( season 3: episode five - hour of power; part one)

(juniper's outfit for the chapter)

Charlotte, Jasper, and Juniper were in the Man Cave watching the news. Charlotte sat at the super computer and Jasper and Juniper stood behind her. "And according to city officials, this mistake at Swellview Prison is the biggest mistake in the history of prison mistakes." Mary on the news explained.

"Wow. So disturbing." Trent comments. "And now we go live to Swellview Prison with reporter Barney Villaraigosa." 

"You want some soup?" Jasper asked Charlotte and Juniper, referring to the bowl of soup he held. Charlotte and Juniper looked at him weirdly. 

"You don't share soup." Charlotte replied.

"Yeah, that's weird." Juniper agreed.

"I share soup with my mom." Jasper shrugged.

"Once again, weird." Juniper remarked. 

Charlotte glances back at him with raised eyebrows. "Do we look like your mom?"  

"I wish." Jasper responded and the girls looked at him weirdly.

The trio turns their attention back to the screen that showed the news when the reporter Barney was speaking. "I'm here outside Swellview Prison with Mark Landry from the prison parole board. Mr. Landry-"

Mark takes the microphone from him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How could you have accidentally released one of the F.B.I's most dangerous criminals by mistake?" Barney questioned.

"Yeah, um, see, today is bring your daughter to work day," The screen zooms out, revealing Mark's little girl was standing in front of him. "And my daughter Molly was playing with my computer, and somehow she released Drex from...heh, prison, heh. Again, I'm so sorry."

Barney kneels down beside Molly. "Molly, why would you release Drex, knowing how dangerous he is?"

"I'm five." Molly replied, holding up her hand to show how old she is.

Barney laughs and stands. "Ah, kids sure do say the stupidest things."

"Uh, Barney...Any news on the current location of this criminal named Drex?" Trent inquired.

Juniper's eyes widen when she spot Drex sneak up behind the guard standing by the gate in the back and knocked the guard out. Drex takes a weapon from the guard before running away. "Not at this time." Barney responds. "But investigators are using all available resources to conduct a complete search of literally everywhere."

Charlotte turns off the news as Ray walks into the room from being in the back room. "Charlotte," Juniper glances over at him, noticing he had his suit on which made her wonder if she needed to get changed into hers. "I need you to log into the Man Cave's computer guidance system."

After Ray had pressed a button, a secret wall from the floor rises where Ray keeps a wall of weapons. "Ooh, you're taking the Man Copter?" Jasper excitedly asked.

Ray waves a dismissive hand, walking over to the wall of weapons. "I don't have time for questions."

"Where are you going?" Charlotte questioned.

Juniper raises her eyebrows. "Do I need to go with you?"

"I'm going to catch Drex," Ray answers and he points at Juniper. "And yes, Juni, I might need your help." 

"Got it." Juniper nodded and she got her gum tube out of her pocket. She threw a piece of gum in her mouth and blew a bubble as Ray got some weapons.

Jasper looks at Ray with hurt. "You answered their questions."

"What?"

Jasper sets his bowl on the table and walks over to Ray. "You said, you don't have time for questions, but I guess that only applies to my questions."

"Hey," Ray smiles. "Thanks for understanding." 

Juniper stands by Jasper, smiling sympathetically at her friend and pats his shoulder to comfort him. "Sorry, buddy." She commented as he frowned. She chuckled quietly when he stole a grenade from the wall of weapons and walked away. 

"Okay, I'm logged into the Man Copter's computer." Charlotte announced.

"Good." Ray gets a remote out of his pocket which is what he used to make the wall of weapons show. He presses a button on it, making the wall of weapons go back to its hiding place in the floor. "Set all weapons to ready position, locked and loaded." 

"Locking...And loading." 

"Alright," Ray gestures to Juniper to head over to the tubes and she nods, following him over there. "We're out of here."

"Hang on!"  Jasper called out.

Ray and Juniper stop before turning to face the others. "What?" Ray asks, outstretching his arms and speaks in an urgent tone. "We gotta go!" 

Charlotte looks at him with confusion. "But don't you wanna wait for Henry?"

"Yeah, Henry's not here." Jasper stated.

"Do you want me to text him and find out how far he is?" Charlotte offered, walking over to Ray and Juniper along with Jasper.

"Uh...No! No...no-no."  Juniper looked at Ray weirdly, wondering why he was panicked.

Charlotte crosses her arms. "Why not?"

"'Cause I already contacted Henry, yeah, and he said he's gonna meet us there, so." Ray shrugged.

Juniper narrows her eyes at him, staring at him suspiciously. "You really called Henry?"

"Of course." Ray smiled.

Charlotte and Jasper exchange a glance before they both look back at Ray. "Are you sure?" Charlotte questioned.

"Hey, look!" Ray picks up his phone. "That's Henry calling me right now. Hi, Henry."

"I didn't hear your phone ring." Jasper said.

"Me neither." Charlotte shook her head.

"Same." Juniper chimed in.

"It's set to silent!" Ray exclaims out of frustration. "Uh, sorry, Henry, Jasper was bothering me. What's up?"

Juniper raises her eyebrows when the elevator opens and Henry walks out, holding an ice cream cone. Juniper shares a look of confusion with Charlotte and Jasper. "What's that? Oh, you do? So you're going to meet me and Juniper there? Great..."

"Uh, so you're on the phone, talking with Henry, right now?"

"Yeah, obvi." Ray replied to Charlotte in a obvious tone.

