Reunion

Kuki stared out the side window of the small town cafe. It was a beautiful day just on the cusp of spring. The snow had all finally melted under the warm morning sun illuminated under the bright clear blue sky, but the air was still crisp with the fleeting departure of winter. The street outside was busy with the bustling of cars and people walking up and down the sidewalk. They all seemed so busy with their lives; all so full of purpose. Kuki wrapped her hand around her warm tea cup and brought it to her lips to take a sip. She couldn't help but allow her mind to wonder as she continued to observe the outside world.

Sitting across from her at their small cafe table was a young African American women, also in her early twenties. She was in the middle of a story when she realized her friend wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention.

"Yo girl, you even listening?" she called out to get her friend to come back down to Earth.

Kuki awoke from her trance. "Huh? Oh, sorry Abby. Guess I got a little distracted."

Abby huffed. "Yeah I'll bet you did. What's got yo' mind so preoccupied lately anyway?"

Kuki gripped her tea cup and stared back down at the table. "You know what day today is, right Abby?" she asked quietly.

Abby felt the frustration melt away. She did in fact know which day it was. There had been two major times in both their lives when one of their close friends had stepped foot on a different path in life. One of those times had been when Numbuh One left for the Galactic Kids Next Door. The other time, however, had been exactly fifteen years ago today.

Despite the fifteen years that had passed, the two former KND operatives had managed to remain close friends. They were currently sitting across one another at a local cafe where they usually met about once a month for lunch in order to catch up and exchange stories about their lives. Kuki had led a successful life. After completing a business degree at a prestigious local university, she managed to land her dream job working for the famous Rainbow Monkey Corporation with high promise of steadily moving up the corporate ladder. Abby, on the other hand, was still a top secret member of the undercover adult branch of the KND. She hid her identity by working part time as a high-end graphics designer at a major company, but it wasn't all just for show. She actually enjoyed her work and found it rather rewarding. Plus she had bills to pay and the money didn't hurt.

Like the fate of all KND operatives, once the group turned thirteen they were each scheduled to be decommissioned in order to keep the precious secrets of the Kids Next Door safe from the hands of the evil adults. Except for Abby and Nigel, the rest of the team had no idea that not all members of the KND were decommissioned. Disregarding those who went rogue or became villainous adults themselves, a hand-picked special few were allowed to retain their memories and become a part of the Teen Operative Group of the KND; and later, the even more undisclosed Super Secret Adult Operative group.

Numbuh One had been an exception due to his special privileges in the Galactic KND, but he had accepted his new mission on one condition: that the rest of his team also be spared from decommissioning. There had been immediate retaliation from the higher ups of course, but ultimately it was decided that as long as they could pass the rigorous training, the rest of them would be allowed to undergo partial decommissioning and retain select memories.

Abby sighed and took a sip from her steaming coffee cup. She chuckled mildly to herself. "Can you believe we used to think that adults couldn't function without this stuff?"

Kuki let out a giggle. "Well in a way, it's kind of true when you think about it." She leaned in a bit and was careful to lower her voice to a whisper. "Anyways, you said something about Number One coming home?"

"Not jus' that," continued Abby, careful to lower her voice, "but since we've all officially entered the working world now, we decided to plan one last big reunion trip just for the five of us!"

Kuki's eyes lit up. "Ooooh where are we going?"

Abby smirked."Pack your bags girl! We're headin' to Hawaii!"

There was a moment of silence and the general collection of chatter surrounding them suddenly became audible. Abby blinked slightly in confusion. She had fully expected Numbuh Three to squeal in immediate delight at the idea of visiting a warm, tropical paradise, but instead Kuki remained where she sat and bowed her head a little in disappointment. "I don't know if that's such a good idea Numbuh Five."

Abby's smile faded. She knew Kuki and Numbuh Four hadn't spoken to each another since the day he moved away. Even Abby herself barely heard from the guy. Hoagie was the only one who ever really maintained contact with him and even then it was barely anything more than a few quick check up texts to see how things were going. Once Abby and Hoagie had started dating she had been able to find out a little bit more, but no more than what Hoagie knew, and that wasn't saying much.

Kuki sighed. "Don't get me wrong Numbuh Five. The thought of seeing Wally again is exciting, but..."

There was another brief pause between them.

"But you're worried about the new suitor your mom picked out for you," Abby finished for her.

