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andrewmoocow · 24 days ago

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Rick and Haruko chapter 5: Wubba Lubba Dub Dub (originally published on June 1st, 2025)

Author's Note: Bet you didn't expect a new chapter to come out so soon, given my current status, huh? I've practically made it my mission to neglect as many of my stories for as long as humanly possible, but now, I feel like I have just a little motivation back to finally do something other than nonstop college assignments. Anyways, last time on Rick and Haruko, our dynamic duo, along with Birdperson and Squanchy, have matched wits with Medical Mechanica once again. This time, the Lord Superior Officer Demido Kuriya shows how truly evil he can be through eagerly endangering the people of Canfodd Island, and Haruko is pushed to her limits on what she'll do to find Atomsk. Meanwhile, Rick has begun formulating some kind of plan that will involve Medical Mechanica somehow. How will this affect his father-daughter bond with Haruko, you may ask? Well, if you've seen Fooly Falls 2, you might get a good idea of what's to come, but the rest will be saved for the final chapter! I still can't believe this adventure is almost over and we can finally move onto bigger and grander things. Now then, let's get back to Rick and Haruko's shenanigans.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a small desert planet known as Tatooine, situated in the Outer Rim, famous for its two suns, moisture farms, and the abundance of scum and villainy that inhabited the planet. One such wretched hive where the criminals of the galaxy would thrive was Mos Eisley Spaceport and its local cantina, where the Flesh Curtains have made their base of operations during their stay on Tatooine.

"Damn, do those Bith ever play more than just the one song?" Haruko said as she watched Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes play their signature song, "Mad About Me," for the shady patrons having a drink at the bar or making insidious deals in the booths.

"I mean, it's the one song that everyone associates with the band." Squanchy added. "I'm sure they got tons of other tunes, but this is the most famous."

"Both of you, shut it!" Rick ordered the pair. "Okay, gang, here's what our next show is going to look like. We'll be heading to Castle Wyvern in Dimension W-994 to perform for the princess's birthday. However, this is a very special castle that's protected by real as shit gargoyles who turn to stone by day and come to life at night! How badass is that?!"

"Wait, how did we get hired for this job?" Haruko wondered. "Like, what time period is this?"

"Don't think about it," Rick replied. "Anyways, this guy calling himself the Archmage wants us to perform as a little surprise for Princess Katharine. That's Katharine with two A's, by the way, and maybe we can meet the gargoyles defending the place, too. Anybody got that?" His three bandmates nodded in reply. "Good."

"Hey, anybody gonna check up on that creepy lady in the hood over there?" Haruko asked as she walked over to a woman in a hood drowning her sorrows at the bar. "Hey, creepy lady, why are you wearing a hood?"

"What's it to you, little girl?" the woman snarled as she glared daggers at Haruko, revealing that she had bone-white skin and icy blue eyes before revealing her red lightsaber to the young Wasprian. "Anything you want out of me?"

"C'mon, what's with the hood? Got some embarrassing tattoo on your head, a wart, a hole in your brain?" Haruko continued badgering the woman while Rick began shaking in fear of her presence. "Come on, show me, show me!"

"Haruko, get the goddamn hell out of there; that's Asajj Ventress; she's a Nightsister from Dathomir who worked for the Emperor!" Rick muttered panickedly as he grabbed Haruko by the shoulders and pushed her away. "Excuse my daughter here, ma'am. She has a habit of asking random people annoying questions."

"Rick Sanchez, I've heard rumors that you were on this planet." Asajj said menacingly as many of the cantina's other patrons all turned to glare at the Flesh Curtains. "Someone has placed a bounty on your heads here, and all of us are looking to claim it."

"Dammit, that's the second time we got a bounty in another dimension!" Rick groaned in irritation. "Hey Birdperson, did our bounty in Dimension D-722 go up after we made that prank Buster Call?"

"Very much." Birdperson bluntly replied.

"Listen, lady, we can see you're a very busy woman, so we're just gonna kindly pack up our things and get the hell outta here with our tails between our legs." Rick declared before the Flesh Curtains all immediately bolted for the entrance. "FUCK!"

"After them!" Asajj yelled as she and the other cantina patrons all gave chase to the band all over Mos Eisley, using everything in their power to claim the bounty for themselves.

"When I get the girl, I'm gonna become filthy rich!" a Corellian bounty hunter named Dengar said excitedly.

"Get lost; I hear Jabba's in the market for a new slave girl!" the fearsome Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk responded while shoving Dengar out of his way before the two were suddenly pushed aside by the legendary Duros cowboy Cad Bane.

"No need, you two, I shall take care of them." Cad Bane said coldly as the bounty hunters all stopped their chase and watched Bane enter a standoff with the Flesh Curtains.

"Richard Daniel Sanchez. It has been a while, my alcoholic friend." He greeted Rick politely, almost like the two were old friends. "The board of directors at Medical Mechanica have hired me to bring you and your band in so they can hand you over to the Council of Ricks. As for what will become of your companions, especially the last daughter of Wasprus in your custody there, well, let's say that some things are better left to your twisted imagination."

"Look, Bane, you do anything you want to me; just leave my gang outta this." Rick belched in defiance while pulling out his Rickenbacker. "Especially Haruko here. She's got a bright future ahead of her, and I ain't letting assholes like you cut it short."

"Don't worry, Rick, my clients shall take good care of Miss Raharu," Cad replied with a sadistic sneer while unholstering his gun. "I wonder what kind of cybernetics they'll outfit her with, though? The sky is practically the limit with their brand of technology."

Rick grimaced and prepared for a fight before Haruko suddenly stopped him and took the Rickenbacker out of his hands, intending on dual-wielding it with her Flying V. "Stand aside, pops, I got this covered." Haruko then stood face to face with Cad Bane in a classic Wild West standoff, with her as the good and Bane as the bad. Neither of them was quite sure which one of them was the ugly one yet.

"Ah, so that's your choice of weapon, I see." Cad smirked while slowly drawing his signature LL-30 blaster pistols and pointing them at his opponent. "I must warn you, though. You may consider yourself an unpredictable opponent, but I have been in this business for many years. I'm used to these kinds of targets."

"Me too." Haruko declared as she pulled a ripcord on the back of the Rickenbacker and prepared to take a swing at the legendary bounty hunter.

"Wait, when did she put that there?" Rick asked before Cad Bane fired his pistols, only for Haruko to swing the guitar to deflect the blast and send the lasers that the bounty hunter fired into a balcony where a Wilhelmite let out a very distinct scream as he fell to the sandy ground.

"Have to admit, I did not see that coming." Bane smirked with intrigue before switching his pistols for a pair of flamethrowers built into his gauntlets to keep Haruko at bay. Unfortunately for Bane, the Vespa Woman was quicker on her feet than he realized as she fired bullets from her Rickenbacker at the bounty hunter, intending to hit him in his breathing tubes if not for Bane trying to dodge every attack. "You're giving me quite a rush, Vespa Woman! But it won't last long!"

