It was such a warm, beautiful day as Alice and her team walked into Orchid Bay's city limits. Almost immediately, her team was swarmed by three Boardwalk Brawlers. Without even looking, Alice raised up a hand and erected an energy shield to her left, blocking the hit from the Boardwalk Brawlers that tried to use their body to ram into her. She morphed the shield to completely enclose the Brawlers, and raised it into the air. She removed the barrier from around the monsters, and Junior shot out three tentacles, striking the Brawlers through the middle. The monsters burst into Fusion Matter, and the matter flowed into her and Junior's NanoComs. Not a single member in the team blinked at the attempted attack, keeping pace as they travelled through Orchid Bay.
It was becoming second nature when it came to fighting Fusion Monsters. The team had been helping around the Downtown district since bringing the space visitors to the hospital (which they still had no word on), deciding their time was better spent helping out in the area than attempting to travel all the way back to the Wilds. The group was currently on the way to meet up with the Grim Reaper himself. They had been sent by Grim to retrieve a stolen item of his. The Arch Welders were easy enough to handle, though Junior had been more than annoyed when he realized the important item Grim wanted was a desk lamp. Suzy swiping the item from his hand was the only thing that saved it from being tossed in the stream.
Suzy was leading the group, as she typically did. Held lazily in her left hand was the desk lamp, which Junior was giving a dirty look to. It wasn't like Junior didn't want to help out his old buddy Grim, but the fact that the bag of bones sent him (and the team) to pick up a stupid lamp raised his blood pressure a few degrees. They were supposed to be helping the war effort against Fuse, not pick up office supplies.
"Stop staring at it," Suzy instructed, keeping her eyes forward.
Junior startled, jerking his head upward to stare at the girl. "How do yo-"
"Assume I have eyes on the back of my head," Suzy countered Junior's protesting, looking over her shoulder to give the boy a Cheshire-like smirk. "A~nd that I know everything."
Junior huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from the redhead and the desk lamp she held in her hand. Suzy giggled, and returned her eyes to the road.
"We could have just emailed it," Junior pointed out sullenly.
"But it's such a nice day! Doesn't the fresh air just make you burst with happiness?" Suzy asked, throwing both arms up over her head.
Junior rolled his eyes from behind his glasses, but he did peek at the water to his right. Because of how peaceful the day was, the waves matched the energy and lapped lazily against the rocks. It was a nice day, and if you pretended the Fusion Monsters didn't exist, it would almost be a normal day. Most of Orchid Bay had been spared from the Fusion Matter infestation, although the trade off was that it was highly concentrated at the Cutts and Bruises Skate Park.
"Alice!" a voice called out cheerfully from ahead of the group.
Seconds later, a body crashed into the alien, arms coming and wrapping themselves around the girl. Alice stumbled back a step from the impact, but stayed upright. Long pink hair entered her field of vision, momentarily stumping the alien girl until the owner pulled back. Gloved hands gripped Alice's upper arms, maintaining contact between the two girls. Alice blinked as she recognized the pink haired girl.
"Peach?" Alice asked, surprised to see the sorceress.
"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Peach practically squealed. "How have you been? What have you been up to? Where are you going?" Her honey eyes widened when she noticed Suzy and Junior standing nearby. "Oooh. Who are you friends?"
"Are you going to actually let her speak?" a male's voice questioned. "Or are you just asking rhetorical questions?"
Alice glanced to Peach's right, finding a dark skin, blond haired teen about Peach's age standing with an impassive look on his face. The boy was wearing a green vest, but most surprisingly was the hilt of a sword poking up from behind his right shoulder. Peach stuck her tongue out in the teen's direction, which earned her a raised eyebrow in response.
"Alice and I go way back," the girl argued. "I'm catching up."
The teenager's eyebrow raised up to his hairline in a challenging manner. "You can't really play catch up if you don't let her talk."
"No, no, it's okay," Alice interrupted, smiling softly. "I'm not a big talker."
Peach released a victorious "hmph!" that had the boy rolling his eyes.
"I should introduce you to my friends," Alice said, raising up her hand and using it to indicate to her two travelling companions. "This is Suzy and Nergal Junior."
"Junior's fine," the half-demon added.
"We were on our way to deliver an item to Grim," Alice continued, answering an earlier question of Peach's.
"Oh, what a coincidence. Ezra" -Peach waved her hand in the boy's direction- "is on a mission for Grim, too."
"You're seriously going to tell them?" Ezra complained.
"Why not? It's not like it's a secret. Grim would probably be happy you're telling people he's not working for Fuse."
"Wait... what?" Junior questioned, his eyes widening. He was the most familiar with the reaper of the group, so this came as a complete surprise to the boy. "What's going on?"
"So get this." Peach moved away from Alice, and rested her elbow on Ezra's shoulder. Because he stood at least half a head taller, the position looked awkward. Not like it bothered the pink-haired girl. "Ezra gets talked into spying on Grim for Numbuh One, but he gets caught, so now he's helping Grim clear his name."
"What's he having you do?" Junior asked, mildly wondering if it was as stupid as getting a desk lamp.
Ezra didn't look like he was going to join in on the conversation, but he eventually sighed and dropped his arms, resting his fingerless gloved hands on his hips.
"He had me go after Fusion Mandy over at that sand castle infected zone. Apparently, she was trying to manipulate him, and so he was suspected of switching sides after the SPYCAM I installed for Numbuh One caught the two meeting." He brought up his left hand and to his head, rubbing at it subconsciously in a nervous gesture. "Unfortunately, she escaped before I could stop her, and she's teamed up with Fusion Grim, who is up in Crystalline Caverns. Grim wants me to go and get rid of both of them before they cause even more people to suspect him of being a traitor."
Peach closed her eyes and placed a hand on her puffed out chest. "Meanwhile, I came down here to get Grim's Scrying Lens for Gwen Tennyson. She's investigating something called the Book of Prophecy, but she can't read it. I'd help, but learning runish isn't until my sixth year." She opened her eyes and pointed with her thumb over her shoulder in the direction the reaper was in. "Grim's loaning it to her, and I offered to come get it. Since she's located in Pimpleback Mountain, we're travelling together and I'll even help him with the Fusions since there's two of them now."
Alice took in the information given to her. A sense of relief settled in her bones as she heard the Book of Prophecy was in Gwen's possession. She felt a little proud of herself for saying something to the Mystery Inc. gang, even if she hadn't been sure at first. She wondered what the book was about, but it must be something important if the word 'prophecy' followed its title. She just hoped it would be useful.
"What's Grim got you guys doing?" Peach asked, leaning forward, intrigued by what Alice and her friends were up to.
"Delivery mission," Suzy chirped, holding up the lamp.
"He wants us to return this stupid lamp," Junior complained, crossing his arms. "Had us defeat some Arch Welders for it, and all it is, is a stupid lamp."
"Grim's the Grim Reaper," Suzy reasoned. "He has a good reason for wanting this."
Junior looked at Suzy nonplussed. "He was sworn into serving two kids from a bet."
Suzy shrugged. "It has no bearing on this mission."
While the two went about their back and forth, Peach took the time to lean in further to inspect the lamp held in Suzy's hand. The redhead was moving her arm up and down, but Peach followed the movement diligently, a serious frown stitched into her face. Ezra looked at his friend curiously, noticing the serious look she was paying to the office item.
"You recognize this?" he asked.
