Zorpox (An Impossible Quartet 13)
DJ Dubois
June 2010
Rating T (Teen)
Notes: Kim Possible and her cohorts belong to Disney. All other characters unless noted are of my own creation and are fictitious. Please send comments to .
Chapter 1 [Yamanuchi—Ten months following "Doppelgangers"]
[A/N: This piece follows "Role Play" from my Super Lana Series. You'll see how that ties in here.]
The skies over the Japanese islands were a clear robin's egg blue on that April morning. The birds chirped from their perches while building their nests. A brisk wind kicked up the last bit of winter chill from the north.
In Yamanuchi's courtyard, Sensei observed his students' drills with a critical eye. Even if it had been a quiet year for the ninjas and shinobi, he knew the demon still waited for an opening to strike. Furthermore, Bertrand du Dijon still lurked in the shadows after stealing the second tempus simia. He labored on his staff while limping around the stones.
He could see Ron, Yori and Rufus going through their motions crisply. Despite their own version of 'distractions,' they remained a model of consistency. Indeed, they would soon go up for sensei status in their own right.
Hirotaka, on the other hand, had stagnated. Perhaps tempted by the demon, he had fallen to the temptations of the local village women. Several times he had skipped meditations or valuable training sessions to play the cool teen with them.
How I wish I could make him see the light! Sensei groused to himself. He made up his mind to speak to Hirotaka again soon.
["Excuse me? Sensei Sama? It's Miranda. Might I request an audience?"] Miranda asked telepathically.
He smiled ever so slightly. If anyone can deliver a message, it will be Miri Chan. ["Hai, Miri Chan. I need a boon of my own. Would you be willing to stage the Flying Crow maneuver?"]
["Flying crow? If you wish. Which of your students needs a butt kicking? Not Ron or Yori!"] she agreed.
["No. Hirotaka needs a lesson in humility. I wish for the others to see it. In full garb," he instructed.]
["Hai, Sensei Sama. Deirdre will mist me in there. Any particular way in that you prefer?"] she inquired.
["By the mulberry tree will be fine. He is strutting over there like a clown,"] he assessed.
She ground her teeth. ["I will be glad to do so, Master. Give me five minutes."]
Sensei nodded almost inconspicuously. To most of the students, it was imperceptible.
Yet from where she trained, Yori could tell something had happened. She knew Sensei had been on Hirotaka constantly. To see the aged one lighten his gait and give a bit of nod to the air meant a telepathic contact of some kind. What is it now?
Sensei saw her recognition and shook his head as if to say 'don't interfere'.
"What gives?" Ron asked.
"Focus on the exercise, Ron San. Sensei wants extra concentration," she urged.
The American student nodded and made sure to get his motions right. From the almost year and a half's worth of training there, he'd eliminated a great deal of the awkward clownishness. He'd gained confidence and stamina. He also fought more consistently with his tai-sheng-pe-kwar.
Plus having Global Justice to train with didn't hurt either…..
On top of that, the golden wedding band glinted in the sun. He smiled at his wife and kept going at their training.
"You betcha," he agreed and did so.
For several minutes, the session went as expected.
Then a shadow leapt silently from the roof of the central structure to the mulberry tree.
Underneath its branches, Hirotaka continued to halfway do his drills. He ignored his instincts to look above.
That is until the dark suited ninja dropped from the branches right on top of him.
"Stay back! Hirotaka, defend our honor!" Sensei ordered.
"Hai, Master Sensei!" he agreed while unsheathing a kitana and circling the attacker.
Miri shook her head. She could see his movements were a bit off. When he was at full strength, it was a good sparring match for her. But impaired, it was only a matter of time. She feinted twice to draw him in.
He lunged with a full swing of steel.
She flipped over it and kicked him face first into the stones. She disarmed him by stomping on his sword hand. Then she literally pinned a knee into his back. "Yield, Fool! Yield and I'll spare your life!"
He struggled but could get no leverage.
She pinned his arms and tied them with her sash.
"Yield, Hirotaka, you have shamed yourself and us all," Sensei pointed out. "Thankfully we are not under attack. It is only an object lesson." He nodded to the ninja attacker and bowed. "Domo arighato."
"Hai." The ninja returned the bow.
Ron's eyes went wide. He turned to Yori who watched with approval. "You knew?"
"I suspected, Ron San. Let your American style show run to its conclusion," Yori advised.
"It is over, Sister," Miranda indicated before unmasking. "Konichiwa, my friends. As Master Sensei teaches us, never lose focus for an instant! If you assume, you're lost!" She stood and pulled Hirotaka to his feet. Then she freed his hands. "You're drunk and wobbly on your feet."
"You, a Gaijin, judge me? I at least stay here full time! You…deal with the freak more than us," he spat. "Even Stoppable San is more loyal than you!" He spat in her face.
"Now wait a minute!" Ron snapped. "That's not fair, Hiro!"
"Thanks, Ron, but I can handle this," Miranda noted. "Life is about obligations, Hirotaka! I have two families. You all and my blood family back in Kansas. You, baka, have NO right to criticize me! I train with honor and carry myself accordingly even back there!" She made him float in the air and pinned him to the tree. "And nobody calls my Uncle Dave a freak. Am I clear?"
