Hearts as One

(Open POV)

Townsville…

The city skyline in the afternoon. Car horns blare softly in the background.

"The city of Townsville!" The narrator chirped.

At street level, there is a truck labeled 'TOYS' as it rolls down the block. There is a store with this same name on the corner; the truck backs up, and a crate slides out the rear end of the trailer. Around it.

TOYS…

The crate floats peacefully down the length of one aisle. 

Townsville…

There is a front wheel of a motorized scooter tooling along the sidewalk, then to one of a utility knife in the store as its blade is extended. A long brown ponytail on the back of a mostly bald head with the scenery scrolling behind it as it waves in the wind.

The scooter stops in front of the toy store. 

TOYS…

Inside, the knife cuts into the tape securing the crate; outside, a pair of fat, hairy legs clad in red shorts and striped tube socks steps in front of the door. One sock has slid down around its ankle, and the owner of said footwear bends over to pull it up. 

There is a green belt buckled at the back encircling his waist, and the elastic band of his underwear. This bears the name 'Lenny' in black letters; he brushes himself down.

Inside, the crate is being cut open. The door opens, the bell above it jingling, and a broad shadow advances into the store and falls across the tiles. Turn up from the floor to point straight down the aisle ahead of it, then cut to a side view of Lenny's legs as he walks along. The green belt belongs to a fanny pack. Just as he reaches the crate, the stock boy opens the crate. He looks up from his work, then backs up with a scared look and a nervous smile as if to say, 'Help yourself, just don't hurt me.'

The crate is yanked open, and an item inside is lifted up to Lenny's nose. Lenny has beady eyes, glasses, and a scraggly beard and mustache. He sniffs the package and holds it over his head in triumph. A cash register readout has a purchase rung up, then of the scooter's wheels as the engine is started up. 

The craft putters and carries Lenny drives away; it is rolling down the street and over the horizon. Lenny's ponytail flutters in the wind.

Lenny's room…

Lenny's room has shelf upon shelf filled with items of Powerpuff Girls merchandise across the entire room. Dolls, lunchboxes, carpeting, lamps, posters, bedspreads, mobiles, bobbing heads—the place almost looks like a warehouse for collectibles based on Townsville's protective triumvirate. Lenny—with the aforementioned bald pate, ponytail, glasses, and thin facial hair, in addition to a very bad complexion. He wears a satisfied, buck-toothed smile, and he holds up the item he has just purchased from the toy store for a closer look. When he speaks, it is with a serious lisp and the gravelly tone of a man close to middle age, and a bit like Rocksteady from the 1987 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

"And for today's purchase, the poseable Blossom doll with laser light eyes and realistic hair." Lenny said, placing the doll on the empty spot on the shelf beside the other two.

Lenny reaches over and sets the package on the shelf; it is a doll in Blossom's image. He walked over to the center of the room and looked around, 

The Narrator's response that follows is one of total shock, amazement, and uneasiness, "Holy hoarders! This has got to be the most complete collection of Powerpuff paraphernalia on the planet!"

Lenny is cackling, "Powerpuffs to the rescue!"

Lenny makes whooshing noises and runs back and forth as if flying. After a couple of passes, he ran to his computer. He hums—very badly out of tune—and regards it for a moment. At the keyboard, it has candy wrappers and a soda cup scattered on top of it in a state of disarray from not cleaning up after himself; Lenny reaches over and sweeps the clutter aside so he can use it to type in his latest info.

"Now to log this in my computer…" Lenny said, looking down at his computer screen.

Above the computer, Bubbles and Buttercup figures stand on top of it. The words 'POWERPUFF GIRLS CHECKLIST' are typed up on the screen, and Lenny's hand is on the mouse. On the screen, the words 'CHROMIUM ACTION FIGURES' are there as the CPU kicks into gear. A red X appears next to this entry. Lenny has leaned back in his chair, relaxing, as the machinery continues its work. After several seconds, the computer beeps. He opens his eyes slightly, then all the way in surprise.

 "Huh?!" Lenny exclaimed, while his glasses slid down his nose, and he pushed them up and leaned toward the screen with concern. "This can't be right." On the screen, the message isn't a good one. 'Collection complete'?!"