"I think I do," Peach answered, and her answer got Suzy and Junior to drop their bickering. The pink haired sorceress gripped her chin with her thumb and index finger, thinking hard as her honey eyes narrowed in concentration. "I can't recall it's name, but I know I've seen this somewhere before." After a moment of not coming up with a name, she dropped her hand and shook her head. "Sorry, can't recall. But it's definitely magical. I'd get that to Grim as soon as possible before another monster decides it wants to play keep away."
"We should probably leave," Ezra added. "We need to get to those Fusions before they cause even more problems."
Peach sighed dramatically. "Alright." She reached forward and drew Alice into a hug, patting the girl on the back. "Take care, Alice."
"You, too," Alice responded, returning the brief embrace.
Parting ways with Peach and Ezra, Team Super Stars continued further into Orchid Bay. They arrived just in time to see Grim shooing away a candy pirate. Despite the fact he lacked any muscles or flesh, he was still able to express emotions. Annoyance was radiating off him like heat off the asphalt, and the skeleton was rubbing at the space between his empty eye sockets. He released a sigh, exhaling his annoyance. Suzy continued forward undisturbed, but Alice hung back. Junior spoke of Grim like he was harmless, but he was the Grim Reaper.
"Hey Grim!" Suzy greeted happily, her voice spooking the reaper since he had believed he was alone. "Who was that?"
"Nutin ta worry about," Grim answered, composing himself as he eyed the team. "Did ya get de item?"
Suzy grinned proudly and held up the desk lamp.
"Ah, wond'rful," Grim said. He held out his skeleton hand and accepted the desk lamp. "Dexter will be wantin' dis."
"I don't recall seeing this at Billy's house, so what's it supposed to do?" Junior questioned, looking unimpressed as his eyes landed on the lamp once more.
"Don't mind him, Grim. He's feeling cranky," Suzy remarked, waving offhandedly in Junior's direction.
Junior glowered at Suzy, protesting, "I am not cranky!" It was ignored by the reaper and the redhead, but Alice patted the half-demon's shoulder consolingly.
"Dis ting be de Desk Lamp of Hades," Grim explained, sending a mild look of annoyance at the half-demon. "It is a powerful, ancient lamp."
"What's it supposed to do?" Alice asked, eyeing the lamp inquisitively.
"We can use it ta see if de missing heroes are in de world of de dead." Grim answered, looking back at the kids with empty eye sockets. "De boy Dexter wants it."
The three kids were shocked by the response, though Junior eyed the desk lamp skeptically. The meaning of what the lamp could do and what it would mean to the war effort, however, was not lost on any of them.
"It can really do that?" Alice asked almost in a whisper, working through her surprise.
"Yes," Grim confirmed, inspecting the lamp. His eye sockets narrowed as he stared at the object in his palm. "Unfortunately, de light bulb is missing."
"Missing?" Suzy repeated, leaning forward to see.
"How did we miss that?" Junior whispered to Alice. The girl shook her head in confusion as a reply.
"Mmm, I will have Ezra grab one at de Hani-Baba Temple. He'll be up in de area," Grim answered, pocketing the desk lamp. "Tanks for getting it for me."
"Anytime, Grim," Suzy answered back pleasantly. "What do you plan to do now?"
"Well I did plan to work on my tan today."
"You're bone white."
"Which is why I need ta sun tan," Grim argued back, and if he actually had eyes, he would have rolled them at this point.
"Sun tanning, hmmmm?" Suzy muttered out thoughtfully. She brightened up and grinned at the skeleton. "Thanks for the idea, Grim."
"What idea?" Grim and Junior asked in confusion, though Junior's tone had a touch of apprehension.
"Let's go to the beach!"
"Ta~da!" Suzy cheered, throwing her arms up in the air. "We're here."
Alice and Junior observed the building Suzy was showing off. It was a round, single-story building that had beach front property. Over the striped awning that shielded patrons from the hot sun was the store's sign, reading "BRAVO BEACH BODS" in a deep blue color. Sitting above the word BRAVO was the cutout of Johnny Bravo from the waist up, flexing his arms to show off his muscles.
Suzy dropped her arms and rested her hands on her hips. "I know Mrs. Bravo personally, so we'll get the best deals." She waved her hand at her friends. "C'mon, I'll show you around."
"I have been in here before," Junior grouched, following her inside the building.
"Your pale complexion says otherwise," Suzy teased, not even turning to look at her male friend.
Junior's cheeks flushed a light pink, and his mouth opened and closed in his attempt to come up with a response. The moment was lost, however, when an elder woman with a handkerchief in her hair appeared. The woman immediately pulled Suzy into a bone-crushing hug.
"Little Suzy! It's so wonderful to see you dear," Bunny Bravo greeted the girl, placing the redhead back on her feet.
"I've been doing well, Mrs. Bravo," Suzy returned the greeting, smiling her megawatt smile. "Let me introduce you to Alice" -she used her hand to indicate the alien girl- "and Junior" -her hand moved to gesture at the half-demon boy- "my two friends and partners in crime."
"We are not partner in crimes," Junior argued.
"Tomayto, tomahto," Suzy countered, shrugging her shoulders.
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Alice greeted the woman.
"Oh, what a polite dear," Bunny said to the blue-haired girl. "Are you all here to get some swimsuits?"
"Yes. The weather is just too nice to not take advantage of," Suzy answered.
"I whole-heartedly agree. That's why I'm going to close up shop early," Bunny confided in the redhead. "Now then! Young ladies, you'll find some excellent selections to the right of the store; young gentleman, you'll look to the left. Changing rooms are in the back. You can find towels, sandals, flip-flops, inflatables, hats, and sunglasses scattered throughout. Bring up your items to me when you're ready, and I'll give you half off."
"You really don't have to, ma'am," Junior protested lightly.
"Nonsense." Bunny waved her hand, swatting away Junior's protest. "I absolutely insist. Now be off! The more time spent blabbing with me is time lost under the sun."
Suzy grinned and spun around to face her teammates. She put a fist on her hip and raised the other into the air. "You heard her, team. Let's move out!"
Bravo Beach Bods had a total for four changing room stalls, two of which were in use. Junior, wearing his newly purchased black boardshorts, stood in between the two stalls, leaning against the dividing wall. He tapped his black flip-flop against the tiled floor. It had only taken him a few moments to find the boardshorts he liked and would fit, and he purchased it, flip-flops, sunscreen, and a towel. His two teammates, on the other hand, were still trying out their selection, leaving Junior waiting for nearly twenty minutes. He rapped his knuckles against the stall to his right, the one he recalled seeing Suzy enter.
"Are you two ready?" he asked the changing room stalls.
"Almost," Suzy responded from the other side. "Go save us a spot."
Junior rolled his eyes from underneath his glasses, but followed through with the order. It at least gave him something to do instead of just waiting by the changing room doors like some creeper. Suzy was correct about the excellent weather, yet it seemed no one was taking advantage of the day, save for some Plumbers still in their suits were lounging at the shore. They seemed to be the only other vacationers in the vicinity. This was most likely due to the fact that the majority of the beach was in an infected zone, completely enclosing King Sandy's impressive sand castle within. Since there were next to no one, Junior had no trouble finding a spot near the water line, right by the boardwalk. He only had to take out two Squish Scalers and a Turbo Jetskill to clear the area; the majority of the monsters seemed to be congregating closer to the infected zone. He had just settled down on his Spore towel and applied sunscreen to his face, shoulders and arms when he heard the low-tone argument being had by a party of two, both of whom he recognized.
"You look fine, Alice. The colors really suit you."
"C-couldn't I have just gotten the one piece? I feel ex-exposed."
"Awh, there's no need to feel embarrassed. You heard Mrs. Bravo, this is the perfect choice!"
