Allies and Rivals III

This fic happens after Allies and Rivals II: Commander and the Leader. But reading that fic and my other fics is not necessary for understanding or enjoying this fic. There are references to my other fics, notably Allies and Rivals and Allies and Rivals II. However, the only thing that needs to be understood in this was that a certain Dr William Edwards was the one who recreated the Rowdyruff Boys, not Him, after they were first destroyed by the girls by being kissed, and under his guidance, they were not evil anymore. And they were in alliance with the girls, called the Ruff Puff Alliance, with Blossom and Brick alternating as leader.


Summary: The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys race against time to prevent an evil from escaping to this world. Who are your true friends, allies, and enemies?


Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or their characters. The Powerpuff Girls are owned by Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. I only own my own characters, the most prominent of which is Dr Edwards.


Chapter II

The Ruff Puff Investigation


A. Introduction

The City of Townsville…

It has been four years since the defeat of Alpha and Ckracknow and the reshuffling of the Alliance leadership. During that time, the kids were kept relatively busy as Monster attacks continued on a weekly to monthly basis. But since the monsters were so pathetically weak because the kids got very strong as a result of their fight against Ckracknow, it did nothing but increase the prestige and reputation of the Alliance among the people of Townsville and Citiesville.

Crime continued as always, as there were always men and women who are willing violate the law in order to make an easy buck. Still, it was considerably reduced. And Blossom and Brick had different conceptions on crime-fighting. Brick insisted that it was the police's job to fight crime and the Alliance shouldn't bother themselves to it, especially since the police could do it themselves, while Blossom insisted on stopping every crime imaginable. Since they could not agree, what happened was that all the kids fought crime when Blossom was leader, but when Brick was the leader, only the girls did.

As for the villains, they still continued with their antics, though their schemes were made very difficult by the Alliance to accomplish. The Rowdyruff Boys had nearly killed most of them at one instance or the other, but the girls usually stopped them, and when Brick was leader, Dr. Edwards usually have to give orders to his boys not to kill villains. However, the beatings and the maiming were more painful with the boys around, and the Alliance became so efficient that most of the attempts were halted before they could even begin, though some villains were able to mount big operations once in a while.

Of course, the kids were not devoid of adventures. There was the instance of the Invasion of the Ghosts, the Attack of the Molemen, the Revenge of the Brocholoids, the confusion that happened when evil clones of Brick and Blossom kidnapped the real ones and assumed leadership of the alliance and it took a couple of days of chaos to find out what really happened and rescue the leaders, and others.

There were of course, other adventures that didn't involve life threatening situations. One incident when they were nine was when a spat between Brick and Blossom caused them to switch for one week, with Brick becoming leader of the girls and Blossom becoming leader of the boys, with hilarious results, when Boomer became six inches tall for a few days following an accident on the lab, when Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium attempted to imitate the ghostbusters by making equipment and going on the streets chasing ghosts, when Butch and Buttercup fought for three days nonstop over a comic book, when the girls attempted to blackmail the boys when they caught them in a prank, when Buttercup attempted a coup against Brick and Blossom for the two being so bossy, and many many more.

As for kids themselves, very little had changed in terms of personality. They were still the same kids that they were when Ckracknow was defeated. As for the attitudes of each to each other, very little changed. For example, Brick still teased and tried to annoy and insult Blossom as much as he could, though he respects her; he regarded highly both his brothers; he acted nice to Bubbles; and handled Buttercup with tact to try to get her to follow him. Butch still disliked Blossom strongly, disliked Buttercup but respected her, and holds Bubbles in contempt, though he doesn't show it at all in fear of retribution from his brothers, both of whom liked Bubbles. He still thought he was the toughest. Boomer liked Bubbles best, does not like nor dislike Blossom, and disliked Buttercup, though he's sometimes too timid when confronted by the others.

Blossom respected and liked Brick, but was annoyed with him for his constant name-calling, and frequently shouts at him for being a jerk. She respected Boomer and tries to win him over so he'll support her as much as he does Brick. As for Butch, she repeatedly tried to make peace with him, but her arrogant manner made all her efforts futile. She was still as arrogant and proud as she was before, but she was also very brilliant as leader. Bubbles liked all the boys, but likes Boomer best, then Brick, and least likes Butch. Buttercup disliked Butch strongly, was indifferent to Brick, though she was willing to follow him when he was leader, while has only contempt for Boomer, though she usually acted indifferent towards him.

