(Opening shot: a city skyline at night, framed within a comic strip panel. Pan across slowly. None of the speaking characters will appear on camera until indicated.)
Blossom: (ominously) The metropolis of Citysburg is in trouble.
(The next panel shows a bank; in the one following this, the front wall has been blown out, with the sound effect "DOOM!" written in, Batman-style.)
Blossom: Boom!
(A masked robber emerges, carrying sacks of cash. Blossom chuckles evilly. Now we see the man looking over his shoulder at a white car with red racing stripes, bearing down on him. Blossom's next lines match the word balloons on the page.)
Blossom: "Huh?" (Overhead view of him and the car, which also has wings on the back.) "The Morality Mobile? No! It can't be!"
(The robber is confronted by a blond woman in a red-white-and-blue outfit similar to that of Wonder Woman. Again Blossom's words match those of the characters.)
Blossom: "Freedom Gal?!" (Cut to a panel of the woman, twirling a glowing lasso over her head.) "With my Lasso of Regret, you will feel bad about your actions and give up!"
(The lasso catches the robber. Sound effect: "SNAG!" Next panel: close-up of him, hanging his head in defeat.)
Blossom: "You're right. I'm sorry." (Final panel: Freedom Gal standing atop the defeated criminal.) "Justice is served!"
Buttercup: Boring! That's not hard at all. Check out...
(Pan slowly across a dark, decaying skyline - a different comic. This one features a caped man-beast leaping through the air.)
Buttercup: ..."Spore"!
(The full title of the strip: "Old McDonald's Angry Spore." Next panel: the creature, Spore, rising from a sea of flames.)
Buttercup: (voice rising) Out of the darkness he rises to kick butt!
(On the end of this, we see a panel in which Spore punches a gunman in the face. Effect: "AACK!" Next panel: a thug being kicked in the jaw. Buttercup's next line matches the effects in this one and the next.)
Buttercup: Kerak! (A beam of energy from his hand, with an off-panel explosion.) Blam!
(Cut to a panel in which Spore holds a large assault weapon. Word balloon: "It's show time!" As Buttercup continues, turn down to the bottom of the picture. Effect: "LOAD.")
Buttercup: (huskily) That hurt you more than it hurt me!
Bubbles: (sarcastically) Ooooh, I'm all tormented! Where's the magic? Where's the funny? You need to read...
(Now we see a strip very much in the style of Hello Kitty, drawn in black and white. The panel shows a rabbit in a hood and cape and a sea creature, perhaps a seal, licking a lollipop. The two walk happily along a trail in the park.)
Bubbles: ..."Chiisai Banii-Banii no Kawaii Bouken Monogatari"!
Blossom, Buttercup: In English!
Bubbles: Oh. Sorry. "The Great Funtime Adventures of...Bunny-Bunny and Friend"!
(First panel: the rabbit, Bunny-Bunny, looking alarmed. Its words are in Japanese; Bubbles translates.)
Bubbles: "Wareras! An obstacle is evident!" (A rock in the path, also alarmed.) "Whoa!" (The other creature, Wareras, tripping over it, then both of them speaking.) "Why wasn't shifting your decision?" (The rock addresses them.) "Being a rock, I am without movement."
(Bunny-Bunny looks puzzled in the next panel; pan left slightly to show Wareras smiling. Now we see the rabbit lifting the rock.)
Bubbles: "I am filled with solutions!"
(Next panel: the rock being thrown away. It and Bunny-Bunny are smiling. Final: the rock sailing toward Wareras and shouting gleefully.)
Bubbles: "Whee!"
[Note: The panel sequence in this comic runs from right to left, as in Japanese comics. Thanks to Collin McCulley for pointing this out and providing the exact spelling of the title.]
(Cut to Blossom on the floor at home, comic books strewn about the place.)
Blossom: (contemptuously) Man, Bubbles, Bunny-Bunny isn't even a superhero. At least Freedom Gal stops bad guys. (Pan to Buttercup.)
Buttercup: Yeah, and Spore has scabs that never heal. (Pan to Bubbles.)
Bubbles: Bunny-Bunny could heal 'em. (Back to each sister in turn.)
Blossom: No, she couldn't. She's not a hero.
Buttercup: And they never heal!
(Pull back; they are in the living room, with the Professor across from them, reading the paper. Headline: "WHY, CHARLIE?" Blossom and Buttercup yell at Bubbles, who sings loudly to block them out. After several seconds, he lowers his paper and regards them with irritation.)
