Yazmyn, Wilma, and Opal were dealing with a skinny man that had a crazed air to his disappointment. His name was Pebble and… well… “Why won’t you just obey Dame Petrify and turn to stone?!” he said to them as he fought. “Don’t you know how unappetizing you look?!”
“I’m sorry, unappetizing?!” gulped Opal.
“You eat rocks?” asked Yazmyn.
“And the statues Dame Petrify makes are the tastiest!” replied Pebble.
“…That is gross on so many levels!” shuddered Yazmyn. She fired, but couldn’t land a hit on Pebble because he dodged so much. He then grabbed Opal’s whip as she swung it and spun around so hard, the force of the spin yanked Opal off her feet and threw her into Wilma before she could use her lantern! Opal and Wilma picked themselves up and Opal cracked her whip.
“So, what else is up with you?” she asked. “I’m sensing a void where a soul should be.”
“Same here,” confirmed Yazmyn. “What could Emperor Entropy possibly give you?”
“An eternity of statues to eat! Never-ending hunger with a never-ending meal!” replied Pebble.
“You WANT your hunger to be never-ending?” asked Wilma. “Why?!”
“Because satisfaction is a poison!” answered Pebble. “It means that eventually, something ends! The taste of a wonderful meal, the feeling of creating an art piece, the thirst for knowledge, satisfaction kills it all!”
“No, it doesn’t!” scoffed Yazmyn. “Who told you that?!”
“That was what experience taught me!” snarled Pebble. “How DARE you refute me! I had to excise the tumor that was my soul in order to finally dispel the poison that was satisfaction!”
“Yeah, take it from a farm girl, there’s nothing wrong with the feeling of satisfaction at a job well-done. If anything, that feeling means you know you’re going to continue to do great work. Same with art. I’ll bet you any money that when artists finish their artwork, they feel like they’ve done something good and look forward to doing more!”
“Same with chefs and the people who eat their food!” continued Opal. “My cousin, a talented chef, always looks forward to making people happy with her cooking and when she does, the feeling of satisfaction inspires someone to do more! Even if she had as much power as you, she’d still seek satisfaction!”
“As you hear,” said Wilma, “satisfaction is NOT a poison, it’s a cure for the real poison of an unhappy life.”
“No, no, no, no, NO! You IDIOTS don’t see it, do you?!” snarled Pebble. “I can see that you value your pathetic lives over power! Well, that’s YOUR idiotic mistake! I sought power and claimed it! Now I can exercise that power properly! Satisfaction does NOT make anyone happy and you know it! Enjoy dying as ignoramuses!” He pulled out knives and threw them!
“Okay, if Mr. Anti-satisfaction is gonna act like that,” remarked Yazmyn through the telepathic field, “we gotta figure out ways to stop him. Any ideas?”
“…I might have one,” replied Opal. “Wilma, can your lantern’s light turn sand into glass?”
“I mean, the heat of it CAN do that, yes,” said Wilma. “But glass won’t kill him.”
“No, but it SHOULD restrain him. And if Yazmyn can build up a strong enough charge…”
“That SHOULD work,” mused Yazmyn. “One whammy like that will vaporize him. I mean, since he’s soulless now, he CAN be destroyed with a clear conscience, yeah?”
“He can and he will,” confirmed Wilma.
“Then let’s do it!” Just then, their Transformation Seeds started glowing. “What the?!” yelped Yazmyn aloud.
“Oh, something good’s about to happen for you two!” cheered Wilma. “Do your transformation routine, but replace ‘lady’ in your transformation announcement with ‘dame’!”
“…Stronger rank! LET’S GO!” cheered Yazmyn. “Yellow Dame Rose of Lightning…”
“Orange Dame Rose of Sand…”
“I DESIRE TO BLOOM!” The transformations went the same way as they usually, but the outfits for Yazmyn and Opal were just like the ones Ruby and Pat were wearing!
“Ooh! Nice!” purred Opal.
“I dunno,” replied Yazmyn. “The pleated skirt-.” Pebble then swung a fist. “You know what, later!” yelped Yazmyn. “Let’s do it!” Opal cracked her whip, then spun it over her head like a tornado, generating so much sand that it blinded Pebble.
“ARGH! CAN’T SEE!” he shouted. “THIS IS UNAPPETIZING AS WELL!”
“Here’s something for you!” called Wilma as she fired a stream of light at the sandstorm. The heat quickly turned the sand into a glass prison, holding Pebble in place. While all that was going on, Yazmyn built up the charge in her guns. The electricity in them then started crackling around the exterior of the guns.
“GET BACK!” shouted Yazmyn. Opal and Wilma took cover and Yazmyn pulled the triggers. Two giant streams of electricity then erupted from the guns and struck Pebble’s prison and Pebble himself. Pebble convulsed.
“N-NO! YOU CAN’T-!” he begged. “NOT-! MY HUNGER-! NOOOOO!” Pebble then exploded with the Roses taking cover. They waited a while before poking out from behind their cover.
“…That’s him all gone,” said Yazmyn.
“Why would anyone WANT a vice to control them?” asked Opal.
“I know,” sighed Wilma. “It makes no sense.”
“Somehow, some people think it’s easier to let a vice control them,” said Yazmyn. “I’ve had to deal with people like that when I did my rescues.”
“Really?” asked Opal.
“Yeah. They felt like their lives went off the rails and their vice is the only thing that can give ANY sense of control…even though they’re being taken down a path of despair.”
“It’s…it’s tough,” sighed Wilma. “But we have to keep fighting so people don’t feel so hopeless. While we can’t save everyone, we save who we can. …And at times, we’re well rewarded like you two girls!” Yazmyn and Opal beamed with pride.
“Let’s see if the others are finished with their minions!” decided Opal.
“Great idea!” agreed Yazmyn.
“Come along, girls!” called Wilma. The Roses then headed off to rejoin their sisters.