Thanks to all the reviews. And Merry Christmas to all of you! (this chapter was posted on December 25, 2012)

Allies and Rivals

Chapter 41

A Happy Christmas

It was a sullen mood that night when the boys went home. It was such a sorry atmosphere for Christmas Eve in the Utonium residence, since so many bad things happened. There was no joy in their total victory over Ckracknow and his teen-agers as this was negated by what happened to Dr. Edwards, their strained relationship with the boys, and the end of the Ruff-Puff Alliance.

Buttercup and Bubbles was shocked when they saw Blossom fly to their room.

"It's sad. I really like them—the boys you know. They are really nice, even though they say and try to act as if they aren't," Bubbles said.

"I don't disagree with you Bubbles. I don't like them, but, they are useful, and necessary. I'd rather have them as allies than as enemies," Buttercup said.

Suddenly, they heard the Professor coming from his lab. But what was weird was his happy tone.

"Deck the halls with boughs and holly, fa la la la, la la la la!" the Professor loudly sang as he went upstairs to begin cooking dinner. He had a bright expression on is face. "Merry Christmas, girls! What's the matter, girls? Where are the boys?"

"They went home," Bubbles sadly said who could not figure out why the Professor is happy.

"Professor, why are you so happy? I know it is Christmas, but Dr Edwards just died, all of us are depressed and are in mourning, Blossom and the boys are in the dumps and aren't thinking clearly because of it!" Buttercup asked. "And the Ruff-Puff Alliance is gone."

"Ah, so the boys are going home? Yes, that's very good, very good indeed. I'm going to bet the farm that they're going to get a very pleasant surprise when they get home," the Professor said. "Well, enjoy yourselves! I'm going to cook us dinner!"

"What surprise?" asked Buttercup. "You know something we don't! Tell us, your daughters! And why act happy only now?" Buttercup demanded.

"Well, I want the boys to be totally surprised when they see what they're going to see when they come home, so I pretended to be sad," the Professor explained with a grin on his face. "Pretty smart, eh? Now that they're gone, it's safe to act as I really feel!"

"What surprise? Tell us! Tell us!" Bubbles insisted.

"If you insist," Professor Utonium replied. "I'll tell you—tomorrow morning. Think of it as your Christmas present!"

"But—" both girls protested.

"No buts!" the Professor suddenly shouted, silencing both girls. "Now go and play and do whatever you girls do while I go and cook dinner."

The Professor then put a traditional Christmas song CD in the player, put it in full volume, then sang happily with the tune as he trotted towards the kitchen to cook dinner, leaving the girls perplexed.

"I don't get it. What good news could it be that would give the boys a very pleasant surprise?" asked Bubbles.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

"Maybe Dr. Edwards is really alive?"

"No. That can't be. We saw his body!"

"Oh yeah, silly me. Well, I don't know. But I just hope it's really good," said Bubbles. "They could use some cheering up now that Dr. Edwards is gone."

"Right now the secret that the Professor is hiding is making me burn with curiosity. Even more than what our Christmas presents are!"

"I think we should tell Blossom."

"Let her wallow upstairs," Buttercup harshly said. "She needs to be thought a lesson on arrogance."

Meanwhile…

The snowfall ended as William Bricker Edwards Jr., James Boomer Edwards and Wilbur Butch Edwards approached their home. The winds nearly disappeared, but the cold hadn't subsided. The three boys were thickly bundled as the temperature lowered. Their spirits were low, as they haven't gotten over what happened earlier that day. All three boys had frowns on their faces.

It was quite a surprise for the three to discover the lights on the first floor of their house to be on.

"Someone's in our house," whispered Brick to his brothers. "Look."

"I see it," Butch replied. "But who could it be?"

"I don't know," replied Boomer.

"Nor do I," added Brick.

"Maybe it's Dad?" asked Boomer.

"Nah. He's dead. We even saw his body," Butch said. "It's gotta be a thief!"

"How can it be a thief? Our house has a state of the art security system!" the blue ruff replied.

"Well, we saw how great it is when it totally prevented Blossom being kidnapped!" Brick snapped. "But it couldn't be Dad, and it couldn't be a thief? Maybe it's Mr Clark?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Butch said.

