The Brickubbles Flashbacks: Saving Mr. Octi drawn by me

This Brickubbles submission, as part of BrickercupMasterX3’s Brickubbles month, is dedicated to a phenomenal DeviantArtist by the name of NostalgicChills whose works especially involving The Lion King and many other animated movies and shows manage to emotionally stir me in terms of the feel, style, and everything else about them and who is also celebrating her birthday today. So, Nostalgic Chills, I wish you a most pleasant, blessed, and amazing birthday and many more awesome years as an artist to come.

This is the first of the many one-shots that I would like to call The Brickubbles Flashbacks in which Brick’s and Bubbles’ friendship is witnessed throughout the years from childhood to teenhood to adulthood. What better way to start this series of one-shots than with their time in Pokey Oaks Kindergarten.

Sometimes the people you meet are not always what they seem from the beginning. An enemy can turn into a friend and vice versa. Moreover, a person’s personality and traits can change with time, with the environment, and even through a family raises him or her. But what if someone who hated your guts went out of his way to protect you? Would that person become your good friend? Or will he just turn back to his old ways? Submitted for the approval of The Brickubbles Flashbacks, I call this story…

(I throw sugar and snips of dog fur on the campfire.)

Saving Mr. Octi.

Brick: Uh, dude. Aren’t you being a bit overdramatic here?

Bubbles: Yeah, it’s not a horror story. It’s just about the time Brick gave Octi back to me from Mitch during our kindergarten years.

Me: I was trying to build up the atmosphere. I’ll let you guys have the floor.

Brick: Thanks, man. Twenty years, huh, Bubs.

Bubbles: Yeah, who knew our friendship grew at that time.

Brick: And to think we started out as bitter enemies and look at us now. We’ve grown from the half-pints we were to a full-fledged superhero team. Especially now since I have BC as my wife and we got three kids of our own, Bloss is really happy with my favorite bro, Butch, and their three kids, Mitch has Bunny and their two tykes, and you got Boomer and your four kids. Plus, having you as my closest sister-in-law, that’s really saying something.

Bubbles: I remember all of this like it was just yesterday.

(Flashback begins in Pokey Oaks Kindergarten’s playground in the summer of 1998. Brick, Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd were six years old and Bubbles was four years old. The children are playing are sorts of games, sports, and other physical activities. Bubbles is in the corner near the sandbox playing with Octi.)

Bubbles (giggles): Oh, Octi, you’re the best friend I ever have. What would you like to do today?

(Three shadows approach behind Bubbles, two tall and one shorter than them. They belong to Floyd and Lloyd Floyjodson and Mitch Mitchelson.)

Mitch: Awww… Ain’t that precious. Widdle Bubbles playing with her dumb Octi doll!

Floyd and Lloyd: Yeah, her dumb Octi doll!

(Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd cackle.)

Bubbles: Take that back! Octi is not dumb! He’s a smart, caring octopus and my best friend!

Mitch: Oh, really. (Mitch harshly snatches Octi away from Bubbles.)

Floyd: Who’s gonna save him now?

Lloyd: Come on and get him!

(Bubbles charges at Mitch but he pushes her down.)

Mitch: Ha! As if you can ever save him!

(Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd laugh boisterously. This causes Bubbles to bawl her eyes out much like in All Chalked Up when Buttercup crushed her chalk.)

Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd: Awww… Look! The little baby is crying!

(Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd continue to laugh and Bubbles continues to wail and cry loudly.)

Brick: Hey! Dorkwads!

(Mitch, Floyd, Lloyd, and Bubbles turn towards Brick’s direction. The expression he is wearing on his face is more than just disgust. It is fury, rage, and unspeakable terror rolled up into one terrifying package.)

Mitch: Oh no! It’s Brick!

Bubbles (as she stops crying): Brick?

Floyd and Lloyd: Uh…How ya doin’-

Brick: Don’t how you doin’ man me, ya creeps!

Mitch: Isn’t Butch supposed to be-

Brick: He’s with Boom, Bloss, and BC playing dodgeball!

(Cut to Butch, Boomer, Blossom, and Buttercup who are about to play dodgeball.)

Boomer: I just hope Brick doesn’t pummel Mitch too bad.

Buttercup: Mitch may think he’s tough but I think he’s no match for Brick.

Blossom: Knowing what happened I highly doubt Mitch will get out of this alive. Especially based on how Bubbles’ crying was heard from where we currently stand.

Butch: All right, we get it. Mitch took Octi away from Bubs and Brick said he’ll be right back to teach him a lesson, can we start the game now? Please?

(Cut back to Brick who is snarling at Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd like an angry tiger. He has them cornered. Bubbles is frozen with fear at Brick’s boundless anger.)

Mitch (quaking): Hey, hey listen, man, we were just-

Brick: SHUT UP!!!!

Mitch (still quaking): We were just having fun with Bubbles, right, Floyd, Lloyd?

Floyd and Lloyd (nervously and hesitantly): Yeah, yeah-

Brick (even more enraged grabbing Mitch by the collar): Shut up and give me Octi! NOW!!!!!

(Mitch is trembling with fear, as he shakily hands over Octi to Brick. Brick then grunts, as he shoves Mitch to the ground.)

