Bubbles and Cody are so happy together, and they're obviously going to go to the school dance together. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the idea of that. I'm specifically talking about all of the boys who all have, or had crushes on Bubbles. Seeing Bubbles and Cody together is really making them angry, and they intend on doing something about it. Let's hope Cody can control his inner beast…
Baron And The Beast
It was another day at the school, and the girls were getting excited over one of the school's upcoming events: the school dance. The girls were sitting around a table in the classroom, where no one else was; they were all talking about what they were planning on doing for the dance, or how they were going to enjoy it to the fullest.
"I haven't found the perfect outfit for the dance quite yet," Blossom said. "And I really want to impress Luke with my choice of wardrobe."
"I'm just excited for a nice night between Ricardo and I," Buttercup said. "I don't need anything fancy; I wore a dress once, and I am not doing it again!"
"I wouldn't say that…" Bridgette said, as her body language said that Buttercup was contradicting herself somewhat.
"Oh, right. That…" Buttercup said, as she caught on to Bridgette's meaning: her PowerPuff Girl Z uniform.
"Either way, I'm excited," Bubbles said. "I know just what to wear for the dance; it's going to be just perfect!"
"You're the fashion queen of this quartet," Blossom said. "I'm sure whatever you pick out will be great!"
"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles said. "What about you, Bridgette?"
"So long as Josh shows up looking decent and formal for this date, I'm sure whatever I wear will fit his tastes." Bridgette said, with a shrug.
"I can't wait to show off my outfit to the one I love," Bubbles said, as she grew a romantic smile on her lips, and her eyes were glazed over, thinking about Cody. "I know he'll love it."
"I'm sure he will." Blossom said, in agreement.
Meanwhile, the boys were also talking about the upcoming dance and how they had plans to impress the girls.
"I'm just going with a standard tuxedo with cologne and getting a corsage for Blossom," Luke said. "Nothing too fancy; after all, tuxedos as a whole are pretty cut and dry."
Luke was looking through pictures of tuxedos on his iPad that he had brought from home. He was trying to look for something in his size and in the right color.
"I've already gotten something in mind for my wardrobe," Ricardo said, a little smugly. "I plan on charming Buttercup with a silver tux and a cologne that's going to paralyze her into a love-struck daze!"
"I think that's an exaggeration…" Luke said, with a sheepish smile and a sweat drop. "Besides, you know she isn't the type of girl to swoon over something like that."
"Hahahaha…" Ricardo said, albeit with confidence in his plan to win over Buttercup.
Meanwhile, Josh was banging his head against the wall in what seemed to be a mix of emotions and it seemed he was freaking out about something.
"Yo, Josh," Ricardo said, pulling Josh away from the wall. "What's gotten you all riled up?"
"The dance, that's what!" Josh said, as he was holding on to his head in what seemed to be anxiety.
"What is it about the dance that you're so worried about?" Luke asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"I've never been to a formal event like this, guys," Josh explained. "Yes, formal restaurants, but my dad never let me come to fancy gala events and such because it was usually business-related and he knew I'd be bored without my peers; not to mention no kid-friendly foods."
"I can see where that might be a problem." Ricardo said.
"Worse still, this is a formal event where I'm going with the love of my life," Josh said. "Since I've never been in a situation like this, I'm going to make a fool of myself…"
"Don't say that," Luke said, patting Josh on the shoulder. "We can help you."
"Are you sure?" Josh said, with a sweat drop; he was skeptical.
"We're positive." Ricardo said.
"But now that I think of it, where's Cody?" Josh asked, changing the subject.
Luke and Ricardo soon noticed that Josh was right: Cody was not in their company at the moment.
Meanwhile, the girls were walking to Bubbles' locker; they were just talking about what they were planning on doing with their boyfriends during the dance.
They came to Bubbles' locker, and soon, Bubbles started to unlock the lock on her locker; she was paying close attention to the combination, when…
Bridgette's sixth sense kicked in; she got a shudder down her spine that went back up her spine, she shivered, and hugged her arms.
"What's the matter, Bridgette?" Buttercup asked, as she tried to help Bridgette calm down from her sixth sense.
"I think Bubbles is in for a surprise, but I doubt that it's a happy one…" Bridgette said.
As if on cue, Bubbles opened her locker and an avalanche of love letters and gift boxes fell out of her locker, and covered Bubbles.
"Bubbles!" Blossom said, as she came over to help Bubbles get out of the pile of letters.
"See what I mean?" Bridgette asked, as she managed to get herself steady.
"You okay, Bubbles?" Blossom asked, as she dug Bubbles out of the letter pile.
"I'm fine," Bubbles said. "Just another, typical day at my locker."
"Look at all of that," Buttercup said. "Looks like Cody has some competition."
