The girls had found their way back to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, only to learn that the assigned reading material is a book by none other than the insidious, nefarious, duplicitous Mojo Jojo!

Blossom stood up. The indignation in her voice was unmistakable. "Ms. Keane, you can't seriously have us read a book by Mojo! He's a supervillain!"

A quieting chill ran through the air. All the kids turned their faces toward the Puffs, the disgust in their scowls perfectly evident. Ms. Keane narrowed her eyes. She sounded like she intended to punish them when she said, "What. Did. You. Say?"

Buttercup said, "Duh! We said he's a villain!" She looked around the class. "Wait, is this some kind of prank? Cuz if it is, it ain't funny!"

Ms. Keane said, "You heard them, kids. They spouted Puffist rhetoric. You know what the penalty is for speaking Puffist rhetoric."

Bubbles said, "Puffist? Does that mean us?"

"The Professor gave his word," Ms. Keane said. "That you three would give up your anti-Mojo ways, and for the last several weeks, you had. Now, today, you start spouting anti-Mojo, pro-Puffist talk, despite you promising never to talk like that again. That calls for timeout."

Buttercup said, "Hold on, I know what's happening here. Someone or something's got the people under some kind of spell. Luckily for us, I remember how to deal with this." She gestured like she was rolling up a sleeve, grinning over what she was about to do. "Looks like I'm gonna have to punch!"

Buttercup flew toward Ms. Keane and lightly tapped her shin. She crumbled to the ground. She flew up to Mitch Mitchelson, lightly tapped one of his cheeks, and he fell down, crying loudly. She lightly tapped another kid, then another.

"Buttercup, stop!" Blossom yelled.

"What? I'm doing what you told me to do, pulling my punches against civilians. I don't want to, but I do it so you two won't complain about it."

"That's not it! It's…" Blossom looked pensive as she surveyed the scene of mild destruction before here. "I don't think they're being mind-controlled."

Ms. Keane got up. She went to her desk, pulling out…why would a kindergarten teacher have a beaker marked Antidote X in her desk? "You're in big trouble, young lady!" She said, advancing to Buttercup.

A cold air blew in, but this wasn't the chill of being in an unfamiliar situation; it was a literal chill that made Bubbles and Buttercup shiver. Blossom was exhaling her ice breath. Next thing they knew, Ms. Keane and the other kindergartners were encased in ice. "It's not safe here," Blossom said. "Come on!"

The girls flew out of Pokey Oaks Kindergarten and toward the city. No doubt Mojo was doing something to corrupt the minds of the people the Puffs knew. During their flight, Buttercup said, "It's not like you to freeze everyone and play hooky, Blossom."

Bubbles said, "Yeah! Aren't you scared this is all gonna be on our permanent records?"

"What good is a permanent record in a world controlled by…"

The scene before them was more horrifying than any of them could've ever imagined! Where a statue of a local dignitary once stood, now a statue of Mojo was in its place, and people were taking pictures of it! Citizens were walking down the street, their noses buried into copies of Why I'm So Great! Cars with custom decals showing off romanticized images of Mojo sped down the avenues! Shops were selling official Mojo Jojo merchandise such as Mojo coffee mugs, Mojo egg scramblers, Mojo blankets, Mojo chess sets, and framed pictures showing a scene of Mojo's guest appearance on Dave Letterman!

A hot dog stand's radio was playing a talk radio show. "So, what did you do for your morning tribute to Mojo Jojo?"

"My kids and I made macaroni art of our brilliant leader."

"Isn't that sweet? I mailed Mojo my Christmas bonus."

"It's always a competition with you, isn't it?"

The girls floated by an electronics store with TVs on display. The TVs were playing a local news show. The host of the news show said, "Every day, the Puffists grow bolder with their radical anti-Mojo agenda. Who's to say they won't take away your toys in the name of justice? Or your candy? Or, Jojo forbid, your boxes of crayons? Pretty soon, they're gonna make the next move, and when they do, you'll be begging for Mojo's protection."

A person shouted, "Hey! It's the original un-Mojo Puffists!"

"Down with Puffism!"

"Don't let them corrupt our children!"

