PPGZ: Zero Project
by Exdeathmore
Final Chapter: The Last Encounter! The Nightmare's End
"How in the world did this happen?" Utonium asked the girls as he watched the giant monster emerging from the volcano of Mount Fuji.
"We found out everything just before this happened," Bubbles said.
"The Zero we've been fighting the whole time is a physical incarnation of Zack's pent up hatred, mixed with the power of Him's black light," Buttercup explained. "That single black light started all of this by awakening Zack..."
"...and feeding off of his hatred." Blossom finished. Suddenly, the lab began to rumble and shake, throwing everyone off balance.
"W-w-what's h-hapenning?" Ken asked as he stumbled around. The Professor grabbed onto the computer, and looked up at the monitor display of the large monster. It began to rise up higher from the crater of the volcano, and beneath its torso, something large was emerging. It was an enormous version of Zero's head, even larger than the rest of the creature's body, rising from the lava. Around it, small tentacles began bursting out of the ground. On the tips of those tentacles were miniature versions of Zero's head, wriggling around like a pack of worms.
"Dear lord..." Utonium said, "is that monster... mutating?"
"Greed, Sloth, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Rage, Pride... if God had declared an eighth Sin, it would be Hatred, especially after gazing upon my visage. For I am Hatred incarnate... I am the herald of the End of days, the One who reduces All to Nothing... I am... Omega Zero!!!"
"Did you hear that just now?" Blossom asked the others. "It sounded like Zero..."
"That voice sounded like it was in my head," Bubbles said.
"We have to do something!" Buttercup said, pointing at the monitor. "Look!" The giant creature stayed in place, while more tentacles emerged from the ground, spreading out and making their way down the volcano. "Those things... they're headed straight for the city!"
The streets were crammed full of cars and people trying to flee the city after the mayor declared a mandatory evacuation. The cars were bumper to bumper, beeping at each other.
"Hey, hurry it up!" one of the drivers yelled ahead of him. "I wanna get out of here!" Suddenly, a large black tentacle burst out of the ground, flipping the nearby cars over. The Zero head on top of the tentacle opened the plate on its mouth, baring a set of fangs, screeching. The people began abandoning their cars as the Zero head lunged at them, grabbing one of the cars in its fangs and crushing it. It turned to one of the buildings neearby, opened its mouth, and fired a bolt of energy out of its mouth, tearing into the building and blowing it up. It let out another screech as more Zero heads came bursting out of the ground.
"This is an absolute disaster!" the mayor said to Miss Bellum as he looked out the window in his office. "A catastrophe of biblical proportions!" The mayor started tugging at his hair, panicking. "What are we going to do!?"
"Mayor, please control yourself!" Miss Bellum tried to calm him down. "I'm sure that Powerpuff Z can find a solution to this dilemma."
"Ah, you're right, you're right..." the mayor said, looking out the window again. Then he began to panic again. "But where are they!? Powerpuff Girls Z, help!!"
In the center of the park, another Zero head emerged from underneath the small playground, as children and their parents tried to run away from it. It turned around to see a mother and her son, who had tripped and fell while running. It loomed over them as the mother screamed, the child crying. The Zero head screeched, baring its fangs, and prepared to strike. Out of nowhere, It was struck by a large green bolt, and was knocked over on its side. Buttercup and the girls came rushing in to help the mother and child.
"Are you okay?" Bubbles asked them.
"We are now," the mother replied. "Thank you, Powerpuff Z!"
"You need to get away from here," Blossom told them. "Find somewhere safe and take cover!"
"Of course! Right away!" The mother carried her child as she ran off.
"There's no way we'll be able to save everyone," Buttercup said. "There's just too many of those things!"
"I know it seems hopeless," Blossom said, "but we still need to at least try!" Just then, there came several more screeching sounds. The girls turned to see the lab being surrounded by a pack of Zero heads. "The lab!"
"Professor, Ken, Peach!" Bubbles cried. Just as the Zero heads began to lunge at the lab, a ray of light shot out around the building. The Zero heads were severed as they dropped to the ground, the remaining parts of the tentacles flailing around wildly.