"Right. Okay, let's go and bust whoever this guy is. But let's not be rash. We don't want to kill him—at least immediately. He might be after all, Mr. Clark, or some lawyer of Dad who got his will. If and only if it is a thief do we kill him. Remember, we don't want trouble."

Both his brothers nodded as all three of them stealthily went to their house. They stood at the front door while Brick took his key. They then burst in.

"Okay, who are you and what—" Brick shouted, but froze when he saw the figure standing before them.

Both his brothers were extremely shocked too.

It was Dr. William Knox Edwards Sr., of all people, as alive as they were. He was wearing a blue suit, a red tie, a fedora hat, a coat, with his thick glasses on his head. He was evidently all right, with few scratches and no wounds. He was standing by the fireplace. Besides him were six bags fully packed, and a stream of Christmas presents behind him. He had a cheery look upon his face.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," their father remarked as his three sons looked at him.

"Dad!" the three shouted, and they rushed to the Doctor, hugging him tightly. The move was so sudden that Dr. Edwards fell backwards on to his back.

"Boys, boys, not too much. I might get squeezed!" Dr. Edwards said, but did not try to pry them off.

"Dad, it's so wonderful, you know. I thought you were dead," Brick said.

"Yeah, we really really thought you were dead," Boomer said, with tears again falling from his eyes. "Thank God you're alive and well, Dad."

"I'm glad you're back," Butch said.

Soon, both boys pried themselves from their father.

"But Dad, how the heck did you survive? I mean, I saw you being hit in the heart by Alpha's laser, and being crushed by the falling concrete!" Boomer asked.

"Yeah! We even saw your body, and your crushed head!"

"Well, that body is obviously not mine," said Dr. Edwards. "I mean, I'm still alive and breathing!"

"But what happened?"

"Well, I'll tell you, but not now. Tonight, we're going to get busy," Dr. Edwards said.

"Busy doing what?" asked Butch.

"Well, we're going to my cousin's farm in North Dakota to spend our Christmas vacation."

"North Dakota? But why?" asked Brick.

"Because ever since I've move to Citiesville when I was in college, my cousin Helen Parker, now Mrs. Peter Jenkins, always invited me to spend Christmas in her home, at Maple's Farm, because at that time, my father and I were still estranged. Since then, it had been an annual ritual for me to go there every Christmas and New Year, and I dare say, this year won't be any different except that I'm bringing you three with me. Initially, I thought of cancelling the vacation because of what was happening in Citiesville, but since you defeated Ckracnkow and his five teen-agers, I decided to go ahead. Anyway, it's time for you to meet some of your relatives, don't you think?

"But Dad, don't you think it might be too late? I mean it's only a few hours before Christmas!" Brick asked.

"Don't worry. I know you can fly towards Maple's Farm, North Dakota, in a few hours. What we'll do is we'll pack all these presents in the car. I'll be in the driver's seat, while you three will fly the car to Maple's Farm."

"But—"

"No buts!" Dr. Edwards said with finality, and the boys were cowed. "Don't worry, we'll come back to Townsville the day after New Year, January 2."

"Yes Dad," said the three dejectedly. But it was more than compensated for by their joy at seeing their father alive, well, and himself.

So they loaded the car with their personal belongings, and packed it with gift-wrapped presents.

The boys carefully picked up the car, making sure their father was comfortable inside, then flew fast towards the direction of the Midwestern farm state.

They arrived at about eleven in the evening. The boys were less than thrilled to be there, but they hid it with smiles on their faces as Dr. Edwards introduced them to his cousin and Mr. Jenkins. The couple, both about forty years of age, were warm and hospitable, with their kids already asleep. They immediately gave them something for dinner, after which Dr. Edwards sent the boys to bed. The three adults stayed-up until one in the morning, engaging in small talk with each other.

It was the morning of December 25…

The boys woke up, and immediately went looking for their father. They saw him in the living room chatting with his cousin and Mr. Jenkins.

"So, did you sleep well?" asked their father.

"Yes Dad," Brick said while yawning. He was still wearing his pajamas.

"Aw. Aren't you kids cute! You're lucky William, for having such smart, strong and cute boys!" Mrs. Jenkins said, then pinched Boomer and Brick's cheeks.

"Dad!" both boys whined.

"If they weren't so much trouble, Helen," Dr. Edwards laughed.

