This was bad. This was very bad. This was almost checkmate. The boys couldn't do anything except listen to the officers orders. Of course Bubbles and Buttercup tried to explain to the cops, but when the officers looked to Blossom for confirmation, she gave the exact opposite story, ordering the officers to continue with the arrest.
It was now evening, and the mayor at this point stepped out of city hall with two cops behind him. Ms Bellum however wasn't with the mustached man this time. Instead she was taking a phone call on the Powerpuff hotline, talking with the Professor.
He was explaining the whole story to her. Even playing the tape recording of Brick's interrogation of Folla over the phone, to prove to her that the boys were here to help.
"So there's actually three other superpowered children?" The redheaded secretary then heard the noise of a crowd outside the window, and looked out to see the six superpowered kids in the air and a large crowd of police and citizens surrounding them. "Uh oh, Professor, you might want to come down to city hall, something's going on."
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The crowd was still jeering at the boys, who the three were now together floating above the steps of city hall.
"Mr Mayor I'm glad you're here" Blossom addressed. "You need to issue an arrest warrant for these three immediately."
"Oh, right, yes of course" agreed the mayor naively. "Officers, arrest these three."
"Rowdyruff boys" the officer on the megaphone began. "Drop all technology you have on your person."
Boomer and Butch glanced at their leader, awaiting an instruction. "Do as he says" Brick whispered, not wanting to get them into any more trouble. Reluctantly, the three Rowdyruffs removed their earpieces and any device they had in their belts, leaving them on the floor.
A little surprised at how cooperative they were being, the officer with the megaphone continued "Alright, now float down to the nearest squad car, where we have duranium cuffs waiting for you."
A little hesitant to do this, but knowing they had no other alternatives, the boys slowly floated down and obeyed.
"No" Bubbles whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Just as the three ruffs were about to accept arrest, stones and pebbles were thrown from the crowd at them, followed by empty drink cans and other general trash. The boys tried to shield themselves.
"Get 'em outta here!"
"They don't deserve to be treated with any sort of respect!"
"Probably trying to deceive us all!"
"They attacked Blossom!"
The police tried to get the crowd under control, but people from their apartments who watched the whole thing started throwing things as well. In fact it became so bad that the boys had to fly away slightly to get out of the crowd's aim.
By now both Wendy and the Professor had arrived in Wendy's car, and got out behind the crowd, just in time to witness this witch hunt.
There wasn't really anywhere to fly, and the large crowd still managed to throw whatever they could at their targets. The boys had no choice, although they should really be following the officer's instructions, they didn't want to face vigilante mob justice, so they flew away, through the buildings of Townsville, trying to get away from the angry mob.
"No, Boys!" Bubbles called out to them about to follow after in suite.
But Buttercup stopped her by putting her arm out. "I wouldn't Bubbs" she said referring to the nasty crowd.
"Shouldn't they be arrested in a civil manner Blossom?" the mayor inquired.
Blossom thought for a second. "I got a better idea. Let them run, they'll be heading back to Founders." She turned to the police chief who was starting to recover from his attack. "Chief, if you're feeling well enough, call the police chief in Founders city, tell him to put his forces on high alert, and search the city for the ruffs."
"Will do Blossom" nodded the chief, as the Powerpuff floated up and stood on top the city hall building, observing out at the fleeing Rowdyruffs.
Flying around many corners and taking many turns, the Rowdyruff boys did the best they could to escape the mob justice and get out of sight. In the midst of it all, Brick did consider going back and explaining, but flashes of the image of his brothers battered and beaten played in his mind, so he just kept pulling them out. Out of the city where it would only be safe for them.
"Ah I knew this would happen!" Butch exclaimed as they flew over the outskirts. "They got one thing right, we should've never come back."
Boomer was looking rather distressed and worried. "What now Brick?" he turned to his brother.
"We have to go back to Founders for now" the red ruff stated.
"Didn't you hear what pinky said with your super hearing? She's gonna turn the whole Founders police force against us!" protested Butch.
"Chief Mccoy is smarter than that, he'd want proof first." Brick looked back at Townsville. "But just to be safe, we'd better lay low for a while, hide somewhere else." He started to slowly fly away from the city, his brothers following him.
"Oh yeah" scoffed Butch in a low tone. "Just like back when we were criminals."
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In the middle of Townsville, the trouble from the angry crowd had died down, and they had more or less dispersed. Wendy stared in the direction of where her sons had flown away, and called after them hoping they would hear with their super hearing, but they didn't respond. She turned to see the police officers picking up the technology the boys had on the city hall steps, including their comm links. She had no way of contacting them.
