Sorry about all the mess. I reuploaded this chapter to fix the formatting. I'm very new to and I still don't know all the ropes yet. Anyway. This is the first Powerpuff Girls story I've ever written. It's an alternate universe (au) story, as I enjoy writing aus a lot. There are a few distinct differences in this story than in the PPG canon. In this story, the girls are normal, super power-less girls. Also, I thought it would be cute if Buttercup had a pet lizard. Because let's admit it, she totally would.

And without further ado, let the story begin. Happy reading, everybody. :) -Delly
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Tiny fingers wrapped around a plastic Tupperware lid, and the black-haired child grinned, showing a distinctive missing tooth, as the lid popped easily off. Unceremoniously, she dug her dirt-crusted fingernails into the soft oats, and pulled out a handful of wriggling, squirming worms.

"Ew, gross!" exclaimed the blonde child from across the room. "How can you touch those things with your bare hands?" She quickly turned away from the sight, trembling slightly. "So…nasty…"

"Heh," the impish girl replied, setting the cup down on the table. "If you think that's bad, imagine eating them for dinner!" She let out a devilish chuckle as she tossed the tiny worms into a nearby glass tank, where a yellow lizard with black spots was seen lurking.

Catching the sight of the tasty snack, the animal lunged forward and grabbed several of the worms into its mouth, and with a few satisfying crunches, the treats were devoured.

"See?" the black-haired girl continued, turning toward the scared girl, now cowering in the corner. "Spot seems to like them."

"Stop tormenting your sister, Buttercup," a third girl spoke, not looking up from the book she was reading as she sat on one of the many beds that lined the walls of the room. "Just because you and Spot like to eat mealworms, doesn't mean Bubbles does."

"Yeah!" the blonde shouted, finally turning to face Buttercup. "Blossom's right, you know."

"Peh," Buttercup muttered as she ran her fingers through her messy hair and turned back to her beloved leopard gecko. Placing a single finger on the glass, she rested her head on the table and whispered to the animal, "I thought you said you weren't gonna tell my sisters that I eat mealworms sometimes…"
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This was one of the rare occasions that Professor Utonium didn't wear his lab coat. He knew the situation wouldn't warrant it. He would not be working in the lab today. It was possible that he wouldn't be working in the lab for a while. After so many failed attempts at creating the perfect little girl, the Professor decided that perhaps it just wasn't in the cards to create artificial life. Those days were over. It was time to look toward the future.

Clutching the appropriate paperwork in his hands, he glanced over the material written on the sheets. Adoption Application. He looked in the mirror, spotting the graying hair on his temples and the slight purple pigmentation underneath his eyes. He blinked, fastened his tie, and then descended the staircase of his large, but very empty 3-bedroom house.

As he drove, he clutched the steering wheel tightly in his fists as thoughts raced violently in his mind. What if his application wasn't accepted? Impossible. The Professor had no criminal background, and was a very esteemed and well-liked individual in the Townsville community. There was no way that the adoption agency wouldn't accept his application. But another thought crossed his mind, one that made his heart sink.

What if I can't find the perfect little girl?

He sighed. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel as he pulled into the driveway of Pokey Oaks Orphanage. It was time.
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"You know it's adoption day today, right?" Blossom spoke to her sisters as she ran her brush through her long, orange hair.

"Do you think today will be the day?" Bubbles asked her sister as she sat behind her, clicking one of Blossom's hair clips into the long, silky locks.

"Of course not," Buttercup blurted out. She lay on her back on one of the beds with her pet lizard sitting on her chest. "How many times do I have to tell you?" she murmured, stroking the lizard's head tenderly. "Nobody wants to adopt triplets, and we refuse to separate. We're never gonna get adopted. It's just never gonna happen. Ever!" She sat up and swung her feet off the bed. Jumping down, she went to her desk to return her pet to its habitat.

"Don't have to be so negative…" Blossom muttered as she fitted a red bow on the top of her head.
-

The Professor's background check was conducted and his paperwork filed. He was deemed a fit parent by the orphanage, which had come as no surprise to the Professor. But there was still one monumental task that awaited him…

There were several children needing good homes at the Pokey Oaks Orphanage. The only thing left to do now is to choose the right child to raise as his own. The Orphanage aide opened the door to the playroom, designated for girl children only, where several kids could be seen playing.

The Professor hardly noticed the three girls sitting in the back of the room with all the ruckus going on in front of him from the other children. Glancing back, he noticed that they had worn matching dresses – green, pink, and blue. Triplets? he thought. Almost immediately, he had dismissed them in his mind. He couldn't possibly adopt 3 little girls at once. He had no parenting experience whatsoever, how could he possibly take care of three girls?

The professor quickly learned that he was not the only prospective parent there. Looking around, he seemed to notice a pattern. Many couples. He noticed that a lot of the children began to instantly warm up to the people that may be their future parents. Was this perhaps out of desperation? He thought. Shaking those invasive thoughts from his mind, his attention was suddenly turned to some commotion in the back of the room, from the triplets.

"That thing is disgusting!" A woman looking to adopt a child was nearly shouting when she caught sight of Buttercup's lizard, sitting quietly and calmly in the child's small arms. The child looked up at her, her face contorting into a grimace.

"Yeah? Well, yer face is disgusting!" The black-haired child retorted, then shot back a toothy smirk up at the woman. Blossom tried to stifle a small giggle, even though she knew that her sister was being rude...

"Ugh, what a brat…" The woman muttered, turning her back to the three girls and walking toward an area where some of the other children were playing.

"How unfortunate, she'll never have a chance of being adopted," the Professor heard the woman mutter under her breath as she passed by him, her husband in tow. "So ugly, too," she spoke in a normal tone just before the door slammed shut behind her.

The Professor glanced back at the black-haired girl, his mouth slightly agape. Buttercup was biting her lip and crossing her arms, as if she had heard what the woman had said about her. "Hmph, I don't care what no dumb lady thinks of me." She hugged her lizard closer to her chest as she spoke.

Buttercup felt the characteristic tug of her sister, Bubbles, at her side, as she whispered, "someone's coming this way," to her two sisters.

The three girls looked up at the tall, dark-haired figure.

"H-Hi…" they all spoke quietly in unison.