Powerpuff Girls: Brawl Chapter 13: Upon Time, a powerpuff girls fanfic

Buxiu belongs to Scourge From BloodClan.

Avalon belongs to xXB.r.o.k.e.n.3Xx.

Maxine belongs to ROCueva.

Paradox belongs to xXxParadoxXx.

Saki belongs to Misei.

Lizzie belongs to Geny-darkside16

Blood: XxDoYouKnowMexX

All other OCs belong to me, Bunnykoi.

Everything else, I do not own.

Four more weeks until the games and time seemed to be moving faster and faster as the impeding date loomed over everyone. In less than a mouth, the Earth's heroes will be taken away to fight each other to the death, and it was times like these where panic started to settle in for most. Some of the world's strongest and bravest heroes started to crumble under pressure; even to the point of attempting suicide. Some would rather die on Earth than at the hands of some sadistic aliens. Different nations from all over had several world conferences over the issue of protection if worst came to shove; if the entire world's population of heroes were going to be wiped out, then what would happen to the rest of the defenseless humanity should another extraterrestrial threat invaded Earth.

The people of the world began to hold ceremonies to appreciate their super heroes who have risked their lives to keep their people safe. Cities held parades, nations declared holidays, and humanity celebrated their saviors, but for most it seemed like a morbid way of saying "Good-bye" like a pre-funeral ceremony. Despite the cheerful parties, it was all a depressing façade to celebrate their last living days on Earth.

This also meant the same for the girls too.

During training sessions, the girls would have visitors from Townsville who would send them presents and tell the girls how much they appreciated their noble service. Autographs and signatures were one thing, but good-bye poems and artwork dedicated to them were something completely different. As the days continued, the more citizens would show at their doorstop with nonstop tearful farewells. People would even craft effigies of the girls in their likeness. There were times where Bubbles couldn't take it and asked to be excused several times a day.

It hurt them most when friends arrived.

It was awkward and depressing. Their friends would show up with smiles, jokes and laughter like everything was normal. The supposed casual atmosphere was backed with sadness and melancholy. It was frankly suffocating to be honest. Everybody had the exact same thing on their mind, but nobody wanted to say anything. It understandable why nobody wanted to talk about the inevitable, but it did no good to keep in gilded behind happy smiles and good comfort. It made the girls want to scream, but they didn't have a choice but to keep it to themselves. They would rather give their friends happier memories than painful ones.

The intense training the girls endured was starting to payback in full. They were nothing like the three little girls with super powers that saved Townsville day after day, but instead, they became young women with godlike abilities at their command. Powers that could shake the earth, move the seas, crack the skies, and even draw forth the powers of the cosmos themselves. The Powerpuff Girls have grown stronger, there was no doubt about that. They were stronger than those girls who were embarrassingly defeated in the school all of those months ago. Their abilities and powers have developed and branched out into their own unique skills and techniques that would give them an edge in combat. With their growing powers, they have also grown physically. Their intense work-out had done wonders to their physic; tones muscles, athletic body features, and developing abs, or in Buttercup's case, actual abs.

Their newfound strength has impressed their fellow comrades to the point where they themselves have evolved from their own weak beginnings. Team Avian was quite the mixed matched team of three very different girls with seemingly unsynchronized skills, but that was far from the truth. Avalon proved herself to be the strategic brains of the group, despite her giddy nature. While she could never beat Blossom, Avalon has proved to be worthy opponent in wits and quick street smarts. She proved several team attacks by studying her teammates powers and abilities and formulated several codes and hand-signs for certain group attacks in almost every situation needed. Her powers were quite the step-up from what she was used to, but it was quite the necessary improvement. Maxine Levesque has grown to be more than just a simple psychic. As the group's power, she has developed enough stamina and willpower to enhance her powers into mystic skills of great power. She was able to keep her power active for long periods of time without much strain. Because of this, Maxine became a dangerous opponent, if not, a reliable ally. Bùxiǔ Línghún was indeed full of surprises. She was the strongest of the three, making her the team's strength, equipped with super human strength and abilities that only make her stronger. Her most unique skill yet was her clan's ability to become a dragon, however, such a power has never been seen by anyone, including her teammates. However, Bùxiǔ has proven to be true by her fire-based powers and monster-like strength.