"What was that, just now?" Buttercup asked.
"Only one way to find out!" said Blossom. "Let's go!"
When they arrived at the lab, they could see Dynamo Z, standing tall and proud.
"Dynamo Z!" Blossom cheered. "Did you do that!?" she asked the machine. Just then, Dynamo Z's eyes slid open, revealing the Professor, Ken, and Peach inside, piloting it.
"Professor, Ken, Peach! You're all right!" Bubbles said.
"Just barely, though," Utonium said.
"Those Zero 'heads' almost got the drop on us when we were trying to finish Dynamo Z," Ken said.
"'Finish'? You mean you have a plan?" Blossom asked them.
"Yes, we do," said Utonium. "Come inside, quickly, we don't have much time!" Dynao Z knelt down as the Professor and the others hopped out of the cockpit and ran into the lab, the girls quickly following.
"We've discovered that the monster on top of Mount Fuji is not actually Zero," Utonium explained, "but an extension of his body, just like the Zero heads."
"An extension?" Bubbles asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means the real Zero is somewhere inside that thing, controlling it. Zero is acting as the creature's core. If you can get inside and defeat him, the creature and all the Zero heads should stop moving."
"Inside?" Buttercup said. "You mean we have to get up in that thing's face!?"
"We'd be torn to ribbons before we even get halfway there!" Blossom said.
"That's where Dynamo Z comes in," said Ken. "It will serve as your battering ram into that creature. We've loaded it up with as many weapons as we could, until those Zero heads attacked. Use Dynamo Z to fight your way up the mountain, and break through the outer shell of the monster on top to get inside its body."
"You'll only have one chance to get it right," Utonium said. "If we fail here, it's guaranteed that Tokyo City will be destroyed. And who knows how long it will be until that monster destroys the entire world!"
"We won't let that happen!" Blossom said. "Today is the day that Zero is stopped once and for all!"
"You can count on us, Professor!" Bubbles said. "We won't fail! Not after getting this far!"
"We'll tear that monster, and anything that gets in our way, to pieces!" Buttercup said.
"You girls are the most courageous people we know," Ken said to them.
"We know you can do it, da-wan!" Peach yipped.
"Use Dynamo Z wisely," Utonium said. "It might be your only way to break through the creature's armor."
"We'll be careful, Professor!" Blossom said, turning to the others. "Bubbles, Buttercup! Let's go! To the final battle!" The girls ran outside, jumping into Dynamo Z's cockpit. The Professor and the others watched as the giant robot flew off towards Mount Fuji.
"Be careful, girls..." Utonium said. "We're all praying for your success..."
As Dynamo Z got closer to the foot of Mount Fuji, the terrain slowly began to turn into what looked like a sea of Zero heads.
"There's so many of them!" Bubbles remarked. "Are we sure we can get through all of them?"
"Only one way to find out!" Buttercup said as they flew in closer.
"They are approaching... attack, my servants! Protect your master!"
The Zero heads looked up at Dynamo Z, screeched, and stretched out towards it.
"Here they come!" Blossom said. "Quickly, separate!" As the Zero heads approached, Dynamo Z separated into its three components, a small ship for each girl. They weaved in and out of the storm of Zero heads trying to devour them.
"It's time to fight back!" Bubbles said. "Let's recombine! I'll go first!" The three ships reunited in the sky, turning into a tank that was shaped like Bubbles. It came crashing down to the ground, crushing several Zero heads underneath its girth. Dynamo Z grabbed several of the Zero heads by their tentacles, and started spinning them around, creating a cyclone out of them. The nearby head were torn apart by the powerful winds of the cyclone, while the ones inside were tied up in a bundle. Dynamo Z then spun the tangled heads around, and flung them away.
