Allies and Rivals
Disclaimer:I don't own the Powerpuff Girls
Chapter 17
Realization of Truth
The City of Townsville…
"Mojo Jojo?" Buttercup exclaimed, surprised. "What is he doing here?"
"Yeah Professor," Blossom added. "Isn't he supposed to be in jail?"
"I should be in jail today, but I'm not because Professor Utonium here deemed it necessary that I be here, though I, Mojo Jojo, the greatest evil mind in this side of the galaxy, would like to add that I certainly don't need his help to be here, since I can certainly escape on my own, but since the Professor deemed it necessary to get me out of jail for reasons I will shortly tell you, I grabbed the opportunity. Though I would like to add that even if I can't escape, which I certainly can do, I would have gotten out tomorrow by right of habeas corpus since no charges has been filed against me, as I was detained by you for no reason whatsoever, that day! So furthermore—"
"Alright, we get it!" Buttercup shouted.
"What reasons?" asked Blossom.
"Well, Blossom," the Professor explained, "just after you convinced me, Ms. Keane and Ms. Bellum that the boys are evil, I was sure that you're right about the boys. Yet a nagging voice in my head kept telling me that you were wrong. I don't want to believe it—that suspicion that kept lingering in my mind. Yet too many things don't fit your theory about the boys. One, I knew William Edwards for more than forty years, and rarely in my entire life did I remember when he was deceived. That's not just the William I know. He's no fool, that's for sure. And it's just inconceivable that he would be fooled by three six-year-olds in such a massive scale that you've described. I just can't believe it. I've many more reasons to doubt it, but that alone is enough to make me cringe. Now, after I found out you've sneaked out, after explicitly telling you not to," the Professor then glared at the girls, "I decided to settle it by calling Mojo Jojo. Now, it seems to me that the principal partner in the alleged alliance that you have accused the Rowdyruff Boys of is denying that such an alliance exists."
"What?" Bubbles asked.
"It meant that Mojo denied the alliance," Blossom explained. "Don't deny it Mojo Jojo! Bubbles heard you and the boys talk."|
"Now why should I admit an alliance?" Mojo Jojo incredulously replied. "Yes, I admit, I proposed that the Rowdyruff Boys and I join forces to destroy you, the Powerpuff Girls, and take over Townsville, because I thought that those boys were still evil. Yes, my brilliant mind still thought that the boys were still the boys I created that were able to defeat you, though you foiled it by kissing them, destroying them, and so I proposed an alliance with them. Yet I was mistaken, wrong, misguided, ill-advised, erroneous in thinking that they remained the same, for they have not. They have changed, and for the worse. They are not the perfect killing machines that I made them to be. And it's all the fault of Dr. Edwards. They are like you girls, disgustingly so. They refused me. Imagine that, they refused me, Mojo Jojo, the most evil of evil criminals, and the most brilliant mastermind. They said that they cannot join forces with me, because they already defeated you! I can't believe that they had the gall of refusing me! I realized that they are sissies like you, superheroes who actually care! Yuck! So don't embarrass me by proclaiming to everyone that I'm in alliance with those boys. It's degrading, mortifying, shameful, and totally unbecoming of a villain."
"Liar! You were clearly heard—" Blossom began, but before she could finish, Mojo cut her off.
"I anticipated that your narrow mind would fail to appreciate, recognize and acknowledge the merits of my brilliant arguments, so I brought proof," Mojo Jojo said. He then got two remote controls, one for the TV and another for the VCR. He switched the TV on. "Here is a surveillance tape of my secret laboratory hideout on the volcano-top observatory on the day of the alleged forming of the alliance with the boys." He then pressed the play button on the remote of the VCR, and the tape began to play.
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VCR Scene…
The scene opened with an empty volcano top observatory. A few minutes later, the Rowdyruff Boys broke through the roof, and sat Mojo in the chair.
On the background, unseen by the boys and Mojo in the film, but seen by the watchers of the VCR, Bubbles suddenly appeared by a window.
"Boys, now that we're together, we can take over Townsville and destroy the Powerpuff Girls," Mojo Jojo said.
