I had a lot of time on my hands while grinding for the new Ultra Rare Solomon Hat in Retro, so I finished out a chapter I've been working on for awhile. I've got some motivation so maybe another one will come soon. Maybe.
Thanks to zerowing21 for beta reading this chapter for me!
5 March 2044
The city of Townsville! ... had seen better days. The typically blue skies hung over the town as an eerie green. Just twenty-four hours after a surprise alien invasion, Townsville remained a warzone, and the new breeding ground for the slimy green fellows whom fell from the sky. Of course, these invaders would be met by the fiercest protectors the world had ever seen! In fact, two particular streaks of light in the sky brought hope to many. The superpowered crime fighting duo, the Powerpuff Girls!
Blossom and Bubbles dashed across the sky, swirling above the Townsville Aquarium south of the Sunken Mall. A giant green pod sat in the center of the exhibits, continuously spawning more of the nasty invaders, some even coming in the form of the fish around them. The pink Puff pressed a finger to her ear as she glided, activating a communicator placed inside.
"Professor!" she cried out. "Bubbles and I are in position. That giant egg is still making more of the monsters!"
"Be careful, girls!" The voice of Professor Utonium, creator of the Powerpuff Girls, rang into the ears of both Blossom and Bubbles. "You can still save most of the aquatic life if you're careful!"
"And when you're done," Dexter's voice buzzed through the com after the Professor. "The Saturday's could use some help up north by the Hani-Babi Temple."
"Roger that, Dex." Blossom replied, glancing to her sister in the air.
"A-And don't forget the neighborhood clean-up!" the Professor stuttered through the com. "Not everyone is back in their homes yet."
"It's on the list, Professor." Blossom sighed. "We've got some fish to save, though."
"A bunch of the goops are near the giant egg!" Bubbles cried out.
"Is giant egg really the term we're going with...?" the Professor muttered.
"If we take them from opposite sides, we should be able to knock down most of them long enough to grab a few tanks."
"No time to waste!" Bubbles cried, rocketing downwards.
Blossom smirked, shooting down and circling to attack the monsters from the opposite side of Bubbles. The pink Powerpuff breathed heavily as she flew above the mob of green creatures. She used her ice breath to solidify and freeze them, while her blue sister rocketed past her, screaming as lasers pierced the frozen enemies from her eyes. The monsters melted and broke, reverting into pools of icky goop. The "giant-egg" as the girls had put it, began to pulsate, creating and birthing new creatures to replace the fallen.
"Now, Bubbles!" Blossom signaled, causing the two to grab two large fish tanks each, using their super-strength to fly away with them.
"Two tropical fish tanks, and two river fish tanks secured, Professor." Bubbles said into her com. "We're flying them to DexLabs now."
"G-Good!" the Professor buzzed through. "Make haste, girls, we urhm-" The man's voice cut off, leaving a good moment of silence.
"Professor, come in!" Blossom demanded. Both of their coms played a bit of static in their ears.
"Get those fish to safety and then hightail it to the Junkyard!" The Professor cried into their coms. "The Dynamo is compromised!"
"Compromised?" Bubbles muttered in worry. Another signal tunes into their communicators as the girls reached Tech Square with the fish tanks.
"Hey, uhrm, Powerpuffs!" a burly voice buzzed in.
"Cooplowski." Dexter's voice sternly butts in. "Explain your situation immediately."
"Oh, Coop?" Bubbles asked as the girls place the tanks down, beginning to fly to the junkyard.
"Uh, hey, Bubbles!" Harold "Coop" Cooplowski replied in a fluster.
"Focus, Cooplowski." Dexter barked through the static. "Where's Kiva Andru?
"That's the problem, dude!" Coop laughed. "These monsters are some bad fellas, and even two giant robots are barely enough to hold them back. They attacked us and went ham on the Dynamo."
"The Dynamo should've been fine on autopilot mode..." Blossom grunted.
"We should've let the Mayor pilot it again." Bubbles tried to joke. The two near closer to the junkyard, their giant Dynamo and the great MEGAS XLR in their sights.
"When things started lookin' rough for the Dyno-bot, Kiva jumped out to try and get inside, but I haven't heard from her since." Coop explained.
"AND NOW THEY'RE COMIN' AFTER US!" a second voice screamed from Coop's end.
"Jamie, please!" Coop sighed. "I'm on the phone!"
"This is stoopid..." Dexter's tired sigh buzzed through the coms.
"Hang tight, Coop." Blossom ordered. "Just keep doing what you can with Megas and we'll find Kiva and save the Dynamo."
"Roger, roger!" Coop and his friend Jamie's voice buzz through the com in unison.
Blossom and Bubbles shoot into the junkyard, flying low to ground as Megas began firing pixelizing lasers into the hoard of Fusions attacking the feet of both Megas and the Dynamo. The chest of Megas opened a bit, revealing large speakers that began to echo with the sound of Coop's poor singing. The sound made a majority of the monsters cringe and fall back, but several keep up their plight. Blossom swung around the legs of Megas, freezing any creature on the move, while Bubbles rocketed to the top of the Dynamo.
The Powerpuff Girls Dynamo was built by the Professor many years ago to help his girls. Combining the appearance of the three original girls, the big-bowed, pigtailed robot was almost in ruin, the invaders latched onto all parts of the robot's legs. The acidic goop the creatures were made of seemed to burn right through the metal shell of the Dynamo. A few creatures hung from the head and arms of the Dynamo, and the lights of the eyes failed to glow. Bubbles gripped the side of the Dynamo, using her laser eyes to burn a hole in the side of the head, almost where an ear would be, to get inside.
It was silent at first when Bubbles entered the Dynamo, but the sounds of gunfire echoed from the inside.
"Kiva!" Bubbles called out. She soon reaches the cockpit, discovering a red-haired woman in a sleek white and blue outfit. Kiva Andru.
"I'm happy to see you!" the woman said with a smirk to Bubbles, shooting a nearby monster crawling towards her.
"How's the Dynamo?" Bubbles asked, looking sheepishly around the cockpit.
"We're better off saving ourselves at this point..." Kiva answered honestly. "They've infested the inside by now. We need to get to safety, Bubbles."
"Right, right." the Powerpuff sighed, glancing around still. She floated over and grabbed Kiva, taking her out the way she came in.
Meanwhile, Blossom and Megas continued to smash through the hoard overtaking the dump, seemingly only coming back in thicker numbers once destroyed. Bubbles' blue light streak shoots from the Dynamo's head, towards the entrance to the junkyard.
"I've got Kiva." Bubbles said into her com. "But the Dynamo isn't going to make it."
