Allies and Rivals II
Chapter 34
Desperate Measures
The City of Townsville…
The boys and girls were frozen after Ckracknow's face on the TV disappeared. Brick and Blossom's perfect plan wasn't so perfect after all, and Blossom was in the enemy's hands.
It was a severe blow for the team. Blossom was gone. And it looks like Boomer will be too. Morale among the kids plunged.
"We're doomed!" Boomer said in panic. "I'm doomed! Blossom's doomed! We're all doomed! Brick's plan failed! What are we gonna do?"
"This is all your fault!" Buttercup shouted, pointing her finger at Brick. "It's your plan after all!"
"Well, I say, let's ambush Epsilon just the same!" Butch proposed. "I'm not going to stand here and let Boomer get chopped to pieces!"
"But what about Blossom?" Bubbles asked Butch.
"I don't give a damn about Blossom! I'm concerned about Boomer, and if Blossom dies, then so be it!" Butch asserted.
"What? Take that back, Butch!" Buttercup shouted.
"Butch, will you shut up?" Brick said. "You're acting irrational and immature. Nobody is going to die today, not Blossom, not Boomer, not anybody, except Epsilon!"
"And are you going to sacrifice your brother to save Blossom?" Butch asked.
"No!" Brick snapped.
"And you, Brick, are a worse leader than Blossom ever was!" Buttercup shouted. "You shouldn't be leader now! I regret not voting for Blossom in the last election! Now look at what where you have led us? Look at what happened to Blossom? What kind of a leader makes a plan that causes my sister to be kidnapped, and your own brother's life to be endangered?"
"Are you kidding me? Brick's fault is that he toadies too much to that damned sister of yours! He's become too soft, and his judgment had been affected! But he's still a better leader than Blossom ever will be!" Butch shouted. "I say it was a brilliant plan, and Blossom be damned!"
"Will you two shut up! Butch, Blossom won't die today, and neither will Boomer. And I promise you, we will end this day with both of them alive and Epsilon dead! And Butch, for the umpteenth time, I am no toady, or slave, or anything, to Blossom, and I'm not soft at all! And Buttercup, it's too late for you to change your vote, is it now? Heck, if you want, why don't we hold an election right now, among us five? You versus me! Same old rules! The winner becomes leader!" Brick challenged. "And if I'm so bad, then, pray tell me of your plan, ha? Tell me, what's your brilliant plan to extricate Blossom from Ckracknow's clutches?"
Buttercup was silent. She had been cornered. She could not accept Brick's challenge, for she'll lose any election with Blossom gone. And Buttercup hasn't thought of a plan either. "Well, we could go and rescue Blossom and kick their asses and get this over with!"
"How about Boomer, how about the fight? Don't you think, with your plan, if it is a plan at all, Blossom would be killed? And we would lose the fight five versus three! And they'll immediately kill Blossom if they see us coming anywhere near Citiesville, so even if we defeat them all, Blossom will die! Well, what have you to say for your plan?" Brick said, utterly destroying the green puff's idea. "If we do that, you have effectively signed Blossom's death warrant!"
"Well, uh, well, do you have anything better?" Buttercup retorted, unable to answer Brick's question.
"Hey, why are you so concerned with that redheaded girl?" asked Butch. "You like her, don't you?" he said with disgust.
"Because, we need her to win, dummy! And no, I don't like her at all! She's ugly and annoying. But brilliant nonetheless!" Brick said.
"Ha, you don't have a better plan!" Buttercup taunted. "Ha, I bet that even if you have a new plan, it would backfire!"
"At least I could make a plan that could backfire," Brick snapped, "unlike a certain someone I know who doesn't even think of a plan! Just attack, attack, attack! At least Blossom has common sense, and thinks, unlike you!"
"Well, I still think that since you screwed up, you shouldn't be leader at all!" Buttercup replied. "I demand that you resign as leader after this is all over! My sister is in danger because of you!"
"That's ridiculous," Brick said. "As ridiculous as you eating the excrement of a chicken."
"Well, if you won't, then screw you! Bubbles and I are going to bolt this alliance and rescue Blossom on our own, and I'm not going to take orders from you!" Buttercup shouted.
"You will do no such thing!" Brick earnestly said. "You know you can't beat them on your own. You're going to get Blossom killed, and you and Bubbles will either fail spectacularly, be captured, or get killed. Remember what Ckracknow said on television? And I have no doubt in my mind that he will carry out his threat if you plunge forward into the abyss!"
"Will you all stop it?" a teary-eyed Bubbles shouted. She was in tears. "Please don't fight. Butch, even thought don't you like Blossom, what you said about her is just plain mean. Please don't let her die. And Buttercup, it's not Brick's fault that this all happened. I'm sure in his heart, he, like all of us, wishes that we should defeat those monsters in Citiesville. And I still trust him, and he's a good leader. And I don't like it if we split up with them, because we can't win if we are divided. Brick, you're a good leader, and I know you'll think of something, but please stop fighting Buttercup and be more humble. Please, you all, please, don't fight. Not now! Fight some other day, when we no longer have enemies, but not now! Why can't we just get along?"
