A/N: I'm sorry this took a while for me to post. I decided to occupy all of my spare time on fics that I knew desperately needed to be updated. Fortunately, a brief dry spell of motivation and a period of unexplained fatigue gave me the time and drive I needed to go through the salvaged chapter, remove all of the unnecessary coding, and add the new Author's Notes for your reading pleasure. Now it's ready for y'all!

Alright, on with the chapter! And an interesting chapter, this should be! ENJOY!

Original A/N: This chapter's dedicated to FrostShadowStar, who is my first 200TH REVIEWER! Yes, you are, even though you said you aren't, but I counted my reviews and pinpointed you as reviewer #200. Thank you so much for making this contribution, and your reward is an Internet hug, a supply of virtual cookies, and you becoming a Favorite Author of mine! Again, thank you so much!

As for everyone else, don't feel left out; here's virtual cookies to everyone for reviewing!

Now, onto Chapter 21. ENJOY!

P.S.: This re-posted story was just graced with its 100th reviewer! HOORAY! It's probably a far cry from the 200 reviews the fic originally had at this point, but considering the current state of "Phineas and Ferb" fanfiction, I consider that a big accomplishment. Thank you all so much for remaining faithful to this story, even after all these years! :D

P.P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:

-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to

And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:

-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)

If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Chapter 21 Summary: Phineas and Ferb square off in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard, the very place they came up with all of their ideas. Meanwhile, Django, Candace-2 and Future Isabella experience their own fights.

Streaks of lightning slithered through the clouds, resembling cracks emerging all over glass. The booming rumble of thunder pierced the atmosphere, and the rain continued to pour as the two Flynn-Fletcher brothers stared daggers at one another in their own backyard, the place where they formulated all of their big ideas that brought them closer. Strong gusts of wind blew in, and the backyard tree began to sway in uncomfortable motions. The wet grass waved at the two boys with the wind.

Phineas's black-and-red hair was plastered all over his forehead, and his green eyes were alive with determined anger as he stared Ferb down. As for Ferb, he started feeling the effects of the cold rain weighing down on him, and he began to shiver, but the British boy shrugged it off as he reluctantly prepared to fight his own brother for the first time. Both boys flexed their fingers, waiting for the other to make the first move that will signal the beginning of this climactic final showdown.

Finally, it was Phineas who ran towards Ferb, his hand rolling up into a menacing fist. Throwing a punch at his opponent's face, Phineas missed when Ferb stepped out of the way, and the green-haired boy countered with an elbowing to the back. Crying out in a mixture of pain and anger, Phineas retaliated with a kick to the leg that landed itself successfully; Ferb crumpled to the grassy ground, groaning with agony. Snickering with triumph, Phineas then attempted to grab Ferb's neck, but Ferb rolled out of the way and the inventor instead grabbed a handful of grass and dirt.

But Phineas knew what to do next. Smiling, he threw the grass and dirt at Ferb's face, forcing his opponent to shield himself. Phineas then seized the opportunity to punch Ferb in the stomach twice before bringing him to the ground with a hard punch to the cheek. Groaning, Ferb crawled towards the tree, but the pain of Phineas's latest attack, as well as his soaked clothes, weighed him down, and he felt a hand latch itself around the rear collar of his shirt, and the next thing he knew, he was gagging for air as Phineas lifted him up with just the rear collar.

Phineas then released his grip on the collar and grabbed a tuft of Ferb's hairs. A second later, Ferb let out a bloodcurdling scream as he felt the tuft of his own hairs being ripped out from his scalp, the pain flooding the whole of it. Hearing his brother scoff, Ferb instinctively placed his hands over the spot his hair was torn out, massaging it. Phineas looked at the hairs he pulled out, smiled a malevolent smile, and sprinkled them all over Ferb, who was now sobbing as he continued to rub his scalp, relieving it of the sharp pain that pierced it like a knife.

"Here ya go," said Phineas, smirking. "Some fairy dust."

Continuing to massage his scalp, Ferb watched as Phineas began to pace around the backyard, examining the tree like a curious child. The ten-year-old inventor then smiled.

"You know, Fletcher," he said, "I think I know something only you know. After all, it's been obvious all along: You are jealous of me, or at least jealous towards the old, worthless Phineas. I mean, the both of us have always been referred to as 'Phineas and Ferb', not 'Ferb and Phineas'. It just didn't suit anyone. And always does everyone go to Phineas for support, for advice, for inspiration, never you, despite your amounts of courage and love that equal mine. And Phineas gets the girl, not you. Every time you guys build something, Phineas gets most of the credit, while you're nothing but a generic engineer who does nothing but construct the inventions and reply with a thumbs-up. It's been this way all summer long, and you've become sick of it. No one cares for Ferb Fletcher.

"But you don't have to feel jealous anymore, Fletcher. Just join me, and I'll ensure that you get all of the credit you ever wanted and deserved. I will make sure that everyone knows your name and is proud of it. You will be famous everywhere! Your triumphant name will echo across my empire! All you have to do, Fletcher, is join me. Join me, and things will go your way. So, what do you say? Do you want to follow me through the path of glory, or do you wanna remain an unrecognized, worthless boy?"

