chapter seven ━ heatwaves & a flirty penguin
( season one, episode nine )

❝ especially since i tolerate dogs
more than people. ❞

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 watching Kim fight her opponent at their meet. She avoided several swings before kicking her opponent in the chest, winning her match.

"Winner!" the judge declared and Veronica clapped with a wide smile.

"Kim!" Rudy said excitedly. "You just won a match in the All Wasabi Invitational. This has to be the most amazing moment of your life."

She shrugged. "Well, actually, witnessing my sister's birth—"

"Boring!" Rudy cut her off and Veronica sighed.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think I'm even in his top ten of amazing moments in his life," she told the blonde who sat down beside her. "It's not like I'm his favorite niece or anything."

"You're my only niece," Rudy said with a frown.

She nodded. "Exactly. Which means I should be your favorite."

Rudy shook his head. "It's all tied up," he told the group of karate students. "If we win the last match, we're the number one dojo in the Bobby Wasabi chain. Jack, you're up. Are you ready?"

"Well, yeah, but I thought Bobby Wasabi was going to be here," he said, a little disappointed that the eccentric rich man was not in attendance.

"People, Bobby can show up whenever he wants to," Rudy replied when a gong went off and they looked around. "Or he's here now." Veronica chuckled as the man rolled into the dojo on a large Vespa. "Bobby, welcome."

"I'm sorry," Bobby said, spinning around. "I was hoping to slip in unnoticed." The brunette snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. "So, how much is my Pittsburgh dojo winning by, hmm?"

Jerry frowned and stood up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." His friends looked over at him. "For your information, we're kicking butt."

Bobby laughed and looked at Rudy. "Oh, that's rich." Veronica frowned, mildly offended at his assumption. "Almost as rich as my labradoodle will be when I die."

She smiled. "I aspire to be like that," she said with a nod. "Leave everything to a dog. Especially since I tolerate dogs more than people."

Bobby cleared his throat when he saw the offended expressions from the teenagers. "Seriously, you're—you're winning?"

"If we win this last match," Rudy replied.

"Well, let's do this!"

"Well..." Veronica patted Jack on the shoulder with a smile. "No pressure. You just need to prove to Bobby that we don't suck. So, good luck."

Rudy pushed his niece out of the way and she glared at him, sitting down between Milton and Kim. "Jack, you can do this," he said to the boy. "You want to know why there's a heatwave outside? Because you're on fire!"

"Fire!" Bobby shouted and Veronica held her head in her hands. "Celebrities first!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Rudy told them, shaking his head. "No fire. Just a pep talk."

Bobby nodded. "Oh, well..." He turned to the crowd. "Before the match begins, I have an announcement. This month, there will be an article on the principles of the Wasabi code in Karatefancy Magazine!" He gestured to a copy that one of his ninjas was holding. "The winning dojo will receive a gift from me and the winning sensei will appear on the cover with me."

"Do you guys know what this means?" Rudy asked the students sitting on the bench.

Veronica nodded. "Yes," she replied with a sigh. "It means I'll be further down in the best moments of your life."

"Ho-ho." Bobby laughed. "This is going to be exciting. Evan, sausage me!"

The brunette shook her head, watching the ninja throw a sausage into a waiting hot dog bun that was handed to Bobby. "That will never not be weird... You got this, Jack!"

"Let's go, Jack!"

"Fight!"

Jack was immediately forced backward before rolling under a swinging leg. He was kicked in the chest and he rolled back on his feet.

"It's alright, Jack."

"Yeah, come on, Jack!"

He blocked a kick and several punches before catching his opponent's arm and kicking him in the chest, sending him to the ground. "Winner!"

"We did it!" Rudy exclaimed happily while Veronica hugged Jack, unaware of Kim's eye on them. "We're number one! Woo!"

"Come on, Rudy," Milton said making Veronica and Jack look over, his arm still around her. "On our shoulders. Once around the dojo."

Rudy shook his head. "Uh—no, no, guys!" She let out a breath of relief. "At no point should my head be higher than Bobby Wasabi."

"Ooh, I love shoulder rides!" Bobby said with a smile. "Okay, kids, let's lift with the legs!"

Their smiles fell before they all ran in different directions, bumping into each other in the process.

___________________________

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 floor of the dojo, leaning against the lockers, when she looked up from her phone to see her uncle walk into the building excitedly with a large crate behind him. "What the hell is that?" she asked, making Jack and Jerry, who had been working out, follow her gaze.

"Just set it on the mat," Rudy told the delivery man before turning to the three teenagers. "It's the gift that Bobby sent."