Team Aura was comprised of three girls who were new to the superhero gig, unfamiliar with their own powers and, for the sake of the Games, were forced to learn quickly in order to survive. They were quite the underdog team. Their team formation was quite an odd one, because they were all full of energy, they were classified as Power Heroes, however a balanced team required a Leader, a Power and a Brawn hero respectively. But somehow, the girls made it work. Bara-Bara was the perfect role for the team's Brawn, but she saw herself as more of a leader, mainly because she was the only one who wanted to be leader. Her style was very reckless and underhanded, but somehow, it worked to her advantage to distract her opponents from the real threat in Team Aura: Paradox. Paradox was quite the enigma with her ghost-like psychic powers; nobody could determine how strong she was, but it was very clear that she was a powerful force not to be reckoned, despite her dark intentions. In theory, she would be considered the team's brawn, if not power. Samantha Kiore, mostly called Saki, was the most difficult of the team in terms of developing ability; her powers didn't come as easily as the others, but that was because she was mostly considered as a "Passive" type. Her powers were defined by her environment and the people she had bonded with, making her an interesting "wild card". She had followed Blossom's advice and focused on her supporting abilities to help her teammates in battle.

Team Techno were a team comprised of heroes who were technologically savvy. While it may seem like an overall weakness for the team, they used it to their advantage. Their leader was an android labeled RX19 Model: C4, or C4 for short. Normally, androids could not enter the games for they were completely inorganic and could not pass for human, however, C4 was different. While her body was robotic, certain organs, like her brain and heart, and also her consciousness was exported from a dying human into a new body—in those technicalities, she would be considered a cyborg. Nonetheless, C4 a fighting unit, created for the purpose of battle. Her skills were quite basic, super speed, strength and so on, but she able to calculate maneuvers faster than any human and relay them back to her team. Kyle Adalbert, known as Tech, was simply a young man with an intense infatuation for technology. He has the powers of technokinesis, able to manipulate and enhance technology at his will. Tech can use those abilities to strengthen his teammates and craft weapons of his own to fight with, which would be fitting for the team's power. Last, but not least, Team Techno's Power was Blood. It wasn't a shock for Blood to be on a team, but her group have been quite secretive in their training. It was rumored that her strength was invisible—even for a cyborg. She was a strong as she was beautiful, and with her quick movements, she could take down anyone in her way without much of a hassle.

Team Psycho were a group of…different heroes—some wouldn't consider them heroes. Like Team Aura, this group had an odd balance of energy among them. They made it work amongst the group, calling themselves a "glass canon team". Their formation was controlled and they understood their roles in the team, but the three of them together seemed quite unstable and erratic. Team leader was Nikolai Messha—but only because he was probably the most outspoken of the trio. Freshly released out of the psychiatric ward in time for the games, Nikolai had sorcerous abilities that most would thought was nothing but a fairy tale, but Nikolai was far from a "happy ever after". His powers were of the darker arts, which more capable of slowly defeating his opponents with particular curses. While he has no leadership capabilities, he was smart enough to call the right moves for his team. The group's power was a young girl named Elizabeth J. Walker—Lizzie for short. She was quiet and mysterious, making others wonder where she came from. Her therapist, Dr. Henry Flatten, was the one who best explained her situation as to how she got her mark and her powers. Lizzie was another on the list of telepathic humans—able to control objects and people at ease, flying at great heights and nothing less than a speedster. She would only communicate when necessary. Psycho's brawn called herself Agni. Another hero of mystery, Agni's abilities were uncommon among the ranks as she was able to transform into a flaming form of absolute power and strength. In her second form, she can unlock all of her super powers and unleash them in a controlled frenzy at her enemy, however, it was only for a limited time. Otherwise, she would revert back to her human form and relay on her basic skills.

More and more teams of were formed as the weeks passed. Each hero and villain finding those who they were most compatible with, who they could work best with, in order to survive the games as long as possible. Most understood that the possibilities of survival were impossible considering the odds stacked against them, but several hero teams have agreed to work together in an effort to ensure no villains would survive. Alliances were formed.

However, this also meant the villains formed alliances of their own, but of course there was a chance of betrayal, so it was too risky to start planning so early before the games began. The villains thought carefully on who they wanted in their own teams, picking and choosing who would dominate in the games, and deciding quickly before all of the good ones were gone. But among the list of villains, there were a few popular teams who were guaranteed to clean house in the games. A scary thought but something for the heroes to continue training for.

But those training hours became shorter and shorter as the days went by.

One week passed, then another.

Time was running out.

The pressure and anxiety were getting to most. Nobody wanted to be forced to fight and kill their comrades for some sort of sick entertainment. Most heroes and some tendered hearted villains couldn't take the idea of killing others, and would rather end their own lives instead of being a part of something terrible. Throughout the weeks, the news would report suicides of heroes and villains alike, dwindling numbers overall.

