Allies and Rivals
To Hairy Gregory, well, I'm flattered but my scene is not the best. I've read many fanfics whose fight scenes would put my work to shame. Uncle Sam, TJ Rose, thanks. BrYtt Bratt, you'll see. Just wait for the updates. You won't be disappointed. DL2300, thanks, but what do you mean. I'm sure of having written my stories, although this is the only story I've posted in so far. And this would probably would be, since I plan to complete the story first before making another one.
Chapter 5
Aftermath
The City of Townsville, and the Powerpuff Girls had just been defeated.
Dr. Edwards sighed as he drove up the house of his childhood friend, Sandra Keane. 'Sandy hasn't changed her address after all. I wonder how she'll look? I wonder how she'll react to seeing me? After all, we haven't seen each other since high school.'
He then looked at the girls.
'I wonder what I should say?' he thought. 'She would definitely be shocked to see the girls in such a condition. And those girls. Poor girls. My boys certainly did a number on them. I should be thankful they followed my instructions in not making any permanent damages to them. I am proud of you boys, you finally defeated them and gained your revenge without killing or maiming them for life. As for you, Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup, please forgive me. I did what I could, but my boys are more important to me. Don't worry, I'll make sure my sons won't become another one of Townsville's villains. In fact, I'll try to make them Townsville superheroes to help you, although I still don't know how to tell it to them. They would certainly hate being like the Powerpuff Girls, but I think I can talk them into it.'
Dr. Edwards parked the car, carried the girls into his arms, walked towards the door, and used his nose to push the door bell.
The door opened.
"William Edwards! I haven't seen you for so long, won't you stay for lunch, how are you…The girls, what happened to them, come here, come here…" the astonished teacher of the Powerpuff Girls said.
"Good to see you too, Sandra," Dr. Edwards said. "As for the girls, they were beaten up. That's all I can say. Please give them to Professor Utonium."
"Aren't you going to see John? After all, William, you are his best friend," Ms. Keane replied.
"I can't. I'm too busy. But I might go back here. It's a long time since I saw you and we might catch up on old times? How about tomorrow?"
"Of course," Ms. Keane said as she took the girls from the arms of Dr. Edwards. "You're always welcome in my home. How are they?"
"They were beaten up pretty good. But they'll be all right. I patched them up so all they need is some rest and relaxation."
"Still, poor girls," Ms. Keane said as she saw the bruised faces, cut lips and black eyes. "I'll bring them to John. Are you sure you don't want to come? I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see you."
"You have no idea, but no thanks. Say hi to the girls for me when they wake up."
"I will William, I will," Ms. Keane said as she put the Powerpuff girls in the back of the car and drove off towards the home of Professor Utonium.
The boys are in the house, celebrating their triumph. It was a proud and happy moment.
"Did you see the face of Buttercup when I proved that she wasn't the toughest?"
"I can imagine," Boomer said. "But you should have seen Bubbles. She actually kneeled in front of me and begged for mercy!"
"She did? I can't imagine that happening with Blossom. Anyway, at least we got our revenge. Those girls would think twice before attempting to mess with us," Brick said. "Though I think that won't be our last fight with our girls."
"What do you mean Brick?" asked Butch. "We plowed the girls into the ground. After they recovered, they should be cowering at the mere mention at our names."
"Wrong, Butch, wrong," Brick replied. "Those girls, especially Blossom and Buttercup, won't just sit around moping about being beaten. Like us, they are proud, and for somebody who is previously undefeated in all their fights, being defeated for the first time is certainly a traumatic feeling. Thus, they would want to beat us next time just to salvage their pride. They'll want to beat us, even if we don't do any crime or terrorizing, just because we beat them."
"You're right," Butch said. "But still, we'll kick their butts next time they try to mess with us."
"You're right, Butch. But still, I'll bet they would train just like us to become stronger."
"Don't be such a party pooper Brick!" Boomer suddenly said. "We finally achieved vengeance! Let's celebrate!"
"I guess you're right," Brick said, and joined in the celebrating.
Suddenly, Dr. Edwards arrived.
