Villain: Redux
by Yay Ninja Bob
Author's Note:
I always said I'd rewrite Villain someday, so here it is. It's been about 12 years since I wrote the original, and about 8 years since I completed VillainE. It's so humbling to still get occassional reviews/faves/alerts on these fics to this day, so I wanted to try to do this story better justice with a rewrite. I was 19 when I wrote the original. Now that I'm older, let's hope I've grown a little as a writer. WE SHALL SEE.
Expect major changes. This isn't just an edited version of Villain. It is a complete and total rewrite. I don't want to have any spoilers here for new readers of Villain, but to any old readers, I repeat: EXPECT MAJOR CHANGES.
The spoiler-free changes I can mention:
1. No longer Buttercup's POV but Third Person
2. Timeline is expanded and changed. It is a longer road to villainy this time. The original kinda jumps right into it, but I'm setting a slower pace before we start to build real momentum. I worry some of you might be like "Um... where's the psycho killer Buttercup I came for?" I promise you, she'll be here.
3. Backstories/bigger roles for previously minor characters including: Princess, Ace, Arturo, Professor Utonium, Sedusa, and yes, we will see Blossom and Bubbles' perspectives and know their stories. Our main story/focus is still Buttercup and eventually Buttercup and Mojo.
4. Since I've retired my other unfinished PpG fics, I've decided to try and weave some of their intended plots into this fic. There's just a couple things that I found worked so well with Villain, and I figure since I intend this rewrite to be my final work in my fanfic writing "career," then I might as well just go all out here. I'll be including some of my personal Gangreen Gang stuff, as well as a Princess plot I never got around to writing that I am SO PUMPED to fit in here.
My goal is to update every 3-5 weeks, or roughly about once a month. I'm truly taking my time on this one, because I want to get it right. If you're interested in updates on what's coming, my writing music playlists, my fic related drawings, etc... I made a new tumblr just to share all that weird trash I tend to create as a byproduct of my writing madness: yayninjabob dot tumblr dot com.
Rated T for violence, coarse language, mild gore/horror, underage marijuana use, mild suggestive adult themes, and villainy.
Lastly, reviews and feedback are always very appreciated, and I thank you mucho in advance. I hope you all enjoy this new version of my precious pride and joy, Villain.
Much Love,
Bobby
Villain: Redux
Part I: Remote Control
Chapter 1
The city of Townsville- once a relatively unknown destination on the west coast of the United States, it had become a thriving and growing metropolis over the last several years. Of course, this was all thanks to Townsville's trio of faithful protectors: The Powerpuff Girls.
Not long ago, Townsville was called home by only the most desperate of folk. Real estate was cheap since the area seemed cursed with bad luck. In fact, Townsville was widely considered uninhabitable for the majority of its history. Urban legends told by town locals blamed the greed of Townsville's first settlers who came with the Gold Rush of 1849. Like all mining communities of its time, the settlement was built only after killing off the lands' native humans. They say the amount of blood spilled during those times plagued the community with misfortune for years to come. Even if the rumors of cursed, blood-stained lands weren't enough to scare away prospective citizens, Monster Isle sat just forty miles offshore from the city's coastline, making their beaches less than welcoming. The island was home to the lands' native monsters- mostly creatures that had gone instinct long ago in other places in the world. The monsters of Monster Isle rarely ventured off the island and into Townsville, but these prehistoric beasts favorite snack if they happened to find it was human flesh, so Townsville definitely had good reason to fear their monstrous neighbors.
For over a century, Townsville was known to most of mankind as a death trap. Even in the modern era, the city struggled to rise above the constant attacks of violence and criminality that the area attracted for whatever reason. It had been accepted that was just how things were for Townsville, and its citizens were either crazy or poor for living there. No one could predict that three five-year-old little girls would hold the power to at last change the city's luck for the better.
Three sisters, born from a fool's hope, unexplored science and an unimaginable accident. That story of their creation became legend in Townsville. The simple version is this: Professor Utonium, a young scientist and resident of Townsville sought to find a cure to the city's seemingly never ending curse. Determined to change the world for the better, and inspired by a child's pure innocent heart, he concocted a formula which sought to create the perfect little girl. He believed that if everything went according to plan, he could create a child whose heart would hold the most intense purity that held the power to inspire and change humanity for the good. However, while he mixed the ingredients to his formula, he accidentally added an unintentional ingredient- Chemical X. The result was an explosion, and when he awoke there was not one child, but three. Their names would be Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, given to them by the Professor himself. Outwardly they appeared to be just three average little girls, but they had miraculous powers, untouchable strength, and could fly. Whether one considered them a revelation in science or miracle, every citizen of Townsville agreed that these three super powered cherubs were the saviors and protectors they so desperately needed. All three girls were born with a natural instinct to protect those around them, and by using their unique powers, they fought crime in Townsville, fulfilling their creator's original dream of peace for the city.
It was three years ago when Townsville declared itself an "official villain-free" city. Coincidentally, it was the day the city unveiled Townville Correctional Prison's brand new Villains Ward. Designed by Professor Utonium himself to secure the city's most dangerous deviants and criminals. Truthfully, the technological improvements on the prison's security was meant as a birthday gift to his then ten-year-old daughters. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup had been fighting crime for nearly five years. Over their young crime fighting career, they faced the same determined group of villains time and time again. The Professor feared his girls would never get to experience a decent childhood since Townsville's villains could easily escape a standard prison cell. The new Villain's Ward would fix this problem, and once it was implemented, all of Townsville's most notorious crooks were locked away for good.
Mojo Jojo was the Powerpuff Girls' best known enemy. He was also the Villains Ward's first inmate, and was treated to a solitary suite designed especially for him. While the other villains in the ward were allowed one hour outside their cells each day, Mojo was never permitted to leave his.
It took Mojo a long time to get used to his new, tiny, titanium-enforced prison cell. The mutant chimpanzee once prided himself to be a refined and noble chimp with superior taste in home decor, but he had since been reduced to a dark and dingy, metal box. The only recreation he was allowed was his paper notebooks and wooden pencils. He was also permitted one book rented to him by the prison library, which was traded out once a week. Unfortunately the library was so small, he had already read every book in the collection at least twice. His cell was indeed impossible to escape, especially when he was the one villain singled out to never be permitted from his cell under any and all circumstances. As far as they were concerned, he had everything he needed: a bed, toilet and sink. His ceiling's skylight was designed to provide him an energy efficient light source, as well as "environmental enrichment," but all it did was taunt him. The rectangular skylight rested on the ceiling, eighty feet from where he stood. He had tried to climb the sleek walls of that cell's walls countless times, but never made it more than several inches off the ground. Sometimes he would try and find peace in the scenery above, and would lie on the cold, metal floor of his cell and watch the clouds slowly pass by. However most times it just reminded him of time tortuously slipping away from him, and that was depressing. On even worse occasions, sometimes he'd notice familiar pink, blue and green streaks of light whip through the sky and that would send him into a quick, blind rage.
With no concept of time, or the world beyond his own four walls, Mojo found his mind slipping more and more by the day. He didn't know it, but it had been three years since his final imprisonment. Mojo scribbled furiously in his notebook. His grip was so strong on his wooden pencil, he'd already broken three of them since he was first struck with his latest epiphany. The four-foot chimp sat up right on his rock slab the prison called a "mattress." He took a deep breath and loosened his grip on his pencil, since it was the last one he had. He paused only for that moment, and then his lead hit parchment once more and the madness continued to flow again. That morning he filled nearly all the pages of his notebook with tiny, barely legible writing as he worked out his latest plan of escape.
"No more foolishly clawing into these cursed metal walls," he muttered to himself as he plotted. "Enough of my impulsive acts of desperation! What a fool I've been! Impetuous and reckless is not me! No, carelessness was never my style! I am the master of devious design- a brilliant schemer to be feared! I am calculating! I am cunning! I am MOJO JOJO!"
