LarryBoy in the Attack of Outback Jack / VeggieTales

by Doug Peterson

  But the rest of the class couldn’t help but see.

  There were a few snickers.

  “So what does this passage mean, Larryboy?” asked Bok Choy, still scribbling on the blackboard.

  “I think it means we should stand up whenever an elder superhero enters the room,” Larryboy said, feeling quite pleased with himself. “Rising to your feet is a sign of respect and honor to those older and wiser.”

  And just as he spoke those very words, Larryboy began to rise—up in the air, his bubblegum bubble now the size of a large beach ball!

  “That is correct, Larryboy,” Bok Choy told him as he continued to write on the blackboard. “We can also show respect by opening doors for older people, helping them carry things, and listening to their words of wisdom. As superheroes, your elders have a wealth of knowledge and experience from which you can learn. Listen to their stories and you, too, can gain insights from their wisdom.”

  “How did I get up here?” Larryboy asked as he floated toward the ceiling.

  “How do we revere?” Bok Choy asked, not quite clear on what Larryboy had said. “To revere your God means we are called to worship and respect him. God is all-knowing. We can trust and learn from his word, more than any other.”

  Bok Choy finally turned to face the class and added, “Now tell me, what else can we …?” He stopped mid-sentence and stared. Larryboy was gone. He wasn’t in his seat. And he wasn’t standing next to his desk.

  Bok Choy’s eyes drifted to the ceiling where Larryboy was floating up, up, up!

  “I don’t think this is what the passage meant by rising in the presence of your elders,” noted Bok Choy, dryly.

  At that very moment, the giant bubblegum bubble on the back of Larryboy’s utility belt touched the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

  POP!

  CLUNK!

  Larryboy dropped to the floor like a rock, completely covered with the popped bubblegum.

  Larryboy sucked some of the gum back into his mouth, smacked his lips, and grinned. “Mmmmm, they’re right! It’s juicy and refreshing and leaves your breath minty fresh.”

  “Class dismissed,” sighed Bok Choy.

  The superheroes left the room, anxiously talking about their field trip to the Bumblyburg Home for Retired Superheroes. Unfortunately, Larryboy had to stick around a little longer than he had planned. After all, they didn’t call it Molar Madness for nothing!

  Little did Larryboy know that his sticky situations were just beginning.

  CHAPTER 6

  THE BALLOON BANDITS

  It was time for the superheroes to take their field trip to the Bumblyburg Home for Retired Superheroes. But as the superheroes headed for the Home, time did not stand still for the dastardly doings of Outback Jack.

  After stealing the clock, Outback landed his glider inside the gates of the famed Bumblyburg Balloon Factory—the greatest balloon factory in the world. The factory made everything from giant hot-air balloons to various types of balloon animals.

  “It’s a beauty!” said Outback Jack, staring up at a hot-air balloon that had been built on the main factory floor. The factory owners, Herbert and Wally, had taken him there to show off the balloon he’d ordered months before.

  “Isn’t she fantastic?” Outback asked Jackie the Sock Puppet.

  Jackie was stunned. She didn’t know what to say. “It is gorgeous! It’s … it’s … it’s me!”

  Jackie was right. The giant, hot-air balloon was built to look exactly like her—a giant crocodile sock puppet with a pretty pink hat.

  “I’m glad you like it,” said Herbert. “We have your bill all ready for you.”

  “And then the balloon will be yours,” added Wally.

  “Well … I’ve been meaning to talk to you blokes about that,” said Outback, still staring wide-eyed at the hot-air balloon. “You see, mates, I don’t have any money to give you.”

  Herbert and Wally exchanged glances. “No money? Then I’m afraid you can’t have the balloon, Mr. Outback.”

  Outback finally made eye contact with the two potatoes. He had a sly smile. “I pay in different ways, mates. I have a little something socked away for times like this.”

  Snickering, Outback aimed his sock puppet right at Herbert and Wally. Then he pushed a button on The Power Glove of Doom.

  CHAPTER 7

  PRUNEMAN

  Meanwhile, Bok Choy’s superhero class piled into a school bus and drove to the Bumblyburg Home for Retired Superheroes on the east side of town. It was their first field trip since the time they toured a superherocape factory in Puggslyville.

