Black Heart: Prologue/Chapter 1

[rcblazer]

PROLOGUE
Violet finds herself surrounded by a team of six alien warriors wearing different color jumpsuits and motorcycle helmets. She smiles and performs a martial arts Kata before smirking at the six opponents. "Okay, which one of you is first?" She asks.

Rhino Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Gore
Defense: None

Violet attacks Rhino Alien
Attack: Scorch Kick
Defense: Flip

"Lemme at 'er! I'll grind this brat into a fine paste against the wall!" The large alien in the gray jumpsuit with a massive horn growing out of his helmet shouts as he charges at the girl, but Violet easily jumps over the alien and kicks it in the back of the neck with such power that it ignites the collar of his jumpsuit! The alien panics and runs around, waving its arms wildly in a vain attempt to put out the fire!

Rhino Alien Condition: Beat Up - Burn

"You simpleton! Allow me." A female alien in a green jumpsuit and helmet with six arms says as she approaches Violet. "You will make a tasty treat for my babies when the eggs hatch!"

Spider Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Web Wrap
Defense: Block

The alien shoots a strand of web from four of its six arms at Violet, using the other two to prepare for a counter attack. The webs wrap around Violet and tie her up from her legs to her mouth, causing her to crash onto the ground.

Violet Condition: Fine - Restrained

Violet attacks Spider Alien
Attack: Flying Kick
Defense: Break Free

The web doesn't hold Violet for long however; she easily stretches her arms and legs out, using her strength to tear out of the web before flying at the spider in a flash of purple light, kicking her in the head and sending her flying over the horizon!

Spider Alien Condition: Defeated

Electric Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Lightning Blasts
Defense: Duck

Violet uses Dodge - Can't attack.

The next alien to attack Violet is wearing a yellow helmet and suit and appears mostly humanoid, but it fires a wave of electricity at Violet! Focusing on avoiding getting hit, Violet flies in unpredictable patterns in the sky, easily evading the lightning.

Electric Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Ball Lightning
Defense: Block

Violet attacks Electric Alien
Attack: Dive Punch
Defense: Deflect

Changing tactics, the electric alien tries to shoot spheres of electricity into the air at Violet, but the girl shoots downward, swatting the ball out of her way as she slams her fist down hard on top of the alien's head, knocking him out in one mighty blow!

Electric Alien Condition: Unconscious

"She is too strong sire!" A short alien in a blue suit and helmet says to the leader, a tall and muscular alien wearing a white helmet with a red suit. "We shout retreat while we can!"

Lead Alien attacks Mind Alien
Attack: Swat
Defense: None

The alien leader responds by smacking the smaller alien in the head. "If she's that tough, maybe you fools should attack her two at a time!" He shouts, pointing at Violet. The blue suited alien and a female alien in a black suit and helmet nod at the leader and both prepare an attack.

Mind Alien and Kunoichi Alien attack Violet
Attacks: Psi Wave/Dagger
Defense: Mental Shield/Cloak

Violet attacks Kunoichi Alien
Attack: Tomoe nage
Defense: Flip

The female alien draws a knife and attempts to cut Violet with it, but the smaller girl easily counters, grabbing her arms and falling backward, dodging the mental energy blast fired at her from behind as she flings the black alien into the blue alien who fired at her! The female alien crashes through a psychic barrier meant to shield the blue alien and the two of them crash into each other, laying in a tangled heap on the ground as Violet flies up so that she is eye level with the alien leader.

"So, it's all down to you and me now." Violet says to the last fighter with a confident smile. The alien leader removes his white helmet, revealing a red dragon's head underneath!

"You may have bested my soldiers, but I will not be so easily beaten!" The alien shouts at Violet, taking a deep breath and dropping into a fighting stance.

Dragon Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Fire Breath
Defense: Flip

Violet attacks Dragon Alien
Attack: Uppercut
Defense: Duck

The alien leader breathes fire at Violet, but the girl flies under the jets of flame, going for a shot to the chin, but the dragon alien catches her arm! "Predictable!" He shouts as he lifts Violet up and quickly body slams her into the ground, creating a small crater in the ground!

Dragon Alien Condition: Fine

Violet Condition: Broke a Sweat

Dragon Alien attacks Violet
Attack: Stomp
Defense: None

Violet attacks Dragon Alien
Attack: Heel Hook
Defense: Block

"I've got you now, little girl!" The alien shouts as he raises his foot to crush Violet's head, but the girl catches his leg! Using her momentum, Violet twists her opponents leg to force him down onto his back, where she twists his heel and snaps the tendon in his knee, causing the alien overlord to cry out in severe pain!

Violet Condition: Broke a Sweat

Dragon Alien Condition: Broken

"I give up! Don't hurt me anymore!" The leader cries out in pain as Violet lets him go. "We'll do whatever you want, just have mercy on me and my soldiers!"

