A mysterious stranger had just confirmed that our precious Buttercup was, indeed, freaking out. Only the stranger didn't look so strange. Sure, he looked different too; less colorful, a few grays on the sides of his head, dark circles under his eyes, but his gentle face and white lab coat were a familiar sight.

"Professor?" Asked the girls.

"Yeah, it's me," he said in a tired voice. He sported a five o'clock shadow, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

"What's going on?" Blossom asked. "One moment, we were fighting Mojo Jojo…"

"A much more hardcore Mojo." Bubbles added.

"And the next, we're older, and have body parts like you!"

"And all the colors are muted!" Buttercup said.

Professor said, "Yeah. My dimensional vibe detector picked up some strange vibes a moment ago. I think I might know what happened."

"You do?" Blossom asked.

"Yes, but to make sure, I need to run an experiment."

One scene transition later, the Puffs were seated on a rundown sofa that faced a widescreen tv with a crack running through it. The Professor, eyes still bloodshot, had a thumb drive in hand. "I'm gonna show you some videos. If you see anything familiar, let me know."

He plugged in the thumb drive into the tv. He adjusted some dials on a remote. The tv flickered on, displaying the Powerpuff Girls as they knew themselves: small, big eyes, no fingers or toes. The background was a single solitary primary color that changed every second: green, blue, red, yellow, pink, and so on. And what were the girls in the television doing? Dancing to…the liner note says "We Like to Party" by Vengaboys.

Who writes this drivel? Seriously, they'll let anyone write scripts nowadays. Have some standards!

Regardless, the girls in the TV didn't stop dancing. Their life was a music video that never ended.

Blossom said, "Uh, this doesn't ring any bells. We've danced before, but not like this."

Professor tweaked the knobs on his remote. "Alright. Try this on for size."

The tv displayed Townsville, but in this Townsville, everyone was driving on the other side of the road! The green traffic lights were instead blue! And up in the air were three girls who looked like the Powerpuff Girls, but not exactly; they were slightly older, taller, and wore different clothes. Each of them was carrying an object: Blossom had a yo-yo, Bubbles had a bubble blowing wand, and Buttercup had a mallet. And right on cue was Mojo Jojo, larger and more imposing, just like when the girls last saw him! But that wasn't from more muscles, but, as the tv revealed, from stilts underneath his cape. This other Mojo did, however, fight the girls hand-to-hand, using a technique wherein he struck hundreds of times a second.

"Wait!" Bubbles pointed at the Mojo on the tv. "That's the thing Mojo was doing when we last saw him!"

Buttercup said, "Yeah, and he looked larger too, like this Mojo, except ours wasn't using stilts."

Professor said, "Interesting. Interesting. Whatever's caused your situation must've affected more than just the three of you." He adjusted more dials on his remote. "Let's try this universe."

The tv displayed Townsville, colored correctly, cars on the right side of the road, but that wasn't the important part. The important part was the Powerpuff Girls were facing off with the dastardly members of the Gangrene Gang, each looking exactly as the girls remembered. Finally, the images in the tv looked right! "That's us!" Bubbles said.

"I remember that!"

"I see." The Professor said. The tv continued playing as he explained, "Now, I don't expect you to understand what I'm about to say. That's okay. You come from a universe I call OG98. The universe you're currently in, I dub CW21. There are others, like CN16, AZ06, WS92, SG96, and IW13. All of this is proof of the multiverse theory." Bubbles raised her hand. "Yes, Bubbles?"

"What's a multiverse theory?"

The Professor was about to explain a scientific theory as best he could to five-year-olds, at least until something that sounded like a Geiger counter started clicking rapidly. "My dimensional vibe detector! It's picking up strange vibes again, and they're coming this way."

The girls stood up. Blossom said, "It's okay, Professor. We'll handle it."

The source of the new vibes entered the living room. The girls turned around to see…themselves? Indeed, the new arrivals were Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup as they originally looked: tiny, no fingers, eyes like saucers, a distinct lack of noses and nostrils. The adult-sized Bubbles said, "Hey, those girls look just like us! They are us!"