Lenny begins typing furiously and looking around the room, trying to see if he overlooked anything that hasn't been logged into his checklist yet.

"The hand-carved headboard?" Lenny asked, looking at the headboard of his bed, which features pictures of the girls and the PPG heart logo. "Got it." He looked back and forth between his computer and each item he names during the next line. "Egg timer?…Got it…Shoeshine kit?…Got that too…" He looks at a Hickory Farms-style sampler box, then back to the screen, as he continues. "The Powerpuff cheese and sausage selection…" The entry is checked; Lenny looks at some tri-colored carpet. "Brightly colored indoor sod…" Three piñatas. "Powerpuff piñatas…" Boxing gloves with Buttercup's face. "The Buttercup Beat-You-Up boxing gloves…" A fountain, with water pouring from Bubbles' mouth. "The Bubbles Spits-a-Lot fountain…" A row of books with Blossom's face on the cover. "…and the Blossom I'm-So-Smart encyclopedia set."

Lenny looks at a row of red X's on the screen, scrolling down the list. He looks between each item he names and an X on the checklist.

"Stopwatch…measuring cup…spittoon…" Lenny said, increasingly frantic, and now the X's do not appear. "Gravy boat…telephone cozy…golf bag…" Three more X's flash up. Lenny looks rather shell-shocked at the final tally of his collection. "This isn't good." The computer screen again shows the 'COLLECTION COMPLETE' message, as Lenny turns around in his chair. Lenny speaks, breathing hard, stammering. "Now what'll I do?! Collecting Powerpuff stuff is my life. I've got every piece of merchandise known to man. My collection…is complete. Oh, it's just not enough!"

Lenny bites his tongue until the screen is filled with red.

"Sheesh, buddy! Get a life!" The narrator said, disgusted and annoyed.

Now the patch of red is the sun in a drawing of a tree, with a bird nesting in the leaves and a bunny on the ground. 

Girls' room…

Bubbles is hard at work in the girls' bedroom, her crayons scattered about her on the table.

 "I am soooo good!" Bubbles said, while she kept drawing. She moves her free hand and knocks a crayon off the table. "Oops."

Bubbles leans over to pick the crayon up, then up again. She moved her body back to the table and the drawing was gone. 

Bubbles looks around for the culprit, "Hey! Who took my drawing?"

Buttercup is throwing punches at something nearby. Splats and squishes are heard when her blows land. 

Bubbles flies up behind Buttercup, "All right. Hand it over."

Buttercup is attacking a slab of beef hanging from a meathook. Spurts of blood fly out as she punches. The workout continues during the next lines.

"What over?" Buttercup asked.

Bubbles flies behind her, "You know what."

"No, I don't."

"My drawing! You took my drawing!" Bubbles said, angrily.

"Why would I want your crummy drawing?" Buttercup asked.

"Because it was the most beautiful drawing in the whole world." Bubbles said, looking proud of herself. "Jared would agree. If he was here. He's seeing the universe with the Doctor and Clara."

"That's because he doesn't care about your drawing." Buttercup said, scoffing. "Well, I don't have it. Where was it last?" 

"Duh! It was right there on the table…" Bubbles said, looking at the table, now bare. "…with my crayons."

Bubbles looked at the crayons with a shocked look on her face. She gasps and screams.

"My crayons!" Bubbles cried, pointing at Buttercup. "You stole my drawing and my crayons!"

Buttercup flies into view, "I didn't steal your things. Now leave me alone, I'm punching!"

Buttercup shouts and launches herself away for another strike; a crash is heard. On Buttercups, right, the side of beef is gone from its hook, and she has punched a hole in the wall. She looks behind herself, surprised. Buttercup looks at the hook, a shred of meat still clinging to it.

"Uh…? My meat! It's gone!" Buttercup said, as she confronted Bubbles. "You stole my side of beef! This is what happens when Jared isn't here!"

"I did not! I'm a vegetarian! Besides, you took my drawing!" Bubbles said, scoffing.

