Keep it up I will. I got 1,000 views! Although I wish others would comment as well. Don't be shy now.
Chapter 22: Volcano battle! Lava-raptor attacks!
*PPG room. 7:01AM*
*the PPG are still fast asleep. Well, except for one of them at least*
Bubbles: *cheeks stained with dried-up tears*
What was all that? We were just looking for Shad in that scary maze. Then someone who looks like him appears and tells us not to open a door. Blossom got suspicious and opened it by accident when she used that attack. She didn't even finish practicing it yet. The door sucked us in the dark and next thing we knew we were in this weird wrecked place where everything was black and white. And we were just a tiny bit...what's that word...transparent. We were the only ones in color and those soilders didn't see us. What was that place? Maybe that door we weren't supposed to open have Shad's nightmares? But who has nightmares about that? And that...that dark thing. It just killed all of them. All the screams and ripping sounds. It was like a horror movie or something. Then that thing just screamed. It almost made me wet myself...in a dream! But that scream sounded like it was saying something, and it sounded...sad. Angry and sad. At least that's what I thought. If those were Shady's nightmares, then how can he sleep peacefully? None of this makes any sense. Great, now my head hurts from all this thinking. *holds head in pain*
*3 hours later, the PPG wake up and brush their teeth. Then they make their way to the kitchen to find the professor and...Shad right at the table? The weird device was on the table as well*
Shad: Morning!
Buttercup: Wait...you weren't at the bed when we wo...when did you get up?
Professor Utonium: He got up 30 minutes before you did. He must've went to sleep early yesterday.
Blossom: Not really. We all went to sleep at the same time last night.
Bubbles: We probably had a hard time sleeping because of a nightmare.
Shad: Nightmare? So superheroes have nightmares too? I didn't have any.
Blossom: You didn't? Did you dream about a maze?
Shad: Maze? No. Don't remember anything like that. I dreamed I was a hero. I got 100 on a test, ran 10 laps around the school and beat up a giant monster!
Buttercup: That's what you dream about?
Shad: Sometimes. As long as I have this *takes out Bubbles plushy* I'll never have nightmares.
Blossom: Wait, so you don't remember seeing some wrecked hallway? No maze? No look-a-like of you?!
Shad: Huh? There's only one of me! And I don't dream about broken halls and mazes. Nuh-uh. No way.
Professor Utonium: Mazes? What makes you think he dreams of those Blossom?
Blossom: Uh...nothing! Must be a tiny bit sleepy. Breakfast should get us up and running.
Bubbles: But what about that sha...*bonked*
Buttercup: *whispers* Shut up! Not like he actually saw what we saw...somehow.
*the girls sit at the table. In front of each of them is a plate of 3 pancakes topped with strawberries. Surrounding the pancakes is a ring of scrambled eggs. Next to each plate is a fork, a knife and a glass of citrus punch*
Professor Utonium: Eat up now.
Blossom: The ring of scrambled eggs is new.
Shad: That was my idea. Mommy usually does it when she makes pancakes. Thank you professor! *rapidly cuts pancakes into small squares, stacks 4 pieces on a fork, and puts it all in his mouth!*
Blossom: Isn't that a bit much.
Shad: *swallows* What's a bit much? *stacks 4 more pieces on the fork, wraps it up with scrambled eggs and puts it all in his mouth!*
Bubbles: Where does it all go? *drinks orange juice*
Buttercup: So you wanna play rough huh? *stuffs 5 pieces of pancake into her mouth*
Shad: You're on!
Professor Utonium: Buttercup! Shad! This isn't a race.
Shad: But mommy would never let me do this sort of thing. Every time she catches me stacking them up on a fork she gets mad and tells me to pace myself, whatever that means.
Blossom: In other words, slow down.
Bubbles: But the pancakes are delicious! Shady can't help it.
Buttercup: Uh, guys? He's done. *PPG looks at Shad's now-empty plate*
Professor Utonium: Shad please. Next time go a bit slower or you'll get an upset stomach.
Shad: Tummies get upset?
Professor Utonium: No I meant, oh never mind. What's that thing on the table?
Shad: *takes the strange device off the table* This? Don't know. It was inside the bag. There was a sticky note on it that says I have to keep it with me at all times or something. I'll be safe if I keep it. Wanna see? *gives the device to the professor*
Professor Utonium: Hmm. It looks like a walkie-talkie. But why does it have a glass circle in the center? And where's the antenna?
Shad: It's not a walkie-talkie. I tried calling daddy with it but it didn't do anything.
