If you saw it on KP, Disney owns it.
Many thanks to everyone for reading. Special thanks to warprince 2000, charizardag, mattb3671, ron-sama, campy, dante hunter, and demonkiller1234 for their reviews.
I.
Finals loomed ever larger as the school year neared its end. Ron struggled as he began preparing for his exams, paying a price for months of deferred reading and indulgent gaming, but drew encouragement and strength from Kim, who studied with him every day and patiently tutored him.
There was one point when Ron, preparing for his trigonometry test, felt he was ready for a nervous breakdown. He began panicking, mumbling, "I am not a cosine!" repeatedly and was all but ready to give up.
Kim took his math book and put it down. She then took her book, placed it in her lap, and sat in the lotus position. Her eyes closed, she said, "Ron, you must be at one with the math book. Make it your friend."
It took Ron a moment, but he recalled Home Economics with Kim, and looking at her through narrowed eyes asked, "Are you mocking me, KP?"
"Maybe," she replied. "Or maybe I'm trying to remind you of some good advice you once gave me. Remember the blender? It was so out of control until you helped me tame it."
Ron smiled, then laughed, his tension draining away. Soon enough the crisis was averted and Ron was ready to try tackling trig once again.
From the outset, Kim and Ron sensed that they had something special. Twelve years of friendship, adventure, and shared lives led to emotions being expressed in new and exciting ways. During these weeks Kim and Ron began to experience the joy of being boyfriend and girlfriend while still being best friends, that goofing around and holding hands, bad jokes and love notes, laughing and kissing, ragging on one another and confiding in each other went together. The initial awkwardness had passed, but the excitement remained and even seemed to grow. Kim and Ron's romance blossomed. And life continued in Middleton.
The Tuesday morning after Ron and Kim's appearance on the Middleton Evening News, Mr. Stoppable engaged an attorney to secure Ron a copyright for the "Naked Mole Rap" and to provide for the responsible collection of any royalties the song earned; there would not be a repeat of the Naco riches incident. When Ron learned of this, he didn't know whether he should be grateful for his father's foresight, angry that he was only told after the fact, or both.
Also on that day Bonnie and Brick officially broke up.
That Wednesday, Josh Mankey asked Monique on a date. She recalled how Josh had cheered on Ron two days before and was impressed. She accepted.
On Thursday, the Pixies, under Steve Barkin's leadership, completed their Pixie Muffin sales drive, setting a new record in the process. Barkin wept with joy. The pixies agreed not to tell anyone.
And Bonnie and Brick got back together.
On Friday, the staff at the Space Center was called together to be informed that the Director had been fired as a result of the fallout from the Hephaestus Project. Rumors of major changes began to swirl around the Center.
And then two bombshells went off.
II.
"Are you sure?" Will Du asked.
"Affirmative, sir. Drakken's hovercar has been detected en route by GJ-3 and GJ-7." Du nodded. GJ-3 and GJ-7 were part of the network of Global Justice spy satellites, so powerful they were capable of reading a newspaper from high earth orbit.
The highly cocky but highly competent agent strode from the Operations Center to Dr. Director's office to report the news to his superior. He knew they had to act quickly.
"We should probably inform Possible," he said.
As Dr. Director knew that Will and Kim did not exactly have the smoothest working relationship, his suggestion piqued her curiosity. She cocked an eyebrow.
"She's going to find out anyway. That computer whiz she works with is probably hacking into our computers as we speak," he explained.
Dr. Director smiled; someday she would get Wade onto her payroll. She spoke Kim Possible's name into the voice-activated phone, which secured a connection to the Kimmunicator.
Betty Director noted Kim's surprise at seeing the head of Global Justice and not Wade when she answered the call. Director explained the situation.
"Do you need us to help?" Kim asked.
"No, not this time, Kim," she answered. "We're going to take Drakken into custody. I think we can handle this one. You and Ron deserve a break. Would you like us to let you know when we've got him?"
"Please and thank you," Kim replied.
"By the way, that was nice work you two did with Motor Ed," the older woman offered
"Thanks, Dr. Director. And good luck." Kim ended the call.
Betty Director looked at Du and said, "Okay, Will. Confirm the target's location and scramble the hoverjets. I want this done quickly, neatly, and quietly."
