A/N: So here is chapter 4. Expect at least 10, if not 11 in total for this story. Which is hilarious, considering it was originally supposed to be like, 3 chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cartoon Network or Fusionfall. If I did, that game would have been programmed WAAAAAAAAAAY better.
Chapter 4
The rest of the school day went much smoother. The three super sisters had very quickly cleaned up the mess that Bubbles's scream had caused, including any shards that had been lodged in or on other students. It was over rather quickly, and school was allowed to return to normal.
In class, the three sisters- now watching their new friend with intense curiosity- noticed quick quickly that Dexter only answered the teacher's questions whenever none of the other students knew it, and he often explained his answers in such a way that if they paid enough attention, they could have learned quite a bit from him. Mr. Hanekoma was delighted to see that they were working together now, although many of the other students seemed to become quite sullen and possibly even jealous of the attentions that Dexter was receiving from the Powerpuff Girls, which worried Hanekoma. He had no small worry about Dexter's intellect as well; Dexter couldn't be learning anything from this very elementary setting.
Blossom and Buttercup seemed intent to make up for their earlier transgressions, and eagerly tried to invite both Dexter and Bubbles into a game of hide and seek during lunch. When Dexter declined, saying he was not very good at physical activities, Bubbles hastily agreed, saying she'd rather stay with Dexter. His earlier comment that she was strong seemed to have made her fiercely determined to live up to the compliment, and she seemed intent on proving herself to the redhaired boy. Blossom and Buttercup hesitated before shrugging and joining Dexter and Bubbles, telling the other students that they'd join in later.
Dexter immediately picked up on some trouble that Buttercup was having with the concept of money, and how it worked.
"I don't get how the whole thing works," Buttercup was complaining, looking at the math homework Mr. Hanekoma had assigned them just before lunch. "Why is a quarter twenty five cents?"
"Because it is a quarter of a dollar," Dexter explained patiently. Buttercup just stared at him, and he reconsidered his explanation. "How many quarters do you need to buy a snickers candy bar from a machine?" Dexter finally asked.
"That's easy," Buttercup scoffed, while her sisters listened in interest. "Four!"
"Do you know why?" Dexter asked calmly.
"Because a snickers bar is a dollar," Buttercup said without missing a beat. "Four quarters is a dollar."
"So if four quarters is a dollar," Dexter continued, "what would you call one quarter pulled away from those four?"
"One out of four," Buttercup answered, clearly not realizing what she was saying.
"Or… One fourth?" Dexter said, smiling. There was a moment of stunned silence before Buttercup's eyes widened in euphoric understanding.
"Whoa," Blossom said, looking at Bubbles with wide eyes. "The Professor can't even explain math to Buttercup."
"He's going to be so excited!" Bubbles squealed, missing Blossom's uncomfortable expression. She had a strange feeling in her stomach, watching Buttercup jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of understanding something. Was it because Dexter had managed to get Buttercup to understand… And not Blossom?
"Oh MAN," Buttercup was saying, pawing through her homework eagerly. "I can TOTALLY understand all of this now."
"Just pretend you're trying to buy sweets or books with whatever money the questions are asking you," Dexter told her. Buttercup looked at him, her face registering disgust.
"Books?" She snorted.
"Do you read comics?" Dexter asked, frowning at her lack of taste for something so amazing as literature.
"Duh," Buttercup replied, rolling her eyes.
"Then pretend you're trying to buy some of your favorites."
"Oh!" Buttercup gasped, and she looked at her homework eagerly. "I can't WAIT to do my homework tonight."
Bubbles and Blossom stared in absolute shock at their most Scholastically-rebellious sister, and after a moment, Buttercup realized what she'd said. She screwed up her face and stared accusingly at Dexter.
"You're contagious," she muttered, and Bubbles started giggling. Dexter smiled.
"Dexter!" They all looked up to see a very tall girl approaching. Bubbles recognized her as the girl from before she'd decided to become friends with Dexter.
"DeeDee," Dexter said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking on my little brother," the pinkly clad girl giggled. Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup blinked in surprise. The girl had absolutely no accent.
"Er," Buttercup said, frowning as she walked up to DeeDee. "How come you don't have an-"
"Any of my friends with me?" DeeDee said quickly.
"No, you don't have-"
"Ah, because they… They're over there!" DeeDee said quickly, waving a hand at Buttercup. The tomboyish girl looked like she hadn't caught on yet, and Blossom hurriedly came over and elbowed her sister hard before she could say anything. Dexter watched suspiciously.
"Hey Dexter!" Bubbles interjected suddenly. "What can you tell me about puppies? What are the cutest kinds?"
"Well," Dexter said, momentarily distracted. "That depends on what you mean by 'cute'. Do you mean the most well-behaved, or the best in physical appearances?"
This distracted, DeeDee turned to Blossom and Buttercup.
"Thanks for hanging out with my brother," she said softly, smiling at them.
"No problem," Buttercup said smugly. "But why DON'T you have an accent?"
"I wouldn't mention it around Dexter," DeeDee said, rolling her eyes. "He doesn't know he has one. If you ask him, he'll just stare at you."
"You must really know your brother," Blossom commented.
