Vaudevillain

Dr. Zlo walked into the old heroes guild with The Imp in tow and a spring in his step. All eyes were turned on the villains, the scuffle outside alerting them to the group's presence. Scared employees cowered with a few of the guests, though most stood defiant in the face of Dr. Zlo's arrival. No doubt they were confident in the heroes stationed around the area.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Dr. Zlo announced, throwing his arms wide as he stepped in. "Meet your new leader of Sleepless City!"

Gasps of surprise and disgust echoed around the room.

"We'll never let you!" One of the party-goers shouted.

Dr. Zlo turned to the speaker, "Come now, the change in leadership can't be that distressing? I promise to be a fair and just ruler. I even brought snacks for the party. Sweet Dream, show them the snacks!"

Dr. Zlo gestured to his villainous friend. The woman smiled, walking forward with bags of cookies in her arms. "A gesture of goodwill," she said. "From us to you."

"We won't take it!" a man shouted. "You've obviously done something to it!"

Dr. Zlo laughed, "Come now. There's no need to be suspicious!"

"How can we not be suspicious?" One of the gala women said. "You're dressed in suck tacky clothing."

The villain frowned, "I see that you don't wish to cooperate. Perhaps I can persuade you. Zlo-Mite? Be a good kid and give them a demonstration of what happens if they don't obey."

Before Dr. Zlo's miniature copy could reply, a group of heroes crashed through the double doors from the kitchen.

"That's enough!" the leader said. "You won't terrorize these innocents any longer, Dr. Zlo!"

Dr. Zlo whirled to face the intruders, smiling once he saw them. "Ah, Psy-Ops and friends. How nice of you to join us. Are you here to watch as I'm given the keys to the city?"

"We just said we're here to stop you!" Yuppie yelled.

Riptide shook his head, "No, you said we won't terrorize innocents, which we weren't doing, dudes. These guys are all rich. None of them are innocent."

"He's got a point," Sweet Dream commented. "In fact, you should be thanking us. We're doing your job for you."

"Don't try to twist this," Fursation said.

"He's right," Dr. Zlo agreed. "I despise the idea of doing anything good, even accidentally. What we're doing is downright dastardly, cruel, and mean. And it's too bad you won't be able to stop us!"

With a maniacal laugh, Dr. Zlo fired a laser, signaling the start of the fight. Psy-Ops instantly twisted out of the way, dodging the strike with space to spare and rushing at Dr. Zlo. Fursation and Sweet Dream used the time to transform, changing into an earthen bear and chocolate monstrosity. The two supers rushed at each other, clashing in a blast of dirt and chocolate. Yuppie took to the skies, Riptide surfing up beside him and lashing out with a punch. The hero caught it in his hand, deflecting the blow to the side.

"Zlo-Mite, make sure our guests enjoy their treats," Dr. Zlo said to The Imp. "We'll deal with these interlopers. I have a hunch your powers won't work on them."

"You got it!" The Imp cheered. The NPC turned to the party-goers, a wicked smile on their face that rivaled Dr. Zlo's. "Sir Destructo, Lady Dynamite, round them up! Greeney, make sure no one steps out of line!"

The Imp's transformed "friends" obeyed, corraling the guests into a circle. A few of the guests tried to be brave, but they were quickly shut down by The Imp's reality-warping powers. More toys joined Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite, The Imp adding to his collection.

"I'm so glad dad let me keep all these toys," The Imp said out of Dr. Zlo's earshot. The warper had promised not to call the villain dad, but what Dr. Zlo didn't know would hurt him.

"Okay," The Imp said once the guests were in a circle. "We're going to have a lot of fun! I brought cookies! Who wants them?"

None of the guests answered.

The Imp pouted, "No one wants a cookie? But dad made them himself and everything."

"Not your dad!" Dr. Zlo shouted.

"Oops," The Imp said, sheepish.

One of the party guests stepped forward, "Look, kid. Can't you just let us go? We're all full from eating already."

"Nonsense!" The Imp answered joyfully. "There's always room for dessert."

"I have cavities. I can't eat sweets," another guest said.

"I can fix that!" The Imp said. The guests soon found themselves with new sets of sparkling teeth.

