.
AFTERMATH 9: BOY'S NIGHTMARE OUT
Night on the Town
The darkest and most evil people were not supervillains. That, though, had never been anything the Cheer Squad needed to worry about before, nor had they ever had any intentions of doing so. Only Hirotaka was the exception in this, with a possibility of Fukushima and Yori as well. Aside from them, though, Team Possible was content to go on oblivious to the darker side of humanity.
"Hey Kim, up to a movie tonight?" Ron asked, smiling at his girlfriend from his position on her bed.
Kim, looking through her clothes, said, "Sorry, Ron. Girl's night out. A new teen scene club opened in town. Me, Monique, Amelia, and Yori are gonna check it out. Dinner, dancing, girl talk, you know the drill."
"Oh. O-Okay, cool. Guess I'll just, y'know, hang out at home and game out," Ron replied.
Kim glanced over at him, sympathy in her eyes. "Hey, why don't you go hang out with some of your friends?" she said.
"Like who?" Ron sulked. He had like, zero guy friends.
"I don't know. Felix? Ned? Larry? You and Josh get along pretty well when you give him a chance," Kim offered, pulling as many names as she could out of her head. Wow, Ron really didn't have many male friends.
"Ned's at Robot Rumble, Larry's playing some tabletop RPG with his club, Felix is out of town, and Josh is who cares? Probably swamped with homework," Ron replied. Rufus sighed boredly and chattered in agreement.
"Well, uh, why not…?" Kim began.
Ron's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, Hirotaka and Fukushima! KP, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, taking her arms and grinning widely.
"Um, Ron, I was actually going to suggest Wade," Kim replied. Though now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure Wade was hanging out with Jim and Tim.
"It'll be a guy's night out! It's gonna be the bon diggity bomb! They'll totally love it," Ron excitedly said, racing out.
Kim grimaced a bit. "Oh, I'm sure they'll be ecstatic," she dryly said. She hoped the guys didn't go too hard on him. Sighing, she stripped down and got dressed in her little black dress complete with a purse. She checked her money and phone, then grabbed her keys and headed out.
KP
Kim drove straight to the club. Monique, dressed in red, was waiting outside with Yori, who was clad in blue with a white dressy sweater, and Amelia, who was wearing a salmon minidress. "Hey girl!" Monique greeted as Kim climbed out of her car. Kim grinned and went to meet her three friends.
"We ready to have a good time?" Kim teased.
"Totally," Amelia said, flipping open a compact and touching up her makeup.
"I have never been to a club before," Yori said nervously. Honestly, she looked down on them more than anything and wasn't even particularly inclined to visit this one. "It will be an experience," she added.
"You'll love it, Yor," Kim assured, smiling at her. "It's not like the usual night clubs you see in movies. This one's more geared to teens and young adults. Dry bar. Not a drop of alcohol in the whole place. It has a lot of bouncers and security officers too, so getting in trouble here isn't likely. These people take their jobs seriously."
"That's right girl, and the music is top tier. We're gonna bring the dance floor to life!" Monique exclaimed, driving her fist into the air. She and Kim giggled, leading the way in. Amelia gave Yori a reassuring smile and went after them. Yori let out a breath, breathed deeply in, then followed.
KP
The music was pumping, the dry bar booming, and dancers were everywhere. "Full house!" Kim called over to the other three. Yori, looked very uncomfortable. Pulling out earplugs, she slipped them into her ears.
"Hey, you okay?" Amelia asked, nudging her gently.
"I do not like crowds," Yori nervously replied.
"Don't worry. You'll loosen up once you get used to it," Monique assured, putting an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"Uh oh. Look out girls. Bonnie and Tara at twelve o'clock," Kim said, pointing. The others looked curiously over.
"Mmm, and the night was looking so promising too," Moinque dryly said, crossing her arms.
"I assume we are avoiding them?" Yori asked.
"I mean Tara isn't so bad, but Bonnie? Absolutely," Kim replied.
"Hey, they brought dates," Monique said, grinning and pointing out Josh Mankey and, to Kim's surprise, Senor Senior Junior.
"Senior Junior? Did he fly all the way here just for a date, or is he staying a while?" Kim wondered.
"I mean, it could be fun to join up with them. Bonnie's not all bad all the time. Besides, I hear she and Tara are looking into establishing a sorority house," Monique said.
"Ew. Sorority sisters with Bonnie? I don't think so," Kim replied.
"Hey, big place, cheap rent, spacious rooms, and no strangers. You'd probably even be reunited with most of your old cheer squad. Can't get much better than that," Monique said, nudging her playfully.
"It could be Bonnie free," Kim replied like it was obvious.
"So avoid Bonnie! Get a room on the opposite side of the house. I say we try it out," Monique said.
"I don't think so," Kim replied. "Although..."
"Mmm hmm, you just keep thinkin' on that one girl," Monique said. She looked around, frowning. "Hey, where'd Amelia go?"
"Over there," Yori said, pointing Amelia out at the dry bar.
They looked over just in time to see the woman in question flat-out reject an offer from a potential suitor. Of which there was no shortage. "Ooh, she's in ice-queen mode," Kim said.
