In The End
Blossom sat comfortably in the shade of the tall elm that was one of the prides of Townsville High School. She simply watched the rest of the teenagers playing baseball or various other activities, including hitting on each other mercilessly. She herself was hit on occasionally, but she wasn't really too excited about the prospect of a boyfriend. She preferred to sit on the sidelines and watch what happened to everyone else. Lots of boys wanted her 18 year old body, but she liked to keep it to herself... at least for now.
Buttercup however was merciless with her own body. She had been the Puff who had her first 'experience' at 13... well she'd tried to anyway. In her eagerness she'd nearly crushed the boys body like a tub of toothpaste. That of course had revealed the large part of the girls' physical problem. Not only were they physically unlike others, but their strength had been growing exponentially over the years until it got to the point where they could no longer touch anything lest they break it. Simply shaking someone's hand could end up liquefying every bone in it.
So the Professor had designed a Chemical X counteragent to suppress their powers. They would not inadvertently break anything or hurt someone, but they could still break its effects at will if an emergency arose. A shot every 12 hours gave them a somewhat normal life, but they could not miss one or their powers would surge greater than ever and simply tapping someone's shoulder could rip their arm right off. It was fair enough, and the girls had gotten used to the routine by now so they barely felt the needles and they never missed a shot.
Of course, such an increase in strength had virtually eliminated crime in Townsville. No criminals were dumb enough to try to fight them now, they might accidentally have their bodies crushed from the impact of one punch. Even Mojo Jojo had quit causing mischief on a regular basis after Buttercup had sent his biggest laser ever flying into orbit with a single breath just a few weeks ago. Monsters were no problem, and now only one girl had to respond to take care of it.
Blossom blinked and shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie and look down at her watch. It was nearly 9:00, time for her booster shot. She got up and headed for the bathroom at a steady walk. She'd long gotten used to the comparatively slow pace of walking, but it was still a bit aggravating. When she reached the girls room and went inside she found Bubbles already hefting her skirt to expose her sensitive abdomen while she put the needle in.
"Where's Buttercup? Doesn't she know what time it is?" Blossom asked with a small sigh as she took out one of her own needles. She pushed her jeans down a little to expose her own midriff while she filled the syringe with just the right amount of counteragent. Their brunette sister was more of a rebel now than ever, wanting to be alone for absolutely everything.
"I don't know, I haven't seen her all day." Bubbles replied as she let her skirt drop and packed away her needle into its place in her little blue purse. "I'm sure she does, but you know Buttercup." She said with a cheerful smile.
"Yeah, that's what worries me." Blossom replied with a frown. Bubbles had a lot of faith in people, but the Powerpuff leader was more realistic, and she was honestly sometimes scared of what her sister might do.
________________________________________________________________________________
A sharp laugh escaped Buttercups throat as five nimble fingers relentlessly tickled her sides, not giving her even a moment to breathe. She pleaded for him to stop but he wouldn't, relentlessly pushing his will on her until she thought she would collapse from the laughter. She felt his hand occasionally snap to those certain areas of her body for a quick tweak before going back to her sides.
When he finally let up she lay on the grass with a wide grin on her face as she stared at the sky. "Couldn't resist sneaking in a few quick feels huh?" She asked, though the grin never left her face.
"Hey, I wouldn't be a man if I could resist you." Michael replied with a wink and a knowing smirk.
"A man huh? How 'bout proving it to me?" Buttercup grinned as he crawled up over her, leaning his face down next to hers.
"Haven't had enough? Okay, I got plenty more where that came from." Michael said before he kissed her on the lips gently. Buttercup pushed her lips back against his. Without warning he leapt back away from her, holding his neck painfully after he'd hit the ground. "Ugh..."
"Hey, what's the problem?" She sat up and demanded angrily, glaring at him.
"I don't know you like pushed me away." He replied confusedly as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Buttercup rolled her eyes and set one hand on the ground beside her. It punched straight into the ground like she'd used a jackhammer to break it open.
"Oh shit..." Buttercup muttered as she quickly yanked her arm out of the ground. Dirt and grass flew in every direction, leaving a large crater in the ground while she checked her watch. "Ten after... oh shit oh shit... I'm late..." Her eyes scrunched together with worry as she tried to look around very carefully. "Where did I leave that counteragent again?"
"What, that stuff? You left your purse in your locker." Michael reminded her with a worried expression on his face. "Here you stay here, I'll go get it!" He lunged to his feet and took off running toward the school building, getting a few lockers away from hers when she remembered he didn't know the combination.
"Hey Michael." He whirled in surprise to see Buttercups sisters walking up behind him. It was Blossom who had spoken. "Have you seen Buttercup around anywhere? We haven't been able to find her all day."
"Yeah she's out back, I need to get into her locker." Michael said urgently, walking to the other side of it.
"I knew it... she forgot didn't she? And you don't know the combination." Blossom sighed and shook her head as she walked up to the locket. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a pink haze surrounding her for a moment before it vanished into her skin again. She reached one hand in front of her and lightly gripped the top of the locket door, pulling outward. The steel door folded outward like tinfoil before she moved aside and gestured grandly to the green purse inside.
"Thanks a bunch Blossom." Michael grabbed the purse and ran for the door, clutching it to his chest. Blossom dropped the door to the ground limply and floated after him with Bubbles running behind her. Blossom's counteragent would take hold again soon so she didn't have to float around all day being so careful.
"There you are, hurry up and fill the syringe to the five, before my sisters..." Buttercups voice trailed off when she saw Blossom and Bubbles moving up behind her boyfriend. She frowned and stared back at them intently while Michael lifted her short skirt and poked the needle into her stomach, pushing the counteragent into her system. "Don't even bother Red, I know, I've heard it."
"Well you obviously haven't heard it ENOUGH." Even Blossoms voice seemed more powerful as the Chemical X's strength surged through Blossom, she couldn't even land lest she tear a rut in the ground below her. "You could have hurt someone or worse, you know we are NOT to ever miss a shot!"
"Yeah yeah don't get your bra in a bunch." Buttercup shot back as she closed her eyes, feeling the power inside of her fading back into the deepest parts of her to wait until it was needed. When it was suppressed she took Michael's hand and he hefted her off the ground to her feet. "It won't happen again alright?"
"That's right it won't, I'm not leaving you alone again for two weeks." Blossom told her.
"Hey I don't need a chaperone! Accidents happen! I won't forget again!" Buttercup shouted angrily.
"What if it does huh? What if you and loverboy here are screwing around again and you cut him into three pieces!?" Blossom shouted. Michael cringed at that thought.
"Shut up!" Buttercup tried to shove her sister away, but of course Blossom was still pumped by the chemical X and didn't budge an inch. The leader pushed Buttercup back as gently as she could, sending the brunette puff to the ground hard in a plume of dust. "Don't make me fight back.
"Girls stop!" Bubbles screamed and jumped in between her sisters. "No fighting! We're sisters! Besides, you could destroy the entire school!" she pointed out sensibly.
"You just stay away from me Blossom, I'm none of your business." Buttercup growled.
"We're still the Powerpuff Girls, no matter what happens!" As she spoke Blossoms feet lightly touched the ground as the chemical suppressor once again took hold.
"I don't know why, this city doesn't need the Powerpuff Girls anymore, one of us could take care of it, so why don't YOU two do it and leave me to my OWN life?" With that Buttercup pushed between her sisters and stomped toward the school with Michael right behind her. The other two puffs stared after her, Blossoms face a mask of anger while Bubbles' was sad and worried.
"What do we do Blossom?" Bubbles asked softly.
