Welcome to my first Powerpuff Girls fanfic! One of the things I loved most about this cartoon was that many of its episodes had titles that were puns, references, or allusions to something, like phrases or movie/song titles. I thought the crew was very creative in doing this because having titles that were too straightforward, like in other shows I liked, sounded very bland and boring. The titles were also double to triple puns because they had the episodes focus just on what they said. For example, one of my favorite episodes, "The Boys Are Back in Town," is titled after the song of the same name, but it's also a cheeky reference to the fact that the Rowdyruff Boys are back in Townsville. When I came up with the idea to write my own story, I wanted to do the same thing by having titles that were a play on words. This story is titled after the song "My Girl," and it is also referenced because in the story, the Professor sings it to the Powerpuff Girls, who are, of course, the said girls to which the title refers.
So I hope you enjoy my first Powerpuff Girls story! And you can be rest assured, I definitely have more ideas in mind, and they all will have creatively-named titles.
The city of Townsville…and it's nighttime, and all of the children in this city are getting ready for bed and being tucked in by their parents. But before they go to sleep, many of the children love to hear their parents read them a story or sing them a song…including our little pint-sized heroes, the Powerpuff Girls!
Inside the home of the Powerpuff Girls, the girls were dressed in their nightgowns and doing some last-minute playing with their toys in their room. They were waiting for Professor Utonium to come and tuck them in and kiss them good night.
Just then, said dad peeked into the door frame of the room. He took a moment to smile lovingly at his girls before he called to them. The Professor couldn't help but do so just about every day. He loved the girls so much, and they truly meant the world to him. When he first created them, the Professor wanted to make perfect little girls so they could bring something good back to Townsville. Now of course, the girls did just that by keeping it safe from crime and villainy.
But it was more than that. The Professor wanted to create little girls to love and who would love him. Having the girls around gave the Professor what he wanted most: a family. And he had gotten just that with Buttercup, Bubbles, and Blossom. Like Blossom had said before, if he did everything on purpose, he wouldn't have them. That was so true. He couldn't imagine his life without the girls, and he wondered what things would have been like if they weren't born.
The Professor let these thoughts run through his mind when he finally walked into the room. "Okay, girls, time for bed."
Once they saw him, all three girls floated over to their bed and lay down in their proper spots. The Professor walked over to the bed and tenderly pulled the blanket over them. "You girls comfortable?"
"You bet," Buttercup answered.
"Yes, Professor," Blossom said.
"Very much so," Bubbles answered. Then something immediately occurred to her. "Professor? Will you sing us a song?"
"Yes, I think music would be very soothing for us before we go to sleep," Blossom said knowingly.
"Sure, I'd like that, too," Buttercup added.
The Professor chuckled. "I'd be glad to, girls. In fact, I'll sing you one of my favorite oldies songs that you're all bound to love for sure." He smiled widely at them, and the girls just followed suit.
So the Professor began to hum a tune before he finally sang the lyrics:
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May
Whoa, whoa
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl
My girl
The girls all smiled in awe at the lyrics. They felt so touched by the appropriateness of the Professor singing them, and Bubbles was even beginning to cry a little. They also thought the tune the Professor was singing was very catchy that they couldn't help but move their bodies to it.
I've got so much honey, the bees envy me
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees
Whoa, whoa
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl
My girl
I don't need any money, fortune or fame
I've got all the riches, baby, one man can claim
Whoa, whoa
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl
My girl
By this time, all three girls were so moved by the song that they floated out of their bed and into the Professor's arms for a big hug. They all were crying tears of happiness. Yes, even Buttercup.
The Professor hold them close within his embrace. "You liked it, girls?"
"That was beautiful, Professor," Blossom said. "And very fitting to us."
"Is that how you really feel about us?" Bubbles asked.
"Of course!" the Professor exclaimed. "You girls are my family, and you make my life feel so complete. Even if I literally had all the money or fame in the world, I wouldn't be as happy without all of you. I honestly can't imagine my life without you three."
These words only made the girls happier, and they started to cry more tears. As they hugged the Professor even closer, Blossom and Bubbles didn't hesitate to kiss his cheeks. While Buttercup usually wasn't fond of kissing, she didn't want to be left out; plus she loved the Professor, so she did it, too.