It got to the point where the girls couldn't watch the news anymore. Attending to their former comrades' funerals was enough from them.

With two weeks left, the AWSH announced to its heroes that their training had officially completed. Whether or not they were ready to fight for their lives, the association urged their comrades to go home and spend their final days with their loved one, and make peace before leaving the Earth one last time. Major Glory's words hurt to most, but by now, everyone had grown strong enough to understand what they had to do. If it meant fighting a losing battle to win a greater war, then most heroes were ready to die to keep the Earth safe from villains who wish to claim it.

The training halls were closed, but that didn't stop some who wished to go the extremes. They just had to do it on their own time.

After hearing the news, the Professor couldn't help but agree and shut down his training simulator for good. The girls spent weeks in this place, and it was time for them to relax and be together as a family.

Not for the last time, he prayed.

The girls wanted to help rebuild the city, but the citizens urged them not to. They wanted the girls to relax while they still can, but that didn't stop them from being the Powerpuff Girl; dedicated to protecting the city and assisting its citizens, no matter the costs. Every single person in Townsville were the girls' loved ones, and fixing their home was a means of distraction for what's to come.

Mrs. Keane forbid Bubbles from cooking, and made it her sworn duty, as the mother of the household, to cook their meals. While their mother's cooking wasn't as heavenly and magical as Bubbles's, it had a wonderful charm of delicious homecooked food prepared by a loving mother. Plus, it beat the Professor's food by a landslide. Mrs. Keane even made enough to satisfy Buttercup's never-ending appetite. Occasionally, Mitch Mitchelson would stop by and ask to join for dinnertime, with the Professor approval, of course. Taking a seat next to his girlfriend, Mitch would participate in reminiscing throughout the memories of their childhood. The girls would laugh and joke in their trip down memory lane, while the adults would chuckle and shake their heads from their childish adventures and misbehaviors.

After dinner, Mitch would stay longer and chat with Buttercup over absolute nonsense that would make her laugh out loud, or they would sit around and watch a movie while occasionally make-out, when the others were not around. Eventually, Mitch would have to go before it would get too dark, and left Buttercup with a romantic kiss.

Robin Synder would stop by the Utonium residence for a girl's night, because calling it a "sleepover" was childish, now that they were growing young adults. The girls spent the entire day gossiping, doing hair and nails, playing games and stuffing their faces with as much chocolate and junk food as the law allowed. They would laugh and enjoy the merriment during the pillow fights, the charades, and rom-com marathons. They had honestly missed spending time together. While they were next door neighbors, they four of them had been so busy between school and fighting crime over the years that the time for slumber parties and playing pretend were quickly abandoned for school projects and study groups. But that didn't break their strong friendship; it only made it stronger.

Their parents took their daughters on more and more trips out of the house. Picnics by the lakeside, without the sudden monster attack; calm and peaceful car rides across the countryside and back; even the small moments of helping around the house or mundane tasks were cherished more than ever before. The girls were so drunk in all of the attention and merriment that the idea of the games was nothing more than a distance memory nearly forgotten. But they could never forget, for it was the reason why their loved ones would spend so much effort into making their last moments with them so memorable. It was bittersweet to say the least.

And with one week left on the Earth, the girls were determined to make sure that they would make it home alive.

Bunny sat alone in the large Morebucks estate looking out the window at Princess's impressively large garden maze. Her team had been training nonstop day and night and with only a week away from the start of the games, Princess believed that they have reach the height of their powers and needed some well-deserved rest. Beauty had disagreed with her leader and continued her training alone, with no rest in sight.

Bunny was quite worried with her orange teammate. Over the course of several weeks, Team Princess had been visited by many associates of the Rowdyruff Boys, who they were to address as allies. Beauty was quite perturbed from Brick for a while and those emotions toward him had never ceased, so Beauty opted to keep her distance from the boys as much as possible. That was until they had as sparring match against the boys, and, of course, lost to them. Beauty took that defeat the hardest and never forgave Princess for the absolute failure of leading her team to defeat. Beauty blamed everyone, except herself after that day, and trained viciously than ever.

The encounter with the Powerpunk Girls was no better to say the least. The second Beauty made eye contact with Brute, it was like that same energy Bunny felt when Beauty stared down Buttercup. It was like two of the same energy fields clashing against each other without physical contact. When it was time to fight against the Powerpunks, it had felt like two Buttercups were fighting against each other, and it was very unnerving.