Professor: Girls? (They stop.) Girls! What's the problem? You're the Powerpuff Girls. You're better than any of those heroes. (His perspective of Blossom.)
Blossom: Are you kidding? We don't have cool outfits and vehicles. (Pan to Buttercup.)
Buttercup: And we're not all dark and tormented! (Pan to Bubbles.)
Bubbles: And we never get out of scrapes with clever gadgets! (Back to the Professor.)
Professor: (chuckling) So you think if you get the gadgets, costumes, and attitude, you'll be better heroes?
Girls: EXACTLY! (They zip upstairs; cut to him looking up after them.) Thanks, Professor! (The bedroom door slams.)
Professor: (laughing) Oh, to be young and impressionable.
(He buries his face in his paper. We see a B&W comic in the style of "Brenda Starr" and other soap-opera strips. The first panel shows a scientist at work in his lab, with a woman looking on. The Professor reads the title and dialogue.)
Professor: "Dr. Atom Magnum, M.D., Ph.D., Wizard." "Darn it, Jane! I'm not just mixing beverages here! The antidote is humanity's only hope!" (Next panel: the woman, her face downcast.) "Oh, I didn't mean to challenge your actions, Dr. Magnum. It's just..." (Last panel: the two embracing.) "...I'm so alone now."
(Pull back to show the Professor still reading.)
Professor: (laughing) Oh, Dr. Magnum. You dog, you.
(The hotline begins to buzz o.c.; pull back to show it across the room. The Professor regards it for a long moment - longer than it usually takes the girls to pick up - then calls to them.)
Professor: Girls! The hotline!
(He goes back to his reading; the hotline keeps buzzing. The bedroom door remains closed and quiet. After a longer moment, he looks up, more irritated.)
Professor: GIRLS!
(The door does not open at this summons either. He sighs, gets out of his chair, and picks up the phone himself.)
Professor: Powerpuff hotline.
(Cut to the Mayor in his office, holding the phone. He is visibly shaken, and for good reason: in the window behind him, a giant slime monster with a vertical mouth is attacking the city.)
Mayor: Oh, this is terrible! Terrible! (Back and forth between him and the Professor.)
Professor: Well, Mr. Terrible, I'm sorry, but this line is reserved for -
Mayor: No, no, no! This is the Mayor! I need the girls immediately!
Professor: (laughing) Sorry, Mayor. See, I thought you were - (The Mayor screams over the line.) Sorry. Hold on, Mayor. (covering mouthpiece) Girls! Emergency!
(The bedroom door continues to show no signs of activity. Long silence.)
Professor: Girls! (Back to the door; he continues o.c.) What are you doing in there?
(In the bedroom closet, a row of everyday dresses is pushed aside to reveal a blue bodysuit with a big white star on the front and a long red cape. One of the girls, now wearing the suit, pulls on a blue boot and slips on a golden bracelet. From behind, we see the cape slid into place over Blossom's ponytail; the clip in back now sports a star instead of a heart. She sets a gold eagle hair bow on top of her head in place of her usual red one.)
(Back to the Professor, looking o.c. up the stairs with considerable irritation.)
Professor: Girls, what in blazes is going on?
(Buttercup stands in the middle of the bedroom floor, a look of fierce concentration on her face. She raises her arms, and a wall of green flame shoots up behind her, putting her in silhouette. The room around her disappears in the fire, leaving her standing on a small island in midair. Pull back to show the silhouette of a huge horned beast standing over her. It raises its hands, a ball of energy glowing between them, and throws this down at her. Overhead view of her, zooming in; the screen begins to fill with spots of black from the outside in as the camera approaches. When the view is entirely blacked out, two huge, glowing green eyes open, with small lightning bolts issuing from the corners. Below them is a wicked grin.)
(Back to the Professor, still greatly irked.)
Professor: Girls, emergency! Hop to it!
(Cut to Bubbles, kneeling at the foot of the bed and lifting the end of the bedspread. She crawls underneath; head-on view of her as she moves along, stopping when she reaches a white frame. Pull back to show this as a hole in the base of a large tree. A rainbow stretches across the sky above this. She runs through the tall grass that surrounds the tree; in close-up, we see that she wears a happy, eager look. A large bird swoops into view behind her and picks her up by the pigtails, carrying her into the air. She is deposited on the rainbow and slides down it, squealing in delight. She lands in a body of water and climbs out onto a nearby island; pan right to show a tree stump with mushrooms around it. A small lunchbox rests on top of this, with a bunny hood in front of it.)
(Back to the Professor. He speaks into the hotline again.)
