Villain: Redux

By: Yay Ninja Bob


A/N: We are coming to the end of Part II very soon, guys! Just TWO more chapters and this portion of the story will end on Chapter 18!

Hopefully no more than 6-8 weeks to get them each up, but I'll be taking my time with these ones for sure. They will be BIG chapters, so hopefully worth the wait. WISH ME LUCK GUYS, FOR I AM SOMEWHAT AFRAID *chuckles nervously*

Anyways. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Please do leave behind a comment or review and let me know what you think!

Happy Father's Day! :)


Part II: Hate & War

Chapter 16

Terror Part II

Plunging willingly into the pit of blackness was getting a little easier every night. The amount of courage the blue Puff had managed to build over such a short span of time surprised even herself. A younger Bubbles would have never dared to make the astral journey without something to at least guide her in the right direction, but every night she traveled blind. The empty void that was the space between her and her siblings' dreamscapes was a world of complete darkness. She relied on their voices, a familiar smell or something that invoked their nearby presence to lead her out of the void and into one of her siblings' dreams. Blossom was easy to find. Buttercup had always been more difficult to locate, and for the longest time Bubbles imagined the reason was because her sibling slept two rooms away from her whereas Blossom was just next door. But Bubbles had always been used to finding Buttercup eventually, and this had changed.

For the past week, Bubbles devoted every night's rest to trying to find her sibling. Only the blue Puff awoke every morning to disappointment. During the day, Buttercup had shut her out, and now it seemed to be that way even in the dream world they had always shared. While every night's journey led to nowhere, when it came to her family, the blue Puff's determination was unwavering.

Soaring steadfast through the vast blackness it was more apparent than ever that night following Buttercup's latest power surge. The space between them had grown larger. Her sibling was drifting further and further away from her- from Blossom- from their family. What was the reason behind it- Bubbles still did not know- but it was undeniable. She had to find Buttercup. She had to reach her sibling somehow before she was lost for good.

Traveling at super powered high speed, the distance she covered felt never-ending, but suddenly in the pitch black nothingness, Bubbles finally saw something- a faintly glowing green light in the distance. As she flew closer, the faint glow grew to a blinding, massive wall of green, fiery electric light which completely blocked her from going any further. The strange glowing green forcefield hummed with a deep bass that physically rattled her the closer she got.

As threatening as it appeared, this was the first sign of anything out in the void, and Bubbles was convinced that Buttercup had to be just beyond it. Hovering just several feet away from the eerie wall of light, her blonde pigtails stood on edge from the static energy in the air. As she floated closer, a painful zap lashed out from the wall and caused her to jump backward.

"BUTTERCUP!" she cried out, but the surrounding green forcefield's booming energy was too loud. "BUTTERCUP, I'M COMING IN, OK?!" she continued to shout anyway.

Bubbles halted for a moment just outside the wall, wincing from the light and the static energy that continued to boom with power. Burying her fears once more, she took a deep breath and took her plunge.

The pain was excruciating as Bubbles zipped as fast as she could through the static barrier. As she passed through the green electric fire she felt instantly robbed of air, as a sharp, agonizing voltage ran through her entire body. Thankfully, the wall of energy wasn't very thick, and the scorching torment only lasted a brief two seconds. She came through the other side of the forcefield, falling instantly to the cold dirt ground, choking and gasping for air.

The blue Puff trembled from where she lay on her belly, finding herself too weak to even lift her head for several minutes. The pain had been enough to make her cry, and she lay face first in the dirt unable to do anything but silently sob from the aching she felt. The brief agony had been so powerful, she had forgotten momentarily where she was and why she had put herself through something so obviously dangerous. But then a familiar voice spoke up, and she found the strength to lift her head again.

"They're not here right now. Sucks you came all this way, too."

It was Buttercup's voice, but when Bubbles looked up, her baby blue eyes widened as they fell upon a blood-soaked thirteen-year-old who sat with her back towards her.
"...B-Buttercup?" She forced herself onto her feet once more and stood, blinking at what she saw. It looked like Buttercup only... when they were kids... when... the accident happened. Instantly, her baby blue eyes flooded with tears as every painful memory of that day resurfaced. "Buttercup..."

Slowly, the bloody version of her sibling turned her head and looked at Bubbles with her right, white eye, "Hey, Bubs."

The raven haired kid sat cross legged on the ground and as Bubbles drew nearer she saw that an orange tabby cat lay sleeping in her lap. Her bloody, seared hands pet the cat who seemed to purr affectionately, unbothered and unaffected by the glowing green acid that bled from her open wounds.

"Ginger?" Bubbles blinked as she recognized the tabby next.

Thirteen-year-old Buttercup snorted as she let out a short laugh and tickled the feline a bit on her belly, "Yeah, she sure did get fat, didn't she?"

Bubbles stared at the two, not sure what to make of anything. "Buttercup... why... why are you...?"

"What?" the kid blinked back, "Why am I what?"

"You... you're... like you were when... when..." Bubbles couldn't finish. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

"Hey, hey..." Bubbles could hear her sibling's voice speak as she wept uncontrollably. "It's not your fault. Look, I remember. You flew as fast as you could. Bubbles, I know you did. Shit, I don't remember you ever flying so fast before in our lives up until then."

Bubbles only cried harder, remembering the night she had to carry her dying sibling to the hospital to try and save her life.

"Aww, come on," the kid continued to speak as Bubbles kept her head in her hands, unable to face the gruesome memory. "You tried. I know you did. But, well, it was too late, Bubs. It was already too late. There's nothing you coulda done."

"I know, but! But- I just- I just- I-I-I wish that it never happened! If it hadn't then maybe you'd be better today! Maybe you wouldn't be- you wouldn't be-" Bubbles stopped, noticing her sibling's voice was gone. As her own sniffles quieted, she noticed next the sounds of slurping and chewing. Slowly, she looked up towards Buttercup and instantly shrieked from fright at what she saw.

"Maybe I wouldn't be what?" the kid repeated, looking up from the bloody cat carcass in her hands. She used her tattered jacket sleeve to wipe the fresh blood from her mouth as she grinned big at Bubbles, her teeth stained red, "A monster?"

The sight of her sibling's devilish, bloody bathed smile was enough to wake her from her sleep with a jolt. Bubbles sat up in her bed, her heart racing and her eyes wide still with fright. Immediately, the blue Puff leapt from her bed and hurried out into the hallway, rushing to her tomboy sibling's bedroom.

Blossom was inside the room, gathering the green bedding and a pillow from their sibling's mattress. "Morning, Bubbles-" Blossom began with a smile, but as her pink eyes settled on her obviously shaken sister, her tone dropped to concern, "Bubbles, what's wrong?"

"I... I had a nightmare. Where's Buttercup?"

Blossom frowned, "Oh, Bubbles..." she floated towards her teary eyed sister, carrying the bundle of blankets in her arms, "She's OK. She's downstairs in the living room now. I guess she's still really zapped from her surge so I'm getting her bed stuff so she can nap comfortably on the sofa today." Blossom rested a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder and smiled weakly as she rubbed it, "The Professor says she's recovering just fine, Bubbles. You wanna take these down with me and see for yourself?"

Bubbles slowly nodded, "Yeah..." she squeaked as she took the bundle of bedding from Blossom, "OK..."

"OK," Blossom kept one arm around her as she guided her out of the room, "Come on then."

As the pair of sisters headed down their home's steps together, they could hear the Professor speaking to their sibling in the living room. "I'll be back up in a few hours to check on you again, Buttercup, but for now I want you on strict bed rest, got it?"

Entering the living room as the Professor left, Bubbles and Blossom could see Buttercup lying against the sofa with both emerald eyes narrowed on the television set.

"There was a monster attack in the city yesterday?" the tomboy muttered as the blue and pink Puffs approached. "Figures. Only you two get to be the heroes."

Blossom and Bubbles glanced from their sibling to the ongoing news report which displayed a montage of footage of both of them in action the day before. Each of them could sense the negativity radiating from the scowl faced green Puff who watched the TV with a look of disgust.

"We brought you your pillow and blankets, Buttercup," Bubbles spoke up, forcing a cheerful smile. She quickly zipped over and began to tuck her sibling in, "So you'll be nice and comfy all day."

Blossom stepped in next, taking the television remote and switching the station to another channel, "Don't worry about that stuff, Buttercup," she forced a smile also, "Just focus on getting better so that you'll be there for the next one, OK?"

The green Puff looked between each sister. Their doting smiles only continued to provoke the tomboy's annoyance with them. The skinny teenager slunk underneath the green quilted blanket Bubbles had laid out, and grumbled, "Whatever. I'm tired so just let me sleep."

"Sure thing, Sis," Blossom answered. She watched as her sibling disappeared underneath the bedding and turned to Bubbles next, "Come on, Bubbles. You and I have got some work today."

Bubbles responded with a small squeak, "Blossom," she spoke low so as to not disturb her sleeping sibling, "Can I stay home with Buttercup? I... I don't want to go to Monster Isle..."

Blossom returned a frown, "Bubbles, I don't want to either, but the mayor really needs us to see if the fallen walls can be salvaged somehow. Without them up, it's only a matter of time before more monsters try invading the city," she sighed before looking back to where the green Puff lay, already appearing to be asleep. "And right now with Buttercup still worn out from her power surge, well, this is the perfect time for us to handle this together. She will be safe asleep here, and you and I can take care of it. You know, so she doesn't have to."

Bubbles slowly nodded, "OK..."

Blossom could tell that Bubbles was afraid to return to the island. Of course, she was too, but as the leader, Blossom had to be strong always for both her siblings and help lead them through every situation they faced. She forced a smile once more and placed a hand on her blonde sister's shoulder, "We got this, Bubbles. Let's go."

As the green Puff lie underneath her dark green bedding, they listened to their sisters' hushed plan for the day. After they heard the sound of the home's front door opening and shutting, the tomboy peaked out from underneath the covers. Sitting up, they faced the window directly behind the sofa and peeled back the corner of the window's shade.

Carefully watching the fading pink and blue in the sky, they waited until both lights had disappeared completely, before leaping onto their feet. A brief moment to feel for the hidden mask they kept stored within their baggy black hooded jacket, and then they were off.


The collection of monitors above Mojo's workstation glowed brightly with an assortment of different images, but they all related to one subject, and that was the green Puff. Mojo's eyes bounced from monitor to monitor as he simultaneously scribbled away with a pen and paper. His oversized brain had really begun to race once his last epiphany had struck.

From left to right, the first monitor displayed still the feed from Professor Utonium's lab, and showed the Professor working quietly alone. Beside that, the next screen displayed the medical records concerning the green Puff that Mojo had downloaded for himself- "POWER SURGE INCIDENT #2" was the focus right then. The center, largest monitor, Mojo had pulled up an interview he had seen before on television. The news piece with Dr. Wilhelm Richards was hard to miss since the local news network replayed it quite often. Upon his first viewing, Mojo had disregarded the doctor's testimony as pure science fiction, however, Mojo had since been convinced to perhaps give the account a second look.

"At that point, we had done everything we could to try and revive the girl, but everything had failed," the doctor's voice came from the monitor. "By then, it had been seven minutes since the young girl's heart stopped. The Professor, however, pushed past myself and the other physicians, and remained unconvinced. I watched him pull out a syringe from his lab coat and he injected a black substance into Buttercup's IV drip. He then immediately began working on her himself..."

A buzzing alert sounded from Mojo's last monitor on the far right of his workstation, and the chimp halted momentarily with his pen to glance at it. His security system had detected something at the base of the tower. A few quick jabs at his keyboard, and the monitor switched to his security camera's feed, showing a green Puff who had just arrived at the tower's hidden ground entrance. Mojo flipped a switch underneath his workstation, causing the hidden elevator's door to open below for his visitor, who stepped inside with little hesitation.

As Mojo sat aside his pen and paper and waited for the green Puff's arrival, he continued to briefly watch the doctor's interview, still playing on the central monitor. "...As the Professor continued to beat against her chest, I began to notice that the severe burns the girl had sustained began to- how do I describe this? Well, they began to fill and sort of bubble with a sudden, thick black substance. It looked like tar almost, or oil, and it seemed to just manifest from within her suddenly. Her fingers, her hands, her forearms, and the right side of her face- everywhere where she had sustained an injury- it was like her body was trying to repair itself with whatever the dark material was."

"Sounds terrifying."

"It was."

"Mojo?" the green Puff's voice called out from below.

"Yes, Joey, I am upstairs," Mojo answered back as he paused the interview. As he quickly jotted down one final thought, he could hear the approaching footsteps of the teenager who climbed the staircase which led into his work laboratory. He sat down his pen once more, and turned round in his chair just as Joey entered the room.

The green Puff's head turned from side to side as they approached the villain's workstation, observing all the changes that had been made to the lair since last they had been there. What had once been an empty room was now filled with various pieces of equipment, gadgets and machines. "Woah," they said as they looked around, "Dude, this place is really bumpin' now. You sure do work fast, don't you?" The teenager came to a stop just before the short simian, "It's almost like your old lair again."

"Hmph," Mojo had almost taken the teenager's remarks as a compliment until the last portion. "Almost."