"I'll get a crowbar," Jack before Rudy stopped him.

"Oh, no need," he replied. "I'm a third-degree black belt. I'm always packing two." Veronica wrinkled her nose in disgust as he kissed his biceps. He knocked on the crate before smacking it, making the sides fall. She looked at the two boys when they saw what was inside and they both shrugged. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rudy said and Veronica shook her head.

"Um..." Jack frowned. "What is it?"

"It's a dude," Jerry replied, still looking at the statue that Rudy was in awe of.

He scoffed. "It's not a dude," he said and Veronica crossed her arms. "It's a piece of film history. This is a statue of Bobby Wasabi from his classic 1974 movie Dojo of Wax."

Jerry nodded. "Okay, so it's a dude made of wax."

"I don't get it," Jack said with a shrug. "How is this stupid statue supposed to show everyone that we're under his number one dojo?"

Rudy covered the statue's ears. "Don't you dare talk in that tone!" he hissed and his niece rolled her eyes. "And when Bobby comes here for that picture tomorrow, you'd better act grateful!"

Veronica shook her head. "I think I just got bumped lower on his list of things he loves." She flashed a peace sign at the statue. "See you later, Bobby. Jack, Jerry. Weird uncle..."

___________________________

"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓?" Veronica asked, walking back into the dojo and seeing a large 'we're #1' sign in the window.

"Oh, it's a sign we got from my uncle's junkyard," Jerry replied with a smile and she furrowed her brows. "It used to hang over the men's store downtown."

She tilted her head. "The underpants store?"

"'We're number one'?" Rudy said, looking at the sign while Veronica sat down on the chairs.

"We didn't take the part that said 'in men's underpants'," Jack answered Veronica's question and she nodded; good choice.

Jerry crossed his arms with a frown. "I never understood why that store closed," he said. "They sold great underpants at a fair price."

"So what exactly is the sign doing here?" Veronica asked, pulling her brown locks into a messy bun and off her neck.

"That dumb statue isn't going to show anyone we won the tournament," Jack replied, gesturing to the statue that was still sitting in the middle of the dojo.

Jerry nodded. "Yeah, it's our way of letting people know we're number one."

"Oh, especially girls who can read. That's right. I have a type," Jack added and Veronica raised her eyebrows which he noticed. He cleared his throat and turned away, turning red in the face.

"Come on," Jerry begged his sensei while Veronica chuckled lightly. "At least let us turn it on. Let's see what it looks like lit up."

Rudy sighed. "Okay, fine. Go ahead and plug it in."

Jerry went outside while Jack plugged in the sign before a fuse blew and everyone jumped from the electricity cackling. Veronica looked up just as the power went out.

"Oh, great." Rudy let out a breath and threw up his arms in defeat. "Your cruddy sign blew our power out."

"I think our cruddy sign blew the power out," Jerry echoed, walking into the dojo and Veronica sighed. "And it's not just us. The power's out in the whole mall."

"What?" Rudy asked before shaking his head. "Oh, no. No, no, no! Oh, there's no air conditioning. And it's already getting warmer in here."

Veronica bent down beside the statue and looked at the sign attached to Bobby's wax leg. "Exposure to temperatures above seventy-four degrees will cause the statue to soften and result in permanent disfigurement," she read, looking at her uncle who looked worried.

He whimpered. "That's it. My life is over. Bobby's going to be here in four hours for the photoshoot, and when he gets here, he's going to meet Blobby."

Jerry let out a laugh. "Blobby Wasabi, that's—"

"Shut it, Jerry!" Rudy snapped. "I can just kiss goodbye my cover of Karatefancy Magazine." He dropped to his knees dramatically. "This heat wave is going to kill Bobby Wasabi!"

"Would you calm down, you lunatic?" Veronica asked with a sigh and looked at her uncle. "We just have to figure this out, okay?"

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" he said and she raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms. "Alright, just keep fanning Bobby."

She glared at him but did so anyway as Jerry turned to his friend. "Man, this is the worst heat wave this city's ever had," he told them. "And because of us, everyone's air conditioning is out."

Jack sighed. "At least no one knows it's our fault."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that..." Veronica muttered and he looked at her.

She pointed outside and he looked behind him to find Falafel Phil walking in with an angry look on his face. "I know it was your fault!" he exclaimed, walking up to Rudy. "You karate people, you did this! Because of your fancy underpants sign, my meat is going bad and my goat is drinking out of the toilet bowl."

Veronica glanced at each other while Rudy got the man's attention. "Phil. Phil, I tried calling an electrician, but they're all busy."

