would. Um, how old is he?"

"Well, about three," Amity admitted. "I don't really know how to exactly determine his age, but that is my best guess."

"Right, so… how has it been since Phil was brought back?" Lois asked her. "How did he take to being… you know, alive?"

"He hasn't really given me any trouble yet," Amity admitted. "He is incredibly well-behaved, but I think that is something he carried over from being an Abomination, since Abominations are supposed to be obedient. My mother has told me that she's actually jealous, since Phil being so well-behaved makes parenting him so much easier." She chuckled a little before continuing. "Over the past few months, I have been spending a lot of my time raising Phil. Being a mom… it is a new experience for me, though so is being a Fae. At least I had some experience being a caretaker, since for a while I had to take care of the baby sister of a friend of mine. Although she had just hatched from her egg-"

"Hatched?" Lois asked.

"Oh yeah," Amity said while rubbing the back of her head. "Not all witches look like me. There are plenty of witches who don't resemble humans at all."

"That is… good to know," Lois said, nodding.

"Anyway, fortunately I do have the help from my family, who sometimes watch Phil over for me so I don't have to spend all of my time with him."

"So your family is totally cool with it?" Lois asked her.

"Yeah. They were shocked at first, but eventually they came around to it," Amity said. "My elder twin siblings in particular absolutely adore him, though they both know that if something were to happen to him while he was under their watch… I'd burn them at a stake," she said nonchalantly, startling Lois. "I actually think that Phil has helped me become even closer to the members of my family, which is good because a few months ago we were in a really bad place, but we have made plenty of progress since then."

"I see," Lois replied. "So… how does Luz feel about it? Like, does she help as well, or-"

"She's okay with it. I mean, Phil is her son as well," Amity pointed out. "Hell, she was the one who gave me the idea to name him Phil Collins Blight."

"Phil Collins… she named him after the drummer from Genesis?" Lois asked her.

"Luz really likes music," Amity said with a smile. "But yeah, Luz wants to be a part of Phil's life, although we have spent most of the last two months apart. That was because we agreed that we had to prioritize different things. I had to stay in the Demon Realm to take care of my son and help my family, while Luz decided to spend the last two months here in the Human Realm, giving her more time with her mom, her godfamily, and her stepfamily."

"Her mom… Luz mentioned being raised by a witch… and you said Eda's that witch, right?" Lois asked her.

"Bingo," Amity said. "Eda raised Luz after she found her when Luz was just a baby. After that, he brought Luz back with her to the Demon Realm and raised her. Luz picks up a lot from her, honestly."

"What's Eda like?" Lois asked her.

"I guess, the best way to describe her is, well…she used to be a huge menace to society and a public menace, but when you get to know her, she can actually be pretty nice, chill, and reasonable," Amity said. "She used to act like she was too cool for everything but deep down she really does care and she helped me a lot over the past summer. Even took me in when things back at home got complicated. For a while… I even saw her as my mom. Of course, that was back when I was having issues with my own mom. Our relationship is better now, but we are still working on some things."

"This Eda does sound nice," Lois replied. "And you said Luz came here to spend more time with her?"

"Not with Eda, she is still in the Demon Realm running her orphanage," Amity noted. "Luz is staying here with her birth mom, who recently came back in the picture."

"Oh? Her birth mom?" Lois asked, very curious.

"Yeah," Amity confirmed. "She is also a pretty nice and cool woman, even if she did have some… trouble adjusting to Luz's new life and finding her place in it. That's why she and Luz both moved here, so they could make up for lost time. And I understood why Luz did it, since even though Eda was the one who raised her, she wanted Camila to be an important part of her life as well." She gave a small sigh and a smile. "I am happy for both Luz and Camila…"

Lois was about to nod, but she caught the mention of Camila's name.

Luz and Camila.

"W-Wait, what?!" she asked, her eyes widening while Amity looked over at her.

"Are you okay, Lois?" Amity asked her in concern.

"Luz… her mom… Camila…" Lois whispered as she started to put two and two together. It was then that it finally clicked in her brain, like she had all of the pieces to solve the puzzle… and she realized that Luz had been her long-lost cousin this entire time…

Over at the check out desk, Ms. Print was stamping some books, enjoying the peace and the quiet now that most of the little kids who had been there earlier had left…

"I'M AN IDIOT!" Lois screamed, which was heard throughout the library.

Ms. Print sighed in irritation and muttered to herself. "Don't these youngsters ever remember to be quiet in the library?"

Back in the comic book world, Kaleb stood between Luz and all of the monsters, hands on his hips until he noticed Luz's reaction to him.

"Luz!" Kaleb exclaimed. "Uh… I can explain." he said sheepishly.

"Save it, Ellis," Luz told him as she got back up after healing herself. "You'll just have all the time you'll need to explain yourself… after we kick some monster butt," she said while punching her own fist.

Kaleb smiled and gave her a nod. "Right," he said as the two stood side-by-side and then flew off the ground to fight the monsters together.

"This calls for some epic background music," Mxy said as he watched them. He snapped his fingers and music began to play. "Now this one's a true classic."

"Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,

I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time!"

They first faced off Titano, who saw the two flying towards him. He tried to swipe at them while they were in the air, but they avoided his swipes while Luz blasted him with several of her spells, distracting the giant ape and giving Kaleb the opening to fly in and deliver a powerful punch to the ape's jaw, knocking him out and leaving his body sprawled out on the the street.

"But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,

I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah."

Luz and Kaleb then flew up to face off against the Super-Creature, who blew flames at them. They split up, Luz drawing more spell circles to create a blizzard attack while Kaleb blew an ice breath towards the beast. They were attacking the Super-Creature from both sides, causing it to roar in anguish before it breathed fire at Kaleb.

"I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,

After all, I know it had to be something to do with you!"

Kaleb used his cape to shield himself from the flame attack, then he began to spin around like a tornado while keeping the cape around him, deflecting and dispersing the flames. Luz took the chance to fly above the Super-Creature before flying down and slamming into the back of the Super-Creature from Krypton, knocking it toward Kaleb, who grabbed its tail and began to swing it around.

"I really don't mind what happens now and then,

As long as you'll be my friend at the end!"

Kaleb swung the Super-Creature until he let go of it, sending it crashing onto the giant ant. The giant ant was immediately squished by the Super-Creature while the Robot-Spider crawled towards them, shooting its lasers at them. Luz and Kaleb flew through the air, weaving and dodging the lasers before they both decided to fly under the spider.

"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?

I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might!

Kryptonite!"

The two flew under the spider as Luz summoned some vines, which Kaleb grabbed hold off as the two used the vines to wrap around the legs of the spider. Once they were done, the spider tripped and fell down, leaving it immobile and vulnerable when both Luz and Kaleb flew up high and then back down at the robot, stomping on it and causing an explosion.