"Don't you ever sleep?"

Mojo let out a short laugh, "One cannot become complacent, and certainly there is no room for slack when there are a multitude of threats actively seeking my capture and containment. No, there is not much time to rest for Mojo, when he is being hunted by, let us see," he paused to count upon his gloved fingers, "Powerpuffs, police, professors with cages, spoiled rotten heiresses- oh yes, and insidious, pestilent demons."

"Demons?"

"Ah, yes, no doubt he's visited you as well, I imagine. After all, he is attracted to misery, and well, from what Mojo has gathered so far, you appear to be by far the most miserable person in all of Townsville."

The green Puff's emerald eyes narrowed momentarily, before a look of confusion came next. "Wait. Who are you talking about?"

"What other demon could Mojo speak of? Him, of course."

"Him?"

Mojo raised a suspicious eyebrow, noticing the blank look on the teenager's face then. "Yes. HIM," he repeated.

A continued blank stare.

Mojo stood from his seat, shaking his head in disbelief, "Surely, Child, you remember HIM?"

"Uh..."

"The one villain who is so evil, so sinister, so horribly vile that even the utterance of his name strikes fear into the hearts of men?!"

"...Him...?" the green Puff repeated low to themself, their emerald eyes darting about as they searched their mind slowly. "Wait... you don't mean..." Joey stopped and gulped a little. "That red lobster clawed creep was real? Oh shit, this whole time me and my sisters thought he was just some nightmare we used to share as kids..."

"Grargh!" Mojo clenched his fists in frustration, "Yes, that sounds like the type of brainwashing sorcery he'd pull to see to it that you three never sought revenge. Just an effortless little wave of his claw, I imagine is all it took to corrupt yours and your sisters' memories! Always so quick and easy for Him! While the rest of us villains lose everything, he just- poof- disappears without consequence, unaffected and untouched!"

"But you've seen Him? He's real like for real real?"

"Yes," Mojo answered in a serious tone. "Him is real, and you should remember that he is the worst type of evil."

As Mojo spoke, the green Puff felt a small chill as they noticed the lights above flicker for just a brief moment. Another small gulp, "Why is that?"

Mojo noticed the flickering lights in his lab too, but paid the trickery no mind. That was what Him wanted, after all. "His motive is always the same," Mojo answered. "All he seeks is to find ways to breed more misery, for it is what he feeds upon. He is unrelenting, cruel, deceitful and selfish. Never trust Him, Joey."

The teenager nodded slowly, and Mojo could see the look of fear behind their emerald eyes then. While the child was right to be scared of Him, Mojo also knew that fear was Him's most favorite tactic to draw out misery from his prey. So, he changed the subject.

"Now," Mojo began again, "You have come here seeking answers, yes?"

The green Puff answered with a nod, "Yeah..." their eyes drifted above the villain's helmet and noticed the screens above Mojo's workstation. They stepped closer to the monitors, "Can you make anything out of all of this?"

"Well," Mojo joined Joey at their side, "There is quite a lot to sort through, concerning each of your documented power surges. Incident number two is particularly riddled with holes, missing information and lacking much of any detail..."

As the teenager stood and stared at the screens' images, they felt a tug and looked to see Mojo lifting their scarred hand, studying it closely.

"It is most peculiar," the short simian continued, as he slowly released their hand once more, "What is labeled a 'power surge incident' has no mention of any surge- nothing about uncontrollable energy bursts at all- nowhere but the title of the report. It almost seems an error, a mislabeling or typo since the only details and information listed afterward all relate to," Mojo paused to hit a few buttons on his keyboard, bringing up the documented photos of the green Puff's injuries on the second monitor once more, "...What appears to have been a horrific accident for you."

Mojo watched the teenager closely for a reaction, but as the images came onto the screen, the green Puff did not flinch. Their emerald eyes stared at the gruesome photographs with a numbness in their face for several seconds before they glanced at the central monitor next. "I remember that guy," Joey spoke low as they looked at the paused interview footage. "He tried to talk to me after I woke up from surgery, but... the Professor wouldn't let him. I could hear him telling the Professor that I needed to stay for monitoring, but the Professor wanted to take me back home, and so he did..."

"That doctor believes that your injuries came from more than just a 'training accident,' and I am inclined to agree," Mojo waited for the teenager to look at him again before continuing, "So. Tell Mojo. What really happened?"

The green Puff looked away and shook their head, "It doesn't matter." They clenched their jaw for a moment before continuing, "Look, Mojo, all I wanna know is what my surges are, and how I can stop them so that the Professor doesn't take my powers away with Antidote X."

"I ask for these details because Utonium's report suggests that this accident of yours does relate to your surges, at least by the title alone. So, again, tell Mojo: Was there a power surge incident that day?"

Mojo once again studied the super powered teen closely as they stared back at him. A small, hesitant nod was all they gave him.

"If you want Mojo to assist you in finding a solution of some kind, then a full picture of every surge incident is necessary and an essential requirement. If I am to be able to begin to decipher anything, it will only be when all the facts have been given to me." The short simian pulled his work chair from his station and turned it towards Joey, offering them a seat, but the teen only looked away from him again.

"It's... a long story, Mojo," they muttered low, "Right now I'm supposed to be sick in bed, so I don't have a lot of time." They looked at Mojo again, "But... can you at least tell me if you think you can help me?"

Mojo paused for a moment before answering with a nod, "Yes. I believe I can."

The smallest of smirks swept the green Puff's face, and the villain could tell that he had gained the child's trust.

Mojo returned a smirk before placing a hand behind the green Puff's back. He walked beside them as he guided them back towards the exit of his lair's laboratory. "I suppose you are correct that it is best for you to return home before you are discovered missing. While it is understandable that you would seek a second opinion on your power surges from someone other than the Professor who has undoubtedly kept much hidden from you, I highly doubt your family would approve of your choice to seek aid from a villain-"

"Yeah, they'd freak out, and I'd probably never be trusted out on my own ever again," the teenager grumbled under their breath as they continued to walk with the chimp. They sighed, "But I needa figure this out, Mojo. So, if you say you can help, then, well, it ain't like anyone else has been able to so far. Villain or not, you're still a super genius, right?" They paused as they stood to face Mojo for a moment, "You're pretty much the only shot I got left at avoiding Antidote X."

Mojo looked up and gave a nod, "It will be no easy task of course and most certainly will be a challenge. That is to say, finding a solution will be difficult, for you, Joey, are a walking- or rather flying- enigma, and in more ways than one." Mojo continued to walk with Joey once more, traveling side by side with them down the stairs which led into his lair's main living area. "Perhaps too difficult a puzzle for Utonium to solve, but I, Mojo Jojo, welcome a challenge! Such perplexing quandaries I find stimulating for the mind, and, in fact, only strengthen my already mighty brain power!"

Mojo stopped with Joey as they reached the tower's elevator. "Of course, we cannot risk or jeopardize you being seen flying to and from the tower, so perhaps a more discreet means of communication is in order..." The chimp paused as he scratched his chin in thought for a moment before he snapped his gloved fingers, "Yes, of course!" the villain paused to cackle a bit, "Just how we spoke earlier, we can use Utonium's computer to covertly meet with one another! Yes, yes that is it!" Mojo rubbed his hands together as he plotted out loud, "You and I shall meet nightly at 2:15 AM when it is safe for you to log onto the Professor's computer. Every night, at that time, during our secret meetings, we will explore the mysteries behind your affliction. Night after night, we shall get together on this matter until it is solved!"

"Hey, yeah," Joey smirked, "If I get caught down there, I can just say I'm down there trying to fix the Wi-Fi or something!"

Another cackle from the villain, "Yes! Excellent! The perfect cover! A fool-proof plan!"

Joey found themself wearing a grin as they watched Mojo continue to laugh maniacally at their plan. As crazy as the mutant chimp was, for once they felt as if they had somebody on their side. It was a comforting feeling, and one they certainly weren't used to. Returning home wouldn't be fun, but it at least no longer felt like an entirely hopeless situation. There was still time to figure things out.

"Do not fear, Joey," Mojo began again as he reached for the elevator door's button and pressed it. A ding sounded from the elevator as the doors began to open, "I am confident that you and I will figure this out together," he concluded as he guided the teenager with one hand into the elevator, remaining on the other side.

Joey gave Mojo a final wave and a smile as the doors began to shut, "See ya tonight, Mojo."

"Until tonight, Joey."


It wasn't until Blossom was already hovering with Bubbles over the blue ocean waves had she done the math. That day, it had been exactly two weeks since the prison break, and exactly two weeks since her and her sisters' birthday. She couldn't believe the irony, and it struck her hard as she confirmed the date, looking at her pink wrist communicator. The twenty-first of July- that was the day it happened- exactly three years ago.

She and Bubbles had always hoped to never have to return to those beaches again. It was on the shores of that island where they had to face the worst tragedy of their family's lives. Although Blossom tactfully chose their dive spot some twenty miles from Monster Isle, just seeing the shadow of the island in the distance was enough to feel the hero with dread. She could see the fear in Bubbles' eyes too, as they hovered side by side, high up in the powder blue summer sky.

"Again, Bubbles," the leader continued to explain her plan for the day's task, "Our best case scenario for today is we won't have to touch down on the island at all. After yesterday's monster fiasco, we definitely want to avoid disturbing the life of the island and accidentally riling up any monsters. So let's just stick to the water, and if the walls are saveable, we'll go from there."
While the pink Puff had been talking, the blue Puff's mind had been too distracted to listen to any of it. Her baby blue eyes were on the foreboding shadow in the distance.

"Bubbles?" Blossom stopped as she finally noticed the far away gaze her sister held, "Bubbles, did you hear what I just said?"

"Huh?" Bubbles looked up and blinked for a moment. "Oh," she smiled weakly, "Sorry, Blossom. Could you say that again?"

Blossom let out a sigh, "Bubbles this is like the third time I've had to go over this. Can you please just try and focus for two minutes?"

Bubbles answered back with a timid squeak, "Sorry..."

Blossom frowned, "I'm sorry, Bubbles, I just... I don't want to be here either. So I really just want us to get this done so that the two of us can just go home."

"Then why are we here?"

"What?"

"Well, if neither of us want to be here," Bubbles shrugged, "Then why are we here?"

"Because the mayor wants to see if the walls that fell yesterday can be saved from the ocean floor, and we- the Powerpuff Girls- are the only ones capable of trying to repair what the earthquake destroyed," Blossom let out another sigh, "At the very least, we need to see if we can find some clues as to how it managed to fall apart."

"Or," Bubbles interjected with an idea of her own, "Since nobody else can really check for themselves, you and I can just say we checked and that the walls were totally destroyed and we couldn't save them after all or find anything! Then we can go home and spend time with Buttercup!"

"Bubbles!" Blossom nearly gasped, "We have a duty to uphold! We can't just cut corners like that! Think about it: If another monster attack happens, that chaos will be partially our fault! The very safety of over nine million lives depends on us! We need to do what's best for the city and its people! We need to-"

"OK, OK," Bubbles interrupted. She sighed, "You're right, I guess." The blue Puff kicked at the air a little as she added quietly, "It was worth a shot..."

"Bubs, I know this is hard," Blossom frowned, "But hopefully it will just be a quick dive. Those jackal beasts were free somehow before the earthquake which tells me that there already had to have been some type of breach or damage beforehand. Let's find where the weak spot was, so that the Professor can better improve on the construction's design for next time, so that this never happens again. Then, we'll go home and spend the rest of the day with our sister, watching whatever horrible movies she will hopefully be in the mood to torture us with, OK?"

Blossom stopped, noticing her sister's gaze had drifted once more. There would be no use in going over the split and search plan with Bubbles for a third time. The blue Puff clearly could not focus, and she didn't blame her. Blossom only wished that she was strong enough to do it alone, but none of them were that strong. Not for this. However, Blossom could never ask Buttercup to willingly return to the island, and so she needed Bubbles. There was no way she could get through this without her.

Blossom reached out for her sister's hand, and took it in her own with a firm grasp, "Forget the plan, OK?" she gave Bubbles a reassuring smile, "I'll lead the search. You just hold onto my hand, and keep close. Think you can do that?"

Bubbles squeezed her sister's hand tightly and returned a small smile, "OK, Blossom."

The sisters soared down together, and dove into the bright blue ocean below. Deep underwater, they swam hand in hand towards the island, scanning the waters with their bright glowing supervision as they went. As they neared the island they approached an underwater forest of sea kelp. Passing through the underwater green curtains, they came across the first great, giant slab of steel that lay submerged, flat across the ocean floor.

The massive hunk of metal was over two thousand feet in length, and had come to its resting place not far from its former foundation along the shores of the island. Already, it was covered by a layer of sand, and the fish of the sea passed by it with no mind. As the two Puffs swam over the fallen piece of wall, Blossom carefully scanned for cracks or damages, but could not detect any. She pulled on her sister's hand as she led them away in search of the next slab of steel.

