Villain: Redux
By: Yay Ninja Bob
Author's Note:
WOAH LONGEST HIATUS WE'VE EVER HAD, I AM SO SORRY.
Man. My summer was a shit show, and I'll just leave it at that. I really really REALLY apologize for how long it's taken to get this final part to Part II done. As much as I wanted to get it done sooner, because of LIFE events I had A LOT going on, not a lot of free time, and truthfully just wasn't in the right headspace to tackle these particular two chapters for a whiiile.
With that said, I don't usually put "warnings" on things, but I do want to emphasize that these final two chapters to Part II contain some scenes that are, well, extra DARK, lets say. We're about to dive into some very serious and pretty disturbing content. And pretty much from Part III on, things are only going to get darker. SO. YEP. Hope you guys like it, heh. I mean, I think at least half the audience for this are returning readers of the original, so, you all know where this ride was more or less headed. :p
I'll see you all again in the author's note at the end of our next chapter. For now, I truly hope you enjoy the finale to Part II.
Thanks for reading! :)
Part II: Hate & War
Chapter 17
Rebel Revenant to the Rescue!
There had to be more to it. The scientist could feel it in his bones: Something was missing. ...But what?
Professor Utonium stood with his back turned on the beaker of bubbling, black metallic liquid which sat upon his main workstation. His attention was fixed on the same chemical formula that had taunted him for years- written in bold, black dry-erase marker across the large whiteboard that hung along the back wall of his basement laboratory - Chemical X. Whenever he had time to study the series of compounds, he did, and as he waited for his newest batch of Chemical X to reach its optimum temperature, he stared down the formula equation yet again.
No matter what way he looked at it, Professor Utonium found himself time and time again reaching a dead end with this crucial piece of research. There was once a time when the Professor would feel a somewhat thrilling excitement to reach such a point. After all, nothing is finite in science; there were no true dead ends, and whenever he found himself hitting the same block again and again, he knew it was because he was on the brink of what every scientist craved- a new discovery. New discoveries, of course, only begged new questions, which in turn led to more discoveries to be had. The infinite well of possibilities in the neverending quest for knowledge used to be what he loved most about his job. It was the excitement for the unknown, and getting to play the role of pioneer in that adventure was what once gave him a sense of purpose.
But the Professor was no longer just a scientist. He was also a father and since becoming a father, he had found a greater purpose. Now, his research always related to the betterment of the lives of his children, and since their creation, the once "thrilling" unknown had somehow lost its appeal. Now, whenever he found himself at that place with more questions to be explored than he first set out with, he felt frankly like a failure.
With little hope left to find more natural cinnabar-x, the Professor knew he had to find an alternative. Chemical X was absolutely vital to the health of his children, and with his low supply dwindling, he knew a synthetic substitute would need to be made. But in order to perfectly replicate Chemical X, every compound of the rare ore, cinnabar-x, needed to be replicated as well. It was in that process, where the Professor hit his current "block" time and time again. Every attempt at synthesis proved to be a failure. There had to be an unseen component to the chemical that he was somehow overlooking, and although he felt very much on the edge of discovering whatever it was that was missing... that lost component still remained just beyond his mental grasp. He knew it was there. Again, it had to be, but... he just couldn't quite see it yet.
Professor Utonium's quiet contemplation was interrupted by a bright ding which sounded from the timer he had set. His eyes lingered on the formula for one last moment, before he slowly turned around and made his way back to the bubbling concoction at his workstation. The Chemical X solution was suspended over a bunsen burner's flame, and beside that was a much smaller beaker with a clear, liquid substance. Professor Utonium sat once more at his workstation and carefully proceeded with his mixture.
With Buttercup's power surges returning, time was not on their side. The instability within the green Puff was only growing worse- that much was clear. As much as he wanted to have an alternative by then, he simply did not. There was only one known, proven solution when it came to preventing a fatal power surge from happening, and that was to remove the source of that power itself.
Professor Utonium picked up a small dropper and pulled a small amount of liquid from the smaller beaker. His hand physically trembled as he raised the dropper nearer to the container of black metallic liquid. He knew once he added this last drop of nitric acid to the concoction that this crucial batch of Chemical X would be forever altered. There was no turning back, but what choice did he have left? At the very least, he had to have it ready- just in case. No super powers would mean a mortal, human life, but it was better than no life at all. At least this would give him more time to solve for the missing component. Most importantly, it would give Buttercup more time.
The Professor took a long deep breath, as he carefully allowed a single drop of the clear, colorless solution to fall from the dropper into the beaker. The black liquid material instantly began to bubble and fizz as its dark color became clouded with a growing, intense, bright red. As the solution settled, he lowered his dropper and picked up the beaker in his hands for closer inspection.
Indeed, there it was: Antidote X.
Professor Utonium lowered the beaker once more and carefully sat it upon the table before him. His eyes fell upon the framed photograph of his three children he kept on his desk. It was an old photograph, but it was a fond memory, for it was the first picture of his kids he had ever taken on the morning of their first day of school. The triplets each wore big, eager grins as they posed together with their school bags. It was a time before they were ever known to the world as the Powerpuff Girls. Then, they were simply Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.
The Professor reached for the framed memory and took it in his hands, feeling a tug on his heart. The three of them were only days old at that point, but the Professor had recognized almost immediately that their gifted young minds needed to be cultivated, and so he wasted no time enrolling them into school. His intention, of course, was never to lie. He wrote down the truth on their enrollment forms when they asked for their birthday. It wasn't his fault that someone misread his scratchy writing and mistook the "7" for a "2" in "1997." Just like that, they were "five" and enrolled into Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. When others warned that children grow up within a blink of the eye, it proved to be an understatement for the Professor. However, he knew his kids would have a hard enough time "fitting in," and so if going along with the age they "appeared" to be made life a little less complicated for them, he thought at the time that it was for the best.
Now as the Professor gazed at length at the photograph, he wondered if this was where he might have made a mistake. Did he let his children grow up too fast?
Returning the frame to its spot upon his desk, the Professor's ears then perked up to the sound of their home's doorbell ringing. He stood from his seat and ascended the basement laboratory's stairs.
"Ms. Bellum?" Professor Utonium answered the door, genuinely surprised to see the red headed politician waiting on the other side. "Please, come inside. What brings you by, Mayor?"
"Hello, Professor," Mayor Bellum began as she stepped inside. "I was having difficulties reaching the girls, and so naturally I was concerned and just thought I'd drop by to make sure everything was alright-"
"Well, they left to the movies together just a couple hours ago," the Professor began as he led Mayor Bellum into their home's living room. "They should be back soon, I imagine-"
"Oh, thank goodness," the mayor interrupted with a big sigh of relief, "They really had me worried when I couldn't reach them through the hotline system."
"My apologies, Mayor, but I was the one who reassured them everything should be fine for just a couple of hours. Is there an emergency?"
"There was," Mayor Bellum returned with a frown, "But it's ended now. I'm afraid First Town Union Bank was robbed. What had me so concerned for the girls' safety was who did the robbing, of course," the mayor paused as she retrieved her cellular phone, navigating quickly through the device before handing it over to the Professor. "Mojo Jojo and what appears to be one of his Rowdyruff Boys."
"What?" The Professor's eyes widened as they fell on the amateur cellular footage that played. There was Mojo Jojo speaking loudly and proudly to a group of terrified, cornered civilians. Beside the short simian stood a tall and skinny masked individual- the one the public had been calling "the Alien."
"THIS is Joey, or rather JOJO!" Mojo announced with a gleeful, wicked cackle as the footage played on, "Yes, he is Jojo Junior! Jojo is his name and he is a junior for he is, in fact, my son!"
"Impossible-" the Professor began, but was interrupted by the sudden loud opening and slamming of their home's front door.
Both Mayor Bellum and the Professor looked up at the same time to see a bright flash of green light zip quickly up the home's staircase, followed next by a flash of baby blue.
"Buttercup, wait!" the blue Puff cried out after her sibling as she flew past.
Blossom was the last of the three inside. As she shut the front door behind her, the Professor and Mayor Bellum stepped out from the living room to meet her.
"Blossom," the Professor started, "What's going on? Did something happen?"
"Professor-" Blossom stopped as her eyes fell on Mayor Bellum and widened momentarily with surprise, "Mayor, what are you doing here?"
"Hello, Blossom," Bellum replied, "Nevermind that, Dear. Is everything alright?" she asked with concern.
Blossom paused, unsure of where to begin or what to say exactly. "Um," she began quietly, "Yeah, Buttercup... just... well..." she bit her lip as she floated over to beside the Professor. Leaning towards her father's ear, she cupped her hand over her mouth as she quickly whispered to him what had just happened at the movie theater.
"Oh my..." the Professor responded with wide eyes, before he began for the staircase next, "I'm sorry, Ms. Bellum, if you would excuse me-"
"Of course, Professor," the mayor nodded as she watched the scientist ascend quickly to the second floor next. She looked to Blossom who stood and watched with a soft glisten reflecting in her bubblegum eyes. "Buttercup... hasn't been handling the return to superheroism very well... has she?"
"No," Blossom confessed with a soft voice, "She hasn't." She wiped away a tear before it could fall, as she turned to face the mayor. "I don't understand," she continued, "I thought out of all three of us, she would be the one most excited about having the action back in our lives again, but..." Blossom's voice trailed off as she fought back more rising emotions, "I guess... I was wrong..."
Mayor Bellum could see how upset Blossom was for her sibling, and although there were a multitude of problems the city faced that the Powerpuff Girls could help with, she knew what the Utoniums needed then was family time. Mojo and his apparent son had already gotten away; there was no point in adding to the young heroine's troubles then. "If it will help," the mayor began, placing a reassuring hand on the tall teen's shoulder, "Perhaps Buttercup should consider taking a leave of absence for a while from the super troupe-"
"What?" Blossom blinked back, "But we're a team-"
"I know that, Dear," Bellum continued with a small, encouraging smile, "But if it will help Buttercup to take a little break, then maybe that's for the best. Just... something to consider, yes?"
Blossom continued to stare, unsure of how to respond.
Mayor Bellum continued, "I'll take my leave now. I can see you need time with your family, of course," she started towards the front door again. "I will send you a nightly report, as usual, and you can catch up on today when you have time later. For now, attend to your sister."
Blossom followed her, "But, Mayor, did you come by for something-"
"I came by to make certain you three were safe, and you are," the mayor interrupted again with a smile, "Go be with your family, Blossom. I truly do not want to burden you girls with any more than you can handle. We'll talk soon, when things have settled down again, and you're ready, alright?"
"Alright," Blossom gave a hesitant nod as she waved goodbye from the doorway and watched the mayor depart, "Thank you, Mayor... Talk to you soon..."
The pink Puff shut the door, and sighed deeply. The day had started off so good. It was supposed to be a fun time out with her sisters, and now...
As Blossom floated up her home's staircase, she could hear her sister Bubbles speaking quickly to the Professor. They stood together in the hallway, just outside the shut bathroom door. Blossom could hear the shower running on the other side and figured it must be Buttercup.
"And then the worst part was there were a bunch of kids from school there who saw everything, Professor!" Bubbles was just finishing her story as Blossom joined her and the Professor. Her baby blue eyes glistened with tears as her heart continued to break for her sibling, "And they were super mean about it, too! They made everyone in the lobby look at her, and were pointing and laughing! It was so bad!"
"Stupid assholes," Blossom couldn't help but mutter the comment under her breath, which in turn got her a somewhat surprised look from the Professor, but no scolding. He simply rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting pat.
"Come on, Girls," Professor Utonium began with a sigh, "Let's give your sister some space to get cleaned up for now." He gently led the blue and pink Puffs back down the hall.
On the other side of the bathroom door, the green Puff had just finished redressing themself in a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt after their shower. They cautiously opened the door and made certain their family was gone before quickly zipping back to their bedroom across the hall, and shutting the door fast behind them.
Once inside their room, the skinny teen slumped down against the shut bedroom door, exhaling deeply. Their heart within their chest was beating fast. It hadn't slowed down since they managed to escape Him's hellish nightmare. The green Puff laid down flat against the cool, wooden floorboards of their bedroom and gazed up at the ceiling, feeling their heart beat thumping hard against their chest. Try as they might to relax, they couldn't. Their wide green eyes were unblinking, and they still felt a lingering paranoia knowing that somewhere, somehow that red devil creep was watching them.
As their heart continued to race, they lifted one scarred hand to their chest and clutched it. As they did so, they sat up with a fast jolt, as they realized something quickly, "Shit! My mask!"
The green Puff scrambled onto their feet and flung open their bedroom door. Before the superpowered teenager could take flight, they stopped, their already racing heart increasing even more in tempo as their eyes fell on the blue Puff who stepped out of the bathroom across the hall, carrying the small bundle of clothes that had been left behind.
Bubbles was startled by her sibling's sudden appearance. Before she could speak, there was a quick flash of green light, as the bundle of laundry she held was violently snatched away from her.
"Give me that-!"
"I was just going to add them to the wash for you-" Bubbles began with a squeak as she watched the green Puff feel around the pile of clothes, as if checking for something.
Before Bubbles could finish her sentence, the green Puff continued to snap back with serious venom and wild, wide green eyes that burned with intensity and rage, "WHERE IS IT?!"
"Wh-where's wh-what-?"
Again, before the blue Puff could fully finish, the green Puff was back on her with another flash of green light, knocking Bubbles backwards, and slamming her hard against the ground.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS IT, BUBBLES?! I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND, OK?! SO JUST FUCKING TELL ME, ALRIGHT?! WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?!"
"Buttercup, please!" Bubbles choked. She felt a pair of scarred hands wrap tightly around her neck, as she was kept pinned to the ground by her sibling. "I don't know what you're talking about-!"
"BULLSHIT!"
"Please, Buttercup, STOP! You're hurting me!"
"Buttercup! Oh my GOD! What are you doing?!" Blossom's voice shouted suddenly from behind. She appeared next with a flash of pink light, and wrapped both arms around her skinny sibling's torso and pulled with all her might. Bubbles was freed as the pink Puff fell backwards and took the green Puff to the floor with her.
"LET GO OF ME!"
Bubbles sat frozen on the ground in pure shock as she watched Blossom desperately try to wrangle their out-of-control sibling. Behind her, the Professor had just reached the top of the staircase and also looked on with wide-eyed disbelief.
"BUTTERCUP, PLEASE! YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!" Blossom cried out as she held on with all her might. She had no idea what had suddenly possessed the tomboy, but she was desperate to not let go. After all, whenever the green Puff's anger was ignited this badly, fleeing in a rage was what usually came next.
"I SAID: GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"
As the green Puff screamed and fought against their sister's stronghold, they managed to give the redhead a hard enough knock to her nose with a freed elbow. Blossom stumbled backwards, clasping her hands over her busted nose that instantly began to bleed.
Blossom's pink eyes were wide with both shock and fright as they fell on her raven-haired sibling who stood tall and rigid with both scarred hands balled up tightly. Behind Blossom, still watching was Bubbles and the Professor. Together, the Utoniums eyes collectively fell on the bright, glowing green flames that engulfed the enraged teenager's clenched fists.
As the green Puff's emerald eyes narrowed on their family, they were at first unaware of the electric green fire that had consumed their scarred fists. It was only when their family all flinched together in fear that they realized what was happening.
Suddenly it felt as if their previously racing heart seemed to almost stop. The moment was so surreal, it felt as if time had paused just to make it all the more gut-wrenching. Their previously wild, crazed green eyes became tinged with legitimate pain as they recognized the look in each of their scared family member's faces then. The expressions were something the green Puff had been used to seeing on the faces of others, but it was the first time their family had ever worn them themselves. They all stared back at the green Puff with their mouths collectively agape and trembling in absolute terror. The way they stared- they looked back at them as if they were... a monster.
The heartbreak was enough to extinguish the rage building in their scarred fists. The electric green fire fizzled away.
As their heart wrenched painfully, they still felt frozen in time then. Before they could question why this torturous moment seemed to last forever, they received their answer as the sound of a high pitched echoing giggle suddenly filled the room.
A building cloud of pink smoke suddenly began to manifest behind the frozen Utoniums as Him appeared with a gleeful, wide grin. "Ooohhh," the red faced demon giggled wickedly as he floated above the heads of Blossom, Bubbles and the Professor, "Were you looking for this?"
