Falsely Accused
Summary: One night, after saving the day, Blossom passed out, and woke finding herself covered in blood. Later arrested for murder, what really happened that night? Not wishing to see pink Powerpuff fall, Brick commits the Rowdyruff Boys to help the Powerpuff Girls solve this mystery. Can they clear Blossom's name before it's too late? Or will it forever tarnish her reputation?
Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.
Chapter 7
Where was Princess Morebucks?
A. Another Visit to the Police Station
The City of Townsville…
Blossom and Brick were flying at a leisurely pace towards the police station. Blossom looked at her counterpart, and shook her head. 'That Brick! Doesn't he know that letting the city pay for your lunch is wrong? Just because you have the power to do this legally doesn't give you the right to abuse it! He may be good at all this legal stuff, but he doesn't know how to exercise it prudently! And blackmailing that Mr Walski and planting those false evidence? I would have to teach him how to do things ethically.' Though she knew perfectly well that if he acted as she wished him to act, she would still be in jail. 'He would just say, "go back to jail" if I felt that way!'
They went to the police chief's office. "Hello, Brick, Blossom," as the two appeared before him.
"Hello Mr Kaczinsci," said Brick. "Just want to ask something."
"Well?"
"I want to know, you did a raid on Mojo's lab a few weeks ago, right? About the last week of January if I remember," said Brick.
"We did. It's after one of his attacks and you stopped him. Too bad he got off because of a technicality."
"I heard you confiscated all his stuff," asked Brick. "So I want to ask if you still have it. We're very interested in some of them."
"Oh I'm sorry. We destroyed them a week ago. We were running out of storage areas, so I asked Lt Sanchez to dispose of it."
"Sanchez destroyed all of them?"
"Everything," said the police chief. "He and about a dozen other officers put it into a pile on an isolated place outside the city, and blew it all up."
"Thank you anyway," said Brick before he, followed by Blossom, left.
"What's that all about?" Blossom asked.
"It would be nice if we could spare the city and not pay Pops that money Boomer promised him, but well, guess we have to," said Brick.
"That was very irresponsible of your brother. I mean, paying Mojo money from the city Treasury just so he can recreate his weapons? That's madness."
"But as you can see, there's a method to my madness, I guess you already have figured it out."
"As far as I can see, you want to know have that rocket launcher and the DICCX so you can test it," said Blossom. "And we can compare any weapon we could find in Princess' arsenal!"
"Very good, Blossom. You're very smart! I guess when they said you had beauty and brains, they were half right."
"Why thank—hey, what do you mean only half right?"
"You're smart."
"And? Are you saying I don't have beauty?"
"You're the one who always said that appearances doesn't matter, it's only the inside that counts, so you shouldn't be bothered by it, right?"
"Brick, answer me!"
"You're ugly!" he shouted, then accelerated his flight, laughing all the way at the fuming Blossom. He knew she really wasn't ugly, but he got a kick out of getting her riled up and furious by his refusal acknowledge her beauty.
"I AM BEAUTIFUL, YOU BLIND JERK!" she shouted as she chased after him.
He suddenly stopped, and was met by her fist on his jaw that threw him backward. Still laughing, he quickly delivered a kick on her stomach that doubled her up and sent her to the ground. Blossom retaliated by throwing a ball of energy. Brick responded in kind and there was a large explosion between them.
Blossom stood on the ground, and Brick floated down a few feet away from him.
"Apologize!" she demanded.
"Well, you're not as ugly as I thought you were," he said. "You're even uglier!" Then he laughed at the irate Blossom. "That was really fun! We really should have more fights! I remember when we were enemies, when we were bent on each other's destruction! Fighting you girls was the most fun we've had."
In spite of herself, she laughed too. She knew Brick was only teasing, and he got her mad once more. "Well, punching you in the face was fun," Blossom agreed. "But we shouldn't. I always told Bubbles and Buttercup we shouldn't fight each other. What would they say if they saw us fighting?" She then laughed harder. Somehow, the fighting made her feel good and confident and full of energy.
"You're no fun!" he said. "C'mon, just an hour!"
"Some other time, it's fun, but I'm not in a mood," said Blossom.
"Come on! Pretend that I'm the city who despises you. Let me start. BLOSSOM, YOU ARE A MURDERER! YOU DESERVE TO GO TO JAIL!" he said as he charged and punched Blossom in the face with his right.
Blossom staggered back but grabbed his punching arm, and threw him to the ground, where she then kicked him in the side, throwing him against the tree. "I AM INNOCENT! I SAVED THIS CITY, AND THIS IS HOW YOU THEY TREAT ME!" she yelled as she punched, kicked and used laser attacks to weaken the rowdyruff.