"You call me strong, you call me weak,

But still, your secrets I will keep!

You took for granted all the times I never let you down,

You stumbled in and bumped your headphones."

After flying through the explosion, Luz and Kaleb saw the Arctic Giant roaring at them. Luz landed and pressed her hands on the ground, summoning multiple spell circles underneath the feet of the Arctic Giant. Large vines grew out from the ground, wrapping at its legs together as the Arctic Giant roared and tried to break free.

"If not for me, then you'd be dead,

I picked you up and put you back on solid ground!"

Kaleb then flew up and blew his ice breath in the Arctic Giant's face, stunning it. Luz also began using ice spells on the giant and they could see the beast slowing down as the cold started to take effect. Eventually, the large dinosaur roared in defeat before it fell. It began to struggle to get up, but Luz and Kaleb were quick to knock the Arctic Giant on the head and knock the large prehistoric creature out.

"If I go crazy then, will you still call me Superman?

If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?"

And lastly, they went up against an army of robots. But of course, the robots were no match for the duo. Luz used her spells, impaling the robots with ice spikes or thorns, while Kaleb used his heat vision to obliterate entire groups of robots.

"I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might!

Kryptonite!"

For the last remaining robots, Kaleb destroyed them with his bare fists, punching through them while Luz used her 'WEH' to wipe out several more of them. Eventually, all that was left of the robots were bits and pieces while Luz and Kaleb both stood triumphant over their thoroughly decommissioned foes.

"Wonderful!"

The two turned to see Mxy sitting on a floating couch, wearing 3D glasses while eating popcorn. "Ooh, I see that you already discovered your ice breath and your heat vision! What a treat! And uh, yeah, the literal Batgirl is also good as well. Not bad…"

"Get him!" Luz shouted as she and Kaleb launched themselves towards Mxy, who immediately disappeared from the spot, causing the two to crash onto the couch, popcorn spilling all over them.

"Nah, ah, ah, you'll have to do better than that!" Mxy taunted with a smile, appearing behind them while tilting his finger at them.

"Come back here!" Kaleb shouted as he flew over to grab Mxy, only for him to teleport away.

Luz looked around and saw Mxy sticking his face out of a mailbox. "Over here!" he shouted before he went back in. Luz flew over, grabbed the mailbox, ripped it out of the ground, and began to shake it.

"Where are you?!" Luz shouted while trying to shake the blue imp out of the mailbox, only for it to transform and grow teeth to try to bite at her.

"GAH!" Luz shouted, throwing the mailbox monster away before blasting it with magic for good measure.

"Neither of you are ever going to catch me," Mxyzptlk declared as he made dozens of copies of himself.

"Though you are still welcome to try, Stupidman and Clawdork!" all of the versions of Mxyzptlk declared as they laughed and began to fly around.

"There's so many of them," Kaleb said as he turned to Luz, who began shooting spells at the Mxy clones.

"So what? That just makes it harder to miss!" Luz shouted while shooting spells at the Mxy clones. Every time she shot a Mxy, he exploded into confetti. Luz continued shooting spells until she found herself surrounded by a bunch of Mxy clones who shocked the Titan girl with purple energy. "Yah! Why you-?!"

Kaleb tried to punch through some of the Mxy clones as he chased them around. However, a stop sign suddenly got in his way and he ended up slamming his face flat against it. When Kaleb pulled his face off from the sign, his face was now the same shape of the stop sign, which he realized when he looked at his reflection in a window.

"Gah! What… how did this happen?!" Kaleb asked in shock.

"The laws of physics don't apply when I'm around!" Mxy taunted as he stuck out his overly large tongue at Kaleb before disappearing.

Luz tried to grab the Mxy clones with her vine attacks, but each of them exploded into confetti, much to her frustration. "Grrr, which one is the real damn little imp?!"

"Perhaps we are all the real Mxy?" someone behind Luz suggested.

Luz turned around and saw Mxy wearing a very large hammer over his head.

"The fuck is that?!" Luz exclaimed, seeing how large the hammer was.

"The Hat of Discipline… do you live in a cave?!" Mxy declared before slamming the hammer headset down onto Luz and raising it up to see her turned flat. "Haha! How'd you like that?!"

Luz managed to pull herself up and see what had been done to her. "Shit, I'm Flat fucking Stanley!" she cursed, looking at her own flat hands before getting soap stuffed in her mouth.

"Better wash your dirty mouth," Mxy taunted her, which only made Luz even more mad.

"You are a… wonderful person, Mr. Mxyzptlk," Luz said before reacting in confusion. "Why did I just say that?" She looked up and she saw Mxy messing with her word balloon. "Hey, get away from that!"

"Just trying to make you more family-friendly," Mxy said as he floated away from Luz. "This is an all-ages franchise, after all."

Kaleb continued fighting the other clones of Mxys, who all gathered together and transformed into a large gloved hand with a faded end

"Can you handle the Master Hand?" Mxy spoke from the thumb as the large hand formed a finger gun to shoot at Kaleb, who dodged the blast. However, the large hand then moved faster than he could react and it slapped Kaleb across the street, sending him into a building. When Kaleb got back up, he saw a large frying pan held by the hand, which slammed the frying pan down on him.

"Kaleb!" Luz shouted while Mxy got in front of her. "Haven't you had enough of this?! When will this end?!"

"Sheesh, you're a crabby one," Mxy declared as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Before Luz could attack him, her body suddenly felt a shift as it was surrounded in a cloud of smoke. "What the heck?!" she shouted before she shrank down, and transformed… into a crab.

"How'd you like the new look, Crabthorne?" Myx asked while holding a mirror in front of Luz the Crab.

"WHAT THE FRUIT?!" Luz shouted as she held her pincers up trying to snap at Mxy. "Change me back!"

"Yeah, no," he said before he disappeared, leaving Luz in her current state.

"Wait!" Luz shouted before walking sideways. "Where the heck are you?! And how are you still changing my speech balloons?!"

Meanwhile, Kaleb managed to pick himself back up while facing the large hand. He saw it coming at him at a rapid speed, but Kaleb dodged the hand by flying around it. He then blasted the gloved hand with his heat vision, stunning it. The large hand groaned before it poofed away, revealing multiple Mxy clones that all transformed into rockets that blasted themselves at him. However, Kaleb raised his hands and delivered a clap, sending a loud sonic boom towards the rockets, making them explode on their own.

Seeing no other Mxy clones in the area, Kaleb paused to catch his breath. "I don't see any more of them, Luz," he said as he looked around… before realizing he couldn't see Luz, not noticing the small crab waving up at him from the ground. "Luz? Where are you, Luz?"

"Oh, it is just you and me now, boy in blue," Mxy said as he appeared in front of him, giving Kaleb a smirk.

