Chapter 2: More Like Us
Fire. That was what happened in that one part of the city. Fire generated from an explosion that was spreading quickly. The area was quickly blocked off, and nearby citizens were being forced back to ensure their safety.
As the girls landed in the scene and made their way to the front of the crowd, that was what they saw. The whole situation was alarming to Bubbles and Blossom. And, unsurprisingly, underwhelming for Buttercup.
"Huh. You know, I was expecting more than that." Buttercup remarked.
Blossom shot Buttercup a quick glare before looking at the scene again.
"I don't think the explosion hurt anybody. We're all gathered here, away from the danger. Sure, there's some injured people, but other than that… I don't really see anybody badly hurt." Blossom mused, talking mostly to herself.
Buttercup shrugged. "Welp, I guess we came here for nothing. Let's bounce!"
Suddenly, Bubbles, who was previously squinting through the smoke, widened her eyes and pointed.
"Wait! Do you see that?"
Blossom and Buttercup followed her line of sight to see only smoke. But then, after a few seconds, the smoke cleared enough to see a terrifying sight.
It was some sort of sludge creature, banging around the courtyard and wreaking havoc. To a normal civilian in this world, it was clearly the notorious Sludge Villain, a low-scale Villain. But to the girls, the Villain was a monster.
"Damn, monsters exist in this world too?!" Buttercup exclaimed.
"It probably caused the explosion!" Bubbles added.
Blossom frowned as she analyzed the Villain or "monster".
"But my question is how? I guess if the monster's sludge is combustible, it's possible for it to cause explosions. But by that logic, something would've had to ignite the sludge to make it explosive."
As Blossom looked at the Villain though, she saw something. For a moment, she rubbed her eyes and blinked, thinking that she was seeing things. But then, she saw it again. Or more like him.
"THERE'S A PERSON IN THERE!" Blossom shouted a little too loudly.
Sure enough, in the sludge, stuck in a slimy trap, was a boy. He had messy blonde hair and angry red eyes. His face held an expression of fury and desperation. But what was most surprising was that as he tried to force his way out of the Villain, his hands were outstretched. And coming out of them was fire.
Explosions.
As the girls witnessed this, Buttercup did a double take.
"Tell me the acidic smoke isn't making me see things and that guy really is blowing stuff up with his BARE HANDS?!" Buttercup screeched.
"How is that possible?! Is he some sort of superhero like us?" Bubbles yelped.
Buttercup shook her head. "Okay, I had enough. Portals? Sure, strange stuff happens. Ending up in a completely different place? Okay, okay, that can be possible. But ANYBODY with superpowers other than us and the Villains?! THIS ISN'T NATURAL!"
It was then that Blossom finally noticed something. The thing that was off about this place. Around the scene were various people in strange yet flashy costumes. One dressed as a firefighter was shooting out and manipulating water to douse out the fire. One dressed in a rather revealing outfit was 10 times the size of a normal person. One dressed in a wooden mask and a bodysuit had thorns and vines creeping around his hands. One dressed in a construction-esque outfit had mechanical gloves that were 5 times bigger than his head.
As Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup saw all of this, they came to the best conclusion.
"Superheroes. We're surrounded by superheroes." Blossom whispered.
At that moment, the girls seemed to forget the dire situation happening in front of them. They didn't know what to do. Freak out was on the top of their list, but they were too stupefied to do so. Simply passing out also seemed like a good option, yet not the smartest thing to do if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. Crying was something that Bubbles was already on the verge of doing. But what would crying do? Further cement the fact that they were essentially surrounded by unknown superhumans?
But just then, another big explosion that pushed the terrified crowd back even more snapped the girls out of it. Immediately, their minds went from shocked mode to superhero mode, considering that they take the fact that there were superheroes around them in stride.
"Well if there are superheroes here, why aren't they doing anything?!" Buttercup exclaimed.
Blossom looked back at the fire. "Probably because they don't have the necessary abilities to stop it. As we know of, only the firefighter guy has something to combat the situation, the ability to manipulate water. But other than that, there's nobody that can get near enough to save the guy trapped in the monster."
Buttercup looked at her sisters with a determined glare.
"But we do! We can stop this! Do the things that these supposed 'Heroes' can't!"
Bubbles momentarily looked distressed before looking forward bravely.
"Yeah! Let's stop this before it's too late!"
Blossom looked at her sister before finally grinning slightly.
"I think I can use my ice breath to take out the fire. When I do, that leaves an opening for you guys. Bubbles, use your supersonic voice to disorient the monster. Buttercup, when that happens, you'll get an opening to dish out some attacks and force it away from the boy. Got it?"
"Got it!" Bubbles and Buttercup replied in unison.
With a solid plan in mind, the girls took action. Quickly, they tore away from the crowd, to the crowd's and the Heroes' shock.
"Are those… little girls?!"
"Where are they going?"
"They're trying to take on the Villain!"
"No way. That's suicide!"
"STOP THEM!"