Circling the island, they came across the remaining three walls, as well as the steel grated ceiling- all of which lay scattered upon the ocean floor, but every piece still in solid condition. As Blossom studied the final broken piece of the former giant cage, she could not help but feel a sinking in her gut. Seeing the state of everything, she knew that five slabs of steel could easily be mended back together with the use of her and her sisters' laser eye beams. This would be good news for Townsville. After all, the walls could be back up by the end of that day if she and Bubbles got to work then. However, affixing the walls back to their foundation would mean she and Bubbles would have to set foot on the island. As wrong as it was to think, Blossom had really hoped that Monster Isle's cage would have been destroyed enough to be left at the bottom of the sea.

While the Puffs' super abilities allowed them to hold their breath for a lengthy period of time, after about fifteen minutes into their underwater investigation, Bubbles was beginning to feel a strain on her lungs. She interrupted Blossom's studious thoughts with a quick tap on the shoulder. Once she had the redhead's attention, she pointed towards the surface, signaling for the need for air. Blossom answered back with a nod, and the two swam upward, still hand in hand.

Resurfacing, the girls stay floating in the ocean water as they faced each other.

"So?" Bubbles asked, "We found them. Now what?"

Blossom frowned. She bit her lip for a moment as she wondered just how to tell her sister the bad news. Beyond where Bubbles floated in the water, just a half mile in the distance were the silver sandy shores of Monster Isle. Blossom gulped to herself as her bubblegum eyes settled on the rocky cliff beach side. Her heart's tempo increased to a rapid pounding as she recognized the fateful location for what it was.

"Blossom?" Bubbles still waited for an answer.

Blossom shut both her eyes for a moment before she looked at Bubbles again. She forced a weak smile, "OK. Here's the plan, alright? We'll start with the walls. One at a time. You take the top end, I'll take the bottom, and we'll lift them up from the sea and carry them each to their respective foundations. You just keep each top steady, while I weld them to their base with my laser eye beams and then seal their sides. It's going to take a while for each seal, alright, Bubbles? Just be sure to hold steady until I tell you you can let go, OK? Once the walls are in place, we top it off with the grated ceiling, and then we're done!"

"How long is a while?"

"Each wall is eight miles long, two thousand feet high, and twenty-five feet thick, so... I'm estimating it'll take roughly about an hour of welding for each wall? Then of course the ceiling will take at least a few more hours, but," Blossom paused to force another smile, "We'll definitely be done before nightfall."

Bubbles let out a squeak as she turned in the water to face the island next.

Blossom took her sister's hand once more and squeezed it, "We can do this, Bubbles," she spoke as she looked into her sister's watery blue eyes, "Once it's done, we won't have to worry about this awful place anymore. We'll be able to leave it behind, knowing that Townsville will be safe once again from monsters."

Bubbles frowned, but returned a nod, "OK, Blossom."

Once each of them had taken a full breath of air, the girls dove down into the depths of the sea once more. Together, they swam for the first fallen wall upon the ocean floor. As they drew nearer, the pair of sisters halted for a brief moment as they reluctantly parted ways. Underwater, they zipped to either end of the giant metal slab.

The half mile distance between them was one thing, but the thickness of the great steel piece they tried to lift together also made it impossible for them to see each other from their respective ends. The gravity of the ocean floor was strong, and it took a few minutes for the girls to successfully lift the wall up from the ground. As it rose finally, the clear ocean water turned murky with swirling clouds of sand. Once they had the steel balanced over their heads, however, even through the muddy water, Blossom and Bubbles could see each other in the far distance once more.

As Blossom used her supervision to focus on her sister, she noticed along the ocean ground a large crack in the earth that the fallen wall had kept covered. It was closer to Bubbles than herself, but Blossom could tell that the massive crater ran deep. As she and Bubbles slowly began to swim upwards with the wall raised up over their heads, Blossom saw the blue Puff halt suddenly as she looked down.

Within a blink of the eye, a massive bright red tentacle suddenly sprung up from the crack in the earth, and snatched the blue Powerpuff, bringing her down into the darkened pit with it. A burst of bubbles escaped from Blossom's mouth as she screamed underwater. Her pink eyes wide with horror as she witnessed her baby sister disappear fast. The end of the wall that Bubbles had been carrying, crashed down against the ground, and the weight of the wall became too much for Blossom to handle on her own. She lost her grip, and just as quick, her end crashed to the ocean floor next, sealing the crater in the earth once more and trapping the blue Powerpuff inside with the underwater beast.

Blossom wasted no time, zipping down to the ground and trying to re-lift the giant slab. She focused every ounce of strength she had in trying to lift the great wall again, but it was no use. Next, she threw her back against the side of the steel barrier and pushed with all her might, trying next to slide the wall against the ocean floor, but still she was not strong enough. Blossom turned round and tried another angle, pushing forward this time with all her might, but the steel slab would not budge.

Another burst of bubbles escaped her as she cried out underwater, desperate to somehow free her sister. She knew that even if the monster had managed to not hurt her, Bubbles could only hold her breath for so long. She zipped about fast with hyper beams of pink light, trying every side and every angle, but the wall just would not move.

Blossom beat against the steel with her hands, feeling her own lungs struggling at that point. She knew that time was running out. She knew her sister's only hope at survival was depending on her. The pink Puff was beginning to grow dizzy underwater as her lungs ached desperately for oxygen, but she was not about to just leave Bubbles behind and trapped. She gave up on trying to move the wall and thought finally of a new approach.

Floating above the wall, her pink eyes began to glow a fiery red as her lasers charged up. Aiming her laser eye beams at the slab of steel, she gradually began to carve away at the barrier. Her laser eye beams were powerful, but the metal was thick and it took a few minutes for the hero to crack through the surface. Finally, she broke through, and Blossom slipped quickly through the tight opening she carved out and zipped fast into the crater in the earth.

A pair of giant glowing red eyes greeted her within the darkened cavern, but Blossom zapped the creature fast, using her laser eye beams once more. The giant squid shrieked underwater as it was blinded by the pink Puff's lasers, flailing its tentacles about in pain. As Blossom dodged an incoming swipe from the creature, she spotted Bubbles still trapped in one of the monster's tentacles and shot off for her next.

As she flew fast underwater, her laser eye beams cut along the squid's body. The squid fell limp, as Blossom's heat vision fried him to death. She reached Bubbles just as he began to fall, and snatched her unconscious sister up quickly in her arms, zooming at top speed back up through the crater, through the broken steel wall and back up to the ocean water's surface.

The pink Puff herself was in desperate need of oxygen by that point, and as she reemerged from the ocean, she gasped loudly for air. Struggling to catch her breath, she managed to carry her sister to the nearest piece of land- the shores of Monster Isle- and it was there that she collapsed against the sand with her sister.

Blossom forced herself up fast, and knelt over Bubbles, immediately grabbing the unconscious girl by her shoulders and shaking her, choking as she screamed, "BUBBLES!"

The blue Puff began to cough and choke as she was rattled awake by the pink Puff. As she weakly sat up on the sand, Blossom beat against her back, helping the girl spit up all the sea water she had swallowed.

Once Blossom saw that Bubbles had survived, she threw both arms around her, squeezing her in a tight embrace, "Bubbles!" she cried, "Oh God, Bubbles, I'm so sorry!"

The blue Puff still hadn't quite finished her choking fit, but clung to Blossom in return, relieved to be in her arms then.

As the redhead held onto her sister, her eyes stung painfully as her falling tears mixed with sand. She shut them fast, not wanting to be reminded of where they managed to end up anyway. She should have known something terrible was going to happen there that day. Without a doubt, the shores of that island were cursed. Blossom was convinced of this now. As soon as Bubbles finally stopped coughing, Blossom helped her quickly onto her feet. "Come on!" Blossom told her, "We're going home!"

"But what about the walls-?"

"They can stay where they are!" Blossom interrupted as she pulled her sister along with her, rising fast into the air. "We're going home!"


The grand, golden gilded terrace which overlooked a lush, beautiful rose garden was once her father's favorite private retreat on the Morbucks Estate. Sometimes, a younger Princess was lucky enough to catch Daddy taking a rare break out on the balcony, and these were always cherished times for her. Summer had always been Daddy's favorite season. During that time of year, the roses below were fully bloomed, and a sweet fragrance was always in the air. She supposed even he could not resist putting aside work for an afternoon on days like this when the summer breeze carried the beckoning aroma. Daddy's rose garden had thousands of blooms in an array of different colors- deep crimson reds, blushing lavenders and pinks, and bright corals and yellows all contrasted against a sea of lush emerald green. However, as beautiful a sight the colorful oasis naturally was, Princess had not been able to see it for herself for over six years.

Her jetpack accident had not only left her scarred at ten years old, but an intense fear of heights had also haunted her since then every day. Stepping out onto the grand terrace took a great amount of courage for the young heiress, and for the longest time, that was as far as she got- just one step beyond the main golden archway that led out from Daddy's office suite and onto the balcony. Any further and the young girl was instantly frozen with terror. Still, as difficult as it was for her, it was a fear she forced herself to face daily. After all, how could she be expected to rise to power one day as the greatest super villainess of all time and exact her revenge against the Powerpuff Girls if she was still so easily rattled by this one thing? She knew she needed to overcome this, and so she made it a point to practice every day. Every day, she made it a little further out onto the terrace, and step by step, she inched closer over time towards the terrace's golden railing.

Three years of gradual progress had been made and the breathtaking sight of the rose garden below was just a peek away. She had only one more step to go and then she would have been there, a huge piece of her fear defeated. Of course, before that day came another tragedy struck- Daddy's accident. Now, the grand terrace evoked not just fear, but also a barrage of wistful, mournful memories which brought upon a crushing sense of misery for her. There was no other place on the Morbucks Estate that reminded Princess more of her father than there and for the longest time, it was just too painful for her to be there. So it was back to square one since that day, with all her progress lost, but Princess knew that Daddy would want her to defeat this. That was what motivated her to keep going. She told herself that once she managed to reach the terrace railing, wherever he was, Daddy would be proud.

It had taken another three years, but finally, Princess was almost there yet again. Her golden jetpack was affixed to her back with three straps- one looped around each of her arms, and the final belt fastened round her waist. While she knew she still had a ways to go before she'd have the confidence to fly again, dressing for the occasion she found to be an essential part of her daily practice. Her hands used to tremble as she snapped shut the final fasten across her waist, but that afternoon she had zero shakes as she strapped on her jetpack. Suited up for flight and ready, she stepped out onto the terrace, confident that today was the day she'd defeat this terror for good.

Pausing at the doorway, Princess took a final deep breath before she stepped outside. The scent of roses guided her as she began her steady march across the marble terrace floor. Once she reached the halfway point, a burst of courage convinced her to open her eyes. She did as she marched with more confidence towards the golden railing. On the surface, she looked determined and brave, but underneath the girl's heart was pounding. For the first time then, it wasn't just fear that made her heart race though, but adrenaline also. She was doing it. She was finally doing it.

Princess came to the terrace's ledge and grasped the golden rails with her hands, as her brown eyes settled on the breathtaking rose-filled paradise a hundred feet below. The amount of accomplishment she felt in that moment was unmeasurable. Seeing the long awaited magnificent view of Daddy's rose garden was more rewarding than she ever imagined it'd be. A wide grin swept the redhead's freckled face as her spike in euphoria gave her yet another boost of courage, and the short girl hoisted herself up onto the railing next. She stood on the ledge, her heart still racing, but feeling more alive than she had in ages. If her jetpack had been equipped with fuel then, she might have even felt inspired enough to step off and take flight right then. That conquest would have to wait another day, but at least then, she for the first time felt ready to take to the sky once more.

Princess could see Alfred tending to the garden below and she immediately waved from where she stood upon the balcony's ledge as she shouted for his attention, "Alfred!"

The butler looked up from where he was, and although Princess was too high up for her to see his facial expression, she could see that he waved back at her with enthusiasm as his voice echoed in the distance, "Well done, Miss!"

As Princess basked in her personal victory, she felt absolutely on top of the world. The fear she had of being on the heightened terrace had completely vanished. She stood upon the very railing where she had last taken flight, over six years ago when the Powerpuffs came for her and her beloved blasters. Remembering this, the short villainess felt next for her waistband and swiftly removed her new golden ray guns, taking them in each hand as she stood with her chin raised proudly. Still riding her euphoric wave, and feeling the power she grasped in her hands- the power she had managed to reclaim thanks to her own brilliant evil scheme- Princess looked up at the sky as a devious smirk swept her face, knowing that at long last, everything was finally coming together. "It's only a matter of time before I come for you, Powerpuffs," she giggled wickedly to herself. "Just you wait-"

"My goodness!" a woman's voice interrupted from behind, "First, there was nobody to greet me at the gate, then nobody to show me in, no staff anywhere to be found except for that effeminate butler in the garden, and now I find the Morbucks heiress herself standing on a ledge and ready to jump? Don't tell me that the Morbucks empire has fallen on hard times!"

Princess turned around from where she stood. As her brown eyes fell on the curvaceous woman with curly honey blonde hair, they narrowed. "I should have known you'd turn up eventually," Princess scoffed. "Once a gold digger, always a gold digger. Why'd you even bother with the getup? I know exactly who you are underneath that caked on fake tan. Long time, no see, Sedusa."

