• REPOST/LNH: Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch #1 out of 4: The Dog That Barked -- Christmas!

    From Arthur Spitzer@arspitzer2@gmail.com to rec.arts.comics.creative on Mon Dec 1 23:48:53 2025
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    Tis the X-Mas reposting season..


    This Holiday Special is brought to you by:

    Mr. Paprika Brand Eggnog: Now that's a Man's Eggnog!

    Grand Theft Flight.thingee - Northpole: Guns, Drugs, Prostitutes,
    Elves, Reindeers, and More Prostitutes! Finally a video game that puts
    the Ho, Ho, Ho's back into Holiday! (Maybe inappropriate for some small children.)



    And now...




    The JONG Company proudly presents:


    CAULIFLOWER THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE POOCH

    #1 (out of 4)

    The Dog That Barked -- Christmas!


    The Ultimate Ninja stretched his arms and gave a yawn as he walked into
    the LNHQ's lobby. He was still recovering from the Zombie Thanksgiving,
    which had happened just yesterday when some satanic vegetarians
    unleashed demonically possessed frozen turkeys on the citizens of
    Net.ropolis. Fortunately, the two brothers: Nomex Man and Captain
    Napalm were there to help with the trouble. The Ultimate Ninja imagined
    that the streets of Net.ropolis still smelled like barbecued turkey.
    Hopefully, today would be uneventful. The ninja guessed though that the
    LNH would be needed for crowd control at the malls to keep the innocent bystanders from killing each other.

    As he stepped into the lobby for a cup of coffee and to brief the
    receptionist Kyoko Ishikawa on a few items, he sensed that something was
    afoot. A bunch of LNH'rs were loitering around the receptionist desk
    laughing and fooling around. This was never a good sign. What were
    they doing? Their attention seemed to be focused on something. Some
    kind of animal. A dog?

    The Ultimate Ninja cleared his throat.

    "Oh, hi UN! Didn't see you there. Isn't this guy just the cutest!"
    responded Catalyst Lass holding the small black and white dog close to
    her face. "Yes you are! Yes you are! *giggle* He's licking my face!"

    The Ultimate Ninja gripped the hilt of his katana blade tightly. "How
    did this dog get in the building?" he said trying to bring some
    professionalism back to the conversation.

    "Oh, um. He was already here when I entered the lobby," The Incredible-Man-With-No-Life said shrugging his arms.

    "And when I came to work he was already in the building too. I just
    thought he was someone's pet," Kyoko said with a nervous tone in her
    voice wondering if UN was in one of his crazed homicidal killer moods
    this morning.

    "So, no one let him in? He just waltzed right in the building without
    setting off any of our highly advanced security equipment? Is that what
    you people are saying?"

    "Well our security has never really been all that great, UN. I mean
    really, it's not like this kind of thing hasn't happened before,"
    wReamhack interjected and then stepped slightly back as the Ultimate
    Ninja's gaze found him. "Um.. not that I approve of this of course.
    I'm just as disappointed by all this as you are. Yep. Disappointed.
    Really disappointed. Bad security system!" wReamhack waved his finger
    at the security system in a stern manner.

    UN sighed. "You realize that for all we know this dog could be some
    kind of shapeshifting alien or some demon hellspawn? You realize that,
    don't you? Waiting for his chance to slaughter us all when we have our
    guard down."

    "Oh come on, Ultie! Quit being such a grinch! This li'l fella wouldn't
    hurt a flea. Would ya? Would ya? Yes, yure just a wittle angel!
    Aren't you? Yes you are. Yes you are!" The little dog responded to
    Catalyst Lass's questions by licking her face again.

    "I did do a scan of him, UN," Dr. Stomper remarked. "Apparently he's
    47% poodle, 46% maltese, 4% pit bull, and the last 3% I couldn't identify."

    "I guess that makes him a pit maltoodle!" pointed out a scholarly
    Parking Karma Kid.

    "*Ahem* Anyway," Dr. Stomper continued. "I didn't get any huge power
    readings. I think he's harmless."

    "Fine. I don't care. Do whatever you want people. I don't care.
    Please feel free to forget the countless times my paranoia has been
    proven right. But if it is some kind of monster that brutally murders
    all of you, don't pretend you weren't warned. And believe me if that
    does happen, I will have no problem telling you people that I told you
    so. And when you people die I hope you suffer greatly. But I don't
    care. Nope. I really don't care. Kyoko. If anyone needs me, I'll be
    in the Peril Room. Killing things. Killing a lot of things. If anyone
    needs me that is. Have fun with the demonspawn."

    With that said the Ultimate Ninja stomped out of the lobby and towards
    the Peril Room with a very intense expression on his face.

    "Well. Guess that means we can keep him." The
    Incredible-Man-With-No-Life stroked his chin. "So, what should we call
    him?"

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    "*Ahem*. Could I have your attention people? If we could all just kind
    of be quiet. People? Are you listening to me, people? Is this
    microphone on? Anyone?" said The Incredible-Man-With-No-Life standing
    behind a podium interrupting a noisy room packed with LNH'rs.

    "Here, Incredible-Man-With-No-Life. Let me handle this," said
    Innovative Offense Boy taking over the mike.

    "SHUT THE @#%^@&^# @#*&^&$^% UP!!! The next person that speaks I will personally $%^$^$%^ your #$%^#$%^ with a *&%@$%!!! Do you understand?
    DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Silence washed over the room in a flash with
    everyone just kind of staring at the podium. "Okay. They're all yours."

    "Um.. thanks, Innovative Offense Boy. Well. I guess you're all
    wondering why I called this meeting. As I'm sure you've heard through
    the rumor mill, the LNH has a new pet. This guy right here." The Incredible-Man-With-No-Life picked up the little dog and held him up so everyone could see him. This was followed by a lot of 'Awwws' and
    'Isn't he just the cutest?!'. "But there is one problem! He doesn't
    have a name. And, well, I guess I was wondering if anyone had any
    possible suggestions?"

    With that said, every single LNH'r in the room started to give name
    suggestions at the same time. Chaos of course followed.

    California Kid: "How about the Doggie Dude, Dude?"

    aLLiterative Lass: "Suddenly, Simon Sounds Simply Superb."

    Old Comics Man: "When I was kid, dogs didn't have names. We just
    called them wolves and they would sit by the fire and occasionally we
    would throw them a chunk of mammoth gristle. And we liked it that way."

    Mojo Dog: "Ret Rim Rick Ris Rown Rame! Rarrogant Rumans!!"

    wReamhack: "Old wReller?"

    Kid Enthusiastic: "Edo-o, the Ninjadog!!! Oh, wait!!! No. No. I've
    got it!! Puppytron 2000!!! Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! No Wait!! Hold the
    Phones!!! I've got it!!! This is the winner!!!! Yes!!! Fi-Dorr, the Mighty!!! Bow Down to the Name Master!!! Ha!! Ha!! Oh wait. Here's a
    better one...."

    Irony Man: "How about Dog Catcher?"

    Kiwi #1238: "Kiwi!"

    Deja Dude: Rex? Pouchie? Fido? Dogneto?

    Easily-Discovered Man Lite: "I say we call him 'Doctor Apocalypse'. Super-villains tend to respect you a lot more if they think you've
    turned one of their own into a dog. Besides, I've always wanted to say, 'Assemble the team! Doctor Apocalypse is on the loose... and he's
    crapped on the lawn again.' But maybe that's just me."

    Captain Cleanup: "How about Spotless?"

    *
    Vel: "Fro'nakolshen."

    Kiwi #3745: "Kiwi!"

    Self-Righteous Preacher: "I believe he should be called Pat so he can
    be named after one of the truly great Americans -- Pat Robertson!"

    Super Apathy Lad: "Feh."

    Namer Boy: "Damn! The first chance I've ever had to help the LNH by
    using my naming powers, and I can't because I've got Namer's Block!"

    Writer's Block Woman: "Sir Galahad, Mighty Canine Knight of Goodness!!
    Oh, honey, it's your turn!! Come up with one of those great names
    you're always coming up with!! Come on, honey!! Don't be shy!!
    Everyone's waiting!! You can do it!!"

    Mouse: "Oh, for the love of God. Dog. There? Satisfied?"

    Sarcastic Lad: "Writer's Block Woman? Could you please ask your
    daughter to turn down the brilliant light that is her creative genius?
    It's giving me a sunburn!"

    Limp-Asparagus Lad: "K-9. Or is that too intense?"

    Fourth Wall Lass: "Daggit. And no I'm not going to explain what that
    means."

    Arthur Spitzer: "Fine. Be that way."

    Retcon Lad: "Captain Carnage, the Death-Laser-Eye-Beamed Dog of Destruction!!!!!"

    Anal-Retentive Archive Kid: "Cerebus or Sirius. I know. You were
    probably expecting me to say Garm or Fenris."

    Kid Not Appearing In Any Retcon Hour Story: "Vlorox."

    No-Point Lad: "Insert-Name-Here Dog."

    Dismal-Hope Kid: "Abysmal Mutt."

    No-Point Lad: "Hmm, we're in the wrong imprint."

    Dismal-Hope Kid: "Does it really matter?"

    No-Point Lad: "Nope. It never does."

    Kiwi #5688: "Kiwi! Kiwi!"

    Marvel Zombie Lad: "X-Dog!"

    Sing-Along Lass: "How much is that doggie in the window...?"

    CAPTAIN CAPITALIZE: "ME? OH, I DON'T HAVE A NAME. I JUST CAN'T RESIST
    THE URGE TO SPEAK SOME DIALOGUE."

    Kid Anarky: "ANARCHY! ANARCHY! Whoops! Sorry folks. Got carried
    away there."

