Now the Ghosts weren't able to avoid Mili's training anymore. Together, the three Ruffs had a perfect balance; not a single movement was useless or wrong. They had faced Him, after all. And they weren't even at their peak.
But, outside of their team, they were such losers. Either they moved too fast, leaving the rest of the team behind, or they stayed several steps back from the others. Red Uto was going crazy with a Capture the Flag game.
"Uto! We can't know what to do if you only point to one side or another! We have to work as a team!" complained Candy Bubble. And she was the sweetest of all the Bubbles.
Red Uto spun around, his cap nearly flying off, a noise halfway between a growl and a shout escaping his throat.
"I pointed right! Is that not clear enough? Just go! Why are you all so slow?!"
"Thornton! You can't just blow up things! That's not how you play Capture the Flag!" Butterscotch and Skye scolded him; at the same time, they tried to put out some fires.
"Make up your mind! You didn't want me to move under the radar, nor to strike directly, and neither to clear the path!"
Blue Boom, on the other hand, was having the worst headache he had ever experienced, trying to give orders, guard the flag, detect those who were sneaking around, and relay information to Punk Boomer and Hoodie, since they kept forgetting who was supposed to get the flag and who was to assist where needed. Plus, Mili had ordered Blue Boom to stay on the ground.
"You know, I was sure you'd command the team," said Loud Brick as he easily took the blue boys' team flag. "After all, you're the smartest of the three."
"Yeah, I believed that too. They're unpredictable," was his only answer as he lay down on the cold grass, frustrated to fail but relieved to not have to deal with all this any longer.
In the control room, Mili stopped the training before Red Uto or Thornton decided to blow up everything. The Professor, Mojo, and Parra were there too, watching in silence. As everyone came in, she carefully measured her words to face the Ghosts, but in the end, chose to let them cool down first and focused on pointing out the possible improvements for the other teams.
"Good job, everyone! Remember our goal is to force Him to use as much magic as possible, so the Nerd Club…"
"Stop calling us that!" booed Punk Brick and Chatter Butch.
"The Gizmo Team…"
More booing.
"Bubbles! Why are you with them?"
"Those names sound as if you were mocking science…"
"Well, Blue team."
The booing continued.
"We're not discussing names, right?! So, let me start over. They need Him to use all of his magic to overfeed the new Mirror. This will open the portals and, if everything goes as planned, also drain Him's mana, which will force him to retreat."
"Yeah, we got that. But how will mingling teams help us?" said Brooke as she wrung the water from her hair after having fallen in a pond.
"Because we need to change our fighting patterns. As a team, we are used to moving in a certain way. If Him can see them, he'll know who to attack. Also, we can crash into each other if we're too focused on our own methods."
She dedicated a few minutes to each team, pointing out their weaknesses and strengths. Of course, she left the Ghosts for the end, hoping that everyone was tired enough to leave so she could speak to them alone. But this didn't happen. Everyone was actually willing to know if she'd be brave enough to tell them their flaws and how they'd react.
"Ghosts," she started, "the main problem is that you expect the others to be your brothers…"
"Wait, but Candie Blossom also expected us to be her sisters!" shouted Box.
"And all the redheads wanted to order us! Even when it was our turn to do it!" complained Cheer Bubbles.
"All right, let me rephrase it!" She scratched her head. Then crossed her arms. Then, tapped the floor… "I don't know how to explain it. From all of us, you seemed as if you were seeing something different than what was in front of you… It's strange, like… as if…"
The boys exchanged glances. And then, to everyone's surprise, they just agreed on working on that.
"Oh, don't worry, Uto," Butterscotch smirked.
"We'll re-teach you how to," added Bubble.
Everyone was dismissed. Or better said, dismissed themselves, because it was almost dinner time, and they wanted to take a shower first.
"Hmm, you think they're so obedient because of Joseph's story?" asked Cheer Green.
"Dunno. Maybe?" answered Kiwi.
"I wouldn't get used to it. Remember they were just like this when we arrived from the volcano?" observed Flannel.
"True. So even if they seem to be soft right now, it's probably not going to last more than a day or two," concluded Loud Brick.