Du and his team left GJ headquarters and soon engaged their quarry. The GJ aircraft had pursued Drakken's hovercar into a canyon. Will Du, in the lead jet, used the magnification feature of his view-screen to zoom-in on the target; the craft's operator was clearly Drakken, and he was shaking his fist at his pursuers. His anger at being captured twice in less than two weeks was readily apparent and quite understandable, if not something with which the GJ operative sympathized.
The GJ hoverjets ordered Drakken to land. His response was to try to escape. Drakken jinked the hovercar left and right, trying to slip back past the larger craft which would have less room for maneuver in the narrow confines of the canyon. He failed. The hovercar clipped the wing of a GJ jet, then hit the escarpment. Drakken lost control, and crashed to the rocky floor below. Upon impact, the hovercar exploded into a huge fireball. All that was left of vehicle or driver were a few smoking, charred remains.
Du had the pilot land his aircraft. He approached the wreckage, pulled out a DNA scanner and confirmed the deceased's identity. Dr. Drakken was dead.
At least we won't have to worry about another jailbreak, Du mused grimly.
III.
Finals were now just around the corner. Kim and Ron had agreed that between now and the end of exams they would concentrate solely on their studies and missions that arose. Movies, dates, and other fun could wait for their summer break; right now, they both wanted to get Ron over the finish line.
Ron had been making progress, thanks to Kim. During one of their study breaks, she had mentioned something about the Club Banana sale, which he seemed to ignore. She didn't believe him when he said he was listening. To prove he was, Ron repeated her words, verbatim. Kim then had the breakthrough inspiration: she began reading equations and solutions; he was able to repeat them, verbatim. Knowing the equations was half the battle, now Ron could focus on understanding them. Kim marveled at Ron's bizarre Kim-centric form of eidetic memory. You're weird, she thought, but maybe that's why I like you so much!
It was a Sunday and Ron and Rufus were packing Ron's book bag for a study session with Kim when the phone rang. He heard his dad answer, and then he heard his father ask his mother to pick up the other line. Ron assumed that one of the relatives had called; he shuddered as he contemplated the prospect of a visit from Cousin Shawn. Shaking off that unpleasant thought, he picked up his cell phone, called Kim to tell her that he was on his way over, and headed downstairs. He was now looking forward to studying with Kim, not only because he enjoyed nothing more than being with her, but because he actually felt he was making progress. The memory drills had helped enough that he was developing the confidence to try math problems unassisted. He made to wave at his dad before he left, but stopped when his father cupped his hand over the phone and raised his index finger, indicating he wanted Ron to wait.
"No, this is wonderful. Thank you very much. I know he'll be very excited. Good bye." Mr. Stoppable said before he put the phone down on the coffee table. Mrs. Stoppable joined them in the room, wearing a big smile.
"We're very proud of you, Ronnie," his mother said.
"Uh, thanks. What did I do?" Ron asked, confused.
"That was Sensei, from the Yamanuchi School," his father replied.
Ron's eyes opened wide. "Sensei. Called here? Why?" I hope everything is okay there,he thought.
"He was calling to invite you to study at the school for a month this summer. A spot just opened up," Ron's father explained "They were so impressed with what you did during your previous visit that they offered an all expenses paid scholarship"
"A month? In Japan?" Ron stammered.
"Yes, beginning at the end of June," Ron's father said brightly. "We accepted for you. This will be a wonderful experience for you."
"But, but, Kim and I …" Ron sputtered.
"Ron," his mother said, "she'll be here when you get back. Besides, some time apart might do you two good."
"Time apart? What are you talking about? We don't need time apart. Do you realize that I'm doing so much better in school right now that Mr. Barkin actually smiles at me! And you know why I'm doing better: three letters: K-I-M." Ron was waving his arms. Then, crossing them over this chest, he said firmly, "I'm not going."
"Ron," his father said, "we thought you'd be excited. You told us how much you enjoyed learning about Japanese culture when you were an exchange student."
What Ron wanted to say was, "Hey Dad, Mom, actually, I spent a week learning how to use my mystical monkey powers to fight monkey ninjas and retrieve a magic sword. You really want me going there?" Instead, he said sounding annoyed, "Dad, Mom, I'm not a kid. You just make decisions for me. You always do things like this."
"Ron," his father said evenly, "We do not treat you like a kid. If we did, we wouldn't let you go gallivanting all over the world with Kim …"
Ron bristled at this; to him 'gallivanting' sounded condescending, dismissive of what he and Kim did.