But to the girls, the protests were the last thing in their minds, as Blossom shouted, "LET'S GO, GIRLS! DISARM FORMATION!"
As they got close, Blossom sprang into the air, took a deep breath, and blew on the fire, letting out her Ice Breath. As the icy mist sprinkled over the fire, the fire started to falter, allowing Bubbles and Buttercup their openings.
Quickly, Bubbles leaped over the bewildered Sludge Villain. As she did, she let out a loud scream, loud enough to shatter glass. As the Villain howled and winced, everyone else covered their ears to block out the sonic scream.
When the Villain winced and temporarily stopped his thrashing, Buttercup got close and unleashed an unfathomably quick and rapid succession of punches and kicks. As it pushed the Villain back, he slowly released his hold on the boy, who was clearly taken by shock.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled.
Distracted by the yell, Buttercup turned her head at him in confusion, still punching.
"Saving you, dummy. What else?"
The boy scowled, anger replacing the shock.
"I DON'T NEED A BUNCH OF TINY TOTS PLAYING DRESS UP TRYING TO SAVE ME!" he snapped.
If it was Blossom or Bubbles pulling off the attacks, they would've kept up with trying to push back the Villain instead of talking back to the boy. But, Buttercup was notoriously known for her roaring temper. And right now, that roaring temper made her completely stop what she was doing, turn fully to the boy, and look at him with indignation, her eye twitching.
"OH, I'M SORRY. PARDON ME! LET ME JUST STEP ASIDE AND YOU CAN GET BACK TO EXPLODING THINGS AND MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR EVERYBODY!" Buttercup hollered.
The boy growled as he pushed himself more towards Buttercup.
"AT LEAST I'M NOT TRYING TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF A LIQUID! I MEAN HONESTLY! PUNCHING AND KICKING SLIME! YOU MUST HAVE THE MENTAL CAPACITY OF A 5 YEAR OLD!"
Buttercup finally lost it and roared.
"YOU CAN'T TALK, BOOM BOOM BABY! AT LEAST I WASN'T HAVING A FUCKING TANTRUM AND BLASTING EVERYTHING COMPULSIVELY! YOU KNOW, I OUGHTA GIVE YOU A BEATDOWN RATHER THAN SLIMY MC SLIME-SLIME OVER HERE! THAT'LL TEACH YOU A LESSON, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
As Buttercup was arguing with the boy, both of them were unaware of the Sludge Villain gathering his bearings. That is, until he engulfed them with a wave of slime.
"BUTTERCUP!" Bubbles and Blossom shouted worriedly
After a few seconds, both the boy and Buttercup emerged from the slime, coughing and flailing.
"Let GO of me, you glorified sewage gunk!" Buttercup shouted as she punched the slime.
Blossom put two fingers on the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily.
"This was NOT how this was supposed to go!" she said exasperatedly.
Quickly, Blossom and Bubbles came over and went over to the boy and Buttercup. Blossom then grabbed Buttercup's hands, while Bubbles grabbed the boy's hands, and together, the two tried their best to pull them both out of the sludge.
Bubbles smiled softly at the bewildered boy. "So sorry for my sister, mister! She overreacts sometimes. But I'll get you out really quick-"
The boy suddenly shouted. "I SAID I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, BUG EYES!"
After he said that, Bubbles froze in place. As Blossom noticed, her eyes widened.
"Oh no. No, no, no!"
Buttercup, meanwhile, sighed with resignation. "Here we go."
At that moment, Bubbles's bottom lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears.
"That… isn't…" she whispered.
As the boy looked at her with angry confusion, Bubbles finally bursted into tears.
"NICE!" she wailed as she sobbed.
Buttercup growled.
"Great. See what you did, genius?! You made my sister cry!"
The boy looked at the three girls, the anger slowly giving way to plain annoyance, as a small bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head.
"What are you guys, 5?" he mumbled.
Bubbles sobbed louder. "NO! 11 AND A HALF!"
Suddenly, the Sludge Villain took back control for the third time, sucking the 4 back into his body. But before Blossom could be sucked in, someone grabbed her foot.
"NO! Don't take them!" a new voice shouted shakily.
Blossom turned her head around to see a new person trying to save them. A boy, with bright green eyes, freckles, and unnaturally green hair. He looked clearly terrified yet he offered a wobbly smile to her.
"Don't worry! I'll do my best to save you guys!"
While Blossom and the others looked grateful, the boy growled.
"WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE AND TRYING TO HELP ME?! I ESPECIALLY DON'T NEED HELP FROM YOU, DEKU!"
Blossom frowned. Deku?
The green-haired boy, or Deku, didn't really seem to hear this as he looked over at the boy.
"Hang in there, Kacchan! It won't be long before you're out."
Buttercup blinked. "Deku and Kacchan. Weird names if I ever heard one."
Suddenly, it was clear that even with 4 people helping, the Sludge Villain was winning this fight. As the 5 were being sucked in with no hopes of getting out, one more person decided to join the fight.