"Dad!" they shouted, and dropped whatever they were doing and hugged him
In the Utonium house…
"Oh my God. Girls! What happened! Oh no, oh no, oh no! Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup! Speak to me!" Professor Utonium said with dread, alarm and panic. As he said so, he grabbed the three unconscious girls from Ms. Keane and hastily put them in bed. He was too busy with his experiments that he didn't bother watching the news so he was completely surprised. Ten minutes later, their room was full of medical equipment and the Professor was doing a series of tests. He was covered with sweat and was very nervous. His attention was so directed towards the girls that he forgot Ms. Keane was even in there. Ms. Keane, however, understood and just followed the Professor.
Ten minutes later, the Professor wiped his brow of sweat and breath a sigh of relief.
"How are they?" suddenly asked Ms. Keane.
"Ms. Keane? How long have you been there?" he asked with surprised apprehension. "Oh yes, I forgot you were there. Sorry for that."
"Oh that's all right. I understand. So how are they?"
"They're all right. They'll be fine in a day or so. But who did this?! Who are the damned bastards that did this to my precious little girls?! I'll make sure he doesn't get more than a day's freedom!"
"Calm down, John," Ms. Keane suggested.
"CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN! How could I calm down when my girls were so beaten up! How would you feel if you had a daughter and she got beaten up?"
Ms. Keane was quiet. The Professor, however, soon calmed down.
"Sorry Sandra. I was just…"
"I understand," Ms. Kean said.
"So what happened?" asked Professor Utonium.
"I don't know. I was just in my home minding my own business and William…"
"William Edwards? What did he do—"
"…as I was saying, William…." She then narrated what happened. "You should thank him. He was the one who first patched the girls up and probably speeded their recovery."
"Why did he do such a thing?" asked an amazed Professor Utonium.
"He's your best friend, remember? And he's a decent man, as you know, and even if the Powerpuff Girls were not your girls, he wouldn't have acted any different."
"I can't thank him…"
"Why?"
"Because…I don't know where he lives and his phone number," he quickly said.
"I can fix that. William will go to my house tomorrow. Why don't you go and see your best friend?"
"Well…uh…you see…I've got to watch over my girls," he said.
"Oh. Why don't I invite him over here? I'm sure he'll want to see you as well as look over the girls?"
"I guess," the Professor, confident that Dr. Edwards would not want to see him.
"Okay," Ms. Keane said.
Meanwhile…
"How do you feel now that you've beaten the Powerpuff Girls?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"Great!" Boomer said.
"Yeah Dad, it's like a load has been taken off my back, you know," Butch said. "Now, we won't have to be ashamed that we were beaten by…girls!"
"And you know Dad, I don't hate the girls anymore," Brick said, drawing the stares of the others. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like them any better than before, but now that the reason for the hate is gone, the hate itself is gone."
"So how do you feel towards the girls now that you've beaten them?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"Well Dad, it's not hate," Brick replied. "When I won, well, I think its contempt, or something like that. I just realized that she's not worth spilling my guts about."
"Oh. By the way, what does stance HB and SGAF mean?" their father asked.
"HB means Hold Back. It basically meant we let ourselves be beaten up by them to see how strong they punch," Boomer said.
"SGAF means Stand Ground and Fight. It means we would try to fight at their level," Brick explained.
"And this is something you didn't hear. Double A. It means Aggressive Attack and it meant we fight with all our might. That is the stand we used to finish them off," Butch finished.
"That's stance Butch, stance, not stand," Brick corrected.
"Whatever!" Brick said.
"Why didn't you just finish them off at the start?" asked Dr. Edwards.
Brick was about to repeat the speech he made to Blossom, but Butch interrupted him.
"Well, we want to make them think they were winning, and when they're so full of themselves, we brought them down," Butch explained.
"I see. And are you happy about the result?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"You bet Dad! It's like a part of us was whole again when we defeated them," Boomer said.
"And we can say with pride again to the world that we're the Rowdyruff Boys!" Brick said. "Thanks Dad for letting and helping us defeat them."
"Yeah, now we can live like one big happy family!" Boomer said.
"No. Boomer, no," Dr. Edwards said. "We already are living in one big family."
Hours later…
Blossom felt her head spin, and she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the ceiling of their room. "What happened?" she asked as she shook her head.
"Blossom!" Professor Utonium said and began hugging Blossom as tight as he could.
"Professor, I can't breath!" Blossom complained.
"Oh sorry! I'm so proud of you! You beat those boys even if you yourselves were beaten up!" Professor Utonium said.
"Ha? What are you talking about, Professor?" asked Blossom.
