Join Me.

[Eduardo's Residence, 1900 Hours]

Gru followed Eduardo to the room where he went inside cautiously. After passing through several doors, he saw Eduardo walking towards a glowing floor with big white tiles. Eduardo took a dancing stance and started dancing on the floor and after that, a wall with an Azteca face opened like a door.

What Eduardo did may seem like a normal dance to normal people but Gru saw clearly that he did a set of movements and placed his feet at the right tile in the right sequence which opened up the door.

After passing through the door, Eduardo pressed a button and the elevator went down. The door closed up again, returning to look like a wall.

Gru quickly went inside and now was standing in front of the glowing tiles. On both sides of the tiles, there were totem poles, resembling an Aztec/Mexica temple.

He took a deep breath and started the pattern which Eduardo followed, but he failed and stepped on the wrong tile which resulted in an ax falling from above which was held by one of the statues on the totem poles. Gru quickly shifted a bit forward and dodged the ax with hair-breadth.

2nd Attempt. Fail. Result - Spiked Mace on the head.

3rd Attempt. Fail. Result - Barrage of steel arrows.

4th Attempt. Fail. Result - Flamethrower.

5th Attempt. Success.

The door opened and revealed the elevator. The bruised and burned Gru quickly entered the elevator.

...

The elevator opened up revealing a narrow path in front of Gru. At the end of the narrow path, there were consoles and a man in a lab coat was controlling the consoles. On either side of the path, was nothing other than darkness.

Gru's heartbeat started rising up drastically. He started precipitating and sweat covered his forehead.

Initially, he followed Eduardo without putting much thought into it and he acted to fulfill his curiosity and to check whether his speculation on El Macho's Identity is real or not. But now when he is standing in front of the narrow path, he faltered. Faltered because he has his daughters just above, enjoying a party.

If anything goes wrong, he is not sure whether he can escape safely with his daughters.

But what was the point of thinking now? He has already acted on his feelings and now there was no point in going back. Even if his speculation is wrong; Having a secret passage with weapons laced, Having this narrow passage inside a house was already a suspicious thing.

He took a deep breath and started walking down the passage and made his way toward the man in a lab coat.

When he was halfway through the passage,

"It seems you haven't lost your touch after retiring, Gru."

Gru quickly turned around to look at the source of the voice but right after that, he started laughing like crazy.

"Hahaha HA!! I knew it. I knew it. I knew you were alive. I knew you were El Macho all along."

"In Flesh and Blood." A man in a dress resembling nacho libre dress and mask said and he was none other than the owner of Salsa & Salsa Restaurant, Eduardo Perez.

Gru who was nervous a moment ago was now ecstatic.

His speculation was correct. Eduardo really is El Macho. Nobody believed in his speculation. Ramsbottom, Douchebag Oguro, and even Lucy. Nobody. But now he is right and others are wrong. He wanted to see the face of Ramsbottom and mostly that of Oguro. He mocked him for proposing this speculation in front of Ramsbottom.

Gru was already imagining the twisted face of Oguro when he learns that he was wrong and Gru was right.

"Gru... Now come I have something to show you."

Eduardo or now El Macho puts his hand on Gru's shoulder and leads him through the narrow passage towards the man in a lab coat.

The man in labcoat turned and revealed his face to El Macho and Gru.

"... Dr. Nefario?..."

"Hey Gru... It's been a while" Dr. Nefario waved to Gru.

"...So this was the new employment offer you talked about?" Gru went forward and asked Dr. Nefario.

"Yes... Bigger Lab. Sinister Plans. Full Dental. Everything's great."

"Well, you can talk about that later... Doctor, please show Gru the thing you were working on." El Macho interrupted Gru and Dr. Nefario's talk and made the Doctor proceed for the next task.

Dr. Nefario pressed a button and a purple creature with frantic purple hair, strapped to a chair came out of the floor.

"Kevin... Oooh..." Gru immediately recognized the creature as his minion Kevin but the creature was now way too different from the Kevin Gru knew.

"No No No... He is not Kevin anymore. He is now an indestructible, mindless, killing machine. Show him." El Macho ordered Dr. Nefario. Dr. Nefario quickly pressed a red button with excitement as he was impatient to show his work to Gru.

Several cold weapons came out from the sides of the chair. Spiked Mace, Chainsaw, Knives, etc. Everything bombarded Purple Minion but nothing happened to him. Instead, the Purple Minion ate all the weapons.

Dr. Nefario pressed another button and this time a minigun and a flamethrower came out. The Minigun fired a barrage of bullets onto the Purple Minion and the flamethrower spitted flames but still nothing happened to him. And the Minigun and the flamethrower faced the same fate as the cold weapons.

Another Button Pressed. RPG Ammunition is thrown at him. Purple Minion ate the entire ammunition but nothing happened to it. The ammunition detonated inside the Minion's stomach but what happened was that only the body stretched a little and returned to normal. The Minion was A-okay.

Another Button Pressed. A Police Car was thrown at the Minion which was way bigger than the size of the Minion. The Minion got crushed under the car. It looked like the Minion died. But that was just wishful thinking. Soon after the car started to deform and in tens of seconds it disappeared.