"What are you talking about?" Blossom asked, as Bubbles stepped out of the pile of letters and boxes. "Bubbles doesn't even know any of these other guys; I highly doubt Cody will have any other competitors for Bubbles."
Cody, meanwhile, was walking through the halls of the school, carrying a nice, bouquet of red roses for Bubbles. He had a smile on his lips, eager to ask Bubbles to the dance; he knew what her answer would be, but he decided not to assume things and ask her, just in case.
"Yeah, I placed a letter in Bubbles' locker," A boy said; Cody, hearing this, turned his head to see a few boys at their lockers, talking. "It's an invitation to the dance; I hope she says yes."
"Hey, I did, too," Another boy said. "So, no hard feelings no matter who she picks for her date, right?"
"Right." The first boy said, as he and his friend shook hands.
"I don't know," A third boy said, with a tone of cockiness in his voice. "I've been stepping up my game to win over the girl; looks like I have some competition, though."
"Who?" The first boy asked.
"Some kid in her class named… Cole? Or was it Colby?" The third boy asked. "No matter; whatever this guy's name is, I'm sure Bubbles will make the wise choice and go to the dance with me."
'Those pigs…' Cody said, growing angry. 'Thinking that Bubbles will chose them over me because it's 'the wise choice'. What time period are they from? The 16th century?'
Cody's dark aura was flaring around him, slightly. However, it was very subtle, but it was enough for Cody to notice it. Cody grew nervous, and he soon saw that his fingernails were growing longer and sharper.
'Oh, crap! Not again! Cody, calm down, calm down… JUST. COOL. IT.' Cody thought, as he started to take deep breaths.
Soon, the process was being reversed; his fingernails went back to normal and Cody's aura dissipated. Cody then sighed in relief, and he soon grew a smile back on his face.
He went on his way, and soon found Bubbles; she was still at her locker, and her friends were helping her clean up all of the letters and gift boxes she got out of her locker.
The boys from earlier found their way to Bubbles, and they soon decided to stand by and see which of them she chose as her date for the dance.
They noticed Cody with his flowers approaching Bubbles, and they got on the defensive; they chose to watch what was about to happen.
"Hey, Bubbles!" Cody said, as he trotted over to Bubbles' side.
"Cody!" Bubbles said, as she stopped sweeping, and turned to her boyfriend.
"I think I already know the answer to this, but…" Cody asked, a blush on his face.
"Yes…?" Bubbles asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Wait… Isn't that the kid in Bubbles' class that she's always hanging around?" The first of the three boys asked.
"Yeah, it is," The second boy said. "But what is he trying to pull?"
Cody handed Bubbles the flowers, and he asked Bubbles, "Bubbles, will you be my date for the school dance?"
Bubbles' eyes started to shine even more; she took the flowers, and she smiled, happy that she got a romantic moment with Cody.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Bubbles said, as she leaped into Cody's arms, and she started giving him lots of kisses on the cheek.
Cody blushed and chuckled as Bubbles smothered him in kisses; he really did not mind at all. As a matter of fact, he liked it.
Seeing this, the boys grew angry at the scene; they were not very happy that Bubbles chose Cody over one of them.
"I don't believe it!" The first of the boys said. "She chose HIM over one of us?!"
"What does that guy have that we don't?!" The second of the boys said.
"I don't know, but what I do know is that Bubbles is smart enough not to go for a guy like him! Maybe the direct approach is what she prefers." The third of the boys said.
"We were a little more passive, weren't we?" The second of the boys said, as they were still in surprise at Bubbles choosing Cody as her date for the dance.
"That's so cute," Blossom said. "Look at those two! Isn't that sweet?"
"What do you expect? Those two have been in love for years," Buttercup said, with an indifferent shrug. "It's only natural that Bubbles and Cody would go to the dance together; he's been her boyfriend for a while."
"What?!" The third of the boys shouted, but the second boy slapped his hand of the third boy's mouth.
"So those two have been dating for a long time?!" The first of the boys said. "If that's the case, she probably didn't even look at any of the letters!"
"We'll show him!" The first of the boys said. "And I have an idea; follow me."
The three boys then left the scene, while Bubbles and Cody were still hugging each other.
Back with Luke, Ricardo, and Josh, the latter two were trying to console Josh about what he thought would be a failure at the school dance.
"Josh, would you cool it?" Ricardo asked. "Giving yourself a concussion won't help, and neither will damaging your brain cells."
"How can I 'cool it', Ricardo?!" Josh asked, as he shook his silver-eyed friend's shoulders. "This is a formal date with the pink-eyed, chocolate-haired Goddess that's my girlfriend! If I don't do something, I could make a fool of myself in more ways than one!"
"That's why you need to relax," Luke said. "Because we're going to be there to help you out."