Phineas's smile then became more pronounced as the rain continued to fall.

"Do you want your mother to be right?"

No longer feeling the pain that ferociously assaulted his scalp, Ferb stood up with renewed strength. A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the scene with yellow light. He knew his decision, and he was unanimously going for it.

"Never," he replied.

Phineas's smile turned into a frown, and he snarled, "No one will ever know your name, Fletcher!"

"There's only one person who'll truly know my name," Ferb said, "and that's you, Phineas."

"Well, Phineas is gone, and he's never coming back. I'm gonna give you one more chance for widespread recognition and acclaim, Fletcher. Join me."

"Never," Ferb replied again. Phineas growled the growl of a wild beast.

"Why? Why must you be so hard to overcome? It's hopeless, Fletcher! The Red Triangle will win! After all, it's guaranteed in the future!"

"There's always a chance for us to create a brighter future. But our chances would be higher with you leading us, Phineas. Please, fight the evil!"

"For the last time, Fletcher! Phineas. Doesn't. Need. You. Anymore. Now, prepare to DIE."

Issuing an angry yell, Phineas then tackled Ferb to the ground and punched him across the face thrice. Before Phineas can land a fourth punch, Ferb was able to grab his brother's fist with his unbroken hand and channeled all of his strength into that arm, which he used to throw Phineas off of him. He then kicked Phineas while he was still on the ground with reluctance, but his opponent found a small stone and threw it with all of his might at Ferb's head. Ferb dodged the stone, but his latest action distracted him long enough for Phineas to punch his leg, sending him to the ground again, and Phineas roughly placed a foot onto his brother's back to prevent him from crawling away.

Ferb then heard Phineas take out something and then felt the barrel of a Death Ray gun being placed over the back of his head. Ferb's eyes widened, and Phineas smiled with sadistic pleasure.

"Goodbye, Ferb," he said.

But before the inventor can pull the trigger to end the British boy's life once and for all, a grappling hook appeared out of nowhere, latching itself onto the contraption with a vice-like grip, and Phineas watched with anger as his weapon was abruptly pulled away from him towards a figure shrouded in the dark shadow of the backyard fence. At first, both boys didn't know who the newcomer was, but they instantly realized the identity of Ferb's savior split-seconds after the figure emitted a sound familiar to them.

A chatter.

Future Isabella continued to struggle with Emperor Phineas as he attempted to disable her jetpack, rain pouring, lightning flashing, and thunder rumbling as he did so. Desperately firing a laser from her Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, she unfortunately missed, and the emperor smirked as he punched the young woman in the face; Future Isabella accidentally released her grip on Doofenshmirtz's Inator, and she watched as her last hope in saving her friend fell to the earth below. She then looked back at Emperor Phineas's green eyes, which were alive with triumphant pleasure, before the ruler flew another fist across her cheek. Groaning, stunned from the powerful punch, Future Isabella lost maintenance of her jetpack as she struggled to control her consciousness, and the two began spiraling wildly through the air and into the storm clouds, Emperor Phineas screaming all the way.

It was as if they were in another world: everything was just dark, gray clouds, all assuming the form of wispy landmasses of cotton candy. Streaks of lightning slithered through the clouds every several seconds, and there was the constant booming of thunder that assaulted Future Isabella's eardrums with vicious accuracy. The only saving grace of flying through the storm clouds was the lovely blue sky that was above them. The beautiful noon sun shone its brilliant sunlight on the two people from the future. Finally, after fifteen minutes of this, Future Isabella regained control over herself and controlled her jetpack to fly herself and her friend out of the storm clouds.

Emperor Phineas seized the chance to remove the straps linking Future Isabella to her jetpack, and the woman screamed as she plummeted down towards Danville. Meanwhile, Emperor Phineas was able to strap the jetpack onto himself before making a head-dive towards Future Isabella. Grabbing the Freedom Fighters leader roughly, he then began shooting up towards the storm clouds again. Future Isabella felt the large amount of rain droplets pelting her head lightly as she began to ascend further and further towards the bank of clouds. Finally, the pelting stopped as Emperor Phineas flew through the clouds and back into the world of gray landmasses of clouds and the beautiful sky with the lovely sun.

At first, Future Isabella didn't know what the emperor had in store for her, but when he continued to ascend into the air, a malicious smile on his face, the woman realized what he was doing. Her suspicions were confirmed when he procured an air mask and placed it over his head.

"NO! PHINEAS!" cried Future Isabella. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"Can't I?" Emperor Phineas replied. "Let's watch and find out!"

Future Isabella struggled hopelessly against her friend-turned-enemy's tight grip as her source of oxygen became to lessen by the minute. Soon, the storm clouds were at least a mile below the two now, and the woman's movements began to weaken with the ever-decreasing supply of air. Future Isabella began to see the stars and remembered the few times she had actually been in outer space before. Now, this was the first time she was going up there without an air mask.

