The Earth Forces Commander appeared on the giant screen in the arena, and he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen…round four of the World Superheroes Tournament will begin shortly, but first, please allow me to introduce the remaining eight competitors…" The crowd cheered, as the heroes stepped out from the staging area, lining up along the edge of the fighting ring.

"We have quite a group this year," the Commander continued. "Four old favorites, and four newcomers. On one hand, we have the original founders of the Justice Friends, and one of the most well-known superhero of our time. On the other, we have the youngest trio of superheroes to ever enter the competition, and a completely new face, all four of which have impressed us so far with skill on the same level as the others. I congratulate you all on your progress, and wish you the best of luck in the coming fights."

The crowd cheered once more, and all the competitors waved, except for Brainstem, who merely nodded. The commander concluded his speech, "All right…let the fighting begin!"

* * *

The crowd waited, as the ring was prepared for the first fight of round four. The Commander announced, "First up, we have the leader of the Justice Friends…the well-known defender of American freedom and justice himself…please welcome, Major Glory!" The crowd cheered and flashed pictures, as Major Glory flew out into the ring. He struck a pose, hands on his hips, and flashed his smile to the audience.

"And his opponent…" the Commander continued. "She may only be in kindergarten, but don’t let that fool you…she’s got strength, and spunk, and a budding intellect to boot…please welcome the leader of the PowerPuff Girls…Blossom!" She flew out of the staging area, and waved to everyone. Behind her, Bubbles and Buttercup cheered on with the rest of the crowd, "Go, Blossom!"

She landed in the ring, and turned to face Major Glory. Her mind raced…This is going to be tough. Major Glory has the benefit of years of crimefighting experience…I’m going to have to stay alert, if I want to beat him. She took a deep breath, and set her expression, focusing on the coming fight. Major Glory, in the meantime, cracked his knuckles and got into his own battle stance, which immediately brought another shower of flash photography from the crowd. They tensely awaited the start of the fight.

In the staging area, Buttercup and Bubbles watched anxiously. Bubbles asked, "Do you think she’ll win?"

"She’ll win," Buttercup said confidently. "This guy’s all show and no fight, I can tell."

It remained quiet out in the ring, as the two stared each other down. The crowd was also silent. The Commander gazed across the arena, and finally said, "Ready…fight!"

Both of them immediately burst into action. They flew directly at each other, each swinging their fist into a massive punch. Their fists collided with each other forcefully, so strong that a shockwave seemed to shake the arena. Major Glory immediately followed it with two more punches…Blossom dodged the first one, and grabbed his arm, stopping the second one. She rolled backwards, swinging him into an overhead throw behind her. He tumbled through the air for a moment, but regained control.

"By the dawn’s early light," Major Glory remarked, "you’re a strong little thing, aren’t you?"

Blossom nodded, "That’s right!" A moment later, she thought to herself, I could tell he was pretty strong, too, from that first punch. I’d better not let my guard down, or I could be in trouble. She took off towards him again, raising her fist back in preparation for another strong punch. Major Glory, though, charged forward suddenly with his elbow, slamming into her jaw before she could attack. The blow caused her to reel backwards, and he instantly followed it with two more punches, and a strong uppercut, which knocked her into the air. She hit the ground and skidded for a few yards, coming to rest near the center of the ring.

Bubbles, from the staging area, cringed, "She’s losing!"

"No, she’s not," Buttercup said, with a knowing smile, "She’s had worse than that. Just watch…"

Sure enough, Blossom picked herself up from the ground. She coughed once from the dust that was kicked up, then looked over at Major Glory. A small smile appeared on her face. She climbed back to her feet, and beckoned, "Come and get me!"

Major Glory accepted her challenge, and charged forward, calling out, "E Pluribus Unum!" like a battle cry. Blossom just stood there, waiting for him to get closer. When he was about six feet from her, she darted forward and slid across the ground, tripping his feet out from under him. Before he hit the ground, though, she grabbed a hold of his ankle from midair, and started swinging him around in a large circle. After spinning around a few times, she let go, throwing him straight out of the ring. He slammed face-first into the wall at the edge of the spectator seating, and slid down to the ground.

The crowd applauded the move, and cheered her on. Blossom wiped the sweat from her forehead, and thrust a fist into the air victoriously. I can’t believe it, she thought. I’m only a fight away from the finals! I can do it!

* * *

The ring was cleared out, and everyone awaited the next battle. The Commander spoke, "For our next fight, we have another of the adorable PowerPuff Girls…she’s been called the sweet one, but like her sisters, she really packs a punch…please welcome…Bubbles!" She flew out into the arena, and cheerfully blew a few kisses to the audience as she went into the ring. The crowd cheered once again, and she landed, smiling happily.

