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6.Buttercup's Bravery
Buttercup surged away from Butch towards Blossom, pounding her feet against ground as hard as she could. There was no plan of attack in her mind just yet, but she was sure something would occur to her shortly.
She was stopped short however, because Blossom flattened the palm of her hand and trust is forward so hard that the force of the air she moved was enough to stop Buttercup dead (as well as taking some chucks out of the ground.) Fortunately Buttercup was able to keep her footing, but she was rather put off by this.
"For heavens sake Blossom," she snapped. "If you that much more powerful then us why don't you just kill me."
For once Blossom didn't smile, but she spoke with her smiling tone. "Because that wouldn't be as fun," she said.
"Ha," Buttercup laughed. "I reckon your bluffing. You have a few powerful tricks I'll admit, but given your ruthlessness, I wager I'd be dead by now if you were truly capable of it." Buttercup wasn't of course this delusional, but she was keen to play for time.
"Don't tempt me," Blossom said harshly.
"Then why did you play such a defensive move just now to stop me attacking you?" Buttercup asked.
"Simple," Blossom replied. "I want to know what you two where talking about just now?" She was staring beyond her sister at Butch, who was trying his best to ignore her and build up his energy.
Buttercup remembered the scouter, so walked slowly round Blossom, to get her facing away from Butch. This way the machine wouldn't pick up Butch's energy gain. "Oh," she said nonchalantly, "we were just… reminiscing."
"Really?" inquired Blossom, not sounding convinced.
"Sure," Buttercup replied thinking as quickly as she could. "About the World Marital Arts competition. I'm the reigning champion you know."
"You mean you're the strongest person on this planet?" Blossom replied. "Do you expect me to be proud or something?"
Buttercup sneered. "You should be, because I reckon that if you fought me to the tournament rules, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Is one of these rules that the weakest person must win perchance?" Blossom mocked. She relaxed her stance a bit when Buttercup didn't reply. "All right sis, if you're so confident, I'd be glad to dash your hopes."
"Perfect," thought Buttercup. With Blossom watching, she flew a few metres into the air and using a small energy beam from her index finger, she carved a twenty foot by twenty foot square in the ground around Blossom, before landing again. "Okay, rules. You're only allowed to touch the ground in side the ring – which I've marked – but flying is allowed. You lose if you go out the ring or submit, or get knocked out. Oh yes, your not allowed to kill your opponent."
"So I defeat you, and then kill you," Blossom mused. "This shouldn't take long…"
"Oh yes," Buttercup lied, thinking quickly. "It's considered unsporting to win within five minutes. More entertaining for the crowd you see."
"Five minutes?" Blossom thought for a moment. "Very well, let it not be said that I am a bad sport." She carefully placed her hands behind her back. "If I only use my feet, then we might just about make that!"
"We'll see," Buttercup replied. She shifted her stance slightly. "On the count of three… One, two, three!" She launched her self forward, putting a foot down just in front of Blossom, and propelling her self around her sister, thus avoiding Blossoms counter kick and getting an opening to at last land a punch. Blossoms speed meant that it was only a glancing blow, but if was still contact.
As she cart wheeled away to the edge to the arena, Buttercup noticed that Blossom was smiling, as she gently rubbed the check that Buttercup's swing had caught. "Good," the pink puff muttered. "I see your not completely talent free."
Buttercup didn't replied, she just took a quick breath before throwing herself at Blossom once more, ducking and diving like a fight pilot trying to lose a tail, as she weaved around her opponent, desperately trying to catch her out. Blossom, with her arms folded behind her back, wafted between her strikes as if she was dodging a beach ball.
She was so relaxed that it was almost cocky, Butch thought, as he slowly focused his power. That was a good thing, he thought, she might not be expecting his blast to be able to hurt her.
Eventually, Blossom tired of dodging and ducking under Buttercups latest swing, she landed a sharp kick right where Buttercup's nose should be. The green puff took the blow well this time, back flipping away to dissipate some of the energy of the blow, before propelling her self into the air with a bounce on her hands. Righting her self, she stuck both arms out in front of her, and opened up her palms.
"Here Blossom!" she roared, "Catch!" With a brief green flash, a cascade of small energy balls cannoned down towards Blossom.