"Of course, we'll go back to you and together, we can rule all of Townsville and destroy the Powerpuff Girls," Brick seemingly replied.
…End of VCR Scene
Blossom took the remote and pressed the pause button. "You see, that is the proof I've been talking about. And there's Bubbles who heard it all!" Blossom declared, thinking she was vindicated.
"It's not over, idiot," Mojo said as he grabbed the remote from Blossom's hand and pressed the play button.
VCR Scene…
Bubbles in the background suddenly disappeared.
"Of course we won't! We don't want to destroy the Powerpuff Girls and we certainly don't need you to defeat the Powerpuff Girls! And we won't destroy Townsville, or take over it!" Brick continued, proving once and for all that his previous statement was pure sarcasm and proved Blossom was wrong.
…End of VCR Scene
Blossom lost all her self confidence and self-assurance as she heard those fateful words. 'No it can't be!'
VCR Scene…
"As we were saying, we can't and won't help you defeat the Powerpuff Girls because we already defeated those girls, and if you can't beat them by yourself, then it's your problem, not ours," Boomer continued on the VCR recording.
"And Dad pretty much owns much of Townsville, so we don't need to take over it," Butch added with pride of his father.
"Dad? What are you talking about?" the confused monkey asked.
"So Mojo, we don't care if you attack Townsville, and we certainly won't stop you like we would other villains, but if you hurt one hair of our Dad, or place even one scratch at any of his properties, you will suffer a fate worst than what you suffer when beaten by those pathetic girls!"
"You forget I'm your father, your Dad. And I certainly don't know what you're talking about!" Mojo asserted.
"You're certainly our original creator, Pops, but we don't consider you our father. Dr. William Edwards recreated us, and he certainly is more of a father to us than you were and will ever be. So Mojo, we don't want to hurt you, inasmuch as you created us, but touch one hair of Dad or his properties, and we won't hesitate to thrash you," Brick warned.
"William Edwards, hm, isn't he the pathetic man who—" but he wasn't able to finish his sentence.
Butch suddenly punched him in the face which caused him to be embedded on the opposite wall of his observatory. He soon fell to the ground, leaving his silhouette in the wall.
"And don't ever badmouth our Dad, Mojo!" Boomer said.
Mojo was dizzy, but he was able to stand and walk over to a chair and sit. None of the boys helped him.
"But what if I attack Townsville without causing any damage to his property? Will you leave me alone?"
"Pretty much," said Brick.
"Okay. HEY, I can't attack any part of Townsville without damaging any of his property?" Mojo protested when he realized the implications of his boys' condition.
"Well, that's your problem," Butch said. With that, they left the building and went home.
"Curse you boys!" Mojo shouted, shaking his fist at the retreating figures of the boys. "I disown you, I refuse to acknowledge you as my sons, I deny you were created by me! Traitors! Betrayers! Judases! Yes, join the good guys and be sissies, you morons!"
…End of VCR Scene
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Blossom and Buttercup just stared at the large screen even as Professor Utonium switched off the TV. They were totally shocked. Everything that they believed in, everything that they used to justify their actions, in fact the basis of everything that they did and how they acted towards the Rowdyruff Boys in the past few days, was false.
Bubbles feelings were mixed. She was vindicated, and she was happy about that, but she was sad for her sisters.
"I'm very disappointed girls," Professor Utonium coldly and gravely said. "Not only did you do a grave injustice to them, but in the process you destroyed your own reputations."
"What do you mean?" asked Blossom, dreading the answer.
The Professor responded by grabbing the TV remote control and switching it on. "It's all over the news. The Powerpuff Girls were beating Brick while his brothers were saving Townsville because they are jealous of the Rowdyruff Boys. To make it worse, Harold Smith turned the entire town against you. Just listen to this."
"This is Stanley Whitfield reporting live from the center of Town where a crowd is chanting anti-Powerpuff slogans. Leading them is Harold Smith. Now for an exclusive interview. Mr. Smith, how do you attribute Powerpuff's unbelievable recent actions?"