The disguised villainess smirked as she stopped before the short girl who still stood upon the balcony's ledge. "Oh this?" she modeled her tight fitting, red halter dress as she playfully flipped her hair a little, "Well, this was meant for your father, of course, not you. Is he around?"

"Ugh," Princess rolled her eyes with a look of disgust, "Why don't you go raise funds for your wig collection elsewhere? Daddy's not home."

"The word around town is he spends all his time locked away in his mansion with his favorite daughter nowadays. Nobody at the country club has seen him in years since they say he's turned a new leaf and become such a devoted, caring father," Sedusa smiled. "Are you sure he's not available, or are you just lying to try and get rid of me?"

"He's not here," Princess glared again, "So get lost."

"Hmm," Sedusa gave the child a small, indifferent shrug as she turned to leave, "Fine. I'll be back another time."

"Who do you think you are?! You're not welcome back here at all!" Princess shouted as the villainess turned her back.

"We'll see once I've talked to your father-" As Sedusa smirked to herself, she was startled suddenly by a white, hot glowing ray beam which zapped the ground just before her feet, causing her to jump back. She turned around then and saw the short girl still standing on the balcony's ledge, aiming one of her golden ray guns directly at her.

"I said: You are not welcome back here," Princess growled seriously as she kept her blaster gun pointed. "Now go."

Sedusa blinked at the young teenager for a moment, before a small smirk swept her face. She shook her head slowly, "You know, you really shouldn't get in my way, Kid. It's not as if it was my idea to keep this 'wealthy donor' charade going. I'm doing it to appease the big boss, and unless you want to be on his bad side, well, I'd suggest you play along."

"Big boss?"

"Yes. You remember the Villains Council, of course?"

Princess rolled her eyes, "That stuff fell apart as soon as the Villains Ward went up," she returned her weapons to their holsters on her belt, "Pretty much almost as soon as that clown makeup weirdo took over!" she added. "Always seemed like too much of a coincidence, if you ask me."

Sedusa raised an eyebrow, "Take it from me, Kid. Him is not somebody you want to challenge."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Princess placed her hands firmly on her hips, "And I'm not afraid of Him."

"Oof," Sedusa remarked as she turned to walk away again, "I've heard those words before, and those who have said them, well, I rarely ever hear much else from them ever again." The villainess waved over her shoulder as she departed, "Well, good luck!"

Princess kept her eyes narrowed on Sedusa until she disappeared completely. As she looked towards the mansion, her gaze drifted to the window to her daddy's former office suite. Her brown eyes suddenly widened as she noticed the figure of a large man sitting at the work desk inside. "Daddy?!" Princess gasped in disbelief, as she recognized the back of her father's head as he sat, facing away from her. "DADDY!"

Just as she shouted for her father, she was disrupted suddenly by a splattering mess of blood and brain matter that sprayed violently against the office window pane. As Daddy's head exploded before her eyes, her horrified shock caused her to lose her footing upon the balcony's ledge. As she slipped, she grabbed onto the golden railing, catching herself before she could fall. She dangled from the terrace, her heart racing as she fought to pull herself back up. Below her, she heard Alfred shouting for her to hold on, but she was distracted by the sounds of an echoing demonic giggle as she clung to the balcony's fence.

The laughter was obviously meant as a cruel taunt, but it only ignited a fire within the redhead. Nothing motivated her more than somebody who obviously underestimated her. She focused all her strength and pulled herself back up over the ledge. She took her balance on the railing once more as she faced the sky and shouted at nothing in particular, knowing the demonic villain had to be close enough to hear it, "Laugh at me like I'm some joke will you?! I'll show you! I meant it! I'm not afraid of you! You can't bully me!"

As the short girl shook one of her blaster ray guns at the air, Alfred ran out onto the terrace, panting and out of breath, "Princess! Are you alright-?"

"I'm fine, Alfred," Princess answered as she stepped off from the ledge. She slung off her golden jetpack and tossed it towards the butler, who caught it. "Fuel this up for me tonight, so that it's ready for tomorrow," she continued as she marched back towards the mansion. "I'm ready to fly."


After her Monster Isle scare with Bubbles, Blossom definitely felt the need to devote the rest of the day to some quality "sister time." Of course, the day would have felt more satisfying if Buttercup hadn't spent the majority of it still asleep and totally absent from her and Bubbles. While Blossom knew that Buttercup was still recovering from the latest surge incident, she could not help but feel as if her sibling was just using the energy malfunction as an excuse to avoid the family. After all, by the time she and Bubbles returned home from Monster Isle, the tomboy had already locked herself away in her bedroom again. Just like before, she and Bubbles were obviously being totally shut out.

No matter, Blossom and Bubbles still devoted the day to a project they hoped might remind their sibling of how much they all loved each other. It was Bubbles' idea of course, and while making art wasn't Blossom's usual forte, she enjoyed spending the day going through piles of old family photos that she hadn't revisited in years. It took all day, but by nightfall, she and Bubbles had covered a large canvas with a massive collage of hundreds of different photographs, all featuring memories that the triplets shared together. Some of the pictures just had Buttercup and Bubbles, and a few were of just Buttercup and Blossom, but they made sure that every single picture chosen for the collage had Buttercup as the focus.

While she had enjoyed spending the time with Bubbles, it had still been an emotionally tiring day, and Blossom was looking forward to seeing her girlfriend that night. She could always count on Robin's smile to lift her spirits. Not since before all the latest chaos had happened had she had time to visit with her, but as soon as the rest of the Utonium house had retired to bed, Blossom took her leave for next door.

Robin's bedroom window was always left unlocked at night, and the super powered teen easily slipped inside without a sound. Her girlfriend's room was dark, and Robin looked to be fast asleep in bed. As the tall redhead came to Robin's bedside, she knelt down and planted a kiss on her cheek, which roused the girl from her sleep. "Blossom?"

"Hey," Blossom responded in a quiet whisper, "I'm sorry I never called you back today. It was kind of a rough day back home and-" Blossom stopped as her girlfriend sat up in bed. Now that Robin was up, she could see the swollen puffiness around her teal blue eyes. "Robin?" Blossom sat beside her on the bed, growing immediately concerned, "Have you been crying-?"

Before Blossom could finish, Robin interrupted her with a tight embrace, burying her face into her chest as she began to cry softly.

Blossom held onto her, petting her hair as she wept, "Robin, what happened? What's the matter? What's wrong?"

"Ginger's dead."

"What?"

"Ginger died," Robin repeated between sniffles, "This morning when I woke up, I-I just found her. At first, I thought she was just asleep. She always went to bed on that same chair every night, and so I passed by her without even thinking. But when I fed her breakfast and she didn't come, I just knew something was wrong and- and," Robin stopped as her emotions got the best of her once more. She buried her face again against Blossom, "I know she was old, but... I just can't believe she's gone..."

"Robin, I am so sorry," Blossom continued to hold Robin in her arms as she cried, "Why didn't you try calling me again to tell me? If I had known this had happened, I would have been here sooner for you."

Robin pulled away a little as she wiped at her eyes, "I know you have a lot more important things going on at home, Blossom. I didn't want to bother you with my problems on top of everything else-"

"What?" Blossom shook her head, "Robin, that's not true. I love you. I want to be here for you whenever you need me. You're never a bother. Never." She wrapped her arms around the girl once more, "Come here."

"I love you too, Blossom," Robin returned through a quiet sniffle, "It's just that I know with your sister's blow up, and the Professor getting hurt yesterday, having to save the day and everything- You had so much going on that-"

"Robin, no," Blossom interrupted, squeezing her tightly, "Your problems matter, too, OK?" Blossom paused to plant another kiss on the top of the brunette's head, "I'm so sorry, Robin. I really should have been here sooner."

"She was just a cat-"

"She was more than that," Blossom interrupted with a frown. "She was also a part of your family and a lifelong friend."

Robin wiped at her eyes once more, "So... you don't think it's dumb that I've been crying about her all day then?"

Blossom shook her head, "Of course not."

Once again, Robin's teal eyes flooded with tears, and Blossom brought her close once more. Her heart broke to see her girlfriend so sad. There wasn't much that could break Robin's strong spirit, after all, so it was a rare thing to witness. Of course, Blossom knew she couldn't bring Ginger back, and she knew that mourning would take time, but she only wished she could have been there sooner. She felt terrible realizing that Robin had been facing this heartbreak alone all day. The pink Puff hated herself for failing on this, and so she swore to herself that she would not leave Robin's side for the rest of the night. Even long after the girl cried herself back to sleep in her arms, Blossom stayed with Robin until the next day's dawn light came.


Most of the day had been spent playing possum underneath their bed's comforter blanket, not wanting to have to subject themself to the personal torture of having to deal with their family. The Professor had instructed them to "get plenty of rest" so it wasn't as if anyone could object to them staying in bed for the entirety of the day. Before the green Puff had returned home from Mojo's tower, they had made one quick stop at the city library to swipe a book that would occupy their time as they stayed hidden. Symptoms of the Dead by Dr. Wilhelm Richards.

The thick book had been padded with a lot that felt unnecessary to the green Puff, but not wanting to miss any details, they read through every word of it carefully. Most of the text was spent on discussing the science behind regenerative medicine, and a lot of it was the doctor's detailed personal accounts of treating the Powerpuff Girls' various battle wounds and injuries over time during their earlier days of crime fighting. They had managed only to reach the halfway point of the book before boredom lulled them to sleep for the night.

Their dreamscape was similar again to their previous night's, where it was difficult at first to realize that they had even fallen asleep. The world was darker, and there was an eerie mist that waded through the air which had grown cold- colder than any normal summer night- but other than that, their surroundings looked much like the real, waking world. The green Puff was still struggling to get through the tiresome text that they read, when they finally looked up and noticed the subtle changes around them. As they recognized this, there was an echoing knock heard coming from their bedroom door, before it slowly began to creak open on its own.

The green Puff sat aside the book on their nightstand, rose from their bed and floated towards the open doorway. Beyond it, they only saw darkness, but in the far distance they heard something. At first, they thought it sounded like somebody crying, but as they came through the door they realized it was the sound of a cat meowing. They floated slowly down their home's staircase, descending into a thick layer of fog that occupied the ground level of the house. Their emerald eyes fell upon an orange tabby cat sitting by their home's front door. The feline continued to meow as she pawed and scratched at the door. Recognizing that it was Robin's cat, Ginger, they continued towards her.

The tabby cat sprinted outside the moment the green Puff opened the door. Just beyond their home's front porch, there was a forest of trees that stretched as far as the teen could see. It was dark outside, and the night sky was starless and empty. As they watched Ginger run out into the grassy fields of the surrounding forest, they looked up as they heard the sounds of tiny chirps next. A pair of birds- one yellow and one green- sat perched upon a nearby tree branch watching the teenager curiously.

"Snot and Pus?"

The pair of parakeets took flight, and the green Puff followed them with their eyes as they walked out onto the porch. As the birds disappeared into the black night sky together, the dreaming teenager next saw a silhouette stepping out from a line of trees in the distance. Their emerald eyes widened as their mouth fell open for a moment. "Ms... Keane?"

The short school teacher smiled kindly back at the teenager, but did not speak. The green Puff could feel themself begin to tremble as they felt an immediate wrenching within their chest. Their vision grew cloudy as their eyes filled fast with tears. Ms. Keane slowly turned away and began to retreat back into the forest.

The teenager quickly wiped away their tears, and stepped off from the house's porch steps and onto the grassy floor of the forest. They were about to sprint after Ms. Keane but stopped when they saw that she was already gone. Taking another step they noticed then that the ground beneath their bare feet reacted like strange, rippling water when they stepped. The waves created underneath their feet, spread outward with a glowing green electric current, igniting the grass along the ground as it traveled. The blades of grass turned to ash and the rich dirt became dry like desert sand. They continued to walk slowly through the forest, and with every step they took, the earth beneath their feet perished as they watched the surrounding trees become engulfed by fiery green, electric flames.

The darkened world of their dreamscape was now illuminated in an eerie green light as the woods around them burned brightly. The green Puff stood in the middle of the forest and watched with wide eyes, as the tall trees withered and disintegrated into piles of ash. As the neon glowing flames consumed everything in their path, the super powered teenager felt a strange, tickling in their scarred hands.

Suddenly the glowing green light around them intensified to an almost blinding level, as the green Puff simultaneously felt a strange current of energy rush over them. As the intense spike of adrenaline radiated throughout their entire body, the extraordinary sensation was powerful enough to jolt them from their sleep.

As the green Puff awoke, they stumbled and tripped upon their own feet, thrown from the discombobulating sudden shift in reality. They fell forward, landing upon their hands and knees. Their scarred fingers sunk into the ground and the green Puff saw then that it was sand underneath them. Shaking their momentary dizziness away, they rose back onto their feet and looked around.

