Ah, this is where things finally get interesting. This is a reaaallll long chapter, or so it seems, but bear with me. The action really starts in the next chapter, when he, Bubbles, and Blossom have a confrontation. I might wait to upload it, though, just to create drama.

I think, in four or five chapters, Part I is gonna end. Although there are a little of things I need to tie in and up, but Part II might be where that takes place. I don't know. I didn't exactly start this story with any plan of ever letting any other human eyes see it. Okay, I am done.

Bubbles didn't get a wink of sleep that night. She dreaded the following day. Though she had tried to suppress her doubts after speaking to Ace, she did have to acknowledge that there was something just a tad suspicious about the whole situation. She refused to believe Sera had deceived them, but she could believe that 'he' was in Chicago and preparing to kill them. But his reference to 'the game' cast Bubbles in doubt. She was so confused, thoughts buzzing in her head like a stinging next of wasps. Thoughts of Fabio and Buttercup kept popping up, too. That last thing Bubbles wanted was for them to get hurt, and yet they were flying out to meet them and perhaps their doom. Bubbles would never forgive herself if Fabio got hurt.

The sky was a terrible shade of grey, the clouds swirling in a dangerous way and a ghostly light pervading the city. Peculiar light slanted off the sky scrapers and cast bizarre patterns of shadows across Chicago. Very few people moved about on the sidewalk, scared inside by the outlandish atmosphere that enveloped the city.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Bubbles stood staring at the shampoos and soaps, shock making her stomach twist and her skin prickling uneasily. The kiwi body wash she had brought with was gone, replaced by the strawberry body wash. A piece of paper thrice folded was taped to the bottle. She unfurled it and read what was written there.

I prefer the strawberry one to kiwi.

Kiss

Bubbles knew instantly that 'he' had done this. She wanted to scream in horror, but instead she merely went through the motions of taking a brief shower, tossing aside the new bottle of strawberry body wash and instead using Blossom's. There was a deep seated revulsion in her stomach, and even turning the water all the way on hot didn't relinquish the chill from Bubbles bones. Finally, she could stall no longer and she turned the water off.

Shivering and wrapped in a heavy white towel, Bubbles stood in hers and Blossom's room, staring out the open window. The sun was swathed in plumes of cottony pewter, and some of the taller buildings disappeared in the clouds. Bubbles felt a sudden, intense flash of vertigo as she looked down at Chicago. Was 'he' hiding among the chrome and metal somewhere, silent, smiling, watching her? Bubbles grimaced. She had gingerly thrown away his gift, and she was immensely disturbed by the fact that he had been able to get into the hotel room. She had been awake all night. How? Bubbles was scared, and felt quite alone. She wanted to call Fabio and Buttercup and tell them to run away while they could, but she just stood and watched the clouds shift across the sky in sluggish, weak movements. When her platinum hair was bone dry, Bubbles at last dropped her towel and quickly dressed in white tee shirt, brown hoodie with a faux fur collar, and jeans.

She went downstairs to quickly eat breakfast and, thankfully, there were too many people down there for Ace to come again unseen. Still, Bubbles hurried through breakfast and rushed back upstairs to the room, where Blossom was already awake and primping. It was probably 10:30, but Blossom was never one to be late for anything. She glared at Bubbles as she came in, but Bubbles mostly ignored her. Blossom had been so enraged when Bubbles had voiced her few doubts about the press conference. Though she was rational, she never backed down, even from the most gruesome of threats. Even 'he' wouldn't be able to stand in Blossom's way.

"You should be getting ready." Blossom huffed as Bubbles went into their room.

"The conference is at 5:30. I think I'll be fine." Bubbles replied absently. Blossom sniffed and disappeared into the bathroom once more. Bubbles rolled her eyes and threw herself across the bed before reaching out and opening her book to the place she had stopped.

***

Sera Bellum stopped at their house at 5:00 to help get them ready. Bubbles hadn't realized how much time had passed until Blossom answered the door and let Sera in. She looked down, surprised to find she had almost finished the novel, and quickly marked her place before jumping off the bed. She had, at first, been too nervous and worried about Fabio, Buttercup, and Blossom to properly get into her character's problems and the plot, but, after a while, she had become totally engrossed.

Now, Sera looked at Bubbles with some disapproval as the girl scrambled to her feet. In Sera's eyes, she was hardly presentable at a press conference. Blossom was already good to go, so at least Sera didn't have to worry about her. But she only had fifteen minutes tops to get Bubbles respectable.

