Professor Utonium sat in his chair reading the newspaper, smoking from his pipe with a furrowed brow. Something didn't feel right as the morning was passing by. Call it parental instinct; his stomach was twisting in knots, and he couldn't stop looking over at the clock to check the time. It was now about close to a quarter past eleven.

'Something doesn't feel right… Maybe I should call and check in on the girls?' He mulled over the aspect of calling their teacher to see how the girls were doing, but a part of him was nagging him telling him that he was worrying over nothing.

He didn't want to appear as a worry wart, but John Utonium held his duty as a father with pride and priority over anything else. He chewed on the inside of his cheek; the idea still debatable in his sharp mind.

Just as he was about up out of his chair in the living room, folding the paper neatly onto the seat and parting towards the door with his keys in hand, a rapid knock was heard at the front door.

He darted for the door in a heartbeat, feeling suddenly uneasy with a hint of surprise.

As he opened it, an unexpected and shocking sight greeted him. He nearly dropped his pipe out of his mouth.

"Hi John.", Joyce Keane greeted the father of the three superheroines quite bashfully, wishing that the abrupt greeting would have been under entirely different circumstances.

"J-Joyce? What are you doing here? Where are the girls?" The Professor sprang out a slew of questions at the lady, only to suddenly remember his mannerisms. "Sorry. Are the girls alright?"

Ms. Keane took a deep breath and looked at him level in the eyes with sudden seriousness.

"John, they're.. fine. Well, how do I put this?"

The Professor was puzzled and worried, seeing the hesitation behind the woman's voice. There was no easy way about it or around it; she's going to have to tell him one way or another.

"May I come in? I think it's best if you sit down for this one…"


Buttercup was zipping at a high velocity across the city, all while singing an all familiar tune that she albeit changed the lyrics to.

"Making my way downtown, pace so fast that you're hauling ass 'cuz I've no bounds."

She hummed the rest while her bright green eyes scanned around the shops in a desperate search for a clue or something that could aid in their quest for the mysterious woman that helped them.

'This is going to be much harder than I thought. I wonder if Bubbles or Blossom have better luck?' She thought with a bite of agitation.

As she made way around the nearest corner, her eye caught a sight that skidded her to a halt.

A couple of petty crooks were in the process of busting into a local bank for an attempted robbery. She smirked to herself.

"Looks like I'm gonna have fun with this!"

She casually walked up to the unsuspecting robbers, who were struggling to get their ski masks on and get their guns ready on hand.

"Stupid thing.." the first robber muttered as he tried to remove the safety of his weapon but failed miserably. It got stuck somehow. The other two goons were chuckling while the supposed leader snapped at them. "Alright, you morons! Cut the crap! Get that gun working and let's get this over with before those accursed Powerpuffs show up!"

The three minions complied lamely, trying to get their bearings together. The third lackey finally got the safety removed, and that's when he glanced over to see a young lady dressed in green and black approaching them.

He then wolf-whistled at her, gaining the attention of the other cronies.

"Well, lookie here!" The fumbling goon was short in statue and super thin, with yellow teeth and a shaggy looking face. He grinned as he leered over Buttercup and her appearance.

The green puff looked at them with a confident smirk. Clearly they don't seem to know or register who she actually was yet.

The leader of the bunch was a hulky man with arms the size and girth of full grown turkeys on steroids. As a whole, the sight of these buffoons leering over at the toughest fighter without the registered knowledge of her real identity was quite humorous.

"Well, well! Who's this cutie? You lost, sweetheart?" The hulky man licked his chapped lips with a look that spells super creep with a capital 'C'.

Buttercup crossed her arms, her countenance changing to a grimace of disgust. "Who you calling 'cute'?"

The leader still held his gun but said nothing to that remark. He turned back to the door of the bank and waved at his underlings. "Boys, you have fun with this broad. Just save some for me, will you? Can't let a beauty like that go to waste!" He chuckled sinisterly.

Just as the skinny lackey was about to approach and grab the green fighter, no sooner was he met with an unpleasant feeling of his skull being smashed.

Buttercup flicked him on the forehead with her forefinger, as if she was swatting a fly away and sent the pathetic man flying by almost three and a half yards into a tree planted by the sidewalk.

The other two men were flabbergasted in horror, and so was their boss. Then it clicked in their thick skulls who it was before them.

"SHIT! It's Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls!" One of the men screamed. He readied his armed weapon, only to have the barrel crushed and bent by her hand. The fighter smirked mischievously. "Ya know, that's no way to treat a lady, boys. Let me teach you some manners."

She rolled her free right hand into a fist and with one punch, knocked the man out cold. Now there were two.

The petty criminals began unloading bullets at her with a mix of fury and fear. The ammunition merely ricochet off her, feeling like plastic pellets against her skin.

"Guys like you just don't know when you're beat, huh?" She raised a brow, letting the cockiness roll off her tongue.

With quick speed, she zipped faster than the eye could see and socked the remaining lackey in the stomach. His whole body went rigid and fell to the ground with a thud.