The night's full moon shone brightly in the forest and provided well enough light for the teenager to see where they were. Recognizing the nearby mountain range, they could tell that they had somehow managed to sleepwalk their way that night into Townsville Forest. Only what surrounded them did not look like the forest, but rather a desert. Their emerald eyes were unblinking and wide as they stood in stunned shock for several minutes. From what they could see, the green Puff stood at the center of an entire acre of complete devastation. What was usually a dense part of the woods was clear of any trees, and the barren land's earth had turned to sand.

As the teenager turned round and continued to stare at the cleared out section of the forest, they felt their heart pounding fiercely within their chest as their body shook slightly with a tingling, jitteriness. Slowly, they began to walk across the sand, but after just a few steps, they felt something soft beneath their bare feet. They stopped and knelt down, brushing aside a layer of sand and uncovering a small, lifeless field mouse.

The green puff held the tiny rodent in their scarred palm and blinked at it for several moments. It was dead, but it looked untouched and uninjured, as if it were just asleep. After a while, the teenager gulped quietly to themself and as they looked at the grounds around them more closely, they then noticed more fallen animals of the forest- mice, rabbits, opossums, skunks and birds.

Ascending into the night sky, the green Puff rose and saw that there was a perfect circle of devastation carved out from the woods below. Again, they stared for several minutes in continued stunned shock, their body still twitching from a strange current of energy they felt running through their veins. The floating teenager looked down at their scarred palms and then back at the ruins below, before shooting off into the night sky with a fast flash of green light.


It was nearly three in the morning and Mojo had yet to receive any alerts to any new activity within Utonium's lab since the scientist retired to bed. He doubted that the green Puff forgot about their scheduled 2:15 AM meeting, but wondered why they had yet to show. Could they have changed their mind on wanting the villain's assistance? It seemed unlikely from how the teenager behaved earlier. No matter, Mojo kept himself busy with work anyway. After some time, he heard an alarm, but it was not from his Utonium feed, but from his lair's security system. He looked up and shook his head at the camera feed displaying a green Puff waiting at the bottom of the tower. The simian flipped the switch underneath his workstation, granting them access to the hidden elevator, and returned to fiddling with the intricate wiring of his ongoing project.

Mojo listened for the teenager and spoke as soon as he heard them enter, "Not only are you late, but you are also in the entirely wrong location and place for tonight's meeting," the villain grumbled as he continued to work with his back towards the green Puff. "What is the point in strategizing when clearly you never listen, you ignore every plan that is made, forgo all logic, and instead choose to do the exact opposite of what was previously discussed and decided upon?"

The precision work the simian worked on was being performed underneath a magnifying lens. Mojo's careful concentration was broken as he noticed a scarred hand dropping something on the table before him. He pushed aside his magnifier and blinked at the lifeless small rodent the green Puff had placed down.

Mojo slowly raised an eyebrow, "If this is your way of thanking me for my help, then this is a rather unusual gift you have brought me."

"It's dead."

"Yes, I can see that," Mojo spun in his chair and faced the teenager, "And are you a feral cat? What is this?"

"I think I just had a surge in the forest-"

"Think? As in you are not certain- can't be sure- unaware of whether or not it happened- your experience debatable-"

"OK, no, yeah, I'm pretty sure I had a surge in the forest," the green Puff said again with a little more conviction.

"What were you doing in the forest when you were supposed to be meeting with Mojo safely from inside Utonium's laboratory?"

"Well, I have this sleepwalking thing sometimes and-"

"Ah, yes," Mojo interrupted, "REM behavior disorder. I read about it in your file, and of course, witnessed a bit for myself while you recovered from the surge you experienced here at the tower. That is to say, Mojo is familiar with your strange and unusual sleep habits. This would explain your pajamas and lack of shoes tonight. Continue."

"Wait, I sleepwalked while I was here? What happened?"

"Nothing important. Let us stay on topic. You slept walked- slept flew?- you traveled unconsciously to the forest tonight and you believe you experienced a power surge why? What has led you to make such a conclusion?" Mojo gestured with his hands at the skinny teenager, "You appear to have none of your known symptoms that would suggest a surge just happened. You are standing, awake, not zapped of all your power and energy, looking very much alert-" Mojo paused for a moment as he noticed then for the first time how fidgety the teen appeared to be, "...practically... bouncing with energy..." his voice trailed off for a moment. He raised a gloved hand to his chin and scratched, "Hmm..." The chimp turned back around in his seat and faced the dead mouse on his work desk once more.

As Mojo poked at the lifeless rodent with a gloved finger, the green Puff stood behind him and continued to explain their experience, "Look, I dunno why I'm not zapped like usual, but that's what I'm hoping you can help me figure out. I was having this crazy dream and it led me out to the woods and in the dream everything around me went up in flames- green flames- and like I felt this insane zap hit me all over- like lightning or something!" Joey began to pace as they continued to speak quickly, "I could feel it coursing through my veins and that's when I woke up and realized I really was in the forest! And everything all around was gone! Like an entire football field of trees was wiped out! But not just wiped out like cut down or something, but like wiped out, Mojo. Like nothing was there! Nothing but ashes and a bunch of these dead animals like this mouse! And the ground was sand! It was everywhere! And that feeling in my veins was still there- I mean it is still there! I can still feel it!" the teenager lifted their scarred hands and clenched them, "My hands feel hot and... tingly... just like they do when I get my surges!"

Mojo turned back around in his chair and faced Joey again. He looked them up and down, "Again, everything you described is much unlike your past incidents on record aside from this feeling in your hands-"

"Yeah but I haven't told the Professor about every single time, and-" the green Puff stopped suddenly. They lowered their hands back to their side slowly. Their previously loud and energetic speech fell once more to a quiet mutter, "It's only been a few times now but... it... it's happened before like this. I've... I've done this before..."

Mojo studied the green Puff closely. As the child's energetic bouncing stopped for a moment, their green eyes fell on him, and he gave them a nod, "Go on."

"Before tonight, it happened the other day for the first time when I wasn't sleeping or... well, out of it." They paused, biting their lip nervously, before continuing, "I had a surge building in my hands and when I opened my palm, this green glowing light came out and there was this potted plant on the counter that it hit-" another pause to gulp, "The plant just withered and... died. The soil turned to sand. Then my surge just stopped, and I... I felt fine. I mean, I wasn't drained at all. It was just like-" they stopped again. "Fuck, it was just like... like..."

"Like what?"

The super powered teenager clenched their scarred hands once more as they looked away from Mojo. The night of their final moments with Ms. Keane flashed briefly in their mind, but they forced the horrific memory back down as they shut their eyes and shook their head. "I mean it was just like tonight," they finally spoke while avoiding the real answer. "That plant I zapped at my house, the soil it was planted in was all turned to sand, too. Just like the forest tonight."

"Hmmm..."

"Blossom was there that time, and she started to think that this could be my special power or something. But when we tried to test it out in the training room, it didn't work."

"Elaborate."

"Well, I managed to unleash it on this simulation, and it came out in a bright, green light- just like what killed the plant- only it didn't do anything this time. Like all my other surges, it just drained me completely of my energy and that was it."

"So you unleashed this power upon a simulation?"

"Yeah."

"And it did nothing?"

"Right."

"It had zero effect on your target?"

"Uh huh."

"It inflicted entirely no damage to your artificial opponent, and yet you yourself were robbed of all your energy and left depleted of your power?"

"Exactly."

"Hmmm... and yet tonight," Mojo paused as he spun back around in his chair and gave the dead field mouse another jab with his gloved finger, "If this is truly the work of one of your power surges, then we have here a different outcome- an alternate conclusion- a contrasting result that is entirely unlike your previous documented incidents or the simulation test you ran with your sister..." Mojo scratched at his chin once more, "Very curious..."

"What? What are you thinking?"

Mojo paused before answering, "I am thinking," he paused again as he faced Joey once more, "That I require more time to think. Yes, this is some intriguing information you have presented- all of which requires careful consideration and much more research and thought. Many ideas come to mind, but I certainly cannot be sure of anything until I have thoroughly examined this new evidence you have brought me. Tell Mojo: Why did your sister initially theorize that this may be a new, unique ability of yours?"

"Well, 'cause with her own surges, it was always just her ice breath that backfired on her sometimes, and since that's her special power, she was thinking maybe it was the same case for me. Only, I never got a special power like Blossom and Bubbles, so... I dunno. Maybe she was just trying to make me feel better. She's always just jumpin' to conclusions on shit and saying things she don't really mean to get me to go along with whatever she's wantin.' And like I said, it didn't even work against that simulated monster I tried it on so wouldn't that mean then that she had to be wrong? ...Right?"

"Hmmm..." A long moment of silence as the simian's thoughts raced privately while he drummed his gloved fingers against his workstation. Behind him, the green Puff bounced in place, waiting for him to continue. Mojo faced the teen once more, "You have given me much to review, Joey. Just as Mojo said, he will require more time to properly analyze things. For now, on your own time I would like for you to write out your own log of power surge events so that I may fill in all the missing pieces in Utonium's accounts. You say that there have been surges that the Professor has no knowledge of, and these are episodes I wish to know about in detail. Any incident you've had, I want you to document on your own so that you may share them with me. Your reports must include every single detail you remember relating to this matter, Joey. Can you do this?"

The green Puff answered with a nod, "Sure."

"Good," Mojo returned a nod. "Well, it is best that you return home before your absence is noticed by your family. Let us meet next time just as we previously planned. Must I remind you why it is not ideal for you to come here and visit in person, Joey? Did we not discuss why this would be a risk and prospective danger?"

"Yeah, I got it," the teen answered with a mutter. "Sorry, Mojo," they sighed, "I just really wanted to show you, and so I came straight over once I woke up in the forest. I'll stick to the plan next time."

"Very good," Mojo answered before he spun in his seat once more. Joey watched him move aside a piece of electrical board, and instead take the dead mouse that they had brought him, placing it underneath his standing magnifying glass. He wheeled his chair further down his workstation to a pile of assorted tools and picked up a small, surgical knife before wheeling back to his previous spot. "Mojo will share his discoveries and what he finds with you at our next meeting. For now, good night, Joey."

The teenager watched as Mojo began to carefully dissect the field mouse on his table. Even though Mojo was clearly trying to dismiss them for the night, the green Puff felt awkward leaving somehow. They were grateful for his help, although they only just began to question why the villain was doing them such a favor. When they had first thought to ask him for help, the hero had prepared themself for the possibility of having to give him something in return. Just like he had them build his lair in return for his silence, they expected some sort of catch. Clearly, Mojo was putting aside some of his own work to lend the Puff a hand. It seemed strange that the villain would commit so much time to this and not want something for it. "Hey, Mojo?"

"Yes, Joey?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"The important thing is to never stop questioning," Mojo spoke as he kept his focus on his delicate knife work, "Ask away, Joey."

"Why are you helping me with this? I mean, it's not like you have to do all this..."

"No, I suppose I do not have to do anything, do I?"

"That's not answering my question."

Mojo looked up from his work and saw that the teenager stood beside him, waiting. "Very well," Mojo paused as he sat aside his surgical knife and faced them slowly, "About eleven years ago, if you recall, I once created three little boys- sons of my own- the Rowdyruff Boys. They, tragically, did not live long. Their lives ended shortly after their creation. My boys- my sons- my children all perished prematurely and died regrettably young. You remember this, yes?"

"Uh..." the green Puff gulped a little, "Yeah, I, uh, remember... Sorry..."

"They were unstable," Mojo put it simply. "Of course, the emotionally manipulative warfare you and your sisters played that day pushed them all over the edge, but," Mojo let out a deep sigh, "A fatal power implosion would not have happened had they'd been stable, and alas, their design was flawed. Of course, at the time of their creation my resources were limited. My later research on the subject led me to conclude that the substitutions I had to make to their formula was what caused their imbalance in power. Instability in Ruffs and Puffs is a dangerous, precarious and fatal diagnosis. Your power surges, Professor Utonium believes them to be evidence to a possible, growing instability. If a proper power balance is not maintainable for you then, well..." Mojo paused as he looked Joey up and down once more. "You remind me of them, and frankly, as counterproductive as it may seem to you, the truth is: I do not wish to see you fall victim to such a fate as theirs," Mojo turned in his seat to resume his work again. "There is your answer," he concluded.

The green Puff watched Mojo work for a while in silence. "Professor's never mentioned anything to me about me potentially exploding one day..."

"Yes, I imagine that would be a difficult subject to discuss," Mojo spoke as he kept his attention on his work, "There is a small tray over on the other end of my workstation, Joey, will you get it for me? It is silver, rectangular, roughly five inches by-"

"Got it," the green Puff interrupted him, delivering the tray quickly in hand.

"Thank you. Just set it down there."

"OK. You know, I can stay for a while if you could use the help-"

"No, I am afraid that it is best for you to return home sooner than later. As Mojo keeps reiterating to you, it would not be ideal for either of us if you were to get caught, seen or found out. Sunrise is coming soon, so it would be best to leave now, I think. Besides, I will be heading to bed shortly after this one task here. I require at least some bit of sleep if I am to be successful in my own villainous endeavors tomorrow."

"Why? Whatcha doin' tomorrow?"

A small smirk swept the villain's face as he answered, "A mission of my own so that I may require some necessary funds and obtain some much needed cash," the simian paused as he muttered low under his breath, "The inflation on the black market has really spiraled out of control over the past six years."