He cackled to himself as he finally sat down his pencil. He exhaled slowly and held his latest scheme before him, admiring his own genius. "Today, I have thought of a new method of escape! At last, a plan- so sure to work- so foolproof- I will finally be free again! And once I have escaped, I will finally seek vengeance on those wretched little brats! Those accursed Powerpuff-"
"Why are you always doing this exact thing every time I drop in?" a chilling voice echoed from the dark corner of his cell, causing Mojo's fur to stand rigid. The monkey quickly leapt onto his feet and faced the red demon, Him, who had materialized in his prison cell. The immortal creature was the only Townsville villain who could never be captured. Him waved his red claw in the air, "So what is this latest plan of escape, hmm?" Mojo watched as his notebook floated over to Him, who took the notebook in his claws and immediately erupted in high pitched laughter at what he read.
This instantly angered Mojo. For one, he never understood why Him wouldn't just destroy the Powerpuffs with his effortless dark magic. It frustrated him to know that it was Him who was free and not Mojo himself. Instead the demon chose to poke at and taunt a poor chimp locked away in a cage for life. But what really pissed the monkey off was that Him had the nerve to laugh at his latest plot- a plan he had just praised as his best yet. The short chimp marched fearlessly toward the demon and snatched his notebook from the taller villain's grasp. "Just what is so funny?!" he shouted at Him. "This is not meant to be comedic! It is strategic! It is my most carefully crafted plan of escape yet! It is-"
"It is exactly what you tried last year," Him continued to giggle.
Mojo stopped and blinked at the pages of his notebooks. His rage was replaced with confusion. Had he planned this before? "No..." he muttered to himself. Quickly, he made his way to his bunk and retrieved his older notebooks he kept underneath his mattress and began to flip frantically through their contents, "No," he said again more definitively. "I haven't tried this! Impossible! If I had it would be here and I checked! I was certain I didn't read it anywhere else before! I-I know I've been getting a little forgetful as of late, but... But that is why I was sure to check beforehand... I... I'm sure of it! I'm-"
"Actually," Him pondered out loud as he twisted his goatee with his claw, "I think it was exactly a year ago when you tried this!" Him could not help but laugh again at the irony.
Mojo stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to believe in that moment. Suddenly he heard the creak of his cell's delivery chute swing open as his daily lunch was being forced through the small, two-inch-wide slit. As the door of the tiny metal slot opened, Mojo could hear the prison staff also laughing at him on the other side of the metal door: "Hey, Deb! The monkey's talking to himself again!"
A female voice answered with more laughter: "Ha! Think he'll try and drown himself with the toilet again this year?"
Mojo realized then that Him was not lying. He slowly shook his head as the prison guards' laughter faded in the distance. "How... but how did it fail?" Him's echoing laughter continued as the monkey tried his best to ignore the demon's taunting and remember the events for himself. He ran to the toilet in the corner of his cell and began to narrate his plan aloud, "I-I was going to cause a flood! And that flood of water would rise! Rise until I'd risen to the top!" Mojo's eyes fell on the skylight that hung over him. "And then... then I'd be free."
Him's laughter only grew and now echoed louder within the cell. "You used last year's notebook pages to try and clog that dirty thing!"
Mojo shook his confusion away and became angry once more: "And it didn't work?!" he shouted in disbelief.
Him wiped a tear from his eye, "Ahh," he exhaled slowly, calming his laughter finally, "They shut off your water before you even managed to get a puddle on the ground."
Suddenly Mojo's mind found the memory at last. He immediately grew red with embarrassment as the memory of his failed escape came back to him. Mojo then turned his back on the demonic creature who continued to grin at his misfortune. Him was always deviously entertained by Mojo's hopeless situation. "Him?" Mojo spoke quietly with his back still turned.
"I'm listening," Him replied sounding emotionless and monotone.
Mojo took a deep breath before continuing, "Under usual circumstances, I would refuse your help. However... I am... at a loss. This is difficult for me to ask this of you, but I require your assistance. If you would aid me in an escape from here I could-"
Him interrupted him, "Tsk, tsk," he shook his head, "You tried that one before, too, monkey-boy." An evil grin swept his face as he soaked in the misery that soiled the air around him. He basked in the sweet stench of suffering for one long, final moment before disappearing again in a puff of pink mist.
Mojo stood alone in his cell, and for the first time in his life he surrendered to the feeling of ultimate defeat. The realization that he would rot in that metal box for the rest of his days finally, slowly sunk into his mind. That was the day that Mojo Jojo gave up.
Since the eradication of all villains, the city of Townsville held an annual carnival in honor of the Powerpuff Girls' birthday every year. The carnival was held in the town's Central Park and every citizen was in attendance, along with about a thousand devoted fans who traveled from all across the country to celebrate their favorite super heroines' birthday. This year the girls were turning thirteen.
"Wow!" The Professor's eyes widened as he walked through the gates of the carnival. "Would you look at this year's turnout! This is incredible!" he beamed at the large crowd of energetic fans. As soon as they walked in, the sea of people immediately shifted in their direction and erupted in cheers and applause. Of course, that excitement wasn't for the Professor, but for his three daughters who stood beside him.
Blossom stood tallest and on his right, and wore a bright smile as she took in her surroundings. It was hard not to miss her, just thirteen and already she was five foot nine, and stood at equal height of her father. The redhead normally allowed her fire-red curls to run free and wild, falling past her hips, but today she wore her hair in a tight ponytail. She fixed her hairstyle with her signature red bow which she knew the fans were eager to see, along with the rest of their superhero uniform, of course: a simple, sleeveless pink dress with a single black stripe, white leggings and black mary-jane slippers.
Bubbles hovered beside the Professor to his left, and was visibly bouncy with excitement. Her wavy blonde hair was in her classic pigtails, and she never planned to change that style. She was the shortest of her siblings, but average for a teen her age. Her bright blue eyes ignored the crowd before her and only saw the giant stuffed animals and brightly colored prizes at the carnival's game tent. "Oh my gosh they have giant Bunny-Bunny's at the prize tent!" she clapped with joy.
Buttercup then trailed in from behind, muttering something to herself about not having to wear a dress in a year before she took her place next to Bubbles on the far left. The Professor smiled kindly at his tomboy daughter, "You look beautiful, sweetie."
Buttercup crossed her arms and ignored the compliment. She despised having to wear the girlish uniform, but was always out-voted by her sisters when deciding the details for these publicity events. She was thankful she no longer had to wear the feminine outfit daily, but she always forgot just how much she hated those white leggings until the moment to wear them came again. The raven haired hero, like Blossom, was tall for her age, but just an inch shorter than Blossom. Her hair was jet black and cropped short and jagged at her chin. Her green eyes fell on the crowd before them. "Jeez, we're gonna be here all day," she began to groan, thinking of all the strangers she would have to endure for the day.
"Then we better get started," Blossom smiled before she zipped over to the "Meet and Greet" booth they held every year.
Bubbles and Buttercup joined their sister at the table which sat on top of a stage that overlooked the entire carnival. From there they could see the line leading up to their booth stretch around the entire perimeter of the fairgrounds. Bubbles and Buttercup took their chairs on either side of their team leader. The three heroines would be in those seats for the next six hours signing autographs and posing for photos. It was originally Blossom's idea to begin every carnival visit with an autograph booth so that every admirer was granted the chance to meet their favorite heroes. She believed that they owed it to their fans. Of course who would they be without them? As much as her sister Buttercup complained about it, it was truly the best solution Blossom could find. At their first birthday carnival, the three girls were unable to do anything without getting bombarded by their fans at every turn. At least by holding the booth, they could have the evening to enjoy by themselves, free of any hassle.