What actually happened is that the car was eaten by the Minion.

"AAGHGHGH" The Minion screamed some incomprehensible shout.

Gru was horrified by the scene which played in front of him as a 'science' demonstration. He never thought that the harmless Minions that he grew up with could be turned into such a monstrosity with just a serum.

"And here's the best part... I'VE GOT AN ARMY OF THEM!!!" El Macho spread his hands and light casts on the darkness on both sides of the narrow passage, revealing a huge number of cages filled with PX-41-mutated Minions, violently screaming and banging the cages to come out of the cages.

Gru backs a few steps, seemingly too shocked after watching this scene. He didn't know that this many of Minions were turned into crazed killing machines.

"Soon, I will unleash them on the United States and then the world! And if anyone, anyone tries to stop them... Their cities get eaten... HAHAHAHA!!!!" El Macho revealed his plans to Gru like a usual villain.

"Sorry. I had to borrow some of your Minions. But I have something else to say to you. Why don't you join me in ruling this world?"

"Join you?"

"Yes, Join me. Men like you, Men like me. We are destined to rule this world, Gru. I have been looking up to your work for a while and I have to say I am a fan. I mean Stealing the moon, are you kidding me?

But even after achieving something which seemed so impossible to achieve to others, what do they call you? The Worst Villain of the Decade. The Incompetent. The Useless." El Macho started talking to Gru about Gru's career as a villain.

Whatever El Macho said was resonating with Gru. Yes, these were the tags that were placed alongside his name in the Villain Society. And the one that is stuck with Gru even after his retirement from being a Villain is 'The Useless.'

That's why he subconsciously defended himself when Oguro called him useless. That's why he joined the investigation to find the culprit of the theft of PX-41 Serum.

To prove that he is not Useless.

"It is not only you Gru. It was for me as well..." El Macho looked down as he thought about his past,

"30 Years Ago. I, Eduardo Perez, an 18-year-old who lived in a small village in Mexico, under poverty thought to change my life for the better. To come out of poverty and that garbage hole that I lived in for 18 years, I chose the path of villainy as my way to achieving that. But it was not easy. I had the quirk 'Pseudo-Power', the inferior version of the most common Strength Quirk, 'Power.'..." Eduardo recounted his life to Gru.

Gru was shocked to listen to the part where El Macho revealed his quirk.

''Pseudo-Power'? Inferior Version of 'Power'? But the experts suggested that he had 'Super-Power,' the Superior Version of Power...' Gru thought.

"But even if the odds were against me, Cabeza de huevo, I trained and stole. I trained so hard that my Quirk awakened and came to the power level of 'Power.'

I believed in the idea that regardless of where you are born or what class you are born in, you can achieve success with enough hard work and determination. You know, the American Dream. And my belief further

I, a Mexican guy had the American Dream, which was to climb the social hierarchy and maintain a position where I won't be trampled by others so easily.

Soon enough, Muggling People and Robbing Shops became my habit same as breathing air. And Year later, I became Mexico's top SuperVillain El Macho, known for robbing banks and executing heists with bare hands.

But I didn't feel satisfied with what I got as I believed my hard work worthed more than that title and being at the top of Mexico was not that big of a title. So I set my eyes on the US, to gain more, to climb more in that ladder known as the Hierarchy/Food Chain.

8 Years Later my debut or 22 years ago, I with my American Dream arrived at the city of Orlando for the Villain-Con, to find a partner in crime in this country which is unknown to me. I faced a lot of rejections despite the fact that I was Mexico's top SuperVillain but in the end, I found one. A partner who would help me in climbing up the hierarchy.

We did many crimes in the US and gained a lot of fortune but they were not so notable. I came to know that my partner also had a dream. It was to amass a lot of wealth that we already had secured. So... I asked him to now focus on rising up the ranks of Villains. He denied it at first but agreed later on further persuasion.

After 2 years, We planned on doing the most ambitious heist possible, Robbery at Fort Knox, the Most secure vault on the planet. If the heist was successful, we would've become the first to ever to successfully rob the most secure vault on the planet.

But my partner had something else on his mind. When we were on the way to Fort Knox, he disappeared for some time and... and he..." El Macho clenched his fist hard.

"He came back with some of the villains who became my enemies during my 2 years in the US. It turned out that he allied with them and took a bounty of me. They attacked me, I fought back. Other than that what could I have possibly done as all possible escape route was blocked.

I fought. Reinforcements came. Both from the Fort Knox Security and the Villains. I fought... fought...and fought back, trying to make a way out of there, fought back till I was too exhausted to even land a punch. But then I saw him. My partner. Sitting in the back, watching over everything leisurely.

Seeing him looking at my Death March infuriated me and awakened my Quirk once again, increasing the strength level to 'Super-Power.' After that, I was somehow able to make an escape with the element of surprise of my newly awakened powers.

But even I escaped. I was now a hunting target of the National Guards and the entire Villain Society of the state. I knew neither could I fight all of them nor could I run forever..."

"So you faked your death..." Gru interjected El Macho.