"You mean you're gonna commit some robbery tomorrow?"

Mojo glanced at the teenager and saw that they wore an eager looking smile. "Actually," he began again with a sly smile, "If you wish to be useful and perhaps return a favor to Mojo, keeping your sisters occupied for a mere ten to fifteen minutes tomorrow at twelve 'o clock, noon, would be most helpful, and appreciated. If you could see to it that somehow they are not simply available for any calls at that time- especially those from the mayor- it would certainly aid me in my efforts. Another great convenience- if it is not too much for Mojo to ask- would be if you were able to keep any Puffs far away from First Town Union Bank on Central Avenue and Main Street at that hour- 12 PM."

The green Puff laughed a little, "Alright," they agreed with a smile, "Sure thing, Mojo. You got it."

"Excellent."

"See ya later, Mojo."

"Goodnight, Joey."


Bubbles finished off the freshly wrapped gift with a giant, bright green bow. It had taken an entire roll of wrapping paper to completely cover the giant canvas collage she and her sister Blossom had spent hours working on the day before. She only hoped that Buttercup would like it. Once the present was wrapped, Bubbles quickly zipped with it downstairs and met her sister Blossom in their family's dining room.

Blossom's breakfast that day was just a single cup of coffee. She sat at the table in her pajamas, reviewing the morning newspaper. She had her pink mug raised to her lips when the flash of blue light appeared suddenly in front of her.

"Tada!" Bubbles announced as she presented the large, lime green colored rectangular gift to Blossom, "All wrapped!"

Blossom lowered her coffee mug and smiled, "Bubbles, that looks so good!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Blossom answered. "As soon as she's up for the day, we'll take it up to her room and surprise her with it! I mean, who can resist a present that big and wrapped so beautifully?"

"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles returned a smile as she placed the present on an open chair and took a seat next at the table, "Wow, you're on the front page!"

"Huh?" Blossom lowered the newspaper in her hands, turning it over to glance at the front page's black and white photo of herself, "Oh, that," the redhead's cheeks flushed slightly. She turned the paper over, hiding the image, "I look terrible-"

"What are you talking about? You look great!" Bubbles paused as she watched her sister pick up her cellphone and start to type at the keyboard, "Who you texting?"

"I'm just checking in on Robin-"

"Gosh, I can't believe that Ginger passed away," Bubbles frowned with a squeak. "I'm really gonna miss her..."

"Morning," the grumble surprised both Blossom and Bubbles and they each jumped a little in their seats in response.

"Buttercup, you're up!" Bubbles smiled.

"And you're out of your room," Blossom could hardly believe it. "On your own..."

The green Puff began to float past both sisters and into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal, but was stopped as pink and blue flashes of light cut in suddenly.

"We have something for you!"

"We hope you like it!"

"Tada!" Bubbles shook the giant gift in front of her, presenting it to the green Puff.

"Surprise!" Blossom added with a cheer.

The green Puff stared at the bright green present for a moment, before glancing between each sister. The raven haired teen could see that both Blossom and Bubbles wore eager, hopeful smiles. Their smiles only annoyed their sibling, however. A scowl began to form instinctively, but was stopped. Keeping the peace that day with Bubbles and Blossom was needed in order for the green Puff to carry out what had been planned. A forced, almost painful looking smile came next, "Thanks..."

Both sisters grinned big as they watched their sibling take the green gift in hand and began to tear the wrapping paper open slowly. They each held their breath as they watched closely for a reaction.

"We made it ourselves!" Bubbles continued with optimism.

"It took us all day," Blossom added, sounding a little more nervous.

"It's..." As the green Puff held up the canvas art and looked at it, it blocked Bubbles and Blossom's view of their sibling's face. "It's..."

"It's us!"

"We must have gone through about a thousand different photographs yesterday."

"We wanted to do something special for you, Buttercup!"

"We were hoping it'd remind you of, well, all the happy times we've shared together."

"Because you're not just our sister!"

"That's right, you're our best friend, too. It's always been the three of us."

"You see the picture of me and you on Halloween last year? Boy, I dunno how you're gonna outdo that pumpkin head costume this year!"

"My favorite is the one of you and I at the firehouse fundraiser together when we were eight. Remember that?"

"Well, do you like it?"

"Yeah, what do you think, Buttercup?"

"It's..." finally, the green Puff lowered the canvas, revealing a small, forced smile. "It's great. Thanks, guys." Looking between the two, the tomboy sensed that they were still waiting and wanting more. They were always wanting more. At least their desperation was something that could be used against them that day. "Seriously, it's really awesome, guys... I... love it."

"Really?!" both girls exclaimed at once.

Jeez, they were easy. "Yeah," the tomboy nodded, "Say... do you guys wanna go out and catch a movie with me today?"

"Really-?" Blossom's jaw practically dropped.

"OHMIGOSH YES, WE'D LOVE TO!" the pigtailed Powerpuff interrupted enthusiastically.

"You're feeling up to leaving the house today, Buttercup?" As happy as the invite made her, Blossom could not help but question the sudden shift in attitude a little.

The green Puff shrugged, "I guess it's been kind of a while since I got some fresh air, so I thought it would be nice."

A smile swept Blossom's face, "No, yeah, that's great, Buttercup," her smile widened, "This will be great!"

"Yeah!" Bubbles cheered as she wrapped her arms around both siblings at once, "A sister day at the movies!"

"What should we see?" Blossom asked next.

"Robin said there was something scary out the other day, Buttercup!" Bubbles volunteered, even though it was hardly her cup of tea. "How about that?"

"Sure, whatever. Let's catch an early matinee though. Something around 11 or 11:30 would be good."

"I thought you said scary movies have to be seen in the dark," Bubbles began.

"I'd rather avoid the crowds and go early today," the green Puff shrugged, "If that's alright-"

"Of course!"

"Yeah, anything you want, Sis!"

"Cool." The tomboy tucked the canvas collage under their arm and began to retreat upstairs once more, "I guess I'll go put this in my room and get ready then."

Once their sibling had disappeared, Blossom and Bubbles turned to each other once more, each wearing surprised smiles.

"Ohmigosh, can you believe it?" Bubbles squealed with anxious enthusiasm. "I think our present really worked!"

"No, I can't really believe it, honestly, but," Blossom smiled, "Let's make sure we make the most out of today, while she's in a good mood, alright?"

Bubbles returned a determined nod, "Right!" The blue Puff began to fly upstairs next, "I'll go get my big Harmony Bunny tote bag that Buttercup likes me to take so she can sneak in all her favorite snacks!"

"What?" Blossom blinked for a moment, "Bubbles! We're not sneaking snacks into the theater!" she followed after her sister, "You two do that?!"

"You said-"

"Yeah, well, without breaking the law would be nice-"

"It's not the law, Blossom-"

"Well, it's the theater's rules, and we should follow them! We can just buy what we need there!"

"They don't have spicy Doritos though!"

"Bubbles, no! We'll just get popcorn!"

From within their room, the green Puff listened to their sisters debate back and forth as the two passed by their shut bedroom door. They shook their head from where they sat on their bed. Their emerald eyes drifted over to the photo collage their sisters had made which sat on the floor, leaned up against their dresser. They stared for a long time, silent, as the hundreds of memories stared back at them. However, there was a layer of numbness and heavy sense of detachment that prevented the green Puff from truly recognizing their faces. It wasn't as if they had forgotten any of these moments, but somehow they just did not feel like they belonged to them anymore. What they saw, felt like another life entirely. The green eyed girl in the photographs- that was not them. They were not her. That was the past. It was a different time back then.

That time was over.

The teenager felt for the disguise they kept stored against their chest, reaching through their hooded jacket's collar. Their scarred hand grasped the metal and they exhaled deeply as they slid the mask out from its hiding spot. They stared deeply into the green face's empty black eye sockets as they spoke low to themself, "Alright, Joey, here's our chance," they sat up a little straighter on their mattress, their knee bouncing with energy as they started to quietly review their secret plan aloud, "First, convince Goody-Goody to leave our stupid watches that way she won't get the mayor's call on Mojo. Easy. Theater rules say no calls, so just gotta remind her before we go. It's just a couple of hours, so she won't think it's a big deal."

The green Puff paused for a moment, taking another deep breath before continuing, "Then, when we get to the theater, choose the scariest movie they got so both those scaredy cats are too distracted to notice anything. They'll probably wanna bring one of their blankets to hide under anyway. At 11:59 just gotta slip out, put on my disguise and go to First Town Union Bank on Central and Main and help Mojo rob the bank. He said it'd only take fifteen minutes- no way they'll even notice I'm gone- and once it's done, just gotta slip back into the theater and continue to play it cool. ...Easy." They bit their lip nervously for a moment and then exhaled deeply once more, "OK. Maybe not that easy..." they muttered low, "It's risky and stupid and totally beyond what Mojo even asked for, and completely fucking insane, but..."

As their scarred hands grasped their metal mask firmly, their grip began to tremble with growing excitement and mounting anticipation, "I could really go for a piece of action right about now..."

"Besides," Slowly, their lips curled into the slightest of smiles as they raised the mask in their scarred hands. They pulled it over their face, and faced the mirror that hung on their closet door. "It's just a little fun."


First Town Union Bank was located on the north east side of the city, and the perfect location for Mojo's planned heist. It was a small branch, but it contained more than enough for the taking. Like with anything, Mojo had done his research thoroughly beforehand. Not only was the bank less than two miles away from Mojo's secret tower top lair, but also conveniently near the tower's base there was a storm drain which led into a sewer line that ran directly underneath Main Street, providing a perfect underground route to and from the robbery. On a Wednesday, At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, there were only four bank tellers and one security officer on duty, so there would not be much resistance to deal with upon arrival. It would certainly be a good warm-up for him, since it would be Mojo's first robbery in over six years.

Of course, thanks to Joey's promised distraction simultaneously underway across the city, there would not even be any Powerpuffs to fend away. This was especially convenient, since his only weapon on hand lacked the type of power needed to deal with the super powered crime-fighters. In order to craft a weapon with that sort of oomph to its ammo, he would first need to get his hands on some materials which did not come cheaply. Much of his ingenious plots would remain on hold until this changed, and it was his main reason for being there that day.

It was easy enough to access the building's vent system from the rooftop's exhaust fan. Some fast work with a screwdriver is all it took to make his own entryway. As Mojo dropped into the tight duct space, he was careful to move as silent as possible. The element of surprise had always been a favorite of Mojo's. He looked forward to witnessing the wide-eyed shock and jaw-dropped stupor that resulted from his unexpected chaos. It was a thrill the villain had been missing for a long time. For too long, Townsville had him locked away, and following his release, for too long had he been forced to remain in hiding. However, this was about to change. With his lair at last complete, and his arsenal production well underway, the villain was finally ready to take the next crucial step in his ongoing quest to take back what Townsville had stolen. At last, it was time for him to step out from the shadows, to show Townsville that he was a force to be reckoned with, and that there was no stopping the infamous, the bad, the evil- Mojo Jojo.

In order to keep silent, he had to move slowly and carefully. Crawling upon his knees through the bank's ventilation, he was so deeply concentrated on not making a sound as he traveled that he did not notice the company that was already waiting inside the vents for him. As he came to a stop before the steel grated panel that was his intended access point into the bank below, he was startled by the unexpected voice.

"So what's the plan?"

Mojo looked up at first with wide eyes, but as they fell on the masked teenager, they narrowed. "Joey?!" he exclaimed in a hushed, harsh whisper.

"Hey, Mojo," Joey gave a casual wave in return with a black gloved hand. They laid upon their belly within the tight vent duct, on the other side of the ceiling grate, dressed head-to-toe in black, with their green mask drawn over their face.

"Just what are you doing here?! For what reason are you at this location, right now, and why are you not elsewhere?!"

A shrug. "I wanna help."

Mojo grinded his teeth in frustration for a moment, before continuing in a low, but stern voice, "You were supposed to be helping Mojo by keeping your sisters distracted and preoccupied during this time! Your diversion of the Powerpuffs, and intercepting today's call to action was your way to assist with today's robbery! If your desire was to be useful, then what you should have done was precisely what you and I discussed previously, that you were to-"

"Relax! I got it handled!" they interrupted, raising their hands to calm the villain's rising anger. Mojo rose a gloved white finger to his mouth, signaling for them to keep quiet. They lowered their voice, but still spoke in an excited whisper, "Trust me! They're not coming! They won't get the call! We totally got this!"

The green faced chimp growled underneath his breath, "How is it that you knew where to find me here in these vents?"

Another shrug. "I'm familiar with your work." They leaned closer to the villain who lowered his head and massaged his temple, growling low still in frustration. "One question I always wanted to ask though..."

"What is that?" Mojo grumbled with annoyance.

"How come you always drop down into the bank lobby when you do these things? Like... how come you never just use the vents to get inside the vault directly? Why not just slip in, take the money and slip out before anyone notices?"

"That, Child, would defeat the very purpose of today."

