Before They Were Kings, Part VI: One Hundred

KND Moonbase, Year 2006

The Kids Next Door was his pride and joy, he was proud to be a part of it. He joined Cadet Training at five years old – a record young age for a cadet, became Leader's Assistant after graduating, and at Age 9, he was the youngest operative to earn the position of Supreme Leader. He, Numbuh 100, Andrew Johnson. His friends were by his side, but he was nervous. Hundreds of operatives were in the auditorium, awaiting the coming of their new leader.

"Andrew, how could you keep them waiting?" asked Travis Wickens, one of his good friends. "They have better things to do than sit through a boring ceremony."

"I still don't feel like I deserve to be here." Andrew replied.

"Why not?" Numbuh 82.22 asked. "Dude, we wouldn't have stopped Numbuh 296 if it wasn't for you. You'll be a hundred times better than he could ever be! Come on, Andrew, stop being so hard on yourself, you got this."

"It's no big deal!" Koda Shrieves assured him. "Just go out there and tell them what they want to hear. That you'll be a great leader and you won't screw up."

"Anyone can say that." Andrew remarked. "Oh well… Gotta give them something to hope for." He looked at the frying pan in his hands, which had '100' painted on it in white. Andrew put the pan over his head and stepped out.

"I proudly introduce Numbuh 100, our new Supreme Leader!" Numbuh 258.55 introduced.

The Kids Next Door ceased their chattering and faced their new leader. Andrew cleared his throat: "KIDS NEXT DOOR RULEZ!"

"Kids Next Door rulez, SIR!"

"Kids Next Door, it is with the highest honor that I accept the position of Supreme Leader. It may take some time to erase the damages Numbuh 296 has done, but I will give it my all to put this organization on the right track! And I would just like to say… thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead. The Kids Next Door holds a very special place in my heart. When I'm at home, living under the rules of strict parents, I'm glad to have a place I can be who I am and make friends. I'm sure you all feel the same to some regard.

"I don't want to say my parents are evil, I don't want to say any adult is evil. There are bad decisions and there are wrong decisions. There are things we can misinterpret as evil, but first, try to put yourselves in that other person's shoes. The next time you're fighting a supervillain trying to give kids extra homework, or you're angry at your parents for feeding you vegetables… first, try to understand them. Maybe they have good intentions but are approaching it the wrong way. Maybe we just don't accept the actions as good. What I'm trying to say is, we may be an organization bent on fighting adult tyranny… but it's important that we know the difference between true evil and misunderstandings."

The kids murmured to their selves. His speech was thought-provoking, but confusing. "Maybe this isn't the type of thing ordinary kids are used to hearing." Andrew said. "I think it's something to think about… but I don't want you kids to get a headache over thinking about it too much. One way or another, there are adults out there with evil plans that we need to foil. Just keep your heads in the game and do your best. And always remember, if there's something you can't do, you have hundreds of operatives to back you up. Promise me you'll always stay loyal and you won't lose faith, even if the age of 13 is creeping around the corner. Can you promise me?!"

"WE PROMISE!"

"Kids Next Door: assembly adjourned. You can stay here, go home, do whatever, but the second I call you for a mission, you better get ready. DISMISSED!"

"YEEEEAAAAAHHH!"

"Numbuh 100!" A blonde boy named Chad Dickson, seven years old and Numbuh 274, ran up on stage. "Can I arm-wrestle with you?"

"Arm-wrestle?"

"Yeah! Pretty please?" Chad had hopeful eyes.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!"

"Eh heh… Alright, if you want to." Andrew said sheepishly. They went to sit at a table on the stage and locked hands. Numbuh 258.55 signaled the match: "GO!"

Office

Numbuh 100 was later outside the Supreme Leader's office as 258.55 handed him the key. "Your job begins now, Sir. And I must say, that was a fantastic match."

"I lost." Andrew said in misery.

"I know! I guess we know who the runner-up is." The boy laughed. "Well, enjoy your office. I'll be at the Tactical Station. Byeee." He waved and walked off.