Professor Utonium figured while his girls were preoccupied by their fans, it was the perfect time to enjoy his favorite part of the fair- the food. Of course, he first planned to bring plenty of treats back for his girls to snack on while they sat at their booth. He would get Blossom her favorite caramel apple and salted pretzel bites. She always looked forward to the fresh-squeezed lemonade every year, too. Bubbles' sweet tooth always craved a banana split funnel cake with extra sprinkles and a lemonade for her, as well. Lastly, he would have to find Buttercup her hot cheeto and steak burrito and a coke. It took the scrawny scientist three separate trips to carry everything on his own. Each trip took him about forty minutes each way, as he fought against the traffic of the people surrounding the carnival main stage. But once his birthday girls had their favorite fair foods delivered, the Professor was finally free to seek out his own guilty pleasure- a warm, fresh churro.
The cinnamon showered delicacy made his mouth water. He held the pastry to his nose like a fine cigar, savoring its beautiful cinnamon aroma. As he took his first bite, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. "Something told me I'd find you over here!" a short woman with dark brown hair smiled up at him.
"Ms. Keane!" The Professor greeted her with a quick, one-armed hug, still holding onto his churro with his free hand. Ms. Maggie Keane was once his daughters' kindergarten teacher, but more importantly she was like a godmother to the girls. Even long after they had left her classroom, Ms. Keane always remained a part of their lives. After all, the Professor had his hands full as a single father of three super-powered children. He couldn't ask for a better friend in life to help raise his three girls.
The Professor waited for Ms. Keane to pay the vendor for her own churro treat. The two found a place to sit on an open bench that sat outside the fair's Haunted House attraction. "So how has your summer been so far, Ms. Keane?" the Professor chatted with his mouth full of his sugary pastry.
Ms. Keane politely waited to answer as she finished her own bite, "Uneventful," she shrugged. "Honestly, I can't wait for the school year to start again. How about you and the girls? How are things?"
"Oh you know," he paused to swallow, "Same for us, too, pretty much. Another nice, quiet summer. I tell you, I do not miss the old days!"
"Here, here!" Ms. Keane smiled with him, and the two tapped their churros together in unison. "It's nice to hear they're getting to enjoy their school break."
Professor Utonium nodded as he chewed, "They are," he declared with a proud smile. "By the way, did they show you their cute little movie project?"
Ms. Keane started to laugh, remembering the young girls' homemade movie she had gotten in her e-mail inbox the week prior. "Yes! It was darling! Bubbles e-mailed it to me; she said she shot and edited everything herself. She's become so talented, Professor!"
"It was their best friend, Robin's script. Blossom directed," the Professor added between his last few bites of food.
"She directed and starred?" Ms. Keane laughed. "Well, she has always been very well-rounded."
The Professor nodded. "They worked on it every day for a month straight. At one point, I had to ask Robin if she'd been back home at all. It seemed like she'd moved in without me realizing it for a couple weeks there!" he chuckled.
After a brief pause, Ms. Keane asked: "What about Buttercup?" She immediately saw the smile the Professor was wearing change into a serious frown. "Still up in her room lately, huh?" She was already familiar with Utonium's concerns.
He sighed a little, "I just don't understand what's gotten into her lately. I mean, she's always been prone to her moods here and there, but lately, it's different. Take their movie project for example," he began. "When they first started, she seemed like she was on board to be a part of everything. Then when they got to filming, I notice she isn't there anymore, and I find her locked in her room, glued to her video games."
"Did something happen while making the movie maybe? Did you ask her?"
"Yes. I asked her, and her sisters. They all said nothing happened. She just decided she didn't want to do it anymore."
"Well, maybe it just wasn't her style. You know Bubbles and Blossom are girly girls, and Buttercup has always been a tomboy. Their film was a romantic fairy tale, after all."
"I don't know. I just wish she did more than just watch TV and play video games. She just seems so unmotivated, and I'm worried about her."
Ms. Keane smiled reassuringly. "Thirteen is a hard age, Professor."
He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I suppose."
Ms. Keane thought for a moment, "You know," she began as something crossed her mind, "There is one thing I've been meaning to discuss with you. When the idea came to me, initially I was thinking of Blossom's benefit, but now I'm thinking this could be a solution for Buttercup, as well..."
"Please, I'm all ears for any advice." Professor Utonium sat up straight, and gave Ms. Keane his full focus.
"Well," Ms. Keane began, "I know the girls are set to start the eighth grade this fall, but what do you think about them skipping a grade?"
"You mean start high school early?"
"Well, yes. They've always been advanced for their age. I know your concern has always been giving them as normal a life as possible, but they would still have normalcy in high school. Blossom is definitely ready for it, and maybe what Buttercup is feeling is unchallenged, and it could help her, too. I really wouldn't be surprised if it did."
The Professor thought about this for a moment. He scratched his chin. "A new setting might help, too," he thought out loud to himself.
"Exactly!" Ms. Keane agreed.
"To tell you the truth, I have thought about advanced placement for Blossom. Especially when she took an IQ test on her own at eleven and scored a 129." He chuckled to himself. "Kind of embarrassing that my preteen already has me beat!"
Ms. Keane's bright blue eyes widened. "Professor, are you serious?!" she exclaimed, "I mean, I'm surprised, but somehow not surprised... she's always been a bright kid! But, Professor, you really should be thinking about college for Blossom if she's scoring a genius IQ!"
Now it was the Professor's turn to look shocked. "College? She just turned thirteen today!"
"There are plenty of gifted children who attend college," Ms. Keane retrieved her cellphone from her pants pocket. She quickly retrieved an article for the Professor, "See," she handed him the device.
Professor read the article's headline: Cornell University's 12-year-old Freshman. He handed the phone back to Ms. Keane. "OK, I see your point." He sighed again. "I just want my girls to have a normal life-"
"Professor," Ms. Keane interrupted, "You know they've always been special. You can't hold them back just because you fear for them." She placed her hands on her hips. "Plus, you know they've faced a lot worse than challenging schoolwork. They're thirteen now. Young women, not little girls anymore."
Professor Utonium slowly nodded. "OK, I'll consider it." His eyes fell on the main stage in the distance and he noticed the line of fans had died down considerably. There were maybe just a dozen more left in the line. "Looks like the girls are finishing up soon. I better head back now," he said as he stood. "Are you still joining us at the house tonight for cake?"
"Yes, of course. See you later!"
As Professor Utonium reached the stage, the final visitor to the Powerpuff Girls' booth was leaving. As soon as the young fan finished wishing the girls a happy birthday and taking a selfie with them, the Professor joined his girls on the stage.
"Keys, keys, keys!" Buttercup rushed her father for the keys to their family station wagon. Her eyes were on a young girl with light brown hair who neared the stage. The closer Robin got, the more she panicked. The Professor patted his pockets, trying to locate his car keys. "Ugh! Forget it!" the teenager groaned in frustration, "I'm breaking the window!" she announced before she disappeared with a flash of green light just as Professor finally found his keys, but she was already gone.
Quickly, Blossom appeared and snatched the keys from his hands, "Don't worry, Professor, I'll make sure she doesn't!" and with that she, too, disappeared with a flash of pink light.
Bubbles giggled to herself as she watched her sisters rush off before Robin came to the stage. The thirteen-year-old brunette with teal blue eyes, Robin, was the girls longest and closest friend. She had been their next door neighbor since they were five years old. Bubbles was the only one who knew both her sisters' secret which was that both Blossom and Buttercup had developed a painful crush on their friend, Robin, over this past summer.
Robin ran up to her blonde-haired friend and gave her a tight, enthusiastic embrace, "Happy Birthday, Bubbles!" she grinned big.
"Thanks!" Bubbles also smiled and hugged her equally tight.
"Hey where did Buttercup and Blossom go?"
