Allies and Rivals II
Chapter 17
The Price of Defiance
The City of Townsville…
It was about four o'clock in the morning, September 15.
"Wake up Buttercup, Bubbles," Blossom said, gently nudging her sleeping sisters.
"Huh?" Buttercup said, waking up due to the glare of the light in the room. She partially opened her eyes, and saw Blossom standing over them, fully dressed.
"It's four in the morning, Blossom," said Buttercup, yawning. "Put off the light and go to sleep," she yawned, and went back to sleep.
Blossom then pushed Buttercup out of the bed, and she fell to the side with a loud 'thud'.
"Hey," Buttercup complained.
"I said, wake up!" Blossom ordered. "That's an order. And you too, Bubbles."
"Yes Blossom," Bubbles said, yawning and stretching and rubbing her eyes.
"Geez, what time did you wake, Blossom?" asked Buttercup.
"About three thirty," Blossom snapped, "but that isn't what's this is all about. Wash your faces, get dressed, and go to the living room. Now hurry up!"
Blossom then stayed to make sure her sisters hurry up, acting like a drill sergeant.
Meanwhile…
"Hey, Butch, Boomer, wake up," Brick ordered.
But the boys are too deep into sleep.
'Time for drastic measures," Brick said, and took a cup of boiling water, and sprayed a couple of drops on Butch neck.
"Eowwwwww!" Butch suddenly yelled, instantly waking up, and rubbing his neck.
"YOU! Why the heck did you do that!"
"To wake you," Brick simply said. "Now, for Boomer's turn."
He then took an ice cube, and put inside Boomer's pajamas.
Boomer suddenly jumped from the bed.
"Cold! Get it off, get it off!" Boomer said, running around the room. He finally got it off after removing his pajamas and letting the ice cube fall to the floor.
"Very funny, Brick!" Boomer growled.
"That got you awake, didn't it? Now get dressed. We're having a meeting downstairs," Brick ordered.
"Okay, okay," Butch said.
So the two brothers got dressed, and ten minutes later, arrived at the living room, where they promptly collapsed in the couch.
It took another fifteen minutes for the girls to finish getting dressed and fixing themselves up.
"Get up," ordered Brick, pushing them off the couch causing them to fall into the floor.
"We're up, we're up," Boomer said, yawning and sitting on the couch.
"Now that I've got everybody's undivided attention," Blossom began, "let me begin. As you know, our Dads stated that we must increase our strength by fifty percent, meaning we must reach level 15 before we could rescue them. As you all know, it will be very difficult. So Brick and I devised a plan and a schedule for us to accomplish it. First of all, there would be no school for the next five days!"
"Yes!" Butch shouted.
"Woohoo!" Buttercup seconded.
"But what about Miss Keane?" asked Bubbles.
"I've already taken care of that," Brick answered. "I told Dad that we need to take five days off from school, and he agreed. He talked to Miss Keane just a while ago, and she agreed. She'll personally excuse us from school."
"Brick's right. Anyway, we'll train from four in the morning…"
"But that's too early!" Bubbles complained. "I can't wake up that early!"
"You can and you will, it's for the Professor and because I said it!" Blossom countered. "Don't worry, I'll wake you up if you can't get up by yourselves."
"But could we make it about five instead?" asked Bubbles.
"Look, we need all the time we need to train," Blossom replied. "Besides, it's has already been decided!"
"If it has already been decided, then why call this meeting to consult us in the first place?" asked Buttercup.
"Oh this isn't a meeting to consult you," Blossom said, "but only to inform you of what I have decided we should all do. If I need your advice I will ask for it, but right now, I don't. So as I was saying, we start at four in the morning until seven in the morning, when we eat breakfast. We resume training at eight, continue till twelve, where we stop to eat lunch. We resume at one and train non-stop till seven, then we eat dinner. We resume at eight and sleep at nine."
Butch and Boomer looked at Brick, who just nodded, and both of them decided not to complain.