Violet smiles and nods. "Okay, I think you guys have learned your lesson."

"We're gonna turn over a new leaf, I swear!" The dragon says in a pained voice, clutching his broken leg. "We're only gonna use our powers to do good deeds, and never to terrorize innocents ever again!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Violet says in return, offering her hand to help the alien up. "I'll help you out by taking you to someone who can heal that leg up for you so you can do just that.

Unexpectedly, the aliens disappear and Violet finds herself floating over the ruins of the City of Townsville. Several giant monsters are attacking the city, knocking down buildings and stepping on cars and civilians!

"What the? How did I get here?" Violet thinks aloud to herself...

Giant Monster attacks Violet
Attack: Atomic Breath
Defense: None

...as a blue beam of energy blasts her out of the sky! Violet tumbles down toward the street, but her fall is cushioned suddenly.

Violet Condition: Battered

Violet gets up, seeing that the 'floor' she landed on is actually the hand of the giant monster! The hand closes around her as the monster holds her up to eye level.

Violet Condition: Battered - Restrained

Violet attacks Giant Monster
Attack: None
Defense: Break Free

Violet struggles to escape the clutches of the monster, but she can't move! The monster licks its lips as it stares at the terrified girl, opening its mouth!

Giant Monster attacks Violet
Attack: Eat
Defense: None

Violet attacks Giant Monster
Attack: None
Defense: Wake up Blackheart

The monster moves Violet closer to its mouth as Violet starts to shout. "BLACKHEART, YOU FELL ASLEEP! WAKE UP! HURRY!"

The monster sticks Violet in its mouth and swallows her just as Violet wakes up back in front of a small campfire. Blackheart is sitting up, rubbing her head in confusion as Violet pants heavily.

Violet Condition: Perfect!

"I'm terribly sorry Violet." Blackheart says to her friend, sounding upset with herself. "I fell asleep watching your dream and turned it into a nightmare, waking you up. Please forgive me."

Violet clutches her chest, still shook up from the nightmare Blackheart unintentionally gave her. "It's okay. It was just a dream. It can't hurt me... right?"

"I don't think it can." Blackheart says, thinking to herself about it. "I hope it can't. If it can, then I would have doomed the Powerpuff Girls to be defeated by Patriarch and the Blizza Regime in 'The Legacy of Blizza', which was just a nightmare I had. It didn't really happen at all."

"You give titles to your nightmares?" Violet asks with a smirk. "Well, I think I'll just call this one 'The dream Violet just wants to forget about' and take over shifts while you get some rest.

"Are you sure?" Blackheart asks with concern, but Violet smiles and pats Blackheart on the shoulder.

"If I'm awake, your evil self can't scare me with nightmares while you rest up. I'll watch for any hungry animals... or savages."

"Or a cute boy?" Blackheart says jokingly at Violet, who blushes and rubs the back of her head in embarrassment. "Don't go running off now Violet."

"I won't. You get some sleep and we'll set off in the morning." Violet tells Blackheart as she dozes off to sleep. Violet stands up and looks over at a black bag with red trimming, a blue orb giving off a red glow hanging out of the bag. She frowns at the orb and looks back at the pale skinned girl fast asleep in a sleeping bag. "I sure hope we know what we're doing..."

[rcblazer]

CHAPTER 1
"The City of Townsville, and on this fine Spring day, the residents are taking time out of their normal busy lives to pick up litter and clean up the town to make it sparkling clean again!

Yes, things have been much calmer since Jazenok Blackskull was defeated and the Black Void closed off. Aside from the occasional giant monster attack or bank robbery, nothing the Powerpuff Girls can't handle has happened!

The girls have even found some time to develop their own lives; growing older, getting into relationships, and in the case of Blossom, even getting married and having a child of her own! No one could be unhappy living in such a bright and hopeful future."

"Ohh, how I HATE THIS BRIGHT AND HOPEFUL FUTURE!" Him shouts as his voice changes from feminine to evil, slashing away at the image of Townsville from his lair with his lobster claws. "Everyone is so happy. Everyone is living in peace. Everyone is enjoying life. I WANT IT TO STOP! I WANT THEIR WORLD TO COME CRASHING DOWN AROUND THEM! I WANT THEM TO LIVE IN FEAR AND SUFFERING FOR ALL TIME! MOTRAX!

"What do you want now?" The high pitched voice of the evil wizard asks Him as another floating image passes by, this time of Motrax standing on an outcropping of rocks overlooking the ocean around him.

"It is time."

Motrax nods with a sinister grin and removes a blue orb from his robe, dropping it into the ocean. The water glows a blood red as the orb sinks to the bottom. The sky above Motrax goes from a pale blue to a dark purple as pink clouds start to form high above.