As for the Edwards family, a lot of changes happened in the last four years. Three weeks after the parades, Dr. Edwards decided to hire a housekeeper to help him cope with the increasing burden of running his house while raising three boys. The first ones were disasters, and as a result, for seven months, fifteen were hired and fired because most either were either bumblers, or too clumsy, were criminals, or just were not up to the job. Finally, in August, they finally settled on Tiffany Lawrence, 21, as their permanent housekeeper. She proved to be an ideal housekeeper, as she made their house a model home for the family, always kept the house clean and in tip-top shape, and sometimes acted as a surrogate mother to the boys. She, over the objections of Dr. Edwards, even decorated the plain drab house, giving it curtains to replace the Venetian blinds, table covers on the tables, paintings to supplement the rows of diplomas and awards that hung on the walls, flowers on the tables, carpets and such, all of which were missing when only males were living in the house. She even won over all three boys, and gained the trust and approval of Dr. Edwards. In fact, she was so good that after one year, she was the one who made and allocated the house budget, which, given Dr. Edwards' stingy nature, was no easy job. She sometimes used part of her salary (which is $5,000.00 per month) to supplement it.

And she even managed to cook every day enough food to satisfy all three growing boys. In four years, she grew attached to the boys, while at the same time gained the respect and trust of Dr. Edwards. After three years, she even became Dr. Edwards' private secretary, with the doctor promoting Mr. Clark to Executive Vice- President. In fact, she became so useful that she had become indispensable for the family. She was now 25, is about 5'6", and had brown hair and blue eyes. Her weaknesses were a tendency to stare dreamily at Dr. Edwards, which annoyed the doctor no end, her tendency to make unauthorized decorations in the house, which while tasteful, was objected to by the doctor, and the fact that she usually tends to talk too much when she gets in the mood.

The boys themselves grew physically. They were taller than they were when they were recreated, but they were still quite short. At ten, Brick was 4'7", Butch was 4'11", while Boomer was 4' 9". The girls at the time grew faster, and are currently taller than the boys. Blossom was 5'0", Bubbles was 4'11", while Buttercup was 4'11.5". At school, they were mischievous. Many many times, either Dr. Edwards or Ms. Lawrence had to come to the Principal's office after some prank that the boys had done. Their Character and Conduct grades usually was F, D, or at the highest C. Academically, however, all three boys were at the top of their class, not having a grade lower than A minus. Socially, they were the most popular boys, and they had no scruple about using their popularity to attain real power over the other kids. Soon, they were the most influential boys in school, and had more than a hundred kids who follow the orders of Brick in and out of school. They even had no misgivings of using their powers to influence people to benefit themselves, though they only hurt or beat up those whom they considered bullies. In return, the boys will usually do favors to those whom pledge loyalty to Brick.

Dr. Edwards, now 44, grew even richer as he absorbed more of his rivals' companies, though he refused to move to a bigger house or hire more servants or buy expensive furniture due to his parsimony. He was considered one of the most powerful and influential men of Townsville, or even of the state and country itself.

As for the Utoniums, they managed pretty much as before. Because unlike the Rowdyruff Boys—who were clumsy and incompetent in household chores, the girls pretty much can do housework competently, and they didn't need any help at all. The Professor became the Dean of the University of Townsville, and after two years, he was University President. He was even invited by local politicians to either run for Mayor, or serve in the Mayor's cabinet, though the Professor declined. The Professor, now 44, was having a very content life. He was happy with his lot. Professionally, he can only go up. Like Dr. Edwards, he was considered one of the most powerful and influential men in Townsville, the state, and the country.

The girls themselves were different. At school, they were academically excellent, and usually competed with the boys for the top honors. Buttercup was the most mischievous of the three, and at various times, were partners with the boys in committing some mischief. She usually had a D or C in her Character and Conduct grade. Bubbles was very kind, and very nice. She was also humble and well liked. She always gets an A in conduct. Blossom is similar. She was nice, she was kind, but her overbearing arrogance balances her good reputation. She usually doesn't break any rules, and thus, her Character and conduct is A. They were the most popular girls in school, and unlike the boys, the girls just blended in with the others, trying not to get much attention to themselves. They didn't approve of the boys using their powers for their own gain. Thus, they didn't get the following, power and influence over the students that the boys grabbed early on.

