Chapter 10

“Buttercup.. you’re starting to worry us.” My mom says as I keep silent.

“Buttercup did they hurt you?” Ms. Bellum asks.

“What?!” Bubbles and Blossom exclaimed.

“Wait no-!” I try to stop the girls.

So I kinda have a habit of not telling them when I’m hurt.

After our fight w/ him I found a small wound on me.

I shrugged it off as just a small scratch.

However as some time went on it started going black and spreading through my body.

And I just stopped doing some stuff w/ the girls.

Like I didn’t go swimming w/ them anymore.

But one day during gym Blossom and Bubbles stayed late talking instead of changing.

They realized this moments before I walked in.

So when I did they went silent and looked at me.

They were about to ask me if I could say they stayed to help me when they saw the black patch on me.

Immediately they caused a fuss.

Which got some teachers’ and passing students’ attention. 

Of course that resulted in me being embarrassed. 

But in the chaos the girls got ahold of the Professor and Ken.

They rushed to the school.

I was shoved into the van followed by the girls.

Then we got to the lab. 

The Mayor and Ms. Bellum were already waiting w/ Poochi dragging some equipment into the lab.

And after some tests I found very invasive and annoying turns out a piece of dark Z rays got into the small cut and was trying to corrupt my body.

There were a few more cases like this.

However this was the most.. accurately way to explain their worry and the current actions they did.

Which was Blossom holding my arms while Bubbles took off my hoodie and top in one fluid motion.

This however showed some bite marks that were way too deep.

As in these marks were from a month ago when the punks kinda.. you know.

But for some reason they just weren’t healing.

*Gasps!*

“Oh my.., What happened?!” Ms. Bellum exclaims.

I groaned.

“Stay calm.” I sigh.

“We’ll.. try.” My dad says through gritted teeth.

“Ok… You guys might wanna sit down.” I state.

“Is it really that bad?” My mom asked.

“More like it’s going to shock you.” I explain.

“Alright.” The Professor acknowledges.

They all moved to the couch. 

Once everyone was seated I took a deep breath.

“Ok so.. I’m just going to rush through all of this.” I say.

“Just don’t leave anything important out.” The Mayor states.

“So.. turns out the punks fell in-love w/ me. And their version of the lab crew. Which is what I’m just going call their version of the Professor, The Mayor, Ms. Bellum, Ken and Poochi. Well they figured that out. At least the adults did. They used this against the punks. And in short they managed to make the punks snap so that they would.. assault me. But that was at least like a month ago and they beat the lab crew w/ in an inch of their life for it so there’s no reason to keep talking about this!” I rush out and then I walked away quickly.

I knew for a fact that once everything I said processed they were going to pounce on me.

And I didn’t really want to be enclosed on.

I got to the door leading to the hallway to get to the front door and saw… 

Oh shit! 

There was a fucking reporter there! 

Fuck! 

Why was there a reporter!?

How much did she hear?!

Wait…

She has a recorder!

Is that.. It was fucking recording too!

I went to grab the recorder to see what she had and she ran out.

I immediately went to chase after her.

“BUTTERCUP!” The girls yelled.

Shit!

Now I have to catch that reporter and avoid them!

Damn it!

I can’t possibly do both!

I didn’t really have a chance to exercise much this time when I was taken.

So I’m kinda out of shape.

Which means w/ those two powering up I’m fucking screwed!

I had no choice but to ignore the reporter getting away and I quickly escaped.

If I can get in a blind spot then I can rest a bit and think.

Once I get a plan formed then I can do it.

But if they catch me then I’m definitely going to end up in a similar situation that I was in w/ the punks.

Which basically mean they’d all hover over me.

Oh shit I just realized something if that reporter posts what I told everyone in the lab then that psycho older sister is going to be after me too!

Fuck!

Damn it!

This is fucking bullshit!

Fuck!

I can’t handle all of this!

I need to find a place to lay low at.

Then I can slowly regain my strength.

And hopefully when I regain my strength I can come back and then I’ll be able to deal w/ everyone.

But where can I go?

I can’t go home or anything.

Especially w/ the punks probably already having come back and found me gone.

And when they couldn’t find me in the lab they probably searched their city.

Then after doing that they probably think I managed to make a portal or that the Professor or Ken had. 

Which means they’ll be making that computer and the system again.

And they’re pretty fast at building those things.

So the best case scenario is for me to find a place to lay low where they also won’t be able to find me.