"The Shadow Soul is set. Now all we have to do is wait." Motrax says, turning his head to spot a black vortex opening behind him. He laughs maniacally as he readies his magic. "Guess I didn't have to wait long! Shall I deliver your granddaughter to you personally?"

"Hmm... yes. DESTROY THE OTHER GIRL AND THE HORK DEMON, but bring Blackheart to me without hurting her."

"Absolutely." Motrax says as an albino skinned girl wearing a black gown and a red ribbon steps out of the portal, carrying a teddy bear in her arms. She is followed by a girl with long purple hair wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans.

"Welcome Blackheart." Motrax says with a chuckle. "I'm glad you've come, because now I get to bring you before your grandfather myself, where I will be greatly rewarded!"

Motrax attacks Blackheart
Attack: Magic Prison
Defense: Magic Shield

"Gorash shando ha!" Motrax shouts as a diamond prism surrounds Blackheart, trapping her inside! Blackheart lets go of the teddy bear, which suddenly starts to move! The teddy bear punches the prism, but as expected does nothing to help escape.

Blackheart Condition: Perfect! - Restrained

"It's no use Theo." Blackheart calmly tells the bear. "My grandfather must have taught him this magic. Not even at my full power could I hope to break through."

Motrax laughs in triumph. "So easy you are to give up! Perhaps you are not quite as dangerous as Him had feared. Not that it matters now since you are my prisoner!"

Blackheart attacks Motrax
Attack: Gaze of Insanity
Defense: Break Free

Motrax presses his face against the prism, ignoring Violet completely as she backs away from the wizard. He stares right into Blackheart's red eye and continues to taunt her. "All that building me up for how tough you would be to capture all for nothing, Him! She didn't even try anything, and once I trapped her she's given up! I'll have to let the Hork Demon out of there before I can destroy it, but..." Motrax suddenly sees Blackheart's eyes glow green inside the prism and quickly looks away to Violet.

"Ha! I'm not going to fall for that; your grandfather warned me about that too!" Motrax taunts, keeping his vision focused off of Blackheart and on Violet. "You can just sit there and watch as I destroy your little friend here!"

Motrax attacks Violet
Attack: Lightning Spell
Defense: Magic Shield

"Kero razena!" Motrax shouts and waves his hands at Violet. No spell fires however; instead Motrax is struck by lightning himself! Motrax screams in pain as he falls off the rocks into the red ocean below. A flash of light blinds him as he finds himself standing back on the rock, with Violet flying right toward him! "What? Impossible! I barely looked at her!"

Violet attacks Motrax
Attack: Scorch Kick
Defense: Deflect

Motrax is too late in his confusion to ready any attack or defensive spells, and is kicked in the forehead by Violet, lighting his pointed hat on fire and knocking him off the rocks for real this time!

Motrax Condition: Battered - Burn

"Bah! You'll pay for this!" Motrax shouts as a pink cloud forms underneath the wizard and a giant lobster claw grabs him, pulling him into the cloud where they both vanish. The magical prism holding Blackheart and Theo disappears with Motrax's departure.

"Are you and Theo okay?" Violet asks.

Blackheart nods with a smile and picks up Theo. "Thanks to you I am Violet." Blackheart answers.

"Hey, I know you helped me." Violet tells her with a knowing wink. Blackheart giggles and hugs Theo tightly.

"Well, a bit. We should hurry and get the Shadow Soul before it causes any harm to this reality."

Violet looks down at the swirling whirlpool of blood red water and frowns. "I'm not going down there. I'd never make it!"

Looking down at the whirlpool, Blackheart nods. "You're right; it is too dangerous for us to do this ourselves. We will need help. Hopefully we can get the Shadow Soul before Motrax or my grandfather try to get us again. Follow me."

Blackheart zooms through the sky in a streak of black and red light, followed by a purple streak of light as they make their way into Townsville. Their light trails in the sky catch the attention of a number of civilians, who all start to call the Mayor.

"Yes, this is the Mayor. You saw what? A Dark Powerpuff? Are you sure? Hello? You too? A Dark Powerpuff Girl you say? Yes I already know! You saw a Dark Powerpuff Girl?" The Mayor of Townsville hangs up all the ringing phones. "I thought this whole ordeal was over with, but now everyone in Townsville has Dark Powerpuffs on the brain! There's only one thing to do."

The Mayor picks up the familiar Powerpuff Hotline phone as he starts to make an all too familiar call...

[blossomgb]

Steve was working on an old TV set in his workshop. Because they were next door rather than in their own home today, Blossom was with her sisters, mainly giving Bubbles advice about marriage! Angel was in the workshop with Steve helping him get the television ready for the display next week.

