Chapter Text
2010
One shot. Two shots. The ceiling ended with two horrible holes, and the screams weren't helping with his headache. Really, why did his comrades decide today was a great day to rob a bank? Assholes.
The fat guy in front of him was shaking, scared, his clumsy fingers unable to take a big bundle of money. He couldn't speed up the damn process of putting the damn money in the damn bag either. Damn it. If they didn't hurry, they wouldn't get out of there in time. Alexander looked at his companions, concerned. Like him, they dealt with the other slow and useless tellers.
It was an easy task. Put the money in the bag.
What was the difficulty in it?
He could hear police sirens in the distance; they would get there at any moment. However, that wasn't his main concern, no... No. They could easily escape from the police. Townsville Police were as useless as its former Mayor; they were even worse. Slow, useless, lazy. Now that he though about it, it was a miracle the sirens were heard.
That did not imply he was going to risk going back to prison.
He pressed the barrel of the gun against the fat guy's chest, hoping it would encourage him to hurry the fuck up. Pathetic fat ball with butter fingers. Alexander was very tempted to shoot him and do the job himself. But there was no time for it. And he didn't want to face an enraged superhero either. Enough was risking robbing a bank in broad daylight to kill someone as well.
Finally, the guy finished putting all the fucking money in the fucking bag. Alexander took the bag and hit the guy right on the temple. Heh, poor idiot.
A hand went to pat his shoulder; it was time to go. The police were close, but not close enough to give them chase.
Alexander followed his friends, running through the bank's glass doors toward the blue van. A man was already behind the wheel, ready to hit the gas and get out of there.
They scrambled up and dropped the bags from their shoulders. Eric, one of his friends, closed the door as the van pulled away, leading them away from the bank and the sirens.
A little shout of glee filled the van. It was, although tachycardic, a bloody success. By the time the "glorious" police arrived at the bank, it would be too late. As always.
Nevertheless, they were not yet escaping. No.
Maybe they had evaded the police, but not... her. And that was a bigger problem. They had to reach the main avenue, so that they could get lost in the sea of passing cars. But that was the problem: they weren't any near the aforementioned avenue, and the guy at the wheel, as much as he drove like the devil was chasing him, didn't seem to drive fast enough.
Despite that "little" problem, Alexander sought to relax, that the joy that surrounded his companions also stuck to him. He leaned back in the seat and allowed himself a breath.
Although it had been a very bad idea, so far everything was going well. Everything was going well.
Just a few more streets, worry about the lack of a seatbelt, and they would reach the main avenue. And then... He could buy some trinkets, have fun for a while... Pay off some debts.
Alexander couldn't relax. As much as he tried to convinve himself that nothing could go wrong, his instincts told him it could.
But, come on!
Maybe he had robbed a bank. But he hadn't killed anyone. And he just wanted to fix his damn financial problems. What was wrong with that? Furthermore, if he saw it in the strict sense of the word, the bank was more of a thief than everyone in the van.
So, they weren't doing something wrong at all.
If he said that in court, Alexander was sure they would put him in prison longer and not for robbing banks.
Why was he overthinking it? Why was he bothering to find excuses for his actions? What a fool he was. They had three bags full of money, the police were far from reaching them, and they nowhere from reaching the fucking avenue.
Nothing could go... wrong?
"SHIIIIIIIT!" roared Shawn at the wheel.
Alexander didn't have time to react when the crash came. It seemed like they had crashed into some lamppost. But it just seemed like it.
The van rose from the back. Money was pouring out of the bags. His friends were trying to hold onto something while screaming bloody murder. The metal was denting. His stomach churned.
Everything happened in slow motion. Everything happened so slowly but so fast that Alexander thought he saw his life pass before his eyes.
If they survived that accident, he doubted they would survive the girl with hell of a temper.
He knew it was a very bad idea to rob a bank in that city. Maybe they should have tried in Citiesville... but the police there were much more useful than the one in Townsville. And perhaps they would have been as lucky as they were at that time.
He must have stayed home, sleeping, dealing with the terrible headache. Why the hell did he have to be such an idiot to accept the proposal from his friends?
The eternity that hell lasted lasted only a few seconds before they landed on the faithful pavement. Alexander crashed into the roof of the van, as did his friends. The money was scattered all over the van, crumpled, torn, covered in little red spots.