Confused on the argument, Junior twisted around so he could see their approach. Suzy was leading the way, as she normally did in anything. She was dressed in a green bikini top with yellow polka dots, green swim shorts with two yellow lines running up and down the sides, and tan slip-on sandals. Aviator sunglasses hiding her eyes completed the look.
She had a firm hold of Alice's arm, just above the girl's elbow, pulling her along behind her. By the look on Alice's face, she was embarrassed. She was wearing a simple, bright blue bikini top, double-ruffled white swim skirt, and white flip-flops. Her long hair had been pulled into a high ponytail and a white, wide brimmed sun hat sat atop her head, shading her face from the sun's UV rays.
Junior diverted his line of vision to literally anywhere else on the beach. He could already feel his cheeks turning pink and fought to keep it down.
"Junior, settle this for us," Suzy compelled, stopping the two of them at the edge of his towel. "You think Alice looks good in this, right?" Junior spun around to give Suzy a flabbergasted look, but she ignored it and continued. "See, Alice is embarrassed, and Mrs. Bravo and I have already told her this is a good choice for her, but she's still not believing us, so we need a third opinion."
Junior's first and immediate response was to stay out of it. It was embarrassing, especially for a boy to compliment a girl on what she was wearing. However, if Alice went the whole day worrying about her outfit, then she wouldn't be relaxing like intended. So, he swallowed his pride, coughed into his fist, and looked Alice in the eyes - because who could trust someone who wouldn't look them in the eyes?
"They're right. The swim suit looks fine."
Alice's cheeks brightened to a light pink color, and the arm that she had wrapped around her bare stomach slowly dropped to her side. Suzy moved the hand from Alice's arm to around the girl's shoulders. She drew the girl in, flashing her a wide grin that showed all her teeth.
"See? You're fine," Suzy assured the girl. "So let's hit the waves!"
Alice slowly nodded in agreement. Suzy disengaged herself from the blue-haired alien, turning so that she could make a run for the beautiful blue ocean water.
"Didn't you hear me? Scram!"
Suzy stopped mid-step, her ears tuning in to the harsh voice. The redhead sought out the voice, noting from the corner of her eyes that her teammates were doing the same thing. As a unit, they zeroed in on where the commotion was coming from. A green skinned teen in a leather jacket was standing over the lounging Plumbers, attempting to look menacing despite his short stature. The assembled Plumbers didn't look threatened, but were merely confused on why they were being threatened.
Suzy's brows knitted together as she recognized the short stature of Lil' Arturo, a member of the Gangreen Gang. On his own, he wasn't a threat, but the gang didn't travel solo. If he was in the area, the gang was somewhere nearby.
"Hey, why don't you leave them alone?" Suzy challenged, drawing the littlest Gangreen member onto herself.
Arturo narrowed his eyes at the redhead, although only his left eye was visible to the group. He turned his back on the Plumbers (who were still confused on what was happening) and advanced on Suzy. Immediately, Junior and Alice positioned themselves next to the redhead, silently warning the littlest Gangreen that they had her back. Despite being shorter than Alice, Arturo attempted to act menacing to the group of three.
"You got something to say, kid?" the Gangreen member demanded.
"What's your problem?" Suzy asked.
"My problem is that this beach is off limits."
"Says who?" Junior demanded.
"Says the Gangreen Gang. So bug out!" Arturo argued, shooing away the group.
"But...it's public space," Alice pointed out, confused on if Arturo knew this information or not. It was public knowledge, wasn't it?
"Today it's not," Arturo argued, crossing his arms. "So you'd better get lost before I- YEOUCH!"
A girl far taller than Arturo had made her appearance silently, alerting none of the parties until she pulled Arturo off the warm sand by his ear. An unamused frown settled on her face as she stared at the gang member.
"Would you give it a rest, small fry?"
The girl holding Arturo up by his ear was easily Alice's age. She wore a leather jacket not too dissimilar from Arturo's, but clearly designed for a female body than a male. The dark eyeshadow, the running mascara, the green highlight on her right bangs, and the tears in her knee-high socks all contributed to her punk rock aesthetic. But it was the green eyes that had Alice staring. She'd seen this girl somewhere before, and it was pulling at the back of her mind.
"Hold on, is that Belladonna?" Junior asked his friends, looking for clarification.
"Mhm," Suzy agreed with a nod.
"Who?" Alice asked.
"Belladonna of the Gangreen Gang, or Triple G," Suzy explained to her musically naive friend. "She's their newest singer. She's mainly a back-up singer, but she's done a solo or two."
"I didn't take you as a fan of the Gangreen Gang," Junior commented to his friend.
The redhead shrugged in response. "I'm a connoisseur of music."
"Put me down!" Arturo whined, clawing at Belladonna's hand in a vain attempt to be released.
"You learned your lesson, shrimp?"
"Yes!" Arturo expressed vehemently, saying just about anything so he could be released.
Satisfied that Arturo had been put in his place, she released her hold on him and let him fall on his behind. The littlest member of Gangreen Gang rubbed at his mildly pained behind, grumbling unkind phrases under his breath. He hightailed it out of there when Belladonna made to kick him in his rear, running northward. Finished with her harassment of the smallest member of the gang, the girl turned to look at her audience. Green eyes narrowed as they focused in on Alice; particularly her blue hair.
"What are you, a J-Pop fan? One of PuffyAmiYumi's groupies?" the girl questioned.
Alice startled at the question. Her brows furrowed together even more in confusion at where this girl was getting at. The confusion was easily readable, because the singer put a hand on her hip and huffed in annoyance. She raised her other hand and waved it at Alice's hair.
"That's not exactly a natural color," she pointed out.
"It is for me," Alice answered, subconsciously running her fingers through her hair.
Belladonna raised one eyebrow upward, like she was trying to discern if Alice was lying or not. After a moment, conceding that blue must in fact be her real color, the eyebrow lowered.
"That's strange," the girl commented with a sniff. "Bet you were bullied a lot for it, huh?" Alice's quick eye diversion confirmed the answer. "Did you at least punch a few jerks?"
Alice blinked. Then she blinked again. A cold feeling swept through her as she pulled her attention back onto the singer's face, particularly the girl's vividly green eyes. She knew this girl. She's known this girl for years. Alice was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't actually answer the questioned posed to her. The stretching silence and the way Alice continued to do nothing but stare at Belladonna managed to make the singer uncomfortable. Shooting Alice a confused look, Suzy quickly stepped in, getting Belladonna's attention.
"Hey, would you sign something?"
"Uhhh...maybe later," Belladonna replied. "I have to get back. We're setting up for a concert tonight."
"A concert? Here at the beach?" Suzy asked, her eyes brightening with every word.
"Yeah. Our record label is putting it together," Belladonna answered, taking a step away from the group. "You should come check it out if you like good music."
"I don't plan on missing it. What about you two?" Suzy asked her teammates.
"We're already here," Junior answered with a shrug.
Alice remained silent, once again ignoring the question lobbed her way. Junior and Suzy looked over at her in concern and mild confusion. Belladonna glanced Alice's way as well, but quickly looked away when she saw the girl still staring at her.
"Right, great. See you later, then," she said, hurriedly moving away from the group of three.
She was moving north, the same direction Arturo had retreated moments earlier. A quick glance upward found construction being done on a makeshift stage near the boardwalk at the top of the beach. Some tents were being assembled to the right of the makeshift stage, closer to the infected zone. This was the direction Belladonna was rushing for. Some Squish Scalers were circling the area, but the construction crew had some volunteers defending the site.