  The retirement home was a bright, energy-packed place. Elderly superheroes tested their old superpowers by climbing on ceilings and walls, while others traded stories and exchanged laughs. There were numerous signs posted for all kinds of amazing activities:

  “HOW TO USE YOUR DENTURES TO FIGHT OFF MUTANTS.”

  “ROCKET-POWERED WALKERS: THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE”

  “TEST YOUR X-RAY VISION AT THE WEEKLY HEALTH SCREENING.”

  Moving past rooms along a hallway, Bok Choy

  and Larryboy spotted a large grapefruit superhero

  sitting in a beach chair inside a kiddie pool. The

  grapefruit calmly read the morning paper, while gentle arches of water spouted from his head and back like a fountain.

  “Hey, it’s the Incredible Leaking Man!” Larryboy whispered, peeking his head into the room. “I thought he ran out of juice years ago.”

  “Old superheroes have more juice left in them than you think.” Bok Choy divulged as he ushered Larryboy into the multi-purpose room. “Larryboy, may I present Pruneman, Bumblyburg’s very first superhero.”

  Pruneman was … well, a prune—a little wrinkly and very old. He wore a green cape and had a large picture of a prune on his chest in bold colors. But what stood out the most were the two enormous ears attached to his mask.

  Pruneman’s eyes lit up at the sight of Bok Choy. “Bok Choy, you old stunt-monkey, you! How long’s it been, partner?”

  “Too long, my friend,” said Bok Choy, as the two friends bowed to each other.

  “Hey, remember that Invisible Ninja Flip you taught me?” said Pruneman, giving Bok Choy a nudge. “I can still do it after all these years!”

  With those words, Pruneman went through a series of “Crouching Prune, Hidden Dragon” moves. A back flip. A tornado spin. A quick sprint up the wall. Finally, with one big burst of energy, Pruneman did a double back flip, then sprang right through the nearest door—and vanished.

  Impressed, Larryboy and Bok Choy hurried through the door after him. But Pruneman was nowhere to be seen.

  “WOW!” Larryboy said. “He completely disappeared!”

  “Ahem,” came a voice from above. “I didn’t exactly disappear.”

  Larryboy and Bok Choy glanced upward. Pruneman was tangled in the chandelier.

  “I’ve leaped, and I can’t get down!” said Pruneman, wincing. “Oh, that’s going to hurt in the morning. Ouch! Come to think of it, that hurts now.”

  CHAPTER 8

  THAT’S THE PITS

  Larryboy couldn’t believe that Pruneman had once been Bumblyburg’s number-one superhero. Why, the guy couldn’t even do a simple ninja move without needing to speed-dial 911!

  Every student from Bok Choy’s class had been paired up with a senior superhero, and Larryboy had been assigned Pruneman. Bok Choy said it was a great honor to have Bumblyburg’s oldest superhero for a partner. But Larryboy couldn’t see why. He was bored.

  When Bok Choy found Larryboy, the caped cucumber was moping around by himself at the refreshment table. While, Pruneman was on the other side of the room—standing alone in front of an oscillating fan watching his cape billow in the breeze.

  “Larryboy, haven’t you been talking with Pruneman?” Bok Choy inquired.

  “About what? The guy’s a dinosaur.” “Most people think dinosaurs are pretty fascinating creatures,” Bok Choy pointed out.


  “You know what I mean,” Larryboy said. “The only thing we have in common is that we both look good in a cape!”

  At that very moment, Pruneman edged a little too close to the fan. Suddenly, the fan’s blade yanked the old guy’s cape with a ferocious tug and in a matter of seconds, the fan had totally shredded it up, leaving Pruneman completely capeless.

  “Okay,” Larryboy sighed, “now we have nothing in common,” he said.

  RIIINNNGGGGG! RIINNNNGGGG!

  “Excuse me, Bok Choy, but my ears are ringing,” Larryboy said.

  It was Larryboy’s Plunger-Com—a secret radio hidden inside Larryboy’s plungers.

  “Come in, Larryboy!” Archie’s voice squeaked.

  “I’m here,” Larryboy told him. “What’s happening, Archie?”

