Flowers blooming, birds chirping, and children playing carelessly under the sun's rays; all of this was evident throughout Townsville. A gentle breeze caressed the peaceful scene, adding a sense of tranquility and harmony. Joy could be seen in all directions; there wasn't a hint of misfortune to find. Things in the city were utterly perfect at the moment; no monsters or villains had attacked for several hours.
It angered him as he watched through the colossal telescope mounted to his lair. There was no pain, no suffering; it was paradise for the citizens of Townsville, but not him. His serenity came only from dominance. He would only smile when he was in control, he would not allow himself to be considered inferior to anyone. The happiness of the town was almost too much for him to bear, but he couldn't tear his eyes from his telescope. Despite how much he hated it, he was slightly intrigued by what he was seeing. It made no sense to him that people could be so happy about practically nothing, but was it really a bad thing?
Of course it is! He thought to himself, stepping away from his giant magnifier. The people of this town are idiots! They're unconsciously wasting their lives with meaningless deeds. Their conversing, music, games, friends; all of it is pointless. He then spent several seconds trying to find proof that what he had thought was true. Soon he had to resort to comparing his life with an average citizen's. Every morning he would get up and prepare for the day, like anyone would. He brushed his teeth, had breakfast, and often read the newspaper. But that was where the similarities between him and everyone else ended. While they most likely went to work at a job they enjoyed, he was compelled to attempt an evil scheme that he usually thought of the previous day. It used to be fun; it gave him quite a rush, but after so many failures it was beginning to become a burden.
But no, he couldn't stop. He had tasted victory too many times to just give up. But it wasn't just the need to succeed that kept him from changing his ways, he was addicted to antagonizing. He didn't have to enjoy it, his mind and body were accustomed to making people suffer for his own good. But was it worth it? The anthropomorphic monkey took a moment to ponder the question. Then, suddenly, his most dreaded question entered his thoughts. Why did he become evil? This wasn't the first time he'd asked himself that, and he knew very well that the answer wouldn't come to him immediately.
Remembering his past, the option of becoming a villain seemed logical. What else could he have done? Thinking about it, he then realized that he hadn't considered anything else. He could have used his intellect to help people; to make the world a better place, but he just simply didn't think to. However, that wasn't completely his fault. His childhood had left him with a deep hatred for just about everyone. In fact, him not turning evil would have actually been surprising.
But still, Mojo wondered exactly what his life would be like if he had chosen to be good. "No," He said, quickly shaking his thoughts away. "I am Mojo Jojo, mastermind of destruction and chaos, and I'm proud to say that." Silence was the only reply he received; there was no one to agree or disagree with him. He had only his own opinion to base his beliefs on. To his dismay, his mind simply dug deeper into the topic of why he was a villain.
All he ever did was conspire against everyone else, it was like his purpose in life; a purpose without a true reason. It wasn't like anyone was forcing him to be the way he was; he was free to give up his sinister ways whenever he wanted. Mojo's eyes widened as the idea of changing came to him. "What am I thinking?" He asked, scolding himself for even considering it, but that didn't stop him. The possibility was stuck in his head. He was confused, why was it so hard to push his thoughts aside?
Soon he was having a dispute with himself, trying as hard as he could to extinguish his doubts about being evil. It was what he was meant to do, so why couldn't he get that in his head? "Enough of this! This requires an experiment!" He shouted, just when he felt like he was going to explode. The monkey had a habit of testing things he didn't understand, especially when they were this important. Quickly, he headed to the exit of his unique living space.
Once outside, he descended with the use of a flight of stares, ignoring the voices and sounds of nature that bombarded his eardrums. After reaching the bottom, he began looking around. Mojo wasn't at all happy about what he was going to do, but he had to prove to himself that being good was pointless. His plan was to help one person, just one, then securely go back to a life of crime.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a teenager gazing up at a tree. Upon further inspection he noticed a kite dangling from a high branch. This shouldn't be too hard... He thought, making his way to the adolescent. "Um, hello...are you in need of some assistance?" He asked, feeling very out of place. The boy turned to him.
"Yeah, my kite's stuck in this tree. Do you know how to get it down?" He asked, and Mojo thought for a moment. There was certainly no way he was climbing the tree. For a second his mind began straying to the fact that people were only afraid of him when he was doing something bad, which seemed weird to him. He was still a villain, even when he was idle. He quickly focused again when an idea popped into his head.
"Stand back," Mojo said, pulling out a ray gun. He aimed it straight at the tree's trunk, blasting it with little delay. However, instead of fracturing and causing the tree to fall the whole thing bursted into flames. The kite quickly burned to ash, before falling to the ground as several pieces. The teen boy stared for a while, then took a few steps back and made a run for it, along with a few other people. Curses... The genius thought, putting his weapon away rather aggressively. He now felt stupid for trying to use it to get a kite out of a tree. Helping people was harder than he thought...
"Come on, Mrs. Sparkles, come back," He heard, turning to the source of the voice. There were two little kids, one male and one female, on their knees peering underneath a car.