"Do you have anything fancy you could wear?" Sera inquired as she began rifling through Bubbles bag. Bubbles stared at her blankly, and Sera's mouth became a hard line. "Damnit. We don't have time to go shopping or anything. But, this is the Ritz-Carlton for a reason."
She called down to the front desk for a navy blue pin stripe skirt and blouse. Only two minutes later did a bellboy appear with the designated outfit, much to Bubbles surprise. However, she had no time to comprehend their speed or where they had gotten the outfit so fast. Hurriedly, Bubbles dressed and Sera did her hair and make-up. When Bubbles looked in the floor length mirror in their room, she was shocked.

Her platinum hair was hanging in waves around her pale face, the red lipstick contrasting with her fair skin and the mascara making her eyelashes so long and thick it was almost inhuman. The glittering blue eyeshadow made her sapphire eyes stand out almost comically. The outfit was lovely as well, both sexy and modest at the same time. The blouse was tight, and the top three buttons were undone, though not in a sleazy way. It was just an 'I have boobs' kind of thing, and her skirt skimmed just below her knee. Sera had retrieved some hose and blue heels as well. Overall, Bubbles looked quite professional, almost like a super young lawyer or political figure. Blossom was just as pretty, wearing a bright pink, silk pant suit that flowed over her body like water, her red hair blown out pencil straight and a red head band adorned with a single rose holding back her bangs. Her make-up was perfectly done; it looked like a professional make-up artist had done it. Blossom was flat as a pancake, unlike the rather chesty Bubbles, so the first four buttons of her shirt had been undone to add just a touch of sex appeal. Sera approved of them by the end, but the professor seemed less than pleased, insisting that they button up just a little. Sera wouldn't hear of it and rushed the three out the door, down to a glossy black limo.

They piled into it, Blossom and Sera talking amicably at one end of the limo. Sera quickly briefed them on what they were to do and say before falling into a chat with Blossom about the collapsing health care and unraveling economy. Bubbles ignored them, having no desire to hear them bash President Obama, and the professor noticed her sullen silence.

Bubbles was thinking about Fabio and Buttercup, wondering where they were and if they had gotten a plane at all or if Fabio had been unable to follow through. She worried about the danger they would be in if they landed in Chicago, if they would somehow find out where the press conference was, what they would do if anything at all. 'His' crows had attacked them. Why? Why wasn't he targeting Blossom and Bubbles, who were in his territory? Was he trying to chase all of them into one area so he could more conveniently get rid of them? What of the game he had been speaking of? Bubbles also pondered all of the ways the press conference could go wrong, the least of which ending with Bubbles, Blossom, and the professor dead.
"Bubbles, sweetheart, is something wrong?" The professor asked gently, snapping her harshly out of her reverie. She flinched, looking up at him.

"No," Bubbles lied shakily.

"Do you want to go through with this?"

"Yes."

The professor sighed heavily.

"It is alright if you want to back out." The professor informed her quietly.

"No, I can't, not when we're this close." Bubbles retorted. They both fell into a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Bubbles felt bad lying to him about Buttercup and her own mounting fears. There were so many ways that this could go wrong, but they had come this far. Bubbles was being a hypocrite if she decided to back down now. She was the one who had pushed to do the press conference in the first place, but she had forgotten to consider that 'he' might be present and annihilate them. She had rushed into this heavy footed, most unlike herself. It had taken Ace—of all people!—to get her to see the light, if indeed there was a betrayal here. Bubbles still didn't believe Ace when he said that Sera was the likely candidate; but he may be right to think that 'he' was here. None of the girls had ever found out what had happened to him after they had ingested the liquid Z. They had assumed he'd left since he was one of the Most Wanted in Illinois.

The limo pulled smoothly up the curb, and Bubbles could already hear the babble of voices and click of cameras beyond the door. God, she didn't want to do this. She so didn't want to do this. It was one thing talking about standing in front of a group of people and challenging perhaps the most evil being in existence; it was another entirely to actually do it. It was only made worse by Bubbles innate shyness and inability to coherently speak in front of others. Maybe this had been the worst idea ever. A press conference? What had Bubbles actually been thinking?
"Come on, keep cool, and don't answer any questions." Sera whispered swiftly before the limo door was opened by a stern faced older gentleman wearing a black tuxedo. Sera nodded to him as she got out, rather gracefully. Blossom followed suit, mirroring Sera's elegance and poise. Bubbles, however, doubted she would be able to pull that off. She was wearing a skirt, and it was hard, she realized, to get in and out of a limo modestly in a skirt. To allow her more time to think, the professor got out next. Finally, Bubbles knew she had to get out of the limo, but it felt like her bones had melted. Her stomach was twisted into tight double knots and there was a pressure on her bladder and lungs that made it difficult to breathe. Her heart was racing in her chest as she stepped into the blinding glare of a million flashing cameras, clouds of color floating before her eyes as she quickly stumbled out of the limo and joined Blossom, Sera, and the professor, who were already moving quickly down a long sidewalk up to a majestic building that Bubbles knew was town hall.