"Can you blame her? The number of guys tripping all over themselves to hook up with her is out of this world," Monique said, crossing her arms. "She has got the rejection game down to a T. I say you go girl. Most of the guys here are probably jerks anyway." Just then she caught a glimpse of a young man eyeing her up from the dry bar. He smirked, lifting a glass to her, and she grinned, putting a finger to her bottom lip. "That said, dancing does need to be done. You girls be careful who you hook up with, kay?" she added, casually waving as she headed off.
"Have fun Monique," Kim replied, crossing her arms with a smirk and rolling her eyes.
"What does she mean?" Yori questioned, looking curiously at Kim.
"Well, strange place, unfamiliar people, no idea how classy the crowd is... It's just best to be careful what kind of company we keep, y'know?" Kim said. "I mean, look around. There are guys eying you in particular up on all sides. Novelty value I guess. As far as they're concerned, you're just some naïve exchange student ripe for the picking. I mean, we know otherwise, but you get where I'm coming from. The point is there are people here who won't hesitate to try and take advantage of you if they can."
"Ah. Then I will, as you say, 'watch my back'," Yori replied, smiling.
Kim smiled back and looked over as Amelia returned to them. "We had better be extra careful tonight," Amelia said, watching Monique worriedly she flirted with the young man who'd been admiring her.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"Hot tip from the bartender. Human trafficking has been on the rise. A lot of people have been disappearing lately," Amelia replied. "Mostly women and young girls of Asian descent, but there's been a spike upward in young men and boys disappearing too. Also Asian. I guess that's the trend in those circles."
"Amelia!" Kim exclaimed.
"You're not in high school anymore, Kim. Sheltering yourself from reality won't work out there in the real world," Amelia said.
Kim winced a bit, but Amelia had a point. She had always done her best to avoid messing with those types of criminals, but supervillains weren't the only source of evil in the world. She couldn't keep pretending they were. Even among her usual foes, she'd been noticing a trend toward darker themes lately. Case in point, their attempted murder of Ron. Not to mention the whole Moodulator incident that almost cost them Hirotaka. If she were to be completely honest with herself in fact, a lot of the villains she'd fought in the past probably had darker sides to them than she'd ever known. For instance, Falsetto Jones. Who knew what other business he was involved in? Even Drakken probably had connections she never wanted to know about. The world was a messy place. Going forward she'd do well to keep that in mind. The older she got, the less superficial being a heroine would become. How naïve had she seemed to the foes she'd fought as a high schooler, she wondered? Probably extremely, she wryly noted.
Amelia turned to Yori. "Hey Yor, you be especially careful, okay? You're right in the sweet spot. Remember, even someone who seems harmless could be acting as a scout for some trafficker."
"Arigato, Amelia-san," Yori said with a concerned frown and a bow. "I will follow your advice."
Meanwhile
"Monty, what was with the random invitation to spend the weekend at your mother's?" Drakken suspiciously asked as he, Killigan, and Monkey Fist sat on the patio of a little café in Shereshimshere called Cow n' Cone. It was a quaint little town really. Considering you didn't get on Nanny Maim's bad side. The woman was actually quite the formidable force when you thought about it. Without even raising an alarm bell, she had accomplished something no other supervillain Kim Possible had ever faced had done. Conquered an entire town and kept it under her thumb. Which was admittedly quite a blow to the collective egos of the entire supervillain community. After all, none of them had ever conquered villages before, yet here was some geriatric old lady, not even a full-fledged supervillain, who had.
"My question is why did you come when I said we would be staying with my mother?" Monkey Fist dryly replied.
"Eh, call et curiosity," Killigan replied with a shrug.
"Humph. Truth be told it was her idea to invite you two and 'show you the sights', in her words," Monkey Fist said. "She kept pushing it so I gave in just to get the old bat off my back. Don't ask me her reasons for it. Or why she was so persistent either, for that matter."
"So then this is your hometown, is it?" Drakken asked, looking around.
"I suppose you could call it that," Monkey Fist replied.
"You know, Nanny Maim could really turn this place into a supervillain haven if she put her mind to it," Drakken hinted.
"Ooh, there's an idea," Killigan said, grinning.
"Yes, well, unfortunately, Mother doesn't appreciate the power she holds," Monkey Fist said.
"My dear boy, I appreciate it just fine," Nanny Maim said, approaching their table with a cup of tea in hand. "In fact, that's why I summoned you three here in the first place. My power, you see, is being challenged. Evil Incorporated can handle a little task for mother now, can't they?"
Monkey Fist, Drakken, and Killigan perked up curiously. "Ye' have our undivided attention, Lady Maim," Killigan replied. It didn't seem they had much choice in the matter anyway. Besides, they couldn't help but wonder who the poor fool challenging the old lady's power was.
"Good. You see, there's a certain riffraff hovering about trying to sink his clutches into my village. A human trafficker, of all the deplorable things. I won't have a common criminal cluttering my streets. Drive him and his people out and make certain they don't come back," Maim ordered.
"Why on Earth should we care about the common rabble?" Monkey Fist demanded.
"The trafficker or the citizens?" Drakken joked, smirking mockingly.
