I'm pretty happy with the rate I've been getting these chapters out! But, looking ahead at my plans, I decided there's a lot to write coming up for the Roxieverse. That being said, I'm going to do my best to have a new chapter out by the end of every month. Of course, I'm an adult with a busy life, so it might not all happen like planned, but for now you can look forward to chapter five by the end of August.
On the FusionFall front, there's been two major updates to FusionFall Retro since the last chapter. In June, Infected Zone Racing was finally added to the game, alongside 150+ new items as Racing Rewards, as well as e-mailing buddies. Just, like, a week ago, Retro received another major content update the community dubbed as the Ben 10 event, and it adds some great permanent late-game content.
The Ben 10 update also added my favorite alien, Spidermonkey, as a full NPC! Art exists for him, but he was never made for the OG game. The model in Retro was completed crafted from the ground up for FusionFall! Awesome!
Anyways, I won't ramble anymore. Enjoy the chapter!
Special thanks to zerowing21 and Magtongen for beta reading this chapter for me!
11 March 2044
Citizens of Endsville and Elmore began to filter back into their homes, much to the dismay of the supernatural life in and surrounding Endsville. While normally tame and quiet, the chaos of the invasion had brought everyone out to play. One particular entity wasn't too interested in being in the thick of the chaos, and instead, watched from afar.
Resting near the outskirts of Endsville in the northwest was a moderately sized mansion. Its Gothic style made its exterior fit right into the grotesque and brash design choices of Endsville, but inside would be home to a maze of traps and wonders. Floating above a balcony on the second floor of the mansion was HIM, the lobster-clawed demon enemies of the Powerpuff Girls. This was his residence, and the place where he arguably had the most control. He watched as soldiers held back straggling Fusions, and viewing families returning to their homes.
A second demon stood in the doorway leading inside from the balcony. The fancy suited, green demon known as Them, who attended Kilroy's meeting a week ago with Him. Their head dips to rest against the doorframe, but their yellow horns click on the side.
"It's been a week, yesssss?" Him mused, his eyes surveying the streets.
"Indeed." Them nodded. Their face would shake suddenly, a difference voice escaping their lips.
"Those little humans barely know what to do with themselves!" they laughed. A second violent shake occurred, followed by a deeper voice.
"Silence, fool." Them roared at themselves. "We barely know what to do with ourselves."
"How troubling." Him grunted, raising his claw and clacking it together. Duct tape suddenly appeared across Them's mouth. "My darling, I adore your company, but you must keep those voices in check."
Him. Them. Of course, neither of these would be their real names. Thousands of years ago, the demon known as █████ ravished the Underworld, bringing forth pain and torture unimaginable to any human mind. Once caught, he was punished for his crimes, banished to live eternally in the Overworld. His reign of terror continued here, where his name alone struck fear into the hearts of the manliest men. His name was so terrible, in fact, no one could bare to say it, and he was only known as HIM.
Such a powerful demon wouldn't be without those who look up to their power. Three particular souls were infatuated with Him's power and grip on the Underworld, and dedicated their eternal lives to recreating his terror. They might have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for the stupid mistakes of one of the souls. As punishment for their traitorous plans, the three souls were confined to one body, trapped to pilot the same husk of skin for the rest of their natural lives. Now stuck as the same entity, the three souls began going by the name, Them.
"Can you believe measly Kilroy Green predicted this mess?" Him asked the horned demon, floating along the length of the balcony. "His power is greatly inferior to mine yet I haven't an inkling about these creatures." The duct tape covering Them's mouth disappeared.
"Uhrm..." The demon keeled over, rubbing their mouth. "Maybe it's due to his royal blood." their voices spoke in unison. Him rose a brow.
"I thought that as well," The red skinned demon sighed, looking towards a house with a strange animated tree out front, "But could the brother of the Demon King really possess the power to sense an invasion? It seems... Unlikely..."
"If you're so powerful, what's stopping you from just snapping these aliens away with your claws?" Them questioned their friend, the deep pitch now absent from their voice.
"Oh, for a multitude of reasons," Him chuckled, "My abilities are seldom wasted on saving the likes of humanity. Who knows? Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to destroy the rest of those pesky little Powerpuff Girls and take over the world."
"If the invader doesn't take it over first." Them grunted.
"The simple answer is that there's more in store for Planet Earth and its encounter with Planet Fusion." Him snickered. Them's brow rose at the statement.
"You know something we don't, huh?" they asked, one of the voices hesitating and trailing along a beat behind.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Mr. Royal Tailor?" Him teased, a third claw extending from Him's torso and caressing Them's cheek. "How do I know you all won't waddle back to your boss with my secret information?"
"We'd like to trust you know our loyalty lies with you before it does with the crown." Them gulped in a single, normal voice.
"Oh, darling." Him's body disappeared, reappearing with his right arm as the third claw that spawned. He was now floating inches from Them's face. "I can't tell you everything," The flamboyant demon leaned forward, kissing Them's cheek and triggering the green skinned creature to blush, "But you should know of two important things."
"Uhm..." Them was completely flustered. "And that is...?"
"I've got my sights on a girl named Roxie, and the Power of the Prophecy."
Diana Leeblossom used to live a pretty stress-free life, at least, for the most part. The only two men she was ever with either died too young, or left her too early, and she was a single mother of two for the entirety of Roxie's life. Despite those factors, she lived happy and without strain. The Fusion Invasion threw a solid wrench into the machine of her life.
The middle aged woman leaned against her kitchen counter, a landline phone pressed to her ear, connected to the wall by a spiral cord. With a full week having passed since the invasion, the woman was calling those closest to her, and checking on their safety. This would be no different from the previous days of the week, where she did the same thing with her loved ones.
"I'm just happy to hear you four are alright." Diana said softly into the phone. "I love you, mom." The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed into the kitchen, revealing Roxie's presence before she even reached the kitchen. "Oh, Roxie, your grandmother's on the phone."
"Tell her I love her." Roxie gave a weak nod as she sat at the table.
"Yes, she loves you, mom." Diana said to the phone. "I'll call you later. Tell that puppy I miss him! Oh, ok. I love you too, buh-bye."
"They still ok out there?" Roxie asked her mom as she hung the phone back on the wall.
"Yeah, mostly." Diana leaned against the counter again. "Dad is having trouble keeping the chickens sane, and your cousin isn't dealing with the aliens too well."
"Ah..." Roxie sighed. "... The Mayor is going to be addressing the city again soon."