"Yes, my friend. I faked my death. As my name is, I wanted a Macho Death for me. So I strapped 250 pounds of dynamites to my chest and rode a shark into the mouth of an active volcano falling from 5 kilometers above!!!" El Macho excitedly stated the details of his fake death. He imitated the entire scene, he took a position like he was surfing, and then made the 'BOOM' effect with his hands.

"That was about me... and from what I think you and I are not so different. You, a quirkless villain who achieved something no one ever thought of doing in the first place but still ostracized for no reason whatsoever.

Join me Gru and we can rule this world. Together. " El Macho extended his hand to Gru.

Gru was having a conflict of thoughts in his mind. Return to Villainery or Stay the usual Businessman. What can be gained? How much will I lose? All those questions were going in his mind. But then a question arises in his mind,

"Why do you want to rule the world?" Gru asked El Macho.

"Why you ask, Gru? Isn't it obvious? After getting betrayed, I was too infuriated and wanted to kill my partner who betrayed me in the end but then I realized, He was a Villain. Betrayal and Lying was something to be expected so I was not in place to say what he did was wrong. It was my fault to put my trust in him. Then the enemies with whom he colluded with, it is a common thing that they wanted me dead as I was a rising Villain and a soon-to-be SuperVillain. Which Villain would cheer someone over overtaking their position? Heck, even Heroes won't do that.

After some guidance, I was able to look into the bigger picture. And Gru, it was amazing to think from such a bigger perspective. When I tried to think from that way I understood everything.

My Partner and the other villains behaved that way because they are Villains. But what is a 'Villain'? Who defines this term? And the answer was clear. The one who sits on the top of the social hierarchy, Gru, The Apex Predators sitting on top of the Food Chain. They are the ones who control everything and from everything, I mean everything, to the extent of defining a society's values and morals.

Therefore now with the means of PX-41, We are going to level this country to the ground and then rebuild it to our own liking. So we can rule this world made by us. A World that does what we tell them to do, that thinks what we tell them to think. Wouldn't it be amazing to be the king of such a world where whatever you say becomes a rule? JOIN ME AND WE WILL BE THE KINGS OF THIS NEW WORLD!!!" El Macho put his motives behind his plans, forward to Gru.

Gru slightly backed off a few steps when he heard El Macho destroying the entire country and then the world. He never thought of doing something so extreme. Even he was a villain with an evil mind, he never even thought of destroying the entire world, just so he could rebuild and rule it.

Now only the thought of running away with his daughters from here was in his mind.

"So what do you say?"

"I... I..." Gru tried to look for an answer but he was too anxious to do so, "I am in... I am so in... Definitely..."

"Really?" El Macho asked.

"Yeah... Yeah... Kings of the New World... I would be a fool to reject this opportunity... But you see I have so many things on my plate right now and I have to deal with them first... But I am telling you... Brilliant Idea... And I am definitely joining in." Gru slowly backed off and made his way towards the elevator.

"What?"

"Did you hear Agnes' voice? It seems she is calling me... I have to go. But El Macho, I will come back and we will... Umm Discuss ... Yeah... We will discuss more on it. Okay?" Gru quickly pushed a button and the elevator went up.

"You know what? I am not so convinced that he is joining us. So..." El Macho pressed a button on the console and the straps holding the PX-41 mutated Minion onto the chair opened up.

"Kill him and his family." El Macho ordered the Evil Minion.

*AAAGGGHHHH*

The Evil Minion screamed and ran down the narrow passage.

...

"Quick. Quick. Agnes, Edith Party's Over. Come On. We need to go home." Gru quickly gathered his daughters, "Hey where is Margo?"

Edith then pointed out to the corner where Gru was sitting earlier when he was trying to drown his sorrows in guacamole. Margo currently was in the same state as Gru, trying to drown her sorrows in the guacamole from her chip hat.

"Hey, What happened?" Gru asked.

"I hate boys..." Margo said in a sobbing voice with her head resting in her hands.

Gru then turned to look at Antonio who is dancing with a new girl.

"Yeah... They stink. But first, we need to leave." Gru took Margo's arms and left but not before shooting a freeze ray from his freeze ray gun on Antonio.

Antonio was now frozen from head to toe, encased in ice.

...

The Grumobile left Eduardo's Residence with great speed.

...

The Grumobile parked outside the Gru Residence. Gru hastily made his daughters leave the car. He quickly searched for keys to the door but he found that the main door of his house was open. He took out his Freeze Ray and slowly made his way inside. Agnes, Edith, and Margo followed closely behind him

He then aimed the futuristic gun at the man sitting on the sofa but soon he lowered it after he saw the person.

"Well Well Well. Isn't it the Mr. 'Mock others speculation before checking if it is true or not'? So what did I do to deserve the honor that you broke into my house?" Gru made a snarky remark of Knuckleduster who was sitting on the sofa.

"It is not the right time for sarcasm Gru. I have something very important to tell you..."

"Oh~ Coincidence. I too have something important to tell you..."

"El Macho is alive!!" *2 Gru and Knuckleduster said at the same time.