"Well, congratulations on defeating that bastard Ckracknow, and his goons," said Peter Jenkins, shaking each of the boys' hand.

"Say thank you to your Uncle Peter and Aunt Helen," said their father.

"Thanks," they said, trying their very best to act nice for their father's sake. Boomer and Brick had no trouble doing so, while Butch struggled.

"Anyway, I think you better open your presents first. I'll then tell you what happened yesterday," Dr. Edwards instructed.

"Yeah!" the three boys shouted, and started sorting out the enormous pile of gifts under the Christmas Tree.

Anyway, Butch received some toys, five pairs of socks and underwear, two dumbbells where the weight could be adjusted to about 10,000 tons, a barbell that could also be adjusted, a scientific calculator, a set of new clothes, though all in shades of green or black, and three cuffs, identical to that used by Ckracknow on Blossom, but instead of it being made of duranium, it was made of Hardetal.

Boomer received several science books, a laptop, three hardetal cuffs, a scientific calculator, a pair of new socks and underwear, a laboratory and chemistry set, new clothes, a large stuffed animal, a box of crayons, a laptop, a toy rifle, ten water squirters, and a book about cars.

Brick received some toys, a baseball bat made of hardetal, a detective kit, an encyclopedia, several history books, a laptop, two sets of playing cards, a small black notebook, three hardetal cuffs, a blank CD, new socks and clothes and underwear, a thick law book, and a set of toy race cars.

"Wow Dad. Thanks!" Butch could only say.

"Yeah. It's like, you know, the last time you gave us this much stuff is six months ago when you recreated us," Boomer mentioned.

"Wow William. How the hell could you afford all those things?" Mr. Jenkins wondered.

"Well, I am the richest man in Townville," Dr. Edwards boasted, "so I could at least afford to buy presents for my children. Don't worry, I also brought you and your four kids presents."

"Dad, you still haven't told us how you survived?" said Boomer.

"Ah yes, well, I guess I better tell you, huh? But first, let me tell you something. You know that you missed school of a week. So a few days ago, Professor Utonium and I went to your school and talked to the principal and your teachers. Of course, they fully understood the situation, but all of them insisted that not only would you do your missed homework, but you would also catch up on your schooling. So I brought your homework, your notes, and your books with us. Here's the deal. Starting tomorrow, every morning, you'll do every homework that you've missed, copy all your missing notes, and read your books until you have caught up with your classmates. Now, I'm sure because you're vastly more intelligent than your classmates, you'll catch-up in no time. And in the afternoon, you can do whatever you want."

"Oh great. Even during vacation, we still have to do schoolwork!" Butch grumbled.

"Yeah! We saved both Townsville and Citiesville! You'd think they'll cut us some slack," Boomer added.

"This sucks!" Brick said. "Now Dad, tell us what happened yesterday!"

"Okay, here goes. Ah, good morning, Timmy, Keith, Frank and Mary. Brick, Boomer Butch these are your second cousins, the children of your Uncle and Aunt. Timmy, Keith, Frank, Mary, this are my sons, Brick, Butch, Boomer, also known as the Rowdryruff Boys! Now that you know each other, I'll begin."

"I have just killed Ckracksow—"

"Cool! Can you tell us how you killed that bastard?" Boomer interrupted.

"Don't you think it's Ckracknow, Dr. Edwards?" asked Mary.

"And give us all the gruesome details!" Butch added.

"Yeah Dad!" Brick added.

"Okay. So it's like this. The Professor and I had just rescued Blossom, and as a consolation prize, had Ckracklow as our prisoner."

"Tell us how you rescued Blossom!" Brick asked.

"Oh okay," laughed the Doctor. He then told the how he and the Professor got the pink puff, and the aftermath.

"…My gun closely watched him, making sure that he would go quietly. What I didn't know, however, was that he had a gun concealed under his clothes, and all of a sudden, he pulled it and tried to shoot me. He aimed for my head, but he missed. I returned fire, and hit him in the head, killing him instantly! My sons, you could proudly boast to the world that your father was the one who killed Ferguson Ckrackpot. Anyway, where were we? Ah yes! After shooting him in the head, I then emptied the bullets of my gun into Ckracknor's head, so, by the time I was done, you wouldn't recognize his head from a heap of meat in a butcher shop."