The citizens of Townsville made a mad dash toward the girls, forgetting that the Puffs could fly up, which they did to avoid the mob. To think, these were the very people they had saved time and time again, but it looked like Mojo finally had them beat!

Blossom said, "At least now we know how Mojo did it. When your only sources of information tell you that the good guys are bad and the bad guys are good, the results are truly-"

"Inconceivable!" Bubbles exclaimed.

Blossom said, "Oh, that's a new word for you."

Bubbles laughed. "I think the Professor's machine might've taught me a few new words."

Blossom said, "Very interesting, but there's no time to waste."

The trio flew back home, which looked the same as always. They let themselves in. Unlike in the previous dimension, the house was bright, well-maintained, and showed no signs of deterioration. "Professor!"

"Professor!"

"Where are you, Professor?"

No response. They looked everywhere, but not only were there no signs of life, there didn't appear to be any signs that anyone had been living here for weeks. Blossom said, "Where could he have gone?"

Bubbles said, "Maybe he went shopping. I mean, he probably thinks we're still in school right now."

"Shopping?" Buttercup said, pointing to a newspaper sitting on the dining table. "Then why's this newspaper from two months ago?"

"I, uh, that is most perplexing," Bubbles said.

Blossom said, "Well, since we're not safe anywhere else, let's stay here for now. Who knows? Maybe he did leave the house for a while."

The girls stayed home. None of them did anything to take the edge off: no TV, no coloring, no training in the hologram room. They stayed on alert, ready for whatever else the world was preparing to throw at them.

It was early into the evening. Stars were out. Still no sign of Professor Utonium. Blossom said, "This is bad. He wouldn't be out this late without at least leaving a note."

Buttercup said, "So what now?"

"In times like this, there's one other grownup to turn to. Even then, this whole thing stinks."

Bubbles said, "Yeah! It stinks of air freshener!"

Buttercup said, "Bubbles!"

"What? Blossom said it stinks. I was concurring what she said."

Blossom said, "Staying here's a waste of time. Follow me."

The girls knew who Blossom meant by one last grownup. They hoped with all their hearts that she would be able to help, but given everything that's happened so far, they couldn't be sure. Anxiety gripped them as they flew to the residence of Ms. Bellum.

Not long after, the girls had arrived at the residence of Ms. Bellum. It still looked the same as always, nothing like the last dimension they were in. Blossom rang the doorbell. Buttercup said, "Why are you ringing the doorbell? This is an emergency! We should be knocking like crazy!" Buttercup knocked the front door.

The door opened. Ms. Bellum appeared. "Good evening, girls. How can I help."

"Tell us you hate Mojo, or we'll kick your butt!" Buttercup said.

"So you finally found out," Ms. Bellum said.

The Puffs went inside. Blossom said, "It's terrible! Mojo's taken over the city!"

Bubbles said, "He's washing peoples' brains with malevolent propaganda!"

Buttercup said, "And we can't find the Professor anywhere!"

Ms. Bellum said, "I knew this day would come. Take a seat, girls." The Puffs sat down on a sofa across from a green chair. Ms. Bellum arrived from the kitchen with a cup of tea in hand. She sat on the green couch and took a sip. "A few months ago, you got into a fierce battle with Mojo. He had enhanced strength. At one point, you all struck him so hard, it set something off, maybe a contraption of his. We don't know for sure. Anyways, you phased out of existence. At first, everyone was worried. However, during your absence, Mojo took control of the news media to convince everyone that you were villains. He called you and anyone who supported you 'Puffists.' As I'm sure you're aware, there's nothing worse you can be than a Puffist."

Bubbles said, "But Ms. Keane acted like we had 'learned our lesson' or something. I don't remember liking Mojo ever, not even pretend like!"

Blossom said, "Maybe we, and I mean a different version of us, had stopped fighting Mojo, but when we came into this dimension, our personalities hijacked the bodies of the girls here, and now, suddenly being heroic again has set off something fierce."

Buttercup gripped her head. "Ugh! This is making my head spin! Who do I punch to set things right again?"

Ms. Bellum said, "It's not the fault of the people for turning on you. Not everyone is supporting Mojo because they want to. Many of them are out of fear. Maybe your teacher is under threat of being punished by Mojo if she didn't act the way she did. Point is, not everyone is under his control, but many of them are. If you're still stuck, remember, not everyone watches the news."

