EmpowerED

-x-

Title: EmpowerED

Rating: T for mild violence.

Status: One-shot

Pairing: Implied Edd x May

Summary: The wimp, the geek, the pussy, the anti-athlete; that was Double Dork. Or, as his friends and associates generally called him, Double D. Who knew that this meek, little genius had it in him to stand up against the real enemy when all others lost their backbone?

Disclaimer: I simply do not own Ed, Edd n Eddy.

Author's Notice: First EEnE fanfiction! :) Yay! Hope you enjoy it ;3

-x-

It all started to go wrong with a little scam.

But then again, didn't it always?

"Eddy!" shrieked Double D, once again horrified at the sheer disobedience from his friend and the terror that was caused due to such rebellion. "Why do you never listen to me? Am I speaking to a hard-compact wall whenever it comes to communicating with you about potentially hazardous consequences that may occur if you act upon certain decisions? Can't you just temporarily disregard your thoughts for those tiny quarters long enough to actually--"

"Shut it, sock-head!" Eddy panicked. "What are you doin' just standing there for? We need cover!"

Double D was unceremoniously dragged from his previous post by a harsh grip, the tiny genius finding himself ducking beneath a small shrub of a bush with his two friends, Eddy and Ed, as they waited for the explosion that was certain to come.

And boy, did it come.

The machine that was originally built to make an unlimited supply of plastic, life-size, flavoured jawbreakers the Ed boys would con the children of the cul-de-sac into buying suddenly erupted in mixed materials of machine parts, plastic and different colours of paint. The noise was nothing less than a loud firecracker on New Year's Eve, amplified by a loudspeaker. Edd pressed his hands over his ears in efforts to drown the noise out, hoping that nothing would befall the fellow Eds, knowing, devastating, that it wouldn't, couldn't, come true in the first place.

Of course, he was right. Edward was always right.

"Flying saucer, Double D!" Ed cried. Before Edd even looked up towards the taller friend, something made a loud, echoing THONK.

No sooner did a hammer painted with wet pink fall nastily on Double D's head.

With a groan, not yet realizing that his black and white hat was tainted pink, Edd looked up towards Ed, realizing that the older boy was just standing there, a metal board flat on his head. He was grinning and he, somehow, someway, managed to sneak out a bag of peanuts which he decided he'd eat on that very spot. Oh my… Edd thought, feeling slightly dizzy. The mystery of Ed never ceases to bewilder me. He's the ultimate subject to defy physics and science. Does he even feel the pain?

Double D sure felt the pain. "Ouch," he mumbled to himself, rubbing the top of his head only to find that it was covered with goo. Eyes widening, he realized that the palm of his hand was covered with pink. "Goodness gracious!" he yelped, standing up. He glared at the offending hammer that laid innocently on the ground. Just as he was about to yell, he stopped himself. No use in screaming at an inanimate object, Edward. You are sane. So, instead, he turned to Eddy, wondering if the shorter boy was alright…

… To find that Eddy wasn't even harmed at all. For once in the extreme rarities of the universe and luck, Eddy did not get hurt from one of their machines exploding.

It seemed that Eddy was having a hard time accepting that fact too. "Ha. Ha ha," he laughed nervously, paranoia written all over his face as he looked sheepishly around. "Looks like it's Eddy's lucky day, huh boys?"

"Eddy is lucky, just like the socks and cheese beneath my bed," Ed commented in his usual, out-there voice, continuing to munch on his peanuts.

All around them were scatted bits of their machine. Blobs of paint lay on the ground, colouring bushes, lawns and the windows of houses and roofs. There were also… paperclips? Someone was going to have to clean this up and it sure as heck wasn't going to be Eddy.

"Double D!" the short adolescent yelled, snapping out of his paranoia. "Look at what your invention did! Now you have to clean it up instead of fixing up another one!"

Edd stared at Eddy with a disbelieving expression. "I'm not going to clean anything up alone, Eddy!" he rebuked. "I specifically instructed you not to throw in the coloured paperclips! The mechanism I constructed wasn't programmed to function with spontaneous ingredients!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Eddy said, opening and shutting his hand, imitating Edd's mouth. "How'd I know that adding those small little paperclips would cause that thing to explode? The paperclips would've made it look like the jawbreakers had sprinkles! What kid in the right mind wouldn't buy that piece of genius?"

Edd rolled his eyes. "You're escaping the point," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Don't think that your sly manipulation will deter the conversation from your irresponsible behaviour, Eddy--"

"Uh-oh," Ed said, breaking their argument. "Here comes Sister Sarah! Run for your lives, run for your lives!" He immediately grabbed Edd and Eddy by their shirts, attempting to flee, but was stopped by a jerk of his own ear. "Owie, owie, owie! That hurts, sister!" Ed whimpered.

"Ed!" Sarah screamed, covered in red paint. "If you don't clean this mess up, I'm gonna tell mum!" She glared viciously at her older brother. "Look what you did to my hair! And to my clothes! You ruined me and Jimmy's picnic in the front yard, doofus!" She squeezed Ed's ear tighter. "Clean this up! If it's not finished after I take a shower, I'm gonna really tell mum!"

Finally, she released, Ed backing away and nursing his abused ear. His friends went to comfort the traumatized boy. Sarah 'humphed' and turned, marching her way back into her family's house, dragging a crying Jimmy behind her. Their destroyed picnic was left behind.

"Ah, whatever," Eddy said, poking out a green tongue. "If Princess thinks we're gonna do whatever she says, she has another thing coming. That little twerp."

"But Eddy!" Ed whimpered, grabbing Eddy's shirt and pouting. "If we don't clean all this up, then Sarah's gonna tell mum, and mum's gonna tell dad, and dad's gonna say 'I have to prepare for a football game tonight. Don't disturb me'!" Ed brawled. "Please, Eddy! You gotta do something!"

"If I may contribute to this conversation, Ed," Double D said. "Perhaps it's not Eddy who must do something but all of us? If we commence this very instant, we may be able to complete this task before your sister returns from her lengthy shower." Miraculously, Edd had cleaned his hat when no one seemed to be looking. It was back to its normal black and white, not a pink smudge to be seen.

