A/N
Chapter 2 is up. Questions are answered, but not necessarily in the way everyone likes.
What does Ron have planned, and what does it mean for the future of the relationship between him and Kim? And how do Drakken and Shego play into this? Furthermore, why is Dr. Director so interested in what happened with the Lorwardians?
And here is the necessary stuff:
Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.
Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.
"Dr. Director, if you want the truth about what happened, I can tell you. It was me. I took them out."
Shego and Kim both stared at Ron, one with surprise, the other with shock. Looking at them, however, revealed little about who was showing what. However, they both found themselves staring intently at him, wondering what he was going to say next.
Ron took a deep breath, and then continued. "But before I tell you, I need to use a restroom. Had a Grande-sized Slurpster on our way over here, and I get the feeling we're going to be here a while." He laughed nervously, expecting Dr. Director to deny his request outright.
However, she surprised him. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I think we all need to take a bit of a break." She motioned for Will Du to unlock the door, and then called for someone to show Drakken, Shego, and the teens to the nearest restrooms.
"You okay if I leave the Kimmunicator here, Wade?" Kim hated it, but there wasn't much she could do.
"I'm fine, Kim. Promise. I'll just take a break here, and let you know if anything comes up while you're away. Just take this headset with you so we can keep in touch."
At that, a small Bluetooth headset popped out of the side of the regular-sized Kimmunicator, a feature that Kim had never known it had. She picked it up and slipped it on, pleasantly surprised that it was a perfect fit with no pinch on her ear or anything. However, she was more surprised that she immediately heard Wade's voice in her ear while his hologram merely smiled at her.
"Kim, don't react to this. The Holo-Wade is on a recording loop so I can talk to you without arousing suspicion from Dr. Director or Global Justice. If Ron is planning what I think he's planning, he knows what he's doing. Trust him, he can handle this." Somehow, Wade seemed to be following what was going on with relative ease.
Kim, on the other hand, was completely lost. Unless Ron had somehow knocked her unconscious during the ride over here and made a detour without her knowing, they'd gone straight to his house to change into their mission gear, and then come straight to the rendezvous point from his house. They hadn't made a single stop anywhere, so there was no way he could have managed to snag a Slurpster of any size that morning. For one of the few times in her life, Kim found herself unable to follow Ron's train of thought. Just what was he up to?
As they were led down the hallways, Shego managed to get up right next to Kim. "So, Kimmie, what's the sidekick got up his sleeve?" she asked in low tones.
Kim looked at the mint-green-skinned woman, still slightly unnerved to be walking this close to one of her most dangerous foes without fighting her. "To be honest, Shego, I haven't got a clue," Kim whispered. "Ron's got me completely stumped here, and I'm his girlfriend. He'd better be careful what he tells them, though. There's a lot more at stake here than just his quiet lifestyle."
Shego looked passed Drakken, who was in front of them, to stare at Ron's back with a look that was somehow perplexed and knowing at the same time. "This has something to do with that school in Japan, doesn't it?" she finally said after a bit.
Kim almost walked into Drakken in shock, but recovered quickly. "You know about Yamanouchi? How'd you find out about it?"
Shego grinned a bit. "Monkey Fist talked about it all the time at villain gatherings before you guys trapped him in that stone encasement," she said nonchalantly. Then she added, "What? Like you didn't talk with your school friends about your missions?"
"Actually, I didn't that much. At least not with that many people and certainly not with everyone." Kim was just slightly unnerved at the idea that there was a villain social network that had apparently been talking about her, Ron and their missions and adventures. "Maybe Monique, but that's only because she's my best friend. But it wasn't common knowledge like you're talking about."
This time Shego couldn't suppress a laugh. "Really…well, hate to break it to you, Kimmie, but you two are quite often the talk of the moment when we get together. It's always 'Team Possible foiled me' this, or 'I almost had Team Possible' that. Gets kind of old after a while, but sometimes it leads to some interesting stuff. Ever wonder how some of us caught you so easily those few times? It was because another villain had come close to it, told us, and we modified what they did. To tell the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if you end up dealing with another villain's version of Eric one of these days."
Kim shook her head. Eric had been the name given to Synthodrone 901. He had shown up at Middleton High Kim and Ron's junior year, right before the prom and during the whole Lil' Diablo mess. Drakken had modified and enhanced the "android" (if that's what you called those things) with personality and performance upgrades so that it looked like and sounded like normal teenage boy. He'd then set Eric up in Middleton High with the sole purpose of exploiting her insecurities about boys and dating, while at the same time Eric had been keeping her distracted so she couldn't focus on figuring out Drakken's latest scheme for world conquest. The result was that Drakken had very nearly succeeded. Even worse, was that Kim had even realized Eric was a Synthodrone until he had revealed it to her right before knocking her out. It had been one of the lowest points of her life when it hit her shortly after waking up exactly what Eric was and what that had meant about their "relationship." Because of that, she had almost given up the hero business forever, and it was only Ron's intervention and revelation of his feelings for her that had pulled out of that. She smiled as she looked at Ron walking ahead of them…
Wait…Ron! He was up to something, and unless she wanted to take a chance at ruining his plan, Kim needed to find out what was up. She also needed to do it with enough time to let Shego in on the plan. Doing her best to not draw attention to what she was doing, she quickly made her way up to walk next to her boyfriend. He was staring straight ahead, and there was a slightly glazed look to his eyes, as if he were focusing intently on something. Cautiously, so as not to spook him, Kim slipped her hand into his. Ron seemed to come out of his trance for a minute, and looked over at her with a smile on his face.