Bubbles sudden outburst had calmed all concerned, even the normally contemptuous Butch. It touched Buttercup, who calmed down a bit. It lowered Butch's temper, though it didn't change his attitude towards leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Brick was just glad all the shouting stopped.
Boomer was tongue tied through all of this, though he naturally sided with his brother. He was frightened by the prospect of facing Epsilon alone, but he would deliver the necessary courage if asked to by his brother. His view of Blossom improved considerably in the past few days, though he still disliked Blossom. He disapproved of Butch's cruel words.
Brick slowly floated just above them all. "Thanks Bubbles. Look, I am the leader of this alliance, and such, I'll take the blame for the debacle that just happened. I won't blame it on anyone. I am the leader, and such, I have to take responsibility for failure. You know that, especially since I resigned as leader of the Rowdyruff Boys when I thought Dad was killed. Yes, it's all my fault this has happened, and I blame no one but myself. I was blind when I just assumed that Ckracknow would just believe that we would fight fair."
"When, for example, after our inevitable victory over Ckracknow, you tell others of this near debacle, of Blossom's kidnapping, you will say it's my fault, and I will bear no grudge against you. A leader who doesn't take responsibility for the failures of his team during his leadership tenure isn't worth being leader of a spit of a dog."
"But if you expect me to go and apologize to each and every one of you for that, you'll be disappointed. I will not grovel and beg for forgiveness for my mistakes. No sir, taking responsibility does not imply I will say sorry. I won't. I will correct my mistakes of course, but I won't say sorry," the proud leader proclaimed. "I will not apologize to anybody except Dad, and I won't make any exceptions."
"Butch, I'm really ashamed that you would say such things about Blossom. Sure, I know you hate her, and I don't like her too, but we are allies fighting against a common enemy, and as such, your words are inexcusable, especially in this crisis! Take back those words, now!"
"But Brick, you can't ask me…" Butch said.
"Butch, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you!"
"But…"
"You dare defy me, your leader, and your brother, Butch? NOW GO AND DO IT BEFORE I MAKE YOU PAY!" Brick shouted at the top of his voice at the green rowdyruff, his eyes burning with rage, his face twisted into something scary, his booming voice very loud, his body shaking, his breathing heavy. "You and Boomer promised me when you begged me to be the leader again that you will always follow me unconditionally! Well, I demand that you do it!"
Butch suddenly winced and backed a few steps away from his enraged brother. Butch was the toughest, but Brick at the height of his anger and rage was really scary, just like his father, Dr. Edwards, when he becomes angry. He winced at his brother's eyes, and in a few seconds, found it impossible to look him in the eye without shuddering. And he in his mind had no doubt Brick will back-up his words with action if necessary.
Butch decided the best course would be to back down, even though he really wasn't sorry. "Okay, I take it back," he said. "And I care if Blossom would die or not."
"Good," Brick said, his anger and rage disappearing as quickly as it emerged. His scary expression was gone, and he looked like the Brick they all knew—when not angry. Nevertheless, it formed a lasting impression on the others.
Buttercup was shocked and frightened by his display, but hid it of course, and secretly thanked God that, Butch, not she, was the object of red ruff's rage.
"Now, I'm still the leader, and I promise that not only will I get us out of this mess, but I will accomplish the objectives we have set for this day before Blossom was captured—the end of Epsilon. And Buttercup, listen to what I have to say. If I did not accomplish all of my goals—if for example, we failed to rescue Blossom, or if Epsilon is still breathing at the end of this day, or God—forbid, Blossom or Boomer died this day, then I will resign the leadership and give it to Blossom. If Blossom dies today, then you, will be the new leader, since you, my dear Buttercup, clearly thinks that you could be a better leader than either Blossom or me! "
All the others gasped at Brick's declaration.
"But before any of you say anything else, there's a second part to it! If I succeed in all my goals, if we kill Epsilon, and if we rescued Blossom, then not only will I remain leader of this Alliance, but you will never again challenge my authority as leader, especially you Buttercup, and you will apologize for foolishly challenging me! You may challenge and question my actions as leader, but not my authority to do those actions. Do you accept, Buttercup?"
"I accept!" Buttercup snapped, accepting Brick's challenge.
Buttercup was caught in a quandary when she realized its implications. After all her denunciations of Brick, about how he should resign because of his failure, now that's he's offering it if he failed, she couldn't decline without losing face. The way Brick tied the successful conclusion of the mission to his own position as leader was sneaky. She couldn't hope for Brick to be defeated in the contest now, because doing so would encourage defeat and might lead to Blossom's demise.
But now, after listening to Brick, she wasn't as adamant as before in demanding Brick step-down. Her prime loyalties were to Townsville and to her sisters, and her pet feud with Brick would take a back-seat to it. And Brick himself proved that in the last few minutes that he was worthy of being leader, just as much as Blossom was, and he regained a lot of respect in Buttercup's eyes. Sure he was arrogant. Sure he was annoying. Sure he was bossy. Sure he was a slave driver, power-mad, secretive, and cruel. But he made Butch, Brick's own brother, take back his caustic words against Blossom, her sister. And it was clear to her that he really does care about her sister, even though he masked it. And he really wanted the team to succeed. And he didn't try to blame anyone for the debacle but himself.