But is there a place like that?

I mean they could literally use the water to find me.

Hell they might even be able to use a shiny stone if they needed to.

Which means I need to find a place in an area that has no chance of anything reflecting my image.

Wait…

That means the only place I could possibly go is the forest.

But that’s.. 

It’s where Fuzzy roams.

That loud mouth brute likely will spill the tea on my whereabout as soon as he sees someone.

And it’s not like I can just avoid him.

Especially since when we first met him we were on the picnic.

And no matter where we went he always found us.

He knows that forest like the back of his hand.

And hell as soon as the punks figure out that I would avoid them by going there they’d be through their portal searching.

That fuzzy pink idiot would immediately spill the beans as soon as they asked him.

Even if they didn’t beat it out of him.

There’s no way in hell I could go to the forest then.

But I can’t exactly leave Townsville.

Any mode of transport has some type of glass or something that could act like a mirror.

And I don’t have my belt..

Again.

So if the belt isn’t in the Professor’s and Ken’s hands then the punks will get suspicious.

And I know they’d be able to tell a fake belt from the real one.

There’s no way they wouldn’t be able to.

These girls were dangerous for a reason after all.

So how the hell am I supposed to do this?

Hell the punks might already be making the computer now!

Oh no…

Which means the only way for me to get some peace and escape is for me to disguise myself. 

Fuck.

The only disguise that’s going to work is one that’s so out of character for me that no one would dare try and consider it might be me.

Shit. 

I really don’t want to do it!

But at the same time I don’t want to get caught by anyone.

Damn it!

Fuck! 

Shit! 

Hell!

Fuck me!

Ok…

Deep breaths.

Let’s pretend there’s not three futanari horny super powered chicks after me.

…

Who the fuck am I kidding?

There’s no fucking possible way for me to not know that three super powered horny Futanari chicks are after me.

But now’s not the time to panic!

Think Buttercup!

Best way for me to avoid getting caught is to get out of Townsville.

Only way to get out of Townsville is a mode of transportation.

Any and all modes of transport involved some type of reflection.

Glass windows and windshields.

Metal rails.

So much potential danger.

I’m not known for running from a fight unless I couldn’t win.

It could have been a ploy to make me cocky but they did say I was strong enough to beat all of them.

And for the most part it was true to some degree.

They did take me first when they planned to take over Townsville.

Then again it could have been just because Brute and I were more similar than Berserk and Brat were to Blossom and Bubbles.

But the punks have shown they don’t care for anyone really.

Which means now that they have to fight to get me back the best way to make sure I come to them is to threaten the civilians.

So I should actually stay away from any mode of transport.

At least for a while.

But staying in Townsville is a dead end too.

If the punks don’t catch me the girls will.

Or worst case scenario Miko catches me.

Which is actually worse than the punks catching me if I think about it.

I know that technically the punks are worse.

But at least I know that the punks some what respect what I say.

However Miko will literally find a way to ignore what I say and want just to get what she desires.

Yes Miko doesn’t have powers but she’s rich.

So technically both options are very dangerous in their own regards.

Either way I should drop that thought right now.

I turn down an alley to catch my breath.

As I caught my breath I kept thinking.

So if I’m supposed to avoid all types of transportation then that means I have to travel on foot.

Which means I can kinda train as I travel.

But how do I travel?

If I move along the roads then I’m as good as caught.

Especially since now that I think about it that reporter is probably already processing that recording into a published story at this moment.

Shit which also means that they’re going to call for the girls and lab crew to do an interview at least.

I can’t risk going back. 

Wait…

Didn’t Poochi connect w/ me telepathically that one time when the girls and I fought Mojo Jojo?

Ok…

Let’s try to do that again!

“Poochi..? Can you hear me?” 

I ask in my thoughts.

“Gah!? Buttercup?! Is that you!?” 

Poochi exclaimed.

“Yeah… Listen I don’t know how long we have but let everyone know in secret that the punks might already be looking for me so I’m going to be in hiding. Go stop that reporter from publishing anything about my return so that no one else knows. If the punks find out I’m here that’s big trouble! The less people who know the better. Tell everyone to keep acting like they haven’t figured out how to make the portal. I’ll contact you again when the coast should be clear.” 

I rushed out.

“Got it.”

Poochi agrees.

I sigh in relief. 

Now…

I glanced down at my clothes.

Dressed like this I don’t really match my usual outfit. 

