Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible; that's all Disney.

Author's Note: I've decided to be a little different and place Middleton in West Virginia. I know most people put it in Colorado, but there are contradictory clues as to its location, so you can imagine it just about anywhere in suburban America. There is one episode that shows Middleton Mountain in West Virginia, and the senior class was able to take a horse-drawn vehicle to a colonial village on the ocean in Cap'n Drakken in less than a day. This is a Ron-centric chapter.

Frugal Genetics

Ron was up early (for him) on Saturday morning, since he had quite a bit to accomplish. He partook generously of the continental breakfast at the hotel, bringing some food back to the room for Rufus. He didn't think the other guests or hotel staff would understand or appreciate a hairless rodent eating at his table. Ron quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and made a futile attempt to smooth down his cowlick. Within just a few minutes, the young man and mole rat were on their way to Ypsilanti.

They reached Ypsilanti Community College (YCC) by 9:00 am and found a parking spot near the admissions building. He wanted to check in there first, and he needed to make his first tuition payment and finalize his schedule. He handed over his parents' check with some relief; holding on to that much money on a single piece of paper made him a little bit nervous. Since YCC catered mainly to locals, they weren't set up to take remote payments by credit card, and the Stoppables were leery of sending that much money through the mail, especially since Ron was going there anyway. He'd been keeping the check, along with some of his spending cash, in a special traveler's pouch hung around his neck. A lot of people used money belts for that purpose, but he reasoned that he lost his shirt a lot less often than his pants, making the neck model more likely to remain secret and untouched.

Ron had been able to register for his classes online, but the payment would assure his place in them. After getting the receipt, the woman at the desk printed out his course schedule for him.

"Um, is there someone here who could show me around?" he asked.

"All three buildings?" the woman retorted sarcastically.

"Well, you know, if it's not too much trouble."

"Right." She half turned to the room behind her. "Becky! Got some fresh meat for you!"

"Meat? I don't have any meat," Ron objected. "Oh, wait. Do you mean, 'cause I'm gonna be a freshman and I'm made out of meat? Yeah, that's pretty good." He laughed nervously.

"Whatever." The woman waved negligently and went back to her romance novel.

"I'm Becky Wilson," said a new voice from Ron's left. He turned and saw a young woman that he guessed was a student here. She was shutting a door behind her, having evidently exited the office that way. Her light brown hair had a slight wave to it and was tied back into a ponytail. Deep blue eyes made a startling contrast, a light dusting of freckles spread across her nose and cheeks, and her ready smile displayed a set of dimples. "And you are?"

"Stoppable, Ron Stoppable. Incoming freshman."

"Yes, I gathered that," she replied, with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Ahem," came a small voice from Ron's pocket.

"Oh, and this is Rufus," Ron let Rufus out and raised him up on his hand. "My best bud." Becky started back initially, but then leaned forward, expressing some interest.

"Is he supposed to be pink like that?" she inquired.

"Yeah. He's a naked mole rat. Long story." He wondered if she might like to hear the rap about it sometime.

"Oh, how cute," cooed Becky, reaching out a finger to the precocious animal, who shook it politely with his front paws. "Clever, too."

"You have no idea," Ron concurred, proud and pleasantly surprised. Most people recoiled automatically when they met Rufus, especially girls. Even Kim had been a little weirded out at first, although they'd warmed to each other pretty quickly. "So, show us what there is to see."

Becky complied, indicating the other offices and the modest school library that shared the building with the Admissions office before leading Ron outside.

"Our library doesn't keep much in stock because it's pretty easy to get books and articles from the other universities in the area," she explained. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm from Middleton, West Virginia. Does it show?"

"Well, most of the kids who come here are locals, so we usually know each other by sight, even if we're not all friends," she answered. "You sort of stand out."

"Oh, well, never be normal," Ron shrugged. "That's my motto. I'm hoping to transfer to Michigan next year."

"Oh yeah? I actually just finished my second year here. I'll be going to EMU in the fall to finish my nursing degree."

"Emu?" said Ron, puzzled. "Isn't that the big, Australian bird that can't fly?" Becky giggled, but unlike so many others he'd known, she gave him the feeling that she was laughing with him rather than at him. It was nice, but somehow also a little disconcerting.

"You're funny," she asserted. "EMU stands for Eastern Michigan University."

"Right, of course. I was just joking with you," Ron tried to play it off. "So if you're done here, why are you still…you know, here?"

"A job is a job," she said, waving a hand negligently. "EMU's just down the street, so I might keep working here. The hours are flexible, and the pay's not horrible. I've got a second job for the summer."

Becky then proceeded to give him the grand tour. There were more than three buildings to the campus, but not many more. In addition to the office/library, there was one building for science, math, and technology courses, another for the fine arts and auditorium, and another that Ron privately dubbed the "Everything Else Building" or EEB. It was for classes in English, foreign languages, and social studies, among other things. It even had large rooms on the ground floor for physical education instruction.

