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. Rather, the Powerpuff Girls is owned by Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network.
Chapter 14
The Break
A. Monday Meeting
The City of Townsville, and on April 15, Monday, at about lunch…
The six members of the Ruff Puff Alliance were on a single table at the school cafeteria. They do not usually eat lunch together. Usually, the Rowdyruff Boys with their friends sit in one table, and the Powerpuff Girls in another, or they sit by color coded pairs, especially when Blossom and Brick, and only those two, had something important to discuss. So it was news when the six most popular and powerful students sat on a single table. Usually, something important was going to happen. And this day was not an exception.
"I presume that Buttercup told you what she heard in the forest?" Brick asked his counterpart directly across from him.
"Yeah. Butch was with her, and he heard—" Boomer began.
"Wait. Butch and Buttercup, together, alone in the forest?" Bubbles quietly squealed. "What are, what are you doing?"
Butch and Buttercup both sent a death glare to an oblivious Boomer.
"Listening to Princess, of course," Boomer 'explained' to Bubbles, still oblivious. "Was that shocking, or what? After the Mike Believe revelation, I never would have though Princess would really be involved."
Boomer stole a glance at Princess, who was talking and laughing with her cronies at a distant table. He also looked at Mike Believe, who was sitting with Mitch Mitchellson and Elmer Sglue as far away from Princess as possible. "Those two lovebirds really know how to act. You would never have guessed that they're really boyfriend and girlfriend."
"I still don't believe it," Butch agreed. "And that's after being told by Mike himself! The stuck-up wench and the nerd? Who would've thought?"
"Blossom, how about the investigation?" Brick asked, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"Yes. I heard," the second-in command to the Ruff Puff Alliance replied. "And I think we're very close to solving the case. Princess, of course, did not kill Mrs Carmichael, but she was the one who paid the killer to 'ruin' my reputation. But she never expected nor wanted her chauffeur's mother to be killed."
Butch interjected. "It's obvious who killed her. It's Watts, ain't it? Let's find this fella and be done with this sh!t. After we find him, how about we take him to a forest somewhere, or dump him in the middle of the sea where he can scream his last moments of life without anybody noticing. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Though nothing would give me more pleasure than killing that SOB, I think we need him alive to confess on TV that he killed Mrs Carmichael and framed Blossom," the ruff leader commented.
"Language, boys!" the redhead puff admonished. "I agree with Brick here. Killing him in cold blood is not only wrong, but my reputation cannot be completely vindicated until the real killer comes clean."
"Your reputation is, I think, saved," Boomer offered. "Thanks to your boyfriend Brick—"
"Boomer, I'm not her boyfriend!" Brick interrupted.
"Yeah, think before you speak," Blossom admonished.
"Sorry. What I meant was, thanks to Brick, your reputation is better than ever before! The city loves you! The school worships you! No one would ever think you capable of murdering a sweet ole' lady even if you did it in front of national television," the blond ruff explained. "Apart from Bubbles here, you are the most perfect embodiment of purity according to the people of Townsville. Thanks to all those things we did this past week."
Bubbles blushed, and Boomer blushed a deeper shade of red upon realizing what came out from his mouth. "Did I just say that? Oh my God!"
"You are such a puppy," Butch laughed, slapping his brother's back as the blond boy could not have been redder.
"Careful Boomer. Let's not fall for our own propaganda, shall we?" Buttercup sneered.
"The latest polls would show that 88% believe you innocent, 7% believe you guilty, and 5% unsure," Brick recited. "That is not enough. It should be 100%! All men, women, and children should believe that the co leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance is totally innocent! And the only way we'll be able to win those remaining fools would be to produce the real killer. Otherwise, no amount of propaganda will sway them."
"Unless we kill those 12% Then it would be 100%!" Butch declared. He faced all the glares of the other five before saying, "What? I'm joking! I'm joking!"
"So we are back to the question of who is Bill Watts? How can we find him?" Bubbles asked. "Only Mr Turner and his men had seen him, and he only has seen him with a fake beard. Only Turner and Princess—wait, Princess! She knows Watts. Right? Buttercup?"
Buttercup nodded. "Yeah. We should ask Princess about Watts."
Brick shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea to interrogate Princess after Saturday's fiasco. I mean, we've got egg on our faces when we accused her of being the actual murderer! We won't have any credibility."
"Is the great leader of the Rowdyruff Boys getting squeamish?" Butch laughed.
"I still can't get over that utter failure of an interrogation! God, Princess fell into our laps when she attacked us, and what do we do? We didn't even listen to you, Bubbles, about her being on a date!" the ruff leader, in a depressed tone, stated.
"How about I go and ask her about it? I mean, I heard her talk with Watts," Butch offered.
"That's a good idea. You and Buttercup go after school, and ask her nicely. And maybe ask her about the details on how she sent money to Watts," Blossom said. "Brick?"
"Yeah, go ahead," said Brick, approving of Blossom's suggestion.
"And I think I'll go and do some research on Jason Smith. Remember him? Harold Smith's brother?" Blossom stated.
"Jason Smith? But we have nothing on him," Brick replied.
"Let's just say I have a hunch. And if it's right, we might have Fleetwood too. And solve the entire case."
"How about us?" Bubbles asked. "What's our assignment?"
"For you two? Well, if it's all right with Brick, I think you two should, well, go to the police station and ask Lieutenant Sanchez if they found any false beards lying around the premises of the murder, or if not, in any place at all. If we're in luck, Watts discarded it and perhaps, perhaps some DNA from his face would be found in the beard."
"Wait," interrupted Butch, "why would he just throw the beard away? Isn't it better that he keep it with him? Or burn it to hide all evidence?"
"It's just a hunch," Blossom retorted. "There's no harm in trying. Who knows? Maybe we could find this beard. But we'll never know if we don't try."
Boomer looked at Brick, who was deep in though. "Big Bro, is that okay with you?"
"Oh yeah. You two do what Blossom suggested," the ruff leader said.