Just then, Blossom felt an abnormally strong tug on her dress collar, as she was pulled away from the sludge. As her surroundings blurred from the speed, she saw Bubbles and Buttercup and quickly grabbed onto their hands.
"HOLD ON!" Blossom shouted quickly, before the wind swallowed up her words shortly afterwards.
After that, it was unclear what happened. All the girls could comprehend was a loud and firm voice yelling, "DETROIT SMASH!" and a deafening whirlwind following shortly after. In some ways, it felt like being sucked into a portal.
But, it only took a few seconds for the girls, Deku, and Kacchan to be lowered to the ground gently. As soon as they were, the 5 of them collapsed on the ground. As Blossom stared up into the sky, she could see a light rain being sprinkled on them, slightly washing away the muck in her dress and bow. In the distance, she could hear the crowd cheering.
"All Might! You saved us!"
"Thank you!"
"Wow, that punch was so strong it changed the weather."
"Hooray, All Might!"
As they cheered though, faces popped up in Blossom's view. It was the Hero with the metal gloves, as well as the tree Hero, and they were glaring at her.
"You and your sisters are in big trouble, missy."
But, strangely, Blossom barely heard it, as she let out a little "mhm" and closed her eyes, dreaming little dreams about big strong superheroes and weather-changing punches.
Chapter 3: Pint Sized Supergirls
Aizawa expected more or less a normal day when he woke up that morning. Breakfast, border patrols, all that jazz. He expected his ideal morning: a nice cup of coffee, a menial breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs, and checking up on the news to find a relatively normal news report (aka news about tiny crimes being committed by Villains).
And that was what happened. However, what Aizawa did not expect was today's breaking news on the MNB (Musutafu News Broadcast) channel.
"This is Keomi Himari, coming to you live with breaking news." a news reporter said, "Yesterday, there had been a moderately dangerous Villain Attack on the streets of Musutafu, near Aldera Middle School."
As he sat on his couch and sipped his coffee, Aizawa didn't look like he cared that much. But after hearing the words "moderately dangerous", he looked up at the screen, still drinking his coffee.
"According to key witnesses and officials, a low scale Villain called the Sludge Villain was caught hijacking the body of a boy named Katsuki Bakugou. As Bakugou tried to fight the Villain off, he unintentionally caused severe damage to the surrounding area, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and fire."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow as the TV cut to live footage of the scene, recorded on a phone by a shivering citizen, judging from the blurry footage that moved and jostled around every second.
"As you can see from this footage, the situation escalated in a way that Pro Heroes who arrived at the scene could not get close enough to the Villain."
Aizawa put down his half-finished cup with a sigh. He's seen attacks like these before. Villains causing mayhem that some Pro Heroes on the scene could not control. Usually when that happens, a Hero like All Might would swoop in, help, and succeed in doing so, which is what Aizawa assumed is the case for this. But then, the reporter's next words completely contradicted his thoughts, and stunned him with only 3 simple sentences.
"However, some bystanders were able to get near the Villain and attempted to help the situation. It wasn't a Pro Hero of any kind. No, the helpers came in the form of three little girls."
Aizawa didn't noticeably react, but if someone looked close enough, his eyes appeared to be widening. Most likely because he was taken by surprise. Did he hear the reporter right? Did she really say what he thought she said? But, the live footage confirmed it. It showed 3 preteen girls in colorful dresses pushing away from the crowd and attempting to help the situation.
But, his surprise didn't end there, as the footage showed the girls' efforts to help. From the looks of it, their Quirks were impressive. The girl in the pink dress and bow had an Ice Breath Quirk. The girl in the blue dress and pigtails had a supersonic scream Quirk. And the girl in the green dress and messy short bob had a super strength Quirk.
The thing that was surprising, shocking even, was that it appeared that the girls had more Quirks. The way they moved, fast and swift, and how their jumps almost looked comparable to flying. That couldn't be just normal human skill. That looked to be the work of a Quirk.
There were other things in the broadcast, mentions of another boy named Izuku Midoriya attempting to help when the girls' plan to stop the attack went awry, and All Might eventually swooping in and stopping the Villain himself. It went on to say that the girls so far were unidentified and now under the watch of the government due to the fact that they used their Quirk (Quirks?) without a license.
And as soon as that fact was revealed, Aizawa's phone started to buzz.
With a glance at the phone, Aizawa paused the TV and picked it up. It was an incoming call from Nezu. His boss. Aizawa wondered what the call was about, but he was starting to get a notion on what it was going to address.
Finally, he answered. "Hello?"
"Aizawa! Glad I was able to reach you." Nezu's cheery voice came from the speaker.
Aizawa checked the clock on the wall. Although it was broken (set 4 hours ahead), Aizawa could tell that it was only 9:37 AM.
"Yeah. Right before I was about to head out for Hero patrols." Aizawa responded.
"Ah, yes. About that. Could you do a rain check on the patrols?" Nezu asked.
Aizawa looked back at his phone. "Why? Something wrong at UA I need to come and fix?"