Kuki nodded. "I've already turned down so many. My mom is starting to lose her patience. She says that if I don't give this one a try for at least a month she's going to stop helping me pay off my college loans. She is insistent that I am provided for and live in a well off household like the one she grew up in." She said the last bit while mimicking her mother's mannerisms. "You know how she is Abby. She won't settle for anything less. I suppose I could bring him along to get to know him better, but that would just be so..."

"Weird?"

Kuki nodded.

"What's his name?"

"Mark Tokunaga."

Abby sympathetically looked back at her friend. Knowing it was about time she finally spilled the beans, she let out a long, tired sigh. "Look Number Three, it's no secret that you had a thing for Numbuh Four back in the day."

Kuki's expression remained unchanged. It was no real surprise that Abby knew about her childhood crush. She had always been good at sniffing those sort of things out. After all, there was a reason she was chosen as an undercover agent.

Abby smirked. Hoping to cheer her friend up, she lifted one eyebrow. "You know he had a thing for you too, right?" she asked grinning.

Kuki's head snapped up. THAT, she hadn't known. Abby let out a robust laugh and continued. "Oh please girl, it was all over yo' faces! Everybody in the you know what knew he was head over heels for you."

Kuki's griped her tea cup tighter and her shocked expression abruptly fell to sadness. "It wouldn't matter now anyway," she said sullenly. "He hasn't spoken to me in over a decade. We've both grown up. I doubt he even feels the same way anymore. Besides, he probably has a new girlfriend by now."

Abby shifted her weight back to the chair, causing it to let out a slight creak. "You won't know till you try," she shrugged. "Look, why not bring the new chump along with you in case lover boy HAS already moved on? At least it will be an opportunity to get to know the new guy just in case."

Kuki gripped the warm sides of her tea cup for comfort. Full of concern, she sat quietly contemplating her options.

Wally ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at long text message illuminated on his phone. It was from Hoagie.

Hey bud, long time! How are things? Just letting you know Abby and I are going to be on Oahu for vacation in about two weeks! I know it's been a long time, but we would really like to get together if you have the time! Abby says she's looking forward to seeing you again. Maybe you can teach us how to surf! And we've got a surprise for you too! What do you say?

Wally felt the guilt creep up from his gut. He had always regretted not speaking with his friends since the day he moved away. Initially it had been his way of coping with the pain of being separated from them. Hoagie had been the one exception, but even then as the years passed, he had simply lost touch. To fill the gaping hole in his heart, he eventually joined up with the KND's Aloha sector, even if he would only be with them a short time before turning thirteen. Being a fellow operative, they had accepted him, but like his old team, they had all grown up together and shared a unique, unbreakable bond. No matter how hard he tried, he never really felt like he fit in.

His father had been successful at becoming a pro surfer and even got signed with a major sponsor, but the Beatles family was far from rich by any means. His parents made enough to get by and then some, but living in paradise had its price. Of course Mr. Beatles had been sure to get his son the swimming lessons he needed, and later even encouraged him to learn how to surf. Wally was convinced it was because his dad wanted an easier way to connect with him, but since surfing was all the Aloha sector ever seemed to do for fun, he decided it couldn't hurt to learn in order to bond with some new friends.

His skills continued to improve and eventually he became advanced enough to follow in his father's footsteps. He placed in the top five in some of the smaller competitions on the neighboring islands and Australia, but he was still a far cry from going pro himself. When he had finally saved up enough money, he moved out of his parents house and in order the pay the bills, got a job as a life guard and part time surf instructor. Occasionally, he even gave swimming lessons to kids on the side.

Wally sighed and looked around his humble home. It was nothing more than a run-down bungalow located a short distance from the shore line. There was no heat or air conditioning, but he didn't really mind since the weather was pretty much the same all year round. He had plumbing, working electricity, a clean, comfy mattress resting on the floor despite not having a frame, a sturdy roof that he had repaired himself, and an old laptop that functioned just well enough to use for publishing surf videos or playing video games. It may not have been much, but he wasn't complaining. It was his and his alone.

Another ping from his phone guided his thoughts back to reality.

Sorry to bug you if you're at work or something. I just couldn't wait to share the news!

Wally flopped down onto his nearby bean bag chair and started typing in a reply.

Right mate! Sounds like a good time! Of course I can teach you to surf! It's what I do after all. See you guys in a couple weeks!

