Chapter Five
"I don't believe this," thought Booby Frett. He sank down into his usual state of worry, only this time accompanied by fear. I humiliated myself again. What am I going to now? I'm so helpless and they're powerful. I should have never come to this world."
"Who are you?" demanded Blossom. She and her sisters where floating a few feet above their opponent. He was lying on his back, covered in the mass of glue he'd intended for them. Whoever he was, he'd clearly been out to get them, but was the most incompetent opponent they'd ever faced.
"I'm not telling anything," said Frett. His effort to keep the fear out his voice failed miserably. The tone did not go unnoticed.
"Tell us who you are or else!" said Buttercup.
"Or else what?" asked Frett, desperately hoping that they hadn't thought of the answer yet.
"Or else, or else-."
While Buttercup tried to think of a response, Bubbles noticed that the man's boots weren't in the glue.
"Or else we'll take off you boots and tickle your feet."
Buttercup and Blossom glared at their sister.
"O.K., O.K., I'll tell you everything," said Frett.
The pink and green Puffs looked at each other. Well, Bubbles' goofy ideas had worked out before.
"So start talking," said Buttercup.
"My name is Booby Frett. I'm a bounty hunter who was hired to destroy you."
"Who hired you?" asked Blossom.
Frett hesitated. The Bounty Hunter's Code, that not all hunters lived by, forbade revealing the name of one who hired you.
"Better take off his shoes," said Blossom.
"It was Mojo Jojo," Frett said quickly. "A guy with black hair and green skin and he talked a lot."
"I should have known Mojo was behind this," said Buttercup.
"But why send someone who was so easy to beat?" asked Bubbles.
Frett cringed. The warmth in his face suggested that he was blushing. Thank goodness for his helmet.
"Bubbles has a point," said Blossom. "You'd think Mojo would-."
At that point a dark blue space craft flew over their heads at a high rate of speed. When it reached the center of Townsville, it slowed to a hover and began firing upon the city.
"My ship!" cried Frett.
"That's it!" said Blossom. "He distracted us so that Mojo or some other creep could attack Townsville.
"No, no!" shouted Frett. "That's not what happened."
"You creep!" said Buttercup. She floated down to him. "I'm going to-."
"Forget him," said Blossom. 'We have to stop that ship"
The three Puffs flew after the ship while Frett struggled in the mass of glue.
He was humiliated and for once he hadn't done it to himself. Well, not quite anyway. Trusting Mojo was a mistake.
Still, he'd been tricked. Manipulated. Used. And he wasn't going to stand for it. He'd do something and this time his efforts would pan out.
He hoped.
Mojo marveled at the ship's power. It's weapons surpassed anything he ever created. The heat blasters made massive holes in the ground and the electric slicers left deep scars. He could rule the world with this craft. Or destroy it.
"O.K., " thought Mojo, "enough fun. I must get down to business. Of course I enjoy my work so much it's almost the same thing."
Mojo pressed the speaker button on the console.
"People of Townsville, this is Mojo Jojo. You will surrender the city to me or I will destroy it. Behold the power of my new ship."
Mojo fired a missile at a house for sale in the distance. Better to start with an abandoned building. Why cut down on the population of future slaves?
Then the Puff arrived. They fired their eye beams at the missile and it detonated. The cloud of fire and smoke largely dissipated and the house's roof only received a bad burn.
"I expected the little thorns in my side to arrive," Mojo thought. "That incompetent boob didn't stand a chance against them. But now, no one stands a chance against me, Mojo Jojo!"
Buttercup flew directly at the ship. An orange ray smashed her into the ground, creating a sizable hole. While Blossom flew down to check on her sister, Bubbles flew in arc and got beneath the ship. She fired her strongest eye beam blast which was deflected back at her. She found herself lying on the ground, burned.
With both her sisters stunned, Blossom wondered what course to take. If she charged head-on as Buttercup did she'd fly straight into a weapon as well. Bubbles' experience had demonstrated that eye beams were not a good idea. Then she spied a chunk of concrete that had knocked off some nearby building. She picked it up, flew straight into the air, and hurled it at the craft.
The concrete was suddenly surrounded by a blue glow. It stopped and floated in mid-aid for a moment. Then it was propelled at Blossom. The pink Puff was to astonished to react for a moment; in the next moment she was struck. Bubbles had recovered and her falling body from the concrete pieces plunging to the ground. She set her sister down as Buttercup flew over.
"Are you O.K. Blossom?" asked Bubbles.
"Just a little shaky. Let's try plan spinning missile."
"Do you feel you to it?" asked Bubbles.
"I've got to try."
The Puffs flew back into the air and hovered some distance higher than the craft. Then they dove down. Soon they came together and wrapped their arms around each other. The trio spun around, glowing white.
The craft hung in the air unresponsive. A moment later it was surrounded by an electric field. The crackled with the energy for several seconds before a shock wave propelled the girls away.
Inside the craft Mojo was cackling. He finally had the magnificent abilities he needed. The abilities he deserved. At last, Mojo would win. Having assured himself, he flew the ship to his next target, Although it was capable at great speed, he flew it slowly so that everyone could the terrible sight. Now, on the ground, the Puffs stood.
"How do we stop that thing?" asked Bubbles.
"Man, we've never faced anything that powerful," said Buttercup.
"Let's follow at a distance until we think of something," suggested Blossom. "We'll rescue anyone it tries to hurt, but we won't take it on unless we have too."
"We'll have to sooner or later," said Buttercup. "It won't be long before it's blasting things again."
"Things like us," said Bubbles, "but we'll find a way to stop it."
Leaving out, "I hope,," she flew after the ship followed by her sisters. The Townsville residents in the are began to survey the damage.
Booby Frett had managed to free himself. The glue had dissolved enough for him to remove his amour. He felt quite vulnerable, but it was better than being stuck on the ground. He'd seen part of the battle from a distance and went running to the area.
When he arrived there, the Puffs were gone. In fact a lot was gone. Mojo had done great damage. Everything was burned, smashed, or otherwise destroyed. Frett saw his ship in the distance, but the ruin around him held his attention.
Frett couldn't allow this to go one. His code demanded that no one except his target get hurt unless necessary to to get the job done. Mojo, however, seemed to want to destroy everything. He had no regard for anyone or anything. And Frett had helped caused this destruction by bringing his ship here.
Then the Powerpuffs came to his mind. They'd been defeated. Badly. Pitted against a force they probably couldn't beat. Frett had faced that situation before and usually dealt with it by fleeing. He fled from challenges he could not overcome. But the Powerpuffs were flying into it. Not for the payments Frett worked for, but to defend their city. Frett's long suppressed conscious came to surface.
He was going to stop this. Mojo would not use his ship to cause mindless destruction. He'd put
a stop to this. His new mission was now to stop Mojo and this time there'd be no screw-ups starting now. Frett turned to run in direction of his ship, ran straight into the only tree in the area left standing, wound up in his back..
O.K., starting now no screw-ups.
Continued in Ch. 6.