Disclaimer: I don't own Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

Inspiration: marinav92

A/N: Hi, everyone! As you can tell, my words for this A/N aren't in bold...because it's a pain to look at it in bold. I wanted to follow how I did my A/N's in the past consistently with this fanfic, but because I changed my style for A/N's a long time ago for all of my fanfics, I figured I should just do it this way.

Truth be told, I was going to make this chapter shorter, but because I felt it was too short, I ended up combining what I intended to write for chapter 7 together with chapter 6, which made this chapter become...8 pages long. (I wasn't expecting it to be this long, to be honest.)

Now, if you've been following me on my Tumblr, then you've mostly likely seen some teasers to this chapter already. It also means that you should know that things are going down in this chapter, period, so...just be prepared.

CHAPTER 6:

It was lunch time, and Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru were eating their boxed lunches together. Their desks were against each other, and as Kaoru took another bite of her lunch, Momoko set hers aside.

Kaoru blinked, and she gave Momoko a puzzled look. "You're not going to eat anymore?"

"I'm not feeling that hungry," Momoko replied.

Kaoru's eyes widened.

Momoko sighed. "It's the boys, okay? I'm worried about them."

"I'm worried myself, honestly," Miyako admitted as she also set hers aside.

It was Kaoru's turn to sigh, but she took another bite, anyway. "They're perfectly fine—"

"They're ill, Kaoru-san."

"I know that, but I mean, we'll visit them after school, so it's no big deal, right?"

Momoko and Miyako frowned.

"Come on, guys. We'll even grab medicine along the way."

Momoko's eyes widened. "Oh, that's right! There's a pharmacy downtown, isn't there?"

"Um, Momoko-san, don't you think that'd take a while?" Miyako asked. "Traffic becomes rather heavy in the afternoon."

"Yeah, I know, but…" Momoko sighed before she rolled her eyes. "Knowing Takeo, he's probably 'toughing it out' right now, which means I have to go to the pharmacy." She paused, and her face immediately brightened. "Hey, you girls want to come along?"

Miyako nodded while Kaoru shook her head.

Miyako blinked in surprise. "Kaoru-san, you don't want to come along?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd at least want to grab something for Takeshi," Momoko added.

"I figured maybe I should drop by to check up on them," Kaoru replied, and she frowned as she paused. "You know, just in case any of them need help or something. So, you guys just grab whatever, and I'll look after them." Afterward, she groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just hoping none of us get sick," Kaoru replied as she frowned. "You know, just in case that happens." She then scoffed and muttered, "Even though it's been forever."

It has been a long time since they fought supernatural crime. Even back then, Kaoru could remember how bored she felt because the supervillain crime rates had drastically dropped. Now, they've almost completely gone, which left the Powerpuff Girls Z almost a distant memory for many people in Tokyo City.

Before Miyako or Momoko could reply, a voice from beside the trio asked, "What are you girls talking about?"

The trio turned their heads, and there stood Kuro.

"Nothing," Momoko replied, but this time, there was a tone of authority in her voice as she glanced at Kaoru and Miyako. She also threw a warning glare at Kaoru for even mentioning a hint about their superhero identities in school.

Kaoru frowned, but said nothing, while Miyako simply took another bite of her lunch.

"Well, if there's anything troubling you girls, I'm here to listen," Kuro said.

"Shouldn't you be off grading paperwork or something?" Kaoru retorted.

Miyako frowned. "Kaoru-san!"

Kaoru shrugged as she scowled. "Just saying."

Kuro laughed. "I was going to, but I saw the worried looks on your faces, so I thought something was up."

"Well, we are worried," Miyako muttered.

"Oh, so I was right, after all?"

Miyako sighed. "We're worried about the Takashi brothers' well-beings."

Kuro slowly raised an eyebrow. "Oh? May I ask why?"

"They're sick," Kaoru replied bluntly.

"And they didn't bother to tell us until this very morning," Momoko added bitterly.

Kuro frowned, and he had a puzzled look on his face. "Are you girls close to those boys?"

The girls each blinked in surprise.

"You haven't heard?" Miyako asked.

Kuro's puzzled expression only grew. "I'm sorry. Heard what, exactly?"

"He hasn't heard," Momoko confirmed as she blinked in surprise again.

Kaoru scratched the back of her head. "Uh, well, we're dating them, sir."

Kuro blinked in surprise again before his eyes grew wide. "What?!"