"Way to go, Bubbles!" Buttercup cheered. "But we're not done yet! It's my turn. Separate!" Dynamo separated again, and recombined in a different formation. It transformed into a robot that looked almost exactly like Buttercup, with a drill for its right hand, a hammer for its left. A Zero head tried to lunge at it from behind, but Dynamo Z quickly turned around and struck it with its hammer, smashing its face into itself. "I don't have time to waste with small fry with you!" Buttercup said as Dynamo Z's drill began spinning. It turned back towards the peak of the mountain, and charged right into the cluster of Zero heads in front of it. The drill tore right into the tentacles supporting the heads rendering them useless. One of the heads tried to clamp its fangs down on the drill, which proved useless as the drill bore its way through, out the other side of the head. More heads came lunging at Dynamo Z as it leapt into the air.
"Not bad, Buttercup!" Blossom said. "We're almost there! Let's try this one more time! Separate!" Dynamo Z split apart again, and recombined one last time, turning into a robotic version of Blossom. It rushed past several of the Zero heads, leaving them behind. Suddenly, a group of Zero heads rose out of the ground, forming a wall to block the girls. "Out of the way!" Blossom said as Dynamo Z puled off its giant metal ribbon, It swung it back and forth like a blade, slicing the Zero heads into pieces. Their goal was in sight, almost palpable. "We're at the top!" Blossom said. "We're going to make it!"
"Not if we can help it!" shouted out three voices. Suddenly, Dynamo Z came under attack from three different directions. Then, Rowdyruff Z appeared, flying inbetween Dynamo Z and the creature in the crater.
"Not you three again!" Buttercup yelled at them. "Get out of the way!"
"No way!" Butch said.
"If we let you destroy Zero," said Boomer, "we'll lose our powers!"
"If we don't stop Zero now," Bubbles said, "he'll destroy everything, even you three!"
"That doesn't matter to us!" Brick said. "As long as we get the chance to destroy you first!" Just as the boys were ready to attack again, they were struck by a volley of white energy bolts. "Argh! Not again! Always interrupting!" They turned to see Bell, her fists aglow.
"Bell!" Blossom said.
"I'll take care of these troublemakers!" Bell shouted to the girls. "You go on and defeat Zero!"
"Bell... thank you, looks like we owe you again!"
"You can thank me by beating Zero! If you waste the sacrifice I'm making, I'll never forgive you!" Bell turned to Rowdyruff Z. "Looks like this will be the last time we fight, win or lose."
"I'm sick and tired of you interrupting!" Brick said. "Let's finish her off, boys! There's three of us and only one of her!" The boys surrounded Bell, their bodies beginning to glow with dark auras.
"Take care of yourself, Bell!" Blossom said as Dynamo Z headed towards the creature.
"...You take care, too, Powerpuff Z..." Bell murmured to herself, ready to fight Rowdyruff Z.
"They wish to fight me so badly, then let them! They will be in my domain, and all hope of victory for them shall be gone the moment they enter..."
Dynamo Z stopped right in front of the enormous creature that was basking in the lava of Mount Fuji's crater.
"Here we are, at last," Blossom said.
"This is for our families," Buttercup said, "for trying to kidnap them and use them against us..."
"This is for Sedusa," said Bubbles, "for deceiving her, and returning her loyalty and devotion with betrayal..."
"And this is for Zack," Blossom said, "for feeding off of his hatred, turning it into your weapon, and making him your first victim!" Dynamo Z stretched out its arms and legs, and the large jewel on its waist began to glow brightly. "Dynamo... Beeeaaam!!" Blossom shouted as Dynamo Z fired a large pink laser, striking the creature's body. Its armor began to crack, and eventually shattered, the broken fragments falling into the lava below. "There's out way in! Hurry!" Dynamo Z quickly flew into the hole, entering the belly of the beast.
Dynamo Z landed inside the creature's body, just in front of the hole it created. The entire interior was covered in a mess of large cables, that appeared fleshy in texture. Strange lights traveled across these cables as they slightly wriggled back and forth, throbbing as if they were alive.
"This place is very disturbing..." Blossom said, looking around.
"It feels so strange in here..." said Bubbles. "It feels like the life is being pulled out of me."
"This place makes my stomach churn," Buttercup said. "I feel like I'm gonna puke..." Suddenly, the hole behind Dynamo Z began to slowly close up. "Ah! The hole! This creature can regenerate too, just like Zero!"