Besides, she herself had no idea on how to extricate themselves from this mess, and it looks like Brick had an ace up his sleeve. Of course, she kept it all to herself, and remained outwardly hostile to Brick.
"You can't just risk your position!" Boomer protested. "I don't want to follow Blossom again like we did when she is leader!"
"But I don't intend to fail!" Brick confidently proclaimed. "And I will get us out of it, mark my words!"
"So, Brick, what's your plan?" asked Buttercup.
All eyes were on the redheaded leader.
"Give me fifteen minutes to think of something," Brick said.
The rest of them looked incredulously and disappointingly at Brick. They all expected him to have a solution right there and then.
"What? I couldn't just magically come up with a full proof plan in a second, now can I? Especially since I spent the last twenty minutes defending myself against a coup!"
With that, Brick began pacing back and forth, muttering incomprehensible phrases to himself, clearly thinking.
The others just talked among themselves, trying to figure out a plan, but utterly failing to.
After fifteen minutes, at about eight thirty-five…
"Okay, it's already fifteen minutes," Butch said.
"Okay, here's my plan. First, all of you are wearing the armored clothes, am I right?"
All nodded.
"And are you carrying all our necessary accessories, like the shades for the sunball and for magnifying our laser eyes, and the decoys, the handkerchief, and such?"
All nodded.
"Good. Now, Boomer, it's eight-forty in the morning. Go to the plain 20 miles south of here—alone."
"You're sending me alone?" Boomer asked, frightened.
"Yes! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You'll be alright. Now here are my instructions. Wear the handkerchief over your face like cowboy. It would protect your face from the blows of Epsilon. Remember, Epsilon cannot do laser or any range attack on you. All he could do is punch you and kick you or squeeze you. But keep in mind that he is the strongest of the five. His strongest physical blows would kill you if you're wearing ordinary clothes. Fortunately, Dad's new clothes are armored. However, they still don't know that. Boomer, whatever you do, do not tell them of the armored clothes. Let them think you suddenly got super strong. And don't use the super shades until I tell you to, okay? And when you fight, put as much distance between the two of you as possible, and keep hitting him with laser attacks. You'll be alright if you do that."
"Are you sure? Because I'm still scared going out there alone," Boomer said.
"Look, Boomer, you're a Rowdyruff! Rowdyruff's shouldn't be scared. If you are, don't show it!" Butch said. "Be tough, act brave, and don't let that lard of muscle scare you!"
"Yup! Be a man! Go out there and make me and Dad proud! And remember my instructions, okay? " Brick said.
"Yes, sir, Brick!" Boomer shouted, greatly encouraged. Though he's still scared, he buried it, put on a brave face, found the confidence he needed to do what his brother requires of him, and flew towards the battle zone.
"Bubbles, Buttercup, go and follow him," Brick ordered as soon as the blue ruff was out of earshot. "And don't let him see you until I give you the signal. When he arrives at the battleground, you will go and observe the fight. But you will hide yourself from Boomer, Epsilon, and the camera crew. Watch over Boomer, please. But under no circumstance will you let Epsilon or the TV crew to see you. It will endanger Blossom's life if that happens. And wait for my signal. When you receive it, openly help Boomer fight."
"Aye aye, Brick!" Bubbles exclaimed, and she and Buttercup secretly followed Boomer.
"And what do I do, o great leader?" asked Butch, sarcastically as soon as the two were alone.
"We rescue Blossom," Brick said.
"What? Why don't we go and watch Boomer, and let Buttercup and Bubbles rescue their own sister?" Butch asked.
"They might botch it," Brick replied. "Hiding themselves from a fight while watching it is simple compared to making a stealthy rescue and making sure we achieve total surprise. Anything less would result in Blossom's death. I don't think they are competent enough to do such, as they most likely will mess it up and get her killed. So we will do it!"
"So, how are we going to do it?" asked Butch.
"Just do what I do," Brick said. "And do what I say."
With that, the two left for Citiesville, hugging the ground, and going under as much cover, like trees, as they could. Sometimes, they went through houses with open windows. They went in a zig-zag direction to throw off any pursuers, not that there was any, and at 9:10 a.m., reached the bank of the lake surrounding Citiesville. Then they halted, taking cover under some debris.
Both boys looked across the lake. There were huge chunks of ice floating in the lake, and they could clearly see the tall skyscrapers gloriously rising towards the heavens. They could also see the destruction that occurred. Many buildings were now rubble. Smoke was rising to the sky, as many buildings were burning, and due to lack of electricity, people resorted to using fires to warm themselves in this unusually cold winter.
"Butch, before we continue, I'd like to say something," Brick said.
Butch was silent.
"I know you hate Blossom, Butch, but could you refrain from insulting her when she's absent and in the presence of her sisters? You could insult her all you want when we're alone, and nobody else but Boomer and I could hear it?"
"Why?" asked Butch.