"Well this is exciting," Suzy remarked. "I haven't been to a concert since the Trendbenders played at the Sunken Mall."
"Doesn't it seem a little irresponsible?" Junior asked.
"I think it's a great way to raise spirits," Suzy countered. "We have to take a break every once in a while."
Junior conceded the point. He looked sideways at Alice, troubled to find that she was still zoned out. Her skin had gone a pale shade of white, which concerned him.
"Alice?" he questioned, touching her arm.
The simple action seemed to spark her back to reality. Wide blue eyes shifted from the open air to her two friends, both of whom were watching her in concern. She blinked, still shaken like she'd seen a ghost. Which, come to think of it, was probably on point.
"Th-that girl... I-I...I know..." Alice was finding a hard way to begin her sentence. She wanted to get it out, but the words were tripping her up.
Her friends waited patiently, recognizing the seriousness in the moment. Alice opened her mouth, preparing to try once again.
"I recognize her. I k-know her," Alice finally managed.
Suzy blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "You know Belladonna?"
"I didn't think Triple G would be something you listened to," Junior pointed out in surprise.
"Oh come on, Alice could be hiding a whole rebellious streak under her good girl persona!" Suzy argued comically.
Alice blinked, thrown off by their behavior. They hadn't seen what she'd seen. To them, Belladonna was just the singer of a punk rock band. They didn't see her as the missing Buttercup.
The realization made Alice pause, uncertainty tainting her nerves. If they didn't see it, then did that mean Alice was just seeing things? Sure, the two looked the same, but was that all there was? Sure, the two had the same green eyes, and were the same height and stature, and had similar voices, but did that automatically make the two the same person? If Belladonna really was Buttercup, how come the singer didn't recognize Alice? They weren't best friends, but they were familiar with each other. Shouldn't Belladonna have recognized her like Alice recognized her? On top of that, Belladonna was a bit of a public figure, so wouldn't she have been recognized by others? Could she really believe the two were one in the same? Her gut said yes, but her mind told her, logically, that they weren't, and that she couldn't use her feelings as evidence. So, despite her firmly believing that Belladonna was actually Buttercup, Alice lied.
"I...I recognize her from online. I was just surprised to meet her."
Suzy nodded, humming in agreement. "Same! I can't wait for the show, but even more excited for afterward. I really want to get an autograph!"
"What would she even sign?" Junior questioned his redhead teammate.
"I always carry an autograph book with me," Suzy answered.
"Why?" was the incredulous question lobbed her way.
"Have you met me? I'm always prepared," Suzy replied, her hands resting at her waistline. "But enough about that, I hear those waves calling my name!"
With a little cheer, the redhead made a bee-line for the ocean, rushing into the water until she was shoulder deep. Junior followed after the redhead, more subdued than his hyperactive teammate. Alice, throwing one last uncertain look over in the stage's direction, followed after her teammates to enjoy the cool ocean water.
Alice readjusted her sunhat, watching as Nano Bubbles and Nano Numbuh Five - dressed in swimsuits - joined forces with Suzy and ganged up on Junior. Alice had opted out long before the water fight began, preferring to watch the match from the safety of the shoreline. To her right, resting on Junior's towel was Nano Megas. To her left, the mangled sand sculpture of an unknown design, left abandoned by her Nano Boomer after she switched him out for Nano Bubbles.
Nano Raj and Nano Boomer had been called out almost as soon as the team went to enjoy the waves, wearing their own swimsuits. Because the elephant Nano didn't want to get in the water, he had begun making a sand castle close to their area. Being the competitive little guy he was, Nano Boomer had joined in, but found he didn't have the skill for it. He found that destroying sand castles was far more exciting, and so he'd build up sloppy designs of cars, trees, etc. just to destroy them. He'd punch them, kick them, smash them, even used his Batter Up! power to send sand flying. Nano Megas joined in when the mech Nano saw how fun it looked, and showed off wrestler moves to its fellow Nano that were quickly picked up. Alice figured she should have been worried with his propensity for violence, but Nano Boomer had been extra careful to not hurt her or the two Nanos, so she didn't see a problem with him having some fun.
Nano Bubbles was his opposite, preferring to spend her time in the water. Right after Alice had put sunscreen on the Nano - Alice didn't know if Nanos could get sunburned, but she wasn't taking the chance - Nano Bubbles had made a mad dash for the ocean. Her favorite activity was floating up high above the water and diving in like she was an Olympian diver. She had used her Tornado Trap to stir up a water tornado for her and Nano Numbuh Five to slide down.
"Alice, are you coming back in?" Suzy asked, turning her back on the two Nanos hanging off of Junior's shoulders in their attempt to drag him into the water. Junior was slightly cheating by using his tentacles anchored to the ocean floor to keep him upright.
"In a moment," Alice answered, holding up the sunscreen bottle. "I just need to a new layer."
Suzy nodded in agreement to the statement, turning back to the struggle and lending her hand by jumping onto Junior. All four bodies crashed into the water, Junior releasing a yelp from the surprise attack and Nano Bubbles squealing with delight. Junior poked his head out of the water, spewing out water and coughing any liquid from out of his lungs. The vicious look he gave the redhead as she resurfaced went unnoticed. Her and the Nanos were having a good laugh at the little incident. Alice giggled behind her hand, not wanting to hurt Junior's feelings.'
She began applying sunscreen to her legs, her smile briefly dipping as she focused on the task. She was trying to keep up her spirits, but the uncertainty in her gut was rolling around, making it hard for her to concentrate on relaxing under the sun. She was trying to put the whole 'Belladonna may actually be Buttercup' situation to bed, but she was finding the task difficult. She couldn't shake the feeling that the two were the same, but she had no definitive proof beside it just being 'a feeling.' Maybe she could ask Grim once he got that lamp working...?
A searing headache forced Alice out of her inner thoughts. She closed her eyes and put her head in her hands, attempting to apply pressure. Just as soon as the headache began, it went away. Alice blinked in surprise, moving her hands away from her.
What...?
"AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH!"
Alice jolted, swiveling her upper body around to locate the source of the scream. The stage area was under siege from the combined forces of Squish Scalers and Sand Creeps. Laser beams flying through the air indicated the defenders were fighting back, but the shots didn't seem to be connecting, and the humans were being overrun by the enemy. Alice lifted off from her towel and flew toward the pandemonium, ignoring how her sunhat fell off her head. She called Nano Bubbles to her side and the little Nano appeared at her right side, a determined look plastered on her face. Nano Bubbles wasn't the only one following Alice; a quick look to her left found Nano Megas keeping up with her. If there weren't people to save, Alice would have put more thought into it; but there were people to save, so she didn't.
"Nano Bubbles!" Alice commanded, pointing at two Squish Scalers ganging up on a boy who was attempting to keep them at bay with his Scallywag Sword.
Nano Bubbles complied without needing further instructions. She used her Tornado Trap, the force of the wind pushing the Scalers away from the boy. Alice put an energy sphere around them, and clenched her fist, collapsing the sphere and the monsters inside. The Fusion Matter flowed into her NanoCom, but she put her focus on the red jacket wearing boy.
"Are you alright?" Alice asked, staying hovered in the air.
"Yeah, thanks," the boy responded, breathing out in relief. "Those things just popped up outta nowhere and overran us." He spun around to look at the makeshift stage, releasing another sigh of relief. "Well the stage made it. Kaz would have our heads if this broke."
Alice and her Nano Bubbles shared a brief look, frowning at the boy's priorities. Alice gave the area a sweeping look, spotting Junior and Suzy entering the fray. Knowing she had their assistance alleviated some of her concern.