"He's not a girl," The male child said, standing up and glaring slightly.
They definitely look like they need some help, Mojo thought, approaching the pair. "Excuse me, children, do you require my aid?" The two cautiously looked at him for a moment. Mojo was aware of how unusual it was for a complete stranger to just ask someone if they needed help. The boy remained silent, but the girl stood up and spoke.
"Our cat ran under this car and she won't come out, could you please help us get her back?" She asked, and Mojo nodded as the young boy grumbled about his cat's gender. This time he wasn't going to use any of his gadgets. Getting a cat from under a car should've been a piece of cake for him, right? Carefully, Mojo began to lie down on his stomach and crawl underneath the vehicle. Almost immediately he could see an orangish cat.
"Here, kitty. Come to Mojo," He said quietly, reaching his hand out to the feline. When it didn't obey him he moved closer, soon he was completely under the car.
"Can you get him?" He heard the girl ask, her words were laced with worry. Mojo didn't reply yet, he was so close to getting Sparkles. After a few seconds he was close enough to grab the cat.
"I got him," Mojo said proudly, but as soon as his hand made contact with the animal it let out what could best be described as a threatening yelp. Then, with its sharp claws it latched onto Mojo's face, causing him to shout in pain and surprise. His panicking only agitated the cat, making it scratch him violently. He rolled around, desperately trying to get his attacker off. In his struggle he ended up crawling out from under the car, still fighting to keep his face unharmed.
"Sparkles!" The two kids said with joy, and the hostile creature quickly leaped from its victim into the arms of the girl. They hugged Sparkles while Mojo did his best to recover from the assault. When he was on his feet again he noticed that the owners of the cat were happily running back to their parents. Mojo watched them for a while with a look of pure shock. However, it sooned turned into one of anger.
"Are you kidding me? I spend my valuable time resolving someone else's problem and this is the thanks I get? This is unacceptable, utterly preposterous! I mean, I have never seen such disrespectful behavior! Does my act of kindness mean nothing to them? Do they not care that they only have their cat back because of me? How selfish; I went through so much to get them their pet back and I don't even get a-"
"Thanks for helping us," The girl from a few seconds ago stated, interrupting his endless rant. Mojo then turned to see that she had returned, without her brother or Sparkles. He wasn't sure what to say, so he remained silent. "Here," She said, handing him a large lollipop. Slightly confused, he carefully wrapped his fingers around the hard candy on a stick before the young girl released it and gave him an unexpected hug. "We appreciate what you did," She told him, before pulling away and running back to her family and waving to him. "Bye."
Mojo didn't wave back, didn't move, and wasn't sure if he was even breathing. He was still in the process of trying to fathom what had just happened. Five minutes had passed since he began his experiment and he had already obtained more than he ever had from being evil. Then, without warning, he had a huge realization. "...I've spent so many years hurting people...but is helping them the key to true happiness?" Curiously, he looked down at the candy in his hand. He had earned it, not stolen it. It was rightfully his; nobody could legally take it from him. His selfless deed had left him with nothing to worry about, unlike everything else he had done. "If I learn to be a good person...will it make me happy?" He asked himself, then gave his reward a quick lick. It was delicious, and he could actually feel himself smile.
Suddenly, he heard a loud crash, killing the mood. Then, as if it were a sign, a big sack of money landed in front of him. It must have contained thousands of dollars. Mojo quickly looked up to see that a car had crashed into a flagpole, and several police vehicles were surrounding it. It was obvious to him that the person driving it had stolen the money that now rested in front of him, then gotten into a high speed chase. When he crashed into the flagpole the money must have smashed through the windshield.
Knowing it wasn't his problem, Mojo turned to leave the scene of the crime, but stopped when he remembered the money. He considered turning it in to the police and possibly getting another reward for being nice, but then another option came to him. No one was looking, everbody was focused on the person who attempted to take the money. Mojo knew he could easily take it and get out of there.
No, He thought to himself. I never gain anything from theft; the Powerpuff Girls always stop me. But how would they know it was him? He could take the money and just disappear, nobody would suspect a thing. But what about changing? Wasn't a life of doing good things and being praised better than doing evil things and always failing? Mojo looked down at the sack of money, his choice would decide his future. A life of carefree joy, or a life of corruption.
A minute went by before he began lifting his hand. The bag of money was at his feet, a few tempting bills could be seen sticking out of it. Mojo ceased his movements, thinking for a moment, then in one swift motion he took the money, running back to his home and entering as quickly as he could. After locking the door, he asked himself why he chose to stay an antagonist. Even though he didn't find it fun anymore, the urge was still there. He had an unexplainable need to be bad; it somehow made him satisfied with himself. Dropping the money, he let out a small sigh and walked to a desk, where he picked up the plans for his latest misdeed. As he reviewed the steps he had written down for his scheme he couldn't help but let out an evil smile. This could be the day Townsville finally recognizes my superiority...