Andrew unlocked the door to his new, cleaned office. Any references to Numbuh 296 were removed, and 'Numbuh 100' was written on the label. He sat at the desk and took a quick look at the files, then started up his computer. "Well, if this isn't a break from being out in the field." Travis said as he walked in, looking around. "You finally made it, Andy. Safe behind the front lines, telling everyone else to risk their lives."

"I could write you up for barging in."

"Please, Andy. If that were how you roll, I would be bowing and calling you 'Your Highness.'"

"Told you not to mention thaaaaat."

"No no, I get it." Travis chuckled. "You want people to like you for who you are and not someone fancy or special. You're just like that Churchill boy: you're a kid like the rest of us and that's all you want people to see you as."

Andrew gave a light sigh. When he was still in training, he remembered missing the ship to go home and had to rely on Travis Wickens to take him back. To Travis's surprise, he was asked by Andrew to take him to the top of a mountain called Mariejoa. The guards questioned why he was on the World Government's headquarters, but Andrew told them he asked Travis to bring him home. They chose to let Travis go with the promise he wouldn't speak of this. And Andrew was scolded by his father for not telling Travis to bring him to his brother, Sandy's house, so that a private ship could come get him. When Andrew and Travis began to interact more, he was sincerely grateful that he didn't tell more people about Andrew's connections.

Around that time, Travis introduced Andrew to some new cadets led by a rich boy named Henry Churchill. He compared Henry to Andrew, and Henry also swore to secrecy since he already knew who he was. The World Government was mostly secret to ordinary citizens and they preferred to keep it that way, for their own sakes.

"It's just part of me thinks I should let everyone know." Andrew said. "I want to be someone people can trust."

"You do your own thing with that." Travis replied. "But it doesn't really matter where you come from, as long as you're a great leader that leads his operatives on the right path. So whether or not you feel it's important for your followers to know your background… that's up to you. Anyway, good luck. But lift some weights 'cause that was silly." Travis shut the door and left.

Andrew felt a blush form on his cheeks. He sighed and embraced the peace and quiet. Lucky Travis… doesn't know the whole story.

Johnson Home

Hours later, Andrew landed outside a small house in Cleveland close to the beach. "Welcome home, Andy." His mother, Roxy greeted him with a hug and kiss. She was a young, thin woman with long brown hair and purple eyes, wearing a purple sundress, and went barefoot. "I just made dinner for the others, but I can make something for you real quick."

"Big Bro!" Andrew's 5-year-old brother, Sandy kicked a small rubber ball at him. He wore a towel cape and green swim shorts. He liked to hang out at the beach. "You shoulda seen the castle I built today! It was as big as our house!"

"Kicking it down was a blast!" one of their three cousins yelled from the dinner table.

"Build a bigger one next time!"

Roxy was a member of the Earthbender Family Quartzite, and Sandy inherited her powers. Their cousins were the sons of Roxy's brother and also possessed earthbending. "I think I'll eat at Dad's place. He's gonna be here soon."

"Mom, why don't we ever go to Dad's?" Sandy whined.

"I miss them too, but Sandy, it's probably best we don't get involved with their work. Say, why don't you and Andrew play catch in the yard before-…" They heard an engine roaring and looked out in the backyard. A small black ship landed, intending to camouflage in the night as the dark-clothed pilot awaited Andrew.

"Maybe some other time…" The older brother headed outside. "See you later, Mom. Bro." The two stared with concern as Andrew boarded the ship.

Mariejoa; God's Castle

Andrew quickly crossed from calm and restful night to eternal day. The land that was "ruled by God" never saw darkness. How any normal human got sleep in this town was beyond him. "ANDYYY, ANDYYYY!" A woman with shiny brown hair in many curls twirled on the doorstep to the castle in her pink dress. "Welcome home, my little prince!"

"Nice to see you, Lady Jennifer." Andrew politely smiled. "Is Dad home?"