"Man, I've never seen so many agro monsters before," the boy commented, resting his sword's blade lazily on the back of his shoulders. "One minute they were skirting the perimeter and then BAM, they're all suddenly here."
Alice's brow furrowed in concern. It wasn't odd for Fusion Monsters to attack, obviously, but the sudden change in behavior was surprising and concerning.
"Did something happen?" Alice asked.
"Well, one of the musicians brought out this weird device, but it didn't seem to work. It even busted a moment later." The boy shrugged. "After that the monsters hit."
"Alice," Nano Bubbles insisted, tugging on her girl's sleeve.
Alice looked down at her Nano, and then followed the pointing finger. A blonde girl in a purple dress seemed to be wandering around oblivious to the mayhem happening around her. A Superfused Squish Scaler and three of its lackeys were stalking the girl, clearly waiting for a good opportunity to attack. The girl did a little spin, coming face to face with the Scaler boss. She cocked her head to the side, looking at the monster in confusion.
"Watch out!" Alice called, raising her palm.
A wall appeared between the two, protecting the oblivious blonde from the Superfused Squish Scaler's lunge. The boy Alice had saved rushed off towards the four monsters, pulling out a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K..A. and firing at them. Another Tornado Trap from Nano Bubbles slowed the Scalers approach of the boy, but it left the little Nano drooping from exhaustion. Alice returned her to the NanoCom, about to call on Nano Boomer for assistance. She was so focused on keeping the Scalers away from the blonde girl - although their numbers had been trimmed to two with the combined efforts of the boy Alice had rescued, a Plumber who had rushed into the fight, and Suzy, and the blonde was being pulled away from the site by a boy in a sailor hat - that she wasn't paying attention. A sudden tingling in her neck warned her that a monster was right behind her. She turned her head just enough to catch the imposing figure of the Sand Creep's boss - a Sand Creeper - raising its arm over its head, and smash it down on her. Alice raised her other hand, calling a small shield to protect her from its hit, but she had moved too late. The shield didn't have the chance to form, and a fist made of sand crashed through the shield and connected with the alien girl. Alice fell to sand beneath her, feeling her head hit the surface hard. She pulled herself to her knees, but another blow to the back of her head had her back on the ground.
Alice winced at the pain, but forced herself to roll over, avoiding another hit. Forcing her eyesight to focus, Alice raised her hand and shot off an energy blast, managing to knock the Sand Creeper back. It hurt the monster, but it didn't kill it, which only served to infuriate the monster. He released a roar, and two Sand Creeps appeared at the command. Alice didn't shudder at their appearances; she forced herself back up onto her feet, because Amber taught her to always be on her feet. The Sand Creeper, now having two lackeys to back it up, released another growl and raised both its hands above its head, preparing to drive her into the ground like a hammer to a nail. Alice raised an energy dome around the three sand creatures, prepared to collapse it inward, but the triple hit to her head left her mind fuzzy, and her concentration was just weak enough that the boss was able to break out of it. The Sand Creeper rushed at the alien girl, pulling back its arm. Alice raised her palms and fired off energy ball after energy ball, but the hits connected weakly with the monster's enormous body. Realizing she wasn't slowing the monster down, Alice raised her arms into an X formation before her face, preparing to defend herself as much as possible from the hit.
"ALICE!"
Immediately following the cry was a pair of very familiar green laser beams that blasted a hole through the Sand Creep's body. The sandy body collapsed to the ground, melding back into the sandy surface as the Fusion Matter holding it together flew to Alice's NanoCom, the closest NanoCom in the vicinity. Seeing their boss one-shotted caused the two Creeps to pause, which gave Alice the opportunity to fire off an energy beam at the both of them and turning them into Fusion Matter too. With the monsters dealt with, Alice spun around to see if the person who had come to her aid was still there. She came face to face with a very confused looking Belladonna. Her hands were hovering just inches from her eyes, tremors running through her hands periodically. Her unfocused eyes were drilled to the sand beneath her feet. Alice did a sweeping view of the venue, finding that the area had been cleared of the alien pests. With no immediate danger in the vicinity, Alice focused her attention back onto the punk singer.
"Belladonna?" Alice called out cautiously, not wanting to spook the teen rocker.
Belladonna's body jolted at the call, like she was shocked back into reality. She lifted her head slowly, making eye contact with Alice. A flash of recognition flitted across the green eyes.
"Alice..." The punk rocker tested the name out. "I know your name."
"Yes."
"But you..." Dark eyebrows furrowed together. "But you never introduced yourself."
Alice bit her lip and shook her head.
"I know it from somewhere else," Belladonna continued, piecing each connection like a puzzle. "I knew it from before."
The bite was threatening to tear skin, but Alice wasn't paying attention. She was keeping her focus on Belladonna. Belladonna groaned and buried her head in her hands.
"I didn't know who I was almost half a year ago, and but now suddenly I'm seeing things. I'm remembering things. Your name, the thing with my eyes. It's like there's another part of me I'm forgetting, but at the same time I'm starting to remember."
She released a frustrated scream that had Alice stepping back in fright. "What's wrong with me!? Why does it feel like I've lived two lives?!"
"Belladonna?" Alice called, her eyes staring in surprise at Belladonna's feet.
Belladonna lifted her head, eyeing Alice in confusion. When she noticed she was slightly taller than the girl, Belladonna moved her eyesight downward. Her feet were off the ground, hovering two inches above the sand. Belladonna blinked and then threw her head back and released another howl of frustration that, if no one had looked their way before, they were definitely looking now.
"And now this!? First I ran here so fast, all I had to do was blink! Now I'm flying or something?!" the punk rocker screamed. "I can fly, run fast, and shoot lasers! If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was a Power..." Belladonna trailed off, like the wind had been knocked out of her. She slowly floated downward, her feet touching the ground. "...puff."
Belladonna's eyes glazed over, her head still facing the heavens. Alice watched silently, slightly worried by the way she just went still. The blue haired alien made a step toward the punk rocker, but took a step back when she heard a loud, angry cry. Whipping her head in that direction, she watched as a short man with glasses rushed onto the scene, stopping just in front of the stage. He grabbed at his bald head like he was trying to pull out nonexistent hair. A pair of teenage girls followed behind him, and Alice instantly recognized them as the J-Pop duo, PuffyAmiYumi.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" the short man yelled from a pair of powerful lungs. "This place is a disaster!"
"What are you yelling about, Kaz?" Yumi questioned, crossing her arms in aggravation.
"Yeah, the place looks fine," Ami added.
"It is NOT fine!" Kaz shouted, his face steadily growing red. "Where are the speakers? The microphones? The merchandise table? THE FANS?"
"Kaz, buddy, chill." Sunny materialized beside the short man, raising up his hands in a calm-down gesture. Unlike Kaz's loud and riled up tone, Sunny's voice was smooth and cool. "We just got through a Fusion attac-"
"FUSION ATTACK?!" Kaz screamed.
"We missed it?" Yumi questioned with a groan.
"Oh dear. Is anyone hurt?" Ami immediately asked, her eyes widening in concern.
"Never mind that! I thought we had defense hired!" Kaz demanded, jumping a little in his excitement.
"We did, and they were doing a good job," Sunny explained. "But then Philly Phil tried using one of his experiments and..."
"I didn't work, obviously," a dark-skinned teenager contributed, scoffing from beside Sunny. "That fool Philly Phil actually made those stupid monsters come at us."
"Thank you, Tamika." Sunny sighed.
"I want it on record that this was not my intention," a lanky boy, Philly Pil, added.
"Noted."