Bubbles shrugged, "They'll be back. Buttercup just wanted to change clothes real quick, and Blossom went to make sure she didn't break anything."
"Oh, OK."
Bubbles gasped with a sudden realization: "Wanna try and win me a giant Bunny-Bunny plush for my birthday?!" she eagerly asked her friend.
"Um, OK!" Robin laughed a little, "I'll try!"
Bubbles danced with joy. "Yay!" the blue Powerpuff grabbed her best friend by the hand and carried her to the game tent in a flash of bright baby blue light.
Buttercup reached the family's white station wagon, but before she could attempt getting inside through her own means, she heard the doors automatically unlock with a sharp click. She glanced behind her and saw her sister Blossom smiling at her with the keys' remote opener in her hand. Buttercup rolled her eyes at Blossom before opening the car's rear door and climbing into the backseat. Blossom followed after her, opening the passenger door for herself and sat in the passenger seat.
Buttercup retrieved her backpack from the floor of the backseat and started to remove her dress shoes and leggings first.
As Buttercup slid into a pair of blue jeans, Blossom used the car's rear view mirror to check her reflection. She carefully removed her hair bow, and shook out her ponytail, letting her curls fall loose once more. "You know," she started to say to her sister, "Robin's seen you in a dress plenty of times before now. It's not like her seeing you in one today would kill you or anything."
Buttercup was tying her black sneaker's shoelaces when she heard this. She stopped and looked at her sister who was still playing with her hair. "It's not for her, it's for me," she corrected her. She watched as Blossom retrieved a small tube of pink lip gloss that she had tucked away under her bra strap. She watched her sister carefully apply the shimmery pink gloss to her lips. Buttercup leaned forward, towards the passenger seat where Blossom sat and teased in her ear: "Tell me, Bloss. Whose the lip gloss for?"
Blossom's face flushed a bright red, but she said nothing.
Buttercup smirked, knowing she made her point. She finished tying her last shoelace. She then started to pull her green dress off over her head, "I can't stand this stupid costume," her voice was muffled as she fought to free herself from the fabric.
"It's our uniform, Buttercup," Blossom disagreed. "We're the Powerpuff Girls, after all."
"Oh, come on, Blossom, do you honestly still believe that?" Buttercup couldn't help but chuckle at her sister. She sat in the backseat now with just her sports bra and blue jeans and sneakers. She fished around her backpack for her t-shirt as she continued, "We haven't been the Powerpuff Girls since we locked up all the villains in the town."
Blossom sighed heavily. "Protecting the citizens has always been more than just beating up bad guys, Buttercup. Did you forget who put out last summer's Townsville Hills fire?"
"Yeah, YOU." Buttercup found her favorite punk band t-shirt of the Clash and pulled it on quickly.
"No." Blossom tried again. She turned in her seat to face her sister. "It was all of us- The Powerpuff Girls."
"No, it was YOU," Buttercup continued to fight as she pointed at the redhead, "Blossom, the big star who put the fire out with her dumb, stupid, special ice breath..." she waved her arms in the air, singing "special" like an insult. "All me and Bubbles got to do was get the evacuees to the stadium."
Blossom massaged her temple, pausing to calm herself before she continued. The two had this same exact fight countless times before then. Buttercup resented the fact that she didn't get to share in glory of putting out the flames of the hundred acre fire. In Buttercup's mind, it was the first action they had gotten in years, and she didn't even get a piece of it for herself. Blossom, however, believed that her sister's thinking was irrational. In Blossom's mind, of course the hero with the special ability of ice breath would be the one to put out a fire. It wasn't her fault that her green-eyed sister had never discovered her own special ability. "Look," Blossom began again with a softer tone, "It's our birthday," she pleaded. "I don't want to fight today, do you?"
"...No," Buttercup reluctantly answered.
"OK, so then let's just stop."
Buttercup was dressed. She forcefully shoved her uniform into her backpack and said nothing more to her sister. She was still mad, so she knew if she spoke she'd only continue to fuel the fight, so she chose to keep silent. Blossom took the silence as a truce.
"You ready?" Blossom asked her sister. Buttercup simply nodded, and the two of them exited the vehicle.
The green and pink Powerpuffs didn't speak to one another as they flew back to the carnival festivities. They found Bubbles and Robin in line for the bumper cars attraction. As they approached the fair ride, Robin spotted them first. The young brunette began to wave at her friends excitedly, "Blossom! Buttercup! We're over here!" she shouted for their attention.
Buttercup and Blossom slowed to a stop at the exact same moment. "Oh God," Buttercup muttered out loud, "She's wearing the crop top..." The teenager hid her eyesight with her hands, trying her best to ignore her surfacing hormones.
Blossom's face was flushed bright red again, noticing the same detail. She smiled weakly back at her crush in the distance and gave a small, shy wave. "Oh God, you're right," she also muttered behind her forced smile.
The crop top was made from a t-shirt that Buttercup had given Robin earlier that year. Robin may have been just as feminine as Blossom and Bubbles, but she and Buttercup surprisingly shared more interests, including music. Once Buttercup started replacing her wardrobe with nothing but her favorite band t-shirts, her friend Robin started the same trend. The one artist Buttercup had introduced Robin to that she instantly obsessed over was Blondie. When Robin celebrated her thirteenth birthday that January, Buttercup's birthday gift was a white t-shirt that had the artist Blondie's image on it. She knew it was the perfect gift for her friend, but she never anticipated that gift would soon become the very object that would be responsible for her and her sisters' newfound romantic feelings.
It was the last day of school for the year, and the three sisters invited their best friend over after school to go swimming in their backyard pool. When Robin showed up, she was wearing the Blondie t-shirt with a pair of swim shorts. Only she had altered the shirt since Buttercup had given it to her. The sleeves were cut off, and the shirt was also cut significantly shorter in length. The crop top came just to the thin girl's rib cage, exposing her abdomen, and for the first time both Buttercup and Blossom noticed Robin's physique in a new way. The young girl's waist and hips formed a perfect hour-glass figure, a shape they never been aware of before then. They noticed for the first time that their friend had the same adorable freckles sprinkled across her belly that she had on her cheeks. They realized then, that their friend seemed illuminated by an angelic, perfect glow, and had a grown grace to her they never noticed before that very moment. Cupid's arrow struck both sisters in one shot that day. From the moment they first saw her in that crop top, they were both hopelessly smitten.
It had been nearly two months since that day, and both girls' crushes had only intensified. Blossom tried to maintain the same friendship with Robin, and tried her best to not let her new feelings affect what they had. Buttercup's approach had been complete and total avoidance of Robin as much as she could manage.
Blossom and Buttercup slowly made their way over to the bumper car line. Robin tried to wave them to the front of the line where she and Bubbles stood, but Blossom shook her head, "No, that's OK," she smiled weakly, and gave her best excuse. "We shouldn't cut in line."
The bumper cars sat two people to each car. Blossom wanted to avoid any awkwardness of who would ride with who, so she regrettably chose to stick with Buttercup at the end of the line. This way Bubbles would naturally ride with Robin, and she and Buttercup could ride in their own separate car. The current riders buzzed to a stop and the gates to the bumper car floor opened.
Bubbles rushed to a bright purple car, pulling Robin along with her. "I'll drive!" she squealed with joy.
Blossom sat behind the wheel of a red bumper car at the opposite end of the metal floored rink. Buttercup crossed her arms in protest, "No way. I'm driving." she demanded.
Blossom also crossed her arms from where she sat behind the metal wheel. "So you can just rampage and crash into everybody here? No way." She fastened her seat belt with a quick snap and placed her hands firmly on the steering wheel again.
"Ugh. That's the whole point of bumper cars! It's to bump the other cars! You're supposed to try and bump everyone before the times up!"