"Oh, no. I just need you to accompany me to city hall. We have a scheduled appointment with a government official specializing in Quirk Misuse. You have seen the news, correct?"
Aizawa frowned as he looked at the paused TV. "Yeah. Villain attack got out of hand, and little girls tried to stop it illegally with their Quirks?"
"Yep, that's the one. We're supposed to lecture the girls on how important Quirk safety rules are."
Aizawa blinked, incredulous. "That's it? Why can't the officials do it?"
"Well…" Nezu said vaguely, "There are other things to discuss with them. But, you'll know when you get there."
Aizawa sighed. Nezu was always being Nezu. Charming yet secretive. For a second, he wondered what else they were going to discuss with the girls, but before he could dwell on it more, Nezu spoke again.
"Alright, we have to be there by noon. Let's meet up before then. Does 11:40 sound good?"
Aizawa nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."
"11:40 it is. Okay, see you then."
Aizawa sighed lightly as the phone hung up. "See you."
After he said that, Aizawa got up. He had time to kill before the meeting. But, he was going to need all the time and more to mentally prepare himself for the rollercoaster of a day this was going to be.
"3 pint sized supergirls…" Aizawa muttered to himself as he shook his head.
"Who knew?"
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Buttercup yelled.
As she said that, she slammed her hands on the table, both making her sisters and the government official, a guy in glasses, jump. After a moment, the official cleared his throat and frowned.
"Young lady, I advise you to watch your language and lower your tone-" he started to say sternly.
"BULL. SHIT." Buttercup yelled, completely ignoring the official's words, "WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO STOP THAT VILLAIN ATTACK! AND WE ALMOST SUCCEEDED TOO! AND YET YOU ARREST US?! WHAT IS YOUR GODDAMN LOGIC, SIR?!"
Blossom glanced away, not bothering to calm Buttercup down for two reasons. One, once Buttercup is in a rant, it is hard for anybody or anything to stop her (Blossom once tried to do that on an occasion and got a chair to the face). And two, as aggressive and unnecessarily mean Buttercup was being, Blossom and Bubbles both completely agreed on what she was saying.
Because, in a way, Buttercup was right. It was ridiculous. Shortly after the attack stopped and everything started to wind down, the Powerpuff Girls, after being attended to for their injuries, were sent to a nearby government facility by some Pro Heroes and a police force. They then told the girls that they were being temporarily monitored by the government because of "unauthorized misuse of Quirks". After that, the girls had to stay in a hotel room (which was nice, to say the least) for the night. In the morning, after being given breakfast, they were finally sent to a government official to address the problem.
The girls found not one but multiple problems with this. First of all, the "unauthorized misuse of Quirks" rule the police was preaching to them. Unauthorized misuse?! To Blossom, her plan was effective and simple, and it was authorized by her, which was more than enough. Sure, they ran into some complications. But, it was all in good spirit! Plus, they could've improvised easily and found a way to defeat the monster (which apparently isn't a monster at all, and just a weird sludge dude), even if that one hero didn't make it in time to punch the Villain away. Secondly, even if in this weird world where using superpowers are illegal, was this amount of punishment REALLY necessary? Being kept under supervised lockdown all night? It wasn't like the girls even caused much trouble to begin with!
And what even is a QUIRK? Is that what they called superpowers in this demented reality? It's called either superpowers or super abilities. Not Quirks. And by the way they talked about "Quirks", it was as if everyone had them. Which was a freak of nature in of itself. How could humanity ever find a way to evolve for everyone to have a superpower? Yes, there was the exception of the girls. But, they were unique. One in a million. No, TRILLION. But apparently, that wasn't the case anymore.
It was officially confirmed. This reality sucked.
The official seemed to be on his last nerve as well. "Succeeded?! If anything, your efforts caused more trouble. Any of you could've gotten hurt. The guy you were saving, Bakugou, could've gotten hurt. Hell, you could've put everybody in the surrounding area in danger. There's a reason that only Heroes are meant to handle these kinds of things."
A visible muscle on Buttercup's head twitched as she looked like she was about to murder the guy (which she was).
"HOW MANY STINKING TIMES DO I GOTTA TELL YA THIS?! WE. ARE. HEROES. WE'RE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
The official looked at Buttercup with a deadpan expression. Then, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples momentarily before looking back at her with tired eyes.
"Look. I get it. I really do. You dream of becoming a Hero. You strive to help people. That is completely fine. You cannot, however, go masquerading around town like you are actual Heroes. You know that you can't do crime fighting without a license or without the approval of a trusted Hero or official, otherwise you're classified as a vigilante. There are rules in place that you can't just brush by. Trust me when I say this, girls. The place for Pretend Hero Playtime is in your house."
The calm and incredibly patronizing speech that the official gave just about pushed Buttercup over the edge. Before the other 3 knew it, Buttercup lunged at the official with murder clear as day in her fiery green eyes. Quickly, Blossom and Bubbles sprang at Buttercup and held her back.