Meanwhile, the Ghosts had stayed, spinning on the chairs as they always did when they were thinking something serious.
"You three can actually do it, isn't it right?" intervened Mojo. "You can see what the other two are doing."
They didn't deny it.
"So, it was true," Mojo murmured, stroking his beard.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Mili had stayed in the room, reviewing notes and preparing the next training.
Uto put a hand over his right eye and said, "Butch's," then he covered his left eye, "Boomer's."
"You can actually see through each other's eyes? How is that even possible?" she said, looking at the boys and the adults one after another. "Is it only seeing or also…?"
"Hearing. Location. And changes in the environment. The only thing I can't share with them is my headaches," complained Blue Boom.
"Awesome. I've heard some twins have a 'bond,' but not like this." She said while poking Thornton, curious if the other two Ghosts could feel it.
Then, she looked to the adults, waiting for an answer. And they looked at the Ghosts. Red Uto sighed and waved a hand to let them know it was fine if she found out too, since they were also curious about the origin of this feature.
Parra was the first to speak.
"It's something Mojo—the original Mojo—never prevented. When he used the donor's marrow, he didn't create fully separate individuals."
Professor Utonium continued.
"In humans, fraternal twins come from two eggs, and identical twins from one. In the PowerPuff Girls cases, Chemical X worked as a synthetic egg, and the sugar, spice, and everything nice provided the base sequence, the DNA. But with the Ghosts, there was an additional factor…"
Mojo Loud picked up the thread.
"Mojo wanted precision, so he mixed Chemical X with actual human DNA. From a single donor. He didn't get clones, but three hosts built on the same template. Joseph—or rather the same person manifested differently in each of you."
"That created a kind of resonance: a tendency to synchronize emotions and impulses when the connection is strong," Parra finally concluded.
"So, you guys are telepaths?" she asked, confused.
"No, it's more like a feeling or intuition," answered Brick.
"That's right," Professor nodded. "Telepaths share thoughts. The Ghosts share echoes—residual information carried by the same genetic structure."
"But, since this is a normal thing for you three, you actually learned to use it as a way to share information without words," concluded Mili.
"Well, yeah. When we really need to. It takes too much energy, even when we're close to each other," added Thornton.
Mili thought about all this.
"But, this world's Blossom said you didn't know where the others were…"
"The bond must have broken because Boomer and I were using all of our energy on healing. That's also why we lost our powers temporarily," explained Uto.
"And why we recovered them once we were close enough," said Blue Boom.
"Well," Red Uto stood up after a few moments, "I'm taking a shower."
His brothers agreed and did the same. But before they crossed the door, Mojo added a last drop of information.
"There was a picture. Mojo Jojo must've been too attached to destroy it. Except for the brown hair and eyes… You three look exactly like him."
He paused.
"Even the freckles."
Morning bugle was Mili's yell.
"I've got an idea!"
The snooze button was anything within reach that could be thrown at her.
"Shut up! It's only four a.m.!"
Against her will, she had to wait until six to put her idea into action.
"It's just a quick warm-up before breakfast. You see, Ghosts, the problem is you only know how to think military—even more than me," Mili explained.
"And you're already a lot," muttered Buttercop, the mocking nickname her dark-haired sister had earned.
"You're training under his orders now," Mili shot back, jerking her thumb toward Red Uto.
"What? Are you crazy? I just said they're even more rigid than you!"
"Exactly," Mili said with a sharp nod. "Everyone else is too chaotic for them, but we can match their level."
"You mean… like a transition training?" Bubblecop asked, simplifying the concept.
"That's right. It shouldn't be as frustrating for you, Ghosts. Still, after breakfast, you'll keep training with a different team."
Mili wasn't wrong. The exercise was smoother than the day before. Her sisters adapted to Red Uto's lead in fifteen minutes, recognizing a familiar, disciplined structure. However, the adaptation for the Ghosts was a struggle. While the 'Cops' only needed a few pointers on action codes, Thornton and Blue Boom found Mili's orders agonizingly slow. Her tendency to micro-manage their positions—insisting they be exactly where she told them—was infuriating. They were used to making split-second decisions on their own.