    "Okay! Okay, people!" shouted the Incredible-Man-With-No-Life trying to maintain some order. "These are all great suggestions, but we can only
    give him one name! I think the best and most fair way to pick our dog's
    name would be to have..."

    "A Knife Fight!!!" said a gentleman who pulled out a big ass knife from
    his trenchcoat. Various other select LNH'rs started chanting, "Knife
    Fight! Knife Fight!"

    "NO! Not a knife fight! As I was going to say, we should have someone
    pick a name from a hat and whatever that name is will become the dog's
    new name." Most of the LNH'rs agreed that this was a sound plan, but
    there were murmurs from a few disappointed LNH'rs as they put away their knives.

    So someone grabbed a hat from the LNH Hat Room and passed it around to
    each LNH'r. After each LNH'r had put in a slip of paper, the hat was
    given to Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad so he could use his mutant ability
    to pull pieces of paper from hats and pick the winning name.

    Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad cracked his knuckles.
    Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad blew into his hands.
    Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad took a deep breath. Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats
    Lad gave a long dramatic pause because hey, let's face it -- this will
    probably be the only LNH story he ever appears in. And faster than any
    person alive could pull a piece of paper out of a hat,
    Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad had the winning name in the palm of his hand.

    "And the winner is..." Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad gave another long
    dramatic pause. "... Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch!!!!!"

    After that announcement there was a brief uncomfortable silence followed
    by a very loud voice of displeasure from the mob of LNH'rs.

    "What the hell...?"

    "Who thought up that stupid name?!!"

    "Dude! Why must such a cool dog be forced to carry the burden of such a
    lame name?! Why, Heavenly Father Dude? Why?"

    "Kill Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad!"

    "Okay! Settle down folks! Let's just settle down!" The Incredible-Man-With-No-Life banged the LNH Meeting Room gavel down.
    "Look, I Agree. Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch is a lame name.
    It might very well be the lamest name that anyone has ever had. But
    we all agreed that whichever name was pulled would be the name that we
    gave this dog. And maybe none of us, well except for the sick twisted
    bastard who came up with the name, likes it. But we're going to have to
    learn to live with it because for better or for worse it's our dog's new
    name. Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch. God help him."


    (Footnote Girl: * - Fro'nakolshen is Dorfan for 'Stupid furry thing that
    pees on the rug.' Oh, and I think Fluffy would be a keen name. Oh?
    The name-picking contest is over? Never mind. *Sigh*.)

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    "No. I refuse to make him a member of the LNH."

    "But Ultimate Ninja..."

    "I let you people keep the dog, but there is no way in hell he is ever
    going to be a member of the LNH! The LNH has certain standards to uphold."

    "Standards? When we did get those?" gulped a concerned wReamhack.

    "Today," the Ultimate Ninja said without a hint of humor.

    "UN, you're not giving him a chance!" pleaded Mainstream Man.

    "A chance? Okay. I'll give him a chance. If he can survive one minute
    with me in the Peril Room, he can become a member of the LNH."

    "One Minute?! There's no way he could..." Adamant
    Authority-on-Everything began to say.

    "Look. This isn't a social club. The LNH faces hordes of supervillains
    every day. Every single day might be an LNH member's last one. Anyone
    who can't survive at least one minute with me doesn't deserve to be an
    LNH'r. No ifs, ands, or buts. If Cauliflower wants to be an LNH'r then
    tell him to meet me in the Peril Room. At noon. Today."

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    <<~In the upper right hand corner sharpening his Ginsu Katana blade we
    have The Unstoppable, The Unbeatable, and still Undefeated Champion of
    the Peril Room: The Ultimate Ninja!!!!~>>

    A bit of half-hearted applause and a few boos and hisses came from Peril
    Room Monitoring Room.

    <<~And in the lower left hand corner we have today's challenger -- The
    Cutest, Most Adorable, Furry Little Fellow there ever was: Cauliflower
    the Christmas Miracle Pooch!!!!!!!!!~>>

    A huge burst of applause and cheers shook the Monitoring Room.

    <<~Are the fighters ready and in position? Okay then, Let's -- Get
    Ready -- To -- wRummmble!!!!~>> shouted the announcer wReamhack.

    "Oh this is horrible! I can't watch this!" Catalyst Lass said as she
    covered her eyes with her hands.

    <(I agree. Very barbaric. Still. I must know,)> Hooded Ho`'od Win
    gazed intensely at the monitoring room screen.

    "You shouldn't worry Cat," Dr. Stomper pointed out. "Because of the way
    the Peril Room operates whatever horrible cruelties the Ultimate Ninja
    inflicts on Cauliflower, it won't *really* happen except in the Peril
    Room. That being said, I imagine there will still be quite a bit of psychological trauma."

    "Boy, that little dog sure has a lot of guts!" Cliche Dude observed.

    "Yeah. To bad in a few more seconds they'll be all over the Peril Room
    walls," responded Bad Timing Boy.

    "Run, Cauliflower! Run!" shouted Cliche Dude.

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    "It won't work. That thing you're doing -- with your puppy dog eyes and
    the tail wagging. It won't work. I've killed tons more cuter and more adorable things than you. I suggest right now that you pray to whatever
    gods you worship for a painless merciful death. Because that death --
    well -- it's coming," The Ultimate Ninja said to the cute little black
    and white dog wagging his tail.

    Now, how would he do this, The Ultimate Ninja thought to himself. Maybe
    a little disemboweling to start things off? Then maybe he could
    strangle Cauliflower with his own spinal cord. Hmm. What was that
    smell? It was like eggnog. Hmm. Eggnog. That would be good right
    now. A nice big glass of eggnog. Yeah. That would hit the spot.
    Eggnog? Why the hell was he thinking about eggnog? Dammit! Stay
    focused. Kill Cauliflower. Kill Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle
    Pooch. Hmm. Christmas. Maybe this year he should put up lights on the
    LNHQ? It would sure look pretty all dressed up with lights. Flashing
    and flashing. And with all the LNH's high tech equipment they would
    surely win the big Net.ropolis Holiday Festival Light Spectacular this
    year. Arrrgrrgggrrrrhhhhh!!!! What was happening to him?

    Then the memories started to come. Memories of Christmases past. There
    was that time when he was five years old and he was helping his father
    decorate the ninja bush. And shortly afterwards being rushed to the
    hospital because of the lacerations caused by the ninja bush. Or the
    time when he was seven and had gotten his first Ginsu Kantana blade. Or
    his first Christmas as a member of the LNH back in '92. Bad Timing Boy accidentally burning down the Christmas tree which in turn caused the
    entire LNHQ to burn down also. Rebel Yell trying to explain to
    reporters what had exactly happened. That was hilarious. Sigh. Those
    were the days.

    So that's your power, is it? The Power of Christmas? The Ultimate
    Ninja started to lose balance. He could feel the Spirit of Christmas
    crushing him to the floor. The strain was becoming unbearable. Every Christmas tune there had ever been started ringing through his head.
    Sugar Plum Fairies rushing through his veins. God, he wanted to kill
    that dog. But it didn't feel like a very Christmassy thing to do.

    "Please! Stop it! For the love of God just stop it! I can't take
    these Christmassy feelings. You can be a member of the LNH! I give in!
    Just stop it!"

    And suddenly the Ultimate Ninja felt normal again.

    "Oh. And one more thing," the Ultimate Ninja said as he threw his blade
    into Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch's skull. "Never. And I
    mean never, make me feel like singing, 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'.
    Got it? Good. Welcome to the LNH."

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    "I was wondering when you people would show up. As you can see, me and
    Santa have been waiting a long time." The various LNH'rs who had
    stormed into Y-Plex Burp's secret base noticed an unconscious Santa
    Claus strapped to a Mega-thermonuclear warhead. Y-Plex Burp stood in
    the middle surrounded by a bunch of hired thugs.

    There was a *KLANG* as the Ultimate Ninja's katana blade hit something
    in mid-air.

    "Nice Shot, Ultimate Ninja," laughed Y-Plex Burp. "If it hadn't been
    for my force field, you might have killed me. Then again maybe that
    would have been a bad idea since if you had killed me that would have
    triggered off my Mega-thermonuclear warhead causing all of Net.ropolis
    to become a huge crater. And if any member of the LNH touches me, the
    bomb, or Santa Clause then -- the same thing. Boom. Bye, bye,
    Net.ropolis. Oh, and before I forget, hired thugs? KILL THEM!!!!"

    With that the hired thugs took out their submachine guns and started
    firing. About five seconds later, the LNH without a single scratch had disposed of everyone of Y-Plex Burp's hired thugs.

    "Damn. One of these days I'm going to have to buy myself some better
    trained thugs. Oh well. Doesn't matter. You see no matter what you do
    the bomb's still going to go off. It's out of your control, LNH. Out
    of your control."

    "But -- if the bomb goes off," said Catalyst Lass in a very calm and
    controlled manner, "Then you're going to die too. You don't want to die
    -- Do you?"

    "I don't want to die?" Y-Plex Burp said in a smug voice. "I beg to
    differ, Catalyst Lass. Oh BTW I should perhaps mention that your mental
    voodoo is totally ineffective on me as are the rest of the LNH's powers.
    I've made myself resistant to each and everyone of them. I've been
    planning this little escapade a bit too long to have any one member of
    the LNH stop me. And now as to wanting to die, let me ask you, Catalyst
    Lass; who is the greatest LNH Villain of all time?"

    "Umm, Dr. Killfile?" Catalyst Lass guessed.

    "No way -- it's got to be Tsar Chasm, well before he became Mouse's
    boyfriend that is," said another hero. Mouse glared back.

    "You guys are nuts! It's wReamicus Maximus!"

    "Acton Lord, people! It's Acton Lord!"

    "*ahem* Lagneto *ahem*," noted Deja Dude.