"It's alright!" Coop cheered. "Megas is still rockin'!"
"I'm detecting activity in the sky near you." Dexter buzzed back in. "I can't quite tell what it is."
The activity Dexter referred to would be noticeable by the naked eye as Kiva and the Powerpuffs looked above themselves. Presumably sent from the alien planet looming above them, another "giant-egg" came hurtling down towards the Junkyard. Blossom immediately flew upwards, hurling lasers and energy blasts at the spawner before Bubbles joined in with her own attacks. Despite their attacks, the pod doesn't seem to fall any slower.
"It's no use!" Blossom grunted. "We gotta fall back!"
"Not without those two!" Bubbles yelled, shooting back down towards Megas. She flew through his tiny car cockpit, grabbing both Coop and Jamie by the backs of their shirts and pulling them out.
"Me-Megas!" Coop whined as he's whisked away. Bubbles dropped the two near Kiva as the 'giant-egg' collides with Megas, covering the junkyard with its icky green goop, as well as both giant robots.
"I think it'd be a good idea for you guys to retreat now." The Professor sighed into his com.
"... We need to regroup and assess what we still have." Dexter's voice followed. "... All of you to DexLabs. We've got some talking to do..."
Coop stared at the junkyard, tears welling up in his eyes as he saw Megas static on the battlefield. As he began to sob, Kiva steps forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever's up there wanted this to happen." she stated. Coop perked up, glancing to his friend. "Whoever is in charge probably knows that Megas can take down the Glorft. I bet it knows Megas is... No, I bet it knows that we are a threat to it." Coop's tears continued, but a smile rested on his face now.
"That guy in the sky don't know nothing about us!" Coop sneered. "We'll clean 'im up and get revenge in no time."
"That's the spirit." Blossom smirked.
A single light remained on in the Leeblossom home. The boy genius Dexter promised to get the citizens back into their homes safety, and delivered for most of Suburbia. Those living in Endsville and Elmore were still seeking shelter in safehouses; as the population of Porkbelly is counted to be nearly eradicated. Roxie and her mother were one of the lucky few able to get home, but this didn't brighten Roxie's spirits.
The only light in her home was the one from above their dinner table, placed in the open space between the kitchen and the living room. Diana sat at the table with a small meal and Roxie's brother Jasper sat with his mother as she ate. Roxie sat in the dark of the living room, curled up on the couch so that she could peek through the blinds. The television was on nearby, buzzing with the sounds of news updates, and begging the citizens to join the fight back.
"Roxie...?" Diana called to her daughter. "Why don't you come sit with your brother and I?"
"Hmmpfh." the blonde grunted in response.
"Roxs..." Jasper muttered. "Come on... It's probably important for us to talk as a whole."
"As a whole...?" the girl shifted her attention, moving to her family.
"As a family..." Jasper continued. "About this whole alien invasion thing. Things are about to be real messed up in the coming weeks."
"Family, huh." Roxie swung her bare feet to the ground as she stood and walked to the dinner table. "But you're 22 and moved out."
"So that means I'm not allowed to care about my bratty sister?" Jasper laughed. Roxie took a seat at the opposite end of the table.
"Well, let's talk." Roxie sighed. "Rule number one is don't get killed..."
"Is everything alright, Roxie?" Diana asked with concerned intent. Roxie looked to her mother's eyes before sighing deeply.
"No, I'm sorry..." the girl wiped her eyes with her sleeves. "I've been watching the news all day... It wasn't just Matilda... Sarah, Stacy, Arabella, Tiffany, Delilah... Their bodies were all found in the rubble." Both her mother and brother stay silent in shock for a moment.
"Oh, Roxie..." Diana said as she began to cry herself. "I'm... I'm so sorry my baby has to experience this..." Jasper gets up, having moved his seat up next to Roxie and wrapping her into a hug. She latched onto her brother and began to sob.
"Let it out, Roxs." Jasper sighed as he patted her head gently.
"... I should've moved us out of Townsville the first time that giant Blowfish attacked the city." Diana sobbed. "What kind of parent am I? Letting you two grow up around such a dangerous place."
"Oh, shut up." Roxie barked at her mom, causing her to be shocked.
"Roxanne!"
"You're not a bad parent, so shut up." Roxie grunted. "We were raised around stuff that taught us to be strong."
"Hey, yeah, being around all this crazy shit in this town has only prepared us for something like this." Jasper agreed with a shrug. Diana stared at her children for a brief moment.
"You two are just like your fathers." She finally broke the silence. "Heroic and cocky. Better than timid like me."
"And that's why I'm going to fight back." Roxie announced, as she broke free of her brother's hug.
"Fight back?" Diana questioned. "Sweetheart, when Jasper said we're going to talk about what's next, he meant in terms of us staying safe while the professionals take care of this."
"The professionals?" Jasper scoffed.
"My friends literally died, mom!" Roxie cried. "What would those judgmental girls think of me if they knew I was just sitting on my butt? No, I love those girls too much to just do nothing after a glob from the sky murdered them!"
"Little sis is on a roll tonight." Jasper smirked. "Love you, mom, but I wasn't planning on sitting back either."
"J-Jasper!" Diana huffed. "Yo- You're an adult! Roxie is still-"
"A kid?" Roxie cut her mother off. "Yeah, I know. A kid who just laid on top of her dead friend and was almost killed by an alien."
She cut herself off this time, looking around the room. The girl's spider legs drop to her side.
"Mom...I know I'm still a kid, but even kids are going to have to toughen up if this is the world we're gonna be stuck in for a bit. And I'm not like the other kids, Mom, I'm part alien! These spiderwebs protect me, why can't I use them to protect others? Uhm, Dexter said on that announcement yesterday that there was an Academy opening to train people, and I'm fully set on going there... Whether you want me to or not."
"My girl..." Diana said softly, holding a hand to her face. "You're so brave."
"I've lost too many people in the last day." Roxie sighed. "I'm not losing anyone else I love."
"Academy, aye?" Jasper sneered. "Never thought I'd see you as a recruit for anything."
"... I- I can't stop you, can I?" Diana smiled softly.
"No fault to you." Roxie nodded. "This is something I know I have to do."
"My little sis ain't going to have all the fun without me." Jasper grinned. "If you're going to some Academy, I'm coming with. We can kick those alien turds together."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Roxie smirked.
"Oh, my babies." Tears formed in Diana's eyes. "Now time for the real discussion... Staying alive while protecting us."
Roxie and Jasper snicked along with each other as their mother began to ramble.