"We are in the music business NOT THE SCIENCE BUSINESS!" Kaz blew up.
"Professor Williams would say otherwise," Philly Phil argued, earning him a painful elbow into his gut by Tamika.
The answer did not appease the furious record producer. Kaz's face had turned so red Alice was positive she'd see steam coming out of his ears.
"Let's cool down, ya'll," Sunny stepped in, attempting to bring the escalating behavior down. "We've got a little hiccup, but it's all good now. We'll be back on track in no time."
"Yeah, Kaz, chill," Yumi added. "We've still got three hours till the concert starts."
"Plenty of time to bring everything together," Ami added. "The stage is already built, and hooking in all the electronics isn't exactly rocket science."
Kaz released a growl, but eventually let it go with an annoyed huff. "Very well, but we are working double time and there will be no extra pay!"
Sunny rolled his eyes at the man's cheapness, but didn't comment on it. They had just completed one argument, so there wasn't a reason to just start up a new one. He turned his attention onto his two students.
"Phil, you're in charge of connecting the sound system." He pointed a finger at the lanky teen. "No messing around with it."
"You got it, Sunny." Phil saluted his teacher, acknowledging his teacher's instructions.
"Tamika, round up the others. We're still setting up the merch table and the food stalls."
"Whatevs," Tamkia agreed, spinning around and sticking her fingers in her mouth, releasing a high-pitched whistle that gained everyone's attention. "Let's go, people!"
"Dang, Tamika!" the boy in the sailor hat complained, rubbing at his ears. "Who put you in charge?"
"Sunny did," Tamika answered, before leaning in and raising her fist. "And also the fact I can kick yo sorry butt, shrimp. Now get moving!"
The kid in the sailor hat grumbled under his breath, but he hadn't been quiet enough because Tamika shook her first threateningly. The boy took the warning and rushed off to complete his duties. Tamika smirked in satisfaction and hopped off the stage, joining up with the rest of her band mates. Alice looked away from the incident, turning back to focus on Belladonna. The punk rocker was looking at the scene, eyes unfocused once more.
"Belladonna?" Alice asked.
Belladonna came out of her thousand-yard stare and released a sigh.
"You don't have to call me that," she stated, lazily rolling her head Alice's way. "You already know I'm Buttercup, huh?"
Alice kept her eyes trained on the teenager as she answered, "Yes."
"What gave it away?" Buttercup asked.
"...My answer will sound stupid."
Buttercup shrugged. "Have you met my bandmates? They're the epitome of stupid."
Alice's lips quirked up in mirth at the answer. "Well... it was a combination of things. Your eyes, your voice, and also when you suggested I punch some of the people who bullied me." Alice rubbed at her arm self-consciously. "You used to tell me that when Mitch would pull my hair."
Buttercup nodded, a mischievous gleam momentarily occupying her eyes. "Yeah...yeah I remember that. I even got a slap on him one Halloween for it."
Alice nodded, the memory bubbling up to the surface.
"So, where did the powers thing come from?" Buttercup asked, her tone less aggressive than when she had been Belladonna. "I don't recall any of those energy beams."
Alice smiled self-consciously. "It's a long story."
Buttercup sighed. "I don't really have the time right now, but you'll have to tell me later."
"So...you'll still be...?"
"Belladonna? Yeah," Buttercup answered. "For a while, anyways. I don't really have all my memories back right now, and a lot of people are still depending on me to be Belladonna." She put her hands on her hips. "Once I'm done with my commitments, I'll shed that identity and go back to being Buttercup full time."
Alice nodded in understanding. Their private conversation was suddenly interrupted by the lead singer and head of the Gangreen Gang, as he slipped in beside Buttercup and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Belladonna!" Ace greeted with his slimy smirk. "Let's go. We're doing a soundcheck with that geeky kid."
Buttercup donned her Belladonna mask once more and nodded. She shrugged off Ace's grip and spun around, heading for the stage where the Gangreen Gang were assembling. She looked over her shoulder at Alice without breaking her stride.
"See you later tonight," she called back to the blue-haired girl.
Alice smiled and nodded, which was reassurance enough for Buttercup. Ace hadn't followed after Buttercup, and instead spun so that he was face-to-face with Alice. He reached out and gripped both of her shoulders, applying pressure that had her wincing. She shifted her head upward so she could see his face. The dark shades he was never seen without had slid to the tip of his nose, giving her an unobstructed view of the bitter, beaty eyes glaring down at her.
Her mother had always disapproved of the Gangreen Gang, calling them delinquents whenever their misdeeds were reported on the news and likening them to snakes. Alice never believed that more than she did in that exact moment, recognizing him as a rattlesnake. His rattler was shaking, warning her of the danger he was capable of.
"I don't know who you are, exactly, and I don't care. I'm going to make this super clear to you, girlie." His insult was punctuated with his hands tightening on her shoulders. "If you mess with Belladonna and cause me to lose my record deal, I'm going to break your bones."
Alice blinked at the threat, feeling her insides chill.
"You know she's Buttercup," Alice said in a whisper because it felt like her throat was going to close. "You've known."
"And right now she's my band's meal ticket," Ace hissed. "Bridges and Harada over there barely gave us the time of day without her inclusion, so you're going to keep your pretty little mouth shut or else."
Alice's mouth dropped in horror; not from his threat, but from the fact that he's known Belladonna was Buttercup for months and, instead of telling someone, he was using her for his benefit. Buttercup's earlier advice to punch bullies - in this case Ace - in the face was very tempting, but she didn't get a chance to even think about acting upon it. Ace was very suddenly ripped away from Alice, and a furious Junior slipped in between the two. Suzy, a calculated look on her face, slipped next to Alice, her Camp Oar still gripped in her hand. Neither of the two said a word, but the silent implications were clear: Harm her, and you'll be dealing with us.
Recognizing he was outnumbered - but not recognizing the girl he had threatened downed two Fusion Monsters with an energy beam - Ace pushed his shades back into place and shoved his hands in his pockets. He flashed a smarmy smirk at the girl, wanting to put on a macho display.
"Remember what I said, kid."
He spun around on his heel and stomped off to the stage. Junior didn't back down until the lead singer put a good deal of distance between the two parties.
"What was that about?" Suzy asked, her calculating look shifting to confusion.
"Was he threatening you?" Junior questioned, turning around so he could look at her.
"He was," Alice answered.
Suzy's eyes narrowed as she sent a quick glare in Ace's direction. The singer was too busy dealing with his bandmates to see her anger. She looked back to Alice with confusion and concern in her eyes.
"Why?" she asked.
Alice didn't even hesitate with her answer. "Belladonna is actually Buttercup."
Junior and Suzy were silent for a moment, their eyes mirroring each other as they widened.
"What?" Junior asked in surprise.
"I...I lied earlier. About recognizing her. She didn't recognize me, so I just thought I was imagining it. But then she used some of her powers to save me from the Sand Creeper, and then she sort of remembered," Alice explained, practically vomiting the information. "Sorry about lying."
"Belladonna is actually Buttercup?!" Junior questioned.
Suzy cupped her chin and nodded. "It makes a surprising about of sense." With her other hand, she began ticking off the reasons. "Buttercup goes missing right around the time Belladonna comes around, they're both about the same height, they have the same green eyes, Buttercup is already known to be a good singer, and their names both start with B."
Junior sighed, whether in frustration that he didn't realize the connection sooner, or because Suzy honestly thought names starting with the same letter was a legit good reason for their connection. Alice smiled briefly at her friend's deductions, but a frown steadily formed on her face. Suzy noticed the look and eyed her friend quizzically.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
Alice blinked, surprised that she had fallen so deep in her thoughts. She shook her head, smiling at her friends.