"It's very simple, Stan. The Powerpuff Girls were just showing their true colors. They only want the adulation and praise of Townsville. So when their position was threatened by the appearance of the Rowdyruff Boys, they beat them up."
"But Professor, that's not true! We weren't jealous of the boys!" Bubbles suddenly said.
"I know that, and I know you're better than that," the Professor continued. "But the thing is, you acted in such a way that would make the people susceptible to demagogues like Harold Smith. If you hadn't done what you did, the people wouldn't believe a word Smith says."
"You thought that they were evil, and you just did what you thought was right, and I perfectly understand that. But your actions tonight are inexcusable," he said, raising his voice. "You could've at least helped the boys destroy the monsters first then beat them up afterwards if you believed they're just doing it for show and are really evil. And evil or no, you should at least have set aside your differences to save the city. At least they did save the city tonight. Now why didn't you help them?"
The girls could not answer it, because the real reason was that they were in cahoots with the monsters in the first place, and they had a deal, or they thought they had, that the monster would not actually destroy anything, just beat up the boys.
"Well, Professor, we didn't know there was a monster attack until it was too late," Blossom lied. She was determined that it was one secret that the Professor and the town must never find out, because it would permanently ruin their reputations if that happened. Blossom looked at her sisters and both concurred.
"It's true, Professor," Buttercup seconded. "We didn't hear the hotline."
"Well, if you didn't sneak out in the first place," the Professor continued, believing their explanation, "then you would have known. How could you have been so irresponsible? And have you considered how Dr. Edwards and the boys are feeling? You just beat them to a pulp after they just saved the city, after you had just humiliated their father in front of us. You should have been more trusting. Girls, I am very disappointed in you. Now, what's your explanation, because I know in my hearts of hearts that you only acted in the best interests of the city?"
But the girls were thinking of something else to heed the Professor's words.
'We were wrong. We were so wrong,' Blossom thought. Suddenly, the enormity of it all suddenly hit her, and under the strain of it all, she buckled. Tears began dropping for her eyes, and she suddenly bawled loudly, and rushed to her room.
"Blossom," Buttercup shouted, and she chased after her sister. Bubbles followed both her sisters.
"Girls!" the Professor shouted, but before he could start on the stairs, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
He looked around, and saw Ms. Keane shaking her head at him. "Let them cry it out," she said. "They had a hard day, and all of it coming on them all at once is just too much. Let them deal with it on their own, and just come and comfort them after that. You know the girls, they're feeling very sorry right now."
"I guess you're right," Professor Utonium said. "Have I been too hard on the girls? My tone was harsh, my words cruel and I nearly shouted?"
"Just harsh enough given the gravity of their fault," Ms. Bellum interrupted.
"Uh, excuse me," Mojo Jojo suddenly said. "But I'm getting sick of all this fluffiness and all this sentimentalism makes me want to vomit. I would like to announce that I am leaving this house to go to my secret volcano top observatory to plot the destruction of the Powerpuff Girls!"
"No one's stopping you Mojo Jojo. But behave, or I'll send the girls after you," the Professor said.
"Just try it, and I'll crush them like the flies that they are, and like the little bugs that they are, I shall swat them for I am Mojo Jojo!" he said right before he exited the room and closed the door.
"Sandy, Sarah, it's just that it's too much," Professor Utonium said. "I mean the girls have done many naughty things in the past, but this takes the cake! At least we know that they did this because they thought it was best for the town."
"John," Sandra asked. "I know I'm silly in asking this, but will you forgive the girls?"
"And you're very silly in asking that question," the Professor suddenly replied in a harsh tone. "They're my angels, my life, my precious daughters, my princesses. Even if they destroyed the earth on purpose I would still love them and I would forgive them. As soon as they feel sorry and ask for forgiveness, I'll let them know that I've already forgiven them in my heart. But don't ever ask such stupid questions again, do you understand?"
Ms. Keane was taken aback by his reaction, but understood. "Yes John, I know. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," the Professor said. "Sandra, could you do me a favour? You're a woman, and I think you could better comfort them now than me. I'm still angry at what they've done that I can't right now."
