"Today we'll play another version of Capture the Flag: we'll split into two teams, and the team that captures the most flags from the other will win."
Mili handed out yellow or black shawls to each of the teens.
"That sounds easy," said Cheer Blossom.
"And boring," added Punk Brick.
"That's why those wearing black will fight as Him," she added. "Since we can't imitate all of his tricks, we'll do it like this. The 'Hims' are allowed to use anything the real one could do in order to trick the others."
"Like… can we switch our black flag for a yellow one?"
"That's exactly what Him would do: try to mimic others," Mili approved.
"Still sounds boring," said Box, tying the flag around his belt. "By the way, where does that door at the back of the Weather Room lead?"
"The Survival Room," answered the Ghosts, the Powerpuff Boys, and Mili at the same time.
"Sounds cool. Let's check it out," replied not only Box, but every Rowdyruff and all the girls in green dresses.
Thornton looked at them with knife-like eyes. Red Uto knew exactly what his brother was thinking, so he intervened.
"Don't."
That single word was all Uto needed to say.
"C'mon, let them try it for forty—no, twelve seconds." There was no humor or playfulness in Thornton's voice to suggest he was joking.
"We've stayed here for too long. We need to put the plan into action ASAP. Let's go, everyone," said Mili as she finished tying her own shawl.
So they went in and started training. The last two days had apparently been useful, because it didn't take long before the black team organized their moves and surpassed the yellow one. And since most of the yellow team were Ruffs, they didn't take it well at all. Before they realized it, the training had turned into a real war.
"Ouch! Butch, be careful!" Kiwi shouted after Punk Butch had thrown her to the floor for the sixth time.
"Watch out! You're burning everything!" Skye warned, freezing the fire Loud Brick had just set around them.
Even the Ghosts were struggling in this chaos. Red Uto had been forced to switch from offense to a purely defensive role; the Ruffs were relentless, raining down laser beams, fire, and chunks of buildings without pause. Blue Boom, despite being on their team, found the Ruffs unbearably loud and reckless. He spent half the time dodging the line of fire, trying to soothe the pounding headache fueled by the non-stop screaming around him.
Thornton, who had initially thrived in the destruction, was suddenly caught off guard. Just as he was leveling a massive energy blast, a stray bolt slammed into his shoulder. His arm jerked violently, sending his own projectile veering off course.
It struck Candy Bubbles square in the face.
"Hey, chill out. It's not a real battle," he said as he rushed toward her to check that she was okay.
But it was like talking to air. He had barely stepped away from her to confront the Boomer who had caused the problem when Bloom flew past him—someone had grabbed him by the leg and hurled him toward Thornton, annoyed by the lecture. The red Powerpuff crashed into the door at the back of the Training Room, bursting it open. He passed so close to Candy Bubbles that he dragged her inside the room with him.
No one really noticed these two were missing, since they were flooded by their own fight. A rocket skied through the open door and flew erratically. Punk Butch saw it and prepared to crush it, but Blue Boom pulled him back, and it exploded against the ceiling, disappearing.
"What're you doing? I had it already!" the green-shirt boy yelled at him.
"Your arm," was all the blonde told him.
Punk Butch looked at it. All through it, a line of blood appeared where the rocket had grazed him. It hadn't touched any nerve or joint; still, it was deep and didn't stop bleeding.
At the sight of blood, everyone finally froze—and noticed the open door to the Survival Room.
"Where are Candy Bubbles and Bloom?" said Mili, counting the teens.
Everybody knew the answer. Yet, Bummer pointed to the entrance.
"I…think… Thornton went…to get them…?"
"What's taking them so long?"
Mili turned to the control room.
"Professor! We need you to stop the simulation!"
"Impossible! The late Mojo Jojo must have written a security key," Mojo Loud replied, trying every possible measure to make the system recognize him.
"Let's go," said Buttercop, already moving, followed by some of the teens.
"You need to know what we're facing!" Skye yelled as she and the other Blossoms tried to stop them. "Uto! What's in there?"
"I don't know. If it started from last time… a maze."
"What do you mean by 'if'?" gasped Bubble, "Won't it reset after you complete it?"
"We've never completed it."