"The next part was a blur. I suddenly felt something powerful hit my chest and I was thrown back, hitting a building as a result, causing the building to collapse over me. Anyway, it was black after that, as I became unconscious. The next thing I remember was someone shouting."

" 'Careful. We don't want to damage any more bodies,' I heard someone say as I emerged from my slumber. I tried moving, but the rocks were too heavy. I feared the worst. Anyway, the rubble around me were soon taken away.

" 'Aw! My head!' said I as soon as I awoke.

" 'He's alive!' several onlookers said.

" 'Of course I'm alive!' I shouted back. I then noticed that I was a mess. My gray suit, coat, and my entire attire were not only messed-up by the dirt of the rubble, but drenched by the blood of the dead bodies above me. Remember, I was at the bottom of the pile, and below me was the ground, while there were other bodies above me, and their blood trickled down to me.

" 'William! I thought you were…but your body…I saw…how could…Yes, you're alive!' Professor Utonium said. I turned and saw the Professor running towards me. He first shook me by the shoulders.

" 'God! What are you doing, John?' said I."

" 'Just making sure you're really alive, and not a ghost!' said he."

" 'Me a ghost? Not alive? Ludicrous! Look at me! Do I look like I'm dead?' said I."

" 'I saw your body, but I guess it's not you,' said John. He then pulled me into a tight hug."

" 'What body?' asked I."

" 'That!' said the Professor, and he pointed to a dead body that is similar in height and width to mine, and wearing the exact clothes—even the hat was the same—that I was wearing. I shuddered, and when I saw it, I didn't blame anyone for thinking that I was dead. And his face was so crushed, and so unrecognizable, that you can't identify him by just looking at him."

" 'Boy. That guy sure looks like you!' the Professor said."

" 'Yeah,' I replied. I then searched his pockets, and got an ID. It turns out that his face was very different from mine, from the nose, to the eyes, to the eyebrows, to the mouth. His name was Jethro Pullings, and he works on the building that just collapsed."

" 'Well, I'm glad you're O.K. The kids, especially the boys, will be very happy. They all think you're dead! In fact, they all thought that that body was really yours! All of them cried. Boomer, Bubbles and even Buttercup fainted,' the Professor said."

" ' So where are the kids?' I asked."

" 'They went home,' the Professor said. 'They were too upset, so I sent them home while I decided to take care of your body. It's a good thing that I stayed behind, or I might have never discovered you under that rubble.' the Professor said."

" 'They're okay? So how did the fight against Alpha go? Tell me everything!' I demanded."

" 'The kids were enraged upon seeing what they thought was your death,' the Professor began. 'They fought bitterly, but it was futile, as Alpha was too strong. I freed Blossom from her cuffs—' "

" 'Wait a minute! Where did you free her? In Citiesville? I thought we can't remove the cuffs until we arrive in the lab at my home,' I asked."

" 'Blossom said that the keys are still in Ckracknow's pocket,' the Professor said. 'So I took it and used it to remove her cuffs and anti-gravity belt.' "

"So where are those cuffs now?" asked Brick, interrupting his father's story telling.

"I asked for it. I reckoned you'd find it useful," Dr. Edwards said. He then took something from his pocket. It was the duranium cuffs with the keys. "And he obliged. Want it?"

"Of course! We'll find it very useful!" Brick said with an evil look on his face. "On villains, and on the girls! Won't they be surprised? Blossom will be freaked out!"

"Okay, but don't play with it too much," the Doctor said, and gave both cuffs to Brick. "Where was I? Oh yes. 'After Blossom was freed, she then proceeded to convince the others to use Ckracknow's device,' the Professor said. 'They succeeded, but Alpha, we all found out, could absorb energy and absorbed all their energies! It was a very bleak moment' the Professor said. 'But he self-destructed—' "

" 'Self-destructed? Why the hell did that happen?' I asked."

" 'I don't know,' the Professor replied. 'All I know is that he self-destructed, and we won as a result.' "

" 'We won? Yes! Yahoo!' I shouted with joy."

"The kids then searched for your body, and seeing Pullings' body, went home. I instructed them and the boys to go to my house. Then we cleared the rest of the rubble, and found you. But tell me William, how the hell were you able to survive a laser through your chest and being hit and buried by concrete? It still baffles my mind how you could survive such a thing!' asked the Professor."

