"Buttercup, that was very dangerous. You know how I feel about you girls taking on those forms." Professor Utonium told his second eldest daughter. She sat on the medical bed, her arm crossed, a look of annoyance etched in her entire face.

"You're acting like I wanted it to happen or something." Buttercup grumbled looking at anything other than her father.

"These bands are in complete ruins, when were you going to tell me or anyone for that matter?" He continued his rant holding up the leather band the seams of the snaps were completely destroyed like something had eaten through it. "See these ridges, they look like some kind of acid has gotten to the leather. This is why they came off during the battle but why?" His question seemed more like an accusation to Buttercup who had no idea what happened to her blockers.

"The cyclops had a laser Professor. He probably shot them off and i didnt notice."

"No, they would look singed, like the Maroon Corp building. This is definitely some kind of acid you can tell by the differences here" the Professor said pointing at the leather though the raven haired girl didn't see what he was talking about.

"Okay and what, you think I've been dropping acid on my bands or something. I can take them off, that's what the snaps are for, why would I destroy them and get myself in trouble." She snapped, getting defensive like she usually did but the professor knew she was innocent. He knew this because he knew his girls and while they have been lying through their teeth for the past 11 years he saw right through it all.

"Well no but I think your body has." He told her gaining a look from the girl.

"My body?"

"Well since your" he paused trying to find the right words though nothing ever seemed just right. "Recreation you and your sister have possessed much different abilities than what you first started with. And while some abilities were taken, some were gained, you in particular gained the power of nature." He could tell he was about to lose her to some long drawn out scientific rant so he reel it in.

"My hypothesis is that your body was fighting against the blocker at that moment and created an acidic protein in your sweat to burn them off."

"So my body did this?" She asked slowly to her that was just being told she didn't have to worry about being in trouble.

"I believe due to the mental strain of your sister going down paired with the physical strain of being on the defensive it's very possible."

"Physical strain? What do you mean physical strain? If you haven't noticed Professor if I'm not at school, work, or saving the damn night I'm training. There shouldn't be any physical strain."

"Perhaps not with your muscles but your powers." He reasoned calmly watching as she ran her hand through her raven black hair in annoyance. "What does that even mean?" She groaned.

"It means your powers are actively rejecting your blockers for whatever reason they are going to extremes to rid your body of them. Hence the transformation."

"So what, let's just get some chokers like Bubbles. Blossoms necklace worked. I even think I could do with a ring or four." Her voice was desperate because she knew the alternative the Professor was thinking of.

"Now Buttercup you know those blockers are made for them specifically and even they don't need as much antidote x as you do. Think about it, the most Blossom has to wear is a four layered necklace that she wrapped around you and even that didn't fully work. And you could wear rings but it would take more then Blinks three but you're in too much of a rush in the morning to remember them. As for the choker we tried that too remember you ended up choking on a toxic smell that none of us could even detect." He told her walking over to the cabinet she knew what he was getting and she dreaded it.

"You know as well I do that the leather only worked because it soaked up antidote x like a sponge and kept it for longer than any other material. Now that your body has started to reject even that, we're going to have to go to the pure metal." She knew it, from the moment that she came too after almost shifting she knew this was going to happen.

"I always wanted piercings but not like this." The green-eyed girl sighed her finger tracing over her ears. She already had one pair in all of her sisters did, it was the start of their blocking. Though the metal wasn't very strong compared to how they had grown, the Professor found that they would have to start blocking a day before their first day of first grade.

Back then those two tiny earrings made them numb especially with all the modifications to their powers after the 'recreation'. Now though they hardly held back 10 percent of their power. Of course that's why the other pieces of jewelry were made.

It really pissed Buttercup off she didn't care if the jewelry they got were something they loved they blocked off a part of them. The biggest part of them. She was a superhuman for fucks sake. She should be able to fly around when she wants. She should be able to beat people up that deserved it. She was these people's heroes and yet she slunk around in the dark of night. It was infuriating!

"We're going to do seven on your left and I'd say four on the right. I'll make them the style you wanted. Like the ones you were showing me the other day. You wanted them for Christmas this year. With the cuffs and the chains and the little hanging spike. You know I think we could even do that one that circles the entire ear, you know the one with the snake or dragon." He told her to try to make the best of it like he always did.

She had to admit his craftsmanship had improved Blink had about 20 rings all made from pure antidote x metal all made by the Professor and they didn't look nearly as crappy as the first one he made. She also remembered showing him the piercings earlier last month and while she was happy that he listened it was bitter sweet knowing they would be little bits of pure antidote x metal that would make her numb for days until she got used to them.

More earrings were the first suggestion the Professor gave when they had to ramp up the blockage. He thought she would love it since she talked about how cool they were but she outright refused. She didn't want to have little pieces of pure antidote x in her ears arguing it would take forever to take out and she didn't want to keep up with all the little pieces. Back then he estimated that she would need about six now it was eleven and she wasn't stupid she knew the cuffs and chains were going to ramp up the metal.

"Professor, I really don't want to take out all those pieces just to fight, can't I get gloves or something." It was another suggestion but they thought she would get irritated and throw them off.

"This acid ate through leather. I don't think fabric will do any better." His voice was light and apologetic and as much as Buttercup wanted to feel betrayed she couldn't.

"What about Bubbles bracelets? Can you modify a pair for me?" She asked, watching in hope as the scientists stopped to consider. Though she didn't really want bracelets like Bubbles it was easier to rid herself of them.

"Well I suppose they would have to be pure antidote x metal and you would need to wear at least 12 per wrist." This dropped her hopeful expression.

"But I'd only have 11 pieces on my ears?" She asked.

"Well I'm accounting for the fact that you get easily annoyed when Bubbles jingles her bracelets. You would probably throw off the jingling metal faster than picking out earring that you yourself want. " He saw right through her.

"How about this? I'll make some pieces more saturated than others so if needed you can take out the most saturated pieces and keep the lesser ones in. It will be like a weight scale that you can control. How does that sound." He seemed excited like this was an idea he had been thinking about for a while.

"So some pieces will be less effective than others?" She asked if she knew which ones it could work.

"How are you going to make some 'less saturated'?" She asked using air quotes that had never been an option in the past.

"I've been doing experiments on the metal and have found if you counteract the metal with a certain form of chemical x it will lessen the effect of the antidote x."

"Professor, you're working with chemical x?" Buttercup asked and the man gave a sheepish smile.

"Not a lot, hardly any really what I had left. I was just trying to see what more I could do for you girls." Then he got serious and Buttercup could see it in his eye that he wanted this to stay between them.

"We can't live in fear forever Buttercup. We also cannot live in grief forever. It's not healthy. It's been eleven Years and there isn't a day I don't mourn. I bought you girls here and i thought i had lost you all but im still your father and you are my children all of you. You can be days away from me, maybe even years and my heart will go out to you. So if it means using that chemical again to help you I will." He seemed to be talking about something more than just blockers though she understood him.

An eye patch over his left eye covered a scar that she didn't need her lost x-ray vision to see. It was engraved in her memory. From the jagged thin crossed lines to the white pupil like they used to have. Most who've ever seen his eye thought he was half blind but he wasn't. That eye worked fine, better than fine. It worked better than human eyes could even comprehend but still it looked like a freak accident while it didn't bug out it was wider than his other eye.

"Right, so I'll start on sculpting the pieces. It shouldn't take too long. You'll have it before midnight then you can return Blossom's necklace." He nodded, bouncing back.