He then got to his feet, and saw her charging him. He quickly used his laser eyes on her, zapping her.
"You killed Mrs Carmichael!" Brick replied, goading her to fight more. He really enjoyed bashing her to pieces. He dodged a punch, retreated a bit and threw a ball of energy at her. "You should be in jail! YOU ARE A DISGRACE!"
"I am not! I am a decorated hero of this city! And I will shove it down your throats when I prove that I am innocent!" she shouted as she attacked and laser eyed her counterpart.
And it continued like that for the next hour or so. Blossom released all her pent up anger by assaulting the red ruff savagely, while Brick parried and dodged most of her attacks. He knew that she was treating him as a surrogate for the city, and this was some kind of emotional release.
Soon, Blossom was bloodied, blood trickling out from her forehead and her nose and dripping to her pink shirt. She was covered in dirt, and her clothes ripped in many places. She had bruises. She was breathing heavily, her eyes looking dangerously at her counterpart, and her mouth twisted in a sadistic grin. "Do you really mean all those mean words?" she looked at his eyes. For some reason, it would kill her inside if he said yes.
Brick saw her eyes, having a look of desperation as she prepared herself from his assault. He too was bloody and full of bruises. He was tired. This fight had taken everything from him, but he knew, it took more from her.
"You know me. Do you really think I meant those?" asked Brick.
Blossom suddenly kicked herself for falling for the oldest trick in the book. "I know you this past seven years, and no. You couldn't have meant those words."
"Then you're not stupid," he replied, smiling. "See, I told you I was half right!"
Blossom then smiled as she laughed, remembering the earlier comment that started this fight. She sat on the grass and rested as she laughed more.
"Satisfied?" he asked. "You got that out of you?"
Blossom indeed got something out of her system when she got hit and hit her counterpart. It was satisfying, even if he really wasn't the subject of her intense anger. She looked at him, and nodded, still laughing.
Brick walked over him. "Well, you better go home and do your homework."
"Homework? Oh you mean those mugshots?"
He nodded. "I'm going home and take a bath."
"And after that?"
"I'm going to enjoy myself and play computer games," he said as he floated in the sky.
Blossom floated too. "Bastard! I'm going to look at all those pictures, and you'll just enjoy yourself?"
"Pretty much. One of the prerogatives of being leader, one that you, O great and wise Blossom, have used so many times. Oh and go to my house at four. The six of us will have a meeting."
Blossom nodded before she took off towards her house. She felt much better.
Brick too went home. He hadn't planned the fight, so he needed to get himself fixed for what he was going to do.
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B. Morebucks Mansion
Meanwhile…
Boomer and Bubbles stopped in front of the gate of the Morebucks estate.
"What can I do for you?" asked the guard.
"Um, we want to talk to Princess Morebucks," said Bubbles.
"I'm sorry, but Miss Princess won't be seeing anyone today," he replied.
Boomer simply shrugged, and flew over the gate and landed on the other side. Bubbles followed.
"Hey, you're the blue Powerpuff and Rowdyruff!" he shouted. "You can't do that! It's private property."
"Boomer, do you think we should go back? I mean we shouldn't—" Bubbles began.
"Bubbles, don't worry. I'll take care of it. Now go to the door and knock. I'll talk to the guard. I'm sure we can reach some sort of arrangement," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"Bubbles, trust me," he said.
Bubbles nodded, stole a quick peck on his cheek, then flew towards the door of the mansion.
Boomer blushed a bit. Seven years since she first did it, and it still felt fantastic.
The big guard towered over him.
Boomer was not afraid. He turned and made sure that Bubbles was not looking, and quickly made his move.
"I said you can't get in. Now get out—"
With a soft hit on the back of the head, he rendered the guard unconscious. He then carried him back on the guardhouse besides the gate. He arranged him on the chair so as to make him looked like he fell asleep on the job. He then rushed out and stood behind Bubbles before she could notice anything.
"So?" she asked as she knocked.
"He decided to let us in," he merely said as he stared at the door.
The door opened to reveal a butler.
"How could I help you?"
"Well, could we talk to Princess?" asked Bubbles.
"Do you have an appointment?" asked the dour faced butler.
"I'm afraid we don't have one," said Bubbles.
"Then I'm afraid you can't see her. She's indisposed."
"What do you mean?" asked Boomer. "Why is she absent?"