Angel was a clever child, very much like her mum was at the same age, Steve imagined. She had come in from the sun because it was a hot day and the fans in the workshop were nice and cool, so were very inviting. She was Blond, had long hair but not in a bow like her mother. had blue eyes that could get anything from her Dad, and wore a white and blue outfit today. Like many kids, she had a few tricks up her sleeve to get what she wanted, and she knew that helping Steve meant McDonalds later on.

'OK Angel. Stand back!'. When Steve said this, she had learned that it was best to obey. 'Right, watch the screen'. Steve hit the mains supply and they waited as the set warmed up.
'Is it going to work this time?', she asked Steve.
'Should do', Steve answered, not feeling that hopeful.
'Fine', Angel replied. 'And for my next trick...'

The picture appeared and Steve made a couple of adjustments. Up came an old edition of Dr Who.
'Your evil is my good. I am Sutekh the Destroyer. Where I tread I leave nothing but dust and darkness. I find that good'.
Dr Who looked at Sutekh. 'Then I curse you Sutekh. You are a twisted abhorrence -'
He was stopped in his tracks as a fuse blew in the back of the set.

Angel continued '....Is to wonder what's wrong this time.'
Steve didn't speak for a moment. Normally he'd be calling the set a rude name by now, but with a daughter who would repeat it just to get them both in trouble with Blossom, he stopped.
'I hope it's not the...', he began.
'Do you two want a cold drink', Blossom shouted down.
'Yes!!!', Angel shouted as she ran back upstairs, Steve followed, wondering why that line of that old Dr Who story stuck in his mind. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.
'Coming, Bloss', he called as he followed his little girl. They were out in the garden and Angel ran over to Buttercup, who pretended to twist her arm up her back. She got out of it easily and tried to give Buttercup a smack in the face. But Buttercup countered this and they both collapsed laughing.
When Steve stepped into the garden. Blossom gave him a brief kiss and he sat down beside her. She was wearing a Bikini and was lying on a sun lounger. Bubbles was beside her.
'Having a busy day are we', he said to Blossom.
'Oh yes. Very hard. I don't know how I cope', she laughed.
'Good. Keep it that way', he replied, sipping on a cold soda.
In the hall, the Powerpuff Phone rings. 'Spoke too soon', Blossom commented as she went to answer it.
'This town still has Dark Powerpuffs on the brain', Bubbles remarked.
'Be another false alarm, I bet you', Buttercup said.
'Yeah. It was a pretty bad do though', Steve said. He still couldn't make that wretched line from that TV show go away. 'We won though.'
Blossom came back into the garden. 'Another sighting, but by lots of people this time. We may as well check it out I suppose'. She was a bit upset that the day could be ruined this way. At least her sisters would be disturbed too. 'Come on, be back as soon as we can.'
'What about Angel?', Steve asked.
'It'll not be real. Bring her for the ride', Blossom told him.
A few seconds later they were in the sky heading for the area that the Mayor told Blossom that they had been seen. Angel thought that they could go to McDonalds on the way back.

Cheers,

Blossomgb


Dr Who Pyramids Of ,Mars : www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPMtGAFYqc

[Puff Hunter]

Somewhere in Citiesville's industrial district, a 40-something Hispanic man wakes up to find himself handcuffed to a pipe in an abandoned warehouse.

Man Condition: Scratched - Restrained

"Good morning, Ortega," a voice says from behind him. Ortega rattles his cuffs against the pipe. "Don't bother. Those are duranium restraints. Even I couldn't escape from them." The speaker, Hack, floats into Ortega's field of vision.

"Who are you?" Ortega asks. "What do you want?"

"Who I am is unimportant," Hack says. "What I want is to stop you from making a terrible mistake. My sources tell me that you've recently come into possession of a large supply of Chemical X. You wish to distribute that supply, and you have already received bids from several interested buyers. But I can't allow you to complete the sale. You see, dumping such a large quantity of such a powerful substance onto the black market would cause a great deal of... instability. And if there is one thing I wish to avoid, for the sake of all our business, it is... instability."

Ortega narrows his eyes. "Oh, I see. You don't want anyone else to have all your fancy Powerpuff powers. You're afraid of me leveling the playing field."

"If you want to be blunt about it, yes," Hack says with a shrug. "These powers come with grave responsibility. Not just anyone can be trusted with them, whether they be heroes or villains. And judging by your actions so far, I can't trust you to exercise proper care in handing them out. What you're doing is the equivalent of holding an open auction for a stockpile of nuclear weapons." Hack smirks. "Forgive the pun, but you'll definitely be leveling the playing field if you go through with this."

"So what do you want? I just sit on the X, let it go to waste?"