Phil looked at him and nodded. "Okay, you come with me to the roof," he said. "If I don't get the power back on, my wife will go crazy and miss the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Hakhmahkistan."

Veronica quirked an eyebrow upward. "You're married?"

"Rudy, what about the statue?" Jack asked him. "What should we do?"

"Just take him someplace cold," he replied and Veronica glanced at the wax statue. "Alright, if it melts, my dream of being on the cover of Karatefancy melts with it."

"Don't worry," Jack said in determination. "Nothing's gonna happen to this statue. All we gotta do is take it someplace cold. Let's go, come on."

Veronica crossed her arms as she watched the boys start to run off. "Forgetting something?" she called and they turned back.

"We should probably take Bobby with us."

The brunette girl sighed before reluctantly following them. "I'll make sure they don't accidentally leave him in the sun..."

___________________________

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎 went was the grocery store. Jerry had decided to put the statue in the freezer with the frozen foods and it seemed to be going well...

Until a woman opened the door.

She took a stack of frozen pizzas, saw the wax face of Bobby, and started screaming. Veronica leaned against the wall as Jerry hurried over to the woman. "Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, it's okay, it's okay," he said. "I put him there. He's not alive."

The woman gasped and started hitting Jerry making him scream in pain. Veronica shook her head before walking to the cashier, setting down a bottle of water and a bag of chips. The cashier handed her the items and winked at her, making her roll her eyes and walk away.

___________________________

𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐘 rink. Veronica was sitting behind the penalty box, snacking on a box of popcorn and a Diet Coke while Jack and Jerry sat with wax-Bobby in front of her.

"Blizzards' Mancini goes to the box for a two-minute penalty," she heard the announcer say over the PA system.

"Hey, puckweed!" Veronica looked down at the penalty box and saw Jerry standing up making her sigh. "Find another penalty box. This one's taken."

The player dropped his gloves and helmet before slamming Jerry into the glass. He looked into the crowd and saw Veronica. He smirked and winked at her before continuing to beat up Jerry.

"I quit..." she muttered, walking away.

___________________________

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 was the Penguin House at the zoo which saw Veronica in a winter jacket and hat, shivering from the cold temperatures. "I think I just remembered why I don't like winter..." she said to herself.

Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulder in an effort to warm her up which made both of the teenagers blush softly. He cleared her throat and looked at Jerry. "I don't think you should be eating that fish," he said and Veronica followed his gaze, seeing a bucket of raw fish in front of him. "It's for the penguins."

"Oh, no, this little guy doesn't mind," Jerry replied, gesturing to the bird standing beside him on a rock. "See, that's the thing about penguins. They're very generous. Right, little cutie?"

Veronica cleared her throat. "Uh—I don't think his mother is very happy."

"No, no, V, trust me," Jerry said and she glanced at Jack. "These penguins are really—" He was cut off by the mother pouncing on him and Veronica leaned her head on Jack's shoulder with a sigh.

"At least no one is hitting on me in here," she muttered before seeing a penguin looking at her. "Oh, come on!"

___________________________

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐏𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 inside the dojo and Jack and Jerry high-fived each other once they saw the statue was still intact. "Yes!"

Rudy opened the door and let out a gasp of relief. "Oh, Bobby, you're back!" he said happily. "I'm so happy. I never thought I'd see you again."

Veronica frowned. "You're limping. Why are you limping?"

"Nothing much," he replied, waving it off and she raised her eyebrows. "Just fixed the power, got blown off the roof, landed in front of the veterinary hospital. Nice people. They patched me up and gave me a coupon for a free flea bath."

"Hold on, back up, you fell off a roof?" she asked and he shrunk down in his seat.

"I was hoping you didn't hear that part," he said sheepishly.

She looked down at his feet. "Where are your shoes?"

He followed her gaze and shrugged. "I have no idea." She sighed and Rudy looked at Jerry who was covered in scratches, bandages, and a swollen lip. "What happened to him?"

"Old lady, hockey player, angry penguin," Jack replied and Veronica nodded.

"We've all been there..." Rudy muttered.

"Guys, Bobby's going to be here in one hour for the photo shoot," Milton said, joining the group with Kim after their attempt at doing a beach business ended in an argument, and Rudy stood up with a nod.

"He's right. Everyone put on your gis," he told them. "I want you all sparring when Bobby gets here."

Kim linked her arm with Veronica's as they made their way to the girls' locker room. "Did Jerry really get attacked by an old lady?" she asked and the brunette looked at her.

"You're not questioning the fact that he got attacked by a hockey player or a penguin?" She shook her head and Veronica chuckled. "The first of many attacks for the night. And don't even get me started on the number of people who hit on me."