"She took the death of her chauffer's mother's death very hard," he said. "She cried when she heard about it, and she's inconsolable. She refused to see anyone other than her father and the servants."
"Well, could we see her?"
"I'm afraid you can't," he replied.
Boomer then whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened. "Well, since you are superheroes, I would have to make an exception. Follow me."
"What did you say to him?" Bubbles whispered as they followed the butler through the labyrinths of the mansion.
"Only what I did to persuade the guard to let us in," Boomer replied.
"You didn't—"
"We're here," he said as the butler knocked on an imposing door.
"What is it?" Princess's high pitched voice resounded from the room.
"Someone to see you," the butler replied.
"I TOLD YOU WILSON, I WILL NOT SEE ANYONE TODAY!" she screamed.
"Miss, it's Bubbles Utonium of the Powerpuff Girls and Boomer Edwards of the Rowdyruff Boys!"
"What? How dare they!" they can hear. Suddenly, the door burst opened, and they saw Princess.
They were shocked.
She was gaunt, pale, and her eyes were red. It was obvious that she ate little during the past few days. She was haggard, and her hair was messed up. But the look on her face was pure rage as she looked at them.
"HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE AFTER YOUR SISTER KILLED MY DRIVER'S MOTHER!" she shouted at Bubbles face, pointing her finger at her face. "Your Blossom is the worst kind of person this world has seen! You are disgusting! The only reason why Blossom got away is because of her past! I bet all of you are involved in this! You killed her! You killed her! You deserve to rot in jail!"
Bubbles was unprepared for this onslaught. "BLOSSOM DID NOT KILL HER!" she shouted. "I did not kill her!"
This was too much for Boomer. He suddenly punched Princess in the gut, gently so as to not to actually harm her, but it was enough to shut her up and leave her writhing on the floor, gasping for air, clutching her stomach in pain. He suddenly grabbed her by the wrist, opened a nearby window, and said, "Bubbles, could you talk to the butler for a while? I need to make sure Princess would speak to us more politely."
Bubbles was surprised by his actions. "Boomer, I don't think—"
"Bubbles, I want to ask you to please trust me on this," he said sternly.
She knew that look, one that would brook no dissent. She rarely saw that, but she loved it. It was his assertive side, one that rarely surfaces.
"Okay Boomie," she said.
He nodded, before, taking Princess with her, flew high up in the air. When they were high enough that Princess began to shake from the cold, he stopped.
"Let go of me! I demand you bring me down!" she shouted.
"As you wish, your majesty," Boomer grinned as he let go.
Princess screamed as she fell down. She looked at Boomer as he just stood there. "Oh my God! I'm gonna die!" she said as the ground got nearer and nearer. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.
Suddenly, she stopped, and felt herself being pulled high in the air.
"Now, will you be cooperative? Or are you willing to be splatted on the ground? Believe me, nothing would give me greater pleasure!" the blond said in a threatening voice.
"You don't have the nerve!" she said.
"Oh I have. And I won't be arrested even if all the city saw me," Boomer said. "I'm immune from any crimes you know."
He then tossed her high in the air. He waited until she was falling and was only a few inches off the ground before catching her and pulling her up in the air.
Princess was thoroughly frightened.
"Please, don't kill me! I'll do anything, please!" she cried.
"Okay. Hear me. We are going back to your mansion, and you will talk to Bubbles respectfully. If I ever hear you utter anything bad, or talk to her in any tone that would say that you disrespected her, you will get it! If you accuse her of murdering your driver's mother, I WILL KILL YOU! And I'm not bluffing!" he said. "That goes for me too. Disrespect me, my dad, or my brothers, and you will die a slow, painful death!"
Princess can only whimper as she nodded. Boomer then flew back to the mansion, and threw her roughly to the carpeted floor.
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Meanwhile…
Bubbles was wondering what was happening. He then turned towards the butler. "We're you the one Mojo talked to on Saturday night?"
"I am. He kept asking where Miss Princess was."
"Oh. Where was she?"
"Out. She left about eleven in the evening and came back at two in the morning."
"But where exactly?"
"I have no idea," he replied.
"Oh. But why was she so sad about Mr Carmichael's mother?" Bubbles asked, puzzled. "I thought she wasn't even close to his chauffer, let alone her chauffer's mother."
"I don't know too. It's puzzling," he said. "Normally, she wouldn't care, and at first she didn't, but then, when she heard that Blossom was arrested for her murder, she became ashen and ran to her room."
"She didn't care at first when she learned she was killed, and only cried when she learned Blossom did it?" Bubbles asked, even more perplexed.