"Don't be modest. It's all over the news. The Rowdyruff Boys ran away from the fight, and you chased them all the way to the forest to finish them off. Though I still don't get how you were in such a state. Serves those boys right! Look, I'll show you. It's in the news." He turned on the TV.
"Breaking news. This is Stanley Whitfield. The network just obtained a video of the fight that happened after the Rowdyruff Boys retreated." The network then showed the footage where the Powerpuff Girls were defeated. "Well, according to the video, Townsville's three heroes were actually defeated by the Rowdyruff Boys. The Boys made an ambush in the forest, and the girls had no chance. As for the damages the fight caused on the city, local entrepreneur Dr. William K. Edwards promised to pay for it."
Professor Utonium was shocked. He had watched the TV a few hours ago and it reported that the girls had won, even if they were very much beaten up. He had concluded that they had just collapsed from exhaustion. Now he knew. For the first time ever, his girls had lost, and were pretty badly beaten up too.
Blossom tried to rise from bed, but her body was still aching from the beating she got. But it was not the physical pain that upset her. No, it was not. Watching the TV refreshed her memory of all that happened, and the psychological blow became harder to bear than the physical blow.
They had lost. Lost. For the first time ever, they had lost fair and square. The Powerpuff Girls failed. 'We lost, we failed Townsville. We are no longer undefeated. We are no longer the greatest of all six-year-olds.'
Also on Blossom's mind was Townsville. 'What of Townsville? Without us, nothing is going to stop the Rowdyruff Boys from terrorizing the City.'
"Professor, how long had I been out?" asked Blossom.
"Four hours Blossom," the Professor replied.
Blossom looked out the window. It was late, but still bright, about seven in the evening. "Townsville, what happened to Townsville? Had they destroyed Townsville yet?" asked an anxious Blossom.
"No Blossom, nothing's happened," Professor reassured her.
At that moment, Bubbles woke up.
"Good morning Professor, Blossom. Boy, had I a scary dream. I dreamt that we faced those mean boys again, and we were beating them up, then they were just playing possum, so it became even. But then, they were actually way stronger than us, and they beat us up silly! What a strange dream!" she said in her normal voice.
"Bubbles, it was not a dream," Blossom explained.
"It was not?" Bubbles replied incredulously. "Oh well! Too bad those boys had to be evil and want to destroy Townsville. Then we can't be their friends and they can't be ours. Too bad," Bubbles said with a twinge of sadness and disappointment.
Blossom and Professor Utonium were amazed at Bubbles reaction. They had expected her to be extremely angry, or disappointed, but not cheerful. However, they remembered that it was Bubbles, so they weren't that surprised.
"Is Townsville all right?" asked a worried Bubbles.
"It is Bubbles. It is. Those boys haven't wreaked havoc yet," Professor Utonium answered.
"I wonder why? Maybe they aren't so bad after all," Bubbles opined.
"Are you kidding?" Buttercup, who just awoke, quickly replied. "They were probably celebrating before taking over Townsville. Dang, and we wouldn't be able to stop them when they do."
"Buttercup! How long have you been awake?" asked the Professor.
"Long enough to hear Bubbles babble," Buttercup replied. "Oh, my aching back. Those beatings sure did a number on my body."
"So all we do is to wait around moping in bed while the Rowdyruff Boys terrorize Townsville?" Blossom incredulously suggested.
"How about kissing them when they got naughty?" Bubbles said, giggling. "Problem is, they won't let you get near them for me to kiss him." She then narrated the incident where she attempted to kiss Boomer but he laser-eyed her before she could even get close.
"That's it. They'll obviously afraid that they'll explode if we kissed them again, so why don't we do it?" Blossom suggested.
"No way. Yuck!" Buttercup suddenly said. "Besides, what if it doesn't work? Where does that leave us? I suggest we train so we could become as strong and fast as they are. I suggest we train in the training room at hardcore or higher!" 'Damn it Butch, I'll train higher, and just you see. I can be and am the toughest fighter. Ha, ha, ha, the Powerpuff Girls will rule again!' she thought, the memory of her defeat still fresh in her memory.
"Buttercup's right. We should train, no, we will train. Of course, we'll try kissing them, but if it doesn't work, we'll beat them up next time," Blossom declared.
"Not until you recover, girls. Your bodies are bad enough as it is without getting further beaten up training in hardcore level or higher," Professor Utonium said with concern.