As he said this, Red Uto flew to the door. "Stay together—"
But it was useless, since the others had gone inside in disorder. Just Blue Boom, Bubble, and the Blossoms and some Bubbles were standing next to him.
"So, what are we facing, Uto?" said Bossy.
"Anything from what scares you to whatever you name from here on. The AI takes note and uses it against us."
"And if we think about kittens and fluffy unicorns?" were Bluee's last words as they entered the Survival Room.
Inside the Survival Room, Thornton was applying an improvised cast to Bloom's leg. Defense rested on Candy Bubbles, who was frantically freezing giant roaches while crying nonstop.
"This is horrible! I hate cockroaches! Why are they so big?!" she shrieked, hopping over a puddle of corrosive slime. "And why do they spit acid too?!"
"The more you complain, the more of them come—and the worse they get," Thornton said with a calm that clashed violently with the surrounding panic. He didn't even look up as he tightened the cast. "The AI sends first the things people complain about the most. Cockroaches are number one on its list. But it's listening. The moment it hears you mention something that worries you, disgusts you, or triggers any negative emotion, it sends it back ten times worse."
Thornton finished securing the cast and helped Bloom stand.
"I never thought any of the greens would know first aid," Bloom said, partly surprised and partly wounded in his pride. "I feel so useless."
"Don't," Thornton replied. "That's the Survival Room talking."
The three moved carefully, floating through the space. A battle cry cut through the air.
At the same time, Red Uto, Bossy, and Skye advanced cautiously, their senses alert for any attack.
"You said this was a maze," Skye snapped, sounding more irritated than usual. "This isn't! If it were, we could just fly over it, but here—!"
Above them, walls and corridors unfolded in shifting directions, making it impossible to fly upward and locate an exit.
"It's a three-dimensional maze," Red Uto explained. "Designed to train against attacks from every possible angle—even beneath your feet."
The girls jumped at his words.
"What was Mojo thinking?" Skye exclaimed. "He wasn't an evil mastermind—he was insane!"
Bossy didn't look surprised. Instead, she watched Red Uto as he walked in front of the girls—always alert, always on guard. Tears began to stream down her face.
"This is horrible! I knew Mojo was a villain with little morality, but the way he trained you and your brothers… It's so unfair! I don't think we'll ever be able to be the family you need. It's impossible to help you!"
Skye slapped her.
"Don't you dare say that! You're me—and I never give up!"
"You're not me!" Bossy snapped, wiping her tears as she faced her other self. "You're just a cheap copy from another universe! Do you really think wearing a leather jacket makes you strong?"
"You have no idea what I've been through!" Skye shot back. "You're just a little girl when it comes to real life!"
Red Uto stepped between them.
"Control yourself. Both of you."
"How can you be so calm, Uto?!" Skye shrieked.
"This is part of the AI," he said evenly. "It's releasing hormones into the air to make you uneasy. If you want to get out of here, you need to control yourselves. That's what this room was designed for: keep in control and think fast."
Neither girl liked the information, but they understood its importance. They fell into an uncomfortable silence as they continued searching for the others, their hearts running crazy as they tried to keep calm.
Less than fifty meters away, Bubble—the Powerpuff Boy—was fighting frantically.
Moments earlier, he had been moving alongside Bluee and Blue Cop when a sudden energy blast passed dangerously close. They rushed toward its source and found Buttercop and Green battling a mass of fluffy threads they couldn't fully make out until they drew nearer.
At the center of the mass were two yellow eyes and a pink nose, purring softly.
It was not a cute, fluffy kitten.
The creature was enormous, filling the entire area and blocking the path to the next chamber. If they wanted to advance, they had to defeat it first. But its soft fur was a trap—wrapping around legs, arms, even fingers, tightening into an inescapable snare.
"Man, this is worse than the spider imps!" Buttercop growled, struggling as she tried to cut through the fur with her laser beams.
"Blossom, try setting it on fire!" someone shouted from within the fur.
As the creature shifted, another group of teens appeared briefly before vanishing again.
The Blossom among them tried, but the flames were smothered instantly by the thick coat.
In the next second, there was no trace of the redheaded girl—or the voice that had called out.
"This… cat… it swallowed everyone else," Green said grimly as she regrouped with Bubble, Bluee, and Blue Cop.