"… But you are still our son. And until you are eighteen, we can make major life decisions for you that are in your best interest. Someday, you'll appreciate this …"
Ron didn't hear his father's assertion. He'd already stormed out the front door.
IV.
Kim and Ron were sitting on her bed. She had her arm around his shoulder as he sat hunched over fuming.
"This is going to be like Wannaweep with raw fish," he grumbled. "I don't want to go to Japan."
Kim was as unhappy as Ron was about the idea of him going to Japan for four weeks. A month apart from Ron was depressing. In fact, the last time they'd been apart that long was the summer he went to sleep away camp; she had missed him every day, and they were just kids then. She didn't even want to think about what it would be like to be separated from him now. But while Kim was angry with the way Ron's parents had made this decision for him, she reluctantly agreed: this was too good an opportunity to pass up, though for reasons Ron's parents would never fathom. A month of ninja training would be invaluable.
She took his hand. "Ron, I don't want you to go to Japan either. I was so looking forward to our summer vacation together." Kim and Ron had already talked about their plans and discussed them with their parents. During the days she was going to be a student researcher at the Middleton Medical Center and he was going to attend summer school. They'd have evenings and weekends together. As a special present to themselves, they would each have a full week off at the start and end of the break to spend together. Now for a full four weeks they'd be separated by 6,000 miles. "But maybe you should go."
Ron glowered at Kim.
"No, Ron, listen, please. Remember what you did when we dealt with Motor Ed? You were awesome. I was so proud of you. But Ron, imagine what more you could do with additional training." Kim couldn't believe she was actually encouraging him to go. To spend a month training with Yori. When Kim first met the beautiful ninja student, she found herself jelling. But after a month of dating Ron, she was secure in their relationship, and felt she had nothing to worry about from Yori or any other ninja woman.
"Well …" Ron said unenthusiastically.
"Besides, it will look great on your transcript when you apply to college next year. Didn't Mr. Barkin say extracurriculars and unique experiences would help?
"I don't know, Kim …" he said, unconvinced.
"And maybe when you're there you could get me a short little kimono," she said with a blush and a giggle. Ron stared at her for a moment, then said something that sounded like "eep." Kim and Ron had always been "good" kids, while they enjoyed kissing and hugging, they were still getting used to really talking saucily with one another. Kim kissed Ron gently on the lips, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll be here when you get back, I promise."
V.
Ron wasn't the only one in the Tri-City area with summer travel plans. A strikingly attractive woman with short raven black hair boarded a flight for Morocco that afternoon. She had paid for her ticket, and new identity papers, with the proceeds that came from the sale to Jack Hench of what remained of her erstwhile partner's stock of inventions, devices, and other take-over-the-world paraphernalia. Even though the CEO of Henchco insisted on taking part of the stock as payment for prior unpaid-for orders and offered to pay only 50 percent of the retail value for the rest, the seller still cleared a profit in the high seven figures. And if her plot continued to unfold as planned, that would be small change in comparison to the funds that would be available to her in the not-too-distant future.
VI.
Kim aced her finals, natch, and Ron did better than survive, pulling no grade lower than a B, though he had to redo the math test in front of his teacher since she was convinced he'd cheated. Fooled once by Project Phoebus and all that …
The two teens enjoyed their week of vacation, picnicking at Lake Middleton, going to the movies (though if asked, neither could have told you what they saw, since they were otherwise occupied during the film) and just hanging out together. The night before Ron was scheduled to leave, he made Risotto Kimberly. This time, there were no interruptions. After dinner, Kim and Ron surprised each other with gifts. Ron insisted Kim open his first. It was a picture from the Prom of the two of them, embracing as they danced.
Kim laughed, then said "Open yours."
Not receiving the reaction he expected, Ron balked, "Hey, don't you want to know where I got that picture?"
"Yearbook editor?" she suggested knowingly.
Suspicious, Ron tore the wrapping paper from his present to find the identical picture. Now it was his turn to laugh.
The next day Kim and Rufus joined Ron's parents as they brought him to the airport. Sensei had sent a message to Ron, informing him that Rufus should not come on the trip due to the nature of Ron's program. Rufus was sad, but he looked forward to staying with Kim and the twins for a month. Sensei had also warned Ron that he would be incommunicado while he was in Japan; it was with great difficulty that Kim and Ron accepted that not communicating with the outside world was part of ninja training. They had both expected to talk daily on the Kimmunicator. Thanks to Sensei's instruction, they would truly be apart.