"But promise us Professor that you'll help us train after we completely recovered?" Blossom asked in the sweetest voice possible. "After all, it is for Townsville. We need to become stronger for Townsville."
"Okay Blossom," Professor Utonium acquiesced. "For Townsville. But not until you fully recovered. And I don't want you charging those boys until you're sure you're ready for them."
"Okay professor," Buttercup impatiently said.
"Professor, what happened after we got knocked out?" asked a curious Bubbles.
"It seems to me that William, I mean Dr. Edwards, found you and brought you to Ms. Keane, who brought you here."
"We should thank him after we recovered for that," Bubbles said. Soon, the conversation drifted to other topics, but the fight was still in all their minds.
'Just wait, Brick, just wait. You'll just be a footnote in Townsville history,' Blossom thought. Still, the weight of failure still bore large on her shoulders, and thinking of revenge and saving Townsville did not remove it.
It was August 8.
Dr. Edwards quickly straightened his tie and removed his hat. This was his first, if you discounted the time where he gave the girls to her, meeting with one of his high school friends in more than thirty years. He was wearing one of his blue suits with a white coat. He wiped his glasses before clicking on the doorbell.
Seconds later, Sandra Keane opened the door.
"Hi Sandra! Long time no see, not counting about our meeting yesterday," Dr. Edwards greeted. "I remember you told me its okay if I come over, so here I am!"
"William, you should know that you're always welcome at my home at any time you want. You are, after all, my best friend," Ms. Keane said.
"Thanks Sandra. It's a really nice hearing that from you. After all, it's more than twenty years since we last saw and talked to each other," Dr. Edwards replied.
"Nonsense. Come in, come in. Look at you, William Knox Edwards, P.h.D., and several doctorates, and now head of the largest technology company in the country, foremost scientist an inventor of Citiesville and with John, one of the two greatest scientists from Townsville. And the richest man in Citiesville and Townsville. Why the last time we saw you, you were just another member of the gang, and now, look at you. You must have led a pretty exciting life," Ms. Keane said as she served her friend a cup of coffee.
"I'm not THAT good! And I have no idea I was that famous!" Dr. Edwards said, amazed at what he heard others say of him. He was quite too busy to heed what the media was always saying about him.
"Don't be modest, William," Ms. Keane teased. "You deserved all those honors. You worked for them, and if I know you, you earned every one of them. So what happened in the last twenty years?"
"Nothing that the newspapers hadn't already reported, even if it was only in page 12," he laughed. "How about you Sandra, how'd you do?"
And they mostly talked about the past happenings. That is, until they began to talk about the Powerpuff Girls.
"By the way, you should come to John's home. I'm sure he's eager to see you," Ms. Keane suggested out of the blue.
"Sorry I'm too busy right now. Don't worry, I'll call him as soon as I can," Dr. Edwards replied. Ms. Keane was curious on why he wouldn't go to his house immediately, but thought nothing of it.
It was August 10.
The City of Townsville had just recovered from the state of anxiety that it went through just after it received news that their heroes had been defeated. No major disasters occurred, the victors haven't tried wreaking havoc or try taking over Townsville. The usual villains, like Mojo, Him or the Gang Green Gang were quiet lately, and even the usual Monster attacks seemed to have temporarily ceased. Only the usual crimes happened. As a result, the citizens just concluded that the fight was no big deal.
Dr. Edwards, Brick, Boomer and Butch were in the First National Bank. Dr. Edwards was depositing a sum of money and at the same time showing his boys how to use a check and what the functions of a bank are. When suddenly, a pair of bank robbers appeared.
"Hands up, and nobody will get hurt!" the first bank robber, Moe, said. He is six feet seven high, with a rough voice, and wearing a black mask. He wore black all over and was carrying a sack with one hand and a loaded gun on the other.
All the people in the bank, including Dr. Edwards and the three boys, raised their hands.
"Dad, what are they doing?" asked Boomer.
"They're robbing a bank, stupid!" Butch replied.
"Now Butch, that's no way to talk to your brother," Dr. Edwards admonished his son. "Anyway, there's a bank robbery, and what should you three do?"
"Hey, I remember this when we watched all those videos of the Powerpuff Girls," Brick said. "They always seem to want to stop those crooks."
