Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or any character from the show. They are all property of Cartoon Network and its affiliates.

Future Perfect?

The door to the Utonium household burst open as Professor Utonium rushed inside, carrying his three girls in his arms, hurriedly trying to get them to his lab. The girls had just been fighting both Mojo Jojo and Him, and though they had won, the victory came with a price. All of them were seriously injured and unconscious from the two villains' parting shots. Kicking open the lab door, the professor rushed the Powerpuff Girls to a set of stretchers, and after securing them properly, began to activate all of the medical devices at his disposal as quickly as he could. The hospital would have known nothing about their physiology, and even though his own means of treating them were more experimental and unpredictable, he was not willing to trust them to just any conventional doctor.

Minutes passed, and eventually the professor emerged from the laboratory. He was almost entirely covered with sweat, his hair gone wild, and his lab coat now long since removed, when he came back out. For him, the whole process was a blur, but for those waiting for him in his living room, the minutes must have dragged on for hours.

, they all gasped at once. He motioned to them, signaling them to at least give him a chance to sit down first. But even before he had completely sat down, one of the boys had asked him, Will they be ok?.

He looked over at the boys. These were some of the Powerpuff Girls' best friends, who had risked it all to help pull the girls from the wreckages of the buildings, and then followed the professor home, while trying as best as they could not to impede him. The professor finally gave a sigh, saying, Yes... Yes, I am... sure they'll make it through..

The one he knew as Blossom's friend, still not satisfied with the answer, questioned him further, Are you really sure? Please say that you're not just saying that to make us feel better..

The professor could see just how exasperated he was, but he repeated himself with as much confidence as he could muster, I am sure they'll make it through.. Both he and the professor remained quiet after that. He then looked over at Buttercup's friend. He never really spoke much. It usually amounted to no more than a Hello' and Goodbye' when they spoke to each other. He was sitting on the couch, saying nothing, only he seemed to be holding back whatever was in his throat. He glanced at the professor, and upon seeing his (forced) smile, he appeared to swallow some of what was choking him up so. He then looked over to see Bubbles' boyfriend' (they playfully used such terms between each other) about to race over to the lab, but when he saw the professor looking at him, he immediately stopped short and returned to his seat. Normally he would be full of jokes, using his wisecracks to try and lighten everyone's mood. However he seemed completely different. The professor had never him so shaken, and he doubted that even Bubbles had ever seen him so glum.

Why so blue?, the professor began. Usually this prompted a quip on Bubbles' outfit or eyes, but he didn't respond. Then he continued, ....Don't put yourself in the I could have done something to prevent that' situation. You all did enough just by pulling them from the rubble.. They all said nothing, looking down at their feet. I know you are concerned about them, but so am I, and so is the rest of the city., he began again, But they have some serious injuries that might take days to heal, and even your presence might disturb their rest, so....

He never finished the sentence as one of them put his hand up understandingly and said, Yeah.... Yes, you're right Professor, we don't need to be here. Bloss... um... the girls..... need their rest., he looked at the other two, So lets get going..

The professor saw them out of the house and watched as they slowly made their way off into the distance. He was about to close the door when a hand reached out and stopped it. No reporters, please! Professor Utonium insisted, but the person reopened the door anyway. A man dressed in a well-cleaned, pressed, and fitted tuxedo was standing on his doorstep, and when he made eye contact with the professor, he seemed to become overcome with joy.

No, I.... I'm not with the media...., the man said breathlessly, uh... may I... come in? The professor gave him a concerned look. He certainly didn't look threatening, but with his girls in such a condition, he was reluctant to allow him. Please, uh..., his voice then began to speed up, I assure you, I don't wish to harm your girls... or yourself, doctor. I just want to speak with you... If you could spare the time.

, the professor said, still eying the stranger from behind the halfway closed door, What is it you want to talk about? Is it anything important?.

Well, yes. Yes, it is important.... a..at least to me. At this the professor was about the shut the door in his face, but he again held the door. Wait, wait! Please Doctor Utonium, I have information concerning your daughters!. At this the professor stopped and just stared incredulously at the now nervously smiling man outside his door. After staring at him for a few seconds in total silence, he finally opened the door and stepped aside. Oh thank you! Thank you great doctor!

The professor didn't take his eyes off of the man for a second. Certainly his speech patterns resembled those of a lunatic, but he still seemed fairly benign. Why was he being called doctor', much less great doctor'? Have a seat will you?

The man stopped staring in awe around the living room, Hmm? Oh, yes, yes... Of course doctor.

Excuse me, but there are a few things I would like to know. First, who are you? And secondly, why do you keep calling me

Well, who I am is unimportant, especially compared to someone like you Doctor Utonium. And as for doctor' is that not your proper title?