The green Puff's eyes widened as they fell on their Joey mask clutched in Him's bright red claw.
Him waved the green faced mask about in the air, and wore a devious smirk as he continued in a low, growling tone: "You remember everything I showed you, don't you?"
There was hesitation, but slowly, the green Puff nodded.
Him's wicked smile only doubled in size. "And here I am!" he sang once more, "Just in time to help!"
Him waved his claw about in the air and suddenly the wall at the end of the hallway behind the still frozen-in-place Utoniums collapsed, revealing a gateway to a bright, red void. The crimson light that shone from the opening was so strong, the Utonium home became tainted the same red color.
Him floated towards the portal opening, beckoning with the green mask still in his claw's grasp. "Here we are!" he sang again. He paused for a moment as he turned back to face the teenager. "You do still want my help, don't you?" Him's voice dropped low once more as he stood beside the hellish gateway.
The green Puff gulped nervously as they turned to face the demon. There was hesitation again, but again, they answered with a slow nod.
A low, devious cackle escaped Him as he watched the green Puff begin to step forward. He paused to lick his lips as the trembling hero came near.
The green Puff stopped at the portal's opening for just a moment to look back over their shoulder at their frozen family. Beyond them, somehow, still stood themself at the other end of the hallway- their fists still clenched in anger, and like their family, still frozen in time. They blinked back for a moment, confused, but ultimately forced themself to step across the fiery red threshold.
"Come along then, Buttercup," Him's voice remained deep and sinister as he followed the skinny teenager through the gateway next, "And I shall lead you to the freedom you so desperately desire..."
The red light that consumed the entire Utonium home suddenly vanished as Him's portal disappeared in an instant. Once it was shut and gone, time resumed again, and the Utonium family watched as the green Puff collapsed suddenly to the floor.
Immediately the family rushed for the fallen Puff.
"Buttercup!" Bubbles and Blossom cried out in unison as they appeared next to their sibling with quick flashes of blue and pink light. The green Puff had fallen forward, and landed face down. The sisters turned their sibling over quickly and cried out again when they got no response or reaction, "BUTTERCUP!"
Blossom looked up at the Professor as he reached them next, her bubblegum eyes wide with panic, "Professor, I can't tell whether she's breathing!"
"Come on, quick!" the Professor shouted, "Let's get her down to the lab!"
Although it felt as if their feet still stood upon solid ground, the raven-haired Puff was just a speck of green floating in a sea of red. The scarlet lit space that surrounded them stretched on forever in every direction. Surrounding them was a dense pink, misty fog which made everything all the more disorienting. The air was difficult to breathe, and with every breath, they could feel a painful sting to their lungs.
"Where am I-?" the hero finally asked out loud, and just as they finished they heard his sing-song voice again.
"Welcome, welcome," Him sang with a smile as he appeared, "Please, Buttercup, make yourself comfortable! Have a seat, my dear..."
With a wave of his claw, the pink misty clouds in the air began to swirl round. It dissipated slowly and revealed a set of antiquated living room furniture. The green Puff felt their knees buckle slightly as an invisible pressure seemed to guide them onto the seat of the yellow cushioned sofa that had manifested behind them. Their emerald eyes watched nervously as Him joined them next, taking the seat beside them.
"Ah," the demon let out a sigh as he lowered himself onto the sofa and crossed his legs, "Barely the early afternoon, and such a long day it's been! I have just had so much work to catch up on, and I tell you, Buttercup, it is not easy... Evil just doesn't attend to itself, you know?"
The green Puff watched as Him reached next for a tea set that had appeared upon a small wooden coffee table before them. He daintily held one of the small pink porcelain cups with one claw, and brought it to his lips and sipped. "Ah," he savored the flavor, "Absolutely delicious. Please, Buttercup, you must try some."
"No thanks..."
"None at all? Are you sure?"
The green Puff only answered with a silent stare from where they sat across the villain. They watched as Him finished off the contents of the small teacup, "Mmm, suit yourself." The clawed villain reached for the teapot on the coffee table to pour himself another cup. "Oh my," Him felt the empty weight of the teapot in his claw, "Already done with this last pot," he removed the teapot's lid and peered inside with a disappointed frown.
As they continued to watch Him, the green Puff could not ignore the fast growing unsettling feeling in their gut. The sooner they could get out of Him's freakish lair, the better. "So... you said that you would help me-"
"Yes, of course," Him interrupted, "You wanted a way out from your miserable fate. Well, that is why I brought you here, of course," Him paused to set the empty teapot back upon the coffee table.
With a wave of his claw, a television set appeared across the room. Upon the screen was their family, right where they had last left them. The Professor, Blossom and Bubbles all huddled around an unresponsive green Puff.
"Is this really what's happening right now?"
"Yes," Him answered with a widening, devious grin as he watched the hero whose eyes were glued to the screen.
Upon Him's television, the Professor shouted as Bubbles and Blossom scooped the green Puff's limp body into their arms together before disappearing fast with quick flashes of light. They appeared next in the Utonium basement laboratory, in the area the Professor had always called their "treatment center." The pair of sisters laid their sibling down upon a medical cot. The blue Puff shot off to retrieve the Professor from upstairs, while the pink Puff stayed behind. She lifted one of the green Puff's scarred wrists and felt for a pulse. "Come on, Buttercup," her trembling voice could be heard through the television, "Stay with us... please..."
As Blossom spoke, the green Puff's eyes fell on the coffee table again, and watched as the teapot and matching porcelain cups became magically filled with a dark bubbling liquid once more.
"Yes," Him began again, as Bubbles returned with the Professor next on the screen, "It really is such a shame. I'm afraid once you are revived, it will only be a short time before Antidote X comes next. You see it, right? Just waiting on the Professor's lab station, right behind your body there- Oh yes, the Professor always did say that he knew someday it would have to come to this..."
As the Professor scurried about the lab, retrieving the equipment he needed, the green Puff's eyes narrowed on the small beaker of metallic red liquid that sat in the background of everything, "He really does have it ready..."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." the demon poured himself another cup of "tea," as he continued, "What is the point, one must ask? Trying so hard to keep you alive, only to turn around next and destroy the last thing you have left to live for?"
"Yeah... What is the point...?"
"Really, what your family should do is just learn to let you go."
"Yeah... They should just let me go, but... they won't..."
"No, they certainly won't. Not if they believe it can be helped, but of course," Him paused to sip, "If they had no choice, well, then..."
The green Puff looked away from the screen just as the Professor began to fix an oxygen mask to their physical body's face. As they faced Him again, the demon was watching them with an unwavering, gleeful grin. They gulped nervously, "How can that happen?"
"Well, my dear... YOU could let go."
"...What?"
"Well, I have brought you here, you see," Him reached out towards the skinny teen and rested a claw on their shoulder, "Indeed, yes here you are, and well, there," he motioned with his other claw and teacup towards the television, "There lies Buttercup. But of course, you can make the decision to let that Buttercup go, and you can. Only you can..."
The green Puff blinked at the TV set for a moment, before looking back to Him. They saw then that the demon stood and held their green faced Joey mask within his claw once more. He handed it over to the teenager, who stood as they took it and held it with both scarred hands.
"Yes, it is not nearly as impossible as you think it is. Really, you are already halfway there by being here," Him grinned wickedly as he walked around the hero in one full circle. He stopped behind them, resting both claws on their shoulders, "All you have to do is choose to walk away from your former life now, and then..." Him paused briefly as he turned the teenager round to face away from the television screen which still displayed the Utonium's efforts to revive the fallen hero.
As they were spun around, the green Puff's emerald eyes settled on a brightly lit doorway that had appeared within the demon's lair. The gateway's light was too bright to see exactly what lay beyond the other side.
"Then you will be free, my dear," Him sung softly into the Puff's ear from behind. "Yes, free from everything that's been holding you back thus far- free from Buttercup's fate, and free to just be... Johnny."
"Joey."
"Whatever."
The young hero stared straight ahead at the glowing bright pathway. Both of their scarred hands gripped their mask tightly, as they hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not to trust this "out" Him was gifting them.
"Of course," Him raised one claw, "If you'd rather I send you back, I can always-"
"No," the green Puff stopped Him quickly. "I definitely don't wanna go back... I don't wanna be there, and I don't wanna be... her," they paused, "But... what's gonna happen to, uh, that other me?"
"Ohhh, you don't have to concern yourself with that," Him sang again as he pushed the teenager forward, guiding them closer to their exit. "I will handle everything myself, I assure you. You just run along, and have fun, hmm? Go on now... Ta-ta..."
As they came to the illuminated doorway, the green Puff stopped again. Their scarred hands firmly gripped their mask as they took one final, deep breath before stepping across the bright glowing threshold and into the unknown.
The story had reached every news station, and as the headlines broke across the city, the subject of Mojo Jojo and "Junior" had quickly become the talk of Townsville. The speculating theories that the city's most wanted villains might be linked to one another had been proven true. The confirmation of the much rumored team-up was one thing, but what had the talking heads really spinning was a revelation nobody could have predicted. Where did "the Alien" come from? Well, apparently the answer was from none other than Townsville's most notorious villain himself, Mojo Jojo.
As much work as there was still to be done, even Mojo could not help but take some time to revel in this unfolding madness. The villain found the chaotic mass confusion on display wildly entertaining to watch, and every monitor to his main control system was tuned to a different news channel's broadcast. He reclined with leisure in his purple cushioned chair at his lair's main station and cackled low to himself with wicked amusement as his eyes bounced from screen to screen. As he reached for his glass of celebratory wine that sat upon his control board, his eyes fell briefly upon a nearby silver tray which held a small dissected field mouse's corpse.
The simian lifted his glass to his lips and paused in thought for a moment, before finishing his glass with a final long sip. "If I am to have any confidence in my latest theory, I must seek more evidence to support my findings," the simian quietly plotted out loud to himself as he reclined in his seat once more, "Yes, nothing can be for certain until it can be confirmed through gathering additional factual support. However, if this one, singular specimen is any indication of what the power behind the green Powerpuff's 'power surges' truly is, well then..." he paused for a moment as his lips curled slowly, "My son is very powerful, indeed."
"My, my, my... out of all the crazy little schemes your mutant monkey mind comes up with, I must say this one takes the cake."
Mojo winced from the sudden shrill sound of the meddlesome demon's voice. His smile dropped instantly as he gritted his teeth. Him. Now what did he want? As much as Mojo wanted to turn around and tell the red faced villain off, he knew that it was pointless. He reached for a control on his station and turned the volume up on his central monitor which still displayed the news.
"It all sounds so delicious, I'll give you that, Mojo," Him continued anyway, "Yes, turning one Powerpuff against the other two- why just imagining it now just makes my mouth water! Such a shame that your evil plan relies upon the one Puff who is about to go, well, poof..."
The demon wanted Mojo's attention, and with that he got it. "What?"
Mojo began to spin round in his chair, but Him held his seat still with one claw and motioned towards the central monitor with his other, "Why don't you watch for yourself..."
The screen switched from the news broadcast to its default feed of Professor Utonium's laboratory. They were in the distant corner of the lab, but Mojo could see that the entire Utonium family stood around a seemingly incapacitated green Puff. He watched as Blossom hovered over her unmoving sibling, delicately holding a limp scarred wrist with one hand. Her wide bubblegum eyes were full of fear as she watched the Professor remove the stethoscope from around his ears, wearing a grave look.
"Professor, what is-" before the pink Puff could finish she was cut short by her father.
"Blossom, I want you and your sister to wait outside the lab," the Professor said quickly as he began to fix an oxygen mask to the green Puff's face. "Don't come back until I say it's safe for you to return, do you understand me?"
"But, Professor-"
"Blossom, there's no time to argue about this, please-"
"What's going on?" the blue Puff began to break down in tears.
Mojo tried his best to ignore the frantic drama unfolding amongst the Utoniums and kept his focus on the green Puff lying still on the medical table. He could not believe what he was seeing. Not more than an hour ago, he had been running alongside the green Puff who appeared healthy and happy, and now things had obviously taken a critical turn for the worse.
"What is happening?!" Mojo demanded from the tall red villain who still stood behind him quietly cackling. Mojo was no stranger to the demon's tricks, and he knew his evil giggling had to mean that Him must have had something to do with this. "What have you done?!"
"Ohhh, it was easy, really. That sad little bug flew right into my trap!" His wicked laughter grew darker as Mojo looked up at Him with wide eyes. As the short chimp stared up at Him with a look of disgust and horror, Him stopped for a moment.
"What's the matter, Mojo?" Him asked with pouty lips, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had always been under the impression that there was nothing you wanted more than to destroy the Powerpuffs. Isn't this... what you wanted?"
Mojo's eyes narrowed into a glare as the demon showed him a devious grin. The simian turned away to refocus his attention on what was happening in the Utonium lab. The Professor had begun chest compressions. This was not good.
"No..." Mojo gasped low under his breath as he leapt onto both feet at the sight of this. He slammed a gloved fist hard against his control board as a rush of anger and frustration took over, "NO!"
"Well, it looks like it's time for me to be going now," Him sang wickedly from behind as he began to dissipate into pink smoke, "I'll be seeing you again soon I'm sure, Mojo... Ta-ta for now..."
The demon took his exit, fading away at last with a pink mist and leaving behind a final low, lingering evil cackle.
Mojo continued to watch the live Utonium feed as his mind raced frantically, trying desperately to think of some way he could possibly intervene, but he had no way to. There was no way he could. He was... completely powerless.
As he realized this he had to grip the control board with both hands to keep from losing his balance. He shook his head in disbelief, unable to tear his eyes from the central monitor's screen as he looked on helplessly with an unblinking painful gaze.
"It cannot end like this..."
As Blossom held onto her sibling's scarred wrist, the faint pulse she felt was slipping further and further away. As time went on, she could also feel that the green Puff was turning colder by the second. She watched the Professor step away from her sibling's still body, removing the stethoscope from around his ears. She could tell by his face, it was not good news.
"Professor, what is-"
"Blossom, I want you and your sister to wait outside the lab," the Professor instructed the pink Puff quickly as he began to fix an oxygen mask to the green Puff's face. "Don't come back until I say it's safe for you to return, do you understand me?"
"But, Professor-"
"Blossom, there's no time to argue about this, please-"
"What's going on?" the blue Puff cried out from the sidelines.
"Blossom," the Professor said again more sternly, "Take your sister, and go."
As Blossom stared back at the Professor, she could hear Bubbles' cries growing louder as she wept hard for their sibling. For Bubbles' sake, she obeyed.
As the pigtailed Puff buried her face in her hands, she felt a tug on her elbow as Blossom began to guide her gently back up the basement steps. "Buttercup!" the blue Puff wailed out in agony. She could feel it in her heart then that something was very wrong, "Buttercup, please be OK! Buttercup, no! Please, Buttercup, you have to be OK! She has to be OK!"
"Sh-she will be, Bubbles," Blossom's voice shook as she exited the basement with her sister. Once on the other side of the door, she quickly wrapped her arms around the crying blue Puff and hugged her tightly, "Just stay here, OK? I'm going back in so that I can help the Professor-"
Bubbles squeezed her redheaded sister tightly and cried louder, "Blossom, I'm scared!"
"I know, Bubbles," Blossom choked as she fought back her own tears, "I'm scared, too. Just... stay here, and stay strong, and just... think positively, OK? Buttercup's going to be OK, OK? You have to believe it, alright? She's going to be OK."
"She's gonna be OK-"
"That's right." Blossom gave Bubbles another tight squeeze. "Stay here," she repeated before planting a kiss on the blonde's forehead and disappearing fast through the basement door once more with a flash of pink light.
Once the green Puff had crossed over the bright shining threshold, the sudden darkness they stepped into was so startling, it caused them to stumble. Tripping over their own feet, they fell forward, landing on their knees and scarred hands in a dark pool of shallow water.
The skinny teenager hoisted themself up with a slightly annoyed grumble, "Great spot to drop me off," they muttered under their breath as they stood within the water. They tugged on a piece of their hooded jacket, beginning to twist the cloth so that they could ring out some water. "Now I'm-" they stopped as they felt the dry material between their scarred hands, "...soaked?" Joey blinked in confusion, realizing then that they were somehow dry. "How-?" They stopped again. "Where am I?"