Enraged—both by the humiliation of being defeated by a fluffy animal and by the hormones flooding the air—the greens charged blindly. Their movements were erratic, throwing punches without strategy.
They were quickly ensnared, followed by their blue sisters, who panicked and desperately tried to pull them free.
Bubble soon found himself fighting alone, hearing only the others' screams as the fur tightened around them. Every energy blast he fired made things worse—the fur distributed the shock through every strand, electrocuting everyone trapped inside.
"Bubble, stop!" Bluee begged. "You're making it worse!"
"I don't know what else to do!" he shouted back, his stress mounting as the situation deteriorated.
He froze midair.
Frustrated. Disappointed in himself. He was a fighter—not a strategist. Reaching the creature's face was impossible; it used the others as shields. But doing nothing meant they would suffocate beneath this endless sea of white fur.
"Think, think, think…" he muttered, forcing himself to calm down.
Then he turned to his last option.
A giant sphere of bluish static formed around him, feeding on the electricity in the air.
"Stop, idiot!"
Bubble spun around and saw Blue Boom.
"You'll make it worse."
"But it has everyone inside, it's killing them!"
"It won't kill them. It's programmed to stop before that," Blue Boom replied. That last line didn't ease Bubble at all, and he found himself crying out of worry.
"Hey, everything will be fine," Blue Boom said, a flicker of surprise in his voice. "We need to short-circuit it. You can freeze things, right?
Bubble nodded, wiping his eyes.
"At my signal, freeze the air around the fur. Not the creature itself—just the air. Understood?" Blue Boom said as he slammed his palm onto a nearby metal maintenance panel, stretching his other arm outward to bridge the gap. "Now, Bubble!"
Bubble didn't hesitate. He unleashed a massive wave of absolute-zero cold. The kitty tried to pull back to protect itself, but it was useless. As the air froze, the surrounding electricity surged through the metal panels and into Blue Boom, who clenched his teeth, his entire body tensing as the static current coursed through him.
The temperature plummeted instantly, and the fur wilted, shattering into thin pieces.
Everyone who had been trapped fell to the floor, soon regaining consciousness and coughing as they gulped fresh air.
"What did you do? Are you okay?" Bubble was already next to Blue Boom, checking his hands for damage and ready to heal them.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just used thermal shock—and acted as the ground, so the static wouldn't hit the rest of you."
"Whoa, that's impressive," someone said from where the kitty had disappeared.
"Yeah, I thought you blues were, well… you know…" one of the greens added.
Blue Boom glanced at them sideways, once again unable to grasp the implication or the insult they had almost let out.
"It's just basic teamwork," he said. "You can't afford to be a burden to the rest of the team. Now, let's move. We're just giving the AI time to prepare a new attack."
As they walked toward the next chamber, someone noticed something odd.
"Hey, Blue Boom—why are you barefoot? What happened to your boots?"
"I took them off. I need to be aware of everything around us," he replied, rubbing his temples as the headache worsened by the second.
Only then did it hit the others how sensitive he truly was. As the boy walked barefoot and ran a hand along the walls, they understood he was searching for the others—focused on every vibration, every shift in the environment, trying to anticipate the next attack.
They followed him, even the Greens did, in respectful silence.
Red Uto, Blue Boom, and Thornton were sharing information through the echo. It didn't take long for them to meet again, but it took its toll. The three of them were pale and visibly weakened, yet they didn't stop.
"How long have we been here? It's way too long!" complained Cheer Green.
"I don't know, like, twenty minutes?" Box answered, annoyed.
Thornton scoffed.
"Three minutes. Max."
"What? That can't be! We must—" protested Punk Boomer, unsure even as he spoke.
"The maze is dark and claustrophobic," Red Uto explained calmly. "And we get attacked every thirty seconds—fifteen if we stop. That's why it feels like more time has passed."
"So how do we get out of here?" asked Butterscotch, trying to hide his worry as he glanced at Bloom.
"We either survive eight minutes, or we find the mark," Red Uto answered.
"What mark?" asked Mili, already scanning the walls, even though she didn't know what she was looking for.
"I have another question," Punk Butch interrupted, pointing at everyone's injuries. "Why aren't we healing?"