"Both," Monkey Fist replied, smirking back. "Humph. Imagine. Wasting time on such nonsense as human trafficking when they could be pursuing more power than they could imagine." He sipped at his tea.
"Isn't your old friend Duke Gideon the head of a trafficking ring?" Maim asked her son.
"Gideon is not my friend," Monkey Fist disdainfully replied before sipping at his tea again.
"Oh good. Then you should have no trouble driving him out," Maim said.
Monkey Fist spat out said tea, choking a bit on it. "It's him?!" he demanded.
"Quite," she replied with a smirk. She had her son right where she wanted him now.
"Drakken, Killigan, time for us to deal with the lice of the earth," Monkey Fist said.
"Traffickers?" Killigan asked.
"Nobility," Monkey Fist replied, marching off.
Upperton
"I am bored," Hirotaka complained, laying on Fukushima's bed with arms behind his head as he stared up at the roof.
"Help me with this homework and maybe you will not be," Fukushima replied from his desk, frowning in annoyance. Hirotaka smirked a bit and there was silence for a moment. At last, Fukushima sighed and closed up his books, spinning around in his chair. "Arigato. You were a big help," he sarcastically said.
"It is my honour to keep you company as you study the things you should have been studying a week ago," Hirotaka replied.
"Humph. Bite me," Fukushima said.
"Tempt me," Hirotaka replied with a wicked smirk and a glint in his eyes.
Fukushima scowled at him but let it go with a roll of his eyes. "How have things been with Amelia?" he asked. Hirotaka chuckled and Fukushima frowned, unimpressed. "I thought you were uninterested in pursuing a serious relationship," he dryly said.
"It is casual, not serious, and believe me, it was not planned," Hirotaka replied, glancing over.
"How did you not see it coming, given your living arrangement and overall 'chemistry', as the Americans say?" Fukushima asked.
Hirotaka was quiet, considering this. "We were never sexual before the Moodulator incident," he finally replied.
"I suppose it is fitting that the first girl you do not sleep with right out the door is the one you decide to remain with," Fukushima bit, not buying for one second that the relationship was strictly casual. At least not on Amelia's part. Hirotaka was probably trying to convince himself he felt otherwise, but really his friend was only kidding himself. "How is she in bed?" he asked.
"Fukushima," Hirotaka warned.
"Apologies," he said, bowing. "I have been in this miserable country too long I think."
Hirotaka snorted a laugh and sat up. "Now that you are finished, what do you want to do?" he asked.
"I am not sure. Race motorbikes?" Fukushima asked. Truth be told, though, he wasn't enamored of the idea.
"We did it this morning," Hirotaka replied.
"I am sure you and Amelia did," Fukushima replied. Hirotaka gave him a sharp look, frowning warningly. "Fine," Fukushima relented, putting up his hands. "You said your relationship with Amelia was only casual, correct? Well your answering machine is filled with invitations to outings, so why not take someone up on the offer?"
"For the same reason you do not," Hirotaka replied.
"I am hot the one bored and looking for something to do," Fukushima said, smirking. He had his friend right where he wanted him. Hirotaka was starting to look a bit uncomfortable now. Just then the duo heard the door being knocked on and looked quickly over before exchanging glances. Fukushima turned back to the door and stood up, going to it. He pulled it open and gasped in alarm.
"Fukushima, Hirotaka, s'up guys?!" Ron exclaimed with a grin.
"Outsider!" Fukushima exclaimed in shock.
Hirotaka quickly rose before Fukushima could slam the door in Ron's face, and put his hand on it, preventing his friend from showing such a display of rudeness and disrespect. They were in the presence of a hero of Yamanouchi, after all. Not to mention the Mystical Monkey Master.
"Stoppable-san, kon'nichiwa," Hirotaka greeted, bowing to Ron with a smile.
"S'up Hiro. Hey, you guys up for a bon diggity night out?" Ron said.
"What?!" Fukushima demanded. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed with his rival's spontaneous visit. He did not consider himself friends with Ron by any stretch of the imagination.
"That's right. You, me, and Taka on the town! We'll tear up the streets with our awesomeness," Ron said.
"Oh gods. Outsider, I would rather…" Fukushima began. He would have finished with something like 'chew off my own arm before I went anywhere with you,' except Hirotaka cut him off before he could, covering his mouth.
"What he means to say, Stoppable-san, is that he would much rather see the sights," Hirotaka smoothly covered, putting on an easy grin. Fukushima made a muffled sound of protest - as if he could be bothered admiring Middleton or Upperton's 'Tourist Attractions,' laugh, laugh - but Hirotaka held firm, giving him a stern look.
"Coolio. We can do that too," Ron eagerly said. "Man, I am so pumped! Just us three guys, the lone rangers of the night, the Three Musketeers, the…"
"Three Stooges?" Fukushima dryly asked.
"I mean, not really the swashbuckling image I was going for, but sure! If you want," Ron said.
"I do not," Fukushima answered grumpily.
"Dude, what's up with you?" Ron asked, frowning a bit.
"Forgive him, Stoppable-san. He has always had a bitter temper," Hirotaka said, shaking his head at Fukushima. The older ninja knew that wasn't the only reason of course, but it was the one that would spare his American friend hurt. "Of course it will be our honor to join you," he added, bowing.