    "Hey, what about the Time Crapper?"

    "Ha ha. See? Even the Time Crapper! Even the Time Crapper gets
    consideration over me! When people think of the greatest LNH villains
    of all time, no one ever thinks about me -- Y-Plex Burp! I guess I
    can't blame them. Every single scheme I've had has been a failure. My
    whole life has been a huge pathetic failure. The only thing I ever
    managed to accomplish was to drive Rebel Yell away from the LNH. And
    that was only an accidental byproduct of another failed scheme. So do I
    want to die? Yes. If your life was a pathetic waste like mine, I
    imagine you'd want to die too."

    "Well, boo hoo," responded a not to sympathetic Ultimate Ninja. "Tell
    you what, Y-Plex. Turn off the forcefield and the bomb, and I'll
    happily give you that death. And I'll even drag you to hell, no extra
    charge. What do you say?"

    "Heh! Thanks for the offer, UN. But, no -- I think I'll do this my
    way. So here's my deal to save Net.ropolis and Santa Claus and for that
    matter me: I want every single member of the LNH to commit suicide. If
    you all do that I promise to turn off the bomb and free Santa Clause so everyone can have a wonderful Christmas. What do you say?"

    "You're totally insane," said Sister State the Obvious.

    "I know. Isn't it wonderful? But my deal still stands. So who's going
    to die? The LNH? Or the LNH, Net.ropolis, and Santa Clause? Common
    sense would dictate that it should just be the LNH. And maybe it's
    about time. The LNH is kind of a tired old beast, isn't it? It's been
    12 years and the writers and readers are starting to lose interest.
    Maybe it's about time that the LNH had its Grand Finale. And what
    better way to go than to save good dear old Net.ropolis one last time by committing mass suicide. That would be a great story, wouldn't it? I
    think so. Oh well. It's up to you."

    Silence filled the room.

    And Y-Plex Burp smiled as he continued, "Well, guess now the question is
    who will be the first to do the deed? You know who would be a good
    first choice? Cannon Fodder. I mean, heck, he's an old pro at this --
    aren't you? You can show your teammates how it's done. How to die.
    You've got 30 seconds, Cannon Fodder. And if you're still alive after
    those 30 seconds then a lot of people in Net.ropolis are going to be
    very toasty. Let us begin. 30 mississippi 29 mississippi 28
    mississippi..."

    Cannon Fodder looked at the Ultimate Ninja. The ninja nodded his head.

    Cannon Fodder pulled out a gun from his belt. And then he loaded a
    bullet from his shirt. And then he placed the nuzzle of the gun to his
    temple. He waited till the 30 seconds were almost over. And then he
    closed his eyes tightly and whispered a prayer to himself. And then he
    pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang. And then Cannon Fodder's
    lifeless body hit the ground.

    Catalyst Lass winced as she looked at the blood oozing out of Cannon
    Fodder's head. "Oh, Jesus."

    "Well that wasn't so hard, was it?" said a gloating Y-Plex Burp. "You
    know what we'll try next? Let's try someone who won't come back to
    life. How's that sound? Any volunteers?"

    "Me," the Ultimate Ninja said in a grim expressionless tone. "I volunteer."

    "Wow. You know, I was going to save you for last. But hey, since I'm
    such a nice guy what the hell. But how are you going to die? You know
    what I'd like to see? You know that thing where you pull the person's
    heart right out of their chest? What's that called? Oh yeah, the
    Heartthrob! What a funny name. And you've performed that on all kinds
    of people, haven't you? But can you do it to yourself? That's what I'm wondering. Can you just take your hand and pull the heart right out of
    your own chest? I guess we're all going to find out."

    Catalyst Lass put her hand on the Ultimate Ninja's shoulder.

    "Don't try to stop me, Cat."

    "I'm not. I just wanted you to know that you were the best leader the
    LNH ever had."

    "I know," the Ultimate Ninja nodded in agreement. "I don't want my
    death to be in vain. I want you to do whatever it takes to bring this
    @#$%&$% down. Do you understand?"

    "We will." Catalyst Lass rubbed one of her eyes. "We will."

    The Ultimate Ninja walked over to an area of the room right in front of
    Y-Plex Burp and then sat down in seppuku position. He tore open his
    black shirt to reveal his bare muscle-bound chest. And then he took off
    a black glove on his right hand. He took a few meditative breaths as he prepared to perform the Heartthrob on himself.

    "Well, since you're ready, let your 30 seconds begin -- Now! 30
    mississippi 29 mississippi... Oh man, this is great! In less than 30
    seconds the Ultimate Ninja is going to die! And I'm the one that made
    this happen. Y-Plex Burp -- not Dr. Killfile or wReamicus Maximus or
    any of those other losers! Man, this going to be the best Christmas
    ever. And you know what would be really great right now? A nice big
    glass of eggnog! What the.. weird. Why am I thinking about eggnog?
    Wait! How did that cute little dog get in here?"

    The Ultimate Ninja paused his Heartthrob ritual. Had a miracle arrived?
    A Christmas miracle?

    "That dog," Y-Plex Burp said watching Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle
    Pooch get closer and closer to him. "He reminds me of someone I once
    knew. He -- no. It can't be. Is that you? Is that really you? Oh my
    god! Mr. Bojangles? Is that you? Mr. Bojangles? But you were taken
    away by the Space Aliens? When I was ten years old. I remember it like yesterday. But you're back! You found me after all these years! How
    did you get away from them? Come over here. Come on boy! What? Oh
    that's right. The forcefield! Here, wait a sec."

    Y-Plex Burp clicked a button on his belt that gave Cauliflower enough
    time to jump into his arms before the forcefield returned. "My god.
    This is amazing. After all these years we're back together! All these
    years. I always wondered what might have happened if those Space Aliens
    hadn't kidnapped you. What wonderful adventures we might have had.
    Perhaps we could have both made the world a better place. Perhaps...
    Wait one bloody sec! Mr. Bojangles didn't have blue eyes. Who the
    hell.. *Urk*!"

    Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch quickly jumped out of Y-Plex
    Burp's arms as Y-Plex stumbled to the floor.

    "What happened here?" Catalyst Lass asked as she got quickly over to
    where Y-Plex Burp's unconscious body was.

    "It's the Black Lotus Fingerlicking Maneuver," the Ultimate Ninja
    responded as he joined Catalyst Lass. "If you lick a finger at the
    right pressure point you can send a person into a coma for several
    months. I figured if Cauliflower was going to go on missions, he should probably know some fighting techniques."

    "The Bomb!" shouted Contraption Man. "It's starting to count down!
    What are we going to do? None of us can touch it!"

    The Ultimate Ninja assessed the situation. "Cauliflower can. He was
    able to touch Y-Plex Burp without causing the bomb to blow up, which
    means whatever records Y-Plex Burp had they didn't include any with Cauliflower. That means it should be safe for him to deactivate the
    bomb. You just need to tell him what to do, Contraption Man."

    "But I can't speak dog!"

    Ultimate Ninja nodded and then clicked on his comm.thingee.
    "Multi-Tasking Man? I want you to hook me up with Linguist Lass pronto!"

    | | | | | | | | |
    --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*--
    --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--

    "This is Betty Breasts reporting for the Net.ropolis.News.Network Live
    at the Net.ropolis Secret Hideout District. We've just gotten word in
    that the Santa Claus hostage crisis has just been taken care of. The
    police are right now hauling in Y-Plex Burp's hired thugs and we've
    gotten word that Y-Plex Burp has been sent to Lost Cause Boy Memorial
    Hospital in critical condition. Reports are that Santa Claus is fine
    and only a little bit shaken up. The Mega-thermonuclear warhead that
    Santa was strapped to has been deactivated. The word is that one LNH'r
    in particular is responsible for saving the day. He's a new LNH'r by
    the name of Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch and if it hadn't
    been for him, Net.ropolis might very well be a gigantic crater."

    "It's got this reporter wondering if a new era in the LNH has begun.
    And if so what will this new Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch era
    bring? Back to you Pete."

    | | | | | | | | |
    --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*-- --*--
    --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--

    NEXT: Is Cauliflower the traitor who will destroy the LNH that
    Contraption Man foresaw? Or did someone already resolve that dangler?

    Special thanks to Jesse Willey, Andrew Perron, Martin Phipps, Rob
    Rogers, Saxon Brenton, Jaelle, and Tim Munn for giving possible names
    for the dog and dialogue suggestions.

    The Incredible Man-With-No-Life is Enrique Conty's

    Ultimate Ninja, wReam Hacker, Adamant Authority-on-Everything, Cannon
    Fodder, Sister State the Obvious, and Self-Righteous Preacher are wReam's

    Y-Plex Burp is Robert A Goodfellow's

    Vel is Jesse Willey's

    Deja Dude is Martin Phipp's

    Writer's Block Woman and Mouse are Jaelle's

    Limp-Asparagus Lad, Fourth Wall Lass, Retcon Lad, Anal-Retentive Archive
    Kid, Kid Not Appearing In Any Retcon Hour Story, and Footnote Girl are
    Saxon Brenton's

    Kid Enthusiastic is Andrew Perron's

    No-Point Lad, Dismal-Hope Kid are Tim Munn's

    California Kid is Dan'l Danehy-Oakes's

    Marvel Zombie Lad is Ben Pierce's

    Super Apathy Lad is Jacob Lesgold's

    Irony Man is Doug Moran's

    Dr. Stomper is T. M. Neeck's

    Parking Karma Kid is Steve Simmons's

    Catalyst Lass is Elisabeth Anne Riba's

    Bad Timing Boy is Vernon H Harmon's

    Mainstream Man is Mark A Nicol's

    Kyoko Ishikawa is Ken Schmidt's

    Innovative Offense Boy is uplink's

    aLLiterative Lass is Charles Fitzgerald's

    Old Comics Man is Douglass Barre's

    Mojo Dog is Abhay Khosla's

    Easily-Discovered Man Lite is Rob Roger's

    Kid Anarky is Steph Savoie's

    Sarcastic Lad is The Saint's

    Sing-Along Lass and Contraption Man are The Drizzt's

    Kiwis are Ian Porell's

    I'm sure I probably forgot someone. None of these characters used with permission. Yeah I'm on the road to hell.