"Because hell, it makes me look bad," Brick explained. "I am not only the leader of you and Boomer. No, I am also the leader of those three girls, and every time you open your big fat mouth, I look bad, and my authority over them diminishes. That is why I had to make you take back those words, Butch. I want them to respect me, and follow whatever my orders are, and they can't respect me if they perceive that I don't respect them, do I?"
"You just like that redheaded girl, do you?" Butch accused.
"No I don't, you idiot! How many times do I have to drill into your head the fact that I don't like that ugly girl? I'm doing this because my power over them will wane if I don't!"
"Agreed. I promise I won't put my foot on my mouth again. So what exactly is your plan?" asked Butch, changing the subject
"Well, at about this time," Brick began, glad to shift to another topic. "Boomer and Epsilon are fighting. We can assume that Ckracknow, Delta, and Alpha are watching the fight on television, and therefore, are not guarding Blossom. Blossom is tied-up to prevent her from escaping, either in a room with the three, like we saw on television this morning, or she could be kept locked in another room, also tied-up, with one of his henchmen guarding her, while the Delta, Alpha and Ckracknow would be watching the fight. We would be lucky if Blossom is in another room, but if she is in the same room with the three men, especially if she was sat, still tied and gagged, between Alpha and Delta, then our prospects are much more dim and the possibility of Blossom's death will be greater."
"So what's your plan?" asked Butch.
"We go to Ckracknow's skyscraper, hope we're lucky, and find Blossom," Brick said.
"That's your plan?"
"And avoid detection by our enemies," Brick said, "until we have her safely in our hands. Then, we run like hell!"
"That's it?"
"Not very imaginative, but do you have a better plan?"
"Well, no. Let's do it then," Butch replied.
So the two brothers crossed the lake to Citiesville and raced towards Ckracknow's skyscraper.
In the meantime…
Boomer arrived at the battle site about ten minutes before nine. Epsilon was not yet there, but Boomer was certain that he will arrive soon. A camera crew on a helicopter was hovering nearby. Its attempts to interview Boomer were politely rebuffed by the blue ruff.
Five minutes later, he arrived. The 6'5" 18-year-old with brown hair and black eyes readied himself for his clash with Boomer, fully confident that he would emerge victorious.
Boomer of course, was frightened, but he mustered the necessary courage to do his duty. He remembered his Dad, and his brothers, and his home, and he was injected with the necessary resolve to do what he needed to do. Alone, or so he thought, he couldn't let his brother down. Brick had to have a plan, or he wouldn't send him on this suicide mission. Besides, he had armored clothes, and super shades, though he wasn't to use the shades until Brick said so. And Epsilon and his colleagues don't know about the armor, because it looked like ordinary clothes.
Boomer and Epsilon stared at each other.
"Come on, you prick! I'll thrash you and wipe the floor with your carcass!" Boomer shouted, going into a fighting position.
"You will lose," Epsilon said in his characteristically unemotional manner.
"That's it? What a lame comeback!" Boomer sneered.
At that point, Epsilon lurched forward and delivered a powerful punch on Boomer's stomach, sending him crashing through the ground below.
'That should kill him,' Epsilon thought.
Boomer, though shaken, found out to his pleasant surprise that he was barely hurt at all. 'Wow, this armored clothes really works! This is so cool. Funny, why are there wrinkles if this is so tough? Oh well, it doesn't matter as long as it protects me!'
Boomer emerged from the rubble with renewed confidence. He got the large handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around his head like a cowboy would to protect his face. "Too dusty!" he shouted to Epsilon.
Epsilon was utterly surprised by this. 'What? That blow should have killed him! It's my most powerful one!' Thought his face remained expressionless and he said nothing.
"Nah! You didn't even hurt me!" Boomer boasted.
Meanwhile…
Buttercup and Bubbles were hiding behind some rocks, far enough so that they won't be seen by either combatant, or by the helicopter crew, but close enough that they could see the fight clearly, and come to the aid of the boy at a moment's notice.
"Go Boomer!" Bubbles shouted, but not loud enough for her to be noticed. She was worried about Boomer when he was struck, but was relieved when Boomer emerged almost unscathed.
"Yup! I'm glad the Professor and Dr. Edwards gave us these presents early," Buttercup commented.
Bubbles could only agree.
Meanwhile…
In a large room near the top of their skyscraper, Alpha and Delta were seated in a couch watching the fight on TV. Blossom, tied-up and gagged, seated between the two, was also watching the fight. Ckracknow was seated on another chair.
"What? How the hell could he survive that? That should have cracked Boomer's bones and killed him on the spot, or at least leave him in agonizing pain!" Delta shouted at he saw Boomer emerge from the rubble without a scratch.
"That is not possible! Epsilon is physically the strongest being in the planet!" Alpha remarked as he watched the fight in disbelief.
Blossom was smug, though frightened. She fully knew what would happen to her if Boomer wins, but was nonetheless pleased. 'Ha, our armored clothes really rocks!' she thought. 'Since Epsilon can't do ranged attacks, like laser, and physically he can't do much damage to Boomer, Boomer is safe!'
"It seemed that we have underestimated their training, and the level of strength they have gained as a result," Ckracknow said. "Now, I'm not so sure of an easy victory as before, but I have faith Epsilon will pull this off. Don't worry, Epsilon will win!"