"Of course, John," Ms. Keane replied.
"Now, Ms. Bellum, let's save the girls' reputation," he said, turning to the Mayor's assistant, the confidence in his voice returning. "First of all is William. Among all the people, he's the one who's the most dangerous to lose. For one, he has the boys. Two, he has wealth and power. And three, he was, aside from the Rowdyruff Boys, the one most wronged by all of this. I'll make a call and try to explain things to him. Maybe he'll forgive the girls, or maybe not. I could only hope. Now, could you and the mayor go to the town and try to talk sense to the people?"
"We'll try, but I can't promise you anything. It's not like the Mayor can give any intelligent speeches that will sway the masses or something. I mean the only reason he wins is that nobody bothers to run against him, except that time when Fuzzy accidentally ran, and we all know what happened."
"Yeah, it was a disaster alright. Not to disparage the Mayor, but I still can't figure out how the people can dislike the mayor and the mayor still be in office after forty years. Back on topic, so you can't persuade the people?"
"No. They won't listen."
"Looks like I would have to do it myself then. I hope that the town has enough sense left," he said. "Could you do me a favor and watch the girls while I go and check on the Edwardses?"
"Of course," Ms. Bellum replied.
"Thanks," he said as he went and picked up the phone and dialled Dr. Edwards' number.
"Hello?" Dr. Edwards said.
"This is John," Professor Utonium said.
"What is it now?" said Dr. Edwards, his tone very cold.
"You probably know by now what happened," Professor Utonium replied. "I would just want to apologize for my conduct this evening and for the misguided actions of my girls."
"Look, as you probably know by now, I'm busy taking care of my boys. If you want to apologize, be a man and come here at my house, then we could have a nice long talk about it. But don't say it on the phone. And in case you don't know my address, it's…" and he told the Professor his address.
"But William, I can't—"
"You don't have a choice in the matter. Either you come here or don't even think of apologizing to me!" Dr. Edwards harshly said before hanging up the phone.
"I guess I'll have to come and apologize in person," Professor Utonium said to Ms. Bellum. "I'll be back soon." He then went and wore his coat and hat, and went straight for the garage.
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Meanwhile…
"We did a very terrible thing, Buttercup, Bubbles," Blossom said, sobbing all the way, wetting her blanket.
"Actually, it was our fault only, excluding Bubbles," Buttercup said. She was not crying because of her will, but every part of her body was telling her to. "Those boys are jerks, yet they're not evil! Oh Bubbles, how could we have been so blind? We should've listened to you, and now, because we didn't, we just blew our reputations away!"
"And Brick apologized for lying about it, and I didn't believe him," Blossom said, crying further. "It's all my fault. I was too suspicious, too proud, and too prejudiced to see through it. And what did we do? We risked the destruction of Townsville."
Bubbles cried for her sisters. "Don't feel too bad, it isn't the end of everything. You just did what you thought was right."
"And you knew it was wrong, and you told us," Blossom said. "And we didn't listen. We then beat up three innocent, or not so evil boys, who also saved the day. Sure they lied to us about their involvement with Mojo, but they apologized for it and admitted that it was a lie, right before we beat them up too. We also let monsters nearly destroy all of Townsville. Tell me, is that the way a Powerpuff should act? Is that the way a superhero should act?"
Bubbles didn't reply.
"And we let the Professor down. We let Dr. Edwards down. Worst, we let the people of Townsville down," Buttercup added.
Blossom then stood up the bed and dried her tears. "In the last few hours, I made a series of bad decisions which led to disaster. I refused to listen to Bubbles or Dr. Edwards regarding the boys, I made Dr. Edwards look bad, and I made a deal with powerful monsters to beat up three boys that turned out not to be evil, and I made it worst by beating them up. Therefore, I resign from being the leader of the Powerpuff Girls to be effective as soon as a suitable replacement comes forward. These bad decisions render me unfit to hold such a position. I offer it to Bubbles, who among all three of us, deserves it most."
Blossom's action stupefied her sisters. It was so unexpected, so not Blossom, that it took her sisters several seconds for the decision to register in their brains.
