I finally present to you all, by popular demand, the next installment to "Dark Brothers of Hell". Enjoy!
Rematch
"Well well well." Him looked on with amusement into a flaming looking glass where he saw the three Powerpuffs alive and well. "I should have known they'd still be alive. Those girls continue to be thorn in my side. Oh well. I guess when the time is right, I will have the luxury of killing them myself." Him waved his claw and the image on the looking glass changed to reveal Brick sitting cross legged in another part of the tower in deep meditation. "Ah, Lucifage," he chimed. "Poor unsuspecting Lucifage. For one so intelligent you can be quite naive, thinking you can hide your true motives from me, the one who used his own dark energy to resurrect you from the grave. Your attempt to betray me will be your ultimate undoing. Continue to guard my tower my pawn. In two days the nexus will open and you and your brothers will pay dearly for your audacity." Him continued his vigilance of the city through the mirror before him. "Just two more days," he repeated. "Two more days."
Buttercup was beginning to nod off. For two hours now Blossom had been locked up inside one of Mojo's laboratories, hard at work on an unknown project. Blossom had insisted that she and Bubbles wait for her, that this project was critical if they were to defeat the Rowdyruff Boys and stop Him. Buttercup closed her eyes as sleep overtook her. She could not deny the sheer exhaustion she felt after the episode of Bubbles near death. When she opened her eyes again she knew several hours had passed. She looked around the room to see if Bubbles was still with her. She was nowhere in sight.
"She must have gone to get something to eat," Buttercup thought to herself. She realized she was feeling a bit hungry herself. "I might as well do a little fridge raiding myself. I hope Mojo has more to eat than just bananas."
Buttercup made her way into the observatory's living quarters, keeping an eye out all the while for any sign of Bubbles. She began to get an ominous feeling as she found her way to Mojo's kitchen. "Where the hell is she?" she thought to herself. "She wouldn't have left without telling anybody, especially after Blossom asked us to stay put. Then again, she has been acting strange. She looked like she was preoccupied with something, just staring into space like she had something on her mind. There's no way she would have gone back to the tower, would she?"
Buttercup froze on the spot, then turned and rushed to the exit. "God damn it. I have to stop her before she gets herself killed," she said. She burst through the observatory entrance and flew off in the direction of the demon tower. She had to move fast. There was no telling how much of a head start Bubbles may have had.
The Townsville ruins reeked of death. Ghosts of the dead seemed to echo from the rubble. Bubbles ignored these new sensations that invaded her senses as she approached the demon tower. She had only one thing on her mind.
She stopped in front of the tower. She could feel the current of energy traveling into the walls. She now understood what the tower was for. Him was collecting life energy for some unknown purpose. She knew she could not allow his plans to continue. She was about to move towards the wall when she heard someone shouting her name. She turned to see Buttercup racing towards her.
"Bubbles, what the hell do you think your doing?" Butter shouted as she caught up to Bubbles. "Didn't Blossom tell us to stay put? None of us can take this on alone. We need to work together. Blossom has something in the works to help us defeat the Rowdyruff Boys, but we have to wait for her."
"Buttercup, why did you have to come here?" Bubbles thought. "Buttercup, turn back now," she said. "This doesn't involve you,"
"Like hell this doesn't involve me," Buttercup shouted. "If you think I'm going to just let you go off to your death you're wrong. I'm not leaving here unless your coming with me."
Bubbles looked on with a sad expression. Buttercup was very stubborn, but she also loved her very much. "I'm sorry Buttercup," she whispered. In a flash she moved in and struck Buttercup in the temple. She was immediately knocked out cold and began to fall towards the earth before Bubbles caught her in her arms. "I can't get you involved in this. I can't allow you or Blossom to risk your lives. Only I can stop this.
Bubbles descended into the ruins below and tucked Buttercup beneath the cover of some large slabs of rock. "Hopefully when you wake up this will all be over," she said to Buttercup's unconscious form. She then made her way towards the tower once more. She sank into the stone like it was water and disappeared altogether.
Bubbles reemerged inside the tower, but it was different from the last time she had been inside. The myriad of corridors were nonexistent, replaced instead by an expansive interior that resembled that of an old fashion castle. "So this is what Him's tower really looks like from the inside," she thought to herself. "The labyrinth was just a trick to keep us from finding this place. Him must really not want us to get inside. He's hiding something. I will have to find out what it is, but first there's something else I must attend to."