As Ron smiled at his girlfriend, he looked deeply into her eyes. It was then that the smile disappeared from his face. Something about the way Kim was looking at him seemed out of place. There were very few times he'd seen her look at him so uncertainly. In fact, he could only think of one time he'd ever seen her look so unsure: during the battle with the Lorwardians, when she'd admitted to him that she was scared about the future just as much as he was. There was also a question in her eyes, one he'd certainly not expected.
What's going on?
That's when it hit him that Kim had no idea what was happening. For some reason, he had assumed they'd have the same idea, and if not, that she'd pick up on what he was doing by taking this break. He looked at her and smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. His smile got even wider when she smiled back at him. She still had that questioning look in her eyes, though. He nodded his understanding, and then mouthed a single word as clearly as he could and still keep it hidden from the Global Justice Agents escorting them.
Sensei.
When Kim saw it, it immediately hit her just exactly what was about to occur. Ron was going to contact Sensei, or at least try contacting him. To the best of Kim's knowledge, the connection via Sensei's astral projection only worked one way. As far as she was aware, Sensei had to contact Ron for the connection to work. It had never worked the other way around, and if it had, Ron hadn't said a word about it to her.
Still, if there was a single person to ask whether or not it would be wise to let Global Justice in on the secret of Ron's abilities in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, it was the man who seemed to know more about it than anyone. Ever since Ron had first met Sensei on his first trip to Yamanouchi, the wizened old master had proved an invaluable source for answers to any questions the young man may have had about the mystical powers that filled him. And with the arrival of Hana, Master Sensei had become an even more invaluable font of information. He was the perfect person to ask about this.
Kim couldn't believe she hadn't realized immediately what Ron had planned out. Wade had been right—she just needed to trust that Ron could handle it. She nodded her comprehension, smiling at her boyfriend's ingenuity and apparent foresight. He certainly had become more mature this past year, and she knew it wasn't entirely her influence. Ron was becoming the man he would eventually turn into, and Kim found herself falling more and more in love with him. She squeezed his hand just as they reached the restrooms, and nodded as she and Shego headed into the ladies room.
Noticing that the agents hadn't followed them in, Kim quickly looked at Shego. "Ron's gonna try and contact Sensei over at Yamanouchi."
"What, you mean the old guy who speaks in all those odd philosophy sayings?" Obviously, Monkey Fist hadn't spared much in his descriptions of Yamanouchi. But at least, Kim conceded, Shego hadn't taken to calling Sensei "that old relic" as the now stone-encased Fist had.
"Sensei happens to be the top authority on the Mystical Monkey Power, as well as the key to everything that ties into it. He teaches at Yamanouchi, personally trains both Yori and Hirotaka, arranged for the Stoppable's adoption of his little sister Hana, and is the current keeper of the Lotus Blade that can only be used by someone proficient in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."
Shego huffed as she washed her hands. "Yeah, whatever, Princess. I just hope the goofball knows what he's doing."
+++
~~ KP ~~
+++
Meanwhile, over in the men's restroom, Ron was having mixed luck as well. Although he was pretty sure he could focus enough Mystical Monkey Power to contact Sensei if he could get a single moment's peace, around Drakken that was proving impossible. Even as Ron sat there on the bench in the bathroom, attempting to tap into the astral powers he'd seen Sensei use, the older man kept up his constant bugging.
"Alright, buffoon, what exactly are you trying to do? And why are Shego, Miss Possible, and you trying to hide that you were the one who defeated Warmonga and Warhok?"
"Dude, it's not just me and the monkey powers they don't know about. There's a lot more going on here than you realize."
"Oh, really? And just what is so secret that you can't tell me what's going on but can tell Shego?"
"Honestly, I can't tell anyone anything if you don't give me a moment to focus so I can contact Sensei."
"Sensei? Who is that?"
"Seriously, Dr. D., I really only need, like one minute, and then I can give you some more answers."
Drakken studied the young man for a minute. "Nnnngg, fine." He then retreated to the far side of the bench and sat in a pose that comically reminded Ron of Auguste Rodin's The Thinker. Drakken muttered to himself for a minute about "know-it-all-teens" and then fell silent.