"What did you do with Luz?!" Kaleb demanded, almost managing to grab Mxy, but Mxy once again teleported just out of reach.

"I wouldn't worry about her," Mxy told him. "You should be more worried about yourself."

"I have no time for your games!" Kaleb angrily declared, which caused Mxy to frown. "I am done playing around with you! Where is Luz!?"

"Oh?" Mxy asked. "You're done? What makes you think you get to decide when we're done? But, if you really do want to stop playing… fine." He grinned. "I'll get serious then."

Kaleb glared at Mxy. "…why? Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"Why, you ask? Simple," Mxy declared while the yellow gem formed into a third eye. His scleras turned black and he started to smile while transforming. "It's because across the multiverse… I am your greatest foe!"

"My greatest… foe?" Kaleb asked as he saw Mxy change into something even more… otherworldly.

"That's right!" Mxy declared while growing in size. His appearance changed into a large, white glowing, shadowy being with purple highlights. Looking at him began to make Kaleb's head hurt. "I am the inspiration for your myths, from genies to leprechauns!" he boasted about himself. "I am feared not just across space, but time as well. The third dimension trembles in my presence! All of the 30th Century knows it! I am a being beyond your comprehension! For I am… Mr. Mxyzptlk, God of Chaos!"

Kaleb looked at the God of Chaos in front of him, growing uneasy. He still had trouble even looking at the God of Chaos, which meant he didn't see the large fist coming at him.

Back on the ground, Luz Crabthorne can only watch helplessly while in her crab form as Kaleb faced off against the Chaos god, using all of his powers from heat vision to ice breath to super speed to super strength. But the God of Chaos was just as strong, just as fast, and just as powerful as Kaleb, sending him into another building.

"Kaleb!" Luz cried out in shock. "Come on, you can take him on!" she shouted before looking down. "Crab, what do I do?" she asked while seeing her reflection in a puddle of water. "I kinda look like… Maya," she said with a bit of sadness. "Shucks, this whole thing is like the Mel situation all over again… but worse."

"Yahaha!"

Hearing the sound of laughter, Luz looked around. "Huh? Who's laughing?" she asked before she saw that the sound of laughter was coming from a nearby movie theater. Confused, she began to crawls towards the movie theater, following the sound of laughter…

Crawling into the theater, Luz followed the source of laughter as she noticed an open theater room, with the sign outside saying 'Greatest Hits'. Inside the room, a film was playing. And watching the film was none other than Mr. Mxyzptlk, different from the one Kaleb was fighting outside.

"Gooohohohohoho! Yes! This is comedy gold!" Mxy laughed while in his seat, watching the film screen showing various clips

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, wait until they see this one!" said a version of Mr. Mxyzptlk on the screen. He had a balding head with orange sided hair, a black bowler hat, pinkish skin, and was wearing a yellow suit with red accents, gloves, belt and boots. He was spinning his eyes around, which caused a roller coaster to fly off the tracks and a swan from a roundabout to fly off while the kids were still in, causing him to laugh.

"Hehehe, ain't I a stinker?" the real Mxy chuckled while Luz watched.

A confused Luz watched more of the clip, seeing a man who had a resemblance to Kaleb, Superman, confront the imp.

"That must be the trouble making imp," Superman said.

"Uh oh, I've been spotted," the redhead imp gulped.

"Now look here, you," the cartoon Superman said as he came up to the imp.

"I never meant to hurt anyone," he replied.

"Just who are you, little man?" Superman demanded.

"My name is Mr. Mxyzptlk," he replied while holding up a business card.

This came to Luz's surprise. 'What? That's Mr. Mxyzptlk?' she thought as she watched more of the clips along with the Mxy watching them.

"Mxy what?" Superman asked, sounding a bit no-nonsense.

"Mr. Mxyzptlk, I came from the 5th dimension," he replied.

"Well do us a favor and go back to your own dimension," Superman told him.

"Well I can only return to my own dimension is to-"

Before this version of Myx could finish what he was saying, it suddenly cut to another clip.

'There's a way to put a stop to this? Sending him back to his dimension?' Luz asked herself, frustrated by the sudden cut.

The next clip played a scene where it shows a gathering of people in an art museum.

"And now, we'd like to present-" a museum guide was explaining.

"McGurk!" a voice shouted.

Luz saw another Kaleb look-a-like in the crowd, though he was not dressed as Superman. He was next to a woman with black hair and lavender eyes. "Oh no," the Kaleb look-a-like said in annoyance.

"Ooh, I love this one!" the Mxy watching these clips shouted as he pointed to the screen. "This is the one where I'm voiced by Gilbert!"

"Mah-Gerk! Where are ya, Mah-Gerk!" shouted the little imp man with a big head, dotted eyes with large eyebrows, a brown bowler hat, and three strings of hair. He wore a purple jacket with a gray vest over his white shirt, a green bowtie, purple pants, and tap shoes. He had a much different, more screechy voice with a hint of New York accent. "Come out, it's getting late!" He marched past the museum guests. "How do ya like that guy? Standing me up like this?"

"Oh, this is one of my best roles yet!" the other Mxy shouted while looking at himself.

"Be quiet," whispered the woman with the Kaleb look-a-like. She sounded annoyed.

"Listen you," the Kaleb look-a-like said as he tried to grab the imp, but Mxy ran away to hide behind the legs of a civilian while blowing raspberries at the Kaleb look-a-like.

"If we may continue?" the museum spokeswoman asked. "And here now at last, the showpiece of our exhibit." The employee pulled the rope, letting the tarp fall to unveil the statue of a man sitting down with his hand under his chin. "Rodin's Thinker!"

"That's him!" Mxy shouted as he pointed at the Thinker while walking towards it. "Hey McGurk! Finish your business and let's get out of here!"

The Thinker then suddenly lifted his head up, surprising the crowd. "Huh? Oh, sorry Mxy," he said as he got up, jumped off from the museum display stand he was on, and began to walk with Mr. Mxyzptlk, surprising the crowd in the museum.

"AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES ARE PRICELESS!" the Mxy in the theater cried out as he slapped the arms of his seat as he laughed from the clip before the film changed to another clip.

Luz found the whole thing ridiculous, but she was starting to figure out just what she was seeing.

"Ooh, this is one of my latest roles!" Mxy shouted as he watched the clip, which showed another Kaleb look-a-like in front of a wall of threads connecting different newspaper clippings on a map of a city.

"And… done!" the Kaleb look-a-like said while looking at the wall he had worked on. "I can do this. It'll be just me, and Lois, and no weird Superman stuff to ruin it, hehe," he said confidently until he heard the doorbell ring.

"Heh, that himbo really jinxed himself that time," the Mxy in the theater said while eating his popcorn, watching the Kaleb look-a-like walk over to the door to answer it. And as he opened it… he found Mr. Mxyzptlk, the same Mr. Mxyzptlk that Luz now knew and loathed, on the other side.

