"Blossom. Will you stop pacing and tell me what's going on? I thought we were supposed to be at peace here, but your pacing is stressing me out." Blossom huffed, throwing her hands in the air. The girls had gotten dressed, but with no plan hadn't left the house. Blossom's mother had poked her head in to check on them and offer food, but neither girl had been hungry. However, moms know everything, so she'd brought some blueberry muffins and juice up to snack on. Buttercup was currently tearing into them, pointing at her friend with muffin in hand.
"We should just take them by surprise and steal Bubbles. In and out. Simple." Blossom ran a hand down her face, thoughtfully chewing on her own muffin.
"But that demonic energy I felt is no joke. So now there's another unknown in the equation. Not to mention the fact that Raiden was doing something to Bubbles before we left. I don't want to take her before knowing what he did to her."
"Ugh that'll take forever! And that's time we don't have. The longer we leave her there, the longer the boys have the advantage. You're probably the most powerful out all of us, so surely you can figure out what he did after we get her back." Blossom bit her lip, weighing their options. Buttercup had a point. They were wasting time trying to come up with a moderately foolproof plan. Their best bet was to strike now.
A sudden explosion shook the modest home. Blossom and Buttercup burst from the room, rushing down the stairs.
"Mom! What's going on?" Her mother stood frozen in front of the television, barely turning to acknowledge her daughter. The girls turned their own gazes to the TV, watching the horror unfold.
"I'm here live at Townville's downtown, where explosions rocked the citizens only moments ago. It appears some sort of unknown monster is causing mayhem in town. Let's hear from our eyes in the sky. Kim?"
"We're here live and as you can see, devastation is ripping through the town. We haven't yet been able to find the party responsible, but we'll keep you- hold on. What's that? Jim are you getting this?!" The camera suddenly panned back to the skies. There, floating like he belonged there, stood Brick. Flames crackled around him. He raised his arms, calling forth more fire that concentrated into a beam. He aimed his palms face down toward the ground, creating flaming paths that burned people and buildings alike. The camera shook as the helicopter recoiled from the shock wave. He suddenly looked straight into the lens, firing blasts in their direction. Shouts came forth as the camera shook and jolted, before presumably being dropped and going blank. Another camera must have still been rolling, because even through the black screen, screams and explosions could be heard.
Blossom grabbed Buttercup, hauling her out the door. They both ignored her mom asking where they were going. Blossom took the skies, with Buttercup following. But Buttercup wobbled in the air as she got used to flying again. They both knew neither were in shape to fight.
"Blossom! What's the plan?!" Blossom simply shook her head, silently descending to the ground. Around them, ash and the pungent stench of death filled the air. Buttercup covered her nose, but Blossom concentrated, trying to search for any signs of life.
"We need to evacuate the people and stop this here."
"How are we supposed to do that? We've only barely got our powers back! I still need time to remember how to call on mine-" Buttercup cut herself off as she shoved Blossom out of the way. Where they had been standing, only a smoking hole remained. Brick landed in front of them, his gaze blank.
"You shouldn't have come." Buttercup felt the hints of her magic coming back to her, but she'd need more time to tap into it. Blossom shifted in front of her, fire magic swirling to surround them both.
"Where's Bubbles?"
"Why does it matter? You sealed her fate when you left her." Blossom ignored the sting in her chest at his words. Her hands covered themselves in flames as her eyes began to glow.
"Buttercup." Buttercup shot to her feet, dread crawling up her spine.
"Blossom, no." Brick launched a flaming wall at them, which Blossom barely managed to fend off. He frowned, crouching down and placing his hands flat on the ground. The ground began heating under his palms, forcing it to sink in on itself. Blossom gasped, placing her own hands on the ground. Except she erected a barrier around them, looking desperately at Buttercup.
"Buttercup!" Buttercup frowned, taking off without a backwards glance.
"This is such a bad idea!" She scanned the skies, but was knocked off balance before she could get her bearings. She looked to the left, and there stood the girl she was looking for. But instead of throwing her arms around her friend, she shifted into a fighting stance, praying that her instincts would get her through this.
"BC! I'm so glad to see you! Riley's been waiting for you." Buttercup scoffed, her body glowing green. Bubbles grinned, shifting into her own stance.
"You always were someone who couldn't be reasoned with." Buttercup grit her teeth as Bubbles flew toward her, her sapphire eyes glowing dangerously. Buttercup threw up her arms, covering herself in stone. Bubbles huffed as the water sliced harmlessly at her friend's body. She grinned as an idea came to her. She summoned enough water to create a perfect sphere, launching it at Buttercup. Buttercup, thinking it would shatter on impact with her body, didn't move out of the way. Instead, the water shattered and reformed around her body, essentially drowning her in the air. Buttercup kicked her feet and clawed at her throat, fighting desperately to take a much needed breath. Bubbles is really trying to kill me! Black dots danced at the edge of her vision, but she'd never been the type to go down without a fight. She reached one hand forward, pointing toward Bubbles. Said girl just continued watching in glee, her guard dropped. Razor sharp thorns shot upward, stabbing Bubbles in her lower leg.
"Ah!" Her water sphere dissipated with her break in concentration. Buttercup coughed, massaging her throat. She twirled her wrist, causing vines to encircle Bubbles. The thorn stayed lodged in her calf. Bubbles struggled in the grip, frowning at this turn of events. Buttercup risked coming closer.
"Bubbles. Don't you know who I am?!" Bubbles's hands shot forward, ignoring the thorns shredding her arms.
"Of course." Buttercup flinched as it felt like her very blood was boiling, flowing backwards in her body. She jerked her hands, removing the vines holding her friend captive.
"What did you do?!" Bubbles smiled innocently, winking at her.
"Blood is water too ya know. Raiden showed me how to do this." Bubbles suddenly interrupted the blood flow to and from Buttercup's heart, causing a heart attack. Buttercup gasped and clutched her chest, falling face first into Bubbles's waiting arms. Bubbles flew off, toward the center of downtown.
"Brick! Can't you fight this?" Blossom panted, her body burned and scarred. Her right arm hung useless at her side, and blood rolled into her left eye. Brick wasn't in much better shape. His right eye was swollen shut, and his clothes had been relatively burned to shreds. But he was still in the better position. Flame shackles encircled her wrists, halting her incantations. Blossom glared as she was led away. Behind them, the city continued to be destroyed by Butch.
