Allies and Rivals II

Chapter 13 - Depths of Despair

The City of Townsville…

Boomer and Butch had just finished cleaning up themselves after the fight. They were still at loggerheads over what had happened.

"It's your fault this happened. If you hadn't been monkeying around instead of doing your job, you might have killed the monster sooner, and I wouldn't have so much wounds and Bubbles and I wouldn't have to clean up your mess!" Boomer said, though he wasn't shouting anymore.

"Look man, I'm sorry for what happened to you, but it's Buttercup's fault! Yeah, I admit, I should've killed that monster instead of making a fool of myself, but she's the one who's more at fault here!"

"Sorry? Why did you say it only now?"

"Cause I don't want to lose face in front of the girls! I don't want any of them to hear me apologize!" Butch replied. "Besides, I only want to say sorry to you, not to those sissies."

"Fair enough," Boomer said, completely understanding his brother. "But there would be hell to pay when Brick finds out about this. And since it's all over the news, there's no way you can keep it from him!"

"Well, we can always blame Buttercup," Butch said.

Both brothers laughed.

"Well at least it's over," added Boomer. "I mean everything turned out all right after all. Brick shouldn't be too angry. Speaking of Brick, where did that redhead disappear to?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" replied Butch. He then pressed a button on his communicator watch.

"Brick, Brick," he began calling.

There was no answer. He repeated the call. Still no answer. "That's strange. Maybe mine's busted. Butch, try calling Brick."

"Okay," Butch replied before calling, but got none. He then tried calling Boomer and succeeded.

Boomer tried calling Butch using the watch, and succeeded too.

"Where the hell is Brick?" said Boomer, who is near panic.

"Well, the last time I saw him, he and the redheaded girl were going to bust some bank robbers. The next time is when he called us, then poof! I haven't heard from him since."

"Well, let's go back to school. Maybe he wasn't as beat up as we were," said Boomer thoughtfully.

So both boys went back to school. When they arrived, they noticed that Blossom was also missing.

"I also called them, but Blossom didn't answer," Bubbles said worriedly.

"Nah, their watches are probably busted and they're still fighting some enemy," Boomer said. "I think we should just wait for them."

"Yeah, no sense in looking for them when we have no idea where they are," Buttercup added.

Later that afternoon, Boomer and Butch were at home waiting for Brick.

"Where the hell is Brick!" shouted Boomer as he waved his hands in panic. "I think we better find him!"

Butch just kept silent as he watched Boomer in near panic. Suddenly, the phone rang. Boomer then picked up and answered the phone faster than a speeding bullet, hoping it might be Brick.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi Boomer, it's Bubbles. I just want to ask you if Brick is there, since Blossom is missing."

"What? But Blossom is with Brick the last time we saw them. This is bad," said Boomer before he hung up the phone. "Looks like Brick is missing with his redhead girlfriend! We must look for him!"

"But where do we look? They might be under our very noses and we don't even know about it!" Butch argued. "I think we should wait."

"But what if something happens to him?" Boomer passionately said. "What if he needs our help! He's our brother, our leader for crying out loud. Sure, he's overbearing most of the time, and he's bossy, but that's the way he is. Without him, we couldn't have defeated the girls twice, and wouldn't be where we are right now. So don't be selfish and only think about yourself."

"Don't you say that, Boomer," Butch angrily said, grabbing the front of his brother's shirt. "Of course I care about Brick! He's my brother too you know. There's nothing I wouldn't do if he ordered it! But think! What will we accomplish by looking for him? It's like finding a needle in a haystack! So I say just wait for him here. Brick's smart, and he'll find a way out of whatever mess he's in right now, and tonight, we'll all sit as we tell each other what really happened with Dad."

"That's not good enough! I'm going to find Brick, and if you don't want to find him too, I'm going alone, or I'll call Bubbles to help me! And even though I don't like being alone with her, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to help than a certain brother of mine," said Boomer in a derisive tone. He was about to take off into whatever direction to find Brick when he felt Butch's hand tap his shoulder.

"Look, I think this is crazy, but for your sake, I'll help you," Butch offered. "If you're going to do this, it might as well be with your brother than girls whom you can't depend."