"Nuh-uh, he went out to McDonald's. I'm just kiddiiiinng! He's where he always is, go on in, go on iiiin…" She danced while Andrew walked past her.

Andrew entered the chamber with giant flames surrounding the throne. The five Leader thrones were empty, so only His Highness was present. "Ever think about turning the heat down?" Andrew asked.

The King's legs were arched over the armrest and his head was turned away. "Kids Next Door is wonderful, isn't it? I remember when I was a boy… my father and I watched from this very throne as an army of ordinary children overthrew the demons. It all goes to prove who we really are, Son. Where we really belong." He faced Andrew, showing the flashing 8-ball in his left eye.

"Dad, why do we need to do this? Why can't we just… go live with Mom and Sandy, leave all this behind?"

"Oh, Son…" Reggie Johnson stood and slowly stepped down the stairs, his metal armor clanking. "As much as I love your mother, the only real flaw about her is her bending. Power like that… power like this… it was never meant to exist. If I don't control it, no one else will. My entire family has lived to see the way we can make this world the way it's supposed to. One day, you will have this duty, Andrew. You… the One Hundredth King."

"But I don't want to, Dad. And I don't think there's anything wrong with this. Even if the Dimensional Fusion is real… is it really so bad?"

"You are still a boy… I don't expect you to understand. But… you will… in time…" Reggie gripped the Octogan and slowly pulled it out of his socket.

Andrew was repulsed by the sight and the sound. "Dad, please. I don't want anything to do with that."

"You need to master your Haki, Son. Only then will the Octogan accept you as its host. But the only way to learn is through training. No matter… the PAIN!" Reggie shoved it into Andrew's hand without warning.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Andrew burned from the unfathomable sensation, and visions whipped before his eyes. Planets melding together, a gate bursting open, the universe awash in a wave of power, and five beings cleaning it up.

"Huff, huff!" Andrew was given a break, desperately catching his breath.

"What have you learned, boy?" asked Reggie. "Tell me what you remember."

"The universe is flooding with energy." Andrew gasped. "Chi, magic, Bang Gas, physics, Four Forces that grow stronger every day. One day, the power will tear the universe apart."

"Correct, boy. And the ultimate cause of these powers is?"

"The Dimensional Fusion. Where numerous dimensions and its people get merged into one. But I don't see how that can be possible."

"Perhaps this will clarify." Reggie put the Octogan in his hand again.

"Wait, Dad—AAAAAAHHH!" An image flashed of a triangular portal, and Andrew was sucked into its light. He saw a boy with a straw hat, a girl with deep blue hair, a girl with white hair in a ponytail, a purple titan wearing a gauntlet with six gems, a swordsman clad in green… Then he saw the entire Kids Next Door army, standing proud while a storm of worlds rained down upon them.

Andrew was released from the pain again. "A powerful deity has made a single world using material from other worlds. He collected energy from those worlds and continues to build this one. It's becoming too much for our universe to handle. If it falls apart, the other worlds could be destroyed."

"And the World Government?"

"The World Government is dedicated to stopping it. The five World Leaders—the original five, are the incarnations of gods who wish to protect the other worlds. They teamed up with the first King, a denizen of our Original World, and who held the power to make this possible. All the World Leaders have been reincarnations of these gods. The Octogan has saw them, brought them all together. We continue to work to break the Dimensional Fusion."

"And see that it stays broken. The World Government will design a New World Order: returning these worlds to their natural order, and ensuring they never cross borders again."

"But if the worlds are broken, won't that make chaos, too?"

"Not under our control. Trust me, Andrew, when I say this is for the good of all beings in all universes. You may not understand now, but you will. I sense death approaching. Despair in your Kids Next Door."

"Are you threatening my organization?!" Andrew asked in a rage.

"I'm making no threats, I'm giving you a warning. Terrible things will happen in the near future. The Octogan foresees it all."

"Not if I have anything to say about it! I'll protect my operatives with my life! I'll make your Magic 8 Ball look like a joke." Andrew turned and stomped away.