"And now, her opponent, a hero who needs no introductions…he saved the world countless times from some of the greatest threats the planet has ever known…please welcome last year’s Grand Champion…Monkey!" The crowd went wild, chanting his name, as he soared out over the ring, landing on the opposite side.

Bubbles watched him enter the ring, and couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Okay, Bubbles, you can do it, she thought…he’s one of the strongest superheroes in the world, but so are you! You made it this far, right? She gave the professor in the audience a glance, and he smiled. Bubbles smiled back, and prepared for battle, looking over at Monkey again.

The Commander said, "Ready? Fight!" Monkey immediately raised his fists over his head, charging up an enormous amount of energy. A bright white glow now surrounded him. Bubbles, in the meantime, flew up into the air, gaining a high position over him…she watched him carefully, trying to decide what she should do next.

Monkey took off, flying up to where Bubbles was, swinging a punch, but Bubbles slipped past him on his right side, avoiding the punch. As she passed him, she grabbed his tail, and flew towards the ground, pulling him along with her. At the last second, she stopped and let go, flinging him directly into the ring floor, where he impacted with a loud *CRASH*. As the dust cleared, there was a crater left where Monkey had crashed. He rubbed his head, and slowly picked himself back up.

Bubbles, in the meantime, landed on the ground, and waited once again. After a few moments, Monkey flew up out of the hole, and dashed towards her. He threw a quick flurry of punches…Bubbles blocked the first two, but the third struck her in the chest, knocking her off-balance. Monkey’s large simian foot instantly swung around, clocking her in the side of the head. She was knocked sideways, and slid across the surface of the ring, digging up a trench behind her. She sat up, rubbing the side of her head, and said, "Ow!"

She didn’t have long to recover, though, as Monkey’s eyes began glowing…he fired a crimson red beam from them, towards Bubbles, who spotted this and immediately fired back with her own eyebeams. The beams struck each other halfway, and exploded, knocking them both back a few yards. Bubbles quickly climbed back to her feet and, taking a deep breath, unleashed a loud scream…as the sonic soundwaves rushed towards Monkey, he pursed his lips and made his own sound-based attack, creating similar waves that met Bubbles’. A loud sonic boom cracked the air from the collision of the soundwaves, creating a brief rush of wind that everyone in the arena felt.

From the staging area, Blossom commented, "She’s holding her own out there…"

"Yeah," Buttercup added, "but so’s Monkey."

Both of the competitors were looking tired from the attacks they had just made. Bubbles panted, trying to catch her breath again. Monkey, though, took advantage of this opportunity and leapt forward, tackling her. He pinned Bubbles, but then she kicked him up into the air off of her. Leaping to her feet, she powered up her eyebeams and fired a blast at him. He recovered from her kick, and soared out of the way of the eyebeam just before it hit him.

Landing on the ground, Monkey dashed forward and started swinging a fast series of punches and kicks. Bubbles moved as fast as she could, blocking or avoiding each of his attacks, but she was being forced backwards anyway, by each one…

"Oh no," Blossom exclaimed, noticing where they were heading, "He’s going to force her out of the ring!"

Bubbles was indeed growing closer to the ring’s edge, and Monkey wasn’t showing any signs of letting up his barrage. She saw an opening, though, and quickly took advantage of it. She flew forward suddenly, grabbing Monkey by the arm and pulling him along with her, all the way to the opposite end of the ring. She gave a loud scream, almost like a war cry, and was just about to fling Monkey right to the ground outside the ring, when he grabbed her with his free arm. With a twist, he reversed their positions in midair at the last instant. Bubbles, unable to respond fast enough, was rammed into the ground outside the ring. Monkey jumped free, landing back within the ring’s boundaries.

The crowd roared at Monkey’s sudden victory, and they began chanting his name again. He panted heavily, and finally gave a sigh of relief. Bubbles sat up from the impact crater she left in the ground, and sobbed. Monkey walked over to where she was sitting, and held his hand out, saying, "Oo eek?"

Bubbles sniffed, and smiled through her tears, taking Monkey’s hand and nodding, "Friends…" He helped her out of the hole, and the crowd went, "Awwww…" at this display of kindness. Monkey turned and waved back at the audience, as Bubbles hovered away from the ring.

She returned to the staging area, and Blossom said, "Hey, don’t feel so bad…you did great out there!"

"I…did?" Bubbles asked.

"Yeah, Bubbles!" Buttercup nodded. "That was awesome! You almost had him. I’m impressed!"

"Thanks," she said, smiling. She felt a lot better now. I got further than I expected, she thought, and we all can’t win…I’m just happy I lasted as long as I did…

* * *

Everyone waited as they prepared to start the next fight. They watched as the Commander reappeared on the screen and announced, "I now have the pleasure of introducing to you the third and last PowerPuff sister…often described as the toughest fighter in the group, please welcome…Buttercup!" She flew out from the staging area, and as the crowd cheered, she grinned. Ah… fame, she thought. No matter how I do, I’m gonna be world-famous after this!

