AN: hey guys, there was a mess up but ff,net last chapter, specifically regarding how I typed Mr/Mrs. Dr. P because I didn't put a space after the dot, it must have thought it was a website. It should be fixed now, sorry for the mix up. Also I got an Anonymous review, I do like receiving them otherwise I would turn them off, but I wont reply to them via writing the reply in the chapter, so if you want a response, make an account and review that way.
Path to Master:
Chapter Two:
Back in Middleton
Ron was currently in his room, getting dressed after a shower. His old home in Middleton was exactly like he remembered it. Well maybe tidy for a change but still the same. His parents came back a week before him to sort the house out, and he had his last week at his school back in Japan to finish.
Looking at his mirror Ron thought at how much he changed since he last saw his best friend, Kim Possible. A healthy growing up of Martial Arts practice and lots of rice based dishes, left his body stripped of most baby fat, even at 14. He wasn't ripped, but his body was toned and showing the muscles that will grow out soon, he even had hints of his six-pack on his stomach.
Putting on his clothes, consisting of dark grey cargo pants, a loose black t-shirt and a cotton red jacket. Red and white running shoes were on his feet. Ron initially wasn't a fan of jackets, but having to wear them for the past few years for his school uniform made them grow on him. He also liked the long sleeves, being conscious about his light skin with their dusting of freckles. Not many in his old school had freckles so despite his motto of 'never be normal' he didn't like the attention they always seem to receive.
They we're only freckles after all, nothing special.
"Come on Rufus, time to meet Kim" With that the naked mole rat scurried from his little drawer/room in Ron's desk and climbed into one of his pants pockets, squeaking on 'okay' as he did so.
As Ron was walking downstairs and out of his house, he felt some hesitance of going to Kim's house. Sure he wants to meet her, but he kinda wanted to surprise so didn't tell him when he was coming back. Ron struggled to remember how Kim handled surprises, but he know she has a bit of a temper. Must be from the red hair.
As he stepped past his garage Ron looked in, previously it was used for storage as his parents didnt need the space for their car, so Ron asked them if he could use it as a mini dojo to keep up his Martial Arts training. They agreed on the condition he found some kind of job when he got back to Middleton. At the moment it was empty, with a wide window in the back, shelves along one wall, and a door opposite leading into the house. A delivery truck was coming later with some padded mats for the floor and some practise dummies. Which was Ron's Birthday present for later this year, everything else he would have to buy himself.
With his mind back to the task, he continued walking to Kim's house.
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Ron had just knocked on Kim's door and was awaiting an answer, it didn't take long before a beautiful redhead opened the door, it was Kim's mother.
"Hey Mrs. Dr. P, is Kim home?" asked Ron, an easy grin on his face. Anne was stunned by the sight of the person in front of her, for as far as she knew Ron was still in Japan.
"Ron, how nice to see you, when did you get back?" Asked Anne, moving forward and giving a hug to what she has long considered a son of her family. Ron returned the hug a little awkwardly as he wasn't expecting one.
"Just today, wanted to surprise Kim instead of telling her and making her stare out the clock in your kitchen" Ron responded, his voice a little cheeky at the end. Anne chuckled knowing her daughter most of likely would have done something like that.
"She's upstairs in her room at the moment, go on up, but come down after okay? I'm sure the twins would love to see you again." Ron remember the twins, little more than toddlers when he left, but still they we're terrors, but they loved Ron.
"Sure Mrs. Dr. P" Ron said, walking past and going upstairs to Kim's room. Anne, like a ninja, got a camera from somewhere and followed Ron upstairs, Ron was curious what she was up to, but didn't want to speak so close to Kim's room, in case he spoiled his surprise.
Ron looked around the house as he went up to Kim's room, despite a change in wallpaper, paint and pictures, it was the same as he remembered. Ron came to Kim's stairs that led to her attic room, and began to tiptoe up, missing the 3rd stair as he knew it creaked.
Poking his head up, Ron noticed Kim sat her desk, doing something on her computer. Continuing to be sneaky, Ron got behind him and tickler her sides. Kim jumped out of her chair, turned around with some retort on her lips, before it died in her mouth as he caught side of Ron there, his hand still level where her ribs where and a massive cheeky grin on his face.