"Quick, guys, while he's distracted!" Rick belched as he, Birdperson, and Squanchy tried looking for a way to escape before Asajj suddenly cornered them. "Oh right, I almost forgot you were making a cameo here. Was really hoping for an appearance by a real Glup Shitto guy, like the host of that Star Wars-themed kids' game show who saved Grogu."

"Enough of your nonsense, Rick!" Ventress exclaimed while drawing her lightsaber. "You're a wanted man, you and your little band. Medical Mechanica has issued a manhunt for you four across the galaxy. I can only imagine their surprise when they learn you've been hiding out on a backwater moisture-farming planet like this one."

"Trust me lady, this planet's gonna become very important in a couple years or so." Rick declared. "But that reminds me, you may have forgotten one thing about us here. I call Birdperson that name for a reason."

Birdperson then let out a loud squawk as he spread his wings and flew away with Rick and Squanchy in his arms. Despite Asajj's attempts at stopping their flight using her control over the Force, Birdperson slowly grew too far away for the Nightsister to capture him while Rick snatched up Haruko mid-showdown with Cad Bane. "And that's the way the news goes! WHOO!"

"So, where did you park our ship?" Haruko asked while looking at Mos Eisley from above. "Hopefully it can't be too far away, or those damn Jawas haven't taken it."

"Look, there they are over there!" Squanchy exclaimed, pointing at a group of Jawas laughing like drunken college boys as they boarded the Rick-stery Machine and drove out of Mos Eisley. "Those squanching tech thieves! I outta shove a wire hanger up their asses when I get my squanching paws on them!"

"Easy, Squanchy, we can still chase them." Rick stated, cuing Birdperson to land the band near a junk dealer where they easily found something to chase the Jawas with.

"Hey, that's mine!" the Toydarian junk dealer Watto wailed in anger as the Flesh Curtains made off with a landspeeder.

"Lick lick lick my balls, you Jewish stereotype alien!" Haruko cackled while flipping the flying alien the bird. "Wubba lubba dub dub!"

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Watto muttered to himself. "I mean, what's a Jewish?"

Elsewhere, Cad Bane stood on top of a tower as he spied on the Flesh Curtains escaping via landspeeder through his binoculars with a smirk on his face, respecting Haruko's abilities as he spoke into his wrist comm. "I have unfortunate news to report, Mr. Lord Superior Officer. I was unable to capture those Flesh Curtains as you requested. I suppose you'll have to take the money you owe me and take your business elsewhere, yes?"

"Don't get too disappointed yet, Mr. Bane." Demido Kuriya answered. "You may not be getting the reward I promised you, but allow me to offer something far greater than fortune. I wish for you to keep an eye on the Medical Mechanica factory I am installing here on Tatooine, along with the Pin, which is not too far away. Succeed, and you will get those credits I owe you. Do we have a deal?"

"Affirmative." Bane grinned greedily as he hung up on the corrupt CEO of Medical Mechanica.

"Out of all the bounty hunters I have enlisted in this galaxy, I think Bane might be my favorite." Demido declared as he ended his call with Cad Bane and continued overseeing the Pin installation with Yamaguchi. "All of you, keep working! I want this Pin ready on the double! And I also want to ensure no one in the galaxy ever discovers its true programming."

"Uh, sir, if I may ask one question," one cyborg construction worker with a skinny frame and a reedy voice said to his boss. "what are these Pins for, and why are we installing them in every universe that Rick just so happens to be in."

"I suppose I've kept the explanation to myself for long enough." Demido answered the construction worker. "These aren't just any ordinary pins. They were built specifically to assist our factories in smoothing out the worlds they have been installed on. And when the time comes, and I have attained the power I have only dreamed of for so long, my mechanical army shall be unleashed, and they will stop at nothing until everything in their path has been destroyed and the irons can smooth out all that try to resist them without issue. I can see it all now."

Demido then began projecting a holographic film from his cybernetic eye, smirking as he watched his endless armies of Medical Machines, ranging from the size of a normal human to large enough to tear down buildings by simply walking into them, were unleashed upon every universe as the irons activated. Like Moses unleashing the plagues upon Egypt when Ramses refused to let his people go, the Medical Machines showed no mercy as they descended upon every conceivable dimension, destroying everything and everyone in their path as the irons smoothed everything flat.

The construction worker began tugging nervously at his collar as he watched the film, getting especially nervous at various heroes and even a few villains trying desperately to fight back. In one universe, five courageous teenagers with attitude in bright-colored spandex costumes summoned a giant robot for them to pilot, and the robot tried pushing the iron back with its bare hands. But even as the iron began pushing back and seemed ready to crush the giant robot, the teen heroes refused to give up without a fight as another teenage hero dressed in green appeared in a giant reptile-like robot to try to even the odds.

In another universe, a blue hedgehog who looked like he was running faster than either the speeds of light or sound was in a fierce battle against a Medical Machine that was just as cool & blue as he was by copying the hedgehog's speed. Given how much of a daredevil he was, the blue hedgehog saw this as a challenge as he received backup from a two-tailed yellow fox, a red echidna, and a pink hedgehog wielding a massive hammer. Meanwhile, another hedgehog with black and red fur prepared to launch a field of overwhelmingly powerful energy against an army of machines. Still, to his shock and horror, the Medical Machines were able to do the same and used it to completely overpower him. But that wasn't going to stop the black hedgehog as he removed the golden rings on his wrists to increase his power and further even the odds.

The third universe was host to a young man in a yellow, blue, and black costume fighting alongside a red-haired woman dressed in pink against the Medical Machine horde. Even though the man was brutally injured, almost to the point of dying, he just kept getting back up because no matter what happened to him, his fighting spirit and desire to protect the innocent above all else kept him going. Nearby, a white-haired man in a suit with a distinct scar on his face was just about ready to die from his injuries sustained from an earlier fight, but he decided to use his last moments to buy a group of other heroes time to escape while he stood alone against overwhelming odds.

As for the fourth universe, it was like all the others, with heroes coming together to face impossible odds and defend the innocent no matter the cost. Only this time, the heroes in question were giant alien robots armed with heavy weaponry and the ability to change their forms into cars, trucks, planes, and other kinds of machinery. One group of these alien robots was led by a red, white, and blue robot who issued orders to his fellow machines, speaking with a commanding yet compassionate, wise, and honorable voice that demonstrated how he was strong enough to be gentle. On the other side, another alien robot who was colored gray, black, and red with piercing red eyes fired at the Medical Machines with a massive laser cannon attached to his arm, showing no mercy to the invaders as he barked at his minions to rise up and throw everything they've got at Medical Mechanica. Unfortunately, like the previous three universes, it seemed like the end for both sides.

The fifth universe was no different. This was another world of superheroes, but this time, the Medical Machines were somewhere in Japan, surrounding two teenage boys. One had green hair and a matching-colored costume that seemed to spark with green electricity, while the other had blonde hair and could generate explosions from his hands. Three other teens would soon join them. One of them was a girl who could manipulate gravity by merely touching the robots. One was a young blue-haired man in glasses and a suit of armor who ran at supersonic speeds, not unlike the hedgehog. The fifth had hair that was red on one side and white on the other, and he could generate both fire and ice. Across Japan, multiple other superheroes and even a few supervillains, each with their own quirky powers, were doing what they could to defend their world from the mechanical invaders. One villain, in particular, reminded Demido of Repre, a young man who could decay anything he touched and had shaggy blue hair, pale skin, and a twisted smile on his face as he reveled in the chaos around him.