"If she wants to live like a normal girl then let her, she's right we don't need her. Come on Bubbles, we have class." Blossoms turned to head toward the school as well. Bubbles looked after Buttercup for another moment before she turned to follow her redheaded sister.
________________________________________________________________________________
That evening after class Buttercup elected not to go straight home as usual, instead heading over to Michael's house since his parents were currently out of town. She liked spending time with him and she didn't feel like being around her nosy and bossy sisters right now anyway. A smirk played across her lips when they finally reached his house and went inside. The thoughts in his mind were as clear as day in his manner as they went inside, but she didn't mind and in fact was looking forward to it.
"Did you mean what you said about not running off anymore to fight monsters? You're really going to just, be a normal girl now?" Michael asked curiously as he walked into the living room with two glasses of whine. Buttercup had to think about it for a few seconds. She had really been speaking in anger, but she now realized it was true. ONE of the girls could take care of Townsville, there was no need for all three Powerpuffs anymore.
"Yeah... yeah I meant it." Buttercup smiled and took her wine from him, never taking her eyes off of his. "Just you and me then, a NORMAL boy and girl, alone in this big house and in love..." She smiled and put the glass down on the end table. Michael smiled back and reached around her to set his beside hers just before he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"We may be normal, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He mumbled against her lips before he kissed her gently. She leaned back to sit on the couch while he sat down beside her, running his hands along her back passionately while she half closed her eyes.
"Listen, I'll be right back..." He mumbled into her lips, speaking between passionate kisses. "I have to make sure everything's locked up... so we can be alone... and celebrate your... freedom."
"You better not be too long." She told him, staring into his eyes with an eager grin. He grinned back and jammed his tongue into her mouth teasingly before he got up to practically run into the other parts of the house. She chuckled and pushed herself up on the couch, leaning back and spreading herself along it sensuously to wait for him.
She waited for a good fifteen minutes before she started getting fed up. "Michael get back out here!" she shouted into the back rooms. When there was no response she shoved herself up from the couch and stormed into the back in search of him. The lights were off from the hallway back, so she reached for the light switch and pushed it up. The lights flared to brilliant life, but didn't illuminate anything except the off-white carpeting and walls.
"Michael I swear I am not in the mood for this!" Buttercup walked into the back toward the master bedroom and opened the door. The lights were dark, but there was a shape on the cushion of the bed. She could just barely make it out as human-like in form. She smiled slightly and pushed the door the rest of the way open to go in. "If you wanted to move to the bed you could've said so instead of pissing me off." She chided him as she reached over and flicked the light switch.
Her heart fell cold when she saw the sheets over the limp form stained red with blood. Before she could react any other way an arm wrapped around her throat and a cold steel knife was pressed against her throat.
"How about some fun?" The man asked darkly. Obviously he hadn't been able to get a very good glimpse of her in the dark or from behind. It took her only a moment to react, her face darkening past anything Townsville had ever seen before. Her fists readied and she closed her eyes halfway, letting the Chemical surge forth.
"You picked the wrong night... and the wrong house." Buttercup growled under her breath more than spoke. She waited as the knife was drawn across her throat with a soft scraping noise. The man behind her finished the slice and stared at his now dull knife in shock.
"What the hell?" He looked up quickly in time to see her staring back at him with her head to the side, to see her not-quite-normal face. "Holy sh..." Before he could finish his phrase he found himself slammed face first into the wall between the bedroom and the hallway. The wall crumpled like a piece of paper and he fell limply to the ground on the other side, groaning in pain and clutching his face.
"I thought you criminals learned your lessons!" Buttercup reached down and picked him up to slam him as hard as she could against the back wall. It was sturdier than the other wall had been, and held up. His body, however, did not. She felt his ribcage give way instantly and his body sunk inward in the chest area. His face gaped in shock, gasping for air for only a few more moments before it fell limp.
Buttercup finally let the corpse fall from shaking hands and stared down at it in shock. She'd never killed a person before, no matter what they had done. Somehow though she didn't feel any remorse, especially once she turned toward the bedroom and the bloodstained bed-sheets. She floated through the hole she'd made in the wall and up to the bed. Carefully she floated down so she was lying beside the limp figure, gently running her hand along the area where the head should be.
Still numb from everything, she closed her eyes and nestled close to her boyfriends still form, not caring that her clothes were being stained with his blood as some of it touched her. She couldn't feel anything, nothing could penetrate the dark cloud over her mind as she drifted into a restless sleep, almost more like a trance she fell into at the shock of it all.
________________________________________________________________________________
"Buttercup!" Blossom screamed at the top of her lungs as her and Bubbles stood outside Michael's house. It was getting late and despite Blossoms words, she didn't want her sister staying the night anywhere. They were eighteen and could move out of the house if they wanted, but she still didn't like the idea of Buttercup doing it so soon, especially in with a boy.
"Maybe she's not here?" Bubbles shrugged.
"Nah, I know her, she's here." Blossom reminded her sister, shaking her head. Finally she marched up to the window and shoved it open.
"Isn't this against the law?" Bubbles asked in a worried tone of voice.
"Bubbles... I know normally we follow the rules strictly, but our sister's at stake here." Blossom replied as she slid through the windowsill and the glass, landing on the ground and looking around. Everything looked fine to her, but the light was on which meant they were still awake. They were just refusing to answer. Big wonder why.
"Ooohhh..." Bubbles whined to herself, but followed her red-haired sister in the window and they began a search through the house, working their way back. When they reached the back hallway Bubbles let out a piercing scream. "Blossom look!"
"Oh my god..." Blossom's eyes widened when she saw the corpse lying on the ground in front of the back closet. There was a gaping hole in the wall on the other side of the hallway, so she cautiously crept up to it to look inside.
She could see Buttercup lying on the bed, gently stroking the vaguely human-shape form beside her underneath the bed-sheet. The way Buttercup was mumbling to herself and the blood on the sheet gave blossom all the pieces to figure out just what had happened here.
"Buttercup..." Blossom couldn't think of anything to say to her sister as she stepped into the room. The brunette Powerpuff's eyes opened to stare back at her sister, though they barely seemed to recognize her. "Buttercup... are you okay?" She felt stupid the moment she spoke, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.
Bubbles gently poked Blossoms side to get her attention and flashed her watch in front of her sister's face. It was already ten in the evening, past time for their shot. It didn't look like Buttercup had moved for awhile, so it was doubtful she'd taken the shot. By now her powers would be more than fully active.
"Right here in the house..." Buttercup finally spoke in a coherent sentence. "It happened right here in the house and I had no idea... I'm a superhero... how could I not know..." Her voice held a deadly tinge of insanity to it.
"You couldn't have known... your powers weren't active, you were just another girl." Blossom assured her quickly to try to diffuse this bomb. "It's alright... we'll straighten everything out just... let us give you your shot."
"That stupid shot... it's the reason I couldn't hear it, see it coming. Look through a wall and see the bastard hiding in the house... never again." Buttercup finally floated up from the bed, moving fast despite that she didn't seem to be using any effort at all. Blossom took a quick step back in reflex, not wanting to get too close in case she might get hit accidentally.
"Buttercup come on, I'm sorry and we want to help you... please?" Bubbles voice came from behind the red-haired Powerpuff Girl.
"I thought we got rid of crime... but instead we simply forced the criminals to be better, and sneakier, and deadlier. This time I swear I'll get rid of it no matter what I have to do." Buttercup said.
"Buttercup don't!" Blossom shouted, but she was far too late. Buttercup whirled and streaked through the wall of the bedroom, not even leaving her customary green trail she was moving so fast. It was as if she was simply moving from point to point instantaneously. "Bubbles call the cops to come deal with this while I get Buttercup." She didn't wait for a response before she pressed her own powers into service and flew after her sister.