As soon as the silence came, Ron resumed his attempts at expanding his mind. He'd attempted this before, and could never seem to push his consciousness across the oceans on either side of the United States. Apparently it took more focus to cross over water than it did land. But something was different this time, and Ron began to wonder if his own astral projection attempts might possibly be strengthened by how urgent the situation appeared in his own mind. Slowly, he felt it beginning to work, and could start to see the world passing before him as if he were flying in a plane.
As he reached the California coast, he began to focus even harder on his destination. This time he didn't hit the "wall" that always seemed to block his thoughts, and instead continued to feel as if he were flying. After a few seconds that passed like hours later, Ron began to see the four islands of Japan. Focusing even more intently, he willed his astral self towards the peak of Mount Yamanouchi and the Yamanouchi School. At last, he found his consciousness floating above the secret ninja training facility. Without another moment's hesitation, he projected himself towards Sensei's room.
The elder master of Yamanouchi had just finished preparing himself for the 4:00 AM wake up call for his students, and had been about to head out of his room when he was surprised by a sight he had not expected to see for many years. There before him, though much more blurry than his own uses of projection, was the astral form of one Ron Stoppable. However, he maintained his serenity as was his nature.
"Stoppable-san, you honor me with your presence. And I am proud to see you using abilities that I had thought beyond you. Please forgive my error in judgment," the wizened man said with a bow.
Ron nodded. "Sensei, I wish I could say this was a social call, but we have a major problem. Global Justice wants to know what happened with the Lorwardians, and I'm going to have to tell them what happened."
Sensei merely stroked his beard in thought. "I understand. And you cannot simply tell them that it was Kim Possible who defeated them?"
The young man's head drooped slightly. "No, I kind of already told them I did it. And now they want to know how."
Sensei said nothing for a few moments, then looked at Ron's projection with what Ron could only assume was pride.
"I see, Stoppable-san. You acted as your heart told you, and now you wish to know how much more you must listen to it. This is no cause for shame. But before I give counsel, I must know how you feel towards Global Justice in your soul. Do you trust them? All of them?"
Ron took a deep breath. "Most of them, yes. But I can't promise there aren't some of their agents who are playing both sides."
Sensei nodded again. "You wish to avoid an incident like the one we experienced here at Yamanouchi with Fukushima."
"Yes, there is that. But there's also the fact that when GJ learns of something new they think they can use to fight evil, they sometimes over-research it. I'm afraid that if I tell them about the Mystical Monkey Power, then I have to reveal everything else, too. I'll have to tell them about Yamanouchi, you, Yori, Hirotaka, Hana, the whole works. And then it won't be secret anymore."
If Sensei was bothered by this, he didn't show it. "I see. The greatest secret in the world is only secret as long as only one person at a time learns of it."
Ron couldn't believe that he thought he actually understood one of Sensei's mystical wordings. "So you're saying that I should tell only Dr. Betty Director, and then let her decide who to tell?"
The old master grinned and bowed. "Someone who also knows the situation might help as well, Stoppable-san. Ask for Agent Tomoe Shioda to be involved in the discussion. She is a graduate of Yamanouchi, and as an agent of Global Justice will know better how to proceed. As soon as you see her, merely ask her 'How are the cherry blossoms back home?' She will reply, 'Fully in bloom,' and will guide you from there."
Ron's eyes got wide as saucers. "You've got graduates working for Global Justice?"
Sensei merely smiled. "Good luck, Stoppable-san. And do as your heart tells you, for the heart is the one thing that cannot deviate from what you truly feel you must do."
Though confused, Ron nodded a bow, and his astral projection faded from the room.
As it did, Sensei allowed a slight worry to cross his face. Soon the young warrior would face possibly the most difficult mission he had yet to undertake in his young life. Though he wanted to help Stoppable-san, the wizened old teacher knew that any aid he might give the young man would only hurt Ron's chances of succeeding. And this trial was going to be one that must not be failed, or else the world would soon suffer the consequences.
At that moment, two young ninja walked through the doors of his chamber. In all his many years of teaching at Yamanouchi, no one but Stoppable-san had ever shown as much promise as the young woman and young man now present before him. He smiled at them as they stood there in their newly-earned Yamanouchi graduate uniforms. They were young, but time was short, and Sensei knew they were ready for this.
"I have a few very special missions for the two of you. Ones that you must complete together." At the young woman's apparent discomfort with this order, he added, "Two reeds working together will make each other stronger than one alone."
He held out two scrolls. "You will find the details here. Prepare quickly, for you must depart soon. A great evil I have long thought gone will soon return, and we must be ready."
The two young ninja bowed, accepted the scrolls, and left.
Back at Global Justice, Ron came out of his trance to find a blurry image of Dr. Drakken hovering a mere half a foot from his nose and waving a hand in his face.