I... find it a bit formal., the professor said, his eyes still not leaving the strange man, Now tell me, you seem a bit obsessed with..

, the stranger interrupted, Oh, but why shouldn't I be? I am only in the presence of one of the greatest beings to exist throughout many universes! I mean... .

What are you babbling about?, the professor responded sternly, now convinced that he had let a madman into his house, First, Great Doctor' now 'Many Universes'? What does this have to do with my girls? All this is telling me is that you are some nut that happens to know respect!.

Forgive me Doct... er... Professor Utonium! You think that I'm mad, but please listen to what I have to say!. The professor remained silent, still not taking his eyes off of the man. Please, I know you to be a modest man, so I hope it might please you to know why I humble myself before you.. The professor raises an eyebrow. You see Professor Utonium, of the many hundreds of universes I have ever visited, and of all of the timelines of those universes, you are the only one I have ever encountered who created the Perfect Society..

Now baffled, the professor gave him another incredulous look before asking, What? The Perfect Society'?.

Yes! You are the man who made Utopia! Why, the future you shaped is so indebted to you that they call their society the .

But... I have only created the Powerpuff Girls., upon his saying this however, a flash of insight comes into his mind, Wait, are you saying that my girls actually give rise to a perfect society?.

That is precisely what I mean great doctor!, exclaimed the stranger with a very excited look on his face. Normally I would never meddle in timelines of other universes, but then again I never thought a perfect society possible either! Isn't this wonderful? To know that you and you alone, out of numberless other beings, have made... Perfection!.

I... I..., the professor is both bewildered and overjoyed, but then his logic returns. I don't believe you..

What is not to believe? Here, I will show you. And upon his saying so, a second stranger stepped out of the kitchen. The second was exactly identical to the first in every way, except the first had vanished when he turned to look back at him. The second one spoke,You see? I have just sent myself three seconds into the past, and into your kitchen.. He then returned to his seat with a smug look on his face.

Professor Utonium was overwhelmed now. Not only did he apparently have some great inventor and adventurer from another universe treating him as divinity, he was also directly responsible for creating the perfect future for his own universe. This future, I must know about it. Will I ever see it in my lifetime? Oh please tell me!.

Oh I am now obliged to tell you, and I will gladly do so. The society of the future, Utonia. It is a marvelous place, populated by hundreds of billions of Chemical-X superhumans, and all spanning 5 star systems from when I last encountered it. The level of technology is wondrous to behold. There are buildings that can quite literally stretch into space on the more populated worlds. Earth has four. Each named for one of your little girls, and the largest one of all bears your name. To learn about them, I assumed the form of one of them, and got to know a decent young man from Earth.

A young man'?, the professor thought, So there are males too? Interesting, although I guess it would be silly to rule out the idea of procreation...

He welcomed me into his apartment on Earth. He was good to me, and he even allowed me to stay with him for the entire time. Food and rent apparently were of no concern, as money had become all but a memory. Everyone still had jobs though. Each finding what best they can do in life and helping Untonian society by doing just that. For the thinkers, there is always research on literally worlds of topics. For the industrious, there are the menial tasks of maintenance and construction. For the sociable, there are many positions in educational, medical, and alien race relations. There are even places for the fighters.

Now this should be interesting., the professor thought, A perfect society that still has a place for violence?

For those of might, there are great arenas, much like the ones of your ancient Rome, where fantastic gladiatorial events are held. These contests, and their contestants mind you, are both brutal and civilized. The warriors who compete in these great tournaments do so for the entertainment of the masses and for the glorification of their might. To prove to all the worlds that you are the strongest, noblest, and most cunning of them all. You see, the young man I resided with happened to be one of these gladiators. In fact, he himself had won a few local championships. I went to see him do battle with others on several occasions during my stay. I saw that the fights were bloody, painful, and violent,...

At this the professor's face looked concerned. he inquired, but the stranger kept going with his tale.

...but it was not the fact that you won the fight, it was how you won that measured your mettle. Fighters that could defeat armed opponents without a weapon of their own were considered greater. The same went for those who could unleash powerful and spectacular attacks that would damage your opponent, and pose no threat at all to the audience. Also, death in combat, though not uncommon, was considered disdainful. It was a mark of excellence to disable an opponent with force, and hold back just enough to not kill them.

The thought of actual killing broke the professor's silence again. Hold on. They kill each other? How is that perfect?.

Oh, I forgot to mention that these fights could afford to be lethal, as they have found ways of cheating death through decomposing and reanimating the remains of the fallen superhuman with residual chemical X. Might you be familiar with that theory yourself doctor?.

Well, yes. But please, err.. enough about the gladiatory events. What about the rest of their society, like their social lives..