"Oh, yes!" Diana nodded to her daughter, moving to the open living room and flipping the television on. "I've already got the channel on. Should just be a few more minutes."
"Is Jasper here?" Roxie asked as she looked around the home. Diana shook her head.
"I believe he's cleaning up his apartment." Her mother gestured for Roxie to join her in the living room. "It wasn't destroyed, but it was ransacked a tad."
"... Well that's good." Roxie's cheeks flushed pink. "Cause I invited my boyfriend over."
"... Your boyfriend, huh?" Diana looked at her daughter questionably. "You never mentioned a boy before. Is an alien war really the time to worry about dating?"
"Oh my-" Roxie sighed as she put her palm to her face. "We were seeing each other before all this... Just quietly..." It was clear that Roxie was embarrassed by this talk. "Only the girls knew about him... And they aren't here now..."
"Oh sweetheart." Diana moved to hug Roxie, but was stopped by a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Roxie slipped away from the hug last second, dashing to the front door and opening it. Standing on the other side was a boy just a bit taller than Roxie. He wore grungy dark blue jeans, and a black shirt with his name plastered across the chest; 'MITCH ROCKS!'
"Hey, babe." the boy greeted in a rough voice.
"Mitch Mitchellson?" Diana asked herself, peeking around to see the boy at the front door.
"H-Hi, Mitch." Roxie lazily waved, stepping back to invite him in. "The Mayor's address is about to start."
"Nice of you to finally invite me over, toots." Mitch snickered fiendishly as he walked in. Roxie shut the door behind him. "What's up, Mama Leeblossom?"
"Oh, hello." Roxie's mother blinked at the hoodlum, then looked to her daughter. "I'll go watch the address upstairs..."
"T-Thanks, mom." Roxie seemed hesitate to have her mother leave. As her mother scaled the stairs, Roxie led Mitch to the living room couch, where the two sat.
"Are you gonna tell me what you've been up to since your friends died?" Mitch looked to Roxie, putting his arm around her.
"Uhm..." Roxie shifted in her seat, leaning away from the boy. "My brother and I went to the Academy, I told you. I haven't left home since we came back from that."
"You mean an alien like yourself isn't outside rompin' around with those bastards." Mitch laughed.
"Mitch, I'm not an alien-" Roxie said before she was cut off, Mitch's finger waving in her face.
"Shut up, babe, the dumb Mayor is on." he grunted, his attention moving to the television. Silenced, Roxie looked to the screen. The Mayor of Townsville stood at a podium on the screen, Dexter to his left, and a tall, ginger-haired woman to his right. Much like the last address Roxie saw, this woman's face wasn't in the shot...
"Good afternoon, citizens!" the Mayor gleefully greeted the viewer. "This is your Mayor speaking, here with an, uhh, an update! Yes, an update about the aliens!"
"Mister Mayor..." the woman's voice buzzed through the speakers.
"Ah, yes!" the short man adjusted his monocle before continuing, "As I'm sure you're all aware of, our planet is currently under attack by an alien menace we're calling Fusions. The giant pods you've seen scattered around are called Terrafusers, and they seem to be a source of the alien's infection. In order to ensure the safety of Townsville's citizens, DexLabs has stepped forward." The Mayor stepped to the side, allowing Dexter to take his place at the podium.
"Thank you, Mayor." Dexter replied with a soft nod. "I'd like to announce that in order to prevent the spread of the Fusion infection, DexLabs will being setting up barriers around heavily infected areas, effectively quarantining them from the public. I'd like to call these places Infected Zones, and should be avoided entirely by normal citizens."
"Infected Zones..." Roxie muttered to herself. Mitch glanced at her for a split second before his attention returned to the screen.
"DexLabs employees and DexBots have already been deployed to set up barriers around the following areas:" Dexter pulled an electronic smart tablet out, beginning to read, "Pokey Oaks Schools, Delightful Developments, Goat's Junkyard, the previous Mandark Industries location in Genius Grove, Eternal Meadows Memorial Graveyard, the entirety of Porkbelly, including the Nuclear Plant, and Charles Darwin Middle School. Only those that are part of our fight will be granted entry to these zones, but only when necessary. Unfortunately, these aren't the only areas that will need to be quarantined. DexLabs will provide further updates on which areas we've labeled Infected Zones as time progresses." Without another word, Dexter returned to his spot next to the podium, allowing the Mayor to take the attention again.
"Thank you, Dexter!" The Mayor's tone seemed too cheery for a situation like this. "Unfortunately, since both of Townsville's major schools have been destroyed, I'm calling for education to be paused, for the time being! Once everyone's safety is assured, we will see if we can start schooling back up."
"Mister Mayor..." the woman spoke again, this time handing the Mayor a paper.
"Ah yes, thank you, Miss Bellum!" the Mayor glanced at the paper before looking back to the camera. "The Plumbers are advising to not agitate the Fusions, and to stay in your homes when you can. It seems the creatures like to roam the streets, so our military and new soldiers have been hard at work to keep them contained. The Plumbers are also urging citizens to stay away from the forest and mountains to the north, as well as Townsville Park. We aren't aware of the damage to the north yet, and the Park has suffered incredible damage. It's just best to stay away from those areas."
"This is really happening, isn't it?" Roxie sighed. She relaxed, leaning herself against Mitch, who immediately pulled himself away.
"What's your problem?" he grunted.
"... We're really being invaded by aliens." Roxie sheepishly replied. "Places are being quarantined... Monsters roaming the streets..."
"And so what?" Mitch scoffed to the girl. "You're literally an alien, babe, you're not scared of this shit." Roxie blinked her eyes.
"Mitch, I-"
"You're one of them which makes you the perfect fighter. You know what they're thinking."
"Well, that's not-"
"I ain't got nothing to be worried about with my girl here to counter those bastards."
"Mitch!" Roxie yelled, aiming to not be interrupted again. "I don't like it when you call me an alien!" she cried out. "I'm NOT like them! I'm not a monster!"
"Don't be such a wuss, babe." Mitch snickered, putting his arm around Roxie and smirking. She attempted to pull away, but Mitch wouldn't let her. "You're not some evil space creature. You're, like, a good space creature. Like Tennyson."
"I-I..." Roxie's shoulders begin to droop. "I've never been to space, Mitch..."
"Oye." a third voice sounded in the room. Roxie turned her head to a sigh of relief.
"Jasper!" she cried out, her brother entering the room with his eyes locked onto Mitch.
"I thought I told you to start respecting my little sister, kid." Jasper growled at the boy, his fists clenched tightly.