    Author's Note: I was originally going to make this a one-shot special,
    but it seemed to get longer and longer so I decided to make it a
    mini-series. There are probably tons of grammar mistakes since I rushed
    this out without editing it.

    Arthur "Bark!" Spitzer

    --000000000000f1d45c0644ec9e39
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    Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

    <div dir=3D"ltr"><br>Tis the X-Mas reposting season..<br><br><br>This Holid=
    ay Special is brought to you by:<br><br>Mr. Paprika Brand Eggnog: =C2=A0Now=
    that&#39;s a Man&#39;s Eggnog!<br><br>Grand Theft Flight.thingee - Northpo= le: =C2=A0Guns, Drugs, Prostitutes, <br>Elves, Reindeers, and More Prostitu= tes!=C2=A0 Finally a video game that puts <br>the Ho, Ho, Ho&#39;s back int=
    o Holiday! =C2=A0(Maybe inappropriate for some small <br>children.)<br><br>= <br><br>And now...<br><br><br><br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0The JONG Company proudly presents:<br><br= ><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 CAULIFLOWER TH=
    E CHRISTMAS MIRACLE POOCH<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 #1 (out of 4= )<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0The Dog That Barked -- Christmas!<br><br><br>The Ultimate Ninja stretche=
    d his arms and gave a yawn as he walked into <br>the LNHQ&#39;s lobby.=C2=
    =A0 He was still recovering from the Zombie Thanksgiving, <br>which had hap= pened just yesterday when some satanic vegetarians <br>unleashed demonicall=
    y possessed frozen turkeys on the citizens of <br>Net.ropolis.=C2=A0 Fortun= ately, the two brothers: Nomex Man and Captain <br>Napalm were there to hel=
    p with the trouble.=C2=A0 The Ultimate Ninja imagined <br>that the streets =
    of Net.ropolis still smelled like barbecued turkey. <br>Hopefully, today wo= uld be uneventful.=C2=A0 The ninja guessed though that the <br>LNH would be=
    needed for crowd control at the malls to keep the innocent <br>bystanders = from killing each other.<br><br>As he stepped into the lobby for a cup of c= offee and to brief the <br>receptionist Kyoko Ishikawa on a few items, he s= ensed that something was <br>afoot.=C2=A0 A bunch of LNH&#39;rs were loiter= ing around the receptionist desk <br>laughing and fooling around.=C2=A0 Thi=
    s was never a good sign.=C2=A0 What were <br>they doing?=C2=A0 Their attent= ion seemed to be focused on something.=C2=A0 Some <br>kind of animal.=C2=A0=
    A dog?<br><br>The Ultimate Ninja cleared his throat.<br><br>&quot;Oh, hi U= N!=C2=A0 Didn&#39;t see you there.=C2=A0 Isn&#39;t this guy just the cutest= !&quot; <br>responded Catalyst Lass holding the small black and white dog c= lose to <br>her face. =C2=A0&quot;Yes you are!=C2=A0 Yes you are! *giggle* = =C2=A0He&#39;s licking my face!&quot;<br><br>The Ultimate Ninja gripped the=
    hilt of his katana blade tightly. =C2=A0&quot;How <br>did this dog get in = the building?&quot; he said trying to bring some <br>professionalism back t=
    o the conversation.<br><br>&quot;Oh, um.=C2=A0 He was already here when I e= ntered the lobby,&quot; The <br>Incredible-Man-With-No-Life said shrugging = his arms.<br><br>&quot;And when I came to work he was already in the buildi=
    ng too.=C2=A0 I just <br>thought he was someone&#39;s pet,&quot; Kyoko said=
    with a nervous tone in her <br>voice wondering if UN was in one of his cra= zed homicidal killer moods <br>this morning.<br><br>&quot;So, no one let hi=
    m in?=C2=A0 He just waltzed right in the building without <br>setting off a=
    ny of our highly advanced security equipment?=C2=A0 Is that what <br>you pe= ople are saying?&quot;<br><br>&quot;Well our security has never really been=
    all that great, UN.=C2=A0 I mean <br>really, it&#39;s not like this kind o=
    f thing hasn&#39;t happened before,&quot; <br>wReamhack interjected and the=
    n stepped slightly back as the Ultimate <br>Ninja&#39;s gaze found him. =C2= =A0&quot;Um.. not that I approve of this of course. <br>I&#39;m just as dis= appointed by all this as you are.=C2=A0 Yep.=C2=A0 Disappointed. <br>Really=
    disappointed.=C2=A0 Bad security system!&quot; =C2=A0wReamhack waved his f= inger <br>at the security system in a stern manner.<br><br>UN sighed. =C2= =A0&quot;You realize that for all we know this dog could be some <br>kind o=
    f shapeshifting alien or some demon hellspawn?=C2=A0 You realize that, <br>= don&#39;t you?=C2=A0 Waiting for his chance to slaughter us all when we hav=
    e our <br>guard down.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Oh come on, Ultie!=C2=A0 Quit bein=
    g such a grinch!=C2=A0 This li&#39;l fella wouldn&#39;t <br>hurt a flea.=C2= =A0 Would ya?=C2=A0 Would ya?=C2=A0 Yes, yure just a wittle angel! <br>Aren= &#39;t you?=C2=A0 Yes you are.=C2=A0 Yes you are!&quot; =C2=A0The little do=
    g responded to <br>Catalyst Lass&#39;s questions by licking her face again.= <br><br>&quot;I did do a scan of him, UN,&quot; Dr. Stomper remarked. =C2= =A0&quot;Apparently he&#39;s <br>47% poodle, 46% maltese, 4% pit bull, and = the last 3% I couldn&#39;t identify.&quot;<br><br>&quot;I guess that makes = him a pit maltoodle!&quot; pointed out a scholarly <br>Parking Karma Kid.<b= r><br>&quot;*Ahem* Anyway,&quot; Dr. Stomper continued. =C2=A0&quot;I didn&= #39;t get any huge power <br>readings.=C2=A0 I think he&#39;s harmless.&quo= t;<br><br>&quot;Fine.=C2=A0 I don&#39;t care.=C2=A0 Do whatever you want pe= ople.=C2=A0 I don&#39;t care. <br>Please feel free to forget the countless = times my paranoia has been <br>proven right.=C2=A0 But if it is some kind o=
    f monster that brutally murders <br>all of you, don&#39;t pretend you weren= &#39;t warned.=C2=A0 And believe me if that <br>does happen, I will have no=
    problem telling you people that I told you <br>so.=C2=A0 And when you peop=
    le die I hope you suffer greatly.=C2=A0 But I don&#39;t <br>care.=C2=A0 Nop= e.=C2=A0 I really don&#39;t care.=C2=A0 Kyoko.=C2=A0 If anyone needs me, I&= #39;ll be <br>in the Peril Room.=C2=A0 Killing things.=C2=A0 Killing a lot =
    of things.=C2=A0 If anyone <br>needs me that is.=C2=A0 Have fun with the de= monspawn.&quot;<br><br>With that said the Ultimate Ninja stomped out of the=
    lobby and towards <br>the Peril Room with a very intense expression on his=
    face.<br><br>&quot;Well.=C2=A0 Guess that means we can keep him.&quot; =C2= =A0The <br>Incredible-Man-With-No-Life stroked his chin. =C2=A0&quot;So, wh=
    at should we call <br>him?&quot;<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
    =A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0=
    =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2= =A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --= ***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>&quot;= *Ahem*.=C2=A0 Could I have your attention people?=C2=A0 If we could all jus=
    t kind <br>of be quiet.=C2=A0 People?=C2=A0 Are you listening to me, people= ?=C2=A0 Is this <br>microphone on?=C2=A0 Anyone?&quot; said The Incredible-= Man-With-No-Life standing <br>behind a podium interrupting a noisy room pac= ked with LNH&#39;rs.<br><br>&quot;Here, Incredible-Man-With-No-Life.=C2=A0 = Let me handle this,&quot; said <br>Innovative Offense Boy taking over the m= ike.<br><br>&quot;SHUT THE @#%^@&amp;^# @#*&amp;^&amp;$^% UP!!!=C2=A0 The n= ext person that speaks I will <br>personally $%^$^$%^ your #$%^#$%^ with a = *&amp;%@$%!!!=C2=A0 Do you understand? <br>DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!&quot; =C2=A0= Silence washed over the room in a flash with <br>everyone just kind of star= ing at the podium. =C2=A0&quot;Okay.=C2=A0 They&#39;re all yours.&quot;<br>= <br>&quot;Um.. thanks, Innovative Offense Boy.=C2=A0 Well.=C2=A0 I guess yo= u&#39;re all <br>wondering why I called this meeting.=C2=A0 As I&#39;m sure=
    you&#39;ve heard through <br>the rumor mill, the LNH has a new pet.=C2=A0 = This guy right here.&quot; =C2=A0The <br>Incredible-Man-With-No-Life picked=
    up the little dog and held him up so <br>everyone could see him.=C2=A0 Thi=
    s was followed by a lot of &#39;Awwws&#39; and <br>&#39;Isn&#39;t he just t=
    he cutest?!&#39;. =C2=A0&quot;But there is one problem!=C2=A0 He doesn&#39;=