"Yes. That's the gist of it. But don't tell Princess I told you that, or it would be the end of me," he said.
Before she could reply, Boomer came back and threw Princess on the rug.
"Boomer, that's not a nice way to treat a girl. I mean she's Princess, but still!" Bubbles scolded.
"I'm sorry, but she insulted you, and I can't bear that! Now Princess, would you kindly apologize?"
Princess literally crawled through the rug, and grabbed Bubbles' legs as she cried. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I insulted you! Please tell him not to hurt me anymore!"
"Now would I hurt a little girl like you?" Boomer mockingly said as Princess crawled away and sat on the couch.
"Princess, where were you on the night of April 5 and 6, specifically 12:30 in the morning?" Bubbles asked.
"I was here at home," said Princess.
"Don't lie. I know you were outside," said Bubbles.
"Okay, I was outside. I was watching a movie," she asserted.
"What movie?" asked Bubbles.
"And more importantly, what theatre?" Boomer added.
"Transformers! Pines Theater!" she squealed.
"Really? How do we know you're not lying?" asked Boomer.
"I'm not. I'm not lying!"
"Like you're not lying when you said to us you were home that night?" Bubbles retorted.
"Yeah. We need proof!" Boomer added.
"You want proof? I have proof!" Princess frantically answered. "Wait here!"
She ran back to her room, and a minute later, emerged.
"Here," Princess said, shoving a torn ticket and a piece of paper to Bubbles. "That's half of the torn ticket I gave to the movie theatre clerk! And I even asked him to stamp the time. See? It says here 11:00 p.m., April 5. At the back, I also asked him to stamp the time I left. 2:00 a.m., April 6! I even asked the name of the clerk. It's Jack Thorton! And I also told him my name! And there's the receipts of the tickets that I bought! It tells the time the movie starts!"
Bubbles and Boomer looked at it. All of it was as Princess described. They were not totally familiar with it so they can't testify to its veracity, so they made the silent decision to show this to the leaders—who could.
"Thank you," said Bubbles.
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C. The Old Lab
"Now Princess, I want to ask you, you once showed the girls your arsenal, right?" Boomer asked.
"What about it?"
"Could we have a look at it?" asked Bubbles.
Princess was unsure. She didn't want to show her enemies the true extent of her weaponry. After all, she still wanted to destroy the both the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys, but the look of Boomer's eyes showed that she would be in a world of pain if she refused. Still, there might be a way. 'I'll just show them the old lab underneath the mansion. Fairly useless stuff are stored there anyway.'
Princess Morebucks motioned to them to follow her. They walked down a corridor in the mansion until they reached an elevator door. They went in, with Bubbles looking fascinated about all the stuff. Boomer was curious but wary of traps. Finally, it stopped.
The door opened, and they entered a dark room. Flicking a switch, Princess revealed a large metallic room, but looking old. There were lots of gadgets on it. A lot of it was simply everyday things, like TV, toasters, and the like, but a subset was weapons. Bubbles recognized it as some of the things Princess used when she was five years old—her old original powerpuff suit was there. Of course, as she grew older, she changed her suit, and not only in size, but in capabilities as well. Still having a craving to be seen as a powerpuff even as she developed a loathing for the originals, she tailored the suit and the weapons to match the powers of the girls. She could never, of course, be as agile, as strong, and as great as them, but she could try mighty hard.
However, as she grew older still, she came to admire the rowdyruffs even more. Even as they seemed to reform, they still retained several characteristics of their evil past. And the fact that the boys were heirs to one of the greatest fortunes of the city made them all the more attractive to Princess, but she knew that as long as the powerpuffs existed, she would not even get a second look from them. After all, she's only a normal human, and her big asset—her wealth, was nothing to the heirs to a fortune as great or greater than Mr Morebucks. And the powerpuff girls had something she can never have—superpowers that made them the equal to the boys. How could she compete? It was so unfair to the spoiled heiress. She hated them even more.
So she continued to plot and to scheme. She tried again and again—and failed again and again—her father's money kept her out of jail. Unlike Blossom, she had a clean record—she was never convicted of anything in court—although that testified more to her and her father's ability to bribe juries, judges, and to hire the most expensive lawyers. Her longest stay in jail was a week—coincidentally during the Powerpuff's sixth birthday—and that had more to do with the fact that Mr Morebucks was abroad at that time than with anything else.
The three thirteen-year-olds looked at the gadgets—Bubbles in wonder, Boomer in admiration, Princess with boredom.
"So Princess, I heard that a lot of your stuff was bought from Mojo," Bubbles remarked.