Boomer could not have been more bored. It had been nearly a day since he had seen any action and he was growing restless. He hated Him's tower. It was dull and dreary and there was nothing to do. If it were not for the Powerpuff Girls showing up he would probably have gone insane with boredom. "If only I didn't have to guard this stupid place," Boomer mumbled to himself. "How fucking long is it going to take before Lucifage initiates his plan. With all this power I shouldn't have to listen to that moron." Boomer moved through a familiar room for what seemed like the hundredth time. He turned his head to a statue of Him, an ugly statue that smiled a mocking smile back at him every time he walked by it. With a swift backfist he knocked the head clean off the statue. "I would sure like to do that for real," he thought with a chuckle as he imagined Him's head rolling across the floor.
The halls were suddenly alive sound of cracking stone as Boomer made a game of breaking every statue of Him that he saw, and there were a lot of them too. One by one he smashed them to bits, releasing his pent up frustrations on the stone likenesses of the demon he hated so much. He was really getting into it when he suddenly became aware of a familiar energy.
"It… it can't be. How could she have possibly survived?"
Bubbles could feel Boomer's energy. He was close, very close. She moved quickly, following the energy signature as she moved from room to room. She froze suddenly when a black liquid oozed from the ceiling and dripped down onto the floor in front of her. It began to condense and take form. The next thing she knew, she was face to face with the blond Ruff.
"Well well well, if it isn't Bubbles. You know, you never cease to amaze me," said Boomer. "Not only have you managed to somehow survive my deadly venom, but you've found a way into the heart of Urobach's tower. I must say, I'm quite impressed."
"You and I have some unfinished business," Bubbles said calmly.
"If you're looking for a fight, you've come to the right place," Boomer said, cracking his knuckles. "I haven't any excitement all day." He raised his hands in front of him and produced a glowing white flame around each of them.
Bubbles expression remained unchanged. "Let me make this easy for you," she said. "Return my father to me and I'll let you live,"
Boomer broke out into a fit of laughter. "You seem to have forgotten who beat who in our last battle, or did the poison wipe your memory. You are in no position to be making threats to me."
Suddenly a tremendous pulse sent Boomer skidding backwards on his heels, forcing his body deep into the wall behind him. Bubbles moved forward with slow steady steps, her eyes now glowing white and her hair billowing behind her as if caught in a strong wind. "I'll ask you again," she hissed. "Where is he?"
Boomer dislodged himself from the wall and casually dusted off his shoulders, turning to Bubbles with an amused look. "You've just made a big mistake," he said. "This time I'm going to make sure you're dead." In a flash he launched himself at Bubbles, summoning all his strength into a powerful punch. His fist connected, but not where he had anticipated. Bubbles had seized it at the last second, and held it firmly in one hand, seemingly with little effort. She retaliated with a punch of her own. He was sent flying through the wall behind him and into the next room.
As Boomer climbed to his feet he could see Bubbles advancing through the hole in the wall. He transformed one arm into a black liquid and stretching it out to meet Bubbles. It hit her head on, pushing her back through the hole and straight through the wall of the adjacent room. He continued forced her body through wall after wall, pushing her back until she finally broke through to the outside. He then forced her downwards and plowed her body into the rubble below. He appeared through the hole he had made shortly after and could see her lying amidst the debris below, seemingly unconscious.
Suddenly Bubbles' eyes opened and she shot upwards, darting full speed towards Boomer. He quickly dodged to the side and she barely missed him, but in an instant she doubled back, much faster than he had anticipated. She unleashed a hail of blows upon him, but he met each one with ease and rapidly transformed one arm into liquid form and wrapped Bubbles tightly within it. Like a whip he flicked Bubbles towards the ground, slamming her body deep into the earth. He then lifted her back and repeated the action again and again. When he was satisfied that Bubbles' body was broken, he gave one last flick and pitched her into the ground. He returned his arm to normal and looked down with satisfaction at his handywork. There was no way Bubbles could get up after a beating like that.
To Boomer's shock Bubbles suddenly emerged from her crater and ascended into the sky one more. Aside from a few tears in her outfit she was completely unscathed. "How could she withstand such a beating?" he thought. "There's not a scratch on her." He could only stare dumbfounded as Bubbles appeared before him, her face calm and serious.
"I'll give you one last chance Boomer. Tell me where you've hid my father and I'll let you walk away from this intact."