  While Larryboy answered the call, Pruneman snatched the checkered tablecloth off the refreshment table, whipping it around his neck and turning it into his new cape. Then he moved in closer, trying to hear what Archie had to say.

  “Something very strange is going on at the Bumblyburg Balloon Factory,” Archie said.

  “The Balloon Factory?”

  “Yes. There are reports that the night shift has broken out with a serious case of bad jokes.”

  “That sounds like the work of Outback Jack! I’m on my way, Archie.”

  “Lemme help, Larryboy,” pleaded Pruneman as he came up from behind him. “I can still use my famous Prune-Pit-Power-Up Move!”

  “Your what?”

  “My Prune-Pit-Power-Up Move! Just watch. You’ll be quite impressed.”

  With a look of sheer determination, Pruneman began to fire prune pits—big, fat seeds—out of the large ears built into his superhero mask.

  RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT!

  Like a machine gun, the prune pits came out in rapid-fire fashion. But Pruneman had one little problem. His head was out of control, bouncing around like a bobble-head doll, firing prune pits in all directions.

  “Hey watch it!” shouted two elderly superheroes, ducking underneath the folding table where they were playing checkers.

  “I guess I’m a little rusty,” Pruneman said, smiling awkwardly. He was feeling a bit wobbly after the prune pits finally stopped firing. “But I can still help you battle this Outback Jack character!”

  Larryboy rolled his eyes as he helped Pruneman into a nearby chair. “Sorry, old fellow. But this is a job for someone … well, someone with a little more speed and strength. Some other time, Pruneman.”

  As Larryboy sprinted out of the room, Pruneman watched him go with a twinge of sadness. He remembered the old days, when he had once been faster than a speeding watermelon seed … more powerful than a pumped-up papaya … able to leap tall celery in a single bound.

  It didn’t seem so long ago.

  “Hey, Larryb-WHHOAAAAA!” Pruneman called out.

  RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT!

  The old guy’s ears suddenly started firing prune pits again. The barrage made his chair spin like a pinwheel firework–around and around and around.

  “Cut it out, Pruney!” shouted the nearby superheroes, as they ducked under their table once again.

  “Ouch!”

  “Incoming!”

  Bok Choy looked on and sighed. Pruneman was in no shape for the perils that lay ahead.

  CHAPTER 9

  A STICKY SITUATION

  The jokes were flying fast and furious at the Bumblyburg Balloon Factory.

  “Why did the gum cross the road?”

  “Because it was stuck to the chicken’s foot.”

  “Why don’t people play games in the jungle?”

  “Too many cheetahs.”

  “What goes up and doesn’t come down?”

  “Your age.”

  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  The balloon factory workers rolled on the ground, holding their sides and howling with laughter. They could do nothing to stop Outback Jack, who busily connected his jeep to the bottom of the giant hot-air balloon. Mounted to the front hood of the jeep was the clock face he had ripped from the Bumblyburg Clock Tower.

  Meanwhile, Larryboy was on his way to the factory in his Larryplane—a gadget-filled wonder created by his butler, Archie. In the darkness of evening, the plane hovered directly over the main factory building.

  “Archie, is this the right place?” Larryboy asked over his Larryplane radio.

  “Yes, I believe it is,” said Archie. “My sensors are picking up a lot of laughter inside the building.”

  “Roger that,” agreed Larryboy as he pushed a button on his instrument panel. The bottom of the Larryplane opened up to reveal rows and rows of plungers. With another push of the button, dozens of plungers rained down from the Larryplane and gripped the factory roof.

  THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

  By reeling the plungers back up toward the plane, Larryboy literally peeled off the metal roof of the factory like a pop-can tab. As he suspected, Outback was hiding inside the building, getting ready to launch his huge hot-air balloon.

  “Outback, prepare to feel the sting of my plungers!” shouted Larryboy.

  “Oy, mate! I’m shaking in me boots. I hate to say it, pickle boy, but you’re filled with more hot air than this heeeere balloon.”

  Just then, a taxi came screeching up to the front door of the balloon factory. The door was thrown open—twice. (The first time, the door bounced back and closed before anyone could get out.) Eventually, Pruneman leaped out and told the taxi driver, “Keep the meter running. This won’t take long.” Then Pruneman hurdled forward, paused to strike a heroic pose, and ran to the factory building’s front door.

