Author's note: Man, I finally broke 100 reviews with the last chapter! Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to review it, you guys are the best!
If there was a place on Earth that was as far away from Middleton, Colorado as you could get, Kerguelen would be it. Located, as it was, in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the closest land mass was Antarctica, and the island, or rather archipelago, had almost an equal distance to the South Pole as it did to Africa to the west and Australia to the east, and even longer to India in the north. Normally, a team of 50 to 100 French scientists lived on the cold and rocky island, but Sensei explained that when the events seemed to point to the Lorwardians' arrival, he had pulled few strings and gotten them evacuated. In short, if there ever was a place that could hold the title of "Loneliest place on Earth", Kerguelen would be in the top five, maybe even the number one spot. Perhaps it was fitting that the English name for it was Desolation Island.
Now, however, the place was positively booming, Kim thought as she stepped off the plane. Sensei had explained how this place had been chosen as a refuge long ago, and when Ron and Monkey Fist had gained the Mystical Monkey Power, the preparations had started. A landing strip, a small dock and several houses had been built in anticipation of one of them turning into the Supreme Monkey Ruler.
"How many are there?" Drakken asked, breaking the silence as they walked to the settlement.
"25 913", Sensei said calmly. "The last free humans anywhere." Drakken frowned.
"I'm not an expert, but… shouldn't there be more? I mean… if you start with 50 monkey warriors, 1600 years later, you should have more descendants than 25 000." Sensei nodded.
"Some family lines have died out, but the most damage was probably done by the notion they had to only marry someone in one of the other families. If they hadn't done that… We would be a population the size of a small country."
Kim looked at the people. Not surprisingly, everyone there seemed to be Japanese. What made a bigger impression on her, however, was how sad everyone seemed. It took her a while too realize why.
Everywhere she looked, she saw mostly partial families. A mother consoling her children, a father doing the same for his. The other parents or wives, husbands, girlfriends and boyfriends weren't there. Because they weren't descendants. She shivered a bit. If this had happened after Kim had given birth…
"How long can we stay here?" She asked, softly.
"As long as we need to", Sensei replied. "Although… I do not see us lasting longer than October." Kim looked at him sadly.
"Because that's when I give birth, right?" Sensei nodded softly. "Will he find me when I do?"
"Your mind will shine out like Venus on a dark night", Sensei said.
"I…. If you have to take me away from here before that happens, I'll be ok with it", she said softly.
"It is not my intention to abandon you, Possible-san", Sensei replied. "And," he added, "I hope that we can end this before it comes to that."
Kim was given a small cabin to stay in, together with Yori. It wasn't much better than a shed, but at least it kept the wind out. Right now, the elderly, the sick and the young were the only ones guaranteed that respite. Most of these types of cabins hadn't been set up yet, and those who didn't need it straight away had to settle for tents. Good tents, sure, the larger ones even had small wood-burning stoves in them, but considering that Kerguelen was about on the same level as Alaska, temperature-wise… And that, since this was the southern hemisphere, it was now winter… Most were hoping to get the cabins up within hours rather than days. As it turned out, it only took about two days before that happened, to the great relief of everyone.
A week went by. Kim spent it in the cabin, either reading or just… pondering the sitch she now found herself in. It weighed heavily on her, to say the least. After the first few days, she managed not to cry herself to sleep, but… her mood didn't improve. She supposed some of it could be her hormones playing tricks on her, or at least, that it had something to do with it.
When a week had gone by, Sensei paid her a visit.
"I apologize for not visiting you sooner, Possible-san, but, as you can imagine, there were many problems that needed attention this first week" he said, sitting down at the table. An assistant Kim hadn't seen before came in with him, placed a kettle of tea and two cups on the table and left shortly.
"It's fine, it's ok", Kim said as Sensei poured her a cup. "And I gotta say, this whole place is really… I mean… You got it in shape really fast!" Sensei gave her an approving nod.
"Thank you for you kind words. As I said, this has been planned for a long time, so most of it came together quite seamlessly, but there are always some issues." He leaned in and took a sip of his tea. "Though I must say that I'm surprised that you haven't come to see me yet. I imagined that you would have many questions for me."
Kim shrugged at his words a bit. She had become a bit of a recluse these past few days, but she had her reasons.
"I… I guess I just needed a couple of days to… I don't know, to calm down or something. No big", she responded.
"Yori tells me that you have scarcely left this cabin at all", Sensei noted. Kim sighed. Always go into battle prepared, she thought. Sensei knew what he was doing. She was silent for a moment.