"No offense, sir, but are you slow?"

"Kaoru-san!" Miyako scolded.

Kuro shook his head. "Oh, no, it's fine. The truth is that I'm very slow when it comes to stuff like this!" He let out a sheepish laugh. "I'm almost always the last to know within my circle of friends."

Kaoru was going to retort again, but once she saw Miyako's stern look directed at her, she decided to keep quiet.

"Well, anyway, I should probably get going," Kuro replied as he smiled. "Those papers aren't going to grade themselves, after all. I'll see you girls later in class!"

After the girls waved and said their good-byes to Kuro, they went back to chatting like before while trying to finish their lunches.

Unbeknownst to them, however, was the growing smirk on Kuro's face as he left the classroom.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Takumi asked as he and Takeo landed onto the ground.

They were now in the forest that was on the outskirts of Tokyo City.

"I caught a glimpse at one of his memories, and this place was it," Takeo replied as he frowned.

"But, do you really think that he'll be living in the forest?" Takumi replied in disbelief.

Takeo narrowed his eyes. "You have any better idea on where to start, considering how much we dug up on him last time?"

Takumi frowned as he looked at the ground. "No."

Takeo scoffed before his scowl grew. "Hopefully, we won't run into that stupid fuzz ball."

Takumi blinked. "You mean Fuzzy Lumpkins?"

"Yeah, that moron. I'm not in the mood to deal with him."

"We can easily kick his butt, though."

"We can also easily kill him, if we're not careful."

"Oh, yeah… Good point."

Takeo grunted before he began to walk deeper into the forest, and Takumi followed. Of course, since Takumi felt bored as he kept following Takeo, he started to levitate some branches towards him. Slowly, they started to form a small bird's nest.

"Boomer," Takeo growled.

"Yeah?" Takumi replied as the bird's nest continued to form, and eventually, it was done.

Takeo whirled around, surprising Takumi completely. The bird's nest immediately fell to the ground, and the branches scattered.

Takeo glared at Takumi. "Stop using your telekinesis."

Takumi frowned, but complied.

Although Takumi said nothing, Takeo knew that Takumi was irritated. That was the second time he reprimanded Takumi today, and the last thing he needed was someone witnessing his brother's telekinesis.

Besides, he wasn't sure what exactly lied ahead in the forest, other than the distinct surroundings he remembered from that guy's memories. Every image was vivid in his mind, and Takeo followed the pathway he saw the guy had taken in his memories, with Takumi following behind him silently. Leaves and branches crunched underneath their feet, and the only echoes throughout the forest were the sounds of their footsteps.

Takeo frowned as he came to an abrupt halt.

Something about this didn't seem…right.

The only sounds in the forest were their footsteps. Where were the woodland critters, the birds, and the insects? Everything seemed normal, but Takeo felt something in the air was just off.

"Brick, what's the matter?" Takumi asked as he frowned.

Takeo was going to reply, until he suddenly caught some scent. He wasn't sure if his nose was just playing tricks on him, though, so he sniffed the air.

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Brick?"

Takeo closed his eyes, concentrating on the scent.

Takumi frowned when he realized that Takeo was ignoring him, so he stood in front of Takeo and waved his hands. "Yoo-hoo, Earth to Brick." Within seconds, however, Takumi quickly added, "Uh, Brick, do you smell that?"

At once, Takeo's eyes snapped open in realization. He narrowed his eyes, and without another word, he dashed towards the scent—down the same path he saw in that memory.

Takumi's eyes widened. "Hey, wait up!"

By using their super speed, the two reached a small clearing in the woods within seconds, and Takumi stopped in his tracks when he saw that Takeo stopped. He sniffed the air once more and realized that the strong scent definitely came from here.

Takumi gulped. "Hey, uh, Brick, that scent isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"It's definitely blood, Boomer," Takeo replied as he scowled. His scowl only grew when he stepped forward and bent down to inspect the ground. "It's dried, but it's definitely blood."

Takumi glanced around, and his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, isn't this where those teens died?"

"Yeah. It means that he was behind this as well." Takeo groaned. "Damn it."

"So, uh, I guess this means he doesn't live here?"

"Obviously," Takeo deadpanned before he rolled his eyes. "The police department must've spent some time already investigating this place. He probably fled to Tokyo City for that reason before the police came."

Takumi frowned before he bent down to look at the ground, and he sniffed the air again before his frown grew. "Sucks to be them."