With more and more sparring matches they faced, they had some victories, and some loses, but Beauty could never accept the loses, pushing Princess to train them harder. This caused some tension between the two as Princess commented bitterly:

"Well….it seems like someone is having a bit of malfunction. Perhaps, we should take you back, maybe you are better off in your factory setting!"

The aftermath of the fight left Princess unconscious for three days. Afterwards, the two girls resumed business like it was normal, but with some extremely tense atmosphere between them. Bunny was powerless to stop them, but was very much confused as to why Beauty attacked her teammate to viciously. It was uncalled for to say the least, and what Princess said made no sense. To be fair, Bunny doesn't know anything about Beauty.

Bunny was starting to think that working for the Rowdyruffs and participating for the games was a bad idea. For the obvious reasons, victory was not guaranteed for them. Despite the promise Him made for them, Bunny would rather not experience death—again—especially at someone else's hands. She knew being revived was only meant to be part of the games, but she did not understand why it had to be her. She was sure that there were many warriors and fighters stronger and more powerful than her.

Why did Him decided to resurrect her?

It couldn't possibly be to see her sisters again. Especially, if she was excepted to fight and kill them.

The memories she had of her limited previous life were fuzzy to her. She could remember some key moments that lead to her demise, but anything too specific was lost to her. Bunny remembered being confused.

When she was born, her sisters gave her job—a purpose—to fight crime and stop than bad guys.

That was simple.

But she did it wrong.

How?

Bunny's purpose was to stop those who sought to hurt others. The people in blue were pointing their weapons at the people who wore black, so that meant they were in danger and she stopped the bad guys.

The men in blue.

But her sisters were not happy with what she did.

But she did everything they told her to do.

So why were they displeased?

Bunny do good—

Bunny thought she did what she was supposed to do.

And when her sisters were in trouble, she fought back and saved them.

And everything was blank after that.

She died.

…. but how did she die?

She was killed, obviously, but who killed her?

The only people she could think of were her sisters.

But that idea was ridiculous. They were her sisters, her creators, they had no reason to kill her. Didn't they love her? She saved them…. even though it was her fault. She made mistakes—sure—but it wasn't enough for them to kill her, was it?

She placed a hand on her forehead; her conflicting thoughts were giving her a headache.

Bunny didn't want to believe that her sisters killed her. That would be silly. They were family—family would never betray each other.

If Bunny was in trouble, then there was no doubt that Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup would swoop in with their awesome, super powers and save their sister. Just like how they would save the people. They fought crime every day, putting the bad guys in jail and keeping the city safe.

And if the girls could do all of those amazing things, why didn't they do the same for her?

Why did she die when the girls could have saved her?

Did they let her die? Why didn't the Powerpuff Girls save her like she saved them?

Did they replace Bunny? Why didn't the Powerpuff Girls bring her back?

Did they forget Bunny?

Did they not love Bunny?

Did Powerpuff Girls kill Bunny?

Because Bunny no do good?

Bunny no do good?

Bunny no do good?

Bunny no do good?

No.

Bunny do good.

Powerpuffs no do good.

Powerpuffs hurt Bunny.

Powerpuffs kill Bunny.

Powerpuffs bad guys.

Powerpuffs bad guys.

Bunny no bad guy.

Bunny kill Powerpuffs.

Bunny kill Powerpuffs.

Bunny.

Kill.

Powerpuff Girls.

Boomer was a quiet boy.

He never spoke much or talked back a lot. He just went along with his brothers, because it was the right thing to do—not to mention the safest. Boomer never felt as if he was in danger when he was with his brothers. They beat him up and pick on him because he was weakest of the trio, but it was to make him stronger. If anybody else pick on Boomer, it would have been a different story.

For a long time, Boomer thought he wanted nothing more than to be with his brothers and following Brick's orders was better than going against them. Boomer, honestly, had no desire for revenge or for world domination; he was content with just…living. He didn't want to die. Again.

But that was until he saw her again.

She was different from he saw her last. Of course, she changed like her sisters in physical appearance, but there was something different about her that separated her from her sisters. She was pure.

She was innocent.

She was sweet.

Like pure sugar—untouched and uncorrupted from the world around her.

Like an angel—he wanted to be near her—he couldn't explain the feeling.

He wanted to touch her and feel her purity.

He didn't want to fight her, but he had to. He held back as much as he could.

But she didn't. She was afraid of him.

Even when he tried to help her, she was afraid of him.

She hated him. To her very core.

Because of what he and his brothers did to her and her sisters.

She had a reason to hate him, but it still hurt.