"Furthermore, we can't abandon our crime-fighting responsibilities, so we continue to fight crime using the pairings system. And since we all know what happened to Butch and Buttercup last time, I decided to scrap it, and instead, team up Butch with Bubbles, and Boomer with Buttercup!"
"What the hell! Bubbles is even more sissy than Buttercup!" Butch complained.
"Hey, I'm not a sissy! And I wouldn't want to be teamed up with a mean bully like you! I'd rather be teamed up with Boomer, or even Brick, they're much nicer than you!" Bubbles shot back.
"The hell I'll be partnered with Buttercup!" Boomer thundered. "She's a stuck up jerk!"
"And you're a sawed-off runt," countered Buttercup. "At least Butch has some guts, unlike you. You're pathetic!"
Brick looked on with amusement at all of this.
"Quiet! Whatever your personal feelings with your new partners, you will work with them!" Blossom shouted. "The reason for the new pairings is that we would work better together if we knew each other better, and I believe you would get along with your new partners better with time!"
"Okay, but that doesn't mean I'll like it!" Buttercup pouted.
"Brick, do something!" Butch protested. "You have some clout over her! Tell her to dump this pairings system."
"Sorry Butch, Boomer, but it has already been decided. Perhaps if you didn't fight with Buttercup last time, you still would be partners with her instead of Bubbles," Brick replied. "Besides, I think it's a good idea. And if it's not, what can I do? She's the leader, I'm just a lowly Rowdyruff!"
"You won't protest it?"
"No! And I'm still the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys," Brick asserted. "And you promised to always obey my orders when I resumed my position as leader, no ifs and buts! And I'm telling you to accept her decision, and that's that!"
"Okay," Butch finally spat. "But you're acting like that girl's lackey!"
"I'm not yet finished," Blossom continued. "Since Dr. Edwards is unavailable to inform us of any crime that may occur, I'm going to install the hotline here. Furthermore, to prevent you from fighting, I've decided to punish those who would fight each other instead of doing their job, like Buttercup and Butch did last time."
"Huh? What kind of punishment?" Boomer asked.
"Simple. Both of them would get tied-up and gagged, then tickled then left tied-up for the next two hours!" Blossom explained.
"You won't dare!" Buttercup challenged.
"Yeah, you don't have the guts! Brick, aren't you going to speak out?" Butch said.
"Try me!" Blossom warned. "And we'll see who has the guts!"
"She's right, you know," Brick answered, making a fearsome glare at his brothers. "And I know you and Boomer won't fight your partners, will you?"
Boomer and Butch just nodded.
"So no fighting!" Blossom warned.
"Okay," the four said.
"Now, on to the training," Blossom explained. "Follow me!"
Blossom and Brick then led them to the training room.
Brick set the counter to level 11, and they trained.
Basically, here was the training they did for the next two hours. They first battled simulated monsters, then simulated versions of themselves. To their surprise, they easily passed level 11, and with a little more difficulty, passed level 12 just before breakfast.
"Wow! Who knew we were this strong?" commented Buttercup.
"I don't get it!" Boomer said, scratching his head in confusion. "Last time we trained, we barely passed level 10, now we've just breezed through level 11 and handily beat level 12. And we haven't trained for a month."
"Of course!" Brick exclaimed. "Remember, since that time, we had four fights with the girls, fought incredibly strong monsters, plus One. I think those fights constituted some kind of training, and it made us strong enough to breeze through level 11."
"And we increased our strength on the same level as you boys," Blossom added.
"Wow, I had no idea we were this strong," Butch commented. "Ha, that Ckracknow better get ready for some ass-whopping!"
"Anyway, it's seven already," Blossom said. "I think we better get something to eat."
So the six kids went to the kitchen where they were greeted with Miss Keane's cooking.
"Eat up, kids," she said.
"Wow, this is delicious," said Boomer. "I've never tasted anything like this!"