The child Blossom pointed her arm and said, "Hey, what are you doing with our bodies?" Her voice was the childish voice Blossom had back home, not the young adult voice she had now.

Adult Blossom pointed right back with her index finger. "What are you doing with our bodies? We're supposed to look like you, not like us!"

Child Bubbles folded her arms, looked toward her small sisters with a pout, and said, "Don't listen to them! They're just fakers."

Adult Buttercup said, "Hey, who are you calling fakers?"

Child Blossom put her arms on her hips. "The Powerpuff Girls, that's who!"

Adult Bubbles said, "But we're the Powerpuff Girls!"

Child Buttercup said, "Oh yeah? Cuz only real Powerpuffs would have bodies as bae as the ones you're currently squatting."

Adult Buttercup said, "Baloney! You're the ones who stole our bodies!"

Child Bubbles crossed her arms. "Nuh unh! You stole our bodies, you haters with your mid poses and un-fleek moods!"

The Professor said, "Calm down, everyone. There's a logical explanation for…"

"And how many ARMYs have we lost without our iconic bods?" Child Blossom said. "Every day, every second, we lose that much more revenue from our SkillShare sponsors!"

"Yeah!" Child Buttercup added. "I don't wanna snap selfies with this discount Pokémon aesthetic! Only grandmas and toddlers would retweet these figures! The 18 to 25 demo is where it's at!"

"And this voice is soooo cringe." Child Bubbles squeaked. "I sound like Harley Quinn sucking down a tank of helium." She flexed her stubby arms and scowled. "RAAAAH! I can't take it anymore! Hashtag Get Owned!"

The adult Puffs took a defensive stance, but before Child Bubbles could fly in a blue streak of fury, she was held back by Child Blossom and Buttercup. "Wait!" The tiny redhead said. "If you bruise them and we do get our bodies back, that would be even worse for us!"

Child Buttercup said, "She's right! The algorithms don't care about what's on the inside. It's what's on the outside that counts!"

Child Bubbles, straining to fly and speak, managed to say, "But I won't stand for these imposters! They didn't work their backs off to get my hair to just the right bounce! They never struggled to find a dress that says, 'I'm not like other girls (except my sisters)'!"

As Child Bubbles rambled while being held back, Adult Blossom looked at the Professor and said, "Uh, Professor, do we become marketing specialists as adults?"

"Not exactly. It's kind of the norm around these parts." Indeed, just outside, people were walking while staring at mobile computing devices held on selfie sticks. Even the dogs had their own paws-free phones attached to their collars! "The world wanted to modernize itself, and this is what happened."

Child Bubbles stopped struggling. An imaginary lightbulb went on near her head. "Oh, right! I remembered why we dropped by! We came here to warn you—"

The front door was kicked open. In walked in…Oh no! Say it isn't so! That curly red hair, the yellow pantsuit, the black leather pumps, that smirk conveying sheer wickedness. It was Princess Morbucks, live, and now the age of a young adult!

"Oh fiddlesticks." Professor said.

Princess walked in like she owned the place, touching the tips of her fingers as she gazed at the Professor. "Having one last family reunion, Professor?" she said with satisfied smugness, until she noticed double the number of Powerpuff Girls in sight. Her smirk vanished. "Why is there another set of Powerpuff Girls in here? And why do they look like they leapt off the pages of a comic book?"

The girls looked at each, then at the Professor, then at Princess. They spoke in unison.

"Well, it all started when we got a call from the Mayor."

"We were making content in the city with Fuzzy Lumpkin."

"And then I went POW! And his gun got vaporized!"

"And then mid-flight, I felt like I was wearing tights that haven't been my style since 2008!"

"And then he punched a whole lotta buncha times while speaking gibberish!"

"Next thing I knew, I had that feel when you're totes out of your body, and I was not there for it."