    t <br>have a name.=C2=A0 And, well, I guess I was wondering if anyone had a=
    ny <br>possible suggestions?&quot;<br><br>With that said, every single LNH&= #39;r in the room started to give name <br>suggestions at the same time.=C2= =A0 Chaos of course followed.<br><br>California Kid: &quot;How about the Do= ggie Dude, Dude?&quot;<br><br>aLLiterative Lass: =C2=A0&quot;Suddenly, Simo=
    n Sounds Simply Superb.&quot;<br><br>Old Comics Man: =C2=A0&quot;When I was=
    kid, dogs didn&#39;t have names.=C2=A0 We just <br>called them wolves and = they would sit by the fire and occasionally we <br>would throw them a chunk=
    of mammoth gristle.=C2=A0 And we liked it that way.&quot;<br><br>Mojo Dog:=
    =C2=A0&quot;Ret Rim Rick Ris Rown Rame!=C2=A0 Rarrogant Rumans!!&quot;<br>= <br>wReamhack: =C2=A0&quot;Old wReller?&quot;<br><br>Kid Enthusiastic: =C2= =A0&quot;Edo-o, the Ninjadog!!!=C2=A0 Oh, wait!!!=C2=A0 No. No.=C2=A0 I&#39= ;ve <br>got it!!=C2=A0 Puppytron 2000!!!=C2=A0 Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!=C2=A0 No W= ait!!=C2=A0 Hold the <br>Phones!!!=C2=A0 I&#39;ve got it!!! This is the win= ner!!!!=C2=A0 Yes!!!=C2=A0 Fi-Dorr, the <br>Mighty!!!=C2=A0 Bow Down to the=
    Name Master!!!=C2=A0 Ha!! Ha!!=C2=A0 Oh wait.=C2=A0 Here&#39;s a <br>bette=
    r one....&quot;<br><br>Irony Man: =C2=A0&quot;How about Dog Catcher?&quot;<= br><br>Kiwi #1238: =C2=A0&quot;Kiwi!&quot;<br><br>Deja Dude: =C2=A0Rex?=C2=
    =A0 Pouchie?=C2=A0 Fido?=C2=A0 Dogneto?<br><br>Easily-Discovered Man Lite: = =C2=A0&quot;I say we call him &#39;Doctor Apocalypse&#39;. <br>Super-villai=
    ns tend to respect you a lot more if they think you&#39;ve <br>turned one o=
    f their own into a dog.=C2=A0 Besides, I&#39;ve always wanted to say, <br>&= #39;Assemble the team!=C2=A0 Doctor Apocalypse is on the loose... and he&#3= 9;s <br>crapped on the lawn again.&#39; =C2=A0But maybe that&#39;s just me.= &quot;<br><br>Captain Cleanup: =C2=A0&quot;How about Spotless?&quot;<br><br= >=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0*<br>Vel: =C2=A0&quot;Fro&#39;nakolshen.&quot;<br><br>Kiwi #3745: =C2=A0= &quot;Kiwi!&quot;<br><br>Self-Righteous Preacher: =C2=A0&quot;I believe he = should be called Pat so he can <br>be named after one of the truly great Am= ericans -- Pat Robertson!&quot;<br><br>Super Apathy Lad: =C2=A0&quot;Feh.&q= uot;<br><br>Namer Boy: =C2=A0&quot;Damn!=C2=A0 The first chance I&#39;ve ev=
    er had to help the LNH by <br>using my naming powers, and I can&#39;t becau=
    se I&#39;ve got Namer&#39;s Block!&quot;<br><br>Writer&#39;s Block Woman: = =C2=A0&quot;Sir Galahad, Mighty Canine Knight of Goodness!! <br>=C2=A0 Oh, = honey, it&#39;s your turn!!=C2=A0 Come up with one of those great names <br= >you&#39;re always coming up with!!=C2=A0 Come on, honey!!=C2=A0 Don&#39;t =
    be shy!! <br>Everyone&#39;s waiting!!=C2=A0 You can do it!!&quot;<br><br>Mo= use: =C2=A0&quot;Oh, for the love of God.=C2=A0 Dog.=C2=A0 There?=C2=A0 Sat= isfied?&quot;<br><br>Sarcastic Lad: =C2=A0&quot;Writer&#39;s Block Woman?= =C2=A0 Could you please ask your <br>daughter to turn down the brilliant li= ght that is her creative genius? <br>It&#39;s giving me a sunburn!&quot;<br= ><br>Limp-Asparagus Lad: &quot;K-9.=C2=A0 Or is that too intense?&quot;<br>= <br>Fourth Wall Lass: =C2=A0&quot;Daggit.=C2=A0 And no I&#39;m not going to=
    explain what that <br>means.&quot;<br><br>Arthur Spitzer: &quot;Fine.=C2=
    =A0 Be that way.&quot;<br><br>Retcon Lad: =C2=A0&quot;Captain Carnage, the = Death-Laser-Eye-Beamed Dog of<br>Destruction!!!!!&quot;<br><br>Anal-Retenti=
    ve Archive Kid: =C2=A0&quot;Cerebus or Sirius.=C2=A0 I know.=C2=A0 You were=
    <br>probably expecting me to say Garm or Fenris.&quot;<br><br>Kid Not Appe= aring In Any Retcon Hour Story: =C2=A0&quot;Vlorox.&quot;<br><br>No-Point L= ad: =C2=A0&quot;Insert-Name-Here Dog.&quot;<br><br>Dismal-Hope Kid: =C2=A0&= quot;Abysmal Mutt.&quot;<br><br>No-Point Lad: &quot;Hmm, we&#39;re in the w= rong imprint.&quot;<br><br>Dismal-Hope Kid: =C2=A0&quot;Does it really matt= er?&quot;<br><br>No-Point Lad: =C2=A0&quot;Nope.=C2=A0 It never does.&quot;= <br><br>Kiwi #5688: &quot;Kiwi!=C2=A0 Kiwi!&quot;<br><br>Marvel Zombie Lad:=
    =C2=A0&quot;X-Dog!&quot;<br><br>Sing-Along Lass: =C2=A0&quot;How much is t= hat doggie in the window...?&quot;<br><br>CAPTAIN CAPITALIZE: =C2=A0&quot;M= E?=C2=A0 OH, I DON&#39;T HAVE A NAME.=C2=A0 I JUST CAN&#39;T RESIST <br>THE=
    URGE TO SPEAK SOME DIALOGUE.&quot;<br><br>Kid Anarky: =C2=A0&quot;ANARCHY!= =C2=A0 ANARCHY!=C2=A0 Whoops!=C2=A0 Sorry folks.=C2=A0 Got carried <br>away=
    there.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Okay!=C2=A0 Okay, people!&quot; shouted the Incr= edible-Man-With-No-Life trying to <br>maintain some order. =C2=A0&quot;Thes=
    e are all great suggestions, but we can only <br>give him one name!=C2=A0 I=
    think the best and most fair way to pick our dog&#39;s <br>name would be t=
    o have...&quot;<br><br>&quot;A Knife Fight!!!&quot; said a gentleman who pu= lled out a big ass knife from <br>his trenchcoat.=C2=A0 Various other selec=
    t LNH&#39;rs started chanting, &quot;Knife <br>Fight!=C2=A0 Knife Fight!&qu= ot;<br><br>&quot;NO!=C2=A0 Not a knife fight!=C2=A0 As I was going to say, =
    we should have someone <br>pick a name from a hat and whatever that name is=
    will become the dog&#39;s <br>new name.&quot; =C2=A0Most of the LNH&#39;rs=
    agreed that this was a sound plan, but <br>there were murmurs from a few d= isappointed LNH&#39;rs as they put away their <br>knives.<br><br>So someone=
    grabbed a hat from the LNH Hat Room and passed it around to <br>each LNH&#= 39;r.=C2=A0 After each LNH&#39;r had put in a slip of paper, the hat was <b= r>given to Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad so he could use his mutant ability <= br>to pull pieces of paper from hats and pick the winning name.<br><br>Pull= s-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad cracked his knuckles. <br>Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats L=
    ad blew into his hands. <br>Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad took a deep breath.= =C2=A0 Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats <br>Lad gave a long dramatic pause because h= ey, let&#39;s face it -- this will <br>probably be the only LNH story he ev=
    er appears in.=C2=A0 And faster than any <br>person alive could pull a piec=
    e of paper out of a hat, <br>Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad had the winning na=
    me in the palm of his hand.<br><br>&quot;And the winner is...&quot; =C2=A0P= ulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad gave another long <br>dramatic pause. =C2=A0&quo= t;... Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch!!!!!&quot;<br><br>After that = announcement there was a brief uncomfortable silence followed <br>by a very=
    loud voice of displeasure from the mob of LNH&#39;rs.<br><br>&quot;What th=
    e hell...?&quot;<br><br>&quot;Who thought up that stupid name?!!&quot;<br><= br>&quot;Dude!=C2=A0 Why must such a cool dog be forced to carry the burden=
    of such a <br>lame name?!=C2=A0 Why, Heavenly Father Dude?=C2=A0 Why?&quot= ;<br><br>&quot;Kill Pulls-Paper-Out-of-Hats Lad!&quot;<br><br>&quot;Okay!= =C2=A0 Settle down folks!=C2=A0 Let&#39;s just settle down!&quot; =C2=A0The=
    <br>Incredible-Man-With-No-Life banged the LNH Meeting Room gavel down. <b= r>&quot;Look, I Agree.=C2=A0 Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch is a l= ame name. <br>=C2=A0 It might very well be the lamest name that anyone has = ever had.=C2=A0 But <br>we all agreed that whichever name was pulled would =
    be the name that we <br>gave this dog.=C2=A0 And maybe none of us, well exc= ept for the sick twisted <br>bastard who came up with the name, likes it.= =C2=A0 But we&#39;re going to have to <br>learn to live with it because for=
    better or for worse it&#39;s our dog&#39;s new <br>name. Cauliflower the C= hristmas Miracle Pooch.=C2=A0 God help him.&quot;<br><br><br>(Footnote Girl=
    : * - Fro&#39;nakolshen is Dorfan for &#39;Stupid furry thing that <br>pees=