On attire, the boys just wore larger versions of their earlier clothes. Buttercup dumped her dress in favor of jeans and T-shirts, calling skirts and dresses for sissies and too girlie, and refused to wear them except for formal occasions. Bubbles usually wore a long plain dress that reaches to her shins, and refused to wear pants or jeans, calling it boys' clothes, except on gym. Blossom usually wears a shorter dress or skirt than Bubbles, reaching up to her knees, or wore jeans instead, depending on the situation. She still had a large red bow on her hair.

That is the situation that morning of July 10, four years after Dr. Edwards recreated the boys.


B. The First Ruff-Puff Meeting of the Day

It was seven-thirty in the morning, and Brick, Butch and Boomer were just outside the Utonium house. Brick rang the doorbell. The door opened and it revealed the Professor.

"Hi Boys. The girls are still eating breakfast. Want to join us?" asked the Professor.

"Sure, we'd love to—" Boomer began.

"Sorry, all three of us have already eaten. We just want to see the girls on some important matter, right Boomer?" Brick interrupted, glaring at Boomer.

"Oh yeah, of course," said Boomer, scratching his head while grinning.

"Girls, the boys are here," shouted the Professor.

"Okay, we're finished," said Bubbles before she appeared before the boys.

"Hi boys," she cheerily greeted.

"Hi," said Boomer, though he kept his enthusiasm in check.

"Did you come here to play?" asked Bubbles, looking down at the shorter Rowdyruffs.

"No," Brick snapped in a deadly serious tone. "It's strictly Alliance business. Anywhere, where is that red-headed ugly g—"

Blossom and Buttercup suddenly appeared. "Well, you should have your eyes examined, because it's clear you can't tell who is ugly and who's not," Blossom said, brushing off his teasing. "If you want to find someone ugly, just look at a mirror. So, what's the news?"

"Yeah, why come here so early in the morning," Buttercup complained.

"Actually, seven-thirty a.m. is kinda late," said Butch.

"Anyway, I think we better go in, because this is a long story," said Brick.

They entered, and sat around the couch.

"So? Cough it out!" Blossom said.

"Hold your horses, girl," said Brick. He took a tape recorder from his pocket. "I think you better listen to this. You see, Chief Grulp had a pretty long tale, and I recorded it to save me the effort of retelling it."

"Let me guess, you taped him without him knowing," said Blossom.

"How'd you know I didn't first ask him politely?" replied Brick.

Blossom smirked. "Oh let's just say I know you too well! And the fact that this is the umpteenth time you did this didn't hurt too."

"Gee! Am I that good? A true mark of a genius! Anyway, let's listen to what he has to say," Brick said before pushing the play button.


A few minutes later when they all heard the tape…

"Anyway, I think someone is trying to control the city by taking over its officials," said Brick. "Obviously, the inverted V mark is the sign that one has been taken over by whoever was behind this."

"Yet, we still don't know who could be responsible," said Boomer. "I mean we haven't had any kind of encounter like this before. I mean, forehead marks, somebody to take over the minds? Hey, maybe they're clones, like the one that impersonated Brick and Blossom before! Maybe the Mayor and Ms. Bellum and the entire police force with the exception of Grulp were kidnapped?"

"But why would you put a V mark on a clone?" asked Buttercup.

"Maybe to distinguish to the one who created the clones from the originals," replied Bubbles.

"But why would you mark your clone differently, when the original was kidnapped? The Blossom and Brick clones a year ago wasn't marked with any sign at all by Dick Hardley," Buttercup argued back. "He wouldn't need any distinguishing mark when one set is captive while the other is impersonating the other."

"Besides," Brick added, "why would a clone completely change the personality of the original so drastically? I mean, don't you think they would first try to adapt their personality then slowly change, rather than abruptly changing their personalities, thus inviting suspicion? No, no, I don't think it's a clone at all, but we still have to hear about Blossom, our great, fearless, ugly and annoying leader!"

"Ha ha, very funny," said Blossom dryly. "Anyway, I agree with those who say that it can't be clones. It's too improbable!"

"And thus, our infallible and perfect leader has spoken, so it must be true," Brick sarcastically said, "though seriously, I agree with her."

"Don't you think it's Him?" Blossom wondered.

"Who?" asked Butch curiously.

"Him!" Bubbles repeated.

"What's his name?" asked Boomer.

"Him!" Blossom said.

"He asked for his name, not for a pronoun describing him!" Brick replied. "And even for a pronoun, it's grammatically wrong! It should be he, since he is a subject, while him is an object, and what we're asking is a subject matter, not an object! For such a smart girl, you're sure dumb on grammar!"

