Fate is a funny thing. No one ever knows what it's doing, what its intentions are, or really, what it even is. Sometimes it mocks people. Sometimes it's motivation. But every now and then, it seems to know what it's doing.

Norrisville was a fairly average town, if you excluded the constant monster attacks around the city and the high-tech pyramid plopped in the middle of the landscape, but every place has their own little quirks. Most of the people in Norrisville were average despite the funky hair colors and language. However, there was one person here that had a fairly interesting life, though most didn't know about it. He attended Norrisville High, a ninth grader that seemed fairly normal, despite his purple hair (of all colors) and tall height, but it suited him well. The boy sat at the front of his science class, fighting to keep his eyes open as the teacher rambled on about how living plants and animals used energy. His name was Randy, Randy Cunningham, and although he was losing consciousness, he felt a sharp prod in his should that pulled him back into reality. Randy looked over at his short and overweight friend, Howard Weinerman in confusion. The ginger haired boy simply rolled his eyes in response and returned to listening to the lecturing Mrs. Driscoll, using his left arm and hand to prop his head on. Randy sighed and returned his attention back to the front of the class. A smile crept onto his face as he thought of how good a friend Howard was. Randy knew he needed to pull his grades up, but his constant sleeping and spacing out in class due to his double life didn't help. He and Howard had come up with a shaky solution that involved Howard to wake him up in any class they were in together, but alas, it didn't always work.

"Don't forget class," Mrs. Driscoll's high pitched voice rang out as the last minute of the class began. "Tomorrow we will be preparing to leave for New York to study how the amount of energy used can affect an area. Be sure to bring your necessities for a weeklong trip." The bell rang just as the teacher finished her sentence, signaling the end of the period.

As the students began filing out of the classroom, Randy and Howard picked up their back packs.

"Man I cannot wait for tomorrow," Howard said ecstatically. "A week in the big apple! So many foods to try and places to go, it's going to be so bruce!"

"I know right," Randy joined in, his face twisted in a huge grin. "The only thing I can't get over is that our whole science class is going to be there. Not to mention the ninja will be gone for-" The teenagers words were interrupted as screams erupted from down the hallway.

"You were saying?" Howard remarked with a smirk. "Better get going, I'll stay here and man the lunch snacks while you're gone." He promised, sitting down out of the way and pulling out a bag of candy labeled MCsquiddles.

So remember earlier how I had stated that Randy wasn't as average as he appeared and that he was tired due to a double life? Well, with Norrisville and the constant monster attacks, someone has to take care of them. The one to do this is an 800 year old ninja, or so they say. However, no one knows that every four years a new ninja is picked, a freshman at Norrisville High to control and remove these monstrosities from the town. Out of all the new students at Norrisville, Randy had been picked for this new role. Why he had was beyond reason with him, but obviously the Ninja Nomicon, the book of ninja knowledge, and the previous ninja had had their reasons for him to become the new monster fighter.

Randy's shoes skidded on the hallway floor as the freshman sprinted around a corner and into a bathroom. Checking to make sure no one was in any of the stalls, the purple haired teen pulled out a mask with red markings and yanked it onto his head and over his face. A flash of red and black appeared from the mask as ribbons began to envelope Randy's body, transforming him into the masked hero many people adored. Pulling out a red ball, the ninja threw it onto the ground, sweeping his body into a red smoke that transported him to a wrecking havoc monster.

When the ninja arrived at the center of the chaos, the monster had done a fair amount of damage in the gym. Several bleachers had been thrown into the wall and there was a considerably big hole in the floor where the basketball hoop had once stood. The monster was a recognizable one to the masked hero, a purple creature in a band outfit that was the stanked form of one of the school's band geeks known as Bucky.