"Just one thing, though," Buttercup said.
"What's that, Buttercup?" the Professor asked.
"The song only says 'my girl,' meaning it refers to just one girl. From now on, whenever you sing it to us, how about singing it as 'my girls'?"
Buttercup gave a little smirk as she said the last words, while Blossom and Bubbles' faces brightened at this suggestion, and they all eagerly looked at the Professor, who just laughed. "Okay, if that will make you girls happy, I'll sing it as 'My Girls'."
The "Oh, it will! It will, Professor!" all three clamored excitedly. Then they all giggled with joy, and the Professor quickly joined them in their laughter.
After a few moments, the family had finally calmed down. Still holding the girls, the Professor said sternly, but lovingly, "And now, it is definitely time for you three to go to bed."
Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles all floated back into their bed. The Professor pulled the blanket over them again, then gently kissed each one of them on the head. Then he walked over to the door and turned off the light. Before he left, he said, "Good night, girls. I love you."
The girls smiled back at him. "We love you, too, Professor," they said simultaneously. Then they shut their eyes before the Professor smiled and gently closed the door.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Professor made time to sing "My Girl" to the girls every single night before they went to bed. All three of them loved it so much, even Buttercup, who was usually very unwilling to show her softer side. But like her sisters, she felt the song to be very comforting, especially hearing it from the person she loved most in the world.
The Professor even made time to play the original Temptations version for them now and then. Although they did like it, especially with the music (since the Professor had sung it the first time without music), they really preferred to hear the Professor sing it to them, since he added a few of his own touches to it and they liked listening to his voice when he sang it.
Other times, when any one of the individual girls was feeling sad or depressed, if the Professor noticed them like this, they asked him to sing "My Girl" to help cheer them up. Blossom and especially Bubbles would then be in much better moods, and while Buttercup didn't suddenly turn all happy-go-lucky, hearing the Professor sing to her made her feel better. Now and then, when he finished, she even gave him genuine smiles and kisses.
One day, while in school, the girls were working together in creating a collage of them with the Professor. In gratitude for singing this song to them and making them happier, they wanted to do something nice for him. And they thought, what better act to do to then to make a collage of all four of them together? The whole family?
The collage consisted of many happy pictures of the four of them, as well as their own drawings of themselves and the Professor. They liked the way it was turning out, and they all felt very pleased with themselves. The title at the top was captioned "Townsville's and World's Greatest Dad," because the girls thought the Professor was the best in both.
"It's only the truth," Blossom said in an assuring manner.
"You bet," Bubbles said. "Professor is the bestest dad anywhere in the whole world."
"The best we or any girl could ever have," Buttercup piped up.
Just before they could agree again, the girls' moment was rudely spoiled by the rudest, spoiled person in all of Townsville…
"Oh, puh-lease!"
The girls knew to which person that voice belonged. "Princess!" they all exclaimed at once when they saw their nemesis Princess Morbucks.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, girls," (Bubbles frowned at this comment while Princess smirked at her) "but my daddy is by far the best in the whole, entire world! And it's all because he's rich, so he buys me anything I want, and lets me do whatever I want whenever I want!"
When she finished her statement, Princess gave the girls a smug smile, which clearly said, "That should tell you who's better!", but the girls just gave her looks that said, "We don't care." Even Buttercup, who was often immediately ready to attack an enemy based on how angry their words made her, stayed still. Princess managed to hide it, but she was extremely surprised that Buttercup didn't make a move.
"You're entitled to your own opinion, Princess," Blossom stated. "But money can't buy you love and affection. A really good parent loves their children for who they are, not just for what they are…and the other way around."
"Yeah, and the Professor loves us because we're good and we do good things for him and for others," Buttercup said. "And we return the love he gives us."
"Yes. And even if we had money or everything we ever wanted in the world, we'd only be happy if we have Professor and each other. As long as we all have one another, we're indestructible," Bubbles spoke up.
