As stated beforehand, there was to be a massive ceremony for the new leader of Sector W's induction. LJ and Zofia had checked in with their friends, making sure they knew before they went to the ceremony, which was on the eve of the last day of school. After all, what better time to celebrate? Everyone was soon on their way where every other Kids Next Door operative there ever was began to go into the room as well.
"So, you guys went into space and the future?" Chrissy asked.
"Something like that, yeah," LJ nodded. "We'll tell you more when we have more time."
"It was quite the experience, but no doubt this'll be a big one too." Zofia added.
"No kidding," Kimberly agreed. "Not every day you get invited to a Kids Next Door ceremony!"
Everyone soon went to take their seats and they looked around.
"Vide illic!" Zofia suddenly exclaimed.
LJ looked one way while their friends began to look confused. "She said 'Look over there'." he then told them.
"Ohhhh..." The others then said before they looked where LJ and Zofia were looking.
Not too far away from them was another recent Kids Next Door Sector which was known as Sector X.
"Sure, guys, this is gonna be great today, but just wait until the last day of school tomorrow." TJ said to his gang of friends.
"Hey, TJ!" LJ called. "Boy, are you guys a sight for sore eyes!"
"Huh? Who said that?" TJ asked as he looked over.
"Over here!" LJ called out again and waved frantically.
"Oh! Hey, LJ, how's it going?" TJ greeted and waved back at the other boy with a friendly smile.
"Pretty good," LJ replied. "Hopefully you've been okay too!"
"Oh, yeah, you know, just another school year at Third Street until summer vacation." TJ added. "Especially just having a fun summer vacation with my best buddies."
Gretchen, Spinelli, Gus, Vince, and Mikey all looked like they had something to tell TJ and were about to, only for...
"Shh! Here comes Numbuh 362!" Kimberly shushed and warned the others.
Soon, everyone began to clap as the blonde girl walked across a podium and came to announce them before having them quiet down. "My fellow operatives and comrades in kiddom, as Numbuh 362, Supreme Kids Next Door leader, it is my great honor to welcome you to Cadets Next Door graduation!" she then announced, making everyone cheer and applaud some more. Now, we usually induct a new group of cadets in the Kids Next Door, but due to the decomission of Numbuh 363 and more promising attitude of Margaret Rose Pearson AKA Moose of Hazelnut, this is being thrown in her honor, now let's give it up for our very own Moose!" she then added as the brown-haired tomboy was coming on stage.
A rousing cheer went up among the crowd, and fists were thrown in the air in celebration. Moose smiled and waved at them as she came up next to Numbuhs 362 and 86, shaking their hands as this was a great honor and moment for her.
"Now as you all know, Numbuh 1 of Sector V couldn't be with us tonight, in fact, no one knows just when he might come back to Earth," Numbuh 362 said gravely. "Let's have a moment of silence for him."
Everyone did just that and bowed their heads quietly.
"And now..." Numbuh 362 said after the moment and placed a certain device in place.
"Kids Next Door Code Module. Connection verified." A computerized voice said, causing everyone to cheer again.
"Moose, do you swear to battle adult tyranny without cause, without fail, without rest, except for cookie breaks?" Numbuh 362 prompted the tomboy.
"I prefer pizza bagels as long as my sister doesn't take the last one, but I cross my heart and hope to die." Moose vowed as she gave a small smile.
"Well, you may now insert your genetic material into the Code Module and register with the super, incredible computer thingamabob." Numhuh 362 then told her.
Moose soon took a deep nasal inhale before putting a finger right up her nose, plucked out a booger, and showed it high in the air. "With this booger, I do hereby eagerly await the adventures that comes with being the Kids Next Door and I will be a better leader to Sector W than Numbuh 363, no offense there, Numbuh 362." she then started to say.
"That's fine, I wanted a little sister anyway." Numbuh 362 replied.
"I choose the codename... Numbuh 360." Moose then said as she put her finger in the device.