"More our nightmare," Fukushima corrected bitingly.
"Only joking, Stoppable-san," Hirotaka covered with a smile, stepping on Fukushima's foot hard enough to make his friend gasp in pain and bite back a yelp.
"Well great then! Let's go," Ron said. Fukushima grimaced and scowled at Hirotaka angrily. Hirotaka rolled his eyes and followed Ron out. Harrumphing, Fukushima sulkily trailed after them.
KP
Kim, Yori, Amelia, and Monique were dancing together in a group to the Oh Boyz track playing over the speakers. Yori felt out of place, but was trying her best to enjoy herself. It wasn't a social setting she was particularly pleased by, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't having at least a little fun. "Hey, check out the hottie watching," Monique said, pointing out a young man who was lingering on the sidelines.
"Spoken for," Kim said, flashing Ron's promise ring with a smirk.
"Involved with someone," Amelia said.
"Seriously? Who?" Monique immediately asked, grinning widely.
Amelia hesitated a moment, grimacing and weighing her response. "It's... more casual than anything," she said.
"Casual? That doesn't seem like you," Kim said, frowning curiously.
"Casual is what he calls it, but... but I think there's something more than that between us, just he doesn't really want to acknowledge it," Amelia said.
"Then it is my brother," Yori realized, looking down.
Kim and Monique both gasped. "Hirotaka? No way!" they said together, grinning widely at Amelia.
Amelia winced a bit. "Y-yeah. Hirotaka." She looked apologetically at Yori. "Sorry. I feel like that probably was something you would have rather heard from him," she said.
"I am pleased enough to know that he has allowed himself at least this much," Yori said, putting on a small smile. She frowned a bit. "Though I would have much preferred him to wait."
Disapproval was clear in her tone, but she wasn't holding it against them, so for that Amelia was relieved. She smiled at the younger woman. "I'm glad you mostly approve," she said.
"Ooh, careful girls. The hottie's on the move," Monique said, spotting the young man who'd been watching them inching a little closer. "Probably trying to work up the nerve."
Yori glanced curiously over with a slight frown. "He is attractive, but there is something about him that I do not believe I trust," she said.
"And this makes what, the twelfth one?" Monique asked, smirking knowingly at Kim. "Girl, you haven't trusted a single guy here since you walked in. Come on. Give the poor dude a chance."
"I would rather not," Yori replied with a smile. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach when she looked towards him. It felt stronger than it had with others she had turned down tonight. "I think I am going to take a break for a little while. I will join you again later," she added, waving to them and making her way to the dry bar.
"Paranoid or justified you think?" Monique asked Kim and Amelia.
"I mean, she's been trained as a ninja from probably infancy. If her instincts are saying no, I'm inclined to trust them," Kim replied. "Besides, you can never be too careful. Let's dance one more song then join her and get something to eat." Monique and Amelia smiled, nodding in agreement.
KP
Yori sat at the dry bar sipping at a virgin cocktail. Just then the young man who had been watching them sauntered over. "Hey, forgive my boldness, but I couldn't help but notice you and your girls dancing," the young man said to her.
"Um, arigato?" Yori replied, looking uncertain.
"I'm Brad," he said, offering his hand.
She looked at it incredulously then carefully took it, shaking. "Kon'nichiwa," she replied, not giving her name.
"Hey, forgive me for this but I think you're very pretty," he said, looking for all the world like an awkward shy boy.
"I am not so beautiful as that," she replied, smirking and bowing her head modestly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"No, no, you are," he insisted. "Don't get down on yourself."
She smiled at him again. "Arigato," she replied.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"It means thank you," she replied.
"Hey, can I get you something to eat?" he asked.
"No thank you. I have eaten," she replied. She had noticed him quite regularly glancing down at her cocktail, which she had been covering with her hand from the start, but she couldn't very well cover an entire plate of food. Better safe than sorry.
KP
"Uh oh. Hottie's found his way to Yori," Monique said, watching their friend carefully.
"Hmm..." Kim said. She pulled her hand-held Kimmunicator out of her purse and turned it on.
"S'up Kim?" Wade shouted over a lot of background noise, coming online.
"Wade, what can you tell me about this guy?" she asked, aiming the Kimmunicator at the young man and subtly snapping a picture. She immediately sent it to Wade for analysis.
"You do know I'm with Jim and Tim at a wrestling match, right?" Wade asked.
"You rock Wade," Kim sang, smirking. If he was talking with her now, he had a portable something with him.
"True," he replied. Quickly he ran the photo through a database. Soon, however, he frowned. "Uh, you might wanna get Yori out of there. This guy looks like bad road. Criminal record. Suspected scout for some really bad people in the area. They've never been able to pin him for anything, but he's been to juvie. Actual prison a couple times too," Wade said.
"Seriously?!" Monique said.
Amelia looked grim. "I warned you," she said.
"We're on it Wade," Kim replied, frowning and hanging up on him. "Come on girls, we're bailing Yori out." Monique and Amelia followed without protest, frowning determinedly.
KP
"Hey, when you and your girls go home, mind if I ride with you? The cabs here are pricy," he said.