Buttercup: Okay, all done! *floats 6 inches off the ground* I'll be in the training simulator.
Shad: What?
Bubbles: It's this big big *stretches her arms wide, as if about to give a hug* REALLY big white box-thing where you can fight digital bad guys for training.
Blossom: It's how we keep ourselves in top fighting shape.
Shad: Can I see?
Blossom: Sure. I just have to finish eating first. Then we have to change.
Shad: *whispers to Buttercup* She eats too slow.
Buttercup: *whispers back* Tell me about it.
Blossom: Hey I heard that!
*10 minutes later*
*the PPG are in their normal clothing inside a big white box-shaped room. Just outside of it, the professor stands by the controls as Shad watches on through the simulation window, still holding onto the strange device*
Shad: Mr. Utonium?
Professor Utonium: Yes?
Shad: They won't get hurt will they?
Professor Utonium: Of course not. Everything that materializes in the simulation cube is just...well, a simulation. It's not real.
Blossom: Professor! Can I try that attack again?
Professor Utonium: Yes, but not too much energy. You still need practice.
Shad: What's that knob there? *points to a knob with the number 5 above it*
Professor Utonium: That's the difficulty setting. 1 is the easiest and 11 is the hardest. The more my girls train, the higher I can set the difficulty level. Right now I'll just set it up to 8. *turns knob to number 8* And this button initiates the simulation. *speaks in a microphone* Get ready girls! *presses a big red button*
*the walls, floor and ceiling of the Simulation Room start to flicker, morph and swirl. In seconds, rocky landscapes and hot rocks replaced the white walls. The ceiling rose higher and higher until it almost closed up, leaving a large hole. As for the floor, it turned red as the girls quickly floated up. There was no longer a floor, but lava! The temperature increased dramatically as the remaining white spots became lavafalls flowing off a cliff. It was then that the girls knew what the room turned into*
Bubbles: A volcano?!
Buttercup: Hey, the room hasn't turned into this for a while. Now where's that monster?
Blossom: Don't get cocky Buttercup. It'll probably show itself sooner or later.
*outside the Simulation Cube*
Shad: *face currently beaming with astonishment as he looks at thw view screen* WHOA! COOL! The room can take you anywhere?
Professor Utonium: Not anywhere. Remember, this is all a simulation. It has the feel and appearance of a volcano, but it's not a real volcano they're in.
Shad: Can they see us? How can we talk to them?
Professor Utonium: They can't see us unless I send a floating image to them that allows visual contact. And I can only speak with them with this microphone. Would you like to try?
Shad: *takes microphone* Hello? Hey Powerpuffs! It's me Shad! Can you hear me, over!
*inside the Simulation Cube*
Bubbles: We hear you loud and clear Shady, over!
Shad: Why is it that we have to say "over" after saying something on a microphone?
Blossom: Not a microphone, a walkie-talkie. Over.
Buttercup: We're still looking for the monster.
Shad: Aw, you forgot to say "over" when you were done talking.
Buttercup: What's the point of sa...*something jumps out of the lava in front of Buttercup and lands on a nearby cliff* AHH!
*it's a creature with yellow eyes. It has the shape of a raptor's body, only completely covered in lava. Also, the claws on the feet and hands seemed so hot it'd melt anything it slashes*
Buttercup: What's that supposed to be, a lava-raptor or something?
Blossom: Guess so.
*lava-raptor opens its mouth*
Bubbles: DUCK!
*the PPG quickly descend as a ball of lava shoots out of the lava-raptor's mouth*
Blossom: I got this!
*Blossom inhales deeply, then blows out an ice blue breeze towards the lava-raptor. The mini-blizzard covers the creature whole, and when it vanishes, it leaves behind a frozen raptor encased in ice*
*outside the Simulation Cube*
Shad: Ice breath! That's what she used on that
giant ball of fire. And when she broke it, it started snowing!
Professor Utonium: You have quite the memory there, Shad.
Shad: They did it so fast. And at level 9 too. Maybe they don't need to train.
Professor Utonium: I wouldn't say that if I were you. Keep looking at the view screen.
*inside the Simulation Cube*
Bubbles: Way to go Blossom!
Buttercup: Man, what level did the professor put this on?
Blossom: Don't know. Maybe he put it at the wrong sett...uh-oh.
Bubbles: What's uh-oh?
*the ice encasing the lava-raptor starts to melt. Soon many drops of water start to land on the hot rocks one by one. Finally, the ice shatters and spreads all over as the lava-rapor breaks free! It growls ferociously*
Bubbles: Not good!