Professor: I'm sorry, Mayor, they're not answering. Can I take a message?
(Back to the Mayor. The monster has now torn away the entire back wall of the office.)
Mayor: Yes! Townsville is doomed! (The Professor again.)
Professor: Okay, hold on, Mayor. Let me try again.
(He holds the receiver up toward the door of the girls' room.)
Professor: THE CITY OF TOWNSVILLE IS IN GRAVE DANGER! THEY COULD REALLY USE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS ABOUT NOW!
Blossom: (from inside bedroom) The Powerpuff Girls aren't here!
Professor: (flabbergasted) Wh-what do you mean, not here?! Who am I speaking to?
Blossom: (from inside bedroom) Hold on!
Professor: (into hotline) Hold on, Mayor.
(In the office, the monster has hold of the Mayor.)
Mayor: HURRY!!
(The Professor looks worriedly up toward the door, which stays closed. The monster clamps its jaws around the Mayor. The Professor. The door. The monster knocks the top off a building with a swing of its arm; the cord of the hotline snakes from its mouth. The Professor. The door. The monster slimes down the street, engulfing several vehicles, as people scream in terror. The Professor. The door. The monster unleashes laser beams from its eyes against a section of Townsville. The Professor. The door. The monster, standing in the middle of the street and blinking. The Professor. The door. Close-up of the Mayor in the monster's mouth, looking around nervously and still holding the receiver. The Professor. The door. The monster spits the Mayor out. The Professor. The door. The Mayor, lying on the pavement and still holding the receiver; turn up from him to the monster as it retreats over the horizon.)
(The Professor one last time, covering the mouthpiece.)
Professor: Gir -
Blossom: (from inside bedroom) Okay! (Back to the door.) Presenting...Townsville's newest heroes!
(The door opens, and she somersaults down the stairs to land in front of the Professor. She is fully decked out in the outfit that was hanging in the closet.)
Blossom: Liberty Belle!
(A cloud of black fog seeps out of the room and down the stairs; it forms into a silhouette of Buttercup, with glowing green eyes and shreds of mist trailing behind.)
Buttercup: (low, scratchy voice) Mange.
(She speaks in this manner for the rest of the episode. Back to the Professor.)
Bubbles: (from inside bedroom) And don't forget...
(Something white sails out and bounds all over the place like a crazed Superball before settling down. It is Bubbles, wearing the hood and a matching jumpsuit and carrying the lunchbox.)
Bubbles: ...Harmony Bunny!
Blossom/Liberty Belle: And we are...
Professor: Too late.
(He hangs up the phone as they watch in total bewilderment, then regards them with a raised eyebrow.)
Professor: (dryly) Better heroes, huh?
(They hang their heads sadly. Fade to black.)
(Snap to the city skyline - the real one this time - in the morning.)
Narrator: Hey, I'm finally in the show! The next day...
(The monster from the day before looms up over the buildings and roars at full volume. Close-up of the hotline in the living room as it starts to buzz, then cut to them asleep in bed. They are still wearing their outfits, and the headboard has their new superhero names pasted in the appropriate locations. The buzzing snaps them awake. We hear the phone being picked up; cut to the Professor, downstairs in his pajamas. He has answered.)
Professor: (wearily) Okay, I'll try. (covering mouthpiece) Gir - (They are downstairs in a flash.)
Bubbles/Harmony Bunny: We slept in our outfits...
Blsm/Lberty Bll: ...so we'd be ready!
Buttercup/Mange: What's the problem?
(The Professor holds the receiver toward them.)
Mayor: (over hotline) The monster's back! HEEEELLLLPPPPPP!!
Blsm/Lberty Bll Evildoers beware! For when the Liberty Belle tolls... (Extreme close-up of her face.) ...it tolls for thee! (Pull back.) To the Freedom Mobile! (She flies o.c.)
(Behind the edge of her cape, the scene wipes to an extreme close-up of a jet exhaust nozzle mounted on the back of a vehicle. The engine roars to life; cut to the exterior of the house as the garage door opens. A large blue car, with red and white stripes on the hood, big gold wings in back, and a white star on each side roars out and turns onto the road. It tears through the streets, and we see a quick head-on view of it approaching the camera, with Blossom behind the wheel. This is the Freedom Mobile. She drives at top speed for a few more moments, then slams on the brakes to bring the car to a screeching halt. She gasps in surprise at what lies ahead of her: a rush-hour traffic jam that would make, say, New York or Atlanta seem like a model of efficiency by comparison. Pull back slowly in an overhead view to show the extent of the congestion as a cacophony of car horns makes itself heard.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Oh...