"Listen Brick, Him is a name—"

"No! A name is a noun! Him is a pronoun," Boomer interjected. "And like Brick said, it's not even a subject pronoun, but an object pronoun! And we all know he can't be an object because then it would be referring to someone else, which is the subject! The Mayor, Ms. Bellum and the Police Force were the object, and whoever was behind it was the subject. Really, to think that you got an A on your English! You can't even distinguish a noun from a pronoun, and a subject from a predicate!"

"Listen, you fools—" said Blossom.

"Ha, coming out from the one who can't even make proper sentences!" Brick mocked. "It should be He, not Him, and who is he? Geez, I sometimes wonder if you are speaking English or Gibberish."

"Look, I am the leader of this alliance and I demand that you listen to me!" Blossom shouted. "You understand? Me! Not you!"

"Yes, Blossom," Brick said, and he kept quiet.

"Anyway, it's true that the word him is a pronoun, but that is not the point. Him might be the one who is behind this," Blossom explained.

"But who is him, or who is he?" Boomer frustratingly asked. "Please, make use of He! My brain cells are being destroyed every minute you use him, not he!"

"Will you all shut up? This is supposed to be an investigation on what really happened, not a lesson in English grammar!" Blossom exploded. "Now, if you just listen, then you boys, will get what we're trying to say!"

"Okay, we're waiting," said Butch. "But it better be good."

"Okay. Before you guys were recreated by Dr. Edwards, one of the villains that we girls constantly battled was a demon who usually attacks us by the mind. He usually tries to destroy us psychologically. Several times, he nearly succeeded, though we always won in the end," Blossom narrated. "He's—"

"I thought it was Him, not He?" said Brick.

"No, He is referring to Him—" Bubbles corrected.

"Now I'm confused," said Butch. "What's this bleeping business with He and Him and such?"

"Yeah! Make up your mind, is it a He, or a Him?" Boomer asked incredulously, as confused as Butch.

"It's Him," said Blossom. "Okay, to avoid confusion, I'll refer to him as the Demon, since that is what he is."

"I thought He is Him?" Boomer asked.

"Oh shut up, Boomer," Brick snapped. "Could we all agree that whatever Blossom is referring to we call the Demon, as we'll just get confused if we use any pronoun to refer to anyone that Blossom is talking about."

"Thank you Brick," said Blossom. "Now, the Demon is one of our main recurring enemies, like Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy, the Gang Green Gang—"

"Wait a minute," Brick interrupted. "If what you say is true, how come we guys didn't encounter the Demon? I mean, those bozos like Mojo and Fuzzy we've met and fought, but I never encountered a demon? So how can he be a recurring villain?"

"Trust me, boys, he is," Buttercup said. "He's a very tough opponent, as it attacks you by the mind. He tries to influence you by manipulating your fears and wants."

"Did you see this Demon?" asked Butch.

"Yes. He's color red, and has a high squeaked feminine voice if I can remember right," Bubbles added. "Though if he became angry, his, I mean the Demon's voice become scary and loud, the one voice you always hear on monsters on late night TV."

Butch suddenly paled. "I don't think it's the Demon," he said, "who's responsible."

"And why not?" asked Boomer.

"Because I have a hunch," said Butch.

"Have any information about this Demon?" asked Brick to Butch.

"Nah. Just a hunch," said Butch.

"Well, we still have to listen to what else they say about this Demon," said Brick.

"Thing is, when you guys suddenly appeared, he suddenly disappeared and never made an attack on us ever at all. I don't know why," Buttercup finished.

"Okay, so what do we do, o great leader Blossom, who is so very humble," said Brick with a humorous tone.

"I, the ever humble, modest, smartest and most beautiful Blossom," Blossom replied, before smiling and giggling, "seriously though, here's what we should do. Me and the girls will see what we can learn from Him, the demon—"

"Don't you think it should be he, the demon, not him—oh never mind," Boomer said as several gave him stares of disapproval.

Blossom then barked orders. "As I was saying, me and Buttercup would go and try to find Him—"

"It should be He, not-"

"Aw shut up, Boomer!" the rest of them shouted at Boomer.

"Geez, sorry! I'm still confused about he Him and He stuff. Could you please try referring to whatever Blossom's talking about to something other than a pronoun?" Boomer replied.

"As I was saying, Buttercup and I will go see the Demon—there, satisfied, boys?—and see if he, I mean the Demon really was behind all of this," said Blossom, "while you boys will go interview the Mayor and Ms. Bellum and Mr. Kaczinsci."