"Where is Buttercup?"
"Is HE truly back?"
"Do you still have your powers?"
"Where have you been living the past decade?"
"Is it true your mother is Sera Bellum?"
"Bubbles, gorgeous, do you dye your hair?"
"Are you wearing contacts, Blossom?"
"Are the rumors that you had an affair with Charles Morelli true, Sera?"
"Are you married now, Mr. Utonium?"

The onslaught of questions could be silly or serious, the faces passing in a blur of colors and features as Sera hurried them along to the podium set up on the steps of the town hall. The security—primarily buff men (and women) in sleek black suits—kept the crowds at bay. Several fans of the Powerpuff Girls begged for autographs, but Blossom merely sniffed at them and turned her nose up. She quickly lost the crowds' appeal, and they turned most of their attention to Bubbles, who was bright red and weak kneed from the attention. She did sign a few things, since she would feel bad otherwise if she didn't. Sera seemed to dislike of this, but Bubbles ignored her.

Finally, they reached the steps and Sera led them up to the microphone. Thankfully, Blossom was to do most of the speaking, but all of the same, the photographers and journalists directed most of their questions—and cameras—at Bubbles, who seemed more approachable and nicer than her clearly snobby older sister. Also, she was prettier than her sister, but Bubbles didn't believe that the cries of 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous' were genuine either way.

Sera took the microphone first to announce the girls.

"Please, calm down." She intoned, her demand instantly being met. The photographers continued to snap photos, but otherwise the only sound was Sera's seductive voice. "As you know, ex-Mayor Charles Morelli... was recently murdered." She paused tactfully, displaying her grief clearly for a moment so she was more likeable to the crowd. "It is believed that the… the wretched murderer was 'him', a nameless criminal that was an archenemy of the Powerpuff Girls during their crime fighting days as children. As you know, he and Dr. Joseph Moe sent off a bomb under the girls ten years ago as they flew home after a bank robbery. This bombing caused Bubbles Utonium to receive such a severe injury the girls retired from crime fighting—"

"Why did you girls retire because of this? The wound would've healed." A bold, beautiful African American woman in the front of the crowd asked defiantly, her unreadable brown eyes scrutinizing Bubbles and Blossom with a scary intensity. Sera glared at the woman, but she refused to back down. Blossom quickly answered the question so the press conference could continue.

"We were only five years old, and the injury Bubbles received made us realize just how much danger we were going to be in. Also, most of our villains had been defeated by that time, or had relocated." Blossom answered tonelessly. The black woman seemed dissatisfied with the vague answer, but Sera took the opportunity to continue.

"As I was saying, the girls retired and moved to an undisclosed location. After almost a decade of relative peace from the remaining super villains in Chicago, Charles Morelli was murdered by him—as a challenge to the Powerpuff Girls."
This warranted a few gasps and shouts of rage.

"And today, the girls are going to reply to this challenge with a challenge of their won." Sera continued, undaunted. More questions, more cameras flashing, more cries of protest and disapproval and agreement. "Thank you for listening to me. But now, I introduce Blossom and Bubbles Utonium, the former Powerpuff Girls."
Sera moved aside, allowing Blossom to take the spotlight.

"Thank you, Ms. Bellum. As you know, I am Blossom Utonium, formerly the leader of the Powerpuff Girls. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Mayor Charles Morelli, who first enlisted us to fight crime. He was a great man, something that I don't have to tell you all.

"But this death is made even worse by the fact that it was, in fact, a murder. Worse? The murderer was indubitably 'him', a nemesis or ours from a decade ago. We assumed he had gone into hiding perhaps in Europe or Asia, as he was one of Illinois' Most Wanted. But it is clear he was biding his time, waiting for the perfect chance to draw us out once more." Blossom took a timed breath, the crowd enraptured with her speech. Bubbles, however, was less than enthused. She was still nauseous and dizzy from having to stand in front of a great amount of critical people, but her thought process was hardly hindered. Blossom was so fake, so generic, so planned. Bubbles wished she had the courage to shove her out of the way and take over, but she was trembling and it seemed like, even if she wanted to, Bubbles wouldn't be able to speak.