I don’t have my cap either.

Which means that now I can easily get by everyone else as someone out for a jog.

But if the punks somehow manage to get a glance at me they’ll recognize the clothes and know it’s me.

So the best case for me is to get a phone first and then uses it to access my accounts.

But not here. 

I think I can get to the neighboring town soon.

Which means the only thing I really need to do now is to figure out how to get there w/ out getting found out.

But is the phone such a good idea this early?

Yes it is. There’s no other way for me to get my money since I also don’t have any cards on me and the only way to effectively get one would be to have access to my bank account directly.

Time to get things started I guess.

I guess the best way to do this will be to use the back roads.

But then again that’s where most of the villains who butts we kicked hang out.

And I really rather not have my enemies know I’m back.

Especially when those psycho girls are not against using any means necessary to get me back.

Or to get information.

But the chances of them hurting the civilians w/ out knowing for sure I’ll be around to see it is low.

Afterall it’s just them wasting time if the threat isn’t getting to me.

Which I honesty doubt they’d be willing to do.

Yeah they’re not exactly the most rational or calm.

But they’re not idiots.

Most of the time…

So now it’s time for me to take a few deep breaths and to think this through.

I can probably use the main streets tonight.

No one’s really out around midnight. 

So I just need to lay low and hide till then.

After that it shouldn’t take me too long to get to the next town.

I’ll just run through to a phone shop.

Then I’ll get a cheap model.

After that it should be pretty straight forward.

Which will be going to the next town. 

Then stopping by one of the branches of my bank.

There should be some cards they can quickly give to me.

That way I don’t have to worry about the whole staying in one place for too long. 

Or…

I can stop overthinking and start moving now.

Why didn’t I think of this before. 

My dad’s gym has showers.

There’s not a lot of female wrestlers that stop by.

But it happens often enough at least when I was going w/ him as a kid that they have two locker rooms.

Which means I can head there for a quick shower.

I haven’t really been to my dad’s gym recently.

So it’s one of the few safe spots for me to go to.

There’s also some clothes there.

Just in case of some type of accident.

Like your clothes getting torn for some reason or another.

Or an early visit.

So that means I can change into some clothes.

Which won’t get me caught right away.

W/ this plan in mind I ran off.

I just got off the plane.

It’s been a few months since Bubbles dragged me through the portal.

I managed to get away and recover.

It was a long, long run.

Like a really long run.

I managed to get multiple of days away from Townsville when I left.

I got all that I needed on my trip between the towns and cities.

But boy was it exhausting.

Enough thinking about the past.

I’m back.

And I really just wanna lay down down.

The plane wasn’t all that comfortable.

“Buttercup!” 

I look over and see the girls.

Not just them.

Poochi and Ken were running up to me too.

I was then almost knocked off my feet.

“Hey guys.” I greet them.

“Wait when did Buttercup escape her kidnappers!?” 

“Buttercup?! As in The Buttercup?!”

“Where is she?!”

“Looks like my cover is blown huh?” I say w/ a chuckle.

“Sorry.” They all say.

“It’s fine. Let’s just get to the lab or something before we get swarmed.” I state.

“Good thinking.” Ken agrees seeing a crowd already starting to form.

We quickly escaped the growing crowd and headed to the lab.

“Ha! It didn’t even take them a minute to blow you cover!” My dad laughs.

“I know right!” I agree w/ him.

“If they were going to blow you cover so soon then we should have all just went to greet you!” My mom says.

“We said we were sorry!” Blossom whines.

“Yeah it’s not like we did it on purpose.” Bubbles says w/ a pout.

“I know and I don’t blame you.” I say trying to console them as I struggle not to laugh.

“Seriously Ken how could you immediately blow her cover after our talk about keeping things under the radar?” The professor asks.

“It’s not my fault that the girls yelled it. I just said oh well after that and joined them since they already blew her cover.” Ken says.

“We said sorry!” Both girls exclaimed.

“Alright enough teasing.” I state.

“Buttercup’s right.” Ms. Bellum agrees.

“Yeah yeah, but seriously welcome back sis.” Dave says as Sam jumps into my arms.

“I would say good to be back but you’re annoying.” I joke.

“Oh it’s on short stack!” Dave roars and tackles me.

We then start wrestling right then and there.

“I swear my family is just always so lively.” My mom sighs.

“How is your house not demolished by now?” Bubbles asks.