"LET ME AT HIM! LET ME SHOW THIS SON OF A BITCH HOW THIS PRETEND HERO CAN WHOOP HIS ASS!" Buttercup screamed.
Bubbles held onto Buttercup's arms, surprisingly calm. "Now, Buttercup. He's not worth it."
"Yeah. Plus, you don't go around punching town officials in Townsville. Don't do it now!" Blossom sighed.
The official, meanwhile, seemed to be numb to the fact that a feisty Buttercup was half a second away from choking him, and looked at Blossom.
"And this Townsville you girls keep on mentioning… Where is that, exactly?"
Suddenly, Buttercup stopped thrashing and stared at the official.
"You really don't know where one of the most popular cities in America is?"
The official shrugged. "I mean… how would I know? I lived here all my life."
Bubbles tilted her head, confused. "Then, you should know where it is, then!"
Now, the official was really confused as he shook his head. "No… like I've said, I've lived here my whole life."
While Buttercup and Bubbles looked utterly lost in terms of what the official was talking about, Blossom realized something with a jolt.
"Wait… where are we?" she asked.
Both the official and her sisters gave her weird looks.
"Where are we?! What kind of dumbass question is-"
Blossom silenced Buttercup with a lift of her finger, and asked again, "Where are we? What city and what country are we in?"
Despite looking like he was weirded out, the official answered after a moment of hesitation.
"Musutafu, Japan."
This time, all three girls were stunned as the official's answer sunk in. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup found themselves looking at each other, utterly speechless. As this happened, the official was more confused than ever.
"Okay, that's it. It's clear that you girls aren't from around here. Where are your parents so that we can clear this up?"
Blossom looked at the official, and hesitated. Could she tell him? Would he even believe it? Blossom knew that if she was told that a person had been warped into another world by a weird portal, she would think they lost their minds. But what else could she tell him? And she knew that the official wasn't taking silence as an answer, as he asked again more sternly.
"Girls. Where do you live and where are your parents?" he asked with a strict frown.
Blossom finally sighed, resigning to a decision. "Okay. Now, this must sound crazy. But, please believe me that what I'm about to tell you is the truth."
The official raised an eyebrow. "Depends on what ridiculous excuse you come up with."
Blossom closed her eyes. "Close enough. But, sir. Me and my sisters… we're not from this world."
The official didn't react to this in shock or anger, but instead closed his eyes tiredly and hummed.
"Ah, I don't get paid enough for this shit." the official sighed to himself.
Blossom shook her head frantically. "No, I'm dead serious. We live in an alternate reality. There's no such thing as powers… er, Quirks there. We're the only ones with superpowers there. But, a portal sucked us out of our world and stuck us here. That's why we're so uninformed about the supposed rules here, because we're not FROM here."
Bubbles nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, Mr. Official sir! We're telling the truth, we swear!"
The official, who had his head buried in his hands, growled in response.
"Shut up… please… shut UP!"
As he said the last word, the official banged his now curled fists on the table, startling the girls. He stood up suddenly, and walked to the door.
"That's it. It happened. You girls finally BROKE me. I'm going home for the day. I need a break. And a shitload of aspirin. I hope I never see you little brats again."
As the official slammed the door behind him, Buttercup shouted, "YEAH, FUCK YOU TOO, BUDDY!"
As the official's footsteps faded, Blossom sat on the chair, clearly annoyed.
"Why are the people here absolute IDIOTS?!" she half-groaned and half-whined.
"You tell me. First it was Boom Boom Baby, then it was those stupid heroes, now this guy. Tell me why this isn't a shitty reality again?" Buttercup scowled as she plopped down in her chair, arms crossed.
Bubbles sat down in her chair finally, clutching onto her dress and looking down. Slowly, tears filled her eyes.
"We're never going home… are we?" she whispered.
Blossom and Buttercup looked at her, surprised at Bubbles's hopelessness. Usually, she was always the optimist in situations, always looking at the bright side of things. So this change in behavior was shocking. And most of all, despairing.
Blossom put a hand on Bubbles's leg and shook her head.
"Don't say that, Bubbles. We're not gonna stay here forever."
Bubbles sighed. "It sure feels like it. As of now, there's no signs of that portal that got us into this mess. And nobody believes us. Maybe… we're doomed to live our lives here in this weird place-"
"Now, that's just pure bullshit coming out of your mouth, Bubbles! Don't be so damn cynical!" Buttercup interrupted.
Both Bubbles and Blossom looked at her with a frown, causing Buttercup to realize how rude she was being and lowered her tone.
"Okay, that was rude. But, I mean what I said. Sure, people aren't listening to us, but we don't need their help. We're getting home. We just have to do everything we can to do it. Even if we have to create a portal ourselves or punch a hole in reality that can warp us back, I promise you we're getting home somehow."
Bubbles was quiet before offering a soft smile. "You're right. We just need to find a way."
Just then, the door opened, drawing the girls' attention. At first, they assumed that the official came back. But, the visitor at the door was way different. Well, visitors.
