Out on an abandoned highway, countless rows of wrecked cars covered both sides of the road. Some were more damaged than others, and very few were in any workable condition.

Through the cluster of decimated cars, a hooded figure searched trunk-by-trunk, searching for supplies. On his back was an overflowing backpack, with cans of food and other essentials weighing down on the man’s back.

On the ground near him, a Caribou soldier was struggling to breathe, his face beaten and bloody. He was restrained and fastened to a hollowed shopping cart. A rope was tied to the handle and was wrapped around the man’s arm.

“Nothing here...” He said to himself as he shut the trunk.

He turned to the Caribou.

“Wanna talk, yet?” He asked.

No response, save for a pair of hardened eyes...

The man sighed as he tugged on the cart, dragging it with him. He briefly removed his cloak to move messy blue hair out of his face with his gloved hand.

“Just tell me where they are, and I’ll let you go...”

Silence was the prisoner's response.

The man sighed.

“Fine... be that way. I have nothing but time...”

Daisuke and Riku sat nervously in the lobby. At this point, the sun had set and the moon rose in its place. Neither of them said a word to the other as they waited.

After hours of sitting in suspense, their names were called, and the two walked toward the doctor calling for them.

“H-how is she?” Daisuke asked.

The doctor smiled.

“She’s going to pull through.”

The two quickly embraced each other, unable to contain tears and laughter of joy.

“Thank you, doctor!” Riku said.

“Don’t thank me yet... we were able to repair much of the nerve damage and reduce scarring, but both are still a prominent issue. Your daughter is expected to fully heal, but that will take time and physical therapy. Both of which... I’m afraid we will need to charge you for.” He sighed, ripping off the Band-Aid.

Riku’s eyes widened as Daisuke sighed.

“I... I thought our bill was covered—by an 'anonymous benefactor'?”

The doctor somberly nodded.

“Yes, but she—they didn’t cover anything after the fact. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that I can do...”

Riku sighed, but Daisuke caught that slip-up...

“What can we do? We—we just don’t have the money for this...” Riku stated.

The doctor contemplated for a moment, but sighed, leaning in towards the two.

“Look, you didn't hear this from me, but... maybe you can make a case with the mayor? Some kind of services in exchange for her recovery...”

Riku’s eyes widened while Daisuke barely hid a smile on his face.

“Then, the mayor’s office, it is.”

Princess spun her chair around, studying her nails while Daisuke sat in the adjacent seat, patiently waiting for the mayor to address his existence.

“So, your daughter will make a full recovery?” She finally asked him.

Daisuke nodded.

“Yes, thanks to a Good Samaritan with deep pockets...”

Princess smiled. To the unobservant, it would seem innocent enough, but Daisuke observed her eyes and how they stayed locked on his, not squinting with her smile...

“That’s wonderful! But I suppose there’s also her recovery, as well. Were they able to cover that, as well?”

Daisuke stayed silent, studying the young girl as he shook his head.

“No. That’s what I was hoping I could change, here.”

Princess hummed.

“And how so?”

Daisuke glanced around the room, much to Princess’ confusion.

“I couldn’t help but notice how... forgive my language, how bland this office is. I mean, I would think that someone like you would have this little office bursting with life, with character... with art.”

Princess started glancing with him, as well, chuckling.

“Oh, if only... but I don’t feel like wasting precious resources for some silly little paintings--”

Daisuke’s face changed to a grimace.

“’Silly little paintings’?” He asked, barely containing his shock and disgust.

Princess saw his mood change and decided to see what he was on about...

“I’m still unsure how American art holds, but in my culture, in Japan... art is viewed as priceless pieces of history. Something that stands the test of time... care to take a walk? I’ll show you.” He beckoned her to follow him.

Utterly dumbfounded, Princess found herself following him out to the streets, accompanied by two soldiers, of course.

As they walked, Daisuke glanced around the city, as well. He never had too much time to enjoy the surroundings around him due to fitting in as well as his daughter’s accident... He noticed a trio of biker women glancing their way before quickly hiking down a nearby alley once Daisuke spotted them.

He put a pin in that encounter as they walked.