B. Blossom's Revelation, and Brick's Plan
Later…
"What are you doing here?" Blossom asked as she flew through the air after school. Brick joined his counterpart, flying besides her.
"You know something," the ruff leader said.
"And if I do? And why are you following me?" she asked.
"I haven't given myself a task. So I decided, I'll do some research on Harold and Jason Smith. Then I remembered, that's your assigned task. So you'll help me!"
Blossom stopped. "I don't need help."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I am leader this month."
"So you are. Okay, you go with me. Or rather, I'll go with you and assist you, since the leader could not be a mere assistant to his second-in-command," she said sarcastically as they floated through the clouds.
"Don't be like that. You'd act the same if you're leader," Brick replied. "So, your ugliness, what do you know?"
"Brick, I am not ugly," Blossom spat. "If you must know, I know who did it."
The red ruff's eyes widened. "You do? Do tell!"
Blossom stopped and floated in the air inside the clouds as she thought of what to say. "The clues are all there. Just connect the dots, and the answer will reveal itself rather easily."
"When did you find out?" asked Brick.
"Saturday night is when I began to suspect him, and last night confirmed it," the puff leader replied.
Brick wracked his brain on the clues and what could they mean. "Sorry, Blossom, I still can't figure it out," he said after ten minutes of thought.
"Oh c'mon. It's rather easy! The clues are right there before us!"
"Is it someone we know?"
"Yes."
"It isn't Princess. It isn't Mojo Jojo. Turner sure ain't it. Who?"
"So the smart leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance is stumped! That is a first!" she teased.
"I give. I can't figure it out. I need more clues. So tell me, who do you think did it?" asked Brick.
Blossom told him who she suspected, and gave him her reasons.
Brick's eyes widened in revelation. "That can't be! But it makes so much sense now that you think about it. But you know we can't get him with that evidence! It's all circumstantial! You'll be laughed out of court!"
"I know. We need additional evidence to nail him," Blossom stated. "Right now, I want to find his connection with Jason Smith or Fleetwood. That would make it easier to pin him."
"Or perhaps, trap him in the act," the red ruff said, "kinda like what you did with Major Man, or even us when you thought we were still evil[1]. Hm, maybe we could get him to do something stupid."
"William Bricker Edwards Jr, what are you getting at?" she asked, seeing an evil glint in his eye and a small smirk on his face.
"Oh nothing. I just feel doing something evil," he replied. "If this works, we won't need any additional evidence. He'll give it to us."
"You're thinking of doing something illegal!" Blossom narrowed her eyes.
"Oh yes. But anything we do is legal, so technically, it ain't," he said.
"Okay. What is your plan?"
Brick told Blossom his plan.
"You're kidding me! You know that what you're going to do is reckless, and could endanger the entire town? Not to mention irresponsible?" Blossom shrieked.
"Yes. But we can handle it. If we do it right, nobody would die," said Brick. "And don't go all moral on me! You did the exact same thing when you were five years old, and for far less noble reasons, I might add, other than because you were jealous of a new hero!"
"It's not jealousy! He really was a fake hero. And even if you're right, so what? So I did stupid things when I was a child. So did you, and you did it gleefully! You were evil!"
"Who's to say we still aren't evil," he snapped. "Is it any less ethical than making up evidence, threatening someone to give false testimony to confirm your fake alibi, arranging Mojo to attack the school so you could save your classmates, and taking over this city by legal means?"
"I wouldn't have done it, and yes, this is far worse, since you'd be risking lives of innocent people!"
"Blossom, let's settle this matter. We will do this. I am saying this as the leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance. Will you disobey your leader?"
"Is that a direct order, Brick?"
"Yes."
Blossom huffed. She was trapped. He said the same lines that she used on him when she was the leader during her turn. It would be hypocritical of her to demand his absolute obedience when she was leader, and not return the favor when it was his turn.
"Fine. We'll do your plan. But nobody innocent better get hurt."
"Don't worry," said Brick. "Nobody that isn't destined to get hurt will get hurt."
"Now that that's settled, oh great leader," she acidly said, "let's discuss something else."
"Hm?"
"Buttercup and Butch."
"What about them?"
"What's happening?"
"Well, as you know, they heard Princess—"
"Yes, yes, I know. But they were together, alone, in the forest, on a tree," she said it slowly.
"They were spying on Princess—"
"They stumbled accidentally on her. What were they doing before then?"
Brick raised his eyebrows. "You know, the usual things, I guess. I wasn't there, okay? So I didn't see them do anything. Maybe they did what boys and girls do when alone. Maybe it's a date or something?"
"Are you telling me that those two are together?"
"Maybe. Maybe not," Brick shrugged, glad that she was not suspicious of them fighting. "Maybe those two are together, and they're hiding it from us. I bet they're doing things that they wouldn't want us to know about. Maybe they were touching each other and hugging—"
"I get it, I get it!" Blossom said, "you don't have to say anything else."
Brick smirked. He did not technically lie to Blossom about what they really did.
"Blossom?" he asked.
She raised her eyebrows. "Hm?"
"Remember that Monday. You know, when we fought?"
"Yes."
"You really enjoyed beating me up, didn't you?"
"I suppose so."
"I've been thinking. I think it's time for some training for us six," he began. "The ones that we've been doing is barely a challenge, and we may never know when a serious threat may come."
"I know. I've been trying to get the Professor to increase the level of our training rooms, as well as program the AI to have better fighting simulations and not be brain dead," Blossom agreed.
"I'm thinking we should fight each other."
"Excuse me?"
"We should fight. Powerpuff vs Rowdyruff. What do you think? That would give us training in fighting someone that is not too hard, nor too easy. It would be a fight of equals. That way, we can hone our fighting craft."
"Are you serious? You know I don't like it when we fight for fun. It's violent! It's barbaric! Uncivilized!"
"I know, right? But it would be like boxing or mixed martial arts. We want to prove ourselves the best. And to be the best, we must beat the best, and we are the best."
"Brick, I do not like it. You know I hate punching Bubbles or Buttercup. Training or no training."