* click *
Kim whirled round to see her mother and the top of her stairs, camera in hand, and most likely an embarrassing picture of her.
"MOM!" with that Anne disappeared like the ninja she was previously being. Kim hit ron on his arm.
"OW! What's that for?" asked Ron, rubbing his arm in mock hurt. Kim just glared at him for a moment before her gaze softened and she hugged him.
"For giving my Mom more embarrassing photo's, but I'm glad your back." * whack *. "And why didn't you tell me you we're back" Once more Kim hit Ron again and was glaring at him. Ron was rubbing his arm, she hit him in the same spot again and now it was a little sore.
"Because I wanted to surprise you, and didn't want you walking a trench into your floor as you glared at the clock?" Ron said, hoping she would take his answer and accept it. * whack * "Hey!"
"That was for your stupid reason, I could have met you at the airport!" Ron arm was really starting to hurt now, she hit the same spot again. Before Kim could talk again Ron raised his hand.
"Before you ask anything else, I think your Mom wanted me to meet the rest of the family, and no point answering twice, right?" Kim nodded and together they went downstairs into the kitchen.
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"So Ron, how did your Martial Arts training go? In your emails you was always vague." asked Kim as her, Ron, her parents and the twins sat around the dining room table. Ron just shrugged.
"I trained every day after school, and iniatally they was 'building my foundations' as they called it, such as physical fitness and the basics, such as how to strike properly and block." The possible family nodded their head along, as it made sense. "However after that, the masters had a long talk, turns out they all felt their style was wrong for me. They said my body was meant for another style, and as long as I would true the path of the Martial Artist, my style would find me. So in the end they taught me little more than basics in their own Martial Arts."
"I thought if you practised and tried hard enough you could learn any style?" Kim asked.
"You can, but if your bodies natural advantages lay in one direction, why go another? They felt with the short time I had in Japan training my body to go another direction wasn't worth it for me." Kim snorted, earning a look of annoyance from her mother for the behaviour.
"Short time? You was their for years!" Kim explained exaggeratedly. Was it only her who felt like Ron was gone a lifetime?
"For some to master a Martial Art it would take a lifetime, and a true master knows he never stops learning his Art." Ron said, posing in a weird fashion to the Possible family, but in his mind he was copying the pose of Akisame. "At least that's what my master said." Ron shrugged at the end, to prove he doesn't know what it means fully yet.
"So Ron, you play any cool Japanese games that aren't in America." Jim, or Tim asked, Ron couldn't tell them apart yet. And with a smile he began to answer the Possible families questions.
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Later that day as Ron was walking home, Kim tagged along to talk more and catch up with her best friend, filling him on things he missed while he was gone, she was currently telling him how she became a cheerleader.
"The team loved the routine, but Bonnie was fuming, since then she has had a fierce rivalry with me, it got worse as a few weeks later the team voted me to be captain." Kim has a fierce smile on her face, as just talked and talked with Ron. She felt good to have her best friend back in her life.
"Well Kim here we are, and if you ain't noticed, its conveniently my old house to boot." Said Ron, as he walked up his driveway. Ron noticed some boxes outside the garage and a smile spread across his face at what it meant. "Kim I got something to show you that's so cool."
Ron pulled the garage door opened, it was an old door so it wasn't electric. Ron noticed his parents have placed all the padded mats down, covering the entire floor in soft padding, and noticed three training dummies at the far end under the window. One was a upper torso and head, one was a large throwing bag, to practice throws and ground fighting and the last was what Ron dubbed ' the stick thingy' a training post with multiple branches to practice varied strikes, the likes which Bruce Lee was commonly seen training on.
"Wow, your own little dojo." Kim turned to look at Ron, a look in her eye he knew all to well. "We have got to have a spar." Ron scratched back of his head, he didn't expect that straight away.
"Tomorrow KP, you know jet-lag and all that, I could do with a good night sleeps first." A frown marked Kim's face at having to wait, but she instantly perked up
"Okay, I'll be round tomorrow then, cya." and with that KP was out of the garage and jogging home. Ron just chuckled, she must be really determined to spar him for her to go so quick. Locking the Garage door behind him Ron walked into his house.