"Thanks again for your support, Ms. Bellum. Now I know what to do next." Blossom looked out one of the windows. "Take the fight to him!"

The girls left Ms. Bellum's and flew into the city, going straight for Townsville Park. In the middle of the park, as always, stood an inactive volcano with a telescope on top. Mojo Jojo's lair didn't appear to have changed in this dimension.

What had changed was unlike before, there were a lot of people surrounding the lair, all of them armed. A few looked like police, but most of them were civilians, all with guns.

"Do you think those people might be under Mojo's influence?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom said, "I don't know, but we can't let them get in our way. Tight formation, everyone!"

The three flew toward the telescope. "Up there!" Someone shouted from below. They heard guns discharged. They expected bullets to whiz by, perhaps some to harmlessly bounce off their augmented bodies. Except it wasn't bullets that the guards below were firing; it was Antidote X! A needle carrying Antidote X just missed Blossom. "Fall back!" She shouted.

The three girls flew away from the city and back home. Back in their bedroom, Blossom paced back and forth in the air, her arm rested on her chin. "Clearly, we have to figure out a way to break Mojo's spell on the people, but how?"

Bubbles said, "Ms. Bellum said to find people who don't watch the news, but who could that be?"

Buttercup said, "The only people I know like that would be villains." An imaginary lightbulb went on. "That's it! We haven't seen any other villains since we came back. Maybe they're all jealous of Mojo and wanna take him down a peg."

"That's plain poppycock!" Blossom said. "Forming a truce with a villain?"

"And you have a better idea?"

Blossom smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do. Have you ever heard of reverse psychology?"

Bubbles said, "Oh, isn't that when you say the opposite of a good thing, and the person you're talking to does a good thing in a half-hearted attempt at rebellion?"

Blossom looked proud of herself. "Uh huh. What if we went on a news show, and we, the Big Bad Powerpuff Girls, told everyone to love Mojo Jojo? I figure two negatives should cancel out into a positive."

Buttercup said, "Nah, that's too complicated. Let's find someone like Fuzzy Lumpkins, someone too dumb to understand the news." She flexed her non-existent fist. "Even if it was just this once, I'm sure we could persuade him."

Bubbles said, "I can't think of anything myself, so let's try your ideas tomorrow."

The next day, the girls were on the set of a local news show. Cameras were rolling as the news anchor said, "So tell us, what was this important announcement you wanted to make?"

Blossom said, "Well, we did some thinking, and we have come to the error of our ways. Mojo's the best!"

Bubbles said, "That's right! He's the hero we need and deserve!"

Buttercup said, "Yeah, and…uh…" She rubbed the top of her head.

Blossom said, "It's okay, Buttercup. No one's gonna think less of you for saying it."

Bubbles said, "You're our sister, and we'll always love you!"

Buttercup flushed heavily. "I…IThinkMojoIsTheBomb!" She looked away from the cameras. "There! I said it!"

Blossom said, "We've all come to the conclusion that Mojo Jojo is the best ruler anyone could ask for. And that's why I believe we should love Mojo Jojo with all our hearts!"

Silence filled the news studio. No calls came in. Nobody coughed. The director did not yell cut. The Puffs sat in awkward silence until a camera operator said, "You're just saying what we wanna hear!"

A lighting director said, "Even when you tell the truth, you lie!"

A sound engineer said, "You're just another filthy Puffist!"

Security detail stormed the newsroom, all carrying containers of Antidote X.

Bubbles said, "Ruh-roh!"

The three flew out of the news building without a second thought. Once outside, away from the hateful gazes of a manipulated populace, Blossom said, "I was sure that was going to work!"

Buttercup said, "What did I tell you? It's too complicated! Twisting a knot on top of another knot is not gonna undo the first knot!"

Before the girls could continue their discussion, they heard a voice say, "Ah nuts! He put his stupid posters over our tags here too!"