"I'm not disrespecting her." Mitch sneered. "Right, Roxie?" He looked to Roxie's eyes, but his look wasn't reassuring. After a delayed sigh, Roxie nods her head.
"No disrespect here, Jas..." Roxie's head began to hang as she answered. Jasper crossed his arms, looking at the two for several silent moments.
"Whatever." the man spat. "I'm here to pick Roxie up, so beat it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." Mitch barked back, taking his arm off Roxie and standing up. "'Beat it before you beat me.' You wish you could beat me up."
"Is that why you always leave before I get to it?" Jasper seemed ready to throw a punch right there.
"Guys, guys..." Roxie sighed, standing up to pull their eyes her way. "Please just cut it out."
Mitch and Jasper adjusted their attention to the girl, both seeing the discomfort in her eyes. While Jasper's tense and buff demeanor immediately dropped, where Mitch continued to stay stiff, his arms crossed. Roxie's boyfriend sighed, stomping over to her and kissing her cheek. The boy quickly made his way across the living room afterwards, completely avoiding eye contact with Jasper.
"I'll see you later." he yelled out from the front door, slamming it behind him. Roxie immediately sat back onto the couch, sinking into the seat.
"Roxie..." Her brother sat near her. "I talked to you about this before."
"I'll deal with it, Jas." Roxie crossed her arms and pouted. "You're just going to give me the same speech as last time."
"Roxs, you're only sixteen..." The man leaned back on the couch, lifting his right hand to rub his temples. "You shouldn't have a boy like this disrespecting you like this at your age— or any age!"
"He's just..." Roxie paused, thinking to herself for a moment. "Aggressively protective...?" Jasper raised his eyebrow.
"Are you asking me if he is? Or telling me?"
"Telling you." Roxie's attention moved to the television. "I have bigger problems to worry about than my boyfriend."
"All I heard there was admitting that he's a problem."
"That's how boys are, Jasper!" Roxie threw her hands in the air, almost laughing. "They're overprotective! They can be mean!"
"If I treated my girlfriend like he treats you, Frankie would've beaten me to pulp forever ago." Jasper pulled himself off the couch, his fist clenched for just a moment. "Come on, we're getting you out of this house."
"I don't want to go anywhere." The teenager folded her arms across her chest again.
"Get up, Roxie."
Her eyes rolled, and a hearty sigh escaped as she stood. Shooting a glare at her brother, Roxie began to walk through the living room, exiting out the front door and taking up shotgun in Jasper's car, which was still modded out to mow through Fusions. Their mother creeped down the stairs, glancing to her son. He shrugged at his mother, moving towards the front door.
"Take care of her, Jasper." Diana quietly peeped. He nodded to her.
"It's the only thing I care about right now." he replied as he walked out the front door and closed it behind him.
The Wilds north of Townsville took quite a beating during the invasion. Surprisingly, the popular locations near the suburbs remained somewhat untouched. Both Camp Kidney and Acorn Flats were full of Fusions roaming the lands, but there were little Terrafusers populating the area. Even the hidden clearing near the creek where children hang out was left alone. The same could not be said as you venture deeper into the Wilds.
The Pimpleback Mountains used to be a hot spot for families and groups of friends who wanted to go camping, but the increasing Fusion population quickly changed that. In fact, in the week since the initial invasion, no campers came to stay. Only the owners of the campground remained in the cabins. Them, and of course the two young women who approached: Juniper Lee and Gwen Tennyson.
The latter fixed her short, ginger-bobbed hair as they step across the dark grass and damp dirt. She was a Plumber, and adventured with her cousin, Ben Tennyson, for years utilizing her Anodite powers as Lucky Girl, but for some reason, fear coated her emotions. Maybe it's because the 16-year-old had taken a break from fighting aliens to attend college, but it wasn't like she hadn't dealt with life threatening aliens before, so what was different? She stopped walking, reaching up and adjusting her glasses.
"Gwendolyn...?" Juniper asked, stopping next to her friend and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You feeling ok?"
"I should be asking you that, June." the ginger replied, turning to her with a faint smile. "You've never been... anywhere... before."
And unfortunately, Gwen wasn't wrong. Juniper Lee inherited the power of the Te Xuan Ze from her grandmother, being empowered by the Magical Elders that watch over the magical realm of Earth. With great power, of course, comes great responsibility — along with great consequences. Under the mantle of Te Xuan Ze, Juniper is subjected to never leave her home of Orchid Bay in order to protect the strong magical energies there. Knowing the Fusions were a great threat, the Magical Elders allowed Juniper to make a deal with the Grim Reaper, allowing her to leave Orchid Bay to fight in the war... But you know what they say about dealing with the devil...
"I'm fine!" Juniper answered quickly, sharing the small smile Gwen held. "It's an adventure, Gwendolyn! I haven't left home in 21 years... That's my entire life!"
"I can't imagine what I would do if I was stuck in Bellwood all my life." Gwen trailed off, beginning to scan the area. "I, uhm, I didn't know who else to ask about this. I don't exactly have many magical mentors."
"It's all good, Gwendolyn!" Juniper started to look around just as her friend did. "It's about time I put my powers to use outside of the Bay! Now, we're looking for a book, right?" Gwen nodded in reply.
"Ben and I have fought against an uncle-niece magical duo many times before, so I've ended up with some trashed spellbooks from them." Gwen started to explain. "One of them piqued my interest, detailing an all-powerful force that's meant to protect the planet from any harm. Not much else was said, but that the power is kept under a series of locks, and that we'll need the Book of Prophecy to even consider unlocking it."
"The Book of Prophecy!" Juniper giggled at the name. "Sounds so fancy. What makes 'ya think it's somewhere out here?"
"Ever since the Fusions arrived, I could just feel this power radiating from the mountains." Gwen's gaze scanned upwards, looking to the peaks of the Pimpleback. "Something much greater than what's normally on Earth. I figured you're more powerful than I am-"
"Say no more." Juniper grew a wicked smirk, stretching her arms out and cracking her knuckles. "My entire life has literally been leading up to this moment." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and her face growing expressionless. Her eyes opened, glowing with a faint pink light as the woman looked around the foot of the mountains. She blinked once. Then another time, the glow on her eyes fading until Juniper looked normal again. She pointed towards a cabin usually used by campers. "There."
"... It's that easy?" Gwen asked, looking to the cabin with confusion. "There shouldn't be anyone in these cabins right now..."