Princess chuckled. "How perfect! I have an excuse to exposit my master plan for these interlopers." She paced about in the living room. "When I was little, I envied you girls, yes. I couldn't fly on my own, I couldn't beat monsters with my bare hands, I couldn't lift buildings. I wanted what you had. As I got older, I realized I was wrong. I already have something you don't. When Daddy got sent to the nursing home, I inherited the family fortune. So while you were busy cosplaying Superman, I was using my superpower of buying up the city. I own Townsville Hall, the police, the schools, the fire department, the hospitals, the zoo, the parks, the utilities, and soon, this very house."

Adult Buttercup said, "Over my dead body!" She extended her left arm, fist formed, ready to fly into Princess and deliver a knuckle sandwich.

"Fake Buttercup, no!" Child Blossom said.

A green streak formed behind Adult Buttercup, but was soon cut down mid-flight. Something struck her right shoulder, something small, but very sharp. It felt like, "Gah! A needle!"

Princess was twirling a handgun. "Not just any needle. You have been injected with Antidote X."

By Muradin's beard! The toughest Powerpuff was being drained of everything that made her a Powerpuff! Her otherwise energetic body felt much heavier. It took every ounce of her being just to stand again.

Adult Bubbles said, "How could you? That's so cruel!"

Princess holstered her gun. "Relax. I only gave her enough to knock her out for about an hour. I may be savage, but I'm not barbaric. Speaking of." She took out a deed, one signed by the Professor. "You've been late on your payments for too long, Professor. In just a few minutes, everything in this house will be mine."

Professor Utonium frowned, unable to make eye contact with anyone. "It's true, new girls. Princess has taken over Townsville. And with the power of the law on her side, there's nothing we can do."

"Yes, how ironic that when the Powerpuff Girls have to solve a problem without fighting, suddenly, they're…powerless." Princess laughed a wicked laugh. Her smug smirk came back in full force. "It's still 8 minutes until the deadline. I'll ask one last time; where's the money, Professor?"

He looked toward the entrance to the basement lab. "It's down there somewhere. Lemme take another look." He gestured to the girls to follow him. They complied, with Adult Blossom and Bubbles carrying Adult Buttercup.

The lab was the only place that looked just as bright and clean as it did in their home dimension. The walls were a pristine white, the assorted test tubes, beakers, computers, microscopes, petri dishes and cabinets were orderly, and the marker board had a new formula written all over it. Professor said, "I've worked tirelessly to make new inventions to keep the bills paid, but with Princess increasing the price on everything, I'm in dire straits."

Adult Bubbles pointed at what looked like some sort of laser cutter sitting on top of a cabinet in the corner of the lab. "What's that?"

"My latest invention. I call it the Canon Cannon. It has the power to rewrite the rules of the universe. I was hoping to rewrite things so I wouldn't be in debt."

Adult Blossom asked, "Does it work?"

"Technically yes, but it's still in the prototype stages." He turned toward the smaller Powerpuff Girls. "Were you able to finish the video with Fuzzy Lumpkins?"

Child Blossom's arms went limp. "Even if we were still in our normal bodies, the algorithms just aren't favoring us today."

Professor looked at his smartphone with a long face. "Still short by a few thousand." He sighed, pocketing his phone. "Well girls, the important thing is, you tried. Your tireless hard work will never be forgotten."

Adult Blossom said, "Wait, so all this time, all the slang words, the concern about looking good, that was for raising money to save the Professor?"

All three child Puffs clasped their arms behind their backs, their heads slightly bowed. "Uh huh," Child Bubbles said.

Adult Buttercup said, "So you weren't airheads after all! I didn't think I'd stoop that low without a good reason!"

Adult Blossom said, "Hey, this gives me an idea! Group huddle, everyone!"

Group huddle. Two words the older Puffs trapped in childish bodies hadn't heard in a dog's age. The seven of them hashed out details, most of them from the two Blossoms. I'd love to know what their analytical minds are concocting, but alas, narrators aren't privy to such sensitive information.

The group broke out of their huddle when they saw Princess descending down into the lab, her heeled boots echoing in menace. "Time's up, Professor." She stood in front of him, extending an open hand. "Do you have my money or not?"