"You mean it?" Josh said, hope in his eyes.
"We promise it." Luke said, with a smile and a nod.
"Hey, guys," Cody said, as he approached his friends, with a smitten smile on his face, a blush in his cheeks, and drooped eyelids. "What's up?"
"Josh is just freaking out about the dance; he doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of Bridgette." Ricardo said.
"Well, I just got a date with Bubbles for the dance," Cody said. "As far as I can tell, everything is coming up roses for the two of us. Let's hope it stays that way, too."
"I think I remember Blossom telling me that whenever you experience negative emotions, your… *ahem* condition acts up, so you have to be calm, happy, or otherwise in a positive mood," Ricardo said. "So let's just hope nothing scares you or gets you angry in the future. We don't want to have to get the epinephrine pen out."
The eight teenagers decided to create a code in public. They created this strategy so they could talk about Cody's Black Z Rays or something else related to the PowerPuff Girls Z without giving anything away. The group used 'condition' to refer to Cody's Black Z Rays and his history with them, and the word 'epinephrine pen' was used to refer to either the transformation beam at the lab or the "Bubble Freedom" trick Bubbles used to change Cody back to normal.
"Changing the subject," Josh said, interrupting. "We've got a bigger problem: ME! I need help!"
"What is that you need help with?" Cody asked.
"Everything…" Josh said. "The clothes, the shoes, the flowers, EVERYTHING needs to be perfect if I'm going to ask Bridgette out to the dance and go with her without making an idiot out of myself!"
"You're going to make an idiot out of yourself if you keep working yourself up and getting all nervous about this," Luke said. "So try to calm down; we'll do what we can to help."
"How about this," Cody suggested. "Why don't we all meet up at a tux rental store after school and help Josh get the right outfit for the dance?"
"Sounds like a plan." Ricardo said, before giving Cody a fist-bump.
However, back at Cody's locker, the three boys from earlier stuck a note onto Cody's locker.
"Did you put it there?" The boys' leader asked.
"Sure did," The first boy said, as he came back to his friends. "If that note doesn't make him back off, then I don't know what will."
"Whatever, so long as one of us becomes Bubbles' date for the school dance," The second of the boys said. "It won't matter; he'll take the hint."
"I'm not sure," The first boy said. "He's got some pretty powerful friends…"
"Luke Armstrong has nothing to do with this!" The boys' leader said. "He's got Blossom; he doesn't need to get involved with our problems."
"I'm still being skeptical about this." The second of the boys said, as he agreed with his friend.
"See you guys later," Cody said, as he was coming down the hallway; he had broke away from Luke and the others. "Now to plan out what else to do for the dance…"
Cody saw the note on his locker; he took it, and seeing what it said, he swallowed a lump in his throat, as he was afraid.
'Back off from Bubbles' was what the note said.
Cody started to breath a little heavily, and he had a cold sweat start; Cody tried to calm down by trying to convince himself that he was being pranked.
'O-Okay, Cody, calm down! This is most likely just a prank… I hope.' Cody thought.
His anxiety started to trigger his Black Z Rays; he looked at the hand that was holding the note, and he saw a dark aura flaring around it. His fingernails started growing into claws again; Cody's eyes widened and his face paled in mild fair.
"I think he's cluing in…" The boys' leader said, as he started to smirk with an evil glint in his eyes.
However, what scared Cody was not the note, but the fact his Black Z Rays were being triggered again.
'Cool it… Cool it… COOL IT! CALM DOWN, CODY! YOU. CAN. HOLD. IT. BACK!' Cody thought, trying to calm himself down. He started to take deep breaths.
His sweating stopped, and his aura died down, while his fingernails turned back to normal. Looking at the letter again, Cody rolled his eyes, crumbled it up, and threw it into the recycling bin as if it were a basketball hoop.
He started walking to his next class, but in the back of his mind, he knew to be careful, because he was aware that a few people were not happy about his romance with Bubbles.
"I don't believe it! He brushes it off like it's nothing!" The boys' leader said. "I guess we're just going to have to make things even scarier for him."
"How?" The second of the boys asked.
"You know how the schools provide students with the names and phone numbers of every student in school? We just find Cody's cell phone number and we use that." The leader asked.
"I'm not sure about this…" The third boy said. "He might not think anything of this and just ignore it again."
"We'll keep hammering him," The leader said. "Until he gives in."
Later that afternoon, the boys were at a tuxedo rental store not only to help Josh pick the right tuxedo for the dance, but also for them, too.
"How about this one?" Ricardo asked, as he pulled out a metallic-silver tuxedo for himself, complete with a matching bow tie.
"Nice," Luke said. "That's a perfect match for your hair and eyes."