Meanwhile…
Boomer was smiling, though the fact was hidden by the handkerchief. But Epsilon was soon upon him, punching him hard in the stomach, then delivering a kick upon the top of his head, then punching him in the face. He then took Boomer by the feet, spun him around then repeatedly smashed him against the rocks in the adjacent hills. He then elbowed the blue ruff on the stomach.
Epsilon then backed away, fully expecting Boomer to be either dead, or unconscious, or incapacitated. But it was not to be.
Boomer rose, unhurt at all, but his head was dizzy from being spun around. "Oh, my head's spinning," he said, holding his head.
Epsilon got angry. In fury, he charged at his greatest speed and struck the blue ruff in the stomach, sending him miles away as a result. Boomer, unhurt by the punch, halted mid-air, but before he could do anything, Epsilon flew in rapidly and gave Boomer a powerful spinning kick on the side. He quickly grabbed Boomer by his left leg using his left hand, suspended him up-side-down, then used his right fist to relentlessly punch Boomer like a punching bag, delivering about a hundred powerful blows on the poor ruff. Luckily, Epsilon only punched Boomer on the parts of his body where there were clothes covering it. (Because only his eyes were unprotected at this point.)
Epsilon then threw Boomer on the ground, confident that he had dealt the boy a mortal blow.
Boomer just as easily rose from the ground, and smirked. Epsilon, though he didn't show it, was infuriated and confused.
Boomer then flew to Epsilon as fast as he can, and he quickly began to bombard him with laser from both his eyes and his hands, always keeping a respectable distance between him and his opponent.
Epsilon confidently absorbed the attacks to show his opponent that he was invincible. The laser attacks, though not really harming Epsilon, was annoying because it hurt him a little. After all, Boomer's power increased to level 32, while Epsilon was probably the most vulnerable of Ckracknow's super teens to attack by laser blasts. He was surprised that he was vulnerable, from Boomer of all people, at all.
After a dozen or so direct hits, Epsilon was annoyed. And he once again attacked the blue clad rowdyruff. But the little boy just backed off and continued hitting him with laser while doing so, while the tall powerful clone was slowed down in his offensive by incessant laser attacks. Boomer then spun around the teen-ager, hitting him continually with laser. Epsilon tried catching his opponent, but just can't.
So it happened that way in the next five minutes.
Soon, Boomer sensed that Epsilon was weakening from all the laser attacks. Having a flush of confidence rush through him by him being unscathed, and Epsilon's seeming weakness, he became convinced that he could win alone. He decided to give the coup de grace that will finally win him the fight.
It was a grave blunder.
Boomer swooped down toward the villain, delivered a powerful kick, then using his unprotected right fist, made the strongest punch he ever made on Epsilon's stomach. He soon heard the bones of his right hand crack, as he found out how strong Epsilon's body actually was. It was as if he punched a wall of duranium! Even with his super strength, it was still too much.
"OUCH! OW MY HAND! MY HAND!" Boomer shouted as he clutched his hand in agony as he felt excruciating pain.
Epsilon saw that Boomer made a capital mistake, and took advantage of it. He quickly went behind Boomer, and quickly grabbed him from behind in a tight bear-hug. Boomer was thoroughly surprised. He tried breaking free, but he could not. Nor could he hit him with laser from his eyes, since he didn't have eyes at the back of his head.
"Let go of me!" Boomer shouted, thrashing against Epsilon's grip, but Epsilon was just too strong
Epsilon then began squeezing the blue ruff, slowly but surely. To make it worst, Boomer's armor protected him from direct and hard blows, but not from being slowly squeezed. Soon, he can feel the pressure of Epsilon's arms. Fortunately, the armor reduced the pressure by three-fourths, or else he'd be squeezed to death by now.
That was cold comfort to Boomer, where the pain of being crushed increased. He was soon reduced to screaming in pain, with tears falling from his eyes, as his agony was amplified.
"Stupid! Boomer, you idiot! Why the heck did you try to do such a stupid thing?" Buttercup whispered loudly, watching from her vantage point. "You had the fight in your hands, and you had to throw it all away!"
Bubbles was very very worried, and close to panic. "Buttercup, we gotta help Boomer! He's hurting!" She couldn't stand Boomer's screaming, and desperately wanted to help the boy.
"We can't," Buttercup said. "If we do, they'll kill Blossom."
"Oh right, I forgot," Bubbles said, burying her head against her sister's shoulder, unable to watch what was happening. "I guess we can't do anything but watch. But poor Boomer!"
"Well it's his fault! He shouldn't have tried punching Epsilon in the first place," Buttercup said while trying to comfort her sister. "But don't worry. I'm sure everything will turn out all right."
Meanwhile…
Brick and Butch flew as fast as they could to the base of the skyscraper, where they stopped.
"Now what?" asked Butch.
"Here's what we do, we go… Mr. Shippe!" Brick exclaimed when he saw the tall young man of twenty-two in a blue suit exit the front door of the skyscraper. "I am so glad to see you!"
"Me too, Brick, Butch," Shippe said. "And let me guess, you came here to rescue Blossom?"