Her beautiful face twisted into pure spite remained engraved in his mind for the past several weeks since that night. And ever since then, Boomer became withdrawn from any sort of conversation or any social activity. He would lock himself in his room for days and stare into nothingness. His brothers left him alone for the most part, and only spoke to him to announce it was time to eat, even then, Boomer would hardly budge.

He couldn't explain this feeling he had that was making him so depressed over her. Her disgusted face was forever etched into his mind refusing to leave him at peace. He could never forget how he made her feel that moment; as though her very reaction was his punishment. Punishment for being so foolish as to believe an angel like her would bother with something as tainted and disgusting as he was.

Such a fitting punishment. The object of his desires hating him. Forever.

And he had to kill her.

Boomer was so wrapped in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed the visitor in his room.

His brother: Brick.

He honestly sure how long Brick had stood there. He wasn't sure when Brick entered.

Brick held this tight lease on the boys all theses years; he had to. When three boys were under the rule of the devil himself, they had to collectively get their priorities together, or else they would die. Or, as HIM promised, experience something worse than death itself. All three of them knew what it was like to die; trapping in an endless, piercing, screaming void with no hope of escape and allowing the darkness to shallow you whole. They couldn't imagine something worse than that.

Brick had to be tough on his brothers to keep them alive, even if it meant losing their insanity. Butch coped with it his own way; his chaotic, rowdy nature was his way of keeping himself together. Butch never did anything without Brick's permission, and he was fine with that. There was no arguing when it came to Butch, he simply followed Brick's orders given to him without question. That's how much Butch trusted Brick.

Boomer trusted Brick too. Brick pulled Boomer out of tough situations more than he could remember. Brick always had his back whenever Boomer did something stupid. Once, Boomer was responsible for failing a mission, but Brick took the blame for it instead, and received a punishment that left his body scarred and bloodied. It took months for Brick to recover, despite the fact that he had to stand up the next day. Brick was there for Boomer, in his own way, and Boomer had to be there for his brother. But there were times he couldn't help but feel a burden; that, for some reason, he was holding Butch and Brick back.

Like now.

Being wrapped up in his stupid emotions instead of talking to his older sibling.

"Hey." How long had he been in his room? His voice was dry, despite not sounding like it.

"You've been in here for days now." A bottle of water was placed at his feet. He took it. "You wanna talk about her now?"

His stomach dropped. His nerves shook to the core. How did he—

"I've been tracking these bitches for months Boomer. Did you really think I wasn't going to find out?"

The cameras. Fucking dumbass.

Boomer opened his mouth.

"Don't you dare apologize to me."

Boomer closed his mouth.

"…Be grateful that HIM has not seen that video. What were you thinking?" Brick scolded, but not as harsh as Boomer expected.

Boomer…really didn't know how to respond. That was thing: Boomer wasn't thinking at all. Just like the dumbass that he was. "…I don't know…"

He fiddled with his water bottle. "…She was so nice…and s-sweet…" He felt Brick sitting down on his bed as he spoke. "I wanted…to help…so she could be nice to me, but….she hates me. What else did I except?"

Brick remained quiet.

"…I get why she hates me, but…why does it hurt? I didn't think…it would hurt this much…"

"You feel pain?"

Boomer nodded. "I hate this feeling." He admitted. "I hate…feeling…I hate feeling the pain, the agony, the sorrow. They came when I felt these other warm emotions before. They were strange, but they felt good…now they hurt."

"She made you feel this way."

"Yeah. She did."

"You want to make the pain stop?"

Boomer nodded.

"This is what they do. They worm your way into you being and try control you. Instead of outward affections, they make you vulnerable with warm smiles and sweet actions."

Boomer remembered their first day of school. She gave him a brush to fix his hair. She helped him out a silly joke. She was so nice to him. She smiled at him.

Was she just using him this entire time?

He let her go with minor injuries.

He helped her from Brat.

He gave her that fucking doll back.

That was all for nothing?

"She didn't care?" Boomer muttered.

"Of course, she doesn't care. If she did, we wouldn't having this conversation."

"…I feel…like a fool…" His entire world came crashing down, and the façade of a perfect, beautiful image he had was ruined, and became bleak, heartless and cruel; like the true world he lived in.

She was no angel; she was but a succubus.

Now it was Boomer who felt disgusted. He hated himself for falling for such a trick. His disgusted boiled into anger and hatred. The water bottle he had in his hand was receiving all of the spite; the water inside had already evaporated and plastic bottle itself was melting in his heated hands. Boomer tried to breath, pushing the sadness and tears away, leaving only boiling anger.