The police officers had either split up or stood down by now, and Blossom continued to glare out from on top the roof of city hall, her sisters floating behind her.
"The police in Founders city will get them. They did once before, during a riot, and they can catch them again. But if they do need any assistance, we'll be there to help, won't we girls?" the pink leader glanced back at them.
It took Bubbles a second to find her voice and reply "Blossom, you-"
"They were planning an attack on this town Bubbles, and us" the leader reaffirmed. "It had to be done."
"What evidence do you even have for that? Everything pointed towards the exact opposite!" Bubbles raised her voice, clearly angry at her sister.
"They attacked the police chief Bubbles, and were coming after us next."
"Blossom, I've been meeting up with them for months in secret. Even today before you discovered us I did! And they weren't planning anything! They didn't want to fight you, not because they were plotting against you, but because they were afraid that you'd do what you did!"
"They were using you to get to us Bubbles."
"Again, how would you know that? You're not the one who played tag, video games, or sports games with them. Or brought them food when they were starving, or helped me with martial arts training, or with my homework and praised me and gave me encouragement in being a superhero!"
"All follys to trick you Bubbles. You are not to leave this city at all without my permission from now on, understand?" The pink Powerpuff turned her back again to the both of them.
"You can't do that."
"Yes I can. The same goes to you Buttercup, you are both to follow my orders and only mine."
"You almost just arrested three innocent boys because you couldn't handle the fact that you were wrong!" the blue puff shot back. "How can anyone follow your orders after that?"
"I am not wrong Bubbles. I have to protect this city, and I'm not going to let that idiot red leader of theirs have even a grain of it!"
"You'll never compare to Brick!"
There was a pause after this, then followed by the blonde Powerpuff turning and instantly flying away, unable to hold in the tears of anger anymore. Blossom did not say anything, but just floated there still with her back to Buttercup. Her expression had definitely changed now, and didn't look as threatening or as authoritarian as before.
Her green sister still remained silent, having watched the exchange between her siblings.
Blossom didn't know why but for some reason she felt like she needed some reassurance, and looked down to see the Professor and Mrs Innlost standing by city hall, looking at all the aftermath.
She floated down towards Wendy. "Mrs Innlost, I'm sure you're glad to be free of them, right?"
The scientist woman didn't say anything back. Instead she just rushed to her car and got into the driver's seat. "I have to find them John" she said through the window, to which the Professor gave an understanding nod, and then she drove off leaving for where she hoped her sons to be.
"Blossom" the Professor then began. "You'd better have a good reason to why you got the boys into all this trouble" he said very sternly.
"I do Professor, it's because-"
"Excuse me, Professor" they heard Ms Bellum's voice call over from in front of city hall, standing next to the mayor. "Could you come over and explain something for us please?"
"Of course Ms Bellum. Blossom, we are not finished" he warned his daughter before going to meet the mayor and secretary.
The pink Powerpuff tried to justify herself in her mind. 'No, I am right. I'm sure I am.'
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Bubbles flew over the rooftops of the city, wanting to get as far away as possible. She briefly looked in the direction that the boys had fled, and held out her arm as if she wanted to follow. Feeling her lip tremble again and the tears building up, she continued to fly over the buildings, crying louder into her hands. Even louder than the time Buttercup destroyed her chalk on the playground.
Finally landing on a rooftop, she cried leaning against an air vent, gradually becoming quieter, not wanting people to hear her. The boys could be in massive trouble. They could be hunted down and thrown into another terrible prison. One just like that offshore prison that was recently shut down.
Oh why did people have to hate them? Why did the whole media have to be against them? Why was it such a stigma to come out in support of them? She wondered if people were against the ruffs not because it was their own opinion but because it was a trendy popular thing to do.
Wiping her eyes with her arms, she suddenly had a look of determination on her tear stained face. She had to know if the boys were okay; she had to know that the Founders police were not hunting them down. She took off, and headed in the direction of Founders city on an all too familiar route.
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What seemed like the longest drive of her life, Wendy finally managed to reach Founders where she parked outside her house as quickly as she could, and rushed in hoping to see the boys.
For the entirety of the journey, the only thing on her mind was 'god let them be at the house, please be at the house.' Her children were gone and lord knows that anything could've happened to them. She should have never taken them back to Townsville, that was a terrible idea from the start. Or course Brick would've insisted anyway, but she should've been there to defend them, she just should've.