Almost as if on cue, the door to said cabin swung open, out stepping a young blonde girl. She looked a little rough, dirt on her face and clothes as well as in her hair. A smile rested on her face, her bucked front teeth on full display. The smile faded at the sight of the two young woman standing nearby. Both Gwen and Juniper watch the girl in confusion, that is, until Gwen realizes what the mystery girl held in her arms.
"June!" Gwen whispered. "I think that's it."
"The Book of Prophecy is just hanging out with some twelve year old...?" The Te Xuan Ze scratched the back of her head. "Seems like things really are the same all over the world, huh?"
"Who are you two!?" the young girl called out, clutching onto the book in her arms.
"Um, hello!" Gwen quickly called back, making up her words as she went. "My name is Gwendolyn, sweetheart, what's yours?"
"May." the girl replied, very matter-of-factly. "May Kanker."
"It's nice to meet you, May." Gwen took a step forward. "It's dangerous out here with the Fusions. Are your parents nearby?"
"I'm not falling for it!" the girl, now named May, spat back. "Lee and Marie don't understand this real type of love I have for my Ed!"
"Wha...?" Juniper's eyebrow raised lightly.
"Are those your parents...?" Gwen really wasn't sure where this conversation was going.
"Ew, no-uh!" May stomped around on the deck of the cabin. "They're my ugly sisters who are dumb! You heard that? DUMB!"
"Caring family." Juniper snickered.
"May, honey, what book are you reading?" Gwen asked in attempts to get back on track. "Did you find that here?"
"It's my magic book." May seemed to clutch onto the book tighter. "Marie gave it to me because she couldn't get it to work."
"Get it to work...?" Gwen shook her head. "May, what are you doing with that book?"
"I'm becoming Queen of the Jungle!" May shouted, the air around them falling silent. A chorus of monstrous roars followed, triggering all of the girls' faces to sink.
"May, we really need you to give us that book!" Gwen pleaded, starting to walk up to the cabin. Juniper followed with her back turned, watching the land behind them.
"Forget it!" May stuck her tongue out at the girls. "I'm makin' my love potion and you can't stop me!" She hopped over the railing of the deck, beginning to dash off. Gwen turned to start following, only to see a crowd of bears making their way towards her and Juniper. Closer examination revealed these bears to be Fusions with chainsaws for limbs.
"You've got to be kidding me" Juniper sighed. "Chainsaws for arms? What kind of aliens are these?"
"Not the good kind." Gwen said, stepping next to June. The girl's skin was now purple in color, and seemed to glow along with her bobbed haircut, which also turned purple. Waving her hand across her face, a mask magically appeared, and her eyes glowed through the holes to complete her Lucky Girl appearance. "We've got to make sure they don't do any damage to the campgrounds, or May."
"Got it." Juniper cocked her head to the side. "You want to give me some cover?"
"Yeah, just be careful!" Gwen nodded, using her Anodite powers to create a pink wave of energy to stand on and hover into the air.
Juniper Lee shook her hands, gazing at the five Fusions rampaging towards them. In the blink of an eye, Juniper took off at an unimaginable speed, almost making Gwen feel like she just saw XLR8 run by. One of the Fusion bears was knocked back in a cloud of smoke, which dissipated to reveal the Te Xuan Ze with her arm outstretched in a fist. The Fusion she hit doesn't even try to get back up, and reverts to Fusion Matter to sink into the dirt. The four other Fusions continued to run forward, unbeknownst to the superpowered woman behind them.
Gwen spoke quietly to herself, reciting a spell that summoned an array of magical pink missiles. A wave of her hand brought the ammo barreling down at the Fusions, striking one of them head on and killing it instantly. The other shots rocketed past and blasted into trees and shrubbery. One of the runaway missiles shot back into the air, however, at the control of Juniper. She waved her hands to direct Gwen's magic bullet around, and right into the back of one of the remaining monsters. It cried in pain before reverting to Fusion Matter like the rest of its fallen brethren. The single Fusion remaining slowed down, now noticing that it was the only one left.
"That was so cool!" Juniper cheered from the battlefield, amazed by the trick she pulled off. "Gwendolyn!" The woman was now screaming, "Did you see that!?"
"Celebrate later, June!" Gwen called out, piloting her magical hoverboard down so she was closer to her friend. "Can you handle this last one on your own? I'm going to see if I can find May and the Book."
"Psssshaw!" Juniper laughed like Gwen just told her the funniest one-liner. "I got this. You go get that book, girl." She grinned before tightening her fists and taking a battle stance.
Gwen gave a firm nod, taking her magical lift up over the campground. She prepared to scan far and wide, but despite an examination the area, Gwen couldn't see the girl going anywhere but the opposite of the way the Fusions came from. Opposite of where they came from was a single path leading up the mountain, and into a mine shaft. She took one more moment, scanning the area to make sure May didn't actually run off in a different direction, but decided that the mine shaft was definitely where she should look. She piloted herself to the entrance, stepping onto the ground as her construct faded from existence. She lifted her hand, which was now surrounded by a ball of light in order to light the way.
"May!?" Gwen called out as she stepped deeper and deeper into the cavern. "It's not safe, May, we need to get you to safety!" Surprisingly, Gwen noticed that her light wasn't needed the deeper she got, soon waving it away to realize there was a glow coming from, what she could only assume was, the end of the tunnel. Running forward, Gwen found herself in the heart of the mineshaft; in the Crystalline Caverns. Shards of crystals, both dull and extremely sharp, littered the walls of this tall cave, with another huge crystal growing in the middle of the mess, spreading to the ceiling of the cave. Somehow, the crystals were even floating around the larger ones. As the girl's eyes peered upwards, she saw the small blonde girl jumping from crystal to crystal. "MAY!?"
"Ugh..." The blonde sat atop one of the floating crystals, peering over the edge to the glowing purple girl on the ground. "Why can't you leave me alone!?"
"Do you not understand how dangerous it is out here?" Gwen nagged, creating another magical construct under her so that she could float up to the crystal where May sat. "What happens if you fall? What if I wasn't here when those Fusions showed up?"
"Nag, nag, nag!" May rolled her eyes, turning away from Gwen and holding onto the book. "You're worse than Double D..."
"Just..." Gwen sighed heavily, allowing her shoulders to hang. "I think you have the book I'm looking for."
"So?" the girl's head snapped around to look at Gwen.
"... So...?"
"So what?!" May pulled the book away from her chest, looking at the intricate design on the cover. "Go buy your own if you want it so bad!"
"... It's The Book of Prophecy..." Gwen said, sighing.