"Superman! I am Mr. Mxyzptlk, an interdimensional peacekeeper, and I need your help!" Mxy claimed in the clip, only for the Kaleb look-a-like to immediately slam the door shut.

"Nope," the Kaleb look-a-like said as he turned around, only for Mxy to appear in front of him with a badge, which reminded Luz of the business card he had in the first clip.

"I'm in charge of the safety of the Multiverse, so I need you to put on your suit and come with me!" Mxy said while pushing the Kaleb look-a-like.

"Ha! He thinks that he could shut the door on me!" the Mxy in the theater laughed while munching on his popcorn before almost choking on it. "Bleh! Got a kernel stuck in there…"

As Luz watched the clip, she noticed how just like this version of Mxy resembled the one that she had met, this Kaleb look-a-like resembled Kaleb the most. Perhaps it was the voice…

"Look, I'm not Superman, I'm just-"

"Mild mannered Clark Kent, wannabe reporter with superpowers," Mxy said while imitating Clark. "Yeah, nice try sport, but I know that Clark is Superman in almost every reality!" He snapped his fingers, putting Clark in his Superman outfit. "Earth-12." Mxy snapped his fingers, changing Clark into the Fletcher Superman. "Earth-50." He snapped his fingers again, this time turning him into the Superfriends's Superman. "Earth-508." He snapped his fingers again, this time turning him into the DCAU's Superman. "Weird Earth." He snapped his fingers again, changing Clark into a crab with a cape. "The works!" He snapped one final time, changing Clark back into his normal outfit.

"How did you… how did you, was I a crab?!" Clark asked in a panicked tone.

"HAHAHAHA! Oh, what a classic! Love his reaction!" the Mxy in the theater laughed in amusement.

"It's not that funny," she muttered.

"Oh, hey, it's you!" Mxy said while turning around, spotting the crab-Luz. He then levitated her up from the floor. "Wanna join me on a watch?"

"Join you? Why would I-?"

"Shh, look," he shushed her while pointing at the screen.

Luz looked at the screen and saw that the clip had changed. Now they were watching the fight between Kaleb and the God of Chaos, the battle sending out shockwaves. "Whoa," Luz said in awe.

"Amazing, right?" Mxy asked while giving a smile. "Look at him, fighting against an interdimensional threat. True cinema, isn't it? Not that they'll ever put me in a movie…"

Luz looked between Mxy and the God of Chaos. "Wait, which of you is-"

"The real deal?" Mxy asked with a shrug. "We both are, I guess."

"…why are you really doing this? Why go through all this for Kaleb?" Luz asked.

"Well, it's simple, really," Mxy said as he leaned back in his theater chair. "Because I did say it earlier… I'm testing him."

"Testing him?" Luz asked him. "For what?"

"I wanted to see if he's up for this line of work," he said with a snap of his fingers. "Because let me tell you, kid, being Superman isn't a walk in the park."

Luz saw the film change and it began to show clips of more variants of Superman. One clip showed him fighting off against a bald man wearing a green and purple armored suit, the two clashing. Another clip showed Superman facing against a stone-skinned alien being, who stood with his arms behind his back and his eyes glowing red. Luz gave a shiver at the sight of the dark figure, who gave an intimidating presence…

"In almost every reality, there's always a Superman," he said. "And that's because… most worlds need a Superman. Superman is a beacon of hope. Someone who inspires and brings out the best in people. He is all about the truth, justice, and the occasional American way, or a better tomorrow. Kaleb is your world's Superman, and being Superman… is a tall order."

Luz saw clips of a rocket ship leaving a planet that exploded as Mxy continued to monologue. "Almost every chapter's the same, with some variation. When he was just a baby, Kal-El was sent from a dying planet in a rocket by his parents who sent him to Earth. He grows up, his abilities develop, and once he learns of his heritage, he decides to use his powers for good." Clips showed many different versions of Superman, some coming out from telephone booths, others just ripping their shirts to show their symbol underneath their civilian clothes. All flew off to save the day. "There are exceptions, of course. Versions of Superman who decide to use their powers selfishly. But those versions sure aren't my Superman."

"Then there are all his enemies that would oppose him," Mxy said as he showed clips of those enemies. "Luthor, Brainiac, Parasite, Toyman, Zod, Darkseid… all have reasons to have beef with the big boy in blue. But… I won't lie. Superman doesn't always win." His expression became sad. "Sometimes… Superman dies."

The next clip made Luz gasp. She saw a variant of Lois Lane wrapping her arms around the bruised and bleeding body of Superman, the two looking at each other while in the middle of a wrecked street.

"Stay with me," the Lois variant pleaded while in tears. "Please, stay with me…"

"That thing… is he..?" Superman asked while laying next to the spiked up gray, hulking monster. Also covered in blood.

"Yes… you did it," Lois told him. "You saved everyone."

"Good… it's all… I ever wanted," Superman said while reaching his hand to Lois's face. "Except for you… what a lucky man… I am…" Tears left his eyes as he slowly closed them…

"What… what is this?" Luz asked in shock. "Who is that monster?"

"Someone that Kaleb could potentially face," Mxy said with a sigh. "It's no walk in the park in being Superman, kid. Some versions of him sacrifice everything to save the world, like this version here. But every Clark Kent I have known has gone through some tough experiences. Some lose their versions of John Kent, some are hated by the public, and that is not even getting into the expectations that the big lug usually places on himself." The next clip showed a variant of Superman laying in the snow in the Arctic, looking badly bruised and coughing up blood. "Superman is the greatest of us… and I'm the schmuck that messes with him."

"You?" Luz asked. "So those clips are-"

"Yup, all me," he replied as he leaned back. "This may be the first time Kaleb has met me, but me and Superman have been going at it for a long time. I have been a part of this since 1944. I was in the comics, the toys, the cartoon show… infinite variations, what is life and death here is pages in a coloring book or a fan fic one dimension over. But it is always me across the multiverse. Since I am from the fifth dimension, I have no variants. Sure, I usually change my appearance to suit the universe I am going into, but it's always me." He turned to Luz. "I wanted to make sure that your Superman, or whatever he goes by, is ready to face what's to come."

They went back to watching Kaleb continuing to fight the other Myx, who knocked him down to the ground.

"Ready to give up?!" the God of Chaos asked.

But Kaleb managed to pick himself up while giving him a glare. "No… I'll never give up to the likes of you!" he declared while flying up and giving Chaos God a powerful punch, sending him flying back.

"He's definitely… inexperienced," the Mxy in the theater admitted. "And a little rough around the edges, but he certainly has the determination of Superman, and the spirit. I think he's going to do okay."

Luz looked at the footage and scoffed in annoyance. "So this whole fight… is merely an act?"

