"Three cheers for the birthday girls. Three cheers for the Powerpuff Girls," the Mayor announced happily to the party goers.
Passing through the crowd almost like a shadow, a teenaged boy moved around the wall and headed for the stairs. Casting a sour look towards the three floating little girls. The Powerpuff Girls.
His sisters.
Malcolm had to repress a sigh as he reminded the Mayor for the umpteenth time that he was their brother because the man with a monocle for whatever reason just could never remember that he existed.
That was his life, Malcolm Utonium, son of the famous Professor Utonium and older brother to the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.
For those wondering, no, Malcolm was not a genius scientist who would invent ways to make the world better and he didn't have extraordinary superpowers to save the City of Townsville from whatever monster, alien, paranormal threat it was faced with.
He was just the average highschool student who had to come home everyday only to be forgotten. It never occurred to anyone that his birthday was two weeks ago. But did he have a lavish party where dozens of people came just to celebrate him? No, of course not. He was just 'The Other Child'.
The girls stopped some alien invaders that day and everyone threw a big party for them as thanks for saving the planet.
He just came home to an empty house.
Trudging up the stairs Malcolm dropped his backpack in the corner of his room and put on his headphones to drown out all the fun going on downstairs.
One must ask the question, how is life as the brother of three superheroes so awful?
Well it didn't start out like that.
Malcolm had grown up for years with his father, mother and pet monkey Mojo Jojo. He was a happy child, playing with Mojo Jojo when his parents were too busy in the lab. Not many kids had their own pet monkey after all. Things were great, his mommy's tummy was getting big and his dad said that meant he had a sibling along the way. He hoped he got a baby sister, he wanted one of those.
And then one day his mom got sick, she was never home and always up at the hospital until his dad finally came home in tears and shut himself up in the lab for long periods of time.
That might have been the catalyst for why the Powerpuff Girls existed in the first place. Professor Utonium had not been able to save his wife, but he could at least have the daughter. Malcolm didn't really understand it all that much, but after an explosion in the lab, he had his little sisters and he was so happy, especially because his father was happy again.
They had incredible powers and were saving the day and Malcolm could not be prouder of them. Real life superheroes and they were his family.
However over the years the appeal started to wear off and he began to resent a lot of things. He became really popular in school, with both students and teachers. But he learned all of that was only because they just wanted to get close to the Powerpuff Girls, for a time he stopped making friends with those people because he wanted to protect his sisters from the people who would exploit them for fame and fortune.
Then he realized that at some point he was no longer doing it just to protect his sisters but to spite everyone who couldn't see him as a person, just a means to have access to the famous superheroes. It was his way of getting back at the people who wanted to use him as a stepping stone.
For years he watched his sisters go out and save the day. And sure he was grateful for that, he'd have to be a massive jerkwad to want the day to not be saved just because he was mad that he lived in the enormous shadows cast by his family, but just the other day when Giant Fishballoon attacked the city again, the girls were working to evacuate the area before calling for Dynamo to take it out.
They had looked at him before flying off. Not even a word was spoken as he just turned around and walked a safe distance away while his sisters battled the kaiju.
It made him feel like an extra, just a background character who didn't matter to them.
Malcolm leaned against his wall and tried to pass the time until the party ended and then he'd 'sneak out', which didn't really require any stealth, his father spent most of his time in the lab if he wasn't with the girls and his sisters would either be out fighting some late night crime or would be in bed.
Stepping out into the cool fall night, Malcolm didn't spare a glance back at his home, had he done so he would have seen three pairs of eyes looking down at him from the large exterior windows on the building.
Despite the need for superheroes the City of Townsville didn't actually have too much crime. It still had some but most regular criminals didn't want to deal with the Powerpuff Girls so it was either petty quick crimes or things like mutants and supervillains. As such it was a relatively safe place to walk around at night.
Not that Malcolm was worried, despite what people might have thought of him, he knew how to take care of himself. People always wondered why supervillains never tried to kidnap him or his dad to get at his sisters, and they were wrong because that happened quite frequently. But instead of being a perpetual victim Malcolm dedicated some time to learning self-defense and other things needed to escape the situation on his own. And after enough villains couldn't keep him tied up long enough to even call the Powerpuff Girls, they mostly stopped targeting him.
That was mostly the low powered ones, like the Gangreen Gang or the Amoeba Boys. Someone like HIM though, that whatever the hell he was can and would use him as a hostage if he felt like it though.
But lately even that paranormal demon had no interest in him.
Having made it a fair way into the city Malcolm leaned up against a building to loiter for a while. Most of the cops knew who he was and left him alone. But tonight someone would come to him with a dastardly scheme.