"No, we came here for the beautiful sights of Citiesville! Of course we came here to rescue that girl! Why else would we come to a town full of jerks and ingrates other than to do some official business?" Butch said.
"And why aren't you watching the fight on TV?" asked Brick. "You know, the one between my brother and Epsilon?"
"I don't need to. I'll just watch the six o'clock news on ABC to find out who won. A few hours of not knowing ain't gonna make any difference to me," Mr. Shippe replied. In truth, he really did not want to see Boomer or Blossom get killed, which he knew were the most likely outcomes considering the current circumstances.
"Sir, do you know where they are keeping Blossom?" asked Brick.
"She's in the large room on the 78th floor, three floors from the very top. You remember how you saw Blossom seated between Alpha and Delta in TV? Well, that's where Blossom is right now—between the two, watching the fight on TV. She was bound with cuffs made of duranium. Ckracknow is on another couch. Be careful though, they must not see you, or they'll kill Blossom," warned Shippe. "And whatever you do, don't kill Ckracknow. He's the only one preventing them from attacking Townsville. If he dies, then they'd attack Townsville at once."
"I know," Brick replied. "Don't worry. I've got a plan. By the way, where are you going?"
"Oh, I'm just taking a morning walk," replied the spy.
They then said their farewells.
"Butch, tie your handkerchief around your head and wear the supershades. We will bust in and get Blossom. Once you have her, fly home as fast as you can and have Dad remove those cuffs and then go to the battlefield and help Boomer. I'll distract Alpha and Delta," Brick ordered.
Butch just nodded. They quickly and quietly flew to the 77th floor, where they saw an open window. Seeing no one, they entered. They then sneaked up the stairs into the 78th floor. There was an open door. The two quickly hid themselves on the opposite sides of the door. They could see the backs of the heads of Blossom, Delta, Alpha and Ckracknow, all watching TV, all talking loudly.
"Go Epsilon, squeeze that son-of-a-bitch! Yeah!" Delta shouted at the TV, cheering Epsilon.
"See I told you he'd pull through," Ckracknow said.
At that moment…
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our hero Boomer Edwards is being squeezed to death! His screams, clearly heard even at this distance, indicates his agony and his pain. And it looks like Epsilon would win! Oh the humanity! Our hero is losing, and dying, and it looks like nothing will save him! This is Dan Tranz of Citiesville news, where giving news is our pleasure!" the TV announcer said.
"Well, it looks like we overestimated the intelligence of Boomer, and doubted Epsilon too early," Alpha said. "But what about the others? Don't you think they'd try to rescue carrot-top over here?"
"No. Blossom's their brains!" Ckracknow said. "They wouldn't be able to think of anything smart enough to rescue Blossom without us noticing. Relax, they know they can't do anything, and won't try anything. We got them under control!"
"Go Epsilon, squeeze the life of that son-of-a-bitch! Yeah!" Delta shouted at the TV, cheering Epsilon.
"See I told you he'd pull through," Ckracknow said
Blossom was watching the fight on TV between the two teen-agers, and was worried. 'Oh Boomer, I'm sorry! If I hadn't been so careless, you'd be safe,' Blossom thought.
Suddenly, a white, bright, blinding light enveloped the room, forcing everyone in the room to close their eyes. Ckracknow, Delta, and Alpha scrambled to get their shades. Since it was so sudden, they hadn't prepared for this, and as a result, their shades were on another room. Seconds later, Blossom felt that she was being picked up, and was flying at a fast speed. She opened her eyes, and she saw Butch was carrying her out of the building.
"Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom's safe! Go and help Boomer, now!" Brick shouted to his watch and followed his brother.
Butch flew as fast as possible towards his house, while Brick stopped and floated just outside Citiesville. Thirty seconds later, he saw Alpha and Delta fly out of the skyscraper, with shades in their eyes. He then flew on the opposite direction of Butch and of the battle taking place.
Alpha and Delta immediately saw Brick on the edge of Citiesville the moment they left the skyscraper, and gave chase.
After three minutes of chase, above a clump of rocky hills, the leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance halted, and confronted the two teen-agers.
"Pretty sneaky of you, Brick," Alpha said. "Master Ckracknow totally underestimated you."
"You'll pay for that, you bastard!" Delta shouted.
"We'll see," Brick said. "Let's fight on the ground!"
He slowly descended, followed by the two.
The three stared at each other for a minute or so.
"That was pretty smart of you, kidnapping Blossom to ensure we don't cheat," Brick said. "But in kidnapping Blossom, you cheated first."
"Don't pull my leg. That letter you sent us reeks of deception. Unlike Harry or Master Ckracknow, I'm not foolish enough to believe you won't cheat, or to be stupid enough to rely on assurances on your part. I'm not a fool. Both of us know that Boomer would lose in a one-on-one fight with Epsilon, so I know Blossom had a trick up her sleeve. So we kidnapped her to preempt you from cheating."
"But you cheated first nonetheless," Brick said. "And it doesn't matter if we planned to cheat in the first place, because in the end, when all was said and done, you cheated first! But why trouble us with who cheated who? You're evil, so why argue? You should congratulate us on cheating, than accusing us of it!"