Walking into the kitchen Ron noticed a newspaper with a large circle around a certain piece, picking it up Ron notice it was a Wanted sign for a Job. A newspaper delivery job in the mornings. Grabbing the house phone Ron rang the number listed.
"Hello" a voice answered after a few rings.
"Hello, my name is Ron Stoppable, I'm calling about the wanted ad for a newspaper delivery boy."
"Bit late to be calling for such a thing, don't you think?" Ron just chuckled a bit nervously, forgetting what time it was.
"Sorry, just eager to get started earning some pocket money, and I just got in. Sorry if the timing is inconvenient."
"It's OK Son, come round to the Middleton Press main office tomorrow, say around lunch time?"
"Sure, may I ask who I should look for?"
"Just tell the receptionist why your there and she will direct you, see you tomorrow."
With that the other person hung up, Ron went into the kitchen to make himself a quick snack before he went to bed.
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As Ron woke up the night morning he began to go through his morning exercises, 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, and thanks for his strong bar in his wardrobe, 50 pull ups. He was putting on his dark blue spots jersey outfit, which he wears for his morning jogs. He has maintained and expanded on his exercises every since he started, the words of his former masters ringing in his head as he did so.
"All the pain, all the sweat you've put into training your body, must be maintained, or it will be washed away and all your work will have been for nothing." Now Ron used to be a slacker, but losing what you already earned just to have it a bit easier? Ron did not like that, so he became a bit of a fitness freak maintaining his body since they told him that.
Now that does mean he stopped eating Beuno Nacho, oh no. He just made sure to burn the calories he ate off and balanced the rest of his diet.
As Ron opened his front door, a shocked Kim Possible was stood there, her fist raised to knock. Ron cocked an eyebrow as he noticed she was dressed similarly to how he was, but her Sports jersey was a dark pink with light pink stripes.
"Hey KP."
"Hey Ron, ready for that spar?" Kim's eagerness was dripping from her voice, the fact she was up so early 6am and hoping from foot to foot showed that even more.
"Easy there, I'm just about to go for my morning jog, want to come?" Kim stopped hoping and it was her turn to cock an eyebrow.
"Err sure." Kim was not used to a fitness freak Ron, this run was about to shock her.
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As Ron and Kim entered Ron's house from the run, Kim noticed that beyond a light sheen of sweat and slightly laboured breathing, Ron seemed fine. Kim felt like her feet was on fine. A five mile jog was not her idea of 'light' running.
"Want a drink KP? We got Soda or some OJ." Ron said looking into his fridge to see what he could have to quench his first.
"Some OJ sounds good." said Kim. Ron quickly filled two glasses, grabbed an apple, which Kim quickly asked for one and received, before walking back outside to catch the cool morning breeze.
"Someone has changed a lot since I last saw him, the old Ron Stoppable I knew never worked so hard." said Kim teasingly. Ron blushed at a little at that.
"Well, if I don't work to maintain the training my master gave me, it insults them doesn't it? So I work hard for the faith they put in me by training me," answered Ron before taking a chunk out of her apple.
Kim was really glad how Ron changed, she hoped for something like this when she asked Ron to learn Martial Arts, but what he became was so much better. But he still was the same old Ron with his quirky humour that she loved.
"So when we going to spar?" Ron sighed, when this woman is determined she doesn't stop.
"Let's have a short break then we can OK?"
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Kim watched Ron as he Marked a loose circle in the middle of the mats with a magic marker. It was mostly a perfect circle but a few places it was a little off.
"Well Kim, this is how I sparred back in Japan, if you got any idea's or changes say so after I finish explaining ok?" Kim nodded. "We fight in the circle, if you get knocked out of the circle, you lose the round. If you get pinned for three seconds on more, you lose the round, if your forfeit you lose the match. All good so far?"
"Explain the rounds to matches, please."
"Well before we spar we have a pre-determined number of rounds, this one for our first the match will be three rounds equalling one match."
"Perfect!" With that Kim grabbed her backpack, which she dropped off inside Ron's house before the run and pulled out a whiteboard and pen.
"Whats that for?" asked Ron, getting worried where this was going.
"To keep score." Kim answered like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Ron felt a very cold chill go up his spine. Kim was notoriously competitive. Could he survive that side of her? He just mentally sighed, not like he can get out of it now anyway.