"I am afraid we will have no room," Yori replied. It was a lie, she and Amelia had carpooled and Monique and Kim had each arrived alone, so there was plenty of room, but she simply didn't trust anyone who was as forward as this and paid so much attention to her and her drink. It set off alarm bells she was not inclined to ignore.
"Yori, we need to ditch this creep yesterday," Kim said, approaching and giving the young man a look of disgust. "Criminal record, suspected errand boy for some trafficking ring... He'd bad road all the way."
"Excuse me?" the young man demanded, sounding outraged.
"Picture on the sly and a quick run through some police databases, and your name was up in lights, pretty boy," Monique bit, frowning darkly at him and leaning on the counter, putting her arm between him and Yori. "Get the hell out of here before we call the cops on your sorry a..."
"Monique," Amelia cut off.
"Backside," Monique corrected.
He scowled darkly at them. "What?" he asked.
"You heard me! Picture. Database. What's the matter? Ears plugged with wax?" Monique bit venomously.
He shot to his feet and Monique jumped a bit, catching her breath. For a moment she thought he was going to strike her right then and there.
"Watch your mouth, bit..." the man began. He screamed in pain, doubling over when Kim suddenly moved forward and kneed him right where it hurt.
"Don't mess with my friends, creep! If you think for a second I'm standing by and letting you go off on my BFF, you have another thing coming!" Kim snapped. He spat a curse at them furiously. "Oh I'm sorry. Maybe you haven't heard of me? The name is Kim Possible! You know, save the world every other day? And right now you're being a great big pain in my..."
"Kim," Amelia warned.
"What? He is!" Kim insisted.
The man was visibly taken aback by the statement though, eyes wide, and stared at her in disbelief. "K-Kim Possible?!" he exclaimed.
"Now you're getting it," Kim said. "Take off!" Scowling, the man limped away without argument. He'd heard of her all right, and he wasn't about to try and face her off here.
Monique turned to Yori. "Don't you worry girl, we've got your back," she said, looking concerned.
"Thank you, but I was aware of what he might be. Do not worry about me," Yori said, smiling and bowing to her friends.
"You sure your drink is clear?" Amelia asked.
"Hai, but even if it is not, I know I have three wonderful friends who will get me out safe," Yori said, throwing her arms over their shoulders with a grin. They grinned back.
Shereshimshere
"There he is," Monkey Fist said, scowling at a man who was flirting shamelessly with a girl probably younger than Kim Possible was.
"Aye. Already on the prowl. They waste no time, do they? Ye have t' give 'em tha'," Killigan said.
"Relatively young, disgustingly smooth... the man hardly needs a scout. He does most of the heavy lifting himself," Monkey Fist bitterly bit.
"Well his smooth moves are about to become limps," Drakken said, sliding out of hiding. Killigan and Monkey Fist followed him, the trio making their way toward the young nobleman.
"Duke Gideon, I presume? It's been some time old chap," Monkey Fist said as they neared. The Duke quickly turned, eyes dangerously glittering. He quickly checked his attitude, however, when he saw the odds weren't in his favour. It probably helped that Drakken and Killigan weren't exactly men you looked at and felt unintimidated by if you'd never met them before.
"Ah, Lord Montgomery Fiske. A pleasure to see you again," Gideon stated, putting on a faux smile and 'warmly' taking the man's hand.
"I'm quite sure," Monkey Fist replied with a cold grin. He looked at the girl. "Why, who is this? Baby sister? Daughter? Certainly not a lady friend I should hope. I'd like to think you're far too sensible for that, Gideon. Why, has she even graduated high school yet?" The girl flushed, looking a little embarrassed.
The man gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed, and forced a pleasant smile. "An acquaintance, Monty. Nothing untoward of course," he said.
"I should certainly hope not," Monkey Fist replied, still holding the man's hand. This time, though, his grip was harsher. "You see, I've been hearing some rather scandalous rumours about you lately, old friend."
The man was quite a beat. "Really?" he icily said. "I should advise you to be very careful what you share in such innocent company."
"Oh, I don't think this is a matter the girl should be left blind to. Not at all," Monkey Fist replied.
"Be careful what you share, Lord Fiske," the man repeated in a lower and darker tone.
"Then excuse me if Ah'm no'," Killigan cut in, grinning coldly at the Duke. He turned to the girl in question. "Lassie, Ah hate t' be the bearer o' bad news, but yer new friend sells people for profit," the golfer bluntly said. The girl caught her breath, paling and looking at the Duke in open fear.
The Duke sneered darkly at Killigan and tried to jerk away from Monkey Fist. Monkey Fist jerked him roughly back, forcing him to meet his eyes. Scoffing, the Duke turned darkly to the girl who looked utterly terrified. "Couldn't just come easy, could you?" he venomously bit at her.
Team Drakken could practically hear the child's heart drop. "Couldn't come easily? My, my, perhaps the girl has more sense than I thought," Monkey Fist said, smirking. He looked at her. "Tell me, my dear, how long has he been working you for?"
"T-twenty minutes," she nervously replied.
"Oh good. Twenty minutes of his life he'll never get back, let alone be able to use recruiting anyone else," Drakken said. "Well done. You've probably saved lives! I'd still advise you leave far sooner next time though. Especially if the streets are empty. Now get out of here and go home."