Despite Ron's protests, his father had insisted on arriving four hours before departure. It was an international flight, after all. Ron said goodbye to his parents, who decided it would be best to leave their son alone with his girlfriend. Kim and Ron sat in the terminal, holding hands and talking. Finally, the time had come for Ron to go through security.
Kim gulped; she was afraid she was about to cry. "So, you have a good trip. Kick some ninja butt for me, will you?"
Ron was also fidgety. "Hey, you can count on it, KP. Badical ninja butt kicking coming right up."
They sat silently, looking into one another's eyes. "I, I've got a surprise for you," Kim said. She reached down, unzipped a canvas bag and began to withdraw a second bag, this one plastic. For hours Ron had been wondering what Kim had been carrying. "I know how bad airplane food can be so I made you some homemade nacos!" Kim said, beaming with pride. "I hope you like them!"
"KP, I'm sure I'll love them," he replied, giving her a hug and thinking, What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. Or leaves us with a very, very crummy tummy.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah, really," he said smiling bravely.
At this point, Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket, where he'd sat quietly all this time. He ran up Ron's shoulder and gave him a hug. "Bye bye," he squeaked.
"Bye bye, little mole rat," Ron replied. "You take care of KP while I'm away, hear?" Rufus nodded, and leapt into Kim's now empty bag.
It was time for Ron to go to his plane. Ron took Kim in his arms. They held their embrace, then pulled apart slightly, looking at one another. It was like the Prom all over again, a moment when they were alone in the world. They smiled, then kissed. Finally, reluctantly, Ron went through security, with a carry-on duffle and his bag of home-made Nacos. He turned and waved at Kim who waved in return. He looked at her for two long minutes, then headed to the gate, frequently turning back to catch a glimpse of her. Kim didn't move, watching as Ron walked towards his plane, until he was lost in the crowd of travelers and had disappeared from view.
VII.
Coincidentally, as Kim and Ron were saying their farewells, a jet inbound from Morocco landed at Middleton International Airport. Among its passengers were tourists, business people, and one raven haired woman sitting in first class who was returning from a very productive trip to Rabat.
As the aircraft taxied to the terminal, she looked out the window, reviewing her trip. The meeting with Big Daddy Brotherson had been very productive. She entertained him with choice riddles; a few very competitive rounds of rock, paper, scissors; and a large bar of milk chocolate with nougats. In return, he provided her with the information she needed to implement her plan.
VIII.
Ron arrived in Tokyo with his duffle, an empty plastic bag and a very upset stomach. The flight attendants had been very sympathetic when he explained why he was eating food that was clearly making him ill. Ron walked into the terminal expecting to be met by Yori; instead, a stranger with a very impressive head of hair was waiting for him.
"Stoppable-san, I am Hirotaka. Welcome to Japan," the handsome young man said as he extended his hand.
Ron shook Hirotaka's hand, replying, "Hey, nice to meet you, dude." Ron looked at the ninja for a moment. The name was familiar, and he felt he should know the hair. Then he knew why. He'd heard about this guy. "Hey, you were in Middleton when I was here last year!"
"Yes, I was," he acknowledged. "It was a most enjoyable experience. I had a chance to try a chi-ma-ri-to, I believe it was called."
Hey, if he liked Bueno Nacho, he must be alright, thought Ron.
Hirotaka took him to the familiar bus, which he knew would take them to the base of a mountain. Ron was glad he'd traveled light this time.
Some time, and many miles, later they arrived at the Yamanuchi School. Ron was greeted by many familiar faces, though he did not see Yori among them. After a while, Sensei approached Ron, and asked him to sit with him on the bench in the middle of the courtyard.
Ron wanted to ask the old master about Yori, but sensed that he should let his teacher guide the conversation.
"You have probably wondered why you were called here, Stoppable-san," Sensei said.
"Well, yeah, I did," Ron offered. "At first, I kind of assumed that one of the guys fell behind on his ninja tuition and you had a spot to fill. But it occurred to me that you wouldn't turn around and fill the space with a scholarship student …"
"You are thinking things through, Stoppable-san. That is very good. As were your exploits at the Tri-City Convention Center."
