Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z:
Suteki da ne?
Marvelous Tokyo City had known unparalleled peace and prosperity in the time following the defeat of the monstrous demon, Kare. Thanks to the effort of the brave team of heroines, Powerpuff Girls Z, the city had been spared utter destruction. In the aftermath of Kare's defeat, the members of Powerpuff Girls Z were sure they had lost their powers forever, sacrificing their special strength to defeat the demon. However, they discovered that the power had changed them, and they could now summon it from their hearts without the assistance of the white lights.
It seemed, at the time, that Powerpuff Girls Z would be around forever to protect the city in times of danger, and to inspire them in times of peace. As it turns out...that wasn't to be so. As their 8th grade year came to an end, Momoko Akatsutsumi, Miyako Gotoukuji, and Kaoru Matsubara began to drift apart, going their own ways in life. With the beginning of their Freshmen year, the time they once spent together seemed a fleeting memory. Miyako went on to join the student council and make her way as one of the most popular students in the school, not just the Freshmen class. Kaoru joined as many sports teams as she could, fighting her way to the top of them all. And Momoko...
Momoko still spent some evenings at the Tokyo City Research Center, visiting Professor Utonium and his son, Ken. As Kaoru and Miyako went their own way, Momoko felt she'd been left behind. She immersed herself deeper in manga and anime, trying to keep her mind off what they'd given up. Trying to ignore what they used to be.
They hadn't lost their powers, but somehow, they had lost the magic that made them Powerpuff Girls Z. Now, as the girls were well into their Sophomore year of high school...a shadow from the past looms not over Tokyo City, but grows far beneath it, waiting for its moment to rise again.
XxXxX
"Mou..." Momoko sighed, flipping to another page. She'd read this particular volume multiple times already. School had let out an hour ago, but she wasn't ready to leave just yet. She perked up, hearing doors open nearby and craned her neck, trying to get a better look. Amidst the crowd of student council members, she was able to pick out Miyako in seconds. She sighed and rested her cheek on her hand, watching them go without a passing glance in her direction.
She'd wanted to ask Miyako to join her, but she'd frozen, like always, the moment the crowd appeared. Momoko sighed and grabbed her bag and shuffled toward the exit. As she passed by the window on the second floor, she caught sight of the soccer field. She took a moment to watch Kaoru zip in and out of her teammates and score an impressive shot. She smiled, a quickly fading expression, and hurried on, out of the building.
"They're so happy now..." she mumbled as she made her way down the street, "I must have just been holding them back," With a frown and a sigh, she snatched a half eaten chocolate bar from her lunch box and took a bite. Savoring the sweet sugary taste, she paused next to a tree that, for some reason, was growing in the middle of town. She'd seen it before, but never thought to ask about it. There were beautiful flowers growing from its strange twisted branches. But, Momoko noticed, the petals were falling from the flowers.
Momoko tilted her head, "How strange...I thought it was always in bloom..." the tree was something of a mystery. As far as she knew, no one knew who planted it, or why. And the flowers were always in bloom. "Mou, I'm going to be late, let's hurry!" she chastised herself and jogged off toward the Tokyo City Research Center.
A flower fell from the branch of the tree. The leaves were turning brown.
XxXxX
Far below Tokyo City, in a cavern long forgotten by time, a presence stirred. A mighty roar rose up from an unmarked tomb, causing the cavern to shake and tremble. The lid of the coffin suddenly split down the center and streams of darkness began to rise up from within it. There was another roar—a powerful voice yawning—and the cave shook again. A hand shot from the coffin, smashing through the lid. Another joined it and a figure pulled itself up.
It's physical form was not yet complete, but its eyes had appeared. Great, flaming orbs of malice and hatred. The creature's mouth began to form. Another yawned escaped its lips. The figure looked down at its hands. It rose up out of the coffin, on freshly grown legs, and approached what appeared to be a throne of some kind. It had long since been destroyed, smashed and left in disgrace. With a small huff, the figure brushed away the rubble and sat down, staring up into the darkness above.