"Why should you go to that Demon while we do some boring interview?" grumbled Butch.

"Because dummy, they know the Demon, they know how to deal with the Demon, they've defeated the Demon before, while we know nothing about the Demon at all. Besides, I want to know how much did the Mayor, Ms. Bellum and others with the mark of the inverted V changed. I assume you know them well enough—I do—to know if they acted strange or peculiar," Brick instructed.

"Thank you Brick," Blossom said, "besides, even without good reason, I am the leader, and you will do as I say, even if you don't like it, because I am almost never wrong and my plans always work beautifully!"

"Well, if your plan is as beautiful as your face, then we know that it would all come crashing down," Brick joked.

"If my plan is as beautiful as my face, then it would have no flaws and be absolutely perfect," said Blossom. "But perfect or not, you still have to do as I say!"

"Really humble and modest, aren't we?" replied Brick.

"You know you'll get back at me next month when you're leader, so let's call it even," said Blossom.

"Oh brother," Buttercup said. "They can't even last a meeting without insulting each other?"

"Yeah, but they usually act nice to each other," said Bubbles. "They're just teasing."

"Any other questions?

"Um, what am I supposed to do?" asked Bubbles.

"Oh yeah, you'll go with the boys," said Blossom.

"Um, okay," said Bubbles.

"But why? Isn't she supposed to go with you, I mean isn't it the plan that you girls, including Bubbles, go to the Demon while we boys go and interview them?" Brick replied.

"Well, I just want to make sure you're polite to them," said Blossom. "I'm sending Bubbles to report if you are in any way rude to them."

"I'm overwhelmed by your trust in me," Brick, dripping with sarcasm, said.

"Well, we can't waste any time," said Blossom. "Okay, let's go!"

Blossom and Buttercup then left their house.

"Girls!" Brick muttered, "always a boys' headache. Sometimes, I wonder if I was crazy, or just on pot, when I made that alliance."

"Aw Brick, we all know that you know that the alliance was formed because we need to work together," said Bubbles giggling. "Isn't that right, Boomer?"

Boomer suddenly turned red when Bubbles looked at him and began to sweat and whimper. "Well, uh, you see, I think, huh, um, well, you, I think, um, whatever—"

"Pathetic! Simply pathetic," said Butch. "Babbling and melting when Bubbles looks and talks at you! You may be a tough Rowdyruff, but you're still a sissy."

"I do not babble and talk!" Boomer shot back. "You hear me, never!"

"Will you guys shut up!" said Brick. "We have more important things to do you know."

"So, are going to the Mayor's house, or are we going to the Police station first?" asked Bubbles.

"Let's go to Mr. Grulp's house," said Butch, "I want to know something he hadn't told us."

"Really? I thought we need all that we needed to know?" asked Boomer.

"Well, there's one more thing," said Butch.

"Then what are we waiting for," Brick replied. "Let's go."

The three boys and Bubbles then flew towards Mr. Grulp, formerly known as Chief Grulp.


C. Interviews

"What can I do for you kids?" asked Mr. Grulp in his home after he invited the kids to his house.

"Well, could you draw what the inverted V mark looks like?" asked Butch.

"So that's what you want to ask?" replied Brick. "Makes sense to me!"

"Sure," said Grulp. "Anything to help. Just give me a minute."

The former Police Chief went to his room and emerged a minute later with a bond paper and a pencil. He put the paper on a flat table and began drawing with his left hand. Ten seconds later, he showed the drawing to the kids. Below the drawing, he signed his name.

Bubbles, Boomer, and Brick observed the drawing with interest, while Butch paled, his breathing quickened, his heartbeat increased its rate, and his face was that of either shock, or terror.

"What's the matter, Butch?" asked Bubbles. "You seemed kind of shocked, or like you've seen a ghost."

"Huh? N-N-Nothing, nothing a-a-a-a-at all," Butch replied.

"You sure?" asked Brick.

"Sure," said Butch.

"Oh well, thanks Mr. Grulp," said Bubbles.

"You're welcome," said Grulp.

During the four years, the boys, under the tutelage of Dr. Edwards, and Ms. Lawrence, had become much more polite and they now keep their tantrums, profanities, and such in private. Though their attitudes hadn't changed much.

"Come on, let's get going," said Brick. "Bye Mr. Grulp."

"Bye boys, Bubbles," said Grulp.

"So now, where do we go?" asked Bubbles.

"We go to City Hall first," said Brick.

"But what are we going to ask?" Boomer said.