Henry furrows his eyebrows, looking at Ray with confusion. "Sorry Henry, I'm back...Great, so, we'll meet ya there." Ray said, continuing to pretend he was talking with Henry despite the fact Henry was standing behind him. 

"You guys are gonna meet me where?" 

Ray screams, turning around to face Henry with wide eyes. "Uh...I gotta go," He nervously said. "Henry...Winkler. Ey." Ray dragged out the word 'ey' and pretended to end the call.

"Oh please." Juniper scoffs. "You don't know a Henry Winkler."

"You don't know who I know!" Ray defensively spoke, looking at her with a glare.

Henry looks at Ray and Juniper with confusion. "Why are you guys in uniform?"

"Uniform?" Ray questioned.

"Yeah." Henry nodded.

"Uh..."

"And why do you have all those extra weapons?" Henry noticed.

"Uh, 'cause uh..." Ray picks up his phone, pretending he got a call. "Hello? Oh, hey Schwoz."

"Ray, your phone didn't ring." Henry told him.

Jasper nods, pointing at Ray. "It's on silent." Juniper rolled her eyes. 

"Ah." Henry slowly nodded, not believing Jasper.

"Ah, what's that ya say, Schwoz? Oh, Juni and I should leave the Man Cave right now? And Henry, Charlotte, and Jasper should stay here and not ask us any questions? Good! Good idea!"

"Here! I got it! Here it is!" Schwoz announced, entering the room from the secret door that was the wall of the snack machine.

"Alright." Ray grimaced when he saw Schwoz. 

"Right here!" Schwoz smiled, standing by Ray and held up a device.

"I gotta go, Schwoz...Winkler. Blegh." Ray dragged out the word as he pretended to end the call and then he put his phone in his pocket. 

"Hey, I thought you said you and Juniper were going to leave before Henry got here." Schwoz said with confusion.

"Oh," Ray glares at him, snatching the device from Schwoz and hooks it onto his utility belt. "Can you just be quiet...Ever?!" 

Charlotte stares at Ray suspiciously. "Ray, what's goin' on here?"

"Yeah." Henry agreed.

"Uh..."

"Dude, if there's somethin' goin' on tell me - I'm your sidekick." Henry reminded a nervous Ray.

"Wait, I'm confused." Schwoz chimes in. "I thought your plan was for you and Juniper to go fight that guy, Drex," Ray brings his finger up to his lips, shushing Schwoz, but Schwoz continues to speak. "But not tell Henry so that Henry would never know about it."

"If that was his plan, and I'm guessing by how Ray is shushing you that it was, everyone knows about it now 'cause of you." Juniper chuckled.

"Oh! And that's it. C'mere." Ray dragged Schwoz over to the other side of the room by the super computer and Schwoz screamed. Ray got Schwoz in a head lock and grabbed a pineapple that was in a bowl of fruit on the computer table. 

"Until you learn to hold still!" Ray shouted.

"Oh, no, no, no, Ray!" Henry's eyes widen. "Not the pineapple." 

"Not the pineapple!" Charlotte tried to get Ray to stop, but he wouldn't. 

"Is the pineapple necessary?" Juniper worriedly asked.

"Quiet!" Ray yelled, letting go of Schwoz and he turned around revealing he now had the pineapple in his mouth.

"Okay. You kids have fun." Ray smiles, gesturing for Juniper to follow him. Juniper does and the two walks over to the tubes. "Juni and I should be back around dinner."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Henry calls out, grabbing Ray's arm and turned him around. Juniper stops walking, standing by Ray as she glanced at Henry. Henry lets go of Ray's arm and looks at him with a pleading expression. "Talk to me." 

"Look, kid..." Ray sighs. "I gotta go fight a really bad guy, Drex. And I gotta fight him alone."

"Oh, so I just got dressed for nothing?" Juniper asked in disbelief, throwing her arms up dramatically. 

"Well, why?" Henry asked Ray, looking at him with confusion.

"'Cause I know Drex." Ray admits. "He's extremely dangerous. He's...He's bad on a whole other level." He glances at Juniper. "And that's why I decided at the last second for you not to go with me, Juni. I don't want you or Henry to get hurt."

"Well, how do you know him?" Henry questioned.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ray pretended not to hear him.

"Ray, how do you know Drex?" Juniper inquired, glancing at Schwoz with raised eyebrows when she noticed he was trying to pull out the pineapple out of his mouth.

"Oh, ah, uh, just from...You know...From stuff." Ray stammered. Juniper and Henry exchanged a look, neither one not believing Ray at all. 

"From stuff?" Henry looked back at at Ray with raised eyebrows and nodded.

"Mmhm." Ray hummed in response.

"That's very specific." Juniper sarcastically commented.

Everyone glances over at Schwoz when he had finally pulled out the pineapple from his mouth. "Why don't you just tell Henry that Drex used to be your sidekick?"

Henry looks over at Ray with disbelief.  Juniper's eyes widen in disbelief as she stares at Ray. "Wait, what?"  

Ray glares at Schwoz. "Schwoz!"

Juniper glances at Henry when the ice cream fell out of the ice cream cone he held as he looked at Henry with disbelief. "You had a sidekick...Before me?"

Ray panics. "Uh..." He picks up his phone. "Hello-"He turns it around when he realized he had it backwards which made Juniper roll her eyes. "Oh, hey..."

****

Charlotte grabs a towel to wipe off the ice cream off the floor as Henry paces. "I..I can't believe this. I cannot believe this."

"Oh, you say that every week." Ray waved a dismissive hand. 