He smirked. "So you'd liking kicking them or using energy attacks instead?"
"Hurting them! I hate hurting them!" she shot back.
"Their feelings won't be hurt if you carefully explained that you're only training and sparring, not because you don't like them," he retorted.
"I mean physically hurting them for any reason!" she shot back. "You know what I mean!"
"That's why I'm proposing a boys versus girls game. You know, I'm sure you won't have any hesitation punching my face. Don't deny it. You did it last week, and you loved it."
"You're right. I did enjoying socking your face. But, no."
"Oh c'mon! It would be like old times! Like when we were five, or six, or ten! I can't deny that one of the best fun we had was punching and kicking you and gloating in triumph over you! And I know it Blossom, that you would love to beat the living sh!t out of us boys. "
"Language, Brick. It's tempting. But no. I'd rather fight simulations. At least they're not real. It's not right that we hurt each other on purpose for amusement!"
"Unless the other guy or girl willingly submits himself or herself to the risk of pain in order to inflict on the other party more pain! C'mon! It would be fun!"
"I said no."
"You know, I'm leader this month, I could just order—"
"Don't you dare!" Blossom snapped, her pink eyes glaring into his blood red ones. "I'm asking, don't you dare! Especially if you have any respect for me!"
"Okay, okay, I won't play that card!" Brick said, backing down. "How about we simply submit it to a vote? Us six would vote for it, and a majority would carry it. A tie would mean no fight. How about it?"
"Sorry. But no. Buttercup would be all over this, and I can't! I just can't! Try to understand, I've been working this past seven years, ever since you became good, to make us closer. Fighting just would drive us apart! I just don't like it. Please drop it."
"You win. I'll drop it. For now. Let's get on with the Jason Smith business," Brick said, sighing. 'I really hope she doesn't find out about Butch and Buttercup fighting.'
"Brick," Blossom called as they flew.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"Huh?"
"For not pressing it. You know, about the fight. You're leader. You could've insisted," she said. "You're the absolute leader, this month, as we agreed."
"Look—"
"Listen. If you did, I won't have a choice but to go along with it. But, you didn't. You actually cared about how I felt about it."
"It not that—"
"I'm not yet finished. I really appreciated that." She stopped, prompting the red ruff to stop his flight as they floated inside a cloud. Her pink eyes stared into his red orbs. "I didn't know you could be so considerate. Before, you'd just stand your ground, and it would perfectly reasonable for you. I mean, training by fighting each other is official Alliance business, and I realized I was being unreasonable. It was within your right to do that. But you didn't insist because of what I said. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it," said the red ruff, forcing his eyes from her captivating pink circles.
"Maybe we'll have the ruff versus puff fight some time in the future," she mused. "But not now. Not now."
He just shook his head. He will never understand his Blossom. Wait. Did he just think his Blossom? He was going crazy…He'd be glad when the case is over and done with.
C. The Princess Connection
Meanwhile…
"Miss Princess," Frank Carmichael greeted just outside of school as he opened the limo door.
"You're late," Princess Morebucks stated.
"I'm sorry, Miss Princess," he merely apologized before he closed the door.
Before the door was closed, a fast light-green light suddenly entered, and Princess saw Buttercup sitting beside her.
There was a second green light, darker than the first, swish in, and as soon as the car started, Butch was seated in front besides the driver.
"Carmichael, if you don't want anything to happen, you would drive her home," Butch warned.
"What are you—"
Buttercup quickly covered her mouth and whispered in her ear. "Princess, let me tell you something. Me and Butch were at a forest outside Townsville yesterday afternoon. We were on a branch of a tree when a certain redhead left her limo and went to talk to someone. We heard everything. You want me to tell it now and let somebody else hear?"
The spoiled redhead did not want her chauffer to hear what they were going to say, so she shook her head.
"Good! Now let's be a quiet Princess," the green puff playfully said.
"Nice limo," said Butch. "Not quite as good as Dad's, but very nice nonetheless."
"Thank you sir," Carmichael replied as he drove.
"No, thank you, and your bosses good taste! This car is manufactured by Dad, after all!" the green ruff stated as he relaxed and looked at the two girls behind him.
"What do you want?" Princess asked.
"Let's talk at your home, shall we? Your Daddy ain't home, right?" Buttercup asked.
"No. He has work until eight."
"Good. Then we have all the time in the world."
"Hey Carmichael, sorry for crashing your limo about seven years ago [2] but we were having an intense battle, ain't we, Buttercup?"
"It's okay, sir," the limo driver replied. "It was due to be replaced anyway. And it was getting boring driving in that traffic."
"We kicked your ass during that battle!" Buttercup declared.
"Nah. You didn't kick ass. You gave us fun, remember? We laughed and enjoyed the tank, the boat, and the plane! Don't twist it! You lost! We won!"
"Well, you can't fight! You were too incapacitated to do so!"
"We were having too much fun. But did you try to catch us or beat us up while we were having fun? Nope! You knew we could still beat you up even if you tried!"
"Ha, we were too sorry for you we didn't even try to beat you up! You were helpless!" Buttercup boasted.
"Winner, winner! Who cares? You claim you won, we claim we won. But we know who the real loser is," the ruff declared, and looked at the redhead besides Buttercup.
"Yeah. You lost Princess!" Buttercup teased, messing Princess' hair while she silently fumed.
"Shut up! If you three girls used the tank, the plane, and the boat properly, you would have won!" Princess retorted.
"Those things wouldn't have tickled us," Butch claimed. "Admittedly, those things were so fun! You lost Princess! You're the only clear loser! BELIEVE that!" The green ruff emphasized and prolonged the word 'believe.'
Buttercup glared at Butch while Princess looked at Butch, wondering if he knew something.
The green ruff continued. "Believe that, Princess! You're a loser in that! As is everything you did against us! If you don't BELIEVE that, then you're not only a loser, but delusional! It's really unbelievable, don't you think?"
"Yeah. I don't think Princess here can BELIEVE what's happening to her!" Buttercup snickered. "Belieeeeve it, Princess, it's happening."
