Baddy Fox and Jagoo Jackal were well-known crooks of Champakvan.

One day, they were hiding behind the bushes, watching the animals walk by. Meeku Mouse walked past, talking on his phone. 

“Jagoo, pay attention to Meeku,” hissed Baddy.

“Oh there’s no point. He’s a poor mouse, and will hardly have any money in his wallet,” scoffed Jagoo.

“No you fool,” snapped Baddy. “I want to listen to what he’s saying. Let’s act as if we are having a conversation, so he won’t suspect anything.” Saying that, Baddy clapped Jagoo on the shoulder and pretended to have a friendly chat.

Meeku scampered past. All the two crooks heard was: “Preparation almost done… formula...one…soon.”

“Did you hear that, Jagoo?” demanded Baddy.

“Hear what? Drivers in Champakvan use their horns more than they use their brakes. It’s such a loud place. That’s all I heard,” said Jagoo.

“What? Didn’t you hear about preparation of some formula? Meeku was talking about that on the phone!” exclaimed Baddy.

“Preparing for what? Is there another party we are not invited to?” asked Jagoo.

“You are such a fool!” snapped Baddy. “I’m going to follow Meeku and learn about that formula.”

“What formula? I don’t understand,” said poor Jagoo.

Baddy lost his temper and yelled: “Jagoo, stop asking stupid questions. Meeku is making some secret formula, and we should steal it. It could make us rich. Science and experiments are always in demand at foreign labs!”

“I’m not the stupid one,” mocked Jagoo. “Meeku isn’t a scientist. How do you think he’s going to make any formula!”

“Don’t forget that Cheeku Rabbit is intelligent and Meeku is always with him. They can do anything. After all, even the biggest of inventions are by scientists who were earlier unknown to the public. Only after people get to know about their inventions, they become famous,” said Baddy, sounding like a philosopher. 

“Please stop this talking and get into action! Let’s make a plan. Should we catch Meeku and force him to tell us everything?” asked Jagoo. 

“No. There’s no use catching Meeku at this moment. Let’s just keep an eye on him. Once the formula is ready, we’ll steal it,” said Baddy with a crooked smile.

“Okay, okay. Let’s find him before he hides again,” said Jagoo, nudging Baddy as they saw Meeku coming out of a shop and getting into a car.

“Meeku is about to go somewhere. What shall we do now?” 

“Let’s steal a vehicle and follow Meeku,” said Baddy. 

The only vehicle they could find was an abandoned bicycle. They jumped on and tried pedalling fast, but could not keep up with Meeku, who whizzed through the town.

The next morning, the two crooks decided to spy on Meeku in his house. Jagoo brought a stolen motorcycle. “If we have to follow Meeku, this is faster than a cycle,” he said.

“That’s a great idea,” praised Baddy. “Oh look, Meeku has come out of his house and is getting into his car. Let’s follow him!” exclaimed Jagoo. The two hopped on the motorcycle, and whizzed off behind Meeku. Suddenly, the bike stopped.

“What’s the matter? We’ll lose Meeku if you can’t start the bike soon,” said Baddy impatiently.

“Sorry Baddy. The bike seems to have run out of petrol," said Jagoo sadly. 

“What? You didn’t think of filling the tank before we started? You’re such a fool Jagoo,” howled Baddy. The two abandoned the bike in the middle of the road and walked home.

Over the next four days, the two tried everything they could to follow Meeku, but the little mouse was just too fast for them. Finally, they decided to catch Meeku.

The next morning, as the mouse was getting ready to enter his car, Jagoo and Baddy pounced on him. “Give us the formula if you don’t want to get hurt,” threatened Baddy.

“What formula?” asked a frightened Meeku.

“The formula you are preparing somewhere else. You drive there everyday!” shouted Jagoo.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said poor Meeku. “I have no formula. You know I’m not even a scientist!”

“Don’t try to be oversmart, Meeku,” snarled Baddy. “I heard you talking on the phone, saying you were getting ready some formula.”

“It was formula number one,” added Jagoo.

Suddenly, Meeku started giggling. “It’s not formula number one, it’s Formula 1!” he exclaimed. 

“What’s the difference? We want it,” yelled Jagoo. 

“I was talking of Formula 1 racing! I’m preparing for the big Formula 1 race, and have been practising in my new car,” explained Meeku.

“So there’s no formula that will make us rich,” exclaimed Jagoo, glaring at Baddy.

“All our efforts were of no use,” said Baddy, sadly.

“Oh, they were not in vain,” said Inspector Jumbo Elephant suddenly. “I have been tracking you two all day. You have stolen cycles, motorbikes, and all kinds of vehicles over the week. You are both going to jail for that!”