Ron 1/2
By Parareru
Disclaimer: Kim Possible and crew are owned by Disney. Still gotta get the new DVD
Ranma 1/2 and crew are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
:denotes: Chinese speech
denotes Japanese speech
denotes thought
Chapter 14: Final Conflict
"KIM!!!" Ron yelled desperately as he watched Kim slip through his fingers and plunge into the mists shrouding the cliffs of Yamanochi.
Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered
And there's nowhere to turn
"KIM!" Ron shouted again as he searched for some sign of Kim clinging tenaciously to a rock outcropping, tree limb, something, anything.
"Come on Kim, don't do this to me," he said quietly to himself as his fingers clenched the rubble of the demolished wall surrounding the cliff face.
You wonder how you keep going
The sudden sound of slow, measured applause caused Ron to turn around in surprise.
"Bravo. I didn't think you had it in you, Ronald," Monkey Fist commented with a sinister chuckle as he continued to clap. "Dropping Kim Possible like that."
"I didn't drop her! I missed her hand!" Ron shouted back in furious denial as he swiped an arm across his brimming eyes.
"You may as well admit it, at least between the two of us. You simply couldn't beat her so you let her fall," Monkey Fist continued with a cruel smile.
Think of all the things that really mattered
And the chances you've earned
"Shut your mouth, you monkey freak!" Ron howled, his rampant rage causing his ki to swirl around him.
"Strong words," Monkey Fist taunted, his eyes narrowing slightly in anticipation. "Make me."
The fire in your heart is growing
Ron glared at Monkey Fist, every muscle in his body quivering with rage. The person responsible for his curse, for Kim's death stood there smirking at him like a powerless child. The air grew heavy around Ron as he dwelt on never seeing Kim again, never hearing her laugh, never seeing her eyes flash with anger, or happiness or... Never again...
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!" Ron roared as he unleashed the ki blast and he hissed in satisfaction at the sight of Monkey Fist disappearing from view as the explosion engulfed his nemesis.
You can fly, if you try leaving the past behind
Heaven only knows what you might find
"I'm sure that was quite cathartic," Monkey Fist sneered from behind the safety of the Lotus Blade's shield form. "But hardly effective."
Ron howled in anger and charged the smug master of Monkey Kung Fu, technique and strategy foreign to him, his mind clouded behind the hazy veil of hate. Only one thought, one desire, stood out in his mind with intense clarity. To kill. With an inarticulate battle cry, Ron launched himself through the air; fingers splayed wide, yearning to wrap themselves around Monkey Fist's throat.
Dare - dare to believe you can survive
You hold the future in your hand
Monkey Fist adroitly sidestepped the clumsy charge and wheeled out of the boy's path, but Ron whirled around, tracking his foe like a heatseeking missile and launched a lightning fast flurry of punches that Monkey Fist barely managed to block even with the aid of the Lotus blade. The Lotus blade's shield form and shuddered with each blow that landed, but Ron ignored the pain that shot through his arms as he tired to hammer his way through Monkey Fist's defenses.
Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive
It's time to take a stand
Monkey Fist suddenly broke away from their furious exchange of blows and flipped backwards over a low stone bench to give himself time and room to maneuver. He snarled in rage as he considered his options. He was loathe to admit that before their encounter in China the two of them were nearly evenly matched with himself bearing the greater measure of skill and experience. Now it appeared that due the boy's training and somewhat odd curse Stoppable's talents now exceeded his own. It was utterly intolerable.
If he was going to win then he was going to have to get sneaky.
And you can win, if you dare
"What?! Kim Possible?!" Monkey Fist suddenly cried out, his eyes widening yet never leaving his opponent's face.
"Huh? Kim?" Ron said, hope surging in his voice as he turned, victim to Monkey Fist's distraction.
"A fatal mistake!" Monkey Fist roared exultantly as he leapt forward, the Lotus Blade shifting into the form of tonfa in his hand. With blinding speed he whipped the shaft around to catch Ron on the jaw as the boy tried to correct his error and turn back to the fight.
Monkey Fist relentlessly hammered at the boy, not giving him a moment's respite to somehow rally a defense. Over and over he rained blows down on Ron's body, smashing through any feeble attempts at resistance. Relishing the beating his rival for the title of Mystical Monkey Master was taking Monkey Fist finally finished his assault with a powerful snap kick to the boy's chin. Ron went flying back, dazed and barely aware as his body hit the ground.