"I am sick and tired of those stinking Powerpuff Girls always stealing the spotlight," Princess Morbucks screeched angrily as she threw another tantrum after the resident superheroes were all over the news and internet for being so darn perfect. "It's not fair, I hate them and they won't go away. Servant!" belting out another scream for one of her many butlers to come attend to her.
"Yes Ms. Morbucks?" the butler asked while bowing.
"Build another suit, I'm going to destroy the Powerpuff Girls once and for all," Princess ordered but instead of running off to have the techies make another suit the man cleared his throat.
"Princess if I might make a suggestion," speaking up and getting the spoiled girl's attention. "This plan is not well thought out."
"How dare you? I make the best plans, you should never question my plans." Princess screamed, jumping onto the man's chest and pulling on his clothes to get close to him.
"I am merely suggesting that your attempt to destroy your nemesis is hindered by, unfortunately yourself," the butler continued his explanation while walking over to a file cabinet, the whole time Princess Morbucks was holding onto his jacket.
Pulling a file out of the drawer he showed photographs of a teenage boy that even Princess Morbucks knew. "I suggest putting someone else in the suit, someone that the girls would never dream of hurting."
"Oh servant," Princess Morbucks grinned, her smile so wide it went all the way up her face. "You are a clever one aren't you?"
That was how Malcolm found himself blinded by the headlights of an expensive limousine. "Ugh, what do you want, Mandy? It's late, shouldn't you be in bed right now?" Malcolm groaned out when he saw the rich uppity rival of his sister's walk up to him flanked by her goons. Of all his sister's enemies Mandy Morbucks, who hated being called anything but Princess which Malcolm was sure her daddy bought her a country just so she could be a real princess, she was one that he really despised.
Malcolm didn't like any of his sister's supervillains, except for Mojo Jojo, Malcolm didn't have any beef with his family's former pet, mostly because Mojo Jojo never targeted him in any of his schemes. And maybe Sedusa, hey cut him some slack, he's a teenage boy.
"Don't call me- ahem, I mean Malcolm Utonium, what a strange coincidence that we cross paths on this fine evening." Mandy coughed into her fist to try and keep on the script she had prepared to trick Malcolm into doing her handiwork for her.
"It's eleven-forty at night and we're ten miles from where you live outside a gas station, Mandy get to the point and tell me what evil scheme you cooked up," Malcolm rolled his hand to get the redheaded pipsqueak to hurry up. "If you have Marcus and William here to kidnap me, I'll just go with you, I'm not really in the mood to tussle I've had a long day and I'm sure they don't want to go home with any bruises," nodding his head to the two bodyguards.
What can you say, after being in the business like he had been for so long you get to know the henchmen. "By the way Marcus, how's the new baby?"
"Oh Deliah is doing great with little Johan," the bodyguard smiled when his baby boy got brought up. "I got pictures I can show you after this is done."
"I would love to see them," Malcolm requested as he waited for Mandy to blow up in anger since he got the conversation away from her, Mandy hated when people talked about things other than herself.
"If you don't mind," Mandy seethed as she tapped her foot on the ground. "I have an offer for you."
"No, whatever it is, it's probably stupid," Malcolm scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Mandy however smirked at the dismissal. "Oh, then I guess I was wrong about you after all. You clearly aren't the type of person who wants to be recognized for your own accomplishments. Perfectly fine to sit in the shade cast by his sisters, content to be a nothing that nobody will remember, at best a footnote on his family's incredible legacy."
Malcolm had never once considered hitting a little girl as hard as he was now. Even his palm was shaking at the thought that he could possibly get past Marcus and William to deliver it straight to her face. "Alright, fine, you have my attention," Malcolm exhaled heavily. "Little brat."
"What was that, hmm?" Mandy hummed with a grin.
"Nothing Princess," snarling out the word. "What did you want?"
"I have a new battlesuit, but no one to wear it," Mandy shifted on her heels innocently, her skirt swishing back and forth while she did it.
"Odd, since every other suit you made fit you perfectly," Malcolm replied.
"Well this one is made for someone a bit larger than myself, a teenage boy actually," Mandy looked at Malcolm who knew what she was doing.
"And you want me in it," Malcolm bobbed his head. "So what's the catch, I put it on and get locked in with it primed to explode if the girls don't surrender or something?"
"No but thank you for the idea for next time," Mandy giggled. "No, this suit was made for you for a reason other than a hostage. I want you to be a superhero."
Taking a moment to mull it over in his head Malcolm gave a shake. "Nope, no idea how that makes sense. How does me becoming a superhero get you what you want?"
Mandy sighed and put her hands on her hips. "What I want is for you to upstage your sisters, do such a good job that they aren't needed. You get to be in the limelight for once in your pathetic life and I get rid of the Powerpuff Girls because they can't be superheroes if there's no super crime. You understand me now?"