Henry rubs the back of his neck, looking at Ray with a frown. "I don't know. I just...I always thought that I was your first sidekick."

"Well..." Ray started.

"You really had a sidekick before me?" Henry asks, putting his hands in the pocket of his blue hoodie he wore. "You never told me?"

"Or any of us." Juniper chimed in.

"Well, no-But only 'cause I didn't want you to know." Ray explained.

Juniper raises her eyebrows. "How does that make it better?"

"Hey, hey, something's happening upstairs in Junk 'N Stuff." Schwoz called out. Everyone walked over to the super computer Schwoz now sat at, looking at the screen that showed the store.

There was an old woman standing at the counter, holding a statue as she calls out for someone. "Hello? Hello? Where you go? I need my change!"

"Jasper, why aren't you up there?" Charlotte asked Jasper.

"What-I was, but I came down here to get change for a twenty and then I just got distracted." Jasper replied.

Charlotte's eyes widen. "That was forty-five minutes ago!" Everyone exclaimed words of frustration as Henry pushed Jasper towards the elevator.

"What the..." 

"Dang it, Jasper!" 

"Jasper, you have one job!" Juniper scolded.

"Go do your job!"

"Get up there!" 

"Fine." Jasper said in a whiny tone.

"Son," Ray calls out to Jasper, causing the curly-haired boy to stop at the elevator and turn to face him. Ray gestures for him to give him something. "Gimme the proton grenade."

Jasper frowns, taking it out of his pocket. "But it's so cool!"

"Son!" Ray scolded.

"Fine." Jasper sighed, throwing the grenade at Ray. Everyone panicked, raising their arms up to cover their faces in case an explosion happened. Everyone was relieved when Ray caught the grenade. Jasper went up stairs while Ray put the grenade away.

"So," Henry speaks up. "This bad guy, Drex...He was your sidekick?"

Ray nods. "Yes, for a little while." Henry rubs his forehead, looking at him with disbelief. Ray sighs. "Look, I hired Drex nine years ago. It was before I even had this Man Cave."

"Why'd you hire such a bad guy to be your sidekick?" Charlotte inquired.

"Because he seemed perfect at the time." Ray responded.

"Well," Henry scoffs, putting his hands on his hips. "Why? I mean, what...What made him so perfect?"

Juniper raises her eyebrows and smiles at him with amusement. She knew that he was jealous. It was obvious. "Drex had it all." Ray answers and Henry crosses his arms with an upset look on his face. "Bravery, extreme fighting skills. Hot mom."

"Ray!" Henry scolded.

"Well, not as hot as yours." Ray commented and Juniper rolled her eyes.

Henry glares at him. "Ray!"

"So, why wasn't Drex the perfect sidekick?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah," Juniper agrees. "What made you decide you didn't want him as your sidekick anymore?"

"Uh, well, I found that Drex...He has a dark side." Ray answered.

Henry furrows his eyebrows. "Dark how?"

"Evil, mean...Tardy...Chewed with his mouth open, never flushed...And he was violent, cruel, and dangerous." Ray lists out the reasons how Drex was dark. "And one day, Drex and I..." He sighs. "We just had it out."

Charlotte's eyes widen with surprise. "You guys fought?"

"Oh yeah." Ray nodded.

"Wow." Juniper said with surprise.

"It was horrible." Schwoz cut in. 

"But, I mean, you won...Right?" Henry asked, raising his eyebrows at Ray.

"Barely." Ray replied in a sad tone.

"Barely?" Charlotte questioned with surprise.

"I don't like the sound of that." Juniper mutters. She stares at Ray with disbelief. "How did Drex beat you? He has no powers. You're indestructible."

Charlotte nods in agreement. "You're the best fighter in the whole world." 

"Oh, no." Ray drags out the word 'no', shaking his head. "Not better than Drex. If I wasn't indestructible, believe me, I'd have been, you know...Destructed." 

Henry throws his arms up dramatically. "I just can't believe I'm not your first sidekick."

"Hey, you're my first sidekick that I really care about." Ry admitted, putting his hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Oh! Sure." Henry shrugs Ray's hand off. "Did you tell Drex that too?"

"No." Ray drags out the word in response. He tilts his head to the side. "Well, maybe." Henry scoffs and turns around. "Look, Drex and I were only together for a few months." Ray continues. "We never even...We never even fought crime together."

Henry raises his eyebrows as he looks upset. "Did you think about it?"

"Henry..."

"Oh really?" Henry cried out and turned around as Ray turned to the others with an 'are you serious' look, outstretching his arms. 

"Dude, just say 'no'." Schwoz suggested.

"Uh, you guys..." Charlotte speaks up, glancing at the tablet she held. "There's breaking news..."

Everyone walks over to Charlotte to look at the news she had pulled up on the tablet. "It says that 'Mistakenly released criminal known only as Drex has been spotted in North Swellview, travelling south on East Avenue.'" 

Anger overtakes Ray's features. "I know where he's going. The bakery district." He runs over to the tubes. "And when he gets there, he's going to have to deal with me."

Henry and Juniper exchange a look, having a silent conversation. They both nod and walk over to Ray. "No." Henry calls out to Ray, causing him to turn around to face the two teens. "He's gonna have to deal with us."

Ray points at them. "No chance."

"We're going." Henry firmly said.

"Forget it! You can't." Ray argued.

"Why not?" Juniper inquires. "You basically just said you can't defeat him alone. You need help."

"Exactly!" Henry points at her in a sign of agreement. "Give us one reason why we can't go. Give us one reason!"