Ah, that is the most beautiful aspect of it all. There exists a purity of love in that society that is of a form unknown to me. It is devoid of the impurities of jealousy and covetousness. Also, relationships are far more involved than you might think. It is rare that two superhumans will become partners for life until maybe fifty or sixty Earth years of age, and often longer. This is because marriage as you know it is not as important as finding a soul mate. To put it scientifically, to find one you are perfectly compatible with..

I don't follow you..

Well, Doctor Utonium, this is the driving force of the superhuman. The ability to become, what they call, an Avatar. At this, the stranger motions to the professor with his hand, as if expecting him to question what he just said. An Avatar is the fusing of essences of two superhumans that have developed the deepest love for each other that they would forsake life as they know it for each other's happiness. An Avatar takes the form of a ball of light with a faint face and eyes. The appearance of the face and the color of the ball of light depends entirely upon the nature of the two that fused. Once two superhumans have attained this final level, they become perfect beings, and settle down by themselves in the Chambers of Elysium' on their world. These chambers are more or less ornate places of rest for the Avatars, for once they become Avatara, the energies of the superhumans exist in a permanent dream state, living out the remainder of their long, fused life in a sort of internal heaven..

So that is what they aspire to be. The perfect being. Even if it may not last forever..

And to think, your creation of the perfect little girl sired the perfect great society..

The professor now thought warmly of this. To be remembered as a great visionary and hero well after his time, for all time to come.

It's a pity that humanity could never achieve such an ideal society., the stranger added.

Suddenly the dreamy thoughts of the professor were broken. Hm? What do you mean?.

This is the same story, but this time it's history. From what I learned from my companion, The Powerpuff Girls were merely the first generation of the many that exist throughout Utonia. If my memory serves me right, there have already been at least two attempts to create new superhumans already. Is this true?.

Well more or less, yes..

Well, there will be more to come. Perhaps not in your lifetime, it is difficult to tell how time flows... At any rate, the world will have a population of thousands of superhumans within a hundred years time, some human born, some superhuman born, and a few created from new reactions. They will serve society faithfully, being the champions of humanity as the original girls were. Over time, humans became less fearful as crimes were no longer committable. The only ones who would defy the superhumans were the supervillains, and even they fell out of existence before too long. The human race then became complacent, as their every want and need was catered to by their loyal chemical-X creations..

Sounds like a paradise to me..

Quite right, quite right good doctor. It was. But I am not finished. Eventually, a band of three thousand superhumans used their superpowers to leave Earth and create the first Martian colony. A place they could finally call their own. A place where they could find a sense of peace, and direction for themselves. Within a few decades, the colony was noted as the ideal place to live. Soon, humans came to live with them. They came to try and enjoy the perfect new world with the superhumans. Alas, though, that the humans were corruptible, and later led to a catastrophic fusion core failure that killed all the humans on Mars and all but seven hundred of the superhumans that once lived there..

And this explains what?, the professor interrupted.

the stranger continued, The rest was only philosophical progression. The humans, seeing that there were quickly becoming more and more superhumans, began to rein in on them, slowly denying rights that wouldn't obstruct their duties to ensure that they could not get out of control. On the other hand, the superhumans were beginning to see the humans as the source of evil in the world, as it was only though humans that any other human or even superhuman could become evil. Then, almost a hundred years after the incident on Mars, a fight against humanity was occurring on Earth. The other, more human-like superheroes and military superpowers provided some resistance to the onslaught of chemical X superhumans, but ultimately, every last human was hunted down and exterminated. From there, the warriors who committed these acts of genocide exiled themselves for the preservation of their own sanity, seeking refuge to meditate on the Martian colony before returning to Earth. From the ashes of humanity and he fires of chemical X came the perfect society. The greatness you created..

The professor was now in total shock. The girls were the protectors of humanity. How could they possibly become the destroyers of the very thing they sought to protect?

But that is history, and history remembers you as the harbinger of a golden age that will never die. That is why I have come to congratulate you Doctor Utonium. Despite the troubles that occurred along the way, the ideals of society are finally realized and live personified in each Utonian citizen..

Professor Utonium could no longer stay quiet. This cannot be! Surely there must be something I can do to change this!.

E.. Excuse me!, the stranger was now shocked, What? Change it? Wh.. Why would you ever do such a thing?.

From what you have told me I have condemned humanity! The extinction of the human race rests on my shoulders!.

And that is wrong?.

What! How could it not be! Billions will die! All of our dreams, achievements, and our civilizations will be destroyed!.

Please, calm yourself Doctor Utonium. Oh, I knew I shouldn't have interfered... Please, don't ruin this! Billions may die, but Trillions more will benefit. Humanity's dreams and ideals will not die, but be glorified in their ultimate achievement, a perfect civilization!.