"GAAHH!"
"YEEAAUUGH!" came the older man's shrill reply.
"Dude, do you mind!" Ron asked as he took a few deep breaths to bring himself back to normal status. It always took a little bit out of him even when he was unsuccessful at attempting astral projection. This time he'd been able to get it to actually work, and although it had been unfocused, it had still taken more than the usual out of him. As his senses came back into focus, he noticed for the first time that the agent standing outside of the restroom had started to knock on the door.
"Mr. Stoppable, Mr. Lipsky, Dr. Director is asking that we resume the meeting soon."
The agent sounded impatient. As Ron and Drakken exited the restroom, they found both the girls and the two agents waiting. All four were standing there with impatient looks on their faces. Well, the agents looked impatient. Kim and Shego both had anxious looks on their faces, as if they'd expected Ron to come out of the bathroom much sooner and looking much more certain. First it was simply Drakken, and now both the women had that uncertainty in their eyes. Just how long had Ron's astral projection meeting with Sensei taken?
As they walked back through the halls, Ron felt Kim come up by his side. Her hand slipped into his and squeezed again. He looked at her and smiled. Although the worry was no longer present there, her eyes again held the same, single question.
What's going on?
Kim frowned a bit when Ron merely smiled again. Slowly he pulled his hand out of hers, and quickly put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her close, much closer than he normally did. At first she felt awkward, but then she noticed where he was guiding her head. Though he was doing it very slowly, he seemed to be leading her ear closer to his mouth. Then he whispered two phrases that always calmed her down.
"I love you, KP. Trust me."
Prior to the two of them dating he had always said it, and thus Kim had always taken it, as coming from a very close friend. But since they had started dating, it had taken on a much deeper meeting. Now it was a promise between the two of them, from Ron to her. It meant that he had everything under control and he knew it. What made it even more special was that he never used it unless he was absolutely one hundred percent sure of all factors. As such, it always made Kim feel safe and protected, as well as having the rather pleasant side effect of turning her insides to warm goo.
Once they returned to the door to the conference room, however, the feeling quickly disappeared. Though this was the second time they had entered this chamber, there was definitely a different feeling to the place. Last time, Kim had been unsure what was going to happen inside, but Ron had been joining her in her uncertainty then. Now he seemed so certain of what was about to occur, and Kim felt very alone in her worry. While she trusted Ron's belief that he had this under control, this wasn't just some simple situation. This was Dr. Betty Director, a sharp woman who was the head of Global Justice and one of the best interrogators Kim had ever met.
"Well then, let us resume where we left off. Mr. Stoppable, you say you were the one to defeat the Lorwardians?" Dr. Director had her one good eye fixed on Ron, and seemed to be looking for anything that might tell her something was amiss.
Ron, however, didn't appear fazed. "That's right, but I need to speak to more than just you, I'm afraid."
An eyebrow rose above an eye patch. "Really? You do realize the fewer people we have hear this, the better, right?"
"Affirmative, Dr. Director. However, I have been advised that a certain agent needs to hear this."
"You were advised? Who was this advisor?" When Ron remained silent, "Alright, who?"
Ron steeled his gaze, and looked at her with firm resolve. "We need Agent Tomoe Shioda to be present before I can tell you."
Dr. Director's mouth made a few odd motions, as if she were debating whether or not to allow Ron his request. Kim could tell there were wheels turning in the woman's head, and it worried her. Although Dr. Director had seemed surprised that it was Ron who had taken out the aliens and stopped the invasion, Kim had a sneaking suspicion that the female spy knew more about this than she was letting on. Or maybe Ron's asking for Agent Shioda had finally revealed a missing piece to a puzzle that had been creeping around in the Global Justice leader's mind. Whatever it was, Kim had a very edgy feeling creeping up her neck, and it was making her feel very concerned for what the next few minutes held for her boyfriend.
Shego seemed to pick up on the nervousness emanating from the head of the table. "What's wrong, Miss Director? The sidekick's request got you rattled?"
Dr. Director let out an exasperated sigh, then motioned to Will Du. "Bring in Agent Shioda."
Will scowled, but nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, there was an agitated knock at the door. Agent Du re-entered, this time in the company of a tall, young Japanese beauty. It immediately struck Kim just how similar this woman looked to Hirotaka, the Japanese exchange student who had come to Middleton while Ron had been at Yamanouchi. If she was his sister, it was entirely possible she was also a graduate of the secret ninja school. Could this be what Ron had up his sleeve? A Yamanouchi sleeper agent?
Drakken was the first to speak. "Who is she?"
Agent Shioda bowed respectfully. "Agent Tomoe Shioda, Global Justice. Miss Possible. Mr. Stoppable. It is an honor to finally meet you. I have heard many great things about you, and have also studied many recordings of your missions and adventures."