Turning on the lights she called out: "Boys! Boys are you here? Brick? Boomer? Butch?" she sounded distressed and desperate. She then heard a noise coming from upstairs and rushed up hopeful to see. "Boys?" she opened their bedroom door, and didn't see her sons, but instead the blonde Powerpuff who had gotten in through the window.
"Bubbles?"
"Mrs Innlost? I'm sorry, I was looking for the boys. I wanted to see if they were alright. Are they here?" the puff asked with hopeful eyes.
Wendy sighed sadly "No, if they didn't come here I don't know where they'd be" she sounded as equally worried.
"You don't think the police got them do you-?" Bubbles suddenly thought but Wendy quickly assured her.
"No no, I phoned my dad on the way here and told him all about what happened. He said that neither he nor any Founders police station have the boys, but will keep a lookout for them."
"Then where are they?"
"We'll have to look for them, here take this" the scientist handed the girl a small earpiece. "We'll stay in contact and let each other know if we find anything."
Bubbles took it and placed it in her ear. "I'll look on the rooftops and high up, you look on the ground." They both nodded and split up, leaving the house to search far across the city.
Getting back into her car, the Rowdyruff mother looked up at the darkening sky with worry etched onto her face. "Oh boys please be safe."
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Flying over the Founders skyline, Bubbles scanned every inch of every rooftop among the buildings. Once she had searched over those, she headed over to the more run down areas of the city, looking into all the possible hideouts through the area with her x-ray vision.
Still yet there was no sign of them whatsoever. She even listened out with her super hearing, thinking that this was the best way to locate them. But with the many voices she heard, the three boys were not among them.
Going through all the places she played with them, the clouds, over the sea, and yet not a trace. An idea then came to her. The warehouse where they used to live. They had to be there, it was the most likely place.
Immediately zooming to said place, the puff flew in through the top window and looked to see no one, except of course Wendy. The scientist looked up and met eyes with the puff. Turns out they had the same idea, and both exchanged a look as to say 'Nothing'.
They left and Wendy continued to drive through the back streets and roads hoping to catch a glimpse of anything resembling a Rowdyruff. It became pretty difficult since it started to rain rather heavily, that and it was now night time. The worst part was, she couldn't ask anyone, not even police officers, if they had seen the boys as that would reveal that she was the Rowdyruff mother.
She could do nothing more than to keep searching and glance into all the back alleys and any other possible places she thought they might be. She couldn't track them since the devices used to do so were in their belts that they had left with the police in Townsville. And now the boys were out there in the pouring rain, all soaked and probably shivering. Where could they be?
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Bubbles was still not having so much luck with her search. She was forced to take shelter for a little while when it began to pour down. She floated under a small ledge on the side of a building to keep dry, and figured to herself that she was acting like a squirrel almost doing this.
'Squirrel!' she suddenly thought. That little park woodland area near a lake where Boomer showed the squirrel whom he made a home for. The boys said that used to be the place where they'd wash themselves when they were still homeless. The Powerpuff wasn't sure, but it was the only place she hadn't looked yet.
Zipping through the sky with rain splattering her face, which was more intense as she was higher up, she made it to the woodland park area and used her x-ray vision to search. And would you have it, there taking shelter underneath a tree were the three figures she had been desperately trying to find.
Bubbles immediately got onto the comm. "Mrs Innlost, I've found them! I've found them! They're in the woodland park area." She flew down into the woods, and saw the ruffs sat close to each other under a tree, all looking sadly down at the ground, not speaking at all.
It seemed as if they had already argued and had nothing else to say, which explained why Bubbles couldn't hear them with her super hearing. However they heard her, when she landed on the wet ground, and they all turned expecting to see a normal passer by. But then again who would be out this late in the rain?
Their eyes widened when they saw their most faithful companion looking very relieved and happy only a few feet away. It was clear she had been searching for them, and they stood up to greet her. The girl instantly with super speed zoomed forward and embraced all three Rowdyruff boys, trying to hug them all with her tiny arms. The boys didn't say anything but simply smiled and, even Butch, slightly hugged her back.
Car headlights then approached from just outside the woodland area, and the sound of someone running through the woods towards them was heard.
Out of the trees with a torch in hand and umbrella in the other, Wendy appeared, seeming exhausted, scared and hopeful. But any fear she had immediately left when she laid eyes on the three boys she had been longing to find.
They saw her too, and each of their faces lit up in the cold rain upon seeing their parent. Both them and her rushed towards each other, dropping the umbrella and the torch, Wendy finally wrapped her arms around her adoptive children, embracing them and holding them very tightly. A relieved wide smile of a mother appeared on her face, not bothered at all by the downpouring weather.
