August 12, 1978
Mom told me the truth yesterday! That we are descended from a line of insect shamans and that our totem is Ant, hardest and most organized of all! Oh...this is so wickedly exciting! Now I know why I keep having those weird ant dreams and why I always keep pestering Dad to buy ant farms. He doesn't know it but Mom does. Can't wait until she tells me more.
August 20, 1978
This sucks! We did a ritual today and I failed it! Ant said that I didn't have what it takes, that the duties of shaman would fall to someone else in my family. Like who? I'm the only one in the family who cares about this, besides Mom. Who should it be someone else who gets the honor?
September 1, 1978
I can't believe it! Tony gets the honor of being shaman? He doesn't even like ants! Stomps them hard and into the ground every single time he sees one! Wrecks my ant farms whenever he gets the chance! Is this some kind of cruel joke? Why him? Why not me?
June 6, 1992
Found this journal after all these years. Can't believe that it was being used as a door stopped all this time. Found out a frequency that I can use to communicate with ants. Maybe if I tweaked it further, I can accomplish even more with it. This is very exciting news indeed. Imagine the possibilities!
June 8, 1995
This is it, my break-through accomplishment! I have now managed to get an entire ant colony to do my bidding. I wonder how will the scientific community react to it? Funding, grants? Oh, I can't wait.
June 9, 1995
Okay. Even rejection doesn't hurt as much as being completely ignored. Who cares about the unified theory of complex systems? This is far more impressive! Communication and control over one of the most numerous and complex creature on our planet?
January 11, 1996
That's it. If they refused to acknowledge my works, then I'll make them acknowledge it. Watch out Go City! I'm going to bring you to your knees!
January 12, 1996
Forgot that there are superheroes in Go City. Oww...my aching body...maybe I'll need to think of something else to make them appreciate my work.
December 21, 1999
No more! Team Go just breaks me into pieces every time! Maybe I'll just find a nice quiet job to do instead. I saw that they were hiring at Smarty Mart earlier today. Maybe I'll go there after my spine has recovered enough?
July 12 2006
Have to remember to stop using this book as a door-stopper. Maybe next time I'll hide it under my dresser. So, Dr Tony Pesticide came over to my house the other day and he was acting strange, saying that I had defiled the colony with my inventions and that I should be cast out from the colony. He did something weird to me, I'm not sure what it was but I remember there was a weird feeling on my skin, like something crawling all over me. So I did what anyone would do in this kind of situation: gave him a good pounding and tossed him out of my house. That'll show him to mess with me.
PB
Yori handed the journal back to Kim after she had finished reading it. "I believe this is where Ron-san would say 'Booyah'," she said, smiling slightly.
"Yeah. We've finally got the solid evidence that says he's the villain of the hour," Kim replied, pacing around the room that Rufus had found the journal in. "Just wished I had actually gone out to pound him until he confessed much earlier though," she said with a slight hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Grrr...evil dean," Rufus growled, shaking his fist in the general direction of the photo of Mancuso that they had found in the house earlier.
"Possible-san, why did you not do so?" Yori asked, her tone neutral and non-judgmental, causing Kim to glare at her. "No. I am not attempting to judge your actions," she said reassuringly.
Kim sighed and looked away. "Because I was afraid that if he wasn't Antropy, I'd be harming an innocent and that I'll be harming my studies, my family and my future. I was being selfish," she said.
"You were being selfish...but that does not make you a bad person, Possible-san." This caused Kim to give Yori a quizzical glance.
"Why?"
"People are, by our nature, are selfish. We only see things through our eyes and it is hard for us to even consider the facts from other people's shoes. All that we do is for our own survival and welfare. However, it is the exceptional person who turns their selfish desires towards the betterment of others."
"So...my being selfish in this case was to improve the lives of others?"
"You said it yourself. If you have lost this scholarship, what would happen?"
"I'd either have to quit college or my parents will have to take out another loan to pay for my tuition fees because they've already taken a loan for the house and I...I see what you mean. Thanks, Yori," she said with a slight smile.
"You are welcome."
"That's...a very zen thing to think isn't it?"
"Yamanouchi also teaches its students philosophy. A warrior who does not understand his reasons for fighting is no better than a drunken brawler: purposeless and addicted to something meaningless."
"Yeah. I guess you're right about that. So...Ms Zen...what do you propose we do right now about Antropy?" Kim asked her archly.
"I propose that we find Antropy, string him up and we crack our knuckles at him until he tells us where Ron-san is," she said innocently.
"Okay...I take back the Ms Zen bit but I like that idea of yours," Kim laughed as she stood up. "Wade, you heard all that?"
"Every single syllable. I've already sent you Mancuso's address and a blueprint of the entire house. According to thermal images I'm getting from satellites right now, he's in his house right now."
Kim took a look at the address. "Well...what do you know? Just a block away from here. Time for us to crack some knuckles at him," she smiled to Yori.