Across the bedroom, Blossom is at the fore, brushing her hair at the mirror and looking angrily back at Bubbles and Buttercup.

"Jeez, is that all you two do is blame one another for everything?!" Blossom exclaimed. "Are you two blaming one another for everything because Jared is seeing all of time and space with his friends?!"

Blossom puts the brush down and looks around the counter, then toward Bubbles and Buttercup with a very irritated expression.

"All right. Which one of you took my hair clip?!" Blossom exclaimed.

Blossom flies up to her sisters, and all three begin arguing. Octi, resting against the pillows, is whisked away. A photo of the Professor, Jared, and the girls is next to go. The hotline is resting on the floor. It is pulled away by its cord.

At the side of the beef and along the wall, Lenny's shadow looms up and moves along as well. 

Lenny's apartment…

Lenny's shadow is wandering around the halls. Octi, the hair clip, and the crayons stand on a shelf; next to these are the drawing and the hotline, which sits under a glass dome. There is a nail driven into the wall. Lenny reaches over and hangs the photo on it. 

Lenny is insanely laughing and he cuts his laughter off sharply, "But it's still not enough."

Lenny is watching the girls using binoculars to see them in flight.

"I need more, I tell you. MORE!!" Lenny yelled.

The girls flew past Lenny's window, and Lenny looked back at his silhouette for a moment. Lenny is holding the binoculars, his mouth hanging slightly open in expectation. 

Townsville…

The girls are in flight.

"Help! Help! Save me!" Lenny cried, nearby.

The girls swoop down.

"Someone's in trouble!" Blossom said, terrified.

Lenny's apartment…

The girls approach the source of the call and fly in through the open window. Once inside, they stop short upon finding themselves surrounded by Lenny's trove of Powerpuff collectibles.

 "Whoa…" The girls said, uneasily. 

Each in turn looks at a section of items devoted to her.

"Oh, this is seven kinds of creepy!" Buttercup said, worried.

"Yeah, something tells me this isn't right." Blossom said, sadly. "Is this why Jared decided to have adventures again? Because of this."

Long silence.

"Cool!" Bubbles said, enthusiastically.

"Bubbles!" Blossom and Buttercup said, at the same time.

"Sorry." Bubbles said, frowning.

"Hello, ladies!" Lenny said, lounging against the doorframe, having been waiting there the whole time and only now reveals himself to them. "Let me be the first to introduce you to my collection…" His silhouette with his glasses glowing red as they take on an evil smile with what he says next. "…permanently!"

Outside the building, the girls' screams of terror rip through the air. 

Utonium Residence…

At their house in the suburbs and cut to the Professor, peering into a microscope in his lab. He sits bolt upright as his parental sixth sense kicks in, hearing the screams of the girls, even from this far away.

"The girls!" The Professor said, and his pipe drops from his mouth as it falls to the floor. 

The Professor ran off.

(Jared's POV)

TARDIS console room…

I was busy listening to the soundtrack from RWBY and the TARDIS cloister bell began ringing. I looked up and I realized what happened.

"What's wrong?" Clara asked.

"The girls." I said, clutching my phone. "They've been taken."

"Sugar, spice, and everything nice? Those girls?" The Doctor asked.

"The very same."

"When?" The Doctor asked, walking over to the TARDIS console. 

"Um…" I said, opening the Notes app on my iPhone 16 Pro Max. "Season 2. Episode 3. 'Collect Her'."

"The Lenny Baxter episode. Ah. I can see why the TARDIS cloister bell was ringing." The Doctor said, plugging in coordinates into the console and I began hearing the wheezing noise.

"Clara, you should stay with the Doctor." I said, looking at Clara.

"Why? Why can't I come with you?" Clara asked.

"Because…"

"Because Jared doesn't want you to be kidnapped." The Doctor said, guiltily.

The Mayor's office…

The Professor throws the doors open with a slam. The TARDIS began materializing in the room and I opened the doors and ran out of the blue box. The TARDIS then dematerialized in the nick of time.

"Mayor! Jared, you're here! You gotta help! The girls are missing!" The Professor cried.