They turned their heads toward an alley. Five figures were complaining about a bunch of posters advertising a Mojo Jojo concert covering up graffiti art that obscured everything other than the words, "Wuz Hear." Such grammatically challenged artwork could only belong to one outfit; The Gangrene Gang, that no-good band of juvenile delinquents! All five were present: Ace, the leader, Snake, the second in command, Big Billy, the cyclopean terror, Lil' Arturo, the mischievous munchkin, and Grubber, the silent menace.

Buttercup smiled. "See? I had a feeling we weren't the only ones upset with new ownership."

Bubbles said, "I think Mr. Opportunity is knocking." She cracked her non-existent fingers. "Given my natural compassion and newfound vocabulary, I volunteer an attempt at diplomacy."

Blossom said, "You really think you're gonna convince them to side with us?"

Buttercup said, "I know it was my idea, but I was just spitballing yesterday. Now, I don't know."

Bubbles laid her arm on Buttercup's shoulder. "Have faith, dearest sibling." She floated down to the five green-skinned hoodlums. Her mind went into overdrive, thinking of a way to get the Gang to fight alongside her. She said, "Excuse me, gentlemen."

Ace turned his attention to Bubbles. "Heads up! It's one of the Powerpuff Goilz!"

"Calm yourself. I'm not here to fight." She flew toward the Mojo posters. Just seeing him in such a glorified fashion triggered her gag reflexes. She looked at the Gang to take her mind off him. "I was wondering what you guys were doing out here."

Ace scratched his head. "We was, uh… we was…"

"Making street art, senorita," said Lil' Arturo.

"Is that so? Where is your art?"

"Ya see, that's the problem!" Ace said. "How's anyone supposed ta see our markings when dat musclebound monkey's got his pawprints all over everythin'?"

Bubbles sounded sad, even though it was partially an act. "That's such a shame. To be denied your creativity because of one bad monkey."

"You said it! No one even remembers us cuz Mojo took over the air waves!"

"That's awful! You're just expressing yourselves in the purest way possible, and no one will ever know." She smiled and said, "Hey, I know! How would you like to come with me and teach Mojo a lesson he won't forget?"

Ace looked at the rest of the gang. He nodded his head and said, "Whaddya say, boys?"

"Ssssssounds good." Snake said.

Grubber blew a raspberry.

Before Bubbles could blink, Lil' Arturo produced a soda bottle filled with Antidote X! He threw it, causing it to explode. Bubbles was doused in the fluid, causing her to crash to the ground, unable to move. "Energy…fading…body…weakening…"

Ace said, "The cops will give a fat reward for whoever turns in the Puffs! We could make fat loot, and not break the law for once!"

Big Billy said, "Duh, Big Billy like money!"

Blossom and Buttercup swooped down. "You're hopeless," Buttercup said.

Blossom and Buttercup fired heat vision at each member of the Gangrene Gang. Each blast of heat caused bottles of Antidote X to explode, meaning all five of them were packing anti-Powerpuff ordnance. Blossom and Buttercup made sure to zap all of them just enough to force them all to double over to the ground. Big Billy exclaimed, "Ow, my large intestine!"

Blossom and Buttercup picked up Buttercup and flew away. Blossom said, "Let's go back home. The Professor should have some anti-Antidote X stashed away somewhere."

Back at the Utonium household, Bubbles laid in bed. Blossom returned with a pill in hand. "The Professor prepared an antidote in the form of a chewable tablet, just like you like."

Bubbles took the tablet and ate it. Buttercup came in and said, "Feel any better?"

Bubbles flew out of the bedsheets, hovering near the other girls. "My vitality has recovered, however," she sighed. "It's pointless."

Blossom looked confused. "Huh?"

"The Professor's gone. Everyone hates us. Ms. Bellum can only do so much. And there's Antidote X everywhere! We can't win."

Blossom said, "That's not true! We've been through worse. We just need more time."

Bubbles said, "But the reason we became heroes was because of the smiles on everyone's faces, the heartfelt thanks of a grateful citizenry, the sense of fulfillment one receives with the knowledge that you have made the world a better place!" Her eyes welled with tears. "What's the point when everyone thinks we're horrible?" She flew out of the bedroom, sobbing.

"Bubbles!"

Buttercup said, "Let her go."

"Buttercup?"

"She'll come back. She probably just needs time alone to make sense of everything. I know I'm not the only one confused like crazy."