"Because...He used to be my sidekick and now you're my sidekick, and if we're all together, I dunno, man, it's just gonna be all weird." Ray explained.

"Hey...If you're going to see your old sidekick, then I'm going." Henry pointed at him.

"I'm going too." Juniper chimed in and Henry nodded in agreement.

"Henry, I-"

"Just let them go!" Charlotte interjected.

"Yeah, c'mo, na." Schwoz chimed in.

"Fine." Ray grumbles. "If you're coming with me," He picks up some kind of device off his utility belt and hands it to Henry. "You better put this on. "

"Woah...What's this?" Henry questioned, glancing at it curiously.

"It's a glove that shoots tranquilizing darts." Schwoz explains. "You can use it to take down Drex."

"'Kay." Henry nods. "How's it work?"

"Just aim it at Ray's neck and pull the trigger." Schwoz instructed.

Henry pulls the trigger and Ray flinches when he got hit with the tranquilizer dart, but since he was indestructible nothing happened. "Now, if I wasn't indestructible, that would have stuck in my neck and delivered enough hippo-grade tranquilizer to knock me out cold." Ray explained.

"Where'd the dart go?" Henry asked as they all began looking around.

Juniper's eyes widen when she saw the dart on Charlotte's forehead. "It's right here." Charlotte sighed and took the dart off her forehead.

"Charlotte, that's dangerous. Give it back to Schwoz." Ray ordered.

Charlotte hands the dart back to Schwoz, furrowing her eyebrows as she glances around. "Hey..." Juniper looks at her with concern when she started to stumble. "Has the Man Cave always been...Covered in glitter?"

Juniper super sped over to Charlotte to catch her before she fell to the floor. "Charlotte seems tired." Henry commented.

"Hm, I wonder why." Juniper sarcastically remarked, dragging Charlotte over to the couch. 

"Whatever." Ray points at Henry as he stands underneath his tube. "If you're comin' with me, you better pop a gum ball in your mouth and fast."

Once Juniper had got Charlotte on the couch where she wouldn't fall off, Juniper super sped over to her tube. "Oh, yeah." Henry said and did as Ray told him to do. 

"How will you find Drex in the bakery district?" Schwoz questioned.

"There's only one place he'd go." Ray answers. "And I know that place."

"Okay," Henry speaks after he blew a bubble and his suit formed. "Let's go meet your first sidekick that you used to love."

Juniper snickers. "You're so jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Henry exclaimed.

"Ah geez." Ray sighs, shaking his head. He presses the button on his belt which makes the tube comes down. He glances over at Henry, expecting him to say 'up the tube', rolling his eyes when Henry looked away from him and had his arms crossed. "You wanna say it?"

Henry shakes his head. "Nope. I probably won't say it as good as Drex would." 

"Yep," Juniper nods, smiling with amusement as she did her best to hold back her laughter. "You're totally jealous." Juniper laughed.

Ray shakes his head. "Up the tube."

"I wanted to say it." Henry muttered. 

****

Ray walks into the bakery first and then Juniper and Henry follows him in with Henry closing the door. The bakery was empty besides the employee behind the counter. "You see anything?" Ray questioned.

"Yes." Henry nods, glancing at a shelf besides him that had some different pastries on display. "I see some cakes...Some breads...Various pies."

"You know what I meant!" Ray exclaimed out of frustration.

"Okay, there's nobody here." Henry said, outstretching his arms. "Alright?" He points at the employee behind the counter, who was facing away from the heroes and sidekick. "Except for that dude behind the counter, talkin' on his phone."

"Hey..." Ray walks over to Juniper and Henry, looking at Henry with a small glare. "That dude happened to be Mr. Schneider, the owner of this bakery."

"Oh big wiff." Henry rolled his eyes.

"It is a big wiff!" Ray glared at him.

Juniper exhales sharply and pinches the bridge of her nose out of annoyance. "I'm surrounded by kids." 

"Why are we here?" Henry inquired.

"Look, I know Drex is coming here. He loves this bakery as much as I do." Ray answered

"Uh..." Henry puts his hands on his hips, looking upset. "How-How do you know he loves it?"

"Here we go again." Juniper mumbled, referring to Henry being jealous of Drex.

"'Cause Drex and I used to...Mmm." Ray started to answer Henry, but stopped himself in the middle of his sentence.

Henry raises his eyebrows. "What?"

"Eh?" Ray said. 

"Huh, eh?" Henry spoke.

Juniper rolls her eyes when they both went back and forth with saying 'eh'. "Did, uh, Did you and Drex used to come here?" Henry asks. "Together?"

"Yeah, okay, yes, we came here a couple of times." Ray confessed.

Henry tilts his head to the side. "So just like...Twice?"

"Yeah." Ray nodded.

"'Kay." Henry shrugged.

"Twice." Ray confirmed.

"Alright." Henry spoke.

"Twice a week." Ray quietly added, earning a surprised and offended look from Henry. 

"What?!"

"Look, I'm not talkin' about this anymore." Ray told him.

"Well, good." Henry sassily said.

"Good." Ray walked past him to the other side of the bakery.

"Good." Henry dragged out the word, walking over to stand by Juniper who stood at the other side of the bakery. Juniper scoffed and shook her head, causing Henry to look at her.

"What?" Henry asked her.

"You two are acting like kids and it's both amusing and annoying." Juniper responded. 

"We're acting like kids?" Ray scoffed.

"You two are literally standing at opposites ends of the bakery with your arms crossed like toddlers would when they're upset with each other!" Juniper pointed at them both and they both glanced at each other, knowing that Juniper was right. 

