Theme: supermarket
Rated for language and swashbuckling action.
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Kaoru tried to keep a straight face while walking with the half-full shopping trolley. The scene was pretty embarrassing. Miyako was walking beside her with an amused smile, ahead Momoko was dashing on the supermarket's halls while raiding the self from anything that was promisingly tasty, and Kaoru herself would just sigh and keep pushing the cart.
Right after school, Momoko had insisted to complete the plan -which she impulsively made on the spot while they where in the Principal's office- about cheering up Kaoru. So she had dragged her friends in the nearby supermarket to buy everything that would please Kaoru.
Of course now the athlete doubted that the latter was the case, seeing Momoko picking only groceries of her own choice. Occasionally, the redhead would return running with an item, she'd give Kaoru a look begging for approval, Kaoru would weakly nod in acceptance, and Momoko would put it in the cart and cheerfully skip to another section.
"You're being pretty agreeable to her today," Miyako commented, pleased with that change.
"Well, she brought me back to my senses and wants to help, so I'm letting it slip," the tomboy responded. "By the way, you don't have to force yourself to suddenly invite us in your house today just because Momoko started all this..."
"No it's okay, I'll tell Grandma that it's an emergency occasion," Miyako reassured her.
Before Kaoru could reply, a loud noise was heard from afar, way back to the market's entrance. Momoko had dragged them to search for trivial stuff to the other end of the building were no other customers had bothered.
"There is commotion at the other end," Miyako said.
"Let's go check it out," Kaoru said ready to run.
"No!" Momoko caught Kaoru's arm. "People keep screaming, so it must be serious. Transform first."
The other two girls again were quite amazed on Momoko's ability to switch from Candy Crazy Mode to Leader Mode in mere seconds, but proceeded to follow her order.
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup dashed through the aisles, onwards to the counters. When they reached their destination, they stopped, surprised.
In front of them, Ace was standing before the counters, Snake was shutting down the supermarket's blinds, Lil Arturo was tying up the now paralyzed Security Guard, while Grubber had transformed to the Guard and had took his place outside the door. On the left corner, Big Billy was finishing trying up the pile of yelling staff and customers with one large chain.
"Ah, so you're indeed in here, Powerpuff Z," Ace said as he turned to the girls "So I guess that guy was right."
"'That guy'? What the hell, you knew we were here?" Buttercup asked.
"What are you up to this time?" Blossom said.
"To win the day," Snake answered, and stood near his leader.
"To show our real might," Big Billy declared.
"To shine!" Lil Arturo joined.
Ace suddenly threw one of his cards in incredible speed towards the girls, particularly to Blossom.
Despite being caught off guard, she managed to step away from the rocketing card's way.
A loud noise was heard behind the girls. Once they turned around, they saw that a series of display units was now cut in half and fallen down on the floor, scattering everything that they once carried.
"What?! Did he do that?" Buttercup asked, amazed.
"Surprised? You shouldn't be. Before you sealed HIM, he gathered us all under his flag," Ace stated.
"Actually, into his tights," Lil Arturo corrected.
"Fuzzy and those three bratty clones of yours got the chance to try their new strength, but we didn't. In fact, we felt even stronger after you defeated HIM."
Blossom remembered the huge amount of Black Light that the monsters emitted while they were in HIM's Headquarters. She also remembered how renewed she and the other two girls felt after they realized that their powers were back. The monsters must have felt the same, because right after they had revived, they'd begun beating each other to the pulp.
Ace's grin changed into a determined scowl. "And we will prove that we are more than just Tokyo City's rejects. Nuisances. The weakest of all monsters." He pointed at the girls and shouted:
"The Gangreen Gang will commit a real crime. Attack!"
At his command, they all threw canisters on the floor that immediately emitted thick smoke, soon covering everything, making it impossible to view anything clearly anymore.
Coughing, the girls begun to aimlessly wander around, trying to find their opponents who were most likely hiding in the now fog-like environment.
Blossom stopped on her tracks. "Listen, Buttercup, try to use... Buttercup? ...Bubbles?" She realized that they were no longer beside her.
Bubbles clenched her hands on her wand, confused by the situation: She was suddenly all alone, vision blurred by the thick smoke. She thought of calling for the others, but feared that this would only reveal her location to the lurking enemy.