"You know about that?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Yes. We know all about that," he said. "And your relationship with Kim Possible."
Ron was stunned. He thought Wade was the only one brazen enough to microchip him. And he insisted that the tracker be deactivated once he and Kim began dating. He wanted to protect their privacy. "Uh, Sensei, are you spying on me?"
"No, Stoppable-san, merely following news reports. Modern technology makes it very easy to do, you know." Ron calmed down a bit and Sensei continued. "You must understand. You have mystical monkey power. You can control the Lotus Blade. Your activities are of great concern to Yamanuchi."
Ron grudgingly conceded that Sensei had a point.
"I was most impressed with how you took control of the speeding truck," Sensei continued. "That took great confidence. You were using your gifts. That was the sign to me that you were ready for the next stage of training."
"O-kaay," Ron said, still puzzled. "But you mentioned Kim. Where does she fit into this?"
"I only mention her because of Yori." Now Ron was confused. Sensei noticed this, and began to explain.
"Yori is very fond of you, Stoppable-san. She wanted your friendship to become something more. She was heartbroken when she learned about you and Possible-san. But she was also happy for you, because she could see that you and Possible-san had a special bond."
"Are we that obvious?" Ron asked.
"An ancient proverb says: We are so hot, we are on fire." Ron was shocked; he'd never thought of Sensei as one for jokes. Yet the old master sat there, smiling.
"Be patient, Stoppable-san. When she is ready, Yori will talk with you." Sensei got up, looked at Ron and said. "Good night, Stoppable-san. Sleep well. Your training will begin at three in the morning."
"Three!" Ron exclaimed. "I thought we got up at four!"
"You will be on a special regimen."
IX.
Bonnie Rockwaller was lying on her bed, painting her toe-nails and talking to one of her posse, when her mother called up to her to say she had a visitor. "I'll be down in a minute," Bonnie groaned, as she got off the phone and finished her nails. It was probably stupid Brick trying to make up again. The big oaf could wait.
Bonnie walked down the stairs, affecting her usual air of indifferent superiority. But she couldn't help but be interested when a beautiful, impeccably dressed woman rose from the couch to introduce herself. Bonnie would have killed for those clothes. And her hair. Even the glasses. This was easily the most stylish woman Bonnie had ever seen. She wondered what was she doing in her living room.
"Hello, Miss Rockwaller, I'm Ella Va. I hope you'll forgive me for stopping by unannounced and interrupting your day."
Something told Bonnie that she should shift into charming-mode. "Oh, don't be silly. Please sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"
Ella declined, then said, "I'm sure you are wondering who I am and why I'm here." Ella reached into her small purse and pulled out a business card and portfolio, which she handed to Bonnie. "I own a very exclusive European modeling agency. We're based in San Tropez. We don't use supermodels; instead, we find beautiful women who are, well, real people. I want you to become one of our models."
Bonnie just stared at Ella. "Me? You want me to be a model? But why? I mean, I know why, I am beautiful, after all. But how did you find me?"
"I was traveling in the Tri-City area when I saw you on the news. It was just for a moment. But I knew then that I would have to find you." Ella smiled. "We offer a comprehensive training program, and will provide you with a new wardrobe. You'll get to travel, too. Do you think you might be interested?"
Bonnie practically screamed with delight. Lonnie and Connie would be so jealous. "Of course I'm interested. I'll just have to check with my parents first. But yes, this would be so cool."
"Excellent!" Ella said. She paused for a moment, then asked, "By the way. That news story. It was about a rapper and his girlfriend, wasn't it?" Bonnie began to seethe. Even now, when something good was happening to her, Kim and Ron were about to rain on her parade.
Unable to help scowling, Bonnie answered, "Yes. Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible. Are you going to ask them to model, too?" she asked glumly.
Ella laughed. "Oh dear, no. I was just curious. To be honest, the redhead was just so plain; I could never see her being a successful model. The looks just aren't there. And I don't do male models. Besides, that boy? Well, if he's with her, and not you, he must be a fool."
Bonnie beamed while Ella, formerly known as Shego, thought Dr. D, you were right about those magazines being the key to unlocking the teen psyche. I've got this cheerleader. Hook. Line. Sinker.
X.