Eddy glared at Double D. "Nuh-uh! No way am I going to do what that runt tells me to!" He walked over to the pile of broken wood, metal and machine parts. It didn't resemble anything at all now. The other Eds followed curiously. Eddy picked up a couple of things and shoved them into Edd's hands. "Here! Make something of it, sock-head!" he demanded. "I ain't gonna waste a long, long trip to the stinky ol' dump for nothin'! We'll get a scam goin' in less than a tiffy!"

If Edd could slap his own forehead, he would've. "Your sentence structure is beginning to disturb me, Eddy," he said blandly. But once again, it fell on deaf ears as Eddy began to scavenge among the explosive bits. As Edd looked around, he found Ed furiously cleaning at something that looked like a crack on the pathway, chanting: "Must obey Mistress or she'll take me to her doomed planet of flowers!"

With a sigh, Edd expected the materials in his possession. Wood, nuts, a stick, rubber bands, a bolt… What can I possibly create with this? He began to play a little with the rubber bands and bolt. As he continued, lost in his own little world, he began to unconsciously poke his tongue out, deep in concentration. The supplies in his hands were beginning to create some sort of shape… A slingshot, perhaps?

But before Double D could finish on his surely new invention, he looked up. Strange, he thought. The formation of the clouds suggest that it would rain. A small rumble. I don't recall clouds like that a few minutes ago.

"Double D!" Ed suddenly yelled. "I'm scrubbing at this spec of dirt and it won't come off! I think aliens Glavenho gave it superpowers from their home planet Juskitegh! Come see, Double D!"

"Quit your yapping over there, Ed!" Eddy said midst his search in the pile. "You're ruining my concentration! The art of scavenging isn't as easy as it looks!"

He paused.

Eddy's gaze switched onto the stiff Edd. "Oi, Double D," he said through clenched teeth. "What are you doin' nothing for? Man, you've been out of it today! First, your stupid machine broke. Then, you didn't even duck for cover when it was going to explode! Now you're just standing there, staring into space!"

Slowly, a scared, nervous expression formed on Edd's face. He lifted a quivering arm, pointing at something behind them, down the road. "E-Eddy," he said nervously. The skies rumbled and lightening flashed. "I-I spy three angry looking delinquents he-heading our direction," he stuttered.

"What are you talking about, sock-head?" Eddy asked, obviously annoyed by today's events. He turned to see what Edd was pointing at and glared fiercely at the three shadows that came towards them. "Hey, freaks!" he said, standing his ground. He didn't recognize the figures. None of the kids at the cul-de-sac were that tall… Except for maybe Ed, but Eddy had a feeling that the three silhouettes were a bit larger than even the tallest kid in the cul-de-sac.

Yet this didn't even register as a threat to the ever thick headed Eddy. "What are you three, numbskulls?" he yelled. "You can just go back to your own little town 'cuz we already have enough of them here!"

"Eddy…" Double D warned quietly, tugging on Eddy's shirt meekly. Ed, having to spy the other three, cowered behind Edd. There was something about them, as they slowly stalked into the light, that even scared the mindless softy. "I don't think you should provoke them like that. An additional factor is that it's rude. What if they're new to the neighbourhood? You're setting a bad impression on all of us."

"Put a can in it," grunted Eddy, still glaring at the three. "Quit with the dramatic entrance and show your stupid faces! Ain't no one gonna terrorize this neighbourhood but me!"

And show themselves they did. Upon seeing their brute exterior, Eddy's confidence immediately drained. Much too quickly for his health, I suppose, Edd couldn't help but think, subconsciously hiding behind Eddy.

The three were massive. They looked even more muscular than their Ed. All three had sneers on their faces, a hostile look in their beady black eyes. The one in the middle seemed to be the unofficial-Or official, depending on the way you interpret his outward demeanor, Double D butted in-leader of the group, standing high and strong, crossed arms and smirking. Behind him were his two 'stooges', as Edd immediately labeled. The two didn't seem all too bright, mocking grins on their faces with growing facial hair on each one.

The Eds were shocked. It wasn't often that a new kid, let alone kids, decided to move into their territory. Especially three, huge, mean-looking bullies. The Kanker sisters were enough, Edd thought, internally and outwardly shaking. We don't need more harassment!

"Little, fat shorty," the middle teen addressed with a sneer. "I'd like you to repeat what you said about me and my pals here. Go on, short stuff. Say it again." His expression was enough to intimidate the three Eds.

"I-I," stuttered Eddy, losing his cool awhile ago. He sweated nervously. "Erm, ah, I said… ah…" He gulped and reached out behind him. "Me have short memory! No speak-o English!" He shoved Edd in front of him, hiding behind his orange shirt. "Tell 'em, Double D! Say I'm from China or somethin'!"

"That's preposterous, Eddy!" Edd retorted, sweating more than Ed and Eddy combined. He looked back towards the trio, instantly shrinking beneath their glare. I didn't notice that they were so close. "Ah-Ah…" He tried to calm his frantic nerves. "S-Salutations, gentlemen?" he said meekly.

A second of silence…

… Before the three giants burst out in mock laughter. "Salutations?" the middle one repeated, chuckling evilly. "Gentlemen? Jeez, who is this nerd?"

The boy on the left snickered. "And what's with the hat on his head? Resembles a sock, don't it?"

"Eh he he he hehe he," was all the boy on the right said in reply.

The middle one grinned broadly, a dark gleam in his eye. Overhead, the thunder roared. An ominous omen, Edd quaked. "What three losers." They advanced and the Eds took a cowardly step back. "Aren't we gonna have fun here. What are your names, wimps?"

Edd had to reply. It was the polite and conductive thing to do. "This is Ed," he introduced quietly, eyes large and shirt almost soaked with his own perspiration. "And this is Eddy. M-My name is Edward." Oh gosh, he thought, squeezing his eyes shut. Prepare yourself for utter mocking, Edward. Prepare yourself for utter mocking.