The green Puff looked around and saw that beyond the pool of water they stood in, there stretched a winding narrow river. Along the riverbank, there were many rocks, boulders and a wide array of colorful crystals. As their emerald eyes traveled upward, they could make out a dark, rocky ceiling with massive stalactites hanging high above them. They were underground, they could tell that much. Somehow, the strange cave felt familiar, but they couldn't quite place the location at first.
They discovered a solid black wall with a cascading waterfall directly behind them. They reached out with one scarred hand to touch the dark, rocky crystal's surface. When their hand passed through the trickling curtain of water, there was more confusion upon seeing that the water's movement remained strangely unaffected. As their scarred fingertips ran across the dark surface of the rocky wall, they noted that somehow their jacket sleeve was still keeping dry underneath the steady stream of water. "Weird..."
The black crystal was mostly smooth, save for one fist sized dent. As the green Puff's scarred fingers traced the small crater, the memory came back to them then:
"Oh my God... This is it! I can't believe how perfect it is. It's truly just... perfect."
"Jeez, Blossom. It's a rock."
The green Puff's eyes narrowed on the missing chunk of black ore, as they retracted their scarred hand and clenched their fist, muttering low to themself, "Mission accomplished..."
Realizing where they were at last, the green Puff quickly shook their head, and forced the memory back down once more. Their emerald eyes settled on a nearby boulder along the riverbank's edge where their green-faced mask rested. They weren't sure when they managed to drop it, but they clearly must have at some point. Maybe when they tripped?
Joey walked over to their mask and reached for it. They paused for a moment as their scarred fingers "touched" the mask, noticing that they could not feel it. They pinched their scarred fingers together over and over again, in an attempt to grip the edge of the mask, but they were finding it somehow impossible to grasp. "What the fuck-?"
The mask sat still on the boulder, as the green Puff took a step back, feeling dizzy from the intense confusion they felt. As they stood along the riverbank, they looked down at themself once more. Even though they had just waded through a pool of water, even their sneakers had remained dry. Suddenly, the confusion they felt was beginning to snowball fast into a panic. "What the fuck is going on?!" They reached for their mask again- and again- and again- but every time they did, their scarred hand passed through the object as if they were...
"Dude, you gotta slow down a little. Manipulating physical objects as a ghost is like advanced level shit, you know? I mean... you only just died."
Joey turned to their left as the bloody-beaten version of themself stepped forward and picked up the green mask with ease. The acid seared thirteen-year-old faced Joey with the mask in hand, but when Joey tried to take it themself, they still found it impossible.
"I don't... I don't understand... What's happening?"
"You're dead," the kid groaned, "Again."
"Wh-what?" Joey blinked back. They shook their head, as they backed away from the blood soaked apparition, "No-no-no... This can't be happening- this isn't happening! I... I gotta go-" the skinny teenager turned around and leapt into the air, meaning to take off, only they fell flat on their face instead.
"Your superpowers are back with your body, Dude," the kid explained with another slightly annoyed huff, "You know. Your body that you just decided to leave behind. Oooh, just walk through the glowing tunnel doorway and everything will be just fiiiine- Seriously?! What the fuck were you thinking?!"
"I-I thought that-"
"That what? That HIM was seriously going to help us? Nah, Dude. He tricked you."
Joey pulled themself back up onto their feet and faced the kid again. They stared at the thirteen-year-old, their lips started to quiver as they continued to struggle with this new reality. "This... this can't be happening..."
"Oh, it's happening. Trust me. You're dead, Dude. Just like me."
"That's not possible! And what the fuck do you mean like you?! You're not fucking real-"
"Look, unless you wanna get left behind like I was then we don't have time for this!" the kid interrupted, grabbing Joey by the arm. "We gotta get moving, so we can get back to our body again before it's too late! Let's go!"
Joey was clumsily dragged along by the kid who sprinted towards a cave wall in the distance. The thirteen-year-old had no trouble passing through, and disappeared fast through the solid barrier, but Joey instead tripped and fell, unable to pass through at all.
The kid reappeared, shaking their head at the sixteen-year-old, "Damn rookie..."
Joey struggled to stand again, feeling strangely winded, "I... I-I still just don't get it... I-"
"Yeah, yeah," the kid helped them to their feet, "You're very confused. I get it. I've been there. But unless you wanna spend eternity like this, you gotta get it together, Dude!"
Joey held their head with one scarred hand as their dizziness swirled round. "Wh-what can I do?"
"Shit, nothin' so long as you're like this," the kid groaned in frustration. "OK, OK. Listen, I got an idea. How about I go on my own? I can get there fast, trust me. That way, I can keep your body warm for you until you figure shit out, alright? I mean, I kinda been practicin' in a way, you know, when you're sleeping sometimes, so it shouldn't be that different!"
"Wh-what?"
"I'll take this with me," the kid continued, holding their Joey mask in hand, "And I'll keep it safe, and I'll keep us safe- yeah! Yeah! And uh, whenever, you find a way off the island, then you can come back! Easy!"
Joey shook their head, "I don't... understand-"
"You'll figure it out," the kid placed an acid seared hand on the bewildered Puff's shoulder and nodded firmly. "See ya, Dude."
And with that, the kid was gone.
Joey blinked at the empty space to their left where their ghoulish self had just been standing. "I must be losing my fucking mind..."
Never before had a power surge left the green Puff in a state quite like this. The Professor could tell from the start that somehow this surge was different, and although his research on the matter had always concluded that these energy mishaps would only become more life-threatening if they continued, he had always prayed that he was wrong. Usually after an incident occurred, the super powered teenager's vitals would slowly improve with time and with rest. However, with his child's irregular heart rate dropping, pulse fading by the second, and more and more labored breathing even with a steady supply of oxygen, it was becoming a very real possibility that this time... Buttercup may not survive.
As soon as the Professor saw to it that Blossom and Bubbles were cleared from the room, he sprinted into action. He quickly attached a heart monitor to the green Puff, and increased the flow of oxygen. He retrieved a small flashlight from his lab coat pocket, and pulled back each eyelid. Shining the light in each eye, he found both pupils to be unresponsive.
The scrawny scientist quickly moved next to retrieve the AED he kept in the lab. He had taken no more than two steps away from the medical cot when he was stopped by the heart monitor's sudden beeping alert.
"No!" he gasped as he turned back around. His eyes fell on the flattening line on the monitor's screen and he rushed back to his child's bedside. He quickly removed the oxygen mask, placed one hand over the other upon the center of the green Puff's chest, and began to pump fast and steady with all his might.
"Professor!" Blossom shouted as she reappeared within the lab with a flash of pink light.
"Blossom, you shouldn't be here! I don't want you to see this!" the Professor began to protest.
"Professor, her superpowered body's way too resilient! Your compressions won't work! You're not strong enough! Let me take over!"
As much as the Professor wished it wasn't so, Blossom was right. He moved aside, as the redheaded heroine stepped in.
Mojo continued to look on in painful agony as he watched Blossom take over, while Utonium scrambled quickly to retrieve an AED kit from across the lab. Stumbling still on an injured leg, as the scientist ran past the spyware's hacked camera, Mojo felt his own heart stop for a beat as his eyes fell on a cloud of pink smoke that had suddenly manifested within the laboratory.
The short simian leaned closer to the monitor, his eyes growing wider as he watched the eerie mist inch its way closer and closer to the medical table.
It was Him. Mojo knew this, but why was Him there? What was he doing? It could not be possible for Him to worsen the situation anymore than this... Or could he?
Mojo held his breath as he watched the evil mist hover just above the green Puff's unresponsive body. The pink Puff had paused her chest compressions to tilt the green Puff's head back, pinching their nose and blowing into their mouth. As the redhead pulled away to resume pumping away at her sibling's chest once more, the pink smoke began to swirl again and slowly crept towards the green Puff's open mouth...
"This cannot be good," Mojo gulped quietly as he watched.
The Utoniums were clearly unaware of the demonic presence inside the laboratory. The Professor shouted for Blossom to step back as he stood at the bedside with a pair of shock paddles in hand.
Right when the Professor raised the pair of paddles, and just as the pink mist had reached no more than a few centimeters from the green Puff's open mouth, a sudden flash of bright light halted everyone in their tracks.
The bright white ceiling light bulbs that illuminated the Utonium lab collectively surged in brightness and simultaneously burst all at once. As the light grew, the pink smoke that had been inching its way to its victim quickly evaporated as the demon retreated fast with a low hiss.
Immediately following the blinding loud POP, suddenly the green Puff sat up in the dark with a fast jolt and loud gasp, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"
Mojo could hardly make out anything in the now darkened room, but with the sound of the green Puff's voice returning, he could tell that whatever evil trickery Him had tried to pull had failed. "AHA! YES!" he celebrated loudly, "MY SON LIVES!"
Mojo clutched his chest with his gloved hand, as he took a deep breath and fell backward in his chair once more. He wasn't sure how the green Puff managed to outsmart the demon, but he was far too relieved in that moment to question it.
It was pitch black inside the windowless basement laboratory as Professor Utonium and Blossom jumped back from the sound of the green Puff gasping and screaming suddenly out of nowhere.
"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"
Blossom's pink eyes glimmered in the dark, "B-Buttercup?" As she turned up her super vision, she discovered her raven-haired sibling sitting up on the medical cot. Immediately she rushed over with a flash of pink light. "Buttercup!" she threw her arms around the tomboy as she cried happily, "Oh my God, you made it! You pulled through! You're OK!"
"Ah, jeez, you?! Ugh, get offa me, would ya?!"
Professor Utonium rose a flashlight in the dark and shone it on the pair of Puffs, blinking in stunned shock. At Buttercup's bedside, the heart monitor that was affixed still to the teenager was beeping steadily and showing a healthy heart rhythm once more. He rose his light next to the ceiling and blinked again at the shattered light fixtures above, wondering to himself: What just happened?
A beam of light cut through the darkness from the top of the basement steps as a blue Puff called out from the open doorway, "What happened?! I heard an explosion-"
"It's OK, Bubbles!" Blossom answered quickly, "Buttercup's OK now!"
"REALLY?!"
The ribbon of baby blue light tore down the basement stairs fast, and the green Puff was sandwiched between both sisters in an instant.
"OHMIGOSH YOU ARE OK, BUTTERCUP! YAY!"
As Blossom and Bubbles refused to let their groaning sibling go, the Professor retrieved a spare bulb from a nearby drawer. His boots crunched against the many pieces of broken glass fragments littered throughout the basement floor as he walked. He replaced the broken bulb to a lamp at Buttercup's bedside, eager to get a clear look of the green Puff for himself. As the light shone on the triplets, he became so overwhelmed with relief, he could not help but break into happy tears as he wrapped his arms around all three children at once, "Buttercup, thank goodness..."
"Ugh... Why is my face all wet?" The green Puff grumbled, barely able to move underneath the collective weight of the Utonium family.
"Sorry," Blossom apologized as she, Bubbles and the Professor pulled away. "I guess I was starting to cry a little while giving you CPR-"
"You what?!" the tomboy felt their lip with a scarred finger, and found a smudge of red lipstick left behind, "Ugh, sick!"
"OK, Girls, give your sister some space," the Professor spoke as he began to wrap a velcro sleeve around the skinny teen's arm.
Before Professor Utonium could finish taking the Puff's blood pressure, his child tore off the weighted cuff with a low growl, "Jeez, Professor! Can't you ever give it a rest?! I'm fine, OK?!"
"Buttercup, please, just let me make sure that-"
"I said I'm fine!" the green Puff glared at him while hopping off the medical cot.
Blossom and Bubbles exchanged worried glances as they watched their irritable sibling march past their father.
"Outta my way, you two," the tomboy muttered, pushing past them next and continuing towards the basement steps, "I'm fucking starving..."
"Buttercup, wait!" Bubbles called out as she quickly followed the green Puff up the stairs, "If you're hungry then let me make you something to eat!"
Blossom watched her siblings from the bottom of the staircase with a concerned frown. As they disappeared into the home's kitchen upstairs, Blossom turned round and faced the Professor, "Professor, what just happened?"
"Blossom, I-" the Professor paused, "I'm not sure," he confessed. "I suppose I did have the defibrillator settings at its maximum, perhaps it was too much for the basement's power lines to handle..." He sighed as he walked over to a storage cabinet at the back of the lab, "Will you help me with the lights, Blossom?"
"Of course, Professor."
The Professor retrieved a box of spare light bulbs and handed it to Blossom. As the pink Puff zipped from each ceiling light fixture, replacing the shattered bulbs with new ones, the Professor took a broom and swept up the shards of glass that littered the basement floor.
As Blossom screwed in the final bulb to be replaced, her bubblegum eyes settled on the beaker of metallic red liquid that sat below on the Professor's main workstation. She slowly lowered herself to the floor once more, keeping her gaze fixed on the solution, "Professor?" she called out.
The Professor looked up and saw his daughter standing before the beaker of Antidote X. He halted with his sweeping and walked across the lab to join her at her side.
Blossom kept her focus on the dark red solution, "Professor, this isn't what I think it is... Is it?"
The Professor answered with a deep sigh, "Blossom-"
His tone was answer enough. The redhead whipped her head towards the Professor and interrupted him fast, "Professor, why did you make this?!"
"Blossom, your sister is clearly not well-"
"Well, no, she's not! But- why would you- how could you- Professor, Antidote X is supposed to be the last resort!"
Professor Utonium reached out for his daughter, but she stepped away from him as she began to pace anxiously.
"Professor, you cannot take her powers from her!" she continued to protest, "Buttercup literally confessed to me that that would be her worst nightmare! There is no way she will ever agree to something like this! And she needs her powers, Professor! Without them, she'll just be- she'll just be-" Blossom shook her head quickly, as she stopped her pacing momentarily to face the Professor. The tall teenager forced herself to take a deep breath, feeling an icy chill sting her chest. "Professor," she began again more calmly, "Without her powers she will be just like a human. She will be left without any way to protect or defend herself. With the villains free and Monster Isle's walls down, there's just too much out there that could pose a threat! Antidote X will leave her totally powerless and vulnerable! God forbid any of the villains find out! She'll be a sitting target to them! Professor, this is like the worst possible time to ever consider something like this-"
"Blossom, I know," the Professor sighed deeply again. He shook his head, "Believe me, I have taken all of this into consideration already-"
"And you still think that Antidote X is the answer?!"
"Yes," the Professor answered with a painful frown, "I do."
Blossom stared back at her father with wide eyes and her jaw left agape.
"I know the timing is bad," the Professor continued as he slowly approached the pink Puff. "But we have to consider how much worse your sister's condition has gotten since what happened on your three's birthday. With everything you girls are facing now, Buttercup is suffering from more surges more than likely because of what's happened. You know her power surges are brought on by her emotions, and how dangerous it is to her health. I fear that any day now she'll be pushed over the edge so far that-" the Professor stopped, choking a bit as he struggled to stay strong, "Blossom, after what we all just witnessed, it should be more clear, now than ever, that she needs this. Without it, we might lose her. I thought just now that we were going to lose her. I really thought that this was about to be it. That I was too late. That-"
Blossom watched as her father stopped and turned away fast. He buried his face in both hands, and with his back turned, Blossom could hear the sounds of muffled sobbing. She had seen her dad cry before, but not quite like this. Blossom could feel her own cheeks stinging from her own tears, as she floated over to him slowly.
Professor Utonium wrapped his arms tightly around Blossom, who hugged him back and wept silently with him. "If there was any other way, Blossom, I would do it," the Professor continued, his voice breaking with every other word. "I said that this would be the last resort, and trust me when I say that it still is. But at this point, if we don't intervene then I'm afraid we might lose her forever. We almost might have just lost her forever. We don't want that to happen, do we?"
"No, Professor," Blossom choked, "Of course not."
The Professor pulled away and looked the tall heroine in her eyes, "This will not be the end, Blossom. Antidote X... it is just a temporary solution. Once I've successfully created a proper substitute to Chemical X, then we will have what Buttercup truly needs to live a long, happy, healthy life. I wish I had that ready for her now, but I don't. You must trust me when I say: I will never stop until I do. I would do anything for you girls. Anything."
"I know, Professor," Blossom held her father again and squeezed him tightly, "I love you."
The scientist planted a whiskered kiss on his tall daughter's head, "I love you, too. I love you all more than you will ever know."