___________________________

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌 when they heard Jerry's high-pitched scream to find Bobby only as a puddle of wax.

"I can't believe it," Jack said, looking down at it. "How did this happen?"

Rudy sighed, kneeling on the ground. "Oh. Oh, Bobby. Oh, Bobby, it's not so bad. Your legs just got a little soft, that's all. We'll just go call the doc. He'll fix you up. He'll fix you up real good."

Kim leaned over to Veronica. "Are you sure you're actually related to him?" she whispered and the brunette shrugged.

"I can't tell if I'm talking to his face or his butt," Rudy said, looking up at the group of teens in despair.

Veronica tilted her head. "I think it's a bit of both."

"I don't get it," Kim said, looking around the room. "It's cool in here. The air conditioning is back on."

Jack looked outside and walked to the window. "That reflector out on the beach is shooting a beam of sun in here."

"There's nothing left but a melted mound of man," Rudy whimpered. "It should've been me! It should've—Bobby, you're early."

Veronica felt herself fall to the ground in the group's haste to hide the melted statue from Bobby's sight.

"How is my number one dojo?" Bobby asked and clapped Rudy on the back. "Rudy, are you ready for our picture?" He paused at the faces of the teens and motioned for them to separate which they did reluctantly. He gasped when he saw the pile of wax. "Is that the statue that I gave you? I honor this dojo with a gift, and this—this is how you repay me?" He sighed and looked at Rudy. "I thought you'd turned this dojo around, but I was wrong. There will be no cover of Karatefancy for you."

"Wait!" Jack exclaimed, stopping the man from leaving. "It wasn't Rudy. It was me. I put this weird 'we're number one' sign because I wanted everyone to know that we won the tournament. And it caused a blackout."

"It was me too," Jerry added, stepping forward. "Rudy taught us true champions don't have to brag. Especially with a secondhand underpants sign."

"It was my fault," Milton cut in. "I was angry at Kim so I threw down the sun reflector which melted the statue. I love science, but she can be a cruel mistress."

Kim shook her head. "No, Milton, I'm to blame," she said. "I was so obsessed with getting my phone turned back on that I went all psycho boss on you. I'm sorry."

"I'm confused!" Bobby exclaimed. "Who is responsible for melting me?"

"I am," everybody said in unison while Veronica shook her head.

"Not me." They all looked at her and she shrugged. "What? I was going to spend the heatwave reading and eating ice cream, but instead, I got dragged to the grocery store where a boy hit on me. Then to a hockey rink where a hockey player hit on me. And finally to a penguin house where a freaking penguin hit on me. I have no part in this."

"Guys, thanks," Rudy said, shaking his head at his niece. "But this is my dojo, and I'm responsible for what happens here."

Veronica stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Bobby, with all due respect, but Uncle Rudy is the best sensei any of us have ever had. So we melted the wax statue that you delivered to us in the middle of a heatwave. Get over it!"

Bobby shrunk back slightly. "Well, maybe you're right... little cute, terrifying girl." She smirked and crossed her arms. "But what I just saw here... is what the Wasabi code is all about. Honor... friendship... and loyalty. I'm not quite sure how the underpants fit in or why that one has a dog bow in his hair." Veronica and Jack looked at Jerry. "But I do know... this dojo is number one. And you're right, Jack. Everyone should see that."

He went over to the plug and Veronica held up her hand. "You might not wanna—" Sparks flew from the outlet and once again the power went. "—do that."

"Looks like your cruddy sign blew out the power," Bobby said with a strained laugh. "Bye."

___________________________

"𝐇𝐄𝐘! 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓 go?" Veronica asked her uncle while they were at Falafel Phil's later that night.

"Only the highlight of my life," he replied and she slumped against the booth with a sigh.

"And I've been bumped down another spot..." she muttered, crossing her arms. Jack patted her on the head and she swatted his hand away. "Why are you petting me?"

"I don't get it," Jerry said. "The power's out in the rest of the mall, but Phil has no power."

Veronica looked behind her, hearing Phil's voice. "Okay, Tootsie, time to turn on the blender." He was holding a string with a carrot on the end of it. "Get on your treadmill and run, baby, run like the wind!" Veronica looked up as the lights flickered around the restaurant. "Yeah, you like your new shoes, huh?"

Rudy looked over. "My shoes!" he exclaimed, running into the kitchen.

"Hey, finder keeper!"

Veronica sighed and hung her head. "Oh, I can't wait until my dad gets home..." She stood up and ran after him. "Rudy, stop wrestling the goat!"