Takeo snorted. "Look, the issue here is that he shouldn't even be here," Takeo hissed back. "He knows that we're here, and if we're not careful, he can easily take us out." He paused. "Or the girls. He's had history with them as well, after all."

Takumi then stood back up as he sighed. "So, what do we do? If we can't find where he lives—"

At once, Takeo shushed him. "Do you hear that?"

Takumi blinked in confusion until he focused his hearing. Almost immediately, he heard…ticking?

Their eyes widened in realization, and as soon as they tried to fly from the ground, the entire area exploded.

Lunch was almost to an end, and as Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru were getting ready for class, they heard their compacts ring softly. Each of their eyes widened, and thankfully, no one noticed the sound because it was still noisy within the classroom.

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming," Kaoru whispered to the two.

"But what about class?" Miyako whispered. "It's going to start soon."

Momoko hesitated, and she glanced at the doors, hoping that the teacher was going to enter any second.

"Momoko, we need to go!" Kaoru hissed.

"I know that!" she retorted.

Kaoru scowled. "Fine. I'm heading off ahead, then."

"Kaoru!"

Within a split second, Kaoru got up and dashed out of the classroom.

Momoko let out a long aggravated sigh before she followed in pursuit.

Miyako hesitated, completely shocked on what to do, but as soon as she saw that Momoko had shut the door, she made up her mind and followed them. By the time she reached the rooftop, she saw that Momoko and Kaoru had already transformed. Within seconds, she transformed as well.

Buttercup frowned. "What took you two so long?"

Blossom glared at her. "We needed at least an excuse—"

"Yeah, but isn't this more important? We can just deal with that later."

Before Blossom could retort, Bubbles intervened by stepping in between the two. "How about we check our compacts to see what's exactly happened?"

Blossom sighed in defeat before she opened her compact, and Bubbles and Buttercup peered over her shoulders.

"Professor?" Blossom asked when she saw Professor Utonium. "What's the matter?"

"There's been an explosion in the forest!" Professor exclaimed.

Bubbles gasped. "That can't be!"

"What?!" Buttercup yelled as her eyes widened.

Blossom narrowed her eyes. "Are there any casualties?!"

"None that I'm aware of at the moment," the Professor replied, a grim look forming on his face. "What worries me is that Peach has detected black light in the forest."

"Which is why you want us to check it out," Blossom stated.

The Professor nodded slowly. "Peach said that it's apparently the same black light he detected last night."

The girls' eyes widened.

"Anyway, the explosion is a long distance away from the city. I'll send you girls the coordinates. But, please be careful, girls."

Without another word, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup nodded, and they flew towards the forest as fast as they could.

"Do you really think that whatever Peach detected caused the explosion?" Bubbles asked as she frowned.

"In that case, wouldn't it be Fuzzy Lumpkins?" Buttercup replied. "I mean, he's the only one with black light that lives in the forest, right?"

"Yes, but it doesn't make sense for him to blow up his own home! Not to mention those poor animals!"

"We'll see when we get there," Blossom intervened before she sighed. "Right now, we can only hope that whatever Peach detected didn't cause that explosion… Otherwise, we might be in trouble, girls."

Takeo growled as he clenched his fists.

Thanks to their superhuman abilities, he and Takumi had escaped the explosion. He and Takumi had already distanced themselves from the growing fire, even though the flames continued to crackle. Their clothes were still in one piece, thankfully, but they were definitely tattered. There were even scratches on their bodies and faces, but the wounds would heal soon, anyway.

However, that wasn't the issue. That guy knew they'd try to check this place out, and to make matters worse, Takeo fell for it! He, of all people who knew better, fell for this obvious trap!

Takeo growled again before he punched a nearby tree in anger, and at once, the tree came crashing down. The debris flew as the grass and trees around continued to burn; the explosion left the area barren, with the exception of a few trees that managed to still stay intact.

Takumi turned around when the dirt flew towards his face. "Hey! Calm down, bro!"

"Boomer, he knew we were coming," Takeo retorted.

Takumi coughed. "Yeah, but dude, don't make the place worse!"

Takeo whirled around and flashed his angry eyes at Takumi.

Takumi flinched. "Uh, well, I mean, you know, why make the place worse, right?" Takumi paused and glanced around. "Right?"

Takeo glared at him before his eyes widened in realization. "We need to go now."

"Huh? Why?"

"The girls will be coming soon!"