In the sixth and final universe that the construction worker was forced to observe, he was almost entirely taken by surprise by the fact that it was a fantasy land inhabited by pastel-colored ponies that nearly looked like children's toys. It was even more surprising to him that one of them, a winged and horned pony with a purple coat, dark purple hair with a pink stripe, and strange star-like markings on her flank, was fighting valiantly against Dantedy, one of Medical Mechanica's board of executives, using extraordinary magical abilities. Meanwhile, in this mystical land, five other ponies of equally distinct colors were fighting to defend their small village home as an iron powered through, ready to crush the entire village and every pony living there flat. But these five ponies weren't so scared, for as long as they had each other and the literal power of friendship empowering them, they could overcome any obstacle. Or at least, that's what they so believed. As the Medical Machines completely overpowered the ponies, Demido and Repre watched from high above, Repre letting out a deranged, sadistic cackle as he reveled in the ponies' pain and suffering while Demido sneered behind him. Behind them both, a tall, muscular silhouette with piercing red eyes raised his arm, ordering demonic aliens to descend from glowing white portals to raze this cutesy fantasy land.

"This is what I have plotted for so long, my friend." Demido declared. "With the unstoppable power of Medical Mechanica, I will burn this multiverse to the ground, wipe the slate clean, and in its place, I shall rule a new multiverse. It shall be a multiverse of silence, a multiverse of total, unquestioned order where all will no longer have any autonomy or the freedom to make choices. A multiverse where war, tragedy, heartbreak, betrayal, and discord shall be things of the past. That is the multiverse I long to rule as its god-king."

"But that's just horrible. Your plans are horrible!" the construction worker gasped in horror at the destruction and death he was witnessing in the hologram. All of these worlds, all filled with such life and color, were reduced to nothing more than mere collateral damage, and he couldn't stand for it any longer. "YOU'RE HORRIBLE!" he screamed while dramatically pointing at Demido. "You're an irredeemable monster!"

"Why, thank you. What took you so long?" Demido snidely commented as he pressed a button on his hand, triggering the self-destruct function on the worker's cybernetics and causing him to detonate on the spot. Without even changing his mood or moving an inch, Demido turned to Yamaguchi and a pair of janitorial Medical Machines before he gave them some new orders. "Get rid of the remains."

"As you wish, Demido-san." Yamaguchi happily obliged as he commanded the janitors to sweep up what was left of the construction worker before they dumped them into a nearby Sarlacc pit, where the voracious creature residing inside happily snacked on the worker's remains—a true testament to Demido's cruelty.

Meanwhile on another part of Tatooine, the Flesh Curtains continued their chase of the Jawas to reclaim their Rick-stery Machine. While the Jawas were horsing around with the band's belongings, Rick started firing a blaster he found with the landspeeder while angrily shaking his fist. "If you start messing with my shit, then you better start praying to whatever god you worship because I won't be listening!"

One of the Jawas stuck its head out the window while speaking in a strange language that only Rick seemed to understand, and what the Jawa said made Rick angrier than he already was. "Meega nala kweesta!"

"Oh shit, he did not just go there!" Squanchy exclaimed.

"My mother was a saint; you take that back!" Rick growled and kept firing.

"Ugh, so naughty." Birdperson rolled his eyes in disgust as he watched Haruko fire bullets from Rick's Rickenbacker. "Haruko, since when did you have time to turn Rick's guitar into a firearm?"

"Rick gave me a few lessons on how to turn anything into a weapon." Haruko responded. "Just watch this." Reaching into her pocket, Haruko pulled out a large cartoon bomb in her hand that she eagerly tossed at the Jawas, exploding on impact and causing the Rick-stery Machine to swerve out of control before crashing into a vaporator. The Jawas screamed in shock as they clambered out of the Rick-stery Machine immediately after it crashed while Rick was quick to scare them off.

"That's right, you little varmints, go on, git!" Rick yelled, firing his blaster at the Jawas as they ran away into the desert. Rick then turned to the Rick-stery Machine to inspect any damages caused by the crash, and to his relief, there weren't any massive damage done to their craft. "Nice thinking there, Haruko." He complimented Haruko's creative thinking before offering a high-five. "Come on, up top!"

"Yeah, wubba lubba dub dub!" Haruko cheered as she returned the high five, prompting Birdperson to walk towards Haruko with a concerned look on his stoic face while Rick got to work on fixing the Rick-stery Machine. "Hey Birdperson, whassup?"

"Haruko, do you have an idea of what wubba lubba dub dub means?" Birdperson asked Haruko as he approached her.

"Oh yeah, that." Haruko replied snidely while relaxing against the vaporator. "That's just another one of Rick's silly catchphrases, no big."

"It is more than just a catchphrase, Haruko." Birdperson stated. "In my people's language, it is a phrase meaning "I am in great pain. Please help me." It may sound like utter nonsense at first, but it speaks volumes about how much pain Rick hides beneath his alcoholism and boorish behavior. I've known him long enough to know what he means, so I can try and keep him from going off the deep end. That is why he numbs himself with drinking and reckless activities, to distract himself from the suffering he has endured over years of adventuring."

Haruko was quiet for a moment as she contemplated what Birdperson had just said. She had already heard a couple of times about how Rick once had a wife and daughter who died in a tragic accident, which she believes is the reason why Rick practically treated the young Wasprian like a surrogate daughter figure to him. But judging by what Birdperson explained to her, it seemed that Rick's problems ran much deeper than Haruko realized.

"I have heard you say that phrase multiple times, including just now, which might indicate that some of Rick's toxic traits are rubbing off on you in ways that may not seem super obvious at first." Birdperson continued speaking. "I am only looking out for you, Haruko. You are so young and impressionable, easy for Rick to mold into an eager little sidekick with enough time. So, it's your choice. Either stand by Rick and let him continue being a bad influence on you or go your own way and find your own path in life. What do you choose, Haruha?"

"You know, Birdy, you're starting to sound a bit like this friend of mine from when I was a kid." Haruko answered, making Birdperson believe she was dodging his question. "His name was Taro."

"Come on, Taro-kun, keep up, ya slowpoke!" a twelve-year-old Haruha Raharu, dressed in a yellow shirt with muddy red overalls, her face and arms covered in bandages, and her brown hair in pigtails, yelled excitedly as she raced through a forest on Wasprus while a boy around her age with similarly colored hair struggled to keep up. This was Taro Tsurumaki, a longtime childhood friend of Haruha whom she possessed a secret crush on.

"I'm so sorry, Haru, you're just way too fast." Taro said as he stopped to take a breath with his hands on his knees. "Just give me a moment to breathe here."

"Taro-kun, you dork, you're so adorable when you struggle." Haruha snickered, making Taro blush with his face turning completely red, then blue, green, and every other color in the rainbow in embarrassment. "Come on, Takkun, there's this great view I wanna show ya!"