"Now you can eat all the cookies you want!"

"I don't like cookies?" another guest made a lame excuse.

The Imp started to pout, "I'm starting to think you don't want our cookies."

The various guests started to sputter, their terror visible as they tried to make excuses.

"Um…"

"Well,"

"That is…"

"Say no more!" The Imp said. "I just know you'll love these cookies! Here, I'll help you eat them!"

The Reality warper again activated their powers, and the guests watched in trepidation as the cookies grew cartoonish arms and legs. The animated confections pulled at the confines of their bags, popping them open and leaping over the edges. From there, they marched off towards the guests. A few tried to run in terror, only to fall to The Imp's toys. The guests could do nothing but wait as the cookies marched toward them.

While this went on, Dr. Zlo fought against Psy-Ops, the two supers clashing against each other. Psy-Ops had pulled out one of his many swords, using it to parry Dr. Zlo's cane as the villain struck. Periodically, Dr. Zlo unleashed a blast of nanobots, trying to direct them into Psy-Ops to finish him off. Psy-Ops never let it happen, activating an EMP device the hero kept on hand for moments like these.

Beside the two fighters, Sweet Dream and Fursation faced off, the two hulking figures slamming into each other like wrestlers. Sweet Dream attempted to use her chocolate to incapacitate Fursation, but the hero made sure to cover his mouth with an earth mask, preventing any chocolate from coming through. Seeing her assault didn't work, Sweet Dream switched over to launching chocolate monsters. The small globs formed around her, rushing Fursation and attempting to get around his mask.

Riptide and Yuppie flew through the old heroes guild, trading blows and energy blasts as they weaved between each other in the air. The two looked evenly matched. Riptide's power allowed him more maneuverability, surfing around and on Yuppie's energy blasts, but Yuppie had more durability. Riptide's attacks glanced harmlessly off of Yuppie's shields, the villain unable to breakthrough.

Riptide changed up his tactics, leading Yuppie outside and changing from his rocket board to his magma one.

"Let's see how you deal with this, dude!" Dr. Zlo heard the surfer yell.

The villain didn't have time to see what his companion did, as Psy-Ops rushed him at that moment. The hero swung high, forcing Dr. Zlo to block with his cane. Surprisingly, the sword bit into the villain's invention, chipping a piece of it off. Grunting, Dr. Zlo shoved the sword aside, a scowl on his face.

"What is that thing made of?" Dr. Zlo complained. "Nothing should be able to break my weapons!"

"The perks of combat powers," Psy-Ops said. "Now take this!"

The hero lunged at Dr. Zlo, his sword pointed at the villain's neck. Thinking quickly, Dr. Zlo activated his rocket boots, leaping away from his foe and reassessing the battle. Sweet Dream and Fursation were still locked in combat, the two supers trading blows. Neither could get a hold onto the other, leaving the fight in a stalemate.

"Don't get distracted!" Psy-Ops warned.

Dr. Zlo turned to see the hero jump towards him, springing up far higher than the villain thought possible. A flash from Psy-Ops' shoes indicated the move wasn't from a power. Once again, Dr. Zlo retreated, letting Psy-Ops fall back to the ground.

"We're not done yet!" The hero announced.

Suddenly, Psy-Ops kicked the air, leaping up toward Dr. Zlo one more time! The villain retreated in surprise, firing a laser from his monocle. Psy-Ops deflected the blow with his sword, again jumping mid-air to follow the villain.

"Jump boots?" Dr. Zlo said with surprise.

"The newest invention from Yuppie!" Psy-Ops said proudly. "Had to find some way to contend with you."

"No one can contend with me!" Dr. Zlo shouted, throwing his arms wide and unleashing a blast of adhesive from his cane. Psy-Ops jumped once more, leaping over the incoming stream like a frog. He arrived next to Dr. Zlo once more, brandishing his sword. Dr. Zlo kicked out in response, striking the hero's shin and knocking him to the side.

The attack sent Dr. Zlo recoiling back, the villain needing to steady himself.

"It seems you leave me no choice, Psy-Ops!" Dr. Zlo said. "It's time to bring out the big guns!"

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