Jack and Buttercup walked down the lanes of the amusement park, enjoying the cool summer night on the island. After a few pleasantries and small talk, Jack decided it was time to try a new ploy.

"How is school going for you, Buttercup?"

"Okay. I mean, I'm doing well."

"Getting good grades, you mean.'

"Yeah."

"What about your demeanor?" Jack had a hint of suspicion in his voice which made Buttercup nervous.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Your conduct." Jack's tone became serious. "Are you being reasonable, mature, and tolerant?"

Buttercup gave him a false smile. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"And the fighting?"

"I just keep my skills up. I don't hurt anybody." Buttercup tried to sly away, knowing from her many talk's with her father and the principal what came next.

"I've heard different. Please don't lie to me. Have you been getting into trouble at school?"

Now, it was Buttercup's turn to change her mood. "It's not my fault! I'm only trying to stay ready! You remember when Bell and Him, and the Cluster, and all those other freaks tried to take over!"

"Yes I do. It still remains with me to this day. But, you must remember, no matter how bad that situation was, it was in the past. We never gain anything by living in the past. We must move forward."

Somewhere in Jack's gut, something turned, though he paid no attention to it, concentrating on the matter at hand.

"But I understand. And in fact, I find it commendable that you stay vigilant in case of another attack."

Buttercup was surprised at this. "You do?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. In fact, the first tenant of Bushido states that a warrior should keep in mind at all times coming battles, as a focal point for life. But, there is a difference between staying vigilant, and being over-bearing. And, you are at a point in life where it is time to make a decision. So, Buttercup, will you remain a super-hero, or will you become a normal girl?"

"What kind of question is that?" Buttercup was speechless. "Of course I'm going to stay a superhero! I'm a Powerpuff Girl, it's what I do!"

"But will you be one all your life?

"It's not like I have a choice here, Jack-sama."

"Of course you do. You always have a choice. Why, with your powers, you could stop fighting villains, use your powers to make enormous amounts of money, and live in the lap of luxury. Who cares about other people? With your powers, you can secure a nice future for yourself."

"T-that's…" Buttercup couldn't understand the change that had come over Jack. Here, he was the man who had always said to be selfless and honorable. Anger started to boil as the image of her idol was distorted. "That's sick! No one who believes that is worth a damn! No matter what people think of me, no matter what they say about me, I'll always fight for those who can't fight for themselves, and you can take your selfish desires and shove it!"

Expecting an angry retort, Buttercup was surprised when Jack smiled.

"Pass!" was all he said.

"Huh?"

"Sorry about that, Buttercup, but that was a test. I just wanted to see if you were ready."

"I'm lost."

"When I was your teacher, I taught you things in books, but perhaps it is time I teach you about something that can only be learned through experience."

"And what is that?"

"The Way of the Warrior."

"Wait, but-…why?"

"I fear for you Buttercup. I have taken the liberty of studying the trends of 'supers' and while most super villains are buffoons, just idiots in strange costumes, every so often someone like Dr. X or Darkseid comes along who are truly dangerous. More of them are popping up, and you remember what happened the last time Apocalypse invaded, right?"

Buttercup remembered, but it wasn't pleasant to do. The Justice League had stopped Darkseid once again, but it had come down to the wire, and a few members had perished in the battle. The newspapers covered their funerals, attended by the whos who of superherodom.

"You want me to be a warrior?"

"No, I just want you to have an understanding of the way. I have found that, in this day and age, only the superheroes are able to truly understand and benefit from the way."

"What about soldiers?"

Jack shook his head.

"It isn't the same. Soldiers train, they do their duty, and then they return to their homes and families. A soldier does not remain on active duty his whole life, unlike a superhero, and very few soldiers ever gain the influence and fame that a superhero receives. I wanted to make sure you were dead set on the superhero path before I suggested teaching you. It's a hard life… most superheroes struggle to maintain normal lives, often impacted when they have to drop what they're doing at a moment's notice and save the world. It's different for you, since your superhero identity is your sole identity. But still,

"This is…really hard to take in. I don't know where to start."

"That's alright." Jack noticed a little ice cream parlor nearby. "Why don't we get some ice cream, and I'll start on something simple?"

After getting two cones of ice cream, chocolate for Buttercup, pecan for Jack, they both took an empty table and enjoyed their ice cream for a few minutes. Once Jack had ensured that his ice cream would not drip on his fingers, he continued his lesson.

"First, let's talk about paths. I was taught, as a child, that life is one long road. At one end, there is birth. At the other, our passing. But, in the middle, there are many, many ways from one end to the other. No path is set. Though fate and destiny may play a role, in essence, you walk your own path."

"Okay then," Buttercup turned the subject, "just for example, what's your path?"

Jack's mood went from jovial to dead serious in about half a second flat. His distant look almost scared Buttercup. Though she couldn't tell it, he was in deep thought, picking out his words carefully.

"I'm searching for someone," Jack finally said.

"Who?"

"Someone who has committed many atrocities, and must be brought to justice for his actions."

"I…its…that's actually pretty cool."

"It is?" It was Jack's turn to be surprised at the answer.

"I always knew you were tough, but I didn't know you were hunting down a villain!

Jack changed moods once again, this time giving Buttercup an embarrassing smile.

"No… I mean, its nothing. Just something that happened to me a long time ago. Actually, I'm trying to find my own path right now. Once I find the person I'm looking for, I really haven't thought about what I'll do after I meet him. I'd actually like to go home, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to."

"Why not?"

"It's…complicated. To go home, I first have to meet that person. To meet that person, I have to go home, hence my predicament."