The module beeped, and registered Moose into the database.
"Welcome to the Kids Next Door, Numbuh 360." Numbuh 362 told Moose.
"Thank you, it will be my greatest honor," Moose promised and she even approached Sonya and Lee, putting her arms around them as she stood between them. "I just wish I thought of this sooner when we were under Numbuh 363's reign of temper tantrums."
"And I thought I was nuts when it came to the dark," Sonya commented. "You'll be a way better Sector leader." she then added before blushing a little.
"Way cool." Lee agreed.
"We're all gonna have a lot of fun." Moose promised them.
"And now, here's Numbuh 10 from the Kids Next Door News with the memoriam of who turned 13 last year," Numbuh 362 said to her fellow operatives before the screen showed several kids from their respective sector and codenames along with their job titles and after their displays, there was light applause that came with the images until it was all over. "And now, let's all celebrate our newest operative as well as the upcoming last day of school with an all night chocolate milkshake buffet!" she then told everyone else.
"WHOOOO!" The kids exclaimed as they headed off to partake in the buffet.
It was a great night to remember especially since before the bigger day they all had in school tomorrow which was finally going to be their freedom for the next three months. However, while they celebrated, unknown to any of the kids of the world, someone was planning something in the meantime that involved summer vacation.
In the middle of a desert inside a building, one man was hard at work until another one came with a couple of coffees.
"Hey, how's it going, Frank?" The first tech asked the others.
"Not so good," Frank answered, sounding stressed out. "I can't seem to get this photon channeler working."
"Well, you'd better figure it out," The tech advised. "The colonel wants to show the new system to the top brass next month."
"I know, I know." Frank nodded as he typed.
The first technician went to his chair and started typing, while outside, someone broke through the fence which was labelled "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY". In fact, several jeeps pulled up and men in black suits began to rush the building.
"What was that?!" Frank yelped as he sensed distress as the alarm blared.
"What's that sound out there?" The tech added as he seemed unsure.
The alarm continued to blare and men's voices could be heard from behind the door.
"It's a break-in!" The first tech told his colleague. "Erase the access code!"
"X-Y-4-" Frank began to say to himself, but the door blew open behind them and in came the invading men who stood in two rows across from each other to allow access for someone.
In came a bald man who held out some sort of device and shot it at the two men which knocked them both out cold as they hit the floor suddenly.
Another man came into the room and typed some of the buttons on a keypad on the wall and he took out a communicator. "All clear." he then reported.
And finally, into the room came a man holding a cane. He approached the two fallen bodies, and looked down. "Neatly done, Fernwick." he commented.
"Er, it's Fenwick, sir." The bespectacled man corrected.
The other man gave one body a kick. "Are they dead?"
"No, sir," said Fenwick. "Merely unconscious."
"Good, good. You know how I hate violence," The older man said, checking his shoes, making sure that they weren't scuffed. "Mmm. Nice shine."
"Uh, what next, sir?" Fenwick asked.
"Well, obviously, we establish our base." The older man said as he took out a blueprint.
"And where will that be?" Fenwick wondered.
"The last place on Earth they'd look," The older man said as he opened up the blueprint and pointed his cane to a literal school zone. "A place called Third Street School."
"You definitely seem like you could use some help." A dark voice in the shadows said, looking beady-eyed and seemed to have a pipe in his mouth not too dissimilar to 1950s family culture.
"Ah, yes, my newest colleague who shares a similar dream," The silver-haired man nodded in response. "Nice to have you on board... Mr. Wigglestein."
"Charmed, I'm sure," The strange figure in the shadow said. "This will be a brilliant plan and I even managed to get a couple of more desirable kids on board while I work with a man named Chester to carry out the rest of your plan, especially for this Third Street School."
And so, Third Street School on the very next day, was celebrating the last day of the school year. Kids were outside at recess, their favorite time of the day.