"Of course," DeeDee said, blinking. "He's my brother."
"Dexter might be coming over tonight," Blossom said slowly. "When I said he should tell his parents, he didn't look like he wanted to."
"Ah…" DeeDee rubbed her arm, looking over at Dexter and watching as he animatedly explained the differences between Dalmations and Chihuahuas to Bubbles, who looked completely enraptured. "That's… I mean… I'll tell them," she said awkwardly. Blossom looked ready to try and question the girl further, and DeeDee shook her head. "It's not a big deal," the pink girl said. She glanced over her shoulder. "I gotta go. Take care of him, okay?"
Blossom and Buttercup watched curiously as DeeDee ran off without looking at them. She'd seemed awfully eager to get away from the conversation, Blossom thought to herself.
When the bell at the end of lunch rang, the four kids looked up in surprise. Buttercup had finally decided that she couldn't wait any longer to try and tackle her homework, and she'd started it during lunch. Bubbles had started trying to draw all of them, and Blossom had tried to challenge Dexter at how much he really knew. Dexter, unfortunately, didn't notice, and proceeded to trump her at every question and turn. Buttercup, however, in a burst of sudden clarity, did in fact notice her sister's growing envy of Dexter's intellect and smirked. Blossom was used to being the smartest of them, and she was clearly upset at being replaced.
"I didn't realize lunch was going by so quickly," Bubbles said, looking up in surprise as the bell rang. She cleaned up her stuff quickly and followed her sisters and friend back to class. Dexter seemed much happier than when she'd first seen him this morning.
They filed into class, and Mr. Hanekoma started them on the English portion of the day. Blossom seemed rapidfire eager to answer all of his questions, and Dexter never moved to correct her, something Buttercup found herself noticing. Hanekoma noticed as well, but he wasn't sure to what it could entail. Most of the other students seemed intimidated by Blossom's sudden desire to answer the questions and wisely didn't say anything about it.
When the school day finally let out, Mr. Hanekoma watched closely as the children left. He was relieved to see that Dexter was planning on going to the Powerpuffs' home, and would therefore not be walking home alone. Which, of course, was a perfect target for bullies. Thus mollified, he let his thoughts drift and sat back in his chair to relax, and paid no more attention to the children in his class.
Professor Utonium was waiting right outside the front of the school, where all of the kids poured out. He must have been there since early, waiting to pick his daughters up after their first day of school. He wouldn't pick them up after the first week, considering they could fly and were over course super powerful little girls, he was very consistent and fatherly during their very first week of school.
He was surprised, however, to see not just Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup running toward the car (with Blossom at the forefront), but also a small, fiery red-orange haired boy trailing in their wake. As the three girls neared, he seemed to be growing nervous, and started to fall further and further behind. Bubbles was the first to notice, and she fell back with him, taking his hand and pulling him toward the car, however nervous and unwilling.
"Professor!" Blossom said, raching the car first as Utonium rolled down the window. She leapt into the air, hovering so she could talk to him face to face. "We made a new friend today; is it okay if he comes over?"
"Well…" professor Utonium said, raising an eyebrow. "It is a school night, you know…"
"Yeah," Buttercup said, "but he's like, a brainiac. He can help us with our homework."
"Please Professor?" Bubbles said as she and their mysterious friend neared the car. The small boy was looking at the ground, looking as if he was suddenly wishing he was anywhere else.
Professor Utonium knew he couldn't say no. He sighed before smiling softly at his daughters.
"Of course he can come over," Professor Utonium said finally. "BUT!" He added, as the girls began cheering and the boy looked up in surprise, "Only if you do your homework first."
"You got it!" Buttercup said, punching the air and looking like she was about to jump into a fight. She was the first to the car door, sliding all the way down the back seat and letting first Blossom and then Bubbles slide in after her. Before the boy could feel awkward, Professor Utonium opened the front door, smiling kindly at the nervous boy.
"I'm a very safe driver," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
"I know," the boy said, and Utonium blinked in utter shock, hearing an unmistakeable Russian accent com from the child's mouth. "I trust in your driving, Professor. I'm just- I hope that I am not intruding."
Utonium blinked again. The boy spoke as if he were an adult.
"Not at all," the Professor said slowly. The child climbed into the front seat, securing his seat belt and closing the door. "What did you say your name was, son?" he asked, waiting for a lull in the passing cars so that he could pull out.
"Dexter," the boy said, overlooking the fact that he had not said his name at all. "Dexter Noormel."
"Noormel," Bubbles said from the backseat.
"Sounds like Normal," Blossom jumped in hurriedly. Utonium looked in surprise at his daughter.
"That is exactly the best way to describe my family," Dexter said, and he sounded none to pleased with this fact.
"I- I see," Professor Utonium said, unable to find a proper response. He was saved by suddenly having to pay attention when a car let him pull in front of them, and he merged with traffic.
"Hey Professor," Buttercup said, and she was practically bouncing in her seat.
"Yes Buttercup?" Utonium said absentmindedly, checking all of his mirrors.
"Dexter taught me how to do math!" His rowdiest daughter said.
Utonium almost slammed on the breaks.