She stopped when she saw Buttercup floating in the air, staring down at the people of Townsville who roamed the streets at night. "Buttercup come back with me, we'll get rid of the crime but charging out here to liquefy the criminals isn't the way to do it." Blossom pleaded.
"They're all criminals..." Buttercup mused darkly. "Look at them, walking around, their minds full of dark thoughts, their lives lived as lies, their lies ignored because they're not actually doing anything 'illegal'."
"Buttercup what are you saying?" Blossom gasped. "Everyone's a criminal? That's insane! Sure people may think things sometimes, but that alone doesn't make a criminal! I know for a fact even YOU have stolen various little things as we were growing up." She pointed out.
"Shut up!" Buttercup whirled and slammed her fist hard into blossoms head, sending her hurtling back toward the Earth. She slammed into the side of a building at an angle, plummeting through several floors before she broke through the ground and slammed into a train head on. The solid steel caved in and buckled as the train was brought to an abrupt, screeching halt. It folded in on itself around her, burying her and pinning her inside of the solid steel. She knew anyone else on the train was already gone... but she was in too much pain to move, too weak. Buttercups powers were stronger than her own because they were wild, untamed by the counteragent that even now moderated Blossoms own power. There was nothing she could do.
________________________________________________________________________________
A groan escaped Blossoms lips as she put a hand to her head and opened her eyes. Above her she could see Bubbles worried face and the Professors kind, but aged one staring down at her. A measure of relief passed over them both when they saw her finally waking up.
"Professor... where's Buttercup?" Blossom asked.
"We don't know, she hasn't made any more moves since last night, but she could return any time to destroy Townsville." The Professor replied.
"Professor? What do you mean? Destroy Townsville?" Blossom asked confusedly. Professor Utonium nodded to his blond daughter and she ran over to turn on the TV. The news was on, and the images it showed sent Blossoms mind reeling. Building were utterly destroyed and cars were folded in several places, often with occupants still inside. Limp bodies lied on the ground, but what really pierced into her was a message singed in impossibly large letters on the side of the Town Hall. 'Judgement is coming'.
"What's going on Professor? Why is Buttercup doing these things?" Bubbles soft voice pierced the thick silence.
"I don't know Bubbles... the police went to Michael's house last night and picked up the bodies you found there... my only guess is she's still feeling the trauma of everything that happened. That combined with the overflow of Chemical-X induced power in her system must have overwhelmed her mind."
"How can we stop her without letting our own powers surge up?" Blossom asked.
"I... don't know." Professor Utonium admitted. "There may not be any way this time."
"Wh... what about Antidote-X?" Asked Bubbles.
"It would require an incredible dose to nullify all of the Chemical-X her body is producing now. After years of being repressed, it's gone into overdrive to catch up with its own biology. It would take gallons of it introduced directly into her system. There's no physical way to do it."
"Then that's what we'll have to use." Blossom said determinedly. "There has to be a way Professor. The antidote would make her a normal girl... like she wanted in the first place before last night."
"You would have to get her to sit still and take the shots one by one, there's no way she would agree to that in her current state of mind." The Professor pointed out.
"What about Mojo Jojo?" Bubbles suggested. The other just stared at her, so she explained. "Remember when he gave Princess her powers? He tried to use that ray gun to take away our powers. What if we use THAT to put the Antidote-X in Buttercup, could that work?" Blossom and Professor Utonium gawked at her in surprise for a few moments.
"Bubbles... you are a genius!" Blossom exclaimed. "The only problem is, where IS Mojo? We haven't seen him in over a month since he high-tailed it out of Townsville." She pointed out.
"We'll have to find him somehow, and soon before..." The Professor was interrupted by a new bulletin coming on the TV.
"Townsville is under attack again, Buttercup has returned and is wreaking havoc, this time on City Hall directly!" The images on the television clearly showed Buttercup smashing the building almost like she didn't even have to think about it. She barely seemed to move, but the entire building shuddered until finally it collapsed to the ground. Both of the puffs at home gasped in shock.
"The Mayor!" They exclaimed in unison.
"Come on Bubbles! Super-powered or not we have to protect Townsville!" Blossom exclaimed.
"Be careful girls, I'll search for Mojo Jojo and let you know the moment I get my hands on the ray gun he used and get it modified." The Professor told them.
"Right Professor!" Blossom acknowledged before the two Powerpuff Girls took off through the front door, streaking through the city in pink and blue flashes of light. They approached the area where the city Hall should have stood quickly, but now there was little more than a mound of rubble. The dust from the destroyed buildings permeated the air like a shroud.
"Well well, look who's here..." They whirled to see Buttercups silhouette floating in the dust behind them. She floated forward a bit to get a better view of them, smirking. "Like it? I did it just for us, isn't it wonderful?" Her eyes had a sharp edge neither of her sisters had ever seen before, and her black hair was pushed almost straight up in spikes just from the force of the Chemical-X's power surging through her body.
"You're sick Buttercup, you need help." Blossom told her sister in a steady voice.
"Who's going to help me, you? I don't need anything now, all those shots ever did was hold us back. Keep us from doing what we have to do get RID of the crime, and evil." Buttercup replied.
"What is that? Destroy EVERYONE? This isn't you, the Chemical-X is messing with your brain! What happened last night was terrible, and it should never happen ever, at all. But that's why we're here, to bring people who commit such acts to justice!" Blossom pointed out.
"AFTER THE FACT!" Buttercup howled back. "Face it Blossom, it's impossible to STOP everything, so we simply show up after the fact and feel like we're helping but we're not! The damage was already done... Michael was already dead, tell me how to stop THAT!" Buttercup eyes pierced intently into those of her sister.
"We can't." Blossom replied coolly. Buttercup snorted derisively and turned to float away, but the red-haired puff streaked in front of her, blocking her exit. "But we can TRY to stop it from getting that far in the first place, it's all anyone can do."
"That's not good enough anymore." Buttercup brought her fists up in a fighting position and her sisters did the same. For several tense moments Buttercup looked back and forth between her sisters, who still had her surrounded. The Powerpuff girls floated above Townsville with dozens of citizens looking on with fear in their eyes. What could they count on if even their heroes could turn to this?
________________________________________________________________________________
Professor Utonium brought his car to a screeching halt in Citiesville in front of a small apartment complex on the side nearest Townsville. It hadn't been that hard to track Mojo to his new place. Where else could he go in a hurry besides Citiesville, and why would he bother? He was too bent up on destroying Townsville and the girls to give up completely, no matter how discouraged he became.
His hunch was proved right when he went inside and saw the maniacal monkey sitting on the couch in the living room, watching the Townsville news bulletin. There was a picture from the ground of the three girls in a face off, staring at each other like they were about to exchange blows.
"Look at that sight Professor Utonium." Mojo looked back at the professor out of the corner of his eyes and grinned. "I had never imagined that such good fortune would befall me, but finally it has and soon Townsville and two Powerpuff girls will be destroyed, granting me my wishes."
"Mojo, we both know YOU wanted to destroy Townsville. Besides, how could you beat Buttercup if she won?" Professor Utonium asked.
"With this, perhaps." Mojo held up the laser he'd built before, now modified with a sub-nuclear power cell. It would undoubtedly drain even the strongest Powerpuff Girl of their power. "As for destroying Townsville myself, yes that is what I always wished, but I find it... poetic that it would be destroyed not by my hand, but by the hand of the one responsible for foiling my plots so many times."
"Listen to reason, even you should see this isn't the way to get what you want!" The professor pleaded.
"No matter what is best, it is too late now." Mojo grinned and gestured to the TV again just as Buttercup lunged at Bubbles furiously.