"Why don't you stop them?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"Because we'll be like those Powerpuff Girls," Brick said with disgust. "It's the last thing we would like."
"But I thought you wanted to be better at everything than the girls," asked their father.
"We would, but it doesn't mean that we would like to be just like them," Butch said.
"Don't you three like to be heroes? Superheroes?" asked William.
"No," all three said. "Flying around saving everyone else's skin is not our idea of fun!"
"Okay. But you should stop these robbers. You know, I deposited a lot of money here, and I wouldn't want to lose them because of those idiots."
"If you put it that way Dad, we'll stop them for you," Brick shouted.
"Hey shut up!" the smaller robber, who has a high voice, is 5 foot 1, and a scrawny body shouted at Brick. "Hey, you're the boys that beat up those Powerpuff Girls!"
Meanwhile…
"Mayor, the First National Bank is being robbed," Sara Bellum said to the Mayor of Townville.
"The bank is being robbed! The bank is being robbed! Call the police! Call the national guard!" panicked the Mayor who then hid below his desk.
"Mayor, I suggest you call the Powerpuff Girls," Ms. Bellum suggested.
"Oh yeah," and he then reached for the hot line.
Meanwhile…
"Hello," Professor Utonium answered.
"Professor, get the Powerpuff Girls. The First National Bank is being robbed!"
"I'm on it Mayor!" the Professor said as he hung-up the phone and called his girls.
The girls had already recovered and are now training in hardcore x2 in an effort to equal the strength and skill of the Rowdyruff Boys.
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were about to fight a huge simulated Monster when suddenly all of it was off, and all they could see was the walls of the lab. "Girls, there's a robbery at the First National Bank!"
"Okay girls," Blossom said. "It's time to show the people of Townsville that we're not down!"
Soon, all three was flying towards the First National Bank. However, when they arrived, they discovered the robbers in stretchers and being carried into an ambulance. The robbers were severely beaten up.
"What happened officer?" asked Blossom.
"Oh Powerpuff Girls, I thought you were goners when we heard what happened a few days ago. I'm so glad you're all right," the officer replied.
"Well, thanks, but what happened? It doesn't seem that you guys did this to those robbers," Blossom asked.
"Well, there were three boys, one with green shirt and eyes and black hair, one red haired, red eyed and wears a cap and another one a blond, I think, wearing a blue shirt. I think they were the ones who beat you a few days ago. Who thought they could be such good heroes? They suddenly lashed out at the robbers and pretty soon those robbers were in agony and pain. They soon disappeared as soon as the robbers were severely mauled. I'll tell you, they caught the two most dangerous robbers in the state, the same ones headquarters said sneaked into Townsville a few days ago. Yes sir, Townsville owes them a debt of gratitude, for who knows how much havoc they would be causing if they weren't caught by those boys? Anyway, it looks like Townsville have another set of super heroes. I think they called themselves the Rowdyruff Boys!"
The girls were stupefied after hearing the officer's account. They asked several others people and they pretty much said the same thing.
"Now why would those jerks do such a thing?" asked Buttercup as they flew home.
"Maybe they aren't that bad after all?" Bubbles suggested.
"No. I think they're up to something. I can feel it," Blossom said. "Evil boys like them just don't turn good for no reason at all. They probably want to lull Townsville into a false sense of security, and then they'll strike." 'But I'm not even sure about that. What are those boys up to?' she thought. 'Whatever it is, I bet it's no good. We better prepare ourselves.'
In the meantime…
Dr. Edwards quickly slipped out and got into his car before anyone could recognize him in the scuffle. His boys, after taking care of the robbers, quickly joined their father when they saw him, and they drove towards McDonald's, where they planned to have lunch.
"Boys I am very proud of you for what you did a while ago. Now people would say that you're…" Dr. Edwards began to find the right word, for the boys don't want to be called heroes, "good sons for protecting their Dad, yeah that's it!"
"Now, you all know that you have powers, and you have defeated the Powerpuff Girls, it's up to you to protect the citizens of Townsville…"
"Why should we protect the stupid Citizens of Townsville?" interrupted Butch.
"Yeah, and besides, most of them are complete idiots! Why they even voted for that more idiotic mayor!" Boomer added.
"Yeah. Why should we slave away for these people who can't even take care of themselves!" Brick asked. "We're not superheroes."