" 'Oh it must be my clothes,' I said. 'You see, this coat of mine, the suit, the pants, the hat, in fact, everything I'm wearing right now is made up of Hardetal, the same armor that my sons and your daughters wore in the past battles. It must have protected me from the falling rubble. As for the laser in the chest—' I then looked at my chest and noticed a hole in my coat, my vest, my tie pin, my necktie, and my shirt. Luckily, I was wearing a locket next to my skin that I just made before, and it's made of Hardetal."

" 'What's that?' asked the Professor who saw a twisted metal hanging by my neck."

" 'Oh it's my lucky charm,' said I. 'It's suppose to be indestructible, since it's made up of hardetal. It's not, as it the perfect flat cylindrical shape was twisted out of shape.' I then removed it, and noticed that the part of my chest touching it was severely burned."

" 'You're one lucky son-of-a-gun, you bastard!' the Professor happily exclaimed."

" 'I guess luck still favors us, you know. I must have done something good,' said I."

" 'Well you did. You raised three wonderful boys, and guided them from being evil to being good boys,' said the Professor."

"The Professor's wrong!" shouted Butch, interrupting the narrative. "We're not good boys! We're loyal, we're tough, we're smart, but good—nah, we're not!"

"As I was saying, the Professor exclaimed, 'this is good news. Let's go home so the kids will know about it and would stop their moping!' "

" 'No. I want you to go home right now and pretend that you think I'm still dead. Don't tell them until tomorrow morning. That way, I can give the ultimate Christmas present to my boys—their father being alive—and you the ultimate present to your girls—the news of me being alive. I'll go home and surprise them when they arrive. I can't wait to see their faces!' I said with glee."

"Dad! Why did you? You shouldn't have waited, but I'm glad you're okay!" Brick said.

"Well, I can still pull off a surprise or two, you know! Well, let's relax. There's no great evil threatening Townsville, Citiesville, or any other city or place for that matter, and I'm alive," Dr. Edwards said.

Meanwhile…

"Professor, Professor, wake-up!" Bubbles said, shaking the sleeping Professor.

The Professor woke-up, rubbed his eyes, stretched, and looked at his watch. He then saw Bubbles and Buttercup hovering over. "Girls, it's half past five! It's still dark!"

"Yeah, but it's Christmas morning, and you still have to tell us what the surprise is," Bubbles said excitedly, though her enthusiasm was severely tempered by the fact that she still thinks Dr. Edwards was dead and she was still thinking about how sad a Christmas the boys must be having.

Buttercup herself had a heavy heart. "Professor, you said you have a very pleasant surprise! I can't wait for it! You gotta tell us!"

"Okay, okay, I'm telling. But first, where is Blossom? Get her so all three of you are here when I tell the good news."

The two girls, still in their nightgowns, hurriedly went and got Blossom, still sleeping. The Professor then dressed and went to the living room, where he waited for the girls.

They arrived, still in their nightgowns. Blossom had a sad look on her face. "What is it, Professor?" she asked in a dead tone.

"Hm, get dressed first," the Professor said.

"Yes Professor," Buttercup, with a frown on her face, said.

A minute later, they came down wearing their usual green, blue, and pink dresses.

"So, what's the good news?" asked Buttercup.

"Well, I am proud to inform you that Dr. Edwards is alive, and is now with his sons enjoying the holidays," he announced.

The girls were shocked, and there was silence for a minute as they tried to digest the information.

"He's alive? Yipee! Yes! He's alive! He's alive. And the boys are happy! It is a happy holiday after all!" shouted Bubbles with glee. "Yes! Yahoo!"

"But the body, we saw—" Buttercup began.

"It was not Dr. Edwards. It was somebody with the same height and wore the same clothes as him. Notice the crushed head hid his face? In actuality, the person who died and whom we mistook for the Doctor was Jethro Pullings."

"But how could he survive those rubble? And where did you find him?" asked Blossom.

"His attire, including his hat, was made of Hardetal."

"How about the laser that hit his chest?" asked Buttercup.

"His clothes, and a circular pendant hanging from his neck stopped it. I found him at the bottom of the pile of rubble."

"So he's alive?" asked Blossom.

"As alive as you and me," the Professor replied.

Buttercup and Blossom looked at each other, and shouted.

"Yes! He's alive!" Blossom shouted.

