Bubbles flew swiftly from flower to flower, giving them their usual watering. It was only a short time after they first came up, and they were growing so fast! She couldn't be more proud of them…they were each beautiful already, and she knew that as soon as they were in bloom, they would be as beautiful as Bulba was. That day wouldn't be far off if they continued at their current pace.

She sat down and smiled, then picked up a book she had sitting next to her, flipping it open to the page she had left off at. It was the professor's journal, recovered from their home a while back. She hadn't really read any of it in the past, since it was far too complicated for her to understand, but she finally thought she'd at least try to read it. There was enough in the descriptions that she could at least get the gist of what he was saying, even if the details were lost on her.

What she had read already was pretty fascinating. The list of inventions and discoveries that the professor worked on over the years was huge, ranging from chemical formulas to mechanical constructs to biological research. There was even an entry in there for the girls' creation, which brought a tear to her eye as she read it…the professor seemed so happy writing it.

From that point on, she saw a lot of familiar entries, things that she had witnessed the professor working on herself. She smiled with some bemused fondness at the section mentioning the Powerpuff DyNaMo. Also, the section with Beebo brought back memories. It was amazing that this happened not too long ago, yet it seemed like ages ago already. Another world, she thought to herself.

She chuckled as she hit another entry that amused her, about the professor's Time Portal he had invented. Bubbles recalled when he first unveiled it…Mojo used it and almost prevented the Powerpuff Girls from ever being created. But thankfully, they were able to stop him. It was a close call, though! Bubbles sometimes imagined what it would have been like to fade out from existence…probably not much different than Death itself, she figured.

As she puzzled over these thoughts, she came to a journal entry that interested her further:

Bubbles set down the journal. I wonder if that section of the lab withstood the tremors, she thought. Well, I might as well go find out. She stood up and said to the flowers, "I'll be back soon! I have to run to the house and check on something…" With that, she took to the skies, soaring back in the direction of her old home.

* * *

The Utonium household was still demolished as always, and sifting through the rubble, Bubbles made her way into the lab. The picture of Einstein was still hanging up on the wall, just barely, although a little crooked. She pushed it aside and found a metal panel embedded into the wall, which slid open easily. A keypad was underneath, and remarkably, it lit up with power once the panel had been fully opened.

Let's see, Bubbles thought. She typed 6-2-8-4, spelling out O-C-T-I. When she did, she heard a rumbling sound, and took a step back involuntarily. The wall slowly slid open, revealing the interior of an elevator. With a big smile, she went inside, thinking, Heh…all this time, and the professor still has a few surprises left in store for me…

Once inside, Bubbles pressed the only button on the panel inside, and the doors closed. The elevator descended slowly, heading towards the chambers beneath the lab. She fidgeted a little in anticipation…it was exciting, not knowing what she was going to find down here. This was one of the most interesting things to happen to her in months. She wondered if she'd find anything to help make survival even easier for her and the flowers.

Eventually, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors slid open. She flew out from it, into a darkened room. Feeling around on the wall, she found a light switch and flipped it. As the room became flooded with light, she realized it was the chamber where the DyNaMo used to be stored, and indeed, the DyNaMo itself was still in its original place. But now, the room also contained boxes and stacks of equipment of all shapes and sizes. She was overjoyed; this part of the lab was still intact!

Without hesitation, she went through some of the equipment. All of his chemical experiments were being stored in a single place, so she went over these first. Each formula was clearly labeled, but unfortunately she didn't find what she was looking for: Chemical X. She was a little dejected by this, but continued looking for other useful items anyway.

While she was moving around some of the equipment, she made a shocking discovery. She slid one of the enormous computer banks to one side and froze…there, she saw something with a cloth draped over it. Probably just another piece of equipment, but the shape looked oddly familiar. She carefully pulled the sheet off, and was astounded by probably the greatest find in the lab: the professor's Time Portal.

Circling around it, she examined it cautiously. It looked like it was still intact. She fiddled with one of the controls until she found a power reading, and saw that the thing still had power…not much, probably enough for one use. I can't believe it, she thought. After all this time, it still works! But this means…if I can send myself back to any point in the past… The possibilities slowly began to occur to her. …I could undo everything! The big disaster…I could prevent it from ever happening! Then I could return to a future that's changed for the better!