"Yeah, you're right. I am evil. And you were too. So why trouble us with morality? Tell me Brick, you were evil once. You know very well the joys of being bad! Why turn around and join those goody-two-shoes?" Alpha asked.
"Who says I'm a goody-two-shoes? Just because I'm not evil doesn't mean I'm a goody. No. I have my aims, and goals, and I realized that being evil would not serve to further those goals."
"Ha, even so, I don't think any goal is worth serving under Blossom, don't you think? For such a proud creature such as yourself, going from being your own master to being Blossom's servant, you were screwed."
Brick smiled. He was tempted to tell Alpha that he was really the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, but that deception was too valuable to lose. "Maybe, maybe not!"
"Join us, Brick! Go back to your evil ways, and you'll see how better it is for you and your brothers! You were evil once, so I don't see you having a problem being evil again! Join forces with us! And together, we will rule the world!"
"Do you really think that just because I was evil that I would join you? My loyalties to my father are too great for that, and however attractive your offers are, I won't do it. I'd rather die than betray my Dad, my brothers, and myself. Joining you will be demeaning to my pride, my self-esteem, and to my self-respect. No Alpha, I won't. There are far more attractive things for me than joining you and becoming evil again."
"If that is so, then enough talk. Let's fight! Delta, be ready to kill him," Alpha said. Both of them went into fighting position.
Brick got into fighting position, and waited.
Meanwhile…
Butch was carrying the still tied-up and gagged Blossom, flying fast towards their house. Since her bonds were made up of duranium, and he just can't untie her because needed a key to do it, he didn't bother to try to free her, not that he would have if he actually could. If he had his way, he would just dump her in the ground.
"Dad, dad," Butch said to his watch trying to contact his father.
No answer.
"Drats!" Butch said as he reached his house. He unceremoniously dumped Blossom on the couch.
"Dad! Professor!" he shouted.
No answer.
'They're probably too busy at the lab,' Butch thought.
He then left the house, flying at top speed towards Boomer, leaving Blossom alone, still tied-up and gagged, sitting on the couch.
'Well the nerve! I know he couldn't untie me, but he could at least have ungagged me and removed this anti-gravity belt off me!' Blossom thought. Luckily for her, the remote was on the floor, so she sat up, and used her feet to tap the remote and open the TV and change the channel so she would be able to watch the fight. She waited for the Professor and Dr. Edwards to go to the living room and discover she was there.
Meanwhile…
Buttercup was watching Boomer get squeezed, while Bubbles' head was buried against Buttercup's shoulder, unable to watch Boomer being squeezed. However, Boomer's screams of pain was just terrible, just terrible.
They wanted to help, to ease Boomer's pain, but they knew they'd be endangering Blossom's life if they did.
"Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom's safe! Go and help Boomer, now!" Brick's voice suddenly shouted from both their watches.
"Thanks Brick," Buttercup said in the watch, but Brick already turned it off so he didn't hear it. "Blossom's safe. Now let's kick Epsilon's butt!"
"Yay!" Bubbles said. "I just hope Boomie is still okay."
Bubbles then started flying to Boomer, but Buttercup stopped her. "Wait. We should wear these things before we go."
Bubbles only nodded as both she and Buttercup tied their handkerchiefs around their heads like a cowboy, wore their caps on their heads, and wore the super shades on their eyes.
"And Bubbles, remember, never kick him or punch him. You know what happened to Boomer's hand when he punched Epsilon. Just use laser to hit him continuously. And always keep some distance between you and Epsilon. And raise the lever on your shades to two. Hit him till it hurts. And on my signal, raise it to three, four or even five!"
Bubbles nodded.
"Okay, let's go!"
Both sisters flew as fast as they could towards Epsilon. The advanced to a distance of twelve feet, then they unleashed a barrage of laser, first from their hands. then their eyes.
Epsilon was still busy tying to squeeze the life out of Boomer when a stream of laser suddenly hit his back. Not only was it annoying, it also hurt a bit.
Epsilon dropped Boomer to the ground to deal with the new threats.
"You'll be sorry for that. Master Ckracknow will kill your leader, Blossom," Epsilon shouted.
"Well, think again! Brick had just rescued Blossom, so there!" Buttercup said.
"And you'll pay for what you've done to my Boomie, and for what you did to Citiesville!" Bubbles shouted, really angry at Epsilon.
Epsilon attacked the two puffs, concentrating first on Bubbles. But he was frustrated when both girls unleashed a further barrage of laser fire at Epsilon. It hurt him like a bee sting, not really fatal or weakening by itself, but a little painful. However, he continued his advance, but then, when he was really close, both girls attacked Epsilon with laser eyes, this time magnified with twice their greatest power.
Epsilon got hit, and to his surprise, he was thrown back a little, and this time, it really hurt him. His body was full of bruises, and he was pushed back to the ground. But he was only slightly weakened. It would take a more powerful laser beam to seriously weaken the powerful Epsilon, and an even more powerful blast to kill him.
Epsilon was frustrated. He didn't expect that they would be that powerful. However, he still expected to win against such odds.
