Dreams of an Absolution

"I see a bad moon arising

I see trouble on the way

I see earthquakes and lightning

I see bad times today"

Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival "Green River")


Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 19

A wicked roar rang out across the panicking city of Townsville. A three-colored rainbow shot across the skyline, dodging another deadly wave of spikes. The girls circled back around, panting and reassessing the situation.

"Dexter, the plan isn't working, this thing's hide is way too tough!" Buttercup shouted into her earpiece. The voice on the other end chuckled, responding in a chiding tone.

"Of course it will work! You just aren't doing it right! The monster is strong, but very slow, you just have to hit the underside of its fourth tail!" Buttercup groaned and glanced at her sisters. Bubbles was panting, but only seemed aggravated herself. Blossom, on the other hand, was doubled over, holding her sides and gasping for air. Her flight pattern was jagged at best, and try as she might, she just couldn't keep her eyes focused.

"Blossom? Hey! Red, are you going to make it?" Blossom swallowed and nodded, looking up at the monster and glowering.

"If he'd...he'd just let us...let us...do our j-j...job it would b-be d...done..." She muttered, standing up straight and sizing up the monster. It was a pretty boy: a twenty-seven story high snake beast with five arguing heads, each spitting something more dangerous than the next at them. Its body split into a whopping forty tails, each long and slender, twice the length of the body itself, and ending in a set of poisonous barbs that it could launch at will. Blossom rolled her eyes and doubled over again, scanning the streets.

Dexter's plan was probably accurate, but the truth was, they couldn't keep track of the fourth tail. Especially not when the tails themselves were trying to slam them and launching barbs at them while the mouths spewed fire, ice, lightning, gamma rays, and poisonous venom at them. It only made matters worse that Dexter demanded Blossom take part in the fight. She glanced at her sisters, who were worse off then she'd seen them in months.

Buttercup and Bubbles were no slouch in fighting monsters. With Blossom being a liability on the battlefield, they'd gotten better than they'd ever been before in her absence. But, now with Blossom stuck in the middle of a fight she just, honestly, couldn't keep up with, they were forced to babysit her while trying to stop the monster. None of the sisters were happy with their so-called "Coordinating Officer's" choices thus far...but this really bit the bullet.

"Just forget about me and follow his stupid plan, you know how he gets if we ignore his orders," Blossom muttered spitefully. Buttercup nodded—their first "objective" as Dexter called it, they had ignored his plan and just done what they always do, catch the crooks. Well, Dexter hadn't handled it well and had threatened to report them to the department. That was essentially a death sentence for Blossom, so they had humbled themselves and fought to make sure they followed his less than ideal orders to a tee.

Honestly, Dexter wasn't bad...he just didn't know how the Powerpuff Girls worked, nor was he keen on learning. Blossom shook her head and quickly found the fourth tail. While she was a physical liability...she still had her best asset.

"Okay, I've got the tail in my sights..." She whispered, quickly dodging a barrage of poison barbs. Buttercup whipped her head back and forth, counting as fast as she could. Blossom groaned and dodged a gamma blast, grabbing Buttercup's shoulder.

"If Bubbles distracts it, I'll lead you to the right tail and you can kill it!" Blossom hissed, avoiding the earpiece on Buttercup's left side. Buttercup nodded and waved her hand, getting Bubbles' attention between the volleys.

"Bubbles! Sonic Scream!" Bubbles nodded and batted a barrage of barbs aside—Blossom still couldn't believe how strong she could be at times—and let out a powerful scream, one that grew louder and higher with every second. Windows shattered and Blossom's ears rang, but the monster gave, like they always did, doubling over and howling in pain. Buttercup took off flying at breakneck speed, dodging the flailing tails.

"This one! Now!" Buttercup shot up the moment they were under the fourth tail. The underside was a softer shade of pink than the others, and the tail itself seemed to move slower. Blossom latched arms with Buttercup at the last second and the two began spinning. A pink and green Sonic Screwdriver tore through the fourth tail, completely severing it from the monster.

It screeched, a horrible, earthshaking sound. Blood gushed from the wound like a waterfall. Without a moment of hesitation, the monster took off at full speed, diving into the ocean, leaving behind a trail of murky, red water, filled with dying fish.

The sisters spun out of control, but with a sharp tug, Buttercup managed to pull Blossom into a tight hold and relatively easy landing. The two stared at each other incredulously, while Bubbles flew down to congratulate them.