With excitement, she picked up the Time Portal, taking care not to damage it, and carried it back to the elevator. If she was going to pull this off, she'd have to plan it out ahead of time and take careful precautions. This was probably the greatest opportunity she's had to set things right once again, and she'd only get one chance at it…

* * *

Back at the field, Bubbles finished the last of her preparations, putting her hair back into its pigtails like she used to wear. She had already spend some time mending one of her old outfits, and now she looked perfectly 'normal', like she did back before the incident. If anyone sees me, she figured, I won't draw as much attention this way.

She finished with her hair and knelt down by the little bed of flowers smiling and asking, "How do I look? This is what I useta look like a year ago. Okay, lemme go over the plan one more time with you…" She started drawing a diagram in the dirt as she spoke, "I'm gonna go back here and look for the best way to stop this thing from happening. It's the day before all the trouble began, so it should give me plenty of time." Pointing to a section of the diagram, she explained, "I'll arrive over here, outside of Townsville, so that no one will notice me. Then I can go in and figure out what to do from there."

She already figured out how to work the controls of the Time Portal thanks to the professor's journal, which contained a detailed description. Apparently, the professor had even added a timed 'reopen' function, which will open the portal again after a certain amount of time so that the subject can return. This way, she didn't need to have someone on this end of the portal, and wouldn't get stuck.

Now she was ready. She manipulated the controls and set them for her destination time and place, and a field of static appeared in the open window of the portal. She gave the flowers a quick glance and said, "Wish me luck!" then looked back at the device. Taking a deep breath, she plunged through it, into the 5^th Dimension…

* * *

The portal opened up in the air, and Bubbles emerged, shaking off the effects of her trip. She rubbed her eyes for a second, waiting until everything came back into focus. As it did, the sight that met her eyes was overwhelming. Townsville rose up in the distance, skyscrapers gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, not broken or toppled like they were in her time. The field she was in was outside of the city limits…there was a slight breeze, rustling the blades of grass below her, and she heard the chirping of birds in the air.

Descending quickly to the ground, she lied down on her belly with her arms and legs stretched out, as though trying to hug the whole Earth. As her hands ran through the blades of grass, tears fell from her eyes. Life, she thought. A world filled with life…oh, how I missed it…

She lay like that for a short while before she remembered her task at hand. Flying towards the city, she felt a little shaky, since she knew she'd find people there—living people—and had no idea what to think about it. She had tried to prepare herself for this moment, but when she saw the first of them, some old man walking along a sidewalk, she ended up flying over and hugging him tightly in tears. The man was confused, and asked, "Bubbles?"

Her voice came out as shaky as she felt as she said, "H-hi mister…" It was the first time in many months she had spoken to a living person.

The man looked confused, "Is there…anything I can help you with?"

"No, I-I'm fine…" Bubbles assured him, and she finally managed to pry himself away from him, flying deeper into the city. She was so happy that she felt like screaming for joy, but didn't…instead, she just flew along with a smile plastered on her face. It's incredible, she thought. It's been forever…hearing another person's voice that's not just on a tape recorder or movie or something. Hearing another human being talking to me, answering me…

Her thoughts were interrupted by what happened next. A gasp seized up in her throat as she saw a familiar pink trail of light curve across the sky. It stopped, then changed directions directly towards her. Bubbles was paralyzed…she didn't know what to think or do, as the figure came to a stop in front of her.

"Hey, Bubbles," Blossom said, smiling at her. "I thought you were staying home tonight…change your mind?"

Bubbles stared back silently, trying to think of something to say, but it was impossible to focus. Blossom, she thought. It's really you…I can't believe it…look at you, you're still so happy now… She absently managed to answer, "…Yes…" then shook herself out of her thoughts and added, "Uh, yeah, I…I felt like…uh…getting some fresh air…"

"Okay," Blossom said, nodding. "I was on my way to see the Mayor. I'll catch up with you later!" She waved briefly, then took off back into the city.