"You always take it too far, Buttercup. I'm driving, so get in." The redhead grasped the steering wheel in her hands firmly, and refused to move.
A loud buzz rang out, and the bumper cars hummed to life. Not seeing any other option, Buttercup begrudgingly plopped down in the passenger side of the bumper car with Blossom. While the other bumper cars started to zip around the arena floor, Buttercup couldn't help but notice that they hadn't moved at all. "Um, let's go, Red?"
"Seat belt," Blossom reminded Buttercup with an innocent smile.
Buttercup returned a scowl, "Are you kidding me?!" She angrily snapped the belt around her waist closed. "Drive already!"
Blossom began to carefully steer their car along the perimeter of the circular arena, tactfully avoiding any other vehicles along the way. Buttercup sat with her head in her hands, horrified by what she was sitting passenger to. Blossom couldn't help but smile to herself, happy to have the upper hand. "Lighten up, Buttercup," she laughed.
"You drive like an old lady," Buttercup shook her head in disbelief as her sister managed to avoid yet another collision.
"Well, that's your opinion," she shrugged off the insult, "Personally, I think it takes just as much skill to avoid every single car in here, as it does to hit every single car," she smiled at her sister.
Buttercup rolled her eyes at Blossom, "Whatever you say, Red." She sighed heavily and reclined in her seat.
The two were quiet for a minute before Blossom began to speak again in a somewhat serious tone of voice, "You see what this day's going to consist of too, huh?" she asked her sister without taking her focus off the bumper car floor.
"Yep," Buttercup answered with her arms crossed, also not looking at her sister. She muttered as she spoke, "Most of these dumb fair rides only sit two people-"
"Robin's going to have to choose-"
"And one of us isn't gonna get picked-"
"Let's just promise that neither of us will take any of her choices personally-"
"It's gonna suck, Bloss."
"Yeah, but, we agreed, Buttercup, that we're sisters and we're not going to let some stupid puppy-love-crush come between sisters-"
"Doesn't mean it won't suck-"
"Of course, it's going to suck! But just try and remember that it's best for everyone if the four of us just remain friends! So it's not like it matters if she chooses to ride the Ferris Wheel with me, and not you. In the end, we're all just friends. So if something like that happens, just don't get upset about it, OK?"
"Why would she choose to ride the Ferris Wheel with you?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow.
"Well, she could choose you, too, sure I guess," Blossom shrugged. Buttercup noticed Blossom's face begin to flush red again.
Buttercup couldn't help but start to laugh as an idea crossed her mind then. "Dammit, Red, don't tell me..."
"You know I wish you and Bubbles would butt out of my head when we're asleep," Blossom's face only grew redder as the embarrassing memory clouded her mind. One of the sisters' shared super powers was the ability to travel into each other's dreams as they slept at night. Not long ago, Bubbles and Buttercup happened to visit her on a night when she dreamed of Robin.
"Oh my God, you were planning to try and kiss her on the Ferris Wheel just like you did in your gross dream!" Buttercup slapped her knee as she busted into uncontrollable laughter.
"No!" Blossom shouted in desperation as she swerved to avoid an incoming bumper opponent. "I wasn't planning anything! Just, if it happened... you know... it would be nice."
"Blossom-"
"It's not like it's going to happen or anything!"
"Blossom-"
"It was just a stupid dream!"
"Blossom!" Buttercup shouted louder so she could get her sister's attention. She pointed at the fast approaching purple car that zoomed towards them from their right side. Behind the wheel of that car was Bubbles who wore a rather determined look on her face as Robin cheered for her.
Blossom saw, but by then it was too late. Bubbles and Robin's car slammed into Buttercup and Blossom's car at full force, spinning Buttercup and Blossom's car into the wall of the arena. The loud buzz which signified the end of the ride then sounded.
Bubbles pumped her fist in the air, and cheered as she approached her sisters, "Oh yeah! I got you guys!"
Robin followed after her, still giggling from the fun she just had. She gave both Blossom and Buttercup a quick hug which made each girl's heart flutter. "Happy Birthday, guys!" she grinned a big smile, showing off her dimples.
"Thanks," Buttercup and Blossom answered in unison, each trying their best to hide their excitement.
The group of four girls left through the exit gate together. "So what should we do next?" Bubbles asked.
"How about the roller coaster?" Robin suggested, pointing at the ride entrance to their left.
"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed enthusiastically.
Blossom nodded, "Sure, that sounds fun," she smiled.
As they approached the entrance, Bubbles hesitated with a shy squeak, "I think I'm gonna wait here."
"Bubbles, you're still too afraid to ride the roller coaster? Talk about a big baby-"
Blossom quieted Buttercup with a quick jab to her shoulder.
Robin frowned at Bubbles, "Are you sure, Bubbles? I used to be afraid, but it's really not that bad."
"Think of it this way, Bubbles," Blossom began. "We have the capacity to fly at speeds of over seven thousand miles per hour. We fly at top speed literally every day. This thing is barely as fast as the Professor's car. Robin's right. It's really not that bad."
Bubbles pouted, "I know, I know," she sighed. "I just hate how jiggly and bumpy the ride is. It makes me feel sick. Can I please just wait here?"
Blossom and Buttercup exchanged nervous glances. Robin just smiled reassuringly at her blonde best friend, oblivious to the situation at hand. "OK, we won't be long." Robin turned to Blossom next, "Come on, let's get the front car!" she grabbed Blossom by her wrist and began to lead her up the stairs to the roller coaster's entrance.
Buttercup felt her stomach churn when she saw how fast it took Robin to make her choice. She stood still as she watched Blossom and Robin leave together.
"Come on, Buttercup. Don't you want to ride the coaster, too?" Robin asked when she noticed her green-eyed friend not following.
"Nah," she shook her head, "I think I'm gonna wait with Bubbles," she said with a shrug.
"You sure?" Blossom asked. The redhead's cheeks were flushed once more as Robin still innocently held onto her hand.
Normally seeing her sister so helplessly awkward in front of her crush would make Buttercup laugh and want to mock her, but this time she was not in the mood. "Yeah," she answered plainly.
As soon as Blossom and Robin were gone, Bubbles approached Buttercup. "Are you mad?" she asked quietly.
"No."
"Really?"
"Really."
Bubbles watched her dark-haired sister recline against the metal railing of the coaster entrance. Buttercup kept her eyes on her feet as she kicked at the dirt. The skinny teen had her hands shoved into her pants pockets. Bubbles tried to read her expression, but she really couldn't tell what her sister was feeling. For once, she didn't look mad. She actually looked pretty sad. "Hey," Bubbles spoke softly. "Are you OK?"
Buttercup glanced up at her sister and saw a look of concern in the big blue eyes that stared back at her. She forced herself to nod, "Yeah, it's fine," she lied.
Bubbles reclined next to her taller sister against the same railing. She sighed deeply as she glanced over her shoulder, and saw Blossom and Robin board the roller coaster together. She then looked forward and saw the carnival game tent again. "Hey!" she accidentally shouted right into her sister's ear.
Buttercup winced at the sudden high pitch exclamation. "What?"
"Will you try and win me a giant Bunny-Bunny at the Ring Toss game?!" Bubbles grabbed her sister by the arm and began to bounce with anticipation. "Robin tried for me earlier but she couldn't even land a single ring!"
"Why don't you win one yourself? I'm sure your aim is good enough to do it."
"But it's more fun when someone wins a carnival prize for you! Please, please, please! I'll love you forever!"
"OK, OK, fine," Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Let's go."
The blue and green Powerpuffs made their way over to the Ring Toss tent. The object of the game was to land three metal rings around three of the glass bottles that sat on a table. "Three tries is five dollars, or you can do ten tries for ten," the game's attendant explained as Bubbles and Buttercup neared the station.