Buttercup: HA! My turn. *eyes light up a bright green as 2 bolt-shaped beams shoot at the bottom of the cliff. The top of the cliff, where the lava-raptor is standing, starts to crumble apart. Unfortunately, instead of falling to its doom, the lava-raptor instead jumps down to a lower platform and retaliates by shooting out another ball of lava*
Buttercup: *ascends above the lava ball* Whoa! Guess that didn't work.
Bubbles: Let me try. *inhales deeply, and out of her mouth came a loud, almost ear-piercing scream that shook the entire volcano. So much in fact, that several boulders broke off from higher cliffs and buried the lava-raptor in the large rocks*
Bubbles: I did it!
*outside the Simulation Cube*
Shad: She did it!
Professor Utonium: Maybe. Maybe she did.
*inside the Simulation Cube*
Blossom: Way to go Bubbles.
Buttercup: That oughta *rocks over the lava-raptor melt as it breaks free...again* trap him.
Blossom: Trapping it doesn't seem to work. Time for plan B: laser attack!
*all 3 girls shoot eye beams at the lava-raptor, only for it to just run left and right as the lasers miss at every shot...until a pink one hits it, knocking it backward*
Blossom: Got it!
Buttercup: I don't know. It doesn't look hurt.
Bubbles: I don't think lasers can do anything to it.
Blossom: Yeah. Immobilizing it doesn't work and energy attacks only get absorbed by the lava on its skin.
Buttercup: How about punching it?
Blossom: Sure. Why not? Let's use our bare hands to punch it lest they turn into mush from the lava BUTTERLIMBS!
Buttercup: Quit making fun of my name!
Blossom: There's only one attack that'll do the job. *stretches arms forward and puts her hands together* Stand back girls!
Bubbles: Wait! Last time you tried doing that attack it blew us all away!
*outside the Simulation Cube*
Professor Utonium: Hmm? But Blossom was alone in that room the last time she was practicing that attack.
Shad: What attack?
*inside the simulation cube*
*a bright pink sphere starts to form between Blossom's hands. It then starts to grow a bit bigger*
Bubbles: Uh...Blossom? Don't you think that pink ball thing is big enough.
Blossom: I have to gather enough energy for the attack to be big enough. The bigger the ball, the wider the attack will be.
*lava-raptor prepares to jump*
Buttercup: Blossom watch out!
*lava-raptor jumps high up at Blossom, preparing to slash at her*
Buttercup: Stay back! *shoots eye beam at the lava-raptor, who falls in the lava*
Bubbles: That did it.
*just then, the lava started to bubble...a lot! Soon, not only was there a lava-raptor climbing out of the lava, but many more of its kind jumping at many stone platforms, all looking at their floating meal*
Blossom: *still charging her pink sphere* There's a whole pack?! I just finished charging up enough energy to take out one!
Buttercup: What? You mean it'll take longer for you to get it ready?
Blossom: NO! I'll get it ready now!
*the bunches upon bunches of lava-raptors snarl as they jump at their prey, claws at the ready*
Blossom: Come and get it you LIZAAARDS!
*the pink sphere in her hands grows too fast and out of control. All of a sudden, the sphere explodes in the same pink fireworks explosion, wiping out the incoming lava-raptors and disintegrating the entire surrounding area!*
*outside the Simulation Cube*
Shad: *sees nothing but a bright pink light on the view screen* Powerpuffs!
Professor Utonium: Oh for the love of...not again! *pushes a large blue button* End simulation!
*the bright light rapidly vanishes, replaced by the default white walls, floor and ceiling. The temperature is cooled down to lower degrees. On the floor lies the PPG, completly still and some parts of their dresses burnt through and more burn marks and small blisters on Blossom's hands*
Shad: Powerpuffs! *runs inside the cube and tries to shake the girls awake* Blossom! Buttercup! Bubbles! Bubbles wake up!
Professor Utonium:
Blossom, why didn't you pull out? *follows Shad inside the cube*
Shad: Mr. Utonium they're not waking up! You said they'd be fine! *eyes start to fill up with tears* What if they're...they're...*on the brink of crying*
Buttercup: *coughs* Geez, hold...the funeral...*coughs*...will ya? *struggles to get up*
Blossom: What she's trying to say is...ooohh *winces in pain* we're not dead.
Bubbles: Dead? We can't die. We're still needed. *glomped by...Shad?* Shady? Why are you shaking?
Professer Utonium: Girls that was far too dangerous! It might've been a level 9 simula...
Bubbles and Buttercup: *points at Blossom* She did it!
Blossom: *scoffs* Tattletales.