"Last day of school sale, boys and girls!" called Hustler Kid to a group of students around him. "Get your celebratory contraband, right here! Shaving cream, TP, goofy string, maps to the teachers' houses!"
"I'll take on of them maps, Hustler Kid!" called a boy in a scout uniform.
In the meantime, the diggers were patching up their hole in the middle of the playground until they had company.
"Hey, Diggers, let's party!" Kimberly told them eagerly as she ran up to them.
"Can't now," Digger Sam replied. "Gotta finish filling up our holes before the end of the day."
"Won't be able to dig 'em up next year if we don't fill 'em now." Digger Dave added.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled and out came Captain Sticky of the Kindergartners. "Hey! Big kids bury me!" he then complained after spitting some dirt out.
"Oops." Digger Sam muttered nervously.
"Oh, look, I think I see LJ over there somewhere." Kimberly then said before running the other away since the Kindergartners were very dangerous in Third Street School.
"Wait a second, LJ doesn't go to school with us!" Digger Sam commented. "...does he?" he then asked Digger Dave who shrugged in response.
Meanwhile, on Old Rusty, King Bob was making an announcement. "I, King Bob, in my last official act before entering middle school, hereby anoint this boy here, King Freddy the Second!" he declared as he placed his helmet atop the head of a new kid. "May you boss around the other kids with fairness."
"The king has graduated!" A boy named Jordan announced to the other kids of the playground experiencing this farewell. "Long live the king!"
A group of students all then played "Hail to the Chief" on the kazoo in honor of King Bob's time on the playground.
"Elbow up! Eyes forward! You call that kazoo playing?" Bradley glared and complained to them firmly.
"Ah, ceremony." Ashley B gushed.
"I'm, like, moved, Ashley A." Ashley Q added.
"Say what you want about their personal lives, Ashley Q. The royals have such style." Ashley A reassured her friend.
"You guys give me a headache sometimes." Chrissy rolled her eyes at the Ashleys as she sat in a further away corner.
"At least we're rich and popular." Ashley A retorted.
"Gee, I hope LJ's sister doesn't go through this crud in HER school." Chrissy muttered before she read a magazine that involved a popular movie actress known as Celebrity Starr to have series with a crime-fighting dog sidekick being in the works.
Nearby, a bunch of delivery men were loading up crates of ice cream.
"Keep 'em moving!" called Miss Finster, when Randall raced over.
"Miss Finster! Miss Finster!" The boy called. "The kids are practically mad with last-day-of-school fever!"
"Of course they are, Randall," Miss Finster said to him. "They're animals living by pure instinct."
"I've got a list of infractions a mile long: The Diggers hit a water main, the Kindergarteners are feasting on paste-" The school snitch then began to list.
"Never mind, Randall." Miss Finster dismissed him.
"Hustler Kid is, uh-" Randall continued to list until he realized what she said. "Did you say never mind?"
"That's right, Randall. What I've got here is bigger, much bigger," Miss Finster said as the men loaded up the ice cream. "All this year I've been holding back on the ice cream, hiding it from all those little savages. Just look at it, Randall. I'm counting 100, maybe 200 cases of it."
"What are you going to do with all those ice creams?" Randall asked her.
"Sell 'em back to the district, of course," Miss Finister stated wickedly. "Think of all the chalk and erasers we can get."
"But, Miss Finster, I've got dirt on everybody," Randall pouted. "Well, everybody except Detweiler and his pals. Come to think of it, I haven't seen those guys anywhere." he then added curiously.
"Ah, forget about 'em, Randall," Miss Finster reassured him. "There's nothing T.J. Detweiler and his hooligan friends can do to stop me now."
But as the truck was closed up, a rope pulley was yanked up, carrying Spinelli and a crate of ice cream up to the roof. "Well, that should do it," she said. "There's enough here for everyone!"
"Good," replied Vince. "Then it's party time!"