The final place she took him to was the bookstore. It would carry all of the books he'd need for his courses as well as basic school supplies and team gear for several area colleges and universities. In addition to the bookstore, the building housed several study areas, computer terminals for quickly checking e-mails or the Internet, and a small café.

"Not bad," Ron complimented. "I could get to like it here." He'd also noticed a lot of apartment buildings and food places at strategic locations around the campus to serve the students and faculty. The outlook was promising indeed.

"It's a good starting place," Becky agreed. "The bookstore probably won't have all of your books in yet, so you're better off waiting until you come back to start classes. The lines will be long, though, so try to get here a day or two early." Ron nodded absently. He didn't have room for much in his modest luggage anyway, and he'd want to get here early to get settled into whatever apartment he chose.

"Well, thanks a lot," he told her. "I think that's it."

"All right," she replied brightly. "If you need anything else, feel free to look me up. Becky Wilson. The admissions office has my info. Don't forget!" She gave him a wave and walked away, but the look she gave over her shoulder made Ron feel a little like she was hungry, and he was a freshly made Naco Grande. He shook the feeling off; she'd been perfectly nice the whole time, so he was probably just imagining things.

He would have liked to check out the apartment situation, but he needed to get over to the Smarty Mart to meet the manager if he was going to make it back to Ann Arbor in time for lunch. He made a note of the locations of a few "For Rent" signs and jotted down some phone numbers. Then he and Rufus stopped for some nutritional fortification and were on their way.

The Smarty Mart was conveniently located about halfway between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, right off the highway. Several strip malls were arranged on either side of the street, and the economical superstore provided the anchor for one of them. Ron found it easily, went to the information desk, and asked for the manager on duty. While waiting, he looked around, taking in the familiar layout. Some people thought it was boring that all Smarty Mart stores were set up the same way, but Ron found it comforting.

"I'm Carl Bolt," said a man in a manager's uniform as he approached. He was probably in his mid-forties, wearing a thick, dark moustache. His black hair was graying at the temples, although most of it seemed to have preferred to give up and fall out instead, leaving a large bald spot on top. "My specialty is hardware, but I'm also the manager on duty."

"Nice to meet you," Ron replied politely as they shook hands. "Ron Stoppable. I was hoping to work here while I'm in town for school, starting in August." He was actually fairly certain that this had already been arranged between the two stores, but it didn't hurt to sound humble in these situations, and he definitely didn't want to step on any toes.

"Stoppable, of course. We've still got to get a few signatures, but I don't think there will be a problem. Let me show you around." They discussed some of his schedule availability and his previous work experience while they walked. Ron tried to gloss over all of the jobs he'd been fired from last year.

As they approached the pet section, Ron felt a strange tingle going down the back of his neck. Maybe it was the fact that it was his section back home, or maybe it was being more in tune with the Mystic Monkey Power, but he could sense that the animals were nervous.

"Something's wrong," he murmured, slowing down to a more sedate pace. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than there was a commotion by the main entrance. Ron dashed back the way he'd come, followed by the manager, and stopped again as a very strange sight greeted him.

A panda/kangaroo hybrid was hopping through the store, scattering customers as it bumped unconcernedly into displays and people alike. Riding on its back were a plump, brunette woman and a nondescript man. In a moment, Ron recognized them as DNAmy and Frugal Lucre.

Wow, KP would love to have one of those, he thought, knowing that Pandaroo was her favorite Cuddle Buddy. Then he added, as Kim no doubt would have if she'd been there, Head in the game, Ron.

"Mr. Bolt, call the police," he advised the manager, who was standing and gaping open-mouthed at the scene. He scurried away as though happy to be given instruction. "And animal control," Ron called after him. He then moved to meet the intruders. "DNAmy. I see you gave up the gorilla limbs."

"It's Dr. Hall, if you please," she said primly. "Monty didn't seem to like my ape body, even though he wanted to be part monkey. Hypocrite! I'm working on a new design."

"So what do you need Francis for?" Ron demanded, stalling for time as he tried to come up with a plan of attack.

"Nobody knows Smarty Mart like him," she answered, as though it were obvious.

"And the best bargain is free," Lucre added. "Pet department, aisle 43." They began to hop in that direction, panicked shoppers moving to get out of their way. Ron could only stand there, frozen with indecision. He didn't have any gear with him, and Kim was busy, even if he'd been able to both contact her and get her here immediately. He had only himself, Rufus, and whatever Smarty Mart had to offer.

Note to self, he thought. Providing a distraction only works when you have a partner to back you up. Stirring himself into action, he took off after them, Rufus leaping out of his pocket and scampering ahead. Man, it would be nice to have four legs!