  Grabbing a fistful of balloons used to decorate each side of the front entrance, Pruneman quickly rose into the air. When he reached the top of the factory building, he let go of the balloons and leaped onto the roof. Even with a checkered tablecloth for a cape, Pruneman looked pretty impressive standing on top of the building, staring up at the Larryplane.

  “Don’t worry, Larryboy!” he shouted. “The Pit Crew has arrived!”

  Larryboy groaned. This is no good. What can an old guy like Pruneman do to help?

  To make matters worse, Larryboy realized he had something else to groan about—gum in the cockpit. Archie had always told him never to chew gum on a superhero mission. But he couldn’t resist chewing a huge wad of Molar Madness. He also couldn’t resist playing with his gum. As a result, a string of gum now connected his nose to the Larryplane controls, completely gumming up the cockpit.

  Just then, Outback fired up his giant hot-air balloon and the massive ship slowly rose into the air. The expanding balloon was so huge that it barely fit through the open roof.

  “Uh-oh,” gulped Pruneman.

  Uh-oh was right. Pruneman was standing on a narrow edge of the roof. If he wasn’t careful, the balloon would bump him right off!

  Outback steered the craft slightly to the right, and the giant crocodile balloon gave the ancient superhero a gentle nudge. That was all it took.

  Pruneman teetered on the edge of the roof, trying to regain his balance. But all he could do was hope there’d be someone down below to catch him.

  “Enjoy your fall Down Under,” Outback Jack laughed.

  Pruneman screamed, “Larryboy!” before he fell backward off the roof.

  Pruneman plummeted toward the ground.

  CHAPTER 10

  IT GETS EVEN STICKIER

  Pruneman was forty feet from the ground and falling fast. Larryboy had to act quickly. But that was easier said than done. His string of gum had now turned into five strings of sticky stuff, creating a bubblegum web inside the cockpit.

  The caped cucumber pressed the Larryplane joystick, and the plane dove down toward the falling prune. But Larryboy was so busy untangling himself from the gum that he nearly drove the Larryplane right into the side of the balloon factory.

  Pruneman was thirty feet from the ground.

  There were n
ow ten strings of sticky gum connecting the controls to Larryboy’s face.

  “Plungers away!”

  Larryboy managed to fire two plungers at Pruneman, but having to shoot through the maze of gum, one of them hit the side of the building and stuck. Still connected to the plunger’s tether line, it caused the plane to whip around the building like a carnival ride.

  Pruneman was twenty-one feet, four and one half inches from the ground.

  Larryboy had only one hope left—a heat-seeking plunger that Archie had just invented. It had never been used before.

  Pruneman was thirteen feet from the ground.

  “That’s roughly four meters in metric measurements!” Pruneman yelled as he fell.

  POW! ZIP!

  The heat-seeking plunger tore through the tangle of gum and streaked across the sky.

  Pruneman was only three feet from the ground.

  THWACK!

  The heat-seeking plunger hit Pruneman smack in the middle of his back and stopped his fall just in time.

  “Nice gadget,” Pruneman noted, as he dangled just two inches from the cement. “We’ve got a toilet backing up in the lounge you might want to look at.”

  Although he was pleased he had saved the old superhero, Larryboy was frustrated beyond belief. Outback Jack and his Balloon of Doom had vanished into the dark night, and Larryboy was in no shape to pursue him. Twenty-five strings of gum now crisscrossed the cockpit, and even more gum decorated the upholstery.

  Larryboy had just enough gum left to blow a bubble, but it popped in his face.

  “Drat.”

  CHAPTER 11

  CLUES AND CONNECTIONS

  The next morning at the Daily Bumble newspaper, Bob the Tomato called an urgent meeting. Vicki, the staff’s top photographer, was there, along with cub reporter, Junior Asparagus. Larry the Janitor was mopping the floor …

  … and listening.

  Little did they know that mild-mannered Larry the Janitor was really Larryboy! You see, Larryboy was the only superhero with two secret identities. Sometimes he was Lawrence, the fantastically rich, courteous cucumber; and other times, he was Larry the Janitor.