It all made sense. It all made sense why she did the things she did.

It was because she was controlling him.

She didn't like him.

She hated him.

She only wanted to see him squirm under her control.

It was all a lie; everything was a lie.

Boomer threw the smoldering remains of the bottle on the ground. He hollowed in rage and punched a hole in the wall in front of him.

"I hate this feeling!" Boomer screamed breathing through the rage. "I want it all GO AWAY!"

BAM!

Another hole in the wall.

"And it's all her fault! She tricked me, Brick! She made me feel like this! She made me weak! AND I HATE IT!"

"You hate her."

"I HATE HER."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Brick watched his little brother pull his fist out of the wall. He stood immobile for a while, his face hidden in the darkness of shadow, but he could see his eyes. Deep blue eyes that were once distant in a dream far away from here, were now locked in determination. Whatever light he had kept—light of a child-like innocence—was dead. Hallowed out and replaced by cold malice Brick recognized for himself. Brick hated to see Boomer like this, but it had to be done. The Games were something they prepared for their entire afterlives for, and it had no room for emotions.

Boomer was their weakest link, and Brick had to make sure he was ready.

"I want to see her beautiful face, cold and empty, as she falls limp by my hands."

He was finally ready.

This was their last three days on Earth.

Blossom held it all together for the sake of her friends and family, but inside, she was anything but sane. Every time she let her guard down, she would see Brick, but only for a moment. He would disappear before she caught him.

Her powers had grown beyond expectations. She was more hyper-aware of her surrounding then ever before. Every detail of the house from the number tiles in each individual section of the lab, to every pluming and pipe system that were in the walls, to the birds that nested on their rooftop. Blossom could feel the inhabitants of the people inside her house, as well as her neighbors in the entire subdivision, and the citizens of Townsville itself. She didn't need to be actively aware most of the time, it was more a passive ability—but a mighty one indeed. Everything in the light she could see, but she could not touch the darkness and shadow.

Which explained how Brick could escape her vision so easily.

She didn't want to tell anyone and ruin their special moments. Blossom kept it all to herself.

But this time, Brick wasn't going to chase her around. Instead, she was going to find him.

That night, when Blossom felt everyone in deep sleep, she meditated.

She cancelled out all sources of light—from the people, the fauna, and the plants—and focused on the dark. She closed her eyes and did nothing but breath.

In and out.

Up and down.

Light and dark.

She was dreaming again.

Blossom, clad in white, was standing in a boxed room of mirrors and shone bight—but only from the inside. Outside the box was the void; nothing but darkness so vast it was unimaginable. She couldn't sense anything outside of the box, and that frightened her. Blossom touched the glass to find it thin.

She jumped back when a black clawed hand stretched through the glass, like plastic, and reached desperately for her flesh. The hand could only reach so far before retreating back into the darkness. The hand returned, this time from above. Blossom ducked away from its limited reach, now unafraid, as it retreats to try again at a different angle. The hand popped in and out of different corners of the box in order to grab her. It succeed for a second, until Blossom expanded her power outward damaging the hand greatly. It sunk back into the void, and where it retreated, Blossom saw him.

Brick, dressed in black, was standing on the other side of the wall facing her. Eyes red like sin flowing with controlled darkness and spite. A smug grin plastered his face; Blossom wanted nothing more than to shatter this box and fight him right here and now. Everything she trained her has lead her to this moment.

But that would mean throwing it all away if she fought him here.

The two stared at each other for what felt like hours, neither of them moved, no one budged, no one yielded—not even a blink.

"Welcome." He spoke first.

"I get it now. This is how you do it."

"Dreams are easy. They're kept in the dark of your own mind. Think of it as an unlocked back door you never knew existed."

"Well considered it locked."

"Took you a while to figure it out. But your little light show won't keep you for long. Come out."

CRACK!

"No thank you. I won't be here for long."

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

"You know why. In less than three days, you will get a taste of how strong we've become."

"And what makes you think we're not stronger, hm?"

"We'll have to test it. On the battlefield."

CRACK!

"You have no idea what will transpire when the Games begin."

"Neither do you."

"True. But I know a bloodbath when it's coming. And I know you little girls won't able to handle it when it comes."

"Don't tell me you're offering a deal."

"All you have to do is open this box." CRACK! "And sink into the abyss."

"You're sick."

"You'll be spared from the true pain that awaits you. All of your little friends you made, your sisters, you won't have to see them die."

CRACK!