He didn't answer.
She grabbed him by the hair and yanked his face back into line with hers. Then she slapped him across the face hard. "AM I CLEAR?"
He ground his teeth at the display but nodded. "Hai."
"Miranda, enough," Sensei insisted.
"As you wish, Sensei Sama. Remember though, all of you. Loyalty above all to the whole and the rest above yourselves." Miranda dropped the telekinesis, letting Hirotaka fall into the mud. "Do not shame yourselves." She took a deep breath and bowed before Sensei. "Forgive the display, Master."
"It was necessary. Now you wish your audience. Please accompany me. Stoppable San, Yori Chan and Rufus San shall join us," Sensei acknowledged. "The rest of you should meditate. We will meet again here after the noon meal." Once the students had dispersed, they headed for Sensei's office.
"It will be safe for us to speak in here. Summon the priestess," the teacher bade.
As soon as he said that, Deirdre stepped into the room via a mist portal. "My gratitude for seeing us."
"You have helped us in the past. It is my pleasure to see if we can help," Sensei acknowledged.
"Thanks," Deirdre sighed. "We just finished a big battle in the other universe with one of Papa's worst enemies. This guy had rewritten all of history to eliminate certain events…"
"Other universe?" Ron gasped.
"I have known of this parallel universe for some time, Stoppable San. But we should let our guest continue," Sensei replied.
"Thank you," Deirdre continued. "Anyhow Lousain had rewritten events. It took both of our dimensions to stop him and his army. Everything's back to normal except that my parents and little brother are missing."
"Your parents?" Yori wondered.
"Uncle Dave's counterpart, Yori," Miranda clarified. "Complete with an alternate Protector personality."
"If he's missing, that's gotta be bad!" Ron realized.
"Major bad! YUK!" Rufus chimed in while recalling the dark encounters.
"If he's hurt or in trouble, it could be. That's why we're here," Miranda concurred while rubbing the mole rat's head.
"Our enemies have waited for such an opportunity. If he or the others can be taken, the demon shall do so. Stoppable San, contact Load San please. Meantime the facilities of this school are of course at your disposal, Miri Chan and our friends'," Sensei assessed grimly.
Ron nodded. "I'm all over it, Master." He took out his Ronunicator and sent the signal.
Wade's face popped up. "Hey, Ron! What's going on? Isn't this training time for you and Yori?"
"Hai, Wade San," Yori agreed. "We need a scan done."
"No sweat. Who are we looking for?" Wade queried.
"For my uncle's counterpart in addition to his wife and son, Wade," Miranda indicated.
"Your uncle has a twin?" Wade wondered while admittedly getting apprehensive. He accessed the file from the Iguana caper and cross referenced the readings. "Accessing satellite." He watched for a couple of minutes and then shook his head. "Sorry, guys. The only reading's coming from Kansas."
"From our version," Miranda guessed. "Thanks, Wade. We're looking too. Figured a boost would be great."
"Hey anything to help. We'll talk with Kim and Rick. Maybe Global Justice can do something," Wade offered before signing off.
"We'd appreciate that. Thank you," Deirdre expressed sadly. "Miri, would you like to stay and visit? Or shall I take you back? Sorry but I have to run. My high priestess wants a progress report."
"I need to get back. Master, I'll have the other connection get me back here in the next day or two. Somebody needs to speak with Hirotaka about this morning," Miranda explained while bowing.
"It will be done. Give our best to our friends, Miri Chan. Stay alert," Sensei advised.
"Hai, Sensei Sama," Miranda agreed before following Deirdre into the mists and vanishing from the room.
"I wish we could do that! Man, I could go to Bueno Nacho anytime I wanted," Ron griped to himself.
"As with the Lotus Blade, such skills are not to be taken lightly, Stoppable San. Nor is a dark power which runs loose like this. Certainly I do not need to remind you of such a thing," Sensei declared pointedly.
"No. I know. Sorry, Master, I meant no disrespect," Ron apologized. He shuddered while recalling how he had lapsed under the Attitudinator's influence into a darker and more sinister persona…Zorpox. He didn't want to think of what his alter ego would do with the monkey power or with the school's secret.
Best the world didn't find that out.
"Ron San?" Yori wondered.
Ron shook his head. "Just past stuff, Yori. Nothin' I really wanna get into."
"Zowpox," Rufus revealed.
Ron shot his friend a dirty look and then bowed quickly to Sensei. Then he left the room.
"Who? Sensei, what is this?" Yori wondered.
The aged master rubbed his brow. "Just as Dubois Sama has his alter ego so too does Stoppable San. I have seen glimmers of that one in his mind. You two are now husband and wife, Yori Chan. Such matters are between you both. I shall work to fill in whatever gaps I can after you two speak. But such things should be broached by one partner to the other first."
"Hai, Sensei Sama. Domo," she concluded as she and Rufus both bowed to him. Then she let Rufus slip into his pocket pouch before taking off.
She needed to think. Then she definitely needed to comfort her husband as best as she could.