"Why? Didn't your father cook you breakfast?" asked Miss Keane.
"No. He usually opens up some tuna or some canned goods and that is our breakfast or we would just eat out. He just can't cook!" Brick replied. "I wish Dad would learn how to cook. This is sumptuous!"
"By the way, your father talked to me earlier this morning, and you six kids are excused from school in the next five days starting today so that you kids can train. Good luck kids," she said. "But you sure have a lot of catching up to do once this is over!"
"Thanks Miss Keane," Blossom said.
After breakfast, Miss Keane washed the dishes, while Blossom went to their house to retrieve an extra hotline phone. She then went to the Mayor and Miss Bellum to explain the situation, and went back and installed it in the training area. In the meantime, Brick watched TV, while the rest of the kids slept in the couch.
At eight in the morning, they resumed their training, this time starting at level 13. They had a harder time than before. They were repeatedly pummelled by the simulated monsters at level 13, and only with great difficulty did they beat them. Still, it was clear for all those concerned that they only beat the simulated monster by a hair.
Next, they fought simulated versions of themselves. Now, it became real confusing because they often could not distinguish between their siblings or their counterparts from the simulated ones, while the Artificial Intelligence of the simulated ruffs and puffs have no trouble distinguishing at all.
At ten in the morning, the training was interrupted by the ringing of the hotline.
"Brick, turn off the—oohh!" she was punched by a simulated Butch in the head.
"Way ahead of you, leadergirl," Brick shouted, as he quickly picked up a remote from his pocket, pressed a button, and the scene changed from a simulated urban battlefield to the steel walls of the lab.
"I'll get it," Blossom said, quickly picking up the phone. "A monster, in Townsville? Okay, Mayor, we're on it!"
She stared at Boomer and Buttercup.
"Okay, Buttercup, Boomer, you take care of the monster," Blossom ordered. "And remember, no fighting!"
"Yeah right," Buttercup snickered.
"What's that, Buttercup?"
"Nothing," she replied.
Buttercup and Boomer went and saw the monster in the midst of destroying the central part of the city. It was a giant ant, the same kind that attacked Townsville before when Bubbles had an eye problem.
"That clod of a mayor! When Dad was the one calling us, the monster was still in the beach and it haven't made it's rampage yet!" Boomer said.
"Yeah, yeah I know the Mayor's an idiot," Buttercup replied, "but Blossom, not that stupid mayor, is really getting under my skin. Out of my way!"
With a burst of speed, she left a surprised Boomer in the dust. He quickly chased after the green puff. Buttercup, however, reached the monster first, and with one punch in the head, knocked it out unconscious. By the time Boomer reached Buttercup about three seconds later, the fight was over.
"Wow, that was fast," Boomer complimented. "Come on, let's go home and train!"
"Wait," Buttercup said, clutching Boomer's shoulder.
"What?" said Boomer.
"Heard the last thing I said," said Buttercup. "Haven't you noticed that Blossom is becoming more and more bossy since becoming leader of this alliance?"
"I don't think she's bossier than before," Boomer replied.
"That's because you don't know her before she became leader of the alliance!" Buttercup charged. "Her head has gotten bigger since then. And she didn't even ask us what we thought of her plan! She could have at least asked us. I wouldn't mind all of them if she just consulted us first! But no, she just lay it on before us and just told us to accept it!"
"Yeah, but so what?" Boomer said. "She's the leader, she could make these things."
"What? Are you telling me that you like Blossom's bossiness?"
"No, you idiot! I don't like her anymore than you do, but Brick said to follow her orders, so that's that!" Boomer replied.
"Scratch that! Listen, let's have a fight here!" Buttercup proposed.
"Are you crazy! Don't you know what she'll do to us if we fought! I don't want to be tied up and tickled!" Boomer said.