Watching her family mansion below fade into a distant speck beneath her feet, Princess was feeling better than she ever imagined she could. It had taken over half a decade, but she had made it. She was in the sky again. Soaring through the air with her jetpack, Princess had gotten something back that until then she hadn't even realized she had been missing. She couldn't believe that she let this one thing hold her back for so long, but now with her fear conquered, she finally felt in control again.
The powder blue summer sky had been clear and cloudless all day, and it had been the perfect day for Princess to take flight again. As it turned out, flying was a lot like riding a bike. Once she was in the air, it came naturally to her. The only thing about flying that she had forgotten was just how amazing it felt.
Princess had begun her flight practice several hours prior, and had yet to come down since her initial lift off simply because she was having so much fun. If she could have stayed in the sky longer, she would have, but after four hours of zipping to and fro, sky cartwheels and summersaults and chasing off unsuspecting birds, she heard the alarm from her jetpack beginning to beep. That was the alert which signified that her fuel level was running low. It was time to return to the ground.
"Aww, really? Already?" the petite redhead complained with a pout as she lowered herself back down to the grounds of her estate.
As she came down, Alfred was waiting dutifully for her within the mansion rose garden. He rushed over to greet her as she landed, "How was it up there, Princess? You looked absolutely stunning from down here!"
Princess replaced her pout with a smile as Alfred greeted her. "Thank you, Alfred," she said as she removed her jetpack and handed it to the butler, "I need you to refuel this again."
"Of course, Miss."
"What time is it now, Alfred?"
"It's just a quarter past three now," Alfred answered.
"Wow," Princess walked alongside the butler as they returned together to the mansion's main home, "Time sure flies when, well, when you're flying," she paused and sighed a little, "But I suppose I do have to accomplish some work today."
They reached the steps to the mansion, and Alfred stepped to the door first so that he could hold it open for the young heiress. As the teenager stepped through, her attention was focused on her cellphone. Alfred watched as she glumly scrolled through the device, wearing the same heartbroken expression she'd been wearing for the last several days whenever she checked for messages. Even though Princess would never admit to it, he knew that she was still secretly hoping to hear from the masked teenager, Joey.
"Any messages, Alfred?"
"Yes, Miss," Alfred answered as he followed beside her once more. Together they made their way up the mansion's grand staircase. "Mayor Bellum called again regarding the progress on the repairs being made for the Discovery Dome-"
"Ugh," Princess groaned, "That again? Tell her it will get done when it gets done!"
"She was asking for confirmation that everything would be completed by November. The city wants to hold a grand re-opening-"
"Eughhh! No way am I going to support that if I have anything to do with it! Alfred, make sure the team working on those stupid repairs gets slowed down as much as possible, alright? I don't want this stupid grand re-opening to ever fucking happen, and you can tell the mayor that-"
"Miss, I understand that this is upsetting for you, but I think it might be a mistake to delay repairs any further. Your father always held a reputation for being the fastest in the business, and a completion date for November would normally be more than enough time for your father-"
"What good is it to burn down the Discovery Dome, if I'm forced to just build everything back?! And now I have to have it done in time for some stupid Powerpuff party?! No way! It's not happening!"
"Princess, I think in order to avoid drawing any suspicion, it would be best to heed the mayor's request. After all, we don't want to give reason for anyone to show up here looking for your father-"
"Ugh! OK, fine!" Princess stopped for a moment to stomp her feet in frustration. She crossed her arms and pouted, "Fine," she breathed in and out heavily through her nostrils, biting her tongue as she spoke, "Tell Mayor Bellum it will be done by November then."
"Very well, Miss," Alfred paused to exhale with relief. He showed Princess a small smile, "Would you like me to make you some lunch now, Princess? You've hardly eaten today."
"Yes, Alfred," Princess answered as she continued alone down the corridor, "I'll take it in my office when you're done. I want to try to finish work before the sun sets tonight, so that I can get a little more aerial practice in for the day."
"Of course, Miss. I'll return with lunch in just a few moments then."
Princess reached the shut doors to her office, but as she reached for the door handle, she stopped. Further down the corridor she could hear the faint sound of what sounded like a television playing. Of course the gigantic home had many rooms with many TVs, but it was just Princess and Alfred that lived there, and neither of them had been in the mansion for hours. Alfred might have left something on earlier, but that sort of carelessness certainly wasn't like him.
Princess retrieved one of her blaster rayguns from her side and began down the corridor to investigate. As she neared the sound, she could see that one of the doors to one of the mansion's many guest bedroom suites had been left open slightly ajar. The television that played was definitely inside there. She reached the door, and gently pushed it open with one hand, keeping her golden gun ready in the other just in case.
The short redhead stepped inside the room, and at first glimpse of someone indeed lounging upon the room's bed, Princess pointed her weapon and demanded immediately, "OK, INTRUDER! FREEZE RIGHT THERE!"
"Oh good! It's you!" the green-eyed woman in the honey blonde wig sat up upon the bed, tossing aside a tray of chocolates she had been snacking on. She waved her hand at Princess, motioning for her to come over, "Get in here, Kid! I bet you're someone who will appreciate this!" she nodded her head towards the television screen.
Princess lowered her weapon with a growl, "Sedusa?!" She stomped her feet angrily, "What are you doing here?! I thought I told you to never come back here again?!"
"Mm, yes. Well, I'm sure you were far too young to remember this, but," Sedusa smiled wickedly as she reached beneath her dress's neckline and retrieved a light golden chain with a gold key attached to it, "This is my room. Your father was always quite clear that I had a place here whenever I needed it. And well, you see the sap that I've been staying with has gotten far too attached. I mean they all eventually do- it's so draining really! Anyways, I've had enough of that. So, here I am!"
Princess shook her head, "Nope! Nope! Nope! If you think you're staying here, you must be out of your mind! Listen, Natalie, I don't care what arrangement you had with my daddy! It's over now! I make the rules around here now, and I say that you can't stay!" Princess raised her blaster again and aimed it at Sedusa. "So get out!"
"You make the rules now? Is that right?"
"Yeah! That's fucking right!"
"And why is that?" Sedusa asked, tilting her head to the side and twirling a finger round in her honey blonde wig. "Where is your father, Princess?"
Princess gritted her teeth as she took another step towards the villainess, keeping her weapon steady. "If you're not gone in three seconds, I swear-"
"My, you do get worked up fast, don't you?" Sedusa shook her head, "I suppose that's probably how it happened, hmm?"
"How what happened?"
Sedusa reached for the top drawer to the bedside nightstand to her left. She pulled out a purple colored necktie and tossed it towards the teenager.
Princess caught the tie with her free hand. As she glanced down at it, immediately her other arm fell to her side as she dropped her weapon. Her glare softened to a frown as her brown eyes became glazed with fast building tears. "Daddy..." she gasped softly as she petted the dark red stains upon the fabric.
"I was searching your father's suite for the keys to the Lamborghini he gave me for my birthday. Didn't find the keys, but I found that. I thought it was curious- a necktie draped round a framed photograph of himself upon his bedroom table. So many roses and candles surrounding it too. I thought, 'Well that looks like a memorial for the dead if I've ever seen one...'" Sedusa stood as she watched Princess continue to stroke the tie gently in silence. She kicked away the child's fallen blaster ray on the ground so that it slid away from her feet. "So, do I have it right?" the villainess asked as she stood before the heiress. "He's dead. Isn't he?"
"Princess, is everything alright-" Alfred began as he stepped into the room next, but stopped as his eyes fell on Sedusa in disguise first, and Princess weeping next. "Princess?"
Princess looked up at last. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and forced a glare back on her face as she stared down the blonde in heels. "How much?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Pardon?" Sedusa asked.
"You think I'm an idiot? I see what cheap game you're playing at, so just tell me how much it's going to cost to keep your stupid mouth shut!" Princess clenched her father's tie in her hand.
A small wicked smile crossed Sedusa's face. "Well, honoring the arrangement I shared with your father might be a start..." She looked between the teenager and butler, "My room here whenever I want it, and then of course, the keys to my Lambo. Although, you know, a newer model might be nice. There was also a weekly allowance of three grand I think it was- oh no, that's right he gave me a little raise the last year I saw him, so it was four. Alfred, I'm sure you remember."
Alfred stood behind Princess and also gritted his teeth as he answered, "Yes, I believe that's right."
Sedusa gave her blonde wig a little flip as she laughed, "Come on, Alfred! You don't still hate me, do you? I mean with him gone, it's not as if there's still any sort of competition left between us, is there?"
As Sedusa and Alfred spoke, Princess could feel the rage within her rising fast. Who the hell did Sedusa think she was? She couldn't let her get away with this. Of course, with the villainess already knowing too much, she couldn't just let her go. There was only one other choice...
Princess reached for her spare blaster at her side, but before she could fully pull the weapon out, Sedusa proved to be one step ahead of the child. The villainess kicked the weapon from Princess' grasp with her heel, sending it flying into the air. She caught it before Princess could even register what had just happened, and turned it back on the short redhead.
"Nice try, Kid," Sedusa smiled wickedly from behind the pointed golden gun, "But I'm not that easy."
Princess blinked back at Sedusa, raising her arms in surrender.
"So. Do we have a deal? A place to stay, new Lambo and 6k a week?"
"Six?!" Princess shouted.
Sedusa twirled the blaster in her hand before aiming it again.
"OK, OK!" Princess gritted her teeth, "Fine. Deal."
"Great!" Sedusa laughed again as she lowered the weapon, "Now relax! I'm not here to hurt you!" She tossed the raygun back to Princess and returned to the king sized bed with red colored sheets. "I just need a place to rest my feet for a bit," she said as she reclined on the bed once more, grabbing her box of chocolates. As her focus fell on the television once more she began to laugh, "My God, I can't remember the last time I've gotten to see something as outrageous as this! Can you believe that monkey actually has a kid? I guess I might owe Mojo a favor now since it turns out it was his son who busted me out-"
"What?" Princess blinked at Sedusa. She took two steps forward and turned so that she could see the television screen for herself.
Upon the screen was a local news station broadcast. There was a clip of amateur footage playing that showed Mojo Jojo and someone who Princess instantly recognized. Her brown eyes grew wide as she gasped out loud, "Joey?!"
"THIS is Joey!" Mojo announced upon the television screen, "Or rather JOJO! Yes, he is Jojo Junior! Jojo is his name and he is a junior for he is, in fact, my son!"
"Hilarious, isn't it?" Sedusa asked with a laugh.
Princess stared at the television screen with a blank expression at first, as the meaning behind Mojo's words took a minute to fully register. Once it did, her brown eyes shut as her entire body began to shake with an intense fury. Her face grew red hot from her boiling rage. She erupted with a long, drawn out, ear piercing shriek that was bound to be heard throughout all the Hills of Townsville: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Joey wasn't sure how much time had passed since they found their spirit trapped within the underground crystal cave, but they were beginning to lose hope in ever finding their way out. At this point, they had searched every inch of the area, and the only path out was a vertical path upward. Again, and again, the teenager tried to jump as high as they could, but they couldn't get nearly enough distance off the ground. The longer they remained in the darkened pit, the more desperation they felt to leave.
"I can't believe this is fucking happening to me!" Joey grunted as they tried to carefully balance themself on top of a large boulder in an attempt to get themself closer to the cave's opening. They stretched their arms outward towards a jagged edge of the nearby rocky wall, but was unable to grip it, and as they tried, they only felt their body slip once more as they fell to the ground yet again.
"Grargh! This is fucking impossible!" they stood again and yelled upward towards the opening that taunted them. "How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't fly?!"
As Joey shouted, they were startled by the sound of their own voice echoing immediately after: "How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't fly?!"
What was strange was that their previous shouts had produced no echoes before then. This echo however repeated again and again, ricocheting off the walls of the darkened canyon and increasing in volume every time: "How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't fly-?! How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't fly-?! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GO ANYWHERE IF I CAN'T FLY?!"
Joey clasped their scarred hands over their ears as the volume of their voice started to make their head pound with an excruciating headache. "AHH! STOP IT!" they screamed back, but couldn't even hear themself over the deafening haunting echo. They shut their eyes and winced as their ears rang painfully, "STOOOP!"
As the teenager fell to their knees, gripping their ears, suddenly it stopped. Joey removed their hands from their ears and slowly pried their eyes open once more. They looked around in the dark, but saw nothing.
"I can carry you," a faint voice spoke in the dark.
Joey blinked as they scrambled onto their feet once more. "Who said that?!" they demanded from the dark.
As Joey strained their eyes to see, slowly they could make out a faded silhouette. They tried their best to make out what was there, but it was so faint, they couldn't tell if it was real. Then again, they had a hard time believing any of this was really real.
"Come on, Buttercup," the dark spoke again. Although the faint shadow was just a few feet away from where Joey stood, the voice sounded miles away. "How else are you going to get out of here?"
"Wh-what?" Joey's own voice began to shake, as they felt a rush of chills overcome them. They wrapped their arms around themself and shook their head, "No... This isn't happening. This can't be happening. N-not again-"
"You're being irrational."
"No-no-no," Joey pleaded with the dark again. Their knees began to shake as the coldness around them grew heavier. They sat upon the cavern ground and wrapped their arms around their knees, and buried their face against them as they started to cry. "P-please... I don't want to be here... I-I don't want to go through this... Please... anything but this..."
"We have to go now."
Joey lifted their head and shouted back, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The teenager's green eyes widened as they fell upon their new surroundings. Somehow, they were no longer underground. They sat upon a rocky cliffside beach of silver sand. Immediately, they scrambled back onto their feet and gasped, "I'm out!" They stopped as they looked around, "I'm... still on the island..."
Although it looked to be daylight, there was a dense heavy fog surrounding the teenager that blocked most light. The haze was dizzying as they traveled across the sand, and it was difficult to see anything beyond just a few feet ahead of them. However, they could hear the nearby sounds of the ocean and so they followed it.
Joey tripped over something in the sand and stumbled. They were taken aback by the sudden obstacle's tangibility. They hadn't been able to really feel, let alone trip over anything before then. Joey turned back towards the lump in the sand and kicked it again with their sneaker. It was definitely solid, or at least... solid to them.
The teenager knelt down and brushed away the sand with their hands, revealing a tuft of brown fur. The ocean breeze that blew past them, carried more sand away then, as Joey stood again. It was the body of a fallen beast of the island. As Joey stared down at it, the wind seemed to kick up more as a sandstorm started to build slowly around them. Soon the creature was fully unburied, and Joey's eyes widened as they fell upon the gaping acid seared holes peppered across the monster's corpse.
They quickly backed away from it, shaking their head. "No-no-no-" they tripped again over something else, this time falling flat on their rear. It was yet another acid seared corpse and Joey screamed as they scrambled quickly to their feet to get away from it.
The sandstorm around them was growing larger and larger, as the wind blew loudly with increasing velocity. As the sand was lifted into the air around them, a shoreside graveyard of a thousand stranded corpses revealed itself to the trembling teenager who looked on in horror.
Joey took off in a sprint, unable to see in all the fog and sand, but desperate to get out of there. They had an idea of where the ocean water was, and that was the direction they went. They could almost see the lapping waves of the shoreline when they tripped again, but this time, it felt as if something tugged on their pant leg.
Joey landed flat on their belly, but quickly turned themself over as they continued to feel a tug on their ankle. They screamed as their eyes fell on the acid burnt corpse who held onto their ankle with a skeletal exposed hand. Joey kicked the monster away and scrambled back onto their feet. Immediately, they turned to run for the water again, but they didn't get far. They were knocked hard to the ground by something that forcefully pushed its way past them.
Landing upon the sand again, they could feel the ground shaking as a stampede of roaring, crying, screaming monsters continued to run past them and towards the ocean waves. Joey lay on their belly, too afraid to move as beast after beast stepped over them. They watched as they reached the water and fell like dominoes, one right after the other.
The wind was only getting stronger and the longer Joey lay there, the more they were beginning to be buried by the unrelenting sandstorm. Joey tucked their face into the crook of their arm and continued to cry out for mercy. As they kept their head tucked, they could feel their body sinking deeper into the sand. It wasn't long before the monsters' cries became muffled and distant, blocked by the mounds of sand that had them buried.
Joey wasn't sure how deep into the ground they managed to sink, but at least underneath the sand, they could no longer witness the torment of the island. At least beneath the earth, they did not have to experience the haunting nightmare any longer. Besides, if they were in fact truly dead then maybe being buried underground was where they were supposed to be.