Luckily or unluckily for Princess, they arrived at the Morebucks mansion.
The three walked from the limo to the inside of the mansion. They were greeted by the butler, but Butch quickly gave him a sharp tap on the back of his head, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Buttercup quickly closed the door and locked it, then drew every curtain on the windows.
"Okay, what do you want?" Princess asked in a sullen mood as she sat on a chair while the two greens stood in front of her.
"Nothing much," Butch began.
"We just want to know who Bill Watts is," Buttercup asked.
"Bill Watts? Bill Watts is Bill Watts, you idiot!" Princess snapped.
"Wrong answer," Butch said as he formed a weak energy ball in hand and tossed at Princess. A slight explosion later, and Princess was coughing after the force of the explosion sent her sitting on the floor, and her outfit had burns at the edges.
"Look, honest, what are you talking about? Bill Watts is the person I talked to!" Princess insisted.
"It's not his real name," the green puff stated. "So who is he, really?"
"What's his real name?" the green ruff inquired.
"If it's not his real name, then I don't know his real name is."
"Don't give me that! You paid him to ruin Blossom's name!" Buttercup, grabbing Princess' shirt, growled.
"Yeah, I did! So what? He is known in the underworld. Everybody knows Bill Watts!"
Butch's left eyebrow was raised at that comment. "Who recommended him?"
"How did you find out?"
"I got an anonymous text message, okay? And don't bother tracing it. I'm sure he used a cheap phone for texting and calling," the spoilt brat stated. "And I deleted the message. He said that he heard that I wanted to revenge on the Powerpuff Girls, and said that he could ruin their name forever. So I called the number. And it was Watts. I knew him by reputation. So we talked. He offered to ruin your name for five million. I paid three million up front, and two million to follow. I just paid the two million to him."
"What's the cell phone number?" Butch asked.
"Don't bother. He changes numbers every time he calls."
"Smart dude," Butch mumbled. "So how'd you call him?"
"I don't. He calls me."
"He'll call again, right?" the toughest powerpuff asked.
"Probably not. I just sent him the last payment this morning. So there's no more reason for him to contact me," Princess stated.
"So you sent the last payment, huh? Could you tell us the bank account number of Watts?" the green clad superhero asked.
"I didn't do a bank transfer. I sent it through a Western Union Wire transfer. If you must know, though, here's the Money Transfer Control Number," she said, getting a piece of paper from her purse.
Butch took it. "Alice Smith?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't use my real name, duh!" Princess Morebucks stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He called me after I put the money on Western Union, then I gave him the Number and destination."
"What's the destination?" asked Buttercup.
"Townsville."
"And the recipient?"
"Bob Smith."
"So he has an alias for his alias," Buttercup observed.
"Anything else?" Princess asked with gritted teeth.
"I think that's it," Butch said.
"Yeah. Let's go. I want to get out of this sh!thole," the green puff agreed.
"Yeah. Get out and don't ever come back!" Princess loudly hissed as the two superpowered teens walked to the door.
"Oh I forgot something!" Buttercup said, slapping her palms to her forehead. "I am so sorry for having to take more of your time, Princess, but it is kinda necessary."
"What is it?"
Buttercup put her left palm on Princess' shoulder, then, in a swift motion, punched the heiress, with her right hand, on the stomach.
Princess Morebucks crumpled in a heap to the floor, clutching her stomach, in pain.
"YEAH! GO BUTTERS!" Butch shouted, raising his fist on the air as he watched, pleasantly surprised. He was impressed by her self-control. Hit her any stronger, and Princess would have died.
"That is for ruining my sister's life!" the green puff spat. She grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, raised her to her level even as her legs were still jelly, and punched her on the face. She fell back, clutching her face, as she was writhing in pain.
"YEAH! GO BUTTERCUP! SHOW HER WHO'S BOSS!"
"That is for attacking us that night!" she said, looking at the prone figure of spoiled heiress.
She then kicked her in the stomach, sending her crashing across the floor into some furniture. "And that is for all that you've done for the past eight years!"
"YOU GO GIRL! KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL THAT B!TCH!" Butch shouted.
"Death is too much of a mercy for her," she said in contempt. "Let her wallow in her humiliation!"
"That was really nice Buttercup! Oh God! I really wanted to do that, you know, but wow! You really whipped that b!tch up!" Butch was all over Buttercup, looking at her in awe, and looking as Princess crawled away from them. "Tell me when you're going to beat someone up! I want to watch! I want to look! Hell yeah! You beating up on that b!tch was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Look at that blood! The sound of broken bones! The silent agony! That is so sweet!"
"You haven't beaten someone lately?" asked Buttercup as they flew away from the Morebucks estate.
"I did. But big brother only allows it if there is a reason," said Butch. "Lately, everyone is afraid of the Rowdyruffs, so much so that nobody would even think of giving us a reason to beat them up. Only villains and monsters, I think, are fair game."
"I hear ya. Blossom really went overboard with the using non-violence whenever possible. 'We should set an example, and show violence is not the way' she says, and forgets that we are the most violent set of kids this town has got! Did she really think that we didn't use violence on Mojo, on Him, on the Gang Green Gang, on the innumerable monsters attacking—"
"On us too when we're your enemies," Butch chuckled. "Brick doesn't object to violence on principle, unlike his lord and mistress. Only that it should be useful, and should not backfire, and be rational. Yet how much violence really comes under that heading? It really sucks. You have no idea how much I wanted to sock half of our classmates, or for that matter, half the students of our school! Yet we only get to beat up twelve during this past year! 'Only as an example to others,' Brick says!"
"And most of the male population too, leering like pigs, as well as most of the female ones too, stuck up b!tches the lot of them!" Buttercup agreed.
D. Boomer and Bubbles' Investigation
Meanwhile…
Boomer was distracted.
He normally wasn't, even if a beautiful blond was clutching his hand in hers as they flew towards Townsville Police station after school. He was very used to having his hand held by the blue puff, since she made a habit doing so since they were six, oblivious to all protests to it. He should be feeling perfectly normal, and his head should be clear for his mission of asking for beards.