"Thanks," Ricardo said, as he put the tux over his shoulder. "How about you? Just the standard black tuxedo for you?"
"Hit the nail on the head," Luke said, as he pulled out a black tuxedo and matching bowtie. "I can't find anything else in my size, so this is my only choice."
"No… No… NO!" Josh said, as he was tearing through yellow tuxes at another rack.
He threw tuxes over his shoulder, and he was in a panic to find the right suit for the dance.
"Whoa, Josh, calm down," Luke said, as he and Ricardo came over to Josh to help him. "It's just a tuxedo you're renting; no need to get all worked up."
"How can I keep cool?" Josh said. "Bridgette is depending on a guy who will…"
"Just be himself?" Luke asked, crossing his arms.
"R-Really?" Josh said.
"Wasn't that how you won over Bridgette? By being who you are and showing her you really care about her?" Ricardo inquired.
"You're right…" Josh said. "But this is something else… All of the yellow tuxes in here are just… Well…"
"Gaudy? Busy? Cheesy?" Ricardo asked, trying to find the right word.
"I was going to say over-the-top, but those work, too." Josh said.
"How about this?" Luke suggested; he took out a yellow tuxedo with black lapels, a yellow bowtie, and white shirt.
"That… Looks… DAPPER!" Josh shouted, as he snatched the suit and ran into the dressing room.
"That's a confidence booster for Josh, isn't it?" Ricardo asked, with a smile and a chuckle.
"It is," Luke said. "Hey, where's Cody?"
"He's looking at the blue tuxedoes." Ricardo said, thumb-jerking behind him.
Outside of the store, the three boys who had it in for Cody were hiding and they had gotten Cody's number for his cell phone.
"Ready?" The boys' leader said.
"I'm ready." The second of the boys said; he took out his cell phone, typed something into the phone and then pressed one more button. There was a ringing noise and then the boys smirked.
Back inside the store, Cody was looking through some dark blue tuxedos, hoping to find one to match Bubbles' dress, but soon, his cell phone started to ring.
Cody took out his phone, and looked at the caller ID one his phone. He cocked an eyebrow, and he thought, 'I don't recognize this number…'
He opened the text, and it said, 'We're warning you; back off of Bubbles.'
Cody started to break into another cold sweat. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and he started to shake and shiver a bit.
'Not another one of these… What is happening?! What do they want?!' Cody thought, feeling a little scared.
Once again, his fingernails started to grow, and they got longer and sharper, too; Cody flinched at the sight of this. He quickly slipped on his emergency gloves. He kept these gloves in reserve in case his fingernails were to grow into claws.
Cody was still panting a little bit, as he was still a little freaked out.
"That was close…" Cody said, quietly.
The boys were watching from outside, but they were curious as to why Cody put on gloves while he reacted.
"That was weird," The third of the boys said. "All Cody did was put on gloves; he seemed scared, but…"
Cody started to breath deeply as he tried to calm down and reverse the transformation before it was too late. However, he felt something move around in his mouth.
'Crap… What now?!' Cody thought, as he took a compact mirror out. He opened it up, and opened his mouth, only to see his canine teeth becoming longer and sharper. 'Oh, NO! This is worse than last time!'
Cody took some deep breaths and his sweating stopped. His teeth receded back to normal and Cody sighed in relief.
Cody saw a tuxedo that he liked a lot; he took it out and he examined it. It was a pretty obvious blue color with a white shirt and matching bow tie.
"Okay… Okay…" Cody said, as he was still a little tense.
Luke took notice of Cody's body language, which told him that Cody was nervous about something.
"Cody… Are you okay?" Luke asked.
"Oh, I'm fine," Cody said, as he made a dash for the changing room. "Just fine. Fine, fine, fine!"
Luke and Ricardo looked at each other, and Ricardo said, "Cody's not okay, is he?"
Luke shook his head and he said, "No, he isn't."
Luke and Ricardo came to the door of the dressing room Cody ran into. Luke knocked on the door and he asked, "Cody, are you sure that you're okay in there?"
Cody opened the door, and he looked at his friends with a facial expression that had a combination of sadness and worry.
"No, I'm not…" Cody said, as he stepped out. "Look at this text."
Ricardo and Luke read the text and Ricardo said, "Looks like someone has it in for you."
"Or has their eyes on your girl." Luke said.
"Hey, guys," Josh said, as he came out of the changing room, in his yellow tuxedo. "What do you think?"
"Not now, Josh, we've got a problem," Ricardo said, as he turned around to Josh, ignoring that Josh was looking good in his tux. "Someone's not too happy with Cody."
"Pardon?!" Josh said, now completely focused on Cody's problem.
"They're demanding that he back off from Bubbles." Luke explained.