"Go to sleep, Andrew. In the morning, you have school, then Haki practice. You are lucky to have people help you to prepare yourself."

"I'll be LUCKY if Jennifer turns the fucking SUN off!!"

Andrew's father made him touch the Octogan every night, hoping for the day it will adapt to Andrew's company. When Andrew tries to sleep in the darkest room possible in this sunlit town, he tosses and turns, haunted by the Octogan's visions. The triangular portal appears again, but this time it's in the chest of some jester. Twenty keys unlock the huge gate, unleashing a wave of energy, followed by sounds of thousands of breaking glass.

His vision became a green mist as he saw one of his operatives, Dillon Simmons. "Huh? Who's there?" asked Dillon.

"Dillon, it's me! Can you hear me?" Andrew asked.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!"

Andrew couldn't respond in time before the green mist unveiled Koda Shrieves, who looked mad as he was surrounded in darkness. This was followed by glimpses of a brain in a glass dome and a dark silhouette with an arrow on its head.

Andrew woke up sweating and panting. It seems like no hours passed under this unchanging sky. Andrew would then have school with 13-year-old Henry Churchill and a 12-year-old boy named Lucas Nickel – but he wanted to be called Lucas Stonebuddy. Apparently, Henry inherited the "will" of late World Leader, Don Quixote Homing. After his false decommissioning, he was brought to Mariejoa. During Henry's time in Kids Next Door, he was a leader respected by his peers. He made himself to be so friendly and inspiring that five sectors in Europe decided to merge into one under his leadership. Those sectors split apart when he left.

Lucas's story was very odd, because he claimed to be a reincarnation of someone from 4,000 years ago. Even Lucas didn't understand himself, he just had a feeling that he was. The strange form of earthbending Lucas possessed was inherited from that ancestor. King Reggie confirmed the story with his Octogan, and that this ancient incarnation was ashamed of himself for being a "foreign contaminate." Reggie promised that, in time, Lucas would learn that he was right to be ashamed.

"Class, it's time to brush up on your vocabulary!" Felius Umbridge, their English teacher announced. "Presently, Master Churchill has top marks in the class, so I highly advocate you follow his example, Felius Umbridge emboldens."

Felius was also a World Leader, long running at 60-something years old. She first realized her identity as a "reborn god" when a wizard wiped part of her memory with a magic spell. The Obliviate spell opened her mind in that brief moment, and sensing this, the King of the World came down to take her to Mariejoa. Felius detested wizards for their absurd power. When her Muggle mother and newborn Muggle brother separated from their wizard father and sister, Felius used her World Government connections to support them.

When Henry had a break, he wanted to rest in the peace and quiet of Daphne Anderson's indoor rose garden. While colorful roses grew outside, it was gray and dull inside. She only grew gray and black roses, but the black roses were meant for picking dead. She was a frightening shadowbender who could use her shadow to connect a person's life with a plant's life. She linked people to black roses, and when the rose was picked dead, the person dies. Then a gray rose would appear in her garden.

Finally, there was Jennifer Bush, the oldest World Leader at 2,000-something. She was inhabiting an immortal body that would only be Resurrected if killed. She believed it was the Will of God that brought the original Leaders together, and God wanted them to fix the universe.

Whatever, Andrew didn't care about these people or their backstories. All he cared about was the Kids Next Door. The place where kids were free, a person's background didn't matter, everyone was happy, everyone had friends. Andrew ruled out death as a possibility, he thought it was beyond the morals of the typical evil adult.

A few months into the job, a supervillain named Jonah Icarus made himself known and began stirring suspicion. Andrew entrusted Travis and a team of operatives from Sectors Q and T to investigate the villain. The team returned with schematics of a machine that could age children into adults. But there was someone missing: "Where's Travis?" Andrew asked.

"Numbuh 283… He was killed." Mario Ramsey spoke with regret.

"What?" Andrew felt his breath escape.

"Jonah got him with a knife. We were able to get his body back. Should we… bring him to his family?"