________________________________________________________________________________
Buttercup's fists flashed in green pinpoints of light as they struck at her sister faster than a hurricane. Bubbles blocked and dodged as quickly as she could in a blue blur, exchanging blows occasionally. Blossom streaked into the fray and managed to sneak in several strikes and kicks before the brunette puff could whirl and plant a solid roundhouse kick to her face, sending her reeling in the sky.
This opened a hole for Bubbles to streak into, but Buttercup whirled and back-fisted her across the face quicker than either of the other girls could move, slamming two kicks into her stomach and one more to her chin to send her reeling back.
She whirled just in time to block Blossom initial return blow, striking back and blocking in an exchange that happened quicker than any normal human eye could hope to follow. Blossom tried to streak around to her sister back and strike from there, but Buttercup whirled, keeping up the pace and eventually striking her in the face several times and sending her reeling back again.
She whirled around just in time to see Bubbles flying at her feet first. One leg began to strike forward repeatedly with enough force to drive her back with each blow. Buttercup put her arms up to defend herself, keeping one eye carefully on her sisters leg as it struck in a lightning quick pattern, driving her back further into the sky.
Finally Buttercup shot one hand forward and grabbed Bubbles' leg as it flashed forward. Whirling. Buttercup slammed her elbow into her sisters back as hard as she could, sending the pigtailed puff flying into the sky away from her and yowling in pain.
"Enough of this!" Blossom yelled as she flew back, taking a deep breath into her lungs as she flew. A moment later she released it, sending a blue wave of sub-zero air slicing through the air toward Buttercup. The brunette puff quickly put her arms together and started rubbing them against each other. In a few moments a spark ignited, spreading into a fireball easily as big as Buttercup herself was.
"Then get out of my way!" Buttercup screamed before she threw the fireball at Blossom as hard as she could. The icy atmosphere in front of the redheaded puff caused the fireball to freeze in mid-air, but it didn't stop it. The ball of pure ice slammed into Blossom and carried her back into a building, going right through several walls and stories before she finally came to a stop.
A soft sound rang through the air, almost sounding like a shrill whistle until the full wave of sound blasted through the air, too high for any normal person to hear, but definitely enough for anyone to feel. Buttercup clutched her head and whirled on Bubbles, who had her mouth wide open in a furious scream.
Buttercup streaked forward and swung her fists wildly to stop the sound-wave assault, but Bubbles dodged and swayed from her reach, maintaining the barrage of sound while striking back with fists and kicks as well. Of course, even she couldn't scream forever, and the sound finally died down, with it went Bubbles one real advantage in the fight.
Buttercup regained her bearings swiftly and struck again, slamming her fists anywhere she could into Bubbles body and throwing her down towards Townsville. Blossom streaked out to catch the blonde Powerpuff before she could hit the ground, leaving them both floating in place between Buttercup and the ground.
"Stop fighting me! I'm trying to make this world peaceful, it's what we've always fought for!" Buttercup put her hands together in front of her, pointing toward the two girls and Townsville. Pure green energy began to building around them, being pulled in from the very air around her as well as flowing from throughout her entire body.
"We've fought for justice, not murder!" Blossom yelled back, but it was too late. The green blast tore through the very air around it, heating it to an impossible degree as the light streaked toward the girls. The leader of the Powerpuff girls wasn't sure if they could survive the blast, but they couldn't move either or it would strike Townsville, probably killing hundreds.
So Blossom and Bubbles held their ground until the emerald blast struck them, tearing through their bodies as they struggled to hold it back, away from Townsville. Bubbles burst into a sobbing scream from the pressure put on every part of her, but still the two girls struggled to hold on. Finally though, their strength gave out and they were carried along with the beam of light as it streaked down toward the city.
________________________________________________________________________________
"No, Blossom, Bubbles!" the Professor could only watch the television helplessly as the green streak of light hit the ground, sending an emerald shock-wave tearing through the entire city. Buildings were leveled in under an instant and cars were flung into the air like toys. The view continued until the shock wave seemed to strike the camera that had been filming and the scene was replaced by static.
"It looks like it is my turn." Mojo said as he pushed himself up from the chair he'd been sitting on, hefting the laser weapon in front of him. "With two of the Powerpuff Girls gone, all I have to do is sneak up on Buttercup and the world will be mine."
"Girls..." Professor Utonium didn't move from where he stood while Mojo Jojo took off from the apartment building, leaving him alone in the lobby of the small building. He couldn't make himself believe what he'd just seen. Was it really possible... could Buttercup have really demolished Townsville and her sisters in one strike?
________________________________________________________________________________
The smoking, blasted piled of rubble showed no signs of movement as Buttercup floated along the top of it, scanning the debris just in case she'd missed anything. Her legs and arms were shaking from the force required to unleash such a blast, but a calm had washed over her like she really hadn't known for awhile, especially in the last twenty-four hours.
There was no crime anymore, nobody in Townsville was suffering. Everything was just quiet, completely peaceful for the first time in her life. The silence that hung thick in the air was unbroken by the sounds of people struggling, hurting each other, plotting crimes. There was no more pain.
Her eyes snapped up when she heard the soft whir of something mechanical being activated. Instinctively she dodged to the side, barely avoiding the glowing red laser that shot right beside her. She looked down for the source, to see Mojo Jojo standing with a laser gun pointed right at her, cursing at himself for missing.
"You picked the wrong day Mojo." Buttercup growled as she floated down towards him.
"On the contrary, I believe that I have picked a good day to attack you, for you are no longer the Powerpuff girls, the girls that have thwarted my plans over and over again. You are but one Powerpuff girl, alone and helpless once I take away your powers. Once I strip you of your powers, I will take over the rest of the world, using Townsville and you as an example of my POWER!" The maniacal monkey burst into giddy laughter.
"You forgot one thing... you missed." Buttercup said as she floated down toward him, her eyes pulsing brightly. Mojo surprisingly grinned back up at her in a cunning way.
"Oh but I have not, for you see I have learned from past mistakes, and this time, you WILL lose your powers!" with that he threw the gun at her, revealing a blinking light on one side, flashing almost constantly. Even the Powerpuff Girl didn't have time to move before it detonated with enough force to throw her back into one of the larger piles of debris.
"Uhn..." Buttercup groaned as she pushed herself up on her hands, trying to float off of the debris. She found however that she could not, she could barely move at all actually, from the exertion and then this, it was almost too much for her body to take.
"Mwahahahaha! YES! I, Mojo Jojo, have finally conquered you Powerpuff Girls, and destroyed Townsville! All... thanks... to you." He grinned evilly and stared into her eyes as she finally realized what had been going on. With the Chemical-X forced out of her system, she could finally think on her own, unclouded. All of the remorse for the night before, and the realization of everything she'd done that way rang through her head.
"Yes feel your despair, for you see, it is because of YOU that I, Mojo Jojo, am victorious!" Mojo laughed and pulled out another smaller, standard laser pistol. Buttercup just stared at him blankly, unable to think or move from the feelings rushing through her. "You have destroyed your sisters, and all of Townsville, and I will claim the rest of the world." He calmly raised the pistol to point it at her head, smirking. "Anything else to say Powerpuff Girl?"
Buttercup stared at him with a blank look in her eyes, like she could barely comprehend all of this. Finally she lowered her head and closed her eyes, not looking at him. "Do it..." she muttered softly, no longer seeing any point in this. She didn't feel anything up until the laser pistol fired, sending one more sudden jolt of pain through her body before she fell limp and silent on the streets of the city she'd ruined, joining it in the pain she'd caused, though she knew she could never atone for it.