"I was just thinking. We still have time before the concert begins, right?"
"Yeah, a couple hours. Oh! Sunny gave us some VIP badges for helping out." The redhead slipped her hand into her pocket, pulling out a lanyard with a badge pass attached at the bottom. Written crosswise in big, bold letters was "VIP." She held it out for Alice, who collected it. "This one is yours. We were coming over to give you it when we spotted Ace."
Alice smiled and placed the lanyard in her NanoCom since she didn't have a pocket on her swim skirt. She kept her NanoCom in her palm, using her finger to skim the surface top.
"What are you doing?" Junior asked after watching her mess with her NanoCom for a moment.
"I'm making a phone call."
At sunset, Bravo Beach was crowded with guests as they assembled in front of the wooden stage, eagerly waiting for the start of the show. With Sunny Bridges and Kaz Harada, two of the world's hottest record producers running the show, and with a line up featuring the Funkaneers, the Gangreen Gang and PuffyAmiYumi, the show was guaranteed to be a knock out, and so the crowd had converged on the spot an hour ago. With the VIP badges, Suzy, Junior, Alice, and a few other VIPs were given a spot in the front. They were good places to be, but Alice and her friends were only lightly pay attention as Sunny Bridges took the stage. His appearance was met with thunderous applause, and the famous superstar grinned at the reception.
"Good evening, party people! How are we feeling tonight?" Sunny Bridges asked the crowd, being answered by a roar in return. "Oo-hoo! That's what I like to hear! Are ya'll ready for a stellar music show?"
The audience roared even louder. Alice clapped politely, but her focus wasn't on Sunny Bridges hyping up the crowd for the concert. Her eyes were attentively glued to the darkening sky, her gaze moving back and forth in a searching manner. Sunny was in the middle of handing over the microphone to his business partner, Kaz, when Alice spotted the tell-tale streaks of blue and pink up in the red sky. She breathed in sharply, and something akin to excitement fluttered around in her stomach. The crowd spotted the streaks of the Powerpuffs a moment later, and they whispered to each other in excitement. The Powerpuffs hadn't been advertised, but were they here to be special guests? It'd be hard to do their famous song without Buttercup, but maybe…?
Blossom and Bubbles flew over the crowd, and it was easier to spot Bubbles carrying the Professor now that they were so close. They did a quick survey over the crowd, and then descended. The crowd underneath them stepped back, leaving a wide enough area for the three to land. To the crowd's surprise, the Townsville heroes and their father landed next to Alice, offering her a smile in greeting.
"Is it true?" Blossom asked, looking hopeful but hesitant. "Is..."
Alice nodded and raised her hand, indicating to the performer's tent. "She's over there."
As a unit, the Utoniums swiveled their heads in the direction of the tent, the sea of beach partiers parting so the family could get a better look. The Westly kids and PuffyAmiYumi were openly gawking at the superheroines. the Gangreen Gang looked uncomfortable with the sudden arrival of their rivals, though Buttercup, donning her Belladonna mask for the performance, stared open-mouthed at her family; a family she didn't know she had for months. She didn't have her full memories back, but snapshots of her life before her fight with Mojo sprung to life in her mind.
For a moment, not a single person said a word. Then, like a speeding bullet, Bubbles had crossed the distance between her and her long lost sibling. The force in which she tackled Buttercup would have fallen a weaker being (and a few souls did fall over from the force), but Buttercup dug her heels into the sand and forced herself to stay upright. Reflexively, like her body already knew what to do before her brain could process and give the order, she wrapped her arms around the blonde heroine. She had only just registered Bubbles was crying into her shoulder when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her in a one-sided hug. Looking to her side, she found Blossom staring at her. The redhead's eyes were watery with the promise of tears.
"I can't believe you're wearing make-up." Blossom teased. "Never took you for the mascara type."
Buttercup blinked, almost surprised that the first thing out of Blossom's mouth was a joke. That puzzle piece of emptiness suddenly filled, and its return brought tears to her eyes. She swiped at her eyes, eliminating the watery evidence before any of her band members or the crowd could see the tears that threatened to spill.
"Hah!" Buttercup huffed, forcing down the tremble of emotion in her voice. "Jealous you can't pull it off?"
Blossom laughed, and the tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She pulled her missing sister in tighter, pressing their heads together.
Alice watched the sisters' reunion from a distance. Her lips were spread out in a small, satisfied smile at the touching moment. A hand setting on her shoulder had her looking to her side. The Professor was still standing with her group, looking down at her with watery eyes and a grateful smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Thank you, Alice," the Professor said, his voice filled with emotion. "This….I-I dreamed of this for months,... and to finally have it come true…" The Professor wiped his eyes, composing himself so he wouldn't be a blubbering mess. It was only barely working. "I can't... I can't repay this."
Alice shook her head.
"There's nothing to repay. You've done more for me," Alice stated. The Professor opened his mouth to protest the point, but Alice never gave him the chance. "You've been kind to me, even when I was too shy to hold a conversation. You've looked out for me, even without me realizing it. And when the school was invaded, when my aunt and uncle were too far away to come get me, you ran to the school to retrieve me, even though your daughters weren't there and you didn't have to. This" -She waved her hand at where the sisters were still hugging each other- "is the least I can do." She closed her eyes, and smiled wider. "You should go and see her, Professor. I bet, even with memory loss, she missed you as much as you missed her."
The Professor nodded in agreement. He gave Alice another pat on the shoulder, and then ran to his triplets. His composure completely broke when he wrapped up all three into a hug, the tears he had been holding back letting go like a waterfall. Buttercup, who had been trying to keep her emotions in check, lost it when her father appeared. She buried her head into his shoulder and cried.
Contentment washed over Alice as she, along with everyone gathered, watched the broken family mend. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a one-armed hug. A quick glance from the corner of her eyes found Suzy being the owner of the arm. The redhead leaned closer, grinning from ear to ear at her friend with a look of pride in her eyes.
"You are simply amazing, you know that?"
Alice blushed at the compliment and shook her head in denial. She moved her gaze away from her redhead friend and back on the Utoniums.
"This was the right thing to do. That doesn't make it amazing," Alice denied. "Anyone else would have done it."
"Not true," Junior pointed out, appearing at Alice's other side. "I know a few who wouldn't have done this." His eyes wandered away from the happy family to the punk rockers standing off to the side.
Alice looked upward, staring in the direction Junior was. While the members of the gang were slowly edging their way to the performer's tent, Ace was standing his ground. His fists were balled up at his sides, his lips twisted in a snarl, and his precious shades had drifted downward, exposing dark eyes glaring in Alice's direction. Alice, fueled by the rightness of reuniting a broken family, was undaunted by the threat in his eyes. She wasn't going to be shamed by the lowlife who would use a girl's trauma to his advantage.
When it became obvious that Alice wasn't going to back down from his challenging - and that he'd once again garnered the attention and ire of her two friends - Ace stuffed his hands into his pocket, scoffing under his breath. He retreated back into the tent, conceding the victory to Alice. The blue-haired girl relaxed, satisfied that the outcome had ended peacefully.
"AHEM!" The peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by the speakers. Swiveling toward the stage, the audience was greeted to an annoyed Kaz. "While this has been all well and good, we are holding a concert." He placed his free hand behind his back, and then pulled out a stack of papers, waving them in the air. "Remember your contract, people!"
"Kaz!" Yumi and Ami screeched from the sidelines, glaring at their manager.
"What's the big deal!" Yumi further shouted.