PB
Kim looked at her watch, which indicated that the time right now was 9.14 pm. She and Yori were hiding in a pile of bushes in front of the dean's house and they could see that there was movement inside, a lot of movement. They couldn't see exactly what was moving though; Mancuso had the blinds drawn to prevent people from peeking into his house. Normally this would simply just indicate a very private person but right now Kim's paranoia was screaming 'Villain!' at her.
"Possible-san, do you have any plans to enter the house?" Yori asked.
"For our third breaking and entering of the day?" She shook her head. "I'm fresh out. Maybe I'll just walk up to the door and we'll just take it from there."
This caused a smile to break out on Yori's face. "I see you also have Ron-san's American sense of humor," she said.
"Well...I hate to break it to you but we are Americans. I'm sure that everything we do is inherently American."
Yori chuckled some more before she pointed at the rather old-fashioned looking chimney on the roof. "We will enter through there," she said. "It looks big enough to accommodate our bodies."
Kim looked at it for a while before she nodded. "Works for me," she said and aimed with her Kimmunicator, launching a grappling hook at the roof. After a quick tug to make sure that it was secured, she wrapped her arms around Yori's waist and reeled the line in, launching the two of them onto the roof.
As soon as their feet had touched the roof, Yori sprang from Kim's grasp and tread softly over to the chimney, peering down it. "We are clear, Possible-san," she said, looking back at Kim before she climbed onto and into the chimney, carefully lowering herself down it.
"Stay inside my pocket, Rufus. It might get dangerous in there," Kim said to the naked mole rat, who nodded and buried himself in her pocket. Then she counted to five before she followed Yori's lead, anchoring herself to the chimney walls with her hands and feet as she climbed down.
The climb down was brief, uneventful and unpleasant; Kim made a face when she stopped to take a look at her soot and muck covered hand when she was halfway down the chimney. Mancuso hadn't cleaned the chimney in a very long while, it seems. At least the climbdown was fast, though Kim held her position for a while first to wait for Yori to check the area out. Once she received an all clear from her, she slid down the rest of the way.
The mess that greeted her surprised her. Unlike the obsessed order that she had seen at Mahlman's house, the chaotic shambles that was Mancuso's house was a nightmare. Food wrappers strewn about, unwashed clothes lay on the furniture and Kim swore that she could see the funk wafting out from them. Hanging from the wall, she could see a degree that read 'Anthony Mancuso, Doctorate in Chemistry.' Another plague on the wall read 'Award for Best Achievement in the Field of Insecticide 2003'.
Yori was equally as unimpressed; her face scrunched up in disgust as she surveyed the area that was presumably the living room. "Your university dean is extremely untidy," she said, covering her nose with one hand.
"That's a surprise to me too," Kim said. "And I've been to his office a few times already. Maybe he needs to get someone to clean up after him."
A sudden crunch made them spin around, Kim taking on a defensive stance whilst Yori pulled out two folding fans that were tucked into her waist, wielding one in each hand. Mancuso stood before them, dressed in a pressed suit and looking extremely out of odds with the mess that surrounded him.
"Ms Possible and friend...welcome to my humble abode," he gave them a wicked smile and bowed to them.
PB
Kim didn't like this sitch at all. She had hoped to break in and catch Mancuso by surprise but he had instead surprised them, putting them on the defensive instead. She kept up a flippant expression, pretending to be annoyed by his appearance.
"Dean Mancuso, you're a hard man to get an appointment with," she said coolly. Next to her, Yori kept still, holding on tightly to her fans.
"I don't make it a habit to invite people to my house. Too much to do, so much appearances to keep," he said, shaking his head in mock embarrassment. "Would you like something to drink? Some coffee perhaps? Or are you a tea person?"
"No thanks. But you might know about something else that I want," she said, her eyes still trained on him. He didn't seem to be carrying any weapons on him but she didn't know what he was capable of since she didn't exactly fight Antropy the first time they met.
"I have something that you want? My dear, you must enlighten me as to what that is. I only stole one item from the research center last night," he said smoothly, giving her an innocent look. That statement took Kim by surprise. Last night? But the theft was two nights ago...
"Where is Ron Stoppable-san?" Yori spoke up, a quick flash of anger appearing on her face before she quickly stilled it. "We do not wish to hurt you any more than we must but if you wish to make it difficult, we would be happy to oblige you."
"Ron Stoppable?" He quirked his head as if thinking, then he tilted his head, nodding a few times. "I see, I see...so that was what you were doing..." Mancuso gave them a friendly smile.
"What did you think we were doing, Mancuso, or should we call you Antropy since that's who you are," Kim said, allowing a little of the anger she was feeling to seep into her voice. "Where's Ron?"
"Ah yes...your friend, the young man chosen by Monkey to be his vessel in the mortal world, just like Ant has chosen me to be his voice," he said with a nod of understanding. "Ah yes, my minions have taken him and I believe they are preparing him for the ritual. His appearance here was quite unexpected but a very delightful boon."
"A boon? For what?" Kim asked quickly.
"Oh haven't you heard? Monkey brains are the colony's favorite delicacy."