He tried to move, but the pain in his right arm brought him down on his face. He surely had it broken. He tried to move his legs, which did not respond to him. Had he broken his back?
Shit. Just... Shit!
He looked at his companions; Eric and Lou were bleeding and unconscious, or so Alexander hoped. Tony was on top of them, a horrible cut running across his face. Shawn was leaning against the wheel, the airbag under him covered in blood.
Suddenly, the back door of the van swung open wildly, and a gorgeous blonde girl with piercing blue eyes came into his sight. She was sporting black jeans with a dark blue blouse and matching jacket. It seemed a simple thing, but Alexander suspected those clothe were as indestructible as the girl.
Yeah, the girl was gorgeous, he had to admit. A pretty little thing that could make his day with those legs and all those curves that she hid...
A pretty little thing that grabbed him by the neck, suffocating him and throwing him out of the van. Alexander landed on the pavement, beginning to crawl away from the van. Well, now he was the pathetic guy. Seconds later, his comrades landed next to him. They wailed, but did not dare to move.
Alexander turned toward the van, toward the blonde girl pulling Shawn out of the driver's seat with one hand.
He knew the city listed her as a sweet girl, unable to break a plate... but Alexander couldn't see anything "sweet" about her. She was terrifying. And she was approaching him, dragging Shawn and dropping him next to Eric.
Her blue eyes were fixed on Alexander, ready to... Oh, God. No no no.
She was going to kill him. That girl was going to kill him.
Why the fuck did he agree to rob a fucking bank!?
"Well, well," said the blondie, crouching in front of Alexander. "Look who we have here." Bubbles Utonium cocked her head, smiling. "What a delightful surprise, Alexander!" she giggled. GIGGLED!? No, no, no. This could not be happening. For God's sake, it was time for the police to come, to save him from that girl. The so called "Joy and the Laughter" was... Alexander didn't want to think about that.
"Bu-Bub-Bu... Bubbles," he stuttered in a whisper. He wasn't a faithful God believer, but at that moment, Alexander was praying to whoever was listening to help him. He wasn't a good guy, but he wasn't that bad either. And even if he was, he didn't deserve this punishment that awaited him at the girl's hands.
That must be a nightmare. It must be a chilling nightmare that must end now.
"Alexander," she continued. "I don't understand why the court considers you a good guy. If only you behaved as well on the streets as you do in prison... But don't worry, this time I will make sure you don't get out of prison so easily. Not now, not never."
That being the case, Alexander did not want to get out of prison again. If the judge gave him a life sentence, he would do Alexander a huge favor.
Bubbles cocked her head the other side, her smile growing smaller. Alexander wanted to flee, run, fly, whatever. But his legs weren't responding and his arm was killing him.
For a brief moment, Alexander could see the fury of "The Toughest Fighter", and the control of "The Commander and Leader". But never a hint of "The Joy and the Laughter". And that almost made him shit his pants.
Oh, please. Were the police really as slow as everyone said?
It was a matter of time before the fury of her blue eyes won that internal fight and chocked him, breaking his fragile neck. That was assuming the girl had mercy on his wretched soul.
The sirens became audible, and the police arrived almost immediately. Thanks God!
Bubbles got up, watching the glorious policemen. Alexander had never been so happy to see the uniformed guys.
"Thanks, Bubbles!" one of the policemen said. It must be a fucking joke. Thanks? For almost killing him?
"Don't worry, sir. It's always a pleasure to aid the police," she replied. There was something else in her tone of voice, but Alexander couldn't discern it; he was more relieved to see his saviors than to discover the meaning of Bubbles Utonium's words.
The cops exchanged a few more words with the girl before approaching Alexander's friends and forcing them to get up. Bubbles watched them intently, not removing the smile from her mouth, and looked at Alexander.
She crouched down again and muttered something Alexander knew no one else could hear. "You're so fucking lucky, Alexander," she said. "One more minute and maybe they would have had to call an ambulance."
He gulped and looked at one of the police officers. Neither he nor anyone else noticed them, and he doubted they would believe him if he repeated the girl's words to them.
She got up and walked away from him, leaving him in fear and with the police.
3:48
The fucking police, always running late, always letting her do their fucking job. Why the hell would they bother having a police station if they just limited to eating donuts and drinking beer like there's no tomorrow? Shitheads. Blossom had always been right: they only existed to comply with a protocol, because for their job, they were useless.
