Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z:
Suteki da ne?
Hyper Blossom, disoriented and sporting a grumbling belly, stumbled into the Tokyo City Research Center, groaning and holding her singed arm. She was greeted by Peach's excited barking, and Ken with a first aid kit. Taking a deep breath, Blossom allowed herself to transform back to Momoko and collapsed on the couch she and her friends had once shared. After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly burst into tears.
"Ow! It hurts so bad!" she cried. Ken and Peach traded a glance and laughed sheepishly.
"It's okay Momoko-san, I'll take care of it, hold still," Ken reassured her, popping open the first aid kit and going to work treating Momoko's injuries. The heroine sniffled and sighed, her tears dried up near instantly.
She smiled appreciatively at Ken, and scratched Peach's ears when he hopped into her lap, "I'll be okay, Ken-kun, I just needed to get that out of my system," she explained with a laugh. Peach barked excitedly, his little tail flying back and forth.
"Momoko-san! That was incredible, wan! You did a great job, wan!" he barked. Momoko giggled and nodded, sighing with mixed relief and disappointment.
"Yeah...by myself," she muttered. All three looked up when the door slid open. Momoko nearly threw Ken across the room, jumping to her feet when Miyako bashfully shuffled through the door.
"Miyako-chan..." Momoko mumbled. Miyako blushed and shifted her weight back and forth, unsure how to proceed. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"Hi, Momoko-san. I, um...I saw you on the news. You were fantastic!" Miyako exclaimed. She swallowed nervously and looked down at her feet. Momoko shifted passed Peach and Ken, cocking her head.
"You were watching?" she asked. Miyako nodded, "Oh, wow, um...you really think I did alright?" Momoko asked again, blushing. Miyako giggled and nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes! Momoko-san, you were amazing! And the way you handled the crowd was incredible! I'm not sure I'd have known what to say...after...what happened," Miyako trailed off. Momoko sighed and crossed the distance between them, placing her hands on Miyako's shoulders. That gave Miyako a clear look at the long burn mark trailing along Momoko's arm. She sighed again, gently touching her friend's arm. Momoko winced, but didn't pull away.
"Miyako-chan, it's alright. I...I was hurt at first, but, it's alright! I mean, you and Kaoru-chan have lives, and it was rude of me to just expect you to abandon your real friends," Momoko gasped, biting her lip when that last bit slipped out. Miyako looked up, her eyes wide.
"Wh-What?" she whispered. Momoko swallowed and looked down, digging her toes into the ground.
"...It's true, isn't it? Mitsuru-senpai, Ayane-san...they're your real friends, right?" Momoko asked. Miyako opened and closed her mouth, only managing to make a small moan after a few minutes. She finally closed her mouth and took a deep breath. She couldn't look Momoko in the eye.
"Momoko-san, I...I hope you don't...you don't really mean that, right?" Miyako's voice was small, as if she was on the verge of tears. She glanced up, noticing that Momoko was crying. She was sure that, this time, it wasn't due to the pain.
"Why wouldn't I? That's how things have been! Since we defeated Kare, you and Kaoru-chan have just gone off and found these great new friends and awesome new clubs and amazing new lives without me in them! We don't even talk to each other in the hallways anymore! Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" Momoko exploded, stomping her foot and clenching her fists. She gasped and grabbed her arm, the pain flaring up. Miyako reached out to comfort her, but Momoko turned away, trembling.
"Momoko-san, I...no...it's not that. I...Momoko-san..." Miyako let her outstretched hand fall to her side. She swallowed, tears now streaming down her face. Her lips quivered; Miyako quickly turned and took a step toward the door. She paused, just long enough to say, "I'm so sorry," and then left.
Momoko ground her teeth, trying to hold it in, but in seconds she crumpled to the ground sobbing. Ken and Peach rushed to her side, but neither was sure exactly what to say.
XxXxX
"Momoko-chan! You're home so late!" Kakiko exclaimed, checking the clock as Momoko finally shuffled through the door. She kept her head low, and her arm facing away from her family, as she stumbled toward the stairs. Kuriko rushed over to her, but Momoko managed to avoid her sister crushing her burnt arm, with only minor hissing.