The Mayor is at his desk, "Missing? Aww, well, they know they can visit me anytime."

The Mayor leans back in his chair and appears to go to sleep. The Professor leans across the desk. I began walking towards the desk.

"No. The girls can't visit you right now, Mayor." I said, crossing my arms. "I had to drop everything I was doing because they're not safe. They're in danger."

 "No, Mayor, Jared's right, the girls are missing! Gone!" The Professor yelled.

The Mayor perks up in shock and horror once he realizes what the Professor meant.

"Oh! Oh!" The mayor said, activating the intercom. "Ms. Bellum! Call the citizens of Townsville to the Townsville Town Square!"

The Professor and I are reflected from the waist up in a full-length mirror.

"But don't you think this is a bit extreme?" The Professor asked, while the Mayor was straightening his tie. "I thought we could just call the FBI or something."

"The FBI? Seriously?" I asked, uncrossing my arms, and clutching the strap of my sling bag. "Having armed men would definitely escalate the situation too much."

"Jared's right. We can't have the FBI scaring the citizens." The Mayor said, as the three of us crossed the office. "My boy, this is a time of great crisis to the citizens of Townsville."

At the end of this line, the Mayor opens a door and the three of us step out onto the balcony. As he continues, he climbs a set of steps to reach a podium and he is in his ascent to where the microphones are waiting for him.

"And who better to aid us in our time of need than…" The Mayor said, his voice amplified. "THE PEOPLE!!"

"Yup. I don't need the help of my friends for this." I said, looking at the cheering crowd below the balcony. Silhouettes of the Mayor, the Professor, Ms. Bellum, and I are seen at the railing. There is a red banner depicting the Mayor's face hanging on either side of the four of us, one white, the other black. The Mayor still has his voice still amplified.

"The Powerpuff Girls…" The Mayor said, adjusting his monocle. "…are missing."

The Mayor's eye darts back and forth as the crowd expresses its dismay at learning of the disappearance of their beloved heroines and defenders. 

"Are you sure we can't call your friends?" The Professor asked, looking over at me.

"For this adventure? No." I said, looking down at the worried townspeople and looked along them as the Mayor continued. "I love my friends, I do. But this person really messed up."

The Talking Dog and Ms. Keane are among the citizens front and center.

"And he who among us, who is not among us, surely is the culprit!" The Mayor said, behind him with a determined crowd in front. "Now who's not here? Uh…uh, Kensy Matthews! Lloyd Hoopley? Fanny Brown? Goofus McGuirk? Genndy McCracken? Chaim…uh…Ishkabibble?"

"Um…" I said, laughing a lot, while looking at the Mayor. "I can't. Sorry."

"Marjorie Wilson! Where's Marjorie Wilson?" The Mayor asked, suddenly angry. "I knew it! Only an evil mind such as hers could do such a diabolical thing!"

"I'm right here, Mayor!" Marjorie WIlson said, in the crowd.

"Oh! Is that you, Marge?" The Mayor asked, calming down, looking down at the crowd, before tipping his hat. "How's every little thing?" 

I looked over at the Professor, worried, and knowing he is more worried than me. 

"Mayor, it's Lenny Baxter." I said, clutching my fist. "He took the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Uh…well…thank you, Jared. Then the only other person it could be is…Lenny Baxter, the Comic Book Geek! GET HIM!!!" The Mayor yelled.

I looked behind the Mayor and at the Professor and Ms. Bellum before looking at the now quite riled up now that they know who the girls' kidnapper is.

"Get Lenny! Get Lenny! Get Lenny!" The Crowd said, at the same time.

Lenny's apartment…

Lenny, with Buttercup's head and arm partially visible. He appears distraught. As he speaks, he looks down at her.

"No, Buttercup, I'm sorry! Please, please don't hurt me!" Lenny said, as he is hit in the face. "Oh, Buttercup…" He is smacked again. "…your punches hurt so bad."