Brick: If I see you, idiots, messing around Bubbles and my side of the turf again…

Mitch: Messing around with Bubbles? We just wanted to play with her, man.

Floyd and Lloyd: Yeah, play with her-

Brick: As I was saying. If I catch you losers pulling that stupid stunt again, I’m gonna bludgeon, mash, and crush your skulls open and destroy what’s left of you. Now get out!

(Brick is preparing to punch them by cracking his knuckles. As if on cue, Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd run like bats out of Hell.)

Bubbles (thinking in voiceover): Tell me I’m not dreaming. How can someone who used to be mean and horrible as Brick actually protect me? This isn’t real.

(Bubbles hesitantly moves closer to Brick.)

Bubbles: Uh, Brick?

Brick: What, Bubs?

Bubbles: Um…Thanks for standing up for me back there.

(Brick hands over Octi to Bubbles.)

Brick: Here. You deserve to have him back.

Bubbles (taking Octi back with her): Oh, thank you, Brick. I don’t understand. For someone who used to be really mean to me and wants to hurt me and my sisters so badly, why did you protect me from Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd?

Brick: Because, Bubs, it was the right thing to do. I was taught by my mom that I have to do the right thing. And I’m also sorry for acting like the biggest jerk in the world to you and your sisters. I guess before I knew what a true family was, I used to think that I was meant to do bad things until my brothers and I were taken in to live with a better person. I bet you know who I’m talking about.

Bubbles: Not really. But I’m sure that adoptive mom of yours is much better than Mojo and HIM combined.

Brick: Don’t ever mention those two to me ever again! They are nothing but trash! They were never my true parents, to begin with, they just used me and my brothers as their own weapons of mass destruction and hate. And I used to think like a hateful, dumb person who thought he knew everything and was the cool one but when I saw you being bullied by those dingbats, it made me so angry because I still can’t forgive myself for hurting you or BC or Bloss or even Boomer. I don’t ever wanna be that type of person ever again.

(Bubbles approaches Brick with Octi in hand.)

Bubbles: You don’t have to, Brick. Besides, it was brave of you to stand up to Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd like that. Octi even believes in you because you did the right thing and you should be proud of yourself.

(Bubbles hugs Brick. He blushes rather nervously but he reciprocates by hugging her back.)

Bubbles: So, let’s say we play house with Octi.

Brick: I think I would like that, Bubs.

(Brick holds the tentacle on the left side and Bubbles holds the tentacle on the right side.)

Brick: All right, Octi, ready for a swing?

Bubbles: He said yes. WEEEE!!!!!

(Brick and Bubbles swing Octi. We are then treated to a montage of Brick and Bubbles playing with Octi in the sandcastle, the slide, the swing, and pretending that they are a little family.)

Brick: What does Octi want to do now?

Bubbles: Oh, dearest, Octi wants to go travel on a plan someday.

(Brick and Bubbles laugh with joy. A car then approaches.)

Brick: Oh, there’s our mom. I gotta get Butch and Boomer.

Bubbles: Okay, Brick.

(The car is being parked and comes to a stop. A figure emerges from the car and it is revealed to be a tall, elegant woman with thick, curly, long red hair and clad in red.)

Bubbles: Oh, Miss Bellum!

Miss Bellum: Hello, Bubbles. Have you seen Brick, Butch, and Boomer anywhere?

Bubbles: They are about to arrive any-

Brick, Butch, and Boomer (flying rapidly) Hi, Mom!

(They give a hug to Miss Bellum.)

Miss Bellum: Oh, hi, boys. How was your day?

Brick: It was good, Mom.

Butch: We played dodgeball.

Boomer: And Buttercup was just so awesome at that game.

Brick: As for me, I was playing house with Octi and Bubbles.

Miss Bellum: My, do you two look absolutely adorable together.

Brick: Mom, Bubbles is my friend.

Butch and Boomer: Ooooh. Brick’s got a girlfriend!

Brick: Shut it, you two.

Miss Bellum: Now, now, I know two had a great time. How about I take a picture of you, Bubbles, and Octi? It’s going to be part of the family album.

Brick and Bubbles: Sure.

(Miss Bellum takes out her camera. Brick, Bubbles, and Octi gather together.)

Miss Bellum: All right, you two. Smile!

(Brick and Bubbles hold Octi up, as they smile.)

The now 26-year-old Brick (voiceover): So, that’s how we started.

The now 24-year-old Bubbles (voiceover): Really great friends until the end.

Brick and Bubbles in the present: The End.

I declare this first meeting of the Brickubbles Flashbacks closed. See you in the next post.

All right, so this is how I saw Brick’s and Bubbles’ friendship growing up. While Bubbles was the artsy, sweet, and creative one, Brick back when he was a child had such a harsh reputation, as he and Butch were feared among their peers. Lots of kids would say that they would give Mitch Mitchelson a run for his money. Plus, when Brick was angry it would mean death and destruction to those who approach him. However, one has to leave it up to Bubbles who does see a nicer side to him and the two have therefore built a nice friendship.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and take care.

Brick, Mitch, Floyd, Loyd, and Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network.