The city of Townsville, late in the evening. The sky was purple with pink hues, the city had gone dark for the sleeping citizens and high above was HIM's head, laughing. Yes, HIM's head was in the sky, he twirled the clouds around with his giant red claw, and he chanted a spell of hate that manifested into reddish-pink vapors that spread throughout the city. The devilish man laughed evilly again at his handiwork before disappearing from sight.

The last of the vapors went into the bedroom of Professor Utonium, creator and loving father to the Powerpuff Girls.

Professor Utonium's P.O.V

I awoke with a start this morning, I don't remember what I was dreaming but it was enough to startle me. I shrugged it off though and proceed to get prepared for the day.

I made the girls bacon and eggs today and sat the table with this morning's newspaper. Just as my girls came rushing into the kitchen, I felt my head getting warmer and I felt the urge to yell at them.

'Strange,' I thought. 'I love my girls, why would I yell.'

Blossom spoke up, "Professor, is something wrong? Your face looks all red."

I fold the newspaper and looked at my daughter indifferently. "I'm fine dear," I said to her rather coldly. I don't know why but for some reason I can't find myself responding in any other way. "Just finish your breakfast." I look at the paper and tried to calm myself.

Blossom stayed quiet after that and that seemed to help as I didn't feel so warm anymore.

'I just had to look away and pretend they weren't there.'

This troubled me.

A few minutes later, the girls finished their meals, took their dirty dishes to the sink for me to clean and left me with a group goodbye.

'They can fly and shoot lasers out of their eyes but they can't be bothered to properly clean up after themselves, what brats.'

I shook my head, "What am I thinking? They're very busy and cleaning their dishes is nothing new for me." I tell myself.

I'll clean up the dishes myself, it's not a problem.

HIM was in his living room, watching the scene from the Powerpuff home in his tv and he was less then pleased at what he saw.

"What's this?" HIM said to himself. "The professor should be livid by now! Acting distant is not the same as HATE!"

The devilish man tapped his claw against his leg impatiently. Finally, he took a breathe and he physically relaxed.

"No matter, his love for his daughters may be strong but my power is irrefutably STRONGER! He'll fall but perhaps I'll just give him an extra dosage... just in case."

HIM raises his right claw and twirls it around in a circle. The same reddish-pink vapor from last night appears over the claw.

"You will hate the Powerpuff girls." HIM said aloud. "You will remember all the grief and trouble they have brought into your life and you will hate them for it. Hate the Powerpuff Girls. Hate the Powerpuff Girls. HATE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!"

The vapor left in a whoosh from HIM's claw and straight into the T.V. set.

"Soon, girls, soon." HIM said sinisterly.

Just as I was finished cleaning the dishes I suddenly felt warmer again.

Why do you bother with those miserable little brats?

I shook my head. I thought I heard a voice. Perhaps I've been working too hard lately.

'My daughters are not brats. They're heroes and I couldn't be prouder of them.' I thought to myself.

The strange voice spoke again.

SO you're proud of how much trouble they continue to bring to your life.

"My daughters do not cause trouble, they stop it," I said aloud. I know it is considered unwise to shout at voices in my head but I couldn't help myself. It was saying such awful things. I walked to my laboratory downstairs.

That's not true. They are still as destructive and troublesome as ever. Remember when they played tag for the first time and destroyed the town. You were punished for their crime and did they ever apologize for it?

I stopped halfway down the steps and considered the thought deeply.

"They did cause a lot of trouble," I said unsettled. "And they never did apologize for it." I shook my head again. "No! They more than made up for it and I didn't warn them about their powers before it was too late."

They were clearly smart enough to know certain things when they were created, why couldn't they figure it out for themselves?

I started to feel dizzy and sat at my desk. My eyes on my lab notes but my mind was elsewhere.

Course, you're the biggest victim of them all.

"I-I am?" I said rubbing my forehead with one hand and grabbed a pencil with my left hand. I was starting to feel warm again.

Having to risk both your life and professional reputation for them. Villains using you as leverage or as bait. The threating phone calls from parents who think your daughters are a bad influence on their own children. And the constant destruction of public and private property. It's like they never heard of a door!

While the voice continued to speak my grip on the pencil tightened and the pencil broke in half. The voice was making sense. The villains, the phone calls, the breaking through walls and ceilings. It was all true!