"Let's say I agree, what's the catch? I know there's a catch," Malcolm finally said, he wasn't agreeing to her plan, he just wanted to know all the details up front.
"Oh simple, I know you're going to fail. I mean come on, look at you, pathetic insignificant Malcolm Utonium," Mandy chortled. "I bet you screw up and your sisters have to bail you out, then you get scolded by them and your father who put you back on the sidelines, no not even that, they put you back in the stands with the crowd where you belong. You don't have what it takes to be anything in this world. I just wanted to see something amusing while I work on my real scheme."
Malcolm lunged at the redheaded brat, any plan to duck past the bodyguards to hit the kid was forgotten which allowed Marcus and William to grab the enraged teen easily. "Come on, just one hit, it'll be cathartic to watch I promise," Malcolm shouted as he tugged against the bigger guys who held him back.
"So do we have a deal, I give you a completely safe power suit and you get what, an afternoon where you flounder about before learning your place," Mandy said with an evil glint in her eyes.
"Alright you little cu-," Malcolm paused because he was a teenager but that didn't mean he swore in front of kids. "Conniving b-rrrat, I'll do it."
"Perfect," Mandy happly clapped her hands. "Alright boys, let's get him up to the mansion for his fitting."
"He didn't come home last night," Bubbles worriedly commented at the breakfast table with her sisters.
"Probably snuck out to see his girlfriend, what was her name again? Shannon, Cleo, Monica?" Buttercup guessed while digging into her pancakes.
"Buttercup, he doesn't have a girlfriend. You know that." Blossom rolled her eyes at her green sister.
"Maybe his friends invited him over," the black haired girl shrugged.
"When has that ever happened?" Blossom sighed. "I mean, when has he even brought a friend over either?"
"I'm worried about him," Bubbles whimpered, not sure how safe her big brother was at the moment. "We should go looking for him."
"Now now, that's a little rash," Blossom interjected. "He's old enough and he still has school today, if he just stayed out all night then he's going to have to get through the day with no sleep. We'll see him when he gets home today and give him a piece of our minds for being so careless."
"I just think something's wrong," Bubbles said quietly before eating her own breakfast so that it didn't grow cold.
"He is making incredible progress in the use of the suit's capabilities," a scientist said to Princess Morbucks while they watched the black metal suit fly around the test area destroying target after target. It wasn't a very flashy looking power armor, mostly a matte black with some underglow for the power running through the systems. The full mask that obscured his face was fairly plain, having very little detail beyond open spots for the optical cameras. But it was functional given the time they had to make a suit larger than normal.
"Yes, it would seem that all the years watching his sisters he picked up a few things," Mandy commented before hitting a button to make the targets fight back. "I want to see how he does against more than just sitting ducks."
Wiping himself off with a towel in the locker room, Malcolm thought back to how his night had gone. He went with Mandy all the way back up to her manor to be presented with a suit of power armor, it was much bulkier than the type Mandy wore when she wanted to take out his sisters. But the head developer said that the power output and durability would be much higher than normal due to being able to add on more to his larger frame. In this case bigger was better.
Then he spent the last eight hours being put through his paces in the testing room, robots of all shapes and sizes were thrown at him, flamethrowers, machine guns, ice beams, death rays you name it were fired at him and not a single one left a scratch. The suit let him not only match but exceed his sister's strength and speed. And the weapon systems built in caused some serious damage.
"Crap, I'm going to be late for school," Malcolm shouted when he saw the clock on the wall.
"Oh Malcolm," Princess Morbucks called out to him when she saw him running down the hall. "Are you forgetting something?" waving the large suitcase the suit was stored in for him to see.
"Mr. Utonium," the scientist pushed his glasses up his nose. "The suit can retract underneath your clothes and remain in place on your spine until you need it, that way you do not have the hindrance of needing to run away to put it on when you want to beat your sisters to the scene of a crime."
Malcolm put on the suit again only this time feel it pull itself back around his body and rest folded up against the back part of his body, kept on by some plates around his chest and waist. "That's going to be helpful."
Mandy just smirked up at the teen. "Have fun with the one day you'll be able to do this before your sisters make you stop for your own good."
Malcolm knew that Mandy was just saying things like that rile him up but the problem was that it worked. He knew that if his sisters discovered that he was in the suit and would take it away from him, claiming it was unsafe. And he knew that at some point the other shoe had to drop and he'd be in whatever scheme Mandy had cooked up but for once, he could actually have a chance to show others that he's not just some nobody.