Adult Blossom cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Ms. Morbucks?"

Princess let out a venomous, "What?"

"I wanted to say for the record that, on one occasion, we broke up a band of villains by asking a monkey performer to join their group and cause discord within their ranks." She flipped her hair triumphantly. "They're still carrying that weight."

Adult Bubbles said, "And one time, I got a monster to stop attacking the city by politely asking him to stop attacking and leave." She giggled. "It was a real confidence boost, especially since the girls tease me for liking nice things so much."

Adult Buttercup said, "And this one other time, we beat these evil boy counterparts of ours by kissing them." She crossed her arms, eyes closed, a satisfied grin on her face. "One of the few times I didn't mind acting girly."

Princess said, "Yeah. And your point?"

Adult Bubbles said, "The point, my dear Princess, is that when you said we can't solve a problem without fighting, you were LYING!" Bubbles' voice screeched so high, she almost sounded like her childish self again. "You take back what you said right now, or we'll sue you for character, um, assess? Uh, access eh nation?" Blossom whispered into Bubbles' ear. "For libel!"

Princess raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well excuse me for having a life, and not pouring over wikis to find out who did what, whose origin story does or doesn't follow the Marvel mold, and whether or not Spider-Boy can take on Green Hood. Oh, by the by, libel suits don't work if the defendant wasn't lying in the first place. You never did any of those things, otherwise, it would've been all over the news. Of course, if you want to lose to a countersuit, I'd be happy to oblige!" She looked around, looking more irritated than usual. "Is it getting drafty in here? I thought we were in a basement." She looked up to find three Powerpuff-shaped holes in the roof, holes just wide enough to accommodate the smaller, cartoony Powerpuffs Girls! "What? You tricked me!"

Princess took out her anti-Powerpuff gun again. Adult Bubbles fired heat vision, melting the gun before Princess could get off another shot. "Neato! I can still do that!"

"That was company property!" Princess said.

Adult Blossom said, "Why fret? Surely, you could use your superpower to buy another one."

"Don't you sass me, you prissy ponytailed punk!"

Princess took out her phone, anxious to call the police. She saw there were 257 new messages, which quickly updated to 259, then 312, then finally saying, "Error. Too many new messages. Please delete before I turn into electronic goo."

Princess growled. Three streaks of light belonging to the smaller Powerpuffs descended into the lab from the new holes in the roof. "We're terribly sorry for the roof damage, Professor," Child Blossom said.

Professor waved a hand. "Oh, it's nothing a few contractors can't fix."

Child Buttercup said, "Why don't you check your bank account again."

Professor looked at his phone. For the first time since the girls had arrived in this dimension, his face beamed. "We…we did it! We can afford the rental fees, all of them!" He pushed buttons on his phone. "All the money's been sent, and there's enough left over for a pizza party!"

Princess, hastily scrolling through text messages, said, "What? How? How'd you get the money on such short notice?"

Adult Blossom said, "When we regaled you of tales of our daring do, the other Powerpuffs flew off. So enthralled you were, you not only didn't notice when they broke through the house, you also didn't notice the times your phone dinged."

Blossom wasn't lying, as all the messages Princess received were reports of sabotage, vandalism and theft of company property.

Child Blossom said, "We took things you owned, then used our Instagram connections to sell them on eBay. People will pay good money for a limousine rim once owned by a Powerpuff Girl."

Princess stopped scrolling. She laughed. She laughed harder. She fell onto the ground, laughing maniacally, feet kicking into the air. She stopped when she was short of breath. She stood back up and said with a wide smile, "You stupid-heads! You just admitted to a bunch of felonies! With a paper trail to boot!" She tapped a button on her phone screen, then spoke into its speaker, "It's me. I got the three perps right in front of me. Book 'em."

Child Blossom said, "Now, Professor!"

The six Powerpuff Girls were standing in front of the Cannon Canon. Professor flipped a switch. A white beam engulfed both sets of Utonium Sisters. The bright flash blinded Princess and Professor, forcing them to cover their eyes. Seconds later, the Canon Cannon shut off. The blinding beam was gone. The smaller Puffs were gone. The larger ones remained.