*meanwhile, in Brisbaine's office at the Global Defenders HQ*
Dr. Brisbaine: *stares at his monitor, which is flashing the words: Hacker trail not present* Just as I thought. A clean getaway. Yet no data was stolen. Of course whoever it was that hacked us must've known our security details so well that he took control of one of our guard bots. Then again, the timing of the hacking couldn't have been...ironically better. Another few more seconds that time and it would've been catastrophic. The Berserker Revolt. The horrific event that cost numerous lives of employees. Over 1/2 of our army...slaughtered within 30 minutes! This HQ would've been leveled to the ground if
SHE didn't stop him. Since then
one of our top employees left us in sheer anger...anger at me. Anger at what I've done. Anger at our whole organization. Who does he think he is? Saying that we wish to recreate the world in our blind image. To eliminate the "competition" he says. We got too greedy and corrupt he says...PEON! We're trying to preserve the pure image of the Earth.
He and his wife made a mistake by resigning. I just need to get Shad again...without his
other half intervening. So the Chemical X can mask itself within one's genetic make-up. And it only showed itself on the scanners when IT took over his body. *sigh* Then there's the other one. Crankson Utonium, where are you? Soon after the Powerpuff Girls were created you went
mad with jealousy. You claimed that you would
do the same your cousin did, only without an accident. That's when we lost all contact with you. Adric would've made a fine addition to our ranks, but since he's disposed of the rest of his Chemical X and the last stock that Robert tried to steal got spilled onto Shad, and with no whereabouts as to where the Staydamind family fled, we're stuck.
*meanwhile, at the PPG household 11:21AM*
*the girls were lying on their bed, some bandages covering their bruises while Blossom's hands were completly wrapped in bandages. Shad sat next to them, eyes full of worry whilst the professor stands by*
Shad: You'll be fine, right? Wait, what am I saying? You're superheroes, of course you'll all be fine.
Buttercup: Duh. Of course we'll be fine, no thanks to Miss I-can-handle-the-attack.
Blossom: It was an accident. I tried to control it, honest.
Bubbles: But you made that pink ball too big. Just like in Shady's dream last time.
Professor Utonium: Shad's dream?
Shad: Huh? My dream?
*meanwhile, at Shad's house*
*Dimitri's still at his computer, looking at the footage being sent there via the device that looks similar to Shad's. The screen shows a back shot Bubbles walking through a dark, almost pitch black maze. It then fast-forwards to when the girls are in the wrecked corridor obviously not part of the maze, but looked very familiar to Dimitri*
Dimitri: Oh geez, so they did!
*Claire enters the basement*
Claire: You're still in there?
Dimitri: I just finished decoding the visuals our "specter" picked up last night. Take a look.
Claire: Wait, what are the girls doing there?!
Dimitri: Apparently they have the power to project themselves in astral form while sleeping. They wandered into Shad's dream...or in this case, his mind. Although it's very fortunate for him, we still don't understand how Shad forgot everything from 3 years ago. As if those memories just went underground.
Claire: And the girls seemed to have found it. But are you sure it's not another nightmare Shad was having?
Dimitri: No. I'm afraid what the girls uncovered, most likely accidentally, is
more then just a nightmare. It's something Shad shouldn't remember...for his own good. For his own well being. I thank whatever it was that caused Shad to forget. *stomach growls*
Claire: Oh dear. You didn't have breakfast did you?
Dimitri: *blushes* No.
Claire: *grabs Dimitri* Then to the kitchen with you!
Dimitri:
Time and again, I wonder why you're so much taller then me Claire.
End of Chapter 22!
Yeah, nothing much happened at the Global Defenders HQ. At least now you got a few hints along the way. Of course you should know who left the GD after the Berserker Revolt...I think. And will the Rowdyruffs be back...I don't know. Maybe soon. Maybe later. As a bonus, try to guess which move Blossom tried to do, but failed at doing.
And as a bonus, I've uploaded some nice
battle music as well. Enjoy![/url]
Might as well get it to him myself. *takes towel out only to uncover what appears to be a silver walkie-talkie. It's in the shape of a square instead of a rectangle. It doesn't seem to have an atenna and has what appears to be a glass circle in the center. It also has a sticky note stuck to it* Blossom?
SHAD?! *pinches himself* OW! *grabs suitcase and bolts out the classroom, but bumps into the door in the process* OW! CLASS DISMISSED! *opens the door and leaves*
Poor Shad.
And the song of choice, Megaman EXE Beast opening theme: Shouri no Uta; Song of Victory.
DUUUUUUUDE!