Bubbles stood at the kitchen counter and watched her sibling curiously as she fixed them each a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The tomboy sat at their family's dining table, fidgeting strangely. Both sleeves to the green Puff's jacket had been rolled up, and Bubbles could easily see the darkened, deep scars that were permanently carved into her sibling's flesh. Usually, Buttercup would rarely have those scars so openly on display, but sitting at the table the teenager wore an unusual looking grin while stroking the dark marks over and over again.
"You feeling OK, Buttercup?" Bubbles asked as she carried two small plates with two sandwiches over to the table.
The green Puff looked up and laughed a little, "Oh yeah."
Bubbles returned a weak smile, but said nothing as she placed one of the plates down in front of her sibling, and took a seat for herself across the table. She picked up her own sandwich and took a bite as she watched Buttercup continue to obsess over the scarring with an uncontainable smile. Bubbles swallowed her food before speaking with a squeak, "Aren't you gonna eat yours?" she nodded her head towards the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that sat untouched.
The tomboy halted for a moment to lean towards the plate on the table and give the sandwich a sniff. A disgusted grimace swept the green Puff's face, "Blegh!"
Bubbles watched as her sibling stood from the table and took the plate to a nearby trashcan and dumped it. She responded with a squeak as she watched the sandwich get tossed away, "I thought you said you were starving-"
"Not for this crap," the green Puff said, throwing the empty plate into the kitchen sink. Slowly a smirk came next while gazing out the kitchen window, "Nah, I'm in the mood for something else..."
Bubbles watched as Buttercup turned around and started for the hallway. She dropped her own sandwich and quickly followed after, "Buttercup, wait!"
"Ugh!" the tomboy turned around with a snarl, "What?! What do you want?!"
The viciousness in her sibling's voice was enough to bring the sensitive girl to tears. "Y-you are still m-mad at me, aren't y-you?"
"Jeez, Bubbles, you're such a fucking cry baby! Mad at you for what? What the fuck are you talking about?! Just spit it out!"
"I-I dunno! Y-you're always m-m-mad! I-I was just trying t-to help and y-you knocked m-me o-over and y-you started t-to choke m-me and-"
"Aww, fuck, that? Get over it, Bubbles! You're fine! And you shouldn't have been touching my shit anyways!"
"I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't know!"
"Well, now you know better, right?"
Bubbles continued to cry as she gave a fast nod.
"Good. So don't try that shit again."
"O-OK..."
"Good," the raven haired teen smirked and floated over to the sniffling blonde, raising a scarred hand and giving her a pat on the head, "See, that's why you're the only one I like around here, Bubs. So long as you know your place, then me and you won't have any problems, alright?"
"Wh-what?"
The green Puff laughed with a snort, "Damn you're stupid!"
Bubbles blinked back as her sibling gave one of her pigtails a tug next.
"Guess that's why I can't help but forgive ya. You're like a dumb little dog that don't know no better."
Bubbles wiped away her tears and sniffled, "...Th-thanks...?"
"Everything OK you guys?" Blossom asked as she appeared from the kitchen next.
"Oh yeah," the green Puff answered with a smirk, wrapping a scarred arm around the blue Puff's shoulders and turning to face the pink Puff. "We were just making up over our little fight earlier. Right, Bubs?"
Bubbles responded with a squeak, "Y-yeah..."
Blossom looked between them, sensing something peculiar. Bubbles clearly had been crying and Buttercup wore a type of smile she couldn't quite read. The redhead forced a weak smile herself, "Well, Buttercup, if you're done eating then the Professor really does need to get a good look at you down in the lab-"
"Jeez, didn't I tell you all already that I'm fine? I mean, don't I look fine?"
"Well-" Blossom began but was cut off again by her skinny sibling.
"I'm fine. Right, Bubbles?"
As the green Puff nudged her hard against her shoulder, she squeaked barely audible, "Actually-"
"That's right. I'm fine. So why don't you go back and tell the Professor to fuck off already?"
Both Blossom and Bubbles stood with their mouths agape as they watched their sibling turn around casually and begin to float up the home's staircase. They continued to stare in stunned silence as the green Puff reached the bedroom at the top of the stairs and disappeared inside.
Blossom turned to Bubbles, "Bubbles, what were you just about to say before Buttercup stopped you?"
"Um," Bubbles squeaked, "That, um, actually B-Buttercup's acting... weird..."
"Weird how?"
"I-I dunno," the blonde frowned, "She's smiling weird, and yelling but then being nice sorta but- but I dunno! Blossom, I've never seen her like this before..."
Blossom frowned, seeing a layer of fear behind her baby sister's concerned look. "Bubbles, I have to talk to you about something..."
Bubbles looked at Blossom, "What?"
Blossom hesitated as she bit her lip. Just how could she go about this? As she paused to collect her thoughts, she and Bubbles were distracted by a sudden knock at the front door just behind them.
Blossom answered the door, "Robin?"
Robin stepped inside as Blossom shut the door behind her, "Hey. Just wanted to make sure you guys were OK over here. I just saw the news-"
"News? What news?" Blossom blinked at the brunette.
"You don't know yet-?" Robin was genuinely surprised by Blossom and Bubbles' confusion.
"We've had a lot going on over here today," Bubbles squeaked as Blossom disappeared into the living room with a flash of pink light.
Blossom picked up the television remote from the coffee table and switched on the TV. As the news broadcast came upon the screen, her bubblegum eyes widened as she fell into the seat of the sofa chair behind her, "Oh... my... God..."
Bubbles and Robin entered the living room. As her baby blue eyes fell on the television set, Bubbles' shock came next, "Ohmigosh... It's Mojo..."
"...And the Alien..." Blossom completed as she watched the coverage with an unblinking stare.
"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!"
"What?!" Bubbles dove in front of the television, to get a closer look.
"WHAT?!" Blossom leapt onto her feet.
"Ohhhmiiigooosh! Does that mean he's like... a Rowdyruff boy?!"
"Of course!" Blossom began to pace about the living room, "Why didn't I see it sooner?! It makes so much sense! That's why he's bullet proof, and just as fast and just as strong as any of us! He's... he's one of us?!"
"And that's why he probably wears that mask all the time! So that we can't kiss him!"
Blossom stopped and turned around to look at Bubbles.
Bubbles looked at Blossom, "I'm not gonna kiss him!"
"Well, I'm not going to either!"
"Buttercup's definitely not gonna-"
Blossom gasped, "Buttercup!" Her bubblegum eyes drifted towards the ceiling as she bit her lip. "We can't tell Buttercup about this. Not now." She looked at Bubbles again, "She's in far too fragile a state right now to handle news as insane as this."
Robin stepped forward, "Really?"
"She had another power surge," Bubbles answered with a frown, "A really bad one..."
Robin looked from Bubbles to Blossom. "Worse than the last one?"
Blossom answered with a nod, but said nothing. Robin could tell right then that it had to be serious. For one, her girlfriend's cheeks were stained with runny mascara, but also whenever Blossom failed to elaborate, it usually meant there was something terrible plaguing her mind. As she watched her bubblegum eyes begin to water, Robin quickly stepped forward and grabbed the tall redhead's hand. "Hey," she whispered gently, "Whatever's going on... it's gonna be OK. OK?"
Blossom felt Robin squeeze her hand and she squeezed it back, "O-OK..."
"Ohmigosh," Bubbles gasped, causing Robin and Blossom to drop hands and step away from one another. They nervously looked at Bubbles, but the blonde's attention was thankfully glued to the television screen. "It's... Princess?!" Bubbles exclaimed with another gasp.
"What?!" Blossom returned her attention to the news broadcast.
The coverage of Mojo and Junior's bank robbery had been interrupted by a breaking news story. There was a live camera feed on display of the east side of Townsville. It was an aerial shot from a news helicopter. The pedestrians on the street scattered for their lives, parting a path for the princess who walked down the center of the road, twirling a set of glistening golden rayguns in either hand. There were many abandoned cars parked in the streets as citizens panicked and left them behind. As Princess marched forward, bright, white blasts of light shot from her weapons, striking every vehicle in her path, and causing them to fly off in every direction, crashing violently against buildings and causing even more chaos.
"Wow," Bubbles blinked at the TV, "I didn't even know she was still around. Look at her! She's so tiny!"
"Tiny and on a rampage it seems," Blossom shook her head in disbelief, "Why now?" she looked up towards the ceiling again. Just as Blossom began to debate with herself, Robin rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Go on," Robin reassured the Powerpuff leader, "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Buttercup for you two. I'm sure it won't take you guys that long. I mean, it's just Princess."
Blossom couldn't help but laugh a little, "Right. Thanks Robin." She looked to her pigtailed sibling next and gave a firm nod, "Come on, Bubbles. Let's go!"
Once Princess had seen the news for herself, there was no stopping her. She picked up both her blaster rayguns, strapped on her jetpack, and was off. Alfred tried desperately to rationalize with the enraged girl, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Princess was laser focused on one thing, and one thing only:
Find Joey, and make them pay for obviously lying to her.
Using her jetpack, the short villainess flew to the vandalized billboard where she had last seen Joey about one week prior. The tall advertisement sat upon the top of a steep hill street on the east side of Downtown, and that is where her merciless hunt for the masked Alien began.
"JOEY, I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Princess screamed at the top of her lungs as she swooped down from the sky and landed upon the road, causing the Downtown traffic to come to a screeching stop. As the cars began to honk at the girl to move, Princess drew her weapons, and that's when panic set in.
"OUT OF MY WAY, YOU PEONS!" Princess shouted as she took aim with her blaster rays, threatening the crowd around her, "I'M LOOKING FOR JOEY!"
Princess fired her blasters, striking a row of apartment buildings on either side of her. The white hot laser beams peeled away at the walls of the hilltop homes, exposing those who lived inside. The redhead's beady brown eyes scanned every unit quickly before she continued forward, "I don't care if I have to tear this whole damn city apart! I'm going to find you, Joey, and when I do, I'm going to rip you to fucking shreds, DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
The vengeful villainess shot next at the abandoned vehicles in the road in front of her, forcefully blasting them aside. Marching forward down the hill and deeper into East Downtown, Princess literally left no stone unturned.
"You no good, two-faced bastard, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Princess had only been about five minutes into her rampage, but had managed to tear apart at least half a dozen different apartment buildings alongside the street she traveled. She was almost at the bottom of the hill when two pastel suited heroines dropped suddenly from the sky, blocking the road before her.
"Not so fast, Princess!" Blossom and Bubbles shouted in unison.
Princess halted in her tracks as her eyes fell upon the pair of Puffs. She had been so caught up by Joey's betrayal, she had all but forgotten about the Powerpuffs' existence. Seeing the two superheroines there in person for the first time in over six years was enough of a shock to snap her out of her enraged madness. It dawned on her then that she had lost control again, and now she found herself in an unexpected face-off with her mortal enemies. Not only was it embarrassing for her to be making her villainous re-debut in just her everyday clothes, but without her specially designed super suit, she knew she was at a huge disadvantage. She was in no way equipped for physical combat right then. "...Shit."
"Hand over the rayguns, Princess!" Blossom ordered with one hand on her hip, and the other pointing at the short redhead.
The burning rage in Princess' eyes had faded, but with that statement, it came right back. She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on each of her blaster rays, "NEVER!"
Princess zapped at each Puff fast with her blasters, causing the super sisters to split as they dodged the attack. The villainess blasted off quickly with her jetpack, soaring as fast as she could into the sky.
Blossom and Bubbles took off after the heiress, following closely in quick pursuit. Princess had managed to get somewhat of a head start, and her new jetpack proved to be surprisingly fast, but not quite fast enough. The villainess tried her best to duck and dodge between passing skyscrapers and buildings in an attempt to lose the superheroines, but they were both right behind her.
As Princess rose higher into the sky, she started to hear a beeping alarm sounding from her jetpack. "Oh no!" she gasped to herself, remembering then that she hadn't given Alfred the chance to refuel it for her. "No-no-no-no-no-no-NO!"
Blossom and Bubbles were just moments away from catching up to Princess in the sky, when suddenly her jetpack sputtered to a stop. The heiress let out a scream as she plummeted fast towards the pavement street below.
As Princess fell, she kept her eyes shut tightly as she screamed for her life. Just inches before the short redhead hit the concrete, a pink flash of light swooped in and caught her by the straps of her jetpack.
Feeling the sudden tug, Princess opened her eyes again and looked behind her to see Blossom. The tall redhead kept a hold of the shorter redhead as they gently touched upon the ground, while a group of police cars quickly surrounded them.
Bubbles landed beside Blossom and Princess next, and Blossom gave her a nod, "Bubbles. Her blasters."
Bubbles returned a nod and reached for Princess' weapons. The girl fought back, but of course, was no match for the Powerpuff's super strength, especially while being held back by Blossom. "No! You can't take those! They're mine!"
Bubbles easily removed the guns from the girl's grasp and shook her head, "Sorry, Princess, but you know you're not allowed to have these-"
"AHHH!" Princess screamed at the top of her lungs as she struggled to get away from Blossom's hold while being escorted to a nearby police cruiser. "YOU STUPID FUCKING SASQUATCH! UNHAND ME!"
"Here you go, Chief," Blossom said as she handed Princess over to him.
"Great work, Girls," the police chief said as he retained Princess with a pair of cuffs. "We'll take it from here."
Bubbles handed off Princess' blaster rayguns to another officer and joined Blossom at her side. Together they watched as Princess was put into the back of a police cruiser. "Well, that was easy," Bubbles commented as the cop car drove off, and Princess was taken away.
"Girls," Mayor Bellum greeted the sisters from behind, prompting them to turn around, "Thank you so much for your help. I'm so glad to see you both in good spirits again."
Blossom and Bubbles exchanged glances before forcing weak smiles. "Thank you, Mayor..." Blossom answered for them.
Mayor Bellum sensed an uneasiness with the Powerpuff leader. "Or... perhaps still not as good as we can be?"
Blossom sighed heavily, "Mayor, you have no idea."
Bellum tried to give the girl an encouraging smile, "Well, I appreciate you girls for responding to this disaster and putting an end to it before anyone could get hurt."
"Thanks, Mayor. I'm glad we could at least help with this one today," Blossom frowned, "Since we missed our last opportunity with Mojo and-" Blossom stopped, forgetting the new name briefly.
"Jojo Junior," Bubbles finished for her.
"Right," Blossom gritted her teeth. She shook her head, "I'm so sorry we missed that call earlier, Mayor. I feel terrible and-"
"It's alright, Blossom. I understand." The mayor held a manila envelope in her hand and offered it next to Blossom. "I was just about to scan and send these copies to you, but I suppose since you're here now, you can just take them. Our daily report of villainous activity- though I suppose now we have a bit more to add with Princess."
"Thanks, Mayor," Blossom took the folder of files in her hands and peered inside. Her bubblegum eyes widened briefly as they fell upon one particular photograph, "Mayor... what's this?"
"Oh, yes," the Mayor nodded as the teenager took the aerial photograph in her hand, "Some evidence we've gathered on some strange activity in Townsville Forest. It was discovered just this early morning. Somehow nearly two acres of land was completely devastated overnight. We aren't sure what's responsible for it, but our investigating team found all life in the area completely wiped out, the trees vanished mysteriously and curiously the earth turned to sand."
"Sand?" Blossom repeated with a gulp.
"Yes," Bellum nodded. "Perhaps some sort of bomb was detonated, or maybe it's the work of another escaped monster from Monster Isle? We're not sure yet, but I definitely have a team looking very closely into it. We'll keep you posted, of course." The mayor paused as she checked her watch for the time, "I must be going now, Girls. Thank you again for your hard work."
"Bye, Mayor!" Bubbles gave the politician a wave as she left. Her eyes fell on her sister who still stared intently at the photograph of the hole in the forest in her hands. "What's up?"
"Bubbles, we need to go investigate this ourselves... now."
"What? But shouldn't we be getting back to Buttercup-"
Blossom looked up at her sister and gulped, "I think this might have something to do with Buttercup." She grabbed the blonde by her hand and took off, "Come on!"