"Y-yes sirs," the fearful girl said before turning and scampering away.
The Duke watched darkly after her before turning to Monkey Fist again. "You realize, of course, that I'll just find her again, right?" the man said.
"My friend, I think we need to have a little chat," Monkey Fist said.
"About what?" the man replied.
"About whose town your presence is muddying," Monkey Fist replied.
"Oh?" the Duke said.
"You see, the leader of this little township just happens to be my mother," Monkey Fist said. "And she certainly doesn't much appreciate the scum of the Earth polluting its quaint little streets."
"Now, now, is that any way to talk to an old friend?" the Duke asked, putting on an innocent look.
"He's go' company. Armed company," Killigan spoke up, noticing a group of men slipping out of a parked van not far off. A significantly sized group of men.
"Oh good. All the better to practice with," Monkey Fist replied, eyes remaining locked on the Duke. The man started, looking sharply and warily at him.
"Agreed," Drakken said with a dark smirk, allowing his flowers to wriggle out of his body. In the dark of the night against the backdrop of a moon and misty street, it was an altogether horrifying image. As evidenced by the men in question freezing in place upon seeing it, and Gideon gasping in horror and shock.
"Listen Laddie, we'll make et simple far ye," Killigan said, turning to the Duke with a grin. "Either ye' sod off or there'll be more than a few disappearances on these streets, and none o' 'em will net ye a profit."
"Are you honestly threatening me? You know that I could take your heads for this, correct?" the Duke said.
"Not if we take yours first," Monkey Fist replied, grinning wickedly. The Duke withered ever so slightly, eyes widening a bit in fear.
"Boss, these guys bothering you?" one of the other men called from a safe distance back, still unnerved by Drakken's creeping and flowering vines.
"Get up here you dolts!" the Duke snapped. The men hesitated only briefly before slowly making their way closer and surrounding the three supervillains, clearly trying for intimidation. The Freak Stooges were hardly fazed, barely even sparing glances at the men fingering their guns. The Duke turned to Monkey Fist once more. "Yes, these men are bothering me. Very much so. In the right market you and your companions, Lord Fiske, would fetch a fair sum you know. Lucky for you, you're worth more to me free and alive than captured or dead."
"Yes, well, unfortunately for you, the feeling isn't mutual," Monkey Fist replied, releasing the man's wrist and snapping his fingers. Immediately his Monkey Ninjas leapt down from the rooftops, surrounding the Duke and his men shrieking and beating their chests, baring sharp teeth and looking ready to attack. The traffickers gaped in horror at the creatures. "I suggest you skip town, Gideon. Especially if you care to live long enough to carry on your business a few years longer," Monkey Fist warned.
"You're going to regret this, Montgomery," the Duke threatened.
"Monkey Ninjas…!" Monkey Fist began.
"I'll leave!" the Duke immediately said, not sure he wanted to test his odds against hooded Monkey Ninjas and men with vines growing out their backs. "I'll leave," he repeated.
"Be out of my sight in ten seconds," Monkey Fist said. "One, two, three..." The men immediately bolted, racing for their van. The Duke looked back only once, scowling, then got inside and started it up. "Seven, eight, nine..." The car sped out of sight, and soon the road was empty. "Ten," Monkey Fist finished, smirking. "Monkey Ninjas? Make sure he leaves for good." George ooked curiously. Monkey Fist frowned. "No, I don't mean kill him! At least not yet. Just make sure he's out of our hair." The ninjas chattered in agreement and sprang off, going after the van. Monkey Fist let out a breath.
"Ye did good, laddie," Killigan said.
"Humph. Mother owes me. Big time," Monkey Fist said, crossing his arms. "Excellent touch with the vines, Drew."
"Oh I know," Drakken replied, smirking.
"Come on Laddies. Let's head back t' the academy and tell Maim et's all been taken care o'," Killigan said.
KP
"Of all the nonsense to be wasting time on, common criminals," Monkey Fist complained as he walked into the old Nanny Academy with Drakken and Killigan on his heels.
"Ye' know, we could get together the supervillains an' take all o' those underhanded lettle rings down far good," Killigan remarked.
"Nrrgh, sounds too much like a hero thing," Drakken replied.
"Aye, but it would be less headache," Killigan replied.
"Why bother? Far too much hassle," Monkey Fist said. "They simply aren't worth the effort, time, or resources."
"Good evening, Lord Fiske," Bates greeted, bringing Monkey Fist his evening coat.
"Evening Bates. Anything of interest to report?" Monkey Fist asked.
"Your mother has bid me tell you that you are to go straight to bed. None of this meditating nonsense," Bates replied. "Her words, not mine."
"I'm not a child!" Monkey Fist retorted.
"Ye'll always be her baby boy," Killigan mocked, grinning.
"No one asked you!" Monkey Fist snapped. "Besides, my mother isn't half as bad as Drakken's. He's the biggest mother's boy in existence."
"Just because my mother still calls me Drewbie doesn't mean I'm a mama's boy," Drakken protested.
"Cocoa Moo, anyone?" Killigan bit insultingly.