Jack stared at a point beyond Buttercup's shoulder. Buttercup turned around in her chair to catch someone disappear behind a dark corner.

"Who was that?" said Buttercup, starting to stand.

"Just someone being nosy. Nothing to worry about. Please sit back down. I'd like to ask you about your path."

"My path?"

"The path of the hero, I believe?"

"Um, yeah, I think."

"Most heroes have short life spans."

The gloomy mood returned. Jack felt embarrassed. He realized that he could understand these lessons due to the fact that he had learned them when he was only a child. In this day and age, lessons like these were tough for people to hear, especially a sixteen year old girl.

"I'm sorry, I've gone too far. Just some things for you to think about. Would you still like to continue this training?"

Buttercup thought about Jack's words, how they were hurtful and hard to take. Yet, something in her heart told her the answer.

"Yes I would."

Jack once again gave his easing smile, and nodded. "Good, then I'll leave you with an advanced lesson, and then there'll be no more serious talk tonight, just good old fashioned fun. The lesson is this: every true warrior seeks to gain the three levels of perfection. The first level: the warrior holds his sword in his hand, and no enemy can stand against him. The second level: the warrior has the sword inside of him; none attack him for fear of his ability, and his reputation. The final level: the warrior is one with all around him. He no longer desires battle. He is at peace."

Finishing their ice cream, Jack and Buttercup continued to slowly meander around the park.

As they walked farther into the park., they noticed a large crowd gathering around a single attraction, and in the center of the crowd…

"Hey, isn't that…"

"…Blossom and Jackie!"

Buttercup and Jack approached their compatriots.

"The heck are you two doing here?"

They were all standing outside the haunted mansion. The main entrance, a pair of double doors in the middle, were blocked off from the other visitors. The mansion had three entrances, boasting three different experiences. Apparently, the main entrance was being kept ready for the show.

"We got recruited to participate in this stunt. The gist of it is, we have to enter the haunted house and save Frankie from a bunch of actors. Not too hard, considering what we've faced, but still extremely annoying."

"That sounds like a blast!" a different voice arose from behind them.

All four turned to find Jade and Bubbles now joining their little group.

"Are their any rules against our friends helping us?" Blossom asked one of the men working the attraction.

The man shook his head.

"Well, as they say, the more the merrier, eh?" said Jack.

"But I thought you hated haunted houses?" Blossom asked Bubbles.

"She's looking for prince charminggggg." said Jade.

"Huh?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the MC from the arcade was back, now announcing this new event.

"I'll tell you when we get inside," Jade whispered to Blossom.

"Watch as the hero and his entourage, trek into the treacherous haunted mansion, to save the Princess from her doom! Seats are still available in the terrace area outside the garden for the final battle. Quickly make your way over there! And now…"

The main doors of the mansion opened, spooky music playing all the while.

"Let's wish our heroes good luck!"

"Excellent! Everything is going as it should! Now, to start the real fun!"

He turned to his boiling cauldron, strangely colored smoke spewing from the top. The three sisters twirled in the air, singing as they went.

"Night twists 'round, be silent, make not a sound, the moon holds sway, the sun is bound…"

"…dance with the demons in the fields, come walk the devil's piper's road…"

"…open the bounty, see what it yields, and speak the words we taught you long ago…"

All four crowded around the cauldron chanting.

"Double double, toil and trouble,

fire burn and cauldron bubble,

a golem is a mighty slave,

but a statue is as silent as the grave,

see the end of the flesh and the dust of bone

turn all these fools into stone!"

At an ice cream parlor on the other side of the amusement park, Johnny Bravo was doing what he did best, or worst, depending on which way you looked at it.

"Hey baby," he said, approaching a 'hot mama' on a stool. "Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only ten I see!"

His efforts were promptly awarded with a fudge sundae to the face.

"OW HOT HOT HOT, ooo, chocolate!"

Nearby, Mrs. Bravo and the Professor were watching Johnny's failure.

"Now Professor," said Bunny Bravo, "that's a good example of what not to do. Now you try. Go get 'em, loverboy!"

She pushed him up to another beautiful woman.

"E-excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes?" She turned and looked straight at him.

"I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I,…" Like a broken record, the Professor was done.

"What's up with this guy?" the woman asked her friend sitting next to her.

"I don't know, but all the guys here are weirdoes. Let's head over the haunted mansion. I hear there's some cute guys working there."

The two women got their purses and left. Mrs. Bravo gave the Professor a sympathy pat on the back.

"That's alright, dearie. We'll try getting your confidence up, and then you'll try again."

A rain drop struck her in the cheek. The Professor looked up into the sky, and saw the night sky get lit up with a little lightning at a distance.

"Uh oh, looks like a storm is brewing." The Professor said. "We should start looking for the girls, right Mrs. Bravo?" No response. "Mrs. Bravo?"

Looking to his left, he found Mrs. Bravo standing deathly still, her skin changed from vibrant pink to a grayish tone, almost like she was stone.

Alarmed, the Professor looked around him to find others either already changed into statues or in the process of being changed.

"What's happening?" A few people screamed. Others tried to run, but were caught in the rain. Some tried to hide under canopies and tents to protect themselves, but as if it had a mind of its own, the storm picked up and wind pushed the rain completely sideways, striking anyone taking cover. Anyone struck by the rain became a statue.

The Professor, uncertain of what he should do, was caught off guard by several drops of water striking him. His body immediately froze up, with him only being able to get off two word.

"My girls…"

TBC

Actually, the first tenant of Bushido is to keep death in mind at all times, but since Jack is talking to a sixteen year old girl, I really didn't think it appropriate to talk about a subject as severe as death, so any purists out there please understand.