"You can't!" Buttercup said. Though in reality, she thought that Blossom should've offered it to her instead. "You're our leader. There's no one else like you!"
"And some leader I am!" Blossom replied. "I led you two into this disaster, and I feel that I don't deserve to be the leader anymore."
"You feel wrong Blossom," the blond puff said. "You're still the best leader we could hope for."
"No Bubbles," the pink puff said. "You deserve to be the leader and I know you will be better than me."
"No Blossom," her blue clad sister replied. "You are the leader not because you make bad decisions some of the time, but because you have other skills and qualities that make a good leader. You make quick decisions based on what you know, and you can command us when it matters the most. Remember, you led us to more wins in the past, and this is just one defeat. And making bad decisions is part and parcel of being a leader. Don't quit on us Blossom. A leader who quits at the middle of a crisis is coward. Don't run away from this. Don't run from this responsibility. Stop your self-pity. It's so unbecoming of you. So I respectfully decline your offer. You should remain as the leader."
"Buttercup?" asked Blossom.
"Bubbles' is right. You'd be a chicken if you quit on us now. Don't run away from problems, Red. Just face them and stare them down!"
"Well, okay then, I'll be your leader still," Blossom said. 'But after this is over and things are back to normal, I'll resign. That way, they can't blame me for quitting on a crisis.' Fortunately, it was not to be.
"Wonder what Dr. Edwards and the boys are thinking of us right now?" asked Buttercup.
"They probably hate us, as do the rest of Townsville," Blossom said. "If they do, I don't blame them. What a waste. We wasted our friendship with Dr. Edwards, and our reputations too."
"I hope not," Bubbles responded. "I actually like them, even if they can be jerks sometimes. Poor Dr. Edwards. I wonder how's he feeling right now after we embarrassed him and saw his boys?" At that thought, she again cried. "And it's all our fault."
"No, it's not. You're not to blame Bubbles," Buttercup said. "Blossom and I are the only ones at fault here, not you."
"Yeah Bubbles, I'm very proud of you. You did great tonight. You did what was right. You acted just like a true Powerpuff should, not like your sisters," Blossom said, ashamed. "I also feel terrible on how we treated Dr. Edwards. He was so friendly, and he patched us up after each of the fights. And this is how we repay him."
Ms. Keane entered the room to find Blossom and Bubbles crying, while Buttercup was just staring at the wall, her eyes ready to tear up, but she mustered all her will to prevent her from crying. 'I am strong. I will not cry,' she keeps telling herself.
"Girls, it alright," Ms. Keane comforted.
"No it's not alright Ms. Keane," Blossom said. "Did you know what we just did, what kind of a person we had become because of what we did? How could you even look at us? We're monsters, no different from the villains we fought in the past!"
"Now don't say that," Ms. Keane said. "Yes I know what you did, and I'm not proud of that. Girls, are you sorry for what you've done?"
"Yes we are," Buttercup said. "You don't know how really sorry we are. But how could you forgive us? How could we expect anyone to forgive us? What we did is so terrible."
"Because you were sorry, and that's good enough for me," Ms. Keane said. "Listen girls, it's not what you've done in the past that matters, it's how you felt about it. You feel remorse, you feel sorry, you feel the need to be forgiven, and that's what separates you from the rest. And your intentions too. No matter what you do, you did it with the conviction that you were right, that you were doing it for the greater good of Townsville. You're no monsters, girls. You're basically decent girls who just made mistakes. What matters is that you regret it, realize that you were wrong, apologize to those you've hurt, and move on."
"Really?" asked Blossom.
"Yes Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles. That is why you should stop this self-pity and once again become the superheroes that Townsville can be proud of. Yes, you made a horrible mistake and it has lots of consequences, but you're sorry and you should put this behind you."
"But what about Dr. Edwards and the Rowdyruff Boys?" asked Bubbles.
"They're the ones who were most hurt by this," Ms. Keane said. "You should apologize to them. The Professor is in Dr. Edwards' house talking to him right about now. Though it would be much better if you apologize to him personally. Maybe you'll win back his friendship. As for the boys, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to win their friendship after this. The best you could hope right now is partnership in fighting crime."