"Oh I guess so," Boomer said with gratitude. "Thanks Butch. But do we let those sissies know?"

"No, no, no!" Butch vehemently opposed. "This is our business, and we shouldn't drag anybody else with us!"

"But…" Boomer began.

"I said, it's none of their business. Now, if you want to look for Dad, then you do it with me and not with anybody else!"

Boomer decided to back down. So the two spent the rest of the afternoon into the night looking for Brick.

Meanwhile…

"Blossom!" shouted Bubbles as she flew over Townsville looking for her sister. They also noticed Blossom was missing, thought they were calmer about it because this wasn't the first time it happened.

"Where are you?" Buttercup shouted besides her. They had been looking for her since that afternoon.

"Brick!" shouted Bubbles.

"Brick?" wondered Buttercup. "Why would you call that jerk?"

"Because they were partners in the pairings, so chances are, where he is, she is also," answered Bubbles. "Besides, I don't think he's a jerk."

"Oh yeah," Buttercup said, scratching head, feeling stupid at her remark.

So they spent the entire afternoon into the night looking for Blossom. Funny thing is, they never even bumped into Boomer and Butch, who was also looking for their redheaded sibling.

Later that night…

"I'm worried. What if…" Boomer began.

"Don't say it! Don't even think about it!" Butch quickly shot back. "Brick's smart, that's why he's the leader. We've gotten out of stickier situations than this because of him and I'm sure he's all right wherever he is. I think we should just call Dad. Maybe he knows where he is."

"Good idea," said Boomer. "Dad," he called in his watch.

No answer.

"Dad?" called Butch.

Still no answer.

"What if, he too was…" Boomer thought, getting more and more worried.

"Oh don't be so gloomy. You'll hair would be even more blond that it already is!" Butch quipped.

"How? It can't be anymore blond that it is unless it turned white," Boomer replied.

"My point exactly!"

"Hey!"

"Look, don't be a worry wart! He's probably busy at home working in his lab or his company reports and he doesn't want to be disturbed so he turned his watch off. Tell you what, just to make you feel better without slapping you in the face, let's go home. I'm sure Dad is there shouting his voice out cursing someone named Blockhead, Grulp, Morebucks or Clark or any of those rivals of his thinking we can't hear him, or burning his eyes out pouring over some reports while scheming to take over another company, or still trying to crack the code of that monster hide or doing some of his experiments."

"I hope you're right, but I've got a sick feeling inside of me!" Boomer replied, still worrying.

"Maybe it's something you ate!" Butch replied as they flew back home.

"Dad!" called Boomer as soon as they went home.

"Dad!" shouted Butch, no answer. Then they searched the entire house, from the lab in the basement, the training room, his business home offices, his room, and every other room in the house. They found stacks of papers, but no Dr. Edwards.

"Oh no! What if he was kidnapped, or killed or something?" Boomer said in panic, flailing his arms in despair in the process.

"Maybe he was still at work?" suggested Butch to calm down the almost hysterical Boomer. "I think we should call Mr. Clark."

"Yeah, maybe he's still at work," Boomer, trying to calm himself.

Butch then dialled his father's office number.

"Hello. Hi Mr. Clark. Is my father there?"

"Hi Butch. No he isn't," Clark replied. "Dr. Edwards isn't here. Isn't he there yet?"

"No Mr. Clark. We haven't seen him since this morning," Butch replied.

"Well, I haven't seen him this afternoon. Last time I saw him is I think about just before lunch. He was dragging someone with a lab coat and square face. I think it's Utonium, but I'm not sure. Come to think of it, it's definitely Utonium. I've heard him said his name, John Utonium, out loud when you're father was dragging him towards his car."

"He's with Utonium, Mr. Clark?" asked Butch.

"Well, he's with him last time I saw your father," replied Clark.

"Well, thanks," Butch said in a rare polite moment.

"You're welcome," said Clark before hanging up the phone.

"Well, he's with those sissies' father," sneered Butch to Boomer. "Well, what are you waiting for, Boomer. Call them! I certainly refuse to speak to them!"

"Oh, you should get over it," Boomer replied. He was about to call when the phone rang.