"And I don't know what to do about it," Cody admitted. "This is the second message I've gotten from these people, but they all say the same thing: 'Back off from Bubbles'."
"These guys have a lot of nerve, trying to come on to your girl like that!" Ricardo said, getting angry.
"The question is, what should I do?" Cody said, sighing sadly. "I can't just break off the date; I was the one who asked, too…"
"I can't help there," Josh said. "I'm a rookie with social skills."
"Maybe I should just ignore it," Cody said. "If I just pretend the problem isn't there, the issue just might sort itself out."
"Cody…" Luke began.
"Yeah, that's the answer," Cody said, trying to rationalize the issue. "If I let it bother me, then the problem will still be there, but if I don't let it get to me…"
"CODY!" Luke shouted, causing Cody to flinch. "You can't just pretend that there isn't anyone out to get you! That's the same as running away from the problem. If you do that, that makes you nothing less than a COWARD."
Cody's eyes widened as the word 'coward' kept replaying through his head; Cody looked down, mulling it over, and he sighed sadly.
"Luke, I think that might have been a bit much…" Ricardo said.
"I'm only telling it like it is." Luke said, turning to Ricardo.
Cody did not really say anything; he just went to the register and paid for his tuxedo before leaving the store. The look on his face stayed the same as he kept walking home.
"Hey, he didn't take the hint!" The boys' leader said. "What's going to convince him to leave Bubbles alone?!"
"I don't know…" The second of the boys said.
'Coward… Coward… Coward…' The word kept repeating itself in Cody's mind, as he was walking home from the store.
For the next few hours, Cody had the word 'coward' replay in his mind constantly, as if it were haunting him. He really did not know what was coming over him, or what was happening to him.
The next day at school, Cody found yet another letter on his locker door. This time it said, 'We're not kidding around. Back off from Bubbles.'
Cody once again felt himself becoming scared. This time, his fingernails and his fangs came out at once, and he felt his chest rearranging itself to become the more muscular version of his chest that he had when he was a monster.
'CRAP!' Cody thought, as he started to take deep breaths while saying a montra that he had made for himself.
"Bubbles… Bubbles… Bubbles… Bubbles…" Cody said, as he calmed himself down, and reversed the effects of his change again.
"Yes, Cody?" Bubbles said, from out of nowhere.
Cody jumped in surprise, as he ended up dropping the note on the floor, in front of Bubbles' feet.
"Oh, Bubbles, I didn't see you there," Cody said, as he breathed a sigh of relief. "What's up?"
"I'm just excited for the dance," Bubbles said. "I can't wait!"
"N-Neither can I…" Cody said, nervous. He had a look on his face that said 'I'm so nervous'.
Bubbles picked up on this, and she asked, "Cody, is everything okay?"
"Um, yes, everything is peachy-keen…" Cody said, as he scrambled to get his books, and he dashed off to class.
'Is Luke right? Am I really just being a coward by ignoring this?' Cody thought, as he kept running through the halls to go to his next classroom.
Bubbles saw the note on the ground; she picked it up, and when she read what was written, she gasped, and she said, "Oh, no…"
Bridgette, Buttercup, and Blossom were talking about their plans for the dance, when Bubbles dashed inside the room, shouting, "Girls, we have a problem!"
"Bubbles, what's the matter?" Buttercup asked. "Fashion disaster?"
"No! It's Cody! Look at this," Bubbles said, as she showed the girls the note she picked up. "Someone's been threatening Cody to leave me alone!"
"What?!" "No way!" "I was afraid of this…"
"I think we should go and track down the hooligans who are doing this to Cody!" Blossom said, as she started for the door.
"I'm with you, Blossom," Buttercup said, as she also started for the door. "Coming, Bubbles?"
"Of course I am!" Bubbles said. "I can't sit by and let Cody get hurt!"
"Stop," Bridgette said, getting her friends' attention. "We shouldn't intercede like this."
"What?! Why not?!" Blossom asked. "Cody's going to get hurt if we don't help him!"
"He can't just ignore this problem, and we can't just solve it for him." Bridgette said.
"But isn't it okay to rely on friends when you need it?" Buttercup asked.
"Yes, but this is Cody's problem. Bubbles was just caught in the crossfire because the perpetrators are probably fans of hers. While you are right in saying that there are times where asking for help is okay, think of it like this: this is a chance for Cody to prove to us and himself that he isn't a coward." Bridgette elaborated.
"That makes sense when you put it like that…" Blossom said.
"You have a point…" Bubbles said.
"Now that I think about it, Bubbles, you did refer to him as a coward when you first told me about him, right?" Blossom stated.
"You're right, now that you mention it…" Bubbles said.
"And let's not forget: when Cody first got his…" Buttercup said, but she looked around to see if anyone was listening in on them; no one was there, but she played it safe, either way. "Condition, he was merely running away from the problem rather than being patient and getting a cure."