"We'll simply ask them why the Mayor fired the Chief of Police. Personally, and in any other situation, I don't give a shit why he was fired, but it is a good excuse to observe them, to see how much did they changed. And to detect any presence of anything that is controlling them. If anything, we can confirm if it is indeed the Demon that Blossom is referring to," said Brick.

"What are we going to observe about them?" asked Bubbles.

"See if there's anything unusual about them—the Mayor and the Chief of Police. We know them well enough for such a long time that we can be able to judge any peculiarities to their personalities, to see how much they've changed," Brick explained.

They finally arrived at City Hall, and immediately went to the Mayor's office. They found the Mayor playing with a toy plane with Ms. Bellum standing by his side. Taking a quick look at both the Mayor and Ms. Bellum, they quickly noticed the inverted V mark on both of their foreheads. Butch got even paler than he already was.

"Get out of the way," said the Mayor as he operated a remote controlled airplane that the kids easily avoided. However, several vases and paintings weren't so lucky as they got hit and was shattered.

"Yes! The vile lairs were destroyed by my plane!" the Mayor childishly said.

"Mayor, those vile lairs are actually your vases and paintings," said Ms. Bellum.

"You mean that those vases and paintings are disguises for the evil lairs! Now they've met their match, as I am too smart to be fooled and I've known all this years that those are not really vases and paintings, but evil lairs," said the Mayor.

"Um Mayor, excuse me. I just want to ask you something," said Brick.

"You want to find out how I defeated the monsters in their lair with my trusty plane?" the Mayor replied as he picked up his toy plane amid the little pieces that formerly had been his expensive vase.

"No, Mayor," Brick said. "Why did you fire Mr. Grulp?"

"I fired him? Oh my! How badly was he burnt?" the Mayor naively asked.

"Mayor, I meant put out of work," said Boomer, not believing the Mayor's stupidity.

"Oh let me explain," said Ms. Bellum. "You see we didn't fire him. Alexander Grulp resigned on his own volition."

"Really? Then why did he claim that he was fired?" asked Butch.

"Yup! Grulp said earlier this day to us that he was fired," said Brick, "so we decided to ask you why."

"But I thought we already know—" Bubbles began, but Boomer covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shut up, Bubbles, this is all part of Brick's plan," Boomer whispered before removing his hand from Bubbles mouth.

Bubbles nodded.

"Well, I don't know what he said to you," said Ms. Bellum, "but we didn't fire him. We wouldn't fire such a fine officer. But he wanted to quit, so we respected his wishes."

"Um, okay," said Bubbles.

"But why did the Chief say he was fired?" asked Brick.

"I don't know. Maybe he was confused. I think you better ask him again, because I repeat, he was an exceptional policeman and we wouldn't even think of firing him. He resigned voluntarily."

"Well, thanks," said Boomer.

"And why do you have those inverted V marks on your foreheads?" asked Butch in an accusatory manner.

"Oh this?" said Ms. Bellum, pointing to the mark on her forehead. "Oh it's nothing. It's just a tattoo, you know. It's what's in for us adults these days. Look, everybody that's grown-up has them!"

"Well, thanks anyway," said Brick. "But I have to say. It's strange, really, you know, about all this business."

"And Mr. Grulp also said something about you cutting the police salaries to the bone," Butch asked.

"That's not true! I would never let the Mayor do that to our fine police force," Ms. Bellum said, defending herself and the Mayor, waving her arms. "Please! You know me better than that. I'll never do such a thing!"

But they were interrupted when Butch suddenly exploded in anger, shouting at the Mayor and Ms. Bellum. "Liar! You two are liars! You're telling us that Chief Grulp didn't resign, but in truth, you fired him! You're up to something no good, I can feel it! You're putting up an act, but I can see though your bullshit! Now tell me the real reason you fired him and your real plans for the city!"

"Look Butch, I don't know what you're talking—" Ms. Bellum said.

"Don't play games with me, Ms. Bellum, Mayor, I know you're just acting, so cough it out!" Butch shouted back.

"Butch, stop it!" Brick said. "Stop your ranting this instant!"

"But Brick, can't you tell, they're lying!" said Butch. "Look, look at them! They're out to get us! Believe me!"

"And your proof?" asked Brick.

"I don't have any proof! It's just my gut feeling! Look, they're evil! They're out to take over Townsville, they're out to get us! They're liars, I tell you! Look, they don't have proof disproving Mr. Grulp's assertion. Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! And Brick's your stupid if you think that—" Butch shouted at the top of his voice, yelling at everyone.