"Where did she get all this arrogance from?" Boomer thought to himself "I'll have to put her in her place." He transformed both his arms to liquid and engulfed Bubbles entirely. He was surprised when Bubbles did not struggle. It was all too easy to subdue her in the black mass. Something wasn't right. Boomer then felt a surge of power rise within his grasp. The black mass he had encased Bubbles in erupted in a brilliant flash of white light, taking both his arms along with it. When the light had dimmed he could see Bubbles hovering there, now surrounded by a glowing white aura. She looked back at him with that same calm expression.
"You Rowdyruff Boys were never very smart," Bubbles said with a hint of scorn in her voice.
Boomer was beginning to get very agitated. "You apparently don't comprehend the scope of your situation Bubbles. I guess I'll have to show you what you're really dealing with." He closed his eyes began to glow with a dark aura and his black cloak fused with his body, forming a type of armor against his skin. For the first time Bubbles could see Boomer's muscular form. Then there was an explosion of energy as Boomer summoned all his power to the surface, his hair billowed wildly as a powerful wind swirled around his body. his aura intensified until it bathed the entire area in a dark light. He opened his eyes again, which were now glowing like a pair of black flames.
"Now," Boomer began, "lets try this again." He flung himself at Bubbles with unbelievable speed and hit her in the face with earth shattering force. Bubbles went soaring in the opposite direction, the momentum carrying her clear out of Townsville. Her body tore through the forests beyond the outskirts of the city, smashing through rocks and trees until she finally came to skidding halt in the middle of the forest.
Boomer had followed Bubbles out into the forest. He searched the trail of destruction to the end, but was surprised when he could not find Bubbles body. An ominous feeling passed over him. He looked behind him and sure enough, Bubbles was hovering there, completely unscathed.
"Are you looking for me?" Bubbles said casually.
"But how? That blow should of knocked you out, if not killed you." said Boomer in complete shock.
"Maybe you're losing your touch," Bubble said in a mocking tone.
"And maybe I just need to try harder," Boomer retorted, his anger rising
Boomer flung himself at Bubbles once more, punching her in the chest with everything he had. Bubbles' body went flying once more, but this time she stopped herself only meters away. She looked up at Boomer with a smile on her face. He could clearly see a deep dent in her chest where his fist had landed. That blow should have killed her, but she simply hovered there like it was nothing.
The dent in Bubbles' chest began to expand outwards and the sound of her bones rearranging themselves was clearly audible. Moments later it was as if the wound was never there. "If you want to kill me you'll have to try much harder than that Boomer," said Bubbles, acting as if nothing had happened.
Boomer became enraged. He lunged at Bubbles and unleashed a flurry of blows upon her, hitting her with everything he had. He could feel her body breaking beneath his blows, but Bubbles remained motionless as she allowed the beating to continue unopposed. Boomer finally broke off from his assault, breathing hard from the exertion. His jaw dropped when Bubbles began to heal miraculously before his eyes. Bones, reset. Cuts closed. When it was done she was as good as new.
"Impossible. Simply impossible. No mortal could take a beating like that. It's as if she were… a demon."
Suddenly Bubbles thrust her arm forward, plowing right through Boomer's chest. A moment later she retracted and hovered there arms crossed, watching as he gripped the wound in pain. Boomer looked up at Bubbles with anger and resentment. As the pain subsided, he was able to focus on regenerating himself. In no time he had closed the hole in his chest completely.
"We can end this now Boomer. Give up and tell me where my father is hidden," said Bubbles.
"You think you've won, don't you?" Boomer responded. "You think you have this fight all wrapped up? There is one thing you forget Bubbles. Your power is now my power. You are at your limit while I can still rise even higher, and when I'm at full strength, you will be powerless to oppose me."
"Go ahead. It makes no difference," Bubbles said apathetically.
"We'll see how much of a difference it makes," Boomer bellowed.
Boomer tapped into the energy that he had stolen from Bubbles in their previous fight. Immediately it rushed through his body, filling him with an even greater sense of power. His aura began to match Bubbles' own aura, shifting from black to pure white. His eyes changed as well, the black glow being replaced by a white glow. He relished in the sensations running through him. Bubbles' energy gave him a new confidence as he felt his power skyrocket. When he was finished he could not believe how much stronger he felt.
"Now we'll see how tough you really are Powerpuff." Boomer growled, letting his new power surge through him in visible bolts that flickered like lightning.
Bubbles looked on undaunted, her expression remaining unchanged. "Yes," she whispered. "We'll see."