THE END
Blossom sat comfortably in the shade of the tall elm that was one of the prides of Townsville High School. She simply watched the rest of the teenagers playing baseball or various other activities, including hitting on each other mercilessly. She herself was hit on occasionally, but she wasn't really too excited about the prospect of a boyfriend. She preferred to sit on the sidelines and watch what happened to everyone else. Lots of boys wanted her 18 year old body, but she liked to keep it to herself... at least for now.
Buttercup however was merciless with her own body. She had been the Puff who had her first 'experience' at 13... well she'd tried to anyway. In her eagerness she'd nearly crushed the boys body like a tub of toothpaste. That of course had revealed the large part of the girls' physical problem. Not only were they physically unlike others, but their strength had been growing exponentially over the years until it got to the point where they could no longer touch anything lest they break it. Simply shaking someone's hand could end up liquefying every bone in it.
So the Professor had designed a Chemical X counteragent to suppress their powers. They would not inadvertently break anything or hurt someone, but they could still break its effects at will if an emergency arose. A shot every 12 hours gave them a somewhat normal life, but they could not miss one or their powers would surge greater than ever and simply tapping someone's shoulder could rip their arm right off. It was fair enough, and the girls had gotten used to the routine by now so they barely felt the needles and they never missed a shot.
Of course, such an increase in strength had virtually eliminated crime in Townsville. No criminals were dumb enough to try to fight them now, they might accidentally have their bodies crushed from the impact of one punch. Even Mojo Jojo had quit causing mischief on a regular basis after Buttercup had sent his biggest laser ever flying into orbit with a single breath just a few weeks ago. Monsters were no problem, and now only one girl had to respond to take care of it.
Blossom blinked and shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie and look down at her watch. It was nearly 9:00, time for her booster shot. She got up and headed for the bathroom at a steady walk. She'd long gotten used to the comparatively slow pace of walking, but it was still a bit aggravating. When she reached the girls room and went inside she found Bubbles already hefting her skirt to expose her sensitive abdomen while she put the needle in.
"Where's Buttercup? Doesn't she know what time it is?" Blossom asked with a small sigh as she took out one of her own needles. She pushed her jeans down a little to expose her own midriff while she filled the syringe with just the right amount of counteragent. Their brunette sister was more of a rebel now than ever, wanting to be alone for absolutely everything.
"I don't know, I haven't seen her all day." Bubbles replied as she let her skirt drop and packed away her needle into its place in her little blue purse. "I'm sure she does, but you know Buttercup." She said with a cheerful smile.
"Yeah, that's what worries me." Blossom replied with a frown. Bubbles had a lot of faith in people, but the Powerpuff leader was more realistic, and she was honestly sometimes scared of what her sister might do.
________________________________________________________________________________
A sharp laugh escaped Buttercups throat as five nimble fingers relentlessly tickled her sides, not giving her even a moment to breathe. She pleaded for him to stop but he wouldn't, relentlessly pushing his will on her until she thought she would collapse from the laughter. She felt his hand occasionally snap to those certain areas of her body for a quick tweak before going back to her sides.
When he finally let up she lay on the grass with a wide grin on her face as she stared at the sky. "Couldn't resist sneaking in a few quick feels huh?" She asked, though the grin never left her face.
"Hey, I wouldn't be a man if I could resist you." Michael replied with a wink and a knowing smirk.
"A man huh? How 'bout proving it to me?" Buttercup grinned as he crawled up over her, leaning his face down next to hers.
"Haven't had enough? Okay, I got plenty more where that came from." Michael said before he kissed her on the lips gently. Buttercup pushed her lips back against his. Without warning he leapt back away from her, holding his neck painfully after he'd hit the ground. "Ugh..."
"Hey, what's the problem?" She sat up and demanded angrily, glaring at him.
"I don't know you like pushed me away." He replied confusedly as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Buttercup rolled her eyes and set one hand on the ground beside her. It punched straight into the ground like she'd used a jackhammer to break it open.
"Oh shit..." Buttercup muttered as she quickly yanked her arm out of the ground. Dirt and grass flew in every direction, leaving a large crater in the ground while she checked her watch. "Ten after... oh shit oh shit... I'm late..." Her eyes scrunched together with worry as she tried to look around very carefully. "Where did I leave that counteragent again?"
"What, that stuff? You left your purse in your locker." Michael reminded her with a worried expression on his face. "Here you stay here, I'll go get it!" He lunged to his feet and took off running toward the school building, getting a few lockers away from hers when she remembered he didn't know the combination.
"Hey Michael." He whirled in surprise to see Buttercups sisters walking up behind him. It was Blossom who had spoken. "Have you seen Buttercup around anywhere? We haven't been able to find her all day."
"Yeah she's out back, I need to get into her locker." Michael said urgently, walking to the other side of it.
"I knew it... she forgot didn't she? And you don't know the combination." Blossom sighed and shook her head as she walked up to the locket. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a pink haze surrounding her for a moment before it vanished into her skin again. She reached one hand in front of her and lightly gripped the top of the locket door, pulling outward. The steel door folded outward like tinfoil before she moved aside and gestured grandly to the green purse inside.
"Thanks a bunch Blossom." Michael grabbed the purse and ran for the door, clutching it to his chest. Blossom dropped the door to the ground limply and floated after him with Bubbles running behind her. Blossom's counteragent would take hold again soon so she didn't have to float around all day being so careful.
"There you are, hurry up and fill the syringe to the five, before my sisters..." Buttercups voice trailed off when she saw Blossom and Bubbles moving up behind her boyfriend. She frowned and stared back at them intently while Michael lifted her short skirt and poked the needle into her stomach, pushing the counteragent into her system. "Don't even bother Red, I know, I've heard it."
"Well you obviously haven't heard it ENOUGH." Even Blossoms voice seemed more powerful as the Chemical X's strength surged through Blossom, she couldn't even land lest she tear a rut in the ground below her. "You could have hurt someone or worse, you know we are NOT to ever miss a shot!"
"Yeah yeah don't get your bra in a bunch." Buttercup shot back as she closed her eyes, feeling the power inside of her fading back into the deepest parts of her to wait until it was needed. When it was suppressed she took Michael's hand and he hefted her off the ground to her feet. "It won't happen again alright?"
"That's right it won't, I'm not leaving you alone again for two weeks." Blossom told her.
"Hey I don't need a chaperone! Accidents happen! I won't forget again!" Buttercup shouted angrily.
"What if it does huh? What if you and loverboy here are screwing around again and you cut him into three pieces!?" Blossom shouted. Michael cringed at that thought.
"Shut up!" Buttercup tried to shove her sister away, but of course Blossom was still pumped by the chemical X and didn't budge an inch. The leader pushed Buttercup back as gently as she could, sending the brunette puff to the ground hard in a plume of dust. "Don't make me fight back.
"Girls stop!" Bubbles screamed and jumped in between her sisters. "No fighting! We're sisters! Besides, you could destroy the entire school!" she pointed out sensibly.
"You just stay away from me Blossom, I'm none of your business." Buttercup growled.
"We're still the Powerpuff Girls, no matter what happens!" As she spoke Blossoms feet lightly touched the ground as the chemical suppressor once again took hold.
"I don't know why, this city doesn't need the Powerpuff Girls anymore, one of us could take care of it, so why don't YOU two do it and leave me to my OWN life?" With that Buttercup pushed between her sisters and stomped toward the school with Michael right behind her. The other two puffs stared after her, Blossoms face a mask of anger while Bubbles' was sad and worried.
"What do we do Blossom?" Bubbles asked softly.