Gagging, her consciousness drifting, Future Isabella began using what strength she had left to flail her limbs about as Emperor Phineas smiled on, the sounds of his breathing with the aid of his air mask sounding a lot like Zaruk Vargo from Space Adventure (A/N: Guess who I'm trying to reference.).

Finally, she was able to knee Emperor Phineas in the groin, and her friend's drawn-out yell of pain was the last thing she heard before she began to plummet to the earth below, her consciousness finally drifting away from the low presence of oxygen...

The three-year-old Isabella waddled beside her mother as the both of them walked across the street, towards 2308 Maple Drive, away from the trucks that were being unloaded of their furniture. It was just a few minutes ago when the two of them moved into their new home in Danville, and Vivian thought it would be polite to introduce themselves politely to their new neighbors, starting with the house across the street.

"Remember, Isa," said Vivian, "always say 'hello' and 'goodbye'. Be nice to our new neighbors in any way possible."

"I will, Mommy," Isabella replied sweetly.

"That's my little chica," Vivian said, smiling.

The two made it across the street and had now approached the front door of 2308 Maple Drive. It was a bright, sunny day, and there was a light, comfortable breeze of wind. Vivian took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, while Isabella was lost in thought. She wondered what the neighbors here would be like. Would they be nice? Would they be mean? The girl hoped that they would be certainly nice, and she soon found herself shivering with reluctance.

"M-maybe they're not h-home, Mommy," said Isabella fearfully.

However, she was proven wrong when the door opened to reveal a redheaded woman, who was holding a large pair of scissors. Isabella gulped and hid behind her mother in fear.

"Hello there!" greeted the woman. "You must be the new neighbors."

"Yes we are," Vivian replied. "I'm Vivian Garcia-Shapiro, and behind me is my daughter Isabella. Say hello, Isa."

"But she has scary scissors!" whimpered Isabella, and the woman laughed heartily.

"No, no, I'm using these scissors for gardening. It's okay, I'm of no harm."

Isabella gulped and slowly emerged from behind her mother. Looking at her new neighbor's eyes, she saw not cruelty burning in them, but a soothing kindness. The young girl immediately smiled and ran forward to hug the woman's leg lovingly.

"I'm Isabella!" she greeted.

"Aw, she's so cute," commented the woman. "By the way, I'm Linda Flynn."

"Nice to meet you, Linda," replied Vivian as she shook hands with the woman.

"Maybe Isabella should meet my two children!" Linda then called into the house. "Candace, Phineas, can you come to the front door, please?"

"Okay, Mommy!" two young voices chirped simultaneously, and a minute later, two children ran into the scene. One was an older girl, who had red hair and eyes that burned with independence, and she was clutching a Ducky Momo doll that Isabella knew so well; she found it odd and humorous that a girl that age still loved Ducky Momo. The other child was a boy of Isabella's age, with a triangular head of spiky red hair and the most loving, energetic smile on his face.

"Hi!" the boy cried, hugging Isabella. "I'm Phineas! What's your name?"

"I-Isabella," replied Isabella meekly, shocked from being hugged by a boy her age.

"Will you be my friend?"

Isabella looked at Phineas's blue eyes, his smile that seemed to radiate light, and she smiled.

"Okay!" she replied.

"Aw, I think the two like each other already!" noted Linda to Vivian, who nodded back.

Isabella blinked as she continued to smile at Phineas, and she started experiencing a new feeling inside her.

"Will we be best friends forever?" asked Phineas innocently.

For some reason, 'best friends' didn't suit Isabella well, but she didn't know why yet. She just smiled.

"Yes. Best friends forever!"

A crashing sound assaulted Future Isabella's eardrums, and she found herself falling towards Danville below. The storm was still active. As the street closed in, only one image crossed the woman's mind.

Phineas's caring smile.

Future Isabella smiled and braced herself for the impact.

"PERRY!" Ferb cried as lightning flashed again.

"WHAT?" roared Phineas, foolishly stepping away from Ferb and allowing the boy to roll over to his pet. "I thought you were DEAD!"

Perry displayed his notebook to Phineas, which read, "I landed on a pile of cushions owned by Uncle Willy's Super-Soft Cushions."

Phineas stared on blankly before commenting, "Well that's an anticlimactic way for you to survive. Ah well." He then procured a backup Death Ray gun. "At least I'll guarantee that you die by my hand. The both of you! TAKE THIS!"

Phineas proceeded to fire lasers at Ferb and Perry, but they rolled out of the way before Perry tossed Ferb a baseball launcher. Ferb aimed it at Phineas and fired a single baseball that knocked him down; Phineas dropped his Death Ray weapon as a result. Perry then aimed his grappling hook launcher at his fallen owner and fired a hook. Using the hook's rope to lasso Phineas, Perry chattered in triumph and high-fived Ferb while Phineas struggled against the rope restraining him.

"Do you still have your Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, Perry?" Ferb asked. Perry nodded and handed the Inator to his owner.

Ferb looked at the struggling Phineas, smiling with relief as he aimed the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator at his brother.

"Welcome back, Phineas," Ferb said as he pulled the trigger.