Bubbles watched her go, and smiled to herself. I have to succeed, she thought. I have to succeed…if I do, I'll have Blossom back, and Buttercup, and everyone else… Now that she saw her sister again, she truly realized how much she missed them, and became focused on her goal once again. To prevent this from ever happening, I have to go straight for the one who caused all the trouble in the first place… Refreshed, and knowing exactly what she needed to do, Bubbles flew further into the city, a clear destination in mind…

* * *

Mojo Jojo finished tightening a bolt on the Robo-Jojo he was constructing, and wiped his forehead. "Whew! This is a tremendous amount of work, but it will be worth it when it is completed, for this design will undoubtedly bring about the demise of those acursed Powerpuff Girls!" He took a few strides over to a computer console and started typing at it, "Not much longer before this becomes operational…"

He didn't get the chance, though, for at that moment, Bubbles burst in through the roof of his observatory hideout. Mojo spun around to look at her, shocked. "What?! What are you doing here?"

Bubbles looked across Mojo's lab, and her eyes fell on the Robo-Jojo he was constructing. She narrowed her eyes in fierce hatred as the sight of it brought back so many memories. That's the one, all right, she realized. "What am I doing here?" Bubbles exclaimed. "It's all your fault, Mojo! All of it! You and your stupid robot, with its stupid Duranium sawblades! You caused everything!! You want to know what I'm doing here? I'll show you what I'm doing here!!"

Before Mojo could stop her, Bubbles flew up to the giant robot and started pummeling it with punches and kicks. Mojo waved his hands and protested, "No no no!" but could do nothing else except watch. In no time, the entire thing had been ripped apart and smashed to bits. As the dust cleared from it, there was nothing remaining of the Robo-Jojo but a pile of busted equipment.

As Bubbles smiled in triumph at her handiwork, Mojo growled, "Curse you, Bubbles! That was to be my greatest plan yet to defeat you…how on Earth did you know I was buildi—…"

Bubbles had already taken off through the roof again. As she distanced herself from the observatory, a slow smile crept across her face, and she started to laugh. It's about time to get back…I did it! I put an end to this once and for all! I can't wait to get back, to see the new future I've created! I can't wait!! Blossom… Buttercup… Professor… I'm coming!!

* * *

Bubbles emerged from the time portal and glanced around. Her expression slowly fell as she did…the portal was still sitting in the cleared area of the ruins of Townsville, near the patch of flowers she had been taking care of. Everything was still the same, right down to her pile of supplies she had collected.

"But…but…" she whispered softly, "…but I thought…" She quickly looked back at the time portal. It shut down, it's final energy spent, deactivating for good. Bubbles just gaped, not knowing what to think. "But what…went wrong? I…I thought I destroyed the robot…"

Sitting down weakly on the ground, she started to think about it. Maybe, she thought…maybe the Time Portal just pulled me back to my own time. Yes, that's it! It wouldn't be set up to take me back from the new future I made, so it pulled me back to mine. So…I'm still stuck in this version of history. Well, at least I'm glad to know that there's another timeline out there where everyone's still alive. I may not have saved my world, but I saved another.

Bubbles lay back, staring up at the clouds in the sky, and smiled, content that somewhere, Blossom and Buttercup were safe. And she was glad to have seen Blossom again, back when she was happy, the Blossom she remembered best. She slowly closed her eyes and sighed. She thought, It's too bad I didn't bring back some animals or something with me, but I really didn't expect to be coming back here. That's okay. I'm still happy that I made a difference…

* * *

Mojo stared down at the pile of broken machinery in his lab and muttered under his breath, "Curses…this will set back my plans. Well, no matter…I still have the blueprints for this brilliant Robo-Jojo design, so I can just start its construction over from the beginning and rebuild it, and thus put it back together for use." He glanced at a clock on the wall…evening was drawing near. "It may take into the late hours of the morning, but I shall succeed, and only be slightly off-schedule."

As he started scavenging useful components from the scrap heap, he thought about something aloud, "Although…something puzzles me. Powerpuff Bubbles mentioned Duranium sawblades…this Robo-Jojo design was not equipped with any such thing…" He rubbed his chin, "…and yet, it's…it's brilliant…yes, that's it! A blade made of Duranium would be able to cut through anything, including the girls' overly damage-resistant skin! Yessss, this could mean their downfall…sleep well this evening, Powerpuff Girls, for tomorrow morning, you shall meet your demise! Muahahahahahaa!!"