Bubbles Goes Super Hardcore

Him was making his way down a long spiral staircase, gliding just above the ground to save himself from the tedium of taking each step in turn. It grew steadily hotter as he circled deeper and deeper into the sublevels of his tower and the walls went from a jet black to the color of glowing coals. Eventually the staircase emptied into a wide corridor, at the end of which a bright white glow could be seen. Him made his way down the long corridor and into the room where the light spilling out from.

The room itself was massive, the walls and ceiling all but lost from sight. In the center of the room was a giant sphere of white energy. Him eyed the sphere with great satisfaction, rubbing his claws together and grinning broadly.

"The accumulative life force of all the people in this city. Little do the people know that their own life energy is being sucked from them with every passing second," Him said. "In time this tower will have absorbed enough energy to open the Beryth Nexus and I will be reunited with the powers I have so long since been separated from," Him raised one hand and sucked up a small wisp of energy into his palm. The white light was absorbed into his body and he shuddered with delight as he felt the life force of thousands course through his veins. Suddenly he became aware of something he hadn't expected to feel, three distinct energies that should not have been there. Him scowled when he realized the alarming truth. For some reason or another the Powerpuff Girls were still alive, and that meant that his plans of dominating the city were in jeopardy.

The sun was rising for the second time since Him first proclaimed ownership over the City of Townsville and all of its inhabitants. Bubbles had been sitting for many hours against the trunk of an old oak tree on a hill overlooking the city. Her knees were drawn in close to her chest and stared at half devastated city, wondering about what she was going to do. So many terrible things had happened. Him had managed to tear apart a good portion of the city with the creation of his oversized dwelling. Both Blossom and Buttercup were out of commission due to injuries sustained by the now seemingly invincible Rowdyruff Boys. It all seemed hopeless and Bubbles was feeling deeply depressed. She couldn't imagine what she could possibly do, if she was capable of doing anything at all, to save the City of Townsville.

A blaze in the distance caught Bubbles' attention. Someone had started a fire in the suburbs and it had since spread into a wild conflagration. She jumped to her feet and flew off towards the fire. Even amidst this great crisis she could not ignore the basic duties of being a superhero.

The fire was even larger than Bubbles had anticipated as she flew high above the wild blaze. It had consumed nearly a third of the Pokey Oaks district including and a small portion of the neighboring Lucky Pine district. She suddenly felt sick when she realized her house was deep in the heart of the blaze. She didn't know what to expect as she raced full speed to where her house sat. When she got there she was too late. The flames had already done their work, reducing the house to a pile of burning sticks and ash. Bubbles knew nobody in the wreckage could possibly be alive. Even if her father was able to get out of the house he would certainly be killed in the surrounding blaze.

Bubbles held back the tears that wanted so much to spill fourth. She had focus on finding a way to put the flames out. She wished that Blossom was with her. She could use her ice breath to put out the blaze. But Blossom was not with her, and she needed to subdue the flames before they spread any further. She thought hard about the different ways to put out a fire. The first thought that came to mind was water, but how was she going to carry enough to put out such a tremendous fire. Bubbles could only think of one way she could pull off such a feat. She would have to use a power that she currently had little control over. It was a long shot, but she had to try.

Bubbles made her way towards lake in Townsville park and landed at its bank. She closed her eyes and directed her hands at the water, focusing on it with all her might. At first nothing happened, but slowly a tiny drop of water began to rise, followed by another drop, and then a thin stream. Bubbles strained with all her might to lift more and more water from the lake telekinetically. Soon she had a steady pillar of water rising above the lake's surface. The water was condensed into a ball above her head and it steadily grew as more and more water was sucked into it.

"This is too slow," Bubbles thought as the amount of water she collected was hardly enough to put out the entire blaze. Not one to give up, she threw every ounce of energy she had into lifting the waters of the lake. All at once the whole lake began to rise, sitting as if in a gigantic bowl. It was all Bubbles could do to keep herself from dropping the heavy load, but she held firm and steadied the lake above her head before making her way back towards the fire. When she got back to the blaze she positioned the lake at the center of the fire and released her hold on the water. It dropped like a bomb, exploding outwards in a tidal wave that consumed the flames until none were left. When the water had completely receded there was little left of the burnt down neighborhood.

