Chapter 4

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A barren wasteland far on the outskirts of Megaville was clear through the large telescope of the Megaville Observatory, where Professor Utonium and Dr. Brisbaine stood to observe the battle that shook even the very center of the city.

"Professor Utonium, do you have a visual on the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys?" Dr. Brisbaine spoke in formal tones, much in the way a general might speak of his soldiers.

"No, I don't." Professor Utonium peered tersely through the telescope, moving it in every which way to find their young combatants. "This is bad. They should've waited for the government instead of flying off to fight it themselves."

"They probably didn't want to risk all those lives, since it'll be inevitable for lives to be lost."

When the two scientists turned around, they found Dexter ascending the stairs. He gestured towards the large instrument that peeked out of the observatory. "May I?"

"By all means," Professor Utonium said anxiously, and let Dexter take his place at the telescope. "What're you doing?" he asked when Dexter's hand pressed an unseen button on the rim of his glasses.

"Attempting a full-spectrum bypass analysis. This will detect their energy signatures to help us identify where the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys are."

They waited intensely for the results of his analysis, and their anxiety only grew when they detected the shift in demeanor in Dexter.

What do you see?" Dr. Brisbaine asked, speaking the unspoken question that Professor Utonium had been too afraid to ask, for fear of the answer.

"I see four energy signatures." Dexter's voice seemed to have dropped to a grave tone.

"Four?" When Professor Utonium spoke, his voice was barely audible. "Are you sure... Are you sure you didn't miss anyone?"

"I scanned the entire battlefield. I'm sure. Three are clearly the Powerpuff Girls, but they seem to be growing dangerously stronger. One is pure black." He left the energy signatures growing as he deactivated his glasses, and as if on cue, a flash of red lighting sent him sprawling on the floor as it struck the battlefield.

"Dexter!" Professor Utonium knelt down to the young scientist. "Dexter, what happened?"

His recovery from the shock was quicker than they anticipated, and they found his panicked eyes through his glasses. "We have to get over there!"

"I don't think that would be wise," Dr. Brisbaine protested, catching his arm, stopping him from rushing back down the stairs.

"Dr. Brisbaine!" Dexter wrenched his arm away and focused his dark eyes on the older scientist. "The red lightning is an indicator of something worse to come, and we have to make it there before it's too late!"

"Dexter, you have to let the government—"

"Dr. Brisbaine. We don't have enough time to wait for the government, when the lives of so many people are at stake. If we don't go now, there'll be a large possibility that more than half the city won't survive."

Dr. Brisbaine observed the certainty in Dexter's eyes, the conviction. He knew he wouldn't be able to persuade him otherwise. Dexter knew exactly what he was talking about, and if he said it was so, then it must be so. And because his duty was to the safety of Megaville, he finally agreed.

They then abandoned the observatory, and climbing into Professor Utonium's car, they drove in the direction of the red flash at breakneck speed. They soon encountered the bumpy terrain that led to the battlefield, causing the car to jostle frightfully. But Professor Utonium persisted in moving forwards.

They had seen the broken battlefield through the observatory telescope, but it—in no way—could've prepared them to seeing it up close. The uprooted trees, the dusty bloodstained ground, the craters. The car had to make some harrowing swerves to avoid the large holes that decorated the earth's surface. But after about a few meters' drive into the heart of the battle, Professor Utonium was forced to stop. "It's too dangerous to keep driving. We'll have to walk."

To this, they obliged and proceeded on foot. Remaining cautious of their surroundings, they soon came across a crater that seemed to be larger than the others. Dexter peered over the edge, and distinguishable at the bottom was... "Brick!"

"Brick?" Dr. Brisbaine turned to Dexter. "You found him?"

"Down here!"

Without waiting for the two men, he planted both feet into the crater and slid down towards Brick. And for a moment, Dexter merely stared at Brick.

The leader of the Rowdyruff Boys lay on his side, his hair splayed out like a cape behind him, having apparently lost his hair tie. His body armor had done its work, but not enough. Several places of it was torn, revealing lacerations and scrapes that he had endured. Though his looks were spared, it was clear he had taken a beating. Interestingly enough, despite the many wounds and bloodstains, there was not a single drop of blood from where he lay in the crater.

When the two scientists arrived at the base of the crater, Dexter had bent down and pressed two fingers to the base of Brick's neck. They waited in grim silence, but Dexter could feel no pulse. Looking up at the two, he gave a slow shake of his head.

For a moment, nobody said anything as this information integrated itself in their minds. Then Dr. Brisbaine removed his glasses and gave them a quick polish before replacing them on his nose. "This wasn't supposed to happen." One would've taken this as mourning, had his voice not lacked emotions such as grief or even the very least pity for someone to have died so young. "He wasn't ready. None of them were."

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Okay, Chapter 4 now, and it's rather long. I keep saying it then, and I'll keep saying it again. If you're just checking this out, be warned about the tags that I put on this story. At some point, this story will slope towards those things, so if you don't want to read about that, then don't. ('_ゝ')

And I will say this: whatever notion of suicide or self-harm that you will find on this story, DO NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY! THIS STORY, IN NO WAY, GLORIFIES SUCH ACTS, AND IF SUICIDE OR SELF-HARM HAS CROSSED YOUR MIND TO DO, TALK TO SOMEONE!

On a better note, I'm still going to suggest to check out my blog and my DeviantArt. On the blog, it's where I put up my fiction stories, my fanfictions, and some artworks; and as for DeviantArt, well... you already know what goes up there! (◕ヮ◕)

I'll drop the links down here!

My blog:

blackandwhitepersona.wixsite.com/penandink

My DeviantArt:

www.deviantart.com/bwpersona

- BlackAndWhitePersona

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