What a waste of taxes.
Possibly Buttercup would have agreed with her. Perhaps they would have laughed at them. Or maybe not. It was hard to tell. Bubbles didn't know how things would have been if they...
No, she told herself.
This was not the time.
Her patrolling wasn't over yet, and she had to watch out for anything. She hadn't done it for days, and the little inner voice always berated her for skipping her obligations. However, she couldn't ignore the growl of her stomach either.
She hadn't eaten since eleven, and stopping a speeding van required its compensation. Maybe she could take a break, go to Susie's with her friends, eat carbohydrate-rich food... Yeah, she could do that.
Ignoring her conscience, Bubbles flew to the east of the city, almost to the outskirts, straight to the small food place that always gave her good discounts, both for the amount of food and for the fact of saving the city every five minutes.
In the parking lot she saw Brick's black car, his greatest pride... And that only he knew the spec of it because no one really cared. Next to it was Princess's grape-colored New Beetle, courtesy of Mr. Morbucks in his sad attempt to get forgiveness from his daughter. Princess, of course, accepted it, but did not forgive him. What had the once wealthy Mr. Morbucks done to lose the love of his only daughter? Bubbles didn't know, and Princess had never said anything.
But the gossips said it was something about Mrs. Morbucks. And that Mr. Morbucks wanted to buy his daughter's forgiveness with hundreds of gifts... well, that didn't help.
Bubbles landed in front of the entrance and saw, through the windows, her friends, sitting at one of the tables at the other end of the place.
They were laughing, possibly at some of Boomer's bad jokes.
Princess was right next to Boomer, who seemed to be talking like a parrot. On her other side was Robin, goggling at Princess as she laughed. Ha, and Robin believed herself to be the master of subtlety.
Across from them were Boomer's two other brothers: Brick, surrounding Mike by his shoulders because he was an idiot who couldn't accept that Mike noticed him-and viceversa; and Butch, laughing out loud at whatever Boomer was saying.
Bubbles had to admit that Boomer's jokes were so, so bad, that they were laughable.
She noticed Mitch was missing, but assumed he was training or taking care of his grandmother. It was always difficult to know what was going on in Mitch Mitchelson's life.
Bubbles sighed, remembering those old days when everyone hated each other and claimed to be enemies; when Princess insisted on being a Powerpuff Girl and the Rowdyruff Boys were obsessed with ending them. Robin could barely stand Princess, Mitch was terrified of boys, and Mike preferred to stay away from all of them. It was a kind of hatred that Bubbles always hoped would go away… and it did. It gradually did.
Blossom had always wished that this rivalry would end and that they would be friends, just like Bubbles… she had also wished that someday the boys would use their abilities for more than just destroying the city twice a week.
Of course that had changed, although Bubbles many times preferred that they stay out of what was happening in the city.
Bubbles took a deep breath and blew out her breath, stepping inside. The smell of bread, cheese, meat, some pepper and butter filled Bubbles's nose. Ah, food, just what she had needed for hours. She was ready to gobble up whatever food was put in front of her and leave Butch to shame over his mini stomach.
A little voice told her that Buttercup would be proud of her for such an amazing feat… and for continuing to beat the Rowdys at something.
She walked over to the bar and placed her order, hoping they would remember that regardless of the amount, she would always want more food.
Bubbles approached the table, Princess being the first to notice her presence and pulling Robin to make room for Bubbles. Robin removed the bag from the seat and set it on the floor, pushing Princess and Boomer further. She patted the free spot next to her and Bubbles sat up, allowing the tension in her shoulders to melt away.
She glanced at her friends, still laughing, and for a brief moment she allowed herself to believe that life hadn't been so bad in those six years.
"How did it go?" Robin asked, averting her loving gaze from Princess to see Bubbles.
"Good," she lied. Although everything had gone well so far, she was still bothered by the delay of the police.
Bubbles leaned over the back of the seat and took a french fry from Mike's plate, who was slightly mesmerized by the "magnificent" view Brick provided.
"Heard there was a bank robbery," said Boomer, interested.
“They always rob that stupid bank,” Butch commented, biting the huge bacon sandwich in his hands. Bubbles wished she could be closer to him to steal a bite of his food.
"Did you kick their ass?" Princess asked excitedly, approaching Robin subtly.