"Alright Bucky," Randy yelled up at the beast. "I'd rather not lose all my MCsquiddles so let's finish this quick." With a "Ninja leap!" the ninja hopped onto the monsters back and used a "Ninja punch!" to smack the behemoth between the shoulder blades. The band geek let out a cry of discomfort as the pain shot through him, enraging him more and causing him to buck under Randy. The young hero jumped back onto the floor and used his "Ninja air fist!", knocking the brute across the room. However, the stanked Bucky managed to swat at Randy with one of his huge fists before being hit, causing the ninja to go flying into the wall.

"That…" Randy squeaked, picking himself up from the ground. "That was pretty good." The teenage hero was about to use his scarf to swing himself back to Bucky when a sudden black mist around the teen monster caught his attention.

"Black stank? What the juice?" Randy asked himself in confusion. Normally, the stank that possessed monsters was green, symbolizing the sorcerers (an evil villain attempting to get rid of the ninja and spread havoc) doings. He had only seen a different colored stank once, which was red, but it was directly from the sorcerer himself.

As Randy stood staring at the black stank while caught in his thoughts, his attention was snapped back into the present as he realized the mist was surrounding Bucky.

"Bucky," Randy said nervously. "What are you doing?" he asked, half way expecting a response even though monsters never talked back, excluding roars. As Randy watched he realized the black stank was absorbing into the monster, changing his appearance.

"Oh no, come on Bucky, that's really not necessary. Let's just, um, hug it out or something. There's really no reason for that." Randy laughed nervously, creeping toward the now black beast. He had almost doubled in size and his band clothes were ripped in various places around his body. His now red eyes glared at the ninja and he let out a blood curdling roar before swatting at the hero, sending him crashing through the wall, outside, and into Principle Slimovits' car.

"What the juice Nomicon?" Randy managed to say as he picked himself up and pulled out the black and red book. "Black stank? I didn't even know it was possible. Help me out he-Oof!" The masked teen was pulled into the book without warning, his body going limp as his conscious left it. Randy floated down into a sewer of black and green book pages as the Nomicon began writing out a lesson for him.

"The holder of the black mist can mislead one from others appearances." Randy read out loud as the colorful words danced across the dark sewage water. "What the juice does that mean Nomicon? I could really use some info on how to remove the black stank, not mist covering more people." With a sudden flash and an angry thud, Randy was pulled back into reality as the book shoved him into the real world.

"Man, I never get straight answers." The ninja muttered as he stuck the book into the red fabric around his waist. At that moment the car that Randy had been hiding behind was picked up and chucked across the parking lot, revealing him to the now huge, black stanked Bucky.

"Ok, no biggie. We'll do this like any other way. Locate the source of the stankage and destroy it." The ninja said to himself, pulling out his ninja sword. "Ok, so now I just have to find Bucky's triangle dinger." Randy looked around for the green (or possible black) glowing dinger. He located it around the waist of the monster, surprisingly pulsing both colors. With a "Ninja jump!" the ninja launched himself towards the object, his sword pulled back, ready to swing down. Bucky, however, had other ideas and simply punched Randy away, roaring in anger and irritation at the hero's attempt to destank him. The ninja skidded across the grass field and into a tree. With a grunt he pulled himself back to his feet, stumbling slightly forward a few feet. Shaking his head to clear any extra pain, Randy took off sprinting back towards the monster, feet beginning to glow red. With a "Tengu fireball!" the ninja launched a flaming sphere at the monster, knocking him back, tearing the dinger out of his possession. Wasting no time, the masked teen swung his sword down onto the dinger, splitting it in two and releasing the green and black gas held inside. Randy sighed in relief as he watched the monster transform back into the blue and yellow dressed band geek, and the green stank flow back into a pipe. He was surprised though when he found the black stank still floating next to the dinger, whispering quietly. The ninja slowly crept forward, hoping to attempt to wave it off with his sword before it had time to find another victim.