Princess wanted to say that's not true and to boast that she made them herself, but she figured that Mojo probably talked. "Yeah. What's the use of money if you can't buy the most famous villain in the city?" she replied smugly.
Suddenly, as they were walking, Boomer and Bubbles eyes focused on something. A bottle with a liquid inside. But what grabbed their attention was the label. Mojo's DICCX.
"What's that?" Bubbles asked.
"Oh that? That's something Mojo said could make you drunk," said Princess. "Because of your chemical X, you have greater resistance to alcohol intoxication. A small portion would make you drunk or tipsy. Well, that's what he says."
"Have you used it?" asked Boomer.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Forgot about it," said Princess. "I got interested in other things," she nonchalantly said.
"Did you lend it or give it to someone else?" Boomer asked.
"No. Nobody else knows about this place except my family and staff. Until now that is."
"Can anybody steal it without your knowledge?" he asked.
"No chance. This has a state of the art security, with infared lights, and twenty four hours surveillance. Nobody can break in, and even if they did, I'd have known about it!"
Boomer and Bubbles looked at Princess, trying to detect signs of nervousness, uncertainty, or anything unusual as she talked about the drug. They found none. She was talking about it as if she was talking about the latest fashions.
"Could we have it?" Boomer asked.
Princess looked at him, puzzled, then a grin formed. "So, you decided to try drinking, but can't find a strong enough drink for your chemical X bodies! And now you want to get drunk!" she said, then laughed. "Fine, take it! Unlike certain freaks, I can indulge in the joys of alcohol with ordinary wine!"
Boomer ignored the insult and grabbed the bottle. Bubbles wasn't sure he didn't ask for the bottle to get himself and his brothers intoxicated. But she acted to deflect Princess' suspicions.
"Boomie! You shouldn't do that! You're still too young! And it's bad for your health!" she protested. "I don't want to be with somebody who gets drunk at the age of thirteen!"
"I'm sure Butch and Brick will have a different opinion on that," he said as he stared at the bottle.
They then looked at the other gadgets. They asked if she had a recent rocket launcher built by Mojo that could replicate the Powerpuff girls making a hole in a wall. Princess showed them more than a dozen which would fit that description, which only made it more confusing for the two blonds.
After the tour, Bubbles and Boomer said that they would leave. But before they left, Boomer asked Princess a question. "Optimus Prime is really cool, don't you agree, Princess?"
"What? What's an Optimus Prime?" asked the spoiled redhead.
"Oh never mind, let's go Bubbles," said the blond boy.
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Later…
Princess was looking at her door, looking as Boomer and Bubbles flew away. "If you think you can get away with humiliating me at my own home, think again! I'll get you, Bubbles, Boomer, and your brothers and sisters too!"
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Meanwhile…
Bubbles and Boomer were flying away. Boomer was carrying the huge bottle of DICCX, while Bubbles was carrying the torn tickets and receipts.
"So what do you think, Boomie?" asked Bubbles.
"Bubbles, I think it's Princess," said Boomer.
"Me too. But what about her alibi?" asked Bubbles. "And the crying stuff. Why was she so upset that Blossom was arrested when her driver's mother died?"
"That, Bubbles, is something the reds must solve. Thinking about it just makes my head hurt. But I really think it's Princess. I mean, she has the drug that intoxicated Blossom, and she's Blossom size, and she has the rockets that could mimic us, and she has to motive to destroy you, the Powerpuff Girls," Boomer said. "But she was somewhere else, apparently."
"It makes my head hurt too, thinking about it. So where do we go now?"
"What time is it?" asked the ruff.
"Three thirty."
"Let's go home. I'll give this to Dad so he can test it and check to see if it really was what sozzled Blossom. And we have a meeting with Brick and Blossom and the others at home, if you remember."
Bubbles nodded as she followed him to Dr Edwards' house.
"Boomie, would you really try that on yourself?"
"What do you mean?" asked Boomer.
"I mean, you're only kidding when you said you want to get drunk, right?"
He stopped and grinned at Bubbles. "Wanna try it too?" He then resumed his flight with an even wider grin.
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D. The TV Station
Brick flew home, and got himself treated by the housekeeper, Ms Lawrence. Having been employed by Dr Edwards for six years, she had now become an expert in taking care of injured rowdyruffs (and powerpuffs).
The boys had a habit of becoming banged up, not only from combating monsters and villains (although their increasing strength meant that most such damage from them was only superficial), but mostly from battling each other. They were boys after all, and Dr Edwards did not prohibit, indeed encouraged, that they fight each other to hone their fighting skills. And when they fought each other, they did not hold back, and often, one of them would end up unconscious.