"Wow! I've never seen you two do that before! That was incredible!" Blossom climbed out of Buttercup's arms. The Powerpuff leader was just as confused as she was.

"How did we do that?" Buttercup finally asked. Blossom shrugged and blushed.

"I didn't mean to...it just...was a spur of the moment thing, sorry..." Buttercup chuckled and scratched her head, looking at the hissing lake of monster blood behind them.

"Well it worked so...great job, girls!" Bubbles cheered again, just as Buttercup's headset came online again.

"Buttercup here, what's up?" The boy genius chuckled on the other end.

"So my plan didn't work, did it? Ugh...you girls need to work on not making a mess every time you stop some kind of disaster. Get to work cleaning this up," Buttercup yanked the earpiece out and shoved it into her pocket, growling.

"Good for nothing jerk! He just called to tell us to clean up this mess, no congratulations or nothin!" Blossom rolled her eyes and Bubbles huffed. That was Dexter's biggest problem. They were just stupid girls to him, he was the real hero. And typically...they were known for causing a bit of a mess. Perhaps one of the worst parts of the Meta-Human Regulation Act was that now...they had to actually stick around and clean it up.

And for messes like this one...that took...some...time...

XxXxX

"So what you're saying is...?" Buttercup narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, practically laying on the couch at this point. Blossom was tucked away in the corner, leaning on the arm of the couch, while Bubbles was the only one sitting up and paying more than a token attention to Dexter's evaluation of their performance.

"You performed better than anticipated, but still below the level of efficiency we expect from you," Dexter explained, staring at the dry-erase board he'd filled with equations and bullets. He nodded, turning to face the girls with a small smirk.

"I was, admittedly, impressed with that last maneuver, my tests had told me you two weren't capable of that particular formation," Blossom just sighed and raised her eyebrow, while Buttercup sat up straight, cheeks red.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded. Dexter chuckled and tapped his marker against the board.

"If you had been paying attention, I already explained that. In both simulation and in observation of your...training session," Dexter rolled his eyes, "You and Blossom were incapable of the...what did you call it? The Screaming Sunday driver?" He shook his head, ignoring Bubbles and Buttercup's outburst of "Sonic Screwdriver".

"Regardless, this looks promising. You're still far behind in your training, and your efficiency rating is...well," He chuckled again, "Non-existent. But we'll work on that. We're going to increase your training to every day before and after school," Another outburst that Dexter, and Blossom, ignored. Blossom sat up, staring at her left arm. A week after Dexter's arrival, and it wasn't getting better. Usually she could ignore it but...tonight it was just unbearable. Throbbing...trembling...aching. Like something wanted to get out.

"Are we done?" She asked, interrupting Buttercup and Dexter's argument. The pain in her arm was routine, but the pain in her abdomen...that was a little more telling. Dexter cleared his throat, trying to get control of the group again.

"We still have-" Buttercup interrupted him, scooting closer to Blossom.

"Is it uh...that...time...again?" Blossom would have laughed, seeing Buttercup so flustered, but...she was right, and Blossom wasn't in the mood. She nodded and Buttercup jumped up.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can lecture us tomorrow, Dexter," An argument was ready to burst, so Blossom slipped away while the two "leaders" were preoccupied. Blossom grumbled, fumbling with the doorknob. She stepped into her room, only to be blasted with a wave of heat. She gasped, spinning around and staring at the rising walls of frozen fire. She heard a powerful chuckle and spun around, her cheeks heating up seeing him, the God of Evil, Aku, seated in his throne. Bigger, more powerful than anything in the world. Little Blossom flew up to him and tried to look stern despite her joy.

"Aku! You...you're still...where have you been? You haven't been in class for a week! A week!" She screamed, emphasizing, in case he wasn't sure, that he had been missing for an entire week. Aku chuckled and gestured for Blossom to take a seat on his lap. As she floated down, he shrunk, until he was just big enough to cradle her as she snuggled against him, moaning and biting back tears of joy.

"I thought they fired you..." Aku laughed, shaking the entire Pit of Hate.

"Do not be foolish, Blossom. No weak administration would be so brave as to relieve the almighty Aku of his duties!" Aku laughed again and Blossom giggled, looking up at his face. Aku sighed and rested his cheek on his hand, "Aku was...however, required to take a leave of absence," Blossom gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

"That isn't fair at all! Why would they do that? You can't let them take your job away just because you aren't human! You haven't even been bad!" Aku nodded and patted Blossom's head, shrugging in defeat.