Takumi's eyes widened. "Wait, why?!"

"He led us here for a good reason! He knew—"

Takeo stopped himself, and his face paled.

"What?" Takumi asked. "What is it?"

Takeo scowled. "We need to head back to the house now."

"Wait, why? Brick, you're not making any sense—"

Takeo growled in frustration. "Not now! We need to go!"

"But—"

Takeo growled again, but louder. "Boomer, this isn't the time—"

"Girls, look!" a voice interrupted him.

Takeo flinched as Takumi's face blanched. He knew that voice. It was Momoko.

In an instant, he and Takumi hid behind trees.

Takeo inwardly cursed. He should've known. He should've known, for crying out loud. That guy set them up just so they'd be caught by the girls! Takeshi wasn't here, at least, but this wasn't doing them any good! He wasn't planning on facing the girls so soon.

Takumi sent Takeo a pleading look. He mouthed, "What do we do now?"

"We get the hell out of here," Takeo mouthed back.

"Right now?" Takumi mouthed.

Takeo shook his head.

Takumi sent him a puzzled look.

Just as Takumi was going to ask another question, Takeo sent him a glare to shut his mouth.

Takumi complied.

"Bubbles, put out this fire! Quick!" Takeo heard Momoko—no, Blossom yell.

"Understood!" he heard Bubbles say, and he noticed that Takumi flinched.

Takeo narrowed his eyes at his brother, but he said nothing as he watched the fire slowly get put out. It didn't take long, as expected, but unfortunately, the nature that once existed couldn't be brought back.

He watched the girls land on the ground slowly, and the three of them each looked puzzled.

"What the hell happened here?" he heard Buttercup say.

Takeo's eyes, however, were focused on Blossom. Her outfit hadn't changed, as he had expected.

"Where are the woodland creatures?" Bubbles muttered afterward.

"More importantly, where is the black light that the Professor mentioned?" Blossom added as she looked around.

Takeo gritted his teeth as he forced himself to look away from the trio. This wasn't the time for him to gawk at them. He and Takumi had to leave now before they were caught! He turned his head to look at Takumi, but he scowled when he saw that Takumi was staring at the girls—or rather, Bubbles, to be exact—with a look of longing.

As if sensing the growing animosity from Takeo, Takumi slowly turned his head to look at his brother.

Takeo narrowed his eyes at him.

Takumi hesitated. He looked at Bubbles one last time before he looked at Takeo and nodded.

At once, Takeo got down in a running position, and Takumi did the same. Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds. As soon as Takeo nodded and Takumi nodded back, the two ran at superhuman speed.

Once they were at least some distance away from the girls, Takumi ran closer to Takeo. "Wouldn't it have been faster to fly?!"

"They'll take notice of us, you moron!" Takeo yelled.

"Yeah, but won't running away also—"

At once, the ground shook, and the two fell to the ground.

Takumi coughed. "Have the same effect…"

Takeo glared at him.

The both of them then slowly stood up, brushing themselves off.

"You two, stop right there!" someone yelled.

Takeo flinched, and he clenched his fists.

Of course. Buttercup had used her hammer to stop them in their tracks.

Takeo frowned, and when Takumi glanced at him, he let out a long sigh before he nodded.

Takumi's eyes widened, but Takeo narrowed his eyes at him, he sighed in defeat.

At once, the two of them turned around to face none other than the Powerpuff Girls Z, who were floating in the air.

In the distance, he could see the shocked looks on each of the girls, but his eyes lingered on Blossom. He saw how her eyes widened, but it wasn't long before her face hardened into that of a leader's, as he had expected.

There was a long staring showdown between him and Blossom, with neither of the two saying anything.

Eventually, Blossom floated slowly to the ground, with Bubbles and Buttercup floating downward afterward respectively.

"Explain yourselves," Blossom demanded.

Takeo was tempted to scoff. He could tell that she was feeling conflicted. He knew that she was feeling conflicted. It was as he had expected, after all.

Still, he had to think of something on the spot now, or else he and his brothers were screwed. To make matters worse, Takeshi wasn't here to even the playing field.

Takeo stayed silent as he stared at Blossom.

As the silence continued, Takumi threw Takeo a puzzled look.

"Well?" Blossom asked.

"We don't need to explain ourselves to you," Takeo retorted.

He needed to do this. He knew he had to do this, for crying out loud, but when he saw the sorrow flash in her eyes, a tiny part of him regretted saying that.