Candace-2 watched as one of Sharpeard's Inators exploded due to the Self-Destruct-Inator she implanted on the contraption. Crossing her arms and smiling triumphantly, the teenager then turned her head and saw, with a shock, Roderick, Byron, and a trio of Doof Clones escorting a captured Phineas-2, Ferb-2, and Platyborg towards the Red Triangle Sun-Beater 3000. She gasped at the horrifying sight; the last thing she wanted to see was her loved ones endangered.

"No!" she cried, and Candace-2 twirled her bo staff as she sprinted towards the group.

Meanwhile, Roderick and Byron were preparing to escort their captives into the Sun-Beater 3000. Platyborg tried to fight back, but the Doof Clone had implanted a chip that limited his movements. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 looked at their captors, looks of hopelessness etched on their faces.

Roderick turned to the Doof Clones and ordered, "Throw them into the Sun-Beater 3000. Our bosses will think up of good benefits from them."

"Yes, sir!" replied the Doof Clone holding Ferb-2.

Suddenly, Candace-2 landed on the roof of the Sun-Beater 3000, then leapt off of it and landed on the ground, striking the Doof Clone holding Phineas-2 in the head with her staff as she did so. She then slammed her staff against the stomach of the Doof Clone holding Platyborg before elbowing the Doof Clone holding Ferb-2. Roderick and Byron growled as their Doof Clones were now lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Byron, get the girl!" ordered Roderick. "I'm reclaiming the hostages!"

Byron issued a battle cry and charged for Candace-2, but she instantly struck him across the face with her staff, sending him to the wet ground. But before she can run over to Roderick, Byron immediately recuperated and grabbed Candace-2's ankle before slamming her onto a nearby lamppost. He then proceeded to kick her repeatedly as she tried to stand up.

"CANDACE!" cried Phineas-2 as Roderick closed in on him.

Candace-2 looked up and saw Roderick about to grab her brothers. At that moment, a surge of new energy flowed into her, and she let out a prolonged, drawn-out "NO!" that distracted Byron, allowing her to seize her bo staff and hit the muscular bomber in the groin, sending him crumpling to the ground in pain. Candace-2 then knocked out Byron with a kick to the face. Next, she charged for Roderick, issuing a yell of anger.

Before Roderick can defend himself, Candace-2 had already hit him in the chest with her staff, then punched him in the face, painfully slamming him onto the Sun-Beater 3000's exterior. The teenager then grabbed the former bomber before he can collapse on the ground, and slammed him against the same lamppost she was slammed onto before throwing him to the ground. Groaning in pain, Roderick spotted a slab of asphalt, which he grabbed and used to strike Candace-2 across the stomach. He then slammed the slab against her back, sending the Resistance leader to the sidewalk. Chuckling as thunder rumbled, Roderick picked up the slab and prepared to strike Candace-2 across the head with it when...

"NNNNNOOOOO!"

Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 jumped on Roderick and began hitting him with smaller slabs of asphalt, but their attacks did little effect to him, and the bomber angrily grabbed both boys and threw them off of him. Growling, he stalked towards the two boys instead. Platyborg tried to crawl towards them, but the chip was still affecting his systems. Candace-2 watched with horror as Roderick raised the slab, aiming it at Phineas-2's head.

Screaming with pure rage, Candace-2 stood up and hit Roderick across the back with her staff; he dropped the slab as a result. She then kicked him in the groin and followed it with a punch to the face that sent Roderick to the street. Her insides burning with anger at the bomber, Candace-2 stood over Roderick, who looked up at her, dazed.

"Your brothers are the worst fighters, ya know that?" wheezed Roderick like a drunk.

"You. Will not. Try. And hurt. My brothers. AGAIN!" Candace-2 snarled.

Roderick laughed heartily. "And just how are you gonna ensure that, girl?" he asked.

"THIS WAY!" Candace-2 screeched, and she began hitting Roderick with her staff, using all of her strength. Instead of crying out in pain, Roderick instead smiled and began laughing, as if he was being tickled instead.

"OH YEAH, BABY!" he screamed. "MORE, BABY! MORE! MORE, MORE, MORE, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Roderick's words only fueled Candace-2's rage, and she began hitting the bomber faster and faster with her staff, the falling of rain, the flashing of lightning, and the rumbling of thunder highlighting her fury and determination to ensure Roderick never harmed her brothers again. As she continued to swing the staff, images began flashing in her memory: images of the funeral of her father. In her dimension, Phillip was killed during Doofenshmirtz-2's takeover of the Tri-State Area, a tragedy that the dictator later apologized for. He was killed as he tried to fight the Norm Bots to protect his family, and it traumatized Candace-2 the most. She had since vowed to ensure that her brother, and later Ferb, wouldn't share the same fate as Phillip-2. And there was no way this vow was going to be broken.

Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 looked on in shock as their sister began to devote herself to a pattern of raising her staff, striking Roderick, raising the staff again, and striking Roderick again. Phineas-2 realized with horror that his sister was never going to stop.

"CANDACE! STOP!"

But Candace-2 continued, and Roderick's laughter was still echoing through the street, louder than that booming of thunder. Phineas-2's eyes began to well up with tears as he watched his sister become a monster, continuing to hit Roderick viciously with blind determination.