"Well… partly, it's the cold; I don't wanna stay out any longer than I have to. Plus, I don't really know anyone here besides you and Yori, so I don't have anyone to go and talk to…" She paused. "And then there's… I guess you've told everyone about… Ron?" Sensei nodded. Kim sighed. "I could have guessed. When I do walk out… it feels like… Like everyone's watching me a bit too close for comfort."
"Everyone here knows what happened, but no one blames you, Possible-san. No one even blames Stoppable-san. They know this isn't his fault." Sensei said softly.
"That's not what it feels like", Kim said sullenly. A small smile played on her face. "Anyway, so not the drama. At least now I know I wouldn't be a good super-villain. I mean, if people looked at you like that…"
"I don't think anyone was afraid of that", Sensei said with a smile. They sat in silence for a moment until he spoke again. "All the same… why haven't you come to talk to me?"
Kim looked away. Of course she wanted to find out more about what was going on with Ron, but… She sighed.
"I guess… I guess I'm just tired of life-altering revelations, Sensei. It's been… a not so good two weeks for that." Sensei raised an eyebrow and prompted her to go on. She swallowed. "Did… did Ron ever tell you about… How... You know… How I ended up pregnant?"
Sensei shook his head. He had been a teacher for many years now, and even at Yamanouchi, famed for its disciplined students, he had seen his share of this type of situations. No matter how much they were taught about mental strength and peace of mind, some students would always fall prey to their teenage hormones. He had assumed that something like that was the reason behind Kim's pregnancy.
He was, therefore, surprised when Kim told him the story. How Killigan had attempted to destroy the Ice Golf Course in northern Sweden. How Ron and Kim had intervened, only for Ron to get poisoned with a drug called Dellocain. A drug that would have destroyed his nervous system and left him dead.
When Sensei heard the next part, he couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow for the young girl… woman in front of him. The cure had been, she said, to, in a way, overload his nervous system, to stimulate enough nerves as Wade had said, which would stop the effects. And the only two ways to do that, in the small amount of time she had… was either to injure him in some way, or…to have sex with him. She chose the latter. Considering that the only other person that she knew had been poisoned by Dellocain, Monkey Fist, had lost both of his feet so that he could be cured… It wasn't much of a choice.
She had taken a morning-after pill, she said, but it hadn't worked. And when the morning sickness started to strike, she had taken another test. It was positive. After a couple of intense conversations, with a doctor she knew as well as her parents, she had talked to Ron. And in the end… they had decided to keep it. She smiled when she said this, and Sensei could see she was still happy about the decision.
But then, bit by bit, they learned more details. It turned out that Killigan didn't even know what the Dellocain would do, or at least, not that if would kill him. He had been tricked by the ones who sold it to him. And just a few days ago, Kim said, they had learned that it had been Jack Hench who was behind it. In making Killigan a murderer, which would end with the Scotsman behind bars, he could convince people only to buy from their trusted deliverer of villainous weaponry instead of other, lesser known suppliers. She could see the slogan, she said. 'Don't be a Duff. Buy HenchCo.'
"I don't regret doing what I had to do to save Ron. And I don't regret the decision to have the baby", Kim said, running her hands across her belly. "But at the same time… it happened because of two insane and greedy men who couldn't think of anyone but themselves. And then all of this…" She gestured to the room. Sensei nodded. "I mean… I don't wanna be all sad and stuff, but…"
"Possible-san, no one has the right to tell you how you should feel. You have done more for this world than anyone here or in you midst. Your feelings are understandable." Sensei paused. "If you wish to ask your questions later-"
"No, I… I don't want to just sit here anymore. I want to know what's going on", Kim said, interrupting Sensei. He nodded and waited for her question. "Was… was this always going to happen? I mean… him turning evil?" Sensei nodded, sadly.
"There is a prophecy regarding who would be the Ultimate Monkey Master. It speaks of Stoppable-san directly."
"But… I mean… what you said about the powers turning him evil…" Kim tried. Sensei took the hint.
"It seems that this time, it was the last power that drove him over the edge, so to speak. When Toshimiru manifested the same power, it had the same results. It seems to be inevitable that when someone gains mastery over all monkeys like that, their minds turn immediately."
"So… if the Lorwardians hadn't done that…" Kim connected it. Then she sighed. "What about his other powers, then? How long did he have before those drove him evil?"
"Difficult to say, Possible-san", Sensei responded. "First of all, it depends on how often he uses them, if he hadn't used them at all… probably never. Secondly, it depends on how and why he uses them." Kim didn't understand, and it showed.
"How and why? What do you mean?" She asked.