Bubbles brought her lips together to form a fine line. "Nope. I stopped the car and the police did the rest."
"When you say 'the rest,'" Princess said. "You mean they just handcuffed the guys and took all the credit?"
Bubbles didn't want to answer the obvious. She knew that Buttercup would scream like a beast at that, and Blossom would seek to reassure her and tell her that glory was not what they were looking for. They were superheroines, they were the good ones in the story. Glory was not something to behold. Everything they did was for the common good, not for the ego.
"Like I said," Bubbles said. "They did the rest."
"She means yes," Mike said, finally paying attention to the conversation. He looked upset, as did Princess.
"Bubs," Princess said. “They are a bunch of stupid whiners. They do nothing but eat donuts and claim glory!"
"I don't say this often," Mike continued. "But I agree with the little matchhead."
Bubbles was grateful when her food came, for her stomach was already starting to hurt and she really didn't need to hear how she should claim that success as her own. She just wanted to eat, laugh a little, try to steal whatever Butch was eating.
"Yeah yeah, I know," Bubbles said, sighing. "I'll do it when I have time."
Brick snorted, but continued to drink the huge vanilla shake.
"You mean never?" Boomer said, reaching out to steal a french fry from Butch. He slapped Boomer.
"I mean never," Bubbles confirmed, taking the double cheese burger in her hands.
"Really?" cried Princess.
Bubbles took a bite of her food and then responded. “It's my job, remember? Also, I'm not the one to arrest the bad guys and interrogate them or whatever. Also, the police don't always steal the credit."
"She has a point," Butch agreed. "They would look ridiculous claiming that they defeated one of those monsters from the Monster Isle when it is recorded how they run in terror for their lives while shitting their pants."
Bubbles chuckled, that video still in her memory.
"And for that," Bubbles said. "It's not worth fighting for the credit of something as miniscule as a bank robbery."
Princess seemed to want to continue debating when the alarm went off. Bubbles cursed under her breath. Why couldn't the city sit still for five damn minutes? Why did the monsters have to come and ruin the succulent food in front of her? Stupid city.
A roar, and everyone turned their gaze towards the cluster of buildings being destroyed by a hideous reddish mass. Well, it wasn't like monsters were pretty, but there was always one that was more disgusting than the other.
"Bubsy ..." said Princess, looking at her urgently. Oh no!
"Don't even think about it," Brick said, pointing a finger at Princess.
"But it's huge!" argued Princess.
"Like all fucking monsters!"
Princess turned to see Bubbles, waiting for the signal.
"No."
Princess growled, annoyed. There were things that seemed not to change.
"And neither do you!" Brick said, now looking at Butch. He shrugged, but glanced at Bubbles.
As much as she appreciated the help, she was grateful that at least one of the brothers had enough common sense to stop the other two. In the past, she might have resented it, but now she was calm knowing that there was someone with a braincell who understood the danger that came with saving the city.
She got up, snatched the sandwich from Butch's hands, and flew off at the monster, leaving behind Butch's claims for his food.
Building met Bubbles. Bubbles met building. Stupid three-eyed red monster with its... disgusting slime. Why should it have slime?
Okay. It was obvious the strategy she'd used wasn't the best, but it was the first that came to her mind... And the last time she followed Buttercup's ideas.
She got up and tried to walk, stumbling. Chemical X worked to stabilize her right leg, dampened with what Bubbles guessed was blood. Her blouse also had some reddish stains. She hoped it was from the monster's blood and not hers.
Think, Bubbles, think. What would Blossom do? What would Buttercup do?
Yell at each other surely.
Bubbles pushed that thought away and concentrated. All monsters had a weak point. Some more obvious than others but all, without exception, had it. She just had to take a good look, remember everything she had seen of the monster before slamming into various buildings.
The monster took a bite out of one of the buildings, already empty, then made a guttural sound.
A bolt of energy? No, that won't penetrate its skin. It would just drive it crazy.
A supersonic scream? No, that would infuriate it.
Heat vision? No, unless you want to become more blind and the monster destroys everything in its agony.
A tornado? You can't form something big enough to absorb a gigantic monster like that.
A terrified scream distracted her. Bubbles limped over to the edge of the floor where she was, picking up a little boy in one of the buildings that were about to be ripped apart by the monster. The monster also noticed the boy's existence and stretched out one of his claws.
