PPGD: Boomer's Story Chapter 1

“Well boys, your training is at an end, at least for the time being. Next week, you will be given your first defense assignment. Until that time, you are free to do whatever you wish, as long as you do not reveal the nature of this Project to anyway?” said I. M. Weasel, while looking at his clipboard that had “Project: ROWDY” imprinted on the back of it.

“Hehe…it’s about time” said Butch.

”Finally time to tie up all our loose ends” said Brick, to himself. “Let’s go now. The sooner, the better. Come on, Butch, Boomer.”

Butch took flight and flew away, towards their target. Brick was about to leave when he looked back and saw Boomer reading a book.

”Hey, Boomer. Whatcha reading?” asked Brick.

Boomer, previously looking detached from reality, looked up and suddenly sounded nervous. He put the book behind him. “No-nothing, Brick. J-just…stuff.”

Brick raised his eyebrow, but did not ask further. “Well, whatever it is, pick it up and come on. It’s time. We can finally get revenge on them. I’ll be something we’ll remember for the ages!” he said, flying off.

Boomer got up, put his book inside his shirt and looked up to the clouds. “Yeah, it’ll be something to remember…for a lot of reasons.” He stood there for another moment or two before flying off.
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Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were sitting around on the school playground. Bubbles was drawing something on the asphalt with chalk. Buttercup was sitting with her legs folded next to Blossom, who was deep in thought, near a tree.

”So, where’s the nerd now?” asked Buttercup, to Blossom.

Blossom looked down. “He said he was going to fly out and tell Mandark’s parents about…what happened. He thought it was the least he could do.”

Bubbles continued to color, slightly farther away from the rest of the girls, smiling.

Suddenly, a green bolt of light struck the tree Blossom and Buttercup were sitting in front of. The tree cracked and began to fall, but Buttercup caught it, with relative ease. “What the hell?” she exclaimed.

Bubbles looked back at her sister, but a figure with green eyes landed in front of her, stomping on her chalk. Behind this figure, two other boys landed, one with red hair, and one with blond, who wouldn’t take his eyes off the ground.

Butch looked down and smiled at the chalk he stepped on. “Whoops, sorry about the chalk,” he said to Bubbles, sarcastically. “I meant to step on YOU.”

Bubbles looked up, shocked. “It…can’t be.”

Blossom and Buttercup were also in shock.

“How can this be possible?” said Blossom.

Buttercup said nothing. Instead, she took the tree and threw it straight at Butch. Butch saw the oak coming, so his eyes flared red and shot two red beams that caused the tree to smolder.

Blossom, overcoming the initial confusion said “Its okay, girls. It’ll be just like last time. All we have to do is-“

Brick stepped forward and cut Blossom off in mid-sentence. “Kiss us? I’m afraid that won’t work this time. We have been revived and freed of that little weakness. You could say we’ve had our ‘cootie shot. We’re more powerful than you could possibly comprehend.’”

Bubbles stepped back to her sisters. “Blossom…this is bad.”

”No kidding” Blossom replied.

Buttercup’s eyes glared with anger. “Oh yeah? Well, we’ll beat you this time even without kissing! You’re not the only ones who have gotten stronger.”

”Enough talk. It’s time to end this, once and for all” shouted Butch.

Butch charged at Buttercup and tried to land a right hook on her. Meanwhile, Brick sped towards Blossom, attempting to take her out with a spinning back kick.

Boomer had not moved from where he was. He stood directly in front of Bubbles, about eight feet between them. Bubbles looked frightened, but then she moved into a fighting stance, waiting for Boomer’s attack.

However, Boomer didn’t attack.

Buttercup dodged Butch’s onslaught and drove her fist into his stomach. He landed on the ground, got up, and shot a green energy bolt, hitting Buttercup in the chest and knocking her to the ground, near Bubbles.

Brick hit Blossom with his kick, but she got back on her feet and kicked him in the face, knocking him back next to Boomer.

It was then that Brick noticed Boomer had not moved. “Hey, aren’t you gonna fight her?” he asked.

Boomer still said nothing, not taking his eyes off the ground.

Buttercup got up from the ground and noticed Bubbles was in a defense stance, but was not attacking.

”Hey, Bubbles, what are you just standing there for? Fight him” said Buttercup.

”…but, he’s not attacking,” said Bubbles, clearly confused about why he wasn’t attacking.

Blossom ran up next to Bubbles. ”He’s probably just trying to stare you down. You know, one of them mind game or something. Some trick like that.”

Bubbles looked over to him. ”…I don’t think so” said Bubbles. She didn’t know why he wasn’t attacking, but for some reason, she didn’t think it was a trick.

Butch landed next to Brick and Boomer. “What are you two standing around like dummies for?”

”I was just asking Boomer why he wasn’t moving” said Brick.

Butch got angry and walked next to Boomer. “Hey, pinprick. You gonna fight her or not?” he said.

For the first time since getting there, looked up, straight into Butch’s green eyes.

”No” said Boomer.

”No? What do you mean NO!” said Butch, furious.

”I’m not going to” said Boomer. He wasn’t afraid or angry. He simply said it as if he were stating an obvious fact.

Butch had lost his patience. ”Fine, then I’ll fight her!” Butch raised his hand up and charged green energy in it.

Bubbles closed her eyes and raised her hands up, bracing herself.

Boomer grabbed Butch’s hand firmly and flung him aside, into the outside wall of the school.

”What the hell has gotten into you!” yelled Butch, emerging from the rubble.

Boomer said nothing. He walked over towards Bubbles.

Bubble only stared at him, afraid and confused.