"Buttercup's got the right idea," Bridgette said. "This is something Cody needs to work out himself."
A few hours later, Cody was walking home from school. What was on his mind was the words Luke had told him the day before.
"You can't just pretend that there isn't anyone out to get you! That's the same as running away from the problem. If you do that, that makes you nothing less than a COWARD."
'Now that I think about it, I was cowardly when I first turned into that werewolf; it took Bubbles bringing me to my senses to get me to change back. Back then, I was running away from my problems, and if I just run away from this problem, then that's no different from two years ago,' Cody thought, as he tried to clear his thoughts. 'Luke's right; I am a coward… And its time that I face my fears and put a stop to this torment!'
The three boys were hiding around the corner where Cody was walking. They all had toy bats and such to use as implements to beat Cody up.
"He's been warned three times, and all three times, he hasn't taken the hint! We're going to rectify this wrong by teaching him a lesson!" The boys' leader said, as he and his friends were preparing go give Cody a beating.
"Are you sure about this?" The second of the boys inquired. "Even if we do beat him up, I don't think Bubbles will leave him."
"That's why we're trying to make him leave her," The leader elaborated. "Any luck?"
"He's coming," The third of the boys said, informing his leader. "Ready to go?"
"Let's do this." The boys' leader said, as he smirked evilly.
"Okay, Cody, time for you to man up! Just find those guys who are giving you grief." Cody said, as he tried to calm himself down.
"You called?" The leader of the three boys said, as he and his lackeys came up to confront Cody.
"So, you three are the idiots that are after me because you all have eyes for Bubbles?" Cody asked.
"We are," The boys' leader said, as the boys took out their weapons.
The leader had a plastic baseball back; the boy on his right had a tennis racket, and the boy on the right had a paddleball.
Cody swallowed a lump in his throat, but he put on a brave face and said, "Three against one is cowardice."
"Does it really matter?" The boys' leader shouted. "Let's get him, boys!"
Cody knew where this was going; he took a step back, while keeping a straight face on. However, he felt his claws on his hands growing. Without moving his head, he looked at his hands, and saw that the claws were in fact growing. Cody sweat dropped in fear, and he felt his fangs begin to grow.
The first boy hit Cody on the head with his baseball bat, and Cody screamed out in pain a little bit; his fangs grew a little longer, by about a half centimeter.
'Oh, no! I gotta get out of here!' Cody thought, as some of the other boys began pounding him.
Cody did a low sweep kick, knocking the boys back, and he soon made a dash for the laboratory.
"Get him!" The boys' leader shouted, and the three boys took off after Cody.
'I know this is running away, but in this case, I'm not running away from a friend, but I'm running for my own safety!' Cody thought, as he soon felt something else occur in his body.
Cody felt the skin on his chest and stomach twist and move around, as if rearranging itself. Cody swallowed a lump in his throat, and he knew what was happening; his muscles were buffing up as a part of the transformation.
"This is what you get for heckling Bubbles!" The boys' leader shouted.
'Heckling Bubbles?! What is that guy talking about? I'm her boyfriend!' Cody thought, as he turned a corner.
Looking down at his hands, his fingernails turned into the claws he once had, and even the colors were starting to change. Luckily for him, the fur and skin color change had not occurred.
Cody started picking up some speed; he swallowed another lump in his throat, as he knew that part of his werewolf form was enhanced speed, strength, and endurance.
"Since when is he a speedster?" The second of the boys asked.
Cody made his way to the lab, and he threw the door open before slamming it shut behind him. He barricaded the door in fear, as he wanted to hold the boys back.
"Hey! Get out here!" The boys' leader demanded, as he and his friends started banging on the door.
Cody started to catch his breath, and he looked at his hand. He saw that it grew a lot larger in the last few seconds, and his eyes widened in fear. Cody felt something change on his back, specifically near the tailbone, and he turned around to see a large lump growing on his tailbone.
"Oh, crap!" Cody shouted, and he then dashed into the 'hangout' of the lab, where the PowerPuffs would hang out and have fun together.
He slammed the door open and he was breathing heavily, due to the stress his body was under from the slow transformation.
Ricardo, Luke, and Josh jumped in surprise; they turned to Cody, and they saw what was happening.
"Cody, your Black Z Rays…!" Josh was about to shout, but…
"Yes, I know, I KNOW! I need help!" Cody said; his voice became deeper, and he covered his mouth in shock. His hair started turning red, too.
"Someone get the Professor!" Luke shouted; Ricardo stood up and made a dash for the laboratory.
Cody also followed suit, but he told Luke, "Those boys are still out there! They're out to get me because I'm Bubbles' date for the dance…"
Cody started to breath even more heavily as he was starting to grow his tail.