“Hey!” My dad, my brothers and myself all exclaimed.

“She’s not wrong.” Blossom adds.

“We’re not that bad!” I argue.

“Yes, yes you are.” My mom says.

“Honey!?” My dad exclaims in a betrayed tone.

“What can I say sweetheart? I love you all but you guys are extremely destructive.” My mom states a matter of factly.

“I think you’re exaggerating mom.” Dave says.

“Oh really? Where do we put all our valuables are also fragile?” She asks.

“We put them in the storage shed we rent.” Dave answered confused.

“And why do we put them there?” Mom asks again.

“To keep them safe.” He answers again.

“Safe from what?” She edges him on waiting for him to understand.

“Fires or anything that might destroy the house.” He answers.

“Bro really? She’s clearly trying to get you to understand that she keeps that stuff there because if it was at home we’d end up breaking it.” I explain.

His eyes widen in realization.

“Is that true mom?!” He asks.

“Yes sweetheart it is.” My mom sighs.

“Dad you lied!” Dave yells.

“Heh heh heh… You see son.. I didn’t want to admit that we were that chaotic so when you asked me that I said that because it was convincing and a bonus to it even if it wasn’t the main reason.” Dad says w/ an awkward chuckle.

“Really dad?” I ask.

“He was 6 when he asked me that! I didn’t want our bonding wrestling to sudden stop because he felt bad!” My dad defends himself.

“That’s even worse! Why didn’t you tell him the truth once he got older?!” I demand.

“Because if you asked him that same question I wanted him to tell you the same reason! I didn’t him to tell you to ask me and then I have to lie to you too!” Dad says.

“But you were ok w/ me lying to her?!” Dave exclaims.

“Technically if you told her that then it wouldn’t be a lie since you genuinely believed that was the reason. It’s like being taught something is one thing then finding out later that it wasn’t.” Dad says trying to down play the lie.

“Dad you’re terrible.” I sigh.

“Buttercup don’t sound so disappointed!” My dad begs.

“Oh dear honey, even I can’t defend you on this one.” Mom sighs too.

“Not you too dear!” My dad says sounding more panicked.

“I can’t believe you dad.” Dave says crossing his arms and turning away from him.

“Dave you too!? Sam! Sam you don’t think what I did was so bad right?” Dad says grasping at straws.

But even Sam turned away from him.

“My family has forsaken me.” Dad says sulking in a cornering.

“Your family’s dramatic too. Now we see why you’re so extra sometimes.” Blossom says.

“Hey!” I exclaimed.

“Are you seriously going to try and argue that you’re not?” Bubbles asks.

“No but you didn’t have to call us out.” I state.

The girls, the Professor, Ken, Poochi, the Mayor and Ms. Bellum all laughed.

“Rude.” I huffed.

“I don’t mean to interrupt.. whatever this was. But uh.. the News is already talking about Buttercup’s return.” Blossom’s dad says.

“What?” I ask.

“That was fast.” Blossom says as her dad shows us his phone that’s blowing up w/ news articles of my return.

“How did they get that printed so fast?” Ken asks.

“Yeah I don’t even think there was a reporter at the air port either.” Bubbles adds.

“Scary.” I state.

The lab crew and the girls and I all nod in agreement w/ my statement.

“I would think you girls would be used to the press given how you’re literally the town’s protectors.” Blossom’s sister, Kasey, says.

“Well we are to an extent. Before it was never this bad because they could literally only report on what we did as the Powerpuff girls.” I start.

“Yeah, but after our identities came out it was easier for them to report on our lives as a whole not just the Powerpuff girls.” Blossom adds.

“Why didn’t they just wait at the lab to find out your secret identities?” Kasey asks.

“Now that you mention it that’s a good question.” Bubbles agrees.

“Yeah I mean we weren’t really all that careful w/ our identities while here.” I add.

“Girls you’re getting sidetracked.” Ms. Bellum says.

“Right! Now what do we do now that news about my return is out?” I ask.

“Maybe we should hold a press conference to keep everything c-” The Professor is cut off when Bubbles gasps.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“The reporter that had you story about what happened the second time you got taken just released it saying she doesn’t need to keep this under wraps anymore.” Bubbles says showing us the article.

And since it was online it also had the audio she took of the talk proving it’s legit.

“Uh oh…” I state.

“Now what?” Blossom asks.

“… I go back into hiding. This time I’m hiding from Townsville.” I declare.