6 March 2044
The DexLabs conference room was never as full as it was today. Notable names lined the long table stationed in the center of the room, Dexter at the head of the table with his assistant, Computress. It was finally time to shed some light on these invaders and formulate some actual defense plans. A few names of interest populated the room.
Mandark Astronomanov, boy genius and rival of Dexter, sat near the head of the table. Near him sat twins Susan and Mary Test, both of which appeared to have seen better days. The Professor sat across from them, Blossom and Bubbles sitting to either side of him. Magister Max Tennyson sat near them, coupled with his grandchildren, Gwen and Ben, along with his Plumber partner Rook. Mojo Jojo sat with an intense glare set on the Powerpuff Girls, seated next to a man with scar across his eye. General Skarr. White Knight and Doctor Holiday sat nearby representing Providence. General Specific sat near Mr. Black and Mr. White and a strange afro-d space lady sat near them, Garnet. Next to Garnet sat another strange woman known as Pearl.
Subtle chatter filled the conference room, with Dexter silently watching out over the crowd. The door swung open, inviting the last guests inside. A Vendroid from the nearby Exervent filtered in, followed by the five operatives of the Kids Next Door's Sector V, led by Nigel Uno.
"Dexter." Numbuh One greeted, walking up to Dexter as his sector took their seats. The room fell silent.
"Uno." Dexter nodded. "If I could gather the attention of the masses... The Kids Next Door has some information they'd like to share with us."
"Good afternoon, all." Numbuh One began to the crowd. "I'm the leader of the Kids Next Door's Sector V. Early in the morning, two days ago, we lost all contact with our main base of operations on the moon. Several hours later, Earth was invaded by these guys." The kid pointed to a screen at the head of the table, which was now displaying the planet looming above them. "A special subset of the Kids Next Door has been collecting information on this entity for a while, and we were just given access to this info this morning. This is Planet Fusion. From what our operatives have gathered, Fusion has been traveling across the universe, destroying and engulfing the majority of the planets in its path. It's next target? Us."
"And why should I, the great Mojo Jojo, listen to what some snotty kids have to say?" the genius ape chimed in.
"Because these snotty kids have one of the strongest arsenals on our planet." Dexter growled. "As much as I hate to admit it."
"Fusion..." Ben Tennyson muttered under his breath. "Is that what those creatures are? Fusions?"
"We can call them that." Numbuh One nodded. "We've observed over the past two days that these creatures are slimy and made of goo, but can take solid forms, and mimic animals and objects. Those pods that fell from the sky seem to be what spawn them, or at least carry them over from the planet."
"Oh, the giant eggs!" Bubbles cried out.
"We've been calling them Terrafusers." Nigel replied. "The worst of the infection surrounds these. The more in one area, the heavier the infection."
"So, what's our plan here?" Doctor Holiday asked, looking around the room.
"For now, resistance and defense." Numbuh One said. "We're currently working with DexLabs and Providence to quarantine off the most infected zones. Our biggest concern is making sure citizens can still lead their normal lives."
"And clean up?" Susan Test piped in. "Our hometown is completely destroyed. Our lab is buried and our family were the only ones who lived from there."
"We've got operatives already taking care of the debris." Numbuh One sighed. "With more recruits to the Academy up north in the Wilds, we will have the numbers to handle anything that comes at us."
"What are you humans planning on doing in case of another large-scale attack like the invasion?" Pearl asked, a sly smirk on her face.
"That's why the Academy is important." Dexter answered. "The military, Plumbers, and KND are a great defense system, but this type of situation calls for all hands-on deck."
"Those Academy recruits are gonna be in good hands." Max Tennyson announced. "The Plumbers and I are establishing rigorous training to prepare anyone for an alien fight. It'll be a rough, two-day process. Those who graduate will be on call at all times and filtered out for other assignments.
"To get all de' help we need, da rules will hafta be bent." the voice of the Grim Reaper called out. Grim appeared near the foot of the room in a cloud of black smoke, a young woman with jet black hair and a pink streak stood next to him.
"Uh, hiya." the girl greeted with a sheepish wave.
"Juniper Lee?" Gwen Tennyson asked, seeing her friend appear with Death.
"Da' Te Xuan Ze isn't allowed to leave her home of Orchid Bay..." Grim explained. "But I 'tink the world could use da' protecta' of da' magical world in a few other places. For de' time being."
"You made a deal with Death?" Mandark scoffed. "Have fun with those repercussions."
"I'm doing what I need to do to protect my family and my planet." Juniper Lee replied confidently.
"Glad to see we've got both sides of the planet ready to fight back." Dexter said with a firm nod to Grim. "It's up to us to push this monster back, everyone."
"The Academy officially opens in the morning." Computress buzzed.
"We also think the public should be aware of the Darklands to the north." Nigel continued. "I know only the Plumbers and that Samurai seem to go out there, but it seems a good chunk of the invasion centered there."
"Dexter and I have already deployed airships to survey the damage out there." Mandark said.
"Let's aim for only the strongest heroes to head there for now." Dexter looked out to the occupants of the conference room. "I promise more solidified plans will be made... It's not like me to be so unsure like this..."
"It's alright, Dex." Blossom reassured the genius. "This is new to most of us too. It's no wonder you're all jumbled up."
"The alien stuff was pretty crazy for me at first too." Ben joined in with a hearty laugh, displaying his Omnitrix. "But then again, I was becoming them!"
"He does have a point." Gwen followed, adjusting her glasses. "As arrogant as he sounds."
"The public is dying to know information on the invaders too." Mr. Black interjected. "I assume we're going to be tasked with distributing this?"
"Indeed." Nigel affirmed. "We're looking for the government to specifically release what we know on Planet Fusion to the public rather than an organization like ours. The trust in us kids might not settle with... Adults."
"Understood." Mr. White pulled out a phone and began to type on it.
"Is there anything else we should know about?" General Skarr inquired, standing from his seat and straightening his jacket.
"... Well there is one thing." Numbuh One crossed his arms and looked to his fellow operatives. "A few hours after the invasion, a video was uploaded to the internet. Unknown location. Anonymous poster..." Nigel looked down and glanced over to Dexter. The genius nods to Computress, who brings the video up on the screen.
"The film may prove graphic." Computress buzzed as the video began to play.
The video started centered on a small green blob with glaring red eyes. It sat in the middle of a dark room, almost like a jail cell. A sound is heard from offscreen, presumable a door opening, as the sound of footsteps followed. Seconds later, the feet of a silly looking brute march into the frame. It was... An Imaginary Friend? As the friend nears the blob, its red eyes shut tight, and a wicked screech emits from what looked like a mouth. The friend paused, walking offscreen, and returning the creature to normal. After a few more second, the imaginary friend marched back onscreen, this time not stopping and began to grab and beat on the blob with ease. The film cut out, leaving only a black screen with the word "re:FUSE" stylized in the center.