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Blossom and Buttercup were both home now, and the Professor hadn't had the chance yet to talk to his pink daughter, as he was too busy trying to find his blue one. They had not seen Bubbles since she ran off earlier after that argument with Blossom. Of course the most obvious answer was she was out looking for the boys, though the Professor did not have Wendy's mobile number so he couldn't ask if Bubbles was with her.
Blossom wasn't excluded from feeling extremely worried about her sister, though she still felt justified in 'exiling' the Rowdyruffs. She figured her blue sister would come to her senses once she was found.
That's when the girl's hotline phone beeped and the pink Powerpuff flew over and answered "Yes Mayor?"
"Blossom, I need you and Buttercup to come down here."
"Have you found Bubbles? Did you call the chief of Founders city?"
"Uh, no Bubbles is not here, and Ms Bellum has advised me not to call the city of Founders, and third, please come down here quick! We have a problem!"
"Uh, sure Mr Mayor, we're on our way." She put the phone down. "Buttercup, we're needed at city hall" she called to her sister, and both the Powerpuffs told the Professor they had to go, before heading out to the inner city.
The trip was silent between the two siblings. They hadn't spoken much since the events earlier that evening. Buttercup did briefly break the silence however during the flight. "So what's going on now then?"
"I dunno, the mayor didn't exactly say, though it sounded urgent-"
The girls all of a sudden heard an explosion not too far from them, and knew instantly that this was what the mayor was talking about. Gliding over to investigate, the Powerpuffs on top a building saw two small figures, who actually appeared to be the same height as them, and not to mention figure. They seemed to have ripped off part of the building which was now on fire.
At first glance, Blossom thought that her suspicions had just been confirmed with the figures looking exactly like the boys.
"Ha! See! I knew it! You thought you could-, wait," at second glance and looking a lot closer, both Blossom and Buttercup could see that this was not in fact the Rowdyruffs. They were wearing different clothes, their hair was different, and they were, girls?
"I told you this would get their attention" a girl's voice came from behind and the pink and green sisters turned to see another girl like them floating there, dressed in a red sleeveless shirt and red plaid skirt, with messy red ribbons in her hair, she looked almost exactly like Blossom herself, with the pink eyes and ginger hair and everything. By the looks of her, plus her floating, she was a chemical X user.
The girl then motioned with her head to the two others behind Blossom and Buttercup, signalling them to fly straight at the Powerpuffs and hit them from behind.
Knocked straight to another rooftop, the two puffs whom were very taken aback, especially Blossom, managed to get to their feet, and take a good look at these three other chemical X'ers.
They too were almost like counterparts, just like the Rowdyruffs were. The blue one was blonde, just like Bubbles, except her hair was longer and had bows. She wore a blue tank top and skirt, with white tights and black boots. Bangles on her arms.
And the green one, looking very similar to Buttercup, had black messy hair accompanied by a dress and boots of the same colour. In addition to fishnet stockings and spiked bracelets and a belt.
The three of them floated there, glaring down at the puffs, which alone, started to break apart Blossom's narrative, about the boys making this 'other girls' thing up.
"Wha-, but, who are you?" the pink Powerpuff asked baffled.
They didn't answer her question, instead the pink Blossom counterpart just glanced back at the other two. "Ian wants them brought in alive, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun with 'em first." She motioned with her arm and the two others lunged at Blossom and Buttercup.
The puffs only just managed to dodge them but quickly had to take a fighting stance when these counterparts of theirs flew back around and engaged them in hand to hand combat. They seemed to be capable fighters, with strength rivalling theirs. Buttercup was matched with her green counterpart, whilst Blossom was busy handling the blue one.
"Brat!" the pink counterpart to Blossom suddenly called. "Help Brute, I'll handle this one."
The blue girl smirked and attacked the green puff instead, now giving Buttercup two opponents at once to fight.
Before Blossom could even help her sister, the other pink girl flew before her. "I wouldn't bother leader girl, it won't be long until my sisters subdue yours."
Although still filled with tons of questions, Blossom could only ask this girl one. "Who, are you?"
"Oh, little ol' me? The one who's going to capture you of course, but for simplicity's sake, just call me Berserk." The girl fired a beam of heat vision which Blossom barely dodged.
"But, how can you be here? I mean, that was just a lie, you're not real-" Blossom tried to make sense of everything happening right in front of her.
"Pfft, 'not real'" Berserk mocked. "We witnessed the whole event with you and those 'ruff' boys or something earlier. And by the way, well done. It takes remarkable talent to trick a whole city into thinking those boys were evil."