The commotion just outside of the bank entrance doors was heard by the citizens and were peaking from within the safety of the building through the windows.

They were all in awe as they witnessed the whole scenario, up to the point where Buttercup took the last man down with one swipe of a backhand. His body crumpled into unconsciousness onto the pavement.

Everyone was in shock. What stunned them even more was what one of the men shouted earlier. Buttercup, of the Powerpuff Girls, only her appearance was entirely different.

"Stay down, you sick perverts!" The green puff shouted, her pretty face marred with anger.

She looked through the glass doors of the bank and saw the clock. She already wasted forty-five minutes just passing the shops and an extra fifteen or so on these bozos.

"Dammit! At this rate, I'll never find a clue about that lady!"

She scanned the area, ignoring the peering faces of the people who were now emerging from the insides of the buildings. They were looking at her in wonder, but the notion went past her.

'Alright. I cleared the shops for the most part. Alls left now is the arcade..'

She winced at the idea of having to search there. Not because she dislikes retro gaming or the fun commodities that said entertainment center provided, but because of who would be there.

The cops finally arrived at the scene, but as they were in the process of handcuffing the criminals, they too, were gaping at the young lady in front of them with great surprise. They knew that one of the girls came and stopped the men. They just didn't expect the sight.

Biting her lip in anticipation, she sighed in defeat and muttered. "Guess there's no helping it. I'll just have to try and avoid them as much as possible, find what we need and get the hell out of dodge".

Sometimes, she thought to herself, it pains to be a superhero.

At breakneck speed, she broke into a run once more, leaving a bunch of confused and awestruck citizens behind.


"Aw, shit!" A nasally Italian New York accent cursed out. Green fingers gripped the sides of the pinball machine, shaking it to keep the small metal orb from falling into the delta below. It failed miserably.

"Aye yie yie!" Came a small Mexican cry from the shorter one of the group of five.

The Gangreen Gang have been hitting the pinball machines after bullying some other kids of their lunch and pocket money for their entertainment.

Ace growled as the last pinball shot up and out of the pocket to play. This was his last shot at beating his current high score.

Snake hissed at the suspense, his slitted pink eyes watching anxiously. Big Billy stood looming over them, dumbly cheering "Go, Ace!"

The leader of the gang snapped. "Shut it! I've almost got it!" His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to make the attempt to hit the bumpers for as long as he could. Grubber blew a hushed raspberry, he ogling eyes staring unblinkingly as their boss struggled with the ball.

Unbeknownst to them, Buttercup swooped in quietly from far behind. She peered over just in time to see the boys occupied with their game of pinball.

"Good. Hopefully, they won't see me while I look around." She tip toed har way to the other side, taking small glances here and there to ensure that they weren't looking.

Once she was in the clear, she took a quick sweep and looked around for any clues. She checked a few of the games and tables near by, but so far nothing.

A loud shout from the far end indicated that Ace finally beat his high score. She cringed inwardly as goosebumps trickled across her skin.

'Ugh. Same old Ace. Can't wait to bail out of here once I get somethi-'

"So Ace! Doesn't this mean you can beat Buttercup's high score?" Little Arturo piped up, his thick Mexican accent filling the already these air.

Dammit.

As much as she didn't want to listen, curiosity got the best of her. She snuck over to a nearby claw machine and hid behind it, eavesdropping on the conversation.

The leader of the Gang smirked. "I suppose that's feasible since she ain't here.. but first we gotta grab more cash. Come on, boys! Let's go see who else's pockets we can pick from."

The rest of the Gangreen Gang shouted in compliance, following the punk boss to search out the arcade of any helpless victims for some extra coin.

"Great. The ol' 'Toss a coin to your jerk, o' valley of plenty' routine. I've gotta hurry before they see me!"

She growled as she straightened herself up from her crouching position on the floor. As much as she would like to teach them a lesson, she didn't want to risk a freak out from the group should they see how she looks now.

'Plus, Blossom will kill me if I pick a fight now and waste more time.'

Not wanting to waste another minute, she used her x-ray vision to make a quick scan of the area. Looking over the many machines and systems, she stopped at one that held an odd white glow to it.

'Bingo!' she thought with relief and glee.

She sped on over to the machine and noticed it was the same arcade game that she plays when she comes to the entertainment center.

The same game that Ace wanted to beat her high score in.

The game was Street Fighter. Cliché, but it worked for her since she loved violence.

Searching the machine, she tapped the sides and shook it a little, not wanting to break the game box. After the beating she gave those thugs from earlier, she realized that her strength had substantially increased and has been made more wary of it.

Finally, she saw the glow coming from behind. She pulled the large gaming machine forward and felt around the back. She felt something drop and reached down to pick it up.

She saw that it was a large Crystal of a sort, one that looks like a flower. The color was a pale pristine green, but it emitted a bright white light from within.

She gasped as it intensified in its shine and started floating towards her, disappearing into her chest.

She blinked a couple times, feeling where it dissolved into. "What the heck was that?!" She wondered aloud.