    on the rug.&#39; =C2=A0Oh, and I think Fluffy would be a keen name.=C2=A0 = Oh? <br>The name-picking contest is over?=C2=A0 Never mind. =C2=A0*Sigh*.)<= br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0=
    =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=
    =A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- = =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*=
    -- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --*= **-- --***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>&quot;No.=C2=A0 I refuse to make him a = member of the LNH.&quot;<br><br>&quot;But Ultimate Ninja...&quot;<br><br>&q= uot;I let you people keep the dog, but there is no way in hell he is ever <= br>going to be a member of the LNH!=C2=A0 The LNH has certain standards to = uphold.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Standards?=C2=A0 When we did get those?&quot; gu= lped a concerned wReamhack.<br><br>&quot;Today,&quot; the Ultimate Ninja sa=
    id without a hint of humor.<br><br>&quot;UN, you&#39;re not giving him a ch= ance!&quot; pleaded Mainstream Man.<br><br>&quot;A chance?=C2=A0 Okay.=C2=
    =A0 I&#39;ll give him a chance.=C2=A0 If he can survive one minute <br>with=
    me in the Peril Room, he can become a member of the LNH.&quot;<br><br>&quo= t;One Minute?!=C2=A0 There&#39;s no way he could...&quot; Adamant <br>Autho= rity-on-Everything began to say.<br><br>&quot;Look.=C2=A0 This isn&#39;t a = social club.=C2=A0 The LNH faces hordes of supervillains <br>every day.=C2=
    =A0 Every single day might be an LNH member&#39;s last one.=C2=A0 Anyone <b= r>who can&#39;t survive at least one minute with me doesn&#39;t deserve to =
    be an <br>LNH&#39;r.=C2=A0 No ifs, ands, or buts.=C2=A0 If Cauliflower want=
    s to be an LNH&#39;r then <br>tell him to meet me in the Peril Room.=C2=A0 =
    At noon.=C2=A0 Today.&quot;<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0=
    =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=
    =A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 = --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-=
    - --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>&lt;&lt;~I=
    n the upper right hand corner sharpening his Ginsu Katana blade we <br>have=
    The Unstoppable, The Unbeatable, and still Undefeated Champion of <br>the = Peril Room: =C2=A0The Ultimate Ninja!!!!~&gt;&gt;<br><br>A bit of half-hear= ted applause and a few boos and hisses came from Peril <br>Room Monitoring = Room.<br><br>&lt;&lt;~And in the lower left hand corner we have today&#39;s=
    challenger -- The <br>Cutest, Most Adorable, Furry Little Fellow there eve=
    r was: Cauliflower <br>the Christmas Miracle Pooch!!!!!!!!!~&gt;&gt;<br><br=
    A huge burst of applause and cheers shook the Monitoring Room.<br><br>&lt;= &lt;~Are the fighters ready and in position?=C2=A0 Okay then, Let&#39;s -- = Get <br>Ready =C2=A0-- To -- wRummmble!!!!~&gt;&gt; shouted the announcer w= Reamhack.<br><br>&quot;Oh this is horrible!=C2=A0 I can&#39;t watch this!&q= uot; Catalyst Lass said as she <br>covered her eyes with her hands.<br><br>= &lt;(I agree.=C2=A0 Very barbaric.=C2=A0 Still.=C2=A0 I must know,)&gt; =C2= =A0Hooded Ho`&#39;od Win <br>gazed intensely at the monitoring room screen.= <br><br>&quot;You shouldn&#39;t worry Cat,&quot; Dr. Stomper pointed out. = =C2=A0&quot;Because of the way <br>the Peril Room operates whatever horribl=
    e cruelties the Ultimate Ninja <br>inflicts on Cauliflower, it won&#39;t *r= eally* happen except in the Peril <br>Room.=C2=A0 That being said, I imagin=
    e there will still be quite a bit of <br>psychological trauma.&quot;<br><br= >&quot;Boy, that little dog sure has a lot of guts!&quot; Cliche Dude obser= ved.<br><br>&quot;Yeah.=C2=A0 To bad in a few more seconds they&#39;ll be a=
    ll over the Peril Room <br>walls,&quot; responded Bad Timing Boy.<br><br>&q= uot;Run, Cauliflower!=C2=A0 Run!&quot; shouted Cliche Dude.<br><br>=C2=A0 = =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=
    | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2= =A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- = =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --*= **-- --***--<br><br>&quot;It won&#39;t work.=C2=A0 That thing you&#39;re do= ing -- with your puppy dog eyes and <br>the tail wagging.=C2=A0 It won&#39;=
    t work.=C2=A0 I&#39;ve killed tons more cuter and more <br>adorable things = than you.=C2=A0 I suggest right now that you pray to whatever <br>gods you = worship for a painless merciful death.=C2=A0 Because that death -- <br>well=
    -- it&#39;s coming,&quot; The Ultimate Ninja said to the cute little black=
    <br>and white dog wagging his tail.<br><br>Now, how would he do this, The = Ultimate Ninja thought to himself.=C2=A0 Maybe <br>a little disemboweling t=
    o start things off?=C2=A0 Then maybe he could <br>strangle Cauliflower with=
    his own spinal cord.=C2=A0 Hmm.=C2=A0 What was that <br>smell?=C2=A0 It wa=
    s like eggnog.=C2=A0 Hmm.=C2=A0 Eggnog.=C2=A0 That would be good right <br>= now.=C2=A0 A nice big glass of eggnog.=C2=A0 Yeah.=C2=A0 That would hit the=
    spot. <br>Eggnog?=C2=A0 Why the hell was he thinking about eggnog?=C2=A0 D= ammit!=C2=A0 Stay <br>focused.=C2=A0 Kill Cauliflower.=C2=A0 Kill Cauliflow=
    er the Christmas Miracle <br>Pooch.=C2=A0 Hmm.=C2=A0 Christmas.=C2=A0 Maybe=
    this year he should put up lights on the <br>LNHQ?=C2=A0 It would sure loo=
    k pretty all dressed up with lights.=C2=A0 Flashing <br>and flashing.=C2=A0=
    And with all the LNH&#39;s high tech equipment they would <br>surely win t=
    he big Net.ropolis Holiday Festival Light Spectacular this <br>year.=C2=A0 = Arrrgrrgggrrrrhhhhh!!!!=C2=A0 What was happening to him?<br><br>Then the me= mories started to come.=C2=A0 Memories of Christmases past.=C2=A0 There <br= >was that time when he was five years old and he was helping his father <br= >decorate the ninja bush.=C2=A0 And shortly afterwards being rushed to the = <br>hospital because of the lacerations caused by the ninja bush.=C2=A0 Or = the <br>time when he was seven and had gotten his first Ginsu Kantana blade= .=C2=A0 Or <br>his first Christmas as a member of the LNH back in &#39;92.= =C2=A0 Bad Timing Boy <br>accidentally burning down the Christmas tree whic=
    h in turn caused the <br>entire LNHQ to burn down also.=C2=A0 Rebel Yell tr= ying to explain to <br>reporters what had exactly happened.=C2=A0 That was = hilarious.=C2=A0 Sigh.=C2=A0 Those <br>were the days.<br><br>So that&#39;s = your power, is it?=C2=A0 The Power of Christmas?=C2=A0 The Ultimate <br>Nin=
    ja started to lose balance.=C2=A0 He could feel the Spirit of Christmas <br= >crushing him to the floor.=C2=A0 The strain was becoming unbearable.=C2=A0=
    Every <br>Christmas tune there had ever been started ringing through his h= ead. <br>Sugar Plum Fairies rushing through his veins.=C2=A0 God, he wanted=
    to kill <br>that dog.=C2=A0 But it didn&#39;t feel like a very Christmassy=
    thing to do.<br><br>&quot;Please!=C2=A0 Stop it!=C2=A0 For the love of God=
    just stop it!=C2=A0 I can&#39;t take <br>these Christmassy feelings.=C2=A0=
    You can be a member of the LNH!=C2=A0 I give in! <br>=C2=A0 Just stop it!&= quot;<br><br>And suddenly the Ultimate Ninja felt normal again.<br><br>&quo= t;Oh.=C2=A0 And one more thing,&quot; the Ultimate Ninja said as he threw h=
    is blade <br>into Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch&#39;s skull. =C2= =A0&quot;Never.=C2=A0 And I <br>mean never, make me feel like singing, &#39= ;We Wish You a Merry Christmas&#39;. <br>=C2=A0 Got it?=C2=A0 Good.=C2=A0 W= elcome to the LNH.&quot;<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=
    =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0=
    =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*=
    -- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-- -= -***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>&quot;I was w= ondering when you people would show up.=C2=A0 As you can see, me and <br>Sa= nta have been waiting a long time.&quot; =C2=A0The various LNH&#39;rs who h=
    ad <br>stormed into Y-Plex Burp&#39;s secret base noticed an unconscious Sa= nta <br>Claus strapped to a Mega-thermonuclear warhead.=C2=A0 Y-Plex Burp s= tood in <br>the middle surrounded by a bunch of hired thugs.<br><br>There w=