"They're having a MOMENT!" Ami added, her eyes filled with tears.
"And I am completely sympathetic" -Even if his tone showed a complete lack of sympathy to it- "but we have paying customers who are expecting a show, and we at Harada-Bridges aim to deliver top quality performances. So if you don't mind..." He shook the papers, punctuating his point.
The J-Pop girls narrowed their eyes, looking ready to storm the stage. Of everybody present, - with the possible exception of Sunny Bridges - the girls had a good understanding of Kaz's personality, so while they weren't surprised by his abrasive manner, they were upset by it. Even his business partner was looking at the man with a frown, likely debating on if he was going to tell the man off in front of a crowd or off stage. Neither party was able to act because Buttercup peeled herself out of the Utonium hug fest.
"He's right," Buttercup declared, her voice strong. She wiped at her eyes to rid herself of the last of her tears, although the mascara was now smudged all over her cheeks. "I came here to give a stellar performance, not cry." Giving a cocky grin, Buttercup thrust her fist up into the air. "Let's rock!"
The crowd roared at the declaration, excited to not only see the musical performances but to see Buttercup do one. Buttercup grinned at the crowd, before making eye contact with Alice. The grin turned softer; her eyes bright with gratitude as she gave the alien a nod. Thanks. Alice practically glowed. She hadn't been looking for thanks, but the gesture made her feel appreciated. She returned the gesture with a nod back. My pleasure.
"I better get back to the tent. My makeup needs to be touched up," Buttercup announced. She tilted her head to look at Bubbles. "Mind lending me a hand?"
Stars entered Bubbles' eyes at the request. She nodded her head enthusiastically, raising clenched hands up in front of her chest.
"I've been waiting forever for you to ask." The pig-tailed girl grabbed onto her sister's hand and pulled her toward the performer's tent. "No time to lose!"
Buttercup followed, her face morphing to panic when she realized her fatal mistake. She spun her head over her shoulder, mouthing for Blossom's help. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls chortled at her sister's dilemma, following after her two sisters to make sure Bubbles didn't go overboard. Sunny watched the superheroines enter the performer's tent, the corner of his lip quirking upward in joy. He ushered Kaz back to the shadows, and took the spotlight.
"This has been one exciting night that none of us will probably forget." The crowd murmured their agreements with the sentiment. "But we're just gettin' started. Give a hand for our first talent of the night, The Funkaneers!"
The crowd cheered as the Westley School kids took the stage. By far they were the youngest performers at the event, but their looks of confidence and excitement banished any thought of them being nervous. With a nod from their teacher, the kids jumped right into their first song, "Oh, Peanut." Suzy peeled away from her friend and ventured deeper into the crowd, dancing along with them. Alice smiled at her outgoing friend, but stayed rooted in place. She wasn't a big party person, and dancing was even lower on her list. She noticed Junior was hanging out with her, guessing he was of the same sentiment. They were more than content to stand on the outskirts and listen to the music.
The Professor made his way through the crowd (which was easy since people willingly moved out of his way) and came to stand at Alice's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his bloodshot eyes focused exclusively on the girl.
"I know you said I didn't have to thank you, but I just wanted to say... your mother would be so proud of you." He closed his eyes and his smile turned affectionate, almost fatherly. "I'm proud of you, too."
Alice smiled back, feeling her eyes burn lightly with the onset of tears. She wasn't looking for praise...but the thought of her mother being proud of her made her tear up. Her mother had always believed that Buttercup was alive, and Alice wished she could share the news with her; tell her one last time that her mother was right. She blinked away the tears because enough had been shed already, and leaned into the Professor's side, never taking her eyes off the stage performance.
This title is a reference to all the animes who have a beach episode. Since this game has a beach, it was pretty obvious this would eventually happen.
Ezra is based on a character seen in some of the game's promotions. Him and Peach have one together as well, so it's why I placed them as friends. The kid Alice saved is from a promotion as well. I left him nameless in the story because it wouldn't make sense for him to just randomly say his name (because he isn't a random kid), but I'm calling him Ditch. I was tempted to make him Mitch from the Powerpuff Girls since he's wearing a Mitch Rocks shirt, but didn't want to work that into the story, so, as a discount Mitch, he's named Ditch.
Ezra doing spy missions on Grim and later assisting Grim is a reference to the mission lines "A Fusion in Our Midst" and "Don't Fear the Reaper." Peach is continuing with the Book of Prophecy arc that was mentioned back in Chapter Eight. As a magical girl, I figured she'd be a good addition to the storyline. The mission Alice and her team did for Grim is from Dexter's guide mission "Love and Hades." It is a guide mission, but Grim and Junior know each other enough that Grim would trust him to get the lamp. Grim having Ezra also retrieve the lightbulb is from the following mission "What the Hades."
Bravo Beach Bods is not in the game but I really wish it was. I wanted some sort of reference to another member of the show, and figured Bunny Bravo would be a good addition. Her running a swimsuit shop near the beach was just too good an idea to pass up.
King Sandy is an expert sand sculptor from Kids Next Door. His sand castles were pretty advanced, and he'd be a shoe-in to build such an impressive design before the invasion turned it into an infected zone. Plus, since Kids Next Door is one of my top five favorite shows, I wasn't passing up a chance to make a reference to its less scene characters. On the topic of less scene characters, Philly Phil is referencing Professor Williams from Dexter's Laboratory's "Just an Old Fashion Lab Song."
Nano Boomer and Nano Bubbles using their powers on whatever activity they're doing was an idea I was not passing up. It was well within Nano Boomer's personality to smash things up with his energy bat, and Nano Bubbles making a water slide with her tornado ability was just a cute idea I had to write out. I like the idea of Nanos existing outside of just battle. The game requires them to be a gameplay mechanic, but this story treats them like a cute companion. All the mentioned Nanos (expect Nano Megas) have their swimsuits on; Alice bought them because her Nanos live on beach front property and Suzy's purchases were recent.
I couldn't find what the boss of a Sand Creep is. The wiki just leaves it as Sand Creep, and I couldn't find a boss when looking around the area (I scouted out the location again before putting this on the site), so I've just opted to give it the utterly unoriginal name of Sand Creeper. Also Alice enclosing the Scalers in a sphere and then just clenching her fist was going to be shown off earlier in the chapter, but I moved it down to later on. It's just a really cool move for Alice that I thoroughly enjoyed writing.
This chapter was supposed to feature more of the Class of 3000 characters, but every time I tried including the kids I was stumped on how to move forward, so I had to scrap a lot of their interactions. It was going to be revealed that Suzy is good friends with Tamika, Madison, and Kim (none of you should be surprised at this point).
Buttercup's realization was going to be done differently, but I didn't like the breakdown she was having. It didn't fall in line with her characteristics, so I went to the wiki to read on the Retro Nano mission line "Record Break-In." The Nano mission helped structure Buttercup coming to her realization. Ace and Buttercup's connection lacks the romantic subplot from the game because Ace's age gets really weird. In the show he's clearly older than her, but in the game they closed the age gap. Ace is going to be somewhere in his 19s/20s, but he's only using Belladonna as a way to profit from their rocker gig (and he's also a bit scared of the retribution she'll enact on him once she fully realizes what he did).
Buttercup's reunion with her family was the first thing I wrote for this story. I was really eager to work on it, since the game couldn't let us see their reunion properly. The family came later because Blossom and Bubbles were tied up helping out. Once they were free of their duties, they grabbed their father and rushed over.
Thank you for reading my latest chapter. Make sure to come back for the next chapter, where things take a very interesting turn.