"I have slept for so long," the creature said, in a voice that was deep, masculine and with a harsh, gravely quality. It took a deep breath, tasting the air slipping into the cavern. It could smell its own tainted power. It was faint, but it was there. While it slept, it recalled dreaming. It saw through the eyes of another, lesser creature. Though acting of its own accord, the creature had sped its recovery, spreading mischief, strife, and panic through the foolish mortal world above.
"Where are you...come to me..." the creature spoke, reaching out with its mind to find that last remnant, the creature from his dream.
XxXxX
Momoko reached the Tokyo City Research Center before too long, slipping inside to find the pair of scientists hard at work. She made sure to throw her candy wrapper away, before joining them at the console. Professor Utonium looked up and smiled.
"Good afternoon, Momoko-chan. You seem to be running late?" he commented. Momoko blushed and nodded.
She responded with a sigh, "I'm sorry, Utonium-hakase, I...stopped to...check something out on the way here," The Professor's son, Ken, sighed and reached out, giving her arm a squeeze.
"Did you ask them if they wanted to come?" he asked. Momoko lowered and shook her head, sighing in shame.
"No, no, I didn't even talk to either of them. They're just so busy, I didn't want to intrude," she explained. Ken nodded and the Professor stopped to scratch his chin. These readouts were odd, to say the least.
"Momoko-chan, you passed by the tree on your way here? The one always in bloom?" he inquired. Momoko nodded, noticing that the tree was on the screen. She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. The leaves had all fallen from the tree, leaving it completely bare. Its twisted, gnarled branches had turned black as coal.
"No way! I was just there! It still had leaves and flowers and everything! What happened?" she exclaimed. Ken scratched his head.
"We're not exactly sure. I mean, a strange read out appeared and then disappeared. And when it appeared again, we noticed the tree was dying," he explained. Professor Utonium nodded.
"Exactly! It just seems so strange, but that tree has never looked like this. It's been in that same spot since I was a boy! It's so odd..."
Unbeknownst to the scientist pair, a grin had slowly spread across Momoko's face. A mysterious energy reading. A sacred tree suddenly dying. This, uneasy feeling in the air. This had to be a sign. This had to be evidence that a new evil was approaching.
This was proof that Powerpuff Girls Z was going to be needed again!
XxXxX
In the depths of space, a mass of white lights shot through the infinite vacuum, without a goal in mind. Within the white lights, a mass of wicked black lights writhed and thrashed in agony, powerless to free itself from its new prison. Suddenly, the light went silent, hearing a voice beckoning it from across the galaxy.
What is this? The black light wondered. The voice was terrifyingly familiar. One it had never heard, but knew nonetheless. It gasped, when its prison suddenly came to an abrupt halt. A horrifying ghostly figure hovered in the path of the white lights. Merely an astral projection, the figure still had the strength to bring them to a complete halt.
"So it is you, the one left behind," the voice bellowed. The black lights gasped and trembled. The apparition reached out with great, powerful hands, and touched the white lights. At first, they fought back, but too soon, they began to dim. Soon, with a grin on its face, the figure dug its claws into the prison and tore it apart, shattering the white lights.
A massive eruption of power shot across the galaxy.
So great, its effects were felt even in Tokyo City.
XxXxX
Kuriko often snuck into her older sister's room, either to read some of her manga, dig through her candy stash, or just to spend time with Momoko. Tonight, she found Momoko at her window, staring out at the night sky with the biggest grin on her face. Kuriko joined her, trying to figure out just what was so exciting.
"Oneechan, why do you look so happy?" she asked. Momoko giggled and leaned against the window, pressing her palms against the cool glass. On the way home from the lab, she had nearly been knocked to the ground when an earthquake, the first in years, hit Tokyo City like a bomb going off. The tree, she'd noticed, had turned completely black and charred.
It had to be. It just had to be a sign.
"I'm just excited is all," Momoko explained. Kuriko frowned and raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Momoko giggled, "I just think...something really awesome is about to happen!" she turned to Kuriko and grinned. The little girl tried to fight it, but quickly grinned and giggled along with her older sister. Something amazing, something awesome was just bound to be around the corner!
XxXxX
Deep in the void of space, the black light quickly took form, staring trembling at the apparition.
"You know who I am?" the figure asked. The black light, Kare, nodded, folding his claws sheepishly.
"I do...M-Master,"