"I'm glad he ain't dead!" Buttercup added, jumping around.

"I was wrong. This isn't a sad Christmas after all!" Blossom added.

They were shouting and screaming in joy.

"Hey I know," said Bubbles. "Let's go to their home and congratulate them! I mean it's so unbelievable!"

"I'm afraid you can't do that. You see, William and the boys went on vacation," said the Professor.

"Aw. Do you know where he went?" asked Blossom.

"No I don't. But you still haven't opened your presents!" the Professor said.

"Presents!" the three girls shouted, and they rushed to open their gifts.

Blossom received a red dress, a microscope, a science book, a red ribbon, a calculator, and some dolls. Buttercup received a pair of hardetal cuffs, a green dress, boxing gloves, a violent Schwarzenegger movie, and a tape-recorder. Bubbles received a frilly light blue dress, three boxes of crayon, pencils, five coloring books, three stuffed animals, and and some dolls.

At that moment, the door bell rang. "I'll get it," the Professor said.

It was a young man, a delivery guy. "John Utonium?"

"Yes. It's me."

"Well, I have a delivery for you. Sign here."

"But I didn't order anything."

"Well, it's from somebody else. From one William K. Edwards."

"Oh yes. Bring it inside."

The delivery guy put a large box, as tall as the Professor's shoulder, and signed the form.

'I wonder what he gave me?' wondered the Professor. 'Oh well, only one way to find out!"

He opened the box, and to his extreme surprise, he saw a set of golf clubs, and not just any set of golf clubs, but the Pro Excellence 2000 golf clubs. He then saw a note written nearby. It read:

Heard you and Blossom got into a bit of trouble because of these golf clubs. Don't worry, I have my own set. See you at summer, where I'll crush you with my golfing prowess.

Merry Christmas,

William Edwards

Later…

The girls were in their room, busy minding their new toys. Bubbles and Blossom were trying out their new dresses, while Buttercup is playing with her tape recorder. They engaged in small talk till they talked about the boys.

"Blossom, do you think we'll be friends and allies of the boys?" asked Bubbles as she looked at herself in the mirror admiring her new clothes.

"Yes, we will," Blossom said as she put on her new dress. "I now regret those words I said to Brick, you know, blaming him for his father's death. I wasn't clearly thinking, and it was very foolish of me to break the alliance because of it. But since Dr. Edwards is alive, I'm going to apologize to him, and hopefully, they can forgive me."

"At least you learned your lesson," said Buttercup. "Hey, I got it on tape. Want to hear yourself talk?"

"Nevermind," Blossom said. "However, it does offer possibilities."

"What do you mean?" asked Bubbles.

"You see, since the alliance is gone, so is Brick's leadership of it. If we are to re form the Ruff-Puff Alliance, then the leadership would be wide open, and I'm going to grab the chance!"

Later, late in the afternoon…

Blossom had just finished spell checking the document she was typing. She then read it one last time:

Dear Brick,

I am very sorry for blaming you for your father's death, and calling you an incompetent leader. I was angry, and distraught, and not thinking clearly. I'm very sorry. No one but Mr. Ckracknow and Alpha was to blame for what happened. And you are a very good leader. Not as good as me, but good nonetheless.

And I expect you too to apologize for blaming me for your father's death.

I heard that Dr. Edwards is alive. That is joyous news. I am very happy for you and your father. May you have a Merry Christmas.

Also, there is the business of the alliance. I think we both agree that dissolving the alliance was a very bad idea, especially since the reasons for doing so were so ludicrous. So I propose we reform it, so we can best optimize our talents in protecting Townsville.

However, since the alliance was dissolved, you are no longer the leader. Hence, we must make new arrangements for selecting the new leader. With this in mind, I suggest we reform the alliance with me as leader because we all know I am the best leader there is among all of us six. This fact is indisputable.

BTW, the clause regarding me being the leader upon the reformation of the alliance is non-negotiable.

Blossom

Blossom smiled after reading it. She then copied it to her email, typed Brick's email address, and pressed send. She smiled and congratulated herself as she began forming plans in her mind to make sure she would be the leader over Brick.

However, Blossom had no idea that Maple's Farm had no internet connection and Brick wouldn't be able to read it until he came back with his brothers on January 2.

But it would set off the third struggle for leadership since the formation of the Ruff Puff Alliance.