"Because this creature is a part of Zero, like the Professor said," said Blossom. "Somewhere in here, Zero is controlling everything. All we have to do is---" Suddenly, Dynamo Z began to sink into the floor. The fleshy cables wrapped themselves around its feet, dragging it down.
"We're sinking!" Bubbles said, tugging at her controls. "The legs aren't responding! If we stay in here...!"
"We have no choice, then. Everyone out!" The cockpit opened up as the girls flew out. They turned around and watched as Dynamo Z was devoured by the living cables. "Goodbye, Dynamo Z... and thank you for your help." Blossom looked around the chamber. "I think it's safe to say that we should avoid touching these cables, unless we want to end up like Dynamo Z. Now if we only knew which way to go..."
"Here... I am over here..."
"!" Blossom gasped. "That voice... did you two...?"
"I heard it, too," said Bubbles.
"Me too," Buttercup added. "It was Zero again..." The strange lights flowing through the cables began to glow brighter. They were all traveling down the same direction, as if they were showing the way for the girls.
"I think he's expecting us..." Bubbles said, looking at the lights.
"Then let's not disappoint him," said Blossom as she and the others slowly followed the lights. The further in they went, the more the fleshy cables around them began to throb, and smaller cables appeared and ran inbetween them. Further in, the dark corridor began to light up, and they could see a wall on the far end. All the lights in the large cables were converging at one point, high above the floor. At that point was Zero, his arms and legs absorbed by the surrounding cables, exposing only his head and torso.
"We meet yet again... Powerpuff Girls Z," Zero said in a robotic, reverberating tone. "This time, however, will most definitely be the last time..."
"You're right about that!" Blossom said, pointing at him with her yo-yo in hand. "It's all over for you, Zero!"
"You'll never harm another person again!" Bubbles said, pulling out her wand.
"I hope you've said your prayers!" Buttercup said, swinging her hammer around.
"How confident you are," Zero said. "But you are in my domain, now... even if your hearts are free of hatred, you are surrounded by hatred itself! No matter how hard you try, all your efforts will be in vain!" Zero's eyes began to glow, and the surrounding cables began to bulge. From inbetween the cables, several copies of Zero emerged, all of them laughing as they approached the girls. "I will make you suffer, I will make you despair... you will break, and then, you will die!" The Zero clones began to charge at the girls.
"We'll see about that!" Buttercup said. "Hurricane Lutz!" She spun around and struck one of the copies. Surprisingly, it broke apart into pieces rather easily, and the fragments fell to the ground to be absorbed by the cables.
"Bubble Champagne!" Bubbles swung her wand, and surrounded the other Zero clones with a swarm of bubbles.
"Shooting Yo-Yo!" Blossom wrapped the yo-yo around the clones, and began to spin them around. "Buttercup!"
"I'm already on it!" she said as she readied her hammer. Right as the spinning clones reached her, she swung hard, breaking them all apart, their pieces scattering across the chamber. "Is that the best you can do, Zero? Those clones were even weaker than you!"
"You dare mock my power?" Zero asked. "They were only a minor fraction of my full potential. Most of my power right now is being directed to destroying your city on the outside!"
"So you're saying we're not worth the trouble?" Blossom asked Zero. "Then you're in for a big disappointment."
"I grow tired of your overconfidence, you little brat! If you wish to see my true power... then I shall show you firsthand!" The lights converging on Zero's body began to turn black as the section of wall he was attached to began to bulge outwards. Slowly, Zero's body was engulfed by a growing black globe. It grew bigger and bigger, until it almost reached from floor to ceiling. The black globe began to glow, and in a flash, it vanished. Zero was completely transformed, spikes protruding from his shoulders, elbows, and knees. The blade on his right arm was broader. The blue dome on the top of his head became transparent, showing a throbbing mass, almost like a human brain, underneath. The plate over his mouth split open into large, uneven, bloody fangs, and his yellow cloak of 'hair' split apart, turning into a pair of wings. "I will take great pleasure in tearing you three apart, limb by limb! And you should rejoice, little Momoko! Soon, I will be sending you to join your precious Zack!"