"Maybe that's Dad!" snapped Butch. He then snatched the phone from Boomer's hand. "Hello?"

"Hi Butch. This is Bubbles. Um…"

Butch then handed the phone to Boomer without even replying to Bubbles.

"…is Professor Utonium there? He isn't here, and since he and your Dad are close, maybe he's with him."

"Well, no, he isn't here. In fact…"

"Boomer? I thought I was talking to Butch!" Bubbles said in surprise.

"Well, he gave the phone to me," Boomer replied. "Don't mind him. He's always rude."

"Well, is the Professor there?" asked Bubbles.

"No he isn't, and neither is my father. I was going to call you and ask you if Dad is there with your Dad, well, I guess he isn't," Boomer replied, his voice shaking at the new piece of information. It, at least to him, confirmed his worst fears. He then hang-up the phone.

"He's gone! He's not with the Professor!" shouted Boomer this time in fear and panic. He grabbed his brother's shirt and shouted in his face. "What if he's dead? You remember the two thieves who tried to kill Dad? Maybe the one who sent them succeeded! Oh the humanity! What if he's dead! Maybe they put cement in his feet and threw him into the sea! Or maybe they put a bullet in his brain! What if he was stabbed, or was being torn to pieces by wolves? Brick is missing, and so is Dad! What would happen to us, Butch?" By this time, his emotions overcame him and he was crying hysterically. "We'll we be cast out into the streets? Would we have to return to Mojo?" He then began making incoherent rants and sobs that only aggravated Butch.

"Stop that! Get a grip on yourself!" Butch said. Still, Boomer didn't listen and continued acting hysterically.

Butch then punched him in the face.

Boomer then stopped his bawling. "Ow, that hurt Butch," he said, drying his tears and rubbing the part where he was punched.

"Sorry I had to do this to you, but you're losing it Boomer!"

"Well, thanks for putting some sense into me," Boomer said, "but what of Dad and Brick? All signs points out that something bad happened. What if…"

Boomer started to go hysterical, but Butch shook his shoulders before he could again lose it. "Don't go kooky on me!"

This put Boomer back to his senses.

"Look, there's nothing that would say that Dad isn't all right. He and Professor Utonium are probably on some business trip and he forgot to tell us," Butch explained. "And Brick and Blossom went with them because they think the redheads are so smart!" he snickered, then laughed. "Don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, I'm hungry! Let's get some bite then let's hit the sack. I'm pretty bushed after this fight."

"Yeah, considering you fought Buttercup more than you fought the monster, and Bubbles and I were the one who did your job for you since you were in dreamland," Boomer teased.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to rub it in," Butch replied irritatingly.

"Why don't we just look for them?" asked Boomer.

"Same reason for Brick. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack!"

So both boys went to the kitchen and heated some TV dinners in the microwave, ate it, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.

"Don't worry! When we wake up tomorrow morning, we'll find them in the kitchen, or in their beds, tired after a long day's work," Butch said. He normally would try and scare his blond brother, but Boomer was already hysterical and near panic, and any scaring from his part would only make things worst, and he wouldn't be able to handle Boomer if that happened.

So they slept.

Meanwhile…

"Well, the Professor isn't in Dr. Edwards's house," Bubbles said to Buttercup.

"Well, where could he be?" Buttercup wondered.

"Do you think one of the villains kidnapped the Professor and while he's at it, Blossom too?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, he could. After all, the Professor's been kidnapped many times before," Buttercup remarked.

"But which villain?" wondered Bubbles. Soon, the answer hit them in the head. I was pretty obvious.

"Mojo Jojo!" answered both in unison.

Both sisters then flew towards Mojo Jojo's volcano top observatory.

Mojo Jojo was in his laboratory, fixing a ship in a bottle in honor of his biological father, of whom lived from 1901 to 1998.

"You've gone too far!" Buttercup began.

"…this time, Mojo Jojo!" Bubbles finished.

"So where's the professor and Blossom!" Buttercup demanded.

Mojo Jojo was so fixated upon what he was doing that he didn't even notice the hole in his lab that was created by the crashing in.