"She's bluffing! She's a goody-two shoes for crying out loud! She only wants to scare us into obeying her! I usually don't mind, but this time she's gone too far!" Buttercup declared. "Don't worry, she won't have the guts to actually do it. She has no problem punishing villains, but she won't be able to punish her sisters or counterparts. Remember, she's a goody-two shoes! Besides, the monster is out so we actually aren't doing anything harmful to the city. We're just defying Blossom!"
"But…"
But Buttercup gave a punch to Boomer's stomach.
"Are you going to stand there or are you going to do something about it!"
"Why you!" Boomer angrily said. Boomer then attacked Buttercup, and soon a full blown fight commenced.
Unnoticed by both combatants, the giant ant recovered from its unconsciousness. It then resumed its rampage through the city, though Buttercup and Boomer were too busy with their fight to notice it.
Meanwhile…
The hotline again rang.
"Brick…"
"I know, I know…" said Brick, and he shut off the training simulation.
"Hello, Mayor, what, the Boomer and Buttercup are fighting and the monster is still on a rampage? We're on it!"
Soon, Blossom was steaming mad. "Brick, Butch, Bubbles, it seems that our dear Buttercup and Boomer decided to play games with me."
The rest of the kids understood what Blossom meant. 'I feel sorry for Buttercup right now,' Butch thought. 'But I'll laugh when she gets tickled.'
'What the heck is Boomer up to?' Brick thought. 'I warned him not to fight with her! Now, he'll have to pay!'
Soon, the four went to the city. "Brick, Bubbles, Butch, take care of Buttercup and Boomer. I'll deal with the monster!" Blossom ordered.
"Okay, Butch, Bubbles, grab Buttercup and hold her tight," Brick ordered once Blossom left. "I'll deal with Boomer."
They soon noticed the two. They were too busy fighting each other to notice the three creeping up on them.
Suddenly, Butch grabbed Buttercup from behind. "Let me go, Butch," Buttercup said, struggling hard, trying to kick. Bubbles grabbed her feet and soon, the two overpowered Buttercup. Brick just grabbed Boomer from behind.
"Brick?"
"Don't fight it. I order you to," Brick said.
Boomer then ceased his struggles.
Blossom meanwhile easily finished off the giant ant. She killed it and threw its body on the ocean. She soon returned to where the others were.
"What did I tell you, Buttercup?" demanded Blossom.
"Oh common, we're just having fun!" defended Buttercup. "We've already defeated the monster, we're just practicing our basic moves."
"No you're not. I just defeated the monster you were supposed to fight! Funny, that monster was so easy to defeat!"
"You're pulling my leg," Buttercup said. "I knocked out the monster before I started the fight with Boomer…"
"So you started it!" Butch accused.
"No, I meant was, I already knocked out the monster when Boomer started the fight," Buttercup said.
"You might have knocked out the monster, but you didn't kill it! Now look what happened. It woke up and tore through the city while you and Boomer were too busy to notice!" Blossom said. "And we have to clean up the mess that you made! And if you don't believe me, watch the news and ask the mayor."
"Well, ah, he started it!" Buttercup said, pointing a finger at Boomer.
"Baloney. You started it because you said Blossom wouldn't have the guts to actually punish us if we fought!"
"Liar! I didn't say that, you just…" Buttercup shot back.
"Oh shut up, both of you! So you think I wouldn't carry out my threat," Blossom said. "Bubbles, Butch hold her tight, we'll have a tickle-fest when we get back.
"Huh, you wouldn't tie us up, would you, and tickle us too?" asked Boomer.
"Of course not, you're bluffing, Blossom. You're a goody-two-shoes who can only dish punishment on evil guys, but when it comes to us, you can only threaten us, but not actually dish it out!" Buttercup said.
"You really don't know your sister that well, do you?" Brick snickered.
"Oh really! We'll see," Blossom said.
When they arrived in the lab…
"So, I'm bluffing, am I?" Blossom said, then got some ropes, and handkerchief in her hands.
Then Buttercup realized she was not bluffing at all. "Oh wait, um, you see, I never actually thought you were bluffing at all, I was only bluffing when I said you were bluffing!"