"Perhaps, but apparently 'Uka scares the children' and 'The children don't like Mr. Uka', FAH! Those brats should be so lucky to receive a real education from the mighty Aku!" Blossom nodded, pulling her knees up to her chest. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. She looked up at Aku warily.

"Are you registered?" Aku raised his eyebrow and looked down at her, "With the Department of Meta-Human Regulations?" Aku huffed and waved his hand dismissively. Blossom swallowed nervously. That had to be why Aku disappeared suddenly. If he didn't register, he was labeled a threat. Granted, no one could really stop him...except Buttercup. And she thought he was dead, and Blossom hoped to keep it that way.

"Aku refuses to bow to petty human whims. It is disgrace enough that he must follow some lacking administration's rules in governing his own class!" Blossom lowered her head and sighed. Aku would be too proud to register, wouldn't he? Not that she could blame if, if she'd had a choice. If she had a choice, what would she have done?

"I really, really miss having you as a teacher," She said, interrupting his raving. Aku blinked and sighed, patting her head.

"Aku misses watching you grow, child. However, as it stands, he cannot return without inciting some kind of conflict," Blossom nodded and snuggled into his arms. She noticed her bracelet, but, as if reading her mind, suddenly the two were back in her room. Blossom smiled and curled up under her blanket. Aku gently rubbed her back, watching her with an unbroken gaze. Slowly, she began to drift off to sleep.

Maybe there was something she could do. There had to be something...anything...to get Uka-sensei back...

XxXxX

As of late, class had been less exciting and worth paying attention to. Sure, there was the occasional pop quiz, which Blossom sleepwalked through. Then there were the moments when the rest of the class was stumped, which frankly were few and far in between now, where she had to raise her hand. But...really, it was the drama she missed the most. She missed Uka-sensei's wild, theatrical gestures and his big, booming voice.

While Class A11-21 hadn't been able to get a human teacher, they had received Mr. Green in Uka-sensei's absence, which was almost the same thing as having a human. Blossom loved Mr. Green, he was a great teacher who loved kids and knew his material, but...he just wasn't Uka-sensei. Boring lesson after boring lesson—boring in a sense that it was on a level the rest of the class could keep up with—Blossom spent most of her team wondering just what kind of powers Mr. Green had.

Oh, he had to have some. The government had forced a red tracking collar on him—the highest threat level a monster could be labeled. But...in the year she'd known him, Blossom had never seen even an ounce of Mr. Green's power. He didn't even occasionally display super strength like Uka-sensei, he was just...so human. So, bored and physically exhausted from Dexter's five a.m. training session, Blossom resolved to find out. But more than anything, she was determined to find a way to bring back Uka-sensei.

The bell for lunch rang a little later than usual. Not a completely new occurrence, but one that annoyed the students nonetheless. Blossom watched Mr. Green carefully, as he waved and wished her classmate's a good lunch and fun recess. She overheard Princess cough "suck up" as she left, but ignored it. She had more important things to deal with. Mr. Green smiled, noticing that Blossom was the only student left.

"It's lunch time, Blossom! Hey, kiddo...you look pretty tired," He knelt down beside her desk, tentatively checking her temperature. "A little warm, are you feeling alright?" Blossom snapped out of her daze and nodded.

"I'm just exhausted from our training this morning," she explained. Mr. Green nodded and gave her a pat on the back.

"I noticed they're running you girls ragged out there, but, just so you know, I think you're doing a great job! I saw how you handled Jeremiah yesterday," Blossom raised her eyebrow and Mr. Green chuckled. "Sorry, that snake monster. He was a friend of the family, had a gambling addiction," Blossom giggled and nodded, climbing out of her seat and fishing for her lunch sack.

"Why thank you! Say...Mr. Green, what do you do for fun?" Mr. Green blinked and scratched his horns.

"Hm, well, usually I like to visit the clubs around town. Mostly to hear the up and coming bands, Townsville has a thriving underground music scene!" Blossom giggled and nodded, grabbing her sack.

"Did you ever go with Uka-sensei?" Mr. Green laughed and leaned against his desk.

"Why, yes! Actually, we spent quite a lot of time getting to know each other. He's really a great guy once you get passed the attitude that most Old Ones have," Blossom sat back down.

"Old One? He isn't that old is he?" Mr. Green smirked and crossed his arms.