As she landed, the Commander continued, "And her opponent…here for an encore performance, the Viking God of Rock himself…ladies and gentlemen…Val Halen!" He flew into the ring, riding on top of his guitar, and landed in a shower of sparks. Dark clouds formed in the sky, and colored spotlights shown down on him from above. The crowd, particularly the ladies, cheered like mad.

Buttercup herself was a little overcome. She knew she would be fighting him, and had prepared for it, but her feelings changed, now that they were face to face. It’s really Val Halen, she thought. I listen to his songs all the time! It almost a shame to have to fight him…She shook her head…wait, what am I thinking? Snap out of it, Buttercup! Don’t let it get to you! She smiled and thought, Maybe after this is done, I can get his autograph…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Commander, who spoke, "Ready…fight!" She quickly focused back on the battle, quickly getting into a fighting stance.

Val Halen pointed at Buttercup and declared, "Thou mayest have great strength, little babette, but canst thou withstand the awesome power of my Mighty Axe?" He thrust the Axe into the air, and a lightning bolt struck it from the sky, charging it with great power. Buttercup couldn’t help but be impressed by this display. As she watched this in awe, he continued, "Now, let’s rock!" He jumped up and played a single chord, firing a wave of energy directly at her.

She snapped out of it just in time, and dodged. The blast struck the ground, ripping a good-sized hole right where she was standing a moment before. She flew up off the ground and grinned, heading directly for him. He responded quickly, though, suddenly swinging his guitar like a club and batting her right out of the air. Buttercup hit the ground, but immediately leapt back to her feet, none the worse for wear.

She shot across the ring in a flash, faster this time, crossing the distance before Val Halen could wind up for another swing. She slammed a fist into his gut, causing him to double over, and followed it with an uppercut. Val Halen stumbled back, then regained his balance and tried to land one of his own punches. Buttercup easily ducked under it…she slipped behind him and grabbed hold of his long, blonde hair, pulling him into the air with her. He yelped, "My golden tresses!" and waved his arms, feebly trying to get free.

Buttercup spun around once, and threw Val Halen towards the nearest edge of the ring. He hit the ground early, while still inside of the ring, and he quickly slid to a halt. Standing back up, he said, "Thy moves are most awesome, little babette, but now I shall unveil my true power!" He raised the Mighty Axe into playing position and shouted, his voice echoing in the sky, "I call upon the legendary Rock Garden…heed my command, and give me the power to rock the house!" A bright spotlight shown down on him from the clouds, and he immediately started playing with extraordinary skill, his music sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheering and filling the arena with the most incredible rock solo any of them had ever heard. Even Blossom and Bubbles were pressed up against the window of the staging area, screaming with joy.

Buttercup herself was overwhelmed…the music mesmerized her, and she cheered right along with the rest of the crowd. Its power was taking hold of her, draining her will to fight, until all she could do was stand there and listen. Deep in the back of her mind, she struggled against it, her thoughts clashing. It’s fantastic! It’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever heard…no! No, you have to fight! Get a hold of yourself! But…the music…

Val Halen sweated as he played, starting to grow tired, but he didn’t let up for an instant. Already, many of the ladies in the audience had fainted…Buttercup felt like she was going to follow suit, so powerful were the licks that he played. She thought, Gotta focus…gotta outlast him…don’t give in… The playing continued for what seemed like ages, neither one giving in…

Finally, Val Halen played a final chord, and slumped forward panting, trying to catch his breath. Buttercup was still weak, but nevertheless, she decided not to pass up this opportunity. Using the last ounces of her strength, she flew forward and struck him in the jaw with a powerful kick. The kick was enough to knock him out entirely, in his currently weakened state. He collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Buttercup landed on unsteady legs, barely conscious herself. She raised her fists in victory, and the people who were still awake in the crowd cheered her on. She smiled to herself, and thought, So tired…better get some rest before the next fight…just two more to go, Buttercup…that’s all, just two more…

* * *

After the crowd had recovered from the last conflict, the Commander prepared to introduce the final fight of round 4. "And now, lastly…the Justice Friends member with the greatest strength…his name says it all…please welcome…the Infraggable Krunk!" He leapt out onto the playing field, landing with a fierce tremor, and he threw back his head, giving a ferocious growl. The crowd rooted for him.

Continuing, the Commander said, "And his opponent…a newcomer to the superhero scene, and an enigma…silent, but deadly…please welcome…Brainstem!" The crowd applauded…but then, became quiet in confusion, as no one emerged. The Commander blinked a few times, and called out, "Brainstem?"

Inside the staging area, the girls glanced around, as did the other heroes that were there. Blossom said, "Where is he?"