"The who'sit what-now?"
"The Book of Prophecy." Gwen stepped onto the crystal with May, her magical hoverpad fading as her shoe lifted from it. "I'd buy another copy if I could, but it's an old and magical book."
"Well then, how did my sister get it?" May opened the book in her arms, flipping through the pages.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Gwen took a step closer, glancing at the pages. "That cover, the ancient language there. I don't doubt that this book could probably stop the Fusions."
"I only wanted this." May said, flipping to a page that had the corner folded over. She reached up, grabbing the page near the spine and ripping it clean out of the book. Gwen's jaw dropped at the sight. May didn't pay any mind to her though, simply closing the book before turning around and handing it out towards her. "You can keep the rest."
"... You just ripped a page out of text that could be thousands of years old." the Anodite-powered girl sighed.
"Chill out, Lucky Girl," May held out the page, reading it over. "It's just a love potion." Gwen reached out and took the book from her hands, her appearance shifting back to her normal human look, with pale skin and orange hair. Her mask also reverted into her glasses.
"It's Gwendolyn." she replied calmly, holding the book to her chest. "It's just a love potion...?"
"Uh, duh!" May turned the paper so that Gwen could read it. "I can read English dummy!"
"I see..." Gwen was surprised to see this page was mostly in English. She pulled the book from her chest, flipping through the pages to discover tons of pages that also have English written on them, as well as multiple other languages. The girl thought for a moment, wincing before she spoke. "Maybe we can make a deal, May?"
"I already gave you the book!" the young girl whined.
"You can keep that page as long as you also keep my secret about being Lucky Girl." Gwen had a feeling she'd regret this later.
"I wasn't gonna give you the page, or tell anyone anyways." May pouted, crumbling the paper up and stuffing it into her pocket. "So deal."
"Ok, deal." Gwen actually managed to crack a smile. "Now please let me help you down."
"Whatever." May rolled her eyes. Gwen created yet another construct to stand on, using it to carry the two to the dirt on the floor of the cave. Just as they landed and Gwen's construct disappeared, Juniper Lee walked into view. Her shirt had a hole burnt through on her right shoulder.
"Oh sweet, we've got perfect timing!" Juniper cheered, pumping her fist into the air in triumph.
"Guess so." May scoffed, walking up to June with Gwen. "I'm going now."
"Wait, May-!" Gwen reached her hand out for the Kanker girl, but she had already taken off, dashing through the cave leading to the entrance of the mineshaft.
"This is a neat little place!" Juniper exclaimed, looking up at the crystals surrounding the cavern.
"June... You ok?" Gwen nodded to the mark on her shoulder. The Te Xuan Ze shrugged.
"Didn't realize that Fusion Matter goop burns. Just a little mark." Juniper's smile seemed larger than ever. "No big deal, but I wish you could've seen it!"
"I was busy getting this." Gwen held up the book with a sigh of relief. "The girl ripped a page out though."
As she lifted the Book of Prophecy, the spine of the book began to glow, revealing a series of runes down the side of the spine. At the same time, an obelisk slightly taller than the girls began to glow next to them, and with the same runes that glowed with an orange light on the book's spine. Several more runes and markings began to glow on the stone pillar. In an instant, both the book and obelisk turned from an orange light to blue. The girls look to each other, and then back to the totem. The light faded from the totem, darkening the color of the stone until the glow of the crystals was the only light to fill the cave.
"I don't supposed you know what that means, do you?" Juniper asked, her eyes glued to the obelisk.
"I, uh..." Gwen opened the book, frantically flipping through the pages. "I don't know." She turned to a page with several pictures of the same obelisk, the first one on the page being filled in with color. The text at the bottom looked similar to the runes that appeared on the book's spine and the pillar. "I... I'll have to figure out how to translate this page..."
"What even is this thing?!" Juniper looked in awe at the obelisk, reaching up and using her finger to trace the markings. "Funny, this one kind of looks like a dog! And this one is probably a bear!"
"The lettering on there." Gwen's finger scanned the pages of the Book of Prophecy. "At least we know whatever this thing is connected to the book. We should head back into the city and start looking into this."
"I guess." Juniper shrugged. "But not the Bay!"
"Not the Bay." Gwen snickered, closing the book and looking at her friend. "Let's go."
The girls gave each other nods of agreement, turning on their heels to walk into the tunnel leading back to the beginning. However, there was still someone else behind them, hanging around in the Crystalline Caverns unbeknownst to the three different girls who entered. Sitting at the top of the large overgrown crystal towering in the middle of the cave was the yellow horned, green demon known as Them. The creature blinked out of existence, reappearing floating right next to the darkened obelisk. They reached out, their clawed fingers scrapping along the stone slowly, and a scowl setting in on their face.
"Someone else found our Book."
12 March 2044
Roxie jolted to life, awakening on the couch in her brother's living room, cuddled under a heavy blanket. She peered around the dark room. Jasper's apartment in the transitional area of Townsville known by the locals as City Point, was pretty small, with just this living room paired with a kitchen along one wall, and Jasper's bedroom. Roxie could see right into his room from where she was, her brother asleep in his bed. The television in front of Roxie was still on, but only displayed a blue screen. An open pizza box and horror movies on DVD littered the coffee table.
The girl sat up, rubbing her eyes and adjusting the blanket. Her brother treated her to a night of junk food and stupid movies in an effort to lift her spirits. In fact, he planned to do this before even seeing Mitch with her. Roxie must've passed out before Jasper, as she didn't have the blanket last she remembered. She looked to the analog clock on Jasper's microwave. 4:34 AM. She couldn't have been asleep for that long... right?
Her eyes blinked. Among the DVDs and junk food on the coffee table was Jasper's cellphone. She reached forward, snatching it up and holding it to her face. Before the invasion, Roxie was like any other typical teenager and was active and popular on social media. She hadn't checked her socials since the collapse of her school, her own phone being lost in the rubble, so it wouldn't hurt to check in from Jasper's phone. Roxie opened up a photo-sharing app, logging him out of his account in order to log into hers.
Ouch. She was wrong. It did hurt. She's immediately flooded with notifications of various comments and messages from other surviving students, as well as people she barely knew, and even complete strangers! Condolences for her losses. Asking about her safety. Everything just reminding Roxie of the massacre she was in the middle of. A deep sigh escaped her. She put the phone back on the table, and Roxie sat with her eyes closed for a moment. When they opened, tears began to fall. For a good few minutes, Roxie sat on her brother's couch and cried. It was the first time she was alone with her thoughts and genuinely sobbed over the loss of her friends. Over the loss of everything in the past week.
