Hey guys! Thanks for adding this story to your favorites and follows, here's a little author's note before you start reading.

I would appreciate a bit more feedback if possible, and the reason I'm asking for more is this: confusion.

I have a feeling some of you may be a bit confused with earlier details and events.

If you want to discuss power levels or how powerful a character is in the story, shoot me a message. I have an explanation as to why they're that powerful and how. I apologize if it hasn't been cleared up, but apparently a certain someone won't allow me to respond so I can give a simple explanation.

Long story short, if you're confused or irked by ANYTHING, don't hesitate to ask about it, I will answer with the best of my ability. I don't care if it's by a review or if it's in a PM. As long as I get to clear things up for you, I'm a-okay.


"Hey Ron, are you sure you feel okay staying like that?"

Ron turned back to face his girlfriend. He remained in his Mystical Monkey form virtually the entire day. The sun was already beginning to set, giving the sky a reddish tone. It was a matter of time until L would arrive and, in her words, take back what was rightfully hers.

The two were in one of the many rooms of the secretive ninja school. Yori was currently speaking with Sensei about their current plans in the room they were in earlier; they wanted a private conversation just between the two of them, so the duo let them be. Junior had gone off somewhere again, but they were sure he was back at the top of the school once more.

The freckled teen managed to give her a smile, straining a bit. "He-hey! It's all bueno, KP. The Ron's got this!"

Kim crossed her and narrowed her eyes, giving him a doubtful look. "Ron."

Her boyfriend released a sigh. "Sensei said I gotta keep this form out for as long as I can."

"But that doesn't mean you should keep it out so long that it.. it hurts," she said, approaching him so she could examine him further. "And it looks like you're hurting a lot."

He reeled away at her sudden movement, averting his eyes. "KP, look, I know I haven't been a lot of help lately, so this is the only way I can make it up," he replied honestly. "I need to.. I need to get stronger. Strong enough to protect you against guys like.. guys like.." When a certain being came to mind, his eyes suddenly darkened. He clenched his fists and raised them simultaneously. "Guys like Cell."

The redhead was just about to add something until a familiar ringtone cut her right off. She let out a small gasp at the sound. She had gotten used to her Kimmunicator being silent all this time, that the fact that it was making a sound now surprised her a bit. Dismissing any further thoughts, she slipped her hand in her pocket and took out her device.

"Sitch, Wade?"

"Sitch?" the young tech genius began in disbelief. "Kim, I haven't been able to get patched through to you in forever! Is your Kimmunicator functioning properly?"

"It should be," she answered simply, before doing a retake on her response. "Actually.. after everything, I'm surprised it hasn't officially broken by now."

"According to my computer.. you guys must be at Yamanouchi, right?"

"Right," Kim replied. "We've got a lot on our hands right now. Something major's going to happen soon."

"Major?" Wade asked, raising a brow. "How major?"

"How about lives-could-be-taken kind of major?"

The boy moved flinched. "Yikes, looks like you could use some extra help."

The redhead placed one hand on her hip and smirked. "What'cha got for me?"

Wade cracked his knuckles and returned the smirk. "I guess you could say I've been modifying your battle suit a bit since your Junior Prom."

"And by 'bit' you mean a bunch?" Ron offered from across the room.

"You got it," he answered the freckled teen, before turning to back to Kim. "I could send a beacon from your Kimmunicator to your battle suit. It'll be launched from your house and towards your location."

Kim's face lit up. "Thanks, Wade! You're the best!"

Suddenly, an antenna popped out from the top, sending a beacon as soon as able. The heroine was genuinely surprised at how fast it took, but she should've never expected less from the young tech genius.

"So, how long until it gets here?" she asked curiously.

"Hard to tell, your Kimmunicator's been acting kind of glitchy for awhile now," Wade responded as he placed a hand on his chin in thought. "If it works fine, your battle suit should be there in half an hour, but if it's still having kinks.." The young boy gulped. "Then it'll take a little longer."