Kim was busy from the moment she returned from wishing Ron farewell at the airport. Her family and friends saw to that; they all knew she began missing her boyfriend the moment he boarded his plane. Monique insisted on shopping, gabbing, and hanging out. Her brothers teamed up with Wade and insisted that she help them work on a virtual reality fight simulator that she and Ron could use to train for missions. Her father, who seemed distracted these days, would take her up to the deck and regale her with stories of his mother's exploits. And her mother made sure she plunged fully into her internship at the Middleton Medical Center.
Kim's program was designed to expose her to all of the hospital's departments, giving her the chance to meet with and observe specialists in different fields. She gave it her all, knowing that she was enjoying a special opportunity on account of the high regard in which her mother was held by her colleagues.
Given her brief and ugly experience as a soccer coach, everybody, Kim most of all, was surprised to learn that her favorite department and the one for which she was most suited was pediatrics. It turned out that she was very good with children as long as they weren't engaged in an activity that involved scoring. She would sit with sick girls and boys, holding their hands, telling them stories, even letting them know that she still slept with a stuffed animal. When her mother and the other doctors decided she should spend the remaining three weeks in pediatrics Kim's first reaction was to smile, thinking of Ron and how surprised and proud he would be when he told her. But the happiness was immediately followed by a deep loneliness. She missed him terribly. It amazed her how the absence of one person could make her feel this way, when she had such wonderful family and friends surrounding her.
That evening, after dinner, she went to her room and closed the door behind her. She took out the picture Ron gave her. Looking at it brought back so many fond memories. And it began to prompt dreams of the future. She was lost in her thoughts when she heard a banging on her door. She was getting up when her brothers and Rufus burst in.
"Hey, big sis is moping …" Tim said.
Jim continued, " … she's missing her booooyfriend."
"Knock it off, tweebs." She said, annoyed with them and feeling sorry for herself. Then she felt Rufus tugging at her pants; he was pointing to the door.
"Extreme sappiness requires extreme measures …" Jim said.
"You're coming with us," Tim ordered.
Realizing that she wouldn't be left alone, she followed the boys down to the family room and saw her parents were obviously waiting for them. They made her sit down.
"Okay Dad, hit it!" James popped a DVD into the player and turned on the television. After a moment, Ron appeared.
"KP," he said, "if you're watching this, your brothers have decided that you need a little Ron-shine! Hit it Rufus!"
At that, Rufus walked to the center of the room. Ron's image faded from view, to be replaced with a new one, which Kim recognized immediately: Ron, on American Starmaker, singing the "Naked Mole Rap." And there was Rufus in front of her, dancing live. She started giggling, then laughing, then began swaying to the music, reflecting on how Ron was such a goof sometimes. She couldn't believe he had actually performed this on live TV.
Mr. and Mrs. Possible noticed how their daughter stopped laughing and sighed when Ron sang about his "best friend, Kim Possible" and how "I've got your back, KP."
The video ended and everyone clapped as Rufus took his bows. Kim looked at her family. "Thanks. You guys rock."
And then the Kimmunicator began to chirp.
XI.
While Kim was discovering her gifts with children and missing Ron, Ron was missing Kim – and enduring the most demanding physical activity of his life. He was convinced that Sensei was training him for the Japanese version of the Marine Corps. Every day Ron was up at three in the morning, to begin 21 hours of training in the martial arts. He was learning self-defense, weapons use, and positions of attack. He went running and exercised muscles he never knew he had. Of his waking hours, he was allotted three hours for study (Ron still had his summer school assignments) and just fifteen minutes for breakfast and lunch each, and thirty minutes for dinner. The first days were grueling, but somehow Ron adjusted to the pace.
It was during those breaks that he got to know Hirotaka a bit better, providing him with a fuller picture of Bonnie, something he felt he had to do when the young ninja with the great hair referred to Bonnie as his "Number one girlfriend in Middleton." Ron suggested off-handedly that if Hirotaka wanted to date a real winner, he might look closer to home, at say, Yori. They also talked motor cycles and scooters. Hirotaka took evident pleasure in Ron's reaction to his description of his wheels and Ron was pleased when Hirotaka praised his handling of the scooter at the Convention Center, though Ron was taken aback; it seemed like that footage had been seen by everyone at the school, not just Sensei and Yori.
Yori had finally approached Ron on his seventh day as he was leaving the dojo for lunch. "Hello, Stoppable-san. It is good to see you."