"If she wants to live like a normal girl then let her, she's right we don't need her. Come on Bubbles, we have class." Blossoms turned to head toward the school as well. Bubbles looked after Buttercup for another moment before she turned to follow her redheaded sister.
________________________________________________________________________________
That evening after class Buttercup elected not to go straight home as usual, instead heading over to Michael's house since his parents were currently out of town. She liked spending time with him and she didn't feel like being around her nosy and bossy sisters right now anyway. A smirk played across her lips when they finally reached his house and went inside. The thoughts in his mind were as clear as day in his manner as they went inside, but she didn't mind and in fact was looking forward to it.
"Did you mean what you said about not running off anymore to fight monsters? You're really going to just, be a normal girl now?" Michael asked curiously as he walked into the living room with two glasses of whine. Buttercup had to think about it for a few seconds. She had really been speaking in anger, but she now realized it was true. ONE of the girls could take care of Townsville, there was no need for all three Powerpuffs anymore.
"Yeah... yeah I meant it." Buttercup smiled and took her wine from him, never taking her eyes off of his. "Just you and me then, a NORMAL boy and girl, alone in this big house and in love..." She smiled and put the glass down on the end table. Michael smiled back and reached around her to set his beside hers just before he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"We may be normal, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He mumbled against her lips before he kissed her gently. She leaned back to sit on the couch while he sat down beside her, running his hands along her back passionately while she half closed her eyes.
"Listen, I'll be right back..." He mumbled into her lips, speaking between passionate kisses. "I have to make sure everything's locked up... so we can be alone... and celebrate your... freedom."
"You better not be too long." She told him, staring into his eyes with an eager grin. He grinned back and jammed his tongue into her mouth teasingly before he got up to practically run into the other parts of the house. She chuckled and pushed herself up on the couch, leaning back and spreading herself along it sensuously to wait for him.
She waited for a good fifteen minutes before she started getting fed up. "Michael get back out here!" she shouted into the back rooms. When there was no response she shoved herself up from the couch and stormed into the back in search of him. The lights were off from the hallway back, so she reached for the light switch and pushed it up. The lights flared to brilliant life, but didn't illuminate anything except the off-white carpeting and walls.
"Michael I swear I am not in the mood for this!" Buttercup walked into the back toward the master bedroom and opened the door. The lights were dark, but there was a shape on the cushion of the bed. She could just barely make it out as human-like in form. She smiled slightly and pushed the door the rest of the way open to go in. "If you wanted to move to the bed you could've said so instead of pissing me off." She chided him as she reached over and flicked the light switch.
Her heart fell cold when she saw the sheets over the limp form stained red with blood. Before she could react any other way an arm wrapped around her throat and a cold steel knife was pressed against her throat.
"How about some fun?" The man asked darkly. Obviously he hadn't been able to get a very good glimpse of her in the dark or from behind. It took her only a moment to react, her face darkening past anything Townsville had ever seen before. Her fists readied and she closed her eyes halfway, letting the Chemical surge forth.
"You picked the wrong night... and the wrong house." Buttercup growled under her breath more than spoke. She waited as the knife was drawn across her throat with a soft scraping noise. The man behind her finished the slice and stared at his now dull knife in shock.
"What the hell?" He looked up quickly in time to see her staring back at him with her head to the side, to see her not-quite-normal face. "Holy sh..." Before he could finish his phrase he found himself slammed face first into the wall between the bedroom and the hallway. The wall crumpled like a piece of paper and he fell limply to the ground on the other side, groaning in pain and clutching his face.
"I thought you criminals learned your lessons!" Buttercup reached down and picked him up to slam him as hard as she could against the back wall. It was sturdier than the other wall had been, and held up. His body, however, did not. She felt his ribcage give way instantly and his body sunk inward in the chest area. His face gaped in shock, gasping for air for only a few more moments before it fell limp.
Buttercup finally let the corpse fall from shaking hands and stared down at it in shock. She'd never killed a person before, no matter what they had done. Somehow though she didn't feel any remorse, especially once she turned toward the bedroom and the bloodstained bed-sheets. She floated through the hole she'd made in the wall and up to the bed. Carefully she floated down so she was lying beside the limp figure, gently running her hand along the area where the head should be.
Still numb from everything, she closed her eyes and nestled close to her boyfriends still form, not caring that her clothes were being stained with his blood as some of it touched her. She couldn't feel anything, nothing could penetrate the dark cloud over her mind as she drifted into a restless sleep, almost more like a trance she fell into at the shock of it all.
________________________________________________________________________________
"Buttercup!" Blossom screamed at the top of her lungs as her and Bubbles stood outside Michael's house. It was getting late and despite Blossoms words, she didn't want her sister staying the night anywhere. They were eighteen and could move out of the house if they wanted, but she still didn't like the idea of Buttercup doing it so soon, especially in with a boy.
"Maybe she's not here?" Bubbles shrugged.
"Nah, I know her, she's here." Blossom reminded her sister, shaking her head. Finally she marched up to the window and shoved it open.
"Isn't this against the law?" Bubbles asked in a worried tone of voice.
"Bubbles... I know normally we follow the rules strictly, but our sister's at stake here." Blossom replied as she slid through the windowsill and the glass, landing on the ground and looking around. Everything looked fine to her, but the light was on which meant they were still awake. They were just refusing to answer. Big wonder why.
"Ooohhh..." Bubbles whined to herself, but followed her red-haired sister in the window and they began a search through the house, working their way back. When they reached the back hallway Bubbles let out a piercing scream. "Blossom look!"
"Oh my god..." Blossom's eyes widened when she saw the corpse lying on the ground in front of the back closet. There was a gaping hole in the wall on the other side of the hallway, so she cautiously crept up to it to look inside.
She could see Buttercup lying on the bed, gently stroking the vaguely human-shape form beside her underneath the bed-sheet. The way Buttercup was mumbling to herself and the blood on the sheet gave blossom all the pieces to figure out just what had happened here.
"Buttercup..." Blossom couldn't think of anything to say to her sister as she stepped into the room. The brunette Powerpuff's eyes opened to stare back at her sister, though they barely seemed to recognize her. "Buttercup... are you okay?" She felt stupid the moment she spoke, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.
Bubbles gently poked Blossoms side to get her attention and flashed her watch in front of her sister's face. It was already ten in the evening, past time for their shot. It didn't look like Buttercup had moved for awhile, so it was doubtful she'd taken the shot. By now her powers would be more than fully active.
"Right here in the house..." Buttercup finally spoke in a coherent sentence. "It happened right here in the house and I had no idea... I'm a superhero... how could I not know..." Her voice held a deadly tinge of insanity to it.
"You couldn't have known... your powers weren't active, you were just another girl." Blossom assured her quickly to try to diffuse this bomb. "It's alright... we'll straighten everything out just... let us give you your shot."
"That stupid shot... it's the reason I couldn't hear it, see it coming. Look through a wall and see the bastard hiding in the house... never again." Buttercup finally floated up from the bed, moving fast despite that she didn't seem to be using any effort at all. Blossom took a quick step back in reflex, not wanting to get too close in case she might get hit accidentally.
"Buttercup come on, I'm sorry and we want to help you... please?" Bubbles voice came from behind the red-haired Powerpuff Girl.
"I thought we got rid of crime... but instead we simply forced the criminals to be better, and sneakier, and deadlier. This time I swear I'll get rid of it no matter what I have to do." Buttercup said.
"Buttercup don't!" Blossom shouted, but she was far too late. Buttercup whirled and streaked through the wall of the bedroom, not even leaving her customary green trail she was moving so fast. It was as if she was simply moving from point to point instantaneously. "Bubbles call the cops to come deal with this while I get Buttercup." She didn't wait for a response before she pressed her own powers into service and flew after her sister.