Joey had buried their spirit so deep beneath the earth, there was no penetrating the darkness they had cocooned themself within. No light, no air, no sound- the only thing buried with them were the inescapable echoes of the past that haunted and tortured them still. With no space for them to exist other than within Joey's head, the voices grew tormentingly loud.
Applause and cheers from a crowd of thousands roared thunderously within their mind then, as the Professor's voice echoed along: "And lastly, our toughest fighter- Buttercup!"
The gasps, and collective harsh whispers were as cruel as the first time they faced them:
"What the hell happened to her?"
"Holy shit, is that Buttercup?"
"That's not her. No way."
"She looks sick."
"What's wrong with her face?"
"I guess they can't all be cute."
"I can't believe she used to be my favorite."
"This must be some sort of joke."
"So much for perfect little girls."
The lost spirit had both scarred arms wrapped tightly around themself as the unrelenting memories continued one after another. It hadn't been long since Joey first crossed into this alternate plane of existence, but they were beginning to learn that when it came to the dead: There was no rest.
"This is it! This is the rest of my life! For the rest of my life, I'm that weird Powerpuff! I-I'm that ugly one! I-I-"
"Shhh, shhh... Everything will be alright, Buttercup-"
"No, it's not! It's not alright! It won't ever be alright ever again! This is all Blossom's fault! She's the one who left me on that fucking island! She's the one who left me to die!"
Joey squeezed themself tighter as Ms. Keane's last words echoed loudest in their head:
"Buttercup, you're just angry. You know, that it was an accident. A horrible, horrible accident, but accidents happen, Dear. It's just a part of life. All you can do is move forward. Buttercup... Everything will be-"
"NO IT WON'T!"
Joey's scarred fingertips dug into themself as they trembled, feeling colder than ever, "Ms. Keane!" they cried out, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I-I don't even know what happened! I-I-I-"
They felt themself sink deeper into the earth as they sobbed harder, "I-I-I mean I didn't know at the time! I-I swear! You were one of the few people I actually liked! You were the last person I ever wanted to hurt! I didn't mean to kill you! I-I wish I could take it back! I just lost control! It slipped out and-and I-I couldn't stop it! I-I killed you! I killed you and then I covered it up! Everyone thought you had a heart attack and I just let them go on believing it! I let myself believe it! But I-I was scared! I was scared that I'd get in trouble! And I was scared that killing you meant that there was something wrong with me! I just wanted it to not be true! I just wanted to pretend like none of it ever happened! But it did! I killed you because I was angry and I was just so sick and tired of having to always be the one to bear all the pain all the time! So I let it out and it killed you! Just like when I killed those stupid birds! Just like when I killed Robin's cat! I fucking did it! It was me!"
Joey remained curled into themself as they wept for a long time. They stopped when they realized that at long last everything had grown quiet. They felt a warm spot on the top of their head, and as they opened their eyes for the first time underground and looked up, a faint beam of light shone down on them from an opening at the surface high above. They watched as a shadow briefly passed over, and the sound of a familiar deep voice came next from the surface world:
"It is no wonder the child has had such an arduous, grueling and difficult time commanding a power such as this. One can only imagine the amount of strength and resiliency it must take to contain and restrain a force so mighty, so potent, so... deadly..."
"Mojo?" Joey called out from under the earth, and as they did, the light above grew brighter. Within a flash, they stood once more on the surface ground. "Mojo! It is you!" they called out again, their emerald eyes lighting up at the sight of the short simian.
Mojo stood at the center of the forest, where Joey had wiped out all life in the area the night prior. He carried a sack with him, as he walked along the sandy forest floor, collecting dead rabbits, squirrels and mice as he went.
"Mojo! Mojo, can you hear me?!" Joey shouted.
Mojo turned his head as something caught his eye in the distance. Seeing how quickly he started toward them, Joey thought at first that he actually could hear them and see them. However as he marched right through the space where Joey stood, they realized he could not.
What Mojo had seen was a larger fallen beast of the forest, and he was eager to get a good look at it. The massive dead black bear lay on its side, but even then its size towered over the short chimp. "Incredible," Mojo remarked as he circled the bear. He rested a gloved hand against the cold black fur of the giant and smirked. "If it is truly a possibility that Junior may be able to harness this power and conjure it on command- if perhaps, I might be able to help with the mastery of this ability- then the green Puff could truly become, without question and with all certainty... the most powerful being alive."
Joey couldn't help but smile as they heard this. "Really?"
Mojo looked up, but not at Joey. His eyes grew wide as they fell upon the sky, and he looked about the surrounding devastated forest in a quick panic.
Joey turned around to look up as well, and saw what he saw. They gasped, "Shit! My sisters!" They spun back around to face Mojo and watched as he ducked quickly behind the bear's carcass. With everything else surrounding completely wiped out, there wasn't much of any other choice to try and stay hidden. Even though Joey knew they were invisible, they joined Mojo on the other side of the black bear anyway. Somehow, it felt safer.
As the blue and pink Puffs touched down amidst the land of destruction, their eyes grew wide as they fell upon the land. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it before- so much death in one place. Even the air itself felt empty from the unnatural silence that had befallen the area.
As Bubbles' eyes fell on the countless fallen bodies that lay across the sandy floor of the forest, it became too much for her. She fell to her knees and scooped up a lifeless field mouse and squeaked sadly as she began to weep.
Blossom knelt down next and scooped a pile of sand in her hand, letting it fall between her fingers. Her bubblegum eyes glistened with tears as she stood again and continued to stare at the devastation in horror, "This is worse than I ever imagined it would be..." She slowly shook her head before she glanced down at Bubbles. The blue Puff was a river of tears as she petted the dead mouse in her hands. Blossom gently reached down and pulled her back onto her feet, "Bubbles," she spoke softly, "You see it then for yourself right? Bubbles, this is really bad. If this happened last night then that means Buttercup is having multiple surges a day now. And at this point they've gotten so bad that somehow-" she stopped as she looked around again, "Somehow... they can do this," she shook her head, "It's a wonder how she managed to survive it herself..."
"Blossom," Bubbles began with a sniffle, "Are you sure this was her?"
Blossom bit her lip, "Bubbles, I was with her the other day when she turned a potted plant to just sand from a surge. She also admitted to accidentally killing-" Blossom stopped herself, "Some... animals," Blossom gulped before continuing, "Earlier today in the lab, I was trying to resuscitate her after she had stopped breathing and the lights in the basement all weirdly exploded. The Professor said it was the lab equipment, but I know it had to have been something else. I think... I think the Professor is right. Her instability has gotten so strong that all that surging energy within her is reaching its limit." Blossom wiped at her eyes, catching the tears that fell, "And the Professor says that if she ever reaches that point..." Blossom choked, barely able to get the words out, "She'll... die."
Bubbles threw her arms around Blossom and cried loudly, "I don't want Buttercup to die!"
"I don't either, Bubbles," Blossom held Bubbles tightly. She pulled away and looked the pigtailed Puff in her baby blue eyes, "It's not going to be easy, but we have to do whatever we have to do to keep that from happening. Do you understand?"
Bubbles gave Blossom a nod and hugged her again.
As the two sisters hugged, Bubbles' eyes drifted over to the fallen black bear in the distance. She gasped, "Jerald!"
"Shit," Joey muttered to themself as they watched the blue Puff's eyes lock on Mojo's hiding spot.
Mojo remained ducked low, but he had heard Bubbles for himself. His body tensed up as he prepared himself as best he could.
Joey retreated backwards as they looked on helplessly while their sisters approached. "Fuck-fuck-fuck..." They watched as Mojo quietly pulled a silver raygun from his utility belt and shook their head, "Dammit, if that's all he's got, he's screwed..."
Bubbles reached the black bear first, but was so distraught by the sight of her deceased forest friend, she paid no mind to what lay on the other side. She fell to her knees as she hugged Jerald's head and sniffled, "He was so young..."
As Blossom floated over, she wore a frown as she first watched her sister. However, once she reached the bear herself, it didn't take long to notice the glimmer of sunlight that reflected off the top of Mojo's helmet. She quickly gasped, "Bubbles! On your feet now! It's Mojo!"
Once the Powerpuff leader shouted, Mojo leapt out from behind the bear, drawing his weapon. He fired at Blossom, even successfully striking her, but the raygun's power was not nearly enough. She charged forward without a scratch, feeling nothing more than a light tickle. Mojo tried to run, but of course, the pink Puff was too fast.
"Shit! NO!" Joey shouted from the sidelines.
"We got you now, Mojo!" Blossom said as she tackled the villain to the ground. Bubbles appeared next with a flash of blue light and restrained Mojo's left arm while Blossom held onto the right. "Tell us, Mojo," Blossom continued, "Is your son Junior around here too?!"
"GRARGH!" Mojo struggled against the Powerpuffs' hold, "Do you really think I would divulge or reveal such information to my arch enemies?! No! My nemeses would be the last persons I wish to share any knowledge with! So you Powerpuffs being my ultimate adversaries will never be told a thing! You will not find him, for Mojo will not speak! Yes, you will not be informed about anything, you ACCURSED POWERPUFFS! GRARGH!"
As the mutant chimp fought against their hold, Blossom scanned the surrounding forest quickly with her supervision. "Bubbles, do you think you can handle taking Mojo to County on your own?"
"Sure, Blossom."
"I'm going to stay and sweep the area. If Mojo was here, then I have a feeling his son can't be too far. You have your communicator with you, right?"
Bubbles gave a nod.
"Good. I'll call you for back up if I need it."
"Got it!" Bubbles took off with a flash of baby blue light, carrying the cursing chimp with her as she went.
Once she was gone, Blossom took off next with a flash of pink light as she began to meticulously search the forest for signs of Joey.
Joey's spirit lingered for a moment in the forest as they watched the blue ribbon of light fade away in the distant sky. "Don't worry, Mojo!" they shouted at the air, "I'm coming for you! Just hang tight!"
"Why do I always do this?" Princess muttered low to herself. "You had a plan to take down those Puffs, Princess- a brilliant one!" she sighed deeply, "And now it's all gone to waste because you let that lying masked idiot get under your skin, ugh! Why?!"
The heiress sat upon a hard, wooden bench inside an iron barred holding cell at the Townsville Correctional Facility. While she felt quite defeated and sad, she refused to give her enemies the satisfaction of seeing her shed a tear. This was a loss, but by no means was anything over. After this, it was back to the drawing board... again.
Princess perked up as she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching from down the hall. She rose from her seat and approached the bars to her cell. A police officer came into sight first, followed by Alfred, and lastly a curvaceous blonde in heels.
"Alright, Princess, we've got your bail and you're free to go," the police officer announced as he approached the door to the cell with a ring of keys in hand.
Princess grasped the metal bars to the cell with her hands and leaned towards Alfred with a harsh whisper, "Alfred, what the fuck?! What the hell is she doing here?!"
"I'm sorry, Miss," Alfred whispered back, "But they insisted on you having a guardian present, and with your father unavailable, well-"
The disguised villainess in the honey blonde wig stepped forward, "Auntie Natalie to the rescue!"
Princess gritted her teeth. It took everything inside her to not blow up right then.
Sedusa leaned forward next and whispered, "Come on, Dear, you know it's best to just play along. You need a convincing guardian, and I'd like a place to stay for once that doesn't come with baggage. Of course, I could just leave you here to rot if you'd prefer-"
"Ugh! OK!"
The door to her cell was opened, and Princess stepped out. The "aunt" embraced the short teenager in a hug, committing to her role completely while Princess fumed silently inside. "Oh, I am just so thankful to see my niece safe and sound! Do pass our apologies onto the Powerpuffs for us for the inconvenience today. Our little Princess gets a tad bit carried away sometimes, but she does mean well. Isn't that right, Princess?"
The girl's nostrils flared as she gritted her teeth and forced herself to answer, "Right."
"Come along, Princess," Sedusa smirked as she guided the teen by her shoulders, "Let's go home."
There was a lot that had been missed throughout the past three years while banished to the sidelines and trapped in a purgatory state. While the tormented thirteen-year-old's spirit had always tried to keep close by themself, it wasn't the same as living of course. The kid had been forced to be just a spectator, while the rest of them went on with life. Death was a strange experience, and confusing enough as it were, but the kid's death had been so excruciatingly painful and so immensely traumatic, that when the rest of their spirit was brought back after death, the kid- unable to escape the merciless grasp of their tortuous fate and still reeling in agony- was sadly left behind.
But now, that portion of the green Puff's soul that was thought to be long dead was back. Back and in charge, and damn, did it feel good.
Lying upon the green sheeted bed, the raven-haired teen basked for a few silent moments in the sheer relief of having a body that was no longer eternally sizzling with searing pain. "Ah, this is nice."
Sitting up upon the bed, the green Puff reached next underneath the mattress for something, fishing around for a minute with a scarred hand until it was found, "Aha!" the teen held up a single, rolled cannabis joint and smirked, "I know old Jo was saving this last one for a special occasion and all, but," they held the joint to their nose and sniffed, "I think this counts. Besides, that stingy bastard don't know the first thing about 'puff, puff pass.' Ha!" they laughed as they balanced the preroll between their lips, "Finally! It's my turn!"
As the teenager zipped about the room in search of a lighter, their attention fell on the circular bedroom window as they watched a pair of blue and pink lights fly across the sky. "Ooh! They're leaving?!" the green Puff bounced upon the bed to get a closer look. "Alright! Time for some real fun then!"
Reaching into their baggy hooded black jacket they retrieved the green faced mask and hopped off the bed with it, "Whaddya say?" the skinny teen asked of the masked face, "Ready to take care of some business?" they smirked, "Ha, of course ya are! Man, you're like the only thing that the rest of me ever got right!"
The green Puff safely tucked the mask back away against their chest, and started for the door. When they opened it they were taken aback briefly by the brunette who had just been about to knock on the other side. "Oh, Robin-"
"Hey, Buttercup," Robin said with a smile, "Sorry, did I scare you?"
A smirk crossed the teens face, "Nah. I was just gonna come see ya actually."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," the tomboy watched as Robin stepped into the room.
"Guess I saved you a trip then," Robin said as she walked casually over to her friend's bed and sat down.
While the girl passed them by, the green Puff licked their lips a little, feeling an electric tingle at their fingertips, "Guess ya did."
"I just thought I'd keep you company while Blossom and Bubbles have to deal with Princess-"
"What?" the green Puff's devious smirk faded as they relaxed their hands. "Princess?" they blinked.
"Yeah, apparently she's on a rampage in East Downtown right now-"
"Princess is?"
Robin nodded.
"Ah shit, I gotta go-"
As the green Puff turned to leave, Robin stood up from the bed and followed quickly, "Your sisters wanted you to stay and get some rest though-"
"Man, fuck that. I'm fine-"
"They're really worried about you, Buttercup," Robin stepped in front of the tomboy and frowned, "They said you just had another surge?"
"Look, Robin, I ain't got time for this-"
The green Puff was stopped as Robin stood in the doorway and blocked it, "I really think you should stay, too, Buttercup."
"Really?" the raven haired teen snorted as they began to laugh uncontrollably, "Really?!"
As Robin watched the misplaced laughter continue for several minutes, she began to find it strange. Clearly, something was indeed wrong with her friend. "You should just try and get some rest, Buttercup," she repeated. "I think you really need it."
"Oh yeah?" more laughter.
"Yeah." She held onto the door frame with both hands, communicating to the Puff that she had no intention of moving.
The laughter stopped. "You know, I can easily just push you outta my way, Rob-"
"You wouldn't."
"Oh? I wouldn't?"
As the green Puff took a step closer to her, wearing a devious smile, Robin gulped a little, "No, you wouldn't."
"Why's that?"
Robin hesitated as the tomboy took another step closer, the wicked smile widening. "B-because I'm your friend."
"Really? I'm your friend, huh?"
Another step and the green Puff's scarred face was just inches from her own. "Y-yes-"
The brunette was interrupted as a pair of scarred hands suddenly grasped her by the face and forced her into a kiss. Robin immediately tried to pull away, but the superpowered teen's strength was something she could not fight. When she tried to scream, she felt the green Puff's tongue slip into her own mouth as she was pushed backward out into the hall, and forced up against the opposite wall. She tried to pry the pair of scarred hands off of her, but it was no use. She felt a rough hand slip underneath her shirt and fondle her breast. Her cries were muffled but as the tears started to fall, finally the green Puff pulled away.