"I thought the purpose was gettin' money-"

"No, there is much more to it than just taking money," Mojo scoffed, sounding almost offended, "There is absolutely no substance behind nor any self-respect to just sneaking in and out as you just described. Such tactics might work well enough for a simple thief, but I- Mojo Jojo- am much more than a common criminal, an ordinary burglar or a run-of-the-mill bank robber. I am a villain, and we villains always seek to send a message in everything that we do." Mojo clenched his fist, "No, today is about disrupting the very system which seeks to silence us, taking from them as they took from us, making a proud, unashamed and unapologetic declaration of that defiance and laughing in their faces as they realize how much they have failed to stop the unstoppable!" As the villain imagined the soon coming chaos, he could not help but finish with a quiet, evil cackle.

"That sounds pretty punk." Joey lifted their mask for a moment, resting it on their forehead as they looked at Mojo with a grin. "So... Can I help?"

Mojo raised an eyebrow as he looked at the green Puff once more. They stared back at him with an obvious excitement shining behind their bright emerald eyes. He did not plan for a partner in crime that day, but the child was clearly very eager. Having the adolescent there definitely complicated his already thoroughly thought-out plans for his heist. Knowing how impulsive Joey proved to be so far, and who they were alternatively beneath their mask, it was a risk allowing them to join the robbery. However, this was definitely an opportunity to cement a deeper bond with the green Puff. Mojo slowly gave a nod, "Very well-"

"Yes!" Joey pulled their mask back down as they celebrated with a pumped gloved fist.

"You may assist," Mojo continued, reaching for his utility belt, "With crowd control."

The teenager's enthusiasm deflated as the simian handed them a bundle of ropes, "Aww," they complained with a whine, "But I really really felt like cracking some bones today, Mojo! Can't I take the big guy at the door down?"

"That would be the one security officer on site," Mojo replied with a huff as he reached again behind his cape and pulled out a silver raygun and readied it, "And it is I who will take him down, for this is my hour to show Townsville that it is I, Mojo Jojo, who is to be feared! It is I who wish to make this statement, and so it is I who will be leading this robbery, therefore it is I who will be facing our one and only armed opponent today. As Mojo said, you may assist, and the way you may do so is by containing and confining our civilians while I- Mojo Jojo, the master of this heist- deal with the big guy."

"Aww," Joey whined again, looking at the rope in their gloved hands. "I always get stuck on crowd control..." they muttered low.

"Mojo will not stop or interfere with whatever violent, unrestrained bruiser technique you use with our detainees, so by all means, be as rough as you want with them," Mojo continued as he gave the masked teen a consoling pat on the shoulder, "However, you must be sure to leave one of our bank tellers free and in well enough shape to get us our money of course!"

Joey let out a long sigh before agreeing, "Alright, fine."

"Be sure to keep silent and keep your mask on, Joey. We cannot jeopardize your Powerpuff identity being revealed or recognized in any way, so allow Mojo to do all the talking, and follow my lead. Understood?"

Joey responded with a simple thumbs up, and Mojo returned a smirk.

The six citizens, four employees and one guard below were all oblivious to the chimp and green Puff's presence above. They went about their days normally, until the sudden loud clanking of a fallen metal ceiling grate hitting the bank lobby's floor suddenly interrupted the quietness of the building. Collectively, everyone froze within the lobby as their eyes all fell on the vent opening in the ceiling.

As the security guard stepped forward to investigate, he was met with a white boot to the face as a short simian dropped suddenly from the vent. Mojo swung from the ceiling with his long ape arms, kicking the officer as he leapt swiftly onto the bank lobby floor below. The force of Mojo's kick was enough to cause the guard to stumble for a bit. As the large man shook off the blow, a dark shadow wearing a green faced mask dropped from the ceiling next, landing just behind him.

Once the pair had both hit the floor, it only took a half second for the room to erupt in panicked shouting as the small group of bank customers and employees began to scatter. Meanwhile, the stunned security officer looked between the purple caped villain and the masked intruder who surrounded him on either side. Reaching for his holster, he faced the Alien first, but he felt a fast, searing hot zap to his finger tips that quickly stopped him. As he spun back around to face Mojo once more, the masked bandit took off behind him, moving like a fast shadow towards the first group of fleeing citizens.

The security officer turned to face Mojo. His eyes widened as they fell upon the aimed, silver blaster ray gun the chimp held. Mojo wore a widening, devious grin as he held his gloved white finger steady on the trigger. He waited for the officer to make another attempt to reach for his own weapon before giving him another quick zap with his laser gun. This time it hit the officer in his chest. The voltage that ran throughout his body was enough to stun the large man in place. His body shook with convulsions for several seconds as Mojo jolted him with a steady shot, before he fell to his knees, collapsing forward and slamming face first into the ground.

As the customers in the lobby all ran for the bank's exit, their path was quickly cut short by the masked dark figure. Just before the first citizen reached the glass doorway, the Alien appeared before them within a fast blink of the eye. They all screamed as they retreated quickly, and Joey could not help but laugh in amusement from behind their mask as they watched the crowd run aimlessly about the bank lobby with nowhere to go.

"Joey!" Mojo shouted from across the room, causing Joey to snap their head in his direction. Mojo held up a finger to his lips as he shot the teenager a look, reminding them to keep quiet.

Joey responded with a single nod before they took off once more.

As the dark shadow darted about the room, snatching up each civilian one by one as they went, Mojo leapt onto the back of his defeated enemy, swiftly tossing his purple cape behind him as stood proudly. "Citizens of Townsville," the villain began, "If it was not already apparent, or made clear to you all, this is a bank robbery, as in heist- as in burglary- as in we will be taking all of the money with us today, and stealing it for ourselves! Remain calm! There is no need for panicking or hysteria, for all of this will be over soon so long as your full cooperation is given!"

Joey moved quickly with their heightened super speed throughout the bank, yanking each civilian by their arm and forcefully tossing them into one corner of the bank. It only took a few seconds for them to collect everyone in one place and swiftly bundle them up together with the rope Mojo had provided. Just as the villain instructed, they left one bank teller standing free. They gripped the back of the teller's collared shirt, and shoved him in the direction of Mojo, causing the short man to stumble forward as he trembled with fear.

"Excellent work, Joey," the villain grinned wickedly with approval before he aimed his ray gun next at the quivering bank teller. "You, bank man," he began to shout his orders, "You are aware of what is happening now, yes?" The man answered with a fast nod. "Good. Then you know what it is we are here for, yes?"

"M-Money?" the man shook as he answered.

Mojo threw his head back as he cackled loudly in response. He reached behind his cape and produced a large empty beige sack. "Yes!" He laughed maniacally as he tossed the empty bag to the teller who caught it with shaking hands. He aimed his blaster at the man's feet and fired a quick zap to get him moving once more. "Now go and get it for us!" As the man scrambled quickly across the bank, Mojo continued to shoot at his feet, encouraging the bank teller to move faster, "Quickly now! Faster! Hurry! Do not move slowly as I require you to complete this task with speed!"

As the bank teller began to fill up the sack with money as instructed, Mojo leapt off from off of the unconscious bank guard's fallen body and faced the quivering group of citizens in the corner. Joey stood before them also, cracking their gloved knuckles as they carefully watched and guarded the group as instructed.

"All of you here today should very much consider yourselves lucky and fortunate, for what you are witnessing today is only the beginning! Today is only a preview- a sneak peek- a glimpse of what is to come! Take heed and realize how favorable it is for you all to be here today, rather than the unfortunate victims to an even larger scale of chaos- an even greater form of mayhem! Yes, you all are receiving only a taste of the ultimate terror that will soon befall your beloved city! For I, Mojo Jojo, have returned, and it is I, Mojo Jojo, who will soon destroy, conquer and rule you all!"

Mojo pointed his ray gun at the restrained group of civilians, causing them all to flinch at the sight of the weapon.

"Who is it that you all should fear?!" Mojo demanded of his audience as he threatened them with his laser gun.

"MOJO JOJO!" they all cried out at once, causing the villain to erupt once more into a fit of maniacal laughter.

As he cackled, Mojo heard a soft clearing of their throat beside him. "Ahem."

"Ah yes," Mojo paused in his evil celebration. He raised his weapon again, and shouted once more, "And who else should you fear?!"

The scared group of captive citizens all coward at the sight of Mojo's aim and screamed. As Mojo held his blaster up to the forehead of one man who was at the front of the bunch, he answered in a terrified panic, "We-we don't know who that is!"

"Oh," Mojo lowered his weapon for a moment as he took a step back. "Well," he began again, "Allow me to officially introduce to you all my partner in crime here!" Mojo began again with a wicked smile, "This," he said as he leapt once more on to the fallen security officer's limp body, rising to the same height as the tall, dark cloaked teenager as he placed a hand on their shoulder, "Is Joey."

Joey gave the group a single, silent wave with a black gloved hand as the crowd stared back with a mix of confusion and shock.

"Gah!" Mojo muttered underneath his breath, "Such a name does not strike enough fear on its own." Mojo cleared his throat and tried again, "THIS is Joey, or rather JOJO! Yes, he is Jojo Junior! Jojo is his name and he is a junior for he is, in fact, my son!"

With this announcement the room let out a loud, collective gasp as their eyes widened and their mouths dropped all at once. At the same time, Joey slowly turned their head to look at the villain to their side, "What-"

Mojo leapt down, aiming his ray gun once more at the crowd. "NOW, who is the villainous team and evil father and son duo you all undoubtedly fear?!"

"MOJO AND JOJO!"

As the group of citizens all cried out and finally gave the villain the response he was looking for, Mojo erupted into another fit of evil laughter. Meanwhile, Joey stood behind him, blinking in stunned confusion from behind their mask.

Suddenly, there was a commotion heard at the bank entrance. "FREEZE! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A team of four police officers entered the bank with their rifles drawn and ready.

"Ah, looks like there are some bones for you to crack after all!" Mojo laughed as he gave Joey a slap on the back, "Go! I shall collect our money while you help yourself to some brutal, barbaric fun!" Mojo shouted as he sprinted for the back of the bank, his purple cape fluttering behind him, "Be quick though, Junior, and hurry before more reinforcements arrive!"

Joey still blinked at the villain as he hurried past them, but their attention was soon drawn to the group of policemen who all raised their weapons. They all took aim at the retreating chimp, but as they fired their weapons Joey traveled quickly as a fast shadow, meeting the bullets first. The ammo bounced off the masked teenager's bullet proof body as they shielded Mojo from the fire.

Once the shooting stopped, Joey charged at the officers head on. The first cop was met with a right hook across his jaw and there was a spray of broken teeth and blood as the super powered teenager's gloved fist made contact. Simultaneously, the second officer was struck with a direct punch to the gut, causing the man to collapse in pain and onto his knees.

As the first policeman fell unconsciously to the ground, and the second doubled over in pain, Joey reached over them for the two remaining cops in the back, and slammed their two heads against one another. As the two men in the back fell next to the ground, Joey finished off the kneeling officer with a hard kick against his chest. The force of their swift kick sent the man flying backwards, and he crashed through the tall glass doors of the bank, causing the entire glass walled entrance to shatter and erupt into a rainfall of a million tiny pebbled shards.

A loud, blaring alarm began to sound as the entrance gave way. As Joey grinned from behind their mask and watched the destruction fall in slow motion, they felt a tug on their arm. "It is time for us to make our escape, Joey! This way!" Mojo cackled as he pulled the teenager along with him and sprinted forward, carrying a large sack of stolen cash draped over one shoulder.

Mojo and Joey leapt over the fallen, incapacitated officer sprawled out on the sidewalk outside the bank. Still, the short simian laughed maniacally as he led Joey across the street and into an alleyway. There they came to a covered storm drain. Mojo lifted the steel barrier and held it open for Joey, motioning for them to enter. They dropped below as instructed and Mojo quickly followed after them, sealing the storm drain once more behind them.

Joey watched as the short simian dropped down into the underground sewer system beside them. As soon as Mojo's boots hit the ground, he continued in a sprint down the sludge covered darkened tunnelway. "Come along now, Joey!" he shouted as he continued to run, "It is just a straight path now back to the lair-"

The green Puff's emerald eyes began to glow from behind their mask as they illuminated the area around them and followed. As they caught up to the villain, jogging steadily beside him, they lifted their mask and faced him, "Jojo Junior?"

Mojo answered back with a short laugh, "Yes! Did you not hear the collective gasp of terror and see their trembling faces for yourself?" he cackled wickedly, "Joey is a fine name, yes, but JOJO- now that is a name for a villain!"

Joey continued to stare at Mojo with a raised eyebrow, "Your son?"

"Is it not true? After all, did I, Mojo Jojo, not play a crucial, integral and vital role in your creation?"

Joey blinked back at the villain as they slowed to a stop then.

Mojo realized the teenager was no longer at his side and stopped next. He turned back around and faced the green Puff, "What?"

Joey shook their head slowly, "I... can't tell if you're being serious right now or not..."

Mojo paused for a moment, before he showed the child a smirk. He walked back towards them, "Would you rather I call you my daughter?"