She stopped when she saw Buttercup floating in the air, staring down at the people of Townsville who roamed the streets at night. "Buttercup come back with me, we'll get rid of the crime but charging out here to liquefy the criminals isn't the way to do it." Blossom pleaded.
"They're all criminals..." Buttercup mused darkly. "Look at them, walking around, their minds full of dark thoughts, their lives lived as lies, their lies ignored because they're not actually doing anything 'illegal'."
"Buttercup what are you saying?" Blossom gasped. "Everyone's a criminal? That's insane! Sure people may think things sometimes, but that alone doesn't make a criminal! I know for a fact even YOU have stolen various little things as we were growing up." She pointed out.
"Shut up!" Buttercup whirled and slammed her fist hard into blossoms head, sending her hurtling back toward the Earth. She slammed into the side of a building at an angle, plummeting through several floors before she broke through the ground and slammed into a train head on. The solid steel caved in and buckled as the train was brought to an abrupt, screeching halt. It folded in on itself around her, burying her and pinning her inside of the solid steel. She knew anyone else on the train was already gone... but she was in too much pain to move, too weak. Buttercups powers were stronger than her own because they were wild, untamed by the counteragent that even now moderated Blossoms own power. There was nothing she could do.
________________________________________________________________________________
A groan escaped Blossoms lips as she put a hand to her head and opened her eyes. Above her she could see Bubbles worried face and the Professors kind, but aged one staring down at her. A measure of relief passed over them both when they saw her finally waking up.
"Professor... where's Buttercup?" Blossom asked.
"We don't know, she hasn't made any more moves since last night, but she could return any time to destroy Townsville." The Professor replied.
"Professor? What do you mean? Destroy Townsville?" Blossom asked confusedly. Professor Utonium nodded to his blond daughter and she ran over to turn on the TV. The news was on, and the images it showed sent Blossoms mind reeling. Building were utterly destroyed and cars were folded in several places, often with occupants still inside. Limp bodies lied on the ground, but what really pierced into her was a message singed in impossibly large letters on the side of the Town Hall. 'Judgement is coming'.
"What's going on Professor? Why is Buttercup doing these things?" Bubbles soft voice pierced the thick silence.
"I don't know Bubbles... the police went to Michael's house last night and picked up the bodies you found there... my only guess is she's still feeling the trauma of everything that happened. That combined with the overflow of Chemical-X induced power in her system must have overwhelmed her mind."
"How can we stop her without letting our own powers surge up?" Blossom asked.
"I... don't know." Professor Utonium admitted. "There may not be any way this time."
"Wh... what about Antidote-X?" Asked Bubbles.
"It would require an incredible dose to nullify all of the Chemical-X her body is producing now. After years of being repressed, it's gone into overdrive to catch up with its own biology. It would take gallons of it introduced directly into her system. There's no physical way to do it."
"Then that's what we'll have to use." Blossom said determinedly. "There has to be a way Professor. The antidote would make her a normal girl... like she wanted in the first place before last night."
"You would have to get her to sit still and take the shots one by one, there's no way she would agree to that in her current state of mind." The Professor pointed out.
"What about Mojo Jojo?" Bubbles suggested. The other just stared at her, so she explained. "Remember when he gave Princess her powers? He tried to use that ray gun to take away our powers. What if we use THAT to put the Antidote-X in Buttercup, could that work?" Blossom and Professor Utonium gawked at her in surprise for a few moments.
"Bubbles... you are a genius!" Blossom exclaimed. "The only problem is, where IS Mojo? We haven't seen him in over a month since he high-tailed it out of Townsville." She pointed out.
"We'll have to find him somehow, and soon before..." The Professor was interrupted by a new bulletin coming on the TV.
"Townsville is under attack again, Buttercup has returned and is wreaking havoc, this time on City Hall directly!" The images on the television clearly showed Buttercup smashing the building almost like she didn't even have to think about it. She barely seemed to move, but the entire building shuddered until finally it collapsed to the ground. Both of the puffs at home gasped in shock.
"The Mayor!" They exclaimed in unison.
"Come on Bubbles! Super-powered or not we have to protect Townsville!" Blossom exclaimed.
"Be careful girls, I'll search for Mojo Jojo and let you know the moment I get my hands on the ray gun he used and get it modified." The Professor told them.
"Right Professor!" Blossom acknowledged before the two Powerpuff Girls took off through the front door, streaking through the city in pink and blue flashes of light. They approached the area where the city Hall should have stood quickly, but now there was little more than a mound of rubble. The dust from the destroyed buildings permeated the air like a shroud.
"Well well, look who's here..." They whirled to see Buttercups silhouette floating in the dust behind them. She floated forward a bit to get a better view of them, smirking. "Like it? I did it just for us, isn't it wonderful?" Her eyes had a sharp edge neither of her sisters had ever seen before, and her black hair was pushed almost straight up in spikes just from the force of the Chemical-X's power surging through her body.
"You're sick Buttercup, you need help." Blossom told her sister in a steady voice.
"Who's going to help me, you? I don't need anything now, all those shots ever did was hold us back. Keep us from doing what we have to do get RID of the crime, and evil." Buttercup replied.
"What is that? Destroy EVERYONE? This isn't you, the Chemical-X is messing with your brain! What happened last night was terrible, and it should never happen ever, at all. But that's why we're here, to bring people who commit such acts to justice!" Blossom pointed out.
"AFTER THE FACT!" Buttercup howled back. "Face it Blossom, it's impossible to STOP everything, so we simply show up after the fact and feel like we're helping but we're not! The damage was already done... Michael was already dead, tell me how to stop THAT!" Buttercup eyes pierced intently into those of her sister.
"We can't." Blossom replied coolly. Buttercup snorted derisively and turned to float away, but the red-haired puff streaked in front of her, blocking her exit. "But we can TRY to stop it from getting that far in the first place, it's all anyone can do."
"That's not good enough anymore." Buttercup brought her fists up in a fighting position and her sisters did the same. For several tense moments Buttercup looked back and forth between her sisters, who still had her surrounded. The Powerpuff girls floated above Townsville with dozens of citizens looking on with fear in their eyes. What could they count on if even their heroes could turn to this?
________________________________________________________________________________
Professor Utonium brought his car to a screeching halt in Citiesville in front of a small apartment complex on the side nearest Townsville. It hadn't been that hard to track Mojo to his new place. Where else could he go in a hurry besides Citiesville, and why would he bother? He was too bent up on destroying Townsville and the girls to give up completely, no matter how discouraged he became.
His hunch was proved right when he went inside and saw the maniacal monkey sitting on the couch in the living room, watching the Townsville news bulletin. There was a picture from the ground of the three girls in a face off, staring at each other like they were about to exchange blows.
"Look at that sight Professor Utonium." Mojo looked back at the professor out of the corner of his eyes and grinned. "I had never imagined that such good fortune would befall me, but finally it has and soon Townsville and two Powerpuff girls will be destroyed, granting me my wishes."
"Mojo, we both know YOU wanted to destroy Townsville. Besides, how could you beat Buttercup if she won?" Professor Utonium asked.
"With this, perhaps." Mojo held up the laser he'd built before, now modified with a sub-nuclear power cell. It would undoubtedly drain even the strongest Powerpuff Girl of their power. "As for destroying Townsville myself, yes that is what I always wished, but I find it... poetic that it would be destroyed not by my hand, but by the hand of the one responsible for foiling my plots so many times."
"Listen to reason, even you should see this isn't the way to get what you want!" The professor pleaded.
"No matter what is best, it is too late now." Mojo grinned and gestured to the TV again just as Buttercup lunged at Bubbles furiously.