"Not today, Zero!" Blossom yelled back at him. The giant Zero raised his massive sword, swinging it down at the girls. They flew aside as it crashed into the floor, slicinginto the fleshy cables. He turned to the right to face Bubbles and Buttercup, and dragged his blade across the floor and up towards them. They dodged again, splitting up.
"Take this, you monster!" Buttercup said as she flew in close. "Megaton Dunk!" She slammed her hammer into Zero's right eye, cracking it open. Zero roared as he clutched his damaged eye with his left hand.
"Nice shot, Buttercup!" Bubbles cheered. Suddenly, behind her, another Zero clone appeared out of the cables, grabbing her by her arm and leg, and started to pull her into the wall.
"Bubbles!" Buttercup turned around and tried to help her friend, but the moment she turned her back to Zero, he retaliated by swatting her with the backside of his large hand, slamming her into the opposite wall. Before she could recover, though, more Zero clones appeared, and began dragging Buttercup into the wall with them.
"Bubbles! Buttercup!" Blossom cried out to them. She didn't know which one to help first. If she went to help one, the other would be completely pulled into the wall.
"What's wrong, little Momoko?" the giant Zero asked her. "Aren't you going to help your friends?"
"Blossom!" Bubbles shouted out. "Don't worry about us!"
"Just beat Zero!" Buttercup also shouted. "You're our only hope!" Blossom was forced to watch as both of her friends were pulled into the walls, disappearing from sight.
"And then there was one," Zero cackled. "Maybe I will absorb them, and make their power my own! Then I will be able to destroy this planet even quicker!"
"You won't get away with this, Zero!!" Blossom screamed, charging straight at him. Zero reached out and grabbed her with his massive hand, squeezing her entire body, except for her head.
"Now do you see?" Zero asked her. "You were doomed to fail from the beginning! I cannot die, I cannot be defeated! I am hatred incarnate, and you are only an insignificant insect to me!" Zero placed Blossom down on the floor, as several Zero clones emerged from the cables, grabbing her. Blossom struggled to break free, but there were too many clones to fight off. "Now, share the same fate as your friends! And give my regards to Zack when you meet him. Muahahahahahah!!!"
'I'm sorry, Zack,' Blossom thought to herself. 'It looks like I couldn't keep our promise, after all...' Blossom's vision began to fade as she was buried alive under the throbbing cables.
"So, you're just going to give up, like that?" a voice echoed in Blossom's head.
"That voice..." Blossom slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She seemed to floating in a black void. "Zack...? Is that you...?" Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of Blossom, and Zack appeared, his body glowing with a faint, white light.
"Hello, Momoko," Zack said, smiling.
"Zack!" Blossom cried, floating towards him. "Is it really you?"
"You can't give up now, Momoko," Zack said to her. "Not when everyone is counting on you... listen." Blossom put a hand to her ear, and she could hear a very faint sound echoing through the void. "Can't you hear their voices?"
"…" Blossom tried harder to listen, and the sounds she heard became clearer.
"Girls..." she heard the Professor's voice.
"Professor...?" Blossom asked.
"Girls..." Ken and Peach's voices also called out.
"Ken... Peach..."
"That's not all," Zack said. "Keep listening..." Blossom did so, and soon, she began to hear chanting in the distance...
"...Z... puff Z... Powerpuff Z... Powerpuff Z, Powerpuff Z! Powerpuff Z! Powerpuff Z!"
"These voices...!" Blossom looked at Zack.
"Everyone's still out there," Zack said, "waiting for you and the others. They believe you can still win against Zero. I believe you can still win. The same goes for Bubbles and Buttercup, too." Zack approached Blossom and hugged her. "I heard you before... you wanted to say something to me, but never had the chance to say it to me in person. Well, now that we're here... do you still want to say it?"
"Zack..." Blossom stared into his eyes. "Yes... I do... I love you, Zack." Zack smiled at her.