The redhead nearly gulped with him. "And how much is a little longer?"

"Give or take.. a few hours longer.."

"Guess it's my turn to say yikes," Kim said, flinching at his answer. "Let's pray it won't turn out like that. If it does, that'd so bite."

"Hey Wade, you think you can do a background check on someone for me?" Ron suddenly asked.

Both his girlfriend and the tech genius gazed at him with puzzled looks. They were certainly surprised by his abrupt question, and the fact that he was asking that type of inquiry.

"What makes you so curious, Ron?" Kim asked.

"I wanna know about L," he replied quickly. "There's gotta be something more about her in GJ's records. Dr. Director only told me so much."

The redhead cocked her to the side slightly. "Well, wasn't she said enough?"

"No, because Sensei and Yori know more. I feel like there's something else they're not telling us."

"What makes you say that?"

"When I was still at GJ, Dr. Director told me told me L did something really bad some years ago," he answered. "I seriously think it's connected to Yamanouchi, I'm sure of it.

"Done," Wade cut in, not paying much attention to Kim and Ron's current conversation. "According to GJ's records, she was once one of the top agents until she went rogue. That's all I can get for now, but it looks like they're trying to cover up everything about her. Something much bigger happened than just her going 'rogue'."

"Look, we'll find time to look into that later," Kim responded in a serious tone. "We have to get to Sensei and Yori to talk about what to do now. L might come out of nowhere and launch her attack on the school. She has the element of surprise on us after all."

"Wait, how much did I miss?" Wade asked curiously.

"A lot," she answered. "Just make sure to tell me when my battle suit arrives. We'll seriously need it if things go south."

"Got it."

Ron suddenly clutched his being in pain. His Mystical Monkey Power disappearing from his body. A feeling of loss washed over him as he tried to gain his power back. Alas, his anger and loathing for Cell wasn't enough for it to return. His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Ron!" Kim went for her boyfriend before he completely landed, catching him by wrapping her arms around his body, concern washing over her entire face. "Are you okay?"

The freckled teen groaned a bit. "Guess you were right after all, KP. Staying like that really takes a toll on your body," he said with a weak laugh.

His girlfriend just sighed and helped him to his feet. "I think you need to rest. You'll need your energy for later."

"No, no, I can do this," he protested weakly, before his voice gained strength. "I.. I gotta do this!"

"You said so yourself, staying like that really does takes a toll on your body," she returned. "If you want to turn back, then at least get some rest, it'll help big time, I promise."

"No!" Ron shouted, surprising his girlfriend a bit as he shook his head and tried to move away from her. "I can't, I won't! Just let me go, Kim. I can get up myself!"

Kim was incredulous, beginning to get frustrated as well as she tried to hold onto him. "Hey, Ron, wait a second-wait!"

The blonde managed to get away from the heroine, pressing himself against a wall and letting out a few breaths out of exhaustion—keeping his power out took more of a toll on him than he thought. He must've really overdone it now. He could barely stand as it is.

Meanwhile, Kim threw him an angry-but compassionate-look. "Ron, what's your damage? I'm just trying to-"

"Help?" he finished, upset. He took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Look, I'm tired of relying on you so much. This is something I need to do without your help, so just-just let me do this for you!"

The redhead didn't know what else to say or do. What she did know was that he was straining his body too much with his form and that he needed rest immediately. But with the way their conversation was going, it appeared he wasn't letting up.

"Ron.."

"Just let me do this for you, KP," he repeated, turning around fully to face her with a determined expression.

"You can't even turn back," she stated with her hands on her hips, despite being skeptical about his transformation herself, but she could tell he was struggling to bring it back.