That regret faded once he remembered the objective: get rid of the girls and that guy.

"Look, just tell us why you're here!" Buttercup growled as she pointed her hammer towards them.

"Buttercup!" Blossom snapped.

"No offense, Blossom, but at this rate, we won't get anywhere!"

"Buttercup," Bubbles began. "Perhaps you should calm down—"

"I'm not going to calm down when black light was detected in this area!" Buttercup snapped.

"You don't have to point your hammer at them!" Blossom retorted.

Buttercup glared at Blossom. "Aren't you the one who's always preaching about being on our guard?!"

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that we can settle this civilly!"

"Um, girls?" Bubbles interrupted.

Blossom and Buttercup looked at her.

"They're gone."

Both of their eyes widened, and they looked at the area where Takeo and Takumi once stood.

"What the hell?!" Buttercup yelled. "We only took our eyes off them for a second!"

"They shouldn't have gotten far, right?" Bubbles asked, but she sounded hesitant.

At once, their compacts began to ring, and Blossom opened hers. Bubbles and Buttercup leaned in to look at the compact's screen.

"What is it, Professor?" Blossom asked.

The look on Professor's face was grim. "I have some bad news for you girls."

"What is it?" Bubbles asked as her face etched with worry.

Professor Utonium sighed. "The black light that Peach has detected in the forest has begun to move towards the city." He paused. "Did you girls happen to find the source of the black light yet?"

Blossom frowned and shook her head.

Professor Utonium sighed grimly, but it wasn't long before he noticed that Buttercup's face was pale. "Buttercup? Is everything all right?"

Within an instant, Buttercup's eyes were filled with rage, and her entire demeanor shook in anger. "I'm going to kill them."

Professor Utonium's eyes widened. "Buttercup?! What's happened?!"

Buttercup snatched the compact from Blossom's hands.

"Hey!" Blossom yelled.

Professor Utonium looked frantic. "Girls, please, tell me—"

At once, Buttercup closed the compact, and she threw it back at Blossom, who caught it.

"Buttercup, what is it with you?" Blossom snapped.

"Do you two seriously not get it?!" Buttercup yelled. "Don't you remember what I suggested last year about those guys?!"

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Buttercup," Bubbles said hesitantly.

Buttercup groaned in frustration, and she let out a long sigh. Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for the other two to hear. "Remember when I brought up the notion that maybe those guys were the Rowdyruffs? And how you two shot that down?"

"I remember," Blossom replied, but she hesitated before she added, "But that's impossible because Takeo couldn't possibly be Brick—"

"Open your eyes, Blossom! Peach detected black light here in that very spot! I heard someone running away, and guess who it was?! Takeo and Takumi! And who just escaped right underneath our very noses?! Takeo and Takumi!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"No, it does mean something!" Buttercup yelled before she let out a long sigh. "Look, the only way they could've possibly done that is if they were the Rowdyruffs. And to make things worse, I-I actually…" Buttercup clenched her fists.

After a moment of silence, Blossom muttered, "I refuse to believe they're them."

"Blossom!"

"Because if they're the Rowdyruffs, and they've been the black light Peach has been detecting, wouldn't that mean they're murder suspects?!"

Buttercup flinched. "That's not the point here—"

"Oh, really? Because that seems to be what you're implying!"

"I was not—"

"No, listen to me, Buttercup! You're accusing our boyfriends of murder, and I know for a fact that Takeo is not a murderer!"

"Oh, for God's sake, how long are you going to keep blindly defending that guy?! They used us, Blossom!"

"You two, stop fighting this instant!" Bubbles yelled.

At once, the two complied, but they continued to glare at each other.

Bubbles hesitated. "I don't want to believe that the boys are…indeed the Rowdyruffs. It wouldn't make sense, but right now, we need to follow that black light into the city. If we don't, worse things will happen."

Blossom let out a long sigh. "She's right… I let my emotions cloud my judgment."

Buttercup scoffed. "Does it matter? Either way, when I get my hands on Butch—"

"Takeshi," Blossom corrected, while narrowing her eyes.

"He's Butch," Buttercup snapped. "There's no doubt about it. And when I get my hands on him, he's dead."

Without another word, Buttercup shot off into the sky.

Blossom rolled her eyes before she flew off as well.

Bubbles hesitated as she recalled Takumi looking at her. His eyes looked so guilty to her, and she didn't know what to make of it.

