Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.

"Deadline"

Chapter 8:

Buttercup was glowing brightly and lightning sparks were racking her body ruthlessly. She stopped screaming when she blacked out. She let out a moan and collapsed.

Blossom and Bubbles gave an enormous pull with a sudden jolt of adrenaline and rose upwards. The monstrous scorpions were still holding onto them with their pincers so they were lifted completely off the ground! Despite their being only the size of an elephant, they were quite heavy for the girls.

The two girls jerked left and right in an effort to shake off the creatures, but only succeeded in swinging them back and forth. They shook harder and harder until they were finally free. However, the scorpions were still trying to hang on, so their stockings ended up torn to shreds and their arms were now striped with long red marks. The skin wasn't broken, but the arms were bruised underneath.

They didn't waste a moment to charge full speed at the seven wasps. They destroyed all of the insects with one sweep and then rushed over to Buttercup's side.

Buttercup was no longer spouting lightning, but she was still glowing like hot metal. She lay on the ground gasping like a fish out of water.

"Buttercup, please don't explode!" Bubbles cried.

Blossom: Buttercup! Take deep breaths! Slowly…

Blossom began blowing gently onto Buttercup with her ice breath hoping to soothe her. The ice hissed and floated away as steam as soon as it touched Buttercup's scalding skin. Blossom continued to blow her ice.

After a few minutes, Buttercup's rapid breathing gradually slowed down. And the light radiating from her body faded away. Her skin was now burned reddish pink, charred in a few spots, and her hair was singed at the ends. She opened her eyes to see her sisters.

Buttercup smiled weakly. "Good news, Bubbles. Now I remember where I hid your Doraemon plushy last June."

"Buttercup, having your life flash in front of you isn't even remotely funny!" Blossom snapped. But despite her yelling, she was actually relieved that Buttercup was all right. Bubbles was overjoyed and gave Buttercup a bear hug, causing her to yelp.

"Ow! Watch it!"

"Sorry," Bubbles apologized. "Um, Buttercup? Where's the…?"

Buttercup's red face turned almost pale as she felt something underneath her. She slowly got up to see the mirror, broken in half!

The girls felt their hearts plunge into their stomachs. They didn't say anything. They couldn't. They just couldn't believe their eyes!

In a panic, Buttercup began stammering. "I-it wasn't my fault! Uh, those stupid bug things! They uh, I, I didn't drop it! Honest! I…I…"

Buttercup stopped her babbling, calmed herself and began to quiver. Her eyes were glued to the pieces of glass on the floor. Her throat felt like it was being squeezed.

"I didn't drop it. I fell on it. This IS my fault," she admitted.

"No, it isn't," Blossom replied.

Confused, Buttercup looked up at her sisters. They were looking at Him's creatures with a bitterness Buttercup had never seen in her own sisters before. It was as if they had suddenly changed.

"This is all Him's doing. And he's going to pay…" Blossom growled.

The creatures of darkness gathered around the girls, all ready to jump them at any second. The girls stood back-to-back with each other in a fighting stance. They examined the monsters, counting 14 wasps in a line, 5 drones and 3 scorpions.

As if on a silent cue, the drones lunged and the wasps readied their stingers. The scorpions held up their pincers and acid tails, ready and waiting for the right time.

Bubbles zipped under a drone and gave an upward punch. Her fist busted right through the shell and was sticking out of the other side. Then she pulled it off her arm and threw it like a discus at the wasps, destroying two of them. She then flew up while avoiding the beams the remaining wasps shot and used her sonic scream, immobilizing them. While they were still paralyzed, she charged up her energy balls in her hands and fired, blowing them into dust!

A scorpion swept for Blossom with its pincer, but she jumped and used her ice breath to freeze it by its legs to the floor. Then she flew under the island and picked it up by the bottom. She flipped it over and smashed it on the floor of another island. Unfortunately, the gigantic bug was still alive. The force caused the ice around its legs to break, so it was free to shoot acid from its tail at Blossom. Blossom dodged the acid and it corroded part of another stone island behind her.

Buttercup was busy with the last of the drones when a scorpion approached her. She quickly grabbed a drone and rammed it through the scorpion's tail. It waved its tail clumsily to dislodge the beetle. In the meantime, it made a grab for Buttercup with its claw. It managed to catch her, but she was deep in the middle instead of at the ends. She pushed against both sides of the pincer with her arms as it tried to grip her harder. Buttercup could feel anger rising up in her, filling her veins. In a fury, she yelled and pushed so hard, the claw snapped apart loudly! Buttercup was free, but her arms were so tired they just hung at her sides as she tried to catch her breath.

The girls got back together. All of the wasps and drones were gone, but the scorpions were far from defeated. The girls knew that these ones were too tough. It would be difficult to beat just one, but facing three at once would be too much for them!

"Now what do we do?" Bubbles cried worriedly.

Blossom looked around, trying to find a clue. She glanced over a ledge and an idea hit her.

"What we should have done a long time ago. Here's my plan!"

Blossom quickly whispered to her sisters and their faces brightened.

"I get it!" the two exclaimed in unison.

"Let's get 'em, girls!"

Blossom charged forward with her sisters following close behind. The girls picked up one scorpion, Blossom holding its tail and Bubbles and Buttercup each holding a pincer. The creature struggled wildly, but the girls held on and carried it over the island. With a mighty heave, the girls flung it over the edge. The scorpion clawed away at thin air as it plummeted down to an eternal fall through empty space.

Buttercup couldn't resist mocking the beast. "Ha! Better grow some wings, ugly!"

The girls repeated the process with the other two scorpions. The one Buttercup fought earlier was especially easy since it was missing a claw and the dead, half-dissolved drone on its tail kept it from spewing acid. In no time at all, the monsters were gone for good.

Bubbles let out a sigh. "Phew! I wonder why we didn't think of this sooner!"

Just then, the domain began to darken. The air became colder and pink-colored clouds formed in the air. The girls' eyes narrowed as the despicable demon known as Him appeared.

"Him…" the girls growled.

Him was calm at first, but when he noticed his magic mirror broken in two, he gasped in complete shock.

"Oh, no! Look at what you girls have done! Now I can't combine their souls to my power! My plan is ruined…"

But the girls didn't feel the least bit victorious over foiling Him's scheme. Their blood boiled in their veins and they felt like they were on fire! As if powered by their anger, the girls started to feel stronger than they ever were before. And combined with their anger was their desire to avenge the boys.

Him could feel the girls' blazing auras contrasting the pure cold hatred in their eyes. He could feel the girls becoming more and more powerful. This power seemed like enough to send Him into oblivion himself. For an instant he felt uneasy, but then his mouth curled into a wicked grin.

"Then again," he thought. "I may still be able to destroy them yet…"

To be continued…