The young girl laughed, scratching her head, "Sorry, I must have got carried away at the lab! Utonium-hakase is working on a big project, you know!" she explained. Hachizou looked up from his book, smiling brightly.
"Momoko-chan! Did you hear? Powerpuff Girls Z has come back to Tokyo City! You were a fan of theirs, weren't you?" he inquired. Momoko nodded vigorously, relenting and returning Kuriko's hug.
"I still am! They're so cool! It was really awesome how Blossom beat that monster, right?" she bounced on her toes in excitement. Surely her family would have-
"Where were Bubbles and Buttercup!" Kuriko exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air, "That was irresponsible leaving the city in Hyper Blossom's hands! They could have beaten the monster twice as fast with all of them there!" Momoko winced, taking a few steps up the stairs.
"Um...yeah, I guess you're right..." Her chest was tightening, she could feel a lump growing in her throat. She couldn't have this conversation, not right now. Maybe tomorrow, but right now, "I'm going to bed, night!" she yelled, hurrying up the stairs. Kuriko stared blankly after her sister, then glanced back at her parents. Kakiko and Hachizou shrugged. Their eldest daughter could be strange sometimes.
XxXxX
"Impossible! She managed to win by herself! How frustrating!" Kare cursed, pacing bitterly around the cavern. His master took a deep breath, collecting the dust from the fallen monster into himself. He sighed, feeling fresh power coursing through his still tired body. It wasn't enough, but it was a start.
"Kare...you never mentioned this child, what is it?" the monster asked, closing his eyes and reliving the fight through the monster's memories. He grimaced when he felt the white light erupt inside Doudouhara. Whatever this girl was, she was powerful. More than he recalled humans being. Kare crossed his arms, lounging in the air and hissing.
"Hyper Blossom," he spat, glaring into the darkness, "One of the annoying brats in Powerpuff Girls Z," he shivered and hugged himself. He could still remember the frigid touch of the iceberg they'd used to defeat him before. "Dammit," he cursed.
His master smirked, opening his eyes and stretching his fingers. Power crackled around him like electricity. A black aura swept up from within him, creating a powerful wind within the cavern.
"Powerpuff Girls Z? This lone child won't be a threat to me," he muttered. He looked up, his eyes piercing through Kare's, "Give me more of your power. Together, with some of that I've recovered, we'll crush this annoyance,"
Kare snickered wickedly, holding out both claws and flooding his master with dark seeds, "Of course, Master...anything to rid me of those little bitches!" Kare threw his head back, laughing, while his master chuckled, taking his power and merging it with that of the black seeds. A new monster began to form. With a shout, the monster hurled it to the surface.
"When it forms...Dokioushi will obliterate this nuisance. You could have spared yourself such humiliation and pain, Powerpuff Girls Z, had you not got in my way. Now, however, you will understand how truly merciless I can be. Now you will know my wrath, when you gaze upon, and face, my Dokioushi," The master chuckled, his eyes glowing, peering through the eyes of the still growing monster.
XxXxX
Momoko hissed and rubbed her arm, stumbling out of her homeroom. The day had been dreadfully long. Worse, the painkillers that the Professor had prescribed for her were only good for a few hours, and she hadn't thought to bring more. By lunch, her arm was in constant, throbbing pain. Still, there was something about the pain that made her proud. It was a reminder that, though it hadn't been easy, she'd managed to overcome the first of Kare's new monsters. Momoko couldn't help smiling.
"Momoko!" a voice behind her called. Momoko looked up, barely avoiding the soccer team rushing by her. Kaoru winked at her and gave her a light pat on the back. She leaned closer as she passed, causing Momoko to blush bashfully.
"Saw you on the news last night, great work, Hero Maniac. I'm proud of you," she whispered, throwing a victory sign before hurrying out the door. Momoko, in spite of herself, giggled and waved in return. So Kaoru had seen her too? Momoko hummed. Part of her wished Kaoru had stopped by the lab last night as well. At the same time, though, given what had happened between Miyako and her, she was afraid how it may have escalated if Kaoru came too.
"Or maybe you really don't care," Momoko muttered.
"Momoko-san!" another voice called. Momoko went stiff. She slowly looked over her should, swallowing nervously when Miyako walked over. Miyako bit her lip and took several deep breaths, "Hi, Momoko-san, are you well today?" she asked, smiling.