"The Room suppresses healing abilities," Red Uto replied. "Only that one. It'll take a couple of days for them to return."
"Two days?!"
"You mean we're going to be bleeding, bruised, or—like Bloom here—limping?"
"Can't we just give up?" muttered one of the Bubbles.
"Puffs never give up!" Skye snapped, and several of the Puffs voiced their agreement.
The Ghosts merely shrugged.
"It'll only get more savage," Red Uto warned. "As long as you're conscious, the Room will keep attacking.
Blue Boom looked at a wall.
"Here. It's waiting for us, I think."
"Who? Who's waiting for us?" asked Candy Bubbles.
"The next attack. We'd better go first," completed Thornton.
The group of teens prepared to fight, knowing just that it wouldn't be easy.
Chatter Butch and the Punks exploded the wall. As the dust settled, they could see a silhouette. It looked like a woman in high heels. But it wasn't a woman. In the ground, with glowy eyes, Him was standing on, waiting.
But it wasn't the real Him, they already knew that. It'd be a creation for what the AI had found about Him, and then oversized it ten times.
With a movement of his head, Blue Boom signed something under Him's left foot. Barely a couple of centimeters laid a red cross, mixing with the dust. The Mark.
Of course, the biggest problem was still this Him. As soon as the Punks saw the mark, they charged from three different points, trying to stay away of Him's claws. But the giant spun on a foot, like a ballerina, and caught the boys in the vortex.
Then, the Rowdy Ruff Girls tried an attack with the Cheer Puffs from above. Him exhaled a toxic cloud that paralyzed the girls.
The Ghosts stayed behind. A vision was in front of them, one that had nothing to do with the actual battle. On an open space, full of plants. They weren't sure where they were, but it looked familiar. But they had had many missions in jungles; it could be any. The air was filled with the smell of smoke and burned hair. In the middle, the lines of a building appeared. Three shadows were upon it, leaning at it, looking judiciously. They would lower their hands and pick a bunch of fruit. The Ghosts eager their sight. It wasn't fruit, but blue flames. It wasn't the AI. It didn't hurt. And it wasn't toying with their feelings. Unless Mojo had changed the formula, because they actually felt peace. The three shadows looked at them with empty eyes and invited them to sit next to them and pick the blue flames. But the Ghosts knew where they belonged, and it wasn't here.
The moment they recognized this truth, they found themselves again in the maze, confused and unable to move easily, but still fighting.
"I think I fainted for a second," said Blue Boom, shaking his head to throw away this feeling of stupor.
Thornton looked ahead. He was close to the mark, but Him was the problem.
"We need a distraction! Someone has to go to the mark as the others keep Him busy!" Mili yelled.
"But that one will need to move faster than ever, Him's for sure waiting for something like this," Kiwi said.
Thornton looked at Candy Bubbles, close to him.
"You go, Bubbles."
"What?! I'm not that fast!"
"I'll throw you! You'll be at the mark faster than he can move."
As he said, he picked the girl from her belt, not having problems lifting her.
"No! He's going to stab me!" she kept crying.
As he pulled back the arm to launch her, he cheered her.
"I'll put a force field around you. Just focus on touching the mark!"
And he threw her.
Or tried.
Panicked, Candy Bubble twisted on her belt and clenched at Thornton's arm.
"I don't wanna!" was all she could say.
Behind them, Box ran to them and kicked Thonton in the back, hard enough to make him fly with Candy still around his arm. Hard enough to send them rolling down and past Him's feet. Thornton barely saw the mark and lowered his free hand, touching it.
As the blare of an alarm marked the mission's conclusion, Thornton fell on his back. And Candy Bubbles above him, on a soundless punch.
Him and the maze disappeared. There was nothing more now but the metal panels and walls. Vents started to vacuum the hormones and fill the place with fresh air. Probably with hormones, too, but calming ones, since everyone falls on their knees or back, unable to move anymore.
The teens laid on the floor, utterly exhausted.
"Now you get why we don't use this room?" said Red Uto.
"Though it was great to win for once," observed Thornton, grinning weakly.
"If I could move, I'd kick you right now," muttered Uto.
A weak thump went out of Thornton as a small, exhausted foot connected with his side.
"Thanks, Candy Bubbles," was all Uto had to say.