"That wasn't a trick!" Blossom defended. "They were evil, right?" Now for the first time, the Powerpuff looked doubtful.
Berserk took this chance to swing at Blossom, and struck her dead on. The Powerpuff flew backwards into the side of another skyscraper. At that point it was clear to Blossom she was in for a tough fight, and decided to hopefully end it now with her ice breath. But when she tried to use it, her counterpart, this Berserk girl, turned out to have an ice breath power of her own, and the forces of both only created a large ice block between the two, which fell to the ground.
When that didn't work, the Powerpuff saw the messy ribbons in her opponent's hair and seized them, attempting to pull them as well as Berserk. But said opponent grabbed her own ribbons as well, pulling them back as well as the puff.
Berserk fired heat vision again, and the two kept going back and forth with their powers abilities and punches over the city.
Buttercup was doing her absolute best to fend off two attackers at once. She kept throwing swings and kicks, but the other girls kept dodging her messy blows. Whenever Buttercup tried to hit one of them, the other managed to land a punch on her, and not to mention their powers, as that seemed to wear down Buttercup even further. Not only did this Brute girl match the strength of herself, but taking on another chemical X user at the same time was something Buttercup was not going to have a victory over.
"Where did you girls come from?" the green Powerpuff demanded.
"That doesn't matter sweetie" Brat replied in a faux caring tone. "The point is we're here to take you."
"Take me out?"
"No, just take you" Brute answered before landing one final punch on Buttercup, knocking her down to a nearby rooftop.
The powerpuff wasn't about to give up. She stumbled to her feet, and attempted to stand. "If you think, you can, defeat me, I'll-" suddenly she felt a dart prick her neck. "Ah!" she pulled it out, and looked in horror as she realised it was an antidote X vial, inside a tranquiliser dart. She started to feel light headed, and began to wobble. Before she passed out though, she swore she heard the voice of a man.
"Excellent work girls." Stepping out of the shadows, a very unusual looking man with a tranquiliser gun congratulated them. He wore jeans, trainers and a blue jacket, as well as a baseball cap, and what was most unusual was his face. It looked like it had been decaying. The skin on his face and hands was turning blue, with parts of it peeling. Though his eyeballs and jaw still moved normally.
"Brat, take this dart and blow pipe, go and help your sister." He threw it to her. She nodded and flew off. "Brute, take this one to the hideout for me" he referred to the unconscious Buttercup.
Blossom and Berserk were locked in a stalemate, neither able to get an advantage on the other. When Brat approached the two girls, she smiled to Berserk, whom nodded to her, and Brat proceeded to blast Blossom with her heat vision, distracting the puff, and giving the chance for Berserk to hit her down on top a building.
Landing on Blossom and pinning her down, Berserk simply just laughed evilly at the pink puff leader.
"What-, but, you can't even-, what do you want with us?" questioned a helpless Blossom.
"You'll see. We're the Powerpunk girls pinky, we don't answer to you." Berserk held Blossom's arms down and called out "Now Brat!"
"Wait, no!" Blossom tried to shout but Brat had hit her with the tranquiliser making her pass out.
Berserk got up. "Like I said Brat, we wait until they run those boys out of town, as well as their own blue sister, and then we swoop in for the kill."
"Three against two" grinned Brat as she picked up unconscious Blossom. "Perfect idea."
Flying back to their leader, they awaited the next commands. "Here you go Ian, two perfect lab rats right here."
"Indeed" Ian remarked. "No doubt their blue sister will come back any time now. Be ready. Oh, and once you have her, grab you know who in Founders city. That widowed scientist is the only one who knows more about this chemical, she'll be useful."
Hello again everyone! Sorry to keep you all waiting, and my I had some great reviews since the last update. Enjoy this chapter. Things are really going down now.
Thanks to Vip189, John, Saladfisher265 and Narya Anima for reviewing.
To Butters: Don't worry, you'll see the reds and greens interact a lot more in the upcoming chapters, thanks again.
To ppg1998: I know what you mean. What I was trying to aim for in terms of writing Brick, and in terms of this story, was to make him sort of a no nonsense all business no time for play sort of character, especially after being released from the prison, realising that it was his childish decisions that got his brothers into all that trouble. I guess in this he sorta had to grow up quickly to look after Boomer and Butch, and eventually when he starts to fight crime too. Though I suppose he would still play with them, if ever he was in a good mood, and they beg him ;) Thanks for the review I really appreciate it.
Powerpuff girls and Rowdyruff boys belong to CN.