Ron replied, "It's good to see you, too, Yori."
"You look well," she said politely.
"Uh, thanks," he responded. He was sore, tired, sweaty, and bruised. Without thinking, he said, "Maybe that's because it's been my honor to have the stuffing beaten out of me this morning by ninja-san over there."
Yori smiled, "You and your American-style humor."
Ron was relieved; he seemed to have said the right thing. Yori's expression turned serious, however, and Ron became nervous.
"Stoppable-san, I know that Sensei and you have talked," she said. "There are things that do not need to be repeated. But I want you to know this. I am very happy for you and Possible-san. And I hope that we can continue to be friends." She paused, then finished. "Your friendship means a great deal to me."
Ron replied quietly, "Yori, it would be my honor to continue to call you my friend."
She smiled. "That is most excellent." She began to head into the dojo but stopped, turned and said to Ron, "I am glad we have had this talk, because this afternoon it will be my honor to teach you how to parry a mantis-style kung-fu kick!"
Ron, shocked, looked at Yori, and wondered just how happy she really was about Kim and him.
She could probably kick him all the way to California. She then began to laugh. "Your American-style humor, I am good at it, no?"
XII.
"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim asked.
"Dr. Dementor …"
"Let me guess, the pan-dimensional vortex inducer," she interjected, sounding peeved.
"What else?" Wade said. "At least he's focused. Anyway, Global Justice wanted to know if you'd join them on the retrieval mission …"
"What?" Kim was miffed. "Why wasn't I called first?"
"Uh, the scientists were too embarrassed to call you in a third time," Wade explained. "Actually, I think they hoped you'd never hear about this."
Kim rolled her eyes. "Did GJ say why they wanted me to go?"
"Uh, yeah. No one there has ever seen a vortex induce and the scientists, saying it was top secret, won't give them a picture. GJ needs someone to i.d. it"
Kim could not believe what she was hearing. She, Ron, Drakken, Shego, Dementor, Rabbi Katz, the lobby staff of the Las Vegas Las Vegas hotel and probably half the state of Nevada had seen the vortex inducer – yet nobody at Global Justice could even find an image of it.
"Ok, I'll call Ron …" Kim stopped mid-sentence, remembering that she couldn't call Ron. He was in Japan. Out of contact. She was crestfallen.
Kim's mother came up to her, sensing her daughter's disappointment. "Kim, go on the mission. Ron would want you to."
Kim sighed. "You're right, Mom. Okay, Wade, when will my ride be here?"
"Three minutes." That gave Kim just enough time to change into her mission clothes.
Kim and her family went out front. The GJ hoverjet descended to the front yard, a hatch opened and she and Rufus boarded. Before disappearing into the craft, she turned and waved to her family. Her parents returned the wave, and the boys gave an encouraging cheer. A moment later, she wished she was still with them. Waiting to welcome her on board was Will Du.
"Oy," Kim groaned.
The GJ agent extended his hand. "Kimberly. Welcome aboard. And thank you for agreeing to be my assistant on this mission."
Kim was impressed. Five seconds and Will was already being patronizing. "Partner," she growled. "I don't do 'assist'. If you can't work with that, I'll get off now."
Will eyed Kim dismissively, then said, "Fine. Partner. Call yourself whatever you like. But please remember. This is a GJ operation."
Kim was tempted to tell Will to land right then and there, but thought better of it. She wasn't going to let Will Du get the better of her. Kim was shown her seat.
After she convinced herself that she wouldn't push Will out the hatch, she got up and approached him. "So, is Dementor still using that faux-Greek lair?" she asked.
"No. He's switched to a Tudor-style redoubt," Will said.
"You have so got to be kidding."
"Kimberly. This is GJ. We do not kid here."
"Whatever," she said, trying not to let her exasperation show. "What's your plan for when we get there?"
Will explained what he had in mind. Kim listened and nodded. Will might be arrogant, but he was competent.
They arrived at the redoubt. Will and Kim gained entry to the hideout, evading motion sensors, lasers, fall-away floors, some impressively large henchmen (Kim wondered whether Jack Hench had released an upgrade of his molecular muscle enhancers), and a pool of piranhas, which seemed to be there just for show.
Soon Will and Kim gained entry to the control room at the center of Dementor's lair. It had a very impressive hammer-and-beam roof, which would be fine in a Tudor home, but seemed really weird in that setting. Dementor stood in the center of the room and, seeing his unwelcome visitors, screamed, "Loyal henchmen, get them!"