Yet he had just kissed Bubbles two nights ago, and was a mess. It was an act of impulse, one that he did not regret doing. But what would he do now? He wanted to kiss her again, but dared not to.
He was silent as they flew, hand in hand.
Bubbles was very shy. Normally, she wasn't, yet she could not forget that night—that wonderful night before Princess made her unwelcome interruption.
"Boomie?" asked Bubbles.
"Yes, Bubbles?" the blue puff replied.
"That was a wonderful date we had, last Saturday," she began.
"Oh yes it was," Boomer replied. "Listen, Bubbles, if you want, we could again go out, if you want, I mean, yeah."
"Boomer," she replied, giggling a bit. She stopped and they floated in the air, in middle of the clouds. She looked into his eyes, then suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him in the lips.
His eyes widened, before closing his own eyes and kissing her back.
"I guess that means yes," he said. He then grabbed her and kissed her again. This time, there was no hesitation on his part.
"Does that mean that you're my girlfriend?" he asked rather naively after that, looking into her blue eyes.
"I guess so!" Bubbles said shyly.
He gave a very wide grin, took her hand, and spun around! "I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND! I GOT A GIRLFRIEND!" He was like a man possessed, happy, caring about nothing else, the rest of the world not existing. He then tossed Bubbles and threw her up in the air.
"WHEE!" Bubbles shouted as she let herself fly up the air until gravity did its work, and started dropping. Boomer suddenly caught her, carrying her bridal style. "I am so happy, Bubbles."
"I have been waiting for this for the last seven years, Boomie," she said, looking lovingly into his eyes.
They looked at each other, and once again, Boomer kissed her.
After a while, Bubbles said, "I think we still have something to do, Boomie."
"Oh yeah," Boomer remembered. "Let me carry you to the police station, since you deserved nothing less."
Bubbles giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting contentedly on his arms as he flew, slowly, towards the police station.
Boomer landed on the roof of the building, and the two jumped to the ground below. "Hello!" Bubbles warmly greeted to the police on duty.
"Hi!" Boomer said, looking at them, with a smile on his face. "We'd like to talk to Lieutenant John Sanchez, please."
"I'll get him," the officer at the front desk said, calling the said officer in the intercom.
"Hello kids!" greeted the six foot black haired lieutenant. "Bubbles, Boomer, how are you?"
"Fine. Wonderful. Joyful! Blessed," Boomer said rapidly. "I'm fine!"
"Happy," Bubbles replied.
"Well, come into my office," he suggested, and both followed him.
"So, what can I do for you?"
"Well, we'd like to ask, you see, if you have seen a false beard lying around?" Boomer asked.
"Excuse me?"
"A black false beard."
"Huh? What do you mean? Why would I see a false beard?"
"Well you see, lieutenant," Bubbles interjected, "Mr Watts has a long black beard. But we think that it was a false beard. So maybe he threw it, and maybe, if we could find out who Watts is if we get it?"
"Oh. Yeah, that would be a good lead. Unfortunately, we could not find any false beard anywhere near the murder site," the lieutenant opined. "Though I do think that this Watts fella would not be so foolish as to just throw away such evidence. He would have taken it with him, and would either destroy it, or would hide it in a very secure place."
"That's right. But it's still best if we tried. Maybe he lost it in a moment of carelessness? I know it's a tiny possibility, and we're probably wasting our time," Boomer spoke, remembering his instructions, "but it's better to know absolutely sure that there's nothing to it than to leave it at that and never know for sure. I'd like to ask, Lieutenant, if perhaps, you could ask some of your men to search the premises?"
"Well, since the Ruff Puff Alliance is officially in charge of the investigation, then I can't refuse that request. I'll gladly do that," he said. "So what part of the city would you like the search to be concentrated on?"
"Well, how about the area around the Carmichael house, and also on and around the Morebucks estate. And between the houses too," Boomer began. "Also F.F.F. Jewelry shop and Fleet Street too."
"And don't forget the dumpster! Maybe he threw it in the trash," Bubbles suggested.
The next thirty minutes or so involved the lieutenant and Boomer and Bubbles discussing the most likely places where a beard could be found.
"Thanks for your help, lieutenant!" Boomer said as they left. "Brick will be happy when he finds out."
"Sorry if it seems so little, but every little thing helps," Bubbles added.
"You're welcome!" the lieutenant said as he waved his hand.
Boomer suddenly picked up Bubbles on his arms, then he flew away.
"Boomie! I can fly!" she squealed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You can always let go," he smiled.
"Now why would I want to do that?" she said before she gave a peck on his cheek.
"Let's go back and report to big bro and Blossom," he said. "But shall we fly fast, or slow?"
"Hm, I don't know. Maybe we should go slow," Bubbles suggested, looking at the dark blue eyes of her counterpart. "I may faint if we fly too fast. And you might drop me if we arrive too soon."
"I will never drop you!" he stated in horror. "Scout's honor!" He did a mock salute, dropping Bubbles and having her fall in the process.
"BOOMIE!" she yelled happily as she fell towards the ground. She could have easily flown, but she let herself fall, waiting, waiting…
Boomer let her fall into his arms, and they again flew into the clouds.
"Aw you saved me! My hero!" she cooed.
"As you wish, my lady, I will fly slow!" Boomer grinned as he slowly flew home, giving her a kiss on her cheek.
Bubbles giggled as she held on to his neck.
E. Monster Attack
The next day, April 16, Tuesday…
Brick and Blossom were at the same class, listening to the teacher drone on and on. It was advanced mathematics, specifically, Calculus. Not that he didn't know already what was being taught. He listened, well he tried, but he kept looking at his newly repaired communicator watch. As if he was expecting something. He looked at the time. It was 1:30 pm.
He looked at Blossom, and she was listening intently to the teacher. Or at least give a good impression of listening.
"Boys, Girls, there's a monster attacking Townsville!" the loud voice of Dr Edwards shouted over the watch.
"Sir!" Brick raised his hand.