"I'm an interdimensional trickster, what do you expect?" he asked with a smile.

Luz was quiet for a moment, realizing something. "So wait," she said. "The multiverse… is real? It exists?"

"Yep. it exists," Mxy confirmed. "Alternate timelines and alternate Earths that only beings like me can travel to. I've seen so many versions of Superman… but I've never met a Luz Clawthorne." He turned to Luz. "And you do interest me."

"Like, more than Superman?" Luz asked him.

Mxy chuckled. "Don't push your luck, kid. Though, I am curious about your story…"

"I'M AN IDIOT!"

When Lois had screamed, Amity had nearly jumped because of how startled she was. Phil also reacted, having heard Lois screaming over the music he was listening to, and he gave Lois a confused look.

"Lois… what's…?" Amity asked in concern, seeing that Lois was visibly shaking.

"Amity, I need you to answer me one thing… what are Luz and her birth mom's last names?" Lois asked her as she reached over to Amity and held onto her shoulders. "Not the last name she took after she was adopted, the last name she was born with." She looked desperate. "Please…"

Amity was surprised by this and… very confused, but she answered nonetheless. "Noceda…"

"Oh… my… god," Lois said to herself as she let go of Amity and sat back down, placing her hand on her forehead as her body continued to shake. "I can't believe… she was in front of me… and I didn't know…"

"Lois, why are you…?" Amity asked her in confusion. "Do you… know Luz and her mother?"

Lois was quiet for a moment. After a few seconds, she looked up to Amity… and there were tears in her eyes. "Yeah, I do," Lois said as she looked at Amity. "Camila and Luz Noceda… are my cousins."

Amity's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed, standing up from her seat. "You gotta be hexing me… you're Luz's cousin?!"

"Yes," Lois said quietly before she began to explain. "I've known Camila since I was a kid. I was an only child so to me, she was the closest thing that I had to a big sister. We… we used to play Cosmic Frontier together and I would be her ensign," she recalled. "Of course, since I moved around a lot with my dad, I would sometimes go a long time without seeing her. But whenever I did get the chance to see her and spend time with her… it was great. And we did stay in touch even after she went to college, got married, and moved to Connecticut."

"I know about that," Amity replied. "Did you also know Luz's father-"

"Manny, yeah, I knew him as well," Lois said. "I was actually at their wedding. After I heard he died, Camila moved to Minnesota and I was planning on visiting her… but then I heard the news that Camila died in a car crash… and Luz was missing," she said while looking down. "I spent years looking for Luz, believing that she had to be alive. But eventually… I accepted that Camila and Luz were both dead. Or at least… that's what I thought."

Amity looked at Lois and she sighed. "Well, the thing is… Camila was dead."

"You just told me that she recently came back into the picture," Lois pointed out.

"It's… complicated," Amity told her. "Camila did die during that car crash, but she was eventually brought back to life."

Lois blinked. "…how?" she asked Amity.

Amity took a deep breath. "Basically, there's this Loatian God called Baron Samedi, who used his powers over the dead to bring her back to life… in a new vessel. She's… technically a living shadow, although you couldn't tell that from looking at her. I… don't think she likes thinking about what she is. But she is alive."

"A living… shadow?" Lois asked.

While Lois tried to wrap her head around it all, Amity decided it was best not to mention that she had a living shadow, glancing at Sam who looked very interested in the drama with Lois.

"Man, how lucky is that Lois and Luz just happen to cross paths like this by complete chance?" Sam asked Amity.

"It is very remarkable," Amity admitted.

"Huh?" Lois asked.

"Oh, sorry," Amity said. "I was just… thinking about how remarkable it is that your life and Luz's managed to cross by total accident. It was like you were… drawn toward each other. Although… this isn't the weirdest thing to happen in Gravity Falls."

"Yeah," Lois said. "But about Luz… you said that Eda found her?"

"Yeah, Eda found Luz as a baby, she was the one who pulled her out of the wrecked car after Camila died," Amity mentioned, intentionally not mentioning the fact that the car crash was caused by Eda's sister and Luz's aunt. She knew that wasn't something she could just drop on Lois. "Since then, Luz has been living with Eda in the Demon Realm."

"Then… that's why they never recovered Luz," Lois said while thinking this over. "Why I was never able to find her. Because Luz was in another dimension this whole time… and this Eda kidnapped her!" she angrily pointed out while rustling her hair. "God, she didn't even leave any way for her family to know she's alive…"

"Yeah, it's… not a good look," Amity admitted while looking down. "I know Eda means well, but I don't think Eda really thought about the implications of what she was doing when she adopted Luz and she had a bad habit of not really thinking about the consequences of her actions and how they affect other people. She's a little…"

"Stupid?" Lois questioned, putting it very bluntly.

"I would say… ignorant," Amity said. "I think she eventually did realize that what she did was wrong as well, which is one of the reasons why she agreed to have Luz live in the Human Realm with her mom…"

Lois looked down as she thought about all of this. It was… a lot. And if she had been told a week ago that her cousins were alive, with Camila having been resurrected as a shadow person and Luz having grown up with a witch who made questionable decisions, she would not have believed it. But now…

She looked up at Amity. "Please… tell me more. I want to know more. More about Luz and about Camila and even this… Eda."

Amity looked at Lois and nodded. "Well, for starters…"

Meanwhile, Luz was finishing up a story to Mxy.

"And then, before those two old jesters even knew what was happening, their Abomatons went haywire while I sang the old Tunnel song from Willy Wonka," Luz explained while seeing Mxy getting absorbed in the story.

"So wait, wait, you and your girlfriend got like, a faux wedding set up and you spent your bachleorette party pranking your worst enemies?" he asked, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, pranking my enemies is my thing," Luz replied.

"Wow… you just got a little more interesting," he said. "I mean, being a human who was turned into some kind of Titan is one thing, but you… you're a trickster, like me."

"You know, I actually once visited a pocket dimension filled with trickster gods and deities," Luz said. "I never saw you there."

"Eh, I doubt I would get along with them, I barely get along with my own kind," Mxy said with a shrug. "I should tell you about Bat-Mite sometime…"

"Oh, I know Bat-Mite," Luz said before realizing something. "Wait, Bat-Mite is real?!"

"I still don't get how your world has Batman comics in it but not Superman comics," Mxy admitted. "But hey, you're alright, kid," he said as he snapped his fingers.

Luz was then changed from a crab back to her old self, much to her surprised relief. "I'm back!"

"Yeah, well, I've decided to give you a break," Myx said. "So why don't you relax, sit back, and join me in watching Kaleb get his butt handed to him by me. That is, if you promise not to try to punch me."

"Why bother? You'll just poof away like always," Luz said as she sat back, watching the fight on the screen. She watched Kaleb being beaten by the God of Chaos, wincing as she saw Kaleb getting pummeled. "You know, I honestly still don't think I quite get you, Mxy."