He switched off the phone's screen and stared up at the ceiling. He admitted it would be nice to see Hoagie and Abby again and he wasn't too nervous about the encounter being awkward. Abby always seemed to know what to say at the right time and how to carry a conversation. Maybe she would even fill him in on what the rest of his former teammates were up to.

His thoughts immediately drifted to Kuki. What was she doing right now? he wondered. Did she miss him? The memories of their time together in the KND danced across his mind. He imagined what she looked like now that they were both older. Of course his imagination allowed him to get a little carried away.

He tried to shove the thoughts from his mind. What am I thinking? She probably hates me by now, he thought. If there was one person he regretted not keeping contact with most, it was her. Initially after leaving, he had thought about telling her how he felt. He tried calling her house phone, but never made it past the first ring. He tried sending letters with his confession spilled out onto them, but they never made it to the mailbox. He even went so far as to write out his heartfelt feelings and message her though the KND communications system, but could never bring himself to click send. Eventually, he just gave up altogether.

After falling out of touch, he did his best to try and move on. He had dated a number of girls since high school, but none of them seemed to really stick. Even some of the prettiest, wealthiest, and most popular girls in school were never able capture his full attention. His friends had given him crap about it, mostly out of jealousy. But usually they shut up when the girl he broke up with decided to date one of them instead.

Fed up with wallowing in anxiety, Wally forced himself up and headed to his room to store his phone and keys in the safe he had stashed away in his closet. His house had no alarm system, so long ago he decided to keep his valuables locked up in case someone decided to break into his house. Not that he had much worth stealing in the first place. After making sure his contents were safe, he quickly grabbed his surf board and headed out to the water. The subtle rolling of the waves and clam ocean breeze always seemed to be able to clear his mind.

The next two weeks passed quickly and Wally ultimately found himself driving into town to meet with Hoagie and Abby. They had invited him to join them for lunch and planned to hit the beach together after. Unknowing to Wally, Hoagie had purposely left out extra details to keep everything a surprise.

Trying not to run over the mass hordes of tourists crowding the area, Wally carefully pulled into the parking lot nearest the restaurant. He usually tried to avoid busy areas due to the dense amount of people, but since the burger joint Hoagie picked was near the hotel, it couldn't be helped. After making sure his surfboard was secure in the back of his four-by-four pickup, he walked over to the restaurant.

He wondered what kind of surprise Hoagie could possibly have planned. Remembering the pact they had made, he was careful to safely stow Hoagie's Yipper card in his back pocket. It was still in near mint condition and he knew his long time friend would be pleased to find out that he had kept his promise.

As he walked through the entry way of the restaurant, he was immediately greeted by a familiar face.

"Wally! My man. So good to see you again!" Hoagie stuck out his hand for a friendly handshake. Normally he would have captured the Aussie in a giant bear hug, but since they were in a public place he didn't want to disturb any of the diners. Wally grasped the hand firmly in a familiar greeting. He quickly noticed his best friend had grown considerably taller and had lost almost all of his baby weight. He was now healthy and thin and was in just as good a mood as ever. Wally had grown quite a bit himself and was no longer the short little squirt he used to be, but Hoagie still had him beat by a few good inches.

Hoagie released Wally's hand and proceeded to guide him back to the table. "So glad you could make it buddy! So how is life in paradise?"

"It's alright I guess." said Wally nonchalantly. As they walked, Wally could make out the faint remnants of pop music echoing in the background. "Man it's been ages!" he said excitedly. "I can't believe you guys flew all the way out here just to see me! That flight must have taken forever"

"Oh it wasn't so bad," assured Hoagie. "After all, time flies when you're watching a good movie," he said jabbing Wally's shoulder. "Eh? Get it?"

Wally rolled his eyes at his friend's lousy attempt at humor. "Still the same lame joke teller as ever," he jested. "Oh yeah, before I forget, got somethin' for ya." He reached behind for the Yipper card and held it out to Hoagie.

"No way!" exclaimed Hoagie, surprised. "You kept it? And it such good condition too! Thanks for returning it man!"

"No worries," shrugged Wally, smiling, clearly proud of his reunion gift. "A promise is a promise right?"

The two of them continued on to the table. Noticing Hoagie hadn't brought any sort of gift with him, Wally started to grow more curious by the second."By the way, what's this big surprise you got for me anyway? Is it like some kinda big-"

He froze mid-sentence.