Epsilon then attacked Bubbles. Bubbles braced herself for an attack, however, ten feet away from her, Epsilon changed course and attached Buttercup from the left. Buttercup and Bubbles were utterly caught off guard. Buttercup was struck in the belly, causing her to fall to the ground. Luckily, she wasn't hurt at all because of the armored clothes. Before Epsilon could turn around and deal with a surprised Bubbles, he was struck from below.
Epsilon turned and saw Boomer with shades on. Boomer was still in pain from the broken bones in his right fist, though he fully recovered from the pain of being squeezed. Still, he had lost none of his powers, and he ignored the pain on his right hand as he confronted Epsilon again.
"Boomie, you're alright?" Bubbles said, rather happily.
"Of course! I am a Rowdyruff Boy, and the son of my father, and a few broken bones in my fist would not take me down!" Boomer shouted. He then floated to Bubbles' level, though keeping a distance to the blue puff. He was nervous, not because of Epsilon, but of Bubbles being too close.
Buttercup soon floated from the ground, and Epsilon found himself surrounded by three enemies. They then began an all out laser attack, this time, with their laser attacks magnified three times. Epsilon was hit by a barrage of continuous attack, and since he lacked any laser or ranged attacks, he was frustrated at his inability to hit back. He tried hitting one of them, but with three members attacking, it was an impossible task. And they would always keep some distance between them and Epsilon so he wouldn't have any opportunity to punch—not that it would have any effect on them considering their armor.
At that moment, Butch arrived.
"Butch! How's Blossom?" asked Bubbles.
"Oh, she's at home. She's still cuffed with duranium, so I left her at home so Dad could remove it from her. I guess you have the situation under control."
"Where's Brick?" asked Boomer.
"Oh, he's out there making a diversion so Alpha and Delta wouldn't help Epsilon over here!"
"What? Brick is alone with those two?" Boomer shouted. "Let's finish this bastard so we can help Brick! Wear your shades, and all of you, set it to lever 5 and attack him at the same time!"
Epsilon knew that he was in trouble when Butch arrived.
Boomer, Butch, Bubbles and Buttercup then stood side by side, adjusted their shades so that their power would be magnified five times their greatest power, and attacked Epsilon. The beams merged and formed a superpowerful beam.
Epsilon brought forth his powerful wrists, one of the most powerful parts of his body, and to the amazement of the four, managed to hold it off. However, it put great strain on Epsilon. Soon, they were engaged in a tug-of-war, with Epsilon trying to hold off the powerful laser attack, with the four trying to overwhelm Epsilon with the same laser attack.
Meanwhile…
Alpha attacked Brick, with Delta just watching. In a powerful move, he moved forward and gave a powerful punch to Brick's stomach. To his surprise, it hurt a lot, even though he was wearing the armor. Still, he wasn't injured, yet the pain was intense. Brick then knew he was in trouble.
Alpha followed up with a laser attack, but Brick, at the last second, jumped out of the way. Knowing he had no way of winning a one-on-one fight with Alpha, he quickly flew towards one of the hills and hid behind it.
"Look, he's hiding like the coward he is behind those hills!" Delta boasted.
Alpha destroyed the hill. Brick then jumped to another. Alpha destroyed it. Brick, in a gamble to outrun Alpha, flew behind another hill, then flew at top speed away from the area.
"He's running away. Shall we give chase, Delta?" Alpha proposed.
"With pleasure! And just to make it more fun, let's make him think he's outflying us, you know, flying slow, then we suddenly overtake him!" Delta proposed.
"I like how you think, Delta," Alpha said. Both then chased Brick, keeping a respectable distance to make Brick think that he was getting away from them.
Behind the hill "Brick" had flown from, Brick chuckled. "Suckers," he said. "Glad I remembered to bring my decoy along."
With that, he flew at the opposite direction from his decoy—toward the battle between Epsilon and Boomer, Butch, Buttercup and Bubbles.
He arrived a few minutes later, and saw that Epsilon was successfully holding off a combined laser attack of his brothers and the girls, though he was straining all his energy to do so.
Brick then adjusted the lever on his shades to five, and snuck behind Epsilon. He then attacked him, hitting him at his back with his most powerful laser attack, magnified by a factor of five, at point blank range.
Epsilon screamed at the attack on his back. His defense on his front weakened and disintegrated as a result, and the combined lasers of the four got through. It soon hit his body, pierced it, creating a wide gaping hole through it, instantly killing the strongest of the five teens. His body dropped and fell to the ground.
"Brick!" shouted Boomer happily.
"I'm glad you're okay Boomer," Brick replied.
"Not quite. I have a few broken bones in my right fist," Boomer mentions. "But nothing that Dad's medicines couldn't fix in a day."
"Let's go home," Bubbles suggested.
"Good idea," Brick said.
The others were just happy everything was alright, along with the fact that only Alpha and Delta remained.
And the five arrived home with no further incident. Alpha and Delta took their time in chasing "Brick". When they finally became serious and caught "Brick" fifteen minutes and four states later, Epsilon was already dead, and the kids had reached Townsville, which was off limits to them.