Her somber emotions were cut short by a low rumble that sounded like it was passing over the apartment building. The room fell back into silence, with only Jasper's light snores sneaking into the living room. A second rumble passed overhead. Roxie fully pulled the blanket off herself, putting her bare feet to the carpet and walking over to the window. She used one of her spiderlegs to push the blinds to the side, revealing the quiet, early-morning Townsville beginning to come to life. Seven stories up, Roxie could really see a majority of the city stretch into the horizon... And see the armada moving through the sky above. A third rumble shook the building, triggering Roxie's eyes to peer upwards and see an army of goopy, winged Fusions soaring above them. In the distance, she saw several objects fall from the sky, landing somewhere south. Smoke began to billow up from that location as more and more Fusions cross over head.
"Shit!" Roxie yelled out loud, pulling her spiderleg back and letting the blinds fall back in place. "Jasper!" she screamed, stumbling across the floor and nearly falling into his bedroom. "Wake up!" The man doesn't even stir. She pulled herself to his bed, pricking his chest with a spiderleg. "Jasper!" The man's eyes shot open immediately wincing at the small poke.
"What the hell, Roxs!?" he sleepily muttered, pressing a hand to his chest. "I'm sleeping!"
"Jas, there are Fusions everywhere!"
"Probably because they're invading the entire world." Jasper grunted, pulling his covers up over his bare chest. The rumbling cries of the Fusions shook the building again, this time paired with shrill screeches. Jasper's eyes open fully.
"So you're going to sleep while they destroy the city, good plan." Roxie rolled her eyes, moving to the window in the bedroom and pulling one of the curtains to the side. "I've been awake for, like, five minutes. This just started." Her brother ripped the blanket off of himself, revealing he was only wearing sweatpants. He stood up, looking out the window next to Roxie.
"Holy shit..." he muttered.
"Look over there." Roxie pointed her finger and a spiderleg in the direction of the rising smoke. "It looks like they're attacking that spot only."
"Damn it." Jasper wiped his hand across his face. "That's where the Spaceport is. Where the hospital is." He left the window, opening his closet and pulling out the pink armor he wore in the Academy.
"What are you doing?" Roxie asked, letting the curtains close.
"Doing what we signed up to do." he replied, pulling the plate leggings over his sweatpants. "Where's your suit?"
"A-At home! Wa- Wait!" Roxie scrambled over to her brother. "You can't go over there! Are you crazy?"
"Isn't this what you wanted, Roxie?" Jasper reached into his closet and pulled out mix-matched socks for his feet. "They're attacking us, just like they did last week." He slipped his feet into the plate boots. "But we're prepared this time. You're prepared this time."
"Ho- How do you know that?" Roxie opened her mouth to keep speaking, but the screeches from outside cut her off. "... Shit... Shit! Ok, fine!" One of her spiderlegs pointed towards the living room, shooting a web and pulling her shoes to her. "We can't go home and get my armor."
"Let's hope they'll have something there." Jasper completed equipping his armor. He then grabbed his weapon from the closet.
The siblings began to rush out of the apartment, scrambling down the halls and to the stairwell. Several cries of fear came from residents of the building, and many people were evacuating their homes. The two reached the ground floor, taking to Jasper's modded car in order to take themselves south. The full view of the sky was terrifying, Fusions flying on other Fusions from the North. As they neared, Roxie realized the objects she saw falling from the sky were Terrafusers, and more continued to descend upon the Offworld Plaza.
Ever since the Plumbers went public, there had always been rumors that their top secret base was located directly under the Spaceport. It did make the most sense for an organization that deals with aliens and space would be stationed in an area where accessing the cosmos wasn't too hard. There was even a rumor that the villainous Vilgax was being held underneath the Spaceport. The only other place of note in Offworld Plaza was the Buttercup Memorial Hospital, renamed only eight months ago to honor the lost Powerpuff Girl. This morning, however, the plaza was a place of complete and utter terror.
Roxie glanced to the analog clock on Jasper's dashboard. 5:09 AM. To her surprise, it seemed the area was already populated with Plumbers and Kids Next Door agents fighting the forces of Fuse's attack. It also seemed like the fountain outside of the hospital was where Earth's forces set up shop as Plumbers and DexBots filled the area, so Jasper parked his car nearby. Stepping out of the car brought the attention of familiar faces, including Rook Blonko and Dexter.
"Roxie Leeblossom...?" the head of DexLabs questioned at the sight of the unarmored blonde girl. Jasper looked between the two as they approached.
"You know the smart kid?" he asked his sister.
"Dexter." Roxie gave the genius a small wave. "We were in grade school together, you know, before he tested out of, like, everything."
"This is no place for you." Dexter said firmly. "Do you not see the all out attack?"
"Why do you think I'm here?!" Roxie barked at the boy. Pink and blue light streaks signified that the Powerpuff Girls rocketed overhead and into the mess at the Spaceport. "Just slap a bulletproof vest on me and toss me a gun."
"She is correct, Dexter." the Plumber Rook exclaimed nearby. "Roxanne Leeblossom was one of the first wave of recruits at the Academy." Roxie smirked at his words, shooting a thumbs up at the feline-like alien. Rook shared both the smirk and the thumbs up, but Dexter could only roll his eyes.
"It's not smart of you to come unprepared." The boy genius rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "There was absolutely no hint from the Fusions about this assault... gah- It's too early for this!"
"Miss Leeblossom, we can outfit you for battle over here." Rook called to her, ushering her over.
Before she even made it to him, an explosion rang out from the Spaceport. One large structure tumbled to the ground as they turned to look. Jasper wasted no time, turning on his heel and dashing down to join the Earth's army. Roxie, stupidly, didn't even take the time to get herself in some armor, simply grabbing two of the guns Rook had available, and then using her spiderlegs to swing herself into the action. Landing in the thick of it, Roxie wasimmediately targeted by an energized Fusion, protected by a KND operative who shot it dead before it could reach her.
It actually looked like many of these Fusion monsters were electrified, as if they were pulling from the power of the area itself. She looked above herself to the structures towering around the Spaceport. She saw Blossom standing atop a spaceship, punching through the Fusions and emitting powerful lasers from her eyes. Next to the spaceship was another large structure, and atop this one was a pale Samurai using his sword to cut through Fusions like it was nothing. Near him was a large, orange creature retaliating against the Fusions. Closer examination revealed the Omnitrix symbol on the creature, making Roxie realize it was Ben Tennyson's Gravattack. He lifted his giant hands up, causing all of the Fusions around him to float into the air as if they were no longer affected by gravity.