They had finally reached the table where the others were sitting. Numbuh Five greeted them with a friendly wave and on the opposite side of her was the one and only legendary Nigel Uno. He too had grown up quite well and while still bald, didn't seem to mind. He smiled coolly behind his dark shades and saluted toward his former operative, clearly happy to see him. In between the two of them was a blank space obviously left for Hoagie to squeeze back in. And lastly, sitting on the outer portion of booth was the one person Wally couldn't pry his eyes from.

There, sitting way on the end, was Kuki.

She was too preoccupied studying the menu to notice him, but Wally continued to gape at her none the less. The rest of the table, noticing the Aussie's expression smirked and quickly glanced at one another. It was obvious they had picked up on their friend's reaction.

Kuki noticed the sudden silence at the table and peered up from her menu to see what was going on. She felt her heart skip a beat when she realized who was standing roughly ten feet in front of her. She paused when her eyes met his, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, realizing she had been staring a bit too long, she became very self conscious and quickly glanced away to hide her forming blush.

Wally couldn't help but feel disappointed as she looked away. Was she still angry with him for leaving? He couldn't blame her. Was it possible she wanted nothing to do with him? If so, maybe she just didn't want to make it awkward for everyone else. Regardless, it certainly wasn't the reaction he had been hoping for.

Kuki continued to hide her expression out of embarrassment. Unknowing to Wally, she had more than just noticed him. It was obvious he had definitely grown. He was about as equally as tall as her, had perfectly sun-tanned skin, striking facial features, and an obvious well-toned swimmer's body. He was dressed in nothing more than a faded dark blue t-shirt, board shorts, and flip flops...and it was seriously working for her.

Since when did he get so noticeably handsome?

Blushing furiously, Kuki tried to hide her embarrassment by shifting her gaze back to her menu. Abby noticed the obvious magnetism between the two and smirked. She nudged Nigel in his side to draw his attention. He quickly followed suit.

"Hello? Earth to Wally?" Hoagie desperately tried to break his friend from his stunned gaze by waving a hand back and forth in front of his face. Wally forcibly shook his head in confusion. "Surprise buddy! Everyone's here for a sector V reunion!"

"A reunion?" Wally asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah," explained Hoagie. "Numbuh One finally got a break from...uh...you know...work and organized the whole thing for us! Abby and I agreed to come first thing and of course Numbuh Three and Mark were invited as well."

"Mark?" questioned Wally, suddenly feeling a bit threatened. "Who the hell is-?"

Wally was abruptly interrupted by a tall, well groomed young man dressed in casual business attire making his way back from the restroom. "Apologies, but I believe you were referring to me." He gentlemanly presented his hand to Wally. Wally hesitated and reluctantly took part in the hand shake. "The name's Mark. I'm Kuki's new suitor, and soon to be her fiancé."

Wally's breath caught. Her fiancé?

He thought he had been over it. He really, honestly had. He had dated countless other girls, fallen into what he thought had been love, fallen out of said love, broken up, and dated again. But after sixteen years of thinking he had gotten over his long time childhood crush, that one small phrase had managed to clench the sides of his heart and pierce a dagger straight through to its bleeding core.

Unfazed by Wally's silence, Mark let out a small chuckle and ended the handshake. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But really, your friend Kuki there is quite the fine young woman. I'm sure a successful businessman, like myself, won't have too much trouble winning her over if you know what I mean."

Wally couldn't tell if he was joking or bragging. He wrinkled his nose slightly in disgust. Suitor or not, he had already decided this guy was completely unfit to be Kuki's fiancé.

Abby, sensing the air had become considerably thicker, decided it was time to defuse the situation. "Hey Numbuh Four, why don't you come on over an' take a seat! I'm sure Numbuh One and everyone here are excited to hear what you've been up to."

"Yeah Wally." Nigel chimed in, "It's been ages."

"Heh, yeah alright," said Wally nervously. He did his best to avoid eye contact with Kuki and took a seat between Nigel and Hoagie at the end of the table. Mark slid back into his spot next to Kuki, which sent a small surge of jealousy through Wally. The waitress, noticing their whole party had finally gathered, rushed over to jolt down their order, then hurried back to tend do the other tables.

"So how is it living in paradise surfer boy," asked Abby, hoping to break the ice a little. "Last time we all saw you, you could barely swim."