Everybody's trying to break your spirit
Keeping you down
"An admirable effort Ronald, but there's no way you can win this fight," Monkey Fist said condescendingly to the body lying in the dirt. "I am a master of Monkey Kung Fu and you, sadly, are only human."
Seems like it's been forever
Ron whimpered and groaned with the pain of defeat and he curled around himself tightly, wallowing in his own misery. He just wasn't strong enough. He wasn't good enough. He never was. Never will be.
Monkey Fist raised the Lotus Blade, prepared to deliver the final, killing stroke. "And so it ends."
But there's another voice if you'll just hear it
Saying it's the last round
"I'm so sorry, Kim," Ron whispered as he closed his eyes to the sight of his foe standing over him triumphantly.
Don't you dare give up, Ron! Kim's voice echoed from deep inside of him.
Kim? How? Ron wondered.
Never mind that! Get up! Kim's voice ordered.
Looks like it's now or never
Kim had believed in him when he was plagued with doubts before leaving to face Monkey Fist.
Master Sensei had faith in him when Monkey Fist had first stolen the Lotus Blade.
Ranma had told him that he'd need to use everything he had learned to win this fight.
And no matter what, no matter the cost, he could not let Monkey Fist win this fight. He sealed his pain, his doubts and his burning rage away and let himself vanish.
Out of the darkness you stumble into the light
Fighting for the things you know are right
Monkey Fist looked down in shock at the Lotus Blade biting deeply into the ground. No blood. No boy. Nothing. He snarled in frustration as he scanned the surrounding area in search of his prey.
"Come, come, Ronald. Why prolong the inevitable? We both know how this fight is going to turn out," Monkey Fist called out as he stretched his senses to determine what ninja trick Ron had used to escape his fate.
"Yeah, I'm going to kick your ass," Ron's voice, dripping with ice, came from the thin air.
Dare - dare to believe you can survive
The power is there at your command
Monkey Fist let out a pained cry as he felt a double row of blows rapidly strike his back, from shoulders to heels, driving him to his knees. He whipped the Lotus Blade around, swinging wildly in hopes of scoring some hit on his enemy.
"What's the matter, Monty?" Ron's voice taunted again from thin air. "Monkey Master feeling out of his league?"
Monkey Fist whirled around, slashing wildly and again connecting with nothing.
"Come out and fight me like a man," Monkey Fist demanded as he swung the sword back and forth.
"Like you had Kim fight me," Ron retorted coldly. "I'm finishing this tonight."
"You don't have the strength," Monkey Fist snarled.
"Maybe not," Ron agreed as his image slowly took shape several feet in front of the Monkey Master. "But I'm going to make sure that you pay for what you did to Kim. For what you did to Yamanochi."
Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive
It's time to take a stand
"Bring it on," Monkey Fist sneered.
"Age before beauty," Ron quipped as he held out his hand and beckoned Monkey Fist forward with his fingers.
"Fine!" Monkey Fist snarled as he leapt forward, slashing with the Lotus Blade for all he was worth.
Ron had an enigmatic smile plastered across his face as he dodged the attacks and responded with a few hits of his own.
And you can win, if you dare
"Say, notice that breeze? Refreshing isn't it?" Ron suddenly asked with a cocky tilt of his head as he continued to expertly defend himself from Monkey Fist's attacks.
"Gyahk!" Monkey Fist yelped in shock as he looked down to see himself wearing nothing except his boxer shorts. Ron flipped away from his opponent and pulled a bundle out from behind his back.
"Welcome to my world," Ron said with a broad grin and a fist planted jauntily on his hip and the other holding up a bundle of black cloth.
"Give those back!" Monkey Fist demanded as he tried covering himself up.
"Give what back?" Ron asked with exaggerated innocence as he casually tossed the stolen clothing back over his shoulder.
Monkey Fist rushed forward, hoping to catch the boy unawares, but Ron merely leaned to the side and stuck his foot out while looking away and whistling. Monkey Fist tripped over the extended foot and found himself sprawled in the dirt. He growled in murderous rage as he spat out a mouthful of dust and sprang back to his feet.
Dare - dare to believe you can survive
You hold the future in your hand
"Whoops, looks like someone forgot to shave their back this morning. Guess that came with the monkey DNA," Ron mocked, his grin growing broader. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Mystical Monkey Talisman, dangling it from his fingertips like a prize. Monkey Fist let out a gasp of shock as his hands flew to his neck only to find nothing.