Buttercup was irritated that Mojo Jojo ignored them. She then went over what he was doing, took it, and crashed it into the monkey's head. It instantly broke into a million pieces.

"My model ship! I've been working on this for six months! You've ruined it!" Mojo complained.

"You deserve it! Now where is the Professor and Blossom!" asked Buttercup dangerously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm about as ignorant as you are. I am uninformed of what is happening. I am unaware that your professor is missing. I do not know what happened to Blossom. I am naïve about this whole affair. I don't know what you're talking about. I do not even know what to think of this. I…"

"Oh shut up, you stupid monkey," Buttercup dangerously said. "You have kidnapped the Professor many times before, you wanted revenge for what he did to you, and you've done it again."

"And this time, you were smart enough not to leave a note," Bubbles finished. "But you've done it before, so we know where to go once the Professor is missing!"

"I don't know how you got Blossom, but we're going to rescue them! So where are they?" Buttercup finished.

"Look, I have no plans to kidnap or kill the professor or kidnap or kill your redheaded sister who happens to be your leader and whose name is Blossom! I have no intention of committing any crime—today!" Mojo ranted.

"Liar! We know you well enough to be fooled by that!" Bubbles asserted.

"Go ahead and look at any nook and cranny in this lab!" Mojo finally said, flustered. "You will not find anything, nor will you find any justification for your pretentious accusations."

"This has got to be some kind of trick!" Buttercup explained. "Bubbles, get something to bind Mojo with so he can't do anything funny or escape while we're looking for the professor."

Bubbles then got some rope, tape and a couple of handkerchiefs. Buttercup then Mojo's hands behind him, then his feet too.

"What! You can't do this to me! You can't just break into my home and tie me up! This is an mmmpppphhhhhh!"

Buttercup just stuffed the handkerchiefs in Mojo's mouth to keep him quiet, and then duct taped his mouth. 'This should keep him quiet.'

The girls then searched the entire volcano-top observatory for any sign of the Professor and Blossom. Then searched every nook and cranny of Mojo's home for any sign of the Professor and Blossom, but found none.

Buttercup and Bubbles then went to Mojo, who all this time was trying to wiggle free of his bonds, but Buttercup, unlike Butch, could tie a fairly decent knot.

"Where did you hide the professor?" asked Bubbles.

"MMmmppphhhhhh!" he shouted in his gag.

"So, you wouldn't talk, ha?" said Buttercup. "Let's see you keep silent after this!" She then kicked the monkey on the stomach.

"Mmmmppphhhh!"

"Um Buttercup, I think you should remove the gag first," Bubbles suggested.

"Oh yeah," Buttercup said, feeling stupid. She then removed the tape and the wads of handkerchief in his mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mojo said.

Buttercup then kicked him again.

"Please, I really don't know what you're talking about. If I know, I'll tell you, but I don't know! Please don't hurt me!" cried a pathetic Mojo.

Buttercup was about to ignore him and kick him again when she felt Bubbles touch her shoulder. "I still think Mojo's the one responsible, but I don't think we should torture him. It's wrong, and we're the Powerpuff Girls, and we simply don't do these things."

"Alright! I won't torture him!" Buttercup then gagged Mojo again. Then they unexpectedly left Mojo's place.

They then arrived home, tired. They wanted to interrogate Mojo further but they know they would go nowhere with Buttercup's approach. Plus, they were hungry and tired. So they cooked themselves some dinner, ate supper, and went to bed.

"Oh Buttercup, what if the professor and Blossom is gone forever," Bubbles said as she began crying in her sister's shoulder. "Then I won't be able to show the Professor my latest drawing, or meet my new friends, or even attend my graduation."

"There, there, Bubbles, I'm sure the Professor's all right wherever he is right now, and Blossom too. Now go to sleep," Buttercup said, trying to comfort her sister. Bubbles then cried herself to sleep.

It was September 13.

Bubbles and Buttercup, Boomer and Butch had gone to school that morning. Boomer and Butch were disappointed when they woke up and didn't find their father and brother. Boomer just cried, and Butch just comforted him. Bubbles also cried that morning, but this time, Buttercup joined her.

They were miserable the rest of the day, barely listening to the teacher.