"Sure I can!" he exclaimed with false bravado, before letting the facade pass. "It's.. it's just a rough patch, KP, I-I got this, seriously"

Kim furrowed her brows and pinched at her nose, trying her best to change her partner's mind without getting angry. "Listen to me, Ron. You're just going to strain yourself again," she reminded. "And nothing good is going to come out of that, you know. You're going to collapse again if you keep this up!"

"I know," he muttered, almost to himself as he further clenched his fists.

The redhead crossed her arms again. "Do you? Because it looks like to me, you're trying to knock yourself out. You can't keep this up without hurting yourself!"

Finally, Ron hit his boiling point as he shook his head angrily. "I know that!" he snapped. "You think I don't know that? I'm not just some buffoon like everyone calls me, I thought you—especially you, would understand that!"

The redhead was taken aback at the sudden alteration in his tone. This conversation was not going the way she had hoped; which would've been him agreeing to her suggestion without any problems. She didn't think he would get angry at her, and over her helpful suggestions—well, she thought it was helpful at least. It never occurred to her that she ever asked him what his choice of action was.

"This is so not going the way I wanted," she admitted in her head. "I've got to find a compromise."

The heroine turned her head away in contemplation, searching for a solution favorable to both of them. With the way her boyfriend sounded, it appeared he had no say in the matter—it was as if she were taking over the situation. It was.. unfair, to put it simply. It wasn't much of a surprise, she had a tendency to take over in situations and be in control of everything. She was even branded a control freak at some times because of her type A personality. With this in mind, she could only think of one thing she could do.

Kim cleared her throat loudly, causing the blonde to dart his eyes back at her in a curious manner. He could tell she had more to say.

"Then," she started once more, her voice taking on a softer tone. "What do you think you should do?"

Ron was a bit surprised at the shift in her tone. He expected her to snap back at him and tell him that she knew best, like she always had—she was kind of a control freak after all. But now, she was asking him what he wanted to do. And he wasn't going to lie, but it felt pretty darn good.

"I think, if I try one more time, it'll stay out," Ron answered earnestly. "My power, I mean. I almost got a handle on it, so just trust me, alright?"

Kim thought for a moment, but eventually nodded. "Y-yeah, if that's what you think is best, then let's go with that."

"Thanks KP."

His girlfriend shrugged and gave a somewhat forced smile. "No big."

Ron shook his head, remembering a little conversation like this had transpired before. "Wrong, very big. I can always count on you."

After exchanging a few more words, the two decided to return to the main room, which the ninja and her teacher were currently conversing in. When they made it to their destination, they couldn't help but overhear what Yori and Sensei were talking about. They weren't exactly eavesdropping, they just happened to arrive at a felicitous moment—that's what Ron thought at least.

"Please Sensei, you must come with us," Yori pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears. "You must stay away from her—you will be safe! Safe from her! Safe with us! It could be a repeat of what occurred years ago!"

The teen ninja was on her knees in a pleading manner. Sensei, who was standing upright, planted a hand on her head. "I must not allow her to take more lives, my student. It is but a matter of time before she arrives, so you must go with Stoppable-san and Miss Possible to protect the parchment. Time is of the essence!"

"Wait, what happened years ago?" Ron blurted out, the two in front of him snapping their heads in his direction briskly.

"St-Stoppable-san," Yori said incredulously, wiping her eyes quickly and standing up. "We.. we must act at once. Let us take the scroll underground."

"But-"

"Ron," Kim interjected, pursing her lips a bit and shaking her head. "Don't press it.. we've got matters more important."

Ron nearly protested until Yori placed a hand on his shoulder. "You mustn't worry, we have to protect the school-protect everyone from L. It is our duty, Stoppable-san."

Suddenly, Sensei shifted, sensing an energy racing in their direction. "Everyone, you need to move now. Quickly!"

"Yori, help me with Ron," the heroine said to the ninja.

"What happened to him?" she asked curiously.

"Let's just say he kind of overdid keeping his transformation out."

"No way," Ron argued. "It's just an itty bitty pain in my gut, I'll be okay."