"Believe me, kid, you're lucky that you've met me when I'm more… benevolent," Mxy admitted. "You see, time works differently for me, so I've been everything from a harmless prankster to a genuine menace. Superman is both my greatest opponent… and perhaps my greatest friend," he said with sincerity as he continued to watch the battle. "Although Kaleb doesn't seem to be as clever as other Superman variants, since they would have usually outsmarted me by now. I'm a bit disappointed at that… oh fiddlesticks, of course!" He slapped himself in the face.

"What?" Luz asked him.

Mxy sighed. "I forgot to give him the rules."

"Rules? What rules?" Luz asked him.

"Well, usually Superman has to get me to say or spell my name backwards. That sends me back to the fifth dimension and I can't return to his universe for ninety days," he explained.

"Fridge, you serious? So it's kinda like Beetlejuice rules?" Luz asked him. Realizing that her speech was still being censored, she looked up at her speech balloon… and then looked over at his, getting an idea.

"In a way, yeah," Mxy said while watching the fight, not realizing that Luz was taking his speech balloon down. "But don't even try to trick me. I highly doubt that you even know how to spell my name."

"Is it M-Y-X-Z-T-P-L-K?" she asked him

"No, it's M-X-Y-Z-P-T-L-K. You got the letters mixed, but it doesn't matter, since you aren't going to make me say it or spell it," he said while Luz rearranged the letters.

"I think you already did," Luz said after placing the speech balloon back up.

Mxy looked up and his eyes widened at the speech balloon, making him say "Kltpzyxm." He paused, dropping his popcorn while turning to Luz, who gave a mischievous grin. "Oh… you're despicable."

"I know," Luz replied as she waved at him. "TTFN."

Mxy looked down at his feet and saw himself starting to vanish. "Aw nuts…" he said before he completely vanished.

As for Kaleb, he saw the God of Chaos vanish as well before he could deliver another punch.

"Huh?" Kaleb said in confusion before both he and Luz vanished as well…

Back at the library, Luz and Kaleb both popped out from the comic book.

"What the… what happened?!" Kaleb asked as he looked around and then down at himself, seeing that he was back in his civilian clothes. "I'm back to my old clothes… we're back in the library… where's Mr. Mxyzptlk?"

"Kaleb, relax," Luz reassured him while patting him on the back. "I've already taken care of him."

"You did?" Kaleb asked in confusion. "But how? I was just fighting him-"

"Well, you were fighting a copy of Mxyzptlk or something, but I found the real Mxyzptlk watching your battle," Luz explained. "And I found out about his weakness when he told me about the rules he forgot to set for you. Just make him say or spell his name backwards, and the imp is sent back to his fifth dimension." As they got up, she noticed that, instead of an issue of Action Comics #1, there was an Indestructo-Buddies tradeback comic on the floor, which she picked up and put back on the shelf. "I remembered that we were in a comic book, so I rewrote his speech bubble to make him say his name backwards."

"Oh… so I guess it's over, huh?" Kaleb asked her.

"Not exactly. Sure he was sent back to his home dimension, but he told me that would only keep him out of our universe for ninety days , so I'm giving you a heads up for future reference," Luz told him.

"Right… three months from now," Kaleb said.

The two were quiet for a moment, still processing that everything had just happened. As Kaleb looked at Luz, he realized that she now knew… more about him than he would have liked.

"Um, I guess I do have a lot of explaining to do…" Kaleb said, sounding a bit awkward.

"Yeah, you sure do Mr. Superpowers," Luz told Kaleb.

"Right… but not here," Kaleb said while looking around, worried that someone might overhear them. "We should go talk outside."

"Hmm, alright," Luz said with a nod as the two decided to step outside of the library. She then stopped. "Wait, I want to check something first," she said. "Fuck."

"Why did you just curse?" Kaleb asked Luz in confusion.

"Oh, just checking," Luz said as she and Kaleb resumed walking outside.

Once they were outside of the library and in a spot where they could have some privacy, Luz and Kelab began their talk.

"So… Superman," Luz said as she looked at Kaleb. "Mind explaining to me about the whole superpowers thing?"

Kaleb sighed. "Well, for the record, I don't go by Superman," he confessed. "I'm actually… Powerline."

"Yeah, that checks out," Luz said, surprisingly nonchalant about the reveal. "So you're that New York City Super that the news has been talking about lately?"

"Yeah," Kaleb admitted while looking at Luz. "You're… taking this pretty well."

Luz shrugged. "I am from a dimension where everyone has magical powers," she pointed out. "We even have superheroes from where I'm from."

"Wait, you do?" Kaleb asked in surprise.

"Yeah, a group of teens calling themselves LOWTH," Luz explained. "Aka the League of Witches That Help."

"That… is a terrible acronym," Kaleb pointed out.

Luz chuckled. "Yeah, I know," she said. "So about those powers… were you born with them? Or did you get them from an electrical accident or something?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Kaleb admitted. "I have no idea how I got these powers. I guess I was potentially born with them, though they didn't manifest right away. I wasn't like a super strong baby who could lift heavy objects over my head. If I was, I am pretty sure that the orphanage staff would have mentioned it at some point."

"Does anyone know about your powers?" she asked him.

"Only my adoptive parents," he mentioned. "Lois and James, well, they don't know."

"Really? Why haven't you told them about your powers?" she asked him.

"Because… I'm scared and worried," he admitted while looking down. "Scared and worried that they wouldn't see me the same way. I like helping people as Powerline, but I also want a civilian life where I can be seen as… normal. Just a regular old Kaleb Ellis from Tennessee."

"Well, personally I think the whole 'normal' thing is overrated," Luz told him. "Although I don't think I've ever really had normalcy in my life. Take this town, for example. You've seen we got magical creatures here. But even the humans here are really weird, like Toby Determined and Mr. Poolcheck. The people in Gravity Falls are some of the weirdest on the planet."

"Really?" Kaleb asked.

"Yeah," Luz confirmed. "And don't forget, I was also a human raised in a world full of witches and demons. I've never been normal. I was raised in the Demon Realm, I went to a witch school where I learned about magic, I got into a school turf war from a rival magic school. Fuck, I took part in a rebellion against an empire and watched its downfall. And that's just the bread crumbs from what I've been through."

"Bread crumbs?" Kaleb asked in confusion.

"Well, I faced off against a mad goddess, was taken to the Yokai Realm by some mad alchemist, oh, and I have had to deal with dream demons, crazy Fae, corrupt CEOs, and a lot of evil adults have some beef against me. I mentioned that time I met the Headless Horseman, but I also spent another Halloween in a haunted mansion outside of New Orleans."

"Wow, it sounds like you've been through a lot," Kaleb admitted. "I'm surprised that you've kept it all together."