(Bubbles, meanwhile, is still inside the house. Her lunchbox is next to her.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: When trouble is near... (opening box) ...I am not slow... (rummaging around) ...for it's hop, hop, hop... (pulling out a roll of stickers) ...and away I go!
(She looks up at what she is holding, and her triumphant look melts into surprise. She throws the roll away.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: I am not slow... (rummaging) ...for it's hop, hop, hop... (pulling out a bunny doll) ...and away I...go?
(This is not what she wants either; she tosses it and starts digging in the box. One item after another is flung out as she repeats her rhyme.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: For it's hop, hop...oh, wait, wait...for it's hop, hop...hold on! I got it...for it's hop, hop, hop...
(Cut to the Professor, who watches the storm of items flying past him with small surprise.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: (from o.c.) Hold it! Hop, hop, hop, hop...where is it?! Hop, hop... (A doll bounces off his head.) Aha! (Back to her, hands in the box.) For it's hop, hop, hop...
(She begins to pull out something long and straight.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: ...and away...I...pogo!
(The target of her search is a pogo stick. Back to the Professor, his eyes moving up and down as we hear the sound of the stick's spring. After a moment, Bubbles' bunny ears move into view, bouncing up and down as they make their way across the bottom of the screen. The Professor watches her go. Cut to her, the camera following as she bounces across the living room. After a moment, he walks into view behind her and left o.c....he walks faster than she can pogo. The front door is heard opening as she makes her way along.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: Thanks, Professor! (Cut to him at the open door, seen from the shoulders up.)
Professor: You're welcome. Hurry up, now. (Turn down to floor level; Bubbles is working her way out.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: Harmony Bunny is not slow!
(Side view of the Professor. Once again all we see of Bubbles are her bunny ears.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: (from o.c.) For it's...hop, hop, hop...and away...I...go!
(It takes her until the end of this line to get all the way out. After she is gone, he sighs and looks o.c. right. He is visibly irked.)
Professor: Well...aren't you going?
(Buttercup is off to one side of the room, well out of the rectangle of light from the open door.)
Bcup/Mnge: Uh-uh. Too bright. Mange only travels at night. (The Professor groans in disgust and slams the door.)
(In the city, the monster pounds a building down. Blossom sits in traffic and leans on her horn, and Bubbles bounces along the sidewalk in front of the house. Buttercup, meanwhile, sits on the end of the living room couch as the clock ticks. Now the monster leaps into the air and falls on a group of buildings, throwing dust everywhere. Blossom crawls along a bridge; Bubbles advances slowly into view on a sidewalk, still well away from the scene of the action. Buttercup stays on the couch. The monster blows a row of buildings to smithereens with its eye lasers. Slow pan across the dashboard of the Freedom Mobile, with the reflection of an exasperated Blossom visible in the windshield. Close-up of the end of Bubbles' pogo stick as she continues bouncing along, the camera following her. Buttercup is still on the couch; pan left to show the Professor seated at the other end, looking rather crossly at her, and then back to her end.)
(Snap to black, after which four horizontal panels slide into place one at a time. Top panel: the monster destroying the city skyline, piece by piece. Second panel: Blossom inching along in the traffic jam. Third panel: Bubbles pogo-sticking along a stretch of sidewalk in the subdivision. Bottom panel: the Professor and Buttercup on the couch. After several seconds, the sky fades to sunset and the monster looks at its wrist impatiently as if checking the time. Evening comes; the monster roars, and it, Blossom, and Bubbles each make their way o.c. Buttercup finally leaves the house, and we hear the door slam.)
(Cut to a close-up of a wristwatch.)
Mayor: (from o.c.) Confound it! (Pull back; he and Ms. Bellum are on a sidewalk. He wears the watch.) Where can those blasted girls be?!
(High-beam headlights play over the two of them.)
Mayor: Oh! (Blossom stops the car and climbs out.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Sorry we're late, Mayor.
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: (bouncing into view, dismounting) But we're here!
Bcup/Mnge: (dropping into view) And ready to fight!
Mayor: Splendid! But there's a teensy little problem. (Back to the girls; he continues o.c.) THE MONSTER LEFT!! (Back to him, quite irritated.) Better heroes, huh?
(Again the girls hang their heads. Fade to black.)
(Snap to the city skyline, the camera shaking with repeated impacts, then cut to a street and pan along it. Cars shake and jitter about; we see a popped fire hydrant spewing water into the air. Stop at a tree on a street corner, with the girls asleep at its base. The tremors shake them out of their slumber. Cut to the base of the monster and turn up to its head as it roars and shakes its fists at the sky. The girls brace for a showdown.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: So you're back!