"And looky what I got here. Can you believe someone just left this lying around some monkey's neck? I mean where are the values these days?"
"No! The Mystical Monkey Talisman is MINE!" Monkey Fist howled.
Ron merely looked at him curiously. "Well, if it's yours, then what the heck am I doing with it?"
Monkey Fist fumed at the levity his opponent. With an angry howl the mutant monkey master leapt to the attack. If there was one thing he couldn't stand for it was being mocked. He suffered that from no one, not even from his one time servant Bates.
Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive
The power is there at your command
"And something else suddenly occurs to me," Ron mused offhandedly as he continued to dodge Monkey Fist's attacks with almost contemptuous ease.
"And what is that?" Monkey Fist growled from behind gritted teeth as he struggled to land a blow on his foe.
"Now you've had 'radical genetic surgery,' right?" Ron asked as he kept his distance from his foe and making quotes in the air with his fingers.
"That's right," Monkey Fist growled as he stabbed the Lotus Blade forward, shifting its form from sword to spear only to see Ron duck and bend under the stab like a limbo champion.
"So that makes you more monkey like?" Ron continued to ask calmly as Monkey Fist .
"Yes, it does. Which is the very reason why you can't win," Monkey Fist gloated as he spun shifting the Lotus blade back into a sword and sliced through the air.
"So I guess that explains the tiny willie then," Ron said with a smug grin as he avoided the slash with inches to spare.
Monkey Fist drew himself up in shock as his enemy's words sank in. "I DO NOT HAVE A SMALL WILLIE!" Monkey Fist roared indignantly.
"But you admitted that you're more monkey like," Ron said calmly. "And I heard that it's scientific fact that monkeys had small willies."
"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!" Monkey Fist shouted back as he leapt back to attack.
"Hmm, so I guess it must be an English thing then," Ron said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Monkey Fist howled as he charged forward in frenzied attack.
Dare - dare to keep all your love alive
Dare to be all you can be
"Oops. Too bad. So close. Come on. Put your back into it. Aw, you're not even trying now," Ron kept up a running line of taunts as he dodged all of Monkey Fist's slashes and stabs with an easy, confident grace. As Monkey Fist continued to fail to connect his rage continued to grow.
"Hold still!" Monkey Fist finally demanded.
"Well, I would, but you're going on a trip now," Ron quipped as he gathered himself.
"Huh?" Monkey Fist said uncomprehendingly.
Dare - 'cause there is a place where dreams survive
And it's calling you on to victory
"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!" Ron roared as he executed the final move triggering the ki tornado. The swirling mass of air swept Monkey Fist off the ground and sent him high into the sky.
"NO!" Monkey Fist howled as he futilely struggled against the grip of the tornado. The forces of the ki tornado tore the Lotus Blade from his grasp and carried him well over the peak of the mountain.
Ron fell to one knee and released the roiling surge of emotions that he had to suppress in order to form the Hiryu Shotenha, the feelings of despair and emptiness that filled him ever since he could only watch helplessly as Kim fell beyond his reach. Nothing else mattered.
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!" Ron roared as he fired his ki-blast into the heart of the ki tornado, turning it into a flaming pillar of light.
Ron watched in satisfaction as the very apex of the Hiryu Shoten Ha exploded in a giant flash of light that stretched across the sky.
Dare
The Lotus Blade thudded into the ground beside Ron as he sank to his knees, completely drained of his emotions and power. There was only one more thing left to do.
Ron's faltering hands grasped the Mystical Monkey Talisman and his fingers traced over the engraved monkey image.
Change everyone BACK! he ordered and a surge of magical power rushed out of him and exploded in a wave of red energy that quickly swept through the grounds of Yamanochi. Ron staggered briefly, suddenly weakened and fell heavily to his knees. He could see several people make their way towards him from the monastery as his eyes began to sag shut.
"For you KP," Ron whispered as his consciousness fled and he crumpled to the ground. Maybe he was imagining things, but he could've sworn he'd heard Kim's voice calling to him.
Dare
---
An ocean away, deep in the heart of the Quanjing region of China, the heir to an ancient tradition stared pensively across the miles where the massive surge of ki and magical energy heralded the sign that he had begun to think and hope would never come. The Dragon avatar brushed aside the stray strands of his tri-colored hair that the evening breeze blew into his face.