"There are three ways of using the Mystical Monkey Power", Sensei said. "Firstly, there is the subconscious level. When faced with, say, certain death, or any fight-or-flight scenario, as they say these days, the power kicks in. But that doesn't affect his mind; it is merely a self-defensive mechanism that is neither good nor bad." He took a breath.
"The second way is what leads to evil. When he is angry of violent, the physical powers are easier to wield. The same goes for when he has evil thoughts; those make it easier to wield the mental powers. It becomes a vicious circle; evil thoughts lead to deeds made with evil intent which leads to an evil mind, which leads to more evil thoughts and so on." Kim sighed.
"When… when he fought Monkey Fist… and when he almost punched out Hench… He was really angry", she said, shuddering.
"It would take more than just those examples", Sensei said. "In any case, since he has used the first way the most, I do not believe his mind to be in any other danger…yet." He took a sip of tea. Kim did the same.
"The third way is the way of the monkey warriors. They found that when they had a singular purpose for using their powers, a singular, unselfish, pure motive for using the power, they were not as badly affected. Combined with meditation and not relying on their powers, most of them led long lives without becoming evil. It all depended on why they wanted to use their power. It wasn't as easy to control the power, but it was a risk they were willing to take."
"Most?" Kim asked, a little worried.
"The first monkey warriors didn't have the knowledge. Others, who used it too much, found themselves having darker and darker thoughts as they grew older. But when they had devised rules, meditative techniques and, in short, a philosophy surrounding it… they could use their powers without turning evil. It was this way I had intended to teach Stoppable-san."
"Why didn't you?" Kim asked. "I mean… if you knew what he could become…" Sensei smiled.
"It is plain for everyone to see, that Stoppable-san does not easily resort to violent behaviour. I had no fear that him turning evil the, shall we say, slow way, would happen. If he had, I might have taken him in, but as it was… I believed it best not to. Though I have pondered it sometimes", he admitted. Kim listened and felt…relieved. But the next question made her feel a bit…ill.
"How… I mean… You said that he'd been using them but not knowing it… How… how much of it…" she paused and sighed. She looked away. "How much of what he does is just him and how much is it the powers?" Sensei looked at her, and smiled softly.
"First, I must say, that even without the powers, Stoppable-san has more potential than he lets on. That said… You are adept at 17 types of kung fu. You have a sharper mind than most. Stoppable-san… does not, perhaps could not ever, reach up to your levels as much as he does had he not had the powers. If it had not been for them, I believe that he would have had a much harder time on your missions than he has so far." Kim slumped. That was hard to hear. On some level, she had always been surprised how well Ron kept up with her, even though he sometimes fumbled and dropped his pants, but… she had hoped that it was just him, nothing else. No, there was more to it, she decided.
"But he was going on missions with me before he got the powers! How could he have done that without the powers?"
"As I said, there is more to him than meets the eye. And, I do think it speaks more to his character than anything that he did not know that he had the powers, did not know how to use them, faltered as much as he did, and still stood by your side." Sensei's words made Kim smile.
"Yeah, it does", she said. "You rock, Ron", she added under her breath. But there was something more she had to know. Even if it had already been answered, she had to ask it specifically; otherwise she would regret it and just worry about it.
"Sensei… Do… Do you think that the powers could have… made him better at… cooking?"
Sensei's eyes flew wide. That was a question he hadn't expected. And it was a good one. He pondered it for a moment.
"I do not believe so", he said finally. "I fail to see how… cooking would be a matter of life and death for him, and I do not believe that he could have… maliciously cooked food." What a thought, Sensei mused. "And even if that was the case… cooking is more an art than science, as our cook at Yamanouchi has often told me. And art stems from the soul, not pure knowledge. Maybe it could help in some parts, like how good grammar makes for a better story, or good knowledge of anatomy makes for a better sculpture, but… In the end, I must say no, his powers have most likely not helped him in any way, kitchenwise." Sensei was surprised to see Kim draw a sigh of relief.
"Stoppable-san… likes to cook?" he asked, finally giving in to his curiosity. Kim nodded energetically.
"He loves it! And he's really good at it too! Didn't you know that?" Kim asked. Sensei sadly shook his head.
"Whenever Stoppable-san and I speak, we seldom have time to talk about anything but training. And when we do, you mostly talks about you." She smiled and blushed a little at his words. "Tell me," he added, "how good is he?" he couldn't help it. He wanted to know.
"Well, I'm not good at cooking at all, so I think everything he does is just… perfect. But… well… when we took Home Economics, Mr. Barkin ended up letting him take over the entire class! Do you know how many times that has happened?" Sensei shook his head.