Princess noticed the remaining Powerpuff Girls were the ones she recognized. "Even if you didn't steal my stuff, I can still have all of you charged for accessories to felonies!"

Blossom, now back in her grown-up body, said, "You're wasting your time, Princess."

"Nuh unh!"

Blossom closed her eyes and pointed her index finger up, a clear sign she was reciting something from memory. "Paragraph 16, Subsection 23, Line 4 of the Townsville City Charter states, and I quote, 'In the event of a crime perpetuated by a criminal using a personality swap with a different body to perform a crime, only the culprit's body can be charged with a crime, not the personality.'" She put her hand down and opened her eyes. "Normally, I'd chastise the Mayor for not realizing his mistake, that he should charge the personality, not the body, but thanks to his error, we are not guilty of any recent crimes." She flipped her hair. "Good thing I study law in my spare time."

Princess stood still for a few seconds. Her face twitched involuntarily. She dropped her phone, face still twitching. Sounds came out of her throat, not intelligible sounds, more like the sounds someone makes when they're completely dumbfounded. This culminated in Princess screaming at the top of her lungs, crushing her phone underneath her heel, and saying, "This isn't over, Powerpuff Girls! Far from it!" She stormed out of the house, heels echoing on the steps to the upper level of the house.

Professor embraced his girls. "Oh girls, I could never thank you enough!"

Blossom laughed. "You don't have to, Professor. Saving people is what we do."

Professor said, "You and the other Blossom hatched such an effective scheme, and on such short notice too!"

"What can I say? We are girls of many talents." Bubbles chuckled. Buttercup rolled her eyes.

"I got a question," Bubbles said. "Do I still have to say words like lowkey and flex?"

Blossom shrugged. "Not now. Maybe later."

Buttercup said, "I'm keeping salty in my vocabulary no matter what."

The residents of the Utonium household could breathe easier thanks to the cunning of the commander and leader of the Powerpuff Girls!

But what of the Powerpuff Girls we've been following since the start of this interdimensional adventure? When the Canon Cannon struck them, they felt their bodies disappear into nothing, only to reassemble back into their small, marketable bodies, floating through a void of nothingness, until finding themselves on a field of grass. A road was behind them, and in front of them was a sign that read, "Pokey Oaks Kindergarten."

The school bell rang. Children their age ran inside. "Well, guess the weekend's over." Blossom said. "Let's just be glad things are back to normal."

And indeed, the school was the same as ever both inside and out. All the students were the same as before; to think the Puffs would be relieved to see Mitch Mitchelson tormenting some kids before class, though stranger things have happened!

And most importantly, the girls' favoritest teacher in the whole wide world was present, Ms. Keane! She took roll call, then got on the subject of today's school lesson. "Today," She announced, "We're gonna start reading a very special book."

Ms Keane picked up a stack of books on her desk and began handing them out one by one to the students. Each of the kids looked excited to see the book they were assigned to read. Mitch Mitchelson said, "Alright!"

Another girl in the class said, "Joy!"

When Buttercup got a book and saw the cover, her eyes went wide. "No way!"

Blossom's eyes also went wide upon receiving a book. "It couldn't be!"

Bubbles, upon receiving her book copy, screamed a high-pitched scream that cracked the windows of the school.

Their reactions made sense when looking at the title of the book, "Why I'm So Great. Written, edited, illustrated, produced, supervised, marketed, printed, bound, sold, and distributed by Mojo Jojo." Behind the words making up the title and credits was an image of Mojo standing heroically upon a hilltop, his form silhouetted to the backdrop of a rising sun, cape blowing dramatically in the wind.

Was this indeed the girls' home dimension, one corrupted by Mojo Jojo? Was it an alternate universe where he was always selling children's books about his alleged greatness? Will our heroines be home before bedtime, or indeed, at all? Find out next time, same Powerpuff time, same Powerpuff channel!