It ended when he receive a punch to his stomach from Brick.

"Why you," said Butch, "you can't do that to me!" and attacked Brick.

But before he could get near him, Brick shouted.

"Don't ever call me seriously call me stupid in front of others. And stop this, right this minute! As the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, I order you to, and if you do not desist, I will punish you!" Brick said.

Butch stopped as he saw his brother's eyes. It was frightening and intimidating. Suddenly, Butch went to the floor, walked towards Brick and apologized. "I'm sorry for my outburst, Brick. Thanks for knocking sense into me. But I still believe that they're the ones who's lying," he said, pointing his had towards the shocked Ms. Bellum and the Mayor who was merrily eating his pickles. "If you don't believe me, then why did Ms. Bellum offer no proof to disprove what Mr. Grulp said?"

Ms. Bellum then opened the Mayor's table. "Sorry for not showing this earlier. I think this will put this issue to rest."

Brick took the two documents handed to him by Ms. Bellum and he in turn handed it to Boomer. "Boomer, tell me what you can say about the document."

"Well, it checks out. It says that Mr. Grulp resigned because he wished to pursue other things that are more important in his life. The letters are black, with a font of 12, uses the Times New Roman, is 1.5 spaced, and condensed. It obviously was computerized and printed. The printer used was an HP-psc paper is a white bond paper, legal sized. There is the seal of the Police Department on the corner. Grulp's signature is in blue ink, though curiously, the ink didn't blot at all, and you can't feel the bumps at the back of the paper one would normally feel when you write hard with a pen. Overall, this checks out."

Boomer continued looking at the other document.

"The other one is the police budget, and it compares the budget in the present year compared to that of last year. This one was also computerized. The text was that of Arial, font 9, and such. It was printed in the same computer, has the City government's seal on it. The budget for the salary of the police was actually increased from that of last year. This also checks out."

"Well, Butch, there is your proof," said Brick. "Sorry for the disturbance, Ms. Bellum, Mayor. We'll be going. Bye!"

"It's okay," said Ms. Bellum.

Butch looked dumbfounded as they flew out of the building. He face was filled with disbelief and defeat.

"Bubbles, what do you think? Did the Mayor and Ms. Bellum resemble anything described by Mr. Grulp?" Brick asked.

"Well Brick," said Bubbles, "they were like they used to be, not like how Mr. Grulp described them. They are the Ms. Bellum and Mayor we all know and love."

"Boomer?" asked Brick.

"Well, Bubbles is right. The Mayor is as stupid as ever, so Mr. Grulp's assertion that he is acting intelligent is ludicrous. Plus, Ms. Bellum has none of the malevolence that Mr. Grulp says she has," Boomer replied.

"Butch?"

"It's all an act! Mr. Grulp was right! If you don't see it, then you're blind! They're up to something, I know they are!" Butch ranted.

"And your proof is?" asked Brick.

"No proof. Just gut feeling," said Butch.

"Look, Ms. Bellum actually produced a real proof disproving Mr. Grulp's charges, while Mr. Grulp only has his own words," said Brick.

"Yeah, but I don't believe their explanation on the so-called tattoo," said Butch. "I mean saying that that's what's in? Come on! What kind of fools do they take us for to believe such nonsense?"

"Well, that tattoo explanation is kind of suspect," Boomer said. "But I agree with Brick. Other than that, nothing is suspect about Ms. Bellum's version of events, and Mr. Grulp seems to me that he can't get his facts right."

"Look, we'll see if we can glean anything from the police force," said Brick. "If anything, we can check out who is telling the truth."


When they arrived at the front of the police station…

"Bubbles and I will go in. Boomer, you and Butch will stay here outside and wait until we finish," said Brick.

Boomer merely nodded.

"But why?" asked Butch. "Why should we wait here outside while you and the girl go in?"

"Because, I don't want you to yell and shout at the station the way you did in City Hall."

"You can't just—" Butch protested.

"Oh yes I can! I am Brick! I am your leader, and you will do as I say," Brick said.

Butch stared at Brick's eyes angrily before giving in. "If that's what you want," Butch sighed, defeated. "But tell us everything they said."

"We'll do," said Brick. "Let's go Bubbles."

Both Bubbles and Brick went to the police station while Boomer and Butch waited outside.

Twenty minutes later, both kids went out of the police station. Brick had an unreadable expression on his face, while Bubbles has happy skipping towards them.

