SAMURAI POWERPUFFS

CHAPTER NINE – Reality Bites

They were shocked beyond belief. He'd told them Townsville was gone, and it was. As was typical, Bubbles cried, Buttercup fumed and Blossom did her best to keep all of her emotions in check so she could do her job.

"They're all gone!" Bubbles wailed. "Everybody!"

"Yes, Bubbles. I don't see how anyone could have survived this."

They passed over the Malph's they always did their grocery shopping at. There was nothing but a hole in the ground. Broken pavement with pieces of water lines sticking out everywhere. No food. No water. For fifty years, maybe. For miles, every tall building they could see was damaged. There were thousands of smashed, burned, and in some cases, literally flattened cars and trucks. In the distance, the bay bridge connecting their city to Citysville was gone, and it looked like that town had suffered the same fate.

"HIM isn't getting away with this one." Buttercup said quietly; such was the extent of her rage that she had to hold it back or risk losing all control. "Not this time. When we get back, he's gonna wish he never heard my name."

For once, Blossom agreed with her. "Yeah. I don't care if us going back means it never happened. But we gotta get back first. Come on."

They banked sharply and sped in the direction of Townsville Park. They saw the ruins of the dome they had put their own holes in so many times, and seemed to think the same thing at once.

"Why do we always do that?" Buttercup wondered.

"That whole 'shortest distance' thing," Blossom said, "but after seeing this…"

Bubbles whimpered, "Poor Mayor an' Ms. Bellum. I hope they didn't know what was happening when it did."

"The mayor didn't, that's for sure." Buttercup said drily.

"Buttercup! That's terrible!"

"Sorry, Blossom. But I'd rather laugh than cry."

They had passed overhead and were slowing as they circled back and dropped down toward the other place they'd been so often.

"Yeah, Buttercup, I guess you're right." Blossom gasped sharply, seeing the extent of the wreckage at the observatory. "Oh, no!"

"Oh no is right." Buttercup muttered. "We aren't gonna find anything here."

Blossom wanted to scream every bad word she'd heard used toward them by all the criminals they'd busted. She began to tremble with anger. Bubbles snapped her out of it after calling her name three times.

"What, Bubbles?" she snarled savagely.

"Hey! Save it for HIM!"

"Whoa!" Buttercup sputtered, jumping back.

"I'm sorry, Bubbles. What did you have to say?"

"Blossom, the professor found a way. Maybe Ms. Bellum and the mayor did too. Maybe lotsa people did, if they're hiding like the professor."

"Hmm. Maybe, Bubbles."

Bubbles began to point in the direction of Townsville Hall, growing more excited with her sudden thought. "An' maybe Ms. Bellum might know other places we can look for that thing we need! Or even Ms. Keane!"

"Or, we could just go back and ask the professor."

"Yeah, but I really wanna know if they're OK!"

"Me too, Blossom!" Buttercup said, just as anxious. "We can kill two birds with one stone!"

Blossom shuddered. "Please don't say that!" "Oh, all right, but we better be careful. I don't wanna run into HIM."

* * * * * * *

At precisely that moment, the suspected source of all of this popped into existence outside of the ruined Pokey Oaks Kindergarten.

"Where are those brats?!" the red demon spat in his guttural, evil voice, looking at a timepiece strapped to his wrist. "They should have been here by now!"

A crash of thunder got his attention and he looked up to see the dark clouds approaching.

"Perrrfect!" he purred in his odd, echoing, lilting voice. "A light show to go along with my command performance!"

NEXT: Jack Remembers