These words took Princess by surprise even more. After a few moments of being silent and not knowing what to say, she finally stuttered, "W-w-w-ell, w-well," then she suddenly turned angry. "Well, I don't care what you three say! I have my daddy and all the riches in the world! I do what I want and I get what I want, so I'm happy…except for being able to be a Powerpuff Girl!"
Princess's face turned red as she shouted her last words. But again, all three girls (including Buttercup) remained cool and calm and didn't shows any signs of faze.
"Now don't start that again, Princess," Blossom said as patiently as she could.
"Oh, you just wait! I'll be a Powerpuff Girl if it's the last thing I ever do!" Princess began to walk away, but she quickly turned back to the girls and added, "And my daddy is still the best daddy!" before she flounced away.
Once she was gone, the girls turned their attention back to each other and their collage. "Wow, Buttercup," Bubbles said. "You didn't even get provoked when Princess challenged us about who has the better dad."
"Well, since my training with my Zen master, I have tried to make sure not to make a violent or angry outburst when villains say something demeaning to me," Buttercup explained.
"Well, you handled that very well, Buttercup, and I'm very proud of you," Blossom said with a smile, while Buttercup beamed. "Just remember, if these bad guys say or do something that bothers you, they want to provoke you and your temper. Don't let your anger get the better of you. You know the truth, and you'll just have to tolerate their opinion. Fighting is not always going to change that."
Buttercup nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Blossom."
"I agree, too," Bubbles added.
"Think Professor would be proud of me for that?" Buttercup asked.
"Of course he would be," Bubbles answered.
"Let's tell him when we get home," Blossom said. "And when we give him this collage."
"I hope he loves it," Bubbles said excitedly.
That afternoon, when the girls flew to their house, they checked the house to see where the Professor was. They wanted to surprise him with the collage and not have him catch them before they were ready. When they couldn't see him inside via the windows, they decided to go inside.
"Professor?" Blossom called. When no answer came, she said, "He must be in the lab. I'll go find him. You two wait here."
Blossom flew off towards the lab. When she peeked in the door, sure enough, there was the Professor, sitting down at one of his desks. "Professor?" she called to him.
"Hi, Blossom," the Professor said as he turned around and walked over to her. "Where are your sisters?"
"They're at the door. But close your eyes and come with me. The three of us have a surprise for you."
"Okay, honey," the Professor agreed. So he closed his eyes and Blossom took his hands while she led him to where Buttercup and Bubbles were waiting. When they stopped, Blossom said, "Keep them closed, Professor." As the Professor chuckled, Buttercup and Bubbles floated over to Blossom, with all of them holding out the collage.
"Now, girls?"
"Now!" the girls exclaimed.
So when the Professor opened his eyes, he saw the girls in front of him. But when he noticed the collage and what was on it, he gasped happily. "Girls! You made this for me?"
"Uh huh," the girls said all at once.
"Only for our favorite person…" Blossom began.
"…and the best dad…" Bubbles added.
"…in the whole world!" Buttercup finished proudly.
The Professor smiled widely, and a few tears started to brim in his eyes. "Oh, thank you so much, girls!" He pulled them in for a big hug, which the girls were only too happy to reciprocate.
"Oh, and guess what else happened today?" Bubbles said.
"What, Bubbles?"
"Princess was being rude to us in school, especially when she heard us talking about you being a great dad, and bragged that hers was far better. But none of us were provoked by her mocking, especially Buttercup. She didn't zoom in to attack Princess or insult her, even if it would have been to defend you," Blossom announced with pride.
The Professor smiled widely and glanced at Buttercup. "Really, Buttercup?" The said girl nodded with a smile. "Well, then, I'm very proud of you for keeping your cool and not getting aggressive." Buttercup beamed again, and the Professor added, "Of course, I'm proud of all three of you," which caused all three of the girls to smile widely.
"I think maybe even your singing that song lately has made all three of us a little bit happier," Bubbles spoke up.
"You think so?" the Professor asked.
"I do," Blossom answered. "Not that my feelings of love for you have changed, Professor, but I just think it's sweet of you to sing us a song like that."
"Yeah, I think the same," Buttercup confessed.
"Oh, you girls," the Professor said affectionately, then he pulled them in for yet another hug.