"Yeah… me too," Luz said while looking down. "Though fortunately, I see a therapist and I have a strong support system that I can fall back on, which definitely helps," she mentioned. "I have people in both worlds that care about me. And God, I haven't even mentioned the time that my birth mom, Camila, was brought back to life…"

This did not go unnoticed by Kaleb, who immediately caught the name. "Wait, what?!" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, some Loa spirit called Baron Samedi brought my birth mom back through some voodou shit," Luz said as she gave a sigh. "I don't know who's annoying to deal with, Myx or the Baron,"

"Luz… did you say your mom's name was… Camila?" Kaleb asked her as Luz turned and looked up at him.

"Yeah… why?" Luz asked in confusion.

"Did your mother originally die in a car accident?" Kaleb asked her, sounding serious.

"Y-Yes, she did," Luz answered hesitantly. She wasn't sure that she liked where this conversation was heading. "Why?"

Kaleb looked hard at Luz, as if he was trying to determine if she was being honest with him or was just messing with him for some reason. "Lois… once told me that she had a cousin named Camila who died in a car accident and that Camila had a daughter named Luz who went missing afterwards and was never found…"

"Wait," Luz said, blinking in shock. "Are you being-"

"Your mother's name wouldn't happen to be Noceda, would it?" Kaleb asked Luz.

Luz's eyes widened at that and she fell quiet as the fact that Lois was her cousin began to sink in. Her cousin… that was right now, here. One of her relatives from her mother's side was here… and Luz had no idea!

"I'M AN IDIOT!" Luz screamed out loud, scaring a nearby woodpecker. "How… how could I not realize it sooner?! Titan's crack, mom told me about her before, mentioned that she had a cousin named Lois… that's the same Lois!"

"Okay, okay calm down, Luz," Kaleb told her as he helped calm her down. "I mean, this is good, right? Lois believed that you were dead… but here are you, alive, and you just happen to be in the same town as her. It's amazing!"

"Yeah… amazing," Luz said while looking down, still processing this new information. What were the odds that they would both be in Gravity Falls at the same time? Although, she supposed that tracked with the rest of her luck.

"Look, Lois is still in the library right now," Kaleb pointed out to her. "Do you… wish to talk to her? Because I think she would like to talk to you."

Much to Luz's surprise, she didn't have an immediate answer. Instead, she looked down with an uncertain expression. "I… I don't know," she said while rubbing her own arm. "I will admit, this is something that I've been worried about, meeting my family members from my mother's side. Considering how… wild my life has been." She looked down at the ground. "My mom actually moved here because she couldn't handle my life on the Boiling Isles. And now I know that this whole time I was exposing my own cousin to that wildness without even realizing it…"

"Well, it hasn't scared Lois away yet," Kaleb pointed out.

"Yeah… and maybe she won't be scared away if you came clean to her about your powers," Luz suggested.

The two were silent for the moment, thinking it over. They were both thinking the same thing, about how Lois would react about them.

"I… really do think Lois would want to know," Kaleb brought up. "That you're her cousin, I mean. I think she deserves that closure after years of thinking that you were dead."

"Yeah," Luz said with a sigh. "You're right. I think… I will go talk to Lois." She started to get up. "And don't worry, I'll keep your secret until you're ready to tell her yourself. Your secrets are yours to tell, after all."

Kaleb smiled. "Thanks, Luz, I appreciate it."

"No problem, Powerline," Luz commented. "Although I will admit that you look good in that blue suit with the red cape. It kinda suited you."

"Really?" Kaleb asked.

"Yeah, it… it just looked right," Luz admitted before she remembered something else. "Oh, there is something else, something that Mr. Mxyzptlk mentioned about you, or Superman… he said that Superman was a beacon of hope… and that Superman came from another planet."

"Another… planet?" Kaleb asked as he looked down with a worried expression. "Wait, you mean… I'm an alien?!"

"Potentially," Luz replied as they started to head back to the library entrance. "I mean, I am pretty sure that aliens are real, so maybe you are one and that's where your powers come from…"

Back with Lois and Amity, the latter had just finished telling the former more about Luz, Camila, and Eda. Lois had fallen quiet and was looking down at the floor while thinking about Luz.

"Are you… alright, Lois?" Amity asked her, a bit worried.

"I… I'm just feeling…" Lois said. "I don't know how I feel." She sighed. "I guess I am… nervous because I know that I am going to have to face Luz again, have to talk to her again and… tell her that she is my long-lost cousin." She sighed while shutting her eyes. "After Camila's death, I didn't want to think that Luz was dead. I was in denial and for a while I did try to find her, until eventually… I gave up. I gave up on my baby cousin being alive so long ago and now suddenly it is revealed to me that both she and Camila are alive. And that I found them by complete accident without even looking for them." She looked worried, like she was unsure on what to do with this revelation. "And I'm worried that I might have made a bad first impression on her."

"Hey, it's not too bad," Amity reassured her. "I know Luz and I am sure that she is going to be thrilled to learn that you're her cousin. Look, maybe we could talk to Luz now. Phil and I can go fetch her for you so that you two can talk about this."

Lois thought about it, then looked up at Amity with a smile. "Thanks, Amity. I… appreciate this. I really do. You can go ahead. I just need to wrap up here first."

"Alright," Amity said as she stood up and then picked up Phil. "Come on, Phil. Let's go find Mama," she told her son.

"Mama," Phil repeated with a nod as he and Amity left the archives, leaving Lois behind to clean up after herself.

Once they were gone, Lois went to return the documents to where she had found them and collect up the notes she had made. She looked over some of them as she collected them, but as she cleaned up, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

"Kaleb?" Lois assumed based on how heavy the footsteps sounded. "You are not going to believe what I just-"

But before Lois could turn around or even finish speaking, she felt something be placed over her mouth. Lois immediately began to struggle, but the person behind her had a tight grip on her and she realized that the piece of cloth over her mouth was dosed in chloroform…

…knocking her out.

Elsewhere in the library, Amity and Phil were looking for Luz, eventually spotting Luz walking up to them with Kaleb behind her.

"Luz! There you are!" Amity called out.

"Ams! You're not going to believe what I've learned!" Luz shouted as the two rushed over to each other.

"First, there's something I need to tell you," Amity told her.

"You too?" Luz asked. "Okay, but what I learned is shocking…"

"Not as shocking as…"

"Lois is your/my cousin!" Amity and Luz said in unison, much to their mutual shock. "Wait, you already know?!"

"How… how did you know that?" Luz asked Amity.

"I was talking to Lois back in the archives and she told me that she's Camila's cousin after I told her about Camila," Amity said. "You?"

"I told Kaleb about my mom as well," Luz said as she pointed back at Kaleb, who gave a small wave. "He explained to me that not only did he know about mom's death and how I went missing, but he also told me that Lois is my cousin."