    as a *KLANG* as the Ultimate Ninja&#39;s katana blade hit something <br>in = mid-air.<br><br>&quot;Nice Shot, Ultimate Ninja,&quot; laughed Y-Plex Burp.=
    =C2=A0&quot;If it hadn&#39;t been <br>for my force field, you might have k= illed me.=C2=A0 Then again maybe that <br>would have been a bad idea since =
    if you had killed me that would have <br>triggered off my Mega-thermonuclea=
    r warhead causing all of Net.ropolis <br>to become a huge crater.=C2=A0 And=
    if any member of the LNH touches me, the <br>bomb, or Santa Clause then --=
    the same thing.=C2=A0 Boom.=C2=A0 Bye, bye, <br>Net.ropolis.=C2=A0 Oh, and=
    before I forget, hired thugs?=C2=A0 KILL THEM!!!!&quot;<br><br>With that t=
    he hired thugs took out their submachine guns and started <br>firing.=C2=A0=
    About five seconds later, the LNH without a single scratch had <br>dispose=
    d of everyone of Y-Plex Burp&#39;s hired thugs.<br><br>&quot;Damn.=C2=A0 On=
    e of these days I&#39;m going to have to buy myself some better <br>trained=
    thugs.=C2=A0 Oh well.=C2=A0 Doesn&#39;t matter.=C2=A0 You see no matter wh=
    at you do <br>the bomb&#39;s still going to go off.=C2=A0 It&#39;s out of y= our control, LNH.=C2=A0 Out <br>of your control.&quot;<br><br>&quot;But -- =
    if the bomb goes off,&quot; said Catalyst Lass in a very calm and <br>contr= olled manner, &quot;Then you&#39;re going to die too.=C2=A0 You don&#39;t w= ant to die <br>-- Do you?&quot;<br><br>&quot;I don&#39;t want to die?&quot;=
    Y-Plex Burp said in a smug voice. =C2=A0&quot;I beg to <br>differ, Catalys=
    t Lass.=C2=A0 Oh BTW I should perhaps mention that your mental <br>voodoo i=
    s totally ineffective on me as are the rest of the LNH&#39;s powers. <br>= =C2=A0 I&#39;ve made myself resistant to each and everyone of them.=C2=A0 I= &#39;ve been <br>planning this little escapade a bit too long to have any o=
    ne member of <br>the LNH stop me.=C2=A0 And now as to wanting to die, let m=
    e ask you, Catalyst <br>Lass; who is the greatest LNH Villain of all time?&= quot;<br><br>&quot;Umm, Dr. Killfile?&quot; Catalyst Lass guessed.<br><br>&= quot;No way -- it&#39;s got to be Tsar Chasm, well before he became Mouse&#= 39;s <br>boyfriend that is,&quot; said another hero.=C2=A0 Mouse glared bac= k.<br><br>&quot;You guys are nuts!=C2=A0 It&#39;s wReamicus Maximus!&quot;<= br><br>&quot;Acton Lord, people!=C2=A0 It&#39;s Acton Lord!&quot;<br><br>&q= uot;*ahem* Lagneto *ahem*,&quot; noted Deja Dude.<br><br>&quot;Hey, what ab= out the Time Crapper?&quot;<br><br>&quot;Ha ha.=C2=A0 See?=C2=A0 Even the T= ime Crapper!=C2=A0 Even the Time Crapper gets <br>consideration over me!=C2= =A0 When people think of the greatest LNH villains <br>of all time, no one = ever thinks about me -- Y-Plex Burp!=C2=A0 I guess I <br>can&#39;t blame th= em.=C2=A0 Every single scheme I&#39;ve had has been a failure.=C2=A0 My <br= >whole life has been a huge pathetic failure.=C2=A0 The only thing I ever <= br>managed to accomplish was to drive Rebel Yell away from the LNH.=C2=A0 A=
    nd <br>that was only an accidental byproduct of another failed scheme.=C2=
    =A0 So do I <br>want to die?=C2=A0 Yes.=C2=A0 If your life was a pathetic w= aste like mine, I <br>imagine you&#39;d want to die too.&quot;<br><br>&quot= ;Well, boo hoo,&quot; responded a not to sympathetic Ultimate Ninja. =C2=A0= &quot;Tell <br>you what, Y-Plex.=C2=A0 Turn off the forcefield and the bomb=
    , and I&#39;ll <br>happily give you that death.=C2=A0 And I&#39;ll even dra=
    g you to hell, no extra <br>charge.=C2=A0 What do you say?&quot;<br><br>&qu= ot;Heh!=C2=A0 Thanks for the offer, UN.=C2=A0 But, no -- I think I&#39;ll d=
    o this my <br>way.=C2=A0 So here&#39;s my deal to save Net.ropolis and Sant=
    a Claus and for that <br>matter me: I want every single member of the LNH t=
    o commit suicide.=C2=A0 If <br>you all do that I promise to turn off the bo=
    mb and free Santa Clause so <br>everyone can have a wonderful Christmas.=C2= =A0 What do you say?&quot;<br><br>&quot;You&#39;re totally insane,&quot; sa=
    id Sister State the Obvious.<br><br>&quot;I know.=C2=A0 Isn&#39;t it wonder= ful?=C2=A0 But my deal still stands.=C2=A0 So who&#39;s going <br>to die?= =C2=A0 The LNH?=C2=A0 Or the LNH, Net.ropolis, and Santa Clause?=C2=A0 Comm=
    on <br>sense would dictate that it should just be the LNH.=C2=A0 And maybe = it&#39;s <br>about time.=C2=A0 The LNH is kind of a tired old beast, isn&#3= 9;t it?=C2=A0 It&#39;s been <br>12 years and the writers and readers are st= arting to lose interest. <br>Maybe it&#39;s about time that the LNH had its=
    Grand Finale.=C2=A0 And what <br>better way to go than to save good dear o=
    ld Net.ropolis one last time by <br>committing mass suicide.=C2=A0 That wou=
    ld be a great story, wouldn&#39;t it?=C2=A0 I <br>think so.=C2=A0 Oh well.= =C2=A0 It&#39;s up to you.&quot;<br><br>Silence filled the room.<br><br>And=
    Y-Plex Burp smiled as he continued, &quot;Well, guess now the question is = <br>who will be the first to do the deed?=C2=A0 You know who would be a goo=
    d <br>first choice?=C2=A0 Cannon Fodder.=C2=A0 I mean, heck, he&#39;s an ol=
    d pro at this -- <br>aren&#39;t you?=C2=A0 You can show your teammates how = it&#39;s done.=C2=A0 How to die. <br>You&#39;ve got 30 seconds, Cannon Fodd= er.=C2=A0 And if you&#39;re still alive after <br>those 30 seconds then a l=
    ot of people in Net.ropolis are going to be <br>very toasty.=C2=A0 Let us b= egin. =C2=A030 mississippi 29 mississippi 28 <br>mississippi...&quot;<br><b= r>Cannon Fodder looked at the Ultimate Ninja.=C2=A0 The ninja nodded his he= ad.<br><br>Cannon Fodder pulled out a gun from his belt.=C2=A0 And then he = loaded a <br>bullet from his shirt.=C2=A0 And then he placed the nuzzle of = the gun to his <br>temple.=C2=A0 He waited till the 30 seconds were almost = over.=C2=A0 And then he <br>closed his eyes tightly and whispered a prayer =
    to himself.=C2=A0 And then he <br>pulled the trigger.=C2=A0 There was a lou=
    d bang.=C2=A0 And then Cannon Fodder&#39;s <br>lifeless body hit the ground= .<br><br>Catalyst Lass winced as she looked at the blood oozing out of Cann=
    on <br>Fodder&#39;s head. =C2=A0&quot;Oh, Jesus.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Well th=
    at wasn&#39;t so hard, was it?&quot; said a gloating Y-Plex Burp. =C2=A0&qu= ot;You <br>know what we&#39;ll try next?=C2=A0 Let&#39;s try someone who wo= n&#39;t come back to <br>life.=C2=A0 How&#39;s that sound?=C2=A0 Any volunt= eers?&quot;<br><br>&quot;Me,&quot; the Ultimate Ninja said in a grim expres= sionless tone. =C2=A0&quot;I volunteer.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Wow.=C2=A0 You k= now, I was going to save you for last.=C2=A0 But hey, since I&#39;m <br>suc=
    h a nice guy what the hell.=C2=A0 But how are you going to die?=C2=A0 You k= now <br>what I&#39;d like to see?=C2=A0 You know that thing where you pull = the person&#39;s <br>heart right out of their chest?=C2=A0 What&#39;s that = called?=C2=A0 Oh yeah, the <br>Heartthrob!=C2=A0 What a funny name.=C2=A0 A=
    nd you&#39;ve performed that on all kinds <br>of people, haven&#39;t you?= =C2=A0 But can you do it to yourself?=C2=A0 That&#39;s what I&#39;m <br>won= dering.=C2=A0 Can you just take your hand and pull the heart right out of <= br>your own chest?=C2=A0 I guess we&#39;re all going to find out.&quot;<br>= <br>Catalyst Lass put her hand on the Ultimate Ninja&#39;s shoulder.<br><br= >&quot;Don&#39;t try to stop me, Cat.&quot;<br><br>&quot;I&#39;m not.=C2=A0=
    I just wanted you to know that you were the best leader the <br>LNH ever h= ad.&quot;<br><br>&quot;I know,&quot; the Ultimate Ninja nodded in agreement=
    . =C2=A0&quot;I don&#39;t want my <br>death to be in vain.=C2=A0 I want you=
    to do whatever it takes to bring this <br>@#$%&amp;$% down.=C2=A0 Do you u= nderstand?&quot;<br><br>&quot;We will.&quot; =C2=A0Catalyst Lass rubbed one=
    of her eyes. =C2=A0&quot;We will.&quot;<br><br>The Ultimate Ninja walked o= ver to an area of the room right in front of <br>Y-Plex Burp and then sat d= own in seppuku position.=C2=A0 He tore open his <br>black shirt to reveal h=