"Given the nature of the creature in that video, and the 'Fusions', as Ben put it, we have reason to believe that creature is one of them." Numbuh One said, breaking the silence after the room watched the video.
"There's something bigger behind this whole Fusion thing." Dexter muttered, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"The most interesting part to the video, despite the Imaginary Friend, is where the video was uploaded." Nigel continued. "It was uploaded to the official Rainbow Monkeys Industries website."
"So, what the Rainbow Monkeys are behind the aliens?" Ben laughed.
"The company claims to have no idea how it got there, but it was swiftly removed." Dexter sighed, rolling his eyes at Ben. "We don't know what it means quite yet, but I'd like to look into this Imaginary Friend's effect on the creature."
"And we think it'd be best to keep this bit of information private." added Nigel. "Just for now. Luckily, the Rainbow Monkeys website doesn't receive that much traffic, especially hours after an invasion like we had. But people have seen this, and more of them will find it. We're going to figure something out before questions start being asked."
"So, the plan is basically, educate the public, build an army, and wait for instructions?" Blossom asked.
"Unfortunately, that's the best I can do right now." Dexter ran his gloved fingers through his ginger hair. "You superheroes are going to have to put in some overtime."
"Protecting Earth is never overtime." The stoic Garnet stated, causing everyone in the room to gawk at her for a moment, some in awe, while others merely confused.
"We'll get right on it." Mr. White stood and began to leave with Mr. Black. The two Generals would stand to follow.
"Magister Tennyson." Rook called out, saluting the man. "Shall I head to the Academy for preparations?"
"Please and take these Providence reps with you." Max smiled, gesturing to White Knight and Doctor Holiday. "Providence is going to be a great help in setting up the training facilities."
"Understood." Rook nodded. "I will see you soon, Ben."
"Catch 'ya 'round, Rook." Ben threw up a peace sign as his partner exited with Providence. Nearby, Dexter and Nigel convened.
"How long do we have until something happens?" asked Nigel. Dexter rubbed his temples.
"I don't even know... Days... Minutes?" The genius glared around to the heroes, and Mojo, who was still in the room. "We barely know anything about how that thing up there operates. It could strike again at any moment... I should know what to do."
"Don't beat yourself up, Dex." Bubbles giggled, floating over to him with her sister. He raised a brow as they approach. "Super hearing."
"Great." Dexter grunted.
"I said it already, Dexter, this is new to us." said Blossom. "I don't like being this powerless either, but hey, we're figuring more out. That's good!"
"Not fast enough."
"It's not healthy to sit here with a negative outlook." Bubbles pouted.
"You're the Dexter." Nigel began. "This city looks up to you as much as they look up to the Powerpuffs or the Justice Friends."
"It's rough that there's no more solid plan at the moment..." Blossom smiled. "But we're pretty dang strong. We're ready for whatever is coming at us now, so don't worry about that. Just worry about finding out more for us." Dexter blinked at the three surrounding him, his face growing pink.
"... This inspirational speech stuff isn't really my thing..." he muttered. "... But thank you. I- I appreciate that."
"Get to work, Dexter." laughed Nigel with a smirk before he walked off to join his sector.
"Why don't you get some rest for the entire evening?" Blossom asked Dexter as she noticed the bags under his eyes. "We're both going to be at the opening of the Academy, right?"
"Right." The genius rubbed his heads under his glasses. "I'll have to set Computress to do some work while I rest."
"As long as you take care of yourself." Bubbles grinned. "C'mon, we won't stop Planet Fusion sitting here."
7 March 2044
It was early in the morning, but the streets of Peach Creek bustled with the movements of the KND and the local scout troop, the Urban Rangers. Among the hustle, Roxie and Jasper Leeblossom walked along the sidewalk. The two held hands as they walked and were both dressed in more athletic outfits. In the nearby cul-de-sac, a KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R. sats, awaiting to take recruits to the Academy up north. While most of the KND agents stood guard, defending the streets, the Urban Rangers were busy... Building?
As Roxie and Jasper turned down towards the cul-de-sac, the siblings noticed a large wall constructed of cardboard and dirt. It wasn't finished, but it looked as if it was to cover the entire street. Also made of cardboard, in the center of the cul-de-sac, sat a throne, fit for the king of scams himself. The short, yellow-clad "king" sat atop his throne, grinning wildly as Urban Rangers shuffled past his seat. At the foot of his throne stood two more kids, one dressed as the other Urban Rangers, the other dressed in normal street clothes, and a natty black hat. The latter appeared to be, for lack of a better term, freaking out.
"Sarah said Ed didn't even come home last night, Eddy!" the kid with the hat cried up to the kid on the throne, who scoffed at his friend.
"Whatever, Double-D," Eddy shrugged his shoulders without a care. "That dummy is probably just stuck inside of one of the cardboard boxes. He'll show up eventually." He perked up as Jasper and Roxie near the center of the cul-de-sac. "Oh, hey! Big dude and spider-girl!" Eddy jumped from his seat.
"This is the way to the ride to the Academy, yeah?" Roxie asked the boy. His grin only grew larger.
"Oh, yeah, totally!" he laughed. "But you have to pay the fee first, only one quarter per customer!"
"A quarter...?" Roxie muttered.
"Don't listen to the Ed-boy!" the kid dressed in Urban Ranger garb interrupted. "Ed-boy is stupid, and wants to make quick buck from the aliens. Well Rolf says NO WAY! Rolf build wall to protect Wilfred." A pig would suddenly squeal nearby. Roxie and Jasper blinked at the kids.
"Y'all kids... ok?" Jasper asked, holding back a laugh. "Do your parents know you're up this early doing all this... war shi- Stuff?" Roxie snickered as her brother censored himself.
"My brother said we should totally build this wall, protect our house!" Eddy laughed.
"We can never be too safe." Double-D brushed off his shirt as he looks to Roxie. "We're just missing a friend of ours."
"And we're missin' a sister!" a hoarse voice rang through the cul-de-sac. Roxie and Jasper turn, looking behind themselves to see two more kids. These girls looked a bit dirty and had some wild colored hair, one bright orange, and the other deep blue.
"The Kankers!?" Eddy screamed. "Get! Not in my alien kingdom, nuh-uh!"
"Can it, Eddy!" the ginger girl spoke again, pretending to roll up her non-existent sleeve. "We know Ed is gone too."
"You k-know Ed is missing?" Double D audibly gulped.
"May left Lee and I this dumb note before we woke up." the blue haired girl said, lifting said note with a wiggle.