"Buttercup, I gave a clear warning not to fight, and you still did it," Blossom said. "Don't worry, it won't hurt, you'll just laugh your head off!"
Buttercup tried to make a run for it but Bubbles and Butch held her. Soon, the three of them, with Brick and Boomer just watching, easily overpowered her. Soon, Buttercup was tied up, with hands behind her and at the ankles too.
"Untie me!" Buttercup shouted. "Untie me or I'll tell the Professor about this!"
"Oh shut up, or do you want me to gag you too. And I'm bluffing!" Blossom retorted.
That immediately shut Buttercup up.
Blossom then turned to Boomer. "Your turn."
"But she started it!" Boomer said.
"I said both of those who fought will be punished, since you and Buttercup fought instead of doing away with the monster, it doesn't matter who started the fight," Blossom answered.
"But it's not fair!"
"It may be so, but it's still the rule. You agreed to it after all," Blossom replied.
"Brick, do something," Boomer pleaded to his brother.
"Boomer, be a man and take the punishment. She's right you know," Brick replied. "Besides, you're only getting tied-up and tickled, how hard that can be?"
That dashed Boomer's hope for escape from punishment. So he let himself be tied by Brick in the same manner as Buttercup.
"Now comes the fun part," Blossom said. "Bubbles, you and I will tickle Buttercup. Brick and Butch, take care of Boomer."
Blossom and Bubbles then relentlessly tickled Buttercup for ten whole minutes. At first few seconds, Buttercup bit her tongue, and didn't laugh, but soon, she was all laughing.
Brick just stepped back, and with a smirk on his face, just let Butch tickle Boomer. Until the six minute mark. He then joined the fun and tickled Boomer. Boomer laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.
After the tickling…
"So, did you learn your lesson today, Buttercup?" asked a smiling Blossom after tickling.
Buttercup was trying to catch her breath. She just laughed so hard, yet with her being tied up, she could do nothing about it.
"What lesson, oh wait, no more tickling, please, okay, okay, I learned never to not take any of your threats seriously, that you aren't that goody-two-shoes, okay, you're totally not a goody-two-shoes, and you have guts to punish your sisters!"
"And?" Blossom said.
"What?"
"That you will always obey my orders no matter what, and consider me the greatest leader ever!"
"Hey, I wouldn't…okay, just no more tickling, please. Okay. I, Buttercup, promise to always obey your orders no matter what, and you are the greatest leader ever!"
"And also that you would be subjected to further punishment if you disobey me in the future!"
"Okay, I agree," Buttercup said.
Brick and Butch didn't ask Boomer to say anything, but just smirked over him.
"I think you had enough," Brick merely said.
"Yeah, I won't do that again," Boomer said, "so please, no more tickling."
"Don' t worry," Brick said. "But you sure had fun!"
"So I agreed to all of those," Buttercup demanded. "Now untie mmmmppphhhhhh!"
Blossom put a wad of handkerchief in Buttercup's mouth, and slapped duct tape over it.
"But you forgot the second part of your punishment! You'll be tied up and gagged for the next two hours," Blossom said. "It's eleven, so you would untied at one in the afternoon. Brick, gag Boomer too."
Brick then gagged Boomer the same way Blossom gagged her sister.
Blossom then tied the two back to back using an anti-gravity belt, slopped some goggles on them, put them on a couch in front of a wide screen just outside the lab.
"Okay, the rest of us we'll continue to train for the next two hours. I want you to watch us train so that the next two hours won't be a total waste of time for you!"
Blossom, Brick, Butch and Bubbles continued to train for the next two hours. They got beat up pretty badly during that time since they continued to fight with six simulated version of themselves while they were only four.
After two hours, at one, Blossom released Buttercup and Boomer.
"What have you got to say for yourself?" asked Blossom.