Bubbles fell to the ground in exhaustion. Telekinesis was one of her weaker powers and it had taken all her energy to keep the lake from spilling prematurely. She rolled onto her back and let her lids slide closed. All at once the pain of loss came upon her and tears streamed down her face. There was no telling how many people had lost their lives in the blaze, and amongst them was her own father. The thought of so many people needlessly losing their lives was more than Bubbles could take. It seemed that all around her people were suffering and dying, and all because of Him and the Rowdyruff Boys.

All at once Bubbles was filled with a burning rage. What Him had done was unforgivable and he had to pay for what he did. She was going to stop him if it killed her, and not even the Rowdyruff Boys would stand in her way.

Despite her fatigue she got to her feet and turned towards the demon tower, bolting off in a flash of blue. She speeded forward with a newfound strength, fueled by bitter anger and a lust for vengeance. In only a short lapse of time she was upon the demon tower, and she circled until she found the large front entrance. To her surprise the Rowdyruff Boomer was waiting for her, sitting on a ledge just above the giant iron door.

"I see you got my calling card Bubbles. I was wondering when you would finally get here," Boomer said looking on at Bubbles with an air of smugness.

Bubbles looked on with complete disbelief. At first she didn't say anything, but only quivered slightly as Boomer's remark slowly sunk in. "How… how could you," she said, her voice quivering with rage. "All those people. All dead because of you."

"It was all too easy. None of them even saw it coming until it was too late," Boomer stated with obvious enjoyment. "What's the matter Bubbles. You seem angry with me. Is it because your father was also in that fire?"

Bubbles was struck hard by Boomer's words. Her eyes now blazed with an unbridled fury as she glared at the Rowdyruff with the deepest contempt.

"Aww Bubbles. Don't you fret. Your father is not dead… yet," Boomer said. "I have him tucked away safe and sound. He'll be all right for the time being."

"WHERE IS HE," Bubbles screeched, threatening to throw herself upon Boomer at any moment.

"If you really want to know Bubbles I'll be glad to show you," said Boomer. Telepathically he transmitted and image of the professor unconscious and half imbedded in a slab of stone. His clothes were tattered and he had burns all over his exposed flesh. "If you want him, you will have to get through me first little girl," Boomer continued, "but I certainly don't mind spilling the blood of two people today."

This was more than Bubbles could handle. She let out a fierce cry and launched herself at Boomer, grabbing at his throat. He quickly grabbed at her wrists, stopping her just shy of his neck, but the momentum of Bubbles' approach sent them both into the tower wall and he was pinned down as she desperately tried to get at throat.

"C'mon Bubbles. Is that all you got," Boomer taunted. He wrenched Bubbles' arms apart and kicked her swiftly in the jaw, sending her flying in the opposite direction. Bubbles stopped herself in mid flight and charged Boomer again, punching at his face with all she could muster, but in a flash he grabbed her by the wrist with one hand and used her own momentum to send her crashing into the wall. Before she could move he pinned her against the wall with one hand clasped around her neck.

"Your not going to get anywhere if you fight like that Bubbles," Boomer continued to jeer at Bubbles. "Why don't you give up and spare yourself the humiliation."

Bubbles tucked her knees up to her chest and slammed her heels into Boomer's midsection. She then launched herself at the stunned Rowdyruff and, clasping her hands together into one fist, smashed him in the back of the head, sending him spiraling into the ground. Boomer disappeared beneath the pavement as was buried beneath several meters of rubble. An instant later he exploded from the rubble and ascended to Bubbles' level.

"That's it Bubbles, show me your true power," Boomer said to himself. "Show me that unbridled fury that you showed me during our last encounter."

Bubbles wasted no time in attacking Boomer again, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks in pronounced and powerful strikes. Her heightened aggression failed to rouse any concern in Boomer, who was still deflecting her attacks with little effort. He did all he could to degrade the Powerpuff as he knocked her down again and again, throwing taunts at her all the while.

Fatigue was beginning to take its toll on Bubbles. She was fighting harder than she had all her life, and she could feel her body slowly succumbing to exhaustion. She refused to back down in bitter anger and resentment and she continued her assault on Boomer full force. Boomer on the other hand was growing more and more disappointed at the level of strength Bubbles was fighting at. He was certain that attacking her emotionally would cause her unleash a whole new level of power. She was certainly fighting harder than normal, but it was not enough.