"Let's go home," said Brick, "and see the results of Blossom's investigation."

"So?" asked Butch as they flew towards home.

"Well, first, all of them had that inverted V mark that Mr. Grulp described," Bubbles began. "I asked about it and they said that it was a tattoo that's in. I asked them about how'd they react to a salary cut, and all of them reacted negatively. They'd quit, look for another job, call a strike, they won't just meekly follow orders while their salaries are being cut. Overall, they acted like they always do. Many of them are munching donuts, while some are doing some paperwork, and listening to complaints, while others thanked and congratulated us for a job well done."

"While she was talking with the officers, I had a long interview with Mr. Kaczinsci. Overall, he just confirmed what Ms. Bellum said. As for his behavior, there's nothing out of the ordinary," said Brick.

"What? Are you sure? I'm certain that that's all a big act, I mean, I have a feeling that something sinister is afoot, and that they are covering their tracks from us! Except that mark on the forehead, which they can't remove so they can identify who is with them," said Butch. "I mean, look, this is all a big conspiracy to hide what they are doing from us. Don't you see? Isn't it obvious?"

"Then, assuming that what you and Mr. Grulp are saying is true, why didn't they bother to hide it from Mr. Grulp?" asked Brick.

"Because now that he's fired, he's no threat to them, unlike us, who can't be eliminated," Butch argued.

"Look, what you said makes as much sense as those JFK assassination theories, or those who say Roosevelt is behind Pearl Harbor," Brick replied. "Look, unless you have anything new to say, or new evidence supporting what you're saying, I suggest you drop it. It'll only make you look like a lunatic."

"You do have evidence, don't you?" asked Boomer.

"Well, um, no," said Butch.

"Then drop it," said Brick.

"Well Butch, you can tell it to Blossom, maybe she'll believe you," said Bubbles.

"Do you believe me, Bubbles?" asked Butch.

"Well, um, I don't know," said Bubbles, "but I think we better wait and hear and see what Blossom has dug in their investigation."

They then went home, where they ate the refreshments Ms. Lawrence prepared, and waited for Blossom and Buttercup. They finally arrived an hour later…


D. The Second Ruff-Puff Meeting of the Day

"Find anything, oh illustrious infallible great leader?" Brick asked.

"Well, you lowly loyal slave who's always wrong, no I didn't find anything," said Blossom.

"Yeah, we went to where Him usually hides, and went to see the usual signs of the Demon's attacks, but found nothing. Of course, he might be getting smarter 'bout hiding his actions," said Buttecup.

"Oh yeah, Bubbles, did any of the boys act rude or uncouth or did they threaten anyone?" Blossom asked.

Bubbles looked toward Butch for a moment. Butch braced himself to being berated by Blossom again.

"Nope! They were polite and they acted nice throughout," said Bubbles. "Butch got a little out of hand, but it was nothing."

"I see," said Blossom. "So Brick, how's your investigation?"

Brick told Blossom and Buttercup what happened, and even showed them photocopies of Grulp's resignation letter and the police budget.

"Well, I hate to say this, but Alexander Grulp is either mad, or a liar," Blossom concluded.

"Wait, I don't think he's lying or mad," said Butch.

"And why is that?" asked Blossom.

Butch then told what he's thinking to Blossom. It was the same to what he told his brothers and Bubbles earlier.

"That is ridiculous. Look, I also thought that someone was trying to control the city, but after all the evidence gathered I have changed my mind," said Blossom. "Look, as Brick probably has said, Mr. Grulp has nothing but his own words, which was contradicted not only by the words of Ms. Bellum and the police, but by the actions of those people. They didn't act the way Mr. Grulp described they acted. And not only that, they had produced evidence while Grulp only has his inverted V mark. I don't believe what they said about it, but evidence favoring them is overwhelming."

"Yeah, but I still believe I'm right," said Butch.

"Well, where do we go from here?" asked Buttercup.

"We have hit a dead end," said Brick. "All our threads have snapped!"

"Well, I think that we don't have any case at all. Since we all agree that Mr. Grulp is discredited, why continue with this? It's just a waste of time," said Boomer.

"Yeah, we have been made to look like fools," said Buttercup. "But why would he lie to us? He's a very decent guy!"

"I don't know. But as of now, unless something new turns up, then this case is closed," said Blossom.

"But you can't—" Butch protested.

"I said, that unless something new turns up, then it's closed! And I can! I am the leader of this alliance and I can do it!"

Butch backed down, as he knew both his brothers support it.

None of the others objected.