A/N: For Az The Dragon, who requested a fic with Randy and First Ninja set after the season two finale when I opened fic requests on tumblr (because Randy deserved a thank you and a pat on the back...or something). Standard disclaimers apply.

Randy was so psyched about not only not moving out of Norrisville but also moving next door to Howard that he didn't even look at the Nomicon for a week.

In his defence, he didn't need to.

He'd done what no other Ninja before him could: he'd defeated the Sorcerer. The honkin' Sorcerer. Eight hundred years, and he was the one to free Norrisville from the Sorcerer's evil. He'd definitely earned bragging rights, even if Howard had shut him down after an hour of gloating. Well, he'd tried to, but Randy kept bringing it up because he could. Howard knew, after all, and no one else did.

Not that everyone else was praising the Ninja like they should. Some of the kids at school had actually taken Doug's side and wondered why the Ninja hadn't told them that there was an evil sorcerer living under their school, but really. They had no honkin' clue how wonked things would've been if they'd discovered the truth and the Sorcerer had been able to use their fear against them. Even kids he was pretty sure got that idea now, despite not really linking stanking to negative emotions, weren't entirely happy. Debbie, for instance, was still intent on unmasking him. Even more so now, since arguably he didn't have any good reason to hide.

As if the lack of the Sorcerer under the school meant he didn't have to answer for anything in the past. McFist knew that his deal with the Sorcerer was dust, but the man wasn't a complete shoob. He probably wouldn't take too kindly to the fact that a teenager had outsmarted him—well, sorta—and cheated him out of his reward. And without the entire school unquestionably on his side about the whole Sorcerer thing, it was kinda better to lay low.

Julian seemed cool with the whole 'being split into two and trapped in the Land of Shadows by his evil half' thing, but it was Julian, so that didn't amount to much.

And, anyway, it was easy to lay low when he didn't have to worry about robots or monsters and he could just marathon Grave Puncher with Howard.

If something came up, he could totally Ninja out again, but it wouldn't, and he surely didn't have to mind wipe himself yet, because why would he want to forget how bruce he'd been in this last battle?

So he just left the Nomicon in his room, and that was that.

He might've looked at it earlier if it hadn't gotten buried under a bag of clothes, actually, or if he hadn't had the flickering TV screen on for most hours of the night. Judging by the frequency and intensity of the pulsing light when he did finally notice it around midnight a week after the Sorcerer's defeat, it wasn't too happy with him for being ignored.

"Aw, c'mon, Nomicon," he groaned. Now that the clothes that had covered it were in a heap on the floor instead, the Nomicon's glow looked extra bright in the dark of his bedroom. Somehow, that made it look angrier. "You've gotta admit I was the absolute cheese out there. And it's not like I've been abusing the mask since! I've been very good about that. I even refilled the smoke bombs!"

Naturally, the book admitted nothing, so Randy reached out and opened it, hoping this wasn't the last time he was going to do that.

He fell through the dizzying symbols and wound up face first on what felt like hard ground. That was better than being instantly mind wiped, but it was still painful. He sat up and rubbed his head, but it didn't take him long to realize where he was: the grand temple where he'd last spoken with First Ninja, the one which proudly displayed a mural of the two of them. He glanced around, but no words materialized, even after he'd gotten to his feet.

"What?" he finally called. "Am I waiting for a lecture in person now or something? You can't tell me I'm neglecting my Ninja duties when I don't have any anymore!" He didn't want to bring up the Ultimate Lesson; it might give the Nomicon ideas.

"A battle won," a quiet voice said behind him, making him jump, "does not always secure the war."

Randy turned to face First Ninja, who looked exactly as he had the last time Randy had met him here. He had stepped out of the mural again, and from the sounds of it, it was for a lecture. In his opinion, Randy did not deserve a lecture. He deserved a giant thank you for doing what no Ninja before him had managed to do, including First Ninja. "What the juice are you talking about? Beating the Sorcerer was winning the war! That's what the whole war was! And I defeated him, so you're welcome."

To Randy's surprise, First Ninja bowed to him—deeply—and said, "Such an achievement deserves the gratitude of all the Norisu Nine, but you most especially have mine. You have ensured that the sacrifice of my brothers was not made in vain. May you forever have the swiftness of the river, the strength of the mountain, and the acumen of the Great Dragon." He straightened, looked Randy in the eye, and added, "All will be needed in the future."

Randy held up one finger. "Okay, see, you started out really well. I liked the first bit. I don't know what acumen means, but it sounds good. But that ending? That sounds bad. And it shouldn't sound bad. I defeated the honkin' Sorcerer. What more do you want from me?"

"Evil begets evil, and the duty of—"

"Nononono, hold on. I'm gonna say this one more time. The Sorcerer is gone. He was like the evil half of this other dude that had been trapped in the Land of Shadows, and they merged, and he thanked me—properly—and then he dissolved. There's no way he's coming back. You got that now? I don't have the worry about him anymore. No one does. Ever. Because I defeated him. Because I'm the brucest Ninja ever." He blinked, remembered who he was talking to, and added quickly, "Um, no offence, but you get my drift. I mean, I stopped him. You just trapped him."

"The ripples of the dropped pebble are not stopped by plucking it from the water."

Randy stared at him blankly. "Why would I pick up a stone if I threw it into the water in the first place?"

First Ninja took a deep breath, released it, and said, "The Sorcerer was but one evil. A door once known cannot be unknown, and even the most ancient of enemies can have allies."

Randy waited, but First Ninja didn't add anything to make his meaning any clearer. Randy decided to wait a moment more.

Still nothing.

"The time has not come for the Ninja to lay down his sword."