"What?" Joey blinked back, "No, it ain't that, it's-" they stopped. Mojo stood before them, still wearing a smirk. Above ground, in the distance they could hear the steady growing collection of police sirens gathering. Slowly, the smallest of smiles crossed the teen's scarred face, as they nodded, "Yeah... Sure... Son... is fine."

Mojo's smirk widened as he gave the tall teen another hearty slap on the back, "Come along then, Son, and we shall count our day's earnings as we celebrate today's triumph and victory together-"

"I should probably be getting back, Mojo," Joey interrupted, causing the chimp to stop in his tracks and turn around once more. Joey tilted their head in the direction behind them, "The movie theater where I ditched my sisters is back that way. They'll probably start to realize soon that I've been taking a while in the bathroom..."

Mojo's smirk fell away for a moment, before he forced it back, "Ah, yes," he nodded along, "Yes, of course. Good thinking, Joey. I suppose... that is for the best."

"I'll see ya tonight for my surge stuff though, right? At 2:15... right?"

Mojo gave a nod, "Yes, of course."

"Cool. Thanks for the fun, I guess..." Joey hesitantly turned to leave, "Well... see ya later, Mojo."

"Until tonight," Mojo answered as he watched the teenager retreat in the distance, "Junior..."


The movie theater was empty save for the two Puffs who hid together underneath a soft, baby blue fleece blanket. The ongoing horror film on screen had been filled with enough blood-curdling screams and a constant, tension-building string orchestra that kept both the pink and blue Puff from wanting to even take a peek out from underneath their shelter. They would never choose to watch a movie with so much gore and senseless violence on their own, but they braved the experience as best they could just for their sibling. It was what Buttercup liked, after all.

As the green Puff reentered the darkened theater, a devious smirk swept their face as their eyes fell on the trembling blanket heap in the middle row. They laughed a little as they spoke low to themself, "Right where I left 'em..."

Floating silently down the theater's center aisle, the green Puff still could not get rid of the grin on their face. They lowered themself into their seat beside Bubbles once more. A slowly growing, satisfied and victorious feeling settled with them as they reclined against their chair and exhaled lightly. Their grin widened again as they shook their head and glanced once more at their unknowing sisters. Those suckers don't even have the slightest clue...

While the green Puff smiled deviously to themself and stifled a small laugh with one scarred hand, their rising joy was soon cut short by an eerie whisper in the dark. The unexpected, sing song voice caused the hair on the back of the teenager's neck to raise, as it breathed directly into their left ear from behind:

"It is so much FUN to watch them squirm in FEAR, isn't it?"

A fading, echoing giggle came next, as the green Puff instantly whipped around in their seat. Their green eyes were wide as they darted about the darkened room. There was nothing there, and still, no one else in the theater. The creepy laughter was gone, and only the movie's soundtrack played from behind.

As the raven haired teen slowly turned back round in their seat, they were frightened instantly once more as they came face to face with a pair of demonic, glowing red eyes and a wide, black lipstick grin. The green Puff let out a scream as they fell back against their seat, shutting their eyes in immediate terror. Their sisters still hid underneath their blanket beside them and echoed their sibling's yelp with shrieks of fright of their own as the movie's ongoing soundtrack blared with an intense, building theme.

The green Puff quivered in their seat, but forced themself to open their eyes once more. Again, the theater was empty.

As the wide eyed tomboy glanced about with their heart thumping fiercely in their chest, they flinched from the sudden touch to their right scarred hand that gripped their movie chair's armrest.

"Buttercup?" Bubbles squeaked from underneath the blanket as she felt blindly for her sibling, "You wanna come under here with us?"

The green Puff pushed the blue Puff's hand away and shook their head, "No," they gulped a little, "No... I'm fine..."

Bubbles lifted her end of the blanket to peek out and see her sibling. As soon as her baby blue eyes fell on the wide-eyed, obviously frightened expression she squeaked again, "If the movie's getting too scary, Buttercup, we can leave-"

"I'm not scared," the green Puff interrupted quickly. They reached over and snatched the bucket of popcorn that rested on the blonde's lap, taking it for themself. They reclined in their seat once more and forced a scarred handful of popcorn into their mouth, "I'm not scared..." they repeated again.

Bubbles frowned before retreating underneath the blanket once more.

As the still slightly trembling tomboy forced themself to focus on the screen again, they watched as the actress turned and faced the audience. Her face was an unnatural, bright red, her cheeks colored heavily with pink rouge and her lips painted black. She spoke with the same eerie voice that had just been speaking in the dark: "Not scared, hmmm?"

Swallowing their mouthful of popcorn with a giant gulp, the green Puff watched as the woman on screen's eyes began to glow a deep, crimson red.

"You should be."

The teenager's skinny frame continued to shake as they stared ahead with a stunned, dropped jaw, feeling absolutely frozen with fear. Their mind began to race as they suddenly could recall every nightmare they had endured in their life, facing this demonic villain. It was just like Mojo said the other day. He really was real. Again they gulped, "...Him..."

"Yeeesss, you, of course, have the most to fear out of anyone, Buttercup," the distorted picture continued to speak in an echoing chill, as the woman on screen inhaled deeply, as if savoring something in the air, "Oooh, and you were just starting to have such a FUN day too..."

Slowly, a thick pink fog began to build within the theater, as the green Puff looked around in fright.

"Just beginning to truly believe, in your own strange and twisted way, that perhaps things were beginning to look up for you..."

In an instant, the theater room was suddenly filled with a blinding, bright white light, and the green Puff found themself pinned to their chair by a pair of metal cuffs that clasped suddenly around their scarred wrists. As they struggled against their restraints and winced under the hot glowing light that surrounded them they could see that their sisters, as well as the surrounding movie theater had now vanished completely. They shouted out into the white void around them, "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!"

A deep sinister cackle echoed throughout the room next as a shadowy silhouette slowly approached in the distance. As their green eyes fell on the unknown figure and watched with an increasing sense of panic, they heard a high pitched voice in their left ear again. They turned and saw the red faced demon standing just behind them to their left. "But what if I were to tell you, Buttercup," the demon continued to sing, "That later this very day is when eeeverrryyy last bit of fluttering hope you have left... all comes crashing DOWN?"

The piercing white glow around them intensified for a moment, flashing a fire hot red, as the darkened figure finally came to a stop before the strapped down, flailing teenager. As the light around them faded, the scene around them changed. The previously red velvet movie chair they were cuffed to had turned white, and they found themself suddenly in the Professor's basement laboratory and it was the Professor who stood before them.

"I'm so sorry, Buttercup..." the Professor spoke, sounding muffled and distant, as he leaned over the green Puff with a syringe in hand, "But I have no other choice..."

"PROFESSOR, NO!" the green Puff cried out as they fought desperately to break free from their restraints. "DON'T!"

The Professor reached out for the teenager's jacket sleeve and slowly lifted it upward, exposing their scarred arm. As the green Puff continued to squirm about, their emerald eyes grew even wider with terror as they watched the needle sink into their charcoal stained flesh.

"NO!" they screamed again and cried out, but their wail of agony was cut short as they felt a crippling chill radiate suddenly throughout their body. Their cries turned to choking as they gasped for air, like a fish who found themself suddenly out of water. The cuffs around their wrists finally unlatched and the green Puff fell out of the chair and onto their knees as they fought to find their breath once more.

As they continued to cough as they choked, the Professor reached out with one hand, "Here, Sweetie, let me help-"

The green Puff swatted the Professor's hand away and forced themself back onto their feet. They wheezed heavily as they struggled to run up the basement steps, desperate to escape this nightmare. Trying to instinctively take flight, they only tripped and fell as they reached the top of the staircase. As they slammed face first against their home kitchen's tiled floor they heard their sisters standing over them, offering their hands next, "Let us help, Buttercup-"

"NO! ALL OF YOU JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Once again, the teenager scrambled back onto their feet and took off in a fast sprint, their breathing still labored and rough. They ran through their home and straight out the front door without looking back. As they ran down the house's front driveway and out into the road, they came to a stop as they saw someone standing in the middle of the street in the distance.

The teenager struggled to speak between sharp, short gasps for air, but managed to breathe her name out loud somehow, "P-Princess?"

"Joey..." the girl's voice was uncharacteristically low as she stared back at the green Puff with a strange glaze over her eyes.

Slowly, Princess raised one arm, taking aim with a golden plated pistol. She pulled the trigger and a single bullet shot forward. The green Puff let out a yelp of pain as the bullet grazed their right shoulder. They touched the stinging wound with their scarred hand and blinked for a moment at the blood in stunned shock.

As they watched Princess raise their gun again slowly for another round, the teenager sprinted towards their left, fleeing as fast as they could down the road. As the shot fired off in the distance, the bullet whizzed past them as they stumbled to take off, just missing them by a hair. Their heart raced fiercely as their chest tightened and their gasps for air grew even shorter.

Running further into their neighborhood, they were met next by the sight of a fast gathering crowd of citizens. They marched towards the trembling teenager like a massive hoard of zombies. As their black sneakers came to a screeching stop once more upon the asphalt, they found themself surrounded by the hundreds of brain-dead, blank-eyed people.

The green Puff stumbled backwards, as the impending crowd drew nearer. As they did so, they felt a sudden bump behind them as they knocked against something. They turned round and felt for the invisible barrier, pressing their scarred palm against the crystal wall's surface.

"NO!" they choked again between breaths as they beat against the impenetrable wall. They turned around again, and slammed face first into another wall of the same unbreakable material. "PLEASE, NO!" they cried out from within the clear cell cage.

The clear cell's walls closed in tighter around the teenager as they fell to their knees once more, choking, coughing, gasping and still not finding nearly enough air for their agonizing lungs. Feeling their body grow colder, and the world around them beginning to turn dark, they looked up and saw a smiling red face demon watching gleefully from above.

"You see, Buttercup," Him spoke as he rested upon the top of the glass barrier overhead. "This is what is in store for you- an absolutely inescapable fate..." The demon paused to giggle as he watched the teenager collapse totally onto their side, shivering from a combination of excruciating pain and sheer terror, "Inescapable, that is, unless of course... you would like my help?"

The green Puff's gasps were completely breathless and empty then as they looked up at the outstretched claw that reached through the crystal glass ceiling. "This... isn't... real..." they struggled to spit out weakly.

"Ooooh, but it will be." A red claw had stretched far enough to wave directly in front of the shaky, feeble Puff. "So come on now... Don't be shy..."

Slowly, the green Puff managed to lift one, tired scarred hand and reached out for the villain's grasp. As the demon's claws snapped shut against their open palm, they shut their eyes from the pain it caused as they felt themself being hoisted upward with a sudden great force.

Opening their eyes once more, they suddenly felt their breath return, and they found themself once again sitting in the darkened movie theater once more. Upon the movie screen, the film's ending credits began to roll, and slowly their sisters peeked out from underneath their blanket once more.

"Ohmigosh," Bubbles seemed to sigh with relief, "It's over."

"Well, that sounded pretty terrifying," Blossom laughed a little as she began to fold the blanket they had brought with them. "I hope you enjoyed it, Sis-" Blossom stopped as she glanced beyond Bubbles to where her tomboy sibling sat on the other side. "Buttercup...?"

Bubbles turned her head next and saw that her sibling gripped both armrests tightly with both scarred hands. Both emerald eyes were wide as they stared forward in a frozen look of pure horror, trembling in a way neither she nor Blossom had ever witnessed before then. Bubbles reached out with one hand and the tomboy immediately jumped at her touch, flinching with fright.

"Woah, Buttercup," Blossom began as she stood from her seat. She was in complete shock to see her sibling in such a state. Buttercup had never been afraid of a horror movie before. "It's... it's OK..." she tried to encourage, "The movie's over now..."

"Yeah, Buttercup," Bubbles squeaked as she tried to massage her sibling's arm, "We can go home now..."

The green Puff finally looked to their right at them both and slowly began to nod as they continued to shake, "R-r-right..."

"Let's go..." Blossom led the group out, walking out from their row first. Bubbles followed, pulling her sibling's scarred hand behind her.

As the skinny teenager followed absentmindedly after their sisters, it took a while for them to notice the squishing and squeaking of their dampened sneakers as they walked. It also wasn't until the trio stepped out of the darkened theater and into the brightly lit theater lobby did Blossom and Bubbles notice the darkened stain that ran down the front side of their sibling's blue jeans. They both stopped in their tracks in stunned shock as the green Puff continued past them, walking slowly as if lost in a trance, their soaked sneakers tracking wet footprints across the carpet floor with each step.

"Oh, shit! Is that Buttercup?!"

"Look! She pissed herself!"

"Uhh, gross!"

"What's the matter, Buttercup?! Movie too scary for ya?!"

Blossom's eyes immediately narrowed on the group of teenage boys in the lobby. Of course, Mitch and his friends all had to be there. As Bubbles shot off after their sibling, covering the Puff quickly with the blanket they had, Blossom shot the leader of the group a direct, harsh glare. "Why don't you go to Hell, Mitch Mitchelson?!"

"Oooh!" the boys all teased at once as the pink Puff marched past.

"Come on, Buttercup," Blossom spoke softly once more as she came to her shaking sibling's side. "Let's go home."