Hearts as One

(Jared's POV)

Cafe LycoReco / Townsville…

I have been hanging out at Cafe LycoReco the past few months after Ashildr became immortal. Chisato, Takina, and the others have been such a delight in cheering me up by doing daily tasks in Hawaii. 

I modified Kurumi's drones to be made out of vibranium and adamantium, pretty much making them indestructible. I chose to be in the 2020s while watching three of my favorite superheroes deal with Princess Morbucks.

I had Kurumi's done aimed at the city skyline in the morning.

"The city of Townsville…" The narrator said, while the drone turned down to the street. "…and it's a shiny new day, with a shiny new limousine heading for Pokey Oaks Kindergarten."

"Hey. Kurumi!" I yelled, tossing the tablet to Kurumi. "Mind helping me out here?"

"Can't you do it yourself?" Kurumi asked, making her drone follow a white limo as it pulled up in front of the school. She had her drone's camera zoom in on the Close-up rear door. "This good?"

"Yeah." I said, snacking on some sushi. "Thanks."

"Seems there will be a shiny new face joining the class today." The narrator said.

A tuxedo-clad arm - the chauffeur's - reaches into view and opens the door. Inside is a small girl standing in front of a man in a white suit. The top half of her face and his entire head are cut off by the top edge of the tablet screen. She has her hand out and is addressing him in the tone of the chronically dissatisfied. She wears a yellow sweater and a lavender skirt with matching shoes.

"I'll need some milk money for my first day of new school." Princess Morbucks said.

The chauffeur pulls a stack of cash out of his pocket and gives it to her.

"I suppose it'll do." Princess said, sighing contemptuously.

Cafe LycoReco / Pokey Oaks Kindergarten…

During the next line, Kurumi switched the tablet screen from the drone to the hidden cameras I set up around the school. The cameras follow Princess Morbucks as she walks to the front door, where Ms. Keane is standing. Her face is still obscured.

"Well, hi there. It's nice to finally meet you. Come on in." Ms. Keane said.

Cafe LycoReco / Pokey Oaks classroom…

"Everyone, can I have your attention? I'd like you all to give a nice, warm welcome to our new friend, Princess Morbucks." Ms Keane said, in her classroom.

Kurumi zoomed in on Princess with the hidden camera at the end of this line; now we see all of her. She has curly red-brown hair parted in the middle and 'spoiled brat' written all over her face.

"She has spoiled brat written all over her." Chisato said, bored. "Why are we watching her again?"

"Hi, Princess!" The class cheered.

"Hmm." Princess said.

The hidden camera follows Princess as she crosses the room. The first kids she passes are Bubbles and Mitch Mitchelson, playing with building blocks.

"Because Jared wanted to." Takina said. "What is Princess Morbucks like?"

"Think Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." I said, happily.

"From My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic?" Chisato asked. "I didn't like them."

"Same."

"Hi, Princess! Wanna help us build a skyscraper?" Mitch asked.

"When I want to build a skyscraper, my daddy builds me a real one in any city I want." Princess said, stopping.

Bubbles and Mitch are offended.

"She did not just say that!" Chisato cried. "How rich is she?"

"It's in her name. More bucks. She's filthy rich." I said, rolling my eyes.

Behind Princess, several other kids, including Buttercup, have some cardboard boxes set up in a row for a train. The boy playing engineer calls her.

"Hey, Princess! Get on aboard the choo-choo es-prex!" A boy said, angrily.

Buttercup imitates the whistle and Chisato imitates the whistle too.

"I only travel first class, on my daddy's private Lear jet." Princess said.

The kids all suddenly frown.

Next to Princess, a boy pops out of a potted plant. It is Harry Pitt, the dirty kid from 'Paste Makes Waste', with a toy shovel in hand.

"Hey, Princess! Do you dig dirt?" Harry asked.

"Yecch! No!" Princess scoffed, drawing back.

"How long are we going to watch Princess Morbucks for?" Kurumi asked, tapping away on the tablet.

"Until this episode is done." I said, frowning.

I tapped on the tablet screen, on a camera that has a table with a cage on it. In the cage is a hamster, happily running on its wheel. A girl watches it go as Princess walks up.