"I'm trapped! Help!" a small child's voice was heard nearby, alarming Bubbles, who wasted no time but ran blindly towards the source of the pleas.
Where she reached was clearer and less suffocating. She could somewhat see the shelves and the scattered products there. But not the child.
"Where are you?"
"Down here."
"Oh good! You... are..."
It took a moment for her to realize that the one below her was a small familiar green creature and not a kid. But soon she could think no more. What caught her from behind caused all her muscles to go numb, laying her down the floor in a blissful hypnotized state. Unconsciousness followed, unchallenged.
Blossom wandered around, fully prepared to defend herself from a sudden assault or to attack any member of the Gang she might find in the fog. She assured herself that the other girls were doing fine.
To her relief, she recognized Bubbles' figure standing a few feet in front of her.
"Bubbles, are you al..." before she'd finish her sentence, Blossom sensed danger behind her. Quickly, she launched to the side, evading Big Billy's surprise punch. His fist landed on the floor with a smashing thud. He growled and took a step back.
"I'll handle him," Blossom said, now facing the large monster. "Bubbles, you watch my back."
To her surprise, her friend's arms firmly grabbed her body from behind.
"What the hell?!"
Big Billy immediately took the chance and delivered one powerful blow, right on Blossom's stomach. Before she could try to retaliate, he pistoned both his united fists on the top of her head, the terrible hit forcing her to crush face-first on the stone hard floor. Grubber took his true form and kept watching Blossom's merciless battering with delight.
Buttercup had found Ace. To her frustration, though, he was standing behind the tied hostages, grinning, aiming to hit her with his rocketing cards.
"Get out of there and fight like a man."
"Before considering that, shouldn't you worry about your friends?" Ace replied behind his human fort.
"Don't make me laugh. You're the one who should be worring about yours."
"Really? I'm sure they've crushed down yours by now."
She rolled her eyes. "Like always, you're all bark..."
"And bite. Look who's here."
Buttercup was taken aback by the sight. The rest of the Gangreen Gang appeared into the scene, carrying the limp bodies of Blossom and Bubbles.
Her shock soon turned into silent wrath.
"This only means that I'm going to beat you up harder than I intended."
"Oh we already know that even the five of us can't deal with that brute strength of yours," Ace answered. He presented a black controller. "That's why I took measures."
"What is this shit you're holding?"
"With the push of one button, this place's gonna blow up."
"What?!"
"The market has a bomb that we've put," Ace explained while the rest of his gang cheered. "So shut your yap and listen closely. You try to stop us, and shit is really going down."
"Are you a total retard? You're inside this building too."
"We are monsters. Protected by HIM's divine aura. The explosion would merely hurt us, like you. But these guys," he pointed to the hostages "Are just normal humans."
Buttercup now actually felt being cornered. She looked at the pile of terrified people and growled.
"What do you want?"
"Let us go with all of our loot."
"And how do I know you won't push the button after you flee?"
"Oh don't worry, we prefer these guys to actually live to tell the tale!" Ace grinned.
Buttercup, despite her efforts, could not find a way out of this mess. She wished that Blossom was conscious right now.
"Fine. I'll let you go with your little prises. But if you do use the bomb, I'll personally banish you from the whole damn solar system."
Ace snapped his fingers and the gang lounged on the counters. They were fully organized and prepared, alright. If not, they'd been trying to raid the food, not the money.
Once everyone was carrying loads of money, except the leader who was threateningly holding the controller, Ace opened the door for his mates, who ran out of the store and into the street.
"Stay in there for five minutes," he said, showing off his controller. Then he swiftly followed the others.
Buttercup struggled to keep her anger in check. The hostages were now safe and her friends were still unconscious. Blossom was badly bruised but was already healing. But the equally humiliating part from the defeat was that that the people inside all witnessed her own and her comrades' failure to beat up a bunch of punks.
But those punks must have had professional leadership. After all Ace did mention someone.
"But HIM is sealed away. Then who..?" she thought.
As she led the scared crowd out of the market while carrying Bubbles and Blossom, she spotted something familiar on the pavement.
She picked it up. It was certainly the device that Ace was holding, the bomb's trigger. Her relief of having it now safe in her hands quickly changed into shock, as she took a closer look. That thing was really the trigger of the bomb with which Ace was threatening her and manipulated the gang's way out. But it also certainly was...
A regular tv remote.
A scream of despair was heard over Tokyo City.