"Right, we fight using the fair fighting rules, basically, no biting, scratching, groin shots, throat strikes or eye gouges. All good?"
"Yep, anything else?"
"Yep, time to get changed." Kim stopped cold at that.
"What?"
"Rule's for my mini dojo, all training and sparring must be done in a training gi. I got one that should fit you upstairs." with that Ron and a still confused Kim went up to Ron's room to get changed.
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Kim and Ron were standing at the edge of the circle, both dressed in their training gi's, Kim had her t-shirt on under hers while Ron just had his gi on, showing his bare chest if the top got loose.
"3" Ron started.
"2" Kim counted down.
"1" Kim and Ron said together. "Go!" and with that both entered the ring and took up their respective stances.
Kim has her hands up in a knife hand strike, both held up like a boxer with her right foot leading and her left leg held back.
Ron had a high left fist and a horizontal right fist, his feet and shoulders were squared with his chest facing his opponent directly. It was a stance taught to him by Kensei. The idea is to react and respond to his enemy while being able to flow between attack and defence. It as good against single opponents, but not so much groups of enemies. Perfect for sparring.
Kim eager to take the lead, struck first, her left hand turning into a fist to strike Ron in the chest. Ron rotated while bring his right hand up, deflecting Kim's fist to his side and used his left hand to grab her upper left arm. With a quick rotation, Ron has Kim's left arm over her shoulder, and Before Kim knew it, was tossed over Ron and out of the ring.
"First point to me." Ron said seriously, while training he used all his focus, hi master never let him goof around in training and he will not do it now.
Kim just growled. They both resumed their starting positions and after another countdown the spar was back on.
Kim struck first with her left fist similar to how she started the last round, as Ron tried to counter the same way again, Kim showed it was a feint, as Ron was rotating to be able to throw her, kim spun on her left leg and kicked Ron hard to the stomach. At least she would have if he didnt raise his guard in time. Ron was sent skidding back.
"Point to me." said Kim smirking. Ron looked down and noticed he just got kicked outside of the circle.
"Match Point." With that they both assumed starting positions and counted down for the last time.
Ron deciding to take the iniative, struck low to Kim's stomach with a right fisted punch. Kim used his arm as a springboard and leapt into the air. Ron's eyes tracked Kim as she spun in the air and rotated to lead into Ron with a kick.
Bracing himself Ron took the kick to his chest. Grabbing her leg, Kim's eyes widened in surprised as Ron rotated a few times, before tossing her out of the circle.
"Point and match." Ron said, his friendly demeanour back. Rubbing his chest where Kim kicked him, despite taking the hit and being braced, it still packed a lot of force and hurt. It shouldn't bruise though.
"Rematch." Kim instantly asked for, Ron stumbled at her response, her eyes are alight with the delight of the challenge.
"No, I think we need a rule of one spar a day or something, or I think we would never leave." Ron said teasingly." Kim, calmed down a little had the decency to blush.
"Fine, next time I'll win though." Kim responded jokingly, but at the same time Ron knew she was being serious.
"Naturally, anything is possible for a Possible." * whack * "Hey!"
"Stop taunting me." Kim said while sticking her tongue out. Ron just laughed, but she really knew where to strike, she hit his chest, the same spot she kicked and it hurt more now. "So if we can't spar, what shall we do for rest of the day?"
"Hmm. I got to try and get a paper round later on, promised my parents I would get a job in return for letting me use the garage like so, and I got to be there for lunch, but after that I'm free." Ron said, thinking about his plans for the day. Hearing a squeaking nosie they turned to the shelves and noticed Rufus marked a 1 on Ron side of the whiteboard Kim broke. Kim just glared at Rufus, not in anger, but more in annoyance of the reminder.
"Heh, Sorry." Rufus replied in his squeaky voice.
"Got some chores to do for the 'rents aswell, meet at the mall at 1pm? Can give you the tour of all the new places." Kim said looking back at Ron and ignoring that annoying scoreboard, why did she have to keep score?
"Heh sure." and with that the rest of their day was planned.
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AN: Hoped you like this chapter and the little spar Kim and Ron had, I wont write every spar, and I mainly added this to make this chapter more longer and interesting. Next chapter, first week at Middleton and Ron's first Mission since returning. Hope you enjoyed.