Hack shakes his head. "There's a process that can turn Chemical X into a powerful and surprisingly safe narcotic. I can run the process on your supply. You'll still have a product for your buyers, and I won't have to run around the world slitting the throats of would-be Rowdyruffs. It's a win-win."

"And if I refuse?"

Hack pulls a handgun and points it at Ortega's head. "That should be obvious."

Ortega hangs his head low. "Fine," he sighs. "Make the drugs."

"We have a deal, then?" Hack asks, lowering the gun.

"Yes already!"

"Excellent." Hack nods. "By the way, something I learned a long time ago: pay very close attention to the terms of a deal before you agree to it. I said I'd turn your Chemical X into something that can still be sold to your buyers." He raises the gun again. "I never said you'd be the one to sell it."

"Wait, what are you -" BANG.

Hack attacks Ortega
Attack: Handgun (point blank)
Defense: None

Ortega's body slumps to the ground. Blood seeps from the new hole in his forehead.

Ortega Condition: Destroyed

Hack floats away from the scene. "Some people never learn," he mutters. "It's a miracle I don't have to do something like this every day." Suddenly his phone beeps a familiar ringtone. The Hotline? He picks up the phone to eavesdrop on the conversation. A Dark Powerpuff Girl? After all this time? Could it be... Is the new Voidbringer in town? And here I was hoping we could have a nice peaceful introduction. Hack crumples the gun in his hands and throws it out before starting back toward Townsville.

[rulerofice]

Somewhere in North Pole, a small structure was showing. But it was much bigger than it seemed. Underneath the snow and ice there were various rooms. One of them had many monitors, showing what was happening all around the world. There was also a kitchen and bedroom. At another room, a small laboratory, Timo was doing a small experiment, but stopping suddenly.

"Darn it!" Timo said. "This is not good." he created an ice staff and swung it at an object made of ice, breaking it to pieces.

Timo sighed. "It's harder than I thought it would be to make a custom ice weapon. Maybe I should ask the Professor for advices."

Timo went into the monitor room and looked at the monitors. "I should call there anyway. It's been a few days since I last spoke with Bubbles. Nothing new is happening in the world, anyway. Just wars and politics."

Right then, an alrm went off right next to Timo.

"Alert! Alert! Anomaly detected!"

"An anomaly?" Timo wondered.

Right then all of the monitors changed automatically to show one place: Townsville.

"There have been some monsters, but this kind of alarm..." Timo was saying before another alarm went off.

"Alert! Hotline call has been made!"

Right then the monitors showed two girls on the street of Townsville. Timo went wide eyed.

"It can't be!" Timo said. "Dark Powerpuff Girls? These look different, though. And if Powerpuff Hotline has been used, then... ... I have to get to Townsville, ASAP."

Timo shut down the alarms and pushed a button. A passage opened up near him. As Timo flew in it, a lever appeared that read "Base shutdown." Timo pulled the lever and the base went dark. At the same time a hatch opened up and brightened the place up a bit.

Outside, a dark blue line could be seen moving fast away from the North Pole.

[rcblazer]

Carrying Theo in her arms, Blackheart leads Violet toward a city overlooking the sea. Violet's eyes go wide with surprise and familiarity.

"Hey, that's Townsville!" Violet says with a happy smile. "Maybe I can talk to Blair again before we go back to get the orb."

"I hate to disappoint you, but this place isn't the same as your timeline Violet." Blackheart answers her. "There's a good chance none of your friends from Townsville exist here at all."

Violet shrugs. "Oh well. If they aren't who we came to to find, then who-?"

Blackheart interrupts Violet, pointing at three familiar streaks of light headed in their direction. "There!"

Violet looks at where Blackheart is pointing, recognizing the three of them. "That's Blair's mom! Her aunt Buttercup and Bubbles too!"

Blackheart lands on a nearby rooftop, setting Theo down. Theo runs and hides behind a nearby turbine as Blackheart looks up at the arrivals. Blossom examines Blackheart closely and frowns. "She doesn't look like any of the ones we've seen before, but there's no doubt about it; that's a Dark Powerpuff Girl all right."

Bubbles looks at Blackheart, then at Violet, tilting her head questioningly. "Something doesn't seem right. If she's a Dark Powerpuff Girl, why didn't she cause any damage to Townsville since arriving here? Who's that other girl with her?"

"Bubbles is right." Buttercup says, scratching her head. "Half of Townsville should be burning down or something, yet here she is just standin' there as though..." Buttercup narrows her eyes and enters a fighting stance. "...as though she were expecting us. It's a trap!"

"No no, wait!" Violet shouts, flying in front of the girls and waving her arms. "We're not here to cause trouble; we need your help!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you think we would help..." Buttercup points at Blackheart accusingly. "...that?!"