"And Marie wakes up super early, so if May left the note before then..." the ginger, Lee, grunted.
"She told us that she saw Ed running towards the forest and that she was leaving us to be his forest queen." the now-named Marie recited. "I'm not about to go over there and look for her."
"Well... I suppose it's nice to know which direction he wandered off in at least." Double D rubbed his chin in thought, glancing to the ground.
"What are we witnessing...?" Roxie whispered to her brother. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Middle school drama?" he guessed. "Don't we have a ride to catch?"
"Wait, you two!" Double D waved to the Leeblossom siblings. "My name is Edd. I can't really leave the cul-de-sac while we're building this wall. If you see a sub-intelligent boy up north, could you send him home...?"
Roxie blinked her eyes. "I- I supposed. But we're going to Mount Neverest for the Academy. That is kind of out of the woods."
"Pimpleback is on tha' way there!" Lee blurted out. "That's forest enough, spidergirl!"
"My name is Roxie!" the spidergirl grunted.
"This really seems like a talk-to-your-parents type of problem." Jasper whispered.
"Yeah, if we see your friend, we'll say you called." Roxie waved her hands to the group of kids scrambling around her. "But I'm a girl on a mission. Nice to meet you though."
In one fell swoop, Roxie waved to the kids once more, grabbed Jasper's arm with her other hand and tugged him away. She pulled him to a short line outside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., wrapping her arms and spiderlegs around her brother as they approach.
"Kids these days." she sighed as she hung from her brother, who patted her head.
"You have no idea, sis." Jasper chuckled.
After just a few minutes wait, the pair boarded the KND aircraft. They only have to wait for a few more minutes before the hull of the SCAMPER filled, and the young pilots prepare for takeoff. The Academy was actually an existing Plumber facility near the tops of Mount Neverest, the highest point east of the Pimpleback Mountains. With Planet Fusion here, it was quickly renovated to house an intense training grounds, designed by the Plumbers to teach defense against aliens. The SCAMPER carrying the Leeblossom siblings landed on the roof of one large building, built into the side of the mountain. Looking upwards, the two could see more buildings covering the mountainside up to the peak.
Roxie and Jasper stepped off the aircraft, looking around at the crowd of recruits, young and old alike. Nearby, the feline alien Rook stood with some assorted Plumbers, helping to send recruits off to get started. Roxie tugged on her brother's sleeve, pointing to the alien. The two nodded to each other, then approach the Plumber. He dipped his head in greeting as they arrive.
"Welcome to the Academy, recruits," grinned Rook. "I am Magister Rook Blonko. May I have your names?"
"Nice to meet you." smiled Roxie. "I'm, uhm, Roxanne Leeblossom, but can you put that down as Roxie?"
"Certainly, Miss Leeblossom." Rook looked down, tapping onto a smart device with a large screen. "The pleasure is all mine."
"Jasper Leeblossom."
"Great!" The feline took another moment of silence to tap something else onto his device. He soon looked up, peering at Roxie's alien spider-limbs. "Can I have your ages as well...?"
"I'm 22," Jasper took control. "Roxie here is a typical 16-year-old girl."
"And your... species... Miss Leeblossom?" Rook hesitated to ask. Roxie stared at the man in a prolonged moment of silence.
"Oh, um..." It wasn't like she wasn't used to this question. Growing up with large arachnid arms on your back warranted this type of interrogation. Of course, this would be the first time the question had popped up since the invasion three days ago. But Rook was a Plumber Magister, and a full-blooded alien himself, Roxie knew no judgement could come from him. "My mother is human, but my father was human and Arachnichimp. I suppose that makes me three quarters human, one quarter Arachnichimp, but it's always been easier to say I'm half and half."
"That is interesting, Miss Leeblossom." Rook said, but a warm smile sat on his face. "The Human Hybrid breed has been growing in popularity in the past few decades, but I have never seen a hybrid with the characteristic of the Evolved Form of a species."
"... Evolved form?" questioned Roxie. Jasper also raised his brow in interest.
"Oh, excuse my Plumber talk, please." Rook apologized. "The only time I have ever seen an Arachnichimp with real Earth base arachnid features was when my partner Ben used his Omnitrix to evolve his Spidermonkey." Roxie huffed.
"Tennyson...?"
"Yes, Ben Tennyson." Rook confirmed. "Before him and I were partners, he had an upgraded version of his Omnitrix we dubbed the Ultimatrix, which allowed him to access a more powerful version of his stored alien DNA. Ultimate Spidermonkey had similar limbs to you, Miss Leeblossom. But those versions should only exist within the Ultimatrix..."
"... Oh, I know all about Tennyson." Roxie grunted, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"Is there a problem...?" Rook looked worried, thinking he said something wrong.
"Oh, those two went to school together." laughed Jasper. "Just some teenagers with beef."
"I see..."
"Are we supposed to be, like, training, or something?" asked Roxie, ready to get on with why she came here in the first place.
"Yes, of course!" Rook scrambled, tapping his screen once more. "Leeblossoms, you have been assigned to the red sector." He gestured behind him, revealing four more lines, that lead into colored terminals. Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue. "You will be outfitted for battle and then wait for further instruction."
"Perfect." Roxie gave the alien a thumbs up. "Thanks for the help, Magister."
"Thank you for volunteering!" He waved goodbye as he watched Roxie and Jasper walk off to get in line before moving to talk to another recruit.
"Evolved Arachnichimp...?" Roxie wondered out loud, perking Jasper's interest. "What do you think he meant by Evolved?"
"Hell, I barely remember what things that Tennyson kid can turn into anyways," shrugged Jasper. "Let alone other forms of his aliens."
"He said they only existed inside the Ultimatrix...?" Roxie rubbed her eyes, releasing an exaggerated sigh. "As if I needed some obscure information about myself in a time like this."
"Don't sweat it, Roxs." Jasper looked ahead as the line moved forward. "I'm sure it'll be a plot point later in your story."
"My story?" Roxie playfully punched her brother's arm. "This isn't some grand adventure film, bro. I'm not special enough to have my own story anyways."
"What do you mean not special!?" a different voice blurted out. The siblings looked in front of themselves, viewing the excited dark-skinned boy ahead of them.
"Excuse me?" Roxie scoffed, eyeing the boy up and down. He was almost as tall as Roxie, and was wearing a full tuxedo? Suit? Even completed with a fancy top hat resting atop his messy blue hair.
"Well, urhm," The boy reached up to scratch the back of head. "Look at you! You've got fancy spiderlegs!"
"... Do I know you?" Roxie's brow furrowed as she glared at the kid.