"Well, superhero or not, these people need some help. I agree with you, most of the people here are idiots, especially the mayor. But that is why these people need you. It is because they would need to look up to you, to be confident that they are safe because you are watching over them," then seeing his boys beginning to get bored, shifted the emphasis of the speech.
"Besides, if you don't protect the people of Townsville, they wouldn't be able to buy the products of my company, and if you don't catch crooks or defeat the monsters that keep invading Townsville, many of my properties and buildings will be robbed or destroyed. And I hate to depend on the Powerpuff Girls to protect them since I have already boys who are quite capable of protecting them. Also, doing so would give you a chance to prove that you're better than the Powerpuff Girls in what they do best."
The boys listened to the last part of their fathers' speech with guilt. He had recreated them, took them in, adopted them as their own sons, even helped them achieve victory over the Powerpuff Girls, and now, they wouldn't even help him protect his properties and businesses? What a shame it is if they would leave the protecting of their own father's property to their enemies! And the thought of one-upping the Powerpuff Girls again helped persuade them to come to Dr. Edwards' point of view.
"Okay Dad, we'll do it," Brick conceded. "But we're doing it not for the stupid citizens of Townsville, but because we need to protect you Dad, and your properties."
"But won't that make us superheroes?" asked Butch.
"No Butch," Dr. Edwards answered. "Superheroes do thing for noble and unselfish reasons, you're doing it because it's in your own interest to do so. So you're no hero or superhero for that matter if you start fighting the crooks, villains and monsters of Townsville. Besides, you get to beat them up before tossing them in jail."
"All right! But can we kill those criminals? After all, they're all scum," Butch asked.
"As much as I am tempted to grant you permission, and believe me, the temptation is strong, you can't," answered Dr. Edwards. "You can only kill some of the monsters that attack Townsville, and none of the criminals and villains. If you do, you'll be no better than those scum you killed."
"Is that bad?" asked Boomer.
"Let's just say it would ruin my reputation as a father and yours too," Dr. Edwards said. "Do you want your father to be shunned by people for having raised his sons as murderers?"
"I guess not," Brick replied.
They soon arrived at McDonalds, ordered their food, and continued their conversation while eating lunch.
"Then it's settled. Now to help you boys, I have created a radar with access to almost any part of Townsville," Dr. Edwards said after he finished his Big Mac. "I have people all over Townsville whom I instructed to contact me whenever a crime or monster attack occurs. I will then relay the information to you through this."
He then took from his wallet three ordinarily looking electronic watches colored blue, red and green. "Now, these looks like any ordinary watch, and it is a watch. But it's more than a watch. It's a communicator, kinda like the one you see on spy movies. Now, if you press this button, you will immediately be connected to my own watch," he then showed the boys his brown watch, similar to the one he planned to give to the boys, "and you can talk to me anywhere in the world."
"Anywhere? But how is that possible?" asked Brick.
"You forget, that your father is a brilliant scientist and inventor, worked for the government once, the head of the largest technology company in the country, and the richest man in Citiesville and Townsville. All I did is launch three satellites in space so we can track each other down anywhere. Now, as I said, I have people scattered all over Townsville who will tell me if any crime is committed or if any monster attacks Townsville. As soon as I get it, I will relay it to you and you probably know what to do."
"Cool!" the three of them exclaimed.
"Anyway, the controls of this watch are a combination of a cellular phone, a calculator and a watch. Now, pressing this button will give you contact with each other, so you can talk to each other whenever you like and wherever you are. So boys, be very careful with these," Dr. Edwards warned.
"Yes Dad, we will," they said as they quickly put them on.
"Oh yes, you could also use it a TV remote control," Dr. Edwards added.
It was August 14…
The past four days had been largely quiet. Since the news that the same boys who had beaten the Powerpuff Girls busted some bank robbers, some criminals who took heart at the girls defeat again sulked in their corners. As for the Citizens of Townsville, there was a buzz of new superheroes, but since the Rowdyruff Boys only made one appearance, they still waited before they would acclaim them.
Of the Powerpuff Girls, even their defeat could not remove the city's affection for the three superheroes. Even the talk about new superheroes did not diminish the girls' places in the hearts of the people of Townsville.