It took the Ghosts nearly forty minutes to grudgingly fall in line with Mili's restrictive structure, and only then because they were determined to finish the drill.
"Boys, you act as if I wasn't even there!" the redhead complained as they finally headed to the kitchen for breakfast.
"You're too controlling," Red Uto explained. There was no mockery in his voice, only tactical observation. "They know what to do even if I'm not around. I don't need them in my field of vision at all times because I know they'll be at their assigned posts when the moment comes. A plan can always wait a few seconds; trust can't."
"Blossom, you could learn a couple of things from him," said Bubblecop, not meaning to insult her sister.
"Yeah, for being Brick's version, he respects our opinion more than you," added Buttercop, meaning to insult her.
"What! But… you can't go into combat without good organization… It… you can…" Mili was speechless.
"You've been in fights with small gangs, not combat against trained armies," Thornton interrupted her with his well-known calm. "All that is probably fine when your life's not on the line."
As he took a moment to find a good example, Bubblecop burst out.
"Aww, that sounds so sad! And scary."
Buttercop leaned towards the brothers, whispering.
"Yeah, super sad. You'd better talk about something else before these two decide you need another hug therapy."
The Ghosts immediately switched topics.
From one training session to another, the day ended without any other surprises. When the Ghosts, Mili, and the Nerd Club got into the room, they found the others were partying, playing music on a cellphone. The snacks were fruits freshly gathered from the greenhouse, though "banana chips" weren't as nice as a regular bag of pretzels.
Bash pulled Bloom into the dance floor and then spun away, expecting him to follow. Instead, he shrank back toward a corner.
"Oww, you're too shy, Bloom! Relax a little and dance with me!" she complained, tugging his arm.
"What's got into you? You were angry at everyone just five minutes ago," he answered, genuinely puzzled.
Bubble, laughing at this, said: "She must be menstr—"
He couldn't finish the word, since Bash covered his mouth.
"Don't say it out loud!" she complained without letting him go.
"Uhm? Shouldn't you let him go?" asked a Blossom, brushing her hair.
"Nah, it's fine. We play like this all the… Eew!! Gross! Did you lick my hand?"
She stepped back, releasing Bubble, who still had his tongue stuck out.
Everyone burst into laughter as Bubble zoomed around the room, dodging Bash, who chased him with her hand stretched out.
"Come back, you… you… ass! This is yours!" she yelled.
"No, thanks. You can keep it!" Bubble answered.
"Argh! Watch out! Don't come near me," said Punk Butch, as the chase whizzed too close to him.
"I guess boys are boys, even if they're Powerpuffs," commented Cheer Bubbles, resting her head on Brooke's lap.
"Yup. They're disgusting," the redhead replied, idly running her fingers through the blonde's hair to untangle the curls.
The newly arrived joined the party, happy to relax a little.
Except, of course, for the Ghosts, who were clueless about everything happening there. And Punk Brick, who suddenly went gloomy and annoyed.
"Hey, what's wrong, Brick? I mean, Punk Brick?" asked Bluee, surprised by his change of attitude.
"Nothing," he answered, but clearly it wasn't.
"He must be jealous because his girlfriend isn't here," revealed Punk Boomer, carelessly.
"You've got a girlfriend?!" was the immediate question from the Candies.
"Why are you so surprised?!" Punk Brick aimed his anger now at the girls.
"Sorry, I guess it is normal," Candy Blossom was now trying to do some damage control. "She's not from school, is she? Because, I mean, you three hold a reputation…"
"What do you mean by that?"
Everyone else had to intervene now to avoid things escalating any more.
"C'mon, man. They're just saying nonsense."
"Yeah, remember the Candies are the most naïve of the Puffs."
"What? We're not!" said Kiwi, annoyed, and then tried to fix it. "It's just the boys avoid school as if it were toxic waste or something; you won't see them hanging around with others too often."
The Punks knew she was half-lying, since it was true that even the bullies avoided them. On the other hand, it was also true that they only went to school because Mojo obliged them, so it was kind of fair.