"Can it wait a bit? I need to tie my shoes a bit." Taro asked while bending over to adjust his shoelaces. "I think one of them got stuck on that root back there." Suddenly, however, Haruha grabbed Taro and heaved him onto her back, showing remarkable strength for a girl her age. "GAH!"

"What's the matter, Taro? You need me to carry you like a princess?" Haruha laughed while carrying Taro on her back as the two laughed joyously. The two of them had always shared a special bond ever since they were young, with Haruha's tomboyish energy naturally contrasting with Taro's shyer and more reserved yet kindhearted and intelligent nature. However, there was always something inside of Haruha that made her think they could be something more than that. And that was why she brought him out here.

"Well, here we are, Taro-kun, the best view in this general area of our beautiful planet!" Haruha declared as she brought her best friend to a cliff facing a beautiful sprawling valley beneath the setting sun. "Ain't she pretty, old chum?"

"I know you brought me here because you wanted to tell me something, but I want to tell you something first," Taro answered awkwardly, standing with one hand scratching his neck and the other in his pocket. "The day I turn 13, I'm going to be leaving this place so I can join the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood."

"Yeah, shoulda figured. Some of the other boys in our town have already left." Haruha stated. "Lemme guess, your family's store just ain't cut out for you?"

"No, I'm not like the others; I'm not just looking to get better pay." Taro replied. "I'm going to become a great manly hero someday, the best of the best, like Manolios Brolnir."

"Ah, right, the great war hero who singlehandedly saved the Zodick Galaxy from the Metarex, huh?" Haruha asked. "Isn't it pretty hard to join the Fraternity, what with all the paperwork and the training and the paperwork and the DNA tests and the paperwork and stuff?"

"Yeah, so I'll be gone for a while." Taro replied.

"Afraid so. Hopefully, I can see you on the news." Haruha said while nervously fidgeting with one of her pigtails while working up the courage to confess her feelings. "Uh, Taro-kun, before you leave, there is something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while."

"Oh, what do you want to say, Haruha?" Taro asked curiously while noticing something drifting towards the valley out of the corner of his eye.

"It's something I wanted to tell you for a long, long time, but I just couldn't find the right time to say it." Haruha declared while taking Taro's hands in hers. "Taro-kun, I…. I Io-"

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound, interrupting Haruha's train of thought as she wobbled on the edge of the cliff before falling off. "OH NO!"

"HARU!" Taro yelled as he grabbed Haruha's hand just in the nick of time, saving her from falling off the cliff and pulling her back up to solid ground. "Good grief, you had me worried sick there. You could've gotten seriously hurt!"

"Don't worry so much about me, Takkun, I've had worse falls!" Haruha declared while pointing to a gap in her teeth. "You remember how I lost this tooth, right?"

"I remember a little too well," Taro muttered before he turned out to look out at the valley. "Hey, Haruha, you see that?" The two Wasprian kids then gazed out at what looked like a giant clothes iron sitting square in the field, sticking out like a sore thumb compared to the flora and fauna surrounding it. "What is that thing?"

"Either it's an ominous warning of our futures or some weirdo modern art installation." Haruha commented. "I ain't too worried about it, though."

"Haruha, Taro!" Haruha's father, Reagan, called out for the duo. "Can you come back home, please? We got some news for you!"

"Coming, pops!" Haruha hollered back before turning to Taro with an arm around the boy's neck. "Hey, Taro, when you join those Brotherhood guys, I want you to promise me one thing. When we're older, and you become a superstar First Class Space Patrol Officer or whatever, if I ever get myself into trouble, I want you to promise you'll come to save me. Okay?"

"Me?" Taro asked. "But I'm just a dork, a total homebody! What makes you think I can come save you from trouble?"

"Because that's what heroes do. Save people." Haruha smirked coyly. "And you're my hero." She then kissed Taro on the lips. "Come on, please, just once?"

"Okay, I promise." Taro said blushingly as the two exchanged a pinky swear.

"Come on, you little rascals, we ain't got all day!" Taro's mother, Izumi, called out as the two kids laughed.

"Well, what are we waiting for? My mom's making our favorite stew tonight!" Taro exclaimed as he escaped Haruha's grasp and ran home.

"Heck yeah!" Haruha cheered and ran after her best friend. When the two got home for dinner, however, they got some shocking news. The iron belonged to an intergalactic technology conglomerate known as Medical Mechanica, and they planned on taking over Wasprus to turn it into a planet where they could build more of their robots, putting Taro's dreams of joining the Fraternity on hold. And the rest was history.

In Dimension W-994's version of ancient Scotland, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. A world of fear. An age of gargoyles, a race of winged humanoid creatures who possessed the ability to turn to stone by day and awaken as warriors by night. One clan in particular, aptly known as the Wyvern Clan, stood as the defenders of Castle Wyvern with their strong and imposing yet honorable and intellectual leader-to-be Goliath, along with his mate, his angel of the night, Demona. As day turned to night and the gargoyles awakened, the Flesh Curtains had already landed at Castle Wyvern to perform for the princess's birthday, and Rick was already making himself at home.

"And that's when I told Julian' Ultimate Annihilator? I hardly knew her!' Get it?!" Rick finished a funny story to Goliath, a muscular, purple-skinned gargoyle with a stern look on his face. "You see, it's funny because of the -or sound at the end of annihilator."

"The humans of your time period have a bizarre sense of humor, Rick Sanchez." Goliath commented stoically. "And I assume this Ultimate Annihilator worked somehow?"

"No, I'm pretty sure his rat bastard nephew might've rigged it somehow, I don't know." Rick belched while chugging from his flask. "Hey, where did Haruko go? We're supposed to go on in an hour!"

Just then, a blue-skinned female gargoyle with red hair stormed into the castle halls with a haggard look on her face that she directed at Rick. "Excuse me, Rick, was it? I suggest you keep your little friend on a leash."

"Oh, that's just Haruko, you'll get used to her." Rick laughed as he followed the sounds of Haruko's mischief to the castle library, where he found his little ward goofing off with three younger gargoyles as she skimmed through all the books. "Hey, kiddo, having fun yet?"

"So, you must be the infamous Rick Sanchez we've been hearing about, huh?" a red-skinned gargoyle that Rick assumed to be the ringleader of this gargoyle trio declared. "Haruko here has told us a lot about you."

"Hey, can you tell us how this portal gun of yours works?" a smaller gargoyle with green skin asked about Rick's signature device.

"Careful there, ya little geek, this kind of technology won't be invented for centuries. I don't want to solve any time travel-related problems." Rick grumbled before one book in the library caught his eye. "Hey, what's that supposed to be?"

"Oh, that? That book's about all sorts of mythological figures and creatures." A portly, blue-skinned gargoyle explained while Rick skimmed through the book's contents, though none of the characters contained within seemed to interest him. "Any of them strike your interest?"

"Eh, I've met some of them before. Shakespeare was right; Oberon was a real dick." Rick scoffed before putting the book down. "You'll all get what I mean at some point. Maybe in a couple hundred years."