"Once, and that was Ron", Kim said. "I mean… we've got people like Justine Flanner, who's basically got a Nobel prize in physics just waiting for her, but Barkin doesn't let her take over the physics class! But it's more just him being good, it's like… It's like… When he's cooking, he's all like… zen." She paused. "He was… whenever we talked about what we were gonna do after high school and college… he always said he was going to open a restaurant. And I know it's gonna be great."
Sensei felt like laughing. The wielder of the Lotus Blade, the chosen one of the Yamanouchi, the last monkey warrior, the Ultimate Monkey Master, the Supreme Monkey Ruler, the Great Blue… wanted to become a chef. If there was a God of fate, he or she had just taken a custard pie to the face, thrown by the God of comedy, or perhaps, the Monkey God himself.
Kim talked about Ron and his proficiency in the kitchen for about 15 minutes. Sensei listened as best as he could, even though cooking had never been his strong suit, as he explained.
"Yamanouchi has many rooms, many secret passages and vaults only open to me. But for all that, I am not allowed in the kitchen. Ever" He had remarked, which made Kim laugh as she explained that she was pretty much the same.
Finally, Sensei had to leave. He invited her to come down to what they called The Municipal Building later on, as they were showing a movie. The Municipal Building was the largest building that had been constructed before they arrived. Most of it was underground, to hide it, and the entire community could fit in there.
"I think I'll do that", Kim said. "And besides, if Yori's gonna be there, I could say I'm sorry for being such a drag these last few days."
"I think she understands your feelings anyway", Sensei said.
"Well... it wasn't just that I felt down… I mean… I'm still not over that she drugged me… and… well… I mean it's no big now, really but… Ever since… that time with DNAmy… and, you know… she kissed Ron and all that…" Sensei nodded. He pondered.
"You know… after that affair… I started to make plans to bring Stoppable-san to Yamanouchi for the duration", he said. Kim raised her eyebrows.
"You did?" she finally mustered. Sensei nodded.
"One of the reasons I never brought him to us apart from short visits, was that I wanted him to… shall we say, have a life. When I saw the attraction between him and Yori, I realized that perhaps he could have a life at Yamanouchi as well."
"Why didn't you?" Kim asked. "I mean, not that I'm complaining, but…"
"It was Yori who made me understand", Sensei said. Kim's eyebrows arched. "She told me about Stoppable-san, how nervous he was that you would find out about what was going on, and how guilty he felt about not being able to tell you about his experiences. And she told me about how you followed in almost a jealous rage. As she said, no matter in what way, it was your destiny to be together. Separating you would… not be good for either of you."
Kim smiled. Yeah, she had a lot to apologize for. Sensei sat still for a moment. Talking about destiny…
"Possible-san…what you told me about your pregnant state… I must ask… Do you believe that you would be in this state if what you told me had not happened?" Kim shook her head.
"No. I mean… maybe we would have… ahem… I mean, we had the prom coming up and I know it's a cliché, but maybe… but not pregnant, no. We would have used… something. Why do you ask?" She asked, blushing a bit. She was a bit embarrassed, but she knew that if Sensei asked it, it could be important. Sensei smiled.
"Possible-san… I know you have suffered much for you decision to keep your child, but now… I believe that it was your destiny."
"What do you mean?" Kim asked, not really ready for another big revelation.
"If you had not been in this state, you would have been by his side as a mindless drone, yes? And the only ones here would be 25 000 people he had never met and three sworn enemies."
"Well… there would be you and Yori… he wouldn't do anything to you", Kim said softly. Sensei bowed.
"I thank you for your words. They do me a great honour. But I have lived a long life. I have seen men the world considered more honourable than Stoppable-san commit far worse crimes at greater risk and for a lesser reward." He almost shuddered when he said those words. Kim bit her lip.
"However", he continued, "with you and your child here… If there was anything that could make up his mind to turn back to us if it came down to a decision like that… it would be you. The power might have his mind, but you have his heart and soul."
Kim couldn't hold it in anymore. She got up, walked over to Sensei and gave him a big hug. She let a few tears fall. Sensei wasn't used to this type of behaviour from his students, but he held her close as she wept her tears of joy and sadness.
After a few minutes, he really had to leave. As he neared the door, he turned again.
"If you wish to now play a more active part, there will be a meeting tomorrow on a subject I believe you have great interest in", he said.
"How to fight back?" Kim said. Sensei shook his head.
"Not yet. The meeting considers someone else. Someone who should be with us but is not. Someone who, like us, is not mastered by Stoppable-san. Someone who we all owe our lives to, that we need to rescue." Kim smiled. There was a new fire in her eyes.
"Yeah, Sensei. I'll be there. I miss him too. And if we can save him, we're gonna do it. Because if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be Ron's prisoner… it's Rufus."