That afternoon…

Brick woke up from his deep slumber. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his watch. 'So it's four in the afternoon.' Well at least that nap gave back my strength, though that beating still hurts like hell.' He then looked besides him. He saw Blossom still sleeping besides him. 'Yikes! That girl has been sleeping besides me all this time? Eeewww. I wonder what happened.' Then all the memories flooded back into him. 'Well, I hope that Zero won't give those sharks indigestion, then again, maybe they will.'

"Hey girl, wake up," he said, gently kicking her in the side.

"Huh, what?" Blossom said as she woke up. "And don't kick me again."

"I'm just trying to wake you up, dear leader," Brick said sarcastically.

"You could've at least shook me with your hand, or at least waited for me to wake up on my own," Blossom said as she fixed her long ruffled red hair. Brick hasn't got that problem because he just covered his hair with his cap. Blossom rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"What, and let me touch you? No way! I'd rather let a dog bite me in the neck than touch an ugly creature such as you!" Brick teased. "Besides, don't take it personal. I sometimes kick my brothers to wake them up, so why should I treat you any different?"

"Because, like slapping me in the back, I'm a girl, and you just don't do to girls what you do to guys! It's rude!" Blossom protested.

"Makes no difference to me!" Brick said.

"And you shouldn't treat your leader like this. Besides, I'm a very beautiful girl for my age!" declared Blossom in response to his ugly creature comment.

Brick just snickered at that remark.

"Besides, you should thank me for saving your life!" Blossom declared.

"Well, you should also thank me for also saving your life!" Brick retorted.

"Well, you would've have been shark meat if I hadn't caught you in time," said Blossom.

"What do you mean?" asked a curious Brick.

"Well, you collapsed right over the sea full of sharks," Blossom simply stated.

"Well, at least Zero or whatever his name is, is dead," Brick remarked.

"Well, we better go back. Our classmates would be wondering were we had been all day," Blossom suggested.

"Speaking of which, I think I better check on them. For all we know, they're so in over their heads on how to handle the situation that they'll be begging me to come back!" Brick joked before calling his brothers using his watch.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that too…"

Meanwhile, in the same afternoon after class…

The other four kids were at Mojo's observatory, ready again to interrogate Mojo Jojo. Mojo was still tied up but his gag was removed.

"Hello Mojo. Ready to cooperate?" asked Buttercup.

"I am," Mojo replied.

"And let me introduce you to someone who might refresh your memory—Butch and Boomer," Buttercup said in a wicked tone.

Mojo turned white at the sight of his creations. He distinctly remembered his last encounter with the boys. "Oh boys, please, I have nothing to do with this. I did not do anything to your new father, Dr. Edwards. Please don't kill me!" he whined.

"It depends. If you sing, then maybe I'll consider not killing you," Butch threateningly said.

"Is Butch really gonna kill him," Bubbles whispered to Buttercup, concerned.

"Of course not," Buttercup whispered back. "Butch's just scaring him. And Mojo will believe him more than if I threatened to kill him."

"Okay. I'll sing. 'It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all," Mojo sang.

"No you idiot, I meant spill the beans on what you've done to Dad and Brick!" Butch retorted. "Now, talk!"

"I don't know. I'm telling you the truth. I did not do anything. I was only building my latest weapon yesterday, and was making my model ship, when those two girls busted in and started beating me up," Mojo said, in tears.

"Liar," Butch said before repeatedly kicking him. He then grabbed Mojo's throat and held it tight.

"Now, if you don't want it to be any tighter, you'll tell us where Dad and Brick is," Butch dangerously said.

"I don't know," Mojo replied. "Honest!"

"Ha, you're the last one who should claim to be honest!" Buttercup declared.

"Buttercup, I think this is going too far!" Bubbles complained.

"No. Mojo deserves it," Buttercup cruelly said. "He took the professor and Blossom, and we must find out where that monkey hid him."

"Wrong answer," Butch cackled. "Now, you shall pay." He then began squeezing Mojo's neck, with every intent on snuffing his life out, when they suddenly heard Brick's voice in his watch.

"Butch, what's up! Did you defeat the monster?" Brick asked.