"What you cryin' for?" the tomboy licked their lips, tasting her tears with a wicked smile.
"Let me go, Buttercup-"
"Let you go? I thought you wanted to hang out?"
Robin quickly shook her head as she continued to cry while she was kept pinned against the wall.
"No? Oh, so now you wanna go?"
Robin nodded quickly.
"What's wrong? You got a boyfriend? Nah, wait. Let me guess. You got a girlfriend, don't ya?"
"Buttercup, what's gotten into you?!" Robin sobbed harder, "Stop this!"
The tomboy erupted into laughter once more, "Alright, fine!" they stepped away. "Get outta here then! Go!"
The moment she was let go, Robin sprinted down the stairs and ran as fast as she could from the green Puff, who remained at the top of the stairs laughing as they watched her flee. Professor Utonium stepped out into the hallway just as Robin went out the front door. He turned his head to see Buttercup at the top of the stairs, "Was that Robin?"
"Yeah," the green Puff answered with a snort.
"She seemed upset-"
"She's fine," the teenager rolled their eyes as they came down the stairs, "Later, Professor. Don't wait up-"
Professor Utonium stepped in his child's path, "Buttercup," he spoke gently, as he carefully chose his words, "I understand with it being the end of your summer break and all, that well, you want to go out and get as much fun in before school starts-"
"Yeah. Fun. Exactly, so bye-" the green Puff moved for the front door again, but the Professor moved also.
"Just before you go," he continued with a weak smile, "If I could just see you in the lab for five minutes. That's all I need to get a good read on where your power levels are at, double check your vitals, and, well, have a little discussion about, well, your treatment options going forward. I know you tend to suffer a bit of memory loss after an episode, Sweetie, but this last one really did give us all quite a scare, and-"
"Alright, fine."
"R-really?" the Professor blinked
"Yeah, whatever. Let's get it over with."
"Oh thank goodness," the Professor sighed with relief as he followed after his child who casually strolled into the kitchen and towards the lab.
The skinny teen stopped at the door to the basement laboratory and held it open as the Professor walked through. As the Professor took the first step down the stairs, the green Puff gave him a hard shove against his back with one hand, sending him tumbling downward. As he came crashing down against the basement floor, he knocked his head against the final step, which knocked him out.
"Oops, sorry, Professor!" the green Puff laughed from the top of the stairs, before turning to leave, slamming the basement door shut behind them.
The superpowered teen took off with a flash of green light towards the front door. However, before they could get out the door, their ears perked up to the sound of the live news broadcast still playing on the home's living room TV.
"We're live at Townsville Correctional where we have reports that Princess Morbucks, heiress of the Morbucks Estate is set to be released just momentarily-"
"Aww, what?" the green Puff turned around to face the television, "I missed the action? And she's free already?!"
As they watched the coverage, a flock of reporters gathered round the doors to the county prison. The cameras began to flash as the doors opened and Princess stepped out with her butler by her side, along with a woman the green Puff did not recognize. While the journalists clamored around the group, shouting for the young girl's attention, the live news station's reporter got close enough to Princess to ask, "Princess! Princess, witnesses claim that during your rampage you were shouting for Joey. Did you mean Mojo's son, Jojo Junior?"
Princess looked at the reporter who shoved their microphone towards her. As her eyes narrowed on the journalist, the blonde to her right stepped in and took the mic, "Of course! Why, it's a shameful tragedy that the same criminal responsible for all this chaos that has befallen our poor, beloved city is still free today- robbing banks and terrorizing the community! This Joey Jojo must be found and brought to justice, and that's all my little niece here was trying to do!"
"So, today you were acting as a vigilante then, and not a villain?"
As the camera zoomed in on Princess, she gritted her teeth before answering into the microphone, "Let me just say this," her brown eyes narrowed as she looked directly into the camera, "Joey, I know you're out there, and I know you'll hear this, so listen up! When I find you, you're dead! GOT THAT?! DEAD!"
"OK, Dear!" the blonde haired woman laughed off the girl's ferocious temper, "I think they get the message!" she said as she began to push Princess forward, past the crowd of reporters telling them lastly, "Princess takes her passion for justice very seriously, you see!"
"Uh oh," the tomboy nervously laughed a little. "Sounds like I might be in trouble..."
"There you are!"
The voice was so sudden, it caused the green Puff to jump back several feet, "Oh shit! What the fuck-?" Their eyes fell on a fainter version of themself, and they laughed, "No way, Dude! It's you!"
"Yeah," Joey answered with an exhausted sigh, "It's me."
"Damn, you're fast! Took me months to just get off the island. 'Course once I found my way back, it wasn't like you ever made things easier with all of your 'Go away' and 'I don't want you here' and 'Fuck you, you're not real' and-"
"Yeah... Sorry about that," Joey smiled weakly. "Alright," they stepped toward themself, "Let's do this-"
"Woah, wait a sec," the physical Puff took a step back, "Dude, I kinda thought I was gonna have a little more time to myself. I haven't even gotten a chance to have any fun yet!"
"What?" Joey blinked. "Dude, come on," they shook their head as they stepped forward again, "Quit fooling around and let me in-"
Another step back, "Yo, if it weren't for me, you'd be assed out anyway! It's not fair! You had like three years to yourself and all I got was what- an hour?"
"Hey, you said you were just gonna keep my body warm until I got back, and now I'm back, so hand it over!" Joey stepped again towards themself, but the other side of them zipped into the air and hovered out of their reach.
"So you can just shove me out again?!" the green Puff shouted from above, crouched against the ceiling, "No way, Dude!"
Joey groaned, frustrated at first. They looked up again and sighed, "OK, look... I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have kept you out all this time, but you know, shit got real confusing for me after, well, everything happened. I guess I knew a part of me was missing after the accident- I mean I always felt that, for real- but when you came around, I never imagined that you were actually that missing part. I just thought I was crazy and well, also, every time I looked at you, all I saw was all the awful shit I was trying to forget about. So I thought if I just ignored you, you'd go away, and I wanted you to go away because I thought that meant everything bad would go away with you and then maybe things might actually start to get better- but it never got better." Joey paused as they frowned up at themself, "I got so good at keeping you out, hoping that it'd make me happy someday, but all I ever felt was, well... empty."
The green Puff blinked down at themself, "Really?"
Joey nodded. "You know, for the first time in a long time, I was starting to feel like I was actually living again. And now I realize that only started happening, well, when I started sorta listening to you for a change. Even though I shut you out, and tried to leave you in the past with everything else bad, you're still a part of me. Dude, the truth is: There is no me without you."
The superpowered teen slowly floated down and landed beside themself.
Joey showed themself a smile, "So what do you say?"
The green Puff hesitated. "Ehhh... I dunno, Dude..." they looked down at their scarred hands for a moment before looking back at themself. "Yeah, nah, I think I'm gonna stay in control for a while-"
"What?! Come on, you can't do that! You're just like a fraction of my soul or whatever! You can't just go on through life missing a whole other part of you!"
"Why not?! You did it for the longest!"
"Ugh!" Joey groaned in frustration. They stopped as their eyes settled on the living room TV, "Shit... Mojo..."
"What?" the green Puff turned around and looked at the television next. They read the breaking news headline outloud: "Mojo Jojo officially in police custody- WHAT?!"
"Dude, our sisters got him!"
"Shit, we gotta do something!"
Both green Puffs looked at one another and nodded as they spoke in unison, "Let's go-"
In that moment the green Puffs took off in sync without realizing it. Colliding against one another, they clashed with a bright flash of light, so powerful it cracked the television screen behind them and shattered the living room's lights.
As the bright light faded, the green Puff stumbled about momentarily. They dizzily shook their head, taking a moment to find their footing as the room spun for a minute. "Woah," they looked around the empty room, and then down at their own scarred hands.
The superpowered teenager clenched both scarred fists, feeling stronger than ever. They were one again. Slowly a sly smirk crossed the green Puff's face.
"Alright!" Jojo pulled on his green mask, and nodded with determination, "Now let's go!"
The holding cells at the county jail were something that Mojo had easily escaped time and time again. The security was nothing compared to Townsville Prison's Villains Ward. If he wasn't being closely monitored and guarded by the pigtailed Puff, there was no doubt in Mojo's mind that he could break out just like he had so many times before in the past. Unfortunately, the blue Puff stood dutifully just outside his pen, watching and ensuring that this could not happen. Mojo had overheard his captors' plans for him. They were just waiting for Professor Utonium's prototype cell to be delivered from City Hall to the Villains Ward. Once the impenetrable cage was ready, he would be transferred there.
As Bubbles kept guard and waited for word from Blossom, she kept both eyes on the mutant chimp, knowing full well what he was capable of if she were to look away even for a second. As she kept steady watch, Mojo stared right back at her with an unblinking glare. He sat upon the bench inside, cuffed by both his hands and feet. Since being imprisoned, the simian had grown quiet, save for a low, continuous growling under his breath as he stared back with a menacing scowl.
Even though he was supposed to be the enemy, and Bubbles knew Mojo did not wish to speak to her, the blue Powerpuff found the silence between them far too uncomfortable. After several minutes, she spoke up with a squeak, "Hey, Mojo?"
Mojo only continued to glare and growl.
Bubbles continued on anyway, "I was just wondering. What were you doing out in the forest anyway?"
Of course, there was no answer.
Bubbles sighed deeply. "OK, I get it. Nevermind..." She paused before trying again, "I'm sorry it's taking so long for them to get your cell ready, Mojo. They said it won't be too much longer... But, you know, since there's only one made so far, when Blossom finds your son then I guess you two get to be cellmates!" She smiled weakly, "I know everyone's saying that it's so weird for you to have a kid, but I actually think it's pretty cool. I mean, I always thought you seemed pretty lonely, so it's kinda nice to know you have a family now, Mojo. I know I shouldn't say that I'm happy for you with you being bad and evil and all, but I am! And I know you can't be too happy about having to get locked up again, but at least you'll have your son with you this time! That should be nice! ...Right?"
The girl's hopeful smile faded to a frown as the villain held his silent, unblinking death stare.
"Bubbles, are you there?" Blossom's voice spoke up suddenly through the Puff's baby blue wrist communicator.
Bubbles raised her wrist and spoke into the device while still keeping watch on Mojo, "Yeah, Blossom. I'm here."
"I've had no luck locating Jojo Junior out here. How are things with Mojo at County?"
"Processing is done, but we're still waiting on Professor's cell to be ready at the ward."
"Have they said how much longer it will be?"
"All they keep saying is not much longer, so I dunno really-"
"Well, I hope it's soon. With Junior still lose, we run the risk of him busting his dad out before we even get to-"
Before the pink Puff could finish, there was a sudden explosion within the county jail. The brick wall behind Mojo blew apart as something powerful broke through. Luckily, just before the blast, the simian had felt a strange rumble where he leaned his helmet against the brick wall. He leapt from his seat just in time as a masked dark figure burst into the cell.
The darkened eye sockets to the skinny villain's mask glowed bright red, wasting absolutely no time zapping the stunned blue Powerpuff with fast laser eye beams. The attack was so quick and unexpected, Bubbles had no time to react. She was struck and sent flying backward, taking down the brick wall behind her.
"COME ON, DAD!" Jojo shouted, breaking the chains around the simian's wrists and ankles, "LET'S GO!"
Mojo erupted into wild, maniacal laughter as the superpowered teen took him by the hand and flew fast with him back through the hole in the cell's wall.
"Bubbles, what was that?!" Blossom's voice spoke through the wrist communicator.
"Um," Bubbles emerged from the rubble and shook off the dust as she answered with a squeak, "The sound of Junior busting his dad out of County-?"
"WHAT?! I'M ON MY WAY!"
Soaring through the sky at high speed, Jojo fled fast from the county jail with Mojo in hand. The dark cloaked teenager grasped Mojo by his furry forearms as they ascended into the air. From where the simian dangled below he cackled loudly with wicked amusement.
"Haha, excellent work, my son!" he called out over the roaring wind as they zipped fast across Downtown.
"Thanks!"
Just then the pair felt a fast flash of heat rip past them in the sky, just grazing Jojo's gloved hand and Mojo's fur. They both whipped their heads around together as they continued to soar, and saw a blue Powerpuff approaching fast in the distance. Her eyes glowed bright red as she shot off another round of lasers.
"Shit!" Jojo cursed, quickly dodging the lasers as they came.
Jojo dropped down closer to the rooftops below, weaving fast to avoid the oncoming laser beams. With Mojo just dangling beneath, he was too easy a target for the blue Puff's attacks. Jojo slowed down, getting close enough to a nearby building's roof top to safely let the chimp go. Once Mojo had landed safely upon the rooftop, Jojo turned around and faced the pigtailed Powerpuff who charged ahead at full speed.
Bubbles tore through the sky with a flash of blue light. Her baby blue eyes narrowed with determination as they focused on her masked opponent. The skinny figure in all black had just set Mojo down on the top of a building and turned around to face her when she increased her speed.
Jojo stood upon the ledge of the rooftop and as Bubbles charged, he leapt into the air, allowing the fast blue beam of light to pass beneath him.
Bubbles skittered to a stop, and spun around just as Jojo tried to serve a hard punch to the back of her head. She blocked the gloved fist, and as Jojo served a left hook next, she blocked that too.
Throwing fist after fist, the blue Puff's reflexes were fast and she was doing a good job at blocking every attack for a while. But Jojo finally successfully landed a blow, striking the girl hard across the face.
The punch only made Bubbles more determined. As Jojo threw another jab, she caught the gloved fist with her hand, and yanked hard, slamming the skinny villain down against the rooftop.
Jojo landed upon his back, but quickly recovered. Bubbles charged at him, but he kicked her with both feet as he sprung back up. The blue Puff stammered for a moment, but also recovered. She charged again at Jojo as Jojo charged back at her.
Mojo watched from the sidelines as the two superpowered teenagers collided against one another. Jojo punched with his right, and it was caught again. A left jab came next, and Bubbles caught it also. Both Puffs fought for control as their fingers interlocked with each others' in a tense battle of strengths.
As Bubbles fought to keep hold of the villain, her face was only just inches from her masked opponent's. She realized then that it was the closest she ever got to this new foe. She strained her baby blue eyes to peer behind the mask's darkened eye sockets, but before she could make anything out, she was caught off guard by Jojo's next attack.
WHAM! Jojo slammed his masked forehead hard against the blue Puff's, headbutting the girl with full force. The impact was powerful enough to knock Bubbles out completely. She instantly lost consciousness and collapsed forward.
Jojo moved aside as Bubbles landed against the rooftop. Standing over the defeated girl, he cracked his gloved fists and gazed down upon the fallen Powerpuff.
Mojo hollered in celebration from where he had been watching on the other side of the rooftop. "Woohoo! Yes! YES! That is how it is done! Way to go, son!"
Jojo flew over to Mojo, "We better get going. Blossom can't be too far."
"Yes! Let us go!" Mojo answered with a nod and pointed towards a nearby alley way. "There is an underground path just below that sewer grate there that shall lead us back to the tower!"
Jojo gave a nod and grabbed the chimp by the shoulders as he carried him through the air once more.
"Junior, now that you are here, I must warn you about your family's intentions-"
"I know. Antidote X."
The duo landed within the alley and as Jojo removed the grate to the sewer, Mojo continued.
"Professor Utonium has it ready, and with your sisters' compliance, I fear you face too far a risk the longer you stay there-"
As the simian dropped into the sewer pipe below, Jojo's super senses picked up on something and he quickly whipped his head around. The green faced mask's eye sockets glowed as Jojo used their super vision to peer miles away, "Shit, here she comes!" he reported to Mojo as his vision locked on Blossom tearing fast through the sky, "Go! I'll hold her off for ya and make sure she doesn't follow-"
"I mean it, Junior!" Mojo called out from below as Jojo quickly replaced the grate. "You hold more power than either of your sisters and they will take it from you if you are not careful!"
"What should I do?" Jojo asked as they stood and turned round, preparing to take off again.
"You must leave tonight! Leave and come stay with Mojo!"
"You want me to come live with you at the tower?"
"Yes!"
Jojo smirked behind his mask. "OK," the masked teen answered with a nod, before catapulting himself upward into the sky, "See you tonight!"
