Dil POV

Blossom's lab was a symphony of humming machinery, the air thick with the scent of anticipation.

We both wore lab coats over our clothes, a strange but oddly fitting uniform for the task at hand.

The Spectro-Gizmo, finally repaired thanks to Princess's extravagant procurement of tungsten and Blossom's laser-eye welding skills, sat on the workbench between us.

The initial tests were successful. It hummed with a steady, reassuring energy, the readouts on its display confirming its functionality.

We were finally ready to try and contact Buttercup. Or whatever Chemical XX had turned her into.

A frantic buzzing cut through Blossom's explanation of spectral energy signatures. My phone vibrated violently against the lab table. Bubbles.

A text, followed almost immediately by a call.

BUBBLES: On my way. You won't BELIEVE what I just overheard!!!!

I answered the call, and Bubbles' voice, usually so bright and bubbly, was tight with rage.

"Dil, you're not going to believe this! It's Boomer. He's been sending Ace money. A lot of money. And Ace called it blood money... I think he has something to do with this!"

My stomach churned. Boomer. Always lurking in the shadows, pulling strings, manipulating people for his own amusement. But this… this felt different. This felt dangerous.

"I'm at Blossom's lab," I told her, keeping my voice calm; i had never encountered an angry Bubbles. "We just finished fixing the Spectro-Gizmo. Come here, we will all talk here."

Bubbles hung up without another word, and I could practically hear her anger crackling through the phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Blossom asked, her voice laced with amusement. The air in the lab instantly felt charged, the silence thick with anticipation.

I explained Bubbles' discovery about Boomer and Ace, and how furious she sounded over the phone; my unease growing with every word.

Blossom exchanged a knowing look with me, her expression a mix of concern and… amusement?

"Brace yourself, Dil," she said, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "You're about to meet Angry Bubbles."

My stomach dropped. Angry Bubbles? That didn't sound good.

Sensing my apprehension, Blossom elaborated. "Bubbles has always been the heart of the team. The sweet, compassionate one. But when she gets angry… well, let's just say it's the one emotion she can't control."

She paused, her gaze softening as she added, "Though, to be fair, I've never seen her this happy either. You've got her glowing in a way Boomer never could. He was her only real boyfriend, you know."

A blush crept up my neck. Was Blossom giving me her blessing? I tried to play it cool, but my heart was pounding.

"Boomer's always been a snake, but this...this is next level. Trust me," Blossom said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "If he's the real threat, and it came down to it, we'll keep you safe. No matter what."

Her words were reassuring, but they did little to quell the unease that had settled in my gut. Whatever had triggered Bubbles' rage, it had to be bad.

Also, the way she spoke, the raw fury in her voice, it was unlike anything I'd ever encountered. Her squeaky voice dripping with rage was scary.

Blossom, sensing my apprehension, placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "Don't worry, Dil. We've got your back; she wont harm you. She's smitten. We all see it. You're good for her. Good for all of us."

Her words were a balm to my nerves, a strange mix of sisterly protection and genuine affection that I hadn't expected. And then it hit me: Blossom Utonium, the stoic, often intimidating leader of the Powerpuff Girls, was actually… teasing me?

Before I could process this revelation, the lab windows burst open and Bubbles flew in, her face flushed, eyes blazing with fury. I was taken aback by the unconventional means of entry.

She growled, her voice barely a whisper, yet dripping with venom. "That slimy, manipulative ASSHOLE!" she sputtered, pacing back and forth, her hands clenched into fists. "He's been playing us all along! He's involved in this somehow, I just know it!"

"Bubbles, you're scaring Dil," Blossom said, her voice calm but playful. She pointed to the Spectro-Gizmo I held. "Before we jump to conclusions, we need to run a test first."

Bubbles stopped pacing, her eyes now fixed on the device.

"What kind of test? Is that done?"

Blossom turned to me, her gaze lingering on the Spectro-Gizmo in my hand. "The device reacted strongly to you when you walked into the auditorium before. It went off when you got close to Bubbles, right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "It went off when she entered the auditorium."

"But it didn't react to me all this time I was handling it," Blossom pointed out, crossing her arms. "And nothing's changed since then. So why is it only going off around Bubbles?"

I frowned, my mind racing.

Blossom was right.

The device had only ever reacted strongly to Bubbles and to ghosts. It had never reacted to Blossom, or Princess, or anyone else, for that matter.

"Maybe it only reacts to a certain type of energy signature," I suggested, grasping at straws.

"Or maybe…" Blossom trailed off, her eyes narrowing as a new thought struck her. She turned it on in my arms.

Suddenly, the device began to hum, the lights on its display flickering erratically. The air crackled with a strange energy, and I felt a tingling sensation on my skin.

Bubbles was standing by her makeshift entrypoint, her eyes wide with a mixture of anger and confusion.

Blossom's eyes met mine, and I could see the dawning realization reflected in their ruby depths.

"Point it at Bubbles," Blossom instructed, her voice low and urgent.

I hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned, pointing the Spectro-Gizmo towards Bubbles.

The device whirred to life, the lights on its display flashing rapidly as the needle on the gauge jumped to the highest level.

~*Level ten paranormal entity detection.*~

"Definitely Bubbles," I confirmed, my voice tight with a mixture of fascination and apprehension.

Bubbles stared at the device, her face a mask of bewilderment. "What does that even mean?!?"

Blossom didn't answer her right away. She was staring at Bubbles, her eyes narrowed in thought, her mind working overtime.

"Bubbles," she said finally, her voice slow and deliberate, "I think… I think your powers have evolved somehow."