The Powerpuff Girls themselves continued training, and since it was quiet, they spent as much as six hours in the training room. They already surpassed hardcore x6, but were determined to finish it so to surpass the strength of the boys. They planned to confront and fight the boys once they think they can take them on. They, especially Blossom, continued to wonder what the boys were really up to. The girls, except Bubbles, refuse to believe that the boys were sincere superheroes and that something sinister was afoot. But today, the girls are off to do something else…
"Hello Mr. Clark , it's us again," Blossom greeted the clerk in Dr. Edwards office in Townsville one bright morning. "Is the Doctor around?"
"You're in luck kids. He just came to work this day. I'll call him," Mr. Clark said. Ten minutes later, Dr. Edwards emerged at the lobby.
"Hi Girls," greeted Dr. Edwards. "Why are you here and what can I do for you?"
"Hi Doctor," they said.
"We came here to thank you for taking care of us and giving us over to Ms. Keane after we were beaten up," Blossom said.
"Thanks Doctor," Bubbles said. "We would have been in much worst condition if it were not for you." She then flew eye level and pecked him in the cheek. She then gave him a hug. Blossom followed and Buttercup, after initially hesitating, hugged him. Then they all pecked him in the cheek. Dr. Edwards was red, blushing.
He then was filled with guilt about helping caused the Powerpuff Girls so much physical pain. He was beginning to love the girls, but he had no regrets about what he had done. Helping his sons achieve emotional stability was top priority, and his solution had positive effects. The hate lingering in their hearts disappeared, and they are now free to live on their lives without of any disconcerting emotions that would haunt their childhood.
But the girls were so cute, and who in their right mind would not be endeared to them? He felt so bad for the girls and what he's done that he began to tear-up.
"I'm so sorry girls," he said.
"You've got nothing to be sorry about, doctor," Blossom said.
"Yeah, doctor," Bubbles said, thinking he was sorry for not healing them enough. "Don't feel bad. You couldn't have acted any other way."
Wiping his tears, ashamed at having teared-up in front of the girls, he quickly composed himself.
"Doctor, can we ask you something?"
"Yes Blossom?"
"We would like you to go over and see your old friend Professor Utonium," asked Bubbles.
Dr. Edwards didn't know what to do. He certainly didn't want to see his hated rival, but he didn't want to disappoint the girls. He quickly found a solution.
"Of course, as soon as John, your Professor, calls me at my office and invites me over, I'll go see him," Dr. Edwards replied. 'That was brilliant. The ball is now in your court, John. Of course, you and I know you would not want to see me ever again!'
"Really?" Blossom said.
"Of course," Dr. Edwards said. "Now have you girls had lunch?"
"Not really," Bubbles said.
"Perfect! How about if I take you three to lunch, my treat?"
The girls readily agreed.
"But didn't Professor Utonium tell you never to go with strangers?"
"He did," Buttercup began, "but you're not a stranger anymore. You're our friend. And besides, we can kick the butts of anybody who tried to mess with us."
The doctor then treated the girls to lunch, and spent the rest of the day till three in the afternoon with them. He took them on another tour of his company, and took them to the park.
He then began telling old stories from his childhood and about Ms. Keane, Ms. Bellum, and even the Professor when they were kids. But he carefully avoided talking about the recent fight or about Professor Utonium in the present.
He went home at three and spent the rest of the day with his sons.
For the next few days, the girls always visited Dr. Edwards when he was at his office. They also tried to persuade Professor Utonium to invite over Dr. Edwards, but the Professor seemed always busy.
It was August 16…
The Doctor was at home, watching TV one lazy afternoon. Soon, his watched beeped.
"Dr. Edwards, Mojo Jojo has just launched a giant robot and is preparing to attack Townsville," one of his people reported.
"Thanks Jim," he said as he called his son. "Brick, Boomer, Butch, come here," Dr. Edwards shouted. The boys were all playing in the house, playing action figures and toy soldiers, so he didn't use his communicator.
Soon, with a whoosh of red, blue and green, the boys are in front of the doctor.
"Yes Dad?" Brick asked.
"Yes. Mojo Jojo has just attacked Townsville," Dr. Edwards said.
The boys didn't move.
"Why? Aren't you going to stop him?" asked the Doctor.
"Well Dad, we can't," Boomer said.
"What do you mean?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"Dad, Mojo Jojo is our original creator. We can't just beat him up because he did some evil things," Brick explained.
"Yeah Dad, and besides, we're evil too, we can never attack our original creator for doing what they're supposed to do," Butch added.