"Hi, Princess. Wanna play with Twiggy, our class hamster?" Girl 2 asked.

"When did you place a super small hidden camera inside the cage?" Kurumi asked, tapping on another camera screen on the tablet.

"A while ago." I said, happily.

The view shifts to inside the cage. Twiggy has stopped running.

"Ewww, no! I do not want to play with your smelly, mangy little rat! Blecch!" Princess growled, through the cage wall.

Kurumi zoomed in on Twiggy, with the hamster sad and frightened. After a moment, the hamster begins running at top speed.

"Oh, no! In Twiggy's distressed state, her frantic attempt to get far away has caused a nut to work itself loose from her scamper wheel!" The narrator said, worried.

As the narrator says this, Kurumi zoomed in on an extreme close-up of the nut holding the wheel to its mount. It falls off, and the wheel rolls away until it hits the side of the cage, sending it flying in the direction the wheel was going. 

"We have to do something!" Chisato cried. "The hamster could get hurt!"

"We can't do anything." I said, placing a piece of sushi into my mouth. "Not while we're in the future and this is happening in the past."

Kurumi pulled the camera back to the table, the cage slides over the edge and begins to fall in slow motion as Twiggy is helpless and vulnerable within, still with a distressed look on her face. The girl screams, but Princess, standing behind her, shows no change in expression. Ms. Keane and the other kids are alarmed.

"Twiggy!" Ms. Keane said, terrified.

The girls gasp.

"The girls got this." Takina said, looking down at the tablet.

"Buttercup, vaporize the cage! Bubbles! You, me! Fastball Special!" Blossom said, determined.

Buttercup sweeps the cage with her eye lasers, destroying it and leaving Twiggy and the wheel in free fall. Blossom grabs Bubbles, now curled into a tight ball, and throws her across the room; she bounces off a cabinet and catches Twiggy inches from the floor. She throws a wink to the class, and while Ms. Keane and Takina let off a relieved sigh, they cheer the rescue - all except Princess, dumbstruck. 

Kurumi zooms the camera in slowly on her as the cheering echoes in Princess' head.

"Jared, those girls are superheroes!" Chisato chirped.

"That's because they are." I said, smiling. "I know that if you and Takina had a choice to become them and get superpowers, you would. You and Takina."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Their powers are a bit flashy." Takina said.

The girls look at Princess Morbucks as she approaches them. The girl who had been watching Twiggy takes the hamster away.

"Wow, that was amazing! How did you do that?" Princess asked.

"It's easy!" Bubbles said, excitedly.

"We're superheroes." Blossom said.

"Yeah, we're the…" Buttercup said.

The hidden camera zoomed in on the girls, stars in the background.

"...Powerpuff Girls!" The Girls said, at the same time.

Princess is now looking as if she has just spied a new and expensive trinket she wants.

"Ah. Well, then, I'm gonna be a Powerpuff Girl too." Princess said, patting her hair.

The girls and I find this amusing. Bubbles giggles hysterically, I'm laughing and snacking on more sushi, while Buttercup tries to hold back her laughter.

"Well, uh, we're not really accepting new members at this time, but thank you for your interest in our group." Blossom said, laughing.

This news clearly does not sit well with Princess. She returns to full brat mode.

"What?! You can't just blow me off like some common peon! I'm Princess, and my daddy buys me anything I want! AND I WANNA BE A POWERPUFF GIRL!" Princess growled.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you can't. We're superheroes." Blossom said.

"We were born with superpowers." Bubbles said.

"You can't just buy superpowers." Buttercup said.

"Not unless you're a Magical Girl that made a contract with an Incubator." I said, laughing a lot.

"Oh, yeah." Princess said, jabbing a finger into Buttercup's chest. "Tell that to Batman!"

"I don't like her." Chisato said.

The school bell rings. 

"Never liked her in the beginning." I said, munching on a piece of sushi.

LycoReco / Townsville…

Kurumi's drone is getting an overhead view of the girls in flight away from the kindergarten.

"I don't think I like that Princess at all." Buttercup said.

"Yeah. Why was she so rotten to everyone?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, she's new here and probably doesn't know how to make friends." Blossom said, as they flew over the horizon. "We should give her a chance."