"Hey, let me see!" Haruko said as she picked up the book and began perusing its pages, seeing pictures of dragons, fairies, unicorns, manticores, and mermaids before one just so happened to catch her eye. "Atomsk?"

"Hey, I think I've read about that guy once or twice." The green gargoyle said, just as curious as the Wasprian girl while peeking over her shoulder. "They say this phoenix is a being not born of magic but of some greater cosmic power with abilities beyond mortal comprehension. Atomsk only appears to those who are struggling to mature as people and could either bless them with his power to create or destroy."

It was then that Haruko was suddenly reminded of the way Demido taunted her back on Canfodd Island, about how she'll never be worthy of Atomsk's power if she continues to act immaturely. "He only sees potential in those willing to grow as people before lending them his power. And frankly, I don't see you being strong enough to capture any galaxy in any universe." Haruko resisted the urge to rip the books to shreds just as she heard the library door open, followed by Goliath stepping in with Demona, the Archmage, and an elderly male gargoyle by his side.

"Ah, Haruko Haruhara, I presume. A pleasure meeting you, milady." The Archmage greeted Haruko as the two shook hands. "It would be my pleasure to hear your futuristic music tonight at the party."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Yen Sid. Maybe I can give you our mixtape later." Haruko replied. "Just tell us where we need to play."

"Seriously, bringing rock and roll to ancient Scotland? Do they have the slightest clue what they're doing to this universe's timeline?!" Repre complained while stalking the Flesh Curtains from atop a hill far from Castle Wyvern.

"But sir, aren't we doing the same thing by introducing our modern technology to this time period?" one of the Medical Machines asked to point out Repre's hypocrisy. "Besides, this world has a pretty colorful history, so I don't think we'd be too out of place. Heck, I think one of the Easter Island heads is actually an alien!" Repre only responded by tearing out the drone's circuitry.

"So tell me, what harebrained scheme do you have planned to capture the Flesh Curtains this time?" Mersid, a member of Medical Mechanica's board of executives, grumbled sarcastically as he readied the factory and Pin for deployment. "Let me guess, are you going to stick up another one of their concerts?"

"What? It's the only way I can get attention!" Repre replied. "What do you want to do, something a little more covert? Besides, I already secretly planted a tracking device on Haruhara when I fought her back on the Boiling Isles, which is partially how I've been able to track the band across multiple dimensions! Unfortunately, it seems to have been damaged at some point."

"Enough exposition, child, just get to the point!" Mersid yelled angrily. "Ugh, why does the Lord Superior Officer keep sending you out on these missions if you're going to be nothing but a disappointment?!"

"Me, a disappointment?!" Repre yelled back as his insecurities began kicking in again. "I'll show you who the real disappointment is! I'll show you all!" He then turned to his Medical Machine entourage. "Medical Machines, roll out! I want those hoodlums on my wall by the hour! And make sure to leave no evidence we were ever here!"

The Medical Machines all nodded in compliance as they took to the skies, with Repre hitching a ride on the back of one while Mersid watched in dismay as the overconfident representative director embarked on his journey to Castle Wyvern. "Fine, but don't come crying to me once you blow this like you always do." Mersid shook his head before taking one of the machines for a ride to make sure Repre didn't mess up.

"Okay, check one, check two, sibilance. Sibilance." Rick spoke into his microphone that night as humans and gargoyles alike gathered in the castle dining hall to watch their performance. "Schwifty. Hey, anyone seen Haruko anywhere?"

"Oh yes, Haruko says she's got a big entrance planned for tonight, whatever that is." Birdperson answered. "Hopefully, she won't cause too much trouble." Suddenly, the lights seemingly killed themselves, bathing the room in darkness before the doors to the dining hall opened up. And from the doors came Haruko, wearing a pair of sunglasses and standing on top of the Rick-stery Machine while surrounded by ominous fog as she played a sick tune on her guitar.

"DUUUUUN, DUN DUN DUN DA-DUUUUUUN, DA-DA-DA-DUNNNN!" Haruko scatted along with her epic guitar riff while hopping off the Rick-stery Machine and suggestively licking her guitar! "Hello, people of Castle Wyvern! How are we feeling tonight?! First of all, happy birthday to little Katharine, wherever she is. Sucks that she's not here right now to witness the most badass concert that medieval Scotland has ever seen. I gotta say, though, it's been a crazy past couple hours I've spent here!"

"The guitarist raises a good point, though." The old gargoyle man remarked. "Where is the princess?"

"I helped you dig a well with a first-class child-friendly visitor's center, I've given you some top-notch math tuition in a fun but relevant way, and I even introduced you to the word "dude" a couple of centuries early!" Haruko rambled. "Suck on that, 19th century! Yankee Doodle Dandy can go suck my tits!"

"What is she saying?" Goliath muttered quizzically while Demona groaned in exhaustion.

"Come on, I wanna hear you shout!" Haruko continued while pointing to one side of the audience.

"DUDE!" the gargoyles and humans excitedly cheered for Haruko.

"Are you a Renaissance…?" Haruko yelled to the other side of the audience.

"DUDE!" the crowd continued roaring.

"Are you a Medieval…?" Haruko called out to everyone in the room.

"DUDE!" the audience yelled even louder than ever.

"Are you all incompetent…?" an unknown but familiar voice piped up.

"DUDE!" Haruko's captive audience replied only to realize what they just answered.

"Wait, who just said that?" the Archmage asked before a spotlight was shone on Repre S. Entative, who had his arm around Princess Katharine's neck while pointing a gun to her face. "My God, Katharine!"

"Ugh, this guy!" Rick grunted in frustration before he made an announcement. "Everybody calm down. This is just some asswipe whose shit we've rocked multiple times before. We can handle him; just calm down."

"On the contrary, Sanchez! It is you who shall have your shit rocked!" Repre cackled insanely, cluing Haruko in that his constant failures are starting to get to him. "I command you all to surrender yourself to Medical Mechanica at once, or else the little girl gets it! Do you hear me?! I am going to murder this child!"

"Unhand me, ruffian!" Princess Katharine yelled as she struggled to free herself from Repre's grasp, only for Repre to cock his gun.

"You know the drill. Castle Wyvern is now under Medical Mechanica occupation!" Repre declared as Medical Machines led by Mersid emerged and prepared to seize the castle's inhabitants. "Everybody on your knees now!"

"Are you truly sure about that, young man?" Goliath said stoically as he stood up to confront the representative director, folding his arms. "You and what army?"

"Why, the army of Medical Machines who are-"Repre declared before he noticed his Medical Machine army getting torn to shreds by the Wyvern Clan. "Getting violently dismantled by your clan. Uh, Mersid? A little help here!"

"In a minute, Repre!" Mersid called as he was stuck in the middle of a magic duel with the Archmage. "I was once one of the most powerful witches on the Boiling Isles before Medical Mechanica saved me from Emperor Belos! What can you do to come par with me?!"

"More than enough to stand a chance!" The Archmage retorted before firing his lightning spell at Mersid.

"Well, crap." Repre declared in disappointment before dropping Katharine from his captivity, and she ran back to her parents amid the chaos. "But I refuse to be seen as incompetent any longer! It's all because of those malfeasant musicians that I was made into a laughingstock and a disappointment in the eyes of my peers and especially my master, and I will make them pay no matter what!"