"You sure?" Kim asked, placing her hands on him reluctantly as to expect him to reply with a no.

The freckled teen nodded. "Uh, you bet!"

"Let us not waste more time," Yori spoke urgently. "Follow me, I know where to hide the scroll."

The ninja rushed forward with the crime fighters following suit, but then, just as abruptly, Kim skidded to a stop. It was at that moment she realized something had slipped from her mind—someone very important.

"Wait, don't stop, you two," she immediately shot out. "I need to get Junior, he's not on par with L! Don't wait for me!" With that, she made a swift turn around and bolted to the nearest exit.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" Ron shouted out, automatically chasing after her until Yori grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him back.

"She will be fine, Stoppable-san," she told him briskly. "It is like Sensei said, time is of the essence, and we cannot waste anymore of it!"

"Yori, just do what you gotta do!" he replied to her, gently moving her hand off his sleeve. "I need to be there for Kim." He later left her with the scroll and continued to go after his girlfriend.

The ninja merely bit her lip and moved forward hesitantly. Hoping either one of them would be following her soon. But just as she sprinted forward, a hand slapped itself across her mouth and another hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows. She struggled in this stranger's grasp, letting out a few muffled yells at the same time. As much as she tried to escape, she ended up catching herself in a death grip.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," began a masculine voice. "If you wanna live, don't move so much, would you? It'll be rewarding, sweetheart, I promise."

Yori just tucked back the scroll and remained quiet, ceasing all struggling. She couldn't allow this stranger to obtain any information from her, especially if it were about the scroll.

Kim made it outside, ignoring any plea from anyone for her to stop. She immediately searched for Junior and found him directly in front of her, albeit he appeared to be facing someone else.

The heroine donned an outward intrepid appearance and jogged over to the mini chimera's side, trying to get a better look at who he was facing. When her green orbs recognized the figure in front of them, her eyes broadened slightly.

"Hey, that's.. that's not L," she simply stated, a bit incredulous. "I think I know who that is."

Junior recognized him as well; it was none other than Trunks, the demi-Saiyan from earlier. The one who helped them arrive at ninja school without exposing its secret location—until now, that is.

As soon as Trunks spotted two familiar faces, he immediately appeared in front of them, questions shooting out of his mouth. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you at all? What did he do?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kim said, overwhelmed at the sudden questions she received. "One at a time, Trunks. But to answer your questions, I'm fine, and if you're talking about Cell, he didn't hurt us—well, me and Junior, he banged up Ron pretty badly. He's fine now."

The time traveler released a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. That's unlike him, though. I expected him to just wipe you all out on the spot."

"Trust me, you're not alone on that," she replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that why you came here? How did you even know Cell was around?"

"I'm assuming you already know, but I sensed his energy here, along with someone else's, which must belong to your friend Rob."

"Ron," she quickly corrected. "And, he, um, well let's just say he didn't really win his fight with Cell."

Trunks shook his head when he heard her correction. "Right, Ron, but besides that, there's something I'm confused about," he mentioned suddenly.

Kim rose a brow. "Which is..?"

"This place.. why didn't you tell me about this place?" he asked, gesturing toward the school buildings and whatnot.

As soon as the heroine heard his question, she averted her eyes sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, it's not really in my place to tell. How about you just trust me for now, huh?"

Before Trunks could respond, Ron appeared by his girlfriend's side while breathing heavily. "I.. I made it," he said in between breaths. "Where's the danger?"

Kim gave him a sheepish look. "False alarm, it was just Trunks."

Just as soon Ron realized the time traveler was at the secret ninja school, his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "This-this place-"

"I already told him," his girlfriend interjected in his ear.

"Oh, uh, right!" The freckled teen cleared his throat. "So, what brings you here, pal? You gonna give Cell a piece of your mind?"

"Trust me, if I could beat Cell I would've done so a long time ago," Trunks merely responded. "I'm just glad he didn't plan on killing you all."