There were two of them. One looked relatively normal, with long black hair and a plain black shirt and jeans to match, brandished with a grayish scarf to complete the look. Only, he looked tired, almost lethargic, with his clearly visible eye bags and bloodshot eyes.
But, the person he was with looked even stranger. If it was a person. It (or he) looked humanoid, standing on two legs and dressed in a rather formal outfit. But the weird thing was that its breed was either one of 3 things. A white mouse, a dog, or a bear. Maybe even all of the above.
As the pair walked in, the girls, despite their manners (with the exception of Buttercup), couldn't help but stare at them (Bubbles couldn't stop staring at the fuzzy mouse person due to his sheer adorableness). For a moment, the pair stood still and looked around with slight confusion.
"Huh. Where's the government official guy?" the tired man said to the mouse person.
The mouse person took out a pocket watch and looked at the time, while scratching his head.
"They said he would be here when we came over," he noted.
While this interaction happened, the girls stared even more, surprised that the mouse guy could talk (now Bubbles was in awe because of how cute the mouse's voice was). After a few seconds, the pair turned to the girls, just noticing that they were here.
"Have you girls seen a government official around?" the tired man asked them.
Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Tall, glasses, asshole? He just left."
The tired man looked confused, which prompted Blossom to sigh.
"We unintentionally scared him off, I guess." she said.
The mouse person shrugged. "Well then, I guess we have to wait for another one to swing by. In the meantime, I guess we have the alone time to talk."
As the two sat down, Blossom frowned. "Talk about what?"
"We were called here to talk to you about the rules and regulations of Quirk misuse." the mouse person replied while settling in the chair.
Buttercup visibly groaned, not bothering to hide it. "Really? Like that 'official' did a thousand times 5 minutes ago?"
The mouse person shook his head. "Not necessarily. I'm sure that the people you've encountered since last night won't really answer your questions. But, that's what we're here to do. Answer your questions. But in return, you have to answer some of our questions. Deal?"
The girls hesitated. They weren't expecting this. This, as in people talking to them like actual people. It seemed like a really good deal. If they get to ask questions, maybe the Powerpuff Girls could try and understand more of the mess of a reality they were in. Or, at the very least, know exactly what Quirks are or why there are laws that prohibit them.
"You… won't judge us based on what questions we ask? You'll just answer them truthfully and that's it?" Blossom finally asked.
The tired man nodded. "As long as you do the same for us."
Blossom looked to her sisters, who glanced at her and nodded. Finally, she answered on the behalf of her and her sisters.
"Okay. Deal. But, we get to go first."
Instead of looking insulted by Blossom's demands, the mouse laughed.
"Alright, alright. What do you want to know?"
Before Blossom could get a word in, Bubbles piped up.
"Who are you guys? Also, why do you look so cute and fluffy and fuzzy?!" Bubbles squealed.
Blossom looked at her, seeing the second question as a rude thing to say. "Bubbles!"
The mouse, meanwhile, laughed again.
"Straight to the point, are we? Well, I'll answer. My name is Nezu, and this non-fuzzy person I'm with is Aizawa."
As his name was mentioned, Aizawa nodded in greeting.
"As for your second question, I suppose I'm rather cute and fuzzy. I've been told that a lot. It's a long story, though. For another time." Nezu continued while smiling politely.
Buttercup then spoke up, directing her question to Aizawa.
"Why do you look tired? Like you just rolled out of bed?"
"Buttercup!" Blossom groaned, as she sighed in exasperation at her sisters' off topic questions.
Despite Blossom's reaction, Aizawa didn't react at all and shrugged simply.
"Long days of no sleep. Coffee all day." he answered simply.
Buttercup nodded. "Understandable."
Blossom raised her hand. "I guess I'll ask the questions that all three of us are wondering." (as she says this, she casts glares at her sisters) "why are we in trouble?"
Nezu nodded, a little grateful that she asked an actual question pertaining to the actual topic.
"Well, there are a number of factors. The largest one has to be unauthorized Quirk misuse during the Sludge Villain attack."
"But, why is there a law like that in the first place?" Buttercup asked.
Nezu sighed. "It's complicated, really. But for the sake of simplicity, I'll just say the answer is the problem of Hero incidents. You see, we follow through on these types of rules and take them very seriously. Not just for you but for everyone. Especially Heroes."
The girls looked confused at that, especially the Heroes part, which prompted Nezu to continue.
"You know that whenever a Villain is causing mayhem, they cause destruction, right? Well, it's the same for Heroes too. In most, if not all fights before rules like these were in place, the Villain may cause a large amount of destruction. But, as the Hero tries to clean up the mess, they end up making even more of a mess. This comes in the forms of unintentionally destroying parts of the area you're fighting in while you're pursuing the Villain.
"That applies to the Sludge Villain Attack. Yes, you girls did take initiative, and were willing to help when no one else couldn't. I commend you for that. But, imagine if your plan had gone horribly wrong? What if, Blossom, your Ice Breath ended up freezing nearby civilians. What if, Bubbles, your supersonic scream ended up rendering some people deaf? What if, Buttercup, you accidentally punched Bakugou when punching the Sludge Villain? While you are very lucky none of those things happened, it's better to not tempt fate you do not want."