Cafe LycoReco / Outside Morbucks Manor…

"Jared, did you put up any hidden cameras there?" Chisato asked.

Kurumi's drone zoomed quickly to a large white mansion.

"Nope." I said, sadly. "Unfortunately. Wish I thought of it."

"Meanwhile, across town at Morbucks Manor…" The narrator said.

(Open POV)

Morbucks Manor…

Princess barges in through the front door and runs across the front hall.

"DADDY! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Princess said, whining.

As Princess screams, she runs into a trophy room with animal heads all over the walls and a roaring fire going. She stops in front of her father, seated in an armchair by the fire and wearing a robe. The side of the chair hides his head.

"My first day of new school and everyone was mean to me!" Princess said, crying. "I just wanted to make friends, but everyone ignored me, especially the Powerpuff Girls! Everyone loves the Powerpuff Girls, so I wanted to be a Powerpuff too, but they were being selfish and spoiled and they told me I couldn't! They told me I couldn't! But I wanna! I wanna be a Powerpuff Girl!" She threw herself on the floor, pounding, and kicking. "I wanna, I wanna, I WANNA!"

Princess screams and cries until Daddy pulls a stack of cash out of his robe and hands it to her. She instantly brightens and begins to giggle greedily. 

(Jared's POV)

Cafe LycoReco / Pokey Oaks classroom…

The school is once again in session.

"The next day at school…" The narrator said, while Kurumi zoomed in on the girls at their desk. "...coloring time proceeds as usual, until…"

The girls are startled out of their work by a royal fanfare. Princess is at the front door, with a crown on her head and a cape wrapped around her. She enters.

"All hail Princess! The newest and best-loved Powerpuff Girl of all time!" Princess said, angrily.

Princess throws off her cape to reveal her clothing - a yellow dress and belt styled after the girls. She also sports long gloves, and instead of Mary Janes, she wears knee-high boots. These items and the belt are made of shiny black leather. The entire class watches, dumbfounded.

"Princess Morbucks didn't get a dose of Chemical X, right?" Chisato asked.

"She didn't." Takina said, looking down at the tablet screen.

The girls are first to come up with a response.

"You're right, Takina." I said, wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. "She didn't."

"WHAT?!" Buttercup exclaimed, standing up.

Princess stands across the desk from the girls.

"See? I told you I was gonna be a Powerpuff Girl." Princess said, gloating.

"Uh... I like your outfit." Bubbles said, while her sisters glare at her.

"Of course you do. It's just like yours, except better." Princess said, scoffing.

"Girl…" Buttercup said, floating out of her seat.

Blossom stops Buttercup.

"I'll handle this." Blossom said, approaching Princess. "Now, Princess, sweetie, maybe we didn't explain well enough."

Blossom is interrupted by the buzzing of the hotline and zips across to answer it. Her sisters are already there. 

"Has Princess Morbucks been this…" Chisato said, while Kurumi loaded up two camera views between the girls and Princess on the tablet.

"Snobbish? Yeah." I said, rolling my eyes.

Princess is standing by Mitch at his desk.

"Yeah, Mayor? A robbery? First National Bank?" Blossom asked.

"Why do they get to answer the fancy phone?" Princess asked.

"Don't worry, Mayor. We're on it!" Blossom said, hanging up. "Come on, girls!"

The Powerpuff Girls take off.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Princess cried.

Two jet thrusters extend from Princess' back, one on either side; Mitch and a kid across from him are struck. Princess takes off in a cloud of flame. 

"Chisato, Takina, you two would make better superheroes than Princess Morbucks." I said, smiling. "At least you both know what's right and wrong."

Cafe LycoReco / Townsville…

Kurumi moved her drone to look upwards toward the tops of the buildings. An alarm is heard.

"Meanwhile…" The narrator said, to the tune of 'Deep in the Heart of Texas'. "…deep in the bowels of Townsville…"

Kurumi piloted her drone down to the street; the bank window is smashed, and the silhouette of a vehicle can be seen through it.

"...a crime is afoot." The narrator said.

"Kurumi. Hack into the security cameras inside the bank." I said, getting up from my seat and walked over to the hacker.

"On it." Kurumi said, typing away on her tablet.