Dr. Edwards slapped his head. 'They think they're still evil? Refusing to attack their original creator I can understand, but them believing they're still evil?' He was disappointed, not at his boys, but at himself for not earlier correcting it.
"And what makes you think you're evil?"
"Well, we're created evil, and I don't think we've changed that much since that time," Brick explained.
"And we're not good little boys," Butch said.
The Doctor then knew they were deceiving themselves. He knew that no matter how much they think they were evil and how much they remained the same, he knew that they had changed profoundly since he accidentally recreated them more than a month ago. In fact, he was amazed by the transformation of attitudes in the boys in just one month compared to other boys. He knew that if they didn't change, they wouldn't take him up on his offer to stay with him and form a new family, listen to his sermons on what is wrong and right by appealing to their self-interests and their love and loyalty to the him, call him Dad sincerely, behave in Townsville, leave the Powerpuff Girls alive, not terrorize Townsville or taking over it after defeating the girls, listen to his appeals and instructions, beat up the bank robbers, or agree to fight crime and monsters.
'Maybe the memory and the legacy of the raw chemical X that Mojo used still had its effects, most notably in the brain, where the morals and attitudes that had been developed by that monkey still remained, although the new chemical X seemed to have mitigated its effects. The new chemical changed the course of the ethics of the boys, but only to what they've learned after their recreation. The original values instilled to them by Mojo is still in their memory, though they are less inclined to learn negative values because of the new chemical.'
'Anyway, though consciously they retained much of the values instilled to them by Mojo and the raw Chemical X, unconsciously and subconsciously, they began to drift away from them. Though they still harbor much loyalty to the old ethics, they are slowly drifting towards the right path. Consciously, they began to follow my instructions and little by little forget what Mojo thought them. All I need is to manage it so that they in time would be completely good boys. Trying to change them too quickly will only lead them to stubbornly cling to their old values. And saying all what they believed and did was wrong all at once would cause them to lose confidence in themselves, extreme guilt or denial, and would lead to unpredictable consequences. What I did is use the value that was instilled early on by my recreation to them—loyalty to myself for recreating them—and use it to slowly but steadily chip away the values that Mojo has instilled in them, and replace them with my own, and all of it without them really knowing. Thus, they would change for the better and they wouldn't have the severe guilt that would retard their emotional development. Boy, I should have been a psychiatrist, no wait a minute, I do have a degree in psychiatry, I just don't practice it. I think I'll call this theory the Mojo Theory.'
The boys noticed that somehow, the doctor became lost in his own thoughts. So they decided to call their Dad again.
"Dad, earth to Dad," Boomer said.
"Huh, oh sorry, what is it we're talking about?"
"About why we can't beat up Mojo Jojo, our Pops," Butch said.
"So you won't beat stop him?"
They all nodded.
"Sorry Dad. We promise you that we will kick the butts of every other villain and criminal and monster, but not Mojo," Brick said.
Dr. Edwards knew it would be useless to change their minds from this angle, so he decided to use a different tactic.
"Well, what if Mojo attacked me?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"If he did, we'll make sure we beat the living daylights out of him," Butch responded.
Dr. Edwards faked surprise. "Oh, but I thought you were very loyal to him because he is your original creator?"
"Yeah, but we love you and are more loyal to you Dad. You recreated us, gave us a home, helped us defeat those stupid girls, everything that we could ever imagine, asking very little of us in return, while Mojo only created us and used us and gave us nothing. He didn't even try to recreate us once we were destroyed. So choosing between you and Mojo, we would choose you Dad, but between Mojo and any other person, we would choose Mojo," Brick explained.
"And what of my property? What if he destroyed some of my property but not me?" asked Dr. Edwards.
"We would still kick his butt! He shouldn't get away from hurting you or your property," Boomer stated.
"Okay, so you're saying to me is that you would attack Mojo only if he attacks me or my property?"
The three nodded.
"Promise me that you'll stop him if he does either," Dr. Edwards said.
"We promise," all three said.
"Can we go and tell Mojo so he won't attack you or your property so we won't have to beat him up?" Boomer asked.
"Okay," the doctor said.
Then the three flew off to where Mojo attacked.
'Excellent. Good thing that my properties are scattered all over Townsville that Mojo could not attack any part of the city without accidentally damaging some of it. Either he refrain from attacking, or his health would be in constant hazard from my boys.'