"I hope so."

Blossom and Buttercup stayed behind at home. Hours passed. Somewhere just outside of Townsville, in a rural mountain region, there stood many trees. The trees had lots of branches. Bubbles sat alone on one of these branches, high up from the ground. She was in a fetal position, her face buried in her lap. The tears were gone, but the weight on her heart was not.

A family of blue jay birds was nearby. A mother was feeding her chicks. Bubbles said to no one in particular, "It's so sad. The Professor is missing. Everyone loathes us. I'm overcome with despair. What are we supposed to do?"

The mother bird hopped near Bubbles. She (the bird) said, "Cheep cheep, cheep cheep cheep."

"I know. It's so lonely when the world doesn't make sense."

"Cheep cheep."

"We do everything the best we can, but sometimes, it just isn't enough, just like sometimes, you can't find enough worms for your babies."

"Cheep, cheep chirp."

"If only more people would just listen. Sit down, open their ears, and just listen."

"Cheep."

"Wait…wait a minute!" Bubbles flew off the branch. She faced the mother bird. "You've been listening! Do you not like Mojo too?"

"Cheep?"

"A big, bad monkey who wants to take over the world! He's ruining everything!"

"Cheep cheep?"

"I don't know if he's the one ruining the natural habitat that you use to forage for foodstuffs to keep yourself and your family alive, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility!"

"Cheep cheep cheep!"

"You're right! This is a call to arms, and I will be your standard bearer!" She placed her arm over her chest, eyes resolute. "To me, my companions!"

Meanwhile, back in the bedroom of the girls, Blossom and Buttercup were hashing out ideas. "I got it!" Buttercup said. "We distract everyone with pancakes, because who doesn't love pancakes?"

Blossom said, "You're not getting it! Their hatred of us is more important than anything else. They absolutely will ignore pancakes if it means hurting us! That's why I propose building a bunch of Powerpuff mannequins, scattering them all over town, and then we break into Mojo's lair."

"Hey, that could actually…" Before Buttercup could finish her thought, the sky turned dark very suddenly. The two girls flew outside and looked up. Was it clouds? A solar eclipse? A large aircraft? No. The sun was blotted out by thousands of birds in the sky!

And the birds were not alone, for all matter of cats, dogs, mice, elephants, mountain lions, Bengal tigers, and black bears on the ground were approaching the house! And in the center of it all, surrounded by a layer of birds in flight, was Bubbles. Her eyes were closed, arms embracing herself, a look of serenity on her face. She approached Blossom and Buttercup (the birds parted a path for her). She slowly opened her eyes, then calmly said, "A tranquil heart is its own reward."

Blossom said, "Bubbles, you're a genius! Animals don't watch the news, and they can't be affected by Antidote X! We'll clear these Mojo fans out in no time!"

"What are you waiting for?" Buttercup said. "Let's get to Mojo and let loose the dogs of war!"

The three of them flew toward the park, with countless throngs of animals not far behind. When they arrived near the volcano lair, Bubbles faced the animals. Her peaceful face and demeanor changed in an instant. "ATTACK!"

What followed was pandemonium; cats and dogs roughing up Mojo devotees, mice and rats scaring away children and old ladies, bears and elephants stopping nearby traffic. It was enough to force anyone away from the park out of fear for their safety.

"Alright!" Blossom said. "With no one to hit us with Antidote X, we can…"

Bubbles cleared her throat. Blossom and Buttercup looked at her. Bubbles said, "What do we saaaaaay?"

Buttercup said listlessly, "Thank you, Bubbles, for pulling us through."

Blossom said while blushing, "Yes, sometimes, you outsmart even me."

Bubbles giggled. "You're most welcome!"

Blossom said, "Then let's break through!"

The three charged at Mojo's lair in the air with all their might…only they couldn't tear a path in. They tried repeatedly punching throughout the fortress, but to no avail. Every square inch had been reinforced with material not even a Powerpuff Girl could break through.

"Oh great!" Buttercup said. "Mojo's lair got stronger too!"

Bubbles pointed at the mechanical front door. "Look, there's a keypad near the door. Does that mean he's password protected now?"