The boys found this practice "extremely fun." Blossom and Bubbles disapproved, Buttercup wanted to join the fighting, but Blossom forbade it as it was "uncivilized". The boys even tried to fight the girls on occasion, but the girls would only do it under certain circumstances. Except Buttercup. But Brick forbade Butch and Boomer to fight her unless Blossom approved, so the green puff mostly watched and fumed as the others had "fun".
And it fell to their father and housekeeper to fix them up after that.
"Brick, who did you fight this time?" she asked as she applied MFX, a medicine that would accelerate the healing in injuries and wounds.
"Blossom," he replied.
"Blossom? I thought she disapproves of fighting?"
"She disapproves of her sisters fighting each other and my brothers, but she doesn't, despite what she kept telling me, seem to object too much of fighting me!" he replied, smiling at the memory. "She isn't like Buttercup, who has bloodlust, pure and simple. Blossom's fights are more tactical, sophisticated, and a puzzle to solve. Which makes her an ideal sparring partner. Trying to defeat her is such an intellectual exercise of joy! It stimulates the brain to think! Seeing her broken, bloody, and full of bruises would be a triumph not only of strength on my part, but also of the mind! And I'm sure she would feel the same if she saw me bloody and broken too."
Ms Lawrence just shook her head as she finished. "Just don't fight anyone who could damage you until you've fully healed."
"I know," he said.
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One hour later…
Brick looked at himself in front of a full length mirror. He was completely healed—well, not completely, he felt a bit weak, but all outside manifestations of that fight was gone. He was wearing a black suit, a bright red tie, and a black fedora hat. He preferred a red suit, but it wasn't that dignified compared to a black one. He silently envied Boomer whose blue suits were the perfect color for such. He carried a leather briefcase which was slung on his shoulder.
Satisfied, he went to his balcony, and flew fast towards the city. He knew he had only until four o'clock to conclude his business. 'Damn that fight! I shouldn't have fought Blossom, fun though that was. It wasted too much time. Hopefully, they'll be more amenable.'
He saw the skyscraper with the sign TNN at the top. He landed on the roof, and quickly went down.
A few minutes later…
"Welcome Mr Brick Edwards," said the president of Townsville News Network (TNN), Arthur Cady, to the leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance. "It's an honor to have you with us. What can I do for you?"
"Mr Cady, I'll get right to the point. Your network, for the past few years, had been bugging us for an interview, right? And not just after battle interviews, but an interview at our home, right?"
"Well, yes. Are you saying that you have permission for us to do it?"
"Let me finish. I remember that we all turned you down. We're too young for sustained media exposure, and Dad and Professor Utonium were absolutely determined that we would have a normal upbringing."
"Yes, I remember that."
"Okay. If I would say that you might interview us, let's say, at our home on Saturday afternoon, what will you give to us in return?"
Mr Cady's eyes widened, and his mouth gaped. This was a golden opportunity, especially in light of the events of the weekend. "What do you want?"
"You know what happened to Blossom, right? I'm sure an intelligent man such as yourself do not believe she really did it," Brick stated.
Truth of the matter was, like other citizens, he at first did not believe it, then reluctantly came to that conclusion when the police's evidence was first revealed, then got confused when the monster evidence and Mr Walski came out, and was bewildered when the case against Blossom was dropped. But he wasn't going to let the truth get in the way. "Of course not! I always believed in her! I always stood by her! She is as pure as an angel!"
"Your programming and the way your reporters report contradict it, but I don't blame you," he said. "Listen, we want you to air some advertisements."
"Advertisements?"
"Yes. And some documentaries."
"About what?"
"Blossom."
"Blossom? About the crime?"
"No, no. There's enough in the news about that. No. You see, you and I know that Blossom is innocent, but a good number of citizens don't. Now, I'm not saying you go and make a documentary saying that she didn't do it. What I want is to remind the people of her past exploits, of what she's done for them in the past eight years."
"Oh I see. That could be done. When do you want it?"
"I want it aired Friday night. Can you do that?"
"Of course. Just use past news clips, and interviews from grateful citizens," said Mr Cade, "and I assure you, they will forget about what happened last Saturday."
"Oh and those ads. If I send my brothers and the Powerpuff Girls here tomorrow, could you finish it and show it tomorrow night?"
"I suppose I could air two one minute spots," he said. "You want to remind the people how the Ruff Puff Alliance saved this city more than once, right?"