"He's not our problem right now," Kim cut in. "Do you remember L?"

The time traveler gazed with a puzzled look. "Who?"

"You know, that crazy blonde lady who tried to kill Kim here, and Junior too, I think," Ron explained. "She's got those creepy lookin' eyes, dude. The kind you'd see only in scary movies or nightmares." The freckled teen later shuddered as a picture of her cat-like eyes popped up in his head.

Trunks perked up at that last detail. "Ellen?"

"I thought that was her name too, but it's actually L," Kim noted.

"If you're asking if I still remember her, I do," the demi-Saiyan said. "Last I checked she and her partner got away. They shouldn't be a threat anymore." Then he turned towards them for confirmation. "Right?"

Kim and Ron exchanged unsure glances. After Trunks picked this little exchange up, he wondered why they appeared so uncertain. He then thought maybe the two were leaving something out—something they weren't mentioning to him. He didn't know what it was, but he sought the answer.

"You couldn't be more wrong," the heroine mused.

"What do you mean?" the time traveler asked, more confused than just previously. "What's going on?"

"Let's continue this discussion inside," the redhead recommended. "It's not really safe out here with her running around with Eric."

Trunks shot her another puzzled look, by which she responded with a sigh and said, "I'll explain inside, just get in."

Trunks gave her a nod and followed the crime fighters into the school. Junior followed suit but eyed the time traveler warily, and when the demi-Saiyan noticed, the mini chimera sent him an invisible threat by crossing his finger across his neck.

"Like father, like son," he added in his head, sweat dropping as he thought it.

Just when Kim slid open the door, she noticed a tiny shadow on the doorway from behind. It rapidly got bigger and the second she turned around, she was tackled inside by her boyfriend as the "shadow" hit the doorway with a loud thump.

"Ron, what's your problem?" Kim demanded, moving her boyfriend away from her and expecting an immediate explanation.

"That's my problem," he answered quickly, gesturing to the long blade sticking out of the doorway.

Just when the redhead saw the blade, her eyes widened. She recognized it as soon as her green orbs observed its build. The assassin wielded this weapon in their first battle, with intention to take her life and complete her mission. She nearly succeeded if it weren't for the bio-android. It was the only time Kim was glad Cell was around.

"Hey, look up there!" Trunks shouted, pointing to the top of one of the school buildings across from theirs and unsheathing his sword from behind.

Every single one of them moved their eyes to where the demi-Saiyan pointed. They could just make out two familiar silhouettes; feminine silhouettes.

One of them had exceptionally long, flowing dark hair, a green and black patterned outfit covering every inch of her body, with exception of her face. There was a familiar looking glow illuminating from her hands; it was her most recognizable attribute.

The second female's appearance contrasted quite a bit from the first. She had short, bright hair. She was pale, which made a majority of her features conspicuous thanks to her outfit—which was completely black. And just as the sun set, her most prominent feature grew tenfold; her eyes were an electric blue, mimicking two stars in the night sky.

Somehow, it had given the two women quite the menacing look as they stood on the very top of one of the many school buildings of Yamanouchi.

Ron gulped. "It's-it's L and-and-"

Kim narrowed her eyes and glared as she effortlessly pulled the blade from the doorway and held it out in front of her. "Shego."

Just as his girlfriend mentioned Drakken's sidekick, a thought struck the blonde. It was odd that L had brought Shego with her instead of Eric. And considering what he saw from Global Justice Headquarters, he thought maybe the synthodrone was stronger than the green villainess. L did work for Drakken, so she could've brought Shego with her if she wanted to earlier.

But presently, it was as if she replaced the synthodrone with the villainess.. that is-

"If she ever replaced him at all," Ron whispered, his eyes widening as he made the realization.

Kim nearly rushed forward out of anger until she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her back. She turned back briskly to see who stopped her—it was her boyfriend.