"Okay Ms. Keane, thanks. I feel much better now," Blossom said.
"Yeah, thanks for the kind words," Buttercup said, then suddenly hugged Ms. Keane and started crying on her. "Oh thank you," she said between sobs.
"Thanks, Ms. Keane," Bubbles said, and sobbed a little. "I guess we should move on after apologizing."
"Now girls, always remember, no matter what, the Professor and I will always love you and always take care of you," Ms. Keane said as she exited the room.
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Meanwhile…
The Professor checked the address Dr. Edwards gave him. He was surprised to see that his former friend's house was just a regular suburban two story house on the outside. He expected it to be a mansion or a palace or just a very big house given his wealth. 'Still modest as always, William.' He parked his car and rang the doorbell.
"Get in John," Dr. Edwards' voice shouted from upstairs.
John Utonium entered the house. He was surprised that the front door of his house was unlocked. He looked around the first floor, and noted the simplicity of the decorations. The windows only had venetian blinds. There was a large TV with a couch across it, and on the walls were some old family portraits. But the one he immediately noticed was a small picture of him and his boys posing, then on another part of a wall were three framed pictures of his boys. There were no flowers, and the table has no cloth covering it, no expensive or even cheap vases. But that was to be expected on a household that had no female occupants. And all the things were organized meticulously, giving the impression that it was fixed for convenience with little regards to appearance.
He went straight to the second floor, and went to the room where he heard the doctor. He entered, and saw Dr. Edwards watching over his boys like the father he was. All his boys were bandaged in some form or another, and they all were unconscious. Of the three, Boomer had it worst, as almost his entire body excluding his face was bandaged. Brick was next and Butch was the least damaged. Besides them were all medical equipment and technology. Also beside them was a TV that was broadcasting the latest news. The scene strongly reminded the Professor of when it was his girls that was unconscious after a fight.
"How are they?" asked the Professor.
"Not too bad," Dr. Edwards said. "This kind of beating would normally kill anybody else, but the chemical X and the other ingredients made them much tougher than that. They would all heal completely in two to three days. Even Boomer's acid and scars should disappear within a week. They're just resting right now. Even after all this, after all what we've been through, it still amazes me how strong the bodies of the boys are."
"You know what already happened?" asked the Professor.
"How could I not? It's in every TV station!" Dr. Edwards said.
"William, I would like to inform you that anything I say tonight would change nothing between us. I would like to apologize for not believing you earlier. You were right about the boys," the Professor said.
"And what happened that made you change your mind?" Dr. Edwards sceptically asked.
"I asked Mojo Jojo if there was really an alliance between him and the boys," the professor said. "Looks like Blossom was wrong and you're right. They were just being sarcastic. And the boys lied when they told the girls they had an alliance with Mojo."
"Apology accepted. I would have believed her if I didn't know my boys as well as I did," Dr. Edwards said. "And my Brick already apologized to your girls for lying, so I think we're even."
"He did?" asked a surprised Professor.
"Well, at least I think he did," he said. "You see, I sent him to apologize to the girls while his brothers fought off the monsters. So I was definitely surprised to learn that your girls beat up all three of my boys."
"If he did, then my girls didn't believe them," replied a glum Professor. "They only realized that they're not evil when Mojo showed them a tape of the entire conversation. They thought they were lying because of that conversation which Bubbles misheard, and they thought that their apology was part of their big deception plan—"
"You have the tape? Could I have a copy? I want to know how that conversation really happened," asked Dr. Edwards.
"Oh, I'll make a copy for you right away," the Professor replied. "Oh, and by the way, I would like to apologize on behalf of girls for what they did to your boys tonight. They were wrong, and they realized it too late. There was no excuse other than they thought it was for the good of Townsville. All I'm asking you is to forgive them, for they are very sorry for what they've done."