Roxie's gaze drifted to the side, noticing a single KND operative near Gravattack. She seemed to be doing well, blasting away the Fusions that aimed to down her, but it was clear the operative didn't expect so many creatures. At the sight of more Fusions turning their sights on the girl, Roxie took a deep gulp, aiming her spiderlegs upwards. The tips shot four strings of sticky spider webs, which attached to the side of the structure. Her spider legs began to retract the webs, and in turn, pulled Roxie off the ground and up towards the top of the Spaceport. She didn't dare to look down, instead she lifted the two pistols she stole from Rook and shot at several of the Fusions approaching the KND operative.
"Watch your back!" Roxie cried out to the girl. The operative saw Roxie, giving her a nod and continuing to ward off the attack. If only she had looked at Roxie for one more moment...
A sudden and sharp pain shot up Roxie's right arm. Her grip on the gun in that hand loosened, dropping the weapon and turning her head to see the issue. Clasped around her wrist was a slimey, green hand, burning her skin. The hand was connected to a Fusion monster, one that mirrored the Samurai she saw previously. Despite the green Fusion Matter skin that lacked a mouth, the monster's clothes was the same as the Samurai's but with inverted colors along with two red glaring eyes that cut into Roxie's soul.
The creature held Roxie's arm in the air, lifting her feet from the ground and continuing to blister up her wrist. The hybrid girl screamed for dear life, especially at the sight of the large Fusion sword the creature held in it's opposite hand. It began to swing the sword upwards, aiming for Roxie's neck before the creature was blasted by fire from the sky! It unleashed a furious roar despite not having a mouth, and dropped Roxie atop the structure. The KND operative Roxie saved began to shoot her weapon at the copy, and Gravattack started to notice the commotion as well. Roxie's eyes peered upwards to see a Pyronite hovering above her.
"A Pyronite...?" Roxie thought to herself. At first she assumed it was Ben taking on his hero form of Heatblast, but the Omnitrix wielder was already in the form of a Galilean, and was using his abilities to lift the Fusion Samurai from the structure. The Pyronite swooped down, picking up Roxie in his arms. Despite being made of flame, Roxie felt no heat or sustained any burns besides the one the Fusion gave her. He lifted her into the air, parting from the Spaceport as the real Samurai arrived to battle his copy. The Pyronite landed by the fountain outside the hospital, helping Roxie to her feet.
"Yo, we've got a burn!" the Pyronite called out, triggering Dexter's attention, as well as Rook's. A small sheep also turned his attention towards Roxie.
"Miss Leeblossom!" Rook rushed over, looking Roxie up and down. "Departing for battle in street clothes is incredibly unwise, Miss."
"Are you stoooopid!?" Dexter yapped as he reached the crowd. "I am not trying to add to the causalities we've already suffered the past week."
"Baa." the sheep bleated, beginning to tend to Roxie's wound as he approached.
"I saved a girl up there!" Roxie spat back at Dexter, pointing back towards the raging battle on the Spaceport. "There would've been a dead girl up there if I wasn't there!"
"She did give a bunch of those Fusions some nasty head wounds." the Pyronite chuckled. His flame suddenly died, revealing a normal dark-skinned human boy. Roxie's brow raised at him.
"You're human...?" she muttered at the sight.
"More like a hybrid." he replied, making Roxie perk up, along with her spiderlegs.
"Me too." a soft smile spread across her face, but was broken quickly.
"Dexter!" Blossom's voice rang through a communicator Dexter held in his hands. "There is an entire copy of Jack up here! Just like one of them!" Everyone looked to each other, including the sheep. The genius raised the communicator to his mouth.
"A Fusion Samurai Jack?" he questioned.
"He knows Jack's every move!" Blossom shouted through the device. "Jack is fighting it now, but they seem pretty evenly matched. And the Fusions just keep comin-!"
Blossom's voice cut off, followed by an explosion from the Spaceport. The group whipped their heads around, witnessing the structure Roxie was on top of blow into smithereens. Gravattack was seen rocketing out of the blast, smashing into the wall of another structure and reverting back to Ben Tennyson in a flash of light. The boy started to fall again, but was picked up by a blue light.
"Dexter, I think we might have to-" Blossom's voice came through the com.
"We need to pull back." Dexter sighed into the mic. "Damn it!"
"It would be best to avoid any further injury to our forces." Rook added with a nod. "Or causalities."
"Blossom, pull back. Get everybody to pull back." Dexter ordered into the com. "I have a plan, but we must retreat first."
"I will relay the orders to the Plumbers and Kids Next Door operatives." Rook said, parting ways from the group.
"What plan could you possibly have?" Roxie asked, the sheep beginning to wrap up her wrist after applying medicine.
"We might be losing the Spaceport, but we are not going to lose that Fusion copy." Dexter grumbled. "Prepare the barriers! Get people to safety!"
Dexter rushed off, tapping vigorously on the communicator. Looking at the Spaceport was a disaster, the Earth's army moved away from the collapsing Spaceport. Several soldiers atop the tall structures of the Spaceport fell or were knocked off, only to be saved from becoming ground soup by a streak of pink light. The previous blue light shot right over to Roxie and the Pyronite hybrid, dropping Ben next to them. Roxie looked to the light, revealing Bubbles.
"Bubs!" Roxie called out. "Jasper is still out there!"
"I'll get him, Roxs." Bubbles replied with a nod. "Just stay here." She rocketed off again into the crowds.
"Ben...?" the Pyronite hybrid sighed at the sight. Ben didn't look too hurt, but his black green t-shirt with the number ten plastered in the middle was full of dirt, and the boy's hair was mess.
"I'm good, Alan." Ben grinned lightly, standing up straight. He smirked at Roxie, nodding to her. "Hey, Spidermonkey."
"Funny." the girl sneered at the Omnitrix wielder. The light trail of Bubbles returned for a moment, depositing Jasper next to his sister before taking off again.
"Whoa, hey!" Jasper yelled out towards the fading light streak. "Rude!" Roxie scowled at her brother, using her free left hand to punch her brother's armor.
"Asshole!" she barked at him. "You left me here! Look at what happened!" She gestured to the sheep mending her right wrist. The animal looked up to the group with a shrug.
"Baa."
"Oh, Roxs..." Jasper dropped his weapon, hanging his head as he pulled his sister into a hug. "I- I messed up! Heat of the moment." Roxie doesn't return the hug, simply staying pressed against his armor.