"Hold on a sec, KP," Ron started, gently pulling her close to him. "If L and Shego are there, then.. then where's Eric?"

The redhead stared at him, bewildered for a moment, but she let out a small gasp as she made a dreadful realization. Where was Eric? If he wasn't standing on the rooftop with L and Shego, then he must be hiding in the school. It was almost too perfect of a plan—his energy could not be sensed since he was an artificial being just like the androids. Just as she had perceived it, a voice could be heard from not-so-afar.

"You better stand back, old man," warned a familiar voice.

Everyone turned around to see where the voice originated. Kim and Ron's question was answered as Sensei and a certain someone else came to view—Eric had walked forward with Yori in his grip.

"Yori!" Ron shouted worriedly, then an irate expression spread across his freckled face. "Let her go, you jerk!"

The synthodrone gave him a sly look. "I have the upper hand here, doofus. Like hell I'm going to do as you say."

Trunks came forward and held out his sword in front of him. "Let her go. Now."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," another voice announced aloud.

Again, everyone turned back to where L and Shego were and saw the two on the ground, a few yards from them with smirks on their faces.

Kim gripped the hilt of L's blade tightly. "We know what you came here for, L. We're not going to let you have it!"

The assassin crossed her arms and rose a brow. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, so you better leave now because you're not getting it," the redhead continued with an angered voice.

"Look here, Princess," Shego started suddenly. "I wouldn't start getting overconfident about now, we have two of your friends in our possession."

As soon as the heroine heard her, she sent the woman a puzzled look. "Two? What are you talking about?"

L donned an innocent facade. "Oh, you mean, you don't recognize this?" The woman held up a small, pink rodent in her hand, her grip tightening on it and causing it to let out a yelp.

"Ack! Help!" it cried out.

As soon as Ron heard his cry, his brown orbs found Rufus in the assassin's hand—tears brimmed in his eyes at once. "R-Rufus? Is that Rufus?" Then a smile broke out on his face as tears slid down his face. "Buddy, is that really you?!"

Rufus nodded furiously while struggling to escape the woman's grasp. He tried biting her a few times, but failed seeing that she hadn't budged in the slightest.

"Yes, yes, nice reunion and all, but I think you know what must be done," L continued, trying her best to ignore all sentimentality occurring. "But the question is, do you know what must be done?"

Kim scowled and sent the assassin a glowering look. "A trade-off."

L gave her a toothy smirk. "Not so naive after all, are you? Now, these two for the scroll, please. I'm asking nicely, you know."

"Asking nicely doesn't change what you're planning to do with the scroll," the redhead retorted.

"I agree with her," Trunks began out of the blue, directing his sword at the assassin. "I don't exactly know what's going on, but what I know for sure is you're not up to any good."

"Wow, I wonder what made that so obvious," Shego said sarcastically while placing a hand on her hip. "Anyway, it doesn't look like you've got much choice. We've got the upper hand and you—well, you don't."

"She's not wrong, Possible. So let's not get messy and discuss this in a civilized manner. Hand over the scroll, and we'll hand over your friends," L bargained while repeatedly squeezing Rufus in her hand. "And if you don't cooperate.." The assassin gave one last tight squeeze, causing the rodent in her hand to whimper from the pain.

"Stop that!" Ron shouted angrily, rushing forward only to be stopped by his girlfriend. "Let go of Rufus! Let him go!"

"How stupid are you, sidekick? You can stop his suffering now by handing over the scroll," L reminded him, continuing to tighten her grip on Rufus.

"Ron, stop!" Kim ordered, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend in attempt to stop him from rushing impulsively at the assassin. "That's what she wants! Calm down!"

Trunks turned his eyes towards the freckled teen, a puzzled tint to them. "Can't you just get another pet?" he asked.