Ron smiled. "Nice to meet you as well. How are the cherry blossoms back home?"
Kim, who had been about to greet the young woman as well, stopped and blinked in surprise. Ron had a penchant for asking odd questions at even odder times, but this one had to be, if not the most bizarre, in the top five at least.
Agent Shioda, however, simply smiled. "Fully in bloom. Beautiful as always. You remember them from your trip to Japan, yes?"
Ron nodded and extended his hand. Had her eyes not been trained from the many years of missions, Kim would have missed the slip of paper that slipped between them during the handshake. She also noticed that they did this while Dr. Director had her head turned to the right, meaning that her good eye was turned away. It was almost as if it had been rehearsed…or maybe planned!
Suddenly, Kim understood. Even if she wasn't Hirotaka's older sister, Tomoe Shioda was indeed a graduate of Yamanouchi. Sensei had set this whole thing up! Ron's odd question had been a signal, and somehow, Agent Shioda was going to help in the revealing of Ron's Mystical Monkey Power. Kim allowed herself a slight breath of relief. She reached over and squeezed Ron's hand, indicating she understood.
Then, realizing that Dr. Director, Will Du, or maybe both, might pick up on the gesture, she quickly said, "Ron, I think Dr. Director wants to get back to discussing the Lorwardian attack."
Ron nodded, while at the same time he squeezed Kim's hand in response. It was good to know that she was on board with what was going on, or at the very least had figured out parts of it. Something about knowing things that Kim didn't had always bothered him, and Ron had never figured out why. Whether it was merely his cooking skills, the trips involving Yamanouchi before she had been clued in, or this particular instance, it had never sat right with him when Kim was out of the loop. Now she was, and it bolstered his confidence tenfold.
"Ahem," interrupted the Global Justice head. "Kim is right, Ron. We need to get back to the matter at hand. Please everyone, take your seats. Agent Shioda, you will take the seat between me and Mr. Stoppable."
Once everyone was seated again, Dr. Director immediately fixed Ron with a steely gaze. "Now what exactly do you mean by saying you 'took them out,' Mr. Stoppable?"
Ron took a deep breath, and stole a quick glance at Agent Shioda that both Kim and Shego barely saw, and each felt as though she was the only one who saw it. Dr. Director didn't see that; however, she did see the small, barely perceptible nod that her agent gave in response.
"What I mean, Dr. Director, is that I engaged them in combat because they had temporarily knocked both Kim and Shego out of the fight. They were threatening Kim, and I just sort of lost it. I challenged Warhok, and I beat him. Then Warmonga joined in, and I took them both on. In that instant, I realized I'd have to take them out to stop them. So to defeat them, I had to throw them into their ship."
Dr. Director eyed him with a slight shock on her face. "Those two managed to take down the entire planet's defenses before we even realized we'd been hit. And then proceeded to incapacitate, even if temporarily, the two greatest fighters I have ever met. So tell me, how did you pull off what has to be the most astonishing comeback I've ever heard of?"
When Ron remained quiet, Agent Shioda raised her hand. "Actually, Dr. Director, I believe I may be the better person to explain that. There are things at play here that you are not aware of. Things that Stoppable-san does not know how you will handle, therefore he feels uneasy about divulging the details. Correct, Stoppable-san?"
Ron nodded. "She's right, Dr. Director. There are things you may or may not know about me. And if you don't, I don't know what you'll do with the information when you do find out."
Dr. Director looked at Agent Shioda with a look of knowing. "So I was right, Tomoe. You are a graduate of that secret school in Japan that sits atop Mt. Yamanouchi."
The agent merely bowed in response. "Sensei and I apologize for deceiving you, but we know that there are double-agents in Global Justice, and therefore my involvement with the Yamanouchi academy had to be kept secret."
The G.J. head looked both outraged and betrayed. "And what gave you the idea that we would allow anything bad to come of that information if you had revealed it to us?"
Kim held her angered disbelief in for only a second, just long enough to calm herself down to the point that she didn't yell at a person she had come to think of as a friend. There was already enough tension over the issue, and adding to it would only make this sitch harder to deal with. And judging by what she was seeing, Kim could tell this meeting wasn't going to end pleasantly. Still, she couldn't hold back her tongue when she finally did allow herself to speak, or keep the fire of supreme annoyance out of her eyes.
"Because your research into the 'Ron Factor' led to my boyfriend being captured by your evil twin brother and his Worldwide Evil Empire. Thanks to your 'good intentions', he was put into unnecessary danger that, while he survived relatively unharmed, could have ended really badly. And in that instance, he was the only one you were investigating. What will happen to all the people involved in this if you get the details you are looking for?"
Even Shego and Drakken were surprised at the bite and venom behind Kim's outburst. Drakken shrank into his chair a little, because he'd seen full well what this anger could do, especially during the Diablo scheme. Shego, on the other hand, felt just a twinge of excitement: finally, Kimmie was showing some fangs. The green-skinned woman gave a sneering smile.