Bubbles leapt off the building, flying straight at the boy and catching him in her arms before the monster could harm him. She led him to a group of people in a few streets away from the chaos. A woman approached the boy, trying to calm him down. Bubbles hoped the mother was close and safe.
Another muffled noise caught his attention.
Bubbles took one last look at the boy and returned to the monster, still thinking about how to destroy it.
What did she know?
It was red, with three eyes, claws, four pairs of horns, and hundreds of spikes on the rest of the body. Oh, and tentacles instead of legs. Its muzzle was filled with at least three rows of sharp teeth, and slime dripped from it. A putrid white slime.
After defeating the monster, she would surely have to cut her hair. It wasn't like it was that long, but she doubted the slime would wash off easily with a bath.
Well, at least the solution to her hair was already there. Not so the solution to prevent Townsville from continuing to be destroyed.
She was about to hit it directly again, testing her luck with that attack, when an idea occurred to her. A disgusting idea. But that was possibly the solution to everything.
Against her common sense, she provoked the monster with a supersonic scream. She managed to dodge the odd tentacle, watching closely the position of its claws. When she was at a distance, the monster did not miss the opportunity and seized her.
Bubbles didn't bother to fight, it didn't seem like anyone had a better idea than that… She closed her eyes before the monster scooped her up, swallowing her. At least it didn't chew her.
She tried to relax so she could pass through the gigantic esophagus. Of course doing that was impossible; she was about to be swallowed and digested and she didn't know which was worse: not knowing if her plan would result or the white slime that was beginning to cover her.
Just relax, Bubs… It will take just a few seconds and then it will be over. Take out this horrifying monster and then you go home.
Bubbles swallowed, fighting the urge to throw up. She opened her eyes, darkness being the only thing she perceived.
It seemed to her that she was barely going down the middle of the esophagus, but the stench and slime grew thicker and thicker. She needed to reach the stomach to burst the monster from within, but the monster's organic conditions were making her reconsider that idea.
A cough, followed by a contraction in the esophagus, was enough of a signal for Bubbles to realize that she was stuck in the monster's digestive tract. It was choking because of her, and trying to get her out with coughs.
Maybe she could kill it by drowning it.
But Bubbles could no longer bear the smell or the slimy sensation that surrounded her.
Even though her hands were caught, she managed to focus enough energy to free it, slicing the monster off. Some slime went straight into one of her eyes. Gross.
The city wasn't paying her enough to deal with the dirty work. She didn't even get paid. And even if she did, no amount of money was worth it.
For a brief moment, Bubbles thought that her power had only hit the monster a little. Seconds later, the monster exploded, and she flew off to another building.
Bubbles had barely managed to get up when several people came out of hiding, some cheering and others clapping. They approached her, keeping their distance because of the white slime that permeated her.
Some took their cameras out, both to focus on the monster's remains and to record her after that victory.
Smile, Bubbles, smile. You are "The Joy and the Laughter"; they expect you to smile, to laugh, to pretend that everything is fine. And assure them that you are here, you will always be here...
Stucked with them, to save them, to save the day, no matter what...
The Power… The Powerpuff Girls… They will always save the city.
She did so. She smiled, she laughed a little, she pretended that everything was fine.
Because they swore to it. Protect the city with everything they had.
Until their last breath.
"She is powerful, master."
"It won't be enough," he assured her. "No matter what she or those Rowdyrock Boys do. Their dimensions are mine..."
Only his.
His protégé was right; that little blonde girl was powerful, even alone. But that was her main problem: she was alone. Her sisters were ten feet underground. She didn't possess the intelligence of her elder sister, nor the strength of her other sister. Neither she had the ice power of her red-haired sister, nor the stamina of her dark-haired sister.
No.
She was just a little blonde, a sweet little child that pretended she wasn't scared of the dangers of the great city of Townsville. But deep down, she was terrified.
And those Rowdyrock Boys... they thought they could beat him. Yet they were hiding so many nasty little secrets among themselves that it would be a matter of time before they were destroyed. Poor saps. One wrong move and it would be their end.
It was only a matter of time before Bubbles Utonium gave up; before the Momo brothers destroyed themselves.
They would fall, they would all fall.
It didn't matter if they got help from their counterparts, from other dimensions... It would never be enough.
They could never win. They would lose just like the rest.
And in the end...
He would rule over both dimensions, and all those that followed.
It was only a matter of time.