For the second time, the bullies burst out in laughter. "Ed, Edd and Eddy?" the middle one choked. "Stupid! That's so incredibly stupid! You three must be the dumbest people in the block!"

It was only then did Eddy seem to grow back his confidence. "Hey!" he said, standing up a little straighter and daring to glare at the three nameless boys. "We can't be the dumbest kids on the block when we're staring at them!"

"Ooh, we got ourselves a little smart-alec here, don't we, Steve?" the boy on the left jibed.

"Can it, Mike," 'Steve' snapped.

"Eh hehe he he he heh," the other chuckled.

"I'll smash your face in, Nick, if you don't quit that annoying sound!" growled Steve. He turned back to the Eds. "Or better yet, why don't we smash your faces?" he smirked. "After all, it's the least we could do to repay you for that wonderful greeting."

Knowing when they were about to get beaten up, the Ed boys backed away quickly. "N-No thank you!" Ed said. "My little sister doesn't like it when I come home and whine about my boo-boos."

"Great, we have ourselves a genius, a wimp and a shorty," Steve said, rolling his eyes. The three advanced just as quickly as the Eds retreated. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this."

Not another beating, not another beating! Edd chanted in his mind, pleading for, once again, a fate that could not be altered.

The lightening flashed, the rain began to pour and the Eds' screams were drowned out by the raving thunder.

-x-

When the storm cleared, as quickly as it came, the other children of the cul-de-sac went out to inspect if any rainbows were created. Instead, they found themselves a shocking sight.

Eddy had the supreme-atomic wedgie, hanging by his underwear in a tree, looking bruised and purple. Ed was buried half-deep in mud, rocks jammed inside his mouth and unconscious. Double D was hanging limply on top of a street lamp, battered and wedgie-fied. All three Eds were soaked to the bone.

"Oh no!" Nazz cried, looking horrified. "What happened to them, Kevin?"

Kevin was as shocked as everybody else, eyes wide and unbelieving. Nobody but him caused such a beating on the Eds. "Wonder what they did this time to deserve this," he mumbled to himself.

"Who is responsible for the purple colour and paleness of the Ed boys?" Rolf asked, only slightly concerned as he inspected them. "I have never seen such brutality, even in the farm lands of the far country I used to reside from."

"Plank, this is horrible!" Johnny squealed. "Who could have done this to them?" He paused, listening. "I don't know anyone who could do this to the Eds!" He paused again. "I'm pretty sure I didn't do this in my sleep, Plank." He waited. "It's a possibility that can't be ruled out, I guess. You're so smart, Plank!"

Jimmy and Sarah, avoiding the mud, poked Ed with a stick. "Who could have done such horrible things?" Jimmy asked, wailing. Violence was never a good thing to him. "What did the Eddies do? Sarah, are they going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Sarah replied. Her eyes narrowed. "WAKE UP, ED! I'M GONNA TELL MUM YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING IN THE MUD AGAIN!"

But he didn't wake up. None of them did.

Jimmy cried. "They're dead, Sarah! They're all dead!"

"Hey, calm down, dudes," Nazz suggested. "Let's just get them down and clean, okay? When they wake up, they should be able to tell us what happened."

"Rolf is afraid that isn't necessary, blonde girl by the name of Nazz," Rolf stated. He pointed at a particular direction, posture stiff and ready to strike, like a wild animal. "I sense a great hostility in those three, giant boys. Rolf believes that they are the cause of the Eds' misfortune."

Mike, Steve and Nick stood together, smirking in their traditional manner in the middle of the road. "You got that right," Steve said. "And we're taking over this little dump. No one's gonna get in our way."

"No way, dorks!" Kevin growled. "This is my neighbourhood. Go jump in a lake."

"Yeah dude!" Nazz said. "This is our neighbourhood. You can't just, like, take it away from us. Besides, look what you did to Ed, Double D and Eddy. Even we're not that bad!"

"That's right!" Sarah growled, marching up with the rest of them. "Ain't no one beats up my brother without my permission and gets away with it, you punks!"

Jimmy quivered behind Sarah but nodded. "Y-Yeah," he squeaked. "You have no right to come here and boss us around."

"Plank says that you three are ugly and big, mean bullies!" Johnny stated, puffing out his chest. "And I say that you three should learn to be nicer or you're not gonna like this neighbourhood very much."

Rolf stood in front of them, leading. "If you battle with one of us, you battle with all," he said fiercely, exhaling deeply through his nose. "You can't take on all of us at once!"

But Mike, Steve and Nick only smirked.

"Eh hehe he hehe heh he."

And then the battle began.

It wasn't too long after did the kids of the cul-de-sac realize that what they were up against were no ordinary bullies. They didn't know how, they didn't know why, but these three were something else. They seemed to possess a certain strength of years and years of bullying and teasing. They had sly hands and quick minds, instantly out-doing them. They introduced new ways of pain that the kids never even knew existed on this planet. Their experience in the art of bashing was overwhelming.

Then something happened which never happened before, not when they all teamed up and fought by one another. They were… defeated.

The cul-de-sac was no longer theirs.

It belonged to the Skatem cousins.

-x-

The cul-de-sac was never the same again after that day. The kids were terrorized, numb-struck with fear. They were scared of even stepping a foot out of their house, the area which they knew was their property. Everything else belonged to the Skatems. One foot, one toenail, out of line and they'd know and hunt you down. The children never once complained to their parents. If they did, they knew they'd only get the Skatems temporarily grounded. They would be back and when they did, there'll be hell to pay. The cul-de-sac was a place of fear now. Gone were the days where the kids would fearlessly explore their homes and neighbourhood, visiting each other without considering pain. Those were the good old days.

As Double D stared out of his window, he sighed. There they were now, those three demons, playing soccer with a battered up ball. Edd heard their laughs, their snickers, and it was rather hard to believe that those three brutes could ruin such a perfect lifestyle. Oh, come now, Edward, Edd thought to himself, hiding beneath the curtains of his bedroom. If they even saw you, they'd pummel you. It has only been two weeks since their arrival. Perhaps they might tire of the cul-de-sac and move on to terrorize more unfortunate children?