Now, in times like these, not everyone has their wits about them. When faced with danger some people choose to run while others choose to fight it off or see what's happening in the very least. However it would be a smart idea to think about what they're doing first before going straight up to something that had just controlled another being. As Randy stepped towards the black mist it stirred slightly at the motion of his sword, beginning to back up. What it did next, surprised the ninja, and even slightly frightened him into immobility. The haze shot straight at the freshman, shrouding him in the darkness. His body grew extremely cold, and he felt his heart beat speed up as the mist entered his body. Randy had never been stanked before, and it scared him to think of what damage he might cause as a monster while still being a ninja. He could potentially destroy the entire town without meaning it and no one would be able to stop him. Randy's vision blurred and slightly reddened as the rest of the black fog was sucked into him. For a moment he felt heavy, yet muscular, and powerful, and still at the same time he felt weak and nauseous, capable of barely standing up. Then his body suddenly brimmed with pain as he felt himself lifted off the ground, world steadily growing black as he let out one of the loudest shrieks he had ever screamed. It was like his very soul and body was being ripped from each other yet he was powerless to stop it. Randy had never felt any anything before like this excruciating pain, and he hoped he would never, if he did survive, ever feel this kind of pain again.

Howard usually wasn't one to tear himself away from a tasty snack, but when he heard a blood curdling scream coming from outside, his head snapped up faster than a dog catching a ball. Abandoning the hot dog he had taken out, Howard dashed off towards the back of the school as fast as his little legs could carry him. He had never been worried before when Randy had been faced with a monster, but then again, he had never heard a scream like the one he just had moments before. With a swift turn around the wall and out of the back doors, Howard's eyes quickly scanned the clearing and came to a black glowing ninja. Without another moment's hesitation, the freshman raced over to his friend, slowing as he came closer. Randy's body shook on the ground in a fit of pain, his eyes closed tightly as he fought against it. Howard didn't know what to do to help. He had no idea what it was and how to get rid of it, so, taking his chances, he reached out and shook the ninja.

The black mist recoiled as another being came into contact with it, surprised (if something without a brain could be) that it's ritual had been interrupted. After a few more moments, Randy let out small gasp as the fog was torn away from his body, the stank glowing a slight purple on top of the black. It retreated quickly, though not like the green stank. It simply vanished from thin air.

Randy slowly relaxed as he felt the pain fade from him. His sapphire blue eyes fluttered open, vision focusing on the current bluish and yellow blob standing over him until his vision focused and he identified it as Howard. He sat up quickly, shaking his body with pain again before reaching out a hand that Howard took. The overweight boy helped the ninja up, eyes brimming with worry. With a look that said "I'll be back in a minute", the ninja threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared. Randy found himself behind a tree and removed the ninja mask, sitting down as he did. He found that, after checking himself for any major wounds, his arm was the only place that was still pulsing with pain. The teen lifted up his jacket's sleeve and inspected the point of pain. A small black wing looking bruise was all the young hero found on himself, and after a moment's hesitation, he shrugged and pulled his sleeve back down, classifying it as nothing more than an oddly shaped bruise.

Randy and Howard met up outside of the cafeteria doors. The monster attack had caused the next period to be cancelled, so everyone was doing their own thing. Howard anxiously inspected Randy quietly, a bit out of character.

"Howard, I'm fine, honestly. Just a bit bruised on the arm. Otherwise, like I said, I'm fine." Randy insisted. Howard pulled up his friends sleeve to inspect said bruise.

"Cunningham, it's not every day that the ninja encounters black stank as well as being fully covered in it. I don't trust it. It can't have been harmless. Stank doesn't just grab people and then leave suddenly, am I right?" Without waiting for a response he continued. "And this bruise doesn't even look right. It looks like some crazy mythical wing or something. Bruises don't do that." Howard pulled the sleeve back down and crossed his arms. "I'm going to keep a close eye on you, you know that right?" Now Randy was just plain confused. A stupid little bruise shouldn't cause his friend to go completely out of character but he sighed and shrugged it off.

"Ok, but I'm telling you I feel fine." Randy muttered as the bell rang, signaling school was over. As Howard and Randy ran out of the school, glad the day was over, Randy's eyes did an unthinkable. They flashed red. He didn't notice, but of course, how could he?