I was not sure why, but before I could object, my breath became shallow, my whole face felt hot as fire and my eyes felt tingly as the color changed to a bright red. (Though I couldn't tell that.)

Why just yesterday they came barging into your laboratory unannounced, again, and they destroyed one of your experiments. And then what; they just laughed and laughed. Did they not?

"Yes, they did." I agreed frowning.

They are so rude and inconsiderate. Aren't they?

"Yes, they are."

You wish to destroy them now, don't you?

My eyes went back to normal momentarily as I blinked at the thought. "I-... I couldn't do that." hesitation clear in my voice and my hands were shaking. "How could I? They would overpower me in no time and-... and I s-still care-"

Shhh~

I was silenced as the voice spoke again in a more effeminate way. It seemed familiar somehow but I could barely think right now.

It doesn't matter how much power they have over you, what matters is how much power YOU have over them.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I stuttered.

They would never lay a harmful hand on you. You can destroy them with ease because they will not fight back. They are weak when it comes to you.

"Yes... they are." I agreed again. "I can destroy them."

Destroy who Professor?

"Destroy... Powerpuff Girls"

Say it again...

"Destroy Powerpuff Girls"

One more time Professor... Like you mean it

"Destroy Powerpuff Girls!"

You will Utonium and here comes your chance.

Just like that, the objects of my anger came bursting into my laboratory.

"Professor!" Blossom spoke up. "Something odd is happening around Townsville, and we need your he-"

I groan lowly and exasperatedly. Blossom's voice is so infuriating. "How many times have I told you girls not to come barging in like that?" I turn around and yell, "IT'S NOT NICE!"

The girls gasped at me.

I stand up and step closer to them menacingly. "Now come here, girls."

But before I grab them, the girls fly away from me. The voice was right, they are weak. I run after them until I found them at the front door.

"Destroy Powerpuff Girls!" I said.

When I stepped outside I saw the rest of the town citizens saying the same thing as me.

"We must destroy the Powerpuff Girls!"

'Good.' I thought. 'Between all of us, there's no way the girls can win.'

The girls questioned and pleaded for the reason behind our sudden resentment towards them. I wanted to tell them they had this coming for a long time but I could not find the will to speak it. Just then I hear the voice again.

"Hate you?" came the effeminate voice.

"Yeah! Hate us!" said Blossom before her voice became frightened and stammering. "W-Who said that?"

I saw a reddish man in a dress and he had red claws. "Why I did of course." He said. I know this person. I've seen him before, fighting the girls. But what was his name again?

"It's HIM!" the Powerpuff Girls exclaim.

Oh, that's right. Soon HIM and the girls start talking but I don't care I just want to destroy them but as long as the devilish HIM was in the way I could not. I understand now that it was his voice I've been hearing. It was HIM who had shown me the light, I don't want to appear ungrateful by attacking him.

Soon HIM gave the orders.

"NOW DESTROY THEM!"

The citizens and I waste no time and fight off the Powerpuff Girls. HIM was right when he said they wouldn't fight back... Until they fought back. Soon I stood alone against the girls but I was not afraid. It happened so quickly, they each gave me a punch and then I fell to the ground, and everything went black. HIM lied.

I woke up in pain. When my vision became clear I found myself in a hospital room. I felt awful... both physically and emotionally. I wish I could say I have forgotten what happened but I haven't. How could have I fallen for such a trick? I thought the most awful things about my own daughters and I tried to hurt them too.

I hear the door open and I saw my daughters. Bubbles was carrying a bouquet of daisies.

The girls smiled at me. "Professor!" they said flying around and wrapped me in their little arms in a hug.

"We're so sorry we beat you up," Blossom said.

"We didn't want to but HIM forced us." Buttercup said.

"We love you!" Bubbles cried out.

With no hesitation, I returned the hug and held them close.

"I love you girls so much and I'm so sorry I tried to hurt you," I said to them. Then with sadness in my voice, "I'm so ashamed I fell for HIM's trick."

"It's okay Professor," Blossom said. "HIM is very powerful. Even the strongest of people can fall prey to his tricks."

"We know you didn't mean it. You'd never hurt us." Buttercup said.

"Besides it hurt us a lot more than it did hurt." Bubbles said.

"Well now, I wouldn't say that," I replied.

We laughed. I love my girls and that is something no one can ever make me doubt again.

THE END