"Maybe he had to use the restroom…" Bubbles suggested.

A moment later, Brainstem suddenly entered the room from the back door. He strode quickly past the other heroes, who watched him, puzzled. As he approached, Buttercup asked, "Where have you been? It’s your turn to fight!"

Without slowing down, or even turning to look at them, he whispered, "Had to take care of something." He continued past them, heading for the arena.

Bubbles nodded, "Yep…the restroom, all right."

Brainstem emerged from the staging area, and the crowd immediately started cheering. He moved hastily over to his position in the ring, and turned towards Krunk, glaring at him. The Commander nodded, "Everyone’s ready now?" Both Krunk and Brainstem nodded. "All right then…fight!"

Krunk crouched, preparing to leap, and yelled, "Krunk smash puny brain guy!" He jumped up high, covering the distance in a single leap, coming down feet-first at his opponent. Brainstem, however, ran forward, under the arc of his jump, to safety. Krunk landed, and spun around. With a growl, he pulled a huge chunk of rock up from the ground, and hurled it. Brainstem pulled a small grenade-like device from his backpack and threw it…the device struck the rock, and it exploded, disintegrating the rock completely in a bright, rainbow-colored flash of light. The crowd ooohed at the impressive light show.

Without wasting a moment, he pulled a rather large laser cannon out from his backpack—which by now, people were noticing, held a lot more than it looked like it could hold—and powered it up. Krunk began charging forward, but Brainstem aimed and fired the cannon…a huge, bright green, continuous beam of light shot forth, striking Krunk head-on and stopping him in his tracks. He struggled against the energy from the beam, which continued to pour out at him. The ground around him was breaking up from the intense energy around the sides of the blast, but Krunk himself remained unharmed…he put his shoulder forward and pushed against the beam, edging forward slowly.

"Man, look at Krunk take that beam!" Buttercup said, from the staging area.

"Yeah," Bubbles nodded, "I guess they don’t call him ’Infraggable’ for nothing…"

Blossom, however, was focused more on Brainstem. Hmm, she thought. Geniuses usually aren’t born overnight…so where did this guy come from? I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this…

Krunk continued advancing, and he growled, "Krunk…is…strongest!" He thrust his hands forward suddenly, forcing some of the energy back. The impact caused Brainstem to be knocked backwards, and he lost his balance, the laser cannon dropping from his hands and smashing into pieces on the ground. Now free of the beam, Krunk bounded forward, arms outstretched.

Brainstem’s eyes darted back and forth quickly, as though looking for an avenue of escape, but not finding one. Krunk towered over him as he approached, casting a huge shadow down across his section of the ring. As he reached down to grab him, though, Brainstem leapt up unexpectedly, pulling a small, palm-sized device from his backpack. In one fluid motion, he slammed it against Krunk’s forehead, and it locked in place with a spark of electricity. As he landed back on the ground, Krunk straightened back up, a confused look on his face.

With a flourish, he pulled a small remote control from his backpack and punched a few buttons on it. Krunk raised his arms out in front of him and walked forward, a blank expression on his face. Even through his hood, it looked like Brainstem was smiling. He punched a few more buttons, and Krunk stiffly strode over to the edge of the ring and stepped off.

The crowd applauded Brainstem’s creative way of defeating his opponent, and Brainstem responded by bowing to the audience once again. At the same time, the device on Krunk’s head ran out of power, and he glanced around, confused, "What happen?"

Blossom watched carefully as Brainstem walked back into the staging area. He walked through without saying a word to anyone, and disappeared through the back door once again. Blossom remarked, "I don’t trust him…"

"Why not?" Bubbles asked.

"I don’t know," she replied. "There’s something funny about him…"

Buttercup waved it off, "Relax, Red! Can’t you just have fun, without tryin’ to make a situation out of everything? Loosen up, for once. Anyway, we’re going into the fifth round, so we have more important things to worry about…"

"Yeah, I guess you’re right," Blossom said reluctantly. Then she brightened up, "The professor must be so proud of us right now! We’re in the home stretch, Buttercup…let’s see if one of us makes it all the way!"

* * *

In one of the locker rooms inside the main arena building, Brainstem looked at himself in front of the mirror. He examined his glass bubble helmet, which had taken a small crack in the last battle. Unscrewing it, he removed the glass portion, pulling it carefully up over his exposed brain, and set it down in front of him. Taking a small laser from his backpack, he carefully sealed the crack back up.

"Good as new," he said to himself. He carefully replaced the glass bubble, and looked into the mirror again. Some of his hair was sticking out messily from underneath the hood, and he gently tucked it back underneath. Finally convinced that he looked all right once again, he nodded, and turned away from the mirror. "Now," he whispered to himself, "to finish my preparations. Soon, the real show will begin…and when it is over, I will become known all over the world, at long last…"