But, was he really Boomer?

It logically didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense. How could Boomer, the one she knew from three years ago, grow up to become someone like Takumi? If anything, the boys should still be younger than them.

She shook her head to get rid of these confusing thoughts before she flew off into the sky.

Takeshi—or, well, Butch was watching TV. In actuality, he was just flipping through the channels because there was seriously nothing on TV that piqued his interest. He watched the television with bored eyes as he continued to channel surf.

It wasn't until he heard someone come into the house that he finally stopped his actions.

He frowned. "Brick? Boomer? Is that you guys?"

No response.

At once, he felt the change in the atmosphere, and he quickly stood before turning around to face the open doorway. "Who's there?"

Silence.

Butch narrowed his eyes. The second he blinked, however, he found himself suddenly slammed against the nearest wall.

Butch tried to breathe, but something had a firm grip around his neck. He gasped as the grip tightened, and he tried to claw at whatever was at his neck, but his hands could barely move. When he opened his eyes, just barely, his face blanched.

"Hey there, Takeshi," the perpetrator said with a sickly grin. "So, why weren't you in school today? Out 'sick?'"

Butch coughed as he felt the grip on his neck become tighter than before. He tried to pull the hand away, but his strength and his consciousness was already slipping away.

To make matters worse, he was alone.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the perpetrator asked before chuckling darkly.

Butch sent him a weak grin.

The perpetrator threw him a confused look, and almost immediately, he was blasted with an energy beam from Butch's hand. He was sent flying until he hit the wall on the other side of the room, and his body fell down onto the floor.

Butch had already collapsed onto the floor, and he coughed, trying to catch his breath and steady himself as he stood up.

The perpetrator groaned softly. "Why you little brat."

Butch flinched, and he didn't even wait for the perpetrator to get up. He immediately went to the nearest window, opened it, and flew out. He didn't dare to even look back as he continued to try to fly as fast as he could away from that place.

When he figured that he was finally far enough from the place, he flew into an alleyway and continued to hover in the air. He breathed heavily, still trying to make sense of what the hell just happened.

How did that guy find him? He shouldn't have been able to find him! Besides, he shouldn't even be here, or rather, he couldn't possibly be here.

And yet, somehow, he was.

But, why was that?

Butch's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, shit…"

"Figured it out, huh?"

Butch flinched, and he turned his head to find the perpetrator floating next to him.

However, before he could react, the perpetrator punched him hard directly at his stomach.

Butch coughed, and when he tried to uppercut the perpetrator, he was suddenly hit by a barrage of punches and kicks at his entire body. Butch managed to guard some of the attacks, but this speed wasn't something he could keep up with, which shocked him.

How was this guy so fast?! The last time they fought, this guy was nowhere near as fast as he was now!

Nothing made sense now!

He felt bruises already forming on his body as he kept getting hit with more punches and kicks, and every time he coughed or grunted in pain, he couldn't help but think of his brothers. After all, if his brothers were here, maybe he'd have an advantage. Going up against this guy alone was suicide.

And for some reason, even though the fear was growing in Butch, the adrenaline in him was still telling him that everything will be okay, just as long as he could find some opening.

As if on cue, Butch finally saw that opening within the barrage of attacks, so he shot an energy beam, but instead of hitting the perpetrator, like he thought it would, it hit the wall across them.

A small crater was created in the wall, and bricks fell onto the ground.

Silence ensued as Butch breathed heavily, trying to regain some of his strength. He could feel the bruises and the places he hit on his body throbbing in pain, and when he tried to shift his body, he winced. It wasn't long before his eyes widened in panic when he realized that the perpetrator was gone.

He turned his head around frantically, trying to figure out where the hell this guy was, until he looked upward, and his eyes widened when he saw that the perpetrator was floating above him.

Within a split second, the perpetrator shot an energy beam of his own downward at Butch.

Butch fell onto the ground, creating a large crater twice the size of his body from the impact.

His entire body hurt. Everything hurt. It hurt to even try to move. To make matters worse, his consciousness was starting to slip away.

His eyes were still glued on the perpetrator, who was still floating in the sky, and despite his state, his superhuman hearing was still as keen as ever.

"Consider this as a warning," he heard the perpetrator say darkly. "You three better not mess with me on the next full moon, or you will regret it."

Butch tried to retort.

He didn't know if he did.

After all, the next thing he saw was complete darkness.