"CANDACE! SSSTTTOOOPPP!"

But it was too late. Candace-2 had already raised her staff one last time, and brought it down with a finality onto Roderick's head. A loud crack, not of thunder, pierced the air, a crack that chilled Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 to the bone, and they watched as a piece of their sister's staff flipped into the air, blood streaked across it. The piece flipped several times, becoming illuminated briefly by a flashing bolt of lightning, and then it landed several feet away from Roderick's body with a wet clatter. Gasping, Phineas-2 looked at his sister, who was panting, rain water dripping down her body. Shock at what she had done filled the Resistance leader's face as she held her now-broken bo staff.

Candace-2 then gasped out, "Oh, God! What have I done?"

The motorcyclist skated towards Norm, and Django and his group watched as he pressed a button on his wrist. Four more figures appeared; they were duplicates of the motorcyclist, only with attire colored differently from their original. While the motorcyclist had black clothing, there was a clone that wore red clothing, another that wore green, a fourth that wore blue, and the fifth wore white. The motorcyclist and his clones continued to skate towards Norm, and they all procured automatic handguns and aimed the firearms at Norm.

"Everyone, duck!" cried Charlene.

The group's heads all dove down, just seconds before the five motorcyclists opened fire on Norm. Baljeet-2 took out a Resistance hand grenade, yanked its pin out, and threw it out of the already-shattered rear window, at their pursuers. The grenade landed on the street, and the white motorcyclist accidentally skated over it, setting off an explosion that engulfed him. Baljeet-2 let out a whoop of victory, while the Norm Bot and the tandem bike began firing their weapons at the four remaining pursuers.

Dodging a laser, the green motorcyclist then skated into a different street while the other three continued to return fire.

"Hey, where's that guy goin'?" asked Beppo.

"There's no time to ponder that!" Charlene exclaimed. "We've gotta do something about those two!"

"I've got that taken care of!" Adyson replied as she took out a grappling hook from the backpack she brought.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Django.

"Fireside Girls always come prepared."

With a grunt, Adyson then threw the grappling hook out of the window, and the hook landed on the street with a grinding clatter. The blue motorcyclist accidentally skated over the hook, and it became tangled with his left skating wheel; the clone fell over subsequently and was instantly dragged with Norm at high speeds. Adyson and Django both took control of the rope and began swerving the motorcyclist so they can hit the other two. However, the two motorcyclists flipped over their fallen comrade, continuously dodging every move with expertise.

Meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz and Doofenshmirtz-2 continued to pedal their tandem bike when they saw miles ahead the green motorcyclist skating towards Norm; he had taken a route that took him in front of the group.

"Guys, ahead of you!" called Doofenshmirtz. Beppo and Charlene looked out of the windshield and gasped while the green motorcyclist aimed his firearm.

However, Django had an idea and ordered, "Norm, swerve yourself around when we get near to the guy in front of us!"

"Yes, sir!" replied Norm optimistically and sped faster and faster towards the green motorcyclist. Finally, when the green motorcyclist was only at least half a mile away from Norm, the robot immediately swerved around, taking the blue motorcyclist with him, and the blue clone was thrown towards the green one. The green motorcyclist tried to take another direction, but it was too late: both clones collided painfully with each other, the blue clone breaking free from the rope that tethered him as a result, and they fell onto the street, their bodies still.

The black and red motorcyclists seized their chance to aim their firearms as they closed in on Norm, but the robot cleverly sped forward and hit both pursuers within seconds, sending both the motorcyclist and his clone flying into the air. The motorcyclist landed on a pile of cushions, while the clone landed painfully on the street and was still. Both Doofenshmirtzes and the Norm Bot watched the scene in shock before regrouping with Norm.

"Now," Doofenshmirtz-2 said to his doppelganger, "THAT is what I call hard-core!"

"That wasn't hard-core!" argued Doofenshmirtz. "I say that-"

"Let's save that for later, guys!" interrupted Django. "For now, we've gotta get to DEI!"

Both Doofenshmirtzes reluctantly nodded before following Norm and the Norm Bot to the DEI building, the motorcyclist, the original one, silently watching them.

It took Django's group five minutes to arrive at the DEI, and Django felt anticipation to right his wrongs burning inside him.

"You know," commented Baljeet-2, "that was almost too easy."

At that moment, the O.W.C.A. bus appeared from another street and was speeding towards Norm. Everyone inside screamed as Doofenshmirtz's robotic servant tried to stop, but it was too late for him as he crashed into the bus's side, splitting it in half. Norm and the bus halves were all sent flying into the air, and Norm ejected his uninjured passengers out before transforming into his robot form in midair; he then caught Vanessa and Charlene in his hands and also fired grabbing claws to catch Django, Adyson, Beppo, and Baljeet-2. The O.W.C.A. bus halves both transformed into the Morn Duo in midair as well. Norm then landed onto the concrete sidewalk on his feet, while Morn Alpha landed clumsily on a pickup truck, Morn Beta landing on a bus stop with equal clumsiness.