"Really, you're going batshit insane all because we keep treating you like the obnoxious recurring villain who refuses to leave us alone that you obviously are?" Rick grumbled. "Son of a bitch, I don't even know if I should feel sorry for you or laugh at how pathetic you are."

"Well, we'll see who will be laughing at how pathetic the other is when I take what you value the most!" Repre laughed maniacally.

"Joke's on you, almost everything I value the most is already gone!" Rick retorted proudly before Repre suddenly tazed Haruko into unconsciousness. "Oh shit, you meant her."

"And just to be safe, I'm going to keep you all from following me as I abduct your little friend here." Repre added as he shot a hole through one of Goliath's wings before throwing a flash grenade to the ground to blind the rest. "TTFE, ta-ta forever! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Okay, I have to admit, I did not see that coming," Rick commented as he blinked multiple times to regain his vision as the flash grenade's effects wore off just as Demona grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him off the ground.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Demona snarled, enraged at Repre injuring her mate for no real reason, while Birdperson helped Goliath to his feet. "WHERE IS THAT MAN?! TELL ME!"

"Hell if I know! That jackass could be going the way of Carmen Sandiego for all I know, he could be anywhere!" Rick said while being choked out by the enraged gargoyle woman. "Also, I think you might be awakening something in me."

"We need to rescue Haruko before Repre does anything horrible to her." Birdperson declared before turning to Goliath. "Are you alright, friend Goliath?"

"I am fine; it is only a hole in my wing. Nothing a long slumber can't fix for my kind." Goliath said as he nursed his wound. "Though I fear it may give me trouble flying to assist you. Do you have any other means of transportation we could use?"

"We are glad you asked." Birdperson smiled as the remaining Flesh Curtains looked to the Rick-stery Machine.

After the Medical Machines were driven away and the inhabitants of Castle Wyvern were safe from harm, the Flesh Curtains set off in the Rick-stery Machine to rescue Haruko from Medical Mechanica's clutches. What Goliath did not expect, however, was that these mysterious invaders would possess technology far more advanced than the people of this time period were familiar with, perhaps even beyond the world he knew.

"What sorcery is this?" Goliath gasped in abject awe at the massive Medical Mechanica iron looming over the Wyvern Clan and the Flesh Curtains as they flew toward the top of the factory.

"Looks like someone's bizarro idea of a work of art." The red gargoyle remarked dryly.

"That's Medical Mechanica, my friends." Rick narrated as he steered the ship towards their destination. "These irons are the company's means of ironing out all individual thought across every possible reality. Not sure what the pins are for, though. Maybe they're to make things look more menacing?"

Meanwhile, Repre watched as the Flesh Curtains and the gargoyles flew towards where he stood at the top of the factory while having Haruko tied up and gagged nearby. "Curses! How were they able to locate me so soon?! Is it because of the tracking beacon I snuck onto her?"

Haruko began responding to Repre's rhetorical question before she realized she was gagged and swallowed her muzzle in one slurp. "Maybe it's because you have a giant-ass factory that can be seen from all around for miles that looks nothing like all these creepy castles dotting merry ol' Scotland! Something tells me you're not as smart as you think you are."

Repre then angrily ripped out a piece of the railing with his bare hand in retaliation before turning to Haruko. "I'd bite that tongue of yours if I were you. You won't be needing it for long once I bring you back to my master." He then presented a hologram to the Vespa Woman, showing her what fate could await her should he succeed. "Once we take you in for processing, you can say goodbye to any free will you hold so dearly as we convert you into one of our cyborg slaves!"

"What kind of cyborg slave are we talking about here?" Haruko asked as she kept on rambling. "The one that goes "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE," or "YOU WILL BE UPGRADED"? Come on, man, don't leave me hanging!"

"I cannot wait to make you permanently shut up once I'm done silencing those silly emotions." Repre frowned before he saw Goliath touching down behind Haruko. "Uh, uh, uh, uh!"

"What's the funny noises for? You gonna ask if there's something right behind me?" Haruko sneered before she felt herself being freed from her restraints. "Hey, thanks!"

"Hand over the girl at once and order your forces' retreat, intruder!" Goliath boomed as he and the other Wyvern Clan members had Repre surrounded by gargoyles of all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. "You will pay for threatening the safety of our human comrades, especially the princess."

"Oh please, I was never interested in the castle anyways; I just wanted to get your attention so I could kidnap Haruko here." Repre boasted before a dog-like gargoyle beast ripped off his robot arm and began playing with it like a doggie toy. "OH, COME ON, WHY THE ARM AGAIN?!" he complained. "Medical Machines, seize these gargoyle freaks!"

"Now, this is where the fun begins." The red gargoyle declared proudly as he led his brethren into battle against the robot army while the Flesh Curtains and Goliath personally cornered Repre.

"You seem to have caught me at a bit of an awkward time." Repre chuckled weakly, trying to retain the overconfident bravado he usually presented himself with. "I was just about to leave this dimension with your little friend and have you all obliterated by my Medical Machines, but I assume you all had other plans. Please don't beat me too hard."

"Trust me, intruder, we're not the only ones you should be afraid of." Goliath boomed as Repre found himself getting grabbed by the neck by a very angry Demona.

"It is one thing to hunt down my brethren, mortal whelp, but it is another to harm my mate." Demona snarled, making a terrified Repre see his reflection in her glowing red eyes as he trembled in fear. "For that, I will kill you. Even if you come back as someone completely different, I'll kill you. Change your name. Change your form. I'll kill you again. I don't need to find meaning or a reason as to why. The very sight of you just enrages me."

"Now, calm down, lady, no need to get so violent!" Repre nervously laughed while struggling to get free from the gargoyle woman's grasp as she bared her fangs at him, causing the representative director to start wailing like a mix of an upset child and a wounded animal as he broke free and scampered away. Not run, scampered like prey fleeing from a vicious predator who has been very hungry.

"Quick, while he's distracted!" Rick commanded, prompting Haruko to pick up the Rickenbacker and leap into the air after Repre. "ATTAGIRL, HARUKO!"

"STAY AWAY!" Repre shrieked in terror as he raised his hands in sincerity to show he wanted to surrender.

"CHANCE!" Haruko yelled while she struck Repre square in his head, causing a strange horn to pop out of his forehead that only gave off a few electrical sparks before fizzling out. "Hey, you think when your boss cloned himself to make you, he forgot to make your dick size match his?"

"I get it because he's compensating for something with that arrogant façade he puts up," Birdperson smirked, causing Goliath to give him an odd look at his idiom just as Mersid emerged from a portal, injured from his fight with the Archmage but still managed to escape in one piece.

"Mersid, please save me; I was in over my head!" Repre begged for the cybernetic sorcerer's help.

"Well, looks who needs my assistance." Mersid chuckled darkly before examining the newly grown horn on Repre's head. "Hm, might need to get this one checked out." Mersid tried pushing the horn back into Repre's head by simply pushing it back in with his finger, but the horn popped out, bringing the wizard much amusement as he tried pushing it in over and over again.