Seeing Punk Brick had cooled down a little, Chatty Butch asked him.
"Hey, and how is she? Is she pretty?"
"Hell yeah, she's hot."
"Yes, too hot for you, honestly," joked Punk Butch. "You're lucky she's blind or she'd drop you."
"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say to her," Skye scolded.
"No, she is blind," corrected Punk Brick.
"And deaf, too," said Punk Boomer, sipping a box of juice.
"Wait," Kiwi stepped ahead suddenly. "Blind and deaf? You're not talking of Danielle, are you?"
"Yeah, what about that?"
Kiwi stared at him, then grinned and shoved him lightly. "You sly dog! I can't believe you're the boyfriend she talks about!"
"Wait, you're friends with Danielle?" Now it was Candy Blossom who blinked. "Bubbles, you said she was difficult to befriend."
"Talking to her is a challenge, but that's not why I didn't befriend her; it's because we don't have anything in common. She's feral."
"Yeah, she's way feral. Being blind and deaf doesn't slow her down at all."
And soon, everyone was talking about romance and types.
Until someone turned to the Ghosts.
"What about you, guys?" started Chatter Boomer. "You seemed too close to that girl, Aisha. She even stayed at your side while you were unconscious, Blue Boom."
"She's… a friend."
"Really? I'll call her to ask," said Green as she dialed the number, after making sure it was super codified.
Surprisingly, none of the Ghosts said a word about this, not even something about keeping a security protocol. Either Blue Boom was telling the truth, or they just didn't understand what was going on.
So, Green put Aisha not only on video call, but also on speaker.
"Aisha! Hey, we have a super important question for you! Are you and Blue Boom friends or…?"
"Eh? Who's Blue Boom? Hi, Buttercup," she answered.
"Oh, right. We nicknamed Boomer like that, so we could tell him apart from the other Boomers around."
"Oh, got it." And then, she turned full gossip mode. "No, we're friends. Buuuuut, I think he likes my neighbor, you know? The girl from 4E?"
"No way!" cried Bossy, Bluee, and Green.
"But, she's like ten years older!"
Everyone went "EEEEH" at Blue Boom, who was more stunned by their behavior than anything.
"What? You don't see it?" Box asked, jabbing Blue Boom's ribs in complicity.
"See what? She works at the same hospital as Parra, what's wrong with that?"
"But, is she hot?"
"Yeah, I think she looks like one of those girls in the magazines," he answered, still not comprehending.
"Yes, she does! She's super pretty!" said Aisha from the cell phone. "And you always find a way to talk to her about anything but Parra!"
"She has more interesting topics to talk about than the girls at my school," he sighed, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Then, Loud Brick noticed the bored looks on Thornton and Red Uto, so he decided to mess with them too.
"And what about you, guys? Is there anyone at school you like? Or at The Pit?"
"Oh, that's true! Dhalila seemed excited to see you two. Well, not you, exactly, but you get the idea." Green Butter kept with Loud Brick's plan. "So, what do you think of her? Do you like her?"
"She's nice," said Thornton with a plain voice.
His brother, Red Uto, nodded in agreement.
Everyone revolved around the two boys, waiting for a drama of brothers in love with the same girl.
"Oh, wow, do you both like her?" asked Bummer. "But how do you do it? Won't you get jealous when she has to choose one over the other?"
"Choose?"
Everyone went pale.
Bash laughed out loud. "You dogs! Are you going to share her?" she said, pulling Bubble with her to hear the whole gossip.
Red Uto glanced at her as if she had said something truly stupid.
"Share her? She's a person."
"No, but seriously, won't you feel jealous if she prefers you over Thornton? Or Thornton over you?"
The three Ghosts looked at everyone, blankly.
"Guys, you understand jealousy, do you?" asked Bloom, suddenly realizing it.
Silence.
And stares of amazement.
"Ugh, this explains a lot," mumbled Bossy.
"We have a lot to teach you," added Kiwi.
"But that will have to wait until tomorrow," said Professor Utonium, appearing at the entrance. "It's almost two a.m. Lights off, everyone!"