I lurched forward, a thousand needles stabbing into my stomach.
"Fuck!" I clutched my gut as my vision blurred. What the—did someone—
A fist slammed into my jaw before I could finish the thought. I stumbled and hit the ground.
"Didn't I tell you to give me your money, nerd?"
My face smashed into the dirt. I groaned, struggling to pry my eyes open through the grit.
The world tilted in a wash of afternoon light and green. Trees rustled overhead. As my vision cleared, I caught glimpses of my attacker—a leather jacket.
And a red T-shirt with a register on it.
Pain flared again as I realized I'd cracked my head against a rock. My hand came away from my scalp. Blood.
Two of them.
One in leather. One in a blue baseball uniform.
I pushed myself up on one arm.
"Who…?" I muttered, staring up at the teenagers.
They looked seventeen, maybe eighteen.
"Come on, Tennyson," the one in blue said, blowing a bubble.
He stepped forward and kicked my face back into the ground, smirking. "Aren't we old friends? Why be so stubborn? Hand it over, and we'll only come back next week."
What the hell is going on? Who are these people? Do they have me confused with someone else?
I wanted to tell them they had the wrong guy—that my name was Tang Yung.
But when I lifted my hand again, something caught my eye.
A beaded wristband. Different colored gems threaded on a stretchy string.
The centerpiece was a ten.
And it clicked.
Tennyson.
The name echoed in my head as I squeezed my eyes shut. Memories surged—disjointed, hazy.
Maybe the blows had knocked them loose.
An attic. Dust. Boxes.
My grandparents sorting things for a yard sale before leaving for China.
A lamp.
I'd found it tucked away in a corner. They didn't recognize it.
So I kept it.
Planned to sell it. Extra cash never hurt—especially for a NEET with gacha habits.
"Argh—!"
The taste of iron filled my mouth. My head pounded, like something was rattling inside my skull. I curled in on myself, arms wrapped around my head.
They took that as resistance.
Kicks rained down—ribs, stomach, arms.
"Tch." Hands grabbed my collar.
Thud.
My back slammed into a tree.
Fuck—I can't think straight.
I grabbed his arms, squeezing. "Get off me!"
I lashed out with a weak kick. It barely made him stumble.
He glanced down at the dirt on his shirt, brushing it off. "Hah. Look who grew a spine. Benjamin Tennyson, with some balls—wow."
His tone dripped with mockery.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife.
I froze.
This wasn't a scuffle anymore.
How the hell was he carrying a knife? Shit—should I just give them what they want?
What do they even want?
Money?
Do I even have any?
I didn't check.
The thought of handing anything over made my stomach turn more than the blade did.
My legs tensed, ready to bolt—but I was too slow. The other guy stepped in, blocking me with a baseball bat.
Fuck.
I turned the other way, but stopped as the knife flipped from hand to hand.
I wasn't about to test his aim.
I clenched my fists.
Wait it out.
I don't know when this is… but I know where I am.
My gaze dropped to my clothes—striped shirt, khaki pants.
My heartbeat slowed.
Da—dump. Da—dump.
Everything sharpened.
They're calling me Ben.
Last thing I remember… I passed out.
Then I woke up here.
Did I switch places with the real Ben Tennyson?
I looked between the two bullies, forcing my thoughts to line up.
If this is that universe—
Then these two…
The bullies from the first episode.
The details didn't match perfectly—different heights, slightly different clothes—but it was close enough.
I swallowed.
"What's got you fighting back all of a sudden?" Cash asked, amused.
His eyes dropped to the chain around my neck.
He yanked it free.
A small lamp charm dangled at the end.
He glanced at it, then at the other guy.
"JT, didn't you say someone confessed to little Tenny yesterday?"
JT snorted, blowing another bubble. "Yeah, I just can't remember who. One of those sisters with the weird last name… Uton… Utahnim—"
"It's Utonium," a voice cut in.
Everyone paused.
A girl stepped forward.
Bandages wrapped her forearms. Black knuckle gloves. A green-and-black striped tank top. Her green eyes burned as they locked onto Cash's grip on my chain.
"Also…" she added, voice sharp, "hands off that necklace."
I stared at her, momentarily forgetting the knife.
Something twisted in my chest—familiar, but not mine.
She looked…
My pulse spiked.
My throat went dry.
"Buttercup…"
My mind reeled.
Not Bellwood.
Not the start of canon.
A week before summer break.
Townsville.
Another world entirely.
The Powerpuff Girls.
Cash scoffed, letting me drop. "Or what, Butter-scotch~?" He spun the knife lazily.
Buttercup didn't flinch. "I might just break your arms if I see so much as a fingerprint on it."
Her gaze flicked to the lamp locket—the engraved initials.
And something stirred in my mind.
A memory of siting on the floor—watching a colorful Saturday morning cartoon with my sister.
Three sisters.
City-shaking games of tag.
Daily fights against monsters, kaiju, and a rogue's gallery of lunatics trying to destroy everything.
Buttercup's eyes flared green.
Cash smirked.
"Really now…"
His thumb dragged slowly across the initials.
—
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, and I'm experimenting as I go. If readers enjoy it, I'll continue updating with new chapters.