Kim Possible is owned by Disney. I own this work of fiction. I make no profit from this.

The Gift
a Kim Possible fanfiction
by Jonathan Harrison
aka beeftony

Prologue

Monkey Fist grunted as he delivered a vicious roundhouse in the direction of Ron's head. "I grow tired of this, Ron Stoppable."

Ron ducked under the kick—or was it a punch?—and fell to the ground where he spun around on his back in an attempt to sweep his opponent's legs.

Agile as ever, the aspiring Monkey King leapt over the attack with ease and gripped the tree above him, flipping up onto the branch and giving himself the advantage of height.

Stoppable had improved greatly since their last encounter, however, and jumped in the air, kicking off of the tree and propelling himself towards another, where he repeated the process until he was on the same level as the monkey man.

Using his mutated feet to keep him firmly rooted to the branch, Monkey fist struck out with a jab, catching Ron by surprise and causing him to stumble a bit. He quickly regained his balance, however, and instead of retaliating with a punch or kick, he decided to taunt his opponent.

"Y'know, I'll never get over the fact that you holding onto the tree like that is just SICK AND WRONG!"

Monkey Fist growled and swiped at Ron, who ducked under the attack and grabbed the branch with his hands. "And I will never understand why the subject of monkeys disturbs you so, Stoppable."

"It doesn't," Ron admitted as he swung under the branch to avoid a low kick from Monkey Fist, using his momentum to come all the way around the branch and launch an inverted whirlwind kick at his opponent's face. He then used the super strength afforded to him by his mystical monkey power to propel himself up to another branch about twenty feet above. "It's just that you're so into it that it really weirds me out!"

The monkey master used a combination of Stoppable's technique and his own powerful thighs to leap high in the air and land on the same branch as his opponent, adopting the same defensive pose as before. "A lot of things 'weird you out,'" he quipped, attempting a leg sweep that forced Ron to jump and grab the branch above. "You're just a very paranoid person."

"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean there's not somebody out to get me!" Ron protested. As Monkey Fist attempted to grab his feet and drag him down, he said, "Case in point."

"You are immensely frustrating, Ron Stoppable," Monkey Fist snarled as he grabbed one of the blonde's ankles. His grip was defeated by Ron's other foot, causing him to stumble and lose his balance.

Swinging around the branch like a gymnast, Ron launched himself feet first into his opponent's chest, knocking Monkey Fist from his perch and launching them both into freefall.

Monkey Fist used his hands and feet to grab onto the various vines that descended from the foliage, slowing his fall. Ron did the same and pumped his legs back and forth to gather momentum. Now barreling towards his opponent, Stoppable shaped his body like an "L" and kicked the monkey master square in the gut. This succeeded in launching both combatants into freefall once again.

"Oh this is so not good," Ron commented as he saw the ground rushing up to meet them.

"You were always such a buffoon," Monkey Fist chided. "Hang on."

Now reaching out for Ron, Monkey Fist grabbed his foe by the hand and grabbed a low-hanging branch just meters above the ground, transferring the momentum of his fall into a rotating swing that ended up with both of them on the branch.

Ron was stunned. "Why'd you do that?"

Monkey Fist just glared at him. "You idiot. You really don't get it, do you?"

"Uh... no?" the boy replied honestly, though not a little uneasily.

"Do you remember the first time we fought?" the monkey master began, relaxing his pose. "Oh, you were so afraid then, so easily defeated. But you were smarter than I expected. You took the mystical monkey power; exposed yourself to something you hated and still don't want."

"Well, I'm getting used to it," Ron spoke up.

"Getting used to it?!" Monkey Fist gasped, as though the very thought offended him. "You fool! Anyone else would have embraced that power! Used it! Not let it fester inside them and used it only when they had no other choice! Don't you get it? Now that you have the power, it is youronly choice!"

By this time Ron had leaned back against the trunk of the ancient tree, counting on it to support his weight so that he could more easily listen to his foe's ranting. Monkey Fist continued.

"You have no IDEA what kind of power you have! You are a GOD! And yet you choose to be a child!"

"Hey, it's just who I am," Ron said defensively. "I'm not cut out for all this monkey magic stuff."

That comment caused Monkey Fist to roar with fury, rushing forward and grabbing Stoppable by the shoulders and pushing them both off of the branch. Ron landed hard on his back in the thankfully soft underbrush of the jungle, his opponent's body on top of his.

"To say that you are not worthy of your abilities and reject your own power is an insult to me and everyone who believes in you!" Monkey Fist raged. "But most of all it is a LIE!"

"Huh?"

Monkey Fist growled and smacked Ron across the face, trying to force the boy to see reason. "I've seen the way you are around your girlfriend, Kim Possible. You cast doubt on your abilities and consciously hold yourself back when you could easily decimate entire armies with the power you possess! Only when you are away from her can you truly achieve your full potential!"

The monkey master had a look of insanity in his eyes, but it was also one of passion. "You have been given a GIFT, Ron Stoppable. Use it! Stop making me regret the decision not to kill you when I had the chance!"

Ron quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

Monkey Fist smirked. "You don't think I could have easily dispatched you even after you gained the power? Like I told you, mystical monkey power or not, you are no match for a master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar! I could have snapped you like a twig if I wanted to! But I saw that you had a gift; you were able to use the power in ways I could only begin to imagine. As much as I wanted the power for myself, I was curious to see just how far it could be utilized."

"So you kept me alive because I had potential?"

"Precisely."

For the first time in his life, Ron Stoppable was speechless. Usually it was impossible just to get him to shut up. Now, he found himself unable to utter a word.

"But now I see that was a mistake," Monkey Fist continued. "You will never embrace your gift as I'd hoped you would. I should kill you right now and spare myself the misery of watching you make a mockery of everything I have worked so hard to achieve." He drew back his fist to strike the final blow.

"No, wait!" Ron screamed, panicking as was his nature. "Don't kill me!"

"And why shouldn't I?" the monkey man sneered, a look of madness in his eyes.

"You're right! I haven't been using my gift to its fullest potential! But I'm getting better!" Ron was hyperventilating now, petrified with fear. He would do anything just to get out of this situation.

"'Better' isn't good enough, Stoppable! You must give yourself to the power! Let it CONSUME you! It is the only way you can prove yourself worthy and stop me from killing you right now!"

"Alright! Alright!" Ron screamed. "Just don't kill me!" He started to cry.

Monkey Fist looked down on the boy with disgust. "Coward," he said disapprovingly. "I won't kill you. But I am going to hold you to your promise." He released his hold on Ron, standing up and turning his back to the boy. "Until next time."

With that he disappeared into the trees, leaving a trembling Ron to process what the hell had just happened.