By the time he arrived, Lucre had jumped down and was opening cages. He grabbed some of the animals, but others were running free, and it felt to Ron like Artie Smarty all over again. The pandaroo was scooping up any pets that got near it and dropping them in its pouch, making better use of its paws than Ron would have thought possible. Ron took a flying leap onto the hybrid creature's back, knocking DNAmy onto the floor. He grappled with her, grimacing. He hated fighting women. It just felt so…wrongsick. That was one of the many reasons that he'd always been happy to let Kim take the lead in situations like this.

DNAmy was stronger than she looked, perhaps a residual effect from her gorilla body, and he'd just managed to get her pinned when he was kicked forcefully from behind. Ron went flying into an adjacent aisle, knocking down some shovels as he slammed into a display and narrowly avoided getting impaled on a garden rake. The pandaroo was sitting balanced on its tail, and Ron realized that it must have been those powerful feet that he'd felt. He decided to take a moment and try tapping into the Mystic Monkey Power. Maybe it was time to see if he could make it work when it wasn't a dire emergency. He didn't think he would need the full extent, but a little help would be welcome. He felt the tingling throughout his body that signaled that his summoning had been successful, and he took two deep breaths to center himself so as not to lose it.

Unfortunately, that was one breath too many. By the time he emerged from the aisle, glowing with a faint blue nimbus, DNAmy was pulling Lucre up onto the pandaroo, and Lucre tossed a baby alligator right into Ron's face. His reflexes were keen enough to catch the little thing in midair, at which point it attempted to bite his nose off.

"Ugh!" he complained aloud. "Why do we even carry these things?" He ran over, placed the alligator into a tank, and slammed the lid shut as quickly as he could before racing in pursuit of the hopping hybrid. He got it in sight just in time to see an extension cord be abruptly pulled taut across an aisle, tripping the pandaroo and sending it and its passengers sprawling.

Ron winced a little, hoping the animals in the pouch weren't hurt. He didn't question his luck, however, using his monkey power to take two large bounds onto the pandaroo, clambering onto its back on all fours. Hopefully, the police would be here soon enough to apprehend the two humans if he could get this thing under control. He landed a super-powered punch onto the back of its neck, and though it bucked fiercely, it did not go down. Ron tried to hang on as it tried to shake him off, but though he had the strength and agility of a monkey, he still lacked the proper limbs for superior climbing. He held on gamely for about ten seconds before he was thrown off. He saw Frugal Lucre trying to edge away.

"You stay here," Ron demanded, and Lucre merely nodded meekly, curling into a sitting position. DNAmy was nowhere in sight, but Ron had other problems.

The pandaroo charged him, and he leapt to meet it, clinging to its torso with his legs as it enclosed him with its panda forepaws. For all their cuddly appearance, Ron learned that pandas were amazingly strong. It wrapped its paws around him and began crushing him against its body. Ron tried to punch it, but it didn't seem to feel anything. There were several unsettling cracks from the vicinity of his ribcage, and his lungs were struggling to get enough air. He felt the MMP slipping away as the lack of oxygen started to affect his focus.

Suddenly, he became dimly aware of swarming bodies all around him, climbing up the pandaroo's fur. They started biting, scratching, using whatever weapons nature had given them to pester the large freak in their midst. The pandaroo was forced to release Ron in order to beat down this new threat. Ron dropped to the ground and took a deep breath. He didn't have time to ponder why all of the pets had come to his rescue, but he was grateful. Besides, the pandaroo's tactics had given him an idea.

Summoning his power once more, he again leapt onto the hybrid's back. This time, he wrapped his legs tightly around its thick neck. It tried to beat at him, but its forelegs weren't really designed to reach its own body, and the added distractions of the escaped pets meant that its attention was divided. After what seemed like an hour but was probably only a minute or so, it collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Cautiously, Ron unclasped his tense, sore legs and got down.

All things considered, the scene before him could have been worse. Only a few displays had been knocked down, and the place seemed to be emptied of customers (well, it was where smart shoppers shopped). Rufus scampered up to Ron, followed by another naked mole rat.

"Two Rufuses?" asked Ron, reaching out to take one in each hand. Then he noticed that the second one had a slightly more delicate bone structure. "Wait a minute. You're a female." He looked narrowly at them. "Hey, were you the ones who tripped the pandaroo?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Rufus answered eagerly. The female either couldn't speak or was shy. Still, she must have been smart to understand Rufus and help with his plan.

"Well, nice work, little buds!" Ron looked to the girl mole rat. "Would you like to join our family? I guess it's time Rufus had a mate." He set them down to discuss the matter as Mr. Bolt returned with the police. Frugal Lucre and the pandaroo were taken into custody, but it looked like DNAmy had escaped. After making a statement to the police, Ron called Kim.