“Say, Ms. Mayor, have you ever heard of the Moonlight Mask?” He asked her.

She hesitated but shook her head.

“Can’t say I had.”

Daisuke smiled.

“Well, in the late 18th Century, the two masks were crafted and enchanted due to the current Emperor’s paranoia. You see, it comes in tandem with the Sunlight Mask. It's said that the Sunlight Mask prevents the wearer from telling a lie, and the Moonlight Mask forces them to tell the truth. Both have been preserved for hundreds of years, and in the late 1990s, were easily worth millions.”

Princess’ eyes widened for a moment but quickly hid her shock.

“Really? An interesting story, but what does that have to do with me?”

Daisuke chuckled as they reached the stairwell to his apartment.

“You’ll see. Wait here.” He said as he trekked up the steps.

Princess found a nearby bench and ordered her soldiers to wipe it down. She slowly took a seat, careful not to crease her suit.

After a few minutes, Daisuke exited the apartment, holding two tightly-sealed plastic bags.

Princess squinted her eyes and realized what he was holding.

“Son of a bitch...”

Daisuke chuckled, presenting both to the mayor.

“I’m gonna give you a choice, Ms. Mayor. Just humor me... pick one.”

Princess let out a chuckle.

“You really think I’d play some stupid little game? I’m not stupid. That story’s just some silly mumbo-jumbo...”

Daisuke snickered.

“We live in a city that was known for three super-hero kindergartners, zombies are real, and we have five girls with magical necklaces from a world of magical ponies... this sounds silly to you?”

Princes paused, tried to find a response, and faltered.

“Touche... That one.” She pointed to the mask in his left hand.

“This one? Are you sure?” He teased.

“Yes! Now let’s go. I don’t have all day...”

Daisuke opened the mask and presented it to Princess. She cautiously took the mask and slowly placed it over her face.

“Well? How is it?”

Princess took a breath.

“I don’t feel anything if that’s what you’re asking.”

Daisuke hummed.

“Well, it isn’t going to. So, Princess, I understand that you have a rather large fortune, am I correct?”

Princess scoffed, utterly dumbfounded once again.

“Is that supposed to be a joke? I have more money than I know what to do with, more than you or anyone in this city can possibly imagine. Shame that none of it matters, anymore...”

“Great! And you have friends who are just as rich, right?”

“Again, no one can imagine... but I do have some friends who are as important as me, yeah.”

“So, do you know which of them paid for my daughter’s treatment?”

Princess paused, trying to explain it away, that it could’ve been anyone--

“It was me. I paid for her surgery in exchange for your daughter’s friends’ Geodes--”

She gasped, trying to cover her mouth but was stopped by the mask.

“What the fuck?! Guards, detain him, but not until he gets this thing off of me!” She demanded.

The two soldiers quickly drew their weapons on Daisuke, who smiled and held his hands up.

“You can remove the mask whenever you like, Ms. Mayor. That was all I wanted to know.”

Princess quickly ripped the mask off her face and chucked it back to Daisuke.

“What do you want?”

Daisuke shrugged.

“I want to help my daughter recover. I meant what I said in your office. More life in it could do wonders for your reception. Maybe for your mood as well.”

Princess let out a soft offended gasp, but suppressed it and growled.

“I don’t have any need for art... but I’m willing to bet there’re those in town that do. I’ll make some calls and have guards escort you to some friends who can help you first thing in the morning. For now... ta-ta.” She said, getting up from the bench and marching back to her office.

Daisuke did his best to reseal the mask and made his way back inside his apartment for the night.

He made his way inside, where he saw his wife overlooking the window, much to his surprise.

"So, you're back to being a thief?" She asked, her voice condescending.

Daisuke sighed as Riku turned to him.

"I have to do this... Scootaloo needs that money, you know that. Besides, it isn't like anyone's gonna be guarding it, this time..." He chuckled.

Riku stayed silent, walking towards him and gently wrapping her arms around him.

"Promise me this isn't him talking." She whispered.

Daisuke sighed, leaning his head onto Riku's.

"I promise..."

The next day, Daisuke strolled through the secured downtown accompanied by two guards. It wasn’t long until Daisuke found himself looking down the same alley he saw the bikers go down the other day.