"Uhm, no, not really," the boy laughed, frantically looking around. "But I did just hear everything you just said to him!"
"What kind of creep just eavesdrops like that?" exclaimed Roxie. "Dude, my legs are none of your business!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" The kid smacked himself in the face. Hard. Roxie even winced at the sight. "I'm a total idiot! Let's start over! My name is Amp!" The boy extended his hand towards the middle of the pair. Reluctantly, Roxie reached out to take his hand in hers.
"Roxie." she introduced. "You're really weird, dude."
"I get that a lot!" Amp snickered, shaking Roxie's hand violently before releasing. Jasper waved a hand.
"Jasper."
"So, you guys here to kill those nasty aliens?" Amp asked the two, his eyes immediately bulged out his head, looking at Roxie. "Uh! Not all the aliens! Just the evil ones! And you're not evil totally!" The blonde girl rolled her eyes.
"I'm barely an alien, dude." she laughed. "You're tryin' real hard to be formal, huh?"
"Desperately."
"I can tell." snickered Jasper.
"I'm not very good at this people talkin' thing." the kid sighed. "No biggie."
"You don't get out often?" Jasper asked.
"You have no idea, muscle-dude." Amp threw up his hands, shooting finger guns to the pair. "I'm fresh out on the town and ready to kick some alien ass."
"Well good." Roxie grunted. "You're up next."
"Wha-?" Amp turned around, seeing that he had reached the front of the line. A Plumber waited for him to approach, before handing him a ticket and then sending him off. Roxie stepped up to bat next.
"Alright, Miss Leeblossom, is it?" the Plumber asked. Roxie gave a stern nod as she waited patiently. "You'll take this ticket to the dressing rooms, and get into your new armor. You'll be split into your training squads afterwards."
Roxie was quickly whisked forward, being shuffled in the direction of the previously mentioned dressing rooms. After she gave her ticket to another Plumber, Roxie was given a pink suit of armor to put on, protecting her torso, legs, and feet. Interestingly, the back of her armor already had four spots opened up, allowing her spiderlegs to comfortably fit. Once dressed, she exited to another large crowd of recruits, all wearing different colored armor like hers. She peaked around noticing a few people in armor sharing her color. In fact, a familiar face was in the armor!
"Holden!" Roxie called out, catching the attention of her pink-haired neighbor. He smiled at the sight of his friend, walking over to join her.
"I'm really glad to see you here." Holden said as he approached.
"I'm surprised to see you here!" Roxie laughed. "You live with the Powerpuff Girls and you're here for some combat training?"
"The Professor said it would be a good idea." Holden's smile weakened a tad. "Might as well take the extra training so I can try to keep up with Bubbles."
"And keep up with me." Roxie winked. Holden laughed before hugging Roxie, at least, the best he could with the armor they wore.
"Well, it seems like they're splitting us up into squads to train by our armor color, so..." He gestured to the two of them. "Guess we lucked out today."
"Please, there's been nothing lucky about the past few days." Roxie shrugged. Jasper walked up to the two from behind, also wearing the same pink colored armor.
"What's crackin', brats!" chuckled Jasper as he greeted Roxie and Holden, putting his arms around the two. "Look, we almost have the whole street gang with us. We just need Blossom, Bubbles, and Butter-" Jasper cut himself off. "Errrrrr-Yep! Haha, the gang's back together!"
"Attention!" a familiar voice echoed through the hall the recruits stood in. Dexter stood elevated towards the wall of one side, standing among Plumbers and the Powerpuff duo. A screen behind those elevated turned on, displaying Dexter's face for the crowds to see. "You all are about to undergo vigorous training for the next two days. This won't be easy, and not all of you will graduate, but I applaud all of you for showing up. This is potentially Earth's darkest hour, so your help will make all the difference. Thank you."
The screen moved to display Magister Max Tennyson, who arrived while Dexter spoke. "Recruits!" he called out. "You'll notice your armor is colored. During your short stay in the Academy, you'll be teamed up with those wearing the same color as you. You and these five other recruits must endure this heavy training together, as you'll quickly learn, teamwork is the most vital part of any army. The Plumbers have been dealing with alien threats for as long as they've existed, so we feel confident in what you're about to experience."
Roxie looked to Holden, and then to Jasper, a wicked grin painted on her face. She jetted her thumbs towards her armor, then pointed to both chest pieces of the boys.
"Are you kidding me?" she said in awe. "What are the odds, man?"
"That's what I'm sayin', dude!" Amp's voice slammed into Roxie's ears. She turned to see the blue-haired boy, now hat-less, but now outfitted in the same pink armor as herself.
"... Are you kidding me?" Roxie's jaw dropped.
"Right?!" Amp snickered wildly. "What are the odds?!"
"A friend of your's, Roxie?" asked Holden. Jasper held back an inappropriate laugh.
"Totally." he grunted through the laughter.
"Let me tell you, Roxie, we have got to stop running into each other like this!" Amp patted Roxie's shoulder as he laughed, but quickly pulled away after noticing Roxie's glare. "And that looks like you're a bit peeved."
"I wonder who else is going to be on our team." Holden questions out loud, essentially cuing the other two recruits to the scene.
"Excuse us?" a soft voice asked. "Fellow pinks?"
Two girls approached the pink-claded recruits, dressed in the same armor. The taller girl had long and fluffy purple hair, highlighted with complimentary shades of purple. The shorter girl stood with her arms crossed, A majority of her green colored bob tucked into a yellow beanie hat. Their facial structures were similar, but not identical. The Orion Sisters. Born into a wealthy family, these girls lived peacefully in Bravo Beach, until the invasion that is. The purple hair girl spoke again.
"I'm Heather Orion." she greeted, extending her hand. Holden reached out to shake it.
"Orion as in...?" Holden began to ask, the other girl cutting him off.
"Yes, our Daddy is rich and yours isn't, get over it." she barked, turning her nose into the air. Heather jabbed her elbow into her sister's side.
"Hannah, please! Don't be rude!"
"Helluva' first impression." Jasper chuckled.
"What is this team...?" Roxie sighed. "... Heather? Hannah? I'm Roxie, and this is my brother Jasper. And that's my neighbor, Holden."
"It's our pleasure." Heather smiled warmly.
"Hey, you forgot about me!" Amp waved his arms around frantically.
"Yeah..." Roxie rolled her eyes. "Forgot. That's Amp, my headache."
"Oh! I didn't know we were doing nicknames!" the excitable kid wiggled himself into the center of attention. "I wanna be Joker!"
"These bullocks are gonna kill each other before they even get a chance to shoot at the aliens." Hannah growled to her sister; anger visible from every angle of her face.