"I only need three," Buttercup handed a five dollar bill to the man. As she did, she recognized his face immediately. "Woah, hey, Ace," she smiled.
"Oh my gosh it is Ace! How did I not notice you before?!" Bubbles said with wide eyes. She smiled cheerfully, "How are you, Ace?"
The former Gangreen Gang member hadn't changed much. He was still a tall, slender built man with a sickly, olive green complexion. His hair was black, long, greasy and sat shoulder length. He wore a hat and uniform provided by the carnival, but still wore his black shades despite there being no sun at seven o'clock in the evening. He returned a smile to his two former enemies, "Hey, girls. Long time, no see." He slapped three rings down in front of Buttercup at the table. "Happy Birthday, by the way." he added.
"Thanks," Buttercup picked up the three rings, and tossed them all at once. The metal hoops hooked seamlessly around three separate bottles with a loud clink.
"Dammmn, I should give you two prizes for that move!" Ace whistled. He lowered his sunglasses a little after witnessing the impressive toss.
"Just one giant Bunny-Bunny please!" Bubbles bounced up and down with excitement as she watched him retrieve her long awaited prize. She snatched it from Ace's hands as soon as she could, hugging the giant plushy that was half her size with all her might. "Yay! Thank you, Buttercup!"
Buttercup just smirked as she watched her sister become overwhelmed by pure joy and contentment.
"Hey," Ace pointed at Buttercup with the hook he had used to pull down the giant rabbit. "Cool shirt, Kid."
Buttercup grinned back, "Thanks, Dude. They're kinda my favorite band."
"Oh yeah? What's your favorite album?"
A big smile swept the teen's face. Bubbles couldn't help but notice her sister's face completely light up as she answered, "Oh, Man! It's so hard to choose, like, I love literally everything by them. But I gotta say it's a tie probably between their first album and London Calling."
"Hell yeah. Jimmy Jazz is my jam."
Buttercup laughed, "Dude, I can totally see that."
Bubbles stood there, practically in tears by how happy she was to see her sister smiling and socializing. She had no idea what the two were talking about, but all she knew was that her sister was wearing a genuine smile on her face for the first time all day. In the distance, she spotted Blossom and Robin leaving the exit of the roller coaster. She zipped over to them in a quick flash of blue light. "BLOSSOM, BUTTERCUP IS MAKING FRIENDS!" she shouted immediately as she appeared before them.
Blossom's pink eyes widened and she smiled. "Really?"
Bubbles bounced up and down, nodding and pointing eagerly towards their green-eyed sister at the Ring Toss tent.
Blossom's eyes followed where her sister pointed. She didn't immediately recognize who her sister was talking to. It took her about twenty seconds to recognize the greasy haired gangster, and once she did, she suddenly lost her reason to smile. "Oh no," she shook her head disapprovingly.
"What?" Bubbles questioned.
"Who is it?" Robin asked, confused.
"Ace," Blossom answered Robin. "Bubbles, what's wrong with you? You know he's a villain. Buttercup shouldn't be looking for those types of friends. It's dangerous. Who knows what kind of motives he might have."
Bubbles crossed her arms. "Was a villain, duh." She frowned at her tall sister, "That was, like, so long ago! He seems really nice now. Look! He's got a job and everything. He's not breaking the law anymore. If he did, he would be locked away for life just like his old gang!"
Blossom blinked at Bubbles, shocked at her position. "He's got to be like twenty-two... maybe twenty-three or twenty-four by now! What kinda old creep would want to be friends with a thirteen-year-old girl?"
"People change, Blossom," Robin added her opinion quietly. "He could be a nice guy now," she shrugged. "Let's go say 'hi' and see."
Blossom bit her lip as she wrestled with the idea of her possibly misinterpreting the situation. Her gut told her this looked like bad news. She knew her sister was turning into a bit of a loner as of late, but did it really mean it was OK for her to make friends with an ex-con? It was difficult for her, but she tried to keep an open mind as the three of them made their way towards the game tent. However, once she saw Ace casually light up a cigarette as he laughed with her sister, Blossom's gut screamed "Bad news."
"You know, my band does a cover of White Riot," Ace continued to talk music with the teenager as he lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. He held the smoke in his lungs as he continued, "Only we call our version Green Riot," he tilted his head back and released the tobacco smoke into the air.
"No shit?" Buttercup laughed. "That sounds awesome, Dude."
Ace held up a finger as he reached for something in his back pocket, balancing the burning cigarette between his lips. He pulled out a small, black business card and handed it to Buttercup. "My band's got a show tomorrow night if you're interested. At my place of business."
"You own a business?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow as she took the card from him.
"Don't judge me, Kid," he lectured as he blew more smoke. "This job is just a way to get more people to the shop and to the big show tomorrow. You're in luck, 'cause that was my last card right there." He took another drag as Buttercup studied the green writing on the simple black card. The only information it held was an address on the east side of downtown Townsville, the letters "GGC," and in smaller writing at the very bottom of the card, "Ages 21 plus." "Mm," Ace paused to empty his lungs with a quick puff, "Yeah ignore that part. You're good if you decide to swing by. Just remember this invite is for Cool-Cuppo, a'ight? Not Coppo-Cuppo."
"No worries, Dude. I've been off-duty for years now," Buttercup quickly stashed the card in her back pocket. "Are you gonna play Green Riot?"
"Hell yeah. Our fans can't get enough of that one." Ace extinguished his cigarette on the sole of his sneaker. "Yo, here come your sisters." He stood up a little straighter, like he would if being approached by a police officer. "Good evening, Blossom," he greeted and tipped his hat in her direction with his best charming smile. "I already told your sisters 'happy birthday,' but now I can say it to yous, too," he grinned. "Happy Birthday, Kid."
Blossom forced a smile on her face, "Thank you," she replied. She then immediately turned to Buttercup, "It's getting late. Don't forget we're having cake at the house at eight. If we want to ride anymore rides, then we better get going."
Buttercup shrugged in response, "Yeah, sure, whatever," she muttered.
"OK, then let's go!" Blossom clapped her hands together, and started to lead the way out from the game tent.
Buttercup glanced at Ace who held his hand out for a low-five.
As the teenager slapped her hand against his, he gave her a kind smile, "See ya around, Kid."
"Yeah, see ya," she said in a glum tone as she walked away.
Ace watched as the group of girls walked off in the distance. Blossom walked ahead, while Bubbles walked, arm in arm with her brown-haired bestie, and Buttercup trailed behind, kicking the dirt as she went. Ace retrieved his unfinished cigarette from his shirt pocket and re-ignited it with his lighter. He took a deep drag as he shook his head to himself, "Man," he breathed, exhaling the smoke from his lungs, "That poor kid is fucking miserable."
"OK," Robin began as she and her friends entered the amusement park area of the fair once more. "We probably only have time for one more ride, so what should we ride?"
"How about the Ferris Wheel?" Blossom's mouth made the suggestion before her mind could fully ration why.
"Yeah!" Robin agreed with a smile. She glanced over her shoulder at Buttercup who still trailed from behind. "Buttercup, you wanna sit with me on the Ferris Wheel?" she gave Buttercup her biggest, brightest smile.
Buttercup stopped in her tracks and so did Blossom. Her mouth was agape, "You wanna sit with me?"
"Yeah! Why not?" Robin laughed. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!" she joked.
Bubbles couldn't help but join in with Robin's laughter, completely unaware of the drama that would inevitably rise from this decision. "Afraid of heights!" she roared with laughter, "She's not obviously! She flies!"
Buttercup also started to laugh, but it was more so because of her rising nerves than the corny joke her crush just told. "Heh, sure. I'll sit with you, Robin," she smiled weakly.