“Alright, you’re on your own from here. Good luck.” One of the soldiers chuckled as she stepped back and went on her way.

Daisuke stepped into the alley, studying a skull emblem graffitied onto the brick wall. Smiling, he found a door not far from the painting and knocked.

“’Fuck you want?” A feminine voice asked from the other side.

“I’m here for a proposal... The mayor sent me.”

Nothing for only a moment.

“Hold on.”

Daisuke stepped away from the door, waiting as patiently as he could, when suddenly he heard the scrape of a footstep behind him. Quickly shifting his body to the side, he turned to see one of the three women he spotted the other day. He saw that she was pale with spiky red hair. She wore a leather jacket with the skull logo on the front.

“Let’s talk inside.” The woman gestured to the door.

Once inside, Daisuke noted the two others with the ringleader. One had a blue ponytail, while the other had short blonde hair. They both wore the same leather jackets as their leader, save for spikey black shoulder pads.

“So, Princess said you can steal expensive shit... start talking.” The blue-haired one said.

Daisuke took a breath.

“Let’s keep this simple and brief--”

“Cool. Start with your name.” The red-haired one said.

Daisuke nodded.

“My name is Daisuke Niwa. I think it’s fair that I ask your names, as well...”

The three exchanged a look.

“I’m Rojo. This is Azul and Amarillo.” The red-haired one said, gesturing to the blue and yellow-haired ones.

With that, Daisuke continued.

“There’s an art museum not far outside of Townsville. All those pieces of art are left to the wasteland when they could be sitting in some aristocrat’s lounge while they fill our pockets for our troubles."

The girls shared a chuckle at the thought Daisuke gave them.

"I have the means to secure that art, safely and in ways that don’t compromise their value. But with the four of us, we can empty that whole place, and come back with a hefty payday... so what do you say? Are you in?”

The three hesitated.

“What’s in it for us? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the pay sounds... intriguing, but we need a little more than that.” Rojo said.

Daisuke nodded.

“Understandable. What is it you want?”

Rojo thought for a moment and looked at her companions.

“I want a word with Princess. I think after this little display, we’d be entitled to that.”

Daisuke was a tad confused over that but simply shrugged.

“I make no promises, but I’ll see what I can do. Would that work for you?” He hopefully asked.

Moments passed as Rojo thought the offer through...

“Deal. Now, when do we leave?”

Less than an hour later, three high-tech motorcycles were rented out and lined in front of the gates. Daisuke settled for a truck he intended to use for loading up art with.

Before Daisuke hopped in, Rojo whistled to him.

“So, how do you even know about this place?”

“I used to take my wife there after we moved in. Our daughter was never into art, so we stopped after a while.”

With a nod, the four rode off into the wasteland.

The three bikers immediately noticed Daisuke riding on the left side of the road.

Inside the truck, Daisuke smiled, happy that he no longer had to struggle to remember driving on a different side of the road.

The girls outside, however, took a moment before turning to tail him.

“Yep, figures!” Amarillo laughed into the comms inside her helmet, staying on the right side.

Rojo and Azul glanced at each other in disappointment, staying together and behind Daisuke.

The rest of the ride was relatively silent as they frequently passed Townsville patrols clearing the highway.

As Daisuke drove on a long stretch, he looked in the rearview mirror.

“I know you’re there, buddy... I could really use your help, this time.”

He glanced into his own eyes for a moment, waiting for anything to respond to him... empty-handed, he sighed and turned his attention back to the road.

“Maybe next time.”

Author's Note

Hey! So some quick updates: In case you haven't noticed, the story has been renamed. This is because I decided to separate the entire story into substories as opposed to one massive story with hundreds of chapters. This decision was made to make the story more easily readable without the intimidation of dozens of chapters like the original had. Also, I apologize for forgetting to share the sources of the characters and locations from other franchises. Doing so has slipped my mind.

So, making it clear, now: Daisuke and Riku Niwa are from DNAngel, and of course, Princess Morbucks, The Powerpuff Girls, Brick, Boomer, Butch, and Townsville are all from the Powerpuff Girls. Rojo and her biker gang are from Ben 10.