Butch immediately dropped Mojo. "Brick, you're alive!" he shouted, he voice clearly showing his relief and his glee.

"Brick!" Boomer shouted, tears streaming out of his eyes. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm alive and okay. I'm Brick after all, and I'm not the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys for nothing you know!" Brick replied.

"Brick? Is Blossom there?" Bubbles asked with excitement.

"I'm here, Bubbles," Blossom said in Bubbles watch.

"Blossom? Blossom! You're alright!" Buttercup shouted, with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought you were…"

This time, both sisters very happy, hugging each other tight, with tears of joy.

Butch was the only one who wasn't acting overly emotional.

"So, how long was I out? I estimate it at a couple of hours, since I seemed to have passed out near eleven or twelve I think, and it's now four-fifteen," Brick asked his brother.

"Actually, you were gone more then twenty-hours, thirty hours to be exact," Boomer stated. "That's why we're so worried sick."

"Yeah! Boomer nearly died from panic," Butch teased.

"I did not!"

"Yeah, but you nearly lost it!"

"What, we were out cold for thirty hours?" exclaimed Blossom in surprise.

"Gee. I had no idea we were out so long," Brick expressed. "So that's why I can almost feel myself at full strength. I rested so long that I regained almost all of it, well, not quite, but it's close. Anyway, where are you?"

"We're in Mojo's lab," declared Butch.

"What are you…never mind. Just wait for me. And I want to hear everything that happened," Brick said, then put off his watch.

"Well, Blossom, is the Professor with you?" asked Bubbles.

"Of course not. Isn't he there with you?" asked Blossom.

"Well, no. Actually, we thought he was with you," replied Buttercup. "The Professor is kinda missing, and we thought Mojo kidnapped you and him. That's why we're here. We're kinda interrogating him to find out where the Professor is."

"What, the Professor is missing! Oh no! Just wait for me there," Blossom said, before turning off her watch.

A few minutes later, Brick arrived. What he saw, Mojo tied and bloodied, shocked him, not because he pitied Mojo, but he had no idea why his brothers were doing this.

"What is going on here? Boomer, Butch, tell me exactly what happened since the leader and I left school to deal with those bank robbers," Brick demanded.

Both brothers looked at each other and gulped. 'We're in for it now!'

Both brothers pretty much told Brick everything, since it's no use lying since both the girls were there and would refute any lie that they would say. Plus, the fights were all caught in tape, so lying would only make things worst. They continued right up till they discovered Dr. Edwards was missing.

At that point, Blossom arrived. "Girls, where's the Professor?" she asked frantically.

"Well, we don't know. Mojo's hidden them somewhere, and he still won't talk," Buttercup declared.

Brick looked dangerously at his brothers. He was boiling mad this time, but kept it to himself. "Boomer, Butch, let's go home. I want to speak to you, privately," Brick said.

Boomer and Butch knew exactly what that meant. They saw the look on Brick's eyes and were deathly terrified by it. "Yes Brick," they simply said.

"Good. Blossom, I'd like to tell you that I think that Mojo is not responsible for our Dad's disappearances so that you won't kill the wrong villain. Well, that's what I think," Brick said.

"Well, don't be too hard on your brothers, you hear?" Blossom said.

"Me too hard? No!" Brick said before taking off with his brothers.

"Now, tell me exactly what happened," Blossom said.

So Buttercup and Bubbles told Blossom what happened.

"Buttercup, I'm very disappointed in you," Blossom lectured after hearing the narrative. "I mean, I don't exactly expect you to be friends with Butch, but you could at least have killed or made sure the monsters were dead before you fought each other. Now look at what happened. Boomer and Bubbles did your job instead of you, and on top of that, your squabbles have hurt Bubbles and Boomer. Now, what have you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry because of what happened to Bubbles, and I'm not proud that it was Bubbles, and not me, who did my own job, but it was Butch's fault, not mine!" Buttercup defended.

"Look, I don't care whose fault is it! But at least the monster was defeated, no thanks to you!" she then glared at her. "Well, you did a fine job, Bubbles.

"Thanks," Bubbles said.

"So, what makes you think Mojo was behind the Professor's disappearance?" Blossom asked.