"It's okay, we understand," the teacher said. "Townsville comes first."
"Thank you, sir. All of you, go!" he shouted to his watch after pressing a button indicating that he wanted to talk to all of them.
Soon, six streaks of light were heading towards the center of Townsville.
"Remember Brick, you promised me that no one would get hurt," Blossom warned.
"Don't worry. I remember. Bubbles, Boomer, we've talked about this already. Remember what you're going to do?" Brick barked.
"We do," Boomer affirmed, and Bubbles nodded.
"Buttercup, Butch, you know what to do, right?" the ruff leader said.
"Yes," Buttercup answered.
"Don't worry, big bro," Butch assured.
"And remember. Not a word to anyone," he snapped. "What I told you is top secret, understood?"
All nodded as they separated.
The monster was a giant lizard with spikes on its back. It was a hundred feet tall, had a mouth with sharp dagger like fangs, and a huge tail, also with spikes. It was headed for Townsville Prison.
"The prison!" Bubbles shouted, as the two blues hurried. They flew too slowly, however, as the monster crashed through the walls surrounding the prison perimeter.
"Hey, you, ugly, fight us!" Boomer shouted.
The monster turned, and looked at them. The monster moved its tail against the main prison facility building, demolishing the building walls. At that, hundreds of convicts begin to escape.
Boomer looked at his counterpart, and nodded.
They ignored the monster, and began picking up the escaped convicts. "Oh no, you don't," Boomer said, "back to the slammer for you," as he picked about ten fleeing criminals, giving then a punch to their faces to knock them out. He carefully looked at the faces of the criminals, before flying back to the prison courtyard, and dumping the unconscious mass in front of the dazed correctional officers.
Bubbles too was busy catching escaped crooks. It was not hard, as all of them wore the orange uniform of a prisoner. Unlike Boomer, she looked at the faces of the criminals before she picked them up. Since they were so many, it would be hard to keep control of them if they were actively struggling. So even though she had reservations, she gently tapped them on the back of the head, rendering them unconscious. "Don't escape," she pleaded as she picked up more and more prisoners running around and fleeing the scene.
Luckily for the prisoners, the other superheroes distracted the monster away from the prison. As the blues picked up the escaping convicts, Butch and Buttercup attacked it. Butch flew in and dove through the thick stomach of the monster. Unfortunately, the skin was rubbery, and it bounced him back, sending him flying away from the monster and into the dirt. Buttercup went and punched the head of the giant lizard. Unfortunately, it seemed as the hits were not having any effect on it. It swung its giant arms on her, and she was thrown way into the distance, at the same place Butch was thrown to.
Blossom and Brick were on the ground, herding the civilians away, and making sure no prisoners in jump suits would join them. "Keep calm! Evacuate the area!" Blossom shouted, with one eye on the monster, and another eye on the fleeing refugees.
Brick scanned the nearby buildings to see if there were any people left inside. He spied a few hold-outs huddling inside closets. He quickly flew and picked them out, some against their will, and dumped them in the middle of the mass of humanity in the streets.
"All of them here, Blossom?" Brick asked.
The pink puff nodded, knowing what to do. She drove them through the streets, away from the path of the monster.
After the civilians were driven sufficiently away, the reds scanned the area where the monster's path would most likely be. They picked up a few stragglers and brought them to safety, flying through the projected path until they reached the suburbs nearest to the sea.
"People of Townsville, I am afraid that you must evacuate this area. The monster attacking the city will pass through here if we can't stop it. Please, for your own safety, leave the area," Blossom pleaded.
The people standing on the street looked at them. "The monster is coming? Aren't you gonna stop them?"
"We will. But just to be safe, leave now, okay?" Blossom replied.
The people filed into the streets and walked away in an orderly manner. It had happened so many times that they were used to it.
"Let's do a spot check to see if there's anyone hiding," Brick ordered.
"Will do," she said, as Brick checked the left houses on the left side of street, and Blossom, the right side.
Brick went to a particular house, entered, looked around, and found what he was looking for. He left it there, and joined his counterpart. "No stragglers here."
"Same here," Blossom reported. "Found it?"
"Yeah."
They were interrupted by the roar of the monster walking towards them. Butch and Buttercup were still fighting it furiously. Butch gave a punch to the head, seemingly with no effect. Buttercup used her laser eyes on the monster, but it merely tickled it.
"Damn it! Nothing's working!" Butch angrily shouted.
Blossom and Brick looked at each other and nodded.
The pink puff flew high in the sky, and then dove to the monster. She hit him in the side of the head, catching it by surprise since it was focused on Buttercup and Butch. It gave a deafening roar as it was sent off balance and crashed through some of the houses. It got up, and it looked at Blossom. It attacked her, using its claws, but she avoided it.
Brick looked at the houses destroyed. The one he just entered was utterly wrecked, all the possessions scattered on the streets. He scanned the area. He saw it. Perfect. The destruction would give perfect cover for its loss. He took a plastic bag from his pocket, and put the item in it.
Just then, two blue streaks joined them. "Okay, you did it? Just as we planned?"
"Mission accomplished, boss!" Boomer proudly stated.
"It came off without a hitch," Bubbles added.
The red ruff smiled. "Let's finish this," he said, and Brick and the blues joined in the attack.
The arrival of the blues seemed to have weakened the monster. A kick by Bubbles to it's head snapped it backward. It swung it's tail against the blue puff, but Buttercup caught it, and lifted the monster high in the air. With the green puff suspending the helpless monster in the air, the other five hovered around him, and at a signal, simultaneously hit it with laser eyes. The monster screamed in agony.
The green puff then spun the monster in the air and threw it towards the main city. Luckily, Butch was there in time and caught it, then spun it upwards to the air, where Boomer was waiting. The blond ruff created an energy bat, and hit the monster in the back, giving it much pain. More screams filled the air.
Blossom caught the monster as it fell to avoid crushing more buildings below. She flew towards the sea, carrying the monster, and threw it to the waters. Bubbles then went to it, and gave a sonic scream, forcing it to retreat to Monster Island.