It was a far, far dream.

Edd sighed again, closing his curtains to block that happy sunlight from entering his room. It seems as if I'm not allowed the rays of the sun, either, he thought bitterly to himself. This came as a shock to him. Edd was hardly bitter, especially not to himself and without Eddy. For the last two weeks, he'd been experimenting and catching up on the homework and extra credit he'd missed out on due to Eddy's notorious scams. All in the past now, Edward. All in the past now. Why was he being so pessimistic again?

Edd returned to his chemistry desk, the room dim in order for him to properly see the glowing chemicals he'd stashed away in his closet. With white-gloved hands, he carefully measured out the sulphuric acid in a measuring cylinder, pouring it delicately into the mixture that began to sizzle at the contact.

Suddenly, Double D gasped. "Oh dear!" he said. "I seem to have forgotten to put on my safety goggles!" This was a real worry for Edd. He usually didn't forget safety measurements. He searched frantically around his all-too-neat room, fully labeled, trying to find his misplaced glasses. Where did I put them? he asked himself worriedly. I never misplace an object as obvious as those glasses! The organized world of Double D was slowly breaking down as he continued to search for the goggles to no prevail. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," he mumbled to himself, sweating profusely. "This can't be happening to you, Edward. This can't be happening to yo--"

Then a hand shot out from beneath Double D's bed and grabbed his ankle. The reaction was immediate: Edd screamed.

Or he would've, if it weren't for the hand that slapped his mouth closed. "Sssh!" hissed Eddy, seeming to appear from beneath Edd's bed. "You gotta keep it down, sock-head! If those bullies hear you, you might take a pounding!"

"EDDY!" yelled Edd, surprise, anger and confusion spread across his face. "What in the world are you doing, hiding beneath my bed, in my room no less?" He walked backward, dragging Ed from beneath said mattress. "Ed, kindly let go of my ankle, please," he said dryly.

"Heh heh, sure thing, Double D!" Ed proclaimed, immediately letting go and standing, grinning foolishly.

"When did you two get in here?" Edd whispered loudly. "I never once left my--Ed! Are those my glasses?" Double D snatched his safety goggles from Ed's toying hands and cleaned them. "Filthy, Ed. What have you been touching?"

"Potatoes and mashed ice cream, Double D," Ed replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Once Edd finally got his goggles cleaned, he put them on and went back to his experiment.

"Oi, sock-head, we're here for a reason, you know," ground out Eddy, irritated at being ignored.

"Sorry Eddy, but you came at a bad time," Edd replied, focused entirely on his experiment. "If this doesn't set in a specific manner and left for an appropriate amount of minutes, it might cause toxic fumes to consume my room and most probably kill me. Don't disturb me, Eddy. This is a dangerous experimental."

But when will Double D learn that Eddy never listened to a word he said when it concerned somebody's, or his, safety?

"Aw, you're just egg-zag-er-ate-thing," Eddy said, trying to drag Edd away from his desk.

"I believe you mean 'exaggerating', Eddy," Double D corrected automatically, finding it hard to ignore Eddy now that he was pulling him away from his precious, precious chemicals and science.

"You have to come, Double D! Me and the others are fed up with the Skatems and want them out of our neighbourhood! We can't do that without weapons created by yourself!"

"Weapons!" Edd repeated, dumbfounded. "I absolutely will not participate in such war games with anyone. Such things are against the laws of conduct set to me by a very early age. To go against it now would be such a sad disaster."

"Come on, Double D," Ed said, chewing on his shoe again. "You already help Eddy with his scams. Why not with this?"

Eddy grinned. "For once, lumpy's right! You're already breaking your so-called moral codes by scamming with us! Might as well go all the way, eh?"

Edd frowned. "I will not do it, Eddy. I refuse to!"

Edd didn't want to believe it but sometimes he could be just as stubborn as Eddy.

"It's not like you have a choice, Double D," Eddy stated in that usual cocky voice. He let go of Ed and clicked his fingers. "Get 'im, Ed."

"Righty-o, Eddy!"

"Ed, no!" Edd squealed, narrowly dodging the rapid embrace from his huge friend. As Ed continued to chase Double D around his room, knocking down various objects in the process and scrambling up Edd's labels, Double D finally cracked. "Alright, cease with the chasing, Ed! I will come with you! Tell him to stop, Eddy!" he yelped, unable to see his room being trashed.

Smirking triumphantly, Eddy clicked his fingers again. "Down, Ed!"

Immediately, Ed stopped, panting slightly as he crouched beneath Eddy's feet. "Can I have a cookie now, Eddy?" he asked cutely.

Double D couldn't resist a glare as he started to repair the damage to his room, folding his bed sheets neatly since Ed had jumped on them. "That was rude and very impolite, Ed, Eddy," he said snootily. He began to pack up his experiment equipment, disposing the chemicals in a proper fashion. "The nerve of you two, believing that I'd do every whim you may ask," he tsked. "It is most unnerving."

"Yeah, yeah, hurry it up, sock-head," Eddy said, not paying much attention. As always. "Come on! You're as slow as a snail sometimes, Double D!"

"You caused Ed to mess up my room, Eddy," Edd said dryly. "This is your own undoing."

Eddy rolled his eyes. Edd's room was already neat enough now and yet the hat-wearing preteen continued to 'fix' it. "That's it. The kids are waiting! Lumpy!" He walked out of the room.

Instantly, Edd found himself thrown over Ed's shoulder mid-clean up. Edd didn't spare a breath as Ed carried him away from his room-which I have yet to properly clean-and simply hung there, crossing his arms. There was an unpleased expression on his face. How irritatingly tedious.

-x-

"About time, dorks," Kevin sneered. "It took you forever to get here!"

"Don't blame us, double chin," Eddy retorted. "Double D here wouldn't get out of his house fast enough."

The Eds had escaped Edd's house without the notice of the Skatem's, immediately retreating to Eddy's house where the cul-de-sac kids, minus Nazz and Johnny, were gathered ominously. Everyone looked normal enough, all except for Jimmy, a terrified, traumatized look on his face.