"So just let go. Let all of it go. And let the darkness consume you."

CRACK!

"You'll only fall into a peaceful slumber. No pain. No sorrow. No strife. Just sleep."

CRACK!—CRACK!—CRACK!

"What do you say?"

"….I say you're full of shit."

The box reinforced itself at her words. The cracks on the walls caused by the pressure of the dark were repaired stronger than before by her light.

Brick's grin twisted into a wicked smile as he chuckled.

"You really think I would fall for that? Fall for your little trap? You know good and damn well if I let you in you were going to do nothing but torture me even more."

His chuckled turned into malicious laughter.

"There was no way you were going to let me out of the games."

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you from the inside out. You have no idea how much it excites me to know how much stronger you are since we last fought. It just means that your suffering will be so. Much. Fun."

Brick slammed his fist onto the glass causing it to break, but Blossom quickly repaired it.

"You, my dear, are going to pay for what you and your sisters did to us. You're going to pay with your life, but not before I persecute you to an inch of your breath! I'm gonna start slow…"

Blossom dodged a dark claw from behind.

"…I'm gonna break you down. Strip and rip apart your mind, body and everything you held dear."

A claw from above and below, she ducked and rolled out of the way.

The box was getting smaller.

"Then…THEN! I'm gonna hurt you."

More cracks appeared faster than she could fix.

"I'm gonna beat you! I'm gonna make YOU BEG FOR MERCY! I will see to it that you will have no rest from my wrath!"

The box was crumbling.

"You're going to feel everything felt all these years."

The darkness was leaking in.

"Then I'm gonna kill you."

"Not if I kill you first."

The box crumbled and shattered into nothing as Blossom withdrew her power from reinforcing it. She fell into abyss, but nothing harmed her. Nothing came to attack her. Brick disappeared the second her barrier broke leaving her all alone in the void.

She was falling.

And falling.

Into the light.

Blossom woke up to a haunting sound.

A sound she heard in her dreams long ago.

And sound that shook her deepest fears back alive.

A shrilling shriek, like a banshee, piercing the peace and tranquility of the everyday life. It was haunting and disturbing; it made her skin crawl. It shook her to her core, immobilizing her. It was all she could hear.

She couldn't register her sisters and her parents panicking over the noise.

Blossom tried to speak back, but her own voice fell deaf to everyone around.

Buttercup took the lead and flew outside, followed by Bubbles.

Her instincts were screaming, begging her to stay put; nearly making her paralyzed in her spot, but she moved anyway. In flash, she was outside.

The morning birds flew away. The surrounding fauna ran. The neighborhood dogs were barking madly. The people pointed to the sky in fear and awe. It was cloudy, dark and gloomy, but the clouds were being pushed to the side. They parted ever so slightly for a small cube machine before the clouds came back together, but that wasn't what everyone was pointing at.

There was large encompassing shadow that loomed underneath the cloud. It was dark early morning, because a colossal object—a ship blocked out the dark, and perhaps the sun itself.

The girls, the neighborhood, the city, and the world stood in silent horror at the invaders—it was them.

The Null.

The cube was the source of the dreaded noise—the sound of which had Blossom's head spinning at this point. The cube floated high in the air, high above the city, but it couldn't be the only one—Blossom had a feeling.

After what felt like forever, the ear-piercing noise stopped awakening the girls to the chaos of the rest of the world. People were screaming, car alarms rang, and the animals were crying and roaring at the sight.

The girls stood amidst it all, taking the sights and sounds before. Knowing well the dread and horror of what's to come, and already missing the peaceful and more simple times they had in their city—their life.

The winds blew ominously, and the marks on their hands began to sting.

It didn't hurt as much, but it caught them off guard enough to react to it.

"GIRLS! GIRLS GET IN HERE!"

The girls, hesitantly, flew back into the house at their parents' call. The Professor and Mrs. Keane were staring at the television as if their life depended on it. There was nothing on the screen but static and a gurgling voice no one could understand.

"The hell is going on…?" Buttercup shuddered.

"Don't you dare become ignorant." Blossom hissed not bothering to look toward her sister.

Before Buttercup could retaliate, the T.V. screen reacted into a full and clear picture. There were five figures covered in head to toe in a black veiled cloak. They were alien, heads pointed at the skull, long sharp, skeletal like fingers and feet, and their eyes, visible from the cloaks, were many. Each cloaked alien had different numbers of eyes—all red.

Blossom twitched but shook it off.

The tallest one, at the center, with blood red eyes of nine, walked stepped forward.