________________________________________________________________________________
Buttercup's fists flashed in green pinpoints of light as they struck at her sister faster than a hurricane. Bubbles blocked and dodged as quickly as she could in a blue blur, exchanging blows occasionally. Blossom streaked into the fray and managed to sneak in several strikes and kicks before the brunette puff could whirl and plant a solid roundhouse kick to her face, sending her reeling in the sky.
This opened a hole for Bubbles to streak into, but Buttercup whirled and back-fisted her across the face quicker than either of the other girls could move, slamming two kicks into her stomach and one more to her chin to send her reeling back.
She whirled just in time to block Blossom initial return blow, striking back and blocking in an exchange that happened quicker than any normal human eye could hope to follow. Blossom tried to streak around to her sister back and strike from there, but Buttercup whirled, keeping up the pace and eventually striking her in the face several times and sending her reeling back again.
She whirled around just in time to see Bubbles flying at her feet first. One leg began to strike forward repeatedly with enough force to drive her back with each blow. Buttercup put her arms up to defend herself, keeping one eye carefully on her sisters leg as it struck in a lightning quick pattern, driving her back further into the sky.
Finally Buttercup shot one hand forward and grabbed Bubbles' leg as it flashed forward. Whirling. Buttercup slammed her elbow into her sisters back as hard as she could, sending the pigtailed puff flying into the sky away from her and yowling in pain.
"Enough of this!" Blossom yelled as she flew back, taking a deep breath into her lungs as she flew. A moment later she released it, sending a blue wave of sub-zero air slicing through the air toward Buttercup. The brunette puff quickly put her arms together and started rubbing them against each other. In a few moments a spark ignited, spreading into a fireball easily as big as Buttercup herself was.
"Then get out of my way!" Buttercup screamed before she threw the fireball at Blossom as hard as she could. The icy atmosphere in front of the redheaded puff caused the fireball to freeze in mid-air, but it didn't stop it. The ball of pure ice slammed into Blossom and carried her back into a building, going right through several walls and stories before she finally came to a stop.
A soft sound rang through the air, almost sounding like a shrill whistle until the full wave of sound blasted through the air, too high for any normal person to hear, but definitely enough for anyone to feel. Buttercup clutched her head and whirled on Bubbles, who had her mouth wide open in a furious scream.
Buttercup streaked forward and swung her fists wildly to stop the sound-wave assault, but Bubbles dodged and swayed from her reach, maintaining the barrage of sound while striking back with fists and kicks as well. Of course, even she couldn't scream forever, and the sound finally died down, with it went Bubbles one real advantage in the fight.
Buttercup regained her bearings swiftly and struck again, slamming her fists anywhere she could into Bubbles body and throwing her down towards Townsville. Blossom streaked out to catch the blonde Powerpuff before she could hit the ground, leaving them both floating in place between Buttercup and the ground.
"Stop fighting me! I'm trying to make this world peaceful, it's what we've always fought for!" Buttercup put her hands together in front of her, pointing toward the two girls and Townsville. Pure green energy began to building around them, being pulled in from the very air around her as well as flowing from throughout her entire body.
"We've fought for justice, not murder!" Blossom yelled back, but it was too late. The green blast tore through the very air around it, heating it to an impossible degree as the light streaked toward the girls. The leader of the Powerpuff girls wasn't sure if they could survive the blast, but they couldn't move either or it would strike Townsville, probably killing hundreds.
So Blossom and Bubbles held their ground until the emerald blast struck them, tearing through their bodies as they struggled to hold it back, away from Townsville. Bubbles burst into a sobbing scream from the pressure put on every part of her, but still the two girls struggled to hold on. Finally though, their strength gave out and they were carried along with the beam of light as it streaked down toward the city.
________________________________________________________________________________
"No, Blossom, Bubbles!" the Professor could only watch the television helplessly as the green streak of light hit the ground, sending an emerald shock-wave tearing through the entire city. Buildings were leveled in under an instant and cars were flung into the air like toys. The view continued until the shock wave seemed to strike the camera that had been filming and the scene was replaced by static.
"It looks like it is my turn." Mojo said as he pushed himself up from the chair he'd been sitting on, hefting the laser weapon in front of him. "With two of the Powerpuff Girls gone, all I have to do is sneak up on Buttercup and the world will be mine."
"Girls..." Professor Utonium didn't move from where he stood while Mojo Jojo took off from the apartment building, leaving him alone in the lobby of the small building. He couldn't make himself believe what he'd just seen. Was it really possible... could Buttercup have really demolished Townsville and her sisters in one strike?
________________________________________________________________________________
The smoking, blasted piled of rubble showed no signs of movement as Buttercup floated along the top of it, scanning the debris just in case she'd missed anything. Her legs and arms were shaking from the force required to unleash such a blast, but a calm had washed over her like she really hadn't known for awhile, especially in the last twenty-four hours.
There was no crime anymore, nobody in Townsville was suffering. Everything was just quiet, completely peaceful for the first time in her life. The silence that hung thick in the air was unbroken by the sounds of people struggling, hurting each other, plotting crimes. There was no more pain.
Her eyes snapped up when she heard the soft whir of something mechanical being activated. Instinctively she dodged to the side, barely avoiding the glowing red laser that shot right beside her. She looked down for the source, to see Mojo Jojo standing with a laser gun pointed right at her, cursing at himself for missing.
"You picked the wrong day Mojo." Buttercup growled as she floated down towards him.
"On the contrary, I believe that I have picked a good day to attack you, for you are no longer the Powerpuff girls, the girls that have thwarted my plans over and over again. You are but one Powerpuff girl, alone and helpless once I take away your powers. Once I strip you of your powers, I will take over the rest of the world, using Townsville and you as an example of my POWER!" The maniacal monkey burst into giddy laughter.
"You forgot one thing... you missed." Buttercup said as she floated down toward him, her eyes pulsing brightly. Mojo surprisingly grinned back up at her in a cunning way.
"Oh but I have not, for you see I have learned from past mistakes, and this time, you WILL lose your powers!" with that he threw the gun at her, revealing a blinking light on one side, flashing almost constantly. Even the Powerpuff Girl didn't have time to move before it detonated with enough force to throw her back into one of the larger piles of debris.
"Uhn..." Buttercup groaned as she pushed herself up on her hands, trying to float off of the debris. She found however that she could not, she could barely move at all actually, from the exertion and then this, it was almost too much for her body to take.
"Mwahahahaha! YES! I, Mojo Jojo, have finally conquered you Powerpuff Girls, and destroyed Townsville! All... thanks... to you." He grinned evilly and stared into her eyes as she finally realized what had been going on. With the Chemical-X forced out of her system, she could finally think on her own, unclouded. All of the remorse for the night before, and the realization of everything she'd done that way rang through her head.
"Yes feel your despair, for you see, it is because of YOU that I, Mojo Jojo, am victorious!" Mojo laughed and pulled out another smaller, standard laser pistol. Buttercup just stared at him blankly, unable to think or move from the feelings rushing through her. "You have destroyed your sisters, and all of Townsville, and I will claim the rest of the world." He calmly raised the pistol to point it at her head, smirking. "Anything else to say Powerpuff Girl?"
Buttercup stared at him with a blank look in her eyes, like she could barely comprehend all of this. Finally she lowered her head and closed her eyes, not looking at him. "Do it..." she muttered softly, no longer seeing any point in this. She didn't feel anything up until the laser pistol fired, sending one more sudden jolt of pain through her body before she fell limp and silent on the streets of the city she'd ruined, joining it in the pain she'd caused, though she knew she could never atone for it.
THE END