Let's settle this, Tennyson.
My dear Kevin, your nigh gladiatorial bellicosity
has once again outpaced your ratiocinative processes.
I don't know what you just said but... cannonball!
Oh, attempting to short me out, hmm?
Before you ever cause such an involuntary cognitive discharge,
my intense electromagnetic stormers would vaporize you.
To wit.
Ugh!
As a coder and at the risk of gilding the Lily,
I submit.
that I wasn't even thinking hard.
Okay, you got me that time.
Live and learn, right, Gwen?
She misses grandpa.
She was fine in the car.
It's my fault.
I thought bringing her here would cheer her up.
This is grandpa Max's secret fishing rock.
He used to come out here all the time, when he wasn't traveling.
Away on plumber business.
We didn't know back then.
When I was 5, he brought me here,
and I caught a teeny, tiny fish.
He wanted me to release it, but I put up a big fuss.
It was my fish, you know?
Grandpa finally convinced me to come back when it was bigger.
Guess I never had an easy time letting go.
Hey, look over there.
For a secret place, this gets a lot of traffic.
Did you ever see a flower like that, Ben?
Hey, you in the cloak!
That woman just disappeared.
Teleporter maybe?
What was she doing?
"Max plus Verdona"?
Who's Verdona?
Let's find her and ask.
I should be able to track her with this.
Ugh.
I really thought I had that move down.
Huh.
That's not the first flower she left here.
So what now?
We can't just wait for her to come back.
This is crazy.
She didn't show yesterday, and she's not gonna show tonight.
Humor me.
Do I look like I'm kidding, Tennyson?
You guys!
I have to find a bathroom.
Lots of trees around.
Real debonair, Kevin.
There was a gas station a couple miles back.
I'll drive you.
No.
Keep watch.
I'll be right back.
Look.
How do you know Max Tennyson?
Talk.
What rotten kids.
Go away.
Jetray!
Ooh, a Chase.
I haven't had a good Chase in ages.
Ha!
Answers, lady.
We're done playing.
Not until I put my toys away, sweetie.
Ugh!
Ugh! Ugh! Uh!
Who are you?
This little world would be a lot more tolerable
without troublemaking imps like you getting in my way.
Yeah?
Show us what you got.
Can't I leave you guys alone for two minutes?
Do that again.
No problem.
Incredible.
Just who do you think you are littering
my grandpa's cove with your flowers?
Flowers that she makes out of energy.
No way.
Did you say Max was your grandfather?
Kiddo!
Um, he was my grandpa, too.
Really?
Oh, can you project energy like your sister?
Cousin.
And no.
Shame.
Gwendoyln... I'm Verdona.
We'll talk again soon.
I think we just met our grandmother.
Dad, we need to talk.
In your room?
I'm honored.
When was the last time you let me in here?
I've been keeping a big secret from you.
Magic powers.
So you're what... some kind of wizard in training?
Come on, Gwen.
There's no such thing.
But there's more.
You ready?
That's a big secret.
I met grandma Verdona today.
I was afraid this day might come,
but you never showed any signs of having powers.
Your mother and I thought we were in the clear.
Magic runs in the family?
I knew it!
Honey, there really is no such thing as magic.
Your grandma's an alien.
Okay, I'm overloading with questions, but first...
Guys, I know you're out there.
Come on in.
Hey, Uncle Frank.
Uh, how do you do, Sir?
Kevin Levin.
Who's this... Your boyfriend?
Absolutely not!
Daddy, no!
So, here's the thing.
My grandma, who I never knew, wants something from me,
but I don't know what.
Let's ask her.
Your friends aren't the only ones
who sneak around eavesdropping on people.
Isn't that right, mom?
You always could tell when I was watching, baby.
I had hoped it meant you had the spark... but no such luck.
Verdona, what a surprise.
Whoa.
Tea, dear, and something sweet for the kids.
Been a while, mom.
I suppose... in human time.
Sweetie, your grandmother is an anodyte and so are you.
What's an anodyte?
Anodytes are a race of free spirits
with powers that humans can barely comprehend.
Now, we don't often mess in the affairs of just plain folks,
but I fell deeply in love with Max Tennyson.
And ditched him?
No.
It's just that after the kids were grown and out of the house,
I needed to reconnect with my anodyte heritage,
and Max was busy saving the universe with the plumbers.
Dad thought you didn't know about that.
Yes, he didn't want me to worry.
Sweet man.
We had many good years, but we grew apart.
Even a fellow loaded with as much mana as Max
is still just a physical being.
What's mana?
Your grandpa's fate was big news.
It even reached my planet,
so I came back here to remember the good times.
Who knew there was a budding anodyte among you.
