Endless Possibilities

Endless Possibilities

Author's Note: Things are going to start getting more complicated here. Multiple storylines, how I love thee. Also warning, the Rowdyruff Boys are in this one? To any and all weaboos and Japanese readers: I know 100% nothing about Japan. Just bear with me for the Professor's scenes.

Chapter 8

XxXxX

The Professor sat alone in the hotel room, watching the video over and over. Every time, he felt his stomach growing weaker. He'd seen his daughters suffer beatings before, but this was just a whole new level. He closed his laptop and shook his head, sighing in defeat.

“I should have been there...no, no I have to see this through. They're depending on me,” Without Aku's power, Princess would have never been able to do so much damage to Blossom. The Professor stood off the bed and walked to the window, looking out at the city. It was around nine in the morning, the day was already in full swing. Still, he felt sluggish; he hadn't been able to find sleep the night before.

“Blossom...be careful, honey,” He glanced back at his laptop then looked back out at the horizon. He was proud of her...she'd taken a beating that no child should ever take. She'd been humiliated and strung out before the entire city. And even then, she hadn't given Princess what she wanted. The Professor lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I know you meant well...and I know this isn't the first time. But Blossom...we've discussed this,” He was tempted to call Ms. Keane and tell her where the bracelets were. Had it been Bubbles or Buttercup, he would have. But he trusted Blossom's control. She knew better. That didn't mean he couldn't worry.

“As powerful as Aku is...they just...might have to break all the rules. God I hope not...please, let me be fast enough. The last thing I want is for them...” He trailed off, unable to even think about the consequences. He knew the risks, so did the girls. They were smart...they were responsible. They'd do the right thing.

XxXxX

Ms. Keane knelt next to the bathtub, gently rubbing Blossom's back. The little girl sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. She hadn't spoken so much as a word since defeating Princess. Her sisters were worried; Ms. Keane was even more worried. The fight had definitely taken a physical toll on her, but other than a redness on her chest and singed scars on her back, Blossom was in good condition. What truly worried the teacher was the psychological damage. Blossom sniffled quietly, lowering her head.

“Blossom...will you talk to me?” Blossom just shook her head. Ms. Keane wet the rag again and tenderly washed the scars on her back. Blossom tensed, clenching her eyes shut and shuddering. Ms. Keane sighed and put her arm around the puff.

“Please...let's talk about this Blossom,” Blossom let out a shaky sigh and looked up. Ms. Keane swallowed and lightly rubbed her arm. Tears were gently rolling down Blossom's cheeks. Blossom lowered her eyes and held herself tighter.

“...I don't want to go to school tomorrow...” She finally managed to whisper. Ms. Keane stared in shock. The one sentence she'd never expected to hear from Blossom of all children. She bit her lip and resumed lightly washing her again.

“Why Blossom? You love school,” Blossom shook her head, her lips quivering and more tears falling down.

“I don't want anyone to see me again...” Now they were getting somewhere. The teacher shook her head and turned Blossom's face up to her.

“Why not?” Blossom opened and closed her mouth, staring into Ms. Keane's eyes. She took the hint from the gentle pressure on her shoulder and laid her head against the teacher's chest.

“Everyone is going to make fun of me...I...everyone saw me without my dress on...and...and I wet myself...” Ms. Keane shook her head and hugged her tighter.

“Blossom that wasn't your fault...no one is going to make fun of you,” She cooed. Blossom shook her head and looked up. She quickly looked back down, sniffling.

“But...” Ms. Keane ran her fingers through Blossom's hair, slowly smiling and sighing.

“No...Blossom what you did today was one of the strongest things I have ever seen. The things she did to you were horrible...but you didn't give her the satisfaction she wanted. And you even beat her! I have never been more proud of you,” Blossom blushed and swallowed.

“R-Really?” Ms. Keane nodded and gave Blossom a kiss on the cheek.

“Really. I have never seen you like that before. It was...amazing,” Blossom quickly looked away, shaking her head.

“No I shouldn't have done it, it was really bad. Really, really bad. Please don't tell the Professor!” Ms. Keane blinked and sat back on her heels. She cocked her head in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Blossom shuddered and smoothed her hair. She quickly wrapped her arms around her still red chest. Ms. Keane frowned; she could already tell that was going to be an issue. Blossom seemed to be deep in thought. She sighed and looked up.

“Um...well...we're not supposed to talk about it...but you're different. I can tell you, right?” Ms. Keane nodded, leaning against the edge of the tub. Blossom nodded and licked her lips, “Well...after we beat Mojo...you know...that first time? The Professor made the Danger Grid to um...to test our powers. He wanted to find out just how strong we were,” Blossom sighed and rolled her head back. As she began to tell the story, Blossom could picture that day like it happened yesterday.

XxXxX

“So did you get the results Professor?” Blossom asked, all three of the sisters practically jumping with excitement. The night before, they had run a hundred or so tests to decipher the limit of the girls full power. The Professor had spent the rest of the night in the lab working on the results. He spun around in his chair and looked down at the girls with a serious expression. The girls' excitement dwindled.