But then something caught Ray's eyes. "Woah. Oh, wow." He noticed a box he stood by on a table that had a sign on it which read 'free nut clusters just reach in hole'. 

Henry furrows his eyebrows. "What?"

Ray smiles, pointing at the box. "Nut Clusters."

"I'm...I'm sorry?" Henry said, staring at him with confusion.

"It says 'Free Nut Clusters Just Reach In Hole'." Ray read off what the sign said. 

"What's a Nut Cluster?" Henry asked, glancing at Juniper.

"Don't look at me." Juniper shakes her head. "I don't know what it is."

"Oh, man! Imagine if a cookie and a brownie got married, fell into a swimming pool full of caramel, and then just rolled around in a big old sack of nuts." Ray grinned.

"Big old sack of?" Henry said with confusion, but then he rushes forward with wide eyes when Ray went to reach inside the box. "Wait, wait, wait!" 

Ray stops and frowns. "I don't want to wait."

"Did Drex know how much you love Nut Clusters?" Henry asked him.

"Aw, Kid, you gotta stop bein' so jealous." Ray voiced.

Juniper laughs and grins at Henry. "I knew you were jealous." 

Henry rolls his eyes. "No, I'm asking 'cause...What's if that's a trap?"

Ray steps back from the box, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh. Okay." He then sneezed suddenly.

Henry looks at him weirdly. "Don't sneeze!"

"Well, I'm allergic to nuts!" Ray exclaimed.

"Then why do you eat Nut Clusters?" Juniper chuckled.

"Because they're so good." Ray smiled and started to reach towards the hole of the box.

"Wait! No, no, no!" Henry shouts, stopping Ray from reaching inside the box. "What if it's a trap?"

"Oh. Okay." Ray steps back from the box again. "We'll each just get one Nut Cluster."

"No, Ray!" Juniper scolded as Ray reached towards the box.

"No, don't put your hand in the-" Henry stopped talking when something locked inside the box once Ray's hand was inside and then Ray had trouble pulling his hand out.

"And it's a trap." Juniper sighed.

"Okay. What just happened?" Henry asked with annoyance.

"I don't know. I can't pull my hand out..." Ray chuckles nervously. "That's weird."

"We told you it could be a trap!" Henry reminded him. 

"It's probably just broken." Ray suggests. "You know, defective."

"Oh, please." Juniper rolls her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. "Ray, it's not broken. We all heard a click of a lock. It's obviously a trap."

"No, maybe not." Ray argues. "Here, let's try a peanut butter one." 

"Ray!" Juniper's eyes widened.

"No, don't put your other hand-" Henry looked at Ray with annoyance when Ray got his other hand stuck in the box.

"Oh my gosh." Juniper groans. "You think you he would learn the first time, but no."  She dragged out the word 'no' as she crossed her arms.

"Man. Both these holes are defective." Ray commented.

"Are you that stupid?" Juniper questioned, her voce laced wtih annoyance.

"It's a trap!" Henry shouted.

"A trap for who?" Ray inquired.

"A trap for us, dummy." Juniper answered.

"Just go tell Mr. Schneider to call a handyman." Ray ordered.

"'Kay." Henry sighs, walking over to the counter as Ray keeps trying to get his hands out of the box. Henry puts his hand on Mr. Schneider's shoulders and shakes him gently to get his attention. "Hey...Mr. Schneider coudl you call a handyman 'cause my friend really doesn't..."

Juniper yelps, jumping since she was startled when Mr. Schneider's head suddenly fell off. Henry screams when he saw the head fell off, stepping backwards with wide eyes before he quickly ran over to hide behind Juniper. "His head just fell out of his body!" 

"Yeah, I saw that, blondie!" Juniper exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear.

"Calm down!" Ray yelled. 

"I didn't do anything, he-"

"Calm down, obviously that's probably not the real Mr. Schneider." Ray interrupted a panicked Henry.

"Well, then what's goin' on?" Henry inquired while Juniper looked over at the door when she heard the bell above it chime which meant someone walked in. She gasped upon seeing Drex walking into the bakery.

"Uh, guys..." Juniper nervously said, hitting Henry's shoulder to get his attention. 

"Who would've just rigged that-" Henry stopped in the middle of his sentence, glancing over in the direction Juniper looked at when she hit his shoulder. He moved to stand beside Juniper so he wasn't standing behind her anymore as he looked over at the door. Ray looked over at the door after he heard it close, his eyes widening along wtih Henry when they both saw Drex. Drex cracked his knuckles and stood in a fighting stance.  

Ray glares at Drex. "It's you."

Drex nods. "You."

"Who?" Henry asked with confusion.

Drex points at himself. "Drex."  Henry's eyes widen and he instinctively moves to stand slightly in front of Juniper. "Aw, poor Ray." Drex laughs at Ray struggling to get his hands free. Walking over to Ray, he pretends to look at him with sympathy. "Did you want a Nut Cluster?"

"You know I did. Tease." Ray angrily replied.

"Okay. That's it, jerk!" Henry raises the glove device Schwoz had made and aims it at Drex. He turns it on. "On the ground." Drex doesn't listens and he grabs a pie from a nearby shelf. "Right now."

"Mmm. What a nice pie. Share a slice with me?" Drex inquired.

"Uh, how about no." Juniper sassily answered.

"Maybe I want my own slice." Henry responded in a defensive tone.

"Kids, stay away from him." Ray warned.

"Why? We gotta take this guy in." Henry voiced.