Bubbles had rushed at Boomer once again after being knocked into the side of a building. Boomer transformed both his arms into black tendrils and wrapped them around Bubbles until she was bound so tightly that she couldn't move. He lifted her up to his face, watching as she struggled desperately to get free of his grasp.

"I'm disappointed Bubbles. I thought you would be more than of challenge," Boomer said. "After all, you were able to break my ankle in one twist and you were able to break free from the special stone that I used to bind you. I guess I assumed too much from you. I guess I will have to dispose of you and then your pathetic father. After I'm through with him I'll take care of your sisters as well. Maybe I'll start with Blossom. She'll be easy pickings after what my brother did to her."

Boomer began to squeeze Bubbles like a boa constrictor squeezes a helpless rodent. It all seemed too easy as Bubbles' body gave way to the increasing pressure of the tightening tendrils. Bubbles' was squinting hard as the pain of her body being crushed surged through every nerve. Her jaw was locked shut in a grimace that could only describe pure agony. Boomer began to hear the faint sounds of popping as Bubbles joints began to loosen. He made sure to go as slow as possible, testing the very limits of Bubbles' body under the ever increasing pressure.

Suddenly Bubbles eye sprang open and Boomer was shocked to see the cornea was filled with a dark blue glow, obscuring all detail in the eye and making her seem like ghost. He became aware of a growing resistance within his grasp. The bones that before were giving way so easily suddenly grew impossibly rigid and the muscles were working their way outwards, forcing his grip to expand against his will. The expression of agony that was written on her face was now one of sheer focus and determination. Boomer became aware that he was loosing his grip on the Powerpuff as she fought to free herself from his grasp. He put everything he had into keeping the woman steady, but it was too late. She had now managed to muster enough strength to withstand even his tightest grip, and furthermore she was still managing to extend it further and further.

"I won't let you hurt them. I won't let you hurt any of them," Bubbles said in a steadily rising tone. Although not visible to the naked eye Boomer could see an aura of blue light accumulating around Bubbles. It was growing brighter by the second until it was finally within the spectrum of visible light. Finally Bubbles let out a scream of such intensity that the resulting shockwave ripped the surrounding earth to gravel. There was a brilliant flash and Boomer could feel himself being carried away by an intense force over which he had no control. It felt like forever before he felt his body collide with the earth. When he opened his eyes he found himself in a distant part of the Townsvlle ruins, far off from where he and Bubbles had fought. Although Bubbles was too far off to be seen in detail her could clearly see a bright blue aura surrounding her. This made him smile with deep satisfaction.

"Yes, that's the kind of power I was looking for," Boomer said to himself. He flew high into the air and made his way back over to the now supercharged Bubbles. Now bothering to wait for him to reach her, Bubbles flew top speed in Boomer's direction. Her approach was so fast that Boomer was caught completely off guard and she hit him full force by an uppercut that sent him skyrocketing like a shooting star. She followed his ascent and abruptly halted his upward momentum with another powerful punch. Boomer careened towards the earth like a blazing comet, hitting the ground with such a force that he created a pit nearly a dozen meters deep. This was followed immediately by an intense white beam of energy that flew straight into the pit, generating a large explosion that resulted in a deep crater.

Bubbles waited for any signs of the Rowdyruff through the rising dust. Her eyes barely caught a black streak as it shot upwards through the cloud of debris. She could sense the movement of Boomer as he moved in behind her with hardly a second passing. She turned to face him, but before she could even align her vision onto him he struck her with a solid punch straight in the face. She flew back several hundred meters before she halted herself in mid air. For a short moment the two stared down each other in tense silence.

Boomer couldn't help but grin as he felt the intense energy Bubble was generating. This was the moment he had been waiting for. "Now the fun can really begin," he thought to himself.

Footnote:

Another thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story, and especially to those repeated reviewers. Special thanks to Libertygirl0115 for giving me then incentive to finally get this chapter done and up. As for the rest of you out there, review, review, review. I would do the same for you if I read your stories. Honestly, I really would. As for me I'll try not to disappoint y'all with the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned for the next exciting episode of "Dark Brothers of Hell". *cue ending credits sounding strangely familiar to Dragonball Z*