Getting into class just a few minutes after the bell, Malcolm moved to the back row where he typically sat. "Mr. Utonium I understand that your sister's birthday bash yesterday was the talk of the town but do try to be on time next time." His teacher said to him, which only served to make him angry.
Instead of being chastised for tardiness, he was getting a pass just because his sisters had a birthday the other day. How was that fair, why couldn't he just be late because he was late, not everything in his life had to do with the Powerpuff Girls, coupled that with how tired he was from staying awake the entire night doing physical activity and Malcolm was all too ready to leave class when the alarm sounded that a giant monster was attacking the city.
The scene the Powerpuff Girls arrived at was much different than they had expected. The mayor had accidentally unplugged the hotline and couldn't figure it out until Ms. Bellum returned from lunch and hooked it back up for him so they were already a few minutes late and hoped the monster hadn't caused too much destruction.
Seeing the monster fall to the ground dead and some new hero in dark armor standing on its body was different for the girls. The girls floated over to the new person while the crowd cheered for them. "Hello," Blossom waved and offered a smile to the person under the visor. "Uh thanks for stopping the monster, we were running late on that one."
Malcolm looked down at his sister through the suit's optics and tried to think of what he wanted to say to them after all this time not really being a person who was ever in the spotlight now his sister was thanking him for saving the day. Finally after a tense moment where Blossom was looking back at her sisters uncertain of what to do Malcolm responded.
"It's what I do," he said, the tiredness seeping into his tone, along with the suit's audio capabilities masking his voice making him sound gravely and dark. Flying off into the sky Malcolm knew he needed to get somewhere. There was so much going on in his head that he had to get out of the suit and could only do so somewhere his sisters wouldn't see him.
Finding a decrepit building on the bad side of town, he flew into the room of an empty apartment and deactivated the suit. "Holy shit," he gasped out as his body was caked with sweat and he was hyperventilating. "I actually did it. I stopped a monster, me. All by myself and it wasn't some pushover or anything. I saved the city, before my sisters."
Pacing around the room he ran a hand through his hair as he thought back to what he had just done.
Slipping away from his class as they left the school for a Monster Day, which happened at least once a month where they got let out early for safety, he ducked behind the gym and the suit formed around his body. The thrusters at their top speed allowed him to race across the city faster than anything he'd ever been in before. He was sure that he could get to the monster before his sisters did and the giant beast was still rampaging with no colorful blurs heading towards it.
Slamming himself into the large creature sent it stumbling but Malcolm didn't let up his opening barrage of powerful blows. Punching and kicking the creature, until he couldn't even put up it's arms to defend itself. After that, one rocket boosted axe kick to the head and the monster dropped dead.
It didn't take long before the citizens began to cheer for him and that was almost overwhelming. It was everything he'd ever wanted, people looking at him and smiling, thanking him for what he had done.
"I'm impressed Utonium, you managed to actually not mess this up," Princess Morbucks said as she stepped into the room Malcolm was occupying.
"How did you find me?" Malcolm questioned just how Mandy had found him so quickly. "Did you put a tracking chip on me?" Looking furious that he was being spied on.
"These suits have a powercell in them that gives off an energy signature, I don't need a tracking chip in them, if you want to use it, then I'll know where you are based on that," Mandy chortled, tracking chips were so overrated. "So was it everything you ever wanted?"
"And then some," Malcolm admitted.
"Good good, then it's yours, for however long you managed to keep it from your family," Mandy replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Malcolm glared at the redhead who was so confidently walking around the decrepit apartment.
"Oh nothing," Mandy shrugged. "It's just, do you think you can get that back home and have no one notice it? If something happened at night don't you think your sisters are going to notice that suit flying out of your house with them? That they won't see you returning home? I give it a week tops and that's me being generous."
Mandy turned and pouted at the older boy. "Then daddy dearest will just take it all away, probably use it to build super suit upgrades for your sisters while making sure you don't do anything reckless, after all you're not super like your sisters."
That was something Malcolm hadn't thought about, what he would do after his first day, he couldn't just go home with this stuff, he'd get found out eventually even if no one in his family paid him any attention. You could only hide that for so long. "So what do you have planned then?" Malcolm folded his arms and asked.
"I assume you didn't just bring it up for no reason after all?"
"You need to move out," Mandy shrugged. "Get a place for yourself where your family won't see what you're doing and then you could do this without getting caught."
"And just how do you propose I do that huh? I don't exactly have the means to buy a house and who's going to rent an apartment to me, I'm still a teenager?"
"That's where I come in," Mandy laughed maniacally. All the occupants of the room were unaware that a camera was watching them the whole time.
"I do not like this, and when I do not like something, I do something. Something about that thing that I do not like." An ominous voice said while a shadow was cast over the large chair in front of a bank of monitors watching various locations throughout the city.