"Sounds like the Princess doesn't trust you on this, Dr. Director."
The Global Justice leader gritted her teeth. "I want some answers here, and I need them as well. Do you realize what will happen if I don't get them here? My superiors will replace me with someone who can, and I can guarantee they won't ask for the answers. They will take them, by force if necessary. I'm not trying to threaten you, I'm trying to help. But I can't do that if you don't help me."
Will Du, who up to this point had kept quiet, spoke up in her defense. "Trust me on this. If the rumors are true, the one who replaces her as the head will make Warhok look like Mahatma Gandhi."
Agent Shioda looked at Ron again, this time making no attempt to hide the exchange. "Stoppable-san, I think we must tell her what she needs to know. She would not bring this up if the situation were not extremely grave."
Ron looked at Kim. "What do you think, KP?"
Kim stared at the one good eye of the woman she had respected so much for her calmness in serious situations , and saw the complete opposite: a gripping agitation complemented with dire nervousness.
"I don't think we have to many options, Ron."
From the opposite side of the table, Drakken perked up. "Finally. I've wanted to know what makes the buffoon so great all of a sudden."
Shego also had a look of unusual interest. "Yes, tell us what makes you so special?"
Ron took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have special skill in the art of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."
Dr. Director nodded her understanding. "You mean Monkey Kung Fu? The art that Lord Monty Fiske, a.k.a. Monkey Fist, studied?"
The young man nodded. "Yeah, but there's a reason both he and I are so good at it. Thanks to some ancient monkey-idol artifacts, some of which he had Kim retrieve for him, we were both endowed with Mystical Monkey Power. It gives you extreme and immediate proficiency in the fighting style. Unfortunately…"
Agent Shioda interrupted slightly at this point. "Unfortunately for Monkey Fist, he was never meant to have the power or touch the idols. As a result, it drove him to madness, to the point that he was obsessed with anything monkey-related. He eventually found a prophecy that alluded to a 'Monkey Master,' and believed that it was referring to him. However, it referred to Stoppable-san, but we could not tell him."
"We?" The eyebrow above the eye-patch was once again cocked high.
Shioda nodded. "The Yamanouchi ninja school. We have always been affiliated with Monkey Kung Fu and the Mystical Monkey Power, ever since we were founded by the original master of the art, the great and honorable Toshimiru. This is also why we set up the student exchange with Middleton High, so that we could bring Stoppable-san to our school. Our leader, Sensei, knew that he needed training, and wanted to also give him the opportunity to prove himself by protecting the Lotus Blade. Only the true Monkey Master could complete this task, and when Stoppable-san accomplished this mission, he proved himself the one spoken of in the prophecy. Other things would follow, but they all stemmed from that initial meeting between Sensei and Stoppable-san."
"But wait," interjected Shego. "Ron's abilities were still come-and-go. How did he suddenly get total control over it?"
Ron took over at this point. "I don't have total control over it, but I can access it easier now. The differences in that moment came down to two things: Sensei's confidence and Kim's life. Sensei finally revealed to me that I was the Monkey Master, and that as such I was the one destined to take on Warhok in equal combat. And when he and Warmonga talked about mounting Kim next to that thorgoggle thing, I realized they were about to kill the one person I care about most. And I couldn't allow that to happen. So I powered up, fought them, and stopped them."
Dr. Director said nothing for a minute, then sighed and spoke with a worrisome quality to her voice. "Ron, I have to ask something. I know you wanted to stop them, but did you intend to kill them?"
Ron looked at Kim, who noticed a strange look on her boyfriend's face. He seemed to be fighting with himself, like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell the truth. Her "never be normal" boyfriend seemed genuinely concerned what the head of Global Justice was going to think of his answer to her question. Honestly, Kim had never thought about it, and had always assumed that Ron had not intended to kill the two aliens. Could it be possible that he had?
Ron hung his head. The look on Kim's face told him she suspected something was up. Most likely, she was beginning to think he'd intended to kill Warhok and Warmonga. The truth was, that had been the last thing he'd wanted to do. He'd merely wanted to stop them, but had been unable to stop them. What was worse, he'd felt another presence in his mind, one he had only felt twice in his life. He'd been hesitant to bring it up to Sensei, and even more worried about what Kim would say. It was certainly not something they needed to have to deal with right now. But now, he was going to have to say something. He just hoped that no one would see past what he was about to say. Or that if she did, Kim would wait until later to ask him.
"To tell the truth, when they threatened Kim, something just kind of snapped. My only thought was stopping them for good, so that they couldn't hurt her anymore." He reached over and took Kim's hand in his. "I love her, and the idea of losing her is something I couldn't live with."