"Well I uh...my dad made me learn real quick since it was dangerous being surrounded by water and all. I think all it was he really wanted was to spend more quality time with me by surfing though."

"Wait a minute! You surf now too?" questioned Nigel, practically spitting out his tropical drink. He brought his hand to his head to express his exaggeration. "Man I really have been gone a long time."

"Yeah and he's pretty good," added Hoagie. "His dad got second place in the masters last year, and from what I hear he's not that far behind. Isn't that right Wally?"

Flattered, Wally smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Well I dunno if I'd go that far."

"So you do tournaments all the time?" questioned Abby. "Is that how you're able to pay for the high cost of livin' out here?"

"Well not really. See, I can only sign up for contests when they are holding them. I get some good money from those, but the rest of the time I gotta find work elsewhere."

"Oh I remember those days," Mark interjected arrogantly. "Scrounging around for work here and there. It's no easy way to make a living if you ask me."

Kuki slightly annoyed with his comment, crossed her arms. "Well, nobody asked you," she said rather rudely. "Besides, not everyone can be super successful right away. I'm sure you're doing something that makes you happy, right Wally?"

Wally felt his heart do a little flip when she spoke to him. He couldn't help but notice her smile and was thankful she had spoken up for him. "Yeah sure. I uh, I give surf lessons to kids."

Kuki's eyes lit up. "You're a surf instructor!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Do you think you could teach me!?"

"Eh, what?"

"Could you teach me to surf?" Hoping she didn't come across as too eager, she looked around the table. "Do you think you could teach all of us?"

Wally looked around at his friends, unsure. "You guys really want me to teach you how to surf?"

"Sure, why not?" answered Nigel. "I've always wanted to learn. How about you guys?" There was unanimous agreement around the table with nodding heads and slight murmurs. Everyone seemed keen on the idea, except one person.

"No thanks. I am not really a fan of board riding," Mark stated bluntly. He turned to Kuki "but by all means, you go ahead babe. I have some important calls to make in the meantime." Before she could react, he stole a quick peck on her cheek.

Kuki inadvertently reached up and touched the spot his lips had made contact. She had meant to immediately correct the title he had given her, but his actions caught her completely off guard. Too shocked to say anything, she remained quiet with an obvious blush flourishing out of embarrassment. Wally painfully watched from the other side of the table, both in envy and despair. It took everything for him to pretend there wasn't an aching pain in his chest.

After lunch, the surf lesson began. Wally started out with some beach drills, first teaching the proper way to stand up on the board while still on land. Once he felt they were ready, he moved everyone to the water where he instructed them on how to paddle and showed them the best time to catch a wave. He demonstrated a few times, so they could see how it was done, but he made it look so easy that when they tried, they could barely keep their balance let alone sit up properly. Thankfully, after about an hour or so Wally slowly started to see some improvement.

After the lesson was over, Wally carried his board in from the beach to rinse off the salt water when a group of kids suddenly surrounded him. He immediately recognized them as some of the current higher ranking, top secret operatives in the KND, probably some of the only few kids who could recognize him.

"Hey it's him! It's him you guys!" They shoved a couple of photos at him to sign. "Numbuh Four! Numbuh Four, can we get your autograph?"

Wally immediately shushed the kids. "Keep quiet would ya?" he whispered loudly.

The kids blushed in embarrassment. "Oh yeah, sorry about that...mister," one said with a wink.

"Ugh," groaned Wally. "Just give me the cruddy pictures already." They handed him their sharpies and he quickly signed the pictures. They were old snapshots of when he was still young. He knew he couldn't exactly go around signing pictures of his adult self, but apparently due to their many famous endeavors, the autographs of Sector V were now considered rare collectors items. He made sure to mimic the signature of his ten year old self.

Once finished, he handed back the photos."There, now would ya get outta here?"

"Sure thing! Thanks mister!" The kids gave a quick salute and ran off excitedly. Wally rolled his eyes and turned to face Kuki, but was surprised to see her attempting to hide the adorable smile plastered across her face.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Oh nothing," she answered, still trying to conceal her grin. "That was just really nice of you. I didn't know you were so famous around here."

Wally blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah well...all the kids want to come to my lessons since I surf in tournaments and stuff. Most of them don't even know I'm a former operative, but the higher ups are in on it. They usually do a better job of keeping their mouth shut though."

"Still, I think it was really sweet of you Wally."