"Don't insult my Cocoa Moo, Mr. Skirty Pants," Drakken sneered.
"Put a cork in it, the both of you," Monkey Fist bit.
"If anyone here's a mama's boy, I think it's you!" Drakken accused, pointing at Monkey Fist.
"Me? I beg your pardon?! I am most certainly not a mama's boy! I can hardly stand the old hag," Monkey Fist argued.
"Montgomery!" he heard her call sharply and loudly.
He winced hard. "Coming mother!" he immediately replied. Oh please say she hadn't heard the hag remark.
"Mama's boys, the both o' ye," Killigan bit.
"At least we have mothers!" Monkey Fist snapped. Killigan winced a bit and took to looking anywhere but at them. Monkey Fist and Drakken raised their eyebrows and exchanged curious looks.
"Monty!" Maim called sharper.
Monkey Fist winced again then scowled at his companions. "We'll finish this later," he hissed. Drakken frowned, put out by the attitude, and stuck out his tongue. Monkey Fist harrumphed and left.
Upperton and Middleton
Fukushima sulked, arms crossed as they toured big-name attractions of Upperton and Middleton such as Bueno Nacho, which Ron called the best one of all. Oh yes, and the abandoned water tower. How, ugh, exciting. An abandoned train yard a couple of miles out of town as well. Honestly, he felt like falling asleep. It was that, deck Ron, or beat him to a pulp. Hirotaka, at least, looked somewhat interested. At least in the few attractions that were attached to stories, legends, interesting history, and ghost tales. Fukushima couldn't have cared less for any of that. At least not these particular ones, because as far as interesting stories and legends went, these weren't.
Hirotaka looked reproachfully at Fukushima, catching onto his friend's utter disinterest. Fukushima could at least try to enjoy it, he thought. Still, he knew how his friend felt about Stoppable-san. Besides, many of the legends and stories Ron was telling were... well, he wished that at least one of them had a more tragic or eerie tale behind it. He smiled at Ron as Stoppable-san finished some tale about sailors on a boat that had died from food poisoning and drifted into the harbor before running aground on the beach. As previously stated, Hirotaka wished some of the stories were better or more dramatic, but he supposed death was tragic in and of itself no matter how it happened. To be fair again, there had been one good story at least, about a child who had been killed when she'd fallen asleep on the train tracks of the train yard that was now abandoned. Her father hadn't been watching her as closely as he should have been, and the man paid dearly for his carelessness with the life of his daughter. With his wife dead and his daughter gone too, the man had lost all hope and thrown himself in front of an oncoming locomotive. Of course whatever interest Fukushima might have had for that brief story had vanished immediately when they'd arrived at the next 'tourist location'. Namely the minigolf course.
Ron was currently finishing the story of how Duff Killigan had been banned from it, no doubt having gotten it courtesy of Wade and or the internet. "This is all well and good, Outsider, but can we please go home?" Fukushima asked at last.
"Home? We haven't even started!" Ron replied.
Hirotaka pushed Fukushima back and grinned at Ron. "Never mind him, Stoppable-san. We are ready for a night 'on the town', as you say, but is there any place in Middleton or Upperton that is not so…" He trailed off, searching for the word.
"Lame?" Fukushima deadpanned, using an American slang term. Hirotaka winced but didn't move to correct his friend.
"Oh, so you want a really cool place do you? Something to get the blood pumpin'! Don't worry about a thing, Dude-san, I know exactly where to go," Ron said. Fukushima perked up a bit in interest.
KP
Fukushima and Hirotaka gaped at the noisy Pizzatorium in disbelief. The dancing robots, the remaining children from a party that had just ended not long ago, the chatting teenagers, etc. Now naturally, being students of a super-secret ninja school, they weren't used to situations like this. It was crowded, it was loud, and there seemed to be no reason for it. Suffice to say, they were completely appalled.
"Oh what fresh Hades is this?" Fukushima asked, finally finding words again
"Isn't it awesome?" Ron exclaimed. He and Rufus devoured a pizza quickly. Hirotaka grimaced, watching in disgust. Fukushima groaned and began banging his head on the table. "Head banging, all right! Told you it would get the blood pumpin'! Welcome to the Pizzatorium mindset dude!" Ron cheered.
"Kill me now," Fukushima begged Hirotaka in Japanese, seizing his jacket and desperately looking into his friend's eyes.
"Do not be dramatic, Fukushima," Hirotaka chastised, frowning.
"The knife is right there," Fukushima said, pointing it out in a hiss. Hirotaka grimaced. He was half considering falling on it himself, truth be told.
"Hey guys, what's the conversation about?" Ron asked, clueless as to what they were saying.
"Oh, um, we were commenting on how exciting it would be to go see a movie," Hirotaka innocently replied, grinning blamelessly.
"Coolio. We can do that right after we eat!" Ron said.
Hirotaka and Fukushima glanced down at their still-full plates. Fukushima grimaced, feeling his stomach churn as he recalled Ron and Rufus's eating habits. "I have lost my appetite," he grumbled, shoving it over to Ron.
"And uh, I am full, Stoppable-san. I ate shortly before you came to see us," Hirotaka politely declined, grinning innocently.