Kim did her best to not send a questioning glance at her boyfriend. Something about the way he was explaining himself told her Ron was hiding something. While she might not understand why, she knew that Dr. Director was watching her reactions like a hawk, looking for any clue that something was amiss. Kim would ask what was going on later, but right now they needed this to wrap up quickly and cleanly.
Dr. Director smiled a sort of half-smile. "Very well. I'll team with Agent Shioda and decide what to tell my superiors. However, I warn you now. Something about this will be released to the public. The same type of info that normally comes out about your missions, but the difference here is that Ron is the one who saved the day. I can't predict the future, but I can guarantee that there are going to be repercussions to this. I only hope they don't release anything that interferes with your lives."
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on there, Miss Director," said Shego, holding her hands up in a "time-out" motion. "Me and Dr. D have our reputations to think about here. What are we supposed to do about this report?"
Kim had to suppress a laugh. "Shego, you two are already part of this. Why do you think Drakken got that medal? It's because me and Ron already told the press about you two helping us defeat Warhok and Warmonga."
Dr. Director actually did laugh a bit. "Kim's right. Whether you two like it or not, your threat level has been reduced simply because you have shown the capacity for good."
"Whaaaat?" Drakken's voice was even more whiny than usual. "What do you mean, my threat level's been reduced?"
Dr. Director composed herself before she spoke, though the huge smile refused to leave her face. "I simply mean that, while Global Justice still classifies you as a potential threat to world safety, you are now the same classification of evil as say, Francis Luhrman."
"Frugal Lucre?" exclaimed Drakken. "I'm much more of a threat than him! I actually build doomsday weapons and unleash global domination plans that threaten everyone!"
"That may be true, but you have also shown that you can, if properly motivated, put the fate of the world before your desire to rule it. And that in itself makes you different from every other villain that Kim and Ron face."
"So what does that mean for us?" Shego cut in, her usual snarky tone more prevalent than normal.
Kim replied with a rather sweet smile. "It just means that we don't have to check up on you without a reason anymore."
Green plasma flames immediately flared up around clenched fists. "You mean you two have burst in on us before without a reason?"
Dr. Director held up a hand to stave off the impending clash. "They only did that at our request. As Level Four threats, we needed to have constant information on what you two were up to. But now that you are considered Level Two, that isn't necessary."
"Level Two? We've gone down two levels? Gaahaah! Now I'll have even more unwanted free time." Drakken covered his eyes with his hand and slumped back in his chair.
Shego, however, got a very odd look on her face. To Kim, it almost appeared that the woman seemed happy their recent downgrade and newly acquired alone time that would come with it. If Kim hadn't been sure about it before, she was now. There was definitely something going on between Shego and her employer, even if Drakken still appeared to be oblivious to it. Kim smiled, and kept doing so even when Shego looked at her. The smile quickly disappeared from that green face, however, replaced with an obviously fake attempt at anger.
"If you're so happy about this, Kimmie, maybe you can explain it to us. Who's at each level?"
Kim grinned and looked at Dr. Director, who nodded. "Well, Shego, the sitch is this. A few years back, Global Justice decided to start a continuously updated classification system of world villains and their threat levels. They based it on what you two and your fellow villains did and/or tried to do with your various schemes. If you were more successful or came closer to achieving your objectives, you went up. If you failed outright, your rating fell."
Shego blinked a few times. "And Drakken was at Level Four based on this?"
Ron shrugged in response. "The whole Lil' Diablos thing had a lot to do with that, you know. Prior to that, the two of you were only classified as Level Three."
Now it was Drakken's turn to look confused, though there was a slight smile on his face. "The two of us? You classified me and Shego as one single threat?"
Kim flipped her hair with her hand nonchalantly. "Of course. You two are practically always together in your plans, so it just seemed the natural thing to do. Why, do you have a problem with that?"
Drakken looked over at Shego, who was again doing the uncharacteristic thing and blushing even deeper than she had before. For some reason, it only now occurred to Drew Lipsky that his continual sidekick in crime had been one of the ones cheering him when he received his medal for saving the world. Not only that, she hadn't pulled away when his vine had wrapped around her. Instead, she'd smiled one of the biggest nice smiles he'd ever seen on her beautiful face.
Her beautiful face.
The thought had caught him off guard, but Drakken found himself now turning it over and over in his mind. Shego was rather beautiful, and it occurred to him that with her looks and her multitude of skills, she could probably get a job with anyone. And yet she kept coming back to work for him, regardless of how many times his plans failed or ended with one or both of them either arrested or looking foolish. Even those times she'd been hired by either the Seniors or by his cousin Motor Ed—when those were over she always ended right back by his side. His thoughts continued like that for a bit, until he realized that he had zoned out while Kim Possible was still explaining the evil classification to them.
"…Killigan rates as a Level Three because he seems obsessed only with turning the world into a golf course. Same thing for your cousin Eddie Lipsky, a.k.a. Motor Ed, since he only seems to want to turn the world into one giant junkyard."