Edd's eyes widened when he noticed Jimmy's state of condition. "My goodness, Jimmy. What has occurred to you?"

Poor Jimmy was covered with kisses and bruises. He looked as if he hadn't stopped crying for hours. He was still crying. "T-The Kankers!" he wailed, clutching onto Sarah for support.

"The Kankers?" Double D instantly repeated, eyes widening and heart beating with fear. "How on earth did the Kankers get a hold of you, Jimmy?"

"Easy, Double Dork," Kevin snorted, crossing his arms. "We sent Jimmy to those witches."

"What? Why?" The idea of the cul-de-sac kids willingly wanting the company of the three siblings was beyond him.

"For the plan, Double Ed boy," Rolf stated. "Has short Eddy and thick Ed not yet informed you of our devious plan to rid ourselves of the sneaky, rat-collecting Skatems?"

"Apparently, they haven't, Rolf," Edd said blandly.

Eddy smacked his back, a little bit more force than needed. "Aw, come off it, will ya, Double D?" He rolled his eyes. "We were going to tell you. We had to tell you, anyway, since you're part of my ingenious plan."

Another one of Eddy's 'ingenious plans', Edd thought in slight dismay. Joy. What can come out of this now? He sighed, subconsciously resigning. "Alright then, I fear that I have no choice." He prepared himself. "What is this so-called ingenious plan of yours, Eddy?"

"Grow a mind, Double D," Eddy snickered. "Why do you think we sent Jimmy to fetch the Kankers for?"

Edd's eyes widened, wondering why he hadn't come to this conclusion earlier. "You asked the Kankers to get rid of the Skatems?"

"Uh-huh, brainy," Sarah stated. "Why else would I allow these losers to make Jimmy go on such a dangerous mission?" She continued consoling the poor kid. "There, there, Jimmy. You were really brave to do that."

Before anyone could say anything more, someone came down from the stairs. All of them looked up to see Nazz traveling down with a bunch of equipment in her hands. "I can't believe your room is, like, totally cool, Eddy," Nazz said as she reached the final step. "Although, I don't know why you keep junk in your closet." To prove her point, she dropped the wood, nails, planks, and poles on the floor. Johnny came down after her, letting go of yet another pile of rubbish.

"And what do you think we're going to do with that, dork?" Kevin asked, glaring at the piles resentfully. He'd been in a really bad mood ever since he was no longer the number one bully in the cul-de-sac. The fact that the Kanker sisters terrified him was enough. Now there were another three jerks who intimidated him. It was so not cool.

"That's why we have Double D here," Eddy said, pushing Edd towards the piles. "You're going to make us weapons to fight off those uglies," he stated.

"Why would you want me to make tools of conflict if you've already sent the Kanker sisters to handle this situation?"

"That's easy, Double D," Johnny said, Plank in his arms as per usual. "Just in case the Kankers can't handle the Skatems and we'll have to try and get rid of them too."

Edd resisted the urge to roll his eyes upward. "Goodness gracious," he mumbled to himself. "What has the neighbourhood come to? Are we going to have an all-out war?"

"If it comes to a battle, then we must fight!" Rolf declared. "Rolf will not cower under the Skatem's shadow for all his life! He would rather die in the act of war than to live in intimidation!"

"Right on, dude," Nazz agreed. "I'm, like, tired of staying at my house all the time. I miss playing and going to the shops without having the Skatems, like, beat me to a pulp."

Ed blinked. "Gravy!"

"You heard him, Double D," Eddy said smugly. "Get fixing already!"

Not knowing what else to do but follow, Edd examined the equipment he received. Why, this is all just rubbish, he irked. What can I possibly make with these? While he was pondering, the others went to the windows of Eddy's house, peering out cautiously. Rain was coming. Just like the short storm they received when the Skatems arrived.

Double D sat on the ground, playing with the junk. Eddy can't possibly expect me to build something out of this, can he? He groaned. I do not understand why such pressure is always put on myself… Why did he have all this junk in his closet anyway? It's rather peculiar. Perhaps it's his emergency stash of… whatever… Eddy needs an emergency stash of. Goodness! Now I'm not making adequate sense to myself. This certainly isn't good. Oh, look, a rubber band. Hmm… The items here are beginning to resemble the bits of exploded machinery on our last scam two weeks ago. Maybe I can remodel it to a certain degree… He began fixing the materials in the same manner he did in the last post-scam. Yes… It's beginning to look like something. Maybe if I do this I can--

"Double D! Come look! The Kankers are here!"

It was Eddy who proclaimed this and immediately, everyone was stiff and watching. Edd stood up rather shakily, wondering if he wanted to witness the bloody mess of three evil forces colliding. Curiosity got the better of him though as he walked over to the window and, supporting himself on top of Ed's shoulders, looked over the kids' heads to see what was happening.

The skies were heavily black, thunder rolling and lightening flashing. The Kankers stood on the road, Lee in the middle with May and Marie standing beside her. They stood opposing the Skatems, Steve between his cousins, Mike and Nick. The two families stood meters away from each other in a long stretch of road, glaring at their opposing enemies as they sized each other up.

"Who are you three witches?" Steve finally spoke, breaking the silence.

Lee crossed her arms, followed by the other two sisters. "We heard from little Duchess that you were terrorizing this neighbourhood," she said, her voice the usual thick, low tone. "And we don't like that one bit, do we, girls?"

"Nuh-uh!" May said, the blonde's eyes narrowed. "Duchess told us that since you came around, our boyfriends won't come out of their houses!"

"How are we supposed to kiss them if they're locked up in their homes all the time, huh, dweebs?" Marie snapped. "You three have some nerve, butting into the neighbourhood like that and keeping us from our men. You three may be cute but your attitudes are rotten!"

Despite the curly, orange hair that covered Lee's eyes, all of them knew that she was glaring. "You're nothing but boys who're trying to keep us away from them." She cracked her fingers. "And that's why we're going to have to get rid of you."

Steve chuckled, along with his cousins. "Are you serious?" he laughed. "You three girls up against guys like us? Idiots! You won't be able to hurt us if you tried."