"I know this looks bad, but Blackheart doesn't want to hurt anyone." Violet pleads with Buttercup. "Please, she's my friend."

Buttercup looks at Violet as though a tentacle were growing out of her face. "Your FRIEND?!? She's a Dark Powerpuff Girl! You're out of your mind!"

"Maybe we should wait for Steve to catch up so he can figure this out." Bubbles suggests.

"No, I think I know what's going on." Blossom says. Violet sighs with relief at first, then gasps when Blossom says "This girl's mind must be under the thrall of the other one!"

"What? No! You gotta listen to me!"

"That explains it." Buttercup says with a smirk. "We take her down, this girl should come back to her senses."

"Ugh!" Violet shakes her head in frustration. "Some things are still the same; no one ever listens to me!"

"We can sort all of this out once we've dealt with her." Blossom says. Buttercup grabs Violet by the arm and starts to pull her away, but Violet wrests her arms free.

"Let go of me! Don't do this!" Violet shouts in protest...

Buttercup attacks Violet
Attack: Punch
Defense: None

...when Buttercup punches her in the belly! Violet gasps for air and falls into Buttercup's arms.

Violet Condition: Unconscious

"Buttercup!" Bubbles says angrily, disapproving highly of her knocking out a child.

"Sorry, but I had to do something. This way she can't get herself hurt by standing in the way." Buttercup retorts. Cradling Violet in her arms, she looks at her more closely. "Whose kid is this anyways? She looks kinda familiar..."

"Violet?" Blackheart asks, concerned for her friend. When she doesn't answer, Blackheart covers her mouth in fear, stepping slowly away from the Powerpuff Girls.

Bubbles takes immediate notice of the look of fear on Blackheart's face. "Wait, we shouldn't do this." She says to Blossom. "I knew something didn't feel right. What if that girl's telling the truth?"

"What if she was made to say that?" Blossom asks her, eying Blackheart. "We can't take a chance with that Bubbles. We've seen the Dark Powerpuff Girls employ far worse mind tricks than this. We have to stop her now before she harms anyone!"

Bubbles shakes her head, but takes position behind Blossom and next to Buttercup as they prepare to fire the Powerpuff Starburst.

Blackheart casts Cloak of Shadows

Before the girls can fire however, a loud echoing voice that sounds like an old woman and Jazenok Blackskull himself talking in unison bellows out of the mouth of Blackheart! "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! YOU WILL KNOW PAIN, SUFFERING, AGONY, TORMENT FOR HARMING VIOLET!"

Blackheart turns away from the Powerpuff Girls and disappears in a swirl of darkness and black smoke! Theo looks up from his hiding spot at the Powerpuff Girls after Blackheart's departure and panics, running around in circles with no way off the rooftop. Bubbles spots the stuffed bear and picks it up. "What's this? Did she leave it behind?"

"I'm starting to think Bubbles is right; we might have acted a bit too hastily." Blossom remarks, looking at Violet being cradled in Buttercup's arms. "Perhaps we should instead find out what is really going on before we do anything else. Let's take this girl back to our house and wake her up."

[blossomgb]

Steve appears along with Angel as Blossom said that. 'What's happened', he asks. Angel wasn't quite as fast flying yet. so Steve stayed with her.
'I don't know', Blossom replies.
'Who's that', he asks as he looks at the unconcious girl.
'We thought she was a Dark', Bubbles said.
'I don't think you'ld have knocked her out so easily if she was', Steve commented. 'What about the other one, the call said there were two.'
Meanwhile, Angel was more interested in the stuffed teddy bear. Bubbles was convinced it was harmless so she gave it to her. She cuddled it and looked up. 'This was hers', she commented.
'Well she went with a voice like an old woman with a lot of venom. You know, like Him does when he's mad', Buttercup added.
'Can I have that a second', Steve said to Angel. 'The bear?'
'You'll give him back?', she asked him,
'Yes. Just let me look at him', he replied.
'He's lonely and scared', Angel told him. Steve didn't pay much heed to that as she handed the bear to him. Steve looked at it for a moment.
'I hope it is just a toy bear', Blossom said.
Steve nodded and handed the bear back to Angel. 'You look after it until we find it's owner', he told her. 'Then we'll have to give it back. Not yours to keep'. Angel nodded sadly and held the bear close.
'Well, whoever it is, she's gone but will be back for us', Bubbles commented. 'Let's get her back to base and find out who she is', she said as Buttercup picked her up.
'Stay together this time', Blossom said. 'We don't want any of us picked off if she reappears'.
Bubbles and Buttercup carried the prone Violet as they headed back to base. When they got back, they put Violet on the sofa and Steve put an ice pack on the bruise.
'One of your better ones', Blossom said to Buttercup. Bubbles looked at her with concern. On a nearby chair, Angel was making the stuffed bear comfortable too.
Violet seemed to be coming round.
'Stay there, you've had a nasty bump', Steve told her.
'Where am I'. Violet asked the classic question.
'Safe, don't worry. Oh, and I'm sorry about the bump', Bubbles stated.
'Where's Blackheart?',Violet asked.
Blossom and Steve looked at each other. 'Blackheart from the Black Void?'. Steve asked Blossom.
'Who are you?', Buttercup asked.
'I'm Violet. Who are you?', Violet ventured.
The names and details were all swapped. Violet wanted a glass of water, so Bubbles went to get her one. '
'Where's Blackheart gone', Blossom asked. 'She even left her toy bear behind. Our daughter seems quite taken with him', she added as she looked over at Angel and the bear.
'Don't leave her alone with that bear', Violet stated. 'It was an evil being that Blackheart turned into a stuffed bear to stop him eating her nanny.'
Steve looked over at Angel. Maybe she wasn't playing when she said he was sad and lonely. He ran over and picked up the bear again, despite Angel's cries. 'It could be dangerous', he told her gently. 'I know it sounds silly, but we have to be sure,'