Dr. Director took over. "Then there are the serious world threats at Level Four, villains whose plans often seem very planned out and specifically geared towards world conquest or other similar means, such as Hans Demends, a.k.a. Professor Dementor. Or it may simply be that these villains possess abilities that put them far beyond the capacity of normal law enforcement to control them, such as Camille León and her shape-shifting abilities. You two were ranked at this level because of the Lil' Diablos incident, especially when you consider the addition of Synthodrone #901 into the mix, but are no longer placed there for the reasons we discussed."
"So let me get this straight, Princess," remarked Shego. "You don't come visit us unexpected and unannounced anymore as long as we keep things under control?"
Kim smiled again. "That's the sitch."
Another smile crossed lips coated with black lipstick. "Just one more set of questions. What was the threat level of Warmonga when she first got here?"
Dr. Director rubbed her head somewhat dejectedly. "I'm sorry to say that we only classified her as a Level Two when she first came on the scene, simply because she paired up with Dr. Drakken here and seemed focused on following exactly what he wanted to do as opposed to anything else. G.J. thought that she was simply another failed attempt at Drakken replacing you as a sidekick, which never seemed to work out very well for him. For whatever reason, his schemes only seem to work well when you're with him. Then, when she returned with Warhok, we thought it was more of the same."
Shego smirked at this. "So you got your butts handed to you."
Ron jumped in at this point. "Hey, if I remember correctly, the Lorwardians caught you two completely off guard as well. You two even knew what that tech was, and had seen it and used it before. Yet still Drakken managed to get captured by them just the same as Kim."
Kim grimaced at that. Why had Ron added those last five words? They carried much more sting for her than the two villains sitting in the room. It had only been a short while ago, but she had hoped the feeling would have dissipated somewhat by now.
The fact that she and Drakken had been taken hostage in much the same way irked her to no end, and it was still a source of some embarrassment. True, she hadn't been expecting it, or even seen it coming while so focused on graduating, but Kim had foiled his plans so many times that she had started to think he might not be as terribly bright as he claimed. However, the fact that his plan for defeating the alien mechs had worked perfectly had proven, among other things, that his near success with the Lil' Diablos had not been a fluke. But she had learned that after the fact, and the damage to her pride had already been done.
The sharpness in Shego's voice brought her back to reality quickly. "For your information, Stoppable, neither of us used anything like that tech when Warmonga was here before. Nothing she used that first time was reused this time, including that tractor beam they used to abduct Drakken and Kimmie."
Agent Shioda, who up to this point had been keeping quiet so she could listen for and redirect any information about Yamanouchi and its secrets, leaned over towards Dr. Director. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I believe you have the information you sought, correct? Therefore, I suggest we end this meeting before things get out of hand right here on our doorstep."
The Global Justice head nodded, and closed her file. "I agree. Thank you all for your time. Wade, we will be in touch with you if there's anything else we need to clarify."
The holo-Wade smiled. "You bet, Dr. Director. I'm actually working with a few of your tech guys on getting your systems back up and running, so I'll definitely be reachable for the next few days or so."
"Thank you, Wade," she replied as the image faded.
Then she turned towards Drakken and Shego. "I'd also like to thank you two for your time. Agents Du and Shioda will escort you back to your hovercraft, and you are free to leave at your convenience."
"Bout time," replied an obviously annoyed Shego. "C'mon, Dr. D., let's go. I don't want to spend any more time hanging around these goodie-goodies. We already have enough damage control to do as it is."
Drakken nodded, then turned to Kim and Ron with the same smug look he always wore when bidding them goodbye. "Farewell, Kim Possible. Farewell…whatever your name is."
With that, they both turned and walked out. Kim and Ron watched them and the agents leave, then looked at each other before turning to leave themselves. From the look on Ron's face, Kim could tell exactly what he was about to say. In three, two, one…
"Aww, man. C'mon. It's not that hard a name to remember. You'd think he'd have it down by now."
Dr. Director pulled a second and third file out from under the Lorwardian one. "Kim. Ron."
The teen turned towards her. "Yes, thank you. See, you remember it, and we've only met face to face a handful of times."
Kim caught the hint, and tugged on her boyfriend's shirt sleeve. "No, Ron, I think she still needs to speak with us about something. Right, Dr. Director?"
The woman glanced back at the chairs the two teens had been sitting in expectantly. When Kim and Ron had resumed their seats, she slid a file folder to each of them.
"I understand you two are still undecided on colleges, right? If you would please look at those lists and confirm that the colleges you applied to have been included. Please make sure that all your selections are on there."
Kim and Ron looked at each other confused. What was this about?
"Umm, why do you need to know what colleges we're looking at?" Kim asked after a silent moment.
Once again, an eyebrow cocked over an eye-patch. "Isn't it obvious?"