"It's whatever, I got more done than you anyways." Roxie grunted.
Yet another explosion echoed through the air, this time coming from the large spaceship stationed inside the Spaceport. The Samurai, whom Roxie now knew as Samurai Jack, leaped from the debris to safety. This sight made Dexter grinned, stepping forward and calling out an order. At his command, the pink and blue light streaks of Blossom and Bubbles headed to the fountain safezone, but quickly rocketed back to the Spaceport. The Powerpuffs splitted up, flying along the perimeter of the space station and leaving behind these strange, blue orbs that hovered in the air where they were left. As soon as the Puffs flew away from the Spaceport, Dexter pressed a button on his fancy communicator, triggering each floating orb to open up, emitting large protective barriers to surround the station. The roars of the Fusions died down after most of them are trapped within the barriers.
"The Offworld Plaza Spaceport is officially an Infected Zone." Dexter dejectedly announced to those around him.
"Baa!" the sheep bleated, having finished bandaging Roxie's wrist up. The small animal trotted off to the next injury, beginning to treat them.
"Infected Zone... Like the schools." Roxie muttered, Jasper's hug loosening.
"So, is that it?" Jasper asked around. "We lost?"
"We lost the battle," Ben sighed. "Not the war. It's just a minor setback... Thankfully the Plumbers aren't based out of here anymore."
"So it wasn't a rumor!" Roxie exclaimed. "Is Vilgax in there too?"
"Plumbers haven't had their base of operations here in years." Ben laughed. "I didn't even have the Omnitrix yet."
Roxie stayed silent, not really knowing what else to say, or really wanting to talk to Ben. She glanced around the area, viewing the Plumber and KND soliders walking off to their airships, taking care of the Fusions that weren't trapped inside. The sun's light began to shine on the world, turning the dark sky into a soft orange. The hoards of Fusions that once populated the skies were gone, but the giant Planet Fusion still loomed over them in orbit. It had to be almost 6 o'clock AM. Jasper scratched at his neck.
"Let's go, Roxs." he said to his sister.
"You know what...?" Roxie stood her ground. "I think you can go alone."
"C'mon, Roxie, I'll just drive you ho-"
"No!" Roxie barked. "You go by yourself! That way you won't leave me again!"
"... Rox-"
Jasper couldn't even finish his sister's name before she uses her alien limbs to shoot webs at the top of the hospital and pulled herself away. Leaping up to the roof, Roxie sighed, walking along the ventilation. She turned, looking to the now walled-off Spaceport, and the many Fusions lurking inside. She even noticed the eerie form of the Fusion Samurai, albeit for just a short moment. Her view was suddenly blocked, the Pyronite boy engulfed in flames and floating in her line of vision.
"Hey." he said with a wave. Roxie turned around, pressing her back against one of the vents feeding out the roof.
"I'm not coming down for him." Roxie growled. She heard the sound of the boy landing on the roof, and lose his flames.
"He knows that." the boy shrugged, walking over to her. She slid down the vent as he approached, taking a seat next to her.
"So then what's up?" Roxie asked, looking onward at the sights.
"Well, he's not going to leave until he knows you're safe," the hybrid boy shrugged again. "But I figured you don't want to hear someone come up here and plead for you to come down."
"Why are you here then?"
"Honestly, I was interested by what you said." he smiled at her. "And those Arachnichimp legs." Roxie blinked, turning to look at him. "You said you're a hybrid, yeah?"
"My dad was half-Arachnichimp, my mom's a human." she muttered. "Technically that means I'm only a quarter Arachnichimp, it's just easier to tell people half and half."
"Oh, born like that?" the boy questioned. "I was going to ask if you were like me."
"Like you...?" Roxie's brow rose. "Were you not born like that?" He shook his head.
"I was kidnapped when I was young and was made into this." he explained. "A defective group of the Plumbers called the Rooters. They're no threat anymore, but it's still a bad time to think about." The two share a moment of silence. "I'm, uh, Alan Albright," he introduced, reaching his hand towards her. "By the way."
"Roxie." She took his hand and shook it lightly. "Leeblossom. Glad to know I'm not the only one with an odd last name."
"Glad to know there's more people like me out here." Alan smiled. "You know, like, real people like you. Not manufactured like I was."
"You're just as real as I am, dude." Roxie laughed. Whoo-hoo! Positivity out of Roxie! "Who cares if you were made a hybrid? You looked like you could handle those abilities better than Tennyson does when he takes on that form. Hell, you saved me from that Fusion thing... Thanks for that, by the way."
"It's no problem, Roxie." Alan looked to the horizon. "You're a hero. You would've done the same if it was me, just like you went in there to save that Kids Next Door operative."
You're a hero.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Alan's kind words. She did more than she could express, and she had never actually been able to sit down and talk to somebody like her. But being called a hero? No. No way. Roxie wasn't a hero. Even after her pep-talk in the Foster's bathroom a week ago, where she proclaimed herself as a hero. How could someone who's too overcome with fresh emotional wounds be a real hero?
"Thank you." she smiled. "It means a lot to hear that after everything that's happened."
"Especially with aliens threatening us all," Alan sighed. "I think people like us should stick together. Show 'em that Earth's got aliens too and we're not letting them join us!"
"... You're pretty cool, Albright." Roxie smiled.
"You're pretty cool too, Leeblossom." Alan replied, a slight blush setting in on his cheeks. "I'd hate to be the one, but can I take you down to the fountain? Just because everyone is worried."
"Yeah, yeah." Roxie snickered. "I appreciate this, dude. This talk, even if it's short and sweet. That's all I needed right now, I think."
"I'm glad I could be of service." Alan grinned, pulling himself up. He reached down towards Roxie, ready to help her up. "But you'll also have to hang out with me sometime. Like real friends." Roxie playfully rolled her eyes, taking a moment before grabbing hold of his hand.
"Deal."
Reviews are greatly appreciated, positive or negative!
I hope everyone will enjoy the canon FusionFall storylines I'm introducing to the Roxieverse, such as the Book of Prophecy mission saga. I'll be taking some creative changes with how things plan out, but I didn't think I would be doing the FusionFall world justice by excluding so many great plots that are already in the game! Besides, the writing done by the OG Devs for the original game isn't all that great. Or consistent.
As always, you can always message me here or on Discord with questions, comments, and/or concerns. You can also view the continuity of all shows represented in this canon in the footnotes of the first chapter.