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: Well, we stayed here all night...
Bcup/Mnge ...so we'd be ready.
(The monster towers over them.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll Well, monster, prepare to face... (She appears against an American-flag background.) ...Liberty Belle... (Bubbles on a backdrop of stickers; she continues o.c.) ...Harmony Bunny... (Buttercup on a black ground, her eyes glowing.) ...and Mange!
(Buttercup is seen in the shadow of the tree.)
Bcup/Mnge: Um, it's a little bright, so, I'm just gonna sit this one out. Okay?
(The monster roars; Blossom begins to twirl a golden lasso similar to Freedom Gal's.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Using my Lariat of Guilt, I will force the monster to admit his wrongdoing!
(The loop sails through the air and o.c., and the rope is pulled tight. Close-up of the monster's base - she has snagged a tiny corner. Pan toward her as she continues.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: (from o.c.) Now, don't you feel bad about what you've done? (Stop on her.) Give in to those feelings and surrender!
(Bubbles dashes about its base, slapping her hand against it.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!
(When she removes her hand after the last strike, she reveals a small bunny sticker on the mound of slime, seen in close-up.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: (from o.c.) There! (Pull back to show her and three stickers on the monster.) Now you're covered with happy stickers! (Close-up of the stickers; she leans into view.) Their good sweet powers will take hold of you and make you smile!
(The monster roars again, unaffected by this offensive.)
Blsm/Lberty: (pulling on rope) He's not giving in!
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: I used my stickers!
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Mange, help us!
Bcup/Mnge: Uh, maybe later.
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: (slapping on more stickers) This'll...make you...happy!
Blsm/Lberty Bll Succumb to the Lariat! Feel your guilt and admit defeat!
Monster: STOOOOOPPPPP!!
(This shocks the girls out of their attempts to defeat it.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Huh?
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: Wha...?
Bcup/Mnge: Huh?
Monster: (dryly) Better heroes, huh? (kneeling) Listen, girls. My name is Steve. I'm a monster. I've been coming here for three days, causing all sorts of damage to your town. And what do I get? Two days of no-shows, and now this. (Close-up of each girl in turn; he continues o.c.) A flag girl who does rope tricks, some rabbit, and Little Miss Darkness who's afraid of a little sun.
Bcup/Mnge: Hey! Do you have any idea who you're talking to? (Pan to Bubbles.)
Bubl/Harmny Bunn: We're superheroes! (Pan to Blossom.)
Blsm/Lberty Bll: Real ones!
Monster (Steve): Yeah, well, that's great and all, but-but, what am I supposed to tell the guys back on Monster Isle?
(Sepia-toned freeze frame of the tentacled creature from "Bubblevicious," ready to savage the town.)
Steve: (voice over) You see, when a monster visits Townsville... (It is pounded by the girls, one at a time.) ...he must fight the Powerpuff Girls. (The creature wades away from shore and waves.) And if he can hold his own... (An island is seen.) ...and make it back to Monster Isle alive... (Other beasts celebrate this one's return.) ...he's a hero!
(Back to him, addressing the girls.)
Steve: Now this new bit is just not gonna cut it. (Close-up of Buttercup; he continues o.c.) Sure, you didn't have a thirst for vengeance... (She hangs her head; pan to Bubbles.) ...stickers with your face on them... (She looks sadly at a sticker; pan to Blossom.) ...or souped-up vehicles...
(She hangs her head. Back to Steve.)
Steve: ...'cause you didn't need 'em! See...
(Turn down to street level as he continues and pulls the costumes off Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in turn, leaving them standing in their everyday dresses.)
Steve: (from o.c.) ...even if you take away the costumes, props, and angst, you still have all the bravery and courage it takes to save the day. (Head-on view of him.) So what do you say?
(He knocks over a nearby building.)
Steve: Powerpuff Girls? (They trade a quick glance.)
Blossom: Let's get him, girls! (They take off.)
Steve: Now that's better...
(He trails off into a grunt as the girls slam into him and send him flying.)
(The background for the end shot comes up.)
Narrator: So once again the day is saved...
(The girls appear in their normal positions, but wearing their new costumes and looking very sad.)
Narrator: ...with no thanks to Liberty Belle, Harmony Bunny, or Mange...
(They are replaced by their usual happy selves.)
Narrator: ...but to the one and only Powerpuff Girls!