He spoke. His voice deep and hallow that gave everyone who listened frightening chills.

"A century has passed since our visit and the humans are more populated than ever. We commend you for your survival and longevity."

"We commend you. We commend you. We commend you." The other four echoed behind their leader.

"However, our readings shown a mass increase of cosmic radiation among the human race. Several percentages higher than the intergalactic regulations."

"Intergalactic—?! What the hell are they talking about?!" Mrs. Keane panicked voicing everyone's thoughts.

"According to Article Theta: Subsection Gamma: Paragraphs 8, 9, and 10, as well as keeping to the Order that has been the source of balance across space and time, the Planet Earth in Galaxy Stars: 11284, or 'Milky Way', is now under Census Law."

"Census Law. Census Law. Census Law."

"As many are aware, we have sent our drones to locate the anomalies on your planet and have given them a pass, called the 'Mark of Acceptance'. This is your tool to enter."

Blossom stared down at her hand where her mark was located.

"Our data has shown us that the average human life span is 70 years—several generations have passed since our last arrival, so we are happy to explain the Census Law once again. We are under the understanding that humans enjoy 'games' for entertainment. For centuries, we have designed the Census Law rather differently for this planet as opposed to others. Earth's Census Law is a competition where victory means life while defeat is death."

Everyone stared at the television with baited-breath at the alien's words. It was all true. Everything was true. And it's happening. Right before their eyes.

"We have asked anomalies to participate in groups of three and fight in teams only. Our numbers have given a total of 5,966 teams in total—a number higher than our expectations. We are very excited to host all of you."

"Bullshit…" Buttercup growled.

"In less than 48 hours this time, we will begin the Preliminaries. We hope you enjoy your remaining moments on Earth, for on the dawn of the second day, we shall commence the Games."

The leader of the Null raised it arms up high, and through the outlines of the veil, Blossom could see this creature. It was the same monster she saw in her dreams. It plagued her like an omen of what was to come—a recurring nightmare come true. There was spotlight on the leader and everyone saw it. It was skeletal, similar to humans, but at the same time, it wasn't. Small tentacle-like tendons covered its body, and its head wasn't like a skull, but a pulsing face of shriveling muscle with large monstrous teeth.

It hit Blossom like a truck.

She had seen this being before.

Quaking in sweat, Blossom collapsed to her knees puking yesterday's dinner on the carpet. Her family rushed to her side to comfort her, but it would be futile to say the least. They were doomed—everyone was doomed. Their words may have tried to be comforting, but they were just as conniving and evil as those Rowdyruff Boys.

"We welcome you to the Census Law: Earth Brawl."

Throughout the pain, the tears, the screams…

…the blood, the suffering, the sorrow…

…the anger, anguish, and the insanity…

Blossom was ready.

Bubbles was ready.

Buttercup was ready.

"We pray to the victor misfortune for the masses."

In less than 48 hours, blood will be split.

One more chapter before the games begin.

I'm opened to fic questions, one at a time, about the story that's not in spoiler territory. I'll only pick questions from the reviews. I guess I'll start with the obvious question: Why did it take so long?

It's an easy and difficult answer: I lost sight of Brawl. I had an idea of where I wanted to go with the story, beginning to end, but I was second guessing myself too much on it way too much. I was nervous because I really wanna make it violent and gory, but I was afraid of people's reactions to it, especially since about half the cast here are other people's characters and I'm bring them for a bloodbath to say the least. Not to mention, I had sinking feeling that people were not honest in allowing me to use one of their characters. I'm not gonna name anybody, but I'm sure someone made it so that I was putting four of their characters in this story and just used different accounts. Which I should have seen coming, since this is the internet I'm dealing with, (and some of these characters are considered "un-killable") but my younger self in the past was too naive.

So basically, I ran from it. It was too hard to heavy, I worked on other things to keep my mind off of it, but it was still there in the back of my mind. I changed the ending of it several times hoping it'll please others, but then again, I was losing sight of Brawl. So I took a step back and made of minor changes. Still not happy with it. I didn't know what to do. So I talked to a friend, and long story short, she told me: "Just fucking do it." Not in those words though, but you get it.

I was especially motivated by everyone who reads this story and leaves their uplifting comments, and their voicing concerns on why I'm not updating. And I appreciate it guys from the bottom of my heart, and it was, no doubt, what pushed me to keep going.

So I'm gonna keep pushing and commit to it. Because I want to finish this story so badly. Story will see the end. Updates won't always be consistent, but I will try my best.

So if you have any questions about the story leave them in the reviews only!

Until then!