Cafe LycoReco / Townsville Bank…

The vault stands open. A masked robber laughs and emerges with several sacks of money while another holds a gun trained on the scene. The cash is deposited in the back of the vehicle.

"That takes care of that." The bagman said.

"Ha! Great!" The gunman said, having his gun pointed at a group of tellers and customers. "Thank you, Townsville, for lettin' us have all your money!"

He laughs as we hear the sound of the girls approaching.

"Not so fast, crooks!" Blossom yelled, nearby.

The gunman turns around in surprise, and the bagman appears as well, pivoting into view. He now has a gun too. Kurumi turns the camera around to show the girls at the hole in the front window.

"The Powerpuff Girls!" The crooks said, at the same time.

The crooks start firing, as I smile at the live recording of the girls as the bullets bounce off.

"Why do they always want to do it the hard way?" Blossom asked, exasperated.

"I don't know." Chisato said, laughing a lot. "They should know not to mess with superheroes."

The crooks run out of ammunition.

"Yeah. I don't have to be there for the girls. This episode. But that doesn't mean I can't visit them after this." I said, walking back to my seat and drinking some green tea.

"Okay. Let's take care of these knuckleheads and get back to school!" Buttercup said, angrily.

"Don't worry, Powerpuff Girls. I'll save you!" Princess said, from outside.

"Huh?" The girls asked, at the same time.

"What?" Takina asked. 

Princess flies into the bank and lands, and the thrusters fold away.

"Evildoers, beware the wrath of the Powerpuff Princess!" Princess said, striking at the air. "Hai-yah! Hai-yah! Hai-yah!"

Princess does a presentation like a Sailor Guardian, with fake kicks and hits. 

"Is she trying to be like Sailor Moon?" Chisato asked.

The crooks seem only slightly unnerved by Princess' appearance. 

"Yeah." I said, sipping on my green tea.

Next, Princess produces two boomerangs shaped like her crown and throws them. The crooks duck, but Buttercup and Bubbles are hit on the return flight.

"Hey!" Buttercup yelled.

"Watch it!" Buttercup said, angrily.

Princess fires a grappling hook into the ceiling and swings across the room, her leg extended for a flying kick. However, she stops just short of the crooks, and the section of the ceiling she hit pulls loose. She is dumped to the floor; the loose section lands on the girls. 

(Open POV)

Getaway car…

The crooks are in their vehicle.

"Sorry we couldn't leave all the money like you asked, but we'd like to leave you a little present anyway." The gunman said, laughing and throws Princess out onto the floor. 

(Jared's POV)

Cafe LycoReco / Townsville Bank…

Princess is bound and gagged with duct tape, and a time bomb is attached to her. The vehicle crashes through the front window and speeds off.

"I love it when a plan comes together!" The gunman cheered, from inside the car.

The girls have freed themselves and are ready to give chase.

"They're getting away!" Buttercup said, worried.

"No time!" Blossom said, flying down to Princess, putting her aside. "The bomb!"

Bubbles tears it off, and Buttercup punches a hole in the ceiling. The bomb is thrown up, and Blossom fires her eye lasers after it, detonating it in midair. The people in the bank stand up.

"Hooray, Power…" The people said, losing steam. "...puff...Gi…"

They trail off as Kurumi aims the hidden camera turns down to their feet. The girls are far from ecstatic. The expressions of the people soon change to ones of anxiety and nervousness, fearing the girls might be mad at them for cheering over the rescue, but the bad guys got away with the loot.

"Sorry. We're not really in the mood right now." Bubbles said, icily.

Princess is across the room, lying on the floor. Buttercup gets in her face.

"What's wrong with you?! You ruined everything! Catching robbers should have been a piece of cake, but no! You had to come swinging in with your little toys…" Buttercup said, imitating Princess. "'Look at me, Powerpuff Princess…'" She is very fed up. "Ooh, I oughta…"

Blossom pushes Buttercup aside.

"Look, Princess. Now do you see why we don't let extra members on our team? Our friend, Jared, usually knows when to let extra members on our team. But that is for when we need it. Crime-fighting is dangerous business…" Blossom said, looking at Princess as she continues, putting her out of view. "...and you don't really have superpowers or any kind of experience. I approve of the girls from Cafe LycoReco, because they have experience. When Chisato and Takina were trained to kill as assassins. So you see, it really is for your own safety when I say you just can't be a Powerpuff Girl, all right?"