A few weeks later, a day that had been named Powerpuff Girls Day by the Mayor the previous year had reached its' first anniversary. On that day, the entire city of Townsville had a big celebration for the girls. Like a Fourth of July celebration, everyone gathered like families having picnics in Townsville Central Park, where there were booths to buy different kinds of foods, ones that sold Powerpuff Girls merchandise, and there was even a musical band named Cool Guys playing music. At night, there were going to be fireworks displays.
Throughout the day, almost everyone wanted to speak to the girls or ask them for pictures or autographs. They were happy to do so, but they also made sure to spend enough time with the Professor. After all, on this day, who else should get to spend the most time with them, but him?
The girls ended up making a lot of speeches that day, and by the time the day was over and night came, the Mayor stepped up on the stage with the band to make a speech of his own. He spoke into the microphone, "And so we have reached the end of our first annual Powerpuff Girls Day. What do you say we hear from them one more time?"
The entire townsfolk let out one big cheer and round of applause, so then the Mayor stepped away to allow the girls to talk. Blossom floated in front of the microphone, while Bubbles stood on her right and Buttercup on her left. "Thank you, everybody!" they all said.
Townsville let out another cheer for their superheroes. "Well, the girls and I are very pleased to have received this honor of having a day dedicated to us. As long as we are here, we vow to protect you and not fail you," Blossom said.
"Yes, you know you can always count on us," Buttercup said.
"Absolutely!" Bubbles said eagerly.
"And now, before we end this event and all go home, how about we hear one more song from Cool Guys?" Blossom suggested.
The citizens cheered yet again. When they stopped, Buttercup said, "Featuring a brand new singer we are very proud of…"
"Our dad," Bubbles finished, then she and her sisters gestured to the Professor, whose eyes widened after his name was mentioned.
"Let's give it up for Professor Utonium," the girls said together.
Needless to say, the Professor was very stunned at this. It wasn't that he was worried about singing in front of everyone in Townsville, but he didn't want to embarrass them, especially like he did when he once made a suit to fight evil with them. As the crowd applauded, he walked up to the stage where the girls were, then he covered the microphone when he whispered, "Girls, are you sure? I've never really sung to such a big crowd before. Plus, I don't want to embarrass you."
The girls all smiled sympathetically. "You won't, Professor," Buttercup said.
"What better time for you to sing to us, anyway, than on this day?" Blossom asked.
"Do it for us. Please, Professor?" Bubbles pleaded with a sweet smile on her face.
The Professor smiled. When Bubbles looked like that, there was no way he could say no. "Okay, I'll do it, especially since it's for you three." The girls floated over to where the Professor had been laying on the ground as he walked up to the stage and spoke briefly to the band members. Then he turned toward the crowd. "Um, hi everyone," he said nervously.
"Hi, Professor!" everyone cried.
Chuckling nervously, the Professor said, "Well, I guess I'm gonna sing a song, and I'd like to dedicate it to the girls." He winked at them, and they winked back. "I, uh…I only started singing this song to the girls a few weeks ago, and I think it would be very appropriate to sing it to them right now." The Professor looked back at the band, who started playing the music for his desired song.
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May
Whoa, whoa
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl
My girl
As the Professor sang the words "My girl," the girls all smiled widely at him. Buttercup tried not to, but she couldn't resist. And they also couldn't help blushing profusely, but it was not out of humiliation on the Professor's part. They were just very pleased for him to sing this song to them at such an event.
I've got so much honey, the bees envy me
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees
Whoa, whoa
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl, my girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl
My girl
After he sang the last "my girl" line, the Professor spun around and sang, "Oooooooo, ooooooo." Immediately after this, the girls, all smiling with tears in their eyes, all flew over to him, and he quickly grabbed them and hugged them close to him. It was a little tricky, but Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles did their best to return the hug.
By the middle of the song, everyone had gotten up to dance around. But when they saw the loving family embrace, they went "Awwwww!" Then everyone shouted, "HOORAY FOR THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!"
And so once again, the day is saved, and celebrated, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls! I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl, talkin' 'bout my girl! My girl!