Boomer looked down and put his hand behind his head, uncomfortable and nervous. He looked up, cleared his throat and spoke to Bubbles.

”O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear;”

Boomer’s face grew redder and he began to stutter for a moment, but he continued. Everyone else was silent.

“B-B-Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.

The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.”

Boomer looked straight into Bubble’s confused eyes. At this point, Boomer’s face was as red as a tomato.

”D-D-D…Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

Butch leaned next to Brick. “What is he saying?”

Brick only looked on, shocked.

Buttercup leaned in next to Blossom. “What kind of trick is he pulling?”

Blossom looked at Boomer. “I’m…not sure it is a trick.”

Boomer, now shaking from nervousness, now simply closed his eyes and shouted out, “I love you!”

Bubble’s looked straight into his eyes, shocked. “W-what did you say?”

Blossom, Buttercup, Brick and Butch all said, “What did he say?” almost simultaneously.

Boomer stood looking at Bubbles for another moment, then his started shaking again. He quickly bent down and picked up Bubble’s chalks and handed them to her.

“S-Sorry about my b-brother breaking some of y-your…you know. Umm…” he said, nervously. He stepped back and turned away.

“Um…I-I should go now” he said, flying into the sky.

”Hey wait,” said Brick, flying off after him.

Butch’s eye twitched in anger. He stood there for a second before following Brick.

Bubbles only stood there, shocked. Blossom walked over to Bubbles and looked like she was going to say something, but couldn’t think of anything.

Buttercup, however, was more outspoken. “What the heck just happened?” she yelled.
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”WHAT WAS THAT?” shouted Butch, while they were all resting in a tree, about half a mile away from the school. It was beginning to get dark.

Boomer only looked down, saying nothing.

”You made fools of us! You better have a damn good explanation for that, that…whatever that was?” shouted Butch.

Boomer remained silent.

”ANSWER ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!”

”Hey, Butch, maybe you should calm down a little-“ said Brick.

”Maybe you need to shut up! I’m talking to pinprick here!” snapped Butch.

Boomer didn’t say anything.

Butch stepped back and grabbed his hair. He turned away, took a few deep breaths and turned back.

“Ugh…ok…ok…maybe I’m just…taking this the wrong way. Maybe you were just making some…idiotic joke. That’s it, right?” said Butch, smiling weakly.

Boomer made no reply.

”I didn’t really get the joke, of course I didn’t understand most of the words you were saying but…there’s no way you were serious…right?”

“…Dead serious” said Boomer, without taking his eyes off the ground.

”You…you…how can…ahhh, &#@#!” stammered Butch, furious. “Are you nuts! Get this through that tiny skull of yours, Boomer. THEY. KILLED. US. Bubbles killed YOU. She kissed you and you exploded! Have you forgotten?”

”…yeah…she kissed me” said Boomer, slightly blushing.

”You little &#@#, don’t give me that mushy, Disney crap!” said Butch, raising his hand that was balled into a fist.

Brick grabbed his fist. “Look, Butch, I think you might be a little stressed out now-“

”YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I’M STRESSED OUT!” said Butch, shaking Brick off him. “This little...he’s saying he’s in love with the enemy. Our killers. Our arch-nemesises!”

”I think the proper word is ‘arch-nemesi’” said Brick.

”I don’t care!” said Butch.

Brick stepped up and kneeled down to look Boomer in the eye. “That book you were reading? That was Shakespeare, wasn’t it?”

Butch raised an eyebrow. “What does that have anything to do with anything? What book?”

Brick looked over to Butch. “That book has everything to do with this, I think…can I see it Boomer?”

Boomer didn’t look up. He reached slowly into his pocket and pulled out the book he was reading earlier. Brick picked up the book and looked at it.

”Just as I thought” said Brick, without emotion.

Butch looked at the book. “What is that?”

”It’s a book, although I wouldn’t expect you to know what it is, considering how much of an idiot you are” snapped Brick.

Butch scowled, but allowed Brick to continue.

”This book is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I didn’t really like it much, considering its…mushy nature. And that speech our Boomer gave is directly from this book. I’m surprised he memorized it completely. And I thought I was the only one with some gleaming of intelligence in this group.”

“Who cares if Boomer’s book smart or not? That’s not the point! Are you saying you agree with his…what he did?” yelled Butch.

”Of course not,” said Brick, narrowing his eyes at Butch. “I say we just all get some rest, and talk about this tomorrow.”

”Says who?” yelled Butch.

”Says me. I’m the leader” said Brick, matter-of-factly.

”I don’t recall anyone ever making you leader,” said Butch, loosing control of his own words. “You think just because that Carrot-top girl is the leader with them, that automatically makes you the leader with us. Well, screw that! This is the Rowdyruff Boys! And I’m the Rowdiest and Roughest one here! I should be the leader, not you.”

“Idiots.”

Brick and Butch turned towards Boomer as he said this. Boomer’s eyes were still on the ground.

”Both of you are acting like idiots.”

Butch punched Boomer on the right side of his face, knocking him down.

”You think you’re better than us! Better than me! Fine! Go! Nobody wants you here!” said Butch.

”BUTCH! Shut up!” shouted Brick. “Lets all sleep on this. We can talk about this tomorrow…maybe some of us will…come back to our senses.”

Brick set up a tent by the tree. Butch glared at Boomer as he entered it. Brick walked over to Boomer.

“Look, Boomer…are you…sure you’re not just…stressed out or som-“ said Brick, trying to be gentle.

”I take back nothing I said” said Boomer.

Brick frowned and crawled back into the tent. Boomer sat outside of the tent. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of blue chalk he had kept from before. He looked at in and wondered what she was doing right now.