They were too weak to bother her though; Blossom just kicked herself a foot into the air so she could deal with these blasts with a quick couple of slashes from her mighty legs. Buttercup's plan had never been for the blast to hurt her. While her sister was distracted, Buttercup had darted in behind and swung a mighty kick directly at the back of Blossoms head. Blossom saw it coming extremely late, but just about managed to grab Buttercup around the ankle, and swing her sister over her shoulder, smashing her into the ground, hard enough to create a creator a few inches deep.
Exhausted and bruised, Buttercup stared up at Blossom, laughing slightly. Blossom frowned. "What's so funny?" she asked.
Buttercup giggled. "You had to use your hands," she laughed.
Blossom did not find this funny, and stamped hard on Buttercup's stomach to emphasise the point. Buttercup had never felt pain like it, as the contents of her stomach and a good amount of blood flopped out of her mouth in reaction.
"Now let me see," Blossom sneered. "Its unsporting to win in five minutes, so that gives me two minutes and twenty seconds to make you suffer!" She stamped down on Buttercup again, before crushing down on her chest. Buttercup screamed in agony, as concerning popping noises emanated from her body. Her cries of pain echoed off the ruined scenery, joined by Blossom's cackling laughter.
Butch watched on horrified, mainly by the thought that this could be him soon. Blossom turned to him suddenly, smiling sweetly.
"Feel free to step in any time you like," she said in a tone to match her smile, before laughing maliciously once more, as she crushed Buttercup again. Butch tried to concentrate as he increased his power further. He still needed more time, but if Blossom was occupied in the act of killing her sister, there was an outside chance she might not notice his blast until it was too late.
That chance seemed to have vanished moments latter, when a beep from her scouter suddenly stopped Blossom's laugher. "Power level of six thousand…" she whispered suddenly, "where's that coming from?" She released pressure from Buttercup, who finally was able to take in some breath, as she looked around, suddenly concerned. Butch's heart almost stopped when, for a moment, she was staring straight at him. "No," he muttered, "it's not ready yet, I need more time!" he bit his own tongue through fear and as a method for suppressing the pain from his missing arm. Too his relief however, Blossom kept scanning, looking for the power that she couldn't see.
That changed very quickly. From a near by creator, there was a burst of red energy. Blossom swung round to see Brick cannon out of the creator, as the remains of his bonds floated through the air. The young Ruff's eyes were glowing red, and energy was sparking off him. He landed seven metres short of Blossom, growling angrily.
"What the…" Blossom gasped, as Butch gaped in amazement, but she was interrupted by Brick.
"Leave my sister alone!!" he bellowed, tears of anger running down his cheeks, before he cannoned himself head first towards the stunned Blossom. He head butted her right under the ribs, momentarily knocking the stuffing out of the pink puff.
As Brick rolled away, Blossom gasped for breath as she staggered around for a moment. "Where… where did that power come from…" she staggered round to look at her attacker, "and where did it go!" she stuttered, as her scouter showed to her amazement that Brick's power level was back down at about eighty.
She wouldn't get answer though, because Buttercup took her chance. Ignoring her battered body, with one last push she leapt forward and grabbed Blossom from behind, wrapping her arms and her legs around Blossom's. "Got you!" she bellowed in her ear, before tightening her grip.
Blossom tried to escape, but still winded from Brick's charge, she wasn't able to. "Okay, you've got me," she hissed, as she tried to get her breath back, "but its not as if you can do anything!"
"Really?" Buttercup sniggered. "Come on Butch," she called, "do it now!"
It was only now that Blossom notice the sparks of energy leaping from the two fingers' on Butch's forehead. The scouter picked it up too. "Twelve Thousand!" Blossom gasped. "I can't believe it! How could I be that careless?"
Butch smiled a toothy grin. "Just keep her there as long as possible," he sneered lowering his fingers slightly, "and this'll skewer her like a kebab."
Buttercup groaned in pain. "I can't get out of this Butch!" she wailed, my ribs are broken. Guess we're both going Blossom."
"What!" Blossom gasped as she desperately tried to wriggle free. "Your going to commit suicide just to beat me!"
"Call it a necessary sacrifice," Buttercup laughed.
"Your mad!" Blossom bellowed, "letting yourself die for the worthless rodents on this planet!"
"Maybe," Buttercup gripped tighter, as Blossom nearly got away, "but I'd rather die for a better reason then your entertainment!"
"But sis," Blossom protested, "I wouldn't have killed you…"
"Oh pull the other one, its got bells on it!"
Brick had got back to his feet again at last, rubbing is head. Then he saw what was going on. "Buttercup," he cried "what's happening?"