And he raced to a catapult, which Mikey loaded up with plenty of ice cream.
"Kids of the playground!" Vince called from the rooftop after that was ready.
Soon, every kid on the playground stopped doing what they were doing and looked over.
"I give you... ICE CREAM!" Vince then told them all as a signal.
"Pull!" Spinelli told Mikey who then pulled the catapult and sent the ice cream treats flying all over the playground like some kid's dream come true.
Gus loaded up more ice cream and Mikey pulled the catapult again so that more kids could have more ice cream with plenty to spare.
"Ice cream!"
"Choco-pops!"
"Fudge bars!"
"Fudgsicle!"
Kimberly and Chrissy laid out at the side together on lawn chairs and shared a special sugary milkshake together.
"Hmm, so that's what a unicorn tastes like," Kimberly remarked. "I better tell LJ later."
"We both will." Chrissy smirked.
"My ice cream!" Miss Finster cried out as she barged in, looking very disappointed in the students. "Stop it! Stop it, I say! You little monsters are in trouble now! Just wait'll Principal Prickly finds out about this!"
And then, as if on cue...
"Attention, students! This is Principal Prickly talking."
"Ooh, that was fast." Miss Finster muttered.
"Some of you may have noticed ice cream on the playground. I will not stand for this," Prickly started to say angrily. "This ice cream should be eaten immediately."
"Huh?" Miss Finster asked out of confusion.
"In addition, I want you all to ignore Miss Finster, no matter what she says about ice cream or anything else." Prickly then added.
"You think it's TJ?" Chrissy asked Kimberly.
"Either that or LJ's been working on his impressions again." Kimberly smirked.
"This can't be happening." said Miss Finster flatly.
"Furthermore, I want to inform you all I have a fat, saggy butt that I like to scratch every hour on the hour." continued Principal Prickly, and the kids all burst out laughing.
"Probably TJ." Chrissy said to Kimberly.
"Just how soon until he gets busted by the real Principal Prickly?" Kimberly wondered.
"Also, I want to apologize to all of you for being such a mean principal, taking away hall passes, giving guys recess detention, refusing to accept sick notes just 'cuz it doesn't look like a guy's mom's signature, making kids stand at the wall for 10 whole minutes, with no break!" Principal Prickly continued until it was shown that the PA system was rigged and Gretchen helped make it possible and of course, TJ himself was doing all of the talking with the trick of changing his voice into the microphone. "Man, I feel ashamed of myself for all the terrible, rotten things I've done. And next year, I promise to-" he then suddenly stopped as he was stopped by the real Principal Prickly, smiling nervously at him. "Why, Principal Prickly, sir, what a surprise." he then greeted nervously.
"Definitely TJ." Chrissy then said.
"Yeah, makes sense now," Kimberly nodded. "We'll tell LJ all about this when we meet him later."
IN THE OFFICE...
"Why do you do this, Detweiler?" Principal Prickly asked. "Do you enjoy tormenting me? Do you hate me?"
"On the contrary, sir," responded TJ. "I've always had the utmost respect for you!"
"Don't be smart with me, boy," warned Prickly. "All year long you've been pushing me, testing me!"
"I don't know what you mean, sir." TJ stated.
"Oh, really? How about the time you convinced the F.B.I. I was a Chinese agent and got me arrested?" Prickly challenged.
"You were giving us a speech on personal hygiene," TJ defended. "You had to be stopped."
"How about the time you forged my signature and ordered a motorboat for the school?"
"It was for the Kindergarteners. Owning a boat's always been kind of a dream of theirs."
"I've had enough of your pranks. This time I'm really gonna throw the book at you."
"With all due respect, sir, you'd better get throwing, 'cuz you're out of time." TJ suggested as he leaned back in his seat casually.
"Huh?" Prickly asked out of confusion.
"It's the last day of school, sir," TJ explained to him before pointing to the clock in the room. "I've only got 20 more seconds of fourth grade left. Look."