That is too great a price! Would you sacrifice your own kind to achieve this?, the professor snapped, now infuriated at the stranger's justification of this.

For perfection, yes!. The professor was beginning to think that he was right when he thought he had let a lunatic into his house. Doctor, you must not prevent this! Perfection would be unattainable for any timeline in my universe anyway! No matter how much I would have interfered in it, nothing would have made it perfect. I beg you, doctor, don't destroy this future! Doing so would ruin the greatest thing to exist among the numberless universes!.

That is precisely what I am getting at!, Professor Utonium's constant stress was beginning to wear on him. I can't change this without creating a paradox! If I change it, you wouldn't have come back to tell me about it! He then grunted, I am powerless to refuse my fate here! I am doomed to doom all humanity!

Not so! Err... The stranger then reacted as if he had said something else he shouldn't have mentioned.

What! Out with it! Is it possible to change?.

The stranger began to speak again, painfully, Since I exist outside the confines of your universe, I am not subject to its flow of time. What I saw in the future would be like visiting a different city, things may change between when I visit, but it is still there, and I can still remember how it used to be. It can still be stopped, and no paradox created.. The professor now looked as is if a ray of hope had appeared for him. The stranger then rose and made his way towards the door.

I have caused enough trouble by jeopardizing the very place I liked most. Great doctor, there is potential here. On one hand, you could let humanity live, and perfection will never exist anywhere. On the other, you could let it come to pass that humanity gives way to children of heavenly caliber. To preserve the evils humanity carries for the sake of their continued existence is very self-centered. It would never create a greater good for anyone. I implore you to leave the future alone, but alas, I cannot stop you if you should so choose. I must leave you Professor Utonium, and though you may decide to ruin your greatest creation, I still think of you as the most remarkable person I have ever had the honor of knowing. Good bye great doctor.. And with that, he activated some device hidden under his sleeve, and he disappeared in an instant.

The professor was glad to see him gone. Although he realized that he owed him for at least granting him the choice of dooming all humanity or not. For each of them, the choice was obvious, although they had different ideas. However, a new question came to his mind.

How can I prevent this future from coming about? It would mean killing the girls. No! What are you thinking! You can't possibly do that! Could I?. Still arguing with himself, he began to move towards the lab.

There must be another way. Wait, I just have to tell them about the stranger and the future and... no, that wouldn't stop them. In fact, the news might even make them as tormented as I am. I could unintentionally create a future of supervillains if that went too far. Ohhh!.

He continued to muse on the subject. Maybe if I could do something to them while they are unconscious. Yes, a few operations might render them incapable of... no, that wouldn't work either. What would the world think of a man who would mutilate his own daughters like that, and especially the Powerpuff Girls! That sort of thing would ruin all of our lives..

Now he began to consider the option of death once again. I can't kill them! The world, all of Townsville, and especially those friends of theirs. Could I endure their sadness, their loss... their wrath? I would be called a murderer, and for no good reason. If I told the world what I knew now, nobody would believe me. If only Mojo Jojo and Him had been successful, this would never have happened... Wait! They could still be successful! No, this is madness, but oh so probable... I could just pull the plug, say that I couldn't save them, their injuries... too severe... Mojo Jojo and Him would be blamed! No, if I do let them go, the other villains will have an easy time of this especially when Mojo gets out of... wait, no he wouldn't. Not with three counts of premeditated murder! He could never see the light of day again! With the thrashing they gave Him, I don't think that he'd be eager to come back to Townsville, especially since he can't torment the girls anymore. The Police can handle the Gangreen Gang and Fuzzy. The monsters would stop attacking with the girls gone..

He was now standing in the lab, looking at the three girls all bandaged and wired up to the medical gear. These girls were really the perfect little girls, and more than he ever hoped they would be. The people of Townsville loved them dearly, and so did he. Still, this was humanity's destiny as well, at its most vulnerable point. So many hold them dear, but though it may hurt us in the short term, we will all benefit in the end. Humanity will be safe.. But then the words of the stranger came back to him.

Billions may die, but Trillions more will benefit. Humanity's dreams and ideals will not die, but be glorified in their ultimate achievement, a perfect civilization!, the professor recalled. Oh my, he was thinking this too. Though humanity will be a loss in the short term of the universe, it's disappearance will benefit everything in the end. Now what do I do?.

He then walked over to the master power switch to his lab on a far wall. He knew that if he gripped the handle of that switch, he would literally be holding the fate of humanity in his hands. He could either walk away and let it all be, or he could throw the switch and change it all. Although neither future would know he even made the choice, the decision he did make there made all the difference.