"Well, who else would take the Professor?" Bubbles exclaimed.

"Yeah Red," Buttercup added. "I mean he's done this lots of times before, so logically, he's the one who done it again!"

"Any other proof?" asked Blossom.

"No. Besides, we don't need one if Mojo's the one we're talking about! We know he's capable of doing such a thing, and that's good enough for me!" Buttercup said.

"Mojo, is this true?" Blossom asked.

"No it isn't. I swear! I have nothing to do with it! Yes, I wanted revenge on the Professor, but not yesterday, or the day before today, or on September the twelfth! I was just working on my lab making new weapons to rule the world and making my model ship, and when suddenly, your sisters burst through and started beating me up!"

"Ha, Blossom wouldn't believe lies such as yours," Buttercup shouted at Mojo.

"Buttercup, free Mojo and apologize to him," ordered Blossom.

"What? But…" Buttercup began.

"Look, it's true that Mojo repeatedly kidnapped the professor in the past, but he always brags about it and always informs us. Just look what happened when he kidnapped us earlier. He had us all helpless and it blew up in his face when he gloated to Dr. Edwards. No, Mojo isn't the type to hide this kind of thing. Buttercup, what was he doing when you broke in?"

"Well, um, uh…" Buttercup was lost for words.

"Well Blossom, Mojo was doing and fixing his model ship, when we crashed in and Buttercup smashed the ship in the bottle in Mojo's head," Bubbles explained.

"And whenever he kidnaps the Professor, he usually is secured to a table or something with some laser or any other weapon pointed at him, and he usually has something in store for us. Sorry, it's not like Mojo at all. Plus the fact that there was no Professor or Dr. Edwards in the entire premises, there is no proof at all. Mojo is a coward and he'll sing like a bird if threatened and the fact that he didn't," Blossom explained. "Sorry Buttercup, but the theory that Mojo kidnapped the Professor this time and hid him somewhere doesn't hold water. It just isn't his style."

"But what if he's lying!" said Buttercup.

"But what if he's not? If you forget the time when we thought the boys was lying about their alliance with Mojo, and we nearly destroyed our reputations in the process," Blossom said. "So drop it. Mojo isn't the one responsible for the Professor disappearance!"

"I guess you're right," said Buttercup in shame.

"Sorry Blossom," Bubbles said as she untied Mojo. "Sorry Mojo."

"Yeah, sorry Mojo. I guess you weren't up to anything nasty—today or yesterday at least," Buttercup said. "And Blossom, I'm sorry. We didn't act like the Powerpuff Girls, and we should've made sure he really was guilty."

"Well, it's alright. At least you know that what you did was wrong. I'm sorry Mojo," Blossom said. "Anyway, let's go home. Maybe the Professor just went somewhere and forgot to tell us about it. You know how absent minded he can be sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe that's it! Why did I never think of that before," Buttercup exclaimed.

The girls tried to believe Blossom's explanation for the Professor's disappearance, but had a hard time trying to.

Meanwhile…

"Butch you idiot!" Brick shouted as soon as they were inside their house and Brick was sure no one else was hearing them. "You endangered Boomer's life by your and Buttercup's incompetence in fighting that monster? Why can't you work together like Boomer and Bubbles did, or Blossom and I did? I might not like working with them, but at least it got the job done!"

"Look, I'm sorry," Butch apologized. "I should've killed that monster earlier and I shouldn't have fooled around. But it's all Buttercup's fault."

"I don't care whose fault it is! You messed up!" Brick retorted. "But that's over, so let's forget about it. Now, we have another problem. Dad is missing. Boomer, weren't you and Bubbles ordered to check on Dad?"

"Yeah, but we…"

"I know, I know, a bunch of locust-like things attacked you then you have to finish Butch's unfinished job, but why didn't you check on Dad after that?" Brick asked exasperatedly.

"Um, I forgot," Boomer said in a low voice.

"You forgot? You forgot! Ha, ha! You forgot! And now look what happened. Because you forgot, Dad is missing! You're a moron—you know that! You were very irresponsible too!" Brick shouted.

"Hey, don't call me names!"

"Well, I wouldn't if Dad was alright with us," Brick said.