Gwendolyn, you'll be amazed at what you can do.
Let me teach you to Master life energy...
That's what mana is.
Oh.
I do want to learn.
Where do we start?
On anodyne.
Stop living this humdrum life.
Come home with me and join the real party.
Leave?
This is all so... wow.
This is too huge.
Mom? Dad?
What do I do?
I don't know.
It's an opportunity I never had.
We always hoped that you would take after my side
of the family, but we want you to be happy.
We won't stand in your way, Gwen.
You won't?
Then it's settled.
Come on, sweetie.
Let me.
Hmm, such a serious girl.
You would go up on the roof.
Some of us can't fly, you know.
Dude, be supportive.
This is not how I expected my day to go.
Still, it's pretty cool
to find out about your powers, right?
Grandma could teach you to do all that stuff she can do.
I'd be gone for a long time, I guess.
Maybe forever.
I've always felt like an outsider,
like I'm in the wrong place.
But then I think, "oh, that's high school for you."
We'll miss you if you go.
Really?
Sure, but we've been recruiting more and more
plumber kids, so we'd still have a pretty powerful team.
Oh.
When I was trying to decide whether to use my powers again,
you told me it was my choice.
That's all I'm saying.
Anyway, maybe you owe it to yourself
to try turning into a cosmic manamaster.
Maybe.
It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Kevin, do you feel the same way?
No.
Why would you even think about it?
I want you around.
The whole thing's lame.
Lame!
Shag carpet, eh?
Ah, they were Max's favorite.
Why do the most backward creatures make the best music?
Don't you ever complain about my aunt Joyce again.
Cheer up, junior.
You didn't have the spark.
There was nothing I could teach you.
You taught me a lot, mom.
You and dad both.
You know what I mean.
I even came back when the grandkids were born,
just in case your baby had the spark.
But nothing doing.
Carl's boy... Same thing.
Mom, if you can give Gwen an opportunity that we can't,
we won't hold her back.
Thanks so much for the offer,
but I'll just settle for being a gifted human.
I want to stay here with my friends.
But you don't even know what you really are.
Kiddo, we belong on anodyne among our kind.
Let me show you.
See?
Just a disguise.
This is what it means to be an anodyte.
So that's why she looks so good.
Mature anodytes are pure energy.
We draw life from the mana around us.
You got to admit... That's kind of cool.
You're just too young to make up your own mind.
Let me help you.
I'll destroy your body and free the anodyte inside.
It'll be fun.
And you'll be able to think much more clearly.
Destroy?
Her body?
Destroy my body?
You're not serious.
How do you know whether you like something
if you don't try it?
Verdona, she said no.
Another dance, boys?
Okay.
But just this once.
Now, this is what I call a party.
Gwen, stay back.
Hit the road, Kevin.
Huh?
Oh.
Spidermonkey!
Check it out.
Hands-free.
Why, grandma!
What big trouble you have.
She's weakening.
Spidermonkey's got it covered.
Dude, I don't know if I could pound your grandma.
That's okay.
We're teaching her to mind her mana.
Good one, Ben.
Was not.
She's drawing mana
from millions of living things around her.
The grass.
I'm really enjoying this.
I should get out more often.
Whoa!
No more tantrums, sweetie.
It will all be over in a second.
One day you'll learn to make a new body...
Any kind you like.
Listen to me!
I am not going.
I love having powers, but I like my life better.
I like fighting monsters and saving the world.
Anodytes help tons of people... scads.
You could use your new powers however you want...
After you've mastered them in...
60 or 70 years.
It's more than that.
I like swimming in school and breaking boards with my hands
and running and feeling tired afterward and... kissing boys.
I mean, all those good times you had with grandpa...
Oh, I was just a kid having my fun.
Trust me...
Grown-up parties are so much better.
Grandma Verdona, admit it...
You miss it and you miss Max.
That's what brought you here.
Max should have been like us.
He had a spark all his own.
An adventurer, troublemaker...
He was a lot like your little friend, um... Curtis.
Kevin.
Energy beings talking here.
No.
Yo u 'r e an energy being.
I'm a girl.
Maybe I've forgotten what that's like.
Still, what I'm offering you is better.
Think of how many more powers you'll have.
I like my powers, but I I o v e my friends and family.
I'm not going with you, grandma.
No.
I don't believe you are.
Well, it's been a wild little shindig.
But mama's got to go.
How did you do that?
You could come with me and find out.
Yeah... or not.
Had to try.
Goodbye, all.
And, Ben, way to stick up for your cousin.
You're all right.
You, too, grandma.
Don't forget to have some fun, kiddo.
Grandma's going to drop in now and again
to see how you're doing.
Oh... joy.
Come on.
I know where this goes.