"We'll get it to go! Hey waiter!" Ron called. Fukushima and Hirotaka exchanged hopeless looks.
KP
"Snowman Hank?" Hirotaka numbly asked, staring up at the movie they were going to see. Fukushima looked about ready to throw himself in front of a bus. He just needed to find one that, well, wasn't going fast enough to kill him. A broken leg would be enough to get him out of this.
"Whoa, whoa, don't diss the snowman, dude. He brings enemies together. Drakken and I bonded over him. Yep. Good times," Ron said, smirking.
"That is about what I would expect from Dr. Drakken," Fukushima said, scowling at him.
"Dude, trust me. Drakken isn't a guy you wanna cross. I mean, not anymore. To be fair he was kind of intimidating even when Kim and I were first starting to fight him. I mean, the guy once quelled Shego, but I guess he just kind of let it slip away after a while until he got the rad flower powers," Ron said. "Ooh, movie's about to start! Come on!"
"Bus please?" Fukushima asked, pointing out an oncoming one. Hirotaka frowned and shoved him lightly ahead of him into the theatre.
KP
Fukushima stared helplessly at the screen asking himself why he was cursed to this fate. "Why me?" Fukushima asked Hirotaka pleadingly in Japanese.
"You are pathetic," Hirotaka sang quietly in the same dialect.
"Oh really? Well in that case, I will leave you to deal with the Outsider on your own and plead sick," Fukushima hissed.
"Shh!" people around them whispered. The two winced.
"Take this like a true ninja. Bear it, brother. Tomorrow's light will shine on a better day," Hirotaka warned in a quieter tone.
"Tomorrow's light will cast tonight in an even darker picture when we remember this torture," Fukushima hissed.
"Enough," Hirotaka sharply replied. Ron was completely oblivious to the resentment pouring off Fukushima. At least he acted like he was. Hirotaka was willing to bet Ron was sensing it though all right. It would be impossible not to.
KP
The three boys left the movie theatre together, Ron with a skip in his step. "See? It wasn't so bad," he said to them. Fukushima froze, eye twitching, then suddenly lunged at him with a shout, causing Ron to jump!
Hirotaka gasped, springing ahead and holding Fukushima back. "Forgive Fukushima, Stoppable-san. You know his temperament," Hirotaka excused.
"Enough lies! This has gone on long enough! I cannot take it anymore!" Fukushima yelled.
Hirotaka clamped a hand over his friend's mouth. Looking quickly at Ron, he said, "Stoppable-san, I have had some truly fun moments, really I have. Perhaps I would even be enjoying myself more if not for my friend's behavior, but this has been very…" Hirotaka began. Fukushima began mumbling, trying to get out one of the many adjectives he was trying to spew, but Hirotaka kept a firm hand over his mouth. "Haphazard," the older ninja lamely finished. Fukushima almost scoffed but gave up struggling, folding his arms. Hirotaka, judging it was safe to remove his hand from the younger man's mouth, did so.
"Yeah, heh, guess I didn't have much time to plan it out. It was sort of last minute, what with Kim, Yori, Amelia, and Monique going clubbing and all," Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Fukushima started, eyes widening. Hirotaka immediately stiffened. "What?" the latter at last said, tone suddenly like ice.
"Oh yeah, they went to check out a new club in..." Ron began. He started, though, when he noticed the shocked and somewhat outraged expression on Hirotaka's face. "Ooh... um, you-you didn't hear about that, huh?" he lamely asked.
"Yori told me nothing about this!" Hirotaka furiously yelled. Fukushima looked equally stunned. Yori always told Hirotaka where she was going. It was an unspoken rule between them. Always be aware of where each other was at any given time so that if something happened, they would know where to start looking. "Where did they go?!" Hirotaka demanded.
"D-dude, chill! It's not like it's an actual club!" Ron said. Hirotaka, scowling, looked about ready to attack him for dodging the question.
"Hirotaka, Yori is old enough to decide these things for herself," Fukushima reasoned carefully, for once on Ron's side. He understood, though, where his friend was coming from. After the death of Hirotaka, Yori, and Hana's parents, Hirotaka had had to step into not only the role of provider, but protector too. He had needed to become brother and father both, while Yori had had to become both sister and mother for Hana. As such, the two older siblings had become extremely protective of one another. Almost possessively so. It was shining through very clearly now.
"I did not say that she could not!" Hirotaka defended. "But this American style clubbing I do not approve of or trust. She should have at least let me know where she would go! What if something was to happen to her? We would be unable to do anything but sit by waiting for news!"
"I mean, at least you'd still have Hana?" Ron lamely offered. Hirotaka gave him the sort of scowl that made him wither. "Ooh, right. I have her. I mean you have her! I mean, not that losing Yori wouldn't be horrible, but-but... that is... you see... Fukushima help me!"
Fukushima almost whimpered before stepping in front of Ron to try and pacify his friend. "Hirotaka, we will find her, do not fear. Right, Outsider?" Fukushima said, glaring coldly back at Ron. He owed him for this.
"Yeah, totally! I know exactly where the club is!" Ron quickly volunteered. Quickly he raced to his scooter. The two ninjas followed.