Prickly then looked at the time and saw that TJ was right as it was almost 3:00 and time for the final bell from Third Street School which would officially begin summer vacation for all of them. It was an emotional day for some, though mostly the teachers such as Mrs. Helperman and Miss Grotke.
"In some ways, people, this day is a bummer for me, but in other ways it's the ultimate high, because every milestone that you kids pass is another step towards-" Miss Grotke began to tell her class tearfully.
"Uh, Miss Grotke?" Kimberly piped up as she raised her hand.
"Yes, Kimberly?" Miss Grotke asked the girl.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but..." Kimberly said as she gestured to the clock as it was the final seconds now.
Miss Grotke then stopped her speech and looked at the clock. "Oh, yes! Be my guest." she then said.
The kids stood up in their seats. "6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" they chanted. And as soon as the bell rang, they tossed their papers up and cheered!
It was a very happy, happy day for any kid who had to go to school for nine long months.
"Scandalous!" The Ashleys beamed before high-fiving each other in victory.
The Kindergarten classroom was in a bigger state of chaos than usual, especially with the poor teacher being chased.
"You eat paste! You eat paste!" Captain Sticky told Mrs. Klemperer as he chased her with a ruler dripping with glue.
The students then all thundered down the hallway as they headed straight for the front doors.
"Hey! No running in the halls!" Coach Kloogie glared as he came out of one room.
"Yeah, what's the big deal? It's just the end of the school year." Mr. Yamashiro added as he came out another door.
The two teachers then realized what was going on and cheered on with the kids. "The end of the school year? Whoo-hoo!"
Even the lunch ladies in the cafeteria were having a good time.
"Girls, what shall we do with the rest of this corn chowder?" Lunch Lady Harriet asked as she came from the kitchen with a giant pot. Lunch Lady Irma took a whiff of the soup before she smirked. "Aw, leave it in the kettle. It'll keep 'til September." she then said before laughing with her fellow lunch ladies.
Back in Prickly's officer, TJ decided to stand up and take his leave as he heard the other students running down the hallways. "See you next year, Principal Prickly." he then said on the way out.
"You'd better do some growing up this summer, young man!" Prickly told him firmly before sighing in frustration. "I hate my job. This sorta stuff never happens to my brother."
The kids whooped and hollered as they ran outside, with Grotke and Finster watching.
"Look at those hooligans." Miss Finster fumed.
"Actually, I think it's a wonderful expression of freedom and joy." Miss Grotke replied.
"I'll tell you a wonderful expression of freedom and joy: 12 weeks of nothing but me, the West Side Golf Course, and no Detweiler!" beamed Principal Prickly.
Miss Finster chuffed at that. "I second that emotion, sir."
And so, the kids in the schools began to walk off and discussed their plans for summer vacation. However, TJ's friends had rather disappointing plans.
"Man, Teej, that prank was sweet." Vince said out of excitement.
"Yeah, you should've seen Finster's face!" Spinelli added. "I thought she was gonna blow a gasket."
"Those limesicles were tasty." Mikey smiled as he had a green ring around his mouth.
"A tasty beginning to a tasty summer," TJ smiled back at his friends as he ate an ice cream sandwich. "12 weeks of nothing but riding bikes, hanging out at the lake and T.P.-ing the West Side Golf Course. Summer vacation: the ultimate recess."
"Yeah, I can't wait to get to baseball camp." Vince remarked.
"Baseball camp?" TJ asked as they suddenly came to a stop. "What are you talking about?"
"Actually, Teej, I'm gonna be out of town too," Spinelli explained. "Big Time Wrestling Federation has this training camp, and I gotta learn some new moves if I'm ever gonna turn pro."
"But Spinelli!" TJ frowned.
"It's military camp for me," Gus then told TJ. "My dad says I need to learn to be a leader."
"I shall be attending the Mt. Van Buren Space Camp," Gretchen piped up. "Don't wanna let those science geeks get ahead of me."