"Do you really think it would be that easy?" the doctor said, his tone very harsh. "After all that happened? They should go here and personally say sorry to me and my boys, because that is what we deserve after the way we've been treated this evening. I'll probably forgive them. As for the boys, I can't speak for them, but I'll doubt they'll forgive your girls. I'll talk to them before your girls come here so I can know how they'll react. But I'm warning you John, it's not that easy and it would probably get ugly if those six meet again. But that's my condition."
"And I accept the condition," the Professor said, "if it is the only way to mend these wounds. Listen, when will the boys be conscious?"
"In a couple of hours," Dr. Edwards said.
"Those girls will probably go here and apologize to you personally some time tomorrow," the Professor said. "And please, reconsider your decision to leave Townsville. The town really loves your boys, and you could do a great deal of service to the Town."
"Well, I'll consider it," Dr. Edwards said. "This town is, after all, my hometown. This is where I grew up, and this is where I spent some of my most memorable days, as you know. If this town can accept my boys, then I'll gladly stay. If not, then I'll leave."
"Oh I assure you that the town will accept your boys," Professor Utonium said. "And one more thing. I think that Ms. Keane, Ms. Bellum and the town deserves to know the truth about what really happened. As soon as this is over, I'll call you and tell all of them what really happened when we were classmates. They should know who really made chemical X."
"You will do no such thing!" Dr. Edwards thundered. "Do you realize what it would do to your reputation if the public knew? How the girls will feel when they realized it? No you don't. I've already experienced it, as you know, when you made it look that I was the one who's trying to steal the chemical X from you. I was publicly humiliated, and my family life was wrecked. It took me ten years to rebuild my reputation. If you do that, think of what will happen to you! That is why I still hate you. But when did I care? I cared when I realized that you're not the same scheming lying bastard that I knew and was my friend when we were in college. You changed John, you really did. You care deeply for your girls, and you don't have a difficult time apologizing to people. You are now even more decent than I am now. I also care about the girls, even after this, and the implications it would have for their lives if the public knew of this. No John, you keep the secret. For if you spill the beans, I'll call you a liar and I'll deny that I created it. And I don't need another achievement on my name. I have too much already. Besides, you made most of the follow up research on Chemical Xymperchite, and I only made it, so you probably discovered more things about it than I did, since I'm just the creator."
"But William," Professor Utonium said, "it's not right!"
"And it isn't right that you'd destroy the lives of your girls for an issue that has been dead for nearly twenty years!" Dr. Edwards replied. "If you don't give a damn about your reputation or your life, then at least think of your girls and their future. Do you really want them to grow up with having the tag that their Dad is a fraud?"
Professor Utonium just shook his head.
"Then it's a secret that we will carry to our graves," Dr. Edwards said with finality. "Now, can we at least forget about the issue?"
"Okay," the Professor said, hopeful. "Does that mean that we can be friends again like we were when we're younger?"
"No. Too much has happened between us for that to happen. I still hate you, remember? We'll limit our personal contacts on matters of science and business and concerning our children so there won't be any misconceptions about us being friends."
"If that's what you want," the Professor said. "I'll be going now. I still need to talk to the people of Townsville."
"Good luck with those idiots!" Dr. Edwards said as Professor Utonium said left.
II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II II
Meanwhile…
"People of Townsville," Harold Smith shouted, "Now is the time to take action. Let us march to the house of the Utoniums and tear it down brick by brick and plank by plank. Let us show them that we will not take this sitting down! Are you with me, fellow Townies?"
"Yeah!" the crowd roared.
"Then let us march!" Harold Smith said as he put himself in front of the mob of angry citizens and began marching towards the Powerpuff home.
Halfway there, the Professor could see what was going on. He placed his car in the path of the mob.
"Stop!" Professor Utonium shouted. "You're making a big mistake!"
"Hey, it's Utonium! Let's lynch him!" one of the men in the crowd shouted.
"Wait, at least hear me out! Listen to what I have to say!" Professor Utonium shouted.
"Oh shut up," one shouted as the crowd approached with clubs and rope.
"I say let him talk!" Harold Smith suddenly said. "Then we can lynch him!"