"Alright, this is a robbery!" 

Everyone glances at the door when two guys walk in. One held a bat and the other held a bag. "Now I want everybody to-" He pauses and looks defeated when he saw the two heroes and sidekick in the bakery. "Ah geez." He dropped the bat immediately. 

"It's Captain Man, Kid Danger, and Dash." His friend said in a nervous tone.

Henry aims the tranquiller dart at the two robbers. "Both of you on the ground."

"You just love the ground, don't you?" Drex asks in amusement. Henry glares at him as he walks past Henry and Juniper, standing in front of the robbers. "Hello, idiots. Would either of you morons like to share my pie?" 

"He called us morons." The robber with long hair said with a hurt look on his face.

"Yeah, I heard 'em." His friend nods, glaring at Drex. "And I don't like your attitude."

"Well then..." Drex smiles evilly. "Do something."

The robber in front of him punches him in the face. Drex is quiet for a moment before he grins and kicks the robber backwards. He then kicks the other robber in the side before kicking him him in the face which makes him fall backwards. The other robber get back up to fight Drex, but Drex sidekicks him in the stomach and he fell back down. 

"Wow." Juniper said with shock. "He really is a great fighter."

Drex looks back at the others, pretending to look shock. "Scary. I almost dropped my pie." Anger overtakes his features. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We were about to fight."

"Good." Henry said nervously. "I just need to use the restroom first."

"So, Captain Man..." Drex speaks in disgust. "Before I spank your boyish sidekick and trap this wannabe hero, some pie?" Juniper and Henry looked at him with offense and then they both glared at him.

"Nobody wants your filthy pie." Ray grumbled.

"You're done, Drex." Henry voiced.

"Yeah, we're taking you down once and for all." Juniper spoke confidentially.

"Careful, kids." Ray called out.

"Why?" Henry questions. "I'm the one with the cool thing on my wrist. So why should I-"

Before Henry finishes his question, Drex snatches the device out of his hand. Ray looks at Henry with annoyance. "That's why."

"Hey!" Henry raised his voice, glaring at Drex, who opened the door. 

"Fetch, boy!" Drex then threw the device outside.

Henry looks at him angrily and he was hesitant but he runs outside to get the device. "I don't need some kind of gimmick to take you down." Juniper glared at Drex as she got into a fighting stance.

"No, but you do need your powers." Drex nodded, walking over to her and Juniper watched him curiously as he walked behind the counter to pick something he had put there. 

"Handcuffs?" Juniper laughs when she saw what he had. "I can easily get out of those thanks to my super strength." 

"Not these kinds." Drex shook his head and before Juniper could super speed away, Drex grabbed her arm and locked the handcuffs on her wrists. 

Juniper tries to use her super strength to break the handcuffs, furrowing her eyebrows when nothing happens. "Why isn't this working?"

"These will stop you from using your powers." Drex smirked.

Juniper tries to super speed, frowning when she couldn't do it. It was like the handcuffs were blocking her from using her powers. "Well, that sucks." She mutters. She glares at him, struggling to get her hands out of the handcuffs. "You're going to pay for this!"

"We'll see about that, sweetheart." Drex taunts her. "You're pretty cute." Drex adds, not so subtly eying her up and down. "It's a shame that you're on his side," He looks over at Ray with disgust before looking back at Juniper. "We could be a good team. You and I," He grins. "We could take over the world."

"Don't do it, Dash!" Ray yelled worriedly.

Juniper's face scrunches up in disgust at Drex's words. His words and the look he gave her sent an uneasy feeling through her and made her feel a little uncomfortable. "Ugh, gross." She mutters, making a noise of disgust. "That's sick. Aren't you, like, an old man? Don't even look at me."

Drex's smirk fades into a scowl at Juniper's insult. "Age is just a number, sweetheart." He steps closer, his voice dripping with menace. "But power? That's what really matters."

Ray struggles more intensely with the box on his hands, his frustration building. "Get away from her, Drex!"

Drex ignores him, stepping closer to Juniper and grabbing her arm roughly. "With you and me together, we could be unstoppable."

Juniper's face contorted with disgust. "I'd rather be dead."

"Come on, don't tell me you never thought about having more power. To be free from the rules and restrictions that hold you back." Drex's grip tightened on Juniper's arm, and she winced slightly but maintained her defiant glare. "You wouldn't have to live under Captain Man's shadow anymore. You could finally get the recognition you deserve."

Juniper's eyes narrows. "What are you talking about?" She demands. "Captain Man has been a mentor and friend to me, he's helped me out a lot and I'm not living under his shadow. Let me go, jerk."

Drex scoffs, shaking his head. "You're kidding yourself if you think Captain Man cares about you. All he cares about is himself. He never even thanked you for saving his life time. And when was the last time you were the hero and not acting like another sidekick, huh?" He knew he was starting to get to her when Juniper's face faltered and a frown crossed her lips. "You're not a sidekick, Dash. You have potential to be a true leader. To be someone the world fears and respects. But you won't achieve that while playing second fiddle to Captain Man."

Juniper's resolve wavered for a moment, Drex's words hitting a nerve. She had sometimes felt overshadowed, despite knowing Ray valued her. She wanted to prove herself, not just as a hero but as a leader. Drex's offer was tempting. The opportunity to become the leader she's always dreamed of, to show the world her true potential. Sometimes she did feel like a sidekick. She missed being a hero. She missed getting the recognition and admiration she had earned. If she joined Drex, she could have that and more, but only at the cost of hurting people she cared about. 