"...and I love you, Momoko." He came closer to her and the two kissed. The black void around Blossom began to illuminate with white light, until she was blinded completely. Even Zack had vanished from sight.
"Zack, where did you go?" Blossom called out to him.
"Never forget, Momoko... as long as you keep the memories of our time together close, I'll be right by your side, always... so don't give up. You still have a job to do, and a promise to fulfill..."
"Farewell, Powerpuff Girls Z," Zero cackled. "Farewell forever!" Suddenly, three white lights began to shine out of the walls and floor. "What, what is this light!?" He said as he shielded his eyes. The cables along the walls and floor began to bulge out, and as they burst open, the girls emerged, their bodies glowing with bright, white auras. "No, not again! It's not possible! What are you!?"
"We are the protectors of Tokyo City," Bubbles said, "and the entire world!"
"We keep the people safe from monsters like you," said Buttercup. "You're not even a real monster! You're just a hollow imitation of a ghost of a man!"
"Together," said Blossom, "we are..."
"Fighting Love Science Legend, Powerpuff Girls Z!" they said in unison.
"You aren't welcome in this world, Zero!" Blossom said. "You shouldn't even exist! So disappear, and take all of your hatred with you!"
"How dare you continue to defy me!" Zero roared at the girls. "I will not die, I will not be defeated! Hatred shall consume all! And it shall start with you!!" Zero swung his blade at the girls. Buttercup flew on front of the massive sword, and swung her hammer. As the two weapons impacted, Zero's sword began to crack, and shattered into hundreds of pieces. "Aaarrghh!! Why you...!" Zero began to reach out with his left hand to grab Buttercup, until Bubbles flew between them. She began blowing into her wand, creating an enormous bubble. The bubble wrapped around Zero's hand and it slowly began to melt away inside it. Zero roared again, this time in pain. Blossom pulled out her yo-yo, and hurled it Zero's head. With one powerful blow, it struck the dome on Zero's head, shattering it like glass, and exposing the brain-like object underneath. Zero staggered back and crashed to the floor with a loud THUD! The girls landed in front of him, their bodies still glowing.
"This is end of you, Zero," Blossom said. "You've lost."
"NO!"Zero screamed out. "It cannot end! I am hatred incarnate, I cannot die! I am forever!!!"
"Enough!" The girls shouted, their auras burning brighter. "It's time for you to disappear, you phantom!" The girls' compacts began to glow white as they pulled them out and hel them together. "Triple Science Attack, Z Special..." An enormous amount of white light began to form at the point the compacts were touching. "...FINISH!!!" Suddenly, a large beam of light shot out, heading straight for Zero. The attack struck him, penetrating into his chest, and bursting out the other side, leaving a large, heart-shaped hole in his body.
"I... I..." Zero stuttered, the glow starting to fade away from his eyes. "My name... is Zero. I... cannot die... I... cannot... be defea...ted..." His yellow eyes faded to black, as rays of white light began to shoot out of his body, and eventually, erupted into a fiery blaze. A black haze began to rise out of the flames, and slowly dissipated in the air.
"We did it..." Blossom said, dropping to her knees. "We finally did it..."
"It's all over..." Buttercup said, placing her hand on Blossom's shoulder. "You did real good... leader."
"I'm sure that Zack can finally rest in peace now, thanks to you," Bubbles said.
"Bubbles... Buttercup..." Blossom stood up and gave them both a hug. "It's because of all three of us that we pulled this off. And also... the Professor, the people of Tokyo City, and even Zack, who were cheering us on... the credit goes to no single person." Suddenly, the entire chamber began to quake. The cables stopped throbbing, and began falling from the ceiling.
"What's happening?" Bubbles asked, looking around.
"Without Zero," Blossom said, "this creature's body is falling apart! We have to find a way out, or else we'll end up falling into the volcano with it!"
"But how!?" Buttercup asked. "We can't go out the way we came in, and Dynamo Z was sucked up by this thing!"
"Maybe not! Come on, we might still have a chance!" The girls flew off down the corridor, back towards where they had first entered. They eventually came across something sticking out of the ground. It was Dynamo Z's head.