What sounded like the distortion of a microphone screeched, loud enough to cause the girls to cover their ears. The sound came from a speaker near the front entrance. "Foolish Powerpuff Girls! Even though you drove out my followers, you'll never get inside! My fortress, like me, is stronger than ever before, impregnable, impenetrable, unimpeachable! Not even you brats can break in, for the entrance is password protected. Input the wrong password, and you'll get sprayed with Antidote X!"

Blossom said, "How are we gonna get the password?"

Buttercup raised her arm. "I just thought of a way!"

Blossom said, "Huh? You have a strategy that doesn't involve brute force?"

"I can be cunning too!" Buttercup flew to the nearest payphone.

Meanwhile, inside Mojo's lair, countless lights, screens and doodads flickered, flashed, sounded off. Mojo Jojo, much larger and gallant in appearance, watched on a screen as the Powerpuff Girls retreated from the lair. "It is useless, Powerpuff Girls, for I, Mojo Jojo, have finally won! I took notice of how the citizens of Townsville always loved you, and how they always hated me. Then I asked, how can I make them love me and hate you? The answer came to me like a flash of lightning!" He laughed with maniacal glee, at least until he heard a ringtone. One of his monitors said there was an incoming call. He answered. "Hello, hello."

A voice that sounded like a young boy said, "Uh, yes, hi. Is this the exalted Mojo Jojo?"

"Speaking."

"Okay, uh, I'm with the tech squad here to install your…" Faintly in the distance, it sounded like someone else was whispering something to the boy for a second. "I'm here to install your liquid cooled overclocked graphical processing unit."

"Oh, excellent! Another tribute from my many loving fans!"

"Yes, uh, it's just, um, there's a big door in the way, and I need a password to get in."

"Oh, you need the door code? That is simple! Write this down. The code is 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2. You see, everyone will think my code is 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, but they never suspect the last digit is a 2. Going off the previous numbers, they will always think the last digit is a 1. That is why no one has been able to crack my code, not the Powerpuff Girls, not that short redheaded science boy, not the Teen Titans, and certainly not any Great Danes with spineless postures!"

"Okay, thanks! I'll be there in a jiffy."

The monitor said the call had ended. Mojo grinned. "A liquid cooled overclocked graphical processing unit! There are so many applications for such hardware, so many new opportunities for evil!"

Unbeknownst to Mojo, however, was that one of the monitors clearly displayed Bubbles inputting the door code, all while a large variety of wild animals waited just outside the fortress. So certain was he in his victory, that he didn't notice the moment the front door opened, didn't notice when mountain lions were breaking fragile objects, didn't hear the cries of enraged fowl pecking holes in his monitors. He only noticed something was off when he couldn't see past his bulky shoulders on account of elephants crowding around him. "Confound those Powerpuff Girls! How could they outsmart me? He promised my brain would be stronger too, not just my…Don't chew those cables!" He shouted to a number of rats.

Not even a beefed up Mojo could handle all these wild animals all at once. As he was lost in the flooding of wild beasts, back outside the lair, a cat ran up to Bubbles. It meowed. Bubbles said to the other girls, "He said there's a hostage in the basement, and that the path is clear!"

Blossom said, "No time to lose!"

The girls flew in, past the currently-occupied-with-bears Mojo, and flew down a flight of stairs deep beneath the ground floor of the lair.

At the end of the stairs was a laboratory containing large vats of Antidote X, enough to knock out an army of Powerpuff Girls, provided there were that many in the world. Blossom said, "Well, now we know where all the Antidote X came from."

Right then, a weathered voice called out, "Girls, is that really you?"

They turned their attention to the other side of the lab. A man in a white lab coat…chained to the wall! """PROFESSOR!"""

It was indeed Professor Utonium, shackled to the wall with four chains binding each of his limbs. He had grown a full beard, yet remained instantly recognizable. The three embraced him. Bubbles exclaimed, "It's you! It's really you!"

The girls burned away the shackles with her heat vision. Professor Utonium massaged his wrists where the manacles were moments ago. He said, "It's been awful. I refused to go along with Mojo dragging your names in the mud, and this was the result. Not only has he locked me away from public sight, he also forced me to make Antidote X, not only to defend himself, but also to sell for profit. I can't help but wonder if someone's giving him ideas. He's not normally this cunning."