"I'm sorry," Boomer apologized. "I guess it's my fault Dad is missing."

"No, it's not your fault," Brick said.

"But if it wasn't for me…" Boomer said, again bursting into tears.

"Boomer, don't cry and act like a girl. I forgive you, and I'm sure Dad will too," he comforted, "but you acted like a moron, and very irresponsibly too. Anyway, what made you think that Mojo is behind it all?"

"Well," Butch explained, "Buttercup and Bubbles explained to Boomer that Mojo had a history of kidnapping the professor, and since Dad is with the professor, well, maybe Mojo took Dad too."

"And is there any evidence aside from his past actions?" asked Brick.

"No."

"Well, you screwed-up again! Mojo is not the one who did it because I think I might know who kidnapped the professor," Brick stated.

"Well, who is it?"

"Simple. Whoever sent those thieves probably decided to kidnap Dad instead. And I'm pretty sure that Mojo is not their master, because that's not Mojo's style, and we haven't seen any minion within miles around him. Wouldn't it make more sense if there were many of those minions around his observatory if he was the master?"

"Well, if you put it that way," Butch said, "it does make sense."

"But how do we find Dad?" Boomer asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to Blossom first. Maybe she knows something that will lead us to him," Brick retorted.

The phone rang.

"Hey, maybe that's Dad!" Brick exclaimed as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this one of the sons of Dr. Edwards?"

"Yes. This is William Bricker," Brick replied.

"Brick, this is Police Chief Alexander Grulp. I think I have something that you might want to see here in the station. You see, we saw your Dad's car. I just want you to identify it to make sure," Grulp explained.

"But is Dad there?" asked an anxious Brick.

"No. But there is something in here you might want to see," the police chief said.

"Okay," Brick said before hanging up the phone.

So the three boys went to the police station. Soon, the police showed them the car.

The boys were totally shocked. Their father's car was so riddled with bullet holes that it's a miracle it didn't explode. Then there was blood all over the front seat, but strangely, none on the other seats.

"Dad!" Boomer shouted, then cried. "Dad! It can't be! Is he…"

"We don't know," said Grulp.

Butch and Brick maintained their cold exterior, but both were shocked, and emotions were raging inside of them.

"We gotta leave," Brick said, fighting his tears.

"I understand," said Grulp. Soon, the boys raced towards home. It had happened. The car had confirmed their worst fears.

When they reached their home, Boomer burst into tears and cried and bawled.

Brick just stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He's gone. He's dead," he said to himself, but didn't lose himself like Boomer did.

Butch just sat there, and fought all urges to cry, but was very hurt and sad inside.

Brick then went and decided on a course of action that would totally shock his brothers and the Powerpuff Girls further.

"Boomer, Butch, I want to say something," Brick began with emotion. "I am the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys since the beginning, and things had not always turned out the way we wished it would be. Yet I haven't considered myself as a failure as a leader, until now. But now, we are in a bind. We as a group failed to protect Dad, in spite of everything. We have lost someone who is very precious to us. And I am the leader. I failed in my work. I let you down guys, I failed you as a leader. And since a leader must always take responsibility of all the bad things that happened to his men, and he must be held accountable, then I decided to punish myself. I'll admit it, it's all my fault that I let this all happen. Because of my crappy leadership, Dad is dead, and I no longer deserve to be the leader. Therefore, I appoint Butch as the new leader, and I resign as the leader. Butch, if you need any advice on being a leader, I'll be willing to help. Don't worry, I'll still be a Rowdyruff. I'll just be taking orders from Butch from now on. Sorry guys for screwing up."

Butch and Boomer were shocked. "Brick!" shouted Butch.

"Don't say anything that would make me change my mind right now, understand?" Brick snapped. He then flew away towards the forest to be alone.

Butch decided to chase him.

But Boomer stopped him.

"He took this very hard," Boomer said. "I think it's better if we let him be alone for a while. Maybe he'll come back to his senses and agree to be the leader again."

It's painful to see their brother, their proud, confident, arrogant leader, to fall to such lows of confidence on himself in such a fast time. An hour ago, he was just lecturing them about what they've done wrong, then after finding about the car, he resigned as the leader.