The girls were quiet. They couldn't find an argument. Not even Buttercup. Because they knew. They knew just how easily things could spiral out of control. They knew it from experience. From when the girls were 5 and had just unlocked their powers.
They remembered that day vividly. They remembered how a simple game of Infection Tag led the girls to unintentionally destroy the whole city. That led to people to fear and be angry at them. They called them monsters. Bug-eyed freaks. They refused to even look at them. They casted them out.
While Townsville did apologize to the girls for their cruelty, after the girls saved the city, the girls, especially Blossom, didn't feel like Townsville had anything to apologize for. Having your home and city decimated by three young girls in colored dresses and vibrant eyes WAS frustrating and despairing. And they could've caused that again. Even if this time around, their intention was saving people rather than having fun playing Tag.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the silence was broken.
"So what? You just can't use your… Quirks at all?" Buttercup asked, her voice not in a challenging tone for once.
Nezu shook his head. "No, no. We strongly encourage those with Quirks to embrace their power. We just have to regulate it so that no one gets hurt from it. If you were to receive a Hero License, then you are free to use your Quirk to an extent. Enough that you can defeat a Villain, but not too much that you go overboard and kill them. After all, what a Hero should do is serve justice. Not commit murder, no matter how justified it is."
As the girls listened to this, they were just hit with a shocking and a little depressing fact. Townsville never did that for them. Sure, they let the girls fight crime, but they didn't really care if the girls went crazy on the Villains. Only the girls' own morals stood in the way of them actually killing anybody. Townsville never did. All they really cared about in the end was that the girls did their jobs and saved Townsville from harm.
But, at the same time, Townsville's laws seemed more logical to the girls than this reality's. Townsville let Heroes do whatever they wanted as long as they fulfilled their duties. But with Musutafu, they had a legal chokehold on their Heroes, only allowing them to use their powers when necessary. Regardless of how moral the Heroes' intentions are. The girls had no idea if people would like Townsville's rules better or not, but they themselves certainly did.
"So," Nezu said, breaking the tense silence once more, "You understand why you can't use your Quirks, yes?"
The girls hesitated for a second, before solemnly answering.
"Yeah." Blossom sighed.
"We're sorry for causing trouble." Bubbles apologized.
"Yeah. Sorry." Buttercup mumbled, not as heartfelt as Bubbles.
Nezu smiled softly. "You are skilled fighters, girls. You have the potential to be great Pro Heroes around here. Do you go to any schools in this area?"
Blossom froze at the question, and could sense her sisters tense at the question too. The real answer played in Blossom's mind automatically. No. Because we're kinda, maybe, sorta from another universe.
Instead, she answered, "No. We don't exactly live in this area."
Aizawa then spoke. "You know what, we were going to ask you about that. Where do you live? The main reason why you were kept overnight is because we can't find any information about you in our records, thus we couldn't find where you live so that we can send you back home. Why don't you tell us about that? Truthfully."
Blossom sighed. She knew this question was coming. It was inevitable, really. For a moment, she considered lying. But then, she thought about how Nezu had answered their questions honestly (hopefully, he did). And because of that, Blossom's heroic morals forbade her from lying.
"You… wouldn't believe us." Blossom said, remembering how her words made the government official walk out of the door in exasperation just minutes earlier.
Instead of proving that though, Nezu simply laced his fingers together and said two simple words.
"Try me."
Blossom then looked to her sisters again for their permission, to which they gave with a nod. Then, finally, the girls told Nezu and Aizawa their past.
The girls told them about how they were inducted into the profession of Heroes at the age of 5. About how for 7 years straight, they fought Villains and saved Townsville time and time again. About how they would've continued if a strange portal hadn't landed them here. The girls told Nezu and Aizawa all of it.
Aizawa himself had absolutely no idea how to react to this. The absurdity of it all was strong enough to be fake. But, the story was too layered and descriptive to be not real. He had a hard time thinking about why else 3 random girls with Quirks far beyond anyone's understanding would randomly show up here with no explanation.
As for Nezu, nobody could tell what he thought of the girls' story, even after Blossom finished telling it. His face didn't show any emotions other than a small flicker of unidentified emotion on his face before quickly passing as if it wasn't there at all. Then, when the girls were finished, Bubbles decided to ask the question that all of the girls were wondering.
"Do you believe us?" she asked.
Surprisingly to the girls, Nezu hesitated, thinking before his answer. What the three expected was a straightforward "no" before being whisked off to remain under supervision from the government. But, as Nezu spoke, the results were the opposite of the girls' expectations.
"Perhaps, you are telling the truth. I know better than to dismiss your firsthand experience. But what I'm stuck on is this. Why? Do you know what the portal was? Was it a simple anomaly never meant to happen, or did someone of your world or ours cause it? If the latter is true, then who could've done it and what is their purpose of doing it?"