"There's a few things you should know before training," Magister Tennyson continued, the screen behind him shifted into images of the alien planet and a variety of the monster from it. "This is what we're up against. Planet Fusion. While we don't know much, we do know that this planet has been traversing the galaxy and consuming every planet in its path. These green globs that have been attacking are Fusions, and they seem to morph their acidic bodies to whatever form they please..." An image of the spawning pods appeared on the screen, alongside images of Fusions taking the form of animals near the forest. "These pods that fell from the sky during the invasion, and sporadically since then, have been called Terrafusers. It seems they just keep spawning from them, but destruction of the pod itself is difficult."
"We know all of this information might be scary, but you're here now." Magister Tennyson's face reappeared on the screen. "The next two days will see you and your squad endure tests of might, will, and bravery. And following graduation, until the end of this hopefully short war, you will be the strongest defenders for Planet Earth. Now, without further ado... Plumbers will be around to give your squads further instruction."
"Fusions..." Roxie muttered to herself. She peeked to the Orion sisters at her side, then to her brother and neighbor on her other side.
"Aye, pink team!" a Plumber yelled at the six, carting over a rack of weapons to them. "Your first assignment is through the Zoo doors."
"Assignment...?" Holden scratched his head. The group glanced over to a large set of doors where several squads were already heading towards.
"What do we have to do?" Heather asked.
"Take a weapon, enter those doors, and stick together until the end." the Plumber gestured to the weapons again. Amp quickly dashed forward grabbing a small and futuristic gun.
"Don't have to ask me twice!" he cheered. "Pew-pew!"
Heather and Hannah step forward, each taking a moderately sized gun. Holden waited patiently, retrieving a small gun that resembled a custard. Jasper grinned as he picked his weapon, a large spiked mace, attached to the handle by a strong chain. Roxie's brow raised at the sight of it. Looking forward, only two weapons were left on the rack for Roxie. A pair of pistols, both painted to match each other. Roxie picked up the weapons, holding one in each hand, getting a feel for how they were.
"Shouldn't you have gotten a gun?" Heather asked Jasper, worry painted her face.
"It's alright, little girl, I'm a man." Jasper flexed one of his arms. "I can handle a little melee action."
"A man-baby." Roxie smirked. "I'm sixteen and act older than he does sometimes."
"Great, I was paired with a bunch of teenagers, wasn't I?" Jasper smirked in return to Roxie, then extending his smirk to Holden.
"Hannah is only fourteen, and I'm sixteen myself," Heather forced a smile as she held her gun to her chest. "I suppose you were."
"Hey, I'm fourteen too!" Amp stuck his head into the conversation again.
"Sound about right." Roxie snickered.
"Alright, alright," the Plumber began to move the empty rack away. "Like I said, all you have to do is make it to the other side of the Training Zoo, through those doors."
"Easy." Hannah scoffed, being the first to walk off. The other five shuffled after her, passing the doors to enter the Training Zoo.
It was almost hard to believe that Roxie and her team were thousands of feet in the air while in these mountains, given that, as they walked forward, a rich and lavish jungle unfolded before them. The closing doors behind them would be the only unnatural looking thing in the area, and every step forward welcomed new foliage and dirt. No sign of any other squad was around, nor were there a sign of much life at all in these trees. The pink team paused as a group.
"So, this is the Training Zoo...?" Holden questioned out loud.
"Seems like the Amazon." grunted Hannah, who had her gun aimed and ready to shoot.
"Just get to the other side." Jasper shrugged. "What's the catch...?" He began to step forward, leading the group in a straight path ahead of him.
"Who says it can't be easy for once?" Roxie shared a shrug with her brother, her pistols and spiderlegs ready for attack. "Just walk to the other end, simple."
"This is supposed to be rigorous training, numbskull." Hannah growled. "There's something else to this than just a walk in the woods."
"You don't need to be so rude..." Heather peeped. Somewhere around the six, a bush ruffled, as if something moved through it.
"Oh, that's the alien!" Amp grinned, pointing his little gun around. He pulled the trigger, shooting a blast to his side and knocking him on his butt. Heather and Roxie stop, both moved to help him up.
"Watch where you're pointing that thing!" Roxie scolded, looking up to see Amp's blast left a nearby bush encased in a block of ice. The boy seemed to jump up as the girls helped him up.
"Wicked!" he cheered. "A freakin' ice gun!"
"And they just let you take something like that...?" Holden looked down to his normal gun, appreciating the custard look it had.
"My lucky day!" Amp smiled as he pointed his gun around, striking different poses as he does so. A sudden growl from the foliage around them instantly caused Amp's cheeriness to die down, the six members of the group all standing back to back.
"Here's the catch." Jasper muttered. The bushes ruffled again, and without much time to react, a lengthy green Fusion pounced from the shadows, and completely over the group.
"One of the aliens!?" Holden shouted, pointing his gun and firing a round.
"EPIC!" Amp cheered.
"This seems a little morbid, even for the Plumbers." Roxie frantically said, triggering a nod from Holden. Amp pulled his trigger finger again, blasting the Fusion and freezing it solid. "Maybe it is lucky you got that thing." Roxie smirked.
"We should move." instructed Heather.
"Stay behind me." Jasper took off forward again as he swung his mace to clear the way.
"Did they spend the past three days freakin' stockpiling these things to make us fight?" Roxie asked as they ran along the dirt.
"It doesn't seem legal, does it?" Heather added, taking up the rear of the group.
"Teaches us what we're up against!" Jasper yelled, his mace crashing into a tree trunk. More growls echoed from nearby.
"Watch your sides!" Hannah yelled, pointing her gun to the side and unloading. "Pay attention or fall behind!"
Roxie whipped around to her side, lifting her dual-pistols and firing in surprise. Her shots would luck out striking down a Fusion barreling out of the brush. The girl looked down to her hands. "Whoa." she muttered to herself. She peered up again, witnessing the Fusion she shot tumble into the dirt, and then dissolving. A newfound determination spread across her face, Roxie lifted her guns again, shooting at the more Fusions coming from the alternate direction.
"What happens if one of us gets killed!?" Amp screamed to the group over the sounds of their guns going off. He froze another monster attacking, leisurely taking a few steps forward. "Do you think my theoretical parents could sue?"
"Theoretical?" Holden seemed to just grow more confused with every word escaping Amp's mouth.
"Theoretical." Amp nodded firmly. "Assuming they exist."
"And they don't?" Roxie's brow rose. Amp playfully flicked his wrist to the hybrid as he freezes the final Fusion around them.