The crowd let go of the Professor. The professor then stepped up on a chair to be above the crowd to begin his defense of the Powerpuff Girls. "I hope I do good. For the girls. For me."
Author Thanks
To Uncle Sam,thanks for reading and reviewing. Yup, it was smart of Brick to use those decoys to escape the girls. And that Smith is too sneaky for his own good.
To Jiffy Wiggy,well I don't consider them to be stupid. The holograms were so realistic anybody could have been fooled. But it was funny I agree. Well, they played fair, because of the principle of "All's fair in love and war." Thanks for reading anyway.
To Mad Dentist, stay away from my teeth! And thanks for reading and reviewing.
To rrb suck,I agree that the people of Townsville are somewhat stupid, but you've gotta give credit to Smith for exploiting it. And I don't think the RRB are stupid. Yeah, the boys are kind of brats and the Smith are weird freaks, I agree. The girls did thrash the boys, but it made the PPG bad, not the other way around. And the girls did play fair, I agree.
To Sum-jackass,I hope you review this chapter to. Yup, their reputation is gone with the wind. Well the prof. Already found out about the boy's condition in this chapter. As for the degree of punishments they would get, I agree with it, but you'll just have to see if that is so.
To Ud the Imp,it's not too late, but it nearly is. Just wait for chapter 18.
To Akum,Yup this fic is too long, but I've read and enjoyed longer fics than this. But don't despair. It's nearly the end.
To nightglider-star,thanks. Well, I hope this update is quick enough for you. And can you do me a favor and update your story too?
To Hairy Gregory,thanks. About the decoys, as you read, the decoys are a cylindrical device measuring four inches long and have the diameter of a quarter. These devices fit easily on the pocket. Now, the decoys were one of the devices that Dr. Edwards gave his boys to help them fight crime. And since it easily fits in their pockets, it is usually one of the things they always carry in their pockets. So they have the decoys anytime they needed it.
Well, I have a feeling Mr. Smith is going to lose it, but that's another chapter.
As for what Mojo Jojo said, it's in this chapter.
To Firestarter 10388, thanks. I never considered myself a good author, so it was quite a compliment. Well, I am evil so I made another cliff hanger, muhahahaha! By the way, I'm a guy, not a girl.
To Somewei, you're right about Blossom when she thinks she's right. But as you can see in this chapter, when she knows she's wrong, she usually ends up doing what is right. As for the RRB and the PPG, just read the next chapters. As for Smith having Townsville hate the town, it sucks doesn't it?
And could you do me a favor and update Silent Enemy?
To DL23400, it was good, and you summarized it quite neatly. Very well done to you DL23400. The only thing I have to add is that its not only the misheard conversation that caused the PPG to think the boys as evil, but also Brick and Butch's lie. Anyway, thanks.
To BrYtt BRatt, well, all I have to say is, read on, there'll be more surprises! As for Brick being better than Blossom, I don't quite agree. There are some qualities that Blossom is superior, and there are some qualities of a leader that Brick is better. I think they're quite balanced out. It's just that much of Brick's positive qualities and much of Blossom's bad qualities were emphasized during the fight. Yet you could say that if Brick was really evil, then Blossom would really look like a better leader for seeing the truth. But it isn't true, and Blossom looked bad as a result.
To TJ Rose,you have a habit of predicting what happens next. Can you predict the next chapter right? Well, as you've just read, the girls did see the truth and their grievous error.
To Dooly, yup, typical of the citizens of Townsville. And thanks for the Harold Smith compliment. And I agree, the girls (except Bubbles) thought of the boys as just another villain. As for the boys, they aren't, except when they thrashed Mr. Morebucks factory to get baking powder. But because it's for a good cause, I don't think it's a criminal activity. And as for the girls, injured pride is a cause for not trusting the boys or Bubbles, but not the main cause. It's just a contributory factor. As for Bubbles, they really should have listened to her. As for the camera crew, well, stranger things have happened in Townsville, so it isn't out of the realm of Possibility that there was one. But they most probably are doing a nature show, like you said. And thanks. As for going for 200 reviews, it depends.
To The Wild Ambition,as you wish, I just wrote more.