"You're all going to camp?" TJ asked in shock.
"Not me." Mikey spoke up.
"Thank goodness." TJ whispered in relief, only to have his hopes dashed once again.
"The Young Voices Training Program doesn't like the word 'camp'," Mikey then explained as he was pretty much going away to summer camp as well. "They provide opportunities for aspiring singers to train their voices in a rigorous yet supportive setting."
"But summer's gonna be ruined!" TJ complained to his best friends. "What am I gonna do? Play baseball by myself? Watch reruns? Read?!"
"Sorry, man, but we gotta think about our futures." Vince reminded him.
"Yeah, we can't waste the whole summer just fooling around like kids." Spinelli added.
"But we are kids!" TJ reminded them.
"Actually, as of the completion of fourth grade, we are technically considered pre-young adults." Gretchen clarified.
"And next year we won't even be pre." Mikey added.
"But!" TJ tried to protest until he gave in. "All right, let's make the most of the time we've got left. When do you all leave?" he then added wearily.
"First thing in the morning." Vince said softly.
"Oh, man." TJ moaned as this was not what he was hoping for.
MEANWHILE...
"Chrissy, how do you think Sector V is holding up without Numbuh 1?" Kimberly asked the blonde girl as they walked home from school as well.
"That's a good question, we should probably visit them," Chrissy replied. "Let's get LJ and Zofia first."
"Right." Kimberly nodded as they went to the Schwartz residence.
Outside, LJ was hanging out in the front yard when he saw them coming up the walkway. "Heya!" he called, waving to them.
"Hi, LJ." Chrissy and Kimberly greeted.
"Hi, girls," LJ said as he came over to them. "How was school?" he then asked.
"Oh, you know, just a usual end of the school year celebration for everyone, though it was raining ice cream on the playground." Kimberly told him.
"It was awesome." Chrissy added.
"Shoot!" LJ exclaimed. "Guess Sector X must've had plenty of fun that day, then, yeah? I wouldn't expect anything less from those guys!"
"Oh, yeah, looks like they're off to a great start to summer." Chrissy agreed.
"Well, maybe..." Kimberly said.
"Maybe?" Chrissy and LJ asked her.
"Whatya mean, Kimber?" LJ added alone.
"Oh, I don't know, seems like they had something on their mind about this summer, I'm not sure what," Kimberly shrugged. "My mother calls this 'La intuición de la mujer'."
LJ and Chrissy glanced at her in silence for a few moments.
"Women's intuition." Kimberly then clarified what she meant in English.
"Ohhhh," mused LJ. "So whaddo you suggest we do? Investigate, maybe?"
"I was maybe thinking about it if that's okay, though we've been thinking about checking on Sector V too." Kimberly replied.
"Especially since, ya know, Nigel ended up going with the GKND." Chrissy added softly.
"...ah. Well, alright," said LJ, getting his backpack. "We haven't seen them in a while... let's go see how they're doing."
Zofia poked her head out from her window. "Hey! Where you guys going?" she then called out.
"Going to see Sector V!" Kimberly called back. "Wanna come?"
"Yeah, sure!" Zofia replied as she came to join them, though muttered to herself. "Even though I also deserve that perfect attendance award from school while Scott Leadready II took it away from me."
"Does your sister go to school more than you?" Chrissy asked LJ. "I feel like she doesn't do a lot during our adventures."
"She goes to school on the computer so it counts sometimes," LJ explained with a shrug. "I don't know the full details, but that's just what she does and I do what I can to get my own education even though some people say that life experience is its own education."
"I suppose that's better than what my parents used to say." Chrissy remarked.
"Do I dare ask what that was?" LJ responded.
"'Always do your best because if you don't, we won't love you as much as we did before'." Chrissy quoted.
"That's terrible." Kimberly frowned.
"My parents weren't the best people," Chrissy agreed as she nodded at that. "Who knew the Dazzlings would be better parents?"