    is bare muscle-bound chest.=C2=A0 And then he took off <br>a black glove on=
    his right hand.=C2=A0 He took a few meditative breaths as he <br>prepared =
    to perform the Heartthrob on himself.<br><br>&quot;Well, since you&#39;re r= eady, let your 30 seconds begin -- Now! =C2=A030 <br>mississippi 29 mississ= ippi... Oh man, this is great!=C2=A0 In less than 30 <br>seconds the Ultima=
    te Ninja is going to die!=C2=A0 And I&#39;m the one that made <br>this happ= en.=C2=A0 Y-Plex Burp -- not Dr. Killfile or wReamicus Maximus or <br>any o=
    f those other losers!=C2=A0 Man, this going to be the best Christmas <br>ev= er.=C2=A0 And you know what would be really great right now?=C2=A0 A nice b=
    ig <br>glass of eggnog!=C2=A0 What the.. weird.=C2=A0 Why am I thinking abo=
    ut eggnog? <br>Wait!=C2=A0 How did that cute little dog get in here?&quot;<= br><br>The Ultimate Ninja paused his Heartthrob ritual.=C2=A0 Had a miracle=
    arrived? <br>=C2=A0 A Christmas miracle?<br><br>&quot;That dog,&quot; Y-Pl=
    ex Burp said watching Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle <br>Pooch get close=
    r and closer to him. =C2=A0&quot;He reminds me of someone I once <br>knew.= =C2=A0 He -- no.=C2=A0 It can&#39;t be.=C2=A0 Is that you?=C2=A0 Is that re= ally you?=C2=A0 Oh my <br>god!=C2=A0 Mr. Bojangles?=C2=A0 Is that you?=C2=
    =A0 Mr. Bojangles?=C2=A0 But you were taken <br>away by the Space Aliens?= =C2=A0 When I was ten years old.=C2=A0 I remember it like <br>yesterday.=C2= =A0 But you&#39;re back!=C2=A0 You found me after all these years!=C2=A0 Ho=
    w <br>did you get away from them?=C2=A0 Come over here.=C2=A0 Come on boy!= =C2=A0 What?=C2=A0 Oh <br>that&#39;s right.=C2=A0 The forcefield!=C2=A0 Her=
    e, wait a sec.&quot;<br><br>Y-Plex Burp clicked a button on his belt that g= ave Cauliflower enough <br>time to jump into his arms before the forcefield=
    returned. =C2=A0&quot;My god. <br>This is amazing.=C2=A0 After all these y= ears we&#39;re back together!=C2=A0 All these <br>years.=C2=A0 I always won= dered what might have happened if those Space Aliens <br>hadn&#39;t kidnapp=
    ed you.=C2=A0 What wonderful adventures we might have had. <br>Perhaps we c= ould have both made the world a better place.=C2=A0 Perhaps... <br>Wait one=
    bloody sec!=C2=A0 Mr. Bojangles didn&#39;t have blue eyes.=C2=A0 Who the <= br>hell.. *Urk*!&quot;<br><br>Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch quick=
    ly jumped out of Y-Plex <br>Burp&#39;s arms as Y-Plex stumbled to the floor= .<br><br>&quot;What happened here?&quot; Catalyst Lass asked as she got qui= ckly over to <br>where Y-Plex Burp&#39;s unconscious body was.<br><br>&quot= ;It&#39;s the Black Lotus Fingerlicking Maneuver,&quot; the Ultimate Ninja = <br>responded as he joined Catalyst Lass. =C2=A0&quot;If you lick a finger =
    at the <br>right pressure point you can send a person into a coma for sever=
    al <br>months.=C2=A0 I figured if Cauliflower was going to go on missions, =
    he should <br>probably know some fighting techniques.&quot;<br><br>&quot;Th=
    e Bomb!&quot; shouted Contraption Man. =C2=A0&quot;It&#39;s starting to cou=
    nt down! <br>What are we going to do?=C2=A0 None of us can touch it!&quot;<= br><br>The Ultimate Ninja assessed the situation. =C2=A0&quot;Cauliflower c= an.=C2=A0 He was <br>able to touch Y-Plex Burp without causing the bomb to = blow up, which <br>means whatever records Y-Plex Burp had they didn&#39;t i= nclude any with <br>Cauliflower.=C2=A0 That means it should be safe for him=
    to deactivate the <br>bomb.=C2=A0 You just need to tell him what to do, Co= ntraption Man.&quot;<br><br>&quot;But I can&#39;t speak dog!&quot;<br><br>U= ltimate Ninja nodded and then clicked on his comm.thingee. <br>&quot;Multi-= Tasking Man?=C2=A0 I want you to hook me up with Linguist Lass pronto!&quot= ;<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=
    =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*=
    -- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 = --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- = --***-- --***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>&quot;This is Betty Breasts reportin=
    g for the Net.ropolis.News.Network Live <br>at the Net.ropolis Secret Hideo=
    ut District.=C2=A0 We&#39;ve just gotten word in <br>that the Santa Claus h= ostage crisis has just been taken care of.=C2=A0 The <br>police are right n=
    ow hauling in Y-Plex Burp&#39;s hired thugs and we&#39;ve <br>gotten word t= hat Y-Plex Burp has been sent to Lost Cause Boy Memorial <br>Hospital in cr= itical condition.=C2=A0 Reports are that Santa Claus is fine <br>and only a=
    little bit shaken up.=C2=A0 The Mega-thermonuclear warhead that <br>Santa = was strapped to has been deactivated.=C2=A0 The word is that one LNH&#39;r = <br>in particular is responsible for saving the day.=C2=A0 He&#39;s a new L= NH&#39;r by <br>the name of Cauliflower the Christmas Miracle Pooch and if =
    it hadn&#39;t <br>been for him, Net.ropolis might very well be a gigantic c= rater.&quot;<br><br>&quot;It&#39;s got this reporter wondering if a new era=
    in the LNH has begun. <br>And if so what will this new Cauliflower the Chr= istmas Miracle Pooch era <br>bring?=C2=A0 Back to you Pete.&quot;<br><br>= =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0=
    =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
    =A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |<br>=C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 = --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*-- =C2=
    =A0 --*-- =C2=A0 --*--<br>--***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- --***-- -= -***-- --***-- --***--<br><br>NEXT: =C2=A0Is Cauliflower the traitor who wi=
    ll destroy the LNH that <br>Contraption Man foresaw?=C2=A0 Or did someone a= lready resolve that dangler?<br><br>Special thanks to Jesse Willey, Andrew = Perron, Martin Phipps, Rob <br>Rogers, Saxon Brenton, Jaelle, and Tim Munn = for giving possible names <br>for the dog and dialogue suggestions.<br><br>= The Incredible Man-With-No-Life is Enrique Conty&#39;s<br><br>Ultimate Ninj=
    a, wReam Hacker, Adamant Authority-on-Everything, Cannon <br>Fodder, Sister=
    State the Obvious, and Self-Righteous Preacher are wReam&#39;s<br><br>Y-Pl=
    ex Burp is Robert A Goodfellow&#39;s<br><br>Vel is Jesse Willey&#39;s<br><b= r>Deja Dude is Martin Phipp&#39;s<br><br>Writer&#39;s Block Woman and Mouse=
    are Jaelle&#39;s<br><br>Limp-Asparagus Lad, Fourth Wall Lass, Retcon Lad, = Anal-Retentive Archive <br>Kid, Kid Not Appearing In Any Retcon Hour Story,=
    and Footnote Girl are <br>Saxon Brenton&#39;s<br><br>Kid Enthusiastic is A= ndrew Perron&#39;s<br><br>No-Point Lad, Dismal-Hope Kid are Tim Munn&#39;s<= br><br>California Kid =C2=A0is Dan&#39;l Danehy-Oakes&#39;s<br><br>Marvel Z= ombie Lad is Ben Pierce&#39;s<br><br>Super Apathy Lad is Jacob Lesgold&#39;= s<br><br>Irony Man is Doug Moran&#39;s<br><br>Dr. Stomper is T. M. Neeck&#3= 9;s<br><br>Parking Karma Kid is Steve Simmons&#39;s<br><br>Catalyst Lass is=
    Elisabeth Anne Riba&#39;s<br><br>Bad Timing Boy is Vernon H Harmon&#39;s<b= r><br>Mainstream Man is Mark A Nicol&#39;s<br><br>Kyoko Ishikawa is Ken Sch= midt&#39;s<br><br>Innovative Offense Boy is uplink&#39;s<br><br>aLLiterativ=
    e Lass is Charles Fitzgerald&#39;s<br><br>Old Comics Man is Douglass Barre&= #39;s<br><br>Mojo Dog is Abhay Khosla&#39;s<br><br>Easily-Discovered Man Li=
    te is Rob Roger&#39;s<br><br>Kid Anarky is Steph Savoie&#39;s<br><br>Sarcas= tic Lad is The Saint&#39;s<br><br>Sing-Along Lass and Contraption Man are T=
    he Drizzt&#39;s<br><br>Kiwis are Ian Porell&#39;s<br><br>I&#39;m sure I pro= bably forgot someone.=C2=A0 None of these characters used with <br>permissi= on.=C2=A0 Yeah I&#39;m on the road to hell.<br><br>Author&#39;s Note: =C2=
    =A0I was originally going to make this a one-shot special, <br>but it seeme=
    d to get longer and longer so I decided to make it a <br>mini-series.=C2=A0=
    There are probably tons of grammar mistakes since I rushed <br>this out wi= thout editing it.<br><br>Arthur &quot;Bark!&quot; Spitzer<br></div>

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