Rising back up into the sky, the masked Puff was just a darkened silhouette against the late afternoon's setting sun. It was difficult to see against the glowing red backdrop, but Blossom had no doubt the shadow was him. "Not so fast, Jojo Junior!" the pink Puff shouted as she increased her speed and flew at her target.
Jojo clenched his gloved fists and licked his lips from behind his mask. Finally, the green Puff was about to get a real chance to whoop the pink Puff's ass. He couldn't wait.
Jojo charged at Blossom and met her head on. He grabbed her by the shoulders, as Blossom simultaneously grabbed him by his. They wrestled against one anothers hold, suspended in the air.
Blossom pushed off Jojo, kicking him in the gut, before pirouetting back towards him with a fist. She landed a hard blow across her foe's masked face, and continued spinning in the air to serve another and then another.
The fast series of twirling punches had caught Jojo by surprise. Each sock came from the right side- POP-POP-POP. Jojo finally caught the next one. Gripping the pink Puff by the wrist, he twisted with all his strength, forcing Blossom to stop lest her wrist get broken.
Jojo kept a tight hold of the heroine as he spun around next, executing a fast tornado kick and striking Blossom hard against the left side of her head.
As Jojo spun around once more for another roundhouse kick, Blossom finally tore away from his hold and ducked down, narrowly missing the attack. As she came back up, Jojo swung with his fist, but she swiftly moved to the side, dodging it by a hair.
Jojo continued to throw punch after punch- right, left, right, left- increasing the speed of his attacks with each swing.
Blossom was in the zone, however, and the trained heroine had no problem dodging each fist as they came at her. Weaving back and forth, she thwarted every move Jojo made, making the villain increasingly angrier with every missed hit.
Jojo had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming out in frustration as he saw the satisfied smile sweep his sister's face. She really thought she was going to win.
Blossom's opponent didn't have to voice his displeasure. She could feel the anger radiating from the masked villain, and yes, it pleased her to know she was getting under his skin.
"You know, Jojo," Blossom laughed a little as she continued to dodge Jojo's fast flying fists, "I've been waiting all summer for this!" She caught the next fist with her hand, gripping the villain by his wrist just as he had done to her earlier. She twisted round, "Finally, I get to kick your ass!"
As the pink Puff yanked with her grip, she brought a knee upward and nailed Jojo hard against the bottom of his jaw. She let him go as she served an equally violent blow to the top of Jojo's head with her elbow. As Jojo gripped their head with their gloved hands, reacting to the pain she inflicted, she showed her enemy no mercy. Before Jojo could recover- WHAM- she sent the skinny masked villain spiraling in the air with a powerful flying side kick.
Jojo caught himself and spun around fast to face Blossom once more, but before he could fully regain his senses, the pink Puff was on him again.
"Finally!" Blossom shouted as she swung again at the masked villain, "I get to make you answer for your deplorable crimes!"
Jojo ducked as Blossom's fist came at him. He swung next, but the pink Puff blocked it with one hand and swung again with her other.
"It's because of you that all the villains are free to wreak havoc on Townsville again!" Blossom continued to shout as she served blow after blow.
Jojo was on the defensive now. There was no opportunity to make an attack with how quick his sister's attacks were coming. All he could do was focus on trying his best to avoid each blow. But with every swing, it was getting harder. As the pink puff tore at him, a spotlight shone on the battling superpowered teenagers as a news helicopter hovered above, broadcasting the ass-whooping for the world to see.
"It's because of you that mine and my sister's birthday and entire summer was ruined!"
As Jojo was caught off guard by the sudden media presence above, Blossom successfully landed a blow. She struck the right side of her enemy's masked face so hard, he had to grip his head to keep the mask in its place. Again, she showed no mercy and kept on him and swung again.
"Because of you, our lives have been a nightmare!"
Jojo blocked the next punch, grabbing her wrist again, but the pink Puff was still one step ahead. She dropped fast with a spinning heel kick, forcing the villain to let go as she nailed him hard just below his knees.
"Because of you, my sister has gotten sick again- putting her life in jeopardy!" Blossom grabbed Jojo by his collar and forced him back up, just to throw another punch, striking him across his masked face yet again.
"You have no idea the amount of torment you've put my family through because of your reckless actions! But that ends now Jojo!" Blossom gripped the villain by his shoulders, "It's over! I've finally got you!"
As Blossom held onto Jojo's shoulders he moved to grab a hold of hers in return, to try and force the hero away but he had been weakened by the pink Puff's merciless attacks. He grabbed a hold of her, but he was no match.
The news helicopter above still focused its light on the dueling pair in the sky, pulling in closer for a better shot.
Blossom reached for the edge of Jojo's mask, and Jojo quickly grabbed her arm, fighting with all his might against her. Her fingers just grazed the metal as she clawed to get a hold of the disguise. Jojo managed to hold her back, but she reached for it again, determined to unmask the villain right there for all the world to see.
Jojo tried desperately to push the pink Puff away. As he struggled against Blossom's hold, he pulled his head as far away from her as he could and that was when his eyes fell again on the news helicopter above.
The darkened eye sockets to Jojo's mask glowed bright red, and he let out a fast zap, striking the tail end of the aircraft.
As the helicopter began to spiral out of control and plummet down towards the city, Blossom let out a loud gasp. With the lives of those on board at risk, as well as any citizens below, the hero had no choice but to let her enemy go. She released Jojo and shot off after the falling helicopter with a fast flash of pink light.
The moment Jojo was free of her, he wasted no time making an escape while he had the chance. The masked Puff shot off into the sky, retreating quickly from the battle as Blossom swooped down for the rescue.
The pink Puff caught the helicopter before it could collide against the side of a high rise building. Carefully, she then gently lowered it to the ground. The back of the aircraft had been set ablaze by the laser attack, and Blossom extinguished the small fire quickly with her ice breath. A crowd of onlookers gathered round fast, shouting and cheering for the superheroine in excitement, but Blossom had no time for the praise. She leapt back upward into the sky, her pink eyes glowing brightly as she searched all around for any traces of her enemy.
As her supervision faded, a frown swept her face as she remained hovering in the air. "Dammit. He got away..."
"Blossom!" Bubbles called out as she joined her sister in the sky.
"Bubbles," Blossom turned to face her, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Bubbles rubbed a spot on her forehead, "I'm OK..."
As the blue Puff removed her hand, Blossom winced at the sight of the big bump on the blonde's forehead, "Ouch," she frowned, "Let's get home and get some ice on that, Bubs."
"OK," Bubbles nodded with a frown.
Blossom gave her sister a quick, gentle peck on her sore spot. "Don't worry. We'll get that bastard next time." Bubbles returned a small smile as Blossom took her by the hand, "Let's go home."
As Blossom and Bubbles stepped through the front door to their home, it was dark inside. Blossom flipped the light switch to the living room lights repeatedly, but nothing came on.
"What the-?"
"I think your sister may have suffered another surge while watching television," the Professor answered as he came into the hallway, walking with an injured hobble. The scientist held an ice pack to his head as he frowned, "I can't say for certain. By the time I came to, she was already gone, so I couldn't ask exactly how it happened-"
"What?" Blossom blinked at the Professor.
"Professor what happened to you?" Bubbles squeaked. The blue Puff floated over to him and gently touched the knot on the back of his head.
"I'll be fine," the Professor answered, "Buttercup just... lost her temper for a moment, that's all."
As Blossom glanced from the Professor to the darkened surroundings of the living room, she noticed then the shattered television screen and broken lights. Her pink eyes started to water, "Professor..."
"She's up in her room now," the Professor continued, reaching into his lab coat pocket, "I heard her only just get back a few minutes ago. I haven't had the chance to talk to her, but... well, she's not exactly cooperating with me." The Professor pulled out a syringe of metallic red liquid from his pocket and held it, "Girls, I know this is asking a lot of you both, but, well, I'm afraid I need your help with this... For Buttercup's sake... we have to do this. It's clear that she's grown far too unstable now, and this is the only way to save her life. Do you understand?"
Blossom and Bubbles' eyes fell on the syringe of Antidote X, each feeling their hearts plunge into their stomachs at the sight of it. They grabbed each other by the hand for support as their eyes flooded fast with tears. Together, they gave the Professor a single nod before quietly following their father towards their home's staircase that led up to the green Puff's room.
The green Puff zipped about the bedroom, quickly stuffing as much that could fit into a black colored backpack- clothes, some favorite music CDs, video games and a few favorite comics. While zipping the bag shut, there was a knock from the other side of the shut bedroom door. With a flash of green light, the teenager quickly zipped over to the twin bed and stashed the backpack underneath.
Without waiting for an answer, the Professor, Blossom and Bubbles opened the door and stepped into the room.
The tomboy turned around and met the family with an exaggerated, tired yawn, "Hey, what's up? I'm just heading to bed... Long day and all, ya know?"
As the green Puff sat upon the bed and stretched tiredly, both sisters floated over and sat on either side. It was easy to see the tears that streamed down both their cheeks, and that was the first clue that something was up.
The Professor stepped forward, standing before his green-eyed child with tears building in his own eyes, "Buttercup..." he began slowly, "Sweetie... You know how you and I have talked before about, well, what may have to happen if your surges continued... While I wish it wasn't so, Dear, I'm afraid we have only one treatment left for you-"
"What-" the green Puff started to stand, but Blossom and Bubbles each took a hold of one of her arms and forced her to stay sitting as they started to cry more. The tomboy looked at each sister with wide green eyes, realizing then what was happening. "YOU GUYS-"
"I'm sorry, Buttercup," the Professor continued as he knelt down in front of the green Puff, "But I have no other choice..."
"NO! NO! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PLEASE! STOP! NO! NO! NOT AFTER EVERYTHING! PLEASE NO! WHY?! PLEASE NO! STOP! PLEASE WHY?! NO! STOP! STOP! STOP!"
As their sibling squirmed desperately underneath their hold, Blossom and Bubbles sobbed loudly as the green Puff wailed out in agony. Both Puffs had to look away as they watched the syringe needle pierce their sibling's scarred right forearm. Together they cried out, too.
"BUTTERCUP, I'M SO SORRY!"
"BUTTERCUP, WE LOVE YOU! WE'RE SORRY!"
As the antidote entered the Powerpuff's veins, the shock to the teenager's system came fast. Fighting and flailing still underneath the hold of both sisters, the tomboy's screaming stopped with an abrupt, choking gasp as it suddenly became harder to breathe. In that moment, Bubbles and Blossom could feel their sibling's resistance against them grow weaker. As the green Puff choked and found air again, the sisters relaxed their hold, knowing then that her powers were gone.
"NO! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU ALL! YOU'RE ALL FUCKING MONSTERS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! GET AWAY FROM ME! JUST GET AWAY, YOU FUCKING MONSTERS!"
Blossom and Bubbles both wrapped their arms around their flailing sibling, forcing the tomboy into a hug. Now without powers, the green Puff had no hope of escaping the embrace. The two sisters sobbed loudly as they clung desperately to their screaming sibling, unable to do anything else.
The Professor wept silently as he watched the triplets collectively cry out in agony. It had been, by far, the hardest thing he ever had to do. His hands trembled as he reached for his lab coat pocket and pulled out another syringe. "This will help," he choked as he administered the sedative he had prepared.
Slowly, the green Puff's screams began to die down as the sedative began to take hold. As their sibling drifted off to sleep in their arms, Bubbles and Blossom still refused to let go as they continued to cry.
"Just let her rest for a while, Girls," the Professor spoke gently as he petted them each on the head, "It's just going to take some time for her to readjust... She'll come around... Once she's calmed down, Buttercup will understand... It's just going to take time, that's all... Everything is going to be alright, Girls... Everything will be OK..."
The Professor planted a kiss on the top of Blossom's head, then Bubbles and lastly Buttercup's. He wept silently still as Bubbles and Blossom laid the green Puff down upon the bed, tucking the tomboy in for the night. He watched as the pair continued to cry as they laid on the bed next on either side of the slumbering Puff. Of course, neither sister wanted to leave their sibling's side. Unable to do anything else, the Professor quietly shut off the bedroom light and gave the triplets their privacy for the evening.
Blossom and Bubbles continued to cry as they cuddled against their sibling. The heartbreak the two Puffs felt then was a pain unlike anything else. They knew what they had done was supposed to be for Buttercup's benefit- it was supposed to be the right thing to do, but... it still felt wrong. Together, they held their sibling as they wept and wept. For hours, it was all they could do, until they eventually cried themselves to sleep.
Mojo rubbed at his tired eyes with his gloved fingers as he checked his watch again. It was three in the morning now, and still Junior had yet to show. The bad feeling that plagued him was becoming harder to ignore. He stood from his seat and began to pace about his lair, pondering to himself about what could be done.
Something had to have happened. He had no way of knowing for certain, and it was something he could not quite explain, but... he felt it. In his bones, in his heart, and in his soul- he knew something was wrong.
Mojo halted for a moment as an idea came to mind. He rushed to his workstation and quickly got to work.
"Do not fear, Junior," he spoke as he started to assemble something quickly, feeling his heart race, "Today, you saved Mojo from his imprisonment, and now, I shall free you from yours..."
The dawn light had just begun to seep into the green colored bedroom, when Bubbles and Blossom were stirred awake by the sound of a buzzing alarm ringing from their wrists.
Blossom sat up in bed, raising her wrist communicator as she tiredly answered the mayor's call, "Yes, Mayor?"
"Girls, there was an explosion here at City Hall! We're not sure who's responsible, or what's going on, but the courthouse is literally on fire!"
"OK, Mayor. We'll be there," Blossom ended the call with a frown as she looked at Bubbles.
The two sisters glanced together down at their still slumbering sibling.
"Blossom," Bubbles squeaked, "Do we have to-?"
"I'm afraid so, Bubbles," Blossom frowned. She looked at Bubbles who silently started to cry again, "Hey," she spoke softly, "We won't be long. She's still asleep and she'll be right here when we get back, OK?"
Bubbles sniffled as she gave the sleeping green Puff a hug, "We love you Buttercup. We'll be right back."
Blossom patted the tomboy's short raven hair as she watched Bubbles plant a kiss on their sibling's scarred cheek. She took the blue Puff by the hand, and together, the superpowered sisters left to defend the city of Townsville once more.
The green Puff remained behind, tucked still in bed and asleep. After several minutes of complete stillness, suddenly the door to the teenager's bedroom quietly began to creak open.
"Junior... Junior..." the whispering was quiet as Jojo felt someone shake him gently by the shoulder. "Junior, wake up."
Still drowsy from the sedation, it was difficult, but eventually the green Puff managed to pry both eyes open, "M-Mojo...?"
"Yes, it is I," Mojo answered with a whisper, "Come now, Junior. It is time to go. We must leave now, for Mojo's brilliant distraction will only occupy your sisters for a short while. We must hurry and get you out of here quickly while there is still time."
As Jojo rolled over and weakly sat up, Mojo could see the tears building fast in the child's sad emerald eyes. "Mojo... Mojo they did it. They took m-my powers. Th-they-"
"Hush now," Mojo grabbed the teenager by a scarred hand and pulled him out of bed, "Mojo knows this. That is why he has come for you-"
"But I'm useless now," the green Puff struggled to stand, still feeling the effects of the sedation, "M-my powers... my powers are gone...."
Collapsing weakly onto both knees, Mojo caught the green Puff by both shoulders to keep the child from falling forward. He held the teenager by the shoulders and looked seriously into both emerald eyes, still speaking gently, but firmly and with determination, "We will get your power back."
With that, Jojo threw both scarred arms around the villain and embraced him tightly. Mojo also wrapped his arms around the Puff, returning the hug before pulling away again.
"Come now. Get your things, for as Mojo said, it is time to go."
Jojo reached for the backpack underneath the bed, as Mojo helped him back to his feet. The green Puff leaned against the villain for support as they crept together out into the hall, down the home's stairs, and out the front door.
There was a rusted, old, faded, yellow-painted pick up truck parked outside the Utonium home. Mojo helped the teenager into the passenger seat, before quickly running around to the driver's side where he got in next.
While the simian started the engine, the green Puff looked out the passenger window and stared at the white painted house with a red door. As they pulled away down the road, driving towards the early morning's rising sun, Jojo rested his head against the passenger window's glass. The green puff gazed tiredly into the truck's side mirror. Finally, he relaxed in his seat, exhaling deeply with relief as he watched the home in the mirror shrink into the distance.