Andrew was struck silent for a moment before he gave the approval to do so. The nightmares the Octogan gave him were proven true. One of them, at least. Andrew swore vengeance to Jonah Icarus, and saw to his capture.

("For more detail, read Sixth Age!" Palutena recommended.)

("You don't remember what happened, do you?")

("I have a busy schedule, Pit. That's why I need you to write summaries.")

("I just wanna know why me and Jonah have the same last name.")

When Andrew returned home the night after their victory against Icarus, his father had prepared dinner for him. Andrew sat at the table before the throne and started on his steak, peas, and mashed potatoes. "The Octogan saw the horrible tragedy you just experienced." Reggie said.

"The Octogan needs to stay out of my life."

"Jonah Icarus is the man responsible. But there is another guilty party at work. Do you know why he came to be here? How he was able to do what he did? An aging machine requires Time Chi in order to function. Where do you believe he got ahold of such material? Let me SHOW YOU!" Reggie slapped the Octogan on Andrew's head. (Play "Uneasy Air" from Ib.)

A guy in a motorcycle mask—two people falling through a sea of clocks—a robot with a plasma cannon—

Andrew fell out of his seat. "Don't fucking do that to me when I'm EATING!!"

"An operative was murdered by an evil adult! A friend was taken from you! Just like a boy I admired, Numbuh Zero, was taken from me. He didn't die, but the same phenomena is responsible: the Dimensional Fusion. It will be responsible for many other tragedies, and it's our job to stop it!"

"THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING EVER!" Andrew jumped up and punched the table. "Blaming all the world's problems on some 'godly' phenomena, that's STUPID! Bad things happen because we let them happen! Travis died because of my own faulty leadership!" He started to cry. "My operatives depend on me… to help them get back up after they've fallen down. I'm going to keep leading them… so that I can inspire them. I'm not going to let anything stop me. Not you, God, or the Dimensional Fusion."

Andrew continued to lead Kids Next Door for three years. He would remain loyal until the day he was decommissioned. He witnessed the arrival of many new and aspiring operatives – Nigel Uno, Nolan York, Rachel T. McKenzie… Andrew saw good things to come from these kids. Not from the Octogan's vision, but he just knew. Maybe it was his Observation Haki that told him. Andrew had been mastering the basic forms of Haki, and he would teach Chad in his free time. The pain he felt from Travis's death was slowly sinking, there hadn't been any major tragedies these past few years. The worst thing that happened was a chickenpox crisis done by petty teens. There were some issues regarding cadets with bending powers; Chad banned these kids, following an old law that said benders weren't allowed.

Despite Chad's attitude for some respects, Andrew believed he was the most capable person to succeed him. On his 13th birthday, Andrew accepted his decommissioning proudly. "Andrew, why don't you wanna join TND?" Chad asked. "You can still be our friend, you can still help us."

"I just don't think I'm right for Teens Next Door. I… couldn't. Even if I wanted to."

"Sigh… We're all gonna miss you, Andrew. Good-bye… and thanks for everything." Chad pulled the lever and sucked his teacher's memories away with the plunger device.

Since the Second Age of Kids Next Door, their memory-erasing devices were powered by the Octogan's energy. It lasted to this day, even in their modern devices. That's why Andrew was immune to losing his memory. At least now, his old friends wouldn't be concerned about him. But Andrew kept tabs on the Kids Next Door. He learned about their newest missions. Sector V, led by Nigel Uno, have become famous, Rachel McKenzie became Supreme Leader after Chad, and Nolan was making a name for himself. But bad things happened.

Dillon Simmons was killed. Koda Shrieves went rogue, killed operatives, then was killed himself. In fact, both were killed by a group called the Brotherhood of Evil. Andrew learned of it all from the Octogan's power. When Andrew was 15, the powerful gem began to adapt with him. The pain he felt from touching it was growing smaller and smaller. It allowed him to watch the KND with a clearer vision. Things had become… much different.