As the conflicting thoughts whirled around her mind, Drex smirks, knowing he has her where he wants her. He lets go of her arm and Juniper feels him put his arm around her, causing her face to scrunch up with disgust. "We can rule the world together, Dash. You're stronger and smarter than they give you credit for," Drex continues, his voice dripping with manipulation. "Imagine the world bowing at your feet, instead of just being a footnote in Captain Man's story."

Juniper's heart raced as she tried to pull away from him. But she paused as she thought over his words. It would be nice to have the world recognize her as a hero and not just as a sidekick or a wannabe hero. She wanted to prove she was more than that. She was worth more than that.

"Dash, no!" Ray yells, trying to reason with her. "Don't listen to him, he's trying to trick you!"

Drex glares at him, his voice raising as his patience grew thin. "Shut up, you pathetic old man!"

"Hey, I'm not that old! And he's just trying to use you!" Ray shouts desperately, pleading with her. "Please, Dash, you're better than this! Don't let him manipulate you, he's just trying to get in your head. I know you're better than that."

Drex tightens his grip on her, his eyes narrowing as he turns his attention back to her. "Are you going to let him talk to you like that, sweetheart? He's trying to control you. He's holding you back. Come on, we could do so much together."

"He's wrong, Dash." Ray said. "I'm not trying to control you. I believe in you, and I trust you. I never mean to try to hold you back from your potential."

Juniper's eyes flickered between Ray and Drex, her mind racing. Drex's offer was tempting, but Ray's words resonated with her more. She had always wanted to prove herself, but not like this. Not by hurting those she cared about. "Let me make this simple for you," Drex said, his tone now menacing. "Join me or watch your friends suffer." His patience was wearing thin and he wasn't going to wait any longer for an answer.

Juniper's eyes widen and her gaze snapped towards Drex, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. Her heart rate quickened and her palms started to sweat. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew Drex could easily manipulate people, she figured this is what he was doing with her, but wow was it tempting. That is until he threatened to hurt her friends. "You know what, Drex?" She said, her voice cold and steady. "You're right. I am smarter and stronger than people think." For a moment, Drex thinks she's changed her mind, his smirk returning. "That's why I know you're full of it." With a sudden, fierce movement, she kneed Drex in the groin, making him double over in pain and stumble back. That caused him to let go of her. "And you can take your stupid offer and shove it up your butt."

Ray laughs, his heart filling with pride and admiration. "Atta girl, Dash. Good job." He said in a praising tone. "I knew you wouldn't fall for his manipulation."

"Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't fall for that." Juniper says, giving Drex a cocky smirk. "I have way more dignity than that."

Drex growls, his face twisted in anger. It took him a few moments to regain his composure after the kick to his groin. He stands up, his breathing heavy and his fists clenched. "You're going to regret that, Dash." He spat, his voice dripping with malice. "That was the wrong choice. When I'm done with you, you're going to wish you had taken my offer."

Juniper shrugs, her expression unphased. "Yeah, whatever, loser." She taunts him. "You're all talk and no action. Now, are you gonna keep threatening me or are you actually gonna fight me?"

"Whatever," He growls. "It's your loss." He turns his attention to Ray with a fake smile. "Now, old friend." He walks over to Ray, picking up something that was on the floor by Ray. "I have a gift for you."

Juniper's eyes widen when Drex held up some kind of odd box. "What is that? Some kind of crazy box with a wide-hose bottom?" Ray questioned.

"That's exactly what it is." Juniper rolled her eyes.

"Why don't I show you?" Drex put the box on Ray's head, despite Ray's and Juniper's protests.

Henry finally got back to the bakery, holding up the device he got with anger on his face. "I got it!" His eyes widened and he grew worried when he saw Drex had Juniper trapped and was putting some kind of box on Ray's head. He goes to open the door, shocked to find that it was locked.

Henry bangs on the door to get Drex's attention. "Hey! Hey! Let me in! Leave him alone! Let Dash go!"

Drex presses a button on the remote he held and the box on Ray's head turned glowed a bright blue. "Uh, Drex? What just happened, Drex?"

"Let me in, Drex!" Henry banged on the door again, but Drex wasn't paying attention to him.

"Hold on, we have a customer!" Drex voiced sarcastically, running over to unlock and open the door. Henry ran in, rushing over to Juniper with a worried look on his face. He stood in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her up and down with concern.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, calm down. I'm not hurt." She reassures him, ignoring the way her heart fluttered because of the fact Henry went to her first. "Just now I'm trapped with these stupid handcuffs that stop my powers." She grumbles. "And I'm worried about Ray." She added, glancing over at him. 

"Dash, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Juniper reassures him, ignoring the way her heart fluttered because of the fact Henry went to her first. She glances at Ray worriedly. "But I don't know about Ray."

Henry nods and quickly rushes over to Ray with worry in his eyes. "Captain Man! Captain Man! What is this? Are you okay?"

"No, I can't see! Help me get this thing off my head!" Ray yelled and Henry tried pulling the box off, but it wouldn't budge. Watching the scene, Drex smirked and crossed his arms as he walked forward. Noticing him walking closer, Henry stepped away from Ray. He glared at Drex, turning on the device he had and Juniper watched the scene with a worried look on her face.

"Kid? Dash? Guys, what's happening?"

"Something bad is about to happen." Juniper responded.

Henry shoots a tranquilizer dart at Drex, but he picks up a pie and holds it so the pan is facing Henry. The dart bounces off the pan and hits the wall behind Henry and Ray. Henry shot at Drex again, but the dart bounces off the pan and hits the wall across the bakery. Henry goes to shoot him again, his eyes widening when no darts came out. "So?" Ray drags out the word. "Are things going well?" 