"Not all of us. Blossom only," he said. "It's true that all of us contributed, but only Blossom is under the spotlight and accused of doing something she didn't do. Make it as if she single-handedly saved the city on her own with little or no help from us."
"But that would be unfair to you and your brothers and her sisters!"
"No. Blossom needs this!" Brick shot back. "She will have the glory of saving this city! And no one else! Even if I have to lie to the world about it!"
"Okay, okay, you win. But how about you?"
"What about me?" asked Brick.
"Since you went to all this trouble just to make sure the city never forgets Blossom's heroism, shouldn't you share in her glory? I mean if you are exalted too, Blossom is elevated as well because you are her counterpart. Like it or not, when they see her, they are reminded of you, and when they see you, they are reminded of her!"
"Well, as long as any mention of me would glorify her, okay?" said Brick. "Oh yes. Going back to the interview. There would be no surprise questions. All questions to be asked should be submitted two days in advance, and I would approve the questions for me and my brothers, and Blossom for her sisters. And it shouldn't be live."
"That's agreeable."
"Well, that's all for now."
"Thank you. Now for the payment. All of this would cost a lot. I assume your father would pay for this?"
"No."
"Mr Edwards, I cannot do as you request without any payment—"
"Mr Cady, the city will pay for it," said Brick
"The city? I don't understand!"
"You see, I'm not here in a private capacity. I'm here representing the city of Townsville," he said, getting some papers from the briefcase. "This one's a letter authorizing me to conduct this business, and this one is a letter saying that the city would pay whatever is necessary for this project."
Arthur Cady looked at the paperwork, and said, "Mr Edwards, everything seems to be in order."
"Yes. You must remember that this is a lucrative contract! And until the final product is aired, I can withdraw from it for any reason I like," said Brick. "Oh and please try to make your reporters see that she is innocent. It hurts her so much. Just remove the bias from their reporting, okay?"
Mr Cady recognized it as a thinly veiled threat. "Don't worry, we'll make sure that Blossom would be seen as pure as an angel when this is over. She would be a warrior saint who could do no wrong! And congratulations! I didn't know you work for the government!"
"Mr Cady, right now, I am the government!"
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E. Return to Mojo
Later…
Mojo Jojo was in his volcano top observatory, working on the rocket that was ordered by Boomer and Bubbles. Normally, he would be working on his plans to take over Townsville and destroy the Powerpuff girls, but the fiasco with the meeting with Fuzzy's clan, Princess' absence, and the Gang Green Gang's shenanigans soured him on that prospect, for a few weeks at least. Besides, he needed money, and the last orders of Princess were made months ago. This was an opportunity he would not miss.
But he was surprised when he was visited by none other than the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.
"Hello, Pops," the leader greeted, floating just outside the door. "Can I come in?"
"Brick," Mojo acknowledged, nodding and let the boy enter. "I suppose you want to ask about what your brother ordered this morning?"
"In part. I won't waste my time. Listen. I have a proposition. Do you want more money for the two projects?" asked Brick.
"What do you mean?"
"Double the price. From $300,000 and $400,000 to $600,000 and $800,000, for a total of $1,400,000."
"That's very good. But what do you want in exchange? You and I know you won't offer this for free. Tell me! Cough it up! Spill it! I want to know! What is it you require of me so in exchange? What do you want me to do? Do you want something else?"
"I want you to do something. I want you to attack Pokey Oakes Junior High School. The school we are attending presently."
"You want me to attack your school?" asked Mojo.
"Yes."
"But why?"
"I have my reasons."
"Are you insane? How can I continue my project for your brother, the rocket and DICCX, if I am in jail, which surely must result from my attack on your place of education?"
"How would you know you'd be in jail?"
"Don't take me for a fool. I am not stupid. I am a genius! You six are studying there! That attack would easily be repelled! Besides, I am not ready to face you yet! I have not the equipment since I have not the money, my machines were confiscated by the police, and I haven't been able to restock it!" he said. "It would be suicide."
"It would be suicide, but we won't kill you. We never do," said Brick.
"That may be so, but I won't spend the next few days in jail!" replied Mojo.
"I can have the Mayor pardon you in an instant," said Brick.
"Why would he do that?"
"It could be chalked up to his stupidity and the inattention of Ms Bellum."
"How can you guarantee that?"
"Oh I can! Trust me!" said Brick. "If not, I can arrange for the judge to throw out your case, or if it fails, to simply bust you out."
"Do you think I would do it?"