Momoko nodded, "Uh huh, I think so. Um, my arm is," Momoko winced and touched her arm, "My arm actually hurts really bad," she said with a small whimper.
"Let me help! Here,"
"Miyako-chan, you don't have to," Momoko responded, not putting up a fight as Miyako pulled her to a bench near the lockers. She removed her old bandages, cleaned her burn, and redressed her wound, with an intense, careful look the entire time. Miyako looked over her handiwork then smiled.
"There, perfect. Does it feel better?" she asked eagerly. Momoko nodded honestly and smiled.
"It does! Thanks, Miyako-chan, I really appreciate it," she swallowed and took a deep breath, "Miyako-chan, about last night, I just wanted to-" Momoko was cut off abruptly by Ayane coming around the corner.
"Miyako-chan! There you are! Mitsuru-senpai was asking for you! You know Wednesday is a meeting day, let's go!" she scolded. Miyako blushed and looked over at Momoko. The young heroine just sighed and nodded with a sad smile. Miyako apologized under her breath and hurried after Ayane, though not before wishing Momoko a good afternoon.
"Miyako-chan...I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just tired of being alone, it's not your fault, it's mine for being weird. I'm sorry for taking it out on you, we're still friends, right? Oh, good! I was so worried. It was great talking to you! We should try to pin Kaoru down and all hang out some time!" Momoko finished the rest of the conversation by herself, walking toward the exit.
She got to the bottom of the steps before her compact started to flash.
"Utonium-hakase?" she asked. The Professor looked grim.
"Momoko-chan...there's another monster. You...I don't think you should face it alone," he advised, "I'll keep pinging for Miyako-chan and Kaoru-chan, do you know where they are?"
Momoko glanced back, first toward the hall to the student council room, then to the soccer field. With a determined glare, she shook her head and turned back to the Professor.
"It's alright, I can handle it. Just tell me where it is," she insisted. The Professor looked hesitant. When Momoko's expression didn't change, he sighed and relented, uploading the monster's location.
"Be careful, Momoko-chan,"
"Don't worry, I will," Looking around to make sure she was alone, Momoko thrust her hand out, summoning her transformation ring.
"Hyper Blossom!"
XxXxX
By the time Blossom arrived on the scene, the streets were in tatters and people were running for their lives. She gasped, looking around in horror at the sheer amount of destruction the monster had caused in almost no time at all. Shop windows were shattered, glass and broken products strewn across the street. Some food carts had been thrown, others had been crumpled into twisted shapes. Worst of all, though, were the civilians who hadn't been fast enough to run. Blossom stared in cold horror at the amount of people who had already been injured.
"Oh no," she whispered. Blossom looked around for the monster, but all she could find was destruction and more injured citizens.
"Blossom...Blossom, it's horrible," one older man moaned, struggling to pull himself out from under a toppled food cart. Blossom easily shifted it away from him and checked his leg. It was broken, she realized, biting down the urge to gag.
"I'm so sorry," she moaned. He started to respond, but his mouth fell agape in horror. He pointed passed her, finger trembling.
"B-Blossom look out!" he called, shoving her with all his strength. She fell backward, just narrowly avoiding a car door hurled directly at her. The old man, thankfully, managed to duck just before it would have torn his head clean off his shoulders. Blossom climbed to her feet, shaking with terror.
The monster had to be eight feet tall, with shoulders as wide as a car. It walked on its hind legs, on hoofed feet, with fur covering its otherwise naked lower body. Its tail whipped back and forth, cracking like a whip against the ground. Its massive upper body seemed like it was covered in some kind of scales or armor, like jagged rocks, larger spikes lining its powerful arms. Its hands reached to the ground, knuckles dragging along the pavement. Two curved horns rose up out of its head. Its face was like a frog, toothless, with big flat lips. Its eyes were small, but seemed to always be bulging out, veins popping along them.
"Hyper Blossom," it called in a low, gravely voice. The monster, Dokioushi, kicked at the ground, like a bull ready to charge, "HYPER! BLOSSOM!" It roared, with such force it nearly knocked her over. Blossom couldn't stop shaking, she couldn't help stumbling back in horror.
The monsters eyes turned red.
It began to charge.