"Yeah, life is strange that way," LJ responded. "Now let's go!"
The three kids then went off together to go and visit Sector V which was the second closest Kids Next Door sector in their home territory.
They soon came over to the treehouse that was atop of the Uno household while Nigel's parents were there, doing whatever they could to keep their house in shape though it was hard on them to lose their one and only son even for the greater good. As LJ, Kimberly, and Chrissy made it over, the kids there appeared to be installing their newest technology from the local hardware store, being the frequent kid customers there for their 2x4 technology since no one was as smart as Dexter McPherson or the Test twins from Porkbelly Science Institute their age could make more technological technology they needed to help fight adult tyranny.
Kuki looked over and noticed them right away with a bubbly smile. "I thought I smelled a fellow Rainbow Monkey fan! Hiya, Kimberly!" she then beamed and waved with a screwdriver in her concealed hand.
"Hi, Kuki!" Kimberly waved. "My friends and I thought we'd see how you were doing, y'know?"
"Of course!" Kuki giggled and beamed. "We're just stocking up before we all go to the root beer party tonight to celebrate the last day of school!"
"And it's about time if you ask me," Wally scoffed as he walked by, carrying a heavy box of wooden planks before dropping them and put his hands in his pockets. "Seems like we've been in school for a bajillion days a year without a break!"
"Our fourth grade president sure didn't help in that case." Hoagie snorted and nodded in agreement.
"Ah, right... he extended school time to last until 8:00 PM," LJ mused, the events of that escapade fresh in his mind. "You'd think someone would point out that class president doesn't have any actual power."
"Yeah, I mean, who the crud actually does that?" Wally scoffed. "If I were class president, I'd do a whole lot of more awesome things for the students!"
"I think you should learn how to spell your number before you have anyone vote for you, Numbuh 4." Abby scoffed at him.
"Hey! I'll have you know that they spell the number four with a Q in Australia!" Wally retorted.
LJ, Chrissy, and Kimberly all looked very unimpressed with that notion.
"So, how are you guys doing without Nigel?" Kimberly asked softly.
"Well... we're getting around okay," Abby said softly with a shrug. "It's not really easy to accept, but we're just learning how to live with it."
"Good on you, guys." said LJ.
"And here I thought you guys were gonna dress up a Rainbow Monkey or something just like Numbuh 1 to cope or whatever." Chrissy commented.
"I thought about that, but... I'm not as dumb as I look, ya know." Kuki defended.
"Besides, there's a lot of work that's gotta be done before tomorrow." Hoagie added.
"Yeah?" LJ asked. "I imagine it has something to do with the whole Summer Vacation thing?"
"Yup," Hoagie responded. "Our parents are sending us off to camps."
"You guys are going to camp too?" Kimberly asked. "I'm surprised you agreed to that."
"Numbuh 5 sure didn't, though she has to do something worse than summer camp." Abby remarked.
"And what's that?" Chrissy asked.
"Mom and Dad are going on a romantic getaway for the summer so they thought I should spend some time with my sister," Abby explained before sighing. "If she doesn't kill me first that is."
"Whoof... sounds brutal," LJ remarked. "You have my sympathies, and I'll at least try to check up on you in case anything happens."
"Thanks, LJ." Abby replied.
"My parents always try to send me away to a boarding school or summer camp, but I always manage to escape," Wally smirked. "Nobody's gotta worry about me."
"Man, there's a bigger number of kids going to summer camp this year than I thought," Kimberly remarked. "I just hope none of you end up at Camp Lakebottom. I hear that place is pretty toxic."
"Can't be worse than Sunny Smiles," responded Chrissy. "Sure, it's all pristine and fancy, but the owner's son is a giant tool."
"Your parents send you there?" Kimberly guessed.
"You betcha," Chrissy nodded. "I think they wanted me to date him too, but every fiber of my being was saying no."