"Oh, Roxie, we'll gossip later." he winked. Roxie simply stared at Amp as she relaxes after the shoot-out.
"C'mon." Jasper waved his arm to the teens. "Your bullets are only gonna draw more of them to us if they're in here."
"This does seem illegal, right?" Heather brought up again. "Isn't this like harboring a war criminal?"
"Oh, as if the aliens are going to care about our legal system, dunce." her sister barked at her. Roxie looked above her, peeking through an opening in the trees to see the glass roof encasing them.
"... That's why it's called a Zoo..." Roxie sighed to herself.
Jasper led the team off again, following the dirt until unnatural light blinded them from the side. A wall. And an open door. The pink team shuffled through the space, exiting the Zoo.
9 March 2044
The Plumbers apologized profusely for failing to mention the fact they had captured weak Fusions for use in the Academy, but it made sense. Planet Fusion is an entirely new experience for everyone, and the best way to learn was hands on, under heavy supervision of course. Roxie and her team did well through the training, but it seemed that their dynamic stayed wacky. Though none of that matter outside of this place.
The top of Mount Neverest housed the Hall of Super Friends, which doubled today as a graduation ceremony for Roxie and her team, as well as other squads who joined days ago. It was nothing too grand, but sweet enough to feel special. Roxie still sat in the hall, looking out across the land as people filter out of the Academy below her. Although none of them were still armored, her pink team sat near her in the hall.
"... This isn't going to end soon." Roxie sighed, attracting everyone's attention.
"This?" Holden looked around.
"This war." Roxie clarified. "We're a part of an army now... These aliens are going to be here for a while."
"Good!" Amp stood atop his chair, fixing his collar. "More time for me to be a hero!"
"Don't you have, like, a family to go see?" Roxie asked rudely. "Someone to celebrate this graduation with?"
"You're still here too, girl." the boy snickered, hopping off his chair. "But if you're dying to get rid of me, I'll go find something to do!"
"Thank you!" Roxie barked back. She rubbed her eyes with a yawn, only to see Amp had completely disappeared within that time. "Oh..."
"I'm ready to get out there and kick ass too." Jasper chuckled. "Why are we still here?"
"I- uh," Roxie hesitated, staying silent as Blossom and Bubbles fly by, then landing in the hall. "Oh, hey, girls!" Jasper could tell she was using this as an excuse to avoid the question.
"Ugh," Hannah sneered. "Let's get out of here too, sis. The supers are here."
"... That's not a problem?" Heather paused. Hannah glared at her older sister, stomping off without a word. "I, uhm... I'm sorry my sister has been so rude these past few days."
"Don't sweat it." Jasper shrugged. "I grew up with Roxie, I can handle it."
"And I grew up with that thing." Roxie pointed at her brother and stuck out her tongue.
"I should follow her, but I'm glad I have some friends in this battle." Heather stepped forward, giving both Holden and Roxie a hug before walking off. Roxie stays silent following the hug.
"We're just here to pick up, Holdie." Bubbles smiled, wrapping her arm around the pink haired boy.
"Flying Air-Puff is the only way to go." Blossom laughed.
"Do you guys need a lift too?" Bubbles asked the Leeblossom siblings. Jasper looked to his sister for an answer.
"I appreciate it." Roxie smiled and fixed her hair. "I think we'll take the long way."
"Sounds good." Blossom grinned. Bubbles and Holden wave before all that's left of them is a trailing blue light. "Congrats on graduation, you two!" Blossom waved as well, then rocketed off. Jasper waited for a moment before sitting next to his sister.
"You don't want this to be real." he said, very matter-of-factly. Roxie's head perked up.
"... You know?" she sighed.
"It's not the first time I've felt what you've got going on." He reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. "The second we walk out of this place-"
"It'll all be real." Roxie finished. "It's been real, of course. But once we're outside, we're soldiers." The girl acted as if she was about to hurl. "And I said I'd never support the military."
"It's more like a Plumber army." Jasper shrugged.
"Whatever!" Roxie threw her hands into the air. "I want to do this so bad, Jasper! I want to waltz out of this place with my head held high and kick some serious alien butt in the name of my friends."
"... What's stopping you, Roxie?"
"I, uhm... I'm just not sure I'm ready to be that person."
"This coming from the same girl who was the captain of her junior high volleyball team." Jasper began to count of his fingers. "The same girl who won Homecoming Queen as a freshman!"
"Jasper..." Roxie rolled her head on her shoulders. "This isn't anything like that. People were scared of me. No one wants to be on the freakin' insect-girl's bad side, who knows what that freak would do?!"
"Spiders aren't insects, they're-"
"Arachnids!" Roxie groaned. "I don't care, dude! I'm not about to shoot down impressionable teenagers. These are flippin' SPACE ALIENS! You think some destroyers of literal worlds are going to bat an eye at the freak with the spiderlegs!?"
"That's even better, Roxs."
"BETTER!?"
"Freak verses freak." Jasper paused. "You're on an even playing ground with them."
"Great, just what I wanted." Roxie grunted. "To be reminded that I'm one of them."
"Oh, come on Roxie." Jasper crossed his arms. "You know there are more good aliens than the bad."
The two sat in silence.
"I know." Roxie rubbed her temples. "I know, I know, I know. I just... This is a lot for me, Jasper. Not that it's not a lot for you, either, but-"
"I get it." Her brother leaned back in his chair. "Your friends, your limbs. I know this is hitting close to home. Right on home."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Do exactly what you told me. Waltz your ass out of here with your head held high." Jasper grinned. "That told me you have the fire in you. It's ok to mourn, and be worried, but you've got to take some action too."
Another deep sigh escaped Roxie's lips, followed by another moment of silence.
"I didn't think I'd need a pep talk to just... go home." she joked. "You're always right, aren't you?"
"It comes with being born first." Jasper smirked. "I stole all the smart genes."
"Oh, is that why I got all the good looks?" Roxie laughed, filling the right with some light. "Thank you, Jas."
"I don't want your thanks." Her brother sat up straight in his chair. "Just do what you told me. I'll be here to do the same with you."
"I am." Roxie nodded. "I was going to, I always was going to. Just needed to talk myself into it... I love you, bro."
"I love you too."
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Now that Roxie is out of the Academy, we can really start getting into battles against the Fusions. You've probably noticed that a few OCs have been introduced. This is mostly because FusionFall is a game you play with other people, so I wanted to relate it a bit more to the game by adding these characters and really make it feel like a world of "players" living among Roxie.
As always, the footnotes of Chapter 1 show which shows are being used in this FusionFall Canon.
Amp (c) TheCrampReturns
Heather & Hannah Orion (c) FMHQRP Community