"Well, I was wrong. I shouldn't have started the fight with Boomer," Buttercup apologized, surprising Blossom and shocking the boys. "And I'm sorry Boomer for getting you into trouble."
"Well, it's okay. I'm sorry for this punishment too, but I've got go show that I'm serious in saying that I don't want any more fights between each of you when you're on duty," Blossom said.
"Well, I never thought you would actually carry out your punishment," Buttercup said, "but yeah, I should've killed the monster instead of merely knocking it out before attacking Boomer. But I'm very sorry, especially to you Boomer."
Boomer was surprised, and at first, he didn't know what to say. "Um, uh, okay, I guess," Boomer said. "I was going to demand an apology, but I guess I didn't need to."
Butch and Brick were surprised at how fast the girls made up. But one thing is clear. Blossom won over Buttercup in the latter's challenge to Blossom's authority.
"Ha, but when this is all over and the Professor is safe," Buttercup said, laughing, "I'm going to get back at you for tying me up and tickling me!"
"Ha, you wish!" Blossom said, then the two collapsed into laughter as all of them went and ate lunch.
In the next five days of training, the kids never fought each other again while doing their jobs. And they never blatantly disobeyed Blossom in such a direct manner that Buttercup did that day.
They were able to beat level 13 before the night was out. They trained hard. And Blossom and Brick would sneak out at night to the lab to make an assessment about the achievements of the day and plan the next days' activities.
They beat level 15 at the third day. Level 16 was harder but was beaten at the fourth day. Finally, level 17 was finally beaten with great effort on the fifth day.
During all that time, Miss Keane took care of the personal needs of the six kids.
It was September 20.
It was about ten in the night, and as usual, Blossom and Brick sneaked into the lab.
"Well, we certainly have accomplished much. Ha, under my leadership," boasted Blossom, "we made it to level 17, two levels higher than the objective."
"Ha! You have nothing to do with it!" Brick countered. "In fact, I am more responsible for it than you!"
"And your evidence is?"
"Your puny mind and ugly face could not possibly comprehend my reasoning and my evidence," Brick mocked. "And you'll fully realize the extent of my superiority over you when I become leader of this alliance!"
"You're still dreaming, Brick. You'll never become leader of this alliance as long as I'm around!" Blossom declared. "Though you're a great second in command!"
"Always remember that I do this things because it is in my self-interest to do so," Brick remarked. "The thing that bothers me is that it also benefits you! But always remember that I do things because it's for my selfish self-interest!"
"Whatever!" Blossom said, dismissing Brick's remarks. "You always say that, but I don't care! It doesn't mean anything. Anyway, now that the five days training is over, now what?"
"We'll wait for Dad's call," Brick said. "Then we act."
"Brick, are you there?" Dr. Edwards voice suddenly was heard in his watch.
"Dad! How are you?"
"Well, okay I guess. Listen, I had just gotten the information that I needed. Now, you may rescue us."
"But doc, where are you?" asked Blossom.
"Well, I don't know. But Brick, I think you can locate me using the computer in the lab. You see, this watch has a homing device and you can pinpoint my location," Dr. Edwards instructed. He then gave a series of steps that they would have to make in the computer.
"Well, there it is. Now, where are we?"
"Wait Dad, it's still locating…bingo! Dad, you and the Professor are on an island 200 miles off the coast of Oregon," Brick declared.
"Well, that's great," Dr. Edwards declared. "Now, connect the computer with the watch using connecting wires."
Brick did just that.
"The professor and I have just stolen the defense plans of the island. I'm going to send it to you so you can have less difficulty in rescuing us and destroying the work of Ckracknow," Dr. Edwards said. "By the way, how's your training? Did you reach level 15?"
"We reached level 17!" Blossom shouted.
"Really? Wow, I never knew you kids were that strong! Congratulations! Anyway, here are the plans."
So the defense plans of the island of Ckracknow was loaded into the computer on the lab of the house of the Rowdyruffs.
"Tomorrow will be fun," Brick said as he scanned the plans.