Buttercup said, "Cunning, schmunning! We still outsmarted him."

He looked toward one of the corners of the lab. "He also took an invention of mine. It's how he took over the media."

On the corner of the lab was what looked like a laser cutting tool sitting on top of a table. The girls all said, "The Canon Cannon!"

"You know about this?"

Blossom said, "You used this on us…uh, a different you used this to help us out."

He said, "A different me? Of course, it's all coming together now. Mojo becoming stronger, that blinding flash when you last fought him, the fact that you hadn't rescued me immediately after my capture. It sounds like…" He went toward the Canon Cannon. He turned dials, pushed buttons, and fine-tuned switches on the Cannon. "If my calculations are correct, this dimension you're currently in is only a slight deviation from your home dimension. Setting it to the right coordinates shouldn't take too much longer to setup." He fiddled around with the Cannon's settings some more. "This should get you back to your proper dimension. Once I activate this, everything should be back to the way it was, in all dimensions. I can't thank you enough."

Blossom nudged Bubbles in the shoulder. "Well Bubbles, I guess you could say this was a real humdinger!"

"A what kind of ringer?"

"A real humdinger!"

"What does this have to do with a bum singer?"

Blossom sighed. "And here I was thinking one of you finally developed some real intelligence."

Right then, emerging from the stairs that led to the ground floor was Mojo, hair unkempt, bruises covering his body, jaw swollen. "Did you think you could fool me, Mojo Jojo, forever? Think again!"

Bubbles shouted, "Attack the monkey!"

Mojo laughed. "Your ability to get animals to do your bidding through your sweet words and unyielding softness are no match for my ability to push forward and close doors behind me to stop your words from reaching the ears of said animals! And now, face the might of my all new, all original, super ultra mega power!" He placed his right hand on his brain hat. "Telekinetic mind manipulation picker upper thingy ability, activate!"

The knobs and switches on the Canon Cannon changed, seemingly on their own! "The Cannon's settings!" Professor Utonium said.

The Canon Cannon discharged. It hit all three Powerpuff Girls in a bright flash! The only thing the girls saw was a vision of white! There was no sign of Professor Utonium, Mojo Jojo, the animals Bubbles recruited, or anything resembling a physical world anywhere.

Seconds later, cold rain hit the faces of the Puffs. They opened their eyes to find themselves in Townsville once again. They looked at themselves. Still no fingers! Still looked the same as they always did. The statue that was Mojo was back into the image of the Townsville dignitary from the city's early history.

"Wait, something's wrong." Blossom said, while looking around Townsville. "Where is everybody?"

Good question, Blossom. Where did everyone go? "Why does the sky look so scary?"

Good questions, Bubbles. Why did everything look so gloomy? Not only were rain clouds blocking the sun, it was so dark, the girls could barely see anything, including themselves. Buttercup looked toward the distance. "Over there!"

There was someone standing in the distance, visible thanks to a flickering streetlight. The three flew over. As they approached the lone figure, it said in Blossom's voice, "Hold it right there!"

The figure was Blossom. She looked exactly like the Blossom from the original dimension, right down to the red bow in her hair. The Blossom we've been following said to Bubbles and Buttercup, "That must be the Blossom of this universe. Maybe she'll help us."

The other Blossom asked, "What are you three doing away from your post?"

Bubbles said, "Our post? It's past bedtime!"

"Bedtime? It's ten in the morning."

Bubbles said, "It's not nighttime? But it's so dark!"

The other Blossom glared at the three girls. "Answer me this; what's the one thing you want for yourselves more than anything else in the world?"

"PONIES!"

"My own library!"

"All the equipment to do my own decathlon!"

This universe's Blossom narrowed her eyes, and her voice became as low as the voice of a child could when she said, "Just as I thought. You're all defects."

Holy smoked salmon on a sharpened hickory stick! The Puffs, defects in the eyes of their own kind? Where were the adults? Where were the other children? Where were this universe's Bubbles and Buttercup? And why was the sky so dark and stormy? You'll have to tune in for the next and final chapter of Rifts in the Multiverse Theory to find out!