"He did?" He said, sounding shocked.
"Yeah!" Buttercup said, looking quite pleased and smug at her father's reaction. "Dexter knows like, everything."
"Not everything," Dexter corrected. He turned his attention to Utonium, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Your daughters say that you are a Professor. May I inquire what your field of study is?"
"G-Genetics," Utonium said, completely thrown for a loop. "I have a doctorate in the medical fields as well, however."
"That is very impressive," Dexter said, sounding like he meant it. "I tried to apply for my degree in robotics last year, but it… Didn't go very well."
"You went to college?" Utonium said, almost aghast.
"For a few short months, yes," Dexter said simply, shrugging. Even the three girls in the backseat were completely shocked into silence. "While it was certainly intellectually stimulating, it would appear that I lack the mental maturity to handle going to college. It was decided that I should return to attending Kindergarten and wait until perhaps Middle School before I tried again."
Utonium was astounded. Surely the child was joking.
"You said you were trying for robotics?" Utonium said faintly, managing to continue to keep an eye on the road as the traffic finally thinned out.
"Yes," Dexter said, nodding without looking at the Professor. He seemed to realize that he was completely throwing the girls' father for a loop, and was also watching the road astutely in case the man missed something in his shock. "Preferably in the weaponization fields."
"Weaponized robotics," Professor Utonium said faintly. Aloud he said, "That reminds me of the Dynamo I tried to have my girls use a few years ago."
"You are the creator of the DyNaMo?" Dexter demanded, turning to stare at the Professor. "I was present for quite a few lectures that you'd given on the creation and purpose of the robot. Is there any way that I could take a look at it?"
"P-perhaps," Utonium said. He didn't think he could get any more confused or ipressed with the child, and he wasn't sure he could handle it. He quickly tried to maste control of his emotions, which were fast getting ahead of him. "Do your parents know that you will be coming to my house, Dexter?"
"My sister DeeDee will be telling them for me," Dexter said, his accent making "sister" sound like "seester". "Not that it matters; they wouldn't notice if I was gone anyway."
"They-" Utonium frowned, making a left to get out of Downtown Townsville, which was inbetween the Pokey Oaks school district and the Suburbs. "I'm sure that's not true, Dexter."
"If it will make you feel any better," Dexter said slowly, "we can call them when I reach your house. I can promise you that they won't have realized I'm gone, though."
"I'm sure that's not true," Bubbles finally piped up from the back seat. "How can your parents not care?"
"It's not that big of a deal," Dexter said, shrugging, and Utonium felt himself frowning.
"Are we home yet?" Buttercup suddenly whined. "I wanna finish my homework already, now that it makes sense!"
"Almost," Utonium said, smiling and shaking his head in wonder. BUTTERCUP wanted to do her homework? Somewhere, pigs were flying.
"I really enjoyed the English portion of our classes," Blossom piped up, and the Professor was surprised to hear almost a challenge in her voice.
"Your knowledge of contemporary literature is very impressive, Blossom," Dexter acquiesced, and Blossom blinked, leaning back in her seat in surprise.
"Thank you," she said, and the Professor saw a flash of guilt cross her features. He realized that Blossom must be feeling threatened by Dexter's intelligence.
"What would you kids like for dinner?" Professor Utonium said, looking into the mirror to look at his daughters before looking at their friend.
"Ooooo," Bubbles said, "can we have cake?"
"Not for dinner," Professor Utonium said laughing.
"What do you like to eat, Dexter?" Blossom asked diplomatically. The Professor was relieved to see that while she may be envious or jealous, she did in fact like the boy, and her attempts at being a good friend and host were battling with her jealousy.
"I… I like vegetables," Dexter stammered.
"No WAY," Buttercup gasped, her face filled with horror. "How can you like VEGETABLES? They- that's an insult to kids everywhere!"
"I just do," Dexter said, leaning against the window and looking like he would like to hide.
"Just because you don't like them doesn't mean no one likes them," Bubbles jumped in, saving the day. "You like cake, right Dexter?"
"I- sometimes," Dexter stammered again.
"Well, maybe we could have some of your vegetable and chicken soup Professor," Blossom said, once again the diplomat.
"It isn't a very cold day for soup," the Professor said, considering the bright sunny sky.
"True," Blossom said, thinking, "but it'll still be delicious, and the night will be cool enough."
"That is an excellent point," the Professor said, smiling. "While you do your homework I'll run to the market. Perhaps I'll put rice in the soup as well."
"I guess that'll work," Buttercup sniffed, clearly not too beant on the idea of veggies.
"Sounds good to me!" Bubbles said, ever eager to please.
"Agreed," Blossom said, smiling.
"Thank you," Dexter said quietly.
"Of course," Professor Utonium said, smiling.
The rest of the drive was very quiet, until they reached the Utonium household. They stepped out of the car to face the two story, modern style home, and Dexter looked in awe and appreciation at the very sleak and stylish home. There were three round windows on the second floor that looked like they probably belonged to the Powerpuff Girls.
"Welcome to our home," the Professor said, and Dexter felt a strange weight lift off of his shoulders. There were no tricks, no mean pranks. This was real.
He had friends.