“What's wrong Professor?” Bubbles asked nervously. The Professor knelt down to their level, pipe in his mouth. He sighed and took the pipe out. He gave the girls the bravest smile he could muster.

“Well I do have the results of your testing. You girls...your power is unbelievable,” The girls puffed up, grinning and blushing. Buttercup crossed her arms and chuckled.

“Yeah, well we knew that! Tell us more!” The Professor laughed and nodded, getting out a sheet of paper with the results. He chuckled and shook his head, sitting back down in his chair. The girls flew up on either side of him, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, from the results of the different tests...Buttercup, you are the fastest,” Buttercup threw her fists up, whooping. Bubbles and Blossom glared at her. Buttercup snickered and stuck her tongue out at her sisters. Professor laughed and shook his head, giving Buttercup a wry grin.

“Interestingly...Bubbles and Blossom are both stronger than you,” Buttercup's grin fell and she stared in horror at her sisters. Bubbles giggled and Blossom grinned smugly at her. Buttercup's face got red and she quickly looked away. The Professor chuckled and looked at Blossom and Bubbles, “Blossom, you were the strongest. Bubbles; however, has the strongest heat rays...I'll just leave this list for you to look over,” The Professor sat the list down and sighed, getting up and walking back to his work bench. While the girls argued over the results, the Professor took out three bracelets and walked back to the girls.

“Girls...please calm down. There is something very important we need to discuss,” The girls stopped arguing and floated back to the ground. The Professor knelt down next to them and secured a bracelet on each of their left wrist. The girls stared at the bracelets in confusion.

“Professor what are these?” Blossom asked, tapping the accessory. The Professor flipped a switch on each one and suddenly the girls felt nauseous. Bubbles sat down and held her stomach, Buttercup and Blossom leaned against each other, sticking their tongues out.

“I don't feel so good...” Bubbles whimpered. Buttercup nodded and Blossom looked up at the Professor. She swallowed and stood up straight, staring at the bracelet again. Looking closely, she could see orange fluid swirling around her wrist.

“What do these do Professor? It feels like...there's a hand pushing down on me...” Bubbles and Buttercup both nodded. The Professor sat down and put his pipe back in his mouth.

“Girls...yesterday when I saw your powers at their strongest...I have to admit that I was very afraid,” The girls stared back in confusion. The Professor just waved his hand and kept talking, “Your power girls...it's just obscenely unreal. There is no...legitimate use for that kind of power,” The Professor sighed and looked down at them, leaning on his knees.

“These bracelets are designed to restrict your power to a very low amount. Roughly seven percent of what you're fully capable of at the absolutely most,” The girls still seemed confused.

“But what if we have to fight someone like Mojo again! What if there's a really strong bad guy we can't beat?!” Buttercup cried, staring at the bracelet. Blossom frowned, still watching the orange fluid swirl around. It was Antidote-X, she reasoned. Bubbles stood up, holding onto Blossom's arm for balance. The Professor shook his head.

“Girls...you will never, ever find an enemy that requires all of your power. There is never a time you'll need to be able to break the speed of light or punch a planet in half,” He chuckled, but even though they were five days old, the girls knew it was a fake laugh. He shook his head and sighed, “Just promise me, never ever use any more power than those bracelets will let you use,” The girls nodded.

“We promise,”

XxXxX

“I...I broke the rule...I used more...” Ms. Keane frowned. She vaguely remembered the bracelets, but she never knew what they were for.

“What do you mean Blossom? I noticed you girls don't wear those bracelets anymore...” Blossom nodded and sighed. She tilted her head back and forth.

“We stopped wearing them because we didn't need them anymore. It was a psychological conditioning technique. We got to where we forgot we could get stronger than what the bracelet's would let us. So there was no need to wear them anymore...except...” Blossom trailed off, staring at the soapy bath water. Ms. Keane remained silent, though she had an idea she knew where Blossom was going. Blossom sighed and turned back to Ms. Keane.

“Except I lied...I can't remember how to use all of it...but I...I can break the ceiling Bubbles and Buttercup are stuck under...” Ms. Keane nodded, lightly trickling water over Blossom's back. She smiled, noticing that Blossom seemed more relaxed. Ms. Keane figured there would never be a better time to ask.

“Blossom...you said the bracelets prevented you girls from using more than...seven percent? How much...would you say you were using against Princess?” Blossom closed her eyes, tightening her hold on herself.

“...You promise you won't tell?” Ms. Keane nodded, trying to find her voice. She was terrified to know just how high the number would be. In all her years living in Townsville, she had never seen so much power in such a short span of time.

“Y-Yes, I promise. This is just between us,” She whispered. Blossom looked around, her eyes glowing slightly. She was probably using her X-Ray vision to make sure no one was spying. It was kind of cute, really. Blossom nodded and took a deep breath. Ms. Keane took a deep breath, staring with wide eyes.