Buttercup gritted her teeth as she looked over to him. "Stand back Brick!" she bellowed, "the worlds going to need you after this kid!"
"What do you mean…" Brick gasped, fearing the worst, but he was interrupted by Butch's laughter.
"Nobel sacrifice," he roared with joy, "how very like you Buttercup. I suggest you hold on tight now, because here it comes!" He raised his arm up before swinging his hand out in front of him. With a mighty roar, the energy he'd been building up spiralled out of the end of his fingers in a narrow beam. As it corkscrewed towards the two puffs however, Blossom finally found some strength again. She rammed her elbow hard into Buttercup's side and then made a desperate scrabble for freedom.
With a flash of green energy, the beam ripped through the melee and surged off into the distance before eventually curving into the ground one hundred metres away, with a large bang. This was irrelevant though, as all the focus was on the screen that was emerging before Butch and Brick.
Buttercup had fallen to the floor, a massive and surely fatal hole straight through her chest. Blossom though, had just about done enough. Her armour had been pierced on the right side of her lower body, and she had lost a layer of skin, that was now bleeding heavily. She was in pain, but she was still standing.
Bubbles jumped when Boomer suddenly jumped to his feet, shaking violently. The two of them had been watching in silence as Mojo and the Professor beavered away, but now the ruff had picked something up.
"She's gone!" he wailed. Bubbles looked up hopefully.
"Who, Blossom?" she asked.
Boomer stared at her, fear etched on his face. "No, Buttercup. There's no energy signal from her!"
"What! No!" Bubbles screamed, but Boomer was already charging for the door. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To fight!" Boomer snapped. "If I don't do something soon, Butch will be dead too!" He shot off at full speed.
Bubbles hesitated for a moment. Buttercup couldn't be dead. It just wasn't like her. A pit of fear and depression welled up in her stomach. She had to know. Bubbles charged off to the door but was halted by the Professor's call.
"Wait Bubbles, we need you!" he called. Bubbles swung round, now with tears in her eyes.
"But Buttercup…" she began.
The Professor was welling up slightly too, but he managed to control his words. "I know," he replied, "but we need you. This device we're building needs someone to use it, which now Boomer's gone has to be you. Besides you won't be helping Buttercup if you charge off an die too."
"I… I suppose so," Bubbles sniffed.
"Besides," added Mojo, "she may not be deceased at this moment in time, as in dead or departed. For remember that the two rowdyruffs, as in Butch and Boomer, where apparently dead, as in departed or deceased, on the day, that is within one rotation of the planet Earth that we measure to be twenty four hours long, that I created them, but then they returned latter, thus proving to not be dead or departed, but to be alive all along."
Bubbles and the Professor looked at him. "I don't think Him would want Buttercup back," Bubbles muttered.
"Fine, give up all hope," Mojo muttered, returning to his work, "see if I care."
As the exhausted Butch looked on in horror, Brick sprinted over to his sister. "Buttercup," he bawled, "please be okay! Speak to me!"
Buttercup gasped for breath, but it was a struggle. "Sorry Brick, I'm a goner. You're going to have to fight for me…"
"But… but I can't!" Brick cried, "I don't know how."
Buttercup grinned. "I know you can. You have enough power, we saw it!"
"What power?" Brick panicked.
Darn, thought Buttercup, he doesn't remember. Still, it was too late for her to remind him now. "Go join Butch…" she gasped for breath again as the light started to fade in her eyes. "He's in charge now. Go!"
Brick staggered away, sniffling awfully. Blossom, clutching her side, let him go, as she walked over to Buttercup herself. "It was a good effort my sister," she said calmly. "Your death may be futile, but it was at least noble."
Buttercup wheezed out a laugh. "I knew it," she gasped. "You're not totally gone Blossom. Your heart is in there some where, I know it. You can't honestly tell me you enjoy all this killing."
Blossom smiled gently. "You'd be surprised how much of an effect years of loneliness will do to you," she sneered, "with nothing to keep you company but the images of those who abandoned you. Good bye Buttercup."
"We'll see," Buttercup whispered but then she was gone.
Blossom took a step back, her head bowed. Butch (trying to ignore Brick hanging on to his leg) wondered if Buttercup was right, the pink Puff almost seemed sad. If this was the case however, she covered it up well, swinging her head back towards them with a self satisfied grin.
"Right," she declared, "who's next?"