Doofenshmirtz and Doofenshmirtz-2 rode up to Norm on their tandem bike, dismounted it, and the former rushed up to Charlene and Vanessa, both of whom were released by Norm along with the others.

"Are you two okay?" asked the scientist as he embraced his ex-wife and daughter in a hug.

"Yeah, we are," Charlene replied.

"We have Norm to thank for that," said Vanessa, and she looked up at Norm. "Thanks, bro."

"You're welcome, sis!" Norm replied cheerfully. He then noticed the Morn Duo standing up and deploying their weapons, and looked at his creator. "Dad, you lead everyone else into DEI, while I'm gonna fend off these punks."

"I'm not your father, Norm, for the last time," said Doofenshmirtz. "And what? You're not going out there and fighting those robots unless I say so! And you're only programmed to fight Perry the Platypus!"

"Remember, you never read my instruction manual."

"It's a no, Norm! Let your other-dimension doppelganger handle that!"

"Heinz," interjected Charlene, "let your robot do what he feels he must do."

"But Charlene-"

"He wants to protect you, Heinz. You're a father figure to him, and he's a robot. Can't you respect that?"

Doofenshmirtz looked at his creation, who stared pleadingly back at him. The scientist didn't know what to reply. Ever since his creation, Norm had been so useful to him in his duties as a robotic servant, and to lose him and his help was something he didn't want as much as the loss of Vanessa or Charlene. But now that he looked at it from Norm's perspective, Doofenshmirtz finally realized that all he had been doing to thank Norm for his service was derisive remarks towards him, and now that Norm was evolving psychologically, he wondered if the robot was holding in any feelings of rage against his creator. Rarely had Doofenshmirtz given Norm the gratitude he deserved, and now was his chance to do so.

Smiling sadly, Doofenshmirtz replied, "Go ahead, Norm. Take 'em out. And Norm?"

"Yes, uh, sir?" asked Norm.

"I take back everything I said about you not being my son. You may not be of my own flesh, bones, and blood; in fact, you're just metal, bolts, and wiring. But anyway, you've been so loyal to me so much, and you've given me the best of help in my schemes. However, I never thanked you for your faithful services, and if I did and I don't remember it, I must've zapped myself with an Amnesia-Inator afterwards. So, just in case you don't...you don't make it, then I want to just say thank you, Norm, for all of the things you have done for me in the past to help make my schemes nearly succeed, and that somewhere in my mind, I've always thought of you as the son I never had."

Norm just stared on at Doofenshmirtz. Finally, a tear slid from the robot's eye. It wasn't a tear of oil, but a tear of pure, clear water. Doofenshmirtz was confident that he didn't install any water pouches or such in the robot's eyes, and the scientist too shed a tear with joy at the newest ability of his creation, now his greatest.

"Oh, Dad!" cried Norm cheerfully, grabbing Doofenshmirtz and embracing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, that's good Norm. Now, you'd better get going! These two whatever-they-were-called robots are coming!"

"Yeah, that's right," replied Norm before reluctantly releasing his master and creator and facing the Morn Duo.

"Norm Bot," Doofenshmirtz-2 said to his robotic soldier, "help out your other-dimension counterpart!"

"Yes, sir!" replied the Norm Bot, and it hovered beside Norm as they faced their opponents together, while the others ran off to the DEI front doors. Norm looked at the Norm Bot.

"Ready, other-dimension me?" he asked.

"Do not distract me or be destroyed," the Norm Bot replied.

"Okay!" said Norm, still optimistic. "Yeesh, I sure am so grumpy in the other dimension."

Django, Adyson, Beppo, the Doofenshmirtzes, and Baljeet-2 ran up to the DEI front doors, anticipation pounding in their hearts as they prepared themselves for what was up in Doofenshmirtz's laboratory. Everyone watched as Doofenshmirtz began searching his lab coat before groaning angrily. He then pulled at the doors, but it turned out that they were locked. Sighing and muttering something indiscernible, the scientist then approached a set of buttons on the wall to the left and pressed one of them, feigning a smile.

"He-hello?" came an elderly voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Thompson?" replied Doofenshmirtz. "It's me, Heinz! I think I left my keys in my room. Can you buzz me and my friends in?"

There was a short silence before Mrs. Thompson replied, "Sorry, who is this?"

"Ugh! Heinz Doofenshmirtz, your neighbor! You borrowed sugar from me seven days ago. For five times?"

"Who?"

Doofenshmirtz slumped with annoyance. "Are we seriously gonna do this again? I'm Heinz Doofenshmirtz! Heinz Doofenshmirtz! HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ!"

"I'm sorry, who again?"

"HEI-" Doofenshmirtz began, but his eyes brightened up with an idea. He had done this before and it worked, so it's guaranteed to work again. "I'm selling magazines!"

There was another short silence. Finally, Mrs. Thompson replied again.

"I'm sorry, I already have a stack of magazines. You'll have to come back sometime tomorrow. Goodbye!"

"No, no, wait!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz, but it was too late, for the senile woman had hung up on him. "AW, POOH!"

"Um, honey?" asked Charlene.