More goons appeared, and began to assault Kim and Will. One of the goons rushed Kim. She grabbed his arm and used his momentum and weight to thrown him over her shoulder. As she was doing this, Dementor cackled "Ah, I see you've replaced your sidekick!"
"He's not my sidekick, he's my partner," Kim snapped, throwing a punch at another henchman.
"Well what happened to the old one?" Dementor asked.
"What old one?" she replied as she dodged a blow, pivoted and kicked an oncoming attacker.
"The old partner."
"Ron? Nothing. He's still my partner," she answered as she launched into a triple hand-spring which brought her face to face with Dementor.
"Then who's this?" Dementor screamed, pointing at Will, who was fending off two thugs.
"Him? Oh. He's my sidekick," she said cheerfully as she grabbed the pan-dimensional vortex inducer from Dementor's hand.
Rufus popped out of Kim's pocket, and waving at Dementor, said, "Bye bye!"
Kim fired her grappler; the hook wrapped around one of the beams, and she was quickly pulled upwards. She swung towards the wall; timing her approach, she touched the surface with her feet, then pushed off. Arcing back the other way, she grabbed Will, and swooped out of the room.
Kim reflected on the just successfully completed mission as she and a momentarily humbled Will Du returned to the hoverjet. She had the vortex inducer and nobody was hurt. But something was wrong. The whole thing had felt like – going to work. It wasn't fun. She sighed. She missed Ron.
XIII.
James Timothy Possible had worked at the Middleton Space Center ever since he received his doctorate twenty-two years earlier. He took great pride in the rockets he designed, the probes he had launched, the satellites he created. The Space Center had become a beloved part of his life. And yet in just a few short weeks the place he had known and cherished had changed beyond all recognition.
After the L'il Diablo incident the mood darkened. People began to worry about their jobs after the director was fired. Officials from Washington came to ask questions. Funding for research was delayed. And then the appointment of the new director was announced.
James was outraged when he received the email about the selection. The man wasn't even a scientist; he was some sort of lobbyist, a slick PR huckster. The board had claimed that at this time of uncertainty, what was needed was someone who could publicly represent the Space Center, argue its case in Washington, and deal with a public that wondered what other dangerous inventions might be waiting to spring forth from its labs. James thought that was preposterous. He believed that what was needed was a great scientific mind who could reassure the public that the Center was focused on peaceful research that would benefit the world. He had suggested they hire Professor Hinckley, but the board didn't seem interested in what he had to say.
In fact, not many at the Center seemed interested in what he had to say these days. James Possible had become the black sheep, the marked man, a pariah, and it was eating him up inside. As best he could, he hid his feelings from his children. It was at times like this that he was grateful for his wife. She was his rock and he didn't know what he would do without her.
Feeling blue, James left his lab and walked to the auditorium; this was the day the new director would be introduced to his new staff. James settled into a seat, noticing that a lot of people he'd thought were his friends were pointedly avoiding him. He didn't know whether he should be angry or sad. They don't want to give the new boss the wrong idea, he thought. They're so fearful for their jobs. Pathetic.
The chair of the board walked onto stage and began to speak, people applauded politely at all the appropriate moments. He then concluded his remarks by saying, "It is my great pleasure to introduce to you the Space Center's new Director, Mr. Andrew Drake."
People stood and clapped, this time more heartily, as a middle aged man with glasses and a stylishly cut double-breasted suit confidently strode onto the stage. He motioned for the assembled scientists to sit down. Then he began to speak about a new era for the Space Center, a time of new opportunities, new priorities, new funding. James Possible listened attentively. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. And the face. He knew that face. It reminded him of Drew. But it was somehow different. And Drew was dead. Kim had shown him the Global Justice film of the fiery hovercar crash.
Drake finished speaking and the scientists rose from their seats, applauded once again, and began to leave for their labs. James was about to exit the room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Drake. "Dr. Possible, I presume?" the new director asked.
"Yes," James answered. With great difficulty, he worked up some enthusiasm and said, "Welcome to the Space Center, Mr. Drake."
The two men were now looking at one another.
"Thank you. I'm very glad to be here," he replied. "You know, I've got some big ideas. Unfortunately, they don't involve you. You're fired."
TBC …