Cheers,

Blossomgb

[Puff Hunter]

Hack hovers high above Townsville, scanning the city for any sign of Blackheart or the Powerpuff Girls. "That's unusual," he says to himself. "There's no way they could have handled the situation that quickly. So where did they go?" He pulls his phone out and accesses his computer, looking for any evidence of the encounter or of Blackheart's currrent whereabouts. "Come on," he grumbles. "There has to be something."

[rulerofice]

As Timo was flying fast towards Townsville, his mind raced.

"It doesn't make sense." Timo thought. Why would the computer alert of an anomaly when there were only two Dark Powerpuff Girls on the scene? They can't be the anomaly. They would have only triggered the Powerpuff Hotline alarm. Come to think of it... if they were Dark Powerpuffs, why weren't they destroying Townsville by the time I was seeing them? ... ... That leaves one big question: what really triggered the anomaly alarm?

By the time he asked this question, Townsville came into view and seemed to be okay.

"The battle seems to be over already. I hope I can find some answers at the girls' house then."

[rcblazer]

As Violet rests and has a drink of water, Steve examines Theo more closely. Feeling Theo's ear, Steve could tell its 'fur' was made of mohair and its 'skin' was an unidentifiable synthetic cloth. An X-ray showed that the bear was in fact stuffed with cotton on the inside, even having the safety joints that kept the arms, legs, and head attached to the body like any factory made teddy bear would. The only thing about Theo Steve could figure out that was different from ordinary stuffed bears was that it was sentient and able to move on its own.

"We have to find Blackheart; Him will be after her now that she's alone!" Violet says.

"What does Him have to do with any of this?" Blossom asks.

"Blackheart is his granddaughter. She is not just a Dark Powerpuff Girl; she is also part demon."

"Then why'd she run away after she threatened us?" Buttercup asks.

If Blackheart left Theo behind, she must have wanted to get away from you in a hurry." Violet explains to the Powerpuff Girls. "When she saw me get knocked out, it must have upset her to the point where her evil personality was able to assume some minor control over her."

"What do you mean by 'evil personality'?" Blossom asks her. "Until now, we had assumed that anything from the Black Void is inherently evil."

"She is the daughter of Black and Dark Bubbles after all." Buttercup comments. "For all we know, she's been putting on an act to try and trick people."

"No, I am sure this is no trick." Violet replies. "When I first saw her talking to Him, I thought she was planning something evil myself, but when I tried to fight her, she refused to fight back! It wasn't like I could hurt her anyway, but she could have easily torn me apart and didn't. Then I found out about the Shadow Souls."

"The what?"

"When Blackheart and Him left the Black Void, it created these orbs that tie the two of them together. They both referred to them as Shadow Souls, and they are scattered across several planes of reality, time and space. These things are supposedly the essence of the Black Void's corruption, but Blackheart's good self has the power to 'purify' them in a way that they don't cause any harm to their surroundings. We found one in the age of Early Man, and I saw her absorb some of its energy."

"She absorbed the energy of this Shadow Soul and then what?" Buttercup asks.

"At first, I thought it had strengthened her, but it wasn't until Him attacked us that I realized the truth. Blackheart hadn't gained strength, she had used the orb's power to gain further dominance over her dark side. I think Blackheart is already as powerful as she can be, but she can't use her powers to their fullest due to her good and evil sides constantly fighting for control of her. For now, her good half is winning; her evil persona only shows itself when she has nightmares in her sleep, or when she sees something that makes her angry."