"He's a few hundred years old, definitely an Old One though. That's basically what the modern monster calls his great, great grandparents. There were quite a few famous Old Ones: Cthulhu, Godzilla, Gamera...Uka-san is definitely one of them. They're all pretty similar, have the same 'Us versus Them' attitude toward humans. But oh, the stories they can tell!" Blossom sighed blissfully. So Mr. Green respected Aku too? No wonder he was her favorite substitute!

"Wow! Do you know when he's coming back? I really...miss him..." Mr. Green walked over, patting Blossom on the shoulder.

"I noticed, you aren't as active in class as he always said you were. You know, he was always bragging about you," Blossom blushed and looked up.

"Really?" Mr. Green nodded, smiling.

"Really...and no, unfortunately, I don't know when he's coming back. Knowing that he's an Old One...he may never come back. He wouldn't stomach the Meta-Human Regulation Act," Blossom nodded. Aku had told her that much himself. Still, there had to be some way...

"Um...so what are you doing for Halloween?" It was only a week away, afterall. Surely Monstro-Americans had fun with it too, right? Mr. Green laughed and smoothed out his cape.

"Well, actually, I was invited to Principal Durry's faculty party this weekend. They're usually a lot of fun, she may be a stiff at work, but Miss Anne Durry knows how to throw a party!" He sighed wistfully and sat down at his desk, cheek on his hand.

"I just wish I had a date..." Blossom frowned and walked over to him. It was her turn to pat him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure you could find someone..." Mr. Green chuckled and shook his head, tugging on his collar.

"Not with this thing, I'm afraid. Most humans avoid me like the plague and most monsters in my classification...well they don't fit in doors too well," He explained.

"That's not fair! Why are you a red class anyway? I've never even seen your powers before," She asked, leaning in a bit closer. Mr. Green sat up straight and flexed his hand. A purple glow appeared around it, letting off sparks and bursts of black fire.

"Well, to tell you the truth I almost never use my powers, but I am actually classified as a Dark Master Warlock. The only one that's been born in the last thousand years," Blossom stared in awe.

"Wow...that's incredible!" He wiggled his fingers and the glow dissipated.

"My, look at the time, young lady! You had better hurry to lunch, you've got class and more training after recess!" Blossom gasped and hurried for the door. She stopped for a moment, then turned back to Mr. Green.

"Mr. Green, thanks for talking to me, I feel better now," He laughed and gave her a friendly wave.

"It's no trouble at all, Blossom! You know I'm always there for my students," Blossom smiled and hurried to catch the last few minutes of lunch. Principal Durry was having a Halloween party...maybe...somehow that could help get Uka-sensei back.

XxXxX

That night, the Utonium family and Ms. Keane sat, cozied up on the couch watching a new episode of the girls' favorite show, TV Puppet Pals. The adults sat side by side, Bubbles on the Professor's other side, while Blossom sat on Ms. Keane's free side. Buttercup laid on the floor, kicking her legs, entranced by the show. The girls groaned as it faded to a commercial, but Blossom used that opportunity to strike.

"So, Principal Durry is having a Halloween party this weekend..." Ms. Keane nodded, but Buttercup turned around to look at Blossom like she was crazy.

"How do you know that?" Blossom shrugged.

"Mr. Green told me," Ms. Keane perked up, smiling brightly.

"Oh, Barthandelus was invited? I'm so happy for him! The parties really are a lot of fun!" All three of the girls stared at Ms. Keane incredulously.

"Barthandelus?" Buttercup repeated. Ms. Keane nodded.

"Oh, I forgot, you girls have never heard his name have you?" They shook their heads, "I'm sorry, but it is nice to hear! Is he taking anyone?" Blossom sighed and shook her head.

"No, no one will go with him because he's a red class monster," Buttercup stuck her tongue out, turning back to the television.

"That's stupid, he's not dangerous at all..." Blossom nodded and Ms. Keane sighed.

"The poor boy...if I didn't already have a date, I'd go with him," She giggled and the Professor turned six shades of red. The girls all giggled. Inside, Blossom's mind started working at a mile a minute. Maybe there was someone Mr. Green could take...

The happy, comfortable air in the room was cut off when a news flash interrupted the show.

"We're sorry to interrupt the scheduled programming, but recently appointed Chief Wednesday has issued a missing person's announcement for nine-year-old Amanda Beguile," The family stared at the picture of Amanda. She was a freckly faced little red-haired girl, who looked more than a little nervous in the school photo that was displayed. The communication device Dexter had built for the girls began to beep wildly.

"Be safe, girls!" The Professor called. He was barely heard as the trio shot off into the city.