She let out a genuine, heart-felt smile. In that moment, Wally wanted nothing more than to take her hands and confess his feelings right then and there. But the gnawing thought of Kuki's new boyfriend kept him grounded. Was it really fair of him to take away her chance at happiness by conflicting her feelings with his own? What if she finally found that special someone she might want to spend the rest of her life with? It seemed like a logical possibility considering she had gone to the trouble of bringing him with her on this trip. She hadn't even shoved the guy away when he kissed her. Was it really fair for him to take that away form her despite his feelings?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of their friends approaching.

"Ugh Abby, will you please tell Hoagie to give it a rest?" groaned Nigel. "I didn't plan this whole vacation so we would have to suffer though more of his lame jokes."

"Trust me," explained Abby, "no matter how many times I tell him to keep his day job, he jus' doesn't...give...up."

Just then, Hoagie came running up to catch up with the rest of them. "Hey, hey guys! Listen to this. I hosted a comedy festival while on a surfboard...It was a barrel of laughs! Get it?" He chuckled.

The four of them stared at him, unamused.

"Or, or how about this one? Why was the surfer sad about losing the contest?...Cuz he was all washed up! Hahahaha!"

"Numbuh five says we split before comedy boy comes up with any new material," Abby said quietly to Nigel with a hand covering the side of her mouth.

"Agreed," said Nigel sarcastically. The two of them started heading back to the hotel to change. Abby called out to Kuki. "You coming Numbuh Three?"

Kuki turned back toward the group. "Oh uh, yeah. I will be back up in a minute. Don't wait up!"

"Don't forget girl, the luau is at five o' clock!" said Abby. She gave her signature salute goodbye and turned to Wally. "Thanks for the lesson today surfer boy. See you round!"

"No worries," Wally waved back. He then turned to face Kuki.

"Eh, Kuki, did you want to...you know...if you're not too busy with that Mark guy I mean...would you like to...I dunno..." He could feel his heart racing in his chest. Why did he feel so nervous? Kuki was still his friend right? It was just a simple question. It wasn't like he was asking her out or anything, right?

Crud, why does this have to be so hard. He gulped. "You wanna...hang out for a bit?"

At first, she didn't say anything, but seemed to be registering the information. Then suddenly, to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him in a friendly bear hug. "Oh Wally, of course I would. It's been forever since we've seen each other." She let him go almost as quickly as she grabbed him. Still, he couldn't help but try to hide his blush. "Besides, I would really love another surf lesson. I don't think I quite have the hang of it yet."

Wally breathed a sigh of relief and perked up a bit. "Yeah, it does take some practice," he chuckled nervously. "Well then...uh...great! So...tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow," she answered happily. She waved goodbye and headed back up to her hotel room where she knew Mark would probably be tidying up for dinner. Wally waved back with a love-struck grin. Once she was out of sight, the reality of the situation dawned on him.

Who are you kidding mate? There's no way you'll ever be able to compete with a big-shot like him. He's probably got loads of cash and a big ol' mansion somewhere with like eleventy-billion rooms. Why the crud would she ever go for a pathetic loser like you when she's got someone like him?

Feeling defeated, he made his way back to his truck. Just face the facts. You should have told her years ago when you had the chance, and now, you're too late. He loaded up his surfboard and walked around to the drivers seat. If you tell her now, all you'll be doing is making her life difficult. You'll just confuse her with your feelings. He started up the engine. If you really care about her, you'll let her go. You're going to have to let her go. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the road that would take him home. But he knew the ugly truth.

There was no way he could let her go.

Author's Note: And there we have chapter two! I realize a grown man wouldn't say something like "eleventy-billion", but I thought it was a nice little touch that made it feel closer to the spirit of the original show since adults in the show said it. Plus, Wally has never really been good with numbers haha. As for the setting, my original story was based in Australia, but since I have never actually visited there, writing the story around it proved to be rather difficult. This time I chose Hawaii, not only for the big surf culture, but because I actually have spent time living there and have been surfing myself. Wally also was a surfer in my original story and I liked the idea of him turning out to be a good swimmer despite his original lack of ability, so I kept it a big part of this story as well. Also, in the actual show, it does hint that not all of the KND get decommissioned when they grow up, so I figured it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that Sector V would have been spared. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to review! Still more to come!

Song for this chapter is "Crazy For This Girl" by Evan and Jaron