"You want a bet on that?" Marie sneered, taking a step forward. "Come over here and say that to my face, wimp."

"Ooh, the blue-haired one speaks like you do, Steve," Mike said. He grinned broadly.

"Shut up, Mike."

"Ehehe hehe he he eh ehe."

"Alright, I've had enough of this," Lee snapped. She clicked her fingers. "May, initiate first attack."

May saluted and pulled back on her slingshot, aiming at Steve. "Eat rock, jerks!"

And she released.

The lightening streaked across the blackened sky and the rain began to downpour.

This is it, all of the cul-de-sac children thought. We get our neighbourhood back today or we never do.

-x-

Drawling minutes passed in battle and the kids couldn't believe it. As the rain began to pour mercilessly down, they watched as the Kanker sisters, the Kanker sisters, fall. The Skatems were taller, stronger and much quicker, instantly overwhelming even the three witches. They couldn't believe it. The Kankers were losing. The rain did little to help them, water getting in their eyes and impairing their vision. The Skatems, those brutes, didn't hold back, even though they were fighting girls. They hit, they struck and they wedgied without mercy or pity, just as they did with the Ed boys and the cul-de-sac kids.

"No…" whispered Eddy, eyes wide, hope quickly diminishing. "If the Kankers can't get rid of them… no one can."

He spoke the thoughts of everyone in the safety of the house as the six battled it out there in the rain.

Everyone seemed to have lost their voice, eyes transfixed on the beating of the three sisters whom they thought were like tyrants. As the storm continued on, their faces paled and their dreams of recovering their neighbourhood slowly ebbed away. They were going to be stuck in their houses forever. Nothing could beat the Skatem demons.

I can't bear to watch anymore, Double D thought, looking away. Sarah leaked out angry tears, Jimmy crying helplessly. Nazz was clutching Kevin, hiding her face in his green jumper. Johnny was stupefied, the realization of their freedom gone hitting him greatly. Eddy and Ed were as still as stones, unable to look away from the grueling battle. Rolf just stood there, gripping the windowsill as if he wanted to break it. Edd, himself, tried not to cry.

Instead, Double D looked towards the pile of junk. If they had any worth a moment ago, they were useless now. The kids were willing to fight before. Now, as Edd looked back at them, he didn't believe that this was so. It's time to throw in the towel, he thought meekly. I must confine myself into my room for eternity now. An exaggeration, he knew, but to force someone to throw away their childhood was eternity enough.

Then suddenly there was a scream and the children of the cul-de-sac gasped.

Edd turned around and ran back to the windows, trying to see what had caused such a reaction from everyone he knew.

He, too, gasped with what he saw.

Lee and Marie seemed to be out cold and the three remaining Skatems had ganged up on the youngest sister, May. They kicked her, pulled on her hair, teased and punched; they held nothing back. And poor, little May didn't look like the intimidating blonde sister of the Kankers anymore. She looked like an ordinary kid, a child even, crying to herself in the rain as they assaulted her. She was… helpless. She was the young, vulnerable little sister she was always supposed to be. Her older sisters were meant to protect her but they were unable to do so now. She was… by herself. She was alone.

Then something snapped in Edd.

He was lonely once, too, a long time ago. Before he moved into Peach Creek, he was always by himself, always in his room, isolated and friendless. When he went to school, he'd be teased and bullied, harassed and excluded. He was the outcast only because he was him. Because of how he spoke, which would often be mistaken as snobbishness, and how he acted, walked and wrote. Everything about him seemed to peeve people off and, no matter what Edd did, he could never gain their friendship. It was only when he moved into this cul-de-sac did he gain the friends that were willing to tolerate him, understand him and be with him. He wasn't lonely anymore.

But he still recalled the times when he cried when those bullies hit him. No one sided with him then. He couldn't tell his parents; he didn't want to bother them. He wouldn't tell the teachers; he was too timid and scared. He couldn't tell any body. It was because of this loneliness that he was picked on constantly.

The situation May was in now reminded him of himself all those years ago when he had cried out in the rain, helpless and lost. Not to mention the fact that Edd couldn't brush off the slight fondness he had for the youngest sister. Ever since that Valentine's day, his resentment for May alone had diluted. He realized that she wasn't as bad as she made herself to be.

It were these factors that caused Edd to temporarily lose his mind and do something that he'd never thought he'd be capable of doing.

He marched back into the messy pile and finished off the weapon he started to construct. It was finished in less than one minute and he walked over to the door, slamming it open. The cul-de-sac kids, wondering what the noise was, looked over to see Double D striding out of the door and into the rain, without an umbrella or raincoat. He just took off in the clothes he wore.

"Double D!" Eddy yelled, walked towards the doorway but stepping not a foot beyond. "Double D! Come back here! You can't go out there!"

Ed was right behind him, confusion and panic on his face. "Double D is going to get hurt, Eddy! What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

"Sock-head!" Eddy called, confused as anyone else. Why was Double D walking towards the trio who continued to beat the crud out of May? "You've lost your mind, Double D! Get back into the house before you kill yourself!"

But Edd wasn't listening. It was the insanity, you see, the thing that snapped within him his rationality. All he could think of now was protecting the single girl, all he felt was a bitter coldness. All those years ago, I couldn't do anything, he thought to himself, not minding the rain as he approached the four. I couldn't do anything when I was small.

The lightening flashed.

The cries of the blonde Kanker kept penetrating his ears, along with the taunts of the Skatems. "Where's your confidence now, little girl?" one sneered. "You're nothing but a weak, little maggot without your sisters and your stupid sling shot! We snapped it in two now, girl. You dumb kid. You're about to learn not to mess with us!"

I'm not an athlete. I can't do anything but think and calculate. I oppose violence of any kind. Yet…

The thunder rumbled.

"You buck-tooth, ugly girl," they continued mercilessly. "What's with your teeth anyway, stupid? I guess it's better than your sisters' though. Their teeth are yellow and that orange-haired girl had a blue one! How gross! Do you three live in a dumpster or something? Are you so stupid that you can't even brush your teeth properly? Idiot buck-tooth girl!"