"I'm trapped in handcuffs that block my powers, you're hands and head are trapped and Henry just ran out of tranquiller darts. What do you think?" Juniper questioned, her voice laced with frustration.

"Not good." Ray replies. "Guys, you got to get out of here!" 

"Agreed!" Henry nodded, backing away as Drex started walking towards him.

"Don't worry about me!" Ray shouted.

"I won't." Henry said.

"Just get out of here!" Ray exclaimed.

"Okay!" Henry agreed. 

"That's an order!" Ray added.

"I'm completely on board." Henry responded in agreement, continuing to walk backwards from Drex with a nervous look on his face. 

"Hey!" Juniper looks over at the door with surprise when she saw a group of kids and some adults had gathered outside the bakery and two cops were with them. "Hey, what's goin' on in there?" One of the cops asked.

Henry laughs. "Whoo!" He puts his hands on his hips, smirking at Drex. "Hey, Drex...Looks like you're going back to jail."

Drex looks over at the cops with a harsh glare, scaring the two cops. "Oh, man, it's Drex!" One of the cops shouted worriedly and they both ran off.

"Thanks a lot, cops." Juniper mutters sarcastically. "That's why we have to do your job."

Drex turns back to Henry, who looks at him nervously. "Uh, I think you're supposed to follow those cops."

"Get him, Kid Danger!" A boy encouraged and the other kids cheered. Drex turned around, noticing the group of people recording them.

"You heard 'em." Drex said. He gestures for Henry to go at him, challenging him to fight. "Get me."

"Kid, be careful." Juniper warned, watching worriedly as Henry threw the device on the floor after turning it off.

"I'll be fine, Dash." Henry reassured her and walked towards Drex. Every hit he threw at Drex, Drex blocked each one. Juniper gasped when Drex then grabbed Henry and swung him around, throwing him into a big bucket of cake batter. 

Juniper grimaces. "That gotta hurt."

"Kid!" Ray worriedly said.

"Woah!" A girl shouts with surprise. "That man just threw Kid Danger into a big thing filled with cake batter."

Ray yells as he manages to pull the box off of its stand, but his hands were still trapped in the box. "Kid! Where are you Kid?" Henry shouted in response, but it sounded muffled since he was stuck in the cake batter upside down.

Drex smiles with amusement. "I'm afraid he's a little battered and bruised right now."

"What does that mean?" Ray swings his arms around, causing Juniper's eyes to widen and for her to quickly step out of the way to avoid getting hit accidentally. "Are you being literal or is that word play?"

"He's being literal, Cap." Juniper told him.

"Oh." Ray said. "Dash, where are you? Where's Drex?" He swung his arms, breaking a nearby table. 

"That's a table, Cap." Juniper sighed.

"Well, you certainly showed that table." Drex remarked.

"Kid Danger?!" Ray calls out, looking all around. "Kid? Kid? Kid Danger?"

"Kid Danger ran out the door." Drex lied, unlocking the door and opened it and Juniper rolled her eyes at him. Drex was making her even more annoyed with each second. 

"Hang on, Kid! I'm comin'!" Ray shouted and ran towards the direction of the door, knocking into some table and chairs on the way there.

By this point, Henry finally got out of the cake batter. Drex closes the door, looking at Henry with a glare. "Hello?" Henry calls out, wiping the cake batter off his eyes. He grimaces. "I'm so sticky. I need some paper towels!" Drex grabbed onto his arm, looking at him with an intimidating stare. 

Juniper had been quiet this whole time, thinking over a plan. "Okay, Drex," Juniper calls out, gaining his attention. "I'll join you." 

Drex raises his eyebrows, looking surprised yet intrigued. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." Juniper nods. "I'll stop being a hero and work with you, just let us go." 

"Dash, don't do it!" Henry said worriedly, his eyes wide in disbelief. He couldn't believe Juniper was actually considering working with Drex.

"I knew you'd make the right choice, sweetheart." Drex smiles but it was one of those evil smiles that made her feel even more uneasy. He takes a key out of his pocket, unlocking the cuffs. Juniper rubbed her wrists once the cuffs were off, her wrists were sore. They had a red mark from the handcuffs, but she wasn't paying attention to that. Drex puts his arm around her and she tried to suppress a grimace. She wasn't going to be doing this long, just enough to get him to let his guard down and made sure he was distracted. "You know, you really surprised me, Dash." Drex continues. "I didn't think you had it in you. But I should've known, you're a smart girl." He complimented her and she forced a smirk.

"Thanks." She said, her tone feigning agreement. Juniper knew she had to play along for now, biding her time until she could find an opportunity to turn the tables on Drex. hoping it sounded convincing. "So, what's the first order of business as partners?"

"Partners?" Drex repeats, laughing. "Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart. You're the sidekick. I'm the boss."

"Even though I'm the one with the superpowers?" She clicks her tongue, shaking her head and looking disappointed. "You said you were gonna give me power, that I wasn't a sidekick yet, here you are telling me I'm the sidekick. That's not very nice. I think you'd better reconsider that, Drex. You're underestimating my potential." Juniper replies, her voice now laced with determination. She moves quickly, surprising Drex by elbowing him in the stomach and then performing a swift roundhouse kick that knocked him off balance. "You seriously thought I would join you?" She laughs. "Never gonna happen, dude." 

A/N ray was so funny in this episode ! well tbh he's funny in every episode, i love him