Robin took Buttercup by the wrist and lead her towards the brightly lit entrance of the Ferris Wheel. Blossom stood there, frozen still in shock. She had previously felt so great, riding the roller coaster with Robin, but she would have gladly traded Buttercup the coaster for the Ferris Wheel. It wasn't as if she really expected to have her fist kiss with Robin on the Ferris Wheel that night. It was just a nice fantasy she had, and now it was as if any chance of that fantasy coming true just got ripped away from her. Maybe she could have kissed Robin? She would never get to know now, and that's what hurt most.
Bubbles' laughter had finally stopped and she noticed Blossom's sad expression as she stood there watching Buttercup and Robin. Bubbles frowned, "Oh no... Come on, Blossom, you know this doesn't mean anything." She gave her sister a reassuring smile.
Blossom sighed heavily, "I know." She started towards the entrance of the Ferris Wheel with her pig-tailed sibling. "It still sucks though," she muttered.
The ride to the top was filled with complete and awkward silence for Buttercup and Robin. Buttercup kept her eyes forward and focused on the lights of the city of Townsville. Some people would call the view romantic. "Some," Buttercup thought to herself, "But why does this feel like a nightmare?"
"Hey, Buttercup," Robin's soft voice interrupted Buttercup's thoughts.
Buttercup glanced at Robin, and saw her for the first time with the twinkle of the city's lights as her backdrop. Her crush's teal eyes sparked as bright as the city's skyline. Buttercup just stared, unable to vocalize an answer of any kind.
"Can I ask you something?" Robin asked, sounding a little afraid.
Buttercup nodded and held her breath as she waited for Robin to continue.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked, sounding a little sad.
Buttercup blinked at her for a moment. "Mad? At you? Why the hell would I be mad at you?" she questioned, confused.
"So, you're not?" Robin clasped her hands together, as if saying a prayer.
"No!" Buttercup shouted. "What made you think that?"
Robin breathed a big sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh, I really thought you were mad at me," she laughed nervously. "It just feels like you've been avoiding me a whole lot lately, so I thought maybe I did something or said something-"
"Dude, you're cool," Buttercup shook her head and laughed nervously with her. "Like... I dunno. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, you know? I'm... sorry... if it seemed like I was mad at you."
Robin couldn't help but throw her arms around Buttercup in that moment and hug her tightly. Buttercup was frozen still as Robin embraced her. Buttercup felt her heart start to pound fiercely in her chest as she waited for Robin to finish her hug, but the girl held on as she spoke, "You're one of my best friends, Buttercup."
Buttercup felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed before she answered back, "You too, Robin," she meekly patted Robin on the back with one hand.
Robin pulled away at last. She reclined in her seat and took in the beautiful scenery of the city below. Buttercup sat back, too, and the two were quiet again. Buttercup watched Robin from the corner of her eyesight. The girl looked at peace watching the lights of Townsville twinkle in the nigt. The evening wind caused her long brown hair to sway gently with the breeze as the Ferris Wheel continued to turn. Buttercup could feel her face grow hot as she battled with the idea of attempting a kiss, but ultimately decided against it. As much as it would have been nice to rub that one in Blossom's face, the fear of rejection was still too strong. Besides, even Buttercup had to admit that that would have been a low blow, especially on her sister's birthday of all days.
Later that night, the Powerpuff Girls continued their birthday celebration at home. They had a simple, pink strawberry cake decorated with thirteen brightly colored candles. Professor Utonium was sure to invite their best friend Robin, Ms. Keane, and Mayor Bellum to their home to help sing happy birthday to his daughters. Their guests stayed to enjoy their own slice of cake, and watch the girls open their birthday gifts, but left shortly after. It had been a long day, after all.
As soon as their guests were gone, Buttercup retreated to her room to be in solitude like she preferred. Bubbles also went to her room, excited to try out the new art easel the Professor had given her as her gift. Blossom stayed downstairs and began to help the Professor clear the table.
"You don't have to do that, Sweetie," Professor Utonium said to his redheaded daughter. "It's still your birthday. You should go up to your room like your sisters, and do something fun, or relaxing."
"That's OK, Professor," Blossom smiled as she gathered the silverware from the table. "I want to help." She followed the Professor to the kitchen where they began to load the dishwasher together.
"Can I ask you something, Blossom?" Professor asked.
"What is it?"
"Do you feel challenged at all at school?"
Blossom couldn't help but laugh in response.
"Is it that easy for you?" the Professor also chuckled.
"Well... yeah," Blossom shrugged. "But I like my friends, and that makes school OK, I guess."
"I see... So you would be sad then if you had to leave your friends?"
Blossom raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Professor?" Her mind then jumped to the worst scenario she could think of: "Are we moving?!"
"No, no, no," Professor shook his head. "Ms. Keane suggested today that maybe I should consider having you girls tested for the advanced placement program at school."
Blossom sighed with relief, "Jeez, Professor, you scared me for a second there." She paused as she considered the Professor's initial question. "Well, if we did skip a grade or two, sure I'd be a little sad to not see my same friends every day in class, but it's not like I'd lose them completely or anything. We'd just be in different grades."
The father and daughter pair finished loading the dishwasher of all the dirty dishes. Blossom followed the Professor as he left the kitchen and returned to the dining room. She noticed the Professor frown at the sight of Buttercup's presents still sitting at the dining room table where she had opened them. He sighed heavily as he peered into the large box of assorted basketball equipment that he had gifted his daughter that night. "I guess she's not into basketball anymore?" he asked Blossom.
"No way," Blossom answered. "I thought you knew she quit everything basketball last year after the whole Mitch incident."
"What 'Mitch incident?'" the Professor asked.
Blossom's mouth dropped. "She never told you?"
The Professor shook his head, "No. What happened? Are they not friends anymore?"
"No way," Blossom answered again, "Knowing Buttercup, she's going to hate that guy for the rest of her life for what happened." Blossom saw the Professor still wore a lost expression on his face, so she gave the short version of the story to catch him up: "Last year, Mitch and Buttercup were playing basketball in our backyard when Mitch tried to kiss her. She punched him. Pretty hard, too. I think she chipped three teeth. He called her-" Blossom stopped, "...a bad word," she censored herself. "Anyways, they had a big fight about everything, and Buttercup told him to get lost forever."
Blossom watched the Professor as he picked the basketball from the green-colored box that sat on the table. The scientist didn't say anything more. He just tucked the orange ball under one arm and began to ascend the staircase. He walked to the last door on the left- Buttercup's room. He knocked on the door, but got no reply. "Buttercup, Sweetie?" he called out and knocked once more.
It took a minute, but Buttercup finally opened her door. "What?" she asked, sounding annoyed.
The Professor held onto the basketball with both his hands, and smiled at his tomboy daughter, "Hey, how about you and me shoot some hoops, Sweetheart?"
Buttercup stared back at him with confusion. "It's... night time."
"Well, we have the porch lights. That should be fine. Unless, of course, you're too tired. I understand if that's the case. I know you've had a big, long day-"
"Yeah," Buttercup answered quickly. "That's it. I'm tired. Good night, Professor."
"Well, maybe tomorrow then-" before he could finish, the black-haired girl slammed her bedroom door closed again.
Blossom felt like she could feel the Professor's heart break right in that moment. She couldn't believe just how rude her sister was when the Professor was clearly trying to make an effort with her. She waited for the Professor to disappear into his own bedroom at the opposite end of the hall. She then made her way into her sisters room. She walked straight inside, without bothering to knock. "What's your problem, Buttercup?!" she demanded as soon as she got through the door.
Buttercup was lying on her belly on her twin-sized mattress, flipping through a comic book. She sat up, planting her feet on the wood flooring of her bedroom, and crossed her arms, "Jeez, what the hell is your problem?!" she demanded in return.
"The way you just treated the Professor!" Blossom exclaimed in disbelief. "How could you just slam the door in his face like that?"
Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Mind your own business, Kiss-Ass."