"You did it just so the Powerpuff Girls can have candy from the mayor, remember? Just don't betray us, or you would regret it!"[1]
"Okay, I'll do it. But only for the money!" Mojo smugly said. "For the cash! For the dough! For the bucks! For the moolah! For the gold! For the credits!"
"Yeah, yeah. Now listen," said Brick as he got a folded piece of paper from his briefcase—he came directly from the TV station. He gave it to Mojo.
The genius of a monkey grabbed it and read it. "What is this? Why did you give me a paper with a bunch of names and pictures on it?"
"Just some of my classmates, schoolmates. I want you to give them special treatment."
"What do you mean?"
"Take them hostage, threaten them, hurt them, but don't injure them or do anything permanent. Just scare them, make them go through hell," Brick said nonchalantly.
"Wait, are you sure you're not evil?" he asked as the implications of Brick's request dawned on him. "Because this isn't an act of a true superhero. Blossom and the girls would not do this. They would not put innocents in harm's way! They are pure! A hero doesn't do business with evil, especially over this! You surprise me!"
"Maybe," the red ruff replied. "Now here's what you'll do…"
And for the next few minutes, Mojo and Brick planned the details of the next day's attack. After that, he went around this lab to make sure the meeting wasn't recorded in any way.
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A few minutes later…
Brick was flying home. "Hey Brick, we're here! All of us! Where are you?" Butch's voice suddenly said over the communicator watch.
"I'm coming," he said as he prepared himself for the meeting of the six.
Author Notes
[1]The episode Candy is Dandy.
To SatoriatParis, "You might be ugly, but you're less ugly than any other girl I know" SO Brick just admitted Blossom's the prettiest girl he knows?
I'm sure that's what he really meant, but I don't think he wanted Blossom to see that he said it that way! Still, a slip on his tongue for sure.
aw, lovely story tonifranz - and it's interesting to see how it's affecting each one of them: Brick caring for his counterpart and Blossom being intoxicated by power and becoming more like her counterpart.
Thank you. I'm sure Brick would object characterizing his actions as "caring" at all for his counterpart. Oh yes, Blossom is becoming more powerhungry as a result of the recent events.
...you can tell the whole thing is just a love story for the blues, right?
Bubbles, way before the start of this story, already liked Boomer. As for Boomer, what sane person can resist the sweet innocent charm of Bubbles? They're not "officially" together, but they're as close as can be without it being so. It's just a matter of time. Of course, most of the plot has them functioning as the eyes and ears of Blossom an Brick, even if they're almost always together when that happens.
To issydragonheart, Will brick and blossom get together?
That is a question I'm afraid I cannot answer at this moment. You'll just have to find out!
To Pikatwig, Once again, you amaze me! Our heroes are standing strong and are not giving up anytime soon!
Thank you. Yup, they won't give up. That's why they're such famous heroes.
Will Townsville keep believing in Blossom or not?
Not all Townsville believes Blossom. Only a portion do. Sadly, I think that only with the capture of the true murderer would 100% of the people again believe her.
Is Princess somehow connected to this?
I think this chapter answers this question.
Will the bond of the Ruff-Puff Alliance keep strong?
Right now it is solid. Will future events affect it? We'll see.
And more importantly, will Blossom still be there to help everyone?
She would surely try. That's her reason for being a Powerpuff. Of course, would it still be the same Blossom as before? We'll see.
To Guineapigz2002, well, he is Blossom's counterpart.
To Kyogan-Saori, Awww, now Brick can't take back his words about Blossom.
He could always say he didn't mean it, it was only for the crowd, it really didn't mean anything, etc.
To Guest, oh yes. This chapter pretty much answered whether Princess is involved in all of this.
To cruelistnightmare, thanks. Keep reviewing. I hope this update is soon enough!
To William F Somebody, Props to Brick for being there for Blossom, and for making her look good to the people.
I agree. Props to Brick for what he's doing.
Is Princess involved? It looks like that is the case.
This chapter answer that question.
Who really killed Mrs Carmichael? We'll see, I guess.
Just wait. You'll see.
To John, Blossom sure has a lot of haters. I hope they eat their words. They have no gratitude!
Oh yes. Especially after she was arrested and shown to the world by the police as the chief suspect and was shown the police evidence.
I'm glad Brick is doing all he can to make it better for Blossom. First, making her feel better after being insulted by Lt Sanchez, then working the crowd to cheer for Blossom.
I'm glad too about Brick all those stuff. I'm just waiting to see how he would explain it.
Ha, Brick sure is enjoying have the power to take control of the city! Having the city pay your lunch! Now that is power!
Brick is one powerhungry boy!
To Bob, I hope this update is soon enough for you.