Doofenshmirtz turned to his ex-wife, impatience and annoyance etched on his face. "What?"

Charlene merely showed the scientist his Door-Opener-Inator, to which Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened. Slapping his forehead in disbelief, the scientist grabbed it and aimed it at the doors. Firing a laser that enveloped one of the doors, Doofenshmirtz gasped with admiration at his useful Inator as the door swung open in an instant. High-fiving Doofenshmirtz-2, Doofenshmirtz then led everyone inside the building and toward the elevators.

Ferb gasped when no laser emerged from the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, and Perry chattered in shock. Phineas cackled at the turn of events and, with a determined grunt, ripped free from his bonds. Ferb didn't notice, for he was busy examining the Inator that failed to do what it was designed to do.

"What happened?" Ferb exclaimed, desperate. "Why didn't it work?"

"It was short-circuited by the rain, that's what!" replied a smiling Phineas. "Teaches you to expose electrical machinery to the rain before you decide to use it on me! AHAHAHA!"

Ferb simply couldn't believe it. The last hope for everything he knew, his last hope for the return of the true Phineas, was gone. Gasping in sad, defeated anguish as his heart began to rip, the British boy dropped the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator to the ground, just as lightning flashed again. Another gust of wind blew up, spraying Ferb, Perry, and Phineas with the rain, and the backyard tree continued to sway uncomfortably, the perilous chances of it collapsing on the rise.

"Now what, Ferb?" Phineas asked tauntingly. "You're last hope for bringing back that weak Phineas has gone up in smoke! And what's left for you to do now, huh?"

Ferb looked at Phineas, and Phineas stared back at him. The green-haired boy finally didn't know what to do. If only the real Phineas were beside him, then a counterattack would instantly be in place. But here he was, facing a megalomaniacal doppelganger of his brother, preparing to square off in another round of their backyard fight. But this was Phineas. Ferb knew that somewhere inside was his real brother, and to ensure that this new Phineas doesn't conquer the universe might mean... Ferb didn't even want to think of it. But Phineas was unstoppable in his craving for widespread power, and to be spared would allow him to proceed with this 'Operation: Brown'.

Ferb's musings were interrupted when Phineas asked tauntingly, "What now, Ferb?"

The British boy looked at his brother, sadness in his eyes. Ferb knew what he must do now.

"I'm sorry, Phineas," he said, right before he took out one of Thaddeus's power gloves and punched his brother into the backyard tree, which splintered upon impact, and the tree under which Phineas and Ferb both thought up of the ideas that brought them closer together fell with an earsplitting thud. Phineas was able to roll out of the trunk's way, and faced Ferb and Perry again.

Perry looked at Ferb, and Ferb looked at the platypus agent. The sadness in his owner's eyes told Perry all that he needed to know, and he bowed his head in respect for his other owner, before standing beside Ferb as they stared Phineas down. Ferb spoke.

"Phineas, the only way we're gonna have to stop your evil self is to-" Ferb gulped and skipped ahead. "I just wanted you to know that I love you, and that you were the best brother anyone can ask for. You helped me move on from my past, and you were always there for me. I love you, Phineas."

Phineas's eyes widened, and then he cackled.

"HOW FANTASTIC!" he howled. "So your last resort is to kill me? HA! Let's see you try! Bring it on!"

Ferb gave a small smile before joining Perry in combat.

Phineas, the true Phineas, watched from the Shadow's realm of the brain as Ferb spoke to him through the projection on the eerie mist. At first, Phineas was horrified by Ferb's latest announcement, but then he realized that there was no other way. He knew that the Shadow was unstoppable, and that there were two ways to stop him: either shoot him with a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, or kill him. With the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator available short-circuited, and Ferb having lost his own on the rollercoaster, there was no other choice. Unless someone else shows up with a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator in his or her grasp...

Phineas smiled when Ferb told him he loved him and replied, "I love you too, bro."

"What must be done must be done."

Original A/N: Okay, maybe not the longest chapter, but hey! I enjoyed writing this as much as the others!

School, you sure know how to antagonize me good.

So Ferb and Perry decide that they must kill the evil Phineas. Remember that there's the option of someone showing up with a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator (which hasn't happened yet), as stated before, so lean on that!

And will Future Isabella go for a little splat or not?

Oh, and will Django and his group succeed in doing whatever they can at DEI?

Only the next chapter will tell!

On a side-note, thanks to my unstoppable creativity, this four-part sequence will have to be extended into five parts. I just can't stop thinking up of more scenes.

Now, onto the reviews:

Strawberry Song: LOL! And thanks for adding me to your Favorite Authors list!

Stinkfly3: Sure!

PandF785: Thanks for your review!

maniac's maniac: You already got my response.

TheAllySue: Thank you SO MUCH for your review! I love it!

FrostShadowStar: Like what I did for you?

NattyMc: NOW you finally know if Perry died or not. Hooray for you!

EvilAntauri: HAHAHA!

NoShameHere: I know, huh?

CulinaryChef: Thanks for your review!

Unsigned: ...Yeah, I've thought about that too. Maybe Phillip coincidentally has the same surname?