For the first time since winding up in the Nomicon, Randy relaxed. "Great. Because I didn't really want to mind wipe myself yet. I mean, that's a pretty big achievement to just forget. Now, be honest, once things settle down out there and people get over the fact that I never told them about the Sorcerer, do you think I can get them to declare it Ninja Week in my honour? A day's not really enough recognition for all of that, y'know? Because it was pretty bruce. Admit it. You know it was."

First Ninja sighed. "It was bruce," he allowed, and Randy knew he was smiling even if he couldn't see it. "You did well."

"And you can't thank me enough."

"Yes, but—"

"Right, because after what I did, I deserve more than just a thank you and a pat on the back." He smirked. "Even though you haven't given me that pat on the back yet."

First Ninja took the hint. "You did well," he repeated, giving Randy a hearty thump on the back that nearly sent him sprawling into the dirt, "but you must know that all is not done."

"How the cheese is it not all done?" Randy exclaimed. "We've been over this! The Sorcerer is gone."

"His most infamous ally was trapped in the Land of Shadows," First Ninja explained, finally saying something that resembled sense, "and a door which was opened once may be opened again."

Wait.

"You're talking about the honkin' Sorceress? But she can't get out of the Land of Shadows! That's the point! No one can! The first time was definitely a fluke."

First Ninja just looked at him, and it finally clicked.

He had gotten out of the Land of Shadows.

Evil Julian didn't count, in Randy's opinion. He'd had the real Julian on this side, and the Sorceress—if she was split like the Sorcerer had been—probably didn't, since anyone on this side would be long dead if they weren't filled with evil magic. Probably. It was hard to tell, considering Julian appeared to have survived in the Land of Shadows just by eating stalactites (stalagmites? Randy couldn't even remember anymore) and the man in fancy pants who had been the non-evil part of the Sorcerer had been chained to the wall of the dark and ominous cave, so he probably hadn't eaten anything at all. In eight hundred years.

Okay, so maybe the magic worked in such a way that both parts of the Sorceress would survive if she had been separated.

Which would actually be good for him, because she was basically the Sorcerer, except free and more powerful for that, especially if she got out of the Land of Shadows the same way he had.

He hadn't even thought about her. He hadn't thought about anything besides getting back to Norrisville with Howard (and Julian, he supposed) and stopping Evil Julian. But what if the monster with the portal in its mouth was still stuck? What if anyone could walk through to Norrisville just by getting the monster to open its mouth? Just how badly had he wonked up without realizing it?

"I totally shoobed this, didn't I?" Randy murmured. He felt his knees buckle, but he didn't care that he hit the ground hard. He'd…. He'd thought he'd done so…. But all he'd done was….

First Ninja sat down across from him, dropping into a cross-legged position in one smooth motion. "The great Ninja who defeated the Sorcerer is before me," he said. "Such a legendary deed will not be forgotten. You have written a future worthy of a true Ninja of Norrisville by ridding our town of a terrible evil. Despair is but a demon of the mind; the strength to defeat it, though aided by strength from without, must come from within."

"But I can't beat the Sorceress! She's strong enough to stank people without them even being afraid! How the cheese can I fight her? I'm not ready for that!"

First Ninja stood and held out his hand. "You once told me Ninjas do not quit. Were you not right in that belief?"

He hadn't expected to hear that now, but somehow it made him feel better. "Ninjas don't quit," he agreed, taking First Ninja's hand and letting the other Ninja pull him to his feet. "But I'm not prepared to fight the Sorceress. What if I don't win?"

"Doubt is a poison that assures defeat."

That didn't answer his question. "Do you at least know when she's going to attack?"

First Ninja shook his head. "The minds of others are not easily known, but the best defense begins with preparation."

Randy swallowed. He didn't like the sound of that. He'd have to ask Julian exactly how fast the whispers of news travelled in the Land of Shadows. If he was lucky, Julian would actually answer him in a way he could understand.

But Julian had heard tell of the exit portal after only being the Land of Shadows for…well, Randy wasn't sure exactly how long. Months, probably, assuming time there went about the same speed as it did here, and it had seemed to. And the Sorceress had been there for centuries. He kinda doubted she hadn't looked into everything, and if she caught wind of the fact that something had changed? She was practically guaranteed to check it out.

She'd be coming.

And, somehow, he'd have to be ready for her.

"Can you at least teach me your dragon fist move?" he asked. "I'm not gonna lie. That's the absolute cheese. And the Nomicon keeps refusing to show me."

"Knowledge shared before its time is not always understood and withers like a flower after frost," First Ninja said, which admittedly Randy didn't entirely understand. But then he turned to the temple and added, "The fruit is sweetest once fully ripe, though it is a pale reward for the changes you have wrought."

"You're actually going to teach me?" Randy couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. It sounded like First Ninja was going to teach him. Finally. He'd asked about that move ever since he'd ended up teaming up with First Ninja back in 1213, and this was the first time the Nomicon hadn't ignored him.

"It is but the only way my gratitude may now be shown." First Ninja gestured to the temple, probably to say Randy should follow him in, but Randy threw himself at the other Ninja in a hug instead.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed. "This is going to be so honkin' bruce. Wait till I show Howard!"

Maybe things weren't over. Maybe he still had to fight the Sorceress. But with First Ninja on his side—because he totally had influence over what the NinjaNomicon showed Randy and nothing was going to convince Randy otherwise—maybe he could actually do this.

He'd defeated the Sorcerer, after all.

And Ninjas don't just quit. They had a duty to protect, so he had a duty to protect Norrisville, just like First Ninja once had.

He'd defeated one great evil; he could defeat another if he had to.

He wasn't the Ninja of Norrisville for nothing.