"Like seeing you get hit?" Buttercup questions, realizing that knocking out Violet may have been a far worse mistake than she had been told by Bubbles.

Violet nods. "Even though Blackheart's evil showed itself to you, her good self still held enough control to escape before she attacked. The only place I can think she went was back to the Shadow Soul Motrax dropped in the ocean."

"Motrax?" Bubbles asks, recognizing the name. "He's that evil gnome wizard from Wonder!"

"You said the Shadow Soul can cause harm to its surroundings unless Blackheart purifies it." Blossom says. "Is it possible she went back to get it?"

"It's possible, but its at the bottom of the sea and it is already spreading its corruption!" Violet answers. "We couldn't get it on our own, so Blackheart came to Townsville looking for help to retrieve it. I get the feeling she didn't quite think this through all the way. If her evil self has regained control, then she can't be allowed to get near the Shadow Soul; she'll use its power to take full control of Blackheart's body! If that happens..."

"...then nobody is safe." Blossom finishes Violet's statement. Just then, the sound of the door knocking is heard. "Bubbles, could you get that?"

"It could be her. Be careful." Violet warns her.

"Bubbles goes and opens the front door. "Oh, hi there!" She says before calling out to the others. "We've got a visitor!

[blossomgb]

Steve put the bear down, thoughtfully putting it out of Angel's reach. Angel was none to happy about this, but something about what the others were saying stopped her from asking for it or flying to get it.
'We have seen Blackheart before', he remembers.
'In the void', Blossom recalls. 'We were going to bring her out but that figure said no and Mojo wouldn't have let her anyway. So we had our own child instead. And Iris in Wonder said that we ought to train her well, which I like to think we have done.'
'And he said the good side would be dominant', Steve stated. 'I think we'd better get that Shadow Soul thing before it causes any corruption. Where is it Violet?'
Violet was about to answer when Bubbles came in with another figure.
'Hi there, how are you?', Buttercup suddenly said.

Cheers,

Blossomgb

[rulerofice]

It was Timo that was at the door. After Bubbles said they had a visitor, she hugged Timo, making Timo hug back.

"Good to see you, Timo." Bubbles said.

"You too, Bubbles." Timo said.

When Timo came in and saw everyone, he smiled.

"Hi, everyone!" Timo said. "It's been awhile." Timo looks at Buttercup. "I'm doing ok." His expression suddenly changes to serious. "Wish I could say this was a surprise visit, but I got an alarm from here."

It was then Timo noticed Violet. "Something tells me things aren't as they seem, are they?"

Blossom realizes what Timo means and introduces Violet and gives the short version of what they've experienced and heard.

"I see." Timo said as he thought of things. "So the daughter of Black and Dark Bubbles is here. This explains the anomaly alarm I got just before getting the Powerpuff Hotline alarm."

"An anomaly alarm?" Blossom wondered.

"Yes, but when the monitors didn't show anything else but Townsville, I wondered if it was false alarm." Timo said. "Apparentally it wasn't and judging from the story you just told me, Violet and Blackheart are the results of that anomaly."

Timo turns to see Violet. "You two came in through a portal, didn't you?"

"Yes." Violet answers.

"That explains it." Timo said. "So what's our next move?"

[rcblazer]

"It looks like we're going after this Shadow Soul." Blossom responds to Timo's question. "We find that and we'll probably find Blackheart too. Do you remember where it is Violet?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard to retrace our flight path from there to here." Violet answers. "Follow me!" She says as she takes off through the window in a streak of purple light. The Powerpuff Girls are quick to take off to follow her.

[blossomgb]

Steve was about to yell 'hold on a sec' but Violet was gone. Holding the bear, he followed, along with Angel. He soon caught them up this time.
'Why have you brought that', Violet asks.
'In case it's owner turns up', Steve replies. 'Is it safe for people to handle these things by the way?'
'Yes, I think so.', Violet replied. Angel lookde down to the sea below. Then the rest do. There was a red whirlpool there, almost like a portal.
'I take it this is the place', Blossom said.
Bubbles went cold and even Buttercup shivered.
'So we have to go down there', Bubbles asks.
'I've forgot my swimming trunks', Steve commented. Blossom and Angel giggled
'Trust him', Angel remarked.
Blossom replied to Angel, quietly, and the two laughed.
'What's that over there?', Buttercup shouted. Black Smoke appeared on the cliff top above them....

Cheers,

Blossomgb

[rulerofice]

Timo also followed the girls and caught them up above the red whirlpool.

"That's strange." Timo said. "I don't remember seeing anything like this when I flew over Townsville. Must be pretty recent."

Timo looked at Bubbles and held her hand. "We've been in worse places and seen scarier things than this."

Timo felt chills on his back as he looked past Bubbles. "Why am I feeling like someone is watching us?"