"You know, Buttercup, you have to be the most selfish person on the planet!"
"What the hell makes me selfish?!" Now she was really pissed. "Because I didn't ask for donations in place of presents like you did this year?!"
"We had a really fun day today!" Blossom shouted back, "It's our birthday! The entire city devoted a whole day to just us! Can't you see how incredible that is?! You had a thousand people tell you how much they love you today! There are people out there with no affection in their lives and you just take yours completely for granted! You even got to ride the Ferris Wheel with Robin-"
"Oh God, get over it! News Flash: No one gives a shit about the stupid Ferris Wheel except you, Blossom!"
"All day long, everyone just tried their best to make sure that YOU were HAPPY! And still you come home and act like-"
"Like what?!"
"Like this!"
"Oh, OK, well I guess I'm just selfish then!" Buttercup scoffed. "Is that it?" She glared at her sister who stood there, still staring back at her with a look of disgust on her face. "What?!" Buttercup snapped again. The teenager rose to her feet, and gripped her hands in two tight fists, feeling them grow strangely hot. "Is there anything else I should know about myself? Hmm, Red? What is it?! GO ON! TELL ME! " she continued to scream louder and louder.
Blossom just stared back with equal amount of rage in her pink eyes. She had no intention of pushing her sister this far. Truthfully, it was a moment in which she acted before she fully thought everything out. But seeing Buttercup disrespect their father like that was enough to drive Blossom to a point of anger she wouldn't normally reach. It was the breaking point in a overall, stressful day for her.
Buttercup stood, challenging her sister with a growing fire in her eyes. How dare her sister barge into her room and start lecturing her out of nowhere. As the anger rose inside her, she could feel the Chemical X begin to boil within her veins. Suddenly she felt a sharp, painful jolt strike both her palms at once. Instantly she felt her fingers almost lock into place, firmly stuck in the fists she had formed with both her hands. Her balled up fists ignited for a moment in bright green flames and electricity. The strange electrified, green fire came on with a rush of excruciating pain in the teenagers' hands, and she immediately fell to her knees in pain, still bearing her hands in tight fists as they shone brightly for a full minute with a growing, glowing green light. She screamed out in agony, as she felt the surging energy in her palms grow hotter and hotter. She fought to unlock her fingers from their tight grasp- desperate to get rid of the intense energy they held- but they would not open.
Blossom immediately became concerned. "Buttercup, what's going on?" she questioned as she watched her sister double over in pain. She noticed her sister's green eyes begin to water from whatever she was experiencing.
Bubbles heard the commotion and was next to enter the room. "What's happening?" she questioned.
"I don't know!" Blossom shouted. "Stay here with Buttercup!" she instructed as she rushed out of the room, calling for the Professor.
Professor Utonium was already on his way down the hall, having heard the screaming for himself. When he and Blossom reentered the room, Bubbles stood over Buttercup who lie on the floor on her side, in a fetal position. Her hands were still grasped tightly in fists, but the glowing and fire was gone.
"Buttercup!" the Professor rushed to his daughter who lie on the ground, still wincing from the pain. "Can you tell me, Sweetie, what's going on?!"
"Her hands were on fire!" Blossom shouted.
Professor knelt down beside Buttercup and reached towards her hands which she kept safely guarded, close to her chest, and still balled up in two tight fists. Buttercup jerked away instinctively, but eventually allowed the Professor to take both of her hands in his. He gently opened her palms, and saw nothing.
"Didn't you see it, Bubbles?" Blossom questioned.
Bubbles shook her head, "No..." Bubbles wasn't sure what to make about the scene she witnessed. All she knew was that she could hear her sisters fighting, so she came to the room to try and break up the two of them. She saw Buttercup on the floor, crying from pain, and that was when Blossom rushed out of the room for the Professor.
"There's nothing here," the Professor said definitively as he turned Buttercup's hands over and over. Still, he could tell something was wrong. Buttercup still lie on the ground, sweat dripped from her forehead, she looked pale, and she had clearly just been experiencing a lot of pain. He tried to help his dark-haired daughter to her feet, but as soon as she started to stand, she buckled again under her own weight, and he had to keep her from falling. "Easy," he said as he caught her.
"What happened?" Buttercup groaned as she struggled to stay standing, grasping her head with one hand. Her weight buckled at her knees again, and Bubbles immediately stepped in to help her keep her balance.
"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," the Professor answered Buttercup. He observed her closely as she still wavered to find balance. "What are you feeling, Buttercup?" he questioned.
"Dead tired," she answered, fighting to keep her eyes open. She yawned big, and lost her balance again, falling once again into her shorter sister's arms.
Blossom watched from the doorway, unsure of what to do, and still in complete shock as to what had just happened. She watched as Bubbles and the Professor helped Buttercup onto her bed. Buttercup appeared either too dizzy or too weak to move fully on her own. As soon as her head hit the pillow of her bed, her eyes closed, as if she immediately slipped into either sleep or unconsciousness, Blossom couldn't tell. "Professor..." she began quietly.
"You girls watch over your sister," the Professor instructed, "Let me grab a few things from the lab. I'll be right back." He left the room in a hurry, pushing past Blossom in the doorway.
Bubbles sat at the foot of Buttercup's bed. She reached for her sister's hand, and felt that her skin was indeed, still warm to the touch. "What happened, Blossom?"
"I- I don't know," Blossom began, her mind raced with the events that just played out. "We were arguing and all of a sudden she started screaming, and that's when I noticed her hands were... on fire."
Just then the Professor returned with his small black medical bag the girls hadn't had a use for in years. He started by taking his daughter's temperature, blood pressure, and lastly listened to her heart. He blinked in confusion, and both Bubbles and Blossom asked eagerly in unison, "What?"
The Professor returned the equipment to his bag. "She appears to be fine," he announced. "A slight fever, an obvious considerable depletion of energy... but other than that everything seems normal."
Both girls felt relief, but still felt confused.
"What happened, Blossom?" the Professor asked again.
"We were just arguing. Suddenly, she was screaming, and her fists turned into balls of green fire!" Blossom desperately explained once more.
"What were you arguing about?" Bubbles asked.
Blossom paused, "I-I don't even remember. Does that matter? It was just about everything that happened today pretty much!"
The Professor scratched his chin in deep thought as he stared at his sleeping daughter. "Did you two physically fight at all?" he questioned next.
"No!" Blossom insisted. "I mean... it felt like it might go there tonight," she confessed quietly. "But then that's when she started crying in pain, and we stopped everything."
"Maybe she just tired herself out from how angry she got," Bubbles suggested. "Remember the tantrums she used to throw when we were younger? She'd sleep really good after those meltdowns."
"No, no, this was definitely different," Blossom insisted. She looked to her father, who still appeared deep in thought. "Professor?" she asked. "Do you have any ideas?"
Professor Utonium was at a loss. He shook his head, "Possibly an overcharge of energy somehow?" he theorized out loud, "Perhaps your argument overheated her power system so to speak. Like Bubbles said, an extreme meltdown of some kind... That could definitely be a possibility..." The Professor reached for Buttercup's green bedding and pulled her quilted comforter over her, and tucked her gently into bed for the night. "At any rate," the Professor sighed, "Let's leave her to get some rest. We should all be in bed by now, anyway."
Professor Utonium held both Blossom and Bubbles by their shoulders as he guided them out of Buttercup's room. He paused at the doorway, watching Buttercup sleep soundly for a moment, before turning out the light and closing the door behind him. The Professor waited in the hall until he saw both Bubbles and Blossom retire for the night to their respective rooms. He immediately descended the stairs and made his way to his lab. That night, he wouldn't get any rest for himself. Instead, he pulled an all-nighter in his basement laboratory, searching everywhere he could for some type of answer to this strange "meltdown."
By sunrise, he had found nothing.