Yet…

The rain poured.

"Hehehe he heh hehe he he heh ah HA HA HAH HA HA!" They were laughing. They were really, really laughing.

Yet…

"So weak," Steve chortled. "Look at the crybaby. Cry, baby, cry!" He continued to kick her. "You stupid, buck-tooth, little--"

But suddenly someone cut himself between the Skatems and their crying victim. Steve was pushed backward, his cousins taking a wary step back as they eyed their potentially new punching bag.

Double D stood before them, that seemingly weak, geeky wimp glaring with narrowed intensity. "I would withdraw from such abusive actions if I were you, delinquents." His tone was cold, his body soaked to the bone. "I have allowed this to continue for longer than it should. This kind of activity shouldn't have been initiated in the first place, I shouldn't have stood by and watched. You three should be ashamed of yourselves. Not only because of your vile, malicious actions towards the children of Peach Creek but also because of the torment you gave us and the beating of a young lady. Do you have no morals? Are you three so moronic that you can't even listen to your conscience? I pity you three bullies. I really do."

A stunned silence followed afterwards. The children of the cul-de-sac had rushed out of Eddy's home the second Double D put himself between the Skatems and May. They now stood in Eddy's front lawn, seeming not to notice as the rain continued to pour.

"… What did you say?" Steve finally asked after he found his voice once more. His eyes narrowed as the rage he had caused his face to flush pink. "What did you say, punk?!"

"It seems that you're hearing impaired as well," Double D commented wryly. He glared at them. "I've met the likes of you before. Bullies who care for naught but themselves. The two who stand beside you are probably aren't ones you trust either, correct?"

"Wimp!" snarled Steve, taking at threatening step forward. The height differences between him and Edd were enormous. "Who are you to talk, geek?" he sneered, glaring down at the hat-wearing preteen. "You're nothing but a spineless, little coward who'd rather hide than fight. I hate people like you, those smart losers who think they know why us bullies beat others to a pulp."

Double D didn't back away from the giant Steve, craning his neck up to meet his eye. Usually, he was nervous whenever someone, anyone, got too close to him. Now, it didn't seem as if he minded it. "You hate people like me because you know I'm right," Edd stated nonchalantly, throwing all of his self-precaution out the window. "Usually, I'm a caring person and would consider taking the problems you've experienced, whatever they may be, into account for your actions. Truthfully though, after what you've done to my friends, I don't care what kind of past you had, what kind of hardships were conflicted onto you. There is no excuse for something as horrible as this. Yes, I am a wimp. Yes, I am a geek and yes, I am a spineless, little coward who'd rather hide than fight. Yes, I'm all those. But at least I'm not some sad, little boy pretending to be big; some weak, scarred child pretending to be a man by violence. At least I'm strong enough to accept what I am and try to grow from it, instead of denying myself and pretending to live a life that I'm unhappy with. At least I'm not someone like you."

The words shocked everyone, even Nick and Mike. They glanced at one another, uneasy and hesitant. Steve growled deeply, grabbing the front of Double D's shirt and lifting him off his feet. "Someone like me, eh?" he said spitefully, eyes full of loathing and rage. "Tell me, dork. Just what am I?" he threatened.

Edd took a deep breath, met his eye and said: "You're no one. If you hide yourself by being someone else, then you're no one. You are nothing to me. Why should I respect someone who hurts others to hide their own pain?"

Steve bristled and immediately, Edd found himself on the ground next to the conscious May, feeling his cheek swelling and his lips bleeding from the punch he received. Steve stood in front of him, towering himself over the fallen Double D, his eyes murderous and furious. And yet, Edd smiled. "See?" he said, mildly glad that the rain was numbing the pain he'd feel. "I've grown. I'm not hiding from you anymore."

Whether he was saying this to Steve or the bullies who tortured him when he was younger, he didn't know. All that he knew was what he said was true.

"I've had enough of you," Steve snapped. "I'm gonna kill you."

Edd lifted up his weapon that'd been carried idly in his hand. It resembled something of a wooden planked gun. "Sorry, Steven," he said dryly. "Ed and Eddy, my friends, need me. I can't die yet."

Just as Steve was about to attack him, Edd pulled on a trigger. Immediately, something snapped and a rubber band hit Steve square in the eye. He recoiled, hissing in pain. Edd stood up and continued shooting, the rubber bands automatically replacing another as each was shot consecutively. The three tried to shield themselves from the stinging pain of the rubber bands. But before they knew it, the attack had stopped. They opened their eyes to see that Double D had run out of ammo.

Not knowing what to do from there, Edd lost his cool demeanor and he panicked, eyes widening with fear. The bullies grinned. The tables had turned once more.

Or had they?

"Get them!" Eddy screamed. "No one lays a hand on Double D!"

"For once, you're right," Kevin growled, jumping on his bike. "I'm gonna run them over so hard that they're going to be pancakes."

Rolf smashed his knuckled together. "We shall try this a second time. Victory will be ours, bully cousins!"

"Like, yeah, dude," Nazz said, advancing them in a march. "Anyone who hits a girl is a bad person in my book," she glared.

"Let's get 'em, Jimmy!" Sarah growled through clenched teeth. "I've had enough of those losers!"

"I'm with you, Sarah!" Jimmy said, for once not stuttering. "I will try!"

"Plank says that we'll beat you this time," Johnny stated angrily. "You hurt Double D. That isn't nice."

The two other Kanker sisters stood, regaining their energy. "No one messes with my sister," Lee snarled.

"And no one touches May and my Double D!" Marie growled furiously. "You're going down, dweebs!"

"You have the whole cul-de-sac against you now," Ed said, uncharacteristically angry after seeing his friend get hurt. "There's no way you're going to get away with this. I'm more angry than the time a squirrel stole my butter toast."

May was the last to stand up, walking up to Double D's side. She was battered and bruised but she held herself tall. "You made fun of me and my sisters," she said, hitting her fists. "And you had the nerve to hit Double D. I'm going to beat you up so bad that it's you who's going to be yellow and blue!"