'Buttercup', actually a hand puppet with jointed arms, which Lenny is working back and forth to throw punches. Lenny socks himself several more times as there is a shelf high above him. On this shelf are three Powerpuff Girls figures, with very realistic facial expressions and eye movements, meaning they are the real deals, having been somehow packaged up by Lenny to be kept hostage as part of his Powerpuff collection for life. Only the girls' eyes are seen blinking, with both Blossom and Buttercup blinking once, and Bubbles blinking three times, showing that they are all still alive and well, but helplessly trapped in their Powerpuff-proof packaging. Lenny addresses himself to them.

"Hello, girls. Looks like your power-packed punches can't punch their way out of my power packages!" Lenny said, and laughs crazily.

"Get Lenny! Get Lenny!" The crowd said, from outside.

"What the—?" Lenny ashamed.

The angry chanting continues as Lenny crosses the room to the window and looks out. Lenny looks out at the crowd.

 "Well, paint me green and call me Frankenstein. They're on to me!" Lenny said, softly.

The window is slammed shut and the blinds lowered, but it does little to help protect Lenny from the crowd that is coming for their heroines. 

"You shouldn't have taken some of my best friends." I said, changing into my ghost form, and used my electromagnetism to tear off the hinges off the door, thus leaving Lenny nowhere to run or hide as he was trapped. "The Powerpuff Girls mean everything to me, the Professor, the Mayor, and the rest of Townsville. You shouldn't have crossed that line."

Lenny finds himself cornered by an irate mob ready to spill a little blood. I am standing next to the Professor, and I looked down at Lenny's face.

Lenny's features are set in stubborn determination, though his mouth wobbles a bit, knowing his capture of the Girls would be short-lived once their disappearance became public knowledge. The Professor's face and my face is shown in the same manner, white-hot anger written all over it. Lenny's eyes have one eyebrow drooped in a menacing squint. Again, the Professor's face and my face are shown the same way. The standoff is broken by a young voice.

"Cool!" A kid chirped, holding a box with Blossom's picture. "He's got the limited-edition, trilingual talking Powerpuff dolls! You can't even get these anymore!"

Lenny reaches into view and snatches the box away, he is holding the box, "That's because I bought them all!"

"But you didn't even open 'em yet." The kid said, sadly.

"Huh, duh! Hello!" Lenny said, knocking on the kid's head. "Earth to kid!" He looked down at the box. "Toys are not for playing with. They are an investment. And opening the container of said item would dramatically decrease its collector's value!"

"This is why I hate collectors and scalpers." I said, moving my hand towards the box and yanking said box away. "eBay ruined everything in the future. I can't even afford the things I want to get because of the likes of you. And you say things dramatically decrease its collector value. Do you mean like…" My hand is poised on the box top. "…this?!"

I ripped the box open, the sound echoes in the air as Lenny clasps his hands to his head in agony at the collector's value being lost thanks to my action. 

"Got ya." I said, looking down at Lenny looking up at me.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Lenny said, angrily

I looked over to the Professor, who is shown the same way.

"Now tell me and Jared where the girls are!" The Professor yelled.

"I'm not even showing off my full power." I said, my eyes glowing blue. "Do you really want me to get up to that level?"

Electrical shocks came out of my body, ready to hurt Lenny. Lenny is slumped against a wall.

"Never!" Lenny said, turning in defiance.

"Okay. Well. Stubborn, aren't you? I gave you one chance and you wasted it." I said, looking down at the row of eager kids. "Okay, kids, time to grab and play with some toys! Take whichever one you want! Free toys!"

They kids scatter and seize one package after another from the shelves. 

"It's your move, Lenny. Jared is holding back his full power. You should consider this his mercy. He does have the power to end you, if he wants to." The Professor said, as the kids have the toys in hand. "Tell us—or else."

"Or else what?!" Lenny exclaimed.

"This." I said, looking down, and turning my head to the left towards Billy. "Billy? You can open it."

One boy tears up the box he holds, and Lenny doubles over as if he has just been hit in the gut. Another package with its collector's value destroyed. 

"I can end you now with a Railgun or lethal bullets." I said, looking at Lenny. "Have you had enough of losing two 'collectibles'?"

I looked down at Lenny, waiting for an answer.

"You and your friend won't get them!" Lenny said, determined.