"Please stop, I've already suffered enough." Repre replied dryly before falling unconscious, causing Mersid to shake his head in disappointment before picking up the arrogant representative director.

"Very well, we got what we came here for." Mersid added before looking to the Flesh Curtains. "Savor your victory, Flesh Curtains, but let this be a warning to all of you. Victory has its price. By this point, we finally have the Pirate King Atomsk in our clutches, and once we find a way to harness his power for our ends, you can kiss any individual thought you have at this moment goodbye." Mersid then let out an evil laugh as he exited through a portal while the remaining Medical Machines that the Wyvern Clan didn't tear apart fled in terror.

"And don't squanching come back!" Squanchy yelled triumphantly. "Great work, team!"

"Honestly, Demona, Goliath, and Haruko did most of the work." Birdperson admitted. "So then, what shall we do with this factory?"

"Eh, leave it." Rick rolled his eyes in response. "It's not like it'll cause any serious trouble at some point without anyone operating it. Right?"

"Don't tempt fate, Rick Sanchez." Goliath declared. "Even if the people of our time would have no idea on how to operate such a grand machine, that doesn't rule out any attempts to do so in the future."

"Yeah, whatever." Rick said as he took a sip from his flask and let out a loud belch before offering it to Goliath. "Want some?" Goliath simply glared at the scientist. "Your loss, big guy. Now, let's party!"

As soon as the Flesh Curtains returned to Castle Wyvern, they decided to celebrate their victory by performing for Princess Katharine's birthday, just as they intended to do before Medical Mechanica attacked. As always, Haruko took the lead in their performance as she sang into the mic. "Scattered dreams of that day so far and away had turned to bright stars shining overhead. Thought that they were gone, I had no idea that they were hanging by a thread." She sang before Squanchy played a riff on the drums. "When that boy was young, life was one big problem. Battered and broken, a sorry sight. And now that he looks back, he can't help but smile; it all feels so nostalgic. Isn't it strange?"

After a brief guitar break, Rick then joined in. "We watch as our time just goes by, even now. And we both know that's how it's gotta be. Can you recall that face you made? Did you frown? It seems like a dream."

"Took it all on me. I was all alone, and I felt the crisis; I felt all the love. Trapped inside a web, it was tied together, and it gets worse when I struggle!" Birdperson added. "I stood there with you when that bang blew the sky, a violent storm but a beautiful sight. Oh-so much to see, no photo could catch it; that's why we're living this life."

"We're just living for each new day!" the trio declared as their performance ran long into the night for everyone, human and gargoyle alike, to hear. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

Elsewhere, Repre was getting fitted with another new arm under the Lord Superior Officer's surveillance, Demido watching placidly as he heard his clone scream in agony from the painful surgery. "It seems that, as always, Repre has failed miserably in his task." He commented while taking a sip of wine from the glass in his hand. "Not only has he bombed at capturing the Flesh Curtains, but he was this close to bringing me Haruko Haruhara before he ran off like the absolute coward he is. Honestly, what is it about him that I'm not seeing?"

"Perhaps he's a little too overconfident for his own good, and that leads to utter incompetence," Mersid observed. "All that lusting for Atomsk's power has blinded him to basic common sense. It makes me wonder why you even keep him around when you can replace him with another clone."

"You are indeed correct. I have much more where he came from." Demido sneered as he turned around and opened up a secret room containing various clones in varying stages of development contained in cryogenic stasis. "So many choices, so little time. That reminds me, how is progress going on harvesting Atomsk's power?"

"We're making progress, but he's proven to be far more unruly than we thought," Mersid replied. "Not helped by the Fraternity and their machismo minions trying to interfere with our plans."

"Do not worry; everything will fall into place soon." Demido declared evilly. "We have all the time in the world." Just then, a large white portal opened with a sound like an explosion, and out of it came a brawny elderly woman, accompanied by a group of demon-like aliens. "Goodness, am I glad to see you."

"Alright, gang, another concert in the bag, and we kicked Medical Mechanica's asses again! Wubba lubba dub dub!" Rick cheered as he and the other Flesh Curtains held a little party in honor of their recent victory against Medical Mechanica. "Drinks are on me, guys!"

"Yeah, let's get totally wasted!" Haruko slurred while chugging an armful of beer bottles while Birdperson watched with concern on his face. "Hey, whassup, Birdie? Don't you wanna join the party? We even got Squanchy singing karaoke!"

"Party time, party time, everybody's feelin' fine 'cause it's party time!" Squanchy rapped close by.

"I'd be happy to join, my friends, but I'm just too concerned about Medical Mechanica." Birdperson stated. "Mersid had stated that they now have possession of Atomsk, and there is no telling what they could do with him to fulfill their twisted goals."

"Wait, seriously?!" Haruko exclaimed as she was immediately roused from her drunken stupor upon hearing the news, feeling nothing but shock and a twinge of jealousy that Medical Mechanica had gotten to the Pirate King so easily. "Come on, tell me more!"

"I have no idea how, but Medical Mechanica has successfully captured Atomsk and now plans on harnessing his N.O. power for whatever reason." Birdperson explained.

"Shit, I still can't believe they got to him first. I was actually planning on following that bird for a long time now." Rick declared. "I mean, can you imagine having an astral cosmic singularity who can steal galaxies to hang out with and play cards with the boys?"

"I can imagine that," Haruko replied. "So what are you planning?"

"Just this little heist I've been planning for a while now. I call it the Mechanica Mission." Rick declared while putting down a notebook with 'THE MECHANICA MISSION' written on the cover. "I've been working out a few kinks here and there at the last minute, but in a nutshell, one of us has to join the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood and rise through the ranks until they can get close enough to Atomsk and bring him to us."

"And then what do we do with him?" Haruko asked excitedly while bouncing up and down.

"Uh, I don't know. I didn't think I would get that far." Rick admitted nervously. "Anyways, this mission, should any of you choose to accept it, will require you to leave the band for a few years or so to go through rigorous training to be accepted as an officer of the Brotherhood. Now then, any volunteers?"

Just then, Haruko began experiencing flashbacks to her childhood days with Taro. He wanted to join the Brotherhood before Medical Mechanica invaded, regardless of how much work he would have to put in because he wanted to prove himself as a man. "Hey, Taro, when you join those Brotherhood guys, I want you to promise me one thing." She then began hearing the voice of herself as a child when she made her promise to Taro. "When we're older and you become a superstar First Class Space Patrol Officer or whatever, if I ever get myself into trouble, I want you to promise you'll come save me. Okay?"

Haruko then slapped her hand on the table as she stood up to make her choice. "I'll go!" she declared, much to the shock of Birdperson and Squanchy.

"Whoa, you look pretty sure of yourself!" Rick smirked in surprise. "You realize that by making this choice, you have to leave the band for a bit and go train with the Brotherhood? Were you even paying attention to what I was saying?!"

"Kind of, but then I just kinda spaced out while thinking of an old friend who's no longer with us." Haruko added as she turned around in sadness. "His name was Taro, but I called him Takkun. He wanted to join the Brotherhood too before Medical Mechanica invaded."