Nigel Uno was accepted to GKND. His great-grandfather was a savage Demon King. Demons were enemies to God. Nigel Uno was an enemy to God—no… Nigel was a great operative. He defied his great-grandfather. In the months following, element benders made their presence known. Because of the incident with Revan Bane 30 years ago, benders had to hide their powers. They were no longer hiding. Inspired by Negatar Gnaa, they reappeared. They made friends. And then…

The universe was destroyed by God Arceus. It was put back together, but Andrew already knew, that was a taste of what was coming. In 2032, a cataclysm will destroy everything. The Scattered Realms Arceus created leaked more unstable energy into the universe. Like the Octogan predicted, it was growing. There were more benders, and they were free to do what they pleased. Benders became the superior force in the new Kids Next Door, and the dangers they would face go beyond the average evil adult.

Why was Andrew feeling so angry? Why should he be upset, knowing his organization was making proud strides and open minds, things greater than he had ever done under his leadership? Why shouldn't he have faith that, if anything terrible were to happen, the Kids Next Door could handle it? A new generation that was descended from the heroes in the Benders' Dawn. Why shouldn't Andrew expect great things from them?

…Because it was organized.

Andrew gasped. There was no one in the room except for the Octogan. The Octogan his father left behind to bond with his son. "Are you… talking to me?"

You love the Kids Next Door… You save yourself the trouble of spoilers and look into the future through me. You cannot deny that the ones responsible for Travis, Koda, and Dillon's deaths were a result of the Dimensional Fusion. And now that fusion is growing to a point where disorder is inevitable.

"But why do you say it was organized?"

The "proud strides" and "open minds" that have occurred in your Kids Next Door… have been the work of puppeteers tugging on strings. The Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses that you know will open the door… Everything that has happened and that will happen is all for the purpose to open that door. The ideals of development and growth are an illusion. Those things only happen because the puppeteers desire them to. They give those children a false feeling of hope and belief so they can channel it into power. You must not let such feelings overwhelm you. You have the power of Truth and Law. He who defines law controls the universe. That is why there must be World Leaders in a world where law is slowly decaying.

"I…I don't believe you. Even if there are strings at work… the Kids Next Door can break those strings."

Are you absolutely certain? What if Travis's death was to tighten the strings of his younger sister? What if Dillon's death tightened the strings on young Nolan? His betrayal of the KND, his redemption and marriage to Danika to give birth to a son, they are one move of strings after another. Nigel Uno's return and marriage to Rachel, the fact that both Doug and Gwen could be alive, every… single… step… has been the work of a puppeteer.

"You're LYING!"

See for yourself where the Puppet Show is going to end. See where your precious Kids Next Door will take their final BOW!

Rachel was lying dead. Nolan was lying dead. Their children despaired, they had lost. Their destruction was nigh. Cheren was dead, Dillon was dead, Miyuki, Sheila—

"ENOUGH!" Andrew cried. "It can't happen! It can't…"

No spoilers, is that what you want? When a puppet serves its worth, it must die. Every happy ending has been to captivate the audience until the climax. The only person that can decide a different ending is you, Andrew. And if these puppets were to defy you, even if you cherish them… you must let them burn.

King Andrew sat in silent despair. "Are my feelings… really my own? Or is the puppeteer… pulling strings on me?"

What do you believe?

Andrew didn't feel them. He didn't see them. But he sensed… that the strings were on him. They would make his brother marry a simple Minish. They were driving the Linlin Pirates into hunting Sugary Wonders. All of it was due to a puppeteer leading to an ultimate climax. …Andrew would not be part of it.

"I'm cancelling the show." He stood and pulled the invisible strings off. "I'm going to save these worlds…" He picked up the frying pan that was his signature helmet. The '100' had faded, but traces were still there. He put it over his head. "And my organization."

The very next day, Reggie Johnson was overwhelmed by the Octogan and destroyed. Andrew donned his armor… as the One Hundredth King of the World. "What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Lucas Stonebuddy asked.

"…We pull the strings in our favor."