"Huh, I guess we're all on the same page then," Amity said before realizing something else. "Wait, where have you been, by the way?"

"Oh, I ended up on an adventure with Kaleb," Luz said while pointing back at him.

"Uh, hey," Kaleb said while waving to Amity and Phil.

"But I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I need to see Lois," Luz said.

"Yeah, I think she is still in the archives," Amity said as she began to lead the way, Luz and Kaleb following her to the archives.

"Look what I made, Luz," Phil said as he held up his paper plate for her to see.

Luz took a look and saw that Phil had made a family portrait out of macaroni and she was able to identify herself, Amity, and Phil. She smiled.

"Ooh, I love this, Phil," Luz commented while affectionately rustling his hair. "We got a little artist right here."

Phil smiled at this. "Thanks, Luz," he said.

Once they made it back to the archives, Amity called out for Lois. "Lois! I'm back!" she announced as she, Luz, and Kaleb looked around for Lois. "Lois?"

"Is she here?" Luz asked before she noted some papers that had been dropped onto the floor. "What the…"

Looking worried, Kaleb went to where the notes were scattered. "Lois?!" he asked as he also saw that Lois's bag was on the floor, its contents spilled out everywhere. He, Luz, Amity, and Phil saw the mess, but Lois was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Lois?" Luz asked as they all began to feel a sense of dread building up and Luz recalled the warning that she had given Lois, about how Lois could get in trouble for snooping around…

Luz, Amity, and Kaleb then shared a look as they all reached the same conclusion about what had happened here.

Lois… had been taken.

Meanwhile, Clara and Abigail had met up with each other for the first time since that morning. Having spent most of the day with their own friends, mother and daughter now walked together, heading home while sharing the events of their day with each other.

"An antique shop?" Clara asked, after hearing about her mom's day.

"Yes, I didn't buy anything though," Abigail mentioned. "I didn't want to risk buying a cursed item and bringing it into our house."

"Do you really think he was selling cursed items?" Clara asked.

"Possibly, though not necessarily intentionally," Abigail told her daughter. "But in this town, you never be too safe about what you buy, especially if it seems old or antique…"

"Yeah, that seems like a good philosophy to have," Clara said with a nod. "Luz actually once told me a story about how Stanley bought cursed wax figures at a garage sale and they later came to life and tried to kill the Pines family."

"…and that is exactly why I didn't buy anything," Abigail said while they continued to walk. "So how about you, Clara? How was laser tag with Luz and your friends?"

"Oh, we had so much fun there!" Clara replied enthusiastically. "I mean, yeah, this wasn't my first time playing laser tag. But it was my first time with all of Luz's friends there. Ivy was a bit over dramatic, while Boscha ended up being the undefeated champion, but I had so much fun with everyone!"

Abigail smiled, glad to see that her daughter had so much fun. "I'm glad to hear that, Clara. What else happened there?"

"Oh, Gus went off with a girl," Clara revealed, surprising Abigail.

"Which Gus?" Abigail asked.

"Gus Gordon," Clara explained. "He recognized a girl that was at the laser tag place, went to talk to her, and they both left together."

"Huh," Abigail said, wondering to herself if Nora knew about this.

However, her thoughts shifted as they arrived home and Abigail opened the door. Both she and Clara froze in the doorway, looking shocked by the sight that greeted them.

Their home was a wreck. The coffee table was knocked over, some of the glass from the china cabinets was broken, a lamp was knocked over, the TV had fallen down, the kitchen looked like a mess with food everywhere, and the blinds had been ripped down.

"What… what happened to the house?!" Clara exclaimed in shock.

"Someone must have broken in," Abigail realized.

Clara then gasped. "Harvey, I need to see if he's alright!" she shouted while rushing to her room.

"Wait, Clara!" Abigail shouted. She was worried that the intruders might still be in the house and she attempted to stop her daughter, but then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "What the…" she said as she walked over to the couch in the living room.

She looked at the couch pillow, noticing the end of something sticking out of the pillow. She grabbed it, gave it a tug, and pulled it out to look at it…

It was a crossbow bolt that had a golden shaft and a golden point. Abigail examined the crossbow bolt in her hands and she frowned, not liking the implications at all.

As she studied the crossbow bolt, Clara came back down with Harvey in her arms. She looked relieved. "I found Harvey in his box, thank goodness he's safe and unharmed," she said while looking at her mother's back. "I think we should call the police…"

"No," Abigail said while turning to Clara. "Clara, listen to me very closely, I need you to go over to Camila's house and stay with her for a few hours."

Clara was surprised by this, but she didn't object. She could tell that her mother was being serious and she knew by this point to trust her. "Alright," she replied with a nod. "Come on, Harvey," she told her pet rabbit, carrying him as she headed out of the house and walked over toward Camila's house.

Once Clara was gone, Abigail looked out the window, making sure that her daughter was heading to the Noceda house. Once she had confirmed it, she waited for a few moments, then looked down at the crossbow bolt in her hands and gave a sigh…

"I know you're here," she spoke up while remaining still. "Just show yourselves, there is no reason to hide from me when I know exactly what you are."

After waiting another moment, two invisible creatures suddenly turned visible in front of Abigail. They were both incredibly small and hovering off the ground with their wings, though Abigail didn't look surprised in the slightest to see them.

The first of these creatures was an anthropomorphic sheep with white freckles, dark periwinkle skin, and paler periwinkle short hair that puffed upwards. He had periwinkle eyes with lighter upper eyelids. His outlines and eyebrows were colored in the shade of dark purple and he also sported a white holo hovering above his head and a pair of two-toned periwinkle feathered wings on his back. His legs were light periwinkle with white round markings and dark periwinkle heart-shaped hooves. He wore an outfit that was a long-sleeved light blue turtleneck with a periwinkle-and-white-striped bowtie.

The second of these creatures was a short anthropomorphic cat with pink fur. She had hot-pink highlights with violet eyelids and lilac eyes. She had a dark triangular nose and a truffle of short gray pink hair, with the same color tips on her ears. She also had a gray pink tip on her tail along with her lower paw-feet. She wore a red sweater with a dark-red belt with a gray yellow belt, and a short red sweater skirt. She also has bright two-toned white-pink feathered wings on her back, with a white halo above her head.

These two were Cherubs, members of a subspecies of angels from Heaven. And Abigail seemed to be familiar with them, particularly the pink cat cherub.

"Hi, Abby…" the cat cherub waved at her with an awkward and nervous expression.

Abigail narrowed her eyes at her, making the cat cherub flinch with her glare. "Wimzy…"

My Adventures with Kaleb Ellis

Contents

Synopsis[]

Plot[]

Cast[]

Trivia[]

Allusions[]

Errors[]