"And I assume you wish to join to honor his memory." Birdperson theorized, which made Haruko blush.

"Uh yeah, totally!" Haruko exclaimed, trying to hide her true intentions for her volunteering for the Mechanica Mission. "So, when do I have to leave?"

"We'll have to sign some paperwork first, but overall, it shouldn't take that long." Rick said with a gentle tousle of Haruko's pink hair. "Damn, can't believe you're really leaving. Feels like only yesterday when we first met her."

"Really? Feels like way longer." Squanchy remarked. "Remember how everyone on Wasprus was practically squanched when the Cromulons showed up and Haruko tried saving them all with her music? Good times, man, good times."

While Squanchy and Birdperson began filling out Haruko's necessary paperwork needed for her to join the Brotherhood, with a lot of forgery included, Haruko herself began packing her things in preparation for her big departure. Many of them were memorabilia from her adventures with the Flesh Curtains, like an Organizer stolen from Mainframe, a hunk of Palistrom wood from the Boiling Isles, one of Pink Diamond's pebbles, some spare parts she took from the Alchemist's workshop, a Marine cap she stole from one of the Marine soldiers at Canfodd, and a small handful of Scrooge McDuck's money stored in a little pouch. But one of her trinkets that caught Haruko's eye while packing was her treasured Flying V guitar that once belonged to her mother. If only Rihanna could see her little girl now.

"Hey Haruko, before you go, I just want to give you one last thing to remember us by," Rick said while holding something behind his back. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Is it a pickle?" Haruko asked. "That would be the funniest shit I've ever seen!"

"What are you, batshit insane?" Rick answered. "What's so funny about a pickle?!" He then let out a chuckle before presenting his Rickenbacker to Haruko. "I want you to have my guitar, Haruko, as a token of the times we spent together. Anytime you feel nostalgic, play a few notes and see what happens."

Haruko didn't say anything before she raced towards Rick and gave him the biggest hug she could ever offer him. Rick was hesitant and shocked at first at her sudden affection, but the best he could return the favor with was a gentle stroke of her head.

"Haruko, we have finished your paperwork!" Birdperson exclaimed as he and Squanchy walked in on the duo. "Are you ready to go yet? We are planning to dock at the nearest recruiting center to drop you off."

"Oh, I'm practically ready now; I would just like to play one final song together." Haruko said as she picked up the Rickenbacker and sat down to play it. "You ready, old man?"

"Hells yeah." Rick agreed with Haruko's idea while picking up her Flying V to play along.

"So this one's for the dreamers, whoever tried to make it." Haruko began to sing one last duet with Rick before she departed from the Flesh Curtains. "Though very few ever break through, we celebrate them when they do. Lionize them, call them great, ticker-tape parade them. But this one's for the dreamers who strive to be a winner. Go as far as they can take it. Even if they don't quite make it... This one's for the dreamers."

"Let's hear it for the dreamers who never stop believing." Rick sang together with Haruko, the young woman who went from being dragged along on his adventures to becoming like a daughter to him. Perhaps Beth would've loved having her as a big sister. "One grain of sand becomes a pearl; a great idea can change the world! They can see what others don't, try things others won't! So this one's for the dreamers who live on inspiration, go as far as they can take it, even if they don't quite make it. This one's for the dreamers."

"And I know what it's like to be misunderstood. And I know how it feels to be told you're no good. But I couldn't give up; no, I never would." Haruko continued before taking a break from singing to get introspective. "But people just took advantage of me. My distractions just consumed me."

"But for everyone that gets it right, thousands more keep up the fight!" Rick declared proudly. "They burn the fires deep in the night until they lose the light! And most just disappear, and we never hear of them..."

"So this one's for the dreamers who have the guts to risk it. To take a chance on what they think, can't stare them down 'cause they don't blink!" Haruko continued as the song reached its climax. "Ridicule or call them out; no one sees what they're about. Yes, this one's for the dreamers whose names we don't remember."

"They were close but no cigar, and we don't know who they are." Rick agreed just as Birdperson landed the Rick-stery Machine in the parking lot of a recruitment center of the Fraternity. "This one's for the dreamers."

"This one's for the dreamers." The duo sang in harmony one last time as Haruko said her farewells to Rick, Birdperson, and Squanchy.

"Like me..." Haruko concluded as she took both the Rickenbacker and the Flying V with her as she disembarked from the Rick-stery Machine for the last time.

"Go get 'em, kiddo." Rick smiled warmly at Haruko as the Rick-stery Machine prepared for takeoff. As soon as the doors to the ship closed, however, his fatherly smile disappeared in favor of his trademark smug, snarky grin. "Ha, knew she would take the jump! Kids like her can be so eager to please, am I right?"

"Even if you were stringing her along and using her to fulfill your own goals, Rick, you have to admit you did grow attached to her at some point, right?" Birdperson asked, breaking Rick's bravado and forcing him to think for a moment. "Perhaps even seeing her as your second chance at being a father?"

"Okay, maybe I did genuinely enjoy her company, but in the end, she was going to leave me regardless of whether she volunteered for the Mission or not." Rick answered. "Everybody leaves me eventually."

Meanwhile, as Haruko walked up to the front doors of the Fraternity recruitment center, her pace began slowing as soon as she pushed on the front doors, her eyes widening and her breathing getting more frantic as she had more flashbacks of simpler times on Wasprus. Of the love of her mother, of the man her father used to be. Of Taro. Haruko seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack right then and there, but ultimately, her resolve overpowered her anxieties.

"No, Haruha, focus!" Haruko muttered to herself. "Medical Mechanica had taken that life away from me long ago. I need to focus on the mission at hand. I need to focus on him." With that, Haruko pushed her way into the center, where she walked up to the nearest front desk to present her application. "I'd like to speak with your boss, please."

In Loving Memory of Dave Mallow

The original Commander Amarao

October 19, 1948 – March 11, 2025

"What about eyebrows?"

And so it begins, the tragedy that transforms Haruko into the scheming miscreant has now reached its high point. Like Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader, Jimmy McGill's transformation into Saul Goodman, Walter White embracing his double life as Heisenberg, Willow Rosenberg's turn to darkness, Light Yagami giving into his delusions of grandeur to become Kira, Michael Corleone's journey to becoming don of the Corleone family, Arthur Fleck snapping against society after one bad day, Powder's traumatic change into Jinx, or even Paradise Lost's version of Satan's fall from Heaven, Haruko has nowhere else to go but down in her search for Atomsk, and she won't let anyone get in her way. Not even the man she saw as a father. Meanwhile, Rick has no idea that he's been Haruko's little tool the entire time and how it's partially his fault she would one day turn out like this. It's only a matter of time before Rick learns the truth, and heaven help Haruko if she ever crosses paths with Rick in a bad mood. See you next time, I hope I won't keep you guys waiting too long.

#rick and morty #flcl #fanfiction #crossover #rick and haruko #rick sanchez #haruko haruhara #birdperson #squanchy #repre s. entative #demido kuriya #star wars #asajj ventress #cad bane #gargoyles #goliath #demona

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