"Oh yeah! We won! We won!" Boomer said, swinging his bat around in an impromptu celebration. "Did ya do it, Brick?"
"I did," said the leader.
"I really hope you know what you're doing," Blossom stated as she looked at the disappearing form of the retreating monster. "That was billions of dollars of property damage."
"I know. But I'm sure no one died," the red eyed leader commented. "Townsville Insurance will cover it, I believe."
"So what now, bro?" asked Butch.
"We wait. We wait and see," the red haired ruff said before the six flew home to Townsville. "So far, everything came off without a hitch. Hopefully, the rest would follow."
F. TV News
Later…
Stanley Whitfield here for TNN. A monster, a giant lizard, attacked Townsville earlier this day. Among the damaged structures was Townsville Prison. It tore through it's walls allowing the criminals to escape. Luckily, Bubbles of the Powerpuff Girls and Boomer of the Rowdyruff Boys were able to catch most of the escapees. Except for John Turner and three of his men. They were busted earlier this month by Powerpuff Girl Blossom while robbing F.F.F. Jewelry Shop. Police are now on a manhunt for those four crooks.
"We would like to thank the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys for catching most the crooks. It would have taken a long long time to catch all of them, but thanks to them, the day is saved," Chief Kaczinsci stated. "Right now, the police are doing clean-up duty. We are also conducting a manhunt of Turner and his gang. It is unfortunate that they were able to evade our heroes, but we'll get them."
Brick looked at Boomer, who had a smirk as they watched the news in their home.
"Told you Bubbles and I would get the job done right," the blue ruff proudly stated.
Dr Edwards looked at them. "I hope your plans work out, Brick, or it would be really bad."
"Don't worry Dad," Brick said as he relaxed on the couch. "We thought of everything."
The monster tore through the city, and into the suburbs, wrecking many commercial buildings and leaving many residential homes in ruin. Luckily for the owners, Townsville Insurance will pay the owners for the damage.
The good news is that there are no casualties. Nobody died during this monster attack, thanks to the efforts of Blossom and Brick, leaders of the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys, to evacuate the city and to keep them from harm.
"Thank you, Ruff Puff Alliance," a woman called Mrs Lesnar said on TV. "You saved me my children's lives."
"Yeah," a man called Cal Burnell agreed. "I would've lost my family if it weren't for Blossom and Brick evacuating us."
"Faynk you, Fufferfuff Gulls, Ruddyrup Boys," a toddler called Pete Burnell, son of Cal, said on the news.
And there you have it, folks. Ordinary residents saved thanks to the actions of the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. Long live the Ruff Puff Alliance.
And now here are our heroes. Here is the current leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance.
"People of Townsville, you are safe. We have defeated the Monster! Blossom's plans once again, saved the day," Brick said to the people after the fight.
The people cheered.
And here is the second-in-command.
"Thank you. I'm glad that no one was hurt. And I'd like to say that we would do anything to keep Townsville safe," Blossom added.
The phone rang. "Brick," Dr Edwards stated.
"On it," he said as he picked up the landline.
"Hello."
"Brick."
"Yeah, Bloss."
"Did you watch the news?"
"I did."
"Why did you say it was my plan? It was yours!"
"It's still part of restoring your reputation."
"Well, there were no casualties. Congratulations. Your plan is off to a great start."
"Don't congratulate me yet. We haven't caught him yet."
"You think he'll take the bait?"
"I'm counting on it," he stated. "Otherwise, it will be all for nothing."
Meanwhile…
"Lieutenant, we've got some good news," a police officer said in the office of John Sanchez.
"What is it?" the police detective asked.
"We found it."
"Found what?"
"The beard."
"The what?"
"You know, the one that you assigned to us as a favor to the Ruff Puff Alliance."
"Oh yeah. So where did you find it?"
"We were cleaning up the debris from the monster attack in the suburbs, and it was lying on the asphalt. It looked like it was the false beard they were looking for."
"Put it in the lab. We'll have it DNA tested in a few days," the lieutenant instructed. "And don't tell anyone, okay? We don't want Mr Watts to find out that his beard is in police custody."
"Will do," the police officer stated before leaving.
The police detective grabbed his landline and called.
"Hello."
"Dr Edwards, could I speak to your son Brick, please."
"Okay. Brick! It's for you."
"Hello."
"Brick?"
"Hello Lieutenant!"
"I've got some good news. We found it. We found the beard."
"Really? I thought it was very difficult to find."
"Looks like the monster attack shook it from it's hiding place," said the lieutenant. "It was found in the suburbs where the monster destroyed some houses."
"That's great!"
"Yeah. We'll be having DNA tests in a few days to determine who it belongs to. We'd do it sooner but the monster damaged our equipment."
"Good. I'm sure the DNA test would tell us who really killed Mrs Carmichael," Brick said.
G. Two Million
The next day, April 17, Wednesday…
The man known as Bill Watts to others stared at his ringing cell phone. He debated whether or not to answer it. The cellphone was cheap and disposable, but infinitely useful for jobs. The number was unfamiliar, but he suspected who it was. He pressed the button.
"Hello," he began.
"Watts."
"Turner."
"Where's the money?"
"How much again?"
"Four million. You promised us five. But we only got the one million down payment because that Powerpuff showed up and we got thrown in the slammer. But thanks to big lizard wrecking it, we're free."
"Don't worry. You'll get your money."
"We'd better. See you at the usual place tonight, at about eleven."
"I'll be there."
He scowled. He really was not expecting to pay them their money. They were in jail. But certain powerpuffs and rowdyruffs did not do their duty by failing catching them during the monster attack! He had two million that he recently received from Princess, but the other two million he already spent.
And his beard, his false beard, was at the police station. His friends in the police station told him that the false beard was already in the police lab, ready to be tested. They're just waiting for the equipment to be running before they could begin. If they find skin particles on that beard, his secret identity would be toast.
He thought his false beard was safe. Too bad he did not account for his house being wrecked by a monster and his beard being scattered on the streets, and police officers on the lookout for it stumbling upon it. He needed to get it back.