"Another pet?!" Ron repeated incredulously, his face twisting up in anger. "Are you insane? Rufus is not a pet, he's my best friend! He's-he's irreplaceable!" he continued angrily, his struggling to escape never relenting.

The demi-Saiyan let out a small groan. Then, he stepped in front of the two to face L. "Alright, let me handle this. I've dealt with far worse than this."

"Psh, yeah, Cell's like a bajillion, if not, a gazillion times worse than L," Ron added to the side.

Trunks gazed at him with a somewhat discouraged look. "Those aren't words."

Suddenly ceasing his struggling, the blonde shook his head at the time traveler. "Check your dictionary, my dude. I'm not so sure about bajillion, but I'm pretty sure gazillion's a word."

"Ron!" Kim whispered loudly in a berating tone.

Ron flinched at the sound of his girlfriend's voice and came to his senses. "Oh, right, uh, do your thing that you do, Trunks. We'll step back in the school.."

As soon as the crime fighters stepped back inside the school building, they turned around to aid Sensei with another issue—Eric. He still had Yori in his grasp and it appeared he wasn't going to let her go.

"Now, listen here.. Trunks," L began abruptly, strolling forward. "I've been waiting for this day to come for years, so don't think you can just waltz up here and stop me."

"But that's what you think!" he shouted as he charged right at the assassin. "I think otherwise!"

L took once swift glance at Shego, throwing Rufus at her and ordered, "Make sure that redhead and her little pet doesn't interfere." With that said, she dodged the strike she received from Trunks' sword and leaped back to escape further attacks.

The green villainess didn't particularly like being ordered, but if this was the only way of meeting Cell, then she would have to tolerate it. She caught the rodent and simply stood in front of the entrance to the building to stop Kim if she ever interfered and to obtain the scroll.

Kim saw a green glow with her peripheral vision and immediately turned around and came face to face with Shego—behind her, appeared to be a fight between L and Trunks. Just as she saw their brawl, a look of fear spread across her face.

"No!" she yelled, as she gripped the blade and charged at Shego. She threw a few swift kicks and swipes at her in attempt to get through her. "Trunks, get out of there! No matter what, don't let her touch you!"

"I'm not going down without a fight, princess," Shego told her disdainfully, dodging her strikes and sending her knee towards the teen's gut.

Her knee never made it as a tiny hand stopped it at once. With a scowl on his face, Junior grabbed a hold of her leg and lifted her up into the air, twirling her a single time before launching her at the nearest wall. A yell was heard as she crashed right through. Luckily, Rufus managed to escape from her hand. He bolted right for Ron, climbing up his pants and into his pocket.

"No one moves a single muscle!" Eric warned with a frown, quickly placing an arm around Yori's neck. "One move and she'll never live to see tomorrow."

Kim hesitated, debating whether to rush outside to warn Trunks of L's energy-sucking ability or to stay to keep Yori alive. Either way, it was lose-lose situation for them all. Shego should be recovering about now and ready to attack her again. The only option left was to hand over the scroll, but even that would have unspeakable effects.

The redhead turned to Junior for aid. When the child saw her desperate expression, he sent her determined look and nodded. He disappeared and reappeared behind Eric, sending a kick across his legs and knocking him down at once. When his hold on Yori loosened, the ninja took the chance to escape and bolted to Sensei's side.

"Now to warn Trunks," Kim told herself mentally, already turning away from everyone and bolting outside, searching for the young adult before it was too late.

The difference in power between Trunks and L was too great; albeit he defeated her, it was more difficult than he had expected. She was known for her evasive maneuvers and ability and dodge nearly every attack. Unfortunately, she wasn't known for her durability when it came to taking damage. When she would fail to evade an attack, the damage she'd take would at most times be critical.

To make matters worse, she was already damaged when she had "fought" Cell. The only way to get what she wanted and to heal from the damage was to go for her last resort.

"You're obviously weaker than me, so I'll give you one more chance to give up," Trunks offered, standing over the fallen form that was L. "If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to end you."

