"Where are you taking me?" he demanded.
"Not far. Look, see down there, in the park? Those girls and boys?"
He saw them. A dozen or so kindergarteners stood by a small pond, looking forlornly at a ball floating out in the water; apparently one of them had thrown it too far.
Bubbles set the monkey down by the crowd. They backed away when they saw him, though the girl did not seem to notice this at all. "Now Mojo, do you think it'd be better to just do nothing like a mean old bad guy, or -- " she smiled again, which churned his stomach -- "get their ball for them, like a good sw-eet person!" Said with her hands clasped.
Mojo looked out at the red, white and blue beach ball. He studied the kindergarteners, who apprehensively returned his gaze or glanced away. He turned to Bubbles. "I certainly would not fail to take action -- "
"Ah-hah!" She nearly jumped for joy.
" -- for I could not resist the opportunity to cast ridicule at these moronic children for their mistake, and then enjoy the added pleasure of watching them throw delightful tantrums. And then, perhaps, as icing on the baked confection, I would blast my laser and sending them howling home with scorched rears!"
Ah, the thought! It filled him with sunshine; it shuddered him with warm and pleasant fuzzies.
"Mojo!" Bubbles looked horrified, to say nothing of the wide-eyed youngsters now backing away from the blanket-wrapped chimpanzee with the band-aid-dotted face. The girl hastily addressed them: "He didn't mean that! Don't worry, I'll get your ball for you -- "
Too late. They were stampeding away.
Mojo chuckled -- he just couldn't help it -- but stopped when he saw the Powerpuff Girl glaring at him.
Still he had to grin.
For his strength was returning faster than ever now. Perhaps laughter really was the best medicine. His body, not as sore; the pain, not as sharp. If he could get just a little more strength...
He forced a shamed expression onto his face. "Oh, Bubbles, I do not know what came over me!" He made a show of wringing his hands. "If I could perhaps get another chance..."
The girl brightened as if he had offered her the keys to a chocolate factory. "Why sure, Mojo! And I know just where to go!"
She whisked him away.
The next thing Mojo knew, he was standing in front of an orange concrete block of a building. A sign above its glass door said TOWNSVILLE RESCUE MISSION.
The chimp scowled and pulled the blanket tighter around him. "A homeless shelter -- " he caught himself, tried his best to smile -- "Why, the homeless shelter! Paragon of virtue! Pillar of kindness and goodwill! The very embodiment of human charity, selflessness and..." he gagged and could not go on.
"Yes, Mojo, yes!" The girl clapped her hands and bounced up and down. "Let's go in so you can meet everybody!"
"Everybody" turned out to be the director, the chaplain, six assistants, and two dozen washed and shaved residents, all of whom recoiled when Bubbles carried the bazooka-brained villain into their midst.
Bubbles giggled. "It's okay everyone, it's okay! I'm teaching Mojo to be good!"
Silence. Everyone was staring at the girl as if she had gone quite mad.
Mojo coughed. "Oh, please," he moaned, and clasped his hands as he had seen the girl do. "I have been such a terrible chimp!"
"You see?" Bubbles beamed like a child on Christmas morning.
(Just how dumb is this girl? Mojo thought.)
The director stepped forward. "Well if you'd like to help, it's almost time to start fixing lunch..."
Bubbles prepared the meal all by herself in five minutes. She peeled the potatoes, chopped the carrots and green beans, pitched them into an iron stockpot, sprayed in the water, sprinkled in pepper and thyme leaves, heated the stew with a blast of her laser eyes(the better to save the mission a little gas); sliced the bread, tossed the salad, filled the milk glasses. She asked Mojo to help, but...
"Ohhhhh! I am so soo-o-o-ore!"
"Poor monkey." She patted him on the head. "I'll just prop you up here next to me, so you can see how happy everyone is when they come get their food!" She donned a white chef's hat and started ladling out steaming stew to the residents who inched by one by one, holding out aluminum trays. The sliced bread, salad bowl and milk glasses were arranged buffet-like on Bubbles' right, while the monkey stood on her left.
Mojo's superior brain worked feverishly. What to do? How to erase those grateful smiles on their disgustingly happy faces?
He glanced around. Bubbles stood on a tall stool, spooning stew into one tray after another, before the men helped themselves to the bread and salad. "One for you...and one for you..."
Then the chimp's eyes fell on something. A grin spread across his face. If it was good enough for my kinsman Hacha-Chacha...
A bunch of bananas sat on a shelf inside the counter, just to his left. Bubbles had eyes only for her customers. Carefully Mojo reached out, plucked and peeled a banana with simian expertise. He gulped the white fruit and set the peel aside. Then he plucked another banana, peeled it, another one, peeled it, until he had a full stomach and a dozen peels piled inside the counter.
Now came the tricky part. He gathered up the yellow bundle and, glancing back every few moments to make sure the girl wasn't looking, inched to the end of the counter. One by one he pitched the peels around the counter into the forest of denim and courduroy-clad legs. Then he struggled to his feet and, with a rush of anticipation, punched the fire alarm.
HONK! HONK!
"FIRE!" He jumped up and down, waving his arms. "Fire is consuming this building! It is spreading at a great rate of speed! Everyone must get out, fast, fast, before we are burned!"
Yells, scramblings, pandemonium. Man after man slipped and went flying. Stew splattered everywhere, trays clanged to the floor. Bubbles just blinked her big eyes at the scene, still holding her ladle. Brown droplets of stew flew all around her, and a tray just missed her head; but strangely none of it seemed to touch her. It was Mojo's only disappointment.
"Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Mu-ha-ha-ha -- I mean," he forced that excruciatingly remorseful look onto his face again when he saw Bubbles staring daggers at him. "A thousand pardons, dear Bubbles. I was certain I saw smoke. And since I was keeping it foremost in my superior brain that good people give the highest priority to the welfare and safety of others, I thought it best to -- "
"Get him out of here!" the men shouted, sprawled all over the floor, covered with stew and lettuce and pieces of bread.
Bubbles whisked him out of the building.