"The Professor isn't here! Not Ken or Poochi, either!" Ricardo shouted.
Cody saw the vial of White Z Rays on the counter, and he said, "Hey, I have an idea…"
"What are you thinking, Cody?" Josh asked, his tone of voice filled with worry.
"If Black Z Rays turned me into that werewolf… Then maybe White Z Rays can get rid of it!" Cody said; he lunged for the vial of white liquid and grabbed it, being careful not to cut into the glass with his nails.
"Cody, NO!" Luke shouted.
Cody doused the White Z Rays onto his chest; he was aiming for his head, but he missed, mainly because he was disoriented from the stress his body was under.
The transformation started to slowly reverse, and Cody started to glow white, and everyone looked at Cody in awe.
"Musical Baron!" Cody declared, as he started his dance.
Cody transformed, amongst a dark blue background with royal blue music notes. Cody showed an open-mouth smile with his teeth showing. He pretended to give himself a hug as he formed a royal blue vest with a dark blue 'P' on one lapel. He shuffled his feet in a rhythmic fashion, forming royal blue pants. Cody adjusted his blue pants, forming a black belt with a royal blue belt buckle with a dark blue 'P' in the middle. Cody did a back spring, forming black, fingerless gloves. Cody then did a round off and formed his black shoes with royal blue trim, and he spun on his heel in a break-dance fashion before posing, pretending to shred on a guitar.
"Nice!" Cody, now Baron, said, as he looked at himself.
He held out his hands, but out of nowhere, an electric guitar appeared in his hands. It was a royal blue electric ax guitar with dark blue trim, and it really did look like an actual ax.
"A guitar, huh?" Luke said, scratching his chin in intrigue. "That makes sense; you did play guitar for the school talent show."
Baron spun the guitar in his right hand, and then a guitar pick appeared in his left hand, and he soon played some music on the guitar; the volume was either up really high, or Baron played very hard, as sonic waves were generated from the guitar, which caused some of the glass to shatter.
"Ow… Now my ears are ringing…" Ricardo complained, after hearing the noise.
"Now to take care of those three jerks who want Bubbles for their own!" Baron said, as he then flew out the door.
Meanwhile, the girls were walking to the lab, to find the boys and talk things out.
Bridgette's sixth sense kicked in, and she shivered, shuddered, and such before saying, "Um, girls, I think we're in for another surprise in a little bit."
"Like what?" Blossom asked.
"Try that!" Buttercup shouted, pointing out the three boys that had been giving Cody grief.
"Those three must be the boys that have been causing Cody problems all week!" Bubbles said, as she saw the boys banging on the doors and their toys.
"Then we'd better give them a piece of our minds!" Blossom said, as she led the girls into a back alley nearby. "Okay, the coast is clear."
"Hyper Blossom!"
Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.
"Rolling Bubbles!"
Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.
"Powered Buttercup!"
Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.
"Feminine Bridgette!"
Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.
She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.
The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.
"PowerPuff Girls Z!"
"Now let's get them!" Blossom shouted.
The girls flew out of the alley, only to see Baron open the door to the lab, and come out; he had his guitar in hand, and a look of determination and confidence in his face.
"Who's that guy?" Buttercup asked.
"First we have Blast, then Blade, and now him?" Blossom asked, as she was also surprised.
"There's something familiar about him…" Bubbles said, as she took a good look at Baron.
"Hey, who are you and where's that Cody kid?" One of the boys demanded.
"He's safe," Baron said. "It's being cowardly to take on a guy three-on-one. So, I'm here to even the odds out."
"What?!" The boys' leader asked, not happy with the situation.
"I knew this would probably happen…" Bridgette said. "But Bubbles is right about one thing: there's something about him that I can't help but recognize."
"The question I have is what does he have for a weapon? Blast has archery, Blade has the buster sword, but what about him?" Buttercup inquired.
"I think we're about to find out; look!" Blossom said, as she pointed at Baron.
Baron held his hand out and his guitar appeared in hand. Ear protection came out of nowhere, as well.
"Hey, let's get a better look," Bubbles asked. "There's just something familiar about him…"
"Let's go." Buttercup said; the four girls then flew out to the scene to get a better look at the situation.
"You think you can take us down with music?" The boys' leader asked.
"I don't think; I know!" Baron said, as his guitar pick appeared in his other hand. "Sonic Shred!"
Baron began playing his guitar very well, which generated sonic waves; sonic booms were created as a result, causing the girls to cover their ears, as did the three boys. Baron did a few dance moves as he played the guitar, and he kept causing sonic booms and waves to be created, but everyone could still hear the music, albeit they did not want to.
"OW! Okay, okay, stop it!" The leader shouted, in pain from the noise.