"Hi, KP? I might be a little late for lunch." He went on to give a brief description of what had happened.

"Wow, Ron!" she exclaimed, and he wasn't sure whether she was impressed with him or disappointed to have missed the action. It was probably a combination of the two. "You rock! This might be your greatest solo mission yet!"

"Yeah, but I sure missed you," he said.

"Aw, that's so sweet. I'm sorry I missed the action, too."

"And DNAmy got away."

"Still, getting Frugal Lucre and a mutant is a good day's work."

"I guess." Ron sighed. "Anyway, I'm going to stay and help round up the animals and clean up the store. I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."

"Get those ribs looked at, too," Kim admonished him sternly.

"Yeah, okay." An EMT had reported to the scene, so there wasn't really any reason that Ron couldn't get a quick evaluation, but he hoped to avoid having to go in for an X-ray. He hung up the phone regretfully and went to get his ribs checked. The EMT told him that he only had some stretched tendons, so he got wrapped and was on his way. He would probably be wishing for some pain medication by morning, but for the moment, he could live with it.

He then helped Mr. Bolt and a few hardy employees who were still around to get the animals back into their cages, except the female naked mole rat. When the job was done and the store reasonably tidied, he held her up.

"I'd like to buy this one," he told Mr. Bolt. "Can someone here ring me up?"

"Just take it," the manager said wearily. "It's the least I can do. You saved our pet department!"

"Oh, well, it's my department back in Middleton, you know," explained Ron humbly. "I feel sort of responsible for it."

"In fact, how would you like to be an assistant manager?"

Ron blinked, surprised, and fleetingly wondered if this was how Kim felt when people she helped offered her favors.

"Wow, that would be badical, Mr. Bolt!" he replied. "But I'll only be here for the school year, remember?"

"That's not a problem," the store manager assured him. "I'll get the paperwork sent over next week. You'll have the pet department."

"Thanks!" Ron said, shaking the man's hand enthusiastically before he left. Despite the chaos, he was feeling pretty good. He'd apprehended one criminal and foiled another, and on top of that, the hourly wage of an assistant manager was considerably higher than that of a lowly employee. That should help his financial situation considerably.

"All right, you two, buckle up," he advised his two pets. "I want to tell KP the good news in person." He frowned. "Rufus, we're going to have to give your new mate a name." He was sort of stumped on that. Rufus had once been the name of Ron's imaginary friend, so it had been an easy decision to apply that to his first pet. Rufus chattered thoughtfully but didn't seem to have any good ideas. During the drive to Ann Arbor, Ron listed off a bunch of girls' names, but neither Rufus nor his female companion seemed to like them, and he finally gave up.

"We'll let Kim name you," he decided. "After all, we're all going to spend a lot of time together, right?"

When Rufus gave the thumbs-up sign, the other mole rat followed suit. She did seem to be a quick learner.


Author's Note: Sorry again, but life got in the way last week. At least you got a Drakgo story in the meantime. I've also got several ideas for Sonny With a Chance after watching the two-part Falling for the Falls episode, and I know that's going to distract me if I don't start getting them typed out. I'm planning to try to alternate weeks, one week KP and one Sonny, so that I'm at least publishing something every week. With luck, some of you follow that show as well. On the plus side, I've got almost two pages of the next chapter written already because I decided they didn't fit into this one.

And Ormagedon, if you're still out there, Becky Wilson's for you. It might not be exactly what you were envisioning, but it's along the same lines.

Review Responses:

screaming phoenix: The wedding won't happen for a while; I still have some things to get through before then. I at least focused on Ron this chapter, and I'll try to get some more Kim/Ron in soon. Thanks; I kind of like Team Go, even if they're kind of underdeveloped.

Katsumara: Hm. I'm not sure that going into detail is a compliment, but I'll thank you anyway. You did know I was just teasing you earlier, right? By the way, thanks for inadvertently giving me the "emu" idea; I think it worked out pretty well.:)

Boris Yeltsin: Yes, they are. I'll keep the Japanese villain in mind, and I'll put Debt of Honor on my next library list.

kriitikko: Sorry I had to cut Drakken and Shego out of this chapter, but Ron's part got too long, and there are others who've been clamoring for more of Kim and Ron. D/S will lead off the next chapter!

anon: I'm not really thinking that far ahead at this point, and I wasn't planning to do any crossovers with this series.

CajunBear73: Well, Shego seems to have come to care for Drakken just the way he is, so it's not that surprising that he can be successful, even meandering around a bit before he gets to the point. Thanks for reviewing!

Pinky Jo Curlytail: I guess the ChicaGO thing sort of makes sense, but it was weird that Go City seems so insular. I mean, Kim had never heard of either Team Go or the city's particular villains until visiting there, and nobody there seemed to know much about the outside world.

savingkp: I'm working on it! Really!