He bought an identical false beard, one that is guaranteed to have no DNA of him, and that night, drove to the police laboratory. He got his special key. He went out of his car, used his special key to access the lab while the guards were asleep, switched the beards, and got out of there as fast as possible.
He did it all in ten minutes.
He smirked. It went according the plan. He checked the back of his car. The money was still there in the suitcase.
He went to a very old dilapidated apartment near the edge of town. He got the beard, wore it, and put on black shades. He took the suitcase, and opened it.
Money. All two million dollars from Princess Morebucks. He was very sorry to part from them, but he really needed to buy off Turner and his gang.
Of course he promised them four million, but that could be negotiated.
He stepped out of his car, and entered the apartment building. He went to the elevator, and went to the top floor. He proceeded to the stairs leading to the roof.
"You're late," John Turner stated with his three men standing behind him.
"So what if I am?" Bill Watts replied.
"You got the money?"
"I do."
"Four million?"
"Two."
"We said four million, Watts!"
"I've got two here right now. I may or may not give you the other two. Let's talk about it," replied Watts.
"What's there to talk about?"
"The date when will I give you the rest."
"Why not fcking right now?"
"I don't have it. And if you do anything wrong, you'll never have it."
"Fck you! You should give us ten with what we had to endure in the slammer!" Turner barked.
"The money you received is more than what you've earned for the rest of your life. Keep things in perspective, Turner."
"I guess you're right. But you made promises. We were given the impression that you are a man of your word!"
"I am. But I never said when. Look, I'll give you two million now, and I'll give the other two million on some other date we could agree upon. Deal?"
"Deal."
Mr Watts approached Mr Turner and gave him the briefcase. Turner took it, opened it, whistled, and closed it.
"Nice dealing with you, Mr Watts."
"Don't fck with me, Turner," Watts said as Turner gave the briefcase to one of the men behind him.
Suddenly, a bright red light illuminated the entire roof. The five men looked to the sky and there was a big red ball floating in the air. Then another ball of light, pink in color, joined the red ball in lighting up the sky.
The men looked horrified as six teenagers, three boys and three girls, surrounded them. Then the door to the stairs opened, and police officers emerged, surrounding the five men.
"It's the end of the line, Mr Watts," Brick said, wearing a red coat, over a suit with a red tie and a red hat. "I've got the entire thing on tape."
"Hello Mr Watts. Nice to meet you," Blossom stated. "Mr Watts, or should I say your true name? Oh yes. Boomer, Butch, Bubbles, Buttercup, officers let me introduce you to the killer of Mrs Carmichael."
Blossom, wearing a white shirt, pink sweatshirt, and pink knee length skirt, looked at her audience, gave a curtsy, and smiled. She then revealed his true identity.
End of chapter 14
[1] See my fic, "Allies and Rivals" specifically chapter 15.
[2] See the episode "Boy Toys"
And there you have it.
Who is Mr Watts? The evidence that Blossom uses is already given in this tale or in the Powerpuff Girls series. It's just a matter of piecing it together. All the evidence would be connected. In fact, you could guess the killer's identity during the last chapter. However, not all clues are necessary to pinpoint the killer's identity. The other evidence could be misleading and may lead the readers astray.
Anybody wants to try to tell me who you think killed the old lady and to give your reasoning?
Author's Notes
I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed me. Yes, I am back, and I am touched that you still follow this tale even after a three year hiatus. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and also enjoyed this one.
To Guest, "Thank you finally updating after all these years I love your story and I really hope you continue with it."
You're welcome. Thank you for reading my story, and I will continue it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To GoingQwazy, "Yay update
This is getting really intense. I honestly didn't expect the Mike Believe thing. And I thought that Bubbles was right and Princess had nothing to do with it.
Update soon :D"
Neither did any of the puffs and ruffs believe the Mike Believe thing. It was really shocking and unexpected. I mean, Princess and Mike Believe? Who would've thought?
Bubbles was partially right, in that Princess was innocent of Murder, but she was also complicit in an indirect way.
"Also forgot to add this in my first review, I feel like Blossom is gonna end up like she did in Allies and Rivals II during the election, where she's so confident in herself that she basically ignores her sisters and whatnot. History repeats itself eh?
Posting this on Chapter 11 cuz only one review per chapter."
Yeah, Blossom is getting a bit overconfident and is starting to believe all those propaganda about her. The only difference here is that Brick would support Blossom against her sisters if it comes to that, since Blossom and Brick had a very convenient working leadership arrangement between them.
To Kristiane143, "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT! YOU UPDATED! AFTER ALL THESE OF WAITING, YOU FINALLY UPDATED! I'M SOO HAPPY! AHHHHH! !IUEFDHSjklmq/ansbvdhjskaldgvkxzncinpqw'houefw
Sorry.. I just so happy! Don't go off running off like that! I hope you update soon! Sdhjlffshkdbdfhilu
AHH! I'm so HAPPY!"
Thank you. Yeah, I updated after all these time. I'm glad you're happy, and I hope you like this chapter too! And don't worry, I won't go off running again. And I hope this update is soon enough!
To Guest, "You updated! Thanks."
Yes I did. You're welcome.
To Guest23, "OMG i've been waiting for this story to update for a long time, thanks for updating and im loving that Butch and Buttercup is starting to emotionally interact more with each other keep it up pls 3 (still waiting for brick n blossom to realize they like each other lol)"
You're welcome. It was fun writing the last chapter and this chapter too. And yeah, this chapter has more Butch and Buttercup moments. As for Blossom and Brick, those two are so stubborn, proud, and smart that it would be difficult to see what's right in front of them.
To Guest, "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU FINALLY ! IM SO HAPPY"
Thank you. I'm glad you're happy with my update. Yeah, it was so long, and I'm glad I finally found the time to do this fic.
To Akum, "I waited like forever... ) it's great to have you back."
Thank you. And I'm glad to have an old reviewer of mine back too! Especially from way back in 2005 with the original Allies and Rivals!