Princess looks as if she might blow her top at any moment as she refuses to accept the hard truth Blossom is telling her. 

"Did Blossom just call us Powerpuff Girls?" Takina asked.

"I think she did!" Chisato said, giggling.

Kurumi had a hidden camera zoom in on Princess' face.

(Open POV)

Morbucks Manor…

Finally, Princess snaps.

"DAAAAAADDDDDDYYYYYY!!!" Princess cried, back at home, screaming up at her father. 

Princess' father is wearing golf clothes and practicing his putting.

"Daddy, Daddy, it was awful! I was being a good Powerpuff Girl, but they were jealous, and then the man grabbed me and put a bomb on me and everyone laughed at me!" Princess said, angrily. "And it's all YOUR fault 'cause that super suit you bought me STINKS!" She started crying. "I thought you loved me, but I guess not if all I get is cheap JUNK! A real daddy who really loved his daughter wouldn't care what it cost and…"

Mr. Morbucks produces a briefcase from his pocket and hands it over. Princess is cut off mid-sentence and silenced as she opens it and has to avert her eyes for a moment; dollar signs appear in the radiance from the contents. Her expression soon changes to one of very evil satisfaction and malice.

"Now that's the love I'm talking about." Princess said, greedily.

"Oh, boy." The narrator said, wearily.

Cafe LycoReco / Outside Pokey Oaks Kindergarten…

"The following morning, back at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten…" The narrator said.

(Jared's POV)

Cafe LycoReco / Pokey Oaks Kindergarten…

"Gee, I haven't seen Princess yet today." Bubbles said, sadly.

"Yeah, I bet she's still at home crying." Buttercup said, scoffing.

"Well, she probably feels pretty silly about the way she…" Blossom said.

An explosion and a shower of rubble cut her off and hide the girls from sight briefly. When the dust clears somewhat, Princess is silhouetted against a new hole in the wall, that she herself just created as she enters, and the sound of her voice makes it clear she is done playing around now.

"POWERPUFF GIIIIRRRRLS!!" Princess said, in a fierce, angry tone.

Princess floats into the room as she says this. Her boots, gloves, and yellow dress are gone, replaced by a gold bodysuit. 

"Is she now Iron Man?" Chisato asked.

Princess now wears goggles over her eyes; her hands are hidden by a large ball of energy at the end of each arm, and her roar of fury saying their names make it clear she's out for blood now.

"Maybe." I said, sipping on a cup of coffee. "I don't like this."

"Looks like she went shopping this morning…" Bubbles said, in a sing-song voice.

Princess, floating in midair, addresses the class.

"All I ever wanted was for everyone to instantly love me as much as they love YOU! But NO!" Princess said, as her perspective of several kids cowering under their desks. "You turned everyone against me!" The students are looking up at her. "You humiliated me!" Princess looks at the girls. "You told me I could never be a Powerpuff Girl!" The girls looked up at Princess. "WELL, IF I CAN'T BE A POWERPUFF GIRL, THEN THERE WON'T BE ANY POWERPUFF GIRLS!!!!!"

Ms. Keane comes into view, "Ah, Princess, uh, the girls already know this rule, but you're new, so I'll let you know. I don't allow fighting in the classroom."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Princess said, firing energy beams from hands. "We'll take it outside!"

The playground…

The wall explodes, and the girls are propelled out onto the grass. As they rub their heads, Princess lands in front of them.

"So! Who said money can't buy superpowers?" Princess asked.

"You've been asking for this for a long time!" Buttercup said, deliberately.

Buttercup charges toward Princess, her fist cocked back and a battle cry in her throat, and lets loose with a flurry of punches and kicks. Princess dodges every attack, however, and counters with a punch to the breadbasket. The strike is seen five times in quick succession. A second hit sends Buttercup skidding across the playground face first.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles said, worried.

"As you can see, my new cybertomic armor increases my speed and strength far above that of your average Powerpuff Girl." Princess said.

"Oh! You...!" Bubbles said, letting her eye lasers finish the remark, but the shots only bounce off.

"Oh, please." Princess said, scoffing.