"If you say so. The Professor is right. This is my way of showing mercy. Because killing you would mean giving in to people like you." I said, looking down and over at a little girl. "Susie? Your turn."

Now a girl opens her package. Lenny screams as he loses even more money from his prized possessions, and looks up at me and the Professor. 

"I'm holding back because the Professor and the citizens of Townsville are here." I said, looking down at Lenny. "Are you ready to give up them now?"

Lenny's eyes looked to his left.

"No!" Lenny yelled.

"Okay. You're being a stubborn little brat, aren't you? A pain in my ass. We can do this all day, and I won't leave. And neither will the Professor. Until we get our girls back." I said, my eyes dead, and now devoid of any emotion. "Jimmy?"

The boy rips open his box; Lenny clutches his stomach again in losing another investment.

"As I said, you're lucky I am even holding back." I said, looking down at Lenny. "Well? Are you ready to let them go?"

I looked down at Lenny's mouth, hoping for a response back from the collector.

"N-N-No!" Lenny cried.

"Okay." I said, looking down at another girl. "Julie?"

She shreds her box, causing a great deal of physical discomfort to the toy collector. He cries out and begins to slump over. The toll of losing his investments is starting to take effect on him big time.

"This would have been settled five minutes ago if you just listened to me." I said, electrical shocks coming out of my body, my eyes still glowing blue. "I am holding back my full power. I don't want to end you, but I will."

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Lenny said, weakly, dropping to his knees. 

"Of course you are." I said, looking down at Lenny, who is looking up at the Professor and I. "Will you tell us where the girls are?"

"N-N-Never!" Lenny said, defiantly.

"Okay. Suit yourself. Kids? Open them like it's Christmas!" I said, excitedly. "Christmas Day has arrived early!"

Shadows on the wall show one package after another being torn into confetti, and Lenny does not take it at all well. His reactions are similar to those exhibited by criminals who are being soundly thrashed by the Girls. Screaming and gibbering, he tumbles to the ground in slow motion and presumably falls unconscious upon hitting the carpet. The Professor and I crossed the room.

"Let me tell you something, Lenny." The Professor said, stopping at Lenny, kneeling over him. "You may have all of the toys, all of the merchandise, all of the so-called 'collector's value'. But one thing you don't have, Lenny, is true fandom. Jared is part of the true fandom, and has been his whole life. He would rather hang out with the girls, spend time with them, get to know them, love them, and have fun."

"Yeah. The Professor's right, I adore the Powerpuff Girls. Because they teach me things I've forgotten with time." I said, happily. "I've been a fan of the Powerpuff Girls for like forever. As someone I know of, she's a fan of My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic. I love the Powerpuff Girls a lot, but I wouldn't want them to be locked up."

"Which is why Jared is better than you." The Professor said, sadly. "For a true fan wouldn't want to selfishly keep the girls to himself. A true fan would want them to be free."

The Professor straightens up. The background dissolves to red and white stripes, waving like the American flag, and his figure turns blue.

"Free to do the things they do best. To do the things we love most about them." The Professor said, as the normal color returns; he bends down again. "Now why don't you be a fan…and tell me and Jared where they are?"

"T…the…t…top shelf." Lenny said, weakly, pointing into the air.

"That wasn't that hard, was it?" I asked, looking down at Lenny.

The Professor looks behind himself to where Lenny has indicated and smiles broadly when he sees the three packages; he looks at the shelf behind him.

They are ripped apart in a flash, and the girls fly out and hover over the cheering crowd. I looked down at the still-supine Lenny. Around Lenny, a door slams shut.

(Open POV)

Jail cell…

Lenny is now standing up and gripping the bars. He wears orange coveralls and the same dazed expression. 

"Well, it looks like this criminal has been collected and put into his very own box. A box that won't be opened for a long, long time." The narrator said.

The background for the end shot comes up.

"And so, for the very first time, the day is saved." The narrator said.

The townspeople appear, scrolling across the screen.

 "…thanks to… …the citizens of Townsville! Collect them all." The narrator said, smiling.

The End!

We'll see you again soon!