L lifted her upper body up by planting both hands on the ground and pushing against it. With her head up, she turned slightly to move her icy orbs towards the time traveler. She sent him a wide, toothy smirk, her body shaking out of the weak laugh that was leaving her mouth.

"Trunks!" Kim yelled as she ran. "Get away from her!"

The demi-Saiyan cast his cerulean orbs behind himself, seeing the heroine sprint from the building and cease in her tracks. "It's okay now, she's too weak to cause any real damage. She can't hurt anyone anymore."

"But you need to listen to what I have to say! You can't let her touch you because she can-"

A hand slapped itself across her mouth and an arm wrapped itself around her body. The blade she had carried dropped from her hands to the ground. The redhead immediately glanced behind to see who constricting her and saw it was Eric, who apparently had plans to keep her mouth shut to allow his partner enough time to do what she needed. With her peripheral vision, she could just make out Junior trying desperately to pry him off of her.

"It's sad how we weren't this close during Junior Prom, Kim," Eric said in a false loving tone at her ear. "Just look how close we are right now. Doesn't it remind you of our times as a couple?"

Kim sent him a glare with as much hate she could possibly muster. She could never think up a moment where she felt so disgusted with someone's touch—especially if that someone was a synthodrone. In her mind, they were the definition of gross considering what their insides were made of.

"Hey, get off of her!" Trunks ordered, turning away with his back facing L.

The heroine's eyes widened as soon as the time traveler made himself the perfect target for L. She moved feverishly in Eric's grip, trying with all her might to at least get the synthodrone's hand off her mouth so she could warn the demi-Saiyan of the potential threat.

Meanwhile, L used what was left of her strength and stood back up. She could see the redhead's frightened eyes broaden even further, even hearing her muffled screams that resembled repeated warnings.

Trunks held his sword out in front of him again, preparing to take on the synthodrone once more. What he didn't take into account was the looks Kim was sending him, gestures she was making with her body, especially her eyes—they kept moving towards an area around him.

"Is she.. panicking? What's she doing?" Trunks questioned himself in puzzlement, as two arms spread out from behind him.

Kim impulsively bit down on Eric's hand, of course, it didn't faze him in the slightest, but he was certainly surprised by the sudden action. His hand loosened on her mouth and the redhead could finally make coherent words.

"BEHIND YOU!" she screamed.

Trunks was taken aback, but he did look back to see what she struggled so hard to warn him about. He saw L with her arms outstretched for a split-second until she threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly, her grip unrelenting as she began her healing process.

At first, nothing had transpired. The young adult merely stared at her confusedly before realizing he felt like.. he was getting a little tired. It felt as if his energy to move was gradually deteriorating. He was contemplating on what was occurring at the moment, but.. for some reason, it felt like he had done a workout and his legs felt incredibly heavy. Why was he so tired? Why was it getting harder to move? He failed to find the answers to these questions as he collapsed onto the ground, his legs unable to keep him up as they lost strength.

L was now practically glowing with her new and improved body. Her injuries had disappeared and her power had risen tenfold. She had taken energies from humans before, but this one was unlike any other. They were all measly snacks compared to him—he was an enormous buffet.

Trunks groaned and rolled to the side, with just enough energy to move slightly. When the assassin noticed his movement, she sauntered forward and stepped on his chest, crossing her arms over her chest simultaneously.

"I guess they're right about that saying," she began with her wide smirk still plastered on her face. "All brawn and no brains."


A/N:

I felt as if this update took a lot longer than usual. I was actually thinking about how to approach this chapter because I've replayed the scenes repeatedly in my head. There were a lot of things I wanted to change, so I went and altered them a bit, but I still kept the BIG parts of the chapter.

Now, if you're confused about ANYTHING—do NOT hesitate to ask. I will answer with the best of my ability.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Please leave a review on the chapter, I would really appreciate it.