"Jared, we have to help them." Chisato said, looking down at the tablet. "Bring us back in time."

Bubbles gathers herself and screams at the top of her lungs, sending an energy beam out from her mouth. 

"No. The girls got this." I said, happily. "Trust them, Chisato. They're fine."

Princess blocks the energy beam with one hand.

"Jared's right." Takina said. "They're superheroes. They're made out of Chemical X."

"Talk to the hand." Princess said, retaliating with a laser blast from her crown.

"Bubbles!" Blossom said, looking up.

Bubbles crash down face first. She is covered with gray soot.

"Let's see. Blaster rays, flight boots, super-strength force fields...I guess with this new suit, the Powerpuff Princess has got you beat all around!" Princess said.

Kurumi has her drone fly between Princess and Blossom and rotates through 360 degrees as Princess continues.

"So, Blossom, are you jealous? Are you scared? Seeing how easily I thrashed your sisters without even breaking a sweat." Princess said.

Kurumi's drone gives an overhead view of Blossom and Princess facing off.

"Well, what's the matter?" Princess asked.

Kurumi had her drone look down at Blossom, and her drone's camera zoomed in on her eyes and shade the rest of the screen.

"Cat got your tongue?" Princess asked, getting a long silence from Blossom, while looking at the leader of the PPG. "Very well. Prepare to bow to your Princess!"

Princess fires another blast from her crown; Blossom dodges it by simply tilting her head. She looks as though she has had the last straw, and the glare from the explosion of the beam behind her only highlights her fury. She tilts her head back to the horizontal as Princess gets ready for another go, furious that Blossom dodged her attack so easily as her teeth clench in barely-contained rage and she looks ready to blow. Finally, she snaps and rushes in screaming, but Blossom trips her and sends her flying into the slide. Now it is her turn to have all her moves dodged or blocked. As the fight moves across the playground, Blossom goes on the offensive, landing blow after blow to Princess and making sure she feels every one of them. 

"Wow." Chisato said, in awe.

Buttercup and Bubbles come to and watch their sister in action. 

"Blossom's good." Takina said, at a loss for words.

Blossom delivers a few more hits, causing sparks to fly from the armor, "Buttercup!"

Princess is knocked across the playground. 

Buttercup catches Princess and spins her like a top, "Bubbles!" 

Princess is kicked over to Bubbles, who does a handstand to boot her high into the air.

"Blossom!" Bubbles said, terrified.

Blossom inhales deeply and blows her ice breath into the sky, frosting Princess over. She hangs in midair for a long moment, with a look of total disappointment and defeat on her face, before her armor shatters off her in slow motion.

"Huh?! WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA!" Princess said, plummeting toward the ground, but is caught by Blossom just inches from impact.

"Why won't you let me be a Powerpuff Girl?" Princess asked, crying.

"Because you're just a spoiled brat." Blossom said, dumping Princess on the ground, then landed by her sisters. "And being a Powerpuff Girl isn't about getting your way, or having the best stuff, or being popular or powerful." Kurumi's drone gives an overhead view of the four; with the drone's camera pulling back. "It's about using your own unique abilities to help people and the world we all live in." The drone's camera does a close-up of Blossom and Princess. "And you, little girl, have done nothing worthy of the name 'Powerpuff'."

Cafe LycoReco / Outside Pokey Oaks Kindergarten…

A policeman reaches over and clamps handcuffs onto Princess' wrists. He is with Princess, Bubbles, and Buttercup.

"Ooh, nice bracelets." Buttercup said, happily.

"Oh, they'll just be smashing with your new prison wardrobe!" Bubbles said, giggling as the cop drags Princess to a waiting paddy wagon.

"Why you-you can't do this to me! I'm the Princess! Do you know who my daddy is?" Princess asked, thrown into the waiting paddy wagon. "My daddy knows people! And my daddy knows people like money!"

Princess' words are muffled by the back doors slamming shut and continue under the Narrator.

"Well, Princess, the only 'cha-ching' you'll be hearing from now on is the sound of prison doors!" The narrator said, excitedly.

The wagon rolls off.

(Open POV)

The standard end shot comes up.

"And so once again the day is saved, thanks to the real Powerpuff Girls!" The narrator cheered.