Buttercup spoke up. "We don't know. I wish we did. But, we've been here for a day. Literally no answers have been given to us over that time."
Nezu nodded in understanding, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
"Which is why we'll devote some of our scientists to figuring out the problem. In the meantime, what will you do?"
The girls hesitated. What will they do? Going back home was no longer an option. So do they just stay here? For days, months, possibly even years? Resuming a life of superheroing was no longer an option either, so would they just be stuck here, forced to live a normal life in a world that was anything but?
Just then, Nezu looked towards Aizawa, while speaking again to the girls.
"How about you let me and Aizawa talk about it for a few moments? You girls can stay here."
The girls looked confused at this, and especially Aizawa looked confused. But after a moment, the look of confusion passed on his face and stood up.
"Will it be okay if we leave you girls alone here for a moment?" he asked the girls.
Even though they looked confused, the three all nodded slowly.
"That's fine," Blossom answered.
Nezu smiled. "Great. We'll be back."
And with that, Aizawa and Nezu left the room and stepped into the hallway. As soon as the door closed behind them, Aizawa jumped right into his question.
"Do you actually believe them?" he asked.
Nezu didn't hesitate to nod. "Their story makes sense. What other explanation do we have for it? There isn't even a city named Townsville in America. In OUR America, anyway."
Aizawa sighed. "But you have to admit it. It sounds completely ridiculous. Just let the moment really sink in. In that room are three little girls, who are basically miniature girl versions of SUPERMAN, who are from an entirely different world that we know absolutely nothing about, and got sucked into a portal we ALSO know nothing about."
Nezu put a comforting hand on Aizawa's forearm.
"Shota. Let this whole moment sink in. I am a talking mouse. You have the ability to silence powers. 80% of the entire WORLD has some sort of super abilities we call Quirks. Superheros are a literal profession that you can take. In a world where this kind of stuff is normal, do three girls coming in from another world through a portal seem THAT far-fetched?" Nezu said, in a way too calm voice.
Aizawa tried to find something to counter Nezu's statements, but drew a blank.
"… You have a point."
Nezu nodded. "I know. That is why I believe them. We need the best scientists to solve this dilemma and the multiple questions we have on our hands."
"But… if I have a hard time believing this, then don't you think that other people will be just as, if not MORE adamant, to contribute their work to research about a portal they have no idea exists?"
"That is why we must enlist help from UA. I trust my staff and they trust me. We will find out how to send the girls home, even if we have to avoid government involvement."
Aizawa looked towards the closed door. "But, that will take a long time. Months, more likely years. What will they even do during that time?"
Nezu smiled. "That is why I wanted to talk with you in private. It's too late for the girls to join UA at this time of year, with the school year practically halfway done. The next school year is in 10 months-"
"Hold on, hold on, hold on. You want those girls to be in UA?!" Aizawa exclaimed.
Nezu nodded. "That has been my intention since I saw the broadcast."
"But, UA's a high school! People at the ages of 15 and above are in high school. And how old are the girls? 11, they said?!"
"Yes, but they also noted that they will turn 12 in August."
"Same thing! My point is that they are WAY too young. UA's tough-"
"And they are tough too, Shota," Nezu interrupted gently, "they've been fighting crime for 7 years. I think they're used to tough challenges."
"But, what will be the point? UA is meant to train students to become Heroes. I'm positive that the girls don't like it here. What makes you think that they would want to become Heroes here?"
"They won't," Nezu said simply with a shrug, "but there are 2 reasons why it would be good for the girls to go to UA. One. If what they say is true, then we have a lot of possibilities to consider. The main one is the possibility of someone purposely bringing the girls into our world for harmful purposes. I hope that isn't the case, but we need to keep an eye on them, just in case.
"And two. I meant what I said in my conversation to the three girls. They have the potential to be so much stronger. It's clear that despite their years of crime fighting, they still have a lot to learn. UA can teach them how to use their super abilities properly and to their full extent. Even if it's not to get a Hero License, the girls would strongly benefit from UA's curriculum. I know it."
Aizawa opened his mouth to protest, but then Nezu talked again.
"Look. We have 10 months. UA's next school year wouldn't be until then. We have time. We can make sure that the girls are situated. UA can supply them a self-sustaining apartment for them to live in for the time being, and check on them from time to time. Whatever we do, we have to keep the girls close. Who knows what kind of people would kill for their power…"
Aizawa closed his mouth. He couldn't argue with that. He bet that people were already wanting to know who the three girls were. And Nezu's plan seemed good. They had time to fully think about what they wanted to do with the girls. What that was, Aizawa had absolutely no idea.
Finally, he replied, "Fine. I don't know where you're going with this. But, I trust you."
Nezu nodded, grateful that Aizawa was at least going through with the plan. Then, he looked towards the closed door, looking a little bit excited.
"I think that UA's about to get a little more interesting."
Aizawa nodded and sighed.
"It's gonna be one hell of a school year, that's for sure."