The three Skatems backed away from the angry mob that advanced them, knuckles cracking and sneers appearing. This was much more than before. Before, they could handle the children of cul-de-sac. But now, with the Kankers and the Eds, there were just too many people to fight.

As they caught the three cousins, they did something that they couldn't do before: they won.

-x-

Two weeks passed since their triumphant victory and the Skatems were never heard from again. Of course, after seeing the injuries and receiving complaints from the Skatems' parents, the cul-de-sac children were grounded, even when they tried to tell their parents that it wasn't their fault. Now that two-week grounding was over and the kids freely walked around the cul-de-sac, laughing and cheering, whatever bruise from that fight healed and gone.

Everything was normal again. The Eds continued with their scams and the kids would demand refunds if they weren't satisfactory. Double D was still cowardly but never as much as before. Like he said before, he had grown. He would never return to a spineless wimp and the scary side to him never really appeared again. It didn't need to, such was the relief of the children. The main difference after the ordeal was the relationship between each individual. It was happier, kinder and fonder, something that the Eds really didn't think would happen to them.

As Edd walked about the neighbourhood on his third day of ground-free freedom, his expression content, he simply valued the peaceful atmosphere around him. To think that all this, he thought as he heard the laughter of his friends, could've been ripped away from us. It's nice to walk out in the sun again. No more storms had come since that day and, even though Double D knew that there would be more to come as was Mother Nature, he also knew that storms as ominous as those before would never occur again.

Suddenly, he gave a small squeak of surprise when May appeared out of the bushes before him, twigs and leaves in her hair. He naturally backed away, eyes widening with slight discomfort at the closeness of a Kanker. But the youngest sister didn't approach him in any way, simply stared with her hands behind her back. There was a flush, pink tint to her cheeks that Edd couldn't help but notice.

Realizing that she wasn't going to say anything, Edd shifted his eyes around to see if anyone was looking before they stilled on May's figure. "Sa… Salutations, May," he said meekly. "What gives me the pleasure for your company today?"

The blonde looked down and her foot shifted a little in slight discomfort and embarrassment. "I-I never got to thank you," she said quietly. Edd had to strain his ear in order to hear her. "For that day with the Skatems. After we drove them away, we sorta just went our separate ways."

"Oh." Edd looked down in modesty, his cheeks also gaining that weak taint of pink. "You have no need to speak your gratitude towards me, May. T-That's all in the past now."

May shook her head, looking back up to meet Edd's eyes. Despite her flush, she grinned broadly. "What you did back there made me happy, Double D. Even if it is in the past, I still want to thank you for what you did for me." She held out her hands in front of her, revealing the pretty yellow flowers she'd picked. "I didn't know what else to give you. I'm sorry I couldn't get you a jawbreaker."

Just then, when Edd saw the flowers, he wished that one of his machines had exploded and pink paint had splattered all over him like that other time. If that happened, he would've had an excuse as to why he was blushing so deeply. "Tha-Thank you, May," he stuttered, accepting the flowers. "You really didn't need to do this."

"I wanted to," she said, a little bit shyly. Suddenly, her face grew hard as she glared at him. "But you cannot tell anybody about this, you here?" she threatened seriously. "If Marie finds out that I gave you flowers, she'll kill me! She might think I actually like you or somethin'!" Realizing that she said more than she wanted, May slapped a hand over her mouth and looked away, her face turning a bright pink.

Edd also looked to the ground, wishing that his hat was big enough to cover his expression. "Hehe, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" He couldn't think of anything else to say. He wasn't exactly a pro in this type of situation.

"W-Well, I better go now. I was supposed to buy more laundry detergent," she flushed. She began walking away from Double D, tripping sometimes in the process. She turned and waved, yelling, "Bye, Double D!" Then she escaped quickly out of his sight, leaving Edd to stand there idiotically.

Double D didn't know how long he was standing there for. The next thing he knew, Eddy was by his side, smacking his back harshly. "Oi, wake up, sock-head," he said irritably. "We couldn't do any scams for that time we were grounded. We have to seriously make up for all that time that was lost!"

Ed was on Double D's other side, peering curiously at the flowers he was holding. "Where did you get those pwetty flowers, Double D?" he questioned, cocking his head to the side. "I don't remember giving you flowers today."

Edd tried not to blush from the memory. "You didn't, Ed. I… I just thought they were pretty and picked them."

Eddy grabbed Double D's shoulder and started to drag him towards wherever he wanted to go. "Alright, stop being girly on me, sock-head," he snorted. "Time for some scamming!"

Somehow, Edd escaped from Eddy's hold and backed away. "I'll catch up to you, Eddy, Ed," he called. "I have to return home and find these flowers a proper vase before they begin to wilt."

With a sigh, Eddy crossed his arms and turned. "Whatever. You better be at our usual spot, Double D, or I'm gonna send Ed to trash your room again!"

"I like to read comic books, Double D," Ed grinned foolishly.

"I will meet you at another time today, friends," Edd confirmed. "Until then."

He walked out of their sight, intending to reach home. Once he did, he got out a vase and placed May's flowers inside them, unable to help the kind smile that appeared on his face. You're really sweet, May.

-x-

Somewhere else, a blonde girl was returning to her sisters. Marie glared at the youngest sister, snatching the detergent from her hands. "That took you forever, May," she said. "What were you doing out there for so long?"

"I'll say," Lee said. "We were tired of waiting."

May couldn't do a thing to keep the stupid grin from growing on her expression. "I was out getting laundry detergent like you told me to. I just picked a few flowers on the way."

"Where are these flowers then?" Marie questioned suspiciously. "I don't see you holding any."

May beamed. "I gave them away to an Ed."

Lee's eyes widened, despite the fact that no one knew it. "You gave them to Ed no doubt. I bet the no-brainer ran away from you," she snorted. "I can't believe you did that without us there. You're usually too shy to do it by yourself. We could've held him down for you while you gave him the stupid flowers."

May continued to grin that happy, little smile of hers, hiding a secret that was only between her and a special someone else.

"What can I say, girls?" she asked. "I grew."

-x-

The End

-x-

KazunaPikachu