“I think it was about...twelve percent,” Ms. Keane blinked, her mouth falling open. She licked her lips, struggling to find her voice. Ms. Keane trembled. Blossom looked up, feeling the shudder and getting nervous. “Ms. Keane?” The kindergarten teacher shook her head, laughing wearily.

“Twelve...Twelve percent?” Blossom nodded. Ms. Keane looked up at the ceiling.

“You...have you...were you even trying?” Blossom narrowed her eyes and spoke her first words of the fight.

“I am now,” Blossom pulled Princess forward and punched her across the face. A loud crack echoed across the city and a black blur smashed through several buildings.

The teacher laughed and drained the water from the tub. Ms. Keane wrapped Blossom in a fuzzy pink towel and held her tightly. The little girl seemed hesitant, but eventually folded into the older woman's arms.

The two entered the adjoining bedroom, Ms. Keane wiped the sweat from her brow. Blossom noticed Octi sitting on the blue stripe of the bedspread, with his typical vapid expression staring at them. The pair sat down on the bed. Ms. Keane held Blossom tightly, amazed that the little girl could feel so weak and dependent in her arms.

“Blossom...” Blossom peaked up at Ms. Keane. Ms. Keane looked down at her adorable pink eyes. She smoothed her long red hair and hugged her just a little tighter.

The energy rays tore through the tops of buildings, released a shockwave that shattered every window for miles, and were so ostentatiously massive, odds were they could be seen from space.

“Blossom it's all right...you don't have to be strong all the time,” Blossom swallowed hard and looked down, snuggling more into Ms. Keane's embrace. The words slowly sank in and a high, soft whimper broke the silence of the bedroom. The teacher rocked her gently as the hero cried.

XxXxX

Aku sat in his throne, watching the vision of Blossom and Ms. Keane. For reasons he couldn't understand, he felt uneasy seeing the little girl cry. He clenched his fists and sat up straight. The feeling was suffocating. He growled, staring at the vision. He wanted to feel enraged that the girl had defeated all three of his trials. But as he watched the tears fall down her cheeks and listened to the strangled sound of her cries, he felt his rage withering.

“This Red Child has thwarted all of my plans...yet I feel unwell seeing her suffering...” His rage he felt renewed...and directed toward his own minion. The master of darkness took a deep breath and laced his fingers together. He had heard the Red Child's explanation of her power. He was intrigued beyond all reason. What he had seen was only a fraction of her full might.

“This elusive full power you possess, Red Child...what will it take to see such strength?” Aku lowered his head. The vision still hadn't faded. The image of Blossom crying in Ms. Keane's arms. The image of Blossom, naked and standing over Princess. The image of Blossom, defeated with blood trickling down her cheek. The image of Blossom, uneasily moaning in her sleep. Aku opened his eyes and stared into the fires of the Pit of Hate.

Just who was the Red Child? He had to know more...

XxXxX

Earlier that day, as the fight between the Aku-Powered Princess and Blossom dwindled down to just brutal torture, among those watching the action were three of the girls worst enemies.

“This is the best thing ever!” The Rowdyruff Boys laughed and cheered in the distance, cringing and snickering when Princess held Blossom down by her nipples.

“Oh man! That's brutal!” They quite literally cheered when the electrical shock caused the puff to wet herself in plain sight of everyone. It was simply the greatest show the boys had ever seen.

“Aw man! That stupid rich girl is awesome!” Brick said with a laugh, slapping his knees. Butch laughed, tongue hanging out, and watched excitedly.

“Yeah man! Awesome!” Boomer's snickers slowly died off. He swallowed hard, getting the first look as Blossom stood up, trembling with rage. He gasped when the rage faded and became a look of calm resolution. It took a few moments to realize he had stopped breathing.

“H-Hey...hey guys...” The other boys stopped laughing and looked up. They too, suffered the same lapse in mental function. The fight suddenly turned from hilarious to terrifying. Butch slowly pushed his tongue back into his mouth. Brick's mouth fell open. In unison the three remembered how to breath.

“Oh my God...” The Rowdyruff Boys turned away when the fight ended and just stood helplessly. Brick swallowed and glared at his brothers.

“W-What are you sissies scared about?” Butch and Boomer looked at Brick. Without missing a beat, Boomer turned and pointed to where Blossom was standing over Princess.

“H...Her!” Butch looked at Blossom and swallowed hard. He looked back at Brick, voicing the question they were all thinking.

“Uh...are...are all of those girls that strong?” Brick and Boomer swallowed. Brick crossed his arms and looked away, refusing to admit out loud that the pink girl was stronger. That said, whether he admitted it or not, there was no denying it. At that moment, the boys realized they didn't stand a chance against those girls. While the boys pondered their situation, they never noticed a dark shadow falling over them. Boomer looked up, his eyes widening.

“Uh...guys...” The boys looked up at the grinning face hovering over them. Dark hands reached out, and the boys screamed.

“This is an unexpected turn of events. You will serve Aku's purposes well,”