"It's Dynamo Z!" Bubbles cheered. "Can we get it moving again?"
"Of course we can!" Blossom said. The girls forced open the cockpit and entered the robot. Its eyes glowed brightly as it pulled itself out of the tangle of cables. "Now, let's go home!" Dynamo Z winded up, and punched the wall hard. Without Zero's power enforcing it, the creature's body broke apart easily. Dynamo Z flew out of the enormous creature's body, and turned around. The giant monster resting in the crater of the volcano let out a roar as its body sank into the lava. The upper half of the creature's body tried to cling on to the edges of the crater, but was eventually dragged into the lava with the rest of its body. In a ripple effect, all of the Zero heads stopped moving, and dropped to the ground, going limp. They began to turn gray, and crumbled away into dust.
At the lab, the Professor and the others watched the monster's final moments and began cheering.
"They did it!" Utonium shouted. "They defeated Zero!"
"Like there was any doubt?" Ken asked as he danced around with Peach.
"Mayor," Miss Bellum said, "you can come out from under the desk."
"N, no!" the mayor said, curled up in a ball and holding his head. "I can't bear to watch my precious city be destroyed!"
"But mayor... look!" Miss Bellum grabbed the mayor and dragged him out from under the desk. The mayor looked up to see the last remaining Zero heads crumbling away, and off in the distance, near the peak of Mount Fuji, Dynamo Z was hovering in place.
"I, it's a miracle!" the mayor said.
"No, it's Powerpuff Z! They've saved Tokyo City again!"
"I've always had faith in those girls! Ohohohohoho!" the mayor chuckled to himself.
"Mayor..."
At the foot of the mountain, the Rowdyruff Boys were laying on the ground, rubbing their heads. They had turned back into their original forms, now that Zero's energy had dispersed.
"Oh, no!" Brick said, looking at his body. "We're stuck being kids again!"
"This stinks!" Butch said.
"Uh, guys..." Boomer tugged at the others' shirts, and pointed up. The boys looked up to see Bell looming over them, still in posession of her powers.
"Now then," Bell said, grinning. "Would you like to pick up where we left off?" The boys jumped up and ran away screaming.
"No fair!" they said. "How come she gets to keep her powers!? Shut up and keep running!"
"Hmph, typical." Bell looked up at Dynamo Z, and smiled. "Maybe I wrong about you three... maybe you do have what it takes to protect this city... after all, three heroes are much better than just one..."
Outside the lab, Momoko stood in front of Zack's grave, holding a small bouquet of flowers. She knelt down, and placed the flowers in front of the grave marker.
"It was because of you, most of all," Momoko said, "that we were able to win. Thank you, Zack, for everything... and goodbye..." Momoko stood up and was ready to leave, but then she stopped and shook her head. "No... not goodbye. As long as I keep our memories close to my heart, you'll be right there with me, just like you said..."
At long last, the nightmare was over. Zero, the manifestation of Zack's hatred of mankind, was defeated and destroyed. It would take months to undo the damage Zero had caused that day. The mayor dispatched teams to both research facilities, and had them both completely demolished, to ensure that all information pertaining to the Zero Project would be gone forever, and that a tragedy like this would never happen again. The people of Tokyo City would never forget the atrocities Zero had committed, but also, they would never forget the undying courage of the three girls who saved the entire world from total destruction, the Powerpuff Girls Z...
Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z: Zero Project
THE END
Several years later...
A young woman with red eyes and long, red hair tied up in a ribbon was walking down the sidewalk, going with the flow of the other pedestrians.
"Excuse me, miss," a voice called out to her. "I seem to be lost. Could you give me directions?"
"Sure I can," the young lady responded, turning around. "Where were you---" she stopped when she looked at the person addressing her.
"I was looking for a shop called Kintokidou. I hear they serve great red bean buns. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?"
"...Of course I do! I was on my way there right now!"
"Really? What a relief, and a coincidence. Could you show me the way?"
"Sure, just follow me! By the way, my name is Momoko. Momoko Akatsutsumi. What's yours?"
"My name? My name is..."