Linzerj: Thanks for your review, and now you know if Perry died or not.

SmashPotatoe (unsigned): Thanks!

Mya Fletcher: You already got my response.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: The green light was Ferb spotting the leaves of the backyard tree before landing. Yes, it was part of Isabella's fight with her father. And here's your update!

FanficFemale (unsigned): Thanks!

YAY! My fic has more than 200 reviews! *faints from the awesomeness*

And yet, I repay your efforts with mostly half-baked responses. *slaps self in shame*

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! A happy TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!

New A/N: I have mixed feelings about this chapter in hindsight. On one hand, the action sequences are pretty awesome as usual. I actually remember being inspired by the movies "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Tron: Legacy" while I was writing this, and you can actually see the close similarities if you've watched either of those movies. I also enjoy the development I did with Doofenshmirtz and Norm's relationship; it was truly a nice resolution.

But on the other hand, I am once again being a dark, edgy teenager who knows nothing but darkness and edginess. XP Candace-2 killing someone in such a horrible, brutal way? Ferb and Perry concluding Phineas needs to be killed in order for the Shadow to be stopped? I think there were alternatives to those scenarios that should've been considered, and in hindsight, I definitely should've pursued any and all available alternatives to ensure everyone stayed in-character. Now, yes, an evil, megalomaniacal Phineas is supposed to be serious business, but this is still "Phineas and Ferb". I think I put way too much emphasis on the dark tone that I was hoping to use.

Anyway, what's done is done. Besides, I think this chapter's shortcomings can be rectified by what's about to come in the next chapter. And I do hope all of you old readers know what I'm talking about when I say that! ;D ;D ;D

Now, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:

-PhinabellaForLife22:

1) Thanks! I know, right? The fact that I was able to pull off such an amazing sequence for my first story is unbelievable, and it still is! It's a shame I haven't been able to replicate this kind of drive and creativity for my later stories. Hopefully, with this fic back up, I can read and reread it at my leisure and learn something from it.

2) Yeah, it'd be so nice to see this whole fic be adapted into a feature-length film. With all the necessary fixes, sure but I would pay big bucks to see all of that on the silver screen!

-Air-Crafter:

1) A lot of awesomeness, that's what happens! :D :D :D

2) As you can see, Perry survived in the most anticlimactic way, so you can put your concerns to rest. XD

3) Ohhhhh, it sure will be! ;)

-Epsilon Tarantula:

1) *JonTron noises intensify*

2) Seriously, though, I DID NOT catch that, not back then, and definitely not now. But I do understand what you mean. Trust me, though, what Ferb said was completely innocent. I didn't mean to imply anything sketchy and dark happened when Phineas and Ferb were younger.

3) Not sure if what I did with Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 in this story was in line with their character as well, but I am glad to know some things hadn't changed in the 2nd Dimension.

4) I didn't watch "Mission Marvel", even after all these years, so I wouldn't know.

5) I don't really read or watch "Naruto", so I wouldn't know either. But yeah, last chapter was the moment, the cathartic moment where Isabella accepts her fatherless past as better than what she knows now and conquers her inner demons over this sensitive matter. As such, I should've ended the subplot here with David's death. Everything that happens after that is the prime definition of overstaying one's welcome.

6) Hey, I like "Fate/Zero" too! Truly one of the best anime out there. I'm actually writing a fanfiction based around that, but I haven't updated it in a while. I probably should get around to resuming work on the next chapter!

7) Yeah, I didn't even SEE that movie and I KNEW it'd be awful. Call it a cinephile's intuition. :P

8) And here's that climactic backyard fight! I hope it had everything you wanted, and then some! :D :D :D

-CMR Rosa: But the thing is, I never provided any hint that redemption would be possible for David. Sure, he had a very tragic backstory, but that was it. I never showed him feeling remorseful beforehand of his partnership with the Shadow, nor did I ever paint his actions in an ambiguous light. It was just a sudden, awkward shift from heartless psychopath to redemption arc.

-Destr2oyer: If you say so. XP

-Agent P (guest reviewer): Now, obviously. But hold your horses, man! I still have a life to attend to. If you want any updates on what's up with me, please follow my profile. I update it as much as I can with snippets on what's happening with me.

-Shadowripper (guest reviewer):

1) I'm assuming you and Shadowrip are the same because...well, you know.

2) You actually make a pretty good point there. Phineas spent the beginning of the fanfic grieving Phillip's death and that made him vulnerable to the Shadow's influence, and yet, I never pulled Lawrence into the equation. There was that one scene where Lawrence's status as Phineas's stepfather was challenged by one of the Shadow's cronies (forgot who), but I never bothered revisiting it. I'd say that was wasted potential right there.

3) Not just any person, but a watchdog user who reminded me there were actually site guidelines that I was violating at the time. Long story short, I was under the impression the user was going to block me, and I didn't know how much time I had, so I just went for broke and deleted absolutely everything.

4) You've got a good point there too. I think my teenage self wanted to explore this ideal world of Phineas's more, but a preoccupation with the action probably bogged that down.

Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!