"And we have a response to his challenge." Blossom went on, her voice taking on an earnest passion Bubbles hadn't expected to hear. "We accept his challenge and, if he has the guts, we will fight him ourselves. But we ask that he does not harm any more civilians. This is our fight. We will fight you and we will win. Thank you."
With that, Blossom stepped back, and there was a moment of utter, discomfit silence. Not even the photographers were taking pictures. People simply stared in awe and revulsion and hope at the girls.

"Does Buttercup agree with this?"
"How do you plan to fight him?"
"So you do still have your powers?"
"How can you possibly think you could beat him?"
"You've never been able to beat him in the past!"
"Take the responsibility for the mayor's death upon yourselves, you witches!"
"What are you saying? This is brilliant!"
And so it went, everyone voicing their different opinions in a cacophony of different voices. Bubbles was increasingly uncomfortable, and Blossom seemed annoyed with some of what the people were calling her.

"Please, one at a time! We will answer your questions!" Sera interrupted harshly. The people instantly fell silent, only to start calling out questions and comments again in a tad more of an orderly fashion.
"Where is Buttercup?" One man in the back asked.

"She is at home. She had other affairs to attend to that didn't allow her to come with us to this press conference." Blossom answered clinically, like she was reading straight off a note card in her hand or a response written on her palm. Bubbles checked her theory, and was surprised to see that there was no note card or sharpie.

"Do you have your powers?" Another woman—a younger, peroxide blonde—asked. This was the question Bubbles had been dreading. Were they going to lie? The truth was… the girls weren't going to be fighting him. They were, by responding to his challenge, attempting to draw him out so the police could effectively catch him. Blossom and Bubbles were useless without their powers; Buttercup was the only one who stood a remote chance and she was likely detained in an airport somewhere or still at home. Bubbles looked up at Blossom nervously through her eyelashes. Blossom, however, didn't show a flicker of doubt or concern when this question was asked. Her face read as totally indifferent.

"No," She replied truthfully. That caused a new rack of questions to spring up, and another crop of insults and catcalls. Bubbles winced.

"How do you plan to defeat him if you don't have your powers?" The audacious black woman in the front inquired calmly.

"We have a plan we would rather not disclose over the air."
"Is that just a fancy term for 'we don't have a clue what we're going to do?" The black woman persisted evenly. Blossom ignored her, but people wanted an answer to that question. That was all they would ask, in varying ways that sometimes included profanity. Bubbles, unable to take the rising ill will of the crowd, brushed Blossom gently aside so that they would both share the podium.

"We do have a plan, honestly, and it would be too dangerous to reveal that plan now. If he is indeed in the area like we fear and we told you all the plan, it would become the main story of the news and he would see it. What good would the plan be then?" Bubbles pointed out desperately. Her reason and honesty won the crowd over, and they got off the topic, asking now more generic questions. But Blossom was displeased that Bubbles had suddenly acquired the limelight. She could see her sister shaking with fear and longing, no doubt, to run back to the hotel room so she could read rather than face the hungry questions of this crowd. Bubbles, after her accident, became so antisocial and awkward it was almost hard to tell it was the same person. The crowd picked up on Bubbles unease, but that didn't make the torrent of questions any less violent. Bubbles wasn't as detached as her sister when answering questions, so the press conference felt more casual than it actually was. Blossom glanced at Sera, expecting to see a twin look of irritation on her face at Bubbles sudden take over, but she was surprised to see Sera anxiously staring at her watch, like she—or someone else—had missed a very important deadline. Blossom looked out at the crowd, then to Bubbles, and lastly to Sera. She remained with startling clarity what Bubbles had said Ace had said.

"That hot chick with the nice rack and red hair? She's gonna betray ya."

In one of those scary moments where everything becomes completely clear and distinct, Blossom realized that Ace may have indeed been telling the truth. She turned to Bubbles, tapping her shoulder and leaning forward to whisper that she suspected Ace had been right all along. Though her pride would be severely injured by admitting such a thing, the safety of themselves and this crowd came before that.

"Bubbles, Sera is—"

Blossom didn't get a chance to voice her fears.
"I am still rather curious. How exactly do you girls plan to beat me?"
Blossom instantly recognized the voice, her stomach plummeting with horror and her blood running cold. It felt like, momentarily, her heart had stopped beating. She and Bubbles looked to the very back, where a man with a scarlet suit was sitting, his top hat pulled low over his face. He lifted it, and the girls got a glimpse of his strange, flickering face.

It was him.

The crowd broke into chaos.