:So it's finally happened then:, Prince Herb muttered as his fingers tightened on the balcony rail and he recalled the words he was taught from his cradle, words that were laid down by the very first of his lineage.
:When the soaring dragon carries the heart of sorrow to the heavens, know then that the time of Strife has arrived. Make haste and gather the guardians and journey to the seal of ShangDi. The way shall be fraught with peril, but be warned that should you fail in this task, it will take a sacrifice of noble blood to banish the coming Darkness.:
Herb bowed his head and let his ki rise up around him. As he submerged himself within his ki, his body was carried aloft by virtue of his dragon blood. There within his power he found the common thread that bound him to the other avatars. Each of them resonated with their own power, whether it had been realized or not, and all were alive and well. But as his mind traveled the paths of power he found yet another avatar, one not of the Twelve, one whose soul had been touched by the Darkness. One whose appointed task was to bar the way to ShangDi's seal and eliminate himself and the other guardians.
Slowly, Herb let the power recede and he felt his feet touch the paving stones of the balcony.
:Lime! Mint!: he snapped imperiously as he left his contemplative stance by the window.
:Yes, Master Herb,: the two Musk retainers bowed dutifully as they entered the Prince's presence.
Lime, the elder retainer, child of the tigers with a strength that was nearly unsurpassed by any within the Musk; Mint, child of the wolves with a speed that defied imagination; both represented the success and failure of the Musk. Success in that they were superior to almost any mortal martial artists, but failures in that they two were not the avatars of the Tiger or Dog.
:Pack your things. We are going on a trip,: Herb informed them as he pulled his traveling cloak from his wardrobe.
The eyes of the two young Musk warriors lit up in anticipation. :Master Herb?: Lime began hopefully.
:What is it?: Herb snapped impatiently, having expected his two servants to have carried out his order by now.
:Does this mean we'll get to see breasts again?: Mint nodded in emphatic agreement with his elder companion.
:Idiots!: Herb growled as he dismissed the two Musk warriors and began his own preparations for the journey.
---
A line of Buddhist monks slowly wound their way down from shrine on Mt. Niri, the strange flash of light they had witnessed hours ago over the peak Yamanochi weighing heavily on their minds. That it was an omen they had no doubt, but they couldn't determine what the omen signified.
Master Abbot! Master Abbot! one of the young monks suddenly cried out, bringing the procession to a halt.
What is it? the Master Abbot of the Niri monastery asked.
Look! the young acolyte pointed to a mass of shrubbery about a hundred feet from the trail.
The Master Abbot squinted and could vaguely make out what appeared to be a nearly naked person sprawled over the low bushes. Quickly, the abbot and his monks made their way to the distressed traveler. Carefully, they eased the person onto his back and drew back in shock.
The unconscious person moaned briefly in pain and the gathered monks muttered among themselves at his injuries. The man had been badly burned and appeared severely bruised, but what set the monks to wondering was the fact that the man had monkey hands and feet.
Next: End of the Beginning
A/N: Thanks for Reading and Reviewing!
There are still some weird things going on with the site's code that keep deleting characters that I've been using to indicate changes in scene and languages. Annoying really. sigh
Sorry to take so long to get this together, but sequences of the fight just wouldn't come together and the holidays are a rough time to get any writing done. Also, sorry that you don't find out what happened to Kim this time around, but that's for next chapter. Where much of this story arc will be tied off and more revealed.
As for how Ron mustered up the power to finally beat Monkey Fist when he was up on the ropes, well, that'll also be explained later, though much later.
Herb, Lime and Mint are from Ranma ½ in the US release of the Viz graphic novels 22 and 23.
Ron used the Umisen to steal the clothes off of Monkey Fist's back during their fight. The Umisen is detailed in the US release of Ranma ½ volume 26.
Monkey Fist will also return in the next story arc. Couldn't get rid of him in an explosion. I've got something better planned for him.
Also I have no idea where Yamanochi would be in relation to the other mountains of Japan, so I plunked it down around Niri. Though come to think of it, I have no idea where Niri is in relation to Tokyo. I just like Niri from its mention in Highlander 3.
The song is 'Dare' by Stan Bush and so sorry if it doesn't quite seem to mesh with the fight sequences, first time trying to integrate a song into a fic and all.