"Aye Dios mío!" A shrill Mexican voice came from behind her. Her whole body tensed up upon hearing it.

She slowly turned around and was caught like a deer in headlights. Little Arturo gaped at her, apparently able to recognize her just from the remark alone.

"B-Buttercup?!" The smallest of the gang was dumbfounded. This was what she wanted to avoid.

But that was all cut off quickly as a loud scream could be heard from the far side of the arcade. It was Ace, sounding very frightened. Followed by an otherworldly shriek. The same kind from the playground that same morning.

Not skipping a beat, she zipped to the other side of the gaming area and stopped to see a horrible sight. Ace was pinned down to the ground by a giant monstrosity that resembled half Komodo dragon and half man, black magma like veins visibly flowing on its skin rather than inside and with large razor sharp teeth. The rest of the Gang watched in terror as the thing was about to take a bite out of the leader.

Buttercup's resolve broke as she shot herself towards the creature without a second thought. "Get away from him!" She hollered as she smashed into the abomination and went crashing through the concrete wall of the building with it.

The green Powerpuff moved quick and shoved the monster into the pavement, grinding its face against the asphalt. She then roundhouse kicked it into the air and shot up after it, clasping her hands together as she swung down on it hard, crushing its skull with a thundering crack.

Black blood shot out from its mouth as it was sent spiraling back towards the earth, gravity giving the extra shot against its body.

The monster forced itself upwards, some of its teeth shattered and its skull dented inwards from the impact of her hands. The thing was easily about 11 feet tall, it's sick venom yellow eyes glaring at the toughest Powerpuff.

Fighting this one was different from the first monolith the girls encountered earlier. Aside from its shorter stature, it felt much easier.

She readied her stance and balled her fists. The gross creature shrieked and charged towards the raven haired girl, baring what's left of its teeth at her and raising its sharp claws.

The air around them vibrated with energy and a strong residual pressure. The green Powerpuff suddenly began to glow brightly and pulled back her fists. As soon as it got close enough, she threw in the punch. The reptilian freak stumbled and lost its footing, only to be the receiver of a barrage of punches that relentlessly pummeled its maw into a fractured mess.

Buttercup then shot up into the air and lifted her hands up to the heavens. Suddenly, a swarm of illuminating green arrows appeared around her. "Swarm the skies!"

As the creature gave one final broken screech, she threw her hands forward with a cry "Sylphistia!"

The arrows shot forward like fierce missiles, dissolving the monster in a large, blinding white light.

Moments passed until everything came back into focus. Buttercup was panting, a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead.

A huge burn mark remained on the ground where the monster originally stood, with zero trace of a single remain.

Slowly, she made her descent towards the ground with more grace than she intended. She was so not used to being subtle in her actions, much less words.

As she planted her feet on the ground, she surveyed the area. Debris and pieces of cinderblock were scattered all over the asphalt and through the hole in the wall, she saw the Gangreen Gang. Ace was unconscious throughout the whole ordeal after she collided with the dark menace that attacked him. The other Gang members were doing what they can to rouse him back to reality.

Except for Little Arturo. He was staring, jaw dropped right at her. It wasn't until the sound of Grubber blowing a weak raspberry got the others attention and then all were looking right at her as well.

"Well, shit." She muttered, not liking the situation at all. She was also able to see the clock. Her three hours were up.

When she then heard the sound of Ace coming to, she immediately reacted. She lifted a finger to her lips, looking right back into the faces of the boys. Then Buttercup shot up into the air and flew away as fast as her powers could take her.

The Gang stood in a stupor as they watched the green Powerpuff fly out of sight. "Wasss that.. Buttercup?" Snake hissed in disbelief.

"Huh? Buttercup?" Ace slurred his words slightly as he blinked a few times behind his sunshades. But as he looked around, she was nowhere to be seen. Ace raised a brow and slowly got up. He looked at his fellow members, who oddly remained silent. He then looked at his surroundings and was startled to see the mess before him. As his eyes passed by the burnt spot on the ground, he felt his heart skip a beat. "What the hell happened here? All I remember was getting jumped by some giant schmuck after I grabbed some kid for their money and almost became the blue plate special for that bastard! Just how—?" He glanced up at the sky, briefly remembering a flash of green removing his otherworldly assailant faster than he could even say 'onomatopoeia' then passed out.

'Buttercup..' he thought to himself.

A moment or two passed before the leader turned back to the rest of the group and asked them, "D'she leave?"

Grubber blew a small raspberry in affirmation.

More silence. Then, without another question to be asked, Ace turned and started walking away. He called to them over his shoulder, "let's go, boys. We got a big event to get ready for."

They knew what he meant and with one glance at one another, nodded in silent compliance. They were given special invitations to the event by none other than Princess Morbucks. But that wasn't the only thing they understood by what Ace meant.

The Powerpuff Girls.. Buttercup.. would be there. But what they had witnessed before their leader awoke was something the four kept to themselves… for now.