"Well, at least you found the strength." Kimberly replied.
"Yeah, I just wish I could've told them or had the courage to say no to them," Chrissy sighed. "Sure, I was a popular singer on a stupid reality TV Show people take way too seriously, but to be honest with you, I kinda hated the limelight."
"Who can blame you?" asked LJ. "Stage parents tend to be kinda garbage."
"Well, I'm glad you understand because a lot of people misunderstand me," Chrissy remarked. "Have there been worse stage parents?"
"Well, my cousins Akito, Estelle, and Vincent mention that their Aunt Darla had it pretty bad when she used to live in Hollywood as a child actress." LJ said softly.
"Even if she was a spoiled and self-obsessed brat?" Chrissy asked.
"She might have been that, sure, but that's just how LB Mammoth raised her," LJ explained from what he heard from the Fudos. "She was a lonely orphan who had a talent in singing and acting and he adopted her to treat her more like a client after his other actors and actresses got too old and he thought having Darla, someone who's young and cute, and even become his successor since he didn't ever actually care about her and just wanted to use the success of her cuteness and charm to win over a new generation of audiences for many years to come, even when he would be old and gone until Uncle Atticus realized how cruel he really was to Darla and then decided to get payback for her and he and his family showed her the warmth and love that a REAL family should be."
Kuki sniffled and soon cried her eyes out emotionally. "THAT'S THE SADDEST STORY I EVER HEARD!" she then bawled while hugging Wally who looked both bashful and annoyed from her embrace.
"Man, where were the Kids Next Door for her?" Hoagie commented.
"Well, Darla was what they call a Stepford Smiler in front of the cameras," LJ explained some more from what he was told. "She seemed very happy and enjoying the glory of being a famous movie star at such a young age and she only flooded that stage back in the day to get the attention she was craving since until my mom and Uncle Atticus came along, no one ever gave her genuine help, affection, or attention, so I completely understand, Chrissy." he then concluded kindly.
Chrissy just gave him a hug in response, and LJ patted her on the back.
"Well, have a good summer either way and I know it can't be easy without Nigel." Kimberly said to Sector V.
"We're doing what we can, but thanks for your concern." Abby said softly.
"Though I think I should've been the new Sector leader in Numbuh 1's absence like I did for him when his parents took him to that amusement park one time." Wally remarked.
"Uh, you made us make a clam cannon without any breakfast or sleep to stop the Delightful Children and we almost got launched to Pluto." Hoagie reminded him.
"Hey! I had something going there! You know that!" Wally defended.
"Sure, man." said Abby dryly.
"Anything else before we go?" LJ asked.
"I think that's about it," Hoagie replied. "We got it from here."
"Though speaking of Nigel, I'm just curious, have you run into that girl Lizzie at all?" Kimberly suddenly asked.
"Who's Lizzie?" Kuki asked innocently.
"Okay, well, see ya!" Kimberly then said before she would tempt any fate.
"Arrivederci!" LJ said as he and the girls left.
"Seriously guys, who's Lizzie?" Kuki asked her friends. "Is she that pretty girl we helped with the fountain of youth?"
Hoagie, Wally, and Abby all looked a little awkward before they got back to work.
"But anyway, we should be all yours for the summer for some adventures." Kimberly then told LJ.
"Awesome!" LJ beamed as they headed down the path. "Maybe I'll call Lynn and the others and see how they're doing."
"If they don't end up going to summer camp too." Chrissy commented.
"I'd hate to imagine what summer camp would enroll 10 kids from one family." Kimberly remarked.
"Plus, they've all probably got different things going on," mused LJ. "Should be interesting, at least."
"I guess we'll find out eventually." Kimberly replied.
And on that note, the kids headed off once more. TJ and his friends made the most out of the time they had left until summer camp. The Schwartz family decided to have a barbecue and the Fudo family visited them for the night as well as someone else in the family who had been gone away to a new school for a while.