"Okay," Baron said, as he twirled the guitar in his hand once more. "Axle Guitar Ax!"
The ax design on the guitar literally turned into a real ax; Baron slammed the "blade" onto the ground, causing cracks in the ground; the boys, taking the hint, ran off in fear of falling into a crater or something.
"Ha, that ought to do it." Baron said; he looked up to the sky and saw the girls, mainly Bubbles, and he smiled.
He flew up into the sky, and came face-to-face with Bubbles. His eyes glittered with happiness and love, while Bubbles merely looked at him in confusion.
"Um… Thanks for taking care of those three." Blossom said, trying to get Baron's attention.
Baron merely took Bubbles into his arms and kissed her on the lips, much to the shock of the girls.
Bridgette was about to pummel him, but Blossom and Buttercup held her back.
Baron broke the kiss, still smiling at Bubbles, who was in complete shock.
Bubbles was still in shock, not prepared to say anything, but Baron broke the ice.
"Thank you," Baron said. "If not for you, Bubbles, I would probably still be that werewolf, running around, running away from my sickness, still being a coward."
"Wait a second…" Bridgette said, recognizing Baron's voice, and knowing what he was talking about.
"CODY?!" The four girls shouted.
Baron nodded, and said, "Yep, it's me. I doused myself in White Z Rays as a way to try to counteract the Black Z Rays in me. For some reasons my triggers for my Black Z Rays are anger, fear, negative anxiety, or a combination thereof."
"Wow…" Buttercup said.
Bubbles, realizing who Baron really was, kissed Cody again; the scene's background and the duo's attire immediately transitioned to the school dance.
Bubbles was wearing a baby blue version of the dress Disney's Belle wore during her romantic dance with the Beast, but the other major difference was that she was wearing her hair in its usual pigtails, only with sparkles that was in the hair gel. She was also wearing a blue necklace that Cody had gotten for her.
Cody himself was wearing a suit similar to Prince Adam from Disney's "Beauty And The Beast", only with royal blue trim. His hair was in its usual style.
Cody and Bubbles were dancing together on the dance floor; the three boys that gave Cody grief were standing on the sidelines, all depressed about Cody getting the girl.
"How sweet!" Blossom said, standing on the sidelines.
She was wearing a red dress with a long-sleeved, sweetheart neckline. The fabric was layered to look like a cascade, and it was adorned with clear rhinestones. Her hair was also in its usual style, and she was watching the scene, with sparkling eyes.
Bridgette was at the refreshments table, commenting and critiquing the sweets that were there; Josh was standing next to her, looking at her with loving eyes, and paying more attention to her than to the food. Buttercup was in the bathroom at the time, with Ricardo waiting for her outside.
A purple-gloved hand tapped Blossom's shoulder; Blossom turned around, thinking it was Luke, and she smiled happily. However, her face fell when she saw it was really Dexter.
Dexter's attire really did not change much. The only real difference was that his laboratory coat was replaced with a white tuxedo jacket with black accents, and his jeans were replaced with blue tuxedo pants.
Dexter had his hand out, as if inviting her to dance; he had a smile on his face, trying to be chivalrous.
"Shall we dance, Blossom?" Dexter asked, as he looked at Blossom with a flirtatious smile.
Blossom looked up, and smiled. Dexter's smile grew bigger, and his eyes grew bigger, as he thought he had succeeded in winning over Blossom.
Blossom took a step forward, and she said, "Luke, over here!"
She ran past Dexter, whose glasses merely fell off on one side of his glasses. Randy, also in a tux, with some prankster-style accessories, came up to Dexter, and he said, "I know how you feel, dude."
Blossom ran to Luke, and the two shared a slow dance together.
Dexter and Randy were watching Blossom and Luke dance together, albeit they were jealous.
Cody and Bubbles kissed each other once more, and they were oblivious to everything else at the moment.
Overall, for the pair, it was happily-ever-after.
However, there was another girl, in the bathroom, who was sort of embarrassed about her journey there.
Buttercup, in the bathroom, was looking at herself in the mirror, seeing that she was a feminine belle, albeit she was not so much embarrassed about what she was wearing, but more of how she ended up in the clothing she was in…
FORESHADOWING! I know that this chapter was intense, but now we've got foreshadowing for Buttercup's next round in the spotlight.
Next time…
Buttercup: We're turning back the clock and seeing how I went from tomboy to feminine belle for one night. I know that I hate dresses and such, but… How did I get myself caught up in this?
Bridgette: We'll see how it happened. Besides, it was a formal event anyway; not like you had a choice…
Blossom: We'll look at this from Buttercup's side of the story; sure, Bubbles' situation will be mentioned, but it's mostly going to be about Buttercup.